Page:Walter Renton Ingalls - Wealth and Income of the American People (1924).pdf/41

Rh number attached to each of the industries, these figures being as follows:

Industry 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 Construction..... 957 -910 845 -902 956 Hand trades .... 925 887 -893 -850 831 Factory.......... -958 943 941 968 950 Steam railway... .963 -981 963 -990 989

1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 Construction. .... 782 816 -960 974 959 Hand trades ...._ .930 875 914 941 979 Factory.......... 910 877 968 976 960 Steam railway.... .874 856 947 989 989

Out of the above data the matters that concern us chiefly are those that throw light upon manufacturing and transportation, for we have otherwise specific figures for the production of the farmers and miners. Dr. King indicates an increase in the factory workers from 8,430,000 in 1913 to 10,580,000 in 1918. On the other hand there was a decrease in the number of builders from 1,482,000 in 1913 to 758,000 in 1918. His estimates of percentage of employment do not indicate anything very striking, about 95 per cent of the factory workers having been employed in 1913 and 96 per cent in 1918. His figures for the builders conform in a general way to the statistics of building construction, although they seem to be rather premature, for the great decline in building did not begin until after 1916. The increase in the number of factory workers corresponds roughly with the decrease among the builders. As building waned, those men went to work in the factories and shipyards.

The above data while giving us some ideas about the number of persons working fail to throw any light upon the quantity of their production. Now, it is