Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04
BY DREW PEARSON.

w Y HY is the American work
n ingman the highest paid In
wv the world? Why is it that
when the Chinese coolie is
paid only so cents day
and the British workman receives only
about 81 a day. the organized work
man in the United States receives an
average of $1.09 an hour, or about
$3.50 a day?
This average wage for the American
laborer was worked out recently by
the Department of Labor. and took
the figure to William b. Wilson, for
mer Secretary of Labor. to ask him
the reason for the American working
mans amazing prosperity.
Mr. Wilson, l knew, would give a
thorough and careful reply. For Mr..
Wilson was not only first Secretary
of Labor and practically organizer Of
that department, but also Mr.. Wilson
is Scotch You sense that fact imme-
diately you hear him roll his RS. and
his middle name, Beauchop, when
translated from the old Celtic, means
small SON" Mr.. Wilson was born in
Scotland. and one of his first recollec-
lions was the coal strike which caused
his father and his family to be evicted
from their house and to emigrate to
America The Wilson's settled in the
coal regions of Pennsylvania. where
young Wilson followed his father into
the mines at the age of 9. BY the
time he was 10 he had survived one
cave-in which had buried him for a
short time, ard was the chief sup
port of his family.
Was Elected Auditor.
From a juvenile coal miner to Sec
50 49,, l. Il
when l asked Mr.. Wilson how he took
it. he explained that when he was 81
he was elected auditor of Bloss town
ship by a vote of AIS out of 476. l in
ferred that he did not vote for himself.
From township auditor to member of
Congress, Mr.. Wilson seemed to think.
was only a short step and hardly
worth explanation.
After we had cleared away the pre-
Eminaries of the interview 1 handed
Mr.. Wilson the recent compilations of
the Labor Department which fixed the
average wage Of the organized Ameri-
can workman at $1.09 an hour, and
asked him the reason.
American Produces More.
I'm the first place" came the imme-
date reply. the American workman
produces more than any other laborer
In any other country in the world. In
the second place. he is aided by up-to-
date and efficient machines. And.
finally, the general policy which has
been worked out by the American la
borer is roughly this:
I've and our employers have a
mutual interest at heart. The harder
we work, with a due regard for our
health and safety, the more we pro-
or11 I,O
be divided between ourselves and our
employers. The only difference be-
tween us and our employers is on the
point of how much constitutes a fair
division of joint production. On this
point we believe in sitting down
around a table and working out the
problem on basis as nearly equitable
as the circumstances surrounding the
industry will permit
Real Wage Differs.
That" continued the former Sec
rotary of Labor, lis a very general
statement. l do not mean that all
labor and all employers in the United
States are guided by this principle.
but the tendency is in this direction
Moreover, it is impossible to Judge
these figures which you have just
handed me entirely on their face
value. The real wage is not the
money received, but the amount of
buying power received. A dollar will
buy more in Germany perhaps than
in England. ! believe that no figures
exist today which show the relative
real wages of the workers of the
world.
However, my work in the Labor
Department gave me some approx
mate estimates. There is not the
slightest doubt that the American
worker is not only better paid than
any other worker. but can buy more
with his money. The next best paid
workers are in Australia; then comes
Canada and, 1 believe, South Africa -
"All of the co,,utriac van bava