The Washington times., 1903-11-12
Statistical Presentation of
Workmen'S Pay in
Manufacture.
AVERAGES NOT CORRECT
Introduction of Machinery
and Division of Industry
Complicate the Work.

The Census Bureau is about TO pub
lish a report on wages of employees in
manufacturing establishments in the
tnited States. This report was planned
by s. y. d. North when chief statis-
tician Of the di, ision OF manufactures.
ana has beel. in preparation for nearly
two years.
The problem of making a statistical
presentation OF the wages of workmen
has been one Of increasing difficulty.
and has been Clearly recognized as such
,bv census officials. 1t has been the
practice to obtain from each manufac-
-uf'ing establishment a return of the
average number of employees during a
census year. with the total amount
pa "a I'm wages. Almost inevitably at
tefppts are made TO derive from those
figl res some simple statistical term
as. for example. an average which shall
rVpr esent the wages Of the Individual
workman. even though such attempts
are expressly discountenanced in the re-
ports issued by the bureau.
Labor Statistics.
The public is more and more inter
ested IN the condition of the individual
fatorer. while the census statistics as
far as published, relate chiefly to labor
IN the mass. Formerly. when Occ upa-
tions were more uniform II character
and the Variations between skilled and
unstI He'd labor did not extend over so
wide a range. the average referred to
had considerable value: but with the
specialization of machine processes. the
disintegration OF long-established occu-
patiOns, and the absorption OF an enor-
nous mass Of unskiIled immigrant labor
.F -frv
been seriously Impaired It Is more
and more necessary 70 distinguish be-
tween wages OF different classes Of en-
ployes
In order TO secure data for this re-
port. transcripts have been made Of the
actual payro.is Of 10 manufacturing es-
adjustments. employing in 1900 about
10000 employees The wages and e,,act
occupation OF each workman was nHted
and from this data tabuIations have
been made OF S04 different occupations
In thirty-four industries. The special
feature OF this wage report is the tabu-
lation Of wages by occupations which
arc further subclassified whenever pos
sible by geographical sections. They re-
late 10 the actual rates paid by the en-
ployer 10 the workman for given meas
ure Of exertion either in "A week or in
an hour. They thus furnish a true
measure Of comparison Of wages disre-
garding the questions of irregular en-
ployment whether caused by illness,
strikes. or other Interruptions.
Wage Groups
In the analysis the employees have
been classified into wage groups 50 that
z ls possible 10 state just what pro-
portion of the working force received a
gwen wage. For example. OF z.13S male
employees for whom wages are tabu-
lated in the cotton industry, the - per
cent receiving the lowest wages in 1900
were paid less than Sc per week; the
second group received from Ss to $50;
the third. from $3.50 10 $3.50. and the
fourth over 5000.
IN the cotton manufacturing industry
wages OF both men and women increased
in the New England States. between
lSs) and 1900. in the Southern States
there was. on the whole. but little
change. For males. the middle range
OF wages IN cotton mills. in New Ens
land. was S6-55 TO So per week as com
pared with 2 range OF Sc 70 81 in 1890: in
the Southern States the range was q 20
TO 81 per week in 1900. as compared with
$l-50 10 $50 IN 1890 The rates Of wages
OF female spinners In New England
ranged from S TO $3.50 in 1900. as com
pared with $3.50 10 $3.50 in 1890; for fe-
male wes.vers the range was $3.50 to 50
IN 1890. as compared with $3.50 to s. IN
1850 IN the Southern States rates for
the latter occupation were slightly high
er IN 1900 than IN 1880.
For Woolen Workers
In the woolen industry most OF the
returns are for the New England States
The wages OF both men and women IN
this section Increased. In 1900 the md
die range for males was from $3.50 70
$il-50, as compared with g 10 81 in 1890
and for women from Sc 10 s. .er week
as compared with = 10 s. IN 1890 The
range OF wages Of male weayeTs increas-
Continued Ninth Page)