Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-03-01
new YORK Industries
How They Were Affected
By the Hard Times.

Number of Suspensions and Partial
su pensions of Factories and the
Causes sttributed-Porcent of
Wage observation-disclosures Re-
port of the Bureau of Labor.
ALBANY, Feb 2S-The 18th annual re-
port of the commissioner of the bureau of
statistics of labor contains the result of
an investigation in this>state on the sub
ject of the recent hard times, and is at
this moment of particular interest to en-
ployer and employe.
During the month of September last
circular letter containing the following
questions was sent to the owners of the
different manufacturing establishments
in the state:
l. Did the recent and present hard
times cause suspension of work in your
manufacturing establishment?
p If So has your workshop been closed
entirely or partially?
3. If partially, what per centaRe of your
employees were kept at work.
4. Were they employed upon the half
time system?
5. For how long period were your
works closel2 4
6 Was there any reduction in wages on
account of the business depression, and,
if so, what percentage?
Z. AT the time your works closed did you
have orders ahead sufficient to keep them
running provided the banks would rem
der you the usual discounts and assist
ance?
The commissioner presents no views of
his own on the questions contained in the
circular letter, but simply gives COM
pilatiOn, condensation and tabulation of
the replies received from 2,01 manufac-
turing concerns in 64 general industries.
The number of manufacturers who re-
ported the length of time their establish
ments were closed was 6lS, and the time
ranged from one week to eight months,
the average being Al working days.
The average percentage of employees re-
manning at work in partially closed es-
adjustments was nearly SO per cent, the
time of closing ranging from to 100 per
cent.
In partially closed workshops where all
the employees were kept at work it was on
short time by mutual agreement.
The total number of entirely closed es-
adjustments was 1893, while 255 were en-
tirely or partially closed.
Fi:ty-five manufacturers report that
banks absolutely refused to lend them
money or to discount the paper they were
obliged to take from their customers.
Some of the answers to the question ON
that point were as follows:
We had over S60, 900 worth of orders,
assets of over SO, ,000 and liabilities less
than $1,000, but could not get one dollar
discounted"
"a national bank has charged us all
kinds of rates for money, as follows: Ten,
twelve, fifteen, eighteen and even as high
as twenty per cent You can imagine
whether or not business has been handi-
capped by such proceedings"
Had plenty to do, if banks would ad-
vance money"
Had more orders than we could fill,
but slow collection, and the refusal of
banks to accommodate us kept us short
of money, and, consequently, we could 90
no more business"
Under the head of remarks" some of
the manufacturers attribute the business
troubles to uncertainty about the tariff,
the prevailing idea being that the cues
tion should be settled one way or the
other" as many of them express it, and
will know just what to do in order to con-
form to the condition imposed by the
law, and will arrange their business ae-
cordingly. Some assert that the passage
of the proposed bill will oblige them to
reduce wages, while others hold an en-.
tirely different opinion. On the other
hand, some declare that, In their opinion,
the tariff has little or nothing to do with
business depression that is affecting all
the civilized countries of the world, and
the chief factor in the trouble is "too
many goods in the market, or, in other
words, over production.
Two thousand and eleven manu- factur-
ing concerns engaged in the numerous
branches of the "a general industries GOV.
cred by the investigation, returned an
swers to the following question contained
in the letter of inquiry: did the recent
and present hard times cause a suspen
sion in your manufacturing establish
ment; and, If SO, has your workshop been
closed entirely or partially" OF the
number responding, 470-or 23 per cent
stated that they had not been affected by
the business depression and consequently
did not cease operations in their work.
shops, employing their usual working
force on full time.
Fifteen hundred and forty one manu-
facturers reported that they were affected
by the hard times, l99 declaring that their
works had been entirely closed. AmJn
the latter were 6S in the clothing indus
try, Is in the metal and metallic go, ds
business, 10 hosiery and knit goods houses
8 carriage and wagon manufacturers
Ten hundred and eighty seven establish
ments were partially closed, the principal
ones being as follows: Agricultural inn
plements, IL; boots and shoes, 38; build
ing, 45; buttons and dress trimmings, 81;
carriages, wagons, ETC., 25; clothing, 254
Two hundred and fifty-five m tnu ac-
tories were closed both partially and en-
tirely, that is, they were totally shut
down for time, then partially opened
with a reduced labor force or on short
working time or vice versa.
Briefly, according to the reports made
to the bureau from "a industries, 81 IS.
! tablishments were closed one week; 50
two weeks; 81, three weeks; A, four week S,
II, one month; ~, six weeks; 92, tive
months SO, three months; %, four month $;
26, five months II, six months; 8, seven
months, and 3, eight MONTHS, The estab-
lishments still closed number 9S accord.