The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1905-05-13
LIVING In ENol AND
q - Really No Cheaper than i'm ThIa
Country,

hAAA@AA
Country
The accuracy'ofgan Official statemert
made BY United States Consul Hal
stead at Birmingham, that living was
no cheaper IN England than In the
United States, having been questioned
oy certain authorities In this country,
ne has made q supplementary report
on the subject to the state depart
ment From this it appears that the
original statement was based on the
experience of certain American tubs,
Welders working In the Birmingham
olsrrlct. The statement caused much
surprise as it was contrary to tn.
general understanding. One newspa.
per urged that If living in Great Brit
ain was not appreciahiy cheaper than
IN the United States there was no rea
son Tor protecting the highly paid
american workman. Consul Hal
stead says that that is not matter
FOR him to decide. lie adds that that
papers proposition to lower the scale
or living OF the American workingman
had better be addressed to the Ameri.
can workingman direct.
i only state very plain fact" says
Mr.. Halstead, that IL the English
work1ngman livtd as we'll as his Amer.
lean brother workingman his living
expenses would be as great or great
er than the living expenses Of the
American. Surely there is nothing OBJ
Jecuonable In stating a fact SO plain
and SO easily verified. Everybody
knows that the American workman is
by comparison, highly paid. 1 car
only state the fact that the English
workman cannot and does not live as
well as the American 1t Is withtr
my knowledge that the majority o.
people in the United States believe
that living Is much cheaper abroad
than at home, and it seems to me
therefore that might we'll supplement
the statement Of those American work
men wh0 1t must be understood, have
lived here a number of years, anG
knew the condition of the United
States before they came here, and are
therefore better qualified to express
an opinion than tourists, whether they
be Americans in England or English
men in America, even If they are spe
c1al commissioners investigating liv
ing conditions.
I'm the American factories also
and in the factories where orders fol
American world contra ctors have beer
executed, when our manufa cturers haG
more work than they could attend to
there are often a number of Americans
employed. Those in the better pait
positions find their situa tions, on thu
whole, comfortable and agreeable; ye
practically all these, and nearly al
other working Americans living here
whom I have met, have claimed tina
they did not find the cost Of living, a!
they had expected it, low.
MANY of the working Americans II
England, including those Americana
ing factories and those selling oul
manufactures here, accepted their for
eign positions at the same lin some
cases lower) salaries than they ha(
been receiving at home, persuaded anC
believing that they were obtaining al
increase because they would be able tx
live more cheaply than at home. II
the lower wage grades the stay of thG
imported American workman is seldom
one of great duration. In one factory
where there were nearly fifty men s
few years ago there Is only one, a fore
man, remaining. A few are still il
Great Britain. Most Of them returned
to the United States. They were somt
Of them told me, disappointed in find
ing the cost Of living higher than they
anticipated"