The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-10-03
WINNIPECUNIONS
DO WORK ABROAD
ADVISES GLASGOW MECHANICS,
NOT TO COME TO CANADA.
Labor Market Is Being GIutted with
Tradesmen. Comparison in Wages
Made With Cost of Living.

Glasgow, Scot, Oct ia circular has
just been received here from the Winni-
peg Trades and Labor Council, which
IL endorsed by eight other Labor Coun-
clls IN Canada, warning working people
that there is much Misrepresentation as
to their prospects in Canada. The prin-
clpal passages are these:-We stated in
our first communication that there was
what amounted to a gigantic conspir-
acy to induce laborers to come to this
country, and Mr.. Preston supplies us
with another proof Of our contention
when he tells us that certain large en-
ployers have made application to him
Tor large numbers of mechanics. We
know that this is so, and we also know
that those very employers have banded
themselves together 60 wage a releht-
less war on on organized labor and
hope TO gain an advantage by thus
flooding the labor market. In Winnipeg
this result has already been produced,
and a number of trades which had
sought an increase Of wages to meet
the increased cost Of living have not
obtained 1t, mainly because of"the i'm
migrant mechanics. According to the
Labor Gazette" for June there were
nuo less than 46 strikes, some Of them
Of large proportions in that month.
Mr. Preston says that wages are very
high, and cites the cases of certain of
the building trades. In some cases his
figures are much too high. The figures
are, for brcklayers and masons IS
cents; carpenters, average 32k cents;
plastere:s, 4S cents; plumbers, 40 to so
ol ~
from IS to etaoi hrdl taoin hrdltaoaao
smiths, 30 cents, and builders laborers
from l8 to Is cents per hour for ten
fcurs day. These all belong to the
] ilding trades, which are the highest
II, and the reason is very simple. The
SEASON is short, as building is practic-
ally at a standstill during the six
months of our long and severe winter.
AS to the cost of living, it is true
that tile necessaries of life are vastly
loss In price in Winnipeg, for instance,
than in Great Britain. House rent Is a
heavy item; houses averaging SIS per
n~onth without, and $40 to $50 with
vnter, and conveniences, and owing to
thu scarcity of houses these figures are
constantly increasing. Fuel is, owing
to the severe winter, also heavy
charge. and will cost at least $50 to $40
per year. Paraffin is the usual illum-
inant, gas being too dear even for our
princely salaries, and costs 30 cents per
gallon. The price of flour meat, and am
: groceries is also in excess hose OBJ.
{I;Is2gtIa So 3
true that wages are Ill gher;;.# bnt is
elso true. as might be expected, that:
the cost of living is also higher: The
standard of living is little better than
in Great Britain, but a more generous
Giet is necessitated by the greater in
tensity of labor.
In our last letter we advised that i'm
n,;grcrt s intending to go farming, even
on homestead as so many or them
dn should have at least $1,000 or $1,000.
This cannot be denied.
Intending British emigrants would do
v III not to trust to sources of informa-
ton apt to be biased. The Canadian
Cove, ntnent is spending $500,00O per an
r11m in fostering immigration, and its
agents are net likely to give informa-
ton which worid be likely to deter any
one from coming.