New-York tribune., 1870-04-23
THE LABOR QUESTION.
THE CONDITION OF WORKINGMEN.

THE CONDITION OF WOhhiNuhEN'
| REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF STATISTICS OF
LABOR IN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
| AND RECOMMENDATIONS-C0NDi OF THE
| wORKINGwOMEN.
BosroN. April 7.-The Bureau OF Statistics
OF Labor organized last July has Just presented to tho
Legislature report for tho first seven months, WIN
| accompanying statements and Statistics making d
pamphlet Of 40 pages The report, wichs ny the Hon.
Henry X Oliver Chief, and Mr. G. Il. Mcneil, Deputy,
contains sketch OF the history OF labor and aborer OF
tho poor and OF the legislation in reference to them In
England from the beginning Of the Fourteenth Century
down TO the present time Also history OF the Same
subject In Massachusetts, since Its settlement; remarks
on factory life and children in manufacturing establish
ments remarks the life and homes of Owpad labor
ers In Boston, and upon tenement and other lodging
houses therein, with testimony Of operatives and
laborers tables Of wages earnings and expenses OF
workingmen and women and other matters relating to
the general subject Blanks sent to employers and
employed containing numerous queries, and inter-
estng and valuable facts have been thus obtained.
The following some of the conclusions and recon-
| mendatOns:
themselves frequently in the evasion OF cmpoyments
involving manual labor and the efforts to exchange them
for callngs considered more respectable, render IL %
peraye that the State following the ead OF tno
Government should so egsate a. 10 " @
other employments professional or mercsne & nrre
nary sep tp to reHedy the evil is the ehaeen
restricting labor In all manufacturing and mechanical
ISps p GEEK m l' The present law in reac to
ploymert OF children in manufacturing and mechanical
establishments in the State Is dead letter and 70 RENE
dy this evil enactment should prohibit the employ.
ent OF any child under thirteen years OF age nor at that
age unless such child has received the elements OF CON-
mon school educationage and education to be matters
due certificate provided for by law-and no children nfr
fifteen years OF age to DO employed in such estaDhsn
ments more than eight hours ddy and those 10 LODE DO
sfter %h.nn MIDDAY 9dyr Legislation having hitherto favored
capital almost exclusively, the remedy for this paray
ons of labor shall favorably recognized as assoca
ons Of % The s hs sodd ioVeSd and 10
yield to the system Of co0peration-the vital question
se nov Tos 10 pe tn life and limb from
machinery, and peril TO health from lack OF
re, i in many estabsSments and these only be
prevented by detailed enactments, Inere VIII DO great
excepting by system OF inspection as in England. The
whole subject of tenement houses their evils and te
ing thereto should be committed to the State Board OF
Health
visit to the homes Of lowpaid aborers is described,
showing their condition in rickety tenement houses
One picture given Of these homes is fair sample Of the
others:
We next passed into stones Yard Crossst, between
Nos. 100 and lO2 Hanover-st threefo0t ageWay
led into the yard by IL feet wherein lived IA families
There prvy too horrible TO be described for the
yaf and sSo for % %
excremen The buidingswere three stories wreched
tumbe-downs and not lit for cattle. The specimen room
we visited was IA by feet and feet post occupied by
four persons one in bed and sick The floor perfo
tbraec py asbes This room Yielded rehage Of 81 55a
week. I'm advance. Going then up DARK winning ana
rckety stairway, came to room occupied by Mrs,
r. she stood at a tub washing In the room was bed
stead a table, three chairs, and stove Everything
denoted the lowest stage OF poverty The officer attend
ing us said that he found here family starving
appeared ceanly and Industrious but thoroughly
dishearened. In less than week from our Visit she
was stabbed and killed, in a quarrel with neighDor
| about the loan OF five cents.
The replies inquiries Of employers as to the number
| IoJ rtaf fha
10 be noticed that employers who require the
greatest number of hours the most opposed to any
reduction whatever. They declare that employees now
of temperate habits and good members OF society," giving
what spare hours they have to conmendabe purposes,
Jemorazed and fan away from goodness, This argu-
is to leave old things TO be old, and TO niy All
dueton increased cost and consequent dimnution OF
wages though our tables show that those VINO WORK he
greatest of hours do not earn the greatest amount
| OF wages.
Inquiries concerning the whale fishery developed these
facts:
There have been employed in the whale fishery during
the wear 1862 from the whole United States 40 ships,
barks, "a brigs, and SO schooners making total OF
largest of these vessels Will measure from tuns,
few exceeding $50 tuns while the smallest are as sht as
carry boats for whaling purposes and COMPLEMENT
of 80 The second class chiefly devoted the sperm
fishery carry three boats and complement of % men,
The smallest class carry two boats aud complement or
Is In round numbers it may be stated that THIS
fishery employs in actual service ON te sea nearly 5000
men. OF the vessels Massachusetts, owns 299. This Is
great falling OH from the highest degree Of prosperity at
Year was i5i6. There were then engaged
In it less than G1S ships, barks and steamers.
35 brgs, and II schooners, whose total tunnage was @
ls9 tuns This shows dimnution of one-haf in the
number Of vessels, and more than twothirds IN the
doah materially diminished the fleet IN comparatively
short period The receipts Of oil at the port OF NewBed
ford however amounted during the past year to upward
of SOO0O0. At present portion of the crews Is OBJ
tanned from shipping masters IN the large ports SO Deng
paid by the agents for each This prOcres, in gen
era the worst class Of seamen-those who, without
than quarter Of the crews are Americans; and
OF the remainder nearly quite onehaf are Portuguese
cruise in the Atlantic Ocean, and return in less than
year with full cargo Now, the voyages average more
than three years In length the ships rove over the
Arctic and the Antarctic the Atlantic and the Pacific
The lifting out the vessels is from 20 to 40 per cent
more than previous the war; while the charges against
the vessels contracted by the captains in the ports they
enter are lar greater than formerly and often materially
affect the profits of the voyages. stl, after ALL it is estl
mated by discriminating men engaged IN the business,
that the returns for the last five years VIII average u per
cent on the Investment.
Extracts Of answers from employees concerning dis
| charges vindcate that here in England formerly,
persons discharged for participation in strikes,
trades, and aborreform movements. Testimony also
goes show that discharge is feared by persons no
have been summoned witnesses if the fact OF testify
ing should become known and further, that attendant
such discharge is the attempt to prevent the persons
obtaining employm elsewhere. Some OF the working
men, reply the question whether they attend public
worship Sunday lead the Bureau to remark that most
OF the reasons assigned are traceaDe 10 lOWnes3 OF
wages preventing hire OF seats and suitable clothing.
To this s TO be added that the fatigue OF long hours Of
weekly toll calls entire repose the day Of sacredrest
lady familiar with the subject contributes chapter
on the workngwomen from which extract as follows:
In Boston, large proportion workers in shops.
We will take trade, that OF taOresses and cloak
makers they go to their work at almost always with
any breakfast they work till TO- and then per-
haps have a few minutes rest, when the little teapot IL
the range and lunch of dry food eaten but In
most Of the low priced establishments the girls do not
| GfO i'm n n
co minutes for dinner. Work ends at p. and many
OF the girls take work home with them ceasing work