The Portland daily press., 1893-02-21
MAINE LABOR STATISTICS.
some Of the Things Commissioner Mat
thews Has to Say.

The report of the bureau of industrial
and labor statistics for the year 1892 is
ready for distribution. In it Commiss-
Toner Matthews has compiled a large
amount of information concerning live
subjects, which are treated in very in
structive manner. One special feature
of the report relates to the women wage
earners of the state.
Commissioner Matthews speaks with
satisfaction of the operation of the ten
hour law. Employers should realize
that long hours at a severe tension, are
cause of irritation among their employees,
and they become ripe for almost any
trouble, and trifes are often sufficient to
precipitate violent strikes. The real
cause of many of these strikes is over
work. In our state, but few instances of
more than ten hours work are found,
except among women employees of hotels,
restaurants and at homework. Many of
these women are, necessarily, employed
seven days in the week, and from twelve
to fifteen hours daily If any proof of
discomfort from long hours were needed,
look to your house servants. Many of
these are constantly changing from house
to hotel, from hotel to restaurant, and
back again, in utter discomfort, and fire.
quently in utter hatred of the last place
Of employment, which, from recent con-
tact seems the very worst OF all. J"
The report includes tables made fro m
data from the pay rolls of seven mills
Nd or
tics of wages of men, women, boys and
girls under 16 years are derived and accu-
rate comparisons made.
One of the many interesting features
of the report is that relating to the can
ming industry, in which 400 men are
employed, 2165 women, 637 boys, and
439 girls. The average wages of the men
are $1.55, of women Sic, of boys .75c,
of girls .55c.
From the report one learns that the
gum manufacturing industry is of con-
siderable Importance in this state. Ac
companying each of the numerous in
dustries in which women are employed,
the Commissioner has deduced instruct
i've facts, his notes on which are enter
tanning reading. Though there is but
one silk industry in this state-the Has
kell Silk Company at Westbrook-the
facts concerning it are important as well
as interesting. Very many people are
not aware of the existence of such an in
dustry in this state, handling in 1891, 800
miles of product through all the differ
emit processes. and affording employment
to about 100 workers.
For this report, individual returns of
2793 working women have been received
and tabulated.
Regarding employment agencies. their
uses and abuses are touched upon; but
at the present time the Commissioner
finds that they have little or no value in
this state.
The report contains valuable statistics
concerning the factories, mills and shops
built during the year 1892; SO towns and
cities reported. The total cost of these
was $1,12S,000. The hands employed
1872.
Commissioner Chalk's Report
is quite brief but pertinent. He has
found in our mills, especially the wooden
mills, child labor thing of the past, and
in the cotton mills women are doing the
work formerly done by children. He
finds that the superintendent and over
seers are trying to secure an older class
of help and that improved machinery
calls for mature help. He was, however,
found many certificates of age the
genuineness of which was doubtful. He
thinks that age limit should be IA.
With few exceptions he found a gen.
eral cleanliness among the factories.
Some anonymous complaints of the ten
hour law have been received and they
were found to be false statements. Re
garding accidents more protection
should be thrown around those COM
PEELED by force of circumstances to run
dangerous machinery. The danger has
been somewhat obviated by the introduce
ton of modern machinery. He thinks
there should be system ofinspection in
stituted in our state and that the en-
ployers will do all in their power. The
deputy commissioner has made $50 visits
during the year and taken from mills 104