126 TWELFTH REPORT. 



what the weak and what the strong ones are. And in other cases some 

 knowledge on this i)oint may avail ns nothing in tliat it would be im- 

 possible to estimate what part of the product whose price has risen is 

 assignable to the known union. It goes without saying that mere abso- 

 lute numbers, notoriety, etc., are scant evidence of strength. It is nec- 

 essary to turn aside for a moment to pick our strong and weak unions. 



In the report of the Commissioner of Labor for lOOG there are sundry 

 tables concerning the number, extent, and success of strikes by States 

 and by industries for the years 1881 to 1005. On page 33, for example, 

 a table shows the percentages of strikes ordered by labor organizations 

 by industries. I find 'that in a considerable number of ijidustries a large 

 })ercentage of strikes is not ordered by such organizations.^ This proves 

 nothing for my purposes, it is true. It does not indicate much as to the 

 strength of any particular trade organization in some cases, and is not 

 conclusive in any case. It merely affords some presumption as to the 

 average control of trade unions in a whole industry for a series of 25 

 years, — control over the declaration of strikes. 



The result is virtually identical if the percentage of establishments 

 affected by strikes declared by organized labor be taken rather than th^ 

 number of strikes. 



But other tests remain. What proportion of the employes went out on 

 strike when ordered by labor organizations? i. e., how inclusive were 

 the unions? I. find that the list of low percentages is almost identical 

 with the list judged to be weak on the preceding basis. Perhaps 8 of 

 the industries indicated as weakly organized by the preceding test show 

 greater strength- ; while 4 industries would be added to the weak list.^ 



I turn to another table which shows the results of the strikes ordered 

 by labor organizations during the same 25 years. On the whole there is 

 a very striking similarity in the indications as to strength and weak- 

 ness. The result of applying the new test is that a question mark must 

 be placed after 5 out of the list of 32 suspected of weakness on the i>re- 

 ceding bases;* while one additional industry shows weak labor organiza- 

 tion in a large percentage of strike failures (strt. ry.) 



^Agriculture. Iron and steel. 



Brass and brass goods. Leather. 



Brick and tile. Lime and cement. 



Canning and preserving. Lumber and timber products. 



Car building. Mining, ore. 



Carpets. Paper and paper goods. 



Coal and coke. * Pottery. 



Cotton goods. Railroad, canal and road building. 



Cutlery, etc. Railroad transportation. 



Freight handling and teaming. Rubber goods. 



Gas. Silk goods. 



Glass. Smelting and refining. 



Hardware. Tobacco, chewing and smoking. 



Hosiery and knit goods. Woolen goods. 



^Agriculture (69%). <^°^ «i" ^wo others.) 



Brick and tile (72%). •''Boots and shoes. 



Coal and coke (76%). Foundry and machine shop. 



Freiglit handling and teaming (63%). Slaughtering and meat packing. 



Lumber and timber (55%). Stoves and furnaces. 



Mining, ore (57%). 



Silk goods (51%). 



Smelting and refining (53%) — the last two are obviously not strong. 



■•flosiery and knit goods. 

 Lumber and timber products. 

 Paper goods. 

 Pottery. 



Tobacco, chewing and smoking. 

 However, 91% of strikes in hosiery, etc., were "unorganized" and 61% of (lU strikes 

 failed. Taking all strikes, 49% failed in lumber, which is above the average, and paper 

 goods and pottery are only average in success on the same basis. 



