The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-26
TO Be The FIRST.
Labor commissioners Sympo-
: sium on Kansas Factories.
Will Show just How Kansas
Has Advanced.
STANDS WELL UP.
Many Industries Due to Gas
Development.
Packing Houses Are Still the
Largest Feature.

w. L. A. Johnson, secretary of the
state bureau of labor, is preparing to
issue, in December, his first annual
report, in compliance with the law en-
acted by the last session of the slegis-
lature. Heretofore the law has called
for biennial report.
The plan is to make the report a
symposium of Kansas manufacturing
interests. In this way it will supple
ment the biennial report, which is
now in the hands of the state printer.
The biennial deals almost entirely with
the organized branches of labor, the
cost of living and wages received, and
similar statistics. The December re-
port will include only reports relating
to the present condition of factories
and factory employees in the state.
Assistant Secretary Robinson is now
at work with his clerks collecting the
information for this report. 1t will
also be necessary for the department
to send special representatives to
many of the cities of the state where
there are extensive manufacturing in
terests. Only in that way can full and
complete tables relating to existing
conditions be obtained.
The reports will not be obtained
wholly from the owners and operators
of the factories of the state. The de-
pdTlLl6nL Will call on TIE eInplOy0S
themselves for statistics. Every en-
ploye will be given a. blank to be filled
out, showing the amount of wages re-
ceived and other desired information.
1t has been found in some instances
that the manufacturers were not dis
posed to give out full information
concerning their employees. They are
especially anxious, in some cases, to
conceal the number of women, boys
and girls employed. All this data will
be brought out and published by the
bureau of labor.
1t will be much more elaborate md
detailed than any report concerning
factory inspection heretofore pub
lished in the state. Every factory in
the state will be listed, the number
and character of its employees set
forth, the kind and value of it's prod
ucts and the amount of raw material
consumed will be given in detail.
In dealing with organized labor, the
! bureau of labor has been able to get
the laboring mans side of the case
from the labor unions. But the pro-
| posed report on factories calls for a
different class of investigation. The
employees must be obtained largely
from the individual employees.
OF course the big end of the fac
tory interests of Kansas are concen-
/ trated in the great packing houses at
Kansas City. These turn out nearly
$1O0.00O.00O worth of products a
year. and employ vast numbers of la
/ borers of all kinds. The -four mill in
terests at Topeka are also large, and
other large flour mills are scattered
| throughout the state. Down in the
gas country there are large numbers
! of factories. including glass, cement,
brick and tile. At Hutchinson. Lyons.
| and other towns in that vicinity are
| the salt mills. Topeka. will head the
! list of Kansas towns for diversity Of
manufacturing concerns, a great many
small concerns being in business here.
The aggregate number of people em-
| ployed in factories in Topeka will be
| large.
The report will also deal extensively
with the enforcement of factory laws,
and with any and all kinds of diff
ficulties which have during the course
of the year been brought to the at
tention of the department. The en-
| forcement of factory laws is one of
the branches of the work entrusted to
Labor Commissioner Johnson.
After the issuance of the report in
December, itiis proposed to go to work
at once securing statistics for the fol-
lowing annual report in December of
1906. The issuance of annual reports,
covering the preceding year. will be
much more satisfactory to the depart
ment and to the public, for it will pre-
sent the information fresh. instead of
the summary far two preceding years
time In subsequent reports the fac
tory statistics will be combined with
the other features of the book.