The Washington socialist. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1914-1915, 1915-05-13
EMpL0yMENTrIN
GREATER NEW YORK

ton obtained from census of 1914
city blocks, located In various sections
OF the city, carefully selected with
the purpose of including a representa-
tive number of families of the various
nationalities and all classes of indus
trial workers, combined with census
of all families In 3,703 individual tene-
ment houses and residences covering
a still wider range of distribution.
The figures obtained have been used
as basis for estimating the number
unemployed in the city
The enumeration was made In the
first half of February, 1915, and there
fore shows conditions of unemploy-
ment at that time Information was
obtained from 54,S49 families having
a total membership Of 1924 persons,
Of which number 95,443 were wage
earners. or these families 11,723 had
one or more wage earners out OF work,
showing an aggregate OF 15,417 per-
sons, or 1862 perc emit OF all wage
earners in these families without en-
ployment of any kind. The total num-
Der Of wage earners in New York
City in 1895, estimated on the basis
adopted by the Bureau of the Census.
is approximately 2,445,000. The per-
centage of unemployment found
among the members of 54,S49 families
visited Q6.2) applied to this number
shows that the total number of UNI
employed in Greater New York was
about $4,000.
The above figures do not fully meas
ure the amount of unemployment, for
only those persons who had no en-
ployment whatever, regular or irregu-
lar, full time or part time, at the time
of the agents visit were recorded as
unemployed. To find the full extent
of unemployment 1t is necessary to
secure information also In regard to
the large amount of part time or ir-
regular employment existing in prac-
tically every industry On account of
the difficulty of securing definite in
formation in regard to irregular or
part time workers, all such were in
cluded in the number employed. The
above estimate of 39S,00O unemployed,
therefore, does not include any of the
irregular or part time workers.
rs Per Cent. Out of Work at Least
A tabulation of the unemployed by
periods of unemployment shows that
Ill per cent. of all unemployed per-
sons had been out of work over 1870
days, 26.4 per cent. over 120 days,
1913 per cent over 80 days, 55.8 per
cent. over 60 days, 76.4 per cent over
80 days, 1874 per cent. over 13 days,
and 92.8 per cent. were out of work
at least one week. The occupations
or trades having the largest number
of persons unemployed out of the
total of 15,417 were: Commonl a.
borers, 2,440; building trades, 2,O45,
and the clothing trades, 1,781. The
fact is noted, however, that the fig
ures were secured at season of the
year WHeH WOIh III lue Uulluiu6
trades and in the clothing trades is
normally slack and that the number
out of work reported for these trades
was affected to large extent by the
slack season.
A tabulation of the percentages of
unemployment in each of several Sc
lected occupations, based on the esti-
mated total number of wage earners
in those occupations, shows the per-
centages of persons out of work to be
as follows: Marble and stone cutters,
Alb per cent; bricklayers, and stone
masons, 32.5 per cent; carpenters,
25.9 per cent; painters and paper
hangers, 1879 per cent; plasterers,
35.1 per cent; plumbers, gas and
steam filters, 23.1 per cent; bakers,
1853 per cent; longshoremen and
stevedores, 1872 per cent; machinists,
1871 per cent; stenographers and
typists, per cent, and common la
borers combined without regard to in
dustry, 34.2 per cent, while the per-
centage of unemployment in all oc-
equations other than those named
above is 1873 per cent.
Conditions in 1918 and 1914 Compared.
One Month.
In the report is embodied the re-
suits of two Investigations made by
organizations in New York City, the
mayors committee on unemployment
and the Metropolitan Life Insurance
company. The investigation by the
mayors committee on unemployment
was conducted by sending out letters
of inquiry to large number of en-
ployers of labor in New York City to
ascertain the difference between the
number employed In the week ending
December 10, 1914, and the number
employed in the corresponding week
in 1918. Responses were received
from 602 establishments in all lines
of trade and industry employing dur
ing the week ending December 10,
1914, total of 250,723 persons. Com