The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-11-22
LABOR SHARES IN PROSPERITY.
Wage Farmers Receiving More Pay
and working shorter Hours.

q large share of the general prosperity |
Of the country. This fact is shown byl
an analysis of the recently published |
report of the United States Bureau of
Labor on wages, hours of labor and |
prices of food. The figures show that /
the average wage Garner is working |
shorter hours than ever before, that he
is receiving more pay for the short hour
week than he formerly received for the |
long hour week, and that the increase
In his average wage has been so great |
that its purchasing power has risen. |
notwithstanding the increase in prices
Of many commodities Finally, 1t |
shows that there has been an enor
nous increase in the number of persons
employed.
The report covers the sixteen year
period beginning with 1890 and ending
With 1905. From 1890 to 1893 the con-
lition of the workingman was fairly |
good. In the last mentioned year III
general business depression set in and
the wage Garner suffered with all other
classes. A clear idea of the extent of
the improvement in conditions can be
obtained by comparing 1894 with 1905.
Such comparison shows that the av-
erage wage per hour has increased
21.5 per cent, while average hours
worked per week have decreased 80
per cent The average wage Garner.
working shorter hours, earns 1871 per
cent more per week than in 1894 and
1913 per cent more than in 1890.
In the meantime the average price of
food. weighed according to the average
family consumption in the families of
1867 working men, increased 1871 per
cent above 1894 and 9.S per cent above
1890. Notwithstanding this increase, the
average wage hour would purchase "a
per cent more food in 1895 than in 1894.
and 81 per cent. more than In 1890.
Still more important has been the in
crease in the number employed, amount
| ing to AZ per cent over 1894 and 400
per cent over 1890. The combined ef-'
feet of the increase in the average wage
and In the number employed was to
increase the total amount paid in
wages per week by 65.7 per cent above
1894 and 59.1 per cent above 1890.
| II the bureau of labor had secured
data as to the total cost of living for
| the series Of years under consideration
it would have shown larger increase
in the purchasing power of an hours
wage than Is shown by considering the
| price of food alone, for it is true that
while there has been general adj
vance in commodity prices since the
beginning of the present era of pros
perity, that advance has been greatest
in the prices of agricultural products
and raw materials generally. The az
tured articles have been much less. The
increase In the price of agricultural
products, especially meats, has adj
yanced the cost Of food to a nvich
greater degree than the prices of cloth
ing and house Furnishings have adj
vanced In some localities the cost of
| fuel has gone up and in some locali-
ties house rents are higher, but on
| the whole the average cost of living
has not advanced in proportion to the
cost of foods
That manufactured articles have not
advanced in proportion to the advance
in the prices of raw materials and the
wages Of labor is due to the fact that
manufacturing establishments. especial
| ly the larger concerns. have been able
| to introduce economies that have to
some degree offset the greater cost of
labor and materials. One of the most
| important factors in moderating the
advance in commodity prices generally.
has been the decline i'm the cost of
transportation-a cost that enters into
the selling price of practically every
commodity. The average freight charge
per ton per mile for 1905. as reported
by the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. shows decrease of 1919 per cent
as compared with 1894 and 1876 per
cent as compared with 1890. The fig
ures for 1906 will show still further
| reduction.
This rapid decline In the average
cost OF transportation in the face of
| greatly increased expenditures for
railroad wages and materials and sup
| plies of all kinds has been made pos
sible by the expenditure by the rail-
roads of hundreds of millions of dol
| lars for the betterment of tracks and
roadbeds, the elimination of Srades and
curves and the purchase OF more pow
erful engines and larger cars, enabling
them to make large increases from
year to year In the average trainload.
These railroad improvements have
contributed materially to the general
increase In prosperity of the whole
country, giving employment TO many
thousands of wage earners and dis
trlbutlng enormous sums of money.
| This work of railroad extension and
Improvement will continue on an I'M
precedented scale for some years to
come IL 1t is not interfered with by
radical legislation.
A recent review OF the work now I'm
progress and projected in trunk line
territory alone shows that the roads in
that one section have planned for the
expenditure of not less than 100000
| COO during this year and 1907. In the
vast region beyond the Mississippi, be-
tween the Canadian border and the Rio
Grande, thousands OF miles of road are
under construction and projected, and
all over the South existing lines are
being improved and extended-New
York Sun.
Figures Are All Against Them.
1t Is the common assertion of the
Democratic Free-Traders that the Ding
ley law has erected a Chinese wall
around the country and has restricted
trade. They do net look back to the