Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1912-01-17
LABOR AND LIVING EXPENSES.

The cost of living depends directly and almost
wholly on the cost of labor, and this is as true
of the living expenses of the laborer it Is
of the capitalist. In this country the highest
scale of wages and the highest scale of living
50 hand in hand and both are higher than in any
part Of the Old World. But as both wages and
expenses rise III industrial community the
relative position of the wage-earner who works
with his hands improves faster than that Of
other classes of the community.
In the United States labor enjoys Injuries
unknown to the toilers abroad because wages
here afford much larger surplus and
above the cost Of absolute necessaries of life than
can be found elsewhere The wives and the
daughters of toilers silks, and this
country consumes nearly half of all the silk
produced in the world The New Jersey silk
mills alone consume raw silk than the
whole of France. the supposed leader in the
silk trade and most of this silk is worn by the
women of the working class in this country.
This is healthy condition of affairs that should
please everyone engaged in active pursuits The
consumption of goods makes business and gives
employment AS long good wages remain an
incentive to greater industry the country will be
prosperous though the higher cost of living bears
hard ON people with small fixed incomes and
clerical classes
But with the gain in wages for the masses
of the toers has come in late years an increase
IN the number OF young and women in that
class who do not wish to work indlstrously
and who sometimes do not work at all All the
writers social subjects and political economy.
including even socialists and anarchists agree
that the idle a burden on the industrious
and that every one who does not work robs
some one who does High wages earned by
some members of family enable other mem
bers to live in idleness, and the advance in style
OF living due to good wages is producing dis
taste for honest labor the part Of the young.
instead of being incentive to work in order to
advance still higher IN the true social scale 1t
seems if the wageearning classes are unwill-
ing to help themselves beyond certain point
and the social problems arising out of this
condition are becoming serious Labor itself does
not recognize and honor the dignity of labor
Labor owes something to community in
which It enjoys such advantages. 1t owes to
this country industry, sobriety and respect for
the law. General industry should be fostered
and even forced all When part of those who
should work idle the consumption of goods
Is essened and the burdens of those who toll
increase in proportion to the number of idle that
are fed and clothed either in the family circle
Or. N some way or other by the community at
large The command To earn thy bread By the
sweat Of thy brow cannot be disregarded
With the decrease IN consumption due TO idle
ness comes Il lessened demand for labor and a
lower standard Of living all round the full ef
feet u which Is felt by the best class of skilled
W"Iktlss t0t u = lhf product ef their toll that
lirst loses ~ market. Sooner later labor will
ilqnldaie ITSELF until the point j. reached where
the illf must 70 to work or starve General in.
dnstry : The only thing that can save ii There
never witt - overproduetion III the true sense
q the term. hat there may be- under consumption
We naW have ten MANY heaeheomhers' IN The
ranks
i.1hof unions are doing their utmost a. foster
uileaaw hy asseaugasiag ~ preventing ths ,es,ps
trum yptsfi0e the skilled trades They are dg
sins g 90 into whteh thtX with fail in the end
tsher y nost prosperous where i produces tks
Hassf
~ ~ wvelth sa fbe waFld consists 81 tWa
sismsnls wtai : taken ont q ne ground and