The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-05-06
When Prepared BY Our
Statlstlclans.
CANVASS IN CANTON
10 Now Being Made BY Two
Representatives. Of Labor
Com mmissIon--lnquiry Into
the Cost Of Living.

throw HgnJ ON tne CROWN, pOpulatioh
and resources of the city of Canton
is being done this week by a pair Of
unostehtatious but energetic employees
Of Uncle Sam sent to this city from
Washington for the purpose.
They are representatives of Carroll
d. Wright, United States commission
er of labor, and their names as reg
istered at the Yohe are b. c. Washing
ton, Jr., and Henry B. Ball. Mr.. Wash
ington is gathering statistics for a
year book to be issued by the govern
ment early in September, as 1t has
been for several years past, and Mr..
Ball is working on detailed report,
presumably intended to be presented to
President Roosevelt, which will show
the cost of living in Canton, and 1876
other cities, beside the proportionate
wages paid to labor and the ratio be-
tween wages and cost of living.
MUNICIPAL STATISTICS.
Mr.. Washington's statistics deal en-
tirely with the municipal affairs Of all
cities in the United States having 30,-
900 population or more. The figures
which he obtains are very complete
and intended to show exactly what
amounts are expended on the several
municipal departmeNts-police, fire,
health, charity, hospital, library, edu-
cational. etc.
These figures, being tabulated, are
published in the year book and many
interesting comparisons drawn among
the cities represented.
AS an instance of the elaborate man
ner in which the work Is done, it is
an fn nf
cent that the city of Canton has spent
during the past year Mr.. Washington
will have a record before he leaves
the city, and the exact purpose for
which 1t was spent will be shown
on his report.
One interesting feature of the report
that he will make Is the chapter de-
voted to the police department. The
number of policemen will be given, 33
men; then the number of licensed
saloons, 1876; and last, the number
of arrests for drunkenness during the
year, 733. Thus it will be seen that
there were about six men arrested for
drunkenness TO each saloon; four sa-
looms to each officer, and about twenty
two arrests to each officer.
SALOONS AND ARRESTS.
That Uncle Sam finds such a close
relation between the number of sa
looms and the number of arrests Is a
significant fact. The statistician says
Canton Is below the standard as to the
proportion of saloons to population,
but that the number of arrests for
drunkenness Is pretty near the limit.
Mr.. Ball, while working in the COM
missioner of labor's department, is do
ing a line of work entirely different
from Mr.. Washington's The report
which will. be made from, the figures
he obtains is new departure and is
expected to. furnish a fund of invalu
able information to the labor depart
ment.
He has three forms of blanks to
be filled out, and it would be impos-
siblc to obtain more complete state
ment Of what sort of city Canton is
for laboring man than will be pre-
sented in his report.
One blank will be filled out by each
Important employer of labor. If
shows the number Of people employed
each year since 1890. sex, hours per
week and rate of pay.
REPORT FOR MERCHANTS.
Another form is to be filed out by
yrocers. butchers and merchants. This
Will SHOW Jut IuliuS pTiCtS OI JueSS
wares In each year since 1890.
The last and most important form
IS to be filled up from information OBJ
aimed from private families-only
working classes being considered. 1t
shows, first, the nationality of the
family; second, the occupation, and
third, the amounts spent during the
year for the various necessities. and
the total amount spent during the
year.
Interviews with about 900 families
In Canton will be necessary to give Mr..
Ball the necessary data from which
TO make complete report
ELOQUENT STATISTICS.
, An interesting feature of this work
lies in the fact that all these figures
will be tabulated and CantOn's show
Ing compared with all other cities of
the same size in the country. Ma
honalities will be taken into consid-
Grafton, and the people shall be told
which nationality earns most, which
spends most, and which save most.
Mr.. Balls figures showing the af-
fairs of Individual families will be kept
carefully under seal and forwarded to
Washington, where only the aggregate
figures will be tabulated. No names
of persons or families will be made
known or published In any manner.
The department does not concern it.
self with the names of persons whose
affairs are investigated. The object is
merely to ascertain what the average
family earns and what 1t spends.
Both Mr. Washington and Mr.. Ball
will be in Canton for some time be-
fore their work Is concluded They
say they have never received more
uniformly courteous and hospitable
treatment than in this city. Tho Of
ficials. they say, are most helpful and
obliging.