The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-11
LABOR STATISTICS.
The Difficulties Under Which Statistician
Peelle Is Compelled to Get Information.

State Statistician Peelle, in the compilation Of
the report which he will publish this year. will
devote special attention to the work of gather
ing statistics on all matters relating to labor in
Indiana, which has been neglected heretofore,
chiefly for the reason that manufacturers,
when efforts have been made to OBJ
tain information regarding their operations,
have evinced an unwillingness to an
swer questions about their business.
There will necessarily be many disadvantages
besetting the prosecution of the work. as it is in
the nature of new venture for the bureau, and
as the means for gathering the information are
limited, but material aid is expected from the
Knights Of Labor in the different parts Of the
State. of the principle objects Of the organi-
cation, set forth in the constitution Of the order,
being to secure the establishment of bureaus for
gathering labor statistics The blanks which
are being prepared by Mr.. Peelle embrace
questions regarding the number of hours labor
ing men engaged in the different occupations are
employed, the wages received, the number of
employees who are boys, the per cent. of laborers
who own homes, what rent is paid by those who
do not own homes the cost of living, how many
of the members of the family are
employed. and how many are in school.
In referring to the last three
questions the statistician remarks that tie
Western laboring men who have families gener-
ally keep their children in school, while in the
East the children are compelled to aid in the sup
port of the family. The main object Of the new
departure is to demonstrate to the next General
Assembly the importance of gathering labor sta
tistics, with the hope that sufficient will be ap-
propriated to enable the Statistician to do the
work as thoroughly as it is being done in other
States.
"How large an appropriation is needed to do
the work properlyg was asked Statistician
Peelle by Journal reporter.
- think Sc, 500 year would be sufficient" he
said 'This sum would include the salary Of
the chief of the bureau, which. in other States,
Is fixed at from 81, 900 to $500 There are
thirteen States that now have bureaus of labor
statistics and the appropriations for their sup
This bureau ought to be devoted
exclusively to gathering statistics relating
to the laboring and manufacturing interests, but
the matter cannot be given the attention it
should receive now because we are expected to
furnish statistics on agriculture and other sub
only 3d. 600 year, which must cover all expenses
of the department. A little trimming is all that
the present law needs to convert the
department into bureau for labor sta
tistics exclusively. The law now includes the
latter statistics with agricultural economic, VITAL
commercial, and SO forth. The work Of gather
ing agricultural statistics should be turned over
to the State Board Of Agriculture and to do this
it is only necessary to amend the law so as to re-
quire the township assessors to make their sta
tistical reports to the secretary Of the Board Of
Agriculture instead of to me. When
the bureau was created, there was no
State Board of Health. 1t col
lects the vital and sanitary statistics and
there is no longer any necessity for this bureau
to duplicate that work. The change would en-
tail little additional cost and besides making n
proper division Of the work, it would enable this
bureau to devote its attention to collecting rea-
BILE statistics relating TO labor for which there is
now popular demand"