Labour in the United States.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 3, 2 January 1906, Page 52

Labour in the United States.

Some of the results of the continued struggle of organised labour for a working day of fewer hours, without reduction m wages, often m addition to a " shorter week," because of the increasing fondness for a Saturday half-holiday, are brought out in a report on the statistics of wages and food in the United States by experts connected with the Bureau of Labour. The lesson of the report to the advocate of " the eight-hour day " at nine-hour wages, when read with care, is that although he has worked fewer hours and has had the desired time for rest and recreation, although he is getting relatively, if not actually, more pay, he is paying more for the necessaries of life, and therefore is not quite so well off as he was a year ago. In short, he finds that the cost of living has outstripped the general tendency of wages to increase. Some of the leading generalisations are not without special interest. "In 1904, as compared with the average for the 10 years from 1890 to 1899," says the Bureau's summary, "25 7 per cent, more persons were employed, hours of labour per week had been reduced 41 per cent., wages per hour had

increased 17 per cent, weekly, earnings per employee had increased 12.2 per cent., weekly earnings of all persons employed had increased 41 per cent. Retail prices of food had increased 11 7 per cent., the wages of one hour would purchase 4.7 per cent, more food, and the earnings of a week would purchase 0.4 per cent, more food. In 1904, as compared with 1903, the total number of employees decreased o 6 per cent., the hours of labour decreased 0.7 per cent., wages per hour increased o'6 per cent., weekly earnings per employee decreased 0.1 per cent., the total weekly earnings of all employees decreased 0.8 per cent., retail prices of food increased 1.3 per cent., the wages of one hour would purchase 0.7 per cent, less food, and the earnings per employee in a week would purchase 1.4 per cent, less food. For the United States, considered as a whole, the average cost of food per family in 1890 was £66 ss. In 1896, the year of lowest prices, it fell to 16s. In 1904 it reached the highest point of the period, being 16s. — a difference between 1896 and 1904 of 17 per cent. The changes m the cost of living, as shown, relate to food alone, representing 42.54 per cent, of all family expenditure m the 2,567 families furnishing information."

The übiquitous burglar has an unconquerable foe m Messrs. W. Willis and Co., of Melbourne. This enterprising house has introduced an improved safe that could hold out almost as long against the cracksman as did Port Arthur against the Japanese. In this latest armament in the war between the safe-breaker, the lock is attached direct to the door plate instead of, as formerly, to a casing at the back thereof. An undnllable steel plate also protects both the keyhole and the handle. With these improvements it is almost impossible to materially injure the door plate, at least m the time at the disposal of the midnight despoiler. An interesting experiment to demonstrate the possibility of the application of wireless telegraphy to burglar alarms for safes has been carried out by a well-known firm of British safe builders. In this arrangement the safe is equipped with a small but efficient transmitter. When the safe is opened waves are radiated, which, coming into contact with the usual coherer at some distant central point, ring a bell, and so announce the fact that the door has been opened.