Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/187

 FACTORY LEGISLA TION FOR WOMEN IN CANADA 1 73

The shocking brutalities practiced upon the employes in Brit- ish factories in the early part of this century have no parallel in Canadian history. The factories here have grown up gradually, and at no time has there been a literal emptying of the country into manufacturing towns, as was the case in New England forty or fifty years ago. Manufacturing industries in Canada are on the increase, as is seen by examination of the censuses of the last three decades. Small industries are continually springing up, and the number of large ones has greatly increased. The actual increase for the Dominion for the last twenty years is as follows :

Year

187 1 1881 1891

Number of establishments

49.731 75.968

Value of articles produced

5221,617,773 309,731,867 476,258,886

Number employ^

187,942 254,894 370.256

The census of 1871 does not give the number of establish- ments, and the figures for that year are for only the four original provinces. Since confederation there has been a steady growth of factories. The growth has been rapid, too, when we consider the population of the country and its increase during the same period, which is as follows :

Year

I87I I88I - 1891

Population 3,635,024 4,324,810 4.833.239

The increase in the twenty years has been about 25 per cent. (.24+). The increase in the number of factory operatives for the same time is just double (.49-!-); an increase certainly well worthy of attention ; and when we consider that a large propor- tion of these operatives are women, the importance of studying protective legislation becomes evident. There were in 1 89 1 — and the numbers have not since decreased — 75,968 industrial estab- lishments, employing 370,256 workers; of these 70,280 were