Agricultural Labor

The annual report of the Commissioner of Labor, now in the hands of the state printer, treats largely on farm ndustries and farm labor, both out-door and domestic. From advance sheets kindlyfurnished by the Commissioner we are enabled to give our readers some reliable statistics concerning farm labor in Michigan. A thorough canvass was made of this class of labor in all the counties in the lower península, of course the largest amount being in what is known as agricultura! counties. The schedules prepared for this work contained thirty questions, wbich were classified as to 1. Residence, nativity and social condition. 2. Relative to work. 3. Relative to wages. 4. Relative cost of living. 5. Relative to homes. G. Relative to immigration, etc. 6. Relative to membership in fraternal organiza tions and insurance. NATIVITY. In all, there were 5,G00 male laborers canvassed, the answers showing that of this number 3,219, or 57 per cent., were American born, Germán, English, Canadian and Irish being next in their order, the four named being only 31 per cent. of the whole. There are 22 other nationalities represented, but the aggregation only foots up 12 per centRegarding this feature of the report, the statistics are very interesting to the dent of political economy. SOCIAL COXDITION. Average age of the 5,G00m years ."0.6 Married I 2,468 Single 2,964 ■Viíowed 148 Not answering 20 Families who have children 1,963 "amilies who have no children 5:4 fmnber of adulta 5,247 Sumber of children 5,088 Average number of children in families 2.(1 Total number supported by the 5,600 13,155 A.S TO WAGE8. Xumber of the 5,000 who vork by the day 1,188 Xumber who work by the month 4,412 Average wages by the day $ 92 Average wages by the month - 17 84 Number who receive extras : House rent 1,189 Fuel 1,029 3ow pasture 876 Team work 1,080 Garden 1,251 INCBJSASE AND TIECREASB OF WAGES. STumber of the 5,600 who say wages have decreased in the past five years 3,395 Number who report decrease in past year 3,568 Average per cent. of decrease in live years 1.3.7 Average per cent. of decrease in past year 13' Only five per .cent. of those canvassed report an increase in either period and very Jight at that. Very few report that wages have remained the same. EARNINGS. The 5,600 report their total earniugs last year $l,01S,388 00 A n average for each 181 85 Xumber who reported money saved last year-2,537 Amount saved $ 196,891 00 Average for each person- 77 67 Xumber who say they can earn more tlian enough to support their families--2,984 This includes a large per cent. of unmarried men who support a mother or sisters and brothers. About one-half of those canvassed say they cannot earn enough to support their families. i'AYMENT OF WAGES. Df the number canvassed, 40 percent, say they get their pay on demand ; 35 per cent. say they are paid monthly, the other 25 per cent. report that wages are paid at periods varyiug from yearly to daily. LOSS OF TIME. Xumber who lost no time last year 1,522 Xumber who lost time last year 4.078 Forty per cent say that work is scarce in winter, while sixty per cent report they flnd no scarcity. Of those who lost time, iorty per cent say it was from "lack of work," while sixty percent give various other causes, from "sickness" to "indisposition." With low wages and so great á loss of time, it is wonderful how these men are found self supporting, often laying up money. COST OF LIVING. Less than five per cent of those canvassed report the cost of living as increasing in the past year or past five years, while 35 per cent report a decrease of 14 per cent in five years and 30 per cent say living has decreased over 10 per cent in the pastyear. Many of those canvassed report "no cliange," but it ia evident that there has been a decrease, averaging about 15 per cent AS TO TIMES. Of the whole number canvassed, 81 per cent say that times are mueh worse than theyjwere five years ago, while the same number report that they are still worse than they were one year ago. Very few (less than two per cent) report any improvement in the two periods. From these answers, it must be recoglized that "times" are bad for this ;lass of laborers and notgrowingbetter. OWNEBSHIP OF HOMES. It is found tliat but 1,005 of the 5,G00 anvassed own their own homes and ;hat one-half of these are encumbered. The rate of interest paid averages only 3ix per cent, but witli taxes, insuranee ind repairs it is evident that the aver ige farm laborer rather rent a home than to own even a humble one. Those who rent houses only pay an average of f2.59 permonth, which is certainly alow rent for almost any kind of house. RELATIVE TO IMMIGEATION. Of the 5,600 canvassed 3,466 say that immigration injures their occupation, while 1,529 say that it does not, and 650 give no answer. This indicates that 62 per cent consider immigration detrimental to their interests, while 27 per cent think itis not. About 11 per cent are indifferent to this question. A large per cent of those who most emphaticallv denounce foreign immigration were foreign born. In this respect the immigrant very quickly assimilates with bis American condition and is most thoroughly Americanized. Of the foreigners, 250 give wages in their native land by the day at an average of .$0.55, and 937 say that the average wages by the month at their old homes was $10.15. In answer to the questiou "Are conditions better here than in your native land for saving money?" 1099 say they are, while 3157 think not. As regards saving tlieir earnings, 588 say that laboring men are as saving here as in their native land, while 845 say they are not. It should be borne in mind that these questions were asked and answers fiiven when all classes of labor were passing through the most serious depression this country ever saw. FRATERNAL OKGANIZATIONS -NNI) XSURA.NCE. Only 828 of the 5,600 canvassed report as belonging to fraternal organizations, and of these only 576 carry life insurauce in said organizations. This insuranee aggregates $726,140.00, an average of $1,246.67 each. In addition to this, 249 report a sick benefit, averaging $3.09 per week. Of the entire 5,600 only 43 report carrying any other life insuranee, the aggregate being an average of only $1,384.00 each. It will be seen that but a small per cent. of farm laborers in Michigan belong to anij fraternal organization and a still smaller per cent. avail themselves of the opportunity to carry life insuranee. There are several causes that lead to this phase of their social and economie condition. The language of the Commissioner on this important subject is worthy of serious consideration. "As compared with other classes of labor, those who work on the farm do not connect themselves with fraternal organizations. This is obvious for several reasons, mainly the distances from lodges and the long work hours farmers are often subject to. Another important item shown by the above is that farm laborers are less inclined to carry life insuranee, either in fraternal organizations or otherwise, than other classes of citizens." nik