Department Publications 1902. THE GROWTH OF INDUSTRY IN NEW YORK (678 pages). 1904.- MONOGRAPHS: I. Typical Employers' Welfare Institutions, by G. A. Stevens and L. W. Hatch (30 pages, 4 illustrations). II. Labor Legislation in New York, by A. F. Weber (30 pages). III. The Work of the Department of Labor, by A. F. Weber and L. W. Hatch (42 pages, with tables and charts). IV. The Growth of Industry in New York, by A. F. Weber (60 pages and charts.) No. I is made up of material from a fuller report of 107 pages on the same subject in the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor for 1903. No. IV is based on the larger report of 1902 above noted. Separate Bureau Reports Prior to 1901 State Factory Inspector: Of the fifteen annual reports (1886–1900), there can be furnished only those for 1898 and 1900. Board of Mediation and Arbitration: Of the fourteen annual reports (1887-1900), only that for 1900 can now be supplied. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Of the eighteen annual reports (1883-1900), there are still available those for 1890 (2 vols., 1,187 pages), 1891 (2 vols., 1,190 pages), 1892 (2 vols., 1,087 pages), and 1895 (2 vols., 1,256 pages). Proceedings of Associations Proceedings of the annual conventions of the International Association of Officials of Bureaus of Labor: Fourteenth (1898), Nineteenth (1903) to Twenty-sixth (1910). Proceedings of the annual conventions of the International Association of Factory Inspectors of America: Seventh (1893) and Fourteenth (1900) to Twenty-third (1909). New York Labor Bulletin Published Quarterly by the State Department of Labor. Vol. XIII, No. 2. ALBANY, June, 1911 Whole No. 47 Unemployment. EDITORIAL SUMMARY. Returns from all labor organizations in the state, representing 475,000 members, show that in the first three months of 1911 there was considerably more idleness than in the corresponding months of 1910. Thus 9.8 per cent of the members were reported as idle continuously during the quarter in 1911 as compared with 7.3 per cent in 1910, while 20.3 per cent were returned as idle on the last day of March, as against 16.1 per cent in 1910. Again, the average number of days worked by those not continuously idle was this year 65.1 for men and 63.7 for women, or two days less than in 1910, when the averages were 67.3 for men and 65.8 for women. The returns as to causes of idleness at the end of March make it very clear that the greater idleness this year was due entirely to a lessened demand for labor. Thus while the number of members reporting was not quite one-third greater this year, there were nearly twice as many returned as idle for "lack of work," with less one-half as many idle because of labor disputes and with little change in numbers idle for other causes. The greatest increases in idleness this year are found in the building and metal trades. In the clothing trades also an increase of idleness appears but not nearly so large. The other two of the five largest groups of organized trades, transportation and printing, are notable as showing less idleness this year than last. As compared with earlier years the percentage of continuous idleness was lower this year than in years prior to 1910 back to 1897, except 1902 and 1903 and 1905 and 1906. On the other hand the percentage of idleness at the end of March, though lower this year than in 1908 anl 1909, was higher than in eariler years except 1897, 1898 and Wages and But while there was less work this year, the returns show that wages were maintained at fully as high a level as last year, and the indication is that, speaking generally, the wages of organized labor ruled somewhat higher this year. The average per diem earnings for over 378,000 male members this year were $3.26, which is the highest on record for the first quarter of the year, $3.18 for 1910 being the highest previous record. In comparing these averages. however, allowance must be made for a disturbing factor in an enormous increase of very nearly 50,000 in number of members reporting. But an index number of per diem earnings, computed for 45 leading trades with over 200,000 members reporting and by a method which to some extent eliminates the disturbing element of changes in number of members reporting, also shows the highest point on record for 1911, being 125, or two points above the previous high record of 123 for 1910, the average for the years 1899, 1900 and 1901 being taken as 100 for these index numbers. But while wage rates were thus as high or somewhat higher, the considerably less favorable state of employment served to reduce quarterly earnings below last year's figures. Thus the general average for male members stood at $213 for the first quarter of 1911 as against $214 for 1910, while an index number for quarterly earnings, like that for per diem earnings and which for similar reasons is probably a better general indicator of amount of change, stands at 123 for this year as against 124 for last year, which was the highest on record except for the year 1906, when it was 126. Labor From the end of September, 1910, to the end of Organizations. March, 1911, the number of organized wage earners in the state increased from 481,924 to 495,770, the number of unions increasing by 40 in the same period. The total gain of 13,846, which thus carried the union membership to within less than five thousand of the half million mark, was principally in New York City where there was an increase of 11,585 members. Buffalo unions gained 1,817 members, but no other city gained |