Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-08-27
nv MEXICO,
Conditions In silver STANDARD Country-
Difference In Prices OF Labor and
commodities.

Dinerence In Prices oil Labor and
commodities.
In the city OF Juarez, named after
the famous Indian president Of the re-
public, there is an excellent oppor-
tunity to test the value OF labor and
the purchasing power OF money under
conditions of free silver coinage.
Across the Rio Grande is the thriving
city of FL Paso, Texas, where Ameri-
can conditions OF life and sound money
sharply illustrate what the working
man of the United States would loose
If his labor should be sold at a fifty
three-cent dollar standard and the
commodities OF life purchased by the
produce OF such labor.
Juarez is very old town. Situated
on the frontier line so near to our best
civilization, one would think that
American customs ind enterprise would
brighten and sharpen the Mexican cit
izen and modernize the city. But Ju-
arez today is what it was century ago
in everything except where few
Americans and Hebrews have gone
into trade. FL Paso is a city of brick
and stone, with its churches, school
houses, hotels, opera house, big stores
and handsome residences. Juarez is q
city of clay. Three-fourths of its
adobe houses are OF one story, with
two small rooms. This adobe is baked
Mexican clay, and only the more pre-
tentious jewellers have two-story
house, with a coat of plaster and white
wash. The rough clay house is good
enough for the ordinary dweller in Jul
arez. The City Hall and government
buildings, the Mexican National Bank
and few other houses of brick simply
emphasize the primitive structures in
which the butchers, grocers, fruit deal
ers and clothiers do business and dwell.
Money is scarce with all the common
classes, and the bulk of trade is car
ried on in copper centavos, the size OF
our now disused big penny. Silver is
the standard by which labor is meas.
ured, but copper is the coin of the
common people.
WAGES OF LABOR.
The printers in Juarez get from s. To
SO dollars week, Mexican Silver.
The drivers of the tram cars receive
Sl5 month. These cars run between
Juarez across the Rio Grande to Fl
Paso. The fare on the American side
| is 10 cents in United States money
The employees are all Mexicans and
are paid in the deprecated silver oil
the republic. The company paid a
dividend last month of 81 .6S on its pre-.
ferred stock and SLIP on its common
stock. A carpenter receives here 81 q
day, silver, which is more than is paid
are few native carpenters on the Dor.
der, however, as there is little need oil
them Masons, according TO ability
and demand for their labor, receive 1i
cents to $1.25, Mexican money. The
ordinary laborer receives 80 cents a
day, but this is 40 per cent. higher
than in the interior, where the best
unskilled labor is 30 cents. Drivers Of
mules and railroad laborers receive
from 90 to - cents a day in and about
JuareZ.
a fair proportion OF the population
peddle corn bread, fruit and beans
The remainder of those in Juarez have
little shops, and. of course, there are d
few large ones for tourists and for the
cattle men who came IN monthly from
the table lands OF chihuahua, OF which
state Juarez is the northerly point
Many of the Mexican Central Railroad
employees also live in Juarez and help
the trade of the town. They would
prefer to live in Ell Paso, but they are
paid in the debased currency and can
not afford TO lose half their money by
exchange for ours. One-half the pop.
ulation never buys anything in silver
measurement, unless IL is cotton cloth.
ing shirts, hats and shoes. CheaI
money initiates the prices of all food
stuff, and so, instead OF purchasing in
silver quantities, the working class
buy by copper measure. Three centa-
vos' worth Of a shank of beef will make
a soup. Two or 3 centavos' worth oil
beans and apound of corn at centavos,
of which they make tortillas, and a
centayo for glass of pulque, the Mex
lean beer, constitutes good meal for
the ordinary laborer. II he is inclined
TO extravaganza, he will purchase two
copper pennies worth of fruit. If he
has anything left over and has no
family to provide for, he will gamble.
1t is worth watching the Chinese and
Mexicans in Juarez trying TO win
wealth in copper. There are no rich
people in the city, but those above the
level Of the laborer or the poorer
artisans cannot live well owing TO the