The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-10-22
AFEWFIGURES
Results ct the Investigation Or
dered by Congress and Just
Completed,
Showing the Effect of Machinery
Upon Labor and Incidental
Questions.
Machinery Has Reduced Cost of
Production and Increased De-
'mand for Labor.
Extent Of Hand Production Even
Now Is Surprising--Some
Figures.

WASHINGTON. Oct. 20.-The results of
athorough 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 xpens
The report goes into detail and among
other things says:
There would be no quarrel with the
conclusion that machinery has reduced
the cost OF labor productions, and when
1t 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 tim' there is a lack, oftentimes
a surplus Of labor. The statistical
method, as in the effect upon wage
becomes indicative Of the truth and to
those who believe machinery has in gen.
eral lowered cost, conclusive. The sta
tistics presented make it evident that
there has been a large increase Of the
persons employed for the production of
the articles considered, in order to meet
present demands. than were necessary
to meet the demands under the hand
labor system. One interesting result
is to show how extensive is
the hand method of production even
now hand methods are going out
OF use. 1t was impossible to summarize
general results. SO as to show the dis
placement and expansion of labor in the
various directions. The statistics pre-
sented. however, consider each opera
ton and process of labor separately. In
agriculture the figures show, among
other things. that under the primitive
methods the time required for blowing
acre of ground varied from five to
eight hours and under the modern from
five to ven hours and forty-two 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 o~ne-seventh
and one-thirteenth of the old time. and
i'll 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-
TEN. In threshing the ratio of time is
more than 81 to / in favor of the
machine. The corn planting under the
old method took nearly six times as long.
Some sample Reductions.
The report shows hat the manufac-
ture of 1000 1-pound loaves of bread is
reduced in cost from $3.50 to $1.55. and
in time from % to 8 hours; axle clips.
1000 in quantity, from $a33.33 to
$4.21, and from 666 to 23 hours.
In making 500 pounds of dairy butter.
machinery cut the cost down from $40. Sc
to 81. IS. and from 125 to IL hours. In
diamond cutting machinery has reduced
the time for four three karats from 1872
to 80 hours. but increased the cost from
$14.s4 to $685.. In lithographing, the
cost is cut from *92.S7 per 1000 copies
of a specified size to IS. -. and time from
166 to 30 hours. In making matches the
time is cut from $50 to 30 hours and
cost from *24 to So. In printing and
publishing magazines 10000 copies the
labor reduction cited is from $40 to ii
hours and cost from $500 80 to 81. 80.