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KOI INDUSTRIAL WORKER
TRI-WEEKLY
Published Tuesday. Thursday,
and • Saturday.
Hy Nome Mine Workers’ Union, No. 240, International Union of Mine,
Mill and Smelter Workers.
Subscription Price
One Year . *20.00
Six Months . 10.00
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Address all communications to Tri-Weekly Nome Industrial Worker.
Box 210. Nome, Alaska. rhone, Black 134.
Entefed as second class matter March 1, 1911, at the po3t office at
Rome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1379.
VALUE
Few people care much about po
litical economy except workingmen
and especially socialists. ^There are
certain social phenomena that the
average business man does not care
three straws about. What he is in
terested in is making money; the
elaborate investigation of the real
reason for his profits, just as long
as he is making profits, he is not in
terested in at all. Because the anal
ysis of capitalist production neither
adds nor subtracts one red cent from
the loss and gain in his ledger, he
regards it fitfully as a wholly useless
thing.
Not so the worker. He knows that
there must be some good and suffi
cient reason why he is as employee
working the hardest and getting the
least. He is interested in under
standing that social process which
condemns him to perform the most
sordid drudgery and often enough
fails to give him enough to live on.
If sensibly he will reform that con
dition, then sensibly he must know
the reason why these things are so.
Hence then of all the proper studies
for him, none transcends in vital im
portance the study of political econ
omy or economics as many prefer to
name this subject with the shorter
title.
Now in these days of the discus
sion on the diminishing purchasing
power of gold, nothing reveals the
the poverty of knowledge upon the
part of business and professional in
terests on the subject of economics as
do the various plans that have been
suggested for the purpose of reviv
ing the gold ndustry and helping out
the poor capitalist who has invested
in the gold mines of the nation and
who in these days of luscious profits,
finds that he is not getting his share.
At once he believes that this or that
will be a remedy and he has at last
resorted to the silly expedient of en
deavoring to pull himself out of the
muck of commercial and industrial de
pression into which the gold industry
and himself have gone floundering
with his own boot straps.
The longer we live, the more as
sured we are of the innate ignorance
of the employing classes as a whole.
Their ability to control the legal and
economic field alone showing
shrewdness and cunning that is the
natural characteristic of power and
privilege.
What gives an article exchange
value?
All commodities have a definite
something common to them all. Some
have more of it some have less. And
without any question the varying
quantities that they possess of this
common attribute, will he the varying
proportions in which they will ex
change one with another.
Thus a barrel of potatoes in pro
portion to a bale of cloth will have
relative values which are expressed
in the medium of exchange. What
is it that each of these have in com
mon that they will be able to have
it expressed in dollars and cents.
The answer is obvious: they have
to things utllitie and the amount of
labor power used in their produc
tion. But obviously the social use of
an article is a quality not a quantity
which all commodities have In com
mon, and use is not a thing that can
lie expressed in dollars and cents.
On the other hand the proportion
of labor power used in the production
of a barrel of potatoes and the pro
portion of labor used in the produc
tion of a bolt of cloth are quantative
relations, expressed to perfection in
dollars and cents. So that when one
1* exchanged, one with the other,
what is exchanged is the product of
the quantity of labor power expend
ed in the fields and used in producing
a barrel of spuds, with a similar
amount of labor power used in manu
facturing a definite amount of cloth.
This relation, this value relation,
is expressed in terms of the medium
of exchange, which in turn varies,
not because the value varies, but be
cause the social demand varies in
relation to the supply. Sometimes
when the supply is excessive the price
is below the actual value of the article
sold, sometimes when the supply is
inadequate to meet the social demand
the price is above the labor values,
and sometimes when the supply is
equal to the demand and neither
above nor below the social demand,
the price is expressive of the actual
value.
In ordinary usage, that is as things
go in the world of commodities, the
third condition is seldom realized,
and articles are susally sold either
above or below their value, varying
as the supply varies to the demand.
Now take things as they are today.
Socially necessary labor, that is labor
that is not wasted in useless produc
tion. is scarcer than ever owing to
the fact that the war is using up so
many labor producive machines in
a entirely destructive and non-pro
ductive field of human endeavor.
But the world just the same has
got to be fed and clothed and in ad
dition has to be supplied with an
enormous amount of material which
during normal times would be quite
useless. Hence the removal of this
productive labor, which has, in
that removal from its productive
spheres, lost none of its consuming
capacity, the product of the labor
that remains becomes of intensified
relative worth when engaged in the
production of what the world needs.
Food, clothing and such things then
are in greater demand in a failing
supply. Hence in proportion to
other things the prices of these food
and clothing commodities are in
creasing. The main business of the
world is war just now, and the ma
terial for carrying on this war is in
intensified demand. Everything else
is superfluous as far as the social use
is concerned, and for this reason all
war material like food and clothing
is in excessive demand and the price
increases.
Compared to these articles gold is
economically speaking a non-essen
tial. Its function as a medium of
exchange is its only important func
tion and the only function to which
society puts it as far as its use value
is concerned. Its commercial uses
are relatively negligible.
Now as a medium of exchange to
day gold has more a theoretical than
a practical value. To represent the
values that are being consumed, gold
enough in the world today does not
exist. A system of credits, paper
money ar.d so forth based upon fu
ture production of gold as well as the
gold in circulation today, are sent
forth and perform functions similar
to those required of gold in the com
mercial world as a medium of ex
change. Hence with its function fill
ed successfully by paper, by credit
systems and what not, the immediate
demand for gold is ^iot as intensive
as the immediate demand for food
and war material, and hence its pur
chasing power which is its price, goes
down. It will not buy (which is the
expression we use for exchange for)
as much as formerly and as the war
goes on and the demand for food and
so forth increases, the decline in gold
values is remarkable.
Now the person that feels this the
most is not the gold mine operator,
but the day laborer. By convention
al acceptance, gold has been believ
ed to be stable standard of value.
And when a person got three years
ago three dollars a day, and today
gets four dollars a day, we say his
wages have been increased by a dol
lar in three years. Now no such thing
is a fact. It is positively incorrect
and it would be far more correct to
understand that the man with his
four dollars today is getting less than
hts three dollars a day three years
ago.
For wages represent what it costs
to rhaintain and reproduce a like
amount of labor power as has been
sold to the employer. It is repre
"Sr*-*. n am m-t7.#■*?&’—“
sented in dollars and cents of course,
hut'-only'bdcSUse tho^e dollars ahdr
cents are supposed to supply the
worker with the purchasing power
for his maintenance and the means
of reproducing the labor power sold
to the employer.
Because the decline of the purchas
ing power of silver was marked long
before the war, and in that period of
the world’s history because the im
provement in mining and reduction
and metalurgical processes general
ly had greatly reduced the cost of
mining and accordingly the amount
of silver that was made available for
circulation was greatly increased and
the supply too therefore increased
in proportion to the demand, men
like Bryan and his followers immers
ed in the superstition of fiat money,
like the\ewil</ered*old mining mag
nates today, have sought to have the
government give a fictitious value
to the silver by controlling it, and by
subsidizing mining costs and by a
governmental fiat declaring that one
dollar is worth two, as the gold men
3o today.
The capitalist system is€ commod
ity system. It is fairly and squarely
built upon the profits of exchanging
values. When the exchanging of
values manifests dry rot in the very
heart of the system, are socialists
wrong in holding that the whole damn
system will not be very long standing
erect and that it will be soon a brand
fit for the burning, to be replaced by
a system based upon the saner
method of exchanging the product of
socialized labor power?
PAID ADVERTISEMENTS
WASHINGTON STATE
FEDERATION OF LABOR
EXECUTIVE and legislative committee,
EVERETTE, WASH. Sept, 9th, 1916.
To Trade Unionists of Alaska,
Greeting.
Ordinarily we would not think of making any sugges
tions to you concerning political candidacies in your Territory
but in the present situation we feel justified in doing so. The
interests of labor in the entire northwestern group of states
and particularly Washington, is closely allied with the interest
of labor in Alaska. We have watched with growing concern
the efforts of large corporate aggregations to tighten their
hold upon the wealth of your country and have watched the
splendid fight waged in Congress by your Delegate Mr Wick
ersham.
It is because we believe Mr Wickersham is fighting in
Congress against the exploitation of labor and the great nat
ural wealth of Alaska by powerful private interests, that we
are taking the liebrty of urging our fellow unionists in Alaska
to rally to his support in his campaign for re-eleotion.
Knowing that you will accept this communication in the
spirit in which it is written and assuring you the continued co
operation and good will of your fellow trade unionists, we beg
leave to remain,
,»>«**•''"TnuyT' Fraternally Yours,
. , -j mc zSafrsTLafceiiXc'’' * '■*
- * ' E. P. MARSH
President Washington State Federation of Labor.
CHAS, R. CASE
Chairman Legislative Committee, Seattle Central Labor Council.
J. G BROWN
President International Shingle Weavers’ Union of America.
WILLIAM SHORT
Sec.-Treas. Dist. No. 10, United Mine Workers of America.
m in. ...
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FOR DELEGATE TO CONGRESS
HON. CHAS. A. SULZER
(Democrat)
ELECTION, NOVEMBER, 5, 1913
ALASKA STEAMSHIP CO.
S. S. VICTORIA
Leave
Seattle
Aug.-25th
Oct. - - - 1st
Leave
Nome
Sept. - - - 7th
Oct. - - - 16th
LAST SAILING OF SEASON
S.S.ADM. WATSON
_ 1 ii
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Seattle
Sept 12th
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Nome
Sept 27th
| SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
ALL RESERVATIONS SHOULD BE
CONFIRMED AT ONCE
Pacific S. S. Co.
L.‘C. Wolfe Agent«Nome
SUBSCRIBE NOW FOR
THE WORKER
Charles L. Ross
Milling, Lumber, Contractor
HAVING -TAKEN OVER THE FREIGHTING & TRANSFER
BUSINESS OF W. 8TEIGEL MAI EH AND OF LEO KENT,
FREIGHT ORDERS AND TRANSFER CONTRACTS WILL RE
CEIVE PROMPT ATTENTION.
3RD AND B STREET. PHONE BLACK 162.
***** *+* *****-*; *+**-»<**+*I^*+***f-|<.|t.k.*****.»(*+***.fc*.|,*.|i
| 5
| Miners and Merchants Bankf
Nome, Alaska
Capital $100,000.00
Workingmen’s Accounts Solicited.
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*1* ❖ * + •!•*!•* * **■£•** * »J* I VT V T V t V V V T *1* V V T V
*!* *2* 4* *1*
4
T1
Dawson Hotel
(Includes TBfe DAWSON, GREEN TREE and THE LINCOLN)
Finest Rooms In Nome
HOMELIKE AND COMFORTABLE QUARTERS FOR TRANS
IENT OR PERMANENT GUESTS.
BY DAY, WEEK OR MONTH.
BARNEY GLBNEY.Proprietor
2* -I- *!* *1* ■4* *!* *1* *1* -I- v*1*4* 4*4*4,^4*4‘4,4*4,4,4,4,4,4,4'
4. .t. -j- 4. -j. 4. -j- 4- -j. 4- 4. 4. -I- -■* -I- -2- -2- -2- -J. -I- -2- -j- -2*
North Pole Bakery
& Coffee House
BREAD
15 cents per loaf
2 Loaves 25c.
• *|« »|« *j4 *|« *j« *2* *2* *1* -J* *j* *5* •J* #j^» *|* a|« «*J»
+ + + || ^ *1* •!«