Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-01-03
THE STATE.
Labor Commissioners Report.

commissioners Labor Heath has about
completed for distribution, free TO anybody
who will apply to him. the sixth annual re.
port of the Michigan bureau of labor and
industrial statistics. One OF the seven sub
jects that are given exhaustive treatment
is the work of the various kinds OF miners.
This report has been very carefully and
completely made by special canvassers:
During 1888 there were interviewed 81
employees in fire clay mines, 20 in slate
mines, go in coal mines, pa IN grindstone
quarfies, :1e2hn g5ypsumqh arries ndmines,
$50 in building stone quarries AMI 3,0TO In
copper mines. -s--g..-- sit:s'ra.
The copper mines from which statistics
were taken are tho Copper Falls, .Allouez,
Kearsage, Quincy Fralflin4 Huron, Allan
rack. The smelling works at Hancock and
on Torch lake were visited also. In the
above works 5,5a6 men are employed, &C
cepding 90 figures furnished from their OIL
cos. Of this number the bureau secured a
canvass OF, 3,070, The nationalities are;
631 Americans, G52 Englishmen, 1856 Fin
landers, $50 Canadian French, 22l Germans,
30 Irishmen. 156 Austriaus, 120 Polanders,
10i Swedes, 1913 Norwegians, 81 Italians, 81
Scotchmen, IA Swiss, Ii Frenchmen.
WelchmeD, Nova Scotians, 3 Hollanders,
2 Danes and each Russian, Spaniard and
Australian.
OF the 63l reported. 20 American born,
only 50 are children of American parent 5,
175 are children Of English parents, l43
Irish, "a Germans, 81 Canadian French,
Swiss, Z Scotch, 3 French, Polish,
Swede, 4 Norwegian and al nativity OF
parents not reported
One Thousand eight hundred and sixty
two men out.of the 300 are married and
havg6, 6f3 children, of which number 1853
attend school. OF the total number Of men
only 1863 have provided for their families by
carrying a life insurance. OF the $50
Americans only l2f are married.
-Four hundred and ffty-two own homes,
2S Of them carrying mortgages aggregating
Sl0,3S0. The companies own all the land,
the homecoming miners paying an annual
ground rent and those not mentioned as
owning houses renting their houses and
lots of their employer.
The intelligence is indicated by the news.
papers read. One hundred and seventy-five
take a daily paper, 97l weekly and 129
monthly.
The fact that SO families out of 1,S62 own
pianos, and 2SS organs, is evidence of be-
ginning of home culture, while the owning
of "a sewing machine by l,344 families show
q desire for modern household conveniences.
Woman and child labor cannot be employ
cd in copper mining, owing to the nature of
the work.
Although mining is supposed by the pub
licgenerally TO DO unhealthy, according TO
statement Of the men themselves they en.Cy
good health. Only 95 reported poor health.
Only 1863 reported that fAey were not as
wdl tifc as;they Avafe five years ago, the
laIt@ss ritnibs / ofthem BECAUSE of less pay.
III one Sear in 1lihe- mines % men were
kih&d$ tby falling rock, > by. falling in
uiihe 4aby riding in the skip" and the
cause of not reported.
AS the miners and those who work around
the mines are foreigners, the right oppor
tunity presents itself for a comparison Of
wages received in the old country with the
wages received in Michigan. Thirteen Ia
bles are given, showing the wages in thir-
teen different countries, and making the
comparison with Michigan wages.