The sun., 1894-10-26
woman's Work and Wages in New
Jersey.

Jersey.
1t appears that when preparations were
making for the Columbian Fair at Chicago,
many inquiries were addressed to the New
Jersey bureau of labor statistics for infor-
nation regarding the wages and general con-
dition Of working women in that State
The chief Of the bureau, Mr.. CHARLES
H. SINMERMAN, was thus led to make
an investigation, the results OF which are
now published in a report for the year
ending Oct. 81, 1898. BY means Of carefully
framed lists Of questions, placed in the
hands of special agents, returns were Sc
cured from 3,s77 women and girls, com
prising wage earners in some 400 different
occupations. While these returns, of
course, are forthcoming from only small
proportion OF the working women of the
State, they were intended to be representa-
tive. 1t is on this ground that we accept
them as a useful contribution to our knowl-
edge of a subject concerning which it has
been difficult to procure trustworthy data.
or the 3,S77 working women from whom
information was obtained, g. 10 were en-
gagged in manufacturing and mechanical in
dustries being for the most part factory
workers. The remaining 75S included do
mestic servants, laundry workers, school
teachers, bookkeepers, saleswomen, and mis-
cellaneous assistants in mercantile estab-
lishments. OF the total number, 3, 17B, or
nearly 81 per cent, were born in the United
States; Ireland was the birthplace of 206,
Great Britain Of 154, Germany OF Ia. and
Italy OF SO; a few came from other coun-
tries. The foreign element was largest in the
silk industry, in domestic service, among
the fax and jute workers, and among the
electric lamp makers. The great majority
Of them were young women, the average
age being only 2l.s years. Forty-two per
cent. OF the whole number were under
90, and 80 per cent. under 80. The older
workers were encountered in domestic ser
vice, in dressmaking, and among railroad
car cleaners Nearly 43 per cent, Of all had
begun to work under 5 and % per cent
under go years OF age.
We pass to the amount OF labor done, rs
measured in time. The average daily hours
Of work are, 1t seems 1Oid; the average
weekly hours 81; the range being from 8 to
l5 and from 81 to 90 respectively. This
apparently wide range is ascribed TO few
employments like domestic service, dress
making, and the work OF lsundrywomen,
saleswomen, and milliners, Only s35, or less
than ~ per cent, toll less than 10 hours per
day. The hour of beginning work varies from
80 TO z A. NJ. and that Of quitting work
from TO TX p. NJ. The great majority
begin at about z, and quit at from q TO z in
the evening. The time allowed for meals
varies from go minutes to 2& hours, the
average being three quarters OF an hour.
The number OF those obliged to stand, when
employed, IL l,91S; in SGT cases no seats
were provided even for those who happened
Ia be temporarily unemployed. Almost all
the women referred to in this report receive
their wages weekly; the average sum paid
for full time is s5. so per week. The range,
however, is great, viz, from so cents
week given to few girls in domestic
service to SEQ week earned by some
special workers, mainly forewomen. About
as per cent. get less than SIS and "a per
cent less than 80 weekly for full time
wages. The average number of days employ
ment during the year ending Oct 81, 1898,
was gas; that is to say, there were So days
of lost time, exclusive of Sundays and legal
holidays. The lost time brought the yearly
average earnings down to s265; the range
of annual earnings being from sic to
l,l75. BY 25 per cent. Of all the women
less than 5000 per annum was earned.
So much for the income; now for the ex- |
penditures. We should observe at the out |
set that OF the women reported the great |
majority (8,5s2) were single. Only Ill |
were married. and there were but "a wild |
ows About 2s per cent. Of the whole |
or l,Ol2, assisted others from their |
earnings 5S owned the homes they lived |
in; 1877 paid rent, and 5s5 boarded; the |
3,O97, lived with their parents |
or with other persons The average rent |
paid was S7l7 per month; the average |
cost of board was 5000 per week. !
The average yearly expenditure was |
S257, or within eight dollars of the aver |
age earnings; the proportion laid out on
clothing, and miscellaneous |
items being SO, 23, and Ia per cent, respec-
lively. As about so per cent of the young |
women lived, so TO speak, at home, and in
many cases were to some extent supported |
by their parents, too strict differences cannot |
be drawn from the distribution of outlay, |
except perhaps in the case Of clothing TO |
which more than a fifth Of the earnings |
went We add that, Of the total number Of |
women workers, 900 reported a surplus |
above expenditure, and IO7 an excess of |
debts above income.
No attempt WAs made By the New Jersey !