The Cape Girardeau Democrat., 1895-10-26
CONCERNING STRIKES.

Tenth Annual Report OF Carroll d. Wright,
Commissioner of Labor-Statistics of In
terest-Cost to Employers and EN-
ployes-Percentages Successful.
WAsHINGToN, Oct. 2I.-In his tenth
annual report, devoted to strikes and
lockouts, which has just been COM
pleted, Carroll d. Wright, commits
sioner labor, computes that the loss to
employees in establishments in which
lookouts and strikes occurred during
the thirteen and one-half years ending
June 80, 1894, amounted to $3.50. .493,-
3s2, and to employers to S9i, i,S2a, sS7.
The loss to employees on account of
strikes was S16S, s07, s66 and on account
of lockouts S26, ,6s5, 516; to employers,
on account of strikes, SS2, $50, $50, and
ON account of lockouts, Sl2,235, 451.
The number of esta Adjustments in
volved in strikes in this period was Co.
167, and the number of persons thrown
out of employment by reason OF
strikes, 3,774, ,406, making an average
loss to the employer of each establish
ment of 81, 1868, and to each person of
S44. The number of Establishments in
yolved in lockouts was 6,O67, and the
number OF persons locked out 500, 600.
These persons lost an average of S73
each. The assistance given to strikers
and the subjects of lockouts during
the period amounted, as far as ascer-
tainable, to S13, 43S, 79i, or little over
per cent. of the total loss to en-
ployes-
This report will cover about !, 200
pages and give all the information as
certainable concerning strikes and
lockouts for the seven and half years
ending June 80, 1894, especially COW
cred by the report. 1t, however, in
cludes the figures given in a previous
report on the same subject, closing
with 1856. The report is largely de-
voted to tables, showing the causes,
duration, location and cost of these
labor distur rbances and also gives many
other facts of interest bearing upon
strikes and lockouts.
One of the most important tables
given is that relating to the cause of
strikes. This statement shows that
more than a fourth of them were
caused by refusal to accedeAto a de-
mand for increases of wages, over IL
per cent. for d refusal to cOncede a re-
duction of hours, and more than per
cent were caused by the determination
of employers to reduce wages. Three
thousand six hundred and twenty, or
almost s per cent. of the strikes, were
caused by sympathetic action with
other strikes, and 1,6SS were occa-
stoned by the employment of non
union men. The industries most af-
fected by strikes in the last seven
and half years were the building
trades, with 20, 765 establishments in
volyed. After these, in the order of
Importance, come coal and coke, cloth
ing, tobacco, food prepara tions, stone
quarrying, etc.
Out of a total of 10, 4sS strikes in the
entire country for this period, 1909. or
TO exceed 50 per cent, occurred in % of
the principal cities, while of the estab-
lishments involved in lockouts over 81
per cent. occurred in these cities. Fiji
ty-nine per cent. of the esta ablishments
engaged in Strikes were closed on an
average of % days, and "a per cent. of
those engaged in lockouts for an aver
age of 30 days, the loss of time in 9TH
er cases being only nominal In each
case there were few establishments
closed permanently.
Success was gained by the employees
in over 43 per cent. of the strikes, par
tial success in over 10 per cent, while
the remaining 47 per cent. were fail
ures. Over 4S per cent. of the lockOuts
succeeded completely and over 10 per
cent. partially. The others were fail
ures. In the successful strikes, $50, 992
persons were thrown out of employ
ment, 31S,SO1 in those partially sue
cessful and 1,4O0 9ss in those which
failed. OF the total number of per-
sons thrown out of employment by
the strikes in the entire period of 1315
years, 67S per cent. were females, and
by lockouts, ~. 53.
OF the 0,4S2 strikes which occurred
in the seven and a half years especial
ly covered by the present report, 1895
were ordered by LABOR organizations,
while of the AZ lOckouts of this pc
riod, only 81 were ordered by organiza-
tiOns of employers.
Sixty-nine per cent. of all the strikes
and 76 per cent. of all the lockouts of
the Observation-Disclosures period treat
ed of occurred in the five states of Hi
nois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio
and Massachusetts, Illinois taking the
lead of all the states of the Union.
THE DISASTER IN LA PAZ.