The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-13

CHICAGO, Oct. 12.-At a. somewhat
stormy session of the Trade and Labor
assembly yesterday afternoon, a report
on labor conditions in Mexico was re-
ceived by the secretary and ordered
placed on file.
The report was the result Of a visit
of investigation made by P. ]. Mas
and Patrick Enright, who had been
given letters OF introduction by the
assembly. The documents in part are
as follows:
The two peoples, as to their habits,
tastes, and customs and modes Of life,
are such that a comparison is unnatu-
raj Life is regarded from very differ
ent standpoints as they live under diff
ferent conditions, inasmuch as the
Mexican laborer is apparently content
with the four bare walls of his ten
foot square adobe hut, with nothing
inside put the ground to sleep on, q
shawl or blanket TO cover or wrap
himself up in, dish of tortillas (corn
pancakes and frejoles (beans) for his
frugal meal; and in large number of
cases, a little pig, a dog, and chicken
or two of the game cock order, sharing
his scant quarters, while the American
across the line has all the cOmIOI%S OF
home and many of the luxuries of life.
Wages in Mexico, except to skilled
and steady mechanics always foreign
ers-are very low On railroads, engi-
neers (Anericans) on passenger trains
receive $210 per month, while the fire
men (Mexican) receive S1.85 per day;
freight engineers (Americans) $3.50 per
month, firemen (Mexican), $3.50 to $1.75
per day; passenger conductors & i5fal--
cam, $3.50 per month; brakemen (Mexi-
cam, $3.50 per day freight conductors
(American), 5000 per month; brahemen
(Mexican), S57 to 500 per month; Pull
man conductors, $50 per month Gamer
lean money!, and the porter $50 per
month american money, with So per
month extra for being able TO talk
Spanish. The national soldiers Cor reg
ular army Of Mexico, called rurales,
and who are all ex-bandits, receive 81
per day In a broom factory near
the depot at Jimenez, men are paid so
cents, women and children % to 3715
cents per day. In the cotton mills,
cotton seed oil mills and soap factory
at Torreon, men are paid 371s to so
cents, and wo1nen and children %
cents a day. A carcador (public car
rier) has a rate of 1919 cents per hour,
but you can hire him for from % to
371a cents q day.
Common laborers can be hired for
Is to 80 cents per day. House servants
male or female, receive So to SIS per
month and board themselves
Your committee, on learning of the
low prices paid for labor in Mexico,
looking at that fact from a humanita-
rian standpoint and that the laborer
was worthy of his hire, was shocked,
TO say the least. But LATER, when we
saw that although it took but 20 to
% cents a day to keep a peon family
of five and all members worked and
that to pay him more was his ruina-
ton, we were somewhat relieved. If
Deon's wages are raised, he will only
work until he earns q certain amount
and then quit and not do another
stroke while he has q. CENT of money.
Consequently, they are totally unreli-
able and dear workmen. This condition
was brought about By the inattention
and lack of interest manifested in
them as workers by their indolent
masters. Thus, among the great nations
of our advanced civilization, Mexico
has been marking time while other ma
lions have been marching on.
Your committee would caution tde
| American workingmen against going to
Mexico without sufficient funds to
: bring them back, CT to have employ
1lAS4uI SSSu4 CT bS1Ole SDiES -ASItf "
they will be obliged to subsfst on cac-
tus and the SAP OF the tequila plant,
while doing the country. On asking an
American who was conducting a pros
porous business in one OF the cities
which your committee visited. why it
! seemed that they ali seemed to be max
ing money, no matter what business
they were engaged in. he with cbe5-ac-
teristic Yankee frankness, replied:
The laborer here is different from the
laborer in the states. Here labor is
cheap and we nave nc brains to con-
tend with