Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/640

 626 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

also tended to increase the amount of wages as compared with 1880, and secured a more complete return of the officers, firm members, and clerks and their salaries." This is a correct theoretic comparison of the two sets of questions. The actual number of employes and the amount of wages that were reported in answer to the detail question of 1890 and that would not have been reported if the identical question of 1880 had been used, are only a matter of conjecture. An exami- nation of the original reports of 1880 reveals the fact that, to some extent at least, officers, firm members, and clerks, as well as other employes, were reported indiscriminately and one lump sum given as wages for all. It, therefore, would be impossible to say how many, or what proportion of the wages, reported in 1890 should be excluded in order to make an exact comparison with 1880, and manifestly improper to apply an estimate to correct either set of figures so as to satisfy our ideas as to what the true conditions are.

The totals for the two censuses are the results of inquiries designed to develop the same facts ; they contain the same elements, and were compiled in many respects by the application of identical methods, and their presentation side by side with the detail figures for 1890 and the full explanatory text given in the final reports are beyond criticism ; certainly the charge that they were designed to mislead cannot be substantiated.

It is asserted that the presentation of $484.49 as the average per capita wages for all classes of employes, or $444.83 as the average for the employes exclusive of officers, firm members, and clerks, in comparison with $346. 91 for all classes in 1880, is erroneous ; also that the division of the total wages by the average number employed is not the correct method of obtaining the average wages.

The comparison with 1880 is not affected by the method of obtaining the average, because that was the same at both cen- suses. We have seen that all classes were included in 1880, but as the question used in 1890 may have developed a more complete report of officers, firm members, and clerks, this class