Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-26

past six months the publications of the
| bureau have been issued in bulietlh
form at irregular intervals. each num-
Der containing matter devoted to one
of series of general subjects.
The subjects covered by this series IN
cfude Wholesale Prices. Retail frices
and Cost Of Living. Wages and Hours OF
Labor, Women in Industry. Industrial
Accidents and Hygiene. Labor Laws OF
the United States. Foreign Labor Laws.
etc. most of which are still to be Is
sued.
X
AS for the Investigations themselves,
they are carried on by special agents OF
the bureau. AS d
Work of rule specially pre-
Special Agents. nsed as by this
| means rambling observations are avoid
ed. Sometimes the conditions accompany
ing the investigation admit of the use OF
the mails, but usually the work Is carried
on by the agents in person. One question
which is often asked in connection with
this part of the work is, how are the
agents Of the bureau received? To this
officials of the bureau declare that the
reception is kindly, even if the person
| interviewed declines to give the informa-
ton sought. AS representative and spe-
cial facts are required it Is always found
that If one establishment or one man
from whom facts are desired declines to
give them, some other establishment or
some other man will be found sufficient
ly interested In the subject to furnish
similar information. AS time progresses
the destinations are less frequent. The
bureau never allows the names of parties
furnishing facts to be used in its re-
ports, but seeks every method of veri-
mn cnv,f1 jS
from the knowledge that in none of the
reports have private interests been en-
dangered. and through this confidence
manufacturers in this and other countries
have opened their account books. pay
rolls and records to the agents of the
bureau.
After the information is brought into
the Office the schedules containing it are
subjected to the most careful scrutiny,
for the purpose of ascertaining whether
there are any logical faults inconsrui-
ties. If amy are found. the agent re-
sponsible for the material is called upon
to verify them BY logical fault several
things can be meant. For example, the
product of an establishment may be
given at a certain sum and the raw ma
terial at another the two being entirely
out OF proportion. Under such circun-
stances a schedule could not be accepted,
and a REORGANIZATION must be made.
Once verified, the schedules are c1aSsi-
fled and tabulated During this process,
also, every calculation is subjected to rig
id verification, and in reading the proof
Of the bulletin all original calculations
are again gone over, all references re-
examined and every care taken to insure
accuracy AS well as to avoid typosraph
ical and clerical errors.
In speaking of the work of the bureau
during it's early days the then commits
sioner. Carroll d. Wright. said:
THE altruistic spirit of the age under
takes to ascertain what social classes
0ah f1,nr -fDt Sf.isar
helps the world to the answer. Gener-
ally three answers may be given to the
inquiry. If We say social classes owe
nothing to each other then society retro
grades to civilized heathenism, and nei-
Their social science nor statistics have any
place among the department of human
knowledge. If the answer Is that social
classes owe everything to each other,
then socialism is the logical form of so
cial organization. But if the answer is in
the spirit of 'inasmuch We have done
it unto the least of these. We have done
1T unto Me, then we have put a Chris
tian religion into social science, have an
swered the question nationally, and must
have the light Of facts in order that the
action. either Of governments or of COM
munities. under the spirit of this answer
shall not be either futile or absurd. AL
truism is the rule. of the day as against
the individualism. of the past. It's tend
ency must be guided by facts, and facts
can be gained only by the most faithful
application OF the statistical method. not
only In the gathering thereof but in the
application. Personal observations on
which to base conclusions are not suffi-
cient. So the character of the work of
an Office having the function of the bu-
reau of labor must be based upon the Ba-
conian idea of securing the facts before
taking the action And that APPLY eX-
presses the position of the office.
One line of work carried on by the bu-
reau of labor which is slightly aside from
the general duties is in
Liability for connection with the gov
ernm n t workingmen's
compensation act Under
this act, passed in 1908, certain classes of
government employees, principally those
employed in manual labor, can receive
compensation from the government if in
jured seriously or killed during the course
of their duties. The law entities them
during the period of incapacity up to one
year to full pay, and the duty of deter
mining the worthness and accuracy of
these claims devolves upon the bureau of
labor, subject to the review and approval
of the Secretary of the department.
During the fiscal year ended June 80
1912, 1850 claims for compensation for in
JhIicS were TcCeteu, OI winch were
claims on account of death. OF that num-
Der 90 were allowed, disallowed and o
were still pending at the close of the
year. OF the remaining cases 1,S54 were
found to be entitled to compensa tion %
were disallowed, while the remainder
were held over for consideration.
One of the series of bulletins which the
bureau is issuing under the new arrange
ment is on retail prices. This. published
usually every two months, gives the
latest figures obtainable for foods, coal,
etc. For instance, the latest of these
bulletins published gives a comparative
statement of the prices of various foods
for two months in 1911 and 1912 in the
District of Columbia. Whereas last year
sirloin steak was selling for from ID to
% cents a pound. according to quality.
this year it costs from - to 30 cents,
while round steak, selling last year for
from Ii to 20 cents a pound, this year
is bringing 70 to % cents. Likewise, in
the matter Of lard, rise of nearly =;
cents pound Is noticeable. On the other
hand, a decrease is shown for strictly
fresh eggs of from 5 to 8 cents in some
cases. with other cases showing the prices
to be the same. In the matter of coal a
slight rise in price is noticeable. A ton
Of stove coal selling last year for $50
this year Is bringing $50. |
Fifteen articles of food enter into the
relative prices in these reports, these rep
resenting approximately two-thirds of the
expenditure for food by the average
workingman's family. Eleven of these
fifteen articles were higher this year than
last, the only ones lower being butter,
eggs, potatoes and sugar. Comparing re-