CHARTS EXHIBITED AT THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION. In connection with the exhibit of the United States Department of Labor at the Pan-American Exposition a number of charts were prepared, showing in graphic form certain data taken from its various reports. These data consisted chiefly of statistics relating to the average daily wages in certain cities of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Belgium, from 1870 to 1896, inclusive, in selected occupations, published in Bulletins 18 and 22 of the Department; those relating to the number of strikes from 1881 to 1900, inclusive, number of establishments involved, number of employees thrown out of employment by reason of the same, amount of wage loss of employees, amount of assistance rendered them by labor organizations, and amount of the employers' losses, published in the Sixteenth Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor; those relating to relative money wages, hours of labor, wholesale prices, and relative real wages (that is, wages measured by wholesale prices), from 1840 to 1899, as compared with the same in 1860, these data (except those for relative real wages which were computed for the chart) being based on figures collected by the Department and published in a report of the Senate Finance Committee, entitled "Wholesale Prices, Wages, and Transportation," and on the figures relating to prices and wages, published in Bulletins 27 and 30 of the Department; and those relating to the statistics of cities of the United States of 30,000 population and over, published in Bulletin 30 of the Department. The Department has been in receipt of many inquiries relating to these charts and of many requests for copies of the same. In order to supply this demand and because of the interesting character of the charts and of the data covered, it has been determined to reproduce the most important of them here. All of the charts described above, therefore, are given herewith, with the exception of those relating to the statistics of the cities of the United States of 30,000 population and over, these latter having been omitted because of the fact that a later compilation of such statistics has already appeared in Bulletin 36 of the Department. It has been thought well to furnish, in connection with the charts, the figures upon which they have been based. The following tables are therefore presented, with such explanation as is deemed necessary to a complete understanding of the same. The titles of these tables, which immediately follow, and each of which bears a number corresponding to the number of the chart to which it pertains, are Table I.-Strikes ordered by labor organizations and others, establishments involved, and employees thrown out of work, 1881 to 1900. Table II.-Wage loss of employees, assistance to employees by labor organizations, and employers' loss in strikes, 1881 to 1900. Table III.-Relative money wages, hours of labor, and wholesale prices, and relative real wages (wages measured by wholesale prices), 1840 to 1899, as compared with the same in 1860. Table IV.-Average daily wages (gold) in certain cities of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Belgium, 1870 to 1896. The charts follow immediately after the tables and in the same numerical order. TABLE I.-STRIKES ORDERED BY LABOR ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHERS, ESTABLISHMENTS INVOLVED, AND EMPLOYEES THROWN OUT OF WORK, 1881 TO 1900. a Not including the number in 33 establishments for which these data were not obtainable. TABLE II.-WAGE LOSS OF EMPLOYEES, ASSISTANCE TO EMPLOYEES BY LABOR ORGANIZATIONS, AND EMPLOYERS' LOSS IN STRIKES, 1881 TO 1900. TABLE III-RELATIVE MONEY WAGES. HOURS OF LABOR. AND WHOLESALE PRICES, AND RELATIVE REAL WAGES (WAGES MEASURED BY WHOLESALE PRICES), 1840 TO 1899, AS COMPARED WITH THE SAME IN 1860. Data (except relative real wages) for 1810 to 1891 are from statistical data collected by the Department of Labor and published in "Wholesale Prices, Wages, and Transportation," a report of the United States Senate Finance Committee; those for 1892 to 1899 are from Bulletin of the Department of Labor, Nos. 27 and 30. Relative real wages were computed for this table. Wages, hours of labor, and wholesale prices in 1860=100.] According to the above table, relative money wages in 1860 were 100 and in 1861 were 100.8; relative prices, which in 1860 were 100, in 1861 were 99.6. As with the advance in wages there was a slight fall in prices, in order to understand thoroughly the meaning of these figures it is necessary to determine how much of a gain in purchasing power in the average wage this gain of money wages and the small decline in prices represent. If wages had remained unchanged and prices had fallen to 99.6 the purchasing power of wages would be represented by 100 divided by 99.6, or 1.004. That is to say, every dollar of wages that in 1860 would have purchased a dollar's worth of articles would in 1861 purchase $1.004 worth, as compared with 1860. But in 1861 relative money wages advanced to 100.8, a gain of eight-tenths of 1 per cent. Their relative purchasing power would then be represented by 100.8 (the relative wages) multiplied by 1.004 (the purchasing power of each 1)=101.2032. That is to say, the average of 1861 would purchase 1.2032 per cent more than that of 1860, and may therefore be regarded as the real gain in wages over 1860. The other figures of the column "Relative real wages" were obtained in the same manner and may be interpreted in the same way. TABLE IV.—AVERAGE DAILY WAGES (GOLD) IN CERTAIN CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND BELGIUM, 1870 TO 1896. |