The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1896-10-15
WAGES PAID IN MEXICO
CHICAGO TRADE AND LABOR COM
MrTTEE MAKES ITS REPORT.
Skilled Mechanics Receive Good
Pny, While UnslsiIIed Labor
Gets Poor Reward.

ShlcagO, oct. ia committee of the
Trade and LABOR Assembly sent to Mex
leo by the organization to investigate
the condition of the laboring classes of
that country, has returned to Chicago
and submitted it's report at the meeting
or the assembly this afternoon. The
report Is in part as follows
The first stop made by your COM
nittee was at Ell Paso, Texas, where we
investigated the wages paid and the con
dition of the American laborers. From
that point we crossed to the city OF Ju-
arez. but two miles from FL Paso. AT
this place complete change met the
eye--everything assuming a Mexican air
and we realized that the time had ar
rived when the real duties of our mis-
sion began. We took observations of
tho people as to their appearance, mode
of living, social condition, wages paid
and prices of commodities, and were sur
prised at the contrast as compared with
conditions we left in Ell Paso. The two
peoples as to their habits, tastes, Gus
toms and modes of life, are such that
a comparison is unnatural.
Life is regarded from quite different
standpoints, as they live under different
conditions. inasmuch as the Mexican
laborer is apparently contented with the
four bare walls of his 10-foot square
adobe hut, with nothing inside but the
ground to sleep on, a shawl or blanket
to cover or wrap himself up in. dish
of tortillas (corn pancakes) and frijoles
| (beans) for his frugal meal. and in
large number of cases u little pig, dog
and a chicken or two of the game cock
order, sharing his scant quarters, while
| the American laborer, across the line,
| has all the comforts of home and many
of the luxurles of life.
Wages in Mexico, except the skilled
and steady mechanics-always foreign
| ers-are low. On railroads, engineers
| (American) on passenger trains receive
s2lG per month, while the firemen Mex
| icGns) receive s1.S5 per day; freight en-
gIneers (Americans), $3.50 per month; fire.
men [Mexicans) $1.5O to s1.75 per day;
| passenger conductors (American) S16O
| Ter month; brakemen (Mexlcans), sl.5O
per day; freight conductors (American).
5000 per month; brakemen (Mexicans),
s57 to 1853 per month; Pullman conductors,
$50 per month (American money!. and the
porters s2S per month (American money!,
with So per month extra for being able
to talk Spanish. The national soldiers
(regular army of Mexico called ru-
raies. and who are all ex-bandits. receive
81 per day.
in a broom factory near the depot
at Juarez the men are paid so cents. wo-
men and children % to 37ik cents pei
day. In the cotton mills, seed oil mills
and soap factories at Torreon, men are
paid 471s to so cents, women and chill
dren 25 cents per day. A carcador pub
lie carrier) has a rate Of 121s cents pei
hour but you can hire him for from
25 to 37h cents per day.
"At Leon, where nearly all the leath
er goods are manufactured, the peon get'
his leather cut for shoes or other good
70 be made by him, and take the mate
rial to his hut, where tho whole famil!
assist him, the same as in the swea
shops of Chicago. For making shoes h.
receives 81 and upwards per dozel
pairs; on the other goods he receive
s7h to so cents per day for his labors
working as long as daylight lasts averag
ing from II to IA hours per day. Com
mon laborers can be hired for Is to
cents per day. House servants, male Q
female, receive 50 to s. per month an
board themselves. In or near the cite
poems live In adobe houses and pay
rental of 50 a year for the ground. Whe
| leaving this for another location all In
movements the people have made go
tbo landlord. or owner of the land, VIII
paws no taxes whatever on the land
q The report was adopted by an almo:
unanimous vote. only two member
q speaking In opposition to 1t. The deli
II gates claimed, in submitting their repor
that they carried out their mission
an unbiased and non-partisan manne
and they pictured the low state OF u
working classes as 1t was, without re
erence to political questions. There we
1 many calculations of astonishment at Il
! pitiable pictures presented, and the m
tion to adopt the report called forth b
little debate.
.arhe chief article of dress is his sol
brero, often costing as much as $50 (wm
is bought on the installment PLAN. VIII
e. the balance of his clothes would make
crazy quilt turn green with envy, OWL
to its variety of colors and assortment
patches. making 1t a hard problem
solve as to which is the original ga
ment and which the patch. No stock,n
are worn by either sex, and only abo
one-th.rd wear sandals, which are ma
from a piece of sole leather and tied
the foot with straps. These sandals &C
Y, from 70 to 20 cents per pair. The avera
cost of the necessities of life of a fam
Of five Is % cents, and clothing for
same cost $40 per year.
DAYS Work in Mexico.
..rhe days work in Mexico runs FRI
10 TO IA hours; the bakers work 20 hou
and workmen who take work to tn
oo0 homes work as many hours as IL
please. The Mexican laborer's work
aasv as compared with the American
er, horer. except these carriers who o.
IN enormous burdens on their backs all
SIS. without manifestlng fatigue. The qu
OF .,on of shorter hours in Mexico Is i
yavs off, for country In which labor
cd. 40 cheap and plentiful that 1t e offered
an inducement to bring foreign capital
and it's toilers will be compelled to w
as many hours as they are physics
able. and. thanks to organized labor,
- the American workingman would be
a the same condition today as his Mexi
nr brother.
"a "rhe hacendas Cor plantations)
q owned by the rich and cover an area
q from 10 to 100 square miles Farming
g agricultural implements are PRINT
y The plow is a crooked stick or beam
t& scratches the ground to a depth OF u
~ or four inches This 'plow' is drawn
= two oxen. and the harness Is br
n strap or rope passing over the foreh
ry, instead OF the shoulders OF the o.
Planting Ia done by polSing a hole