The Washington herald., 1908-02-02

an article on the Economic condition ot
the jews in Russia" by ]. NJ Rubinow.
The article is based oa investigations Of
the Jewish Colonization Society and Rus
sian official statistics.
The subject derives its Importance in
this country chiefly from the fact that
the Russian Jews constitute approximate
ly one-tenth Of the total number Of i'm
migrants now coming into the United
States and because they contribute so
largely, by the conditions under which
they so often live and work, 10 the prob
lens which are involved in the greatly
congested conditions IN some Of our large
cities.
According TO the latest Russian official
statistics the five and a half million Jews
in Russia constituted about 4 per cent Of
the total population. Largely because
OF the legal restrictions upon the right
OF domicile, "a per cent Of them live with
in the so-called Pale "a territory repre-
senting less than % per cent Of the area
of European Russia where they consti-
tute II6 per cent Of the total population.
Even within the limited area of the Pale
the Jews are largely. concentrated in uT-
ban communities faIso because Of legal
restrictions, nearly 50 per cent Of the
entire Jewish population Of the Pale liv-
ing in cities and towns, where they con-
sttute 81 per cent OF the population.
In the most cougested provinces Of the
Pale, from which the Jewish immigrants
to the United States largely come. the
proportion Of Jews is much greater, con-
ztituung SO per cent Of the population
in the cities Of northwestern Russia
The occupation Of the Jew in Russia is
much more largely manufacturing and
less largely commercial than is common
ly supposed According 10 Russian Of
fetal statistics 379 per cent OF all Jews
gainfuIly employed were engaged in man
ufacturug and mechanical pursuits. 1874
per cent in personal service. and only BIG
per cent IN commercial pursuits. More
over. these 31.6 per cent serve the inter
ests Of "a large surrounding agricultural
population, SO that the strictly CONNER
cial class represented less than per cent
Of the population Of the PaIe-an unus-
ually small proportion.
The report of the United States Census
Bureau on occupations in 1900 indicated
the same preference among the Russian
Jews iu New York City for manufaC-
TURNS and mechanical pursuits as against
commerce. 65.3 per cent of them being
employed in The former, against a com
bined 2 per cent IN commerce and trans
UorJation. while. the percentages for the
entire population Of New York City were
57f in manufacturing and 81 in com
merce.
In view of the widespread impression
that the jew is unfit for agricultural life,
u IS interesting 10 note that the Rus
sian Official reports show 80 600 employed
lu agricultural pursuits, or 151olJ all told
when their dependents are included. The
fact that the numbers are no larger is
due 60 the restrictions against the Jew
entering into agriculture. which have
been i'm force fGr many years.
While accurate wage statistics are
lacking for Russia. the data in regard
20 customary wages Of factory workers
and earnings Of independent artisans
show very low level. even if the cheap
er cost Of living be considered. While
the earnings Of artisans are naturally
subject 10 wide ranges. yet the figures
show that the majority earn only from
sI03 10 $3.50 a year, that even smaller
earnings are quite frequent, and that an
income Of over 500 is quite unusual for
an artisan family. Wages of working
men range from Sl-55 To %12 a week,
while women or girls work for from son
20 y.O3 q week. Until recently. long hours
vent hand in hand with these low wages;
thirteen 20 fourteen hours was a very
usual working day down TO the end Of
the past century, and a day Of sixteen
hours was not rare.
Notwithstanding these unfavorable con-
ditions Of work. already a persistent
toward shorter hours and bet
ter pay has benefited the artisans and
factory workers, as well as the CONNER
clal employees and even domestic ser
wants. The modern labor movement,
which utilizes the experience Of the west
ern world. has sprung up within the last
decade. While the peculiar political con-
ditions have thrown this labor movement
into close association with the political,
socialist, and national aspirations, never
theless, the purely economic work has
made marked progress. All the pTinci-
pies and methods of collective bargain
ing have become familiar 10 the Jewish
wageworker. As yet the practical re-
suits Of this movement are more mani
fest IN the Improvement Of the general
conditions Of work and especially in the
reduction Of working hours. Wages have
also been influenced, though not to a
very marked degree; but as a result of
this movement, a ten-hour working day
has quite generally been realized. and a
struggle for an even shorter day of
nine or eight hours IS in active progress. /
Even more than the artisan and fac
.ory workers does the commercial class
'eel the influence Of the enforced Conges- |
ton under which they live. A little over
lne-third of the entire commercial class
u Russia consists Of Jews, but within the |
Pale the proportion rises to almost 20 per |
'eut In Northwestern Russia IL reaches
wen 90 per cent. More than half Of these |
Heal in agricultural products, and upon /
hem dev0lves the marketing of the prod |
let of agriculture Of these provinces. /
While it is this function of the Russian /
lew that especially calls forth accusations !
If exploitation Of the Russian peasant. an 1
analysis of their work indicates not only /
mat they constitute an Indispensable 4
actor In the economic life Of the agricul- /
ural masses. but that their extreme 1
competition among themselves could not 4
,ut benefit the agricultural worker. both !
is seller of his produce and as a buyer
Il general merchandise. The income OF /
majority of these petty merchants Is
ven smaller than the wages Of an arti- |
an
While the condition Of the petty social
q Independent merchants is very un-
r..c.