Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-04-22
STATISTICS 0F LABOR.
Commissioner Wennerstromw Will
Attend the Conference at
st. Louis.
Will Urge General Plan OF secur-
ing Labor Statistics in
United States.
Complete Information Relative.
to Strikes in Iowa in
Biennial Report.

Dlennlal Report.
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, April PC. F. Wenncs-
trum, state labor commissioner will at
tend the national conference of chiefs of
! labor bureaus at st. Louis commencing
May % and urge upon the conference
that it recommend a general plan of un
liformity in the matter of securing sta
litistics of labor and that in general all
the labor bureaus of the states be
placed under the general direction of
the chief of the United States bureau
| of labor statistics. There are now
llthirty-one states in which there are la
| bor bureaus maintained. At one time
| North Dakota abandoned the system but
treturned to it. Utah had a bureau once
but has none now. The national con-
ference was held last year in Milwau-
kee. The Iowa commissioner attended
land being somewhat new in the bust
! ness a special session was held at his.
| request a which the methods of gath
/ ering labor statistics We're freely pre-
sented. AT the St Louis conference in.
\ May, Carroll ID. Wright United States
commissioned. viii be present and pre-
side. and it is the purpose of Mr.. Wen
ncstrum and of others who have been
! in the business at one time or another
4 TO try To secure som. uniformity IN the.
methods of gathering STATISTICS and also
1that the same general lines Of work be
ipursued in each year in all parts of the
country that the work of state commits
lsioners may supplement the work Of the
# national commissioner. Practically ev-
i cry year some new line of special in
4 Iuuiry is taken UP. and it would be Of
great advantage II all states would be
\ working in The same special lines. The
st. Louis conference Is therefore likely
4 Ito have more than usual Importance.
i The statistics concerning strikes in
Iowa which will appear in the next BIZ
Z ernial report of the bureau viii oe the
cornpletest eyer gathered in Iowa. Com
missioner Wepnestrum accompanied y.
NJ Dewey, of the national bureau, on
: = recsfit trip thru Iowa Investigating
strike nd lockouts and ali labor trou-
+ bles, and took the same statistics 50
a far as practicable for his own use Ths
4 national bureau spares no expense in
securing statistics. Il has authority u
Ilsend an INVESTIGATOR across a stale to
i .Iinvestisate strike where one mar
4 vent OUT forso day. The state does
& not do this. sothat the statistics gath
cred by Mr.. Wennesthrtm recently are
unusually valuable. This week he is
sending out blanks for n second time To
many employers VINO failed 70 respond
: To the first demands. These reports
tetial facts regarding he business-tfe
Il firm name and changes kind Of busi-
3 ness number of employees. male and
female, last year, total wages paid. in
Z crease or decrease in wages or IN bust
ness, prevention of acciaetlss ventila-
Y ton of buildings ard information re
Egartling strikes. These blanks go all to
slspersons and firms employing FIVE or
more persons and they are required
under heavy penalty 10 respond To the
j demands of the commissioned This is
the only statistical information the
commissioner can secure under compul-
sion of the law. Another blank is be-
I of the state. in order that the bureau
4 may BE- able TO furnish information OF
1 Iowa Industries ard their extent This
4 relates especially to the kind of goods
4 manufactured, value Of material al.
4 stock il. 1900. valuA oi the product ana
I actna, capital Invested Persons re-
I spending 10 the requests Tor informa-
ton Of this kind ara guarded against
q divulsence of the statistics by the cod.
Il and secrecy is guaranteed in all mat
i tiers But the compiles. tables showing
4 general results are of the utmos. i'm
/ porfance
4 This bureau might be one of the
4 most useful in the STATE said Connis
sioner Wennestrun, In fact. even
s. one of the most valuable branches Of
the state government But if we had
even small sum 10 use in advertisine
the states resources and opportunities
\ in would be much more valuable. W.
have the facts here but have no way Of
4 rsaching the people who would be ben
! Gifted by them. We gather Information
4 regarding Iowa industries. hut have NOT
4 a dollar with which we can advertise
the facts so that all the world may
know as we of Iowa knew that Iowa *
bureau is Handicapped by a multiplic-
Ipeople Of such a splent,id, state . J,,,,s