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the working agreements of union labor organizations. These data
are collected by the Department of Labor and Industry of Pennsylvania
 in cooperation with the United States Bureau of Labor Statisties.
 The work was inaugurated in Pennsylvania in 1919, and
the data has been gathered in each succeeding year. Originally this
information was gathered in sixteen Pennsylvania cities but that
number has since been increased to twenty-four. Union wage data is
now compiled for the following cities: Allentown, Altoona, Chester,
DuBois, Easton, Erie, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Johnstown, Lancaster,
Meadville, New Castle, Oil City, Philadelphia, Pottsville, Pittsburgh,
Seranton, Sharon, Warren, Washington, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport,
and York. Rates for approximately seventy crafts are represented
in this compilation. The information, as nearly as possible, is confined
 to scales of wages paid to union workmen but in some cases,
especially in the absence of union organizations in the locality, prevalling
 non-union rates are determined and published. Even this
one wage compilation alone represents the expenditure of a large
amount of time and money. Numerous personal interviews are necessary
 in order to obtain the required information. Experience has
demonstrated that the only satisfactory method of seeuring accurate
wage figures is through personal calls made on the local representatives
 of the various unions. This is the Federal practice, and it has
been followed in Pennsylvania. The Bureau of Industrial Relations
is constantly in touch with Union officials in the various cities and
for that reason the agents of that bureau have been assigned the work
of collecting the union wage data during the last few years.
These union wage scales are published in special bulletins of the
Department of Labor and Industry and of the United States Bureau
of Labor Statistics. Rates for the years 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923,
and 1924, are published in one special bulletin of the Department of
Labor and Industry printed in 1924. Rates for subsequent years are
oublished in separate bulletins.
" The Union wage rates as published by the Department are of considerable
 interest and value to employers in this and other states.
The rates as published in our bulletins are used by contractors in figaring
 labor costs on construction jobs in the various cities. A statewide
 knowledge of wage rates is also of value to the Department in
adjusting wage disputes.
BUILDING PERMITS

Building activities in a number of Pennsylvania cities and boroughs
constitute another field of statistical inquiry. Collection through
monthly reports from building inspection offices of the number and
sstimated value of permits granted in the cities and boroughs of the
State was begun in January, 1923. For a few years this information
was published in the Department bulletin, but it was found that the
information is of maximum value when it can be brought to the attention
 of interested persons soon after permits have been granted. With
a view toward making this possible, widespread publicity is now given
to building permit reports by means of press notices that are released
within a few days after complete reports have been received at the
Department. There is considerable demand for this class of information
 and copies of reports are furnished to a number of financial insti-