United labor bulletin., 1913-06-28
Brake Reports
for Two Years
State Labor Department
Makes Splendid
Showing
Organized Workers Have Great
Advantage in Gaining Wage
Increase

Inc tn1rteenLn Dlennlal report Oh
the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
State of Colorado has just been issued
by Deputy Commissioner Edwin V.
Brake. 1t covers the years 1911-1912.
and is a volume Of 292 pages. filled
with interesting industrial data and
statistics. Chapters / and ii relate
TO work done by the department and
its reports. Chapter Ill contains 3
compilation of labor organizations In
the state. with name and address Of
secretaries. railroad brotherhoods,
etc. 1t records central labor bodies
at II; trades unions 2S2. with a mem
bership of 20.213: railroad unions 81.
membership 6,772; women's auxflia-
ries have 6,s76 members. making the
total number of organized labor work
ers in the state 32,s52.
In comparing wages in Colorado for
1912 with those OF ten years previous,
the commissioner says:
"A comparison Of the wages paid to
mechanics in the different trades with
those of ten years ago furnishes In
teresting data. When it is considered
that the price OF commodities, the
price OF actual living expenses. has
increased an average OF 60 per cent.
1t will be readily seen that wages
have not even approached that per
centage of increase. In fact. In many
trades there has been no increase at
all. and those that show increases are
those that are the more perfectly or
ganized. No other argument Is nee
assary to prove the beneficial effect
of labor organizations to the work
ers."
Chapter ~ Is resume of the
Northern coal fields strike. together
with a report of Secretary OF State
James B. Pearce upon his investiga-
tions made in that district. Also a re
port of Commissioner Brake on the sit
uation at Rockvale, where several
hundred employees OF the c. F. & L CO.
petitioned for an investigation.
other chapters contain statistics on
agriculture, manufacturing. railroads,
mining and assessors schedules.
Protects the Wage Farmers.
While there is no law requiring the
State Labor Department to collect
wages from employing "dead-beats,
during the period covered by the re-
port. 1.5l6 such claims were taken
care of. and s45,620.S3 collected and
turned over to wage-earners without
cost to them.
During 16 months after the factory
inspection law was adopted, with
four deputy inspectors doing field
work, 5.371 establishments were in
spected. employing 62.53s people. and
3.24I orders were issued for safety
guards around machinery, sanitary
improvements and fire escapes.
During the two years the free en-
ployment bureaus located in Denver.
Colorado Springs and Pueblo. placed
30,7S7 applicants in positions. of
which 2l.652 were men and s,lS5
women.
Child Labor Regulations.
In speaking of the child labor ques
ton in Colorado. Commissioner Brake
says:
In addition to the duties imposed
upon the factory inspectors, two years
ago the legislature passed child
labor law, especially designating the
factory inspection department as the
one department in the state to look
after the enforcement of the law. This
has entailed great deal of extra
work in addition to the regular duties.
We have acted upon hundreds of COM
plants. This requires time and ex.
pense. and | feel warranted in saying
that in no place IN America has the
employment of children been better
safeguarded than in this state. We
have compelled messenger service