Full text of Monthly Labor Review : April 1950, Vol. 70, No. 4
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Monthly Labor Review
U N ITED STATES DEPARTM ENT OF LABOR
•
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
L aw rence R. K le in , Chief, Office of Publications
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
CONTENTS
Special Articles
369 Working Conditions of Industrial Scientists
374 Employment Outlook in Petroleum Production and Refining
Summaries of Studies and Reports
379
382
384
387
389
392
396
401
402
403
405
408
410
Full Employment Report by UN Experts
Statistics of Insured Unemployment under State Programs
Dismissal-Pay Provisions in Union Agreements, 1949
Injury Rates in Construction Occupations, 1948
New Family Expenditure Study in Denmark
Trade-Union Organization in Ireland
Professional Income: Lawyers and Dentists, 1929-48
Rent Decontrol in Large Cities
Annual Report of the NLRB, Fiscal Year 1949
Reduction of Backlog in Railroad Grievance Cases
Hosiery Manufacture: Earnings in October 1949
Footwear Manufacturing: Earnings in October 1949
Labor-Management Disputes in March 1950
Technical Notes
412 XII. Occupational Wages: Establishment Sampling
418 X III. Occupational Wages: Conduct of Surveys
421 OASI Earnings Statistics and Their Uses
Departments
III
426
432
433
440
The Labor Month in Review
Recent Decisions of Interest to Labor
Chronology of Recent Labor Events
Publications of Labor Interest
Current Labor Statistics (list of tables)
April 1950
Voi. 70 • No. 4
This Issue in B rief...
U nemployment resulting from a deficiency of
demand is the chief concern of the F ull E mploy
ment R eport by UN E xperts (p. 379). Other
types of unemployment—those resulting from
lack of capital equipment or from structural
features of the economy—are given less emphasis.
The experts recommend measures which are con
sistent with the institutions in free enterprise
economies. Full employment, they believe, can
only exist in “ an expanding world economy of
which the economic development of under-devel
oped countries would form the most important
single element.”
Examples of relatively steady growth in in
dustrial employment in the United States are given
in W orking C onditions of I ndustrial S cien
tists (p. 369) and E mployment Outlook in P e
troleum P roduction and R efining (p. 374).
Scientists in industrial research laboratories have
increased greatly in number during recent years.
In addition to the usual benefits provided, such as
paid vacations and sick leave, these employees are
afforded opportunities for scientific advancement.
Included is time for free research in the majority
of the companies studied, provided advance
approval is obtained. Some companies limit free
research to projects that relate to their own field.
In both petroleum production and refining, em
ployment is expected to increase gradually during
the next 5 to 10 years. The expected rise in
employment, combined with replacement needs,
will provide many job opportunities for new
workers. At the end of 1949, petroleum produc
tion and refining employed more than 400,000
wage and salary workers in a wide range of jobs
and in many different parts of the country. Ex
n
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panding employment in production and refining
is predicated on a continuing increase in demand
for petroleum products and on an adequate sup
ply of oil which the upward trend in proved
reserves appears to indicate.
Occupational injury rates are stressed in I njury
R ates in C onstruction O ccupations, 1948 (p.
387). To obtain information by occupation, the
survey of the industry was greatly expanded in
1948. The results showed that pile-driver oper
ators had the highest injury-frequency rate per
million employee-hours worked, 97.3, among the 43
occupations studied. Welders followed with a
rate of 88.4. Only three occupations had fre
quency rates below 20.
Reduced backlogs of unresolved cases are dis
cussed in A nnual R eport of the NLRB, F iscal
Y ear 1949 (p. 402) and R eduction of B acklog
in R ailroad G rievance Cases (p. 403). The
NLRB, in its first full year under the Labor
Management Relations Act, closed a record num
ber of cases. Of the union-shop elections held,
the AFL, the CIO, and independent union groups
each won about the same proportion of the elec
tions in which they participated (97 percent). In
representation elections, the independent unions
won the highest proportion of elections (72 per
cent), followed by the AFL (62 percent) and the
CIO (55 percent). The backlog of railroad
grievance cases was reduced through introduction
of important procedural changes in May 1949.
Occupational
pling (p. 412) and
W ages: E stablishment S am
C onduct of S urveys (p. 418) are
the final articles, X II and X III, of the technical
notes covering the major statistical series of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. The primary purpose
of the occupational wage studies, is to indicate
wage levels as of a particular time. The first of
these technical notes was published in the Sep
tember issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
Included in this series are technical descriptions
covering prices, work stoppages, building con
struction, employment, earnings and hours, and
industrial injuries.
A reduction in unemployment of 550,000 was the
most marked change in the economic situation
between February and March, according to the
statistics on the labor force released by the Bureau
of the Census. The decline in unemployment was
attributed in part to the spring seasonal pick-up
in a number of industries. However, the number
of unemployed in March, 4.1 million, was still
about a million more than a year earlier.
Nonagri cultural employment showed a rela
tively small seasonal increase of about 100,000 to
a total of 50.9 million, despite a large amount of
reemployment of jobless workers in nonagricultural jobs. Apparently there was some shifting
from nonfarm to farm jobs during the period and
many employed women appear to have with
drawn from the labor force. Although agricul
tural employment increased by 450,000 between
February and March to 6.7 million, there were
about 700,000 fewer farm workers than in March
1949.
the union on the basis that it was not actuarially
sound. On April 5, however, the union was re
ported to have made a new offer and prospects for
settlement appeared favorable.
The United Automobile Workers (CIO) was
also active in negotiations with other companies
during the month. An agreement was concluded
with the Ford Motor Co. which settled certain
differences between the parties in the interpreta
tion of the previous agreement on pensions. The
Nash-Kelvinator Corp. and the union adopted a
pension plan providing $100 a month benefits to
retired workers, including social security payments.
Bargaining for a new contract with the General
Motors Corp. started at the end of March.
Several disputes in the railroad industry re
mained unsettled throughout March and early
April. An emergency board conducted hearings
in the Nation-wide dispute over the requests by
the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and the
Order of Railway Conductors for wage increases
and other benefits. The same board held hearings
on a dispute between the Switchman’s Union of
North America (AFL) and certain western rail
roads.
Other developments affecting labor-management
relations included an order by the National Labor
Relations Board for 51 elections among approxi
mately 55,000 employees of the Westinghouse
Electric Corp. in 13 States. The elections are for
the purpose of determining whether the employees
wish to be represented in collective bargaining by
the United Electrical Workers (Ind.), the Inter
national Union of Electrical Workers (CIO), or by
no union. The IUE (CIO) won the employeerepresentation election at Sperry Gyroscope Co.
by a six-to-one margin. No new developments
were apparent in the telephone industry, in which
negotiations were continuing at the President’s
request. Seven maritime unions—AFL, CIO,
and independent—signed a mutual-aid pact during
March to continue their fight to retain their pre
sent union hiring practices which the courts have
declared in violation of the Taft-Hartley Act.
Collective Bargaining Developments
Labor Unity Talk
Settlement of the coal strike in early March left
the strike of Chrysler workers as the only major
work stoppage in progress. A new offer made by
the company which would have established a 30million-dollar pension fund was turned down by
A new move in the talk of labor unity was made
by the Congress of Industrial Organizations when
President Philip Murray proposed a “common
program” for the major labor organizations. On
April 4, Murray sent letters to the American
The Labor Month
in Review
in the employment situation in
March helped reduce unemployment by more than
half a million. Industrial production is estimated
to have been slightly above the level prevailing
before the February coal strike and construction
continued at record levels. Prices on the average
again did not fluctuate significantly.
Developments of particular interest to labor in
cluded Government reorganization plans affecting
labor agencies and a renewal of talk of labor unity.
The strike at Chrysler continued into April.
A n improvement
Employment Situation Improved
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m
IV
THE LABOR MONTH IN REVIEW
Federation of Labor, the Railroad Brotherhoods,
the United Mine Workers, and the International
Association of Machinists, urging the creation of
a joint committee, on the national level, with
authority to coordinate organized labor’s efforts
in economic, legislative, and political spheres of
activity.
In response to Mr. Murray’s proposal, John L.
Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers,
indicated that his union would probably partici
pate in the joint committee. The International
Association of Machinists also showed interest in
the plan. William Green, president of the AFL,
told the press that prospects for labor unity were
“better today than they have been in the past 6
years.”
An attitude of greater cooperation has been ap
parent among the major unions since their joint
action in the new international labor organization.
In February, the AFL executive council was re
ported to have invited the other organizations to
reaffiliate, and in March the United Mine Workers
suggested a “mutual aid pact” with the United
Steelworkers.
Labor Department and NLRB Changes
Among the 21 Government reorganization orders
sent to Congress by the President on March 13 are
three affecting the Department of Labor and one
affecting the National Labor Relations Board.
The orders become effective unless vetoed by vote
of a majority of the members of either House of
Congress within 60 days after they were proposed.
Under Reorganization Plan 6, the functions of
all agencies, officers, and employees, of the De
partment of Labor, except hearing examiners, are
transferred to the Secretary of Labor. The plan
also sets up an Administrative Assistant Secretary
of Labor to provide the Secretary with assistance
in the heavy managerial responsibilities of his
office. The House Committee on Expenditures in
Executive Departments reported the plan favor
ably after hearing testimony in its support from
Secretary Tobin.
Responsibility for coordination of the enforce
ment of wages and hours legislation in the various
acts affecting Federal or federally financed con
tracts is placed in the Secretary of Labor by Re
organization Plan No. 14. The Bureau of Em
ployees’ Compensation is transferred to the Labor
Department from the Federal Security Agency
by Plan No. 19.
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The proposal which aroused most opposition was
Plan No. 12, affecting the NLRB. The plan
abolishes the office of General Counsel and transfer
his functions to the Board, and transfers the
administrative functions of the Board and of the
General Counsel to the Chairman of the Board.
After several days of hearings a resolution to kill
the plan was reported unfavorably by the House
Committee on March 23. Paul A4. Herzog, Chair
man of the NLRB, speaking for all the Board
members, told the Committee: “By February
1949
* * * following 18 months’ experience,
the Board felt impelled to advise the Congress
that the demonstrated disadvantage of the
existing separation far outweighed the asserted
advantages, and could not be cured by minor
corrections * * *.
“We are now even readier to say, on the basis
of 30 months’ experience, that the 1947 experiment
has been a failure * * *. Can a single policy
of Congress, no matter what that policy, be ad
ministered effectively by a two-headed agency?
We hold that it cannot.”
Opponents of the plan, including representatives
of the National Association of Manufacturers and
the United States Chamber of Commerce, declared
that the present system has functioned fairly for
both employers and employees.
Factory Earnings at Highest Point
Earnings of factory workers have been at record
levels in recent months. Average weekly earn
ings in manufacturing in February were $56.37,
and gross hourly earnings averaged $1.42. The
average workweek remained relatively unchanged
for several months at about 40 hours a week, but
hourly earnings increased slightly. This partly
reflects a small increase in wage rates as well as
some rise in employment in certain higher-paying
industries. Increased earnings in some industries
between January and February resulted from the
new 75-cent minimum wage rate which became
effective January 25, under the amended Fair
Labor Standards Act.
The slight decrease in living costs over the past
few months has permitted factory workers and
others whose earnings have risen to improve their
“real” income status. In terms of 1939 purchas
ing power, average weekly factory earnings, after
allowance for taxes and social security deductions,
are currently higher than at any other time in the
postwar period and are at approximately the level
prevailing near the end of the war.
Working* Conditions: Industrial Scientists1
Opportunities for Scientific Advancement,
Insurance and Pension Plans, and Other Special Benefits
Provided by Industrial Research Laboratories
E mployment of scientists in industrial research
laboratories has increased greatly in recent years
with the rapid growth of scientific research by
American industry.2 Development of large atomic
energy laboratories, together with this expansion,
prompted the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in
cooperation with the U. S. Atomic Energy Com
mission, to study working conditions of those
employed in chemical and electronic research
laboratories of 25 large companies.
About 11,000 scientists engaged in research at
professional levels were covered by the study.3
They represent almost a fifth of the total number
employed in industrial laboratories listed by the
National Research Council of the National Acad
emy of Sciences. Data were collected in late
November and December 1949 by BLS and AEC
representatives in interviews with laboratory
officials of the 25 companies.
Work Schedules and Overtime Pay
All companies included in the study stated that
their scientists observed regular work schedules.
In one, however, scientists earning more than $750
a month were not governed by any set hours of
work. This information was obtained in response
to questions as to whether scientists were gener
ally expected to be on duty during the regular
working hours of the laboratory (or at least re
quired to work a certain number of hours a week)
• By Edyth M. Bunn and Lily M ary David of the Bureau’s Division of
Wage Statistics.
J The increase from 1940 to 1946 was estimated to be 50 percent by the
National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences in the 1946
edition of their directory, Industrial Research Laboratories of the United
States.
» This number does not include laboratory assistants or those engaged in
testing activities unrelated to research, who were not included in the study.
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or whether they were entirely free to work when
they wished, without keeping a time record..
The usual schedule was 8 hours a day and 40
hours a week. However, two relatively small
laboratories were on a 7%-hour day and 37^-hour
week, and a larger laboratory had a 38%-hour
week divided into 7%-hour days.
Extra pay for overtime was provided by less
than half of the companies included in the survey,
employing about two-thirds of all the scientists
studied. Many of the laboratories with overtime
provisions limit them to certain scientists, usually
on the basis of salary.4 The most common rate
of overtime pay, in terms of number of scientists
affected, is straight time. Some companies pay
one and one-half times the regular rate; others
have a sliding scale varying with salary.
Of the companies that do not provide extra pay
for overtime, four, employing 11 percent of the
scientists, usually allow compensatory time off,
and two give favorable consideration to requests
for personal leave in recognition of overtime.
In addition to those companies having formal
overtime-pay arrangements, two companies with
comparatively small laboratories stated specifi
cally that if the workweek were to be extended
beyond 40 hours they would probably adjust
salaries on a straight-time basis. It can be
inferred that most companies would increase basic
salaries, if there were a general increase in the
length of the workweek, such as occurred during
World War II.
4
Companies reporting no overtime-pay provisions for scientists pre
sumably do not classify any workers covered by the hours provisions of the
Fair Labor Standards Act as scientists engaged in research. So far as can
be determined from their reports, the practice in most companies is to set
for employees exempt from these hours provisions a salary minimum that is
higher than the $200 previously used by the Wage and Hour Division or even
than the $325 minimum in the revised regulations effective January 25, 1950.
369
370
INDUSTRIAL SCIENTISTS
next is apparently not encouraged, and companies
are reluctant to provide pay in lieu of vacations
except in extreme emergencies. The belief that
paid vacations are of value to the employer as well
as to the employee was general among the labora
tories studied. Leave is transferred only in un
usual circumstances, or for employees with long
service, and then only if approved by a high com
pany official. One company reported that even
in extreme cases, vacations would be denied only
upon a doctor’s certification that the employee’s
health would not suffer. Regular pay is allowed
for any unused vacation by the companies that
reported on this point. All companies pay for
any unused vacation time when scientists leave
their employ; one company, however, does not
allow pay if the employee resigns.
As a rule, scientists are not expected to use vaca
tion time for emergencies or for half-day or day
absences to attend to personal business. Only
one company definitely stated that vacation leave
was to be used to attend to personal business;
two others did not report on provisions for short
absences. The remainder reported that extra leave
for short absences was given on an individual basis.
Companies with most of the workers set maximum
limits of from 5 to 30 days a year.
Formal provisions for sick leave with pay were
reported by more than two-thirds of the companies,
employing nearly three-fifths of the scientists.
Sick-leave allowances vary considerably (see
table 2). Allowances to the extent of 52 weeks’
full pay after 25 years’ service were reported.
A fairly common practice in industrial labora
tories with formal overtime arrangements, is appar
ently to distinguish between regularly scheduled
overtime, the need for which is recognized in ad
vance, and occasional or incidental overtime. Usu
ally, overtime must be authorized in advance by a
company official if it is to be paid for. Several
companies provide only expense money, compen
satory time off, or no pay for incidental extra work.
In most industrial laboratories, overtime work
is the exception rather than the rule. Apparently,
any overtime that is worked is on an informal or
incidental basis and is usually not paid for, even
where there is a definite policy of overtime pay.
Only 3 companies, employing less than 6 percent
of the scientists, reported that overtime is frequent.
Holidays and Leave
At least 6 holidays annually are provided by all
laboratories studied. Nearly half of the com
panies, employing two-fifths of the scientists,
recognize only 6 holidays. In companies with a
fifth of the scientists 8 holidays are provided.
Twelve was the largest number reported.
Vacations with pay are provided scientists by
all the companies covered in the survey. Details
of plans vary, but 2 weeks after 1 year of service,
increased to 3 weeks after 15 years, was found in
the majority of companies. Some companies
give a longer vacation after 20 or more years of
employment (table 1).
Carrying vacation leave from one year to the
T
able
MONTHLY LABOR
1.— Details of graduated vacation plans for scientists in industrial research laboratories of 25 companies, 1949
Basic vacation plans
All plans.___ _________ ______ _________ _
Number
of com
panies
Percent
of scien
tists 1
25
100
.
}
Up to 6 months, 1 week; 6 months to 10 years, 2 weeks; after
10 years, 3 weeks.
1to 10 years, 12 d a y s ............ ............................... .................
1
«
1
«
1 On all tables this percentage refers to total employment of scientists in
companies in which the provision is in effect even though the provision does
not apply to all scientists in the company.
2 Some employees receive 3 weeks after 12 years’ service.
* In 1 company, senior personnel ($350 a month and over) are granted 3
weeks after 1 year’s service.
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No other provisions. ____________________ . _
(Up to 1 year, 1 day for each month___________ ___ ________
6 months to 1 year, 1 w e e k ______________ ___
17 After 5 years, 3 weeks .
}
After 5 years, 3 weeks______ ___________________________
After 20 years, 3 weeks_________________________________
8
«
Number
of com
panies
/6 months to 1 year, 1 week _________________ . ____ _____
IUp to 1 year, i day for each month_______________________
I Up to 1 year, 1 w eek.. _______________________________
77 (6 months to 1 year, 1 week -------------------------- --------------- After 25 years., 4 weeks__________ :______________________ }
15
2 weeks after 1 year’s service........ ........... . . . .
Provisions for other periods of service
5
2
1
*
4
2
22
‘
2
»3
1 Information withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual companies,
« After 10 years, merit vacations of 1 week during 1 of the ensuing 5 years;
after 15 years, 2 weeks during 1 of the ensuing 5 years; after 20 years, 3 weeks
during each 5-year period.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
INDUSTRIAL SCIENTISTS
T able 2. — Formal 'provisions for paid sick leave for scientists
with 1 and 5 years' service in industrial research labora
tories, 1949
Paid sick leave provided annually
Companies studied-..........................................................
Number
of
companies
Percent
of
scientists
25
100
16
4
39
12
1 year of service
Provisions for paid sick leave..........................................
1 week.................................................... ............. ........
2 weeks........... ......................................... .................
2 weeks at full pay and 2 or 4 weeks at half pay__
2 weeks at full pay and 8 weeks at two-thirds pay.
4 weeks........... ........... ................... ........... .................
4 weeks at full pay and 2 weeks at half pay______
22 or 24 days____________ _____ _____________
13 weeks at full pay and 13 weeks at $22 a week__
No provisions for paid sick leave__________________
1
2
1
3
1
3
1
9
(>)
6
(')
4
0)
0)
5
61
5 years of service
Provisions for paid sick leave_________________ ____
1 w e e k ....................................... ................ ............. .
3 or 4 weeks.................................................................
5 weeks___________________________ _________
6 weeks at full pay and 20 weeks at half p ay ..........
33 days________ _____ ______________________
8 w eek s....................... ..............................................
8 weeks at full pay and 12 weeks at two-thirds pay.
8 weeks at full pay and 18 weeks at half pay_____
13 weeks at full pay and 13 weeks at half pay.........
16 weeks at full pay and 10 weeks at $22 a week__
20 weeks_________________ _________________
24 weeks___________________________________
No provision for paid sick leave___________________
17
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
8
57
8
5
3
0)
(>)
(>)
«
0)
20
(')
(9
4
43
1Information withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual companies.
A majority of the companies with formal plans
may extend the amount of sick leave in case of
special need or for employees with long service.
Additional leave is approved on the basis of in
dividual circumstances. All laboratories not hav
ing formal plans arrange for paid sick leave on an
individual case basis. In these instances leave is
approved by a company executive or by a standing
committee.
Sabbatical leave is not customarily granted by
companies to scientists in their employ. Only one
of the companies studied reported any extended
leave of this nature. This plan was informal and
leave was granted on an individual basis only to
senior scientists (over $5,000 salary). However,
some companies may grant paid leave to scientists
for graduate study or for training in a special field.
Opportunities for Scientific Advancement
The laboratories studied were also asked to
report on opportunities for scientific advance
ment, which included chances for exchange of
information, for obtaining further education, and
for scientific recognition. Additional information
was obtained on policies regarding patents for
inventions or discoveries made by scientific em
ployees.
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371
A free exchange of views within the laboratory
is encouraged by most of the companies. Staff
meetings open to all scientists are held frequently.
Weekly or monthly seminars are held at which
papers are read or scientists from outside are
invited to speak. Two companies publish a
monthly bulletin for interchange of scientific in
formation.
Although a number of the companies support
fellowships, the scientists employed by these
companies do not necessarily receive them. Some
companies pay part of the tuition of employees
who take courses related to their work, and one
company reported a graduate scholarship plan
for its engineers.
Attendance at scientific meetings is, in general,
encouraged by the companies operating research
laboratories. All pay salaries and expenses of
delegates. In addition, at least 5 companies grant
leave with pay for attendance by employees not
chosen as delegates; one company sometimes pays
part of their travel expenses also.
Opportunity to spend time on free research is
given by a majority of the companies, but advance
approval may be required. Some companies limit
free research to projects related to their own in
terests. Companies stated that they encourage
scientists to use company time for writing articles
for scientific magazines or to prepare papers for
seminars. However, some of the laboratories
require the writer to clear with a company execu
tive before using company time.
Scientists must have permission to publish any
discoveries made during their employment, but
they are encouraged to speak or to read papers
before meetings of professional groups. Several
companies reported payment of membership fees
in scientific associations as a means of encouraging
scientists to participate in such group activities.
Inventions or discoveries made by scientists in
industrial laboratories are, in general, either
patented by the employer or the patents are taken
out by the scientists and assigned to the em
ployer. Moreover, the companies studied do not
have a stated policy of paying more than a
nominal amount to scientists for such inventions.
Ten of the companies make some payment to the
scientist; but the amounts provided range from
$1 to $25, except in 4 laboratories where they
range up to $100. This apparently does not mean
that larger payments are never made, but indicates
372
INDUSTRIAL SCIENTISTS
merely that the companies do not commit them
selves to large payments for patents. Patents
are considered by some companies as a factor in
determining salary increases.
Nonproduction Bonuses
Nonproduction bonuses are paid by 11 com
panies, employing only slightly less than half of all
scientists. In six companies, with 15 percent of the
workers, all of the scientists share in the bonuses.
In four companies, these payments are limited to
those with an outstanding performance record.
The amount of bonus paid to the individual is
based on salary in a majority of the companies.
Insurance and Pension Plans 6
Various types of insurance, paid for at least in
part by the company, are provided. Life insurance
is the most common type available, but accident
and health insurance with weekly benefits is only
slightly less common (table 3). Half of the com
panies studied, with half the scientists, provide
both life and accident and health insurance.
T able 3.— Insurance or pension plans provided for scientists
in industrial research laboratories of 25 companies, 1949
Type of plan
Number of Percent of
companies scientists
Companies having insurance or pension plans____
' 25
100
Life insurance.............. ........... .....................
Accidental death or dismemberment.....................
Accident and health (weekly benefits)..................
Disability pension......................................
Hospitalization........ .......................
Surgical benefits________________ _____
Doctors’ hospital attendance benefits..... ..........
Retirement pension.................. ...... ....................
2 23
8
13
11
7
6
2
25
79
32
74
64
20
20
10
100
1 Total companies; some have more than one type of insurance.
* The other 2 companies have company death-benefit plans.
Companies with over a third of the employ
ment pay all costs of life insurance. The amount
of insurance varies among individual scientists
in all but two companies, depending in most cases
on salary. Length of service and marital status
are sometimes considered, either in addition to or
to the exclusion of salary. The typical minimum
amount of insurance provided is $1,000 or $1,500.
The maximum is usually $10,000 or $20,000.
In 9 out of 13 cases, employees contribute to the
cost of the insurance providing weekly benefits in
case of accident or illness. The minimum weekly
Only plans p aid for at least in part by the company are discussed here;
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MONTHLY LABOR
benefit under these plans ranges from $7 to $2 Id
the maximum is usually $40. Scientists also
frequently contribute to the cost of other types of
insurance.
Formal retirement plans are in effect in all but
one company. This company, with a small num
ber of scientists, has an informal arrangement for
retirement benefits. Of the formal plans, those
covering nearly two-thirds of the scientists studied
provide retirement either on the basis of age or for
disability.
In 8 companies, with three-fifths of the employ
ment, the employer alone contributed to the
pension fund; in the remainder, contributions were
joint. Where estimates were obtained, employer
contributions ranged from 50 to 75 percent of the
cost of the plan. Employee contributions typically
ranged from 2 to 5 percent of salaries (depending
in some cases on salary level).
The amount of both retirement and disability
pensions is based on years of experience and salary
level. In only one case are years of service dis
regarded in determining the amount of pension
paid. Typical full annual pensions amount to
about 1 percent of average annual salaries multi
plied by years of service. Disability pensions are
smaller than those provided at retirement age.
The retirement age for men to receive a full
pension is 65 in almost all companies. Two com
panies set a minimum service requirement in ad
dition to age—20 years in one and 25 in the other.
Reduced pensions are provided for employees
retiring before they are eligible for a full pension,
in all but one of the companies. The reducedpension provision, in most instances, applies to
those retiring at age 55. About half the companies
set a minimum service requirement for reduced
pensions, the amount of service varying from 10 to
25 years. Only one company limits pensions,
before full retirement age, to cases of disability.
Vested rights to the payment of retirement
benefits are given scientists in 19 companies
(with half the employment studied), if they
leave the company after a specified number of
years of service, and in some cases, if they have
also reached a certain age before they leave.6
In half of these companies, employing nearly a
fourth of the scientists, the only factor in estab
lishing these rights was length of service, ranging
£In all the companies that do not provide these rights, the employee makes
no contribution to the retirement fund.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
INDUSTRIAL SCIENTISTS
from 5 to 20 years. The other companies re
quired employees to have at least 10 years of
service and to be 45 years of age before acquiring
vested rights.
In general, employees who meet these standards
are entitled to their own contributions with
interest if they wish to withdraw the money at
the end of their employment. If the contributions
are left with the company until retirement age,
the employee has a right to the full retirement
pension earned by the years of service to his credit.
Protective Benefits
Free physical examinations at the time scien
tists are employed were provided by 24 of the
companies studied; all but 3 of these provided
periodic examinations thereafter. In a few cases,
periodic examinations are limited to certain groups
of scientists. Almost all companies provide some
free medical care beyond these examinations, but
it is frequently limited to emergency care on the
job. Almost half the companies give more than
emergency aid. One company provides medical
assistance, either free or at reduced cost, for the
employee’s family.
Conditions considered extra hazardous by the
laboratory officials were reported by over half the
companies, employing nearly three-fifths of the
scientists. The types of hazards most frequently
mentioned were handling of chemicals (often of
unknown characteristics) and explosives, exposure
to radioactivity, and work around high-pressure
equipment.
Special provisions for the scientists subject to
the extra hazards were reported by eight of these
companies. A few companies provided more fre
quent physical examinations than would otherwise
be available; one also rotated work under such
conditions.
Some free work clothing was furnished by all
but three of the laboratories, and five also provided
certain additional work clothing at reduced cost.
Free laundry of laboratory clothing was provided
by all but five companies. The articles of clothing
most frequently provided are aprons, coats, and
gloves. In laboratories where scientists come in
contact with explosives or other hazards, safety
glasses, safety shoes, masks, goggles, rubbers,
rubber gloves, and rubber aprons are commonly
furnished.
878160— 50 ------ 2
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373
Moving and Travel Expenses
Companies employing more than half of the
scientists pay at least part of the moving expense
incurred when scientists join the laboratory staff.
In addition, companies with a third of the scientists
provide subsistence for their own employees while
they are seeking permanent living quarters. How
ever, in recent years, the companies studied have
had no program for housing new employees.
Without exception, the companies studied re
ported that they pay all reasonable expenses of
employees traveling on company business. (For
discussion of travel expenses for attendance at
scientific meetings, see p. 371.) Twenty-two pay
all travel expenses when scientists come for
employment interviews, but generally only if the
company requests the interview. The other
companies either do not pay interview expenses or
decide the procedure on an individual basis.
Written Contracts and Dismissal Pay
Written contracts governing conditions of em
ployment are found in only a small proportion of
the companies studied. Some have such contracts
only with supervisors or scientists engaged in
highly specialized research. The period covered
is usually 1 year, with automatic renewal.
Definite provisions in employment agreements
for notice upon termination of service protect
employers and employees alike in five of the com
panies studied. One company guarantees em
ployment for 1 year or pay in lieu of employment.
After the year, either party may terminate the
agreement upon 2 months’ notice. Three months’
notice was reported by two companies. Salary is
the basis of the length of notice agreed upon in
one company.
Companies with about three-fifths of the scien
tists studied have a definite policy of giving notice
on termination of service even though they do not
have signed employment agreements. One month’s
notice was reported by most of these companies.
In addition to the provisions for notice or pay in
lieu of notice, over half the scientists studied were
employed in companies having definite policies for
dismissal payments. All the companies base the
amount to be paid on length of service. Such
payments are equal to the salary for a prescribed
period, ranging from 1 week for 5 years’ service to
3 months for more than 20 years’ service.
Employment Outlook:
Petroleum Production
and Refining1
E m p l o y m e n t in both petroleum production and
refining is expected to increase gradually during
the next 5 to 10 years. This expectation is based
on indications that the demand for petroleum
products will increase in the future and that the
supply of oil will be adequate for this period.
The expected rise in employment, combined with
replacement needs, will provide many job oppor
tunities for new workers.
The petroleum industry in all of its branches
currently gives employment to a total of about
1% million persons. This industry produces gaso
line used by 43 million cars and trucks, and by
civilian and military aircraft; fuel oil used for heat
and power; lubricants essential to the operation
of modem machinery; asphalt for highway con
struction ; and hundreds of other products ranging
from insecticides to plastic materials.
To provide the huge quantities of petroleum
products needed in our economy (39 billion barrels
of petroleum have been produced in the United
States since the oil industry was started in 1859),
a large and complex industry with many special
ized branches has been developed.
Petroleum production and refining, the basic
branches of the industry, and the ones covered in
this report, employed over 400,000 wage and salary
workers in a wide range of jobs and in many dif
ferent parts of the country at the end of 1949.
Earnings are relatively high and many of the jobs
require considerable skill. The outlook for em
ployment in this industry is therefore of interest
« B y Caiman R. Winegarden and Sol Swerdloff of the Bureau’s Occupa
tional Outlook Branch. More detailed information on employment pros
pects by State and region as well as descriptions of the duties, training, earn
ings, and working conditions in the principal petroleum production and
refining occupations will be contained in a forthcoming Bureau of Labor
Statistics Bulletin.
374
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to a great many workers and their families and
to the communities in which they live, as well as
to persons seeking employment or choosing a
course of training that may later lead to a job.
At the end of 1949, considerably more than
200,000 wage and salary workers were employed
in petroleum production. Employment is con
centrated in certain States, although occurring to
some extent in a number of others. Texas leads
in the number of oil-field jobs, followed by Okla
homa, California, Louisiana, Kansas, Illinois, and
Pennsylvania, in that order. An additional 11
States each provided 1,000 or more of these jobs
in 1948.
Petroleum production includes three broad kinds
of work. First is exploration. Since oil is difficult
to find—only rarely are there any signs on the
earth’s surface of its presence underground—a
sizable business has developed in the application
of scientific methods to the search for oil. A sec
ond division of petroleum production is drilling,
rig building, and other oil-field servicing. More
than 39,000 wells were drilled in the United States
in 1949. Texas was by far the most important
State, both in number of wells and total footage
drilled. Wells were drilled in 25 other States, led
by Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, California, Louisi
ana, and Pennsylvania. More than half of the oil
field workers are engaged in operating and main
taining the Nation’s 445,000 producing wells, the
third broad division of petroleum production.
There are over 4,000 oil fields in the United States,
but 130 major fields accounted for half of the
Nation’s output in 1948.
Crude oil—petroleum as it comes from the
ground—has very few uses. It is turned into
hundreds of useful products by the process of
refining. The 375 refineries in the United States
employed about 200,000 wage and salary workers
in the fall of 1949.2 Refineries range in size from
small plants, with less than 50 employees, to a
relatively few large ones, each having several thou
sand workers on its pay roll. The 16 largest re
fineries accounted for nearly 40 percent of total
capacity at the beginning of 1949.
Refineries are located with reference to two fac
tors: proximity to markets and nearness to the
supply of crude petroleum (near oil fields, at the
terminals of oil pipelines, at deep water ports
* This figure includes employment in central administrative offices of in
tegrated oil companies, even when these offices are located separately from
refineries.
375
PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND REFINING
where tankers can dock). Refineries, therefore,
tend to be concentrated in the great oil-producing
or oil-consuming areas. Texas led in refinery jobs
(with a fourth of the United States total in 1948)
followed by California and Pennsylvania. Nine
other States, of which Indiana, Louisiana, and
New Jersey were the most important, each ac
counted for 1 percent or more of the total.
Factors Affecting Employment Outlook
Many factors affect the long-range outlook for
employment in petroleum. Some of these are
reasonably predictable, such as the generally rising
demand for petroleum products. Other factors
are fundamentally uncertain. No one can say,
for example, exactly how much oil remains under
ground, where it is, or how long before it will be
discovered. Another long-term uncertainty is the
future role of competitive sources of energy.
(How rapidly, for example, may atomic energy be
adapted to peacetime uses?) The future is clouded
in another respect. The petroleum industry is a
world industry and its products are not only es
sential in the normal operations of our industrial
society but also have critical military importance.
Military and diplomatic factors, therefore, can
greatly affect the outlook. Nevertheless, observa
ble trends ean be used in evaluating future job op
portunities, subject to the qualifications noted.
Demand jor Petroleum Products. The long-range
trend in demand for petroleum products has been
sharply upward. Chart 1 shows the steeply rising
demand for these products in the United States.
Total domestic consumption in 1949 was nearly
six times the 1919 level. It is also apparent from
the chart that per capita consumption has nearly
kept pace with the growth of total consumption,
indicating that population growth, although a fac
tor in the rising demand, has been less important
than the intensified use of petroleum in our econ
omy. The relative importance of petroleum as
a source of energy has also risen greatly. At the
turn of the century, crude oil accounted for only
about 5 percent of energy produced; by 1948, the
proportion had risen to nearly 35 percent.
Many factors have contributed to the growth
of the petroleum industry. Undoubtedly the most
important single element has been the rapid in
crease in the number of motor vehicles. In 1900,
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about 4,000 automobiles were registered in the
United States; in 1948, more than 43 million cars
and trucks were registered. Residual fuel oil has
become important as a source of energy for indus
trial heating and power generation, as well as for
fueling ships and locomotives. Several million
homes and other buildings are heated by distillate
oils, and thousands of Diesel units use petroleum
fuels. About 3 million petroleum-operated trac
tors are in use on the Nation’s farms. Thousands
of airplanes consume growing quantities of avia
tion gasoline. Large amounts of asphalt are used
in road construction and maintenance. In recent
years, there has been a rapid rise in importance of
liquified petroleum gases as fuel for homes and in
dustry. The development of petro-chemistry has
created a multitude of new uses for petroleum. It
is now an ingredient in many cosmetics, insecticides,
medicines, paints, and plastics.
The rise in demand for petroleum products has
been exceedingly sharp in recent years. Domestic
consumption in 1949 was about 74 percent above
the 1939 level. During the war, demand reached
unprecedented heights; vast quantities of petroChort 1. Trend of U. S. Petroleum Consumption
I9I9
I925
I930
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
I935
I940
I945
I950
SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES,
U.S. BUREAU OF CENSUS
376
PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND REFINING
leum products (especially aviation gasoline) were
required by the armed forces and by war industries.
Following the war, a further sharp increase in
demand occurred. This unexpected development
placed great strain on petroleum refining and
transportation facilities, so that in 1946 and 1947
there were local, temporary shortages of fuel oil
and gasoline (particularly the former). But in 1948
and 1949, petroleum supplies were ample.
All indications point to a continued and fairly
rapid rise in demand during the next 5 or 10 years.
Most of the factors responsible for past growth
should continue to operate—rising number of
motor vehicles, growth of military and civilian
aviation, increased use of oil in heating, wider
application of the Diesel engine, greater use of
petroleum byproducts and, finally, continued
growth of United States population and industry.
On the other hand, exports of petroleum may con
tinue their recent decline, partly because of in
creased refinery capacity in Europe, utilizing
crude petroleum from the Middle East, and thus
reducing demand for United States oil.
The effects of several general factors in the
demand for petroleum are difficult to gauge. One
of these is the price of petroleum relative to that
of other fuels—principally coal and natural gas.
Any changes in this relationship cannot be antici
pated precisely. However, small changes in the
relative prices are unlikely to affect demand signifi
cantly in most major uses. It is necessary also
to consider possible technological developments
that may make oil-consuming units more efficient,
e. g., the high-compression automotive engine.
Improved methods of using other fuels, such as
coal, may also affect the long-term demand for
petroleum. In general, however, these develop
ments are unlikely to have any marked effect on
petroleum requirements during the next decade.
Finally, account should be taken of the possible
impact of the development of atomic energy as a
fuel. It is most unlikely that atomic energy will
compete seriously with oil as a fuel in any important
field of consumption for a good many years.
Supply of Petroleum. Chart 2 shows trends in
petroleum production and proved reserves from
1903. The trend in reserves is clearly upward,
and there have been relatively few years in which
reserves were not greater than those of the pre
ceding year. Recently, however, reserves have
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MONTHLY LABOR
been rising at a diminishing rate, and the gap
between reserves and production has narrowed
somewhat. At the end of 1948, estimated proved
reserves in the United States were over 23 billion
barrels (crude petroleum). In addition, reserves
of natural gas liquids totaled about 3.5 billion
barrels. It is estimated that another 2 to 5 billion
barrels of oil are recoverable by the application
of secondary recovery techniques in the older
fields.3 It should be noted, however, that proved
Chart 2. Growth of Petroleum Production and Reserves
Thousands
of Barrels
reserves do not represent the total supply of oil.
(“ Proved reserves” refers only to the estimated
amount of oil which has been discovered, which
remains underground, and which is recoverable
by present methods of production.) If the oil
believed to be present, but not yet discovered, is
added to the proved reserves, upwards of 60
billion barrels of “ ultimate reserves” remain,
according to one estimate.
The worldwide scope of the petroleum industry
makes it necessary to consider, in addition to the
3
“Secondary recovery” refers to a variety of technical methods for increas
ing the proportion of oil which can be obtained from a particular pool.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND REFININO
domestic supply, foreign sources of petroleum, even
though future access to some of these sources is
uncertain. Crude reserves in the Western Hemi
sphere outside the United States are estimated at
11 billion barrels, most of it in Venezuela. Eastern
Hemisphere proved reserves amount to 37 billion
barrels, located mainly in the Middle East.
Proved reserves of the entire world were estimated
to be 70 billion barrels at the beginning of 1948.
More effective conservation methods are stretch
ing our oil supplies. In the early days of the
industry, wastage was considerable through the
uncontrolled “ flush” production of wells. In
recent years, the rate at which oil is withdrawn
from the ground has been controlled by State
action or by voluntary agreements of petroleum
producers, thereby increasing the ultimate amount
of oil recoverable from each pool. Moreover, this
control of the rate of output, or “ prorationing,”
has prevented temporary over-production of
petroleum and consequent waste.
Considerable attention has been given in
recent years to the possibility of producing large
quantities of synthetic petroleum. The main
sources of synthetic petroleum in the United States
are oil-bearing shale, natural gas, and coal.
Although techniques have been developed to
obtain oil from each of these three substances, the
methods have not yet become commercially
feasible. However, if an oil scarcity approaches
or if national defense considerations require,
large-scale development of the synthetic petroleum
industry is likely. It is believed that known
deposits of oil-bearing shale contain billions of
barrels of petroleum. The coal supplies of this
country are virtually inexhaustible and an almost
endless amount of oil could be produced by largescale synthesizing of coal into petroleum.
In conclusion, it appears that although oil may
eventually become scarce in the United States, its
supply is adequate to permit a high and rising
level of employment in petroleum production and
refining for a number of years.
Job Prospects
Petroleum Production. Chart 3 shows the recent
trend of employment in the Nation’s oil fields.
It can be seen that the 1949 level was considerably
above prewar. Over the next 5 to 10 years, the
number of jobs is expected to increase gradually.
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377
In 1948-49, oil-field activity was at the highest
levels in history. The main factors in this peak
rate have been the record demand for petroleum,
the backlog in exploration and drilling resulting
from wartime restrictions, and the fact that it
has become necessary to drill more deeply, on the
average, to find oil. The doubling of the price
of crude petroleum between 1946 and 1948 also
contributed to the stepping up of exploration and
drilling. Because of growing demand, production
of crude petroleum during the next decade should
exceed the record 2 billion barrels produced in
1948, bringing an increase in the number of
producing wells and fields. This increase, along
with the trend toward deeper drilling, should
mean a growing number of oil-field jobs.
Chart 3. Employment in Crude Petroleum and Natural
G a s Production
The gradual rise in employment will create
opportunities for new workers in petroleum pro
duction. A much larger number of jobs, however,
will result from replacement needs. In a field of
employment as large as this one, annual replace
ment needs are very substantial. The number of
378
PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND REFINING
workers who die, retire, or transfer to other
work each year may run into many thousands.
Various kinds of workers will be needed in oil
production. Most of the new workers will start
as laborers, roustabouts, or helpers. In addition,
however, a large number of openings are antici
pated for petroleum engineers, geologists, geo
physicists, surveyors, draftsmen, and other tech
nical workers.
Although many uncertainties cloud the outlook
beyond the next decade, those who do obtain jobs
in petroleum production during the next 5 or 10
years will probably continue to hold them over a
much longer period.
Petroleum Refining. Refinery employment in
1948-49 was the highest ever attained in the
industry. Much of the increase has occurred in
the last several years. However, the long-range
trend has also been upward. Between 1909 and
1939, refinery employment rose 500 percent; this
was among the fastest rates of growth shown by
any industry.
Chart 4 illustrates the growth of refining
capacity and activity from 1918. In recent
years, both capacity and output have risen very
greatly and, at the same time, the gap between the
two has been narrowed.
The outlook for the next 5 or 10 years is for
continued advance in refinery output, but at a
slower rate than in many past periods. Reasons
for this expected growth have been indicated in
the preceding discussion of the future demand for
petroleum products. To achieve any substantial
increases in output, considerable expansion of
refining capacity will be needed. In 1948-49,
extensive work was begun on construction of new
refineries and additions to existing ones; further
growth in capacity is planned for the near future.
The rise in output and capacity will mean a
marked increase in the number of refinery jobs.
Even in the event of a general business depres
sion, with output of petroleum falling far below
the expected levels, refinery employment should
not decline greatly, because such employment is
more closely related to changes in capacity than
to variations in output. A refinery may be
operated at widely varying rates without greatly
affecting the total number of workers needed. A
large share of refinery employment is in main
tenance departments, which have nearly as much
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work to do when the refinery is operating at 70
percent of capacity as at 90 percent. The
number of administrative, technical, and clerical
employees is also fairly stable, regardless of the
rate of production. Finally, processing jobs
involve mainly the tending of types of equipment
which require a relatively fixed number of workers.
In addition to the many job opportunities
resulting from expected expansion in refining,
replacement needs (resulting from death, retireChart 4. Petroleum Refining Capacity and Output
TH O U SAN DS
OF B A R R E L S
O AILY
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Source
U.S. BUREAU OF MINES
ment, and transfers into other industries) will
provide numerous openings for new workers.
Most new plant workers will start as laborers,
since the usual practice in refineries is to fill the
more skilled jobs by promoting from within.
There will also be many opportunities in
technical jobs, especially for chemists, chemical
engineers, mechanical engineers, and laboratory
technicians. Accountants, bookkeepers, stenogra
phers, typists, and various kinds of clerical workers
will also be needed.
Summaries of Studies and Reports
Full Employment Report
by UN Experts1
U nemployment resulting from a deficiency of
effective demand is regarded as the major type of
unemployment in industrialized countries, accord
ing to experts from four nations, reporting to the
United Nations.2 They were requested by the
UN Secretary-General to report on national and
international measures required to achieve full
employment. Unemployment due to deficiency
of demand is the chief concern of the report; other
types, resulting from lack of capital equipment, or
from structural features of the economy, are noted
in passing.
The measures recommended, the experts assert,
are consistent with the institutions in free enterprise
economies, although a good deal of governmentaction is involved. The plans proposed leave to
each government the definition of the level of em
ployment which it proposes to maintain. Full
employment, they believe, can only exist in “an
expanding world economy of which the economic
development of under-developed countries would
form the most important single element.”
The report proposes measures to implement
Articles 55 and 56 of the United Nations Charter
in which “All members pledge themselves to take
joint and separate action in cooperation with the
Organization for the achievement of (a) higher
standards of living, full employment and condi
tions of economic and social progress and de
velopment * *
In adopting the Employ1 National and International Measures for Full Employment, Report
by a Group of Experts appointed by the Secretary-General of the UN (E/1584
December 22, 1949, UN Publication Sales No. 1949 II.A.3, 75 cents) and
Report of Fifth Session ECOSOC Economic and Employment Commission
(general E/1600, E/CN-1/79 January 31, 1950).
2 John Maurice Clark, Professor of Economics at Columbia University,
New York; Arthur Smithies, Professor of Economics at Harvard University;
Nicholas Kaldor, Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge; Pierre Uri, Economic
and Financial Adviser to the Commissariat general du Plan, Paris; E. Ronald
Walker, Economic Adviser to the Australian Department of External Affairs.
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ment Act of 1946, the United States has already
recognized its general obligation in this field.
After a period of high postwar employment,
signs of a recession in 1948-49 in various countries
aroused international concern, pointed up the lack
of concerted means for warding off an incipient
depression, and created an atmosphere of urgency
in which the present report was prepared, between
October and December 1949. A questionnaire,
circulated to member governments by the Secre
tary-General of the UN last summer, showed
“considerable differences in the promptness and
effectiveness” of measures which these govern
ments would be able to take to deal with the onset
of a depression.3
While many members of the Economic and
Employment Commission of the Economic and
Social Council of UN (ECOSOC), reviewing the
report, registered agreement with the general ob
jectives and with numerous recommendations in
the report, questions were raised concerning some
of the proposals. ECOSOC voted on February
21 to refer the report to member governments for
study. These governments are invited to express
their views on the experts’ proposals or to submit
any alternative proposals they may have for solv
ing unemployment problems to the next ECOSOC
meeting in Geneva in July-August 1950. The
principal recommendations of the experts, to
gether with the Commission’s discussion of them
are summarized below.
Domestic Measures
(1) Full employment target and compensatory meas
ures. Each member government should announce
a full employment target, and a comprehensive
program for achieving this objective (including
fiscal and monetary policies, investment and
production planning, and wage-price and antimonopoly policies); each government should also
s See Maintenance of Full Employment (UN Sales No. 1949 II.A.2) and
documents E /llll and E /llll Addenda 1-8,
379
380
FÜLL EMPLOYMENT REPORT
announce a system of compensatory measures to
expand effective demand, to be invoked whenever
unemployment exceeds a prescribed limit for three
successive months.
Industrialized countries would, according to the
report, set this target in the form of a percentage
of unemployment among wage earners. Some
members of the ECOSOC Employment Commis
sion, however, criticized this goal as too narrow
and suggested instead “a total level of employ
ment, production, and national income.”
“The precise formulation of the target, whether
based on employment or unemployment, whether
expressed in absolute or in percentage figures,
must be at the discretion of the governments,”
said the Commission.
(2) Coordination of all government activities affect
ing the employment level. Governments, the ex
perts advise, should review and re-state the whole
range of measures which they intend to take to
promote full employment and economic stability.
Furthermore, the report states:
In many countries a long-term program for the
expansion of consumption could be carried out by
employing the instruments of fiscal policy discussed
above: i. e., by changing the incidence of taxation
and lowering its level; by expanding programs of
social security and transfer payments; by raising the
standards of social expenditures generally, for educa
tion, health, etc.; and by means of other supports to
personal consumption. Furthermore, the control of
monopoly prices may serve the purpose of increasing
consumer demand through the reduction of profit
margins.
The Employment Commission “agrees with the
experts that, depending on the nature of the
economies of individual countries, government
expenditures and tax policies, control of the volume
of investment, and stimulation of consumption
may all find an important place in continuing
programs.”
Commodity stabilization schemes will be re
quired, according to the experts’ report, to main
tain the income of primary producers, both at
national and international levels; national schemes,
however, might be of limited usefulness in coun
tries with a weak balance-of-payments position.
The Commission recommended more study of this
entire question.
The Secretary-General of the UN, at the request
of the Council, is collecting reports from govern
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MONTHLY LABOR
ments on measures taken to achieve full employ
ment. Regular analytical summaries of these
reports are to be released, starting in July-August
1950.
(3) Automatic compensatory measures. Whenever
unemployment exceeds the range defined in the
target by some predetermined amount for three
consecutive months,4 countermeasures announced
in advance should automatically come into effect.
The measures should quickly produce an expan
sion in effective demand throughout the economy,
sufficient to reduce the level of unemployment
below the prescribed limit. Among the possible
measures suggested are alternative tax schedules
(e. g., reducing the rate or raising the level of
exemption for income tax purposes); or vari
ations in social security contributions.
The
ECOSOC Employment Commission approved in
principle “built-in stabilizers” such as farm-price
support programs and certain features of social
security systems, but had some reservations con
cerning the automatic operation of measures
formulated in advance, as recommended by the
experts. Some members believe that such meas
ures would be useful chiefly in offsetting unem
ployment in consumption-goods industries.
Public works programs could not be varied
rapidly enough, in the experts’ opinion, to be
useful as an automatic compensatory device,
although they constitute an important part of a
continuing stabilization program,
(4) Preventing inflation. On the subject of wages,
the report says:
If there is evidence of a continuous general up
ward pressure of money wages exceeding substan
tially the rate of increase of productivity and lead
ing to offsetting price increases, the situation re
quires such action by the government, jointly with
organized labor and employers’ associations, as would
ensure that any wage increases that may be granted
will not result in a general price inflation. The
character of the action to be taken would naturally
depend on the conditions ruling in each country.
In the opinion of the ECOSOC Employment
Commission, the experts tended to underestimate
the difficulties of checking upward movements
of prices and wages arising out of labor shortages
and inflationary pressures.
4
The target can be adjusted to allow for normal seasonal variations in
employment.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
FULL EMPLOYMENT REPORT
Some members felt that the experts had given
insufficient emphasis to wage-price relationships
and antimonopoly policies. A separate state
ment by Prof. J. M. Clark, annexed to the report,
calls for more study of the effect of wage and price
levels on employment levels.
38i
amount of long-term lending they wish to under
take on a continuing basis.
Governments should then consult and negotiate
to iron out any inconsistencies which these an
nounced programs disclose. In the opinion of the
experts, governments should “ also be prepared
to adjust their production structures where neces
(5) Governmental machinery. The report does not
sary, in cooperation with each other, to the needs
deal fully with the methods that governments are
of those potential markets which in the light of
to use in putting the recommended measures
the prospective situation are needed to balance the
into motion—especially those governments with
international accounts.”
constitutionally defined powers and intricate re
(2) Methods for increasing the flow of invest
lationships between Federal, State, and local
ment to under-developed countries, channeled
levels. Again, the difficulties are rather lightly
through governments and the International Bank
dismissed, in the view of some Commission
for Reconstruction and Development, were dealt
members.
with in another set of recommendations. Lending
Improved statistical services will certainly be
countries are asked to fix annual targets for 5-year
needed. The experts urge governments to pub
periods for international investment comprising
lish at regular intervals, comprehensive data on
both private and public funds.
employment and unemployment by major indus
(3) Measures were proposed for stabilizing the
trial groups, areas, and categories of workers
flow of international trade, in order to prevent the
(e. g., skilled, unskilled, white-collar employees,
propagation from country to country of unem
etc.). The collection and interpretation of statis
ployment resulting from cyclical variations in
tics of all the principal aggregates that determine
effective demands. These proposals met with
the level of effective demand are also needed.
some skepticism on the part of the Commission
The Commission urged that the UN Secretariat
as to their practicality, not intent. The experts’
and specialized agencies be prepared to assist the
plan would require “ each country to stabilize its
governments.
own external currency disbursements on current
account in the event of a decline in its own demand
International Measures
for foreign goods and services” by (a) special
measures to maintain its imports, e. g., stock
Some of the most far-reaching measures recom
piling; (b) by replenishing the monetary reserves
mended in the experts’ report are international in
of the other countries, insofar as the depletion of
scope, and on these, the ECOSOC Commission
those reserves results from shrinkage of its imports
members registered their greatest misgivings.
from them. This operation could be performed,
“ The experts have properly emphasized the im
the experts believe, through the International
portance of developing and harmonizing policies
Monetary Fund, after adoption of an enabling
aimed at achieving an enduring equilibrium in
amendment to its articles of agreement. The
international payments as soon as possible. The
object of these proposals is to prevent a cumula
Commission, however, is uncertain as to the
tive contraction in international trade.
practicability of the particular proposals advanced
by the experts for achieving this objective.”
The Commission drew attention to the difficulty
The proposals include the following:
of attributing a particular part of a balance-of(1)
Both deficit and surplus countries, as a first payments deficit to cyclical depression in specific
step, should set targets for the main items in their
countries. Some members questioned whether
balances of payments. Deficit countries should
countries would be willing and able to commit
declare the amount by which they wish to raise
themselves in advance to a series of indeterminate
the proceeds of their exports, or reduce their pay
payments which might be quite sizable. They
ments for imports. Surplus countries should
also questioned whether the automatic financing of
declare the amount by which they wish to raise
imports would not retard necessary adjustments in
their payments for imports, and reduce their
the purchasing countries to structural changes in
exports, and should pledge themselves to the
international trade.
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382
INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT STATISTICS
Statistics of Insured Unemployment
Under State Programs1
r i s e in the number of unemployed persons
in the United States over the past year has intensi
fied public interest in the geographical distribution
of unemployment. National estimates of total
unemployment are provided on a current basis
by the Census Bureau’s Monthly Report on the
Labor Force, but no comparable estimates are
currently available for States or regions. In the
absence of such data, the statistics of insured
unemployment under State programs do, however,
provide useful information on geographical differ
ences in unemployment for a major segment of the
Nation’s labor force and, beginning with this
issue, will be carried as table A—11 in the Current
Labor Statistics section of the Review.
MONTHLY LABOR
week in which unemployment actually occurred.
The monthly data on insured unemployment,
shown in table A -ll (p. 452), are averages of the
figures for the weeks ending in each month.4
T he
Source and Derivation of the Data
The data on insured unemployment are obtained
as a byproduct of the operations of the State
unemployment compensation programs.2 When
a worker covered by State unemployment insur
ance becomes unemployed, he reports to a local
office of his State employment security agency
and files an “initial claim” for benefits (simply a
notice of the beginning of a period of unemploy
ment) . In each subsequent week (or biweekly in
certain States), the unemployed worker files a
“continued claim,” 3 representing unemployment
in the preceding week or weeks. In addition to
those totally unemployed, some persons working
part-time may be eligible for unemployment com
pensation and are included in the continued claims
totals.
The number of weeks of unemployment covered
by continued claims is reported by the State
agencies to the U. S. Department of Labor’s
Bureau of Employment Security. The insured
unemployment series is derived by adjusting the
continued claims data for the lag between the
week of unemployment and the time the claim is
filed, so that the adjusted series refers to the
i By Calman R. Winegarden of the Bureau’s Branch of Manpower Studies.
» The Federal-State unemployment compensation system is described in
an article, Insurance Against Unemployment in the United States, Monthly
Labor Review, January 1950 (p. 9).
* The claim may be for a “waiting period,” in order to qualify for benefits,
or may be for a “compensable week,” for which benefits are payable. Not all
compensable claims result in payment of benefits; a small proportion of
claimants do not qualify under the State laws.
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Comparability With Census Estimates
Insured unemployment under State programs
cannot be compared directly with Census Bureau
estimates of total unemployment based on the
Monthly Report on the Labor Force and on the
decennial Censuses of Population.
State unemployment insurance programs ex
clude from coverage certain industries and classes
of workers. The main groups not covered are
agricultural workers, government employees, the
self-employed, domestic servants, workers in very
small firms (in most States), employees of non
profit organizations, and railroad workers (who
have a separate unemployment insurance system
under the Railroad Retirement Board). Groups
not covered account for nearly half of total em
ployment in the United States. In general, persons
in any of these groups who become unemployed
are not included in the statistics of insured unem
ployment. Also excluded are new entrants into
the labor force, and workers with insufficient
covered employment or earnings prior to lay-off.
Moreover, unemployed persons who have ex
hausted their benefit rights do not appear in the
insured unemployment figures. Benefits are pay
able in most States for a maximum of 20 to 26
weeks in a 12-month period. In times of pro
longed unemployment, the exhaustions of benefit
rights could cause a marked divergence between
the trends of insured unemployment and total
unemployment.
The data on insured unemployment under State
programs also exclude unemployed veterans of
World War II claiming Servicemen’s Readjust
ment Allowances. Currently, this is a small
group—about 65,000 per week in January 1950.
Prior to July 1949, when most veterans ceased to
be eligible for these allowances, the volume of
claims was much larger. In March 1949, for
example, about 700,000 veterans were filing weekly
claims for servicemen’s unemployment allowances.
Apart from the exclusion of certain groups of
workers from the insured unemployment statistics,
<Weekly statistics of insured unemployed are issued by the Bureau of
Employment Security in mimeographed releases on “insured Unemploy
m ent.”
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT STATISTICS
there are other incomparabilities with Census
estimates, arising largely from differences in the
definitions of unemployment. Counted among the
“insured unemployed” are workers who may file
claims and be eligible for State unemployment
compensation but who are classed as “employed”
in the Census data. Included in this category
are: Persons not working because of bad weather;
workers on temporary lay-off with definite instruc
tions to return to work in less than 30 days; those
waiting to enter new jobs or businesses within 30
days ; and certain part-time workers. In addition,
sampling variations may influence the current
Census estimates shown in the MRLF.
Other Limitations
Statistics on insured unemployment, although
excluding some large groups of unemployed per
sons, provide a current source of information on
the geographic distribution of unemployment and
on unemployment trends in the various States.
However, there are certain additional limitations,
which affect the use of the data in making inter
state comparisons of unemployment levels and
in interpreting month-to-month changes. These
limitations arise primarily from variations in
State unemployment compensation laws, partie'
ularly with respect to coverage, duration of
benefits, and timing of the benefit year. Changes
in State laws and operating practices also affect the
comparability of the data over time.6
Coverage. The proportions of total employment
covered by unemployment compensation pro
grams vary among States. In part, this reflects
interstate differences in industrial composition;
for example, in largely agricultural States, a
smaller fraction of the labor force is covered than
in highly industrialized States. In addition, the
coverage provisions of State laws vary somewhat,
particularly regarding size of firm. In 22 States,
firms with fewer than 8 employees are exempt from
unemployment compensation laws; but in 15
States, there are no exclusions based on number
of employees. The remaining States cover firms
.with a minimum of from 3 to 6 employees.
Duration of benefits. State variations in the maxi
mum length of the benefit period affect the insured
* This discussion of the provisions of the State laws is based on the Bureau
of Employment Security’s Comparison of State Unemployment Compen
sation Laws as of September 1949, and does not take account of any sub
sequent changes.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
383
unemployment series because of the differential
effects of exhaustions. In 8 States, the maximum
benefit period for a totally unemployed worker
ranges from 12 to 18 weeks. In 28 States, the
maximums are from 20 to 25 weeks, and in
12 States, 26 weeks. In one State, Wisconsin,
benefits may run to 26K weeks. There are also
differences in the qualifications for receiving
benefits for the maximum period.
The Benefit Year. The timing of the “benefit year”
has a pronounced effect on the insured unemploy
ment data for certain States. A benefit year is a
12-month period in which a worker’s eligibility for
unemployment compensation is determined by
the amount of covered employment or earnings
to his credit in a particular past, or “base”, period.
If the compensation rights are used up before the
end of the benefit year, the unemployed worker
must wait for the beginning of a new benefit year,
when he becomes eligible for benefits resulting
from any covered employment or earnings follow
ing the end of the former base period. The
benefit year in most States begins with the date
on which the individual files his claim; in these
States, the beginning of new benefit periods tends
to be spread throughout the year and does not
greatly affect the insured unemployment series.
In 13 States, however, a “uniform” benefit period
is used, most frequently beginning on April l.6 As
a result, at the start of the new benefit year, a
sharp rise often occurs in the numbers of insured
unemployed; this represents, however, the filing
of claims by workers becoming eligible for benefits
in the new year, rather than any increase in
unemployment.
Operational Factors. Month-to-month changes in
insured unemployment may be influenced by
various administrative factors, as well as by the
provisions of the State unemployment insurance
laws. For example, the occurrence of a legal
holiday in any week may postpone claims-filing
by some unemployed workers to the following
week. If the holiday falls in the first week of a
month, the result may be an understatement of
insured unemployment for the preceding month
and an overstatement for the current month.
• States with uniform benefit years, beginning in the month specified, are
as follows: A p r il— Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Bhode Island, and Vermont; M a y— Virginia; Ju ne —New
York; and J u ly — Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
384
DISMISSAL-PAY PROVISIONS
Dismissal-Pay Provisions
in Union Agreements, 1949 1
of hardship resulting from loss of
employment due to factors beyond a worker’s
control has long been a subject of collective bar
gaining. Accordingly, labor-management con
tracts have included provisions ranging from notice
of a specified duration to employees before lay-off
to substantial lump-sum payments to workers
separated from their jobs, and pensions to aged or
permanently disabled workers.
Dismissal (or severance) pay is a sum of money,
in addition to any accrued wages or salaries for past
work, paid to an individual whose employment is
terminated through no fault of his own.2 The
most common obj ective of dismissal-pay plans has
been, of course, to ease the employee’s financial
burden, while he is looking for a new job. Other
objectives include the provision of partial com
pensation to the separated worker for retraining or
acquiring new skills, and the maintenance of good
will of employees and the community generally.
Relatively few labor-management agreements,
however, currently include specific severance- or
dismissal-pay clauses. A recently completed Bu
reau of Labor Statistics analysis of a sample of over
2,100 agreements showed that only 168, or 8 per
cent of the contracts studied, stipulated that
workers losing their jobs through no fault of their
own should receive separation allowances.
There are some indications, however, that the
proportion of agreements providing for dismissal
pay is increasing slightly. A survey conducted
by the Bureau in 1944 showed but 5 percent con
taining dismissal-pay provisions.3 Prior to World
War II, a scattering of dismissal-pay clauses had
been negotiated. One of the more significant of
A lleviation
1 By Laura Chase and James C. Nix, of the Bureau’s Division of Industrial
Relations, under the supervision of Irving Rubenstein.
This study was based on an analysis of 2,137 agreements, of which 1,584
were in manufacturing industries. All these agreements were in effect in
1949, and covered, in the aggregate, more than '¿}i million workers.
2 “Dismissal Pay,” as provided in collective bargaining agreements, is also
known by various other terms such as “service awards,” “lay-ofE bonus,”
“termination allowance,” etc. Pay granted in lieu of a prescribed lay-off
notice is not generally considered to be dismissal pay, and such provisions are
not included in this study.
For a wide variety of illustrative clauses, see Bureau of Labor Statistics Bul
letin No. 908-5; Collective Bargaining Provisions—Discharge, Discipline,
and Quits; Dismissal Pay Provisions. Washington, 1948.
2
Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin No. 808; Dismissal Pay Provisions in
Union Agreements, December 1944. Washington, 1945.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR
these was a Nation-wide “ job protection agree
ment,” concluded by a number of railroad unions
and carriers (in 1936) to protect workers displaced
by the consolidation, merger, or coordination of
rail facilities.4 A decade earlier (1926), the
Amalgamated Clothing Workers and the Hart,
Schaffner and Marx Co. negotiated a provision for
payment of a $500 dismissal wage to cutters losing
their jobs because of technological changes. Also,
some employers of their own accord established
dismissal-pay plans in the 1920’s; but relatively
few plans antedated World War I.5
In the current survey, dismissal-pay provisions,
although found in many industries, were rela
tively concentrated in the agreements of only a
few. About 75 percent of the 27 agreements
analyzed in the communications industry and
60 percent of the 46 in the rubber industry con
tained such provisions (most of these cover plants
of the four largest rubber companies). Slightly
more than half of the 63 agreements in the printing
and publishing industry (primarily newspapers)
provided for dismissal pay. In the iron and steel
industry, dismissal compensation was allowed by
12 percent of the agreements.6 Other industry
groups in which at least 10 percent of the agree
ments surveyed included dismissal-pay provisions
were petroleum and coal products; electrical
machinery; chemicals; mining and crude-petro
leum production; and banks, insurance companies,
and other types of office employment.
Dismissal-pay provisions were written into the
agreements of 41 national or international unions.
Of these, 17 were affiliated with the AFL and 16
with the CIO. The remaining 8 were unaffiliated
unions. Among the individual unions, dismissalpay provisions appeared most frequently in con
tracts of the American Newspaper Guild (CIO),
4 Under the terms of this agreement, workers can elect to receive either a
“coordination allowance,” which spreads payments to displaced workers
over a period of months, or a “separation allowance,” which entitles them to
receive a cash lump-sum settlement. Workers electing to take the coordina
tion allowance are paid 60 percent of their average monthly earnings (computed
over the preceding year), for periods ranging from 6 months for employees
with 1 year’s service to 60 months for employees with 15 or more years of
service. Workers who choose to take the separation allowance receive lump
sum payments ranging from 3 months’ pay for employees with 1 year’s *
service to 12 months’ pay for those with 5 or more years’ service. Employees
with less than 1 year’s service receive 5 days’ pay for each month in which
they worked.
5 See Studies in Personnel Policy No. 1, Dismissal Compensation, Na
tional Industrial Conference Board, New York, 1937.
6 Among these were agreements covering subsidiaries of the U. S. Steel
Corp., and other major companies in the industry.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
DISMISSAL-PAY PROVISIONS
Communications Workers of America (CIO),
United Rubber Workers (CIO), United Steel
workers (CIO), International Typographical
Union (AFL), International Printing Pressmen
and Assistants’ Union (AFL), and the United
Office and Professional Workers (affiliated with
the CIO on the date of the survey). In the
collective-bargaining procedure of the American
Newspaper Guild, dismissal pay is a standard
feature, with 201 of the 202 Guild contracts in
effect in December 1949 containing severance-pay
provisions.7
Conditions and Amounts of Dismissal Pay
Dismissal-pay clauses vary widely with respect
to the causes or conditions under which such
compensation is paid, the amount and computa
tion of the allowance, and the length of service
required for eligibility to receive it.
Conditions Governing Payments. Most agreements
set forth the conditions under which workers
can expect to receive separation allowances.
In 89 of the 168 agreements analyzed, the clauses
simply stated that dismissal for “lack of work”
or “reasons beyond the worker’s control” was
sufficient to qualify an employee for a separation
allowance. These, as well as other clauses, gen
erally provided that the allowance was not pay
able if the discharge was self-provoked or for
causes such as dishonesty or gross neglect of
duty. Many clauses were more explicit, however.
A large number of agreements directly or indirectly
related the dismissal-pay plan to technological
changes. Mergers, consolidations, changes in
manufacturing processes, shut-downs of the plant
or a department, etc., were among the reasons
cited. In still another group, primary emphasis
was placed upon the inability of individual work
ers to meet the requirements of the job. Aged
workers who were not eligible for pensions were
in this category.
7
Supplement to 1949 Contracts Survey, American Newspaper Guild,
New York, December 10, 1949. According to this report, the Guild con
tracts usually specify a uniform relationship between severance pay and
length of service, such as a week’s pay for each 6 months’ or year’s service.
The maximum allowances range from 2 to 60 weeks’ pay; about half of the
agreements establish maxima of 26, 28, or 30 weeks. About 10 percent of the
Guild agreements place no maximum limit on the amount of dismissal pay
which can be accrued. Pay is usually allowed for all dismissals except those
resulting from gross misconduct, neglect of duty, and similar serious offenses
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
385
Service Required and Pay; Graduated Plans. Plans
which scaled the amount of dismissal pay to the
worker’s length of service were most widespread,
150 of the 168 dismissal plans being of this
nature. Such plans usually established minimum
length of service standards of 6 months or 1 year.
In some,the required qualifying period was shorter;
in others, it was longer, up to 5 or 10 years (see
table).
For 67 of the agreements studied, the minimum
amount of dismissal pay was equivalent to 1
week’s earnings. Almost an equal number (66)
provided a minimum of more than a week’s pay:
among these, 16 called for 2 weeks’, 20 (mostly
in steel) for 4 weeks’, and another 16 (primarily
in rubber) for 10 weeks’ pay.
Maximum pay and length of service provisions
varied even more widely. Of the 150 graduated
plans, 91 set an upper limit to the amount of
separation pay which could be earned over a
time span which ranged up to 35 years. With few
exceptions, the maximum amounts called for the
equivalent of at least 2 or more weeks’ pay.
Over half (54) of the 91 plans specified maximum
payments of 8 weeks or more, some as much as
a half-year or more.
The amount of dismissal pay was not limited
in 59 agreements. In this group, a frequent
relationship between pay and service was to
grant 1 week’s pa}7 for each completed year of
service. In other agreements, 1 week’s pay was
allowed for each year of service up to a specified
number of years; thereafter the ratio of weeks
of pay to length of service changed at stated
intervals. The following clause is illustrative:
Each regular employee laid off will be paid a lay
off allowance in accordance with the following:
An employee with 5 years of service or less will
be paid 1 week’s pay for each year of service.
An employee with more than 5 but not more
than 10 years’ service will be paid 1 week’s pay for
each of the first 5 years and 2 weeks’ pay for each
year thereafter.
An employee with more than 10 but not more
than 15 years’ service will be paid 1 week’s pay for
each of the first 5 years, 2 weeks’ pay for each of the
next 5 years, and 3 weeks’ pay for each year there
after.
An employee with more than 15 years of service
will be paid 1 week’s pay for each of the first 5 years,
2 weeks’ pay for each of the next 5 years, 3 weeks’
MONTHLY LABOR
DISMISSAL-PAY PROVISIONS
386
pay for each of the next 5 years, and 4 weeks’ pay
for each year thereafter.
[This clause would entitle a worker dismissed after
20 years’ service, for example, to an aggregate of 50
weeks’ pay.]
health reasons, and for these reasons only, will
receive 1 week’s severance pay of forty (40) hours
computed at his then current hourly rate (unless a
different workweek be established during the term
of this agreement).
Uniform Plans. Under a uniform plan, a specified
minimum length of service may be necessary to
qualify for dismissal pay, but all employees who
qualify receive the same amount, regardless of
differences in length of service. Such plans were
found in only 18 agreements. The following clause
is illustrative of the uniform type of plan:
The amount most frequently allowed under
the 18 uniform plans was 2 weeks’ pay. This
was specified by 11 of the agreements. Four
weeks’ pay was allowed by 4 agreements, and
1 week’s pay by the remaining 3. A third of the
18 uniform plans allowed dismissal pay only to
employees with at least 1 year of service, while
4 agreements required only 6 months to qualify.
The remaining 8 agreements did not specify any
service requirement.
Any employee with 1 or more years’ seniority
who is dismissed due to lack of work as a result of
curtailment of production quotas in this plant, or for
Pay and service provisions under graduated types of dismissal-pay plans
MINIMU-M P A Y M E N T A N D SE R V IC E R E Q U IR E D
Provisions
Total..........................................
Num
ber of
agree
ments
Num
ber of
agree
ments
Provisions
1145
2 weeks’ pay...............................................
Less than 1 week’s pay______
1 month to 1 year’s service.
12
12
1 week’s p a y ......................... . .
3 to 4 months’ service........
6 months’ service_______
8 months’ service_______
1 year’s service_________
2 years’ service_________
67
2
15
2
43
5
6 months’ service________ ________
1 year’s service.....................................
2 years’ service........................ .............
5 years’ service.._______ __________
Service requirement not indicated__
3 weeks’ pay......... .......................................
2 years’ service......................................
3 years’ service.................................. .
Provisions
Num
ber of
agree
ments
16
1
8
1
4
1
1
4 weeks’ p a y ..............
6 months’ service.
3 years’ service.-.
5 years’ service.. .
20
1
5 weeks’ pay_______
5 years’ service...
8
8
2
1
6 weeks’ pay............
6 months’ service.
2
2
8 weeks’ pay..............
2 years’ service...
2
2
10 weeks’ pay............
10 years’ service..
18
16
1
18
1
M A XIM UM PA Y M EN T AND SERVICE REQ U IRED
Total
8weeks’ pay................ .............................
8years’ service......................................
10years’ service__________________
11years’ service....................................
23
10weeks’ pay...............................................
6years’ service......................................
10years’ service....................................
20
1 12weeks’ pay...............................................
2
I year’s service___________________
8
10years’ service.....................................
2
II years’ service....................................
15 years’ service....................................
7
20years’ service...................................
4
«147
30 hours’ p ay ............
9 months’ service.
1
1
1 week’s pay.................................................
1 year's service......................................
S years’ service......................................
3
2
1
2 weeks’ pay................
10 months’ service.
1 year’s service___
2 years’ service___
3 years’ service___
5 years’ service___
3 weeks’ pay......... .
5 years’ service..
10 years’ service.
20 years’ service.
5
2
2
1
4 weeks’ p ay ............
10 years’ service.
2
5 weeks’ p ay ______
5 years’ service..
9 years’ service..
10 years’ service.
3
2
1
1
1
15 years’ service....................................
Service requirement not indicated----
13 weeks’ pay..............................................
25 years’ service....................................
1
1
1
3
8
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
15 weeks’ pay..........
13 years’ service.
15 years’ service.
2
24 weeks’ pay ..........
35 years’ service.
1
1
• Five other agreements did not state the minimum amount in terms of
weeks’ pay. Two of these five agreements allowed a minimum of $500 after
15 years’ service, and one allowed $500 after 5 years’ service. The other two
agreements allowed a minimum of 2 percent of the employee’s annual earnings
after 1 year’s service.
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2
19
26 weeks’ p a y ................
12 years’ service.......
26 years’ service.......
2
28 weeks’ pay................ .
121£ years’ service...
years’ service...
3
30 weeks’ p a y ................
13 years’ service___
14M? years’ service...
15 years’ service___
8
60 weeks’ p a y ............... .
20 years’ service___
1
88 weeks’ p ay ________
29 years’ service___
1
Maximum not specified.
59
1
1
1
2
1
4
3
1
1
1
1
1 Three other agreements did not state the maximum amount in terms of
weeks’ pay. Two of these three allowed a maximum of 6 percent of the em
ployee’s annual earnings after 25 years’ service. The remaining agreement
allowed a maximum of $5,000 but was not clear regarding the length of service
required to qualify for the maximum.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
INJURY RATES IN CONSTRUCTION
Computation of Service and Pay
Injury Rates in
Since most dismissal-pay plans relate the amount
of pay to length of service, the computation of an
employee’s length of service becomes a matter of
prime concern. In most instances, the agreements
specified that such service must be continuous.
Service credits of rehired workers begin with their
reemployment, as expressed in the following typ
ical clause:
Construction Occupations, 19481
Any employee who receives lay-off allowance as
herein provided, and who is subsequently reinstated
in employment with the company within two (2)
years from the date of such lay-off, shall not again be
eligible for additional lay-off allowance until he ac
cumulates two (2) additional years of unbroken con
tinuous service credits with the company. Upon
establishing two (2) years additional continuous serv
ice credit after such reinstatement, the employee shall
again be entitled to lay-off allowance in accordance
with his established unbroken continuous service
credit with the company if again laid off under the
conditions herein provided.
Few agreements specified the actual monetary
amount of dismissal pay to which eligible em
ployees were entitled. Usually it was stated as a
designated number of hours’ or weeks’ pay.
Computation of the amount was related, on some
agreed-upon basis, to the earnings of the individual
worker.
The most common rate (specified by 67 of the
168 agreements) was the regular hourly or weekly
rate received by the employee at the time of
separation. Another group of 53 agreements
provided for payment on the basis of the em
ployee’s average hourly or weekly earnings, cal
culated over a specified period prior to the time of
dismissal.
Lump-sum payments, usually at the time of
dismissal, were specified in all but 7 of the 168
agreements with dismissal-pay clauses. However,
in a few instances a waiting period of 4 to 6 weeks
was required. Several provided for payment in
weekly or monthly installments.
Seven agreements provided that an employee’s
earned dismissal pay could be converted to a
death benefit payable to the beneficiary or estate
of an employee. All but one of these seven agree
ments were in the printing and publishing industry.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
387
T he
m o st
h azardous
of the 43 occupations
studied in the construction industry was that of
pile-driver operators. This occupation had the
highest injury-frequency rate—97.3 disabling in
juries per million employee-hours worked. Six
other occupations also had exceedingly high injuryfrequency rates, ranging from 88.4 for welders to
53.9 for structural-iron workers. Only three occu
pations had frequency rates below 20; of these,
floor-sanding-machine operators had the lowest,
6.0 .
Industry-wide injury-frequency rates indicate
that the construction industry ranks high among
the more hazardous industries. However, it is
generally recognized that industry-wide averages
conceal the wide variations in hazards existing
between the many different types of construction
work. Detailed analysis showing such variations
and highlighting the particular activities in which
hazards are greatest is usually impossible owing
to the difficulty of assembling a sufficient volume
of information to insure adequate representation
of each occupational division.
To provide some of this occupational detail, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of injuries in the
construction industry for the year 1948 was greatly
expanded. More than 33,000 separate occupa
tional reports, received from some 16,000 employ
ers, included records of 26,402 disabling injuries
experienced in the course of nearly 720 million
man-hours of work.
Standard practice in the Bureau’s surveys is not
to show any injury rates that are based upon less
than a million man-hours.2 In the construction
survey, however, complete coverage in some occu
pations would not yield a total of a million man
hours within the calendar year. Therefore, to
avoid omission of such occupations, it was neces1 B y Frank S. McElroy and George R. McCormack of the Bureau’s Branch
of Industrial Hazards.
8 Since injury rates based upon less than a million man-hours are subject
to relatively large chance variations, their representativeness as indicators of
the prevailing level of hazard is somewhat questionable.
MONTHLY LABOR
INJURY RATES IN CONSTRUCTION
388
abilities was 2.5. This was slightly lower than
the corresponding rates for oilers and greasers and
for blade-grader operators, but was 6 times as
high as the average for the entire construction
industry. For permanent-partial disabilities, the
frequency rate for pile-driver operators was 9.3,
substantially above that for any other operation,
and again, 6 times as high as the all-construction
average.
sary to modify the regular procedure and to show
rates based upon as few as 400,000 man-hours.
On this basis, injury rates were computed for 43
occupational classifications, 6 of which had man
hour coverage of less than a million.
Pile-driver operators, in addition to having the
highest injury-frequency rate, were at or near the
top in all injury-severity comparisons. The fre
quency rate for fatalities and permanent-total dis
Industrial injury rates for 16,321 construction companies, by occupation and extent of disability, 1948
Severity
Number of disabling injuries reported
Frequency rates of *■
Occupation
T o ta le ____ ________________________
Em
Num
ber of ployeeestab hours
lish worked
ments
(in
report thou
sands)
ing
16,321
719,867
611
3,442
272
1,256
18
3
114
228
27
49
(1)
(6)
(1)
(4)
7
30
33,174
3,469
29, 240
156,113
4, 554
3,053
1, 045
2 , 229
1,046
28,974
2,422
13,350
27,586
1,756
159
1, 576
7,132
177
170
(3)
32
(3)
(7)
(1)
(2)
31
54
3
3
(1)
3
14
27,864
750
1,515
1,776
1,405
1,181
2, 277
2, 685
410
1,060
17
45
56
51
115
89
87
17
10,324
7, 855
1,429
18,829
14,450
2, 222
9', 229
23,815
894
2,578
510
535
425
70
623
439
55
182
721
79
102
Ironworkers 4 _______________________
Ornamental___ __________________
Structural___________________ ____
Laborers, general_____________ _______
Lathers_______________ ____________
Maintenance men, general... - - - - - - - Millwrights. _______
Mosaic and terrazzo workers___________
Oilers and greasers_______ ____ ________
Painters________________ ______ _____
Pipe fitters__________________________
Plasterers___________________________
Plumbers________________________
855
129
711
4,679
355
240
48
130
108
1,942
19
881
1,765
Power-equipment operators 4___________
Blade-grader operators,........................
Bulldozer operators________________
Crane and winch operators_________
Dredge operators_____________ ____
Pile-driver operators__ _____ ______
Power-shovel operators.
Tractor operators_________________
Riggers...........
2, 713
164
318
302
14
48
402
Roofers4___ ________________________
Composition_____________________
Slate or tile_____________________
Sheet-metal workers__________________
Steam fitters_________________________
Stonemasons.____
Tile setters__________________________
Truck drivers___________ ____________
Welders __ . . .
Well-drill operators___________________
Wreckers............. ........................................
898
661
153
913
523
269
516
2, 692
19
86
145
36
26, 402 (40) 320
3
1,388
5,091
2,655
2i; 866
90,076
10, 913
54,306
1,433
503
3,967
7,100
'852
1,363
210
Death
Death
PerTem
Tem
All
and
Perma Tem
or
maperma nent- porary- dis perma nent- porary- Dis poraryabling
total
partial total abling nent- partial total
nentdisa injury disa
in
total
dis
dis
total
disa
bility
bilities
disa
ability ability juries
disa
bilities bilities
bility 1
(1)
47
145
58
1,691
3,939
1,872
2,161
114
87
322
489
50
I n s u la tio n m ftn; n o t ftlsftwhp.rft olassifiod
Total
87
169
Air-tool operators_____________________
Asbestos workers_____________________
Boilermakers Bricklayers__________________________
Carpenters.- _______________________
Cement finishers_____________________
Electricians_______ __________________
Floor layers, composition______________
Floor-sand in g-m anh in ft opft.rfl.tors
Foremen and superintendents__________
Glaziers.House movers____ _________ ________
86
22
58
49
606
104
518
815
102
29
(1)
1
2
37
1
2
2
1
2
1
1
7
(2)
(1)
22
2
1
1
1
3
1
5
4
(1)
1
5
2
2
11
6
1Figures in parentheses indicate the number of cases of permanent-total
disability included.
3 The frequency rate is the average number of disabling injuries per million
hours worked. A disabling injury is one that results in death, permanenttotal disability, permanent-partial disability, or in an inability to work for
a t least one full shift on any day after the day of injury.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Average num
ber of days
lost per—
Number resulting in—
1,063
9~
3
3
19
145
9
52
3
9
7
1
1
141
9
131
181
2
2
1
6
29
1
9
0.4
62.7
33.2
32.4
27.9
38.2
24.9
23.1
2.2
.2
.7
.7
.6
1.1
.9
1.6
.8
1.0
2.1
.5
2.3
24
48
28.7
32.1
31.7
36.0
1, 583
149
1,414
6,897
172
158
52.9
45.8
53.9
45.7
38.9
55.7
1.0
.3
1.1
55
40
563
26.0
46.8
20.9
42.9
38.8
29.5
.9
2.9
.5
.4
75
165
83
585
3,267
261
1,167
14
3
103
221
20
102
18
35
499
773
61
977
14
41
51
48
1
3
4
2
11
5
2
3
13
10
2
17
17
6
12
20
2
13
1.5
36.7
25,019
12.6
6.0
21.1
84
84
14
38.0
22.7
29.7
31.5
36.3
97.3
39 1
32.4
41.5
517
411
67
601
420
49
168
690
77
83
29
51.8
54.1
49.0
33.1
30.4
24.8
19.7
30.3
88.4
39.6
56.8
101
6.5
.3
.3
.2
2.3
17
9
27
19
35.0
18.7
27.0
28.6
34.2
85.5
36.9
31.3
34.2
207
950
173
254
166
291
111
1.2
50.0
52.3
46.9
31.9
29.1
.8
2.2
86.2
.4
1.3
1.3
.8
2.2
1.3
2.0
.7
2.5
2.3
1.4
9.3
.4
.7
7.3
.1
.2
2.2
.5
2.3
1.3
1.3
1.4
.9
..
6
11
15
11
19
261
89
125
180
61
285
579
231
.1
.5
.5
.7
.3
15
14
18
15
19
244
1.0
.6
12
21
47.6
42.9
48.3
44.2
37.8
51.8
19.2
24.7
38.2
19.4
42.1
37.4
27.9
.4
2.9
1.9
.4
5.7
2.7
.7
418~
64
56
127
106
105
247
903
5
188
48
469
48
4.3
2.6
1.2
.3
6.0
14
24
25.9
31.1
28.2
35.3
4.5
1.0
54.0
32.4
31.3
26.7
36.3
23.9
21.4
9.8
135
1.0
1.2
.7
.3
.7
34.8
2.7
1.3
5.0
22.1
18.2
29.0
32.3
56.8
102
86
83
126
88
130
260
118
117
95
101
117
192
141
55
557
23
ity
rate 3
11
17
12
11
11
22
12
12
12
15
11
12
18
8
24
15
10
27
15
14
21
9
13
15
14
14
10
21
23
3The severity rate is the average number of days lost per thousand hours
worked.
4Totals include figures not shown separately because of insufficient data
for detailed classification.
3Less than 0.05.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
DANISH FAMILY EXPENDITURE STUDY
Temporary disabilities experienced by piledriver operators tended to be very severe, aver
aging 24 days of lost time per case as compared
with 14 days for the entire industry. The per
manent-partial disabilities, however, tended to be
less severe than those experienced in many other
construction occupations. The injury severity
rate for pile-driver operators—28.3 days lost for
each 1,000 employee hours worked—was higher
than for any other occupation and was over 5
times the industry average. The average time
charge per disabling injury in the occupation—291
days—was lower than for 6 other occupations,
although it was more than double the average for
the industry as a whole.
Floor-sanding-machine operators—workers who
do not come on the job until practically all other
construction work has been completed—were at
the other extreme with a low frequency rate of
only 6 disabling injuries per million employeehours worked. All the injuries reported for this
occupation were temporary, and the average time
lost per case was only 5 days. The severity rate
for this occupation, therefore, was very low—less
than 0.05.
In addition to pile-driver operators, 6 other
occupations had exceptionally high injury-fre
quency rates. These were: welders, 88.4; airtool operators, 62.7; wreckers, 56.8; maintenance
workers, 55.7; composition roofers, 54.1; and
structural-iron workers, 53.9. The injuries ex
perienced by air-tool operators, maintenance men,
and structural-iron workers included relatively
high proportions of fatalities and permanent im
pairments. This resulted in quite high severity
rates and average time charges per case for these
3 occupations. No fatalities were reported for
welders; no fatalities or permanent impairments
were reported for wreckers. The two latter occu
pations, therefore, ranked very favorably in
injury severity.
A majority of the occupations (27) had injuryfrequency rates ranging between 20 and 40; 6 had
rates in the medium-high range of 40 to 50; only
2, in addition to the floor-sanding-machine opera
tors, had rates below 20.
In addition to a relatively high frequency rate
(46.8), oilers and greasers had a high proportion of
fatalities and permanent impairments, which plac
ed them near the top in respect to injury severity.
Composition floor layers had a very low frequency
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
389
rate (12.6), but 1 death and 3 permanent-partial
impairments in 18 reported injuries gave them a
high severity rating. Other occupations with
particularly high frequency rates for permanentpartial impairments were riggers (7.3) and welldrill operators (5.0). High rates for fatalities
and permanent-total disabilities included those of
house movers (2.3) and blade-grader operators
(2.7).
Among the more common occupations—i. e.,
those with the largest numbers of workers—■
laborers ranked high in injury frequency (45.7),
but both fatality and permanent-impairment rates
were below average. As a result, this occupation
stood relatively low in the injury-severity com
parisons. Injury-frequency rates for plasterers
(38.8) and carpenters (38.2) were slightly above
the all-construction average, but both occupa
tions ranked better than average in respect to
injury severity. Sheet-metal workers, steam fit
ters, truck drivers, plumbers, bricklayers, and
cement finishers, all had frequency rates some
what lower than the all-construction average, and
also ranked better than average in injury severity.
Electricians and painters had lower than average
frequency rates, but their injuries included a
somewhat higher than average proportion of
fatalities, which gave them relatively high average
time losses.
New Family Expenditure Study
in Denmark 1
A 1948 s u r v e y o f family expenditures was made
by the Danish Statistical Department in May and
June 1949 for the purpose of revising the weights in
its retail-price index. These weights were last
adjusted in 1942. Although realizing the limita
tions of the 1942 budget, the Department believed
that postponement of a new survey was desirable
until economic conditions became more stable.
However, it yielded to pressure from labor to
make the new family-consumption survey. The
1942 budget had been criticized by trade-union
circles and by the Communist press because the
index failed to show quality deterioration, and
i B y Anna-Stina Ericson of the Bureau’s ^Division of Foreign Labor
Conditions.
390
DANISH FAMILY EXPENDITURE STUDY
MONTHLY LABOR
the change in consumption habits which had
resulted from greater employment and higher
wages in the postwar period.
Most Danish wage earners receive cost-of-living
supplements based on changes in the retail-price
index. At the end of 1949, about a third of
average take-home pay consisted of such supple
ments. For 7 years prior to October 1949, the
index was based on a family-expenditure survey
made during April-May 1942.
Earlier Danish surveys were based on detailed
expenditure accounts kept by selected families; in
1942 these were kept for a 4-week period and
expanded to an annual basis, and in 1931 for the
period of a year. The 1948 survey differed in
several respects from those previously made: it
covered a much wider range of income groups and
commodities; it included a much larger proportion
of salaried workers in private business and in
government service; and according to the report
of the Danish Statistical Department, it was
conducted according to sampling techniques used
in the United States.
Use of a standard questionnaire and the inter
view method in 1948 eliminated the criticism that
the “ survey family” was too budget-conscious.
Furthermore, it provided a means of increasing
coverage and of obtaining quicker and more
representative results.
In computing the average expenditure of the
group covered in the country as a whole, the data
from the three areas—Copenhagen, the group of
provincial cities, and the group of smaller towns—
were weighted in the ratio of 40:40:20. Equal
weights had been assigned to the figures from the
three types of communities in the 1942 survey.
Almost a third of the families covered in the
1948 survey received their incomes from salaries;
the rest from wages. (In 1942 the survey for the
first time included families of salaried employees
of State railways, street cars, postal and telegraph
offices in addition to wage earners.)
No families with expenditures below 4,000
kroner in 1948 were selected. Expenditures for the
highest group tabulated averaged 24,400 kroner.
The Statistical Department inferred that both
husband and wife in the higher expenditure
groups had full-time employment. (In the 1942
survey, income classes ranged from 2,000 kroner
a year to 8,000 kroner and over, but the sample
used in constructing the weights for the retailprice index excluded all families with incomes
over 6,000 kroner, either because they were not
considered representative of working-class groups,
or because they had had unusual expenditures
during the survey period.) In 1948, expenditure
data from all the families in the sample were used
as the weights for the revised retail-price index.
Sampling Methods and Coverage
Expenditures and Consumption Patterns
To represent a typical national cross section of
wage-earning and salaried groups in private enter
prise and in government, 500 families were inter
viewed. Usable data were obtained from 443
families, of which 207 were located in Copenhagen,
192 in provincial cities, and 44 in smaller towns.
Families in strictly rural areas were excluded.
Thirty provincial cities and smaller towns were
chosen in addition to Copenhagen in order to
obtain a national average for nonfarm wage and
salaried workers. The size of the sample in each
of the 31 communities surveyed was determined
according to the number of families in the area
dependent on wages and salaries. This sample
was then distributed among hourly workers and
salaried employees, in both private industry and
government service, in a ratio proportionate to
the numerical size of each group in the area.
The average yearly expenditures in 1948 for all
families in the survey were around 10,000 kroner,
nearly double that of the sample used in 1942.
Almost 80 percent of the families had total ex
penditures between 7,000 and 15,000 kroner.
Average expenses in 1948, by type of community
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
fo r w a g e e a rn e rs a n d s a la rie d p e rso n s, w e re as
fo llo w s :
Average expenses (in kroner)
Wage
Salaried
Total
persons
earners
_____
Copenhagen
Provincial cities- _____
Smaller towns_________
10, 465
8, 256
7,750
13, 334
12, 002
9, 181
11, 688
9, 290
8, 238
The great difference between family expenditure
as shown by the 1948 and 1942 surveys is ex
plained partly by the general rise in the price and
wage level, the deliberate inclusion of a much
higher earnings group in the 1948 study, and the
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
DANISH FAMILY EXPENDITURE STUDY
inclusion of families in which the husband had
supplemental earnings or income and the wife
had money earnings, as they occurred in the sam
ple. Figures on the incomes of the families cov
ered in the 1948 survey are not available. It has
been stated, however, that 80 percent of the aver
age family income came from the hubsand’s wages,
9 percent from his supplementary income, and 11
percent from the wife’s earnings (9 percent out
side home, 2 percent inside home). Table 1 shows
family expenditures in the two surveys at 1948
prices and the percentage distribution by category.
T able 1 . Denmark: Expenditures
of nonfarm families
according to the 1948 and 1942 surveys, revalued at 1948
prices 1
Item
1948
1942
1948
2, 721
1,426
787
521
1,752
2,835
2,043
535
587
374
860
983
27.1
14.2
7.8
5.2
17.5
28.2
497
672
846
257
563
140
239
340
77
187
4.9
6.7
8.4
Total expenditures for current consumption________________
10, 042
5,382
F ood2________ ____________
Clothing, shoes, and laundry__ __________
Housing____________________ .
Heat and light_____________
Taxes and insurance_____________
Other expenditures________________
Household goods; purchases and replacements __ ______
_ _
Liquor, tobacco, and meals out________
Hygiene and culture.............. ....................
Transportation........................................
Miscellaneous_____________
t
Percent of
Expenditures
total
(in kroner)
expenditures
2.6
5.6
1942
38.0
10.0
10.9
6.9
15.9
18.3
2.6
4.4
6.3
1.5
3.5
100.0 100.0
1 1942 data cover expenditures of wage-earner families with incomes from
2.000 to 6,000 kroner in th at year;'1948 data cover expenditures of a representa
tive sample of families of wage and salary workers with expenditures over
4.000 kroner.
1 Total expenditures for food are broken down among the principal cate
gories according to per capita consumption statistics.
Sources: Statistiske Efterretninger, No. 58, Nov. 1,1949, Danish Statistical
Department; and Arbejdsmaendenes Fagblad, No. 20, Oct. 31, 1949.
Differences in the expenditure patterns shown
by the 1942 and 1948 surveys resulted not only
from changes in consumption habits which had
occurred during the interval, but also from differ
ences in the occupational status of the groups cov
ered, which is not comparable in the two surveys.
In addition, the average size of the survey family
was smaller—1.84 children in 1942 and 1.30 chil
dren in 1948.
The most striking contrasts between the dis
tribution of expenditures shown by the two
studies are in the proportion spent on food, 38
percent in 1942 and 27 percent in 1948, and in the
proportion for miscellaneous items, 18 percent in
1942 and 28 percent in 1948. Both of these dif
ferences are accounted for by the inclusion of
higher income groups and the decline in size of
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
391
families. Substitution of margarine (which was
not available in 1942) for butter has also contrib
uted to the difference in the percentage allocated
to food. Clothing had a larger share of expendi
tures in 1948 than in 1942, reflecting increased
supply and better quality. The smaller propor
tion spent on housing resulted from continuation
of the rent-freeze act and from the inclusion of the
higher income levels.2
The Revised Retail Price Index
The new weights obtained from the 1948 survey
were applied, beginning October 1949, to the
retail-price index. Computations were made on a
chain basis, so that the new index is tied to the
old. This had also been done in 1942.
Each category in the retail-price index was
given a weight equal to the percent spent for that
category by the group surveyed in 1948 as shown
in table 1. (Individual weights assigned to the
items in each category cannot be discussed within
the limited scope of this article.) Prices were
collected on a considerably larger number of
items in 1948 than in 1942.
The new index showed no change in the all
items figure between July and October 1949.
Price increases in that period in food and cloth
ing were offset by reductions in prices for house
hold replacements, and hygienic and cultural
items and in the cost of social insurance. Since
taxes and housing are priced only once a year (in
July and January, respectively), they showed no
change in October. The index for January 1950,
however, rose 4 points to 183, the most noticeable
increases being in food, clothing, and fuel. The
1-point rise in the index for household goods pur
chases and maintenance was due to new building
in 1949, with relatively higher rent levels, and
slightly higher-than-average rent for older housing.
Reactions reported on the new survey have thus
far been quite favorable. Both trade-unions and
the Statistical Department believe that it is much
more representative of actual consumption habits
than the 1942 study. Employers consider it
more “ sensible” as well, although they felt that
the old retail-price index was on the whole a
fair representation of actual conditions and was
not unfavorable to the workers.
2 Official statistics show that the real wages index in 1948 was 116 as com
pared with 82 in 1942 (third quarter 1939=100).
392
IR IS H T RA D E -U N IO N O RG AN IZATIO N
T able 2.— Cost of living index for major groups and for
all items
[1935 = 100]
1950
1949
Item
Jan.
Oct.
July
Apr.
All items_________ ____ _________
183
179
179
181
181
Food_____________ __________
Clothing, shoes, and laundry___________
Housing_____________________________
Heat and light_________________ ____
Taxes______ _______________________
Dues and insurance___________________
Household goods: purchases and mainte
nance_______ _ _____________
Liquor, tobacco, and meals out_________
Hygienic and cultural items____________
Transportation____________________ . _
Miscellaneous_________________
193
138
264
251
135
182
197
136
257
251
135
180
195
136
256
251
136
180
195
136
241
306
136
181
196
136
242
306
134
196
225
161
174
154
195
224
161
174
148
206
224
162
174
148
205
224
163
174
148
205
200
Jan.
221
161
165
144
Source: Statistiske Efterretninger, No. 60, Nov. 10, 1949, and No. 4, Feb.
2,1950.
MONTHLY LABOR
tion and progressive derationing, measures which,
though inevitable in the country’s postwar eco
nomic development, are a constant threat to the
Government’s wage-price stabilization program.
Any upward trend in the retail-price index would
affect the entire economy because of the fact that
wage supplements are adjusted in accordance with
changes in this index. The Government’s pro
posed program of cutting import restrictions under
the trade-liberalization program among ERP
countries is not expected to have an appreciable
effect on Danish consumer prices, except that
prices of some manufactured goods might be
lowered because of the increased competition
of imports.
The retail-price index, whether weighted accord
ing to the new or the old survey, showed remark
able stability in the postwar period. Maintenance
of this stability will depend on the Government’s
ability to sustain price controls despite devalua-
Sources.—Danish Statistical Department: Forbrugsunders0gelsen 1948 og
det nye pristalsbudget, in Statistiske Efterretninger, No. 58, November 1,
1949. “ Den nye pristalsberegning,” in Tidsskrift for Industri, No. 20, Octo
ber 15,1949, Copenhagen. “ Det nye pristals budget,” by Henry Grunbaum,
in Arbejderen, No. 22, November 15, 1949, Copenhagen. Foreign Service
Reports from the American Embassy in Copenhagen, especially Report
No. 269, the Danish Cost of Living Index: New Family Consumption
Budget, by Edith Wall, November 21,1949.
Trade-Union Organization
in Ireland 1
carrying on their activities. In addition, until the
creation of the Irish Free State in 1922, all of
Ireland came under British law.2
I r e l a n d ’ s l a b o r m o v e m e n t is influenced by the
country’s moderate industrialization and by the
intensity of its nationalism. Two national
trade-union federations exist in Ireland—the
Congress of Irish Unions and the Irish Trade
Union Congress. The former is composed of
strongly nationalistic unions with headquarters in
Ireland; the latter is made up largely of Irish
branches of British unions. Along with the two
national federations are two labor parties dividing
labor’s political strength.
Development of the Irish labor movement has
been linked with that of Great Britain. It had
much the same origins and developed along the
same lines, although less rapidly. Some of the
pioneers and leaders of trade-unions in Great
Britain were Irishmen; later, many Irish unions
were assisted by British unions in organizing and
National Unions
1B y Ann S. Ritter of the Bureau’s D ivisionpf Foreign Labor Conditions.
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Most national unions in Ireland cover occupa
tional groups (seamen, teachers, store clerks, etc.)
or a number of related occupations, or even
industries. The national unions perform functions
similar to those of American and British unions—
collective bargaining, provision of benefits to
members, and political action. The performance
of these functions, however, is hampered by the
multiplicity of unions, some national, some local;
some with headquarters in Ireland, some in
England. It is common to find several competing
unions operating in the same establishment; in
the building industry and in metal and engineering
trades, there are at least 20 different unions.
National unions—whether Irish- or British-based—•
must generally refer strike action to their “ central
8The Irish constitution provides that laws in force at the date of its coming
into operation, if not inconsistent therewith, should continue in force until
repealed or amended by enactment of Parliament.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
IRISH TRADE-UNION ORGANIZATION
393
executives.” In some cases, Irish representatives
are included on the central executives of unions
with headquarters in Great Britain.
General unions, prominent in Ireland, are also
national in scope. These unions, whose member
ship comprises nearly all types of labor, are
divided into branches and sections according to
locality or vocation. For example, the Irish
Women Workers’ Union organizes women em
ployed in a variety of occupations, and thus
competes with other unions which take in women
workers.
The oldest general union, the Irish Transport
and General Workers’ Union, was founded in 1909.
For several years, an effort was made to develop it
as the one “ big union,” organizing all classes of
workers into separate occupational sections. In
1924, a group broke away from the ITGWU and
formed the Workers’ Union of Ireland, also a
general union with members (including women
workers) in almost every branch of industry,
commerce, transport, and the personal services.
Since 1921, when the Transport and General
Workers’ Union was formed by the amalgamation
of 14 British unions, its Irish branches have been
linked together in an Area Council for all Ireland,
and are known as the Amalgamated Transport
and General Workers’ Union. The bulk of its
membership is in northern Ireland. Although the
Irish branch is in many respects autonomous, it
requires permission of the London central executive
for strikes, transfer, or expulsion of members.
an element both of strength and of weakness.
Since Irish workers frequently migrate to England,
and since conditions in the more industrialized
country affect conditions in Ireland, there are
practical economic advantages in a union which
organizes the same type of worker in both coun
tries. A larger membership means higher benefits,
better administration, and more adequate support
in strikes or lock-outs. But the control does lie
with the much larger British membership.
The Congress of Irish Unions (CIU)—with all
but 2 percent of its members in the 26 southern
counties—was formed in 1945 by a group of 13
unions, headed by the powerful Irish Transport
and General Workers’ Union. These unions had
withdrawn from the ITUC after a prolonged pe
riod of tension and negotiation between certain
Irish unions and the ITUC. The differences cen
tered upon (1) the national issue, i. e., the CIU
principle that Irish unions should be Irish-based
and Irish-controlled; (2) regrouping of unions on
an industrial basis to which the CIU is com
mitted; and (3) CIU disapproval of participation
in the 1945 conference at which the World Fed
eration of Trade Unions was formed.
All but a few unions are affiliated with one of
the two national federations. In general, the un
affiliated unions are small local bodies in individual
industries located far from the larger centers of
industry.
Trade-Union Federations
In 1949, trade-union membership in all Ireland
amounted to less than 360,000—about 260,000 in
the26 counties of southern Ireland. Membership
figures of the two federations from 1938 through
1949, indicate that labor-union membership in
Ireland has grown at a rate equal to or exceeding
that prior to the split in 1945.
The Irish Trade Union Congress (ITUC), the
older of the two federations, is composed of unions
with membership in all Ireland, about half being
in the 6 northern counties. While 14 of these
unions have headquarters in Ireland, the majority
are branches of British unions. In 1894, the Irish
branches held their first independent congress in
Dublin and formed the ITUC, although they con
tinued to be represented in the British Trades
Union Congress.
The Irish membership constitutes a small pro
portion of total membership in the British-based
unions. Affiliation with an outside union is thus
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Membership 3
3 Membership figures used throughout are those reported by the federa
tions on the basis of per capita dues and do not necessarily represent total
membership. For example, the Amalgamated Transport and General
Workers’ Union pays per capita dues to the ITUC on 40,000 members, but
it is reported to have a membership of 80,000-90,000. Similarly, the Irish
Transport and General Workers’ Union reports 108,000 for purposes of per
capita dues paid to the CIU, while its total membership is reported to be
around 120,000. A large portion of this extra number is called “floating
membership.” In all the general unions, many workers join for a short time
and drop out when they move to jobs elsewhere, or join a craft union.
394
IRISH TRADE-UNION ORGANIZATION
M em bership of—
Irish Trade
Congress of
Union Congress Irish Unions
1938 __________
1939 ................. ..
1940 __________
1941 __________
1942 _________
1943 __________
1944 __________
1945 ____________
1946____________
1947 __________
1948 __________
1949 __________
160,500
161,800
161,700
172,500
169,800
182,800
189,000
145, 000
147, 100
151,000
181, 100
195,900
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
77, 500
90, 000
104,315
132,000
159,609
M em bersh ip
Both
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
222, 500
237, 100
255,315
313, 100
355,509
Source: Affiliation membership figures supplied by the federation secre
taries.
Although agriculture is an important pursuit in
Ireland, most of the farms are small and operated
by the owners and their families. As a result,
few agricultural workers are organized. A small
membership is claimed by the Workers’ Union of
Ireland, the Amalgamated Transport and General
Workers’ Union, and a Federation of Rural
Workers.
The following figures show 1949 membership of
the two federations, based on per capita dues paid.
Irish Trade-Union Congress
M em bership
Amalgamated Transport and General Work
ers’ Union_____________________________
Amalgamated Engineering Union_________
Workers’ Union of Ireland 1______________
Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers____
National Union of Tailors and Garment
Workers______________________________
National Union of Railwaymen___________
Irish National Teachers’ Organization 1___
Irish Women Workers’ Union 1____________
Post Office Workers’ Union 1______________
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied
Workers______________________________
Electrical Trades Union__________________
Railway Clerks’ Association______________
Irish Bakers’, Confectioners’ and Allied
Workers’ Amalgamated Union 1_________
National Union of General and Municipal
Workers______________________________
All others (with membership of less than
4,000)________________________________
40,
20,
15,
13,
000
814
000
200
9,
9,
7,
6,
6,
333
318
333
000
000
5, 000
4, 963
4, 129
4, 000
4, 000
46,810
Total_____________________________ 195,900
Congress of Irish Unions
Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union_ 108, 000
Irish Union of Distributive Workers and
Clerks________________________________ 13, 962
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MONTHLY LABOR
Irish National Union of Vintners, Grocers
and Allied Trades’ Assistants___________
Irish Engineering and Foundry Union_____
Irish Seamen and Port Workers’ Union___
Irish Railwaymen’s Union________________
Irish Engineering, Industrial and Electrical
Trade Union__________________________
Electrical Trades Union (Ireland)_________
Building Workers’ Trade Union___________
Irish Automobile Drivers and Automobile
Mechanics Union______________________
Operative Plasterers’ Trade Society________
Dublin Typographical Provident Society__
All others (with membership of less than
1,000)-------------------------------------------------
3,
2,
2,
2,
975
960
950
000
1, 987
1,950
1, 950
1, 699
1, 300
1, 260
15, 616
Total_____________________________ 159, 609
1Headquarters in Ireland.
Source: Figures supplied by the federation secretaries.
Domestic and International Programs
In the domestic field the programs and activi
ties of the two federations are similar. Their
basic objectives are to improve standards of
wages, hours, and other conditions of work,
assist in organizing workers into trade-unions,
and promote fraternal relations between workers
of Ireland and other countries. Toward this
end, both Congresses urged legislation during
1948-49 which included provision of higher
standards for workers’ health and safety, provision
for social security benefits, and extended applica
tion of the Employees’ Holidays Act.
Representation of Irish labor on international
bodies and conferences remains a controversial
issue between the two federations. The CIU
claims the sole right to represent Irish workers
at all international meetings because its member
unions are purely Irish, and because ITUC mem
bers are already represented by the British TUC.
The CIU has refused to accept joint representa
tion with the ITUC.
From 1945 through 1947, the Fianna Fail
Government appointed nominees of the CIU
as the Irish workers’ delegate and adviser to
International Labor Conferences over strong
protests of the ITUC. In 1948, however, the
newly elected Irish Coalition Government, un
willing to become involved in the dispute, failed
to participate in the San Francisco meeting of
the ILO, alleging the need to restrict dollar ex
penditures. In 1949, the workers’ delegate and
adviser were again selected from the CIU. At
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
IRISH TRADE-UNION ORGANIZATION
that time, CIU membership in the Republic of
Ireland exceeded that of the ITUC.
The ITUC was affiliated with the World Federa
tion of Trade Unions from 1945 to 1948, but in
July 1949 resolved to disaffiliate. It was repre
sented by observers at the London meeting which
resulted in the formation of the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
in November 1949.
The CIU delegates at the 1949 International
Labor Conference were not invited to participate
in the Geneva preparatory conference for the
new international in June. During the summer,
the CIU voted to affiliate with the International
Federation of Christian Trade Unions (CISC).
However, the CIU still maintained that it alone
should represent Irish workers in the ICFTU.4
The ITUC has represented Irish trade-union
organizations at conferences of the European
Recovery Program because the CIU refused to
sit with the rival federation. Both federations
have publicly stated their support of Ireland’s
participation in the Marshall Plan. In general,
criticism of ERP has been expressed, however,
in terms of fear that unemployment might result
from imports of goods already being produced
in Ireland (e. g., certain types of agricultural
implements and fertilizers).
Relations with Political Parties
The two trade-union federations are nominating
bodies for the labor panel of the Irish Senate.
Of the Senate’s 60 members, 43 are chosen from
5 panels of candidates established on a voca
tional basis.6 The national executives of the
two union federations may each propose 6 names
for the labor panel. Unorganized labor, as such,
is not represented in the Senate, unless represent
atives are appointed by the Prime Minister.
The Irish Labor Party (affiliated with the
ITUC) and the National Labor Party (backed by
CIU in the last election) have similar social
programs. Both urge extension of social services
by state and public authorities, favor public
ownership of essential industries and services, and
oppose the partition of Ireland on political and
economic grounds. The chief difference between
* IC F T U , however, accepts Christian unions only if they agree to dis
affiliate from the CISC within 2 years.
* Representing cultural interests, agriculture and allied interests, labor,
industry and commerce, and public administration.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
395
the two labor parties is their emphasis on national
ism and on separation of the Irish trade-unions
from British entanglements.
Prior to 1930, the Irish Labor Party and the
ITUC operated as a joint body. In March of
that year, the party became autonomous, taking
over the political functions of the previous body.
Trade-unions, cooperative societies, and other
organizations are admitted as corporate members;
but a trade-union not affiliated with the ITUC
must be approved by it as well as by the party’s
administrative council before being admitted to
membership.
The CIU made no provision in its constitution
for political affiliation, but 2 years after its organ
ization, the annual congress instructed its incom
ing central council to explore the possibility of
forming a political arm. The February 1948
election, however, took place before the council
had reported, and the CIU supported National
Labor Party candidates.
Following the 1948 election, the two labor
parties held the balance of power. The Irish
Labor Party, political arm of the ITUC, joined in
the formation of a Coalition Government, and
secured two posts: Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister for Social Welfare; and Minister of Local
Government. The CIU Central Committee rec
ommended that the five National Labor Party
deputies support the Fianna Fail Party for the
Prime Ministership because Fianna Fail had pre
viously supported their principle of Irish unions
for Irish labor. The deputies, however, wishing
to secure a ministerial post for their own party,
decided to join the coalition without Fianna Fail.
They defended their position on the ground that
their supporters had instructed them not to vote
for Fianna Fail under any circumstances because
of that party’s treatment of “ rural workers, road
workers, old-age pensioners, and other lower-paid
sections of the community.” Inasmuch as their
votes were pivotal in determining which govern
ment came into power, the leader of the National
Labor Party became Minister for Posts and
Telegraphs.
At the CIU’s 1949 annual meeting, delegates
expressed strong support for the political develop
ment of Irish nationalism. But they showed
distrust of the attitude of certain political figures
toward labor because of what they considered the
failure in 1948 to develop an effective political
396
INCOME OF LAWYERS AND DENTISTS
arm in the National Labor Party. The CIU is
reportedly interested in developing a political
action program similar to that of the American
CIO and of the AFL, but no public discussion of
this point occurred at the meeting.
Unification Efforts
Since 1945, several approaches to unification
have failed because of inability to find a common
basis for negotiation. The CIU has insisted on
excluding from any merger unions which are
branches of British unions, and the ITUC has
been unwilling to consider severing its British
ties. However, the two labor parties have co
operated successfully in the Coalition Govern
ment. They are hopeful of building greater
strength before another general election by heal
ing the breach between the trade-union federa
tions. Specific proposals, made by leaders of
both labor parties, are said to include a recom
mendation that trade-unions operating in Ireland
should be Irish-based, and that a central tradeunion organization for the 32 counties should be
Irish-controlled.
S o u r c e s .— Reports from U. S. Legation, Dublin, prepared by Robert WCaldwell; Reports of National Executive and Proceedings of ITU C and
CIU; Eire Commission on Vocational Organization, Dublin, 1943; Labour
and Nationalism in Ireland, by J. D. Clarkson, Columbia University, 1925;
Trade Union Organization in Ireland, by R. J. P. Mortished, 1926.
Professional Income:
Lawyers and Dentists, 1929-48
of members of
the legal and dental professions, marked differ
ences appear in earnings levels, the growth of
income, and the range of earnings. Generally,
members of the legal profession receive a higher
income than do dentists, yet from 1929 through
1948 nonsalaried dental incomes rose 65 percent
as compared with the 47-percent increase in
lawyers’ incomes. The variation in income is
greater for lawyers than for any other profes
sion-somewhat greater than that for physicians
and considerably greater than that for dentists.
Source of income, size of community, and type of
practice bear on the income pattern in each
profession.
C o n t r a s t in g t h e in c o m e p a t t e r n s
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MONTHLY LABOR
The average net income 1 of all lawyers in the
United States reached $8,315 and the median
net income 2 $6,336 during 1948. Dentists aver
aged somewhat lower in 1948, their average net
income being $6,912 and their median net income
$5,888. These figures are based on recent surveys
conducted by the National Income Division of
the Office of Business Economics, Department of
Commerce, in conjunction with professional asso
ciations.
Lawyers 3
The survey of lawyers’ incomes was conducted
by the Office of Business Economics, Department
of Commerce, with the cooperation of the Survey
of the Legal Profession, an independent organiza
tion sponsored jointly by the Carnegie Corpora
tion and the American Bar Association.
Average Net Income, 1929-48. Compared with
physicians and dentists, the other two large inde
pendent professional groups, lawyers occupy an
intermediate position as to average income—below
physicians but above dentists.
By 1948, average net income of nonsalaried
lawyers reached $8,121—47 percent above 1929
($5,534), and 69 percent above 1941 ($4,794).
Nonsalaried lawyers (constituting about twothirds of all lawyers) are those who render legal
services on a contract or fee basis, either with or
without partners, and receive no additional
salaried income from law practice.
During the 20-year period for which figures are
available, the average net income of nonsalaried
lawyers fluctuated with general business condi
tions (see chart 1). A marked decline in the rate
of increase occurred from 1945 to 1946. This is
attributed mainly to the release of thousands of
lawyers from the armed services in 1946, most of
whom began or resumed their legal practices.
Generally, lawyers’ income is more unequally
distributed than that of other professional groups,
yet lawyers’ incomes are probably less unequal
than those of independent business men. How
ever, lawyers’ incomes are tending to become
1The (arithmetic) mean income is equal to the sum of ail the incomes
divided by the number of income recipients, i. e., the average.
2 The median income is that income below which (and above which) half
of all the income recipients fall.
s Information from Income of Lawyers, 1929-48, by William Weinfeld, in
Survey of Current Business, August 1949.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
INCOME OF LAWYERS AND DENTISTS
equalized. This is illustrated by a net decline of
about 33 percent in the inequality of incomes
which occurred from 1936 through 1947.
T able 1.—Average net income of lawyers, by major source
of legal income, by regions, 1947
Major inde
pendent
All lawyers
Region
Major salaried
Percent Mean Median Mean Median Mean Median
in each
net
net
net
net
net
net
region income income income income income income
United States..
100.0
$7, 532
$5, 698
$7, 517
$5,303
$7, 560
$6,134
New England..
Middle E a st...
S outheast__
Southwest____
Central .
Northwest___
Far West____
6.5
30.0
13.5
7.2
28.7
4.8
9.3
6,981
8, 779
6,566
6,177
7,040
5,933
8,679
5,240
6, 566
5,201
4,660
5,391
4, 790
6,608
7,064
8. 948
6,617
6,137
6,854
6,032
9,259
5,150
6,246
4,647
3,976
5,033
4,656
7,039
6,830
8,546
6,375
6,254
7,380
5,638
7,549
5,594
6,910
5,906
5,224
6,022
5,021
6,089
Source: U. S. Department of Commerce, Office of Business Economics.
Source of Income. An attorney may practice law
under a number of arrangements. He may con
duct his office alone or as a member of a partner
ship, may be employed on a salaried basis by a
law firm, or may be employed as a salaried lawyer
for an industrial corporation, labor union, govern
mental organization, or other employer.
The number of active lawyers in independent
practice was augmented by the release of 20,000
lawyers from the armed services in 1945 and 1946
and the unusually large influx of recent law-school
graduates. This influx recouped wartime losses.
The number of active lawyers increased steadily
from 1945 through 1948 reaching a record peak of
about 140,000 in the latter year.
The total 1948 gross income of legal firms
reached an estimated 1.825 billion dollars. This
figure is 97 percent above the corresponding figure
for 1941, and 120 percent above that of 1929.
The total net income climbed to 1.174 billion
dollars by 1948, topping prewar levels by almost
as large margins.
Nonsalaried and part-salaried lawyers together
received 47.9 percent of their total gross income
(exclusive of part-salaried lawyers’ salaries) for
services to business, during 1947. The remaining
52.1 percent of their total gross was remuneration
for legal services rendered to individuals. In
1941, about 48.5 percent of total gross came from
services to individuals.
Little more than half of the lawyers’ gross re
ceipts were from individuals. In contrast, 7 out
of every 10 nonsalaried lawyers depended on indi878160— 50 ------ 3
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
397
viduals, rather than businesses, for the major
portion of their gross receipts. This is explained
by the fact that lawyers who concentrate on per
sonal services earn considerably less than those
who receive most of their income from services to
business.
Both the average and median net income of
lawyers increased as the proportion of receipts
from personal services declined. To illustrate:
in 1947, the average net income of lawyers whose
entire receipts were derived from personal services
was $3,264, while lawyers deriving less than 10
percent of their receipts from individuals show a
mean of $14,316.
Size of Firm. Tliree-fourths of all nonsalaried
lawyers practiced in 1947 without partners.
Only 15 percent practiced in firms of two partners,
5 percent in firms of three, and 2 percent in firms
of four. The mean size of law firms that year
was 1.64 members.
Generally, the larger the firm the larger the
income of the individual lawyers who compose
Average
Net Income of Nonsalaried Lawyers and
Dentists
398
INCOME OF LAWYERS AND DENTISTS
it. In 1947, average net income of lawyers who
practiced alone was $5,759, whereas each lawyer
in 2-member firms averaged $8,030—39 percent
more. Individual lawyers in 3-member firms
averaged $12,821, and those in firms of 9 or more
lawyers had an average net income of $27,246.
Average income also tends to increase as the size
of the community increases. But in years of sub
stantial unemployment the largest cities have
tended to fall behind those of intermediate size.
Salaried lawyers’ incomes were influenced by
community-size differences to a lesser extent.
A third of all practicing attorneys in 1947 were
concentrated in cities of 500,000 or more popula
tion. Salaried lawyers were relatively more
concentrated in cities of this size than were inde
pendent lawyers.
Regions and States. Major income differentials
exist among the several sections 4 of the country.
Uniformly and markedly higher incomes are
received by lawyers in the Middle East and the
Far West than by those practicing in other
regions. This is true whether all lawyers, inde
pendent lawyers, or salaried lawyers are con
sidered, and whether the mean or median is used.
New England and the Central States stand in
an intermediate position, with incomes below the
Middle East and Far West, but uniformly above
those in the remaining three regions. The only
exception is that the median income of salaried
lawyers in New England is below that in the
Southeast.
Incomes vary from State to State within
regions. Among the larger States, lawyers’ in
comes averaged highest in California, New York,
and Pennsylvania.
Age and Years in Practice. In nearly all occupa
tions, the age income pattern is basically the same—
at the low ages income is at its lowest point and,
as age rises income also rises to a peak; there
after increasing age is accompanied by declining
income. This pattern also applies to lawyers; but
the unusual features are that lawyers attain their
peak earnings later in life than do persons in most
* States included in each region are: New England—Conn., Maine, Mass.,
N. H., R. I., Vt.; Middle East—Del., D. C., Md., N. J., N. Y., Pa., W. Va.;
Southeast—Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., Ky., La., Miss., N. C., S. C., Tenn., Va.;
Southwest—Ariz., N. Mex., Okla., Tex.; Central—111., Ind., Iowa, Mich.,
Minn., Mo., Ohio, Wis.; Northwest—Colo., Idaho, Kans., Mont., Nebr.,
N. Dak., S. Dak., Utah, Wyo.; Par West—Calif, Nev., Oreg., Wash:
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MONTHLY LABOR
other occupations and that the productive period
of a lawyer’s life is unusually long.
In 1947, the highest mean net income ($9,872)
of independent lawyers was reached between 50
and 54 years of age. The highest median ($6,962)
was also reached between these ages. Salaried
lawyers, however, reached their peak income
(mean $10,606; median $8,000) between the ages
of 60 and 64, or about 10 years later.
In general, the years-in-practice income pattern
closely follows the age income pattern. The
relationship of age and number of years in practice
is somewhat blurred, however, as a result of the
extensive war service of lawyers in nonlegal work.
D entists5
The average net income of all civilian dentists
in the United States was 60 percent higher in 1948
than in 1929, and 80 percent above 1941. The
1948 mean net income was $6,912, the median net
income $5,888, in 1929, the mean net income was
$4,275, the median $3,676. These data were de
rived from a survey initiated in the spring of 1949
by the Office of Business Economics, Department
of Commerce, with the cooperation of the Ameri
can Dental Association.
Source of Income. Dentists—the third largest
independent professional group in the country—
are outnumbered only by lawyers and physicians.
Approximately 78,000 dentists practiced in an
active civilian capacity in the United States in
1948, of whom 92 percent were primarily inde
pendent and 8 percent were salaried.
Data from the Bureau of the Census indicate
that the number of independent and salaried den
tists practicing in the United States remained prac
tically unchanged during the decade from 1930 to
1940. The number in active practice dropped
sharply, with the onset of the war and the with
drawal of some 22,000 active dentists from civilian
to military practice.
The number of dentists engaged in independent
and salaried practices at the end of 1948 was esti
mated at 78,000; in addition, 1,600 were actively
practicing dentistry in the armed forces. Thus,
nearly 80,000 dentists were engaged in active
civilian or military practice.
‘ Income of Dentists, 1929-48, by William Weinfeld in Survey of Current
Business, January 1950.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
INCOME OF LAW YERS AND DENTISTS
Independent dentists had a mean net income of
$7,047 and salaried dentists, $5,358, but the
independent practitioners showed a less striking
advantage in terms of the median ($5,944 and
$5,295, respectively). The differences in average
net income between the two types of dentists
persists even when the comparison is made
between dentists in the same age groups or in
communities of comparable size.
Of the salaried dentists practicing in 1948,
slightly over a third (37.4 percent) were employed
by other dentists. This salaried group reported
a somewhat higher income (mean $5,968, median
$5,432) than the almost two-thirds (62.6 percent)
employed by industry or Federal, State, or local
governments (mean $4,993, median $5,241).
An overwhelming proportion (86.4 percent) of
independent dentists practiced alone—with or
without employees. Only 3 percent practiced in
partnerships, and the remaining 10.6 percent
shared office space or employees, but were not
members of partnerships.
Of the three types of independent practice
(i. e., alone, as a partner, and sharing expenses
and employees), the partnership arrangement
provided the greatest income. Dentists practicing
alone reported the lowest incomes.
Trends in Income. The average net income of
nonsalaried dentists (who have constituted be
tween 89 and 94 percent of all dentists), like that
of other independent professional practitioners,
T able 2 .
399
has followed the trend in general economic
conditions quite closely since 1929. The pre
depression income peak for dentists was in 1929
and the depression low occurred in 1933.
Dentists’ incomes fell somewhat more during
the depression than did physicians’ and consider
ably more than lawyers’. According to the
Department of Commerce, this was due, perhaps,
to the greater relative postponability of dental
services in the mind of the public (or because of
postponement in payment for these services).
After 1933, dental incomes started a long
climb—at first rising slowly until 1940 (interrupted
only by the 1938 recession), and then more
sharply during the war years as personal income
increased and civilian dentists declined in number.
In 1945, although the mean net income contin
ued to advance, the rate of increase dropped
markedly. For the first time since 1938, a setback
occurred in 1946, and dentists’ average income
declined about 8 percent compared with 1945.
This drop was presumably due to the relatively
low incomes earned by dentists re-entering
civilian practice after release from the armed
services. The upward trend was resumed in 1947
and 1948, the highest nonsalaried mean and
median net incomes of the 1929-48 period having
been recorded in 1948.
Net-to-gross income ratio declined slightly
during the years 1944-48, as pay-roll expenses
and other costs of practice incurred by nonsalaried
dentists increased.
Number of dentists and their average net income by major source of dental income and by region, 1948
Region
Average income
of all dentists
in civilian
practice
Average income of dentists in
civilian practice with major
source of dental income from—
Independent
practice
Mean Median Mean Median
net
net
net
net
income income income income
Perc entage di stribution of—
Per
capita
income
of
Salaried practice general
popula
tion,1
Mean Median average
net
net
income income
All den
tists in
civilian
prac
tice,2
number
Civilian
popula
tion,3
number
(thou
sands)
D entists
per
100,000
civilian Civilian
popula popula All den
tion,
tists
tion
number
Dentists with
major source
of dental
income from—
Inde
pendent Salaried
practice practice
United States4______
$6,912
$5,888
$7, 047
$5, 944
$5,358
$5, 295
$1,410
78,380
146,521
53
100. 00
100.00
100.0
100.0
New England_______
Middle E ast________
Southeast. ________
S outhw est_________
Central____
....
Northwest__________
Far West____ _____
5,891
6,075
7,117
8, 439
6,673
6,834
9,751
4,896
5,122
6,172
7,393
5,826
6,294
8,920
6,100
6,174
7,348
8,587
6, 763
6, 792
10, 210
5,125
5,156
6,321
8,063
5,858
6, 091
9,137
(«)
4, 778
(»)
4,827
(5)
(«)
5, 442
(4)
6,150
1,501
1,647
957
1,153
1,534
1,413
1,579
6,016
24, 217
8,375
3,585
23,277
4,072
8,838
9,192
34,803
29,941
10,923
39,307
7,649
14, 706
65
70
28
33
59
53
60
6. 27
23.75
20.43
7.45
26.83
5.22
10.04
7.67
30.90
10.69
4.57
29.70
5.20
11.28
7.5
31. 2
10.6
4. 7
30.0
5.3
10.7
Q8
27 4
11 3
33
2fi 0
40
18.3
«
(5)
5, 464
(4)
6,667
1 The per capita figures are from State Income Payments in 1948, by
Charles F. Schwartz and Robert E. Graham, Jr., Survey of Current Business,
August 1949, table 8, p. 15.
2 Estimated number of independent and salaried dentists in active civilian
practice as of Dec. 31, 1948. (Excludes dentists in the armed forces, who
numbered approximately 1,634 at the end of 1948.)
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» Estimated civilian population as of Dec. 31, 1948. Calculated from
Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 1948, and July 1, 1949, by straight-line
interpolation. See Census releases P-25, Nos. 26 and 32.
4 Detail will not necessarily add to total because of rounding.
* Too few cases in sample to yield reliable results.
Source: U. S. Department of Commerce, Office of Business Economics.
INCOME OF LAW YERS AND DENTISTS
400
Prior to World War II, payments to independent
dentists for dental services by other than con
sumers themselves were negligible. By 1948,
however, about 5.3 percent of all gross income
received by dentists from independent practice
came from government agencies, business firms,
and other organizations. The overwhelming
proportion of these payments came from the
Veterans Administration which disbursed approxi
mately 50 million dollars to dentists in 1948.
Specialization among dentists is the exception
rather than the rule. In 1948, for example, 88.5
percent of all dentists were engaged in general
practice. No clear-cut trend toward specialization
has been evident. It is clear that dental specialists’
earnings average higher than those of general
practitioners; the gap between the earnings of the
two types of practitioners is being narrowed,
however.
The scanty data available on the inequality of
dentists’ incomes suggest that—except for the
war years when income distribution was excep
tionally unequal—it has varied little in 20 years.
Among the major professions, independent den
tists showed the smallest relative variability, or
inequality, of income—somewhat smaller than
physicians, and considerably smaller than lawyers.
Regional and State Differentials. Not only do
significant income differentials exist among den
tists geographically, but the relative positions
held by practitioners in some areas have changed
markedly since 1941. Moreover, the regional
ranking of average dental income is significantly
different from that for the average income of the
general population.
Dentists in the Far West had a higher average
net income in 1948 than those in any other section
of the country—66 percent larger than that of
New England dentists. Their median net income
was even more in excess—82 percent—of the New
England median. The relative order of the regions
in 1941 and 1948 is given below:
R anking
Far W est______________________
Southwest_____________________
Southeast______________________
Northwest_____________________
Central________________________
Middle East___________________
New England__________________
1
1941
1H8
1
5
4
7
6
3
2
1
2
1 3 or 4
1 4 or 3
5
6
7
Depending on whether the mean or median is used.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR
Among 23 larger States for which the sample was
adequate, dentists in the States of Washington,
California, Oregon, and Texas reported substan
tially higher mean net incomes than those in any
other State.
Relative gains made by dentists since 1941 in
the South and Northwest, the Department of
Commerce stated, are in line with the broad shifts
which have taken place in the regional income
structure of the general population. An explana
tion of the relative low ranking of the Middle East
and New England areas lies in the high ratio of
dentists to population.
A comparison of per capita expenditures for
dental services with the ratio of dentists to popula
tion leads to the conclusion that the geographic
distribution of dentists is over-concentrated with
reference to the economic demand for dental
services.
Size of Community. Dentists’ earnings are un
mistakably influenced by population size of the
community. The pattern of variation, however,
has been a changing one, particularly for cities of
500,000 or more population. Generally, size of
income increased proportionately with size of city
until a maximum of about $8,000 was reached in
cities of from 25 to 250 thousand inhabitants.
Then, as city size further increased, average in
come declined until in cities of a million or more
the mean net income of all dentists dropped to
$5,980. Only in communities of 2,500 or less did
dentists have a lower mean net income than in
cities above a million.
Age. Of all the factors associated with income,
age seems to show the most consistent relation
ship. The mean net income of all dentists in
1948 rose sharply and steadily from its lowest
($2,823) for dentists under 25 years of age to a
peak ($9,117) for dentists 40-44 years of age.
Income declined somewhat less sharply with in
creasing age to $3,227 for dentists aged 65 and
over.
The age at which dentists reach peak earnings
has increased during the past 10 years. In 1937,
the peak period was 35-39 years; in 1941 there was
little difference in the 35-39 and 40-44 age brackets.
After 1937, the proportion of older practicing
dentists increased, particularly that of dentists
over 65—proportionately, this age group has
doubled.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
RENT DECONTROL IN LARGE CITIES
Rent Decontrol
in Large Cities 1
control in the larger metropolitan centers
of the country remained virtually intact as of
February 17, 1950. On that date the decontrol
summary of the Office of the Housing Expediter
showed that 35 cities with over 50,000 population
in 1940 had been removed from Federal control.
These cities represent about 10 percent of the total
population in that size group. A previous article
(in March 1950 issue of the Monthly Labor Re
view, p. 253) describes the effect of rent decontrol
in seven of these large cities and the extent of
decontrol in general.
More than half of the 35 large cities decontrolled
had a population of less than 100,000 in 1940.
Rent ceilings have not been lifted in any of the
14 largest metropolitan centers with over 500,000
population. Dwelling units in Milwaukee, the
only city removed from Federal control in this
group, were immediately placed under the juris
diction of the Wisconsin rent control law, as were
those in Racine and Madison. This law per
mitted landlords to increase rents from 15 to 30
percent. The largest city left without any sort
of rent control is Houston, which had a popula
tion of 384,514 in 1940. No large city in the
New England, Middle Atlantic, and Central
States has taken any action to lift Federal rent
ceilings.
K ent
Extent of rent decontrol as of Feb. 17, 1950, by population and
number of cities
Cities decontrolled
Population group
T o ta l cities w ith in
group according to
1940 census listing 1
Num
ber
1940 popula
tion
Num
ber
All groups___ ________
35
4, 670,865
199
45,331,906
50,000-100,000__________
100,000-250,000_________
250,000-500,000_________
500,000 and over, _____
3 19
12
3
31
1,299,788
1,850, 503
933,102
587,472
107
55
23
14
7,343,917
7,792,650
7,827, 514
22,367,825
1940 popula
tion
1 Total urban population in 1940 was 74,423,702; total urban areas, 3,464.
3 Madison and Racine, Wis., with a population of 67,477 and 67,196, respec
tively, were placed under State rent control on Aug. 5,1949, when entire State
was removed from Federal control.
3 Milwaukee, Wis., was placed under State rent control after removal from
Federal control.
1 Information is from Defense-Rental Areas or Portions of Areas Decon
trolled as of Jan. 15, 1950, and subsequent weekly bulletins of the Office of
the Housing Expediter; the Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1949;
and the New York Times, Jan. 1 and Feb. 21, 1950.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
401
The recent actions of the Alabama and Virginia
Legislatures to decontrol those States entirely on
May 10 and June 10, respectively, would affect
seven more large cities. However, these actions
would increase the total population of decon
trolled cities to only 12 percent of the total in
all cities in the 50,000 and over group.
The local and State option provisions of the
Housing and Rent Act of 1949, which authorized
responsible local councils and State legislatures to
lift Federal rent ceilings in their areas, accounted
for almost all of the decontrol actions in these
cities. Rent controls in St. Petersburg, Fla., and
Spokane, Wash., were removed by the Housing
Expediter upon his own initiative and in Phoenix,
Ariz., and Little Rock, Ark., upon the recommen
dation of the Local Rent Advisory Boards.
The extent of this city decontrol varies con
siderably by State—Texas alone accounting for
almost a third of the total. Amarillo, Austin,
and Waco were decontrolled by local option prior
to October 19, 1949, when Federal rent ceilings
were lifted in the entire State by the Texas Legis
lature. The large cities affected by this action
were Beaumont, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth,
Galveston, Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus
Christi.
In Florida—Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville—
rents were decontrolled individually by the legisla
ture after the Governor had vetoed a measure
to lift rent ceilings throughout the State. St.
Petersburg was decontrolled earlier by the Hous
ing Expediter. Other cities in the South and
Southwest that have been removed from Federal
control are Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn.;
Phoenix, Ariz.; Columbus, Ga.; Asheville, N. C.;
Oklahoma City, Okla.; Columbia, S. C.; and
Little Rock, Ark.
In the Midwest, Wisconsin substituted a State
rent control law on August 5, 1949. This action
affected only 3 cities with over 50,000 population,
as already mentioned. Nebraska lifted Federal
rent ceilings in the entire State over the veto of
the Governor. The large cities decontrolled were
Omaha and Lincoln. Topeka and Wichita, Kans.,
and Salt Lake City, Utah, were decontrolled by
local option.
Four cities in the Far West—Spokane, Wash.,
and Pasadena, Glendale, and Long Beach in Los
Angeles County, Calif.—have been removed from
Federal control.
402
1948-49 NLRB REPORT
Annual Report of the NLRB,
Fiscal Year 19491
recorded
the busiest year in its history during the year
ending June 30, 1949—its first full fiscal year of
administering the Labor Management Relations
(Taft-Hartley) Act. A record number of cases
were closed, the backlog of cases awaiting action
was greatly reduced, and a mounting number of
unfair labor practice complaints were issued.
A total of 32,796 cases of all types were closed
during 1948-49. These included 4,664 unfair
practice, 9,245 representation, and 18,887 unionshop authorization cases.
In 1946-47, the NLRB’s last and busiest year
under the National Labor Relations (Wagner) Act,
it closed 14,456 cases of all types. The TaftHartley Act went into effect early in the fiscal
year 1948; during that year, the NLRB closed
29,151 cases—27,087 of which were processed under
the new law.
During the fiscal year 1949, the NLRB reduced
its backlog of cases awaiting action by more than
half. On July 1, 1949, only 5,722 cases of all
types were pending with the agency—in the field
offices, before trial examiners, and with the 5member Board itself. This was a reduction of
about 55 percent from the 12,644 cases on the
docket at all levels on July 1, 1948.
Formal decisions were issued by the Board in
its first full year of operation with 5 members—
instead of the 3 provided by the Wagner Act—
in a total of 3,365 cases. These included 484
unfair labor practice, 2,498 representation, and
383 union-shop cases. This was an increase of
64 percent over the 2,054 cases of all types decided
by the Board in 1947-48.
The Office of the General Counsel, set up by the
Taft-Hartley Act for the investigation and prose
cution of unfair-labor-practice charges, issued
formal complaints in 617 such cases during 194849. Complaints in 475 cases charged the employ
ers with unfair practices; in 142 cases, the unions
were charged with unfair practices. This was
more than double the total of 305 complaints
which were issued during the fiscal year 1948.
T h e N a tio n a l L a bo r R e l a tio n s B oard
1 National Labor Relations Board: Fourteenth Annual Report, for the
Fiscal Year Ended June 30,1949, Washington, 1950; and Press release (R-291),
February 19, 1950.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR
Injunctions
The General Counsel in 1948-49 petitioned U. S.
district courts for 32 injunctions of varying types—
all against labor organizations. Twenty-one in
junctions were sought under the law during the
previous fiscal year. Of those sought in 1948-49,
2 were asked for under discretionary provisions of
the act, and 30 were sought under the mandatory
provisions. The latter require the General Coun
sel to seek an injunction whenever he has “reason
able cause to believe” that charges of secondary
boycott or certain other specified unfair labor
practices of unions are true. The act confers
discretionary power to seek injunctions in cases of
jurisdictional dispute or any other type of unfair
labor practice by either an employer or a union.
All mandatory injunctions sought, except one,
were requested in order to halt alleged secondary
boycotts. The exception was a case in which a
union was charged with trying to induce employees
to strike after another union had been certified
by the NLRB as the bargaining agent.
The courts granted 16 of the injunctions re
quested and denied 4. Four others were with
drawn or dismissed after settlement or after cessa
tion of the alleged illegal conduct. The remaining
6 petitions for injunctions were pending in the
courts at the close of the fiscal year.
Elections— Union-Shop and Representation
NLRB field men conducted 20,720 elections of
all types, in which 2,341,456 employees were eli
gible to vote, during the fiscal year 1949.
Union shops were authorized in 15,074 elections,
in which 1,733,922 employees were eligible to vote.
These polls determined whether the employees
wanted their union to negotiate a contract requir
ing membership in the union as a condition of
continued employment. Negotiation of a unionshop contract was authorized in 14,581 or 96.7
percent of the elections. Union participation in
the polls was as follows:
Number of elections heldNumber won______
Percent of total___
A F L unions
CIO unions
Independent
unions
10, 830
10, 448
96. 5
2, 024
1, 979
97. 8
2, 220
2, 154
97
Representation for collective-bargaining pur
poses was determined in the remaining 5,646 elec-
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
RAILROAD GRIEVANCE CASES
tions, in which 607,534 employees were eligible to
vote. In 3,939 (about 71 percent) of these elec
tions, bargaining representatives were chosen, but
in 1,625, the employees rejected bargaining rep
resentation. Union participation in elections was
as follows:
Number of elections held.
Number won______
Percent of total___
Number of votes polled..
A F L unions
C IO unions
Independent
unions
3,399
2,092
62
133, 323
1,546
858
55
162, 592
1,311
939
72
91, 261
Petitions to decertify a currently recognized or
certified union caused 132 of the representation
elections, in 50 of which the employees voted to
retain the union. AFL unions won 22 of the 54
such elections in which they participated; CIO
unions, 25 out of 62; and unaffiliated unions, 3 out
of 17. Petitions filed by employers resulted in
157 of the representation elections; in 100 of these
polls (about 64 percent), employees voted in favor
of bargaining representation.
Unfair Labor Practices
The NLRB’s Division of Trial Examiners held
hearings in 414 unfair-labor-practice cases during
1948-49. This was more than double the num
ber of such hearings conducted during the previ
ous fiscal year. The trial examiners issued inter
mediate reports setting forth their findings and
recommendations in 328 cases—an increase of
about 154 percent over the 129 cases in which
such reports were issued during the fiscal year 1948.
Back-pay awards totaling $605,940 were granted
during the fiscal year 1948-49 to 1,994 employees,
to reimburse them for loss of wages suffered as a
result of employer discrimination. Many of these
workers were included among the 1,458 employees
who were reinstated in their jobs to remedy dis
criminatory discharges, or among the 96 who were
placed on preferential hiring lists.
As a result of NLRB action, collective bargain
ing was resumed in 228 cases in which the em
ployer had been charged with refusal to bargain,
and in 13 cases in which a union had been charged
with such refusal. Unions found to be dominated
by employers were disestablished in 38 cases.
Notices promising cessation of illegal practice
were posted by employers in 778 cases and by
unions in 75 cases.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
403
Charges against employers were involved in
4,154 (about 78 percent) of the 5,314 unfair-laborpractice cases filed during the 1949 fiscal year, and
against unions in the other 1,160 cases.
The most common unfair-labor-practice charge
against employers, made in 2,863 (68.9 percent)
of the cases, was that of discriminating in employ
ment on a basis of union membership or the lack of
it. Refusal to bargain with the representatives
chosen by employees was the next most common
charge against employers—1,070 (about 26 per
cent) of the cases. Employers were accused of
interfering in the formation of a labor organization
among their employees, or of dominating such an
organization, in 534 instances.
Discrimination in employment was also the
most common charge against unions. They were
accused of causing or attempting to cause an
employer to discriminate against employees on
the basis of union membership, or the lack of it, in
675 (58.2 percent) of the cases against unions.
Restraint or coercion of employees by unions was
alleged in 644 cases. Charges of secondary
boycott were made against unions in 252 cases
(about 22 percent); and of engaging in jurisdic
tional strikes or boycotts, in 72 cases.
Reduction of Backlog in
Railroad Grievance C ases1
T h e h e a v y d o c k e t of the National Railway
Adjustment Board’s First Division has been cited
as a contributing factor in the development of
paralyzing rail strikes which had their origin in
long-standing, unsettled grievance claims. This
division deals with disputes concerning engineers,
firemen, hostlers, conductors, trainmen, outside
hostler helpers, and yard-service workers. On
June 30, 1949, it had a backlog of pending cases
sufficient to keep it busy for an estimated 4 years.
Certain important changes designed to expedite
First Division work were provided for by two agree
ments arrived at on May 19, 1949, after a series of
conferences between officers of the train and engine
1 Data are from the Fifteenth Annual Report of the National Mediation
Board, including the Report of the National Railroad Adjustment Board,
for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1949. Washington 1949.
404
RAILROAD GRIEVANCE CASES
service brotherhoods and employer representa
tives. One of these revised the procedural rules
for preparation and submission of disputes to the
First Division. The other provided for the
setting up under the Railway Labor Act of two
supplemental boards of four men each, these
boards to be given authority to handle cases
currently on the First Division’s docket and such
additional cases as it might later assign to them.2
The National Mediation Board is hopeful that
the revised procedures will prove effective in
enabling the First Division of the National Rail
way Adjustment Board to keep abreast of its
heavy docket. This in turn, it hopes, will effect
the elimination of many strikes and strike threats
resulting from unsettled grievances.
The National Railway Adjustment Board,
established under the 1934 amendments to the
Railway Labor Act, functions through four
divisions, each having jurisdiction over adjust
ment of disputes involving a specified group of
employees. Carriers and employees have equal
representation in the membership of each division,
and a neutral referee may be selected when a
deadlock occurs.
Jurisdiction of the divisions, other than the first,
is as follows: Second Division, controversies in
volving machinists, boilermakers, and other rail
road shop workers; Third Division, station, tower,
and telegraph employees, train dispatchers, mainten an ce-of-way men, signalmen, dining-car em
ployees, sleeping-car conductors, porters, and
maids; and Fourth Division, workers for carriers
directly or indirectly engaged in transportation by
water, and all other employees not under juris
diction of some other division.
MONTHLY LABOR
report of the National Mediation Board, which
included that of the National Railway Adjustment
Board, stated that “based upon the number of
cases closed during the past year, the [First Di
vision of the] Board had on hand at year’s end
nearly 4 years’ work.” Throughout the previous
years, the First Division had not been able to
arrive at methods by which procedural changes or
other measures could “break the log jam.”
Docketed
during fiscal
year 1948-49
First Division______________
Second Division____________
Third Division_____________
Fourth Division____________
1,226
63
495
91
Cases
closed
Pending at
end of year,
Ju ne SO,
1949
731
2,842
73 ---------544
362
61
33
Situations caused by the inability of the First
Division to prevent an accumulation of grievances
were illustrated, the report stated, by a strike of
enginemen and trainmen which, in March 1949,
immobilized the Wabash Railway System for a
period of 8 days. The dispute involved numerous
grievance claims that were incorporated in a
strike ballot on November 1, 1948, of which 149
remained unsettled when the strike became effec
tive 4y2 months later. “Time claims, grievances,
run-around, and claims of like nature, properly
referable to the First Division,” were involved.
The Emergency Board appointed by the President
in this instance 3 was critical both of management
and of the unions for allowing the situation to
develop. Its report stated :
The following tabulation shows that a heavy
load of cases devolved upon the First Division
during the year 1948-49, and that more than twice
the number docketed were pending on June 30,
1949. A backlog of pending disputes had been
accumulating for the past 3 years. The annual
If it was the failure of management to give early atten
tion and proper consideration to these claims as they arose,
or if it was its fault in some other respect or respects, what
happened here ought to be a warning to these and other
carriers of the probable consequences of like failures and
faults.
If it was the failure of the organization to take advantage
of the legal processes of progressing claims to the Adjust
ment Board because of seeming delay entailed in the
process, or some other fault, we think their judgment was
fallacious. This Board is of the opinion that a strike to
enforce claims without adjudication, where the law pro
vides for adjudication, not only is hurtful to the general
economy, but is also damaging to the cause of labor.
2
The National Mediation Board was granted an appropriation to be used
for these supplemental boards in October 1949 (Public Law 430, 81st Cong.,
1st sess.), and by January 1950, they were functioning.
3
Appointed under Executive order of March 15, 1949. Report was made
to the President on April 6, 1949,
1949 Report
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
EARNINGS IN HOSIERY MILLS
Hosiery Manufacture:
Earnings in October 1949 1
E arnings levels in full-fashioned hosiery
mills in October 1949 were generally higher than
in seamless hosiery mills. The two branches of
the industry differ widely with respect to a num
ber of factors which have a marked influence on
their wage structures.
Full-fashioned hosiery establishments are
located to a greater extent in larger cities, and
employ, on the average, larger numbers of workers
than seamless hosiery mills. Full-fashioned ho
siery is made principally for women and generally
involves the use of more costly materials (prin
cipally nylon). Greater skill is required in its
processing. (The use in the accompanying tables
of the same job titles for the two branches of the
industry does not imply exact comparability.)
Unionization is somewhat more prevalent in fullfashioned mills, although comparatively few mills
in the South in either branch of the industry were
unionized at the time of the Bureau’s most recent
study.2
Approximately two-thirds of the workers in the
selected full-fashioned hosiery occupations were
women; the percentage was slightly higher (about
71 percent) in seamless hosiery occupations.
Most knitters in full-fashioned hosiery mills were
men, but a majority of the seamless-hosiery
knitters, in 3 of the 5 areas studied, were women.
About three-fourths of the mill workers in both
full-fashioned and seamless hosiery mills were paid
on an incentive basis. Knitting-machine adjust
ers and fixers constituted the only selected occu
pation for which pay was predominantly on a
time-rate basis.
1 By Fred W. Mohr of the Bureau’s Division of Wage Statistics. Data
were collected by field representatives under direction of the Bureau’s re
gional wage analysts. Greater detail on wages and wage practices for each
area included in the study is available on request.
2 In the occupational study, the number of areas covered, and estimated
employment in these areas in October 1949, were: Full-fashioned hosiery, 5
areas, 29,000 workers; men’s seamless hosiery, 3 areas, 12,000 workers; and
children’s seamless hosiery, 2 areas, 3,400 workers. Mills employing fewer
than 21 workers were excluded from the study.
A supplementary study was made to provide a distribution of hourly earn
ings irrespective of occupation, in men’s seamless hosiery mills employing
21 or more workers. Eighty-four of the estimated 203 plants in the industry
(accounting for 60 percent of the total employment) were covered.
878160— 50 ------ 4
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
405
A scheduled workweek of 40 hours, in October
1949, was reported for virtually all the seamless
hosiery mills and for about seven-eighths of those
producing full-fashioned hosiery. Paid vacations
of 1 week after 1 year of service were granted to
mill workers by 68 of the 79 full-fashioned hosiery
mills; in 38 of these establishments, 2 weeks’
vacation with pay was provided after 5 years’
service. Slightly more than half of the seamless
hosiery mills studied (36 of 66) provided paid
vacations for mill workers, typically 1 week after
a year of service; in 14 mills, however, workers
with 5 years of service received 2-week vacations.
Paid holidays, usually five in number, were re
ported for millworkers in 34 of the 79 fullfashioned hosiery mills; only 2 of the 66 seamlesshosiery mills provided paid holidays for millworkers. Holiday and vacation provisions for
office workers were generally more liberal than
for millworkers.
All except 4 of the full-fashioned hosiery mills
operated a second shift during the period studied;
35 granted extra pay for such work, typically 5
cents an hour. Premium pay for third or other
shift work was also provided in 28 of the 53 mills
operating more than two shifts. About ninetenths of the seamless-hosiery mills were reported
as operating a second shift; in 8 establishments
premium pay was received for such work. Extra
pay was reported for 9 of the 40 mills operating
third or other shifts.
Comparisons of hourly earnings in October 1949
with those reported in a similar study in October
1948 indicate relatively little change, other than
such variations as may be considered typical in
an industry in which a large proportion of the
workers are paid on an incentive basis. Incentive
workers’ earnings usually fluctuate from period
to period in the absence of rate changes. They
are affected by changes in individual effort,
production flows, quality variations in materials,
and other factors. Occupational averages in both
full-fashioned hosiery and seamless-hosiery mills
showed decreases as well as increases. For almost
half of the full-fashioned hosiery occupations and
about three-fourths of the seamless-hosiery jobs,
changes in area job averages amounted to less
than 4 percent.
MONTHLY LABOR
EARNINGS IN HOSIERY MILLS
406
Full-Fashioned Hosiery
Occupational averages of the full-fashioned
hosiery mill jobs for which comparisons could be
made, were generally highest in Reading and
lowest in the Hickory-Statesville area. Earnings
in Philadelphia usually ranked next to those in
Reading; men’s average earnings were typically
higher in Charlotte than in Burlington-Greensboro, but for a majority of the selected women’s
occupations the relationship was reversed in those
two areas.
1.—Straight-time average hourly earnings 1 for
selected occupations in the full-fashioned hosiery industry
in selected areas, October 1949
T able
Occupation and sex
BurPhila Read
ling- Char Hickorydel
ton- lotte, Statesphia, ing,
Greens- N
.C . ville,
Pa.
boro,
Pa.
N.
C.
N. C.
P la n t occupations: M en
Adjusters and fixers, knitting ma
chine (4 years’ experience or more)Boarders, m a c h i n e ___________
Knitters, single-unit or backrack:
42 gage, 24 sections or less______
45 gage, 24 sections or less______
45 gage, 26 sections or m o re -___
51 gage, 24 sections or less______
51 gage, 26 sections or more____
60 gage, 26 sections or m o r e ___
Preboarders____________________
$1.98 $2.13
1.22
(2)
$1.79
(2)
$1.80
1.54
$1.96
1.77
(2)
1.73
(2)
1.85
2.19
(2)
1.30
(2)
(2)
2.09
1.90
2.18
(2)
1.42
(2)
1.36
(2)
1.73
2.09
(2)
1.28
(2)
2.08
2.32
2.25
2.81
(2)
1.45
2.13
2.38
(2)
2.19
(2)
2.71
1.48
1.31
1.10
1.13
1.21
.97
1.11
1.23
.87
.95
1.60
1.07
.96
1.72
1.23
1.15
1.31
1.17
1.01
(2)
1.16
1.24
(2>
1.08
1.24
1.22
1.15
1.15
.93
(2)
1.03
1.34
1.25
1.14
1.50
1.22
1.41
1.31
1.20
1.42
1.33
1.01
(2)
1.08
1.07
(2)
(2)
.96
(2)
1.00
1.01
.94
1.14
1.00
.85
1.08
P la n t occupations: W om en
Boarders, machine_______________
Folders___ ____ _______________
Inspectors, hosiery_______________
Loopers, toe only (1 year’s experience or morel_________________
Menders, h a n d _________________
Pairers. ----------- ------- ---------------Preboarders_________ _ _______
Seamers________ _ _____________
the lowest-paid among the selected men’s occupa
tions in four of the five areas—ranged from
$1.28 in Hickory-Statesville to $1.48 in Reading.
Women seamers, the largest group studied in
most areas, averaged $1.03 in Hickory-Statesville,
$1.16 in Burlington-Greensboro, $1.22 in both
Charlotte and Philadephia, and $1.33 in Reading.
Pairers had the lowest average hourly earnings
among the mill jobs studied in the BurlingtonGreensboro area ($1.01); folders, the lowest in
Charlotte ($0.97) and in Hickory-Statesville
($0.87); inspectors had the lowest hourly averages
in Philadelphia and Reading (96 cents and $1.15,
respectively). In a majority of the areas, women
machine boarders had the highest average earnings
among the selected women’s occupations, ranging
from $1.21 in Charlotte to $1.72 in Reading.
Seamless Hosiery
Knitting machine adjusters and fixers were the
highest-paid group of workers studied in seamlesshosiery mills in October 1949 (see table 2). Their
average earnings ranged from $1.17 in children’s
hosiery mills in Chattanooga, Tenn., to $1.49 in
men’s hosiery mills in the Winston-Salem-High
2.— Straight-time average hourly earnings1 for
selected occupations in the seamless hosiery industry in
selected areas, October 1949
T able
Men’s hosiery
Occupation and sex
Office occupations: W omen
Clerks, pay-roll-. _______ _______
Clerk-typists____________________
Stenographers, general___________
1 Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work.
2 Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average.
Hourly earnings of knitters of full-fashioned
hosiery (on single-unit machines and those with
back-rack attachments) varied in the five areas
studied in October 1949. Men knitters, produc
ing 45-gage hosiery, on machines having 24
sections or less, received average earnings of
$1.36 in the Hickory-Statesville (N. C.) area,
$1.73 in the Burlington-Greensboro (N. C.) area,
$2.08 in Philadelphia, and $2.38 in Reading (Pa.).
Knitters making 51-gage hosiery (26 sections or
more) averaged $2.09, $2.18, and $2.19, in the
three North Carolina areas, and $2.81 in Phila
delphia. Average earnings of men preboarders—
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Children’s hosiery
inston- Chat W instonHickory- Read WSalemSalemStates ing,
ta
High
High
ville,
nooga,
Point,
Pa.
Point,
Tenn.
N. C.
N. C.
N. C.
P la n t occupations: M en
Adj usters and fixers, knitting
machine (4 years’ experience or more)_______ ____
Boarders, hand____________
Knitters, automatic________
$1.36 $1.28
.89 1.08
.91
.87
$1.49
1.10
1.08
$1.17
.90
(2)
.75
(2)
(2)
.75
.71
.85
(2)
.73
1.00
(2)
(2)
.97
.90
1.00
1.04
(2)
.77
(2)
(2)
.85
(2)
(2)
(2)
.87
$1.37
.94
.94
P la n t occupations: W omen
Boarders, h a n d ___________
Boxers___________________
Folders........ ........
..............
Folders and boxers 3_______
Inspectors, hosiery________
Knitters, automatic________
Knitters, string___________
Knitters, transfer - - - - - - - Loopers, toe only (1 year’s ex-.
perience or more)____
Menders, hand___________
Pairers___________________
(2)
.74
.82
(2)
.72
.86
(2)
.81
.66
.73
.93
.80
.75
.99
.85
.87
.85
.76
.82
.97
.86
.93
.73
.80
1.02
.93
.98
.93
.88
(2)
.79
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
1 Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work.
2 Insufficient data to justify presentation of an average.
3 Workers performing a combination job of folding and boxing.
.86
.94
.69
.83
Office occupations: W omen
Clerks, pay-roll___________
Clerk-typists_____________
Stenographers, general_____
.78
.79
(2)
(2)
(2)
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
EARNINGS IN HOSIERY MILLS
Point area of North Carolina. Men automatic
knitters in men’s seamless hosiery mills earned,
on the average, 87 cents an hour in Reading, and
91 cents in Hickory-Statesville. In WinstonSalem-High Point they averaged $1.08 in men’s
hosiery mills and 94 cents in the children’s hosiery.
Women loopers, the selected occupation which
had the largest number of workers in both men’s
and children’s hosiery mills, averaged 81 cents an
hour in Hickory-Statesville, 85 cents in Chatta
nooga,and 93 cents in Reading. In Winston-SalemHigh Point their averages were 94 cents in mills
producing children’s hosiery and 99 cents in those
making men’s hosiery. Women operating auto
matic knitting machines averaged from 1 to 8 cents
an hour less than men operators in the same areas.
Hand menders had average earnings ranging from
66 to 85 cents an hour, and were the lowest-paid
group in each area except Reading where inspectors
received the lowest average earnings.
407
Plant-worker earnings in the men’s seamlesshosiery industry averaged 89 cents hourly; nearly
a third of the workers earned less than 75 cents.
Women, representing about two-thirds of the
workers in the men’s seamless-hosiery industry,
and generally found in the less-skilled jobs, had
average earnings of 82 cents an hour. About
83 percent of them earned less than $1 an hour,
and about 40 percent earned less than 75 cents.
Men averaged 22 cents more than women; over
half of the men earned as much as $1 an hour.
The Middle Atlantic and Southeast regions
contained about three-fourths of the workers in
the industry; the levels of wages paid to workers
in the two regions differed very little. Plant
workers averaged 90 cents an hour in the Middle
Atlantic region and 88 cents in the Southeast.
Men averaged $1.06 in the Middle Atlantic
region and $1.03 in the Southeast, and women 83
and 81 cents an hour, respectively.
T able 3.—Percentage distribution of plant workers in men’s seamless hosiery establishments by straight-time average hourly
earnings 1 and sex, United States and selected regions, October 1949
United States
Average hourly earnings
Middle Atlantic
2
Southeast
1
All workers
40.0-42.4 cents__________
42.5-44.9 cents—_ ___ _____.
45.0-47.4 cents_________________
47.5-49.9 cents_______________
50.0-52.4 cents__________________
52.5-54.9 cents________________
55.0-57.4 cents______ ____ _______________
.2
2.0
.6
2 .2
57.5-59.9 cents_________________
60.0-62.4 cents________ _______
62.5-64.9 cents__________________
65.0-67.4 c e n ts .___ ___ ______ .
67.5-69.9 cents________________ _
70.0-72.4 cents______ _____ _____
72.5-74.9 cents________ ____ ____________
0.4
.1
.4
Men
Women
(3)
Men
Women
All workers
Men
Women
0 .6
.l
(?)
(3)
All workers
0.2
.6
.3
1.7
0 1
.7
2.4
.3
I
3.1
0 .2
.3
3' 0
2!6
2 2
.2
1.6
3.3
3!1
2 .4
1.6
2.8
1.4
5.3
2.9
3.6
3.0
5.3
4.2
.3
2.4
.6
1.6
1.3
2.8
2.5
1.9
6.7
4.0
4.6
3.8
6.4
5.0
.7
8.5
3.4
5.1
3.8
4.4
2.4
.7
2.4
.9
2.3
1.9
1.6
1.1
10.9
4.4
6.2
4.5
5.6
2.9
.8
1.5
4.7
3.0
3.2
3.3
5.1
4.0
.3
2 .9
75.0-77.4 cents________ ________________
77.5-79.9 cents__ ____________________
80.0-84.9 cents... . _________ _ _________
85.0-89.9 cents...
_____ _____________
90.0-94.9 cents... . . _______________ .
95.0-99.9 cents________________ _______
100.0-104.9 cents_______________ _____
6.0
4.0
9.2
8.4
7.4
5.4
5.8
4.4
2.2
6.7
7.5
6.5
5.8
7.9
6.7
4.9
10.3
8.7
7.6
5.2
4.8
5.0
3.0
7.4
9.1
8.3
6.3
6.7
4.6
1.2
4.5
7.6
8.6
6.9
8.1
5.1
3.6
8.7
9.5
8.2
6.1
6.2
6.2
4.6
9.2
7.4
6.7
4.8
5.7
6.8
5.7
5.1
8.4
7.1
5.6
10.4
7 .7
7.2
4 .7
4 .3
105.0-109.9 cents______________ _________
110.0-114.9 cents________________________
115.0-119.9 cents________________________
120.0-124.9 cents___________________
125.0-129.9 cents____________________
130.0-134.9 cents___________________
135.0-139.9 cents.._____ ___________
4.1
3.5
2.6
2.2
2.2
1.5
1.4
4.9
5.5
4.0
4.3
5.0
3.1
3.7
3.8
2.6
2.0
1.3
1.0
.7
.3
4.3
3.5
2.4
1.9
1.4
1.7
2.4
4.6
4.2
3.7
2.1
2.8
4.1
7.3
4.2
3.2
1.9
1.8
.8
.8
.3
4.1
3.6
2.7
2.0
2.3
1.4
1.2
5.1
5.5
3.9
3.5
4.6
2.7
2.6
3.6
2 .5
2.0
1.2
1.2
.7
.4
140.0-144.9 cents.................................. .............
145.0-149.9 cents___________________ ____
150.0-159.9 cents___________________
160.0-169.9 cents___ _______ ____________
170.0-179.9 cents________________________
180.0-189.9 cents_____ __________________
190.0-199.9 cents__ _____________________
200.0 cents and over_________ __________
1.0
.6
1.4
.7
.5
.3
.1
.1
2.5
1.6
4.1
2.1
1.4
.8
.2
.6
.3
.2
.2
.1
1.0
.7
1.6
.6
.3
.2
.2
1.0
.8
1.6
.8
,7
2.3
1.8
4.3
2.3
19
.3
.3
.2
3
9
.3
3.0
2.4
5.1
2.0
1. 1
.5
.1
l.i
.1
.1
.2
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
m o
100 .0
m o
29,946
$0.89
9,479
$1.04
20,467
$0.82
6,163
$0.90
1,771
$1.06
4,392
$0.83
16, 738
$0.88
5,706
$1.03
11,032
$0.81
Total___________________________
Number of workers ___________________
Average hourly earnings L ....... .....................
1 Excludes premium payment for overtime and night work.
are included in these distributions.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2.2
(3)
(3)
(?)
Learners
( 3)
(3)
.2
.1
,i
(3)
2. 2
6. 6
4.3
4.1
4.2
.6
1.4
1.5
3 .5
2.3
5.9
4.9
4 .5
2 .6
7.3
(3>
«
.4
1 Includes data for other regions in addition to those shown separately,
* Less than 0.05 of 1 percent.
408
EARNINGS OF FOOTWEAR WORKERS
Footwear Manufacturing:
Earnings in October 1949 1
l e v e l s of shoe workers in women’s cementprocess plants were generally higher in Boston and
Haverhill than in other New England areas.
Men employed as machine cutters had average
earnings in October 1949 ranging from $1.50 an
hour in Worcester to $1.69 in Boston. The levels
of hourly earnings of men in other incentive jobs
in the 6 New England areas studied, varied from
$1.63 in Auburn-Lewiston, Maine, and South
eastern New Hampshire to $1.96 in Boston for
edge trimmers; from $1.59 in Worcester to $1.99
in Haverhill, Mass., for machine side lasters; and
from $1.35 in Worcester to $1.64 in Boston for
treers. In numerically important women’s jobs,
remunerated on a piecework basis, fancy stitchers
earned, on the average, from $1.09 in Lynn and
Worcester, Mass., to $1.32 in Boston, and top
stitchers from $1.12 in southeastern New Hamp
shire to $1.62 in Boston. Average hourly earnings
of floor girls, predominantly time workers, showed
the narrowest spread among the selected plant
jobs, ranging from 88 cents in Auburn-Lewiston,
Maine, to 96 cents in Worcester.
Earnings in the production of women’s cementprocess shoes were highest in New York City and
lowest in Missouri (except St. Louis). Occupa
tional averages in New York City ranged from 97
cents an hour for floor boys to $2.46 for women
top stitchers and exceeded $2 an hour in 8 of 16
plant jobs. Average earnings of Los Angeles
workers ranked second and were higher than those
in New England areas. St. Louis workers had
earnings which, on the average, were somewhat
comparable to those in Auburn-Lewiston and
Worcester.
Of the three major centers in the manufacture
of men’s Goodyear welt shoes, wage levels in
Brockton, Mass., were highest in 9 of 15 plant jobs
and varied from 88 cents an hour for floor girls to
$1.89 for machine edge trimmers. In seven
occupations average earnings in Illinois exceeded
W age
1 By Charles Rubenstein of the Bureau’s Division of Wage Statistics.
Data were collected by field representatives under the direction of the Bu
reau’s regional wage analysts. More detailed information on wages and
related practices for each of the areas studied is available upon request.
The study embraced the manufacture of selected types of footwear in 13
major production areas. In October 1949 approximately 65,000 workers were
employed in the industry divisions covered. Establishments employing
fewer than 21 workers were excluded from the study.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR
those in Worcester by amounts ranging from 3 to
25 cents an hour but were from 1 to 15 cents below
in five other occupations for which comparisons
could be made.
In jobs common to the various types of shoe
manufacture, the level of earnings of workers pro
ducing children’s stitchdown shoes in New York
City was considerably below that for workers on
women’s cement-process shoes in the same city.
This level, however, was generally higher than
those in the three men’s Goodyear-welt centers.
The lowest wage levels in the study were found in
the children’s welt shoe industry in southeastern
Pennsylvania, where workers averaged from 78
cents an hour as floor boys to $1.27 as machine
edge trimmers.
With few exceptions, earnings levels of office
workers were below those of women plant workers.
Pay-roll clerks averaged from 74 cents in AuburnLewiston to $1.22 an hour in Los Angeles and
general stenographers from 78 cents in AuburnLewiston to $1.20 in New York City. Average
earnings in office occupations exceeded $1 an hour
in only Los Angeles, New York City, and St.
Louis.
Comparisons of earnings in October 1949 with
those reported in a similar study in October 1948
disclosed that about three-fifths of the area plant
job averages changed less than 5 percent during
the year. The proportion of incentive workers
in the footwear industry is high and it is typical
for the earnings of such workers to fluctuate from
one period to another, even in the absence of
interim wage adjustments. Some of the factors
influencing incentive earnings are variations in the
flow of work, style changes, changes in the quality
of materials, and variations in labor effort.
Related Wage Practices
Paid holidays, ranging in number from 1 to 7
days a year, were granted to plant workers by
almost four-fifths of the establishments studied.
The most common practice, which provided for six
paid holidays, applied to workers in over half of the
establishments. Only 2 of the 18 shoe plants in
the Brockton, Mass., area and 1 of the 11 in south
eastern Pennsylvania had provisions for granting
paid holidays to plant workers. Nearly 90 per
cent of the plants in other New England shoe
EEYIEW, APRIL 1950
EARNINGS OF FOOTWEAR WORKERS
centers and all the plants in New York City and
St. Louis had established paid holiday policies.
More liberal provisions for paid holidays applied
to office workers; over 95 percent of the establish
ments studied granted from 3 to 12 days a year.
In half or more of the plants in Brockton, Haver
hill, and Lynn, Mass., office workers received nine
paid holidays. The most common practice, how
ever, provided 6 days, similar to that for plant
workers.
Paid vacations for plant workers were reported
by 188 of the 193 establishments included in the
409
study. In all instances, 1 week of vacation was
allowed after 1 year’s service. All establishments
in the Brockton, Mass., New York City, and St.
Louis areas and the majority of plants in Illinois,
Los Angeles, and Missouri (except St. Louis)
granted 2 weeks of paid vacation after 5 years of
service. Office workers in virtually all plants
received at least 1 week of vacation with pay after
a year’s employment; in 70 establishments the
length of paid vacation was 2 weeks. In some
areas, these workers were allowed the second
week of paid vacation after 2 or 3 years’ service.
Straight-time average hourly earnings 1in selected occupations in footwear manufacturing, by process and wage area, October 1949
Chil Chil
Men’s Goodyear welt dren’s dren’s
shoes
welt stitchshoes down
shoes
Women’s cement process shoes
Occupation and sex
New England
Mis
Los
New souri,
St.
Wor
AuSouth
An Brock
York,
Louis, geles,
(except
ton, cester,
burn- Bos Haver Lynn, eastern Wor N. Y.2 St.
Mo.
hill,
Lewis- ton,
New cester,
Calif. Mass. Mass.
Louis)
ton, Mass. Mass. Mass. Hamp Mass.
Maine
shire
Illi
nois
Southeast New
ern
Penn York,
syl N Y .
vania
$1.69
1.73
$1.05
1.15
1.76
1.60
1.77
.84
1.60
1.47
1. 51
1.09
1.27
.78
1 09
$1.82
1.90
.79
1 91
.96
1 13
1.87
P la n t occupations, men
Assemblers for pullover, machine___
Bed-machine operators___________
Cutters, vamp and whole shoe:
H and. - _________ _________
Machine____________________
Edge trimmers, machine__________
Floor boys_ _ ___________________
Goodyear stitchers_______________
Mechanics, maintenance. ________
Side lasters, machine_____________
Sole attachers, cement________ ____
Treers__________ _______________
Vampers . ___________________
Wood-heel-seat fitters:
H and_______________________
Machine__ . . . _____________
$1.78
1.55
$1.74
1.63
$1.78
$1.87
(5)
1.54
1.63
(3)
1.69
1.96
.86
1.93
.87
1.67
.98
1.63
1.84
1.33
1.38
(3)
1.92
1.52
1.64
1. 78
1.99
1.58
1.57
1.31
1.69
1.65
1.70
1.55
(3)
1.45
(3)
1.67
01.53
1.14
1.32
.89
1.19
.93
0
$1.19
1.32
$1.57
1.61
2. 21
01.50 2.04
1.68 2.40
.92
.97
1.35
1.26
1.33
.82
1.72
0
2.03
1.03
1.49
1.65
1.43
1.46
1.54
1.59
1.45
1.35
1.93
2.17
2.20
1.31
1.30
1.05
1.32
1.48
1.61
1.57
1.51
01.63
0
1.81
1. 75
01.39
01.51
1.90
2.23
1.15
1.09
1.62
1.64
0
0
1.09
.95
1.11
1.09
.96
0
0
.87
.81
1. 00
1.18
1.63
2.46
1.76
1. 65
.90
1.03
.93
1.16
1.37
1.25
$1.50
1.67
01.52
1.63
.80
$1.59
1.61
0
0
1.66 0
1.52
$1.83
$1.94
1.97
1.86 1.57
01.63 1.63
0
1.91
2.23
1.95
$1.70
1.47
$1.46
1.48
1.47
1.65
1.89
.91
1.65
1.58
1. 55
1.54
1.71
.99
1.61
1.54
1. 52
1.43
1 43
1.46
1.28
1.17
1.14
.85
1.04
.91
.94
.81
Ï. 05
1.10
1.22
1.14
.92
.81
.95
1.48
1. 00
1.41
0.87
0
.89
.89
1.09
0
1.00
1.10 0
1.05
1.00
P la n t occupations, women
Fancy stitchers__________________
Floor girls. _______ __________
Sole attachers, cement____________
Top stitchersJ___________________
Treers ___________ . . . _________
Vampers_______________________
.88
1.20
1.62
1.29
1.17
1.12
1.15
1.14
(3)
1.36
1.08
1.09
1.12
.83
.84
.78
.89
.79
.77
.87
.92
1.11 .88
1. 22
1.67
1.12
0
1.37
0
1.19
Office occupations, women
Clerks, pay-roll______ ___________
Clerk-typists___ ______________
Stenographers, general.............. ..........
.74
0.78
.83
.76
0
0.90
1Excludes premium pay for overtime and night work.
2Study limited to women’s street shoes, primarily of cement process manu
facture.
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.81
0
0
1.10
1.01
1.20
.86 .84
.68 .85
.88 1.01
1.22
0
0
.81
.71
.85
.83
0.84
2 insufficient data to justify presentation of an average
.86 01.16
410
LABOR-MANAGEMENT DISPUTES
Labor-Management Disputes
in March 1950
A rapid succession of developments culminated
in settlement of the coal dispute in early March.
Strike activity during the month, therefore, de
clined substantially. The Chrysler stoppage,
continuing from late January, was the only major
stoppage in effect throughout the month.
Coal Settlement
Several important events immediately preceded
the March 5 coal agreement. On March 2, Fed
eral Judge Richmond B. Keech freed the United
Mine Workers of contempt charges arising out of
the miners’ refusal to return to work as requested
by union officials, in conformance with the provi
sions of a temporary restraining order issued on
February 11. Judge Keech’s opinion stated:
“Where the union has sent out communications
such as are included in this record, the apparent
good faith of such communications must be con
troverted * * * by clear and convincing
evidence.” However, Judge Keech found “in
sufficient” evidence submitted to support the
charge that the union was guilty of civil or criminal
contempt.
Following this decision, President Truman sent
a message to Congress asking for legislation to per
mit seizure of the coal mines in view of the “dan
gerous” curtailment of coal production. His
message stated that the events since the issuance
of the temporary restraining order “give us no
assurance that court action under present law can,
in fact, end the work stoppage in time to avert
exhaustion of our coal supplies.” The President’s
bill provided for the establishment of impartial
boards during the period of Government possession
“to make recommendations concerning fair and
just compensation for the use of the property of
the mine owners and for the work of the mine
employees.” Under the proposed measure, nego
tiation of any contract between the Government
and representatives of the miners was prohibited.
Describing the coal industry as “a sick industry,”
the President recommended that the temporary
expedient of seizure should be accompanied by a
“positive and constructive effort to get at the root
of the trouble.” He pointed out that the “recur
rent break-downs” in labor-management relations
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MONTHLY LABOR
in this industry are “only symptoms of profound
and long-standing economic and social difficulties
in which the industry has become involved.”
He recommended, therefore, that Congress estab
lish a commission of inquiry “to make a thorough
study of the coal industry, in terms of economic,
social and national security objectives.”
A few hours later, union and operator repre
sentatives announced that they had reached
agreement on the terms of the “National Bitu
minous Coal Wage Agreement of 1950.” The
contract is to be effective until July 1, 1952, with
reopening on wages permitted after April 1, 1951.
The new contract provides for an increase in
the basic daily wage from $14.05 to $14.75 and
in the employers’ payments to the welfare and
retirement fund from 20 to 30 cents per ton. The
union shop is continued “to the extent * * *
permitted by law;” the “willing and able” clause
of the old contract is eliminated; and : memorial
period” stoppages are limited to 5 days a year.
An agreement covering the anthracite miners,
patterned largely after the bituminous contract,
was signed March 9.
Automobiles
Hope for an immediate settlement of the 2month-old Chrysler stoppage when the company
made a new offer on March 24 proved to be pre
mature. The company offered to establish a
30-million-dollar pension trust fund to guarantee
$100 a month pensions, including Federal social
security payments, to workers 65 years old after
25 years’ service. This was offered in a 5-year
contract, which would have provided for joint
administration of the plan with the union, eased
eligibility requirements for pensions, and liber
alized hospital-medical-insurance benefits.
The United Automobile Workers (CIO) rejected
the company offer, but indicated “its willingness
to accept lump-sum payments into a pension trust
fund in place of the union’s initial proposal of
cents-per-hour payments into the trust fund.”
It indicated its willingness to accept this approach
“provided, however, that the lump-sum payments
are in sufficient amount to fund credited service
on an actuarially sound basis.” Conceding that
the company proposal was “a step in the right
direction,” the union stated that the proposed
fund fell short by $16,020,000 of the fund required
“to guarantee pension benefits to Chrysler workers
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
LABOR-MANAGEMENT DISPUTES
on an actuarially sound basis comparable to the
security which Chrysler competitors are providing
their employees under the pension agreements with
the UAW-CIO.”
Further differences developed on the company
offer during subsequent meetings, which appeared
to leave the parties as far apart as before.
Several other important collective-bargaining
developments occurred in the automobile industry
during the month. The Ford Co. and the UAW
successfully concluded agreement on divergent
interpretations of the memorandum of accord
reached by the parties last September on pensions
and insurance. They resolved their differences by
agreeing on unfixed but actuarially sound pay
ments instead of fixed cents-per-hour payments.
The parties also agreed that actuarial studies of
current and past service costs are to be made by
the company if Federal social security benefits are
increased. Within 4 months of such a change, the
company is to give the union information on any
resultant reduction of payments into the fund.
The UAW and the Nash-Kelvinator Corp.
agreed during March to establish a pension and
insurance program. The plan provides for $100
a month payments, including social security pay
ments, to workers retiring at age 65 with 25 years
of service. Under the agreement, the company
will make fixed payments of 7 cents per hour into
the pension fund regardless of changes in Federal
social security benefits.
The General Motors Corp. and the UAW
opened negotiations on the terms of a new contract
on March 29. The current 2-year agreement,
covering 260,000 workers, expires on May 29.
Union proposals include $125 a month pension,
elimination of the cost-of-living escalator clause
on wages, a 9-cents per hour wage increase, and a
union shop.
Other Developments
Telephone industry negotiations continued dur
ing March. In New Jersey, the facilities of the
New Jersey Bell Telephone Co. were seized on
March 1 under the provisions of the State’s
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
411
public utilities antistrike law, and a compulsory
arbitration board was appointed to decide the
disputed issues.
A three-man emergency board 1 was named by
President Truman on March 22 to investigate a
dispute between western railroads and the Switch
men’s Union of North America (AFL). The union
asked for a 40-hour week with no reduction in pay,
instead of the existing 48-hour week. The mem
bers of the same board are also conducting hearings
in the Nation-wide railway dispute over proposals
made by the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
and the Order of Railway Conductors for reduc
tion in the workweek, wage increases, and changes
in working rules.
The successful efforts of local citizens in aiding
in the settlement of an 8-month stoppage involv
ing the Continental Paper Co., Ridgefield Park,
N. J., and the United Paper Workers (CIO)
brought this local situation into prominence during
the month. The company had announced the
permanent closing of the plant, because of the
stoppage. The agreement which averted the shut
down was arranged between top management
officials and top union officials, including the
international president of the union.
Other important developments during the
month included the successful conclusion of agree
ments on welfare plans between the following:
Southern Conference of Teamsters and the Central
States Drivers Council (AFL) covering 30,000
truck drivers in 18 States; three rug conpanies,
employing 12,000 workers and the Textile Work
ers Union (CIO); the Firestone Tire and Rubber
Co. and the United Rubber Workers (CIO),
covering 20,000 workers; and the Consolidated
Edison Co. of New York, and the Utility Workers
Union (CIO), covering 30,000 workers.
Houston, Tex., building contractors and 23
AFL unions signed a “treaty” effective until June
30, 1951, requiring approval by three-fourths of
the unions before strike action may be taken by
any of the signatory groups.
i
Members of the board are Roger I. M cDonough, Chief Justice of the
Utah Supreme Court; Mart. J. O’Malley, Indiana Supreme Court Justice,
and Gordon S. Watkins, professor of economics, University of California
at Los Angeles.
Technical Notes
E ditor’s N ote.— The first 2 technical notes which
follow complete the series of 13 articles covering
the major statistical series of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Thefirst note appeared in the Monthly
Labor Review for September 19j9 and, with the
exception of the December issue, each succeeding
number has contained one or more of the technical
descriptions. In presenting these articles which
explain the methodology and limitations of all
major statistical series compiled by the Bureau,
the object has been to supply the explanatory in
formation in a uniform manner and as simply as
possible. The 13 notes will be made available in
a single publication.
XII. Occupational Wages:
Establishment Sampling 1
Sampling is necessary in making occupational
wage surveys because of the large number of
establishments in many industries. This need
exists even when a narrow industrial classification
is studied. For instance, approximately 2,000
firms, employing 8 or more workers producing
women’s and misses’ dresses, are located in the
New York City area alone. Obviously they must
be surveyed on a sample basis, if personal visits
are involved. Otherwise an unduly large pro
portion of the limited funds available to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics for such work would
be expended on a single industry-area group.
Other reasons for sampling are to insure that a
survey yields something more than an informed
guess, and that reliable results are obtained at
minimum cost.
It is possible to reduce sources of error other
than those ascribed to sampling by devoting a
larger proportion of time to proper occupational
classification, careful editing for accuracy of data
and the like, than would be possible without the
1B y Samuel E. Cohen of the Bureau’s Division of Wage Statistics.
412
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use of sampling. Otherwise errors, largely un
predictable in their effects, might be more serious
than sampling error. Hence, sampling some
times leads to increased accuracy, not less, as is
often assumed. It also reduces the time necessary
to collect and process data; even with unlimited
resources, the smaller the sample the earlier the
publication of results.
Collection of Information
The choice among various methods of collecting
wage information depends on the type of industry
surveyed, and the nature of the data sought.
Each method has its appropriate sampling pro
cedure, and considerations important in one case
may be trivial in another.
Thus, mail questionnaire surveys are suitable if
detailed occupational data are not desired and if
incentive methods of pay are uncommon. In
dealing with a complex occupational structure—
in which strict definitions of occupations are
essential and information on practices such as
vacations and sick leave is sought—personal visit
surveys have been found desirable. In both
cases, the sampling unit is the establishment,
rather than the individual. Most industries do
not have central sources showing individuals’
names and, if they did, the volume of collection
work would make surveys on such a basis im
possible in most cases. Surveys limited to a
single occupational group, such as engineers, are
an exception. For this profession, lists of names
can be assembled and the individuals can be
approached directly, by mail questionnaire. The
sampling problems involved differ greatly in each
particular survey, and are not discussed here.
In establishment sampling for wage studies,
no particular problem of conserving resources is
encountered in most mail questionnaire surveys.
The number of firms in a given industry and area
is generally not so great that sizable economy in
WAGES—ESTABLISHMENT SAMPLING
time or money can be effected by use of a refined
sampling technique. Such surveys are often
employed in those industries the extent of which
is not fully determined. In these instances, the
mail questionnaire is a useful device for gaining
information as to the actual number of firms.
The principal sampling difficulty is created by
the nonrespondents. Failure to investigate the
nature of the nonrespondents may introduce
biases into a mail survey, since in a good many
cases, they may not have answered owing to
factors allied to wages. The direction and size
of such bias cannot be predicted, and hence some
personal visits are generally required in mail
questionnaire surveys.
In personal visit surveys, careful design is
necessary in establishment sampling since the
cost per schedule obtained is rather high. The
object of any sampling procedure employed is to
secure the desired accuracy with a minimum
expenditure. Field representative visits to un
wisely selected establishments adversely affect the
accuracy of a survey relative to its cost.
General Sampling Procedures
Some general rules apply to the sampling and
collection of wage data, by field agent visit, as
done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(1) All visits are made according to some fixed
rule. If the plant is assigned, it must be visited,
and a disposition made; a schedule must be ob
tained unless the firm is outside the scope of the
survey, or out of business. An agent is given no
discretionary powers as to which particular firms
are to be visited. Ease ol obtaining a schedule
does not influence the choice of individual firms
for study. Every reasonable effort is made to
get a schedule, once a firm is assigned. All firms
within the scope of the particular survey are in
cluded in the industry population from which the
sample is drawn.
(2) Personal judgment as to what constitutes
representative firms is not relied upon. The sys
tem of sampling employed is unbiased, i. e., there
is no reason to expect that any characteristic of a
given sample would be more likely to be greater
than to be less than the results from a complete
census. The procedure, if repeated over all pos
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
413
sible samples of the same size, would give the
same results as a census. In addition, the pro
cedure is such that if successive samples were
taken, all possible samples would occur with
approximately equal frequency.
(3)
The system employed makes possible some
appraisal of the sampling error of the results.
Only then can it be determined objectively whether
the sample should be increased in the interest of
accuracy or decreased in the interest of economy.
Determination of Industry Population. In general,
the industry population is completely determined
before sampling is begun. That is, a list of firms
is assembled in some form, and, insofar as possible,
grouped according to such pertinent character
istics as are known, i. e., product, location, etc.
Sources used for this purpose include listings
provided by the various State departments of labor
or unemployment compensation bureaus, trade
directories, lists provided by trade associations,
unions, or regulatory government agencies. If
these lists are used in combination, care is taken
to eliminate duplication.
The size of the industry population may be ad
justed as the result of the field work, if it is found
that a certain proportion of the firms assigned
should not be covered, i. e., are out of business or
engaged in a type of business not covered in the
survey. The estimated total population is ad
justed in accordance with the findings in the
sample study.
In some cases a preliminary sample study, or
even a census, may be made of an industry in order
to obtain essential data on various characteristics
of establishments for use in the classification of the
population. No wage data are obtained in such
a preliminary survey.
Size Limits. A restriction is usually placed upon
the minimum size of firms to be studied. De
pending on the industry and the distribution of
total employment by size of plant, lower limits
range from 5 employees in auto repair shops to 250
in airframe manufacturing. Otherwise, it would
be necessary to expand greatly both the list of
firms from which the sample is drawn and the
sample studied. In addition, the sampling error
of the results would be greater than that which is
found when the minimum size of firm studied is
414
WAGES—ESTABLISHMENT SAMPLING
limited. Another reason for such limitations is
that the surveys deal primarily with occupational
wages, and the smaller firms frequently do not
provide the occupational specialization of duties
that is necessary to define an occupation clearly.
Exclusion of the smallest size firms is not likely to
have a very great net effect on the average wage
levels. The differences in over-all averages caused
by such exclusions have, in every case investigated,
been less than the sampling error normally
expected.
After establishing the minimum size for survey,
every effort is made to insure that the results
represent an unbiased estimate of the segment of
an industry actually studied. Thus, firms of all
sizes studied have a chance of being included in
the survey. They are not necessarily all repre
sented in the same proportion, but the dispro
portion is adjusted by the assignment of proper
weights (see p. 416).
Approximate Sample Size Needed. No advance
judgment is possible to determine a sample size
uniformly sufficient for all purposes. For in
stance, if the workers in one of the occupations
studied, such as maintenance electricians, were
paid almost uniform rates throughout a city, a
sample of very few establishments would suffice.
But the same size sample would be clearly de
ficient for any occupation in which rates varied
considerably from plant to plant. A small sample
might be sufficient for determining the average
rate for jobs that are found in every establishment,
but inadequate for an uncommon job. There
fore, some occupation or characteristic must be
selected that can be measured with the desired
degree of accuracy, and about which the sample
size can be developed. Some items will be meas
ured more and others less accurately. The par
ticular research worker’s knowledge of what is
important in the given industry is indispensable,
and there is no purely statistical substitute for it.
If break-downs of the data by some character
istic are sought, sufficiently large samples must be
provided for each subgroup. For instance, in the
women’s dress industry, data are customarily
shown for the so-called contract shops and inside
shops separately. These are considered separately
and the appropriate sample size is chosen for each.
In such cases, the accuracy of the data for the
combined group is greater than it would be if the
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MONTHLY LABOR
total sample were planned to show the combined
group as a unit.
After selection of the items used as the standard
of accuracy, a determination is made of the ap
proximate sample size needed to yield estimates
of such items, within the specified degree of ac
curacy. The following information is employed
for this purpose.
(1) Number of establishments in the particular
industry.
(2) An estimate of the coefficient of variation
of the item being measured.2 Here, the results of
any previous surveys of the same industry are
most helpful. If such information is lacking, the
coefficient must be estimated from other surveys
of a similar nature, or (lacking such data) from
experience in a related field.
Knowing these two quantities, it is possible to
arrive at the approximate sample size by the
usual formula for the sampling error of the means
of a finite population.
The usual formula for the sampling error of the
mean—
(1) S ( A 0 = ^ S
■\n
where S (M) is the sampling (standard) error of
the mean, M, S (X) is the standard deviation of
the population averages (estimated from the
sample, as a rule, though not necessarily), and n
is the sample size in terms of establishments—
should be modified in this case to allow for the
fact that in occupational wage surveys the samp
ling is done without replacements from moderately
small populations. Instead of (1) write
N - n S (g )
N — 1 -yjn
where S (M), S (X ), and n are the same as above
and N is the size of the finite population (in terms
of establishments).
Since the distribution of plant averages is ap
proximately normal, it may be assumed with
2
The coefficient of variation as used here is the ratio of the standard devia
tion of establishment averages to the average of all establishment averages.
Although wage levels themselves were increased, the relative dispersion of
wages from plant to plant appears to remain relatively stationary for short
periods. In recent years, the practice of granting general wage increases in
cents-per-hour has caused slight shrinkage of the relative variation between
establishments so that some slight overestimate of the coefficient of variation
results from use of previous data.
REVIEW , A PRIL 1950
WAGES—ESTABLISHMENT SAMPLING
safety that two-thirds of all averages, based on
samples of size n, will lie within the range M ± S
(M), or that 95 percent will lie within the range
M ± 2S (M). Therefore, it is necessary to solve
the equation
where K is a factor depending on the degree of
confidence with which it is expected that the
sample mean falls in the allowed range.
Since it is sought to obtain the relative error
and not the absolute error, division by the mean
M, yields
Percent of error= K
I--
-ÏL
M N - 1 fin
^
—
n
where V is the coefficient of variation.
Solving for n, the sample size, yields
(PE)A^=L i
PE —is the permitted percentage of error
N —number of establishments in the population
V —coefficient of variation of item studied
K —number of standard errors on either side of
mean needed to determine the desired confidence
interval.
(2 if the sample mean should differ
from population mean by no more than the per
mitted error in fewer than 5 cases out of a hundred,
1.645 if sample mean should differ from popula
tion mean by no more than the permitted error
in no more than 10 cases out of a hundred.) The
appropriate value of K can be found in the tables
of the normal curve for other situations.
Tables corresponding to the various values of
population sizes and coefficients of variation can
be computed in advance.
Stratification Procedures. The preceding discus
sion on sample sizes is based on the assumption
that the data presented are the sample average of
establishment averages. However, in actual prac
tice it is more usual to publish, not the average of
plant averages, but the average for the individual
workers in the occupation, i. e., the average pub
lished is the weighted average of the individual
earnings, not simply an average of the individual
establishment averages. For instance, if the
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
415
averages for tool and die makers in three of the
sampled establishments are as follows:
Establishment 1
____
Establishment 2___
____
Establishment 3 _____ ____
N um ber of
tool and die
makers
H ou rly
earnings
4
5
1
$1. 50
1. 80
1. 20
The weighted average hourly earnings derived
from this sample is:
(4X1.50) + (5X1.80) + (1X1.20)
4+5+1
^
The relatively large variation from plant to
plant in the number of workers in an occupation
means that the sampling problem is complicated
by two quantities, each of which is subject to
sampling error—the plant averages themselves
and the number of workers involved. In order
to reduce the effect of the latter element on the
sampling error of the weighted mean, the sampling
must be done, not at random from the whole
population but from a series of subdivisions, or
strata, in which plants of approximately the same
size classifications are grouped.
After deciding on sample size, allocation of the
sample to the various size strata follows. This
allocation should be as efficient as possible, i. e.,
it should yield a smaller sampling error than any
other allocations of a sample of the same size.3
The way to achieve the most efficient distribu
tion, or optimum allocation, of the sample to the
various size strata has been determined to be by
the assignment of schedules in proportion to the
total employment in the strata. For example, if a
size stratum has 20 percent of the employment of
the industry, 20 percent of the sample should be
taken from that stratum. Strictly, the number
taken should be jointly proportional to the total
employment and the standard deviation of aver
age earnings within each size stratum. However,
little evidence exists to show that these standard
deviations differ sufficiently from size group to size
group to merit the additional labor of considering
them as other than equal.
It may appear that the preliminary sample size
could be computed by solving the equation for the
3
N o reference to the relative cost of the collection of large schedules and of
small or medium-sized schedules has been made up to this point. Consider
ing the large proportion of overhead (travel time, and time necessary to see
the official giving the information), the method outlined herein has also been
found the most efficient from the standpoint of total cost. Only in the largest
firms has it been found worthwhile to resort to intraplant sampling.
416
WAGES—ESTABLISHMENT SAMPLING
sampling error of the mean of a stratified sample
selected according to the principle of optimum al
location. Actually, this is scarcely ever possible
in occupational wage surveys because the distribu
tion of plants by size is such that the number of
largest plants demanded under this theory is gen
erally larger than the number that actually exist
in the entire population.
In order to compute the sampling error of the
estimated mean, the actual number of schedules
selected in the formula may be substituted for the
error of the mean of a stratified sample. If the
plant distribution by size is such that the error
appears considerably smaller than desirable, the
sample size may then be reduced. In general no
modification is necessary except in those cases
where several comparatively large firms account
for a high proportion of the total employment in
the area. Often, some slight enlargement of sam
ple size is made to compensate for the irregular
frequency of occurrence of fairly important occu
pations.
Peculiar problems of occupational structure oc
cur in some industries. For instance, in the cotton
textile industry, the industry is quite generally
divided into integrated mills (those spinning yarn
and weaving) and yarn mills (those spinning
alone) in some areas. The spinning mills con
tribute no information regarding the wages of
weavers, and, therefore, the two groups must be
considered as separate populations in selecting
samples.
In a good many cases, it is possible to perform
further stratification of establishments if informa
tion is available regarding such characteristics as
unionization, type of products, etc. In cases of
this kind, it is often possible to classify the estab
lishments by such characteristics within each size
group and to set up small cells and to select one
or more sample members from these cells. Cur
rently, little is known as to the reduction of sam
pling error by such procedures. Very often such
information is not available, and no further strati
fication is possible, and attempts to use fragmen
tary information may result in an unknown bias.
Regardless of stratification methods, once the
cells have been established, the selection of the
plants actually studied is purely random. This is
true even though personal judgment is used in
determining the make-up of the cells themselves.
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MONTHLY LABOR
Estimation From the Sample. When the method of
optimum allocation is used, the sample generally
consists of all very large firms, a large proportion of
the next size group, a smaller proportion of the
next, and so on. Obviously, straight addition of
the data for all of these establishments would
yield a bias toward the large firms. Therefore,
smaller firms are assigned weights that are the
inverse of the sampling ratio for the stratum from
which they are chosen, e. g., if a third of the plants
are selected from a cell, they are all given a weight
of 3. By use of punch-card methods, the compu
tation of individual strata averages is avoided, and
the estimated total workers and aggregate earnings
for all strata combined are computed simultane
ously.
To illustrate the use of weights, suppose that
establishment 1 was drawn from a cell in which
half the plants were used in a sample. It is
therefore given a weight of 2. Establishment 2, on
the other hand, was taken with certainty, i. e., it
stood in a class by itself, and is given a weight of 1.
Establishment 3 was taken from a cell where a
fourth of all plants were used in the sample, and
hence is given a weight of 4. The calculations
are, therefore:
Total weighted
earnings
Total weighted
workers
Establishment 1
2X 4X 1. 50
Establishment 2_ __ __ 1X 5X 1. 80
Establishment 3 _ ____ 4 X 1 X 1 . 20
2X 4
1X 5
4X 1
25. 80
17
Estimated universe___
The estimated average hourly earnings in this
. $25.80 ^
case is —y j—=$1.52.
Limitations of Sampling Theory
Difficulties are encountered in attempting to
calculate rigorously the sampling error of weighted
averages of the type published by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics in its occupational wage studies.
These averages are strictly the ratio of two random
and highly correlated variables, the total earnings
and number of workers, information on whose
exact distribution is not available in its entirety.
Under favorable conditions, the sampling error of
such ratios can be approximated but this cannot be
done too well if the relative variation of the
REVIEW , A PRIL 1950
WAGES—ESTABLISHMENT SAMPLING
denominators (number of workers) is large, as is
often the case. The necessary computations are
also quite expensive.
Experimental work indicates that the relative
sampling error of the average of plant averages
(within any size group) is not materially different
from that of the weighted average. By insuring
inclusion of all large plants, the sampling error of
the over-all average of any given item is likely to be
reasonable, especially for specialized occupations
likely to be found in large establishments.
The assumption that the optimum sample de
sign for one item is also optimum for others may
not be strictly sound. But it is necessary to work
with only one sample for all purposes. In any
event, wages and wage practices are highly corre
lated, and departures from optimum design can
not be too great in most cases (i. e., number of
workers receiving specified types of vacation priv
ileges). Samples of the design used are also
reasonably efficient for estimating the total em
ployment in the industry being studied, as well
as the total number of workers in specific occupa
tions.
Illustrative Example. An illustration is the selec
tion of a sample for the power laundry industry
in a large city, where there were 150 establish
ments of more than 20 workers. According to a
previous survey, the average coefficient of varia
tion for this industry in this city was approxi
mately 1 to 5, corresponding to a sample size of
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
417
about 30. In the total population, the employ
ment and firms were distributed as follows:
N u m b er employed,
251 and over____________________
101-250--------------------------------------51-100---------------------------------------21-50-----------------------------------------T otal______________________
P la n ts
2
42
63
43
150
Workers
700
6,300
4,600
1,400
13,000
Hence, the final sample would be distributed as
follows :
I2 qqqX 30==1.6 from the largest size group
13000 X 30 = 14.5 from the second group
i43000X30==10.6 from the third group
jv^jjj^X30=:3.2 from the fourth group
In actual practice, since a whole number of
firms must be taken, the final sample consisted of
2 of the largest with a weight of 1; 14 of the next
group with a weight of 3; 11 of the next group
with a weight of 6; and 4 of the smallest firms
with a weight of 11 ; a total of 31 schedules. The
departure from the numbers shown previously
was made in order to simplify the weighting pro
cedure.
418
WAGES—CONDUCT OF SURVEYS
MONTHLY LABOR
methods of making occupational wage sur
veys 2 have evolved from long years of experience
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the collec
tion and analysis of facts relating to the country’s
wage structure. These surveys are designed to
provide the public with wage and related infor
mation in a form that emphasizes the major
factors that make for differences in wage levels.
Typically, wage levels in the United States vary
by occupation and industry, and within industry
by geographic location, size of establishment, size
of community, extent of unionization, and method
of wage payment. Much of the planning, samp
ling procedures, methods of collection, and tabula
tion are influenced by these factors of variability.
Four types of wage surveys are currently con
ducted by the Bureau; each is distinguished by
the population unit that is considered in sampling.
First, there is the Nation-wide industry survey,
in which samples are selected with reference to
the industry as a whole. However, these samples
are so stratified that regional and locality data
are also provided. The second type is the indus
try-by-area survey. In these studies samples are
selected with reference to a particular industry in
an area. The third type is the cross-industry
study, in which samples are selected with refer
ence to all industries in an area. This type of
study is mainly practical in occupations, such as
office occupations, that are found in most indus
tries within an area. Fourth, in surveys of pro
fessional workers, sampling is carried out with
reference to all workers in a profession rather
than in any establishments with which they may
be associated. Each type of survey yields some
what different results from the others, but essen
tially the methods of making the studies, except
for the sampling, have certain elements in common.
The comparatively high cost of occupational
wage studies makes it impracticable to study all
industries annually. In all instances, it is the
Bureau’s objective to provide occupational wage
data for the leading industries at least every 2 or
3 years, however. Beginning in 1947, annual
studies have been made of a group of some 20
industries on an industry-by-area basis for the
twofold purpose of providing information more
frequently than is usual and for establishing a
wage series to portray the movement of wages in
these industries. In selecting industries for study
in any year, the Bureau is guided by the interest
of the public in information as well as by its
anticipation of important developments in par
ticular industries.
The wage data considered of primary impor
tance and adopted for occupational studies are
straight-time rates, excluding overtime and shift
premiums.3 Rates as such can be obtained, how
ever, only for workers paid on a time rate basis.
For those workers covered by piece work or other
incentive systems of wage payment, a rate of
earnings is obtained by dividing earnings, ex
clusive of overtime and shift premiums, by the
total time worked during a pay-roll period.
For plant, or production, workers rates are usually
obtained on an hourly basis; weekly rates are
obtained for office workers; and annual or month
ly rates are most frequently measured for pro
fessional workers. In general, the surveys at
tempt to use the measure of wages that is typical
in the industry and occupations being studied.
In conjunction with the wage rates, the number
and sex of the workers is obtained for use in
tabulations based on this characteristic.
Supplementing the wage data, information on
various related practices is also studied. Among
these items are shift premiums, paid holidays, paid
vacations, and insurance and pension plans.
The findings of these studies are used extensively
in collective bargaining, as well as in private wage
determinations. They are also used in making
interregional and intercity comparisons of wage
rates, in order to facilitate decisions with respect
to plant location. In addition, they provide nec
essary information for the formulation of public
policy on wages, as in minimum wage legislation,
and for the analysis of trends in economic develop
ment.
1 B y Kermit B. Mohn of the Bureau’s Division of Wage Statistics.
2 This article relates to studies in which data are derived from employer
pay-roll records or from individual workers. Bor a description of surveys
based on union records, see note VI in this series, Preparation of Union
Scales of Wages and Hours, M onthly Labor Review, November 1949 (p. 545).
2 Straight-time rates more accurately reflect a worker’s payment for a
uniform unit of work as compared with gross earnings which are affected
by the length of time worked.
XIII. Occupational Wages:
Conduct of Surveys 1
T he
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
WAGES—CONDUCT OF SURVEYS
Limitations of Surveys
The value of successive Bureau occupational
wage studies of a particular industry for measuring
changes occurring between the survey periods
usually has certain limitations, even though the
intervals between surveys may be as short as a
year. These limitations arise from the fact that,
while individual studies are made under the same
general procedures, they are designed to meet
specific industry and labor needs of the moment
in terms of occupational classifications, job descrip
tions, types of data, and other factors. For exam
ple, surveys have been made annually for a number
of industries. Consultations with management
and labor are held before each study, however,
and necessary changes are adopted. For that
reason alone, the consecutive studies are not
strictly comparable. Although this may be dis
advantageous in some respects, the primary pur
pose of the studies is to indicate wage levels as of
a particular time rather than to attempt to portray
the movement from one survey period to another.
Study Methods and Sources
In developing plans for the surveys, Bureau
consultations are held with industry and labor
representatives, through its Business and Labor
Advisory Research Committees and directly with
management and labor representatives in each
industry. Subjects dealt with generally relate to
technical matters regarding time of studies, selec
tion of jobs for study, preparation of job descrip
tions, and kinds of special data needed by those
directly interested in the study.
Planning of Surveys. Industry scope in the wage
surveys is practically always expressed in terms of
the classification system of the Standard Industrial
Classification Manual issued by the Bureau of the
Budget. Varying according to the particular
study, the scope may range from a part of a 4-digit
category to a combination of several 3-digit clas
sifications; the basic criterion is that the industry
being studied should represent a fairly homogene
ous unit insofar as wages and occupations are con
cerned. In order to increase efficiency in the col
lection of data, the scope of the industry is usually
modified to exclude all establishments with fewer
than a specified number of workers. This mini
mum size limitation is established after a study of
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
419
the possible effects this limitation would have on
the results. Another practical reason for the
adoption of size limitations is the difficulty en
countered in classifying workers in the very small
establishments where the same degree of specializa
tion found in large plants does not exist.
It is not essential to provide data for all occupa
tions in an industry in order to describe an indus
try’s wage structure. In addition to the increased
cost of obtaining occupational data for all occupa
tions in an industry, the usefulness of such data
is seriously limited because of the wide differences
in occupational structure from plant to plant.
In recent years, therefore, a list of key jobs has
been selected which represents the total occu
pational structure ranging from the least- to the
highest-skilled workers. In the selection of such
jobs, the following criteria have been useful:
(1) numerical importance of job, measured by
workers in the job; (2) definiteness of occupation;
(3) stability of occupation from period to period;
(4) prevalence of occupation among establish
ments; and (5) historical importance of job in
establishing wage rates. In addition to these
five criteria for selecting individual jobs, the
entire list is selected in order to represent the
complete range of rates in the wage structure
from high to low, since it is assumed that the rates
of pay for the key jobs can be used as bench marks
for measuring rates of the nonselected jobs by
relating the one group to the other.
Each key occupation is carefully defined in
order to obtain maximum comparability of jobs
from plant to plant. In preparing such defini
tions, the suggestions of industry and labor repre
sentatives are of great value. A job description
that is to be used in a survey involving many
establishments includes the major determining
characteristics of the job. It is flexible enough,
however, with respect to minor variations to
permit interplant comparisons based primarily
on the major elements. Above all, classification
of workers is based on job descriptions and not
on titles of jobs used in various plants.
Collection of Data. The results obtained from
a complete coverage of all establishments in an
industry, as compared with those obtained from
a carefully selected sample, would not warrant
the generally large expenditure involved even
if the funds were available. For this reason,
the Bureau’s surveys are practically always made
on a sample basis.4
Data for most of the occupational wage surveys
are obtained by personal field visit to each
establishment in the sample on forms of the type
here reproduced. Experience with these surveys
has proved personal visits are necessary in most
industries to obtain a high degree of uniformity in
the data, especially in the classification of workers
by occupation. The field work is administered
through the Bureau’s five regional offices. Sur
veys of professional workers require direct report
ing from the workers themselves. These, as
well as a limited number of industries which have
highly standardized occupations, are surveyed
by mail questionnaire.
The basic source of information, when estab
lishments are visited, is the pay roll or other com
pany records. In order to classify workers by
occupation, discussions are held with company
personnel acquainted with job content. In addi
tion, the Bureau representative usually observes
the workers on duty. Information on practices
related to wages is obtained from the authorized
company official.
Compilation Procedures
Individual company reports are forwarded to
the respective regional offices of the Bureau which
have the primary responsibility for reviewing,
editing, and preparing the schedules for tabulation.
The schedules are reviewed for reasonableness and
1The sampling procedure is described in the preceding article (p. 412).
B .L S
MONTHLY LABOR
WAGES—CONDUCT OF SURVEYS
420
completeness. Various codes and weights are
assigned to each schedule as a preliminary step to
the preparation of punch cards. Next the sched
ules are forwarded to Washington where the
information is punched on cards and listings of
the punched cards are made. The schedules and
listings are returned to the regional office where
they are again checked. The initial tabulations
prepared by the regional offices, consisting of
data for a wage area (usually a central city and
such surrounding territory as constitutes a rela
tively homogeneous area with respect to wage
structure), are made directly from the listings
which are set up for the facilitation of these
tabulations. In Nation-wide studies, additional
tabulations are prepared to reflect the differences
in wage levels resulting from the various factors
previously mentioned. All final summary tables,
except the area reports, are prepared in Washing
ton. Area reports are issued on standardized
forms. Nation-wide and regional summaries are
published in bulletins, press releases, and articles
in the Monthly Labor Review.
Two methods of weighting are used in comput
ing the various averages. In computing the aver
age for any occupation, all rates are first multiplied
by the number of workers receiving those rates
and then dividing by the total number of workers
so that the rate for each worker will have its
proportionate influence on the over-all average.
The other weighting factor is one assigned to each
establishment so as to adjust the data to reflect
the proportionate influence of the establishment
in the entire population rather than in the sample.
(See preceding article.)
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
, U75
OWR-2
(Rev. 49)
Page________
Schedule number
Page number
Establishment name
Occupational Rates—
Pay-roll period fro m __________________ t o ___________________ ,1 9 ____
C odes
Occupation and G rade
(2)
Ind.
(1)
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Occup.
Sex
M . W .P .
(3)
(4)
N umrer
OF
H ours E arnings
W orkers
R ate or
Straight
T ime
H ourly
E arnings
M inimum
G uaran U nion
teed
R ate
R ate
G r.
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
OASI EARNINGS STATISTICS
OASI Earnings Statistics
and Their Uses 1
A l a r g e v o l u m e of statistical information on the
earnings patterns and employment characteristics
of American workers is collected in administering
the old-age and survivors insurance program, by
the Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance,
Federal Security Agency. Practically all of it is
of a type not available from any other source, and
is valuable in studies of a variety of social, eco
nomic, actuarial, and administrative problems.
This source has already been utilized in dealing
with important problems both in and outside
government circles, particularly in the social
security program, but the full potentials of the
BOASI earnings or wage records have not yet
been developed. The wage data that are now
made available from the old-age and survivors
insurance records and their uses and the series
which may be developed by further coordination
among government, labor, and management are
indicated in this article.
Two types of old-age and survivors insurance
wage statistics are compiled as illustrated in
tables 1-3. Broadly, they are total pay-roll
figures for each calendar quarter and year and
distributions of workers in covered employments
classified by their annual wage and salary amounts.
For example, aggregate pay rolls in covered
employments amounted to 24.5 billion dollars in
the first calendar quarter 1949. The wage size
distributions show that 3.1 percent of the covered
workers in 1939 had annual earnings of $3,000 or
more in that year as compared with 24.3 percent in
1948. Both the aggregate earnings figures and
the distributions of workers by amount of earnings
are available for various groups of covered
workers, such as men, women, whites, Negroes,
and workers in various States, industry groups,
and in a number of other classifications.
421
figures (table 1) are available, as follows: (1) Wages
which are taxable under the OASI program (known
as taxable wages); (2) wages which are creditable
to a worker for benefit purposes (known as wage
credits); and (3) wages which are paid in covered
employments, including taxable as well as nontaxable wages and salaries (known as total covered
earnings). Each of these three types of aggregates
is significant for different purposes.
Taxable wages are wages from which taxes are
deducted. Therefore, time-series on aggregate
taxable wages are valuable in administrative
planning. For example, they are used in esti
mating the amount of taxes to be collected under
the OASI program, by applying the prevailing
tax rate to the taxable pay-roll aggregate.
Data on aggregate wage credits indicate po
tential OASI benefits of insured workers and their
dependents. By obtaining a monthly average of
the wage credits accumulated over the individual’s
working life, it is possible to apply the benefit
formula under the OASI program and thus to
determine the worker’s potential primary benefit.
Utilizing these figures, it is also possible to compare
potential benefit amounts with total tax contri
butions and to make actuarial estimates.
Total covered earnings form a basis for measur
ing the extent of coverage of the OASI program
and the additional tax yield under provisions
other than the existing $3,000 provision. In
view of the high proportion of coverage, especially
in some geographic divisions, they also give a
general measure of purchasing power.
Total wage and salary earnings represent the
complete pay rolls in covered employments. Con
sequently, they are useful in the compilation of
national income estimates. The OASI aggregates
are, in fact, transmitted quarterly to the National
Income Division of the Department of Commerce.
These aggregates are used each year as the bench
mark in the preparation of estimates of total wage
and salary payments in industry and commerce.
Workers in employments covered by old-age and
Aggregate Wage Statistics
a worker receives from a single employer in covered employment. Since
many workers are employed by more than one employer in a year, and
receive more than $3,000 from one or more of these employers, taxable wages
1By B. J. Mandel of the Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance,
include some earnings over $3,000. Wage credits, however, exclude all of a
Social Security Administration, Federal Security Agency.
worker’s earnings over $3,000, regardless of the number of his employers,
3 All three types of aggregate include wages in kind, tips (where reported), because earnings over $3,000 a year are not creditable for benefit purposes.
bonus payments, and other types of payments subject to social security
Total covered earnings include all wages and salaries in covered employments
deductions. They exclude earnings in noncovered employments, such as
regardless of the $3,000 provision. These aggregates are partly estimated by
employment by Federal, State, and local governments, railroads, agriculture,
means of special studies and use of State figures on nontaxable pay rolls
and self-employment. Taxable wages are limited to the first $3,000 a year
under unemployment insurance.
Three different kinds2 of aggregate wage
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
422
survivors insurance received about 102 billion
dollars in 1948 (table 1) which constituted nearly
78 percent of all wage and salary payments in the
country in that calendar year. Total earnings in
covered employment represented over threefourths of total pay rolls in civilian employment
in 1941-48. Owing to the high porportion of total
civilian wage and salary earnings in covered em
ployments, the old-age and survivors insurance
total earnings aggregates clearly form a solid base
for the United States Department of Commerce
estimates of civilian pay rolls.
T
MONTHLY LABOR
OASI EARNINGS STATISTICS
1 .-—Comparison of total annual pay rolls in all
civilian employment with three types of pay rolls covered
by OASI
Because of the $3,000 limitation on taxable
wages, the regular size distributions show class
intervals up to $3,000 and group all workers with
$3,000 or more in a single interval. By using
medians as a basis for comparing average earnings,
the problem of the open end earnings class is
overcome. Furthermore, when median earnings
are above $3,000, or when distributions above
$3,000 are required, some estimating is necessary.
T able 2.— OASI-estimated number and percentage distri
bution of workers by amount of annual covered earnings,
1939, 1944, and 1948 (for all workers and four-quarter
workers)
able
Annual covered
earnings [wage credits]
Number (in thousands)
1939
1944
1948
Pay rolls covered by OASI
Total
pay roll
in all
Year civilian
Wage
employ Taxable crédits
ment (in wages (in mil
millions)1
lions)
1937— .
1938....
1939....
1940— .
1941__
1942..__
1943— .
1944—
1945....
1946— ,
1947— .
1948....
$45, 590
42, 442
45, 347
48, 996
59,846
75, 557
91, 202
96, 286
95, 075
103, 460
118,325
131,373
$29, 615
26,502
29, 745
32,974
41,848
52,939
62, 423
64, 426
62, 945
69,088
78,372
84,188
$29, 590
26,472
29, 745
32, 789
41, 557
52, 261
61,416
63,363
61, 602
68,109
76,824
82, 200
Total
earn
ings
Taxable
wages
Wage
credits
Total
earnings
65.0
62.4
65.6
67.3
69.9
70.1
68.4
66.9
64.9
62.4
65.6
66.9
69.4
69.2
67.3
65.8
64.8
65.8
64.9
62.6
71.9
68.4
71.1
72.8
76.0
77.1
76.4
76.2
75.3
76.6
78.1
77.9
66.2
66.8
66.2
64.1
1939
1944
1948
All workers
Percent of total civilian
pay rolls
$32,770
29,026
32,222
35, 668
45,463
58, 219
69,653
73, 349
71, 560
79,260
92, 449
102,385
Percentage distribution
1Estim ated by U. S. Department of Commerce.
$l-$499______________
$500-$999____________
$1,000-$1,999_________
$2,000-$2,999_________
$3,000 and over_______
13, 279
8,049
9,181
2,185
1,055
14,113
6, 337
10, 930
7,753
7,163
Total__________
33,751
46, 296
49,300
Median_____________
$716
$1, 223
$1, 800
10,500
5, 900
10,400
10, 500
12,000
39.3
23.8
27.2
6.5
3.1
30.5
13.7
23.6
16.7
15.5
100.0 100.0
21.3
12.0
21.1
21.3
24.3
100.0
Four-quarter workers
$l-$499____ __________
$500~$999____________
$1,000-$1,999_________
$2,000-$2,999_________
$3,000 and over_______
2, 676
6,651
8,877
2, 149
1, 023
1,246
3,273
9. 288
7,442
7,095
7, 800
9, 900
11,900
Total__________
21,376
28, 344
32,300
$1,113
$2,045
$2,600
Median___ _______
600
2,100
12.5
31.1
41.5
10.1
4.8
4.4
11.5
32.8
26.3
25.0
100.0 100.0
2.0
6.5
24.1
30.7
36.8
100.0
Wage Size Distributions
The OASI data on earnings distributions show
the number of workers and amount of earnings at
different levels of annual earnings by calendar
years (see table 2 for 1939, 1944, and 1948 statis
tics) . Thus, they are indicators of the American
worker’s actual earnings in the course of a year in
different industries and localities. Moreover, the
annual earnings series show the extent of covered
employment during the year as measured by
“quarters of employment.” Generally, the fourquarter workers are regularly employed in covered
industry; to a minor extent, some less-than-fourquarter workers are also regularly employed.
Classification of wage size distributions by quarters
of employment provides a fairly reliable basis for
determining the extent of full-year and part-year
covered employment in different industries and
localities.
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Regular Uses of Series. The annual wage size
distributions form a comprehensive statistical
background for the analysis of annual earnings.
For example, the number and percentage distribu
tion of four-quarter workers in covered employ
ments shown in table 2 indicate that the median
wages in covered employment of four-quarter
workers increased from $1,113 in 1939 to $2,045
in 1944 and to $2,600 in 1948. The reported
proportion of four-quarter workers with annual
covered earnings of $3,000 or more rose from 4.8
percent in 1939 to 36.8 percent in 1948.
When classified by industry, this type of in
formation provides facts on the levels and trends
in annual earnings, which are useful to both labor
and management in many fields of wage analysis.
The data have been used in appraising and plan
ning certain phases of the OASI program and, to a
smaller extent, in connection with consideration
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
OASI EARNINGS STATISTICS
of private retirement, health, and welfare pro
grams.
An example of levels and trends of annual earn
ings in industry groups is shown in table 3. It
gives the wage distribution of workers in the manu
facture of textile-mill products and of food and
kindred products for 1945 and 1947. Among
other facts, this table shows that from 1945 to
1947 median annual earnings of four-quarter
workers in the textile industry increased by 35
percent (or from $1,501 to $2,025) as compared
with 22 percent for four-quarter workers in food
manufacturing (or from $2,093 to $2,544).
T able 3.— OASI-comparison of annual covered earnings
of four-quarter workers in textile and food manufacturing
industries, 1945-47.
Percentage distribution of workers by industry
Annual covered
earnings
$1-$199______________
$200-$399____________
$400-$599_______ .
$600-$799________
$800-$999____________
$1,000-$l, 199_________
$1, 200-$l, 399_______
$1,400-$1, 599_________
$1, 600-$1, 799_________
$1,800-$l, 999_________
$2, 000-$2,199_________
$2, 200-$2,399_________
$2,400-$2, 599_________
$2, 600-$2, 799_________
$2,800-$2, 999_________
$3,000 and over_______
Total__________
Median_____________
0.2
.8
2.2
4.4
7.9
12.4
15.1
13.9
9.3
7.1
5.8
4.3
3.6
2.9
2.5
1946
0.1
.5
1.2
2.2
4.3
6.6
10.9
13.6
13.2
10.8
1947
0.1
.2
.7
1.4
2.7
4.1
6.3
8.7
11.3
13.2
1945
0.9
1.7
2.6
3.4
4.3
5.8
7.0
7.7
6.6
7.6
6.7
5.0
4.0
3.1
10.3
6.5
5.6
4.1
15.2
7.1
6.3
6.4
6.4
5.8
5.5
22.5
$1, 762
$2,025
$2,093
11.1
8.8
1946
1947
0.4
.9
0.5
3.1
4.4
5.4
7.2
7.3
7.9
7.9
7.5
7.7
2.5
3.0
3.9
5.1
5.8
6.4
1.6
2.1
6.6
5.3
2.6
24.8
100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
$1, 501
$2, 249
.8
1.2
1.6
6.8
7.0
7.3
7.2
6.8
34.0
100.0
$2, 544
Classification by age of the workers provides a
variety of facts on age and earnings in industry.
One user of the age-industry wage distribution
data from the OASI records is the Division of
Child Labor and Youth Employment of the
Bureau of Labor Standards, United States De
partment of Labor. There appears to be no
better, more comprehensive, and readily available
series on the number of wage earners under the
age of 18 years in industry and commerce than
the regular OASI annual tabulations.
Much has been said about the problems of older
workers in industry. The OASI age tabulations
provide statistics on the wage levels and earnings
patterns of older workers in comparison with
middle aged and young workers.3 For example,
* See The Older Worker, Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Program
Analysis Report 3. April 1949, Federal Security Agency, Social Security
Administration, Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
data for 1947 indicate that young workers under
age 20 had median covered earnings of $354 as
compared with $2,130 for workers in age group
45-59 and $1,566 for those aged 65 years and over.
Data on the number and proportion of women
in covered employments and their wage size
distributions as well as other characteristics have
been tabulated for a number of years through 1948.
They show regularly the industries which pre
dominantly employ women, the age distribution
of women workers, and their earnings as compared
with those for men. From these records, a special
tabulation of figures covering workers in the
laundry industry was made for the Women’s
Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. Thus, data
were provided on the number of quarters of
employment, amount of annual earnings, and age
of women and men in the industry.
Food
Textiles
1945
423
Special Uses oj Series. The BOASI is not always
informed of the specific applications that are made
of its data. But a few of these special uses have
been recorded in correspondence with other
agencies. For example, data on the industrial
and employer mobility of steel and automobile
workers were provided for studies of industry
retirement plans. Data on workers aged 65 years
and over with earnings under $500 and under a
$1,000 a year were provided to the Treasury
Department for planning the special tax provision
for older workers, whereby those aged 65 and over
were taxed only on earnings over a $1,000 a year
(currently $1,200 a year) rather than over $500
(currently $600) as is the case for wage earners
under that age. Data on Negro workers and
their annual earnings by industry have been
supplied to the U. S. Fair Employment Practices
Committee. They provided background informa
tion on the extent of Negro employment in
industry and the annual earnings of these workers.
Key statistics in planning the compulsory military
training program were provided to the President’s
Commission on Military Training on the number
of male workers under age 25 and the amount of
their annual earnings.
Sources of Annual Data
Information from three basic reporting forms is
combined to obtain the data on annual earnings
here summarized.
424
OASI EARNINGS STATISTICS
(1) A reporting form, known as the application
for an account number (Form SS-5) is filed by the
employee. Every worker must complete this
form when entering covered employment, so that
his wage record may be permanently identified.
The principal statistical items which thus become
available are age, sex, and color. Applications for
account numbers were first made in November
1936, and by the end of 1936, over 17 million
numbers had been assigned. A year later, the
gross total issued had risen to 37 million and by
the end of 1949 to 95 million. Not all of those
who have numbers have wage credits under the
program. By adjusting for deaths, multiple
numbers, and those without wage postings, an
estimated total of 80.4 million living persons had
credits as of January 1, 1950. Currently, about
2.5 to 3.0 million new numbers are issued annually.
(2) A basic form is also filed by employers. It
consists of an application for an identification
number, from which the main statistical items
drawn are geographic location and nature of
business (industry) of the company and/or each
establishment. When the social security program
was inaugurated in January 1937, about 2 million
employers in commerce and industry employing
one or more workers had already been assigned
numbers, to identify them and their quarterly tax
reports. Each subsequent day, new employers,
as well as old employers, previously not registered
under the program, were issued numbers. By the
end of 1949, more than 7.7 million employer
numbers had been issued. Allowing for dis
continuance in operation, actually about 2.7
million active businesses report taxable wages
each quarter currently.
(3) A detailed wage report is filed each quarter
(the quarterly tax return) by the employer who
is liable under the Federal Insurance Contribu
tions Act. It shows for each individual employee,
his account number, name, taxable wages paid
during the quarter, and State of employment.4
(The 2.7 million employers who fded returns for
the first quarter 1949 reported taxable wages of
about 23.5 billion dollars for 38.8 million workers
in the quarter.) By combining the wage infor
mation reported for a worker for the first, second,
third, and fourth calendar quarters, wage totals
* Other information, such as aggregate taxable wages for the quarter and
employment in a given pay period and during the quarter, is also reported,
but is not used directly in compiling the annual wage data described above.
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MONTHLY LABOR
representing calendar-year earnings are obtained.
Furthermore, by combining the information
obtained from the basic employee and employer
reporting forms with the quarterly and annual
wages, information is obtained on the annual
earnings of each employee, age, sex, color, geo
graphic location, industry, calendar quarters of
employment, number of employers, number of
industries, and number of geographic locations.
Most of the foregoing items of information are
entered on punch-cards, one for each worker,
thus making it possible, with relatively little
extra cost, to tabulate statistical information on
the number and characteristics of employees under
the program by any combination of informational
items required to serve specific uses. However,
because of cost considerations, tabulations are
made on the basis of a sample of workers selected
at random by means of digits in the social security
account number. In current years, sample sizes
have varied from 1 to 3 percent of the total
number of workers (or from 500,000 to 1,500,000
workers).
Development of Statistics for Additional Uses
The wage statistics for covered employments,
based on employer pay-roll reports, are generally
considered highly accurate, sensitive, and reliable.
The completeness of the data is enhanced because
(1) the figures are derived from reports under a
taxing program enforced by law, and (2) many
workers check on their wage records to make sure
that their full wage credits are reported and
recorded (since eligibility for and the amount of
OASI benefits depend on reported wage amounts).
In addition, practically all workers in industry
and commerce and over three-fourths of all
civilian wages and salaries are covered by the
OASI wage statistics. Nevertheless, the useful
ness of the data may be increased further and
additional needs that have come to the attention
of the BOASI may be met.
A significant limitation is the lack of currency
of the OASI wage series. For example, the 1947
annual wage size distributions were not available
until the third quarter of 1949—a lag of about a
year and a half. Lag can be partly or largely
met and overcome (at somewhat higher cost) by
obtaining selected data at an earlier stage in the
accounting operations than is currently done.
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
OASI EA RN IN G S S T A T IS T IC S
Such “advance sample” tabulations are made
quarterly by the BOASI for its own adminis
trative uses, and they can be improved to provide
more current wage size distributions for other
uses.
Improvement is also needed in the data for
workers who receive wages in both covered and
noncovered employments. Estimates indicate
that about 10 to 15 percent of the workers in
covered employment in a year also receive earn
ings from some noncovered jobs, such as railroad
employment, government, or domestic service. If
information were obtained for these workers on
their noncovered earnings, it could be used in
conjunction with OASI wage-credit statistics to
provide total annual earnings (both covered and
noncovered) of individuals in covered employ
ments. In order to overcome this problem partly
or wholly, the OASI sample of wage records could
be coordinated with those of the Railroad Retire
ment Board, Civil Service Commission, and State
and local governments; special surveys could be
made of individuals in covered as well as non
covered employments; or the OASI sample could
be coordinated with Census Bureau annual in
come and wage surveys.5
OASI data being for individual workers only,
do not reflect family wage levels. Therefore, their
utility in earnings analyses would be enhanced
by a special survey or surveys to obtain informa
tion on the family relationship of individual cov
ered workers. In this way, annual earnings in
covered employment could be combined with
earnings of other members of the family unit in
order to obtain annual wage statistics for families.
A large proportion of World War II veterans
are in covered employments but they are not
identifiable in the OASI wage tabulations. If
such identity could be established through cooper
ation with the Veterans’ Administration, it would
be possible to tabulate, on a continuing basis,
statistics on the levels of covered earnings, indus* See Coordination of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Wage Data with
Those from Other Sources, by B. J. Mandel, for the Conference on Research
in Income and Wealth, National Bureau of Economic Research, New York,
April 1949.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
425
trial and geographic distributions, and other char
acteristics of veterans of World War II.
The greatest geographic detail published in the
old-age and survivors insurance annual wage
series has been by State. Recently, however,
tabulations, which provide annual wage data,
cross-classified by metropolitan and nonmetro
politan areas of employment for Ohio and Mich
igan, have been prepared in connection with a
pilot study on labor mobility. Compilation of
these local area wage data entailed relatively
little extra cost, owing to the designation of the
county location as well as the State in the geo
graphic codes used on the basic punch cards.
(An analysis of these data is expected to be re
leased in several months.) Similar studies can
be made for other local areas in other States.
Similarly, the regular OASI wage tabulations
have been limited to major industry groups
(largely the first two digits in the industry code),
such as food and kindred products, textile mills
and their products, etc. However, annual wage
data for detailed industries can be compiled, be
cause the industrial code entered in the basic
punch cards provides more detailed information
than is currently tabulated, such as, for meat
packing, condensed and evaporated milk, fullfashioned hosiery mills, etc.
No comprehensive tabulations have been pre
pared on annual wage patterns of workers from
year to year. A person’s wage pattern over his
working lifetime could be obtained, using the
OASI continuous work history sample of covered
workers which contains information on annual
earnings over a period of time.6 This would re
veal how a worker’s annual wage pattern devel
ops and fluctuates from the year of first covered
employment to the last. Classification by indus
try would yield information on the lifetime earn
ings capacity of workers as it is affected by indus
trial attachment, economic conditions, and other
changes in the Nation’s economy.
6 For an explanation of the Continuous Work History Sample, see The
Continuous Work History Sample Under OASI, by J. Perlman and B.
Mandel, February 1944 Social Security Bulletin.
Recent Decisions
of Interest to Labor1
Wages and Hours 2
Home Workers as “Employees.” A Federal district
court3 held that home workers who sent their
products in to an employer without solicitation,
in the hope that he would accept them, were
“employees” within the coverage of the Fair
Labor Standards Act.
Home workers were employed by an employer
prior to the effective date of the Fair Labor
Standards Act. When the act became effective,
they were told that it was no longer possible for
him to employ them. Some of these workers,
however, continued to send in knitted infants’
wear to the employer, either at his invitation or
on their own initiative. The products were made
from the home workers’ own yarn, for which they
paid. They also paid the parcel post charges for
shipping the products to the employer. The em
ployer rejected about two-thirds of the parcels
sent in. He never supplied them with a design,
but at times made suggestions as to how the
design or materials could be improved. The
number of home workers fluctuated.
The Wage and Hour Administrator sought to
enjoin the employer from violating the Fair Labor
Standards Act with respect to these home workers.
The employer contended that they were inde
pendent contractors.
1 Prepared in the U. S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor. The
cases covered in this article represent a selection of the significant decisions
believed to be of special interest. No attem pt has been made to reflect all
recent judicial and administrative developments in the field of labor law or
to indicate the effect of particular decisions in jurisdictions in which con
trary results may be reached, based upon local statutory provisions, the
existence of local precedents, or a diflerent approach by the courts to the
issue presented.
2This section is intended merely as a digest of some recent decisions in
volving the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Portal-to-Portal Act. It is
not to be construed and may not be relied upon as interpretation of these
acts by the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division or any agency of
the Department of Labor.
2M cC om b v. W agner Co. (U. S. D. C., E. D. N. Y., Jan. 25, 1950).
426
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
The court granted the injunction. It held that
the home workers had been suffered or permitted
to work and were thus employees within the mean
ing of the act. It pointed out that the goods
furnished by them constituted an integral part of
the employer’s business; that the home workers’
investment in materials was very small; that the
home workers took little risk; and, that sound
management on their part had little to do with
their profit or loss. The fact that the employer
did not supervise the work was held no more con
trolling than in the case of other home workers
whose tasks were not specially skilled. The lack
of solicitation by the employer or of any con
tractual obligation of the home workers to furnish
the goods, was held not to make them independent
contractors. Although the employer had the right
to reject the goods, this right had to be considered
in relation to the fact that he would have no busi
ness if he rejected them all. Likewise, his power
to determine the price was dependent upon his
setting the prices high enough to induce home
workers to continue supplying him. That no
particular design was required was immaterial,
the court said, as there were only three major
designs for such products.
Enjorcement—Employer's Interrogatories. In in
junction proceedings against FLSA violations, the
Wage and Hour Administrator was held 4 entitled
to refuse to answer an employer’s questions as to
the source of his information concerning the al
leged violations. A district court stated that
such evidence was not relevant to the issue of
guilt. To insist on its production would hamper
the enforcement of the act, since investigations
many times required that a confidential relation
ship be established between investigators and in
formants. Individuals often would not reveal
their knowledge unless their identity remained
undisclosed.
Labor Relations
Representations and Elections, A number of Na
tional Labor Relations Board rulings interpret the
representation provisions of the National Labor
Relations Act as amended by the Labor Manage
ment Relations (Taft-Hartley) Act, 1947.
* M cC om b v. Bond Brothers, Inc. (U. S. D. C., W. D. Ky., Jan. 30, 1950)
DECISIONS OF INTEREST TO LABOR
(1) The Board ruled5 that a representation elec
tion should be held, although a contract between
the employer and a rival union still had 3 months
to run.
The employer, General Motors, had a bargain
ing contract dated May 29, 1948, with United
Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America.
This contract covered all the units for which UE
was certified. On November 2, 1949, UE was ex
pelled from the CIO and the International Union
of Electrical Workers was granted a CIO charter.
Within a few days, special membership meetings
were held among UE local unions in the employer’s
plants, at which the employees in each instance
voted overwhelmingly to disaffiliate from UE and
affiliate with the International Union of Electrical
Workers. These locals, on application, received
IUE charters. They handled local grievances.
The UE locals continued in existence, but were
inactive. The IUE locals petitioned for repre
sentation as bargaining agents. The UE con
tended that the contract with the employer con
stituted a bar to representation proceedings.
The Board held to the contrary. Chairman
Herzog was of the opinion that the serious doubt
as to the present identity of the labor organization
which the employees wished to represent them
could best be solved by holding an election. Mem
bers Houston and Murdock thought it unnecessary
to decide that question, but that the contract was
not a bar, since it would expire in 3 months.
(2) A union’s representation petition was held 6
to have been timely, although it was not filed until
6 months after the union had notified the em
ployer that it represented a majority of his em
ployees. The employer had in the meantime made
a contract with a rival union.
The Board held its rule that a “bare” claim of
representation must be followed by a petition
within 10 days was not applicable in this case,
since the union had submitted definite proof of
its majority status early in the negotiations by
submitting employee membership cards at a con
ference. No evidence was shown that the em
ployer had ever questioned the union’s claim of a
majority. The Board also pointed out that the
employer had negotiated with the union as to
substantive contract terms both before and after
entry into a contract with the rival union. The
8In re General M otors Corp. (88 N L R B No. 112, Feb. 1, 1950).
6In re Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. (88 N L R B No. 75, Jan. 31,1950).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
427
fact that the petitioning union was not an “in
cumbent” union—one previously recognized by the
employer—was held to be immaterial, since the
union’s majority status was not questioned.
(3)
A collective-bargaining contract was held 7
by the Board to be a bar to representation pro
ceedings within 12 months from its adoption, al
though it contained a union-security clause not
ratified by a majority of the employees in a unionshop authorization election. The contract made
the union-security clause effective “ only if and
when effective in accordance with provisions of
Federal law.” The Board’s rule that the inclu
sion of an invalid union-security clause in a union
contract prevented the contract from being a bar
to representation proceedings was held not appli
cable in this case. As in a previous case,8 the
contract made it clear that the union-security
clause would take effect only when its validity was
established by law.
Commerce. The NLRB held 9 that the policies of
the amended NLRA would be effectuated by as
serting jurisdiction over a chain of 28 local restau
rants located in several States. The restaurants
were operated largely from the central office as a
highly integrated interstate chain, although only
a small percentage of their purchases were made
in other States. The local managers had very
little control over even the method of execution
of policy. Employee working conditions and labor
relations policies were fixed at the central office.
Interference. The Court of Appeals for the Fifth
Circuit, enforcing an NLRB order, held 10 that
an arbitrary discharge of a group of employees
was an interference with the right of concerted
activities guaranteed by section 8 (a) (1) of the
amended NLRA. It was, therefore, an unfair
labor practice.
These workers had gathered together with a
supervisor to discuss a wage increase. At the
meeting they pressed for the increase, which the
supervisor told them could not be granted because
of a pending representation election. When the
employees continued to deliberate, the super
visor told them they could quit, or stay on and
wait for developments after the election. When
7In re B ariu m Steel & Forge, Inc. (88 N L R B No. 104, Feb. 8, 1950).
8 In re W yckoff Steel Co. (86 N L R B No. 152).
‘ In re Childs Co. (88 N L R B No. 139, Feb. 15, 1950).
w Gullett Gin Co., Inc. v. N L R B (U. S. C. A (5th), Jan. 30, 1950).
428
DECISIONS OF INTEREST TO LABOR
they made no answer to this, but did not disperse,
the supervisor told them they were fired.
The court held that, while a discharge for other
than union activity was ordinarily not unlawful,
this rule was qualified by the provisions of section
7 protecting “concerted” activity. The negotia
tion engaged in by these employees was held to
constitute concerted activity.
Discrimination by Employer. (1) The NLRB
ruled 11 that an employer was guilty of discrimi
nation in violation of section 8 (a) (3) of the
amended NLRA in granting retroactive wage
increases to only those employees who were union
members. The Board pointed out that, while
conditioning of employment upon union member
ship was permitted under certain circumstances,
disparate wage treatment between union and
nonunion men was not permitted. The existence
of a contract with the union to pay increases to
union members did not prevent the employer
from paying similar increases to nonunion men.
(2) The NLRB held 12 that an employer was
justified in refusing to rehire an employee when
work became available on the ground that the
employee, while distributing union literature, had
called a supervisor a “Fascist” or “Fascist lover.”
The Board distinguished between cases of insults
hurled from a picket line or at a bargaining confer
ence, which had been held no justification for dis
charge. Such occasions were held not to require
such a high standard of etiquette as the instant case.
Refusal to Bargain—Employer. The NLRB held 13
that an employer “refused to bargain” by offering
to hire replacements during a strike at a wage
rate higher than that previously offered to the
union. While the employer was admittedly
privileged to hire replacements in an economic
strike, he was held obligated to exercise this
privilege in such a fashion that he was guilty of
no act denounced by the statute.
The strike, which had started as an economic
one caused by failure to agree over wage rates,
was converted by the employer’s unfair labor
practice into an unfair-labor-practice strike. Thus,
his refusal to reinstate strikers was held to be
discriminatory.
11In re Reliable N ew spaper Delivery, Inc. (88 NLRB No. 135, Feb. 15,1950).
12 I n re E . A . L a b o r a to r ie s (88 N L R B N o. 140, F eb . 15, 1950).
13In re Pacific Oamble-Robinson Co. (88 NLRB No. 100, Feb. 3, 1950).
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Refusal to Bargain—Union. The Federal District
Court for the District of Columbia held 14 that
there were reasonable grounds to believe that
United Mine Workers had committed unfair labor
practices in violation of sections 8 (b) (2) and
8 (b) (3) of the amended NLRA. The NLRB
Regional Director was held entitled to a temporary
injunction against such practices pursuant to sec
tion 10 (j) of the act.
The union was found to have insisted in its nego
tiation with employers for a new contract, (1) on
a closed-shop clause, (2) on limitation of welfarefund benefits to union members, and (3) on “ able
and willing” and “ memorial period” clauses. The
court also found the union had refused to accede
to the request of Southern Coal Producers Asso
ciation for further bargaining conferences.
The first two practices were held to violate pro
visions of the act prohibiting a union from at
tempting to cause employers to discriminate
against nonunion workers. The insistence upon
such illegal provisions of a contract also was held
to constitute a refusal to bargain in good faith
with the employers.
Likewise, the insistence on clauses providing for
work only when the miners were “ able and willing”
to work and for work stoppages during “ memorial
periods” were held to constitute an illegal refusal
to bargain. These clauses as interpreted by the
union’s president, John L. Lewis, had been a
means for circumventing the provisions of section
8 (d) (4) of the amended NLRA. That section
prohibits either party to a collective bargaining
agreement from participation in a strike or lock
out until 60 days after it has given notice of ter
mination or modification of the contract, or until
the expiration of the contract, if later. To insist
on such illegal provisions, the court stated, showed
a lack of willingness to bargain in good faith.
The union’s refusal to negotiate with Southern
operators was held to be a direct violation of its
duty to bargain.
While recognizing that the issuance of an injunc
tion would not necessarily make for rapid nego
tiation of an agreement, the court held such relief
to be appropriate, on the ground that it would
tend to force concentration on the true differences
between the parties.
14
P e n n ello v. Internat. Union, U nited M in e Workers of Am erica (U. S. D. C.,
D. C., Feb. 9, 1950).
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
DECISIONS OF INTEREST TO LABOR
Secondary Boycotts. A Federal district court
held 15that a union had not violated the secondaryboycott prohibition of the amended NLRA by
inducing supervisory employees of a secondary
employer not to handle goods being transported
in a box owned by a “struck” employer. The
court pointed out that section 8 (b) (4) (A) pro
hibited inducement and encouragement only of
“employees.” Supervisors were expressly ex
cluded from the act’s definition of employees.
The court refused to grant the petition of the
NLRB Regional Director for a temporary injunc
tion under section 10 (j) of the amended NLRA,
since there was no reasonable cause to believe that
the union had violated the secondary-boycott
provisions.
The fact that the union’s agent had told an
employee not to handle the box until he (the
agent) had a talk with the supervisor was held
not to show that the agent had induced “em
ployees” to strike or boycott. The provisions of
section 8 (b) (4) (A) were held to refer to “con
certed” action of employees, of which there was
no evidence, whatever threat the union agent may
have made of later action constituting a violation
of the act.
Individval Rights Under Union Contract. A Fed
eral court of appeals held 16 that an employee was
not entitled to damages for an employer’s breach
of a contract with a company union, when the
NLRB had ordered the employer to cease recog
nizing the union or giving effect to the agreement.
The employee sued the employer for refusing
to reemploy him after he had suffered an injury,
on the ground that such refusal was a breach of a
seniority clause of the plant agreement. He
admitted the Board’s power to deprive the
employer of advantages under this agreement, but
claimed that the rights still accrued to employees
under the agreement.
The court of appeals, affirming the trial court’s
decision, held that the employee’s rights did not
survive the nullification of the agreement, since
its terms were not incorporated into the em
ployee’s individual contract of employment.
15 H u m ph rey v. Local S9/,, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (U.
D. C„ N. D. N. Y., Jan. 11, 1950).
1* Cardenas v. W ilson & Co. (U. S. C. A. (10th), Feb. 17, 1950).
878160— 50—
5
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
S.
429
NLRB Hearings in Jurisdictional Disputes. The
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
held 17 that the NLRB did not have to hear every
complaint of unfair labor practices in jurisdictional
disputes, if a preliminary investigation disclosed
no reasonable basis for such a complaint. The
court reversed a district court decision holding
that the Board was compelled by section 10 (k)
of the amended NLRA to hear all such com
plaints.
Section 10 (k) provides that whenever it is
charged that any person has engaged in an unfair
labor practice within section 8 (b) (4) (D), pro
hibiting forced work assignments in jurisdictional
disputes, the Board is empowered and directed to
hear and determine the dispute out of which such
unfair labor practice has arisen. This provision
applies unless satisfactory evidence of adjustment
of such dispute is given the Board within 10 days
after receipt of notice of such charge.
The district court, denying the Board’s motion
to dismiss a union’s action to compel the Board to
hear a jurisdictional dispute, had held that the
words “ empowered and directed” in section 10 (k)
compelled a full hearing of all such complaints.
(Several thousand had been filed since the effec
tive date of the LMRA of 1947.)
The court of appeals, however, held that this
provision required a hearing only when there was
reasonable basis for a complaint and when an
actual dispute existed, and not in cases of frivolous
charges with no basis or justification. In other
unfair-labor-practice proceedings under section
10, it was pointed out, the Board and its General
Counsel were entitled to make preliminary investi
gations before commencing substantive proceed
ings. The fact that the language of section 10 (k)
was different from that of section 10 (b), under
which the Board’s power to issue complaints in
other unfair-labor-practice cases was permissive,
was held not to prevent an investigation under
10 (k). Section 11, the court pointed out, auth
orized the Board to use investigatory powers in
all hearings and to make investigations necessary
and proper for exercise of the powers vested in it
by section 10. Congressional reports indicated
that the purpose of the mandatory language in
17 H e r z o g v . P a r s o n s (U . S. O . A ; (D. C.), F eb , 20, 1950).
430
DECISIONS OF INTEREST TO LABOR
section 10 (k) was merely to secure expeditious
hearing of bona fide jurisdictional-dispute cases
and afford interim relief in certain cases in which
the Board desired to preserve the status quo pend
ing the final outcome of litigation.
Intra-Union Affairs. A Federal district court
held 18 that it had jurisdiction to enjoin an inter
national union from unlawfully expelling one of
its locals.
The court found that the expulsion was for
the purpose of wreaking vengeance on the local
for demanding the internationaPs intervention
in the estate of a deceased union leader who was
accused of embezzling the local union’s funds.
While reluctant to interfere in union affairs,
because of a clause in the internationaPs consti
tution prohibiting recourse to courts of law or
equity, the court held that this case was not cov
ered by that prohibition, because the property
rights of the local were involved. The interna
tional officers were held to have acted arbitrarily,
and the local union’s possibility of appealing to a
convention at some future date was held to be
wholly inadequate.
Veterans’ Reemployment
Res Judicata in Reemployment Cases. The Court
of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently reviewed 19
a District Court decision dismissing as already
adjudicated the claim of certain veterans that
they had been deprived of seniority and dis
charged without cause in violation of reemploy
ment statutes.
The veterans, returning from military service,
found that during their absence their employer,
the Highland Co, had merged with another enter
prise, the Trailmobile Co. They found themselves
at the bottom of the seniority list because a union
agreement made in their absence, and after the
merger, gave the Highland employees seniority
from date of merger, whereas Trailmobile em
ployees had seniority from date of original
employment by Trailmobile Co. The employer,
union, and collective bargaining agreement in
volved were identical with those considered by
the United States Supreme Court in a previous
i* P rin tin g P ressm en ’s Union, N o. 1, of Washington, D . C. v. Internat.
P rin ting Pressm en and A ssistan ts’ Union of North Am erica (U. S. D. C.,
D. C., Feb. 16, 1950).
19 B ritt v. Trailmobile Co. (U. S. C. A. (6th), Jan. 24,1950).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR
case.20 In that case, however, the merger occurred
after the veteran’s return from military service;
and the reduction of seniority and consequent dis
charge which occurred after the statutory year,
were held not to violate the statute because there
was no discrimination against veterans as such.
The Trailmobile Co. had, during the pendency
of the Whirls case, brought a class suit to decide
the proper seniority for all its employees, but this
was dismissed21 as implicitly decided by the
Whirls decision. In the instant case, the Court
of Appeals considered that on the seniority issue
the veterans’ claim was already adjudicated, since
every question of law based on the facts either
was or could have been decided in the other suits.
However, since the dates on which these veterans
claimed a discharge “without cause” fell after the
dismissal of the class action, the lawfulness of
their discharge for reasons other than their new
seniority standing could not have been decided
by that dismissal. The case was sent back to the
lower court for trial on the issue of lawfulness of
their discharge.
Suggested differences between B ritt’s seniority
claim and the adjudicated issues which the Court
of Appeals found not significant were as follows:
Britt had not before induction been a member of
the union which contracted unfavorably concern
ing the Highland employees; he was in military
service when the agreement was made; his
seniority was affected during the first year of
reemployment.
Decisions of State Courts
California—Picketing Home of Employer. The
California Superior Court for Los Angeles County
held22 that a union might lawfully picket the
home of the owner of a group of stores with whom
the union was having a labor dispute. The
picketing was held not to be an undue invasion of
the owner’s right of privacy. The court pointed
out that similar annoyance to the employer might
be caused by a newspaper advertisement or by a
radio program. The fact that the employer might
be embarrassed by having the labor dispute
called to the attention of his friends was no ground
W hirls v. Trailmobile Co. (331 U. S. 40).
Trailmobile Co. v. International Union (162 F. 2d 720).
22 Zeem an v . A m algam ated R etail and D epartm ent Store Em ployees (Cal.
20
21
Super. Ct., Los Angeles Co., Jan. 27,1950).
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
DECISIONS OF INTEREST TO LABOR
for denying tlie union the right to publicize its
views.
California — Picketing — Injunctions. The same
court held 23 that picketing could not be enjoined
as “untruthful” when the “untruth” expressed was
merely a matter of opinion. A union placard
stating that a certain shop was “nonunion” was
held to be such an expression of opinion. How
ever, the court held that it had jurisdiction
to decide whether such action was enjoinable,
even though the owner was engaged in interstate
commerce and was subject to the Labor Manage
ment Relations Act of 1947, when the National
Labor Relations Board had refused to take
jurisdiction in unfair-labor-practice proceedings
against the union. While the NLRB had exclusive
jurisdiction over unfair labor practices affecting
interstate commerce under Federal law, that did
not prevent a State court from enjoining such
activity.
New York—Representation—Majority Status. A
New York trial court enforced 24 a State labor
relations board decision ordering recognition of a
certain labor union which had been chosen by a
majority of the employees in a unit as their bar
gaining representative. The employer’s defense
that the union had won the representation election
by intimidation and no longer represented a
majority of the employees was held to be without
merit. These contentions, the court stated,
should have been presented in the representation
proceedings. Now that the union was validly
certified as bargaining agent, it was immaterial
whether it still represented a majority, insofar as
the enforcement of the order to bargain was
concerned.
New York—Picketing—Misleading Signs. A trial
court held25 that picketing with misleading signs
was enj oinable. The picketing union’s signs stated
23Cancer v. Retail Clerks International A s sn ., A F L (Cal. Sup. Ct., Los
Angeles Co., Jan. 31, 1950).
24N ew York Board v. M orales (N. Y. Sup. Ct., Spec. Term, P t. I, Kings
Co., Jan. 9, 1950).
23P in cu s v. M iller (N. Y. Sup. Ct., Spec. Term, P t. I, Kings Co., Jan.
23, 1950).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
431
that employees of a certain firm were on strike,
when, actually, employees of another firm, owned
by the same person were on strike. The court
refused to issue the injunction, however, when the
union agreed to withdraw these picket signs.
Texas—Place of Picketing. The Texas Court of
Civil Appeals upheld28 a trial court’s injunction
prohibiting a union from picketing a building,
except for that part of the front occupied by the
employer with whom the union had a labor dis
pute.
The union’s dispute was with the Alameda
Theatre in the International Building. The union
picketed the whole building, although the theater
fronted on only part of it, because, both the en
trance for employees and the entrance to the
business office of the theater were through the
main entrance to the building. The picket signs
had “Alameda” and “unfair” in large letters,
and “theatre” in smaller letters. An “Alameda”
jewelry store and an “Alameda” studio com
plained that their customers were being misled.
The court held that the union could not justify
picketing the whole building. It held that the
union could accomplish its purpose of informing
the theater’s patrons about a labor dispute by
simply picketing the front of the theater.
Wisconsin—Breach of Arbitration Contract. A
Wisconsin circuit court held27 that a bus company
employer must abide by an arbitration contract
with a union. The company had claimed the
right to refuse because it was subject to the pro
visions of the State compulsory arbitration law for
public utilities. This law did not prohibit private
arbitration contracts, the court held. At any
rate, the compulsory arbitration law applied only
when negotiations between union and employer
had reached an impasse. There was no evidence
of this in the present case. The company’s claim
that it signed the arbitration agreement “under
duress” was held to be without foundation in
view of renewals of this contract by the employer.
26M otion Picture M achine Operators Local N o. IfiL v. Zaragoza A m u sem en t
Co. (T ex. Ot. Civ. App., 4th Supr. Judic. Dist., Dee. 14, 1949).
27M adison B u s Co. v. W isconsin E m ploym en t R elations B d. (Wis. Circ.
Ct., Dane Co., Oct. 28, 1949).
“lower standards of etiquette generally prevail.” (Source:
Labor Relations Reporter, vol. 25, No. 33, Feb. 27, 1950,
p. 1381, 25 LLRM; for discussion, see p. 428 of this issue.)
Chronology of
Recent Labor Events
T h e S o c i a l C o m m i t t e e of the United Nations’ Economic
and Social Council joined with the International Labor
Organization in establishing a fact-finding commission to
investigate violations of labor’s right to organize and form
unions in member countries of the ILO. Complaints,
however, cannot be brought before the Commission with
out consent of the government concerned. (Source: New
York Times, Feb. 16, 1950, and ILO News Service, F eb .Mar. 1950.)
February 25
February 13, 1950
T h e S u p r e m e C o u r t of the United States upheld the
authority of the National Labor Relations Board to ex
ercise exclusive jurisdiction over labor disputes involving
an issue covered by a Federal labor law. It reversed a
lower court decision in the case of Plankinton Packing Co.
v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Board et al, which held
that, under State law, the State Board had jurisdiction
over a labor dispute, even though it arose in an industry
subject to the LMRA and involved a union certified by
the NLRB. (Source: Labor Relations Reporter, vol. 25,
No. 31, Feb. 20, 1950, Analysis p. 63, LRR 212.)
T h e S u p r e m e C o u r t of the United States refused to re
view a lower court decision in the case of National Mari
time Union of America (CIO) v. NLRB, and thereby, in
effect, held that the hiring hall system as operated in the
Great Lakes area by the NM U discriminated against non
union members in violation of the Labor Management
Relations Act. This was the first case to reach the Court
concerning the LMRA. (Source: U. S. Law Week, vol.
18, p. 3233, Feb. 14, 1950.)
February 15
T h r e e u n i o n s were expelled from the Congress of Indus
trial Organizations for “consistent, unwavering support
of the policies of the Communist Party”. The charters
of the Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers, the United Office
and Professional Workers, and the Food, Tobacco, Agri
cultural and Allied Workers were revoked by the CIO
Executive Board as a result of action taken at the 1949
National CIO Convention (see Chron. item for October
31, 1949, and discussion p. 640, MLR, Dec. 1949).
On February 16, the expulsion of the United Public
Workers brought to 6 the total of national unions ousted
from the CIO since autumn 1949. (Source: CIO News,
Feb. 20, 1950, p. 6.)
NLRB, in the case of H. A. Laboratories, Inc. and
United Construction Workers, United Mine Workers of
America (then AFL), ruled that an employer’s refusal to
rehire a laid-off worker, who called the company’s presi
dent a “Fascist” while distributing union literature in
front of the plant, was not discriminatory. The Board
found that such remarks were not the result of particular
provocative remarks on the employer’s part nor were they
made in a bargaining conference or on a picket line where
T he
432
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
NLRB issued regulations clarifying the role of the
General Counsel in the court enforcement of its orders.
In future, the General Counsel must, without exception,
petition for court enforcement of the Board’s orders when
the Board so directs. The appointment, transfer, demo
tion, or discharge by the General Counsel of any Regional
Director or Officer-in-charge of a Sub-Regional office must
also be approved by the Board. (Source: U. S. Law
Week, vol. 18, No. 33, Feb. 28, 1950, p. 2381.)
T he
March 5
T h e U n i t e d M i n e W o r k e r s o f A m e r i c a (Ind.) and the
bituminous coal operators signed a contract which ended
negotiations that had lasted over 10 months. (Source:
UMW Journal, Mar. 15, 1950; for discussion, see p. I l l of
MLR, Mar. 1950.)
On March 2, the Federal District Court of the District
of Columbia had found the UMWA innocent of criminal
and civil contempt of court because the Federal Govern
ment failed to prove that the union had disobeyed the
temporary restraining order (see Chron. item for Feb. 11,
1950, MLR, Mar. 1950). (Source: UMW Journal, Mar.
15, 1950.)
On March 3, President Truman recommended that
Congress enact legislation empowering him to take posses
sion and assume control of the coal mines until such time
as an agreement was reached between the operators and
the union. (Source: Congressional Record, vol. 96, No.
44, Mar. 3, 1950, p. 2769.)
On March 9, the UMWA signed an agreement with the
anthracite operators similar to the bituminous contract.
(Source: UMW Journal, Mar. 15, 1950.)
March 6
A N e w Y o r k A p p e l l a t e C o u r t ruled that 500 sanitation
employees who engaged in a work stoppage over the sus
pension of 18 fellow-workers did not violate New York
State’s Condon-Wadlin law barring strikes by State or
city employees. The law prohibits strikes “for the pur
pose of inducing, influencing, or coercing a change in the
conditions or compensation of the rights, privileges or
obligations of their employers.” The strikers, the court
ruled, were not motivated by any of these reasons and are
therefore “innocent of any violation of the statute, its
intent or purport.” (Source: New York Times, Mar.
7, 1950.)
Publications
of Labor Interest
Special Reviews
Labor Relations in the New York Rapid Transit Systems,
1904-19U■ By James J. McGinley. New York,
King’s Crown Press, 1949. 635 pp., bibliography.
$6.50.
A study of industrial relations through four decades in
one of the basic public utilities in the Nation’s largest
city. It contains an impressive amount of information
on the New York rapid transit industry under both private
and public management; on the complex labor force re
quired to operate the system; on the changing wages,
hours, and conditions of employment of the workers; on
union organization and tactics; and on the problems of
industrial relations that are made more intricate by the
nature of the industry and, in recent years, by the character
of its ownership and the status of its workers as civil
servants. Events during 1945 and 1946 are covered in an
epilogue.
Special interest attaches to the volume for at least two
reasons. First, there is growing concern with the “public
interest” aspects of industrial relations, both in industries
recognized traditionally as public utilities and in other
industries in which prolonged work stoppages tend to have
widespread secondary effects. The analysis of industrial
relations problems on the New York rapid transit system
may contain useful insight for other situations.
Second, there is the paradox that the major contemporary
union in the New York transit system, although composed
predominantly of Irish-Catholics, was generally counted,
until recently, as one of the organizations following the
Communist Party line. The author’s explanation of the
attitude of the rank and file in this matter appears con
vincing; it also points a moral for those who would prevent
the growth of the Communist brand of totalitarianism in
the labor movement.
Despite its length, there is life to this book. Father
McGinley has organized his facts skillfully, and he writes
clearly on the basis of first-hand knowledge of the workers,
their jobs, and their attitudes.
—H. M. D.
The Market for College Graduates, and Related Aspects of
Education and Income. By Seymour E. Harris.
Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1949.
207 pp., charts. $4.
E ditor ’s N ote .—Correspondence regarding the publications to which
reference is made in this list should be addressed to the respective publish
ing agencies mentioned. When data on prices were readily available, they
have been shown with the title entries.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
The subject of this book is the increasing oversupply of
college graduates and its economic and social implications.
The analysis of the future supply of college graduates assumes
fulfillment of the recommendation of the President’s
Commission on Higher Education that there be an enroll
ment of 4.6 million college students by 1960. Estimates
are made of the number of graduates who will be seeking
jobs in the professions and managerial occupations— fields
traditionally entered by college graduates—if an enroll
ment of this magnitude takes place. The author also
considers the prospects for expansion in the professions
and in managerial positions. His conclusion is that by
1968 professional openings would be scarcely one-half of
the number required to take care of the estimated job
seekers, and that managerial openings would likewise be
far below the number needed. If college enrollment should
rise to only 3 million, a figure he considers more likely to be
realized than the Commission’s goal of 4.6 million, he
thinks there would still be a serious problem of over
crowding in the professions.
A consequence of the oversupply of college-trained
personnel will be lower incomes in the professions and
other white-collar occupations. Unemployment is likely
to develop in many professional fields. The author
emphasizes the dangers inherent in the prospect by point
ing out the great part unemployed and frustrated intelli
gentsia played in the political tensions and revolts in Europe
during the 1930’s.
Consideration is given to special measures to expand
professional opportunities. The author believes that a
frontal attack on “restrictionism” in some professions,
notably medicine, would result in a considerable increase
in openings. Government intervention to provide in
centives for a better regional distribution of collegetrained personnel would also be of assistance.
In favor of expanded college education is the contribu
tion this might make to economic stability. By removing
great numbers of potential workers from the labor market,
and by providing an outlet for spending, education might,
in the long run, help considerably in solving the problem
of insufficiency of demand for goods and services in our
maturing economy. Furthermore, a college education
for an increasing proportion of the country’s youth would
reflect our democratic tradition of equal opportunities.
Dr. Harris emphasizes that institutions of higher educa
tion must adapt themselves to students’ needs and provide
special curricula for those without verbal aptitudes; if
this is not done, the effect of the expanded enrollments
will be to lower educational standards generally. He
also emphasizes that students and the general public
must understand the advantages of higher education
aside from preparation for selected professions, and that
many college-trained people must be prepared to content
themselves with clerical, sales, and manual jobs.— H. W.
Child Labor
State Child-Labor Standards: A State-by-State Summary
of Laws Affecting the Employment of Minors Under
18 Years of Age. Washington, U. S. Department of
Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards, 1949. 182 pp.
(Bull. No. 114.)
433
434
PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
Wisconsin Child Labor Statistics, 1948. [Madison], Indus
trial Commission of Wisconsin, Statistical Depart
ment, 1949. 19 pp., charts; processed.
Wisconsin Street Trades and Public Exhibition Permits,
1948. [Madison], Industrial Commission of Wiscon
sin, Statistical Department, 1949. 15 pp.; processed.
Cooperative Movement
Consumers’ Cooperatives: Operations in 1948—A Report on
Membership, Business, and Operating Results. Wash
ington, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1949. 15 pp. (Bull. No. 971.) 15 cents,
Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
Operations of Credit Unions in 1948. Washington, U. S.
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
1949. 4 pp. (Serial No. R. 1969; reprinted from
Monthly Labor Review, September 1949.) Free.
Annual Report of the Commissioner of Banks, [Massachu
setts] for the Year Ending December 31, 1948: Part IV ,
Relating to Credit Unions. Boston, 1949. 38 pp.
Contains consolidated reports for all the credit unions
in Massachusetts on membership, loans made and out
standing, earnings, and assets and liabilities; also similar
data for each individual association.
Telling the Co-op Story: An Educational Handbook for Rural
Electric Co-ops. Washington, U. S. Department of
Agriculture, Rural Electrification Administration,
1949. 71 pp., bibliographies, illus. (Department of
Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication No. 685.) 35
cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
Discusses the various ways in which members and the
public can be told about REA cooperatives and their ad
vantages. These include personal contacts, demonstra
tions, educational meetings, talks, printed material, pic
tures and other visual methods, and local press and radio.
Internationella Kooperativa Problem. By Thorsten Odhe.
Stockholm, Kooperativa Fòrbundets Bokfòrlag, 1949.
75 pp.
Discussion of the cooperative movement throughout the
world, as integrated in the International Cooperative
Alliance, International Cooperative Trading Agency, and
International Cooperative Petroleum Association; the ob
stacles to free international cooperative trade and produc
tion; and the relationship between the International Trad
ing Organization of the UN and the cooperative movement.
Annual Report of Director of Cooperation, Malayan Union,
for Year Ending December 31, 1947. By J. G. Craw
ford. Kuala Lumpur, 1948. 18 pp., map.
Reports on the status of the various types of cooperatives
in the Malay Peninsula, with statistics of membership,
working capital, loans made, etc., and discussion of finan
cial and other problems entailed by the prolonged Japanese
occupation during the war.
Med Fòrenade Krafter— Kooperativa Fòrbundet, 1899-1949.
By Walter Sjòlin. [Stockholm, Nordisk Rotogravyr,
1949.] 272 pp., illus.
Story of the Swedish Cooperative Union and Wholesale,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR
Kooperativa Fôrbundet, since its formation in 1899. Told
mainly through the medium of pictures taken and collected
over the years, it throws particular light on the manufac
turing activities of the society.
Education and Training
Occupational Distribution of Apprentices Registered as of
June SO, 1949, and Expected Year of Completion.
Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Apprenticeship, 1949. 87 pp. ; processed. (Technical
Bull. No. T-124.) Free.
The University of Wisconsin School for Workers— Its First
Twenty-five Years. By Ernest E. Schwarztrauber.
Madison, University of Wisconsin School for Workers,
1949. 40 pp., illus.
Methods and Standards for Guidance, Training, and Place
ment: Proceedings of Second Annual Workshop of Guid
ance, Training, and Placement Supervisors, Washing
ton, D. C., April 18-22, 1949. Washington, Federal
Security Agency, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation,
1949. 81 pp.; processed. (Rehabilitation Service
Series, No. 106.)
Teaching Apprentices and Preparing Training Materials.
By Miles H. Anderson. Chicago, American Technical
Society, 1949. 170 pp., forms, illus.
National Apprenticeship Standards for Commercial Estab
lishments in the Photoengraving Industry. Washing
ton, American Photoengravers Association and the
International Photoengravers’ Union of North
America in cooperation with U. S. Department of
Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship, 1949. 27 pp.
Free.
Employment and Unemployment
Employment Outlook for Elementary and Secondary School
Teachers. Washington, U. S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Veterans Adminis
tration, 1949. 89 pp., charts. (Bull. No. 972.)
35 cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
Data from this report were published in the Monthly
Labor Review for February 1950 (p. 146).
Keeping Pace With Veteran Employment : Report of Activities
of Veterans Employment Service, July 1948-June 1949.
Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, U. S.
Employment Service, Veterans Employment Service,
1949. 30 pp., illus.
The Measurement of Industrial Employment by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics. Washington, U. S. Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1949. 13 pp.;
processed. Free.
National and International Measures for Full Employment.
Report by group of experts appointed by SecretaryGeneral of United Nations. Lake Success, N. Y.,
United Nations, Department of Economic Affairs,
1949. 104 pp. 75 cents, Columbia University Press,
International Documents Service, New York.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
A study of the problems of giving effect to the pledge, in
the United Nations charter, of joint as well as separate
action by member States to maintain full employment.
The report is limited to a consideration of unemployment
resulting from a deficiency of demand and to recommen
dations for dealing with that phase of the unemployment
problem. The view is expressed that the problem of full
employment can be solved only in the context of an expand
ing world economy, of which the economic development
of underdeveloped countries forms the most important
single element. The recommendations are described as
designed to provide a framework within which the coun
tries of the world can obtain the advantages of both full
employment and an expanding volume of world trade.
Professor J. M. Clark, one of the American experts, sub
mitted a “Separate Concurring Statement.” He signed
the general report but emphasized the need for giving
further consideration to such problems as “the effect of
the wage-price structure and behavior on aggregate
effective demand and employment.”
A more detailed summary of this report is given on
page 379 of this issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
Estimated Employment and Wages of Workers Covered by
State Unemployment Insurance Laws, 1948. Wash
ington, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Employment Security, 1949. 22 pp.; processed.
Community Programs to Combat Unemployment— A Survey
of Regional, State, and Local Activities. Washington,
U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Employment
Security, Office of Reports and Analysis, 1949. 33
pp.; processed.
Handicapped
Brass Tacks— Some Pertinent Facts About the Economic
and Social Aspects of the State-Federal System of
Vocational Rehabilitation for Civilians. Washington,
Federal Security Agency, Office of Vocational
Rehabilitation, 1949. 21 pp., illus.
1949 Report of Connecticut Committee for the Employment
of the Physically Handicapped. (In Monthly Bul
letin, Department of Labor, Hartford, Conn., Decem
ber 1949, pp. 3-25, illus.).
Covers observance of National Employ the Physically
Handicapped Week and the year-round program of the 18
community committees in Connecticut.
A Square Deal. London, Ministry of Labor and National
Service, 1949. 6 pp.
Gives examples of how handicapped workers have been
employed in different British industries.
Housing
A Handbook of Information on Provisions of the Housing Act
of 1949 and Operations Under the Various Programs.
Washington, U. S. Housing and Home Finance
Agency, Office of the Administrator, 1949. 30 pp.
Highlights provisions concerning slum clearance, public
low-rent housing, farm housing, and housing research. A
brief summary of the Act is appended.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
435
Annual Report of National Capital Housing Authority, for
the Fiscal Year Ended June 80, 1949. Washington,
National Capital Housing Authority, 1949. Vari
ously paged; processed.
Low-Cost Housing in Latin America. By Francis Violich.
Washington, Pan American Union, Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, Division of Labor and
Social Information, 1949. 93 pp., illus. $1.
Industrial Hygiene
Industrial Toxicology. By Alice Hamilton, M.D., and
Harriet L. Hardy, M.D. New York, Paul B. Hoeber,
Inc., 1949. 574 pp., bibliography (75 pp.). 2d ed.,
rev. and enl. $6.50.
Comprehensive, nontechnical work on industrial poisons,
by two industrial physicians— one (Dr. Hamilton) a pioneer
investigator of the “dangerous trades”. Physiological
effects on workers and methods of control are discussed,
against an extensive informational background. New
uses of older poisons, “enormous expansion in the number
of solvents, metals, and radioactive substances,” and whole
new industries, have necessitated additions and revisions
in the 1934 edition. Significant chapters on beryllium and
radiant energy (including the relationship of atomic energy
to industry) have been added. Other chapters cover
synthetic rubber, plastics, welding, and occupational
cancer.
Industrial Toxicology. By Lawrence T. Fairhall. Balti
more, Williams and Wilkins Co., 1949. xi, 483 pp.,
bibliographies, diagrams. $6.
A concise manual on toxic industrial substances by the
chief of the Industrial Hygiene Laboratory, U. S. Public
Health Service, describing briefly characteristics, indus
trial uses, toxicity, and analysis. Physiological action
and standards of permissible exposure are also discussed.
Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, Vol. II. Edited by
Frank A. Patty. New York, Interscience Publishers,
Inc., 1949. xxviii, 604 pp. $15.
Considers primarily the various atmospheric contami
nants encountered in industry. Their uses, industrial
exposures, properties, and physiological effects are de
scribed, together with an» lytical methods of detection and
measurement, maximum permissible concentrations, and
their warning properties. Special attention was given to
lead poisoning, because of its “unnecessarily high inci
dence,” and to the recognition and control of potential
exposures in a number of occupations, processes, or
industries.
Vol. I deals with the broad aspects of industrial hygiene
(see Monthly Labor Review, October 1949, p. 433). The
two volumes are the joint product of the director of the
Industrial Hygiene Service, General Motors Corp.,
Detroit, physicians, and other specialists.
A Guide to the Diagnosis of Occupational Diseases— A
Reference Manual for Physicians. Compiled jointly
by the staffs of Industrial Health Division, Depart
ment of National Health and Welfare of Canada, and
Division of Industrial Hygiene, Department of Health
436
PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
of Ontario. Ottawa, 1949. 317 pp., bibliography,
diagrams. $1.
Compact summarization, for nonprofessional use also,
consisting largely of a list of occupations and their potential
health hazards. Discusses occupational dermatoses; lists
specific occupational skin irritants; describes various cate
gories of harmful environmental conditions and substances;
reviews pertinent provisions in workmen’s compensation
laws in Canada; and gives a table of compensable occu
pational diseases (1948) by Province.
Industrial Relations
Analysis of 31 Southern Textile Labor Contracts. By
Henry N. Mims and Guy B. Arthur, Jr. Toccoa,
Ga., Management Evaluation Services, Inc., 1949.
108 pp.; processed.
114 Chech Points on How to Prevent Grievances. By Bleick
von Bleicken and Carl Heyel. Deep River, Conn.,
National Foremen’s Institute, Inc., 1949. 34 pp.
Stating that wise management recognizes grievances
as “symptoms of costly dislocations somewhere along the
line,” the authors list 114 check points for the use of
company executives who wish to “survey all of the factors
surrounding the employment situation.”
MONTHLY LABOR
“Arbitrations and Labor Relations,” by Clarence M.
Updegraff.
Welfare Issues in Collective Bargaining, with a Paper on
Handling Lay-Off Problems. New York, American
Management Association, 1949. 40 pp. (Personnel
Series, No. 131.) $1.
Includes a panel discussion on the issue of pensions in
collective bargaining, and a summary of the objectives of
State sickness insurance systems.
Psychology of Labor-Management Relations. Edited by
Arthur Kornhauser. Champaign, 111., Industrial
Relations Research Association (Secretary-Treasurer,
704 S. 6th Street), 1949. 122 pp.
(Pub. No. 3.)
$1.50.
Proceedings of meeting held in Denver, September 7,
1949, under joint sponsorship of Industrial Relations
Research Association, American Psychological Association,
and Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
Seniority: A Survey-Study of Industry Practice and the
Principles Governing Length of Service A s a Factor in
Employment Relationships.
New York, National
Association of Manufacturers, Industrial Relations
Division, 1949. 25 pp., bibliography; processed.
(Management Memo No. 1.)
The
Economics of Collective Bargaining. Edited by
Charlotte Knight. Berkeley and Los Angeles, Uni
versity of California, Institute of Industrial Relations,
1950. 108 pp. $1.
Series of public lectures delivered in 1948 and 1949 in
Berkeley and Los Angeles under auspices of Institute of
Industrial Relations.
Jurisdictional Conflict in Labor Law: State Boards Versus
the National Board. By David L. Benetar. {In
American Bar Association Journal, Chicago, Jan
uary 1950, pp. 27-30. 75 cents.)
Describes the causes of controversy and makes specific
proposals for minimizing jurisdictional conflicts between
State boards and the National Labor Relations Board.
Outline for Collective Bargaining: A Union Man’s CheckList. By Arnold F. Campo. Stanford, Calif., Stan
ford University, Division of Industrial Relations, 1949.
5 pp.; processed. (Industrial Relations Paper No. 2.)
Jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board Over
the Building and Construction Industry. By Joe E.
Covington. {In North Carolina Law Review, Chapel
Hill, December 1949, pp. 1-35.)
Concludes that the NLRB could legally cover a large
area of the building and construction industry if it as
serted its powers.
Regulation of Collective Bargaining by the National Labor
Relations Board. By Archibald Cox and John T.
Dunlop. {In Harvard Law Review, Cambridge,
Mass., January 1950, pp. 389-432. $1.10.)
The authors analyze Labor Relations Board problems
involved in determination by the Board of the subject
matter of collective bargaining. They conclude that “the
considerations in favor of leaving to private negotiation
the work of defining management functions, joint respon
sibilities, and union functions far outweigh the arguments
for government determination.”
The Collective Bargaining Agreement: Its Nature and Scope.
By Charles O. Gregory. {In Washington University
Law Quarterly, No. 1, Washington University School
of Law, St. Louis, Mo., Fall 1949, pp. 3-23. $4 per
year, $1 per copy.)
The article listed discusses the legal aspects of union
bargaining techniques. It is one of four special articles
in a new law journal. The other articles are: “Criteria
in Wage Rate Determinations,” by Edwin E. Witte;
“Minimizing Labor Disputes: Processing Grievances, Con
ciliation and Mediation,” by William F. White; and
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Outstanding Books on Industrial Relations, 1949. Prince
ton, N. J., Princeton University, Industrial Relations
Section, 1950. 4 pp. (Selected References, No.
31A.) 15 cents.
Les Contrats des Travailleurs * * * et les Jurisdic
tions du Travail— Législation, Commentaire, Doctrine,
Jurisprudence {1922-1947). By R. Geysen. Brus
sels, Ferdinand Larcier, 1948. 395 pp.
Manual of terms used in labor-management relations in
Belgium, alphabetized by major subjects. Terms are
defined and documented by references to pertinent legis
lation and court decisions.
Labor and Social Legislation
Dictionary of Labor Law Terms. Chicago, Commerce
Clearing House, Inc., 1949. 94 pp. $1.
The Law of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: A Handbook of
Your Basic Rights. By Edwin S. Newman. New
REVIEW , A PRIL 1950
PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
York, Oceana Publications, 1949. 104 pp., map.
(Legal Almanac Series, No. 13.) $2, cloth bound;
$1, paper.
Provisions safeguarding free speech and equal oppor
tunity in employment, housing, and health and welfare
services are included.
Legislation for the Handicapped. By E. B. Whitten. (In
American Vocational Journal, Washington, February
1950, pp. 19, 20, illus. 25 cents.)
The executive secretary of the National Rehabilitation
Association reviews briefly developments in the total
program for the handicapped from 1945-46 to 1948-49.
In pointing out the need for additional legislation to pro
mote rehabilitation of the handicapped, especially the
more severely disabled, he also summarizes significant
sections of H. R. 5577, a bill known as “National Services
for the Handicapped” Act. Provisions of this bill include
the establishment and maintenance of workshops for the
severely disabled, and assistance to the homebound dis
abled in establishing themselves in remunerative employ
ment.
Labor Laws of the State of Oklahoma, Edition 1949. Okla
homa City, Department of Labor, 1949. 148 pp.
A Survey of State Legislation [for the Blind]. By Helga
Lende. (In Outlook for the Blind and the Teachers
Forum, New York, January 1950, pp. 11-15. 25
cents.)
Summarizes developments in State legislation affecting
the blind during 1949, on such subjects as financial aid,
State services, tax exemptions, education, guide dogs,
etc. A table of residence requirements and maximum aid
allowed, by State, is appended.
State Regulation of the Concerted Activities of Labor. (In
Illinois Law Review, Chicago, November-December
1949, pp. 714-719.)
State Minimum-Wage Laws and Orders, July 1, 194%—
January 1, 1949. Washington, U. S. Department of
Labor, Women’s Bureau, 1949. 55 pp. (Bull. No.
227.)
20 cents, Superintendent of Documents,
Washington.
1949 State Legislation of Special Interest to Women Workers.
Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Women’s
Bureau, 1950. 7 pp. ; processed. Free,
Résumé of the Proceedings of the Sixteenth National Confer
ence on Labor Legislation, November 29, 30, and Decem
ber 1, 1949. Washington, U. S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Standards, 1950. 35 pp. (Bull.
No. 117.)
Social Recht. Brussels, Ferdinand Larcier, 1949. 153 pp.
(Die Belgische Wetboeken, Tweetalige Uitgave.) In
Dutch and French.
Compilation of the texts of all basic labor and social
legislation now in force in Belgium.
Social Legislation and Work in Finland. Helsinki, Min
istry for Social Affairs, 1949. 179 pp., illus.
8 7 8 1 6 0 -5 0 -
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
437
Soviet Civil Law: Private Rights and Their Background
Under the Soviet Regime— Volume 2, Translation. By
Vladimir Gsovski. Ann Arbor, University of Michi
gan Law School, 1949. 907 pp.
Translations of basic Soviet civil acts, including selected
labor laws, with explanatory comments. A list of Soviet
statutes, 1917 to 1949, is given at the end of the volume.
Labor Organizations and Activities
Conventions of the AFL and CIO in 1949. Washington,
U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statis
tics, 1949. 11 pp. (Serial No. R. 1979; reprinted
from Monthly Labor Review, November and Decem
ber 1949.) Free.
This is American Labor. (In Labor and Nation, New
York, September-October 1949, pp. 1-106. $1.50.)
This international issue of Labor and Nation is designed
for extensive circulation abroad as well as in the United
States. It has four sections devoted almost entirely to
descriptive and historical accounts of American labor:
(1) Labor in the setting of the Nation’s economy and
political institutions; (2) “American Unionism in Thought
and Action,” including articles on collective bargaining
and the political ideas and influence of unions; (3) Ameri
can labor and the European Recovery Program and other
phases of international relations; and (4) “Inside the
Union and About It,” describing union life and activity,
as, for example, union reports to members and union
welfare plans.
38th Annual Report on Labor Organization in Canada,
for the Calendar Year 1948. Ottawa, Department of
Labor, Economics and Research Branch, 1949. 89
pp., charts. 25 cents.
Fifty Years’ March— The Rise of the Labor Party. By
Francis Williams. London, Odhams Press, Ltd.,
1949. 384 pp., illus. 7s. 6d. net.
The former editor of the Daily Herald, labor’s official
newspaper in Britain, treats the early years of the British
Labor Party. Little space is devoted to the Labor Party
Government after 1945. Since the trade-unions were
closely allied to the Labor Party, and used political action
to make possible, and to supplement, industrial action,
the more spectacular trade-union developments of the 50year period are included. The relationship between union
leaders and political leaders is touched on, chiefly in
connection with Ramsay MacDonald’s Governments.
Igdr og I dag— Arbeiderbevegelsen i Demokratiets Tidsalder.
By Trygve Bull. Oslo, Arbeidernes Opplysningsforbund, 1949. 48 pp.
This booklet, entitled Yesterday and Today— Labor
Movements in a Democratic Age, highlights the main
points in both the history of the labor movement and the
general political and economic situation in the world
during the last 100 years. Particular attention is paid to
developments since 1914.
438
PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
Medical Care and Sickness Insurance
America’s Health—A Report to the Nation. By the Na
tional Health Assembly. New York, Harper &
Brothers, 1949. 395 pp. $4.50.
Official report of the National Health Assembly con
vened by the Federal Security Administrator in Washing
ton in May 1948 to develop a basis for the formulation of
a 10-year national health program desired by the President.
A Pattern for Hospital Care: Final Report of the New York
State Hospital Study. By Eli Ginzberg. New York,
Columbia University Press, 1949. 368 pp. $4.50.
The study includes evaluations of the trends in cost of
hospital care in New York State, the economic position
of nonprofit general hospitals, and the role of voluntary
insurance—particularly prepayment plans under the Blue
Cross and Blue Shield services—and of commercial insur
ance. Extension of the voluntary insurance principle to
include 85 percent of the State’s population within the
next few years, with specified improvements and liberaliza
tion in plans, is advocated. Large numbers were found
to be already insured at the end of 1948.
Postwar Trends in Social Security: Medical Care. (In
International Labor Review, Geneva, August 1949,
pp. 111-131; September 1949, pp. 238-261. 50
cents each. Distributed in United States by Wash
ington Branch of ILO.)
Reviews developments in various countries as to public
programs of medical care.
For
the Disabled Sick— Disability Compensation. By
Nathan Sinai. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan,
Bureau of Public Health Economics, 1949. 126
pp. (Research Series, No. 5.) $1.
Analysis and appraisal of the principal statutory pro
visions and of the operations of existing compulsory State
programs of temporary-disability insurance (nonoccupational) in Rhode Island, California, and New Jersey.
Compensation for Disability. By R. K. McNickle. Washton (1205 19th Street NW.), Editorial Research
Reports, 1949. 14 pp. (Vol. II, 1949, No. 20.) $1.
Summary of issues involved in a proposal to add per
manent and total disability benefits to the Federal social
security system, with relevant background information.
MONTHLY LABOR
Thompson and Alma Macy Thompson. Chapel
Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 1949. 194
pp. $5.
Includes references to material on the Negro in domestic
service, business, and the professions.
Combating Discrimination in Employment in New York
State. By Felix Rackow. Ithaca, N. Y., Cornell
University, New York State School of Industrial and
Labor Relations, 1949. 52 pp., bibliography, illus.
(Research Bull. No. 5.) Free to residents of New
York State; 15 cents to others.
Review of the work (to March 31, 1949) of the New York
State Commission Against Discrimination, created by the
State law against discriminatory practices in employment.
The text of the law is reproduced in the pamphlet.
Trends in the Employment of Minority Groups. By John
E. O’Gara and Julius A. Thomas. (In Personnel
Series, No. 128, American Management Association,
New York, 1949, pp. 15-23.)
Personnel Management
Lay-Off Policy and Procedure. Princeton, N. J., Princeton
University, Industrial Relations Section, January
1950. 4 pp. (Selected References, No. 31.) 15
cents.
Installing and Maintaining an Employee Suggestion Pro
gram. Chicago, Dartnell Corporation, [1949?]. In
2 parts, variously paged, forms, illus. (Report No.
589.) $7.50.
Based on a survey of a large number of successful em
ployee suggestion plans. Part I deals with essential
policies of a good suggestion system. Part II describes
methods of installing and operating suggestion plans and
contains a statistical summary of important provisions of
a number of particularly successful plans.
Personnel Policies and Salary Administration in 200 Offices.
Chicago, Dartnell Corporation, [1949?]. Variously
paged; processed. (Report No. 587.)
Sickness Beneficiaries in 1948-49. (In Monthly Review,
U. S. Railroad Retirement Board, Chicago, January
1950, pp. 11-15.)
Covers railroad workers paid sickness or maternity
benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act.
Survey of Selected Personnel Practices in Los Angeles County
as of A pril 1, 1949. Compiled by Robert D. Gray
and staff. Pasadena, California Institute of Tech
nology, Industrial Relations Section, 1949. 74 pp.;
processed. (Bull. No. 17.) $2.50.
The survey covered 711 companies and 371,086 factory
and clerical workers.
Minority Groups
Social Security
The Negro Handbook, 1949. Edited by Florence Murray.
New York, Macmillan Co., 1949. 368 pp. $5.
The fourth issue of a biennial publication. Data con
cerning housing conditions, the labor movement, and the
employment situation are included.
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Program Analysis: Report
4, Causes of Relatively Low Average Monthly Wages
Among Primary Beneficiaries. Washington, Federal
Security Agency, Social Security Administration,
Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, 1949.
23 pp.; processed.
Race and Region: A Descriptive Bibliography Compiled
with Special Reference to the Relations Between Whites
and Negroes in the United States. By Edgar T.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Systems of Social Security: New Zealand. Geneva, Interna
tional Labor Office, 1949. 67 pp. 40 cents. Dis-
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
tributed in United States by Washington Branch of
ILO.
Mémento des Prestations Familiales. By Guy Grimaud.
Paris, SPID, 1949. 163 pp. 381 frs.
Guidebook to the system of family allowances in France,
showing its legislative background, organization, and ad
ministrative procedures. Pertinent decree-laws are given
in an appendix.
Welfare State Ideas and Practices. (In Labor and Nation,
New York, Winter 1949-50, pp. 3-54. $1.)
The issue is devoted largely to a series of articles on the
"welfare state” as it has developed in Great Britain, the
Scandinavian countries, and Australia. Additional ar
ticles deal with more general aspects of welfare policies.
Wages and Income
Income of Dentists, 1929-48. By William Weinfeld. (In
Survey of Current Business, U. S. Department of
Commerce, Office of Business Economics, Washing
ton, January 1950, pp. 8-16, charts; also reprinted.)
A summary of this report, in addition to that for lawyers
(August 1949 issue of Survey of Current Business), is
given on page 396 of this issue of the Monthly Labor
Review.
Incentive Wage Systems—A Selected Annotated Bibli
ography. Prepared by Robert L. Aronson. Prince
ton, N. J., Princeton University, Department of
Economics and Social Institutions, Industrial Rela
tions Section, 1949. 16 pp.; processed.
(Bibli
ographical Series, No. 79, revised.)
Problems of Hourly Rate Uniformity. By John R. Abersold.
Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press,
Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, Labor
Relations Council, 1949. 60 pp. (Industry-Wide
Collective Bargaining Series.) $1.
A study of collective bargaining over hourly wage rates
between a union and more than one company.
Wartime Wage Control in the United States. By Martin
Stoller and Joseph S. Zeisel. (In Business Record,
National Industrial Conference Board, Inc., New
York, February 1950, pp. 74^78.)
Fourth installment in a series on wartime wage control,
under the general title of "Economics of the Wage Freeze.”
The other articles in the series, dealing with Canada, Ger
many, and Great Britain, appeared in the Management
Record for April, June, and August, 1949, respectively.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
439
Wages Policy? By T. E. M. McKitterick. London, Fabian
Society, 1949. 28 pp. (Challenge Series, No. 3;
[Fabian Tract No. 270].) Is.
After examining the possible effects of a national wages
policy in Britain, the author concludes that efforts to con
trol differentials between industries and occupations, to
apply a universal rational system of payments by results,
or to fix a national minimum wage, are unlikely to work.
He concedes, however, that some control over the total
amount of national product going into wages may be neces
sary in order to avoid inflation in a planned economy com
mitted to full employment.
Women in Industry
Opportunities for Careers for Women. New York, National
Federation of Business and Professional Women’s
Clubs, Inc., [1949?]. 34 pp.
How to Make a Home Business Pay. By Julietta K. Ar
thur. New York, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1949. 330
pp., bibliographies. $2.95.
Many and varied projects are discussed, illustrated by
case histories of successful businesses developed by women
in the home. Part 2, on “How to Stay in Business,” in
cludes chapters on management, selling, and laws and taxes
that must be heeded. Many sources of additional informa
tion are listed.
Women in the Federal Service, 1923-1947: Part I, Trends in
Employment. Washington, U. S. Department of
Labor, Women’s Bureau, 1949. 79 pp., charts.
(Bull. No. 230-1.) 25 cents, Superintendent of
Documents, Washington.
Night Work for Women in Hotels and Restaurants. Wash
ington, U. S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau,
1949. 59 pp., chart. (Bull. No. 233.)
20 cents,
Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
Women in German Industry. By Sara Southall and Pauline
M. Newman. Frankfort, Office of Military Govern
ment for Germany (U. S.), Manpower Division, 1949.
31 pp.; processed. (Visiting Expert Series, No. 14.)
Report on the status of women in industry and tradeunions, with pertinent recommendations for employers and
union officials.
Available for reference in some of the larger public
libraries and in libraries of some of the larger colleges and
universities of the United States.
Current Labor Statistics
A.—Employment and Pay Rolls
Estimated total labor force classified by employment status, hours
worked, and sex
443 Table A-2: Employees in nonagricultural establishments, by industry division
and group
446 Table A-3: Production workers in mining and manufacturing industries
448 Table A-4: Indexes of production-worker employment and weekly pay rolls in
manufacturing industries
449 Table A-5: Federal civilian employment by branch and agency group
450 Table A-6: Federal civilian pay rolls by branch and agency group
451 Table A-7: Civilian Government employment and pay rolls in Washington, D. C.,
by branch and agency group
451 Table A-8: Personnel and pay of the military branch of the Federal Government
Table A-9: Employees in nonagricultural establishments for selected States1
Table A-10: Employees in manufacturing industries, by States1
452 Table A -l 1: Insured unemployment under State unemployment insurance pro
grams, by geographic division and State
442 Table A -l:
B.—Labor Turn-Over
453
Table B -l:
454 Table B-2:
Monthly labor turn-over rates (per 100 employees) in manufacturing
industries, by class of turn-over
Monthly labor turn-over rates (per 100 employees) in selected groups
and industries
C.—Earnings and Hours
Hours and gross earnings of production workers or nonsupervisory
employees
470 Table C-2: Gross average weekly earnings of production workers in selected
industries, in current and 1939 dollars
471 Table C-3: Gross and net spendable average weekly earnings of production
workers in manufacturing industries, in current and 1939 dollars
471 Table C -l: Average hourly earnings, gross and exclusive of overtime, of produc
tion workers in manufacturing industries
Table C-5: Hours and gross earnings of production workers in manufacturing
industries for selected States and areas1
456 Table C -l:
1 This table is included quarterly in the February, May, August, and November issues
of the Review.
440
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
CURRENT LABOR STATISTICS
441
D.—Prices and Cost of Living
472
Table D -l:
473
Table
474 Table
475 Table
476 Table
477 Table
478 Table
479 Table
Consumers’ price index for moderate-income families in large cities, by
group of commodities
D-2: Consumers’ price index for moderate-income families, by city, for
selected periods
D-3: Consumers’ price index for moderate-income families, by city and
group of commodities
D-4: Indexes of retail prices of foods, by group, for selected periods
D-5: Indexes of retail prices of foods, by city
D—6: Average retail prices and indexes of selected foods
D-7: Indexes of wholesale prices, by group of commodities, for selected
periods
D-8: Indexes of wholesale prices, by group and subgroup of commodities
E.—Work Stoppages
480 Table E -l:
Work stoppages resulting from labor-management disputes
F.—Building and Construction
480 Table F -l:
481 Table F-2:
482 Table F-3:
483 Table F-4:
484 Table F-5:
Expenditures for new construction
Value of contracts awarded and force-account work started on federally
financed new construction, by type of construction
Urban building authorized, by principal class of construction and by
type of building
New nonresidential building authorized in all urban places by general
type and by geographic division
Number and construction cost of new permanent nonfarm dwelling
units started, by urban or rural location, and by source of funds
N o t e . — Earlier
figures in many of the series appearing in the following tables are shown in the Handbook of
Labor Statistics, 1947 Edition (BLS Bulletin 916). The Handbook also contains descriptions of the
techniques used in compiling these data and information on the coverage of the different series. For
convenience in referring to the historical statistics, the tables in this issue of the Monthly Labor Review
are keyed to tables in the Handbook.
M LR
table
Handbook
table
M LR
table
Handbook
table
A - l ________ ________ A-12 A -8________ ________
A -2________ -----------(i) B - l ________ ________
A -3________ -----------« B -2 ________ ________
A -4________ -----------« C - l________ -----------A -5________ ________ A-8 C -2________ -----------A -6________ -----------0) C -3________ ________
A -7________ ________ A-7 C -4________ -----------1 Not Included in 1947 edition of Handbook.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
A-9
B -l
B -2
(9
0)
C-10
0)
M LR
table
D - l ____
D -2 ____
D -3 ____
D -4 ____
D -5 ____
D -6 ____
D -7 ____
Handbook
table
M LR
table
....... .......... ..
D - l D -8 .
___________ D -2 E - l .
___________ D -2 F - l .
___________ D -4 F-2
----- D -2 and D -3
F -3 .
___________ D -4 F -4 .
___________ D -6 F -5 .
Handbook
table
.
_
.
.
.
D -6
E-3
H -l
H -2
H -4
-
0)
_
1-3
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
442
MONTHLY LABOR
A: Employment and Pay Rolls.
T able A -l: Estimated Total Labor Force Classified by Employment Status, Hours Worked, and Sex
Estimated number of persons 14 years of age and over 1 (in thousands)
Labor force
1950
Feb.
1949
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.s
Oct.
Sept.*
Aug.
July 1
June
M ay
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Total, both sexes
Total labor force 1................................................... 63,003
62,835
63, 475
64,363
64,021
64, 222
65,105
65,278
64, 866
63,452
62,327
62, 305
61,896
61,637
4,684
1,583
1,456
547
650
448
56,953
50, 730
41,433
5,271
2,085
1,941
6,223
4,334
1, 271
■ 300
317
61,427
4,480
1,956
1,171
418
542
396
56,947
50,749
40,839
6, 251
1,974
1,686
6,198
3,979
1,459
329
431
62,045
3,489
1,399
971
302
456
361
58, 556
51, 783
42, 260
6,126
2,049
1,349
6, 773
4, 778
1,511
297
189
62, 927
3,409
1,586
771
257
460
335
59,518
51,640
36, 766
11, 383
1,991
1,501
7,878
6,205
1,256
238
179
62, 576
3, 576
1,736
719
300
471
349
59,001
51,290
41,354
6,056
2,027
1,855
7, 710
5,462
1,604
365
279
62, 763
3.351
1,327
757
395
507
368
59, 411
51, 254
27,366
19,683
1,867
2,339
8,158
6,294
1, 455
269
140
63,637
3,689
1,484
1,020
384
473
329
59, 947
51, 441
40, 407
5, 231
1,509
4,294
8, 507
6, 724
1, 290
264
228
63, 815
4,095
1,865
1,104
361
439
327
59, 720
50, 073
27, 686
14, 701
1,438
6, 247
9, 647
7,326
1, 871
262
189
63,398
3, 778
1, 925
808
299
483
261
59, 619
49, 924
40, 924
5,425
1,525
2, 051
9, 696
7, 400
1,952
228
116
61,983
3, 289
1,501
763
316
490
221
58, 694
49, 720
41,315
5,073
1, 778
1, 554
8, 974
7,159
1,474
211
130
60, 835
3,016
1,160
838
403
456
160
57, 819
49,999
40, 761
5, 913
1,888
1,438
7, 820
5, 656
1,700
243
221
60, 814
3,167
1,322
899
425
401
120
57, 647
50, 254
40, 761
5,964
1, 944
1,585
7,393
4, 973
1,833
357
231
60,388
3, 221
1,440
1,024
328
286
145
57,167
50,174
40, 830
5,737
1, 876
1,730
6,993
4,591
1, 776
367
260
Civilian labor force—.............................................
U nemployment------------------------ . --------Unemployed 4 weeks or less...............
Unemployed 5-10 weeks...................... Unmployed 11-14 weeks-----------------Unemployed 15-26 w eek s.....................
Unemployed over 26 weeks-------------Em ploym ent......... ..........................................
Nonagricultural. --------------------------Worked 35 hours or more_______
Worked 15-34 hours____________
Worked 1-14 hours 4—__________
W ith a job but not at work «____
Agricultural. -------------------------------Worked 35 hours or more—............
Worked 15-34 hours........ ................
Worked 1-14 hours 4 -------- -------W ith a job but not at work «------
Males
Total labor force *................................................... 45,115
45,102
45,174
45,515
45,413
45, 759
46, 613
46, 712
46, 282
45,337
45,143
45,000
44, 721
43,769
3,426
40,343
34,698
29,336
2,909
922
1,531
5,645
4,176
942
228
298
43,715
3,262
40,453
34,880
29,108
3,711
904
1,157
5, 573
3,817
1,094
262
399
43,765
2,472
41,293
35,369
30, 077
3,424
884
984
5, 924
4, 497
1, 017
234
177
44, 099
2,316
41, 783
35. 484
26,629
6,922
870
1,064
6,299
5,335
638
152
173
43,988
2, 563
41,426
35,123
29,631
3,234
901
1,359
6,302
4,896
910
247
249
44, 319
2, 233
42, 085
35, 521
20, 498
12,663
810
1, 551
6, 565
5,465
792
179
128
45,163
2,519
42, 644
35, 549
29, 277
3,080
593
2,599
7,095
6,019
705
161
209
45, 267
2, 845
42, 422
34,799
20, 820
9,604
651
3, 723
7, 623
6,356
916
185
168
44,832
2, 598
42,233
34, 796
29,889
3, 004
629
1,274
7,438
6, 453
731
148
105
43,886
2,366
41,521
34, 411
29, 813
2, 766
780
1, 052
7,109
6, 249
610
134
115
43, 668
2, 205
41,463
34, 714
29,621
3, 237
825
1,032
6, 749
5,372
1,023
153
201
43, 525
2,433
41, 092
34, 622
29,425
3,286
802
1,109
6,470
4,738
1, 294
223
216
43, 229
2,417
40, 812
34,689
29, 425
3,199
825
1, 239
6,123
4,344
1,263
270
246
Civilian labor fo rce--------------------------------- U nemployment...............................................
Em ploym ent------------ ------------------------ Nonagricultural............ —.................... .
Worked 35 hours or more----- -----Worked 15-34 hours........................
Worked 1-14 hours 4____________
W ith a job but not at work *-----A gricultural... ----------------------------Worked 35 hours or more----------Worked 15-34 hours...... ..................
Worked 1-14 hours 4____________
W ith a job but not at work »------
Females
Total labor force1 ................................................... 17,888
17,733
18, 301
18,848
18,608
18,463
18, 492
18, 566
18,584
18,115
17,184
17,305
17,175
17, 868
1,258
16, 610
16,032
12,097
2,362
1,163
410
578
158
329
72
19
17, 712
1,218
16, 494
15,869
11,731
2,540
1,070
529
625
162
365
67
32
18, 280
1, 017
17,263
16,414
12,183
2,702
1,165
365
849
281
494
63
12
18, 828
1,093
17, 735
16,156
10,137
4, 461
1,121
437
1,579
870
618
86
6
18, 588
1,013
17, 575
16,167
11,723
2,822
1,127
496
1,408
566
694
118
30
18,444
1,118
17, 326
15, 733
6,868
7,020
1,057
788
1,593
829
663
90
12
18,474
1,170
17, 303
15, 892
11,130
2,151
916
1,695
1,412
705
585
103
19
18, 548
1,250
17, 298
15, 274
6, 866
5, 097
787
2,524
2,024
970
955
77
21
18, 566
1,180
17,386
15,128
11, 035
2,421
896
777
2, 258
947
1,221
80
11
18, 097
923
17,173
15,309
11,502
2,307
998
502
1,865
910
864
77
15
17,167
811
16,356
15, 285
11,140
2,676
1,063
406
1,071
284
677
90
20
17,289
734
16, 555
15, 632
11,336
2,678
1,142
476
923
235
539
134
15
17,159
804
16,355
15,485
11, 405
2, 538
1,051
491
870
247
513
97
14
Civilian labor force.....................—........................
Unem ploym ent................................. ...........
Employm ent........... .......................................
N onagrieultural........................................
Worked 35 hours or more----------Worked 15-34 hours.........................
Worked 1-14 hours 4----------- -----W ith a job but not at work »___
Agricultural________________ ______
Worked 35 hours or more................
Worked 15-34 hours____________
Worked 1-14 hours 4-----------------W ith a job but not at work 4____
i Estimates are subject to sampling variation which may be large in cases
where the quantities shown are relatively small. Therefore, the smaller
estimates should be used with caution. All data exclude persons in institu
tions. Because of rounding, the individual figures do not necessarily add to
group totals.
* Census survey week contains legal holiday.
* Total labor force consists of the civilian labor force and the armed
forces.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
4 Excludes persons engaged only in incidental unpaid family work (less than
15 hours); these persons are classified as not in the labor force.
* Includes persons who had a job or business, but who did not work during
the census week because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor dispute or
because of temporary lay-off with definite instructions to return to work
within 30 days of lay-oil. Does not include unpaid family workers.
Source: U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
REVIEW, A PR IL 1950
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
443
T able A-2: Employees in Nonagricultural Establishments, by Industry Division and Group1
[In thousands]
1950
Annual
average
1949
Industry group and industry
Feb.
Total employees................ ..........................
Mining__ ___________________________
Metal......................................... ................
Iron............................ ...........................
Copper......................... ...........................
Lead and zinc_____________________
Anthracite______ ____ ______________
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
M ay
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
1948
1947
41, 693 42,158 43, 696 42, 784 42, 601 43,466 42,994 42, 573 42, 835 42,731 42,966 42,918 43,061 44, 201 43,371
617
858
940
917
593
948
956
943
968
974
984
981
986
981
943
91.3
91.1
91.6
83.1
64.7
93.8
91.7
94.5 100.3 101.4 103. ] 102.0 101.
98.5
96.8
33.3
33.5
27.9
9.2
36. (
36. 5
35.5
36. ‘
36.1
36.5
35.2
35.2
35.5
33.1
21.8
21.7
21.2
21.2
21. ]
22.2
21.1
21.2
22.8
23.2
23.5
22.5
22.3
22.5
18.2
18.4
17.3
17.1
19.0
21.7
18.0
18.7
22.4
23.5
23.6
23.5
21.7
22.9
75.6
76.3
76.2
76.7
75.7
75.6
75.5
77.1
77.0
78.3
79.5
78.6
80.0
79.4
Bituminous-coal........................................ .
110.5
Crude petroleum and natural gas pro
duction_________ _____ __________
350.4
424.3
407.1
99.8
421.1
424.7
410.1
431.2
438.4
446.4
448.0
455.0
444.9
431.8
237.3
251.8
253.7
254.8
256.2
260.7
262.9
263.5
261.9
260.1
258.8
257.4
258.3
257.5
Nonmetallic mining and quarrying_____
88.7
88.9
93.6
95.7
95.9
98.7
99.1
99.1
97.8
97.5
97.3
94.5
92.5
100.1
97.8
Contract construction___________________
1, 829
1,914
2, 088
2,244
2,313
2,341
2,340
2,277
2,205
2,137
2,036
1,947
1,926
2,165
1,982
Manufacturing___ _____________ _______
Durable goods»_...............................
Nondurable goods 3..........................
Ordnance and accessories_______ ____
14,016 13,997 14,033 13, 807 13, 892 14,812 14,114 13, 757 13, 884 13, 877 14,177 14,475 14, 649 15,286 15,247
7,344 7,354 7,300 7,050 6,986 7,409 7,302 7, 255 7, 392 7, 441 7, 656 7,819 7, 923 8,315 8, 373
6,672 6,643 6,733 6,757 6,906 6,903 6,812 6, 502 6,492 6,436 6,521 6, 656 6,726 6, 970 6,874
21.4
21.3
21.6
22.6
21.8
22.6
23.8
22.7
26.1
25.3
27.3
27.9
28.0
28.1
26.9
Food and kindred products___________ 1, 418 1,432 1,492 1,539 1,631 1,703 1, 718 1, 585 1,501 1,436 1,410 1,406 1,414 1,536 1,532
Meat products_________ ___________
300.9 307.9 298.3 292.8 287.7 285.9 284.7 282.7 277.5 274.8 282.6 289.4 271.2
275
Dairy products..................................... .
131.4 133.1 136.3 142.2 149.9 156.5 162.3 161.6 153.9 146.3 141.4 136.7 147.7 148.0
Canning and preserving.........................
141.0 161.2 185.2 258.2 351.0 369.8 247.3 194. 5 156.4 150.1 134.6 133.0 222.0 223.5
Grain-mill products________________
119.6 120.6 122.9 125.4 123.6 122.5 121.8 119.4 118.7 116.4 117.8 118.9 117.7 116.9
Bakery products__________________
278.9 281.2 286.0 292.4 289.7 288.0 281.9 282.3 276.1 273.9 271.7 278.6 282.9 274.9
S u g ar................................... ............. .
42.4
28.3
48.0
29.9
26.7
26.9
49.3
30.7
27.1
27.8
27.4
26.8
34.5
38.4
Confectionery and related products___ _________
99.8 104.4 109.4 113.6 105.6
92.5
87.1
83.7
84.9
91.5
92.9
96.3 100.2
98.5
Beverages................................................
199.4 205.6 211.3 215.0 222.4 232.6 235.7 210.5 204.4 194.0 205.6 199.6 218.6 211.9
Miscellaneous food products_________
132.2 135.5 139.9 142.9 142.5 140.2 140.0 138.5 135.5 136.2 132.5 134.2 141.3 144.1
Tobacco manufactures...............................
Cigarettes................................................
Cigars.......................................................
Tobacco and snuff...................................
Tobacco stemming and redrying_____
88
Textile-mill products.................. .............. L, 271
Yarn and thread mills....................... .
Broad-woven fabric mills___________
Knitting mills________________ ____
Dyeing and finishing textiles................
Carpets, rugs, other floor coverings___
Other textile-mill products___ _____
92
26.3
42.3
12.8
10.9
94
26.8
43.1
12.9
10.7
96
26.9
45.5
12.9
10.2
99
26.9
45.7
13.1
12.9
101
27.0
45.2
13.1
16.0
98
26.9
44.3
13.1
14.1
89
27.0
42.9
12.5
6. 7
91
26.9
44.4
13.0
6.7
90
26.8
43.3
12.6
6.9
90
26.3
42.9
12.8
7.5
92
25.8
45.4
13.1
7.8
95
25.8
45.5
13.3
10.0
100
26.6
48.3
13.7
11.2
104
26.2
49.4
14.8
13.0
1,264 1,275 1,272 1,256 1, 220 1,179 1,145 1,170 1,175 1,188 1,240 1,279 1,362 1.325
158.2 15?. 7 156.1 153.3 148.5 141.4 135.3 140.7 141.4 142.9 153.1 159.0 177.6 179.5
596.3 604.0 601.9 594.8 577.0 559.8 548.1 555.2 557.1 560.3 589.5 613.4 645.7 618.3
241.5 244.7 247.8 244.8 237.0 228.7 218.1 220.8 220.1 225.1 228.6 231.8 249.0 242.4
82.6
87.3
85.4
89.3
85.4
87.1
90.0
89.5
87.9
88.4
81.3
83.4
89.8
86.8
55.3
57.5
58.5
59.7
59.2
55.9
61.7
58.1
56.9
63.5
50.9
64.6
64.8
57.3
119.4 119.1 118.6 118.4 115.8 111.0 111.1 113.4 112.1 111.3 117.4 121.6 135.2 140.9
Apparel and other finished textile prod
ucts.............. .............................. ........ L, 183 1,151 1,158 1,144 1,199 1,198 1,155 1,055 1,073 1,070 1,121 1,166 1,171 1,162 1,130
Men’s and boys’ suits and coats........
142.6 139.8 130.6 141.5 146.5 143.5 128.8 134.7 131.8 147.3 150.7 152.5 154.4 151.2
M en’s and boys’ furnishings and work ..........
clothing........................... ...................
259.9 265.1 269.6 270.5 264.5 253.1 239.3 253.8 257.4 258.9 260.2 259.0 269.1 269.8
Women’s outerwear...........................
337.0 330.6 313.7 342.2 353.1 341.1 296.5 292.1 290.7 322.0 352.3 359.7 342.4 336.4
Women’s, children’s undergarments__
98.2
102.9 104.7 108.5 107.2 104.0
94.1
90.8
92.5
95.1
97.3
97.9
97.4
90.8
M illinery.._____ _________________
23.8
23.1
24.7
22.7
18.5
24.0
20.4
20.3
17.3
23. 1
25.6
25.5
22.9
23.9
Children’s outerwear_______________
68.2
67.3
65.7
67.9
62.3
64.6
65.8
63.4
57.3
58.5
63.0
62.3
59.5
53.1
Fur goods and miscellaneous apparel...
98.4
91.1
95.5
80.1
90.6
95.9
84.7
86.4
83.4
83.0
84.1
84.4
90.1
83.5
Other fabricated textile products_____
138.1 140.1 141.7 146.8 142.2 137.9 131.0 133.7 135.1 133.1 132.3 129.9 125.6 121.6
Lumber and wood products (except fur
niture)-........................... .................... 697
Logging camps and contractors............
Sawmills and planing mills__________ ..........
Millwork, plywood, and prefabricated
structural wood p ro d u cts.................. ......
Wooden containers..... ............................
Miscellaneous wood products................ ..........
Furniture and fixtures...............................
Household furniture____ ______ ____
Other furniture and fixtures...................
Paper and allied products_____________
Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills___
Paperboard containers and boxes.........
Other paper and allied products............
See f o o t n o t e s at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
341
—
449
703
44.6
411.0
744
61.5
434.2
753
63.7
442.7
750
64.0
444.0
743
59.5
445.4
747
62.3
444.8
736
62.7
436.8
747
63.8
442.1
733
63.3
430.4
719
58.1
418.8
719
60.3
415.6
714
58.8
408.5
812
72.8
472.9
838
81.1
488.3
117.2
73.2
56.7
117.5
73.9
57.1
116.3
73.0
56.9
113.4
72.2
56.7
110.1
71.7
56.7
109.4
72.0
58.1
106.6
71. 7
58.0
108.4
73.7
58.8
106.2
73.7
59.2
108.1
73.4
60.3
107.9
73.5
61.4
109.7
74.5
62.2
119.5
81.8
65.2
113.2
87.3
68.4
333
238.2
94.8
332
236.8
95.4
327
232.6
94.1
327
231.2
95.7
319
223.9
95.1
305
212.3
92.5
295
204.0
90.9
298
205.5
92.8
301
207.9
93.2
311
215.9
94.6
316
219.7
95.8
320
223.3
97.0
348
247.0
100.9
340
243.9
96.1
450
228.2
119.1
102.3
454
229.0
122.6
102.8
458
229.3
125.6
102.8
456
228.1
124.2
103.8
448
225.6
119.4
102.9
436
219.5
114.9
101.2
429
217.8
110.6
100.9
434
221.7
111.4
100.8
437
223.3
111.5
101.9
442
226.2
113.0
102.6
451
231.5
115.0
104.8
456
233.9
116.6
105.9
470
240.7
121.4
107.6
465
234.0
122.1
108.7
MONTHLY LABOR
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
444
T able A - 2 : E m p lo y e e s in N o n a g r ie u ltu r a l E sta b lish m e n ts, b y I n d u str y D iv is io n a n d G r o u p 1— C on .
[In thousands]
Annual
average
1949
1950
Industry group and industry
Feb.
Manufacturing—Continued
Printing, publishing, and allied industrips
____________
Newspapers
__________________
Periodicals
- ______________
Books
___________
Commercial printing________________
Lithographing
_______________
Other printing and publishing................
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
M ay
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
1948
1947
727
731
286.5
52.3
45.2
200.2
39.9
106.7
740
289.6
53.0
45.4
201.3
42.2
108.3
736
288.8
52.9
45.7
198.0
42.2
108.1
735
288.2
53.2
45.5
199.2
41.6
107.7
728
286.4
53.3
45.1
195.0
40.8
107.3
719
285.2
52.7
41.5
193.1
40.2
106.3
716
283.5
52.2
41.4
195.5
39.7
103.8
725
283.8
51.9
44.8
196.4
40.2
107.9
722
280.8
53.4
45.0
194.9
40.6
107.6
722
277.9
54.1
45.0
195.6
41.2
108.4
723
276.6
54.7
45.1
196.0
41.3
109.1
726
275.0
54.9
45.4
198.8
41.0
110.5
725
267.5
54.7
46.6
197.5
45.1
113.3
709
248.5
56.5
48.6
191.0
48.2
115.6
Chemicals and allied products--------------Industrial inorganic chemicals. --------Industrial organic chemicals
___
Props pod modi nines
________
Paints pigments and fillers
Fertilizers
___ - ______
Vepetable and animal oils and fats _ __
Other chemicals and allied products
664
659
66.2
187.9
94.8
67.0
32.3
59.0
151.3
661
66.2
1S7.8
94.6
67.1
30.8
62.1
152.0
662
66.3
187.0
94.1
67.6
30.3
63.4
153.5
665
67.1
185.6
93.7
67.9
31.8
64.9
153.6
654
65.7
184.7
92.7
66.3
32.3
58.8
153.7
636
65.7
180.3
92.0
65.8
30.4
48.7
153.0
630
66.6
181.1
90.7
64.9
29.6
46.5
150.1
642
68. 6
185.0
91.6
66.7
30.6
48.5
150.5
654
69.0
188.3
91.1
67.3
36.4
50.5
151.7
675
70.0
195. 9
91.5
67.7
42.3
54.5
152.9
691
70.9
205.7
91.7
68.1
43.2
57.0
154.1
693
71.1
211.4
91.8
68.7
38.8
58.2
152.7
699
70.9
210.3
89.5
70.7
35.9
56.2
165.0
692
66.6
205.5
93.6
68.3
36.7
55.7
165.3
Products of petroleum and coal________
Petroleum refininp
_______
______
Poke and byproducts
Other petroleum and coal products-----
242
243
196.1
20.2
26.2
243
195.6
20.4
27.0
245
197.3
18.7
28.7
241
197.6
13.5
30.1
247
199.2
19.3
28.4
247
200. 2
19.5
27.7
246
199.9
19.8
26.3
246
198.9
20.5
26.6
246
198.0
20.7
27.1
246
199.1
20.5
26.1
245
198.5
20.4
25.6
246
199.6
20.5
25.7
250
199.1
20.0
30.8
239
189.3
18.6
31.2
233
Rubber products. - __________________
________
'Pirns and inner tubes
Rubber footwear
_____
Other rubber products_________ - ......... —
234
105.1
24.9
104.4
234
104.5
27.0
102.5
233
103.5
27.0
102.4
234
103.5
26.4
104.1
209
82.5
25.9
100.9
227
103.5
25.2
98.3
224
104.9
24.9
94.0
230
110.2
24.6
95.0
233
111.2
25.2
96.9
238
112.8
26.2
99.3
243
113.1
26.7
103.0
246
113.9
27.8
104.6
259
121.1
29.6
107.9
270
132.4
28.8
109.2
Leather and leather products__________
leather
____________
Footwear (except rubber)
Other leather products
397
387
49.3
254.5
82.8
382
49.5
246.7
85.5
372
49.7
232.4
90.2
390
49.4
249.2
91.2
395
49.1
255.5
90.1
397
48.3
259.4
89.2
383
47.4
250.9
84.3
380
49.0
247.7
83.4
373
49.1
240.2
83.3
389
49.6
253.1
86.1
399
50.9
259.0
88.7
400
51.7
259.7
88.7
410
54.2
260.1
95.4
409
55.7
257.3
95.5
Stone, clay, and glass products_________
niass and pi ass products
Oement hydraulic
Structural clay products
Pottery and related products
Concrete, gypsum, and plaster productsOther stone clay and glass products
470
469
121.1
41.8
75.1
56.4
81.7
93.2
479
122.7
42.2
77.4
57.0
85.2
94.2
477
123.2
40.6
76.6
57.6
86.1
93.1
478
123.2
40.5
78.2
57.2
86.5
92.0
482
122.7
42.4
79.3
55.8
87.1
94.6
480
122. 2
42.5
79.5
54.9
85.8
94. 9
469
116.5
42.7
79.6
51.5
83.7
94.6
478
121.1
42.5
80.0
55.3
83.3
95. 4
482
121.6
42.0
80.1
57.4
83.6
97.3
484
120.0
41.8
80.2
59.9
82.7
99.3
492
123.4
41.4
80.9
61.2
82.8
101.9
498
126.2
41.6
82.0
61.4
83.1
103.5
514
135. £
40.9
83.4
60.6
87.8
105. £
501
143.8
38.1
76.1
58.8
81.5
102 7
___
Primary metal industries--------------------- 1,129
Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling
Iron and steel foundries
Primary smelting and refining of nonferrous mefals
Rolling, drawing, and alloying of nonferroiTs metals
Nonferrous foundries_______________
Other primary metal industries
Fabricated metal products (except ordnance, machinery, and transportation
equipment). _____________________
Tin cans and Other tinware
Cutlery hand tools and hardware
Heating apparatus (except electric) and
plumbers* supplies
Fabricated structural metal products
M etal stamping, coating, and engraving
Other fabricated metal products
854
891
703
581.3
198.8
577.6
198.8
392.3
195.8
191.3
198.5
1,119
1,110
1,097
572.5
200.5
1,092
1,095
572.0
205.5
581.3
204.4
1,135
599.1
212.3
1,158
610.8
214. £
1,195
621. £
227.3
1,229
628.3
242.4
1,245
628. £
248.6
1,247
612. f
259.3
1.231
589.0
256.8
51.3
49.6
46.2
47. S
50.3
51. 5
54.0
54. 7
56.1
56. C
55.!
55.6
55.1
89. £
79.0
119.2
88.1
78.4
117.2
76.9
74.4
105.4
85. 5
76.3
103.5
83. C 79.9
71.1
74.0
116.1 113.1
78.4
70.5
109. i
81.1
71.9
116. 3
84.2
73.0
119. £
88.8
75.4
125.7
95.3
78.2
129.1
99.6
80.9
131.5
103.!
85.2
130.7
111 5
85.9
132.3
846
41.i
145.3
841
42.1
142.8
820
43.8
139.1
829
46.4
140.2
863
48.!
137.4
843
49. !
135.2
826
47.7
133.1
836
47.1
138. (
843
44.2
140.7
867
43.f
145.2
890
44.6
148.8
917
44.!
152.8
976
48.7
154.4
995
47 7
156! 5
133.5
185.4
151.3
189.5
136.8
186.1
146.8
186.1
138.3
178.9
141.6
178.2
141.5
173.0
148.4
179.4
134. 6
202.1
151.6
188.2
124. ;
201.8
146.6
185. ]
117.4
201.1
142.9
184.2
118. (
202.6
142.5
187.:
123.:
202.3
140.2
191.8
129. !
204.0
145.7
199.1
134.5
206.8
151.0
204.6
139.7
210.5
157.1
211.5
165.!
215.9
172.2
219. (
174 3
51. C
180.4
229 1
Machinery (except electrical)___________ 1,260 1,239 1,229 1,209 1,223 1, 236 1,229 1,241 1,285 1,327 1,385 1,431 1,458 1,533 1.535
66. i
71.8
67.6
69. (
75. (
66.6
65. S
66. < 64.5
77.5
80.]
81.9
83 9
83.8
Engines and turbines
171.8 168.3 162.7 166.0 178.9 179. ‘ 178.7 183.7 187.1 190.0 192.5 193.8 191.3 178 9
Apricultural machinery and tractors.
91.1
90.5
91.0
89.2
95.6
101.
(
90.3
88.8
106.0
111.4
114.8
116.
5
122.6
190
2
Construction and mining machinery
Metalworking machinery------------------ ............ 196.4 196.0 195.6 197.9 199.1 197.4 198.2 205.8 212.8 219.0 223.2 226.3 239.5 248.3
Special-industry machinery (except
metalworking machinery)-------------- ______ 156.3 156.9 157.0 158. 8 161.5 161.8 163.8 169.3 175.6 181.6 188.4 192. ( 201.! 204.4
172.6 173.2 173.2 175. i 177.0 177.9 179.7 184. ( 189.2 194.5 200.2 204.; 209.8 208 fi
General industrial machinery
86.8
89.7
84.6
86.2
88.8
88.5
87.8
87.5
90.5
91.3
94.8
97.1 109.1 108.2
Office and Store machines and devices
Service-industry and household ma155.] 149. C 139. ( 136.4 130.2 126.0 126.4 133.2 136. £ 158.! 167. ( 169.] 191.3 184. 8
chines
____________
144.2 143.] 138.5 143.7 143.5 141.3 142.2 145.: 153.6 161.1 169.9 176.6 183.4 197 3
Miscellaneous machinery parts
779
Electrical machinery _______________
Electrical generating, transmission,
distribution, and industrial apparatus
Electrical equipment for vehicles-------- ___
Communication equipment-................... ............
Electrical appliances, lamps, and
miscellaneous products------------------- ...........
See footnotes a t end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
763
761
750
753
734
712
712
725
294.Î
65.2
276.8
293.
64.9
275.9
289.2
59.1
275.7
289.7
65.9
270.1
286.8
65.4
257.9
281. !
63.4
250.2
280.6
62.
253.7
126.8
127. £
125.7
127.0
124. C 116.
115. 4
746
770
795
818
869
918
284.2 292.!
62.0
63.4
261. C 266.0
303.2
64.2
270.7
310.1
67.2
278.4
314.8
67.6
291.
332.!
69.0
312.2
343. 5
74.3
336.2
117.9
131.7
139.2
144.4
154.8
164.0
123.3
445
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
T able A-2: Employees in Nonagricultural Establishments, by Industry Division and Group1—Con.
[In thousands]
Annual
average
1949
1950
Industry group and industry
Jan.
Feb.
Manufacturing—Continued
Transportation equipment_____________ 1,129
A utom obiles_______________________
Aircraft and parts __________________
Aircraft - _______________________
Aircraft engines and parts--------------Aircraft, propellers and p a r ts _______
Othr'r aircraft parts and equipm ent..
Ship and boat building and repairing..
phip building and repairing4 ______
Railroad equipment . .
--------Other transportation equipm ent...........
Dec.
N ov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
M ay
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
1948
1947
1,208 1,112 1,112 1,208 1,240 1,224 1,242 1,224 1,183 1,242 1,248 1,245 1,263 1,263
807.1 703.2 697.1 789.2 810.2 807.0 799.0 775.6 726.9 777.9 775.6 772.5 792.8 776.2
252.1 252.5 252.3 255.4 258.3 252.2 259.6 253.7 254.1 259.3 259.4 256.0 228.1 228.6
166.9 167.0 166.8 168.8 171.2 171.7 172.8 169.3 169.8 171.0 171.0 168.9 151.7 151.4
52.2
47.8
53.8
53.0
52.8
46.7
52.3
53.1
46.2
52.1
52.4
51.2
49.9
50.5
7.6
7.8
7.7
7.7
7.4
7. 4
8.2
8.0
8.1
8.2
8.2
8.0
8.1
8.1
27.9
22.4
22 0
27.6
27.3
26.3
23.2
22.7
26.3
26.5
26.3
26.2
27.2
27.0
94.6 100.6 103.7 108.2 109.0 113.6 116.4 140.7 159.4
82.7
88.6
82.9
85.3
80.0
91.3
95.1
95.9 100.3 102.2 124.2 137.3
83.3
88.8
72.4
77.9
72.4
74.8
69.3
81.2
84.6
87.5
88.2
81.4
83.0
84.8
59.3
73.3
68.2
71.2
64.2
65.3
60.7
11.5
11. 5
11.1
16.6
17.0
10.5
10.5
9.6
9.3
12.0
11.4
11.6
9.6
7.7
235
Instruments and related products--------Ophthalmic goods _ _ ______________
Photographic apparatus. _ __________
Watches and clocks _ ______________
Professional and scientific instruments. —
233
25.1
48.2
30.2
129.9
234
25.3
48.8
31.2
128.4
234
25.6
49.1
31.9
127.7
235
25.8
49.7
32.2
126.9
233
26.0
49.5
31.7
125.8
230
26.2
50.1
30.6
123.3
231
26.2
51.2
29.4
123.7
236
27.0
53.0
30.6
125.8
238
27.3
53.8
30.6
126.3
242
27.7
55.6
31.1
128.0
245
28.0
56.1
31.6
129.0
246
28.1
56.7
32.0
129.4
260
28.2
60.3
40.8
130.5
265
30.1
61.6
41.3
131.9
429
420
54.3
61.6
56.6
436
56.2
66.8
58.0
455
57.5
76.4
63.5
457
57.2
76.9
64.5
439
54.9
72.3
62.9
417
52.5
70.3
58.1
384
49.0
63.8
52.8
403
53.4
65.3
51.6
404
54.3
65.6
50.1
414
55. 7
66. 5
53.3
426
57.1
66. 4
57.8
434
58. 5
67.0
60.0
466
60.3
80.8
62.3
461
58.1
80.0
61.0
247.1
254.8
257.9
258.1
248.5
236.4
218.0
232.6
233.5
238.6
244.9
248.7
262.8
262.3
Miscellaneous manufacturing industries..
Jewelry, silverware, and plated w are...
Toys and sporting g o o d s ___ _______
Costume jewelry, buttons, n o tio n s___
Other miscellaneous manufacturing ind u str ie s.________________________
3,835 3, 873 3, 934 3, 892 3,871 3,959 3,992 4,007 4. 031 4,021 3,991 3,975 4,024 4,151 4,122
Transportation and public utilities________
Transportation_______________________ 2,650 2,680 2,736 2,689 2,664 2,739 2,760 2,771 2,800 2,792 2, 761 2, 745 2,795 2,934 2,984
1,316 1,333 1.281 1,257 1,339 1,375 1,381 1,410 1, 416 1,387 1,370 1,414 1,517 1, 557
Interstate railroads________ _________
1,148 1,149 1,114 1,090 1,166 1,202 1,208 1,230 1,237 1,215 1,198 1, 231 1,327 1,352
Class I railroads__________ ________
161
161
160
163
185
159
159
157
158
156
157
154
155
153
Local railways and bus lines____ ___
538
544
532
532
566
551
540
539
537
555
568
571
544
570
Trucking and warehousing__ ______
685
681
677
676
692
691
687
695
689
682
683
688
679
667
Other transportation and services. __
695
700
701
646
698
696
691
685
691
669
676
665
660
656
C om m unication____________________ 650
607.5 611.7 615.5 618. 5 624.7 632.9 638.2 636.6 639.1 641.1 643.5 643.8 634.2 581.1
Telephone
_____________________
55.3
54.5
56.0
60.8
63.4
53.1
55.4
51.6
52.3
49.4
48.2
50.1
47.7
47.1
Telegraph
______________ - ___
534
532
530
528
492
521
540
547
545
538
544
538
538
537
Other public utilities . ________________ 535
504.2
509.3
504.9
469.5
515.2
507.0
497.0
521.4
620.0
518.7
513.2
513.5
513.7
512.1
Gas and electric ulitities_____________
24.4
24.6
23.4
23.7
22.6
24.8
24.8
25.3
25.0
24.9
24.7
24.6
24.5
24.9
Local u tilitie s______________________
9,178 9, 266 10,154 9, 607 9, 505 9,409 9,213 9, 220 9, 336 9,342 9,478 9,310 8,292 9,491 9,196
Wholesale trade________________ ______ 2,491 2, 511 2,540 2, 538 2, 554 2, 538 2. 515 2,472 2,491 2,482 2,504 2,523 2,541 2,533 2, 410
Retail trade
______________________ 6, 687 6,755 7, 614 7,069 6,951 6,871 6,698 6,748 6, 845 6,860 6, 974 6, 787 6,751 6,958 6,785
General merchandise stores____ ______ 1,385 1,419 1,990 1,590 1,489 1,432 1,337 1,356 1,401 1,434 1, 515 1,411 1,386 1,470 1,389
Food and liquor stores.. . __________ 1,198 1,193 1,217 1,208 1,200 1,192 1,181 1,201 1, 208 1,203 1,204 1,193 1,184 1,195 1,161
658
648
647
634
661
581
688
670
679
692
696
704
700
717
700
Automotive and accessories dealers —
634
564
548
616
577
567
486
553
507
542
560
557
634
513
490
Apparel and accessories stores_______
2,981
2,987
3,000
3,013
2,998
3,081
3,088
3,
006
3,005
3,009
3,
013
3,007
3,056
2,930
Other retail trade___________________ 2,914
1,780 1, 775 1,769 1,766 1,767 1,771 1,780 1,780 1,774 1,763 1,757 1,749 1,735 1,716 1,641
Finance
__________ ______ ________
415
413
413
403
413
380
422
422
417
417
415
415
416
415
Ranks and trust companies__ __________
55.9
56.3
57.9
55.3
55. ‘
60.
55. i
55. ‘
55. (
55.7
55. (
55.4
55.1
Security dealers and exchanges
56.
612
613
611
606
589
549
616
628
624
627
626
629
627
629
Insurance carriers and agents____ ______
676
667
660
665
652
686
683
675
678
672
671
672
669
669
Other finance agencies and real estate----Service _ ___ ____ ____________________
Hotels and lodging places. ____________
Laundries..
___
_ ____________
Cleaning and dyeing plants__________
Motion pictures---------------------- ---------
4,69 6
4, 70
429
346.,
140."
235
4, 737
443
346. 6
142.
238
4, 768
444
347.7
144.7
238
4, 794
451
350.6
147. i
238
4,833
475
355.8
146. £
236
4,836 4,851
504
511
358. C 364. C
144.
150.
238
239
4, 834
487
361. C
154.]
240
4,804
464
352.6
153.1
238
4,768
451
347.3
149.5
237
4,720
445
346.2
143.5
235
4,712
447
346.4
142.0
234
4,799
478
356.1
149.9
241
4.788
497
364.8
153.7
252
6, 041 5, 783 5,866 5, 893 5,763 5. 73£ 5. 80S 5,813 5,775 5,761 5, 737 5,613 5.454
5,745 5, 77
______________________ 1,800 1,804 2,101 1,823 1,863 11,892 1,900 1,905 1,909 1,898 1,885 1, 877 1, 877 1,827 1, 874
Federal
State and local...... .................. ........ ............ 3, 942 3, 973 3,940 3,960 4,003 !4, 001 3, 863 3,833 3,894 3,915 3,890 3,884 3,860 3,786 3,580
Government ________________________
l The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ series of employment in nonagricultural
establishments are based upon reports submitted by cooperating establish
ments and, therefore, differ from employment information obtained by house
hold interviews, such as the Monthly Report on the Labor Force (table A-l),
in several important respects. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ data cover
all full- and part-time employees in private nonagricultural establishments
who worked during, or received pay for, the pay period ending nearest the
15th of the month; in Federal establishments during the pay period ending
just before the first of the month; and in State and local government during
the pay period ending on or just before the last of the month, while the
Monthly Report on the Labor Force data relate to the calendar week which
contains the 8th day of the month. Proprietors, self-employed persons,
domestic servants, and personnel of the armed forces are excluded from the
BLS but not the M R L F series. These employment series have been ad
justed to levels indicated by Unemployment Insurance Agencies and the
Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance data through 1947, and have been
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
carried forward from 1947 bench-mark levels, thereby providing consistent
series. Revised data in all except the first four columns will be identified by
an asterisk (*) for the first month’s publication of such data.
2 Includes ordnance and accessories; lumber and wood products (except
furniture); furniture and fixtures; stone, clay, and glass products; primary
metal industries; fabricated metal products (except ordnance, machinery,
and transportation equipment); machinery (except electrical); electrical
machinery; transportation equipment; instruments and related products;
and miscellaneous manufacturing industries.
2 Includes food and kindred products; tobacco manufactures; textile-mill
products; apparel and other finished textile products; paper and allied prod
ucts; printing, publishing, and allied industries; chemicals and allied prod
ucts; products of petroleum and coal; rubber products; and leather and
leather products.
< Data by region, from January 1940, are available upon request to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
446
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
MONTHLY LABOR
T able A-3: Production Workers in Mining and Manufacturing Industries 1
[In thousands]
50
Annual
average
1949
Industry group and industry
Jan.
Mining :
M etal....................
Iron....................
Copper______
Lead and zinc.
Dec.
N ov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
80.
29.'
19.;
15.
81.
30.;
19.;
16.1
72.
24.
18.
15.
54.
6.
18.
14.
80.
32.
18.
15.
82.
32.
71.1
71.
72.
71.
71.1
71.2
Bituminous-coal.....................................
323.1
397.5
380.'
77.
Crude petroleum and natural gas pro
duction:
Petroleum and natural gas production
123.2
124.2
124.7
126.1
Nonmetallic mining and quarrying.........
76.4
80.1
82.8
83.2
85
23.8
40. 5
11.3
9.7
87
24.3
41.2
11.5
9. 5
89
24.4
43.6
11.4
9.2
92
24.4
43.6
11.7
11.9
Anthracite.
Manufacturing______________________
Durable goods___
nondurable goods.
Ordnance and accessories..
Food and kindred products...................
Meat products.......................................
Dairy products............ .........................
Canning and preserving.....................
Grain-mill products.............................
Bakery products..................................
Sugar........ ..............................................
Confectionery and related products.
Beverages________________ _____ _
Miscellaneous food products..............
Tobacco manufactures................... .
Cigarettes ..........................................
Cigars................................................
Tobacco and snuff_____________
Tobacco stemming and redrying.
Textile-mill products.............................
Yarn and thread mills.......................
Broad-woven fabric mills...................
Knitting m ills___________ _______ _
Dyeing and finishing textiles______
Carpets, rugs, other floor coverings.
Other textile-mill products............... .
Apparel and other finished textile prod
ucts......... ........................... ................... .
M en’s and boys’ suits and coats...........
M en’s and boys’ furnishings and work
clothing..,........ ........................................ .
Women’s outerwear____________ ____ _
Women’s, children’s undergarments...
M illin e r y ...________________________
Children’s outerwear___ ____ _______
Fur goods and miscellaneous apparel...
Other fabricated textile products..........
S e e f o o t n o t e a t e n d of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
16.5
83.;
32.8
18.
16.1
June
89.f
33.
19. S
19.1
M ay
90. £
33.1
20.;
19.
Apr.
92.
33.
20.!
21.
Mar.
92.
32. C
21. £
21.1
Feb.
91.
32.
20. £
21.
1948
88.
32
20
19.£
1947
87 5
30 5
20 1
20.7
71.
72.7
72.5
74.3
75.1
75.
74.6
395. C 399.7
383.1
404.5
411.7
419.
421.6
428.2
419.1
407.7
128.7
131.6
131.1
130.0
126.5
125.7
125.7
125.9
127.1
120.0
85.8
86.0
85.8
85.9
85.6
85.4
82.0
80.4
87.6
94
24.5
43.1
91
24.4
42.3
11.7
12.9
82
24.3
41.3
82
23.8
40.9
11.3
6.4
85
23.5
43.3
73. £
86.0
11,475 11,460 11, 502 11, 289 11, 368 11,775 11,561 11,211 11, 337 11,324 11,616 11,904 12,074 12,717
12,794
5,995 6,007 5,957 5,719 5,651 6,060 5,947 5, 894 6,022 6,057 6, 262 6,417 6, 523 6, 909 7 010
5, 480 5, 453 5, 545 5, 570 5, 717 5,715 5,614 5, 317 5,315 5, 267 5,854 5,487 5; 551 5,808 5, 784
16.9
17.3
17.1
17.1
18.1
18.2
18.2
19.3
20.7
21.3
22.5
23.2
23.3
23.9
22.5
1,064 U 078 1,139 1,185 1,273 1,340 1,350 1, 224 1,153 1,095 1,071 1,069 1,073 1 197 1 21 fi
244.3 251.2 242.2 236.0 230.4 228.5 227.2 225.6 220.6 217.4 225.5 ' 230.9 215.8 223 9
95.0
96.2
98.9 104.0 110.4 116.3 122.1 122.1 115.3 107.8 103.3 100.0
115 2
116. 5 135.6 159.8 232.2 321.5 339.1 220.1 169.0 130.9 125.0 109.9 108.3 111.0
195.3 198 2
93.6
95.3
96.9 100. 3
96.9
98.0
96.8
94.3
93.8
91.5
93.0
93.4
94 1
93
6
186.1 189.8 194.7 199.4 196.4 194.1 190.5 191.7 187.8 186.0 185.3 188.6 195. 5 194 0
24.1
38.0
44. 7
43.5
25.7
23.7
26.7
22 .8
2 2 .6
22.7
22.9
23.5
30 0
33 9
85.7
90.1
95.3
99.2
78.7
91.5
69.9
71.1
73.6
77.8
79.3
82.4
84 0
85.9
134.8 141.4 146.2 149.2 157.3 164.7 168.5 152. 4 148.0 140.1 149.4 144.5 161.
1
97.8 101.2 106.1 108.9 107.8 105.8 105.2 104.0 102.7 102.7 100.2 101.2 108.14 161
ÏÎÎ.3
81
1,182
,069
295
11 .6
14.9
82
24.4
40.9
11.0
5.7
84
24.3
42.4
11.4
6.6
11.0
5.8
11.6
6.8
88
23.4
43.4
11.9
9.1
93
24.3
46. 2
12. 2
10 .2
96
23.8
47 2
13.0
12.1
,176 1,187 1,184 1,168 1,132 1, 092 1,058 1,083 1,087 1,100 1,150 1,190 1, 275 1, 243
148. 5 148.6 147.0 144.4 139.5 133.0 126.6 131.9 132.6 133. 7 143.6 149.9 ' 168. 5 170.6
567.1 573.8 571.8 564.5 547.0 530.1 518.0 524.7 526.4 529.5 558.3 582.1 615.3 590 2
222.7 226.6 229.7 226.7 219.2 210.8 199.7 202.9 202.3 206.8 210.5 213.9 231.4
226.2
79.8
80.5
80.0
78.0
73.2
76.0
71.9
76.2
74.0
77.7
78.3
78.9
80.4
78.3
51.8
51.3
50.4
49.7
48.1
47.5
43.5
49.2
50.8
53.9
55.8
56.9
57.2
50.5
105.8 105.7 105.2 105.1 102.6
97.7
97.9 100.5
98.9
98.5 103.9 108.5 121.7 127,2
,036 1,042 1,028 1,083 1,082 1,040
129.0 126.7 117.6 128.6 133.4 130.6
243.0
303.6
93.1
Lumber and wood products (except fur
niture)........................................................
Logging camps and contractors..............
Sawmills and planing m ills............. .......
Millwork, plywood, and prefabricated
structural wood products__________
Wooden containers________ _________
Miscellaneous wood p r o d u cts...............
Furniture and fixtures.................
Household furniture............. .
Other furniture and fixtures...
is . e
July
247.9
296.5
94.6
251.3
279.5
98.2
15.6
60.1
84.2
942
115.9
959
121.5
956 1,008 1, 051 1,055 1,049 1,028
117.7 133.7 137.3 138.7 140.1 138.4
221.4
263.3
81.7
17.7
58.4
72.9
110.8
236.3
257.6
83.5
14.7
57.3
74.5
113.9
239.1
257.0
84.5
17.6
52.4
71.8
115.4
241.0
288.5
85.5
20.5
53.4
71.1
113.8
57.7
72.8
112.7
22 .6
20. 2
21.1
57.0
72.5
110.7
54 7
78 5
107.5
49 1
73 0
105.5
686
676
58.7
407.1
686
60.1
410.3
672
59.7
398.5
659
54.5
388.6
659
56.6
384.8
655
55.4
379.5
752
69. 5
442.0
777
77.7
455.4
105.0
76.0
59.2
1 0 0.0
306
300
219.7
80.0
22 .0
2 0 .0
59.9
68.7
117.1
58.7
79.2
118.8
121.6
252.4
308.3
97.5
20.9
62.8
86.4
126.1
642
40.2
381.0
683
57.2
403.8
692
59.6
412.6
689
59.8
413.8
684
55.3
416.0
58.6
414.5
101.5
67.6
51.3
101.9
68.3
51.5
100.7
67.4
51.4
98.1
6 6 .8
95.4
66.4
51.0
93.7
68.5
53.0
91.9
68.4
53.3
93.6
68.3
54.2
95.3
52.1
91.9
66.3
51.9
93.5
50.9
6 8 .2
6 8 .8
55.5
56.2
289
211.7
77.1
289
283
206.5
76.6
284
205.6
78.3
277
198.8
77.7
263
187.0
75.8
253
179.3
74.1
257
181.1
75.9
259
183.0
76.4
268
190.5
77.4
274
194.7
78.9
278
198.3
80.0
211.0
78.0
246.2
318.5
94.1
122.0
235.4
306.3
88.6
20.3
61.9
79.3
117.8
21 .2
62.3
83.8
94.6
66 .6
242.0
317.7
87.7
22 .8
240.6
324.1
89.0
250.7
308.7
88.7
221.6
84.1
252.3
305 4
83 3
81.8
62.4
447
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
T able A-3: Production Workers in Mining and Manufacturing Industries1—Continued
[In thousands]
Annual
average
1949
1950
Industry group and industry
Feb.
M anufacturing— Continued
Paper and allied products------------------- Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills____
Paperboard containers and boxes_____
Other paper and allied products______
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
M ay
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
1948
1947
384
385
199.2
101.0
84.3
390
200.1
105.1
84.8
393
200.6
107.7
84.8
392
199.6
106.4
85.8
384
197.0
101.9
84.8
371
190.5
97.4
83.4
365
188.2
93.3
83.1
369
191.7
94.2
83.3
372
193.6
94.3
84.2
377
196.3
95.6
84.7
386
201.4
97.7
86.8
391
204.2
99.1
87.9
405
210.8
104.6
89.4
406
206.9
107.4
91.1
489
494
143.2
34.5
35.1
166.8
30.5
83.8
502
145.7
34.8
36.0
167.9
32.6
85.1
500
145.0
35.0
36.5
165.1
32.8
85.3
500
144.4
35.7
36.5
166.1
32.5
85.0
495
143.8
35.8
36.3
162.4
31.8
84.5
486
141.4
35.6
33.9
160.7
31.2
83.5
485
140.9
35.2
33.8
162.4
30.8
82.1
494
141.9
35.0
37.1
163.8
31.1
85.4
494
141.0
36.6
37.2
162.3
31.5
85.5
495
139.5
36.9
37.2
163.1
32.3
85.5
496
138.8
37.4
37.3
163.7
32.1
86.2
497
136.7
37.1
37.6
166.4
31.6
87.4
501
133.5
37.3
38.6
165.5
35.1
91.0
497
125.4
38.7
40.4
161.0
38.2
93.2
Chemicals and allied products--------------Industrial inorganic chemicals________
Industrial organic chemicals__________
Drugs and medicines _______________
Paints, pigments, and fillers__________
Fertilizers___________________ ______
Vegetable and animal oils and fats____
Other chemicals and allied products__
485
480
50.6
143. 7
61.7
43. 7
26.3
48.8
105.5
484
51.3
143.7
61.9
43.6
24.9
51.9
106.2
485
51.2
142.9
61.5
43.8
24.6
53.1
108.2
488
51.5
141.4
61.6
43.9
26.1
54.6
109.2
478
49.9
139.8
60.7
42.3
26.6
49.1
109.1
458
49.8
135.2
60.1
41.8
24.7
38.5
108.0
453
50.7
135.8
59.2
41.0
24.0
36.3
105.7
476
464
52.3
52.6
139.1 141.8
59.9 . 59.8
43.4
42.6
30.7
24.9
40.4
38.7
106.3 107.3
495
53.4
148.1
60.5
43.7
36.6
44.4
108.7
511
54. 6
157.4
61.2
44.0
37.6
47.1
109.5
513
55.0
161.7
61.5
44.5
33.1
48.1
108.7
520
54.7
164.4
59.9
46.9
30.2
46.6
117.6
523
51.9
162.6
63.9
45.9
31.4
46.9
120.7
Products of petroleum and coal_________
Petroleum refining__________________
Coke and byproducts________ _____
Other petroleum and coal products___
183
184
145.3
17.4
21.3
185
145.7
17.6
22.1
188
147.6
15.9
24.1
185
148.4
10.9
25.3
189
149.2
16.7
23.5
190
149.9
17.0
22.9
189
150.3
17.3
21.4
189
149.6
18.0
21.6
188
148.5
18.1
21.8
188
148.8
17.9
20.9
187
149.3
17.9
20.2
188
149.5
17.8
20.2
192
148.9
17.5
25.3
184
141.5
15.9
26.3
Rubber products.. ...................................... 185
Tires and inner tubes________________
Rubber footwear____________________
Other rubber products.............................. -....... -
187
82.6
20.1
84.2
187
82.1
22.1
82.7
186
81.3
22.2
82.8
187
81.1
21.5
84.4
167
64.3
21.1
81.4
180
80.9
20.3
78.6
177
82.0
20.2
74.5
181
86.3
19.8
75.3
185
87.2
20.5
77.2
190
88.6
21.4
79.6
194
88.6
21.9
83.1
197
89.4
22.9
85.1
209
96.2
24.6
88.1
220
105.8
23.9
89.9
Leather and leather p r o d u cts____ ____ _
Leather____________ ____ ___________
358
348
44.9
231.6
71.3
342
45.0
223.3
74.1
332
45.2
208.0
78.5
349
44.9
224.3
79.4
354
44.6
230.2
78.8
356
43.8
234.2
77.5
342
43.1
226.3
73.0
339
44.5
222.5
72.1
332
44.5
215.7
72.2
348
45.0
227.8
74.9
358
46.3
234.4
77.4
359
47.1
234.5
77.3
368
49.5
234.8
83.5
372
51.5
235.5
84.8
Stone, clay, and glass products____ ____
Glass and glass products____________
Cement, hydraulic_________________
Structural clay products____________
Pottery and related products__ ______
Concrete, gypsum, and plaster products.
Other stone, clay, and glass products...
403
403
105.7
35.8
68.4
51.0
69.5
72.5
412
107.2
36.4
70.5
51.6
73.0
73.7
411
107.7
34.8
69.7
52.2
73.9
72.5
411
107.5
34.8
71.0
51.7
74.6
71.1
414
106.9
36.5
72.1
50.4
74.9
72.8
412
106.6
36.7
72.1
49.7
73.5
72.9
400
101.1
36.9
72.1
46.3
71.5
72.1
409
105.4
36.6
72.8
50.2
71.2
73.2
414
105.9
36.2
72.8
52.3
71.2
75.7
416
104.5
36.0
72.9
54.6
70.3
77.5
423
107.4
35.7
73.4
55.7
70.7
80. 5
429
109.5
35.8
74.5
56.1
71.1
81.9
448
119.6
35.5
76.5
55.5
76.4
84.6
438
126.9
33.0
70.2
54.1
71.5
82.4
Primary metal industries____ _______
Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling
mills__
. . . . ______________
Iron and steel foundries
. . ____
Primary smelting and refining of nonferrous metals___ ___________ _
Rolling, drawing, and alloying of nonferrous metals.. . ______________
Nonferrous foundries______________
Other primary metal industries______
969
960
952
743
559
938
932
934
971
991
508.1
172.2
504.2
172.1
324.8
169.4
130.3
171.9
498.7
173.4
497.6
177.3
505.8
175.9
523.0
184.0
533.9
186.3
545.4
198.4
551.7
213.5
552.8
219.2
536.8
230.9
42.8
41.2
38.3
39.4
41.8
41.4
42.3
44.9
45.4
46.8
46.6
45.8
46.8
46.9
62.4
63.8
58.7
59.5
92.4 ■ 88.4
64. 4
59.5
95.2
67.3
59.9
98.2
71.4
62.2
103.9
77.9
65.3
107.3
82.3
68.2
109.0
86.0
73.2
109.1
93.3
74.4
111.3
Printing, publishing, and allied industries............................... ................. - .........
Newspapers________________________
Periodicals__________________________
Books —
________________________
Commercial printing____ ____ _______
Lithographing.. ___________________
Other printing and p u b lish in g ______
Footwear (except rubber)___________
Other leather products............................ —
Fabricated metal products (except ordnance, machinery, and transportation equipm ent).. ......... ............. ......
Tin ans and other tinware. . ______
Cutlery, hand tools, and hardware___
Heating apparatus (except electric)
and plumbers’ supplies. _________
Fabricated structural metal products..
Metal stamping, coating, 'an d eng rav in g ________ ____ _ ______
Other fabricated metal products_____
Machinery (except electrical)_____ ____
Engines and turbines____ __ ____
Agricultural machinery and tractors__
Construction and mining machinery__
Metalworking machinery.............. . . . . .
Special-industry machinery (except
metalworking machinery)-------------General industrial machinery-----------Office and store machines and devices..
Service-industry and household machines
_ ___________________
Miscellaneous machinery parts.—....... .
See footnote at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
701
957
1,028
1,062
1,077
1,083
1,073
517.6
229.4
73.6
65.9
97.7
72.8
65.9
95.9
62.6
62.4
85.0
70.0
64.1
83.5
67.2
62.0
95.1
693
35.9
121.0
688
36.6
119.2
666
38.2
115.6
677
40.6
116.3
708
43.2
113.7
688
43.6
111.4
671
41.8
109.2
679
41.0
113.8
683
38.3
116.7
706
37.9
120.6
729
38. 5
124.7
752
38.7
128.4
812
42.2
131.6
837
41.0
134.8
107.7
141.1
111.3
142.1
113.0
133.6
116.2
129.0
109.6
155.8
99.7
155.4
91.8
155.0
93.6
156.0
97.2
155.8
103.0
157.3
107.8
159.9
112.3
162.5
137.1
168.7
146.0
164. 6
129.7
157.5
125.1
153.7
119.8
145.8
127.2
148.0
129.8
156.1
124.9
152.5
121.5
151.5
120.7
154.3
117.9
157.3
123.3
164.0
128.4
169.7
134.3
176.2
148.6
183.8
156.3
193.9
936
48.8
133.5
64.3
146.5
929
48.0
130.6
63.7
146.4
908
48.4
125.0
62.3
145.9
922
46.7
127.8
63.7
148.0
935
49.3
139.9
62.3
149.1
927
49.0
140.4
64.2
146.9
939
50.7
139.8
67.7
149.5
977 1,014 1,066 1,108 1,133 1,203 1,217
65.3
60.9
61.9
63.9
58.7
53.2
56.4
145.2 148.0 150.5 152.8 153.7 151.7 140.3
90.4
83.6
85.3
91.1
80.3
72.5
76.0
155.8 161.1 167.1 171.2 174.5 186.6 196.1
116.8
120.1
70.0
117.3
121.1
71.2
117.4
121.2
72.2
119.3
123.3
73.5
121.8
124.8
73.3
122.6
124.5
71.7
124.0
125.3
72.5
129.2
129.3
74.7
134.9
134.4
75.3
140.2
139.0
76.1
146.0
144. 5
79.4
149.0
148. 7
81.6
158.6
154.3
93.0
163.0
156.4
92.4
123.8
112.6
118.9
111.8
109.1
106.8
107.9
112.2
101.9
112.1
98.3
109.8
98.5
110.6
104.5
112.6
107.5
120.6
127.2
127.3
134. 6
135.3
136. 7
141.1
156. 3
147.5
152. 2
161.0
448
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
MONTHLY LABOR
T able A-3: Production Workers in Mining and Manufacturing Industries1—Continued
(In thousands]
1950
Annual
average
1949
Industry group and industry
Manufacturing—Continued
Electrical machinery.................................
Electrical generating, transmission,
distribution, and industrial appara
tus.........................................................
Electrical equipment for vehicles_____
Communication equipment_________
Electrical appliances, lamps, and
miscellaneous products........................
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
N ov.
Oct.
576
560
558
546
548
206.3
50.4
202.0
206.6
49.8
200.6
202.4
43.8
200.4
202.8
50.5
193.4
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
M ay
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
1948
1947
505
518
538
560
585
607
656
706
200.1
46.3
181.4
209.1
48.1
185.4
219.5
49.1
188.7
227.0
52.0
195.7
232.7
52.6
207.2
251.4
54.6
224.4
262.7
59.7
249.1
95.1
103.0
110.1
114.6
125.5
134.8
531
507
200.8
49.6
182.4
196.5
47.0
173.4
195.6
45.8
175.5
90.1
100.9
101.0
99.3
101.0
97.9
88.4
90.6
Transportation equipment-.......................
Automobiles..____________ ________
Aircraft and parts.......... ......................
Aircraft_________________________
Aircraft engines and parts............... .
Aircraft propellers and p arts..............
Other aircraft parts and equipm ent..
Ship and boat building and repairing...
Ship building and repairing________
Railroad equipment........................ ......
Other transportation equipment_____
914
990
686.8
184.7
123.0
35.9
5.4
20.4
66.4
57.7
46.1
6.1
896
585.1
184.0
122.7
36.0
5.4
19.9
69.1
60.6
49.9
8.1
898
582.1
183.7
122.3
36.7
5.4
19.3
71.3
62.8
50.6
10.1
986
666.1
187.9
125.4
37.6
5.5
19.4
68.5
60.2
53.2
10.5
1,017
686.3
190.7
127.6
37.9
5.5
19.7
74.0
65.4
56.2
9.9
998 1,014
678.0 669.5
185.3 192.4
128.6 129.5
31.9
37.9
5.2
5.5
19.6
19.5
79.5
85.5
70.4
75.7
46.5
58.5
8.8
7.7
995
646.1
187.1
127.2
38.5
5.4
16.0
88.2
77.8
65.6
7.8
955 1,012 1,017 1,021 1,031 1,038
600.5 648.8 646.1 648.9 657.6 ' 648.8
186.5 192.1 192.4 190.0 166.6 167.2
126.7 128.0 128.2 126.6 111.5 110.9
39.0
38.6
38.4
37.9
33.6
35.0
5.2
5.1
5.1
5.0
4.9
4.9
15.6
20.4
20.4
20.7
16.6
16.4
92.3
93.0
97.6 100.1 123.2 140.6
81.3
82.0
86.4
88.2 109. 3 121.7
67.4
68.8
71.5
72.1
69.6
66.6
8.7
9.1
9.5
9.6
14.5
15.1
Instruments and related products______
Ophthalmic goods......................... ..........
Photographic apparatus.........................
Watches and clocks....... ............. ...........
Professional and scientific instruments.
173
172
20.3
34.7
25.4
91.3
173
20.5
35.2
26.5
90.9
174
20.8
35.3
27.2
90.3
174
20.8
35.8
27.6
89.4
172
21.0
35.3
27.1
88.3
169
21.1
36.0
26.0
86.3
170
21.2
37.5
25.0
86.7
176
22.1
38.7
26.0
88.7
177
22.5
39.5
26.0
89.4
181
22.9
41.2
26.2
90.5
183
23.1
41.3
26.4
91.8
185
23.3
42.0
26.7
93.4
200
23.8
45.4
35.0
95.4
207
25.8
46. 5
35.7
99.1
Miscellaneous manufacturing industries..
Jewelry, silverware, and plated w are...
Toys and sporting goods....................
Costume jewelry, buttons, notions.......
Other miscellaneous manufacturing
industries.............................................
354
345
43.9
52.0
46.8
360
45.6
57.3
47.8
381
46.8
67.3
53.1
383
46.8
67.8
53.8
366
44.6
63.4
52. 2
347
42.2
61.3
48.5
313
39.1
54.9
43.8
333
43.1
56.6
42.3
333
43.9
56.8
41.0
343
45.2
58.0
44.1
354
46.5
57.8
48.6
363
47.8
58.1
51.9
394
49.6
71. 5
63.9
394
47.9
71.5
53.5
202.6
209.7
213.8
214.5
205.5
194.5
175.2
190.5
191.5
195.9
201.3
204.9
219.4
220.9
—
i Data are based upon reports from cooperating establishments covering
both full- and part-time production and related workers who worked dur
ing, or received pay for, the pay period ending nearest the 15th of the month.
Data have been adjusted to levels indicated by Unemployment Insurance
Agencies and the Bureau of Old-Age and 8urvivors’ Insurance data through
1947 and have been carried forward from 1947 bench-mark levels, thereby
providing consistent series. Comparable data from January 1947 are avail
able upon request to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Such requests should
specify the series for which data are desired. Revised data in all except the
first four columns w ill be identified by an asterisk for the first month’s publi
cation of such data.
T able A-4: Indexes of Production-Worker Employment and Weekly Pay Rolls in Manufacturing
Industries1
[1939 average=100]
Period
1939:
1940:
1941:
1942:
1943:
1944:
1945:
1946:
Average______ ______
Average.........................
Average.........................
Average........................
Average..... ....................
Average.......................
Average.........................
Average............... ..........
1 See footnote 1, table A-3.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Employ
ment
100.0
107.5
132.8
156.9
183.3
178.3
157.0
147.8
Weekly
pay roll
100.0
113.6
164.9
241.6
331.1
343.7
293.5
271.1
Period
1947: Average____________
1948: Average.........................
1949: February.......................
March____ _________
April..............................
M ay...............................
June_______________
July................................
Employ
ment
156.2
155.2
147.4
145.3
141.8
138.2
138.4
136.9
Weekly
pay roll
326.9
351.4
340.4
332.8
319.2
312.8
315.7
312.8
Period
1949: August.........................
September.....................
October........................
November...................
December________ ..
1950: January___ ______
February.....................
Employ Weekly
ment
pay roll
141.1
143.7
138.8
137 8
140.4
139.9
140.1
323.0
335.1
320 9
313.9
330.1
329.7
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
449
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
T able A-5: Federal Civilian Employment by Branch and Agency Group
Execiitive 1
Year andjmonth
All branches
Defense
agencies *
Total
Post Office
Department
All other
agencies
Legislative
Judicial
Total (including areas outside continental United States)
1947.................. .................. .........................
1948......... .................................................... .
2,153,170
2,066,152
2,142,825
2,055, 397
989,659
916,358
455,002
470,975
698,164
668,064
7,127
7,273
3,218
3,482
1949: February.............................................
March..................................................
April..................... .............................
M ay....................................................
June........ ................................. .........
J u ly .................................................
A ugust................ ..............................
September________ ____________
October_______________________
November............. ............................
December________________ _____
2,089,040
2,089,806
2,095,814
2,106,927
2,114,767
2,106, 242
2,094, 877
2, 081, 793
2,047,312
1,999,681
2, 288,367
2,078,068
2,078,766
2,084, 764
2,095, 881
2,103,698
2,095,156
2,083,448
2,070, 269
2,035, 748
1,988,079
2, 276,635
935,216
934,433
934,969
935,966
934,661
917,001
902,401
886, 890
860, 286
814,848
799,888
475,022
474,945
476,440
479,722
482,447
485,196
491,408
494, 087
496,038
497, 814
804, 038
667,830
669,388
673,355
680,193
686,590
692,959
689,639
689, 292
679, 424
675, 417
672, 709
7,420
7,482
7,478
7, 480
7,498
7,507
7,842
7, 924
7,937
7,992
7,954
3,552
3,558
3,572
3,566
3,571
3,579
3, 587
3,600
3,627
3.610
3,778
1950: January_______________________
February............................... ............
1, 976,093
1,970,815
1,964,246
1,959,063
791,048
782,788
503,106
503,815
670,092
672,460
8,063
7,986
3,784
3,766
Continental United States
1947................................................................
1948_____________ ___________ ______
1,893,875
1,846,840
1,883,600
1,836.158
766,854
734,484
453,425
469, 279
663,321
632,395
7,127
7,273
3,148
3,409
1949: February.............................................
March........................... ...... ...............
April...................................................
M ay................................................. .
June............................................ ........
July......... ...........................................
A u g u st...............................................
September__ ____ ______________
October............. ..............................
November.............. ............................
December____ ________ ________
1,897,665
1,897,224
1,905,131
1,918,278
1,929,461
1,925,251
1,920,248
1, 912, 227
1,882,859
1, 843, 246
2,134, 592
1,886,769
1,886,261
1,894,158
1,907,309
1,918,469
1,914,242
1,908,896
1,900, 780
1,871,372
1,831, 721
2,122,937
781,956
780, 782
784,077
787,045
790,087
777,454
770,034
760, 059
738,195
700,374
688, 599
473,289
473,215
474,679
477,940
480,651
483,390
489, 562
492, 227
494,178
495,963
801,008
631,524
632,264
635,402
642,324
647, 731
653,398
649,300
648,494
638,999
635,384
633,330
7,420
7,482
7,478
7, 480
7,498
7,507
7,842
7,924
7,937
7,992
7,954
3,476
3,481
3,495
3, 489
3,494
3,502
3,510
3,523
3, 550
3,533
3,701
1950: Ja n u a ry ..._______________ _____
F eb ru ary ........................................ —
1,825,245
1,820,625
1,813,475
1,808,950
683,018
675,316
501, 257
501, 969
629,200
631,665
8,063
7,986
3,707
3,689
1 Includes Government corporations (including Federal Reserve Banks
and mixed-ownership banks of the Farm Credit Administration) and other
activities performed by Government personnel in establishments such as
navy yards, arsenals, hospitals, and force-account construction. Data,
which are based mainly on reports to the Civil Service Commission, are
adjusted to maintain continuity of coverage and definition with information
for former periods.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
J Covers civilian employees of the Departm ent of Defense (Secretary of
Defense, Army, Air Force, and Navy), Maritime Commission, National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the Panama Canal, Philippine Alien
Property Administration, Philippine War Damage Commission, Selective
Service System, National Security Resources Board, National Security
Council War Claims Commission.
450
MONTHLY LABOR
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
T able A-6: Federal Civilian Pay Rolls by Branch and Agency Group
[In thousands]
Execiitive i
Year and month
All branches
Defense
agencies1
Total
Post Office
Department
All other
agencies
Legislative
Judicial
Total (including areas outside continental United States)
1947...................................... ............ ...........
1948................ ...............................................
$5,966,107
6,223, 486
$5, 922, 339
6,176, 414
$2, 646, 913
2,660, 770
$1, 205, 051
1,399,072
$2, 070,375
2,116, 572
$29, 074
30, 891
$14, 694
16,181
1949: February______________________
March..... ............................................
April....................................................
M a y ...................................................
June.....................................................
Ju ly ....................................................
August................................................
September..................................... .
October............. ........ ................ ........
November________ ______ _____
December...........................................
518, 821
576, 546
546,000
562,080
574, 990
540, 440
574, 046
557, 436
539,248
567, 296
610,344
514,865
572, 328
541, 967
557, 889
570, 757
536, 210
569, 536
553, Oil
534, 992
562, 539
605, 564
220, 788
250, 618
233, 826
242, 059
247, 993
223, 458
239,178
230, 016
222, 221
230, 206
218,404
120, 505
124, 948
124, 576
122, 930
124, 673
124,914
125, 794
125, 064
125, 164
131, 577
186,462
173, 572
196, 762
183, 565
192, 900
198, 091
187, 838
204, 564
197, 931
187, 607
200, 756
200, 698
2,650
2, 763
2, 722
2,762
2,792
2,884
3,005
2,968
2,936
3,137
3,160
1,306
1, 455
1,311
1,429
1,441
1,346
1,505
1, 457
1,320
1,620
1,620
1950: January_______________________
February______ _____ -..................
553, 090
517, 739
548, 372
513,223
214, 670
195, 609
132,177
132,293
201, 525
185,321
3,148
3,083
1,570
1,433
Continental United States
1947...............................................................
1948-..............................................................
$5, 463, 671
5, 731,115
$5, 420,337
5,684, 494
$2, 234, 417
2, 272, 001
$1, 200, 943
1,394,037
$1,984,977
2,018, 456
$29,074
30,891
$14, 260
15, 730
1949: February.............................................
March..... ............................................
April....................................................
M ay....................................................
June.....................................................
July—. ................................................
A ugust................................................
September........................... ...............
O ctober....................... .....................
November....... ......................... ........
December...........................................
481, 725
534,633
504, 901
522,002
533,002
500, 642
532, 977
518, 493
501, 648
523, 694
573,588
477,807
530, 456
500,907
517, 853
528, 810
496, 451
528, 509
514, 109
497, 431
518, 979
568,849
192, 441
218, 474
202, 699
212, 447
216, 532
194, 463
209, 583
202, 222
195,446
196, 868
193,321
120, 067
124, 489
124,114
122, 474
124, 210
124, 446
125, 321
124,596
124, 700
131, 088
185,796
165,299
187,493
174,094
182,932
188, 068
177, 542
193, 605
187,291
177, 285
191, 023
189,732
2,650
2,763
2,722
2, 762
2,792
2,884
3,005
2,968
2,936
3,137
3,160
1,268
1,414
1, 272
1,387
1,400
1,307
1,463
1,416
1, 281
1, 578
1,579
1950: January_______________________
February............................... .............
516, 707
484,544
512, 032
480,068
189, 825
173,101
131, 669
131,785
189, 843
175,182
3,148
3,083
1, 570
1,393
1 See footnote 1, table A-5.
s See footnote 2, table A-5.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
451
T able A -7: Civilian Government Employment and Pay Rolls in Washington, D. C.,1 by Branch and
Agency Group
Federal
District of
Total
Columbia
government government
Year and month
Executive >
Total
All agencies
Defense
agencies *
Post Office
Depart
ment
All other
agencies
Legislative
Judicial
Employment
.........................................
....................................................
233,667
231,239
18,140
18, 774
215, 527
212, 465
207,824
204,601
69, 771
68, 509
7,645
7,826
130,408
128, 266
7,127
7,273
576
591
): February________________
March__________
April....... ..............................
M ay...........................
June_________________
July____ _________ _
August......................................
September......... ...................
October............... ...................
November. ________
December___________ _____
238, 911
239, 898
241,442
242,370
243, 896
245, 067
244, 743
242, 426
240, 886
240, 095
244,467
19,064
19,095
19,358
19,144
19, 767
19, 708
19, 736
19, 416
19, 504
20, 420
20, 031
219,847
220,803
222,084
223, 226
224,129
225,359
225,007
223, 010
221, 382
219, 675
224,436
211, 823
212, 719
214,004
215,133
216,019
217,237
216, 546
214, 470
212,828
211,064
215,840
71, 723
71, 991
72,359
72, 545
72, 440
72, 521
71, 246
69, 448
68, 069
66,121
65,860
7,613
7,625
7,750
7,755
7,749
7,770
7,784
7, 773
7,749
7, 891
12,888
132,487
133,103
133,895
134,833
135,830
136,946
137, 516
137, 249
137, 010
137,052
137,092
7,420
7,482
7, 478
7, 480
7,498
7,507
7,842
7, 924
7,937
7,992
7,954
604
602
602
613
612
615
619
616
617
619
642
: Jan u ary .................. ...... .
February.____ ___________
242,030
241,717
20,110
20,163
221, 920
221, 554
213, 201
212, 903
68, 794
68,542
7,859
7,643
136, 548
136,718
8,063
7,986
656
665
Pay rolls (in thousands)
1947.
1948.
: February........................
M arch.......................
April...................... ..........
M ay____________
June...................... ........
July__________________
August_______________
September_____ ______ _
O ctober_________
November__________
December_________
January................... ..............
February.................................
$767, 770
817,554
$49, 455
54, 248
$718,315
763,306
$686,796
729,791
$217,337
233,589
$29, 562
31, 298
$439,897
464,904
$29,074
30,891
$2,445
2,624
69,096
77,819
72,228
74,803
74, 475
72, 686
80,173
77, 040
73,815
79, 552
80, 004
4,418
4,801
4,577
4,676
4,748
3,775
4,185
5, 379
5,187
5,526
5,503
64,678
73,018
67,651
70,127
69, 727
68, 911
75, 988
71, 661
68, 628
74, 026
74, 501
61,810
70,011
64, 703
67,128
66,695
65, 793
72, 733
68, 457
65, 458
70,621
71,068
19, 984
22,190
20,491
21,020
20,080
21,238
23,851
20,921
20,137
21, 561
21, 274
2,597
2,721
2,642
2,670
2,678
2,691
2,760
3,829
39, 229
45,100
41, 570
43,438
43,937
41,864
46, 122
44,799
42,636
46,251
45,965
2,650
2i 763
2,722
2,762
2,792
2,884
3,005
2,968
2,936
3,137
3; 160
218
244
226
237
240
234
250
236
234
268
273
80, 747
73, 484
5,531
5,246
75, 216
68, 238
71, 787
64,900
22, 673
19, 912
2,868
2,867
46, 246
42,121
3,148
3; 083
281
255
* Data for the executive branch cover, in addition to the area inside the
District of Columbia, the adjacent sections of Maryland and Virginia which
are defined by the Bureau of the Census as in the metropolitan area.
2,737
2,685
2,809
* See footnote 1, table A-5.
* See footnote 2, table A-5.
T able A-8: Personnel and Pay of the Military Branch of the Federal Government
[In thousands]
Personnel (average for year or as of first of
month) 1
Pay (for entire month—all types)
Year and month
Total
Army
Air
Force
1947..................................
1948----------------------------------
1,671
1,492
21,059
2964
(ä)
(2)
1949: February____________
M arch________________
April______________
M a y ______________
June__________
July_________________
August..............................
September___ _______
October______ ______
N ovem ber____________
December________ ____
1,688
1,682
1,667
1,650
1,639
1,638
1,638
1,630
1,614
1,605
1,600
712
703
689
673
664
659
655
656
656
657
658
416
417
417
418
418
419
423
420
418
417
416
432
425
420
1950: January...... .......................
February........... ................
1,573
1,534
639
613
413
415
416
402
N avy
Marine Coast
Corps Guard
494
424
98
84
20
20
$5,350,396
3,442,962
450
451
450
449
447
450
451
88
89
88
87
87
84
83
82
22
22
23
23
23
24
24
24
24
23
24
290,042
289,063
292,446
284, 790
291, 583
302, 994
298,893
304,426
331, 472
328,637
334,301
81
80
24
24
327,527
317, 979
444
86
86
86
1 Represents persons on active duty as of the first of the month. Reserve
personnel are excluded if on inacti ve duty or if on active duty for only a brief
training or emergency period. Persons on terminal leave were included
through October 1947. Data for Arm y include Philippine Scouts.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Total
Army
2$3, 461, 632
22,136,384
2187,813
2 188,587
2185, 607
Air
Force
(2)
0
N avy
$239,409
173,368
$87,458
55,516
13, 591
14; 525
14,379
14,318
13,655
14,860
15, 221
15, 575
15; 192
16, 652
4,437
4^747
4,850
4; 938
4; 920
4,833
5,087
5 , 303
5 , 355
5,338
Si 536
14, 997
15, 625
5,616
5,678
2 181,962
3 186,302
113, 244
112,192
116,312
123,001
123,380
124,985
$77,176
78,881
78,679
89,342
88,346
92,455
120,331
118, 530
87,414
87, 344
99,169
90,802
(J)
(2)
(2)
Coast
Guard
$1,561,897
1,077,694
84, 201
81,204
87,610
83, 572
86, 706
92,881
87,722
88,911
98,199
96,381
94,673
(3)
(2)
Marine
Corps
15, Oil
* Separate figures for Army and Air Force not available. Combined data
shown under Army,
MONTHLY LABOR
A: EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
452
T able A -ll: Insured Unemployment Under State Unemployment Insurance Programs,1 by Geographic
Division and State
[In thousands]
Geographic division and
State
Jan.
1948
1949
1950
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
M ay
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Continental U. S._......... ................... 2,380.9 2,200.0 2,019.9 1,855. 7 1,885.6 2,140.4 2,111.2 2,062.1 2,035.1 1,967. 8 1,939.9 1,835.8 1,586. 2
Jan.
979.7
New England___________________
M aine___ _____________ _____
New Hampshire___ __________
Vermont _ ________ _________
Massachusetts_______________
Rhode Island________________
Connecticut___________ _____
202.8
21.8
13.1
6.1
101.4
19.2
41.2
191.2
20.9
12.9
5.5
99.2
17.1
35.6
180.9
16.9
12.2
4.0
95.1
17.4
35.3
174.9
11.2
10.9
3.4
89.6
20.2
39.6
207.9
12.0
12.2
3.9
106.1
27.5
46.2
269.9
16.7
15.4
5.6
137.3
33.2
61.7
281.4
16.6
15.2
5.3
146.8
37.7
59.8
303.4
19.0
16.2
5.2
155.8
48.4
58.8
306.3
21.8
17.7
5.5
154.7
51.7
54.9
258.1
19.4
17.5
5.6
119.2
42.1
54.3
199.1
15.0
13.4
4.5
95.1
25.7
45.4
180.3
14.4
10.3
3.9
90.1
23.3
38.3
163.8
13.1
9.6
3.1
87.2
21.5
29.3
88.0
8.2
3.9
1.7
50.6
10.2
13.4
Middle A tlan tic.............................
New York___________________
New Jersey.................... ...............
Pennsylvania_____ _________
685.5
379.1
101.5
204.9
678.3
385.9
91.4
201.0
663.7
378.3
84.4
201.0
637.4
361.3
78.5
197.6
631.8
355.5
82.1
194.2
692.9
386.4
94.5
212.0
680.4
413.7
96.7
170.0
614.1
361.0
98.2
154.9
558.5
320.0
96.6
141.9
536.7
312.9
87.3
136.5
528.2
314.3
81.6
132.3
493.5
307.4
71.3
114.8
472.3
300.3
67.4
104.6
307.4
184.3
54.4
68.7
East North Central.................. .......... 477.9
Ohio________________ _____ _
157.4
Indiana_____________________
38.8
Illinois ___________________
158.4
Michigan__________________ _ 89.3
Wisconsin___________________
34.0
510.9
141.6
40.3
141.1
150.7
37.2
462.0
144.9
37.1
133.4
114.5
32.1
384.6
135.2
30.9
134.3
62.0
22.2
371.4
112.9
29.7
149.0
58.7
21.1
409.1
113.5
37.3
166.2
67.4
24.7
390.0
100.8
37.9
160.7
68.8
21.8
393.1
93.4
37.9
159. 4
80.8
21.6
396.0
91.4
38.1
148.5
95.6
22.4
359.0
84.9
37.5
121.1
92.2
23.3
335.5
78.8
38.8
102.7
90.6
24.6
304.4
69.3
35.1
96.7
80.3
23.0
253.8
58.7
29.6
82.6
62.5
20.4
161.1
35.2
17.2
58.6
41.2
8.9
West North C e n tral................... ......
Minnesota....... ...........................
Iow a_______________________
Missouri........ ................... ..........
N orth Dakota........................ ......
South Dakota_____ __________
Nebraska___________________
Kansas...........................................
130.8
34.7
15.2
50.2
3.8
3.0
7.9
16.0
93.6
24.0
10.0
41.1
1.9
1.8
4.5
10.3
73.3
16.8
6.6
39.0
.6
.7
2.2
7.4
58.7
13.8
5.0
31.5
.2
.4
1.7
6.1
58.0
15.8
5.5
29.1
.2
.4
1.7
5.3
64.6
17.3
7.3
31.9
.3
.5
1.9
5.4
64.4
16.4
7.5
32.5
.3
.4
1.9
5.4
68.2
17.3
7.5
35.5
.3
.4
1.8
5.4
76.4
23.2
7.9
36.2
.5
.5
2.1
6.0
86.2
28.6
9.5
35.3
1.4
1.0
3.0
7.4
97.0
30.4
11.4
37.7
2.3
1.8
4.1
9.3
97.2
28.0
11.2
38.4
2.2
2.0
4.9
10.5
73.3
20.9
8.4
30.1
1.4
1.4
3.7
7.4
50.6
11.3
5.5
23.1
.9
.8
2.4
6.6
South Atlantic............. ................... .
Delaware......................................
M aryland___________________
D istrict of Columbia__________
Virginia.........................................
West Virginia________________
North Carolina............................
South Carolina______________
Georgia........ ..................... ...........
Florida_______________ _____
180.3
3.8
31.8
5.0
20.6
28.7
30.3
15.8
24.7
19.6
168.3
3.8
30.8
4.4
18.2
25.4
27.7
16.5
22.2
19.3
161.4
3.2
28.6
4.3
15.8
28.2
26.7
15.1
19.5
20.0
163.3
3.4
27.2
4.3
15.9
27.9
26.2
14.8
19.0
24.6
181.5
3.1
28.8
4.7
17.8
26.6
31.2
17.0
23.5
28.8
220.0
3.4
36.3
4.4
26.5
30.9
38.2
20.8
28.1
31.4
219.7
2.6
38.6
4.4
28.2
28.7
39.8
20.5
28.4
28.5
206.4
2.3
36.3
4.2
29.3
22.7
41.0
20.5
28.2
21.9
192.5
2.5
37.3
4.4
21.1
21.3
39.7
20.2
26.8
19.2
172.2
2.4
30.0
5.0
18.1
20.0
38.9
17.3
24.0
16.5
157.7
2.7
24.0
5.6
18.8
18.0
35.0
14.6
22.2
16.8
144.9
2.5
24.3
5.4
16.6
16.3
29.7
12.8
20.5
16.8
128.8
2.0
23.0
4.1
13.8
13.6
26.9
10.8
17.9
16.7
69.1
1.7
13.0
3.8
5.9
8.8
10.8
5.0
8.5
11.6
East South Central..... ......................
K entucky______ ____ ____ ____
Tennessee.....................................
Alabama......... ......... ............. .
M ississippi...___ ___________
113.2
26.7
42.5
27.1
16.9
100.2
25.2
37.5
25.6
11.9
101.1
26.6
35.4
30.1
9.0
97.4
25.8
31.2
31.5
8.9
98.4
25.2
33.6
29.6
10.0
114.1
27.6
39.4
34.5
12.6
113.3
27.4
40.3
33.5
12.1
114.4
28.0
45.0
30.3
11.1
111.7
26.4
45.7
27.7
11.9
109.4
24.4
47.4
25.6
12.0
109.8
25.6
48.5
22.8
12.9
100.1
22.1
45.5
20.2
12.3
82.5
16.9
40.0
16.0
9.6
44.2
8.2
20.4
10.7
4.9
West South Central............................
Arkansas__________________
Louisiana................ ........ .............
Oklahom a......... .........................
Texas___________ ____ ______
100.4
20.4
30.0
20.1
29.9
73.3
13.3
23.5
14.8
21.7
63.7
10.8
21.6
12.7
18.6
64.2
10.3
22.5
12.2
19.2
67.8
10.1
23.1
13.0
21.6
73.8
11.0
24.3
14.5
24.0
68.2
10.3
22.3
13.2
22.4
67.0
10.5
20.6
12.9
23.0
73.4
12.4
21.9
13.0
26.1
80.8
15.2
24.4
13.5
27.7
85.0
17.1
25.1
14.9
27.9
83.1
19.9
23.9
15.6
23.7
55.2
13.5
15.2
11.4
15.1
39.3
8.5
11.5
8.4
10.9
M ountain............................................
M ontana_____ ___________ ___
Idaho...... ......................................
Wyoming........... ..........................
Colorado..................... .................
New Mexico...................... ...........
Arizona_____ _______________
U tah _______________ _______
Nevada___________ _________
60.1
11.3
11.7
3.1
8.5
4.3
7.0
10.3
3.9
39.2
6.0
7.2
1.6
6.1
3.2
5.8
6.5
2.8
29.4
3.0
3.5
.9
6.7
2.2
5.5
5.2
2.4
27.9
2.1
2.6
.7
7.4
2.0
5.6
5.5
2.0
23.5
2.0
2.3
.5
4.0
2.3
6.1
4.3
2.0
25.2
2.1
1.9
22.2
2.2
1.6
4.9
2.7
6.7
4.4
1.9
4.6
2.3
5.3
3.9
1.7
19.7
2.2
1.3
.7
4.8
1.8
4.9
2.5
1.5
22.1
2.8
2.0
.7
5.3
2.1
4.8
2.7
1.7
28.8
4.7
3.8
1.1
4.8
2.6
5.8
3.8
2.2
38.8
6.2
6.6
1.6
5.6
3.2
6.9
6.0
2.7
43.3
6.6
7.8
1.9
5.8
3.2
8.3
3.1
34.1
4.6
6.2
1.1
4.3
2.0
5.1
8.4
2.4
19.5
3.0
3.5
.7
2.4
1.4
2.9
3.9
1.7
Pacific_______ _______ _________
Washington.......................... ........
Oregon_____________________
California.... ........ ............ ...........
430.1
87.4
56.8
285.9
345.3
62.9
36.3
246.1
284.3
48.0
27.7
208.6
246.8
36.4
21.1
189.3
245.1
30.6
17.7
196.8
270.9
31.4
18.1
221.4
271.3
25.5
15.2
230.6
275.3
22.4
10.2
242.7
298.3
26.7
13.4
258.2
336.4
35.3
19.7
281.4
388.8
48.5
31.9
308.4
389.1
61.2
40.3
287.6
322.4
53.7
31.9
236.8
200.9
33.6
17.3
150.0
.6
.6
i Average of weeks ended in specified months. Figures may not add to exact column totals because of rounding.
For a’technical description of this series, see p. 382 of this issue.
S ource : U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Employment Security;
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
6.6
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
453
B: LABOR TURN-OVER
B: Labor Turn-Over
T able
B -l: Monthly Labor Turn-Over Rates (Per 100 Employees) in Manufacturing Industries, by
Class of Turn-Over 1
Class of turn-over and year
Total accession:
1950..... ........ .........................................................
1949................... .................__......................... .
1948......... .................. .........................................
1947.......................................................... ...........
1939 >_____________________________ ___
Total separation:
1950......................................................................
1949.................................... ........... ......................
1948.......................................................
1947................................................................
1939 »__________________________ ____
Q u it:4
1950_____ ______ ____ ___________________
1949................................ .................
1948..._________ ___________
.
1947............................................. .........................
1939 *____________________________ ____
Discharge:
1950............... ......................................................
1949....___ _________ __________ ______ _
1948.......... ......... .............. ..................... .............
1947................................... ...................................
...
1939*________ ____ ________
Lay-off:1
1950____ _____ _____________ ___________
1949.......................................................................
1948_____________ ________________ ____
1947..................................... .................................
1939 *________________________ . . ..
Miscellaneous, including m ilitary:4
1950 _ ________________________________
1949...................................................... ................
1948............ ........... ...............................................
1947............. .........................................................
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
M ay
June
*3.6
3.2
4.6
6.0
4.1
2.9
3.9
5.0
3.1
3.0
4.0
5.1
3.3
2.9
4.0
5.1
2.9
3.5
4.1
4.8
3.3
4.4
5.7
5.5
3.9
*3.1
4.6
4.3
4.9
3.2
4.1
4.2
4.5
2.6
4.8
4.5
4.9
3.1
4.8
4.7
5.2
3.5
5.2
4.3
5.4
3.5
* 1.1
1.7
2.6
3.5
.9
1.4
2.5
3.2
.6
1.6
2.8
3. 5
.8
1.7
3.0
3.7
.8
*.2
.3
.4
.4
.1
.3
.4
.4
.1
.3
.4
.4
.1
* 1.7
2.5
1.2
.9
2.2
2.3
1.2
.8
1.9
*.l
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
1 Month-to-month changes in total employment in manufacturing indus
tries as indicated by labor turn-over rates are not precisely comparable to
those shown by the Bureau’s employment and pay-roll reports, as the former
are based on data for the entire month, while the latter, for the most part,
refer to a 1-week period ending nearest the 15th of the mouth. The turn
over sample is not so extensive as that of the employment and pay-roll sur
vey—proportionately fewer small plants are included; printing and publish
ing, and certain seasonal industries, such as canning and preserving, are not
covered. Plants on strike are also excluded. See note, table B-2.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Oct.
Nov.
Aug.
Sept.
3.5
4.7
4.9
4.2
4.4
5.0
5.3
5.1
4.1
5.1
5.9
6.2
3.7
4.5
5.5
5.9
3.3
3.9
4.8
4.1
3.2
2.7
3.6
2.8
4.3
4.5
4.7
3.3
3.8
4.4
4.6
3.3
4.0
5.1
5.3
3.0
4.2
5.4
5.9
2.8
4.1
4.5
5.0
2.9
4.0
4.1
4.0
3.0
3.2
4.3
3.7
3.5
1.6
2.8
3.5
.7
1.5
2.9
3.1
.7
1.4
2.9
3.1
.7
1.8
3.4
4.0
.8
2.1
3.9
4.5
1.1
1. 5
2.8
3.6
.9
1.2
2.2
2.7
.8
1.0
1.7
2.3
.7
.2
.4
.4
.1
.2
.3
.4
.1
.2
.4
.4
.1
.2
.4
.4
.1
.3
.4
.4
.1
.2
.4
.4
.1
.2
.4
.4
.2
.2
.4
.4
.2
.2
.3
.4
.1
2.8
1.2
.9
2.2
2.8
1.2
1.0
2.6
3.3
1.1
1.4
2.7
2.5
1.1
1.1
2.5
2.1
1.0
1.0
2.5
1.8
1.2
.8
2.1
1.8
1.0
.9
1.6
2.3
1.2
.9
1.8
2.5
1.4
.8
2.0
1.9
2.2
.9
2.7
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
July
Dec.
J Preliminary figures.
* Prior to 1943, rates relate to wage earners only.
4 Prior to September 1940, miscellaneous separations were included with
quits.
5 Including temporary, indeterminate (of more than 7 days’ duration), and
permanent lay-oils.
454
MONTHLY LABOR
B: LABOR TURN-OVER
T able B-2: Monthly Labor Turn-Over Rates (Per 100 Employees) in Selected Groups and Industries1
Separation
Total accession
Total
Industry group and industry
Jan.2
1950
Dec.
1949
Jan.2
1950
Quit
Dec.
1949
Jan.2
1950
Dec.
1949
Jan.2
1950
Miscellaneous,
Including
military
Lay-off
Discharge
Dec.
1949
Jan.2
1950
Dec.
1949
Jan.2
1950
Dec.
1949
M A NUFACTURING
3.8
3.4
3.8
2.6
3.0
3.3
3.1
3.2
1.0
1.3
0.9
1.1
0.2
.2
0.1
.2
1.7
1.7
2.0
1.8
0.1
.1
0.1
.1
Iron and steel and their products.................................. .
Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling mills..........
Gray-iron castings............................................. .......
Malleable-iron castings............................................ .
Steel castings..............................................................
Cast-iron pipe and fittings___________________
Tin cans and other tinware......................................
Wire products______________________________
Cutlery and edge tools_______________________
Tools (exoept edge tools, machine tools, files, and
saws)____________________________________
Hardware---------- ------ -------------------- ------ ------Stoves, oil burners, and heating equipment...........
Steam and hot-water heating apparatus and steam
fittings..... .............................. - .............................. .
Stamped and enameled ware and galvanizing___
Fabricated structural-metal products.................... .
Bolts, nuts, washers, and rivets..............................
Forgings, iron and steel........................................... .
3.1
2.1
5.0
4.5
4.0
1.6
7.1
3.0
1.9
2.9
1.9
4.1
2.8
3.0
2.0
1.2
6.0
2.8
2.0
1.2
4.0
2.7
2.2
2.1
5.1
1.7
2.9
2.5
2.0
4.7
2.6
2.8
1.1
7.1
3.5
2.5
.8
.6
.8
.8
.6
.3
1.1
.6
.7
.9
.9
1.1
.6
.4
.3
1.7
.7
.8
.1
.1
.2
.1
.2
.1
.4
.1
.3
.1
.1
.2
.1
.1
.1
.3
.1
.1
1.0
.3
2.8
1.6
1.3
1.6
3.4
.9
1.8
1.4
.8
3.3
1.8
2.2
.7
5.1
2.6
1.5
.1
.2
.2
.2
.1
.1
.2
.1
.1
.1
.2
.1
.1
.1
2.2
4.9
5.8
2.9
3.6
3.0
2.4
3.1
4.3
1.4
1.7
4.6
.7
1.5
1.4
.6
1.1
1.0
.4
.2
.3
.2
.2
.2
1.1
1.3
2.5
.6
.3
3.4
.2
.1
.1
2.5
5.4
2.5
2.4
3.9
1.7
4.9
2.4
3.0
4.7
1.8
3.0
3.7
1.5
1.7
3.4
3.0
5.6
1.8
2.8
.9
1.1
.9
.7
.5
.7
.8
.9
.7
.6
.1
.2
.2
.2
.1
.2
.1
.2
.1
.1
.8
1.5
2.5
.5
1.1
2.4
1.9
4.3
.9
2.0
Electrical machinery.............................................
Electrical equipment for industrial use.........
Radios, radio equipment, and phonographs.
Communication equipment, except radios...
3.7
1.7
7.0
.8
2.5
1.6
3.9
.7
2.5
1.5
3.9
2.4
2.8
1.7
3.6
2.8
1.0
.6
1.9
.4
.8
.6
1.6
.3
.2
.1
.4
.1
.2
.4
.1
1.2
.6
1.5
1.8
Machinery, except electrical_____________________
Engines and turbines................................................
Agricultural machinery and tractors.......................
Machine tools............... .............................................
Machine-tool accessories................................. .........
Metalworking machinery and equipment, not
elsewhere classified______ ________ _________
General industrial machinery, except pumps....... .
Pumps and pumping equipment.............................
3.2
4.6
2.9
2.0
5.0
2.4
2.4
2.7
1.2
2.7
2.1
2.5
1.6
2.0
3.5
2.1
3.3
1.8
1.2
3.1
.7
.6
.8
.5
.8
.5
.5
.6
.3
.6
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
2.7
3.1
1.7
1.7
2.0
1.7
2.5
1.9
2.3
2.1
2.2
1.5
.9
.6
.6
.6
.5
.5
.2
.1
.1
5.2
3.0
1.7
0
4.5
2.7
1.8
12.3
5.2
2.7
1.9
0
5.6
2.3
1.4
16.9
.9
1.1
.6
0
.8
.9
.5
1.1
Automobiles___________________________________
Motor vehicles, bodies, and trailers........................
Motor-vehicle parts and accessories____________
6.3
5.5
7.9
10.9
11.6
9.6
3.0
2.8
3.9
3.8
4.1
3.1
1.3
1.5
1.0
.8
.9
.5
Nonferrous metals and their products.......................... .
Prim ary smelting and refining, except aluminum
and magnesium___________________________
Rolling and drawing of copper and copper alloys..
Lighting equipm ent-...............................................
Nonferrous metal foundries, except aluminum and
magnesium____ __________________________
3.7
3.7
2.9
2.9
.8
1.8
3.0
4.9
2.1
2.4
6.1
1.2
1.2
4.3
1.6
1.4
4.5
.6
1.7
.6
4.9
2.9
2.8
2.9
1.1
Lumber and timber basic products.
Sawmills........................... ...........
Planing and plywood mills........
3.2
2.8
4.2
2.8
2.2
3.5
5.3
5.4
2.9
4.5
3.2
1.8
1.3
1.3
1.1
Furniture and finished lumber products__________
Furniture, including mattresses and bedsprings.
5.9
6.2
4.3
4.6
3.4
3.5
3.3
3.4
1.7
1.8
Stone, clay, and glass products....................................
Glass and glass products..___ ______ _______
Cement.—....... ................... ........ ..........................
Brick, tile, and terra cotta...... ..............................
Pottery and related products................................
See footnotes at end of table.
2.4
3.1
1.0
2.2
1.7
2.3
3.6
.8
2.4
2.0 1
3.0
2.9
2.4
2.6
2.0
2.6
3.1
1.7
3.6
1.9 1
.7
.6
.8
.9
.9
Durable goods___
Nondurable goods.
Durable goods
Transportation equipment, except automobiles.
Aircraft.............................................................
Aircraft parts, including engines...... .............
Shipbuilding and repairs................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
0
0
0
.1
.1
.1
0
.2
.1
.1
.1
.2
.2
.1
.1
1.7
1.0
1.5
2.1
.1
.2
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.3
1.2
1.5
.6
1.3
2.6
1.4
2.6
.9
.7
2.3
.1
.3
.1
.1
.1
.1
.2
.1
.1
.2
.1
.1
1.3
1.1
1.3
1.2
1.5
.7
.1
.1
.3
.1
.1
.2
.2
.1
.1
.2
.1
.1
.3
4.0
1.4
1.2
0
4.5
1.2
.7
15.4
.1
.1
,1
.1
.1
.1
.2
.2
.1
.1
.1
.1
1.4
.9
2.7
2.8
3.0
2.4
.1
.2
.1
.1
.1
.1
.7
.2
.2
1.7
1.9
.2
.1
.4
.5
1.2
.2
.1
.2
.1
.1
.3
.3
3.0
.9
.7
3.1
.1
.1
.7
.1
.1
.1
.9
.2
.2
1.3
1.7
.2
.1
1.4
1.2
1.1
.2
.1
.2
.2
.2
.1
3.7
3.9
1.5
2.8
1.7
.5
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
1.2
1.3
.4
.4
.3
.4
1.2
1.2
1.7
1.7
.1
.1
.8
.8
.6
1.1
.9
.2
.1
.2
.2
.3
.2
.1
.1
.3
.2
1.4
1.8
1.3
1.5
.7
1.5
2.1
.9
2.2
.8
.2
.4
.1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.1
.1
0
.1
.1
.1
0
0
455
B: LABOR TURN-OVER
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
T able B-2: Monthly Labor Turn-Over Rates (Per 100 Employees) in Selected Groups and
Industries 1—Continued
Separation
Total accession
Total
Industry group and Industry
Jan.8
1950
Dec.
1949
Jan.8
1950
Quit
Dec.
1949
Jan.1
1950
Dec.
1949
Jan.1
1950
Miscellaneous,
including
military
Lay-ofl
Discharge
Dee.
1949
Jan.«
1950
Dec.
1949
Jan.»
1950
1.3
.9
1.6
2.7
.6
1.4
1.2
1.3
1.0
.9
2.4
.9
.7
2.8
0.1
.1
.1
.2
Dec.
1949
M A N U FA CTU RIN G —Continued
N ondurable good»
Textile-mill products..............................................
Cotton.................... ..............................................
Silk and rayon goods_______________________
Woolen and worsted, except dyeing and finishing..
Hosiery, full-fashioned.............. .............................
Hosiery, seamless......... ........................................
K nitted underwear_____________________
Dyeing and finishing textiles, including woolen
and worsted............................................................
3.0
3.1
3.6
2.9
1.5
2.6
2.6
2.6
2.7
2.8
2.7
.8
2.5
1.3
3.0
3.0
3.1
4.1
2.1
3.5
3.1
2.7
2.5
2.3
3.6
2.3
2.4
4.5
1.4
1.7
1.2
1.0
1.2
1.9
1.6
1.1
1.3
1.1
1.0
1.1
1.6
1.5
0.2
.3
.2
.2
.3
.2
.3
0.2
.2
.2
.1
.2
.1
.2
(9
(9
(9
0.1
(9
(9
(9
.1
.1
.1
2.5
2.3
2.3
2.2
.9
.8
.2
.2
1.1
1.1
.1
Apparel and other finished textile products................ .
M en’s and boys’ suits, coats, and overcoats_____
M en’s and boys’ furnishings, work clothing, and
allied g arm ents.........................................
5.1
8.6
3.8
5.8
3.8
3.6
4.1
4.6
2.1
1.8
1.8
1.2
.2
.1
.2
.2
1.4
1.6
2.1
3.1
.1
.1
3.2
2.3
4.4
3.8
2.3
2.2
.3
.1
1.8
1.5
Leather and leather products.......................................
Leather_________ _____ ____ ___________
Boots and shoes..... .................................. ................
3.4
2.2
3.6
3.5
2.2
3.7
2.9
2.9
3.0
2.6
1.8
2.6
1.4
.5
1.6
1.2
.5
1.2
.2
.2
.2
.1
.1
.1
1.0
1.6
.9
1.1
1.1
1.1
.3
.3
.3
.2
.1
.2
Food and kindred products...........................................
Meat products_________________________
Grain-mill products___ ___________ _____
Bakery products__________________ . . .
3.8
4.5
2.0
2.5
3.3
4.5
1.5
1.6
5.4
6.9
2.6
3.4
4.7
5.0
1.8
4.2
1.3
1.4
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.6
.8
1.2
.3
.3
.4
.2
.4
.4
.3
.3
3.7
4.1
1.0
1.9
2.9
2.9
.6
2.7
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
Tobacco manufactures.................................................
2.2
1.5
4.0
3.8
1.3
.8
.3
.2
2.3
2.7
.1
.1
Paper and allied products...............................................
Paper and pulp_________________ ___________
Paper boxes..................... .....................................
1.8
1.6
2.0
1.4
1.1
1.5
1.7
1.4
2.7
1.8
1.6
2.7
.7
.6
1.2
.9
.8
1.1
.1
.1
.2
.1
.1
.2
.8
.6
1.2
.7
.6
1.2
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.2
Chemicals and allied products..............................
Paints, varnishes, and colors.__________ ______
Rayon and allied products.............. .........................
Industrial chemicals, except explosives_________
1.9
1.9
1.3
2.2
1.2
.9
1.3
1.3
1.2
1.4
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.1
.4
.6
.3
.3
.3
.5
.3
.3
1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.6
.6
.7
.6
.7
.5
.8
.6
Products of petroleum and coal___________ _______
Petroleum refining____ ______ _____ _______ _
.2
.1
.4
.2
.7
.6
1.4
1.2
.2
.2
.3
.2
(9
(9
.3
.2
.9
.8
.2
.2
.2
.2
Rubber products__________ ___ _____ __________
Rubber tires and inner tubes________________
Rubber footwear and related products..................
Miscellaneous rubber industries....................... ......
3.2
2.5
1.8
5.7
2.2
1.8
1.5
3.5
3.1
1.2
8.7
3.2
2.3
1.5
2.2
3.2
1.0
.6
1.5
1.5
.8
.5
1.2
1.0
(9
.1
.1
.1
.2
1.9
.5
7.0
1.4
1.3
.8
.8
1.9
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.1
.6
(9
.1
Miscellaneous industries............ ....................................
(9
2.0
(9
2.9
(9
(9
.1
(9
(9
.1
.1
.2
(9
2.1
(9
.1
.1
(9
.1
(9
.1
(9
.1
(9
(9
(9
.1
,1
.1
.1
N ONM ANUFACTURING
Metal mining______________ ___________
Iron-ore________________________
Copper-ore________ _______ ____________
Lead- and iinc-ore....................... .............................
2.3
1.8
2.1
2.0
3.3
1.3
4.7
3.1
1.1
1.9
1.3
1.6
2.9
3.0
1.9
2.6
4.2
1.1
1.0
.5
1.0
1.4
1.8
.8
2.0
2.1
.8
.2
.1
.2
.1
.2
(9
.1
.2
.5
.4
.2
1.2
.8
.8
.3
1.7
.1
.2
.3
.2
.2
.2
.3
.2
.2
.2
Coal mining:
Anthracite___________________ __________
Bituminous.......... ....................................................
(9
1.6
1.6
(9
1.7
1.4
(9
1.3
1.1
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
.3
.2
(9
.1
.1
Communication:
Telephone..................................................................
Telegraph.......... .........................................................
(9
(9
.5
1.5
(9
(9
1.1
2.8
(9
(9
.7
.7
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
(9
.3
1.8
(9
(9
.1
.3
1 Since January 1943 manufacturing firms reporting labor turn-over infor
mation have been assigned industry codes on the basis of current products.
Most plants in the employment and pay-roll sample, comprising those which
were in operation In 1939, are classified according to their major activity at
th at time, regardless of any subsequent change in major products. Labor
turn-over data, beginning in January 1943, refer to wage and salary workers.
Employment information for wage and salary workers is available for major
manufacturing industry groups (table A-3); for individual industries these
data refer to production workers only (table A-6).
1 Preliminary figures.
* Less than 0.05.
‘ Not available.
N o t e : Explanatory notes outlining the concepts, sources, size of the reporting sample, and method
ology used in preparing the data presented in tables B - l and B-2 are contained in the Bureau’s
monthly mimeographed release, “Labor Turn-Over,” which is available upon request.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR
G: EARN IN G8 AND HOURS
456
C: Earnings and Honrs
T
able
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees1
Mining
Coal
Metal
Year and m onth
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn- hours
ings
1947: Average_____ $54. 63
1948: Average......... - 60.80
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn- earn- wkly.
ings
ings hours
41.8 $1.307 $52. 34
42.4 1.434 58.32
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn- earn- wkly.
ings
ings hours
40.2 $1.302 $59. 27
41.3 1.412 65.81
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn- earn- wkly.
ings
ings hours
44.8 $1.323 $55.09
45.2 1.456 61.37
Bitumino JS
Anthracite
Lead and zinc
Copper
Iron
Total: Metal
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn- earn- hours
ings
ings
41.3 $1.334 $62.77
41.3 1.486 66. 57
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
37.7 $1. 665 $66.59
36.8 1.809 72.12
40.7
38.0
$1.636
1.898
1949: January_____
February........
M arch______
April________
M ay________
June________
July_____ . . .
August ______
September___
October_____
November___
December___
64. 75
64.74
66.16
64.71
63.72
60. 53
58. 75
58.18
58. 96
59.63
52.73
62.81
42.1
42.4
43.3
42.6
42.2
40.6
39.4
39.5
39.6
40.1
35.7
41.9
1.538
1. 527
1.528
1.519
1.510
1.491
1.491
1.473
1.489
1.487
1.477
1.499
62. 75
62.81
63.30
62.20
61.64
60. 26
56.97
57.32
59.15
54. 46
38.78
60.27
42.0
42.1
42.4
41.8
41.4
40.8
38.7
39.1
39.3
35.5
26.6
41.0
1.494
1.492
1. 493
1.488
1.489
1.477
1.472
1.466
1.505
1. 534
1.458
1.470
72.15
67. 56
70.90
71.35
67.37
59. 02
59.43
56.20
58.27
59.20
59. 70
64.26
45.9
43.7
46.1
46.3
44.5
39.8
39.7
38.0
39.4
40.3
40.2
42.5
1. 572
1.546
1. 538
1.541
1.514
1.483
1.497
1.479
1.479
1.469
1.485
1.512
68. 67
67.82
69. 56
64.74
66.03
63. 27
61.41
59.87
60.34
61.95
61. 99
67.68
42.0
42.1
43.1
41.0
41.9
40.9
39.9
40.1
40.2
40.7
40.7
43.3
1.635
1.611
1.614
1.579
1.576
1.547
1.589
1.493
1.501
1.522
1.523
1. 563
67.39
47.97
46.15
56. 82
63.63
45.28
66.08
42.80
59.24
75. 81
67.94
42.22
36.0
26.1
25.0
30.6
34.1
23.4
35.0
23.4
31.8
39.2
35.7
22.0
1. 872
1.838
1.846
1.857
1.866
1.935
1.888
1.829
1.863
1.934
1.903
1.919
76.32
73. 56
70.54
72.33
72. 98
59.90
47.94
49.51
52.46
63.10
68.17
48.93
39.2
37.9
36.4
37.4
37.5
30.7
25.1
26.1
27.0
31.9
34.1
25. 5
1.947
1.941
1.938
1.934
1.946
1.951
1.910
1.897
1.943
1.978
1.999
1.919
1950: January_____
65.03
42.7
1.523
60. 06
40.5
1.483
75. 52
47.2
1.600
65. 58
42.5
1. 543
44.60
23.9
1.866
47.62
24.7
1.928
Contract construction2
Mining—Con tinued
Crude petroleum and
natural gas production
Petroleum and na
tural gas production
JSionbuildinsr construction
Nonmetailic mining
and quarrying
$1. 473 $50. 54
1.667 55.31
Total: Contract construction
45.0 $1.123
44.5 1.243 $68. 25
1948: Average_____
66 . 68
40.0
1949: January_____
February____
M arch______
April________
M ay________
June................
July...............
August______
September___
October. ___
November___
December___
73.32
70.37
69.54
70.30
71.78
70.59
72.54
70.74
72.40
73.87
71.20
71.20
41.1
39.8
39.6
39.9
40.6
39.7
40.3
40.1
40.4
41.2
40.0
40.0
1.784
1. 768
1.756
1.762
1.768
1.778
1.800
1.764
1.792
1.793
1.780
1.780
54. 91
54.36
54. 40
56.38
58.17
57. 82
56. 77
57.86
56.68
57. 77
55. 77
54.99
42.7
42.3
42.5
43.3
44.3
43.8
43.4
44.3
43.2
44.2
42.7
42.4
1.286
1.285
1.280
1.302
1.313
1.320
1.308
1.306
1.312
1.307
1.306
1.297
70.14
69.96
69. 22
69.86
71.70
71.41
71.55
72.13
70.73
72.06
70.12
69. 75
1950: January........... 75.64
41.7
1.814
53.40
41.2
1.296
67.42
Total: Nonbuilding
construction
38.1 $1. 790 $66.61
Highway and street
40.6 $1.639 $62. 41
Other nonbui Iding
constructioi a b
41.6 $1.500 $68. 67
40.0
$1. 716
1.530
1.536
1.534
1.555
1.567
1.574
1.575
1.578
1.607
1.617
1.610
1.644
71.59
71.18
69.98
72.29
74.43
75.05
75. 21
75.69
73.81
75.83
72.96
72.76
39.7
39.7
39.0
40.0
40.9
41.5
41.4
41.5
40.5
41.4
39.4
39.2
1.804
1. 794
1. 793
1.807
1.820
1.807
1.818
1.822
1.823
1.831
1.852
1.855
1.638
68. 69
38.0
1.809
37.5
37.3
36.9
37.3
38.5
38.5
38.6
38.7
37.7
38.3
37.1
36.4
1.869
1.877
1.875
1.872
1.864
1.856
1.856
1.862
1.874
1.881
1.891
1.917
67.54
68. 06
67.25
68. 47
71.42
71.34
72.20
72.56
70.82
72.71
69.90
68.15
39.5
39.7
39.5
40.1
41.7
41.9
42.2
42.4
40.9
41.8
39.9
38.3
1.710
1.714
1.703
1.709
1.712
1.704
1. 712
1.712
1.730
1.741
1.754
1.777
59.98
61.17
61.96
62.44
67.17
66. 52
68.17
68. 55
66. 75
68.37
65.30
60.75
39.2
39.8
40.4
40.2
42.9
42.3
43.3
43.4
41.6
42.3
40.6
37.0
35.3
1.912
64. 58
37.0
1. 745
58.07
35.5
Contract construction >—Continued
Building construction
Special-trade contractors
•rotai: .»mining
construction
General contractors
Total: Special-trade
contractors
Plumbing and
heating
1947: Avp.rago
Painting and
decorating
39.2 $1.960 $69. 77
37.3 $1.848 $64. 64
36.6 $1.766 $73.87
38.0 $1.946 $76.83
1949: January......... .
February____
M arch...........
April................
M ay________
June_____
July________
August_____
September___
October_____
November___
December___
70.88
70. 53
69.83
70.33
71.81
71.44
71.28
71.95
70.69
71.80
70. 21
70. 26
37.0
36.5
36.1
36.4
37.2
37.1
37.1
37.2
36.5
36.9
36.1
35.8
1.918
1.930
1.933
1.934
1.930
1.924
1.922
1.932
1.938
1. 944
1.947
1.964
66.84
66.84
66.69
66.88
68.34
67.70
67.33
68.02
66.64
67.89
66.34
65. 99
36.5
36.1
35.8
35.9
36.8
36.7
36.6
36.8
36.0
36.5
35.7
35.1
1.833
1.853
1.864
1.862
1.858
1.846
1.838
1.848
1.854
1.861
1.856
1.880
75. 50
75.13
73.87
74.84
76.29
76.43
76.59
76. 99
75.80
76.51
74.81
75.15
37.5
37.1
36.5
36.9
37.7
37.7
37.7
37.8
37.2
37.5
36.4
36.5
2.012
2.027
2.022
2.027
2.023
2.026
2.032
2.036
2.040
2. 041
2.053
2.057
79.08
78.16
77.33
76.93
77.75
77.95
78.08
79.13
79.15
80.32
78.12
80.19
39.1
38.8
38.6
38.3
38.5
38.6
38.8
38.9
38.6
38.9
37.5
38.7
2.022
2.014
2. 003
2.009
2.018
2.022
2.013
2.033
2.052
2.064
2.085
2.071
68.33
68. 92
69. 73
69. 66
71.93
72.18
72.18
72. 51
71.59
71.41
68.88
69.40
1950: January_____
68.20
34.8
1.960
63. 66
34.0
1.871
73.29
35.7
2.056
78.50
38.0
2.068
67.75
1948: Average_____ $68.85
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
36.3 $1.925 $83.01
39.8
34.4
34.9
35.5
35.5
36.6
36.8
36.7
36.4
35.7
35.7
34.5
34.8
1.985
1.974
1.964
1.965
1. 963
1.961
1.968
1.992
2.006
2.001
1.996
1.997
87.49
86.35
85. 67
86.84
87.01
87.02
86.41
87.80
85.80
86.49
85.28
86.85
40.0
39.2
38.8
39.3
39.2
39.3
39.2
39.7
38.8
39.0
38.2
39.2
33.9
1.998
86.53
38.7
$2.084
fi ' ' ■ j
2.186
2.201
2.205
2.209
2. 220
2. 215
2.202
2. 210
2. 210
2.215
2.233
2.217
2.237
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
T able
457
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees1—Con.
Contract construction2—Continued
Building construction—Continued
Special-trade contractors—Continued
Year and month
Other special-trade
contractors b
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1947: Average___ _
1948: Average____ $69. 65
Plastering and
lathing
Masonry
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Excavation and
foundation work
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
35.4 $1.969 $78. 52
36.1 $2.175 $67.98
37.9 $1.792 $62.47
36.5 $1.710 $66.44
38.9
$1,709
70.26
70.01
68.24
70. 50
72. 77
73.02
73.46
73.36
71. 58
72. 26
70. 77
69.18
36.2
35.6
34.7
35.6
37.0
36.9
36.8
36.9
36.1
36.5
35.7
34.6
1.942
1.968
1.966
1.979
1.968
1.977
1.998
1.988
1.982
1.978
1.984
2. 001
70.08
65.83
65.44
68.04
70.97
71.23
71.47
71.36
66.31
70.60
71.68
60.92
34.5
32.2
32.1
33.4
35.2
35.0
35.1
35.3
32.9
34.7
35.0
29.8
2.030
2.044
2.038
2.036
2.018
2.034
2.037
2.021
2.015
2.035
2.047
2.044
76.82
78.66
77. 51
80.27
79.88
83. 73
84.59
83.13
84.39
81.11
74.76
77.50
34.4
35.4
34.6
35.2
34.7
35.8
36.0
35.7
36.3
35.0
32.5
33.5
2.230
2.221
2.241
2.283
2.303
2.338
2.352
2.330
2.322
2.316
2.302
2.311
68.98
64.95
64.41
65.00
67.09
67.00
66.40
66.45
67.22
68.46
69. 57
67.89
37.9
35.9
35.7
36.7
38.1
38.0
37.0
36.3
35.8
36.1
36.3
35.9
1.821
1.810
1.802
1.773
1.763
1.763
1.795
1.831
1.876
1.896
1.915
1.889
62.71
58.91
58.80
61.50
63.99
64.20
64. 50
64. 53
62.95
65.96
63.73
61.30
35.5
33.6
33.6
35.3
36.9
36.9
36.8
36.7
36.0
37.1
35.9
34.1
1.768
1.754
1.748
1.740
1.735
1.739
1.753
1.759
1.750
1.777
1.775
1.799
64.53
68.00
66.11
66.51
70.28
71.67
71.93
72. 51
70. 58
72.22
69.46
66.80
36.5
37.4
36.6
37.1
39.0
38.9
38.6
38.9
37.6
38.4
37.3
35.4
1.767
1.818
1.807
1.793
1.803
1.842
1.863
1.863
1.878
1.882
1.864
1.890
1950: January........... 66.32
33.4
1.987
62.61
30.8
2.030
75.53
32.6
2.316
67.70
35.7
1.894
58.13
32.3
1.798
66.42
35.0
1.899
1949: January------February-----M arch____ April____ . .
M ay________
June_____ _
July________
August--------September___
October_____
November___
December___
36.9 $1.888 $69.61
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Roofing and sheetmetal work
Carpentry
Manufacturing
Food and kindred products
Total: Manufac
turing
1947: Average-------- $49.97
1948: Average-------- 54.14
Durable goods3
40.4 $1.237 $52.46
40.1 1.350 57.11
Nondurable goods 4
Total: Ordnance
and accessories
40.6 $1.292 $46.96
40.5 1.410 50.61
40.1 $1.171 $53.74
39.6 1.278 57.20
Total: Food and
kindred products
41.5 $1.295 $48.82
41.6 1.375 51.87
M eat products
42.9 $1.138 $54. 58
42.0 1.235 58.37
44.3
43.3
$1.232
1.348
1949: January-------February-----M arch_____
April_______
M ay________
June________
July------------August--------September___
October_____
November___
December___
55.50
55.20
54. 74
53.80
54.08
54. 51
54.63
54. 70
55.72
55.26
54.43
56.18
39.5
39.4
39.1
38.4
38.6
38.8
38.8
39.1
39.6
39.7
39.1
39.9
1.405
1.401
1.400
1.401
1.401
1.405
1.408
1.399
1.407
1.392
1.392
1.408
58.83
58.49
57.83
57.21
57.21
57.82
57.31
57.89
58.69
58.17
56.82
59.15
40.1
39.9
39.5
39.0
39.0
39.2
38.8
39.3
39.6
39.9
39.0
40.1
1.467
1.466
1.464
1.467
1.467
1.475
1.477
1.473
1.482
1.458
1. 457
1.475
51.35
51.33
51.07
49.67
50.41
50.97
51. 55
51.31
52.59
52.47
52.07
52.73
38.7
38.8
38.6
37.6
38.1
38.5
38.7
38.9
39.6
39.6
39.3
39.5
1.327
1.323
1.323
1.321
1.323
1.324
1.332
1.319
1.328
1.325
1.325
1.335
58.08
59.22
57.90
54.13
59.32
58.72
59.64
58.44
59.76
59.97
59.82
60.85
40.9
41.3
39.6
36.7
40.3
39.7
40.3
39.7
40.3
40.3
40.2
40.7
1.420
1.434
1.462
1.475
1.472
1.479
1.480
1.472
1.483
1.488
1.488
1.495
53.62
53.07
52.80
52.33
53.44
53.62
54.69
53.00
53.63
53.83
54.16
54.70
41.5
41.3
40.9
40.6
41.3
41.6
42.2
41.7
41.8
41.7
41.6
41.5
1.292
1.285
1.291
1.289
1.294
1.289
1.296
1.271
1.283
1. 291
1.302
1.318
59.59
55.70
55.25
54.98
56.17
55.87
58.02
56. 87
57.78
56. 51
60.23
61.02
42.9
41.2
40.3
39.9
40.7
40.4
41.8
41.0
41.6
41.1
42.9
43.4
1.389
1.352
1.371
1.378
1.380
1.383
1.388
1.387
1.389
1.375
1.404
1.406
1950: January_____
56.33
39.7
1.419
59.44
40.0
1.486
52.82
39.3
1.344
60.70
40.2
1. 510
55.02
41.4
1.329
60.22
42.8
1.407
Manufacturing
Food and kindred products—Continued
M eat packing
Dairy products
Flour and other
grain-mill products
39.7 $1.041 $51.96
38.2 1.116 54.53
45.7 $1.137 $56.11
44.3 1.231 57.23
54.34
54.59
53. 77
54.10
54.47
55.23
55.71
54.72
55.28
54. 76
53.95
54.34
44.8
45.0
44.4
44.6
45.2
45.8
45.7
45.0
44.4
44.2
43.9
44.0
1.213
1.213
1.211
1.213
1.205
1.206
1.219
1.216
1.245
1.239
1.229
1.235
42.61
43.89
42. 89
43.07
43.65
42.63
43.59
44.27
44.79
45.92
41.29
43.26
36.8
38.2
37.2
36.5
37.4
38.3
39.7
40.8
40.1
40.0
37.1
36.6
1.158
1.149
1.153
1.180
1.167
1.113
1.098
1.085
1.117
1.148
1.113
1.182
57.19
55. 51
55.21
54.66
55. 81
57. 84
59.75
57.46
58.92
58.56
55.81
56.85
44.2
43.5
43.1
42.7
43.6
44.7
45.4
44.0
44.3
44.4
42.8
43.2
1.294
1. 276
1.281
1.280
1.280
1.294
1.316
1.306
1.330
1.319
1.304
1.316
56.04
44.8
1.251
45.19
38.2
1.183
56.19
42.7
1.316
44.6 $1.246 $47. 54
43.4 1.363 52.26
1949: January...........
February........
M arch.........
April_______
M ay________
June________
July------------August______
September___
October_____
November___
December.......
60.34
56.13
55.69
55.32
56.64
56.44
58. 55
57.34
58.31
56.89
61.03
62.07
43.1
41.3
40.3
39.8
40.6
40.4
41.7
40.9
41.5
40.9
42.8
43.5
1.400
1.359
1.382
1.390
1.395
1.397
1.404
1.402
1.405
1.391
1.426
1.427
1950: January........... 61.29
43.1
1.422
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Grain-mill products
45.8 $1.038 $41.33
45.4 1.151 42.63
1947: Average........... $55. 57
1948: Average........... 59.15
See footnotes at end of table.
Canning and
preserving
Prepared feeds
49.0 $1.145 $46.38
46.3 1.236 51.01
44.6
45.3
$1.040
1.126
61.84
57.79
55.42
54.36
55.90
58.10
61.13
58.70
62.70
62.88
57.77
59.67
46.6
44.8
43.4
42.7
43.6
45.0
46.1
44.3
45.8
46.0
43.4
44.1
1.327
1.290
1.277
1.273
1.282
1.291
1.326
1.325
1.369
1.367
1.331
1.353
52.19
51.10
53.78
55.07
55.88
57.36
57.14
55.75
56. 57
55.67
54.49
54.22
44.8
44.2
45.5
46.2
47.2
47.6
47.7
46.3
47.1
46.7
45.6
45.3
1.165
1.156
1.182
1.192
1.184
1.205
1.198
1.204
1.201
1.192
1.195
1.197
59.84
44.0
1.360
52.98
44.3
1.196
T able
MONTHLY LABOR
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
458
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees1—Con.
Manufacturing—Continued
Food and kindred products—Continued
Year and month
Avg. Avg.
wkly.
earn wkly.
ings hours
1947: Average.......... $45.41
1948: Average.......... 49.35
Confectionery and
related products
Sugar
Bakery products
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
42.4 $1,071 $49.17
42.4 1.164 52.04
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
43.4 $1.133 $41.04
41.8 1.245 44.00
Confectionery
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
40.0 $1.026 $39.18
40.0 1.100 41.46
Bottled soft drinks
Beverages
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
39.7 $0,987 $57.60
39.6 1.047 61.43
42.6 $1,352 $44.82
41.9 1.466 46.26
43.9
44.1
$1,021
1.049
1949: Ja n u ary .........
February____
M arch______
A pril..............
M ay.... ...........
June................
July________
August______
September___
October_____
November . . .
December___
49.82
51.28
50.34
51.07
51.61
62.29
52.62
51.83
52.88
52.29
52.12
52.08
40.9
42.1
41.4
42.0
42.1
42.2
42.2
41.5
42.1
41.6
41.4
41.3
1. 218
1. 218
1. 216
1. 216
1.226
1.239
1.247
1. 249
1.256
1.257
1.259
1.261
55.04
54. 95
53.40
51.45
55.08
57.93
57.72
56.53
59.17
53.71
60.82
55. 25
42.4
40.2
39.5
37.8
40.5
42.5
42.5
41.2
43.6
42.9
48.0
42.6
1.298
1.367
1.352
1.361
1.360
1.363
1.358
1.372
1.357
1.252
1.267
1.297
44. 70
43.88
44.60
42. 71
42.86
44. 76
43.69
45.39
47. 70
48. 52
45.86
45.50
39.7
39.0
39.5
37.9
38.1
39.3
38.8
40.2
42.1
42.6
40.8
40.7
1.126
1.125
1.129
1.127
1.125
1.139
1.126
1.129
1.133
1.139
1.124
1.118
42.28
41.86
42.48
40. 56
40.60
42.38
41.39
42. 80
44.03
44.83
43.44
43.17
39.4
38.9
39.3
37.8
37.8
39.2
38.9
40.0
41.3
41.7
40.9
40.8
1.073
1.076
1.081
1.073
1.074
1.081
1.064
1.070
1.066
1.075
1.062
1.058
60.90
61. 54
62.75
62.29
64. 54
65.59
68. 79
66.24
64.92
64.40
63.60
63.28
40.2
40.3
40.8
40.9
41.8
42.1
42.7
41.4
40.7
40.5
40.1
39.7
1.515
1. 527
1. 538
1. 523
1. 544
1.558
1.611
1.600
1.595
1.590
1.586
1.594
45.82
47.05
46.89
47.09
48. 58
50.20
50. 69
49. 88
48. 32
49.37
48.24
46.01
42.5
43.4
43.3
43.2
44.0
44.9
44.9
44.1
43.3
45.0
43.7
41.9
1.078
1.084
1.083
1.090
1.104
1.118
1.129
1.131
1.116
1.097
1.104
1.098
1950: January_____
52.15
41.0
1.272
56.26
39.9
1.410
45.20
40.0
1.130
42.79
39.8
1.075
64.00
39.8
1.608
46.60
42.6
1,094
M anufacturing—C ontinued
Tobacco manufactures
Food and kindred products—Continued
M alt liquors
Distilled, rectified,
and blended liquors
Miscellaneous food
products
40.8 $1. 210 $47.87
40.5 1.356 49.74
Total: Tobacco
manufactures
43.2 $1.459 $49.37
42.0 1.581 54.92
1949: Jan u ary .........
February.
M arch______
April________
M ay..............
June________
July________
August............
September___
O cto b er.___
November___
December___
64.68
66. 21
67. 98
67. 44
70. 85
71. 74
75.60
72.02
69.46
69. 33
67. 52
68.18
40.0
40.3
41.1
41.2
42.5
42. 5
43.3
41.7
40.5
40.1
39.3
39.8
1.617
1.643
1.654
1. 637
1.667
1.688
1.746
1.727
1.715
1.729
1.718
1.713
56.55
54.80
55.15
55.29
55.39
55.11
56.42
57.14
60.18
58.30
62.28
56.77
39.3
38.7
39.0
38.8
38.9
38.7
30.1
38.9
40.2
39.5
41.3
38.0
1.439
1.416
1. 414
1.425
1.424
1.424
1.443
1.469
1.497
1.476
1.508
1.494
51.91
52.00
51.42
50. 55
51.71
51.41
52.33
53.04
52.50
53.38
53.13
53.00
41.9
41.6
41.7
40.8
41.7
41.8
42.3
42.5
42.2
42.5
42.1
42.0
1.239
1.250
1.233
1. 239
1. 240
1.230
1.237
1.248
1.244
1.256
1.262
1.262
1950: January__ _
68.43
39.6
1.728
58.91
39.3
1.499
52.74
41.4
1.274
Cigars
38.7 $0.911 $42.40
.958 44. 51
38.1
40.0 $1,060 $32.42
38.6 1.153 32.71
37.7
37.6
$0,860
.870
35.69
34.94
36.21
35.15
36. 27
38. 57
38.19
38.58
38. 39
37.86
38.46
38.93
36.2
35.4
36.1
34.7
35.7
38.0
37.4
3a 7
38.9
38.2
38.0
38.2
.986
.987
1.003
1.013
1.016
1.015
1.021
.997
.987
.991
1.012
1.019
43.20
42.32
45.11
44. 01
43.98
47.78
48.13
48.90
47.92
46. 73
47.81
48.53
35.5
34.8
37.1
35.9
35.9
39.1
39.1
39.5
38.9
37.9
38.9
38.7
1. 217
1.216
1. 216
1.226
1.225
1.222
1.231
1.238
1.232
1.233
1.229
1.254
32. 62
31.29
31.12
29. 78
31.63
32.99
32.13
32.81
33. 71
33.45
34.16
32.96
37.2
35.8
35.2
33.8
35.7
37.4
36.6
37.2
38.0
37.8
38.0
37.2
.877
.874
.884
.881
.886
.882
.878
.882
.887
.885
.899
.886
39.22
38.0
1.032
49.15
39.1
1.257
33.38
36.6
.912
43.2 $1.108 $35.26
42.3 1.176 36.50
1947: Average........... $63.03
1948: Average........... 66. 40
Cigarettes
Manufacturing—Continued
Tobacco manufactures—Continued
Tobacco and snuff
Textile-mill products
Tobacco stemming
and redrying
Total: Textile-mill
products
Yarn and thread
mills
38.7 $0.982 $41.52
37.9 1.093 46.13
40.0
39.6
$1. 038
1.165
1.119
1.117
1.119
1.114
1.111
1.117
1.119
1.108
1.119
1.123
1.119
44.79
44.83
43.28
41.08
40. 52
42. 09
42.87
44. 41
45.74
47.52
47. 76
48.40
37.7
37.8
36.8
35.2
34.6
35.7
36.3
37.6
38.5
39.6
39.8
40.3
1.188
1.186
1.176
1.167
1.171
1.179
1.181
1.181
1.188
1.200
1.200
1.201
1.117
48.20
40.0
1.205
1947: Average.......... $35.29
1948: Average........... 37.21
38.4 $0.919 $32.24
37.7
.987 34.24
40.4 $0.798 $41.26
40.0
.856 45. 59
39.6 $1.042 $37.99
39.2 1.163 41.49
38.8 $0. 979 $38.00
38.1 1.089 41.42
1949: January..........
February____
M arch______
April...............
M ay________
June________
J u ly ............
August .........
September___
O c to b e r.___
November. . .
December___
37.02
37.09
38.02
36. 82
37.35
40. 30
40.02
40.35
40.92
39.81
39. 76
41.46
36.4
35.8
36.7
35. 2
35.5
38.2
37.4
38.1
38.1
37.7
37.4
38.6
1.017
1.036
1.036
1.046
1. 052
1.055
1.070
1.059
1.074
1.056
1.063
1.074
29. 26
30.68
35.31
34. 02
34. 55
38.14
36.22
36. 59
34.47
33. 82
32.24
36.80
33.1
34.4
37.8
35.4
35.0
38.1
36.4
42.9
42.3
40.5
36.1
40.4
.884
.892
.934
.961
.987
1.001
.995
.853
.815
.835
.893
.911
44. 89
45.01
44.19
42.20
41.91
42.98
43.26
44.37
45.82
47.04
47.20
47.64
37.5
37.7
37.2
35.7
35.4
36.3
36.6
37.6
38.6
39.4
39.5
39.8
1.197
1.194
1.188
1.182
1.184
1.184
1.182
1.180
1.187
1.194
1.195
1.197
39.32
39. 77
39. 21
37.85
37. 56
39.10
39.73
40.33
42. 07
43.00
43.46
44.08
35.3
35.8
35.2
34.1
33.9
35.1
35.6
36.5
37.9
38.5
38.8
39.5
1.114
1.111
1.114
1.110
1.108
1.114
1.116
1.105
1.110
1.117
1.120
1.116
39.39
39.99
39. 05
37. 99
37. 66
39.32
39.84
40.33
41.88
42.97
43.46
43.98
35.2
35.8
34.9
34.1
33.9
35.2
35.6
36.4
37.7
38.4
38.7
39.3
1950: January_____
40.58
37.4
1.085
37.81
42.1
.898
47.40
39.4
1.203
43.67
39.2
1.114
43.56
39.0
See fo o tn o te a t end o f tab le.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Broad-woven fabric
mills
Yarn mills
1.111
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
T able
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
459
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees1—Con.
M anufacturing—Con turned
Textile-mill products—Continued
Year and month
Cotton, silk, syn
thetic fiber *
Avg. Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
hrly.
earn hours earn
ings
ings
1947: Average....... .
1948: Average____
$40.30
44.36
1949: January____
February__
M arch........
April.............
M ay..............
June..............
Ju ly _______
August_____
Septem ber...
October____ ..
November. ..
December__
19S0: January....... .
Woolen and worsted
Knitting mills
Full-fashioned
hosiery »
Avg. Avg. Avg. Avg.
Avg. Avg.
Avg.
wkly. wkly.
hrly. wkly. Avg. hrly. wkly. Avg. hrly.
earn hours earn earn wkly. earn earn wkly. earn
hours
hours
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
ings
Seamless hosiery *
K nit outerwear
Avg. Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
hrly.
earn hours earn
ings
ings
Avg. Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
hrly.
earn hours earn
ings
ings
40.1 $1,005 $46.28
39.4 1.126 52.45
40.0 $1,157 $37.78
40.1 1.308 41.14
37.9 $0,997 $46.92
37.5 1.097 52.85
38.3 $1,225 $29.68
38.8 1.362 30.27
36.2 $0.820 $37.73
35.2
.860 39.75
38.0
38.0
$0,993
1.046
42.97
43.28
42.13
40.08
39.02
39.78
40.46
42. 71
44.24
46. 09
46.56
47.19
37.3
37.5
36.7
35.1
34.2
34.8
35.4
37.2
38.3
39.6
39.9
40.4
1.152
1.154
1.148
1.142
1.141
1.143
1.143
1.148
1.155
1.164
1.167
1.168
52.11
51.43
48.30
46. 58
47.88
51.64
52. 25
51.16
51.94
53.25
52.51
53.55
39.3
39.2
37.1
36.0
36.8
39.3
39.7
39.2
39.5
39.8
39.6
40.2
1.326
1.312
1.302
1.294
1.301
1.314
1.316
1.305
1.315
1.338
1.326
1.332
40.88
41.09
41.39
39.87
40.07
40.73
40.44
41.11
42.22
43.68
43.28
42.30
35.7
36.3
36.5
35.1
35.3
36.2
36.3
37.0
37.8
38.9
38.4
37.6
1.145
1.132
1.134
1.136
1.135
1.125
1.114
1.111
1.117
1.123
1.127
1.125
52.05
51.66
51.72
50.31
50.87
51.11
50.26
51.56
52. 72
55. 02
54.86
53.07
37.1
37.3
37.4
36.3
36.6
36.9
36.5
37.5
38.2
39.5
39.1
37.8
1.403
1.385
1.383
1.386
1.390
1.385
1.377
1.375
1.380
1.393
1.403
1.404
30.13
30.94
30.74
30.31
29. 57
30.50
30. 61
31.40
31.86
33.76
33.68
33.33
33.7
35.0
34.7
34.1
33.6
34.7
35.3
35.8
36.0
37.8
37.5
37.2
.894
.884
.886
.889
.880
.879
.867
.877
.885
.893
.898
.896
41.82
41.24
41.27
39.20
40.80
40.46
39.93
39. 61
40.69
42. 51
42.34
41.27
38.4
37.8
38.0
35.6
37.4
37. 6
38.1
37.8
38.5
39.8
39.5
38.5
1.089
1.091
1.086
1.101
1.091
1.076
1.048
1.048
1.057
1.068
1.072
1.072
47.12
40.1
1.175
53.17
39.8
1.336
41.80
36.8
1.136
51.64
36.7
1.407
33.12
36.4
.910
41.28
37.8
1.092
Manufacturing—Continued
Textile-mill products—Continued
Knit underwear
Dyeing and finishing
textiles
Carpets, rugs, other
floor coverings
Wool carpets, rugs,
and carpet yam
Other textile-mill
products
Fur-felt hats and
hat bodies
1947: Average......... . $35.36
1948: Average........... 37.40
38.9 $0,909 $47.03
37.7
.992 51.00
41.8 $1,125 $49.93
41.0 1.244 58.13
41.3 $1,209 $50.35
42.0 1.384 58.09
41.2 $1,222 $44.07
41.7 1.393 47.96
40.1 $1,099 $47.01
39.7 1.208 49.17
36.9
36.5
$1.274
1.347
1949: January_____
February____
March______
April_______
M ay________
June________
July . ...............
August______
September___
34.41
35.18
36.09
33.63
34.04
35.80
36 00
36.85
38.85
October______ 38. 78
N ovem ber___ 37.71
December____ 37.07
33.9
34.9
35.7
33.5
33.8
35.8
36.0
37.0
38.7
38.7
37.6
37.0
1.015
1.008
1.011
1.004
1.007
1.000
1.000
.996
1.004
1.002
1.003
1.002
51.11
52.60
52.56
50.47
49.49
49.92
48.76
50.59
52.31
52. 69
52.91
53.84
39.9
41.0
41.0
39.4
38.6
39.4
38.7
39.9
40.8
41.2
41.3
41.9
1.281
1.283
1.282
1.281
1.282
1.267
1.260
1. 268
1.282
1.279
1.281
1.285
60.01
59.55
58. 95
54.68
55.29
51.98
53.78
54.14
56.10
57.26
58.57
60.11
41.5
40.9
40.6
38.0
38.5
36.5
37.9
38.1
39.2
39.9
40.7
41.4
1.446
1.456
1.452
1. 439
1.436
1.424
1.419
1.421
1.431
1. 435
1.439
1.452
59.84
58. 47
58.81
53.47
54. 58
49.69
51.98
53.24
55.40
57.31
58.67
60.54
40.9
40.1
40.2
36.9
37.8
34.7
36.4
37.1
38.1
39.2
40.1
41.1
1.463
1.458
1.463
1.449
1.444
1.432
1.428
1.435
1.454
1. 462
1.463
1.473
47.91
47. 97
47.37
45.81
46.24
47.39
47.66
47.48
49.56
48. 87
48.18
49.64
38.7
39.0
38.8
37.7
37.9
38.4
38.5
38.6
39.9
39.6
39.2
40.1
1.238
1.230
1.221
1.215
1.220
1.234
1.238
1.230
1.242
1.234
1.229
1.238
51.31
51.77
49.09
41.44
47. 81
52.67
52. 58
50. 41
49.49
45. 55
45.86
50.55
36.6
37.3
35. 7
29.9
34.3
37.3
37.4
36.4
35.5
33.3
32.9
35.7
1.402
1.388
1.375
1.386
1.394
1.412
1.412
1.385
1.394
1.368
1.394
1.416
1950: January_____ 37.21
36.7
1.014
52.07
40.3
1.292
60.30
41.3
1.460
60.95
41.1
1.483
49.64
39.9
1.244
53.44
37.5
1.425
Manufacturing—Continued
Apparel and other finished textile products
Total: Apparel and
other finished tex
tile products
Men’s and boys’
suits and coats
Men’s and boys’fur
nishings and work
clothing
Shirts, collars, and
nightwear
Separate trousers
Work shirts
1947: Average_____ $40.84
1948: Average.......... 42. 79
36.3 $1.125 $48. 26
36.2 1.182 50.11
37.7 $1,280 $31.99
36.6 1.369 33.20
36.6 $0. 874 $32.50
36.2
.917 33.50
37.1 $0,876 $34.53
36.1
.928 35.31
36.7 $0. 941 $25.64
35.7
.989 26.49
34.6
35.7
$0. 741
.742
1949: January..........
February........
M arch______
April...............
M ay________
J u n e ............. .
J u l y ...............
August............
September___
October_____
November.......
December___
43.10
43.87
43.41
39.53
39.94
40.11
41.03
41.95
44.01
42.63
40.38
42.05
35.3
36.2
36.3
34.4
35.5
35.4
35.4
35.7
36.8
36. 5
35.7
36.0
1.221
1.212
1.196
1.149
1.125
1.133
1.159
1.175
1.196
1.168
1.131
1.168
48.0?
49.42
50.13
46.30
46.00
43.86
44.93
44.96
47.90
46. 20
44.48
46.88
35.4
36.5
36.7
34.5
34.2
33.3
34.4
33.5
35.4
34.3
32.9
34.7
1.358
1.354
1.366
1.342
1.345
1.317
1.306
1.342
1.353
1.347
1.352
1.351
32.05
32.89
33. 82
32. 49
33.36
32. 76
33.03
32.80
33.87
34. 35
33. 82
33.73
34.2
35.6
36.4
35.2
36.1
35.8
36.1
36.4
36.9
37.5
36.8
36.7
.937
.924
.929
.923
.924
.915
.915
.901
.918
.916
.919
.919
31.69
32.79
33.98
33.03
34.09
33.19
32.68
32.02
33. 21
34.30
34.78
34.52
33.5
35.3
36.3
35.4
36.5
35.8
34.8
35.7
36.3
37.4
37.6
37.2
.946
.929
.936
.933
.934
.927
.939
.897
.915
.917
.925
.928
34.73
35. 27
36.96
35.21
36.37
34.56
33.56
34.63
35. 79
34.13
33.60
34.14
34.8
35.7
37.0
35.6
37.0
35.3
35.4
35.7
36.6
35.4
34.6
35.3
.998
.988
.999
.989
.983
.979
.948
.970
.978
.964
.971
.967
26. 85
27.36
28.62
26. 45
25.91
26.80
27.60
27.33
28.19
28.27
28.22
27.91
33.9
35.3
36.5
34.0
33.3
34.9
35.7
36.1
36.7
27.1
36.7
35.6
.792
.775
. 784
.778
.778
.768
.773
. 757
.768
.762
.769
.784
1950: January_____
42.84
36.0
1.190
48.45
35.6
1.361
33. 44
36.0
.929
33.56
35.7
.940
36.20
36.6
.989
28.05
35.6
.788
See fo o tn o te s a t e n d o f t a b le .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
460
T able
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
MONTHLY LABOR
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees1—Con.
Manufacturing—Continued
Apparel and other finished textile products—Continued
Year and month
Women’s outerwear
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
Women’s dresses
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Household apparel
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
1947: Average.......... $49.60
1948: Average-------- 51.49
35.0 $1.417 $46.68
35.1 1.467 48. 72
1949: January...........
February.........
March.............
A p ril..............
M ay...... ..........
June................
Ju ly ............. .
August_____
September___
October______
November___
December.......
53.81
53.84
51.68
45.42
45.61
46. 33
48.51
50.40
53.13
49. 49
45.80
49.58
35.1
35.8
35.4
33.4
35.0
34.6
33.9
34.4
35.8
34.2
33.6
34.6
1.533
1.504
1.460
1.360
1.303
1.339
1.431
1.465
1.484
1.447
1.363
1. 433
48.63
48.44
48. 53
46. 58
48. 65
46. 06
42.66
46. 21
50.20
46.98
44. 99
47.82
34.2
35.0
35.5
34.3
35.2
34.3
33.2
34.1
35.4
33.7
33.3
34.6
1.422
1.384
1.367
1.358
1.382
1.343
1.285
1.355
1.418
1.394
1.351
1.382
31.88
32. 78
33. 49
31.89
34.56
33.03
30.71
30. 85
33.08
31. 45
31.90
31. 52
35.7
37.0
37.5
36.2
38.1
37.2
35.1
35.3
37.8
35.9
36.5
36.1
.893
.886
.893
.881
.907
.888
.875
.874
.875
.876
.874
.873
1950: January-------- 51.09
34.9
1.464
48.30
34.7
1.392
31.45
35.1
.896
34.5 $1.353 $30.06
34.8 1.400 31. 59
Women’s suits, coats, Women’s and children’s Underwear and night
and skirts
undergarments
wear, except corsets
35.7 $0.842 $68.36
36.1
.875 70.60
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
35.0 $1. 953 $33. 62
35.0 2. 017 35.32
36.9 $0.911 $32. 44
36.6
.965 34.12
36.2
36.3
$0,896
.940
75.71
75.82
69.46
56. 49
52.42
59. 91
66.05
67.61
69.73
64.88
58. 38
63.90
36.4
36.7
34.0
29.7
30.6
33.3
34.1
34.3
35.2
33.0
30.6
33.3
2.080
2.066
2.043
1. 902
1.713
1.799
1.937
1.971
1.981
1.966
1.908
1.919
35.17
35.55
35. 82
33.06
34.57
35.32
34.52
35. 48
37.24
38.10
37.45
36.48
36.0
36.2
36.4
33.8
35.6
36.3
36.0
36.8
38.0
38.6
38.1
37.0
.977
.982
.984
.978
.971
.973
.959
.964
.980
.987
.983
.986
33. 57
33.93
34.44
31.50
32.67
33.10
32.25
33. 54
35.82
36. 25
36.27
34. 56
35.6
35.9
36.1
33.4
34.9
35.4
34.9
36.1
37.7
38.2
38.1
36.3
.943
.945
.954
.943
.936
.935
.924
.929
.950
.949
.952
.952
67.36
34.9
1.930
36. 72
36.9
.995
35.03
36.8
.952
Manufacturing—Continued
Lumber and wood products (except
furniture)
Apparel and other finished textile products—Continued
goods and mis
Children’s outerwear Fur
cellaneous apparel
Millinery
Other fabricated
textile products
1947: Average........... $47.03
1948: Average........... 50. 22
35.2 $1,336 $34.33
34.8 1.443 36.72
36.1 $0.951 $39.93
36.5 1.006 42.21
36.8 $1.085 $35. 57
36.7 1.150 38.49
1949: January...........
February____
M arch______
April________
M ay________
June________
July..... ...........
A ugust...........
September___
October_____
November___
December.......
50.96
58.64
62.29
52.49
46. 48
46.06
51.35
54.40
64.40
53.68
43. 81
52.06
34.5
37.4
39.1
34.9
31.9
31.7
34.6
36.1
39.8
35.6
29.5
35.2
1.477
1.568
1.593
1.504
1.457
1.453
1.484
1.507
1.618
1.508
1. 485
1.479
37.95
38. 51
38. 47
33.23
35.14
36.04
37.09
37.38
38.18
37.75
36.89
37.10
35.9
36.3
36.6
33.7
36.0
35.9
36.8
36.9
37.1
36.9
36.6
36.3
1.057
1.061
1.051
.986
.976
1.004
1.008
1.013
1.029
1.023
1.008
1.022
39.56
41.30
40.20
37.38
40.14
42.28
42.18
42. 54
44.35
45.31
43.85
43.51
35.2
36.2
35.8
32.7
34.1
35.2
35.0
36.3
37.3
38.4
37.7
36.9
1.124
1.141
1.123
1.143
1.177
1.201
1.205
1.172
1.189
1.180
1.163
1.179
39.09
39.84
39.31
38.90
39.97
40.52
39.61
39.77
40.86
40.62
38.73
39. 21
37.8
38.2
37.8
37.3
38.1
38.3
37.8
38.2
38.8
39.1
37.9
37.7
1.034
1.043
1.040
1.043
1.049
1.058
1.048
1. 041
1.053
1.039
1.022
1.040
1950: January_____
56.76
37.1
1.530
38.18
36.4
1.049
40.24
35.8
1.124
40.94
38.3
1.069
Total: Lumber and
wood products (ex
cept furniture)
37.6 $0.946 $47.36
38.0 1.013 51.38
Logging camps and
contractors
41.8 $1.133 $55.15
41.5 1.238 60.26
38.3
38.7
$1,440
1. 557
49.82
48.03
50.21
51.52
52.94
52.91
50.75
52. 87
52.83
54.17
52.48
52.66
40.7
39.5
40.3
40.5
41.1
40.7
39.4
40.7
40.7
41.7
41.0
41.3
1.224
1.216
1.246
1.272
1.288
1.300
1.288
1. 299
1.298
1.299
1.280
1. 275
55.22
48.12
58.18
62.76
64. 76
64.96
60.20
67.16
64.08
65.00
61.58
62.28
37.9
35.2
38.3
38.5
40.5
40.0
37.6
41.1
40.0
40.6
39.2
39.9
1.457
1.367
1.519
1.630
1.599
1.624
1.601
1.634
1.602
1.601
1.571
1.561
48.18
39.3
1.226
49.24
36.8
1.338
Manufacturing—Continued
Lumber and wood products (except furniture)—Continued
Sawmills and planing Sawmills and planing
mills
mills, general#
Millwork, plywood,
and prefabricated
stru ctu ral wood
products
Millwork
Wooden containers
1947: Average........... $47.88
1948: Average........... 51.83
42.0 $1,140 $48.55
41.5 1.249 51.87
42.0 $1.156 $49.65
41.4 1.253 54.95
1949 January...........
February____
M arch.............
April..... ..........
M ay________
June................
J u ly ...............
A ugust_____
September___
O c to b e r .......
November___
December.......
50.59
48.73
50.85
52.29
53.76
53.56
51.25
53. 53
53.35
54. 54
52.89
52.31
40.8
39.3
40.2
40.6
41.1
40.7
39.3
40.8
40.6
41.6
41.0
40.8
1.240
1.240
1.265
1.288
1.308
1.316
1.304
1.312
1.314
1.311
1.290
1.282
51.20
49. 27
51.50
52.98
54. 42
54. 21
51.88
54.14
54.04
55.29
53.63
53.04
40.7
39.2
40.2
40.6
41.1
40.7
39.3
40.8
40.6
41.6
41.0
40.8
1.258
1.257
1.281
1.305
1.324
1.332
1.320
1.327
1.331
1.329
1.308
1.300
53.20
53.02
53.69
54.62
55.09
55. 22
52. 74
54.19
55.66
57.68
56.18
58. 92
41.4
41.1
41.3
41.6
41.8
41.8
40.2
41.3
42.1
43.3
42.4
44.2
1.285
1.290
1.300
1.313
1.318
1.321
1.312
1.312
1.322
1.332
1.325
1.333
53.47
52.63
52.37
52. 62
53.29
54.06
53.19
53. 71
54.91
56.51
55.94
57.86
42.3
41.7
41.4
41.3
41.7
42.1
41.2
41.7
42.4
43.4
42.9
44.1
1.264
1.262
1.265
1.274
1.278
1.284
1.291
1.288
1.295
1.302
1.304
1.312
1950: January........... 47.65
38.4
1.241
48. 35
38.4
1.259
56.36
42.6
1.323
55. 90
42.8
1.306
See fo o tn o te s a t end o f tab le.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
43.4 $1.144 $47. 67
43.3 1.269 53.40
43.1 $1,106 $39.08
43.2 1.236 41.57
Wooden boxes, other
than cigar
41.8 $0.935 $39.58
41.4 1.004 42.39
42.7
42.1
$0.927
1.007
40.84
40.48
40.62
40.52
41.66
42.19
42.40
42.03
43.04
43.38
42.02
43.41
40.8
40.4
40.7
40.2
40.8
40.3
40.3
39.8
40.6
41.2
40.4
41.3
1.001
1.002
.998
1.008
1.021
1.047
1.052
1.056
1.060
1.053
1.040
1.051
40.91
40.54
40. 37
40.80
42.11
42.82
43.31
42. 91
43.89
44.73
42.92
44.02
41.2
40.7
40.9
40.6
41.0
40.7
40.9
40.1
41.1
41.8
40.8
41.8
.993
.996
.987
1.005
1.027
1.052
1.059
1.070
1.068
1.070
1.049
1.053
41.23
39.8
1.036
41.96
40.5
1.036
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
R E V IE W , A P R IL 1950
T able
461
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees 1—Con.
Manufacturing—Continued
Lumber and wood
products (except
furniture)—Con.
Year and month
Furniture and fixtures
Miscellaneous wood Total: Furniture and
fixtures
products
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
Household furniture
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
41.6 $1.097 $44.01
41.1 1.192 46. 76
Wood household fur Wood household fur
and bedniture, except up niture, upholstered Mattresses
springs
holstered
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
42.1 $0.979 $45.64
42.0 1.049 48.99
1949: January_____
February____
March.............
April...............
M ay__ _____
June________
July________
August ______
September___
October_____
November___
December____
44. 70
44. 47
44. 23
43.66
44.08
43. 63
43.02
43.52
43.96
45.14
44. 96
44.54
41.7
41.6
41.3
40.8
40.7
40.0
39.4
40.0
40.0
41.0
40.8
40.9
1.072
1.069
1.071
1.070
1.083
1.092
1.092
1.088
1.099
1.101
1.102
1.089
48.34
48.99
48. 87
47. 60
47.59
48.36
47.86
49.69
50. 72
51.42
50. 72
52. 46
39.4
39.8
39.6
38.7
38.5
39.0
38.6
40.4
41.0
41.7
41.2
42.1
1.227
1.231
1. 234
1.230
1.236
1. 240
1.240
1.230
1.237
1. 233
1.231
1.246
45.40
46. 22
46.37
45. 08
44. 92
45. 70
44.80
47.23
48.74
49. 74
48. 86
50.89
38.7
39.3
39.3
38.3
38.0
38.6
38.0
40.3
41.1
41.9
41.3
42.3
1.173
1.176
1.180
1.177
1.182
1.184
1.179
1.172
1.186
1.187
1.183
1.203
1950: January_____
43.89
40.3
1.089
51.25
41.2
1.244
49.52
41.3
1.199
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
41.9 $0. 983 $47. 23
41.2 1.064 50.33
40.4 $1.169 $48.94
40.1 1. 255 50.85
41.3
40.1
$1.185'
1.268
43. 06
43.24
43. 22
41.68
41. 54
42.09
41.06
43.17
44.17
46.15
46. 60
47.14
39.4
39.6
39.4
38.2
37.9
38.4
37.7
40.2
40.9
42.3
42.4
42.7
1.093
1.092
1.097
1.091
1.096
1.096
1.089
1.074
1.080
1.091
1.099
1.104
46.96
47.43
47. 96
47.82
46. 54
47.39
46.87
49.82
52. 07
53.83
55.53
57.63
36.6
37.2
37.5
37.3
36.5
37.2
36.7
39.2
40.3
41. 5
42.1
43.3
1.283
1.275
1.279
1.282
1.275
1.274
1.277
1.271
1.292
1.297
1.319
1.331
48.38
51.43
51.40
49.67
49. 43
52.00
51.21
53.94
57.13
54.18
45. 97
53.80
37.5
39.5
39.6
38.5
38.2
40.0
39.7
41.4
42.6
41.2
36.4
40.6
1.290
1.302
1.298
1.290
1.294
1.300
1.290
1.303
1.341
1.315
1.263
1.325
46.17
41.9
1.102
52. 61
40.1
1.312
53. 99
40.2
1.343
41.6 $1.058 $41.19
40.8 1.146 43.84
1947: Average_____ $41.22
1948: Average........... 44.06
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Manufacturing—Continued
Furniture and fix
tures—Continued
Other furniture and
fixtures
Printing, publishing,
and allied indus
tries
Paper and allied products
Total: Paper and al
lied products
Pulp, paper, and
paperboard mills
43.1 $1.165 $54.10
42.8 1.291 59.88
Paperboard contain
ers and boxes
44.2 $1. 224 $46. 24
44.0 1.361 50.96
Other paper and al
lied products
42.0 $1.101 $45. 74
41.7 1.222 49.48
1947: Average_____ $50. 25
1948: Average_____ 54. 59
41.7 $1. 205 $50. 21
41.7 1.309 55.25
1949: January_____
February____
M arch..... .......
April________
M ay________
June________
July------------August______
September___
October_____
November___
December____
55.88
55.90
55.11
53.74
54.13
54 86
55.44
55.94
55.91
55.91
55.90
56. 61
41.3
41.1
40.4
39.6
39.8
40.1
40.2
40.8
40.9
41.2
41.1
41.5
1.353
1.365
1.364
1.357
1.360
1.368
1.379
1.371
1.367
1.357
1.360
1.364
55.54
54.84
54. 45
53.48
53.73
54. 54
55. 57
56.26
57. 64
58.36
58.31
57. 99
41.6
41.2
41.0
40.3
40.4
40.7
41.1
41.8
42.6
43.1
43.0
42.8
1.335
1.331
1.328
1.327
1.330
1.340
1.352
1.346
1.353
1.354
1.356
1.355
59.91
58. 72
58.17
57.35
57. 58
57.95
59.65
60.32
61.06
62.10
62. 09
62. 09
42.7
42.0
41.7
41.2
41.1
41.1
41.8
42.6
43.0
43.7
43.6
43.6
1.403
1.398
1.395
1.392
1.401
1.410
1.427
1.416
1.420
1.421
1.424
1.424
50.29
50.08
49.95
48. 81
49. 49
51. 38
51.63
53.00
55.30
56.20
56. 20
55.17
40.1
40.0
39.9
38.8
39.4
40.3
40.4
41.5
42.9
43.5
43.5
42.8
1.254
1.252
1.252
1.258
1. 256
1.275
1.278
1.277
1.289
1.292
1.292
1.289
51.07
51.12
50.58
49.84
49.51
50.13
50.90
50.82
52.49
52. 54
52.11
52. 03
1950: January_____
56.18
41.1
1.367
57. 52
42.2
1.363
61.49
43.0
1.430
53. 78
41.5
1.296
52.82
Total: Printing, pub
lishing, and allied
industries
41.7 $1.097 $60. 75
41.3 1.198 66.73
40.1
39.3
$1,515
1.698
40.6
40.7
40.4
40.0
39.8
40.2
40.4
40.3
41.3
41.4
41.0
41.1
1.258 67. 59
1.256 68.32
1.252 69.56
1.246 69.39
1.244 70. 40
1.247 70.47
1.260 70.45
1.261 70.69
1.271 72.02
1.269 71.22
1.271 70. 91
1.266 72. 54
38.6
38.6
38.6
38.4
38.7
38.7
38.6
38.5
39.1
38.6
38.6
39.4
1.751
1.770
1.802
1.807
1.819
1.821
1.825
1.836
1.842
1.845
1.837
1.841
41.3
1.279
38.4
1.834
70.43
Manufacturing—Continued
Printing, publishing, and allied industries—Continued
Newspapers
Commercial printing
Books
Periodicals
40.4 $1,338 $60.65
38.7 1. 484 66.33
Lithographing
41.2 $1.472 $59.08
40.3 1.646 64.15
41.4 $1.427 $55.32
39.5 1.624 59.93
40.0
39.3
$1,383
1.525
1.696
1.711
1.735
1.745
1. 758
1.766
1.769
1.803
1.811
1.801
1.778
1.742
61.43
61.93
63.14
61.56
61.62
61.75
62.89
63.24
63.09
62.05
63. 73
64. 75
39.0
39.0
39.0
38.0
38.2
38.4
38.7
38.4
38.8
37.7
39.0
39.6
1.575
1.588
1.619
1.620
1.613
1.608
1.625
1.647
1.626
1.646
1.634
1.635
1.789
64. 51
39.0
1.654
37.5 $1.754 $67.30
37.6 1.968 69.55
43.0 $1.565 $54.06
40.6 1.713 57.43
74.83
75.65
76.72
78.43
80-02
78.73
78.02
77.80
80.14
80. 06
79.05
82.15
36.9
37.1
37.1
37.6
37.8
37.4
37.1
36.8
37.5
37.5
37.2
38.3
2.028
2.039
2.068
2.086
2117
2.105
2.103
2.114
2.137
2.135
2.125
2.145
67.40
69.70
70.67
69.61
68.62
68.91
70.21
70. 90
74.20
71.00
70. 21
70.67
38.6
39.2
39.0
38.8
38.4
38.8
38.6
39.0
40.0
38.8
38.6
38.7
1.746 58.33
1.778 59.21
1.812 60.53
1.794 60.68
1.787 60.53
1.776 59.50
1.819 60.87
1.818 63.30
1.855 65.17
1.830 62.48
1. 819 61.05
1.826 61.75
37.9
38.4
38.7
38.7
38.7
37.8
38.5
39.1
40.3
39.0
37.8
38.5
1.539
1.542
1.564
1.568
1.564
1.574
1.581
1.619
1.617
1.602
1.615
1.604
67.77
67.91
69.26
68. 42
69. 51
70.80
70.05
69.66
70. 22
69. 84
69. 36
71.13
40.1
39.6
39.6
39.3
39.7
40.0
39.8
39.6
39.9
39.5
39.3
40.3
1.690
1.715
1.749
1.741
1.751
1.770
1.760
1.759
1.760
1.768
1.765
1.765
64. 45
65.70
67.14
66.14
67.86
68.87
67.75
71.22
73.71
73.12
72.36
70. 90
38.0
38.4
38.7
37.9
38.6
39.0
38.3
39.5
40.7
40.6
40.7
40.7
76. 27
36.3
2.101
69. 98
38.6
1.813
61.52
38.0
1.619
70. 80
40.0
1.770
68.52
38.3
1947. Average.......
1948: Average.......
$65. 78
74.00
1949: January___
February....
M arch.........
April............
M ay........... .
June______
July.............
August____
September...
October___
November...
December...
1950: January___
See footnotes at end of table.
878160— 50 ------ 7
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Other printing and
publishing
462
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
MONTHLY LABOR
T a b l e C - l : H o u rs an d G ross E a rn in g s o f P r o d u c tio n W ork ers or N o n su p e r v iso r y E m p lo y e e s 1— C o n .
Manufacturing—Continued
Chemical and allied product*
Year and month
Total: Chemicals
and allied products
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
Industrial inorganic
chemicals
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Industrial organic
chemicals
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Plastics, exce] )t synthetic rub 3er
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Synthetic rubber
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Synthetic fibers
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
.
earn earn wkly
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
1947: Average_____ $51.13
1948: Average.......... 56.23
41.6 $1. 232 $55.56
41.5 1.355 62.13
40.3 $1.381 $52.79
40.9 1. 519 57.69
40.3 $1.310 $53.96
40.4 1.428 58.75
41.6 $1.297 $56.81
41.4 1.419 62.88
39.7 $1.431 $49.02
39.9 1. 576 53.05
39.5
39.6
$1.241
1.343
1949: January____
February____
M arch______
April................
M ay................
June________
July________
A u g u st_____
September___
October...........
November___
December___
57.70
57.81
57. 51
57.45
58.20
59.08
59.44
58. 77
59.66
59. 51
59.43
59. 78
41.1
41.0
40.9
40.6
40.7
40.8
40.6
40.5
41.4
41.7
41.5
41.6
1.404
1.410
1.406
1.415
1.430
1.448
1.464
1.451
1.441
1.427
1.432
1.437
64.20
63.37
62.55
62.98
62.59
65.41
64.00
63. 20
64.96
64. 55
64.68
64. 99
41.1
40.7
40.3
40.5
40.2
41.4
40.3
40.1
40.7
40.8
40.6
40.8
1.562
1. 557
1. 552
1. 555
1. 557
1.680
1.588
1. 576
1.596
1.582
1.593
1.593
59.36
60.37
59.69
59.17
60.09
60. 56
61.50
60.68
62. 33
62.20
62. 44
62.87
39.6
39.9
39.4
38.8
39.2
39.2
39.3
39.2
39.8
39.9
40.0
40.3
1.499
1.513
1.515
1. 525
1. 533
1. 545
1.565
1. 548
1.566
1.559
1.561
1.560
61.59
60.38
58. 96
58.05
58.21
59.68
59.78
59.56
62.45
62.13
61.80
61.55
41.5
40.8
40.0
39.3
39.2
39.6
39.8
40.0
41.3
41.2
40.9
40.9
1.484
1.480
1.474
1.477
1.485
1.507
1.502
1.489
1.512
1.508
1.511
1.505
64.40
64.24
65.11
64. 87
67.02
67.07
68. 21
67. 62
67.97
68.99
67. 78
68.27
40.0
39.9
39.2
38.8
39.8
39.9
39.0
39.8
39.7
40.7
40.2
40.3
1.610
1. 610
1.661
1.672
1.684
1.681
1.749
1.699
1. 712
1.695
1.686
1.694
55.55
55.26
55.03
53.63
55.32
54.63
55.13
54. 02
55.96
55.63
56.20
56.37
39.2
39.0
38.7
37.5
38.5
38.2
38.1
37.7
38.7
38.9
39.3
39.5
1.417
1.417
1.422
1.430
1.437
1.430
1.447
1. 433
1.446
1.430
1.430
1.427
1950: January_____
59. 97
41.3
1.452
64.88
40.5
1.602
63.51
40.3
1.576
63. 80
42.0
1.519
68. 48
39.7
1.725
56.49
39.2
1.441
M anuíacturing—C ontinued
Chemicals and allied products—Continued
and
Drugs and medicines Paints, pigments,
fillers
1947: Average_____ $48.23
1948: Average_____ 53. 71
40.7 $1.185 $53.34
40.6 1.323 58.40
1949: January_____
February____
M arch.............
April............ .
M ay................
June................
July... .............
August______
September___
October_____
November___
December___
56.45
56.52
56.37
55.78
56.68
56.28
56.40
56. 32
56. 96
57.16
57.51
57.21
40.7
40.6
40.7
40.1
40.4
40.2
40.0
40.0
40.4
40.6
40.7
40.6
1.387
1.392
1.385
1.391
1.403
1.400
1.410
1.408
1.410
1.408
1.413
1.409
1950: January.........
57.57
40.8
1.411
Vegetable and animal Other chemicals and
oils and fats
allied products
Fertilizers
42.3 $1. 261 $40.07
42.2 1.384 42.33
42.4 $0. 945 $46.19
41.5 1.020 50.39
46.8 $0. 987 $52. 54
47.4 1.063 57.90
58.45
58.97
58.81
59.92
59.22
59.90
59.31
59. 51
60. 88
60. 90
60.43
60.80
40.9
40.7
40.5
41.1
40.7
41.2
40.9
41.1
41.5
41.4
41.0
41.0
1.429
1.449
1.452
1.458
1.455
1.454
1.450
1.448
1.467
1.471
1.474
1.483
42.80
43.12
44.12
45.13
46.67
46. 58
46.87
45. 21
44.99
43.66
43.20
44.76
40.8
41.5
42.3
42.3
42.7
42.5
42.3
41.1
40.9
40.8
40.3
41.1
1.049
1.039
1.043
1.067
1.093
1.096
1.108
1.100
1.100
1.070
1.072
1.089
50.91
49.93
50.96
50.18
51.30
52.12
52.69
52.30
51.02
51.08
51.24
50. 86
48.3
46.4
47.1
45.7
45.8
45.2
44.5
44.7
48.0
49.5
49.7
49.0
1.054
1.076
1.082
1.098
1.120
1.153
1.184
1.170
1.063
1.032
1.031
1.038
61.02
40.9
1.492
44.12
40.7
1.084
49.88
47.1
1.059
Soap and glycerin
41.6 $1.263 $59.32
41.3 1.402 65.90
42.8
42.0
$1.386
1.569
69.58
59.50
59.23
59.12
59.89
60.94
61.32
61. 02
62.12
62.57
61.58
62.14
40.5
40.7
40.4
40.3
40.6
40.9
40.8
40.9
41.3
41.6
41.0
41.1
1.471
1.462
1.466
1.467
1.475
1.490
1.503
1.492
1.504
1.504
1.502
1.512
65.24
65.61
64.92
63.96
65.37
66.34
67.56
66. 79
68.30
68.97
67.20
67. 77
40.6
40.6
40.5
40.0
40.5
40.9
40.8
41.1
41.7
41.9
41.0
40.8
1.607
1.616
1.603
1.599
1.614
1.622
1.656
1.625
1.638
1.646
1.639
1.661
62. 71
41.2
1.522
67.85
40.8
1.663
Manufacturing—Continued
Products of petroleum and coal
Total: Products of
petroleum and coal
1947: Average___
1948: Average___
$60.89
69.23
1949: January__
February...
M arch____
April_____
M ay_____
June...........
July............
August___
September..
October___
November.
December..
1950: January___
Petroleum refining
Rubber products
petroleum and
Coke and byproducts Other
coal products
Total: Rubber
products
Tires and inner tubes
40.7 $1.496 $62.95
40.7 1.701 72.06
40.2 $1.566 $52.17
40.3 1.788 58.56
39.4 $1.324 $55.03
39.7 1.475 60.69
44.2 $1.245 $55.32
44.1 1.374 56.78
39.8 $1.390 $61. 75
39.0 1.456 62.16
38.5
37.2
$1.604
1.671
73.29
70.82
70.92
71.26
72.12
71.84
73.59
72.38
74.47
74.09
72.12
71.70
41.2
39.9
40.0
40.1
40.7
40.2
40.7
40.3
41.1
41.0
40.0
39.9
1.779
1.775
1.773
1.777
1.772
1.787
1.808
1. 796
1.812
1.807
1.803
1.797
77.02
73.89
74.00
73.95
75.21
74.73
76.60
75.10
77.11
76.13
75.44
74.76
41.5
39.9
40.0
39.8
40.5
39.9
40.4
39.8
40.5
40.3
40.0
39.7
1.856
1.852
1.850
1.858
1.857
1.873
1.896
1.887
1.904
1.889
1.886
1.883
62.24
61.77
61.18
61.54
60. 83
61.00
61.47
60. 79
61.43
61. 50
57. 09
61.11
40.1
39.9
39.6
39.7
39.6
39.2
39.2
39.4
39.1
39.5
36.2
39.4
1.552
1.548
1.545
1.550
1.536
1.556
1.568
1. 543
1.571
1.557
1.577
1.551
55.26
56.10
57.43
60.08
60.09
60. 54
62.03
63.26
67. 43
67.36
62. 36
59.18
39.9
39.9
40.7
42.4
42.8
43.0
43.9
44.3
46.6
45.7
42.8
41.3
1.385
1.406
1.411
1.417
1.404
1.408
1.413
1. 428
1.447
1.474
1.457
1.433
56.89
56. 55
55.43
55.50
57.08
58. 29
58.37
57. 72
61.01
59.57
57. 91
59.19
37.9
37.7
37.0
36.9
37.7
38.2
38.4
38.3
40.3
39.4
38.4
39.2
1.501
1.500
1.498
1.504
1.514
1.526
1.520
1.507
1.514
1.512
1.508
1.510
60.72
60.99
61.50
60.92
63.20
64.09
64.45
62 32
69.95
64.83
63. 91
64.80
35.3
35.4
35.8
35.4
36.3
36.6
36.6
36.0
39.1
37.3
36.9
37.2
1.720
1.723
1.718
1.721
1.741
1.751
1.761
1. 731
1.789
1.738
1.732
1.742
73. 97
40.8
1.813
77.56
40.8
1.901
61.34
39.6
1.549
59.90
41.8
1.433
60.56
39.4
1.537
67.60
38.3
1.765
S ee fo o t n o t e s a t e n d o f ta b le .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
463
T a b l e C - l : H o u r s a n d G ross E a rn in g s o f P r o d u c tio n W ork ers or N o n su p e r v iso r y E m p lo y e e s 1— C o n .
M anufacturing—Continued
Rubber produ its—Continued
Year and month
Rubber footwear
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
Leather and leather products
Leather and
Other rubber products Total:
leather products
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Footwear (except
rubber)
Leather
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
Avg.
hrly.
earnnigs
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
Other leather products
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
1947: Average......... $48.31
1948: Average.......... 51.75
41.5 $1,164 $49.53
41.8 1.238 52.47
40.8 $1.214 $40.61
40.3 1.302 41.66
38.6 $1,052 $50.76
37.2 1.120 53.26
40.8 $1,244 $39.14
39.6 1.345 39.71
38.3 $1,202 $38.64
36.6 1.085 40.49
38.3
37.7
$1.009
1.074
1949: January...........
February........
March.............
April________
M a y ...............
June................
July________
August..........
September___
October..........
November___
December___
51.86
48.15
42.07
46.65
48.39
50.35
48. 84
48. 78
51.71
49. 81
50. 51
50.31
40.2
37.5
33.6
37.2
38.5
39.4
38.7
38.9
40.4
39.1
39.9
39.8
1.290
1.284
1.252
1.254
1.257
1.278
1.262
1.254
1.280
1.274
1.266
1.264
54.38
54.05
52.49
51.69
52.51
53.85
54.11
55.46
56.50
57.06
54. 04
56.10
40.1
40.1
39.2
38.4
39.1
39.8
40.2
40.6
41.3
41.5
39.5
41.1
1.356
1.348
1.339
1.346
1.343
1.353
1.346
1.366
1.368
1.375
1.368
1.365
42.30
42.83
42.56
40. 74
40.05
41.46
41.74
42.00
41.99
41.72
40.08
42.07
37.2
37.7
37.5
35.8
35.1
36.5
37.0
37.2
36.8
36.5
35.1
37.1
1.137
1.136
1.135
1.138
1.141
1.136
1.128
1.129
1.141
1.143
1.142
1.134
54.29
54.47
53.41
52.29
53.03
54.39
53.19
54.34
54.76
55. 09
54. 50
55.58
39.6
39.5
38.7
38.0
38.4
39.1
38.1
38.9
39.0
39.1
38.9
39.5
1.371
1.379
1.380
1.376
1.381
1.391
1.396
1.397
1.404
1.409
1.401
1.407
40.63
41.07
40.96
38.68
37.37
39.24
39.93
40.04
39.74
38.61
36. 40
39.20
36.9
37.3
37.2
35.1
34.0
36.0
36.8
36.7
36.0
35.1
33.3
36.2
1.101
1.101
1.101
1.102
36.7
38.0
37.5
36.5
36.4
36.6
37.1
37. 6
38. Ó
38.8
37.8
38.2
1.087
1.085
1.087
1.094
1.093
1.083
39.89
41.23
40.76
39.93
40.11
40. 55
40.70
40.83
41.46
42.72
41.66
42.33
1950: January_____
45.87
35.7
1.285
57.04
41.3
1.381
42.86
37.7
1.137
55.30
39.0
1.418
40.69
37.3
1.091
42.17
38.2
1.099
1.090
1.085
1.091
1.104
1.100
1.102
1.108
1.097
1086
1.091
1.101
1.102
1.108
1.104
Manufacturing—Continued
Stone, clay, and glass products
Total: Stone, clay,
and glass products
Glass and glass
products
Glass containers
Pressed and blown
glass
Cement, hydraulic
Structural clay
products
1947: Average......... $49.07
1948: Average......... 53.46
41.1 $1.194 $50.13
40.9 1.307 54.06
39.6 $1.266 $49.78
39.2 1.379 52.05
40.6 $1.226 $45.39
39.7 1.311 47.61
39.5 $1.149 $49.56
38.8 1.227 54.76
42.0 $1.180 $45.07
41.9 1.307 49.57
40.6
40.4
$1.110
1.227
1949: January.........
February___
M arch______
April.............. .
M ay................
June................
July.......... .....
August..........
September__
October_____
November___
December___
54.50
55.02
54.18
53.37
53. 90
53. 68
52. 94
54.17
54.73
55. 51
55.28
55.65
40.1
40. 4
39.9
39.3
39.6
39.4
38. 7
39.6
39.6
40.4
40.0
40.3
1.359 57.30
1.362 58.53
1.358 56.97
1.358 55.39
1.361 56.81
1.360 55.98
1.368 55.22
1.368 56. 08
1.382 55.89
1.374 57.04
1.382 57.19
1.381 58.16
39.3
39.9
39.1
38.2
39.1
38.9
37.9
39.0
38.2
39.5
39.2
39.7
1.458 53.07
1.467 53. 92
1.457 53. 35
1.450 52.90
1.453 54.53
1.439 54. 30
1.457 54.12
1.438 53. 58
1.463 51.59
1.444 54.81
1.459 54.62
1.465 54.37
38.4 1.382
39.1 1.379
39.2 1.361
38.7 1.367
39. 8 1.370
39.9 1,361
39.3 1.377
39.6 1.353
37.3 1.383
40.3 1. 360
39.9 1.369
39.6 1.373
50.85
50.73
50.96
49.10
50. 25
49. 08
47.80
49.15
50. 53
50.62
51.28
51.63
39.3
38.9
38.9
38.0
38.3
37.9
36.6
38.1
38.9
39.0
38.7
39.5
1.294 55.56
1.304 55. 29
1.310 55.67
1.292 56.32
1.312 57.68
1.295 58. 80
1.306 58.07
1.290 58.36
1.299 59.16
1.298 59.40
1.325 57. 66
1.307 57.81
41.4
41.6
41.7
41.5
41.8
42.0
41.1
41.6
41.6
42.1
41.1
41.5
1.342 49. 54
1.329 50.25
1.335 49. 79
1.357 49.81
1.3S0 49. 94
1.400 49.43
1.413 48.86
1.403 49. 51
1.422 50.04
1.411 49.83
1.403 49. 59
1.393 50.01
39.1
39.6
39.3
39.1
39. 2
38.8
38. 5
38.8
39.0
38.9
38.5
39.1
1.267
1.269
1 267
1. 274
1. 274
1.274
1.269
1. 276
1.283
1. 281
1.288
1.279
1950: January.
55. 52
40.0
1.388
58.92
39.6
1.488
39.6
51.35
38.9
1.320
40.9
1.409
38.7
1.272
55.36
1.398
57.63
49.23
Manufacturing—Continued
Primary metal indus
tries
Stone, clay, and glass products—Continued
Brick and hollow
tile
Pottery and related
products
Concrete, gypsum,
and plaster products
Concrete products
Other stone, clay, and Total: Primary metal
glass products
industries
1947: Average.......... $44.58
1948: Average___
49. 05
42.7 $1.044 $45.74
42. 5 1.154 49.46
38.7 $1.182 $51. 30
38.7 1.278 56.49
45.0 $1.140 $53. 61
44.8 1.261 56. 92
45.2 $1.186 $50. 88
44.4 1.282 55.10
41.6 $1. 223 $55. 24
41.0 1.344 61.03
39.8
40.1
$1.388
1.522
1949: January___
February__
M arch____
April............
M ay.............
June...........
Ju ly .................
August______
September___
October.........
November___
December___
41.2 1.174
41.3 1.172
41.1 1.170
41.5 1.185
41.7 1.191
42.2 1.185
41. 5 1.179
42. 6 1.183
42.3 1.198
42.8 1.200
42.0 1.203
41.4 1.192
50.79
50. 98
50.46
49.10
48.30
46.59
42.55
46.84
46.82
50. 71
50. 97
51.16
37.9
38.1
37.6
36.7
36.1
34.9
31.9
34.9
35.1
37.7
37.7
37.7
1.340 56.25
1.338 56.51
1.342 55. 47
1.338 55.17
1.338 55.30
1.335 56.20
1.334 57.77
1.342 59.50
1.334 60.30
1.345 60. 26
1.352 59.85
1.357 60. 08
43.4 1.296 56.68
43.3 1.305 56.89
42.8 1.296 56.10
42.5 1.298 58.30
42.8 1.292 59.36
43.1 1.304 59.98
43.8 1.319 60.60
44 6 1.334 61.39
44.8 1.346 62. 62
44.9 1.342 61.51
44.5 1.345 57. 98
44.7 1.344 58.16
43.1
43.1
42.4
43.8
44.8
44.3
44.3
44.2
44.7
44.8
42.6
42.7
1.315
1.320
1.323
1.331
1.325
1.354
1.368
1. 389
1.401
1.373
1.361
1.362
55.96
55. 78
54.91
53.97
54.05
53. 72
52. 76
53.69
55.37
55. 34
55.01
55.36
40.2 1.392
40.1 1.391
39.5 1.390
38. 8 1.391
38.8 1.393
38.7 1.388
37.9 1.392
38.6 1.391
39.1 1.416
39.5 1.401
39.1 1.407
39.4 1.405
63.72
63.16
61. 70
60. 83
60. 08
59 82
58.63
59 45
60.42
58.35
57. 48
62.88
40.0
39. 8
39.0
38. 4
38.0
37 6
36.9
37. 6
37. 6
37.5
36.4
39.4
1 593
1. 587
1 582
1.584
1 581
1.591
1 589
1 5.81
1 607
1.556
1.579
1.596
40.9
49.19
36.3
1.355
43.6
41.1
1.356
57.35
40.7
63.83
39.5
1.616
48.37
48. 40
48. 09
49.18
49. 66
50.01
48.93
50. 40
50. 68
51.36
50. 53
49.35
1950: January........... 47.53
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1.162
58.47
1.341
55.73
1.409
464
T able
G: EARNINGS AND HOURS
M O N TH LY LABO R
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees1—Con.
M an ufacturing—C onti nued
Primary metal industries—Continued
Year and month
Blast furnaces, steel
works, and rolling
mills
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
Iron and steel
foundries
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
$56.12
62.41
1949: January.......
February__
M arch_____
A pril...........
M ay.............
June______
July..............
August------Septem ber..
October___
November__
December__
66.24
65.64
64.90
64.69
63.24
62.21
59.88
61.33
62.07
55.90
56.48
64.65
40.0
39.9
39.5
39.4
38.7
37.7
36.4
37.6
37.1
34.0
34.4
39.3
1.656
1.645
1.643
1.642
1.634
1.650
1.645
1.631
1.673
1.644
1.642
1.645
1950: January____
65. 87
39.3
1.676
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Malleable-iron
foundries
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Steel foundries
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
P rim a ry sm eltin g
and refining of nonferrous metals
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
41.2 $1.330 $55. 24
40.7 1.436 57.46
42.3 $1.306 $54.39
40.9 1.405 59.19
40.2 $1.353 $53.94
40.4 1.465 59.93
39.6 $1.362 $52. 73
40.6 1.476 58.22
41.0
41.0
$1.286
1.420
58. 74
58.51
55.50
53.43
52.26
53.47
53.62
53. 50
54.39
54.80
53.83
57.22
39.5
39.4
37.6
36.2
35.5
36.2
36.3
36.2
36.6
36.9
36.3
38.3
1.487
1.485
1.476
1.476
1.472
1.477
1.477
1.478
1.486
1.485
1.483
1.494
57.58
57.38
53.82
51.73
50.47
62.67
52.63
53.00
65.04
55.96
54.31
57. 29
39.6
39.6
37.4
35.9
35.1
36.4
36.4
36.6
37.8
38.3
37.3
39.0
1.454
1.449
1.439
1.441
1.438
1.447
1.446
1.448
1. 456
1.461
1.456
1.469
58.94
56. 77
53.80
52. 98
51.60
53.70
53.49
53. 50
54.01
52. 32
51.14
57.41
38.7
37.3
35.7
34.9
34.4
35.4
35.1
35.2
35.0
34.4
33.6
37.4
1.523
1.522
1.507
1.518
1.500
1.517
1. 524
1.520
1.543
1. 521
1.522
1.535
60.39
61.12
59.40
56.55
55. 72
54.73
55.57
54.50
53.41
53.99
54.66
56.61
39.6
40.0
39.0
37.3
36.8
36.2
36.8
35.9
35.0
35.4
35.7
37.0
1.525
1.528
1.523
1.616
1.514
1.512
1.510
1.518
1.526
1.525
1.531
1.530
61.91
61.16
61.09
61.95
61.05
60.71
59.00
5S. 39
59.24
59. 87
58.43
59.64
41.0
40.8
41.0
41.3
40.7
40.5
39.1
39.4
39.6
40.7
39.4
40.3
1.510
1.499
1.490
1.500
1.500
1.499
1.509
1.482
1.496
1.471
1.483
1.480
58.39
38.8
1.505
57.86
39.2
1.476
59. 29
38.3
1.548
58. 71
38.0
1.545
62.35
41.4
1.506
39.0 $1.439 $54.80
39.6 1.580 58.45
1947: Average____
1948: Average........
Gray-iron foundries
Manufacturing—Continued
Prim ary metal industries—Continued
P rim ary sm elting
and refining of
copper, lead, and
sine
1947: Average.......... $51.41
1948: Average-------- 57.14
Prim ary refining of
aluminum
40.9 $1.257 $53.46
40.9 1.397 58.95
Rolling, drawing,
and alloying of
nonferrous metals
40.9 $1.307 $51.89
41.4 1.424 57.81
Rolling, drawing,
and alloying of
copper
Rolling, drawing,
and alloying of Nonferrous foundries
aluminum
39.7 $1.307 $54.14
40.2 1.438 60.42
40.1 $1.350 $48.38
40.8 1.481 53.88
38.7 $1. 250 $54.92
39.1 1.378 59.96
40.0
40.0
$1.373
1.499
61.55
60. 75
60.53
61.18
60.22
59.85
57. 77
56.76
57. 51
57.47
56.12
57.86
40.9
40.8
40.9
41.2
40.5
40.3
38.8
39.2
39.2
40.3
39.0
40.1
1.505
1.489
1.480
1.485
1.487
1.485
1.489
1.448
1. 467
1.426
1.439
1.443
61.59
60. 68
60. 66
62. 81
61.07
60.91
61.10
61.92
62.23
64.45
64. 83
61.87
41.5
41.0
41.1
41.9
41.1
41.1
41.2
40.9
41.1
42.4
40.8
40.6
1.484
1.480
1.476
1.499
1.486
1.482
1.483
1.514
1. 514
1.520
1.589
1.524
59. 77
57. 99
55.09
52.99
53. 62
55.17
56.36
58.89
59. 65
61.84
63. 57
62.28
39.9
39.0
37.3
36.1
36.5
37.3
37.9
39.0
39.5
40.5
41.2
40.6
1.498
1.487
1.477
1.468
1.469
1.479
1.487
1. 510
1.510
1.527
1.543
1.534
61.37
58. 45
54.09
50.38
51.92
55.18
57.42
61.26
61.96
64.69
65.44
66.32
39.8
38.3
35.8
33.5
34.5
36.4
37.8
39.6
40.0
41.1
41.6
42.0
1.542
1.526
1.511
1. 504
1.505
1.516
1.519
1. 547
1.549
1.574
1.573
1.579
58.02
57.70
55.81
55. 65
55.30
54.89
55.02
55.48
55.83
57.41
58. 55
54.67
40.1
39.9
39.0
39.0
38.7
38.2
38.0
38.0
38.4
39.4
39.8
37.7
1.447
1.446
1.431
1.427
1.429
1.437
1.448
1.460
1.454
1.457
1.471
1.450
61.46
61.46
59. 48
58.79
59. 01
59.94
60.57
60 14
61.50
62.33
61.93
63.24
39.5
39.5
38.6
38.0
37.9
38.5
38.8
38.6
39.3
39.5
39.1
39.9
1.556
1.556
1.541
1.547
1.557
1. 557
1.561
1.558
1.565
1.578
1.584
1.585
1950: January........... 61.73
41.6
1.484
61.16
40.8
1.499
62.16
40.6
1.531
64.49
41.1
1.569
57.29
39.4
1.454
62. 77
39.7
1.581
1949: January-------February
M arch______
April................
M ay..............June...... .........
July—.............
August..........
September___
October_____
November__
December........
Manufacturing—Con tinued
Fabricated metal products (except ordnance, machinery, and
transportation equipment)
Primary metal industries—Continued
Other primary metal
industries
Iron and steel forg
ings
W ire draw ing
Total: Fabricated met
al products (except
ordnance, machin
ery and transporta
tion equipment)
Tin cans and other
tinware
40.5 $1. 406 $59. 79
40.8 1.546 65.16
40.7 $1.469 $56. 47
40.8 1.597 62.17
40.6 $1.391 $52.06
40.5 1.535 56.68
40.8 $1. 276 $48.95
40.6 1.396 54.07
66.95
66. 54
63.96
61. 51
61.74
62.56
61.88
61.65
62.52
62.93
60. 97
65.89
41.2
40.9
39.7
38.3
38.3
38.5
38.2
38.1
38.4
38.8
37.8
40.5
1.625
1.627
1.611
1.606
1.612
1.625
1.620
1.618
1.628
1.622
1.613
1.627
69.30
68.67
65.17
62. 24
61.96
62.93
61.28
60.37
60.13
60.06
59. 42
64.01
41.3
40.9
39.4
38.0
37.6
38.0
37.5
36.9
36.4
36.4
36.1
38.4
1.678 67. 24
1.679 66. 54
1.654 63. 58
1.638 58.99
1.648 60.34
1.656 61.44
1.634 61.26
1.636 61.26
1. 652 63.34
1.650 66.67
1.646 64. 55
1.667 69. 34
41.1
40.7
39.2
36.8
37.5
37.9
38.0
38.0
39.0
41.0
39.6
42.0
1.636
1.635
1.622
1.603
1.609
1.621
1.612
1.612
1.624
1.626
1.630
1.651
58.23
57. 72
57.35
56.19
56.67
57.39
57. 61
58.13
59. 25
58. 51
56. 88
59.62
40.1
39.7
39.5
38.7
39.0
39.2
39.3
39.6
40.2
40.1
39.2
40.5
1.452
1.454
1.452
1.452
1.453
1. 464
1.466
1.468
1.474
1.459
1.451
1.472
65.48
39.9
1.641
64.67
38.4
1.684
40.9
1.679
59.93
40.3
1.487
1947: Average___
948: Average___
$56.94
63.08
1949: January___
F ebruary...
March____
A pril.........
M ay...........
June______
July--------August____
Septem ber..
October___
November...
December...
1950: January___
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
68.67
Cutlery, hand tools,
and hardware
41.0 $1.194 $50.02
40.9 1.322 54.22
41.2
40.8
$1.214
1.329
54. 46
54. 62
55.04
53.68
54.06
55. 68
59.34
61.13
59.00
55. 58
53.19
57.16
39.9
39.9
40.0
39.1
39.4
40.7
42.6
42.6
41.2
39.5
38.1
40.8
1.365
1.369
1. 376
1.373
1.372
1.368
1.393
1.435
1.432
1.407
1.396
1.401
56. 56
55.50
55. 44
53. 87
54.51
53.92
54.33
53.37
55.18
53.40
o4. 41
56.80
40.6
39.9
39.8
38.7
39.1
38.6
38.7
38.2
39.3
38.5
39.2
40.4
1. 393
1.391
1.393
1.392
1.394
1.397
1.404
1.397
1. 404
1.387
1.388
1.406
56.66
40.3
1.406
57.37
40.4
1.420
REVIEW , A PRIL 1950
T able
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
465
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees 1—Con.
Manufacturing—Continued.
Fabricated metal products (except ordnance, machinery, and transportation equipment)—Continued
Year and month
Cutlery and edge tools
Avg.
Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn
hours
ings
Hand tools
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Heating apparatus
(except electric)
and plumbers’ sup
plies’
Hardware 0
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Sanitary ware and
plumbers’ supplies
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Oil burners, nonelec
tric heating and
cooking apparatus,
not elsewhere clas
sified
Avg. Avg.
hrly. w kly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
1947: Average______ $48.14
1948: Average.........._ 51.13
41.9 $1.149 $51. 66
41.3 1.238 56. 07
41.2 $1. 254 $49. 86
40.9 1.371 54.26
40.9 $1. 219 $52.85
40.4 1.343 57.53
40.5 $1.305 $55.38
40.2 1.431 60.40
40.6 $1.364 $51. 72
40.4 1.495 55.80
40.5
40.0
$1. 277
1.395
1949: January............
February.........
M arch_______
A p ril... . _ _
M ay________
June___ _____
July-------------A u g u st...___
September___
October______
^November___
December........
52.07
50.72
50.20
47.92
49.99
49.88
49.68
49.87
52.26
52. 51
53.12
50.93
40.9
40.0
39.5
38.0
39.8
39.4
39.3
39.3
40.8
40.8
41.5
40.1
1. 273
. 268
1.271
1.261
1.256
1.266
1.264
1.269
1.281
1.287
1.280
1.270
1
58.08
57.31
56. 72
54.90
53.95
52.23
52.25
51.78
52.82
54. 03
53.44
54.93
40.7
40.3
39.8
38.8
38.4
37.2
37.4
36.8
37.3
38.4
37.9
38.9
1.427
1.422
1.425
1.415
1.405
1.404
1.397
1.407
1.416
1.407
1.410
1.412
57.45
56.37
56.66
55.29
56.43
56.04
56. 67
55. 22
56.88
53.35
54.89
59.20
40.4
39.7
39.9
38.8
39.3
39.0
39.0
38.4
39.5
37.6
38.6
40.8
1.422
1.420
1.420
1.425
1.436
1.437
1.453
1.438
1.440
1.419
1.422
1.451
55.97
54.94
55. 57
53.99
54.61
54. 72
54.85
57. 63
59.56
61.23
59.32
60.35
38.1
37.2
37.6
36.6
37.1
37.3
37.7
39.5
40.3
41.4
40.0
40.5
1.469
1.477
1.478
1.475
1.472
1.467
1.455
1.459
1.478
1.479
1.483
1.490
58.33
58. 47
59. 09
56.58
57. 55
55.94
58. 64
59. 25
60.14
63. 73
64. 56
65.20
37.8
37.6
37.9
36.5
37.2
36.3
38.3
38.5
38.6
40.8
41.2
41.5
1.543
1.555
1.559
1.550
1.547
1.541
1.531
1.539
1.558
1. 562
1.567
1. 571
54.57
52.76
53.51
52.37
52. 76
54. 26
53.05
56.82
59.45
60.01
56.24
57. 27
38.4
37.0
37.5
36.7
37.0
38.0
37.6
40.1
41.2
41.7
39.3
39.8
1.421
1.426
1.427
1.427
1.426
1.428
1.411
1.417
1.443
1.439
1.431
1.439
1950: January..........
50.87
39.9
1.275
55. 68
39.1
1.424
60.00
40.9
1.467
59.42
39.8
1.493
62.32
40.0
1.558
57.41
39.7
1.446
Manufacturing—Continued
Fabricated metal products (except ordnance machinery, and transportation equipment)—Continued
Fabricated structural
metal products
Structural steel and
ornamental metal
work
Boiler-shop products
Sheet-metal work
Metal stamping, coat Stamped and pressed
ing, and engraving
metal products
1947: Average......... . $53. 57
1948: Average_____ 58.17
41.3 $1. 297 $53.28
41.2 1.412 57.68
41.4 $1.287 $54.38
41.2 1.400 58.79
41.1 $1.323 $51. 74
41.2 1.427 56.64
41.0 $1.262 $52. 25
40.6 1.395 56.66
40.5 $1.290 $53. 71
40.1 1.413 58.39
40.6
40.3
$1.323
1.449
1949: January_____
February____
March. _. ___
April________
M ay________
June________
July_________
August______
September___
October_____
November___
December____
60.81
60.85
60.26
58. 88
59.90
59.95
59.32
59.83
60. 59
59.45
57.89
60.62
41.2
41.2
40.8
40.0
40.5
40.4
40.0
40.4
40.8
40.5
39.3
40.6
1.476
1.477
1.477
1.472
1.479
1.484
1.483
1.481
1.485
1.468
1.473
1.493
61.02
61.19
60.79
59.09
60.75
61.13
60.13
62.32
62.31
60. 97
57. 95
63.34
41.4
41.6
41.1
40.2
40.8
41.0
40.3
41.8
41.9
41.7
39.5
42.2
1.474
1.471
1.479
1.470
1.489
1.491
1. 492
1.491
1.487
1.462
1.467
1.501
60.68
60.80
60.24
59.79
59.68
59.00
59. 75
59.10
60. 71
59.82
58.97
59.18
41.0
41.0
40.7
40.4
40.3
39.6
40.1
39.8
40.5
40.2
39.5
39.4
1.480
1.483
1.480
1.480
1.481
1.490
1.490
1.485
1.499
1.488
1.493
1.502
59.24
58. 27
57.42
55. 22
57.93
57.63
58.25
57.70
58.32
55. 41
57.98
58.28
40.8
40.1
39.9
37.9
39.9
39.8
39.9
39.6
40.0
38.8
40.1
40.0
1.452
1.453
1.439
1.457
1.452
1.448
1.460
1.457
1.458
1.428
1.446
1.457
59.00
58. 21
57.20
57.07
57.11
59.35
58.08
60. 06
60.78
58. 97
56.38
60.03
40.0
39.6
39.1
38.9
38.8
39.7
38.8
39.8
40.2
39.9
38.8
40.1
1.475
1.470
1.463
1.467
1.472
1.495
1.497
1.509
1.512
1.478
1.453
1.497
60.85
60.24
59.02
58.76
58.69
61.16
59.59
61.88
63.02
60.61
57.82
62.02
40.3
40.0
39.4
39.2
39.1
40.0
38.9
40.0
40.5
39.9
38.7
40.3
1. 510
1.506
1.498
1.499
1.501
1.529
1.532
1.547
1.556
1.519
1.494
1.539
1950: January...........
59.88
40.0
1.497
61.24
41.1
1.490
58. 62
38.9
1.507
58.74
39.8
1.476
61.09
40.3
1.516
63.25
40.7
1.554
Manufacturing—Continued
Fabricated
metal
products (except
ordnance, machin
ery, and transportation e q u ip
ment)—Con.
Other fabricated
metal products
Machinery (except electrical)
Total: Machinery
(except electrical)
machin
Engines and turbines Agricultural
ery and tractors
1947: Average........... $52. 25
1948: Average............ 56. 88
40.6 $1. 287 $55.89
40.4 1.408 60. 52
41.4 $1.350 $58.40
41.2 1.469 63. 50
40.7 $1.435 $55. 76
40.5 1.568 60.59
40.7 $1.370 $57.69
40.5 1.496 62.05
1949: January_____
February.........
M arch_______
A p r il..______
M ay________
June_________
July-------------August______
September___
October_____
^November___
December........
59.08
58.84
57. 65
56.60
56.44
58.15
59. 05
57.92
59.15
59.85
57.51
60. 56
40.3
40.0
39.3
38.5
38.5
39.0
39.5
39.0
39.7
40.3
39.2
40.7
1.466
1.471
1.467
1.470
1.466
1.491
1.495
1.485
1.490
1.485
1.467
1.488
61.72
61.57
60. 85
59. 55
59.70
59. 94
59. 67
59.86
60. 44
60. 21
59. 21
61.26
40.5
40.4
39.9
39.1
39.2
39.2
39.0
39.1
39.3
39.2
38.5
39.7
1.524
1. 524
1. 525
1.523
1.523
1.529
1.530
1.531
1.538
1.536
1. 538
1.543
64.16
64.96
63. 50
62.38
63.10
63. 58
61.72
62.93
62.56
62.15
61.81
63.84
39.7
39.9
39.1
38.6
39.0
39.2
38.1
38.8
38.5
38.2
37.9
39.0
1.616
1.628
1.624
1.616
1.618
1.622
1.620
1.622
1.625
1.627
1.631
1.637
62.11
62.07
61.38
60.18
60.26
61.78
62.09
61.00
61.39
61.23
57.61
61.00
40.1
40.2
39.7
39.0
39.0
39.5
39.7
39.1
39.1
39.4
37.0
38.9
1.549
1.544
1.546
1.543
1.545
1.564
1.564
1.560
1.570
1.554
1.557
1.568
64.15
63.11
62.25
60. 52
60.80
62. 57
63.68
62.25
61.69
61.39
58.02
61.22
40.6
40.2
39.6
38.6
38.8
39.6
40.1
39.3
38.8
39.0
36.7
38.6
1950: January______ 61.86
40.7
1.520
61.22
39.6
1.546
64.12
39.1
1.640
59.93
38.0
1.577
58.92
36.8
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Agricultural machin
ery (except tractors)
Tractors
40.8 $1.414 $53.43
40.5 1.532 58.62
40.6
40.4
$1.316
1.451
1.580
1. 570
1. 572
1.568
1.567
1.580
1.588
1.584
1.590
1.574
1.581
1.586
59.72
60.82
60.30
59.61
59. 51
60.83
60.13
59.48
61.03
60.70
57.00
60.56
39.6
40.2
39.8
39.4
39.2
39.4
39.2
38.9
39.5
39.7
37.4
39.3
1.508
1.513
1. 515
1.513
1.518
1.544
1.534
1.529
1.545
1. 529
1. 524
1.541
1.601
60. 68
39.3
1.544
466
T able
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
MONTHLY LABOR
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees 1—Con.
Manufacturing—Continued
Machinery (except electrical)—Continued
Year and month
Construction and
mining machinery
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
Metalworking
machinery
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
Machine tools
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
1947: Average........... $54. 72
1948: Average-------- 60.33
41.8 $1.309 $58.49
42.1 1.433 62.94
42.2 $1.386 $57.75
42.1 1.495 61.57
1949: January_____
February____
M arch____ _
April---------M ay________
June________
July------------August--------September___
October_____
November___
December___
61.10
60.70
60.01
59.70
58. 67
58. 61
56.97
57.00
57.11
57.07
55.90
59.48
41.2
41.1
40.6
40.2
39.8
39.9
38.6
38.8
38.8
38.8
37.9
40.3
1.483
1.477
1.478
1.485
1.474
1.469
1.476
1.469
1.472
1.471
1.475
1.476
63.73
63.26
62.93
61.26
60.72
59.79
59.10
59.87
60.37
60. 41
59. 44
61.73
41.3
41.0
40.6
39.7
39.4
38.8
38.3
38.6
38.9
38.8
38.4
39.7
1.543
1.543
1.550
1.543
1.541
1.541
1.543
1.551
1.552
1.557
1.548
1.555
1950: January-------- 60.43
40.5
1.492
61.00
39.2
1.556
Metalworking ma
chinery (except
machine tools)
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
Machine-tool acces
sories
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
42.4 $1.362 $57. 57
42.2 1.459 62.98
41.9 $1.374 $60.52
42.1 1.496 65. 21
61.59
61.27
60.68
59.67
59.04
57.90
57.00
58.32
58.06
57.64
57. 34
59.92
41.2
40.9
40.4
39.7
39.2
38.5
37.9
38.6
38.4
38.2
38.1
39.5
1.495
1.498
1.502
1. 503
1. 506
1.504
1.504
1.511
1.512
1.509
1.505
1.517
64.91
64.39
64.12
62.04
61.61
60.68
59.64
60.22
60.26
61.50
59.48
62. 53
41.5
41.3
41.0
39.9
39.9
39.3
38.7
39.0
39.0
39.5
38.2
39.8
1.564
1.559
1.564
1. 555
1.544
1.544
1.541
1. 544
1.545
1. 557
1.557
1.571
59.16
39.0
1. 517
62.02
39.3
1. 578
Special-industry ma
c h in e ry (excep t
metalworking ma
chinery)
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
42.0 $1.441 $55.89
41.8 1.560 60.62
42.7
42.3
$1.309
1.433
66.32
65. 77
65.89
63.20
62.80
62. 52
62.38
62.09
65.27
64.85
63.38
64.00
41.4
40.9
40.7
39.4
39.2
39.0
38.7
38.0
39.8
39.3
39.1
39.9
1.602
1.608
1.619
1.604
1.602
1.603
1.612
1.634
1.640
1. 650
1.621
1.604
61.56
60.93
60. 83
60.47
60. 57
59.98
60.02
59.67
60.30
59.88
59.97
61.68
41.4
41.0
40.8
40.5
40.3
39.8
39.8
39.7
39.8
39.5
39.4
40.5
1.487
1.486
1.491
1.493
1.503
1.507
1.508
1.503
1.515
1.516
1.522
1.523
63.60
39.6
1.606
61.45
40.4
1.521
Manufacturing—Continued
Machinery (except electrical)—Continued
General industrial
machinery
1947: Average....
1948: Average—
$55.79
59.78
1949: January__
February—
M arch___
April..........
M ay_____
June_____
July-------August—
September.
October...
November.
December1950: January—
Office and store ma Computing machines
chines and devices
and cash registers
Typewriters
Service-industry and Refrigerators and airconditioning units
household machines
41.7 $1.338 $57. 59
41.2 1.451 61.49
41.7 $1.381 $62.34
41.1 1.496 66.54
41.7 $1.495 $52. 50
41.2 1.615 55.65
41.5 $1.265 $54. 50
41.1 1.354 58.98
61.18
61.18
60.17
59.26
58.95
59.26
58.16
58.39
59.00
59.72
58.29
59. 80
40.6
40.6
39.9
39.4
39.3
39.3
38.8
38.9
39.1
39.5
38.5
39.5
1.507
1.507
1.508
1.504
1.500
1.508
1.499
1.501
1.509
1.512
1.514
1.514
63.11
62.72
62.92
61.78
62.21
62.73
62.45
60.87
62.69
62.53
62.77
64.36
40.2 1.570
40.0 1.568
39.9 1.577
39.0 1.584
39.3 1.583
39.6 1.584
39.3 1.589
38.6 1.577
39.5 1.587
39.5 1.583
39.5 1. 589
40.0 1.609
68.07
67.82
68.07
67.43
66.70
67.28
67.86
67.15
67.93
67.89
67.91
69.97
40.4
40.3
40.3
39.9
39.4
39.6
39.5
39.5
39.7
39.7
39.6
40.4
1.685
1.683
1.689
1.690
1.693
1.699
1.718
1.700
1.711
1.710
1.715
1.732
56.27
55.60
55.78
53.83
56. 55
56.76
56.23
54.08
56.74
56.85
56.41
56.44
39.6
39.1
38.9
37.1
39.3
39.2
39.1
37.9
39.4
39.7
39.2
38.9
1.421
1.422
1.434
1.451
1.439
1.448
1.438
1.427
1.440
1.432
1.439
1.451
59.99
39.6
1.515
63.88
39.8
69.60
40.3
1.727
55.77
38.7
1.441
1.605
40.7 $1.339 $53.77
40.4 1.460 58.29
40.1
39.9
$1,341
1.461
60.58
60.70
59.73
56.96
59.03
59.66
62. 58
62.48
63.71
60.99
60.49
62.61
39.8
39.8
39.4
37.8
39.3
39.3
40.9
40.6
41.1
39.5
39.2
40.5
1. 522
1.525
1.516
1.507
1. 502
1.518
1.530
1.539
1.550
1.544
1.543
1.546
59.97
60.44
58.71
55.45
58.86
59.02
62.78
62.91
64.14
59.32
58.01
61.80
39.3
39.5
38.7
36.7
38.8
38.5
40.4
40.2
40.7
38.2
37.5
40.0
1.526
1.530
1.517
1. 511
1.517
1.533
1.554
1.565
1.576
1.553
1.547
1.545
63.13
40.7
1.551
62.40
40.1
1.556
Manufacturing—Continued
Machinery (except electrical)—Continued
Miscellaneous ma
chinery parts
Machine shops (job
and repair)
Electrical machinery
Total: Electrical
machinery
Electrical generat
ing, transmission,
distribution, and
industrial appara
tus
Motors, generators,
transformers, and
industrial controls
1947: Average........... $53.09
1948: Average........... 57.62
40.1 $1.324 $54.46
40.1 1.437 58.77
40.1 $1.358 $51.26
40.2 1.462 55.66
40.3 $1.272 $53.92
40.1 1.388 58.34
40.6 $1.328 $55.01
40.4 1.444 59. 55
1949: January_____
February........
M arch______
April........ ......
M ay................
June________
July------------August— .......
September___
October_____
November___
December___
59.65
58.67
58.15
55.98
55.35
55.87
55.20
57.29
57.37
58.08
58.50
58. 77
39.9
39.3
39.0
37.7
37.3
37.7
37.2
38.5
38.4
38.9
39.0
39.0
1.495
1.493
1.491
1.485
1.484
1.482
1.484
1.488
1.494
1.493
1.500
1.507
60.29
59.58
59.58
59.24
57.45
58. 72
58.36
58.31
56.44
56. 81
55.39
57.60
39.9
39.3
39.2
39.0
38.1
39.2
38.8
39.0
37.7
38.1
37.1
38.3
1.511
1. 516
1.520
1.519
1.508
1.498
1.504
1.495
1.497
1.491
1.493
1.504
57.01
57.02
56.50
55.59
55.99
56.16
56.00
56.73
57.88
57.97
57.36
58.44
39.7
39.6
39.1
38.5
38.8
39.0
38.7
39.1
40.0
40.4
40.0
40.5
1.436
1.440
1.445
1.444
1.443
1.440
1.447
1.451
1.447
1.435
1.434
1.443
60.15
60.20
59.49
58.66
58.36
58. 55
59.24
59.74
60.22
59.89
59.67
61.75
40.1
40.0
39.5
38.9
38.6
38.8
39.0
39.3
39.8
39.9
39.7
40.6
1.500
1.505
1.506
1.508
1.512
1.509
1. 519
1.520
1. 513
1.501
1.503
1.521
1950: January..........
58.96
39.2
1.504
57.90
38.5
1.504
58.56
40.5
1.446
60.89
40.3
1. 511
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Electrical equipment
for vehicles
40.6 $1.355 $51.89
40.4 1.474 56.77
39.7
39.7
$1,307
1.430
61.90
61.48
60.91
60.06
60.06
60.21
61.23
61.62
62.16
61.51
61.06
63.45
40.3
40.0
39.5
39.0
38.9
39.1
39.4
39.6
40.1
40.1
39.7
40.7
1.536
1.537
1.542
1.540
1. 544
1.540
1. 554
1.556
1.550
1.534
1.538
1.559
59.19
58.85
57.26
57.40
59.80
59.69
60.97
62. 79
62.90
59.95
52.65
57.90
39.3
39.1
38.2
38.5
39.5
39.4
39.9
40.8
40.9
39.7
35.1
38.5
1.506
1.505
1.499
1.491
1. 514
1. 515
1. 528
1.539
1.538
1.510
1.500
1.504
62.14
40.3
1.542
60.26
39.7
1.518
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
T able
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
467
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees 1—Con.
M anufacturing—Con tinued
Electrical machinery—Continued
Year and month
Communication
equipment
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
Transporation equipment
Radios, phonographs, Telephone and tele Electrical appliances,
television sets, and
lamps, and miscel
graph equipment
equipment
laneous products
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Total: Transporta
tion equipment
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Automobiles
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
1947: Average........ . $48.00
1948: Average_____ 52.10
39.9 $1. 203 $44.41
39.8 1.309 48.53
39.2 $1.133 $56.44
39.2 1.238 59.54
41.5 $1.360 $51.68
40.7 1.463 56.08
40.6 $1.273 $56. 87
40.2 1.395 61.58
39.3 $1.447 $57.45
39.0 1.579 61.86
39.0
38.4
$1.473
1.611
1949: January_____
February........
M arch.. ____
April_______
M ay________
June.... ............
July------------August______
September___
O ctober.........
November___
December___
52.78
52.63
53.08
52.38
52. 85
53.35
51. 54
52.20
54.44
55. 66
55. 69
55.43
39.3
39.1
39.0
38.4
38.8
39.2
37.9
38.3
40.0
41.2
41.1
41.0
1.343
1.346
1.361
1.364
1.362
1.361
1.360
1.363
1.361
1.351
1.355
1.352
49. 65
49.23
49.70
48. 64
49. 41
50.42
47.78
48.60
52.12
53. 46
53. 52
53.52
39.0
38.7
38.8
38.0
38.6
39.3
37.5
38.0
40.5
41.6
41.3
41.3
1.273
1.272
1.281
1.280
1.280
1.283
1.274
1.279
1.287
1.285
1.296
1.296
60.59
60. 74
61.15
61.19
61. 04
61.50
60.68
61.54
61.90
62.33
62.92
62.40
39.6
39.7
39.3
39.2
39.1
39.4
38.8
39.2
39.1
39.4
39.5
39.1
1.530
1.530
1.556
1.561
1.561
1.561
1.564
1.570
1.583
1.582
1.593
1.596
57.70
57.59
56.28
54.42
54. 58
54.49
55.13
55.77
56.79
57.67
57.71
58.18
39.9
39.8
39.0
38.0
38.6
38.7
39.1
39.3
39.8
40.3
40.3
40.4
1.446
1.447
1.443
1.432
1.414
1. 408
1.410
1.419
1. 427
1.431
1.432
1.440
66.23
65.79
63.19
63.58
63.03
65.49
66. 27
65.90
67.13
64.75
61.92
65.15
39.9
39.8
38.6
38.7
38.2
39.5
39.9
39.7
40.1
39.1
37.3
38.8
1.660
1.653
1.637
1.643
1.650
1.658
1.661
1.660
1.674
1.656
1.660
1.679
67.74
66. 91
62. 96
64.77
63.22
66.94
68.67
67.78
69.33
65. 87
61.03
65. 44
39.8
39.5
37.7
38.6
37.3
39.4
40.3
39.8
40.4
39.0
36.2
38.2
1.702
1.694
1.670
1.678
1.695
1.699
1.704
1.703
1.716
1.689
1.686
1.713
1950: January_____
55.37
40.8
1.357
52.96
40.8
1.298
63.24
39.4
1.605
58.97
40.5
1.456
67.91
40.3
1.685
69.75
40.6
1.718
Manufacturing—Continued
Transportation equipment—Continued
Aircraft and parts
Aircraft engines and
parts
Aircraft
Aircraft propellers
and parts
Other aircraft parts
and equipment
1947: Average_____ $54.98
1948: Average....... . 61. 21
39.9 $1.378 $53.99
41.0 1.493 60. 21
39.7 $1,360 $56.30
41.1 1.465 63.40
39.9 $1.411 $59.68
40.9 1.550 62.13
41.5 $1. 438 $56. 50
39.7 1.565 63. 59
1949: January...........
February____
M arch______
April_______
M ay________
Ju n e________
J u ly .......... .
August______
September__
October_____
November___
December___
63.18
64.52
63. 41
60. 99
62.98
62.94
62.08
62.07
63.58
63. 67
66.69
66. 41
40.5
41.2
40.7
39.4
40. 5
40. 5
39.9
40.2
40.6
40.5
41.5
41.2
1.560
1.566
1.558
1.548
1.555
1. 554
1.556
1. 544
1.566
1.572
1.607
1. 612
61. 55
63.82
63. 07
60.97
62.26
61.90
60.78
61.46
62.26
62.42
66.15
66.16
40.1
41.2
40.9
39.8
40.4
40.3
39.7
40.3
40.4
40.3
41.5
41.3
1.535
1.549
1.542
1.532
1.541
1.536
1.531
1.525
1.541
1.549
1.594
1.602
67.13
65.96
64.00
64.04
64.08
65. 52
63.80
61.66
65.72
64. 64
68. 62
67.16
41.8
41.2
40.3
40.2
40.3
41.0
39.7
39.4
41.0
40.2
42.1
41.0
1.606
1.601
1.588
1.593
1.590
1.598
1.607
1. 565
1.603
1.608
1.630
1.638
66.34
65.97
65.81
64.36
68.14
67.89
69. 88
66.42
68.60
65. 73
64. 27
67.53
40.7
40.7
40.8
40.1
41.6
41.5
42.2
40.9
41.4
40.5
39.6
41.3
1.630
1.621
1.613
1.605
1.638
1.636
1.656
1.624
1.657
1.623
1 623
1.635
65.73
66.36
64.04
54. 50
63.53
63.52
65.37
65.98
66.83
69.17
67.90
67.16
1950: January........... 65.28
40.7
1.604
64.63
40.7
1.588
66.18
40.5
1.634
68.88
42.0
1.640
67.65
Ship and boat build
ing and repairing
40.1 $1.409 $57.34
41.0 1. 551 60. 68
39.6
38.7
$1.448
1.568
40.7
41.4
40.3
35.0
40.7
40.2
40.3
40.6
40.8
42.1
41.2
41.2
1.615
1.603
1.589
1.557
1.561
1.580
1.622
1.625
1.638
1.643
1.648
1.630
63.30
61.99
62.98
62.50
61.61
62.82
61.94
60.05
61.00
59.11
56.97
62.45
39.0
38.5
38.9
38.2
38.1
38.4
38.4
37.3
37.7
36.4
34.8
38.1
1.623
1.610
1.619
1.636
1.617
1.636
1.613
1.610
1.618
1.624
1.637
1.639
41.0
1.650
61.54
37.8
1.628
Manufacturing—Continued
Instruments and re
lated products
Transportation equipment—Continued
Shipbuilding and re
Railroad equipment
pairing
1947: Average1948: Average.
Railroad and street
cars
Other transportation Total: Instruments
equipment
and related products
39.5 $1.458 $57.06
38.7 1. 582 62.24
40.5 $1. 409 $58.93
40.0 1.556 63.80
39.8 $1.480 $55. 86
39.6 1.611 60.82
40.8 $1.369 $53.53
40.2 1.513 58.14
40.8 $1.312 $49.17
40.8 1.425 53.45
40.3
40.1
$1.220
1.333
63. 72
62.36
63. 61
62.90
61.98
63.18
62.16
60.14
61.24
59.33
57.06
62. 72
38.9
38.4
39.0
38.1
38.0
38. 2
38.3
37.1
37.5
36.2
34.5
37.9
1.638 66.50
1.624 65.53
1.631 64.76
1. 651 62.42
1.631 63.39
1.651 62.71
1.623 60.32
1.621 62.05
1.633 61.84
1.639 62. 49
1. 654 63.16
1.655 63.39
40.8 1.630
40.7 1.610
39.9 1.623
38.6 1. 617
39.2 1.617
39.0 1.608
37.7 1.600
38.4 1.616
38.1 1.623
38.5 1.623
38.3 1.649
38. 7 1 638
67.22
64.10
66.35
66.20
66. 21
64.48
63. 65
66. 62
64.44
65.07
66.48
65.56
39.8
39.3
39.8
39.5
39.6
39.2
39.0
38.8
38.7
39.2
39.2
39.4
1.689
1.631
1.667
1.676
1.672
1. 645
1.632
1.717
1.665
1.660
1.696
1.664
66.11
66.39
63.40
59. 54
61.38
61.34
58.23
59.93
59.87
60.06
59.75
61.18
41.5
41.6
39.9
37.9
38.9
38.8
36.9
38.1
377
37.8
37.3
38.0
1.593
1.596
1.589
1.571
1.578
1.581
1.578
1.573
1.588
1.589
1.602
1.610
54. 44
54. 57
56.07
55.60
56.83
56.87
54. 94
58.46
62.85
63.11
59.99
55.43
38.1
38.0
39.4
39.0
39.6
39.3
39.3
40.4
41.9
42.1
40.1
38.2
1.429
1.436
1.423
1.423
1.435
1.447
1.398
1.447
1.500
1.499
1.496
1.451
55. 36
55.28
55.18
54. 51
54.83
54.61
54.37
54. 25
55.26
56.08
56. 52
57.02
40.0
39.8
39.7
39.3
39.5
39.2
39.0
39.0
39.5
39.8
40.0
40.1
1.384
1.389
1.39«
1.387
1.388
1.393
1.394
1.391
1.399
1.409
1.413
1.422
1950: January.......... 62.02
37.7
1.645
38.0
63.29
38.9
1.627
59.95
37.1
1.616
58.00
40.9
1.418
56.49
39.7
1.423
1949: January-.........
February........
M a r c h . . ____
A pril..............
M ay________
June................
July.................
August______
September___
October...........
November___
December.......
$57.59
61. 22
Locomotives and
parts
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
61.48
1.618
468
T able
MONTHLY LABOR
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees1—Con.
Manufacturing—Continued
Miscellaneous manufacturing industries
Instruments and related products—Continued
Year and month
Ophthalmic goods
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn- hours
ings
Photographic appa
ratus
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn- earn- hours
ings
ings
Watches and clocks
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn- earn- hours
ings
ings
Total: Miscellaneous Jewelry, silverware,
Professional and
indus and plated ware
scientific instruments manufacturing
tries
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn- earn- hours
ings
ings
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn- earn- wkly.
ings
ings hours
40.5 $1.342 $44. 53
40.5 1.448 48. 84
39.9 $1.116 $49.80
40.1 1.218 54.78
40.1 $1. 242 $46.63
40.1 1.366 50.06
60.28
60.30
60.30
58.80
58.78
58.24
58.84
58. 73
59. 72
60.26
62. 27
62. 52
40.4
39.8
39.8
39.2
39.4
38.8
39.2
39.1
39.6
39.8
40.7
40.6
1.492
1. 515
1.515
1.500
1.492
1.501
1.501
1.502
1.508
1. 514
1.530
1.540
49. 30
49. 33
49. 54
49.34
48.91
48. 91
48.15
48.43
49. 75
50.69
51.18
50.41
39.0
38.9
39.1
39.1
38.6
38.6
38.0
38.5
39.3
39.6
39.8
39.2
1.264
1.268
1.267
1.262
1.267
1.267
1.267
1. 258
1.266
1.280
1. 286
1.286
57.00
56.72
56. 60
56. 03
56.61
56. 85
56.13
56.43
56.97
58.17
57. 99
58.71
40.2
40.0
39.8
39.4
39.7
39.7
39.2
39.3
39.4
39.9
39.8
40.1
1. 418 50. 77
1.418 50.86
1.422 50.17
1.422 48.95
1.426 48.83
1.432 49.72
1.432 48.75
1.436 48. 51
1.446 50.57
1.458 51.44
1. 457 51. 70
1.464 52.32
61.60
40.0
1.540
49. 77
38.7
1.286
58. 64
40.0
1. 466
51.66
1947: Average_____ $43. 39
1948: Average.......... 45. 54
40.9 $1. 061 $54.35
39.7 1.147 58.64
1949: January___
February____
M arch______
April_______
M a y .. . . . .
June________
J u ly ........... .
August______
September. . .
October_____
November . . .
December.......
47.36
46.85
47.04
46.61
47.24
46.29
46. 57
45.47
47.64
47. 60
47.80
48.28
40.0
39.6
39.9
39.3
39.7
38.9
39.1
38.6
39.9
40.0
40.1
40.3
1.184
1.183
1.179
1.186
1.190
1.190
1.191
1.178
1.194
1.190
1.192
1.198
1950: January......... . 46.41
38.9
1.193
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn- earn- wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
40.8 $1.143 $54.41
40.9 1.224 57.25
43.7
43.6
$1. 245
1.313
40.2
40.3
40.2
39.0
39.0
39.4
39.0
38.9
40.2
40.7
40.9
41.0
1.263 56.34
1.262 56.28
1.248 54.34
1.255 53.76
1.252 51.52
1.262 51.10
1.250 50.00
1.247 50.13
1.258 54.79
1.264 60. 29
1. 264 61.28
1.276 59.83
42.3
42.0
41.2
40.7
39.6
39.8
38.2
38.5
41.6
44.2
44.6
43.7
1.332
1.340
1.319
1.321
1.301
1.284
1.309
1.302
1.317
1.364
1.374
1.369
40.3
1.282
42.2
1.322
55.79
Manufacturing—Continued
Transportation and
public utilities
Miscellaneous manufacturing industries—Continued
Jewelry and find
ings
Silverware and
plated ware
46.3
46.2
$1,171
1.283
1.216 45.51
1.209 46.36
1.218 46. 06
1.213 45.75
1.200 44. 54
1.192 46.93
1.184 46.49
1.177 43.88
1.199 45.90
1.200 47.48
1.212 46.18
1.206 47. 08
39.3
39.9
40.4
39.2
38.6
39.4
39.4
37.5
39.2
39.5
39.3
39.8
1.158
1.162
1.140
1.167
1.154
1.191
1.180
1.170
1.171
1.202
1.175
1.183
51.62
51.58
51.02
49. 57
50. 06
51.07
50.24
50.11
51.75
51.55
51.77
53.31
40.2
40.2
40.3
39.0
39.2
39.5
39.4
39.3
40.3
40.4
40.6
41.2
1.284
1.283
1.266
1.271
1. 277
1.293
1.275
1.275
1. 284
1.276
1.275
1.294
60. 21
61.64
60.00
62. 51
60.69
57. 27
60.37
62.64
60.98
58.98
61.60
61.45
45.2
45.9
45.5
46.0
44.4
42.3
44.1
46.4
39.6
38.3
40.0
39.9
1.333
1.343
1. 318
1.359
1.367
1.354
1.369
1.354
1.540
1.537
1.543
1.547
1.225
39.7
1.194
52.67
40.3
1.307
43.4
43.2
41.0
41.1
39.4
39.5
38.5
38.2
41.6
45.6
46.3
45.0
1.403
1.405
1.376
1.377
1.345
1.317
1.323
1.358
1.383
1.444
1.452
1.425
47.91
47. 51
47.62
45. 49
45.96
46.25
44. 76
45.67
47.60
48.36
49. 45
47. 28
39.4
39.3
39.1
37.5
38.3
38.8
37.8
38.8
39.7
40.3
40.8
39.2
1.253
43.0
1.372
48. 39
39.5
50.84
50.95
51.92
50.17
49.76
49.92
48. 56
48.11
51.09
54.19
54. 44
54.56
41.0
40.6
41.5
40.1
39.9
40.1
37.8
38.8
41.1
42.7
42.7
42.2
51.75
41.3
59.00
Class I railroads 7
40.7 $1,152 $54. 22
40.7 1.238 59. 27
1.240 60. 89
1.255 60. 70
1.251 56.42
1.251 56. 59
1.247 52.99
1.245 52. 02
1.289 50.94
1.240 51.88
1.243 57. 53
1.269 65.85
1. 275 67.23
1.293 64.13
1949: January_____
February____
M arch______
April________
M ay________
June________
J u l y . . ______
August______
September___
O cto b er____
November. . .
December___
Other miscellaneous
manufacturing in
dustries
39.8 $1. 056 $46.89
40.0 1.134 50.39
40.2 $1.106 $42.03
40.1 1.178 45.36
41.3 $1.172 $59. 23
41.2 1. 225 62.38
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Costume jewelry,
buttons, notions
45.6 $1. 299 $44.46
45.4 1.374 47.24
1947: Average_____ $48. 40
1948: Average_____ 50.47
See footnotes at end of table,
Toys and sporting
goods
47.40
T able
489
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees 1—Con.
Transportation and public utilities--Continued
Communication
Local railways and
bus lines 8
Year and month
Avg. Avg.
wkly. wkly.
earn hours
ings
1Q47• Avpragp
$57.14
61.73
Telephone 8
Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. Avg.
earn earn wkly.
ings hours
ings
46.8 $1. 221 $44. 77
46.1 1.339 48. 92
Switchboard oper
ating employees 10
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly.
earn earn wkly.
ings
ings hours
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
45.1
45.1
45. 2
45. 2
44. 9
46.0
45.1
44.7
44.3
44.2
44.1
44.5
1. 415
1.423
1.420
1. 430
1.436
1.435
1.446
1.442
1.457
1.455
1.455
1.467
49.84
60.84
50. 82
50. 58
51.84
51.49
51.90
51.57
52.61
53.29
54.40
52.57
38.4
38.6
38.3
38.2
38.6
38.4
38.5
38.4
38.6
38.7
38.8
38.4
1.298
1.317
1.327
1.324
1.343
1.341 $44.30
1.348 44.81
1.343 44.23
1.363 45.37
1.377 46.35
1.402 48.04
1.369 44.42
1950: January_________________________ 765. 22
44.1
1.479
53.21
38.5
1.382
44.61
36.7 $1. 207 $68. 52
37.0 1.211 69.06
36.8 1.202 69. 22
37.1 1.223 70.10
37.2 1.246 70.35
37.3 1.288 71.35
36.5 1.217 70. 89
36.3
Transportation and
public utilities—
Continued
1.229
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
$53. 56
60. 26
44.6
44.7
$1.201
1.348
41.6 $1. 647
41.6 1.660
41.6 1.664
41.7 1.681
41.6 1.691
41.7 1.711
41.8 1.696
61.58
61.94
62.31
63.37
63.69
62.96
63. 97
63.64
62.83
62. 97
62.05
62.23
44.3
44.5
44.7
45.3
45.2
45.0
45.4
45.1
44. 5
44.5
43. 7
43.7
1.390
1.392
1.394
1.399
1.409
1.399
1. 409
1.411
1.412
1.415
1.420
1.424
1.711
62.84
44.1
1.425
42.3
Trade
Retail trade
Other public utilities
Wholesale’trade
Gas and electric
utilities
1947: Average_________________________ $56.69
1948: Average___ _____________________ 60.74
72.38
Telegraph 18
Avg. Avg. Avg.
hrly. wkly. wkly.
earn earn hours
ings
ings
37.4 $1.197
39.2 1.248
63. 82
64.18
64.18
64. 64
64. 48
66. 01
65.21
64.46
64. 55
64. 31
64.17
65.28
Tv/fty
Ju n e___________________ _______
Ju ly ____________________ _____
August_________________________
September_____________ _____ _
October . . . _______ ___________
November______________________
December_____ . . .
Line construction,
installation, and
maintenance em
ployees 11
41.9 $1. 353 $51.99
41.8 1.453 55.58
Retail trade (except General merchandise
eating and drink
stores
ing places)
41.0 $1. 268 $40. 66
40.9 1.359 43. 85
40.3 $1.009 $30.96
40.3 1.088 33.31
D ep artm en t stores
and general mailorder^houses
36.3 $0.853 $34.85
.910 37.36
36.6
37.6
37.7
$0. 927
.991
1949: January_________________________
February___________________ . .
M arch. J________________________
April________________ ____ _ ._
M ay___________________________
June___________________________
July__ _________________________
August_________________________
September______________________
October_________________________
November______________________
December__ ____________________
63.08
62.60
62. 54
62. 82
63.40
63.64
64.02
63. 92
64.75
65.72
65.03
66.24
41.8
41.4
41.5
41.3
41.3
41.3
41.3
41.4
41.4
41.7
41.5
41.9
1.509
1.512
1.507
1.521
1.535
1.541
1.550
1.544
1.564
1.576
1.567
1.581
57.24
56.82
56.88
57.12
57.83
57.49
58.18
57.10
57.35
58.36
57. 86
58.14
40.8
40.5
40.6
40.6
40.7
40.6
40.8
40.7
40.7
40.9
40.6
40.8
1.403
1.403
1.401
1.407
1.421
1.416
1.426
1.403
1.409
1.427
1.425
1.425
45. 51
45.14
44.95
45.31
45.98
46.45
46.95
46. 87
46. 58
46.06
45.63
45.67
40.2
40.2
40.1
40.2
40.3
40.5
40.9
40.9
40.5
40.4
40.1
40.7
1.132
1.123
1.121
1.127
1.141
1.147
1.148
1.146
1.150
1.140
1.138
1.122
34.42
34.01
33.68
34. 26
34. 85
35.62
35.86
35.75
35.17
34. 65
34. 30
35.31
36.5
36.3
36.1
36.6
36.3
36.8
37.2
37.2
36.6
36.4
36.3
37.8
.943
.937
.933
.936
.960
.968
.964
.961
.961
.952
.945
.934
38. 79
37.96
37.86
38.80
39.33
39. 95
39.79
39.58
39.48
38.90
38.75
41.30
37.7
37.4
37.3
37.6
37.6
37.8
38.0
37.8
37.6
37.4
37.4
39.6
1.029
1.015
1.015
1.032
1.046
1.057
1.047
1.047
1.050
1.040
1.036
1.043
1950: January______ ______ ___________
66.78
42.0
1.590
58.24
40.5
1.438
46.66
40.4
1.155
35.13
36.4
.965
39.25
37.2
1.055
Trade—Continued
Other retail trade
Retail trade—Continued
Food and liquor
stores
1947: Average_________________________ $43. 51
1948: Average_________ _______________ 47.15
Automotive and ac
cessories dealers
40.7 $1.069 $51. 80
40.3 1.170 56.07
Apparel and acces
sories stores
45.4 $1.141 $38.08
45.4 1.235 39. 60
Furniture and ap
pliance stores
36.9 $1.032 $48. 99
36.5 1.085 51.15
Lumber and-hard
ware supply stores
42.9 $1.142 $45. 20
42.7 1.198 49.37
43.5
43.5
$1.039
1.135
49.07
49.12
48.87
49.08
48. 99
50.26
51.13
51.00
50. 57
50.25
50.37
50. 54
39.8
40.0
39.7
40.0
39.7
40.4
41.1
41.0
40.2
40.3
40.1
40.3
1.233
1.228
1.231
1.227
1.234
1.244
1.244
1.244
1.258
1.247
1.256
1. 254
57.25
57.15
58.18
59. 50
60.00
59.70
59.83
59. 55
59.51
59.39
58.78
58.21
45.4
45.5
45.7
45.7
45.8
45.5
45.6
45.6
45.5
45.9
45.6
45.8
1.261
1.256
1.273
1.302
1.310
1.312
1. 312
1.306
1.308
1.294
1.289
1.271
41.11
39. 79
39.64
40.88
40. 92
40.85
40.37
40. 52
41.66
40.15
40.26
41.18
36.8
36.4
36.3
36.7
36.8
36.7
36.5
36.8
37.1
36.6
36.5
36.9
1.117
1.093
1.092
1.114
1.112
1.113
1.106
1.101
1.123
1.097
1.103
1.116
52.74
52.36
52.02
52.82
53. 29
53.16
52.78
52.82
53. 37
53.38
54. 32
56. 52
42.6
43.2
43.1
43.4
43.5
43.5
43.3
43.4
43.6
43.4
43.7
44.4
1.238
1.212
1.207
1.217
1.225
1.222
1.219
1.217
1.224
1.230
1.243
1.273
50.25
50. 87
51.20
51.35
52.48
51.96
52.34
52.40
52.18
52.96
51.79
52.10
43.1
43.0
43.5
43.3
44.1
43.7
43.8
44.0
43.7
44.1
43.3
43.6
1.166
1.183
1.177
1.186
1.190
1.189
1.195
1.191
1.194
1.201
1.196
1.195
1950: January........................................... ...... 50.63
39.9
1.269
59.17
45.9
1.289
41.36
36.8
1.124
55.40
44.0
1.259
51.30
43.0
1.193
1949: January___ _ __________________
February_______ _______________
M arch__________________________
April__ ___ _____________________
M ay ____ ____ _ _____________
June_________ ________________
July____________________________
August___ __ ___________ _______
September______________________
October_________________________
November________ _______ ______
December_______________________
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
470
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
MONTHLY LABOR
T able C -l: Hours and Gross Earnings of Production Workers or Nonsupervisory Employees 1—Con.
Finan ce1*
Banks
and
trust
com
panies
Year and month
Service
Secu
rity
Insur
dealers
ance
and ex carriers
changes
Hotels, year-round 24
Avg.
wkly.
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly.
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly.
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly.
earn
ings
1947: Average................................
1948: Average................................
$39.46
41.51
$63.08
66.83
$52. 58
54.93
$29.36
31.41
1949: January________________
Februairy..............................
M arch ............ ...... ..........
May__....... ...........................
June___________________
July___________________
August______ __________
September...........................
October________________
November______________
December______________
43.92
43.55
43. 24
43.49
44.05
43.10
43.80
43.10
43. 62
43.94
43. 96
43.96
68.41
67.80
66. 46
67.48
67.82
66.12
65.70
65. 30
67.29
71.25
72.54
74.36
57.84
56.88
56. 67
56.48
57.26
56. 59
56.70
55. 54
55. 33
56.04
55.89
56.47
1950: Ja n u ary ...___ __________
45.17
75. 97
57.70
Laundries
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly.
earn
ings
45.2
44.3
$0.650
.709
$32. 71
34.23
32. 41
32.47
32. 53
32.35
32.99
32. 85
32.90
32.93
32.90
32.84
33.13
33.14
44.1
44.0
44.5
44.2
44.7
44.1
44.1
44.2
44.1
44.2
44.0
43.9
.735
.738
.731
.732
.738
.745
.746
.745
.746
.743
.753
.755
32.81
43.8
.749
Avg.
wkly.
hours
1These figures are based on reports from cooperating establishments
covering both full- and part-time employees who worked during, or received
pay for, the pay period ending nearest the 15th of the month. For mining,
manufacturing, laundries, and cleaning and dyeing plants industries, the
data relate to production and related workers only. For the remaining
industries, unless otherwise noted, the data relate to nonsupervisory em
ployees and working supervisors. All series, beginning with January 1947,
are available upon request to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Such requests
should specify the series desired. Data for the two current months are
subject to revision without notation; revised figures for earlier months will be
identified by an asterisk for the first month’s publication of such data.
1 Data relate to all construction workers, both on-site and off-site, engaged
in actual construction work including pre-assembly and precutting opera
tions. Both privately and publicly financed construction are included.
Data are based on comparable but not necessarily identical samples.
* Includes ordnance and accessories; lumber and wood products (except
furniture): furniture and fixtures; stone, clay, and glass products; primary
metal industries; fabricated metal products (except ordnance, machinery,
and transportation equipment); machinery (except electrical); electrical
machinery; transportation equipment; instruments and related products;
and miscellaneous manufacturing industries.
4 Includes food and kindred products; tobacco manufactures; textile-mill
products; apparel and other finished textile products; paper and allied prod
ucts; printing, publishing, and allied industries; chemicals and allied prod
ucts; products of petroleum and coal; rubber products; and leather and
leather products.
1 Data by region, North and South, from January 1949, are available uponrequest.
8 Data by region, South and West, from January 1949, are available upon request.
TThese averages are based on reports summarized in the M-300 report
prepared by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and relate to all hourly
rated employees who received pay during the month. Most executive,
Cleaning and dyeing
plants
Motion
picture
produc
tion and
distribu
tion
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly.
earn
ings
42.6
41.9
$0. 767
.817
$38.30
39.50
41.9
41.1
$0.914
.961
$99.18
92. 27
35.49
34.90
35.07
35.24
36.04
35.32
35.03
34. 27
34. 69
34. 57
34. 23
34.61
42.1
41.5
41.6
41.8
42.4
41.6
41.5
40.8
41.2
41.1
40.9
41.2
.843
.841
.845
.843
.850
.849
.844
.840
.842
.841
.837
.840
40.37
39.32
39.93
42.15
43.17
42.17
40.43
38.63
41.28
40.15
39.96
40.22
40.9
40.0
40.5
42.4
42.7
42.3
41.0
39.5
41.7
41.1
40.9
41.0
.987
.983
.986
.994
1.011
.997
.986
.978
.990
.977
.977
.981
88.22
89.75
91.59
90.24
90.96
94.73
95. 52
92. 65
92.26
94.38
91. 54
93. 41
35.07
41.5
.845
40. 65
41.4
.982
88.19
Avg.
wkly.
hours
Avg.
wkly.
hours
Avg.
hrly.
earn
ings
Avg.
wkly.
earn
ings
professional, and supervisory personnel are excluded. Switching and ter
minal companies are excluded. The annual average data include retro
active pay when such payments are made. Monthly data do not include
retroactive payments. Beginning with September 1, 1949, data reflect the
following changes for nonoperative employees (about two-thirds of the total):
(1) scheduled weekly hours were reduced from 48 to 40; (2) hourly rates were
adjusted to maintain the former weekly earnings for 48 hours; (3) an additional
wage increase of $0.07 an hour was granted.
• Data include privately and municipally operated local railways and bus
lines.
• Through May 1949 the averages relate mainly to the hours and earnings
of employees subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Beginning with
June 1949 the averages relate to the hours and earnings of nonsupervisory
employees. Data for June comparable with the earlier series are $51.47,
38.5 hours, and $1,337.
14 Data include employees such as switchboard operators, service assistants,
operating-room instructors, and pay-station attendants.
11 Data include employees such as central office craftsmen; installation and
exchange repair craftsmen; line, cable, and conduit craftsmen; and laborers.
11 D ata relate mainly to land-line employees, excluding employees com
pensated on a commission basis, general and divisional headquarters per
sonnel, trainees in school, and messengers.
18 Data on average weekly hours and average hourly earnings are not
available.
14 Money payments only; additional value of board, room, uniforms, and
tips, not Included.
a Formerly shown separately as “heavy construction” and “other con
struction.”
b Comparable data from January 1948 are available upon request.
®Comparable data from January 1947 are available upon request.
T able C-2: Gross Average Weekly Earnings of Production Workers in Selected Industries, in Current
and 1939 Dollars 1
Manufacturing Bituminous-coal
mining
Manufacturing Bituminous-coal
mining
Laundries
Year and month
Current 1939 Current 1939 Current 1939
dollars dollars dollars dollars dollars dollars
1947: Average..... ............. $49.97
1948: Average....... -........ _ 54.14
1949: January_________
F e b ru a ry _______
M arch__________
A p ril...___ _____
M a y .......................
June.........................
55.50
55.20
64.74
53.80
54.08
54.51
$31.20
31.43
$66.59
72.12
$41.58
41.87
$32.71
34.23
$20. 42
19.87
32.28
32.47
32.10
31.51
31.77
31.95
76.32
73.56
70.54
72.33
72.98
59.90
44,39
43. 27
41.37
42.37
42.87
35.11
35. 49
34. 90
35.07
35.24
36.04
35.32
20.64
20.53
20. 57
20.64
21.17
20.70
^ e s e series indicate changes in the level of weekly earnings prior to and
“ ter adjustment for changes in purchasmg power as determined from the
Bureau s Consumers Price Index, the year 1939 having been selected for the
base period. Estimates of World War II and postwar understatement by the
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Laundries
Year and month
Current 1939 Current 1939 Current 1939
dollars dollars dollars dollars dollars dollars
1949: Ju ly .-..................... $54.63
August- ________
54. 70
September_______ 55. 72
October _________ 55.26
November_______ 54.43
December 2______
56.18
1950: January 2................
56.33
$32.23
32.21
32.66
32.60
32.09
33. 34
$47.94
49. 51
52.46
63.10
68.17
48.93
$28.28
29.15
30. 75
37.22
40 19
29.04
$35.03
34.27
34.69
34.57
34.23
34.61
$20.66
20.18
20.33
20.39
20.18
20.54
33.55
47.62
28.36
35.07
20.89
Consumers’ Price Index were not included. Seethe Monthly Labor Review,
March 1947, p. 498. See Note, table C -l. Comparable data from January 1947 are available upon request to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
«Preliminary.
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
C: EARNINGS AND HOURS
471
T able C-3: Gross and Net Spendable Average Weekly Earnings of Production Workers in Manufactur
ing Industries, in Current and 1939 Dollars 1
Gross average
weekly earnings
Period
Net spendable average weekly
earn ings
Worker with
no dependents
Worker with
3 dependents
Gross average
weekly earnings
Period
Index
Cur
Cur
1939
1939
Amount (1939= rent dollars
rent
100) dollars
dollars dollars
1941: January................... . $26.64
1945: January.................... 47.50
July............... ........... 45.45
1940: June......................... 43.31
111.7
199.1
190.5
181.5
$25.41
39.40
37.80
37.30
$25.06
30.81
29.04
27.81
$26.37
45.17
43.57
42.78
$26.00
35.33
33.47
31.90
1939:
1940:
1941:
1942:
1943:
1944:
1945:
1946:
1947:
1948:
100.0
105.6
124.0
153.6
180.8
193.1
186.0
183.3
209.4
226.9
23.58
24.69
28.05
31.77
36.01
38.29
36.97
37.65
42.76
47.43
23.58
24.49
26.51
27.11
28.97
30.32
28.61
26.87
26.70
27.54
23.62
24.95
29.28
36.28
41.39
44.06
42. 74
43.13
48.24
53.17
23.62
24.75
27.67
30.96
33.30
34.89
33.08
30.78
30.12
30.87
Average__________
Average__________
Average—___ _____
Average....................
Average____ ______
Average....................
Average__________
Average.....................
Average...................
Average_____ _____
23.86
25.20
29.58
36.65
43.14
46.08
44.39
43. 74
49.97
54.14
1 Net spendable average weekly earnings are obtained by deducting from
gross average weekly earnings, social security and income taxes for which
the specified type of worker is liable. The amount of income tax liability
depends, of course, on the number of dependents supported by the worker
as well as on the level of his gross income. Net spendable earnings have,
therefore, been computed for 2 types of income-receivers: (1) A worker with
no dependents: (2) A worker with 3 dependents.
The computation of net spendable earnings for both the factory worker with
no dependents and the factory worker with 3 dependents are based upon the
Net spendable average weekly
earnings
Worker with
no dependents
Worker with
3 dependents
Index
Cur
Cur
1939
1939
Amount (1939 = rent dollars
rent
100) dollars
dollars dollars
1949: January__
F ebruary..
M arch.......
April..........
M ay....... .
June_____
July_____
August___
September.
October__
November..
December *.
$55. 50
55.20
54. 74
53.80
54.08
54.51
54.63
54.70
55. 72
55. 26
54. 43
56.18
$232.6
231.3
229.4
225.5
226.7
228.5
229.0
229.3
233.5
231. 6
228.1
235.5
$48.57
48.32
47.93
47.14
47.38
47.74
47.84
47.90
48. 75
48.37
47.67
49.13
$28.25
28.42
28.11
27.61
27.83
27.98
28.22
28. 21
28. 57
28.53
28.10
29.16
$54.31
54.06
53.67
52.88
53.12
53.48
53.58
53.64
54.50
54.11
53.41
54.88
$31.59
31.80
31.47
30.97
31.21
31.34
31.61
31.59
31.94
31.92
31. 49
32.57
1950: Jan u ary * ..
56.33
236.1
48.97
29.16
54.73
32.60
gross average weekly earnings for all production workers in manufacturing
industries without direct regard to marital status and family composition.
The primary value of the spendable series is that of measuring relative
changes in disposable earnings for 2 types of income-receivers. That series
does not, therefore, reflect actual differences in levels of earnings for workers
of varying age, occupation, skill, family composition, etc. See Note, table
0-4. Comparable data from January 1947 are available upon request to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
* Preliminary.
T able C-4: Average Hourly Earnings, Gross and Exclusive of Overtime, of Production Workers in
Manufacturing Industries 1
Durable
goods
Manufacturing
Excluding
overtime
Period
Gross
amount
$1. 237
1.350
$1.198
1.310
1949; January____
February__
M arch..........
A p ril..........
M a y ...........
June.............
1. 405
1.401
1.400
1.401
1.401
1.405
1.367
1.366
1.368
1.373
1.371
1.373
Excluding
overtime
Ex
clud
ing
over
time
Period
189.3 $1. 292 $1.250 $1.171
207.0 1.410 1.366 1.278
$1.133
1.241
1949: J u ly ............ .
August........
Septem ber..
October____
November__
December*_.
$1.408
1.399
1.407
1.392
1.392
1.408
$1,376
1.366
1.369
1.353
1.357
1.369
1950: January *__
1.419
1.381
216.0
215.8
216.1
216.9
216.6
216.9
Gross
1.467
1.466
1.464
1.467
1.467
1.475
1.427
1.428
1.430
1.437
1.437
1.443
1.327
1.323
1. 323
1.321
1.323
1.324
1.294
1.291
1.294
1.294
1.294
1.293
Durable
goods
Manufacturing
Ex
clud
ing Gross
over
time
Index
Am ount (1939=
100)
1947: Average........
1948: Average........
Nondurable
goods
Gross
am ount
Index
A m ount (1939=
100)
Gross
Nondurable
goods
Ex
clud
ing Gross
over
time
$217.4 $1,477 $1,447 $1,332
215.8 1.473 1.440 1.319
216.3 1.482 1.444 1.328
213.7 1.458 1.419 1.325
214.4 1.457 1.425 1.325
216.3 1.475 1.435 1.335
218.2
1.486
1.446
1.344
Ex
clud
ing
over
time
$1.298
1.286
1.290
1.287
1.289
1. 297
1.308
1 Overtime is defined as work in excess of 40 hours per week and paid for at
days. See Note, table 0-4. Comparable data from January 1947 are avail
time and one-half. The computation of average hourly earnings exclusive of
able upon request to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
overtime makes no allowance for special rates of pay for work done on holi’Preliminary.
N ote : Explanatory notes outlining briefly the concepts, methodology, size of the reporting sample, and
sources used in preparing the data presented in tables 0-1 through 0-4, are contained in the Bureau’s monthly
mimeographed release, “Hours and Earnings—Industry Report,” which is available upon request.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
472
D: PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
MONTHLY LABOR
D : Prices and Cost of Living
T able
D -l: Consumers' Price Index1 for Moderate-Income Families in Large Cities, by Group of
Commodities
[1935-39=100]
Fuel, electricity, and refrigeration >
Year and month
All items
Food
Apparel
Rent
Total
1913: Average______ . . .
1914: July_____________
Gas and
electricity
Other
fuels
Ice
Housefurnishings
Miscella
neous1
70.7
71.7
79.9
81.7
69.3
69.8
92.2
92.2
61.9
62.3
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)
59.1
60.8
50.9
52.0
December...............
June______ .
Average_____________
Average______ ________
118.0
149.4
122.5
97.6
149.6
185.0
132.5
86.5
147.9
209.7
115.3
90.8
97.1
119.1
141.4
116.9
90.4
104.8
112.5
103.4
m
(4)
m
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)
121.2
169.7
111.7
85.4
83.1
100.7
104.6
101.7
1939: Average.............................
August 15...........................
1940: Average_________
1941: Average__________
January 1__________
December 15......................
99.4
98.6
100.2
105.2
100.8
110.6
95.2
93.5
96.6
105.5
97.6
113.1
100.5
100.3
101.7
106.3
101.2
114.8
104.3
104.3
104.6
106.2
105.0
108.2
99.0
97.5
99.7
102.2
100.8
104.1
98.9
99.0
98.0
97.1
97.5
96.7
99.1
95.2
101.9
108.3
105.4
113.1
100.2
100.0
100.4
104.1
100.3
105.1
101.3
100.6
100.5
107.3
100.2
116.8
100.7
100.4
101.1
104.0
101.8
107.7
1942:
1943:
1944:
1945:
Average............................
A verage.........................
Average_______________
Average___________
August 15.........................
116.5
123.6
125.5
128.4
129.3
123.9
138.0
136.1
139.1
140.9
124.2
129.7
138.8
145.9
146.4
108.5
108.0
108.2
108.3
(!)
105.4
107.7
109.8
110.3
111.4
96.7
96.1
95.8
95.0
95.2
115.1
120.7
126.0
128.3
131.0
110.0
114.2
115.8
115.9
115.8
122.2
125.6
136.4
145.8
146.0
110.9
115.8
121.3
124.1
124.5
1946: Average.............................
June 15......... ......................
November 15.....................
139.3
133.3
152.2
159.6
145.6
187.7
160.2
157.2
171.0
108.6
108.5
(»)
112.4
110.5
114.8
92.4
92.1
91.8
136.9
133.0
142.6
115.9
115.1
117.9
159.2
156.1
171.0
128.8
127.9
132.5
1947: Average_____ _____
December 15......................
159.2
167.0
193.8
206.9
185.8
191.2
111.2
115.4
121.1
127.8
92.0
92.6
156.1
171.1
125.9
129.8
184.4
191.4
139.9
144.4
1948: Average________
December 15......................
171.2
171.4
210.2
205.0
198.0
200.4
117.4
119.5
133.9
137.8
94.3
95.3
183.4
191.3
135.2
138.4
195.8
198.6
149.9
154.0
1949: Average______
February 15.......................
March 15____ _____
April 15.............
M ay 15..... ......................
June 15.............. ......
July 15______________
August 15_____ ____ _
September 15.....................
October 15____________
November 15______
December 15...............
169.1
169.0
169.5
169.7
169.2
169.6
168.6
168.8
169.6
168.5
168.6
167.5
201.9
199.7
201.6
202.8
202.4
204.3
201.7
202.6
204.2
200.6
200.8
197.3
190.1
195.1
193.9
192.5
191.3
190.3
188.5
187.4
187.2
186.8
186.3
185.8
120.8
119.9
120.1
120.3
120.4
120.6
120.7
120.8
121.2
121.5
122.0
122.2
137.5
138.8
138.9
137.4
135.4
135.6
135.6
135.8
137.0
138.4
139.1
139.7
96.7
96.1
96.1
96.8
96.9
96.9
96.9
97.1
97.1
97.0
97.0
97.2
187.7
192.6
192.5
187.8
182.7
183.0
183.1
183.1
185.9
188.3
190.0
191.6
141.7
140.0
140.4
140.5
140.1
140.0
139.9
141.1
141.5
145.6
146.6
145.5
189.0
195.6
193.8
191.9
189.5
187.3
186.8
184.8
185.6
185.2
185.4
185.4
154.6
154.1
154.4
154.6
154.5
154.2
154.3
154.8
155.2
155.2
154.9
155.5
1950: January 15..........................
February 15.......................
166.9
166.5
196.0
194.8
185.0
184.8
122.6
122.8
140.0
140.3
96.7
97.1
193.1
193.2
145.5
145.5
184.7
185.3
155.1
155.1
1918:
1920:
1929:
1932:
1 The “ Consumers’ price index for moderate-income families in large cities,”
formerly known as the “ Cost of living index” measures average changes in
retail prices of selected goods, rents, and services weighted by quantities
bought in 1934-36 by families of wage earners and moderate-income workers
in large cities whose incomes averaged $1,524 in 1934-36.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin 699, Changes in Cost of Living in Large
Cities in the United States, 1913-41, contains detailed description of methods
used in constructing this index. Additional information on the consumers’
price index is given in a compilation of reports published by the Office of
Economic Stabilization, Report of the President’s Committee on the Cost
of Living.
Mimeographed tables are available upon request showing indexes for each
of the cities regularly surveyed by the Bureau and for each of the major
groups of living essentials. Indexes for all large cities combined are available
since 1913. The beginning date for series of indexes for individual cities
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
varies from city to city b ut indexes are available for most of the 34 cities since
World War I.
J The group index formerly entitled “ Fuel, electricity, and ice” is now des
ignated “ Fuel, electricity, and refrigeration”. Indexes are comparable with
those previously published for “ Fuel, electricity, and ice.” The subgroup
“ Other fuels and ice” has been discontinued; separate indexes are presented
for “ Other fuels” and "Ice.”
1 The miscellaneous group covers transportation (such as automobiles
and their upkeep and public transportation fares); medical care (including
professional care and medicines); household operation (covering supplies and
different kinds of paid services); recreation (that is, newspapers, motion
pictures and tobacco products); personal care (barber- and beauty-shop
service and toilet articles); etc.
1 Data not available.
» Rents not surveyed this month.
REVIEW , A PR IL 1950
D: PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
473
T able D-2: Consumers’ Price Index for Moderate-Income Families, by City,1 for Selected Periods
[1935-39=100]
City
Feb. 15, Jan. 15, Dec. 15, Nov.15, Oct. 15, Sept.15, Aug. 15, July 15, June 15, May 15, Apr. 15, Mar. 15, Feb 15, June 15, Aug. 15,
1950
1949 ' 1949
1949
1950
1949
1949
1949
1949
1949
1949
1949
1949
1946
1939
Average.................................
166.5
Atlanta, Ga_____________
Baltimore, M d___________
Birmingham, A l a . _____
Boston, Mass____________
Buffalo, N. Y__ _________
Chicago, 111. ________________
Cincinnati, Ohio______ _ .
Cleveland, Ohio........... ........
Denver, Colo____________
Detroit, Mich___ ________
Houston, Tex____________
168.3
(2)
166.4
160.7
(2)
172.0
167.2
168.7
(2)
168.1
172.0
166.9
(2)
(2)
166.9
161.5
164.8
172.3
167.7
(2)
164.5
168.5
172.8
Indianapolis, In d _________
Jacksonville, Fla_________
Kansas City, M o .. ______
Los Angeles, Calif. ______
Manchester, N. H .. _____
Memphis, T enn_________
Milwaukee, Wis_________
Minneapolis, M inn_______
Mobile, A la... __________
New Orleans, La_________
New York, N. Y _________
166.1
(2)
(2)
167.6
(2)
170.6
163.7
163.7
Norfolk, Va....... ....................
Philadelphia, P a___ ______
Pittsburgh, Pa___________
Portland, Maine_________
Portland, Oreg___________
Richmond, Va___________
8t. Louis, Mo___ ______
San Francisco, C a lif _____
Savannah, Ga __________
Scranton, P a.........................
Seattle, Wash____________
Washington, D. 0 ................
167.1
165.1
169.5
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
163. 7
171.6
163.6
165.9
169.9
(2)
173.8
161.8
(2)
(2)
169.1
(2)
(2)
0)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
170.6
(2)
160.6
166.9
167.1
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
167.5
168.6
(2)
170.9
168.4
162.7
(2)
173.2
167.8
(2)
170.5
(2)
170.5
164.0
(2)
175.3
168.3
170.3
(2)
169.1
173.2
(2)
175.5
(2)
165.4
(2)
170.8
(2)
167.4
167.4
(2)
169.8
173.3
168.5
(2)
(2)
170.3
164.1
167.4
174.4
168.7
(2)
164.6
168.7
172.0
( 2)
172.1
(2)
161.1
166.5
169.3
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
166.6
(2)
(2)
168.4
(2)
( 2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
173.3
165.8
165.9
(2)
168.2
168.6
171.3
(2)
C2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
166.3
171.6
166.2
168.9
171.1
(2)
173.6
164.9
(2)
(2)
173.4
(2)
(2)
(2)
164.9
167.3
170.3
162.8
(2)
(2)
167.8
171.5
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
169.6
168.8
(2)
172.3
(2)
171.1
163.8
(2)
174.4
168.8
171.6
174.0
171.8
165.4
(2)
175.8
170.8
(2)
(2)
170.4
171.4
(2)
176.5
(2)
167.1
(2)
172.7
(2)
168.3
169.2
(2)
(2)
(2)
166.8
(2)
(2)
166.9
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
171.0
162.6
169.4
173.9
168.7
(2)
167.8
170.4
170.4
171.0
(2)
162.1
167.2
170.0
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
173.8
166.8
167.1
(2)
170.2
168.7
172.4
(2)
(J)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
169.5
170.8
166.0
167.5
171.9
O)
2175.1
164.4
(2)
(2)
173.3
(2)
(2)
(3)
167.5
169.6
172.3
164.9
(2)
(2)
168.9
173.0
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
1 The indexes are based on time-to-time changes in the cost of goods and
services purchased by moderate-income families in large cities. They do not
indicate whether it costs more to live in one city than in another.
2 Through June 1947, consumers’ price indexes were computed monthly for
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
(2)
169.9
170.4
168.5
(5)
169.6
(2)
174.2
172.1
163.3
(2)
175.9
170.5
(2)
(2)
169.2
170.5
(2)
171.4
162.2
(2)
174.2
169.1
171.5
169.7
(2)
(2)
171.6
162.4
168.3
175.0
170.7
(B
171.6
170.6
(2)
169.9
171.1
171.0
(»)
(2)
171.9
(2)
(2)
(2)
172.0
170.5
174.9
168.7
(2)
173.5
(2)
169.1
170.3
169.6
(2)
(2)
169.3
(2)
(2)
(2)
163.3
171.2
170.6
(2)
(2)
(2)
(J)
(2)
(2)
172.5
166.8
168.1
(2)
170.3
169.9
172.9
(2)
<2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
168.4
172.5
165.3
169.0
173.0
(3)
177.6
164.2
«
(2)
174. 9
(2)
(2)
(2)
167.0
169.2
173.1
165.8
(2)
(2)
169.8
173.7
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
169.5
169.0
133.3
98.6
170.1
(2)
171.7
161.4
(2)
172.9
169.7
172.5
170.7
170.2
133.8
135.6
136.5
127.9
132.6
130.9
132.2
135.7
131.7
136.4
130.5
98.0
98.7
98.5
97.1
98.5
98.7
97.3
100.0
98.6
98.5
100.7
(2)
(2)
174 3
(2)
(2)
(2)
171.0 * 171.3
(2)
(2)
173.3
(2)
168.7
(2)
169.3
(2)
171.1
(2>
173.2
(2)
167.4
166.8
131.9
138.4
129.4
136.1
134.7
134.5
131.2
129.4
132.9
138.0
135.8
98.0
98.5
98.6
100.5
97.8
97.8
97.0
99.7
98.6
99.7
99.0
170.6
168.5
172.1
(5)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
166.8
174.3
164.1
135.2
132.5
134.7
128.7
140.3
128.2
131.2
137.8
140.6
132.2
137.0
133.8
97.8
97.8
98.4
97.1
100.1
98.0
98.1
99.3
99.3
96.0
100.3
98.6
(2)
173.9
171.8
162.5
(2)
174.5
170.7
(? )
(2)
170.8
170.2
(2)
169.0
172.7
165 0
(2)
(2)
169.0
174.6
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
21 cities and in March, June, September, and December for 13 additional
cities; beginning July 1947 indexes were computed monthly for 10 cities and
once every 3 months for 24 additional cities according to a staggered schedule.
2 Corrected.
474
D: PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
MONTHLY LABOR
T able D -3: Consumers’ Price Index for Moderate-Income Families, by City and Group of
Commodities 1
[1935-39=100]
Fuel, electricity, and refrigeration
Food
Apparel
Rent
Total
City
Feb. 15 Jan. 15
1950
1950
Feb. 15 J a n .15
1950
1950
Feb. 15 Jan. 15
1950
1950
Housefurnishings
Miscellaneous
Feb. 15 Jan, 15
1950
1950
Feb. 15 J a n .15
1950
1950
Gas and electricity
Feb. 15 J a n .15
1950
1950
Feb. 15
1950
Jan. 15
1950
Average.........................
194.8
196.0
184.8
185.0
122.8
122.6
140.3
140.0
97.1
96.7
185.3
184.7
155.1
155.1
Atlanta, G a._..............
Baltimore, M d.............
Birmingham, Ala____
Boston, Mass_______
Buffalo, N. Y ...............
Chicago, 111..................
Cincinnati, Ohio.........
Cleveland, Ohio_____
Denver, Colo................
Detroit, M ich........... .
Houston, Tex_______
190.0
205.0
184.5
184.8
189.6
198.6
196.8
201.8
196.2
190.4
205.6
192.5
206.6
186.4
186.6
189.8
199.9
197.4
202.6
196.8
191.8
207.7
191.9
(>)
194.8
174.4
(')
189.5
183.5
183.4
(')
180.8
195.6
(')
(0
194.8
174.9
179.8
190.0
185.1
(')
181.3
181.3
196.7
127.1
(2)
143.7
118.5
(2)
142.1
115.8
128.6
(2)
129.9
142.9
(2)
(2)
143.1
118.2
125.1
141.7
115.7
(2)
126.0
129.8
142.0
155.3
151.7
135.5
153.6
146.5
135.1
150.4
148.5
112.2
150.3
98.9
155.4
151.5
135.5
155.1
146.5
134.3
149.5
148.2
112.2
149.4
98.9
83.4
128.8
79.6
117.6
110.0
83.5
101.9
105.6
69.2
89.9
82.4
83.4
128.3
79.6
117.6
110.0
83.5
101.9
105.6
69.2
89.7
82.3
186.5
(0
179.7
177.8
0)
169.6
175.7
168.4
(')
195.9
185.5
(')
0)
177.8
177.7
183.0
169.4
177.1
(i)
205.3
195.5
186.3
159.7
0)
149.9
153.4
(!)
159.0
154.8
151.4
0)
166.3
157.5
Indianapolis, Ind____
Jacksonville, Fla_____
Kansas City, M o........
Los Angeles, Calif___
Manchester, N. H .......
Memphis, Tenn_____
Milwaukee, W i s ..___
Minneapolis, M inn__
Mobile, Ala________
New Orleans, La____
New York, N. Y .........
191.2
198.7
182.7
198.3
189.9
202.2
196.6
188.3
194.8
206.9
195.3
192.3
200.7
183.6
201.4
191.6
203.1
196.3
189.1
196.4
209.6
195.9
0)
(•)
(0
181.7
(>)
0)
185.4
0)
0)
198.8
182.5
181.9
(>)
178.2
180.7
176.2
0)
(>)
(0
0)
(')
182.4
(2)
(2)
(2)
127.8
(2)
(2)
134.0
(2)
(2)
115.5
108.9
133.0
(2)
126.9
127.0
115.2
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
108.9
164.4
149.2
126.8
100.2
152.3
140.3
145.5
142.2
129.2
113.1
139.6
162.8
148.2
126.2
95.1
154.8
140.3
145.4
141.6
129.1
113.1
139.7
86.6
100.5
66.8
95.5
96.8
77.0
99.6
79.6
84.3
75.1
102.0
86.6
100.5
67.0
89.3
97.9
77.0
99.6
79.6
84.0
75.1
102.0
(0
(*)
(i)
184.6
(l)
(')
185.8
(')
(')
190.4
174.2
174.4
(i)
176.1
183.6
192.8
«
0(0)
(i)
(i)
172.5
(i)
(‘)
(i)
153.6
(i)
(0
146.9
(i)
(>)
145.1
158.8
161.9
(l)
155.0
154.4
149.1
0
)
(l)
(l)
(l)
Norfolk, Va_____ .
Philadelphia, P a ...
Pittsburgh, P a______
Portland, Maine_____
Portland, Oreg..........
Richmond, Va_______
St. Louis, M o_______
San Francisco, C alif...
Savannah, Ga_______
Scranton, P a________
Seattle, Wash_______
Washington, D. C___
195.0
189.5
198.8
186.7
211.8
188.5
202.9
212.2
197.1
191.0
205.6
193.6
194.8
191.3
199.7
187.3
210.4
188.3
204.6
214.3
197.0
192.4
205.8
194.4
179.0
181.2
214.8
(>)
0)
(')
182.4
214.8
116.5
121.6
121.8
(2)
121.5
121.8
159. 5
143.9
138.2
149.8
132.3
149.7
140.1
84.5
152.2
147.1
128.3
143.0
157.8
143.8
138.2
151.4
131.8
149.6
140.0
84.5
152.2
147.1
128.3
143.0
106.4
104.2
103.4
105.7
92.9
109.4
88.4
74.4
108.6
98.3
91.7
104.3
102.6
104.2
103.4
105.8
92.0
109.4
88.4
74.4
108.6
98.3
91.7
104.3
184.5
189.8
188.3
(')
189.1
188.0
154.5
152.2
149.6
(i)
152.4
149.9
«
0)
(i)
( ')
194.4
182.5
210.2
(0
183.8
185.0
(> )
( ')
184.6
0)
0)
0)
( 2)
( 2)
( 2)
( 2)
( 2)
( 2)
112.3
126.2
106.6
( 2)
128.9
115.1
( 2)
( 2)
118.5
( 2)
(2)
(2)
1 Prices of apparel, housefumishings, and miscellaneous goods and services
are obtained monthly in 10 cities and once every 3 months in 24 additional
cities according to a staggered schedule.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
(!)
(0
C1)
(0
(0
(> )
167.7
187.2
196.8
0)
178.3
195.3
(*)
0)
192.2
0)
0)
(0
(J )
(>)
150.0
153.3
157.1
159. 0
154.8
(l)
149.9
166.3
157.6
0)
157.9
0)
( ')
(• )
( ’)
(> )
(0
(i)
(0
143.8
161.8
156.9
159.9
145.7
0158.5
)
0)
(■)
(>)
* Rents are surveyed every 3 months in 34 large cities according to a staggered schedule,
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
D: PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
475
T able D-4: Indexes of Retail Prices of Foods,1 by Group, for Selected Periods
[1935-39=100]
Year and month
Cere
als Meats,
All
and poul
foods bakery try,
prod and Total
fish
ucts
1923:
1926:
1929:
1932:
1939:
Meats
Beef
and
veal
Pork
Fruits and vegetables
Lamb
Chick Fish
ens
Dairy
prod
ucts
Eggs
Total Fresh
Can Dried
ned
136.1
141.7
143.8
82.3
91.0
90.7
93.8
169.5
210. 8
169 0
103.5
94.5
92.4
96.5
173.6
226 2
173 5
105 9
95.1
92.8
97.3
124 8
122 9
124 3
91 1
92.3
91.6
92.4
175 4
152 4
171 0
91 2
93.3
90.3
100.6
Bever Fats
and
ages
oils
Sugar
and
sweets
131 5
170 4
164 8
112 6
95.5
94.9
92.5
126 2
145 0
127 2
71 1
87.7
84.5
82.2
176 4
120 0
Average_____ 124.0
Average_____ 137.4
A verage____ 132.6
Average_____ 86.5
Average......... 95.2
August______ 93.6
1940: Average........... 96.6
105.5
115.7
107.6
82.6
94.6
93 4
96.8
101.2
117.8
127.1
79.3
96.6
95.7
95.8
96.6
95.4
94.4
101.1
99 6
102.8
88.9
88.0
81.1
99.5
98.8
99.7
93.8
94.6
94.8
101.0
99.6
110.6
129.4
127.4
131.0
84.9
95.9
93.1
101.4
1941: Average.........
December___
Average_____
Average...........
Average........ .
Average........ .
A u gu st..........
105.6
113.1
123.9
138.0
136.1
139.1
140.9
97.1
102.5
105.1
107.6
108.4
109.0
109.1
107.5
111. 1
126.0
133.8
129 9
131.2
131.8
106.5
109.7
122.5
124.2
117.9
118.0
118.1
110.8
114.4
123.6
124.7
118.7
118.4
118.5
100.1
103.2
120.4
119.9
112.2
112.6
112.6
106.6
108.1
124.1
136 9
134.5
136.0
136.4
102.1
100.5
122.6
146.1
151.0
154.4
157.3
124.5
138.9
163.0
206.5
207.6
217.1
217.8
112.0
120.5
125.4
134.6
133.6
133.9
133.4
112.2
138.1
136.5
161.9
153.9
164.4
171.4
103.2
110.5
130.8
168.8
168.2
177.1
183.5
104.2
111.0
132.8
178.0
177.2
188.2
196.2
97.9
106.3
121.6
130.6
129.5
130.2
130.3
106.7
118.3
136.3
158.9
164.5
168.2
168.6
101.5
114.1
122.1
124.8
124.3
124.7
124.7
94.0
108.5
119.6
126.1
123.3
124.0
124.0
106.4
114.4
126.5
127.1
126.5
126.5
126.6
1946: Average........... 159.6
Ju n e________ 145.6
November___ 187.7
125.0
122.1
140.6
161.3
134.0
203.6
150.8
120.4
197.9
150.5
121.2
191.0
148.2
114.3
207.1
163.9
139.0
205.4
174.0
162.8
188.9
236.2
219.7
265.0
165.1
147.8
198.5
168.8
147.1
201.6
182.4
183.5
184.5
190.7
196.7
182.3
140.8
127.5
167.7
190.4
172.5
251.6
139.6
125.4
167.8
152.1
126.4
244.4
143.9
136.2
170.5
180.0
1942:
1943:
1944:
1945:
RQ 6
m e
95.6
96.8
1947: A verage____
193.8
155.4
217.1
214.7
213.6
215.9
220.1
183.2
271.4
186.2
200.8
199.4
201.5
166.2
263.5
186.8
197.5
1948: Average_____
210.2
170.9
246.5
243.9
258.5
222.5
246.8
203.2
312.8
204.8
208.7
205.2
212.4
158.0
246.8
205.0
195.5
174.0
1949: Average_____
February____
M arch........
April_______
M ay________
June ______
July________
August______
September___
October_____
November___
December___
201.9
199.7
201.6
202.8
202.4
204.3
201.7
202.6
204.2
200.6
200.8
197.3
169.7
170. 0
170.1
170.3
170.1
169.7
169.5
169 4
169. 7
169.1
169. 2
169.2
233.4
221.4
229.6
234. 4
232.3
240.6
236.0
239.5
243. 6
235.1
229 1
223.2
229.3
212.3
222.5
228.5
228.0
239.3
234.4
237.3
242.0
233.1
226.4
220.0
241.3
220.5
230.3
233.3
235.2
247.8
245.3
246.3
249 9
248.2
248.5
245.2
205.9
196.3
206.4
209.5
203.9
216.0
209.8
221.9
227.6
207.7
189 7
178.3
251.7
228.4
240.7
271.0
275.5
278.4
265.5
247.8
254.7
246.1
242.0
236.1
191.5
199.0
198.9
201.2
190.5
184.4
182.8
191.5
192.5
184.6
184.5
179.5
314.1
327.2
325.9
321.3
315.4
312.6
307.7
308.9
311.9
306.8
300.6
299.0
186.7
192.5
190.3
184.9
182.6
182.0
182.2
184.9
185. 3
186.7
186.4
186.2
201.2
179.6
180.1
183.8
190.9
198.0
204.1
222.2
232.6
227.8
207.8
178.0
208.1
213.7
214.5
218.6
220.7
217.9
210.2
201.9
199.8
194.5
202.0
198.2
218.8
224.9
226.0
231.5
234.6
231.1
221.2
211.4
209.0
202.3
212 7
208.0
152.9
158.6
158.0
157.1
156.3
155.3
154. 2
149.7
148.0
147.0
146.2
145.1
227.4
224.6
227.9
228.3
227.5
227.3
228.1
229.6
230.1
228.5
224. 7
224.3
220.7
209.0
208.5
208.2
207.2
207.6
208.2
208.8
211.0
213.8
265.3
292.5
148.4
159.8
155.1
149.8
144.4
142.9
141.0
144.0
148.3
144.5
139. 7
136.7
176.4
174.3
175.6
176.2
176.1
176.5
176.2
176.5
176.8
177.5
178.9
178.8
1950: January_____
February____
196.0
194.8
169.0
169.0
219.4
221.6
217.9
220.5
242.3
241.9
177. 3
184.0
234.3
238.6
158.9
165.1
301.9
293.7
184.2
183.6
152.3
141.1
204.8
199.1
217.2
210.0
143.3
142.6
223.9
222.4
299.5
304.5
135.2
133.5
178.9
178.0
1 The Bureau of Labor Statistics retail food prices are obtained monthly
during the first three days of the week containing the fifteenth of the month,
through voluntary reports from chain and independent retail food dealers.
Articles included are selected to represent food sales to moderate-income
families.
The indexes, based on the retail prices of 50 foods, are computed by the
fixed-base-weighted-aggregate method, using weights representing (1) rela
tive importance of chain and independent store sales, in computing city aver
age prices; (2) food purchases by families of wage earners and moderate-
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
income workers, in computing city indexes; and (3) population weights, in
combining city aggregates in order to derive average prices and indexes for all
cities combined.
Indexes of retail food prices in 56 large cities combined, by commodity
groups, for the years 1923 through 1948 (1935-39=100), may be found in Bulle
tin No. 965, “ Retail Prices of Food, 1948,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, TJ. 8.
Department of Labor, table 3, p. 7. Mimeographed tables of the same
data, by months, January 1935 to date, are available upon request.
m
MONTHLY LABOR
D: PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
T able D-5: Indexes of Retail Prices of Foods, by City
[1935-39=100]
N ov.
1949
Sept.
1949
Aug.
1949
200.8 200.6
204.2
202.6
197.7
211.9
197.2
193. 2
200.3
199.9
211.5
197.2
193.7
198.2
206.9
216.4
201.9
197.1
204.8
203.9
215.4
199.8
194.6
195.1
198.2
201.4
205.2
193.0
City
Feb.
1950
Jan.
1950
Dec.
1949
United States . ---------------
194.8
196.0
197.3
190.0
205.0
184. 5
184.8
192.5
192.5
206.6
186.4
186.6
195.5
194.7
208.1
190.5
189.5
197.0
189.6
194.8
183.3
198.6
189.8
194.1
200.3
185.3
199.9
189.3
194.1
200.3
187.9
193.2
199.8
203.4
189.2
208.3
196.8
197.4
Atlanta, Ga ____________
Baltimore, M d ___________
Birmingham, Ala__ _______
Boston, Mass _ _________
Bridgeport, Conn-------------Buffalo, N . Y ______ ______
Butte, Mont_ - __________
Cedar Rapids Towa 1
Charleston, S. O__________
Chicago, 111-----------------------
201 0
202.2
Oct.
1949
200.2
201.2
190.5
206.5
212.1
211.1
201.1
June
1949
M ay
1949
201.7
204.3
202.4
202.8 201.6
199.7
145.6
93.5
198.3
211.5
198.6
194.2
200.3
200.5
216.2
201.4
195.9
205.0
197.0
213.0
198.5
192.4
201.7
197.5
212.4
198.3
191.3
198.8
198.3
212.9
197.4
190.9
197.9
194.7
210.3
195.8
187.8
194.9
141.0
152.4
147.7
138.0
139.1
92.5
94.7
90.7
93.5
93.2
198.9
94.5
94.1
July
1949
199.5
200.2
200.8 202.1
Mar.
1949
Feb.
1949
June
1946
Aug.
1939
203.9
193.9
209.2
205.1
190.3
207.4
211.2
195.4
211.6
208.1
191.3
207.0
195.5
204.6
209.0
195.2
208.5
195.0
201.3
207.8
193.8
205.9
191.4
201.5
206.8
190.8
202.7
140.2
139.7
148.2
140.8
142.8
201.6
204.2
203.2
209.2
185.6
204.4
208.1
201.9
210.2
184.3
202.0
141.4
149.3
136.4
142.4
145.3
90.4
93.6
207.0
199.7
207.2
182.3
200.7
204.5
197.0
199.4
195.1
199.6
209.6
197.9
203.7
194.5
195.3
208.0
195.5
205.4
145.4
138.1
144.0
141.5
150.6
90.6
95.4
97.8
90.7
199.6
206.7
202.6
187.9
207.0
200.5
208.9
182.9
204.8
204.5
211.2
200.2
210.4
186.2
205.3
199.1
185.4
204.9
208.2
200.3
208.1
184.3
204.4
206.6
197.4
197.2
197.9
201.5
200.0
95.1
92.3
Cincinnati, O h io ________
Cleveland, Ohio.- _______
Columbus, Ohio__________
Dallas, Tex ______________
Denver, C olo.........................
201.8 202.6
177.7
197.6
196.2
177.2
198.4
196.8
197.3
203.2
179.3
.9
196.2
201
198.7
206.0
180.8
205.0
200.2
199.7
209.2
183.6
204.8
196.0
Detroit, M ich . _ _________
Fall River, M ass__ ______
Houston, Tex ___________
Indianapolis, Ind_________
Miss.l
190.4
190. 7
205.6
191.2
196.1
191.8
191.9
207.7
192.3
199. 9
193.4
193.8
210.5
194.5
204.5
195.5
198.1
212.7
196.9
206.5
192.4
198.7
212.4
198.9
204.4
200.5
206.0
199.3
205.5
195.7
207.8
200.5
205.5
197.0
211.3
197.3
204.7
198.7
200.7
183.6
216 7
196.4
201.4
202.8
184.5
220.0
206.9
186.9
223.3
198.8
200.5
205.9
186.0
223.6
198.2
208.5
190.7
227.3
201.4
206.0
187.2
226.5
208.3
190.5
226.0
204.2
206.6
205.6
189.0
223.2
201.9
208.7
206.6
189.8
220.5
201.2
189.2
222.1 221.3
201.2 198.0 197.2
212.1 211.2 210.8
150.8
134.8
165.6
139.1
154.8
95.8
91.5
201.7
207.0
188.5
222.3
196.8
202.3
189.7
197.2
209.7
199.4
191.1
194.3
203.3
213.0
203.7
192.8
202.1 200.3
214.3
217.1
200.0 201.6
192.4
189.4
190.1
190.6
194.1
205.2
215.3
205.6
194.3
189.4
199.4
215.6
204.9
193.5
187.6
199.7
214.9
205.8
193.1
187.7
199.3
211.9
203.2
192.4
212.2
200.8
135.6
144.4
153.6
144.3
137.5
92.1
94.9
89.7
91.1
95.0
207.0
206.6
198.5
194.2
214.4
204.1
205.8
198.5
194.7
214.0
204.1
207.9
199.6
198.5
215.2
203.4
204.6
198.5
194.3
203.9
199.7
194.3
212.4
203.7
206.9
197.6
193.6
207.4
196.3
190.9
149.8
147.9
140.4
157.6
149.2
95.5
95.6
93.7
97.6
95.8
206.1
196.4
214.9
198.3
207.9
196.2
214.6
195.2
205.3
218.9
198.7
208.8
201.1
204.9
196.9
212.4
198.1
208.0
146.0
139.5
151.3
143.5
147.1
93.6
92.3
93.4
93.0
92.5
211.1 211.6
194.7
213.6
209.7
195.8
197.5
197.2
219.4
208.9
197.5
199.3
191.1
218.8
206.5
195.0
198.3
190.0
221.6
191.5
222.5
206.4
197.1
193.3
189.7
220.4
202.9
193.5
192.1
138.4
158.4
144.9
138.4
142.5
95.9
96.1
93.7
92.2
92.3
211.6 210.6
188.8
190.3
201.0
203.1
206.8
189.1
204.9
212.8
207.8
191.6
206.6
215.3
213.2
207.5
191.0
206.6
207.6
190.4
207.3
216.3
212.4
207.1
188.9
207.4
219.3
208.5
147.4
137.3
151.7
155.5
158.5
93.8
94.3
94.6
93.8
96.7
196.0
213.6
206.0
195.2
213.0
195.6
144.0
151.6
150.1
145.5
154.4
145.3
92.1
94.5
94.1
Jacksonville, F la__________
Kansas City, M o - - __ _
Little Rock, Ark ___
Los Angeles, Calif-------------
2182.7
10 1
194.5
198.3
197.0
197.2
205.4
Apr.
1949
201.2 199.3 201.1
201.7
212.2 211.6 211.0 211.8
200.6 202.8
201.6
Louisville, Ky-_ _________
Manchester, N . H _______
Memphis, T e n n ________
Milwaukee, W is ______
Minneapolis, M in n -----------
202.2
185.0
192.9
206.9
196.1
188.7
188.3
195.5
196.6
188.3
183.7
191.6
203.1
196.3
189.1
Mobile, Ala _______
Newark, N . J- _______ _
New Haven, Conn_______
New Orleans, L a__________
New York, N . Y ---------------
194.8
190.3
189.6
206.9
195.3
196.4
192.4
190.6
209.6
195.9
201.3
196.1
193.1
211.7
198.8
203.6
198.6
2198. 4
213.2
201.5
204.8
198.2
197.9
210.0
201.0
198.3
215.5
205.8
Norfolk, V a___________ _
Omaha, Nebr_____________
Peoria, 111__ __________ _
Philadelphia, P a__________
Pittsburgh, P a------------------
195.0
188.9
206.9
189. 5
198.8
194.8
189.8
205.9
191.3
199.7
198.0
190.9
206.5
193.5
200.8
194. 7
210.0
200.8
196.8
205.4
203.5
195.7
211.9
197.9
204.8
208.9
197.9
214.4
199.9
208.0
Portland, M aine__________
Portland, Oreg____________
Providence, R . I — _____
Richmond, Va- _________
Rochester, N. Y ....................
211.8
186.7
187.3
210.4
198.3
188.3
190.7
187.2
206.3
201.3
191.3
192.0
188.4
207.8
205. 2
195.0
193.5
189.7
209.7
207.0
197.4
193.7
193.8
194.8
210.9
202.4
198.1
209.0
200.7
198.6
St. Louis, M o_________ ___
St. Paul, M inn. _________
Salt Lake City, U tah______
San Francisco, Calif _____
Savannah, Ga-------------------
202.9
186.8
199.4
206.2
186.0
196.6
208.6
187.9
207.5
187.5
197.1
204.6
186.4
198.7
214.3
197.0
210.1
201.8
212.9
207.1
208.2
213.7
218.3
209.9
212.5
212.6
210.2
Scranton, P a______________
Seattle, W ash_____________
Springfield, 111___ _______
Washington, D. C_..............
191.0
205.6
201.4
193.6
205.1
188.6
192.4
205.8
200.9
194.4
205.9
191.0
193.2
203.1
198.1
207.4
200.9
205.0
208.3
208.0
206.1
205.5
202.7
205.8
208.4
200.4
210.7
198.9
Wichita, KansJ
Winston-Salem, N. O . L __
183.1
189.9
197.4
188.5
190.0
212.2
210.2
199.3
192.0
202.0 202.6
213.1
201.2
204.7
210.1
209.6
201.6 204.4
202.6 200.1 203.8 203.5
196.1
210.9
211.2 211.8 211.9
207.8
197.8
197.5
200.6 200.6
196.3
l June 1940=100.
>Estimated index based on half the usual sample of reports. Remaining
reports lost in the mails. Index for December 15, refleets the correct level of
food prices for New Haven.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
202.0
206.9
192.3
207.5
215.5
217.1
210.1
202.2
212.6
196.7
203.1
206.0
189.8
189.2
196.4
190.1
211.0 210.2
202.4
200.0
205.2
203.5
202.0
196.4
196.5
195.7
211.1 210.8 207.9
197.9
196.7
195.0
206.1
202.2
204.6
206.8
195.5
194.3
222.1
212.2
204.1
202.6 202.2 201.1
208.5
209.3
212.8 213.5
207.8
214.0
208.0
207.5
202.2 201.2 200.1 198.8
216.4
214.0
215.3
215.1
200.6 197.8 198.3 197.8
88.1
91.7
92.7
94.0
94.6
94.1
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
D: PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
477
T able D-6: Average Retail Prices and Indexes of Selected Foods
AverCommodity
price
Feb.
1950
C ereals and bakery products
Cereals:
Cents
Flour, wheat............. ...5 pounds.. 48.4
Corn flakes_______ ...11 ounces.. 16.7
Corn meal................. .........pound..
8.4
R ice»— ..................... .............do----- 16.4
Rolled oats •............. ...20 ounces.. 16.1
Bakery products:
Bread, w h ite.-......... ....... .pound.. 14.0
Vanilla cookies........ ______ do___ 44.4
Meats, poultry, and fish:
Meats:
Beef:
Round steak___ .............do___ 84.2
Rib roast............ ............ do___ 68.2
Chuck roast....... ............ do___ 55.1
Hamburger »___ ............do___ 50.9
Veal:
Cutlets................ ............ do___ 104.3
Pork:
Chops................. .............do___ 66.4
Bacon, sliced___ ..........._do___ 58.9
Ham, whole....... ______ do___ 57.4
Salt pork........... ............ do___ 31.3
Leg...................... .............do___
Poultry. ____________ ______ do___
Frying chickens: *
New York dressed •____do___
Dressed and drawn 7___ do___
Fish:
Fish (fresh, frozen)8. ______ do___
Salmon, pink 8_____ 16-ounce can..
Dairy products:
B u tte r............................. ......... pound..
Cheese_______________ ..........._do___
Milk, fresh (delivered).. ........... quart..
Milk, fresh (grocery)___ ............ do___
Milk, evaporated____ 14^-ounce can..
Eggs: Eggs, fresh.................. ......... .dozen..
Fruits and vegetables:
Fresh fruits:
Apples....................... ____ pound..
Bananas__________ ______ do___
Oranges, size 200___ _____ dozen..
Fresh vegetables:
Beans, green............. ......... pound..
Cabbage-................—............ do___
Carrots...................... ____ bunch..
Lettuce__________ ....... .head..
Onions....................... ____ pound..
Potatoes__________ -.15 pounds..
Spinach................ . -------pound..
Sweetpotatoes_____ ............ do___
Tomatoes 11_______ ....... ...d o ___
Canned fruits:
Peaches..................... .No. 2H can..
Pineapple.................. ............ do___
Canned vegetables:
Corn.......................... ...N o . 2 can..
Peas........................... .............do___
Tom atoes.................. ............ do___
Dried fruits: Prunes___ ____ pound..
Dried vegetables: r^avy beans..do___
Beverages: Coffee.............. . --------- do___
Fats and oils:
L ard.................. ............. - --------- do___
Hydrogenated veg. shortening ».do___
Salad dressing.................. ............ p in t..
Margarine_______ _____ ......... pound..
Sugar and sweets:
Sugar................................ __ 5 pounds..
68.7
Indexes 1935-39=100
Feb.
1950
Jan.
1950
Dec.
1949
Nov.
1949
Oct.
1949
Sept.
1949
Aug.
1949
July
1949
June
1949
May
1949
Apr.
1949
Mar.
1949
Feb.
1949
187.7
177.3
175.8
92.4
146.2
187.3
177.8
177.7
92.2
146.4
186.6
177.9
178.2
93.5
146.7
186.3
177.7
178.2
94.1
147.4
184.8
177.3
179.8
98.4
148.0
184.2
177.8
182.2
103.3
148.1
183.6
178.0
182.4
106.1
148.4
183.9
179.0
181.7
104.9
149.0
184.9
178.7
181.7
104.6
149.2
186.3
178.6
184.6
106.6
149.3
186.0
178.2
184.7
107.5
150.0
186.3
178.0
185.1
107.3
151.8
186. 4
177.8
186.4
107.4
152.2
82.1
92.7
90.7
0
0
163.9
190.0
163.8
189.9
164.0
190.6
164.1
190.4
164.1
190.1
164.2
193.2
164.1
191.3
164.2
190.8
164.3
190.9
163.8
194.0
164.0
194.5
163.5
194.4
163.3
194.3
93.2
0
249.2
237.0
245.7
164.6
252.1
238.5
245.1
164.6
257.5
242.1
254.5
165.7
262.2
244.2
260.3
166.8
260.8
243.7
261.3
166.8
269.2
241.7
253.8
168.0
264.7
237.8
248.1
167.2
263.1
237.0
249.6
167.2
264.6
239.6
252.0
168.4
246.8
228.2
236.6
162.7
240.7
226.5
237.3
161.8
234.5
224.1
235.0
161.9
218.5
213.8
224.3
156.8
102.7
97.4
97.1
0
261.4
255.8
248.3
250.8
252.1
254.6
252.6
249.7
254.7
248.1
251.5
250.0
251.9
101.1
201.4
154.6
195.2
149.9
186.9
154.7
192.5
153.2
182.7
160.8
194.2
169.0
201.6
170.7
195.1
181.8
228.3 264.0
183. 9 177.6
208.5 233.0
176.1 171.3
253.6
173.5
232.7
169.5
234.6
169.4
222.5
163.1
252.4
168.4
218.6
161.9
229.5
166.9
211.3
161.4
229.6
176.8
221.2
167.5
223.5
178.8
217.2
169.7
201.6
179.5
213.3
171.1
90.8
80.9
92.7
69.0
242.4
165.1
238.1
158.9
239.9
179.5
245.8
184.5
250.1
184.6
251.7
191.5
269.7
182.8
282.8
184.4
279.8
190.5
275.3
201.2
244.5
198.9
232.1
199.0
0
0
0
0
95.7
94.6
(4)
0
878100— BO— —8
258.7
192.5
41.5
54.0
0
45.3
265.1
345.6
272.2
355.9
267.1
359.8
266.4
367.9
268.4
385.7
260.1
428.8
254.4
434.1
251.1
439.0
252.2
454.4
254.5
458.4
261.4
400.7
266.8
462.7
267.2
466.3
98.8
97.4
73.3
52.1
20.5
19.1
12.5
48.8
201.5
230.7
166.9
169.7
174.8
141.1
201.8
231.1
167.9
170.2
175.1
152.3
201.9
232.2
171.1
173.4
175.7
178.0
201.3
232.4
171.3
174.2
178.1
207.8
200.4
232.2
172.3
175.6
176. 3
227.8
200.1
230.2
169.8
174.1
177.3
232.6
198.5
228.6
169.8
174.6
177.5
222.2
192.9
225.8
168.4
172.2
179.2
204.1
193.2
226.4
167.9
171.6
180.5
198.0
194.6
226.5
168.4
171.6
181.9
190.9
197.0
227.5
170.1
174.4
186.5
183.8
201.8
230.9
176.2
179.8
192.5
180.1
203.6
234.0
177.5
182.4
200.2
179.6
84.0
92.3
97.1
96.3
93.9
90.7
9.8
16.8
49.9
187.7
278.3
176.3
178.6
273.1
156.5
174.9
273.9
146.8
165.8
277.9
167.3
165.0
273.9
195.3
184.7
271.4
183.4
192.1
275.0
200.1
248.1
280.7
215.5
309.9
284.3
209.0
311.4
274.1
194.2
306.2
272.8
173.2
289.8
275.2
175.8
275.5
272.7
165.7
81.6
97.3
96.9
23.9
6.4
9.9
14.1
7.6
70.6
(10)
10.7
23.9
219.2
169.6
184.3
170.9
184.8
195.6
(to)
205.5
157.4
274.9
173.9
202.6
220.1
216.9
196.5
(10)
205.6
165.3
245.9
164.0
206.8
158.3
220.9
195.3
(10)
195.8
175.4
198.1 137.4
143.0 147.9
219.9 202.0
222.9 199.7
204.9 191.9
’94.1 196.0
(10)
(10)
182.6 183.0
168.8 l2100.0
156.4
168.1
197.0
254.7
179.3
208.4
206.8
206.1
154.1
176.3
191.3
209.3
160.3
222.1
193.0
270.8
0
168.5
164.2
187.2
156.5
186.6
233.5
177.2
322.6
0
175.0
170.0
188.9
131.8
204.3
259.7
143.8
330.4
0
186.8
214.3
187.4
163.6
187.8
271.6
154.2
312.4
0
209.4
197.8
181.0
243.2
155.3
246.5
190.4
268.5
0
194.3
211.9
184.3
223.3
148.1
237.2
213.8
234.2
0
222.0
179.2
196.7
220.2
153.9
237.9
259.4
220.9
0
61.7
103.2
84.9
97.6
86.8
91.9
118.4
115.7
0
27.0
37.7
140.1
173.6
141.8
174.2
148.2
175.2
149.8
177.0
152. 4
179.4
155.5
180.9
158.3
183.0
161.6
183.7
163.5
182.5
166.8
182.2
168.4
182.5
168.2
182.5
168.4
182.6
92.3
96.0
17.6
14.9
14.2
23.6
15.0
76.4
142.1
114.0
157.7
231.7
204.3
303.9
144.1
113.1
158.2
232.5
206.9
298.9
149.8
112.5
157.8
231.8
209.0
291.9
152.4
112.6
158.4
230.7
211.7
264.8
153.1
112.8
158.4
232.0
219.2
213.4
155.1
112.3
158.8
231.3
224.4
210.6
155.3
112.9
161.4
230.2
224.7
208.4
155.7
113.5
171.8
228.9
223.1
207.8
155.7
113.8
174.5
226.9
223.9
207.2
156.9
113.8
175.2
226.2
225.7
206.8
158.8
115.0
175.4
226.4
227.4
207.8
159.8
115.3
177.1
224.0
230.0
208.1
159.4
117.0
178.3
220.9
226.4
208.6
88.6
89.8
92.5
94.7
83.0
93.3
16.4
30.3
33.4
28.1
110.0
146.3
138.0
154.4
113.1
148.8
138.3
155.3
114.2
154.3
138.6
156.1
119.3
158.5
139.3
157.9
130.4
159.1
140.9
161.0
133.9
159.3
142.6
171.8
129.4
158.9
139.3
163.0
120.1
163.7
140.2
157.7
121.4
165.4
143.0
159.0
121.2
167.1
145.9
161.3
125.0
174.9
149.2
170.5
131.2
176.9
151.6
181.9
133.2
187.1
156.1
186.7
65.2
93.9
0
93.6
48.0
178.8
179.8
179.7
179.8
178.4
177.7
177.4
177.1
177.4
176.9
177.1
176.5
175.1
95.6
»July 1947=100.
1Index not computed.
1 February 1943 = 100.
* Not priced in earlier period.
•New specifications introduced in April 1949,1 n place of roasting chickens,
• Priced in 29 cities.
TPriced in 27 cities.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Aug.
1939
0
8 1938-39=100.
• Average price not computed.
10 Discontinued October 1949.
” October 1949 = 100.
iJ First inclusion in Retail Food Price Index.
»3 Formerly published as shortening in other containers.
478
D: PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
MONTHLY LABOR
T able D -7: Indexes of Wholesale Prices,1 by Group of Commodities, for Selected Periods
[1926=100]
Chem
M is
Fuel Metals
Build icals Housecella
and
and
furing
neous
and
light metal
nishcom
allied
ing
prod mate
ing
rials
prod goods
modi
mate ucts
9
ucts
ties
rials
All
com
Semi- Manu modi
Raw manufac
exmate
tured ties
faccept
tured
rials
prod farm
articles ucts 9 prod
ucts 9
All
com
modi
ties
ex
cept
farm
prod
ucts
and
foods 9
All
com
modi
ties 9
Farm
prod
ucts
Foods
Hides
and
leather
prod
ucts
Tex
tile
prod
ucts
Average........July________
November__
M ay—....... .
Average____
69.8
67.3
136.3
167.2
95.3
71.5
71.4
150.3
169.8
104.9
64.2
62.9
128.6
147.3
99.9
68.1
69.7
131.6
193.2
109.1
57.3
55.3
142.6
188.3
90.4
61.3
55.7
114.3
159.8
83.0
90.8
79.1
143.5
155.5
100.5
56.7
52.9
101.8
164.4
95.4
80.2
77.9
178.0
173.7
94.0
56.1
56.7
99.2
143.3
94.3
93.1
88.1
142.3
176. 5
82.6
68.8
67.3
138.8
163.4
97.5
74.9
67.8
162.7
253.0
93.9
69.4
66.9
130.4
157.8
94.5
69.0
65.7
131.0
165.4
93.3
70.0
65.7
129.9
170.6
91.6
1932: Average.........
1939: Average.........
August____
1940: Average........
64.8
77.1
75.0
78.6
48.2
65.3
61.0
67.7
61.0
70.4
67.2
71.3
72.9
95.6
92.7
100.8
54.9
69.7
67.8
73.8
70.3
73.1
72.6
71.7
80.2
94.4
93.2
95.8
71.4
90.5
89.6
94.8
73.9
76.0
74.2
77,0
75.1
86.3
85.6
88.5
64.4
74.8
73.3
77.3
55.1
70.2
66.5
71.9
59.3
77.0
74.5
79.1
70.3
80.4
79.1
81.6
68.3
79.5
77.9
80.8
70.2
81.3
80.1
83.0
1941: Average____
December___
1942: Average.........
1943: Average____
1944: Average.........
87.3
93.6
98.8
103.1
104.0
82.4
94.7
105.9
122.6
123.3
82.7
90.5
99.6
106.6
104.9
108.3
114.8
117.7
117.5
116.7
84.8
91.8
96.9
97.4
98.4
76.2
78.4
78.5
80.8
83.0
99.4
103.3
103.8
103.8
103.8
103.2
107.8
110.2
111.4
115.5
84.4
90.4
95.5
94.9
95.2
94.3
101.1
102.4
102.7
104.3
82.0
87.6
89.7
92.2
93.6
83.5
92.3
100.6
112.1
113.2
86.9
90.1
92.6
92.9
94.1
89.1
94.6
98.6
100.1
100.8
88.3
93.3
97.0
98.7
99.6
89.0
93.7
95.5
96.9
98.5
1945: Average.........
A ugust.........
105.8
105.7
128.2
126.9
106.2
106.4
118.1
118.0
100.1
99.6
84.0
84.8
104.7
104.7
117.8
117.8
95.2
95.3
104.5
104.5
94.7
94.8
116.8
116.3
95.9
95.5
101.8
101.8
100.8
100.9
99.7
99.9
1946; Average.........
June----- -----November__
1947: Average____
121.1
112.9
139.7
152.1
148.9
140.1
169.8
181.2
130.7
112.9
165.4
168.7
137.2
122.4
172.5
182.4
116.3
109.2
131.6
141.7
90.1
87.8
94.5
108.7
115.5
112.2
130.2
145.0
132.6
129.9
145. 5
179.7
101.4
96.4
118.9
127.3
111.6
110.4
118.2
131.1
100.3
98.5
100.5
115.5
134.7
126.3
153.4
165.6
110.8
105.7
129.1
148.5
116.1
107.3
134.7
146.0
114.9
106.7
132.9
145.5
109.5
105.6
120.7
135.2
1948: Average____
165.1
188.3
144.5
120.5
178.4
158.0
159.4
159.8
151.0
150.2
151.2
152.5
159.6
154.0
155.7
156.9
154.1
155.3
153.1
153.0
153.7
149.4
151.5
152.1
146.5
150.7
151.2
146.0
149.7
150.5
147.9
149.4
150.6
147 8
150.1
151.2
145.3
149.1
150.3
145.1
148.1
150.2
144.7 ° 148. 0 ° 150. 2
147.3
151.8
150. 7
148.9
146 8
145.6
145.0
145.0
145.3
145.0
144.9
° 145.5
Year and month
1913:
1914:
1918:
1920:
1929:
179.1
188.8
149.8
134.2
163.6
199.1
135.7
1949: Average____
165.6
155.0
161.6
February___
161.5
158.1
168.3
M arch______ 158.4
171.5
162.9
April_______ 156.9
170. 5 162.9
M ay______
155.7
171.2
163.8
June_______
154.5
162.4
168.8
July_______
153.5
166.2
161.3
162.3
160.6
August.......... 152.9
September__
153.6
162.0
163.1
October____
152.2
159.6
159.6
November__
151.6
158.9
156.8
December___ 0 151. 2 « 154.9 « 155.8
180.4
182.3
180.4
179.9
179.2
178.8
177.8
178.9
181.1
181.3
180.8
179.9
140.4
145.2
143.8
142.2
140.5
139.2
138.0
138.1
139.0
138.0
138.0
138.4
131.7
135.9
134.3
132.0
130.1
129.9
129.9
129.7
130.0
130.5
129.9
130.5
170.2
175.5
174.4
171.8
168.4
167.5
167.9
168.2
168.2
167.3
167.3
167.8
193.3
201.5
200.0
196.5
193.9
191.4
189.0
188.2
189.4
189.2
189.6
190.4
118.6
145.2
148.3
122.8
121.1
148.0
117.7
147.0
118.2
146.2
116.8
145.1
118.1
143.0
119.7
142.9
117.7
142.9
116.0
143.0
143.4
115.9
115.3 c 144. 2
1950: January____ c 151. 5 o 154. 7 ° 154.8
February___ 152.7
159.1
156.8
179.3
179.0
138.5
138.2
«131.4
131.2
168.4
168.6
« 191.6
192.7
1BLS wholesale price data, for the most part, represent prices in primary
markets. They are prices charged by manufacturers or producers or are
prices prevailing on organized exchanges. The weekly index is calculated
from 1-day-a-week prices; the monthly index from an average of these prices.
Monthly indexes for the last 2 months are preliminary.
The indexes currently are computed by the fixed base aggregate method,
with weights representing quantities produced for sale in 1929-31. (For a
detailed description of the method of calculation see “ Revised Method of
Calculation of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Wholesale Price Index,” in
the Journal of the American Statistical Association, December 1937.)
Mimeographed tables are available, upon request to the Bureau, giving
monthly indexes for major groups of commodities since 1890 and for subgroups
and economic groups since 1913. The weekly wholesale price indexes are
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
115.7
115.3
« 144.9
145.0
163.9
112.3
115.3
165.8
167.3
115.7
115.6
165.8
113.5
165.9
164.5
111.0
163.2
110.3
109.8
161.3
162.0
109.6
109.0
160.3
109.7
160.4
110.7 ° 159.5
110.0
110.0
° 159.8
162.4
144.9
144.4
148.2
149.1
150. 5
151.1
145.8
145.9
available in summary form since 1947 for all commodities; all commodities
less farm products and foods; farm products; foods; textile products; fuel and
lighting materials; metals and metal products; building materials; and
chemicals and allied products. Weekly indexes are also available for the
subgroups of grains, livestock, and meats.
9 Includes current motor vehicle prices beginning with October 1946. The
rate of production of motor vehicles in October 1946 exceeded the monthly
average rate of civilian production in 1941, and in accordance with the an
nouncement made in September 1946, the Bureau introduced current prices
for motor vehicles in the October calculations. During the war, motor
vehicles were not produced for general civilian sale and the Bureau carried
April 1942 prices foward in each computation through September 1946.
0 Corrected.
REVIEW , A PRIL 1950
D: PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
479
T able D-8: Indexes of Wholesale Prices,1 by Group and Subgroup of Commodities
1926=100]
1950
1949
1946
1939
Feb.
June
Aug.
Group and subgroup
Feb.
Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
All commodities 2_________
152.7 “ 151.5 “ 151.2
151.6
152.2
153.6
152.9
153.5
154.5
155.7
156.9
158.4
158.1
112.9
75.0
Farm products.,....... ...........
Grains______________
Livestock and poultry..
Livestock________
Other farm products___
E ggs'............ ...........
F oods...___ _____ _____ _
Dairy products........... .
Cereal p ro d u cts______
Fruits and vegetables...
Meats, poultry, and
fish___ ____ ______
M e a ts.....................
Other foods__________
Hides and leather products..
Shoes_______ _____ _
Hides and s k in s............
L eath er_____________
Other leather products..
Textile products_________
Clothing______ ______
Cotton goods_________
Hosiery and underwear.
Rayon and nylon_____
Silk_________________
Woolen and worsted___
Other textile products...
Fuel and lighting materials.
Anthracite___________
Bituminous coal______
Coke________________
Electricity................... .
Gas____________ ____
Petroleum and products.
M etals and m etal products *.
Agricultural machinery
and equipment____
Farm machinery___
Iron and steel................
Motor vehicles. ......... .
Passenger cars____
Trucks___________
Nonferrous metals____
Plumbing and heating..
Building m aterials..............
Brick and tile................
Cementf_____________
L u m b e r_______ ____
P aint and paint materials__________ _____
Prepared paint____
P aint m aterials___
Plumbing and heating. _
Structural steel...............
Other building materials...............................
Chemicals and allied prod-
159.1 “ 154.7 “ 154. 9
161.3
160.2
160.9
179.9 “ 170. 5 “ 167.0
200.6
187.0
192.0
142.6
144.9
145.0
87.3
99.1
86.0
156.8 « 154.8 “ 155.8
154.4
147.5
148.8
144.8
144.3
144.6
138.3
134.4
132.5
156.8
156.4
169.6
188.3
148.2
132.5
158.9
154.7
144.6
130.8
159.6
155.3
177.7
197.6
148.8
147.5
159.6
154.6
144.6
128.1
163.1
156.4
186.6
207.5
149.8
158.3
162.0
153.5
143.7
126.9
162.3
150.4
186.3
206.6
150.1
146.4
160.6
152.7
142.8
130.3
166.2
154.1
188.5
209.4
155.0
138.7
161.3
149.2
146.1
145.4
168.8
154.9
193.3
212.6
156.7
126.9
162.4
145. 5
145.6
157.5
171.2
159.9
191.5
207.7
160.8
125.2
163.8
145.9
145.1
167.3
170.5
163.8
189.0
202.4
160.0
124.4
162.9
147.2
145.3
158.1
171.5
162.6
195.0
209.5
158.6
116.1
162.9
154.8
146.5
151.7
168.3
157.2
187.2
201.1
158.9
112.5
161.5
159.8
146.7
152.3
140.1
151.8
137.4
143.4
137.6
97.3
112.9
127.3
101.7
136.1
61.0
51.5
66.0
67.7
60.1
47.5
67.2
67.9
71.9
68.5
201.9 «194.3 “ 193. 5
216.6
208.3
206.5
129.7
131.0
132.6
179.0
179.3
179.9
184.3
184.3
184.3
188.2
189.0
192.8
176.6
177.6
178.1
143.1
143.1
141.1
138.2
138.5
138. 4
143.1
143.9
144.0
178.4
178.7
178.4
98.6
98.5
98.4
39.9
39.6
39.6
50.1
50.1
49.9
147.2 “ 147.0
146.9
170.3
171.7
171.5
130.5
131.2 “ 131.4
139.3
139.3
139.3
196.3 “ 196.2 “ 194.1
222.2
223.7
222.2
69.6
on
(3)
87.2
85.0
(3)
108.5
109.4
109.4
167.8
168.6
168.4
198.9
212.9
139.6
180.8
184.3
199.5
177.0
141.1
138.0
144.2
177.9
98.4
39.6
49.5
146.0
169.0
129.9
139.3
192.2
222. 2
70.3
88.3
108.5
167.3
205.0
219.6
137.4
181.3
183.4
205.6
176.5
141.1
138.0
144.6
176.5
98.4
39.6
49.2
145.1
175.6
130.5
139.1
191.2
222.2
70.1
87.8
109.9
167.3
215.1
230.4
137.8
181.1
183.8
204.8
175.5
141.1
139.0
144.8
174.8
98.4
39.6
49.2
150.4
181.5
130.0
138.6
190.5
222.1
68.9
89.3
109.1
168.2
210 7
224.4
136.5
178.9
183.8
194.5
173.7
141.1
138.1
144.8
170.2
98.4
39.6
49.2
152.6
180.9
129.7
135.9
188.8
222.0
68.5
88.9
109.7
168.2
212.2
227.3
130.5
177.8
183.8
184.7
175.4
142.4
138.0
144.8
167.3
98.5
39.6
49.2
157.6
178.8
129.9
135.4
188.9
222.0
70.0
89. 5
110.2
167.9
215. 5
230.3
127.8
178.8
184.1
186.0
177.1
144.4
139.2
145.6
169.7
99.6
39.6
49.2
159.7
177.7
129.9
134.2
188.6
222.4
68.9
90.1
110.4
167.5
215.2
227.0
128.5
179.2
184.0
188.2
177.4
144.6
140.5
146.0
172.6
100.4
40.8
50.1
159.7
179.1
130.1
133.7
188.9
222.7
68.2
90.9
110.7
168.4
216.0
224.9
127.6
179.9
186.9
183.4
177.8
144.7
142.2
146.4
176.2
101.2
41.8
60.1
160.9
180.9
132.0
135.0
190.7
222.8
67.9
92.3
113.3
171.8
214.8
222.4
126.6
180.4
187.8
181.8
178.9
145.6
143.8
147.1
180.1
101.2
41.8
50.1
161.8
184.9
134.3
137.9
195.2
222.9
67.9
92.8
115.9
174.4
205.1
212.5
127.5
182.3
187.8
185.9
183.9
145.4
145.2
147.3
184.8
101.3
41.8
50.1
162.1
186.9
135.9
138.0
196.9
222.9
68.5
91.9
118.7
175.5
110.1
116.6
98.1
122.4
129.5
121.5
110.7
115.2
109.2
120.3
139 4
75.8
30.2
(»)
112.7
112.3
87.8
106.1
132.8
133.5
67.2
79.6
64.0
112.2
73.7
78.1
60.3
92.7
100.8
77.2
84.0
97.1
67.8
81.5
65.5
61.5
28.5
44.3
75.5
63.7
72.6
72.1
96.0
104.2
75.8
86.7
51.7
93.2
143.2
145.8
168. 7
175.6
185.7
133.1
128.1
148.7
192.7
163.1
134.9
292.0
“ 143.2 “ 143.1
" 145.8 “ 145. 7
165.4
167.3
176.7
176.5
186.7
186.7
134.7
133.8
129.2
128.6
O151. 7 154.6
190.4
“ 191. 6
163. 5 161.9
134.5
134.8
285.2
287.5
143.3
145.9
163. 4
176.7
186.7
134.9
131.7
154. 6
189.6
161.9
134.5
283.5
143. 8
146.4
163.3
177.0
187.0
135.0
131.5
154.6
189.2
161.8
134.5
281.9
143.9
146.5
164.0
177.1
187.0
135.3
135.7
154.6
189.4
161.8
133.0
279.7
144.1
146.6
163.8
177.2
187.0
135.7
135.9
154.7
188.2
161.5
133.0
277.4
144.2
146.6
164.2
177.2
187.0
135.7
132.1
154.7
189.0
161.5
133.6
277.4
144.3
146.7
164.7
177.1
185.3
141.0
128.8
154.7
191.4
160.8
134.3
280.7
144.3
146.7
165.1
175.0
182.4
142.0
138.2
154.8
193.9
160.8
134.3
285.2
144.3
146.7
166.2
175.8
183.3
142.1
156.4
154.9
196.5
160.8
134.3
290.6
144.2
146.7
168.3
175.2
182.5
142.4
168.4
155.3
200.0
162.4
134.3
294.7
144.2
146.7
169.1
175.8
183.2
142.4
172.5
156.1
201.5
162.4
134.3
296.9
104.5
104.9
110.1
135. 5
142.8
104.3
99.2
106.0
129.9
121.3
102.6
176.0
93.5
94.7
95.1
92. 5
95.6
77.4
74.6
79.3
89.6
90.5
91.8
90.1
138.6
139.0
138.5
138.5
141.4
142.2
148.7 “ 151.7
191.6
191.6
139.3
138.5
142.9
154.6
185.2
139.9
138.5
144.1
154.6
178.8
141.1
138.5
146.7
154.6
178.8
143.9
138.5
152.6
154.6
178.8
143.8
138.5
152.3
154.7
178.8
145.2
138.5
155.3
154.7
178.8
153.6
151.3
159.0
154.7
178.8
157.4
151.3
167.1
154.8
178.8
157.9
151.3
168.1
154.9
178.8
162.3
151.3
177.4
155.3
178.8
165.3
151.3
183.8
156.1
178.8
108.6
99.3
120.9
106.0
120.1
82.1
92.9
71.8
79.3
107.3
171.1
170.5
169.2
168.6
168.1
168.9
167.3
168.8
168.5
170.5
173.8
178.3
179.1
118.4
89.5
115.3
114.7
115.7
114.7
115.3
114.6
115.9
115.2
116.0
115.5
117.7
117.4
119.7
118.0
118.1
118.1
116.8
116.9
118.2
116.9
117.7
117.2
121.1
118.4
122.8
119.5
96.4
98.0
74.2
83.8
121.4
121.6
121.5
117.9
116.9
117.4
104.0
106.5
104.9
118.2
120.9
122.7
145.0 “ 144.9 “ 144. 2
151. 2
151.8
151.8
138.1 “ 137.8 “ 137.0
110.7
110.0
110.0
64.3
64.3
64.3
192.3
177.3
179.3
156.0
155.6
155.9
147.3
147.5
147.3
151.0
150.5
151.0
183.8
183.8
183.8
41.1
37.8
39.1
120.4
121.1
120.5
123.0
118.3
107.0
118.3
143.4
149.9
136.8
109.7
62.5
184.9
156.5
147.1
151.0
189.7
35.4
121.2
123.1
120.2
107.0
115.6
143.0
149.2
136.7
109.0
60.7
182.1
156.5
146.4
151.0
190.5
34.8
121.2
125.0
120.4
108.2
118.4
142.9
149.1
136.6
109.6
60.6
190.3
156.5
146.4
151.1
190.5
37.2
124.7
120.7
108.3
118.5
143.0
149.1
136.8
110.3
60.6
204.7
156.8
146.4
161.5
190.5
35.1
121.6
124.3
117.5
108.3
116.9
145.1
150.9
139.3
111.0
62.1
199.3
159.6
146.9
152.9
205.4
34.5
121.9
123.6
118.9
108.3
127.0
146.2
151.9
140.3
113.5
64.5
213.8
163.3
149.3
155.7
216.8
37.4
122.4
123.0
119.7
108.3
121.2
147.0
152.4
141.6
115.6
64.6
231.9
165.1
153.9
156.6
219.2
38.9
124.2
142.4
119.6
108.3
129.3
148.0
153.9
142.1
115.7
64.6
209.2
167.2
155.5
158.4
223.7
40.0
125.6
148.9
120.8
108.3
131.7
148.3
154. 2
142.3
115.3
64.7
190.4
168.0
157.6
158.4
227.3
38.8
126.4
109.4
82.7
86.6
102.1
110.4
114.5
108.5
98.5
65.7
197.8
115.6
115.6
107.3
154.1
46.2
101.0
77.1
65.5
73.1
40.6
85.6
90.0
81.1
73.3
59.5
68.4
80.0
1 2 1 .2
125.0
121.8
107.9
130.3
142.9
149.1
136.6
109.8
60.6
197.9
156.8
146.2
151.4
190.5
35.6
121.1
83.9
69.6
34.9
81.3
126.5
126.6
127.0
127.0
126.3
129.0
131.3
131.8
134.9
140.4
143.0
101.3
78.9
U C tS —...........................................................
Chemicals.__________
Drug and pharmaceutical materials____
Fertilizer materials........
Mixed fertilizers.......... .
Oils and fats_________
Housefumishing goods____
Furnishings....................
F u rn itu re .....................
Miscellaneous.......................
Tires and tubes_______
Cattle feed____ ______
Paper and pulp............ .
Paperboard..............
Paper....... ................
Wood pulp...............
Rubber, crude................
Other miscellaneous__
Soap and synthetic
detergents.............
123.0
1 See footnote 1, tab le D -7 .
123.1
2 See footnote 2, tab le D -7 .
t R evised indexes for dates prior to A ugust 1949 available up on request.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2 N o t available.
« Corrected.
* R ev ised .
6 6 .2
480
MONTHLY LABOR
E: WORK STOPPAGES
E: Work Stoppages
T able E -l: Work Stoppages Resulting From Labor-Management Disputes1
Workers involved in stoppages
Number of stoppages
M onth and year
Beginning
in month or
year
In effect dur
ing month
Beginning
in m onth or
year
Percent of
estimated
working time
0.27
.47
1.43
.41
.37
.59
134, 000
507, 000
570, 000
56, 600
45, 500
106, 000
520,000
208,000
309, 000
673, 000
249, 000
232, 000
603, 000
977,000
914, 000
417, 000
675, 000
3,460, 000
, 880, 000
3,430,000
4,470, 000
2,350,000
2,140,000
6, 270,000
17, 500, 000
6, 270, 000
1, 350, 000
.10
.45
.27
.49
.61
.35
.27
.87
2. 49
.93
.19
185,000
75,000
300,000
515, 000
2, 600,000
7,850, 000
38
1.27
2,862
4, 750
4, 985
3, 693
3,419
3,606
1,130,000
3, 470. 000
4, 600, 000
2,170,000
1,960,000
3,030,000
February ................. ............................. .. ...............................
M arch........................................... .......................... ...............................
April. _________________ _______ ________ _________________ ________ _
M a y .. ......................................................... .. .................... .. ....................................................
June ............................... ....................... ......................................................................
J u l y ... _______________ __________________ ____ __________
August ............................................ ..................... ...............................
September— ___ _______________________ _____
October____________________ _________________
November_____________ ______ _______________
December________ _____________ _____________
239
289
360
449
377
343
365
287
256
197
170
369
436
531
678
632
603
643
536
475
388
323
77, 500
490, 000
160,000
231, 000
572, 000
2255
210
340
325
1 All known work stoppages, arising out of labor-management disputes,
involving six or more workers and continuing as long as a full day or shift
are included in reports of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures on “work
ers involved” and “man-days idle” cover all workers made idle for one or
Number
16,900,000
38,000,000
116,000.000
34, 600,000
34,100.000
50, 500,000
>-39 (average)__________________________________ _________ ____
19451946.
1947.
1948. ............................................................................................................................................................
1949. ..................................................................................
: January 2____________________________________
February 2_________________________ ______ _
In effect dur
ing month
Man-days idle during month
or year
1 1 0
,
0 0 0
1
more shifts in establishments directly involved in a stoppage. They do not
measure the indirect or secondary effects on other establishments or indus
tries whose employees are made idle as a result of material or service shortages.
* Preliminary estimates.
F: Building and Construction
T able F - l: Expenditures for New Construction 1
[Value of work put in place]
Expenditures (in millions)
Type of construction
1949
1950
M ar.2 Feb.3 Jan.
Dec.
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
1949
1948
Total
Total
Total new construction4....... ............. ........ $1, 500 $1, 395 $1,496 $1,612 $1,767 $1,879 $1,922 $1,903 $1,833 $1, 735 $1,576 $1,370 $1,267 $19,329 $18, 775
989
951 14,059 14,563
Private construction__________________ 1,125 1, 068 1,139 1,225 1,295 1,343 ”Ë368" 1, 343 1,301 1,229 1,108
445
420 7,025
7,223
530
690
715
715
650
600
710
675
620
590
Residential building (nonfarm)_______
650
251
262 3,178
3, 578
268
257
269
261
266
261
264
243
246
263
252
Nonresidential building (nonfarm)5.......
974
89
96
1,397
76
82
72
68
68
68
70
70
69
71
69
Industrial...............................................
1,224
79 1,001
83
76
84
92
74
86
82
85
91
83
75
Commercial .. _____ ___________
77
294
25
323
24
23
23
24
22
26
25
22
22
24
25
Warehouses, office and loft buildings.
26
54
707
901
60
53
68
52
58
67
61
60
61
61
50
Stores, restaurants, and garages____
51
1,203
92
86
87
957
111
106
100
112
110
108
100
101
109
106
Other nonresidential building_______
24
338
236
24
28
26
30
30
32
31
31
31
27
28
Religious________________ _____29
255
19
19
20
239
21
20
23
23
22
22
19
23
20
22
Educational___________________ _
246
22
19
19
211
20
19
22
22
23
16
20
21
17
Social and recreational __________
19
199
12
116
15
14
11
24
24
23
22
21
19
17
25
Hospital and institutional5...............
23
12
165
13
155
15
13
14
14
15
12
13
14
14
Remaining types 7__________ _____
13
13
450
30
18
500
40
12
60
60
15
25
50
65
75
19
11
Farm construction___________ ____ _
3,262
251 3,406
263
322
281
259
289
330
329
311
243
220
317
Public utilities.................................. ........
226
389
379
34
31
27
36
36
37
31
34
35
36
Railroad_______ __________________
25
23
25
52
575
52
57
713
61
48
41
42
43
45
47
47
46
Telephone and telegraph........... ..........
40
2,442
2,170
196
180
167
223
172
247
246
237
156
186
212
237
161
Other public utilities.......................... .
4, 212
316 5,270
468
381
654
532
506
560
327
472
536
Public construction___________________
375
387
357
14
85
10
215
15
23
17
24
22
27
20
20
24
27
Residential b uilding............................
24
Nonresidential building (other than mil1,665
134
122
1,057
144
141
152
148
151
158
155
140
142
151
142
itary or naval facilities)8__________
64
850
567
68
70
74
72
71
80
76
78
78
75
77
Educational-.........................................
77
455
219
34
36
31
40
39
44
47
45
43
44
41
40
Hospital and institutional................... .
40
271
32
27
360
34
35
35
34
36
24
29
31
All other nonresidential..................... .
29
25
25
120
8
9
137
9
12
9
14
14
10
9
12
9
9
M ilitary and naval facilities................ .
10
1,585
68 1,670
185
160
100
185
200
215
200
92
145
70
50
70
Highways.......... ................. ................... .
481
46
42
570
49
52
52
51
51
44
46
50
Sewer and water____________________
47
51
45
95
108
9
9
8
9
9
9
8
9
7
6
8
Miscellaneous public service enterprises B.
9
6
45
745
597
56
74
67
74
77
75
65
77
56
50
45
Conservation and developm ent........... .
48
14
12
190
162
18
18
20
19
12
14
18
20
12
17
All other public 10___________________
15
1 Joint estimates of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of
Labor, and the Office of Domestic Commerce, U. S. Department of Com
merce. Estimated construction expenditures represent the monetary value
of the volume of work accomplished during the given period of time. These
figures should be differentiated from permit valuation data reported in the
tabulations for urban building authorized and the data on value of contract
awards reported in table E-2.
2 Preliminary.
3 Revised.
4 Includes major additions and alterations, except for private residential
building which covers new construction only.
» Expenditures by privately owned public utilities for nonresidential build
ing are included under “ Public utilities.”
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
6 Includes Federal contributions toward construction of private nonprofit
hospital facilities under the National Hospital Program distributed about as
follows: 1949, first quarter, $1 million; second quarter, $2 million; third
quarter, $4 million; fourth quarter, $6 million; January, February, and
March, 1950, $2 million each.
7 Hotels and miscellaneous buildings not elsewhere classified.
s Excludes expenditures to construct facilities used in atomic energy projects.
» Covers primarily publicly owned electric light and power systems and
local transit facilities.
13 Covers construction not elsewhere classified such as airports, naviga
tional aids, monuments, etc.
F: BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
REVIEW, APRIL 1950
481
T able F-2: Value of Contracts Awarded and Force-Account Work Started on Federally Financed
New Construction, by Type of Construction1
Value (in thousands)
Conservation and
development
Building
Period
1936............. ............
1939.............. ............
1942.............................
1946______________
1947______________
1948.______ _______
1949_______________
Total
new con Air
struc ports 8
tion 1
Total
$1, 533, 439 (0
$561, 394
1, 586, 604 $4, 753 669, 222
7, 775, 497 579,176 6,130, 389
1, 450, 252 14,859 549, 656
1, 294, 009 24,645 276, 514
1, 690,182 49, 718 332, 793
494,113
1, 725,167 0
Nonresidential
Resi
den
tial
Total
E du
ca
tional 1
Hospital and
institutional
Total
$63, 465 $497, 929 0
0
0
0
0
0
231,071 438,151 0
0
0
0
0
0
549, 472 5, 580, 917 0
0
0
0
0
0
435, 453 114,203 0
0
0
0
0
0
51,186 225, 328 $47,692 $101,831 $96,123 $5, 708 $31,159 $44,646
8, 328 324, 465 1,417 246, 242 168,015 78, 227 28, 797 48,009
29, 369 464, 744 1,000 307, 906 122, 201 185, 705 86,192 69, 646
1949: Jan u ary ............
February_____
M arch ..............
April___ _____
M ay_________
June..................
July...................
August... ___
September____
October______
November____
December____
87, 542
94, 727
169, 357
117, 506
220,963
264, 597
131,126
171,896
145, 492
81,773
112, 445
127,743
(8)
(8)
(8)
(8)
(8)
(8)
(8)
(8)
(8)
(8)
(8)
0
36, 810
39,110
35, 908
27,054
44, 061
98,351
31, 727
37,616
56, 681
18, 850
23,181
44, 764
87
1,970
1,773
2,801
6,245
14, 730
608
16
249
672
9
209
36, 723
37,140
34,135
24, 253
37, 816
83, 621
31,119
37, 600
56,432
18,178
23,172
44, 555
8,122
148
635 10,023
0 25, 571
0 18, 779
17 18,335
0 53, 924
0 21,065
140 34,026
0 52,364
0 14,212
60 14, 724
0 36, 761
1950: January8_____
F ebruary78___
118,217
105,593
0
0
42,805
32,683
86
123
42, 719
32,560
144
138
i Excludes projects classified as “secret” by the military, and all construc
tion for the Atomic Energy Commission. Data for Federal-aid programs
cover amounts contributed by both the owner and the Federal Government.
Force-account work is done, not through a contractor, but directly by a gov
ernment agency, using a separate work force to perform nonmaintenance
construction on the agency’s own properties.
1 Includes major additions and alterations.
* Excludes hangars and other buildings which are included under “Other
nonresidential” building construction.
4 Includes educational facilities under the Federal temporary re-use educa
tional facilities program.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
AdminTotal
istra- Other
non
tion
resi
and
Vet
gen dential
erans’ Other eral
*
359
5, 468
9,410
575
750
14, 648
123
25,492
26, 269
8,737
7,387
22,983
7,763
4, 555
16,161
18, 204
17, 585
39, 276
20, 942
8, 534
26,095
5,475
7,337
13, 778
24,784 3,669
22,615 3,867
1, 637 6, 927
930 4,544
13, 607 5,857
10,418 19, 279
1,980 8,074
946 2,488
534 3,534
2,392 1,574
5,306 3,082
1,043 6, 751
27,477 19,328 8,149 12, 805
28, 753 17, 274 11, 479 1,041
2,293
2, 628
$189, 710
225, 423
217, 795
300, 405
308,029
494,604
489,431
Rec
lama
tion
River,
har
bor,
and
flood
control
Highways
All
other*
$73, 797 $115,913 $511,685 $270,650
115,612 109,811 355, 701 331, 505
150, 708 67,087 347,988 500,149
169, 253 131,152 535, 784 49,548
77,095 230,934 657,087 27,794
147,921 346, 683 769,089 43, 978
188, 960 300, 471 689,084 52,539
14, 977
23,966
84, 332
35, 541
88, 553
78, 249
21, 932
52,188
22,138
12, 553
42,152
12,850
7,596
3,079
22, 536
18, 778
61,537
26, 563
6,822
12,341
14,439
1,091
5,662
8,516
7,381
20,887
61, 796
16, 763
27,016
51, 686
15,110
39,847
7, 699
11, 462
36,490
4,334
34,465
28,961
41,619
52,057
83, 750
79,390
75, 435
79,004
63.035
49,824
38, 097
63, 447
1,290
2,690
7,498
2,854
4, 599
8,607
2,032
3,088
3,638
546
9,015
6,682
25, 578
25, 286
17,933
7,087
7,645
18,199
40,998
42,357
8,836
5, 267
1 Includes post offices, armories, offices, and customhouses. Includes
contract awards for construction at United Nations Headquarters at New
York City as follows: September 1948, $497,000; January 1949, $23,810,000,
and January 1950, $11,238,000.
8 Includes electrification projects, water-supply and sewage-disposal sys
tems, forestry projects, railroad construction, and other types of projects not
elsewhere classified.
7 Included in “All other.”
8 Unavailable.
8 Revised.
10 Preliminary.
MONTHLY LABOR
F: BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
482
T able F-3: Urban Building Authorized, by Principal Class of Construction and by Type of Building1
Number of new dwelling units—House
keeping only
Valuation (in thousands)
Privately financed
New residential building
Housekeeping
Period
Total all
classes *
Publicly Nonfinanced housePrivately financed dwelling units
dwell keeping
ing *
units
M ulti
Total
1-family 2-fam
ily*
family 4
1942............................... $2,707,573 $598, 570 $478,658
1946............................... 4, 743,414 2,114,833 1,830,260
1947.............................. 5, 561, 754 2,892,003 2,362,600
1948________________ 6,971,576 3,422,937 2, 745,219
1949 87................... ........ 7,379,899 3,717,215 2,839,222
$42,629
103,042
156, 757
181,493
132,332
New nonresidential
building
Addi
tions,
altera
tions,
and
repairs
$77,283 $296,933 $22, 910 $1, 510,688 $278,472
181, 531 355, 587 43,369 1, 458,602 771,023
372,646
35,177 29,831 1, 712,817 891,926
496,225 139, 326 38,034 2,366, 730 1,004, 549
745,661 285,419 39,727 2,400,693 936,845
Total
1-fam
ily
184,892
430,195
503,094
516,179
574,190
138,908
358,151
393, 720
392, 532
412,656
Pub
licly fi
2-fam Multinanced
fam
ily »
ily4
15, 747 30,237
24,326 47, 718
34,105 75,269
36,306 87,341
26,415 135,119
95, 946
98, 310
5,100
15,113
32,140
1949: January_______
February______
March_________
April__________
M ay................... .
J u n e ....................
Ju ly .............. ......
August________
September....... .
October________
November ____
December 8____
409,729
387,181
586,940
635, 111
665,644
748,046
598,943
683,898
722,056
678, 540
619, 910
559,540
143,359
153, 593
272,325
322,063
359,364
356,816
307,631
368,133
401,433
376, 556
353, 262
276,820
111,019
118,452
222; 811
254, 245
254, 546
256, 544
231,617
278, 286
302,265
297, 200
292,227
218, 851
9,607
6,507
11,915
13, 782
13, 446
10, 547
8, 711
11,004
12,119
13, 893
10, 626
9,838
22, 733
28,634
37, 599
54,036
91,372
89,725
67,303
78, 843
87,049
65, 463
50,40S
48,131
32,910
23, 439
39,602
24,021
30,497
28, 782
22,342
12,889
17,825
18, 987
18,482
10, 350
1,120
1,626
2,529
6,397
3,084
3,850
3,937
3,074
3,144
3,635
2, 662
4,669
171,911
147, 725
192,648
199,181
186,151
259, 474
181,367
207,335
215, 605
196, 076
181,081
212, 214
60,429
60,798
79,836
83,449
86, 548
99,124
83, 666
92, 467
84,049
83, 286
64, 423
55,487
23, 411
24,839
42, 229
50,800
54,199
55,331
48,425
57,051
63,316
57,320
52,357
43,363
16, 730
18,331
32,905
37, 538
36, 563
36,947
34,324
40,340
43,982
41, 794
41, 562
31,349
1,919
1,345
2,381
2,862
2,580
2,131
1,765
2,282
2,316
2,747
2,095
1,984
4,762
5,163
6,943
10,400
15,056
16, 253
12,336
14,429
17,018
12,779
8,700
10, 030
3, 660
2,480
4,162
2. 738
3,110
3,373
2,791
1,507
2,116
2, 254
2,037
1,287
1950: January 6______
555, 655
314,126
243,352
11,335
59,439
7,707
2,421
166, 014
65,387
48, 852
36,033
2,283
10, 536
778
1 Building for which building permits were issued and Federal contracts
awarded in all urban places, including an estimate of building undertaken
in some smaller urban places that do not issue permits.
The data cover federally and nonfederally financed building construction
combined. Estimates of non-Federal (private and State and local govern
ment) urban building construction are based primarily on building-permit
reports received from places containing about 85 percent of the urban popula
tion of the country; estimates of federally financed projects are compiled from
notifications of construction contracts awarded, which are obtained from other
Federal agencies. Data from building permits are not adjusted to allow for
lapsed permits or for lag between permit issuance and the start of construc
tion. Thus, the estimates do not represent construction actually started
during the month.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Urban, as defined by the Bureau of the Census, covers all incorporated
places of 2,500 population or more in 1940, and, by special rule, a small num
ber of unincorporated civil divisions.
2 Covers additions, alterations, and repairs, as well as new residential and
nonresidential building.
s Includes units in 1-family and 2-family structures with stores.
4 Includes units in multifamily structures with stores.
s Covers hotels, dormitories, tourist cabins, and other nonhousekeeping
residential buildings.
6 Preliminary.
7 Totals for 1949 include revisions which do not appear in data shown
for January through December. Revised monthly data will appear in a
subsequent issue of the M onthly Labor Review.
8 Revised.
REVIEW , A PRIL 1950
T able F-4:
483
F: BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
New Nonresidential Building Authorized in All Urban Places,1 by General Type and by
Geographic Division2
Valuation (in thousands)
Geographic division and
type of new nonresi
dential building
1949
1950
Jan.
Dec.4
Nov.
Oct.
Sept.
Aug.
July
June
May
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
19498 8
1948
Total
Total
All types......................... $166,014 $212, 214 $181,081 $196,076 $215,605 $207,335 $181,367 $259, 474 $186,151 $199,181 $192, 648 $147, 725 $171,911 $2,400,693 $2,366, 730
New England_____
Middle Atlantic___
East North Central.
West North Central.
South Atlantic____
East South Central.
West South Central.
M ountain.................
Pacific_______ ____
Industrial buildings 6._
New England..........
Middle Atlantic___
East North Central.
West North Central.
South Atlantic____
East South Central.
West South Central.
M ountain________
Pacific_______ ____
Commercial buildings 7__
New England_____
Middle Atlantic___
East North Central.
West North Central.
South Atlantic.........
East South Central.
West South Central.
M ountain.............
Pacific___________
Community buildings 8__
New England_____
Middle Atlantic___
East North Central.
West North Central.
South Atlantic____
East South Central.
West South Central.
Mountain________
Pacific_______ ____
Public buildings 9_____
New England
Middle Atlantic___
East North Central.
West North Central.
South Atlantic........
East South Central
West South Central.
M ountain...............
Pacific___________
Public works and utility
buildings in.................
New England_____
Middle Atlantic__
East North Central
West North Central.
South Atlantic
East South Central.
West South Central
Mountain........ ......
Pacific________
All other buildings »__
New England.......
Middle Atlantic__
East North Central
West North Central.
South Atlantic__
East South Central.
West 8outh Central.
M ountain.............
Pacific.............. ........
17,361 13,095
32,172 57,807
23,963 39, 623
6,977 15,094
23,129 21,362
12, 586 9,124
23, 529 16, 894
3,078 10, 478
23,219 28,737
13,993 14, 852
190
321
3,507
1.804
4,455
8,442
709
785
864
1,149
416
753
1,262
308
135
113
2,454
1,178
61,711 52,095
2,094
1,785
22,434 10,388
7, 558 10,119
5,818
3,185
5,411
6,365
2, 747 2,457
10,006
5,207
1,483
1,214
7,103
8,433
68, 610 105,286
14,515
4,622
3,670 44,000
10,450 15,451
2,503
4, 438
15,135
7,344
5,392
5, 613
7,061
8, 613
746 7,692
9,137
7,512
2,490 16, 223
158 2,040
552
264
268
2,792
192
1,571
369
1,748
0
18
126
146
54
799
771
6,845
6,467
35,105
29,005
15,327
24,630
11,748
18,419
13, 789
26, 591
10,896
209
2,250
3,909
792
841
170
406
320
1,999
59,305
1,849
9,618
9,991
5,014
9,434
2, 756
9,399
1,446
9,800
74, 737
3,110
20, 452
10,110
7,201
6,942
5.609
6,451
8,852
6, Oil
12,790
185
747
332
284
5,567
0
243
2,059
3,372
7,178 12,194
35,337 33,335
50, 274 46,910
14,153 34,351
25,963 23,330
8,027 13,155
24,130 19, 598
5,344 10, 256
25,670 22,476
18,792 17,160
202
706
5,111
2,201
5,462
8, 275
956
2,328
2,529
942
180
796
1,117
249
242
345
2,994
1,319
67.403 73,899
2,953
5, 513
9.125 14, 596
16,635 15,951
4,170
4,604
8, 420 9, 291
2,879
1,976
11,680 10, 522
1,393
2,167
10,148
9,278
73,706 98,681
586
4, 783
14,109 13,731
21, 923 16,015
6,609 23,380
7, 464 10,224
4,116
9, 422
7, 499
7,074
2,940
5,452
8, 461
8,600
9,689 3,904
154
128
3,851
107
1,816
175
441
178
1,377
937
0
500
774
229
28 1,371
1,249
280
10,192
6,683
37,961 28,468
41, 852 38, 795
17,666 17,824
19,614 19, 536
15,638
8, 279
29,701 30, 554
7,676
6,847
27,033 24,381
15,617 15, 645
352
350
2, 743
5, 650
5,674
3, 826
1,150
780
1,389
715
1,145
775
495
645
100
142
2, 569 2,764
70,047 67,349
3,041
2,137
13,905
7,720
14,542 11,229
4,732
6,139
9,502
6, 844
3,231
2,833
9,022 11,453
3,059
1,467
9,013
9, 529
96,164 83, 691
5,385
3,129
15,845 11,236
15,428 19,317
7,823
9,451
7,050
8,783
10, 887
4,371
18,432 16,192
3,722
4, 350
11,592
6,860
2,761
5,270
18
282
409
620
534
381
440
1,105
538
1,418
0
28
292
361
5
121
526
954
8,968
430
823
361
150
204
638
3,982
333
2,049
10, 241
283
1,187
871
238
1,146
3,393
1,092
327
1,704
11,724
345
599
2,031
922
1,108
2,326
1,034
126
3,232
11,629
768
1,438
2,632
1,115
738
888
887
985
2,177
11, 424
2,135
513
390
329
5, 484
491
1,357
138
686
15,061
1,147
2,628
4,050
1,647
689
362
1,703
604
2,233
10,045
702
3,467
1,839
2,004
459
70
499
164
840
12, 701
694
1,592
3,836
1,517
677
304
961
627
2,492
15,474
3,615
544
920
1. 735
4,070
41
1,663
121
2,765
8,284
404
808
1,899
747
685
241
957
538
2,004
6,527
53
319
1, 828
1,994
1,031
112
700
219
270
15, 435
1,010
2,382
4,665
1,867
906
349
825
703
2,728
1 Building for which permits were issued and Federal contracts awarded
in all urban places, including an estimate of building undertaken in some
smaller urban places that do not issue permits. Sums of components do not
always equal totals exactly because of rounding.
9 For scope and source of urban estimates, see table F-3, footnote 1.
* Preliminary.
4 Revised.
8 Totals for 1949 include revisions which do not appear in data shown for
January through December. Revised monthly data will appear in a sub
sequent issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
6 Includes factories, navy yards, army ordinance plants, bakeries, ice plants,
industrial warehouses, and other buildings at the site of these and similar
production plants.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8,608
129
1,986
1,309
442
1,039
0
1,234
243
2,128
10,903
657
1,256
2,733
907
1,737
271
670
525
2,146
13,859
35, 246
55, 772
19, 736
28, 257
16,128
33, 808
17, 729
38, 938
16, 473
367
2,281
6,959
1,995
910
612
633
329
2,489
65, 896
3,195
8,333
13,037
4,240
12, 883
3, 268
9,705
2,436
8,798
138,831
8,203
19, 215
30,333
11, 976
12,159
6,748
18,617
14, 205
17,374
12, 643
702
991
211
283
803
5,120
1,731
55
2,746
8,485
26,378
38,941
12, 255
31, 298
8,897
14, 088
7,360
38, 450
14,358
623
2,410
4,889
1,122
1,241
670
703
994
1,806
65, 862
2,956
9,315
12,616
4, 541
10,092
3, 207
5,594
2,688
14, 853
68, 573
3, 445
10,360
14, 273
4, 649
8,007
4, 488
6,706
2,351
14, 296
13, 277
55
675
1,149
55
10,712
0
42
39
649
15, 672
28,400
37, 251
17,178
26, 965
9, 621
19,910
6,647
37, 537
19, 829
972
4,416
5,009
2,063
2, 475
1,664
560
493
2,177
64, 539
3, 878
14,109
11, 625
4,802
8,447
4, 949
6, 777
1,827
8,124
71, 780
3,171
7,427
13,376
8,274
9,172
2,688
10, 766
3, 768
13,138
11,046
431
453
111
74
2,103
0
75
82
7,716
8,026
26,848
46,191
18, 663
22, 220
10, 231
20, 537
7, 042
32, 890
15, 836
1,019
3, 478
4,012
1,112
2,088
644
537
439
2,506
61, 786
2, 848
8,068
13, 340
4,955
8, 528
4,333
6, 424
2,829
10, 461
89, 276
3,077
12, 506
23, 532
5, 531
10, 261
4, 517
12.042
2, 446
15, 364
6,654
340
145
17
4,317
194
268
0
276
1,097
6,229
16, 777
21, 264
8, 535
39,158
8,048
21, 203
3, 510
23,001
16, 855
858
3,862
4, 568
1,746
2,682
600
557
197
1, 785
57, 527
3, 817
6,699
8,205
3, 437
8, 965
2,129
9,888
1,936
12, 451
34,679
487
3, 717
5, 323
2,900
3, 493
2,247
9,902
1, 245
5,365
22, 843
138
457
50
0
22,028
0
8
3
158
13,928
778
2,743
1, 813
208
799
20
2,431
177
4,960
11,704
613
1,683
3, 420
1,035
703
360
793
526
2,571
10, 635
790
2,127
1,158
569
645
402
257
838
3, 850
13, 446
616
1, 591
4,857
1,319
601
230
787
450
2,996
20, 304
6,459
274
3, 714
745
3,889
24
1,021
40
4,138
11, 684
761
1, 721
3, 416
1, 221
879
296
710
437
2,244
7,963
131
1,093
2,726
953
535
98
769
494
1,164
11,134
610
1, 559
2,565
1,796
614
370
764
558
2,298
10, 540
729
1,225
2,420
234
1,383
2,875
383
0
1,292
6,282
200
817
699
218
607
196
467
129
1,948
4,607
113.834
47,775
434,807
40, 516 491,550
10, 812 203,495
17, 961 306,418
5, 394
129,686
17, 869 269, 915
4,840
102,208
22, 135 348,780
26, 085 202,440
378
6,357
4,128
40,367
16,013
77,037
860
15,689
1,173
18,132
826
8,736
751
6,859
551
4,264
1,405
24,999
55, 268 751,264
2,282
36, 564
14, 861
127,033
10,330
147,620
1,456
52, 907
7,343
105,106
2,002
36.020
5,354
101,025
2,632
25,094
9,007
119,895
49,152 1,005,376
1,505
42,343
3,314
176,009
11,145
200, 974
6,590
100,396
5, 605
101,126
1,610
67,423
10,099
135,128
1, 505
58, 773
7,779
123,204
28,096
150,075
20
4,803
24,010
33,568
184
8,156
459
9, 532
1,159
50,094
32
6,257
674
5,041
44
5,327
1, 514
27,297
148,039
393,374
511,794
173,152
269, 427
100, 715
274,663
83, 458
412,108
299,286
19,839
65,911
100,035
15, 993
27,776
9,054
15,864
2,770
42,044
926, 551
55,560
133,219
177,322
72,808
121,552
39,391
126,064
35,274
165,361
788,601
47,255
153,423
154,846
54, 207
80,384
36,344
106,205
34, 577
121,360
74, 414
5,966
8,680
11,352
5,438
8,875
8,936
6,132
3,965
15,070
159,642
16,010
39,494
22,303
11,337
22,706
7, 223
11,944
2, 566
26,059
131,896
7,757
18,336
35,460
13,634
9,254
4,027
9,918
6,184
27,326
148,681
11,438
16,651
35,809
13,015
21,450
3,750
12,792
2,055
31,721
129,197
7,981
15,490
32,430
11,691
9,390
3,240
7,606
4,817
36,552
8, 571
145
605
2,157
1, 202
2,265
763
596
5
833
4,739
277
858
688
245
416
161
395
102
1,597
7 Includes amusement and recreation buildings, stores and other mercantile
buildings, commercial garages, gasoline and service stations, etc.
8 Includes churches, hospitals, and other institutional buildings, schools,
libraries, etc.
8 Includes Federal, State, county, and municipal buildings, such as post
offices, courthouses, city halls, Are and police stations, jails, prisons, arsenals,
armories, army barracks, etc.
10 Includes railroad, bus and airport buildings, roundhouses, radio stations,
gas and electric plants, public comfort stations, etc.
n Includes private garages, sheds, stables and barns, and other buildings
not elsewhere classified,
F: BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
484
T able F-5: Number and Construction Cost of New Permanent Nonfarm Dwelling Units Started, by
Urban or Rural Location, and by Source of Funds1
Number of new dwelling units started
Privately financed
All units
Estimated construction cost
(in thousands)8
Publicly financed
Period
Total
nonfarm
Urban
Rural
nonfarm
Total
nonfarm
Urban
Rural
nonfarm
Total
non
farm
Urban
Rural
non
farm
0 $4,475,000 $4,475,000
285, 446
285,446
0
21,800 2,825,895 2, 530, 765
495,054
483,231
100
0 3, 769, 767 3, 713, 776
5,642,798
0
5,617, 425
3,200 7,199,161 7,028,980
Total
Privately Publicly
financed financed
0
0
$295,130
11,823
55,991
25,373
170,181
1925 5_____ ________ __________
1933 L ...............................................
1941 « . . . ....... ........ ........... -.............
1944 «...... ......................... ............
1946........................................ ........
1947..................................................
1948............................................
937,000
93,000
706,100
141,800
670,500
849,000
931,300
752,000
45,000
434,300
96, 200
403, 700
479,800
524,600
185,000
48,000
271,800
45,600
266,800
369,200
406, 700
937,000
93,000
619, 500
138,700
662, 500
845,600
913, 500
752,000
45,000
369, 500
93, 200
395, 700
476,400
510,000
185,000
48,000
250,000
45, 500
266,800
369, 200
403,500
0
0
86,600
3,100
8,000
3,400
17,800
0
0
64,800
3,000
8,000
3, 400
14,600
1947: First quarter................ .........
January................. ..........
February................... .
M a rc h ............................
Second quarter.......................
April................................
M ay________________
June...............................
Third quarter_______ _____
J u l y __ ____ _________
A ugust............... ...........
September___________
Fourth quarter......................
October......... ..................
November___________
December____________
138,100
39,300
42,800
56,000
217, 200
67,100
72,900
77, 200
261, 200
81,100
86.300
93,800
232, 500
94,000
79, 700
58,800
81,000
24, 200
25,000
31,800
119,100
37, 600
39.300
42, 200
142, 200
44, 500
47, 400
50,300
137, 500
53,200
48,000
36,300
57,100
15,100
17,800
24, 200
98,100
29, 500
33.600
35,000
119,000
36,600
38,900
43, 500
95,000
40,800
31,700
22, 500
137,000
38, 200
42,800
56,000
217,000
67,100
72,900
77,000
260, 700
81,100
86,100
93, 500
230, 900
93, 500
78,900
58, 500
79,900
23,100
25,000
31, 800
118,900
37,600
39,300
42,000
141, 700
44, 500
47, 200
50,000
135,900
52, 700
47, 200
36,000
57,100
15,100
17,800
24, 200
98,100
29, 500
33,600
35,000
119,000
36, 600
38,900
43, 500
95,000
40,800
31,700
22, 500
1,100
1,100
0
0
200
0
0
200
500
0
200
300
1,600
500
800
300
1,100
1,100
0
0
200
0
0
200
500
0
200
300
1,600
500
800
300
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
808,263
223, 577
244, 425
340, 261
1,361, 677
418, 451
452, 236
490,990
1, 774,150
539,333
589, 470
645,347
1,698, 708
678, 687
584, 731
435,290
800, 592
215,906
244,425
340,261
1,360,477
418,451
452, 236
489, 790
1, 770,475
539,333
587, 742
643,400
1,685,881
675,197
578,324
432,360
7,671
7,671
0
0
1,200
0
0
1,200
3, 675
0
1, 728
1,947
12,827
3, 490
6, 407
2, 930
1948: First quarter_____________
January________ _____
February....................... .
M arch......................... .
Second quarter................... .
April................................
M ay................ ................
June__________ ____ _
Third quarter____________
July___________ _____
August______________
September_______ ____
Fourth quarter_____ _____
October______________
November_______ ____
December........................
180,000
53,500
50,100
76,400
297,600
99, 500
100,300
97,800
263,800
95,000
86,600
82, 200
189,900
73, 400
63,600
52,900
102,900
30,800
29,000
43,100
166,100
55,000
56, 700
54,400
144,100
52,300
47,600
44, 200
111, 500
41,300
38,000
32,200
77,100
22, 700
21,100
33,300
131, 500
44, 500
43,600
43, 400
119, 700
42, 700
39,000
38,000
78,400
32,100
25,600
20,700
177, 700
52, 500
48,900
76, 300
293,900
98,100
99, 200
96,600
259,300
93, 700
85,100
80, 500
182,600
71,900
61,300
49,400
100,800
29,800
28,000
43,000
164,600
54,600
56,100
53,900
140,100
51,000
46,600
42, 500
104, 500
39,800
35,800
28,900
76,900
22, 700
20,900
33,300
129,300
43, 500
43,100
42, 700
119, 200
42, 700
38, 500
38,000
78,100
32.100
25, 500
20, 500
2,300
1,000
1,200
100
3, 700
1,400
1,100
1,200
4,500
1,300
1, 500
1,700
7,300
1,500
2,300
3,500
2,100
1,000
1,000
100
1,500
400
600
500
4,000
1,300
1,000
1,700
7,000
1,500
2,200
3,300
200
(0
200
(7)
2, 200
1,000
500
700
500
1,315,050
383, 563
368,915
562, 572
2, 286, 758
748,848
769,093
768,817
2.111,278
750,843
719,080
641,355
1,486,075
573,888
498,040
414,147
1, 296,612
374. 984
359, 420
562, 208
2, 252, 961
736,186
758, 635
758,140
2,065, 770
738,659
703,066
624,045
1,413,637
560,347
471,336
381,954
18,438
8,579
9, 495
364
33, 797
12, 662
10, 458
10, 677
45, 508
12,184
16, 014
17, 310
72, 438
13, 541
26, 704
32,193
1949: First quarter..........................
January....... ............. ......
February___ _________
March_______ _______
Second quarter__________
A prif................................
M ay..............................
June________________
Third quarter........................
July-------------------------August........................... .
Septem ber8................... .
169,800
50,000
50,400
69,400
279, 200
88, 300
95, 400
95, 500
298,000
96,100
99,000
102,900
94,200
29, 500
28,000
36, 700
157,300
49, 500
53,900
53. 900
171,600
53,300
55,900
62,400
76,600
20, 500
22,400
32, 700
121,900
38, 800
41, 500
41, 600
126,400
42,800
43,100
40, 500
159,400
46,300
47,800
65,300
267,300
85, 000
91,300
91,000
290,100
92, 700
96, 600
100,800
84,100
25,800
25, 500
32,800
147, 800
46, 700
50. 600
50, 500
164,700
50,100
54,300
60,300
75,300 10,400
20, 500 3,700
2,600
22,300
4,100
32, 500
119, 500 11,900
3, 300
38,300
4,100
40, 700
40, 500 4. 500
7,900
125,400
42,600
3,400
42,300 2,400
40, 500 2,100
10,100
3,700
2, 500
3,900
9, 500
2,800
3, 300
3, 400
6,900
3,200
1,600
2,100
300 1,285,835 1,189,640
340,973
373,940
(')
382,684
100
357, 270
200
529,211
491,397
2,400 2,118, 686 2, 007, 563
500
666,383
637,170
732,604
692,063
800
1,100
678, 330
719,699
1,000 2,220,778 2,153,937
200
710,127
682,863
722, 208
800
743, 743
766,908
748,866
(7)
96,195
32, 967
25,414
37,814
111, 123
29,213
40, 541
41, 369
66,841
27,264
21, 535
18,042
Fourth quarter______ _____
October____________ _
November 8____ _____
December 9______ ____
1950: January 9___ __________
278,800
104', 300
95, 500
79, 000
80,000
60,000
56, 700
(10)
(10)
44,300
38,800
(10)
0°)
272,900
10l', 900
93, 400
77, 600
79,100
57, 700
54, 700
(10)
(10)
5,900
2,400
2,100
1,400
900
2,300
2,000
(10)
(10)
i The estimates shown here do not include temporary units, conversions,
dormitory accommodations, trailers, or military barracks. They do include
prefabricated housing units.
These estimates are based on building-permit records, which, beginning
with 1945, have been adjusted for lapsed permits and for lag between permit
issuance and start of construction. They are based also on reports of Federal
construction contract awards and beginning in 1946, on field surveys in non
permit-issuing places. The data in this table refer to nonfarm dwelling units
started, and not to urban dwelling units authorized, as shown in table F-3.
All of these estimates contain some error. For example, if the estimate of
nonfarm starts is 50,000, the chances are about 19 out of 20 that an actual
enumeration would produce a figure between 48,000 and 52,000.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
44, 200
38, 700
(10)
(10)
C)
500
(7)
300
C)
100
200
100
100
(10)
(10)
2,083, 521
' 776, 674
723, 097
583, 750
581,965
2,032, 780
' 756,712
704, 220
571,848
573,402
50, 741
19,962
18,877
11,902
8,563
8 Private construction costs are based on permit valuation, adjusted for
understatement of costs shown on permit applications. Public construction
costs are based on contract values or estimated construction costs for in
dividual projects.
* Housing peak year.
4 Depression, low year.
1 Recovery peak year prior to wartime limitations.
8 Last full year under wartime control.
7 Less than 50 units.
8 Revised.
• Preliminary.
70 Not available.
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