The Savannah morning news., 1900-06-18
WAGES NORTH AND SOUTH.


United States Commissioner of Labor
Carroll D. Wright. discussing why
Wages are Lower in the South" in Les
lies Weekly, gives three leading reasons
which, in his opinion, control They are
legislation, labor unions and sociological
conditions With respect to the first the
South is not hampered by restrictive leg
islation TO the degree that some parts
of the North and West are. Here hours Of
labor, holidays, etc, are matters between
employers and employees which they ar
range to suit themselves. In the North
such things are fixed by law, and even
where the employee is willing to work
twelve or more hours he is not permitted
to do so. Labor unions have not gained
a strong foothold in the South. Particu-
larly ia this true with respect to the tex
tile industries. Statistics show that about
three-fourths of all strikes are ordered by
labor unions. This is true of the South as
well as the North. but strikes in the South
are not numerous. 1t Is very rare thing
for one to occur in the textile mills. The
sociological reasons for lower wages in
the South are most powerful ones. Mr..
Wright says: These relate to climate,
food, clothing shelter, etc" Expenses for
food, clothing fuel and shelter are less in
this section than in the North.
In so far as the matters of legislation
and labor unions are concerned, Mr..
Wright believes that the advantages at
present enjoyed by the South will prove
temporary. Already there are movements
toward the enactment of restrictive legis
lation, and the labor unions are gaining
foothold. With the growth Of unionism
there will be an increased demand Tor
legislation touching labor questions. and
the possibilities are that strikes will be
of more frequent occurrence. Aid then
with respect to the sociological conditions
Mr. Wright thinks that as the textile
workers of the South become better edu-
Gated they will demand more comforts in
and adornments of their homes. They will
want better food better shelter and
shorter work day.
There is OF course, good ground for
the conclusions reached by Mr.. Wright,
At the same time, in our opinion the ad-
vantage Will continue to rest with the
South, because of the sociological and
climatic conditions. Living will continue
to be cheaper in the South than in the
North 1t will take less to clothe the
workers and less fuel to keep them warm.
Houses will continue to be cheaper be-
cause it is not and viii not be necessary
to build them so thoroughly frostproof.
Vegetables and fruits will continue to be
cheaper, because they can be produced at
less cost here than elsewhere. While IL
may be true that we shall have, after a
time restrictive legislation and a consid-
cradle increase in unionism, we believe
that the advantages of a climate that per-
mits of working without artificial heat al
most throughout the twelve months, and
soil that is particularly fruitful, are so
great that they will still leave the South
in a commanding position. The foregoing,
of course, has reference to white labor
The black labor will continue to be the
cheapest in the United States, for the
reason that the black Iaborer has few
wants, and those are easily satisfied.
While the black lsborer cuts an important
figure in the carries and mines and at
other coarse works, he does not do so in
the factories, machine shops and other
places where finer labor is required, nor
does 1t seem likely that he will do so, at
least for long time to come.