Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/292

* WAGES. 240 WAGES. policy of protection will naturally be to raise the nature of the case, these wages refer chiefly to wages. the Eastern and Middle States. Wages rose Restriction of Output and Wages. Many rapidly after 1790 with the advent of the factory laborers believe that wages would be increased if system. Thus carpenters were paid less than the hours of labor could be reduced in number, sixty cents a day in 1790, over seventy cents or if laborers would systeniatieallj' endeavor to in ISOO, one dollar and nine cents in 1810, one produce as little as possible. Prices, they be- dollar and thirteen cents in 1820, and about one lieve, would rise, and with them wages. The dollar and thirteen cents in 1830, reaching a view is fallacious, since it fails to take into ac- maximum of one dollar and forty cents, however, count the fact that rise in prices would force the in the northern parts of the country for the laborer to pay more for everything which he period from 1830 to 1840. From 1840 to 1860 buys, so that the apparent rise in wages would there was little change in the wages of car- represent no net gain. Restriction of output in penters. The wages of laborers also rose from some one industry, however, may raise wages about forty-three cents a day in 1790 to over there, if other labor can be excluded from the in- eighty-two cents a day in 1810-20. Similar in- dustry. Such a raising of wages is largely at creases are noted for the wages of printers, cot- the expense of the excluded labor, the disad- ton and woolen operatives, and other wage- vantage to laborers as a class exceeding the ad- earners. From 1830 on the records of wages are vantages to special groups. TisiE AND Piece Wages. Time wages repre- sent the price for a certain number of hour% of the worker's time ; piece wages a payment for a task accomplished. When labor consists in a series of definite operations, as in the making of certain portions of shoes, etc., the efficiency of labor can be accurately tested by quantity of product. Payment in projjortion to product is likely to stimulate the workers to greater effort than payment in proportion to time. The plan is, however, unpopular with most laborers, be- cause they believe that it results in a degree of strain which is injurious to the physical health of the worker; and, moreover, because of an al- leged tendency of employers to reduce wages whenever the increased energy of the workers af- fords them mucli more than the average rate of pay. From the point of view of society, it is probable that every increase in the efficiency of labor increases the sum of wealth obtained by the working class as a whole; and, therefore, so far as the piece-wage system increases time effi- ciency, it is advantageous to labor. Women's Wages. In most countries the aver- age wages of women are much lower than those of men. An inquiry made in 1884 showed that in Great Britain the average earnings of women were 41 per cent, of those of men; in Massa- chusetts, 51 per cent. The percentage is prob- ably slightly higher at present. In France, in agriculture tlic daily wages of women are about GO per cent, of those of men; in manufactures, about ."JO i)er cent. In only a few occupations do women earn as much jjer dav as men. This is due in part to the fact that women <lo not possess d) /anuar.v 1. Aldrlch Report, Senate Report, Fltty- .,.',,, , c 4-1 J- 4.1 second Congreas. the strength and endurance of men, partly to the (2) Year ending June 30th. Bureau of Economic Re- fact that they are likelv to be at a disadvantage searcli. in selling their labor, owing to their inability or o/^i]abTin Septei'lS,^^^^^^^^^ '"'"'""" °' "^P""^""""* reluctance to seek new employers. But the chief (4) Year iMuling iiecciiiber 31st. Bulletin o( Depart- eausc appears to be that there have hitherto been ment ot Labor, .liil.v luoo. ^ ,. . , '■ ,. , n 4- 4.i,„,. (ii) Year eiiii nn Docoraber 31st. Department ot Apn- 80 few occupations open to women that they culturo. Miscellaneous Series, 19U1. have overcrowded those which were open, re- ducing the productivity of labor and its reward, more complete. "In IS31 daily wages for agri- This view is supported by the fact that in in- cultural laborers ranged from 57% cents to .$1 ; dustrios which women enter t)ie wages of men blacksmiths received from $1 to $1.25 ]ier day. engaged in the same kind of labor frequently The daily average for carpenters was $1.07. while fall so low as to force most of the men to seek masons received $1.20. Since 1873 wages in these other forms of employment. staple occupations have more than doubled. . . . Wages in the United States. In bis Indus- Considering the wages for the great mass ot wage- irial Ei-olitlion of thr IJnitnd States (1895) Car- earners, the common and agricultural laborers, roll D. Wright, United States Commissioner of during the entire period since 1033, the daily Labor, traces the course of wages in American in- wages for the best laborers advanced from dustry during the progress of a century. From twenty-five cents to thirty-three and a third TEAR A. Prices in gold Jl) B. Prices (2) c. 25 occu- pations wages gold, wages for 1891 being 100 (3) D. Wages 192 occu- pations W E. Wages of farm labor in gold per month without board (5) 18ti9 119.0 122.9 121. i 114.5 116.6 1U.6 108.7 107.0 103.2 95.0 104.9 108.4 109.1 100.6 102.6 93.3 93.4 94.6 96.2 98.5 93.7 94.4 "95" 90 90 82 81 77 73 79 77 90 88 104.8 1870 84.64 94.00 96.26 92.13 90.46 88.11 85.65 88.21 90.66 91.12 91.94 94.59 96.16 97.05 97.83 97.15 97.15 97.93 98.52 98.82 99.31 100.00 100.59 99.94 97.98 97.19 96.60 96.11 95.62 1871 1872 1873 . .. . 1874 1875 1876 92.9 1877 1878 1379. .. . 88.3 1880 1881 1882 101.7 1883 1884 1885 96.6 1886 1887 1888 98.0 1889 1890 98. G 1891 100.00 100.30 99.32 98.26 97.88 97.93 98.96 98.79 101.. 54 103.43 100.00 1892 1893 102.6 1894 95.4 1895 95.1 1896 . . 1897 1898 1899 104.2 108.7 1900 1901