New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-12
COMMISSIONER WRIGTrr'S REPORT.
INTERESTING FIGURES GATHERED BY THE LABor

BUREAU.
Washington. May t1.-Carroll ID. Wright. the Com.
missioner OF Labor. to-day sent the President the
seventh annual report OF the Bureau OF Labor. The
Commissioner calls attention 10 the great amount Of
work performed by the bureau during the year
1891, and in cooperation with the Senate Committee
on Finance in securing the statistics Of wages and
prices for period Of 6fty-twO years These statistics
the Commissioner considers To- be n the greatest Inn
portnnce In the study OF Industrial conditions In this
country.
This report comprehends the results Of investgu-
tlon carried In accordance with the organic law
Of the bureau concerning the cost of producing
textiles and glass the wages paid to employees in these
ndu tries and their cost Of living. The report when
printed will consist Of about 1000 pages, and Will
contain 75 original tables The statistics of the cost
Of production are based upon returns from
27S establishments. forty-nne OF which are In
Europe. The statistics Of wages are taken
from the pay rolls OF 125 textile ana
glas, establishments In this country and I'm Europe.
In cotton-yan establishment In the northern district
90 the United states Il was found that 3eS different
employees earned average ~ or each day, but
worked only seventy nine days out OF the SIX monts.
their average earnings being for the that time Soo per
CAPITA In the southern district Of the United states
In an establishment working six months o4' EN-
ployos. earning 80 . cents euh day. worked on an
average Afyfou days. earning SIS each during the
,ue worked In a cotton-yarn establishment In
Great Britain which worked six months 1t Is found
there were sos different employees. earning 90 cents
day on the average and working on an average iol
d.ys out Of the period, earning thereby Soo' oh fnil
time each employe In the EMBELLISHMENTS h"'"-
ou,d have earned In the one in the northern district
~ the United states $3.50 I'm the southern dstrct OF
the United states SlO9. and in the one IN Great
Britain SOB.
As Ia the cost Of living the report has given the fac's
for 5254 families representing 27.57' persons. Ihese
families are distributed through the cotton and sass
producing states Of the United states Belgium FRANCE
Germany Great Britain ard Switzerland ana consul
tute The most extensive collection Of cost OK living
dotn that has ever been published. The total aver
a, income Of families from all sources for dnerent
countries for III, number OF families for which budgets
we're obtained each country was. for the COTTON i
du,try 1867 76 In the United states, ss'oo va III
France $500 II In Germany 1896 IA In Great britain
and 80. 81 in switzerland. In the wooen industry
the average family income from all sources WIS
1868 10 in the United states. S4s4 81 in France
s.75 90 in Germany and $5I5 "a in Great Britain
I'm the glass industry the family incomes wen MS
follows: In the United states $3.50 "a; in Belgium
sg27 90, and in t>eat Britain. S5oi %.
The sums expended for amusemcnts ana vacation
indicate clearly the tendency OF the families OF work
ing men, For the families considered for the United
states in the cotton industry the average cost was
50 80. In France S16 OF. In Germany 80 33. and In
Great Britain s3G 90 The glass workers OF this coui-
try However. spent more money IMAM 'hose Oh any
cher country for amls.ments and vacation. In the
United States such expenses amounted to Soo 66 per
annum In Belgium a1l 40 and In Great Britain go So
The tables given In the report carry out these
comparisons for all the leading expenditures OF the
family such ms for fuel. lighting, clothing for the
husband wife and children; taxes property and life
insurance labor organizations religion charity, books
and newspapers, food. intoxicating liquors. tobacco.
etc.
The tables also show the percentage OF expenditures
for different purposes based economic law pub
ushed some years ago Dr. Engel late OF the Royal
urcau OF statistics OF Prussia. The tables Of this