The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-05-25
Mr.. JOhnson's Report Is Mos
Encouraging.
Comparison Is Made of COndi-
tiOns For Five Years.
EARNINGS INCREASE.
4 Record Shows Eleven and
Eight-tenths Per Cent.
Big Wheat Crops Given Credit
For Improvement.

w. L. A. johnson presented a report
to the national convention of officials
of the bureaus Of labor statistics at st.
Louis Thursday that tells many things
about the condition of Kansas labor that
is good to know. From pure labor sta
tistics 1t branches off into discussion
of the products Of industry that are also
startling in their way. This is especially
with reference to milling statistics.
A comparative review Of labor sta
tistics for the past five years was first
taking the combined statistics of the
years 1885, 1897, 1898 and 1899. With this
mean average the statistics of the year
1900 are compared.
By this system eight different branch
es of railway crafts show that there has
been an increase Of n hours in a work
ing day The reports from the same
crafts show, also, an increase of 81 per
cent in the number of persons owning
their own homes. A similar increase is
shown in the average annual earnings
over the four previous years of lis per
cent. Cost OF living in the same time
increased ? per cent.
Similar comparisons in several other
building and miscellaneous trades re-
in the work hours a day, an increase Of
1917 per cent in the numbers of owning
their own houses, an average increase
in annual earnings of 11.3 per cent and
2 per cent.
1.-THE most encouraging feature" says
the report, is an average increase in
the annual earnings in both classes of
labor Of a little more than IL per cent
This showing is ascribed to two agen-
cies. The abundant wheat harvest is
first given credit and the largely in
creased business is retroactively ac-
credited to the improved Industrial con-
dition Of 1900.
A chapter on labor organizations show
.r-1-f-
reporting in 1900 over 1899 10.5 per cent.
From the organizations it is learned that
the average length of employment dur
ing the year was 100 months. Oppor-
tunities for work were vastly better
than in previous years. Compared to
1899 ga per cent affirmed an increased
opportunity, 1872 reported decrease In
opportunity and % 4 reported conditions
ject of Strikes" the report makes it
worthy Of note that among the 300 labor
organizations of Kansas there We're but
IA strikes during the year and 1,106 was
the total Of members involved It fur
Their reciteS that these strikes were
mostly local and of short duration
Parenthetfcally it may be said that the
Santa F'e telegra piers strike was the
one big one of the year
The chapter on milling, which will be
the feature of this years annual labor
ceived from over 200 -four mills in the
state. This chapter told that the man
uIaCLurGQ prOOQCL OF these mills IN 1910
aggregated 1,473, OPS pounds, of which
S52, 68S. 252 pounds was wheat flour. Sixty
per cent of this wheat flour was retain
ed in the state and consumed, 26 per cent
went to other states and per cent was
exported. And yet only "A per cent of
the states wheat yield was milled in the
state, rs per cent was shipped away to
be ground. The United States produced
81 per cent OF the whole wheat crop of
the world and of this amount 151z per
cent was grown in Kansas. Farmers of
other states may not be willing to admit
it, but the fact remains that Kansas
produced more than any other two large
wheat growing states in the Union last
year. Continuing the deduction is made
that if Kansas total crop of wheat
had been manufactured into -four it
lion 50-pound sacks: or nearly one DO
man and child in the United States. In
own population for ten years. Had this
baked $500 900, 900 loaves. Placed side |
by side the loaves would make a con-
tinuous string extending ISL 575 miles |
long, or 80 times around the earth. Load /
ed into cars it would make a solid train |
2, 500 miles in length-One that would |
reach from San Francisco to Chicago.
The milling reports show that the in |
dustrial system of concentration is |
operating, making a reduction in the |
number gradually, but this contrac- |
ton being made up in the increased ca
pacities