Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-05-23

what It's Objects Are. AMI How They
arc to nc Gained.
EDUCATION As oProsED TO v1oLEycr IN LABOR
REroRM-rSFoRAATIoS TO pE OBTAINED IL
REGARD TO INDUSTRIAL CONDITIONS

| REGARD TO INDUSTRIAL CONDITIONS
| The recent appointment by Secretary Lemar
| of some seventeen special agents of the labor
| bureau completes the organization of the
| newest bureau fthe government. These men
| are either now IN the field or on their wav IN
the duties assigned to them. and tho work of col
| ieeting information will be begun ut once. IL Is
the design to tend the inquiry so as 10 include
| not only this country. hut the principal indus.
triai eenters Of Europe and the purpose Is to so
| map out the work that tho agents may reach
| tangible and practical results, which will be
| collated and laid before Congress at the next
session. A summary Of the instructions given
| to agents has already been published in THE
STAR, but "a these exhibit the scope Of the
| inquiry. aud indicate the object for which this
new bureau was organized. more extended
outline viii be Of Interest The following is a
condensation of the Instructions:
i. The opinions of leading merchants
bankers. manufacturers and porkingmen as to
| the causes of depression aud the facts upon
which they have based them.
2. The effect in all directions OF the employ.
| ment of imported labor under contract-firSt
| upon the labor employed before the employ,
mnnt OF the imported contract labor: second
upon the imported contract labor itself third
upon the consumers of the goods or material
produced by such imported labor: fourth upon
the employers of the contract labor.
,. Whether the employment of imported con-
tract labor has reduced the wages of the old
| labor, and what other influences it has had
upon them.
q. WnethcI imported labor Is paid less
wageS than the old, and whe ther the condition
of the imported iaborer has improved from
what II was when such labor imported
o.. Whether the price OF goods or material
| produced by the imported labor has been re-
duced to the consumer.
q. Whether the employer of such imported
thereby.
z. In what industries and to what extent for
eign capital is employed in developing the in
dustrtes of your locality.
$. The labor cost of the product of each of the
leading Industries to the extent of 10 or II such
Q. The composition of labor in certain estab-
lishments.
10. The cost Of the plant or whatever consti-
tutes the mechanical force and the production
for some well-defned unit of time.
II. The exact rate of wages per hour for each
class or employe in such establishments and ii
possible, in the leading industries, and ex-
actiy as circumstances and facts will admit the
apparent displacement of muscular labor
through the use OF machinery.
II. The average cost of clothing for adults,
male and female, and for children, per annum
l3; The average quantity of fuel (naming the
KIND Tor family per annIm and the number
of fires; the number of weeks in a year it is ne
cessary to use fuel tor warmth, and also the
tive families in each of the leading industries
the size and composition of family to be given
in all cases.
IA. The actual ration per day, per week. or
LOT any unit OF time of a worktngman's fam
Is. The exact quantity and cost of each
article of food consumption for a given mum
Der OF persons, specifying adults and children
16. The character of the housing OF the
people employed in the various leading indus
tries: whether the housing is commodious or
otherwise, whether in brick, stone or wooden
houses.
II. A general statement as to the race and
nationality of the people employed in each of
a ahe iea a hg ndussres and what progress. if
natlonalltleS employed.
AN IMPORTANT ERA.
The organization Of tho national b,,roon ,f
labor marks an important era in the history of
the industrial classes and as this has been a IA
Vorlte measure with labor reformers OF nearly
every shade Of opinion, with the exception of
the most ultra its practical workings will be
watched with interest well as the closest
SO far as its national character is concerned
Inc utility and advantage of collecting such
now ia fifteen states of the Union bureaus, au-
tnoriZed by the legislature are in operation
The first bureau for the collection of labor s5ats-
llcs was organized i'll massachusetts, in 1863,
and three years later Mr.. Carroll d. Wright who
is now the chief of the national bureau was
placed at It's head and still occupies that posi-
| ton. The bureau of Pennsylvania next i'm
order of time was established in 1872 Joel y.
McCamant being its chief The bureau created
tinuei. but bill! to re-establish it has passed
the legislature. In 1877 Ohio created a bureau,
Henry Lusky being now commissioner. That
1878, James Bishop being chief In 1879 there
| were added Missouri, H A. Newman commits
| sioner; Illinois, John S. Lord secretary, and in
Indiana, VIM. A. Peale, jr., chief The next in
order were four created in 1883, as follows:
New York, Chas. F. Peck, commissioners; Cali
Grath, and Wisconsin, Frank A. Flower Last
year two were added, Iowa, f. p. Hutchins and
tMaryland, Ihos. c. Weeks; a bureau has also
been authorized recently by the legislature of
Kansas. Since the first bureau was started the
growth OF this system of state bureaus has been
continuous, and in later years so rapid as to
make 1t probable that before many years each
state will have department of this kind.
THE OBJECT OF LABOR BUREAUS.
The object of these labor bureaus, or bureaus
OF labor Statistics as they are generally called,
is to collectinformation in regard to the sani-
tary, industrial and educational interests of the
working people, and make reports to the legis-
latures. Special subjects for investigation are
often assigned by the legislatures in regard to
various questions, such as that of license and
prohibition, Investigating the question of en-
ployers' liabilities, the question Of half time
schools, etc. In many instances the semi-decen-
NAL censuses OF the state are conducted by
these bureaus, and a census of the Industries is
obtained at the same time The results of the
work by labor bureaus, in the opinion of the
best authorities Is not SO much to secure legis.
iation as to educate public sentiment and place
before the public the exact condition of the in
dustrial classes In this way in some states the
owners of factories have been compelied to
erect fire escapes for the factory buildings and
the same source of enlightenment has shown
to them the evils as well as the actual losses OF
unsanitary homes for workingmen.
As is indicated the underlying idea in the
minds OF those ftvoring the establishment of
labor bureaus is to obtain and diffuse informa-
lion upon the condition and needs of the indus
trial classes, and, by process of education
bring about such q change in public opinion as
VIII result In the reform of abuses and the
amelioration of the condition of the iaborinr
man. Those labor retormers who have
adopted this method of e!iecting their objects
are pursuing a Numerically opposite course
from another class Of reformers who urge
me iabortng people TO flmiliariZe them
sives in order that they may use force to bring
about the needed reforms.
OPPOSING VIEWS.
These represent the extremes in opinion of
those actively interested in the settlement of
questions connected with the condition and i'm
provement of the iaboring classes. The former
are largely in the majority, and are believed to
represent the true sentiment of the masses of
the laboring people of this country. The labor
bureaus In the states of course in the interest
OF moaeratlon as opposed to Violence and the
natlonal bureau as organized will proceed on
the same basis. The bill authorizing the brl-
reau was approved by President Arthur June
21th, 1884, and shortly afterwards John JAR
fctt, OF FlttSburg the president of the ANAL
gamated iron workers, Il labor orga nization was
however, was never signed, owing to the fact
that the Presidents attention was called to "A
speech, In which Mr. Jarrett spoke of him with
more vlgOr than respect. In December last the
Senate and at once confirmed. Mr.. Wright was
at that time the head Of the Massachusetts
bureau of labor, a position which he had held
since 1872. Previous to this time he was en-
gagged IN the practice of the law, but had al
ways taken deep interest in statistical mat
WAL nJl1 calo