Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]

This table shows the whole number of men employed at each mine, the whole number of days' work performed during the year, and the average daily earnings of the men compared with the whole number of days which the men presumably lived at the several places and for which it was necessary to provide subsistence out of the net earnings received. Former tables afford comparisons of the days of actual labor, with possible working time and with the running time of mines, but this shows the relation of wage-earning days to all days.

Reduced to totals and averages, the statement is that 5,356 miners devoted 538,691 days to labor, or an average of 100.6 days each, and that they earned an average of $2.23 each per day, while at work. During the period, however, in which these men were enrolled as employés at the several mines, there were in all 1,051,794 days, or an average of 196 days each, for which it was necessary to provide maintenance. Distributed over this period the actual earnings constitute an average daily subsistence fund of $1.14 to each. The usual variation, in this respect is observable, in the averages for the different mines, the highest of which is $1.46, and the lowest 92 cents; in the general tables following, much wider differences will appear as the experiences of individuals, to these reference should be made for all particulars which enter into this condensed generalization.

It has been shown in former pages that men in this occupation, as a class, have employment about two-thirds of full working time computed as 306 days in the year; from the foregoing it appears that this working time is only 51.2 per cent. of the actual number of days during which the miner must subsist, that is, 30 days in each month, or 365 days in the year; in brief that the earnings of one day must, on an average, maintain the miner and his family two days. The living days which enter into this computation embrace all the days in the months or parts of months for which the miner receives pay, as explained, page LVII, in another connection.

OTHER EMPLOYÉS.

The foregoing commentary and illustration has been confined to the peculiarities of employment among coal miners proper, to the exclusion of other employés about mines. These constitute a considerable class in the aggregate, the whole number on the pay-rolls examined being 2,607, or 32.7 per cent., of all those enrolled. This ratio, however, is doubtless somewhat more than normal for the reason that at several mines in this list there was an unusual number of laborers employed, both above and below, in work which was more in the nature of construction and development than of operation.

The same treatment and analysis has, however, been given to the earnings of other employés as to those of miners; each man's experience is given in detail in the individual tables, and in totals by months in the summary tables, and in groups by occupations in the recapitulation tables. In the latter, the number in each class is given and the total days of labor and the net earnings of the class as a whole, with the proper averages for the monthly and daily earnings of individuals. Reference should be made to these tables for the general results of employment among men other than miners. An epitome of the average daily earnings of these men in all the occupations is, however, presented herewith.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

This table shows the number of men in each class who have had employment in each mine during the year, and with the number is given the average daily earnings of each group. These figures are valuable only as an indication of the relative wages in different occupations and at different mines in the same occupations. For the rates of wages in each man's case, and consequently the extremes of wages and earnings, reference should be made to the more specific tables. It will be observed that not all the specified occupations in this table are common to every mine. This is owing to the variety of methods and systems of mining in practice at the different mines. It should also be understood that the numbers given as employed in each class may not have been, and usually have not been, employed throughout the year. On the other hand, the changes in this auxiliary force are frequent, especially among the least skilled. Thus, although there may have been 8, 10 or 14 mine bosses on the pay-rolls of a single mine during the year, the real number constantly on duty may not have been more than half those numbers. In order to discover the facts in this regard, it is necessary to refer to the record of the time these several employés were under employment, which appears in the individual tables. The same is true as to all other employés, and especially as to laborers. Connected with the first three mines there were, for instance, 493 laborers enrolled as under employment on the surface, and 388 as employed under ground during the year. By reference to the several recapitulation tables, it will be found that the whole number of days' work performed by these 881 men was 40,821, or an average of only 46.3 days each; yet the range of working days for different men is from six to all the days in the year. The second section of each of the summary tables shows the whole number of men employed during the year, and also the number employed each month, and thus indicates what number constitutes the constant working force.

The average daily earnings as presented in this table obscure the highest and lowest alike, and consequently can only be considered as averages for the number specified in each case; they should also be considered subject to the modifications shown in the tables of working time.

« ZurückWeiter »