The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-10-25
LABOR AND WAGES.
CONDITIONS WORSE THAN WHEN THE
LAST CENSUS WAS TAKEN.

Than In Is02-seventeen Per Cent Loss
Wages Earned Now Than Then-Labor's
Value s3OO.OOO,OOO Less Than In 1887.
Since the beginning of the present
year the free trade newspapers have
been busily engaged in reporting what
they were pleased to term advances"
in wages, though in no single instance
has it been stated to what previous rate
of wages the advance" related. With
view to ascertaining the facts, the
American Protective Tariff league has
undertaken an investigation to deter
mine the average number of hands en-
ployed in different industries during the
first half of the years 1890, 1892, 1894
and 1896, together with the percentage
Of wages paid, the rate of 1890 being
taken as full standard. There were
500 reports from SO different industries.
These returns show that the same in
dustries employed $3.50 more hands in
1892 than in 1890, an increase Of 10
per cent. In 1894 they employed "a, OBJ
hands less than in 1892, decrease Of
26 per cent. In the early part of 1895
they employed IT,, 756 more hands than
in 1894, but 1875 less hands than in
1892 and 2,795 less even than in 1890.
For 1895 the employment of labor shows
an increase of II per cent as compared
with 1894, decrease of ID per cent as
compared with 1892 and decrease Of 8
per cent as compared with 1890.
The average of wages paid in 1892
was per cent higher than in 1890; in
1893 it was 10 per cent less than in 1890
and 81 per cent less than in 1902, while
for the 1896 period the average rate of
wages paid was IA per cent less than in
1890, II per cent less than in 1892 and
only per cent greater than in 1894.
While those reported advances" in
wages have been diligently announced
in the cases of the few industries that
have been enabled to make them, moth
ing has been heard of the far more nu
merous other instances wherein the wage
earners have not been so fortunate.
Previous Investigations were:
Mckinley census, October, 1892, show
ing over $40, 900, 900 invested in new or
enlarged industries within two years !;
also that work has been provided for 81,
285 additional hands.
Industrial census, October, 1898,
showing loss of 1920 per cent in the
volume of trade az compared with No
vember, 1899; a decrease Of COZ per
cent in the number of hands employed |;
q decrease Of 50 per cent in the amount
of wages paid, and decrease of So. 30
in the average weekly earnings.
Industrial census, October, 1894,
showing decrease of 56 per cent in the
output Of factories as compared with
1892; falling off of 80 per cent in the
number Of hands employed; falling
off of 45 per cent in the amount Of
wages earned; decrease of 500 in av-
erage annual earnings.
We now have:
WAGES AND LABOR CENSUS SEPTEMBER, 1895.
Labor employ Wages paid.
Comparison ed. More (-l-) More (-l-) or
with. or less q. less (-).
1800.-........... per cent IA per cent
1892............. - ID per cent III per cent
1894............. Il II per cent --2 per cent
From this latest investigation it is
apparent that the industrial condition
of the United States has retrogressed
more than half decade. Six years have
elapsed since the taking of the census Of
1889, and per cent less labor is en-
ployed now than then, also labor earned
this year at the rate Of IA per cent less
wages than in 1889. These results, as
applied to the whole country, appear in
the following exhibit:
Census of 1890. Investigation Of 1896
Hands en-
ployed 80. 4,7l2,622- per cent, 4,571, 243
Wages earn
So 2s3 ZIG, 529-l4 p c., s., 1853, SOC, els
The result of Democratic admins
tration and free trade fanatic congress
is that labor was earning $500, 900, 900
less this year than in 1889. We have to
thank the more conservative Democratic
congressman that the result was not
worse Contrast this half decade of
Democratic destruction with the prog
ress of the country during three decades
of protection.
The suggestion naturally follows that
our consumption of goods must be on
the basis of our consumption in 1889,
at least as far as the wage earners are
concerned, if they are in receipt of
5000, 900, 900 less than in 1880. This
being the case, the effect Of our present
importations of foreign goods could only
be fairly gagged by comparing them
with our imports of 1889. That we are
not consuming as much as we did from
1890 to 1898 is well known, but if the
demand has fallen back to that of 1889
then our manufacturers will certainly
have to curtail their output very short
ly. We have, in fact, learned from rep
resentatives of several industries that
this is likely to be the case.