Show 1 WAGES ARE HEAVIER R 4 11 I 1 I 1 11 I 1 I 1 I 1 TEXT OF NEW YORK LABOR commissioner li PECKS REPORT I 1 c r i 1 1 I 1 an investigation designed to expose the I 1 weaknesses of the mckinley lw raw ha ira precisely the opposite effect A political Doom erang charles F peck commissioner of I 1 labor for new york state has issued his annual report A largo part is devoted to figures of interest in relation to tho the tariff in order to prove whether protection tec tion as advocated by one political party or tariff for revenue only would prove of advantage statistics have been gathered to show in every industry in the state the increase or decrease of production and comparative increase or decrease in wages mr peck says the period covered by investigation includes the year immediate immediately ay prior to the enactment of what is termed the mckinley billand bill and the year immediately following its becoming law that is the data upon which the report has been made was for tho year commencing sept 1 1889 1880 up to and including aug 81 1890 and the year commencing sept 1 1890 up to and including aug the methods employed to secure the necessary data were almost entirely 1 1 those of the blank system it was not V the original purpose nor is it now pretended that the data and statistics presented present any but purely wholesale manufacturing establishments to have undertaken to cover the retail and custom manufacturing establishments of the state would have been a physical and financial impossibility some blanks were addressed and mailed to as many separate establishments throughout the state and of this number or 75 per cent were returned fully fally and correctly answered from the tables it appears that there 0 was a net increase in wages of 02 in the year 1891 as compared with tho the amount paid in 1890 and a net increase of production of GS in the year 1891 1391 over that of 1890 A simple analysis of this table further demonstrates the interesting fact that of the sixty seven industries covered 77 per cent of them show an increase cither either of tho wages wa or product or both and that there were no less than instances of individual increases of wages during the same year while the industries are but sixty seven in number the total trades represented amount to 1121 and give employment to workingmen and women of the sixty seven industries included 75 73 per cent of them show an at increased average yearly bamin earning 9 in the year 1891 while the total average increase of yearly earnings of the employees was 2311 the average increase of yearly earnings of the employees in the fifty one trades showing an increase was in 1891 as compared with 1890 in addition to tho the investigation of this special subject the bureau has continued its annual investigation of all labor disturbances occurring in the state during the past year the total number of strikes reported for the year 1891 was as against occurring in the year 1890 a decrease ds creaso of 1739 of the total number 2373 2375 or 53 per cent I 1 of them wen were lu iu the building trades a fact that to follow in natural sequence the results obtained in the special investigation of tho the effect of the tariff on labor and wages the report closes as follows it has been my experience as I 1 doubt not it has been that of every statistician more or less that ono one often finds himell tempted unconsciously perhaps to pursue an investigation with a view to establish a preconceived theory how often failure and positive discomfiture follow I 1 can safely leave to those who have engaged in tho the fascinating study of statistics to the true statistician however uninfluenced by social or political con side rations the profession is an enviable one and carries with it duties andre and responsibilities of the highest order to him theories are as nothing without facts to support them they become misleading and therefore worthless facts and truth are what he be seeks and having possessed hl himself of them he places them hard aad rind cold as they oftentimes are before tho flie public satisfied that ho haa has done but his duty and thereby attained his highest ambition |