The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-16
sofa LABOR BUREAUS
WORK.
OLD ADAGE is 'EXEMPLIFIED
IN THE RECEIPT OF THE REPORTS
OF THE NASHVILLE CONFER
ENCE
MINNESOTA WAS UNDER FIRE,
Her Farmers Being Subjected to an
Especially Searching Inquiry
by Assembled Officials.

thirteenth annual convention of the Of
fcials of state labor bureaus is con-
tanned the following statements as to
Minnesota's share in the work of the
world:
Mr.. Powers announced that the Min
nesota bureau would complete its in
Vestigation relating to taxation and
the collection of data relating to the
ownership Of water, gas and electric
lighting plants. It has also in contem-
rlation the collection of wage statistics
for a number of industries. I'VE shall
cover two or three Industries at the
start, and if we are successful and our
resources justify it, we shall extend
that work to a larger field.
Our appropriations are substantial
ly the same as they were two years
ago. The only modification is one
which affects our office, together with
all the other state departments, and
that relates to printing. There has
been printing deficit of from $50, 900
to 100000 annually in the state, and
the question has been a very difficult
one for the legislature to handle, and
it has not been Strengthened out up to
the present time. The result of one
law which has been passed relating to
this subject is that we will be required
to pay certain bills for the printing of
blanks, ETC.. Whichepreviously came out
of the general appropriation for state
printing. This, however, will lessen our
appropriation only $500, reducing our
resources to $4,000. tOur reports will
rot be printed on time two years hence
ON account of this condition Of the
printing fund of the state. The condi-
ton OF this appropriation is such that
the printing commission has given no.
t1ce that 1T will print during the next
two years, or until the state legisla-
ture meets, no official report Of the
state OF Minnesota. So you will not
see our report until the legislature two
years hence makes appropriation for
its printing
The Minnesota bureau Is also a.
bureau of factory inspection The S12,-
200 covers both lines of work One
half of that sum is devoted to factory
inspection and the other half to sta
tistical work. Our bureaus were at
first, as rule, only statistical offices;
but as there was certain work In the
way of inspection to be done, and as
II,
public opinion called upon the bureau
Of statistics to take charge of the
work. This has been unwise, and it is
better to keep the two departments
separate; but this work of the enforce
ment Of law has naturally devolved
Upon the bureaus in some of the states,
and we are obliged to handle it as best
we may" z6A
Minnesota was also brought into the
proceedings of the convention by DR..
Frederick W.. Moore of Vanderbilt uni
Verslty, who in discussing the Mar
gin of Cultivation said
The value of farm should be reckoned
think, at the value of the product capt.
ta1zed at the market rate after current ex-
penses have been paid If the value thus
estimated exceeds the capital invested in fix
ed Improvements, the farm must tie yielding
rent or profit. If the value is less than the
improvements, there is rent; there is a
loss, which is felt most acutely if the i'm
provsments were made with borrowed capital
secured by mortgage. How many NJ nne-
sofa farmers, even after crediting themselves
with wages and interest on fixed improve
ments, though debitng themselves with home
grown supplies, have an economic rent left9
l ask not SO much because the number Is
probably small, as because there are not suf-
ficient statistical data for determining a
matter that would be interesting in itself and
would contribute to more intelligent man
agement of farming business.
In reply to this, Mr.. Powers, of Min
nesota. is quoted as saying:
Listening to the statement that farming as
an element OF success must be Judged by
the standards Of the business word / re-
called the fact that in any given community
the probability Of financial success judged
by business standards, is substantially the
same for the farmer as for the business man.
out Of a hundred farmers in Minnesota in a
given year there will be the same number
who go to the wall as there will be of like
number of men in the business world in that
state-showing that in the successful opera
ton of farming the same general standard
of business efficiency is required that exists
in the commercial world. We ought not to
hold too closely to the notion that the farmer
must be trained in any special way apart
from the great body of our people. I am
ready to believe that the farmers of the
United States represent as high an average
of business sense as any other class not
even excepting those engaged in mercantile
and manufacturing enterprises. agree per
fectly with DR.. Moore that there is neces-
sfty among our farmers for higher knowl-
edge of the conditions which lead to success
The same necessity exists in every line OF
business today. Farming requires a higher
degree of intelligence than it did in our
fathers days, as is the case in mercantile
pursuits and all other walks of life, because
the world is progressing.
There is one other factor on which we need
statistical information-the profit in a given
crop or series of crops. 1t is very difficult
to estimate the value OF the by-products of
farming either incidentally or in relation
to the other factors of farming. Many of
estimates Of the cost of raising a given crop
and the profit of farming, involve the posi-
blity of an error resulting from the inabil-
ity to secure exact statements as to the
value of the by-produets of the farms. The
incidents to the work of the farmer while he
is raising certain of these crops may be-
come an immense element of error in our
statistics of them. In my own work the
problem which 1 find most difficult is to find
practically, through the statistical method
whether or not farming pays. 1t cannot be
shown from the individual crops, because
these so relate one to the other that they can
not In given year or series OF years Of
ured in any way of which l can conceive. If
I can be shown how to do 1t l would like to
undertake the work of estimating the success
of farming