The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-21
LABOR AND ITS WAGES.
REPORT OF THE CoMArIssIoNER
OF LABOR STATISTICS.
RE Cssa,uos or Organised Labor Greatly Iu-

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The cssa,t,os or Organised Labor Greatly In-
| provea-The Labor Market Overutockrd-De-
pioFabie Condition or tho Farming Hndustry.
ALBANY. Feb. 2o.-Tho condition Of organized
labor Rreatly:improved last year, according to
the annual rcport.of Commissioner John T.. Mo-
DonouRh of the State Bureau OF Labor StAtis-
tics, which will DO transmitted to the Legisls.
ture tomorrow night.
On March 81 last 027 labor organizations re-
ported a total membership Of lac, $40. At
tho close OF the next quarter, June so. 975
unions reported n membership of 151, FOG. and on
Sept. 80 1000 organizations reported 167,454
members, of whom 5,702 were women. Tho
increase in tho number Of organizations report
ing for tho third quarter was mainly due to
moro, complete returns.
On March 81 AZ, 831 members of unions were
reported as out Of work at that time, or 1919
per cont. Three months later, on juno 80,
27,37s were returned as unemployed, or 1871
per cent, while on Sept. 80 23,230 were SO ro-
ported, or 1870 per cont.
Reports as to tho number of days zach member
worked show thnt during the first quarter the
average number of days Of work per member
was for men, SO; for women, SO. In the Soc
ond quarter It was 80 for men and 81 for wo-
men, while for the third quarter It was 81 for
men and 90 for women.
Inc average turulhBo pcT omo VI ~ VI
ganized working people in the State were In
the first three months Of 1897 $155.06 for men
and $s5.83 for women; during the second
$3.50 for women. and for the three months
! closing with September. S174.4O for men and
S snorease apr sl Ma%eni from nha the Is; i rst m To the ea seoond
| quarters, and decidedly In the third, while for
women they decreased in the second. but rose
Commissioner McDonough for the first time
presents statistics Regarding tho condition Of
sentative farmers he received 1.255 reports.
with correspondence on this question. which are
senistsRe.S For farm al the daily wages wages.
with board and lodging. were 90 cents in sum:
met and "a cents In winter, and without board
and lodging. 1922 In summer and OIL cents in
winter. The monthly wages with board and
lodging were $1s.Os In summer and $l3.s7 in
w weReesSS2 $3.50 sao'i in summer and s1I.a5 IN winter Il cry
Commenting on the correspondence received
from the farmers, Commissioner McDonough
"The farming industry in our State is in a
most deplorable condition.. with exceedingly
poor prospects for recovery or Improvement in
the Immediate future. Summed up. the CORE
spondence shows that. as a general rule. no in
during the years 1894. 1896 and 1855; that
where there were no mortgages requiring in
| terest payments, q farmer was considered al.
most miraculously fortunate II his income from
products could be made TO pay the cost of pro-
d dnia si,.i and even SH st thas d sfiowa 9t ssf foe So was
hold expenses and 10y starving the soil; and when
the farmer was hampered by a mortgage in
debtedness he ran behind and incurred the pen:
atty Of foreclosure. There are q variety of
causes which have contributed to this situation.
among which may be mentioned:
Low prices for farm products and high prices
for farm labor. Indebtedness which entails a
continual Mnrnnns outlay od for rd interest %sio Sh %aEe S sH5nsd
markets inaccessible. Exorbitant charges of
commission and middlemen. by whom the lions
transportation to distant markets which make
the net proceeds, In most instances, invisible,
and add to costly fertilizers an excessive tax
which places them beyond the reach Of theaver-
age farmer. Composition Of Western and South
esn pT tSeT ob,a fna by 5hS WS ehsaP Psrm asan 1900 miIes
and more inland are practically nearer to a sea:
board market than the majority of the farms of
To those farmers of the Southern Tier who
supply milk for the district of Greater New
N, and ~ cents per quart for delivery at the
railway and other receiving civil stations; the Com.
with the milk combination: Under such an or.
ganizatton they can establish their own rates.
convert their milk into cheese for the European
home market during, the winter. and feed the
| by-product to SWINE"
depreciation, in the market value of farms
represented by the owners themselves, to range
| from 80 to rs per cent during the last half
dozen years. This depreciation has doubtless
been intensified by the unproatableness of
farm investments and of farming as an indus
| try.
The census of 1890 showed the value of farms,
implements. and live stock in this State to be
| 81. 139, $40. ZIG. the value of the lands and
buildings being 1868. l27, 2s8. The Commits
| sioner says the volume Of farm membranes
and the number of mortgaged farms has in
| creased since 1890.
The report shows that since 1887 the State
has expended SO, 1909. 500 In the promotion OF
agriculture, and adds that an investigation
might be wise to determine whether the States
efforts to promote the cause of agriculture have
not been misdirected, especially when it be-
comes apparent that. as the appropriations for
this purpose increased from year to year, tho
farming industry and the value of farms seemed
| to decline in q greater ratio.
Last year 1915 persons, OF whom 1919 were
women, applied for work at the State Employ
ment Bureau in New York city, OF which num-.
Der 20 per cent. secured places. The experience
of the bureau is that tho ordinary laborer has
! passed his period Of usefulness when he reaches
the age Of 45, and that after that time It is hard
for him TO have his labor placed. while a wo-
man who reaches 40 years OF age can hardly
find employment in domestic service.
The Commissioner says that-the labor market
Is overstocked in every branch OF employment,
and that a law restricting immigration would
make a decided change in this respect.