TABLE No. 2. Cost of Living in New Jersey-Comparison of Average Retail Prices, per Article, Month of June, for 1913 and 1914. TABLE No. 3. Cost of Living in New Jersey-Comparison of Average Retail Prices, The Fruit and Vegetable Canning Industry of New Jersey-Pack of 1913. The magnitude of the canning industry of New Jersey, in comparison with the area under cultivation, is not surpassed elsewhere. The industry is an important and valuable aid to the agricultural interests of the State, in that it has created a profitable outlet for large quantities of a wide assortment of farm and garden produce which could not be so advantageously marketed in their natural forms. Wherever they are in operation, canneries have influenced the bringing of waste or idle land under cultivation, and the work incidental to the preparation and packing of vegetables and fruits affords an opportunity for a couple of months' employment each year for persons who would otherwise be idle. The industry has also brought about the upgrowth of other important lines of trade, such as the manufacture of tin cans, glass jars and metal caps therefor, glass bottles and packing cases. These industries, situated for the most part in the large cities. have grown with the growth of the canneries, and now provide steady employment for many wage earners in the factories and workshops of the State. Some of our largest canning establishments handle both vegetables and fruits and also manufacture the jars, cans and other material used in the trade, for which purpose there are specially equipped shops attached to the main plants, the employes of which work steadily throughout the year. All others work only during the canning season, which usually lasts from forty to sixty days. New Jersey ranks sixth among the States of the Union in the value of its vegetable and fruit pack, although in the value of general agricultural products our rank is very low, being only thirty-fourth. The States leading New Jersey in the value of cannery products are, in the order named, California, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois. The condition of the industry and the character and quantity of the pack in 1913 is shown in the series of tables which follow. The first of these presents a general summary of the business organizations of the industry, showing the capital invested, number of persons employed, total amount paid in wages, number of days in active operation during the year, and the selling value of the entire pack. These details are given on Table No. I for each establishment separately, and also for all establishments engaged in the industry. Tables No. 2 and 3 show the varieties and quantities of fruits and vegetables that were included in the year's pack. The following summary gives a comparison of the totals relating to the industry for 1912 and 1913. The increases and decreases are shown in absolute numbers and also by percentages. The above table shows an increase of five canneries in 1913 as compared with 1912. The capital invested in 1913 was $1,055,449, and $773,985 in 1912; the increase in 1913 was, therefore, $281,464, or 36.4 per cent. This increase is due principally to the increase in the number of canneries and also to the enlargement of several of the old establishments. The numper of persons employed was 309, or 6.2 per cent. greater in 1913 than it was in 1912. The total amount paid in wages shows an increase of $43,989, or 9.8 per cent. in 1913 as compared with 1912, and the season's earnings of employes show an average increase of 3.4 per cent. for the same period. The selling value of the season's pack shows a decrease of $20,876, or 0.8 per cent. as compared with the season of 1912, and the aggregate number of days in operation shows a falling off of 206 days, or 6.1 per cent., which means that the increase |