The Washington critic., 1889-02-01
SOME INTERESTING FACTS.
What Commissioners virgins Annual
Report Showb.

soner OF Labor, Mr. Carroll ID. Wright, which
has just been given TO the press, completes
series Of reports emGnating from the Bureau of
Labor. All future reports " The Commits
sioner will come from the Department OF
Labor. which, under the act Of last June, takes
the place of the Bureau of Labor This report
makes Ii volume OF about $50 printed pages,
fourf(ths Of the volume being tabuated mat
ter. IL relates entirely to working women in
the great cities Of the Union. Mr. Wright, In
his Introductory chapter, states that the OBJ
lect of the investigation has been to secure In
formation relative to the cond ton OF repre-
sentative working women of occupations like
those of teaching, stenogrnphy, type-writing,
aud telcgraphy, have not rs a rule been rccog-
nlzed in the investigation; but those who
work In great city shops upon light mechani-
cal or manual labor, and in stores, are tho
ones recognized under the popular term OF
working women
The report comprehcnds $40 distinct indus
tries In twenty-five different cities, the largest
in the country. They are Atlanta, Baltimore,
Boston. Brooklyn, Buffalo, Charleston, Chi
cago Cincinnati, Cleveland indianapolis,
Louisville, Newark, ". j.; New Orleans, New
York, Philadelphia, Providence, Richmond,
San francisco, San jose, st. Louis, st. Paul
and Savannah. The investigation 10 repre-
sentative so far rs the number OF women
whose affairs enter intoit is to be considered
The total number OF such is 1922 being six
TO seven per cent. of the whole number OF
women engaged In tho class OF work coming
under observation in these cities.
NEARLY ADJ ARE GIRLS.
Some of the salient facts clearly shown, Mr..
Wright says, are that working women In our
large cities are practically girls; the average
age in all is % years months The concen-
tration is greatest at Is, there being 1869 Of
this age out Of the l7,4e7 interviewed; while
In the range from IA TO % years OF age are
| found IS per cent OF the whole number Of
women included in the tables. After % the
number drops rapidly and decreases regularly
| to the end Of the table, there being only 267
over 4S years OF age. Mr. Wright thinks this
rapid decrease in numbers employed after %
years of age is due TO the encouragement
which employment gives to marriage. Tho
average aye at beginning work is 10 years 4
months, and there is not much variation from
this average In any of the cities considered.
or the l7427 women interviewed Ia, l20 are
native born, l5,3S7 single, 7i5 married aud
| 1,03S widowed; 80 he reaches the conclusion
that working women OF the country, as a rule,
are single women, fighting their fight, until
other conditions shall release thom from IT,
aud not only supporting themselves, but
giving their earnings largely to support othcrs
at home aud assisting in homework. The
home surroundings aid condition of working
women offer an interesting and valuable study,
427 women considered, 9,Sl3 not only work al
their regular occupations, but assist in house
work at home-that is to say, large proper
ton of the working women OF our great citie'
are under home influence small proper
tlon--only 100 out of 17,427 live at boarding
houses and only 1874 in lodging house, whil'
1916 live in private families.
WHAT THEY EARN.
Tables presented, relating to home condi
ton, show that 1920 out Of the 17,427 com
pretended in the report, reported themselves
comfortable, while 1903 state that their HON,
conditions are poor, and "poorn in this inves
tigation, MIR. Wright says, "means poor in
deed.n
In the table Of earnings IL Is shown that 81
out Of 1880 1.-THE total number reporting earn
ings) earn less than 800 year, 2,377 ear
from $3.50 to $500, and 1893 earn from $3.50 +
$500 year. The average weekly earnings o
these women in these twenty-five cities
shown to be as follows:
Atlanta, $4.05; Baltimore, $4.lS; Boston
$4.9l Brooklyn, 5.76; Buffalo, $4.27; Charles
ton, S4.22; Chicago, $57S; Cincinnati, 81. 81
Cleveland, s4.63; Indianapolis, s4 67; Louis
vile, $4.5l; Newark, $50; New Orleans
Providence, $551; Richmond, Va, 1898; 81
: Louis, S5.19 st. Paul, 5000; San Francisco
$6.9l; San Jose, Cal, S6.l1; Savannah, "a .9s
The average In all cities, 1924. This, MI
Wright says, would seem to indicate that TIL
l majority are in receipt of fair wages when III
l whole body of working women is considered
9 but 1913 earn less than 800; quite large nun
Der, 1919, earn from 500 to $3.50 year. ths
lie, the earnings Of these women distributed
weeks over the whole year, do not amount
more than 50 or So pei week. "There al
, great EXCEPTIONS he adds, shut the figure
tell sad story, and one is forced to ask ho'
women can live on such earningsT"
As to the character Of working women, Con
missioner Wright reaches the conclusion, afte
an analysis Of statistical data on the subjec
that 1t cannot be said, so far as this investig'
, ton shows, that the employees In workshop
are to be burdened with the charge of bein
most prolific recruiting ranks of prostitution
aud asserts that the working women of tn
country are as honest aud as virtuous as an
: class of our citizens.