Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/385

 ECCENTRIC OFFICIAL STATISTICS 371

This being so, the workers reported in 1880 as from ten to fif- teen years of age included all child workers up to sixteen years of age, while the workers included as from ten to fourteen years of age were, in fact, all workers up to fourteen and a half. This is a difference of a year and a half, instead of a year, as Colonel Wright has estimated, and the half year difference is one that includes much the largest proportion of workers.

From the Massachusetts factory inspector's report for 1890, it appears that the total number of workers under sixteen years of age found in the establishments inspected that year was 9919, and that of these 8263 were from 14 to 16 years of age, while the number under 14 amounted to but 1656. This is a proportion of almost exactly I to 5. For the year 1891 the number reported was, under 14, 1489; from 14 to 16, 9864; this is a ratio of 6.6 to I. We have, therefore, this proposition: If workers from 14 to 1 6 outnumber workers under 14 5 to I, what proportion would workers from 14^ to 16 bear to workers under 14^?

By the figures of the Massachusetts report it appears that workers from 14 to 16 are five times as numerous as workers under 14. Yet Colonel Wright has added to the number reported as 14 and under (603,013) but 257,773 to represent the number as he supposes from 14 to 15.

As we have already shown the number 603,013 reported in 1890 is the number under 14^ while the number reported in 1880, 1,1 18,356 practically includes all workers under 16 (it cannot be supposed that there was a significant number of workers at either lOor IO}4). If the proportion of children found inthe factories of Massachusetts be considered as representative, instead of adding 2 57.773 to the 603,013 reported in 1890, Colonel Wright should have considerably more than doubled that number. Even if we assume that workers under 14 equal workers from 14 to 1 6, as is the exceptional case in Fall River, we still should be unable to discover the decrease which Colonel Wright has figured out.

Fall River can, however, hardly be assumed as representative for the whole country, it certainly is not representative for Mas- sachusetts for we find the proportion of children from 14 to