Full text of Monthly Labor Review : February 1916, Volume II, Number 2

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SERIES OF BULLETINS PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.
[The pu b lica tio n o f th e A nnual an d Special R eports an d of th e b im o n th ly B u lletin has
been discontin u ed, and since Ju ly, 1912, a B u lletin has been p u b lish ed a t irregular in tervals.
Each nu m ber contains m a tte r devoted to one o f a series o f general su bjects. These Bulle
tin s are n u m bered consecutively in each series and also carry a consecutive whole num ber,
beginning w ith No. 101. A list o f th e series, together w ith th e individual B u lletin s falling
under each, is given below. A list o f th e R eports an d B u lletin s o f th e Bureau issued prior
to J u ly 1, 1912, w ill be furnished on application.]
W holesale Prices.
No. 1. Wholesale prices, 1890 to 1912. (Bui. No. 114.)
No. 2. Wholesale prices, 1890 to 1913. (Bui. No. 149.)
No. 3. Index numbers of wholesale prices in the United States and foreign countries. (Bui. No. 173.)
No. 4. Wholesale prices, 1890 to 1914. (Bui. No. 181.)
R e ta il P rices and Cost of Living.
No. 1. Retail prices, 1890 to 1911: Part I. (Bui. No. 105: P art I.)
Retail prices, 1890 to 1911: Part II—General tables. (Bui. No. 105: P art II.)
No. 2. Retail prices, 1890 to June, 1912: Part I. (Bui. No. 106: P art I.)
Retail prices, 1890 to June, 1912: P art II—General tables. (Bui. No. 106: P art II.)
No. 3. Retail prices, 1890 to August, 1912. (Bui. No. 108.)
No. 4. Retail prices, 1890 to October, 1912. (Bui. No. 110.)
No. 5. Retail prices, 1890 to December, 1912. (Bui. No. 113.)
No. 6. Retail prices, 1890 to February, 1913. (Bui. No. 115.)
No. 7. Sugar prices, from refiner to consumer. (Bui. No. 121.)
No. 8. Retail prices, 1890 to April, 1913. (Bui. No. 125.)
No. 9. W heat and flour prices, from farmer to consumer. (Bui. No. 130.)
No. 10. Retail prices, 1890 to June, 1913. (Bui. No. 132.)
No. 11. Retail prices, 1890 to August, 1913. (Bui. No. 136.)
No. 12. Retail prices, 1890 to October, 1913. (Bui. No. 138.)
No. 13. Retail prices, 1890 to December, 1913. (Bui. No. 140.)
No. 14. Retail prices, 1907 to December, 1914. (Bui. No. 156.)
No. 15. Butter prices, from producer to consumer. (Bui. No. 164.)
No. 16. Retail prices, 1907 to June, 1915. (Bui. No. 184.)
W ages and H ours of Labor.
No. 1 . W ages and hours oflabor in the cotton, woolen, and silk industries, 1890 to 1912. (Bul.No. 128.)
No. 2. W ages and hours oflabor in the lumber, mill work, and furniture industries, 1890 to 1912. (Bui
No. 129.)
No. 3. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, 1907 to 1912. (Bui. No. 131.)
No. 4. Wages and hours of labor in the boot and shoe and hosiery and knit goods industries 1890 to
1912. (B ul.N o. 134.)
No. 5. Wages and hours of labor in the cigar and clothing industries, 1911 and 1912. (Bui. No. 135.)
No. 6. Wages and hours of labor in the building and repairing of steam railroad cars, 1890 to 1912.
(Bui. No. 137.)
No. 7. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, May 15,1913. (Bui. No. 143.)
No. 8. Wages and regularity of employment in the dress and waist industry of New York City. (Bui
No. 146.)
No. 9. Wages and regularity of employment in the cloak, suit, and skirt industry. (Bui. No. 147.)
No. 10. Wages and hours of labor in the cotton, woolen, and silk industries, 1907 to 1913. (Bui. No
150.)
No. 11. Wages and hours of labor in the iron and steel industry in the United States, 1907 to 1912
(Bui. No. 151.)
No. 12. Wages and hours of labor in the lumber, millwork, and furniture industries, 1907 to 1913.
(Bui. No. 153.)
No. 13. Wages and hours of labor in the boot and shoe and hosiery and underwear industries, 1907 to
1913. (Bui. No. 154.)
No. 14. Wages and hours of labor in the clothing and cigar industries, 1911 to 1913. (Bui. No. 161.)
No. 15. Wages and hours of labor in the building and repairing of steam railroad cars, 1907 to 1913.
(Bui. No. 163.)
No. 16. Wages and hours of labor in the iron and steel industry in the United States, 1907 to 1913.
(Bui. No. 168.)
No. 17. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, May 1,1914. (Bui. No. 171.)
No. 18. Wages and hours oflabor in the hosiery and underwear industry, 1907 to 1914. (Bui. No. 177.)
No. 19. Wages and hours of labor in the boot and shoe industry, 1907 to 1914. (Bui. No. 178.)

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(See also th ird page o f cover.

(C on tin u ed from second page of cover.)
Women in In dustry.
No. 1. Hours, earnings, and duration of employrment of wage-earning women in selected industries in
the District of Columbia. (Bui, No. 116.)
No. 2. Working hours of women in the pea canneries of Wisconsin. (Bui. No. 119.)
No. 3. Employment of women in power laundries in Milwaukee. (Bui. No. 122.)
No. 4. Hours, earnings, and conditions of labor of women in Indiana mercantile establishments and
garment factories. (Bui. No. 160.)
No. 5. Summary of the report on condition of woman and child wage earners in the United States.
(Bui. No. 175.) [In press.)
No. 6. Effect of minimum-wage determinations in Oregon. (Bui. No. 176.)
No. 7. Women in the boot and shoe industry in Massachusetts. (Bui. No. 180.)
No. 8. E xtent and causes of unemployment among women in departm ent and other retail stores of
Boston, Mass. (Bui. No. 182.) [In press.)
W orkm en’s Insurance and Compensation (including law s re la tin g th ereto ).
No. 1. Care of tuberculous wage earners in Germany. (Bui. No. 101.)
No. 2. British National Insurance Act, 1911. (Bui. No. 102.)
No. 3. Sickness and accident insurance law of Switzerland. (Bui. No. 103.)
No. 4. Law relating to insurance of salaried employees in Germany. (Bui. No. 107.)
No. 5. Workmen’s compensation laws of the United States and foreign countries. (Bui. No. 1-6.)
No. 6. Compensation for accidents to employees of the United States. (Bui. No. 155.)
No. 7. Workmen’s compensation legislation of 1914 and 1915. (Bui. No. 185.)
In d u stria l A ccidents and Hygiene.
No. 1. Lead poisoning in potteries, tile works, and porcelain enameled sanitary ware lactories. (Bui.
No. 104.)
No. 2. Hygiene of the painters’ trade. (Bui. No. 120.)
No. 3. Dangers to workers from dusts and fumes, and methods of protection. (Bui. No. 127.)
No. 4. Lead poisoning in the smelting and refining of lead. (Bui. No. 141.)
No. 5. Industrial accident statistics. (Bui. No. 157.)
No. 6. Lead poisoning in the manufacture of storage batteries. (Bui. No. 165.)
No. 7. Industrial poisons used in the rubber industry. (Bui. No. 179.)
Conciliation and A rb itratio n (including strikes and lockouts).
No. 1. Conciliation and arbitration in the building trades of Greater New Vork. (Bui. No. 124.)
No. 2. Report of the industrial council of the British Board of Trade on its inquiry into industrial
agreements. (Bui. No. 133.)
No. 3. Michigan copper district strike. (Bui. No. 139.)
No. 4. Industrial court of the cloak, suit, and skirt industry of New York City. (Bui. No. 144.)
No. 5. Conciliation, arbitration, and sanitation in the dress and waist industry of New York City.
(Bui. No. 145.)
Labor Laws of th e U nited S tates (including decisions of courts re la tin g to labor).
No. 1. Labor legislation of 1912. (Bui. No. i ll.)
No. 2. Decisions of courts and opinions affecting labor, 1912. (Bui. No. 112.)
No. 3. Labor laws of the United States, with decisions of courts relating thereto. (Bui. No. 14S.)
No. 4. Decisions of courts and opinions affecting labor, 1913. (Bui. No. 152.)
No. 5. Labor legislation of 1914. (Bui. No. 166.)
No. 6. Decisions of courts affecting labor. 1914. (Bui. No. 1G9.)
No. 7. Labor legislation of 1915. (Bui. No. 186.) [In press.]
Foreign Labor Laws.
No. 1. Administration of labor laws and factory inspection in certain European countries. (Bui.
No. 142.)
M iscellaneous Series.
No. 1. Statistics of unemployment and the work of employment offices in the United States. (Bui.
No. 109.)
No. 2. Prohibition of night work of young persons. (Bui. No. 117.)
No. 3. Ten-hour maximum working-day for women and young persons. (Bui. No. 118.)
No. 4. Employers’ welfare work. (Bui. No. 123.)
No. 5. Government aid to home owning and housing of working people in foreign countries. (Bui.
No. 158.)
No. 6. Short-unit courses for wage earners, and a factory school experiment. (Bui. No. 159.)
No. 7. Vocational education survey of Richmond, Va. (Bui. No. 162.)
No. 8. Minimum-wage legislation in tho United States and foreign countries. (Bui. No. 167.)
No. 9. Foreign food prices as affected by the war. (Bui. No. 170.)
No. 10. Unemployment in New York City, N. Y. (Bui. No. 172.)
No. 11. Subject index of the publications of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics up to May 1,
1915. (Bui. No. 174.)
No. 12. Regularity of employment in the women’s ready-to-wear garment industry. (Bui. No. 183.)

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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
ROYAL MEEKER, Commissioner

MONTHLY REVIEW
OF THE

U. S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

VOLUME II—FEBRUARY, 1916—NUMBER 2

WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1916

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CONTENTS.
Page.

Industrial peace in Australia through minimum wage and arbitration.............. 1-22
Department of Labor conference on employment, Charleston, S. C..................... 23-28
Labor distribution by the Federal Department of L abor.................................... 28, 29
Conciliation work of the Department of Labor, December 16, 1915, to January
15,1916................................................................................................................. 29,30
Immigration during November and December, 1915........................................... 30, 31
Retail prices of food in the United States.............................................................
32
Wholesale prices in 1914......................................................................................... 33, 34
Strikes and lockouts in the United States from July through December, 1915.. 34-36
Reduction of hours of labor in the machine trades.............................................. 37, 38
Employment in November and December, 1915:................................................ 38-40
State and municipal public employment bureaus............................................... 41-43
Workmen’s compensation legislation of 1914 and 1915......................................... 43-45
Labor legislation of 1915......................................................................................... 45-47
Vocational education survey of Richmond, Va..................................................... 47-49
Shoemaking as a trade for women in Massachusetts............................................. 49-51
Cost of living of working women in Ohio.............................................................. 51-56
Recent reports relating to workmen’s compensation and industrial accidents:
Illinois.............................................................................................................. 56-61
Iowa................................................................................................................. 61-63
Massachusetts................................................................................................... 63-67
Montana............................................................................................................ 67-71
Washington...................................................................................................... 71-76
West Virginia................................................................................................... 76-81
Report of New York State Factory Investigating Commission............................ 81-99
Official reports relating to labor........................................................................... 99-112
United States.................................................................................................. 99-106
Foreign countries.......................................................................................... 107-112
Official periodical publications relating to labor............................................... 112-120
Labor departments and bureaus................................................................. 112-120
Miscellaneous.......................................................
120

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MONTHLY REVIEW
OF THE

U. S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
vol .

WASHINGTON

ii—no 2

INDUSTRIAL

February , 1916

PEACE IN AUSTRALIA THROUGH MINIMUM
WAGE AND ARBITRATION.1

BY HENRY BOURNES HIGGINS, PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN COURT
OF CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION.

The new province is that of the relations between employers and
employees. Is it possible for a civilized community so to regulate
these relations as to make the bounds of the industrial chaos nar
rower, to add new territory to the domain of order and law? The
war between the profit maker and the wage earner is always with us,
and, although not so dramatic or catastrophic as the present war in
Europe, it probably produces in the long run as much loss and suf
fering, not only to the actual combatants, but also to the public. Is
there no remedy ?
During a brief sojourn in the United States in the summer of 1914
I had the good fortune to meet many men and women of broad and
generous outlook and of admirable public spirit. They were anxious
to learn what I, as president of the Australian court of conciliation
and arbitration, could tell them of Australian methods of dealing
with labor questions. I propose now, on the invitation of the editor
of this Review, to state briefly the present position, confining my
survey to my own personal experience.
The Australian Federal constitution of 1900 gave to the Federal
Parliament power to make laws with respect to “ conciliation and
arbitration for the prevention and settlement of industrial disputes
extending beyond the limits of any one State.’12 Following the ex
ample of the United States Constitution, the constitution left all
residuary powers of legislation to the States, and the theory generally
1 Reprint of an article entitled “ A new province for law and order, industrial peace through minimum
wage and arbitration,” in Harvard Law Review, November, 1915. The article is reproduced here through
the courtesy of the Harvard Law Review Association.
2 Sec. 51 (XXXV).

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held at the time of our constitutional convention was that each
State should be left to deal with its own labor conditions as it thought
best. But an exception was made, after several discussions, in favor
of labor disputes which pass beyond State boundaries and can not
be effectually dealt with by the laws of any one or more States. Just
as bush fires run through the artificial State lines, just as the rabbits
ignore them in pursuit of food, so do, frequently, industrial disputes.
In pursuance of this power an act was passed December 15, 1904,
constituting a court for conciliation, and where conciliation is found
impracticable, arbitration. The arbitration is compulsory in the
sense that an award, if made, binds the parties. The act makes a
strike or a lockout an offense if the dispute is within the ambit of the
act—if the dispute is one that extends beyond the limits of one State.
In other words, the process of conciliation, with arbitration in the
background, is substituted for the rude and barbarous processes of
strike and lockout. Reason is to displace force; the might of the
State is to enforce peace between industrial combatants as well as
between other combatants, and all in the interest of the public.
Under the act the court consists of a president, who must be one
of the justices of the high court of Australia. The high court is
modeled on the Supreme Court of the United States, having often
to decide whether acts are constitutional, but it is also a court of
appeal from the supreme courts of the States. The first president of
the court of conciliation was appointed February 10, 1905, and on
his resignation in September, 1907, I was appointed as his successor.
The first task that I had to face was not, strictly speaking, con
ciliation or arbitration. The Federal Parliament imposed certain
excise duties on agricultural implements manufactured, but it pro
vided for the remission of the duties in the case of goods manufac
tured under conditions, as to the remuneration of labor, which the
president of the court should certify to be “ fan and reasonable.”1
The act gave no guidance as to the model or criterion by which
fairness and reasonableness were to be determined. In dealing with
the first employer who applied to me for a certificate, I came to the
conclusion that the act was designed for the benefit of employees and
that it was meant to secure for them something which they could not
get by individual bargaming with their employers. If A let B have
the use of his horse on the terms that B give the horse fair and reason
able treatment, B would have to give the horse jiroper food and water,
shelter, and rest. I decided, therefore, to adopt a standard based on
“ the normal needs of the average employee regarded as a human
being living in a civilized community.” This was to be the primary

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i Excise tariff, 1906.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

test in ascertaining the minimum wage that would be treated as
“ fair and reasonable” in the case of unskilled laborers. At my sug
gestion many household budgets were stated in evidence, principally
by housekeeping women of the laboring class, and, after selecting
such of the budgets as were suitable for working out an average, I
found that in Melbourne, the city concerned, the average necessary
expenditure in 1907 on rent, food, and fuel in a laborer’s household
of about five persons was £1 12s. 5d. (about $7.80, taking a dollar as
equivalent to 4s. 2d.); but that, as these figures did not cover
light, clothes, boots, furniture, utensils, rates, life insurance, savings,
accident or benefit societies, loss of employment, union pay, books
and newspapers, tram or train fares, sewing machine, mangle, school
requisites, amusements and holidays, liquors, tobacco, sickness or
death, religion or charity, I could not certify that any wages less than
42s. ($10.22) per week for an unskilled laborer would be fair and
reasonable. Then, in finding the wages which should be treated as
fair and reasonable in the cases of the skilled employees, I relied
mainly on the existing ratios found in the practice of employers. If,
for instance, the sheet-iron worker got 8s. ($1.95) per day when the
laborer got 6s., the sheet-iron worker should get, at the least, 9s.
($2.19) when the laborer’s minimum was raised to 7s. ($1.70).
In the case referred to, the employer did not raise before me the
point that the act was invalid, but, having failed in his application
for a certificate, he refused to pay the excise duty, and defended an
action to recover the duty before the high court on the ground that
the act was invalid; and he succeeded, by a majority of three jus
tices to two, on the ground that the act was not really a taxation act
at all, but an act to regulate labor conditions, and as such beyond
the competence of the Federal Parliament.1 But the principles
adopted in the case for ascertaining a “ fair and reasonable” mini
mum wage have survived and are substantially accepted, I believe
universally, in the industrial life of Australia.
In the first true arbitration case—that relating to ship’s cooks,
bakers, etc.—the standard of 7s. ($1.70) per day was attacked by em
ployers, but I do not think that it has been attacked since, probably
because the cost of living has been rising. The court announced that
it would ascertain first the necessary living wage for the unskilled
laborer, and then the secondary wage due to skill or other excep
tional qualifications necessary. Treating marriage as the usual fate
of adult men, a wage which does not allow of the matrimonial con
dition and the maintenance of about five persons in a home would not
be treated as a living wage. As for the secondary wage, it seemed to
be the safest course, for an arbitrator not initiated into the mysteries
1 King v. Barger, Commonwealth v. McKay, 6 Com. Law Rep., 41 (1908L

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of the several crafts, to follow the distinctions in grade between em
ployees as expressed in wages for many years.
The distinction between the basic or primary or living wage and
the secondary wage attributable to exceptional qualifications neces
sary for the performance of the function is not fanciful; it was forced
on the court by the problems presented and by the facts of industrial
life. Yet it has to be borne in mind that though the essential natural
needs come first, the conventional needs (e. g., of artisans as distin
guished from laborers) become, by usage, almost equally imperative.1
The following propositions may, I think, be taken to be estab
lished in the settlement of minimum wages by the court; and it is
surprising to find how often, as the principles of the court’s action
come to be understood and appreciated, they guide parties disputing to
friendly collective agreements, without any award made by the court.
1. One can not conceive of industrial peace unless the employee has
secured to him wages sufficient for the essentials of human existence.2
2. This, the basic wage, must secure to the employee enough where
with to renew his strength and to maintain his home from day to day.3
3. The basic wage is the same for the employee with no family as
for the employee with a large family. I t rests on Walt Whitman’s
“ divine average,” and the employer need not concern himself with
his employee’s domestic affairs.
4. The secondary wage is remuneration for any exceptional gifts
or quafffications,4 not of the individual employee, but gifts or qualifi
cations necessary for the performance of the functions, e. g., skill as a
tradesman, exceptional heart and physique, as in the case of a gas
stoker,5 exceptional muscular training and power, as in the case of a
shearer,6 exceptional responsibility, e. g., for human life, as in the
case of winding or locomotive engine drivers.7
5. The secondary wage, as far as possible, preserves the old margin
between the unskilled laborer and the employee of the skilled or ex
ceptional class.8
6. After ascertaining the proper wages, basic and secondary, the
court considers any evidence adduced to show that the employers
ought not to be asked to pay such wages.9 I t will consider grounds
of finance, of competition with imports, of unfairness to other workers,
of undue increase in prices of the product, of injury to the public, etc.
1 Engine drivers, 7 Com. Arb., 132, 139 (1913).
2 Boot factories, 4 Com. Arb., 1,10 (1910); Seamen, 5 Com. Arb., 147, 164 (1911).
3 Broken H ill Mine, 3 Com. Arb., 1,20 (1909).
4 Boot factories, 4 Com. Arb., 1,10 (1910); Postal electricians, 7 Com. Arb., 5,10 (1913); Builders’ laborers,
7 Com. Arb., 210, 217 (1913).
6 Gas employees, 7 Com. Arb., 58, 71 (1913).
6 Shearers, 5 Com. Arb., 48, 79 (1911).
7 Engine drivers, 5 Com. Arb., 9,21 (1911).
s McKay, 2 Com. Arb., 1, 16 (1907); Ship’s cooks, 2 Com. Arb., 55, 65, 66 (1908).
» Broken Hill Mine, 3 Com. Arb., 1, 31 (1909).

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

7. The wages can not be allowed to depend on the profits made by
the individual employer, but the profits of which the industry is
capable may be taken into account. If the industry is novel, and those
who undertake it have to proceed economically, there may be a good
cause for keeping down wages, but not below the basic wage, which
must be sacrosanct. Above the basic wage, bargaining of the skilled
employee may, with caution, be allowed to operate.1
8. The fact that a mine is becoming exhausted or poorer in its ores
is not a ground for prescribing a lower rate than would otherwise be
proper. If shareholders are willing to stake their own money on a
speculation, they should not take part of the employee’s proper
wages also. The court can not endanger industrial peace in order to
keep unprofitable mines going.2
9. The court does not increase the minimum on the ground of
affluence of the employer. It is not affected by the fact that one of
the employers can, by skillful management, by enterprise, or by good
fortune, make very large profits.3
10. The minimum rate must be based on the highest function that
the employee may be called on to exercise. The employer must not
give a plumber laborer’s work and pay him laborer’s wages if he
has also to do plumbing.4
11. In finding the proper minimum rate the court tries to find
what would be proper for an employee of average capacity called
upon to do work of the class required. If the employer desires to
secure the services of an exceptional workman, he is free to do so.
The payment of higher rates is left to the play of bargaining.5
12. The court does not attempt to discriminate in wages on the
ground of comparative laboriousness. Discrimination on such a
ground is neither safe nor sound. The court declines to give an
extra rate to hod men if they carry beyond a certain height.6
13. The court will not discriminate in wages as between the sev
eral States so as to interfere with the freedom of trade between the
States provided by the constitution.7
14. The court will not keep down wages on steamers so as to
enable them to beat State railways in competition or to help one
competitor against another.8
1 Broken Hill Mine, 3 Com. Arb., 1, 32 (1909); Shearers, 5 Com. Arb., 48, 73 (1911)'; Ship’s officers, 6
Com. Arb., 6, 21 (1912).
2 Broken Hill Mine, supra, 33 and 34; Engine drivers, 7 Com. Arb., 132, 139 (1913).
3 Seamen, 5 Com. Arb., 147, 164 (1911); Gas employees, 7 Com. Arb., 58, 72 (1913).
4Postal electricians, 7 Com. Arb., 5, 8, and 9 (1913).
6 Ship’s stewards, 4 Com. Arb., 61, 63, 68 (1910); Engine drivers, 5 Com. Arb., 9, 15 (1911); Shearers,
5 Com. Arb., 48, 91 (1911); Builders’ laborers, 7 Com. Arb., 210, 223 (1913).
6 Builders’ laborers’, 7 Com. Arb., 231.
7Constitution, sec. 92; Boot factories, 4 Com. Arb., 1,13 (1910).
8 Ship’s officers, 6 Com. Arb., 6, 22 (1912).

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

15. The court accepts and follows the usual practice of making
rates for casual employment higher than the corresponding rates for
continuous employment.1
16. The court, in obedience to the act, provides exceptions to the
minimum rate in the case of aged, slow, or infirm workers, but the
exceptional cases must be disclosed to the representative of the
union and be well safeguarded.2
17. But the court will not provide exceptions to the minimum
rate for “ improvers,” men paid more than boys and less than jour
neymen, men who are used to beat down the claims of competent
journeymen, and are thus a perpetual menace to the peace of the
community.3
18. The court regards the old system of apprenticeship as un
suitable for factories under modern conditions, and it objects to
fixing a rigid proportion of apprentices to journeymen without
regard to the circumstances, e. g., the character of the output of
each factory. But if conditions of apprenticeship are in dispute,
the court will, especially if both sides wish it, and for the sake of
peace as well as efficiency, make regulations on the subject. The
proper method, however, seems to be, in boot factories, to coordi
nate the work of the factories with the work of the technical schools.4
19. The court will not prescribe extra wages to compensate for
unnecessary risks to the life or health of the employee or unnecessary
dirt. No employer is entitled to purchase by wages the right to
endanger life or to treat men as pigs.5
20. The court gives weight to existing conventions, usages, preju
dices, exceptional obligations and expenses of the employees; for
instance, that masters and officers are required to keep up a certain
appearance, and that stewards must provide themselves with uniform
and laundry.6
21. Where it is established that there is a marked difference in
the cost of living between one locality and another, the difference
will, so far as possible, be reflected in the minimum wage.7
22. But where, as in the case of the wharf laborers at ports, all
the employees and nearly all the employers desired that there should
be no differentiation, the court bases the minimum wage on the
mean Australian cost of living.8
1Builders’ laborers, 7 Com. Arb., 210, 218 (1913).
2 Act, sec. 40; Boot factories, 4 Com. Arb., 1, 24 (1910).
3Ibid., 16.
4Boot factories, 4 Com. Arb., 1, 19, 20 (1910).
5 Ship’s cooks, 2 Com. Arb., 55, 59, 60 (1908); Seamen, 5 Com. Arb., 147, 164 (1911).
6 Ship’s officers, 4 Com. Arb., 89, 93, 95 (1910); Ship’s stewards, 4 Com. Arb., 61, 66 (1910).
7 Broken Hill Mine, 3 Com. Arb., 1, 28-30 (1909); Engine drivers, 5 Com. Arb., 9,23 (1911); 7 Com. Arb.,
132, 141 (1913); F ruit growers, 6 Com. Arb., 61, 69 (1912); Gas employees, 7 Com. Arb., 58, 70-74 (1913);
Builders’ laborers, 7 Com. Arb., 210, 221 (1913).
8 Wharf laborers, 8 Com. Arb., (1914).

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23. In cases such as that of ship’s stewards, where the employees
usually receive from passengers “ tips” (or “ bunce”), the average
amount of the tips must be taken into account in finding whether
the employee receives a living wage. But the minimum wage will
be raised to its proper level if the practice of tipping can be stopped.1
24. In cases where employees are “ kept,” found in food and
shelter by the employer, the value of the “ keep” is allowed in re
duction of the wages awarded. At the time when the keep of single
men, such as laborers, cost in lodgings, usually 15s. ($3.65) per week,
the court reduced the wages by 10s. ($2.43) only. For the 15s. ($3.65)
at the family home would go further than it would go for hoard and
lodging outside of the home; and the employer who feeds large
numbers of men can buy the necessary commodities in large quanti
ties and on advantageous terms. The 10s. ($2.43) per week seemed
to represent fairly the amount of expenditure of which the home was
relieved by the absence of the man.2
25. The principle of the living wage has been applied to women,
but with a difference, as women are not usually legally responsible
for the maintenance of a family. A woman’s minimum is based on
the average cost of her own living to one who supports herself by her
own exertions. A woman or girl with a comfortable home can not be
left to underbid in wages other women or girls who are less fortunate.3
26. But in an occupation in which men as well as women are em
ployed the minimum is based on a man’s cost of living. If the occu
pation is that of a blacksmith, the minimum is a man’s minimum. If
the occupation is that of a milliner, the minimum is a woman’s mini
mum; if the occupation is that of fruit picking, as both men and
women are employed, the minimum must be a man’s minimum.4
27. As regards hours of work, when disputed, the court usually
adheres to the general Australian standard of 48 hours; generally 8f
hours on five days, 41 hours on Saturday. But in exceptional cases
the court has reduced the hours—in one case because of the nerveracking character of the occupation;5 in another case, that of builders’
laborers—because the men have to “ follow their job,” spending much
of their own time in traveling.6
28. The court has conceded the eight-hour day at sea as well as in
port, to deckhands on ships;7 to officers on ships,8to marine engineers.9
1 Ship’s stewards, 4 Com. Arb., 61, 64 (1910).
2 Ship’s cooks, 2 Com. Arb., 55, 62 (1908); Ship’s stewards, 4 Com. Arb., 61, 63 (1910).
2 Fruit growers, 6 Com. Arb., 61, 71 (1912).
4 Ibid., 72.
s Postal electricians, 7 Com. Arb., 5, 15-16 (1913).
<>Builders’ laborers, 7 Com. Arb., 210, 228, and 229 (1913).
i Seamen, 5 Com. Arb., 147, 159, 160 (1911).
s Ship’s officers, 4 Com. Arb., 89, 99 (1910).
» Marine engineers, 6 Com. Arb., 95, 107 (1912).

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But there are sundry necessary exceptions, and the master retains
the absolute right to call on any man in emergencies involving the
safety of the ship; and for other purposes he may call on any man,
paying extra rates for the overtime. The hours of navigating officers
were sometimes shocking and involved danger to ship, cargo, and
passengers.1
29. In certain exceptional cases the court has granted a right to
leave of absence for two or three weeks on full pay to employees after
a certain length of continuous service; not, of course, to casual or
temporary employees.2
30. The court refuses to dictate to employers what work they should
carry on, or how, or what functionaries they should employ, or what
functions for each employee, or what tests should be applied to can
didates for employment.3
31. The court leaves every employer free to carry on the business
on his own system, so long as he does not perpetuate industrial trouble
or endanger industrial peace; free to choose his employees on their
merits and according to his exigencies; free to make use of new ma
chines, of improved methods, of financial advantages, of advantages
of locality, of superior knowledge; free to put the utmost pressure on
anything and everything except human life.4
32. As regards complaints of disagreeable or onerous conditions,
the court treats as fundamental the consideration that the work of
the ship, factory, mine, etc., must be done, a consideration next in
order to that of the essential needs of human life. An order will
not be made that is inconsistent with the effective management of
the undertaking.5
33. On the same principle the court steadily refuses to make
orders which would militate against the public interest or conven
ience. It has refused to order prohibitive overtime rates for leaving
port on Sundays;6 it has refused to forbid the employment of casuals
or to forbid “ broken time” in tramway services. Casuals or
“ broken time,” or both, are necessary to meet the extra traffic at
certain times of the day.7
These are some of the principles of action adopted by the court.
But, it may be asked, what about piecework ? How does the court
fix piecework rates? The first great case in which piecework rates
were directly involved was that of the shearers.8 At the time of
1 Ship’s officers, 6 Com. Arb., 6, 16, 17 (1912).
2 Ibid., 15, 25; 7 Com. Arb., 92, 104 (1913); Postal electricians, 7 Com. Arb., 5,17 (1913).
2 Broken Hill Mine, 3 Com. Arb., 1,36 (1909); Postal electricians, 7 Com. Arb., 5, 7, 8,13,18,19 (1913).
Boot factories, 4 Com. Arb., 1,18 (1910); Shearers, 5 Com. Arb., 48,100 (1911); Fruitgrowers, 6 Com. Arb.,
i
61, 75 (1912); Gas employees, 7 Com. Arb., 58, 77 (1913).
6 Ship’s stewards, 4 Com. Arb., 61, 73 (1910): Ship’s officers, 4 Com. Arb., 89, 101 (1910).
6 Seamen, 5 Com. Arb., 147, 160 (1911).
7 Tramways, 6 Com. Arb., 130, 144 (1912).
8 5 Com. Arb., 48 (1911).

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the arbitration, wool furnished nearly 40 per cent of the exports of
Australia, nearly £29,000,000 ($141,128,500) per annum, in addi
tion to the wool used in Australia. In that case the court prescribed
the piecework rates on a time-work basis—found the piecework rates
which would enable an average shearer to earn such wages per week
as would be the just minimum for a man with the qualifications of a
shearer if he were paid by time. Having found that the shearer
should, as a “ skilled” worker get a net wage of £3 ($14.60) per week
for the time of his expedition to the sheep stations to shear, and
having found that a rate of $5.84 per 100 sheep would give this net
result, the court fixed $5.84 per 100 as the minimum rate.1 In finding
the net returns of the whole expedition, allowances had to be made
for days of traveling and waitmg, expenses en route, cost of mess
and combs and cutters.2 This system of finding the net result of the
expedition, and what would be a fair return for the expedition, was
also adopted in the case of persons employed by fruit growers on the
River Murray.3 Sometimes the court protects pieceworkers in mak
ing their bargain by prescribing that their remuneration shall not
fall below, in result, a certain time-work minimum.4
The system of arbitration adopted by the act is based on unionism.
Indeed, without unions it is hard to conceive how arbitration could be
worked. It is true that there are methods provided by which the
court can intervene for the preservation of industrial peace even
when its powers are not invoked by any union; but no party can file a
plaint for the settlement of a dispute except an “ organization,” that
is to say, a union of employers or of employees registered under the
act.5 One of the “ chief objects” of the act, as stated in section 2, is
“ to facilitate and encourage the organization of representative
bodies of employers and of employees and the submission of industrial
disputes to the court by organizations;” and it follows that the court
will not assist an employer in devices to stamp out unionism.6 It is,
of course, better for an employer that he should not be worried by
complaints of individual employees and that any complaints should
be presented collectively by some responsible union. He has then
the advantage of being able to deal with his employees on a con
sistent scheme, equitable all round the service, and his' time is not
taken up by petty complaints or individual fads. A demand made
on him comes from a responsible executive, with the consent, direct or
indirect, of the organized body of members of the union. Moreover
from the point of view of the employees, it is better that an individual
employee should not, by complaining, incur the risk of becoming a
1 5 Com. Arb., 73, 79 (1911).
2 Ibid, 74, 76.
3 F ru it growers, 6 Com. Arb., 61, 68 (1912).

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* Ibid, 75.
6 Sec. 19.
6 Tramways, 6 Com. Arb., 130, 143 (1912).

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marked man or of being removed, and the individual employee is
generally powerless. From the point of view of the court and of the
public, it is fair to state that in nearly every case—I can only remem
ber one case to the contrary—the influence of union leaders has always
been in the direction of peace. It would not be so probably if there
were no means of obtaining an improvement of conditions except by
strike, actual or threatened, but in Australia the leaders can hold out
to the members of the union a prospect of relief, without strike, from
the court or from some wages board.1 It is significant that, in the
one exceptional case referred to, the leaders of the union have been
converted so that they are now strong advocates of arbitration.
But then comes the difficult question of “ preference to union
ists. ” Preference to unionists is the Australian analogue of the
“ preferential union shop/’ made familiar in some of the garment
industries of the United States. The act gives the court power to
direct that, as between members of organizations (unions) of em
ployees and other persons desiring employment at the same time,
preference shall be given to such members, other things being equal.2
But it is only a power, not a duty, to order such preference, and the
court is very loath to exercise the power. “ The absolute power of
choice (between applicants for employment) is one of the recom
mendations of the minimum-wage system from the employer’s
point of view—he can select the best men available when he has to
pay a certain rate.” 3 For this reason preference was refused in the
case of shearers, etc.,4 in the case of seamen,5 in the case of builders’
laborers.6 Yet the court recognizes the difficulty of the position.
As was said in the builders’ laborers case:
The truth is, preference is sought for unionists in order to prevent preference of
nonunionists or antiunionists—to prevent the gradual bleeding of unionism by the
feeding of nonunionism. It is a weapon of defense. For instance, some employers
here hired men through the Independent Workers’ Federation—a body supported
chiefly by employers’ money and devised to frustrate the ordinary unions—and
those who applied for work at the office of this body would not be introduced to the
employer unless they ceased to be members of the ordinary unions and became mem
bers of this body. What is to be done to protect men in the exercise of their right as
free men to combine for their mutual benefit, seeing that the employing class has the
tremendous power of giving or withholding work? The only remedy that the act
provides is an order for preference, and it is doubtful whether such an order is appro
priate or effective. It is, indeed, very trying for men who pay full dues to a legiti
mate union to work side by side with men who do not—with men who look to their
own interests only, seeking to curry favor with the employers, getting the benefit of
any general rise in wages or betterment of conditions which is secured without their
1Marine engineers, 6 Com. Arb., 95, 100 (1912).
2 Sec. 40.
3 Engine drivers, 5 Com. Arb., 9, 25 (1911); 7 Com. Arb., 132, 147 (1913); Tramways, 6 Com. Arb., 35,
47 (1912).
* 5 Com. Arb., 48, 99 (1911).
3 5 Com. Arb., 147, 170 (1911).
3 7 Com. Arb., 210, 233 (1913).

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aid and in the teeth of their opposition—men who are preferred (other things being
equal) for vacancies and promotion. Every fair man recognizes the difficulty of the
position—-every man who is not too much of a partisan to look sometimes at the other
side of the hedge. In another case recently before me, a nonunionist told me that
he acted solely on the basis of his personal interest, without any regard for the inter
ests of his fellow workers. He looked for favors to himself, because he kept away
from those who combined for the common good of the whole body. It is not out of
consideration for such men that I refuse preference; it is rather out of consideration
for such employers as honestly take the best man available, unionist or not. I do
not want them to be harassed with the doubt, when selecting men for a post, whether
they can prove their appointee to be better than all the unionist applicants. I refuse
preference, also, out of consideration for many who have not joined any union simply
because they have not felt the need. In the case of country building work, for
instance, it is common for men on farms, etc., when farm work is not pressing, to
take a job as builders’ laborer. Why should the employer be compelled to bring
union laborers from the city? After all, the direct way for unionists to counteract
unfair preference of nonunionists is for the unionists to excel—to give to the employer
the best service. It is nearly always found that employers prefer a first-class man
who is a unionist to a second-class man who is a nonunionist.1

The only case in which the court has ordered preference is the
case of a tramway company which deliberately discriminated against
unionists and refused to undertake not to discriminate in future.2
It is to be observed that the court is not given power by the act to
order that the employer shall not discriminate against unionists in
giving or withholding employment.
The imposition of a minimum wage, a wage below which an em
ployer must not go in employing a worker of a given character,
implies, of course, an admission of the truth of the doctrine of modern
economists, of all schools I think, that freedom of contract is a
misnomer as applied to the contract between an employer and an
ordinary individual employee. The strategic position of the em
ployer in a contest as to wages is much stronger than that of the
individual employee. “ The power of the employer to withhold
bread is a much more effective weapon than the power of the em
ployee to refuse to labor.” 3 Low wages are bad in the worker’s
eyes, but unemployment, with starvation in the background, is
worse. The position was put luminously once, as well as with un
conscious humor,v by an employer on whom a plaint was served for
settlement of a dispute by the court. In place of filing an answer
he wrote a letter to the registrar, denying that he was a party to any
dispute. “ I have never,” said he, “ quarreled or disputed with a
laborer of any kind. * * * If we can not agree, well, we will
part; that ends the whole. * * * Love is the power which will
end all struggles, not legislation.” Other respondents pin their
faith, not to “ love,” but to the sterner “ law of supply and demand.”

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1 7 Com. Arb., 210, 233, and 234 (1913).
2 Tramways, 6 Com. Arb., 130, 162 (1912).
3 Engine drivers, 5 Com. Arb., 9, 27 (1911).

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They treat this law as being, in the matter of wages, more inex
orable and inevitable than even the law of gravitation, as not being
subject, as laws of nature are, to counteraction, to control, to direc
tion. “ One may dam up a river, or even change its course, but one
can not (it is said) raise wages above the level of its unregulated price,
above the level of a sum which a man will accept rather than be
starved.” 1 If the court did nothing else than drag such theories
into the light of day and into free discussion it would be doing good
service to the community. But it is coming to be recognized that
what the court does in fixing a minimum wage is by no means novel
in principle. There are many acts of many legislatures which pre
scribe minimum conditions on other subjects. For example, mining
acts often prescribe minimum conditions as to ventilation, timbering,
safety appliances, machinery, sanitation. These matters are not left
to individual bargaining.
There are no definite figures with regard to the cost to the parties
of arbitration proceedings, but the cost is very slight. There are
seldom any costs incurred in employing lawyers, for, under section 27
of the act, lawyers can not be employed except with the consent of
both parties, and the employees generally refuse their consent. The
secretary of the organization generally puts its case, and the employees
or some permanent officer generally put the employers’ case. The
principal expense of an arbitration is that of bringing witnesses. If
prohibition proceedings are taken in the high court to prevent the
enforcement of an award on the ground that the court of conciliation
has exceeded its jurisdiction (of which I shall say more presently),
no doubt heavy, very heavy, expenses are incurred, but these are
not expenses of the arbitration.
But it has to be admitted that proceedings in the court of con
ciliation often take a very long time, sometimes weeks; in a few cases,
months. The proceedings can not be otherwise than lengthy, as the
disputes of which the court can take cognizance are so widespread—
must extend from one State into one or more other States. More
over, the habit is to bring before the employers, and afterwards
before the court, a very long list of conditions in dispute, and the case
of each employer has to be fairly considered by the court in connec
tion with each grievance. The number of employers’ respondents to
a plaint is generally great. There were 311 employers in the engine
drivers’ case,2 570 in the case of the builders’ laborers,3 650 in that
of the fruit growers,4 and 2,549, at least, in that of the shearers.5
1 Engine drivers, 5 Com. Arb., 27,28 (1911); Ship’s officers, 6 Com. Arb., 6,18 (1912); Marine engineers,
6 Com. Arb., 95,101 (1912).
a 7 Com. Arb., 132 (1913).
s 7 Com. Arb., 210 (1913).
* 6 Com. Arb., 61, 65 (1912).
5 5 Com. Arb., 48, 65 (1911).

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100]

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The court has no power to make an award a common rule of the
industry; it can not investigate and settle the proper conditions to
he applied in one typical undertaking and then extend the same con
ditions to other undertakings of the same character. The act pur
ported to give this power to the court, but it was held by the high
court, on a case stated, that the act was in this respect unconstitu
tional and invalid.1 This want of power to make a common rule for
the industry not only lengthens the proceedings, but it also may
operate to the prejudice of the employers who are bound by the
award. For the court can deal only with employers who employ
members of the union. Some rival employers may have no members
•of the union in their employment and therefore have to be excluded
from the award. Their hands are free as to wages, while the hands
of the others are fettered, and this is, of course, unfair as between
competitors in the trade. In one case, that of the boot factories,2
the difficulty was met by the employers and employees concurring
in an application before the wages hoards of each of the States con
cerned to have the terms of the award made a common rule for the
State. But this remedy is not always available.
There is a provision in the a c t3 enabling the court to appoint a
board of reference, assigning to it the function of determining specified
matters which under the award may require to be determined. Such
a provision, if properly drafted and valid, would be of eminent service
to peace. Difficulties often arise under an award, owing to the vast
variety of methods in the different undertakings, as to the application
of the words of the award to some particular case. These and other
difficulties ought to be met by collective adjustment, between repre
sentatives of the employers on the one side and the representatives
of the union on the other, with a neutral chairman; but from the
nature of the case there would have to be a separate board in each of
of the centers of the industry. Nothing would tend more to prevent
serious friction and to promote mutual understanding of employers
and employees. “ A suitable board of reference, under the asgis of
a strong union, is a safety valve for any industry.” 4 But, unfortu
nately, as the section stands, with the interpretation put upon it by
the high court, it is practically useless. The parties on both sides of
a dispute often seek a board, or rather boards, of reference,5 but the
court can not generally help them. Sometimes, however, the parties
to the dispute make and file agreements between the union and the
several employers for a board and leave the court to award on the
other subjects in dispute, and the. agreements are certified by the
1 Boot factories, 11 Com. Law Rep., 311 (1910).
2 4 Com. Arb., 1 (1910); Builders’ Laborers, 7 Com. Arb., 210, 235 (1913).
®Sec. 40a.
4 Engine drivers, 7 Com. Arb., 132, 144 (1913).
6 Seamen, 6 Com. Arb., 59 (1912).

22978°—16— 2

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court, and on being filed under section 24 have the same binding effect
as an award.1
There are two important powers of which the court has frequently
availed itself, or threatened to avail itself, with very excellent effect.2
These are: (a) The power to withhold an award if it appear “ that
further proceedings by the court are not desirable in the public inter
est;’’ 3 and (b) the power to vary an award.4 Sometimes the em
ployees, though seeking an award, have taken up an obstinate atti
tude, intimating in effect that if the award does not meet their wishes
they will not abide by it, and the court has plainly intimated that
it will not proceed with the arbitration on such terms.5 It can not
be for the public interest to proceed with the arbitration under such
a constraint. Arbitration by the court is meant to be a substitute
for the method of strike, and “ you can not have award and strike
too.” 6 In one case, while the court was preparing an award for
seamen and firemen, information came th a t the firemen of the steam
ship Koombana refused to work on the ship unless a certain chief
steward were removed. The position was serious; the ship carried
the mails, as well as passengers and cargo, for ports on the west
Australian coast. There was an agreement in existence under which
it was a breach of agreement on the part of the union if by reason of
any dispute a vessel were detained 24 hours. The court intimated that
it would not make its award so long as the agreement was not observed.
As a result, officials of the union conducted suitable firemen to the
port where the vessel lay, put them on board, and the Koombana
went on its way; then, and not till then, the court gave its award.7
The power to vary an award has also been held over the head of
a recalcitrant union. It is not fair to keep the employers bound
by the award if the union takes the benefit of the award and rejects
the burden. The court has power to lower or annul the minimum
wage in such a case if necessary.2 Fortunately it never has been
necessary. I may give one case in point. The wharf laborers were
on strike in Brisbane; seamen who were enjoying the benefit of an
award were ordered to unload their vessel. They were naturally in
disposed to comply, but, before refusing, they telegraphed to the
executive of their union for directions. They were told by the ex
ecutive to unload or they would lose the award. They unloaded.
Another very valuable power is that conferred by Parliament in
1910, under which the president may, when a dispute exists or is
1 Engine drivers, 7 Com. Arb., 132,135 (1913).
2 F ruit growers, 6 Com. Arb., 61, 78 (1912). •
3 Sec.38ft.
4 Sec.38o.
5 Gas employees, 7 Com. Arb., 58, 62 (1913); Broken Hill Mine, 3 Com. Arb., 1, 20 (1909).
* Liquor trade, 7 Com. Arb., 255 (1913).
7 Seamen, 5 Com. Arb., 147, 173-174 (1911).

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threatened, summon any person to attend a conference in his pres
ence. The attendance is compulsory, enforcible by penalty.1 Fre
quently a quiet talk at such a conference has prevented a strike
which was imminent.2 Frequently the parties arrange to proceed
for arbitration and make temporary arrangements for carrying on
work until the award.3 Sometimes an actual strike confined to one
State though the dispute extended to two States, has been stopped,
the men going back to work at the old rates until the award.4 A
further amendment was made in the act in 1911, under which, if
no agreement has been reached at the conference, the president can
refer the dispute into the court for arbitration.5 The fact that this
whip is in the hands of the president, to be used in the last resort, and
that the party with the stronger position for the time being will have
to submit to an award if he takes up an obstinate attitude against
all agreement, is found to operate as a strong inducement to compro
mise and to reasonable arrangements by consent. Agreements in
lieu of award have often been fixed up in a conference or as the
result of a conference.6 The agreements are generally produced in
court when the case is called on, and the president certifies to them,
and has them filed, and they operate, are enforceable, as an award.7
In one long case, where the court was faced with a dispute in 10 tram
way undertakings, no less than 8 of the undertakings arranged agree
ments during the course of the long hearing, with the assistance of the
president given in frequent interviews with the parties in chambers.8
It must not be supposed that the desire for the assistance of the
president or of the court is confined to employees. At first there was
a tendency on the part of employers, individually, and in association,
to resent interference, as preventing the employers from carrying on,
as they said, their own business in their own way. But facts have
been too strong for them. Employers now frequently request the
president to intervene and to summon a conference in order to prevent
a stoppage of work.9 They seek regulation, by agreement or award,
in order that they may not find their plant lying idle and their business
at a standstill and in some cases a season lost.
1 Sec. 16a.
2 Seamen, 4 Com. Arb., 108 (1910); 5 Com. Arb., 147,154 (1911); F ruit growers, 5 Com. Arb., 37,183 (1911);
6 Com. Arb., 61, 62 (1912); Steamboat enginemen, 6 Com. Arb., 60 (1912); Bakers, 7 Com. Arb., 257-8 (1913).
sExport butchers, 4 Com. Arb., 82, 87 (1910); Glass-bottle makers, 6 Com. Arb., 176 (1912); Steamboat
Enginemen, 7 Com. Arb., 37 (1913); Bakers, 7 Com. Arb., 257-8 (1913).
4 Export butchers, 7 Com. Arb., 52-54 (1913).
5 Sec. 19d.
6 Engine drivers, 6 Com. Arb., 126 (1912); Glass-bottle makers, 6 Com. Arb.,176 (1912); 7 Com. Arb., (1913);
Seamen (as to manning), 7 Com. Arb., 2 (1913); Journalists, 7 Com. Arb., 112,113 (1913); Liquor trade,
6 Com. Arb., 129 (1912); 7 Com. Arb., 254 (1913).
i Sec. 24.
8 Tramways, 6 Com. Arb., 130, 140 (1912); and see Journalists, 7 Com. Arb., 112, 113 (1913).
9 Seamen, 4 Com. Arb., 108 (1910); 5 Com. Arb., 147, 154 (1911); Fruitgrowers, 5 Com. Arb., 37 (1911):
Waterside workers, 6 Com. Arb., 3 (1912); Glass-bottle makers, 6 Com. Arb., 176 (1912); Liquor trade,
7 Com. Arb., 254 (1913); Export butchers, 7 Com. Arb., 52 (1913); Victorian Stevedoring Co., 5 Com. Arb.,
1 (1911).

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Perhaps it will be well to give a concrete case. There is in Victoria
a great butchering trade in lambs for export, involving, I believe,
more than a million pounds per annum. The lambs are sent down to
Melbourne in the spring, September or October, and unless they are
butchered at once they deteriorate in condition and the season is lost.
The men suddenly refused to go to work at the old rates; telegrams
flew up to the country settlements to stop trucking any more lambs;
the settlers were faced with the prospect of losing their market, and
the storekeeping and incidental industries with the prospect of
grievous loss. It so happened that the same demand was made on
employers in New South Wales, so that there seemed to be a two-State
dispute which gave jurisdiction to the president. A conference was
summoned at the request of the employers, the men induced to go to
work under the conditions already in operation on a promise that the
court would arbitrate and make the award retrospective to the
resumption of work, and the season was saved.1 The parties prepared
themselves peacefully to discuss their differences before the court,
but—this is the point—the work went on.
Another concrete case, showing the desire of both sides for definite
regulation of conditions by the court, is that of the ship’s officers.
The men, in their demands, had been too specific; the high court
had decided that the dispute must be treated as confined to the
specific demands made, and that the court of conciliation could
not prescribe a remedy for any grievance different from that remedy
demanded. The court of conciliation found that the granting of
the demands, as asked, would tend to promote strife rather than
peace in the industry, and stated its difficulties to the parties. Both
parties were so anxious for a definite arrangement of conditions that
they consented to embody in an agreement any terms whatever
that the president thought proper, whatever the ambit of the dis
pute, whatever the jurisdiction of the court. The president accord
ingly continued the hearing of the case and drew up an agreement
which both parties signed and which they have both loyally observed.2
There is such a strong desire for the assistance of the machinery
of the act that on several occasions an attempt has been made by
employers, with or without the concurrence of employees, to induce
the president to intervene in cases in which he has had to refuse
his assistance, on the ground that the dispute does not extend
beyond one State and must be dealt with, if at all, by State author
ities.3 Quite recently the president has had, however, to make an
exception to his rule not to meddle, even by consent, with matters
outside his jurisdiction. There was a dispute between laborers and
1 Export butchers, 7 Com. Arb., 52, 54 (1913).
2 Ship’s officers, 4 Com. Arb., 89, 91 (1910); Hairdressers, 6 Com. Arb., 1 (1912).
3 Victorian Stevedoring Co., 5 Com. Arb., 1 (1911).

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artisans on the one side and the Commonwealth Government on
the other, as to conditions of labor in the construction of a naval
base in Western Port, Victoria; all parties signed a submission to
arbitration, leaving everything to the determination of the president
as in a voluntary arbitration. In view of the serious effects of a
stoppage of the works in time of war, the president consented to act,
heard the parties, and gave an award, and the parties are peacefully
acting in accordance with it.1
But the course of the court, like the course of true love, does not
always run smooth. It has to meet some bitter opposition. Some
times the opposition comes from a union of employees—generally,
a union which avowedly accepts the doctrine of the “ class war,”
and aims at “ the emancipation of labor by the abolition of the
wage system.” 2 I have even seen a cartoon, in a labor newspaper,
showing a laborer walking toward a gate marked “ Freedom,” and
a bull dog with a collar marked “ Arbitration” bars his path. I t is
but fair to say that this cartoon appeared in a State which has a
local arbitration court. But the attacks on the court and its awards
are, of course, generally made from the side of employers, many of
whom naturally resent any curtailment of their powers. The appli
cations for prohibition against the president have been sometimes
in part or temporarily successful. Prohibition is applied for because
of some alleged excess of the court’s jurisdiction, and the argument
generally turns on the questions, Was there a dispute, and if there
was, did it extend beyond one State? Sometimes the argument
turns on the validity of some section of the act. The proceedings
are very long and very costly, and it is astonishing what a wealth of
learning is involved in the meaning of the word “ dispute” and the
words “ extending beyond the limit of any one State.” The dis
cussions occupy a very considerable proportion of the Commonwealth
Law Reports, but they would not interest those for whose informa
tion I write this article. The legal discussions do not affect the
principles or methods of action of the court of conciliation in cases
where there is jurisdiction.
It has to be admitted that the awards in nearly all cases have
been made in a period when the cost of living is rising and that
therefore they have generally increased the existing minimum rate.
The court found, about 1911, that the cost of living was substan
tially increasing, but it refused to raise the basic wage until the
increase could be quantitatively stated.3 It suggested the expedi
ency of official statistics on the subject, and the Commonwealth
statistician now furnishes periodically statistics which have mate-

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1 Naval base—not reported
2 F ruit growers, 6 Com. Arb., 61, 65, 78 (1912).
3 Engine drivers, 5 Com. Arb., 9, 14,16 (1911).

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rially assisted the court. According to the Commonwealth statis
tician, the cost of living, taking Australia as a whole, has increased
by 25 per cent from 1901 to 1913. For such necessaries as could
be bought in 1901 for $4.87 one must now pay S6.08.1 What will
happen if the cost of living should decrease—if the minimum for the
basic or living wage shall have to be lowered ? It is a fair question,
but it is for the future to give the answer. I wish to confine my words
to my personal experience. Yet there have been cases in which the
court has refused increases or has actually decreased the minimum
rates, and the employees have listened to the reasons and loyally
submitted. In the case of the. shearers,2 the rates for shearing,
$5.84 per 100, as fixed by my predecessor, were not increased; and
the strongest union in Australia, the Australian Workers’ Union,
acquiesced. In the same case the court found that too high mini
mum rates had previously been fixed for wool pressers and lowered
them, stating its reasons. There was no strike, no refusal to work,
no expression, that I know, of discontent. In the case of the builders’
laborers,3 the court fixed lower rates for Ballarat and Bendigo than
for Melbourne and lower rates for Melbourne than for Sydney, all
because of differences in the cost of living. The union leaders were
troubled because these cities had always maintained the same “ union
rate” ; but they told the members of the union the court’s reason,
and there was peace. Again, in the same case, the court fixed for
Melbourne a lower minimum rate for scaffolders and demolishers than
had been previously fixed by the wages board, 31 cents per hour instead
of 33 cents per hour, and the men submitted. The truth is, I think,
that if the men secure the essentials of food, shelter, clothing, etc.,
, they are not so unreasonable as is sometimes supposed. They do
not love strikes for the sake of strikes; and the great majority are
generally quite willing to submit to reason if they feel that they are
reasonably treated.
This article is confined, as I stated at the beginning, to the Federal
court of conciliation and to my own actual experience in connection
therewith. But American readers should know that in each of the
six Australian States there is some wages board system under the State
law or some industrial or arbitration court. Victoria was the first
State to adopt a system of wages boards, about 1896; and her example
has been more or less followed in Queensland, South Australia, and
Tasmania. Western Australia has an arbitration court, and New
South Wales has a combination of the two systems, wages board and
an industrial court. There is no organic connection between the
State systems and the Federal system. The object of the wages
boards is primarily to prevent sweating or underpayment; the
1 Postal electricians, 7 Com. Arb., 5, 12 (1913).
2 Shearers, 5 Com. Arb., 48 (1911).

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3 Builders’ laborers, 7 Com. Arb., 210 (1913).

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object of the Federal court is to preserve or restore industrial peace.
The Federal court deals with disputes, as such, and prescribes wages,
etc., merely as incidental to the prevention or settlement of disputes;
the wages board prescribes minimum wages and has no direct relation
to disputes. But, as is obvious from the nature of the case, the sys
tems often overlap. A wages board consists, generally, of repre
sentatives selected by employers and of representatives selected by
employees in equal numbers, with a neutral chairman. There is not,
I think, any fixed principle stated by the legislatures for the guidance
of the boards in prescribing the minimum wage. At one time, the
Victorian legislature enacted that the minimum wage should not
exceed the wage paid by “ reputable employers;” but this negative
provision has been found unsuitable, and repealed. The wages
boards can not deal with all industrial conditions; the Federal court
can deal with any industrial condition that comes into dispute. The
wages boards do not publish the reasons for their determinations;
the Federal court does. As a result I find that the wages boards
frequently look for guidance in their action to the reasoning of the
Federal court. The wages boards, within the limits of area assigned
to them, bind all employers by their determinations; the Federal
court can only bind those who are concerned in the dispute. The
wages boards, being State creations, are very much affected by the
consideration of interstate competition.1 In dealing with boot fac
tories, the New South Wales tribunal would have fixed the minimum
for journeymen at $2.19 per day, but for the fact that the rival
factories of Victoria had a minimum of $1.95 per day. The Federal
court, when asked to intervene, was able, as an Australian tribunal,
to bind the employers of both States to pay the $2.19 per day.2
Another weakness in the wages board system is that employees, in
the presence of an employer or a possible employer, have not the in
dependent position which would enable them to act fearlessly. This
is especially the case where, as in the case of city tramways, there is
only one undertaking where a tramway man can get employment.
In the case of the Brisbane tramways it appeared that it was the
manager who, as a member of the wages board, made all the proposals,
and that every one of his proposals was carried unanimously.3 Again,
the decision of the wages board of one State is frequently inconsistent
with the decision of the wages board of an adjoining State. There is
no one final coordinating authority as in the case of the Federal
court, and the result is often that contrasts appear, and dissatisfac
tion arises, and industrial trouble. For instance, a large mining dis1 Engine drivers, S Com. Arb., 9, 17 (1911).
2 Boot factories, 4 Com. Arb., 1, 8 (1910).
8 Tramways, 6 Com. Arb., 130, 149 (1912).

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trict, of essentially the same physical and industrial character, with
the same cost of living, is divided by the artificial boundary line be
tween two States. The wages board of one State prescribed one set
of wages and conditions, the wages board of the other State pre
scribed a lower set. The consequences were disastrous.1 A New
South Wales wages board gave in the case of builders’ laborers,2 the
lowest rate to scaffoklers, and the highest to hod men. The Victorian
wages board gave the highest rate to scaffoklers. The New South
Wales board gave a low rate to demolishers; the Victorian board gave
the highest rate. The Federal court, when it came to act, prescribed
a flat minimum rate for all the laborers, and the employees were
satisfied. They knew that a man of exceptional value as a scaffolder
or in any other capacity would still be able to demand and obtain a
rate higher than the minimum. It is often said that the minimum
rate tends to become the maximum, but there has been no proof of
such tendency as yet. Moreover, the wages boards are often not
suitably grouped, and there is a tendency to ignore the interests of
unrepresented minorities, of employers as well as of employees. For
example, there was in,Victoria a “ Flay, chaff, wood, and coal board,”
composed, as to employers, of ordinary wood, coal, and produce re
tailers. They managed to get a determination which kept their own
yardmen at low wages, but fixed a disproportionately large minimum
for yardmen who handled coke, because the gas company of the city
was practically the only vender of coke and it was not represented on
the board.3 But most of these defects, and other defects which I
could point out, are not of the essence of the system and will probably
be removed or obviated in the light of experience. Employers have
assured me that they welcome the fixing of minimum rates by the
boards or by the court. They know now definitely what they must
pay, and, so long as they pay it they feel no more the incessant nag
ging of unions or employees as to wages. Nor can any impartial
person deny the immense relief which the system of wages boards has
afforded to thousands of the most helpless families throughout Aus
tralia. Wages boards constitute one of the most useful factors of
those which tend in the words of Russell Lowell, to “ lift up the man
hood of the poor” and to provide proper sustenance and upbringing
for the children of the nation.
Perhaps I should add here that up to the present I have not been
able to trace any increase of price of commodities to the fixing of
minimum wages. It is not the function of the court to ascertain
the truth as to the causes of increased prices, but the court watches

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1 Engine drivers, 7 Com. Arb., 132, 145 (1913).
2 Builders’ laborers, 7 Com. Arb., 210 (1913).
8 Gas employees, 7 Com. Arb., 58, 65 (1913).

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for any sidelights on this important subject. In one case, I believe,
a wages board raised the wages of milk carters by 24.33 cents per
day and the milk vendors at once raised the price of milk by 2.03
cents per quart. For 100 quarts per day, this would mean an increase
of receipts to the amount of $2.03 per day, so that the milk vendors
had raised the price of milk far beyond the amount necessary to
recoup them for the additional wages.
It will be asked, however, what is the net result of the court of
conciliation? Have strikes ceased in Australia? The answer must
be that they have not. There have been numerous strikes in Aus
tralia, as elsewhere. But since the act came into operation there
has been no strike extending “ beyond the limits of any one State.”
Those who are old enough to recall the terrible shearers’ strike and
seamen’s strike of the “ nineties,” with their attendant losses and
privations, turbulence and violence, will realize how much ground
has been gained. The strikes which still occur within a single State,
and disputes within a single State are outside the jurisdiction of the
court. It can be safely said that, since the act, every dispute “ ex
tending beyond the limits of any one State” comes before the court
or the president, either on the application of parties to the dispute,
or on the initiative of the officers of the court.1 Moreover, with the
exception, of one doubtful case, in which I was not personally con
cerned and do not know the full particulars, there has been no in
stance of an award being flouted by the employees, no instance of
the employees refusing to work under an award. There have been
cases in which parties have differed in the interpretation of an
award in its application to exceptional circumstances; there have
been instances of inadvertent disobedience, and these cases have
sometimes come to the courts in the form of an action for a penalty.
But these were cases in which the award was treated as regulating
the rights of the parties, not treated as a thing to be rejected.
In 1911, Parliament intrusted to the court another formidable
function, the settling of wages, hours, and conditions of labor for
Federal public servants. This function does not rest on the con
stitutional power to make laws for conciliation and arbitration in
industrial disputes;2 it rests on the absolute power of the Common
wealth in relation to its own servants. The public servants are
allowed to group themselves in unions, “ organizations,” as they think
fit, and to approach the court with a plaint. It seems at first sight
curious that Parliament should intrust any tribunal with a power
of adjudicating on such subjects, but Parliament has been careful
to retain the final control of the Commonwealth finances. For
the award does not come into operation till the expiration of 30
i Sec. 19.

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2 Sec. 51 (XXXV).

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

days after it has been laid before both houses, and Parliament can,
if it sees fit, pass a resolution disapproving of the award. This
remarkable jurisdiction over public servants deserves a study all
to itself, and I can only say, though there have been several impor
tant awards under it no award has yet met with the disapprobation
of Parliament and no resolution of disapproval has even been tabled.
In conclusion, I may state that I am not unaware of the farreaching schemes, much discussed everywhere, which contemplate
conditions of society in which the adjustment of labor conditions
between profit makers and wage earners may become unnecessary.
Our Australian court has nothing to do with these schemes. It has
to shape its conclusions on the solid anvil of existing industrial facts,
in the fulfillment of definite official responsibilities. It has the
advantage, as well as the disadvantage, of being limited in its powers
and its objects. Its objective is industrial peace, as between those
who do the work and those who direct it. It has no duty, it has no
right to favor or to condemn any theories of social reconstruction.
It neither hinders nor helps them. But it is obvious that even if
all industries were to be carried on under State direction, industrial
peace would be as vitally important as it is now; and that it could
not be secured without recognition of the principle which the court
has adopted, that each worker must have, at the least, his essential
human needs satisfied, and that among the human needs there must
be included the needs of the family. Sobriety, health, efficiency,
the proper rearing of the young, morality, humanity, all depend
greatly on family life, and family life can not be maintained without
suitable economic conditions. The reasoning which has lately com
mitted to the court the function of settling conditions of labor for
public servants would not be less, would be even more applicable, if
the State had more servants than it has.
Yet, though the functions of the court are definite and limited,
there is opened up for idealists a very wide horizon, with, perhaps,
something of the glow of a sunrise. Men accept the doom, the
blessing of work; they do not dispute the necessity of the struggle
with nature for existence. They are willing enough to work, but
even good work does not necessarily insure a proper human sub
sistence, and when they protest against this condition of things they
are told that their aims are too “ materialistic.” Give them relief
from their materialistic anxiety; give them reasonable certainty
that their essential material needs will be met by honest work, and
you release infinite stores of human energy for higher efforts, for
nobler ideals, when “ Body gets its sop, and holds its noise, and
leaves soul free a little.”

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR CONFERENCE ON EMPLOYMENT
HELD AT CHARLESTON, S. C., DECEMBER 16-17, 1915.

In order to make more effective and widespread the services of the
division of information in the Bureau of Immigration, the Depart
ment of Labor has held two conferences on employment with officials
of various States and municipalities engaged in placing the unem
ployed in positions. The first conference of this kind was held at
San Francisco, Cal., August 2-16, 1915, the proceedings of which
were reported in the October issue of the M o n t h l y R e v i e w . The
second conference was held at Charleston, S. C., on December 16-17,
1915, on the occasion of the meeting of a southern commercial con
gress at that place'. I t aimed to bring the executive officers of the
Department of Labor intrusted with the distribution of labor into
touch with the official representatives of States and municipalities
in the Southeastern part of the country engaged in similar activities.
The Secretary of Labor was named chairman of the conference, and
the Commissioner General of Immigration acting chairman. The
following program was prepared for the two-day session.
PROGRAM.

I. Report of committee on program.
II. Federal cooperation with States and municipalities:
Ethelbert Stewart, chief statistician, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Depart
ment of Labor, chairman of advisory board.
E. J. Watson, commissioner of agriculture, commerce, and industries of
South Carolina, Columbia, S. C.
Justin F. Denechaud, secretary of immigration, State of Louisiana, New
Orleans, and a member of national advisory board.
III. Distribution of the unemployed:
C. L. Green, inspector in charge, distribution branch, Immigration
Service, New York City.
Wortley Dickie, manager, Richmond public employment bureau, Rich
mond, Ya.
John A. Tschantre, secretary, State bureau of immigration, Baltimore, Md.
General discussion and questions.
IY. Settlement of unoccupied lands:
William H. Knowles, president, State bureau of immigration, Baltimore,
Md.
H. K. Bryson, commissioner of agriculture, Nashville, Tenn.
J. L. McGrew, assistant chief, Division of Information, Department of
Labor, Washington, D. C.
General discussion and questions.
V. Address, Dr. F. C. Howe, commissioner of immigration at New York.
V I. Final summary and suggestions:
A. Caminetti, Commissioner General of Immigration, Washington, D. C.
VII. Address, Hon. W. B. Wilson, Secretary of Labor, Washington, D. C.
VIII. Address, Hon. Richard I. Manning, governor of South Carolina.

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After deliberation and discussion, the following resolutions were
unanimously adopted:
Whereas, it is of paramount importance to the future of the Natiofi. and the several
States that every effort be made by the Federal Government and the several State
governments to conserve the human resources of the Nation, making each indi
vidual as far as possible a self-sustaining and wealth-producing unit; and
Whereas, the problems of the unemployed in the centers of population and in the
manufacturing and rural districts, and of bringing men upon idle lands are matters
of vital concern to the welfare of the whole country; and
Whereas, the Secretary of Labor of the United States, having recognized fully these
essential facts, has undertaken to provide intelligent and practical means for the
solution of these two great problems and has called this district conference for the
adaptation of the general plan to the conditions that must be met in the several
States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of this conference that the success of the general plan
proposed by the Secretary of Labor depends upon the application of the principles of
cooperation, and therefore there should be the closest cooperation between the Fed
eral, State, and municipal authorities dealing with these problems, thus making the
system of handling purely democratic, avoiding waste of money in misdirected but
well-meaning but independent efforts, and instead concentrating the useful effect of
each dollar expended in a cumulative manner, and making, through cooperation of
the Federal, State, and municipal authority acting jointly, a clearing house for un
employment throughout the Republic, the Federal Government supplementing and
aiding the States and municipalities in every way provided by law, and also estab
lishing joint offices wherever that can be done, interchanging powers and opportuni
ties for employment as far as possible, and affording under auspices of its officers, in
furtherance of the plans of cooperation, to States and municipalities the use of the
franking privilege, cooperation of the post offices in displaying notices, etc., and the
States and municipalities utilizing their powers to the fullest extent in the premises.
Resolved, That agreements be entered upon in all possible instances with existing
State and municipal departments and bureaus whereby a representative of the United
States Department of Labor will be stationed in such offices in the State as may be
agreed upon for the purpose of cooperative work.
Resolved, That this conference in taking this action proclaims that this cooperative
effort is designed to provide employment for the unemployed American citizens and
other residents of the United States and also to such citizens and residents upon
desirable unused agricultural land, regardless of State or section whence they come,
but in all instances taking due care and giving careful attention to natural preferences
of different localities for laborers and settlers of particular types.
Resolved, That the purpose of this entire effort is to care for unemployment prob
lems in any State from the ranks of the unemployed of that State first, then from
adjoining States, and then from distant States, etc., and so with the bringing of set
tlers to the land.
Resolved, That the Secretary of Labor be requested to put such plan of cooperation
into effect in the States here represented at the earliest possible date.
Resolved, That the officials representing States and municipalities at this confer
ence recommend th at the plan of operation outlined in the foregoing be adopted by
all States and municipalities in the South having departments or bureaus charged
with the class of work contemplated, and, further, that those States and municipalities
not having such departments or bureaus endeavor to secure by legislation such depart
ments or bureaus, in order that they may adopt the plan.
Resolved, That we express to the Secretary of Labor our thanks for calling this con
ference, and respectfully suggest to him the calling of another such conference in the
South in the spring.
Whereas, There has been a quite encouraging response to the invitation of the Secre
tary of Labor to meet in conference in this city, and
Whereas: Those of us who have gathered here have been the recipients of many
courtesies and attentions at the hands of our friends of the city of Charleston and
of this hospitable State, now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the thanks of this conference be extended to those who have favored
us with their presence and encouragement, to the officials of the State and city, and all
others who have made our stay here both pleasant and inspiriting.

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Those attending the Conference were— ’
Hon. W. B. Wilson, Secretary of Labor, Washington, D. C.
Anthony Caminetti, Commissioner General of Immigration, Department of
Labor, Washington, D. C.
A. Warner Parker, law officer, Bureau of Immigration, Department of Labor,
Washington, D. C.
Ethelbert Stewart, chief statistician, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department
of Labor, Washington, D. C.
J. L. McGrew, assistant chief, Division of Information, Bureau of Immigration,
Department of Labor, Washington, D. 0.
Frederic C. Howe, commissioner of immigration, New York City.
P. L. Prentis, inspector in charge, Immigration Service, Chicago, 111.
Geo. A. Mahone, immigrant inspector, Baltimore, Md.
W. R. Morton, inspector in charge, Immigration Service, Norfolk, Va.
C. L. Green, inspector in charge, distribution branch, Immigration Service,
New York City.
Thomas V. Kirk, inspector in charge, Immigration Service, Jacksonville, Fla.
John P. Mayo, commissioner of immigration, New Orleans, La.
Jas. B. Bryan, inspector in charge, Immigration Service, Galveston, Texas.
Wm. Vaughn Howard, inspector, Immigration Service, Charleston, S. C.
Justin F-. Denechaud, secretary, State board of immigration, New Orleans. La.
Hon. Richard I. Manning, governor of South Carolina.
B. B. Hare, State statistical agent, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Saluda,
S. C.
Wortley Dickie, manager, Richmond public employment bureau, Richmond,
Va.
John A. Tschantre, secretary, State bureau of immigration, Baltimore, Md.
Wm. H. Knowles, president, State bureau of immigration, Baltimore, Md.
J. D. Price, State commissioner of agriculture, Atlanta, Ga.
II. K. Bryson, State commissioner of agriculture, Nashville, Tenn.
V. W. Lewis, representative of Queen and Crescent Route, Chattanooga, Tenn.
E. J. Watson, State commissioner of agriculture, commerce and industries,
Columbia, S. C.
S. R. Graham, Hiawatha, Kans.
Frank A. White, chief, Maryland bureau of statistics and information, Balti
more, Md.
ADDRESS OF HON. WILLIAM B. WILSON, SECRETARY OF LABOR, BEFORE THE FIRST
SOUTHERN STATES CONFERENCE ON EMPLOYMENT AT CHARLESTON, S. C., FRIDAY,
DECEMBER 17, 1915.

Mr. Chairman, Governor, and gentlemen of the conference: I am reminded this
afternoon of the words of the Master when he was here on earth that “ where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them,” and I have
always felt that where two or three are gathered together for the purpose of working
out the problems of human association, there the Master is in the midst of them.
When the Constitutional Convention met in 1787 one of the delegates from Massachu
setts, Mr. Gerry, proposed at the opening of the sessions that there should be a record
vote on all of the propositions that came before the convention, and Col. Mason, a
delegate from Virginia, objected and made this suggestion: That they had come into
that convention without any preconceived ideas of the ultimate form that the Con
stitution should take; that during the discussions men would take particular view
points relative to items, articles, or sections that should be included in the document,
but after the fuller discussion of the subject matter their viewpoint might change, and

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that it would be a very embarrassing situation in developing the Constitution if, as
they went along, each one was required to make a record of his vote. It would be
embarrassing because it would be difficult for him to overcome the natural prejudice
there is against taking various viewpoints and then having to change them after dis
cussion. I have felt that in these conferences we are holding in various parts of the
country we are in exactly the same situation. We have come here without any fixed
viewpoints. We have viewpoints, it is true, but they are not so unalterably fixed but
that by discussion we may change them. If discussion did not change them this con
ference would be valueless.
In dealing with the problem of unemployment we have one of the greatest of the
existing problems of human association before us. There has been a wonderful
growth of our urban population. It has grown out of all proportions to our rural
population. There has been a tremendous growth of our industrial activities, and
because of the tremendous growth it has not been systematized along the line of
utilizing our labor power to it3 fullest value. We have had exchanges for all kinds of
things, all kinds of commodities. There have been built up places where men may
come to invest in stocks; places where men may come to buy wheat, cotton, mules—anything and everything th at is in use; but we have had no clearing house where the
employer and the employee could meet and know that both could be satisfied.
The new Department of Labor of the Federal Government has been authorized
among other things to advance the opportunities for profitable employment of the
wage earners of the United States. In addition to that there is in the immigration
laws a provision which creates a division of information for practically the same pur
pose. We have undertaken to secure cooperation of State and municipal bodies on
the same subject matter in order to make a more effective organization than the
Federal Government could accomplish alone. We do not hope to solve entirely
the problem of unemployment as a result of the work we are doing with regard to
labor distribution. We do hope, however, that, in so far as there are opportunities
for employment, by the establishment of clearing houses of information on that sub
ject, these opportunities can be filled and by filling them reduce unemployment to a
minimum. When we have reduced unemployment to a minimum, when we have
found employment for every unemployed man for whom there is a job, then dealing
with the balance will be a much easier problem than dealing with them now. In that
connection it must always be borne in mind that the land is the basis upon which
human existence rests, and if there are means open by which those who are
unemployed in industrial pursuits may have access to the land, have means of culti
vating the land, and of subsistence until they can get returns from the land, then we
will be in a position to absolutely solve the question of unemployment and create a
continuous balance as between the urban and rural population of our country.
In connection with that we are suggesting to the Federal Congress the idea of placing
at the disposal of the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture,
and the Department of Labor the surplus head tax that has accrued from the ad
mission of aliens into the United States in excess of the cost of handling the Immigra
tion Service. We believe that the head tax was never intended to be a producer of
revenue; that it was placed upon the immigrant primarily for the purpose of meeting
the expense of carrying on the Immigration Service, and secondly, of protecting the
alien after he arrives in the United States. These were the purposes of imposing the
tax on the immigrant, and yet the tax itself has produced a revenue of approximately
ten million dollars in excess of the actual needs of the Immigration Service. That
money is now in the Treasury of the United States. If Congress in its wisdom can be
induced to appropriate that ten million dollars to be continuously available for ex
penditure under the joint direction of the three departments, while it is but a drop in
the bucket compared with the problem with which we are dealing, yet it could be

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used over and over again to assist in relieving the problem of unemployment in oyr
large cities. Under ordinary circumstances there are large numbers of unemployed
men in our big cities who have had agricultural training and there are people coming
to our shores every day who have had agricultural training in Europe, and who, if
they had the means, would gladly go out upon our lands. They do not go out, how
ever, from our cities, either the native or the alien, as farm laborers, because of the
fact that in nearly every instance farm labor is seasonal labor; and while they may go
out for a season or two seasons and find employment, they ultimately drift back into
the towns and cities and are unable to get back into our agricultural communities
and acquire land. They have not the means in the first place, and, not having the
means, of course, our banking institutions can not give them the necessary credits.
You would not want nor like to be a depositor in a banking institution that accepted
credits of that kind as a basis for its loans.
Banking institutions in order to be sound, in order to be faithful to the community
in which they exist, must insist upon some kind of substantial credits that can be
realized upon in order that they may be protected in their loans. If these ten millions
of dollars, however, could be made available for the three departments mentioned and
utilized fo.r the acquisition of lands, then divide the lands in such a manner as to
establish community centers where community life would exist even on the farm,
then take your colonists out to occupy your lands in that particular community,
utilizing mortgages upon the lands as a basis for credit and personal notes as a protec
tion for the money advanced for the purchase of tools and machinery with which to
work the farms and for subsistence; and if, in addition to the mortgage and notes,
you have the indorsement of every member of the community for each individual,
you would have a class of security that would make the Government practically
absolutely safe in loaning this money without having to use bank securities for it.
The money would be coming back in two or three years and keep on coming back.
If it was found that the expenditure of that ten millions was a practical matter, it
would not be difficult to induce Congress to make additional appropriations. One
difficulty occurs, however, and that is that when the Federal Government steps into
South Carolina or any other State and acquires land in that manner, immediately the
adjoining land is enhanced in value. The people who hold the adjacent land will
not sell it to the Federal Government at the same rates that the first tract was acquired.
So there should be some means for preventing those who are holders of the land from
securing the unearned increment that they have not been responsible for creating.
So that means ought to be devised that the Government could buy the surrounding
land at the same price paid for the first tract whenever the owners desired to sell.
Whether that can be worked out I do not know, but I throw the thought out as worthy
of consideration.
In carrying out the work of labor distribution our first problem was that of dealing
with the harvest hands in the Middle West, and then the work of industrial institu
tions. In brief we have come to this conclusion, that the proper course for us to pursue
is to have the municipal, the State and the Federal agencies operating in the same
suite of rooms, with the municipal agency utilizing its close touch with the people
of the community for the gathering and dissemination of information relative to
employment; the State agency utilizing its close touch with people in the State for
the purpose of gathering and disseminating information; the Federal institution
utilizing its broader field and its franking privilege in order to keep both branches
in touch with exterior points; and that by the three cooperating in the .same building
and in the same suite of rooms you have created but one central clearing house for
labor, and there would not be the mixed condition that would grow out of having the
three labor bureaus in the same city working separately. There could be as many
branches as the needs of the city or State required, but they should all be managed

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[115]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

cooperatively. By doing so we can reduce unemployment to the minimum, and
having reduced it to the minimum we can proceed to deal with the problem of the un
employed who still remain, free from the embarrassment of having a large number of
unemployed.
I thank you gentlemen from the various States and cities for your courtesy in
responding to our invitation to be here. I want to assure you that we seek to cooperate
with you to the fullest extent in solving these great problems of unemployment and
a sensible, practical back-to-the-land movement that can be worked out on a sound
basis.

LABOR DISTRIBUTION BY THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF
LABOR.
With the close of December, 1915, the Division of Information
practically completes the first nine-month period of its activities
under its present broadened and improved system of labor distribu
tion. An account of the organization and work of the division
up to July, 1915, will b o found in the M o n t h l y R e v i e w for July, 1915.
Wlide this extension of the work of the division begins with the
latter part of the fiscal year 1914, none of the arrangements were
in full operation until sometime in February last, and it was well
along in March before the entire machinery could be said to be in
working order.
The following table classifies by citizens of the United States and
by aliens the number and percentage of each of these classes for
whom places were secured from 1908 to 1915.
CITIZENSHIP OP PERSONS SECURING EMPLOYMENT THROUGH T H E DIVISION OF
INFORMATION OF TH E BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION, 1908-1915.
[Source: Annual Reports of the Chief of the Division of Information, Washington, 1908-1915.]
Number.
Fiscal year ending June 30—

1909.........: ..................................
1910.............................................
1911.............................................
1912.............................................
1913.............................................
1914.............................................
1915.............................................

Ûnited
States
citizens.
517
562
500
923
964
533
8,114

Not
naturalized.
4,491
3,721
4,676
4,884
4,061
2,835
3,757

Per cent.
Totar
5,008
4,283
5,176
5,807
5,025
3,368
11,871

United
States
citizens.
10.32
13.12
9. 66
15. 89
19.18
15.83
68. 40

Not
naturalized.
89.68
86.88
90.34
84.11
80.82
84.17
31. 60

Total.
100. 00
100. 00
100. 00
100. 00
100. 00
100. 00
100. 00

The statistics published by the division show that for the years
1908 to 1915, inclusive, the percentage of United States citizens, as
compared with foreign-born, not naturalized, for whom employment
was secured, was the lowest in this period in 1911, when it was 9.66,
and the highest in 1913 when it was, 19.18; but in 1915 this per
centage rose to 68.4.
In considering these the decrease in immigration beginning in
August, 1914, and continuing up to this date must be taken into

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[116]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

account. The absolute figures however show a very large increase
in the number of United States citizens seeking employment through
the division.
The following table shows the number of applications for positions
made to the Division of Information and the number of places filled
and the number of applications per 100 places filled, 1908 to 1916.
TOTAL APPLICATIONS MADE TO TH E DIVISION OF INFORM ATION OF TH E BUREAU
OF IMMIGRATION SINCE ITS ORGANIZATION, SEPTEM BER, 1907, PLACES FIL L ED ,
AND NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS P E R 100 PLACES FILLED .

Applicants
for
positions.

Fiscal year ending June 30—

1908......................................................
1909................................................................
1910.........................................................
1911.........................................................
1912...................................................
1913....................................................................
1914................................................................
1915.........................................................................
1916 (6 months)................................................

(l)
26,477
18,239
30,657
26,213
19,891
19,393
90,119
85,247

Places
filled.

840
4,168
4,283
5,176
5,807
5,025
3,368
11,871
29,519

Number of
applica
tions per
100 places
filled.

635.2
425.8
592.3
451.4
395.8
575.8
759.1
288.8

1 Not reported.

Since May, 1915, the statistics of the operations of the division
were considerably extended so as to show not only the number of
applicants for positions and places filled, but also the number of calls
for help from employers and the number actually employed of these
so referred. This additional information has been tabulated in the
following statement:
OPERATIONS OF TH E DIVISION OF INFORM ATION, BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION
DURING T H E MONTHS OF MAY TO DECEMBER, 1915.

Month.

May............................................
June...........................................
Ju ly ............................................
August.......................................
September.................................
October......................................
November.................................
December...................................

Number of
Number of Number of Number of Number
Number
applica
applica persons ap applicants
referred
actually
tions per
tions for
employ employed. 100
plied for. for places. to ment.
places
help.
filled.
638
1,249
1,160
1,279
1,201
1,104
847
698

3,826
3,601
8,665
7,931
4,551
5,423
4,650
3,588

12,132
14,530
18,061
17,827
13,334
12,215
11,908
11,902

3,752
5,131
6,360
7,321
5,671
5,460
4,459
2,622

3,495
4,646
6,035
6,757
5,405
5,006
4'. 146
2,170

347.1
312.7
299.3
263.8
246.8
244.0
287.2
548.5

CONCILIATION WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
DECEMBER 16, 1915, TO JANUARY 15, 1916.

On the authority contained in the organic act of the department
to mediate in labor disputes and to appoint commissioners of con
ciliation in its discretion, tha Secretary of Labor, through the com
missioners of conciliation, exercised his good offices in five labor
2 2 9 7 8 ° — 1 6 ---- ?

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[117]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

disputes between December 16, 1915, and January 15, 1916. The
establishments involved in these controversies, the number of
employees affected, and the results secured, so far as available, are
shown in the following statement:
NUM BER OF LABOR D ISPU TES HANDLED BY T H E DEPA RTM EN T OP LABOR
THROUGH ITS COMMISSIONERS OF CONCILIATION, DEC. 16, 1915, TO TAN. 15, 1916.
Workmen aCected.
Result.

Name and locality.
Directly.
100

Strike, Studebaker Co., South. Bend, In d ..............
Federal Glass Co., Columbus, Ohio........................
Shirt-waist workers, Philadelphia..................
New H aven Clock Co., New Haven, Conn.............
Metal polishers, Meriden, Conn...............................

Indi
rectly.
4,500

Amicable adjustment.
Pending.
Pending.
Pending.
Pending.

IMMIGRATION DURING NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 1915.

The November and December bulletins issued by the Bureau of
Immigration show very little change in the number of aliens arriving
during these months as compared with the months immediately pre
ceding. The number departing, however, shows a considerable per
cent of decrease. The average number of immigrant aliens admitted
during the period January 1 to October 31, 1915, was 21,523 per
month, and the average number of emigrant aliens departing for the
same period was 13,518 per month. During the two months named
the number of immigrant aliens admitted was 24,545 and 18,951 for
the respective months, and the number of emigrant aliens departing
during the same months was 14,483 and 10,974, respectively.
A comparison with the figures for the corresponding months of
1914 shows percentage decreases in the number of alien immigrants
admitted during the months under review of 6.7 and 9.5, and in the
number of emigrant aliens departing, decreases of 37.3 and 53.9 per
cent for the respective months.
Preliminary reports for January 1 to 15, 1916, show a gradual
increase in the number of all aliens arriving (immigrant and non
immigrant) over the corresponding period of 1915. Thus, on January
7, over the 10-clay period preceding, the increase was 8 per cent; on
January 8, 24 per cent; on January 9, 32 per cent; on January 10,
62 per cent; on January 11, 49 per cent; on January 12, 36 per cent;
on January 13, 19 per cent; on January 14, 21 per cent; and on
January 15, 25 per cent.
The table which follows shows the percentages of decrease in
immigration and emigration in 1915 as compared with 1914, by
months. As both immigration and emigration had decreased con
siderably during the last half of 1914,‘the percentages if compared
with 1913 would be much larger.

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[ 118]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OP LABOR STATISTICS.

DECREASE, IN P E R CENT, OF ADMISSIONS AND D EPA RTU RES OF ALIENS IN EACH
MONTH, 1915 AS COMPARED W ITH 1914.
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
D ecrease, In per cent, of im
migrant aliens adm itted .. 65.4
Decrease, in per cent, of
emigrant aliens departing. 49.6

70.4

79.2

79.5

75.8

68.5

64.4

58.5

42.6

63.5

62.8

71.8

65.5

41.8

15.9

16.3

6.7

9.8

3.3 121.7

30.7

37.3

53.9

1 Increase.

The table which follows shows for the months of November and
December, 1914 and 1915, the number of immigrant aliens admitted
and of emigrant aliens departing, by races, and the percentage of
decrease' as compared with the corresponding months of 1914.
IMMIGRANT ALIENS ADM ITTED TO AND EMIGRANT ALIENS D EPA RTIN G FROM THE
UN ITED STATES DURING NOVEMBER AND DECEM BER, 1914 AND 1915.
Admitted.
Race.

African (black).....................................
Armenian..............................................
Bohemian and Moravian.....................
Bulgarian, Servian, and Montenegrin.
Chinese..................................................
Croatian and Slavonian.......................
Cuban....................................................
Dalmatian, Bosnian, Herzegovinian..
Dutch and Flemish..............................
East Indian...........................................
English..................................................
Finnish..................................................
French.................................................
German................................................
Greek.....................................................
Hebrew..................................................
Irish.......................................................
Italian (N orth).....................................
Italian (South).....................................
Japanese................................................
Korean.................................................
Lithuanian..........................................
Magyar.................................................
Mexican........................................
Pacific Islander.....................................
Polish.....................................................
Portuguese............................................
Roum anian...........................................
Russian................................................
Ruthenian (Russniak)........................
Scandinavian........................................
Scotch.................................
Slovak..................................................
Spanish................................................
Spanish-American................................
Syrian...............................................
Turkish..................................................
Welsh...................................................
West Indian (except Cuban)..............
Other peoples........................................
Not specified.........................................

November—

December—

November—

December—

1914

1915

1914

1915

1914

1915

1914

389
90
102
363
184
85
168
19
799
13
3,887
239
1.199
1,836
1,036
1,063
2,158
878
3,609
754
16
74
141
715

331
90
72
99
164
110
257
8
782
4
3,540
397
2,260
1,092
853
1,576
2,896
431
2,441
590
7
53
102
1,008

215
84
97
201
213
44
82
11
405
3
3,100
224
960
1,172
876
743
1,284
1,233
4,047
702
2D
39
84
847

196
7
1
372
329
13
140
1
52
18
811
11
351
44
888
20
247
801
15,907
96
6
7
49
81

390
54
3
20
288
6
107
1
57
21
916
34
189
95
267
25
276
347
8,440
99

53
28
849
82
171
46
1,688
20
197
899
14,872
68

115
16
6
9
309
11
177
1
56
4
847
61
207
76
881
18
168
674
4,097
51

3
31
103

9
81

28
67

301
319
35
319
88
2,866
1,543
76
422
70
124
19
110
61
128

339
658
82
449
94
1,318
1,330
99
597
119
69
5
112
64
47

199
142
21
164
27
1,600
1,201
38
352
105
95
21
107
36
150

174
43
48
91
210
96
108
12
665
8
2,874
644
1,215
989
521
1,230
1,149
191
941
626
1
39
115
1,538
1
477
1,076
90
550
71
1,260
1,030
66
471
84
37
9
91
39
21

35
331
31
461
3
219
194

20
407
3
274

113
551
78
840
2
365
196

13
430
27
292
2
656
185
5
534
36
6
3
43
73
19
769

24,545 20,944
6. 7

18,901
9.8

23,100

Total............................................ 26,298
Per cent decline, 1915...........................

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Departing.

[119]

211
52
16
6
20
37
31
1,005

277
207
5
321
36
12
4
32
57
37
1,019
14,483
37.3

98
9
1
230
241
4
311

379
47
11
13
11
70
24
1,148
23,821

1915

10,974
53.9

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

RETAIL PRICES OF FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES.
Bulletin No. 184, showing the retail prices of the principal articles
of food in each of 45 important industrial cities of the United States,
has just been issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This bulletin,
which is one of a series on retail prices published by the bureau, shows
actual prices for January to June, 1914, and January to June, 1915,
and also summarizes retail prices for the period from 1907 to June,
1915.
Later figures showing the course of prices in the United States are
now available for September, 1915.
These figures show that prices, as a whole, in September, 1915,
were 1 per cent less than in January, 1915, and were the same as for
the year 1914. The lowest point in the nine months of 1915 was
reached in March, when prices were 5 per cent lower than in Sep
tember.
From July, 1915, to September, 1915, there was an increase of 1
per cent in the price of all articles combined, although 11 of the 17
articles declined in price and 4 remained the same. The 2 articles
which increased in price, however, made a marked advance, par
ticularly eggs, which jumped 25 per cent, largely due to change in
season.
In September, 1915, however, prices showed a decline from Sep
tember, 1914, of 5 per cent and were the same as for September, 1913.
The following table shows for nine months of 1915, January to
September, inclusive, the relative prices of each of the 17 articles and
also the relative prices of the 17 articles combined and weighted
according to the average consumption in workingmen’s families:
RELA TIV E R E TA IL PRICES OE TH E PRIN CIPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD ON T H E 15TH OF
EACH MONTH, JANUARY TO SEPTEM BER, 1915, INCLUSIVE.
[Average price for 1914=100.]

Commodity.
Sirloin steak............................
Round steak...........................
Rib roast.................................
Chuck roast............................
Plate boiling beef..................
Pork chops..............................
Bacon, sm oked.......................
Ham , smoked.........................
Lard, p u re..............................
H ens........................................
W heat flour............................
Corn m eal...............................
Eggs.........................................
B utter, creamery...................
Potatoes, Irish.."....................
Sugar, granulated..................
Milk, fresh..............................
All commodities combined ..

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Jan.
15.
98
96
98
96
98
84
99
97
99
93
120
104
126
106
78
101
100
101

Feb.
15.
96
95
97
94
97
81
97
95
98
95
133
104
96
104
77
109
100
98

Mar.
15.

Apr.
15.

95
93
96
93
96
81
96
93
98
97
131
104
73
99
76
111
99
95

[120]

97
95
97
93
96
90
96
93
97
98
132
104
74
99
79
113
98
96

May
15.
99
98
98
95
97
95
97
94
97
99
134
104
74
96
82
115
98
97

June
15.
101
99
100
96
97
94
98
95
97
96
125
104
76
96
91
117
98
97

July
15.
103
101
101
97
97
96
99
96
94
95
120
103
79
95
78
117
98
99

Aug.
15.
102
101
101
97
97
98
99
96
91
95
119
103
86
93
75
113
98
99

Sept.
15.
102
100
100
96
97
103
98
95
89
95
113
103
99
93
73
109
98
100

MONTHLY REVIEW OP THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

.33

WHOLESALE PRICES IN 1914.
According to Bulletin No. 181 of the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
wholesale prices in the United States, as measured by the aggregate
value in exchange of 340 representative commodities, were nearly
1 per cent lower in 1914 than in 1913. In each of four groups, viz.,
cloths and clothing, fuel and lighting, metals and metal products,
and lumber and building materials, more than half of the commodi
ties decreased in price from 1913 to 1914. Decided decreases oc
curred in the yearly average prices of cotton yarns, print cloths,
storm serge, Silician cloth, worsted yarns, coke, gasoline, crude
petroleum, bar iron, copper ingot, sheet copper, copper wire, iron
ore, pig lead, lead pipe, pig iron, cast-iron pipe, steel billets, steeltank plates, steel sheets, structural steel, pig tin, wood screws, brick
in New York City, plate glass, Douglas fir, rosin, and cedar shingles.
Increases in price are shown for cotton blankets, boots and shoes,
leather, 10-4 bleached sheeting, quicksilver, linseed oil, turpentine,
and a few other articles in the four groups named.
A majority of the articles which increased in price between 1913
and 1914 belong to the farm products and food groups. Within
these two groups, comprising 124 series of price quotations, 72 com
modities or grades of commodities increased in price, 44 decreased,
and 8 were unchanged. The articles showing the greatest increase
were corn, oats, rye, wheat, flaxseed, New York State hops, calf
skins, peanuts, tobacco, canned corn, rye flour, wheat flour, fresh
and evaporated apples, prunes, raisins, corn meal, sugar, cabbage,
onions, potatoes, and vinegar. Some of the articles in these two
groups which decreased in price were cotton, butter, canned toma
toes, coffee, lemons, and oranges.
Of 10 commodities classed as drugs or chemicals, 5 increased in
price, 4 remained stationary, and 1 decreased in price in 1914, com
pared with 1913. The 5 articles showing an increase were alum,
glycerin, grain alcohol, opium, and quinine. The article which
decreased in price was wood alcohol.
Of the 340 series of prices secured by the bureau for 1913 and 1914,
122 series showed an increase between these two years, 154 showed a
decrease, while no change occurred in the case of 64 series.
The most marked fluctuations during 1914 occurred in the prices
of articles belonging to the farm products, food, metals and metal
products, and fuel and lighting groups. Farm products increased
in price from January to August, after which they steadily declined.
In the food group prices were lowest in March, April, and May,
increasing to their maximum in September, while in the metals and
metal products group, and also in that of fuel and lighting, prices
were highest in the first three months of the year and lowest in the

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[ 121]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

last three. Drugs and chemicals were lowest during the first eight
months and highest during the last four months of the year. In the
remaining groups, taken as a whole, prices showed a rising tendency
during the earlier part and a falling tendency during the latter part
of 1914.
The report shows that violent fluctuations took place during 1914
in the prices of many commodities, particularly foodstuffs. Com
paring the lowest with the highest average monthly price within the
year for those articles showing a net increase, it is seen that granu
lated sugar varied 83 per cent; rye, 79 per cent; opium, 63 per cent;
alum, 57 per cent; glycerin, 37 per cent; wheat in Minneapolis, 36
per cent; contract corn in Chicago, 32 per cent; and oats, 31 per
cent. Of the articles for which a net decline in price for the year is
reported, cotton in New Orleans shows a variation of 50 per cent
between the highest and the lowest average monthly price; crude
petroleum, 42 per cent; cottonseed oil, 31 per cent; linseed oil, 25
per cent; and ingot copper, 24 per cent.
In computing the index number published in the bulletin, and
which is designed to show changes in the general price level from
year to year, the base period from which price fluctuations are
measured has been shifted from the 10 years, 1890-1899, used in
former reports, to the last completed year, 1914. This change was
made for the double purpose of utilizing the latest and most trust
worthy price quotations as the basis for the computations and also
to permit of the addition of new articles to those formerly included
in the index number. The former method of averaging the relative
prices of individual commodities to obtain group and general index
numbers has also been superseded in the present report by the
method of constructing these index numbers from the aggregate
value of all commodities exchanged year by year from 1890 to 1914.
The old form of presentation, however, has been retained in con
junction with the new form in order that direct comparison with
preceding wholesale price reports of the bureau may be made.
STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN THE UNITED STATES FROM JULY
THROUGH DECEMBER, 1915.

According to data compiled by the United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics from the various sources at its command, the number of
strikes and lockouts during the six months, July to December, inclu
sive, was 735. The total number of strikes and lockouts occurring
during the 12 months of the calendar year, including a few that
began prior to January 1, 1915, but have been settled during the
year, was 1,393. Inasmuch as strikes that start toward the end of a

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[122]

MONTHLY KEVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

month are sometimes not brought to the attention of the bureau
until the following month, it is possible that the corrected figures for
1915 will show a total number of strikes exceeding 1,400, a number
larger than that reported for 1914—1,080.
The following table, which has been corrected for months previous
to December as reports have come in during the latter month, shows
the number of strikes and lockouts begun in each of the months of
July to December, inclusive, but excluding 60 strikes and 9 lock
outs which started during months not specified. The strikes and
lockouts were distributed among the months as follows:
NUMBER OF STR IK ES AND LOCKOUTS, JU LY THROUGH DECEMBER, 1915, BY MONTHS.
July.

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Total.

Strikes..........................................
Lockouts......................................

93
5

136
6

152
10

95
8

86
6

52
4

614
39

Total...................................

142

162

103

653

A brief account of the character of the strikes occurring from July
to November may be found in the January number of the M o n t h l y
R e v i e w . The data in the tables which follow relate to 113 strikes
and lockouts concerning which information was received by the
bureau during the month of December, and includes strikes and lock
outs which occurred in previous months as follows: November, 15;
October, 2; September, 2; July, 1; and 37 for which the dates of
commencement were not reported but occurred for the most part
in the months of November or December.
Three-fourths of the strikes reported during December were in the
northeastern section of the country, and all but 15 were in the States
east of the Mississippi and north of the Potomac and the Ohio Rivers.
The following table shows the States in which 5 or more strikes
occurred:
STATES IN W HICH 5 OR MORE STR IK ES OCCURRED DURING DECEMBER, 1915.
State.

Strikes. Lockouts.

New York......................................
Pennsylvania.....................................................
Massachusetts.............................................
Ohio.............................................................
Connecticut.................................................
Illinois............................................
15 other States....................................................

26
19
12
9
6
5
25

Total................................................

102

3
3
i
4
u

Total.
29
22
12
10
0
5
29
113

Two of these strikes were confined to women and 12 included both
men and women. No lockouts were reported in which women were
concerned.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

Tlie industries in which nine or more strikes and lockouts were
reported were as follows:
NUM BER OF STR IK ES AND LOCKOUTS IN SPEC IFIED
DURING DECEM BER, 1915.

IN D U STR IES, R E PO R T ED

Strikes. Lockouts.

Industry.
Metal trades.........................................................................................................
Clothing industries.............................................................................................
Textile workers...................................................................................................
Rnildine* trades....................................................................................................
Miners
_ ........................................................................................
All others.............................................................................................................
T otal...........................................................................................................

31
21
9
9
9
23
102

4
1
2
4
11

Total.
35
22
11
9
9
27
113

Of the disturbances in the metal trades, 10 strikes and 3 lockouts
were by machinists, 8 strikes by molders, and 5 by metal polishers;
7 of the miners’ strikes were by coal men.
In 69 strikes and 9 lockouts the strikers were connected with
unions ; in 3 strikes the strikers were not connected with unions at the
time of striking, hut almost immediately organized themselves into
unions; in the remaining strikes and lockouts, it was not stated
whether the strikers had union affiliation or not.
In 84 cases the causes of the strikes and lockouts were given. Of
these, 47 related to wages, 11 to hours, and 19 to recognition of the
union. Very nearly three-fourths of the strikes were in regard to
wages and hours.
PRIN CIPA L CAUSES OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS R E P O R T E D DURING DECEM BER, 1915.
Strikes. Lockouts.

Cause.
Wage increase
..........................................................................................
Reduction of hours
.......................................................
Wages and hours
.......................................................
Wages and recognition
....................................................
Wages hours, and recognition
......................................................
Recognition
..............................................................................
Presence of nonunion men ...............................................................................
Discharge of employees
..........................................................................
Recanse of wage reduction.................................................................................
To prevent unionizing
..............................................................................
Other causes.........................................................................................................
Total .........................................................................................................

21
2
7
14
2
3
12
3
3
12
79

5
5

Total.
21
2
7
14
2
3
12
3
3
5
12
84

In 48 of the strikes the number of the persons involved was reported
to be 56,838. In 6 of these, each involving 1,200 or more, the number
of strikers was 47,500, leaving 9,338 distributed among 42 strikes, or an
average of about 222 persons connected with each strike, omitting the 4
largest, or about 1,173, if all are included. In 5 lockouts, the number
of employees involved was reported to be 1,475, or an average of 295.
The duration of 29 strikes ending in December was given as 459
days, if we omit 1 strike, which had lasted for three years, making the
average length of the 28 strikes about 16 days. Two lockouts termi
nated with a total cessation from work of 31 days.

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[124]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

REDUCTION OF HOURS OF LABOR IN THE MACHINE TRADES.

A movement for the reduction of hours of labor, notable for its rapid
progress, has taken place in the machine trades since late in the sum
mer of 1915. It has chiefly affected the firms having contracts for
making war munitions, though not exclusively restricted to such
establishments. The demands for reduced hours have usually come
from machinists, although other occupations have joined, and in most
establishments all employees have received the benefits in the reduc
tion of hours which have been granted to machinists. Reduced hours
of labor have in practically all cases been effected with no reduction
in weekly wage, and in many cases with increased wages.
A partial list of the firms which had established the 8-hour day or
granted a reduction in hours up to the middle of September was pub
lished in the October, 1915, issue of the R e v i e w . The International
Association of Machinists has furnished the bureau a list supplement
ing the earlier list of firms which had granted reductions of hours up
to the end of 1915. The following firms have established an 8-hour
day, with reductions in most cases of 7 hours in a working week.
Bridgeport, Conn.:
American Graphophone Co.
Lake Torpedo Boat Co.
Meriden, Conn.:
New England Westinghouse Co.
New Haven, Conn.:
Geometric Tool Co.
Sheldon, Conn.:
The R. N. Basset Shop.
Wilmington, Del.:
Vogel Machine Co.
Chicago, 111.:
Stewart Warner Speedometer Co.
Western Electric Co.
Baton Rouge, La. :
Standard Oil Co.
Baltimore, Md.:
Pool Engineering Co.
Universal Machine Co.
Lowell, Mass.:
Heinze Electric Co.
U. S. Cartridge Co.
Springfield, Mass.:
Barley Machine Co.
Barney & Berry (Inc.).
Bausch Machine Tool Co.
Bay State Corset Co.
Blake Machine Co.
Duckworth Chain Co.
Gilbert & Barker Co.

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Springfield, Mass.—Concluded.
Hendee Motorcycle Co.
Kibbie Candy Co.
Knox Automobile Co.
Knox Motor Co.
National Equipment Co.
Package Machinery Co.
Rider Bagg Co.
Russell Machine Co.
Stacy Machine Co.
United States Saw Co.
Detroit, Mich.:
Siewek Bros.
The Studebaker Corporation.
Camden, N. J.:
Victor Talking Machine Co.
Garwood, N. J.:
Bell Electric Co.
Hyatt Roller and Bearing Co.
Perth Amboy, N. J.:
American Smelting & Refining Co.
Annes-Potter Brick Co.
Barber Asphalt Co.
Lyons-Flynn Co.
Perth Amboy Dry Dock.
Raritan Dry Dock Co.
Raritan Copper Works.
R. & H. Chemical Co.
Shantz & Exkert.
Standard Cable Co.
[125]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

Perth Amboy, N. J.—Concluded.
Union Lead Co.
United States Cartridge Co.
Patrick Whites.
Plainfield, N. J.:
Manganese Steel Safe Co.
South Plainfield, N. J.:
Spicer Manufacturing Co.
Trenton, N. J.:
J. L. Mott.
Harry Stahl.
E. Wilkes.
New York City and vicinity:
Adriance Machine Co.
Acme Die Casting Co.
Auto Press Co.
Blair Machine Co.
Bliss Manufacturing Co.
Cameron Machine Co.
Carpenter Tool Co.
Hoe Printing Press Co.
Doehler Die Casting Co.
W. W. Kellog Co.
Notham Manufacturing Co.
hours).
Rockwell Engineering Co.
Schroeder Machine Co.

New York City and vicinity—Concluded.
Sperry Gyroscope Co.
Wappler’s Electric Co.
Cincinnati, Ohio:
United States Printing & Lithograph
Co.
United States Playing Card Co.
Cleveland, Ohio:
Cleveland Automatic Co.
F. B. Stearns Auto Manufacturing Co.
Sewer & Morgan Co.
Springfield, Ohio:
Springfield Machine Tool Co.
Toledo, Ohio:
American Can Co.
Bock Bearing Co.
City Machine Tool Co.
Consolidated Manufacturing Co.
O’Neill Machine Co.
Youngstown, Ohio:
William Todd Co.
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Pittsburgh Machine Tool Co.
Providence, R. I.:
(49
Providence Engineering Co.
Milwaukee, Wis.:
Milwaukee Die & Casting Co. (44
hours a week).

The following firms have granted reductions in hours, although
the hours are still somewhat in excess of the straight 8-hour day:
Forty-nine and one-half hours per week.

Columbus, Ohio: Hearne Manufacturing Co., Rudd Manufacturing Co., Shiriner
Co., Modern Tool & Die Co.
Fifty hours per week.

Connecticut: New Departure Roller Bearing Co., Bristol; Birmingham Foundry
& Machine Co., Derby. New Jersey: Wickes Bros., Jersey City; J. A. Roebling
Co., Trenton. New York City and vicinity: Davis Bourville Co.
Fifty-four hours per week.

Connecticut: Hendee Machine Co., Torrington. Pennsylvania: Westinghouse Co.,
East Pittsburgh.

EMPLOYMENT IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 1915.

In the January, 1916, M o n t h l y R e v i e w figures were published
showing for several industries for the months of October and Novem
ber, 1915, the total number of persons employed and the total amount
paid out in wages in a number of representative establishments, with

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[126]

MONTHLY REVIEW OE THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

percentages indicating the change in these items in November as
compared with October. The purpose of these figures was to com
pare the volume of employment in the different months.
The data were secured on blanks sent to representative establish
ments. Announcement was made that these figures would be con
tinued from month to month. Following suggestions received, the
inquiry sent out at the end of the year for December, 1915, figures
included a request for December, 1914, figures also. The returns for
December have not been as satisfactory as for November. In order
that manufacturers may see the scope of the inquiries and the results
obtained, the table below shows the number of establishments to
which inquiry was sent and the number of replies received. It is
the purpose of the bureau to make these figures of practical service
as well as of interest to manufacturers. The bureau desires to
enlarge this feature of its statistical work to include more establish
ments in the industries already covered and to take on other indus
tries, but at the same time it desires to establish a list of firms that will
cooperate and furnish reports regularly in the industries here covered
before extending the work. Each establishment to which inquiry
is sent is requested, therefore, to send in a report promptly that it
may reach Washington not later than the twelfth of the month fol
lowing the month reported.
Two tables are here presented, one making a comparison between
the figures of November and December, 1915, and the other between
December, 1914, and December, 1915:
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN NOVEMBER
AND DECEMBER, 1915.

Industry.

Boots and shoes...........
Cotton goods................
Cotton finishing...........
Hosiery and underwear
Iron and steel...............

Estab
lish
ments Estab
lish
to
which ments
in
report
quiries ing.
were
sent.

89
91
20
82
133

55
47
8
44
80

Employees.
Period
of pay
roll.

1 week..
. . .do ___
. . .d o ___
. . .do___
£ month.

Earnings.

Number on pay
Amount of pay
Per
Per
roll in—
roll in—
cent of
cent of
increase
increase
(+ ) or
(+ ) or
de
Novem Decem de
Decem crease.
crease Novem
ber.
ber.
ber.
ber.
(-)•
(-).
39,609 43,166
37,099 37,365
7,580
7,680
23,606 23,940
111,261 116,260

+9.0 $498,343 $544,659
305, 211 299,544
+ .7
+ 1.3
83,377
85,573
+ 1.4
211,620
224,111
+4.5 3,797,463 4,112,076

+9.3
—1.9
+2.6
+5.9
+8.3

Comparing December, 1915, with the month immediately preced
ing, a material advance is seen. Each industry shows an increase
in the number of persons employed, and each industry, except cot
ton goods, shows an increase in the earnings of its employees.
November figures were not asked for in the silk and woolen industries.

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[127]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OE LABOR STATISTICS.

COMPARISON OP EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHM ENTS IN DECEMBER,
1914, AND DECEM BER, 1915.

Industry.

Estab
lish
ments Estab
lish
to
which ments
report
in
quiries ing.
were
sent.

Boots and shoes...........
Cotton goods______ ..
Cotton finishing...........
Hosiery and underwear
Iron and steel...............
Silk................................
Woolen..........................

88
91
20
82
133
62
ol

59
54
8
42
89
31
14

Employees.
Period
of pay
roll.

1 w eek..
... do.......
. ..d o .......
.. .do.......
Amonth.
2 weeks.
2 weeks.

Earnings.

Amount of pay
Number on pay
Per
Per
roll in—
roll in—
cent of
cent of
increase
increase
) or Decem Decem (+ ) or
Decem Decem (+de
de
ber,
ber,
ber,
ber,
crease
1914.
1915.
1914.
1915. crease
(-).
(-)•
39,662 44,552
42,178 43,111
6,984 7,680
21,827 23; 581
90,662 123,257
17,307 IS, 151
6,452
7,196

+ 12.3 1456,654 $569,522
+ 2.2
325,501 341,808
85; 573
+ 10.0
6S; 463
+ 8.0
178,199 222,980
+ 36.0 2,502,766 4,307,821
310,137 385,575
+ 3.7
+ 11.5
62,637
77,666

+24.7
+ 5.0
+25.0
+25.1
+ 72.1
+24.3
+24.0

Reports are received for different lengths of pay rolls from different
establishments. In order that each establishment may have a proper
weight in the aggregate, pay rolls are reduced to an approximately
common basis, the one most frequently reported. Thus a majority
of the iron and steel pay rolls are for a half month. Hence in a
very few one-month rolls the amount of earnings is divided by two,
and in a few one-week pay rolls the amount is multiplied by two.
The two-weeks’ pay rolls are counted as a half month. The pay
rolls of each establishment being of the same length in the two dif
ferent months compared, the proportion for the two months is pre
served. The number of employees is used as reported, regardless
of the length of the pay-roll period. This breaks very slightly the
comparability of the figures for different establishments because of
the increase in the labor turnover with the increase in the length
of the pay-roll period.
The second table shows a most pronounced increase in December,
1915, as compared with December, 1914. More men are employed
in each industry, the increase varying from 2.2 per cent in cotton goods
to 36 per cent in the iron and steel industry. Aggregate pay rolls
increased to a far greater extent, from 5 per cent in the cotton indus
try to 72.1 per cent in iron and steel. Many establishments reported
short-time work in December, 1914, but nearly all were on full time
in December, 1915.
In addition to the data presented in the above table for number
of employees on the pay roll, 87 establishments in the iron and steel
industry returned 120,676 employees as actually working on the last
full day of the pay period reported for in Decemcer, 1915, as against
85,842 for the reported pay-roll period in December, 1914, an in
crease of 40.6 per cent.

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[ 128 ]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

STATE AND MUNICIPAL PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT BUREAUS.

In the preceding issue of the M o n t h l y R e v i e w the bureau began
the publication of reports of the operation of State and municipal
public employment bureaus in the different States. In that issue
facts were presented covering the work of State and city bureaus in
various cities of six States for the month of November, and for the
bureau at Richmond, Va., for 11 months, and for Fort Worth, Tex.,
for December, 1914, and each month of the year 1915. In continua
tion of that information the returns from State employment bureaus
in 11 States and municipal employment bureaus in 7 States are here
presented. The report includes returns for the month of November
from bureaus not included in the preceding publication that have
reported those- data since the publication of the last issue of the
M o n t h l y R e v i e w , and for the month of December, 1915, for all
bureaus that have furnished information for the month of December.
The figures representing the work for the month of December, 1914,
for such bureaus as were able to furnish that information are also
presented for comparative purposes.
OPERATIONS OF F R E E PU BLIC EM PLOYM ENT OFFICES, 1914 AND 1915.
Number
Number Number
per Number
of per
of appli ofsons
of per
sons
cations
sons
for applying
referred
from em asked
by
em
to
posi
ployers. ployers. for work. tions.

State and city.

Number
of posi
tions
filled.

California (municipal):
Berkeley—
December, 1914.................................... .............
December, 1915..................................................
Sacramento, December, 1915..........................

79
144
147

(2)
156
175

102
3 149
156

79
156
175

Total, December, 1915..........................................

291

331

3 305

331

Colorado (State):
Colorado Springs, November, 1915.........................
Denver, No. 1, November, 1915..............................
Denver, No. 2, November, 1915..............................
Pueblo, November, 1915..........................................

54
26
21
15

516
219
136
215

642
311
427
221

490
219
113
213

Total.......................................................................

116

1,086

1,601

1,035

(2)
(2)

155
760

270
954

(2)
(2)

145
679

(2)
(2)

159
466

316
673

134
347

(2)
(2)

132
428

258
364

(2)
(2)

100
302

Connecticut (State):
Bridgeport—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 191»..................................................
Hartford—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
New Haven—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
Norwich—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
W aterbury—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................

(2)
(2)

44
180

61
241

(2)
(2)

36
171

(2)
(2)

127
183

182
189

(2)
(2)

103
110

Total—
December, 1914...............................................
December, 1915...............................................

(2)
(2)

617
2,017

1,087
2; 421

(2)
(2)

518
1,609

3 Also 511 renewals.

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s Not reported.

[1291

MONTHLY REVIEW OE THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

OPERATIONS OF F R E E PUBLIC EM PLOYM ENT OFFICES, 1914 AND 1915—Continued.
Number
Number Number
per Number
of per Number
of appli ofsons
of per
sons
of posi
cations asked for
sons
referred
tions
from em by em applying to posi
filled.
ployers. ployers. for work.
tions.

State and city.

Kansas (State), Topeka:
December, 1914..................... ................................
December, 1915.........................................................
Kentucky (municipal): Louisville, December, 1915..
Massachusetts (State), 1914-1915:
Boston—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
Fall River—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
Springfield—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
Worcester—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................

6
72

6
72
129

i 12
2 132
4 347

6
72
109

4
65
60

685
1,402

828
1,695

5 467
5 935

6 1,383
5 2,672

723
1,267

95
107

119
111

5 35
5 18

5 103
894

89
83

283
620

331
786

5 117
5 145

5 407
6 869

257
624

260
594

299
720

5 432
5 421

6 516
6 983

240
515

1,323
2,723

1,577
3,312

5 1,051
51,519

6 2,409
6 4,618

1,309
2,489

Michigan (State):
Detroit, November, 1915..........................................
Flint, November, 1915.............................................
Grand Ranids, November, 1915.............................
Jackson, November, 1915........................................
Kalamazoo, Novemoer, 1915...................................
Saginaw, November, 1915......................................

( 3)
( 3)
( 3)
( 3)
( 3)
( 3)

3,907
509
844
598
372
771

( 3)
( 3)
( 3)
( 3)
( 3)
( 3)

3,907
509
844
598
372
771

Total.......................................................................

( 3)

7,001

( 3)

7,001

( 3)
( 3)

454
618

3)
3)

894
1,211

( 3)
( 3)

3)
3)

( 3)
( 3)

495
756

( 3)
( 3)

( 3)
(»)

( 3)
( 3)

1,843
2,585

Total—
December, 1914........................................
December, 1915........................................

Minnesota (State):
Duluth—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
Minneapolis—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
St. Paul—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
Total—
December, 1914........................................
December, 1915........................................
Missouri (State):
Kansas City—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915............ .....................................
St. Louis—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
St. Joseph—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
Total—
December, 1914........................................
December, 1915........................................

( 3)

( 3)
( 3)

135
149

242
185

( 3)
( 3)

131
132

( 3)

(3)

141
351

580
536

( 3)
( 3)

122
312

( 3)
( 3)

464
659

488
620

( 3)
( 3)

454
615

( 3)
( 3)

740
1,159

1,310
1,341

( 3)
( 3)

707
1,059

Montana ('municipal): Butte, December, 1915............
New Jersey (municipal): Newark, November, 1915..
New York (State), December, 1915:
Albany.......................................................................
Buffalo.......................................................................
New York City (Brooklyn)....................................
Rochester..................................................................
Syracuse....................................................................

405
1,322

( 3)

1,662

685
695

( 3)

278
440
782
562
443

416
710
1,410
894
572

7 547
8 679
» 1,337
10 644
H 501

571
836
1,506
989
596

312
539
787
604
442

Total.......................................................................

2, 505

4,002

12 3,708

4,498

2,684

1 Also 3 renewals.
2 Also 14 renewals.
8Not reported.
4 Also 1,186 renewals.

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5 Number who were registered.
6 Number of offers of positions.
7 Also 229 renewals.
8 Also 219 renewals.

[130]

405

9 Also 502 renewals.
10 Also 269 renewals.
11 Also 147 renewals.
12 Also 1,366 renewals.

330
1,369

M O N T H L Y R E V IE W O F T H E B U R E A U OF L A B O R S T A T IS T IC S .

OPER A TIO N S OF F R E E PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES, 1914 AND 1915—Concluded.
Number
Number Number
per Number
of per
of appli ofsons
of per
sons
cations
sons
for applying
referred
from em asked
by
em
to
posi
ployers-. ployers. for work.
tions.

State and city.

Ohio (State), December, 1915:
Akron............................................................ - .........
Cincinnati.................................................................
Cleveland...................................................................
Columbus.................................................................
Dayton......................................................................
Toledo........................................................................
Youngstown..............................................................

0)
0)
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
-- (9

Number
of posi
tions
filled.

1,179
1,112
5,231
1,476
946
1,887
1,375

2 3,104
3 5,180
49,017
5 3,499
« 2,073
7 4,251
8 2,159

1,100
1,041
3,940
1,447
823
1,871
1,043

890
780
3,277
1,227
754
1,652
815

13,206

9 29,283

11,265

9,395

76
222
243
238

112
170
303
217

779

802

67
181

78
209

io 450
ii 360

78
209

90
96
129

174
132
167

1,186
12 80
2,288

220
190
162

174
132
151

Total December, 1915...........................................

225

299

2,368

352

283

Virginia (municipal): Richmond, December, 1915__
Washington (municipal):
Seattle, November, 1915..........................................
Spokane, November, 1915.......................................
Tacoma, November, 1915........................................

211

643

542

362

175

971

1,406

1,406
841
350

1,406
744
312

2,597

2,462

Total.......................................................................
Oklahoma (State), December, 1915:
E n id ..........................................................................
Muskogee...................................................................
Oklahoma City.........................................................
Tulsa..........................................................................

(9
(9
(9
(9
(9

Total.......................................................................
Rhode Island (State):
Providence—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
Texas (municipal):
Dallas—
December, 1914..................................................
December, 1915..................................................
Fort Worth, December, 1915..................................

Total.......................................................................
1 Not reported.
2 Also 2,268 renewals.
2 Also 3,476 renewals.
4Also 6,569 renewals.
6 Also 2,697 renewals.

731,200

13 1,718

229

s Also 1,352 renewals.
7 Also 2,849 renewals.
8 Also 1,388 renewals.
8 Also 20,599 renewals.

312

(9
(9
(9
(9

(9
(9
(9
(9
(9

143
196
209
616

10 Also 129 renewals.
11 Also 26 renewals.
12 Also 16 renewals.
13 Not including returns for Spokane.

WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION LEGISLATION OF 1914 AND 1915.

If proof were needed of the rapid growth of the idea of compen
sation of workmen for injuries received in the course of employment
as a substitute for the old liability acts, it would be found in Bulletin
No. 185 of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bulletin presents
the legislation for the years 1914 and 1915, together with amend
ments to a number of earlier laws, which in some cases are so exten
sive as to necessitate the reprinting of the entire law. This bulletin
is in effect a supplement to Bulletin No. 126, issued two years ago
as a complete compilation up to that date of existing legislation in
this field.
The legislation of the year 1914 included three States—Kentucky,
Louisiana, and Maryland. One of these laws, that of Kentucky,
was declared unconstitutional before it came into operation. That
of Maryland superseded an earlier statute reported as unworkable.

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The new laws of 1915 cover eight States—Colorado, Indiana, Maine,
Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wyoming—besides
the Territories of Alaska and Hawaii. The legislation of 1914
included also a presidential order providing a compensation system
for employees of the Panama Canal and the Panama Railroad,
while that of the current year includes a similar order extending the
Federal compensation act of 1908 to workmen engaged on or about
the Government railway in Alaska. With the legislation of these
two years 31 States and the Territories of Alaska and Hawaii now
have compensation laws. A Federal statute covers also about onefourth of the civilian employees of the United States. All of this
legislation has been enacted since 1908, and practically all of the
existing legislation in the States since 1910.
Of the new laws of 1914 and 1915, one, that of Wyoming, must be
classed as a compulsory insurance law, while those of Maryland and
Oklahoma are compulsory compensation laws. In the other States,
8 in number, the law permits the employer to elect or reject the
compensation act. In case he rejects it, however, he is deprived of
the customary defenses under the liability laws.
Some of the newer laws have certain features which are of special
interest and worthy of mention. The Oklahoma statute, for exam
ple, applies only to cases of nonfatal accidents, while in Wyoming
all awards, whether for death or disability, are in the form of lump
sum payments arbitrarily fixed by the statute without regard to the
earning capacity of the injured person. The Alaska statute also
provides for lump-sum payments except for temporary disability.
Legislation elsewhere has very generally provided for periodical pay
ments graduated according to wage loss, and this method is favored
by practically all authorities.
Of the new laws of 1914 and 1915, the Wyoming act is the least
liberal, the compensation for death being limited to funeral expenses
of $50 and a maximum death benefit of $2,000. In comparison
with this the Colorado statute provides for a maximum of $2,500,
while the maximum of the Alaska statute is $6,000. In cases of
temporary disability the Colorado law is more illiberal than any
other, as it provides for no compensation for disabilities not extend
ing beyond three weeks. In the statutes of other States the waiting
time has usually been fixed at one or two weeks, no State except
Colorado fixing a longer period.
In the legislation of 1914 and 1915 special boards or commissions
for administration continue to be preferred, the laws of Alaska and
Wyoming being the only ones enacted during 1915 which do not
have this provision. In Maine, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Vermont
the administrative authorities are given no powers other than those

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

relating to the administration of the compensation acts. In Hawaii
county boards with functions restricted to the compensation act are
provided for. In Louisiana the law is administered by the courts.
The prevention of accidents, as well as compensation, is provided
for in a number of the new laws. Thus, the Industrial Commission
of Colorado is charged not only with the administration of the
compensation act, but also with the duty of factory and mine inspec
tion, the enforcement of woman and child labor laws, and safety
laws generally. Corresponding provisions are found also in the laws
of Indiana and Montana.
The bulletin contains* a comparative analysis of existing workmen’s
compensation laws in the form of a large folding chart. Notwith
standing the efforts which have been made to bring about uniformity
in compensation legislation, a comparison of the laws of the 31 States
which have thus far enacted compensation laws shows the widest
diversity in the methods and amounts of compensation payments
and the scope of the various laws. Amending legislation is in general
of a liberalizing character, either including new disabilities, as occu
pational diseases, or increasing the disability allowances, or intro
ducing other details.
Promise of future progress in compensation legislation is found in
the provision for a commission in Utah for the purpose of drafting
a compensation bill and in the amendments to the constitutions of
Pennsylvania and Wyoming and in the proposed amendment of the
constitution of Oklahoma, the purpose of which is to permit the
enactment of more inclusive and effective laws than is believed pos
sible under the present laws of the States.
LABOR LEGISLATION OF 1915.

The annual summary of labor legislation in the United States,
published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which appears as its
Bulletin No. 186, covers the activities in this field during 1915 of 45
States, 2 Territories, and the Federal Congress. With three excep
tions—Kentucky, Maryland, and Mississippi—every State in the
Union hold a legislative session, regular or extra, in 1915, and of
these all but two—Louisiana and Virginia—enacted laws of special
interest to labor. The bureau’s report reproduces the text of all
these labor laws and presents a concise review of each class of legis
lation. The workmen’s compensation laws are omitted, having been
published separately in the bureau’s recently issued Bulletin No. 185.
Aside from the enactment of workmen’s compensation laws, perhaps
the most significant feature of the legislation of the year is the
growth of the industrial commission plan, uniting in one authority
the administration of workmen’s compensation, factory inspection,
22978°—16— 4

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

and other labor laws. This plan was adopted in 1915 in Colorado,
Indiana, Montana, Nevada, and New York.
Especially notable in the legislation of the year was the attention
given to the subject of unemployment and public employment offices.
In Illinois a commission on unemployment, consisting of three repre
sentatives of labor, three of employers, and three of the public, was
established to report at the next legislative session. In connection
with the State employment offices a general advisory board was es
tablished to investigate and deal with unemployment. California
and Nevada passed resolutions calling for investigation of unem
ployment. In Idaho emergency employment is to be provided by
county boards of commissioners for unemployed citizens of the
United States who have been for six months residents of the State.
Employment is to be on the highways at rates to be fixed by the
county boards, not more than 60 days’ work of this kind to be fur
nished any person within one year. One-half of the expense is to be
borne by the State, and refusal to perform the work assigned debars
one from this form of relief for the period of one year.
Public employment offices were provided for in California, Idaho,
Iowa, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and provision was made for
the extension of the system of public employment offices in Illinois,
Michigan, and Oklahoma. The licensing and supervision of private
employment offices were provided for in seven States—Colorado, Ne
braska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Wisconsin—
while Idaho prohibited the maintenance of private employment
agencies operated for profit.
Laws relating to the employment of women and children were
quite as numerous as in preceding years. Notable among these
were the minimum-wage laws enacted by Arkansas and Kansas,
making 11 States which now have such legislation. California,
Massachusetts, and Washington passed amendments to their minimumwage laws, not, however, involving any important modifications.
In Idaho a commission to investigate the subject of minimum-wage
legislation was provided for.
Considerable progress was made in the field of child-labor legisla
tion, notably in the States of Arkansas and Pennsylvania. In the
latter State the law requires eight hours per week of school attend
ance for children under the age of 16, such attendance to be between
the hours of 8 a. m. and 5 p. m.
In the field of safety provisions the most detailed enactments were
those formulated by the Industrial Commission of Wisconsin and the
Industrial Boards of New York and Pennsylvania. The rules and
orders of these bodies indicated an intimate knowledge of the condi
tions to be met which it is impossible for an ordinary legislative

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committee to procure. The worker’s welfare is looked after in less
usual ways by new enactments in some States regulating the sanitary
conditions in labor camps, railway labor camps, and the like.
Laws to regulate the giving of clearance cards or statements of
cause of discharge were enacted in three States—California, Indiana,
and Oregon—while in two States—California and Nevada—the right
is given the employee by law to hear and answer charges brought by
“ spotters” before being discharged on their evidence.
Other important laws enacted during 1915 were the seamen’s act,
which made numerous provisions for safety and abolished arrest and
imprisonment for desertion; the Alaska and Arizona old-age pension
laws; and the California act providing for the appointment of a
commission to report on the subject of social insurance.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION SURVEY OF RICHMOND, VA.

How to make the work of the public schools more practically use
ful in preparing children for vocations which they wish to follow is a
question which many cities are trying to answer. While the ques
tion of vocational education is one fundamentally much broader than
the temporary need of any locality or industry, each city must adapt
its plan to the social, industrial, and educational conditions of the
community. The way one city has sought to solve this problem is
shown in a report on a vocational education survey of Richmond,
Va., just published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as its Bulletin
No. 162. The survey here described was made under the auspices of
a survey committee organized by the National Society for the Pro
motion of Industrial Education, and having the cooperation of the
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States Bureau
of Education, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the school authori
ties and citizens of Richmond.
The chief purpose of this survey was to secure for Richmond an
accurate knowledge of the industrial and school facts and conditions
necessary in developing a plan of vocational education to serve the
practical needs of children preparing for the various vocations and of
employers and employees. A special object of the survey was to
secure the cooperation ot national and local public and private
agencies in the making of a survey which might be useful as a model
for studies in other localities where the need of a better program of
vocational education was pressing.
The survey included a study of the public schools of Richmond,
with special attention to the present status of vocational and tech
nical education and the fields of employment in Richmond, and a

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study and analysis of the occupations of men in the printing, buildino-, and metal trades, and of women in retail stores and in the tobacco
industry. The analysis of occupations was from the standpoint of
both employer and employee, and was designed especially to ascer
tain in detail for each occupation the conditions of employment,
what the occupation has to offer the workers, what the worker needs
to equip him properly for the trade, what the industry gives in the
way of training, the more common deficiencies of workers as seen by
the employer and by the workers themselves, and in detail the spe
cific training which in the judgment of the employer and worker the
school and the trade ought to give.
A most important and successful part of the method of the survey
was in securing the active interest and assistance of both employers
and employees throughout the work, with the result that it became
necessary to outline courses and organize classes several months
before the completion of the survey.
The recommendations of the survey committee deal with the prob
lem of financing vocational education in Richmond, compulsory
attendance, types of schools and courses of study for boys and men,
and for girls and women; prevocational education for boys, and the
place of private institutions receiving city moneys in the general
plan for vocational education. The survey committee found a
definite need for the offering of educational facilities for men and
boys already employed. It was evident that the supply of efficient
journeymen was inadequate, that the amount of systematic instruc
tion given in a shop was small, and that the amount of apprentice
ship training was limited. The men themselves desired further
educational advantages and were personally interested in trade
education. Many workers had taken courses at their own expense
and since leaving the regular school. The majority of these workers
had taken courses hearing directly upon their trades. The survey
committee recommended the organization of evening and part-time
schools and courses for boys and men already employed, and out
lined general and industrial courses for the trades which the survey
had covered.
The survey committee were of the opinion that the white women
and girls of Richmond who were employed in manufacturing and
mechanical pursuits were engaged in operations which can be learned
more quickly in the factory than in the school, largely because the
amount of technical training and trade information necessary is too
meager to warrant the expenditure of public money for equipment
and instruction. There was need of department store and sales
manship training through part-time and continuation classes. Steps
were taken to meet this need before the completion of the survey.

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MONTHLY EE VIEW OF THE BUEEAU OP LABOE STATISTICS.

The conclusion was reached that there was no need or possibility
of a girl’s trade school for Richmond. A demand, however, was
found to exist for courses of training in the practical arts as a part
of the general education of girls over 13 years of age. Instruction
in home economics, except in specialized courses planned and fol
lowed for the purpose of earning a livelihood, in the committee’s
opinion, should not he regarded as vocational education for wage
earning, but as a valuable and necessary part of general education
to which every girl is entitled as a part of her adequate preparation
for living.
SHOEMAKING AS A TRADE FOR WOMEN IN MASSACHUSETTS.
A study of the boot and shoe industry in Massachusetts as a voca
tion for women is the subject of Bulletin No. 180, issued by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. The object of the study was to gain
first-hand knowledge in regard to certain aspects of an occupation
long held to be exceptionally desirable for wage-earning women.
Four important shoe centers in Massachusetts were chosen for the
inquiry, namely, Boston and Chelsea, Brockton and nearby towns,
Lynn and Beverly, and Marlboro.
The importance of the boot and shoe industry in Massachusetts
is indicated by the fact that in 1911 it employed an average number
of 80,000 workers, or nearly half the number in the industry in the
entire country. Of this number 35 per cent, or nearly 28,000, were
women and girls, a greater number than is employed at any other
factory trade except the textile industries.
The method of the study included visits to 80 factories in the 4
localities selected; rates of pay and earnings were studied, based on
the pay rolls of 18 factories and over 4,400 women shoe operatives.
Information in regard to the physical conditions under which the
women were working and living was in all cases based upon personal
inspections.
The majority of women workers were employed in the stitching
room, a smaller number in the packing room, while in every room
table work is done by women and minors. Outside of these occu
pations men performed all of the operations in the factory. Massa
chusetts women have not yet entered the cutting rooms, except at
skiving. The packing-room work, formerly done by men, is now
almost completely in the hands of women. Women are also found
at assembling machines and doing eyeleting and buttonhole making.
To some extent men have recently taken up some of the occupa
tions formerly exclusively assigned to women. In the stitching
room, vamping, usually the best-paid process, is now frequently done

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by men of some of the foreign races. The managers claim that the
men hold out longer than women on heavy work. Furthermore,
the law permits them to work longer hours than women, and in a
rush season the employer regards this as an advantage.
As compared with other Massachusetts industries, the boot and
shoe industry pays nearly the highest annual as well as the highest
weekly wage. When adult women alone are considered, the average
weekly wage is about 50 cents higher than that paid in the next
highest, the electrical machinery industry. In the week of maximum
employment more than 40 per cent of the women in the boot and
shoe industry earned $10 and over, a proportion nearly twice that
shown for any other industry.
The study of pay rolls in this investigation showed wide differences
in the earnings in the several localities, the proportion earning less
than $8 in the week when the greatest number were employed, varying
from 24 per cent in Brockton to 42 per cent in Lynn, while the propor
tions earning over $10 a week varied from 34 per cent in Marlboro to
54 per cent in Brockton.
According to Massachusetts statistics for 1911, the seasonal fluctua
tions in shoe factories are greater than in any other industry except
the men’s and women’s clothing industries. While conditions change
somewhat from year to year, it may be stated generally that the late
fall and early winter months show the high tide of employment, with
some stability through the winter, a rapid ebb in the early spring,
partial recovery in the late summer, and irregularity in the early fall.
The investigation indicates that the seasonal fluctuations are largely
due to the general adoption of the order system, a system which manu
facturers regard as necessary because of the rapid changes in fashion
and the uncertainty in regard to the styles which will be used.
Some indication of the instability of the working force among
women shoe workers is given by the fact that the number of women
employed in the week of maximum employment is only 61 per cent
of the total number employed during the year, as shown by the pay
rolls.
An attempt to ascertain the proportion of women workers who were
steadily employed showed that in 12 factories 32 per cent of the
women worked 46 weeks or more during the year, the proportion
reaching 59 per cent in a Beverly factory and 85 per cent in one
Marlboro factory.
Of the women who worked 46 weeks or more, all adult, experienced
and steady workers, three-fifths earned less than $500 a year, and not
far from one-half earned only $450 or less. Unquestionably, however,
these earnings exceed those of any other large body of factory workers.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OE THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

In summing up the results of the study as to earnings, the bulletin
notes that three points stand out prominently: The fluctuations in
the industry, which debar many of the workers from steady employ
ment; factory unemployment or temporary lack of work for those
who nominally are steadily employed; and, partly as a consequence
of this irregularity of work, the low weekly wage even of steady and
experienced workers when earnings are distributed over the year.

THE COST OF LIVING OF WORKING WOMEN IN OHIO.1

Two considerations prompted the department of investigation and
statistics of the Ohio Industrial Commission to make a careful and
detailed study of the cost of living of working women in that State:
(1) Public interest in the question as to what effect, if any, the increase
in the cost of living has had on the standards of living of wage earners;
and (2) the possibility that in the near future an effort will be made
to provide a legal minimum wage, at least for women employed in
Ohio. Owing to the limited force of special agents and field workers
at the command of the department the experiment was made of
attempting to secure a number of intelligent volunteer workers, each
of whom would undertake the task of finding wage-earning girls and
women of the character desired who would agree to report their
expenditures for one or two months in the manner designated by the
department. These volunteer workers were expected to supervise
the work by visiting the wage earners at frequent intervals and advis
ing them as to the correct method of entering the accounts. For each
girl and woman tentatively selected by these volunteers a card of
personal questions was filled out and forwarded to the department,
and if the information proved that the wage earner met the condi
tions required, each worker was furnished with an account book con
taining sufficient pages for the recording of two months’ expendi
tures. At the close of the two-month period (longer in some cases)
a summary card was made out showing the expenditures for a full
year based on the expenditures as shown in the account book.
Much difficulty was encountered in collecting the information de
sired. Few wage-earning women keep accurate accounts of their
incomes and expenditures, and when persuaded to do so for a limited
period they did not appreciate the necessity of strict accuracy.
Again, few of them persisted, even for the comparatively short time
required to enable conclusions to be drawn as to the typical character
of their expenses, and the books of many of those who did persist
i Cost of living of working women in Ohio. Industrial Commission, departm ent of investigation and
statistics. Report No. 14. Columbus, 1915. 256 pp.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

were so faulty that they had to be rejected. Only 208 women re
turned detailed accounts which they had kept for a period of from
4 to 10 weeks, and only 164 women reported annual budgets.
The inquiry included women 18 years of age and over living away
from home, and with a total income from all sources not in excess
of an average of $12 per week, or $624 per year. Except in a very
few cases all were self-supporting. Those following employments in
which rooms, meals, or a portion of such accommodations were fur
nished in addition to wages were excluded, as were also those living
at home and paying for board and room. Of the 164 reporting
annual budgets, 40 were 18 years of age but under 21, 50 were 21
but under 25, 36 were 25 but under 30, and 34 were 30 or over.
The average annual income of these 164 women was $430.17 ($8.27
per week), and the average annual earnings was $417.37 ($8.03 per
week), indicating that some had other sources of income than their
wages. Sixty-one reported an average annual income aside from
earnings of $34.43, or 66 cents per week. More than one-half of the
budgets were from women earning less than $8 per week. Of the
208 reporting detailed daily accounts, the average weekly earnings
were $8.12 and the average weekly total income was $8.24. The
average annual incomes of the 164 workers whose annual budgets
were used in the final tabulation and the average weekly incomes of
the 208 women and girls who furnished daily accounts were distrib
uted as follows:
AVERAGE ANNUAL AND W E EK L Y INCOME, BY INCOME GROUPS, OF 164 W ORKERS
FURNISHING ANNUAL BUDGETS AND 208 W ORKERS FU RN ISH IN G DAILY
ACCOUNTS.
Number
Average
of budg Per cent income
ets or
of total.
for the
accounts.
group.

Income group.

Annual income:
Less than $312 (less than $6 per week).....................................................
$312 b u t under $364 ($6 b ut less than $7 per week)..................................
$364 b u t under $416 ($7 b u t less than $8 per week)................ ................
$416 b u t under $468 ($8 bu t less than $9 per week)..............................
$468 b u t under $520 ($9 b ut less than $10 per week).................. ............
$520 b u t under $572 ($10 but less than $11 per week)..............................
$572 to $624, inclusive ($11 to $12, inclusive, per week)..........................
Total...............................................................................
... .
Weekly income:
Less than $6......................................................................
$6 b u t under $7......................................................
$7 b u t under $8.......... ..............................
$8 b u t under $9...................................................................................
$9 b u t under $10..........................................................................
$10 b ut under $11..............................................................
$11 and over...........................................................................................
Total................................................................................................

17
28
28
34
23
19
15

10.4
17.1
17.1
20.7
14. 0
11. 6
9.1

$289.00
336.82
389.48
439.38
485.42
534.11
603.16

1G4

100.0

430.17

22
29
43
44
24
24
l 22

10.6
13.9
20.7
21. 2
11.5
11.5
10.6

4.96
6.37
7.44
8.33
9.32
10.24
11.95

208

100.0

8.24

1 6 of the 22 earning $11 per week or over averaged slightly more than $12 per week for the account period,
b ut in every case the annual income was $624 or less.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OP THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

The total expenditures of the 164 women reporting annual budgets
averaged $413.06, or $7.94 per week, distributed as follows:
Food and shelter................................................................................ $3. 96
Clothing.............................................................................................. 1. 94
Laundry..................................................................................................... 12
Car fare to and from work.........................................................................20
Health........................................................................................................ 25
Recreation and amusements.....................................................................34
Fruit, candy, and soda...... .......................................................................08
Education...................................................................................................09
Church and charity................................................................................... 11
Stamps and stationery...............................................................................05
Association dues...................................................................
02
Insurance................................................................................................... 10
Gifts............................................................................................................31
Incidentals.................................................................................................37
Total........................................................................................

7. 94

The total expenditures of the 208 women who kept daily accounts
averaged $8.28 per week. The expenditures of these two groups are
considered from three standpoints: (1) Income received, (2) mode of
living, those boarding and. lodging and those doing light housekeeping
being given separately, and (3) occupations of the workers. It was
found that the average annual expenditure of the 164 reporting
budgets was highest among those receiving $312 or less per year,
being 101.3 per c en t1 of the average annual income. It was also
disclosed that of those reporting daily accounts the highest average
weekly expenditure was among those receiving an average weekly
income of $7 to $8, the per cent being 105.9.1 In both groups those
doing light housekeeping spent a smaller percentage of their income
than those boarding and lodging. Similarly, in both groups those
working in factories spent less in proportion to their income than
those working in offices or as saleswomen or in other occupations.
The general summary of 164 annual budgets is here presented
according to mode of living and occupations.
i This excess is due to the fact th at almost three-fourths of the account weeks fell in September, Octo
ber, and November, when fall and winter clothing were being bought.

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[141]

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS,
GENERAL SUMMARY OF 164 ANNUAL BUDGETS, BY MODE OF LIVING AND
OCCUPATION GROUPS.
Mode of living.

Average expenditure for-

Food and shelter...................
Clothing..............................
L aundry.................................
Car fare to and from w ork...
H ealth....................................
Recreation and am usem ent.
Fruit, candy, soda, e tc.........
Education..............................
Church and charity..............
Stamps and stationery.........
Association dues...................
Insurance...............................
Gifts................... ...................
Incidentals.............................

Average.

Per cent.

Average.

48.1
23.2
1.6
1.8
3.1
4.0
1.0
1.0
1.2
.7
.3
1.4
4.0
8.6

Per cent.
54.5
22.4
.8
3.3
2.3
2.7
.5
1.3
.6
.5
.3
2.4
3.1
5.4

$226.04
93.12
3.42
13.71
9.63
11.11
2.13
5.39
2.34
1.87
1.14
9.95
12. 74
22.48
10
$390. 78
420.47
415.07

37
$405.06
414. 45
388.62

1L7
$423.54
435. 98
420.62

Number of accounts............ .
Average earnings................. .
Average income...................
Average total expenditures.,

Average.

Per cent.

$187.10
90.31
6.28
7.03
11.95
15.57
3. 71
3. 75
4.79
2.81
1.29
5.46
15.43
33.14

49.9
25.1
1.6
2.7
3.1
4.5
1.0
1.1
1.5
.6
.3
1.2
3.9
3.4

$210.06
105.39
6.50
11.46
13.11
18. 77
4.37
4.83
6.50
2.48
1.30
5.01
16. 46
14.37

Mixed boarding and
lodging.

Light housekeeping.

Boarding and
lodging.

Occupation group.

Average expenditure for—

Factory
workers.
Average.

Per
cent.

All others.
Office
employees.
Average.

Per
cent.

Average.

Per
cent.

Average.

Per
cent.

All workers.

Average.

Food and shelter....................... $191. 81 48.5 $217.54 48.6 $221.67 55.9 $205.33 49.2 $205. 86
Clothing..................................... 98. 81 25.0 108. 47 24.2 92.91 23.4 103.70 24.9 101.24
1.8
6. 26
2. 71
.7
7.39
7. 77 1.7
6. 25 1.6
Laundry....................................
10. 60
9.83
2.5
12.65 3.0
7.14
15. 01 3.4
1.8
Car fare to and from w ork.......
12. 49 3.0
12.63
9.02
2.3
13.37 3.0
H ealth........................................ 13. 68 3.5
4.1
17.58
21.09 4.7
12. 68 3.2
17.30
4.4
Recreation and am usem ent. . . 17.35
.9
4.09
1.0
3.47
.9
3.75
4.57
1.1
4.16
Fruit, candy, soda, etc............
4. 62
2. 90
.7
3.98
1.0
1.6
3.89
1.0
7.16
E ducation.................................
4. 71 1.1
1.2
5.86
1.6
4.83
5.89
7.15
1.5
Church and charity..................
2.33
2. 52
2. 81
.7
.6
2. 53
2. 45
.5
.6
Stamps and stationery............
1.29
.2
1.38
.3
.4
.2
.71
1.69
.97
Association dues.......................
5.41
2. 01
.5
8. 07 1.8
5. 53 1.4
4.99
1.3
Insurance...................................
16.00
4.1
14.93
3.6
15.24
3.4
16.
09
16.91
4.3
Gifts...........................................
19.10
2.9
25.03
6.0
11.43
18. 67 4.2
Incidentals................................. 20. 09 5.1
Number of accounts.................
Average earnings.......................
Average income........................
Average total expenditures__

66
$408. 06
417. 69
395.19

44
$468.07
472. 71
447.53

27
$369. 84
400. 63
396. 59

27
$405.02
420.91
416.98

Per
cent.
49.8
24.5
1.5
2.6
3.1
4.3
1.0

1.1
1.4
.6
.3
1.3
3.9
4.6

154
$417.37
430.17
413.06

It was found that many girls resort to light housekeeping in order
to reduce the expense of food, while others live with relatives or
friends paying for such accommodations less than the commercial
rates. Still others go without breakfast or other meals, a few instances
being found where girls had tried to live on one meal a day.
The investigation showed that the average annual amount spent
for clothing by those doing light housekeeping was somewhat below
that spent by those boarding and lodging, but the requirements of
occupation did not seem materially to affect the amount these

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

workers spent for this item. The clothing expenditure of the 164
workers is shown, in the order of importance, in the following table:
DISTRIBU TION OF E X PE N D IT U R E FOR CLOTHING BY 164 W ORKERS FURNISHING
ANNUAL BUDGETS, SHOWING P E R CENT.
Average Per cent
annual
of total
expendi expendi
ture.
ture.

Item.

Outer clothing.............................................
Shoes, rubbers, and shoe repairing...........
H a ts ............. ..................... ! .......................
U nderclothing.............................................
Miscellaneous clothing................................
Dressmaking, cleaning and repair of
clothing.....................................................
Hosiery.........................................................
Gloves'..........................................................
Belts and neckwear....................................

49. 68
13.11
11. 20
10. 77
5.11

49.0
12.9
11.1
10.6
5. 0

4.11
3. 41
2.33
1.62

4.1
3.4
2.3
1.6

Total...................................................

101.24

100.0

One of the remarkable facts disclosed by the inquiry was that
more than three-fourths of those reporting did all or a part of their
laundry after the completion of their day’s work or were indirectly
helped by having their laundry done at less than the regular rate.
In some cases, also, a part of the laundry work was included in the
charge for board and room. Of the 164 women with an average
annual income of $430.17, 83, or 50.6 per cent, spent nothing for
laundry, while $12.86, or 24 cents per week, was the average amount
spent for laundry by those reporting any expenditure at all for this
item. Of the 208 who kept daily accounts of expenditures, having
an average weekly income of $8.24, 103, or 49 per cent, spent nothing
for laundry, while 25 cents per week was the average amount spent
for this item by those reporting such expenditure.
More than one-third (33.6 per cent) of the 164 furnishing annual
budgets and 29.3 per cent of those keeping daily accounts spent
nothing for car fare. About one-third of all the women reporting
walked the year round, while slightly more than one-fourth (26.2 per
cent) rode occasionally.
In the matter of health the report suggests that a surprising feature
of the facts collected is the large number of women who spent nothing
or comparatively small amounts for the care of their health, including
the services of doctors, dentists, oculists and opticians, hospital bills,
and expenditures for medicines, eyeglasses and medical appliances.
Of the 164 reporting in regard to expenditure, more than one-half
(53.6 per cent) spent less than $10 for this item. One-eighth (12.8
per cent) spent nothing. The highest percentage (27.4) spent less
than $5 while 9.2 per cent spent $30 or more.
Of the 164 reporting annual budgets, 11.6 per cent spent nothing
for fruit, candy, sodas, etc., while approximately 9 cents a week was

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MONTHLY EEVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

the average spent by those reporting some expenditure along this
line. Of the 208 who kept daily accounts 13.9 per cent spent nothing
for these items, while the average spent by those reporting any
expenditure was 11 cents per week.
Under education was included magazines, papers, books, and
music lessons and other tuition. The report suggests that “ the out
standing fact in this survey of expenditures is that 72.5 per cent of
the women scheduled spent little or nothing during an entire year for
educational purposes. Almost three-fourths of the workers included
in this study spent an amount barely sufficient to cover the cost of
a daily paper throughout the year and less than one-tenth of the
women spent amounts that would admit of lessons in sewing, music,
gymnastics, or in any other similar lines.” One-fourth. (25.6 per cent)
of the women reporting annual budgets spent nothing for education,
while the average spent by those reporting any expenditure was 11
cents a week. Of the 208 who kept daily accounts, 53.4 per cent
spent nothing for education and the average spent by those reporting
any expenditure was 18 cents a week.

RECENT REPORTS RELATING TO WORKMEN’S COMPENSA
TION AND INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS.
ILLINOIS.

The workmen’s compensation law of Illinois provides for the deter
mination of awards by committees of arbitration subject to review by
a State industrial board, with appeals to courts. The board has
recently issued a bulletin1 containing its rulings on reviews and
petitions for reviews, covering a period of two years. The lack of
any synopsis or statement of the point decided in many instances,
and of any index other than a simple list of parties detracts largely
from the usefulness and availability of the work.
Among matters of interest noted is a ruling as to the status of a
carpenter employed by a farmer to erect a building on his farm, a
divided board holding that such employment was within the act,
the dissenting opinion being based on the grounds that farming
is not included under the provisions of the act, and that the employ
ment of the carpenter was casual and not in the usual business of the
employer. Where, however, a farmer employed a man to deliver a
threshing machine to a repair shop, and he was killed while doing so,
it was held that since his employer was a farmer, he was not within
the act; the same view was taken of the operation of threshing
i Industrial Board of Illinois. Bulletin No. 1. Opinions in cases arising under the workmen’s com
pensation act, decided b y the Industrial Board of Illinois, from the date of its organization, July 1,1913,
to July 1, 1915. Springdeld. 222 pp.

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MONTHLY EEVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

machines, of corn shellers and shredders, and of hay presses, though
run by belts and pulleys.
A department store was held to be within the act by reason of
“ certain statutes and municipal ordinances regulating the use of
machinery and appliances and the protection of the public therein/’
as was also a meat-distributing establishment, where there were
elevators in the building, and a city ordinance regulated the safe
guarding, etc., of elevators.
An owner of property contracting for the building of a barn thereon
was held not to be within the provisions of section 31 of the act of
1913, which provides that every person undertaking to do or contract
ing with another to do any work coming under the act shall require all
contractors for or under him to secure insurance for their employees,
and upon failure to do so the original undertaker or contractor will
himself be liable. The contractor for the erection of the building
was held to be the principal contemplated by the act, and not the
owner, who did not undertake by himself to erect the building.
In a case involving a claim on account of one employed by an
express company as barn man, and not exposed to the special hazards
of the business, it was held that under the act every employee of an
employer electing to accept the provisions of the act was within its
provisions, without regard to the special nature of his individual
duties.
The question of the application of the compensation act to railroad
employment arose in a case in which it was said that the employment
of the injured man might be looked upon as either interstate or intra
state. It was ruled that there was Federal jurisdiction only where
there was interstate traffic, interstate employment, and negligence,
and that if there was doubt as to the existence of negligence on the
part of the employer, the injured man might elect by which law he
would ask for redress.1 Compensation was allowed, and in a number
of later cases the same principle was adopted.
In considering the force of the expression “ course of employment,”
the board adopted the principle that where an employee is “ at his
usual place of employment at the usual time of day when he is expected
and required to be there and an injury of any character is shown,” a
prima facie case is made out. In the particular instance, it appeared
that the employee met his death while doing work other than that
which he had just been directed by his foreman to do, and on a
machine not commonly used for the purpose of his attempted under
taking, but these conditions were held insufficient to overcome the
i It may be noted th at this ruling antedated by some months a decision of the court of appeals of New
York of much the same effect. The supreme court of Illinois rejected this view in a case decided in June,
1915.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

presumption in favor of the claimant under the above ruling. In
another case of this kind it was held that a wagon washer who had
repeatedly cranked automobiles at the request of the machinist, and
frequently in the presence of the foreman and without objection from
him, could not be deprived of benefits on account of an injury
received while cranking an automobile, on the ground that such an
act was outside the course of his employment.
So where a manufacturer of leather goods had a custom of sending
one of his employees to his home to do some work about the house
as those in charge of the employer’s household might direct, it was
held that the workman was not by this fact taken from under the act,
though an employee in domestic service would not be included.
Where an employee was injured during a friendly scuffling and
shoving in the line in front of a pay window, it was held that there
had been no departure from the “ course of employment,” and the
rule disallowing compensation for injuries received while engaging in
“ horse-play” was held not to apply.
In cases considering the degree of disability caused by specific
injuries (for which there is a fixed scale of awards), it was ruled that
a loss of 80 per cent of the vision of an eye deprived the injured man
of its use for all practical purposes, and should be rated as a total
loss of an eye under the act. The loss of all the fingers of a hand,
leaving only the palm and thumb, was held to be a complete and
permanent loss of the hand, while the loss of the first, second, and
third fingers was compensated for by a payment for the aggregate
of the periods for each finger. The foregoing injuries were to the
left and right hands, respectively, of the injured man, and one member
of the board held that the combined injuries made a case of complete,
permanent disability, as had been decided by the committee of
arbitration.
A question as to partial disability arose in a case in which the
dislocation of a shoulder left, on recovery, a condition claimed by
the injured man to be one of permanent total disability. The board
found that the claimant possibly would lose a small per cent of the
free use of the arm, but not the total use thereof; also that he had
done work since the injury for which he received better pay than for
the work he was doing when injured. He was found, however, to be
permanently partially disabled for following his usual employment,
and an award was made in his favor of $2 per week for eight years
from the date of the injury, his average monthly wages at that period
having been $40.
An allowance was made for temporary total disability due to hernia
where the present condition was held to be one of aggravation of a
state that had existed for some time, the employer offering the testi
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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

mony of physicians that the injury could not have been the result of
an accident.
In a case in which blood poisoning followed a slight wound, and the
patient apparently becoming delirious or insane in the night escaped
to the street and was afterward found dead on a railroad track, it was
ruled that the connection between the injury and death was sufficient
to sustain an award of compensation, one commissioner dissenting.
Failure to accept treatment and follow the advice of the attending
physician, resulting in a partial crippling of the hand, was held to
bar a claim for compensation beyond the term allowed for the healing
of the wound, the disability being regarded as due to the neglect of
the employee to use proper means for recovery, rather than to the
injury originally suffered.
The question of medical treatment was considered in a different
aspect in a case in which claim was made for a physician’s fee, treat
ment having been secured in addition to that furnished by the
employer. The law provides for treatment during the first eight
weeks after the injury, not over $200 in amount. The board found
the claim for further medical attendance reasonable, but refused one
for attorney’s fees as not being within the act.
The statute allows compensation for “ serious and permanent dis
figurement” of head, face, or hands, without requiring actual dis
ability. An award was approved in a case where scars on the side
and back of a man’s head were of such a nature as to require a growth
of hair at least three-fourths of an inch long to conceal them, the
marks being regarded as of such a nature as possibly to subject the
injured man to rejection when applying for employment for which he
might be fitted. It was perhaps on the ground of disfigurement that
a committee allowed compensation for the loss of two teeth—an award
that was reversed by the board—the employer having provided for
the teeth to be replaced. In another case, however, the board
allowed compensation for a disfigurement that had not interfered
with the injured man’s opportunities of employment as stationary
engineer, on the ground that if he should ever “ desire to follow
another occupation, the markings on his face would seriously impair
his ability to procure such employment,” and an allowance of $10.50
per week for 35 weeks was accordingly granted.
The effect of the intoxication of a workman at the time of his
death was passed upon in the case of a driver who had taken two
drinks of whisky in a saloon at 7.30 a. m., and who was known to
be in at least one other saloon before 11a. m., at which hour he fell
from his wagon and was run over by it and killed. The employer
contended that the accident was due to intoxication, that the em
ployee was loitering and not attending to his business, and that the

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[1 4 7 ]

MONTHLY EEVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

injury occurred, not as an accident, but as the result of physiological
conditions not arising out of employment. The board ruled against
these contentions, on the ground that the record did not disclose
that the employee was violating any rule of the company by stopping
and taking the drinks, or that he was a drinking man, or that he was
on this occasion intoxicated in the common or ordinary sense. In
the absence of evidence as to how the man came to fall from his
wagon, the board declined to presume that it was due to his condi
tion, “ even though he was to some extent intoxicated,’’ and made an
award of the full death benefit.
Among cases entitled to compensation were those of a night
watchman in a railroad yard, fatally shot by a man who was in the
act of stealing coal; a fireman at a pumping station dying from
cerebral hemorrhage after protracted exposure to an atmosphere
rendered impure from the imperfect combustion of illuminating gas,
carbon monoxide being found in his blood on autopsy; a miner
who died after some hours’ work in a poorly ventilated coal mine; a
machinist whose hand and arm became numb, due to the jarring motion
of the punch press on which he was employed, causing permanent par
tial disability; and a plumber’s laborer affected by heat prostration.
The Illinois statute differs from most laws of its class in not fixing
an age at which payments to children cease, and in providing that
if one has contributed to the support of a child or other relatives
named, within four years prior to his death, benefits may be claimed
without reference to the legal obligation for support. Thus an
injured workman, dying, left two sons, aged 19 and 21 years, respec
tively, ordinarily strong, healthy, and active, to whose support he
had contributed from time to time in the amount of about $150 per
year. The father’s wages had been $28.60 per week, and an award
of $12 per week for 291 weeks and $8 for one week was made by the
committee of arbitration and approved by the board.
A workman who “ at odd times” made contributions to the sup
port of his father and mother, whom he was under a legal obligation
to support, was held to be in a position warranting an award for the
benefit of his parents as dependents; and in a case in which it was
said that the decedent’s only contributions to his mother were in the
nature of holiday and birthday presents, the board ruled that in the
absence of specific evidence as to what the contributions were for
they would be presumed to be for support.
The parents of a workman who sent $20 to his father in Italy
within four or five years prior to his accidental death were held to be
dependents within the act, the contention that nonresident aliens
could not be beneficiaries under its provisions was rejected, and an
award of full death benefits was made.

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Balances of awards not accrued were held not to be recoverable by
the estate where one in receipt of periodical payments dies before
the end of the term from a cause in no wise connected with the
compensated injury.
In its preface to the bulletin, the board indicates the difficulties
under which it has labored in establishing the lines of construction
of the act, suggesting the possibility of error in its own interpretation.
The cases noted in the foregoing summary illustrate what appear to
be the chief principles developed and fairly cover the points discussed.
Them liberality from the point of view of the workingman is obvious,
but there is an apparent inconsistency between an award of benefits
based on disability affecting the capacity to work in the employ
ment engaged in at the time of the injury, though not interfering
with more remunerative employment, and one granting compensa
tion on the basis of a disadvantageous disfigurement in view of a
possible desire to make a change of employment.
IOWA.

The First Biennial Report of the Iowa Industrial Commission, for
the period ending June 30, 1914, is a pamphlet of 50 pages, under
date of September 15, 1914. The Iowa compensation law estab
lished an industrial commission July 4, 1913, but the compensation
features did not come into effect until July 1, 1914.
Section 25 of the law makes it mandatory on the industrial commis
sioner to 1‘recommend such changes in the law as he may deem neces
sary,” and accordingly his first report is chiefly devoted to an advocacy
of a State fund system of administering the compensation law.
Iowa’s compensation law provides (subject to rejection in pre
scribed form) that an employer must provide for and pay compensa
tion to an injured employee, irrespective of fault on his part, except-’
ing intentional injury or injury due to intoxication. The employer
is required to buy insurance of those authorized to do business in
the State, but in case the insurance company fails, the employer is
not relieved from responsibility.
Two principal evils attending the operation of the law are pointed
out and discussed, namely, oppressive insurance premiums and loss
of employment by partially disabled employees. As to oppressive
premiums, it is stated that in the great coal industry of Iowa the
basic rate generally charged by the insurance companies on each $100
of pay roll is $6.50, as compared with $1.50 under the State fund plan
in Ohio. This glaring contrast led to an inquiry to determine the
fairness of the rate charged. “ The results reached show the actual
loss cost to be included in the following:
‘‘ Rate per $100 pay roll................................................................... $0. 90
“ Rate per employee per year.......................................................... 4. 71
“ Rate per ton coal mined....................................................................... Oil
22978°— 1G--- 5

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“ The naked risk is covered by a fraction over a cent a ton, while
coal users would be called on to pay over seven times that, simply to
meet the insurance cost to the operators.”
As to loss of employment by partially disabled employees (known
to the insurance interests as ‘‘impaired risks”), it is stated that before
the new law and the new system of insurance had been in effect a
month a large employer in eastern Iowa wrote to the industrial com
missioner as follows: “ We have three men in our employ at the
power plant here that will not be accepted by the insurance com
panies. One of these men has but one eye, another has had a partial
stroke of paralysis, and the third has a rupture. Now, these men
are all married and have families, and if they are discharged they
will be unable to procure employment elsewhere. All are good,
faithful men, and I dislike very much to let them go, but unless there
is some way in which we can be released of the extraordinary hazard,
I must do so. Is there any way we can keep these men without
increasing our liability? It seems unjust to me to let them go.
None of the men referred to were injured in our service, but all are
old employees.”
Affirmative rejections by employers under the Iowa act, when
compared with Minnesota, stand as 60 to 1. It is noted that the
greater number of Iowa employers who have taken themselves out
from under the compensation provisions have done so, not by direct
action as the law provides, but by the indirect method of neglecting
or refusing to insure. The number rejecting the act in this circuitous
but significant manner can only bo estimated, but a safe minimum
puts it at 10,000 employers, with 40,000 workmen in their employ,
practically one-third of all properly subject to the compensation act.
The gravity of this situation is increased by the fact that the Iowa
law goes beyond that of any State in the Union in subjecting the
employers who go out from under it to drastic liability. It was gen
erally believed by the framers of the act that it would be practically im
possible for employers to reject the act. If they reject it, they not
only lose the three great defenses of fellow servant, assumption of
risk, and contributory negligence, but also have the presumption of
risk created against them, the burden of proof being reversed.
In the opinion of the Iowa commission—
A collective fund administered by the State is the remedy for all these evils and
inequalities. Such a system will make an end of excessively high rates; it will re
move also the temptation to reject the act in order to raise the question of negligence;
above all, it will take away the temptation to discharge partially incapacitated em
ployees. The element of personal advantage from weeding out the partly incapac
itated is very slight and inconsequential when it comes back in a liability diffused
over a whole State, but will often be compulsory and unavoidable when narrowed
down to the concentrated pressure of a higher or lower insurance rate in a stock com
pany, mutual association, or the burden on an employer carrying his own risk. * * *

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In other States where the policy of stock or mutual insurance has been allowed to
take strong root it is now declared that the only course possible is for the struggle be
tween stock company and mutual insurance to be fought out to a survival of the
fittest. Such, for instance, is the solution looked forward to by the Massachusetts
Industrial Commission. It means, however, that during a contest between the two
forms of private insurance, which may last for many years, the loss of employment to
the aged, the partly incapacitated, and those having families, which has developed,
shall not only continue, but become more extended in character. As stock and mutual
companies become engaged in more strenuous competition, they will demand that all
so-called impaired risks be dropped from the pay rolls. Meanwhile, also, as between
individuals, rates will be adjusted according to what the business will bear, rather
than fairness, a few who are fortunately situated getting fair rates while neighbors and
competitors are levied on for all they can stand.

The report concludes with an appendix of 24 pages, of which 9
are devoted to the Cherry, 111., mine disaster of November 13, 1909;
5 pages contain an extract on Iowa industrial accidents from the
1914 report of the labor bureau; the remaining pages contain statis
tical tables showing comparative cost of workmen’s insurance from
the experience of certain States, Iowa mine accidents, etc.
MASSACHUSETTS.

The Industrial Accident Board of Massachusetts presents in its
second volume of cases decided under the State compensation a c t1 a
selection of decisions of the committees of arbitration, of the board
itself, and of the supreme judicial court of the State for the year July
1, 1913, to June 30, 1914. The basis on which the cases were chosen
was the representative nature of those selected rather than any
attempt to reproduce the entire proceedings in the field.
The law awards compensation for fixed periods during continuance
of incapacity for work. I t is held in a number of cases that the term
of incapacity continues during the employee’s inability to secure em
ployment, even though he be physically able by reason of recovery
to engage in some forms of remunerative employment. A striking
case under this head was that in which a man 68 years of age, partially
deaf and blind in one eye, suffered an injury to the kneecap so as to
make walking difficult and disqualify him for any work except what
he could do while seated. An award by the abitrators taking into
consideration the prospect at an early date of disability for any
remunerative employment, and limiting the period of compensation
to 104 weeks, was set aside by the industrial accident board, this
action being approved by the supreme court, which ruled that though
there was a measure of physical capacity for working and earning
1 Industrial accident board. Report of cases under the workmen’s compensation act determined by
committees of arbitration, the industrial accident board, and the supreme judicial court. Vol. II. 894 pp.
July 1, 1913, to June 30, 1914, inclusive. Boston, 1914.

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money, his inability to secure such employment as he could do ren
dered his case one of total incapacity resulting from the injury. The
award was for full benefits up to the time of its rendition, to be con
tinued subject to revision if the employee is furnished or is able to
obtain work which he is able to do. The inability to obtain work,
however, must be due actually'to the injury complained of. A work
man declining to accept employment offered him or to make a real
effort to do his customary work will not be entitled to further com
pensation; the same is true where an injured person refuses to undergo
a simple operation which the insurer offers to have performed without
cost to the employee, one of these cases being the removal of a stiffened
finger which was deformed through infection so as to render it useless,
and the other an operation for a radical cure of inguinal hernia.
The effect of an accident on a workman affected by forms of phys
ical weakness was considered in a number of cases, one in which a
man suffering from arterial sclerosis sustained a rupture of an artery
while working in a constrained position, the accident board holding
that he was entitled to compensation. This case was appealed to
the supreme court, a decision not having been reported at the time
of the publication of the volume in hand. In a case presenting a
cpiite similar condition of things, however, the supreme court affirmed
an award on account of the death of a man known to have suffered
from valvular heart trouble, death having been brought about appar
ently by excitement incidental to the sinking of a vessel on which the
workman was employed, together with unusual exertion in an attempt
to save his personal belongings. Another point decided in this case was
that such regard for his personal belongings, and effort put forth in
connection therewith, were not unreasonable or such as to take the
case out of the law as not being in the course of employment.
As indicated by the foregoing decisions, the act is construed not
merely as allowing benefits for accidental injuries, but for injuries
arising out of and in the course of employment, without reference to
their accidental nature. This was more fully developed in a case in
which a workman whose duties required him to inspect gas-producing
furnaces at certain intervals, was compelled to inhale noxious
gases. This affected the nerves of the eye so as to produce blind
ness; no traumatic condition was discovered or alleged, the operat
ing cause affecting simply the nervous system, for which compensa
tion was allowed. So also for eczema, produced by a liquid acid
solution; fibroid tuberculosis, caused by inhaling particles of dust
while grinding stone (sometimes called stone grinders’ phthisis);
ulcer, resulting from compulsory vaccination (appealed to supreme
court); lead poisoning; lobar pneumonia, the fatal results of which
were held to be due to a weakened condition following personal

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injury; occupational neurosis, produced by rapid and continuous
movements causing unusual strain on certain groups of muscles;
insanity, resulting from a previously impaired nervous state, accel
erated by suffering following infection and operations where the
original injury was the blistering of the hand, etc.
There must, however, be a causal relation between the physical
condition or injury and the employment. Thus, where a man sub
ject to failure of mental powers due to a prior injury left his work
place and became lost and fell into a swamp, death resulting from
exposure, it was held that there was no proper connection between
the death and the employment, the supreme court in this case revers
ing the industrial board; so also where bronchitis and intestinal
tuberculosis developed, following a fall causing some injury to the
arm and shoulder and soreness of the chest, it was ruled that the
connection was not apparent so that compensation could be paid
(appealed to supreme court); and so of a case of death from acute dila
tation of the heart due to uraemic poisoning subsequent to an injury
due to a fall some four months prior to the death.
A very large number of cases naturally require a determination as
to whether or not they arose out of employment. The point was
obviously under consideration in the case of the teamster who wan
dered away and was lost in a swamp, the consequent injury being held
as not arising out of his employment; nor was a case included where an
employee going from his place of work to his boarding place walked
along the railroad track on which he was employed, and was
killed, no contract being in evidence requiring the decedent to board
at the place selected by him. Where employment, as of a cook on
a lighter, requires the employee practically to live on the craft, he is
constantly exposed to hazards arising out of his employment, and
injuries resulting from his being on the vessel arise out of the employ
ment; but an employee, not at the time at work, and injured in a
part of the building where his duties did not require him to be, would
not come within the provisions of the act. Compensation was allowed
in a case in which a laborer was, by reason of the nature of his em
ployment, exposed to severe cold, resulting in the freezing of his
fingers, the evidence showing that the risk to which he was exposed
by reason of his work and duties was materially greater than that
of the ordinary outdoor worker on the same day (appealed to the
supreme court).
Computation of wages was held to include tips and gratuities
received by employees during the course of their employment where
such tips are customary. Where one had not established a rate of
wages for her own services, it was held permissible to determine a
suitable rate by taking into account the wages of persons employed

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in the same grade, at the same work, and by the same employer.
An extension of this method appears in the case of a longshoreman,
whose work is irregular and customarily for two or more employers
in the course of a week. Evidence showing what was an average
weekly wage was obtained from testimony of different employers and
workmen of this class, and what is considered a fair average wage was
determined.
Questions of dependency have been to some extent modified by
amendments, the law as it now stands establishing a presumption
in favor of a woman living apart from her husband for justifiable
cause. Under the original act the presumption was against a wife
living separate from her husband, and this view was applied to a case
in which the wife and husband had separated, and the husband had
promised to support his wife in the meantime. The accident board
awarded compensation on account of the death of the husband, but
this ruling the supreme court reversed on the ground that the parties
were not ‘‘living together” within the intent of the act. A daughter
capable of self-support was held to be dependent upon her father for
whom she had come to keep house, surrendering her employment and
living upon her father’s earnings while caring for him in his advanced
age. Where a minor son contributed all his earnings to the common
fund, and was supported by his father out of such fund, it was held
that the father was entitled to compensation as a partial dependent,
the rate to be allowed to be determined on the total contribution of
the son to the family fund without deduction for the estimated value
of the board of the son. In a case in which a father was earning
average weekly wages of $14, permitting benefit payments of $7 a
week to dependents, an award was made dividing this sum between
two dependent minor children for a fixed period. Before the expira
tion of this period one of the children died, and it was held that the
unexpired term of payments for the deceased child should be com
pleted, payments being made to his administrator for the benefit of
the surviving dependent. Though a wife living apart from her hus
band may not be entitled to compensation, a dependent child living
with its mother thus separated from her husband may be a bene
ficiary where the father has contributed to the child’s support.
The statute provides for additional compensation in cases of spe
cific injuries, chiefly mannings. Death benefits are payable for 300
weeks from the date of the accident (500 under the law as amended).
In a case in which compensation based on disability was allowed,
and also an award on account of maiming, the injured man subse
quently died, and the contention was made that the amounts paid
to him as additional compensation for the maiming should be de
ducted from the payments to be made to the widow. This conten
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tion was rejected, the ruling being made that the additional compen
sation for maiming was independent of the disability award, and in
no way affected the widow’s rights. In this connection may be
noted a case in which a release had been signed by an injured em
ployee with a view to recovering by suit from the third party respon
sible for the injury. The man died as a subsecpient result of the
injury, and the widow claimed compensation under the compensa
tion act, which was allowed on the grounds that the rights accorded
by this act for her benefit were not at the disposal of her husband by
any agreement that he might make.
It would be impossible to present in the space available anything
like a complete summary of the cases involving the foregoing princi
ples, without regard to numerous other points illustrated in the rul
ings and opinions found in this volume. British opinions and rulings
were frequently referred to and found applicable, but it is obvious
that American experience, applying laws very different in form from
the British statute, must develop along lines of its own marking out.
A fair degree of liberality must be conceded in the construction of the
act as it stood during the period covered, and with the liberalizing
amendments which have been made since that date, it is clear that
the substitution of the compensation idea for that of liability has
accomplished great good both by way of relieving from the conse
quences of injury, and in the avoidance of the bitterness and strife
which damage suits so frequently produced.
MONTANA.

The Montana workmen’s compensation law became effective July
1, 1915, and a report covering three months of its operation was,
under date of October l, issued by the State industrial accident
board.1 The law is elective, and in its preparation advantage was
taken of similar legislation in the other States having compensation
laws. Recognizing the fact that accident prevention is the best
protection and more satisfactory to the workmen than compensation
for injuries, the legislature incorporated in the act provisions empow
ering the board to make and enforce orders for safety, to promulgate
rules and regulations concerning the same, to prescribe safety devices
and fix safety standards, and to provide for the inspection of all
plants and industries where workmen are engaged in occupations
considered hazardous. All such industries are covered by the act,
over 300 being specifically named and defined. Disabilities of less
than two weeks’ duration are not included.
The employer is given the choice of coming under the law through
the medium of one of three plans. The first plan, sometimes called
1State of Montana. Report of the Industrial Accident Board.

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“ self insurance,” provides that the employer, upon satisfying the
board as to his solvency, may arrange to pay the compensation due
the injured employee directly to him, or in case of death, to liis bene
ficiaries. In the three months ending September 30, 1915, 9.1
employers sought to take advantage of the act under this plan, but
only 58 qualified. These employers employed, in 1914, 21,635 men.
They paid out in compensation, including five lump-sum death set
tlements and 17 burial expenses, the sum of $23,489.66, which would
indicate a 12 months’ compensation disbursement of four times that
amount, or $93,958.64. To this amount, it is suggested, should be
added a liberal estimate of 100 per cent to cover possible settlements of
pending claims and emergencies for the remaining nine months of the
year, making a total of $187,917.28 as the maximum amount neces
sary to cover all compensation payments for the fiscal year. Based
on the pay rolls reported by these firms, amounting to $25,457,751,
a total cost or premium rate of 0.74 per cent is indicated. “ If the
actual pay roll or the one now in existence against which compensa
tion is being charged is taken it will reduce the cost to 0.5 per cent.”
These figures are based on but 90 days’ experience, and can therefore
only be accepted as suggestive.
Under the second plan it is provided that the employer shall insure
his risk with, some insurance company authorized to do business in
the State, and that the insurance company shall pay the compensa
tion to the injured workman. A total of 774 applications were re
ceived under this plan, of which 92 were rejected on the ground that
they were not engaged in hazardous occupations; 124 were still pend
ing at the time of the report; and 558 employers, employing in 1914
10,841 men, completed their election under the law. These 558
employers, so far as reports were received, paid out in premiums the
sum of $130,374.78, and the insurance companies carrying the risks
paid out $1,306.36 in compensation, medical, hospital, and-burial
expenses. Assuming the same proportion for the remainder of the
year, and based upon a reported total pay roll of $8,363,188, a cost
of 0.125 per cent is indicated. “ If this should prove to bo the case
(which does not seem possible) it would undoubtedly result in a
reduction of insurance rates.”
The third plan is called State insurance. It provides that the
employer shall pay a certain rate of premium on his pay roll into the
State industrial accident fund and that an injured employee shall be
paid directly from this fund. Of 176 employers selecting this plan,
146, employing 2,180 men, were accepted, 8 were rejected and
applications of 22 were still pending. The premiums paid by these
146 contributors aggregated $9,119.68, and the compensation paid
amounted to $157.86. Adding to this $106 to cover pending claims

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and the total maximum for the three months amounted to $263.86,
which, for the entire year at the same ratio plus 100 per cent for
emergencies, would he $2,110.88, representing a rate of 0.57 per cent
on the reported pay roll of $369,062.79.
The number of employers and employees, the amount of the pay
rolls and the compensation paid, and the estimated per cent of cost
are shown in the following table:
NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS AND EM PLOYEES, AND THE TOTAL PAY ROLL AND
COMPENSATION PAID UNDER EACH SPEC IFIED PLAN OE THE MONTANA W ORK
MEN’S COMPENSATION LAW.
[Tills table is compiled from tables in the report. The figures as to number of employees, total pay roll
and compensation paid do not agree w ith those given in the text of the report. The discrepancy is not
explained.]

Han.

Appli
cations
filed.

Appli
Estimated
cations Number of Total pay roll. Compensa
tion paid. (Percost.
accepted. employees.
cent.1)

F irst...........................................
Second........................................
T hird.........................................

91
774
176

58
558
140

21,625
10,841
2,170

Total................................

1,041

762

34,636

$25,457,711 $22,454.61
8,363,188
893. 91
369,062
157. 86
34,189,961

0. 74
. 125
.57

23,506.38

1 Estimated cost covering a period of 12 months based on reported pay rolls of three months.

Under all three plans 1,041 employers made application and 762
had been accepted at the time of the report. The fact that up to
October 1 more than twice as many employers were under the second
plan than under both the other plans combined would seem to indicate
that insurance is a vital feature of the workmen’s compensation act.
The cost of the act to over two-thirds of the employers of the State
is thus determined by the rate of insurance charged by the insurance
companies. Whether the rates charged are fan* and reasonable and
whether employers are paying more than the cost of legitimate
insurance protection justifies are matters to be determined after
the act shall have been in operation for a longer period.
During the three months under consideration 34,636 employees
were reported as being under the act. Of this number 1,304, or
approximately 3.8 per cent, were reported to the board as having
been injured. Of 1,298 accidents reported with causes therefor, 20
were fatal, 13 resulted in permanent partial disability, and 1,265 in
temporary total disability; 596 such injuries were attributable to the
negligence of the employees; 67 per cent occurred in the mining
industry. Of the 1,298 accidents, 879 came under the first plan, 382
under the second plan and 37 under the third plan. The total days
lost because of these accidents was 9,198, representing an estimated
wage loss of $35,268.80. The average wage per day of 1,271 em
ployees injured was $3.87 and it is explained that the large pay roll

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resulting from this high average is in a measure responsible for the
low rate in cost of compensation to which reference has been made.
The payments under each plan, for compensation and for medical,
hospital, and burial services in completed cases, including cases where
the injured had not recovered but were drawing compensation, are
shown in the following table. The figures cover only the months of
August and September. Nothing was paid in July.
PAYMENTS IN COM PLETED CASES U N D ER EACH SPEC IFIED PLAN , AUGUST AND
SE PT E M B E R , 1915.
Payments made.
Plan.

Cases.

F irst.........................................................
Second......................................................
T h ird.......................................................
Total..............................................

Compensa Medical. Hospital.
tion.

82 $21,107.42
22
539.36
2
149. 86
106

21,796.64

Total.
Burial.

$492.19
187.55
8.00

$30.00
92.00

$825.00
75.00

$22,454.61
'893.91
157.86

687.74

122.00

900.00

123,506.38

i Does not include $1,359.07 which has been paid in 37 cases in which payments are being made. The
total of the benefits paid as given in the report is $24,865.45. The figures in this table do not agree in every
respect with the figures in the text of the report. Both sets of figures are taken from the report and the
discrepancy is not explained.

Detailed tables showing classification of injuries, by industries,
parts of body affected, responsibility, nature, etc., are presented in
the report. Considerable space is devoted to the rules of procedure
of the board, a synopsis and copy of the text of the act, and opinions
applicable to it rendered by the attorney general.
The report emphasizes the economy with which the law was admin
istered, the board keeping steadily in mind the appropriation of
$50,000 for the biennium. The following financial statement is sub
mitted :
Assets.

Industrial fund....................
Administrative fund............
Compensation......................
Administrative expense___
Refund.................................
Bonds and securities (held
on deposit for plan 1)__
Furniture and fixtures........

Total

Liabilities.

$7,518.02
50,000. 00
157. 86
9, 515. 56
1. 00
149,800.00
428. 50

Premium income (assess
ments collected)...............
$7,433. 02
Industrial fund warrant ac
count ................................
158.86
Administrative fund war
rant account.....................
9, 944. 06
Appropriation......................
50,000. 00
Bonds and securities held in
trust (held for plan 1)__ 149, 800. 00
Special deposits.................
85.00

217,420. 94

Total

217,420.94

Under the third plan, the State insurance plan, a detailed state
ment is submitted showing the amount of pay roll in each industry
and the amount each industry was paying, including the uncollected

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portion. From this statement it is seen that 170 firms employing
2,119 persons, with pay rolls amounting to $286,489.11, paid in
premiums a sum equal to $7,433.02.
WASHINGTON.

The fourth annual report of the industrial insurance department,
State of Washington, for the 12 months ending September 30, 1915,
is a pamphlet of 119 pages, under date October 1, 1915.1 It gives an
account of the administration of the workmen’s compensation act.
The report is made up of reports by the secretary’s division and by
the chiefs of the audit, medical, claim, and statistical divisions.
The secretary’s division gives a brief explanation of several
important amendments to the act made by the legislature in 1915.
A synopsis of these amendments was given in the January issue of the
M o n t h l y R e v i e w in noticing the department’s third annual report.
A further amendment was the repeal of section 25. Under this sec
tion, upon the appeal of any workman from a decision of the depart
ment affecting the extent of his injuries, the court might appoint
not to exceed three physicians to examine the physical condition of
the applicant and report to the court thereon. The power conferred
by this section was never invoked, but the commission entertained
a fear that if put into practice it would have resulted in a different
rating of an injury each time a case was reviewed by the court.
Briefly summarizing the four years’ operation of the workmen’s
compensation act, the secretary included in his portion of the report
the following statement:
Approximately 13,020 firms and individuals employing 175,000 workmen are
operating under the act at the present time. The sum of $5,521,381.34 is the total
receipts from all sources to the accident fund. The sum of $3,290,773.57 has been
paid out in claims; $40,272.03 has been refunded to employers who have permanently
discontinued business in the State of Washington; $1,705,502.64 has been set aside in
reserve to guarantee the payment of pensions to widows and children. Of this sum,
$390,033.92 has been paid out in pensions, leaving a balance in the reserve fund of
$1,315,468.72. The interest on the reserve fund for the four-year period has amounted
to $122,777.01. This sum is added to the reserve fund; therefore it has cost the reserve
fund only $167,256.91 to carry the pension payments four years. The balance in the
accident fund is $474,833.10. The interest on the average daily balance for the
four years has amounted to $24,280.54, making the total amount of accrued interest
on both funds, $147,057.55. The interest on the reserve fund for the year ending
September 30, 1915, was $63,913.47, an increase of $5,049.93 over the previous year.
The sum of $113,965.58, account of remarriage of widows, and $41,407.59, account of
death of beneficiaries, making a total of $155,373.17, has reverted to the accident fund.
There have been 56,483 accidents reported to the commission up to September 30,
1915. Final settlements have been made in 42,510 cases. This number includes 550
1 State of Washington. Fourth annual report of the industrial insurance departm ent. The Work
m en’s Compensation Act. Olympia, 1915. 119 pp.

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cases reopened from the previous year; number of fatal cases repoited, 1,189; of this
number 605 have required pensions, 528 have not required pensions, and 56 are in
process of assembly and adjustment. There have been 37 total permanent disabil
ities, all of which have required pensions; 2,502 claims have been rejected for cause;
1,482 claims suspended pending receipt of claimant’s address; 8,029 claims suspended,
account claims not filed by workmen, trivial cases; 1,108 claims in process of assembly
and adjustment, 210 on continued monthly payments, account disability still existing;
22 claims on partial payments, account of temporary reduced earning power.

The audit division reports that during the fiscal year ending
September 30, 1915, there were added to the list of contributors
3,096 new accounts, bringing the grand total of firms now listed to
13,020. Of this number approximately 10,000 accounts are active.
As provided in the act an adjustment of the accounts is required as
soon as possible after February 1. It has been the policy to render
to each firm a statement of its account with the accident fund, and in
case of excess payment to issue a credit memorandum, this credit to be
available for the payment of additional contributions to the accident
fund, or to be refunded by State warrant in the event the firm should
discontinue business.
The following statement shows receipts and disbursements of the
accident fund during the fourth fiscal year, ending September 30,
1915:
ACCIDENT FUND.

Balance in the fund, Oct. 1, 1914......................................
Total contributions, year ending Sept. 30,
1915......................................................... $1,217,687.67
I nterest on daily balances..........................
7, 468. 91
Return to accident fund from reserve fund,
account remarriages or cessation of de
pendency.................................................
58, 639. 91
Total.................................................
Less refund of excess contribution............

1,283,796.49
19, 090. 66

$487, 035. 56

1, 264, 705. 83

Total receipts............................................................ 1, 751, 741.39
Claims paid—year ending Sept. 30, 1915..
883, 542.46
Reserve set aside to secure pensions.____
393, 365. 83
1, 276, 908. 29
Balance......................................................................

474, 833.10

The reserve fund comprises those amounts set aside from the
accident fund to provide for the payment of pensions to the depend
ents of injured workmen where the accident results in death or
permanent total disability.
The statement of the reserve fund for the fiscal year is as follows:

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RESERVE FUND.

Balance in fund, Oct. 1, 1914.........................................
Total awards, year ending Sept. 30, 1915.. $393, 365. 83
Interest received........................................
63. 913.47

$1, 084, 329.49

Total.......................................................................
Tensions paid, year ending Sept. 30, 1915.. 167, 500.16
Return to accident fund, account remar
riage or cessation of dependency............
58, 639. 91

1, 541, 608. 79

457, 279. 30

226,140.07
Balance in fund, Sept. 30, 1915......................................

1, 315, 468. 72

Of the total cash balance in both funds, amounting to $1,790,301.82,
the sum of $1,336,800 is invested in bonds to secure the reserve,
leaving a net cash balance of $453,501.82.
The law requires the State to pay the entire cost of administration
of the industrial insurance department, leaving the whole amount
paid in by the employers to be devoted to the payment of awards for
injuries. Administration expenses for the year ending September
30, 1915, amounted to $113,352.90; for the four years, $430,380.83,
or an average ratio of 7.8 per cent of the total contributions. A
slight increase in the expense ratio has been due to a decrease in
contributions, the decrease in contributions for the year ending
September 30, 1915, over the previous year being $378,163.69.
There are 48 classes into which the industries of the State are
grouped for the purposes of the act. For each of 35 of these classes
there is presented a separate statement of its accident and reserve
funds, together with premium rates assessed per $100 of pay roll.
In 5 classes no reserve fund is given, and employments under the
other 8 classes are either omitted or included in other classes.
The recommendation is made that the number of classes be re
duced by at least one-half, since the experience of the past four years
has apparently shown that the larger the membership of the class
the greater is the security from being wiped out by a serious disaster.
By such consolidation, it is suggested, the working balance could be
reduced fully one-third, and this excess of cash retained by the
contributors and used in their business.
The medical division reports 11,190 claims completed during the
year. Injuries are classified under the following heads: Fractures,
amputations, infections, scalds and burns, cuts, sprains, puncture
wounds, bruises, dislocations, and unclassified injuries. Tables are
presented under each of these 10 heads showing injuries further
classified by member of the body injured, and indicating also the
work days lost and amount of award. The following is a summary
of these tables.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

IN JU R IES (EX C EPT FA TA LITIES) AND AVERAGE AMOUNT OF AWARDS FOR THE
FISCAL Y EA R ENDING SEPT. 30, 1915.
Temporary total disabilities.

Permanent partial disability awards.

Average Average
amount
Per cent
Number duration
of
of
Average
Number. Per cent. of kind
of
disability
time
of
amount.
injuries.
(work
loss
injury.
awards.
days).

Kind of injury.

Bruises.........................................
Cuts...............................................
Punctures....................................
Sprains.........................................
Fractures......................................
Dislocations.................................
A m putations...............................
Scalds and bu rn s........................
Infections.....................................
Unclassified.................................
Multiples......................................

3,636
2,384
424
1,218
1,319
139
403
190
740
331
406

20.9
18.5
12.0
22.5
73.2
51.0
51.4
25.7
21.8
67.0

$28.40
25. 09
16.39
32.32
94.36
70. 81
67.85
35.20
28.69
86. 56

144
169
4
20
289
22
i 410
14
39
120
96

10.9
12.8
.3
1.5
21.8
1.7
30.9
1.0
2.9
9.0
7.2

4.0
7.0
1.0
1.6
21.9
16.0
100.0
7.0
5.0
36.0

$196. 70
173.60
87. 50
146.25
275.00
251.25
277. 45
526.45
283.00
437. 70

T otal...................................

11,190

30.9

41.28

1,327

100.0

11.8

286.02

1 Seven of these were originally bruises, cuts or punctures. The cases were reopened and final awards
made for permanent partial disability after amputation.

The claim division states that there were 13,162 accidents reported
during the year, a decrease of 1,927 as compared with the previous
year. The following table exhibits the total accidents reported and
the disposition made of claims during the four fiscal years of the
operation of the compensation act; also the total from the first day
of operation, October 1, 1911, to September 30, 1915:
ACCIDENTS R E PO R T ED AND CLAIMS DISPOSED OF BY FISCAL YEARS, TO SEPT. 30,
1915.
Fiscal year ending September 30—
Items.

Total.
1912

1913

1914

1915

Accidents reported..........................................................

11,896

16,336

15,089

13,162

56,483

Accidents reported (files incomplete)...........................
Accidents reported (files complete). ..........................

10,193

17,146

15,322

13,210

612
55,871

6,356
378

12.380
'747

12,584
807

11,190
570

42,510
2,502

1,552
348
2
257

3,339
519
13
319

1,914
356
13
347

1,224
259
9
210

8,029
1,482
37
1,133

16,021
550

13,462
550

55,693
550

CLAIMS DISPOSED OF.
Allowed (total temporary disability; full and final
aw ard)1 ........................................................................
Rejected (for cause)........................................................
Suspended:
Claims not made by workmen; injuries triv ia l...
Unable to locate claimants, etc..............................
Pensions (total permanent disability)..........................
Fatal accidents...............................................................
Total.......................................................................
Less reopened during previous year.............................
Total disposed of...................................................
Monthly payments (continued monthly account of
temporary disability existing)...................................
Partial payments (continued account of reduced earn
ing power existing as a result of injury)...................
In process of adjustment (tracing claimants; com
pleting files; under investigation, etc.).....................

8,893

17,317

15,471

12,912

55,143

314

471

422

210

196

953

462

469

496

1 Includes cases where permanent partial disability existed.

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Fatal accidents to the number of 266 required adjudication. Of
these 51 were carried over as unadjusted from the previous year and
215 were reported during the year. Disposition was made of 210
cases as follows: Pensions awarded, 105; rejected for cause, 20; sus
pended because dependents, if any, were unknown, 85. The remain
ing 56 cases were still open on September 30, 1915.
The division of statistics gives the following definitions of terms
used in the preparation of the tables:
Temporary total disability refers to injuries where full time loss occurs and com
pensation is paid until recovery.
Temporary partial disability or loss of earning power refers to cases where injured
suffers partial disability, and being compelled to work at reduced wages, receives the
same percentage of compensation that his loss in wages bears to the original wage,
until recovery. For instance, a man having earned $3 per day, but being compelled
to return to work at $2 per day because of the injury, suffers one-third loss in wages
and would receive one-third the original amount of compensation.
Permanent partial disability refers to cases that are permanent in their nature, and
result in loss of member or function of member, and are awarded according to the
percentage they bear to the maximum amount, which is $1,500, based on the loss
of the major arm.
Permanent total disabilities are those cases where injured is permanently disabled
for life and is allowed a pension for which reserve is set aside.

Following this explanation the report gives a summary of the
injuries and awards:
SUMMARY—IN JU R IE S AND AWARDS.
Number of
injuries.

K ind of injury.

Award.

NONFATAL INJURIES.
Temporary total disabilities............................................................................
Perm anent partial disabilities...................................................................
Awards to parents of m inors.......................................................
P erm anentlotal disabilities................................................................
Total for nonfatal injuries............................................................................

11,190
1,327
60
9

$461,925.81
379,550.00
1,943. 75
i 32,728.70

12,586

876,148.26

FATAL INJURIES.
Fatalinjuries not requiring pensions..................................................................
F atal injuries requiring pensions..........................................................................
Amount of reserves for pensions............................................................................
Number of burial awards.......................................................................................
Amount of burial aw ards...................................................................................

2 73
2138

Total awards for fatalinjuries.....................................................................

329

376,825.93

Grand total, all aw ards................................................................................

12,915

1,252,974.19

191

362,515.93
14,310.00

1 Reserve.
2 The total of fatalinjuries disposed of as given here is 211, while the total shown in the text of the report
and in the table on page 74 is 210. The discrepancy is not explained.

Claims completed during the last two fiscal years, classified accord
ing to responsibility for occurrence, are shown in the table following.

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ACCIDENTS DUE TO EACH SPEC IFIED PERSONAL FAULT DURING FISCAL YEARS 1914
AND 1915.
Accidents occurring during the fiscal year end
ing September 30—
F ault.

1914
Number.

1915

Per cent.

Number.

Per cent.

Risk oi trade........................................................................
W orkm an’s fault.................................................................
Fellow servant’s fau lt.........................................................
Employer’s fault.................................................................
Foreman’s fault...................................................................
Third person’s fault............................................................
Facts not ascertainable.......................................................

10,279
906
399
31
18
25
928

81.7
7.2
3.2
.2
.1
.2
7.4

9,956
589
163
13
6
17
446

89.0
5.3
1. 5
.i
.05
.15
3.9

Total...........................................................................

12,586

100.0

11,190

100.00

The proportionate loss borne by employer and by employee under
the compensation law is shown in the following statement:
Number of cases reporting medical treatment......................

1, 907

Total amount of wages lost..................................................... $143, 695. 72
Total cost of medical treatment.............................................
32, 808. 01
Amount of immediate loss to employee...................... 176, 503. 73
Awards for temporary disability or immediate loss borne
by employer.........................................................................
63, 328. 55
Net amount borne by employer..................................

113,175.18

Per cent of loss borne by employer.......................................
Per cent of loss borne by employee.......................................

36
64

The above claims represent 62;S28 days lost and 147 showed per
manent partial disabilities amounting to $35,512.50 which have not
been included in the above amount for the reason that it is generally
considered that the compensation merely offsets the disability.
WEST VIRGINIA.

The first annual report of the Public Service Commission of West
Virginia, covering the period June 1, 1913, to June 30, 1914, com
prises three separate parts or volumes. Parts I and II relate to the
operations of the commission in connection with all classes of publicservice corporations. Part III (210 pp.) under date of September
15, 1914, presents an account of the commission’s work as the admin
istrative board of the workmen’s compensation fund, the law creating
which became operative October 1, 1913.
The work of administering the fund divides itself into two principal
departments, namely, the contract department and the claim depart
ment. The contract department deals with the approval and eutering

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of subscription contracts upon the part of employers, the fixing of
rates of premium, the sending out of premium bills, the inspection
of plants, the auditing of employers’ pay rolls, and the recording of
the accident history of the several plants. The work of this depart
ment is set forth ahnost entirely in tabular form by the chief
accountant.
Tables are presented covering about 140 pages. Three tables show
in detail accidents causing permanent partial disability, accidents
causing permanent total disability, and accidents causing death.
A fourth table shows beneficiaries receiving monthly payments on
account of temporary disability accidents. A fifth table shows
pension roll of beneficiaries on account of fatal accidents. These
tables are preceded by statements of contributors’ accounts under
the respective schedules or groups of employers, showing premiums
accrued, premiums paid, disbursements on account of claim, and the
number of permanent, temporary, and fatal accidents. There is
presented also a classification of industries under 14 schedules
embracing 220 subclasses, with premium rates for each subclass.
Employers to the number of 1,882, with 155,062 employees, con
tributed to the fund $634,309.82 in premiums, 10 per cent of wdiich,
according to the West Virginia law, comes out of the wages of em
ployees, and there was paid out to November 30, 1914, for medical
expenses, funeral expenses, and compensation for injuries occurring
to June 30, 1914, $275,031.90, with further liability estimated at
$665,606.56, showing a deficit of $306,328.64. The condition of the
fund on June 30, 1914, was as follows:
Premiums accrued to June 30, 1914....................................... $634, 309. 82
Disbursed to Nov. 30,1914, on claims occurring
to June 30:
Medical........................................................ $47, 759.19
Funeral.................................... $22,266.98 ................
Less Eccles..............................
7, 290. 09
--------------- 14, 976. 89
Compensation in temporary disability claims.. 132, 905.18
Compensation paid in permanent
and fatal claims.......................... 72,100. 55
Less Eccles...................................... 13, 947. 39

195, 641. 26

58,153.16

253, 794. 42

Estimated liability :
66 permanent partial injuries.. 53, 355. 71
21 permanent total injuries... 28, 000. 00
364 fatal injuries...................... 440, 351. 40
Compensation paid.......................

22978°—16----- 6

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521, 707.11
58,153.16

463, 553. 95 463, 553. 95
717, 318. 37

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

Deficit, June 30, 1914, exclusive of mine explosions............ $83,038. 55
Proportion of estimated cost of Eccles mine explosion.. 66,987. 00
Deficit, June 30, 1914, including proportion of Eccles
explosion.................................................................... 150,025. 55
Balance of cost of Eccles explosion carried forward
to following year....................................................... 156, 303. 09
Estimated deficit June 30,1914.......................................

306, 328. 64

Statements of the accounts with the various groups of employers
show a surplus, as of June 30, 1914, in all except coal mining and
mining other than coal, which show a deficit of $391,370.42 and
$3,147.23, respectively.
The premiums for the first three months were estimated to have
been ample to provide for all liability growing out of the accidents
occurring during those months, but thereafter, owing to an increased
number of permanent and fatal injuries, the maximum rate of pre
mium under the law ($1 per $100 of pay roll) assessed against the
coal-mining industry was greatly inadequate, even without consid
ering the Eccles mine disaster of April 28, 1914. On that date an
explosion occurred in the mines of The New Rivers Collieries Co.
at Eccles, Raleigh County, in which 183 persons (including two
unidentified persons and one insurance agent) were killed. The
cost to the fund of this disaster for funerals was $7,290.09, and it is
estimated that $1,200 set aside for each of the 180 identified work
men killed, or $216,000, invested at 4 per cent, will provide for
the compensation to the resulting dependents, making the total
cost and liability on account of this disaster $223,290.09, of which
the funeral expenses and $13,947.39 compensation was paid to
November 30.
The loss ratio in the coal-mining schedule for the nine months, as
estimated, was $2.08 per $100 of pay roll, of which $1.47 was due to
ordinary contingencies and 61 cents due to the Eccles explosion.
The records of five years show that during the nine months a normal
loss of life from explosions in the mines of the State would have been
54 instead of the 180 compensable lives lost in the Eccles disaster,
and therefore the normal loss ratio from such catastrophes is 18
cents. To overcome the deficit it is computed that a rate of $1.89
per $100 will have to be assessed against the coal-mining industry
for a period of four years; that is to say, for ordinary requirements,
$1.47; for a surplus against catastrophes, 18 cents; and to fund the
deficit in four years, 24 cents. To overcome the deficit in mining
other than coal it is computed that an average rate of $1.54 per $100
pay roll will be required; that is to say, for ordinary requirements,
$1.28; for a surplus against disasters, 16 cents; and to fund the
deficit in four years, 10 cents.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

Contractors showed a surplus a t June 30 of $6,894.58, but owing
to an increased number of permanent and fatal injuries thereafter
there was an estimated deficit in this schedule at December 31 of
$7,750. This, it is computed, will require an average rate of $1.21
per $100 pay roll; that is to say, for ordinary requirements, $1.06;
for a surplus against catastrophes, 13 cents; and to fund the deficit
in four years, 2 cents.
Liability has been estimated for the period of 156 weeks at the
respective compensation rates on account of permanent partial
injuries, and at $1,400 each for permanent total injuries, that being
the approximate amount required for pensions for five years at
the maximum compensation rate of $6 per week. Liability on
account of fatal injuries has been estimated at $1,200 each, except
in public-service corporations, and stores, warehouses, and hotels,
in which the awards show a greater average liability. This average
of $1,200 is based on detailed estimates of the liability under 124
awards out of 241 fatal accidents (total occurring to March 31)
which averaged, reckoning 10 years’ compensation for widows,
$2,188.40 for each award, or $1,126 for each fatality. Ten years is
reckoned a fair estimate of the average term of dependency on the
fund of widows, owing to the probability of remarriage.
There were 11,418 accidents reported for the nine months, of which
10,787 were temporary disabilities, 66 permanent partial disabilities
21 permanent total disabilities, and 544 were fatal. Compensation
was not required in 4,919 cases in which the duration of disability
did not exceed one week; 243 temporary disability claims were re
jected, and disbursements for medical expenses or compensation
were made in 6,710 cases of temporary disability. The following
table sets forth by schedules the number of employees and the
number of injuries to June 30, 1914, and the total claims paid to
November 30, 1914.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

NUM BER OF EM PLOYEES, AND NUM BER OF IN JU R IE S TO JU NE 30, 1914, AND CLAIMS
PAID TO NOV. 30, 1914, BY SCHEDULES.
Injuries.

Schedule.

Coal mining...........................
Timbering and woodwork
ing......................................
Mining other th an coal, in
cluding quarrying.............
Glass and clay products. . . .
Metal......................................
Public-service corporations.
Chemicals, oils, paint, and

drugs..............................

Clothing, textile and leather.
Stoves and warehouses........
Contractors............................
Explosives............................
Pulp, paper and p rin tin g ..
Food products......................
Miscellaneous...................

Num
ber of

Claims paid.

Disabilities.

e m

ploy
ees.

Per
ni ar
Tempo nent
rary. partial.

82,495

5,859

18,605

982

2,252
5,562
14,652
7,482

Per- Fa
ma- tal.
nent
total.

476 528,377.07
21

192
3
293 .......
2,009¡ 4
207
3

733
4,155
2,860
12,018
79
1.486
1,896
187

30
96
57
879

108
51
23

Total........................ 155,062 10,787]
1 This covers medical claims only.

Medical Temporary
and
Pensions.
burial. disability.

Total.

588,553.76 561,314.75 ■$178,245.58

7,528.30

14,443.12

2,762.59 24,734.01

955.50
3,476.67
9 17,102.73
10 2,833.49

1,807.31
3,130.03
10,993.25
3,058.60

1,112.78 3,875.59
169.35 6,776.05
1,652.77 29,748.75
1,637.85 7,529.94

5
3

i 347.50
U03.55
676.66
7,443.54
i 7.00
1198.25
1311.91
i 64.00

231.09
340.88
919.47
261.42 1,703.19
738.22
581.09
321.38 1,579.13
8,457.58 2, 358.48 18,259.60
3.42 . . . .
10.42
544.26
346.01 . . . .
508.90
168.30
989.11
52.80 . . . .
116.80

70,026.17! ? 132,905.18

100.55:275,031.90

2 This sum was distributed among 6,710 claims.

Ifc is stated that since the compensation law has been in force
many fatal and nonfatal accidents and resulting deaths are reported
to the mining department which would not previously have been
reported.
The expense to June 30 of administering the law was $29,803.75,
or 4.7 per cent of the amount of premiums.
The work of the claim department is to receive the application of
an injured employer for an award, docket his claim, assist in the
preparation of his proof, obtain the proper evidence from employer,!
attending physician, and witnesses to the accident as to the cause
and the nature and extent of the injury, and to pass preliminarily
upon the proofs required in determining the amount of his award. A
The work of this department is set forth by the chief medical
examiner in 15 pages of tabular matter and 4 pages of text. The
tables show the 11,418 accidents classified according to the nature
of injury and part of body injured, and also the number of days lost
on account of each of nine classifications—amputations, dislocations,
fractures (simple), fractures (compound), wounds (infected), wounds
(not infected),burns, sprains, and muscular cramps, and miscellaneous.
There were 44 cases of hernia reported, 9 of which were rejected
by the commission. On this subject the following is quoted:
Out of 100 cases of hernia 84 are inguinal, 10 femoral, and 5 umbilical, leaving 1 for
miscellaneous; and 35 per cent of the people as a class have a hereditary tendency to

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MONTHLY REVIEW OE THE BUREAU OE LABOR STATISTICS.

hernia. One male in every 14 has hernia. The vast majority of acquired hernias
develop very, very gradually and are not the result of an injury or fortuitous event.
Only a very small per cent of hernias are the result of specific injuries. * * * and
in a normal subject it [is] impossible to produce a hernia by traumatism or accident
alone, unless the injury be of sufficient severity to tear or puncture the abdominal
wall. The common hernia, or so-called rupture, is a diseased condition which exists
from birth in the congenital type, or for some time previous to descent in the acquired
type. * * * It can net be formed at once. It would appear from the above that
if the commission allowed compensation in all cases of hernia, they would be paying
for a diseased condition of long standing. * * *

The medical officer therefore recommends the establishment of a
proper ruling which shall he a guide for action in all hernia cases.
REPORT OF THE NEW YORK STATE FACTORY INVESTIGATING
COMMISSION.
On February 15, 1915, the New York State Factory Investigating
Commission submitted its final report to the legislature.1 This com
mission, consisting of nine members, was created2 as a result of the
Triangle Waist Co. fire occurring in New York City on March 25, 1911,
in which 145 employees lost their lives. It was authorized “ to inquire
into the conditions under which manufacturing is carried on in cities
of the first and second class of the State to the end that remedial legis
lation might be enacted for the protection of the life and health of
all factory workers, and for the best interests of the public generally.”
Recognizing that “ better working conditions produce increased
efficiency, the lessening of mortality and morbidity of workers, and
greater economy in manufacturing and producing,” the commission
conducted investigations into the general sanitary conditions in fac
tories, fire hazards in factories, women’s trades, conditions in bakeries
(including physical examination of bakers employed therein), manu
facturing in tenements, conditions in canneries, night work of women
in factories, the tobacco industry, the printing industry, conditions
in mercantile establishments, and conditions in the dangerous trades.
During 1913 and 1914 the commission was authorized to inquire into
the rates of wages paid in the different industries of the State, to re
port on the advisability of establishing a minimum wage, and, if
thought advisable after further investigation of mercantile establish
ments, to prepare and present to the legislature a recodification of the
labor law. In all, four reports 3 of the activities of the commission
were presented to the legislature. The latter, acting on many of the
1 State of New York. Fourth report of the Factory Investigating Commission; report and appendixes.
5 vols. Albany, 1915.
2 Authorized by legislative enactment approved June 30, 1911; commission organized in August, 1911.
s Reports of the New York State Factory Investigating Commission: 1912, 3 vols.; 1913, 2 vols; 1914,1
vol.; 1915, 5 vols.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

recommendations contained therein, enacted laws concerning the
following points:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.

The registration of factories.
Physical examination of children before employment certificate is issued.
Fire drills.
Automatic sprinklers.
Fire prevention ; removal of rubbish ; fireproof receptacles for waste material ; pro
tection of gas jets; prohibition of smoking in factories.
Prohibition of the eating of lunch in rooms where poisonous substances are pre
pared or generated in the process of manufacture; adequate hot and cold
washing facilities for such establishments.
Employment prohibited of women within four weeks after childbirth.
Summary power of commissioner of labor over unclean and insanitary factories.
Reorganization of the labor department; industrial board.
Penalties for violation of labor law and industrial code.
Fireproof receptacles; gas jets; smoking.
Fire-alarm signal system and fire drills.
Fire escapes and exits; limitation of number of occupants; construction of future
factory buildings.
Amendment to Greater New York charter with reference to fire prevention law.
Prohibition of the employment of children under 14 in cannery sheds or tenement
houses; definition of factory building; definition of tenement house.
Manufacturing in tenements.
Hours of labor of women in canneries.
Housing conditions in labor camps maintained in connection with factory.
Physical examination of children employed in factories.
Amendment to child labor law; physical examination before issuance of employ
ment certificate; school record; supervision over issuance of employment
certificate.
Amendment to compulsory education law; school record.
Night work of women in factories
Seats for women in factories.
Bakeries.
Cleanliness of workrooms.
Cleanliness of factory buildings.
Ventilation; general; special.
Washing facilities; dressing rooms ; water-closets.
Accident prevention; lighting of factories and workrooms.
Elevators.
Dangerous trades.
Foundries.
Employment of children in dangerous occupations; employment of women in
core rooms.
Sanitation in mercantile establishments.
Hours of labor of women in mercantile establishments limited to 54 hours a week
in the entire State.
Hours of labor of children between 14 and 16 in mercantile establishments reduced
from 54 to 48 hours a week and their employment prohibited for more than
eight hours a day or after 6 o’clock in the evening of any day.

During 1914 the constitutionality of two of these laws—prohibiting
night work of women in factories, and prohibiting the manufacture

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of infants’ and children’s wearing apparel in a living apartment of a
tenement house—was challenged in the courts. In both cases the
constitutionality of the laws was upheld, although in the first instance
an appeal was taken to the court of appeals where the case was pend
ing at the the time the report was transmitted. The briefs submitted
by the commission in each of these cases are included in Volume I.1
The final report of the commission considers in detail (1) wages and
wage legislation, (2) recodification of the labor law, and (3) consolida
tion of departments having jurisdiction over buildings in New York
City.
As the result of complaints that there was overinspection of buildings
in New York City by different city and State departments and that
there was frequent duplication of work and at times conflict in the
orders issued by the various departments, the commission made a
thorough investigation and concluded it was desirable that the
various inspection services of New York City and its boroughs should
gradually be reorganized and their functions consolidated so as to
reduce expense to the city, but in such a way as to continue the
“ effectiveness of the relation of the construction and use of buildings.”
A tentative bill to amend the Greater New York charter so as to
make possible the suggested changes is given in the report.2
The bill recodifying the labor law is the outcome of public hearings
and a careful study of briefs and memoranda submitted by those
interested. I t is confined in the main to changes in form and arrange
ment rather than to changes in the substance of the law, and is a
rearrangement of the provisions of the old law in logical order,
removing ambiguities and contradictions that had crept in because
of repeated amendments and making the law understandable to the
employers and employees who are affected by its provisions. “ The
department of labor has been completely reorganized. I t has been
given facilities commensurate with great tasks imposed upon it, but
despite its great correctional powers the commission believes that the
greatest and highest function of the department of labor is to educate
rather than to exercise the police power,” and it suggests that the
department endeavor to “ bring about a closer relationship between
labor and its employer to the end that conditions be improved, not
only by the enactment of laws or the rigid technical enforcement of
statutes but by showing that a greater care of labor induces a greater
interest in the business of the employer and a corresponding profit
both to the employer and the employee. Improvement of working
conditions is real economy.”
1 Appendix II, pp. 301-371.

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WAGES.

The commission made an exhaustive study of the general subject
of wages. To this end not only were public hearings held, but a
questionnaire 1 was sent to several thousand people throughout the
country, including experts, representatives of labor, professional men,
members of economic and statistical organizations, and others. This
questionnaire called for an expression of opinion as to the factors
determining wages and the adequacy of the wage thus determined
and as to the desirability of minimum wage (or other form of govern
mental action), whether it should be restricted to women and minors,
by what agency to be determined, and its probable effects.
Supplementing the questionnaire a letter asking for a statement
of views on the subject of minimum-wage legislation, to what extent
it should be enacted, and the difficulties of administration and how
they might be overcome, was sent to economists, social workers,
lawyers, representatives of labor, employers and their representa
tives, and certain state and foreign minimum-wage commissions.
To a number of employers and educators a letter was addressed
requesting a discussion on the relation of industrial training to wages.
The replies received from these two groups are presented in the form
of a “ wage symposium.”2 In addition to the above, memoranda
on the relationship between low wages and the vice problem and
immorality among women, and the advisability of enacting minimumwage legislation were received from a group of men and women con
sidered by the commission well qualified to speak with authority
because of their interest and knowledge obtained through many
years of experience and study in these matters.3
Detailed studies were made of specific phases of the wage problem
by special investigators working under the direction of the commis
sion. These reports are included in Volumes II, III, and IV and cover
the following subjects: A report on vocational training,4 including a
chapter on the wage value of vocational training; the relation of
irregular employment to the living wage for women;5 minimumwage legislation in Australasia,6 and, the cost of living in New York
State,7 considered from the standpoint of unmarried women, men
living independently, and the normal family, together with supple1 The questionnaire, a list of those whose replies are presented, and the text of the replies are given in
Vol. I, Appendix III, pp. 418-591.
2 Vol. 1, Appendix III, pp. 592-855.
3 A list of those replying, together with the text of their replies, is given in Vol. I, Appendix III, pp. 38
to 418.
^ Vol. IV, p. 1237.
6 Vol. II, p. 497.
6 Vol. IV, p. 1845.
1 Vol. IV, p. 1461.

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mentary chapters oil “ Living on six dollars a week/’ 1 “ How the
working girl of New York lives/’2 and “A study of families.” 3
In carrying on the inquiry the commission deemed it essential to
discover the following facts: (1) The wages actually paid in typical
industries throughout the State; (2) The sufficiency of these wages to
maintain employees in simple decency and working efficiency; and
(3) The ability of industries to increase wages on the basis of the
earning capacity of labor. The following indicates in brief the scope
of the investigation:
Estab
lish
ments.

Workers.

Mercantile establishments...............................................
143
69,933
Shirt factories...................................................................
112
13,056
Paper-box factories..........................................................
238
11,760
Confectionery.......... ..................................................
84
9, 767
Millinery4.............................................................................
57 3,983
Button factories4 ................................................................
59
916
Total.......................................................................

693

109,415

The inquiry was not limited to women and minors/ but in the
trades investigated they were found to predominate, and in the sum
mary of this report the commission confines itself almost wholly to
the question of wages paid this group of workers. “I t is clear,” says
the report, “ that the number of women who receive a low wage
exceeds greatly the number of men, and the need of remedial legis
lation in their behalf is immensely more urgent.” In every instance
the data were taken from employers’ records, and these were amply
corroborated by interviews with more than 2,000 workers.
A distinction is made between the wage rate and actual earnings,
the latter in many cases being less than the rates quoted because of
part-time or irregular work, fines for lateness, breakage, mistakes,,
etc. Of 90,596 employees for whom weekly rates were reported,
51.8 per cent are rated at less than $9, 42.9 per cent are rated at
less than $8, and 20 per cent are rated at less than $6. In the mer
cantile establishments it was found that 25.3 per cent of the women
and girls are rated at less than $6; in the shirt factories 51 per cent
are rated at less than $6.50; in paper-box factories 51 per cent are
rated at less than $6.50; and in the confectionery establishments
50 per cent are rated at less than $6.
When it comes to actual earnings, the commission found that of
the 54,114 women employed in the four principal industries indi1 Vol. IV, p. 1673.
2 Vol. IV, p. 1693.
2 Vol. IV, p. 1783.
1
This industry was studied by a special investigator whose report is given in Vol. II. The result
of this investigation is not included in the general statistical summary presented in Vol. I l l, nor is it
considered in the general discussion and conclusions resulting from the wage investigation.
6 In the statistical summary, Vol. Ill, male workers are included.

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cated above, covering 577 establishments and employing a total of
104,5191 workers, 34.5 per cent receive less than $6 per week, 61.6
per cent receive less than $8, 72.2 per cent receive less than $9, while
27.8 per cent are paid $9 or more. In stores employing 31,6463
females the earnings of 67.5 per cent are less than $9 per week, 56.4
per cent get less than $8, while 28.8 per cent receive less than $6.
These earnings include, where ascertainable, all commissions paid
to sales people. Of 9,4243 females employed in the shirt industry,
which is largely on a piecework basis, 65.5 per cent receive less than
$8 at the end of the week, and 39.3 per cent receive less than $6.
In the manufacture cf paper boxes the proportions are almost
exactly the same. In the confectionery industry, employing 5,6763
females, 53.2 per cent receive less than $6, and 79.1 per cent get
less than $8. The following table shows the number and per cent
of female workers in each industry earning each specified amount
weekly.
T able

1.—NUM BER AND

P E R CENT OF FEM ALE W ORKERS EARNING EACH SPEC IFIED
AMOUNT P E R W E E K , BY INDUSTRIES.

Industry.

Under $6.

Under $8.

Under $9.

$9 and over.

Total.

Num Per
ber. cent.

9,071
3,671
2,947
2,987

28.8
39.3
38.5
53.2

17,775
6,114
4,995
4,443

56.4
65.5
65.3
79.1

21,267
7,065
5,865
4,858

67.5
75.7
76.7
86.5

10,250 32.5 131,517
2,268 24.3 2 9,333
1,782 23.3 3 7,647
759 13.5 * 5,617

100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

T otal................................ 18,676

34.5

33,327

61.6

39,055

72.2

15,059

100.0

Mercantile establishments.......
Shirt factories............................
Paper-box factories..................
Confectionery factories............

27.8

54,114

1 Not including 129 not reporting weekly earnings.
2 Not including 91 not reporting weekly earnings.
3 Not including 81 not reporting weekly earnings.
* Not including 59 not reporting weekly earnings.

That low wages do not necessarily apply entirely to those with little
or no experience or to those young in years is amply demonstrated by
a study of the statistical summary. Forty-nine per cent of those who
have had 5 years’ experience in stores are receiving less than $8 per week.
In the large department stores 53.7 per cent and in the 5 and 10 cent
stores 91 per cent of the women reporting receive less than $8. In
all the industries investigated approximately 60 per cent of the women
and girls receive less than $8. Nearly 60 per cent of the women in
mercantile establishments are over 21 years of age, and of this number
34.3 per cent receive less than $8. Of the total women in both depart
ment and 5 and 10 cent stores receiving less than $8 a week, 37.6 per
1 Of this number 740 did not report weekly earnings as shown in the statistical summary, Vol. I l l, pp.
670, 809, 833, and 860.
2 This total includes 129 who did not report weekly earnings, as shown in Table I.
3 This total includes those not reporting weekly earnings and therefore does not agree with the total
shown in Table 1.

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cent are over 21 years of age. The majority of women in all four
trades studied reach the $8 level only after 30 years of age. The
investigation showed that two-thirds to three-fourths of the women
and girls employed are unmarried, and that these were working not
from choice but from necessity. In a special study of 1,300 women
it was found that 65 per cent lived with their families, 75 per cent of
whom turned all their earnings into the family fund while more than
20 per cent paid hoard.
Emphasis is placed on the fact that all the trades investigated are
seasonal1 which means that during certain periods of the year large
numbers of employees are idle or are working in other employments
and therefore do not earn as much as the weekly rate quoted. In
fact, for periods ranging from 1 to 10 weeks many earn nothing at all.
Others remain away from work and suffer deductions. Of 1,036
females in stores who reported on this point, 653, or 63 per cent,
lost time during the year. In the shirt industry 152 women (86
per cent of those reporting) reported the loss of 5,502 days in a single
year, or more than a month each. This loss of time and shifting of
employment necessarily affects the average annual earnings. Based
on the rates paid in retail stores 54 per cent of the girls would be
reckoned as likely to receive less than $400 a year. As a matter of
fact, 61 per cent of the best paid women workers fell below that
figure. In department stores shifting of employees is very great.
In one New York City store over 12,000 employees were hired in one
year in order to maintain a permanent force of 3,000. This, however,
is exceptional. In one establishment the change amounted to only
about 20 per cent of the normal force, while in practically all the
others it was 100 per cent or over.
Throughout all the trades there appears to be no wage standard.
For instance, in one factory cutters, are receiving from $10 to $15 per
week, while in another factory they receive for the same kind of work
from $15 to $20. The commission discovered that wages in the
shirt industry are depressed by competition with prison-made goods,
the output from two institutions outside the State in 1913 being
195,000 dozen shirts which were sold in the open market. In an
earlier report it was recommended that this practice be prohibited.
In the general wage study, information is presented showing hours
of labor; days worked; earnings and experience; conjugal condition;
annual earnings; time lost; seasonal fluctuations; deductions;
premiums, bonuses, and commissions; relation between wages and
sales, earnings and marriage, and earnings and nativity. A special
chapter is devoted to organization and working conditions in retail
1 See Vol. II, p. 497, for a detailed presentation of the subject of the relation of irregularity of employ
ment to the living wage for women.

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stores, and there is also a chapter on mutual aid associations in New
York City stores.
In the investigation on the cost of living the commission found
that a typical weekly budget of a girl working in a trade at $6 a
week is as follows:
Half of furnished room...................................................................... $1.50
Breakfast and dinner......................................................................... 2.10
Lunch......................................................................................................... 70
Car fare................................................................................
60
Clothes, at $52 a year......................................................................... 1.00
Total.........................................................................................

5.90

In this account there is no allowance possible for doctor or dentist,
amusements, newspapers, or extra car fare. After saving the bal
ance for one year, this girl would have $5.20 if sire worked steadily
and had no expenditures other than those given in the schedule.
But the trade in which she works is seasonal, so she will not work the
full 52 weeks. Her annual income may, therefore, be reduced onefifth or more from even the low level given above. In the special
report on this subject, to which detailed reference is made elsewhere
in this digest, the author holds that the cost of living must include
food, clothing, shelter, intellectual development, recreation, and a
provision for the future. The inquiry developed the fact that only
a few rooms in New York City can be secured at $2.50 a week; that
comfortable rooms cost $4 a week, and that occasionally board and
lodging may be had for $7, but that the usual price is $9. It is
quite apparent that this standard is altogether too high, especially
in view of the fact that a large majority of women (61.6 per cent),
as shown in Table 1 above, earn less than $8 a week.
OBJECTIONS TO WAGE LEGISLATION.

The hearings, which were held by the commission, and the ques
tionnaire, to which reference has been made, developed reasons
both for and against State interference with wages of women and
unions. The objections which are presented in the report are fol
lowed by arguments in support of wage legislation, in which each
objection is taken up and specifically denied.
CONCLUSIONS.

After careful deliberation and study of the results of its investiga
tion and the testimony taken, the commission came to the con
clusion that the State is justified in protecting the underpaid women
workers and minors in the interest of the State and society. It
found that there are thousands of women and minors employed in
the industries throughout the State of New York who are receiving

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too low a wage adequately to maintain them in health and decent
comfort. The commission expresses the belief that this injuriously
affects the lives and health of these underpaid workers, and that it
is opposed to the best interests and welfare of the people of the
State.
In order to remedy this evil, the commission recommends :
1. The enactment of a law creating a wage commission1 which, after investigation,
shall establish wage boards, composed of representatives of employers, employees,
and the public, in any industry in which it has reason to believe women and minors
are receiving less than a living wage. Wherever possible, the employers and workers
are to be elected by their respective groups; but if this is impossible, employers and
employees shall be notified of meetings at which the work of the wage commission
shall be explained and the representatives of the trade asked to present recommenda
tions to the wage board. The wage commission, after public hearings, and upon con
sideration of the report of the wage board, shall determine the amount of the living
wage necessary for such women and minors, and recommend to employers payment
thereof. The determination of the wage commission shall be published, and the
commission shall also be required to publish the names of employers who fail to comply
with its recommendations.
2. The adoption of an amendment to the constitution empowering the legislature
to establish a wage commission which shall have power to fix living wages for women
and minors in industry.
3. That the legislature submit this proposition to the constitutional convention
for consideration.2
COST OF LIVING.3

A comprehensive study of wages, with a view to recommending the
establishment of a minimum-wage law, is impossible without a
careful investigation of the cost of living. Under the direction of
the commission, this investigation was made by Prof. F. H. Streightoff, of DePauw University, Indiana, who in his report presents
exhaustive data showing (1) the cost of living to a single woman,
(2) the cost of living to a man living independently, and (3) the cost
of living for a normal family. To determine as definitely as possible
the amount of money necessary for life in “ simple decency and work
ing efficiency” was the purpose of the inquiry. The data were gath
ered from 1,937 women and girls in mercantile establishments and
paper-box, shirt, and candy factories. The number is small as com
pared with the total employed in these industries in the State, but it
is explained that the schedules used represent all sections of the four
industrial fields covered and “ for the purpose in hand, the study of
the cost of living, the quantity seems adequate.”
In considering the cost of living to single women, some details
of the report may be summarized. Of the 1,937 tabulated, 1,789
had never married or were widowed. Of the total number of women
1 A Pill for the creation of a wage commission is subm itted in the report. See Vol. I, p. 291.
2 The m atter was subm itted to the constitutional convention, but no action was taken.
s Vol. IV, p. 1461.

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and girls, 18.8 per cent were between the ages of 14 and 17, and 83.8
per cent were less than 30 years of age. More than three-fourths
(1,467) are native born. I t is noted that 888, or 45.8 per cent, left
school at or before the age of 14 years, which is the legal age at which
a child may leave school for work. “ To work” was assigned by 41.8
per cent as the reason for leaving school. About 11 per cent left
school on account of illness, or death or sickness in the family, and it
is stated that not one of these workers was earning as much as $14
per week. Nearly two-thirds were living at home, most of them in
families in which there were other wage earners. However, 93
women were found to be the sole support of their families, each
family ranging in size from 2 to 10 persons. It is shown that of 1,929
women 62.6 per cent claimed to be entirely self-supporting, while
23.2 per cent declared that they were obliged to contribute to the
support of relatives.
While instructive and necessarily requiring attention in consider
ing the establishment of a minimum wage, these facts are, however,
relatively unimportant as compared with the relation existing be
tween the earnings of these women and their necessary expenditures.
Upon this relation definite minimum-wage legislation must ultimately
be based, for a minimum wage, to be worth while, must be equal to
the cost of living. Thus a large portion of Prof. Streightoffs report
is devoted to a discussion, with numerous detailed tables, of the
earnings of these women, what they spend, how they live, the quality
and quantity of their food, the sufficiency of their clothing, their
home conditions, and their savings. The study of weekly earnings
shows that a large proportion, 27.9 per cent, of 1,929 women reporting
were receiving under $6 a week, while 67.7 per cent of the entire num
ber were earning less than $8 per week. In the New York City fac
tories the great proportion, more than 56 per cent, were found to be
earning $5 to $7.99. Generally speaking, in all the industries onefourth were earning under $6 a week, two-thirds under $8, and
four-fifths under $9. The average weekly earnings in New York
stores and factories was $7.77 and $6.62, respectively, and the average
earnings in up-state stores was $6.23, and in factories $7.01. The
weekly earnings of these 1,929 women are specifically shown in the
following table:

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T able 2.—CLASSIFIED W E EK L Y EARNINGS OF 1,929 FEM ALE EM PLOY EES IN STORES

AND FACTORIES IN NEW YO RK STATE.
Under $6.
Industry.

Under $8.

Under $9.

$9 and oyer.

Total.

Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per
ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent.

New York City.
Stores...........................................................
Factories.....................................................

1S8 19.8
198 37.6

441
381

55.4
72.3

568
430

71.4
81.6

228
97

28.6
18.4

123 30.1
60 30.3

351 86.0
133 67.2

383
156

93.9
78.8

25
42

6.1
21.2

67.7 1,537

79.7

392

U96 100.0
*527

100.0

408
198

100.0
100.0

Other cities.
Stores...........................................................
Factories.....................................................
Total.................................................

539

27.9 1,306

20.3 21,929 100.0

1 Not including 4 not reporting weekly earnings.
2 Including the 8 not reporting weekly earnings, this total is 1,937, which is the total num ber scheduled.

What do these women spend to maintain a life of “ decency and
working efficiency” ? Prof. Streightoff found that among the New
York City store employees living at home and contributing to the
family income “ there seems to be a general tendency for the con
tribution to increase with the increase in wages, but the per cent of
the earnings contributed to the family diminishes as the incomes grow
larger.” The average amount contributed by this group was $4.53
a week, or 58.3 per cent of the weekly earnings. The mean weekly
contribution to the family income was, among the New York City
factory employees, $5.70, or 86.1 per cent; among the up-State store
women, $4.54, or 72.9 per cent; and among the factory girls, $5.64,
or 80.5 per cent, of the average earnings. These figures show that a
large proportion of the income of the working girl who lives at home
is turned over to the parents. Directing attention to the women who
reside with relatives or friends, Prof. Streightoff shows that among
the employees in New York City factories the average weekly cost of
board, lodging, and lunches is $3.15, while the average for those in
up-State stores is $3.03 and for employees in up-State factories
$3.12. But the store women in New York City pay an average of
$4.74.
The normal expenditure of female workers in the stores and fac
tories in New York State is shown more specifically, in connection
with average weekly earnings, by the following table:

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3 .—AVERAGE E X PE N D IT U R E , FOR EACH PU R PO SE , OF 1,937 FEM ALE
EM PLOY EES IN STORES, AND CANDY, P A P E R BOX, AND SH IRT FACTORIES IN
NEW Y O R K STATE.

T able

New York City
stores.
Item.

Board, lodging, and lunches
(women living independently).................................
Board, lodging, and lunches
(women living with
friends and relatives)___
Contribution to family
(women living at home)..
Lunches................................
Clothing................................
L aundry.
Car fare'................................
Savings.................................
33ues and insurance2. . .
Miscellaneous (spending
m oney)2............................

N ew Y ork City
factories.

Up-State stores.

Up-State factories.

Num
Num
Num
Num
ber Aver Per ber Aver Per ber Aver Per ber Aver Per
re age cent.1 re age cent.1 re age cent.1 re age cent.1
port spent.
port spent.
port spent.
port spent.
ing.
ing.
ing.
ing.

76 $4.27

$4.40

126 3.03

48.6

3.12

44.5

4.54
.87
1.58
.53
.58
.94
.04

72.9
14.0
25.4
8.5
9.3
15.1
.6

5.64
.92
1.48
.68
.51
1.03
.07

80.5
13.1
21.1
9.7
7.3
14.7
1.0

251

.52

8.3

.54

7.7

3 408

6.23

71.9

102

4.74

61.0

113 3.15

47.6

112
473
374
50

4.53
1.02
1.61

58.3
13.1
20.7
7.3
. 66 8.5
.94 12.1
. 13 1.7

339 5.70
231
.85
208 1.34
17
184
.58
.99
43
283
.05

86.1
12.8
20.2
8.3
8.8
15.0
.8

236
150
200
60
203
47
268

358

.44

6. 6

3 531

6.62

33
424
493

.49

Average weekly earnings... 3 800

7.77

0.3

39 $3.75

68.5

116 $5.59

62.8

s 19S 7.01

1 Owing to inaccuracies in the table, Vol. IV, pp. 1512-1517, the figures in this column are computed
from the average in the preceding column. In many instances, however, they agree with those m the
table referred to.
2 Average of all reporting, whether dues and insurance were paid or not, or whether they had spending
money; or not. Other averages are for those actually having the expenditure.
3 This is the number actually reporting, on which the average in the next column is based.

From the statement of facts and from the above table the conclu
sions are drawn that (1) the girl living with friends or relatives spends
less for food and shelter than the one living independently; (2) the
woman living at home contributes to her family more than the woman
living in either other condition; (3) the expenditure for these pur
poses comprises a very large proportion of the wages, amounting in
the case of women living independently and working in New York
stores to over 70 per cent of their earnings, and to much higher pro
portions in some of the lower wage groups.1
Letters of inquiry were sent out to persons whose opinions the
commission considered valuable, asking, among^ other things, for
estimates of the living wage for women in New' York City. The
replies received indicated that for the average woman under 18 years
of age $10.98 is necessary for living expenses, wdiile for one over
18 years of age the amount to be thus spent should not be less than
$11.36. The author sees no apparent reason for discriminating be
tween those over and those under 18 years of age, and concludes that
it seems impossible to decide, from the standpoint of the cost of
living, that either the girl or the adult woman requires a larger wage
than the other.
1 For instance, in New York City factories girls who earn from $4 to $4.99 reported an outlay of 99 per
cent of their earnings for shelter and lodging, and the women living independently and employed in thq
up-State stores earning between $5 and $5.99 spent 81 per cent of their wages thus.

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Admitting that the data available for the report were fragmentary
and that it was impossible to rely solely upon the facts elicited from
interviews with the girls, and basing the estimates on the conditions
of women living independently, Prof. Streightoff presents the follow
ing as a necessary expense list:
Table 4 .—ESTIMATED W E EK L Y AND ANNUAL NECESSARY E X PE N D IT U R E OF

WOMEN AND GIRL WAGE EA R N ER S LIVING IN D EPE N D EN TL Y .
Annual
expendi
ture.

Weekly
expendi
ture.

Clothing.................................................
Laundry................................................
Room and board (except lunches)__
Lunches.................................................
Car fares................................................
Insurance..............................................
Amusements, recreation......................
Health and incidentals........................

$88. 00
20.80
208. 00
46. 80
31.20
20.00
26. 00
26. 00

$1. 69
.40
4.00
.90
.60
.38
.50
.50

Total............................................

466. 80

8.97

Item.

From the above showing it may be concluded that $9 a week, if a
steady income, will suffice to maintain in decency a working woman
in New York City. I t is interesting to note in this connection that
1,537 females (79.7 per cent), a great majority of whom, owing to
seasonal fluctuation, are not employed the 37-ear round, were receiving
less than the minimum thus established.1 It should be kept in mind
that this allowance of $9 a week is not large enough to permit any
saving. These estimates are set at the minimum and the fact is
emphasized that this wage must be regular income. His study of
living conditions led Prof. Streightoff to conclude that “ the very
least upon which, a working woman can decently maintain herself
in that city of the State where rents and food prices seem about the
lowest, in Buffalo, is $8.20 per week the jmar round, and in New York
City $9.”
In connection with this subject illustrations of interiors and floor
plans of homes are given showing the living conditions of working
women.
In Part II Prof. Streightoff shows that the cost of living to a man
living independently is $505.80 per year, or $9.73 a week.
In the study of the cost of living for a normal family, consisting
of a man at work, a woman and three unemployed children, the con
clusion is drawn that a total of $876.43, or $16.85 per week, is neces
sary for a decent existence. This is divided as follows:
1 This proportion is substantially the same as th at indicated in Table I, where it is shown th a t of the
54,l l i female employees scheduled, 39,055, or 72.2 per cent, were receiving less than the minimum here
suggested.

22978°— 16--- 7

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T able 5 .—ESTIMATED NECESSARY W E E K L Y AND ANNUAL E X PE N D IT U R E FOR

FAM ILIES OF FIV E IN NEW YORK STATE.
Annual
expendi
ture.

Weekly
expendi
ture.

Food.......................................................
Rent.......................................................
Fuel and light.......................................
Clothing.................................................
Car fare..................................................
Insurance (man, $20; family, $15)___
Furnishing.............................................
H ealth....................................................
Education; newspaper........................
Recreation and amusement................
Miscellaneous........................................

$325.00
200.00
20.00
140.00
31.20
35.60
7.00
22.00
5.63
50.00
40.00

$6.25
3.85
.38
2.09
.60
.69
.13
.42
.11
.96
.77

Total............................................

876.43

16.85

Item.

SPECIAL STUDIES.

Aside from the special inquiry made into the cost of living, other
specific investigations were conducted in connection with the general
study of wages. These have already been noted, but each is deserv
ing of special reference. One inquiry related to irregularity of em
ployment and its bearing upon a living wage for women and girls.1
In the report which was prepared by Irene Osgood Andrews, assist
ant secretary, American Association for Labor Legislation, the author
divides the workers into three main classes: (1) The smaller group of
those permanently employed, (2) those who are employed for the
entire busy season but are laid off at its close, and (3) those who drift
in and out of the industry, working only a few days or weeks at a time
in one place.
The essential facts determined by this special study seem to indi
cate that actual earnings fall far short of possible earnings based on
“ rate of pay” ; that the average girl or woman loses in wages an
amount equal to no less than 15 per cent of her possible earnings;
that in many seasonal trades from 25 to 50 per cent of the workers
remain three months or less; that a living income is dependent not
only upon reasonable wages but also upon reasonable regularity of
employment, and that unless reasonable regularity of employment
can be definitely assured a living wage throughout the year can be
secured only by setting up a wage rate sufficiently high to cover
unemployment periods or by establishing some form of unemploy
ment insurance.
Another matter intimately connected with the earning capacity
of workers is their general education and special training for the
occupation they follow. Thus the commission deemed it wise to
make a special investigation of the relation between education and
earnings. The report on vocational training2 is taken up under
i Vol. II, p. 497.

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a Vol. IV, p. 1237.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

four heads: (1) Vocational training in the paper-box industry, (2) the
candy industry, (3) department stores, and (4) the wage value of
vocational training. Each subject is treated by a special writer
after personal study of conditions in the State. The investigation
was actuated, it is stated, by a belief that the ultimate success of
many of our commercial and industrial enterprises depends to a
large degree upon the efficiency and intelligence of the workers
engaged in those enterprises and that there is a very high correla
tion between training and ability in certain of the so-called skilled
occupations. In a study 1 of 15 paper-box factories employing 1,467
persons, of whom 68 per cent are females, Mr. Robert J. Leonard,
professor of industrial education, Indiana University, after a detailed
description of the processes employed, reaches the conclusion that in
the solid-box industry a short-unit course in vocational training is
desirable in certain departments where men work but that in the
case of the great bulk of women workers no such course would increase
their earnings at all.
Anna C. Phillips, formerly investigator for the New York com
mittee on safety, made a study to determine the possibility of voca
tional training in the candy industry.2 Thirteen factories were
visited and in only eight were the jobs studied. These factories are
classed as making cheap and penny goods, cheap and high-grade
goods, and high-grade goods. Based upon the machine and hand
operations involved in the making of candy, both of which are
described in the report, the author suggests that only six jobs may
be regarded as skilled—candy making, chocolate hand dipping, bon
bon dipping, fancy packing, crystallizing, and pan work. The
greatest number employed are low paid and unskilled. There is no
attempt to provide systematic training in the semiskilled work or
even increase the efficiency of the worker in the semiskilled job and
thus lead to a higher wage. This condition, coupled with the fact
that the industry is largely seasonal, a large number of the workers
being laid off after Christmas, makes the question of training workers
“a complicated one.”
A very careful and detailed analysis of department store work is
presented by Iris Prouty O’Leary, special assistant for vocational
education, State education department of New Jersey, in the report3
on the possibility of vocational training in that branch of industrial
activity in which so many women and girls are engaged.4 The
analysis of the business is entirely from the teaching standpoint and
1 Vol. IV, p. 1243.
2 Vol. IV, p. 1347.
s Vol. IV, p. 1363.
4
Approximately 80 per cent of the employees are females; Vol. IV, p. 1372. In the chapter on wages
in retail stores, Vol. II, p. 53, it is stated that “ out of 57,359 workers recorded by sex, 33,732 (nearly 59 per
cent) are women and girls.”

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for the purpose of determining to what extent there is in*each occupa
tion a teachable content which has a direct bearing on the efficiency
of the employees in the particular job. The author finds that the
department stores oiler a wide field and exceptional opportunities
for vocational training, because in every type of employment there
is a certain definite content of knowledge or manipulative skill or
both for which training can be given, and that difficulties of securing
workers possessing the special knowledge required for efficiency in
the various occupations indicates that there is need for such training.
Very little information was obtained showing the value of training
in terms of increased wages or promotion. It is recommended that
training be conducted on a part-time or continuation basis, that for
the present instruction be organized as trade extension rather than
trade preparatory training, that the instruction be specific, supple
menting that received in the stores, that the training be carried on
in the store where the necessary business atmosphere can be secured,
that the schemes of training should first be planned to meet the needs
of the average worker, and that the plan of training should be pre
ceded by careful and comprehensive analysis of the industry for the
purpose of determining the content of each occupation and its factors
of efficiency.1
For the purpose of finding an answer to the question, ‘‘Does voca
tional training increase the earning capacity of the wage worker?”
Mr. Wesley A. O’Leary, assistant secretary, National Society for
Promotion of Industrial Education, at the request of the commission
made an investigation,2 somewhat limited by the lack of available
sources of information, in which the data were obtained by personal
visits or by letter from vocational schools in various parts of the
United States, from corporation schools, and from firms known to
be interested in vocational training. Special reports and studies
made by individuals and commissions, catalogues and records of
vocational schools, and detailed wage statistics of 250 men in the
sheet-metal and machinists trades were also used. These latter
had taken training in evening vocational schools after entering their
trades and their wages were obtained both before and after training.
The fact is emphasized that the data do not pretend to measure
in exact terms the wage value of vocational education. In the
first place, the expression of earnings as a product of training may be
influenced by such considerations as the supply and demand of labor,
organized labor, geographical location, health of the wage earner,
the personal equation as between the worker and the foreman, how
far industry recognizes an increase in the productive power of the
laborer by a corresponding increase in wage, and other influences.
1 Suggested u n it courses are given in Vol. IV, p. 1400.

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2 Vol. IV, p. 1407.

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

Iii the second place, the wage value of vocational education is mini
mized somewhat by the fact that industrial education is of compara
tively recent development, so that most vocational schools have
hardly had time to learn what their problem is, to say nothing
of developing a successful system of training. The persons with
whom the vocational school is concerned are placed in three groups:
1. Young people who have not yet entered industry, but who are seeking admission
through the training of the vocational school. They may be called the trade pre
paratory group.
2. Adult workers who are engaged in low-grade employment and who desire
training for more highly skilled occupations. They may be called the trade-changing
group.
3. Skilled workers who wish additional training along the line of their trade as the
next step forward to greater efficiency. They may be termed the trade-extension
group.

Taking up each group separately the author considers the effect
on workers and their earning capacity of training in certain specific
vocational and trade schools, and then suggests that the data obtained
appear to indicate—
1. A tendency on the part of the day schools included in this investigation to
place the graduate of the school in the industry at a higher initial wage than he could
obtain without school training. How much higher can not with exactness be deter
mined.
2. A tendency showing that these schools can materially increase the earning power
of the young worker by saving him from “ blind alley” occupations.
3. A tendency on the part of employers to pay graduates of certain trade schools on
entrance to the industry approximately journeyman’s wages.
4. A tendency which indicates the ability of a certain type of trade school to increase
the wage of the worker by advancing him from low-grade employments to those
requiring greater skill.
5. A limited tendency in the case of evening schools giving trade extension courses
to slightly increase the earning power of experienced workers.

It is made clear that the evidence gathered does not conclusively
demonstrate that these tendencies are general, nor does it prove that
they are not. These tendencies taken together indicate a capacity
on the part of vocational schools to advance the wage of the trained
worker.
Volume Y of the commission’s report is devoted to testimony taken
at hearings held to consider the subjects of consolidation of depart
ments in New York City and wages and wage legislation.
In that portion of the report devoted to minimum-wage legislation
in Australasia1 the author aims to present the history of the laws in
force in those States, together with the administrative working and
economic and social conditions obtaining under each system prior to
the outbreak of the European war. The greatest emphasis is put
upon the systems of New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand.

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1 Vol. IV, p. 1815.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

I t is pointed out that the minimum wage as it is known in Australasia
has been fixed either by wage boards or by a compulsory arbitration
system with the deciding power lodged in a court consisting of a judge
and perhaps a representative of both employers and employees. Each
system owes its origin to a radically different motive—the former
to the desire to put an end to the worst forms of sweating and under
payment in certain industries and the latter to the determination to do
away with industrial warfare. The following brief outline is given
showing certain points of resemblance and certain differences between
these two systems in Australasia:
1. A minimum wage for adult workers and a special rate for those less competent
is provided for by each method.
2. Each plan has passed through an evolution more or less similar. The minimum
rate itself, the permit scheme, provisions for learners, the enforcement of awards and
determinations, the penalty for discrimination against those taking part in the proceed
ings of a court or boards, the repression of strikes and the need for conciliation, all
these are problems which have arisen in the course of time under both methods and
have been met in much the same way.
3. Under every system except that of the Commonwealth, the main tribunals for
the fixing of wages are deliberative bodies, where both employees and employers are
represented.

Among the differences are noted the following:
1. Wages boards as such have no jurisdiction over strikes and lockouts as do the
courts of arbitration.
2. The scope of the arbitration courts is wider and their quasi legislative and judicial
powers are greater than those of the wages boards.
3. Under the wages-boards plan there is less interference with individual rights,
contracts, and organizations than under compulsory arbitration.
4. The wages-board scheme in its purity implies the voluntary submission of the
parties with compulsion only after every form of investigation and appeal is exhausted;
arbitration relies essentially upon compulsion.
5. The wages boards make no distinction between unionists and nonunionists
but have dealt with men as individuals. Compulsory arbitration depends essentially
upon organization, and as unionism has been a most important factor in its administra
tion, preference is frequently given to unionists.

The report indicates a tendency for each method to gravitate toward
the other, and distinctions between the two plans can not be made
as sharply now as they could several years ago. The minimum wage
has generally tended to exceed the living wage, although, in the three
States mentioned above, the adopted minimum usually has been
‘1what the employees could get and the employers would give.” So
far as definite principles are concerned the Commonwealth concilia
tion and arbitration court, whose influence has extended to every
court and wage board in Australia and also to New Zealand, has
declared the basis of minimum wages to be “ the normal needs of the
average employee regarded as a human being living in a civilized
community.” This “ irreducible minimum” for the adult man has

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been interpreted to be a family wage for an unskilled laborer and
was fixed in one of the most recent awards at 51 shillings (approxi
mately $10) per week. The rate for women is based on the needs of
a single person living alone. The court held that the welfare of an
industry must yield precedence to the living wage, but the rate for
skilled workers may be reduced if the condition of an industry so
demands. Provision is made for irregularity of employment, the
traveling expenses of certain classes of workers, hours, holidays, and
special industrial conditions. As the purpose of the court is pri
marily to secure industrial peace, interstate compétition is a question
most carefully considered. Yet notwithstanding this fact, the Com
monwealth court in making its awards has adhered more closely to
definite principles than any other tribunal.
OFFICIAL REPORTS RELATING TO LABOR.
UNITED STATES.

California .—Industrial Accident Commission. General safety orders issued by the
Industrial Accident Commission of the State of California, effective January 1, 1916.
[,Sacramento], 1915. 15 pp.
Contains summary of safety provisions of the workmen’s compensation, insurance,
and safety act, as well as the general safety orders issued by the commission as to the
guarding of dangerous machinery and places, statement of methods for forming safety
committees as recommended by the National Safety Council, and some representative
opinions of employees and employers as to the compensation act and the work of the
commission.
-----------------Mine safety rules, issued by the Industrial Accident Commission of the
State of California, effective January 1, 1916. Sacramento, 1915. 123 pp.
Contains rules as to precautions to be observed in operating mines and subsidiary
works; rules relative to reporting accidents, the employment of women and children
in mines, and concerning mine sanitation, ventilation, hoistways, exits, etc.
New H am pshire.—Bureau of Labor. Eleventh biennial report of the bureau of labor
for the fiscal period ending August 31, 1915. Part one. Concord, N. II. 1915.
95, [I] pp.
Presents statistics relating to industrial disputes, occupational diseases, unemploy
ment in New Hampshire, and industrial accidents, and contains a directory of manu
facturing and mechanical establishments and of local trade-unions.
The following data among others are reported :
1912
Industrial disputes........................................................................
Cases conciliated or arb itrated.....................................................
Cases of occupational diseases reported......................................
Nonfatal accidents.........................................................................
F atal accidents.................... .........................................................
Expenditures for—
Salary of commissioner...........................................................
Assistants.................................................................................
Incidentals, including trav el.................................................
A rbitration..............................................................................
P rinting...................................................................................

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[187]

1914

1913

1915

282
3

•

833
9

i
J
5
290
Q
$1,600.00
1955.20
1569.12
$174.34
$372.66

100

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

The information concerning unemployment was secured from the secretaries of
local trade-unions throughout the State and relates to the months, January to June,
1915, considered in two quarterly periods. Returns came from 73 organizations repre
senting for the first quarter 6,293 members and 5,952 for the second quarter. These
organizations represented 21 localities and 31 distinct trades. The following table
has been prepared from the report by this bureau and shows the membership, and the
number and per cent unemployed for each quarter of 1915 by those trades reporting
100 or more members in either quarter.
NUMBER AND P E R CENT OF TRADE-UNION MEMBERS IN NEW HAM PSHIRE
UNEMPLOYED DURING T H E FIR ST AND SECOND QUARTERS OF 1915.
First quarter (January-March),
1915.
Union.

Second quarter (April-June),
1915.

Per
Num
Per
Unions Mem Num
ber
cent Unions Mem
ber
cent
report ber unem
ber unem
unem report
unem
ing.
ship. ployed. ployed.
ing.
ship. ployed.
ployed.

Barbers..................................................
Bartenders.............................................
Boot and shoe workers........................
Brewery workers..................................
Carpenters and joiners.........................
Cigarmakers__.....................................
Firemen and engineers, locomotive...
Garment workers.................................
Machinists.............................................
Maintenance-of-way employees...........
Molders..................................................
Paper makers........................................
Paving cutters......................................
Quarry workers....................................
Railroad-station employees.................
Railway trainm en................................
Typographical union................
All others...............................................

4
3
2
5
1
2
2
2
5
4
2
3
6
5
3
4
14

164
257
1,228
150
360
600
156
267
184
336
185
3 156
4 335
327
361
472
130
625

4
18
140
8
166
47
59
(l)
8
7
59
(3)
4150
92
4
55
13
42

2. 4
7.0
11.4
5.3
46.1
7. 8
37.8
0)
43
2.1
31.9
(3)
44. 8
28.1
1.1
11. 7
10.0
6.7

_
4
3
1
4
1
2
2
2
5
4
2
3
6
5
3
4
13

T otal............................................

6,293

872

13.9

69 s 5,952

167
267
1,268
20
396
650
158
263
184
338
2 182
3 156
300
342
310
370
59
522

1.8
14.2
6.9

38
87
(')
64
25
49

16.2
3.8
31.0

4.3
2.1
24.7
1.3
63.3
16.1
2.9
12.7
5.1
5.0

658

11.1

2 45
32
190
55
9
47

1 None.
2 All members working 4 or 5 days a week.
3 Working 5 days a week, February to May, inclusive.
4Nearly every one idle in January account of cold weather.
6 Not including 52 blacksmiths who were out of work 2 days week.

The data are also presented by causes, summarized in the following brief statement:
NUMBER AND P E R CENT UNEMPLOYED IN TRADE-UNIONS IN NEW HAM PSH IRE,
ON ACCOUNT OF SPEC IFIED CAUSES, FIR ST AND SECOND QUARTERS, 1915.
First quarter, 1915. Second quarter, 1915.
Cause.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Lack of work......................................................................................
Sickness, accident, old age...............................................................
Unfavorable weather.........................................................................
Strikes and lockouts..........................................................................
Other causes......................................................................................

703
129
46
15
31

11.16
2.04
.73
.23
.49

i 488
115
11
15
29

8.19
1.93
.18
.25
.48

Total.........................................................................................

924

14.67

710

11.93

1 Not including 52 blacksmiths who were out of work 2 days a week.

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101

New Je rse y .—Bureau of Industrial Statistics. Industrial directory of New Jersey.
Trenton, 1915. Ixxiii, 742 pp. Map.
This industrial directory of New Jersey is in the nature of an industrial guidebook
for the State, and constitutes the fifth of a similar series issued by authority of law in
1901, 1906, 1909, and 1912. The principal part of the volume consists of descriptive
notes relating to New Jersey municipalities having a population of 100 or more, showing
for each, the population, banking facilities, railroad and express service, schools,
churches, etc., with such other information as may be desired by home seekers or by
manufacturers Seeking the most desirable locations for the establishment of manufac
turing plants. Added to each descriptive note is a list of manufacturing establish
ments, names of officers of the board of trade or other semipublic body of a similar
nature. By way of introduction to the volume there is a summary of industrial data
covering New Jersey as a whole. A list of all trunk-line railroads and their branches
traversing New Jersey is included.
A feature of the directory is the “ Index to industrial opportunities” under which
are listed the municipalities or towns included in the descriptive notes referred to
above, with reference to the page numbers of each descriptive note, classified under
various heads in order to show where opportunities and advantages of various desig
nated kinds, such as free factory sites, local financial aid in starting new industrial
enterprises, available labor forces, water power, idle factory buildings, raw material,
etc., for any particular industry may be secured. An alphabetical industry classifica
tion of the goods made in New Jersey and the firms engaged in their manufacture
conclude the volume.
--------Department of Labor. Standard safeguards; transmission machinery. [Trenton,
N. J.) 1915. 26 pp.
This pamphlet contains specifications and illustrations for the construction of safe
guards for transmission machinery which the commissioner of labor may require to be
installed in the establishments of the State.
Ohio.—Industrial Commission. Physical examination of wage earners in Ohio in 1914.
Columbus, 1915. 29 pp. (Bulletin of the Industrial Commission of Ohio, vol. 2,
No. 6; Department of investigation and statistics, report No. 18.)
A summary of the contents of this monograph w ill appear in a future number of
the R eview .

W ashington.—Bureau of Labor. Special report on the salmon canning industry in
the State of Washington, and the employment of oriental labor. November, 1915.
Olympia, 1915. 16 pp.
Salmon fishing, one of the foremost industries of the State, is particularly seasonal,
of short duration, and requires intensive labor. Owing to these conditions and the
irregular demand for labor, and general risk involved, a system of contract labor has
developed. Formerly Chinese coolies predominated, but owing to the exclusion acts,
Japanese labor has to a large extent supplanted it. Considerable friction is thus
engendered between the Japanese and white labor, resulting at times in uprisings
and demonstrations.
Owing to the uncertain factors of the industry, irregular and uneven runs and com
paratively limited season, three classes of labor have been found necessary: (1) Per
manent employees throughout the year, principally Chinese, semiskilled, with wages
ranging from $45 to $125 per month and board; (2) Seasonal contract, unskilled Japa
nese labor secured through Oriental employment agencies; wages ranging from $40 to
$45 per month and board, and (3) Extra labor consisting of the white resident popula
tion for intensive periods of the season, for which 25 to 30 cents per hour is paid.

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

Excluding fishermen and other outside laborers, it is estimated that in ordinaryyears the first group consists of 900 to 1,200 white men and 800 to 1,000 Orientals,
the second of 7,000 to 9,000, and in extraordinary years of 12,000 to 15,000 contract
laborers. The third group is so irregular that no reliable estimate as to numbers can
be given.
The introduction of machinery in recent years has reduced manual labor required
from 50 to 100 per cent.
It is stated that the cannery men, as well as white residents, are hostile to Oriental
labor. Although one large packing company of Everett has been operated for three
years with a white crew, the problem seems, in general, to lie in securing an adequate
number of white laborers.
The report concludes by declaring that “ The employment of white labor can be
largely accelerated by the assistance of the Federal Labor Department through its
employment agency system, which in connection with the postal service has access
to laboring people living in rural districts. These people may be reached and their
applications received for the work long before the canning season so that an adequate
supply may be assured. Given the opportunity to get the work, many honest and
reliable workers will take advantage of it. Heretofore no means for this purpose have
been at their command. The manner in which the Federal Labor Department
furnished workers in the berry fields and fruit districts of the Puyallup and Yakima
valleys this year to the satisfaction of growers is an example worthy of notice.”
U n ited S ta te s ,—Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wages and hours of labor in printing
and binding trades. Letter from the Secretary of Labor transmitting, in response to a
request of the joint committee on printing, certain information relative to the wages
and hours of labor in the printing and binding trades in 1914 and 1915. Prepared
under the direction of the Commissioner of Labor Statistics. Printed for the use of
the Joint Committee on Printing. Washington, 1916. 129 pp. (64th Congress,
1st session, Committee print.)
This report was prepared in response to a request from the joint committee on
printing on July 14, 1915. It presents the union scale of wages and hours of labor in
the printing and binding trades in 1914 and 1915, and the actual rates of wages and
hours of labor prevailing on May 15, 1915, in 179 representative printing and binding
establishments in 26 cities of the United States.
The cities included and the number of establishments were as follows:
City.
AElan-fra Glo
■RnfFciln
V
PhiMirn Til
Pinoinnuti Ohio
PIcTTolond Phi A
Tlotrm't \TiuVi
TTiditniQ-nnlit! Tnrl
Kansas City?
............................ .

Estab
lish
ments.

City.

5
7
5
10
5
7
10
8
3
9
6
6
5

Milwaukee, Wis.........................................
Minneapolis, Minn.....................................
New Orleans. L a........................................
New York City, N. Y ...............................
Philadelphia, P a ........................................
Pittsburgh, P a...........................................
Providence, R. I ........................................
Richmond, V a........................... ...............
St. Louis, V o .............................................
Salt Lake City, U tah.................................
San Francisco, Cal.....................................
Seattle. W ash.............................................
Washington D. C......................................

Estab
lish
ments.
12
8
5
8
12
9
7
5
4
4
3
3
13

All data included in the report were gathered by special agents of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics by personal visits to business agents and secretaries of the respective
trade-unions and to the offices of employers. In collecting the union wage scales,
printed scales, written agreements, and trade-union records were consulted whenever
available. The information furnished by employers was taken directly from the pay
rolls of the several establishments visited.

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103

Five statements are presented as follows: (1) Union scale of wages and hours of
labor in each trade, by cities, May 1,1915, and May 1, 1914; (2) classified and average
rates of wages per hour in each trade, by cities, in 1915, from establishment pay rolls;
(3) full-time hours of labor per week in each trade, by cities, in 1915, from establish
ment pay rolls; (4) overtime rates of pay and leave allowances in each establishment
in 1915; (5) free hospital and medical service, by cities, in 1915.
--------Bureau of Mines (Department of the Interior). Fifth annual report for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 1915. Washington, 1915. 106 pp. Chart.
“ Safety and health for workers in the mineral industries and greater efficiency and
the prevention of waste in preparing and utilizing mineral resources—these are the
aims of the Bureau of Mines and the purpose of the work it is doing.” This report
contains a brief history of the origin, development, and accomplishments of the bureau,
and the benefits derived from the work of the bureau such as: Development of methods
of preventing dust explosion in coal mines; increased use of approved explosives;
safeguarding the use of electricity in mines; rescue and first-aid methods developed;
more healthful conditions in metal mines; accurate and comparable statistics of
accidents in the mineral industries; determination of the quality of different coals;
inspection of coal purchased for the Government; recovery of the by-product in coke
making; safety in metallurgical plants; decrease of waste and increase of efficiency in
mineral technology; lessening of waste of petroleum and gas; discovery of the Rittman
processes for refining gasoline and manufacturing benzol and toluol; prevention of
damage from smelter smoke; etc.
With respect to accident statistics the report states that when the Bureau of Mines
was established no accurate and comparable st atistics of mine accidents were available
for all the mining States. Since then the bureau has succeeded in securing statistics
of accidents in coal mines, metal mines, quarries, coke ovens, ore-dressing plants,
and smelters, which data are published in special bulletins.
Systematic methods of rescue work and recovery after mine disasters form a promi
nent feature of the work of the bureau, it is stated. The following table shows the
number of mine disasters investi gated by the bureau during each calendar year since
1907. It does not, of course, show all acci dents of that kind occurring in mining.
ACCIDENTS IN V ESTIG A TED BY BUREAU OF MINES EM PLOY EES, AND NUM BER OF
PERSONS K IL L E D , SUFFOCATED, AND RESCUED, 1907-1915.

Item.

1907

1908

1909

1910

1911

1912

1913

1915
to Total.
1914 June
20.

Number of accidents investigated...........
Number killed...........................................
Number suffocated....................................
Number rescued by Bureau of Mines men
Number rescued by others.......................
Number who escaped unassisted.............

12
837
269

16
331
114
2
16
33

25
494
80
29
124
403

25
522
200
20
243
132

35
462
201
13
81
18

47
283
51
7
84
117

73
512
122
19

333
35
207 4,025
83 1,183
135
1 43

65
377
63
2
10ft
2ß
100 1,127

194 2,098

1 Includes 42 miners at Layland, W. Va., rescued jointly by Bureau of Mines crew, Gary (W. Va.) crews,
State inspectors, company officials, and volunteer crews.

■
--------Chief of Ordnance. Report of the Chief of Ordnance to the Secretary of War, 1915.
Washington, 1915. 51 pp. (Annual report, War Department, fiscal year ended
June 30, 1915.)
—-------------- The Taylor system of shop management at the Watertown Arsenal: Pre
miums earned during the month of June, 1915. Washington, 1915. 53 60 pp.
(Appendix: Report of the Chief of Ordnance, 1915.)
This report is here listed in order to call attention to that part of it which relates to
the system of scientific management and its operation in the Watertown Arsenal of the

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MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

War Department. The appendix consists merely of tables showing the amount of
premiums earned during the month of June, 1915, by employees at the arsenal.
It is noted in the report that the system was interrupted to a slight extent by legis
lation contained in the Army Appropriation Act of March 4,1915, which directed that
no funds appropriated by that act should be expended for the making of time studies
of an operation or for the payment of any premium, bonus, or cash reward to any em
ployee over and above his regular wages. This curtailed the system in the Frankford Arsenal in which thereafter a system of simple piecework was adopted, while at
the Watertown Arsenal, m which work is done under the Fortifications Act and not
under the Army Appropriation Act, the system of premium payments or bonuses was
continued. The time studies had, however, to be discontinued as the Army officers
who had been conducting them had been paid out of the Army Appropriation Act.
The Chief of Ordnance is of the opinion that the Taylor system of scientific manage
ment as practiced in the Watertown Arsenal since 1911 demonstrates “ the advantage
to the Government and the advantage to the workmen.”
There is submitted each month from the Watertown Arsenal a statement showing
the employees who have worked upon premium jobs, which gives the day rate of each
employee, the time which he has worked during the month under the premium
system, and the amount of premium which he earned, stated both in dollars and cents,
and as a percentage of his regular wages for the same time. From the statement for
the last month of the fiscal year which is covered by this report, June, 1915, the fol
lowing tabulation has been made u p :
STATEMENT OF PREMIUMS PAID AT T H E W ATERTOW N (N. Y.) ARSENAL.
Average
premium
over and
above
regular
oh
pay ex
premium pressed as
a percent
work.
age of the
latter.
Number
em
ployed

Occupation.

M ol d gts
..................................................................................................................
M a c h in ists
.........................................................................................................
M a c h in is t’s h e lp e r s
..............................................................................................
B la c k s m ith s
.....................................................................................................
B la c k s m it h 's h e lp e r s
.....................................................................................
M o ld er ’s helpers...........................................................................................
P h ip p c r s
.........................................................................................................
T^ahofers
.......................................................................................................
Ton! m a k e rs
..................................................................................................
M a c h in e o p e r a to r s
...........................................................................................................
Screw mnkers
.........................................................................................................
M a c h in is t’s a p p r e n tic e s __ ............................................................................................
"Plirn a ce h e lp e rs
............................... .....................................................
\ p p reri t i ce m nl d ers
, .................................................................................
Pore m a k e rs
............................................................................................
"Firemen
................................................................................................
B tea m -h a m m e r d r iv e r s
...................................................................................
S k ille d w o r k m e n
.....................................................................................
B a in te r s
.......................................................................................
Parpen t e r ’s helpers
..............................................................
P a r p e n te rs
.........................................................................................
T oo! s m ith s
................................................................................................
Masotps h e lp e r s
....................................................................................................
T e n m ste r s
.......................................................................................................
P h im h e r ’s h e lp e r s
.....................................................................................
T?.i peers
.......................................................................................................
Skilled 1e h or ers
...................................................................................................
Tenpin cere lo c o m o t iv e c r a n e . ..........................................................................................
G a n g b o sse s
.........................................................................................................

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9
164
25
10
11

8
10

31
4
2
1
1

1
1
1
1
6

4
1
7
2
1
4
1

1
1
1

27.62
24.13
22.29
19.68
21.32
33.16
31.97
28.61
20.99
17. 88
35.30
1.90
27.35
11.64
33.33
25.34
24.11
26.98
23.21
43.12
27.95
33.39
35.97
31.26
32.14
32. 3S
32. 36
10. 70

Percentage
of all the
work done
which was
performed
under pre
mium.

72.48
55.15
8.90
33.39
30.34
6. 46
38.97
22.85
7.13
97.51
99. 75
82.04
19.25
57.01
2. 01
17.35
39. 58
27.94
31.29
5. 75
15. 78
16. 56
30. 42
97. 48
.35
47.28
14.12
47.12
29. 43

MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

105

The operations of the Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1908, as affecting employees
in the arsenals and establishments of the Ordnance Department, is presented in the
table which follows:
STATISTICS OF FED E R A L W ORKM EN’S COMPENSATION AS AFFECTING THE
ORDNANCE DEPARTM ENT.
Absent on account of injury.

Total

numAmount
paid on
ber
Less 5 to 10 10 to 15 15 to 20 20 to 25 25 days account of of em
than 5 days. days. days.
and
disability.
ploy
days.
days.
over.
ees.

Year ending
June 30—

Total
injured.

1909.....................
1910.....................
1911.....................
1912.....................
1913.....................
1911.....................
1915.....................

286
372
518
612
800
1,518
1,956

236
284
326
358
441
566
630

87
78
115
131
178
229
281

33
37
29
29
44
75
58

13
19
12
11
17
37
26

44
47
47
65
64
101
88

13
39
43
43
48
34
63

46
64
SO
79
90
90
114

$3, 714. 70
11,541.15
15,218. 85
15,865.99
18,376.30
18,631.92
25,152.99

T otal........

6,062

2,841

1,099

305

135

456

283

563

108,501.90

Total.

6,628
6,037
5,444
5,317
5,305
6,127
7,143

In this connection the Chief of Ordnance recommends a reduction of the waiting
period for the payment of compensation and of the amount of compensation paid, which
“ should not be full payment, but should leave upon the employee a sufficient part
of the burden to constitute an incentive for returning to his woik with reasonable
promptness.”
--------Department of Labor, Opinions of the Solicitor for the Department of Labor
dealing with vrorkmen's compensation. From August, 1908, to April, 1915. Wash
ington, 1915. 811 pp.
The Federal Compensation Act of May 30,1908, granting compensation to employees
in hazardous occupations in the service of the United States, is not the subject of
interpretation by the courts. Authority to construe the act, as well as to administer
its provisions, rests with the Secretary of Labor, and the officer directly authorized
to construe the act is the solicitor of the department, who is an official of the Depart
ment of Justice. His opinions, however, are purely advisory and become the official
expression of the Secretary of Labor merely by virtue of the approval of the latter.
The Federal compensation act became operative August 1, 1908, and the compila- tion of the opinions of the solicitor recently issued by executive authority includes
the period of the operation of the act up through April, 1915. It therefore includes
opinions from a former compilation, which appeared in 1912, after four years of opera
tion under the act as interpreted by the Department of Commerce and Labor.
Besides the opinions of the solicitor of the department, there are also included in the
compilation several opinions of the Attorney General and the decisions of the Comp
troller of the Treasury, involving disputed questions regarding the payment of moneys
under the act. Overruling opinions contain a note to that effect.
-——— Philippine Commission. Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary
of War, July 1,1913, to December 31, 1914■ (Ln one part.) Washington, 1915.
xi, 436 pp. (Annual reports, War Department, fiscal year ended June 80, 1915.)
This report includes that of the Philippine Commission, the Governor General,
Secretaries of the Interior, Commerce and Police, Finance and Justice, Public Instruc
tion, constituting a complete report of the operations of the different departments,
bureaus, and offices of the Government during the period July 1,1913, to December 31,
1914. It includes, therefore, a period of 18 months by reason of a change in December,
1913, making the fiscal and calendar years identical.

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The report of the Bureau of Labor, under the Secretary of Commerce and Police, ia
given in two parts—July 1 to December 31, 1913, and January 1 to December 31,1914.
The employees of the bureau are all Filipinos. While their number (30, of whom 5 are
messengers) was unchanged during the years 1913 and 1914, their salaries were in
creased from 16,684.03 pesos ($8,342.02) in 1913 to 38,149.48 pesos ($19,074.74) in 1914.
This includes employees and salaries paid in operation of employment offices also.
The total appropriation for 1914 was 54,324.20 pesos ($27,162.10).
There were six strikes reported in the last half of 1913 and ten during the year
1914. Of the former, one resulted in favor of the strikers, three in favor of employers,
and two were unsettled at the time the report was made. In 1914 four were satis
factorily adjusted, and in 6 no settlement was effected.
From July 1, 1913, to December 31, 1914, 356 labor accidents were reported, result
ing in 393 persons being injured, of whom 82 died from injuries, 25 were permanently
and 284 temporarily disabled, and in 2 cases the results were not reported.
During the year 1913 there were 10,021 persons who registered with the four free
employment agencies. Of this number 7,879 were placed. During 1914 there were
8,501 such registrations and positions were found for 7,173. Of this last number 4,028
were immigrant laborers sent to other localities.
-------- Public Health Service. Annual report of the Surgeon General of the Public
Health Service of the United States for the fiscal year 1915. Washington, 1915.
398 pp.
This is the Forty-fourth Annual Report of the Public Health Service of the United
States. The service is conducted through seven divisions, and its operations for the
year 1914-15 are reported under the following titles: Scientific research; Foreign and
insular quarantine and immigration; Domestic (interstate) quarantine; Sanitary
reports and statistics; Marine hospitals and relief; Personnel and accounts; and
Miscellaneous.
The results of a comprehensive investigation begun the previous year relating to
the health of garment workers and hygienic conditions in this industry are sum
marized in this report.
An investigation of the illuminating systems showed that in some shops inadequate
light was furnished. Of the 34 workshops containing 45 workrooms, all were using
daylight, while 23 per cent of them depended to some extent on artificial light, and in
a little over 56 per cent of the working plants photometric measurements showed that
the light furnished fell below the standard established by the service as necessary, and
recommendations were made with a view of improving these conditions.
The report on the results of the study relative to the liberation of poisonous gas in
the use of gas-heated pressing irons is in preparation.
An extensive survey of every typical illuminating system in use in the United
States Treasury Building at Washington, D. C., was made.
A separate report will be prepared showing the results of a comprehensive study on
the prevalence of tuberculosis in the various industries, and upon the influence of
climatic conditions, floods, population elements, immigration, etc., on the tubercu
losis death rate.
Mine, steel-plant and convict-camp sanitation, child-labor problems, health
organizations, etc., form separate subjects for discussion.
Under the title “ Occupational disease, and Workmen’s Compensation Laws’decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, and the Supreme Court of the
State of Michigan are noted.
Among the needs of the Public Health Service is noted the necessity for the enlarge
ment of the studies of occupational diseases and the causes giving rise to them. These

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MONTHLY REVIEW OE THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

107

require inspections of factories and statistical compilations, laboratories for research,
and other improved methods and standards implying a large increase of funds.
FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
D enm ark.—ArbejdslfishedsinspeJctfir. Indberetning til Indenrigsministerietfor regnslcabsaaret 1914-15. (1. April 1914-31. Marts 1915.) Copenhagen, 1915. 17 pp.
Unemployment insurance has been organized in Denmark since April 9, 1907,
under the act of that date. At the close of the fiscal year March 31, 1915, as reported
by the unemployment inspector, there were in existence 57 recognized voluntary
unemployment insurance funds, with a membership of 139,505; there was an increase
of two in the number of funds over the preceding fiscal year. Of the total number
52 were organized for individual trades and are national in their scope, four were
limited to certain trades within a district, and one was a purely local fund. The
membership was so proportioned that 45 per cent were found in Copenhagen and
Fredericksberg, 38 per cent in the towns of the Provinces, and 16 per cent in rural
localities. The total receipts of the 57 funds in the current year were 3,252,186.49
crowns ($871,585.98); the total expenses were 3,078,532.59 crowns ($825,046.73).
Statistics for the fiscal year 1913-14 show that of the total receipts for that year,
1,664,513.25 crowns ($446,089.55), or 51 per cent, were contributed by the members,
30 per cent was provided by State subvention, 14 per cent by municipal subsidies,
and 5 per cent from other sources—interest, donations, etc. There is here presented
a summary table of data for the year 1914-15.
NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF UNEM PLOYM ENT INSURANCE FUNDS, UNEM PLOYED
PERSONS RECEIVING B E N E FIT S, DAYS B E N E FIT S W E R E PAID, AND WORKING
DAYS LOST, 1914-15.
Persons
receiving
benefits.
Funds.

Number
of mem
bers of
funds.

Days benefits
paid.

Total.

Per
100
mem
bers.

26, S05
47,263
18,085
13,842
5,635
17,730
5,648
2 4,305

15,078
16,541
4,185
4,163
1,665
5,451
2,004
926

58
36
24
31
30
32
37
22

Total.................................... 2 130,921

50,013

37 1,891,136

Building trades and furniture
making.......................................
Day laborers.................................
Wood products.............................
Textiles and clothing...................
Lumber and woodworking.........
Metal working..............................
Printing and bookbinding..........
O thers...........................................

Total.

695,985
598,741
127,397
122,486
52,913
155,604
105,155
32,855

Per
mem
ber.

27
13
7
9
10
9
19
8

Per
cent of
work
ing
da}rs
lost for
which
comPer
mem pensar
tion
ber.
was
paid.

Working days
lost.

Total.

1,339,661
1,140,908
201,768
i 232,660
i 98, 518
263,187
157,326
84,221

51
25
12
1 18
1 18
15
29
20

51
52
55
i 48
1 50
51
58
39

14 3 3,518,249

s 26

3 51

1 Not reported in one fund.
2 Not including 192 members of two newly organized funds which do not figure in the returns for the
fiscal year.
3 Not reported in tw*o funds which paid benefits for 2,762 days.

G reat B rita in .—Home Department. Interim report on an investigation of industrial
fatigue by physiological methods. London, 1915. 34 pp.
Descriptions and results of a series of physiological tests used in investigating
industrial fatigue. The starting point for the inquiry, it is stated, dates from a resolu-

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tion adopted at tlie International Congress on Hygiene and Demography held at
Brussels in 1903 to the effect that “ the various Governments should facilitate as far as
possible investigation into the subject of industrial fatigue.” The experiments were
conducted under factory conditions along lines which required careful laboratory
work continued for some months as determined suitable for the purpose.
The term fatigue is used in this report in a broad sense, and includes a general
lowering of the functions of the body as a result of extreme or prolonged activity.
The methods used were intended to discover fatigue of muscle and of the peripheral
nerve, and mental fatigue, all involving nine different tests.
----------------- Thirty-ninth annual report of His Majesty's inspector of explosives, for •
the year 1914■ London, 1915. 137 pp.
Certain modifications of Orders in Council relating to the pressure permitted in
acetylene gas generators, and the permitted substitution of certain elements in the
manufacture of gunpowder are mentioned in the introduction.
Under the title of manufacture, the number of factories operating under certificate
or license, new licenses issued, reports of results in experiments to determine the
best type of buildings suitable for manufacture of explosives, number of accidents
and their results are summarized. Names of new explosives added to, and those
removed from the authorized lists, as well as those reported authorizable, and those
in which the definition or name is altered are given. Other topics covered are : Storage,
packing and conveyance; importation; Government inspection and search; report of
chemical advisers; accidents; experiments; expolsives in coal mines, etc.
The following table shows the number of accidents occurring in the manufacture,
storage, conveyance, and use of explosives and from miscellaneous causes, 1910-1914,
by years:
NUM BER OF ACCIDENTS OCCURRING IN THE M ANUFACTURE, STORAGE, USE, ETC.,
OF EXPLOSIVES, 1910-1914, BY YEARS, AND FOR TH E TEN-YEAR P ER IO D 1905-1914.

Year.

Use and miscella
neous.

Total.
Accidents
inPer
Per
Per
transPer
Per sons
Per sons Acci Per sons porta- Acci Per sons
Acci sons
Acci sons
sons
sons
in dents. killed.
in
in
tion. dents. killed.
dents. killed. in dents. killed.
jured.
jured.
jured.
jured.
Storage.

Manufacture.

1910___
1911___
1912___
1913___
1914___

65
69
104
86
92

6
13
1
13
21

25
40
33
50
41

11
4
3
6
3

3
5
4
4
1

1905 to
1914. .

664

295

5
3
7
7

374
442
348
403
350

57
38
30
48
44

406
503
393
427
375

450
515
456
498
447

66
56
35
66
66

442
548
429
485
423

8 3,608

455

3,979

4,345

561

4,339

1
J3
2

1 One person killed and one injured.

As the explosives act (1875) does not apply to the reporting or prevention of acci
dents arising in the use of explosives, etc., it is somewhat doubtful if all accidents in
that connection are reported. It is noted that 91 per cent of all accidents reported
above and causing death or injury arise from this cause. Of the 97 accidents in
operations subject to inspection, 62 were unattended by personal injury, while of the
other 350 accidents none was free from personal injury.

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MONTHLY EEVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

109

An appendix gives a chronological list of accidents during the year, with cause,
and kind of explosive involved.
Ita ly .—Ministero d’Agricoltura, Industria e Commercio. Consiglio supenore del
lavoro. I pubblici spettacoli e le provvidenze di legislazione sociale. Rome, 1915.
153 pp. (Pubblicazioni delV Ufficio del Lavoro, Series B, No. 46.)
The present work gives in Part I the results of an investigation by Ettore Reina,
member of the Superior Labor Council of Italy, into the employment of children in
theatrical performances. The investigation was conducted for the principal purpose
of obtaining a basis for proposed remedial legislation.
It appears that children not only take part in theatrical performances in Italy but
that numerous operatic, comic opera, and dramatic companies are composed exclu
sively of children of both sexes, 7 to 15 years of age, and that the large opera house
(Teatro della Scala) in Milan maintains a ballet school in which the pupils, 9 to 12
years of age, are required to take part in performances and at times to go on the road
with the company. Girls 10 to 12 years of age are frequently seen on the vaudeville
stage and in circuses as singers, dancers, or acrobats.
Quoted articles from the political, theatrical, pedagogical, and the medical press
strongly condemn the exploitation of children for theatrical purposes, while it is
stated, on the other hand, that Italian child-labor legislation does not contain any
provisions prohibiting such employment of children.
For the purposes of the investigation, schedules were prepared with the cooperation
of dramatic and operatic artists’ associations and sent to about 200 persons, chiefly
theatrical artists, editors of theatrical papers, and dramatic critics of daily papers.
Out of a total of 70 answers received in response to the question as to w'hether the
employment of children of both sexes in a theatrical company is injurious to dramatic
aft, 65 replies were in the affirmative and 5 in the negative. Sixty-four replies
approved the legal regulation of the employment of children in theatrical perform
ances, with 1 negative, while 52 approved, and 13 disapproved, of the regulation of
the employment of women therein. Another question as to whether the continuous
exercise of an artistic occupation by extremely youthful children of either sex may be
injurious to their artistic development, elicited 67 affirmative and 1 negative reply.
Various answers were received as to the minimum age which should be required by
law for the employment of children in theatrical performances, but striking an average
from these replies it appeared to the investigator that 15 years would be the proper
minimum age for their admission to employment of that character. This minimum
is at present required for the employment of children in unhealthful and dangerous
trades.
Part II of the present volume deals with theatrical contracts in general. An
introductory chapter gives the results of an investigation into the hygiene of dramatic
artists of both sexes, undertaken in 1908 by Dr. A. Peri for the clinic for occupational
diseases in Milan. Other chapters of Part II are given over to reprints of resolutions
of organizations of theatrical artists urging the enactment of social legislation for the
improvement of their conditions, of various typical theatrical contracts, and of the
by-lawrs of existing benevolent associations established in the interests of the theatrical
profession and institutions for theatrical artists.
Part III deals with the proposed establishment of arbitration courts (probiviri) for
the theatrical profession.
Part IV gives the results of an investigation by the Labor Office of theatrical
employment agencies and fees charged by them. The existing abuses are discussed
and remedial legislation proposed.

22978°—16-— 8

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New Z ealand.—Registrar general's office. Report on the cost of living in New Zealand,
1891-1914. Wellington, 1915. 168 pp.
Contains the results of an inquiry into the course of retail prices during the period
1891 to 1914, together with monthly tables showing increases during the war period,
July, 1914, to August, 1915. The investigation was begun early in 1914, and as planned
was very comprehensive in scope, the desire being to secure by systematic collection
data as to variations in prices, wages, unemployment, etc. It was intended to show
index numbers of prices, both wholesale and retail, and of import and export values.
The investigation into retail prices is here presented separately after having been
also published in its main features in current numbers of the Journal of the Depart
ment of Labor. The report has, however, it is stated, been carefully revised and in
many instances the discussion extended. For the future the index numbers will
be published in the Journal.
These index numbers are based on current retail prices collected monthly from
fifty retailers in four centers in New Zealand, and weighted according to the average
consumption of each article as ascertained by a study of the total average amount
consumed in the country during the ten-year period 1905-1914. The ratio from which
the index number is developed is found by dividing the total value of the commodi
ties or group of commodities sold in any year by what the value would have been on
the basis of prices ruling at some other period selected as the base or point of departure,
as it were, from which changes in price levels are to be calculated. Tables are pre
sented with varying base periods according to the availability of the price data in
each instance.
For this particular inquiry the commodities were selected and grouped as follows:
Group I.—Groceries, including bread, flour, oatmeal, rice, sago, tapioca, tea, coffee,
cocoa, sugar, salt, pepper, jam, honey, golden sirup, treacle, raisins, currants, apricots
(canned), peaches (canned), peas (canned), prunes (dried), apricots (dried), potatoes,
onions, salmon (canned), herrings (canned), starch, blue, soap, tobacco; Group II.—
Dairy produce, including milk, butter, cheese, eggs, bacon (shoulder), bacon (middle
cut), ham; Group III.—Meat, including beef, sirloin, brisket, prime rib, rump steak,
top side, stewing steak, corned round, corned roll, corned brisket; mutton leg, shoul
der, loin, neck, chops; pork leg, loin, belly, chops; sausages, beef, pork, tripe;
Group IY.—House rent.
Beginning with 1914 returns as to retail prices were received from 25 cities, and a
table of index numbers prepared to show the cost of living in New Zealand in 1914
and 1915, each city being given its proper importance or weight in affecting the general
price level according to its population. The result is contained in the following table:
IN D E X NUMBERS OF R E T A IL PRICES IN NEW ZEALAND, 1914-1915, BASED ON RETU RN S
FROM 25 CITIES.
[Base: Average aggregate annual expenditure in lour chief centers, 1909-13=1000.]
1914
Item.

Groceries.........................................................
Dairy produce...............................................
Meat................................................................
Three food groups.........................................
House ren t......................................................
Food and ren t................................................

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1915

First
quarter.

Second
quarter.

Third
quarter.

1,039
1,042
1,107
1,063
986
1,033

1,038
1,089
1,117
1,077
986
1,042

1,071
1,032
1,177
1,098
985
1,056

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Fourth
quarter.
1,078
1,017
1)221
1,155
9,85
1,091,

First
quarter.
1,210
1,100
1,213
1,186
963
1,100

Second
quarter.
1,201
1,212
1,171
1,194
963
1,105

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Increases in prices as a result of the war are shown for the principal food products
combined in the statement following, which gives percentage increases in August,
1915, over prices ruling in July, 1914:
PER CEN TA G E INCREASE IN PR IC E S OF 59 FOOD COMMODITIES IN FOUR PRIN CIPA L
CITIES, JU LY , 1914, TO AUGUST, 1915.
Increase in per cent in prices of—
Locality.

Gro
ceries.

Auckland...........................................................................................
Wellington.......... .
Christchurch......................................................................................
Dunedin.............................................................................................

17.88
21.30
12.91
19.13

Dairy
produce.
13.10
8.25
11.33
10.23

Meat.

4.69
7.43
15.42
8.90

Three
food
groups.

11.65
13.20
13.44
13.53

Average of four cities.........................................................

17.80

10.73

9.11

12.95

Weighted average of Dominion............................................

17.13

11.45

9.95

13.36

Sweden.—Riksfôrsakrings-Anstalten âr 1914■ Stockholm, 1915. 180 pp . (Sveriges
officiella statistik.)
Compulsory accident insurance has covered workmen in the industries of Sweden
since January 1, 1903, when the act of 1901, relative thereto, became applicable.
Accidents while at work, causing either death or disability lasting over 60 days,
render the employer liable to indemnify the injured worker or his survivors. In
1904 a law was passed permitting compensation for injuries of 60 days’ duration and
less. The employer becomes individually liable for the compensation and may
insure his risk either in the State Insurance Institute or he may assume his own risk
or place it with private insurance companies. A special act passed in 1908 brought
fishermen under the protection of the act, but agricultural laborers continue to be
excluded. A special decree in September, 1907, authorized the institute to insure
risks other than industrial accidents, and in June, 1909, the State assumed on certain
conditions to compensate for accidents and diseases arising in the course of military
service. This latter extension of the law became applicable January 1, 1910. The
policies of the institute, it should be noted, are what are known as collective policies.
The entire cost of administration of the insurance institute is borne by the State.
The publication here listed constitutes the report of the State Insurance Institute
for the year 1914 under the act of 1901 and subsequent amendments.
The number of fishermen insured under the decree of 1908 was 1,834 at the end of
1914. Claims for compensation were established in 271 cases under the decree grant
ing accident compensation to persons in the military service. In 85 of these cases
sick benefits were paid, disability payments in 76 cases, and compensation for death
in 30 instances.
That employers for the most part insure their risk with the State Insurance Insti
tute is shown by the fact that of a total number of 313,976 workmen insured under the
act of 1901 at the close of the year 1913,115,120 were protected by the institute, and in
1914 the corresponding number was 119,621 out of a total of 313,232. Mutual com
panies appear to be the next most popular form for the insurance of the risk of the
employer, as indicated by the fact that 100,149 workmen in 1914 of the total already
reported were so insured, the corresponding number for 1913 being 98,578.
More extended information concerning the Swedish system of accident insurance
for workmen may be found in the Twenty-fourth Annual Report of the Commissioner
of Labor Statistics, Washington, 1909, volume 2, pages 2379 to 2431, and in Bulletin
No. 157 of this bureau.

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The following is a summary table of the operations of the State Insurance Institute
only from the beginning of its operations, January 1, 1903, to December 31,1914. In
order to make the data comparable the preliminary figures for each year as regards
the number of accidents reported and compensated have been used.
STATISTICS OF T H E SW EDISH STATE INSURANCE IN STITU TE FROM T H E BEGINNING
OF ITS OPERATIONS, JAN. 1, 1903, TO DEC. 31, 1914.
Items.

1903

Collective policies1...........
Workmen insured............
Accidents reported...........
Compensated cases...........
Disability...................
D eath.. ...................
Compensation paid for—
Sick benefits..............
Disability and d eath .
Funeral benefits........
Assets, Dec. 31..................
Liabilities, Dec. 31...........
Prem ium s.........................
Cost ol administration__

1,464
Z2, 091
' 135
56
51
5
1,289
80
85,531
72,621
47,255
19,834

1908

1909

1910

1911

3.539

4,182
74; 513
4,079
4,000
3,960
40

4,452
78,742
4,778
4,475
4', 432
43

5,045
87,307
5', 498
4 , 949
4,895
54

1914

1912

1913

5,963
108,630
7,721
6', 783
6,720
63

7,169
127,722
9', 101
8,251
' 8,175
76

8,003
135,765
10', 596
9,736
9,664
72

$53,972 $65,441
$29,421
$30,119 $35,915
$38,995
78,022
87' 336
51,047
63,809
57,910
71,970
933
1,029
1,158
531
643
643
912,391 1,045,444 1,162,313 1,291,985 1,415,018 1,586,100
865,044 999,873 1,089,374 1,211,639 1,328,876 1,50i; 402
110,145 3115'578 » 12i;590 3 141'510 3 17l) 000 3 211,492
331,946 3 36,265 3 39;046 3 40; 798 3 44; 131 3 50; 577

$77,406
97,881
1,222
1,745,211
1,651, 702
3 235; 005
3 60,079

2 . 181
4

3,877
3,844
33

1 Practically the number of establishments insured.
2 Large increase due to fact that beginning 1905 insurance could be taken out for accidents of 60 days’
duration or less.
2 Includes cost of fishermen’s insurance operative since Jan. 1, 1909.

OFFICIAL PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
LABOR DEPARTMENTS AND BUREAUS.
A u stria.—Soziale Rundschau, Herausgegehen vom K. K. Statistischen Amt im Ilandelsministerium. Vienna.
January, 1915.—General labor legislation: Index of social legislation enacted in
1914; Imperial decree of July 25, 1914, relating to punishment of interference with the
public service and public establishments, and of the violation of Government con
tracts; Ministerial order of November 14, 1914, relating to obligatory services for war
purposes; Imperial order of December 10, 1914, protecting workmen and salaried
employees in bankruptcy procedures. Special labor legislation: Gubernatorial decree
of September 6, 1914, regulating in Bohemia the dredging of sand and gravel in the
River Moldau; Measures for the uninterrupted continuation of operation of coal mines
in Austria (ministerial decree, Nov. 11, 1914); Imperial decree of January 10, 1915,
amending the law on mercantile employees. Welfare work for salaried employees.
Employers’ and employees’ associations: Statistics of the trade-unions affiliated with
the Austrian Central Federation (Reichskommission) 1913; Activity of the federation
of Czecho-Slavic trade-unions, 1913; Activity of the Bohemian national socialist
trade-unions, 1913; Statistics of the Christian trade-union movement in Austria, 1913;
Statistics of German trade-unions in Austria, 1913. Labor disputes, conciliation and
arbitration, and collective agreements. Strikes and lockouts in Austria, 1913. Em
ployment bureaus and unemployment: Statistics of Austrian employment bureaus,August to October, 1914; Measures for the relief of unemployment in Austria; Unem
ployment among members of Austrian trade-unions, August to November, 1914,
August to October, 1914, and September to November, 1914. Working conditions:
Working conditions in Austrian salt works, 1912; Statistics of permits for overtime
work in Austrian factories, 1913. Workmen’s insurance: Regulation of the taxation
of salaried employees’ insurance institutes; Liability of sick funds for sick benefits to

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members called up for military service; Creation of a sick fund for domestic servants
in Salzburg; Ministerial decree of November 26, 1914, creating arbitration courts for
the miners’ accident insurance system; Accident insurance statistics of the establish
ments of the Austrian Navy; Imperial decree of November 29, 1914, authorizing the
workmen’s insurance institutes to use their funds for special purposes in the interest of
the insured during the war; German Federal decree of November 26, 1914, providing
that military service in Austria-Hungary shall be considered equivalent to military
service in the German army so far as persons insured in German invalidity insurance
institutions are concerned. Social welfare work: Moratorium of private debts (impe
rial decree, November 25, 1914); Imperial decree of October 10, 1914, authorizing the
Government to take economic measures necessitated by the war; Proposal to make
direct loans from the State housing fund to public welfare building associations; Sta
tistics of the free public renting bureau in Graz 1913. Review of social and economic
literature.
February-April, 1915.—Employment bureaus and unemployment. Organization
of public employment offices in Austria during the war; Free railroad transportation in
Austria to workmen seeking employment; Statistics of Austrian employment bureaus,
November and December, 1914, and January 1915; Simplification of the procedure in
granting building permits in order to relieve unemployment; Municipal unemploy
ment fund in Laibach; Aid to unemployed persons of the salaried classes in Austria;
tTnemployment among members of Austrian trade-unions, October, 1914, to January,
1915. Workmen’s insurance: Beginning of operation of the sick fund for domestic
servants in Salzburg. Social welfare work: Moratorium for private debts (imperial
decree, January 25, 1915); Measures insuring the cultivation of the crops. Imperial
decree of February 2, 1915, providing for the seizure of all grain and mill products;
Measures for the combating of alcoholism in Austria. Review of social and economic
literature.
May, 1915.—General labor legislation: Reemployment of former employees in the
postal and state railroad service on their return from the war; Inclusion of the time
spent by State railroad employees in military service during the war in the computa
tion of seniority for promotions; The coming into effect of the factory law in Switzer
land; New regulation in Greece as to deductions from wages; New woman and child
labor regulations in Belgium. Special labor legislation: Postponement of the coming
into effect of the new protective regulations for iron and steel Works and for the employ
ment of female and juvenile workers in the manufacture of white lead and other lead
products in Germany; Extension to Algiers of the French protective legislation for
workmen employed in lead factories; Royal decree of April 12, 1914, regulating the
hours of labor of tobacco workers in Greece; New South Wales law of July 29,1914,
prohibiting the use of white phosphorus in the manufacture of matches; Notification
of the Swiss Government by Norway of the latter’s adherence to the international
agreement as to the prohibition of the use of white phosphorus in the match industry;
Cantonal regulations of June 27, 1914, for the protection of workmen employed on
building work in Basel, Switzerland; Cantonal regulations of July 15, 1914, concerning
hours of labor of bakers in Basel (canton) ; Gubernatorial decrees of Moravia and Silesia
prohibiting public dances in coal mining districts on pay days and immediate subse
quent days; Ministerial decree of January 29, 1915, regulating the closing hours of pho
tographic establishments. Employment bureaus and unemployment: Annual meet
ing of the national federation of Austrian general employment bureaus, March 6,1915;
Statistics of Austrian employment bureaus, February, 1915; Statistics of the industrial
and mercantile free employment bureau in Budapest, 1913 ; Aid to unemployed persons
of the salaried classes in Austria; Unemployment among members of Austrian tradeunions, December, 1914, to March, 1915, and during the year 1914. Workmen’s
insurance: Model by-laws for substitute pension institutes for salaried employees;

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Inclusion of the period of military service during the war in the period governing the
computation of sick benefits for workmen in the State railroad sendee; German
Federal decree of March 18, 1915, providing th at military service in Austria-Hungary
during the war shall be considered equivalent to military service in Germany so far
as persons insured in the insurance institute for salaried employees are concerned;
Law, July 15, 1914, providing for the liability of employers in case of accidents in
lumbering establishments in France; Workmen's accident liability law of May 1,1914,
in Ontario, Canada. Social welfare work: Ministerial decree of March 26, 1915,
regulating the consumption of grain and mill products; Ministerial decree of March 27,
1915, providing for the continued payment of part wages to seamen, etc., in the event
of the cessation of shipping during the war; Granting of furloughs to persons in the
military service for the cultivation of vineyards; Moratorium for private debts (minis
terial decree of March 26 and 31, 1915); Ministerial decree of March 31, 1915, prohib
iting the sale and purchase of future harvests of agricultural crops; Ministerial decree
of April 12, 1915, granting subsistence subsidies to families of workmen drafted for war
service in military establishments; Ministerial decree of May 6, 1915, providing for
obligatory use of all pasture grounds; Ministerial decrees of May 8, 1915, restricting
the meat trade. Review of social and economic literature.
June-July, 1915.—General labor legislation: Conditions for the employment of war
prisoners at public, private, and agricultural labor; Law of January 22,1915, regulating
the hours of labor in industrial establishments in Portugal; Royal decree of October
16, 1914, regulating the night work of women in establishments for the canning of
sprats in Sweden. Special labor legislation: Law, May 27, 1914, prohibiting the
manufacture, importation, use, and sale of matches containing white phosphorus,
Canada; Proposed legislation for the prohibition of night work in bakeries in Spain;
Law, January 22, 1915, providing maximum hours of labor for mercantile and office
employees in Portugal; Vacations for salaried employees; Ministerial order providing
that awards of army contracts shall make it obligatory for firms receiving such awards
not to reduce their force of salaried employees or their salaries. Labor disputes,
conciliation and arbitration and collective agreements: Collective agreements in Ger
many in force at the end of 1913; Employment bureaus and unemployment in Germany;
Ministerial decree establishing the principles for an organization of employment bureaus
in Lower Austria for war invalids; Statistics of employment bureaus, March and April,
1915; Unemployment among members of trade-unions, February to May, 1915; Prussian
ministerial decree of May 26, 1915, making it obligatory for free employment offices
to report to the imperial statistical office the number of applicants and open situations;
Resolution of the cantonal council of January 8, 1914, increasing premiums and bene
fits under the unemployment insurance system as applicable to Basel, Switzerland.
Labor offices, advisory labor councils, etc.: Royal decree of November 13, 1914,
creating a State advisory council for industries, trades, and commerce in Bavaria.
Working conditions: Wage increases for workmen in the government mint and assay
office. Social welfare work: Imperial decree of June 12, 1915, providing for the pay
ment by the State of sustenance and pensions to invalid enlisted men and their families
and to survivors of enlisted men; Gubernatorial decrees restricting the sale of alco
holic beverages; Imperial decree of May 25, 1915, relating to the moratorium for pri
vate debts; Imperial decree of June 21,1915, insuring sufficient provision of the popu
lation with flour and bread; Ministerial decree of July 7, 1915, regulating the stigar
trade; Measures to insure the harvesting of the new crops. Review of social and
economic literature.
August-September, 1915.—General labor legislation: Gubernatorial decrees of
Moravia, Bukowina, and Dalmatia, providing that agricultural servants and laborers
can not claim violation of the labor contract by the employer if during the war they

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are not furnished with the quantities of the foodstuffs, especially bread and flour,
agreed upon in the contract; Royal decree of July 2,1915, regulating the hygiene and
safety of workmen in industrial establishments in the Netherlands; Roumanian law of
April 26,1913, amending the law relating to the organization of the handicrafts, credit
and workmen’s insurance. Special labor legislation: German federal decree of March
31, 1915, prohibiting night work in bakeries, and of August 12, 1915, restricting the
duration of operations in textile establishments; Gubernatorial decree of July 22,1915,
on the early closing of mercantile establishments in lower Austria; Gubernatorial decree
of August 7,1915, on the closing on Sundays of pharmacies in Vienna; Law, November
25, 1914, for the protection of mercantile employees in Chile. Employers’ and em
ployees’ associations: Statistics of trade-unions affiliated with the Austrian central
federation (Rcickskommission) of trade-unions, 1914; Statistics of the Christian
trade-unions, 1914. Employment bureaus and unemployment: Ministerial decrees
defining principles for the organization of employment bureaus in several Provinces
for war invalids; Ministerial decree of May 21, 1915, regulating the recruiting of agri
cultural laborers from refugee settlements in Austria for employment in Germany;
Statistics of Austrian employment bureaus, May and June, 1914; Unemployment
among members of Austrian trade-unions, April to July, 1915; Statistics of employment
bureaus in Sweden, 1914; Law, April 8, 1914, on unemployment funds in Denmark;
Proposed legislation in Finland on unemployment funds; Proposed legislation in
Norway on. unemployment funds; Statistics of unemployment insurance in the
Netherlands, 1914. Working conditions: Working conditions in the tobacco industry,
1913. Workmen’s insurance: Imperial decree of September 16, 1915, extending to
Austrian citizens who are members of miners’ funds and are in the military service
of Germany during the present war the same rights to which members in the military
service of Austria are entitled. Social welfare work: Ministerial decree of July 27,
1915, regulating the pensions of enlisted men disabled in the war; Imperial decree
of August 29, 1915, providing for subsequent medical treatment and practical training
of disabled or wounded ex-soldiers; Ministerial decree of July 23, 1915, providing for
the seizure of all supplies of legumes; Imperial decree of August 7, 1915, against
excessive prices of foodstuffs; Gubernatorial decrees restricting the sale of alcoholic
beverages; Ministerial decree of August 28, 1915, relating to a moratorium for private
debts; Granting of furloughs to engineers and firemen in military service so that
their services may be used for the operation of harvesting and plowing machines;
Proposed statistics of Austrian soldiers disabled in the war. Review of social and
economic literature.
Canada.— The Labor Gazette issued by the Department of Labor by order of Parliament.
Ottawa.
December, 1915.—Notes on current matters of industrial interest; Industrial and
labor conditions during November; 1915; Reports of local correspondents; Reports
of women correspondents; Industrial disputes investigation act, 1907, proceedings
during November, 1915; Western coal operators’ association and district No. 18,
U. M. W. A.—settlement of dispute at Kipp mines; Summary of report on industrial
disputes laws issued by the State of Victoria, Australia; Recent workmen’s compen
sation legislation in the Union of South Africa and Victoria, Australia; Manitoba legis
lation affecting labor, 1915; Ontario labor legislation, 1915; Reports of employment
bureaus; Prices, wholesale and retail, Canada, November, 1915; Fair wages schedules
in Government contracts, November, 1915; Trade disputes, November, 1915; Indus
trial accidents, November, 1915; Immigration and colonization; Building permits,
November, 1915; Recent industrial agreements; Reviews; Recent legal decisions
affecting labor.

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D enm ark.—Statistislze Efterretninger, udgivet af clet Statistiske Department. Copen
hagen.
December 1, 1915 (No. 24)-—Household expenditures of families of small means,
October, 1915; Retail prices, November, 1915.
December 9,1915 (No. 25).—Income and property tax assessment, 1915-1916; Stand
ard rations for milch cows; Privately owned railroads, 1914-15; Unemployment, Sep
tember, 1915.
Germ any.—•Reichs-Arbeitsblatt, Ilerausgegeben von Kaiserlichen Statistischen Amte,
Abteüung fü r ArbeiterstatistiJc. Berlin.
November, 1915.—Labor market in Germany, October, 1915; Labor market in
Greater Berlin, October, 1915; Labor market in foreign countries (Great Britain,
Switzerland, Norway, British colonies); Employment offices and unemployment;
Unemployment in foreign countries (Netherlands, August, 1915; Denmark, August,
1915; Massachusetts, end of June, 1915) ; Distribution, by age classes, of the male mem
bers of the local sick fund of Berlin during the war; Interior colonization during the
war. Labor legislation: Federal decree of October 29, 1915, relating to the operation
of iron and steel works; Federal decree of November 7, 1915, limiting the hours of
labor in textile establishments; Statistics of industrial and commercial continuation
schools in Greater Berlin and the Rhenish-Westphalian industrial district; Strikes
and lockouts in the German Empire, third quarter, 1915; Statistical tables of the
labor market.
G reat B ritain .—The Board of Trade Labor Gazette. London.
December, 1915.—Employment chart; The labor market; Special articles on employ
ment in Germany in October; Retail food prices in the United Kingdom, Berlin, Italy ;
The food and raw material requirements of the United Kingdom.; Mobilization of
industrial establishments in Italy; Industrial canteens; Sunday labor in munition
works; Reports on employment in the principal industries. Labor in the Dominions
and in foreign countries: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Norway, Italy, Russia,
United States. Board of trade labor exchanges. Statistical tables. Trade disputes;
Changes in rates of wages; Distress committees; Pauperism; Prices of wheat, flour,
and bread; Immigration and emigration to and from the United States; Diseases of
occupations; Fatal industrial accidents; Unemployment insurance; Foreign trade;
Cooperative wholesale societies, quarterly sales; Passenger movement to and from the
United Kingdom. Legal cases, official notices, etc.
Italy .—Bollettino dell’ Ufficio del Lavoro, Ministero di Agricoltura, Lndustria e Commercio. Rome. (Monthly.)
. August, 1915.—Operations of employment bureaus; Labor market in foreign coun
tries: Argentine, 1913. Cost of living for workmen’s families in Buenos Aires, 1913;
Labor disputes in Italy, second quarter, 1915; Statistics of workmen employed on
public works in January, February, and March, 1915; Retail prices of farm products
and foods generally consumed by workmen’s families, July, 1915. Labor legislation
in foreign countries—Belgium: Decree of the governor general of December 15, 1914,
amending the women and child labor law; France: Law of July 10, 1915, amending
title III and IV of the Labor Code (minimum Wages for homeworkers in the clothing
industry); Switzerland: Federal law of June 18, 1915, amending the federal law of
June 13, 1911, on sickness and accident insurance. Digests of monographs relating to
labor; Home work in Buenos Aires; Collective agreements in Italy.
------ ------- -----. (Semimonthly.
November 16, 1915.—Investigations and provisions relative to unemployment;
Labor market by localities and industries; Labor disputes; Employers’ and employ
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ees’ associations; Congresses and conventions; Labor legislation; Decree of October
17, 1915, relating to insurance against accidents of the crews of merchant vessels;
Decree of October 17, 1915, amending the seamen’s invalidity insurance law; Decree
of October 31, 1915, postponing the election of prudhommes; Decree of November 11,
1915, relating to the extension and rescission of agricultural contracts; Activities of
the labor office; Enforcement of social legislation; Regulations for the enforcement
of the decree of March 17, 1915, requiring a uniform grade of bread ; Industrial acci
dent insurance in territories occupied by the Italian army; Court decisions relating
to labor.
December 1, 1915.—Investigations and provisions relative to unemployment; Labor
market by localities and industries; Employers’ and employees’ associations; Con
gresses and conventions; Labor disputes; Retail prices and index numbers of food
stuffs in Italy, October, 1915 ; Retail prices of foodstuffs in Italian cities (first 6 months,
1914, July, 1914, January, July, and October, 1915); Retail prices of foodstuffs in
foreign countries: Great Britain (July, 1914, to November, 1915), Germany (July, 1914,
to September, 1915), Austria (July, 1914, to August, 1915) ; Activities of the labor
office; Labor legislation: Decree of October 31, 1915, relating to supplementary pre
miums for war risks in workmen’s accident insurance.
N etherlands.— Maanschrift van het Centraal Bureau voor de Statistieh. The Hague.
November, 1915.—-Review of labor market, October and November, 1915; Unem
ployment in Rotterdam, August 1, 1914, to May 1, 1915 (relative figures); Unemploy
ment and unemployment insurance ; Labor exchanges; Strikes and lockouts; Wages
and hours of labor; Workmen’s and employers’ organizations; Average prices of
bread in all cities having a population of 10,000 or more inhabitants, 1903-1915; Whole
sale and retail prices; Canada labor exchanges; Court decisions. Miscellaneous re
ports: Statistics of population, workmen’s dwellings, industrial accidents (1903-1915),
commerce, etc.; Résumé of war measures; Proposed amendments of social insurance
laws; Court decisions relative to contracts, marriage, and other economic and social
questions. International: Wholesale and retail prices in European countries; Strikes
and lockouts, Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Spain; Labor dis
putes in Denmark and Sweden; Cooperative societies in France; Cost of living in
Switzerland; Statistical tables of the labor market; occupational diseases, etc.
New Zealand.— Journal of the Department of Labor, Wellington.
November, 1915.—Labor; Conditions of employment and trade; Women’s employ
ment branches (reports); Unions’ reports; Recent legal decisions; Recent legal
decisions affecting labor in Great Britain; Cases under Workers’ Compensation Act.
Statistics: Persons assisted to employment during October, 1915; Additional associa
tions and unions registered under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act,
1908; Cooperative works in New Zealand; Accidents in factories reported up to Octo
ber 27, 1915; Accidents reported under the Scaffolding Inspection Act; Current retail
prices, October 15, 1915. Special articles on new measures in Germany against exces
sive prices of food (Board of Tx-ade Labor Gazette); Compulsory associations in the
German coal-mining industry (Board of Trade Labor Gazette).
Pennsylvania.—Monthly Bulletin of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and
Industry. Harrisburg.
September, 1915.—Group insurance; Statement of all accidents reported during
August, 1915; Bureau of Employment of Department of Labor and Industry; Safe
emergency exits for audiences; Value of signs in accident prevention; The safety
movement; Waste pacldng material; Proceedings of second annual conference on
welfare and efficiency (continued from August Bulletin).

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October, 1915— Pennsylvania’s relation to industrial safety and health; Districts
established for enforcement of workmen’s compensation act; State employment
bureau; Some facts about workmen’s compensation and the State workmen’s insur
ance fund; Accidents reported, during September, 1915; Volunteer firemen as ushers
in tabernacles for evangelistic campaigns; The Erie flood and its lesson; Safety stand
ards of the industrial board—foundries; Proceedings of the second annual welfare and
efficiency conference (continued from September Bulletin).
Spain.—Boletín del Instituto de Reformas Sociales. Publicación Mensual. Madrid.
November, 1915.—Report^ of the secretary’s office and of the special divisions;
Strikes in 1913, and in October, 1915; Retail prices in various provinces, October,
1914, to March, 1915; Conventions and congresses. Legislation. Establishment of
technical schools (continued); Reductions in import duties; Appointment of a com
mission of women to investigate the manufacture and supply of bread and the devel
opment of the bread-baking industry; Duty on grain; Prohibition of export of cattle;
Proposed legislation. Foreign notes: Strikes and lockouts in 1914, in Great Britain;
Amendments to the French Labor Code, book 1 (minimum wrage law).
Sw eden.—Sociala Meddelanden utgivna av K. Sodalstyrelsen. Stockholm.
No. 11, 1915.—Conditions of the labor market according to reports from employers,
third quarter, 1915; Trade union unemployment, July 1, August 1, and September 1,
1915; Movement of employment in shipping, August 1,1914, to July 31, 1915; Measures
to offset the high cost of living; Collective agreements, 1914; Problem of a guaranteed
time rate under a piece-rate system; Proposals by the Norwegian commission rela
tive to the sale of alcoholic liquors; Strikes and lockouts, third quarter, 1915; Activi
ties of the factory inspectors, July to September, 1915; Reports of the factory inspec
tors on fatal industrial accidents. Brief notices. Labor disputes in Denmark, 1914;
Report of the State Insurance Institute, January to October, 1915; Amendment to
the Danish law on relief for the children of widows; Relief works in Malmo; Labor
market in England and in Germany, October, 1915; Emigration from Sweden, third
quarter, 1915; Sales of the Cooperative Federation, first, six months, 1915; Housing
conditions in small dwellings in Christiana; Comparative housing conditions in large
Scandinavian cities; Housing conditions in rural localities in Denmark, 1911; Hous
ing and a housing census in Gothenburg; National Federation of trade Unions, 1914;
Items relative to the liquor problem in Örebro and Upsala; Danish poor relief, 19111912; Cost of living among office and commercial employees in Norway; Minimum
wage for women in the clothing industry in France; Census of domestic animals;
Municipal sale of coal at Malmo; Measures to relieve the high cost of living in Norway.
Public employment exchanges in Sweden, October, 1915; Retail prices and cost of
living in Sweden, 1904, to October, 1915; Prices of cattle on the hoof, 1904 to
October, 1915; Fish prices in Stockholm, October, 1914, 1915; Reports from the Royal
pension bureau.
In te rn a tio n a l Labor Office (Basel, Switzerland).—Bulletin des Intemationalen
Arbeitsamtes. Jena, 1915.
[The German edition of this bulletin, which appears also in French and English, is the earliest published
and its contents are therefore here listed.]

Nos. 9 and 10.—National labor legislation—A ustralia: A ustralian Commonw ealth : Act, December 22, 1911, amending the Commonwealth electoral act, 19021909; Act, October 29, 1912, amending the sugar-bounty act, 1905-1910; Act, Novem
ber 6, 1912, granting and applying out of the consolidated revenue fund a sum for in
valid and old-age pensions; Act, November 6,1912, amending the referendum (constitu
tional alteration) act, 1906-1910; Act, December 24, 1912, repealing the sugar-bounty

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act, 1905-1912; Act, December 24, 1912, amending sections 4, 16, 22 to 27, 40, and 49
of the invalid and old-age pensions act, 1908-1909, and amending that act in relation
to blind persons and the punishment of offenses; Act, December 24, 1912, amending
the manufactures encouragement act, 1908; Act, December 24, 1912, relating to com
pensation to workmen employed in the service of the Commonwealth for injuries
suffered in the course of their employment; Act, December 24, 1912, providing for
bounties on wood pulp and rock phosphate and rewards for the discovery of rock
phosphate; Act, December 24, 1912, relating to the interstate commission; Act,
December 24, 1912, amending the bounties act, 1907; The immigration act of Decem
ber 24, 1912; Provisional regulations under the wood pulp and rock phosphate boun
ties act, 1912, April 4,1.913; Act, October 24,1913, relating to navigation and shipping;
Act, December 19, 1913, providing for the construction of a railway in the Northern
Territory from Pine Creek to Katherine River, the appointment of officers, the making
of charges, and the appropriation of money in connection with such railway; Acts,
October -10, and December 7, 1914, amending the Commonwealth conciliation and
arbitration act, 1904-1911; Act, December 21, 1914, providing for the payment of q
bounty on the manufacture of pig iron from Australian ore; Act, December 21, 1914,
granting and applying out of the consolidated revenue fund a sum for invalid and
old-age pensions. New S outh Wales : Act, September 23,1908, authorizing payments
in subvention of friendly societies in certain cases, and for purposes consequent thereon
or incidental thereto; A.ct, August 19,1910, amending the law with respect to compensa
tion to workmen for injuries suffered in the course of their employment and for purposes
consequent thereon or incidental thereto; Act, August 27, 1910, providing superan
nuation allowances and gratuities for persons employed in the railway and tramway
services; amending the acts regulating the public service and the Government rail
way act, 1901, and for purposes consequent thereon or incidental thereto; Act, August
27, 1910, providing for a Saturday half holiday every Saturday in shops, amending
the law with regard to the early closing of shops, and for purposes consequent thereon
or incidental thereto; Act, August 27, 1910, amending the miners’ accident relief
acts, 1900 and 1901, and for other purposes; Act, December 20, 1910, to amend tha
early closing acts and the Saturday-half-holiday act, 1910, and for purposes conse
quent thereon; Act, December 28, 1910, amending the coal mines regulation act, 1902,
and for other purposes; Ministerial order, May 16, 1911 (prohibition of employment
of males under the age of 16 years or of females); Act, July 12,1911, repealing the oldage pensions act, 1900, and the invalidity and accidents pensions act, 1907; Act,
April 4, 1912, to provide for the purchase, resumption, and appropriation of lands,
and for the construction and maintenance of certain buildings and works; for the
use and disposal of such lands and buildings; to constitute a board for the above and
other purposes, and a fund to meet the expenses of carrying out the above provisions,
for purposes consequent thereon or incidental thereto; and to amend certain acts;
Act, April 4, 1912, to enable the municipal council of the city of Sidney to erect and
let dwelling houses, and for that purpose to acquire land; to extend the borrowing
powers of the said council; to amend certain acts relating to the corporation of the city
of Sidney; and for purposes consequent thereon or incidental thereto; Act, November
26, 1912, consolidating enactments relating to the regulation of coal mines and col
lieries; Act, November 26, 1912, consolidating the acts controlling scaffolding and lifts;
Act, November 26, 1912, to consolidate the enactments relating to the supervision
and regulation of factories, bakehouses, laundries, dye works, and shops; the limita
tion in certain cases of the hours of working therein; the extension of the liability of
employers for injuries suffered by employees in certain cases; the making provision
for a minimum wage for certain persons, and for the payment of overtime and tea
money; and for other purposes; Act, Nov-ember 26, 1912, consolidating the laws
relating to banks and bank holidays; Act, November 26, 1912, consolidating the acts

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relating to friendly societies; Amendment of December 14, 1912, of schedule of
industrial arbitration act, 1912; Act, December 20, 1912, amending the miners’ acci
dent relief act, 1900, the miners’ accident relief (amendment) acts 1901 and 1910
and for other purposes; Act, January 7,1913, amending the friendly societies’ (amend
ment) act, 1906; Regulations of April 29, 1913, under the factories and shops act, No.
39, 1912; Act, October 15, 1913, amending the coal mines regulation act, 1912, bring
ing certain persons under the public service act, 1902; and for purposes consequent
thereon and incidental thereto; Act, February 9, 1915, prohibiting the use of white
phosphorus in the manufacture of matches; prohibiting the sale of matches made
with white phosphorus; amending the factories and shops act, 1912, and for other
purposes consequent thereon or incidental thereto. Q ueensland : Act, December 22,
1909, to enable the Government to assist persons in receipt of small incomes to provide
homes for themselves; Act, December 29, 1909, amending the workers’ compensation
act of 1905, by extending its provisions to cases of disablement for three days or upward, by extending the time during which compensation shall be payable; Regu
lations of February 23, 1910, under the workers’ dwellings act of 1909; Act, January
7, 1911, making better provisions for the regulation and inspection of mines; Act,
October 26, 1911, authorizing the construction and establishment of sugar works by
means of moneys advanced by the State, and providing for the repayment of such
moneys and for the maintenance, management, and control of such sugar works, and
for other purposes connected therewith; Act, November 30, 1911, consolidating and
amending the law relating to institutional children; Act, January 9, 1912, amending
sections 5 and 7 of the workers’ dwellings act of 1909 in certain particulars; Regula
tions, July 18, 1912, under the State (institutional) children act of 1911; Act, Decem
ber 5, 1912, making provision for holidays and for other purposes connected therewith
and repealing the “ bank holidays acts 1904-1906” ; Act, December 7, 1912, making
better provisions for industrial peace and for purposes incidental to that object; Act,
December 7, 1912, amending “ the inspection of machinery and scaffolding act of
1908” ; Regulations, March 20, 1913, under “ the industrial peace act of 1912” ; Regu
lations, May 29, 1913, under “ the inspection of machinery and scaffolding acts, 19081912” ; Act, October 29, 1913, consolidating and amending the law relating to friendly
societies; Act, October 23, 1914, amending “ the factories and shops act of 1900” in
a certain particular. Norway: Law, August 6, 1915, relating to labor disputes; Law,
September 18, 1915, relating to the protection of workmen in industrial establish
ments. Sw eden: Law, October 18, 1912, amending article 2 of the law of November
20, 1909, prohibiting the employment of women at night work in specified industrial
establishments. W ar M easures : German Empire, Prussia, Hungary, Belgium, Spain,
France, Great Britain and Ireland, British Colonies (Commonwealth of Australia;
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, New Zealand), Roumania, Russia,
Switzerland.
MISCELLANEOUS.
A u stria .—Amtliche Nachrichten des h. h. Ministeriums des Innern betreffend die Unfallvcrsicherung und die KranJcenversicherung der Arbeiter. Vienna.
November, 1915.—Accident insurance; Election and appointment of officers of the
workmen’s accident insurance institutes and courts of arbitration; Decisions of
courts of arbitration. Sickness insurance. Decisions of the administrative court.
G erm any.—Amtliche Nachrichten des Reichsversicherungsamts. Berlin. {Monthly.)
August 15, 1915— Official—General part. Decree, August 12, 1915, of the Imperial
chancellor, providing for the extension of the term of office of the present representa
tives of employers and workmen before insurance authorities and insurance carriers;
Circular letter, August 15, 1915, of the Imperial Insurance Office, instructing the

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boards of directors of State insurance institutes and trade accident associations as to
the legal aid they may request from public authorities. Accident insurance: Deci
sions on appeals; Decisions of the decision senates. Sickness, invalidity, and sur
vivors’ insurance. Circular order, June 2, 1915, of the Imperial Insurance Office
instructing the hoards of directors of the invalidity insurance institutes as to the
method of accounting for excess or reduced payments in the case of refunds of loans;
Decisions on appeals; Decisions of the decision senates; Other decisions; Disburse
ments of the invalidity insurance institutes, June, 1915, for pensions and benefits,
to insured persons and their survivors; Receipts in July, 1915, from the sale of con
tribution stamps.

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Full text of Monthly Labor Review : February 1916, Volume II, Number 2

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