Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-10-08

speaks careful attention. 1t may be
said, says the Providence IR. l., Jour.
nal, that industrial conditions in the
west differ from those at the east, and
that we in this portion of the country
must take exception now aud again,
for this reason, to the finding Of the
bureau as detailed i'll this report, but
certainly a painstaking investigation
over SO wide field as tic state of
Michigan cannot but prove Of general
interest and value. Moreover, tho
Michigan bureau has conducted similar
investigations for eight years, and in
that time has acquired much expert
ence in collating facts like those now
presented.
daily life of the workingman is
pictured with absolute correctness, for
all such canvasses as the Michigan
bureau has made from home to home
must be incomplete. But we may be
sure that an approximately correct idea
of that status of workingmen, at least
in certain industries, may be gained
from n study of the bureaus statistics.
No attempt to secure figures for all
varieties of industry WAS made, the
labors of investigators being confined
chiefly to the agricultural implement
and iron working laborers, although n
few establishments of other character
were visited. The two Industries
named are among the best known and
longest established in the state, and it
was considered that an inquiry among
these would be valuable as affording an
idea of how the better paid classes of
workmen live. 1t is said that in these
two branches of manufacture working
men receive relatively high wages, and
that they may be taken to represent
the more prosperous grade of employees.
For the purposes of this report 1888
worllmen were visited and confronted
with a long list of questions on many
interesting subjects pertaining to their
home life. They were asked whether
or not they owned the houses in which
they lived: if there were encumbrances
on their property; if they carried life
insurance and to what amount; how
much wages they received and how
much they saved; whether or not they
owned pianos or sewing machines, and
q variety of other questions. 1t was
found that out of the 1888 to whom
these queries were put one earned $40
a week and 125 from $40 to $50, while
at the other end of the pay roll were
dozen boys who received but So a week
and 1922 more with So or less. About Is
per cent. received S15 or over. and more
than II per cent. less than 81, while
the average for the whole number,
married and single men, was $10.OG, and
that for the married men S11.50. The
fnfo
S467, the married men averaging $525,
small annual income on which to sup
port family, in the estimation of a
good many more favored people. But,
with this amount, it is evident that the
families of these Michigan working
men have been prosperous, ut least in
many cases.
AS many as 1888 of the employees
who were visited owned their houses
and nearly half this number were up-
burdened with mortgages. Almost all
the householdcrs were married men,
moreover, and 46 per cent. of the fam
lilies concerning whom the state bureau
made inquiries were therefore installed
in their own homes. 1t is worth while
to note, in passing that of these house
owners the largest proportion were
Germans, Hollanders, and Irish, with
the Scotchmen and Poles not far be-
hind.
Nor are the comforts of everyday life
forbidden, although the average wages
would not seem, at first thought, to af-
ford much margin for these. The
American laborer looks upon certain
luxuries as necessities, and the Mich
igan figures seem to show that he is
able to possess some of them. Sixty
nine per cent. of the families visited
owned sewing machines, and it is fair
to assume that these are positive lux
uries in many home, where in less
prosperous days there was an inordi-
nate amount of sewing by hand. Sixty
seven per cent. of oil the employees in
terviewed took newspapers and maya
zines, and half of them daily papers,
and more than One-fifth of the S.23S