The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-03-18
DEATH HAzARDlN
MILLS IS GREAT
Bureau of Labor Statistics Makes
Study at Fall River,
Mass.
WOMEN ARE BIGGER RISK
Mortality Among Cotton Mil! Workers
Much Higher Than Among Those :
Following Other Pursuits-Tu-
bercuiosis Takes Many;

" Washington, d. C.-From an indus
trial standpoint death at less than
old age means fixed and definite
loss: the worker has at each age
certain expectancy :of life, varying ac-:
cordins to certain factors. but still
definitely calculable, which makes his
death the loss of 80 much potentla'
industrial activity.
In bulletin No. psi entitled "Pre-
ventable Death In the Cotton Manu-
featuring Industry" just issued by the
bureau Of labor statistics of the Uni
ted States department of labor, is
shown the real death hazard by age
groups for wage earners, especially
for those engaged in the several
processes of cotton cloth manufacture
and also what factors have been es-
pecially active in cutting on the lives
of wage earners during age periods
which are normally Of greatest produc-
tive activity.
In this report, which Is supplement-
airy to an earlier report upon the sub
ject, the death hazard, by age, sex and
race of the entire operative popula-
ton of Fal, River, the leading cotton
manufacturing city in the United
States is contrasted with the CORE
spending hazard Of the nonnaill opera
tives of the city for the Ave years.
1908 to 1912, inclusive, and a study
is made Of the death rates OF workers
In the different rooms within the cot
ton mill. -, ..''.... -.
Women Have Higher Death Rate.
Nv comparison Of death rates by
sex of the whole Fail River popula-
ton, aged Is to A, it is shown that
females nave appreciably the higher
,Ieath hazard. From tuberculosis their
death rate exceeds that of the males
bv II per cent. from nOntuberculOSis
causes by per cent aud from all
causes combined by $ per cent. Yet
while this is true Of the population
as a whole, it is untrue Of that por-
ton Of it (61 per cent? which does
not work in the cotton mills, Tor
among these three-tifthS the male
death rate exceeds the female by IA
per cent.
Th, total death hazard Of the ma
tive born exceeds that of the foreign
born by 8 per cent, though the native
born are less liable than the foreign
born to die Of tuberculosis. the differ
ence between the death rates being
slight, h0weyer--less than per cent
The Irish and French Canadians SHOW
the highest death rates among the
different racial groups.
In Fall River married. females be
tween the ages Of Is and A are much
more liable to die, both from tube:'
culoSis and from ali Neutrality-suspicious.
causes than the single, while among
the males the single are almost f,var
iaby far more liable to die early thar
are the married Of the same age.
Hazard Greater in Mills.
Fall River cotton operatives between
the ages of Is and A are about one
half (46 per cent? more liable to die
from all causes combined, than ar
nonmll operatives Of the same, age
their hazard from tuberculosis bein
100 per cent and from all nontuber
culous causes Of death, 20 per cen
greater than the hazard of all Othe
persons. As to worSroom hazard i
appears that the spinning and weav
rooms are the two workroonrs show
ing the greatest peril for male work
ers, the death rates, both OF single an
married men. from all causes Oein
greater than the corresponding rates O
nonmill operatives. For both singl
and married females the spinnin
room is the room of greatest peril.
fact which is important because tn
spinning room females are Il youthfr
group. 70 per cent being under 2;
Within industrial groups tuberc'
losis is by far the commonest sing'
| cause of death. the tubercui0us death
being Is per cent Of the total death
both of male and Of female operative