The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-09-24

:.* Z: s. 3 5GoMPARINGsWAGE8 ID
IA .;!day,s service rings much xgreaterts
reward to the worker in America than
to 'the.:sWorker iii III Europe, HsDtheFWise
nearly a9millIon peopls. ld#.not year
" tlee oht@esodl world and daon# thu. cam
ly flee the old world for Americas
shores IN the. happy-a11d certatnHexpecls
tation. fvbetterine :theid eond itions. In
figures dollar, a, day man in the I'm
tied States receives not. over 50 GENTS: a
day In Europe; ..yet. the purchasing
power Of the so cents eafned'>in Europe
is, lin some directions, as great as the:
dollar earned In America For instance
rents; again; keeping warm. is cheaper.
Clothing costs very much less, also lin
EN-, which, being more. durable than cot
ton cloth, is really in the long run
cheaper. Transportation, Is less, and
also the cost of amusements. Bread,
milk and vegetables are about. 1.-The
sam e,but meat is ,dearer~ in Europe;
Still, this latter tie nidoes not count
for much, as~Europe's wage workers do
without Utmost of the time :. ~
(. nl rough way, 1t may be said that
80 in Europe goes as far, as SIS in the
United States. 1t may also be- said that
the range Of those things we call ~neces-
stiles in the United States is narrower
in Europe. Therefore SO week to the
Englisman, Frenchman, Swiss or Ger
man seems to- them as good: pay as
does $18s a. week Ito the artisan in the
Unite States. 30 nthe. whole: work is
steadier in Europe than. in the United
States. But it is impossible to 'make
comparisons. that .are ,absolutely' cor
rect, for wages vary between London
and Manchester and English provincial
towns: just sas. they: do. between New
York and Boston and some New Hamp-
shire hamlet. III: ~
MORE MACHINERY IN THE u s..
One must, be exceedingly cautious in
makingt comparisons between the use Of
machinery in the United States and in
Europe. L have seen factories over
here that are equipped with about ev-
erything':on the market Perhaps It Is
true, now, that there are more kinds Of
special machines in the United States
than in Europe; but II European manu-
facturers continue tt" invest In machin-
cry during the next decade as they have
recently, an equilibrium is bound to be
established. Thong British conserv-
atism in the counting room, as. we'll as
In the works, has made the 1ntroduc-
ton Of new machines slow, Scompeti-
ton Is compelling their use, so that no
country. can for any great length of
time claim a monopoly in this respect.
: The average 'English artisan is not
now striking against machinery. That
period is past: He may. quietly> damn
It. as bringing. another factor into the
problem Of daily toll; but: he: learns to
use it,. After he finds, that it: really in
:creases the amount OF work to he done
las: It almost Invariably .ddes:.=l1e comes
TO- ike it,s for ::hes sees Iflat5Sit can be
made 81 FRIEND s: III the United
Stat s;,th h ast,lt labor lead sr ssekssto
obtain en- bers ut hislo 81 ganii;za-
/ tia g g9n1s &c sRsAef
He does this be dem aasre duietion
in the hours ofsIabor;$ swi It'll 1proba i
half=penny .or,::so: increase 81 ia the day
per hour FLOR It he sake 4ofi.peace. the
.eHployer* generally cot1cedes Hhis; TT lis
seldom "a { free=Win :: offering '.'tIs Ia Dor
saving" machines 'haves never yet; of
themselves reduced sthe hours bf labor
Of d; single !:wagezworker but. the we'll
organized and; Welt offieered trade union
has, by; taqztngs advantage *ofs Just such
opportunities as the Introduction 'of,ma-
chineEy :affords. i; - " - ,.jH- ~