Albuquerque evening citizen., 1905-12-29
Prosperity amd Wages,

From ? late bulletin by the Labor Bureau at WASH
ington Modern Methods makes an interesting summary
showing that hours of work per week in 1904 4S
per less than in 1890, using the average for the
1890 1900 decade basis of calculation. wages per
hour have increased using same basis 1871 per
over 1894 Weekly earnings per empoye have gone up
from 977 per cent of the base in 1894 to 1872
per 1904, an increase of 1i5 per The
sum total of weekly wages of all employees was, 1904
491 cent greater using the same basis than they
we're in 1894 Here have" says Modern Methods,
one side of question prosperys results for labor
employment reduced hours of toll and larger earn
ings for the aborer the hour week. The author
of the article b. A. weLlot also comedies that these
improvements have been greatest where labor unions
the strongest The Citizen the term Comedies
because author in another part of the article
that organzd labor cannot hatter itself that it has
worked to its material advantage In forcing up the price
OF labor"
But there is yet another side to the question: and
that the condition of real wages" indicated by
the purchasing power of money. This aspect of the
the bureau bulletin also largely presents in series
of tables. 1T would appear from this table, says
Modern Methods, that so far actual earnings per
weekly earnings per empoye concerned, the
position of the wage is better than it in
1885, for example. before the advent of prosperity
Hourly wages for illustration are much higher, II
per cent higher 1904 than in 1856 but the of food
has risen about extent and the higher
earnings hour further than the lower earnings
the hard times. The purchasing power last year
1Ol.7 and in 1896 it was 1O44 If we take
weekly earnings per employe the purchasing power OF
the workingman has been reduced, being 1904 per
against 1912 per cent in 1896 He does not work
many each week he did then, but his
ings much IMPROVED still the prices has
than overcome the advantage
In particular only has there been distinct i'm
proyement. Employment is much general, and
thousands who could not work all ten years ago.
have in abundance. Prosperity has thus been
great thing for surplus labor but for those who
had work in the hard times and those who had work.
of course include the majority the people But
there has been material improvement in the power
acquire wealth The advance in wages has been offset
by the advance in what the workman must buy to
tain himself
1t is further noticeable that the occupations chosen
for the above comparisons those in which labor
unonsm is strongest; and hence those, we
cude, in which the increase has been greatest
Again, the commodities chosen generally staple
least subject of all manpuations the ordinary price
control of combinations Accordingly the whole inquiry
Of the bureau regarding wages and prices has been
turned in directions calculated prosperity
its best side in relation the of the people,
Suppose the inquiry to extend into the
pigments where combinations to force up wages have
little place power and into commodities which have
there be found, without much of any question that real
wages, wages in relation purchasing power have
suffered material decline"