The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-11-08
Tn. ware-Earner.. Prosperity.

manner the great pros
perity of the American wage-earner.
The figures show that the working
man of to-day is laboring shorter hours
and is receiving more pay than ever
before, and that, in addition to the re-
duced time and increased wages, fes
inoney has a greater purchasing power
for commodities than at any previous
time
1t is also shown that there never
was a time in the history of the Uni
ted States when so many persons were
regularly employed.
The report covers period of sixteen
years between 1890 and 1905. = fairly
good idea of the improvement shown
in conditions may be gathered from
comparison of the years 1894 and 1910
Between these years the average wage
an hour increased 21-5 per cent. While
the average hours worked week de
creased SO per cent.
In 1905 the average wage-earner,
even though working shorter hours,
earned 12.9 per cent more money than
in 1890.
Meanwhile the average price OF food,
calculated according to the average
consumption in 2,567 families, increased
12.7 per cent above 1894 and 9.S per
cent above 1890. Notwithstanding this
increase in price, the bureau of Ia
boris report shows that the average
wage an hour was capable of purchas-
ing II per cent more food in 1905 than
in 1894 and 81 per cent more than In
1890.
The number of laborers increased
400 per cent during the sixteen yeas
covered by the report Thus the in
crease IN wages and in the number OF
persons employed was sufficient to IN
crease the total amount paid in wages
a week SOL per cent between 1890 and
1905.
The bureaus report is hardly COM
plete enough, however, to Indicate the
full measure Of prosperity now being
enjoyed by the workingmen of this
country. No data are given as TO the
total cost of living during the period
under review 1t may be assumed with
safety, nevertheless, that the increase
In the cost of food has been practically
offset by the decrease in the cost Of
clothing. furniture, and other commodi-
ties. The price of agricultural prod
ucts have increased, thus raising the
cost of food. but labor-saving devices
and the economies effected through a
more thoroughly organized business
system have brought about substan-
tial decrease in the cost of other neces-
saries.
But the bureau of labor's report Il
sufficiently complete to make plain the
fact that never in the history OF the
United States has the general condition
of the worksngnan been better than al
present-Chicago Inter-Ocean.
Public Ownership Troubles.
No less calamity than secession Ii
threatened In the commonwealth OF
Australia as an Incidental result OF
the government ownership of railroads
Six years ago the various Austra liar
states, whose combined population Of
100000 Is but little larger than tina
of the State of Missouri, entered int
a federation and placed themselves un
der one general parliament and finan
cial management In all the Austria
liam states the railroads are owned b.
the government, and most of the fed
Grafton debt of S1,2OOO00,0O0 is du'
to railroad construction The least de
yeloped of the states Is Western Aus
tralia, which has the great area o
g75.92O square miles, with popula
ton of only 1s4,124. Western Austria
las chief industry ,s gold mining, it
annual gold yield amounting to $40
100000 Its share of the present rail
road debt Of the cemmonwealth Is $40
OO.O0O, but 1t clamors for a throug
franscontinental railroad to open u
its vast stretches of parched plains
The other states of the federation ar
unwilling to add hundreds of million
to the present enormous railroad deb
A few days ago. after the failure O
their Tast new railroad project in th
federation parliament. the legislator
Of Western Australia adopted RESI-
luton for the withdrawal of that stat
from the union Thus the question Q
secession has become acute six year
after the federation was formed, an
the public ownership Of railroads
the cause of the crisis Each of til
the union was approved by the gener:
parliament The constitution forme
says nothing about any method b
which the compact may be broken S
the secession crisis at hand is involve
In mystery as to what action il Iikel
to be taken. Railroad freight rate
are much higher in Australia than
the United States, and the governmel
barely makes both ends meet in excl
sively operating its great railroad sy
tenn and fixing rates. This is an i
structive example, and dec " n
encouraging to those who ar D.lckiI
the government ownership of railroad
st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Different Ways of Putting IL.
Declining to send his dollar to 4
Congressional campaign fund, the et
tor Of the Eagle" Of Concordia, Kal
thus explained his unwillingness to co
tribute:
I'VE have recently completed bull
ing a house at cost of something ov
$1,000. and for every foot of lumb,
every pane Of glass, every sack
cement, every pound of nails and,
fact. for nearly every bit of materl
that went into 1t, we made good, Ii
esal contribution, through the trus
that control them, and we guess +,
have done our share"
Whereupon the Chicago 'Jnt.
Ocean suggests another form of rep
as follows:
I'VE have recently completed a hou
that cost over $1,000. LII anybody IA
told US in the days Of populism and fl
silver that we would ever have tn
much money at one time or that
couId ever nav for $1,000 house