The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-09-01

chine with one operator will do tho
work of 10 men by the old methods.
In the manufacture of -four modern
Improvement saves 10 per cent of the
manual labor that once was necessary.
In making tin cans one man and a
boy with modern appliances can do tho
work of ten workers by the old process
One boy, by machinery, i'll turning
woodwork and materials for musical
instruments performs the work of 25
men by the old methods
In the manufacture of boots and shoes
there has been II displacement of wage
earners of SO per cent by aid of ma
chinery
In the manufacture of fire brick 40
per cent of the manual labor is displaced
by machinery
In the manufacture of wall paper ono
worker, by the aid of machinery, does
the work of 100 workers by manual la.
bor, and i'll cutting and drying paper
by machinery four men and six girls do
the work of 100 operators by old meth
DDS.
In manufacturing gunstocks one
man ny h4uihhi ihbOl thH tuitl ana III
one gunstock i'll one day of ten hours,
while three men now by division of
labor and tho use of machinery can
turn and fit l26 to 1870 gunstocks in
ten hours This displaces the work of
IA to 40 wageworkcrs
In the manufacture of agricultural
implements coo operatives with ma.
ehintry including Is classes of wage
earners. do the work of 2,1i5 wage
earners without machinery, displacing
|, blb workers
Clothing is now chopped into shape
by cloth emitting machine. Fully three
quarters of the ready made clothing
worn by the people today has been cut
out of tho piece by a machine. A pair
of trousers or n coat is not cut singly.
The machines cut two or three dozen
trousers or coats ut the Same time. This
means large saving of labor Whore
some dozen years ago i'll "A large factory
there Were scores of men and women
busily engaged i'll cutting huttonholes
and threading the edges there nro now
two or three machines which cut and
sew with ~ much excellence, more regu
larity and ten times greater rapidity
There are also machines which meas
IRE cloth Thousands have been thrown
out OF work by the introduction of these
machines
In the great agricultural regions tho
machine has created mighty standing
army, 1t Is tho army of harvesters,
| which, in divisions and in brigades, on
the great farms and i'll squads and files
on the smaller, stands always ready for
action and at the sound of the harvest
| horn. Beginning at the south and pro-
| oeeding northward, it moves ON mill
tary line of battle extending over | 900
miles In front of it are the waving
grainfields; behind it lie the scattered
bundles. When the few months of har
vest toll arc over, the standing army
dissolves into bands of rowing tramps.
a rolling machine has been in use for
some time, Among other things it will
mako ~, goo boat ealls day The en-
tire manufactures of the country aver
aged i 600 a day before ii was invented.
| Two of these machines will mako all
the chair screws and lcttcrpress screws
|
| States, and few of the machines are
capable of supplying tho combined
armies and navics of tho world with
spherical and conical shot.
BY the use of coal mining machines
100 miners III IL month can mine M
much coal in the same time as 300 min
crs by the old methods.
The individual Worker.
We might go ON almost indefinitely
to show how the machine has added to
the productive capacity of man and how
it has destroyed labor That it has
greatly benefited the consumer and
turned what were formerly considered
| Injuries into common necessities goes
without saying; hut, as to the general
results, they can best be determined by
"a consideration of the fact, so great
| has been the displacement of labor, that
were it not for the various labor organ
nations which may rightly be termed
labor trusts, the employee would have
absolutely nothing to say to an en-
plGycr III the transaction of sale and
purchase of the labor of his hands. And
when the condition exists that tho work
er has absolutely no control over tho
only thing he has in the world of any
yalue-uamely, the work of his hands
he might just as well be a slave. In
fact, labor can never be free until the
individual worker has rs much power to
determine what wages he shall receive
as the employer has to say what he will
pay. Nor is he free while labor organi-
cations fix the price which he shall re
ceivo for his work
Now, admitting the wrong, the griev-
ance, the disease, which il simply u
lack Of steady employmcnt-cnio
idleness-what is the remedy?
Is il III the governmental control of
great franchises aud industries2 No.
Excellent as this idea may be, it would
add little or nothing to the total amount
Of work to be- done
IL it in the use Of more currency or
III the contraction Of what we already
have? No Because, while it makes
good deal of difference TO the man who
has debts 10 pay whether he gets many
or few dollars for the sale of his labor,
the workingman per SC, merely wants
1is labor to be- high priced in compari-
ION with that Of other commodities
II 1t IN arbitration, compulsory or
otherwise Emphatically no. Arbitra-
tion will not enable an employer to pay
a penny more or an employee to work
for penny less per day than ho can
| afford to do without arbitration.
Is it III cooperation between employ
er and employedf No. There eau be no
successful cooperation where all share
in the profits and part are compelled
| to bear the losses.
Is il in tho application of the gospel
or religion or beneyolence to the trans
action between the employer and en-
| ployed? No. There is no more reason
for religion or benevolence in the pur
| chase and sale OF labor than there il in
the purchase and sale Of "a yard Of
| cloth. The purchaser Of labor can afford
to pay the market price for it. The