The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-10-18

done in Colorado, Kentucky, Illinois,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New
York, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and
the province of Ontario.
Number of Strikes.
An investigation into the number of
strikes occurring in Iowa in 6h years
ending December 81, 1900, shows there
were S31 strikes in "a counties, each
one involving one or more institutions.
They involved 32,93O persons. The to-
tai number of days establishments
were closed was 4,0O6. The loss in
wages was $41,440,6 79; the loss to en-
ployers was $685. S5. The strikes in
211 cases were successful, in 50 partly
successful and in 315 entire failures.
Out of 296 strikes involving 694 estab-
lishments ordered by labor o%rganiza-
tions, 237 were successful, 81 partly
successful and $40 were failures.
The beginning of organized labor in
Iowa was the formation of a typo
graphical union in Dubuque in 1858.
The locomotive engineers came next,
in 1869. and the firemen in 1875. The
total number of unions of all kinds
now in the state, as reported to the
commissioner, is 3S5, with a totalmem-
bership of 26,06s. Returns show that
skilled workmen in the organized
trades receive about 33 per cent. above
the minimum wage rate.
New Industries.
An energetic effort has been made
to give information of localities in
Iowa offering openings for new indus
tries, and it is recommended that this
work be made effective by advertising
in trade journals. The abolition of the
present statutory blank for securing
information is recommended, so the
commissioner may have discretion to
get practical, timely information. An
increase in the efficiency of the bureau
is urged, including more adequate APP
preparations for its work, as it now re-
ceives the smallest appropriations of
any state in the union.
The report includes many valuable
statistical tables and special contribu-
tions, including the only complete and
authorized account of the Amana So
ciety in Iowa that has ever been print
ed. 1t was prepared by Mrs. Bertha
Horack Shambaugh, of Iowa City.
Contagious Diseases.
The state board of health is prepar.
ing to fortify itself the coming winter
in the matter of contagious diseases,
and it is expected hal a greater effort
than ever before will be made to Sc
cure. reliable information in regard to
smallpox, diphtheria and scarlet fever,
to the end that all possible measures
shall be taken to prevent a spread of
these diseases. The fact that numbers
of new cases have been reported re-
Gently in the southern part of the
state indicates that the contagious dis
ease season may open early. Smallpox
is prevalent in several cities of the
state. The reports indicate that school
boards are more vigilant than ever in
excluding pupils who have not been
vaccinated. The recent letter of State
Superintendent Barrett to the presi-
dent of the school board at Sioux
City, making it plain that school
boards in Iowa have the power to en-
force compliance with all reasonable
regulations of the local boards of
health and that vaccination is regard
ed as a reasonable regulation, has don
much to encourage action looking to
prevention of contagion.
Secretary Kennedy, of the state
lo,,l - hno1fh ran0rts that G1lrinp
1899 and 1900 d%iphtheria appeared in
336 towns, townships and cities of the
state, scarlet fever in 500 places and
smallpox in 800. The deaths reported
in the two years were: Diphtheria,
315; scarlet fever, 112; smallpox, "a.
But the secretary intimates that there
were at least twice as many cases and
deaths in the state as were reported.
Some of the places where contagion
was greatest were not recorded at all.
Only seven counties report that they
had no smallpox during the two years.
The number of deaths from smallpox
is small, considering the number of
cases reported. a total of 4,792.
To Prevent Rate War.
The insurance men are Trying TO pre-
vent a rate war in Iowa which would
be destructive to Iowa companies. Big
foreign companies that. write insur-
ance all over the world and have many
millions of surplus can afford to in
dulge in a rate war, write all the Iowa
insurance they can get for three to
five years for practically nothing, pro-
viding it kills off the Iowa companies
and leaves the business in the hands
of the foreign companies. Iowa com
panies cannot stand a rate war, be-
cause their business is generally linn
tied to the state, while Iowa business
is but a small part-probably not half
of one per cent.-of the business of the
foreign companies. These companies
have notified their agents in effect that
they may go ahead and cut rates all
they please. The agents do nc want
to do it. They want to ave their bust
ness. An insurance war would in the
end of course have to be paid for by the
people who buy insurance. When it
was over rates would be raised suffi-
GENTLY to cover the losses incurred dur
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