PREFACE

It is a matter of interest to students both of economics and politics to trace the widening sphere of action of the American States in relation to labor. Something over ten years ago I had occasion, in a paper read before the American Historical Association,' to call attention to the fact that, whatever might be the general decline in importance of the individual commonwealths of our Union, a very great extension of their activities had taken place since the Civil War in respect to matters relating to the economic interests of their citizens. This intervention, as was then shown, was not in the way of the direct performance or even the promotion of works of public interest, but rather in the creation of boards, bureaus and commissions, having for their purpose, either the investigation and publication of economic conditions, as is done, for instance, by boards of agriculture, geological surveys, and bureaus of statistics of labor, or the supervision of particular lines of industry, such as banking, insurance, transportation, and factory and mine work.

This movement for the extension of state action has continued with unabated strength during the past decade in all the lines of activities there considered. In none, however, has this intervention advanced with greater rapidity, or proceeded further, than in that relating directly to conditions. under which labor shall be performed. This action may be divided into two distinct classes; that in which the intervention of the state is limited to the mere enactment of laws in relation to labor, and that in which the state itself undertakes, through the executive branch of its government, to

'State Activities and Politics.

perform certain work. The scope of the present chapters is restricted to a consideration of only the second class of these activities, namely, those wherein the state itself assumes the performance of certain duties. The general title of "state activities," rather than state action, in relation to labor has been selected, though it cannot be said that this choice of words adequately conveys the distinction that is made.

The substance of the pages that follow has been previously published in one form or another. The chapter relating to the inspection of factories was first published as a report to the International Congress in Relation to Labor Legislation, Brussels, 1897, and afterwards republished in Bulletin No. 12 of the U. S. Department of Labor. The one on inspection of mines appeared as a chapter in "The Mineral Industry: Its Statistics, Technology and Trade, 1896," and it is desired here to acknowledge the kindness of Mr. Richard P. Rothwell, its editor, in permitting its use in this place. These two and the other papers also constituted numbers of the series of "Monographs on American Social Economics," edited by Prof. Herbert B. Adams and published by the Department of Social Economy for the United States Commissioner to the Paris Exposition of 1900.

It is thought that a useful purpose will be served in bringing these papers together in a single monograph, as they cover in a fairly complete way the action of the American States in a distinct line of effort. All the papers, it should be said, have been rigidly revised with the purpose of eliminating unnecessary matter, bringing the information to date, and making it harmonize with the scope of the present monograph.

STATE ACTIVITIES IN RELATION TO
LABOR IN THE UNITED STATES

CHAPTER I.

BUREAUS OF STATISTICS OF LABOR.

To the United States belongs the honor of having first created an official bureau for the special purpose of collecting and publishing statistical information in relation to labor. The first official action looking toward this end is to be found in the report of a special commission of the legislature of Massachusetts, February 6, 1866, which among others things, recommended "that provision be made for the annual collection of reliable statistics in regard to the condition, prospects and wants of the industrial classes." In the following year, January 1, a second commission unanimously recommended "that a bureau of statistics be established for the purpose of collecting and making available all facts relating to the industrial and social interests of the Commonwealth." In pursuance of these recommendations Massachusetts created the first bureau of labor statistics by a law dated June 22, 1869.

The example of Massachusetts, which had thus led the way, was soon followed in 1872 by Pennsylvania, and in 1873 by Connecticut. Since then the number of states maintaining such bureaus has constantly increased until at the present time there are 29 states with such offices. In addition to these a number of states have created bureaus, a part of whose duties is apparently, according to provisions of the laws creating them, the collection of statistics of labor. As they have, however, done little or nothing, as yet, in the