That manufacturing industries tend to decrease the number of domestic employees in a city is both a cause and a result. The competition in industry draws women from domestic service, and at the same time a large part of the population in a manufacturing city is unable or does not care to employ large numbers of servants. It has been seen, however, that several of the manufacturing cities rank comparatively high in per capita wealth. It seems possible in view of the facts stated in this second group of propositions to draw these conclusions. In states containing a relatively high urban population it is possible for wealth to command the services of a large proportion of persons for work in domestic service. But in cities where wealth comes into competition with manufacturing industries the proportion of domestic servants is small. Where such competition does not exist the proportion is large. In other words, persons are willing to enter domestic service for a consideration in cities where no other avenues of work are open to them with the qualifications they possess. They are unwilling to do so where such openings do exist. A third group of propositions remains to be considered concerning the subject of wages. They may be thus stated: (1) Wages in domestic service vary in different sections according to the economic conditions of the several localities. TABLE VII AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGES BY GEOGRAPHICAL SECTION ======================+======================== | AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGES GEOGRAPHICAL SECTION +-----------+------------ | Men | Women ----------------------+-----------+------------ Pacific coast | $7.57 | $4.57 Eastern section | 8.68 | 3.60 Middle section | 7.62 | 3.21 Western section | 6.69 | 3.00 Border section | 4.86 | 2.55 Southern section | 3.95 | 2.22 ----------------------+-----------+------------ United States | $7.18 | $3.23 ======================+===========+============ This principle is illustrated by Table VII on the preceding page based on a classification of the returns received through individual schedules relating to 2,545 employees. The difference indicated apparently conforms to the general variation in wages in different sections indicated by the Fourth Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor,[207] and by examination of a considerable number of reports of various state bureaus of labor. The slight exception in the case of the wages of men on the Pacific coast is accidental, owing to the small number of returns. (2) Skilled labor commands higher wages than unskilled labor. This will be evident from Table VIII on the following page based on the schedules received from employers and employees and the returns from a Boston employment bureau.