The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-09-26

/ so strong nor so aggressive in the United
States as in Great Britain. The reason
/ is largely capable Of mathematical dem
/ onstration-
/ Less Labor Unions.
a recent report by the New York
/ Department of Labor shows that while
( in Great Britain at a recent date there
were ,905. geo trade unionists. there were
! only 800 600 in the United States and
/ Canad- for about twice the population.
while Germany is credited N:th 995. OOO.
or about One-haIf the british figure
The trade union is lot generally. recog-
nized as militant force IN the United
States, except now and again Few en-
Dloyers are ready 10 acknowledge that Il
has any influence worth naming.
The almost absolute freedom Of labor
has been the chief instrument whereby
il has won such con1uesJs in the field Of
Industrial economy during the last guar
/ ter OF a century In all countries indus
trial processes have been greatly cheap
ened during that period. but in America
the cheapenin6 appears 10 have been
carried farther than anywhere else
Reduction in Cost Of Labor.
According to figures recently made
public By Mr. William Garrett. rail
roller in an up-to-date rail mill is paid
less than ! cent per ton for rolling
against Is cents at a not very remote
date Within that time. again. a wire
rod roller has seen his earnings. per ton
/ reduced from $2.12 10 u cent. per ton
( and yet he earns larger wages at the
lower figure. while = cents are paid to
day for heating billets 10 make wire
rods. against 50 cents during the period
referred 10.
IF rod rollers, said Mr.. Garrett.
were 10 receive the same wages. per ton
that they did twenty years ago, they
would earn 1924 per day
The average output per worker has
/ u all cases increased ENORMOUSLY. At
the nine Edgar Thomson blast furnaces
! was told that 1900 men are employed
for an output OF p, SEQ tons per week
including all the hands emploved IN
handling and stocking raw materials.
transport. etc.
Output Per Man Vastly Increased
This gives an average Of I5.3 tons Of
pig per man per week, or 1853 tons per
man per annum. The minimum wage
paid at The blast furnaces is $50 per
day Of twelve hours. did not get
the average wage paid at these works.
but Mr. =. c. Dinkey, the manager Of
the Homestead Works, recently testf-
fed that he average earnings Of the
workmen there, excluding officials. IS
g. 70 per day, while tne earnings OF roll
lers and heaters rise TO SIS per day.
good, and The men cave their futures
so much fiji their own hands. that they
have every encoura cement TO 90 the
best they can, both for their employers
and for themselves.
The Human Factor Counts.
The human factor and the personal
equation appear to count in the United
States for more than they generally do
in Europe. Workmen appear TO enjoy
a larger measure Of Independence,
based On the knowledge OF he fact that
work Is more easy 10 obtain than in
older countries; that they are able. as
rule 20 save money, and are there
fore. less dependent than when living
as is not unusual in Europe from hand
10 mouth. and That they are living under
a political regime which is founded on
democratic principles
Two features OF the relations Of en-
ployers and employed may be named as
exercising a powerful influence on the
amity OF their connection-the first the
encouragement and reward of work
mems inventions. and the second, the
readiness with which wcrkmen Of ex-
ceptiOnal capacity can themselves be
come employers and capitalists"