The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-06-22
r on W. tbs In ~ nm e,si3

show. \. 533
You will very often hear it said that
men engaged at certain employment
are receiving two or three dollars per
day, and people who are unfamiliar
with the conditions of such employment
naturally suppose that this means that
the men so employed receive this
amount for every working day in the
year, when in reality, in a great many
cases, it means that the men are not
actually engaged for period OF over
six or eight months OF the year at the
most, sometimes less.
It is the intention Of the bureau of
labor, with your assistance, to get at
the facts, and present them in our next
biennial report. The bureau of labor
will soon send out to the different labor
organizations of this state, as we'll as
to the employers of labor, printed forms
asking many questions relating to the
conditions surrounding you in your
work. Wages paid, number Of hours
worked per day, and week, together
with the total amount earned in a. year
and also some questions will be asked
as to the cost Of living, loss of time, etc.
What want to impress on your mind
is this, that any information received
by the bureau will not be used for any
political purposes whatsoever. will
give my work Of honor, as a man for,
this, and that this information will be
used only to place before the citizens
of our state ruthfully and honestly the
conditions of our working classes.
will further say that any informa-
ton received by the bureau of labor
from any source will be treated as
strictly confidential in the sense that
no names will be revealed, nor locali-
ties indicated, and anyone supplying
such information can feel secure in
answering any and all questions. ,.,.,
Now, ladies and gentlemen, would
like very much to have you when you
return home, and make report to your
different organizations the proceedings
of this convention, that you would try
and impress these facts upon the minds
Of the officers and members of your or
ganizations the necessity Of their
hearty cooperation in assisting the
bureau of labor in it's work by answer
ing the questions by means Of the print
| ed forms that I spoke of, and in this
| way we can, and it is our intention.
and our desire to present to our people
| truthful exhibit of our employees In
| the industries Of our state.
The bureau of labor and it's functions
are no longer misunderstood by the
people Of the state, because it has pass
ed the point of an experiment, and has
become a permanent and settled factor,
having demonstrated in the few years
of its existence the necessity Of such
a bureau, not only to enforce all the
laws that have been enacted for the
protection of the industrial classes in
the workshops and factories, and the
enforcement of the child labor and 9th
er laws. But has at times been Of use
/ fulness to all classes of our citizens
! who were seeking some information az
to facts and figures relating to the in
dustries of our state.
! In. this way, as we'll as many others
has the bureau of labor proved its use.
4 funess. While the bureau Of labor o1
this state has not vet gained the promi-
nence and importance Of that gained bJ
the bureaus Of some OF the older states