Pebniary 2J, 189-1





Record  and  Guide.





291





instrumental in determining the rate of wages, the latter plays
but a eoinparativel.v small part in creating the great inequalities
in wages whicli prevail. In free-trade England wages are very
much higher than iu prot eel iouist Italy; not, however, because
the English niaiiiifiictiirer or employer tiikes as his share a
smaller portion of what is produced. In the protectionist United
States wages are higher than in free-trade Great Britain, but
this is not due to the larger heartedness of our millionaires or
because tho labor market with us is ruled .strictl.y accortling to
the golden rule. In Australia, where tariffs are low, wages ore
as high as iu the Uuited States, where the tariff is high,
and the parity cau not be attriliuted an.v more than iu the case
of the divergences just noted to dift'erences in distribution. In
short, the more we travel, and the more we see the more we are
driven to the conclusion tluit inequalities in the wage-rates of
countries denote as i ii the case of inequalities in the wages of indi¬
viduals, ineffiKiliti/ in powers o.f jiroiJitcHiin. AVh.v does Jones earn
twenty-five dollars a week and l!row n onl.v ten dollars? In the
main, is it not because Jones is a harder worker than Brown, or a
higher class of worker'? We luiiy bi^ very certain that high wages,
wherever they exist, in individuals or in communities, connote
high powers of production. .Vs wc have seen, it must mean
either this, or ditt'erences iiierel.v in the distribution of what is
produced; and if we iiccept the hitter explanation we have to
face the question : Can it be in the process of divi.sion that the
American secures twice the wages of the Eurojiean and the
European mau.y times the wiiges of the Oriental ? It would be
difficult to maintain this theory.

We are brought, tlien, to the conclnsiou tliat higii wages are
the correlative of high powers of production :ind efficiency, that
the.y cannot be created b.v the siicred writings of Dahome.v or b.v
any other sacerdotal or piditical instrument; they cannot be
stolen or obtained by fraud or force—they must be earned b.y
work iu the sweat of the brow and b.v the operation of the intelli¬
gence. If wages are higher in the United States than in Europe
it is solel.y beciiuse people iu this couutry work more effica-
ciousl.y than do those in Europe.

Bnt if this be so, unto wlmt ii pass .arc we bringiug our dear
old Uncle Sam, with his fears about "pauper labor." " Pauper
labor'' is inefficient labor, labor of a low iirodiictivit.v; and
can tlie inefficient compete successfully with the efficient ?
What is competition but the process through which the
efficient triumph.' In modern industri.al history what is
the chief fiict that stands forth? Is it not that men,
methods and machiner.y of relatively low productivity
h.ave everywhere been supplemented by men, methods and
machinery of relativel.y high productivity? The inefficient
labor, the cheap labor, the p!iu])er labor, cannot successfully
compete with the efficient, the dear, the high-class labor an.y
more than can an iintiquated piece of machinery compete with a
costly niodern engine, (lid locomotives of the Stephenson type
can be obtained at a small part of the cost of a modern compountl
Biddwin, but w-hat riiilroad would replace the hitter b.y the
former l Indeed, iind this is the centre of the matter, it is liirjh-
jiriceil labor that is cheap lahor, and the pauper Labor that Uncle
Sam fears is the dearest on earth, aud the only labor that cannot
compete witn his househidd.

While the old man is sutt'eriug from headache and nervous
fright about " Pauper Labor" manufacturers and economists iu
the United States and in all progressive, enlightened countries
are satisf.ying themselves that " higher wages mean a gi-eater
amount of work done," and that the Poles, the Hindoos, the
Chinese earn unifonuly small wages and cannot compete with
the English and much less with the American, because with them
the cost of production despite the low wages is high. High
wages do not necessarily mean dear labor. The German Com¬
mission of 1870, the English Commission of 1885, collected a
large amount of evidence substantiating this view. Hofman
says the Berliner iiccomplishes as much work in ten days as the
East Prussian in twenty-.seven. The wages e.ai-ned by the
former are proportionately higher. Roscher declares the Meck-
leuburger does twice as much work in a given time as the Thur-
iugi.an and earns double the wages. The cost of spinning a yard
of cotton goods is greater in India than iu England, though the
Indian opeiiitive's wages are lower and his working day louger.
Mr. Blaine showed thatthel.abor-costof spiuning in this country
is the lowest in the world. In the Prussian coal mines the
average annual earnings of a laborer is .$22.5, in Pennsylvania
.'H335, yet the cost of mining a tou of coal is two-thirds less in
Pennsylvania tlian in Prussia. Beciiuse the former produces only
256 tons per annum agaiust the American's 5(50 tons.

In England the average wage of the nailmaker is about $3 a
week, in the United States iqiwards of $5 a day, yet American
nails are only half the price of English. The reiison for this dis¬
parity is that the American produces two and a-half tons of nails
ill the time that the Englishman is making two hundred weight.

It is unnecessary, however, to multiply examples. High wages
w herever they exist are not a gift, nor a social convention, they
are the result of a high rate of production.   Uncle Sam then ha.s





nothing to fear from "Pauper Labor." It is only the more
efficient, tlie more productive, the better educiited labor that he
need trouble himself iibout. The "imuiiers" of Europe or Asia
will never bother the old gentleman or work him iiijur.y.





Legislation at Albany.

.\I.UANV, Fcliriiary 22.—James R. Sliottiold, the Assemlilvmiiii of
the llth A.sspuilily District of New York, who introduced the bill
making .59 Liberty street again the place where legal sales shall take
place in New York City, hiid arranged w-ith tho Assembl.v Judieiar.v
Committee for a hearius; upon the measuro this afteruoou, but owing
to a late session of the Assembl.v tho Committee had uo time to hold
its nieetiug. Mr. .Sholiticld, thorcforc, wiis compelled to defer making
his ap;ilicatiou for a fiivornlde report ou the bill until Tuesday next.
He iiiteuds to push the bill witli all possible energy and regards it as
one of the most important that he has preseuti'd to the Legislature.

Senator Cantor, as tho represeutiitive of Richard Croker, has given
uotice of his intention to tight tho bill with all his power, Mr, Can¬
tor is at present ill at Lakewood, N. J., but his friends here are
olisorviug Wui. Sheffield's movements in regard to tho bill with keen
iittention, and it can be predicted that ox-Speaker Sulzer will iutor-
)iiise ever.v piirliameiitar.v obstiuitiou ho can emplo.v to the advance¬
ment of the Ilill lieyiind the walls of the .Asscmblv Chamber.

'I'he present week the Seuiite pnssed AHsemblymiin Law.son's bills
tor the iiimpletion of the Riverside Piirk and Drlvew.i.v, aud tor the
iiimpletiiiu of the Catliedral Parkwn.v. The sum of !p50,(l(IO has been
lii|iped olt'of the iipprojiriiitiou for the Riverside Park, leaving it at
!(i700,000, aud if.'iO.OOO olf the appropriatiou for the Cathedral Piirk¬
wa.v, leaving it at lt>2llll,(l(IO. This action -n-as taken at the request of
Mayor (jib-oy, who stated that 1(1100,000 would be expended upon
these parks out of the appropriation of $1,000,000 recentl.v made by
the Legislature for the iniprovenient of the Parks of New York. Both
the Riverside Park bill and the Cathedral Parkwa.v bill are now iu
the hands of Goveriuir Flower; who.it is said, has been advi.sed b.v
Mavor (jilroj'. who was here the present week, that he had better
sign theui.

The bill for the exteusiou of the Riverside Park aud Drivewiiy to
the bulkhead line is in a shape satisfactor.v to the authorities of New
York, according to the statements of Assistant Corporation Counsel
lilaud.v, but late this week Senator Guy received a letter from Jauies
.\. Deering suggesting that certain ameiidnients be made to the
measure. Senator Gu.v could uot understand from Mr. Deeriug's
letter preeiselv w-hat he desired done aud accordingly has sent him tho
Ilill aud the suggested anieudmeuts to fix it up as ho desires to havo
it shaped.   Then Mr. Blaudy intends to have another look at the bill.

.Senator Robertson aud Asseuiblyiiian Robertson iutroduced a bill
the present week abolishing the four-headed Board of Park Commis¬
sioners and substituting one of two memlierj; oue to be a Democrat
and oue to be a Republican. This undoubtedly is a Republican party
measure. It is difficult to tell whether or not it will ]iass the Legisl.a-
ture. The attitude of the Democrats upou the measure will doubtless
disclose Governor Flower's probable course toward it if it ever
reaches him. If they oppose it uo oue will doubt that he intends to
veto the luea sure.

Ma.vor Gilro.v while liere the pieseut week expressed his disap-
)ii-oval ot the liill appropriating i}S2,000,000 to build a bridge over the
Harieni River, from 1st aveuue to Willis .avenue, unless it was
ameuded so as to provide that tho work need not be begun uuder
four years. This amendment has besn accepted by Air. Butts, the
introducer of the bill. It is gcnerall.v interpreted to mean that
Tamman.v Hall does not intend to build the bridge uuder four years.
It is said that the Tammauy Hall magnates are directing most of tho
aiipropriatious to the improvement of tho West Side, where they
have unimproved properf.v which they wish to sell, rather than to
the district north of the Harlem River, where the.v have but little.

Mayor Gilroy, also through Mr, Ulaudy, is opposing here the bill of
Mr. Sheffield appropriating $500,000 for a site and $625,000 for a
new building for the College of the Cit.v of New York. President
Huuter aud a large number of the proiuiuent graduates of the college
appeared before the Assembly Conimittee on Cities ou Tuesday iu
behalf of this bill. While Mr. Blaudy oppo.sed it on the ex.asperatiug
ground to the graduates that tho college had outlived its usefulness,
the graduates argued that if the City of New York could aft'ord to
build a Speedway upon which to speed fast horse.s, it could well
aft'ord to bu.v a uew .site for its chief college aud build a uew college
liuilding for it. But Mayor Gilroy's hostility will probably kill the
bill if it ever reaches Governor Flower,

Assemblvmau Lawson has iutroduced a bill proliibitiug the con¬
struction of au elevated railwa.yupou 14th street. New York, betwecu
7th avenue aud 4th avenue. The bill is iutroduced iu the Interest of
the shopkeepers upon 14th street, "I do not wish to interfere with
au.v rapid tran.sit schemes," said Mr, Lawson, .vesterdii.v, "but I do
think that 14tli street should lie protected from the invasion of au
elevated railway, when some other street could as well be taken,"

A bill was introduced by As.semblymau Butts .yesterday declaring
that on and after Jauuary 1, 1895, "all iucuiubrauces and obstruc¬
tions upon any street or sidewalk or public grouud iu the 2.3d aud
24th Wards of the City of New York shall be removed liy the Com¬
missioner of Street Improvemeuts" iu these wards. The Board of
Estimate aud Apportioiimeut of New York is to make au aiipropria-
tiou for removing the iucuiubrauces.

Assemblyman Tobias presented a " labor bill " of iuterest this week.
It provides that " all stone of auy description used in St.ate or ninui¬
cipal works within the State, or which is to be worked, dressed or
carved for such use, shall be so worked, dressed or carved upon the
grounds where such w-orks are beiug carried on, or within the boun¬
daries of tho State, or withiu tho boundaries of the municipality."