Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1892-09-02

s-se.----=-
READ the following report, it will
repay you. It is proofpositive, from
the highest official Democratic au-
thority, that the Mckinley bill is a
blessing to manufacturers, as well as
to those who earn wages. There is
no politics in it; but cold facts and
figures. from Labor Commissioner
Peck. of the State of New York, who
was appointed Commissioners OF
Labor Statistics by Cleveland
The annual report Of the commits
sioner, strangely enough, deals di-
rectly with the Tariff question, and
lauds the Mckinley bill and its eff
fects in New York in a way that will
make the Republicans whoop fOrjoy,
and knocks the props from under the
Cleveland Free-Trade Democrats to
their intense surprise and dismay.
This is the report in brief-read it :
"The first returns came from the
silk industry and we're very pleasing
to nv way of thinking. But / am
free to admit that the report as a
whole Is not in harmony with the
Democratic platform, so TAR as the
tariff is concerned. However, my
duty as state official is to report
things as / find them not rs reckless
partisans would like to have them
CONSTRUED. There is no political
bias about any of my reports nor do
/ believe there is any in the reports
of any labor bureau in the country.
All / can say, is that the statements
of my report are based on actual con-
fidential letters received from six
thousand representatives Of whole
sale manufacturers of New York
State. The result shows me that
the leading Democratic speakers on
the tariff are in error as to the eff
fects of the Mckinley bill. The fig
urcs in my report speak for them
SEX es and there is no getting away
from them.
am sorry cannot please every
body, but / think my report will
make interesting reading.
The period covered by investiga-
ton includes the year Immediately
prior to the enactment of the Nc
Kinley bill and the year Immediately
following its becoming law-that IS,
for the year commencing September
l, 1889, up to and including August
81, 1890, and the year commencing
September /, 1890, up to and inelud-
ing August 81, 1891. The statistics
relate to only wholesale manufactur-
ing establishments,
From sixty-seven industries coy
cred it appears that there was net
increase in wages of Sc, 1871, 925.O9 i'm
the year 1891 as compared with the
amount paid in 1890, and a net in
crease Of production of $3l ,3l5, $780,.
SO in the year 1891 over that Of 1890,
A simple analysis of the table fur
Their demonstrates that of the sixty
seven industries covered seventy
seven per cent of them show an in
crease either of wages or prOduct,or
both, and that there were no less
than S9,71T instances of individual
increases of wages during the same
year. The total trades represented
amount to 1871 and give employ
ment to 285, 600 workingmen and
women.
A comparative table is also given
showing the increases and decreases
Of the average yearly earnings of en-
plOyees in the year 1891 over 1890.
0fthe sixty-eight industries included |
seventy-five per cent of them show
an increased average yearly earning
in the year 1891, while the total av-
erage increase of yearly earnings of
the 285,OOO employees was S2S.ll
each. The average increase ofyearly |
of the employees in tifty-One
trades showing an increase was SAB
96 each in 1891 as compared with
1890.
In addition to the investigation of
his special subject the bureau has
its annual investigation of
III labor disturbances occurring in
he State during the past year. The
otal number Ofstrikes reported for
he year 1891 was 4,5l9. as against
,258 occurring in the year ls9O-a
decrease of1,740. Ofthe total num- q
r,4,5l9, 1915, or fifty-three per cent 8
# them, were in the building trades,
fact that seems to follow in natural
the results obtained in the !
pecial investigation of the "Efect !
I the Tariff on Labor and Wages"
We trust after the above statist. d
al exhibit,no Democrat will be bold
nough to assert that the Mckinley
III has depressed either wages or n
ldustries. p