Monroe Street. Investigation No. 3. Visited just before 12 o'clock May 25, 1914. Mother found at work but no children. Visited premises again at 4:30 P. M. same day. Found Frank aged 12, assisting his mother by sewing buttons on pants. Visited shop of owner of goods at Market street. Name of firm is Frank brought us to the shop. Found a daughter of Mrs. working in the shop, and instructed her as to what her mother must do in order not to violate the law. Warned firm that a violation of law would mean prosecution. Investigation No. 4. Visited .... Bedford street at 3 P. M. In home of the one complained of Bedford Street. family no flowers have been done since last visit. Previous employer refuses to furnish any work as house is not licensed. This is apartment No. 10. Investigation No. 5. Cherry Street. Visited premises at 11:30 A. M. May 25, 1914. Found mother, Mrs.... at work cutting rugs. No children at work. Visited premises again May 26, 1914, at 4 o'clock. Mrs. was not at work and neither were children. They were found playing in the street. Investigation No. 6. Monroe Street. on May 25, 1914, a and sister-in-law, who Visited .. Monroe street, home of Mrs. little before 12 o'clock noon. Found Mrs. lives in the same apartment, finishing pants. No children found at work. Visited premises again about 4:40 P. M. same day. Found Concetta 141⁄2 years old finishing pants. Mother had gone to shop. Claims she works every day between three and four hours, and one-half day on Saturday. Father is dead. Three children in family. Gets $1.50 every Saturday morning from some organization at Attends P. S. No. 1, Oliver and Catherine streets, and is in 7-a grade. The name of the firm supplying pants is of .... Division street. Visited this firm May 26, 1914, at 2:30 P. M. Warned them of violation, of children working, and of prosecution in case offense is repeated. assisted by two In the same house, apartment No. 16, found Mrs. children, aged 14 and 12 years respectively, finishing pants. Girls both attend P. S. No. 1. Father is a shoveler, earning $8 per week when employed. This is the first week employed for many weeks as he has been ill. Five children in family. Two girls work every day and half day on Saturday. Mother averages about $5 per week. To make up income, two boarders live with family. They pay ten cents a day each for privilege of bed and laundry. Rental for apartment, $16.50 four rooms. Visited employer, at.... Jefferson street, and warned him of child labor violation, and that a second offense would mean prosecution. Investigation No. 7. Visited premises of Lewis street. family on May 25, at 10:30 A. M. No work of any kind found in house, and girl at school. Visited P. S. 110 on Broome street and found that girl was attending school regularly. Visited premises again May 26, 1914, at 3:45 P. M. Found no work of any kind going on. Mother was sitting in yard crocheting and taking care of baby. We felt that tagging and seizing goods where children were found at work, would hardly have served our purpose, so instead we warned all employers of existing violations. Respectfully, (Signed) Factory Inspectors. This year there has been a marked decline in home work and workers when compared with preceding years, notably this last year. In 1913, 10,985 licensed tenement houses were inspected, in which 20,083 persons were found at work. This year (1914) in 11,950 licensed tenement houses inspected, there was found only 16,893 persons at work. Last year (1913) 1,134 shops (stores, etc.) found in the 10,985 licensed tenement houses gave employment to 3,266 persons including the proprietors, while this year (1914) in the 11,950 licensed tenements we find only 1,015 such shops employing 2,664 persons. Last year (1913) 13,187 living apartments were used for work in the Greater City alone, in which 16,714 persons were found employed. This year (1914) we find in the whole state but 10,564 living apartments where work was going on, and a total of 14,195 persons employed. In 11,950, the houses inspected this year, 142,893 separate apartments were looked into. These figures include the stores and basements used under section 100, and all apartments used for living purposes, but do not include the investigation of 3,823 applications filed for new licenses. In going over this question year after year, I have often wished this bureau was invested with greater research power. Few subjects connected with industrial occupations in this state, have received so much thought, or have been given such notorious publicity as the subject of factory employment in the tenement house, and no state, city or other place in the United States has had given to it the adverse notoriety accorded to New York City on this subject, and especially the East Side of the city. May I take the liberty to suggest in connection with this thought, the propriety of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of this Department making a complete investigation and survey of this subject in this state. Such an investigation has never been attempted. In my judgment the work would prove of vast public interest if the inquiry embraced all of the ramifications of home work and the industries employing home workers, the number of women, married and single, children under 16 years of age, men, married and single, factory or nonfactory employment in the home, and variety of the articles made, sanitary and other conditions of the premises used, prices paid, earnings of the workers, employment, seasonal or steady, and the extent in each industry of this form of employment and other matters that were found to be of correlative importance to the inquiry, such as native or foreign born persons engaged in the work, together with the different races to which the workers belong. Such an inquiry should not be narrowed to the tenement house alone, but should embrace home work done in the dwelling house as well. It would be of great industrial interest to all of the people to know what effect homework has on factory employment and factory products. There are societies in this city and state who I feel sure would gladly give the Department all possible aid in conducting an investigation and inquiry of this character. It affords me much pleasure and satisfaction to be able to report that the aid given me by the inspectors working under my direction has been satisfactory in all respects during the year. The efficiency of field service would be largely enhanced if more inspectors were added to the staff already assigned to this division of the Department's work. Respectfully submitted, DANIEL O'LEARY, Chief, Division of Homework Inspection. (3) REPORT OF DIVISION OF MERCANTILE INSPECTION Hon. JAMES M. LYNCH, Commissioner of Labor: SIR. The report of the Division of Mercantile Inspection for the year ending September 30, 1914, is herewith submitted, to which is appended tables showing in detail the work of the Division. Work of the Division of Mercantile Inspection At the close of the year we completed the sixth year's work of the Mercantile Division; the work for the past year shows a large increase over that of the previous year. This increase is due to the additional number of inspectors assigned to the Division about the first of January, 1914. Although the force of inspectors was increased the enactment of section 8-a, known as the day-of-rest law, greatly enlarged our responsibility by imposing the duty of enforcing that law in the mercantile establishments throughout the state. This has created for the Division a task almost impossible, with the number of inspectors available for the work. Complaints During the fiscal year 1913-1914, we received 913 complaints. Of this number 556 were anonymous and 357 were signed by the persons making the complaints. In every instance where the names and addresses of the persons making the complaints were furnished, the Division communicated with them and they were informed as to the result of our findings. Investigation of complaints shows 447 sustained and 466 not sustained. An examination of the appended table of complaints will show that 259 were in relation to violations of section 8-a, the "Day of rest law"; 130 relate to the employment of children under fourteen years of age, 116 to the employment of children without employment certificates and 82 relate to the hours of employment of children. There were 225 complaints relative to the hours of employment of females over sixteen years of age. The various subjects on which complaints were made are shown in the appended table. Child Labor The experience of the Mercantile Division since its organization in 1908 demonstrates that the child labor problem is still with us, |