Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-12-14
Jersey Issues
First art Of
Factory Report
Is Based Upon Different Stand
ard Than That of the United
States Census Bureau, Which
Is Much Broader.
, ART one of the forthcoming re-
nort OF the bureau of statistics

D ART one of the forthcoming re-
port OF the bureau of statistics
of New Jersey for the year
1912 consists entirely of a series OF
tables and analytical text showing
the condition of manufacturing in
dustry in the State during the year
1911. The annual presentation OF
these statistics in their present form
is provided for by an act of the Leg
islature of 1889, and they have eacn
year since then formed one of the
leading features of the bureaus an
nual reports.
The law provides that only estab-
Iishments conducted on what is
known as the factory system" and
that are in position to furnish from
their records the many varieties of
information required for these re-
ports shall be included This means
that the States yearly compilation
differs from that of the decennial
only in that it does not include bak-
cries, custom shoemakers, custom
tailors, milliners, dressmakers and
other small industries conducted by
individuals who employ little, or no
labor outside OF their own, all of
which are counted as so many es-
adjustments in the federal census,
provided the value of yearly products
Is not less than $500 each per year
an amount not equal to the average
yearly earnings of ordinary tac-
tory and workshop employees.
Differ from Federal Reports.
The absence of discrimination be
tween what are and are not really
manufacturing establishments in the
common-sense understanding of that
term causes an apparent discrepancy
between the State and the federal
census reports. which. to those un-
acquainted with the facts regarding
them, seems to discredit the accu-
racy of the former. The fact is that
the only difference between the State
and the federal censuses Is one of
standards. The census of 1910 credits
New Jersey with S,S17 manufactur-
ing establishments; these, as shown
by the census classifications, are di-
vided according to the average an
nual value OF products into five
groups.
First-Those that produced goods
valued at less than $1,000, of which
there were 9,2SS. or 25.9 per cent. of
the toal number of Adjustments;
in this class the average number of
persons employed was 1.3. and the
average annual products was $3.50
per establishment. To put the mat
ter in another form, had the federal
census standard been so arranged as
to exclude these 2,2SS establishments,
the average number of persons en-
ployed In all industries would have
been reduced 0.9 per cent. and the
total value of products, 0.5 per cent.
Second Those showing annual
products of $1,000 and less than $780,
000, of which there were 3,0S1, or $40
per cent of the total number Of es-
tablishments; in this class the aver
age number of persons employed was
So. and the average value of product
was $10,549 per establishment The
of so-called establishments
included in these two classes is 5,361,
to the State by the eensus repcr' of
1910 How utterly unreliable and mis-
leading is the mere number of estab-
lishments as an indication of the
of industrial interests is
shown by the fact that the exclusion
of these two classes of establish
ments would result In a shrinkage of
only SO per cent. in the total number
of wage earners employed. and 3.3
per cent. in the total value of the
products of all industries.
The Larger Factories.
The third class, which consists Of
2, ,053 establishments. with products
ranging between $4,000 and 100000.
contains 23.3 per cent. of the total
number of establishments, 1874 per
cent. of the total number of wage
earners, and 7.9 per cent. of the total
value OF all products; but in the
fourth and fifth classes. which con-