The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-30
CHEAP LABOR IN INDIA,
What Nelson Cole of ST. Louis
Saw in Calcutta Jute-
Mills.
WAGES ONE DOLLAR A WEEK.
Matchmaking Plant in Japan-Trol-
ley-Cars at Kioto XIII
People.

Colonel Nelson Cole, president of large
| woodworking establishment at st. Louis,
who arrived in San Francisco from Asia
few days ago, has travelled around the
world to some purpose. In company with
Major Charles E. Pearce, one of the lead
ing manufacturers of jute in the United
States, he visited the great manufacturing
| firms near Calcutta and made a study of
the machinery used and the wages paid to
workmen. Colonel Cole is so full of facts
and figures derived from personal observa-
ton that he should be engaged at once
to advocate the cause of protection to
industry in the United States. 1t is almost
| incredible that men and women work as
they do in India and receive for their toll
only the small weekly pittance allowed.
1t is plain to Colonel Cole that if political
conditions in this country ever force the
workers of the United States to compete
with the labor of India distress and
degradation will surely come to the homes
of this land.
One of the first factories visited by Col
onel Cole was the Hoogly Jute Works near
Calcutta There the weavers that weave
go yards of burlap sacking or hessian per
day earn four rupees week, sum equiv
alent to 81 "a of American money. A
rupee is worth 26 cents, and there are six
teen annas to the rupee. A bag-cutter re-
ceives two rupees per week, and the carrier
from the bag-cutter gets one and three
fourths rupees per week.
Men who sew bags on machines at the
rate of 14OO per day each receive two rupees
| a week. A tirst-claSs machine-hand in the
repair-shop performing lathe-work earns
from twelve to fourteen annaS per day, or
about nineteen cents in United States
money.
Children ranging from to years of
age are employed to take the spools off
the machines. They get less than one
rupee week each.
To verify these figures Colonel Cole paid
a visit to Barry & Co.'s jute works where
$500 men are employed. Men who work
on sewing machines there receive 81 ru-
PEGS per week each. Every workman is
supposed to turn out 1900 bags a day.
Some parts of the bag are hemmed by
hand, and women do this work. A good
workwoman can earn 80 cents a week.
A weaver makes from three and half to
four rupees week, and time-keeper gets
the same wages.
An expert bookkeeper, the highest paid
employe in the establishment, receives
from 40 to so rupees month, sum equal
to $40 or $12 of our money.
AT another large manufacturing institu-
tion known as the Lower Hoogly Mills
machinists get from Is to 80 rupees a
month. Only workmen of the highest
skill command 80 rupees per month.
lis estimated that the labor represents
only 20 per cent or one-tifth OF the cost of
the product. ''These figures" said Colonel
Cole, 81 obtained from the balance sheets
OF the firm and know that they represent
the actual cost of labor"
The cotton-mills at Delhi were visited by
the st. Louis travellers and figures pertain
ing to wages were obtained there. Viewers
and spinners get from six to eight annas
day and Work daily fourteen hours. Hero
it should be kept in mind that a rupee
amounts to only 26 cents of United States
money and it takes 16 annas to make a
rupee. 1t is estimated that the cost OF
labor in turning out 800 jute bags is only
50 cents.
On the East Indian railroad a switch
man gets from five to eight rupees a
month. For house servunt eight rupees
month is regarded as high wages The
"globe-trotters" pay as high as twelve
rupees a month and are blamed for adj
vancing the wages. The highest price
paid a farm laborer is two annas day.
Painting on ivory is taught in the art
produce creditable work. For eight
rupees Mr.. Cole purchased one dozen
portraits painted on ivory. The drawing
is very fine in detail and carefully finished.
The round piece of ivory on which each
picture is painted is not larger than a
dime. 1t is difficult to estimate what such
work would cost in the United States, but
the price would hardly be less than $40 for
each miniature.
Messrs. Cole and Pearce hired trust
worthy Indian servant while travelling
through that country and paid him the
extravagant wage of rupee day and his
railroad fare.
The first-class railroad fare from Bonn
bay to Calcutta, distance of 1864 miles, is
now 500, the second class $11 and third
| faIy hair hal
ding. For room, bath and board in a
tirst-class hotel the price is from 5 to z
rupees day.
"What England is going to do with
India nobody knows" remarked Mr.. Cole.
''The population is now 300, 100000 and the
increase is 2,000,0 900 annually"
japan was hardly less interesting to the
st. Louis tourists. In everything that per-
tains to modern civilization the Japanese
exhibit admirable progress. AT Kioto
there was an electric road on the trolley
principle and the manager of the line
wanted to know how the roads were run
In the United States so as not to kill peo-
pie who got on the track. For once the
desired information could not be given by
the American visitors.
The japanese are going largely into the
business of making watches. Mr.. Cole
bought one of the first watches made in
Osaka, paying for it % yen, or Sill so. The
case was imported from Switzerland, but
tne WORKS were maze IN Japan. Inc move
ment is known as full jeweled, with the
: jewels set in gold.
The watch factory has Just been COM
pleted and is expected to give employment
to 1000 men. The Japanese purchased a
watch plant which was originally brought
to this coast and managed with Indifferent
success by San Francisco capitalists In
stead OF importing Swiss cases, the Japan
csc propose to make the cases at home.
, They are now turning out good calendar
, clocks and selling them at 81 rs apiece.
They are also manufacturing carved ham
died toothbrushes which retail in the
) United States at 90 cents apiece and deliv-
ger gross. Ninety per cent of the brush
factory's product comes to the United
States.