subject of industrial education and training, with special reference to the question of apprenticeship. The present volume contains extracts from the minutes of the various sessions and a report of the recommendations of this commission, together with an account of the proceedings and conclusions of various official and unofficial bodies which had had the same subject under consideration.

In prosecuting its investigation the permanent commission sent out schedules of inquiry to the different trade and industrial schools of France, by which means information was obtained as to the courses of training, cost to the pupil, form of support, if any, of the school, number of pupils in attendance, time devoted to the work of the school, etc. This information is given in detail for each of 5 national schools of arts and trades, 4 national trade schools, 15 practical schools of industry, 29 schools of commerce and industry (industrial sections), 13 trade schools of the city of Paris, 2 national schools of watchmaking, 18 schools classed as primary superior trade schools, 35 unclassified establishments, and 19 schools under the care of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, making a total of 140 schools in which training was given in 1903 in one or more branches of industry. There were besides the above 241 establishments or courses in which instruction was given in technical and industrial lines. The information relative to the latter group is for the year 1904. No summaries are given for either class of establishments.

The lines of action of the permanent commission are indicated in a series of resolutions adopted by the superior council of labor at its session of November, 1902. These resolutions, in so far as they relate to the subject of industrial training, are to the effect that a form of trade instruction, adapted to individual preferences and circumstances, should be given to each young person under 18 years of age, so that he or she may not be compelled to remain always an unskilled worker; that the instruction, both theoretical and practical, should be free; that the supervision of young persons receiving such instruction should be provided for on the same basis as is that of apprentices. Instruction might be given in the workshops, but should be given in appropriate trade schools and courses if it can not be provided for in the shops, or if the employer is not willing to accept the responsibility. Finally the permanent commission, taking into consideration both the necessary measures relative to apprenticeship proper and the requirements of the trade schools and courses, should work out in detail a project for the organization, direction, and supervision of trade instruction.

In accordance with these resolutions a bill was drafted, based mainly on a measure offered by the superior council of trade instruction, and by it presented to the superior council of labor. This bill would provide for trade or finishing courses for apprentices, work

men, and employees in commercial and industrial undertakings, such courses to be certified to in the office of the mayor of the locality within which they are offered. Attendance would be obligatory on persons under 18 years of age who are employed in commerce or industry, whether with or without contracts of apprenticeship. Tuition would be free, and employers should allow time for attendance on the courses during the regular working day, not to exceed 8 hours per week, or 2 hours in a single day. Pupils should be excused from compulsory attendance, either on passing an examination, on proof of 3 years' attendance on the course, or on a showing, after at least 1 years' attendance, that they are unable to profit by further attendance on the

course.

Further details of the proposed law are shown in full in the report, but the above are the principal features. So far as appears, it has not as yet been made a subject of legislative consideration.

SWEDEN.

Undersökning af den mekaniska verkstadsindustrien i Sverige. II. Mindre, egentliga mekaniska verkstäder samt vissa specialverkstäder, m. m. På uppdrag af kungl. kommerskollegium verkställd af Henning Elmquist. 1904. 472 pp.

In 1901 the royal board of trade of Sweden issued a report on the conditions of labor in the larger establishments of that country which were engaged in the manufacture of machinery and implements of various kinds, a digest of which appeared in Bulletin 44 of the United States Bureau of Labor. The present volume presents data for establishments of similar nature, but includes also smaller machine shops or factories, together with reports on beneficial and relief societies for employees, and appendixes giving wages and a discussion of industrial conditions for a number of years.

The investigation on which this report is based was made in the years 1901 and 1902, and does not include the establishments reported on in the earlier volume. The following table gives the number of establishments reported on, the number of employees for each year from 1899 to 1901, and the value of products in 1901:

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN 106 ESTABLISHMENTS FOR THE YEARS 1899 TO 1901, AND VALUE OF PRODUCTS IN 1901, BY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES PER ESTABLISHMENT.

Detailed statistics as to employees relate to but 11,147 persons. Their distribution by classes of industries and by occupations is shown in the following table:

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN EACH OCCUPATION IN MACHINE AND IMPLEMENT FACTORIES, BY CLASS OF MANUFACTURES, 1901.

Of the 11,147 employees included in the foregoing table, the ages were reported for 11,110, as follows: One hundred and forty-eight were under 12 years of age; 4,795 were 12 but under 18: 3,332 were 18 but under 25; and 2,835 were 25 years of age or over.

The weekly hours of labor were reported by both employers and employees, by the former for 10,735 persons, and by the latter for 10,752 persons. The results of all returns are shown in the table below:

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN MACHINE AND IMPLEMENT FACTORIES, BY HOURS OF LABOR PER WEEK, 1901.

The differences between the data furnished by the employers and by the employees are accounted for in part by the fact that not all the employers reported on this subject, so that the returns are not in all instances for identical employees, and in part by the fact that

the reports of employers generally gave the standard working time of the establishment without regard to variations in exceptional cases or groups of workmen. The actual differences are not great, however, as appears from combining the six groups into three. Thus the employers report 28.2 per cent of the employees as working less than 57 hours per week, 61.2 per cent as working 57 or less than 63 hours weekly, and 10.6 per cent as working 63 hours or more; while according to the employees" returns the corresponding percentages are 28.4, 63.3, and 8.3, respectively.

Wage statistics were obtained for 6,134 workmen employed in 84 establishments. The following table shows the number of employees, by occupation, classified in five groups on the basis of annual earnings:

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN MACHINE AND IMPLEMENT FACTORIES, BY CLASSIFIED ANNUAL EARNINGS AND BY OCCUPATIONS, 1901.

Bidrag till Sveriges Officiella Statistik. Fabriker och Handtverk. Kommerskollegii underdaniga berättelse för År 1903.

xxxi, 116 pp.

This volume is one of a series of reports issued by the commercial section of the Royal Board of Trade on the industry and commerce of Sweden. Much the larger part of the work is devoted to the subject of manufactures, that of trades or manual professions occupying but a few pages. The tables present the statistics of both subjects by kinds of establishments or trades, by groups, and by localities.

Though industrial statistics have been collected in Sweden since 1831, it is only since 1896 that they have been sufficiently complete to furnish an accurate statement of the conditions of manufactures in that country. The following table shows the number of establishments and of employees and the value of products for each year from 1896 to 1903, inclusive:

NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS AND OF EMPLOYEES AND VALUE OF PRODUCTS IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, 1896 TO 1903.

This does not agree with the total for 1903 given in the table following, because the original figures for this table are given in francs and in round numbers, while those for the table following are given in kroner. In the original report the conversions from kroner to franes were made on the basis of 1 kr. 1.39 fr., while according to the conversion tables used in the Bureau of Labor 1 kr.=1.3886 fr.

This table indicates a constant growth from year to year in the number of establishments, and, with the single exception of the year 1901, in number of employees and value of products; the number of employees was not so large in 1902, however, as it was in 1900.

In the commercial statistics of the country, exports and imports are classified under 12 heads, and this report groups the manufactures on the same basis. The table next given shows the number of establishments, the number of employees by sex and age, and the value of products for each industrial group for the year 1903:

NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS, NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES BY SEX AND AGE GROUPS, AND VALUE OF PRODUCTS IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, 1903.

a This does not agree with the amount given for 1903 in the preceding table, because the original figures for this table are given in kroner, while those for the preceding table are given in francs and in round numbers. In the original report the conversions from kroner to franes were made on the basis of 1 kr. 1.39 fr., while according to the conversion tables used in the Bureau of Labor 1 kr. 1.3886 fr.

685 2,614 111 27:986 1

468

31.179

497 1,595 381 5,557

1.149

8,682