ager in counting the money and straightening the accounts. It is argued at Grenoble that, as these guardians are not on the city pay rolls, the restaurant is not a municipal institution, although it is owned by the city and its operations are accounted for in the books of the municipality. Another explanation of the refusal to class it as such is found in the fact that the city does not expend any money from its own exchequer in defraying its cost. The establishment's own auditor is paid for keeping the books of the city out of the reserve fund of the concern. The policy has always been to have the dishes sold at a price high enough to cover every charge. It does this and also turns into the public treasury a considerable sum as a reserve each year. The people are thus subjected to no taxation on its account.

But the most intelligible and plausible reason for not regarding it as a municipal undertaking is the danger of an admission that it is such. The power of the dominant class of France is opposed to public ownership and control of industries because these lessen individual initiative. This industry for feeding the people works on steadfastly year after year almost without remark, and its influence, though the growth is small, is greatest in moral effect upon distant towns, where the same kind of establishments not enjoying municipal recognition are less successful.

RECENT REPORTS OF STATE BUREAUS OF LABOR STATISTICS.

CALIFORNIA.

Seventh Biennial Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the State of California, for the Years 1895, 1896. E. L. Fitzgerald, Commissioner. 164 pp.

The following subjects are treated in this report: The free employ ment system, 41 pages; employment agencies, 15 pages; registration bureaus, 5 pages; collection of wages, 11 pages; time-check system, 9 pages; eight-hour day, 9 pages; Japanese labor, 26 pages; bake shops, 6 pages; sweat shops, 3 pages; trades unions, 13 pages; strikes, 12 pages; financial report, 2 pages; résumé of the work of the depart ment, 2 pages.

THE FREE EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM.-This chapter contains a short review of the employment system and the results accomplished in Ohio and elsewhere, followed by a report on the operations of the free employment department of the California Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the period from July 15, 1895, to August 1, 1896, which was the first year of its operation, 18,920 applications for employment were received, of which 14,251 were from males and 4,669 from females. Positions were found for 5,845 persons, 3,314 of whom were males and 2,531 females. This shows that 30.89 per cent of the applicants were successful. It is estimated that if this work had been done by private agencies the cost to employment seekers, in fees and commissions, would have amounted to $90,252. The report contains detailed tables and analyses regarding occupations, ages, nationality, etc., of applicants and of persons for whom work was secured.

EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES AND REGISTRATION BUREAUS.-An account is given of the principal private employment agencies and registration bureaus in the State, and their methods of work, and of complaints made by persons who have dealt with such institutions.

COLLECTION OF WAGES.-The bureau has handled 1,424 cases of unpaid wages to working people, thereby assisting in the collection of $52,155.72 of wages due.

TIME-CHECK SYSTEM.-An exposition is given of the abuses of the time-check system of wage payments in the State and the resulting hardships to the working people.

EIGHT-HOUR DAY.-The present operation of the eight-hour law in the State is described and attention is directed to the defects whereby some of its provisions are rendered inoperative.

JAPANESE LABOR.-This is the result of an investigation into the question of Japanese labor. It contains a description of the methods. employed to secure the immigration of Japanese laborers by an evasion of the contract-labor law and the evils resulting from the traffic in such labor, an historical account of the commercial relations between this country and Japan, and statistics of Japanese immigration. The effects of the competition of Japanese manufactures and labor are pointed out and suggestions are made regarding the policy to be pursued in order to avoid the evils resulting from existing conditions.

BAKE SHOPS.-Visits were made to 201 bake shops in San Francisco in order to ascertain their sanitary condition. No statistics are published regarding the result, only a few instances of extreme cases being cited.

SWEAT SHOPS.-This contains brief accounts of visits to 16 places reported as being sweat shops, showing the number of employees, wages, and other conditions under which the labor was conducted.

TRADES UNIONS.-In June, 1896, schedules of inquiry were sent to 175 addresses of labor unions in the State requesting information relating to their history, object, membership, etc. Forty unions. responded. The following table shows the name, date of organization, and membership of each, and the wages and hours of labor of the members:

MEMBERSHIP, WAGES, AND HOURS OF LABOR REPORTED BY LABOR
ORGANIZATIONS.

MEMBERSHIP, WAGES, AND HOURS OF LABOR REPORTED BY LABOR
ORGANIZATIONS-Concluded.

STRIKES.-Only three strikes are mentioned under this head, namely, the American Railway Union strike in 1894, a printing pressmen's strike in San Francisco in 1895, and a painters' union strike in 1896. The first of these was a sympathetic strike and the others were in reference to wages and hours of labor. None of them seem to have been successful.

MICHIGAN.

Fourteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics of Michigan, Year ending February 1, 1897. Charles H. Morse, Commissioner of Labor. xv, 436 pp.

The subjects treated in this report are as follows: Vehicle manufacture, 190 pages; the eight-hour workday, 30 pages; forest statistics, 134 pages; penal and reformatory institutions, 15 pages; strikes, 28 pages; decisions of courts, 36 pages.

VEHICLE MANUFACTURE.-Each year since its establishment in 1883, the bureau has made a special canvass of a certain industry. In the present report that of the vehicle manufacture was selected. The information was obtained by canvassers, who visited employees and manufacturers throughout the State and noted the facts on uniform schedules. Data were obtained from 4,650 employees and 126 establishments in 41 cities and towns.

The employees' schedules contained 44 questions, relating to their nationality, earnings, and condition in general. Of the 4,650 employees considered, 3,315, or 71.3 per cent, were native born; 1,327, or 28.5 per

cent, foreign born, and 8, or 0.2 per cent, did not report their nationality. There were 104 occupations represented. Regarding the nature of the work, 3,483, or 74.9 per cent, were employed at time work, and 1,154, or 24.8 per cent, at piecework, 13, or 0.3 per cent, not reporting; 1,192 worked overtime, and of these 1,058 received extra pay. The length of the average working-day was 10 hours. During the year, 3,759 lost time, 2,631 on account of lack of work and 1,025 from other causes, 103 not stating the cause. The average time lost was 58 days. The earnings of all employees amounted to an average of $426.98 each, and the savings of the 1,549 who saved money during the year averaged $120.07. Of the 1,138 owning homes, 568 had incumbrances on their property. The average monthly rent paid by those renting was $7.03. Three hundred and ninety-one employees belonged to labor organizations, 307 carried accident insurance, 1,184 fraternal life insur ance, and 558 other life insurance.

The following statement summarizes the more important data obtained from the proprietors of the 126 establishments canvassed:

THE EIGHT-HOUR WORKDAY.-In connection with the preceding investigation, inquiries were made of employees and employers engaged in the manufacture of vehicles in regard to an eight-hour working day. Of 4,650 employees canvassed, 3,498, or 75 per cent, favored an eighthour working day; 1,100, or 24 per cent, did not favor it, and 52 failed to respond. Of those favoring the eight-hour day, 594 favored a corresponding reduction in wages, 2,788 did not favor it, and 116 did not answer the inquiry. Of the total employees, 1,067 thought that they could accomplish as much work in 8 hours as in 10, 3,501 did not think so, and 82 did not answer.

Of 126 establishments canvassed, 32, or 25 per cent, favored an eighthour day; 81, or 64 per cent, did not favor it, and 13 did not answer. Of those favoring an eight-hour day, 15 favored a corresponding reduc