New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-30
TIE NEW- YORK LABOR REPORT.

! IT, is probable that Mr.. Charles +. Peck, the
Commissioner of the New York Bureau of Labor
| Statistics, has never made an Official report or
greater interest to the public than the one which
, has lust appeared from his bureau. IL VIII
create great excitement among his Democratic
associates. and they are already loud-volced and
passionate. as well as utterly unreasoning, in
their charges Of t,eachery TO the party because
he has seen fit to print the results of an in
yes.igation by his bureau which do not ac-
cord. as he freely states, with the declarations
of the DemOcl attic National platform. or with
the arguments constantly offered ny Demo
cratic speakers and journals.
I The subject for the investigation this year
was chosen by Mr.. Peck with much good sense
and entile fidelity u the true interests OF the
working people, whom he is expected III
measure to represent, il not very shrewdly, for
! the interests of the Democratic party. No
doubt Mr. Peck expected, as indeed he frankly
says, that an investigation OF the course 0f
wages and the increase or decrease Of prOdlc-
ton in manufacturing in this State wonld show,
| in accordance with the theories of his party,
depression of Industries resulting from the
enactment of the Mckinley tariff. lie states
that he determined upon the investigation more
than q year ago, when the new tariff had been
passed, but had not gone into effect as yet, and
that he believed its results would be in har-
mony with Democratic convictions. When the
returns had been received and compiled, he
discovered, much TO his establishment, that the
results were by no means favorable TO Demo
/ cratic theories but he has nevertheless pub
Iished his annual report, giving the figures as
he finds them, without regard to their political
effect The Democratic politicians, who are
now denoumcng him, doubtless expected that
he would find it convenient - omit altogether
this year the annual report required by law, be-
cause the material collected for it did not hap
pen to suit the interests OF his party.
Coming from such a source, this report must
be accepted as exceedingly strong testimony.
| II shows the progress Of manufacturing indus
| tries in the greatest State in the Union during
the first wear after the passage Of the Mckinley
act in comparison with the last year prior to
| its enactment. This comparison shows an in
crease in value of products amounting to
S3I,315.130 in single year, which is in itself
remarkable evidence Of the increased pros
perity resulting from the new law. The value
of products, however, is not by any means the
most important gain with respect to the in
terests Of the wage earners. The report OF the
Commissioner goes further, and compares the
rate of wages in sixty-eight industries for the
two wears The results show an increase in
fifty -one Industries, averaging SAB So for each.
| while the decrease in others was 50 far un-
important that the total average increase in
yearly earnings of the employees in all the in.
dustries included in the investigation, was
S23 IL for each person. The official statement
shows that no less than 2S5, 900 employees are
directly embraced in the statistics presented
and that there were no less than S9,717 in
stances OF individual increase of wages during
the year in the industries reported to the
bureau.
This is an official answer, and from Demo-
cratic labor bureau, to the question asked SO
frequently by Democratic journals not long
ago, whether any increase in wages had fol-
lowed the enactment Of the new tariff in any
department of industry. 1t is not denied by
advocates of the protective policy that under
its operation fluctuations occur in different In
dustries in both directions, for in some change
of the popular demand or in the conditions OF
production may cause general depression for
the time, and thus compel reduction Of wages.
even while the conditions in far greater mum
Der of industries warrant increased production
and an advance in wages. The evidence sub
United by the Commissioner establishes the
fact that in this State the number OF indus
tries in which an advance in wages has been
realized is far greater than the number in
which wages have remained unchanged or have
declined, and that the net result has been
equivalent to a gain Of 500 IL for each one
of more than quarter of million wage
earners 1t will not be an easy matter for
Democratic orators to meet these disclosures
in an official report by Democrat so well
known, and in his party so influential as Mr..
Peck And he is quite right in saying, in
answer to charges of intdeity to his party,
that the Labor Bureau has no business to
modify, shade twist suppress the results
of an investigation because they do not prove
helpful t, a political party. His official duty
| 4, IN toll tho tr,,th no finds II