The Portland daily press., 1898-12-31
MAINE LABOR.
AunnaI Report Of Commissioner
Samuel W. Matthews.
MANUFACTURES, RAILROADS AND
THE RUM BUSINESS.

Noted In the Cotton Industry-Fac.
I tory Inspector Atwood Recon-.
mends Changes in the Child Labor
| Laws.
| Commissioner S. W. Matthews has the
18th annual report of the bureau of in
dustrial and labor statistics about ready
for the public. 1t contains over 20(
pages, and is illustrated with half tone
engravinRs of the San born Stock Farm,
the Hyde Windlass Works, the Portland
Company's works, and pictures of the
products of the windlass works and the
Belknap Motor Company of Portland.
COTTON INDUSTRY.
| Returns have been received from 10 OF
the 16 cotton factories in the State, which
show that these 10 had sl2, 55S, 500 snvers
ed; that the cost of the paw rateIial used
was ss, 905, 74s; that the value of thu pro.
| duct was 81, 455. 1874; that average number
of weeks in operation were 47.2; they EN-,
| ployed 1898 men, whose average weekl'
wages were $7.45. 5,0s6 women whose
average weekly wages were $3.50, and 62s
children, whose average wages were Ss.74
the toral wages paid. being SO, 500, 13l.
| A comparative table shows that the cost
of raw material has fallen off s. 5 per cent
during the past year. while the wages
have adva. oed II per cent. at the same
time, leaving the margin for the manu-
facturer s. per cent, larger than last
year. which shows that the industry is in
a somewhat healthier condition than for
several years, in the State of Maine.
WOODEN INDUSTRY.
The returns from % wooden mills re-
oeiyed, show capital invested of 81. $50,
795; the cost of the material used was
%. 469, 547; the value of the prodnct was
s., 094, S24; the average number of weeks
! In operation were 40. 17l0 men were en-
| ployed at an average of 81. 80 per week,
1923 women at an average of 20. o.; "
children, at an average OF S3. 81, making
total of 1858, 63s.
| The comparative table shows that the
cost of raw material has decreased 5.S
DER cent. in the past year; that the
wages have decreased IL per cent, max
| ing the margin for the manufacturer
| per cent larger than in 1897.
FACTORIES, MILLS AND SHOPS
BUILT DURING 1898.
Tt is found that there have been ~ new
factories, mill and shops built in the year,
in "a towns, at an expense of $67, 100, and
which will give employment ito 2O24
hands. This Is falling off of about 33
per cent from the record of 1897.
FARM ANIMALS.
This bureau has made some careful
compilations, from the reports of the
United States census, from the United
States government estimates. and from
the various reports of the Maine valua-
ton commissions and Maine State asses
| sors, covering the numbers of the differ
| emit classes of farm animals at different
periods since the date OF the admission or
Maine into the Union III 1890.
These tables show that in 1870 there
were II. $40 horses In the State against
| 1879. 592 in 1885, of COWS, three years old
and under there were 95, 09l, against l57 :
444 COWS, today; 43. 1924 oxen, against only
| s,s9s today; 66,639 swine, against $3.50
| today, The number of sheep then was
| not recorded, the earliest being in 1910,
when there were said to be 649, 26l,
against 238,3l9, today.
RAILROADS.
1t is learned by an unusually interest
| ing table that there are $3.50 employees OF
the steam railroads of the State who were
paid in 1898, s,s22, $50. 81, gain OF 10
employees and ST.. 900 over 1897. In nearly
every case with the railroads they have
| increased the pay of their men in the past
ye ar. -
Upon the street railways, there were 725
persons employed, against 600 in 1897 a
gain of l25. The amount of wages paid,
az near ss can be ascertained, was S325.
900, against $500, 900 in 1897.
The number employed upon steam and
street railways WIS 9577 persons, and
| 81, l36, 2S7 AZ paid in wages.
Dependent upon this army OF men.
| were not less than $4,000 persons.
| This summary does not include the
| EN- ployment of labor upon railroads and
railways in process of construction. While
railroad building in other states has been
almost at q stand still, in Maine constant
ad iitions are being made to the railroad
mileage. The report of the railroad com
missiouers shows that some 1874 miles OF
steam railroads have been completed since
June 30. 1893 and 80 miles OF street rail-
way. a.
oustr action of this Inilage not less than
| $500, 900.
NAMES LIQUOR TRAFFIC:
This article is compiled from the 18th
annual report of the United States COM
missioner of labor. Owing to the fact
that outside the amount Of liquor sold
through the State liquor agent the trade
in Mime is illegal, it is next to impossible
| to gather reliable Information on the
subject. The number of people within
the State who purchased a United States
license in the year ending June 30, 1896,
was i145, and the amount paid for these
was S26, $685. 20, which shows by itself how
many were in the business that year.
| The public revenues for the liquor
traffic in the State for the year ending
June 80, 1896, were as follows:
United States, for special taxes, $26, 1913 70
State of Maine, for profits on
liquors sold, 5000
'u confiscated liquors, 90. 1864. 20
municipalities, for profits on
liquors sold. s,6O6. VI
Total. $l2s, 1873 Sc
CHILD LABOR.
fr4t.. - H. rrat oil Sc