The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-23

The Government figures state that the
wages In the petroleum fields are compare
lively high. the average for all workers De-
ing less than ~ monthly; while farm hands.
taking the statistics for the last ntteen
years have received on the average 10 cents
q day fer planting in seed time and 81 cents
at harvest, with correspondingly low wages
when work was not plentiful.
Understand. these are the wages paid to
white men. women and children and to peo-
pie who have a natural intelligence as great
as our own. and who. when educated. are
the full equals Of any white people all o7sr
the world.
HOURS OF WORK ARE
FROM A. II. TO 9 p. NJ.
There is no eght-hour day in Russia
On the Government work the laws provide
that the day must not extend beyond eleven
and half hours, not counting the recesses.
and on Saturdays and days before holidays
not more than ten hours.
Daytime Is reckoueu here as from a. II.
to 3 p. m. and those who work at night
must be kept working more than ten hours
out of tie twenty-four.
In all cases where the working time ex-
ceeds ten hours day there must be one
interval Of not less than an hour.
Men can make contracts for more than
eleven and one-half hours If they wish. AM
on the farms fourteen hours and more is
not uncommon.
Women and children are not allowed to
work at night in the iron works. and they
are not allowed in the mines at all
The American workman. who receives ten.
twenty or more times as much as the Rus
sian. will ask how men can live on such
wages.
They cannot in our sense Of living. The
houses OF many of them are little better
than our stables. although a; some of the
factories the people live rent free in homes
furnished by their employers.
In the Government of Moscow 81 per cent
Of the workmen live in such houses while
only Is per cent have their own homes.
Rents are low. and our average working
mans family wastes more every day than
would keep that Of the average Russian
laborer.
His staple food Is rye bread and cabbage
soup. He has little meat: 1t seldom costs
him more than = a week. and so will keep
him for SIX months or more.
/ was in Russia during the famine. when
millions oApeople had to be fed at the low
est possible cost
u visited one Government works. where
20 laborers were being boarded at an av-
erage cost Of cents q day, and for this
each got four meals, two hot and two cold
Every man received four pounds OF bread
q day. he had q soup. three-quarters OF q
pound of meat and also vegetables and
mush.
This was for workingmen. and indeed I
that amount
NEW LAWS FAVOR THE
UNFORTUNATE PEASANTa
within the last few years the Government
has been enacting laws favoring the labor
ing men.
It has provided that an factories and mill
owners shall contribute to hospitals and
give medical assistance for their workman
There are labor pensions and labor tn0E.
ances both for death and acoddentA
There are also mutual labor tnGoz1Aoo
companies for permanent and ta0perAry
disablements and ono or two old-a1e inaar.
ance companies
The factory laws were revised IN IL,
when the working hours Tor Womso ant
children were limited
Now all wages have to b paA b eaaA
and there are NO such things - Sore -
ders and factory stores. ss
An employer cannot diSm310 m VerAm0
contrary TO his contract with them and Ne
can infiict hnas only according - To S15eo
Of the Labor Department.
All large factories oufHfd0 ne t0W10 A1~o
to provide freo hospitals. bathA 0eAool4 80
Libraries for their pooplat and any 4me90
who mistreatS his men can D meet -
| the other hand, The men can % pnasnso
II an employer ebuseq hi0 enrleys4 04
Government may Close hi factory 9nd PIT
him In jail. % that III together the AVE
are pretty fair. -,
Russia has tower strikes than oe1H
countries: Its labor i not e;{.niasds g ~ -
unions have tn power thGo that ny AASo
IA Inxian6 and Germany.
FRANK q CAHR0qxXl
Copyright 1soa b. =. q Cspenao.