Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-10-18
WAGES PAID TO WORKMEN.

Times innumerable it has been said
In tariff discussion that protection is
necessary in order to maintain the
American scale Of wages" It has been
as often answered that there is no
such thing as an American scale of
wages. but that wages differ widely in
the various parts of the United States,
as they do also in other countries.
They also vary very greatly in differ
ent occupations in the same part of the
country. The report of Carol! D.
Wright. commissioner of labor, on
Wages in Commercial Countries"
throws good deal of light on these
contentious. For example, the daily
wages of heaters in rolling mills are
reported to be $500 in Ohio, $6.25 in
Pennsylvania and 1921 in New York.
Rollers Of iron and steel get per day
$10.69 in Ohio, S6.75 in New York.
Puddlers are paid $46O in Ohio, SO.
in Pennsylvania and $3.50 in New
York. Coal miners get 531a cents ton
in Alabama and $1.95 per day in Penn
sylvania. Carpenters and joiners re-
ceive $4.52 day in Montana, SO. 40 in
Illinois, $3.50 in California $3.50 in
Pennsylvania, $242 in Massachusetts,,
$2.25 in New York, 1922 in Ohio
Bricklayers get Sc day in Montana
which is the maximum of those re-
ported for this country, and $3.50 in
New York, which is the minimum.
Cotton spinners receive $1.S7 a day in
Massachusetts,, which is the minimum.
not alone for this country. but for all
countries mentioned in the table. It
would be possible to extend these fig
ures indefinitely, but those here cited
are sufficient to show that wages vary
very greatly in the different states of
the union. In some cases they are
more than 100 per cent higher in one
state than in another. Now the tariff
is just the same in all the states, so 1t
cannot and does not maintain uni
form scale of wages or anything ap-
preaching uniformity. The inevitable
inference is that wages are dependent
upon other conditions which are more
potent than the tariff. A COMPARE
son of wages in foreign countries
also throws a good deal of light upon
this question. Great Britain is called
a free trade country, but this does not
apply to her colonies, which for that
reason may be left out of the question
for the present. We find that wages
in England are higher than in other
foreign countries where protection is
the rule. Thus rollers of iron and |
steel get $2.49 day in Great Britain,
$1.26 to $3.50 in France, AZ cents to
S1.90 in Germany and 80 cents in Aus
tria- Hungary. Cotton spinners re-
ceive $1.3S to $162 in England, 68 |
cents to $1.35 in France, SO to "a cents
In Germany, 80 to GO cents in Italy and
dustries the wages in England are
higher than they are in some parts
Of the United States. In the case of
cotton spinners wages are higher in
than in Pennsylvania. In
general, however, the prosperous COM
mercial nations pay higher wages than
the decadent nations, though the lat
ter have laws strongly restricting in
trade. All comparisons OF
wages by the day or week are mis-
leading when applied to the question
Of labor cost. The test of labor cost
Is what part of the cost of ton Of
ron. yard Of cloth, or Of the unit
IF any other commodity, represents
abor. From this inquiry those who
.alk most glibly of the American scale
If wages usually shrink. They re-
,erve their comments for the daily or
weekly wage, which is beside the
question. Shoemakers In Massachu-
'etts get $3.50 per day. while Ger
nan shoemaker gets 4S to 70 cents.
Yet we export boots and shoes to Ger
many, and though the value Of the ex-
,orts is not large, 1t nearly doubled
n 1901 over 1900, and the Germans
ire complaining Of the competition.
rhe reason Is that we produce the
hoes more cheaply and the quality is