Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-06-14
new JERSEY
PROSPERITY
Wage Farmers Have PrOfited
Largely by the Present COndi-
ton of Affairs in This State.

Manufacturing statistics just COM
piled by the Director of the Census
at Washington show that manufac-
lures in New Jersey enjoyed a SPLEEN
did growth during the years 1900
and 1905, and the wage Garner got
the lions share of the increased re-
turns from this prosperity. The re-
port is part of the census of manu-
features and gives statistics for the
veal ending December 81, 1904. The
census is confined to manufacturing
establishments with a product of
$500 or over, thus excluding the
neighborhood industries and hand
trades, such as the building trades,
dressmaking, custom millinery, Gus
tom saving and grinding, cobbling
and blacksmithing.
The large increases in the manu-
features of the state are attributable
to the remarkable transportation ia
cmilities. Most of the big railroad sys-
TENS of the east converge through
New Jersey upon New York harbor
and the consequence is that the state
possesses a remarkable amount of
railroad mileage for it's area. Though
among the states only Rhode Island,
Delaware and Connecticut are small
err than New Jersey. twelve states
have a smaller railroad mileage.
Even thickly populated Massachu-
sets has a smaller railroad mileage
than New Jersey. Another big factor
islthe great mileage in electric rail-
ways, which, particularly in the
northern part of the state, form a
great network, binding the towns to-
gether and affording facilities for
communication seldom enjoyed even
in thickly populated territories.
According to the statistics, the
number of manufacturing establish
ments in the state have increased
from 6,415 in the census of 1900 to
7,011 in 1905. This Slight increase
cit is only 9.S per cent? is due to
consolidation. The capital invested
in manufactures has increased from
$4f7,3O1.565, to $716,046,545, or
SO per cent, and the value of the
products has increased from $685.
O05,684 to $774,619,025, or 40.1 per
cent. The cost OF materials used has
increased from 1884, 726,094 to
$47O,554,500, or 40.6 per cent, and
the miscellaneous expenses from
$~3S,S24,655 to $66,572.0S9, or 71.5
per cent. According to the 1905 cen
SuS, Tile nuIuUSI VI odldilOu OhhSSAo,
clerks, ETC., is 23,19S, an increase of
ffty-one per cent, and the average
number of -wage-earners is 266,3S7,
an increase of 24.5 per cent.
The increase of the value of the
products was the great sum Of $221;-
613,341. Some indication of the ex-
tent to which the w~age-earners
shared in this great prosperity is in
Dictated by the fact that while the
average number of wage-earners
showed a gain of 24.5 per cent, the
increase in wages was $53,027,720
or SAT pei cent. But these figures
give only a slight idea of the proper
ton of gain paid to the wage Garner,
Of the $221,613,341, $163,575,79O
was swallowed up by increases in the
cost of materials, and miscellaneous
pen OF the remainder, the in
crease in wages to the larger number
of officials, clerke, etc., amounted to
II per cent, and w-age-earners got
81 per cent. This leaves rs per cent
or $~15,10S,101 for increased return
on capital invested, which, when 1t is
considered that capital has increased
during these years SO per cent, OF
$2SS,746,9S0 goes to indicate that
~wage-aarners were the principal ben
=, efciaries of New Jerseys manufac-
tnn5;8g- prosperity.