The Washington times., 1901-08-30
FARM LABORERS' WAGES.

|
The Department of Agriculture will soon
issue a bulletin on the subject of wages
of farm labor in the United States from
1866 to 1899 inclusive. Eleven statistical
investigations of this subject. including
one just completed. have been made, but
the Forthcoming report will be the first
issued since 1s9D
| The bulletin refers to the financial
strinsency In lSS as having had direct
i influence upon wages through several
years. and continues:
| The failure of winter wheat for n se-
ries of years depressed rates in Kentucky
| Ohio, Michigan. Indiana and Illinois
! The Pacific States washington. Oregon.
and California; are subject to financial
experiences especially related to their
| particular products and the conditions in
Alaska and other regions with which they
| have direct traffic.
THE return of public confidence and
| the general renewal of individual activity
| in productive and commercial occupations
are evidently mainly responsible for ad-
| vances in the years 1898 and 1893. Men
| idle for want of work in dun years were
fully occupied in 1895 and 1893.
Taking into account the great changes
that have occurred in the general condi-
tons of the country, there has been
marked steadiness of farm wages, with
the exception of day wages in harvest
often in the nature of emergency costs
to save results of previous labor. espe-
cially In former years, when hand labor
was the chief dependence.
In the United States, as a whole,
wages per month by the year or season.
both without board and with board. had
their maximum in 1866 and their minimum
in 1873. For wages per month without
board, Maryland, Alabama, Mississippi.
Louisiana, Arkansas, Iowa. and Califor-
mia had highest wages in 1863. South Car
DINA and Oregon in 1873, Texas in 1882,
Virginia in 1sSS In Florida the rate of
1866 was reached in lsSS and the cuImina-
ton was in 1890. The minimum for Ala
bama, Texas and Ohio was in 1894: for
South Carolina. Georgia. Mississippi,
Louisiana, Arkansas, Michigan, Colorado.
Oregon, and California, in 1895. Wages
per month by the year or season, with
board. surpassed those of 1866 in Maine in
1880. The elimination in Vermont. New
Jersey, Alabama, Arkansas. and Georgia
was IL, 1869; South Carolina and Oregon,
1875; Louisiana and Texas, 1882; North
Carolina. 1883; Florida, 1890; Iowa, 1893
For wages per day in harvest, without
board, the maximum for the country was
were the same. There was a low rate in
1873, but the minimum was in 1894. There
were exceptional instances. The maxi
mum for New Hampshire, Vermont
Rhode Island. New York. Maryland, Vir-
ginia tsame in 1870. Florida. Tennessee.
Michigan, Minnesota. Iowa, Missouri, and
California was in 1869. The minimum for
New Hampshire, Vermont. Massachusetts,
Rhode Island. Connecticut. New York.
New Jersey. and Pennsylvania was in 1873;
for Florida, in 1855; North Carolina. 1890:
Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan. Kansas,
Nebraska. Colorado. Oregon. and Califor-
mia, 1895; Maryland, 1898.
For wages per day in harvest, with
board. the maximum for the country was
in 1866 and 1869. the same for both years.
With Il low rate for 1879, the minimum
was in 1895. Exceptions! cases were a
maximum in all New England States, ex-
cept Connecticut: in New York. West
Virginia. Michigan. Indiana. Wisconsin.
Minnesota. Iowa, and Missouri for 1869
only: The minimum for each of the New
England States. except Connecticut. for
New York. New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
Georgia, Illinois. was in 1879; for Mary
land. in 1890: for Delaware, In 1892: for
Virginia. Mississippi. Arkansas, Tennes-
see, Kentucky (same in 1880. Minnesota,
Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska (same
in 1885, and Colorado in 1884, Florida had
he same minimum in 1885 as in 1895.
Maryland had the same minimum In 1898
as in 1895.
Wages per day for ordinary farm la
Dor both without board and with board, |
were at their maximum for the country /
in 1866, and at their minimum in 1873. |
The minimum, without board. prevailed I
also IL 1894 and 1885. Exceptional cases /
were maximum, without board. in New |
Vermont tsame as 1860. Mas
sachusetts, Connecticut, North Carolina,
Alabama, Louisiana. Arkansas. Missouri /
(same 1861, in 1869: South Carolina, in |
lSI5. There were minimum rates in Con-
necticut and in Florida in 1882; in North
Carolina (same In 1880, South Carolina
Arkansas. Tennessee (same In 1880. West !
Ohio, Wisconsin (same in 1850,
Minnesota. Kansas. Colorado. and Utah
in 1891; in Georgia. Alabama, Mississippi
louisiana. Texas, Kentucky, Oregon, and
California in 1885
Wages per day for ordinary farm la
Dor. with board. were at a maximum in !
New Hampshire. Connecticut and Della
ware in 1869; in South Carolina in 1875.
They were at minimum in Arkansas
Tennessee (same in 1855, Ohio. Minnesota
Nebraska. and Colorado, in 1891; in Ala
1ama, Mississippi. louisiana Texas
Kentucky (same as 1879, Michigan, Utah.
Oregon, and California in 1886