Page:Wages in US 1908-1910.djvu/43

Rh. New Jersey and Kansas, in the collection and tabulation of average and classified wages. Until some uniform system is widely adopted, any accurate answer to the question, "What wages are paid?", will be impossible. The statistics of a few States may be discussed, with inferences for the remainder of the country, but this method is always unsatisfactory. The crying need is for uniform statistics from so large a group of representative industrial States that an accurate determination of the wages paid,—hence of the probable social status of the workers,—will be possible.

The three following chapters will include a detailed study of the wage statistics in the States furnishing classified wage data. In so far as these statistics are comparable, deductions will be drawn from all of them. In any case, however, the statistics from each State permit of definite conclusions for at least that limited area.