Wages in England and America.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 99, 25 April 1885, Page 4

Wages in England and America.

A paper was read at a recent meeting in I London of the Statistical Society on " The j Comparative Efficiency and Earnings of Labour at Home and Abroad." The writer, Mr Jean?, of the Iron and Steel Institute, claimed that in almost all the leading industries of the world England held a position superior to that held by any other important industrial nation, both in regard to the extent of its manufactures and in regard lo the individual efficiency of the workers engaged therein. Taking the cotton trade, it was shown that in the number of spindles to each operative Great Britian was 54 per cent better than tho average of the seven other leading countties of the woild. The product of labour as regards the number of spindles employed was 27 per cent better in the United Kingdom than in the United State*', and as regards the working of looms the superiority was equal to fully SO per cent. Referring to the wool and worsted trade, it was shown that the number of spindles to each worker was greater in. Franco than in either tho United Kingdom or the United States. Statistics were also given showing that in work nrdnly dependent upon strength and energy English labour was considerably superior to any other country with regard to quantity, although tho cost per unit of an Englishman's work was rather more than that of the labour of other countries, on account of the higher wages paid to English workmen Statistics given with regard to wages proved that in the United States wages wero higher than in Great Britain by 84 per cent, while they ranged 205 per cent above France and 162 per cent above Germany. Great Britain was 42 per cent bettor than Germany, and 80 per cent better than France The th'rd section of tho paper dealt with the increase of wages in different countries within recent years, and showed that in ten of the leading industries of the world tho averago increase between 1850 and 1883 was in England 40 por cent, a figure which, somewhat curiously, was almost identical with that asc attained to have been the percentage of increase in the wages of the working classes of the United States between 1860 and ISB3, while in France statistics collected by tho Government showed that between 1850 and 1880 the average increase of wages in 23 leading industries was 53 per cent in Paris, and 65 per cent, in the provinces. The comparative cost of living in different countries was also dealt with at some longth, the conclusion being that there were grounds for believing that it was not less tulerable in England than in other countries for those who laboured for their daily bread. B Whitworth, M.P., followed with a statement that he "did not believe that the wages of the labourer in America would buy the same amount of comforts and necessaries that tho laboui'er could get in this country (England) on the wages paid hero." He furthermore expressed the opinion that " unless there was an improvement shortly, wage 3 in England would have to bo reduced, as all the losses in trade fell upon the eniployed." Figures skilfully manipulated can bo made to toll almost any story, but thoso who from actual experience know the condition of the working men in England and this country must smile at the absurd conclusions drawn by Mr Whitwortb.