CODEBOOK AND USER'S MANUAL: TWO INVESTIGATIONS OF THE INDUSTRIAL DEPRESSION IN CONNECTICUT, 1894 AND 1895 REPORTED IN THE TENTH AND ELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE CONNECTICUT BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Version 2.1 July 16, 1993 Susan B. Carter Roger L. Ransom Richard Sutch Hongcheng Zhao Historical Labor Statistics Project Institute of Business and Economic Research University of California Berkeley, California 94720 This codebook is a preliminary draft. The data described here and accompanying this version of the codebook is still in a preliminary format and may contain errors. Those wishing to use this data for research purposes should check with the authors for an update. Neither the collectors of the data or those sponsor- ing the data collection wish to bear responsibility for the use to which others may make of this data. The financial support of the National Science Foundation, the All-UC Group in Economic History, and of the Institute of Business and Economic Research and the Laboratory for Historical Research, both of the University of California, is appreciated. For further description of the Historical Labor Statistics Project, discussion of the social, economic, and political context in which the data were collected, and an assessment of data quality, see Susan B. Carter, Roger L. Ransom, and Richard Sutch, "The Historical Labor Statistics Project at the University of California," Historical Methods 24 (2) (Spring 1991): 52-65 and Susan B. Carter, Roger L. Ransom, and Richard Sutch, "Doing the Wright Thing: Carroll Wright and the State Labor Statistics Movement." Paper Presented at the Conference on Historical Labor Statistics, Lawrence, Kansas, June 1991. Suggested Citation: Susan B. Carter, Roger L. Ransom, Richard Sutch, and Hongcheng Zhao. Codebook and User's Manual: Investigations of the Industrial Depression in Connecticut, 1894 and 1895; Reported in the Tenth and Eleventh Annual Reports of the Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics. University of California Berkeley: Institute of Business and Economic Research, 1993. TWO INVESTIGATIONS OF THE INDUSTRIAL DEPRESSION IN CONNECTICUT, 1894 AND 1895 To ascertain the effects of the industrial depression of 1893-94, the Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics carried out two large-scale surveys of manufacturing concerns in the State. The first survey, begun in September 1894, was an attempt to measure the severity of the decline. The Connecticut Bureau sent questionnaires to 500 large firms, requesting detailed informa- tion on employment, wage payments, the value of production, days in operation, and hours per day for 1892; average monthly output and as in operation over the period June 1893 to August 1894, and monthly data on employment, hours, and wages for each of the fifteen months in the depression period. Firms were also asked to report changes in wage rates between June 1, 1893 and August 31, 1894. The survey was limited to large establishments which, "because of their size, were presumed to have accounts which would facilitate the filling out of the schedule." [1] An overriding concern for accuracy is evident in the Burea- u's discussions of questionnaire design, sample selection, and tabulation. The introduction to the first survey noted: Monthly conditions were asked, rather than a general statement, in the belief that thereby a closer approach to accuracy could be made. The mental depression caused by the industrial depression might unconsciously result in exaggerated conclusions. At the best, the answers to general questions, covering the period of the depression, would be mentally and hastily deter- mined averages, perhaps underestimating or over-esti- mating the actual results. But a statement of monthly conditions demanded care, attention and an examination of accounts [Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics 1894, p. 168]. Returns containing "irremedial defects in the schedules" were omitted from the tabulations [Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statis- tics 1894, p. 168]. Altogether 378 were published by the Bureau. The second survey, begun in July 1895, focused on the recovery.[2] Firms were asked to report employment on July 1 for the years 1892, 1894, and 1895, and any wage rate changes in fiscal 1895, especially any restoration of wage rates cut during the depression. The second questionnaire was simpler than the first, and an effort was made to obtain as much information as possible, so long as it came from "absolutely authoritative sources." This schedule was mailed together with a prepaid return envelope. Bureau agents contacted firms which did not respond promptly. Schedules which were "evidently the result of estimate" were excluded from the published tabulations. "(N)oth- ing appears in the report of the accuracy of which there is the slightest doubt," the Bureau bragged [Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics 1895, pp. 133-4]. One thousand schedules from the 1895 survey were published. Responses to the 1894 survey were tabulated into three tables. All three tables were repeated for each industry in the survey. The first table provided firm-level data for the average number employed in 1892 and average monthly wage payments in 1892 together with indexes showing total hours, employment, and monthly wage payments during the 15-month depression period as a proportion of the corresponding values in 1892. A code number for each establishment was also given. A second table reported industry averages for hours worked, number employed, and wages paid as a percent of the corresponding value for full time for each of the 15 months of the depression. A third table reported indexes on days idle as a fraction of working days, production in fiscal year 1893-94 as a fraction of production in 1892, and wage rate changes, by firm. The methods used to calculate the values in the tables from the original returns were described in the Report and are largely self-explanatory. The Bureau did, however, see fit to provide an extended discussion of the calculation of "Percent Hours Worked of Full Time," the one variable whose definition is somewhat ambiguous. This sample calculation is based on data from a brass manufacturer's return reproduced in the Report: This establishment employed in 1892 an average of 200 people, who worked fifty-nine and one-half hours week- ly, or ten hours daily on five days of the week and nine and one-half hours weekly, or ten hours daily on five days of the week and nine and one-half hours on Saturday. If that number of people had worked full time in June, 1893, each of them would have worked 258 hours, and the total of hours worked would be 200 times 258 hours, and the total of hours worked would be 200 times 258, or 51,600 hours. During that month 195 people were employed at fifty-nine and one-half hours weekly, so that the hours worked were 50,310, and the percent. hours worked of full time for that establish- ment in June, 1893, was 97.50. This calculation was made for each month for each establishment [Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics 1894, p. 183]. Responses to the second survey were reported in a single table, by industry, by firm. We assume that many firms included in the first survey were also in the second. But because none of the questions asked on the first survey were repeated on the second, it was not possible to match firms' responses to the two sets of questions. The 378 firms in the published returns from the first survey represented 27 different industries. While these firms accounted for only 5.5 percent of the State's manufacturing establishments, they employed 73,804 workers, or fully half of the State's manufacturing labor force [Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics 1894, p. 169]. The one thousand published returns to the 1895 survey represented 25 different industries plus a miscellaneous category. The firms accounted for 15 percent of the State's manufacturing establishments and employed 115,139, or three- fourths, of the State's industrial labor force. A list of the industries included in the 1894 and 1895 surveys, together with the number of firms and 1892 employment is shown in Table 2. The industrial distribution of employment in the 1894 and 1895 surveys closely matches the industrial distribution of manufacturing employment in Connecticut as a whole. In the 1894 and 1895 surveys 35-40 percent of employment is in textile industries; in the State as a whole the comparable figure is 34.4 percent. In the 1894 and 1895 surveys one fourth of employment is in iron and steel production and another fifth is in the production of other metals, chiefly brass. Comparable figures for the State as a whole are 19 and 14 percent. These and other figures are shown in Table 3. Table 3 also contrasts the industrial distribution of workers within Connecticut to that in the nation as a whole. It shows that the Connecticut manufacturing labor force was rela- tively more concentrated in textiles and metals than that in the rest of the country. One-third of the Connecticut manufacturing labor force was employed in textiles as compared with one-fifth nation-wide. Another third of the Connecticut manufacturing labor force was employed in the production of metals while nation-wide the figure was only 11 percent. The Historical Labor Statistics Project has transformed these data into machine-readable form using the procedures and codes outlined in this Codebook. Table 1 lists the questions asked in each of the surveys and the variable names we assigned to each response. Tables 4 through 15 present descriptive statistics on the responses to questions asked, including, where necessary, the numeric codes used in entering the data into the computer. The file named CT10F.* and CT10I.* are data files containing the firm- and industry level variables from the 10th Report. CT11F.* contains firm-level variables from the 11th Report. The data from these investigations of the industrial depres- sion in Connecticut has been archived at the Laboratory for Historical Research at the University of California, Riverside. For additional information regarding the availability of these data please contact: Professor Roger Ransom Department of History University of California Riverside, CA 92521 FAX [909] 787-5299 References [1] Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tenth Annual Report for the Year Ending November 30, 1894 (Meriden, CT, 1894), p. 168. The average firm in the sample employed 195 workers, over nine times the state-wide average. [2] Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics, Eleventh Annual Report for the Year Ending November 30, 1895 (Meriden, CT, 1895). Table 1 Variable List Connecticut Industrial Depression Surveys, 1894 and 1895 Name Description 10th Report, 1894 Survey, Firm-Level Data -- CT10F.* ID94 Case Number, 1894 Survey IND Industry Code HRSINDEX Hours Worked as a Percent of Full Time EMP92 Average Number Employed in 1892 WAGE92 Average Monthly Payment in Wages in 1892 EMPINDEX Employment as a Percent of 1892 WGINDEX Monthly Average Wages as Percent of 1892 PRDINDEX Production as a Percent of 1892 IDLE Idle Days as Percent of Total Working Days RGENERAL Percentage Reduction in All Wage Rates RPARTIAL Percentage Reduction in the Wage Rates of Some Workers RPARTEMP Percentage of Employees Affected by Partial Wage Reduction IGENERAL Percentage Increase in All Wage Rates IPARTIAL Percentage Increase in the Wage Rates of Some Workers IPARTEMP Percentage of Employees Affected by Partial Wage Increase 10th Report, 1894 Survey, Industry-Level Data -- CT10I.* IND Industry Code HOUR693 Aggregate Hours, June 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR793 Aggregate Hours, July 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR893 Aggregate Hours, August 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR993 Aggregate Hours, September 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR1093 Aggregate Hours, October 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR1193 Aggregate Hours, November 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR1293 Aggregate Hours, December 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR194 Aggregate Hours, January 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR294 Aggregate Hours, February 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR394 Aggregate Hours, March 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR494 Aggregate Hours, April 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR594 Aggregate Hours, May 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR694 Aggregate Hours, June 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR794 Aggregate Hours, July 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 HOUR894 Aggregate Hours, August 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP693 Aggregate Employment, June 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP793 Aggregate Employment, July 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP893 Aggregate Employment, August 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP993 Aggregate Employment, Sept. 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP1093 Aggregate Employment, Oct. 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP1193 Aggregate Employment, Nov. 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP1293 Aggregate Employment, Dec. 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP194 Aggregate Employment, Jan. 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP294 Aggregate Employment, Feb. 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP394 Aggregate Employment, March 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP494 Aggregate Employment, April 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP594 Aggregate Employment, May 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP694 Aggregate Employment, June 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP794 Aggregate Employment, July 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 EMP894 Aggregate Employment, August 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE693 Total Wages Paid, June 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE793 Total Wages, July 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE893 Total Wages Paid, August 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE993 Total Wages Paid, September 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE1093 Total Wages Paid, October 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE1193 Total Wages Paid, November 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE1293 Total Wages Paid, December 1893 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE194 Total Wages Paid, January 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE294 Total Wages Paid, February 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE394 Total Wages Paid, March 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE494 Total Wages Paid, April 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE594 Total Wages Paid, May 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE694 Total Wages Paid, June 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE794 Total Wages Paid, July 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 WAGE894 Total Wages Paid, August 1894 relative to Monthly Average 1892 11th Report, 1895 Survey, Firm-Level Data -- CT11F.* ID95 Case Number, 1895 Survey IND Industry Code EMP92 Number Employed, July 1, 1892 EMP94 Number Employed, July 1, 1894 EMP95 Number Employed, July 1, 1895 HOURS Average Weekly Hours of Labor CLOSED Number of Days Closed WGINC Percent Wages Advanced Since July, 1894 WGREST Percent Wages Restored Since July, 1894 WGDEC Percent Wages Reduced Since July, 1894 Table 2 Firms and 1892 Employment by Industry Connecticut Industrial Surveys, 1894, 1895 1894 Survey 1895 Survey Industry Firms Workers Firms Workers Boots and Shoes 7 640 12 584 Leather Goods -- -- 15 679 Brass and Brass Goods 30 8,790 80 16,749 Brick -- -- 17 613 Buttons, Buckles, and Pins 9 1,100 19 1,726 Carriages and Carriage Parts 17 1,138 38 1,455 Cast Iron and Forgings 23 3,738 44 5,086 Clocks 3 1,368 -- --- Corsets 9 4,040 13 4,698 Cotton 39 9,351 26 7,255 Cutlery and Tools 12 1,626 48 3,931 Firearms 3 426 10 3,668 Hardware 38 6,894 79 10,671 Hats 14 1,782 46 5,656 Hosiery and Knit Goods 16 2,883 26 3,595 Machine Shops 34 5,850 76 5,785 Manufacturers of Cotton Goods 6 1,339 37 6,365 Musical Instruments and Parts 4 778 10 1,104 Paper Mills 7 451 76 3,455 Paper Boxes and Envelopes 7 980 -- --- Printing and Book Binding 6 429 -- --- Rubber and Elastic Goods 11 4,396 18 5,620 Silk 12 3,736 25 5,329 Silver-Plated Ware 19 4,021 35 5,297 Stone Cutting Twine 10 1,483 19 1,003 Twine 4 175 -- --- Wire and Wire Goods 3 208 22 1,003 Wood-Working 5 648 57 1,954 Woolen Goods 30 5,535 51 8,435 Miscellaneous -- -- 101 3,423 All Industries 378 73,804 1,000 11,5139 Sources: 1894 survey: Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statis tics, Tenth Annual Report for the Year Ending November 30, 1894. Meriden, CT, 1894. 1895 survey: Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics, Eleventh Annual Report for the Year Ending November 30, 1895. Meriden, CT, 1895. Table 3 1892 Employment by Industry Category, 1894 and 1895 Connecticut Surveys; and 1889 Employment by Industry Category, Connecticut and US Manufacturing, 1889 Industry 1894 1895 Category Survey Survey Conn. U.S. Food 0.000 0.000 0.018 0.054 Textiles 0.391 0.359 0.344 0.191 Iron and Steel 0.254 0.262 0.186 0.085 Lumber and its Remanufactures 0.009 0.017 0.021 0.125 Leather and Products 0.009 0.011 0.019 0.059 Paper and Printing 0.025 0.030 0.040 0.062 Liquors and Beverages 0.000 0.000 0.003 0.012 Chemicals and Allied Products 0.000 0.000 0.009 0.018 Clay, Glass and Stone Products 0.020 0.014 0.013 0.078 Metals and Metal Products other than Iron 0.192 0.191 0.141 0.029 Tobacco 0.000 0.000 0.005 0.029 Vehicles for Land Transportation 0.015 0.013 0.024 0.050 Shipbuilding 0.000 0.000 0.004 0.006 Miscellaneous Industries 0.085 0.073 0.122 0.095 Hand Trades 0.000 0.000 0.048 0.107 Uncategorized --- 0.030 --- --- Total 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 Sources and Notes: 1894 survey: Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tenth Annual Report for the Year Ending November 30, 1894. Meriden, CT, 1894. 1895 survey: Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics, Eleventh Annual Report for the Year Ending November 30, 1895. Meriden, CT, 1895. Connecticut and U.S.: U. S. Department of the Interior, Census Office. Report on Manufacturing Industries in the United States at the Eleventh Census: 1890. Part I: Totals for States and Industries. Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 1895. Industry categories from Twelfth Census. Table 4 Industries and Industry Codes Connecticut Industrial Depression Surveys, 1894 and 1895 1894 1895 Code Industry Survey Survey 1 Boots and Shoes and Leather Goods 7 -- 2 Brass and Brass Goods 30 80 3 Buttons, Buckles, and Pins 9 19 4 Carriages and Carriage Parts17 38 5 Cast Iron and Forgings 23 -- 6 Clocks 3 -- 7 Corsets 9 13 8 Cotton 39 26 9 Cutlery and Tools 12 48 10 Firearms 3 10 11 Hardware 38 79 12 Hats 14 46 13 Hosiery and Knit Goods 16 26 14 Machine Shops 34 76 15 Manufactures of Cotton Good 6 37 16 Musical Instruments and Parts 4 10 17 Paper Mills 7 76 18 Paper Boxes and Envelopes 7 -- 19 Printing and Book Binding 6 -- 20 Rubber and Elastic Goods 11 18 21 Silk 12 25 22 Silver-Plated Ware 19 35 23 Stone Cutting 10 19 24 Twine 4 -- 25 Wire and Wire Goods 3 22 26 Wood-Working 5 57 27 Woolen Goods 30 27 28 Brick -- 17 29 Iron and Iron Foundries -- 44 30 Leather -- 15 31 Shoes -- 12 32 Miscellaneous -- 101 Total 378 1,000 Table 5 Total Hours Worked, Employment, Wage Bill, and Production In the Depression Period as a Percentage of 1892 Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1894 Index Hours Employment Wage Bill Produc- or code tion -9(No reponse) 22 5 8 0 Less than 60 hrs 116 43 72 46 60 - 69 61 42 59 71 70 - 79 61 47 88 87 80 - 89 46 79 67 75 90 - 99 72 78 36 30 100 - 109 32 60 32 44 110 and Over 0 24 16 25 Total 378 378 378 378 Table 6 Average Employment, 1892 Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1894 Employment Frequency Percentage Less than 50 persons 66 17.5 50 - 99 94 24.9 100 - 199 107 28.3 200 - 299 49 12.9 300 - 499 31 8.2 500 - 999 24 6.3 1,000 and over 7 1.9 Total 378 100.0 Table 7 Average Monthly Wages Paid in 1892 Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1894 Wages or code Frequency Percentage -9(No response) 7 1.9 $600 - 2,499 96 25.3 2,500 - 3,999 189 22.5 4,000 - 7,499 92 24.4 7,500 and more 98 25.9 Total 378 100.0 Table 8 Days Idle as a Percentage of Working Days Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1894 Index or code Frequency Percentage -9(No response) 70 18.5 1 - 9 days 119 31.5 10 - 19 91 24.1 20 - 29 50 13.2 30 - 39 30 7.9 40 and more 18 4.8 Total 378 100.0 Table 9 Percentage Change in Wage Rate Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1894 Percentage Wage reduction Wage increase chg in wage rate General partial General partial -9(No response) 0 1 0 0 No change 247 300 376 365 1 - 9% 19 20 1 2 10 - 19 102 52 1 6 20% or more 10 5 0 5 Total 378 378 378 378 Table 10 Percentage of Workers Affected by Partial Wage Rate Changes Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1894 Percentage of workers Partial cut Partial increase affected Frequency percent Frequency percent Less than 10 5 1.3 2 0.5 10 - 19 10 2.6 5 1.3 20 - 29 11 2.9 1 0.3 30 - 39 7 1.9 2 0.5 40 - 49 2 0.5 0 0.0 50 - 59 16 4.2 1 0.3 60 - 69 2 0.5 0 0.0 70 - 79 12 3.2 1 0.3 80 - 89 4 1.1 0 0.0 90 - 99 7 1.9 0 0.0 No partial wage change(0) 302 79.9 366 96.8 Total 378 100.0 378 100.0 Table 11 Aggregate Hours, Employment, and Wage Bill Relative to the Monthly Average in 1892, by Month June 1893 through August 1894, Connecticut Manufacturing Aggregate Employ- Wage Month/Year hours ment bill June 1893 92.93 97.24 99.54 July 1893 72.18 90.12 79.25 August 1893 62.62 82.88 72.76 September 1893 58.19 78.72 68.13 October 1893 64.89 78.59 69.99 November 1893 65.85 81.02 71.77 December 1893 61.06 80.98 70.92 January 1894 62.46 79.09 66.03 February 1894 68.52 80.73 71.31 March 1894 70.55 82.91 80.92 April 1894 74.03 83.96 79.00 May 1894 74.83 84.84 79.81 June 1894 71.61 83.60 79.44 July 1894 61.53 79.08 63.78 August 1894 67.69 81.19 75.30 Note: Unweighted averages across industries. Table 12 Employment on July 1, 1892, 1894, and 1895 Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1895 Employment 1892 1894 1895 Less than 25 348 390 368 25 - 49 183 183 179 50 - 99 170 162 170 100 - 249 178 176 174 More than 250 121 89 109 Total 1,000 1,000 1,000 Table 13 Weekly Hours of Labor Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1895 Hours or code Frequency -9(No response) 7 Less than 55.00 265 55.00 - 59.75 208 60.00 492 More than 60 28 Total 1,000 Table 14 Number of Days Closed Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1895 Days Frequency None 450 1 - 19 312 20 or more 238 Total 1,000 Table 15 Percentage Wage Rates Advanced, Restored and Reduced Since July, 1894 Connecticut Industrial Depression Survey, 1895 Percentage wage rate Advance Restor- Reduct- change ation ion No wage rate change 968 893 972 2 - 9 percent 16 41 9 10 percent 12 58 14 Greater than 10 4 8 5 Total 1,000 1,000 1,000