Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-03-31
WHY WAGES WERE CUT.
CeAsslidatlsn of several Concsrus
 Rsspensihls for Low Wages.

The only comment a man who works In Benedict X Burnham's has to make on the reduction in wages at that fac
 tory is that it is something which the bosses are in no way responsible for. It seems Benedict X Burnham's had been maintaining the same wage schedule in vogue there prior to enter ing the American Brass association, and the difference in the price paid for labor there and in other plants con- tr0lled by the association was So marked that it had to be fixed. The directors evidently didn't think it wise to settle the question by making the schedule at Benedict & Burnhaln's the standard. This of course, would mean an increase for many. in the othe, plants, and as that was not the end ill view the only thing left for them to do was drop the $1.50 day man down to the level of the fellow who is being paid less for the same class of work i'll other concerns. Benedict & Burnham's has always been considered one of the best mills of the kind in the collrl- try to work in. It ran regularly and paid fair wages, and the bosses, when- ever they could do so without injury to the business, gave local labor the pre- ference. But things have changed, and probably necessarily to some extent. All the common laborers have not been cut, which shows that even now some consideration is given to men of steady habits and recognized fitness. so that the situation may not be quite so seri- 0uS as some would have one believe. If man is not worth any more than SIPS day and is willing to sell his labor for that price, this should not worry men who are worth more, pro- vided they get it. In every walk of life some men are worth more than others and for all one not on the in- side knows the aim of the directors may be to pay help on their merit rather than per schedule. If this be so workmen who understand their business and give it their attention have nothing to fear from the new de. parture.
 An empolyer of labor once told q representative of this paper that he had several men working for himlwho were not worth what he was paying them, but he had others who were not being paid what they were worth. He justified this by saying that such condition was necessary in order that some might get enough to, live on. That is all right in one sense, but on the other hand it is pretty rough on the good workman who does not reap any benefit from his ability to do more than the man next to him.
 Tu if y,inhf h0 enid that a person who has something to sell has no reason to find fault If he gets all it is worth, but the trouble comes from another source. If man cannot get what his labor is worth he is often compelled to dispose of 1t at a sacrifice. or, in other words, for what somebody is willing to pay for it, and where a condition like this exists em- ployers are very apt to take advantage of it and as a result communities suf- fer. because when the price of labor is not ill accordance with the cost of living things are bound to go wrong, for no man can live on less than he earns and be honest. unless he re- ceives revenue from some other source. but this Is seldom the case with pco- pIC WAO lhuhC u PAAptFvSJ j ~pIi NSSAttbr6I Themselves into positiunso mt o$ f!2BtR day.
 The change of hands at the New England watch factory is said to be due wholly to the necessity of getting out the work at less cost in order to compete with other concerns who manufacture similar line of goods. But all these things will right them selves in time, and fin the end con- petent workmen will find that manu- facturers will want them after they have satified themselves that you can not get good man cheap no more than anything else. Everybody is showing good judgment in not getting out unless they have to. for no matter how much one dislikes to take back ward step. it is wise policy to hold onto what you have until you see chance to do better.<