Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-10-16
EiIed Mechanics Receive Good
Pay, While UnskiIled Labor
Gets Poor Reward.

by the organization to investigate
be condition of the laboring Grasses or
lat country, has returned to Chicago
he submitted its report at the meeting
the assembly this afternoon. The
rort is in part as follows:
THE first stop made by your COM
aittee was at Ell Paso, Texas, where We
Investigated the wages paid and the con-
htion of the American laborers. From
hat point we crossed to the city OF Ju-
rez but two miles from Ell Paso. At
his place complete change met the
ye-everything assuming a Mexican air
land we realized that the time had ar
lived when the real duties of our mis-
ion began. We took observations of
BIC people as to their appearance, mode
n living, social condition, wages paid
nd prices of commodities, and were sur
prised at the contrast as compared with
Conditions we left in Ell Paso. The two
bcoples as to their habits, tastes, GUS
toms and modes of life, are such that
comparison is unnatural.
Life Is regarded from quite different
standponts, as they live under different
conditions. inasmuch as the Mexican
aborer IS apparently contented with the
{ four bare walls of his 1O-foot square
edobe 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 frijoes
"a beans) for his frugal meal, and In
#large number of cases little pig, a dog
land a chicken or two of the game cock
sd order, sharing his scant quarters, while
the American laborer, across the line.
G has all the comforts of home and many
of the luxuries of life.
l wages in Mexico except the skilled
and steady MISUNDERSTANDING foreign
vi ers-are low. On railroads engineers
"A (Amercan) on passenger trains receive
n SILL per month, while the hremen Mex
81 icGns) receive $1.S5 per day; freight en-
glneers (Americans) $50 per month; fire.
men (Mexicans), $1.50 to s1.75 per day;
passenger conductors (American) S16O
81 ler month; brakemen (Mexicans), Sl.5O
a per day; freight conductors (American),
8 $500 per month; brakemen (Mexicans),
& So TO 1858 per month; Pullman conductors,
B $50 per month american money!, and the
porters $2S per month (American money!,
a with IS per month extra for being able
\ to talk Spanish. The national soldiers
Irregular army of Mexico called ru-
4 rates, and who are all ex-bandits, receive
81 per day.
I'm a broom factory near the depot
al Juarez the men are paid 80 cents, wo-
men and children rs to 971s cents per
day. In the cotton mills, seed oil mills
and soap factories at Torreon, men are
paid Az to so cents, women and chill
dren % cents per day. a carcador pub
lie carrier) has a rate of 1919 cents per
hour, but you can hire him for from
% to 371s cents per day.
at Leon, where nearly all the ieath-
er goods are manufactured, the peon gets
his leather cut for shoes or other goods
20 be made by him, and take the mate
rial to his hut, where the whole family
assist him, the same as in the sweat
shops of Chicago For making shoes he
receives 81 and upwards per dozen
pairs; on the other goods he receives
371S to so cents per day for his labors,
working as long as daylight lasts, averag-
ing from ~ to IA hours per day. Com
mon laborers can be hired for Is to 20
cents per day. House servants male or
female, receive So to IS per month and
board themselves. In or near the cities
poems live in adobe houses and pay a
rental of s. a year for the ground. When
leaving this for another location all I'M
provements the people have made go to
the landlord, or owner of the land, who
pays no taxes whatever on the land"
The report was adopted by an almost
unanimous vote, only two members
speaking in opposition to it. The dele
gates claimed, in submitting their report,
that they carried out their mission in
an unbiased and non-partisan manner,
and they pictured the low state of the
working classes as it was, without ref
erence to political questions. There were
many calculations of establishment at the
pitiable pictures presented, and the mo-
ton to adopt the report called forth but
little debate.
THE chief article of dress is his SOM
brero, often costing as much as $35 (Which
is bought on the installment plan), while
the balance of his clothes would make a
crazy quilt turn green with envy, owing
to it's variety of colors and assortment OF
patches, making 1t a hard problem tc
solve as to which is the original gar
ment and which the patch. No stockings
are worn by either sex, and only abou
one-third wear sandals, which are lnadt
from piece of sole leather and tied Il
the foot with straps. These sandals cos
from 70 to 20 cents per pair The average
cost of the necessities of life of family
of five is % cents, and clothing for th'
same cost $40 per year
Days Work in Mexico.
The days work in Mexico runs iron
10 to IA hours the bakers work 20 hours
and workmen who take work to thci
homes work as many hours as the!
a please. The Mexican laborer's work j
n easy as compared with the American la
n borer, except these carriers who bea
enormous burdens on their backs all da
without manifesting fatigue. The ques
ton of shorter hours in Mexico is lon
ways off, for country in which labor /
so cheap and plentiful that it Is offered g
an inducement to bring foreign capital II
and its toiers will be compelled to wor
as many hours as they are physical
able; and, thanks to organized labor, o
the American workingman would be
the same condition today as his Mexicl
brother
THE haclendas Cor plantations) or
owned by the rich and cover an area
from 10 to 100 square miles. Farming an
agricultural implements are prlmitlV
The plow is a crooked stick or beam an
scratches the ground to a depth of tire
or four inches. This pillow Is drawn 0
two oxen, and the harness is broa
strap or rope passing over the forehea
instead of the shoulders of the oXel
Planting is done by polNing hole in'