The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-02-23
FINDS LABORERS ARE EKING
OUT A MERE EXISTENCE
CONTINUED from page one.)

he ratio between the wages of la.
borers and Of the men with teams
the same as II has been heretofore.
which think is as fair proportion
- can well be devised.
REASONS FOR RAISE.
THE reasons for this recon-
mendation briefly are stated as roi-
lows: II is a truism of the last few
years that the cost of living IN
America in all walks of life has
risen with a rapidity and to de-
gree that makes ii one of the most
startling facts of the times. AS a
result, either there must be cor
responding rise in the incomes of
those who are dependent upon their
earnings for their livelihood or in
evitably a lowering of their stan
dard of living. 1t is fact that such
uniform occurrence as to be fairly
called an economic law that In any
such transition as this the wages OF
the laborer are the last and slowest
to respond to a rise and the first
and quickest to respond to depres-
sion in the cost of commodities. 1t
is one of the sad facts of economic
phenomena that the hardships al
ways incident to such a period IN
variably fall in heaviest proportion
upon the class least able to bear
them.
This fact is abundantly exempli-
literature is constantly commenting
upon it. In a recent compilation OF
percentages taken from Bradstreets
tabulation. it is shown that since
1906 the rise in the average price IN
America of &c staple commodities,
including all the necessary foods,
amounts to 81 per cent. In the
same length of time, the average
rise in wages. as determined by IN
vestigation of 1000 industrial estab-
lishments employing $4,000 per-
sons. amounts to only six per cent.
The wages which. at the time our
present wage scale was adopted
would suffice to maintain laborer
and his family in standard of 1iv-
ing which all men consider only de-
cent for an American citizen and for
his children, who will constitute the
next generation of American citl-
Zens. is now totally inadequate for
that purpose. From investigation
of the records in the city hall. it APP
pears that the income paid by the
city to a common laborer at the
present time is approximately 5000
per year. The cost of feeding
prisoner in the city Jail is 30 cents
per day. At the same rate the la
borer's own living will amount TO
sos per year. If the average Ia
borer's family be placed at four
members. and this cost reduced by
10 per cent, the bare cost of food
for his family would amount to $3.50
per year. Add rent at S12 per
month, and there is left from his
years income only SCI with which
to furnish his family with clothing,
medical attendance. reading matter
amusements and all other living eX
penses.
~ note in the petition furnished
the council by the Team Owners
union, 1t is stated that the COST OF
horses, feed, harness and wagons
has risen from 10 to 20 per cent
since the adoption of our present
wage scale. ! have no doubt this
is an under-statement rather than
an over-statement, as it appears
from government statistics that the
cost of keeping horses in the U. S.
army has risen since 1907 more
than 80 per cent.
From my own personal investi-
CATION into the manner of living OF
laborers in Spokane. since the
council referred this subject for my
recommendation (the data OF which
is open to your inspection at any
time), it is my belief that many
laboring men in Spokane with aver
age families are not able to main