The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-09
O'DONHELL is HONE
COMMISSIONER RETURNS FROM M
TIoNAL CONVENTION OF La
BOR sTATISTICIANS
WAS A GREAT GATHERING
Delegates Favorable to st. Paul for
1904 COnvention-CreatI In
terested in MIR. O'Don-
neIPs Report.

nell Of Minnesota, arrived home yeSter-
day from New Orleans, where he was in
attendance at the annual convention of
the officials of bureaus Of labor st-tistics,
which met there. Mr.. O'D0nnell reports
it to have been the best and most i'm
portant convention of the kind ever held
While the delegates decided not to hold
the next convention in S.. Paul but in
Washington, D. c., Mr.. ODonnen says
the officials are very kindly inclined to
st. Paul and very likely to meet here III
1901
Carroll d. Wright Is President.
Col. Carroll D. Wright, United States
commissioner of LABOR, was again elected
president of the association.
One of the most important things done
by the convention was to appoint COM
mIttee of four to confer with representa-
tives of The United States census de-
partment for the purpose of arriving at
some plan by which the permanent cen
sus Office and the state labor statisticians
can work in closer harmony and be of
great help to each other. "This step.
says Mr.. O'Donnell, lis one of vital i'm
p0rtance. 1t concerns the new depart
ment at Washington, and it will sooner
or later concern every state in the
Union. Col. Wright says it WIN mean
the revolution of the general system of
collecting and gathering Industrial statis-
tics In this country. The Importance Of
arranging the census work SO that the
work Of the federal and state govern
ments in the lines indicated can be made
practically uniform cannot be overes.,-
mated
The convention" says Mr.. O,Donnell.
was the best we ever held The att
tendance represented two-thirds Of tn.
United States, and the enthusiasm was
/ very encouraging. Col Wright declared
that the delegates entered into tie work
with greater emphasis than he had ever
seen in his years OF work in the asgo-
ciation.
Mr.. ODonneH who was a member Of
/ the executive committee. was very much
in evidence. acco1 ding to the New or
leans papers. His prominence at tn, con
Vention was tribute TO the high rank
minnesota holds, because Of the work ot
Its labor bureau. On the closing day of
the session he presented a report on
the work done by his department which
was widely commented upon 1t re-
celVed more space in The papers Of New
orleans than all the other proceedings of
! the day, and it was spoken of as exceed
lngly interesting dealing with problems
somewhat new to most of the members. -
| o'DonneH Made a hit.
Mr.. O'Donnen's report on the Mime
/ sofa bureaus effort to secure statistics
| concerning domestic wage earners made
an especial hit. Among other things he
| said: ~
The subject Of the domestic wage
! eafhtFs' winch is being investigated bv
/ the bureau Of labor is progressing very
| S "a ~ ldcloIlIy. we had, IN order to get
| polh SldeS OF the question inquiry blanks
addressed 10 employers Of domestic serv-
/ ants, as wei as to tire servants them
! selves. am sad to say that the ladies'
| " our state responded very heartily to
| our request; IN fact, more so than the
domestic wage earners have done The
! ladies' of the Minnesota Federation oP
Womens Clubs offered and gave me their
| assistance.
The ladies and maids Of Minnesota
\ poth reallZe that some sort of q training
! schooI would greatly benefit them and
| That the standard of the domestic wage
! edfnefEcoud, In measure, be improved
ana mutual good viii and fairness re-
/ suit on both Sides
our Inquiries into the early closing
/ movement Of retail stores has brought
! our the fact that cur retail merchants i'm
! Our large cities, with perhaps a few ex-
! ceptlOnS, favor early closing. and this
/ leads me to believe that with a little hard
( work, in the way Of agitation on tho IA ~
/ 81 the employees Of stores who have NOT
| YET been granted the blessings Of carly
| ci0Sln9' would result in the closing Of
! all the stores Of retail trade, and the
! pubic would soon get used to the new
! situation, and it would be proven thar a
! short work day would not only Ienert
4 the employer by reducing his operating
I expenses, but it would demonstrate The
! IdcE mat employees can and do render
/ more efficient service in a reas MIL
/ number Of hours than can be secured
/ from employees who are compelled to
! work fourteen and sixteen hours a day.
\ Nc are Still engaged in two other in
! yestigatons: One has for TS7 object the
! conditions surrounding the female wage
eaTners in stores, factories, workshops
/ and other places Of employment; the
/ other is devoted to male wage earners of
| our State'