Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-10-16
Other OCCUPATIONS.

iurnlsh. These roads in Mexico arc
well well man managed. The, depots and sur
neat. The .roadbcds will compare mos
favorably with those in the states. The
train service is excellent. Mexican
money does it. East from Laredo tt
Corpus Christi, on the Gulf, wholly OF
American soil; the Mexican National ha; "a;
from Laredo the first division of the
same road. within Mexican territory. ex
tends to Monterey. 1t;S miles, about the
same distance. On one side of the Rit
Grandc the Mexican National pays
wages in Mexicnn silver On the otlcl
money.
get $1O5 a month in gold. Conductors
between Laredo and Monterey get $3.50
month h- in in Mexican silver. which is
ice.
., Engineers on the Texas side are paid
ON the Mexican side receive $3.50 in
Mexican silver, worth $2.S6, for loo
| miles.
Brakemen running to Corpus get $50 a
month in gold; to Monterey. SEQ a
month in Mexican silver, worth S3o.5O.
Fircmen on the Texas division are pai,l
at the rate of $50 in gold for 100 miles
Travelled: ON the Mexican division, $22.225,
worth Sl.l1.
a general officer of the Mexican Ma
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 on
the Monterey division would want to get
on the Texas division"
Probably 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 lGO miles on gold basis in Texas
and 16S miles on silver basis in MeNi-
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"
nj 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.
lI me laborers get % cents q day. On the
Mexican silver. and laborers G2Ia cents,
both in Mexican silver"
At the prevailing rate of exchange this
gives section fOremen on the Mexican side
$50 month and section hands about 81
cents day in American money.
But yoM must remcmber," said the
1 men an. and labor hold good only as far he
low the border as Saltillo. That is 240
miles south of the frontier, AS Won 90
toward the interior wages decrease.
From Saltillo southward to San Luis
iotosl. 2GS miles. section foremen are
pinld pa, ~ Sl:2o l day and laborers soc a day,
south below San Luis Potosi. the pay is
Sl;2o a.; day for foremen and for lnborel'
3Ii2c day. Mexican silver"
Have railroad wages undergone any
change m; with the decline of Mexican sii-
No. These are the rates TODAY. and
they We're the same in 1883, when siivr,
dollars We're worth half more than they
are now." W.
Concerning Lead.
The silver mine owners of Monterey
would be srcatly sratiiied to see Mr.,
Bryan restore silver to S1 ~ an o,lnce:.'
WAS suggested to Mr.: Joaquin Maiz.
Dn the contrary replied the owner
OF san Pedro quickly and with decided
emphasis, "tle less silver is worth. th,
better for us.
This seeming. paradox Mr. Maiz pro-
ceedcd to explain. In so doing he tllrcw
much light upon the operation of tho sill
ver basis in a silver country. What Ii,
said of wages and living will he par
tlcnl:arly interesting in the United States
|
gan. "it would be S1.29 in Mexico1
money. Mexican money would be th,
same as American money. and both ti,,
same as gold Under present conditions
suppose we got only G5 cents an ounce il
American money for our silver. Tha
American money is worth 100 ner cent
more than Mexican money. In othc
words, the GO cents an ounce in Amer
lean money or gold for our silver i
worth double that in Mexican money
So you see we would get no more he
ounce in Mexican money if silver wa
worth S1.29. Now the main value a
our Monterey ores does not come fror
the silver. but from the lead. Ii hay
lead IN my silver ore ore running % pe
to the ton of ore. At 3 cents that lea,
. . is worth S15 in the United States. Tina
is S11 i'll gold, which is $50 in Afexicn1
money.
"Silver, you must remember" NJ,
Maiz continued. doesn't govern TN
price of lead. If silver should 90 up t
Sl:29 an ounce. or. which is the sam
keep about even. regardless of the flue
tuation of silver. 1t would still h
worth 3 cents in gold. My 800 pounds a
, lead per ton would be worth SIS in gold
but it wouldn't he worth any more i
silver. 1t would be SIS in gold in Amei
lcan silver ana IN Mexican silver.
Having shown that he would get YER
little if any more in Mexican none
| for his silver if it commanded ST .!
or par with gold. and having demon
, stratcd that the advance of silver i
S1.29 would knock him out of half a
. his return for the lead. measured hy til
MeNican money. Mr.. Maiz proceeded I
that phase of the silver question whic
is most intcrcstin. tn Americans.
. "Now. there is another thing" he sai(
''nnd it is this: When gold was ahn,,
/, even with Mexican money. or when ther
: was very little. difference. we paid o,,
labor ut the mines a. cents day. Th
amount WAS equivalent tn about 40 cent
IL day in American money. Today w
nay those same miners 75 cents a da
i'll Mexican monev. which is now ea,,i,
alent TO about ST., cents day in gold
This %TIia cents Il day in gold Yields III
minr-owner the same amount of labo
which was produced for him when tn
- cents in Mexican money was wort,
40 cents in gold. The Mexican mine
does not consume for his nourishmcn
and his clothing any hut Mexican proc,
ucts. such as corn. beans. coffee, sugar
cotton goods. etc. Nearly all of these M
, ticles are today sold at the same nrice