The Dickinson press., 1896-10-10

is in al industries. Monterey is boom
ing: Wages remain fixed at the old rates
n can be paid in the deprecated gil
yer. That gives the margin of profit
Inc most striking of the object lessons
perhaps, are those which the railroad
well managed. The dePots and SUI
neat. The .roadbeds will compare mos
fav.orably with those in the states. TIL
train service is excellent. Mexican
money does it. East from Laredo t
Corpus Christi, on the Gulf. wholly Of
American soil. the Mexican National ha
from Laredo the first division Of tn
same road. within Mexican territory, ex
tends to Monterey. 1853 miles, about tn
Grande the Mexican National pay
wages in Mexican silver. On the othe
side he pay roll is met with American
money.
Conductors between Laredo and Corpu
get s1o5 a month in gold. Conductor
between Laredo and Monterey get $13l
a month in Mexican silver. which j
worth $6I!6O, for the same kind of serv
Engineers on the Texas side are pait
$3.50 in gold for 100 miles. Engineer
& %ez ies M sii1ea. w s5aa r: sS!ss. $3.50 f : ID !
miles.
Brakemen running to Corpus get $50
month in gold; to Monterey, $50 ,
month in Mexican silver, worth $30.5O..
:Firemen on the Texas division are pait
at the rate of $3.50 in gold for 100 mile!
G traysleai 1 c9 the Mexican division, 1925
A general officer of the Mexican Ma,
tional, too modest to have his name il
print, gave these wages from his books
When he had read them off to this point
an interested looker-on interrupted with;
II should think all of the fellows or
the Monterey division would want to gel
on the Texas DIVISION"
Probably they would" said the officer
on all mixed trains the crews go through
from Corpus to Monterey. That gives
them 16O miles OF a gold basis in Texas
and 16S miles on a silver basis in Mexi.
CO.. They have the gold and the silver di.
visions alternately. We do that to give
them all the same chance"
of evening things?"
About two years ago."
How about wages of section hands 2"
The official turned to the books again.
"On the Texas DIVISION" he said, "fore.
men get $40 a month in American money.
The .laborers get IS cents a day. On the
Mexican side foremen get $40 a month in
Mexican silver, and laborers 62h cents,
both in Mexican silver"
At the prevailing rate of exchange this
gives section foremen on the Mexican side
n month and section hands about 81
cents a day in American money.
But o must remembers" said +he
railroad official. "these figures for fore
men and labor hold good only as far be.
low the border as Saltillo. That is $40
miles south of the frontier. As you 20
foward the interior wages decrease.
Potosi, 26S miles. section foremen are
pnld $1:5O a day and laborers SOC a day,
all in Mexican silver. Still further
south, below San Luis Potosi, the nav is
SSl;2o q day for foremen and for laborer
5lAZ2c a day: Mexican silver"
railroad wages undergone any
ver2" 1@N''An '''
they were the same in 1888. when silver
dollars were worth a half more than they
Concerning Lead.
The silver mine owners of Monterev
would be greatly gratified to see MI;
Bryan restore silver to $1.29 an ounce?5
was suggested to Mr.. Joaquin Maiz.
"0n the contrary" replied the owner
of San Pedro quickly and with decided
better for u.s." -
ceeded to explain. In SO doing he threw
much light upon the operation of the sill
yer basis in a silver country. What he
said of wages and living will be mar.
ticglarly interesting in the United States.
II we got $1.29 an ounce" he be.
gan, lit would be $1.29 in Mexican
money. Mexican money would be the
same as American money, and both the
same as gold. Under present conditions,
sAupposs we m got only yo Is a cents an ounce ii
American money is worth 100 Der cent:
more than Mexican money. In Other
words, the 65 cents an ounce in. Amerl
lean money or gold for our silver ii
worth double that in Mexican money!
So you see we would get no more per
ounce in Mexican money if silver was
worth $l.29. Now the main value of
our Monterey ores does not come from
the silver, but from the lead. If I have
lead IN my silver ore running 25 per
to the ton of ore. At 8 cents that lead
is worth $15 in the United States. That
is S15 in gold, which is $50 in Mexican
money.
"silver, you must remember" Mr..
Maiz continued, doesn't govern thu
price of lead. If silver should 20 .up ia
$l:29 an ounce, or, which is the same
thing, to par with gold, my lead would
Keep about even, regardless of the fuc.
tuation of silver. 1t would still be
worth 3 cents in gold. Ny 500 pounds OF
lead per ton would be worth sis in gold;
but it wouldn't be worth any more IN
silver. 1t would be SIS in gold in Amer.
ican silver and in Mexican silver"
Having shown that he would get yery
little if any more in Mexican money
for his silver if it commanded ST. %
or par with gold, and having demon.
strated that the advance of silver ia
$l.29 would knock him out of half OF
his return for the lead. measured by the
Mexican money. Mr.. Maiz proceeded ia
that phase of the silver question which
is most interesting to Americans.
Now. there is another thing" he said
"and it is this: When gold was about
even with Mexican money, or when there
was very little difference, we maid m,
labor Mt the mines IS cents a day. The
amount was equivalent to about 70 cents
a day in American money. Today w
in Mexican money, which is now equiv
alent to about 37h cents a day in gold
This 371@ cents a day in gold yields thu
mine-Owner the same amount of laho,
which was produced for him when tn,
IS cents in Mexican money was wortf
20 cents in gold. The Mexican mine,
does not consume for his nourishmen'
and his clothing n but Mexican prod
ucts, such as corn, beans, coffee. sugar
ticles are today sold ut the same price,
as when silver al at par with gold !:
this country. Consequently the liv:a,
expenses OF the miners haven't incrcaset
at all. They can perfectly we'll worl
now ut the same wages us they received
when silver was the same as gold"
The Silver Basis.
In wages on a silver basis, the min,
wages on a silver basis, the shelters O.
Mexico figure out a great advantage owe
those Of the United States. The Oman.
smelter 10 on which offers a fair com
parison with this Guggenheim plant o,
J Monterey. They are. probably. the larx