Around A Great State

Labor Com :nissio:ier Pond has just,issueil bis flrst amiu;il report-the third animal report of the vrorklnga of the bureau - wbieh covers the time from April 1, 1S85, to Fcbruary 1, ÍS-SI!. Especial attention has beeu yivi n to collectiüt; stiitistic.-irelatinjj to wagc-camcrs aud ases in the state during ihe year 1SS5, irk commeDced in the second r.onual report. Next ycir the aUeution of the u wül bo dlreeted espeelallyto the subjects of ehikl labor and crison labor, aud the i 11 lm pnbllshed Ín lime to go before tile next legislature. The present report is 1 into four parts. J. Papers reaa at the au Convention of Chlefa and CommlsBlonors of Labor, held at Boston In July, J8S5. '. A lii.-torv i f the strikes in Michigan from April l t(j December 1. ISsr. 8. Testlmonj of orkera from seventy-one counties h to t luir social ( Dditlon. -i. Btatlstics of eftTQGrs, dlvided into three chapters} trciu.n, of [arm labor, rallroad law, auJ the eondition of manafacturinj; ;m 1 business houses in the state. i'úere are sevcn etrlke emunerated in that ■i the report dcaling with that subject. April 'is the Cheboygan riverinen struck for i n advance oí üi v cents a dajr, and lost. .May 5 n strike was ordered in tli í shoo factory of Pinfcree ic Smith, i:i Detroit, on their reiusal to make I; a on'on one tíirouhout. The places ol ili ■ Brikers were ■'. i.li non-uiik)n men and a b.vcott was placed upon the góods of the flrm, whlch rei u'.thstandin,' the llroi emplovs anión as wdl as non-unlou mea. May 18 Beoda dockwollopers struck for an e of ten cents an hour, and got it. .''.:- 15 a disturbance occurred betwcen uuion auil non-unlon vessel loaders at Marqm-ttf, whleh iras amicabl} settlei!. May le lile fcprlngwells briekmakers struck airaint :i rednctlon of wages below those paid '■ : ■ 50 men rent out and tin: strike Iasted f uur liuys. It was lost, cxoeut ia two yards. The commlssioner was on the groan i dnrlnz th strike, :;i i as Btruck with the nuinbcr of saloons iloing business on the caminas of the brick yard worxer, ninety per cent of wnom were rolanders, Germans and Bohemiana. lie lays the troable to these, supplemented by BDeechej of men from Detroit, whieh w.r'r "generalij fringed with talk of u .foeialistie nature, lf not stronglycommunlstlc." June 6 Lan iDg trench diegeis strnck and rcceived au advance Ju.y fl oommeoced the rent Ëaglnair Valléj strike or ten hours work a day. To it-! history M r. Pond devotea thlrty-four ofthetlltyone pages In bis división. Tables of wi . u ■.iishci] by Pí''o:it-M-V( n mili and litteisrht .-uit block ovners. The total aumber sffected by the 'strike was 5,55t, the wages of all over l reara i: age averaglng $1.77 .i day, aud all ander löyeara if ae averaglnc 8 ,■ ■::;. o i-leven to clt-i-T :.jnl oni'-iuilf ïliu average for ::11 employea was 5I.5'Jaday. The loss lo th3 men trom the strike is placed al $385,014 lor sixiyne dayt 'I nesj in Jnly and August Th tiect of the strike on the niit'-i trners is iiven i-m gain, owing to t!:e inercasel ur:c; o i sall that the cessatlon o. ■i" u ;i :i caused. Whal the men los; n waes the mill-owners gained In bigher ricesforf elr manufactures. Commlssio '. nd cousiders tbac the trouble in the .-aui ïaw valley was broURht on by "politica! demt i whose sophistries the irorkins urn listened and wtre led astray. The "ajrltatirs," he Bays, 'aro not worsinemen; they arn no wagas; they ioined the ILnights oi .abor for tlicir own political purposes. The biblty or the long coatiauauca of enor idlenesa In the Saeinaw valley this suraner does uot laj uitii the mili workingmen, lor with tho mm ow Iers, nor vlththe Knihis if Labo der, but doe attach direcüy o the few 'profu-slonal pollticlaus' who, in Kuiijhts of Labor, were usíiilí heir plaee in the order in direct violatiou of he principies announced by its ereatest auhoritv." September 1 the shinglc mili employés of tfusecgon truc:; for ti n bours' noricand leven i andafteríour üayssucceded As the ten-tour law Was the cause of some f the strlkcS the report, after printlng the aw in f uil and calllng some of those irho re[Ulred tbeir me i to contract to traive the pro ■ iill 'oppressors'' of labor, tb' ■eport sa.í : 'Te.i hours o m inual la'jor is all bat auy man should be asked to uerform for a t'Ol'k, eare in cuses of neeessity;" but as are thonsands of wage earnera wbo ask .: houra fortbe suko oí estro pay," ommfssioucr thinka uo law ghould be nade that will prevent one worklng as long as 'íes. i'iimun.' of wage-workers as to their oniliti m shows that the average wa2;e-earner las tbi ej tnd a half pers dent apon iim for s jpport ; in one case iu elght the wife icljis to íüjipoitthe famih. II ■ recelvea l ffi lerday tt has been eniraeed In Lis present iccupation elght vears and elght montos, and i is iii'.u v. it!i bis present employerthree years lid pe mi Qt-hs He nrorks eleven hours a lay. He lost on account oí sieknesí lastyear öve andaquarter daya and spentílí.'.'rj o' tuctors' bilis for blmself au 1 famllv. N also lost elgbty-four and a half liy reasons of shut-downs, and ost in wagfti ior th:s t m ■ $1 1 7.'. llis earn ts. provlded De li:id been steadily employé I, Fould 1 (B 3T. It is an even chance ether or no he owns or reuts his liome. f h ■ im he i ayi uonth In rent; if ieown as HÊely not that the ilace ií mortgaflred. Hi.- rat of inti r 'ít is T.'Ji the amount of hi'■'■:■ 13. whUs tue value of bis nortgagv I , ro erty is $1,019 41. llln baa do nortgai'1 on li . place it Is worth 8947 91, or In ■ r.t 11. is about (100 better off than be fould be if bis property were mortsaged. llis ooi nlns mon'ha onl of ib ■ and If ii ■ bas li is way ai ou'. the matter oe n Iwtn y-three or ihem shall follow erage wageeam■r - i :■ istu I is , wiiiiv ability rt hls f auiily iu comfort. The chances ir ■ h i" '■! n lo i ne th :t i i1 h:is no accountat he bami, and eipht to one that he has no out at interest. Moreover, he is sadlv ' his Inablllty to lay ujp pon li í i ii in íiis ola age. The chaptor on farm labor, from reports Crom 613 oul i f 1,01(5 BupervlBora of townships, thal i e average wages pald farm labor, v.iih bi r . er month, ure fi r.07:wlUil.u: board, $2 . :i. Tae bighesi wlth board, 5-A): the lowest, 88. The hljfhest without ijoarl. owest, A17. 'Ibf! average rem cow and garden, : tla' biKhest -l : the low. witii board, average per day; witho-.r board, M.l-2; i'li ■ twats, withboai-J, $2.50; the lowest, t, without boarJ, $ii; the lowest, .! er.i'e tim ; refrutar labor Is emn a i i f.vo il iv.-. The er of f; ras in Mlchl an In 18i4 was 181,ot wbieh 7,179,02 aer ■■ wer ■ Improve 1. i ■ 6 ii Michigan compare with : u' i countrle. as Collows: Michif;au, 1. .ii. : Uaná la. lU0;En;aud. 111.53; í'.O.iy; fcotlf.nd, $12.4;; [reland, i ranee, $7.50; telglam, $'.90; Ausii a. Í9.10; Germany, .-!..); Russla, S4.57; Denmark, $'.75. These figures are with board. The figures on raUroad employés have bcfon Deen glven to the public, lifietly, the av;eta $47 10 per roonth, anl if an operator, $55 53; freight agent, $188 Si; tlckut, $J0 ït: train baggagemen, $47 12; 6t tion baagemen, $4145; Orakemcu, $17H4; superlatendent, $110 25; carpenter, . cashicr. $ÖÖ 18: civil enginctr. $138 H i coal beaver, 845; conductor, $T i 97; dining car I ii ; frêlght englneer, $0; passenuer er, $9J 25; ferry captain, f115; lin-man, cat bnlldcr, $1ÖJ 65; telegrapb tor, Sri BI : yardman, $"0 15. The seale oí wages as compared with those of Englxnd it as i8j is to $15, those Bgnres repretli pay "f railroad eneineers in IQcnïjjan and England. There wei B reported to the bureau the wages, mditlOD, hours of labor, natlvlty, il other infornmiou conceralng 102,995 alo and 11,5:; feotale employés, bi stdes the .1 s railroad tfien, :i (rand total of 8,045. 01 these 68,012 wcj-e rejxjrted by Bpecial canvassen, and 1,615 by 813 supervisors and forty'I lio sanitary oonditlon of iic ] ur ei n'. ol uil the manufacturnta in the state are reported 3or ; the h -urs of labor per day average ten uure and eight minutes, in i over lilty ].er :.t. erf thos.' employed in manafactorlDg laare of foreisn birtli. "Kroni thls 1O n_'. ' says the comnüssioner, "it would eem that youag ïneii of foreiga Irth are rapldly taking ilie place of nativo mericans in our manufaeturlng establishent;. averaste il "0 per day for males and ui: y-two cents for females over 16 ycars of K; ïiul tixty-tbree cents lor boys arul iortywi e.i en:.s lor ier day. 'lhose engagcd i lumber. Balt and shinglei average f 1 7'i per uv. i lióse i azafced In woolen avi rage $1 30 day. 'lhose i ii_r;i,'(il in pi;,' ir.m average 1 4ü per day. ïbe "proLected" Industries in average hisher ti:an "uuproteetetl" : s. The rtore order system is raptdly pass. on. y one per cent. of 41.0 t : emplovaid even In part by store orders. Of L mates reported 1S,1!7 were of forelgn blrtb. 14,505 were American born, wlille tbc naliritr oí 4,929 was not givon. The sanitary cendition of business house is much poorcr than tljat oL the manufaetories. The average ciay's irork is ten 1 ra and forty minutes. There are reported 96,053 em of bom 21,787 are males atul 895 témales; 20,882 males and 4,184 females are over 16 yi ars of aee, leavlng s;5 males and 1 1 1 femalea fóyearsol age ana under. Oí this; nnmber the I Ityol Detroit reporta 812 malea and fortyfour females, leeving hut 663 males and sixtysevcn females reDorted in the otlier filty places eanvassed. A bout threc and a third per cent. of thn whole nnmber are. but löyears of ase oí under, a very small proportlOD conaldexing the faet that the tables ïuelude a largo proportlon of clerus in stoi'63. The hlghest wages pald by anv business is paid t; employés u wnoleeale liquor stores, $30 Os per werk. The neit highest wages paid is to employés of banks: 34ö employés are reported ith wafes averaging $19 55 per week. Ofcarpenters and contractors employés there is reported 1S73, the largestj nomber reported by any one business, with an average trage of $11 78 per week. The average weekly wage pald throufthoui the state to male employés, in business otlier than manufacturlng over 1(5 years of ace as rep rle.l, is S10 8-1; témale emplores, $5 86; male employés 16 vean of age and under, $.i 7: female, C3 83." The tiüyone cities and towns covered by this report are lócate 1 Intblrty countles scattered through all parts ot the state, so thal the reports may be taken a? a fair showlng of the condition of the state at large.