The total number of adult employees of high-grade skill is given as 2,818 males and 1,329 females. The nationality of the males is noted as 57.4 per cent foreign born and 42.6 per cent American born; of the females 16 per cent are noted as foreign born and 84 per cent as American born. The weekly wage of the greatest number of adult male employees in this highgrade class ranges from $14.00 to $28.00, eleven firms out of eighteen reporting wages ranging from $15.00 to $18.00; for females the range is from $6.00 to $11.00, twelve of the eighteen firms reporting wages from $9.00 to $12.00. Seven firms report employees under 16 years of age with a total of 60 males and 37 females.

A total of 66 males and 14 females employed under 18 years of age are reported in the low-grade class of whom 51 males and 8 females are 16 or 17 years of age. The preferred age for beginners in this class ranges from 14 years to 25 years for males and from 14 years to 18 years for females; out of eleven firms reporting for males five give 16 years and two give 18 years; for females out of nine firms reporting six give 16 years. The weekly wage paid such beginners ranges from $3.60 to $12.00, for males, and from $3.00 to $7.00 for females; for males nine firms out of twelve reporting give wages from $4.00 to $8.00; for females five out of nine firms reporting give wages from $4.00 to $5.00. The average time required for male beginners to gain full wages in low-grade work ranges from two months to three and one-half years, nine firms of the thirteen reporting one to two years; for females the range is from two weeks to three and one-half years, seven of the ten firms reporting six months to one year. Five firms report that employees of low-grade skill have opportunities to advance to high-grade work and eight firms report the contrary.

Eight firms report apprentices or beginners under 18 years of age that are being trained for work of high-grade skill with a total of 60 males and 40 females. The preferred age for such male beginners varies from 14 years to 19 years and for females from 14 to 18; of the fourteen firms reporting for males six give 18 years and three give 16 years the preference; of the fifteen firms reporting for females six give 16, three give 17 and three give 18 years. The weekly wage paid such beginners during the first year varies from $4.00 to $12.00 for males and from $1.50 to $6.00 for females; out of twelve firms reporting for males seven give $4.00 to $6.00; for females nine out of fifteen firms reporting give $4.00 to $5.00. The time given for apprentices to reach full wages in high-grade work is reported as from two years to six years for males and from six months to 5 years for females; out of fourteen firms reporting for males five give three years, three give two years, and three give four years; for females nine out of sixteen firms reporting give one year.

One firm reports that all and four that a majority of their skilled employees are trained in their own establishments; seven firms report that all and six that a majority of such employees are obtained from other sources; these other sources are reported by six firms as trade unions, by three firms as advertising and by three firms as application. Six firms report that they have difficulty either in obtaining or training skilled employees; eleven firms report no difficulty.

Three report that the apprenticeship system meets the need for skilled employees in their business; thirteen firms report the contrary. Eight firms report that the reason the apprenticeship system does not meet the need is

because of restrictions of the number of apprentices allowed by trade unions; one firm reports the inability to retain apprentices until they have finished their apprenticeship as the cause. Eight firms state that the restrictions of number of apprentices by trade unions prevent them from employing as many apprentices as they would otherwise employ; eight firms report that they are not affected by such restrictions; three firms report that they are employing the full number of apprentices allowed by union rules; three firms report in the negative.

Seventeen firms representing 4,932 employees report that the efficiency and future opportunities of their employees would be increased if they were given a training between the ages of 14 and 16 in a general public industrial or preparatory trade school which should aim to give a knowledge of materials, shop mathematics and fundamental industrial methods, and some ideas of industrial organization but not teach a special trade; one firm representing 550 employees answers this question in the negative. Nine firms representing 3,042 employees state that practical day trade schools, giving a specialized training of one year or more after the age of 16, would help to meet the problem of skilled employees in their business; nine firms representing 2,440 employees answer this question in the negative. Representatives of thirteen firms state that in their judgment last mentioned schools could be advantageously administered by the State or community at public expense and operated on a non-commercial product; representatives of four firms answer this question in the negative. Representatives of four firms state that in their judgment such schools would be practical if conducted by industrial establishments or a combination of such establishments and operated on a commercial product; representatives of thirteen firms answer this question in the negative. Nine firms report that practical evening, or part time, trade schools would be of value in helping unskilled workers, or those of low-grade skill, to advance to positions requiring high-grade skill; nine firms answer this question in the negative.

LAUNDRIES (NOT CHINESE),

Girls start at various small duties such as box making, collar opening, string cutting, shirt tying, bundle opening, and shaping. From box mending girls generally go forward to the machine department. Collar openers and string cutters advance into the starch or the collar departments. Those starting at shirt tying and bundle opening may progress into marking and sorting and those beginning at shaping often take up mangle work later on. In many establishments about half of the beginners in the skilled branches of the business are recruited in this way and about half are taken in somewhat older and started directly upon the machines.

Boys are not as a rule employed in inside work in laundries. The washing is performed by men who begin as adults.

It is the practice in laundries to work certain days longer than others and to pay for the total number of hours per week.

Much shifting of help, particularly in the lower grades, occurs in laundries. Certain figures presented at the end of the returns were obtained upon this point.

Returns were obtained from thirty-nine establishments, eighteen of which are in New York City and twenty-one in other parts of the State. The largest number of persons employed in the manufacturing departments of these establishments during 1907 was 1,344 males and 4,305 females.

The regular hours of work on full days vary from nine hours to eleven hours, twenty-six firms giving ten hours. The average number of hours per week is reported from forty-five to sixty hours, twenty-one of the thirty-nine firms reporting give totals falling in the group fifty-five to sixty and seven firms give fifty hours.

The total number of unskilled employees 18 years of age or over is given as 244 males and 1,142 females. The nationality of the males is noted as 27.5 per cent foreign born and 72.5 per cent American born; of the females 25 per cent are noted as foreign born and 75 per cent as American born. The weekly wage of the greatest number of these male employees ranges from $4.50 to $12.50, sixteen of the twenty-three firms reporting wages ranging from $7.00 to $10.00; for females the range is from $4.25 to $8.50, twenty-two out of the thirty-three firms reporting give wages from $5.00 to $6.00.

The total number of adult employees of high-grade skill is given as 842 males and 3,079 females. The nationality of 824 males is noted as 28 per cent foreign born and 72 per cent American born; of 3,015 females 23.9 per cent are noted as foreign born and 76.1 per cent as American born. The weekly wage of the greatest number of adult male employees in this highgrade class range is as follows: washers, range $7.00 to $25.00, twenty-one out of thirty-four firms reporting wages $12.00 to $16.00; for females the most common wages are as follows: markers, range $7.00 to $12.00, fourteen out of nineteen firms reporting wages $7.00 to $8.00; mangle feeders, range $4.00 to $8.00, nineteen out of thirty-two firms reporting wages $5.50 to $6.00; starchers, range $6.00 to $13.00, fifteen out of thirty-five firms reporting wages $7.00 to $8.00; ladies' clothes ironers, range $6.00 to $11.00, sixteen out of twenty-three firms reporting wages $7.50 to $9.00; inspectors, range $6.00 to $25.00, nineteen out of thirty firms reporting wages $8.00 to $10.00; bosom ironers, range $6.00 to $12.00, nineteen out of twenty-four firms reporting wages $7.00 to $9.00; neckband ironers, range $5.00 to $12.00, sixteen out of twenty-six reporting wages $6.00 to $7.50; finishers, range $6.00 to $19.00, sixteen out of twenty-six firms reporting wages $7.00 to $9.00; sorters, range $5.00 to $12.00, eighteen out of twenty-four firms reporting wages $7.00 to $9.00.

Twelve firms report employees under 16 years of age with a total of 6 males and 21 females. The effect of the law that went into operation October 1, 1906, relating to the hours of employment of boys and girls under 16 years of age is reported as follows: Sixteen establishments not affected; ten establishments have discharged employees under 16 amounting to 17 boys and 28 girls; four establishments have ceased to employ children under that age.

A total of 24 males and 270 females employed under 18 years of age are reported in the low-grade class of whom 18 males and 252 females are 16 or 17 years of age. The preferred age for beginners in this class ranges from 15 years to 21 years for males and from 14 years to 18 years for females; out of twenty-two firms reporting for males seven give 16 years and seven give 18 years; for females out of thirty-four firms reporting fourteen give 16 years and nine give 17 years. The weekly wage paid such beginners ranges from $3.25 to $10.00 for males, and from $3.00 to $6.00 for females; for males twelve firms out of twenty-two reporting give wages from $6.00 to $9.00 and six firms give $4.00 to $4.50; for females thirty out of thirty-six firms reporting give wages from $4.00 to $5.00. Thirty-four firms report that employees of low-grade skill have opportunities to advance to high-grade work and no firms report the contrary.

Males numbering 219 out of a total of 219, and 867 female employees (83 per cent) out of a total of 1,042 in the unskilled class are reported as having been in employment in the respective establishments for two months; 185 male (84.5 per cent) and 813 female employees (73 per cent) are reported as having been in the establishments six months; 650 male (84.2 per cent) and 2,400 female employees (85 per cent) in the skilled class are reported as having been in the respective establishments for six months; 542 male (69.1 per cent) and 2,062 female employees (73.1 per cent) are reported as having been in the establishments one year.

Two firms report that all and twenty-eight that a majority of their skilled employees are trained in their own establishments; three firms report that all and four that a majority of such employees are obtained from other sources; these other sources are reported by eleven firms as advertising and by five firms as application. Twenty-two firms report that they have difficulty either in obtaining or training skilled employees; thirteen firms report no difficulty.

Eighteen firms representing 2,783 employees report that the efficiency and future opportunities of their employees would be increased if they were given a training between the ages of 14 and 16 in a general public industrial or preparatory trade school which should aim to give a knowledge of materials, shop mathematics and fundamental industrial methods, and some ideas of industrial organization but not teach a special trade; eleven firms representing 1,471 employees answer this question in the negative. Twenty firms representing 3,376 employees state that practical day trade schools, giving a specialized training of one year or more after the age of 16, would help to meet the problem of skilled employees in their business; thirteen firms representing 1,249 employees answer this question in the negative. Representatives of twelve firms state that in their judgment the last mentioned schools could be advantageously administered by the State or community at public expense and operated on a non-commercial product; representatives of fourteen firms answer this question in the negative. Representatives of eleven firms state that in their judgment such schools would be practical if conducted by industrial establishments or a combination of such establishments and operated on a commercial product; representatives of fifteen firms answer this question in the negative. Seventeen firms report that practical evening, or part time, trade schools would be of value in helping unskilled workers, or those of lowgrade skill, to advance to positions requiring high-grade skill; fourteen firms arswer this question in the negative.

8. CIGARS AND CONFECTIONERY.

CIGARS.

The methods of making cigars vary greatly according to the grade of product. As a rule expert cigar makers are not trained in the factories of New York City. They come from Cuba, Florida and the other cities of New York and other States. The highest grade of cigars is made by what is termed Spanish hand work. In this work after the tobacco leaves the hands of the stripper, one man fashions the entire cigar. These men have learned their trade in Cuba and are highly skilled. No system of training beginners prevails in the factories making this grade of product. In the manufacture of cheaper cigars the work is carried through by teams, the members of which perform certain of the necessary operations. The processes involved in all cigar making are as follows: After the tobacco leaves have been dipped and moistened they are transferred to the several kinds of strippers who remove the stems. These strippers are considered as low-grade workers and are mostly women and girls. There are filler strippers, binder strippers and wrapper strippers, the last being the superior workers in this class. Wrapper bookers, who are women, are next in order of skill. Workers in the foregoing branches may advance from one of these grades to another, but they seldom progress beyond this inferior class. They become dexterous in less than a month. The work of the selectors comes next. These are men in some cases and in others women, who are, perhaps, the most expert workers in the trade. It is their duty to choose the material for the cigar makers. Fillers and binders go to the bunch makers, who are skilled workers and who inclose the fillers with the binders. Thus bunched the cigars go to the rollers, who are also skilled workers and who place the wrappers and finish the product. Suction machines are used to roll cigars of ordinary value. To every bunch maker there are two rollers, both in the hand and machine work. When finished cigars are assembled into bundles and sent to the packing room. Packing is a very important part of the industry. From three months to a year is required to become a skilled packer. Young men and women at least 17 years of age are employed as beginners in this branch and are not paid wages