II. The Methods of State Wage Reports
The least desirable form in which States report wages is the "Maximum and Minimum" system. Under this system, the highest and lowest wages paid in any establishment are considered. An example of this method appears on page 18 of the Twenty-third Annual Report of the North Carolina Department of Labor (1909), where it is stated that in Alamance County, in all of the industries, the highest weekly wage paid to men was $23.67; the lowest wage $13.47. That is the extent of the statistics. There is no statement of the total number of men employed, and no figures to indicate how many men received $23.67 and how many received $13.47. It may well be that the high wages were paid to a few foremen and highly skilled artisans or mechanics, while the lowest was the prevalent wage; however, in the absence of any knowledge of the character of the industry, of the total number of employees, and of the numbers receiving specified wages, the figures are ridiculous,—not worth the paper on which they are printed, since they fail to furnish the least indication of the rate of wages paid in
North Carolina. It is unnecessary to say that
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