Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-12
land. The wages of the little ones are MOI
needed in the family"
Apprentice System Disappearing.


This. then, is the general instruction
given to the children of the working classes
But when the delegates came to study the
system of professional education and ap-
premiership in the United States they gen
orally gave the preference to their own
country. It is. for example. the opinion OF
the delegate of the parliamentary com
mittee of the trades unions that England
leads in these lines. 1t to him that
in America the professional schools serve
the youth of the middle classes-young men
destined to direct industrial establishments
later-rather than the children of the work
ing classes. He thinks that in this respect
the position of the poor is better in England
than in the United States THE apprentice
system he says, 'if 1t ever existed in the
United States, Is in fair way to disap-
pear"
Work Done by Machinery.
The development Of machines and its ex-
tremely judicious utilization struck the del
egates very forcibly. 1t appeared to them
as one of the essential causes Of the supe-
riority of the United States in certain
branches of industry.
THE head of an American concern I'M
dertaking,' said in substance of the
delegates of the machinists, us endowed
with q remarkable spirit of initiating; he is
always ready to introduce into his eStab-
lishment the very latest and most perfect
machines. This spirit of initiating is, be-
sides, a characteristic of the nation
The delegate of the printers said that at
Chicago. as well as elsewhere. there is
feveriSh rivalry among the printers in in
cesant changing of their machines. Often
one has hardly been adopted before it is re-
jected to make place for another just in
vented or perfected
Again, every one is trying to reduce the
manual labor to a minimum.
Everything that tends to reduce it," said
| the delegate Of the leather industry is
eagerly adopted One can say the same
of every industry. The search for processes
to reduce the number of hands employed
and yet keep up the amount produced. or
even to increase it, Is the constant effort of
every American employer.
Introduction Of New Machines.
The Introduction of new machines and the
degree of perfection secured in the equip
| ment do not arouse any opposition on the
part of the American workman; oftentimes
they are received with favor. The work
really becomes less troublesome and the
former wages are never reduced-some-
times they are increased, and when not,
the workman knows that they will be later.
Here is what the typographical delegate has
to say this matter:
II have spoken with the members and
with the leaders Of the Typographical
Union OF chicago on the question OF the
machine and the results of it's introduce
ton into the trade. They were unanimous
ly of the opinion that while at first the eff
feet was disastrous to labor, the later re-
| rults were higher wages and fewer hours OF
labor. Books have come down in price and
the newspapers have increased in size; they
all employ as many hands as ever"
Rates of Wages Compared.
The reports Of the commission do not per-
init Of an exact estimate of the rates Of
wages in the United States compared with
those prevailing in England. STILL it Is
very evident that the wages in America are
higher than in England Some delegates
say the difference is fully 80 per cent in
favor OF the United States; others put the
difference as high 100 per cent 1.-THE
American employer" said one delegate,
understands that the laborer at low wages
Is the dearest labor, and he is not afraid to
say So"
Longer Working Hours Here.
The delegates were almost unanimously
OF the opinion that the working hours per
week were much longer in the United
States than in England. The following ta-
BILE tells its own story of the relative hours
OF labor in the two countries: