The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-02

men. The homes owned by the Amcri-
san fremCn consist of from six 20
eight rooms They are usually we'll
lvllt and comfortably furnished. In
country towns they are generally sur
rounded Ivy good gardens. The school
facilities for their children are equally
as good as those of the European fire.
Incn, anG J am inclined to believe that
they are better in many respects, since
the European school EXPERTS at the
Worlds fair in Chicago frankly con-
fessed that, taking everything into
consideration, the public school sys-
TEN Of the United states is the best
in the world. Thus it may be seen that
the American firemen have the advant-
age of their fellow workers in the old
world.
BETTER FOOD.
If their educational advantages are
equally as good, their food advantages
are far better. The ordinary food
supply of the American fireman con-
sists of good coffee, tea. sugar, milk.
bread, butter meats of all kinds, fresh
fish, fruits and canned goods Of every
description, and for nearly every one
of these items of food they pay from
TO II per cent. less than the cost of
the same class and quality rf goods
in the European markets. While at
work, the locomotive fircmcn of the
United states usually " EAR oycralls,
but when they cease their labors they
become apparently as well dressed as
is merchant, Il banker. or a Judge of
a superior court in either country
An interesting fact IS that If these
clothes are ready-made, their cost in
the American market is no more. ana
sometimes less, than in The markets of
the Old World. 70 be sure, these
clothes made To order would cost less
in Europe than in America. because
labor is mucn cheaper in the old world
than in the new. The jpumevman
tailor in central Europe gets only So
for siXty-fvo hours Of work; while his
fellOw-WCrker in the United States
gets ST. iOr five hours less work.
Every intelligent person realizes tha.
the people Of that country where the
cost of living is cheapest and the
earnings highest are the happiest and
will be the most prosperous people on
earth.
PRICES Low, WAGES HIGH.
In the United States, prices for the
necessarieS of life are lower and the
wages of all who labor are higher than
in any other country No one can
successfully challenge this assertion.
| speak OF as necessarics those things
that enter into the making Of a COM
Portable home, as we understand such
a home in the United States: such as
ample and wholesome food, furniture,
fuel, lights. clothing, ana cheap trans
portation by railroad, steamboat, or
tram car. 10 the American W orllmen,
all these things are cheaper than they
are To their brother breadwinners in
Europe, and, to double this great ad-
vantage, their wages are sometimes
more than twice as high. But these
are not the only advantages American
labor has over conditions in the old
world. When wOrkmen go to church
in the United States they find a COM
tCrtable pew in warm, Well-lighted
and pleasant place of worship. When
lhey go to the thedtor they OCCupy
good seats. When they travel with
their families on the railroad, they
ride first class, and, If sober ana in
dustrious and Of good moral character.
as they usually are, they hold n pleas
ant social position in the community
in which they live.
This is fair and conservative pic
ture Of the surroundings, conditions
ana life of the American fremen
You may search the continent of Eu-
rope from st. Petersburg TO Lisbon,
from Stockholm to Palermo. and the
isles of the Briton from the Hebrides
to Brighton in vain for such conditions
among railroad men. | am confident
that not one-twelfth of the locomotive
engineers and firemen Of Europe live
in their own homes How can they?
The average wages of the engineers is
about 1920 per annum, and that of the
tiremen $264; switchmen. $216; watch
men, S240; and prices of food and cloth
ing, rent, fuel, and lights are as high
in their markets as in the markets of
the United States. I mean, the same
kind and quality Of food, clothing. fuel.
lights, and the same number Of rooms
as TO rent prices.
MORE COMPARISONS.
A locomotive fireman of Central Eu-
rope receives. on an average, for a
weeks work Of O. hours time, $j for
full months work, 500; and for a
year Of fair average time. 1894. He
seldom owns his home. A well-in-
formed person says that he does not
know Of a single instance where a loco
motive fireman in Europelhas bought
and paid for his home out Of his regu-
lar earnings | can name a hundred
firemen in my limited knowledge of the
personnel of railroads in the United
states who own their homes and have
paid for them out of the savings from
their wages. The European fireman is
simply forced, by the conditions that
always confront him, to pay rent and
he usually rents rooms and not a house.
His quarters generally consist Of from
two TO three rooms, and the rent price
is approximately the same as in the
United States, taking floor space. loca-
tion, condition, and COnVeniences into
consideration. His quarters are Of
necessity in the cheap residence quar-
ter. The facilities for housekeeping are
scant, as a rule, and the furnishings
very meager, but usually clean and
neat His food consists Of coffee and
bread for breakfast; potato soup, bread,
potatoes, aud cheap wine or beer for
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