New-York tribune., 1903-02-23
LABOR STATISTICS FOR 1902.
Home Workers in New-York-Ihe Free
Employment Bureau.

Employment Bureau.
.,s.,. r,oh 29-John McMackin. Commissioner
of Labor of the State of New-York. will transmit
to the legislature tomorrow the annual reports Vi
the Bureau of Labor Statistics anu the state Ffee
Employment Bureau in New-YOrk city Inc lot
mer report includes in addition to the statstics
concerning the economic condition OF oIsaiA
Ia bor which have already been pubiished III tHe
DEPARTMENTS Quarterly Bulletin the results OF an
inquiry summarized below. into the earnings o.
home workers in New-York City tenements
The sanitary conditions of family workrooms nave
been frequently Investigated in the interest OF the
protection of the public health against the DANGER
of disease transmitted through tenement ihdue
goods. But the economic condition OF the nome
workers themselves is also matter of general IN
terest which has not vet been Adequately 1e- e
scribed. chiefly on account Of the d1cuitses sgn S,
tending the collection OF statStlcs ahone Isl
born persons who are generally ignorant on OUT OUT
broahf into freauent Contact with the home work
in the course of their daily du5ies tnrge naNs
with them and were therefore able while making
snes fher % ngs To satRer sufficiently large
Der of reports to show forth with some approx- @
nation to accuracy the actual income OF the home home
workers in metropolitan tenements They nave We
been greatly aided moreover by the exin5enee & Sa
clothing contractors who give out work to be done
in in ne book % in whe the PERIOD
cally enter the latters earnings.
EARNINGS OF MEN.
The average earnings among the male home work.
S2%l for the nrSt SIN months Oh ls"- O'4t
nearly two-thirds of them C96 out of l0D were
skilled workmen (taiors) employed in making the
entire garment. The average earnings of male
home f1nfshers who had average Of one helper
apiece. amounted to only s213 for the six months
This was supplemented by outside earnings of other
members of the family that the total family in
come of male home fnishers amounted on the aver
vas further increased to s27a by the letting Of Iodg
With With outside Work and siS with income from board
and lodSings) while journey men talors aEeraggea g
members OF the family and s4S3 with receipts from
boarders and lodgersJ.
EARNINGS OF HOME FINISHERS-
The great majority of home workers being wonl-
en-. st is especially important to consider their
earnings. The average income of S23 female home
workers in the first six months of 1902 was SSS or
50 20 weekly Even this figure is advanced by the
presence of a small number of well paid skilled
workers the average for the home fnishers alone
being only SIS II. which is equivalent 10 s3 10 for
each of the e224 weeks of actual work, s. 03 for
each week in the period Moreover. in four
of these had helper in her work. The
attempt TO ascertain the daily hours of labor
among these workers not altogether success
full. owing to the inevitable irregularity of such
work But it is well known that these home fin
ishers receive from five to for Finish
ing a coat or pair of trousers and that they can
finish" only one garment an hour. Hence. to
between nine and ten hours day. besides which
tanned there TO wait for their work: and finally
as housekeepers 1t viii therefore be seen that
the & hone NJ shers ns6k work Unusually mus M long hcgrs
81 were husbands. 5s relatives grown up
able. however that more children than that actu-
ally rendered some assistance as parents realize
mention of the same OF the los child helpers,
6si children below that age in these families were
between eight and twelve years of age. out of
bidren IN that Class q were betee Ha s0' gorte1 GI m
a red wit in
that class and 81 were between sixteen and
most of the remainder being engaged in outside
employments- With such outside work of husband.
family ssas which was increased to s55i BY
Small as the earnings of the home fnishers
they were superior to the income of makers of
in the first half Of 1852 We're ohT s al and in in eaT1 1e
ing this amount the so women had x
helpers. As no family can live on income of
costs at least $50 it is clear that these workers
m fact only three Families wePe found Who er
entirely dependent upon their earnings in this
work.
DURATION OF EMPLOYMENT
The average number of weeks during which the
157 male home workers were employed in the first
six months of 1902 22S.. and of the S23 women
e2Iz weeks. The majority (407 of 722) of women
who did finishing worked less steadily
throughout the entire 26 weeks. the aver
age number of weeks worked by all having been
22s4 Twenty-eight OF the 90 women who made
artificial flowers worked every week in the sea-
son. which includes a few weeks at the close of
1901 bu. Il worked only II weeks of the % and
thus reduced the time for all 19a.
The average age of all the male home workers, so
far as the fact could be aScertained fOrty-sfx
years. None were under twenty-one years OF age
and Is more than sixty years old
The average age of the female home workers was
thirty-seven years. This also the average OF
the home finishers. while the artificial flower
makers averaged only thirt~-three years. Nearly
all of latter between twenty-one and
forty-1vc years of age, while the home hnishe-s
numbered 33 under twenty-one years. 439 from
twenty-five to forty-1ve years. III from forty-six
to sixty years and S who were upward of sixty
years of age
THE STATE FREE EMPLOYMENT BUREAU.
The following figures will demonstrate the work
of the bureau for the year 1902:
During the year 1902 there were $500 people who
made application for work, of whom 2.656
men and 324s women. OF the entire number
2454 natives and 3.+9 foreigners. The
greater number the people registered foreign
ers In all things. but their nationality Amer
leans. Very many OF them have lived here for
number of years, and all of them acknowledged
America their common country.
OF the men, 7S6 were married. and OF the women
lie5 marri sd. making total OF 2.22l married
people. OF the 1856 married men, ia reported having
2lo3 children and S34 dependent them for
support OF the 1.405 married women. 15s reported
having 456 children 759 being dependent
During the year there 81 applications for
the employment of men and g. T4 applications for
the employment of women The total number or
situations secured during the year was S62, being
fnrFa nf las an N