New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-06-13
WAGRS IN MASSACHUSETTS,.

Alta time when considerable discussion has
| been aroused by Mr. Porter's letters in regard
| to the wages aud condition of laborers in Eng
| land, an important contribution to the discus
| sion, and to economic science generally, comes
in the annual report of the Massachusetts
Bureau of Statistics and Labor. The high rep
utation which Mr.. Wright has gained by his
reports, and the care which he has ever shown
to avoid errors of statement or strained con-
illusions, render his document the more yalu-
able, while the data upon which it is based are
those of the United States Census. The report
deals with the industries OF Massachusetts,
alone, but gives the actual wages paid and
hours of labor in each occupation for 2,41O
establishments and 207, 1893 persons employed.
1t will be noticed ut first with regret that the
report does not specially distinguish the num-
Der and wages of the men, the women or the
children employed, and its statistics are there
fore liable to create false impression unless
intelligentiy read, In connection with some
knowledge of the proportions of workers of the
different kinds employed in the different
branches of industry.
Out of the 207, 1913 persons employed, almost
&C, 600 were in cotton mills, and over %, 900
IN NOOllcD uUu NOISlcu IllilbJ l,bOO III DOOl
and shoe establishments, over $4,000 in metal
and metallic goods establishments, and over
! 900 in machine and machinery works.
The workers in the latter concerns are mainly
men and boys and their wages average daily
81 81 for machine works, and 81 45 for metal
establishments. But the employees in cotton
mills are mainly women and girls, and their
wages average only IS cents daily, the worsted
mills "a cents daily, and the woollen mills
81 Oh daily. These are the extremes, among
the branches employing large numbers of per-
sons, but the employees in printing aud publish
ing establishments, being nearly all males and
mostly adults, average 81 II daily for
5,227 persons, and the makers of musical in
struments average 81 90 daily for 1921 per-
sons. The building establishments average
81 90 daily for 5,6i5 persons, and the
carriage and wagon makers 81 SO daily for
/, 1862 persons. The boot and shoe concerns pay
an average of 81 al daily to a large number of
persons of both sexes and all ages, the food
preparations " establishments pay 81 So daily
to 2,901 persons, the furniture concerns 81 SO
daily to 1888 persons, the leather works
81 so daily to 6.703 persons, and the stone
works 81 AZ daily to 1870 persons.
When IL Is considered that very large num-
Der of these employees are boys aud girls, AMI
not muchles than third of the whole are
wOinen-31 ,496 in cotton mills alone, accord
ing to the census, and S,210 IN woollen, 1910
in worsted mills and 1894 in boot and shoe
establishments--it will be seen that the aver
age wages for family must be much higher
than at first glance would be supposed. If the
head of the family earns wages as skilled
mechanic, which range from 50 to 81 80 and
upward in nearly all trades, or even as an
ordinary laborer, from 81 to ST. so and up
ward, while the wife or one or two children
also earn smaller wages in other employments,
the income of the family will contrast very
sharply with that pf English familiesn similar
employments. Then, too, there are good work.
ers and poor in every occupation, and the
general average includes the worst with tia