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Federal Reserve leek of Pladeipliia




Review

Truth in Lending
Is Around the Corner
After seven years of deliberation, the Congress
of The United States has mandated a new era in
relations between creditors and consumer bor­
rowers. Hopefully, this new relationship will
encourage consumers to be wise users of and
careful shoppers for credit.
TRUTH IN LEN D IN G will not affect what
a creditor may charge or the terms of the credit
— it affects only the way in which these are
communicated to the consumer.
To become effective on July 1, 1969, TRUTH
IN LEN D IN G applies to all creditors who
normally are in the business of granting and
arranging credit. Clear and conspicious dis­
closure of the terms and conditions surrounding
the granting or arranging of credit to individuals
for personal, family, household, or agricultural
purposes, is required prior to the time credit
actually is granted or arranged. Moreover, ad­
vertising must disclose many of the terms and
conditions surrounding the offering of credit if
any one term or condition— for example, the
monthly payment— is disclosed.
TRUTH IN LEN D IN G introduces two re­
quired concepts which are new to the creditorborrow er relationship. The finance charge
includes almost all costs that stem from the
granting of credit whether or not they are im­
posed directly or indirectly on the consumer.
The annual percentage rate, calculated according
to the actuarial (unpaid balance) method, re­
flects the real percentage cost of borrowing to
the consumer.

TRUTH IN LEN D IN G also creates a new
right for consumers. When borrowing on the
security of their residence, borrowers will have
the right to rescind the contract within three
business days following the signing of the con­
tract or delivery by the creditor of the disclosure
of the right to rescind, whichever is later.
Administrative enfor
ent of TRUTH IN
LEN D IN G has been assigned to nine federal
agencies. For example, the Federal Reserve
System will have supervisory responsibility for
state member banks. Surveillance over creditors
who have no regular relationship with any fed­
eral agency has been assigned to the Federal
Trade Commission.
The Federal Reserve System also has been
given the responsibility for promulgating a regu­
lation which implements in detail the require­
ments of TRUTH IN LEN DIN G . A draft of
the proposed regulation, known as REG ULA ­
TION Z, is available for distribution. The regu­
lation in final form is expected to be available
early in 1969.
Creditors are urged to begin at once to study
the requirements of TRUTH IN LENDING .
Civil and criminal penalties are provided for
those creditors who fail to comply with TRUTH
IN LENDING and REG U LA TIO N Z.
Information on REG ULA TIO N Z may be
obtained by writing:
TRUTH IN LEN D IN G
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101

BUSINESS REVIEW is produced in the D ep artm ent of Research. Evan B. A lderfer is Editorial C onsultant; Ronald B.
W illiam s prepared th e layout and artw ork. The authors will be glad to receive com m ents on th e ir articles.
should be addressed to Public In form ation, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Philadelphia,

Digitized Requests for additional copies
for FRASER
Pennsylvania 19101.


business review

Southern New Jersey: How Now?
by Evan B. Alderfer
Southern N ew Jersey isn ’t w hat it used to be. It still has sun, surf, sand, and seagu lls; salt
m arshes and m ead ow s; “ p in es” and “ p lain s,” lakes and ponds; bogs, creeks, and sw am ps.
It still has farm s fam ous for tom atoes and sw eet corn, asp aragu s and peppers, cabbage
and lettuce, beets and beans. It still has cranberry bogs, peach orchards and apple
orchards. It still has g lass w orks and ceram ics, b oatw orks and fisheries, oil refineries and
dye w orks, canneries and freezeries.

M A JO R ROADS OF S O U T H E R N N E W JE R S E Y




All these things and more have made Southern
New Jersey what it was and is, but it is chang­
ing. It is being infiltrated— infiltrated with slabs
of asphalt and concrete; bridges and causeways;
apartments— high-rise and otherwise; malls and
motels; bigger farms; bigger factories that are
“ divisions of . .
rising land values, sub­
urbanization, industrialization, condominiumization, and a sales tax.
For its small size, New Jersey is the most
traveled and least observed, the most visited
and least really known of all 50 states in the
Union. Most travelers through the state are in a
flightful hurry to get to New York or Washing­
ton; beach-bound vacationers are just as im­
patient to get to their destinations. Only a few
outsiders appreciate the charming contrasts the
state affords.
New Jersey leads the other forty-nine states
in population density, yet well over half the
area is in farms and forests. It is highly urban­
ized, widely ruralized, heavily industrialized,
intensively agriculturalized. The state ranks
among the top ten in industrial output, but calls
itself the “ Garden State.” Miles of ocean front­
age, however, have made catering to the vaca­
tion trade a major if not the leading source of
income.

3

business review

Technically, New Jersey is a peninsula. Ex­
cept for the straight stretch on the north where
New Jersey is hinged to New York State, New
Jersey is surrounded by water: the Delaware
River on the west, the Delaware Bay on the
south, the Atlantic Ocean and the Hudson
River on the east. Where land and water meet
there is usually plenty of action.
Just a little below Trenton, where a flying
wedge of Pennsylvania pokes New Jersey right
hard in the midriff would seem to make a good
geographical dividing line between northern
and southern New Jersey. A little lower, near
the Philadelphia-Camden latitude, is where
residents of Ocean County would put it, judged
by their shopping habits. In the southern end
of the county, people go to Philadelphia when
they go shopping in “ the city.” But when people
in the northern end of the county speak of “ the
city,” they mean some place in the vast northern
Jersey urban sprawl which may be Newark,
Irvington, or Elizabeth, depending upon whom
you are talking to.
This report is about the nine counties indi­
cated on the map, because they are that part of
the state included in the Philadelphia Federal
Reserve District. By our definition, Southern
New Jersey accounts for a fraction over half
the area of the state but only a quarter of the
people.
The growth and development of Southern
New Jersey is attributable more than anything
else to the state’s highway construction and
maintenance policies. Although reasonably good
roads, such as the White Horse and Black
Horse pikes long accommodated Philadelphiato-seashore traffic, Southern New Jersey re­
mained essentially insular because it was so
peninsular prior to the construction of the
north-south superhighways and their over-water
connections to points beyond.



The New Jersey Turnpike and the Delaware
Memorial Bridge quickened Southern New
Jersey’s industrial expansion by opening the
region to fast trucking lines to great markets—
the huge metropolitan New York complex to
the northeast and Baltimore and Washington
to the southwest. Traffic growth was under­
estimated, so hard beside the Delaware Me­
morial Bridge another span has been built and
the two bridges more than double the carrying
capacity.
As if to provide double assurance for the
prosperity of Southern New Jersey, the Garden
State Parkway— a 173-mile-long dreamway—
was laid down close enough to the ocean to serve
as a magic carpet for millions of seashore va­
cationers to any of the 50 resort towns along
more than a hundred miles of bathing beaches
from Cape May northward. At its northern
extremity the Parkway connects with the New
York State Thru way, and at Cape May the
Parkway motorist can extend his trip by driving
onto the ferry for a 70-minute crossing of Dela­
ware Bay to Lewes, Delaware.
Lolling on the Littoral

When sticky-wicked weather descends upon the
hinterland, a mass migratory motorcade de­
scends upon the shore resorts. From Philadel­
phia, Harrisburg, and farther westward they
come via the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Ben­
jamin Franklin Bridge, or the Schuylkill Ex­
pressway and Walt Whitman Bridge to the
Atlantic City Expressway or any of the other
main arteries out of Camden. From Northern
New Jersey and New York they come down
the Parkway or Route 9. Yes, even from Canada.
A few years ago New Jersey shore resort ads
in Canada brought surprising results, and Cana­
dians keep coming. In a single season, tourist
and vacation expenditures in Ocean, Atlantic,

business review

and Cape May counties may be in excess of
$1.5 billion.
Wheresoever they come from, the majority
come by private conveyance and the motor car
has begun to alter seashore architecture. Most
of the newly constructed accommodations are
motels, motor courts, or motor inns. One motor
inn directly on the ocean and boardwalk offers
air-conditioned rooms, TV and HiFi, a tele­
phone in every room, private balconies, free
covered parking, and heated swimming pool.
One thing occasionally plaguing new as well
as old accommodations is shortage of labor. For
lack of help some restaurants have closed-off
sections, hotels have closed floors, and motels
have offered discounts to their guests for
making up their rooms. Such are the pains of
prosperity.
A heated pool is the ne plus ultra. Any place
without a heated pool is dated. Live music
nightly, preferably a name band, is also a big
attraction. What a contrast with days of yore
down at the shore when we played beach tennis,
swatting a five-’n-ten ball with the flat hand,
in the morning, read detective stories in the
afternoon; and took a stroll on the broadwalk
after dinner.
Veteran hotels cope with motel competition
in various ways. Some of the hotels spruce up
their decor, jazz up their entertainment, spice
up their cuisine, and offer special rates along
with holiday package deals. A number of hotels
have been converted into retirement homes for
people blessed more generously with years than
with worldly goods. Still other hotels are being
remodeled to serve as convalescent homes.
Of the more than twoscore resorts along the
Southern New Jersey section of the shore, no
two are alike and each has its loyal clientele.
Cape May, “ the nation’s oldest seashore resort,”
is Victorian and deliberately so. In Wildwood,



which has the widest beach, the carriage trade
would feel a bit out of place. The leeward side
of its boardwalk is one vast amusement park
where nothing stands still. Wildwood is also a
favorite haven for fishermen. Ocean City, which
calls itself “ the world’s greatest family resort,”
started as a Methodist Conference town and is
still bone dry and without night clubs.
Atlantic City became the Riviera of the United
States by capitalizing on its natural advantages.
A natural curvature of the coast offers protection
against devasting “ Northeasters” and the winter
climate is tempered by the Gulf Stream. Atlantic
City did the rest. It introduced the board­
walk and the rolling chair, erected ocean-front
skyscraper hotels to house its guests, and built
peerless piers to amuse them. Amusement,
culminating each year in the Miss America
Pageant, is still its all-sustaining industry; but
like some other Eastern Seaboard cities, it has
been losing population in recent censuses and
is undergoing urban redevelopment.
Throughout the seashore communities there
are surprising evidences of wealth and prosperity
— crowded restaurants and bars, the new luxury
motels, marinas full of pleasure craft, and a
large number of people who can presumably
afford a second home at the shore for only three
months occupancy. A local banker told us of
150 new houses in the $15,000 to $21,000
class in his community, of which 135 were for
summer occupancy only.
Lower-priced homes for people of modest
incomes are being built at Little Egg Harbor in
south Ocean County. Also at Beach Haven
West on the mainland adjacent to Beach Haven
on Long Beach Island, a huge number of twobedroom houses in the $5,000 to $7,000 price
range has been built since the early 60’s. Owneroccupied, some are retirement homes; others
are second homes. Nearby at Mystic Island,
5

business review

south of Tuckerton, is a similar development
of low-cost houses.
Population spillover

North Jersey is too crowded. Some of its popu­
lation is spilling over into South Jersey, and the
Garden State Parkway is the big spillway. In
Toms River, on the edge of the Parkway in
Ocean County, we heard how the 900 students
in 1958 were bursting the seams of the old high
school building; how Toms River put up a
new building to accommodate 1,500 students;
that the enrollment is now about 2,700; and
Toms River is again building another high
school. Many of Toms River’s gainfully em­
ployed work outside the community and the
county— fully 40 per cent., a local banker esti­
mates. Again, it is New Jersey’s great network
of highways that affords the best of two worlds,
“ the best place to live and the best place to
work.”
The north end of Ocean County is also a
highly favored area for retirement developments
and they, too, draw clients from up-state. There
is Cedar Glen City, with four units to each
building; Holiday City, a huge development
with its beautiful man-made lake already being
enlarged for more lakeside homes; Leisure
Village, which we were forbidden to enter
because 7 p.m. was after visiting hours. Then
there are also Cedar Glen West, Crestwood
Village, Gardens of Pleasant Plains— a new
development— Silver Ridge Park, under con­
struction; and, perhaps best known of all,
Leisure World— but that is across the line in
Middlesex County.
Other attractions lure people to live in South
Jersey: more open space, newer homes, modern
schools and hospitals, new community colleges,
new malls and marinas, good roads, and expand6




ing job opportunities because of new industries
also moving into the area.

ESTIMATED POPULATION CHANGE, 1960-1967

Source: New Jersey Department of Conservation and Economic Development.

Trenton and Camden

Trenton and Camden have a lot in common.
Both owe much to the river on which they are
located— the waterfalls at Trenton were largely
responsible for that city’s early industrialization;
and at Camden the river’s width and depth
favored shipbuilding that flourished in that city
for many years. Though the shipyards are now
inactive, Camden has a variety of industries;
and Trenton, as New Jersey’s capital city, has
a good offering of state government jobs along
with its industrial mix. Curiously, Trenton lost
more population than Camden between the past
two decenniums. The trouble with both cities
is that they are hemmed in by their suburbs,
with no room to expand.
Well, if a city can no longer grow in size it
can grow in grace, and that is precisely what
both Trenton and Camden are striving for now.
As a starter, Trenton, in mid-May, announced
a $25 million housing development in the down­
town area adjacent to the state government
buildings. In addition to the 1,062 middle-

business review

income apartments, which are part of the John
Fitch Way Urban Renewal Project, there are
to be new state and county office buildings and
a $30 million commerical mall development.
Wide-open space instead of slums now con­
fronts the motorist emerging from the Benjamin
Franklin Bridge in Camden. Camden is to have
a multi-million-dollar industrial highway along
its waterfront. Several Camden banks, Camp­
bell Soup Company, and other local industries
have formed a nonprofit corporation to buy run­
down, city-owned houses to rehabilitate them
for sale to low-income families.
Growth and development in abundance are
apparent in the outskirts of these cities and in
some of the outlying communities. Hightstown
is alleged to be the fastest growing of all places
in Mercer County. Important stimulants were
the new McGraw-Hill plant and the improved
network of new roads since 1960 which at­
tracted new developers. Outside of Camden
residential construction is flourishing in Cherry
Hill, Pennsauken and, further north, in Moorestown and Cinnaminson.
The new malls in Cherry Hill, Moorestown,
and Willingboro, which house stores such as
Sears, Woolworth, Wanamaker, Strawbridge,
and Gimbels, have been siphoning trade from
local stores in Burlington, Riverside, Bordentown, Moorestown, Mount Holly, Haddonfield,
and Woodbury. Shuttered store fronts are a
depressing sight. Woodbury fought back by re­
moving its parking meters, whereupon local
merchants’ sales increased. That’s the way
people are— they will go to the expense of
driving an extra 15 miles rather than drop a
dime in a parking meter.

becoming more and more industrialized. Tren­
ton has a variety of manufacturers but in the
opinion of one Trenton businessman too much
of the local industrial activity is directed from
faraway skyscraper offices instead of on-thescene, shirt-sleeve management.
Between Trenton and Camden are smaller
industrial towns such as Bordentown, Burling­
ton, Beverly, Riverside, and Riverton. Mention
of Camden immediately brings to mind famous
names such as Campbell Soup and RCA but
the once-flourishing New York Shipbuilding
enterprise is now all but forgotten.
Down-river from Camden to Salem one sees
an impressive number of plants of blue-chip
American industry. At Paulsboro, Mobile Oil,
Houdry Process, and others; at Gibbstown, du
Pont and Hercules Powder; at Bridgeport,
Monsanto Chemical; at offshore Pedricktown,
Air Reduction; at Deepwater, where the river
is now double-bridged, another du Pont plant;
and at Salem, Anchor-Hocking Glass, Gaynor
Glass, Mannington Mills, and H. J. Heinz of
erstwhile “ 57 varieties.”
The ever-improving accessibility of southern
New Jersey is a continuing attraction to new
industrial enterprises at both riverside and
interior locations. Goodrich recently acquired
a 96-acre plot for a plant near Pedricktown;
Leone Industries is a new glass container manu­
facturer at Bridgeton; H. J. Heinz is expanding
facilities in Salem; I-T-E Circuit Breaker is
coming to Bellmawr in Camden County; a new­
comer to: Millville is Thunderbird Fiberglass
Boat and Public Service Electric and Gas is plan­
ning a big nuclear power plant in Salem County.
Industry in the interior

Industry along the Delaware

Beginning at Trenton, the east bank of the
Delaware River all the way down to Salem is




Ages upon eons ago when all of Southern New
Jersey was under water as part of the Atlantic
Ocean, the foundation was laid for one of its
7

business review

earliest industries. The foundation is sand, the
industry is glass.
Caspar Wistar built the first glass factory
about 1739 on the Alloway-Daretown Road, a
little way east of Salem. The Wistarburg glass
works made window and bottle glass and chem­
ical apparatus for sale and “ off-hand” blown
glass, that is, fancy ware for friends. The Metro­
politan Museum of New York has what is
probably the only surviving piece of unbroken
Wistar ware, despite numerous local claims to
the contrary. As others learned the art of glassblowing, glass houses were established at num­
erous places throughout Southern New Jersey.
As a result of mechanical inventions around
the turn of the twentieth century, glassmaking
became mechanized and was taken over by
large factories in which costly machines turned
out bottles so fast and so cheap that hand-blown
ware could no longer compete.
The glass container industry still flourishes
in Southern New Jersey. Big glass works are
largely responsible for industrial centers such
as Salem, Bridgeton, Millville, and Vineland.
Sand, the major raw material, continues to be
locally available in abundance and glass con­
tainers are still used as closures for catsup,
pickles, and other relishes and food products
produced and processed in the area. Southern
New Jersey has its own sand to make its own
glass containers to pack its own food products
that are grown on its own soil. That is a win­
ning combination.
The Garden State’s gardens

For its small size and industrial prominence,
New Jersey has a surprising amount of agri­
culture. The state’s 1967 crop report, recently
released, shows $129 million worth of crops
harvested that year. Another surprise is the
importance of commercial garden and orchard
8




CHANGE IN EMPLOYMENT, 1 9 5 7 -1 9 6 7
Per cent

SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY

NEW JERSEY

Source: New Jersey Department of Labor and Industry.

products. Vegetables and fruits accounted for
two-thirds of the total— three-fourths if you
count potatoes and sweet potatoes among the
vegetables.
One reason for the importance of vegetable
gardening is a fertile stretch of sandy loam
stretching across Burlington, Gloucester, Salem,
and Cumberland counties. Another reason is the
nearness of big markets for fresh vegetables.
Production for the fresh market usually yields
close to twice as much as that for sales to
processors. A large proportion of the vegetables
for the fresh market is sold by the growers at
vegetable and fruit auction markets to repre­
sentatives of chain stores, supermarkets, and
independent brokers. There are nine auction
markets throughout Southern New Jersey. The
Vineland Auction has enjoyed phenomenal
growth; dollar volume has increased four or
five times in the past six years. One reason
for this may be its long season; the auction
opens with April’s dandelion greens and runs
to October’s pumpkins. Another reason may be
that the Vineland Auction offers such a wide
variety of produce, so that the buyer can get
everything he needs at one place.
The tomato, as the accompanying table shows,
is the leading money vegetable— a fact attribu­

business review

table, no doubt, to its versatility in the chef’s
repertory. Asparagus, fresh-marketed and proc­
essed, is the second vegetable in the money—
probably because of the region’s reputation for
flavorful, high-quality spears. Processing is done
by a dozen or more processing plants in the
region. Campbell Soup is the largest canner of
tomatoes, and Seabrook Farms Company was
the largest vegetable grower-freezer until ac­
quired recently by Seeman Brothers, Inc., the
big White Rose canned-goods producer. Among
the processors are also several relatively small
operators who are doing very well.
Potatoes are usually classified with field crops,
but in culinary circles the potato is generally
regarded as a vegetable. Whatever they are,
potatoes are an important item of income to
South Jersey farmers. A banker of the region
said: “ When you eat Wise or Frito-Lay potato
chips or French fries in Campbell or Seabrook
TV dinners, they very probably came from
Salem and Cumberland county fields.”
Peaches, blueberries, and apples are the big
three among fruits produced in New Jersey.
Strawberries and cranberries are also substantial
money crops. Gloucester, the leading fruit
county, had a heavy set of peaches in early
summer but bacterial leaf spot hurt the crop,
and early marketings from the South reduced
prices.
NEW JERSEY’S 1967 VEGETABLE HARVEST
(th u a d d lla )
o s n o rs
For fresh market
$ 6,260
Tomatoes
5,004
Lettuce
3,696
Peppers
3,267
Asparagus
2,992
Sweet corn
11,529
Other vegetables
For processing
Tomatoes
13,525
Asparagus
6,648
Other vegetables
6,822
Total vegetables




$35,378

26,995

$62,373

“ This Property For Sale” read a sign posted
in a peach orchard along Route 30. Not only
peach orchards but a lot of other good farms
are being sold at handsome prices, whereupon
the farmer retires and the land is “ developed.”
Throughout 1965 the loss of New Jersey farm­
land was in excess of 200 acres a day. It has
since receded, but it is feared that the rate of
loss will rise again in the 70’s.
A comparatively new development of the
region’s agriculture is the appearance of green­
house vegetable growing. Fresh Jersey cucumber
and tomato salad with your roast beef Christmas
dinner anyone, and Jersey musk-melon for des­
sert? Greenhouse vegetable-growing is said to
be ideal for small-scale enterprises, well-suited
for a man-and-wife team with promise of good
returns. This type of “ agriculture” is immune
to drought, flood, frost, and other weather
hazards.
The great aquifer

South New Jersey has another great asset,
invisible but priceless. In the lower part of
Burlington County and corners of Camden and
Atlantic counties is an area almost devoid of
highways— most unusual for New Jersey. This
is the Pine Barrens— a region of sandy soil,
scrub oak, scrub pine, and few people. It is the
most un-New Jersey-like part of New Jersey.
Rain water seeps through the sandy soil very
fast to form an immense natural reservoir of pure
water— like a subterranean lake, 75 feet deep
and about 1,000 square miles in area.
In the mid-1870’s, Joseph Wharton, founder
of the Wharton School of Finance and Com­
merce, began accumulating land in this area,
ultimately holding about 100,000 acres. His
plan was to build a score or more of shallow,
interconnected lakes in the pines to feed a big
reservoir in Camden from which an aqueduct
9

business review

under the Delaware would supply Philadelphia
with fresh water. The New Jersey legislature
blocked the plan and sat on its aquifer until
1955 when for $3 million it finally bought the
property. On the official map of New Jersey it
is labeled “ Wharton Tract State Forest.” Long
before down-state becomes as full of people as
up-state, New Jersey may have to draw on this
great social asset.

Higher education in lower Jersey

Of all the changes taking place in South Jersey,
one of the most hopeful, most promising, most
important is the growing emphasis on higher

education. An awakening to the educational
needs of the region’s young people is reflected
in establishment of new colleges and vocational
schools.
Two-year county colleges are now operating
in seven of South Jersey’s nine counties—
Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland,
Gloucester, Mercer, and Ocean. This is in con­
trast with only four such colleges in the twelve
North Jersey counties. No doubt one reason
why South Jersey has more two-year county
colleges is the greater availability and lower cost
of land. In heavily populated North Jersey,
land for a college campus is almost prohibitively
expensive.

S O U TH NEW JERSEYANA
For readers still with us, we can't resist mention­
ing, just mentioning: Trenton crackers that make
an oyster stew stupendous; cranberry bogs which
grow a delightful side dish to a Thanksgiving
dinner; off-shore commercial fishing and all th'e
fishing fo r the sport of it, surfside and deep-sea;
bird flyways where an estimated quarter-million
or more waterfowl dine on the tidelands in a
single fall migration; a growing appreciation of
horses on both racetracks and bridal paths; more
dairy cattle, especially in Burlington and Salem
counties; finders-keepers Cape May diamonds of
seven-point hardness compared with 10-point
hardness of real diamonds that go to the altar;
Greenwich like a cross-stitched sampler on a
cross-stitched landscape; and quaint old place
names. We cite the opening sentence of a chapter
in Henry C. Beck’s More Forgotten Towns of New
Jersey: “ On a map of New Jersey, issued in 1834,
the principal route to Barnegat was shown
through Bordentown, Recklesstown, Fooltown or
Georgetown, Penny Hill, Mary Ann Forge, Mount
Misery, and Old Half Way.”

10




business review

A close look at the facts indicates that Pennsylvania’s strike record is more favorable than
is often believed.

Scrutinizing Strikes
in Pennsylvania
by Richard W. Epps
Pennsylvania, like m ost of the M iddle A tlantic states, is generally view ed as an area of high
strike activity. W hile this general view often exaggerates the situation, many industrialists
feel that w ork stop pages in Pennsylvania pose a problem for the state’s developm ent. A
recent survey of 350 Philadelphia industrialists, for exam ple, found labor-m anagem ent
relations near the top of the list of factors detracting from developm ent of the area.1
Sim ilar results w ere obtained in a survey of counties in northeastern Pennsylvania.2
H ow deserved is this reputation for high strike activity? W hat im plications does it have
for the efforts of industrial developers in the state?
G E O G R A P H Y OF W O R K S T O P P A G E S

1 “Earning a Better Living,” Southeastern PennsylvaniaEconomic Development Corporation, 1968.
2 “Manpower Dilemma in Northeastern Pennsylvania” Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsyl­
vania, April 1967.



11

business review

Chart 1
SOME TIME-LOSS FROM STRIKES RELATED TO INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURE
Part of the reason for the high level of strike activity in Pennsylvania is that the state has a concentration of industries that have
high rates of strike activity nationally. When strike figures are adjusted for such industrial structure, Pennsylvania compares
more favorably with the rest of the nation. Moreover, New Jersey and Delaware, the other two Third District states, become
comparable with the nation’s least strike ridden states. The upper set of bars measures the time-loss record presented in the map,
and the lower set represents the adjusted record.
Per Cent

Source: “ Analysis of Work Stoppages," U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1956 1966.
•See statistical note for explanation of adjustment procedure.

Root of the Image

Pennsylvania ranks third among the continental
United States in production time lost because
of labor strife. Its time-loss rate, during the 11
years from 1956 to 1966, was almost double that
of its Third District neighbors— New Jersey and
Delaware— and more than five times that of
some Southern, New England and plains states,
as shown on the map. So, Pennsylvania’s image
appears to have substance— on the surface at
least.
But when other facets of the problem are
examined, Pennsylvania compares more favor­
ably with other states.
In part, the state’s standing is attributable to
a concentration of industries which have high
national time-loss records. Taking this industrial
structure into account by adjusting the time-loss
12




in each region for such industrial structure, we
find that Pennsylvania looks comparatively bet­
ter— some of the gap between Pennsylvania
and other areas is closed; and the state drops
from third to tenth in ranking among the con­
tinental United States. Moreover, its sister
states in the District become nearly comparable
with states having the lowest loss of production
time. The labor record of each region is com­
pared to its adjusted figure in Chart l . 3
But even after adjustment for industry mix,
Pennsylvania’s record is somewhat high in com­
parison with the South, New England and
plains states. One possible explanation is the
level of unionization.
3 See statistical note for explanation of the adjustment
procedure.

business review

Chart 2
INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURE AFFECTS THE UNIONIZATION PICTURE
The upper row of bars is the actual percent of the labor force in unions, while the lower set measures the level of unionization
after adjustment for differences among states in industrial structure. All three states in the Third District have lower relative
unionization when industrial structure is taken into consideration.
PerCent

40

30

20

10
0
Per Cent

30

20

10

0
Source: "Directory of National and International Labor Unions in the United States, 1965," United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
*See statistical note fo r explanation of adjustment procedure.

Large differences among states in the extent
of unionization do exist. As indicated in Chart
2, more than one out of three workers in the
old manufacturing belt and the West belongs to
a union while less than one out of five workers
in the South is a union member.
Unionization, in part, reflects the industrial
structure of each state. Particularly in manu­
facturing, union organizers tend to work along
industry lines. Textile manufacturing, for ex­
ample, is less than 20 per cent organized across
the nation, while petroleum refining is almost
completely organized. Although the level of
organization of each industry varies among
states, the extent of variation is small for more
highly unionized industries. Therefore, states
with a concentration of industries which are
highly organized nationally will normally tend



to have high levels of unionization. In short,
just as industrial structure in part determines
the level of work stoppages, it also, in part, sets
the level of unionization in each state.
The lower set of bars in Chart 2 indicates
the level of unionization for each region ad­
justed for differences in industrial structure.
Diversity among regions in levels of unioniza­
tion still remains and accounts for one-third of
the variation in work stoppages not accounted
for by industrial structure.4
Thus, even after taking differences in indus­
trial structure into account, we find that Penn­
sylvania’s record of time-loss in production is
somewhat higher than that of the South, New
England and plains. And we might expect such
4 See statistical note for explanation.
13

business review

a rating, for Pennsylvania labor is highly organ­
ized. So, there is some basis for the view which
suggests that Pennsylvania has a high degree of
strike activity, although the view may be
exaggerated.
Implications for Industrial Developers

Businessmen look at a number of items in
deciding where to locate, among which is the
probable quality of labor-management relations.
The moderately high level of time-loss from
strikes and the relatively high level of unioniza­
tion in Pennsylvania may thus be deterrents to
state development, but more for some industries
than others. As already mentioned, some indus­
tries are more likely to have strikes than others,
no matter where they locate. Moreover, since
labor-management relations is only one of the
items businessmen consider in deciding where
to locate, other characteristics of Pennsylvania
may outweigh the state’s labor relations situaton.

IN D U S T R Y RECORDS
The aggregate strike record of Pennsylvania is
composed of the varied experience of individual
industries. As the aggregate picture would sug­
gest, most, 20 of the 28 state industries, have
had somewhat more strike activity in Pennsyl­
vania than in the nation during the period start­
ing in 1956 and ending in 1966. Each industry's
state record is compared with its national record
in the accompanying table. A plus sign indicates
more-than-national strike activity in Pennsylvania,
and a minus sign indicates a less-than-national
record in Pennsylvania.
Strike activity of these industries varies from
year-to-year. If the industralist looked at a d iffe r­
ent set of years, he might find more industries
with relatively low levels of time-loss in the state.
Figures in the table are starred where the differ­
ence between the state and national strike experi­
ence seems to be too large, on the basis of
statistical theory, to be attributable to year-to-year
fluctuations. Examining the record on this basis,
we find that only 13 industries have more-thannational strike activity in Pennsylvania.

14




COMPARISON OF INDUSTRY STRIKE RECORDS
IN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NATION,

1956-1966
(+ ) indicates more strikes in Pennsylvania than
in the nation
( - ) indicates less strike activity in Pennsylvania
than in the nation
( * ) indicates that the difference in strike records
is statistically significant.f
Strike

Industry
Manufacturing:

Comparison

Ordnance and accessories.........
Tobacco m anufacturing.............
Textiles .......................................
Apparel products........................
Furniture and fix tu re s ................
Paper and allied p ro d u cts.........
Chemicals and allied products . .
Rubber and p la s tic s ..................
Stone, clay and g la s s ..................
Fabricated m e ta ls ......................
M achinery...................................
Electrical machinery ..................
Instruments ........................ . . ..
Miscellaneous p ro d u cts .............
Food and kindred products.........
Lumber and wood products . . . .
Printing and p ublishin g.............
Petroleum refining ....................
Leather .......................................
Primary metals ..........................
Transportation equipment .........

+*
+
+*
4-*
+ *
+
+*
+
-f *
+*
+*
+*
+
+*
—*
—
—
—
—
—*
—

Non-manufacturing:
Mining ......................
Construction ...............................
Transportation, public utilities ..
-f
Wholesale and retail tr a d e ..
Finance, insurance, and real estate
Services ......................................
Government ...............................

+
+
+
*
+*
+ *
—*

Source: “ Analysis of Workstoppages,”
U.S. Department of Labor, 1956-1966.
f Significance of differences between national and
state records is judged by the " t ” test. In this test
the average difference between the records is
divided by the average variation in the difference.
If the average difference is as large as the average
variation, the difference is judged sig n ifica n t

business review

The importance of labor strife and unioniza­
tion in the businessman’s decision on location
involves at least three factors. One is the type
of labor he needs; a second is the probable
flexibility of his labor relations; and a third is
how important labor is in comparison to all other
location factors.
1. Labor is both physical power and intel­
ligence. Demands for these two aspects of labor
vary among employers. Some— chemicals man­
ufacturers, for example— rely heavily on highly
trained manpower; others, characterized by less
capital-intensive methods of production, can
utilize less trained labor.
Because highly trained labor is scarce, indus­
trialists requiring these specialized workers
must often put considerations of labor supply
above any other aspect of labor in choosing a
location. For these businessmen, the quality of
labor-management relations may be relatively
less important. Rather, it is a strong complex of
higher education and a resident supply of skilled
workers that is of significance.

Moreover, if bargaining is done on a multi-area
or industry-wide basis, the chances are that no
matter where the firm sets up production, its
work force will be involved in the same strike.
All manufacturing industries are ranked in
Table 1 on the basis of the extent of organiza­
tion of their labor force nationally and the
extent of single-plant bargaining (used as a
proxy for single-area bargaining). Industries
toward the lower left-hand corner of the table
have the most flexibility in their relations with
labor; those toward the upper right-hand corner
are the most restricted. Italicized industries have
substantial skill requirements.
RANKING OF INDUSTRIES ON
FLEXIBILITY OF LABOR RELATIONS
Extent of Single-Plant Bargaining
64% -35%
100%-70%




Fabricated
metals

20% -0%

T ra n sp o rta tio n
e q u ip m e n t
P rim a ry
m eta ls
Rubber

Extent
of
union­
ization

70% -60%

M a ch in e ry
C h e m ic a ls
Paper

In stru m e n ts
60%- 0%

2. But the industrialist with few particular
skill requirements may regard labor-management
relations as an important consideration. He may
react in two ways. First, the businessman may
look for an area where labor is not organized.
Second, if he finds that he will face a labor
union, the businessman may search for an area
with a low strike record, in the South or New
England, for example, and restrict his bargaining
to it.
The industrialist’s ability to choose whether
or not he will face a labor organization is im­
portantly influenced by the industry in which
he operates. If he is in one of the nation’s highly
organized industries, for example, the chances
are that he will face a union wherever he goes.

O rd n a n ce
P e tro leu m

35%-20%

Miscellaneous
manufacturing

Electrical
machinery

Stone, clay,
glass

P rin tin g
Food

Furniture
Tobacco
Textiles

Apparel
Leather
Lumber

Italicized Industries have strong demands for skilled and professional
workers.
Source: “ Directory of National and International Labor Unions,"
1965, U.S. Department of Labor.

As indicated by italics, most manufacturing
industries with a significant amount of single­
plant bargaining also require skilled work forces.
The highly skilled labor force of Pennsylvania
may outweigh the tendency for these industries
to be attracted to areas of less organized labor.5
5 Discussion of the importance of labor organization in
location decisions is, in part, based upon two comprehen­
sive studies of location factors for the various manufac­
turing industries. See: (a) Victor R. Fuchs, Changes in
the Location of Manufacturing in the United States
Since 1929, Yale University Press, 1962, pp. 91-95, 102104, 172-190. (b) Wilbur R. Thompson and John M.
Mattila, An Econometric Model of Postwar State Indus­
trial Development, Wayne State University Press,
Detroit, 1959.

15

business review

Moreover, the labor situation may not be too
important for development of the state. First,
not all employers have alternatives to the labor
organization and characteristics of this area.
Some firms, particularly in the machinery, chem­
icals, and petroleum complexes, will face a labor
union no matter where they go, and many of
these have multi-plant bargaining, meaning the
same collective bargaining wherever they go.
Others, textile and apparel manufacturing, for
3.
Of course, labor is only one criterion the example, may be able to avoid collective bar­
industrialist uses in selecting a location. Size and
gaining in some states, and thus become poor
growth of market, supporting business services,
prospects for development in Pennsylvania. Sec­
urban amenities, and transportation facilities are
ond, labor is only one location factor. The area
has a strong standing on many other important
also important.
aspects, such as large markets, extensive sub­
Pennsylvania has a strong standing on most of
sidiary services, and port facilities. Finally, the
these factors. Location on the Eastern Seaboard
dependence of all industries upon skilled labor,
affords access to one of the nation’s largest mar­
which is a strong point of the state and Third
kets. Moreover, by the large size of metropolitan
District economy, is increasing. Thus, there is
areas in the region, the three-state economy pro­
reason to suspect that the importance of labor
vides a broad menu of business services and
strife as a location factor will diminish in the
urban cultural activities. Finally, both port and
airport facilities are available.7
future.
Combined with the region’s skilled work
force, these assets may hold a number of indus­
STATISTICAL NOTE
tries that might otherwise be attracted to areas
The discussion of aggregate work stoppages is
in which labor is less highly organized.
based upon an analysis of the correlations among
work stoppages, industrial structure, and union­
Implications for the state
ism. The statistical analysis concerns two major
Consideration of time lost in production because
questions— the extent of variation in work stop­
of strikes in Pennsylvania is both discouraging
pages among states, and the role of differences
and encouraging. The state tends to have more
among states in levels of unionism in causing
strike activity than New England, the South
the time-loss variation. Study of both questions
and the plains. But, the state’s image of a high
is complicated by the fact that industrial structure
level of workstoppages seems to exaggerate the
varies among states, and this variation in indus­
strike record.
trial structure leads to some of the diversity in
both time-loss and unionism. Some industries
GIbid.
tend to have high levels of work stoppages and
7 See Richard Epps, “Strategy for Industrial Develop­
high levels of unionism no matter where they
ment,” Business Review, November 1966, for further
discussion of location factors of the various industries.
locate.
So, firms in these industries should be prime
targets for regional developers in the state.
Manufacturing industries with low rates of
unionization, on the other hand, tend to require
a low-skill labor force. These industries, then,
may find highly unionized areas such as Penn­
sylvania and New Jersey less attractive than
others.6 Efforts to entice these industries may
be more difficult.

16



business review

Thus, as a first step in the analysis, both timeloss figures and unionism were adjusted for in­
dustrial structure. The adjustment process fol­
lowed was to compute an index indicating what
time-loss and unionism would be in each state
if the industries in each state had exactly their
national rates of time-loss and unionism. The
index figures were subtracted from the actual
figures for each state, resulting in:
1. The variation among states in time-loss
caused by each industry having more or less
time-loss in the states than nationally, and
2. the variation among states in unionism at­
tributable to each industry having more or
less unionization in the states than nationally.
The two indexes were computed by multiply­
ing the industrial structure of each state by the
national time-loss and unionization figures for
the appropriate industries. For example, if a state
had employment in only textiles and primary
metals manufacturing, the per cent of employ­
ment in textiles would be multiplied by the
national unionization figure for the textiles
industry, and the pert cent of employment in
primary metals would be multiplied by the na­
tional unionization figure for primary metals.
These would be added together, the sum being
the index of unionism.
Adjustment for industrial structure reduced
the diversity in both time-loss and unionism—
by 39 per cent for time-loss and by 29.5 per
cent for unionism.
The resulting adjusted figures were then cor­
related for the 48 continental states with the
result that adjusted unionization accounted for
31 per cent of the variation in adjusted timeloss figures.
One additional result was found. It appears
that states with a concentration of industries
which have high rates of time-loss nationally
will tend to have excessive time-loss in most of



their industries. One might expect that indus­
trial structure would affect the level of aggregate
work stoppages only via the relative concentra­
tions of industries with high and low rate of
time-loss. In this case, actual work stoppages
would increase only at the rate of the index of
work stoppages. If actual time-loss in fact in­
creases more rapidly, as it appears to do, then
the industrial structure must be having an ad­
ditional impact. This means that in a state with
a concentration of industries with high rates of
work stoppages, most firms tend to have more
timedoss than do their national counterparts.
In fact, the following relation was found:1
1 The coefficient on I w is significantly different from
1.0 with probability .01.

W = - .0004+1.6206 Iw
Coefficient of correlation = .638
where W stands for the actual percentage time
lost in work stoppages, and Iw is the index of
work stoppages explained above. The multiplier
relating the index to the work stoppages is
significantly different from 1.0; actual time-loss
increases more rapidly than industrial structure
would indicate.
There are two possible explanations. First,
it might be that a concentration of industries
with high rates of time-loss is associated with
exceptionally high levels of unionism. The
unionism might, in turn, be involved in the
extra strikes. Or, second, the frequent strikes
in industries of high time-loss might affect at­
titudes of workers in other industries increasing
the tendency for all workers to go out on strike.
The second explanation seems to be more
appropriate. Unionization appears to increase
no more rapidly than industrial structure would
suggest:
U = - .0 5 0 + 1 .0 3 8 I u
R = .552
where U stands for per cent of the labor force
17

business review

in unions and I u is the industrial structure index
of unionization. Moreover, when unionism, ad­
justed for industrial structure, is included in
the work stoppage equation, the rate of increase
of time loss remains high:2
W = .0001 + 1.49Iw + .0053 ( U - I u)
R = .743
Data used in the analysis were as follows:
1. Time-loss— average figures for the 19561966 period, from “ Analysis of Work Stop­

18




pages,” U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau
of Labor Statistics, 1956-1966.
2. Unionization— 1964 figures from “ Direc­
tory of National and International Labor
Unions in the United States, 1965,” U.S.
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
3. Industrial structure— 1964 figures from
“ State Projections to 1975,” National Plan­
ning Association, October, 1965.
? The coefficient on L is significantly different from
1.0 with probability .025.

business review

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
TABLE OF CONTENTS-1968
JANUARY
(Annual Report Issue)

Diversification, Supervision, and The Public Interest by
Clay J. Anderson
Push-Pull Inflation by Sheldon W. Stahl
Third District Business and Banking Conditions in 1967 by
Henry A. Watson

FEBRUARY

Mergers and the Small Unit Bank by Warren J. Gustus
Unemployment in Philadelphia by Shirly A. Goetz
Cashing In On Corn by Evan B. Alderfer

MARCH

Lags in Monetary and Fiscal Policy by Mark H. Willes
Urbanization Pressures and Municipal Bond Financing by William F. Staats

APRIL

The Enigmatic Consumer by Sheldon W. Stahl
Consumer Credit in 1967 by Kathryn Kalmbach
Angling fo r Industry by Evan B. Alderfer

MAY

Philadelphia Bankers Are International Bankers by Hugh Chairnoff
Where Corporate Headquarters Feel At Home by Elizabeth P. Deutermann
A Report on Bank Earnings by Charles D. Soule

JUNE

The Municipal Bond Market and Tight Money by William F. Staats
Municipal Borrowing Experience in 1966 by Susan R. Robinson
The Metropolitan Money Gap by Richard W. Epps

(Supplements)

The Budget, Regulation Q and Gold: Three Issues fo r Today and Tomorrow
by Karl R. Bopp
Statutory Interest Rate Ceilings and the Availability of Mortgage Funds
by Andrew F. Brimmer

JULY

Economic Discipline and the Middle Generation by David P. Eastburn
Washington’s “ New Discipline” and the Banking Business
by David C. Melnicoff

AUGUST

The Wealth of a Nation and the Ubiquitous Poor by Sheldon W. Stahl
Deposit Variability by Hugh Chairnoff

SEPTEMBER

Federal Funds and Country Bank Reserve Management by Mark H. Willes
Small Business Investment Companies: Promises and Perils
by Susan R. Robinson

OCTOBER

Corporate Treasurers Look Ahead to ’69 by Edward G. Boehne
Moving Money Into Ghetto Business by Susan R. Robinson
The 1968 Harvest: So? or So-So? by Evan B. Alderfer

NOVEMBER

The Bank Merger Act of 1966: Past, Present, and Prospects
by William E. Whitesell
Department of Justice Merger Guidelines: Some Implications fo r Bank
Mergers by Warren J. Gustus
Mergers, Branches and Convenience and Needs by Warren J. Gustus
Management Succession in Banker Mergers by Robert D. Bowers

DECEMBER

Scrutinizing Strikes in Pennsylvania by Richard W. Epps
Southern New Jersey: How New? by Evan B. Alderfer




19

FOR THE RECORD

•

•

•

INDEX

B U S IN E S S
160

150

W

FACTORY PAYROL S, DIST.
(1957-1959=100)

130
-

C ONSUM ER PRIC :s, PHILA.
(1957 1959=100)
120

no
FACTORY EMPLO> M EN T, DIST.
(1957 1959= 100)
100

,

i

2 YEARS
AGO

YEAR
AGO

SEPT.

1968

Third Federal
Reserve District
Per cent change
S U M M AR Y

United States
Per cent change

Oct. 1968
from
mo.
ago

year
ago

10
mos.
1968
from
year
ago

Oct. 1968
from
mo.
ago

year
ago

Manufacturing
Employ­
ment

10
mos.
1968
from
year
ago

Standard
Metropolitan
Statistical
Areas*

+ i
0 +
i
0
0
0 + 8
+ 49 + 212
- 23 - 25

+ 1
+ 1
+ 6
+47
- 4

+ 5

+ 4

Check
Payments**

Total
Deposits* **

Per cent
change
Oct. 1968
from

Per cent
change
Oct. 1968
from

year
ago

mo.
ago

year
ago

mo.
ago

year
ago

mo.
ago

year
ago

mo.
ago

i

0

+ 5

+ 20

+ 19

+ 27

+ 8

+22

-

-

Trenton .........

4

+ 9

-

2

+ 7

0

-

1

-

1

+ 4

+ 12

+ 39

+ 6

+ 19
-2 3

+ 14
- 1

+ 12
+ 16

+
+
+
+
+
+

2
1
2
2
2
3t

+
+
+
+
+
+

10
+ 10
+ 2
11
+ 9
+ 1
9
+ 14
+ 3
+ 4
1
+ 7
18
+ 22
+ 2
201 + 1 3 1 + 3

+ 9
+ 11
+ 10
+ 4
+ 16
+ 23

+
+
+
+
+
+

It +

0
+ 1

+ 3
+ 5

+ 2
+ 4

9
9
12
6
17
19

Altoona ........

-

1

+ 3

-

1

+ 13

-

6

-

1

+ 3

Harrisburg . . .

-

1

-

2

-

2

+ 2

-

4

+ 11

0

+ 12

Johnstown

+ 19
-2 4

PRICES
Wholesale.....................
Consumer .....................

Per cent
change
Oct. 1968
from

Atlantic City .

BANKING
(All member banks)
Deposits .......................
Loans ...........................
Investments .................
U.S. Govt, securities .
Other .........................
Check payments*** . . .

Wilmington ..

Payrolls

Per cent
change
Oct. 1968
from

LOCAL
CHANGES

MANUFACTURING
Production ...................
Electric power consumed
Man-hours, total* . . . .
Employment, t o t a l ___
Wage income* .............
CONSTRUCTION** . . . .
COAL PRODUCTION . . . .

Banking

-

3

-

5

0

+ 1

+ 3

+ 11

+ 1

+11

..

Lancaster . . .

0

0

0

+ 5

-

1

+ 10

-

1

+ 11

Lehigh Valley

0

0

0

+ 9

+ 4

+ 16

+ 1

+ 12
+ 10

Philadelphia

0

-

1

+ 5

0

+ 18

+ 2

Reading........

0

+ 2

+ 2

+ 12

+ 1

+ 32

+ 2

-2 4

Scranton . . . .

0

-

-

1

+ 4

+ 13

+ 27

+

1

+ 10

2

1

-

Wilkes-Barre .
+

‘ Production workers only
“ Value of contracts
‘ “ Adjusted for seasonal variation




5*

+ 5*

t l 5 SMSA's
^Philadelphia

0

+ 4

-

1

+ 9

+ 1

+ 16

+

1

+ 10

York .............

+ 2

+ 4

+ 1

+ 12

+ 1

+ 5

+ 1

+ 7

‘ Not restricted to corporate limits of cities but covers areas of one or
more counties.
“ All commercial banks. Adjusted for seasonal variation.
‘ “ Member banks only. Last Wednesday of the month.