RECENT REPORTS OF STATE BUREAUS OF LABOR STATISTICS.

MAINE.

Fourteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Industrial and Labor Statistics for the State of Maine. 1900. Samuel W. Matthews, Commissioner.

152 pp.

The following subjects are treated in this report: Workingmen's returns, 26 pages; factories, mills, and shops, 5 pages; cotton industry, 4 pages; woolen industry, 4 pages; shipbuilding, 20 pages; canning industry, 30 pages; woodworking industry, 27 pages; bleaching and dyeing industry, 4 pages; railroads, 4 pages; factory inspection, 20 pages. WORKINGMEN'S RETURNS.-Tables are given of returns received by the bureau from 175 workingmen in the State showing their earnings, cost of living, savings, etc. The following table shows, by occupations, the income and expenditures of 135 families as ascertained from these returns:

AVERAGE YEARLY EARNINGS AND COST OF LIVING OF WORKING PEOPLE. 1900.

a This is not a correct total for the preceding items; the figures given are, however, according to the original.

Of the 135 heads of families included in the above tabulation, 89 were American and 46 were foreign born; 47 owned their homes, 10 of which were mortgaged; 4 belonged to labor organizations; 52 belonged to beneficiary organizations; 49 had savings-bank accounts; 86 accumulated savings in former years, and 42 during the past year; 29 had a deficit, and 64 had neither a surplus nor a deficit during the past year. Of the remaining 40 men without families, 31 were American and 9 were foreign born; 11 belonged to labor organizations; 11 belonged to

applications for help 30 were for males and 25 for females. Forty-six applications for help were referred to employers.

SWEAT SHOPS. Statistics are given of an investigation made in 1899 and 1900 by the city health department of Baltimore of 108 places regarded as sweat shops. Of these 74 were found to be insanitary.

THE CANNING INDUSTRY.-Returns from 65 canning establishments showed the employment of a total of 1,781 men, 3,331 women,and 636 children. These were employed an average of 42 days during the canning season of 1900. Their earnings averaged about $1.50 for each working day for men, $0.87 for women, and $0.45 for children. The total wages paid in the 65 establishments amounted to $242,993. Statistics are also given showing the expenditure for raw material, the quantity and kind of fruit and vegetables canned, etc.

HANDLING OF MARYLAND CROPS.-A table is given showing the estimated quantity of grain, vegetables, and fruits raised in the State that was handled by the various transportation companies.

STATISTICS OF BALTIMORE.-A chapter on municipal government gives an analysis of the statistics of cities contained in the Bulletin of the U. S. Department of Labor for September, 1900, so far as they relate to Baltimore, and makes comparison between Baltimore and the cities of Boston and St. Louis. Other chapters show expenditures for the various municipal departments, etc., of Baltimore and brief digests of the various department reports.

NEW INCORPORATIONS.-A list is given of the new incorporations in the counties of the State from January, 1899, to November, 1900, and from December, 1899, to December, 1900, in Baltimore City. This supplements the lists published in previous reports.

MICHIGAN.

Eighteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics. 1901. Joseph L. Cox, Commissioner. vii, 264 pp. The present report treats of the following subjects: Penal _and reformatory institutions, 5 pages; statistics of counties, cities, and villages, 125 pages; prison statistics, 2 pages; real estate statistics, 8 pages; commercial and hotel statistics, 18 pages; agricultural implements, 7 pages; manufacture of stoves and furnaces, 8 pages; bituminous coal mines, 14 pages; labor canvass, 28 pages; suicides, 15 pages; boiler explosions, 2 pages; strikes in Michigan, 3 pages; industrial statistics, 7 pages; papers on factory inspection, 12 pages.

STATISTICS OF COUNTIES, CITIES, AND VILLAGES.-These include population, number and value of public buildings and improvements, wages paid for labor, number and wages of men in fire and police departments, prison statistics, etc.

was

MANUFACTURE OF AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. A canvass made of 1,760 employees in 41 establishments engaged in this industry

located in 30 different towns. Of these 1,597 worked by the day and 163 did piecework. Their daily pay rolls amounted to $2,984.78, or $1.69 per employee canvassed. Of the 1,760 employees 1,752, or all but 8, reported having steady employment; 852 were able to save from their earnings, and 611 owned their homes, 383 reporting the homes free from encumbrances; 627 rented their homes, paying an average of $6.65 per month; 522 paid board at an average rate of $3.10 per week.

MANUFACTURE OF STOVES AND FURNACES.-Twenty-one establishments canvassed reported an aggregate capital of $3,378,632. The value of their total output in 1899 was $6,308,917. They employed 4,224 persons, exclusive of office men, and paid $8,214 per day for labor, or an average of $1.944 per employee; 142 office clerks received an average of $2.48 per day.

A canvass was made of 1,663 persons employed in 20 of these establishments located in 11 different towns. Of these 749 were paid by the day and 914 by the piece; 1,659 had steady employment; 677 were able to save from their earnings; 505 owned their homes, in 260 cases free from encumbrances; 582 rented their homes at an average monthly rental of $7.25; 576 paid board at an average rate of $3.60 per week. Their aggregate daily pay amounted to $3,718.77, or $2.24 per employee canvassed.

COAL MINES. On December 1, 1900, 31 mines were in operation in the State. They gave employment to 1,638 persons, who worked an average of 7.7 hours per day. Their daily aggregate wages amounted to $3,832.92, or $2.34 per person. The total output was 843,476 tons, costing $1,164,000, or $1.38 per ton. A canvass was made of 1,311 employees of 25 mines, in September, 1900. Of these, 322 were paid by the day and 989 were paid by the ton. Their average hours of labor per day were 8.1, and their average daily wages $1.91. These figures differ somewhat from those above, which were obtained from the mine authorities. Of the 1,311 employees canvassed, 444 were able to save from their earnings. The following table shows the average daily wages of mine employees as obtained through the labor canvass, classified according to 18 different occupations:

AVERAGE WAGES PER DAY OF COAL MINE EMPLOYEES, SEPTEMBER, 1900.

LABOR CANVASS.-A special canvass was made of 4,800 male and 1,503 female wage earners in different parts of the State. The inquiries related to wages, nativity, social condition, number of dependents, occupation, length of service, hours of labor, months employed during the year, etc. The tabulation following shows for male and female employees, respectively, for selected occupations, the average daily wages, hours of labor per day, number of months employed during 1900, and the average number of years engaged in present occupation:

WAGES, HOURS OF LABOR, ETC., OF MALE AND FEMALE EMPLOYEES, BY SELECTED OCCUPATIONS, 1900.

The returns for all of the 4,800 male wage earners canvassed in 34 cities and villages showed the following average results: Daily wages,

$1.67; hours of labor per day, 10.4; months employed during the year, 11.3; years engaged at present occupation, 9.6; age, 31.8. Fiftyeight per cent were married. The 4,800 employees had 12,474 persons to support, including the persons canvassed, or 2.6 each. Twentysix per cent owned their homes. Those who rented homes paid an average monthly rental of $7.02. Sixty per cent of the persons canvassed reported that they were able to save something from their earnings.

Returns for the 1,503 female employees canvassed in 22 cities and villages showed the following average results: Daily wages, $0.87; hours of labor per day, 10.2; months employed during the year, 11.5; years engaged at present occupation, 3.2; age, 23.9. Eleven per cent were married, 82 per cent were single, and 7 per cent were widowed. Seven per cent owned their homes.

STRIKES.-A brief synopsis is given of each strike which occurred in the State during the year, the strikes being arranged in chronological order.

INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS.-This chapter contains a brief record of important events of the year relating to the industries of the State, arranged in chronological order.

NORTH DAKOTA.

Sixth Biennial Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor of North Dakota, for the term ending June 30, 1900. Henry U. Thomas, Commissioner. 80 pp.

This report, like those for preceding years, is devoted mainly to statistics of agriculture. The subjects treated may be grouped as follows: Statistics of agriculture, 42 pages; live stock, 5 pages; vital statistics, 2 pages; wool market and wool production, 3 pages; farm labor statistics, 1 page; flouring mills, 2 pages; coal mines, 1 page; report on the dairy industry, 10 pages.

FARM LABOR STATISTICS.-A table is given showing for each county the number of male and female employees reported in 1900, their average monthly wages, and the total wages paid. The lowest average monthly wages, including board and lodging, reported in any county was $10.18 (an average for 94 persons) for males, and $6.50 (an average for 54 persons) for females; the highest average was $30 (an average for 300 persons) for males, and $18 (an average for 5 persons) for females. The average monthly wages, including board and lodging, of 14,041 male farm laborers was $20.41, and the average monthly wages of 2,253 female farm laborers was $11.43, including board and lodging.

FLOURING MILLS.-A list is given of the names and location, and in some cases the capacity, of 65 flouring mills in the State.