The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1904-08-11
HE REFUTES
WRIGHT'S STATEMENT
Representative Cowherd As.
serts the Bureau Of Labor
Statistics We're
Iuggled.

Cav b rd ] ihe Drmocratic congrea-
sional campaign committee issued a
statement To day in refutation Of
recently published tables from the
bureau OF lub lr, relative to the In
crease in wages and the cost OF living.
Mr. Cosher,i's conclusions are as
follows.
In the bulletin on cost OF living and
wages, recently issued by the bureau
Of statistics, the methods adopted
are as remarkable as the conclusion
reached. Wholesale prices have
always been the standard by which
the rise or fall OF the cost OF living
has been computed. Had Colonel
Wright followed the customary
course OF using Wholesale prices, he
would have been confronted with the
excellent tables issued by Dun and
Bradstreet's, both recognized as
commercial authorities. Dun's ta-
BILE OF prices shows that from July,
1897, the low point, to March, 1904,
the highest point, cost OF living
increased 43 per cent. The most
skilliul iuggler could not show such
a rise in wages. Party necessities
therefore, would not permit Mr..
Wright to use this table, and he dare
not refute it. So he adopts the
shining, uncertain and unknown
standard Of retail prices. Whole
sale prices are fixed and stable, the
same in every community, with cost
OF freight added. There is neither
stability nor uniformity in retail
prices. Coffee sells in the same city
for from ten to forty cents, tea from
zoe to $1.50; best creamery butter
from 1Sc to SOC per pound.
A bright field agent selecting his
stores and localities could find evil
dence in retail prices to support any
theory. This was the way in which
the cost OF living was reduced. The
methods employed to raise wages
we're equally questionable. Every
one knows that the greatest Increase
in wages is to be found in those in
dustries where union labor is strong
est and where the strength of the
union has been developed during the
period under Investigation. The con-
iditions are peculiarly applicable to
the building tfades. Out Of the
3,429 establishments selected by
Mr.. Wright for comparison, 1,199
or more than one third, are in build
ing trades. OF the remainder, 1,185
are likewise in the unprotected indus
tries.
The greatest employers Of labor in
the country are the railroads, and
no other industry is a better barome.
ter OF the average wage. The railroads
employ all kinds oilabor, skilled and
unskilled, union and nonunion. In
no other industry are as complete
and accurate statistics available.
Each railroad reports to the inter-
state commerce commission the total
wages during each year and the total
number Of workmen June 80 OF that
year. The average wage, therefore,
Is essily obtainable. Why were no
railroad wages included in Mr..
Wright's report? The answer is sp--
parent. The last report Of theinter
state commerce commission shows
an increase Of railroad wages Of only
8 per cent. The railroads employ
more than 100000 men. Mr..
Wright's figures cover 176, 827.
Miners, one OF the next largest
bodies Of laborers also are omitted.
Mr.. Wright's table does. not show
that any one Of these 176,827 men
received more wages h 1908 than 10
1902 or any other year. It only
claims to show the hourly wages for
these particular men has increased.
In other words, had . mill raised the
wages Of its employees ten per cent
and then shut down ons-half the
time, this would have figured In Mr.
.wright's table as. an increase IN
wages. It would have been just a.
easy to have selected an equal num-
bsr Of stablishments, whose output,
quality Of work and number Of en-
ployes xas decreasing and show =
:.