unions unemployed in 1905, causes of and duration of idleness as reported by approximately one-fourth of the total number of members of trade unions in the State, and comparative statistics for preceding years. The smallest number of unions reporting for any month in 1905 was 191 and the largest number was 199, and the work people embraced by these monthly reports varied from 91,088 to 97,345. From the returns it appears that the state of employment was more favorable in 1905 than in either 1902, 1903, or 1904. The percentage of unemployment for those reporting for the four years being as follows: 1902, 14.8; 1903, 17.5; 1904, 16.9, and 1905, 11.2. The percentage of unemployment in the building trades was higher in January, February, April, May, and June, in 1905, than for the same months of 1904, but from July to December, 1905, the percentage showed a marked decline from the earlier months and from the corresponding months of 1904. The mean percentage of unemployment for 1905 was 15.3, as compared with 21.4 in 1904. In printing, binding, etc., the percentage of unemployment was lower in 1905 than in 1904, for the first five months and for July and August. The percentage of unemployment was higher during the remainder of the year, but for the entire year the average percentage of unemployment was 9.9 as compared with 11.2 in 1904. The average percentage of unemployment excepting in the metals, machinery, and shipbuilding trades; theaters and music; tobacco; restaurants and retail trade, and public employment, was lower in 1905 than in 1902. In one industry only was it higher than in 1903, and in every industry the percentage of unemployment in 1905 fell below that of 1904.

The following table shows the number and percentage of unionists idle at the end of March and September, 1904 and 1905, by causes:

NUMBER AND PER CENT OF MEMBERS OF LABOR UNIONS IDLE AT THE END OF MARCH AND SEPTEMBER, 1904 AND 1905, BY CAUSES.

Of the 54,916 unionists idle at the end of March, 1905, 26,407 were in the building trades, 9,240 were in transportation trades, and 6,055 in clothing and textile trades. Of the 18,430 unionists idle in September, 1905, 3,341 were reported by the building trades, 5,217 by the clothing and textile trades, and 1,998 by the transportation trades.

WAGES AND EARNINGS.-Returns received from trade unions for the year 1905 show that an average weekly increase of $1.82 in wages. was obtained by 34,711 males, and that 55 females obtained an average weekly increase of $1.60, while 286 males suffered an average. weekly decrease of $3.96 in wages. The average net weekly increase for the 34,997 males for whom changes in wages were reported was $1.77. The following table shows the average earnings for the first and third quarters and for six months, as reported by trade unions

in 1905.

NUMBER AND AVERAGE EARNINGS OF ORGANIZED WORKING PEOPLE REPORTING FOR THE FIRST AND THIRD QUARTERS OF 1905, BY SEX AND GROUPS OF INDUSTRIES.

Miscellaneous.

11,963 11,995 219.45 239.27 458.72
9,837 9,622 170.53 177.22 347.75

173

169 75.05

Total..

80.48 155.53 353, 715 364, 743 187.29 218.79 406.08 10,829 10,964 112.01 113.43 225.44

TREND OF REAL WAGES.-Under this title the value of wages relative to their real purchasing power is discussed. A table is presented for the year 1897 and the years 1902 to 1905, showing the average daily wages of trade unionists in the several occupations. The average yearly earnings, based on the average daily earnings in connection with the average days of work per year, were $581 in 1897, and in 1905, $794, an increase of 37 per cent.

HOURS OF LABOR.-The reduction in weekly working hours continued in 1905. Of the 857,000 operatives employed in factories visited during the year, 53 per cent were working less than 58 hours per week. In 1901 the percentage of such employees working less than 58 hours per week was 38. Returns from workingmen's associations show that during the year 1905, 5,959 working people had their hours of labor reduced, while for 722 working people the hours of labor were increased. The number of persons benefited by reduction of hours in 1905 was less than for any other year of the 5-year period, 1901 to 1905. The number of persons affected by decrease of

hours of labor for each of the preceding years of the period was in 1901, 26,147; in 1902, 61,853; in 1903, 21,636, and in 1904, 6,896. The number of working people affected by an increase in the weekly schedule of hours of labor in 1905 was exceeded in but one other year of the period. The number affected by increase of hours of labor for each of the four years preceding 1905 was 319 in 1901, 5,234 in 1902, 342 in 1903, and 66 in 1904.

The following table shows, by industries, the changes in hours of labor per week and the number of organized workers affected:

CHANGES IN WEEKLY HOURS OF LABOR OF MEMBERS OF LABOR ORGANIZATIONS, AND MEMBERS AFFECTED, AS REPORTED BY LABOR UNIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 20, 1905.

Of the 1,069 working people who obtained an 8-hour day, 547 were in the building trades, 300 in the printing trades, 14 in the woodworking trades, 106 were stationary engineers and firemen, and 102 were paper makers.

TRADE UNIONS.-The decline in the number of unions and in membership shown in 1904 continued during 1905. On September 30, 1905, there were in the State 2,402 organizations having a membership of 383,236. The following table shows the number of unions, and the number of members by sex, in each year from 1894 to 1905:

NUMBER OF TRADE UNIONS AND MEMBERSHIP, BY SEX, 1894 TO 1905.

The above figures show that there was a falling off of 102 organizations and 8,440 members; but owing to the fact that previous to 1905 three unions in the marine trades had reported their entire membership, while in that year they returned their New York City membership alone and in one case failed to report, the actual falling off in membership was only about 2,840. The decline in total membership was confined to the latter part of 1904 and the earlier months of 1905. In the spring of 1905 an increase of membership was noticed and continued through the balance of the year, increasing 8,705 in the six months from April 1 to September 30.

Of the 2,402 unions, with a total membership of 383,236 on September 30, 1905, 667 unions having a membership of 251,277 were located in New York City. There were 18 unions with a membership of 3,764 composed entirely of women, and in the unions composed of both males and females there were 8,501 female unionists, making a total of 12,265 female members of trade unions, of whom 6,653 were in the clothing and textile industries, 2,729 in the tobacco industries, 1,217 in the printing, binding, etc., industries, and 732 in the theaters and music industries.

The following table gives the membership of trade unions, by industries, on July 1 for the years 1894 and 1895, October 31, 1896, and September 30, for the years from 1897 to 1905.

MEMBERSHIP OF TRADE UNIONS, BY INDUSTRIES, 1894 TO 1905. (a)

a The detailed figures in this table do not in all cases agree with figures presented in reports for earlier years; no explanation is given.

This is not the correct total of the items shown, but is the total given in the original report.

The number and membership of trade unions in New York City and for the State exclusive of New York City for the years ending September 30, 1898 to 1905, are shown in the following table:

NUMBER AND MEMBERSHIP OF TRADE UNIONS IN NEW YORK CITY AND OTHER LOCALITIES IN THE STATE, YEARS ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1898 TO 1905.

Twenty-ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the State of Ohio, for the year 1905. M. D. Ratchford, Commissioner. 620 pp.

The subjects presented in this report are: Laws governing the labor bureau, and recent court decisions relating to labor, 25 pages; manufactures, 326 pages; prison labor, 5 pages; coal mining, 213 pages; free public employment offices, 17 pages; list of bureaus of labor in the United States, 3 pages.

MANUFACTURES.-Tables are given for 1904, showing, by industries for each of the five principal cities, the remaining cities and villages, and totals for the State, the number of establishments reported, capital invested, value of goods manufactured, amount paid for rent, taxes, and insurance; amount of wages paid, number of employees and of salaried office help; number of males and females employed; number of persons employed, by occupations; average number of days worked, average daily wages, average yearly earnings, and hours of labor. Other tables show, by industries, the number in each occupation affected by a change of wages during the year.

The 7,761 establishments from which returns were received for 1904 reported an invested capital of $405,832,627; goods produced or manufactured to the value of $720,662,642.75. Wages paid 268,716 males and 53,562 females, or a total of 322,278 employees, aggregated $164,316,934.90, and salaries aggregating $35,179,399.20 were paid to 32,498 employed as office helpers, etc. During the year 22,368 persons received an average increase in wages of 0.5 per cent, and 21,322 persons suffered an average reduction in wages of 1.8 per cent.

The number of establishments reporting in 1904 was 200 less than in 1903; the value of manufactured products was $38,376,916.50 below that of 1903, and the amount paid in wages decreased $8,168,342.79.