Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-10-10

pay about $3.50 square yard for brick |
P rfTeeds streets o will get heG
a square yard, and that price will be in
money worth one-half the American
price.
Other Occupations.
AS in mining and in brickmaking: so it
is in all industries. Monterey is boom
ing: Wages remain fixed at the old rates.
and can be paid in the deprecated 81
Yer That gives the margin of proht-
perhaps, are those which the railroads
furnish These roads in Mexico are
well managed The .-depots and sur,
roundings are marvelously clean and
neat. The roadbeds will compare most
favorably with those in the states The
train service. is excellent Mexican
Corpus Christi, on the Gulf. wholly on
American soil. the Mexican National has
from Lar LAREDO the aHf first aon division of the
same road. within Mexican territory, ex-
tends to Monterey. 16S miles, about the
Grande fbe Mclean i 0ne s Naon ns pays
wages in Mexican silver On the other
side the pay roll is met with American
Conductors between Laredo and Corpus
get $1o5 a month in gold. Conductor e
between Laredo and Monterey get $3.50
month in Mexican silver. which is
ice.
Engineers on the Texas side are paid
on the Mexican side receive $3.50 in
Mexican silver, worth $3.50, for 100
miles.
Brakemcn running to Corpus get $50
month in gold; to Monterey. 500 a
month in Mexican silver, worth $1,000
at the rate Of $50 in gold for 100 miles
Travelled: on the Mexican division, $2.2o,
worth S1.17.
A general officer of the Mexican Ma
tional, TOO modest to have his name in
print. gave these wages from his books
When he had read them off to this point
an interested looker-on interrupted with:
Il should think all of the fellows on
the Monterey division would want to get
on the Texas division"
-. bly, they would, said the officer,
but we have combined the runs so that
on all mixed trains the crews go through
from Corpus TO Monterey. That gives
them $50 miles on a gold basis in Texas
and 16S miles a silver basis i'll Mexi-
CO. They have the gold and the silver di-
visions alternately. We do that to give
them all the same chance.
When did the company adopt this plan
of evening things?'
About two years ago."
How about wages of section hands,"
The official turned to the books again.
On the Texas division" he said. fore
men get $40 month in American money.
The laborers get 7o cents day. On the
Mexican side foremen get $40 a month in
Mexican silver, and laborers 621A cents,
both in Mexican silver
AT the prevailing rate of exchange this
gives section foremen on the Mexican side
so a month and section hands about 81
cents !lf day in American money
B Eand y oo must t+F Femember;" said the
men and labor hold good only as far be-
low the border Saltillo. That is 24O
miles south of the frontier. As you go
coward the interior wages decrease.
krom Saltilio southwark to San Luis
Potosi. 26S miles. section foremen are
PAID s1- 30 day and laborers soc a day,
all IN Mexican silver. Still further
south below San Luis Potosi, the pay is
SI2o day for foremen and for la borer
3f12c day. Mexican silver"
Have railroad wages undergone any
change with the decline of Mexican sill
ver?"
they were the same in 1855. when silver
dollars were worth a half more than they
are now
Concerning Lead.
The silver mine owners of Monterey
you'd be greatly gratified to see Mr..
Bryan restore silver to S1.29 an ouncey'
Was suggested to Mr.: Joaquin Maiz.
sam Pedro quickly r and With the decdeG
emphasis. The less silver is worth the
better for u.s.
ceeded TO explain In doing he threw
much light upon the operation of the sill
yer basis in silver country. What he
SAID of wages and living viii be par
If we got S1-29 an ounce" he be-
gan. lit would be S1.29 in Mexican
money MeNican money would be the
same as American money. and both the
same as gold Under present conditions.
suppose we got only Go cents an ounce in
American money for our silver That
American money is worth 100 per cent.
more than Mexican money. In other
words. the 60 cents an ounce in Amer
lean money or gold for silver is
worth double that in Mexican money.
| So you see we would get no more per
| ounce in Mexican money if silver was
| worth S1-29. 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 % per
| cent that will be 500 pounds of lead
| to the ton of ore. At cents that lead
| is worth SIS in the United States That
| is SIS in gold, which is $50 in Mexican
| money.
| Maiz continued. doesn't govern the
price of lead. If silver should go I'D to
/ S1-29 ounce. or, which is the same
| thing. to par with gold. my lead would
/ keep about even. regardless of the fiuc-
| tuation of silver 1t would still be
| worth 3 cents in gold My 800 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
| lean silver and in Mexican silver"
| Having shown that he would get very
| little if any more in Mexican money
| or par with gold, and having demon
| strated that the advance of silver to
129 would knock him out of half of
| his return for the lead. measured by the
| Mexican money. Mr.. Maiz proceeded to
| that phase of the silver question which
| is most interesting to Americans
Nov. there is another thing" he said
/ .'and II is this: When gold was about
| even with Mexican money. or when there
| was very little difference. We paid our