The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1910-09-28
lcKinIey's Private Secretary
Discusses Timely Topic
and Explodes Beliefs.


Here Is an article specially com
piled 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 1t received ana the
proportionate 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 in 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
err leading Industrial nations. A
number Of the governments -innlud-
ing our own-have 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 necessi-
ties. and also to ascertain whether the.
cost OF living of the working classes
has moved parallel with the rise and
faIl Of wages. PROFESSIONALLY, 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-
sitton to blame the national system
OF protection. While examining into
the situation in this country, it would
seem very interesting and highly i'm
portant to ascertain the result Of the
inquiries abroad, in order that a COM
parfson 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
Of opposite theories
as to the fiscal systematic United
States having been a Protectionist
country since it's foundation, while
Great Britain is the classic land OF
Free Trade.
The most authoritative and ex-
haustive information obtainable as to
Great Britain is from a 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
towns in the United King
dom. The inquiry took two years
from October, 1905, to October. 1907,
and involved a large staff, aided by the
national and local officials OF the Brit
ish government
The following facts and figures
we're 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 133-4OO cents; one penny
2133-4SOO cents;-but, of course, for
practical purposes. small sums are
transposed without reference to the
lower fractions. the standard rate of
one sovereign being 1886. that of ono
shilling being "a. cents, and that of one
penny beings2 cents.
Conditions IN London.
According to the census of 1901, the
administrative county area OF Lon
don has population OF 4,5S6,541. and
within the metropolitan and city po-
lice districts there was population
Of 1851 ,S72 (now estimated at $780,
OOO). In October, 1905, it was found
that 1901 per cent of the population
of Lendon lived in overcrowded tene-
is more than two persons
in each room, the range OF this over
crowding being In the different Dor
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:
room from COO to $1.46 per week.
o --,.oo,,a, from S1.Og to 1896 per