The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-28
AND THE RELATION OF STATISTICS
TO WAGES AND
CRIME.
FIELD FOR STATISTlCIANS,
WHICH Is NOT BEING OVERLOOKED
EITHER AT HOME OR
ABROAD.
POWERS LATEST
BULLETIN.
1t Deals With the Labor of Children
in FastOries, Farms and Else
where.

Labor Commissioner Powers has com
pleted a summary of the child labor
statistics contained in the official pub
locations of the United States census,
which shows that while the develop
ment Of agricultural pursuits has so
developed in extent that 1t has ,prac-
ticaIIy overcome any reduction in child
labor employment effected by the lesis-
Iation. in manufacturing sections, the
employment of children has gained in
spite of the new laws. on account of the
tremendous development Of manufac-
turing pursuits.
The figures are not especially ap-
pIicabIe to Minnesota, but the state
labor bureau does not content itself
with the field circumscribed by the
state boundaries, except as to original
statistics, and these it is unable to
print except in the newspapers.
In the North Atlantic states the only
ones which had child labor laws in
1860. there was an increase from
11.53 to 17.5 per cent in the number of
bow employees. The increase is attrib-
uted to the growth of manufacturing
industries. The number of girls en-
pIcyed increased from 5.21 to 1O1.
In contrast with these, the South
Atlantic states. devoted more to agrl-
culture. decreased the percentage of
young boys employed from 1886 per
cent to go per cent, and the number
of girls from 1887 to 1858 In the Gulf
states the number of boys decreased
from 3l2I per cent to 22.04 per cent,
and the number of girls from lila per
cent to 1922 In the North Central
states of which Minnesota is a part,
the number of boys employed de-
creased from 1921 to 11.16, and the
number of girls increased from 2.12 to
5.29 per cent.
In the North Atlantic states, of
course, the increase in the number Oh
children employed represents that
MANY taken from school, and in the
Southern states the decrease repre-
sfnts that percentage taken from work
and placed in school. But the North
ern states are still ahead of the South,
even on the Atlantic coast, for, while
in the North the percentage of children
employed is but 17l4, in the Southern
states it is $3.50, or practically y per
cent of all the children in the commu-
nftv. The North Central group of
states shows by far the smallest per
rertaee of child labor, and consequent
ly the largest percentage Of children in
the schools
In g few weeks, perhaps, the de-
xartment will have some further inter-
esting figures to give out. with regard
70 grain prices. This win be a coll
liberation of the most eminent stu
dents and statisticians as to the morals
of prices. or the effect on crime and
criminals of rising and falling prices
for staples Prof. Brentano. of the
chair of political economy at Munich.
has published some tables to show
that d rise or fall In the prices of ce-
reals is eoineident with a similar rise
or fall in the number OF convictions.
A generation ago of the Bavarian roy
al statistical bureau first pointed out
the relationship borne by the price
of rye TO the number of convictions
for theft. Abiding to the years 1885
81 he declared that every rise of 6
kreutzers in the price of rye appeared
to be accompanied by one additional
theft Der LOO, eco inhabitants, and that
the converse was found true for every
fall of I<reutZers.
Prof Brentano's figures apply to
the whole of Germany, and are car
riet1 down to a more recent period.
Here is his comparison of the num-
her Of convictions for theft per 100000
adults With the price Of rye per LOCO
kflos. in marks, for the years 1882 to
1891