The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1910-09-29
McKinley's Private Secretary
Discusses Timely Topic
and Explodes Beliefs.

Here is an article specially com
lpiled by James Boyle, private secre-
tary OF Governor William Mckinley,
and former consul of the United States
at Liverpool, England.
Labor's problem, in an economic
sense, is concentrated and summarize
ed in the wages it received and the
proportlonate amount of those wages
it has to pay out for living expenses
for food. housing, clothing, and other
necessities. These are the funda-
mentals upon which rest the material
welfare of the vast majority of the
human race n civilized countries. In
the United States the most absorbing
question now under popular consider
alton is that of the cost of living in
relation to the purchasing power of
incomes. The same is true of Great
Britain. Germany, France and the 9th
er leading industrial nations. A
number of the goyernments-includ-
ling our own-haye for several years
past been engaged in Investigations to
discover the actual condition OF af-
fairs-to find out the wages paid, and
their purchasing power as to food,
clothing. housing, and other necessl-
ties, and also to ascertain whether the
cost of living of the working classes
has moved parallel with the rise and
fall of wages. Unquestionably, there
is general belief in all countries
that the cost OF living has increased
more than the wages have risen. In
the United States, not only is this
belief common, but there is a dispo-
sition to blame the national system
of protection. While examining into
the situation in this country, 1t would
seem very interesting and highly i'm
portant to ascertain the result of the
indhiries abroad, in order that COM
parison might be made of the relative
condition Of labor in the United States
and other countries. A comparison as
between the United States and the
United Kingdom is particularly oppor-
tune. not only because of the historical
and racial relationship, but because OF
the commercial rivalry between the
two nations; and there is an emphasis
and an object lesson arising from the
fact that each nation is the leading
representative of opposite theories
as to the fiscal system-the United
States having been a Protectionist
country since its foundation. while
Great Britain is the classic land Of
Free Trade. ~ ~.
The most authoritative and ex-
haustiye information obtainable as to
Great Britain is from report made in
1908 to Parliament, giving the results
of an inquiry made by the Board Of
Trade similar to the American De-
partment of Commerce and Labor
into working-class rents, housing, and
retail prices of food. together with the
standard rates of wages in certain oc-
equations prevailing in the principal
industrial towns in the United King
dom. The inquiry took two years
from October, 1905, to October, 1907,
and involved a large stan, aided by the
national and local officials Of the Brit
Ish government.
The following facts and figures
were taken from this report, the En-
glish money terms being changed in
to American on the basis fixed by
the government OF the United States;
viz: One pound sterling, $4.S665; one
shilling "a 1SS-4OO cents; one penny
I2.1S3-4SOO cents;-but, of course, for
practical purposes, small sums arc
transposed without reference to the
lower fractions, the standard rate OF
one sovereign being s4.S6. that of ono
shilling being "a cents, and that of one
penny being 2 cents.
Conditions in London.
According to the census of 1901, the
administrative county area" of Lon
don has a population of 4,5s6,541. and
within the metropolitan and city po-
lice districts there was a population
of 6,5S1,S72 Cnow estimated at 7,6OO,-
OOOl. In October, 1905, it was found
that 1901 per cent Of the population
of London lived in overcrowGed tene-
ments-that is more than two persons
in each room. the range of this over
crowding being in the different bor-
oughs from 2.6S to 1921 per cent of
the population,
Rents.
Taking London as whole. rents
paid by the working classes in 1905
were:
l room from Coo to sl.4s per week.
4 rooms from SiOg IN 60 ne mo-.