Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-12
HOWLABORFARES MEXICO
Report of Special Commission of Work.
ingmen.
They Advise Their Fellows Not to Go
Money to Bring Them Back.


Money to Bring Them Back. -
The committee Of the Trade and Labor As
sembly Of Chicago, sent to Mexico by that
organization Ito investigate the condition
Of the laboring classes Of that country
has returned to Chicago. and submitted its
| report at the meeting Of the assembly yes
terday afternoon.
The delegates claimed, in submitting their
report that they carried out their mission
| in an unbiased and non-partsan manner,
and they simply pictured the low state of
the working classes as II was without
reference to political questions There were >
many CALCULATIONS of establishment at the
pitiable pictures presented. and the motion +.
| to adopt the report called forth but little
debate.
The report was adopted by an almost
unanimous vote, only two members speak
| ing In opposition to Ii.
The report said In part: Your committee
| would caution American workingmen
against going to Mexico without sufficient
| funds to bring them back, or to have en- ;,
ployment secured before going there, or
| they will be obliged to subsist on cactus and
| the sap OF the tequilla plant while doing the
| country. On asking an American who was
| conducting a prosperous business In one OF
| the cities which your committee visited why
| II was that the foreigners all seemed to be
making money, no matter what business
| they were engaged in he with character
| istic Yankee frankness, replied: The la
| bOrer here is different from the laborer in
| the states. Here labor is cheap. and we
| have no brains to contend with
The first stop made by your committee
| was at Ell Paso, Tex, where We investi-
| gated the wages paid and the condition of
| the American laborers. From that point we
| crossed to the City of Juarez but two miles
| from FL Paso At this place a complete
change met the eye-everything assuming
time had arrived when the real duties Of
\ our mission began. We took observations
OF the people as to their appearance, mode
of living social conditions, wages paid and
| prices Of commodities, and were surprised
at the contrast compared with condi-
| lions, etc, at FL Paso.
Not a Natural Comparison
| The two peoples, as to their habits,
tastes. customs and modes OF life, are such
that comparison is unnatural Life is re-
} garded from very different standpoints as
they live under different conditions, mas
much as the Mexican laborer is apparently
content with the four bare walls Of his
| ten-foot square adobe hut, with nothing in
side but the ground to sleep on. shawl or
| blanket to cover or wrap himself up in, a
| dish Of tortilles corn pancakes) and fire.
| 1oles (beans) for his frugal meal and in a
large number Of cases little pig, dog and
a chicken or two of the game cock order
sharing his scant quarters. while the Amer
| ican laborer across the line has all the COM
, forts of home. and many OF the luxuries OF
life.
Wages in Mexico except skilled and
steady mechanics-always foreigners-are
very low. On railroads engineers (Ameri-
cans) on passenger trains receive $40 per
5 month. while the firemen (Mexican) receive
S1.S5 per day; freight engineers (American),
$3.50 per month; firemen (Mexcan). $50 to
; $l.I5 per day; passenger conductors (Amer-
canican), $3.50 per month: brakemen Mex
ican), $50 per day: freight conductors
tAmer,can), 500 per month; brakemen
= | (Mexican) s57 to s63 per month; Pullman
5 | conductors, $50 per month (American
money!. and the porter. $50 per month
american money!, with s. per month extra
2 for being able to speak Spanish. The ma
Y tional soldiers (or regular army of Mexico,
$ | called rurales, and who are all ex-bandits,
4 | receive 81 per day. In a broom factory
/ | near the depot at Jimenez the men are
| paid 80 cents; women and children p to 81 !.
0 cents per day. In the cotton mills, cotton
| seed oil mills and soap factory at Torreon
I | men are paid 3il2 to 30 cents; women and
| children, % cents per day. carcahor pub
| lie carrier) has a rate of 12ia cents per hour,
but you can hire him for from p TO 81
| CT nts per day.
1 Wages and Cost of Living.
Common laborers can be hired for IS TO
e 30 cents per day. House servants. male or
$ female, receive s. to s. per month and
= board themselves. In near cities poems
: live in adobe houses and pay a rental of s.
s a year for the ground that the house
e | stands on. When leaving this for another
location. all improvements the peon has
O | made go to the landlord or owner of the
land. who pays no taxes whatever on the
: land.
o THE average cost of the necessities OF
e life for peon family of five is % cents pei
! | day, and clothing for the same costs about
so per year.
!. ten to fourteen hours. The bakers worl
. twenty hours and workmen who take worl
y to their homes work many hours as they
> please. The Mexican laborer works easy
compared with the American laborer. excep
the carrier, who bears enormous burdens or
:, his back all day without manifesting ia
:, tigue The question of shorter hours L
:, Mexico is a long way on for country IL
u which labor is cheap and plentiful tina
: it is offered as an inducement to bring for
eign capital In, and its toilers will be com
e PEELED to work as many hours they arr
physically able and, thanks to organized
:. labor, or the American workman would b'
" in the same condition today as his Mexican
&c | brother
Tubular Statements.
- Accompanying the report of the commits
2 sion were elaborate tables showing the
comparative prices Of commodities at Chi
% cago and Ell Paso, Tex, in American
- money. and at four Mexican cities in Mexi
- can money (worth 50 cents American money
and the average rate of wages per diem il
40 | both kinds OF rloney In the United State.
nc and Mexico The prices of manufactures
o | articles in most cases about twic,
=, these at Chicago. sewing machine sell
~ ing at $40 at Chicago sold for s65 at +
ie Paso: at $50 in Mexico Shoes selling for S.
in Chicago sold for s. in Mexico. Ii
u some articles there was not this difference
"a the price of wooden suit being the SAM
re in both countries. Butter, sugar and tea
lie sirup and canned fruit are esteemed luxur
m les. and cost much more than twice a.
81 much IN Mexican money.
The tables of average rate of wages ii
the two countries merely give in detail
what the report stated in general terms
he that the laborer was much worse off II
= Mexico than in the United States.
~ CAPT MIrRPHY,S TRIAL.