New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-31
NEW PUBLICATIONS
THE LABOR QUESTION.

TIE Lnp REPORT OF THE BURE.ASyv
OF STATISTICS e OF L1 Psintlns CO.
no'Von 80. ss Inv far the richest Contribution :" w
' ,rsa,odge vet made by the Massachusetts bu,oa'
~ - rer orts from the same souroe' - o ,o
- ,o.ttsr of comparatively lille hhpoi nm :, pan,
-" -. e,sons the detailed account ei INC ci'
.sn and the extended information reg uso
labor IN and about Boston, VIII nave n''o aar's
sna.s The republication OF the summary ~ ao. ona
ie :, .he ,omparison Of wages in Massachuseee "a
49,, pr,ta,n I'm 1888, and in Massachusetts III iooV
,osa ,s justified because the edition coh'aine and
,,ass NJ facts on this subject was quiehH -, nm
,hs,e has been much call for It, buI 'he l..,osrv
happly found room to repubhsh oius "e 49, ~ the
90 tloae who closely followed the at'enp' a.-ora
sne rs. ,,oar 70 digest this Of facts are
49,, ,,s conclusions were altogether less Vai"aoio
.n information In detail In fact IL docs ho' q.
rem that really important BODY oi Co. Enc at
oo,c,ally presented In such unoiges'oa -. osont In
t.mnt To get at the essence OF the 'Anioo - Aieer
-. .ha net results of the comparison Oh vases az %
orie' S"o n,e country and in many branches OF IN
-. a, ,h,s country and in England was "ss sou.
s. "a most readers than any otner portio" Vi ~ ~,
,ort Beoause OF its great Importance ''' p"'s
.a,ter should have been exceedingly Sin'0 - s,oss
d,lv understood and so explained tna' 'no .,
:, the rrocess could be verified by Ordinary
readers Instead, the process follower "ao .,a con
o,nrl,cated and not readily understood anu tno
illusions were
cases even seif-contradict0fy. Al nv
Rnt the contribution to economic knoNoueo ~ ~
ths Rureau this year Is one OF uhpIeoo"e = ;,
,raoranary value For the first time III 'ne i''
An,ercan economic study, there has Deeh p'ose"''
oorsaeptve record Of wages and prices exieha's -,
bac into the colonial period II Is true tna 'no 49,
a.ontad IL at many points open to criticism A"u'
a. L. ot appear what number OF quotations OF recoiu'
orc averaged for the statements Of each year, vi
tina onotatIons or records are OF aiieren' o''os
or Of the Same locality. Nor is1t clearly s's'' -,
enc record for any considerable number OF years 70
the same locality or averaged RON repOi'T
Realities That this is matter OF no small Ihp
IN Sc rosdnv anurecated when II Is considered tha' TUG
80 ~ wages maid in different towns III MasSschus'
differs very widely ever now, ana mas Ai"@Is MI
more or less even in the same branch OF huusiS'
dversity is stil greater in the prices OF important p0a
uets which, It is safe to say oiner nio'e VIZ
a,serept towns in Massachusetts, even now thah Tue
,,tons Of TO day would diher from the quotations. al
,ho came locality one year five years ago. moreover
a, very serious drawback that the quotations gwen
os Of the same article appear IN some cases ~ ~ "
u,delv different qualities or kinds OF goous' n"' "
suite of all limitations and drawbacks the s'a!ene"
nnblished by the Bureau is in all respects the most N
,,a+ior vet obtained regarding the couree OF
wages and prices in this country from colonial u0' ~
this day. ..no
II from the statements in the report that 'ne
averages of wages and prices by years. ior lhe '"u
occunations and articles named are based upon over
A 600 statements representing over 5000 ofsihai
mutations of wages and nearly $4,000 statements rep
resenting 100 900 original quotations OF prices Ihe'e
were secured by an examination OF great nuhper VI
hills day books and elgers, containing the accounts VI
daily transactions of large country stores at dnereht III
feryals OF memorandums pass and Tamly account
hooks of general family expense books, farm accounts
and manuscript material obtained from original sources
Inv agents of the Bureau in various sections of the state
As most of tine hooks of account were loaned Tor TIE p
,,se onortlrnity was afforded for careful and sys-
fanatic Investigation ana classification OF wages anu
priees for the years named IL Is safe to say ta ee
has never been at the disposal of official body or any
Individual investigator this country so large ana vau
able mass of information appears here TO have Oeeh
collected There will be occasion hereafter To examine
somewhat in detail the evidence thus presented ana me
conclusions TO which 1t points But Will occur 10 every
student of economic science that 1t is IN the last degree
importsnt that the Massachusetts, bureau should pre-
serve with great separate records which II has
obtained SO that by future comparison and investigation
the course Of wages and prices at different periods In the
same towns NAV be traced carefully as possible The
comparson appears 10 have been made with much inte
cence aud care as to important points and 1t may
be hored that subsequent examination OF the original
records may eliminate whatever mistakes have occurred
in the compilation The gathering and preservation Of
records so important and valuable deserve hgn praise
even il there sre in the first attempt To use
the facts therein contained