The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1898-10-20
Machinery Has Reduced Cost of
Production and Increased De-
,lland for Labor.
Extent of Hand Production Even
Now Is Surprising---Some
Figures.

WASHINGTON, Oct 20.-The results OF
thorough investigation ordered by con-
gress, just completed, and showing the
effects of machinery on labor and the
incidental questions. constitute the 18th
annual report of the commissioner OF
labor. The statistics of cost reported
involve only the actual labor expense.
The report goes into detail and among
other things says:
There would be nasquarrel with the
conclusion that machinery has reduced
the cost of labor productions, and when
it is known that under the machine
method there is an increased demand
for labor as a rule, the bearing of the
supply of labor becomes problematical.
Some times there is lack. oftentimes
surplus of labor. The statistical
method, as in the effect upon wages,
becomes indicative of the truth and to
those who believe machinery has in gem
eral lowered cost, conclusive. The sta
tistics presented make it evident that
there has been a large increase of the
persons employed f9r the prod ton of
the articles considel Ff'aer to meet
present demands, thssfs zessary
to meet the delnslstis /. che hand
labor SYSTEM. One esting result
is to show hissv extensive is
the hand method on '7irod action even
now hand methods going out
of use. It was possi5is d summarize
general results rs fto CIV the dis
placement and ex arssS IS labor IN the
various directions. Tbs statistics pre-
sented, however, eFsnsider each opera
ton aid process Of hos separately. In
agrieultnre the show, -ailsong
other things, that nnderyshe primitive
methods the time required for blowing
one acres ground varied frvra FIVE to
eight hours and Underline modern from
five to seven hours and forty7two min
utes, where two horses We're, used, and
from three hours and four minutes to
six hours and forty minutes with three
horses.
In digging trees, the machine in use
reduced the time between one-seventh
and one-thirteenth of the old time, and
in small grain harvesting the self binder
had reduced the time for cutting and
binding and shocking to about one
eighth of that under the primitive sys-
tenn. In threshing the ratio of time is
more than 81 to 1 in favor of the
machine. The carn planting under the
old method took nearly six times as long.
Some Sample Reductions.
The report shows that the manufac-
ture of 1, 900 1-pound loaves of bread is
reduced in cost from $3.50 to $1.55, and
in time from % to hours; axles clips,
1000 in quantity, from $23333 to
S427, and from 666 to 90 hours.
In making 500 pounds of dairy butter,
machinery cut the cost down from $1O. 66
to 81. rs, and from 125 to 10 hours. In
diamond cutting machinery has reduced
the time for four three ka-..3 from 132
to 80 hours, but increased the cost from
$14. "a to $26.25. In lithographing, the
cost is cut from $92.S7 per 1000 copies
of specified size to 1915, and time from
1866 to 80 hours. In making matches the
time is cut from 259 to 80 hours and
cost from 1924 to So. In printing and
publishing magazines 10000 copies the
labor reduction cited is from 3,170 to IA
hours and cost from $500. 90 to $4.62.