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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Frances Perkins, Secretary
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Isador Lubin, Commissioner (on leave)
A . F. Hinrichs, Acting Commissioner

H ourly Earnings in the
Am m unition-Loading Industry

1944

Bulletin

7 \[o .

827

For sale by the Superintendent o f Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office
Washington 25, D. C. - Price 10 cents







Letter o f Transmittal
U n it e d St a t e s D e p a r t m e n t o p L a b o r ,
B u r e a u o f L a b o r St a t is t ic s ,

Washington, D. C., April 12, 1945.

The S e c r e t a r y

of

L abor:

I have the honor to transmit herewith a report on hourly earnings in the
ammunition-loading industry in 1944. The report was prepared in the Bureau's
Division of Wage Analysis by Edith M. Olsen under the supervision of Victor S.
Baril.
A . F . H i n r i c h s , Acting Commissioner.
H o n . F r a n c e s P e r k in s ,

Secretary of Labor.

CONTENTS
Summary___________________________
Wartime development of the industry.
Nature of the industry______________
Process of manufacture_________
Scope and method of survey_________
The labor force______________________
Wage-payment practices________
Occupational earnings_______________
Shell and bomb loading_________
Bag loading_________ _______ ____




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Bulletin T^o. 827 o f the
U nited States Bureau o f Labor Statistics
[Reprinted from the M onthly L abor R e v ie w , April 1945]

Hourly Earnings in the Ammunition-Loading Industry,
19441
Sum m ary

A BUREAU of Labor Statistics wage survey in ammunition-loading
plants reveals that the straight-time average earnings of workers in
representative key jobs amounted to 77 cents an hour in shell- and
bomb-loading plants and to 71 cents an hour in bag-loading plants.
Among occupations studied in shell- and bomb-loading plants,
average earnings ranged from 51 cents an hour for jani tresses to $1.47
an hour for class A tool and die makers. Occupations with average
earnings ranging between 65 and 75 cents an hour accounted for well
over half of the workers, while slightly less than a third were in oc­
cupations averaging between 75 and 90 cents an hour.
In bag-loading plants, occupational earnings ranged from 48 cents
for janitresses to $1.31 for class A pipe fitters. Nearly 87 percent of
all the workers studied in this branch of the industry were employed in
occupations in which the average hourly earnings ranged from 60
to 80 cents.
The ammunition-loading industry is outstanding for the large per­
centage of women it employs. These workers accounted for nearly
three-fifths of the entire labor force of the plants covered by the survey.
The employment of women is somewhat greater in bag-loading plants
than in bomb- and shell-loading plants. Nearly two-thirds of the
employees in bag loading were women. In contrast to the situation
in many other manufacturing industries, the employment opportu­
nities for women in ammunition loading are not limited to a few
specialized jobs. Aside from certain indirect jobs which involve either
very heavy work or long experience, women were found in nearly
every occupation selected for study.
W artim e Development o f the In du stry

To supply the facilities needed for loading bombs and artillery am­
munition on a scale commensurate with other wartime operations has
required the building of an entire industry in a period of less than 5
years. In this branch of the ordnance industry, unlike many others,
private production facilities could not be converted from other in­
dustries because of the highly specialized type of plant and equipment
needed. During peacetime, the few existing Government owned and
iFor comparison with earnings in the explosives manufacturing industries, see Monthly Labor Review,
March 1945 (p. 603); reprinted as Bulletin No. 819.




a)

2
operated manufacturing arsenals were able to load ammunition in
sufficient quantity to meet the relatively small requirements of the
Army and Navy. Although some expansion of these arsenals was
possible, their production has been completely overshadowed by the
large new plants built by the Government since September 1939.
All of these new loading plants, although owned by the Government,
are operated by private companies. Although many of these com­
panies had had no experience in either the explosives or the ammu­
nition industries prior to the war, they did have the managerial
experience needed for large-scale production of war materials.
The ammunition-loading industry is widely scattered geographically.
Only five States— Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Massachusetts, and
Pennsylvania—had more than tw~o plants in operation at the time of
the present survey. The few plants in the Northeastern States are
relatively small. In line with the Government’s general policy of
decentralizing the war industries for strategic reasons, the loading
plants built during this war are scattered throughout the interior
States of the country. Other factors which entered into the selection
of plant sites for the new loading plants were reasonable proximity to
other plants in the munitions program, such as those manufacturing
the high explosives, gunpowder, and metal components of ammuni­
tion; availability of natural resources, transportation and housing
facilities, and labor supply; and safety of surrounding communities.
Consequently, these plants are typically located at some distance
from already crowded industrial centers, and have normally been
built on large tracts of land in isolated rural areas.
N ature o f the Industry

The information contained in this report is based on a Bureau of
Labor Statistics survey of privately operated plants loading aircraft
bombs and artillery ammunition. The study included the loading
into bags of propellent charges for large-caliber weapons, as well as
the loading of component shell and bomb parts, such as fuzes,
“ boosters,” primers, and detonators. For the purposes of this study,
artillery ammunition is defined as ammunition used in cannon of all
calibers or, more specifically, in weapons of 20 mm. or more.
The two basic types of explosives used in military ammunition are
propellants aad high explosives. The distinction between the two is
made largely on the basis of the speed with which explosion occurs
after the charge has been set off. Propellants are relatively mild
explosives whose rate of combustion is comparatively slow and which
build up pressure gradually. The principal function of the propellent
charge is to exert enough pressure on the projectile to propel it from
the gun at the required rate of speed. Smokeless powder is at present
used almost universally as a propellant.
High explosives burn with such extreme rapidity that they cause
almost instantaneous reaction. There are numerous types of high
explosives, and in military use they serve as bursting charges in shells
and bombs and as initiators. The function of the bursting charge,
which must have great shattering power and which is carried in
the cavity or body of shells and bombs, is to shatter the metal case
into fragments. Although several different kinds of high explosives
are used, the most commonly used bursting charge is T N T or a mix­




3
ture of TN T and ammonium nitrate, which is called amatol. Very
sensitive high explosives, classified as initiators, are used in small
amounts for setting off less-sensitive explosives and are usually loaded
into the detonator, fuze, and booster. Since the bursting charge
in shells and bombs is relatively insensitive to shock, these initiating
explosives are loaded into a small detonator which is placed in the
fuze, and into the booster which is generally assembled to the loaded
fuze. Chief among the initiating explosives are mercury fulminate
and lead azide, which are contained in the detonator, and tetryl, the
typical booster explosive. The initial detonation, which is controlled
by the fuze, explodes the tetryl charge in the booster, which in turn
sets off the main or bursting charge of the shell or bomb.
Bombs are explosive missiles designed to be released over the tar­
get from aircraft. There are many different types and models of
bombs, each serving a specific purpose. In general, however, they
consist of a metal casing filled with the main high-explosive charge,
a booster, one or more fuzes, a fin assembly for stabilizing the flight
of the bomb through the air, and an arming-wire assembly to prevent
the bomb from exploding prematurely.
Artillery projectiles are in many respects similar to bombs. The
obvious differences are in size and in the method of projection from
the point of release to the target. Bombs, which are released from
aircraft, need no propellent charge to send them to their target.
Projectiles fired from guns, on the other hand, require a propellent
charge of slow-burning gunpowder to force them from the bore of the
gun. A complete round of artillery ammunition, which includes all
of the component parts necessary to fire the cannon once, includes,
ordinarily, the main bursting charge (which is enclosed in the body
of the projectile)j a fuze and booster assembly, a propellent charge,
and a primer loaded with black powder which performs the function
of setting off or firing the propellent powder.
Depending upon the method of loading the propellent charge,
artillery ammunition is classified as fixed, semifixed, or separate­
loading ammunition. In fixed ammunition the propellent charge is
carried as loose powder in the cartridge case, which is rigidly crimped
to the projectile. In semifixed ammunition, the propellent powder is
assembled in the cartridge case in bags or increments of varying
sizes, and the projectile is easily separated from the cartridge case to
allow removal of increments which may not be needed under certain
firing conditions. In both fixed and semifixed ammunition the
primer is rigidly pressed into the base of the cartridge case. Both
types of ammunition are also loaded into the cannon with the primed
cartridge case attached to the projectile. In separate-loading am­
munition, which is used for large-caliber cannon, the projectile and
the propellent charge are loaded into the gun separately rather than
as a unit. The propellent charge for such ammunition is usually
contained in one or more cylindrical bags. Similarly, the primer, or
igniter charge (which consists of a small amount of black powder), is
contained in cloth bags and loaded into the gun separately.
PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE

Both shell- and bag-loading plants require very extensive plant
facilities. A typical loading plant built during the present war
covers many acres of ground, and the various operations are carried




4
on in widely separated buildings in order to minimize the hazard.
The processes involved in the loading of bombs and large-caliber
artillery shells are very similar and require the same general type of
plant equipment. Bombs are, therefore, generally loaded in plants
which also perform shell-loading operations.
Shell and bomb loading.— The manufacturing process carried on in
a shell- or bomb-loading plant consists largely of the final assembly
of component materials into complete ammunition. The explosives,
shell or bomb casings, cartridge cases, fuzes, primers, boosters, and
detonators are received from outside manufacturers. They are then
inspected and stored, until required, in the loading departments.
The loading and assembling of these materials is carried on as an
assembly-line process. Various departments or so-called “ load
lines,, are maintained for the processing of each particular type of
ammunition. Thus, a plant may have, in addition to one or more
shell- or bomb-load lines, separate lines for loading such component
parts as detonators, fuzes, primers, and boosters. In some cases,
however, these smaller components are received from other plants,
already loaded with the explosive charge and ready for final assembly
into the completed projectile.
The main loading operation for shells and bombs is generally
performed by either the melt-load or the press-load process. On
the load line, the shell or bomb casings are cleaned, inspected, and
painted. Large-caliber shells and bombs are usually filled by the
melt-load process, the major operations of which consist in screening,
melting, and pouring the main explosive or bursting charge into the
shell or bomb cavity. The most commonly used bursting charge is
TN T, which is readily melted either alone or with ammonium ni­
trate. After the T N T has hardened, the booster and fuze are in­
serted. Some large-caliber shells are shipped to combat zones unfuzed,
and the fuze is assembled in the field prior to firing the shell. In the
case of fixed and semifixed rounds of ammunition, the projectile is
assembled to the cartridge case, which contains the propellent charge
and artillery primer. The final operations involve labeling and pack­
ing or crating for storage or shipment. Inspection is carried on
continuously at each stage of the operation.
The operations performed on the lines loading shells by the press­
load process differ somewhat from those where the melt-loading process
is used. The main explosive charge is loaded into the projectile in
a dry, rather than molten state, and consolidated into the shell by
means of a hydraulic press. Press loading is most generally applied
to smaller-caliber shells, such as those used in 20-mm. and 40-mm.
cannon.
The process of loading such component parts as fuzes, boosters,
detonators, and primers is largely confined to very simple assembly
work. Artillery primers, the bodies of which are metal tubes filled
with a specified amount of black powder, are generally loaded on a
volumetric loading machine. The heads, containing a small percus­
sion element which ignites upon friction from the firing pin, are
staked to the loaded bodies. Most of the operations on the primer­
load lines are mechanized.
The method of loading detonators, fuzes, and boosters varies
somewhat from plant to plant, but in general the operations involve
a large amount of bench assembly work. On the booster-loading line,




5
for instance, each minute task is performed at long tables having
numerous stations. Although most of the operations are performed
by hand, small crimping and staking machines are used at the tables
to assemble the various parts.
Bag loading.—The loading of propellent charges into ammunition
bags for semifixed and separate-loading ammunition is a far more
simple operation and requires equipment quite different from that
found in bomb- and shell-loading plants. The major operations
involved in the bag-loading plants are the cutting and sewing
of cloth bags of various sizes and the loading of these bags with
specific amounts of smokeless powder for propellent charges or black
powder for igniter charges.
In the bag-making department the cloth is spread and cut into
specified sizes and shapes, depending upon the type of charge which
is to be loaded. After identification of the charge has been printed
on these pieces of cloth, they are sent to the sewing room to be made
into bags by seaming on power sewing machines. An opening is
left in the bag for pouring in the powder charge.
The bag-loading lines are made up of the buildings for the actual
loading of the gunpowder and a number of widely separated and
barricaded storage magazines. The bag-loading buildings are divided
into small rooms with thick concrete walls between them for safety
of the operators. In these small rooms, each having only a limited
number of operators, the explosive powder is carefully weighed and
poured into the bags which have been transferred from the bag-making
department. The bag is then closed on a sewing machine and is
ready for final inspection and packing. For certain types of am­
munition, several bags are tied together before packing, to form a
charge made up of several increments.
Scope and M ethod o f Survey

This report is based on a survey of the earnings of workers in plants
loading bombs and artillery ammunition and includes virtually all of
the establishments which were engaged in the loading of these prod­
ucts dining the summer of 1944. Data were obtained for 38 plants;
35 of these were loading bombs and shells or their component parts
and employed a total of approximately 133,000 workers, and the 3
others were loading propellent powder bags for semifixed and sepa­
rate-loading ammunition and employed about 13,000 workers.
Because of the many different types of shells, bombs, and com­
ponent parts processed in these ammunition-loading plants, wide
variations existed from plant to plant in the scope of operations.
Eight plants, for instance, were loading only such components as
detonators, fuzes, boosters, or primers. A number of the plants were
loading large shells and bombs by the melt-loading process, while
others loaded smaller shells by pressing or consolidating the explosive
charge into the shell cavity. Some component parts were also loaded
in most of the shell- and bomb-loading plants. Operations in the
three bag-loading plants, however, were in each instance confined to
the making and filling of ammunition bags.
The wage data were collected from plant pay-roll records by trained
field representatives of the Bureau, who used written job descriptions
in classifying workers in each plant studied. The duties performed by

---- 2

642367°—45




6
workers included within the individual occupational groups are,
therefore, closely comparable despite any interplant differences in
operations which may have existed at the time of the survey. Unusual
difficulty was encountered in ascertaining the exact numbers of workers
within each occupational group because of the frequent shifting of
workers from one job to another as a result of changes in production
schedules. The distribution of workers by occupation shown in this
report, therefore, represents an averaging of different types of opera­
tions in these plants rather than an exact occupational distribution
as of a particular time. The influence of this factor on the hourly
earnings presented in the report is negligible, as the change from one
job to another generally consists merely of a change of station within
the same department or to some other job for which the same wage
rate obtains.
Detailed wage data were obtained for 98,022 workers employed in
the occupations selected for study. Somewhat more than two-thirds
of all the workers employed by the 38 plants covered were classified
in these selected occupations, which are believed to be representative
of the various levels of skill and earnings in the industry. In each
plant visited, the field representative also obtained such other items
of information as scope of operations, number of shifts worked, extent
of unionization, entrance rates paid to male common labor, methods
of wage payment, and the plant policy with regard to premium pay­
ments for overtime and late-shift work. This general information
was found helpful for interpreting the earnings data which constitute
the chief objective of the study. The occupational wage data repre­
sent straight-time average hourly earnings, excluding premium pay­
ments for overtime work and for work on late shifts. In the main,
the data relate to typical pay-roll periods in June 1944.
The Labor Force

The recruitment and training of workers was one of the most
serious problems confronting the ammunition-loading industry in the
early months of the war. As the industry has no real counterpart in
peacetime, literally the entire labor force had to be trained by the
few people already familiar with the operations. For a large per­
centage of the workers recruited by the loading plants, this employ­
ment involved moving from rural areas and represented their first
experience in a manufacturing plant. Moreover, many of the workers,
particularly the women, were entering the labor force for the first
time.
The ammunition-loading industry is outstanding for the large per­
centage of women it employs. These workers accounted for nearly
three-fifths of the entire labor force of the plants covered by the sur­
vey. The employment of women is somewhat greater in bag-loading
plants than in bomb- and shell-loading plants. Nearly two-thirds
of the employees in bag loading were women. In ammunition
loading, unlike many other manufacturing industries, the employ­
ment opportunities for women are not limited to a few specialized jobs.
Aside from some of the indirect jobs which involve either very heavy
work or long experience, women were found in nearly every occupation
selected for study.
Total plant employment varied widely in the plants studied. The
actual range was from fewer than 200 workers in the smallest plant




7
to more than 10,000 in the largest. All but 13 of the plants employed
over 2,000 workers.
Nearly all of the operations in the loading and assembling of am­
munition involve unskilled or semiskilled work, and the training period
is relatively short. In fact, most of the jobs require as little as one
week of training. Undoubtedly, the most important feature in the
training of new workers is that of impressing them with the importance
of observing safety precautions and rules in the handling of explosives.
Many other steps are also taken to reduce the accident hazard. The
loading plants are so constructed as to provide every possible protec­
tion for the workers. The plants are spread over large tracts of land,
and the individual buildings in which explosives are handled are widely
separated so as to confine any accidents to only a small part of the
plant and thus reduce to a minimum the possibility of endangering
large numbers of workers. Safety regulations are of the strictest
and apply to all persons entering the processing areas of the plants.
Typical safety regulations are the prohibition against carrying matches
or wearing shoes with exposed nails in the production areas. Only
a specified number of persons and a limited quantity of explosives are
allowed in any one building at a given time. Particularly hazardous
operations are performed behind shields or barricades. The result
of these and many other precautions is reflected in the low accidentfrequency record of the industry during the present war.
For the most part, the operations involved in the loading and as­
sembling of ammunition have been divided into many small and simple
tasks, each of which is assigned to a different operator. In most
plants there is considerable shifting of workers from one job to another,
caused principally by (1) an attempt to offset the monotony of
routine and repetitive work and (2) the continual changes maae in
production schedules and in the size and type of ammunition being
processed.
Some steps in the loading process require that large numbers of
workers be assigned to certain operations. Very considerable pro­
portions of the workers on the lines loading bombs, shells, and com­
ponent parts, for instance, are assigned to assembly work. Numerous
operators are also required for the packing and crating departments
on all load lines. On the melt-load line, the operators pouring the
molten T N T into shell and bomb cavities comprise sizable groups.
Relatively few workers, on the other hand, are employed as kettlemen
and draw-off operators, whose duties are to tend the large units where
the T N T is melted and to draw the molten T N T from these units
into large tubs. Only a small crew of kettlemen and draw-off oper­
ators is needed to supply a large group of workers employed in the
pouring room.
Fifteen of the 38 plants studied, employing 34 percent of the work­
ers, had union agreements covering a large percentage of their em­
ployees. Nine additional plants, with 32 percent of the workers, had
union contracts which covered only certain groups of employees,
such as maintenance or other indirect workers, while the remaining
14 plants, which employed 34 percent of the wage earners, were not
unionized. Nearly all union contracts were with the unions affiliated
with the American Federation of Labor and with the United Mine
Workers of America,




8
W age-P aym ent Practices

Because of the hazardous nature of the industry, workers employed
in ammunition-loading plants are typically paid straight hourly rates.
Only 3 of the 38 plants studied employed any workers under incentive
methods of wage payment, and most of these workers were in assembly
occupations. Incentive workers constituted only about 3 percent
of all the workers covered in the survey.
Multiple-shift operations were reported by 35 of the 38 plants.
Twenty-two of the plants were on a 3-shift schedule, while 12 were
operating two shifts. Of the total number of workers employed by
the establishments surveyed, approximately 54 percent were em­
ployed on the first shift, 31 percent on the second, and 15 percent on
the third. Twenty-three plants reported periodic shift rotation of
production workers.
The payment of differentials for work of second and third shifts
was reported by 12 plants. Four of these plants were operating only
two shifts; and a differential of 5 cents an hour above the first-shift
rate was paid to second-shift workers in all 4 plants. Of the 8 plants
operating three shifts and paying shift differentials, 4 paid the same
premium to both late shifts; in 2 of these 4 plants the differential
amounted to 10 percent above the day-shift rate, in 1 plant to 5 per­
cent, and in another to 5 cents an hour. Two plants paid shift differ­
entials amounting to 5 percent more than the first-shift rate to secondshift workers, and 10 percent more to third-shift workers. One
plant paid a premium of 5 cents an hour to second-shift workers and
of 10 cents an hour to third-shift workers; the eighth plant paid no
second-shift differential, but gave a premium of 5 percent for work on
the third shift.
Nearly all the plants studied were operating on a scheduled 48-hour
workweek. All paid time and a half for work in excess of 40 hours a
week or 8 hours a day. Work on the 6 holidays recognized by Exec­
utive order was paid for at the rate of time and a half in all but 3
plants. Special provisions were reported for work on the seventh
consecutive day by all but 1 of the 38 plants; 36 plants paid double
time, and one paid time and a half.
Established entrance rates for male common labor were reported
by 30 of the 38 plants. Starting rates for these workers ranged from
40 cents to 85 cents an hour, with 9 plants paying from 70 to 75
cents an hour and 12 plants paying less than 60 cents an hour.
Occupational Earnings

The basic wage data collected during the Bureau’s survey are
shown for shell- and bomb-loading plants in table 1 and for the
bag-loading plants in table 2. Straight-time average hourly earnings
are shown, by plant department, for a comprehensive group of
occupations in each of these two branches of the ammunition-loading
industry.
SHELL AND BOMB LOADING

The wage data obtained for the 35 plants loading bombs, artillery
shells, and the related component parts cover 89,850 workers, classified
into 106 selected occupational groups. About 58 percent of these




9
workers were women. In June 1944, straight-time average earnings
amounted to about 77 cents an hour for all the workers for whom
data on earnings by occupation were obtained. The general average
Iot male workers employed in these plants was 88 cents an hour,
and the corresponding average for women amounted to 70 cents
an hour. This wide difference in average earnings for men and
women workers is accounted for mainly by the fact that women
were generally employed in large numbers in the lower-paid occu­
pations. In the maintenance departments, where the wage rates
are relatively high, women were found in only two occupations—
journeymen's helpers and class B maintenance mechanics.
T able

1.— Straight-Tim e A verage H ourly Earnings o f W orkers in Selected Occupations,
in Shell- and Bom b-Loading Plants, June 1944
United
States
Occupation

Maintenance
Blacksmiths................................. .............
Carpenters, class A ...................................
Carpenters, class B...................................
Electricians, class A ..................................
Electricians, class B ..................................
H elpcrs, journeymen..............................
Helpers, journeymen, female...................
Instrument repairmen..............................
Machinists, class A ....................... ...........
Machinists, class B__................................
Mechanics, automotive............................
Mechanics, maintenance, class A ............
Mechanics, maintenance, class B ............
Mechanics, maintenance, class B, female.
Millwrights, class A........................ ........
Millwrights, class B _____________ _____
Oilers..................................... ..................
Painters_________ ____________________
Pipe fitters, class A ..................... .......... .
Pipe fitters, class B ..................................
Scale repairmen........................................
Sheet-metal workers, class A ___________
Sheet-metal workers, class B....................
Tool and die makers, class A ...................
Tool and die makers, class B ..............
Welders, hand......................................... Supervision
Working foremen........................
Working foreladies......................

Northeast

Central

South

Num­ Aver­ Num­ Aver­ Num­ Aver­
Num­ Aver­
age
age
age
age
ber hour­
ber hour­
ber hour­
ber hour
of
of
of
of
ly
ly
ly
iy
work­ earn­ work­ earn­ work­ earn­ work­ earn­
ers ings
ers ings ers ings ers ings

35 $1.20
686 1.19
439 1.06
489 1.31
115 1.11
702
.83
22
.78
34 1.24
330 1.26
216 1.13
406 1.15
404 1.17
535 1.02
14
.83
345 1.24
76 1.14
84
.89
216 1.15
409 1.30
88 1.15
79 1.10
118 1.29
18 1.15
136 1.47
11 1.26
130 1.25
2,427
1,490

.96
.83

1,034
4,042
245
78
20
779
263
291
75
156
203
187
1,094
1,796
252
51
801

.78
.75
.86
.92
.88
.71
.88
.77
.82
.78
.87
.77
.79
.70
.92
.90
.96

6 $1.14
49 1.20
20 1.04
14 1.32
15 1.13
37
.87
1 0)
26
45
28
43
79
2
41
7
9
15
33
10
1
17

1.18
1.16
1.16
1.11
1.06
0)
1.33
1.05
.91
1.04
1.23
1.16
0)
1.31

25
2
1

1.46
0)
0)

31
124

16 $1.23
384 1.22
57 1.02
334 1.31
18 1.10
197
.93
3
.90
15 1.24
169 1. 30
52 1.13
191 1.14
192 1.22
187 1.02
206
24
33
111
233
29
31
61
8
79
9
58

1.04 1, 453
.84
458

13
253
362
141
82
468
18
19
135
119
187
169
269
12
98
45
42
90
143
49
47
40
10
32

$1.19
1.15
1.07
1.29
1.11
.78
.76
1.23
1.22
1.12
1.15
1.14
1.01
(l)
1.17
1.19
.79
1.15
1.24
1.17
1.06
1.25
1.18
1.37

71

1.23

943
908

.91
.80

.86
552
.78 1,323
.89
72
22
.98
20
203
.70
.91
109
.78
40
57
0)
126
0)
.89
83
.84
110
.86
577
.79
970
.96
76
19
.93
.98
198

.71
.68
.77
.76
.88
.71
.83
.69
.77
.77
.83
.72
.73
.62
.84
.84
.80

1.26
1.06
1.01
1.16
1.34
1.11
1.17
l. 31
1.10
1.51
(0
1.29 ,
1.00
.89

Processing
Shell and bomb load lines:
Melt load:
Assemblers..............................................
Assemblers, female..................................
Booster-cavity drillers.............................
Booster-cavity drillers, female..............
Cartridge-case fillers...............................
Cartridge-case fillers female............ ......
Cleaners, funnel and splash pan............
Cleaners, funnel and splash pan, female
Cleaners, loaded bom bs.........................
Cleaners, loaded bombs, female.............
Cooling-tub operators. ...........................
Cooling-tub operators, female.................
Craters................................................. —
Craters, female........................................
Draw-off operators.................................
Draw-off operators, female.....................
Inspectors............................... ...............

482
2,719
173
56

..........

576
154
251
18
30
120
77
517
826
176
32
603

J Number of workers and/or plants too small to justify computation of an average.




10
T able

1.— Straight-Tim e Average H ourly Earnings o f W orkers in Selected O ccupationst
in Shell- and Bom b-Loading Plants , June 1944— Continued
United
States
Occupation

Northeast

Central

South

Num­ Aver­ Num­ Aver­ Num­ Aver*
Num­ Aver­
age
age
age
age
ber hour­
ber hour­
ber hour­
ber hour*
of
of
of
of
ly
ly
ly
work­ earn­ work­ earn­ work­ earn­ work­ ly
ers ings ers ings ers ings
ers earn­
ings

Processin 0—Continued
Shell and bomb load lines—Continued.
Melt load—Continued.
Inspectors, tornale
_ ....... . .

1,089 $0.75
293 $0.79
796
435
297
138
.91
.94
100
.89
30
130
.87
TOttlPTTlftTi, femalft .. __ .89
289
.78
114
175
Packers
_________ - ___________________
.72
Packers, female _________________________ 987
731
.76
256
.88
.91
Pourers and puddlers_____________________ 973
556
417
Pourers and puddlers, female______________ 2, 0G6 .82
1,386
.87
680
9
Primer-press operators. __________________
20
.80
11
.89
.74
Primer-press operators, female_____________ 125
81
44
.76
88
165
.81
77
.86
Salvagers ______________________________
93
42
.71
51
Salvagers, female_________________________
.70
.86
Screeners, powder________________________ 718
462
256
.90
Screeners’ powder, female_________________ 336
.82
69
267
.81
.74
68
Set-up operators _______________________ 249
.91
181
193
.83 ......... ......... 134
59
Set-up operators, female.................................
.89
73
.86
19
Split operators __ ______________________
54
.86
(i)
5
5
10 .77
Split operators, female____________________
79
.76
34
45
Spray painters
________________________
.77
.79
100
76
24
.80
121
Unpackers and cleaners___________________ i 435
.77
314
.78
.74
969
Unpackers and cleaners, female................... !1,269
.76
300
1
.84
14
X-ray operators _______________________
13
.86
X-ray operators, female__________________
56
.77
33
23
.88
Press load:
.84
69 $1.03
264
71
Assemblers..... .............. ...... ........................... 404
.83
.71 1,594
.77
051
Assemblers, female__________ ____ __ _____ 4,108
. 09 1,863
45
.81
35
.82
Cartridge-case fillers______________________
10
129
185
633
.67
.75
Cartridge-case fillers, female........................... 947
.60
107
.91
9
Consolidating-press operators........ ...............
50
48
0)
0)
.82. 247
.85
106
23
Consolidating-press operators, female............ 376
.77
.77
237
8
128
101
.85
Craters........ ...................................................
0)
.62
9
36
.72
174
Craters, female............................................... 219
0)
126
.87
Crimping-machine operators........... ..............
64
57
5
0)
(0
Primping-machine operators, female ____
93
.83
93
.83
111
.88
65
.90
46
Facers and buffers_______________________
.65
.75
36
85
Facers and buffers, female.............................. 289
168
(0
.85
121
269
.88
2
137
Inspectors........................................................
0)
.68
.74
305
265
.65
490
Inspectors, female........................................... 1,060
Loaders, prnjentile.........
349
.89
169
180
.90
.70
54
Loaders, projectile, female.............................. 741
.81
180
507
0)
197
.79
84
113
.85
Packers___ ___________________________
175
.69
.79
297
171
.68
Packers, female.............................................. . 643
34
.91
2
.86
15
Paint machine operators.................................
17
0)
.64
64
Paint-machine tenders, female....................... 248
27
.78
.01
157
27
.84
14
Pellet-press operators.___________________
13
0)
114
Pellet-press operators, female.........................
213
.73
93
6
.76
0)
52
.76
16
Primer-press operators....... ...........................
.80
20
16
0)
732
236
421
Primer-press operators, female.......................
.65
75
.78
.59
29
.86
96
.97
.82
89
Salvagers.......................................................... 214
.74
.72
173
6
247
Salvagers, female....... ..................................... 426
0)
.92
.88
76
46
63
Screeners and blenders.................................... 185
.93
Rcreenerq and blenders, female.
______
31
.71
31
159
.87
.93
36
44
Unpackcrs and cleaners..................................
79
.87
.84
.66
204
Unpackers and cleaners, female..................... 278
.67
66
8
Component parts:
Primer line:
43
47
2
.70
2
Craters...................................... .......................
(0
0)
1
Dipping-room attendants............. .................
8
7
.87
0)
.85
.96
3
Head-assemblv machine operators....... .........
8
5
Head-assembly machine operators, female...
57
.66
57
.66
Head-assembly machine tenders, female....... 221
15
.74
197
9
0)
.64
461
.68
111
115
.75
Inspectors, female............ ............................... 687
8
5
.92
3
Lacquering-machine operators_____________
.81
66
80
.66
14
Lacquerinsr-machine operators, female______
0)
13
13
Lacquering-machine tenders_______________
.61
178
Lacquering-machine tenders, female.............. 235
.68
19
.78
38
0)
66
63
.71
Liner inserters, hand, female.......................... 170
.67
41
0)
.82
73
102
.70
29
Liner inserters, machine, female___________
4
.84
3
7
0)
Loaders, hand—................. .............................

JNumber of workers and/or plants too small to justify computation of an average.




$0.78
.84
.78
.71
.64
.83
.73
.70
.70’
.75
.72
.79
.83
.68
.70
.85
(i)
.76
.77
. 7a
.68
(i)
0)
.79
.66
.78
.67
.89
0)
.68
.59
0)
.85
.62
.82
.67
.88
.71
.74
.65
.81
.63
.81
.69
.79
.66
.76
.70
.81
.71
.75
.67
.69
(i)
0)
.66
.65
.67
0)
\fi5.61
.67
.64
.66

11
T able

1.— Straight-Tim e Average H ourly Earning o f W orkers in Selected O ccupation s*
in Shell- and Bom b-Loading Plants, June 1944—Continued
United
States
Occupation

Num­
ber
of
work­
ers

Processing—Continued
Component parts—Continued.
Primer line—Continued.
5
__
__ __________
Oiififf?, female ~
45
Packers_________________________________
131
Packers, female.—
___
___________
41
Salvagers________________________________
__
. _ __ _
Salvagers, female
_
105
18
Screeners________________________________
27
Screcners, female__ ____________________
223
Tube-assembly machine operators, female. __
Volumetric-loading machine o p e ra to r s ,
61
female_________ _______________________
Fuze, booster, and detonator lines:
Assemblers
1,529
Assemblers, female.
15,918
Craters___1______________________ _______ 253
Craters, female
........
52
Inspectors..
___________ _____ _ . . . . . 199
Inspectors, female__ ______ _______ ____ ___ 2,233
19
Inspectors, powder pellet_________________
171
Inspectors, powder pellet, female__________
Packers.. 1_______ _____ 1................. ............. 199
Packers, female................................. ............. 483
167
Pellet-press operators________ ____________
Pellet-press operators, female
410
159
Salvagers.______ ___ ____________________
Salvagers, female............................. .............. 310
Screeners and blenders_____ _________!_____ 403
Screeners and blenders, female
101
Powerhouse
Ashmen . .
____
.......
25
39
Coal handlers______ _____________________________
Engineer, stationary_____________________________ 178
409
Firemen, stationary boiler.____ _______ ___________
Recording and control
Magazine keepers _
163
415
Stock clerks____ ________________________________
Stock clerks, female . . .
23
443
Stockmen______ ____ _____ ______________________
333
Timekeepers_____ ______________________________
Timekeepers, female_____________________________ 328
Tool clerks
_
_
127
Tool clerks, female
43
Material movement
■Rrakemen
_ _ _
319
Conductors, yard
_ .
_
_
... . . ...
159
Conveyor tenders
201
Conveyor tenders, female
_
100
Engineers, locomotive.
..... _ .. _ _
206
Firemen, locomotive
58
Loaders and unloaders___ ____ ___________________ 4,538
Loaders and nnloaders, female
413
Truck drivers....................................... ........................ 2,013
Truck drivers, female
_ ___
_
134
Tmckers, hand____
_ ... .. . . .
1,743
Truckers, hand, female
_
772
Tmckers, power
_ _
..... _
146
Tmckers, power, female
.... _ __
254
CvModial
Change-house attendants
_
165
Change-house attendants, female
_ . .. _
244
Firemen, plant protection________________________ 669
Guards
.... .
_
_
___ 2,986
Guards, female
_ ____ ________ 181
Janitors
...
_ . _
_ _ 1, 111
Janitresses _ ___ _________ ____________________ 1,771

Northeast

Aver­ Num­
age
hour­ ber
of
ly
earn­ work­
ers
ings

1

Central

Aver­ Num­
age
hour- ber
of
• ly work­
earn­ ers
ings

$0.81
.76
.70
.70
.70
.93
.82
.69

26
36
3

0)
(0
(9

.73

18

0)

0)

29

.83

30
106
13
60
8
12
200
14

Aver­
age
hour­
ly
earn­
ings

$0.77
.69
.77
.71
.94
0)
.67
0)

.81 1,176
.70 9, 930
185
.81
17
(0
33
0)
.77 1,351
2
0)
129
.81
.81
170
.72
333
.95
115
.88
190
106
.87
148
.81
175
.82
94
.84

.66
.64
.66
.62
.75
.65
(9
.72
.64
.63
.90
.74
. 77
.61
.89
.87

.63
.72
1.24
.95

5
18
5
63

0)
0)
1.17
.96

3
5
113
194

0)
.77
1.29
.96

17
16
60
152

.54
.59
1.14
.92

.90
.90
.75
.82
.91
.75
.89
.75

16
8
3
110
16
101
4

0)
.83
0)
.87
0)
.78
.83

34
172
4
127
200
116
94
22

.90
.84
.76
.89
.95
.75
.89
.78

113
235
16
206
117
111
29
21

.92
.77
.77
.76
.83
.74
.92
.71

1.09
1.20
.80
.71
1.26
1.10
.72
.62
.89
.75
.74
.75
.83
.79

40

.94

40

.83

2

0)

255

165
99
95
50
136
45
2,650
141
939
41
416
271
121
215

114
1.14
1.22
60
.89
66
.85
50
68
1. 31
13
1.13
.79 1,633
272
.77
840
.91
.93
93
.89 1,163
.86
484
.85
23
.78
39

1.05
1.15
.65
.58
1.17
.99
.59
.55
.85
.66
.65
.69
.72
.82

.71
.68
.81
.83
.73
.69
.51

.73
34
.66
108
269
.82
.84
996
.73
.73
283
.72 1,319

.62
. 70
.79
.81

.80

234

.94

164
17
2

.93
.79
0)

5
17
24
389
13
166
55

126
.80
119
.65
376
.86
.84 1,601
168
.78
662
.75
.75
397

i Number of workers and/or plants too small to justify computation of an average.




Aver­ Num­
age
hour­ ber
of
ly
earn­ work­
ers
ings

4
0)
15 $0.76
25
.75
2
(0
9
.89
7
.99
15
0)
.82
23

280
.69
73 $0.80
.66 3,145
.70 2,843
44
.70
24
.81
35
.74
4
.81
162
.81
113
.69
769
.74
2
.80
.82
15
6
.79
.74
36
29
.66
.63
80
.65
70
34
.91
18
.93
114
.82
.89
106
29
.80
24
0)
15
.69
147 0)
.86
.89
201
27
7
.87

South

.57
,44

12
For all occupations studied, the average earnings ranged from 51
cents an hour for janitresses to $1.47 an hour for class A tool and die
makers. The average earnings of the majority of the workers, how­
ever, fell within a much more limited range. Occupations with aver­
age earnings ranging from 65 cents to $1.00 an hour accounted for 90
ercent of the workers. Average earnings in the 10-cent interval
etween 65 and 75 cents an hour accounted for well over half of the
workers, while slightly less than a third were in occupations averaging
between 75 and 90 cents an hour. The greatest concentration of
workers within any 5-cent interval occurred in the 21 occupational
groups with earnings between 65 and 70 cents, where fully threetenths of the workers were employed. Average earnings amounting
to less than 65 cents an hour were paid to only six occupationeu
groups and accounted for 3 percent of the workers studied. At the
other extreme, about 7 percent of the workers were classified in the
27 occupational groups whose earnings amounted to an average of
$1.00 or more an hour. These occupational groups were composed of
male workers in indirect rather than processsing jobs.
Workers employed in maintenance occupations were, in general,
receiving the highest average rates of pay. With only two exceptions
(oilers, earning 89 cents an hour, and journeymen’ s helpers, earning
83 cents an hour), male workers in these occupations were paid well
over $1.00 an hour. Women workers, employed in two maintenance
occupations (journeymen’s helpers and class B maintenance mechanics)
earned respective average rates of 78 cents and S3 cents an hour.
Other numerically important groups of workers not employed in
processing occupations were male loaders and unloaders, truck drivers,
and hand truckers. The respective averages for these occupations
were 72 cents, 89 cents, and 74 cents an hour. The large group of
male guards averaged 83 cents an hour.
Approximately two-thirds of the workers whose occupational earn­
ings were studied were employed in processing jobs on the various
load lines. Average earnings for these workers on all the load lines
combined amounted to 73 cents an hour. The average for male
load-line operatives was 82 cents an hour and for women 70 cents an
hour. The highest average rate earned by male workers was paid
to inspectors on the melt-load line, who earned 96 cents an hour; the
lowest rate for male workers (61 cents an hour) was paid to the small
group of lacquering-machine tenders on the primer-loading line.
Average hourly earnings for women on the load lines ranged from 62
cents an hour for shell craters on the press-load lines to 92 cents an
hour for booster-cavity drillers on the melt-load lines.
Somewhat more than nine-tenths of the women employed on the
load lines were classified in the 42 occupational groups having average
rates between 65 and 80 cents an hour. The largest concentration of
male workers occurred in the 18 occupational groups whose average
earnings ranged from 85 to 90 cents an hour. These occupations
accounted for one-third of the male workers.
On each line except the primer-loading lines, where most of the oper­
ations are mechanized, assemblers constituted the largest occupational
group for women workers. This concentration is particularly great
on the lines loading fuzes, boosters, and detonators, most of the opera­
tions of which involve the relatively simple assembly of small parts,
and on which women constitute about 85 percent of all workers em-

E




13

hourly rate of 66 cents an hour. The average earnings of women as­
semblers on the melt-load line amounted to 75 cents an hour and on
the press-load line, to 71 cents an hour. Male assemblers on the
melt-load, press-load, and component lines earned average rates of 78
cents, 84 cents, and 69 cents an hour, respectively. Two other nu­
merically important groups of male workers were shell and bomb
craters on the melt-load lines, who earned an average rate of 79 cents
an hour, and pourers and puddlers, whose earnings averaged 88 cents
an hour.
In most of the occupations in which both men and women were
employed, the averages shown appear to indicate a wage difference
in favor of the male workers. In many cases, however, this differ­
ence actually reflects minor variations in duties. The male workers
are generally required to do any heavy lifting which may be connected
with the performance of a particular operation. The packing and
crating occupations on the shell- and bomb-loading lines furnish good
examples of this difference in duties. Women are employed in these
jobs, but the lifting of heavy shells and crates is usually assigned to
male operators. Other differences in duties within the same general
occupational groups may occur if male operators are responsible for
the operation of equipment also used by women workers at the same
station on the line. On the primer-loading line, for instance, the
machine used for lacquering the primer bodies is usually started and
maintained by a male operator who may also be responsible for keep­
ing the machine in good working order and supplied with the lacquer
solution.
In a few of the processing occupations the average hourly rate
shown for female operators is higher than the average earned by male
operators. This is generally a result of interplant differences in plants
that did not employ both men and women in these particular jobs.
Within individual plants, where both men and women were employed
in these occupations, the rates paid to male workers were consistently
as high as the rates earned by the women.
Regional comparisons.—The 38 plants included in this study are in
widely separated wage areas. Consequently there was a considerable
range between the highest and the lowest rate paid to workers in
many of the occupations. In order to reduce somewhat the effect of
extreme locality differences on average hourly earnings reflected in
the general averages discussed above, separate figures are shown for
three broad regional groups of plants. Because of the relatively small
number of plants studied in the survey, however, even these three
regions represent plants in widely separated wage areas. Thus,
figures shown for the Northeastern region represent plants located in
Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey;
the Central region includes plants in Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska; the Southern region includes plants
scattered from Virginia to Texas, including Tennessee, Mississippi,
North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
Because of variations in products manufactured from plant to
plant, not all occupational groups are represented in all three regions.
For instance, in the Northeastern region none of the plants for which
figures are shown were loading large shells and bombs by the melt-




14
load process. However, a comparison of the averages appearing in
all 3 regions reveals that plants in the Northeastern region paid, in
general, slightly higher average rates for most occupations than those
in either of the other two regions, and that plants in the Central and
Southern States ranked second and third respectively. For the occu­
pations for which averages are shown in all three regions, the averages
for the South are lowest in 33 occupational groups, and highest in only
5 occupational groups. The Northeastern region had the highest
averages in 25 occupations, and the lowest in 11, while the Central
region ranked first in 22 occupational groups and third in 9. On the
melt-load lines, where only the Central and Southern regions are
represented, the plant averages for the South are lowest in all but 3
of the occupational groups for which averages are shown.
A further attempt was made to measure and compare the general
level of wages in the industry existing in each broad region at the time
of the survey. The average hourly earnings of 73 occupations, all of
which occurred in each region, were weighted for each region by the
number of workers employed in the occupations for all regions com­
bined, thus giving each occupation the same relative importance in
all regions. A general average for these occupations was then com­
puted for each region. The resulting average for the Northeast was
83 cents an hour; for the Central region, 81 cents; and for the South,
73 cents. The corresponding average for all regions combined (that
is, for the same 73 occupations) amounted to 77 cents an hour, or the
same as that for all the 106 occupations selected for study and men­
tioned earlier in the report.
Constant employment weights were also used to compute a general
average for the 102 occupational groups found in both the Central
and Southern regions. This average was computed in order to com­
pare the two regions having plants loading large shells and bombs and
also having representation in most of the occupations studied. The
resulting average for the Central and Southern regions were 82 cents
and 73 cents, respectively. Again, the corresponding average for all
regions combined was 77 cents an hour.
BAG LOADING

The wage data collected for the 3 bag-loading plants cover 8,172
workers, classified into 40 occupational groups. Slightly more than
two-thirds of all the workers studied were women. Straight-time
average earnings for all workers amounted to 71 cents an hour.
The average for all male workers studied was 81 cents an hour and
that for women workers 66 cents an hour.
No women were employed in the maintenance occupations studied.
With the exception of journeymen’s helpers, who earned 66 cents an
hour, the averages for male workers in these occupations ranged from
90 cents an hour for oilers and scale repairmen to $1.31 for class A
pipe fitters.
Occupational earnings for women employees ranged from 48 cents
an hour for janitresses to 78 cents for inspectors. Aside from main­
tenance occupations, the range in average rates for male workers was
from 59 cents an hour for change-house attendants to $1.28 an hour
for locomotive engineers. The highest average for processing workers
was earned by the small number of male dyeing-machine tenders.
Nearly 87 percent of all the workers were employed in occupations




15
whose average hourly earnings ranged from 60 to 80 cents. Roughly
a third were concentrated in the four occupations with earnings from
60 to 65 cents an hour, and nearly a third were in five occupations
whose average earnings fell within the range of 65 to 70 cents.
The women sewing-machine operators making powder bags
accounted for the largest occupational group, and were paid 63 cents
an hour. The women performing the operation of closing the loaded
bags on sewing machines earned 68 cents an hour. Three other
numerically important groups of women operators were the powderbag loaders, the shadowgraph-scale operators, and the volumetric
weighers. The respective averages for these occupations amounted to
65 cents, 69 cents, and 68 cents.
Among male workers, the two largest groups were hand truckers
and loaders and unloaders, with average rates amounting to 79 cents
and 77 cents, respectively. The guards, constituting another impor­
tant group of male workers, earned 85 cents an hour. In the proces­
sing occupations, men were found in smaller numbers than women.
The male powder-bag loaders earned 64 cents an hour, on the average,
or 1 cent less than women in the same occupation. Within individual
plants, however, these workers were paid rates amounting to as much
as those paid women in the same occupation.
T a b l e 2. — Straight-Tim e Average H ourly Earnings o f W orkers in Selected Occupations

in Am m unition Bag-Loading Plants, June 1944

Occupation

Num­ Average
ber of hourly
workers earnings

Maintenance
Carpenters, class A_____________
Carpenters, class B ........................
Electricians, class A ____________
Electricians, class B ____________
Helpers, journeymen___________
Machinists, class A.......................
Machinists, class B .......................
Mechanics, automotive.................
Mechanics, maintenance, class AMechanics, maintenance, class B_
Oilers.............................................
Painters.........................................
Pipe fitters, class A _____________
Scale repairmen________________
Welders, hand................................




Num­ Average
ber of hourly
workers earnings

Processin g— Continued
41
22
22
21
166
11
23
35
20
51
4
14
12
37
5

$1.16
1.12
1.26
.98
.66
1.13
1.06
1.12
1.13
.98
.90
1.06
1.31
.90
1.15

Processing
moth spreaders _
Cutters, machine_______________
Dyeing-machine tenders________
Tnspeetnrs
_____
Tjrspentnrs, female
Loaders, powder baa __________
Loaders, powder bag, female------Packers. ........................................
Packers, female..............................
printers _
___ _ _
Printing-press feeders, female.......
Sewing-machine operators (bag
closers)______________________
Sewing-machine operators (bag
closers), female ______________
Sewing-machine operators (bag
makers), female_______ _______

Occupation

5
31
6
63
321
. 217
791
141
283
8
199

.77
.89
1.08
.85
.78
.04
.65
.82
.75
.92
.63

75

.72

574

.68

2,170

.63

Shadowgraph-scale operators____
Shadowgraph-scale operators, fe­
male________________________
Volumetric weighers____________
Vnlnmp.trio weighers, female _

15

$0.79

470
40
547

.69
.70
.68

16

1.00

32
108

.94
.79

8
5
6
400
81
25
546

.92
1.12
1.28
.77
.76
.73
.79

15
9
77
254
67
83

.59
.58
.81
.85
.62
48

Powerhouse
Firemen, stationary boiler............
Recording and control
Stoek elerks
Stockmen_____________________
Material movement
Brakemen______ ______________
Conductors, yard______________
Engineers, locomotive__________
Loaders and unloaders__________
Truck drivers _______________
Tniftk drivers, female __
Tnifikprs, hand
Custodial
Change-house attendants............ .
Change-house attendants, female .
Firemen, plant protection............
Guards
Janitors..........................................
.Tanitrasses _

U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING O F F I C E tl9 4 5