Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-02-17
LABOR STATISTICS.
Annnsl Report Of Labor Com
missioner Matthews.
Condition Of Our Fellow KofkaS..- What
They Earn and SaYe,
And Other Interesting Facts Concerning
the Wage Farmers of Maine.

Commissioner Samuel W. Matthews ex.
plains that the work of the bureau during
the past year hiss been mainly directed 70
81 iavesiigsion Of the earnings srd ex-
penses. les, time. -syirgs, etc, of mechsn-
les aud male and female operatives 10 mills
and factories.
Heretofore the distribution Of blsnks has
been necessarily largely done through the
mails, and the results of this branch Of
statistical Investigation have not proved so
full and satisfactory IS wss to be desired.
The small Increase of the pprJpristios g
for the EXPENSES OF the bureau granted BY
the las, l. gislsture has enabled ,he commits
sioner 10 employ during considerable
part of The year faithful sad competent
special agents who have visited a large
number If mills, shops aud factories IN the
principal manufacturing towns in the State 4,
and secured directly from the workmen
the facts desired.
Not only much larger number of re-
port. has thus been obtained for the use Of
the bureau, but, through the tNpisnatlon OF
the questions asked il the blanks, the re-
plies have been more fully aud correctly
given.
Another important point has been gained
through the personal visit,Iioas Of agents.
the making known to workir gmen the pur
poses of the bureau, and the ends sought
to be obtained by lis means.
Much progress has been made in this
direc on, aud it IS gratifying to know that
the appreciation and cordial cooperation OF
the workingmen of the STATE have been SO
largely secured as allies in the work Of the
buresu.
Other interesting and valuable features
in the present report are Names Ice ln-
dustry, ard "rhe Shoe Industry in Au.
burn and Freeport," the facts and statistics
of which have been co lected by gentlemen
having practical knowledge OF those
branches of Maine industries.
The sts,is les furnished by the assessors
Of tovna, showing the number and kinds Of
factories, mills ard shops for manufsctuI-
ing purposes, com pieted or 10 process of
erection during 1891, with estimated cost Of
same and probsble NUMBER of hands they
will upioy, afford gratifying evidence Of
the fact that enterprise and capital sre com
ii z to appreciate Msine's opportunities ard
resources.
The report makes volume Of lS4 pages
with An sppendix contsining the text of toe
secret ballot act, with suggestions, recon-
mendstons ard forms prepared by the
secretsry of state for the use and instructio n
Of municipal and election officers.
Following is q general summary OF some
of the more important STATISTICS derived
from the reports Of woTkingmen:
NJ. m
Der American born, S95; number foreign
born. 1877; number owning homes, $50
value of homes, silJ $50; number homes
mnrtesged, 60; amount of mortgages,
S26 100; number renting, 48l; numbsr
having ssvit gg bank acc0uats, ISL mum bel
who have sGcumulst ID savings IN former
years, 69G; during pact year, 195; run II
debt during the past year, I0tj neither
gained ror lost during past year, 363 Ia
tsbulsting the repotis, m n with families,
''men without families ~ "sGmen with fam
iies" and women without families, are
srrsng under distinct heads,
OF men With families there are 7ij
average number per family, 81; number
Of persons in femuies, 2 84l; numbei
assisted by members Of fam lee, 1'3
humber owning homes, 273; number hRvl0t
savings bank accounts, l20; number &C
Cumulstiug sRYisgs ID former years, 5Za
sccumusting q during psst year
397; running in debt during the past year
IS; neither gained nor lost during pas
year, 250; average age Of men Nth fsnll
les, SO average dsily woges, sl.95; aver
age annual esrnings from reguisr trade
$3.50 Al; average annual earnings from
other personal service, Sl7 70; a7
ersgs annual earnings OF othe
| members OF family, Si9 40; sversg'
annual income per family, s527 7.0l; average
annual income per indIvidusi, sl"3 20; sy
eYsga annual exp sndi.ureF pr family fol
rent, $50 9s; food, sl97 50; ciJtbing
S82 55; fuel aud lights, s42 60; socitt.
dues, SO 81; life insurance, SG.O6; othe
th.nis. STA totaI Ter fanny. S4G3,4
Average annual expenditure per ino vidus
| in fami les: rent, Sz2 80; food, S5l A
| clothing. S2l 65; fuel snd lights, 81 IL
society dues. So; life insurance, 81 50
other things, $40 30; tJtal per individual
| Sl2l 80. Average net surplus per family
| sG3.5S; average let surplus per individu4l
| SIC G7; average lumber OF days lost time
from sickness. G; inability to obtain work
| 81; other causes, "a; total, 81. Aversg
number of days work at regulsr trade, 1856
at other personal service, IL; wages pc
day at 81 95; at other personal service
81 43,
| The following are come Of the statistic
| relating 10 "men I'd women without fam
| iies" Number of reports from men, 2G5
from Woman, 53 American born. men
209, women, 81; foreign born, men, So
women, / average age Of men, 2S years
Of women, 26; daily ~sRes, msD, 81 II
women, 90; average annual earnings o
men from regular trade, 1915 06, Of VIC
men, s259. "a: Of men from other persona
service. $40 gj; total i7C1me, of men
t 1895 Oh Of women, $3.50 "a; e1pen 1iiure
Of men for board, sl79 81; of womer
sllS.55; of men for clothing, sos II, 0
women. So 81; Of men for society due,
81 81 Of women, 81; Of men for If
Insurance, sl.6O, CT women, 81 60
Of men, for other things, sS3 81, Of ~omef
$50 81; total exden5iiures. Of men. 1926
G2, Of women. s235 90; nef surplus, mer
sss 80, women, S23 ~; number Of me
havir savil Is bank accounts, a, OF VT
men, IL; rumbe. 0f men who have 81
cumulaied savirgs in former years, 1876, Q
woman, %; during past year, men, -!
: NuE4fbt 50 1AAiiaAbh ~ NtNN ""
yesF. meu. ), Somen, !; showing Meth
gain nor loss, men, lei someD, 27 10
tne, Of men, from sckl ess, days, froi
ins Iiiy to obtain work, 46, fr5m o1hs
csusss. II; tosl, 81 days; OF womsn, froi
slczness, 3 days, from insblbty to obtsi
work, II, from ether csu'es, 6, total,
days; ccs of board, per week, men, 81 !.
women, 50 z5.
The daily cost of living per individus
in families, Ia found 10 be 33 cents. reh
food, fuel and lights costing % cents, Viii
the cost per individual for smsie men ar
women for bard, which represents II
sbove-rarned items, ia. men, ~ cent
yemen, 80 cents Msn with families sa'
4 u par ce0t. Of their income, single men
per oen'. ard sinsle women 8 per cent. {
the men viIh f.miiss, 397 show sa9in.
amounting to s52 223 or sI3l s. each {
those ~i,hout families who have m sds sa
ings. I59 show savings smoantiHg 10 sl8 2i
or STA % each.
The reports are arranged By rldes az
occupations, and the skilled and unskllle
~ofkmen are isbulstsd separately. Son
OF the more important statistics are ~ 70
, loss. Skilled carpenters, with fsmiiis
have averaged 90 2l per day, carpenter
j without families, s208, rough" sr q
skilled csrpeute,s, vim families, 8 6
. wishoE, families, 81 70. The sversi
earnings Of these several classes Of ca
I penters, at regs'sr trade, have be-
s507 81, s4s4 81, 1856 81 and i49 80, Ia
! time, sevsrsliy, IS, 81, IS and 81 days.
: Ths total anuusi income of SKILLED ca
: psn.srs and families, has been s537 80, a
. uDskiIlsd, s52s s.47. The cHrespoIdi
{ classes of other working men, are msso
g ard mason tenders, daily wages. ST.
0 90 %, si.60 and si75; annual inc IN
. - r, guisr rsda, s539 90. si32 ss. s345
n and lns 1861 40; to,sl income If igasl
. ~ish families, s577 80, skilled, sad 1856
;. uH.killed vofkmsn.
8 Printers, skilled, with families. ds
= ( , s3lr ~;,hx.t fn,jt;xa 80 Ie ,