The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-11
WOMEN WHO WORK
INCREASE OF 73 PER CENT OF FE-
MALE WAGE FARMERS IN
TEN YEARS
DECREASE IN CHILD LABOR
Minnesota Far Ahead of other States
in Proportion of Children at
WOrE-LabOr Bureau
Makes Report.

State Labor Commissioner John ODon-
nell yesterday issued a report giving In
detail the results of the labor bureaus
Investigations into the status of women
wage-earners and child labor in the state
of Minnesota, the work which mas at
tracted such wide attention throughout
the United States.
According to this report the increase in
the number of wage-earners in this state
for the ten years between 1890 and 1909
is as follows Men, SO per cent; women,
1874 per cent, and children AZ per cent.
In 1890 the relative standing of wage
earners was as follows: One woman to
Il men; child to 81 adults; child to Z
women. In 1890 the proportion was: One
woman to Z men; 1 child to 81 adults; /
child to y women. It will be noticed that
while the women wage earners have
greatly increased in number there has
been notable decrease in the proportion
ate number of children, which IGct is
very gratifying to the department. The
condition of child labor in Minnesota is
far better than in any other state in the
Union. While in this state there is but
/ child to every 81 adults, in Wisconsin
there is l to every "a; in South Dakota
l to every 26, and in Iowa l to every 80.
Chilu labor in Minnesota at the present
time is divided among the industries as
follows; 30 per cent in printing estaD-
lishments, 8 per cent in clothing manu-
factories, 10.6 in millinery establishments,
per cent in cigar factories, per cent
in saw mills and lumber prOuuct manu-
factories, As in knitting works, AZ in
brickyards, 81 in shoe factories, and 27
in confectionery stores.
Statistics of Factory Labor.
In 1901 there were in the state of Min
nesota 3172 manufacturing establish
ments employing t4,520 men, 1904 women,
and 68 children
In ATS nOn-manufacturing establishments
for the same year there were 1854 men,
1892 women and $50 children. The rela-
ton Of wage-earners in manufacturing
establishments was therefore l woman to
z men; l child to 116 adults, l child to Is
women. In non manufacturing industries
the proportion was one man to three
women, l child to So adults, l child to IL
women.
Women wage-earners were distributed
among the industries as follows. The
greatest number-42 per cent-were en-
plOyed in textile industries, such as
clothing manufactures, dye works, bag
manufactures, tent and awning factories
corset-making, knittin- works, and wool
en- mills. Sixteen per cent were en-
ployed in laundries, II per cent in printing
establishments, 10 per cent in bakeries and
confectionery, per c mt in cigar factories,
per cent in grass mating works. The
remainder were apportioned among
various Industries, among which the re-
port mentions particularly slaughter :; I'D
packing houses, with the comment that
1T is difficult to understand what attrac-
ton such an occupa>.on can hold for The
woman wage Garner"
OF 1892 women engaged in non-manu-
featuring establishments, 81 per cent were
employed in department stores, % in re-
tail stores II in in mercantile establish
ments, in telegraph and telephone WORK.