these earnings is of utmost importance to the efficacy of the law. The following method is prescribed by the act: The actual earnings of the person injured, as determined by the books of the concern, for the year preceding the day of accident are divided by the number of days of actual employment, and the quotient is multiplied by 260 (the average number of working days in a Russian factory) for establishments which are in operation the entire year. In establishments operated normally only through a part of the year, the computation of the annual earnings is made by allowing the average daily earnings for the possible number of working days during the period of operation, and for the difference between 260 and that number the average daily wages for unskilled labor in that locality. Where payment in kind (food and lodgings) constitutes a part of wages, 20 per cent of the money wages is added for lodgings in addition to the actual cost of the food supplied. Where the labor contract does not include any money wages (minors, apprentices, etc.), the calculation is made on the basis of the average local wages for unskilled labor, which are determined every 3 years by the local factory inspectors, for the various age periods, namely, children (12 to 15 years), youths (15 to 17 years), and adults (over 17 years).

By a very important provision the yearly payments of pension may be replaced by a single payment of a sum equal to ten times the amount of pension, if both sides agree.

The following method of determining the degree of injury and amount of compensation or pension due is outlined in the law: The police and factory inspectors must be notified of every accident without delay. Record is taken of every accident by the police, and evidence furnished by the employer or his representative and the injured person, if he be alive. A medical opinion is required as to the extent of the injury and disability. The physician must primarily testify as to the accident within the first four days after its occurrence. The termination of disability, the establishment of permanency of the disability, its degree, the termination of medical treatment, the dependence of a subsequent death upon the injury-all these facts must be set forth in the medical certificate. Either party has the right to the services of the police or municipal physician. In cases of failure to supply the necessary information or to keep required records of the accidents, the employer is fined 25 to 100 rubles ($12.88 to $51.50) for each offense.

Each agreement as to the amount of compensation or pension is drawn up in form of a contract and approved by the factory inspector, who has the right to withhold his approval if he finds it does not conform to this act. It is also the duty of the factory inspector to give the necessary explanations as to the provisions of the act, and enlighten the

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injured workingman or his relatives as to their rights in the matter. Evidence must be furnished to the factory inspector by either side, if demanded, for the elucidation of their rights. If, however, the two sides do not come to an agreement, the factory inspector draws up the "protocol" containing the facts relating to the accident, and his conclusion as to the amount of lawfully due compensation, and the injured person may proceed to collect damages by suit according to existing legislation. Such appeals to the courts are discouraged, however, by the provision of the new law, denying the right to collect costs (1) if the case is carried to the court without presenting it to the factory inspector, or before the final protocol has been issued by the inspector, and (2) if the compensation granted by the court does not exceed the amount offered by the defendant. Guardians must be appointed to represent the interests of minors. Any private agreement, if not certified to by the proper authorities, does not destroy the right to demand compensation according to the provisions of this act.

The compensation in cases of temporary disability must be paid at the same intervals as wages are paid. Pensions for permanent disability must be paid monthly. Every six months evidence must be furnished by the beneficiary of his being alive; in case of a widow also evidence of not having married again. For delay in payment of pensions, interest is added to the amount due at the rate of 1 per cent per month. A new medical examination may be demanded every three years by either of the parties to the contract to determine if any changes have taken place in the degree of permanent disability.

The individual employer or the corporation is responsible for all the payments under this act, but reinsurance in any of the authorized Russian insurance companies is permitted, and this reinsurance transfers the responsibility from the employer to the company, which latter must be sued in cases of disagreement.

The act further provides for cases of voluntary or forced liquidation of private enterprises. When a private enterprise intends to wind up its affairs, the payment of all the compensations and pensions must be guaranteed either by reinsurance, or payment of the amounts due into some Government banking establishment. In cases of bankruptcy, the claims under this act constitute a preferred claim upon the assets.

Only the essential provisions of this act have been here indicated. The new law has been acknowleged by the Russian press to be vastly superior to previous legislation. At the same time many shortcomings of the law are pointed out. First, it applies to factory and mining workers only, i. e., does not include either agricultural wageworkers or employees in transportation or commerce. Moreover, the Russian law draws a distinction between workingmen in "factories" and in small industrial establishments (domestic, etc.), while neither term.

is very accurately defined. As a result many industrial workers are also excluded from the protection of this law. The adjustment of claims is practically intrusted to factory inspectors or other official bodies, whose power may not always be wielded in favor of the workingmen, yet the desire to avoid litigation will force the workingman to accept any terms the proper authority recommends. The most serious objection is the insecurity of the payment, as the employer's financial standing may be uncertain and failures are frequent. The most important Russian organ, Russkya Wedomosti, therefore insists that the new law, though much better than the old law, is yet much inferior to a well-regulated system of State insurance.

The very first months of the action of the new law seem to indicate, however, that the compensation act will approach a system of insurance, though private. The manufacturers in Moscow, Lodz, and other industrial centers are reinsuring their workingmen in the authorized insurance companies in order to free themselves from the responsibility, others are organizing mutual insurance funds for the separate trades. In this manner trade liability is being substituted for individual liability.

RECENT REPORTS OF STATE BUREAUS OF LABOR STATISTICS.

CONNECTICUT.

Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the year ending November 30, 1903. Wm. H. Scoville, Commissioner. 489 pp; Appendix, 67 pp.

The subjects considered in this report are as follows: New factory construction, 27 pages; statistics of manufactures, 149 pages; description of manufactories, 162 pages; labor organizations, 23 pages; strikes and lockouts, 90 pages; free public employment bureaus, 14 pages; labor laws, 61 pages.

NEW FACTORY CONSTRUCTION.-Under this head is given a list of buildings and additions erected during the year ending July 1, 1903, to be used for manufacturing purposes. Location, material, dimensions, and cost of construction are given for each new structure; also increase in the number of employees caused by building. In 40 towns. of the State 101 manufacturing establishments reported having constructed 185 new buildings and additions to existing structures, at a total cost of $2,367,214. The additional number of employees pro vided for by 45 of the 101 establishments was 3,628.

STATISTICS OF MANUFACTURES.-This part of the report consists chiefly of three tables showing, by industries for 860 establishments, the number of employees, number of days in operation, total wages paid, average annual and daily earnings, value of products, percentage of labor cost of value of products, and percentage of other expenses and profits. These items are reported for the years 1902 and 1903, and, except for the last two items, there is given the percentage of increase or decrease for the latter year. Summaries and analytical text are also given. A summary of the more important data for the fiscal year 1903 is presented in the table following.

960

STATISTICS OF MANUFACTURES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1903.

[The figures in the columns for average number employed, average days in operation, amount paid in wages, and gross value of product do not in each case represent the full number of establishments shown for the various industries, but only those reporting as to the individual items. The average annual earnings are based upon the average number employed and the wages paid in those establishments only which reported these items in 1902 as well as in 1903.]

The manufacture of carriages and carriage parts shows the highest average annual earnings per employee, viz, $709.90, while the manufacture of corsets, on the other hand, shows the lowest, or $308.23.

Statistics of identical establishments for 1902 and 1903 show the following comparisons: For average persons employed, 1903 shows an increase over 1902 of 8 per cent; for average days in operation, 1903 shows an increase over 1902 of 0.4 per cent; for average annual earnings per employee, 1903 shows an increase over 1902 of 2.3 per cent; for amount paid in wages, 1903 shows an increase over 1902 of 10.5 per cent, and for gross value of product, 1903 shows an increase over 1902 of 8.4 per cent.

DESCRIPTION OF MANUFACTORIES.-Under this head are presented illustrations and descriptions of 73 representative manufacturing establishments of the State. Accompanying the descriptions of the different plants is a brief summary, taken from the Twelfth United States Census, of the volume of business done in manufacturing in the various towns wherein the establishments described are located.

LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.-In 1903 there were 591 organizations known to have been in existence in the State. During each of the prior four years the number that reported to the State bureau was as follows: 214 in 1899, 270 in 1900, 340 in 1901, and 510 in 1902. Organizations were found in 43 towns in 1901, in 48 in 1902, and in 49 in 1903. lowing the statistical presentation is a list of the unions, grouped by towns, with the name and address of the secretary of each.

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