Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-02-16
KANSAS WAGE WORKERS.

The Labor commissioners Report on Wage
Workers, PauperIsm, Etc.-COmparlsons
With Other Places.
TOPEKA. Kan. Feb. 1.-THE advance
sheets of the thiri annual report OF the
Kansas Bureau OF Labor, prepared by Hon.
Frank 81. Betton. Commissioner, were
issued yesterday. The report covers So
closely printed pages and is divided into
ten parts The principal topics treated are
pauperism, State charities, wage workers,
Touring mills, manufactures, coal oper-
ators, railroad strikes and labor and edu-
cation.
In the introduction the Commissioner
SAYS:
ssRegarding 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 whole have at least not decreased, and
in some instances possibly slightly ad-
vanced, while employment, both with COM
mon laborers and in the building trades,
has been far moro regular. This condi-
ton has also affected the miners of the
State, who as class during the past
summer received steadler work than
in the summer preceding In the matter
OF the unskilled laborers in our cities, 1
think that 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, IL
any thing, better pay; at any rate, very
few of this class report less per diem
wage than 81 so, while last year respect
able proportion earned not TO exceed S1.25.
AS the principal object in the establish
ment of this bureau seems to have been
due to a desire on the part of the Legisla-
ture to ascertain as accurately as possible
the true condition of the age-receiving
portion of our people, it has been the chief
effort of the Commissioner to become thor
oughly acquainted with them, aud as far
as possible to inform himself to the ex-
act character of their surroundings. That
this has required persistent effort and un-
firing diligence an examination of the cor
reSpondence 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: "rhese eighty-two coun-
ties represent total population of 1, $50, GIG,
out of /, 4O6, 7S3-the population of the State
on March l, 1SS6-or over 95 per cent, and
they expended during the year total of
$233, 52S. IS for the support of paupers. 1t
costs Kansas about 1715 cents per capita
yearly to support her paupers. The United
States census of 1889 estimates that one
person in each $50 of the population is an
aImshouse pauper, and nearly one person
in each 100 throughout the country receives
either public or private aid In some form.
In Kansas one in every ], $40 iss.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. On November l, 1887,
Kansas had 1875 inmates in her State
charitable institutions, !, 097 of whom were
insane. 1t costs the State about S:225 per
annum to care for these unfortunates. The
several counties paid an average Of S131 50
for the maintenance Of each poor house
pauper, and S71.76 to each family receiving
outdoor relief The Total expenses to the
State and counties during the year was
$526, PAT. So"
Part of the report is devoted to EFWage
Workings-Their Earning and Expenses"
and is by far the most important and in
teresting chapter in the book, covering 100
of it's 327 pages. Statements OF some 1900
of the workingmen Of the State, received
directly from each individual, are sub
mitted. Tables showing the daily, month
Iy 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
days, the nationality OF the workers,
proportion of trades union members,
members of renters 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 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 81. as per day, against
81 81 for the same trades in Kansas. The
Ontario workmen being employed 250X
days, earning during the year $453.O2 and
expanding $42l51, saving S32 Al; while the
Kansas representatives of the same trades
were employed 24S days, earning $610.95,
expanding S552. 40 and saving 5S.45-the
craftsman of Canada working per cent.
more time, earning 25.69 per cent less
wages, and expanding 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 2,6S4 returns Of
Canadian workmen residents Of twenty
four of the principal cities of that province
The average family earnings for the year
of the 1,20O families reported to the Kansas
bureau was S534OS; expenses, $449. 81
Average days worked, 25J; average wages
per day, s2O3. About 50 per cent. OF the
number owned their homes; an average of
two children to the family attended school
The average rent paid by those renting was
$94 % for 81 rooms, average for room
$32 90; about one-half were paid weekly
and the rest monthly. The daily per capita
income 3S1S cents, expenses 272S cents,