STATISTICS OF TRADE UNIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. These are collected by the Labor Bureaus of a few States, but no complete enu meration for the whole eountry has ever been made. Estimates of the membership of American unions vary widely. In .January, 1903, President Gompers of the American Fed eration of Labor estimated that about two and one-half millions of the seventeen million wage earners in the United States were organized. The estimate is probably too high. The report of the Industrial Commission gives the estimated membership of labor organizations in the United States on July 1, 1901, at 1,400.000. This is probably the most reliable estimate ever made. The increase during 1902 was very great. The unions affiliated with the American Federation alone reported an increase of 283,827 members during the eleven months. November 1, September 30, 1902. Assuming that the estimate furnished by the Industrial Commission is cor rect, the aggregate membership of labor organi zations in the United States, at the close of 1902, was about 1,650,000. The average member ship of the American Federation of Labor alone, during the year ending September 30, 1903, was 1,465300.
A more satisfactory idea of the growth of trade unions may be gained from the following table, in which the total membership of unions in Great Britain and New York is given, and an estimate of the members represented in the annual con vention of the American Federation of Labor.
The latter estimate is secured by allowing 100 members for each delegate to the convention. The figures for 189095 inclusive are taken from the report of the Industrial Commission and are based upon the actual number of delegates at the conventions. The figures for 1896-1902 are based upon the estimate made by the secretary of the American Federation of the number of delegates entitled to sit in the conventions, published in the Proceedings of the 22d Annual Convention of the Federation. To avoid duplication, the mem bers of city centrals and State branches have been excluded. The real membership of the unions affiliated with the Federation is un doubtedly much greater than the paid-np mem bership indicated in the table, owing to the com mon custom of paying the per capita tax, on which the representation is based, upon a part only of the actual membership.