REPORT.

In presenting the Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor, I desire, before entering upon the details of the work accomplished during the year, or any discussion of the questions treated in the investigation into the subject of child labor, to submit a few suggestions in regard to the law by which the bureau was established, and under which its Commissioner is empowered

to act.

The result of the investigation of the question of convict contract labor, made during the first year of the bureau's existence, forcibly demonstrated the inadequacy of the law to fully empower the Commissioner to comply with its intent, and spirit, without coming into direct and unpleasant conflict with the supposed or real rights of that class of citizens to which he must look for the figures, facts and statistics vitally necessary to an intelligent completion of his work.

Realizing, therefore, the great importance of having the law so amended as to obviate any such trouble a second year, I prepared a carefully drawn “amending clause" imposing a fine upon any resident firm or manufacturing company doing business in the State who should refuse or neglect to fill out the blanks sent them by the bureau, or who should knowingly give an untruthful answer to any of the questions contained in the same.

After consultation with several members of the Senate, as well as with a number of those of the lower house, this bill or "amending clause" was introduced in the Assembly at an early day in the session, referred to the judiciary committee, and although frequently assured that it would be reported favorably, and at an early day, it never was so reported, and the Legislature adjourned without any action whatever being taken.

As a result and in addition to leaving the bureau with the embarrassments of the first year to re-encounter, this failure on the

part of the Legislature in fact resulted in delaying the work of the present year for nearly five months.

And right here, I would most respectfully call the attention of your honorable body to the fact that the laws under which the bureaus of a similar character in the States of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Missouri act, all contain a clause such as I endeavored to have engrafted on that of our own State last winter

an outline of which I have already given; and I am informed that such clause was only added to the laws in these several States, after experience had proven it necessary to an efficient performance of the duties of the office.

I need hardly remind your honorable body, that the duties of the Cominissioner of this bureau are in a large measure and to a great extent very much the same as those imposed upon the Secretary of State in taking the census; and while he is called upon but once in five years to perform this particular work, section 2, chapter 356 of the Laws of 1883, makes it the duty of the Commissioner "To collect, assort, systematize and present in annual reports to the Legislature, within ten days after the convening thereof in each year, statistical details relating to all departments of labor in the State, especially in relation to the commercial, industrial, social and sanitary condition of workingmen, and to the productive industries of the State."

In his inaugural address, Governor Rice, of Massachusetts, thus referred to the Bureau of Statistics of Labor of that State :

"The Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of the Statistics of Labor (1875) contains in its introduction the following suggestions and recommendations: If it is desirable to continue investigations regarding labor, commerce, the industrial, social, sanitary and educational conditions of life in all respects, then the organic law under which the bureau works should be broadened and power adequate to its desired usefulness be given it.' The great utility of a department of statistics is readily comprehended, and the success of the decennial work of 1875 furnishes new evidence of the need of a thoroughly organized department.

"The difficulty in our method in this State at present arises from the existence of so many offices, each seeking statistics of various kinds, and each making investigations of various subjects often akin in nature and resulting in two-fold work. I am led to believe that if the kindred work of several of these bureaus were consolidated into one general bureau of statistics, and put under one head, it would

result in increased efficiency, and considerably diminish the expense as compared with that of separate organization."

Such an amendment, I am satisfied, would not only facilitate the work, but would also materially reduce the expense now necessarily attending the collection of statistics for this bureau; it would also insure far greater reliability and thus enhance the value of the annual reports as books of reference and recognized authority. The only value to be given to statistics of any character must of a necessity depend entirely upon their absolute correctness; and I respectfully submit, in view of these facts, whether an amendment, such as suggested, should not be promptly made by the Legislature?

In this connection I would call the attention of your honorable body to the further fact that, in the State of Massachusetts, the work of taking the census was a number of years since placed in charge of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor, thus relieving the Secretary of State of a duty that at best he could know but little about, and intrusting the important work in the hands of an official whose duties of office necessarily made him familiar with statistical work of that character. The result of the change, I am informed, has worked most satisfactorily, and the census of that State, taken under the supervision of Hon. Carroll D. Wright, Commissioner of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor, is universally conceded to be the most complete and valuable one ever issued of Massachusetts, and to excel in systematic detail and arrangements of statistics any work of similar character in the United States; and I would most respectfully suggest, if the proposition meets the approbation of the Legislature, whether the present time would not be most opportune to pass a bill making the desired change and intrusting the work of taking the census of 1895 to the Commissioner of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor.

There are many and strong arguments that could be presented at this time in favor of such a change, a number of which no doubt will readily present themselves to the minds of your members, and I will not here burden you with their recital.

And still another suggestion.

After much study, and as the result in part of frequent consultation with men of acknowledged high standing, I am led to submit, if, indeed, not to urge upon the Legislature the passage of a bill, making it the duty of every manufacturer doing business in the State to report annually to the Bureau of Statistics of Labor:

female

female

....

with

13. Number of skilled male employees 14. Average weekly wages paid skilled and unskilled male and female employees.

If such a bill could be passed and enforced, its results would be of almost incalculable value to this bureau; it would enable the Commissioner to annually present a series of statistics relating to a large proportion of the industries of the State; and if made to include county and town clerks, the bureau would have placed in its possession additional statistics concerning nearly every class of labor It would result, too, in reducing the expenses of the bureau, and in many other ways facilitate the whole machinery for carrying out the intent and spirit of the law.

It may be urged in opposition to the enactment of such a measure that the information sought is of too inquisitorial a nature and that it would be in direct conflict with the last sentence of section three of the organic law under which the Bureau of Statistics of Labor acts, i. e.: "And no witness shall against his will be compelled to answer any question respecting his private affairs." But I am certain that a careful study of the real scope and nature of the questions propounded will demonstrate that such objection would not hold good; and as an answer to a similar position taken by some of the manufacturers to whom the blanks of the bureau have been sent, I have replied that, lest there should be any apprehension on the part of manufacturers that answering any of the questions in the blanks might be prejudicial to their personal or business interests, I desired it to be distinctly understood that the bureau would preserve the strictest confidence with all correspondents and informants; and