Excerpt from Eleventh Biennial Report of the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics: State of Wisconsin, 1903-1904

The Statistics of Manufactures which has been one of the features of the reports of this Bureau for some years past have been continued in the present report, although not exactly upon the same basis as formerly. In the past these statistics have consisted of comparisons from year to year of the facts collectetl from identical establishments. But for the present report such comparisons are out of the question. The reason for this is that we have been nu able to replace the reports or data for the preceding year which were destroyed in the late fire. The sta tistics of manufactures presented in this report cover only one year, that of 1903. While the fact that the figures for one year only are included tend to lower the importance of these statiflr tics, but the shortcomings from this source is in a measure made up by the fact that the figures as to earnings and employment in the present report are more complete than in the past. The schedules upon which the original data are collected have been revised. In their present form they require detailed reports upon the rate of wages, hours of labor, and time of employment of every person employed for wages. To obtain even fairly complete returns of this character is a difficult matter. It was made possible in this case by a system of classifying the em ployees according to the rate of wages and the hours employed. Under this method it is possible to obtain detailed data with little if any more labor thanthat required to obtain the weekly earnings alone under the old method. Under the former method classified weekly earnings only could be presented. Under the present method it is possible to present in detail the facts as to wages and employment for each person, as well as the classified weekly earnings. It is believed that these changes in our manufacturing statistics will lead to much more satis factory results all around.

This report also contains a study of the growth of leading in dustries and their location in this state. This part is based upon the reports of U. S. Census and upon data collected by this Bureau. It deals chiefly with the importance and growth of the various industries and with the advantages of location which are offered by the various industrial centers. There has been a rapid development of nearly all the industries in this state and there is a. Constant demand for information concerning them as well as for the chances of finding favorable locations for new enterprises of various kinds. This part of the report will in a measure serve as a reply to such inquiries, and although it was manifestly out of the question to go into all the details it is hoped that this part will be of some value to those who seek in formation along such lines.

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