the number of chauffeurs shows the largest increase. The decrease in the number of teamsters and carters is merely apparent, because in the census of 1911 teamsters and carters employed in agriculture (29,693) were enumerated as agricultural workers. The increase in the number of railroad and street car workers is also merely apparent, for the reason that in 1906 railroad engineers and firemen and all other railroad workers exercising special trades such as blacksmith, etc., were enumerated among their trades and not as railroad workers.

GAINFULLY EMPLOYED POPULATION BY SEX.

It has already been stated that in 1911 of the total gainfully employed population of France of 20,931,221 persons, 13,212,207 were males and 7,719,014 were females, the former, therefore, formed 63.1 per cent and the latter 36.9 per cent of the above total. Below is shown the proportion of females gainfully employed per 1,000 persons of both sexes gainfully employed in the principal occupational groups, not including soldiers, sailors, and fishermen, for the censuses of 1901, 1906, and 1911.

PROPORTION OF FEMALE PERSONS PER 1,000 PERSONS OF BOTH SEXES GAINFULLY EMPLOYED IN THE PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS, 1901, 1906, AND 1911.

Number of females per 1,000 persons of both sexes gainfully employed.

380

337

348

348

Commerce.

371

377

406

Liberal professions and public administrative service.
Domestic service..

275

830

Total...

356

382

382

In agricultural and industrial occupations female persons were represented in the same proportion as in 1911. The large increase in the number of female persons employed in agriculture as compared with the number so employed in 1901 is merely apparent and due to the fact that in the censuses of 1906 and 1911 the wives of agriculturists were more frequently enumerated as gainfully employed than was done in the census of 1901. The proportion of women employed in commercial occupations increased from 377 per 1,000 in 1906 to 406 in 1911, while the number of women in liberal professions and in the public administrative service decreased from 283 per 1,000 in 1906 to 275 in 1911. In domestic service the proportion of women employed had slightly increased in 1911, as compared with that for the two preceding censuses. The proportion of women of the total gainfully employed population, exclusive of soldiers, sailors, and fishermen, was the same in 1911 as in 1906.

GAINFULLY EMPLOYED POPULATION BY CONJUGAL CONDITION.

The following table shows in relative figures (per 1,000 persons) the proportion of married persons in 1911 of the gainfully employed population of France, by sex, occupational group, and status:

PROPORTION OF MARRIED PERSONS PER 1,000 PERSONS GAINFULLY EMPLOYED, BY SEX, OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS, AND STATUS, 1911.

According to the preceding table the largest number of married male employers is found among those engaged in agriculture (83.4 per cent) and the smallest number among those engaged in liberal professions (66.5 per cent). As regards male salaried employees the proportion of those married is largest among those employed in industrial, establishments (76.2 per cent) and in the public service (70.5 per cent), while in commercial occupations and the liberal professions it is much smaller (43.7 and 40.9 per cent). The proportion of married men among wage workers of all occupations is only 46.2 per cent, or somewhat over half of that among employers. It is largest among industrial workmen (54.8 per cent) and men employed in domestic service (55 per cent), and lowest among agricultural workers (29.8 per cent).

The proportion of married women of the total number of women in gainful occupations has been smaller in all preceding censuses than the corresponding proportion for the male sex. This rule applies also to the census of 1911, only 52.5 per cent of the gainfully employed women being married as against 60.6 per cent of the gainfully employed men. Agriculture is the only large occupational group in which the percentage of married women is high, namely, 72.2 per cent. The proportion of married women among female wage workers was 28.7 per cent and among female salaried employees was still lower, i. e., 24.2 per cent. These two low percentages are explained by the fact that women in many instances discontinue their gainful

DISTRIBUTION OF GAINFULLY EMPLOYED POPULATION BY AGE GROUPS.

The distribution of the gainfully employed population of France, exclusive of soldiers, sailors, and fishermen, by five-year age groups, classified according to status and sex, is shown in the following table in relative figures for the year 1911:

DISTRIBUTION IN PER CENT BY AGE GROUPS OF THE GAINFULLY EMPLOYED POPULATION, CLASSIFIED BY STATUS AND SEX, 1911.

The five-year age groups in the preceding table in which the largest number of employers, or about 12 per cent, is shown are those from 40 to 45, and 45 to 50 years of age for male employers, and those from 30 to 35 and 35 to 40 years of age for female employers. The largest number of employees and wage workers is found in less advanced age groups: For male employees in that of 25 to 30 years (15.5 per cent) and for female employees in that of 20 to 25 years (17.5 per cent). As to wage workers, those 15 to 20 years of age form the densest group (17.1 per cent) among the male sex; in the next age group, 20 to 25 years, the proportion is only 11.2 per cent because men in military service are not included in the table. Female wage workers are found represented with the highest percentage (23.6 per cent) in the age group from 15 to 20 years.

As is to be expected, the group of employers shows the highest average age-48 years for male and 43 years for female employers. The average age of salaried employees is somewhat higher than that of wage workers. For the former it is 35 years for both sexes, and for the latter 34 for males and 31 for females.

LITERACY OF GAINFULLY EMPLOYED POPULATION.

Of the 20,931,221 persons gainfully employed in France, 20,643,038 have made a declaration in the schedules of the occupational census of 1911 as to their literacy. The compilation of the results in this respect has shown that 2,274,643, or 11 per cent, of these persons can neither read nor write. In 1906 the corresponding percentage was 13, and in 1901, 15. Illiteracy among gainfully employed male persons has decreased from 14 per cent in 1901 and 11.7 per cent in 1906 to 9.7 per cent in 1911. For gainfully employed female persons it has decreased from 17.8 and 15.9 per cent in the two preceding censuses to 13.2 per cent in 1911.

Considered by occupational groups illiteracy is highest in agriculture, 15.4 per cent of the men and 20.7 per cent of the women employed in it being illiterate. In industry the respective percentages are 7.8 and 8.4, and in commerce, 2.7 and 7.2.

NATIONALITY AND PLACE OF BIRTH OF GAINFULLY EMPLOYED PERSONS.

Of the total gainfully employed population of France in 1911 (20,931,221), 20,103,067 were native citizens, 147,904 were naturalized, and 680,250 were aliens living habitually in France and exercising their occupation there. Aliens, therefore, formed 3.25 per cent of the total gainfully employed population. Of the male aliens 68 per cent are employed in industry. 13 per cent in agriculture, and a like percentage in commerce. The female aliens are distributed as follows: Forty per cent in industry, 28 per cent in domestic service, 16 per cent in commerce, and less than 10 per cent in agriculture.

Of the total number of gainfully engaged French citizens 75.3 per cent were born in the Department in which they were enumerated, 24.4 per cent were born in some other Department, and .3 per cent were born outside of France. In 1906 the corresponding percentages were 76.5, 23.2, and .3.

PRESIDENT'S POSITION ON STATE LABOR LEGISLATION.

MY DEAR GOV. BRUMBAUGH:

THE WHITE HOUSE, June 4, 1917.

I take pleasure in replying to your letter of June 1.

I think it would be most unfortunate for any of the States to relax the laws by which safeguards have been thrown about labor. I feel that there is no necessity for such action, and that it would lead to a slackening of the energy of the Nation rather than to an increase of it, besides being very unfair to the laboring people themselves.

Sincerely yours,

WOODROW WILSON.

1 Letter to Governor of Pennsylvania, as published in Official Bulletin, June 6. 1917.

SUSPENSION OF FEDERAL EIGHT-HOUR LAWS.

EXECUTIVE order.

Under authority contained in the Naval Appropriation Act approved March 4, 1917 (Public No. 391, 64th Congress), whereby it is provided

That in case of national emergency the President is authorized to suspend provisions of law prohibiting more than eight hours labor in any one day of persons engaged upon work covered by contracts with the United States: Provided further, That the wages of persons employed upon such contracts shall be computed on a basic day rate of eight hours work with overtime rates to be paid for at not less than time and one-half for all hours work in excess of eight hours;

it is hereby ordered that the provisions of the act approved June 19. 1912, limiting the hours of daily service of mechanics and laborers on work under contracts to which the United States is a party are suspended with respect to all contracts for ordnance and ordnance stores and other military supplies and material, contracts for buildings under construction or to be constructed at the arsenals, and contracts for fortification work during the pending emergency and until further orders. This order shall take effect from and after this date. WOODROW WILSON.

THE WHITE HOUSE, 24th March, 1917.

EXECUTIVE ORDER.

Under authority contained in the Naval Appropriation Act approved March 4, 1917 (Public, No. 391, 64th Cong.), it is hereby ordered that the provisions of the Eight-hour Act of June 19, 1912, are suspended with respect to persons engaged upon work covered by contracts with the United States, made under the War Department, for the construction of any military building or for any public work which, in the judgment of the Secretary of War, is important for purposes of national defense in addition to the classes of contracts enumerated in Executive order of March 24, 1917.

It is further declared that the current status of war constitutes an "extraordinary emergency" within the meaning of that term as used in the Eight-hour Act of March 3, 1913 (37 Stat., 726), and that laborers and mechanics employed on work of the character set forth above, whether employed by Government contractors or by agents of the Government, may, when regarded by the Secretary of War as necessary for purposes of national defense, be required to work in excess of eight hours per day, and wages to be computed in accordance with the proviso in the said act of March 4, 1917.

This order shall take effect from and after this date and shall be operative during the pending emergency or until further orders. WOODROW WILSON.

THE WHITE HOUSE, 28th April, 1917.