The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-10-10

same paving commands In American
money in the States. American cities
pay about $3.50 a square yard for brick
paved streets. Monterey Will get her
streets paved for n little less than $3.50
a square yard, and that price will be In
money worth one-half the American
price.
Other Occupations.
As In mining and In brickmaking: so 1t
IL in all industries. Monterey Is boom-
ing. Wages remain fixed at the old rates,
and can be paid in the deprecated 81
yer. That gives the margin OF proht.
perhaps, are those which the railroads
furnish. These roads In Mexico are
well managed. The depots and sur,
roundings are marvclously clean and
neat. The roadbeds will compare most
iayorably with those In the states s.xi Lne
money does It, East from Laredo to
Corpus Christi, on the Gulf. wholly on
American soil. the Mexican National has
division lG0 miles long. Southwark
from Laredo the first division OF the
same road. within Mexican territory, ex-
same distance. On one side. of the Rio
Grande the Mexican National pays
wages in Mexican silver. On the other
side the pay roll is met with American
money.
Conductors between Laredo and Corpus
get S105 a month in gold. Conductors
between Laredo and Monterey get Sl3O
a month in Mexican silver. which Is
worth $67.6O, for the same kind of serv-
| ice.
| Engineers on the Texas side are paid
$3.50 in gold for 100 miles. Engineers
on the Mexican side receive $3.50 in
Mexican silver, worth S2.S6, for 100
| miles.
| Brakemen running to Corpus get $50 a
month in gold to Monterey. 500
month in Mexican silver, worth 5000.
| Firemen on the Texas division are paid
| at the rate of 81 so in gold for 100 miles
| Travelled: on the Mexican division, S2.2o,
worth Silt.
A general officer of the Mexican Ma
| tional, too modest to have his name in
| print, gave these wages from his books.
| When he had read them off to this point,
an Interested looker-on interrupted with;
| Il 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 80 that
| on all mixed trains the crews go through
from Corpus to Monterey. That gives
them !6O miles on gold basis in Texas
and 16S miles on n silver basis in Mcxi-
| 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 thingsT'
| About two years ago."
How about wages of section hands? Y
The official turned to the books again.
On the Texas DIVISION" he said. fore
men get $40 a month in American money.
| Tho lahorers get 10 cents n day. On the
Mexican side foremen get $40 q month in
Mexican silver, and laborers G2E cents,
both in Mexican silver"
At the prevailing rate of exchange this
gives section Bremen on the Mexican side
80 month and section hands about 81
cents Il day in American money.
| Bnt you must remember" said the
railroad official ''thcse figures for fore
men and labor hold good only as far be-
low the border rs Saltillo. That is $40
miles south Of the frontier. AS. you go
| toward the interior wages decrease.
| From Saltillo southwark to San Luis
Potosi. 26S miles. section foremcn arc
| PAID Sl.5O day and laborcrs 50c day,
| all in Mexican silver. Still further
south, below San Luis Potosi, the pay is
Sl;2o day for foremen and for laborer
31h2c n day, Mexican silver"
Have railroad wages undergone any
change with the decline of Mexican sill
very'
mo. These are the rates today. and
they were the same in 1883. when silver
dollars were worth n half more than they
are now"
| Concerning Lead.
The silver mine owners of Monterey
would he greatly gratiiied to see Mr.
| Bryan restore silver TO 81. 20 an ounce 2"
was suggested to Mr.: Joaquin Maiz.
On the contrary. replied the owner
of San Pedro quickly and with decided
emphasis, the less silver is worth, the
| better for u.s."
This seeming paradox Mr. Maiz pro-
ceeded to explain. In so doing he threw
much light upon the operation of the sill
yer basis in Il silver country. What he
| said of wages and living will be par-
ticularly interesting in the United States.
| IF we got S1.20 an ounce" he be-
gan. "it would be S1,29 in Mexican
money. Mexican money would be the
same as American money. and both the
| same as gold. Under present conditions
suppose we got only 60 cents an ounce in
American money for our silver. That
American money is worth 100 per cent.
more than Mexican money. In other
| words, the 60 cents an ounce in Amer
lean money or gold for our silver is
| worth double that in Mexican money.
SO you see we would get no more per
ounce in Mexican money il silver was
worth S1.29. Now the main value of
our Monterey ores does not come from
the silver, but from the lead. If have
| lead in my silver ore running % per
cent. that will be 800 pounds of lead
| to the ton of ore. At 3 cents that lea
is worth SO in the United States. That
is SIS in gold, which is $50 in Mexican
| money.
"Silver, You must remember" Mr..
Maiz continued. doesn't govern the
price of lead. If silver should go I'M to
S1.29 an ounce. or. which is the Same
thing. to par with gold my lead would
keep about even, regardless of the fluc-
tuation of silver. 1t would still be
worth cents in gold. Ny 800 pounds of
lead per ton would be worth SD i'm gold,
but il wouldn't he worth any more in
silver. 1t would be SIS in gold in Amer.
lean silver and in Mexican silver"
Having shown that he would get very
little il any more in Mexican money
for his silver If it commanded 81 %
or par with gold. and having demon.
strated that the advance of silver Ia
S1.29 would knock him out of half of
his return for the lead. measured ly tho
Mexican money. Mr. Maiz proceeded Ia
that phase of the silver question which
is most interesting to Americans.
"Now. there is another thing he said
"and il is this: When gold was about
/ Al.