New-York tribune., 1873-03-03
LABOR PROBLEMS.
THE woRKINGMEN OF MASSACHUSETTS,

AIT-EARNINGS, COST VT h'p
SAVINGS OF wOBKINGMANs FAMlLf-MoDE
orTIrF OF THE LABORING CLAsSEs-ACrUAL
uARDSutPS AND POSSIBLE AMELlORATiONS.
IPcOM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THB TRIBUNE
RosroN. March LIN the month of June, 1867
The Legislature, stimulated by the growing
interest IN the labor question, passed an act crea'nS
Bureau OF Statistics whose headquarters should DC a'
Roson The duties of bureau. enumerated IN 'ne
net were to collect assOrt systematize and present n
annual reports to the legislature on or before inc r
OF March each year, statistical details reiatus " az
departments OF labor in the Commonwealth esPeo'""
in its relations to commercial, Industrial social euu''
tional and the sanitary condition OF the mooii"N
classes and the permanent prosperity OF the Pi0-
ductiye industry of the Commonwealth 80 80
was given TO the Bureau TO send ior pciSous
and papcrs to examine witnesses unuer o"'D' o."
80 snumoo them i'm the same manner, ana pay
tho same fees as witnesses before the Supreme NouIi
,ho state July 81 1862 Henry X Oliver OF salem was
snnointed the chief; and he appointed George H. mcNe
as his deputy EThe law empowering the bureau W '"
mon witnesses gave no compulsory "u'"VIl' ''1a
whatever testimony has been gathered Io'h "''
has therefore been voluntary. In only one instance hsS
the summons been refused, though IN many cases VII
,csses have declined 10 the questions OF the
Rurcau The facts collected by the Bureau under ths
law have been presented to the Legislature from year 10
wear The fourth annual report was presented to-day.
IL ia very voluminous large portion OF IL Is deVo'eu
10 defense OF and its operations IN reply 10
opposition which has been developer CrinH 'n'S s0'
OF the Legislature.
ORIGIN OF BUREAU.
As Massachusetts, is the only state that mas LABOR
Bureau an account Of its origin Is OF interest Tue
Legislature had previously appointed several Committees
ana Commissions on the labor question with very un-
satisfactory results About that time the shoemakers
were beginning to feel the effect Of the subdivision OF
labor caused by the machinery in manufactures
md TO realize the strength of numbers and the need of
organization. One of them. Massachusetts man by
BIRTH living in Milwaukee, Wis, formed a trades union
under tho name of the Knights Of St. Crispin The or
der spread other States finding its strongest foot
hold in Massachusetts, and counting its numbers by tens
OF thousands, having in this State alone
membership of 10000 persons The officers
OF the Grand Lodge Of Massachusetts, asked
the Legislature 20 incorporate that body for the
purpose enabling them TO hold real estate The ques-
ton of granting this charter was the important labor
question OF that time. The charter was refused IL then
became evident of both branches of the Leg
iSlaturc that thousands Of workngmen would Withhold
their votes from the party IN power and 1t was there
fore felt and frequently said, that something must be
done for Labor. Accordingly two days before the au-
journment of the Legislature the act establishing La
Dor Bureau was passed. The Crispins looked upon 1t
with distrus and would have nothing to do with it, The
advocates Of the Tcnour Factory BILL having had their
petition referred to the next Legislature hoped for moth
ing from such resolve. The eighhour men, the oiig
nators otthe petition for Bureau as well as for the
preceding commissions accepted the Bureau and sroye
70 make IT efficient.
The WORKING OF THE BUREAU.
Tho Bureau then went TO work in preparing its first
report The Commissioners met with many difficulties,
not the least Of which the apathy positive oppo
stion from employers and the reluctance of the IN
poyed to give information because of fear Of discharge
should it become known that they had testified The
lack OF power to enforce testimony and the inadequate
ness OF the appropriations for the Bureau lnterered
with its o,crations The St. CTispns embttered at the
Oft tIair fOr the Bu-
reau the cold shoulder. Almost attempt to obtain
information from this class of workmen was met with
opposition. The Bureau had thus 10 operate between
two dres-the employers and tine employed-and the
fires have gone out yet good deal of its effective
ness has been impaired by the need of protecting itself
against them.
The Commissioners defend themselves against objec-
tions which have been made TO the statements in prey
ous reports First to the objection made as TO the con-
diuon OF iwoIkngwomen presented by their report
they that they have examined the books Of some OF
the largest manufacturers Of mems clothing and fnd
there the names and weekly Of girls running only
from s. rs to 81 per week The Commissioners defend
their former statement that agriculture Is declining In
the State. The opinion was based upon figures con-
taned in the United States corroborated as
these figures by comparison with the censuses oil
1850 1860 and These figures were further substan
uated by returns from POS Of the most iu'
tcligeut farmers IN the State, Of whom lS9
were assessors The returns represented 1876 towns
and every county in the state. Inc ueuucuOns mace
from the mass Of evidence were: ]. That the wages
of farm aborers have increased in proportion TO the
advance In other departments Of labor requiring about
the same skill and culture, and occupied by the same
nationality and this Increase is clearly traced to
the advance of in mechanical employments than
70 any other cause. The hours OF labor have gradually
diminished from the old tme-sunrse TO sunset-to ten
hours per day; and this without any other than
the increasing power Of custom, aided perhaps by the
introduction of machinery Farming Is an occupation
in which with small capital cannot safelyinvest
unless his to growing manufacturing town
future sale OF bs land for other than farm
ing purposes probable. The day OF large farms with
small capital worked by individual owners, must follow
the rapidly declining number of small man
ufactOres and small dealers. The enter
prise OF the native population is adverse TO the
slow methods and Improbable returns Of such invest
rnents The West must feed the East, for there the
prares offer opportunity for the aggregated capital
and cOngregaed labor necessary to the economical pro
ducOn OF food. AS well might hope to 20 back to
the old methods of textile production or expect our
largo cities depend upon the well and the cistern TO
supply their inhabitants with water hope that the
teeming millions OF the future are to be fed by the
wasteful and unproductive individual farming Of the
present g. The increase OF taxation Is complained OF
as cause Of this decline, and there Is much truth
in the assertion that farmers are the heaviest
taxed Of any class Of the community; and, as
their cash receipts are very small, the $40 or
$50 annual tax is very burdensOme. But even
with this tax reduced, the farmers lot must be
hard. 4. II is general statement that the picture
OF the condition Of labor is drawn darker than the
facts The to this is that the opinions
expressed based upon experience observation and
reading and the picture is not as dark as facts would
warrant II is objected that the data upon savings
incomplete 20 admit OF correct deductions
consist OF the reports Of the Bank COmis-
sioners from 1851 TO 1s7s Gov. Claiin addresses the
testimony OF lawyers, doctors and citizens generally
and the returns of ftysix banks given in the last
port are being subsantiaed by the returns from 125
banks out OF 40 in the State contained In this report
WHAT REPORT ATTEMPTS.