Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-01
CONDITION OF LABOR
Bulletin Issued Today by the
Department.
ACCURATE STATISTICS
WAGES HAVE INCREASED GREAT.
Err THAN LIVING PRICES.
Figures Which Show That the Demo.
cratic Campaign Contention
is All Wrong.

A bulletin was issued today by the De-
partment of Commerce and Labor which it
IL believed by men who are following the
course of the campaign that has just be-
gun must either be accepted as a final au-
thority on the subject of wages and the
cost Of living or be openly attacked on the
stump erroneous. They declare that
these figures cannot be ignored.
This bulletin has been in course OF prep
aration during the last two or three years
and has been the subject OF the most PAINS
taking work on the part of large corps
of trained men. 1t shows that since the
financial depression of "a to 81 rates Of
wages in this country have increased in
greater proportion than has the cost of
living.
The facts concerning wages have been
previously published, but the cost Of living
was made known for the first time today.
So far as economic conditions are con-
cerned this question is the keynote of the
campaign. Democratic orators have been
contending that prices of the necessaries of
life have been advanced far beyond the in
crease in wages, which they declare nulli
fies all the talk about prosperity existing in
the country.
This investigation on the part Of the
bureau covered 519 occupations represent
ing 81 industries in 3429 separate establish
ments. 1t has covered every important
manufacturing center in the United States.
special effort was made In gathering
these statistics to have them cover every
part of the Union, SO that they would be as
representative as possible.
Greater Increase of Wages.
The statistics show that the increases OF
the retail price of food. which the bureau
concludes represent the extreme limit on
all articles entering into the cost of living,
have been from 1000 m 1Q02 nor oa,f
while the increase of wages has been dur
ing the same period. 1876 per cent
This increase in wages takes no account
or the greater amount of employment in
1903 than in 1896 Thousands of men were
employed in 1903 who were idle or working
half time in 1885,
The differences in cost of living and
wages between 1894 and 1903 are still great
of wages. During that period the cost of
living increased 10.6 per cent, while the rate
of wages increased 1873 per cent.
dhese hgures also show that from 1880
hours of daily labor. The figures given
above are based on hourly wages.
AS there has been a decrease in the
hours of labor the increase in weekly wages
has not been quite SO great as In hourly
wages The Increase in weekly wages in
1903 was 12.9 per cent greater than in 1896
and 14.9 per cent greater than in 1894.
In 1903 the hours of labor per week were
Al per cent less than in 1890. So per cent
less than in 1895, 2.1 per cent less than in
1900 and Z per cent less than in 1892.
More Money Disbursed.
AS an indication of the vastly greater
amount of money disbursed In 1903 over
previous years 1t is shown that in the es-
Establishments that have been running con-
tinuously from 1890 to 1903 the aggregate
of the wages paid in 1903 was 451 per cent
greater than in 1896 and 54.4 greater than
in 1894.
IL all these establishments the number
Of employees in the trades entering into the
statistics of the bureau were 266 greater
in 1903 than in 1896 and 34.3 greater than In
1894.
These figures apply only to the establish
r1ents that were in existence from 1890 to
1903 and do not include establishments that
went out of existence or which were Great
eG during that period. If it had been pos
sible to take into consideration eStabliS.n-
ments that ceased to exist during this
period. 1t is said, the showing would have
been greatly in favor of the still better
comparative condition OF labor in 1903 over
previous years.
These figures become of the greatest i'm
portance during the campaign that is pend
ing because democratic orators have gen.
orally declared that since 1896 the increase
In the cost of living has been far greater
than the increase in wages, which they
have declared is equivalent to a lowering of
wages. Republicans on the stump will ask
tnem 10 either correct THESE StdleIueutS Ut
to attack the figures of the Department of
Labor, which show condition just opposite
in its effect on industrial conditions.
Democratic Contentious.
The democratic committees are also circu-
lating charts on which it is shown that the
increase In. prices in 1903 has been 81 per
cent over 1897. Those prices are wholesale
prices, which the department has taken es-
pecial pains to show cannot be quoted as
indicating the cost of living.
They have shown that the retail prices,
which are the true index to the cost of
living, do not go so high nor SO low as do
wholesale prices. That, too, republican
managers will ask the democrats on the
stump to correct or to explain If they
can do SO.
At the Department of Labor the great
est confidence is expressed in the statis-
tics showing the cost of living and the
rate of wages. The experts who have
been associated with that wrork declare
that they never engaged on any work
with greater care for every feature of
accuracy, and they believe 1t to be the
best statistical work Of that kind that
has ever been got out in this or any other
country. They declare that they would
rather enjoy having the statistics at
tackled in some definite way If there is
any one who believes they do not repre-
sent the exact change in the ecnpnunic