Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1888-02-23
KANSAS WAGE WORKERS.
The Labor commissioners Report ON WagV
Workers, Pauperism. Etc.-C0mparisOnl
with Other Places.

KANSAS WA0e WOHNeHS.
Workers, Pauperi.m. Etc.-Comparisons
With Other Places.
TOPEKA, Kan, Feb A.-The advance
sheets Of the third annual report of thu
Kansas Bureau of Labor, prepared by Hon.
Frank II. Betton. Commissioner, were
issued yesterday. The report covers 1S7
closely printed pages and is divided into
ten parts. The principal topics treated are
pauperism, State charities, wage workers,
Touring mills, manufactures, coal cper-
ators, railroad strikes and labor and edu-
cation.
says:
''RegarIing the condition of our wage
workers ! am inclined to believe that the
year just passed has been slightly more
favorable than the preceding one. Wages
as a whole have at least not decreased. and
in some Instances possibly slightly ad-
vanced, while employment, both with COM
mon iaborers and in the building trades,
has been far more regular. This condi-
ton has also affected the miners Of the
State, who as q class during the past
summer received steadIer work than
IL OuC SuuuCT III luO MotlCI
of the unskilled laborers in our cities, /
think that as a whole, owing to the large
amount Of both public and private i'm
provements carried forward, they have not
only received steadier employment, but, if
any thing, better pay; at any rate, very
few of this class report less per diem
wage than ST. SO, while last year q respect
able proportion earned not to exceed $1.26
40 ho oh in, h
ment Of this bureau seems to have been
due to desire on the part of the Legisla-
ture to ascertain as accurately as possible
vhe true condition Of the wags-receiving
portion of our people, it has been the chief
effort of the Commissioner to become thor
oughly acquainted with them, and as far
as pc sible to inform himself as to the er-
act character of their surroundings. That
thus has required persistent effort and I'M
firing diligence an examination of the cor
respondcnce and general work OF the bu-
reau will, think, verify"
On the subject Of pauperism he submits
tables comprising reports from eighty-two
counties, showing the number Of pOor-house
and outside paupers who had received out
side assistance during the year. He con-
cludes by saying: 'These eighty-two coun-
ties represent total population of ], S53, GIG,
out of ], 406, 7S3-the population of the s ate
on March l, 1SS6-or over % per cent, and
they expended during the year total of
$23a3, 52S s. for the support of paupers. 1t
costs Kansas about 1711s cents per capita
yearly to support her paupers. The United
States census of 1887 estimates that one
person ii each $50 of the population is an
almshouse pauper, and nearly one person
in each 100 throughout the country receives
either public Or r,vate aid in some form.
In Kansas one in every $40 is::a permanent
sane pauper, and one person in every IA
receives charitable aid in some form, while
in Massachusetts one person in every
fifty of the population receives some
kind of public aid. Ga November l, 1857,
Kansas had 1.675 inmates III her State
charitable institutions, 1,O97 Of whom were
insane. 1t costs the State about 1925 per
annum to care for these anfor,unates. The
several Counties paid an average of Sl3l.9
for the maintenance Of each poor house
pauper, and ST. IS to each family receiving
outdoor relief. The total expenses to the
State and counties during the year was
ST, 2i7 S."
Part 5 Of the report is devoted TO "Wage
Workings-Their Earning, and Expenses"
teresting chapter in the book, covering 16D
Of its 327 pages. Statements Of some 1,2i 0
of the workingmen Of the State, received
directly from each individual, are sub
mitted. Tablas showing the daily, month
ly and yearly earnings and expenses OF
representatives Of every trade employed in
the State are given, together with the
days worked, as well as the cause Of idle
1.u bo pf xxyorxarc
proportion of trades union members,
members OF renIer5 and home own
ers, size of family, workers to family,
children at school, increase or decrease
of wages, and in short every detail GO
Ing to show all phases of the workingman's
condition. In the expense tables, the
monthly and yearly sum paid by each
family for food, shelter, clothing and edu
cational purposes are given, and compari-
sons are made regarding these particulars
with other States and with other countries.
Probably one Of the most Interesting pages
in the book is that devoted to a table show
ing the comparative earnings and expenses
during the year of some twenty different
trades in Kansas and Ontario, Can. From
these tables we find that in Canada the
men employed in the trades tabulated
earned an average of Sl76 per day, against
$25l for the same trades in Kansas. The
Ontario workmen being employed 259X
days. earning during The year $3.50 and
expanding S42l 81, saTing SEAL; while the
Kansas represen! atives of the same trades
we're employed 24S days, earning S6l095,
expanding S552. AZ and saving $S5S.45-the
craft sman of Canada working per cent.
more time, earning % 60 per cent. less
wages, and expending 80 per cent more for
his family support. This table was made
up from the province of Ontario labor re-
port recently received by the Kansas bu-
reau, and is the average of 1854 returns of
Canadian workmen residents of twenty
four of the principal cities of that province
The average family earnings for the year
of the 1 200 fam lies reported to the Kansas
bureau was SS4.0S; expenses, 1881
Average days worked, 25); average wages
per day, S203 About 50 per cent. Of tse
number owned their homes; an average OF
two children to the family attended school
The average rent paid by those renting was
81 % for 81 rooms, average for room
$52 So; about one-half were paid weekly
and the rest monthly. The daily per capita
income 1915 cents, expenses 275 cents,
saving 5 40 cents. The average time Of
daily labor was 9 hours, 81 minutes 81
seconds. The opinions received from
''wage-workcrs' form an interesting feat
ure Of this chapter.
Fire at Atchison.
ATCHIsoN, Kan. Feb, 13-The hardware
Of II. l.. Whitaker and the