In Iowa in 1879 the same laborers received $1.12 without board and 80 cents with board. and in 1890. $1.23 without board and 95 cents with board. There has been no material change during the past ten years in the daily wages paid in that the greatest and the most important of all our industries. where. as I have stated. the demand absolutely fixes the price without the intervention of organizations. In this connection permit me to add that the labor supply in the mechanical industries is recruited from immigration and farm laborers. with the result that relative wages for years have been established between the two. and there has been no decline in the value off arm labor. notwithstanding the price of the products of agricultureor their farm valueis somewhat lower at the present time than in the preceding years. This depression has been dwelt upon as due to the contraction of currency and as an evidence that our industries are not prospering. But at this point I will eliminate agriculture from the discussion and confine myself to transportation. the mechanical or manufacturing industry. referring to agriculture again later.
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