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SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 



An analysis was made of the data furnished to the manufacturing Census 

 of the United States in 1919, which showed that, even in that country 

 of large enterprises, the home of the Trusts, most businesses still operate 

 single establishments. Grouping of establishments under one control, 

 extending from groups of two to groups of over a hundred establishments, 

 accounted for only about 1\ per cent, of all the establishments operating. 

 The large groups which make possible a strong personal leadership in 

 industry must therefore account for a very small percentage of all the 

 producers. The persistence of the producer of small or moderate size is 

 still a marked feature of modern industrial organisation. The following 

 analysis of the facts may be taken as a basis of the present position. It 

 refers to manufacturing industry, exclusive of what are called ' hand and 

 neighbourhood (or local) ' industries, such as the village blacksmith. No 

 establishment is included which did not have a product worth 5000 

 dollars in a year. The basis of this comparison from 1909 to 1923 is the 

 number of persons employed per establishment. 



In this distribution the number of the smallest establishments in 1923 

 is inflated by the change in prices, which would bring within the range 

 of the Census a large number which would otherwise have been below the 

 5000-dollar limit. Allowing for this, the persistence of establishments of 

 moderate size is notable. 



The average size of establishment in that country, when allowance is 

 made for changes in classification, has increased since 1899 as follows : — 



the figure for 1923 being, in view of the classification and of prices, too 

 small. 



