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NATION-WIDE KEEPING FIT CAMPAIGN FOR THE BOYS OF AMERICA.
The United States Public Health Service, cooperating with the State
hoards of health of each State, has inaugurated a campaign to reach this
year with a Keeping Fit Message
THREE MILLION BOYS,
The Public Health Service believes that many of the physical and mental
handicaps shown by the draft to be so startlingly present may be obviated
by the proper following of the Keeping Fit Message.
This campaign is directed primarily toward the youths of from 15 to 20
years of age. The message consists of an exhibit, followed by the careful
reading of a pamphlet called “ Keeping Fit.”
These millions of boys are to be asked to—1. Exercise “wisely.
2. Eat wholesome food.
3. Get all the fresh air possible.
4. Take sufficient rest.
5. Keep clean,
Thirty-eight States have organized and begun this all-important work.
If you are interested in keeping the youth of America physically strong and
mentally bright, write to your State board of health or the United States
Public Health Service, 228 First Street HW, Washington, D, €., asking that
an exhibit be shown to the hoys of your community.
n
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CON TENT S.
Special articles:
Page.
Employees’ representation in management of industry, by Royal
Meeker, Commissioner of Labor Statistics_____________________ 1-14
D raft conventions adopted by International Labor Conference______ 15-32
Industrial relations:
L abor: Its grievances, protests, and demands______ _____________ 33-41
The Industrial Courts Act (1919) of Great B ritain____ _________ 41—40
The new Franco-Italian labor treaty_____________________________47-53
Hungarian industry under the soviet system_________________
53-55
Socialization of the Austrian shoe industry______________________ 55, 5G
Prices and cost of living:
Retail prices of food in the United States__________________ _____ 57-31
Comparison of retail food costs in 50 cities in the United States___ 82, S3
Retail price changes in Great B ritain____________________________84, 85
Index numbers of wholesale prices in the United States, 1913 to
December, 1919_____________________________________________ 85-89
Changes in wholesale prices in the United States__________________ 89-94
Improbability of decrease in prices and cost of living, by Itoyal
Meeker. Commissioner of Labor Statistics_____________________ 95-97
Retail prices in Belgium________________________________________ 97-99
Prices of food and fuel in Norway in 1914, 1917, 191S, and 1919-----99,100
Wages and hours of labor:
Hours and earnings in the hosiery and underwear and silk indus
tries_____________________________________________________ 101-117
Changes in union wage scales. 1907 to 1919-------------------------------- 117,118
A rest day in a continuous industry, by Fred C. Croxton, Ohio Insti
tute for Public Efficiency------------------------------------------------------- 1IS--128
Comparison of earnings of New York State factory workers with
retail prices of food--------------------128
Increased wages for workers in engineering and foundry trades,
Great B ritain__ ___________________________________________ 128-130
Wages and hours of domestic servants in England and Bavaria____130-132
Cooperation:
Joint farm-labor cooperative congress--------------------------------------- 133,134
Consumers’ cooperation_______________________________________ 134-137
Vocational education:
Training and placement of disabled ex-service men in the United
States___________________________________________________ 138-147
Collective bargaining:
Recent agreements in building trades—
New York City___________________________________________ 147-149
Norfolk, Ya____________________________________________ 149-151
Creation of a German archive for collective agreements__________152,153
Employment and unemployment:
Employment in selected industries in December,1919---------------------154-158
Provisions for employment of ex-service men—
United States___________________________________________ 158-163
Belgium_______________________________________________ 163,164
Germany_________________________________________________
164
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CONTENTS.
Employment and unemployment—<'onoludod.
Page.
Overcoming opposition to physical examination of workers-----------164-167
Effect of employment of mothers upon sickness among school
children_______________________________________________ — 167,16S
Unemployment and unemployment relief in Germany and Austria- 168-173
Child labor:
Child labor and the w ar---------------------------------------------------------174,175
Industrial hygiene and medicine:
Composite industrial poisons: A review, by Win. II. Hand, M. D----- 176-107
Recommendations concerning the manufacture and use of wood
alcohol__________________________________________________ 107-201
Qualifications of industrial physicians-------------------------------------- 201,202
Coordination of Federal, State, and local agencies to promote in
dustrial hygiene___________________________________________ 202-205
Industrial dermatoses to be investigated by National Safety Council 200-208
Workmen's compensation:
Constitutionality of workmen’s compensation laws of North Dakota
and Tennessee____________________________________________ 209-212
Final report on investigation of New York Industrial Commission- 212-218
Recent reports of industrial accident commissions:
• California______________________________________________ 218-221
New York_______________________________________________ 221-223
Social insurance:
Provision for retirement of school teachers in District of Columbia- 224, 225
Health insurance in resolutions of American Public Health AssociaMaternity benefit systems in certain foreign countries------------------ 226-228
Modification of British out-of-work donation plan------------------------ 228, 229
Pensions for employees of State industrial establishments in France 229-231
Reduction of State subsidies to unemployment funds in France-----231
New regulation of maternity insurance inGermany-------------------- 232-231
Labor laws:
New transport act in Great Britain------------------------------------------ 235-238
Chec-kweighmen Act of Great B ritain---------------------------------------- 238, 239
Labor laws of Czeclio-Slovakia------------------------------------------------- 239-215
Annual leave by law for manual workers in Austria------------------- 245, 246
Housing:
Comparative cost of building, 1913 and 1919, by Le Roy K. Sherman,
president, United States Housing Corporation-------------------------- 247-253
State loans for cheap dwellings in France— --------------------------- 253-255
Labor organizations:
Fifty-first annual trade-union congress, GreatBritain-------------------- 256-258
Development of woman labor organization in Germany during the
w ar_____________________________________________________ 25S-263
Strikes and lockouts:
The Australian shippingstrike________________________________ 264-206
Immigration:
Immigration in November, 1919-------------------------------- --------------- 267. 268
Publications relating to labor:
Official—United States________________________________________ 269-274
Official—foreign countries-------,------------------------------------------------ 274-281
Unofficial__________________________________________________ 281-290
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M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V I E W
vol .
x-NO. 2
WASHINGTON
Febr ua r y ,
1920
Em ployees’ R ep resen tatio n in M anagem ent of
In d u s try .1
By R oyal Me ek er , C ommissioner
of
L abor Statistics .
multitude of causes making for the general dissatisfaction
prevailing among workers which is called industrial unrest
may he compressed under three heads: (1) Dissatisfaction
with their wages, hours, and earnings—a f e e lin g on the part of the
workers that they are not receiving a fair share of the product of
industry; a widespread belief that workers are being exploited by
owners, employers, and their managers. The rapid rise in prices has
greatly strengthened this belief even among those workers who have
secured wage increases in excess of increases in the cost of living.
Many thousands of workmen who have profited greatly by the price
upheavals of the war period firmly believe they are worse off than
before the war, or, at least, that the employers have gained more than
the workmen and hence the workmen are being done by the em
ployers. (2) Dissatisfaction with the management of industry—a
feeling that not only are the workers being exploited but that the
“ enterprisers” are not as enterprising and their managers not as
capable as has been commonly supposed. Work is made needlessly
monotonous and uninteresting and production is thereby curtailed.
The workers feel that industries are being conducted from a dis
tance by men who have little or no first-hand knowledge of condi
tions and who do not understand the workers’ point of view, knowl
edge, and capacity. These grievances are due in large part to bigbusiness organization which has brought about what may justly be
called “ absentee landlordism” in industry. (3) Dissatisfaction
with the nature of their work—a feeling that industry is a treadmill
for workers of all kinds, but especially for manual workers, and that
the opportunities for successful and permanent escape into man
agerial, employing, and capitalistic positions are scarce and growing
scarcer every day.
Through collective bargaining workers have long exercised a
greater or less degree of control over wages, hours, and conditions of
T
he
1 Address delivered at a joint session of the American Economic Association anc! the
American Association for Labor Legislation, held at Chicago, 111., Dec. MO, 1919.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
labor. During the war the principle of collective bargaining#was of
necessity, albeit in many cases rather grudgingly, recognized by all
employers engaged on direct Government work or in the production
of essentials. The Quartermaster Corps, the Ordnance Office, the
Emergency Fleet Corporation of the Shipping Board, the National
War Labor Board, the Fuel Administration, and many other Gov
ernment agencies, sought to secure greater and more continuous pro
duction by means of collective agreements covering wages and hours
and by establishing committees to represent the workers in dealing
with the management on shop conditions. Since the signing of the
armistice, Government control over industry has been either aban
doned or greatly relaxed and industrial warfare has grown more ex -'
tensive and more bitter. The elephantine governmental machines
built and set up to adjust labor disputes were clumsy and cumber
some, and oftentimes worked against each other so that a labor ad
justment made by one agency produced labor maladjustment in all
other fields. Each agency dealing with labor was a law unto itself.'
The terms “ cooperation,” “ coordination” and “correlation” were
heard on every hand until they became a weariness to the flesh, but
the labor adjusters seldom were able to cooperate, coordinate, or cor- ■
relate anything. I do not say this in the spirit of caviling criticism.
No one is to be blamed. On the contrary, great praise is due to
those who, in spite of constitutional inhibitions and public indiffer
ence, succeeded in partially organizing our industrial chaos. It is
greatly to be regretted that these men were not able to formulate a
national labor policy for war to be continued in peace. Probably
if the war had continued four more years a national labor policy
must have been worked out, with the administration centered in one
national industrial commission or in a series of commissions, one
for each industry. Numerous district boards to take care of local
disputes would have been necessary under either system. Of course,
no one would be willing to have the war prolonged for four days,
even to secure such a highly desirable result as the establishment of a
national system of adjusting labor grievances and determining in
dustrial policies on a democratic basis. We can only hope that the
terrors of peace will be as potent as the horrors of war in compelling
the Bolsheviki of the right and of the left to come together on a
reasonable compromise.
%
Absentee Ownership of Industrial Establishments.
A BSENTEE landlordism is as bad in the field of economics as in
the field of politics. Labor unrest in the present-day meaning
of the term is a natural and inevitable result of the industrial revo
lution, machine production, absentee ownership of industrial estab-
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3
lishments, and the centering of industrial management in the hands
of managers of finance whose offices are in the big banks and office
buildings of the centers of finance and trade. Strikes, in the modern
sense, were practically unknown until industrial units had grown
to such a size as to erect formidable barriers between the workers on
the one side and the responsible owners and managers on the other.
The spirit of antagonism against the absentee ownership of farms
in Kansas and Nebraska and other Western States, which culminated
in the Farmers’ Alliance and Populist movements, manifests itself
to-day against the absentee owners of industry.
Lack of interest in work grows out of absentee ownership. The
absent industrial landlords, interested only or principally in divi
dends, employed experts, scientific managers, to produce a substitute
for the old-time workman’s interest in his work. The scientific man
agers have been attacked so violently and so frequently that I feel
obliged to apologize for referring at this point to the most obvious
and fundamental error contained in their original program. The
scientific managers did not, in the beginning of the efficiency move
ment, differentiate between the workman and the machine or tool
with which he worked. Men and machines were to lie made to do
each operation the “ easiest ” way; that is, with the least lost motion
and expenditure of effort. The scientific managers have not yet
grasped fully the difference between a man and a machine and the
economy of making use of the heads of the workers as well as their
arms and legs. A good deal is said about the worker’s psychology,
as though the worker were some strange, wild beast with a peculiar
psychology all his own, quite different from the psychology of em
ployers and managers. I t is because the psychology of the worker
is the same as the psychology of the employer and the manager that
strikes and lockouts occur with such distressing frequency.
If we grant that a works manager has more brains and knowledge
than any of the employees under his direction, he should be able
to organize and plan the work so that if the workmen, instead
of' following their own devices, follow the plan laid out, the out
put would be bettered both in quantity and quality while the physi
cal energy expended to attain this output would be lessened. The
theoretical ideal of maximum output with minimum expenditure
of effort, which can be figured out by mathematical formulas and
pictured on charts, is never attained in practice. A much more
imperfect layout, which leaves much to the ingenuity and initiative
of the individual workmen, in practice almost always achieves
much better results. A man will willingly work much harder,
expend much more energy, and be much less fatigued working on a
job which he has a part in planning, and for the results of which
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
lie is responsible. The present-day movement for industrial democ
racy is a partial recognition of the fundamental psychological phe
nomenon that industrial fatigue is not simply an engineering ques
tion to be stated mathematically in foot-pounds per hour or even a
physiological question having to do with calories burned up in
the body. Work is hard primarily because it is uninteresting and
monotonous, or easy because it demands ingenuity or skill. Para
doxical as it seems, the way to make work easier is to make it
harder by requiring more of the workmen. The mental application
required or the muscular effort put forth has little to do with the
hardness of a job. In so far as scientific management has resulted
in merely breaking processes up into their component parts, segre
gating so far as possible the purely muscular and mechanical
operations from the creative and planning functions, so-called “effi
ciency” has resulted in the most disastrous inefficiency. The “easier”
specific operations or fractions of operations have been made, the
harder they have become. All the efforts of the scientific managers
and efficiency experts to arouse, increase, and maintain the interest
of the workman in his work are bound to be fruitless unless the
work itself is made interesting. The worker must be called upon
to use his head in planning as well as his hands and feet in executing
his work if contentment is to he attained in industry.
The Whitley Plan in Great Britain.
INURING the war the scarcity of workers and the need to increase
output of essentials gave the workers great power. Private
employers and Governments were obliged to give more consideration
to the rights and desires of laborers than was ever given before. The
fear that employees might use their vastly increased power to seize
political control and perhaps revolutionize and even socialize indus
try and private property led private employers the world over to
experiment with different plans for participation by employees, to
some degree, in the “ management of industry.” The Governments
of the world, recognizing the seriousness of the labor unrest, have
tried to guide and control the efforts of the workers to secure more
power in the planning and carrying out of industrial policies. Great
Britain has been experimenting with the Whitley system of organiz
ing industries into national and district joint industrial councils
and works committees. National joint industrial councils have been
set up in some 50 industries, besides the councils established in the
Government departments for both manual and clerical employees.
It must not be assumed that these industries are fully organized
under the so-called Whitley system and that all industrial unrest
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EMPLOYEES’ REPRESENTATION IN INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT.
4
il
5
has become a thing of the past. In fact, the national joint industrial
councils are analogous to the roof of a house suspended in mid-air
with no supporting side walls or foundations upon which to rest.
Speakers and writers are wont to refer glibly to the “ solution ” of
labor unrest worked out and put into practice in Great Britain. The
facts are that only three industries have set up complete “ Whitley
systems ” of joint industrial representation of employers and em
ployees, with a national council and district councils for the industry
and works committees for individual shops, and these three industries
are relatively insignificant, namely match, rubber, and pottery manu
facturing. I am told that there are only two match factories in Great
Britain. Rubber manufacture increased in importance during the
war. Pottery is of far more importance than the other two indus
tries, but does not rank with the great basic industries of Great
Britain. Even in the three fully organized industries the organiza
tion is almost purely formal, being for the most part a paper organi
zation. It must not be assumed that this interesting attempt to make
industrial management more democratic has failed. It is merely in
the experimental stage. The system has not been accepted by either
employees or employers generally. It must not be too hastily assumed
that Great Britain has discovered a magic formula for “ solving ”
all industrial unrest. It might seem from the wildly exaggerated
accounts which have appeared in some quarters that the eager indus
trial alchemists in Great Britain seeking after the industrial philoso
pher’s stone have found instead the Blarney stone. The search has,
however, only just begun and what, if anything, will be found can
not yet be foretold. The experts in the division of the Ministry of
Labor which is dealing with these industrial councils, holding meet
ings with employers and employees constantly and setting up new
national industrial councils about every week, do not proclaim that
industrial democracy has been achieved and labor unrest solved by
the organization of national councils. Everything is still in the
experimental stage, with a strong probability that the first experi
ments will be, at best, only partially successful and that only by trial
and error and after many experiments will a solid basis of settlement
be reached.
It was my good fortune to be present at the first industrial confer
ence called by Premier Lloyd George, which met in London February
27, 1919. This was a most impressive assemblage and it transacted
an amazing amount of business in its lifetime of one day, especially
as the whole forenoon was given up to an oratorical Donnybrook fair
in which everybody took a crack at the premier’s head, while he sat
by and really seemed to enjoy the proceedings. As a result of this first
conference, a joint committee consisting of 30 representatives of
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
employers and 30 representatives of employees was appointed. This
committee reported on April 4 recommending the establishment of a
permanent industrial conference, made up of representatives of em
ployers and employees to meet annually or at the call of the Govern
ment and to advise the Government in matters of industrial policy.
It was intended to be a sort of industrial parliament or advisory
council. Its recommendations will have no binding force, but they
may and probably will be very illuminating and helpful to the political
Government. This extra-legal industrial parliament is merely another
industrial experiment. It may eventually help to solve the problem
of industrial unrest, but it hasn’t done so yet. The four biggest tradeunion organizations, namely, the Textile Workers, the Engineering
Trades, the National Union of Itail way men, and the General
Workers’ Union, have refused to send, or at least have refrained from
sending, representatives to the permanent industrial conference. The
employers who deal with these union men are also' holding aloof.
Employees’ Representation Plans in the United States.
p
OUR own country, as contrasted with Great Britain, nothing so
ambitious nor so well thought out has been tried. During the war
numerous “ shop committees ” giving a measure of representation to
the workers were set up in many establishments, but no permanent
nation-wide organization was created to tie these shop committees into
a system, unless perhaps the Shipping Board and the Railroad Ad
ministration may be spoken of as permanent bodies.
The plan to bring the employees into closer relations with their
employers by means of “ shop stewards,” “ shop committees,” “ works
councils,” or other means is often hailed as the dawn of a new
democracy in industry. It is new as compared with 10 years ago, or
even 5 years ago; but it can not be too emphatically stated that
democracy in industry is not a discovery of the great World War.
In fact, with all the shop committees and works councils of to-day,
we have much less democracy in industry than obtained 40 years
ago or even in the Middle Ages, or at any time before the introduc
tion of power-driven machinery with its tendency to segregate the
employers and managers from their employees. The shop committee
is the present-day attempt to restore some of the democracy lost
through machine industry and big business. While it is, of course,
impossible that there can ever be as complete democracy in a large
plant as in a small plant, it is often true that the workers’ committees
of the large plants are able to secure better conditions and more
consideration for the workers than the workers in the smaller plants
are able to secure for themselves.
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*J>
The different types of shop committees and works councils in this
country which I have been able to examine may be divided into three
pretty distinct groups, namely (1) closed-shop committees of union
workmen, chosen exclusively by union men affiliated with national or
international unions; (2) open-shop committees, composed of workers
chosen by the votes of all workers who have been employed in the shop
the required period of time; (3) open-closed-shop committees, chosen
by all workers qualified to vote in a shop that is closed against tradeunions and which may or may not have a local plant or corporation
organization of the workers. There is a monotonous sameness in the
constitutions and by-laws or plans of organizations within each of
these three groups. There is in fact little fundamental variation in
the published statements of the objects sought and the plans of organi
zation as between group and group. This sameness in descriptive
language makes tabulation of the hundreds of shop-committee plans
easy and the results of such tabulation perfectly useless or rather
utterly misleading. T have therefore made no attempt to enumerate
the different kinds of shop committees as to their attitude toward
trade-unions. Each plan and even each shop committee must be
studied in order to find out just how democratic it is and whether it is
working as the employers and managers say it is. The trade-unions,
naturally enough, want all shop committees to be tied up to the na
tional craft organizations. The huge majority of employers in this
country are, and always have been, opposed to labor organizations.
The President’s first Industrial Conference came to a deadlock on the
question of the right of employees to organize and to choose repre
sentatives to deal with the management. The employer group in the
conference must be taken as representing the majority of employers
the country over. The speeches made by these representative em
ployers were often difficult to understand, but their attitude of mind
was never for a moment in doubt. They had been driven by hard
experience to abandon individual bargaining with each employee and
to accept collective bargaining, but they vigorously maintained their
right to dictate the terms of the collective bargain. These employers
conceded the right of workers to organize in a given plant and to be
represented by representatives chosen from among the employees of
that plant, provided the representatives so chosen were agreeable to
the management of said plant. The trade-unionists on the other hand
insisted upon the right of the workers to choose the representatives
whom they thought could best speak for them and make clear their
needs and wishes.
It is interesting to note that, respecting labor organization, the
position of organized employers and employees is exactly reversed
in Great Britain as compared with the United States. We are to-
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
day exactly where the British were about 30 years ago. The ques
tion of national unions versus plant unions was fought out in Great
Britain and won by the workers. British employers were obliged
to accept the result and bargained collectively with the representa
tives of the national unions. During the war the workers rebelled
against this system, insisting that wages, hours, and shop conditions
should be negotiated for each shop by the local shop committees.
The employers stood up valiantly for the established order, and
insisted that they would have nothing to do with local shop com
mittees, but would bargain collectively only with truly responsible
and representative bodies, the executives of the national trade-unions.
American employers, equally valiant for the established order, will
have nothing to do with irresponsible, unrepresentative, officials of
national trade-unions and insist on bargaining collectively with rep
resentatives of the workers who know the local situation and who are
chosen from the shop where a dispute is pending, provided always
that these worker representatives fulfill the employers1 ideas of a
bona fide representative. One of the biggest questions to be settled
is whether employees’ representation is to be local and under the
direct control and domination of the employer, or whether it is to
be nation or world wide and under the control of the workers them
selves, or whether the general public will insist on being a party to
every collective agreement so as to prevent the employers and the
employees from agreeing too agreeably and charging the bill to the
ultimate consumer.
As to function, most shop committees deal with grievances, work
ing conditions (i. e., safety, sanitation, and hygiene), wages and
hours of labor, and methods of wage payments. Oftentimes a differ
ent shop committee is created to deal with each separate function
coming under the general head of industrial relations. As to par
ticipation in management of industry in the true sense of the term
there is as yet practically none in the- United States. A great many
general managers and directors of personnel say the employees have
been taken into partnership and. are taking part in the management
of the business like true industrial democrats. No doubt these man
agers and directors honestly think they have achieved industrial
democracy, but in the systems of employee representation which 1
have been able to examine the still small voice of the general manager
could be heard very, very distinctly above the roar of the shop com
mittee "whirlwind or the crash of the works council earthquake. I
do not say that the existing shop committees have done nothing to
democratize industry. They have; and they are, in my opinion, to
be heartily commended and given every encouragement. As indicated
above, a few establishments have progressed to the point where the
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9
employees’ voices do have some weight in determining policies and
methods and in' planning work.
As to the method by which representatives of workers are chosen to
the shop committees, there are almost as many different plans as there
are different plants having such plans. The plan by which repre
sentation or participation of the employees is secured is of little im
portance compared to the scope of the functions which the committees
or representatives of the workers are permitted or are able to exercise.
Experiments in Employees’ Management in Great Britain.
A BIGGER question even than that of how collective bargains are
to be made and who are to be parties thereto is the question of the
scope and content of the collective bargain itself. The radical tradeunionists of Great Britain, and to a much less extent in the United
States, are insisting that the workers shall take a larger and larger
share in management, until ultimately all or at least the more im
portant industries shall be conducted by the workers. A few inter
esting experiments in employees’ management are already being tried
out in Great Britain, for example, the John Dawson works at Newcastle-on-Tyne, under the managership of Mr. Leonard Humphrey.
Mr. Humphrey started with nothing and built up a very profitable
airplane factory during the war. He is or was, when T interviewed
him, the managing director of the John Dawson Co. The com
pany consists of all the employees of the factory. The books of
the company are open to the representatives of the employees so
that they know at all times the costs of raw materials, machines,
tools, and labor, the allowance for depreciation and obsolescence, and
the selling price of the finished products. The workers own col
lectively 50 per cent of the stock of the company; the other 50 per
cent is owned by Mr. Humphrey. While the workers can not there
fore fire Mr. Humphrey if they should become dissatisfied with him,
still they could break up the company. They had no desire to do
so when I was in England because they felt that they really were
helping to manage a very successful enterprise, and that Mr. Hum
phrey was the best manager obtainable. During the war Mr. Hum
phrey paid wages above the scale for all trades employed in the John
Dawson factory. The working-day was reduced, if I remember cor
rectly, to 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week. Mr. Humphrey
said production per day and per week had increased remarkably,
and it was his intention to reduce the working-day to 6 hours. After
the signing of the armistice the factory took up the manufacture
of high-grade furniture and pianos in addition to the manufacture
of airplanes for commercial uses. This factory is one of the few
bona fide experiments in industrial democracy.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Several obvious criticisms will at once come into the mincls of all.
First, John Dawson was a war baby and granting that industrial
democracy may be a fine pabulum for war babies, it may disagree
with peace babies. This may well be. Many experiments can be
safely made with a superprosperous enterprise that would result
fatally with a minimum-of-subsistence enterprise. Again, the class
of workers attracted by the high wages paid at the John Dawson
works was no doubt much above the average. While an industrial
democracy might be conducted by these picked, intelligent men it
might fail if it fell into the hands of the average workman. If every
employer started to John Dawsonize, the result might be industrial
chaos as bad or worse than that we experienced as a result of the
“ cost plus ” contracts for making uniforms, and constructing canton
ments, ships, factories, and other things.
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Workers Desire Deal Responsibility in Management.
¿TYF ALL the many hundreds of systems of “ industrial democracy ”
^ which I have studied very few give promise of accomplishing
much in the way of winning the enthusiastic support of the workers,
because little, if any, additional authority over or responsibility for
methods and results is accorded them. In the great majority of
plans, the workers are permitted only to participate in managing,
under safeguards and direction or at least suggestion from above,
matters of safety, sanitation, benefit funds, and other “ welfare ”
activities. No eager, enthusiastic response from the workers can be
expected from such ultra-conservative adventures in industrial radi
calism. X do not mean that these plans are, in the great majority
of cases, insincere schemes intended to deceive the worker into think
ing he is being taken into partnership when he is really only being
“ taken in.” Nothing of the sort. I think employers in general sin
cerely desire to make concessions to labor. Of course, they want to
concede as little as is absolutely necessary to prevent the spread of
those radical things with the fearsome Russian names. Perhaps as
time goes by the workers will be given the opportunity to demon
strate that they are worthy of greater responsibilities and capable
of more constructive contributions to industrial management. None
of the shop committees and works councils have been operating long
enough to warrant generalizations about future developments. As
a worker and a student T feel that there is a tremendous latent cre
ative force in the workers of to-day, which is not being utilized at
all. This force may be likened to the force of the waves and the
tides of the ocean. No engineer has as yet been able to devise a
practical method for utilizing the giant strength of the sea; but
every industrial engineer with any imagination whatsoever dreams
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e m p l o y e e s ’ r e p r e s e n t a t io n i n in d u s t r ia l
MANAGEMENT.
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of the day when this giant will be harnessed and made to do the
work of the world. Perhaps it is not and never will be economically
feasible to harness the sea. It is likewise possible that human nature
is fundamentally so constituted that it never will be practicable to
utilize the good will, enthusiasm, and creative power of the workers
—to substitute leadership for drivership in industry. I t may be that
industrial peace on earth is unattainable, and that industrial war is
the natural state of man; but I do not believe it. Anyhow, it is
worth a thorough trial in order to find out whether the workers, if
given responsibility in industrial management, will become so inter
ested in their work that they won't have time to be restless.
During and immediately after the war, employers were alarmed
at the thought of the power of the radical labor movement. The
collapse of the railway strike in Great Britain and the failure of the
British miners to win out on the nationalization of the coal mines
have greatly cheered employers everywhere. The relative indus
trial calm in France, Belgium, and Germany also has had a marked
effect. In our own country the longshoremen’s strike, the printers’
strike, the steel workers’ strike, and the coal miners’ strike
have greatly weakened the influence of the radical laborite and
socialist leaders, while they certainly have not strengthened the
W- conservative trade-unionists. I think it is perfectly obvious that
the wild stampede on the part of employers to set up “ shop
committees ” and “works councils ” and to proclaim the dawn of the
new day of “industrial democracy” is over. From now on few new
plans will be set up. Probably many plans already created will be
abandoned or allowed to perish by atrophy. The sincere attempts
to enlist the sympathy and help of the workers in bringing about
industrial peace, however, will continue and will be gradually per
fected.
I am not much interested in the possibility of the workers owning,
managing, and operating all industries or even the more important
ones. At the present moment we are not in sight of that con
summation. It must be conceded that the worker who has served
long enough in a plant to have acquired a special skill in doing his
work, even if it is only shoveling slag or wheeling a barrow, has
invested something in that industry and that plant, and that he has
thereby acquired a right to have his views as to the conditions sur
rounding his job considered by the management. A means should
be provided whereby he may present any grievance or any suggestion
£ he may have to make to somebody representing the management.
He may get turned down. None of us ever gets all he wants or asks
for. But every worker ought to have the right to give his views on
industrial matters just as he lias the right to express his views on
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political or religious matters. The workers will not be satisfied
merely to express views. They want the assurance that their views
will be given more than a perfunctory consideration. No class of
people is more responsive to fair, open-handed dealing than the
workers. If their proposals are discussed openly with them and
shown to be impracticable, or inexpedient for the time, they have
almost invariably been quite ready to vote for the rejection of their
own proposals.
There is a vast gulf fixed between expressing an opinion about the
shape of the handle of the shovel one uses for heaving slag or the de
sirability of having a glee club rather than a debating society; and the
planning and routing of work, devising methods and determining
upon the tools, machines, and processes for making the finished
product in a big plant. I insist that the management, even scientific
management, has not a monopoly of all the brains in an establish
ment. The workers themselves can and do contribute much in the
planning and doing of the work. What is of vastly more importance
than the increase in production as a result of utilizing the latent in
telligence, ingenuity, and enthusiasm of the workers, is the increase
in contentment. Here is a vast source of industrial power which has
been cut off, isolated, by the transformation of little business into big
business. It will be difficult to tap this source, but tap it we must if *
we are to continue anything resembling the present industrial organi
zation with its large scale production. The good will of the workers
is a much more potent force making for industrial efficiency than all
the scientific management formulas and systems of production.
There is no inherent reason why the good will of the workers should
not go hand in hand with scientific management. Until now the
workers have had only antagonism for scientific management because
the scientific manager never asked them for their opinions or ideas—
he only told them what the}7 were expected to do and the workers
promptly did something else. I have already said workers are not
different from employers. That is precisely what ails them. If
employers will deal fairly and squarely with their employees, let
them know all about the business except only those technical processes
which must be kept secret, .nd lane them into a real partnership,
production will be enormously improved both in quantity and quality.
This may be just another way of saying that when the millennium
comes there will be no industrial unrest, for there will be no industry,
no employers and no employees. Before abandoning ourselves com
pletely to pessimism and despair wo should at least try the experi Hr
ment of giving the workers a real voice and responsibility in manage
ment.
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Workers Interested in Distribution and Consumption of Product.
J *s' ALL discussions of employees’ representation too much emphasis
is placed on production and not enough on distribution and con
sumption of the product. I he interest of the worker in increasing
production is bound to wane, no matter how many representatives he
may have on shop committees and works councils, no matter how
much dependence is placed upon him in planning and carrying out
his work, if in the division of the product lie does not get or believes
he does not get his fair share. The share due to labor as a whole and
to each individual laborer is impossible of exact determination. The
concept of economic law as a force, as compelling, as universal, as
immutable, and as unerring as the law of gravitation is beautiful, but
it doesn’t get us anywhere. If there is an economic law working
uninterruptedly to adjust the economic reward of each member of
society in accordance with his economic merit, or, in other words, in
proportion to his contribution to the economic product, it remains
hidden beyond the ken of the labor statistician and administrator.
I ractically the share of labor is determined by the bargaining
strength of the workers.
Of course, if the workers are to be admitted to participation in m a n
agement, they must participate to some extent in the losses as well
as the gains of industry. A practical method of payment would be
to guarantee for each position a minimum wage which must be paid
regardless of any losses which the business may suffer. In addition
to the minimum, a bonus should be provided varying according to the
contiibution ol the workers in cutting down labor costs, in reducing
costs of management, in decreasing spoilage of material, in decreasing
wear and tear on machines and tools, in improving quality of
product, in increasing business, or in any other way. This would
obviate the objection to most bonus schemes that the worker is penal
ized or rewarded for the inefficiency or the good judgment of the
managers.
Democracy, if it is not to perish from the earth, must be organized
for efficiency. It must become far more efficient than it ever has been
at any time in the past. We are told that democracy has just won
a tremendous victory over autocracy. Our rejoicings must be tem
pered by the remembrance of the awful cost of the victory in lives
shattered and snuffed out, in wealth squandered and destroyed, in
the chaos which has been unloosed on the earth. When we count
up the costs we do not feel too confident of the fullness of this victory
nor too secure in its beneficent results. The victors suffered fargreater losses both in men and in material wealth than the van
quished. Democracy won by sheer weight of numbers and of wealth.
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Had not autocracy been divided against itself it could not have been,
overthrown by the partial and inefficient democracies which opposed
it. In order to win, democracy was driven to adopt autocratic
methods and practices—methods and practices which still persist
and fill democrats with apprehension. A speedy readjustment, po
litical and industrial, on a more democratic basis is necessary. The
few feeble, tottering steps which we have taken on the road toward
democracy, both political and industrial, will not and can not be
retraced. The evils, shortcomings, and imperfections of our present
democracy can not be eradicated by reverting to autocracy which we
have in part shaken off. The cure for democracy is more, not less,
democracy.
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D ra ft Conventions A dopted by In te rn a tio n a l
L abor Conference.
A
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FULL account of the proceedings of the International Labor
Conference held in Washington, I). C., October 29 to No' vember 29, 1919, was given in the January issue of the
M o n t h l y L abor E evtew . The references therein to the draft con
ventions and recommendations adopted by the conference were brief,
the purpose being merely to record the action of the conference and
the accompanying discussions, leaving for later publication the full
text of the conventions as finally revised and adopted. The follow
ing is an official copy of the text of the conventions relating to the
eight-hour day, unemployment, employment of women before and
after childbirth, employment of women during the night, minimum
age for admission of children to industrial employments, and night
work of young persons employed in industry ; and recommendations
concerning unemployment, reciprocity of treatment of foreign work
ers, prevention of anthrax, protection of women and children against
lead poisoning, the establishment of Government health services, and
the application of the Bern convention of 1906 on the prohibition of
the use of white phosphorus in the manufacture of matches.
Draft Conventions Adopted,
The E ight-hour Day.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the League
of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government of the
United States of America, on the 29tli day of October, 1919, and having decided
upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the “ application of
principle of the 8-hour day or of the 48-hour week,” which ite the first item in
the agenda for the Washington meeting of the conference, and having deter
mined that these proposals shall take the form of a draft international conven
tion, adopts the following draft convention for ratification by the members of
the International Labor Organization in accordance with the labor part of the
Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the Treaty .of St. Germain of Sep
tember 10, 1919 :
Article 1. For the purpose of this convention, the term “ industrial under
taking ” includes particularly:
(c)
Mines, quarries, and other works for the extraction of minerals from
the earth.
(&) Industries in which articles are manufactured, altered, cleaned, re
paired, ornamented, finished, adapted for sale, broken up or demolished, or in
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which materials are transformed; including shipbuilding and the generation,
transformation, and transmission of electricity or motive power of any kind.
(e) Construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair, alteration, or demoli
tion of any building, railway, tramway, harbor, dock, pier, canal, inland water
way, road, tunnel, bridge, viaduct, sewer, drain, well, telegraphic or tele
phonic installation, electrical undertaking, gas work, waterwork or other work
of construction, as well as the preparation for or laying the foundations of any
such work or structure.
( d ) Transport of passengers or goods by road, rail, sea or inland waterway,
including the handling of goods at docks, quays, wharves or warehouses, but
excluding transport by hand.
The provisions relative to transport by sea and on inland waterways shall be
determined by a special conference dealing with employment at sea and on
inland waterways.
The competent authority in each country shall define the line of division
which separates industry from commerce and agriculture.
A rt. 2. The working hours of persons employed in any public or private indus
trial undertaking or in any branch thereof, other than an undertaking in which
only members of the same family are employed, shall not exceed 8 in the same
day and 48 in the week, with the exceptions hereinafter provided for.
(a)
The provisions of this convention shall not apply to persons holding posi
tions of supervision or management, nor to persons employed in a confidential
capacity.
( b ) Where by law, custom, or agreement between employers’ and workers’
organizations, or where no such organizations exist between employers’ and
workers’ representatives, the hours of work on one or more days of the week
are less than eight, the limit of eight hours may be exceeded on the remaining
days of the week by the sanction of the competent public authority, or by agree
ment between such organizations or representatives: P r o v i d e d , h o w e v e r , That
in no case under the provisions of this paragraph shall the daily limit of eight
hours be exceeded by more than one hour.
(e) Where persons are employed in shifts it shall be permissible to employ
persons in excess of 8 hours in any one day and 48 hours in any one week, if
the average number of hours over a period of 3 weeks or less does not exceed
8 per day and 48 per week.
Art. 3. The limit of hours of work prescribed in article 2 may be exceeded
in case of accident, actual or threatened, or in case of urgent work to be done to
machinery or plant, or in case of “ force majeure,” but only so far as may be
necessary to avoid serious interference with the ordinary working of the under
taking.
Art. 4. The limit of hours of work prescribed in article 2 may also be exceeded
in those processes which are required by reason of the nature of the process to
be carried on continuously by a succession of shifts, subject to the condition that
the working hours shall not exceed 56 in the week on the average. Such regula
tion of the hours of work shall in no case affect any rest days which may be
secured by the national law to the workers in such processes in compensation for
the weekly rest day.
Art. 5. In exceptional cases where it is recognized that the provisions of
article 2 can not be applied, but only in such cases, agreements between workers’
and employers’ organizations concerning the daily limit of work over a longer
period of time, may be given the force of regulations, if the Government, to which
these agreements shall be submitted, so decides. The average number of hours
worked per week, over the number of weeks covered by any such agreement, shall
not exceed 48.
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A bt . 6. Regulations made by public authority shall determine for industrial
undertakings :
( a ) The permanent exceptions that may be allowed in preparatory or com
plementary work which must necessarily be carried on outside the limits laid
down for the general working of an establishment, or for certain classes of
workers whose work is essentially intermittent.
( b ) The temporary exceptions that may be allowed, so that establishments
may deal with exceptional cases of pressure of work.
These regulations shall be made only after consultation with the organiza
tions of employers and workers concerned, if any such organizations exist.
These regulations shall fix the maximum of additional hours in each instance,
and the rate of pay for overtime shall not be less than one and one-quarter times
the regular rate.
Akt, /. Each Government shall communicate to the International Labor
Office :
(ff ) A list of the processes which are classed as being necessarily continuous
in character under article 4;
( b ) Full information as to working of the agreements mentioned in article
5 ; and
(c) Full information concerning the regulations made under article 6 and
their application.
The International Labor Office shall make an annual report thereon to the
General Conference of the International Labor Organization.
A rt. 8. In order to facilitate the enforcement of the provisions of this con
vention, every employer shall be required :
(a)
To notify by means of the posting of notices in conspicuous places in the
works or other suitable place, or by such other method as may be approved by
the Government, the hours at which work begins and ends, and where work is
carried on by shifts the hours at which each shift begins and ends. These
hours shall be so fixed that the duration of the work shall not exceed the limits
prescribed by this convention, and when so notified they shall not be changed
except with such notice and in such manner as may be approved by the Govern
ment.
( b ) To notify in the same way such rest intervals accorded during the period
of work as are not reckoned as part of the working hours.
(c)
To keep a record in the form prescribed by law or regulation in each
country of all additional hours worked in pursuance of articles 8 and 6 of
this convention.
It shall be made an offense against the law to employ any person outside
the hours fixed in accordance with paragraph ( a ) , or during the intervals
fixed in accordance with paragraph ( b ) .
A rt. 9. In the application of this convention to Japan the following modifica
tions and conditions shall obtain:
( a ) The term “ industrial undertaking” includes particularly—
The undertakings enumerated in paragraph ( a ) of article 1;
The undertakings enumerated in paragraph ( b ) of article 1, provided there
are at least ten workers employed ;
The undertakings enumerated in paragraph (e) of article 1, in so far as
these undertakings shall he defined as “ factories” by the competent authority;
The undertakings enumerated in paragraph ( cl ) of article 1, except transport of passengers or goods by road, handling of goods at docks, quays, wharves,
and warehouses, and transport by hand ; and,
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Regardless of the number of persons employed, such of the undertakings
enumerated in paragraphs (b) and (c) of article 1 as may be declared by the
competent authority either to be highly dangerous or to involve unhealthful
processes.
(b) The actual working hours of persons of 15 years of age or over in any
public or private industrial undertaking, or in any branch thereof, shall not
exceed 57 in the week, except that in the raw-silk industry the limit may be 60
hours in the week.
(c) The actual working hours of persons under 15 years of age in any public
or private industrial undertaking, or in any branch thereof, and of all miners
of whatever age engaged in underground work in the mines, shall in no case
exceed 48 in the week.
( d ) The limit of hours of work may be modified under the conditions pro
vided for in articles 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this convention, but in no case shall the
length of such modification bear to the length of the basic week a proportion
greater than that which obtains in those articles.
(e) a weekly rest period of 24 consecutive hours shall be allowed to all
classes of workers.
(f) The provision in .Japanese factory legislation limiting its application
to places employing 15 or more persons shall be amended so that such legisla
tion shall apply to places employing 10 or more persons.
(p) The provisions of the above paragraphs of this article shall be brought
into" operation not later than July 1, 1922, except that the provisions of article 4
as modified by paragraph ( d ) of this article shall be brought into operation
not later than July 1, 1928.
(7i) The age of 15 prescribed in paragraph (c) of this article shall be raised,
not later than July 1, 1925, to 16.
Aet. 10. In British India the principle of a 60-hour week shall be adopted for
all workers in the industries at present covered by the factory acts administered
by the Government of India, in mines, and in such branches of railway work
as shall be specified for this purpose by the competent authority. Any modifica
tion of this limitation made by the competent authority shall be subject to the
provisions of articles 6 and 7 of this convention. In other respects the pro
visions of this convention shall not apply to India, but further provisions limit
ing the hours of work in India shall be considered at a future meeting of the
General Conference.
Aet. 11. The provisions of this convention shall not apply to China, Persia,
and Siam, but provisions limiting the hours of work in these countries shall be
considered at a future meeting of the General Conference.
Aet . 12. In the application of this convention to Greece, th e date «at which
its provisions shall be brought into operation in accordance w ith article 19
may be extended to not la ter than July 1. 1923, in the case of the following in
d u strial undertakings :
1. Carbon-bisulphide works,
2. Acids works,
3. Tanneries,
4. Paper mills,
5. Printing works,
6. Sawmills,
7. Warehouses for the handling-and preparation of tobacco,
8. Surface mining,
9. Foundries,
10. Lime works,
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11. Dye works,
12. Glassworks (blowers),
13. Gas works (firemen),
14. Loading and unloading merchandise;
and to not later than July 1, 1924, in the case of the following industrial un
dertakings :
1. Mechanical industries: Machine shops for engines, safes, scales, beds,
tacks, shells (sporting), iron foundries, bronze foundries, tin shops, plating
shops, manufactories of hydraulic apparatus.
2. Constructional industries: Lime-kilns, cement works, plasterers’ shops,
tile yards, manufactories of bricks and pavements, potteries, marble yards,
excavating and building work.
3. Textile industries: Spinning and weaving mills of all kinds, except dye
works.
4. Food industries: Flour and grist mills, bakeries, macaroni factories,
manufactories of wines, alcohol, and drinks, oil works, breweries, manu
factories of ice and carbonated drinks, manufactories of confectioners’ prod
ucts and chocolate, manufactories of sausages and preserves, slaughterhouses,
and butcher shops.
5. Chemical industries: Manufactories of synthetic colors, glassworks (ex
cept the blowers), manufactories of essence of turpentine and tartar, manu
factories of oxygen and pharmaceutical products, manufactories of flaxseed
oil, manufactories of glycerine, manufactories of calcium carbide, gas works
(except the firemen).
6. Leather industries: Shoe factories, manufactories of leather goods.
7. Paper and printing industries: Manufactories of envelopes, record books,
boxes, bags, bookbinding, lithographing, and zinc-engraving shops.
8. Clothing industries: Clothing shops, underwear and trimmings, workshops
for pressing, workshops for bed coverings, artificial flowers, feathers, and trim
mings, hat and umbrella factories.
9. Woodworking industries: Joiners’ shops, coopers’ sheds, wagon factories,
manufactories of furniture and chairs, picture-framing establishments, brush
and broom factories.
10. Electrical industries: Power houses, shops for electrical installations.
11. Transportation by la n d : Employees on railroads and street cars, firemen,
drivers, and carters.
A rt. 18. In the application of this convention to Roumania the date at which
its provisions shall be brought into operation in accordance with article 19
may be extended to not later than July 1, 1924.
Art. 14. The operation of the provisions of this convention may be suspended
in any country by the Government in the event of w ar or other emergency en
dangering the national safety.
A rt. 15. The formal ratifications of this convention, under the conditions set
forth in P art X III of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the
Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1919, shall be communicated to the
secretary general of the League of Nations for registration.
A rt . 16. Each member which ratifies this convention engages to apply it to
its colonies, protectorates and possessions which are not fully self-governing:
( а ) Except where owing to the local conditions its provisions are inap
plicable ; or
(б) Subject to such modifications as may be necessary to adapt its provisions
to local conditions.
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Each member shall notify to the International Labor Office the action taken
in respect of each of its colonies, protectorates, and possessions which are not
fully self-governing.
Art. 17. As soon as the ratifications of two members of the International
Labor Organization have been registered with the secretariat, the secretary
general of the League of Nations shall so notify all the members of the Inter
national Labor Organization.
Art. IS. This convention shall come into force at the date on which such
notification is issued by the secretary general of the League of Nations, and
it shall then be binding only upon those members which have registered their
ratification with the secretariat. Thereafter tins convention will come into
force for any other member at the date on which its ratification is registered
with the secretariat.
Art. 19. Each member which ratifies this convention agrees to bring its pro
visions into operation not later than July 1, 1921, and to take such action as
may be necessary to make these provisions effective.
Art. 20. A member which has ratified this convention may denounce it after
the expiration of 10 years from the date on which the convention first comes
into force, by an act communicated to the secretary general of the League
of Nations for registration. Such denunciation shall not take effect until one
year after the date on which it is registered with the secretariat.
Art. 21. At least once in 10 years the governing body of the International
Labor Office shall present to the general conference a report on the working of
this convention, and shall consider the desirability of placing on the agenda of
the conference the question of its revision or modification.
Art. 22. The French and English texts of this convention shall both be
authentic.
Vnemplo ¡/men v.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the League
of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government of the
United States of America, on the 29th day of October, 1919, and having decided
upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the “ question of pre
venting or providing against unemployment,” which is the second item in the
agenda for the Washington meeting of the conference, and having determined
that these proposals shall take the form of a draft international convention,
adopts the following draft convention for ratification by the members of the
International Labor Organization, in accordance with the labor part of the
Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the Treaty of St. Germain of Sep
tember 10, 1919 :
Article 1. Each member which ratifies this convention shall communicate to
the International Labor Office, at intervals as short as possible and not exceeding
three months, all available information, statistical or otherwise, concerning
unemployment, including reports on measures taken or contemplated to combat
unemployment. Whenever practicable, the information shall be made available
for such communication not later than three months after the end of the period
to which it relates.
Art. 2. Each member which ratifies this convention shall establish a system
of free public employment agencies under the control of a central authority.
Committees, which shall include representatives of employers and of workers,
shall be appointed to advise on m atters concerning the carrying on of these
agencies.
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Where both public and private free employment agencies exist, steps shall be
taken to coordinate the operations of such -agencies on a national scale.
The operations of the various national systems shall be coordinated by the
International Labor Office in agreement with the countries concerned.
Art. 3. The members of the International Labor Organization which ratify
ibis convention and which have established systems of insurance against un
employment shall, upon terms being agreed between the members concerned,
make arrangements whereby workers belonging to one member and working
in the territory of another shall be admitted to the same rates of benefit of such
insurance as those which obtain for the workers belonging to the latter.
Art. 4. The formal ratifications of this convention, under (he conditions set
forth in P art X III of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the
Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1919, shall be communicated to the
secretary general of the League of Nations for registration.
A rt. 5. Each member which ratifies this convention engages to apply it to
its colonies, protectorates and possessions which are not fully self-governing :
(а) Except where owing to the local conditions its provisions are inap
plicable ; or
(б) Subject to such modifications as may be necessary to adapt its provisions
to local conditions.
Each member shall notify to the International Labor Office the action taken
in respect of each of its colonies, protectorates and possessions which are not
fully self-governing.
A rt. 6. As soon as the ratifications of three members of the International
Labor Organization have been registered with the secretariat, the Secretary
General of the League of Nations shall so notify all the members of the Inter
national Labor Organization.
Art. 7. This convention shall come into force at the date on which such notifi
cation is issued by the secretary general of the League of Nations, but it shall
then be binding only upon those members which, have registered their ratifica
tions with the secretariat. Thereafter this convention will come into force for
any other member at the date on which its ratification is registered with the
secretariat.
Art. S. Each member which ratifies this convention agrees to bring its pro
visions into operation not later than July 1, 1921, and to take such action as
may be necessary to make these provisions effective.
Art. 9. A member which has ratified this convention may denounce it after
the expiration of 10 years from the date on which the convention first comes
into force, by an act communicated to the secretary general of the League of
Nations for registration. Such denunciation shall not take effect until one
year after the date on which it is registered w ith the secretariat.
Art. 10. At least once in 10 years the governing body of the International
Labor Office shall present to the general conference a repart on the working of
tills convention, and shall consider the desirability of placing on the agenda
of the conference the question of its revision or modification.
Art. 11. The French and English texts of this convention shall both be
authentic.
E m ploym ent of W omen Before and A fte r Childbirth.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the League
of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government of the
United States of America on the 29tli day of October, 1919, and having decided
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upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to “ women’s employment,
before and after childbirth, including the question of maternity benefit,” which
is part of the third item in the agenda for the Washington meeting of the
conference, and having determined that these proposals shall take the form of
a draft international convention, adopts the following draft convention for
ratification by the members of the International Labor Organization, in accord
ance with the labor part of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of
the Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1919:
Article 1. For the purpose of this convention, the term “ industrial under
taking ” includes particularly :
(a)
Mines, quarries, and other works for the extraction of minerals from
the earth.
(&) Industries in which articles are manufactured, altered, cleaned, repaired,
ornamented, finished, adapted for sale, broken up or demolished, or in which
materials are transformed ; including shipbuilding, and the generation, trans
formation, and transmission of electricity or motive power of any kind.
(c) Construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair, alteration, or demoli
tion of any building, railway, tramway, harbor, dock, pier, canal, inland-water
way, road, tunnel, bridge, viaduct, sewer, drain, well, telegraphic or telephonic
installation, electrical undertaking, gas work, waterwork, or other work of con
struction, as well as the preparation for or laying the foundation of any such
work or structure.
( d ) Transport of passengers or goods by road, rail, sea, or inland w ater
way, including the handling of goods at docks, quays, wharves, and warehouses,
but excluding transport by hand.
For the purpose of this convention, the term “ commercial undertaking”
includes any place where articles are sold or where commerce is carried on.
The competent authority in each country shall define the line of division
which separates industry and commerce from agriculture.
Art. 2. For the purpose of this convention, the term “ woman ” signifies any
female person, irrespective of age or nationality, whether married or unmar
ried, and the term “ child ” signifies any child, whether legitimate or illegiti
mate.
Art. 3. In any public or private industrial or commercial undertaking, or in
any branch thereof, other than an undertaking in which only members of the
same family are employed, a woman—
(a)
Shall not be permitted to work during the six weeks following her con
finement.
(&) Shall have the right to leave her work if she produces a medical cer
tificate stating that her confinement will probably take place within six weeks.
(c) Shall, while she is absent from her work in pursuance of paragraphs (a)
and (&), be paid benefits sufficient for the full and healthy maintenance of
herself and her child, provided either out of public funds or by means of a
system of insurance, the exact amount of which shall be determined by the
competent authority in each country, and as an additional benefit shall be en
titled to free attendance by a doctor or certified midwife. No mistake of the
medical adviser in estimating the date of confinement shall preclude a woman
from receiving these benefits from the date of the medical certificate up to the
date on which the confinement actually takes place.
( d ) Shall in any case, if she is nursing her child, be allowed half an hour
twice a day during her working hours for this purpose.
Art, 4. Where a woman is absent from her work in accordance with para
graphs ( a ) or ( b ) of article 3 of this convention, or remains absent from her
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work for a longer period as a result of illness medically certified to arise out
of pregnancy or confinement and rendering her unfit for work, it shall not he
lawful, until her absence shall have exceeded a maximum period to be fixed
by the competent authority in each country, for her employer to give her notice
of dismissal during such absence, nor to give her notice of dismissal at such a
time that the notice would expire during such absence.
Art. 5. The formal ratifications of this convention, under the conditions
set forth in P art X III of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the
Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1919, shall be communicated to the
secretary general of the League of Nations for registration.
Art. 6. Each member which ratifies this convention engages to apply it to
its colonies, protectorates, and possessions which are not fully self-governing:
(a) Except where, owing to the local conditions, its provisions are inap
plicable ; or
(&) Subject to such modifications as may be necessary to adapt its provisions
to local conditions.
Each member shall notify to the International Labor Office the action taken
in respect of each of its colonies, protectorates, and possessions which are not
fully self-governing.
A rt. 7. As soon as the ratifications of two members of the International
Labor Organization have been registered with the secretariat, the secretary
general of the League of Nations shall so notify all the members of the
International Labor Organization.
Art. 8. This convention shall come into force a t the date on which such notifi
cation is issued by the secretary general of the League of Nations, but it shall
then be binding only upon those members which have registered their ratifica
tions with the secretariat. Thereafter this convention will come into force for
any other member at the date on which its ratification is registered with the
secretariat.
Art. 9. Each member which ratifies this convention agrees to bring its pro
visions into operation not later than July 1, 1922, and to take such action as
may be necessary to make these provisions effective.
Art. 10. A member which has ratified this convention may denounce it after
the expiration of 10 years from the date on which the convention first comes
into force, by an act communicated to the secretary general of the League of
Nations for registration. Such denunciation shall not take effect until one
year after the date on which it is registered with the secretariat.
Art. 11. At least once in 10 years the governing body of the International Labor
Office shall present to the general conference a report on the working of this
convention, and shall consider the desirability of placing on the agenda of the
conference the question of its revision or modification.
Art. 12. The French and English texts of this convention shall both be
authentic.
E m ploym ent of W omen During the N ight.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the League
of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government of the United
States of America, on the 29th day of October, 1919. and having decided upon
the adoption of certain proposals with regard to “ women’s employment : during
the night,” which is part of the third item in the agenda for the Washington
meeting of the conference, and having determined that these proposals shall take
the form cf a draft international convention, adopts the following draft con
vention for ratification by the members of the International Labor Organization,
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in accordance with the labor part of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919,
and of the Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1919 :
A rticle 1. For the purpose of this convention, the term “ industrial undertak
ing ” includes particularly:
(a)
Mines, quarries, and other works for the extraction of minerals from the
e a rth ;
(&) Industries in which articles are manufactured, altered, cleaned, repaired,
ornamented, finished, adapted for sale, broken up or demolished, or in which
materials are transform ed; including shipbuilding, and the generation, trans
formation, and transmission of electricity or motive power of any k in d ;
(c) Construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair, alteration, or demoli
tion of any building, railway, tramway, harbor, dock, pier, canal, inland water
way, road, tunnel, bridge, viaduct, sewer, drain, well, telegraphic or telephonic
installation, electrical undertaking, gas work, waterwork, or other work of
construction, as well as the preparation for or laying the foundations of any
such work or structure.
The competent authority in each country shall define the line of division
which separates industry from commerce and agriculture.
Art. 2. For the purpose of this convention, the term “ night ” signifies a
period of at least 11 consecutive hours, including the interval between 10
o’clock in the evening and 5 o’clock in the morning.
In those countries where no Government regulation as yet applies to the em
ployment of women in industrial undertakings during the night, the term
“ night ” may provisionally, and for a maximum period of 3 years, be declared
by the Government to signify a period of only 10 hours, including the interval
between 10 o’clock in the evening and 5 o’clock in the morning.
Art. 3. Women w ithout distinction of age shall not be employed during the
night in any public or private industrial undertaking, or in any branch thereof,
other than an undertaking in which only members of the same family are em
ployed.
Art. 4. Article 3 shall not apply:
( a ) In cases of force majeure, when in any undertaking there occurs an in
terruption of work which it was impossible to foresee, and which is not of a
recurring character.
( 7o ) In cases where the work has to do with raw materials or materials in
course of treatm ent which are subject to rapid deterioration, when such night
work is necessary to preserve the said materials from certain loss.
Art. 5. In India and Siam, the application of article 3 of this convention
may be suspended by the Government in respect to any industrial undertaking,
except factories as defined by the national law. Notice of every such suspen
sion shall be filed with the International Labor Office.
Art. 6. In industrial undertakings which are influenced by the seasons and in
all cases where exceptional circumstances demand it, the night period may be
reduced to 10 hours on 60 days of the year.
Art. 7. In countries where the climate renders work by day particularly try
ing to the health, the night period may be shorter than prescribed in the above
articles, provided that compensatory rest is accorded during the day.
Art. 8. The formal ratifications of this convention, under the conditions set
forth in Part X III of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28,1919, and of the Treaty
of st. Germain of September 10, 1919, shall be communicated to the secretary
general of the League of Nations for registration.
Art. 9. Each member which ratifies this convention engages to apply it to its
colonies, protectorates and possessions which are not fully self-governing:
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( a ) Except where owing to the local conditions its provisions are inap
plicable ; or
(b) Subject to such modifications as may be necessary to adapt its provisions
to local conditions.
Each member shall notify to the International Labor Office the action taken
in respect of each of its colonies, protectorates and possessions which are not
fully self-governing.
Art. 10. As soon as the ratifications of two members of the International
Labor Organization have been registered with the secretariat, the secretary
general of the League of Nations shall so notify all the members of the Inter
national Labor Organization.
Art. 11. This convention shall come into force at the date on which such
notification is issued by the secretary general of the League of Nations, but it
shall then be binding only upon those members which have registered their
ratifications with the secretariat. Thereafter this convention will come into
force for any other member at the date on which its ratification is registered
with the secretariat.
Art. 12. Each member which ratifies this convention agrees to bring its pro
visions into operation not later than July 1, 1922, and to take such action as may
be necessary to make these provisions effective.
A rt. 13. A member which has ratified this convention may denounce it after
the expiration of 10 years from the date on which the convention first comes into
force, by an act communicated to the secretary general of the League of Nations
for registration. Such denunciation shall not take effect until one year after the
date on which it is registered with the secretariat.
A rt. 14. At least once in 10 years, the governing body of the International
Labor Office shall present to the general conference a report on the working of
this convention, and shall consider the desirability of placing on the agenda of
the conference the question of its revision or modification.
A rt. 15. The French and English texts of this convention shall both be au
thentic.
M inim um A ge fo r Adm ission of Children to Industrial Em ploym ent.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the League
of Nations, having been convened by the Government of the United States of
America at Washington, on the 29tli day of October, 1919, and having decided
upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the “ employment of
children : minimum age of employment,” which is part of the fourth item in the
agenda for the Washington meeting of the conference, and having determined
that these proposals shall take the form of a draft international convention,
adopts the following draft convention for ratification by the members of the
International Labor Organization, in accordance with the labor part of the
Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the Treaty of St. Germain of
September 10, 1919:
Article 1. For the purpose of this convention, the term “ industrial under
tak in g ” includes particularly:
( a ) Mines, quarries, and other works for the extraction of minerals from the
earth.
( b ) Industries in which articles are manufactured, altered, cleaned, repaired,
ornamented, finished, adapted for sale, broken up or demolished, or in which
materials are transformed ; including shipbuilding, and the generation, trans
formation, and transmission of electricity and motive power of any kind.
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(e)
Construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair, alteration, or demoli
tion of any building, railway, tramway, harbor, dock, pier, canal, inland water
way, road, tunnel, bridge, viaduct, sewer, drain, well, telegraphic or telephonic
installation, electrical undertaking, gas work, water work, or other work of con
struction, as well as the preparation for or laying the foundations of any such
work or structure.
(d) Transport of passengers or goods by road or rail or inland waterway,
including the handling of goods at docks, quays, wharves, and warehouses, but
excluding transport by hand.
The competent authority in each country shall define the line of division
which separates industry from commerce and agriculture.
Art. 2. Children under the age of 14 years shall not be employed or work
in any public or private industrial undertaking, or in any branch thereof other
th an an undertaking in which only members of the same fam ily are employed.
A rt. 3. The provisions of article 2 shall not apply to work done by children
in technical schools, provided that such work is approved and supervised by
public authority.
Art. 4. In order to facilitate the enforcement of the provisions of this con
vention. every employer in an industrial undertaking shall be required to keep
a register of all persons under the age of 16 years employed by him, and of
the dates of their births.
Art. 5. In connection with the application of this convention to Japan, the
following modifications of article 2 may be made:
( a ) Children over 12 years of age may be admitted into employment if they
have finished the course in the elementary school ;
( b j As regards children between the ages of 12 and 14 already employed,
transitional regulations may be made.
The provision in the present Japanese law admitting children under the age
of 12 years to certain light and easy employments shall he repealed.
Art. 6. The provisions of article 2 shall not apply to India, but in India
children under 12 years of age shall not be employed—
( a ) In manufactories working with power and employing more than 10
persons ;
( b ) In mines, quarries, and other works for the extraction of minerals from
the earth ;
(c) In the transport of passengers or goods, or mails, by rail, or in the
handling of goods at docks, quays, and wharves, but excluding transport by
hand.
Art. 7. The formal ratifications of this convention, under the conditions set
forth in P art X III of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the
Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1919, shall be communicated to the
secretary general of the League of Nations for registration.
Art. 8. Each member which ratifies this convention engages to apply it to
its colonies, protectorates, and possessions which are not fully self-governing:
( a ) Except where owing to the local conditions its provisions are inap
plicable; or
( b ) Subject to such modifications as may be necessary to adapt its provisions
to local conditions.
Each member shall notify to the International Labor Office the action taken
in respect to each of its colonies, protectorates, and possessions which are not
fully self-governing.
Art. 9. As soon as the ratifications of two members of the International
Labor Organization have been registered with the secretariat, the secretary
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general of the League of Nations shall so notify all the members of the Inter
national Labor Organization.
Art. 10. This convention shall come into force at the date on which such
notification is issued by the secretary general of the League of Nations, but
it shall then be binding only upon those members which have registered their
ratifications with the secretariat. Thereafter this convention will come into
force for any other member at the date on which its ratification is registered
with the secretariat.
Art. 11. Each member which ratifies this convention agrees to bring its pro
visions into operation not later than July 1, 1922, and to take such action as
may be necessary to make these provisions effective.
Art. 12. A member which has ratified this convention may denounce it after
the expiration of 10 years from the date on which the convention first comes
into force, by an act communicated to the secretary general of the League of
Nations for registration. Such denunciation shall not take effect until one year
after the date on which it is registered with the secretariat.
Art. IS. At least once in 10 years, the governing body of the International
Labor Office shall present to the general conference a report on the working
of this convention, and shall consider the desirability of placing on the agenda
of the conference the question of its revision or modification.
Art. 14. The French and English texts of this convention shall both be
authentic.
N ig h t W orh of Young Persons Em ployed in Industry.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the League
of Nations, having been convened by the Government of the United States of
America at Washington, on the 29th day of October, 1919, and having decided
upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the “ employment of
children during the night,” which is part of the fourth item in the agenda for
the Washington meeting of the conference, and having determined that these
proposals shall take the form of a draft international convention, adopts the
following draft convention for ratification by the members of the International
Labor Organization, in accordance with the labor part of the Treaty of Ver
sailles of June 28, 1919, and of the Treaty of St. Germain of September 10,
1919:
Article 1. For the purpose of this convention, the term “ industrial under
taking ” includes particularly:
(«) Mines, quarries, and other works for the extraction of minerals from the
earth.
- (b)
Industries in which articles are manufactured, altered, cleaned, repaired,
ornamented, finished, adapted for sale, broken up, or demolished, or in which
materials are transformed; including shipbuilding, and the generation, trans
formation, and transmission of electricity or motive power of any kind.
(c) Construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair, alteration, or demoli
tion of any building, railway, tramway, harbor, dock, pier, canal, inland water
way, road, tunnel, bridge, viaduct, sewer, drain, well, telegraphic or telephonic
installation, electrical undertaking, gas work, waterwork, or other work of con
struction as well as the preparation for or laying the foundations of any such
work or structure.
( d ) Transport of passengers or goods by road or rail, including the handling
of goods at docks, quays, wharves, and warehouses, but excluding transport,
by hand.
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The competent authority in each country shall define the line of division
which separates industry from commerce and agriculture.
Art. 2. Young persons under 18 years of age shall not be employed during
the night in any public or private industrial undertaking, or in any branch
thereof, other than an undertaking in which only members of the same family
are employed, except as hereinafter provided for.
Young persons over the age of 16 may be employed during the night in the
following industrial undertakings on work which, by reason of the nature of
the process, is required to be carried on continuously day and night :
(ft) Manufacture of iron and steel; processes in which reverberatory or re
generative furnaces are used, and galvanizing of sheet metal or wire (except
the pickling process).
( b ) Glass works.
(c) Manufacture of paper.
(fZ) Manufacture of raw sugar.
(e) Gold mining reduction work.
Art. 3. For the purpose of this convention, the term “ night ” signifies a
period of at least 11 consecutive hours, including the interval between 10 o’clock
in the evening and 5 o'clock in the morning.
In coal and lignite mines work may be carried on in the interval between 10
o’clock in the evening and 5 o’clock in the morning, if an interval of ordinarily
15 hours, and in no case of less than 13 hours, separates two periods of work.
Where night work in the baking industry is prohibited for all workers, the
interval between 9 o’clock in the evening and 4 o’clock in the morning may be
substituted in the baking industry for the interval between 10 o’clock in the
evening and 5 o’clock in the morning.
In those tropical countries in which work is suspended during the middle of
the day, the night period may be shorter than 11 hours if compensatory rest is
accorded during the day.
Art. 4. The provisions of articles 2 and 3 shall not apply to the night work of
young persons between the ages of 16 and 18 years in cases of emergencies
which could not have been controlled or foreseen, which are not of a periodical
character, and which interfere with the normal working of the industrial
undertaking.
Art. 5. In the application of this convention to Japan, until July 1, 1925,
article 2 shall apply only to young persons under 15 years of age, and thereafter
it shall apply only to young persons under 16 years of age.
Art. 6. In the application of this convention to India, the term “ industrial
undertakings ” shall include only “ factories ” as defined in the Indian factory
act, and article 2 shall not apply to male young persons over 14 years of age.
Art. 7. The prohibition of night work may be suspended by the Government,
for young persons between the ages of 16 and 18 years, when in case of serious
emergency the public interest demands it.
Art. 8. The formal ratifications of this convention, under the conditions set
forth in P art X III of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the
Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1919, shall be communicated to the
secretary general of the League of Nations for registration.
Art. 9. Each member which ratifies this convention engages to apply it to its
colonies, protectorates, and possessions which are not fully self-governing:
( a ) Except where, owing to the local conditions, its provisions are inapplica
ble ; or
( b ) Subject to such modifications as may be necessary to adapt its provisions
to local conditions.
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Each member shall notify to the International Labor Office the action taken
in respect of each of its colonies, protectorates, and possessions which are not
fully self-governing.,
Art. 10. As soon as the ratification of two members of the International
Labor Organization have been registered with the secretariat the secretary
general of the League of Nations shall so notify all the members of the Inter
national Labor Organization.
A rt. 11. This convention shall come into force at the date on which such
notification is issued by the secretary general of the League of Nations, and it
shall then he binding only upon those members which have registered their
ratifications with the secretariat. Thereafter this convention will come into
force for any other member at the date on which its ratification is registered
with the secretariat.
Art. 12. Each member which ratifies this convention agrees to bring its pro
visions into operation not later than July 1, 1922, and to take such action as
may be necessary to make these provisions effective.
Art. 13. A member which has ratified this convention may denounce it after
tiie expiration of ten years from the date on which the convention first comes
into force, by an act communicated to the secretary general of the League of
Nations for registration. Such denunciation shall not take effect until one
year after the date on which it is registered with the secretariat.
Art. 14. At least once in 10 years the governing body of the International
Labor Office shall present to the General Conference a report on the working
of this convention, and shall consider the desirability of placing on the agenda
of the conference the question of its revision or modification.
Art. 15. The French and English texts of this convention shall both be au
thentic.
Recommendations Adopted.
Unemployment.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the
League of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government of
the United States of America on the 29th day of October, 1919, and having
decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the “ question
of preventing or providing against unemployment,” which is the second item in
the agenda for the Washington meeting of the conference, and having de
termined that these proposals shall take the form of a recommendation, adopts
the following recommendation, to be submitted to the members of the Interna
tional Labor Organization for consideration with a view to effect being given to
it by national legislation or otherwise, in accordance with the labor part of the
Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the Treaty of St. Germain of Sep
tember 10, 1919:
I. The general conference recommends that each member of the International
Labor Organization take measures to prohibit the establishment of employment
agencies which charge fees or which carry on their business for profit. Where
such agencies already exist, it is further recommended that they be permitted
to operate only under Government licenses, and that all practicable measures be
taken to abolish such agencies as soon as possible.
II. The general conference recommends to the members of the International
Labor Organization that the recruiting of bodies of workers in one country
with a view to their employment in another country should be permitted only
159S9S0—20-----3
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by mutual agreement between the countries concerned and after consultation
with employers and workers in each country in the industries concerned.
III. The general conference recommends that each member of the Interna
tional Labor Organization establish an effective system of unemployment insur
ance, either through a Government system or through a system of Government
subventions to associations whose rules provide for the payment of benefits to
their unemployed members.
IV. The general conference recommends that each member of the Interna
tional Labor Organization coordinate the execution of all work undertaken
under public authority, with a view to reserving such work as far as practicable
for periods of unemployment and for districts most affected by it.
Reciprocity of Treatm ent of Foreign 1Yorkers,
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the
League of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government
of the United States of America on the 29th day of October, 1919, and
having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the
“question of preventing or providing against unemployment,” which is the
second item in the agenda for the Washington meeting of the conference,
and having determined that these proposals shall take the form of a recommen
dation, adopts the following recommendation to he submitted to the members
of the International Labor Organization for consideration with a view to
effect being given to it by national legislation or otherwise, in accordance
with the labor part of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the
Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1919 :
The general conference recommends that each member of the Interna
tional Labor Organization shall, on condition of reciprocity and upon terms
to he agreed between the countries concerned, admit the foreign workers
(together with their families) employed within its territory, to the benefit
of its laws and regulations for the protection of its own workers, as well
as to the rights of lawful organization as enjoyed by its own workers.
Prevention o f A nthrax.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the
League of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government
of the United States of America on the 29th day of October, 1919, and having
decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to “women’s em
ployment : unhealthy processes,” which is part of the third item in the agenda
for the Washington meeting of the conference, and having determined that
these proposals shall take the form of a recommendation, adopts the fol
lowing recommendation, to be submitted to the members of the International
Labor Organization for consideration with a view to effect being given to it
by national legislation or otherwise, in accordance with the labor part of
the Treaty of Versailles of June 28. 1919, and of the Treaty of St. Germain of
September 10, 1919:
The general conference recommends to the members of the International
Labor Organization that arrangements should be made for the disinfection of
wool infected with anthrax spores, either in the country exporting such wool
or if that is not practicable at the port of entry in the country importing
such wool.
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Protection of Women and Children A gainst Lead Poisoning.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the League
of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government of the
United States of America on the 29th day of October, 1919, and having
decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to “ women’s and
children’s employment: unhealthy processes,” which is part of the third and
fourth items in the agenda for the Washington meeting of the conference, and
having determined that these proposals shall take the form of a recommenda
tion, adopts the following recommendation, to be submitted to the members of
the International Labor Organization for consideration with a view to effect
being given to it by national legislation or otherwise, in accordance with the
labor part of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the Treaty of
St. Germain of September 10, 1919:
The general conference recommends to the members of the International
Labor Organization that in view of the danger involved to the function of
maternity and to the physical development of children, women and young
persons under the age o f 18 years be excluded from employment in the followingprocesses :
(а) In furnace work in the reduction of zinc or lead ores.
(б) In the manipulation, treatment, or reduction of ashes containing lead,
and in the desilverizing of lead.
(c) In melting lead or old zinc on a large scale.
( d ) In the manufacture of solder or alloys containing more than 10 per
cent of lead.
(e) In the manufacture of litharge, massicot, red lead, white lead, orange
lead, or sulphate, chromate or silicate (frit) of lead.
( f ) In mixing and pasting in the manufacture or repair of electric accumu
lators.
( g ) In the cleaning of workrooms where the above processes are carried on.
It is further recommended that the employment of women and young per
sons under the age of 18 years in processes involving the use of lead com
pounds be permitted only subject to the following conditions:
( a ) Locally applied exhaust ventilation, so as to remove dust and fumes at
the point of origin.
( b ) Cleanliness of tools and workrooms.
( c ) Notification to Government authorities of all cases of lead poisoning,
and compensation therefor.
i d ) Periodic medical examination of the persons employed in such processes.
(e) Provision of sufficient and suitable cloakroom, washing, and mess-room
accommodation, and of special protective clothing.
(7) Prohibition of bringing food or drink into workrooms.
It is further recommended th at in industries where soluble lead compounds
can be replaced by nontoxic substances, the use of soluble lead compounds
should be strictly regulated.
For the purpose of this recommendation, a lead compound should be con
sidered as soluble if it contains more than five per cent of its weight (estimated
as metallic lead) soluble in a quarter of one per cent solution of hydrochloric
acid.
Establishm ent o f Government Health Services.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the League
of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government of the
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United States of America on the 29th day of October, 1919, and having decided
upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to “ women’s employment:
unhealthy processes,” which is part of the third item,, in the agenda for the
Washington meeting of the conference, and having determined that these pro
posals shall take the form of a recommendation, adopts the following recom
mendation, to he submitted to the members of the International Labor Organiza
tion for consideration with a view to effect being given to it by national legisla
tion or otherwise, in accordance with the labor part of the Treaty of Versailles
of June 28, 1919, and of the Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1919:
The general conference recommends that each member of the International
Labor Organization which has not alrea(]y done so should establish as soon as
possible, not only a system of efficient factory inspection, but also in addition
thereto a Government service especially charged with the duty of safeguarding
the health of the workers, which will keep in touch with the International
Labor Office.
W hite Phosphorus in M anufacture of Matches.
The general conference of the International Labor Organization of the League
of Nations, having been convened at Washington by the Government of the
United States of America on the 29th day of October, 1919, and having decided
upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the “ extension and ap
plication of the international convention adopted at Bern in 1806 on the prohi
bition of the use of white phosphorus in the manufacture of matches,” which
is part of the fifth item in the agenda for the Washington meeting of the con
ference, and having determined that these proposals shall take the form of a
recommendation, adopts the following recommendation, to be submitted to the
members of the International Labor Organization for consideration with a view
to effect being given to it by national legislation or otherwise, in accordance
with the labor part of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, and of the
Treaty of St. Germain of September 10, 1819:
The general conference recommends that each member of the International
Labor Organization, which has not already done so, should adhere to the inter
national convention adopted at Bern in 1906 on the prohibition of the use of
white phosphorus in the manufacture of matches.
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INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS.
Labor: Its Grievances, Protests, and Demands.
[The following declarations, issued under this title, were adopted at a conference of
national and international trades-unions, and executives of the four railroad brother
hoods, held at Washington, D. C., Dec. 13, 1919.]
E speak in the name of millions who work—those who make
and use tools—those who furnish the human power necessary
for commerce and industry. We speak as part of the Nation
and of those things of which we have special knowledge. Our wel
fare and interest are inseparably bound up with the well-being of
the Nation. We are an integral part of the American people and
we are organized to work out the welfare of all.
The urgent problems that sorely trouble our Nation and vitally
affect us as workers make necessary this special consultation.
The great victories for human freedom must not have been won
in vain. They must serve as the instruments and the inspiration
for a greater and nobler freedom for all mankind.
Autocratic, political, and corporate industrial and financial in
fluences in our country have sought, and are seeking, to infringe
upon and limit the fundamental rights of the wage earners guar
anteed by the Constitution of the United States.
Powerful forces are seeking more and more aggressively to deny
to wage earners their right to cease work. We denounce these ef
forts as vicious and destructive of the most precious liberties of our
people. The right to cease work—strike—as a final means of en
forcing justice from an autocratic control of industry must be main
tained.
The autocratic attitude and destructive action of the United States
Steel Corporation and its subsidiary branches to oppress the workers
by denying them the exercise of their freedom of action, freedom of
association, freedom of expression, must give way to a better under
standing and relation and to secure the wage earners in the exercise
of their rights and liberties as free workers and citizens.
We realize fully all that is involved in the exercise of the right to
strike, but only by the exercise of that right can industrial autocrats
be compelled to abandon their tyranny and give way to the estab
lishment of freedom and justice in industry.
W
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American labor sets for itself the task, gladly and proudly as
sumed, to preserve and perpetuate this standard of justice and meas
ure of liberty.
We protest against the attitude and action of the majority of the
representatives of the employers in the employers’ group who par
ticipated in the President’s industrial conference October 6-23, 1919.
The proposals which the representatives of labor submitted to
that conference were conservative, constructive, and helpful. They
were calculated to establish a working* basis for the promotion of
better relations between employers and workers—the right to organ
ize. the right to collective bargaining through representatives of
the workers’ own choosing. The representatives of the public con
stituted as a group indorsed and voted for that principle. By a
small majority the employers’ group voted against it, and thus the
proposals were defeated and the conference failed.
The protection of the rights and interests of wage earners in
national, State, and municipal service requires for them the right of
organization. Since the interests of these workers can be best pro
moted through legislation and administration, their right to organi
zation and affiliation with the American Federation of Labor must
at all times be fully safeguarded.
The paramount issues that concern all the people of the United
States, and in particular the wage earners, are the perversion and the
abuse of the writ of injunction and the necessity for full and adequate
protection of the voluntary associations of wage earners organized
not for profit.
Government by injunction has grown out of the perversion of the
injunction process. By the misuse of that process workers have been
forbidden to do those things which they have a natural and con
stitutional right to do.
The injunction as now used is a revolutionary measure which sub
stitutes government by judicial discretion or bias for government by
law. It substitutes a trial by one man, a judge, in his discretion, for
a trial by jury. This abuse of the injunctive process undermines and
destroys the very foundations of our free institutions. It is subversive
of the spirit of a free people working out their destiny in an orderly
and rational manner.
Because we have reverence for law, because we believe that every
citizen must be a guardian of the heritage given us by our fathers
who fought for and established freedom and democracy, by every law
ful means we must resist the establishment of a practice that would
destroy the very spirit of freedom and democracy. Our protest
against the abuse of the writ of injunction and its unwarranted ap
plication to labor in the exercise of labor’s normal activities to realize
laudable aspirations is a duty we owe to ourselves and to posterity.
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Formerly injunctions issued in labor disputes were of a prohibitive
character. Within the recent past this abuse of the injunction writ
has been enlarged to include mandatory orders whereby men have
been compelled to do specific things which they have a lawful right
to refrain from doing.
We declare these abuses in the exercise of the injunction writ are
clearly violative of the Constitution and that this issue must be de
termined definitely in accordance with the guaranties of the Con
stitution of the United States.
The Right to Strike.
OTIKE ICS are free citizens, not slaves. They have the con
stitutional right to cease working. The strike is a protest
against autocratic management. To penalize strikes or to make
them unlawful is to apply an unwarrantable and destructive method
when a constructive one is available. To reduce the necessity for
strikes, the cause should be found and removed. The Government
has a greater obligation in this matter than to use its coercive powers.
Legislation which proposes to make strikes unlawful or to compel
the wage earners to submit their grievances or aspirations to courts
or to governmental agencies is an invasion of the rights of the wage
earners and when enforced makes for industrial serfdom or slavery.
We hold that the Government should supply information, assistance,
and counsel, but that it should not attempt by the force of its own
power to stifle or to destroy voluntary relations and policies of mu
tuality between employers and employees.
We specifically denounce the antistrike provisions of the Cummins
bill and. all similar proposed legislation as un-American, as being
vicious in character, and establishing by legislation, involuntary
servitude.
The warning given by Jefferson that the danger to the people of
this Republic lies in the usurpation by our judiciary of unconstitu
tional authority, has b e e n fully demonstrated. A judiciary unrespon
sive to the needs of the time, arrogating to itself powers which neither
the Constitution nor the purposes of our laws have conferred upon
them, demands that at least in our time Americans must insist upon
safeguarding their liberties and the spirit of the sacred institutions
of our Republic.
We urge that the judges of our Federal courts shall be elected by
the people for terms not exceeding six years.
We assert that there can not be found in the Constitution of the
United States or in the discussions of the congress which drafted the
Constitution any authority for the Federal courts of our country to
declare unconstitutional any act passed by Congress. We call upon
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the people of our country to demand that the Congress of the United
States shall take action for the purpose of preventing the Federal
courts from continuing the usurpation of such authority.
We declare that the voluntary organizations of the workers, organ
ized not for profit, are agencies of human progress and promote
justice in industry and trade. Despite legislative declarations that
trade-unions do not come under the provisions of antitrust legisla
tion, courts have not understood and are not now able or willing to
understand that the organizations of wage earners are not con
spiracies in restraint of trade.
We submit that antitrust legislation has not only been interpreted
to serve the purpose of outlawing trade-unions, robbing them of
their treasuries and the savings of their members and depriving them
of their legal and natural rights to the exercise of normal activities,
but that it lias also failed completely to protect the people against
the outrageous machinations of combinations and monopolies.
The United Mine Workers of America did all in their power to
avert an industrial controversy in the coal industry. The autocratic
attitude of the mine owners was responsible for the losses and suffer
ings entailed. While the miners have returned to the mines and
have only now been afforded the opportunity of having their griev
ances and demands brought to the light of reason, it is our hope that
a full measure of justice will be accorded them even at this late date.
There is a widespread belief that wages should be fixed on a
cost-of-living basis. This idea is pernicious and intolerable. It
means putting progress in chains and liberty in fetters. It means
fixing a standard of living and a standard of life and liberty which
must remain fixed. America’s workers can not accept that proposi
tion.
They demand a progressively advancing standard of life. They
have an abiding faith in a better future for all mankind. They dis
card and denounce a system of fixing wages solely on the basis of
family budgets and bread bills. Workers are entitled not only to
a living, but modern society must provide more than what is under
stood by the term, “ a living.” It must concede to all workers a
fairer reward for their contribution to society, a contribution without
which a progressing civilization is impossible.
No factor contributes more to industrial unrest and instability
than excessive costs of necessaries of life. It is a demonstrated
truth that the cost of living has advanced more rapidly than have
wages. The claim that increasing wages make necessary increased
prices is false. It is intended to throw upon the workers the blame
for a process by which all the people have been made to suffer.
Labor has been compelled to struggle desperately to keep wages in
some measure up to the cost of living. The demand for higher corn
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37
pensation to meet new price levels lias made industrial readjustment
necessary.
Existing high and excessive prices are due to the present inflation
of money and credits, to profiteering by those who manufacture, sell,
and market products, and to burdens levied by middlemen and
speculators. We urge:
The deflation of currency; prevention of hoarding and unfair
price fixing; establishment of cooperative movements operated under
the Rochdale system; making accessible all income tax returns and
dividend declarations as a direct and truthful means of revealing
excessive costs and profits.
The ideal of America should be the organization of industry for
service and not for profit alone. The stigma of disgrace should at
tach to every person who profits unduly at the expense of his fellow
men.
Maintenance of Production Essential.
™
L A B O R is fully conscious that the world needs things for use and
that standards of life can improve only as production for use
and consumption increases. Labor is anxious to work out better
methods for industry and demands it be assured that increased pro
ductivity will be used for service and not alone for profits.
Wage earners aspire to be something more than numbers on the
books of an industrial plant, something more than attendants of a
machine, something more than cogs in an industrial system dom
inated by machinery owned and operated for profit alone. The
workers insist upon being masters of themselves.
Labor understands fully that powerful interests to-day are deter
mined to achieve reaction in industry if possible. They seek to dis
band or cripple the organizations of workers. They seek to reduce
wages and thus lower the standard of living. They seek to keep free
from restriction their power to manipulate and fix prices. They seek
to destroy the democratic impulse of the workers which is bred into
their movement by the democracy of the American Republic.
Labor must be and is militant in the struggle to combat these
sinister influences and tendencies. Labor will not permit a reduc
tion in the standard of living. It will not consent to reaction toward
autocratic control. In this it is performing a public service.
Only in high-wage countries is productivity in industry greatest.
Only in high-wage countries do the people enjoy high standards of
living. Low-wage countries present the least degree of productivity
and offer to their people only low standards of living and restricted
liberties. Autocracy always insists upon restricting the income and
the activities of workers.
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Creative power lies dormant where autocratic management pre
vails. Ko employer has a vested right to the good will of his em
ployees. That must be earned, as between men. I t can be earned
only when management deals with workers as human beings and not
as machines. There can not be a full release of productive energy
under an autocratic control of industry. There must be a spirit of
cooperation and mutuality between employers and workers. We
submit that production can be enhanced through the cooperation of
management with the trade-union agencies which make for order,
discipline, and productivity.
We hold that the organization of wage earners into trade-unions
and the establishment of collective bargaining are the first steps to
ward the proper development of our industrial machinery for service.
To promote further the production of an adequate supply of the
world’s needs for use and higher standards of life, we urge that
there be established cooperation between the scientists of industry
and the representatives of organized workers.
Credit is the life blood of modern business. At present, under
the control of private financiers, it is administered, not primarily to
serve the needs of production, but the desire of financial agencies to
levy a toll upon community activity as high as **the traffic will hear.”
Credit is inherently social. It should be accorded in proportion to
confidence in production possibilities. Credit as now administered
does not serve industry but burdens it. It increases unearned in
comes at the expense of earned incomes. It is the center of the
malevolent forces that corrupt the spirit and purpose of industry.
We urge the organization and use of credit to serve production
needs and not to increase the incomes and holdings of financiers.
Control over credit should be taken from financiers and should In
vested in a public agency, able to administer this power as a public
trust in the interests of all the people.
Since the Government has not worked out a constructive railroad
policy, we urge for and on behalf of the railway workers and of the
general public that the railroads be retained under Government ad
ministration for at least two years after January 1, 1920, in order
that a thorough test may be made of governmental operation under
normal conditions. The common carriers of this country are the
arteries of travel, commerce, and industry. Transportation service
and rates are intimately bound up with industrial production in all
parts of the country. I t is essential that a thorough test be given to
all phases of railroad control and operation before a definite peace
time policy be finally concluded.
Never has the world been confronted with a more serious situation.
Millions are in want, facing starvation. The children of war-stricken
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Europe, half fed, underdeveloped, appeal for help. Only with infinite
pain, unnecessary loss of life, and slowness of result can Europe re
build her industries, restore her agriculture, and reestablish her com
merce without the help of America.
The treaty setting' forth the terms of peace has not been ratified
by the United States. Boundaries are not fixed. Peoples are uncer
tain as to their allegiance. Under such conditions exchange and
credit have lost voltage and in turn have paralyzed industry.
As members of an organized labor movement that has for years
maintained fraternal relations with the working people of Europe,
we feel that our Nation can not with honor and humanity maintain
a policy of isolation and disinterestedness from the distress and
suffering of the peoples of Europe. Even if the necessity of the
peoples of Europe did not have a compelling appeal, the interre
lated economic interests of the world would prevent our limiting our
attention solely to this hemisphere.
Ratification of Peace Treaty.
HP HE peace treaty includes provisions in an international agreement
' to prevent war among nations, with all its cruelties and sacrifices of
human life, with its burden of indebtedness and taxation; for reduc
tion in standing armies, the diminution of great navies, and the
limitation of the production of arms and ammunition. If the Senate
shall fail to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, our Nation may be isolated
from other countries of the world which at some time might be
pitted against us. Such isolation and possibilities would make neces
sary the creation and maintenance of a large standing army and a
greater and more effective navy in order in some degree to protect
the Republic of the United States from aggression by those countries
which were our allies in the Great War and which were and are now
our friends.
In addition, the workers of America have a deep interest and
concern in the labor draft convention of the treaty and in its pur
poses to raise to a higher standard the conditions of life and labor
among the peoples of all countries. Its cardinal declarations and
provisions are: That labor should not be regarded as a commodity;
that the 8-hour day and 48-hour week are standard; that there shall
be one day of rest, preferably Sunday, in each week; that child
labor shall be abolished and continuing education for young workers
assured: that men and women shall receive equal pay for equal
work; that industrial betterments shall be enforced by proper in
spection, in which women as well as men shall take part; that w a g e s
shall be sufficient to maintain a reasonable standard of living, as this
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is understood in each time and country; and that employees as well
as employers have the right of association for all lawful purposes.
The United States is protected by this draft convention in two
ways: (1) That the recommendations which international labor con
ferences under the treaty may recommend may be accepted or re
jected by our Government; (2) that no recommendation that would
set a lower standard for the people of the United States than already
exists within our borders can be at any time presented for considera
tion and action by the United States.
To give the united support of our Republic and of the allied coun
tries to effective machinery to raise the standard of the workers’ con
dition in backward countries, to help humanize industry for the com
mon world weal, is, we insist, a paramount duty which our Republic
must perform. We insist, for the reasons herein set forth, that it is
the immediate duty of the Senate to ratify the Treaty of Versailles.
The American labor movement resents the attempt of reactionaries
and autocrats to classify the men and women of labor with those
groups which have nothing in common with its constructive purposes
and high ideals and with the fundamental principles of our country.
Those who aim to strike a blow against the legitimate aspirations of
the workers in their struggle for freedom and for a higher and a
better life must be met and overcome.
We call upon all those who contribute service to society in any
form to unite in the furtherance of the principles and purposes and
for the rectification of the grievances herein set forth. We call
especial attention to the fact that there is a great community of in
terest between all who serve the world. All workers, whether of the
city or country, mine or factory, farm or transportation, have a com
mon path to tread and a common goal to gain.
The issues herein enumerated require the action of our people upon
both the economic and political field. We urge that every practical
action be taken by the American Federation of Labor, with the co
operation of all other organized bodies of workers, farmers, and
sympathetic, liberty-loving citizens of the United States, to cany
into effect the principles and purposes set forth in the declarations
of this conference.
We call upon all to join with us in combating the forces of au
tocracy, industrial and political, and in the sublime task of ridding
the world of the power of those who but debase its processes and cor
rupt its functions.
In all struggles for justice and human freedom, sacrifices have been
made. Having made supreme sacrifices to crush militarism and
political autocracy in Europe, America’s workers will not surrender
to political and industrial autocracy at home. In the struggle now
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before us we will contest every effort made to fasten tyranny and
injustice upon the people of our Republic. We are confident that
freedom, justice, and the opportunity for a better day and a higher
life shall be achieved.
The In d u s tria l C ourts A ct (1919) of G reat
B ritain.
REAT Britain has recently legislated into existence permanent
machinery for the voluntary arbitration of trade disputes
through what is known as the Industrial Courts Act, which
became a law November 20, 1919.
The necessity for legislation of this character arose from the pros
pective termination of the Wages (Temporary Regulation) Act, 1918,
on November 21, 1919. Under the terms of this act wages had, since
the signing of the armistice, been maintained at a level not lower than
that prevailing at that time, unless modified by agreement of the
parties concerned or by awards made by the interim court of arbitra
tion, and thus there had been prevented a sudden drop in wages
while industry was passing from a war to a peace basis.
T he interim court of arbitration, established upon the passing of
the Wages (Temporary Regulation) Act, 1918 to continue the work
of the committee on production, which fixed wage awards during the
war, had been dealing effectively with this stabilization of wages
during the period of demobilization. The number of awards made by
it in its duration of one year totaled 932, and it had, in adidtion, acted
in an advisory capacity to the Minister of Labor in approximately
45 other matters dealing with wages and conditions of employment.
In fact so satisfactory had this temporary measure proved that it
seemed advisable to form a permanent body to which industrial dis
putes could in cases of necessity be referred for settlement, thereby
creating among all classes a greater sense of certainty and security
regarding industrial affairs. Accordingly the Industrial Courts
Act (1919), the text of which follows, was enacted into lav/ to meet
this need :
P a r t I.— I n d u s tr ia l C o u rts.
1.
(1) For the purpose of the settlement of trade disputes in manner provided
by this act there shall be a standing industrial court, consisting of persons
to he appointed by the Minister of Labor (in this act referred to as “ the minis
ter ” ), of whom some shall be independent persons, some shall be persons rep
resenting employers, and some shall be persons representing workmen, and in
addition one or more women.
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(2) A member of the industrial court shall hold office for such term as may
be fixed by the minister at the time of his appointment.
(3) For the purpose of dealing with any m atter which may be referred to
it, the court shall be constituted of such of the members of the court as the
president may direct.
(4) The president of the court, and the chairman of any division of the court,
shall be such person, being one of the independent persons aforesaid, as the
minister may by order, given either generally or specially, direct.
2. (1) Any trade dispute as defined by this act, whether existing or appre
hended, may be reported to the minister by or on behalf of either of the parties
to the dispute, and the minister shall thereupon take the m atter into his consid
eration and take such steps as seem to him expedient for promoting a settlement
thereof.
(2) Where a trade dispute exists or is apprehended the minister may, subject
as hereinafter provided, if lie thinks fit and if both parties consent, either—
( a ) Refer the m atter for settlement to the industrial court; or
(&) Refer the m atter for settlement to the arbitration of one or more persons
appointed by him ; or
( c ) Refer the m atter for settlement to a board of arbitration consisting of one
or more persons nominated by or on behalf of the employers concerned and an
equal number of persons nominated by or on behalf of the workmen concerned,
and an independent chairman nominated by the minister, and, for the purpose of
facilitating the nomination of persons to act as members of a board of arbitra
tion, the Minister of Labor shall constitute panels of persons appearing to him
suitable so to act, and women shall he included in the panels.
(3) The minister may refer to the industrial court for advice any matter relat
ing to or arising out of a trade dispute, or trade disputes in general or trade dis
putes of any class, or any other matter which in his opinion ought to be so
referred.
(4) If tliere are existing in any trade or industry any arrangements for set
tlement by conciliation or arbitration of disputes in such trade or industry, or
any branch thereof, made in pursuance of an agreement between organizations
of employers and organizations of workmen representative respectively of sub
stantial- proportions of the employers and workmen engaged in that trade or
industry, the minister shall not, unless with the consent of both parties to the
dispute, and unless and until there has been a failure to obtain a settlement by
means of those arrangements, refer the matter for settlement or advice in accord
ance with the foregoing provisions of this section.
3. (1) The minister may make, or authorize the industrial court to make,
rules regulating the procedure of that court, and those rules may, amongst
other things, provide for references in certain cases to a single member of
the court, and provide for enabling the court to sit in two or more divisions,
and to sit with assessors, who may be men or women, for enabling the court
or any division of the court to act notwithstanding any vacancy in their
number, and for enabling questions as to the interpretation of any award to
be settled without any fresh report or reference.
(2) The minister may make rules regulating the procedure to be followed
in cases where m atters are referred for settlement to the arbitration of one
or more persons appointed by the minister.
(3) The Arbitration Act, 1889. shall not apply to any reference to the indus
trial court, or to any reference to arbitration under this act.
(4) Where the members of the industrial court are unable to agree as to
their award, the m atter shall be decided by the chairman acting with the full
powers of an umpire.
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(5)
Where any trade dispute referred to the industrial court involves ques
tions as to wages, or as to hours of work, or otherwise as to the terms or con
ditions of or affecting employment which are regulated by any act other than
this act, the court shall not make any award which is inconsistent with the
provisions of that act.
P a r t II.— C o u rts o f In q u iry.
4. (1) Where any trade dispute exists or is apprehended, the minister may,
whether or not the dispute is reported to him under P art I of this act, inquire
into the causes and circumstances of the dispute, and, if he thinks fit, refer
any m atters appearing to him to be connected with or relevant to the dispute
to a court of inquiry appointed by him for the purpose of such reference, and
the court shall, either in public or in private, at their discretion, inquire into
the matters referred to them and report thereon to the minister.
(2) A court of inquiry for the purposes of this part of this act (in this act
referred to as “ a court of inquiry” ) shall consist of a chairman and such other
persons as the minister thinks fit to appoint, or may, if the minister thinks fit,
consist of one person appointed by the minister.
(3) A court of inquiry may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their
number.
(4) The minister may make rules regulating the procedure of any court of
inquiry, including rules as to summoning of witnesses, quorum, and the appoint
ment of committees and enabling the court to call for such documents as the
court may determine to be relevant to the subject matter of the inquiry.
(5) A court of inquiry may, if and to such extent as may be authorized by
rules made under this section, by order require any person who appears to the
court to have any knowledge of the subject matter of the inquiry to furnish, in
writing or otherwise, such particulars in relation thereto as the court may
require, and, where necessary, to attend before the court and give evidence on
oath, and the court may administer or authorize any person to administer an
oath for that purpose.
5. (1) A court of inquiry may, if it thinks fit, make interim reports.
(2) Any report of a court of inquiry, and any minority report, shall be laid as
soon as may be before both Houses of Parliament.
(8) The minister may, whether before or after any such report has been laid
before Parliament, publish or cause to be published from time to time, in such
manner as he thinks fit, any information obtained or conclusions arrived at by
the court as the result or in the course of their inquiry: P r o v i d e d , That there
shall not be included in any report or publication made or authorized by the
court or the minister any information obtained by the court in the course of their
inquiry as to any trade-union or as to any individual business (whether carried
on by a person, firm, or company) which is not available otherwise than through
evidence given at the inquiry, except with the consent of the secretary of the
trade-union or of the person, firm, or company in question, nor shall any individual
member of the court or any person concerned in the inquiry, without such consent,
disclose any such information.
P a r t I I I .— C o n tin u a n ce o f C erta in P r o v isio n s of th e W a g e s ( T e m p o r a r y R e g u la
t i o n ) A c t , 19 IS.
G. (1) The provisions of the Wages (Temporary Regulation) Act, 1918, which
are specified in the schedule to this act shall, subject to the modifications specified
in the second column of that schedule, continue in operation until the 30th day
of September, 1920.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
(2) Where, before the passing of this act, any matter has been referred for
settlement under the Wages (Temporary Regulation) Act, 1918, and has not,
at that date, been settled by the person or persons to whom it has been so referred,
the minister may by order transfer the m atter to the industrial court, and where
any such m atter is so transferred the award of that court shall have effect as
if it were an award of the interim court of arbitration made under that act.
Part IV
.— G e n e r a l .
7. Any expenses incurred by the minister in carrying this act into operation,
including the expenses of the industrial court and of any court of inquiry, shall
be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament.
8. For the purposes of this act—
The expression “ trade dispute ” means any dispute or difference between
employers and workmen, or between workmen and workmen connected with the
employment or nonemployment, or the terms of the employment or with the
conditions of labor of any person:
The expression “ workman ” means any person who has entered into or works
under a contract with an employer whether the contract be by way of manual
labor, clerical work, or otherwise, be expressed or implied, oral or in writing,
and whether it be a contract of service or of apprenticeship or a contract per
sonally to execute any work or labor.
9. Provision shall be made by rules under this act with respect to the cases
in which persons may appear by counsel or solicitor on proceedings under this
act before the industrial court, before an arbitrator, or before a court of inquiry,
and except as provided by those rules no person shall be entitled to appear on
any such proceedings by counsel or solicitor.
10. This act shall not apply to persons in the naval, military, or air services
of the Crown, but otherwise shall apply to workmen employed by or under the
Crown in the same manner as if they were employed by or under a private
person.
11. In the case of a trade dispute in the industry of agriculture, steps to be
taken under this act by the minister of labor shall be taken in conjunction
with the board of agriculture and fisheries.
12. (1) In the application of this act to Scotland a reference to an oversman
shall be substituted for any reference to an umpire, and a reference to the board
of agriculture for Scotland shall be substituted for any reference to the board
of agriculture and fisheries.
(2) In the application of this act to Ireland, a reference to the department
of agriculture and technical instruction for Ireland shall be substituted for any
reference to the board of agriculture and fisheries.
18. The minister shall from time to time present to Parliament a report of
his proceedings under this act.
14. This act may be cited as the Industrial Courts Act, 1919.
S ch ed u le.
M o d ific a tio n s.
P ro v is io n s c o n tin u e d in force.
Sec. 1 (obligation to pay prescribed
rates of wages).
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As from the commencement of this act
rate for the prescribed rate shall cease,
without prejudice, however, to the en
forceability of any rate substituted for
the prescribed rate before the com
mencement of this act, whether the
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INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS.
45
substituted rate has or lias not come
into operation before that date, and
without prejudice to the enforceability
of any rate substituted for the pre
scribed rate by an award of the indus
trial court under P art III of this act.
Stjbsec. (2) of section 2 (settle As from the commencement of this act
ment of differences).
matters instead of being referred for
settlement as provided in subsection
(2) shall be referred to the industrial
court.
Tiie words “ or as to whether any rate
should be substituted for the pre
scribed rate ” shall cease to have effect,
and the proviso to subsection (2) shall
not apply.
Sec. 3 (powers of inquiry).
As from the commencement of this act a
Sec. 4 (definition of prescribed rates
reference to the industrial court shall
of w ages).
he substituted for any reference to the
Sec. 5 (legal proceedings).
interim court of arbitration.
Comments on the Act.
^ HE three main provisions of the act are:
(«) The creation in place of the interim court of arbitration of a
permanent court of arbitration called the industrial court, to which
industrial disputes may be referred if both parties concerned consent.
( b ) The proposed appointment of a court of inquiry which shall
make immediate investigation of any existing or apprehended dis
pute and give an impartial report of its merits to the public.
(c ) The continuance of the Wages (Temporary Regulation) Act,
1918, until September 30, 1920.
Attention should be called to the fact that the arbitration, as pro
vided for in the act, is purely voluntary on the part of the parties
concerned. It is expH0vted that it will be used only after all available
means of settlement already existing between employers and em
ployees have proved futile. At the insistence of labor no nonstrike
clause was inserted in the act and its effect will therefore be to pre
vent, not to prohibit, strikes.
The court of inquiry, while it may call for the production of all
documents and compel the attendance of witnesses in securing facts
regarding a labor dispute, can not publish any information elicited
in the inquiry “ which is not available otherwise than through
evidence given at the inquiry, except with the consent of the secre
tary of the trade-union or of the person, firm, or company in ques
tion, nor shall any individual member of the court or any person
concerned in the inquiry, without such consent, disclose any such in
formation.'’ This provision, while doubtless necessary to protect
firms and labor organizations in particular matters which they prefer
should not become public, may in a measure limit the character of
the report which is made to the public.
15989S0—20
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A continuation of the Wages (Temporary Regulation) Act should
win the approval of labor, since, in stabilizing wages generally until
arrangements can be made for putting them on a permanent basis, it
also guarantees against reduction of women’s wages in the near future.
Wide latitude is given the Minister of Labor in the establishment
of the industrial court and of the courts of inquiry. In the case
of the industrial court he appoints the personnel, the only restriction
being that it shall consist of men and women representing the public,
the employers, and the workers. The length of office of the mem
bers of the industrial court is also fixed by him. As regards courts
of inquiry the minister may appoint any person or persons, as he
thinks fit.
According to an official source1 the court, while normally sitting in
London, will make arrangements, where necessary, to hear cases at
Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Cardiff, and other important cen
ters. I t will also send individual members to hear cases locally, in
which an immediate hearing is desired and which can be heard by
one member of the court.
The following persons appointed by the Minister of Labor as the
first members of the court are thus described in the Manchester
Guardian, December 6, 1919, page 12:
Sir William Mackenzie, since 1917 lias been one of the chairmen of the com
mittee on production and the interim court of arbitration. He has acted as
arbitrator and conciliator in many industrial disputes for some years.
Mr. F. H. McLeod is the director of labor statistics of the ministry of labor,
and formerly held that position under the Board of Trade. He has been the
editor of the Labour Gazette for many years.
Mr. D. C. Cummings was general secretary of the Boilermakers' Society for
nine years before entering the service of the Board of Trade and later the
ministry of labor (as a labor adviser).
Mr. McKie Bryce is the secretary of the Engineering and National Employers’
Federation, and of the employers’ side of the provisional joint committee of the
National Industrial Conference.
Mr. E. J. Brown is a director and past president of the London Master
Builders’ Association, and past president of the Institute of Builders.
Mr. F. S. Button was a member of the executive committee of the Amalga
mated Society of Engineers, and in 1917 became a member of the committee on
production and later of the interim court.
Miss Violet Markham (Mrs. James Carruthers) served as a deputy director
in the women’s section of the National Service Department in 1917.
Miss Cécile Matheson is lady warden of the Woodbrooke Settlement, Birming
ham, and lias been an appointed member of trade boards since 1914.
1 L a b o u r G a z e tte , L o n d o n , D e c e m b e r, 1919, p. 514.
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47
R E L A T IO N S ,
The New F ra n c o -Ita lia n L abor T re aty ,1
HE negotiations for the conclusion of a new labor treaty be
tween France and Italy resulted in the signing on September
30, 1919, of a compact which will be submitted for rati
fication to the parliaments of the respective countries. The treaty
provides that the workers of either country, when employed in
the other, shall be on the same footing as nationals with respect to
labor conditions and shall enjoy the same benefits with reference to
relief and social insurance.2 The full text of the treaty (with the
exception of its preamble) is translated.
T
T ext of the Treaty.
I A rticle 1. The two Governments agree to grant all administrative facilities
to citizens of either of the two countries who intend to go to the other country
for the purpose of working there.
With the reservation of temporary abrogations provided for in article 4 and
the harmonizing of its own laws and regulations with the facilities which it
has obligated itself to grant in the preceding paragraph, the country of origin
shall not require any special authorization for the emigration of workers and
their families, be it either individual or voluntary, or for the purpose of col
lective hiring.
These workers and their families shall be at liberty to enter the country of
their destination which shall not require any special authorization for this
purpose, with the reservation of temporary abrogations provided for in
article 4 and the harmonizing of its own laws and regulations with the
facilities which it has obligated itself to grant in paragraph one of the presentarticle.
W ages
and
W o rk in g
and
L ivin g
C o n d itio n s.
A r t . 2 . The wages of immigrant workers shall not be lower than those re
ceived in the same undertaking and for equal work by native workers of the
same occupational group, or, if native workers of this group are not employed
in the same undertaking, they shall not be lower than the normal wrages cur
rent in the district for workers of the same group.
The Government of the country of immigration obligates itself to see to it
that within its territory the equality of wages of immigrant and native labor
is observed.
A r t . 3 . Immigrant workers shall enjoy the same protection of the legislation
and usages of the country as native workers with respect to working and living
conditions.
All complaints of immigrant workers concerning the working and living con
ditions provided for them by employers or any other complaint requiring inter
vention of the public authorities shall be addressed or transmitted to the proper
local authorities either directly or through the diplomatic or consular authori
ties. The proper local authorities shall make the necessary investigations and
shall alone be competent to intervene.
1 B o lle ttin o d e ll’Ufficio d el L a v o ro . R om e, N ov. 10, 1919.
2 F o r a d is c u s s io n o f E u r o p e a n la b o r t r e a tie s in g e n e ra l, see th e M o n t h l y
R e v ie w fo r A p ril, 1919, pp, 7 -1 0 .
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48
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Each of the two Governments may attach to its embassy in the other country
a technical specialist charged with taking care of all labor matters and with
maintaining relations with the proper central administrative authorities of the
countries in which workers of the other country are being employed.,
The two Governments shall facilitate the exercise of the functions of these
attachés.
S ta b iliza tio n of L a b o r M a rk e t.
A r t . 4. If, at certain times, in certain districts and in certain occupations,
the condition of the labor market should make it impossible to find employment
for emigrants who individually and voluntarily come in quest of work, the inter
ested Government shall through diplomatic channels immediately advise the
Government of the other country thereof so that the latter may take the required
measures.
The two Governments may by joint agreement examine correlative measures
which with the same object in view could be adopted by each of the two
countries.
A r t . 5. The Governments of the two countries shall jointly see to it that the
number of workers hired by means of a collective contract shall not injuriously
affect the economic development of one of the two countries or the workers of the
other country.
For this purpose they shall establish a commission which as a rule shall meet
twice a year at Paris.
The respective representatives on this commission shall in particular be
charged with (1) estimating approximately the number of workers that could
possibly be hired and what number of workers it seems desirable to hire up to
the next session of the commission; (2) indicating the districts to which the
immigrant workers should preferably be directed and those to which owing
to the prevailing condition of the labor market immigrant workers should
not be directed. With this object in view each of the two States reserves to
itself the right to consult the interested employers’ and workers’ organizations
within its territory.
In order to assure the regular functioning of these administrative authorities,
which in application of the internal laws of each of the two countries are
charged with facilitating to emigrants passage of the border, the proper ad
ministrative authorities shall jointly determine those measures which are made
necessary by existing conditions, and harmonize them as much as possible with
the application of the respective laws and regulations.
S o cia l In su ra n ce.
A r t . 7. The pension system for industrial and agricultural workers (inclusive
of the special pension funds for miners) in force in each of the two countries
shall be applied to citizens of the other country without any exclusion or reduc
tion of the rights granted to nationals, but with reservation of the provisions
made below concerning the computation and payment of the complementary
pension and the State subsidy.
The advantages provided for in the present article shall be granted to insured
persons who shall claim and obtain their pensions subsequent to the date of
the coming into force of the present treaty. The same advantages shall be
granted to widows and orphans whose claims shall arise subsequent to that
date.
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IN D U S T R IA L
R E L A T IO N S .
49
The following rules shall be applicable to complementary and State g ran ts:
( a ) The contributory periods and those considered as contributory periods
which in accordance with the law are being computed either in Italy or in
France shall be added for the purpose of determining the right to a pension.
( b ) Each of the two States shall compute the amount of the pension to which
the insured person would be entitled according to its rates, its law and the
conditions required by the latter, for the entire time reckoned according to the
provision of the preceding paragraph. Each State shall then determine the
part of the pension to be borne by it, reducing the total amount previously
determined in proportion to the period of time which concerns it.
The total of the quotas to be borne by each of the two States represents the
amount of the pension to which the insured person is entitled.
In case, however, that the pension computed in this manner should amount
to less than the pension which would be due from one of the two countries in
accordance with its own law and by reason of the contributory periods or
periods considered as contributory periods, elapsed within its territory the
part of the pension to be borne by that State shall be increased by the differ
ence.
The preceding rules are applicable to the quota of invalidity pensions to be
borne by each State.
Death benefits in case of death of the insured person shall be payable to his
survivors provided that these have submitted a claim within six months of
his death. The two States shall share in the payment of these benefits in
accordance with the rules laid down for pensions and State grants.
The agreements provided for in article 24 shall prescribe how the principles
relating to rates of pensions and State grants shall be applied.
The relations between the Italian and French insurance carriers, the informa
tion which these must furnish to each other to make possible the keeping of
individual accounts for insured nationals of the other country during the
maturing and at the time of the liquidation of their pensions, and the necessary
measures for facilitation, in accordance with the Franco-Italian agreement
of April 5, 1904, of the payment in France through the French funds or the
post-office department of the pensions due from Italian insurance carriers,
and vice versa, shall be determined by the agreements provided for in article 24.
Art. 8. The principles of reciprocity already realized in the matter of com
pensation for industrial accidents is confirmed by the present treaty and shall
be applicable to any possible development of the respective legislation.
The same principles shall, under conditions to be laid down in special agree
ments, be extended to all social insurance laws, covering various risks, such as
sickness, invalidity, and unemployment, which may be enacted in the future.
A cq u isitio n of L and.
A rt . 9. In all matters relating to the acquisition, possession, and transfer of
small rural and urban holdings the citizens of each of the two States shall in
the territory of the other State enjoy the same rights and privileges granted
to nationals, with the exception, however, of privileges granted for war service
and with reservation of provisions which in the interest of national security
were enacted for specified zones or localities in the laws on the right of resi
dence and settlement of aliens.
C h a r ita b le A id .
Art . 10. Italian workers and entrepreneurs who have become members of a
French mutual aid society may become members of the administrative board
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M ONTHLY
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with the reservation that tlio number of alien members of the board shall not
exceed one-half less one of the. total membership of tiie board.
Italians residing in France who have become members of a mutual aid society
approved or recognized as a public welfare society shall enjoy the benefits of
the State subsidies to the pensions accruing from contributions as evidenced by
individual pass books and shall have a right to pensions accruing from the
common funds.
These provisions shall be applied reciprocally to French citizens living in
Italy.
Art. 11. Subsidies to mutual, unemployment benefit funds as well as subsidies
furnished by public unemployment funds and aid given by public institutions
through furnishing of work must be granted in each of the two States to the
nationals of the other State.
Art. 12. Citizens of each of the two States who, owing to physical or mental
sickness, pregnancy, or confinement, or for any other reason require aid, medi
cal treatment, or any other assistance shall within the territory of the other
signatory State, in the application of the laws on social aid, receive the same
treatment as nationals with respect to aid at their home or in a medical institu
tion.
Citizens of each of the two States shall he entitled in the other State to
subsidies for the maintenance of their families, which shall have the char
acter of simple relief, if their families live with them.
Art. 18. Expenditures for aid incurred by the State of residence shall not
involve a claim to any refund on the part of the State, Department, Province,
commune, or public institution of the country of which the person aided is a
citizen, provided that such aid has become necessary owing to an acute disease
pronounced as such by the attending physician.
In other cases, inclusive of relapses, claims to refund for the period of aid
subsequent to the first 45 days shall be admissible.
A r t . 14. The State of residence shall also continue to bear the burden of
relief without refund—
1. In the case of maintenance either at their homes or in hospitals of aged,
infirm, and incurable persons who have continuously resided for at least 15
years in the country in which they were admitted to the benefits of a pension,
aid, or free admission to a home for the aged. This period shall be reduced
by five years in cases of invalidity caused by one of the industrial diseases enu
merated in a list contained in one of the agreements provided for in article 24.
2. In the case of all sick, insane, and all other persons aided who have con
tinuously resided in the said country for five years. In case of curative treat
ment for a disease a worker who during said period has resided in the country
at least five consecutive months during each year shall be considered as having
resided there continuously.
With respect to children under 16 years of age it shall be sufficient if their
father, mother, guardian, or the person in whose custody they are, fullfil the
above conditions.
A r t . 15. After the elapse of 45 days persons who have received relief and do
not fulfill the requirements as to residence laid down in the preceding article
shall, according to the choice of the State in which they claim citizenship and
after notification by the State in which they reside, be either repatriated if
they are in a condition to be transported or the costs of their medical care must
be refunded by their State to the State in which they are residing. Repatriation
shall not he enforced in the case of special relief of families with numerous
children or of women in confinement.
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R E L A T IO N S .
51
A rt. 1G. The two Governments shall by means of agreements provided for in
article 24 jointly regulate the details of the administrative measures relating
(1) to the procedure, conditions, and form of the repatriation, and (2) the
method of establishing and computing the duration of continuous residence
The notices by the State of residence provided for in article 15 must reach
the authorities of the State of domicile designated in the said agreement during
the first 10 days of the period of 45 days ; otherwise this period shall be extended
by the entire duration of the delay.
The two Governments obligate themselves to see to it that in localities where
large numbers of workers of the other nationality are gathered accommoda
tions for hospital treatm ent for sick or injured workers and their families shall
not be lacking.
Contributions which for this purpose may be imposed upon or voluntarily
borne by employers shall not have the character of such special taxes on the
employment of foreign labor as are prohibited below in article 21,
If the workers are assured of medical care at their homes, in hospitals, and
infirmaries by their employer and at the latter’s expense, they shall have a
right to such treatm ent without refund of the costs.
Refunds claimable from the State of domicile in pursuance of the preceding
article 15 shall not be demanded if the aforesaid expenditures are borne volun
tarily by the employer or by reason of a clause in the labor contract.
This provision shall also be applicable if the costs are paid by a benevolent
society or in any other way.
A rt. 17. Benevolent, relief, and aid societies of Italian citizens in France
and of French citizens in Italy, and societies in both countries having members
of both nationalities which are organized and administered in accordance with
the laws of the country, shall enjoy the same rights and privileges that are
granted to French and Italian societies olSthe same character.
A r b itr a tio n B o a r d s a n d L a b o r L aics.
A rt. 18. Workers and employers of the two countries may become members
of boards of conciliation and arbitration for the settlement of collective dis
putes between employers and employees in which they are interested.
If Italian workers of a mining establishment have chosen from among
their fellow workers in the same establishment a delegate who shall submit
their demands with respect to labor conditions either to the employers, or to
miners’ delegates, or to the authorities charged with the supervision of labor,
the said French authorities shall extend facilities to the delegate for the exer
cise of the functions intrusted to him by his fellow workers ; the same shall
reciprocally apply to French miners in Italy.
A r t . 19. Citizens of each of the two contracting parties shall in the terri
tory of the other party enjoy equal treatment with nationals in all matters
relating to the application of laws regulating labor conditions and assuring
the hygiene and safety of workers.
This principle of equal treatment shall also be extended to any regulations
of such matters promulgated in the two countries in the future.
P r o te c tio n of C h ild ren
and A d u lt W orkers.
A rt . 20. The commission composed of French and Italian citizens provided
for in the Franco-Italian convention of June 15, 1910, for the protection of
children and eventually of adult workers shall, in those district in which
workers of the other country are employed in a sufficiently large number,
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MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
extend its protective activities to workers of all ages, be they Italian workers
in France, or French workers in Italy. From now on they shall be composed
as follows: (1) The prefect or subprefect, or a councilor of the prefecture;
(2) the mayor of the commune or a communal councilor; (3)the factory in
spector or one of bis assistants; (4) the consul or his representative; (5) the
president of a mutual aid, educational, or relief society of the other nation, or
if such a society does not exist, a citizen of the other country residing in the
district; (6) one representative each of the employers’ and workers’ organiza
tions of the district; (7) one worker of each of the two nationalities.
T axes.
A rt. 21. Neither of the two signatory States shall impose special taxes on
citizens of the other State by reason of their working in its territory.
This provision shall not prejudice the provisions of laws and regulations relat
ing to general taxes imposed on aliens and in particular the taxes on the issuance
of permits of residence. The same provision shall not be construed as exempt
ing citizens of one of the signatory States who reside in the territory of the other
State from any other tax, present and future, applicable to nationals of the
country of residence.
A rt. 22. The principle of equality of treatment of citizens of the two countries,
with respect to admission to the public primary schools and to the establishment
of private schools, having been sufficiently established in principle in each of the
two countries by the respective school laws, the two Governments reserve to
themselves the negotiation of a general convention relating to education and to
include therein the measures required for the facilitation of elementary and
vocational education of immigrant workers and their families.
S ea m e n a n d F ish erm en .
A rt. 23. One or more special conventions shall regulate in the spirit of the
present treaty the situation of seamen, fishermen, and, in general, of the wage
working personnel of the fishing industry and of the merchant marine. Nego
tiations with this end in view shall begin, at the latest, during the year fullow/ ing the ratification of the present treaty.
It shall, however, be considered as agreed upon for the present that a system
of pensions in the spirit of the conditions laid down in article 7 shall form the
subject of one of the agreements to be concluded in pursuance of the provisions
of article 24.
A rt. 24. The proper administrative authorities o f the two countries shall
jointly determine measures concerning the details and the services required
for the carrying out of those provisions contained in the present treaty which
require the cooperation of the respective administrative authorities. They shall
also determine the instances and conditions under which they shall carry on
direct correspondence between themselves.
A rt . 25. As the present treaty is not fully applicable to colonies, possessions,
and protectorates, the two Governments obligate themselves to enter into
negotiations, possibly during the year following the ratification of the present
treaty, for the purpose of concluding one or more special conventions relating
to their i*especiive colonies, possessions, and protectorates which will regulate
the matters dealt with by the present treaty in conformity with the principles
and spirit of the latter.
Art. 26. The present treaty shall be ratified and ratifications shall be ex
changed at Paris at the earliest possible time.
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53
It shall become effective on the exchange of ratifications.
It shall be in force for one year and its renewal from year to year shall be
implied unless notice denouncing it is given.
All disputes relating to the application of the present treaty shall lie settled
through diplomatic channels.
It a settlement can not be arrived at in this way, the said disputes shall,
on demand of only one of the parties, be submitted to the decision of one or
more arbitrators whose duty it shall be to settle the dispute in conformity
with the fundamental principles and the spirit of the present treaty.
A special agreement shall regulate the constitution and the functions of
the arbitration board. Each of the two parties may in the way of testimony
submit an opinion rendered by international offices or organs competent in the
matter.
Such an opinion may for the same purpose be jointly requested by the
arbitrators.
H u n g a ria n In d u stry U nder th e Soviet System.
HE Neue F'reie Presse1 publishes reports from two wellknown Hungarian manufacturers on their experiences dur
ing the supremacy of the soviet system in Hungary.
Ivoloman Kando, managing director of an engineering and ship*
building firm, makes the following statement:
T
The bluffing tactics which culminated in the reconciliation of the Hungarian
socialists with the communists did not come as a surprise to those who had
been in touch with the men employed in large plants and factories during the
last weeks of Karolyi’s term of power. Since the beginning of 1919 it was
quite cleai that a great part of the organized workers were drifting toward
communism. At the shipbuilding yard of Ganz & Co., at Fiume, there was a
revolt, which resulted in the director and most of the heads of departments
being driven out. Similar occurrences had to be recorded at the Budapest
factories of the company. Even at Fiume it became obvious that the outbreak
had been organized at Budapest. In Budapest, workers’ councils, which sought
to take over the management of the factories, were formed to displace the
directors and managers. The workers elected a new administration and de
manded its recognition by the Government.
Thus, for months before the formal proclamation of a soviet republic, a
sort of soviet management had been introduced into the factories. What
happened on March 21, 1919, was merely the giving of a formal sanction to
a system already in operation, thé former owners of factories, who had been
deprived of control, being expropriated. If anybody drew the attention of
workers to the risk of what was being done he was told that nobody but the
shareholders suffered damage. The workers asserted that they would take
care that the factories should remain available for production and that
they would soon acquire sufficient skill and knowledge to carry on work with
out the assistance of capitalists. As a m atter of fact, factory workers did
organize an armed guard for the protection of factories; and in the recent
critical days scarcely any material damage was done to the buildings and plant.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 N eu e F r e ie P re s s e .
V ie n n a , S e p t.
13, 1919.
54
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
The fact that the business of the factories collapsed financially is to be
ascribed chiefly to the tremendous decrease of output. This decrease, in turn,
is attributable to three causes: (1) The complete lack of discipline; (2) the
extravagant increase of wages; and (3) the abolition of piecework. It was quite
in vain that the production commissioner appointed by the soviet government
endeavored to restore discipline. The workers were fully conscious that the
Government itself depended on their support. The foremen, who had to deal
with discipline at first hand, had not the slightest disposition to bring the work
men back to sensible courses; for they knew that if they made any remark,
however inoffensive it might be, they would be hustled out of the factory.
While the wages paid in October, 1918, were more than 4 times those paid before
the outbreak of the war, they were raised just before the collapse of the soviet
régime to 11 times the peace-time wages. It is interesting to compare the annual
increase of wages and salaries with the course of dividends paid by Ganz & Co.
The increase of wages and salaries from 1914 to 1915 and from 1915 to 191G were
more than double the amount of the dividend for the previous year. After 191(1
these increases amounted to 5 or 6 times as much. In these circumstances
the possibility of continuing operations without loss became a pressing question.
As the principal purchaser of manufactured goods, the State agreed to the
principle that prices should be raised in due proportion to the advance of wages.
As regards private purchasers, a system of “ standard prices ” was introduced.
By this system prices were to be fixed arbitrarily after the occurrence of a dis
pute. True, this system enabled manufacturers to shift the burden of high
wages to the shoulders of consumers ; but, so fa r as the workpeople were con
cerned, it put employers in a very awkward position. They were deprived of
their most effective protection against exorbitant demands for higher wages;
for they could no longer declare that they were unable to pay higher wages
without ruining the concern.
The rising wage curve is an index of the growing consciousness of power among
workers. Even the leaders of the trade-unions have observed the advance of
wage rates with some anxiety. One of them, who played a conspicuous rôle
during the regime of the soviets, told me once, in January, 1918, that the present
tremendous advances caused him sleepless nights and that he had very anxious
forebodings in regard to the time when reductions shall have become unavoidable.
But the caution and prudence of the men’s leaders are of no practical use. They
are no longer real leaders of the masses. Very often, even against their sincere
convictions, they have to put forward the most extravagant demands.
Industrial conditions were made still worse by the abolition of piecework, and
the payment of wages at time rates to all workers. Output sank suddenly to a
fraction of the normal. In our car-building yard one gang of workmen used to
construct eight skeleton cars per week. When time rates were introduced the
output sank to four and even to three, wrages having been multiplied by 11.
This reduction of output was equivalent to multiplying the normal cost of
production by 25.
Obviously the communistic administrators concerned became heavily indebted to
the banks. The soviet government tried to overcome this difficulty by fixing
arbitrary prices for products. Thus, the price of a steam plow, completely
equipped, wras fixed at 1,500,000 crowns,1 though the price was only 80,000 crowns
before the war and not more than 250,000 crowns even in January, 1919.
Nobody who understands figures will require any further comment.
1 O w in g to t h e f lu c tu a tio n s in t h e v a lu e o f th e A u s tr ia n c ro w n c o n v e rsio n s a r e n o t m ade
in to A m e ric a n m o n ey . N o rm a lly th e p a r v a lu e o f th e A u s tr ia n c ro w n is 20.3 c e n ts .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[3581
^
^
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,
55
Dr. F ranz Chorin, general manager of a coal mining company, con
tributed the following observations:
The soviet administration lias had disastrous consequences for the coal-mining
industry. The workers’ councils were utterly unable to maintain discipline
among their comrades. The miners came to work with extreme irregularity, and
a continuous shrinkage of output resulted. The Government made some efforts
to promote larger output. Commissioners visited various mines and works and
admonished the men to turn out more products. But their speeches had no
effect, for the speakers had neither authority nor influence. Continuous in
creases of wages were conceded and a minimum rate was fixed, the result being a
continuous diminution of output.
It became almost impossible to procure the supplies of tools and other ma
terials necessary for mining. The issue of paper money added to the difficulties.
Without any hesitation, workmen refused to accept it. Owing entirely to the
prudence of works managers, armed conflicts were avoided. No serious damage
has been done to the collieries, and therefore the financial disaster is not quite
beyond remedy. The moral damage, however, is very heavy. Although the
workers have become calm and sober, they are still under the influence of the
events of the last few months. Without time and care it will not be possible
to bring them back to orderly activity.
Socialization of th e A u stria n Shoe In d u stry .
HE Austrian Government decided on September 20, 1919, to
establish a socialized establishment under the name “Associated Leather and Shoe Factories ” (Bereinigte Leder-und
Sclmhf(d)riken). 1 This puts into practice for the first time the law
concerning socialized undertakings, passed by the national assembly
on July 29, 1919, and reg'ulating the legal form of socialized con
cerns. I t is the first practical step toward the socialization of an
important branch of industry.2
The new concern will be formed jointly by the State, the Whole
sale Purchase Co. of the cooperative societies as representative of
urban consumers, and the Agricultural Produce Trading Association
representing rural consumers. The State will hand over to the new
undertaking the leather works at Briinn and the boot and shoe
factory at Mittendorf, which were State-owned during the war, and
a factory building in Vienna to which the plant from the Mitten
dorf factory will be removed. The Wholesale Purchasing Co. and
the Agricultural Trading Association will furnish the capital for
the undertaking.
The enterprise will be managed by a board comprised of three
State representatives (one from the Ministry of Finance and two from
1 A r b e ite r Z e itu n g . V ie n n a , S ep t. 21, 1919.
2 F o r o th e r s o c ia liz a tio n m e a s u re s in A u s tr ia
N o v em b er, 1919, pp . 7 1 -8 5 .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
see
Monthly
L abor
R e v ie w
fo r
56
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
the Ministry of Trade and Commerce) ; three members each from the
Cooperative Wholesale Purchase Co. and the Agricultural Trading
Association; four representatives of the manual workers and salaried
employees of whom three will be chosen by the works council and
one by the trade-union of workers in the boot and shoe industry; and
one member of the business management, which will be appointed
by the board. The establishment will, therefore, be directed entirely
by representatives of the State, the consumers, and the workers; no
capitalist will take any part in the control.
The net profits of the undertaking will be allotted as follows:
One-quarter to the manual workers and salaried employees; onequarter to the State; and one-quarter each to the two cooperative
associations. The workers’ share will be handed over to the works
council, which will decide independently as to its disposal.
The undertaking will have an important effect on the shoe industry. Quite
recently there has been an attempt to form a capitalistic trust under the
directorship of the General Austrian Shoe Co. There is no doubt that the shoe
industry must be centralized, if it is not to succumb to foreign competition.
But centralization must be carried out, not by a capitalist monopoly, but in the
interests of consumers and workers. This will be the task of the new enter
prise, which will be the largest in the industry. About 900,000 pairs of boots
and shoes should be produced yearly in the two factories. This represents onetliird of the present production and one-seventh of the normal demand. It
will aim also at bringing other undertakings in the boot and shoe and leather
industries under its control. It is hoped to form a further joint concern in
collaboration with the provincial government of Styria, by taking over the boot
and shoe factory at Costing. Furthermore large private concerns are to be
converted into companies managed on socialized lines.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[360]
m
PR IC E S AND COST OF LIVING.
R etail P rices of Food in th e U nited S tates.
ETAIL prices of food are secured by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics from retail dealers in 50 cities through monthly
reports of actual selling prices on the 15th of each month.
These reports represent many thousands of sales to housewives in
each of the 50 cities. Prices of 43 food articles1 are now reported
monthly by retail dealers, and prices of storage eggs are secured in
January, February, October, November, and December. Quotations
are secured on similar grades of commodities in all cities. There
are, however, some local differences which must be taken into con
sideration when any comparison is made of the prices in the different
cities.
1. The cut of beef known as “ sirloin” in Boston, Mass.; Man
chester, N. H .; Philadelphia, Pa.; and Providence, B. I., would be
known as “ porterhouse ” in other cities. In these four cities, owing
to the method of dividing the round from the loin, there is no cut
that corresponds to “ sirloin ” in other cities. There is also a greater
amount of trimming demanded by the trade in these cities than in
others. This is particularly true of Providence, B. I.
2. In Boston, Mass.; Fail Biver, Mass.; Manchester, N. II.; New
Haven, Conn.; Portland, Me.; and Providence, B. L, very little
fresh plate beef is sold, and prices are not secured from these cities
for this article.
3. The most of the sales in Newark, N. J., are on whole ham instead
of the sliced, as in other cities.
There are also other local factors which should be taken into con
sideration. The cities for which prices are shown are widely sepa
rated ; some are in localities near the source of supply while others are
a greater distance from it, making it necessary to add to the prices
a greater amount for transportation. Methods and costs of doing
1 R e ta il p ric e s fo r th e 23 fo o d a r tic le s g iv e n b elo w h a v e b een se c u re d e a c h m o n th since
J a n u a r y , 191 3 : S irlo in s te a k , ro u n d s te a k , rib r o a s t, c h u c k r o a s t, p la te beef, p o rk chops,
b a c o n , h am , lam b , la r d , h e n s, flour c o rn m eal, eggs, b u tte r , m ilk , b re a d , p o ta to e s , s u g a r,
cheese, rice, coffee, a n d te a .
I n a d d itio n to th e 23 a r tic le s lis te d ab o v e, m o n th ly p ric e s h a v e b een se c u re d fo r th e
fo llo w in g five a r tic le s sin c e J a n u a r y , 1915 : C a n n e d sa lm o n , n a v y b e a n s , o n io n s, p ru n e s ,
a n d r a is in s .
M o n th ly r e t a i l p r ic e s h a v e b een s e c u re d sin c e J a n u a r y , 1919, fo r th e fo llo w in g 15 a r
tic le s : E v a p o ra te d m ilk , o le o m a rg a rin e , n u t m a r g a rin e , C risc o , ro ile d o a ts , c o rn flakes,
C re a m o f W h e a t, m a c a ro n i, cab b ag e , b a k e d b e a n s , c a n n e d co rn , c a n n e d p e a s, c a n n e d to m a
to e s , b a n a n a s , a n d o ra n g e s.
P r ic e s fo r s to r a g e eg g s h a v e b een se c u re d fo r J a n u a r y , F e b r u a ry , N ovem ber, a n d D e
ce m b e r o n ly of e a c h y e a r in c lu d in g 191 9 , w h e n p ric e s w e re s e c u re d fo r O c to b e r also.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[3G 1]
57
58
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
business vary greatly in different localities due to the demands of
customers, rentals, wages, and other fixed charges or expenses.
In addition to food prices, the following retail prices are secured
from each of the 50 cities listed on page 66:
( a ) Prices of coal are secured semiannually, and published in the
March and September issues of th e M o n t h l y L abor K e v ie w .
(5) Prices of gas are secured annually and published in the June
issue o f the M o n t h l y L abor R e v ie w .
( )
Prices of dry goods are secured quarterly and published in
the April, July, October, and December issues of the M o n t h l y
g
L a-b o s E
e v ie w .
Statements that prices decreased in December are not borne out by
the statistics of food prices compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statis
tics from these reports of actual sales prices sent in by retail dealers.
These figures show that the retail cost of 22 articles of food in Decem
ber was the highest ever attained, being more than 2 per cent higher
than in November, 1919, 5 per cent higher than in December, 1918,
and 89 per cent higher than in December, 1913. These comparisons
are based on actual retail prices of 22 of the most essential foods,1
weighted according to the consumption of the average family.
During the month from November 15 to December 15, 22 of the 44
articles of food for which prices were secured in 1919 increased as “
follows: Cabbage, 36 per cent; onions, 17 per cent; granulated sugar,
16 per cent; strictly fresh eggs, 11 per cent; Cream of Wheat and
potatoes, 10 per cent each; raisins, 5 per cent; flour, 4 per cent; butter
and storage eggs, 3 per cent each; fresh milk and canned salmon, 2
per cent each; lamb, evaporated milk, oleomargarine, cheese, maca
roni, rice, canned peas, and bananas, 1 per cent each. Bib roast and
chuck roast increased less than five-tenths of 1 per cent each. The
12 articles which decreased in price were: Pork chops, 10 per cent;
lard and oranges, 4 per cent each; tea and prunes, 3 per cent each;
sirloin steak, round steak, bacon, ham, navy beans, 1 per cent each;
and hens and Crisco, less than five-tenths of 1 per cent. Plate beef,
nut margarine, bread, corn meal, rolled oats, corn flakes, baked beans,
canned corn, canned tomatoes, and coffee remained the same in price
as in November.
During the year period from December, 1918, to December, 1919,
19 of the 29 articles for which prices were secured on both dates in
creased as follows: Onions, 108 per cent; prunes, 53 per cent; coffee,
51 per cent; raisins, 48 per cent; potatoes and granulated sugar, 34
per cent each: rice, 27 per cent: canned salmon. 16 per cent: flour, 15 ^
1 See f irs t p a r a g r a p h o f n o te 1, p . 57. -This c o m p a ris o n is b a s e d on a ll th e a r tic le s
f o r w h ic h p ric e s h a v e b een se c u re d e a c h m o n th sin c e 1 913, w e ig h te d a c c o rd in g to th e
c o n s u m p tio n o f t h e a v e ra g e fa m ily . L a m b , f o r w h ic h t h e B u r e a u h a s no c o n s u m p tio n
figu res, is n o t in c lu d e d in t h i s c o m p a riso n .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[3G2]
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING,
per cent; strictly fresh eggs, 11 per cent; storage eggs, 9 per cent;
butter, 7 per cent; fresh milk, 6 per cent; bread, 4 per cent; corn meal
and tea, 3 per cent each ; hens and lard, 2 per cent each ; and cheese, 1
per cent. Articles which decreased in price during the year were:
Navy beans, 21 per cent; plate beef, 18 per cent; bacon, 14 per cent;
chuck roast, 11 per cent; pork chops, 8 per cent; ham and round steak,
6 per cent each; rib roast, 5 per cent; sirloin steak, 3 per cent; and
lamb, 2 per cent.
Table 1 gives average retail prices for December 15, 1919 and 1918,
and November 15, 1919, together with the per cent of increase or
decrease on December 15, 1919, compared with December 15, 1918,
and November 15, 1919.
T a b l e 1.— A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E A N D P E R C E N T O P IN C R E A S E O R D E
C R E A S E , D E C . 15, 1 9 1 9 , C O M P A R E D W I T H D E C . 15, 1 9 18, A N D NO V . 15, 1919.
Average retail price on—■
A rticle.
st.ftH/V.............................. ...
Koun (1 s te - s k __ ___ ____ _____ __
T?:fh r o a s t..............................................
n h u c k roast - - ................. .................
P late b e e f ...........................................
P ark c. hops......... ............................. ..
B annn....„ ..............................................
H am .................................................
Tbarnk),................. .............................
H ens .............. .................................
F>altpon pan np.fl............................. .
Milky fresh ______ ____________
M ilklev ap erated (unsw eetened) ..
Drift,op ______ _____
OJnnmargaii Tie.
________. . . . . .
M ut Tnargarin o ~»........................
(Tnease
Tbard - r , r _r ..................... ............. .
OnSO-0 rn-rr-T........... .........................
"Eggs stri fitly fresh . ......... „ . ..........
Baas storage ...... .........................
B read ....... .................. ......................
Bioiir
.... .................. ........................
Cnrn ?ne.a.1 ................... ..................
kn]]wi oats
............ ................... .
Cireaui oT ’VNheat
Ma^aroni __*______ ___________
Tf] r o TT.......... .............................. .
Bparts iPavy ......................................
...................................
’Potatoes
Onions --T--___ _________________
Pahha "o
B rans haked
Oopp ra in e d
Boas panned
Toreatoes panned
P illar granulated ........................ Tea
.........................................
Boffoo ........................................... .
Prunes .......................„...................
Pais jps
................... ......................
Bananas
Oranges
..........
29
U nit.
P o u n d . . . __
. ««...d o ...........
__ _. d o . . . . . .
____ d o ...........
____d o . .........
____d o ...........
........d o ...........
....... d o . ........
....... d o ..........
. . . . . d o _____
. . . . . d o .........
Q u a rt . . . . . . .
15-16 oz. can.
P o u n d .........
.....d o ......
... ... .d o ..........
___ d o ........ .
. . . '. . d o ..........
. . . . . d o ..........
D ozen ..........
....... d o ..........
Pound * .......
. . . . . d o . ____
. . . „ . d o ___ _
. . . . . d o . ........
8-r>7, p l r a __
28-OzTpkg...
P o u n d .. . . . .
__ ..d o ...........
..... .d o ..........
........d o ...........
. . . . . d o . ........
.....d o ......
Nn. 9 p a n ___
........d o ..........
........d o ..........
........d n ..........
P o u n d .........
.....d o ......
___ d o _____
____d o ___ _
____ d o . ____
Driven . . . . .
. ..„ S o ..........
Dec. 15,
1918.
N ov. 15,
1919.
D ee. 15,
1919.
C e n ts .
C e n ts .
C e n ts .
40.4
38.2
31.9
27.3
21.1
41.3
58.5
53.3
34. 4
38.4
31.4
15.7
72.7
32. 7
34.2
81.1
58.1
9.8
6.7
C. 4
13.9
15. 4
3.2
3.9
10.fi •
07.. 5
32.4
19.2
16.1
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
33.4
39.2
35.7
16.4
18.8
75.4
43.0
35.8
43.0
36.4
37.fi
81.0
-01.8
10.2
7 .4
0.0
9.2
14.1
25.2
19.6
17. G
12.3
3.9
6.9
4.5
17.0
18.9
19.1
16.1
12.5
71.3
48.9
30.2
22.7
39.9
54.2
39.1
35.9
30.3
24.3
17.3
38.1
50.3
49.9
33.0
39.1
36. 4
15.7
16.9
78. 0
43.4
35.8
43.3
34.9
37.7
90.1
03.5
10.2
7.7
0.0
9.2
14.1
27.6
19.8
17.7
12.2
4.3
8.1
6.1
17.0
18.9
19.2
15.1
14.5
69.3
48.9
29.3
23.9
40.4
52.0
Dec. 15,
1918.
-
Nov. 15,
1919.
3
G
- 11
- 18
- 8
- 14
- 6
- 2
+ 2
+ 16
+ 0
—1
—1
(i)
(i)
'(-)
-1 0
- i
—1
G)
+ l
+ 2
+ 1
+ 3
+ 1
+ 1
H- 2
(-)
+ 1
- 4
G)
+ 11
+ 9
+ 4
+ 15
+ 3
-fix
-L
(=)
G)
3
+ 4
(2)
(2)
+10
+ 1
+ 1
- 1
+10
+ 17
+30
+ 27
- 21
+ 34
+108
(-)
+ 34
+ 3
+ 51
+ 53
+ 48
G)
+
G)
1
+13
G)
- 3
- 3
+ 5
+ 1
~ 4
+ 2
v/pi^hte.fi art fries 5 ................. .
12 Increase
of less than five-tenths of 1 .per cent.
No change in «rice
3 Decrease oliess than five-tenths of 1 per cent.
39.3
36.2
30.2
24.2
17.3
42.1
51.0
§0.5
Per ce n t of increase ( + )
or decrease (—), D ec. 15,
1919, com pared w ith—
1 Baked weight.
5 See first paragraph of note 1, page 57; lamb is not
included.
[363]
60
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W ,
For the six-year period, from December, 1913, to December, 1919,
6 of the 24 articles for which prices were secured in December, 1913,
and upon which this comparison can be based, increased 100 per
cent and over. Dice increased 103 per cent; corn meal, 113 per
cent; lard, 121 per cent; potatoes, 126 per cent; flour, 141 per cent;
granulated sugar, 169 per cent. All the other articles increased 50
per cent or over, with the exception of tea, which increased 27 per
cent, and plate beef, which increased 43 per cent.
Table 2 gives average retail prices for the 6-year period, December
15, 1913, to December 15, 1919, inclusive, together with the per cent
of increase or decrease on December 15, 1919, compared with Decem
ber 15 of each specified year.
T a b l e 2 .— AVERAGE RETAIL PRICE AND PER CENT OF INCREASE OR DECREASE
DEC. 15 OF EACH SPECIFIED YEAR COMPARED WITH DEC. 15, 1913.
Average retail price Dec. 15 —
Article.
Unit.
Per cent of increase (+ ) or de
crease ( —) Dec. 15 of each
specified year compared with
Dec. 15,1913.
1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
Sirloin steak..................
Round steak.................
Rib roast........................
Chuck roast...................
Plate beef.......................
Pork chops.....................
Bacon.............................
Ham...............................
Lamb............................
Hens...............................
Salmon (panned)
Milk, fresh.....................
Mi lie, pvapnratp.fi (nnsweetened).
Butter..........................
Oleomargarine
Mnt margarine
Cheese............................
Lard.............................
Crisco.
Eggs, strictly fresh.......
Eggs, storage__
Bread..............................
Flour............................
Corn m eal.....................
Roller! on.Is
Corn flakes
Cream of W heat..........
Maearoni
Rice................................
Leans; navy
Potatoes................... .
Onions .
Cabbage
Leans, baked
Corn, panned
Peas, canned
Tomatoes, Panned
Sugar, granulated.........
Tea.................................
Coffee.............................
Prunes
Raisins
Lananas
Oran res
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb*
Qt.........
15-16 oz
can.
Lb.........
lb
Lb
Lb.........
Lb.........
L b ... .
Doz.......
Lb.2.......
Lb.........
Lb.........
I,b
Lb__
Lb.........
Lb . . . .
Lb.........
Lb. ..
Lb
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb.........
Lb
I/b
C ts .
C ts .
23.1
22.5
19.9
16.0
12.1
20.2
26.7
26.5
18.5
20.8
25.7
23.0
19.9
16.5
12.5
19.5
27.8
26.8
19.0
20.1
9. i
.
1 No change in price.
s Increase of less th a n five-tenths of 1 per cent.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
C ts .
26.8
24.0
21.0
16.9
12.8
22.2
29.8
33.2
22.3
24.1
21.2
10.0
C ts .
32.0
30.0
25.3
21.5
16.4
33. 8
48.7
43.5
30.2
30.4
29.0
13.1
C ts .
40.4
38.2
31.9
27.3
21.1
41.3
58.5
53.3
34.4
38.4
31.4
15.7
C ts .
39.1
35.9
30.3
24.3
17.3
38.1
50.3
49.9
33.6
39.1
36.4
16.7
16.9
39.8 39.4 38.6 44.9 54.3 72.7 78.0
43.4
,.35. 8
42.7 43.3
22.1 22.9 23.7 31.0
15.8 15.4 14.5 25.9 33.3 34.2 34.9
37.7
47.6 47.6 46.5 52.9 63. 4 81.1 90.1
58.1 63.5
34.5 31.7
5.8 6.5 7.0 7.9 9.3 9.8 10.2
3.2 3.7 3.7 5.5 6.7 6.7 7.7
3.1 3.2 3.2 3.9 7.1 6.4 6.6
9.2
1 4 .1
27.6
19.8
8.7 8.8 9.0 9.1 11.6 13.9 17.7
8.9 14.3 38.8 15. 4 19 9
1.9 1.5 1.9 3.5 3. i 3.2 4.3
3.5 5.7 5.0 3.9 8.1
6.1
17.0
18.9
19.2
16.1
5.4 6.0 6.7 8.3 9.4 10,8 14.5
54.4 54.6 54.0 54.6 62.1 67.5 69.3
29.8 29.7 29.9 29.9 30.8 32.4 48.9
13.3 13.8 16. 4 19.2 29.3
12.5 13.9 15.0 16.1 23.9
40.4
52.0
22 weighted articles 6._.
2 Baked weight.
C ts .
25.1
22.5
19.7
16.0
11.9
18.4
27.3
27.0
19. 7
20.3
19.8
9.0 8.9
+ 7!+
+ 7+
+ 6+
+ 6+
+ 6:+
+ 10,+
+12 +
+25 +
+ 21 +
- 2 +16 +
.....
- 1 - 2 + 10+
.
+ 2
+ 2
(>)
+ 3
+ 3
—4
4- 4
•f 1
+ 3
—3
0)
C1)
- 1
(')
- 2
- 9
+ 2
+ 2
27 + 61 +
33 + 70 +
27 + 60 +
34 + 71 +
36 + V4 +
67 +104 +
82 + 119 +
64 +101 +
63 + 86|+
46 + 85 +
.....
56
60
52
52
43
89
88
88
82
88
44 + 73:+ 84
- 1 - 3 + 13 + 36 + 83 + 96
+ 4 + 7 + 40 + 56 + 93 + 96
- 3 - 8 + 641+111 +116!+121
.....
(’)
- 8
+16
+ 16
+ 3
- 2 +111+ 33 + 70 + 89
+ 68 + 81
.....
+ 24 +40 + 66 + 75 + 82
+ 16 +721+109 +109 +141
+ 3 +26+129 + 106 +113
.
+ 1 + 3 + 5 + 33 + 60 + 103
—21 (i)
+ 84 + 63 + 68 + 126
!
.......
+ 11 +24 +54 + 74 + 100 -4-169
(3) (3) (3) + 14 + 21 + 27
(4) (3) (8) + 3 + 9 + 61
+ 1 + 1 + 22 + 51 + 80 + 89
.......
< Decrease of less th an five-tenths of 1 per cent.
6 See first paragraph of note 1, page 57; lam b is not
included.
[364]
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
61
Relative Retail Prices of 22 Articles of Food.
J N TABLE 3 the average monthly and yearly prices of 22 food
articles1 are shown as relative prices or p e r c e n t a g e s of the aver
age prices for the year 1913. These relatives are computed by divid
ing the average price of each commodity for each month and each
year by the average price of that commodity for 1913. The
relative prices or percentages are computed to enable the reader more
readily to grasp the p e r c e n t of change in the prices of an article.
Relative prices must be used with caution, however. For example,
the relative price of pork chops in November, 1919, was 200, which
means that the money price was 200 per cent of the money price in
1913 or, in other words, the price doubled. The relative price of
pork chops in December was 181, showing a drop of 19 points since
November. This is not a drop of 19 per cent. It is a drop of 19
points from 200, which is a decrease of only 9.5 per cent.
In the last column of this table are given index numbers showing
the changes by months and years in the retail cost of the 22 food ar
ticles weighted according to the importance of each article in the con
sumption of the average family. To aid the general reader, a brief
description of the method used to compute these index numbers is
given. The average price per unit of each commodity is multiplied
by the number of units of that commodity consumed by the average
family. The products are the cost to the average family of each of
the 22 food articles. These products for each month and year are
added. The aggregates thus obtained give the cost to the average
family for each month and year of the 22 food articles. These aggre
gates show the actual money cost of the family market basket for each
month and year. It would be very difficult to see at a glance the
percentage changes in the cost of the family market basket from
these aggregate money costs. The aggregates are therefore changed
to percentages of the aggregate cost for the year 1913 by dividing
each aggregate by the 1913 aggregate. The principle is the same as
that used in converting the money prices of individual articles into
relatives or percentages of the 1913 prices. The percentages thus ob
tained are called index numbers. They show what the cost of the
family market basket is in each month and year in percentages of
the cost of the same market basket in the year 1913. Since index
numbers are merely relatives or percentages of the prices of a group
of commodities, they must be used with all the caution required in
the use of relative prices in general. Prices are obtained each month
for 43 food articles, but only 22 of these articles are included in the
retail food price index because the amounts consumed by the average
family have been obtained as yet for only these 22 articles. These
1 See f irs t p a r a g r a p h o f n o te 1, p. 57.
1 .1 9 8 9 8 0— 2 0 ------- 5
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
'
[365 ]
L a m b is n o t in c lu d e d .
62
M ONTHLY
LA BO R R E V IE W .
articles comprise about two-thirds of the entire food budget of the
average family and reflect with great accuracy c h a n g e s in the cost of
the food budget.
From September, 1915, there has been a steady increase in the cost
of these 22 articles of food. In December, 1918, the cost of these
foods was 87 per cent above the 1913 average. In January, 1919,
there was a slight decline. February prices declined 7 per cent, but
from that date until June the prices advanced. In June there was a
decline of less than five-tenths of one per cent. July prices increased
3 per cent. August prices showed a further increase of I per cent,
reaching the highest level up to that date. In September there was
a decrease of 2 per cent; in October, a further decrease of two-tenths
of 1 per cent, but in November, there was an increase of more than 2
per cent, which brought the cost up to the previous high-water mark
in August. In December there was a further increase of 2.6 per cent.
This made the cost in December of these 22 food articles 2.6 per cent
higher than ever before. Using the average cost in the year 1913 as
the base, or 100, the relative figure representing the December cost
was 197, or an increase of 97 per cent over the year 1913.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[366]
*
*
•
T a b l e 3 — RELATIVE
Year and month.
RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES,
1907,
TO DECEMBER,
1919.
Sirloin Round Rib Chuck Plate Pork Ba Ham. Lard. Hens. Eggs. But Cheese. Milk. Bread. Flour. Com Rice. Pota Sugar.
Coffee. Tea.
steak. steak. roast. roast. beef. chops. con.
ter.
meal.
toes.
71
73
77
80
81
91
68
71
74
78
79
89
76
78
81
85
85
94
1913: Av. for year..
January............
February.........
March...............
April.................
May..................
June.................
July..................
August.............
September.......
October............
November........
December.........
100
94
94
97
101
101
102
104
104
103
101
100
99
100
92
93
96
99
100
101
104
104
104
104
102
101
100
95
95
98
101
101
102
102
102
101
101
100
100
100
93
93
98
101
101
102
103
103
103
103
102
101
1914: Av. for year..
January............
February.........
March...............
April.................
Mav..................
June.................
July..................
August.............
September.......
October............
November........
December.........
102
99
99
100
100
102
103
106
110
107
103
100
101
106
102
102
103
103
105
106
109
113
110
M07
105
103
103
100
101
101
102
102
103
105
108
105
104
103
101
101
1915: Av. for year..
January............
100
February.........
98
March............... ' 97
April-................
99
101
May..................
June.................
103
103
102
100
99
100
103
105
101
101
100
99
100
101
103
74
76
83
92
85
91
74
77
83
95
91
91
76
78
82
91
89
91
81
80
90
104
88
94
81
83
89
94
91
93
84
86
93
98
93
99
85
86
90
94
88
98
100
92
93
98
101
101
101
101
101
102
102
102
102
100
89
90
97
103
100
99
103
104
108
107
102
97
100
94
95
97
99
100
101
104
105
104
103
101
99
100
93
94
97
99
99
102
104
106
104
102
100
99
100
97
98
99
100
100
100
101
102
102
101
101
100
100
95
97
100
104
104
103
102
101
101
100
97
98
100
108
91
77
73
76
81
87
96
109
121
144
138
100
107
108
108
106
94
92
91
92
98
100
101
104
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
99
100
100
101
102
102
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
99
99
100
101
102
102
104
102
103
102
103
103
104
106
109
108
106
104
103
104
102
102
102
102
103
103
104
107
107
106
105
103
105
99
100
100
103
106
103
106
119
113
110
104
93
102
98
98
99
99
99
100
101
107
108
106
104
103
102
98
99
99
99
99
100
103
108
108
105
102
100
99
100
99
99
99
98
97
97
99
99
98
99
97
102
100
104
105
108
106
103
103
104
103
100
97
94
102
126
106
90
74
77
82
87
96
107
113
131
139
94
104
93
92
86
85
88
89
94
98
98
103
103
104
104
104
105
104
103
103
103
103
104
104
104
104
101
101
99
9S
99
101
103
100
102
101
100
100
101
101
96
88
85
85
94
99
98
100
101
99
98
98
98
99
97
98
96
95
94
95
97
93
97
97
96
96
96
95
97
95
97
99
100
101
98
98
129
98
74
75
76
78
93
101
98
94
94
81
90
105
105
106
106
105
106
106
87
90
91
95
96
97
105
108
107
109
111
115
100
91
90
88
87
91
104
100
106
100
99
98
97
97
100
102
104
101
99
98
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
98
97
97
98
97
98
100
101
102
104
105
104
108
108
108
107
105
112
132
155
111
105
89
S3
84
108
95
94
93
91
91
93
95
143
145
132
113
100
99
99
100
100
100
100
99
100
100
99
99
99
100
100
100
100
100
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
1G2
104
101
99
97
98
99
102
107
107
105
105
105
83
85
84
82
86
89
99
120
101
101
101
101
101
101
101
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
101
103
101
98
99
100
100
88
92
94
95
94
102
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
101
101
101
100
100
99
99
99
100
99
98
98
98
98
98
98
100
102
103
104
104
100
99
99
99
99
99
99
100
100
100
100
100
100
106
107
106
100
102
102
101
100
100
100
100
100
100
101
101
101
112
110
112
114
114
114
116
104
98
99
99
99
99
99
98
106
113
111
112
113
105
104
103
103
103
103
103
103
105
109
109
109
107
101
100
100
100
100
100
100
101
101
101
101
101
101
99
101
100
99
99
98
98
124
120
126
126
126
128
128
12S
124
138
136
137
139
130
108
109
104
104
104
104
104
104
104
110
no
no
no
110
109
109
109
S2
84
89
93
92
98
105
111
112
101
130
132
95
102
109
108
102
115
no
no
no
22
weight
ed arti
cles.
no
109
no
no
no
118
120
122
124
126
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
[367]
1907..........................
1908..........................
1909..........................
1910..........................
1911..........................
1912..........................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
•
a
T able 3 —RELATIVE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES, 1907, TO DECEMBER, 1919—Concluded.
Year and month.
Sirloin Round Rib Chuck Plate Pork Ba Ham. Lard. Hens. Eggs. But Cheese. Milk. Bread. Flour. Corn
Pota
steak. steak. roast. roast. beef. chops. con.
ter.
meal. Rice. toes. Sugar. Coffee. Tea.
22
weight
ed arti
cles.1
[368]
1915, etc.—Con.
July..................
August.............
September.......
October............
November.......
December.........
105
104
104
103
101
99
107
107
106
104
102
101
104
104
103
102
101
100
103
103
102
101
99
99
101
101
101
99
98
98
100
103
107
110
99
87
100
100
100
101
101
101
98
98
97
99
100
100
93
89
88
91
92
92
97
97
97
97
95
95
81
88
101
117
133
135
90
88
88
92
95
101
105
103
103
104
105
107
98
99
99
100
100
100
126
126
124
124
122
122
125
124
117
113
113
114
108
103
108
108
107
107
104
104
104
104
104
104
85
82
79
94
97
106
127
123
118
111
119
124
101
101
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
101
103
104
105
1916: Av. for year.
January............
February.........
March..............
April................
May..................
June.................
July..................
August.............
September.......
October............
November.......
December.........
108
101
101
104
106
109
113
113
112
111
108
106
106
110
102
102
104
108
112
117
116
115
115
111
108
107
107
101
102
104
106
110
113
112
111
110
108
106
106
107
99
99
103
106
109
113
112
110
110
108
107
106
106
99
100
102
105
107
111
109
107
107
106
106
106
108
89
92
104
107
109
110
111
116
125
118
111
106
106
101
101
103
104
105
107
107
108
110
110
111
110
109
101
102
104
107
109
110
111
111
114
114
114
114
111
93
94
96
100
106
108
110
111
118
123
135
137
in
101
104
107
111
113
114
113
112
113
114
112
112
109
123
101
82
79
82
87
93
105
120
132
149
154
103
100
99
105
108
97
95
93
95
102
109
114
118
117
111
116
122
132
140
102
100
100
100
99
99
99
100
101
102
105
109
112
130
122
124
124
324
124
124
124
126
136
144
150
138
135
120
125
120
119
119
117
116
134
148
155
1,74
167
113
107
108
107
108
108
108
108
113
117
126
131
105
105
104
104
104
104
105
105
105
105
105
105
105
155
136
141
140
138
140
167
134
141
161
165
198
198
146
123
125
137
145
156
158
160
155
141
149
157
151
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
114
107
106
107
109
109
112
111
113
118
121
126
126
1917: Av. for year.
January............
February.........
March..............
April................
May..................
June.................
July..................
August.............
September.......
October............
November.......
December........
124
109
113
116
125
127
129
129
130
131
130
124
126
130
111
117
119
130
13,3
135
137
138
133
138
133
134
126
109
114
118
127
130
132
130
129
131
130
127
128
131
109
116
128
131
134
137
137
136
137
136
132
134
130
108
116
121
132
135
137
136
134
135
136
134
134
152
113
125
133
146
146
148
151
164
385
185
165
161
152
110
114
123
141
155
158
159
160
164
178
179
181
142
114
118
125
136
144
145
147
147
152
159
159
161
175
136
138
151
167
176
177
174
176
188
198
207
211
134
119
126
129
136
138
136
131
131
142
146
138
143
139
158
147
101
112
116
119
122
134
152
160
168
184
127
118
122
121
133
122
123
120
124
129
133
13S
142
150
141
142
146
150
153
153
149
148
152
158
156
156
125
112
112
112
114
117
119
125
128
132
143
144
147
164
140
142
144
150
168
170
176
182
176
176
176
166
211
171
171
174
206
266
246
220
229
223
214
20S
205
192
132
136
137
154
178
182
195
219
272
232
235
235
119
105
104
104
108
121
125
123
122
124
128
131
133
253
225
290
297
339
352
366
246
206
172
178
183
178
169
146
148
160
175
183
170
166
181
179
177
174
172
101
100
100
101
101
101
101
103
102
102
102
102
102
107
100
100
101
101
103
104
110
111
112
113
114
114
146
128
133
133
145
151
152
146
149
153
157
155
157
1918: Av. for year.
January............
February.........
March...............
April................
May..................
153
129
131
133
144
157
165
137
141
143
155
170
155
130
133
135
148
161
166
138
142
145
159
174
170
142
146
150
164
181
186
163
160
161
170
175
196
180
179
181
183
187
178
162
163
164
166
170
211
208
209
210
209
208
177
154
170
165
195
182
128
123
123
151
148
151
144
132
133
162
156
158
159
154
151
156
151
151
151
148
148
172
165
167
168
172
174
203
200
200
200
200
200
227
233
233
240
237
233
148
134
136
138
139
141
188
188
188
147
129
129
176
173
193
167
102
102
102
102
101
101
119
115
112
113
117
117
168
160
161
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
*
178
no
112
113
113
112
111
no
no
165
154
158
g
o
y
H
K
*
•
133
137
141
155
170
174
190
193
182
188
186
193
202
204
200
197
196
194
189
184
184
218
147
140
143
154
155
164
174
183
209
235
261
182
181
178
178
175
173
171
169
168
165
165
’ 163
162
161
184
182
177
178
174
172
171
185
199
181
178
175
174
177
180
201
220
216
206
197
191
194
200
208
214
216
217
173
181
180
193
193
195
198
206
206
209
213
216
216
216
177
178
181
185
183
185
180
): A v . f o r y e a r .
164
174
164
169
167
201
205
199
234
162
162
165
172
175
170
171
166
161
157
155
154
175
174
177
182
187
181
183
177
170
165
162
161
165
165
169
175
178
171
169
164
158
155
153
153
181
181
183
187
181
174
168
160
150
145
143
143
193
180
1S4
197
205
202
220
223
219
211
200
181
217
205
203
212
210
212
215
214
206
196
189
186
[3691
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
175
174
178
184
186
176
173
166
158
153
151
152
00
00
168
166
163
164
161
159
159
199
193
191
197
203
205
211
212
205
195
188
185
211
203
211
223
246
254
266
266
242
228
231
221
150
152
157
163
174
184
193
146
14S
153
161
166
173
176
175
174
174
174
172
172
172
203
203
206
206
203
203
203
223
223
227
230
227
217
213
144
148
154
157
161
161
160
171
229
229
229
206
194
188
165
167
169
175
193
196
196
101
101
101
102
102
103
109
119
120
121
122
124
125
124
162
167
171
178
181
183
187
177
193
174
175
218
213
174
224
205
184
149
174
186
177
165
164
167
172
186
197
204
201
185
183
190
191
192
195
197
195
192
195
196
175
174
166
169
167
169
169
174
176
180
184
188
200
203
206
218
227
227
227
224
221
221
224
”233
207
200
197
200
207
210
217
220
223
220
220
220
159
164
154
154
154
159
168
178
190
199
202
203
188
182
171
182
194
224
282
294
253
224
229
253
145
129
196
195
193
193
193
193
198
202
200
207
227
264
117
123
126
129
136
143
155
160
164
159
164
164
186
127
126
129
128
128
129
130
130
130
131
131
127
172
172
172
172
172
174
175
177
177
177
179
179
185
172
175
182
185
184
190
192
188
188
192
197
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
123
142
155
170
186
215
235
June.................
July..................
August..............
September.......
October............
November........
December.........
January............
February.........
March...............
April.................
May..................
June.................
July..................
August.............
September.......
October............
November........
December.........
f
t1
C5
Oi
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
G6
The curve shown in the chart on page 67 pictures more readily to
the eye the changes in the cost of the family market basket and the
trend in the cost of the food budget than do the index numbers given
in the table. The chart has been drawn on the logarithmic scale1 be
cause the percentages of increase or decrease are more accurately
shown than on the arithmetic scale.
Retail Prices of Food in 50 Cities on Specified Dates.
A YERAGE retail food prices are shown in Table 4 for 19 cities
for November and December, 1919, and for December of each
year, 1913, 1914, 1917, and 1918. These cities are as follows:
Atlanta, Ga.
Baltimore, Md.
Birmingham, Ala.
Boston, Mass.
Buffalo, N. Y.
Chicago, 111.
Cleveland, Ohio.
Denver, Colo.
Detroit, Mich.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Milwaukee, Wis.
New Orleans, La.
New York, N. Y.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
St. Louis, Mo.
San Francisco, Calif.
Seattle, Wash.
Washington, D. C.
In Table 5, average prices are shown for November and December,
1919, for 31 other cities as follows:
Bridgeport, Conn.
Butte, Mont.
Charleston, S. C.
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Columbus, Ohio.
Dallas, Tex.
Fall River, Mass.
Houston, Tex.
Indianapolis, Ind.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Kansas City, Mo.
Little Rock, Ark.
Louisville, Ivy.
Manchester, *N. II.
Memphis, Tenn.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Mobile, Ala.
Newark, N. T.
New Haven, Conn.
Norfolk, Va.
Omaha, Nebr.
Peoria, 111.
Portland, Me.
Portland, Oreg.
Providence, R. I.
Richmond, Va.
Rochester, N. Y.
St. Paul, Minn.
Salt Lake City. Utah.
Scranton, Pa.
Springfield, 111.
1 F o r d is c u s s io n o f th e lo g a r ith m ic c h a r t, see a r t i c l e o n “ C o m p a riso n o f a r ith m e tic a n d
r a tio c h a r t s ,” by L u c ie n W . C h a n e y , M o n t h l y L abor R e v ie w f o r M a rc h , 1919, pp. 2 0 -3 4 .
A lso , T h e “ R a tio ” C h a rt, by P ro f. I r v in g F is h e r , r e p r in te d fro m Q u a r te r ly P u b lic a tio n s
o f th e A m e ric a n S ta t i s t i c a l A s so c ia tio n , J u n e , 1917, 24 p ag es.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1370
♦
T R E N D IN R E T A IL P R IC E S O P 22 F O O D A R T IC L E S , COMBINED, FOR T H E U N IT E D S T A T E S , B Y M O N T H S , JA N U A R Y . 1913, TO
DECEMBER, 1919.
[Average for 1913=100.]
50
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
[371]
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
15
68
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
T able 4.—A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E S O F T H E P R IN C IP A L A R T IC L E S O F FO O D
1
Baltimore, Md.
Atlanta, Ga.
Dec. 15—
Nov. Dec.
Nov. Dec.
15, 15,
15, 15,
1919. 1919.
1919.
1919.
1914
1917
1918
1913
1913 1914 1917 1918
Dec. 15—
Article.
Unit.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
C ts .
Sirloin steak.................................
Round steak.................................
Rib roast.......................................
Chuck roast..................................
Plate beef......................................
Lb..
L b ..
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
23.7
21.3
19.7
15.8
9.9
24.6
21.3
18.6
15.7
9.7
30.7
27.7
23.8
20.8
15.2
39.4
36.4
30.8
25.8
22.1
38.3
35.3
28.1
22.8
17.4
Pork chops....................................
Bacon............... ............................
Ham..............................................
Lamb............................................
Hens..............................................
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
23.3
31.4
30.0
20i 2
20.3
21.8
30.2
29.4
19.4
19.6
35.7
50.5
43.4
32.5
30.6
41.1
62.9
55.7
38.7
35.6
41.5
56.7
54.0
36.5
38.4
Salmon (canned)..........................
Milk, fresh....... )...........................
Milk, evaporated (unsweetened)
Butter...........................................
Oleomargerine..............................
25.4 27.7 33.5 34.2
Lb .
23.5 26.4 30.6 28.8
Q t.. 10.8 16.6 17.7 20.0 25.0 25.0 8.7 8.7 12.8 17.0 16.0 16.0
(2)
16.4 16.4
17.9 18.1
L b .. 40.4 39.4 55.2 71.6 76.5 78.5 40.2 40.5 56.8 74.7 78.1 81.2
40.4 41.0
Lb..
44.4 47.0
Nut margerine.............................
Cheese............................................
Lard..............................................
Crisco.............................................
Eggs, strictly fresh......................
40.4 40.7
L b ..
Lb.. 25.0 25.0 35.0 44.2 42.2 42.8 23.3
Lb.. 15.5 15.3 34.0 35.3 36.5 34.4 14.8
Lb..
35.9 34.3
Doz. 43.3 40.9 57.1 77.9 71.8 91.4 40.4
Eggs, storage................................
Bread.............................................
Flour.............................................
Corn meal.....................................
Rolled oats....................................
Doz. 28.5 28.5 43.8 68.8 60.5
Lb.3 5.6 6.3 9.9 10.0 10. C
Lb.. 3.4 3.7 7.1 6.8 7.3
Lb.. 2.6 2.8 5.2 5.7 5.6
Lb..
10.6
Cornflakes..................................... (4 )
Cream of wheat............................ (6)
Macaroni....................................... L b ..
Rice............................................... Lb..
Beans, navy................................. Lb..
Potatoes........................................ Lb, .
Onions........................................... Lb..
Cabbage......................................... Lb..
Beans, baked................................ (6)
Corn, canned................................ (6)
8.6
2.3
14.0
24.4
20.3
8.6 11.2 14.3 17.3
18.8 17.5 14.5
1.8
3.9
5.9
4.2
5.3
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
37.4
34.7
27.3
21.5
16.1
22.3
20.8
17.5
15.3
12.6
22.4
20.8
18.4
15.2
13.0
31.9
31.0
26.2
22.7
18.1
44.0
42.9
34.7
30.4
23.7
39.4
37.1
32.1
24.4
17.9
38.9
36.8
31.6
24 8
17.0
37.9
55.3
51.7
34.4
37.9
17.0
20.5
27.5
17.5
20.7
15.8
23.5
31.0
20.0
19.2
33.6
45.8
47.7
32.4
31.0
40.3
56.8
59.1
36.7
39.7
39.8
46.2
54.4
32.5
41.2
33.5
42.4
50.8
32.8
39.5
36.1 35.9
23.3 35.1 45.5 42.8 43.2
14.8 33.0 34.6 35.5 32.2
35.3 35.1
29.9
43.5 62.0 78.6 76.3 87.8
63.1 33.1 29.9 44.6 60.6 61.1 61.9
10.0 5.5 5.9 8.6 9.7 9.6 9.6
7.3 3.1 3.6 6.6 7.0 7.7 8.0
5.6 2.5 2.7 6.1 6.1 5.6 5.5
7.8 7.9
10.6
14.1
27.9
20.5
17.6
14.7
5.0 4.8
8.2 9.1
6.2 6.5
15.9 16.3
20.4 20.0
9.0
1.8
13.1
23.3
18.2
9.0 11.6 14.2 18.0
18.7 16.6 11.9
1.5
3.0
5.4
3.5
4.2
Peas, canned................................. (6)
20.4 20.4
Tomatoes, canned...................... (6)
14.5 14.5
Sugar, granulated........................ Lb.. 5.5 6.5 10.4 10.9 13.5 22.6 4.9 5.5 9.5 10.4
Tea................................................ L b .. 60. t: 60.0 79. C 87.1 87.6 87.6 56.6 56.6 65.3 73 1
Coffee............................................. Lb.. 32.0 33.0 28.8 32.1 49.8 51.0 24.4 24.4 28.6 31.0
Prunes........................................... Lb..
Raisins.......................................... Lb..
Bananas........................................
Oranges.........................................
17.7 19.2 24.4
16.7 18.3 21.5
37.7
40.6
24.8
22.8
34.2
41.3
12.9
27.1
18.3
17.9
11.7
3.7 3.6
6.4 7.5
4.0 5.6
15.8 15.5
18.1 17.8
18.4
15.2
11.0
71.1
46.1
18.2
15.2
13.8
71.6
45.8
17.5 19.1 30.0
15.1 16.3 22.6
31.8
59.1
30.1
23.8
32.2
52.2
1 The steak for which prices are here quoted is know n as “ p orterhouse” in m ost of th e cities included in
this report, b u t in th is city it is called “ sirloin ste ak .”
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[372]
69
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
ON DEC. 15, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, 1919, AND NOV. 15, 1919, FOR 19 CITIES.
Boston, Mass.
Birmingham, Ala.
Buffalo, N. Y.
Dec. 15—
Dec. 15—
Dec. 15—
Nov. Dec.
Nov. Dec.
Nov. Dec.
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919. 1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919. 1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
27.5
24.0
20.9
17.0
12. 0
35. 0
32.3
25.0
21.1
16. 8
40.7
36.6
32.7
28.3
22. 0
20.6
33.0
32.0
21.9
19.3
20.0
35.0
31.0
21.0
16.4
36.1
53.9
45. 5
32.5
30.0
41.5
63.1
53.0
37.5
34.8
42.5
57.6
53.6
39.2
37.1
39.8
57.3
52.3
38.5
36.1
28.8 31.2
10.0 10.4 15.2 20.0
38.4
25.0
17.9
79.0
45.4
39.5
30.2 32.3
25.0 8.9 8.9 14.0 16.5
17. 5
82.1 37.9 37.7 52.0 68.1
45.8
44.0 39.2 57.5 75.4
39.1 38.7 133.0 1.36.0 142.7
36.8 36.8 34.3 34.5 42.7
31.3 30.8 23.7 24.3 30.9
26.2 25.5 16.2 17.6 25.3
17. 9 17. 0
C ts .
28.0
23.0
20. 5
16. 1
10.0
21.9
24.3
30.7
20.2
21.0
21.3
26.8
32.3
21.2
24.0
34.9
45.3
45.3
33.5
33.5
156.1
56.4
40.0
31.2
43.0
55.1
57.5
37.3
43.4
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
31.0
29.0
24.3
21.9
17.1
38.5
36.0
30.3
26.3
22.1
35.9
32.4
28.7
24.2
17.3
34.9
45.7
43.2
28.0
30.7
40.1
53.7
52.3
30.3
38.1
42.7
41.2
51. 1
25.6
37.5
34.3 35.1
28.3
17.0 17.0 8.0 8.0 13.8
17.0 17.1
71.1 72.9 39.1 38.2 53.6
42. 4 42.8
29.0
16.0
33.3 34.3
16.0 16.0
16. 2 16.5
74.7 78.2
42. 5 42.9
C ts .
60.2 i 58.9 21.6 22.4
55.7 53.9 18.8 20.0
41.3 41. 5 16.4 17.4
30.9 29.7 15.0 15.4
11.8 12. 4
46.5
47.9
54.8
37.0
45.5
39.0
46.3
53.3
37.6
45.1
17.6
20.6
26.3
15.4
19.8
17.2
21.8
25.0
16.4
19.2
39.2
41.5
36.2
38.7
41.8 37.5 59.0 8Ì. 3 67.3
38.3
35.0 35.8
42.3 23.4 23.1 32.8 37.2 42.2 42.8 21.5 21.5 33.6
35.0 15.8 15.6 34.1 34.9 37.3 34.8 14.2 13.9 32.8
36.7 36.0
37.3
89.1 57.5 63.3 77.5 96.8 102.1 108.6 47.6 51.0 65.0
35.0 32.5 47.1 61.8
5. 4 5.7 9.9 11.7
3.6 3.8 7.0 7.0
2.5 2.4 5.0 5.4
64.2 36.0
9.6 5. 9
7.6 3.6
5.3 3.6
11.1
23.0 23.1 34.4 46.6
15.7 14.8 33.2 31.0
8.2
2.1
7.9 12.7 13.7
19. 2 17.5
1.7
3.3
5.9
3.9
4.5
5.2 6.1 10.9 10.9
61.3 61.3 76.4 84.2
28.8 28.8 33.1 36.0
60.0
9.6
7.6
5.3
11.0
14.6 14.8
25.9 26.8
21. 0 20.9
17.8 17.7 9.4
14.0 14. 2
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1.7
9.4 12.0 14.0
18.9 15.6
3.5
5.8
65.1 31.4 28.0 42.6
9.6 5.6 5.6 8.7
8.4 3.0 3.5 6.1
7.4 2.6 2.7 7.5
7.9
14.0 13.9
24.7 27.4
21. 9 22.1
17.5 18.1
11.5 11.4
79.1
58.5
9.8
6.3
6.2
34. 2
40.9
34.7
35. 9
79.0
12. 9
9.3 11.5
19.3
13.6
14.6
34.4
41.7
32.7
35.8
95.3
59.0
10.0
7.0
6.3
7. 6
24 .1
9.3
36.8
40.4
50.2
26.8
38.2
19. 9
17.7
13. 5
13.0
25.4
20.3
17.5
11.5
5.1
9.1
6.5
18.1
19.2
4.2
3.4
3.5
6.4
4.5
17.5
21.0
3.9
9.2
6.7
17.1
20. 5
3.1
5.4
2.7
3.7
21. 7
14.4
20.3
87.1
49.6
21. 6
14. 3
21.4 5.3 5.8 10.1 10.8
86.2 58.6 58.6 63.7 66.4
49.8 33.0 32.1 34.4 38.1
20.1
15.8
10.9
66.6
52.7
20.4
15.3
11.0 5.1 5.8 9.7
66.7 45.0 45.0 54.2
53.3 29.3 29.3 29.5
io. 7
62.3
31.6
30.4
22. 7
42.4
42. 6
29.0
22.9
46.9
61. 7
28.8
23.5
45.0
55. 9
20. 3 28.0 30.4
14.8 20. 0 20.8
42. 2 42.3
58. 5 57.9
1Baked weight.
1.3
64.7
9.7
8.1
7.3
7.9
40.6
32.8
.35.8
32.6
28.9
24.2
17.3
5.0
8.4
5.4
17.9
18.9
15.3 16. 7 30.0
15.0 17.1 20.9
41.6
215-16-ounce can.
34.3 48.0 56.4
6.0 8.6 9.1
4.1 7.5 6.7
3.8 7.9 6.9
74.0
C ts .
17.2 19.6
15. 1 15.8
18-ounce package.
[374]
1.7
1.0
16.7
14.1
6 28-ounce package.
3.1
6.4
4. 8
13. 9
18.2
17. 7
16. 4
11.0
66.0
46.6
17.9
16.5
11.2
66.4
47.0
! No. 2 can.
70
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W ,
TaBLE 4.—AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OE THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OP FOOD
Cleveland, Ohio.
Chicago, 111.
Dec. 15—
Nov. Dec.
Sfov. Dec.
15, 15,
15,
1919.
1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918
Dec. 15—
Article.
Unit.
C ts.
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts.
C ts.
Sirloin steak..................................
Round steak.................................
Rib roast.......................................
Chuck roast...................................
Plate beef......................................
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
24.1
21.2
19.7
15.7
11.8
25.3
21.9
20.4
17.1
12.9
29.2
26.0
24.2
20. 5
15.9
37.0
33.7
30.8
27.0
20.7
37.0
32.5
29.6
24.3
17.0
35.9
31.7
29.0
23.5
16.7
24.6
21.7
18.6
17.0
12.5
24.3
21.7
19.4
17.1
12.3
29.7
27.8
23. 8
21.7
16.3
Pork chops....................................
Bacon.............................................
Ham...............................................
Lamb.............................................
Hens...............................................
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
17.9
32.0
31.8
19.4
17.7
16.4
30.9
32.8
19.7
16.9
29.8
49.2
42.9
28. 6
26.5
36.4
59.5
53.4
33.1
31.9
36.8
54. 2
52.3
32.9
33.3
33.3
52.7
51.4
32.3
32.0
19.4
27.9
36.3
18.0
19.3
16.7
2S.3
33.5
18.9
18.6
32.3
46.7
44.4
29.0
30.8
C ts .
C ts.
C ts.
36.3
34.0
28.2
26.5
19.6
37.1
33.4
27.8
24.0
16.7
37.7
34.3
29.0
24.2
16.9
39.7
58.4
57.4
31.5
36.8
41.7
48.3
54.2
31.9
37.3
37.1
47.8
53.4
33.0
37.3
C ts .
27.9 30.1 36.1 36.5
29.5 32.3 36.2 37.1
Salmon (canned).
Lb..
Milk, fresh..................................... Q t.. 8.Ö 8.0 11.9 14.0 15.0 15.1 8.0 8.0 12.0 15.0 16.0 16.0
(j)
15.5 16.2
17.1 17.2
Butter........................................... L b.. 38.3 36.6 53.0 72.7 73.6 74.4 42.2 40.6 56.4 76.9 79.8 80.4
41.7 41.7
45.5 46.1
Lb
Lb..
Cheese............................................ Lb.. 25.3 25.7 36.6 43.2
Lard............................................... Lb.. 15.0 14.8 31.9 32.4
Lb
Eggs, strictly fresh....................... Doz. 40.0 39.0 58.8 72.8
Eggs, storage.................................
Bread.............................................
Flour.............................................
Corn meal.....................................
Rolled oats_
33.5
44.6
34.4
36.3
74.2
33.7
35.5 35.5
45. 0 24.0 23.5 34.6 39.3 41.9 42.4
33.4 16.4 15.9 33.0 34.2 36.1 34.4
36.2
37.6 37.8
82.1 48.0 52.0 66.0 83.6 84.2 98.0
Doz. 32.0 28.9 43.8 54.0 58.2 60.2 34.3 31.9 44.3 59.6
Lb.2 6.1 6.3 9. C 10.2 10.6 10.7 5.6 5.7 8.8 10. C
Lb.. 2.9 3.4 6.1 6.3 7.3 7.7 3.1 3.9 6.8 6.6
Lb.. 2.9 2.7 6.9 6.3 6.7 6.6 2.9 3.3 7.6 6.0
7.1 7.3
Lb..
H o r n fl akes
(3)
rifp.am o f 'YVhp.at
(4)
M aearoni __
Lb..
Rice............................................... Lb..
Roans, navy................................. Lb..
Potatoes........................................ Lb..
Onions.
............................... Lb..
Babbage__
Lb..
(5 )
Roans baked
Corn, canned..
(5)
9.0
1.7
13.0
24.4
18.0
9.3 11.5 13.7 16.7
18. i 15. i 12. t
1.2
2.6
4.4
2. 5
3.4
13.3
25.7
18.3
17.4
12.1
3.8 4.1
6.8 7.6
4.6 6.6
16.2 16.5
17.4 17.0
9.0
2.0
14.2
24. 6
19.2
9.5 12.4 14.5 18.4
19.4 14.3 11.7
1.2
3.0
5.1
3.0
3.i
88-ounce package.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
L b ..
Lb..
16.
14.
19.4 28.9 30.0
15.5 23.3 26.2
38.7 37.7
52.3 50.5
2 Baked weight.
.....
14.1
27.9
19.0
18.6
11.4
4.0 4.2
6.8 7.6
4.5 6.1
15.7 15.9
19.3 19.3
18.7
16. 0
12.7
72.8
50.2
19.1
16.3
14.1
74.0
50.2
17.6 19.4 28.3
14.6 15.6 22.8
46.4
57.7
29.2
23.8
47.5
56.5
Pens nannod.
17.5 17. i
(6)
(5 )
Tomatoes, canned_ .
15.8 16.0
Sugar, granulated........................ L b.. 5.1 5.6 8.4 10.6 13.2 17.1 5.4 6.0 9.4 10.9
Tea................................................ Lb.. 55. ( 55.0 59G 62.4 64.7 67.1 50. ( 50. ( 62.2 67.2
Coffee............................................. Lb.. 30.7 30.0 28.3 30.6 44.8 45.0 26.5 26.5 29.1 31.7
Prunes..........................................
R aisins.........................................
Bananas.......................................
Oranges........................................
63.1 63.1
9.3 9.6
7.6 7.8
6.6 6.3
9.6 9.4
115-16-ounce can.
P R IC E S
AND
CO ST
71
O F L IV IN G .
ON DEC. 15, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, 1919, AND NOV. 15, 1919, FOR 19 CITIES—Continued.
Denver, Colo.
Detroit, Mich.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Dec. 15—
Dec. 15—
Nov. Dec.
Nov. Dec.
Nov. Dec.
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918
1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918
Dec. 15—
C ts.
C ts.
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
C ts.
C ts.
24.8
20.4
20.2
15.4
11.7
23.6
20.4
19. 1
15.8
11.6
29.6
26.8
23.7
19. 3
15.4
36.0
32.7
28.4
23.9
18.1
36.7
32.1
29.6
22.2
16.0
36.7
31.8
29.2
22.0
15.9
C ts.
31.8
28.8
25.3
20.7
13.9
23.1
21.3
19. 4
16.1
13.4
23.2
21.0
20.2
15.8
13.3
26.6
24.0
22.3
18.8
15.8
32. 7
31. 2
29. 5
24. 6
20. 3
42.6
53.9
55.0
28.3
35.4
36.0
52.2
5-1.8
28.3
35.0
18.2
22.3
28.0
16.0
18.6
17.3
24.5
28.0
16.9
17.8
31.8
45.6
43.0
29.0
29.8
38.5
56.1
56.1
31.8
35.2
41.8
46.7
53.7
33.3
36.8
36.4
47.0
53.3
34.4
36.7
25.3
33.5
34.5
19. 1
27.9
25.8
34.2
35.4
19.7
26.8
38.0
54.4
52.9
29.5
34.8
46.3 46.8
66. 7 57.0
63.1 59.0
33.2 30.8
46.0 46.8
46.6
58.8
59.4
31.6
48.2
36.1
12.8
16.6
74.3
41.5
29.2 31.6
36.1
13.0 9.0 9.0 14.0 15.0
16.9
77.2 38.9 38.9 53.9 73.4
45.1 y
36.0
16.0
16.5
76.7
41.8
36.8
31.7
16.0 10.0 10.0 12.0
16.5
79.4 39.7 39.2 51.7
43.7
33.3
14.0
45.8
16.01
14.9
74.1
45.3
43.5
16.0
15.1
75.2
45. 5
35.3
45.1
38.4
37.7
75.8
35.3
45.0 22.7 22.7 33.9 42.8
37 9 16.0 15.7 33.6 34.0
37.5
95.8 45.3 41.5 63.4 81.9
34.4
43.1
36.5
36.9
80.8
34.7
43.4 19.5 20.0 34.2
34.9 18. 1 17.4 33.0
36.7
94.0 53.3 50.5 59.1
43.0
34.8
36.0
44.0
34.8
36.5
83.5
36.0
44.6
35.2
37. 9
79.8
62.8
11.2
6.2
5.9
8.7
64.7 33.5 29.5 43.6 56.9
11.0 5.6 5.9 8.4 9.5
6.8 3.1 3.5 6.4 6.5
6.1 2.8 3.1 8.4 6.5
8.9
59.9
10.1
7.4
7.2
8.3
62.4 38.3 34.5 45.6
10.9 6.0 6.6 8.3
7.8 3.5 4.0 6.3
6.7 3.5 3.7 7.7
8.0
57.9
9.1
7.1
7.1
63.8
9.7
7.3
7.5
8. 7
64.3
10.0
7.4
7.5
8. 7
14.6
24.8
19.3
17.8
13.1
14.8
27. 4
19.3
17.6
13.1
14.2
25.0
19.6
18.5
11.3
13.8
27-2
19.9
18.4
11.4
13.0
24.4
16.9
16.5
10.6
13.1
28. 0
17. 2
17.0
10.2
4.1
7.1
3.9
17.7
18.2
4.4
7.8
6.8
17.6
18.4
2.5
3.9
3.5
6.6
4.1
16.2
19.3
4.0
8.2
7.2
16.2
19.5
2.7
3.4
3.1
3.3
4.1
6.1
3.0
17.7
18.5
5.2
7.0
4.8
17.9
18.6
19.5
15.2
12.6
70.0
49.8
19.9
15.3
13.2 5.1 6.0 8.6 10.8
70.6 43.3 43.3 54.9 63.6
50.1 29.3 30.0 29.3 31.5
18.6
16.9
13.0
64.0
49.0
18.6
16.6
14.6 5.3 5.9 8.5
67.3 54.5 54.5 60.0
48.9 36.3 36.3 30.3
10.6
70.3
31.7
18.9
15.3
12.4
69.1
45.0
19.0
13.9
13.9
69.8
45.4
29.6
23.6
43.5
53.6
29.9
23.7
43.3
53.0
16.0 18.5
13.9 15.6
31.9
23.5
36.3
54.0
30.4
23.8
34.0
53.8
27.0
21.0
41.7
38.9
27.2
22.3
42.0
46.9
C ts .
C ts .
C ts.
22.9
20.7
16.7
15.0
9.9
22.1
21.0
17.6
15.3
9.7
28.3
26.2
22.3
19.7
13.9
35.4
31.5
26.8
24.2
17.3
33.6
29.9
25.8
21.2
14.2
20.0
28.0
30 0
15. 6
19. 9
19.6
30.0
30. 0
16.6
IS. 5
33.9
53.6
46.7
28.6
28.1
38.9
60.5
57.8
29.8
32.7
27.5 30.9
8.4 12.0 13.0
C ts .
8.3
37.9 39.0 53.3 70.1
26. 1 26. 1 35.9 41.6
16.1 15.8 34.5 34.8
47.1 40.0 56.4 79.0
36.0 31.0 43.8 56.3
5.6 5.6 9.7 11.8
2.6 3.0 5.5 6.0
2.5 2.7 6.1 5.7
8.6
8.6 11.4 14.6
IS. 4 15.2
1.6
1.2
2.5 2.7
4. 9 3.7
"
. .. ..
5.2 5.9 8.8 11.8
52.8 52.8 57.6 64.8
29.4 29.4 29.5 31.7
17.0 19.9
14.2 15.9
C ts .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
C ts .
8.4
8.4 11.7 14.0
18.5 14.0
1.6
1.1
2.7
5.3
C ts .
7.7
8.0 10.7
16.7
1.9
1.8
s No. 2 can.
128-ounce package.
[S75j
15.0
14.8
C ts .
69.6
82.9
13.8
14.8
20.4
15.6
C ts .
31.7
28.7
26.4
19.6
16.0
C ts .
31.5
29.5
26.5
20.5
16.4
72
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W ,
T able 4.—AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD
New Orleans, La.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Article.
Unit.
Dec. 15—
Nov. Dec.
Nov. Dec.
15, 15,
15, 15,
1919.
1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918
1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919.
Dec. 15—
Cts.
23.4
21.6
18.8
16.4
12.1
C ts.
C ts .
as.
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
Plate beef...................................... Lb..
23.3
21.7
18.5
16.8
12.8
28.7
27.5
23.3
21.6
15.8
34.5
33.4
28.3
26.1
20.0
34.6
32.7
27.8
24.4
17.0
35.0
32.8
28.2
24.8
17.4
21.5
19.1
18.5
15.4
12.0
22.5
20.1
18.4
14.1
12.5
27.1
23.7
23.7
18.0
15.7
32.9
29.6
28.8
21.9
20.2
31.3
28.1
27.8
20.6
17.9
31.6
29.1
28.7
21.4
19.5
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
Lb..
L b..
17.4
27.4
27.8
18.5
17.2
16.7
27.3
27.7
19.2
17.2
30.1
48.8
44.1
29.6
25.9
37.3
57.8
53.1
33.7
33.8
37.3
50.9
50.0
32.3
30.3
33.0
50.2
50.5
32.7
31.6
24.0
30.4
27.0
20.5
22.0
24.2
31.6
27.0
20.6
22.3
36.4
51.4
42.4
29.9
30.3
43.2
63.7
50.6
36.8
37.0
45.2
52.3
46.3
37.3
42.7
42.7
52.0
48.5
38.2
41.9
Pork chops....................................
Bacon............................................
Ham..............................................
Lamb.............................................
Hens.............................................
27.4 31.6 36.9 35.3
32.3 34.5 36.7 37.0
L b..
Q t.. 7.0 7.6 11.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 9.8 9.8 13.8 16.0 18.5 18.5
(2)
17.0
16.5 16.6
17.1
Butter........................................... L b.. 38.8 37.8 53.1 74.1 76.3 77.2 39.8 39.3 55.0 75.2 76.1 80.7
43.1
44.3
45.9
L b..
42.8
Milk, fresh....................................
L b..
Cheese............................................ Lb.. 22.3 22.3 33.8 44.9
Lard............................................... Lb.. 16.0 15.8 33.1 35.3
Lb..
Eggs, strictly fresh....................... Doz. 40.0 37.5 57.9 71.3
Eggs, storage.................................
Bread.............................................
Flour.............................................
Corn meal......................................
Rolled oats.
............................
35.1
42.0
36.7
36.8
73.5
33.8
36.2 36.1
41.6 21.9 22.8 34.8 45.4 42.9 43.2
34.7 15.0 13.8 33.3 35.1 36.4 35.9
37.1
39.1 39.2
87.2 34.0 39.3 53.0 72.5 69.3 80.9
Doz. 33.0 29.0 41.6 51.8 58.6 60.3 30.0 30.0 42.5 56.6 61.0 64.0
Lb.3 5.7 6.3 9.7 9.2 10.0 10.0 5.0 5.4 8.3 9.2 9.2 9.1
Lb.. 3.0 3.8 6.2 6.5 7.5 8.0 3.7 4.0 7.7 7.3 7.5 7.6
Lb.. 3.2 3.8 7.6 6.6 6.4 6.5 2.7 2.9 7.0 5.9 5.5 5.5
8.9 9.0
Lb..
8.2 8.2
Corn flakes
........................... («)
Cream of W heat..... .................... (5)
Macaroni........................................ L b ..
Rice............................................... Lb..
Beans, navy................................. L b..
Potatoes........................................ L b..
Onions........................................... L b..
Cabbage......................................... L b..
Beans, baked................................ (6)
Corn, canned................................. (8)
9.0
1.7
14.2
25. 4
18.4
9.5 11.6 14.4 17.7
19.4 14.3 11.5
1.3
2.7
4.5
2.7
3.5
Peas, canned................................. (6)
Tomatoes, canned........................ (6)
Sugar, granulated........................ Lb.. 5.5 6.0 8.7 11.5
Tea................................................ Lb.. 50. ( 50. ( 58.6 66.2
Coffee............................................. Lb.. 27.5 27.5 26.5 28.8
Prunes........................................... Lb
Raisins.......................................... Lb
Bananas.................................
Oranges.........................................
14.2
28.2
18.8
18.0 7.5
11. C
3.6 4.2
7.3 8. ]
3.4 7.0
16.2 15.9
17.8 17.8
17.8
16.4
13.7
69.]
47.5
15.9 17.2 28.6
14.8 15.3 22.3
39.3
58.6
2.2
14.4
24.8
11.3
7.5 10.8 12.2 15.1
17.6 15.1 11.6
2.0
3.7
4.7
3.9 4.9 5.1
4. C 6.7 8.2
4.5 4.3
17.2 17.1
17.8 18.0
17.8
15.1
11.1
68.6
42.5
18.6
15.4
12.2
70.7
42.2
16.6 18.1 31.3
15.2 16.8 22.2
25.0
41.0
30.5
23.6
25.0
45.8
17.4
16.6
14.4 5.1 6.0 9.7 10.4
68. ( 62.] 62.1 62.] 63. {
47.6 25.0 25.7 26.6 28.6
28.8
25.1
40.0
58.9
14.5
27.4
12.0
15.4
11.7
1 The steak for which prices are here quoted is known as “porterhouse” in most of the cities included in
this report, but in this city it is called “ sirloin” steak.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
P R IC E S
AND
COST
73
O F L IV IN G ,
ON DEC. 15, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, 1919, AND NOV. 15, 1919, FOR 19 CITIES—Continued.
New York, N. Y.
Dec. 15—
Philadelphia , Pa.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Dec. 15—
Dec . 15—
Nov. Dec.
Nov. Dec.
15,
15,
15,
15,
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918
1913 1914 1917 1918
1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919.
Nov. Dec.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
25.7
25.3
21.3
15.8
14.5
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
26.2
25.9
21.5
16.6
15.5
33.5
34.2
28.5
22.2
21.8
43.0
45.4
39.6
31.0
26.7
42.5
44.4
37.6
27.6
24.7
42.7 1 30.1 1 30.3 1 38.2 i 49.5 1 49.3 i 49.1 27.0 27.5 34.4
44.5 26.1 26.3 37.1 .46.4 45.0 44.9 22.8 24.0 31.8
37.8 21.8 21.8 28.8 37.5 38.0 38.5 21.8 21.3 26.5
27.6 17.8 18.2 24.9 31.8 29.3 29.4 16.7 17.2 23.2
24.8 12.1 11.8 17.6 22.1 17.5 17.7 12.7 13.2 16.9
18.4
25.5
29.0
15.4
20.7
20.8
26.3
29.5
16.4
20.7
34.5
46.1
32.5
27.7
30.7
42.7
55.2
55.4
29.4
40.1
46.7
48.0
56.3
29.3
39.9
41.0
47.7
56.0
28.8
40.1
43.8
58.0
57.6
36.5
41.9
43.1
51.3
56.7
39.2
44.1
39.5
49.4
56.1
39.2
44.5
34.6 35.2
9.0 14.0 17.0
42.4
17.7
15.8
77.9
42.3
41.9
26.1 29.6
18.0 8.0 8.0 12.2 14.0
16.1
80.6 46.6 45.0 59.3 78.9
41.6
9.0
41.1 40.5 54.8 76.2
20.2 20.4 34.6 40.4
16.1 15.8 33.7 34.1
54.3 53.8 73.1 90.3
36.7 33.5 47.1 60.4
6.1 6.3 8.8 9.9
3.2 3.7 7.6 6.9
3.4 3.6 8.5 7.5
8.0
8.3 11.7 13.9
18.6 15.8
2.4
2.0
3.8
5.8
4.0
4.3
4.9 5.4 9.9 id. 4
43.3 43.3 51.5 53.9
27.2 26.3 27.5 30.5
17.4 22.5
15.1 15.5
215-16-ounce can.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C 's .
C s.
45.6
42.6
34.9
30.1
21.8
45.2
40.8
34.8
28.2
18.2
43.6
39.3
31.3
27.4
17.5
34.8
50.2
46.1
34.4
35.7
40.4
61.6
58.6
36.5
44.8
44.6
54.9
57.7
39.1
43.6
38.8
53.6
57.0
37.7
43.1
32.5
14.0
16.2
81.9
45.7
34.0
31.1
14.0 9.2 9.3 12.7
16.5
87.6 42.0 40.4 56.9
45.2
31.2
15.0
36 3
16.0
16 4
78.5
43.4
36 3
16.0
16 7
81.8
34.5 34.5
42.9 43.1 25.0 25.5 37.0 41.9
36.3 34.3 15.2 14.8 33.8 33.9
36.9 36.6
88.1 101.3 48.3 50.9 66.3 82.8
38.0
45.9
35.7
35.2
82.9
37.5
46.4 24.5 25.0 34.9
33.5 15.6 15.4 34.1
35.3
96.1 49.2 46.4 64.4
43.6
34.4
62.5
10.0
7.7
7.6
7.9
65.2 34.7 33.3 44.9 62.4
10.0 4.8 5.0 8.6 9.4
8.1 3.1 3.7 7.3 6.5
7.7 2.8 2.9 7.1 6.3
8.1
62.8
9.4
7.4
6.5
8.3
64.5 35.1 30.5 45.1
9.4 5.4 5.6 9.1
7.6 3.2 3.7 7.0
6.4 3.0 3.1 9.0
S.4
60.8
10.0
6.7
7.2
12.1
24.2
21.0
16.7
12.6
12.1
26.0
21.0
16.9
12.3
12.4
24.7
20.7
18.1
11.9
12.3
27.1
22.0
18.7
12.2
4.4
6.8
4.2
15.3
19.2
4.7
8.3
5.5
15.2
18.6
4.3
3.7
4.5
6.8
5.3
14.6
18.0
4.5
8.3
6.8
14.8
18.0
18.0
16.0
10.8
57.0
45.1
18.5
16.2
11.9 5.0 5.5 9.7 10.2
57.1 54.0 54.0 57.1 59.0
45.1 24.5 24.5 27.9 29.6
18.5
15.7
10.8
61.6
44.5
11. oj
5.5 6 2 9.7
64.0' 58.0 60.0 72.0
45.1 30.0 29.3 29.7
31.7
22.2
38.2
61.0
29.6
23.4
37.7
56.0
30.3
21.2
40.0
57.1
29.61
22.6
41.4
52.5
20.6
25.0
29.1
18.8
22.6
19.4
27.1
30.7
19.2
22.9
35.4
46.6
48.6
30.6
32.3
9.8 10.0 12.3 14.7
18.7 15.0
2.3
* Baked weight.
1.9
3.6
5.6
16.6 20.6
13.5 14.6
4 8-ounce package.
[377]
20.8
28.8
29.0
20.7
24.8
20.0
30.4
31.0
20.7
24.0
9.2
9.2 12.1
20.0
1.9
1.3
3.1
4.9
IS. 9
15.6
17.2
14.8
&28-ounce package.
76.3
80.3
14.5
15 3
3.1
4.0
43 5
43.5
36.6
37. 4
78.6
35 6
43.7
35.0
37 4
94.4
60.9
10.3
7.6
7.3
05
63.4
10.3
7.9
7.6
35.3
QO
13 3
?5 1
17 7 IQ 3
18.6 18.5
12 1
3.9
4.2
34
46 6o
16 3 16 1
13.3 13 3
IQ 1
13 Q
31 0
31 7
15 1 15 3
iö. 9 12.1 12.6
80.1 82.6 81.9
32.0 50.0 49.6
22.1
15-5
47 O 45 0
53.7
8 No. 2 can.
50.5
74
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W ,
T able 4.—AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOL
San Francisco, Calif.
St. Louis, Mo.
Dec. 15—
N o v . Dec.
Nov. Dec.
15, 15,
15, 15,
1919.
1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918
Dec. 15—
Article.
Unit.
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
Lb.
Lb.
Lb.
Lb.
Lb.
26.6
23.6
19.5
15.9
12.8
27.3
25.0
20.0
16.0
14.2
29.9
28.9
25.2
20.4
16.8
36.7
35.6
30.3
25.2
21.1
34.5
34.5
28.6
20.8
17.5
34.8
34.4
28.4
20.8
17.4
21.0
20.0
21.7
15.0
15.0
20.9
20.3
21.4
15.1
14.4
23.8
23.6
22.7
16.8
16.3
32.2
31.6
30.2
23.8
22.0
C ts.
Sirloin steak..................................
Round steak.................................
Rib roast.......................................
Chuck roast..................................
Plate beef................. - ..................
29.1
28.1
28.7
20.4
17.3
30.1
29.0
29.3
21.1
18.1
Pork chops....................................
Bacon............................................
Ham..............................................
Lamb.............................................
Hens..............................................
Lb.
Lb.
Lb.
Lb.
Lb.
17.8
25.0
27.3
18.3
17.3
17.5
25.0
27.5
19.3
17.3
29.1
47.7
45.1
29.4
26.5
38.3
55.3
55.5
32.4
31.5
36.7
48.2
52.1
32.2
31.9
31.8
46.1
49.5
31.9
31.7
24.2
34.4
34.0
16.6
24.5
23.4
37.1
33.0
18.8
24.2
36.2
53.2
48.6
28.1
34.9
44.0
63.0
59.1
34.9
47.3
43.2
59.1
55.7
31.4
47.9
44.7
59.2
57.71
32.3
49.7
Salmon (eanned^....... ............ ..... Lb.
Milk, fresh.................................... Qt.
Milk e v a p o r a te d m s w e e t e n p,d). (!)
Butter........................................... Lb.
Lb.
28.7 32.4 34.2
8.8 13.0 14.0 16.0
16.2
39.6 39.5 55.9 75.5 78.5
40.5
25.2 28.3 33.4 33.4
34.2
16.0 10.0 10.0 12.1 14.0 15.0 15.3
16.4
15.2 15.2
81.7 38.6 37.5 53.8 70.6 74.3 75.5
41.0
38.5 38.2
35.0
41.3
31.5
35.8
71.9
35.6 35.3
34.7
41.5 21.0 2Ì.Ò 32.9 40.1 44.4 44.8
28.3 18.0 17.9 33.4 34.2 36.8 37.4
38.9 39.2
35.5
80.2 53.3 52.0 59.6 85.0 88.7 83.9
42.8 56.6 57.8
9.9 10. Ü 10. C
6.1 6.3 6.9
6.2 5.1 5.5
6.4
59.5 41.7 35.0 44.1 56.6 60.8 64.4
10.0 5.9 6.0 9.6 10.0 11.7 11.7
7.3 3.4 3.9 6.2 7.0 7.2 7.3
5.5 3.5 3.7 7.0 7.1 7.2 6.9
6.4
8.5 8.9
8.8
T'Jnt m a r gar in p, .
Lb.
Cheese............................................ Lb. 20.7 22.3 35.1 44.Ò
Lard............................................... Lb. 12.7 12.5 29.6 31.6
Lb.
Eggs, strictly fresh...................... Doz. 40.8 37.0 58.4 71.9
Eggs, storage................................
Bread.............................................
Flour.............................................
Com meal.....................................
ft oiled o a ts
Doz 28.8 29.0
Lb.2 5.6 6. C
Lb.
2.9 3.4
Lb.
2.6 2.6
Lb.
(3)
(4)
Lb.
Rice............................................... Lb.
ft pans n a v y
Lb.
Horn flakes
........................
C ream of Wheat ........................
M r ear on i
................................
Potatoes........................................ Lb.
................................ I,b.
Lb.
O n io n s
.
C abbage
ft pan s ba k ed
Porn pan n ed
8.2
1.7
13.2
24.4
18.1
8.9 i i . i 13.7 16.8
18.3 14.4 11.7
1.3
2.9
3.9
3.0
4.5
(5)
(5)
15 .9
15.0
5 .6
13 .0
5 .1
55.(1 5 5 .8 6 3 .6 7 1 .8 72. C
24.4 2 4 .8 2 8 .0 30 .4 46 .7
Prunes..
............................... Lb.
Raisins.....
............................. Lb.
Bananas_...
Oranges
16.6
8.6 11.1
1 9 .8 3 0 .2
2 2 .6
3 6 .0i
4 4 .4
115-16 ounce can.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2 Baked weight.
[3 7 8 ]
14.2
24.6
15.8
8.5 11.2 13.8 16.0
16.3 13. G 9.8
8.5
4.1 4.4
8.2
4.2 5.9
15.3 15.5
16.7 16.5
6.8
Peas, canned..
..................... (5)
Tomatoes, canned........................ (5)
Sugar, granulated........................ Lb.
T e a ............................................................... Lb.
Coffee............................................. Lb.
I
13.2
28.7
18.1
17.2
11.6
1.9
1.7
2.9
3.0
3.0
2.7
3.6
5.2
14.0
26.2
15.6
16.8
9.8
4.5
6.3
18.6 18.0
18.0 18.5
16.1
17 .5 18 .6
14 .9
13 .4 13 .3
5 .4
1 8 .6
5 .9
11.9
10 .7
72. C 50. C 50. C 53 .9 5 7 .5 5 8 .9 58 .5
4 5 .5 3 2 .0 3 2 .0 30 .1 3 1 .5 4 4 .7 4 4 .5
8.1
29 .3
2 4 .3
3 5 .6
40 .0 ___
1
.
10.8
13 .9 17 .0 2 2 .4
13.7 1 4 .2 2 0 .3Ì
46 .0
! . 1 .
57 .7
1
1
3 8-ounce package.
2 3 .3
21 .9
43 .0
55 .2
P R IC E S
ON DEC.
AND
15, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, 1919,
CO ST
AND NOV. 15, 1919, FOR 19 CITIES—Concluded.
Seattle, Wash.
!
1
Dec.
15—
1913
1914
1917
1918
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts .
23.6
2 0 .6
2 0 .0
15.6
12.9
2 2 .8
2 0 .6
26 .7
25.3
18.8
14.9
12.5
2 2 .0
23.4
33.0
38 .8
18.6
18.3
15.5
24 .0
33.0
30.0
18.0
24.6
2 1 .2
38.3
52 .4
44 .3
30.1
29.4
9 .8
9 .5
28.8
12.5
36.2
35.4
31.1
25.1
Washington, D. C.
Nov.
Dec.
15,
1919.
15,
1919.
C ts .
C ts .
3 5 .2
32.6
28 .5
2 0 .6
17.8
35 .7
33.7
2 9 .2
23.1
18.5
47.6
6 3 .3
56.6
35.1
40.1
45.1
5 9 .2
5 6 .5
3 2 .2
42.3
45.0
59 .4
57 .2
33.1
43 .4
3 0 .8
15.7
3 4 .2
15.0
15.5
74 .5
40.4
35.3
15.0
15.2
76 .4
40 .6
3 6 .7
43.1
38.6
42.0
83 .4
6 6 .4
11.5
6 .9
7.3
4 3 .8
39.3
5 4 .9
70.9
22.3
16.9
2 1 .6
16.1
30 .5
32.0
41 .2
33 .6
2 2 .2
54 .2
50 .4
6 0 .5
83.6
3 6 .7
43 .0
39.1
42.1
90.1
37 .0
35.6
58.6
6 6 .6
6 .6
6 .2
1 0 .8
11.5
2 .9
3 .3
3 .5
3 .4
4 8 .4
9 .8
5 .8
7.5
6 .7
7 .3
6 .8
7 .7
8 .2
1 0 .8
18.3
1 .5
1 .2
2 .0
4 .2
Ì4.Ó
15.8
2 .4
3 .9
................i .................
6.
i
50.0
2S.0
6 .4
50.0
30.0
54 .8
31.0
10.9
6 2 .3
3 2 .0
14.5
14.5
18.5
15.7
8 .8
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
75
O F L IV IN G .
7 .3
8 .7
14.9
28 .8
16 .4
19.0
3 .7
7.1
4 .9
4 .2
7 .7
6 .3
21.8
2 0 .7
17.6
20 .4
17.5
27 .7
22 .4
5 2 .1
5 6 .6
1913
1914
1917
1918
C ts .
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
27.0
23. S
20.7
17.9
6 3 .6
48.1
C ts.
20.3
37 .0
49.6
4 6 .8
35.1
3 2 .9
4 6 .0
58 .7
58 .2
41 .7
43 .0
4 5 .2
50.0
56 .3
39 .0
45 .3
3 9 .8
47.9
5 5 .2
38 .7
4 2 .9
9 .0
9 .0
28.5
14.0
3 3 .9
17.0
42 .3
4 1 .4
57 .0
23 .5
15.0
23.5
14.3
19.9
24. S
29.0
19.4
2 0 .8
2 2 .0
1 2 .8
19.6
25 .9
29.5
18.0
1fi Q
78.1
42 fi
82.6
49 fi
35 .6
33 .5
4 4 .5
3 4 .9
42 .5
36.1
37 7
8 4 .3
35 1
4 2 .7
34.1
37 5
9 ? '4
42 .1
46 .1
6 7 .9
8 1 .8
31.0
5 .7
4 .1
6 1 .5
2 .6
2 .8
4 6 .2
9 .3
7 .2
6 .9
1 0 .1
6 .8
5 .6
9 .4
9 .4
12.3
19 9
14.5
In O
1 .8
1 .3
3 .3
4 .8
3 .0
3 .5
i
i
5 .6
57 .5
2 8 .8
35 2
77.0
35 .0
5 .5
3 .8
5 .0
57 .5
2 8 .8
34 fi
18.0
Ifi fi
9 .7
61. 2
28 .5
10.5
72.3
3 1 .4
17 5
14.9
91 4
16 .7
•
62 .1
9 .9
7 .7
5 .6
10 7
0 4 .4
14 n
14 0
9fi 6
90 7
18.2
20 4
18.1
1 2 fi
3 .7
6 7
4 fi
14 7
18 Q
IQ O
17 â
11.5
75 .9
47 .7
44
8
57 .6
6 No. 2 can.
[379]
C ts.
47.1
4 2 .8
3 6 .2
27 .8
18.0
21. G
17. S
12.4
28 .4
4 28-ounce package.
15,
1919.
47 .9
43 .3
3 7 .0
29 .0
18.6
24.4
52 .5
5 8 .1
Dec.
15,
1919.
50.1
46.5!
3 9 .2
34.3
23.4
2 2 .6
2 0 .4
12.8
Nov.
36.3
34 .5
28.5
24. Ê
18.5
26 .5
1 1 .6
21.6
20.2
6 3 .2
4 8 .2
15—
8 .6
14 .9
27.5
16.3
18.3
11.9
11.6
Dec.
1 0 .1
8 .1
5 .5
10 7
12 0
3 .9
7 4
fi 1
18 fi
17 4
13’6
7 5 .9
47.5
43 fi
49.8
76
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W ,
.
T able 5 — AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF TH E PRINCIPAL ARTICLES
-----
--Bridgeport,
Conn.
Charleston, Cincinnati, Columbus,
Ohio.
Ohio.
S. C.
Butte,
Mont.
1
Article.
Unit.
C ts .
C ts .
Sirloin steak.................................
Round steak.................................
Rib roast.......................................
Chuck roast...................................
Plate beef...................................- -
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
51.1
46.9
37.3
29.2
15.9
49.9
47.1
37.0
29.1
14.7
31.8
27.1
24.1
17.9
12.7
32.7
27.9
25.4
19.6
13.8
37.7
37.2
30.0
25.4
18.8
37.8
37.0
30.5
25.2
19.0
30.4
29.5
25.7
19.1
17.4
30.6
29.1
25.7
18.7
17.4
Pork chops....................................
Bacon............................................
Ham.............................................
Lamb.............................................
Hens..............................................
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
45.0
54.8
59.8
35.4
43.5
38.5
55.0
59.5
35.1
43.6
40.9
60.0
59.5
26.9
30.6
38.3
58.9
60.0
27.7
31.3
44.7
55.4
53.0
41.1
47.9
43.7
54.3
52.0
40.4
47.9
38.1
44.8
49.5
29.4
36.6
Salmon (canned)..........................
Milk, fresh....................................
Milk, evaporated (unsweetened).
Butter...........................................
Oleomargarine..............................
L b ...
Q t...
(2)
L b ...
L b ...
37.9
18.0
16.6
69.7
41.3
39.0
18.5
17.0
71.5
43.3
43.2
15.6
18.3
70.2
46.3
45.0
15.6
18.5
74.5
33.1
24.7
16.9
73.6
45.0
34.7
25.0
17.2
76.4
45.7
Cheese...........................................
Lard..............................................
Crisco.............................................
Eggs, strictly fresh......................
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
D oz..
35.4 35.4
43.2 43.2
35.6 33.8
36.3 36.3
96.3 111.0
45.4
38.6
44.0
87.1
46.1
39.0
43.5
90.0
45.7
41.9
38.3
39.0
68.6
Eggs, storage.................................
Bread.............................................
Flour.............................................
Corn meal.....................................
Rolled oats....................................
D oz..
Lb A.
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
62.2
10.4
7.4
8.8
9.7
66.3
10.4
8.0
8.5
10.0
62.8
12.4
8.1
8.6
9.4
63.9
12.3
8.7
7.8
9.1
Cornflakes.....................................
(*)
Cream, of Wheat..........................
09
Macaroni........................................ L b ...
Rice............................................... L b ...
Beans, navy................ - ............... L b ...
13. 5
23.8
23. C
17. C
11.5
13.7
26.8
23.5
17.4
12.1
14.5
30. C
20. a
16.7
12.9
Potatoes........................................ L b ...
Onions........................................... L b ...
Cabbage........................................ L b ...
Beans, baked................................ (6)
Corn, canned................................. (6)
3.5
16.2
21.3
3.9
8.6
6.2
16.4
21.2
Peas, canned................................. (6)
Tomatoes, canned........................
(6)
Sugar, granulated........................ L b ...
Tea................................................ L b ...
Coffee............................................. L b ...
20.0
16.2
11.0
60.8
47.6
L b ...
L b ...
! Loz..
Poz..
29.2
23. (
40.6
61.2
Nov. Dec. Nov. Dec. Nov. Dec. Nov. Dec. Nov. Dee.
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
1919. 1919. 1919. 1919. 1919. 1919. 1919. 1919. 1919. 1919. ;
C ts .
Prunes...........................................
Raisins..........................................
Bananas........................................
Oranges.........................................
6. a
4 .4
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
35.9
32.9
28.7
25.1
18.5
34.7
32.7
29.4
25.4
18.1
34.2
42.5
48.0
30.6
37.0
37.3
49.1
51.6
30.0
32.1
33.1
45.2
49.3
33.3
34.4
35.5
15.0
16.2
76.4
42.0
35.7
15.0
16.4
77.9
42.1
31.9
14.7
16.5
77.2
42.7
35.0
14.0
16.8
78.0
42.7
45.7
42.6
38.0
38.7
76.7
34.6
43.4
32.1
35.1
74.0
34.5
43.7
29.8
34.8
80.5
35.2
43.0
34.2
36.5
77.2
35.3
43.2
32.4
36.7
85.3
57.0
10.0
7.7
5.3
10.4
58.3
10.0
7.8
5.2
10.4
59.3
9.9
7.4
5.5
7.3
60.7
9.9
7.7
5.5
7.6
60.6
9.8
6.9
5.8
10.2
59.6
9.8
7.1
5.9
9.5
14.6
31.2
20.4
17.8
13.0
14.9
25. C
20.9
14.8
14.8
14.9
27.7
20.7
14.7
14.7
13.9
24.8
17. 1
17.8
10.7
13.8
26.5
16.7
17.7
10.6
14.1
24.9
19.8
18.2
11.3
14.2
27.0
19.4
17.5
11.1
3.5
6.5
5.1
22.2
18.8
3.9
7.6
5.5
22.1
18.9
4.7
7.9
5.9
15.4
21.0
4.6
9.1
6.5
15. a
20.7
4.3
6.5
4. 5
15.7
16.7
4.4
6.7
6.0
15.9
16.5
4.1
4.3
7.4
8.6
5. 1 6.9
16. f 17.1
16.5 16.0
20.9
17.6
11.5
61. ‘
47.2
18.8
17.!
13.7
75.5
57. S
19.6
18.7
14.1
78.:
58. S
21.8
15.6
11.1
81.3
48.4
21.9
15.7
14.0
81.a
48.6
17.1
14.4
77.J
42.5
17.1
15.4
18.7
75.8
43.0
16.5
15.2
12.6
82. !
49.3
16.5
15.3
16.6
81.9
49.4
29.2
23.8
40.0
54.4
26.
21.
47.5
56. (
26.5
24.:
50. C
58.8
30.0
22.5
44. C
47. C
29.6
23.(
46. C
49.1
28.3
22.:
39.6
41.9
27.7
24.]
37.7
37.9
31.5
24.2
42.1
53.1
29.6
24.5
40.0
56.7
is .;
1 The steak for which prices are here quoted is known as sirloin in most of the cities included in this
report, hut in this city is called “rump” steak.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[380]
77
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
O F FO O D F O R 31 C I T IE S ON NOV. 15 A N D D E C . 15, 1919.
Dallas, Tex.
1
Fall River,
Mass.
Houston, Tex.
Indianapolis,
Ind.
Jacksonville,
Fla.
Kansas City,
Mo.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Nov.
15,
1919.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
36.9
36.6
31.3
26. 4
22.9
37.2
35.3
30.6
26.8
23.4
44.8
53. 6
57.1
32. 5
35.3
'59.5
47.1
34.4
26.6
58.6
46.4
34.0
26.4
39.8
52.8
54.4
35.0
36.0
43.9
48.9
52.6
33.0
46.3
39.3
21.0
18.1
71.8
37.0
38.5
21.0
18. 2
75.2
36.8
36.3
43.4
36. 8
36. 8
65.0
32.8
32.8
26.7
22.5
18.8
33.1
32.0
27.2
23.3
18.6
37.0
47.9
51.1
32.1
46.0
41.8
61.2
50.0
35.6
37.8
33.6
15.7
16.6
68.9
41.4
34.4
16.0
16.6
70.9
40.8
36.4
43. 7
36.6
¿6.5
65.0
36.5
42.6
35.6
36.9
106.3
61.3
10. 0
7. 6
6.9
10.9
66.8
10.0
7.8
6. 8
10.9
13.9
27.0
19.9
18. 6
13. 7
35.2
34.4
26. E
24.3
17.4
15,
1919.
33.9
33.2
26.0
23.5
17.1
38.8
36.1
28.5
22.8
16.1
38.6
34.2
27.8
22.5
15.7
34.5
31.5
25.7
19.8
15.0
34.3
30.5
26 1
20.2
14.5
39.2
39.6
60.9
49.3
50.0
53.4
37.5 • 35.0
37.8
34.4
36.0
47.9
53.1
37.5
34.0
43.7
52.9
50.8
34.3
43.4
39.7
51.6
51.7
32.9
40.4
37.4
52.7
53.2
29.1
33.8
33 5
53.2
52.5
29 4
34.4
33.8
20.0
16.5
74.3
42.9
33.2
21.4
16.5
75.5
43.6
28.3
14.0
37.2
75.7
44.1
29.2
14.0
17.4
77.9
44.5
37.5
20.0
16.8
77.1
43.6
38.0
22.0
17.3
79.7
44.4
33.1
16.0
17.7
76.4
41.3
34 6
16. 0
17. 7
80.5
41.5
36.2
42.9
32.8
36.6
109.8
37.3
39.6
33.7
33.8
67.7
37.0
41.9
34.8
33.6
82.5
35.6
45.1
34.0
37.5
74.7
35.4
45.6
31.9
37.0
88.8
39.0
41.2
35.6
38.4
76.3
38.5
43.5
36.0
39.6
77.5
35.4
4*1.4
38.3
39.8
70.9
35.6
43.9
35.8
39. 8
84.2
63.1
10.9
7.7
8.8
9.8
64.1
10.9
8.3
8.4
9.8
56.6
9.2
7.4
6.0
9.8
61.8
9.2
7.5
6.0
9.9
59.4
9.7
7.1
5.6
10.0
59.6
9.7
7.4
5.8
9.9
CO.O
10.0
7.7
10.8
62.7
10.0
7.9
5.5
11.3
59.3
10.0
7.0
6.9
11.6
63 5
10 0
7.5
70
12.0
14.1
29.4
19.9
18.0
14.1
14.2
25.5
22.9
17.3
12.1
14.5
27.6
23.5
17.8
12.1
14.6
24.8
20.1
16.1
12.4
14.5
27.0
19.9
15.4
12.5
14.7
25.4
‘ 21.5
19.4
11.9
14.9
28.8
20.6
19.6
12.0
15.0
25.2
20.6
16.1
13.9
14.8
27.8
20.4
18.5
13.9
15.0
25.9
19.0
18.7
12.3
15 0
27 9
18 7
18.7
12.5
5.1
‘ ■1
6.3
18.8
21.3
5.4
7. 8
6.6
19.1
20. 2
3.5
7.1
4.4
16.4
20.5
3.8
8.9
6.2
16.8
19.9
4.6
6.9
5.6
18.3
17.9
4.8
7.4
7.4
18.2
18.2
3.9
7.6
4.7
18.1
18.5
4.4
8.2
6.1
18.0
18.7
4.8
8.0
6.4
17.4
20.9
4.8
8.4
6.9
17.9
20.5
4.3
7.9
4.5
17.3
16.4
48
91
74
17 3
16.8
21.6
15. 3
12. 8
81.1
54.3
21.9
15.2
18.1
81.1
54.1
20.8
16.9
11.3
59. 5
50.3
20.7
15.9
11.5
59.0
50.1
19.7
14.6
16.3
64.4
45.7
19.5
14.8
15.5
66.6
45.1
17.5
15.9
13.3
85.0
51.0
17.7
16.4
17.2
86.8
51.4
20.3
15.4
13.2
84.3
53.8
21.7
15.3
19.1
89.5
53.3
16 8
15.5
13.0
78. 8
47.5
15 8
13 9
78 8
47.3
30.2
22. 8
41. 0
59. 9
29.1
21. 0
45. 8
51. 3
25.8
23.2
40.3
49.2
26.1
25.2
40.6
44.4
28.1
18.5
39.2
49.2
28.3
21.9
38.5
48.1
31.3
25.4
34. 3
49.9
30.7
26.8
32.3
49.2
33.7
25.1
40.0
35.0
31.3
25.6
40.0
36.7
29 6
25.4
51. 7
57.5
26* 4
52 5
56.3
215-16 ounce can.
* Baked weight.
159898°—20— -6
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
*8-ounce package.
[381]’
e 23-ounce package.
'(¡No. 2. can.
10 8
29 0
78
M ONTHLY
L A B O E E E V IE W ,
T able 5 __AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES
Little Rock,
Ark.
Article.
Louisville, Ky.
Manchester,
N. H.
Memphis,
Tenn.
Unit.
Nov. 15, Dec. 15, Nov. 15, Dec. 15, Nov. 15, Dec. 15, Nov. 15, Dec. 15,
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
i 54.5
47.8
30.3
26.6
54.8
48.2
31.0
26.9
31.6
47.9
49.3
29.0
36.8
44.3
47.8
48.9
36.1
45.9
32.3
15.0
32.8
16.0
18.3
77. i
44.0
17.2
77.5
43.8
37.8
42.5
39.8
39.8
68.6
38.5
43.4
37.2
39.1
81.0
D oz..
Lb.s..
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
61.4
10.0
7.4
5.6
11.1
Cornflakes................................
(4)
Cream of Wheat...................... (5)
Macaroni.................................. L b ...
Rice.......................................... L b ...
Beans, navy............................. L b ...
Sirloin steak............................
Round steak............................
Rib roast..................................
Chuck roast.............................
Plate beef.................................
Lb
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
Lb..
34.7
32.5
27.9
23.7
17.7
34.4
32.1
27.9
23.2
17.1
33.1
30.4
26.2
22.3
18.5
32.7
31.2
26.0
22.9
19.3
Pork chops.............................
Bacon.......................................
Ham........................... ............
Lamb........................................
Hens.........................................
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
41.3
55.6
53.0
35.6
35.5
39.5
54.7
51.3
33.8
.33.9
37.6
52.0
48.8
29.2
37.9
Salmon (canned).....................
Milk, fresh...............................
Milk, evaporated (unsweetened).....................................
Butter.......................................
Oleomargarine.........................
L b ...
Q t...
33.6
20.0
34.0
20.0
(2)
L b ...
L b ...
18.2
73.8
44.1
Nut margarine........................
Cheese......................................
Lard..........................................
Crisco........................................
Eggs, strictly fresh..................
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
Doz..
Eggs, storage............................
Bread.......................................
Flour........................................
Corn meal................................
Rolled oats...............................
C ts .
C ts.
36.3
33.6
28.2
22.8
18.2
32.8
28.3
22.5
17 0
36.3
46.6
47.2
34.6
45.9
40.7
53.6
54.6
38.0
36.6
36.1
53.6
52.5
36.7
36.9
36.2
15.0
37.4
15.0
35.7
19. C
36.2
19.0
16.9
77.8
44.3
18.1
76.4
43.4
18.1
79.9
43.5
17.3
76.9
43.1
17.6
79.5
42.2
33.5
41.8
34.8
35.2
74.7
34.7
42.4
31.2
35.0
81.9
34.8
42.9
37.8
38.1
104.5
34.3
42.9
36.1
37.2
108.2
39.7
42.1
36.6
36.8
68.7
40.3
43.5
34.2
36.9
86.2
66.4
10. t
7.5
5.9
11.0
59.3
10.0
7.3
5.2
9.8
60.3
10.0
7.5
5.2
9.8
63.8
9.5
7.9
7.4
9.7
64.8
9.5
8.2
7.3
9.6
56.3
10.0
7.4
5.3
11.0
66.2
10.0
7.6
5.2
11.1
14.6
25.4
19.1
17.9
13.1
14.7
26.9
19.0
16.9
12.6
14.0
25.9
17.8
18.5
12.1
14.0
26.5
17.3
18.1
11.9
14.9
25.0
24.0
17.1
12.5
1/1 Q
26.8
24.3
17.7
12.1
14.2
24.3
18.7
16.5
13.9
14.3
27.1
19.3
17.1
13.0
Potatoes................................... L b ...
Onions......... ............................ L b ...
Cabbage.................................. L b ...
Beans, baked.........................
(6)
Corn, canned........................... (s)
4.5
8.0
5.7
16.6
17.9
4.3
8.9
7. 7
10.9
18.1
3.7
5.8
4.6
15.8
18.0
3.8
7.3
6.3
15.9
17.9
3.4
6.3
3.7
18.4
21.8
3.5
9.1
5.1
17.9
20.9
4,5
7.9
5.1
18.0
18.3
4.9
8.3
6.2
18.4
18.6
Peas, canned............................ (e)
Tomatoes, canned................. (6)
Sugar, granulated................... L b ...
Tea............................................ L b ...
Coffee........................................ L b ...
18.4
14.9
17.6
87.4
51.7
18.9
14.8
22.4
85.8
51.4
17.9
15.3
11.7
79.9
49.3
17.7
15.3
18.1
79.8
48.7
21.3
18.3
11.2
61.9
51.9
20.8
17.0
11.5
62.1
51.5
18.5
16.2
21.5
89.9
52.3
IS. 6
15.8
21.8
87.7
53.3
Prunes......................................
Raisins.....................................
Bananas...................................
Oranges....................................
27.5
23.4
36.3
52.9
27.7
26.5
38.6
50.9
29.8
23.1
36.7
45.0
29.1
23.7
37.1
42.7
28.5
24.4
38.8
56.6
29.8
25.3
40.0
55.8
35.8
24.2
40.6
49.0
33.9
24.4
41.4
44.0
L b ...
L b ...
D oz..
D oz..
1 The steak for which prices are here quoted is known as porterhouse in most of the cities included in this
report, but in this city it is called “sirloin steak.”
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[382]
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
80
T able 5.-- A V E R A G E R E T A I L P R I C E S O F T H E P R I N C I P A L A R T I C L E S
P e o ria , 111.
A rtic le .
P o rtla n d , Me.
P o r tla n d , O reg.
U n it.
N ov.
15,
1919.
D ec.
15,
1919.
N ov.
15,
1919.
D ec.
15.
1919.
N ov.
15,
1919.
D ec.
15,
1919.
N ov.
15,
1919.
D ec.
15,
1919.
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
S irlo in s t e a k .................................
R o u n d s t e a k ................................
R ib r o a s t .......................................
C h u ck r o a s t ..................................
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
Lb
32.5
30.3
24.3
21.2
15.3
33.3
30.7
23.7
21.5
15.4
155.3
46.8
31.1
24.4
156.3
45.7
30.4
23.7
30.6
29.1
27.9
21.1
15.9
31.2
29.8
27.8
22.2
16.5
i 65.3
53.6
42.0
34.8
66.7
54.3
42.6
34.9
P o r k ch o p s ....................................
B a c o n ..............................................
H a m ................................................
L a m b ..............................................
H e n s ........ .......................................
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
34.9
51.2
52.3
31.3
32.5
33.9
50.2
53.3
31.3
32.4
47.6
48.8
51.9
33.5
45.4
40.4
48.2
51.6
34.8
44.4
41.5
55.6
52.9
30.7
37.5
42.1
55.6
53.8
31.9
41.1
48.7
48.1
61.1
41.1
47.2
39.8
49.3
60.6
40.5
47. 4
S alm o n (c a n n e d )........................
M ilk, f r e s h ....................................
M ilk, e v a p o ra te d (u n s w e e t
en e d ).
B u t t e r .............................................
O le o m a rg a rin e ............... ..............
L b ...
Q t...
33.3
14.3
17.7
35.3
14.3
17.8
34.9
15.0
17.4
36.4
15.0
17.5
40.8
15.9
17.2
40.8
15.9
17.4
40.0
17.0
17.4
41.0
17.0
17.6
L b ...
L b ...
72.9
44.5
76.3
44.7
76.9
44.6
78.4
44.4
74.1
43.0
76.1
42.2
72.3
40.5
76.6
40.8
N u t m a r g a r in e ............................
C h e e se .............................................
L a r d ................................................
C risco .......................................... ...
E g g s, s tr ic tly f r e s h . . , ..............
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
D o z ..
35.5
43.7
36.1
38.7
74.4
35.6
44.3
34.6
38.3
84.2
35.9
44.8
37.1
38.0
98.3
35.6
44.7
35.1
38.0
105.0
38.6
43.8
40.7
42.1
87.9
38.7
44.1
40.0
42.7
87.1
35.0
42.8
36.6
37.4
104.7
35.2
42.9
34.6
37.2
107.8
E g g s, s to ra g e ................................
B r e a d ..............................................
F lo u r ...............................................
C o m m e a l.....................................
R o lle d o a ts ...................................
B o z ..
L b .3 .
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
60.8
10.0
8.0
6.3
9.1
62.7
10.0
8.3
6.2
9.4
67.4
11.0
7.6
6.9
8.3
67.9
11.0
8.0
6.8
7.9
69.5
10.6
6 .8
7.6
9.1
67.5
10.6
6 .8
7.7
9.1
62.8
10.6
8.0
6.4
9.3
64.8
10.7
8.8
6.5
9.8
C o rn fla k e s ................................... (4)--~
C rea m of W h e a t ......................... (0 ....
M acaro n i........................................ L b . . .
R ic e ................................................. L b . . .
B e a n s, n a v y ............................. ... L b . . .
14.7
26.0
19.1
17.9
12.2
14.7
29.4
20.1
18.2
12.1
14.3
25.2
23.0
16.6
12.1
14.2
28.0
22.9
16.7
12.1
14.6
28.2
18. 7
18.8
11.8
14.6
31.3
18.7
17.9
11.0
13.9
24.7
22.0
17.4
11.7
14.1
27.3
22.2
17.8
11.7
P o ta to e s ......................................... L b . . .
O n io n s............................................ L b . . .
C a b b a g e ......................................... L b . . .
B ea n s, b a k e d ............................... 0)-.-C orn, c a n n e d ................................ (« ).-
3.6
7.5
4.4
18.0
17.4
4.0
7.7
6.4
18.1
17.4
3.4
6.3
2.7
20.0
19.8
3 .8
8.8
4.8
19.3
19.6
3.3
5.6
3.4
21.8
22.5
4.0
6.4
5.6
22.0
22.3
3.7
6.6
4.1
16.4
20.0
4.0
8.8
6.0
16.8
20.5
P e a s , c a n n e d ................................ («)....
T o m a to e s, c a n n e d ...................... 0 )....
S u g ar, g r a n u la te d ...................... L b . . .
T e a ................................................... L b . . .
Coffee........................................... L b . . .
18.5
15.9
13.1
73.7
46.9
18.3
15.5
14.0
73.0
47.2
20.6
19.0
11.0
63.6
51.0
21.1
19.0
11.3
62.6
50.7
22.5
18.4
11.8
63.2
50.4
22.9
18.9
12.5
63.1
50.0
19.8
17.3
11.1
60.2
52.1
20.4
17.8
11.6
60.5
52.7
L b ...
L b ...
D o z ..
D o z ..
31.7
22.4
11.0
53.7
31.0
24.9
10.9
52.7
28.1
24.3
38.3
64.7
28.2
25.0
37.5
61.3
25.2
20.9
45.0
64.6
26.2
21.8
45.0
59.2
29.0
22.8
42.0
64.3
28.6
23.2
41.7
61.3
P r u n e s ............................................
R a is in s ...........................................
B a n a n a s ............. ...........................
O ra n g e s .........................................
m
P ro v id e n c e ,
R . I.
m
1 T h e s te a k for w h ic h p ric e s a re h e re q u o te d is k n o w n as “ p o r te r h o u s e ” in m o s t of th e c itie s in c lu d e d
re p o rt, b u t in th is c ity i t is ca lled “ s irlo in s te a k .”
1
in th is
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
*
[3 8 4 ]
81
P R IC E S AND COST OF LIV IN G ,
O F F O O D F O R 31 C IT IE S ON NOV. 15, A N D D EC. 15, 1919—Concluded.
R ichm ond, Va.
m
Rochester, N . Y. St. Paul, Minn. Salt Lake City,
U tah.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Nov.
15,
1919.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
Cts.
42.3
38.5
32.7
27.9
22.3
41.0
37.6
34.5
27.3
22.5
43.1
48.9
49.0
39.4
41.3
39. 5
46.6
46.7
39.3
39.7
27.4
16.7
17.1
38.0
35.0
30.6
27.2
18.8
38.1
34.4
30.5
27.3
18.4
31.3
27.5
27.3
21.9
13.7
41.4
42.4
49.1
30.1
41.1
38.9
42.0
48.5
30.2
40.8
27.5
16.7
17.3
35.8
14. 5
17.3
79.8
43.8
82.6
43.3
37.3
43.4
37.4
38.7
76.9
Dec.
15,
1919.
Cts.
3 2 .8
2 8 .8
Scranton, Pa.
Springfield. 111.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Nov.
15,
1919.
Dec.
15,
1919.
Cts.
Cts.
Cts.
Cts.
Cts.
Cts.
31.5
28.4
24.8
20.3
15.4
43.2
37.5
34.4
27.5
17.4
42.5
36.8
33.7
27.4
17.4
31. 5
31.4
22.7
19.9
15.5
28.8
22.9
15.0
30.9
28.8
25.3
20.8
15.1
35.4
47.4
48.8
26.2
28.9
34.0
46.8
48.1
27.4
31.2
41.3
53.7
53.0
27.4
35.6
40.4
52.3
53.3
26.8
33.1
45.1
53.7
50.0
39.9
45.5
42.6
53.6
47.5
40.7
45.5
37.6
45.7
48.8
33.3
33.0
35.5
45.4
48.9
31.9
31.5
37.1
14.8
17.3
36.9
13.0
17.4
37.7
13.0
17.6
35.0
12.5
16.9
37.1
12.5
16.0
39.2
15. 0
16.1
38.8
15.0
16.4
35.6
16.7
18.3
35.8
16.7
18.6
72.9
44.6
75.5
44.4
72.9
41.1
74.1
41.2
74.4
42.9
76.8
42.0
69.6
44.4
73.2
45.3
77.8
45.4
78.9
44.9
38.1
43.7
35.7
38.5
83.1
34.6
42.0
36.4
36.7
94.4
34.8
42.0
34.8
36.4
102.5
34.6
41.9
35.4
41.2
73.8
34.6
42.6
34.5
39.7
94.5
39.3
42.7
39.8
43.2
82.7
38.5
42.7
39.6
44.5
83.8
37.6
41.1
. 37.5
37.9
88.6
36.1
41.4
36.5
38.4
108.3
36.0
44.6
36.3
40.2
72.8
36.3
44.8
35.9
40.6
82.0
64.5
11.1
7.7
6.1
10.8
66.3
10.9
8.1
6.2
10.5
61.2
10.0
7.5
7.0
7.4
62.7
10.0
8.0
7.3
7.5
60.5
9.4
7.5
6.5
7.8
62.3
9.2
8.2
6.6
7.8
65.2
10.1
6.2
7.4
9.2
67.0
10.3
6.5
7.4
9.1
63.1
10.0
7.9
8.7
10.4
63.5
10.0
8.3
9.1
10.5
61.1
10.0
7.6
6.6
10.5
65.2
10.0
8.1
6.4
9.9
14.7
25.7
18.7
19.1
14.0
14.5
27.8
18.6
18.9
13.3
13.8
24.8
20.8
18.0
12.1
13.9
27.8
20.8
18.4
12.1
14.4
25.6
19.2
19.0
12.0
14.5
30.2
19.2
18.8
11.8
14.7
26.5
19.0
17.8
12.9
14.8
29.7
19.5
17.3
13.4
14.2
25.4
21.8
18.0
14.8
14.2
26.4
22.2
18.6
14.5
14.9
27.5
18.9
18.8
12.7
15.0
28.5
19.5
19.3
12.8
4.8
6.9
5.1
14.9
19.4
4.8
8.6
6.6
14.3
19.4
2.9
6.4
3.4
15.2
19.8
3.8
7.6
4.7
14.8
19.6
3.2
6.7
3.5
19.3
18.0
3.5
7.8
0. 1
19.3
17.7
3.3
6.1
5.4
19.3
18.1
4.0
7.0
6.3
20.0
17.8
3.4
6.3
3.0
16.3
20.0
3.9
7.7
4.4
16.1
19.4
4.1
6.9
4.4
17.9
16.9
4.4
7.9
6.0
19.2
17.0
22.4
18.3
11.3
83.3
47.4
22.0
18.8
11.9
84.3
46.6
19.7
16.3
11.0
63.3
46.4
19.7
16.3
11.9
64.7
46.3
17.1
16.0
13.8
63.4
50.8
17.4
16.0
14.4
65.0
51.0
18.0
17.0
12.3
79.9
58.6
18.2
16.9
12.8
79.2
57.8
19.1
11.6
67.2
50.0
18.8
17.9
12.4
67.5
49.5
18.0
16.7
13.9
85.3
50.6
18.7
16.7
14.7
84.2
51.2
33.3
21.9
45.4
50.9
29.5
23.6
45. 5
43.8
28.7
21.8
41.1
57.2
28.7
23.4
41.6
49.8
29.1
22.9
55.0
58.4
30.4
24.4
56.7
58.1
18.8
23.1
51.0
56.4
27.9
24.8
47.0
53.8
27.9
22.0
34.6
58.6
28.5
24.6
34.6
55.9
31.7
25.0
38.3
52.2
33.1
25.0
50.0
51.9
2 15-16 ounce can.
s B aked weight.
4 8-ounce package.
#
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[385]
17.5
6 28-ounce package.
6 No. 2 can.
32.1
32.0
22.9
20.1
16.0
82
M O N T H L Y LABOE R E V IE W .
Comparison of Retail Food Costs in 50 Cities.
HE table following shows for 39 cities the percentage of increase
or decrease in the retail cost of 22 food articles,1 combined, in
December, 1919, as compared with the average cost in the year 1913,
in December, 1918, and in November, 1919. For 11 other cities, com
parisons are given for the one-year and the one-month periods.
These cities have been scheduled by the Bureau at different dates
since 1913.
The average family expenditure is based on tiie prices sent to the
Bureau each month by retail dealers, and on the average family
consumption of these articles in each city.
The amounts given as the expenditures in December, 1918, and in
November and December, 1919, represent the amounts necessary to
buy a year’s supply of these 22 food articles when purchased at the
average retail prices charged in the months specified, This method
makes it easier to ascertain the increase over the year 1913. The
year 1913 has been selected for the comparison because it was the last,
year before the war, when prices were normal.
No attempt should be made in this table to compare one city with
another, as the average number of persons in the family varies from
city to city, and these 22 food articles represent a varying proportion
of the entire food budgets according to locality. This table is
intended merely to show comparisons in the retail cost of these 22
food articles for each city.
As may be seen in Table 6, the average family expenditure for 22
articles of food1 increased in December in all but 4 of the 50 cities. In
Fall River, Boston, Norfolk, and Richmond, the decrease was less than
five-tenths of 1 per cent. In Baltimore, Manchester, and Portland,
Me., the increase was less than five-tenths of 1 per cent. In 8 cities,
the expenditure increased 1 per cent each; in 18 cities, 2 per cent
each; and in 12 cities, 3 per cent each. In Atlanta and Scranton, the
increase was 4 per cent, and in Minneapolis, Omaha, and St. Paul,
5 per cent. During the year period from December, 1918, to De
cember, 1919, the three cities showing the greatest increases were
Minneapolis, 14 per cent; Omaha, 12 per cent; and Mobile, 10 per
cent. Baltimore decreased 2 per cent and was the only city which
showed a decrease as compared with December, 1918. As compared
with the average expenditure in the year 1913, the following cities
showed an increase of 100 per cent and over: Richmond and Provi
dence, 100 per cent each; Buffalo, 101 per cent; Atlanta, 102 per
cent; Milwaukee and Washington, 103 per cent each; St. Louis, 104
1 See first paragraph of note 1, page 57 ; lamb is not included.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[386]
83
PR IC E S AND COST OF LIV IN G .
per cent; Charleston, Memphis, and Minneapolis, 105 per cent each;
Detroit, 106 per cent; Omaha, 108 per cent; and Birmingham, 109
per cent.
T a b l e 8 -— RETAIL COST OF 22 FOOD ARTICLES,1 COMBINED, IN DECEMBER, 1919,
COMPARED WITH THE COST IN NOVEMBER, 1919, DECEMBER, 1918, AND WITH
THE AVERAGE COST IN THE YEAR 1913, BY CITIES.
Average family expenditure for 22 food
articles, combined.
City.
Percentage increase, Decem
ber, 1919, compared with—
K 19
1913
Atlanta......................................... $361.00
335.15
Baltimore.....................................
373.53
Birmingham.................................
Boston..........................................
388.16
Bridgeport...................................
Buffalo.........................................
318.15
Butte.......................
348. 60
Charleston.................................
Chicago.........................................
336.48
Cincinnati....................................
33S. 26
354.01
Cleveland...................................
Columbus.....................................
Dallas...........................................
395.41
Denver.......................................... ■ 247.36
Detroit..........................................
335.02
Fall River....................................
375. 51
Houston...................................
Indianapolis..................... ............
345.23
Jacksonville.................................
377.10
Kansas City.................................
340.12
Little Rock..................................
330.14
Los Angeles.................................
284. 84
Louisville.....................................
363.85
Manchester...................................
366. 01
Memphis......................................
368.45
Milwaukee...................................
327. 25
Minneapolis.................................
319. 98
Mobile......................................
Newark.........................................
364.92
New Haven.................................
376.96
New Orleans................................
369. 29
New York..............................
355.36
Norfolk......................................
Omaha..........................................
334. 52
Peoria...........................................
Philadelphia.................................
352. Ì9
Pittsburgh...................................
350.35
Portland, Me...............................
Portland, Oreg............................
266.03
Providence...................................
380.85
Richmond.................................
346.40
Rochester...................................
St. Louis......................................
326.36
St. Paul.......................................
Salt Lake City.............................
261. 87
San Francisco..............................
271. 48
Scranton...........................
335.98
S eattle..............................
265.35
Springfield.........................
Washington..........................
354.82
Decem
ber,
1918.2
$678.48
681.51
732.74
709.74
686.38
617.38
480.47
681.40
617.03
615.94
650. 55
638, 05
723.10
451.92
630. 21
695.79
696.30
623.35
690.34
637.01
705.71
470.83
685. 77
686.22
706. 74
617. 76
577.06
710.01
680. 75
704.34
692.71
677. 42
677.99
622.35
665.10
656. 58
687.01
458.67
722.07
680.34
629.30
623.82
598.99
449. 34
471.10
656.95
476. 97
621.31
702.31
Novem
ber.2
Decem
ber.3
$701.06
666.96
771. 53
735.42
695.16
620.04
478. 96
699.39
653.52
645.31
686.52
658.04
750.20
463. 47
672.87
713. 78
721.18
657.07
694. 52
658. 29
735.8S
483. 77
687.24
704. 27
744. 0-i
644. 83
624.79
778. 06
673. 07
708.93
700.14
692.03
$729. 36
668.08
787.24
733.87
708.17
640.30
493.92
713. 67
666. 53
656. 05
699.83
667.29
759.67
474.28
689.00
712.40
736.63
678.18
710.28
678.17
754.15
497. 01
690.32
704.95
754.17
662. 68
657.00
700 49
607 27
662.54
636. 07
676.56
680.75
704.38
475. 50
753. 62
694. 63
636.62
649.99
619. 85
459. 06
479. 50
663.21
490. 69
658. 06
7ÏÏ. 22
696.01
654 83
691.03
691.77
705. 65
487. 67
761.77
692. 89
779 99
685. 60
718.31
719.88
708.30
655 54
666.96
650 80
466.37
493. 51
687.15
500.15
671 43
721. 54
1913
Decem
ber,
1918.
102
99
109
89
101
105
98
94
98
92
92
106
90
96
88
99
93
75
91
93
105
103
105
88
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
5
5
9
2
6
7
6
2
3
7
7
14
192
96
97
4
3
104
6
6
7
9
4
5
5
103
3
88
2
(5)
3
(4)
2
2
1
1
3
2
1
2
3
K0)
2
2
\ )
3
1
(5)
78
82
99
4
9
22
2
1
2
9
1
2
108
83
(5)
9
3
4
5
100
100
(4)
8
7
8
91
95
99
1 See first paragraph of note 1, page 57; lamb is not included.
3 Cost of year’s supply at prices charged in specified months.
3 Decrease.
4 Increase of iess than five-tenths of 1 ner cent.
6 Decrease of less than five-tenths of 1 'per cent,
[087]
8
32
7
3
3
4
3
K
Novem
ber,
1919.
3
2
3
4
9
1
84
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
R etail P rice C hanges in G reat B ritain.
HE following table gives for Great Britain tlie increase in the
cost of food and general family expenditure by years, Janu
ary, 1915 to 1919, and by months, January, 1919, to January,
1920, inclusive, over July, 1914. The food items included in this re
port are: Bibs and thin flank of beef, both British and chilled or
frozen: legs and breast of mutton, British and chilled or frozen;
bacon, fish, flour, bread, tea, sugar, milk; butter, fresh and salt;
cheese, margarine, eggs, and potatoes.
The table gives percentages of increase, and is not one of relative
prices, as is the table given for the United States. When making
comparisons this should be borne in mind, and to obtain the relative
price it is necessary to add 100 to the percentage as given, i. e.,
January, 1919, the increase is 130, the relative price being 230.
The figures represent two comparisons: First, the increase in price
based on the same quantities as used in July, 1914; second, the in
crease in the cost of living, based on the change in the quality of the
standard of living. In other words, the increase in column one of
the table shows what the wage earner paid for the same quantities
of food, while the figures in column two give the change that results
from a substitution of one kind of food for another to meet wartime
conditions.
The same method is used in family expenditures, the third column
showing percentage of increase of all articles and the last column
giving approximate figures, based on the increase in cost of all articles
and the estimated changes in consumption of food.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[3S8]
85
PR IC E S AND COST OF L IV IN G .
INCREASE IN FOOD AND ALL ITEMS IN GREAT BRITAIN, BASED ON JULY, 1914.
[Compiledfrom the British Labour Gazette.]
Per cent of increase as compared with July, 1914.
Food.
All items in family budget.
Year and month.
Retail prices,
assuming
same
quantities.
January, 1915
January, 1916
January, 1917
January, 1918
January, 1919
18
45
87
106
130
January...
February.
March.......
April........
130
130
May.........
June.........
July.........
August__
September
October...
November.
December.
January.
Expenditures,
allowing for
estimated
changes in
consumption.
1
i 45
••'59
79
131
134
79
77
79
87
81
87
97
108
103
113
119
116
136
115
120
113
107
104
109
117
116
122
Expenditures,
allowing for
estimated
changes in
consumption.
Retail prices,
assuming
same
quantities.
2 GO
85-90
4120
90
4120
4120
4115
4110
4105
3105
90
90-95
90
95
90
95
105-110
115
115
100
no
125
125
120
105
110-115
115-120
110-115
125
115
1Approximate increase if standard of consumption is changed as follows: Eggs omitted, margarine
substituted for butter; sugar and fish consumption cut one-half.
2Not including taxes.
3Based on change in standard of food consumption adopted by the Ministry of Food.
4The increase, excluding additional taxation, is 7 per cent less.
6The increase, excluding additional taxation, is 6 per cent less-
Index N um bers of W holesale P rices in th e
U nited S tates, 1913, to December, 1919,
A
FURTHER large increase in wholesale prices in the United
States is shown by the Bureau’s weighted index number for
December, which stands at 238 as compared with 230 for
November and 223 for October, the average for the year 1913 being
regarded as 100. Food products furnished one of the most notable
instances of price increase from November to December, the index
number rising from 219 to 234, or nearly 7 per cent. The group of
lumber and building materials showed an even greater increase, its
index number advancing from 236 to 253, or more than 7 per cent. In
the remaining groups farm products increased from 240 to 244, cloths
and clothing from 325 to 335, and metals and metal products from 164
to 169. Somewhat smaller increases were recorded for chemicals and
drugs (176 to 179), and house-furnishing goods (299 to 303). The
fuel and lighting group showed an increase of only 2 points, from 179
to 181, while in the group of miscellaneous commodities no change in
the general price level took place.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[389]
86
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
The striking increase in the index number for the group of food
products is due in large measure to the considerable increases that took
place in December in the wholesale prices of eggs, wheat and rye
flour, milk, potatoes, and particularly raw and granulated sugar. All
of these commodities, owing to their importance, are quite heavily
weighted in calculating the Bureau’s index number. At New York
the price of 96° centrifugal sugar averaged 41 per cent higher in
December than in the preceding month. Granulated sugar was 23
per cent higher, eggs from 16 to 20 per cent higher, and potatoes 15
per cent higher in December than in.. November. In the group of
lumber and building materials a number of important articles
averaged from 12 to 14 per cent higher in price.
Among other important commodities showing increased prices are
cotton, flaxseed, wheat, barley, oats, rye, hay, sheep, tobacco, butter,
corn meal, hams, lamb and mutton, molasses, vinegar, cotton and
woolen goods, silk, coke, crude and refined petroleum, pig iron, piglead, silver, steel, pig tin, spelter, brick, lumber, plate glass, shingles,
lead carbonate, linseed oil, ammonia, glycerine, quinine, wooden furni
ture, bran, and lubricating oil.
Some articles, as corn, cattle, hides, hogs, peanuts, cheese, coffee,
fruits, bacon, lard, tallow, sole leather, copper, and cottonseed meal
and oil were cheaper in December, while beef, beans, canned goods,
fish, oleomargarine, salt, tea, wool, coal, matches, gasoline, iron ore,
lime, cement, glass and earthen ware, jute, paper, rope, rubber, soap,
and wood pulp showed practically no change in price.
In the following table the complete series of index numbers for
each group of commodities and for all commodities combined is shown
for each month of the 7-year period, 1913 to 1919, inclusive: 1
1This table is published quarterly, in th e February, May, August, and November issuer,
of the M o n t h l y L abor R eview . A somewhat abridged -table of index numbers is
published in other issues.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[300]
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
OF WHOLESALE PRICES BY GROUPS OF COMMODI
MONTHS, 1913 TO 1919.
BY
[1913=100.]
Fuel
and
light
ing.
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
98
97
96
95
99
102
104
105
102
105
101
100
101
100
100
100
99
100
100
100
100
100
99
103
103
102
98
98
100
99
100
100
100
99
99
107
105
102
102
102
100
98
99
99
99
96
92
100
101
101
101
101
101
101
99
99
98
98
98
101
101
101
101
100
100
99
99
99
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
101
102
103
103
104
104
104
109
108
103
101
99
102
100
97
95
96
100
104
112
116
107
106
105
98
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
98
97
96
96
99
99
99
98
95
94
95
94
95
93
93
94
92
92
92
91
87
86
85
85
86
83
81
83
98
99
99
99
98
98
97
97
96
96
95
94
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
104
105
105
104
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
102
105
105
107
109
105
108
107
103
105.
102
103
106
108
104
105
105
102
104
102
100
102
107
111
96
97
97
99
99
99
99
99
100
103
105
107
93
92
92
89
89
89
90
92
94
96
98
too
83
87
89
• 91
96
100
102
100
100
100
104
114
94
95
94
94
94
93
93
92
92
93
94
97
103
102
102
102
102
104
108
112
116
124
142
153
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
. 99
103
108
108
109
111
114
116
116
118
126
131
136
146
142
113
114
115
117
119
119
121
128
133
140
150
145
110
113
117
119
122
121
126
128
131
138
146
155
105
106
108
108
107
108
108
110
115
133
155
170
126
132
141
147
151
149
145
145
148
151
160
185
99
100
101
101
102
101
99
100
100
101
104
106
150
170
175
172
166
166
156
146
147
150
155
159
105
105
106
108
112
112
121
122
122
124
123
124
114
117
118
119
119
123
128
134
144
146
148
151
163
181
197
197
199
205
204
208
212
205
150
159
ICO
182
190
187
181
180
178
183
184
185
161
162
164
169
173
179
187
193
193
193
198
202
176
185
188
184
194
201
192
165
160
146
155
158
183
190
199
208
217
239
257
249
226
182
174
174
106
108
110
114
117
127
132
133
134
134
134
135 i
159
160
165
170 .
179
ISO
198
209
223
252
210
238 1
132
132
132
139
139
144
152
152
152
152
155
155
Food,
etc.
100
97
97
99
97
98
99
101
101
104
103
101
101
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Lum
ber
Metals
House
and Chem fur Miscel
and
metal build icals
nish lane
and
ous.
prod
ing
ing
ucts.
ma drugs. goods.
terial.
Cloths
and
cloth
ing.
Farm
prod
ucts.
[391]
11
n i
xi
es.
100
09
98
98
100
100
101
102
101
101
99
100
99
99
98
98
99
100
103
104
99
98
98
99
101
99
100
101
99
101
100
99
101
110
112
151
156
161
172
182
185
186
185
183
181
183
88
MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW,
INDEX NUMBERS OF WHOLESALE PRICES BY GROUPS OF COMMODITIES AND B Y
MONTHS, 1913 TO 1919.
[1913 = 100.]
Food,
etc.
Fuel
and
light
ing.
207
208
212
217
214
217
221
230
237
224
221
222
187
186
177
178
177
179
184
191
199
201
206
210
211
216
223
232
237
215
249
252
255
257
256
250
157
157
158
157
160
159
166
166
167
167
171
171
174
176
176
177
178
178
184
185
184
187
188
184
136
138
144
146
148
150
154
157
159
158
164
164
232
232
232
229
223
219
216
222
220
218
215
195
161
161
165
172
173
198
199
221
226
226
226
227
178
181
184
191
194
196
190
191
194
136
203
204
185
186
187
190
190
193
198
202
207
204
206
206
222
218
228
235
240
231
246
243
226
230
240
244
207
196
203
211
214
204
216
227
211
211
219
234
234
223
216
217
228
258
282
304
306
313
325
335
170
169
168
167
167
170
171
175
181
181
179
181
172
168
162
152
152
154
158
165
160
161
164
169
161
163
105
162
164
175
186
208
227
231
230
253
191
185
183
178
179
174
171
172
173
174
176
179
218
218
218
217
217
233
245
259
262
264
299
303
212
208
217
216
213
212
221
225
217
220
220
220
203
197
201
203
207
207
218
226
220
223
230
238
1918.
January.....................
February..................
March........................
April..........................
May...........................
June..........................
July...........................
August......................
September................
October.....................
N ovember................
December.................
1919.
January.....................
February..................
March........................
April..........................
May...........................
June..........................
July...........................
August......................
September................
October.....................
N ovember................
December i ...............
Year and month.
Lum
Metals
ber
House
All
and
and Chem fur Miscel com
metal build icals
nish lane mod
and
prod
ing
ous.
ing
ities.
ucts.
ma drugs. goods.
terial.
Cloths
and
cloth
ing.
Farm
prod
ucts.
1 Preliminary.
In order that a comparison of wholesale price trends over the
entire period since 1890 may be obtained, the following table is pre
sented. These yearly index numbers are constructed in the same
manner as the monthly figures shown in the preceding table and are
directly comparable therewith:
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[392]
89
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
IN DEX NUMBERS OF WHOLESALE PRICES, 1890 to 1918, BY GROUPS OF COMMODITIES.
[1913=100.]
Lum
Metals
ber
and
and
metal build
prod
ing
ucts. mate
rials.
Chem House
All
fur Miscel com
icals
nish
lane modi
and
ous.
ing
ties.
drugs. goods.
Food,
etc.
Cloths
and
cloth
ing.
Fuel
and
light
ing.
68
73
06
67
59
89
89
80
87
77
94
91
91
88
78
69
68
66
66
61
114
102
93
85
72
72
70
67
68
66
90
92
91
90
83
72
72
71
68
67
92
92
88
91
86
81
82
76
77
69
1895............................
1891)............................
1897............................
1898............................
1899............................
60
54
58
01
02
74
07
71
76
75
78
75
75
79
82
67
69
62
61
71
77
80
71
71
108
04
63
62
65
71
88
91
89
93
96
62
58
56
61
62
82
80
80
79
82
70
66
67
69
74
1900............................
1901............................
1902............................
1903............................
1904............................
69
73
81
75
80
79
80
85
82
87
88
82
84
88
89
80
78
92
105
91
106
98
97
96
88
76
73
77
80
80
97
98
97
96
97
69
69
73
74
73
91
90
92
94
94
80
79
85
85
86
1905............................
1900............................
1907............................
1908............................
1909............................
77
78
85
85
97
86
84
89
94
99
91
97
104
94
98
87
90
93
91
88
98
113
120
94
92
85
94
97
92
97
96
94
96
100
101
71
74
80
78
77
95
97
101
97
109
85
88
94
91
97
1910..........................
1911...........................
1912............................
1913............................
1914............ ».............
103
93
101
100
103
100
99
108
100
103
99
96
98
100
98
84
82
89
100
96
93
89
99
100
87
101
101
100
100
97
102
103
101
100
101
80
85
91
100
99
116
104
101
100
99
99
95
101
100
100
1915............................
1916............................
1917............................
1918............................
1919...........................
105
122
189
220
234
104
120
176
189
210
100
128
181
239
261
93
119
175
163
173
97
148
208
181
161
94
101
124
151
192
114
159
198
221
179
99
115
144
196
236
99
120
155
193
217
101
124
176
196
212
Farm
prod
ucts.
1890............................
189.1............................
1892............................
1893............................
1894............................
Year.
C hanges in W holesale P rices in th e U nited
S tates.
NCREASES in the wholesale price of many important commodi
ties in the United States during the last quarter of 1919 are
shown by information collected in representative markets by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among the articles showing an in
crease are sheep, mutton, salt pork, butter, eggs, milk, wheat and
wheat flour, corn and corn meal, oats, rye and rye flour, barley, rice,
potatoes, sugar, cotton and cotton goods, wool and woolen goods,
shoes, coke, iron and steel products, spelter, and crude petroleum.
On the other hand, some articles, as cattle, salt beef, hogs, lard,
hides, sole leather, bituminous coal, copper and copper wire, and pig
tin decreased in price during the quarter, while bacon, hams, anthra
cite coal, tin plate, refined petroleum, and gasoline showed practi
cally no change in price.
I
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[393]
90
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Comparing prices in December with those in January, 1919, it is
seen that butter, eggs, wheat and wheat flour, corn, oats, rye and rye
flour, barley, rice, potatoes, sugar, cotton and cotton goods, wool, hides,
leather, shoes, anthracite coal, coke, iron and steel products, pig lead,
spelter, and crude and refined petroleum averaged higher in price.
Cattle, beef, hogs, bacon, hams, sheep, mutton, milk, corn meal, elec
trolytic copper, copper wire, tin plate, and pig tin were lower in De
cember than in January. Gasoline and bituminous coal showed prac
tically no difference in price for these two months.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[394]
•
•
•
WHOLESALE PRICES IN JULY, 1914, 1915, 1916, AND 1917, AND IN CERTAIN MONTHS OF 1918 AND 1919, AS COMPARED WITH AVERAGE PRICES
IN 1913.1
A v e r a g e m o n e y p r ic e s .
July—
Unit.
Article.
1918
1919
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
Jan.
Apr.
July.
Oct.
Jan.
Apr.
July.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
FOODSTUFFS.
[395]
(5)
$9,213 $9,985 $12,560 $13.113 $1-5.175 $17,625 $17.856 $18,413 $18,325 $16.869 $17.594 $12,500
.132
.141
.164
.175
.205
.240
.245
.245
.245
.208
.229
.235
17.500 18.250 30.500 31.500 31.900 34.875 35.500 35.500 35.500 34.300 23.250 22.833
7.281
9.825 15.460 16.300 17.150 17.720 17.850 17.538 20.500 22.225 14.658 14.644
• 111
.157
.248
.293
.286
.271
.276
.289
.337
.326
.232
.227
.161
.190
.240
.295
.308
.336
.349
.303
.384
.360
.290
.286
.081
.131
.201
.250
.258
.264
.238
.266
.351
. 313
.280
.259
18.500 27.167 42.250 50.400 53.200 48.500 42.500 50.375 55.000 58.900 44.125 46.667
5.469 6.515 8.600 11.144 14.950 10.975
9.469 9.556 13.500 8.125
7.156
7.488
.131
.109
.145
.192
.243
.205
.176
.229
.151
.159
.126
.130
.281
.276
.376
.487
.415
.432
.554
.618
.615
.512
.646
.686
.223
.169
.318
.557
.330
.374
.579
.497
.403
.406
.569
.633
.031
.030
.050
.081
.059
.054
.091
.066
.082
.071’ .073
.078
$17.075
.235
22.100
13.690
.226
.289
.240
47.050
8.940
.140
.681
.733
.085
Vegetable.
Wheat, No. 1, northern..............................
Wheat flour, standard patent....................
Com, No. 2, mixed..... ...............................
Corn meal.....................................................
Oats, standard, in store..............................
Rye, No. 2...................................................
Rye flour................................................. .
Barley, fair to good malting......................
Rice, Honduras, head.................................
Potatoes, white...........................................
Sugar, granulated.......................................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
100 lb s.. $8.507 $9,219
.130
.135
Lb........
B b l........ 18.923 17.250
100 lbs.. 8.365 8.769
Lb........
.141
.127
.177
Lb........
.166
Lb.........
.102
.110
Bbl....... 22.471 23.626
100 lb s.. 4.687 4.538
Lb........
.095
.103
Lb.........
.270
.310
Doz.......
.187
.226
.035
.030
Q t ..----
Bu.........
Bbl.......
Bu.........
100 lb s..
Bu.........
Bu.........
Bbl.......
Bu........
Lb.........
Bu........
Lb........
.874
4.584
.625
1.599
.376
.636
3.468
.625
.051
.614
.043
1 This table is published q u a rte rly
2Standard war flour.
.897
4.594
.710
1.780
.369
.618
3.075
.533
.054
1.206
.042
1.390
7.031
.783
1.750
.529
1.036
5.533
.743
.049
.444
.058
1.170
6.100
.808
1.982
.405
.966
5.035
. 746
.045
.863
.075
2.582 2.170 2.170 2.170 2.216
12.750 210,085 2 9.985 210.702 210.210
2.044
1.775 1,665 1.665
1.385
4.880 4.835 5.350
4.825
3.370
.764
.799
.872
. 765
.693
2.226
1.915 2.648
1.705
1.625
11.417 10.356 13.687 10.500 9.169
1.391
1.534
1.722
1.125
.957
.070
.079
.087
.034
.091
2.375
1.272
.687
1.035
.993
.075
.074
.073
.074
.088
in the February, May, August, a n d November issues of the
2.223
12.275
1.401
3.150
.653
1.613
8.738
.956
.091
1.084
.088
2.589
12.215
1.609
3.525
.681
1.741
10.060
1.133
.087
1.152
.088
2.680
12.155
1.920
4.488
.764
1.555
8.050
1.268
.133
1.683
.088
2.625
12.031
1.400
2.950
.706
1.388
7.413
1.299
.121
1.350
.088
2.825
12.950
1.498
3.060
.728
1.406
7.494
1.404
.127
1.665
.088
3.030
14.025
1.480
3.088
.818
1.684
7.820
1.543
.124
1.917
.109
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
(a) A n im a l.
Cattle, good to choice steers..
Beef, fresh, good native steers
Beef, salt, extra mess.............
Hogs, heavy............................
Bacon, short, clear sides.........
Hams, smoked, loose..............
Lard, prime, contract............
Pork, salt, mess......................
Sheep, ewes.............................
Mutton, dressed......................
Butter, creamery, extra.........
Eggs,fresh, firsts....................
Milk..........................................
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w
Ç©
WHOLESALE PRICES IN JULY, 1914, 1915, 1916, AND 1917, AND IN CERTAIN MONTHS OF 1918 AND 1919, AS COMPARED WITH AVERAGE PRICES
IN 1913—Continued.
CD
to
A v e r a g e m o n e y 'prices —Continued.
1918
J u ly Article.
Unit.
1919
1913
1914
1915
SO.131
.215
.070
.085
.444
SO.092
.160
.060
.075
1916
1917
Jan.
Apr.
July.
Oct.
Jan.
Apr.
July.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
$0,351
.591
.219
.274
1.236
1.600
$0,355
.611
.229
.294
1.236
1.750
$0.395
. 665
0)
.294
1.255
$0,394
.699
i1)
.294
1.255
TEX TILES AND LEA T H E R GOODS.
Lb......... $0.128
.221
Lb.........
.073
Yd.........
.082
Yd.........
Lb.........
.471
Lb.........
.777
Yd........ 1.382
.563
Yd.........
Lb.........
.184
.270
Sq. f t . . .
.449
Lb.........
Pair....... 3.113
1.328
.505
.194
.275
. 475
3.150
3.250
.253
.078
.088
.688
1.100
2.000
.760
.270
.460
.635
3.750
2.175
2.260
2.350
2.750
.2,240 lbs. 5.313
2,000 lbs. 2, 200
2,000 lbs. 2.538
.157
¿ b .........
Lb.........
.167
2.240 lbs. 17.133
2.240 lbs. 25.789
lOOlbs .. 3.558
Lb.........
.449
Lb.........
.044
Lb.........
.058
Bbl....... 2.450
. 123
Gal........
.168
Gal........
5.241
2.200
2.000
.134
.148
14.900
19.000
3.350
.311
.039
.051
1.750
.120
.140
5.200
2.200
2.750
.199
.210
14.950
21.380
3.175
.391
.058
.220
1.350
.120
.120
Pair......
.850
1.508
.539
.258
.280
SO.261 SO. 324 $0,317 $0,312 $0,325
.610
.536
.616
.641
.171
.240
.140
(»)
0)
.180
.250
.250
.160
.230
1.437
1.200 1.455
1.455 1.437
1.600 2.000 2.150 2.150 2.150
3.250 4.065 4.275 4.450
C1)
1.642
1.308
1.308
1.470
1.176
.272
.300
.330
.328
.324
.630
.540
.530
.550
.640
.830
.800
.830
.770
.815
4.750 4.750 5.000 5.645
6.500
3.500
$0.296 $0.290
.417
.445
.150
.191
.209
.176
1.200 1.091
1.750 1.500
C1)
(! )
G)
«
(l)
0)
C1)
1.421
.410
1.275
.915
9.250
1.054
.295
.680
.825
6.500
1.223
.486
1.100
.950
7.476
1.374
.482
1.250
1.025
9.000
1.421
.469
1.275
1.025
9.058
6.250
6.850
6.850
6.850
8.527
8.304 8.507
4.000 4.500 4.100
5.928
4.825
4.095
.217
.204
.215
.248
.264
.244
39.350 29.350 31.263
38.500 38.500 41.375
7.000 7.000 7.000
. 560
.702
.544
.064
.068
.056
.081
.079
.079
4.000 4.250
4.438
.220
.220
.205
.245
.245
. 245
8.521
4.100
6.050
.187
.219
37.000
46.400
7.000
.553
.072
.087
4.600
.220
.245
3.500
4.500
4.850
4.850
4.850
6.600 6.370
3.600 3.600
6.000 6.000
.235
.235
.262
.263
37.250 36.150
47.500 47.500
7.750 7.750
.880
.842
.070
.068
.070
.079
3.750 4.000
.160
. 160
.240
.240
6.693
4.100
6.000
. 255
.285
36.600
47.500
7.750
.932
.080
.087
4.000
.171
.241
7.000
4.100
6.000
.260
.2S0
36.600
47.500
7.750
.796
.081
.091
4.000
.175
.245
8.050
4.100
5.781
.204
.228
33.600
43.500
7.350
.715
.056
.074
4.000
.175
.245
8.017
4.000
3.900
.153
. 175
29.350
38.500
7.000
.725
.051
.065
4.000
.185
. 245
3.500
C1)
1.642
.280
.660
. 7S5
6.500
M IN ERA L AND M ETAL PRODUCTS.
Coal, anthracite, chestnut..........................
C o a l , bituminous, run of mine...................
Coke, furnace, prompt shipment...............
Copper, electrolytic.....................................
Copper wire, bare, No. 8. ........................
Steel billets
Tin plate, domestic, coke...........................
Pig tin..........................................................
Pig lead........................................................
Spelter..........................................................
P e t r o l e u m , c r u d e .......................................................
Petroleum r e f i n e d water-white..
Gasoline, motor...........................................
5.507 5.933
2.200 5.000
2.750 15.000
.318
.265
.328
.325
21.950 57.450
41.000 100.000
5.875 12.000
.620
.389
.114
.069
.113
.093
2.600 3.100
.120
.120
.240
.240
i No quotation.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
0
0
#
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
[396]
Cotton, upland, middling..........................
Cotton yarn, carded, 10/1............................
Sheeting, brown, Peppered........................
B le a c h e r ! muslin, Lonsdale... .................
Wool, 1/4 and 3/8 grades, scoured..............
Worsted yarn, 2/32’s....................................
Clay worsted suitings, 16-oz.......................
Storm serge, all-wool, 50-in...............*........
Hides, packers’ heavy native steers..........
Leather, chrome calf...................................
Leather, sole, oak.......................................
Shoes, men’s, Goodyear welt, vici calf,
blucher.
Shoes, women’s, Goodyear welt, gun
metal, button.
R e l a tiv e p r ic e s .
159898
July—
A rticle.
1913
1919
1918
1914
1915
1916
1917
Jan.
A pr.
July.
Oct.
Jan.
A pr.
July.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
108.4
103.8
91.2
104.8
111.0
106.6
92.7
105.1
96.8
92.2
87.1
82.7
85.7
108.3
101.5
92.5
87.0
87.4
97.0
73.6
82.3
116. 7
105.8
84.2
74.8
85.7
117.4
108.5
96.4
117.5
123.6
114.5
119.1
120.9
139.6
127.2
89.0
98.7
88.6
147.6
126.2
161.2
184.8
195.3
144.0
182.7
188.0
183.5
140.8
121.3
140.7
142.9
154.1
134.6
166.5
194.9
230.7
177.7
227.3
224.3
237.8
186.4
157.1
246.5
231.4
178.4
157. 7
168.6
205.0
213.4
185.5
234.5
236. 7
319.0
235.9
1.33.9
146.0
168.6
207.2
184.6
184.3
211.8
217.3
182.5
240.0
215.8
234.2
199.0
139.4
165.5
154.3
209.9
188.5
187.6
213.4
225.2
202.4
241.8
189.1
202.0
146.6
178.7
219.9
234.3
216.4
188.5
187.6
209. 7
227.6
210.2
216.4
224.2
203.9
170.9
199.4
256.2
260.0
215.4
188.5
187.6
245.1
256.7
216.9
284.5
244.8
288.0
222.3
198.4
178.3
188.6
198.3
160.0
181.3
265.4
265.4
231.3
319.1
262.1
173.4
154. 4
165.2
184.1
202.9
206.8
176.2
122.9
175.2
178.7
174.7
254.5
196. 4
152.7
122.3
208.4
251.8
208.6
205.7
180.8
120.7
175.1
182.7
172.3
235.5
207.7
159.8
126.2
221.3
280.1
222.9
200.7
180.8
116.8
163.7
178.0
174.1
218.2
209.4
190.7
135.9
219.7
324.3
242.9
100
100
100
100
100
102.6
100.2
113.6
111.3
98.1
159.0
153.4
125.3
109.4
140.7
133.9
133.1
120.3
124.0
107. 7
295.4
278.1
327.0
305.2
203.2
248.3
’• 220.0
284.0
302.4
212.5
248.3
253.5
248.3
i 217.8 i 233.5 i 222.7
266.4
266.4
221.6
301.8
210.8
334.6
203.5
231. 9
184.3
254.3
224.1
224.2
197.0
173.7
296.2
266.5
257.4
220.4
181.1
306.6
265.2
307. 2
280.7
203.2
300.4
262.5
224.0
184.5
187.8
323.2
282.5
239.7
191.4
193.6
346.7
306.0
236. 8
193.1
217.6
100
100
100
100
100
100
9" 2
88.7
85.3
105 9
196.4
97.7
162.9
159.5
118.9
96.1
72.3
134.9
151.9
145.2
119.4
88.2
140.6
174.4
350.0
329 2
222.6
137.3
386.6
174.4
301.1
298.6
245.4
154.9
207.2
172.1
253. 6
252.0
153.0
178.4
176.5
204.7
273 .7
290.1
181.3
170.6
187.6
204. 7
244.5
232.1
202.9
260.8
274.1
204.7
218.2
213.8
207.8
237.4
219.9
204.7
221.1
216.1
224.6
249.0
271.2
204.7
264.8
254.3
246.9
243.1
212.2
253.5
FOODSTUFFS.
(a ) A n i m a l .
(6) Vegetable.
W heat, No. l , n o rth e rn ............. - .............- .....................
W h eat flour, stan d a rd p a te n t.........................................
Corn, N o. 2, m ix e d .................................. .......................
Corn m eal ...... ................ ............................ . ............O ats, stan d a rd , in sto re .. ... - ...... ............-..................
live. No 2 ............................................................. ..........
R y e flour .............................. ..
....................................
Bariev -fair to good m a ltin g .............................- - - .........
R ice, H onduras, h e a d ,....................... ............................
Potatoes, w h i t e ............. ...................... - - .......................
Sugar, g ra n u la te d ........................................................ .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
416.4
394. 7
275.5
170.6
111.9
169.8
268.1
302.8
180.0
154.3
168.6
172.1
255.5
264.4
153.1
178.4
161.7
204.7
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
C attle, good to choice steers............................................
Beef, fresh, good n a tiv e steers........................................
Beef, salt, ex tra m ess........................................................
Hogs, h e av y .........................................................................
B acon, short, clear sid es..................................................
H am s, sm oked, loose............... ........................................
L a rd , p rim e, c o n tra c t.......................................................
P ork, salt, m ess..................................................................
Sheep, ew es.........................................................................
M utton, dressed................................................................
B u tter, cream ery, e x tra ...................................................
Eggs, fresh, firsts................................................................
M ilk................. .....................................................................
1 Standard w ar flour.
ZD
CO
WHOLESALE PRICES IN JULY, 1914, 1915, 1916, AND 1917, AND IN CERTAIN MONTHS OF 1918 AND 1919, AS COMPARED WITH AVERAGE PRICES
IN 1913—Concluded.
ZO
^
R e l a t i v e p r ic e s —Concluded.
1913
1919
1918
July—
Article.
1914
1915
1916
1917
Jan.
Apr.
July.
Oct.
Jan.
Apr.
July.
Oct.
Nov.
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
102.3
97.3
95.9
103.7
94.3
83.7
96.1
89.7
105.4
101.9
105.8
101.2
103.9
71.9
72.4
82.2
91.5
118.3
109.4
109.1
95.7
140.2
103.7
110.2
104.4
108.1
101.6
114.5
106.8
107.3
145.6
141.6
144.7
135.0
146.7
170.4
141.4
120.5
126.4
203.9
203.6
191.8
195.1
254.8
205.9
235.2
208.9
179.3
200.0
181.5
152.6
160.9
253.1
242.5
234.2
219.5
308.9
257.4
294.1
232.3
178.3
196.3
184.9
152.6
160.9
247.7
278.7
328.8
280.5
30S.9
276.7
309.3
232.3
147.8
203.7
178.2
160.6
160.9
243.8
289.6
(»)'
304.9
305.1
276.7
322.0
261.1
176.1
237.0
184.9
181.3
206.9
253.9
276.0
C1)
304.9
305.1
276.7
0)
291.7
163.0
233.3
171.5
208.8
223.0
231.3
201.4
261.6
254.9
254.8
225.2
(>)
291.7
152.2
244.4
174.8
208.8
223.0
226.6
188.7
205.5
214.6
231.6
193.1
(*)
187.2
160.3
251.9
183.7
208.8
223.0
274.2
267.4
300.0
334.1
262.4
205.9
0)
217.2
264.1
407.4
211.6
240.2
287.3
277.3
276.5
313.7
358.5
262.4
225.2
0")
244.0
262.0
463.0
228.3
289.1
314.9
30S.6
300.9
(>)
358.5
266.4
0)
0)
252.4
254.9
472.2
228.3
291.0
314.9
307.8
316.3
(>)
358.5
266.4
C1)
0)
252.4
222.8
472.2
203.8
297.1
314.9
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
98.6
100.0
78.8
85.4
88.6
87.0
73.7
94.2
69.3
88.6
87.9
71.4
97.6
83.3
97.9
100.0
69.0
126.8
125.7
87.3
82.9
89.2
87.1
131.8
379.3
55.1
97.6
71.4
103.7
100.0
108.4
188.8
195.6
128.1
159.0
165.1
86.6
156.8
194.8
106.1
97.6
142.9
111.7
227.3
591.0
202.5
202.4
335.3
387.8
337.3
138.1
259.1
160.3
126.5
97.6
142.9
124.2
162.7
236.4
149.7
157.5
317.4
184.2
217.8
187.5
154.5
136.2
153.1
130.1
142.9
119.9
162.7
236.4
149.7
157.5
211.0
184.2
217.8
196.0
159.1
120.7
163-3
136.6
142.9
126.0
186.4
236.4
162.4
170.7
213.6
184.2
217.8
207.6
181.8
151.7
163.3
139.0
143.5
131.8
186.4
236.4
165.6
173.7
213.6
184.2
217.8
177.3
184.1
156.9
163.3
142.3
145.8
151.5
186.4
227.8
129.9
136.5
196.1
168.7
206.6
159.2
127.3
127.6
163-3
142-3
145.8
150.9
181.8
153.7
97.5
104.8
171.3
149.3
196.7
161.5
115.9
112.1
163.3
150.4
145.8
156.3
181.8
161.3
136.9
146.1
171.3
149.3
196.7
156.3
124.7
136.2
163.3
166.7
145.8
160.1
204.5
190.1
138.2
158.1
171.3
149.3
196.7
124.7
145.5
136.2
173.5
178.9
145.8
160.5
186.4
234.0
129.9
148.5
182.5
160.4
196.7
121.2
154.5
139.7
181.1
173.9
145.8
160.4
186.4
238.4
119.1
131.1
216.0
179.9
196.7
123-2
163-6
150.0
187.8
178.9
145.8
Dec.
T E X T IL E S AND LEA T H E R GOODS.
M IN E R A L AND M ETAL PRODUCTS.
Coal, anthracite, chestnut..................... - ....................
Coal, bituminous, run of mine....................................
Coke, furnace, prompt shipment................................
Copper, electrolytic------------- ------------------- --------Copper wire, bare, No. 8..............................................
Pig iron, Bessemer...........................- ...........................
Steel billets......................... - ....................... ................
Tin plate, domestic, coke.............................................
Pig tin ............................................................................
Pig lead..........................................................................
Spelter...................................- ......................................
Petroleum, crude...................- .....................................
Petroleum, refined, water-white.......................... —
Gasoline, motor............................................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 No quotation.
o
H
K
Hi
LABOE REVIEW
[398]
Cotton, upland, middling............................................
Cotton yarn, carded, 10/1.............................................
Sheeting, brown, Pepperell.. - ....................................
Bleached muslin, Lonsdale.........- ..............................
Wool, 1/4 to 3/8 grades, scoured...................................
Worsted yam, 2/32s......................................................
Clay worsted suitings, 16-ounce..................................
Storm serge, all wool 50-inch......... -.............................
Hides, packers’ heavy native steers............................
Leather, chrome calf.................-..................................
Leather, sole, oak..........................................................
Shoes, men’s, Goodyear welt, vici calf, blucher........
Shoes, women’s, Goodyear welt, gun metal, button.
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
95
Improbability of Decrease in Prices and Cost of
Living.
By R oyal Meeker , Commissioner
op
Labor Statistics.
VERYBODY is anxiously watching the course of prices and
even more anxiously inquiring when, if ever, prices are
coming down. The wish is father to the thought, and it is
easy for the housewife to accept any statement that prices are slated
for a fall in the near future.
Before attempting to answer the query as to when, if ever, prices
are to fall, it would be well to consider the causes which have brought
about the remarkable rise in prices since 1915. These causes may be
summarized as follows-:
1.
By far the most important cause of increased prices is the
enormous additions to the circulating medium, money and its sub
stitutes, during the past four years;
2.
Decrease in the actual physical quantities of goods produced and
exchanged;
3.
Manufacture for and purchase by the Governments of the world
for war and other purposes; and
4. Changes in the demands for and the supply of goods and
services.
If prices are to be lowered, the causes operating to boost prices
must be attacked. The amount of money and checks in circulation
must be appreciably reduced and the quantities of necessary goods
must be increased in amount. The stocks of commodities manufac
tured on Government account must, so far as possible, be salvaged
and thrown upon the market. The extraordinary demands for
goods new and old must either be curtailed or production of these
goods expanded to meet the needs.
The financing of the war has made two dollars grow where but
one dollar grew before. This, coupled with the fact that there has
been an enormous destruction of economic goods and of the farms,
mines, forests, and factories supplying these goods, explains the
enormous and world-wide decrease in the purchasing power (value)
of money, which causes increased prices. As long as the people have
twice as many dollars with which to buy a smaller number of com
modities, prices are bound to remain high. It will take a long time
to deflate the world’s inflated currencies or to inflate the world’s de
flated supply of goods. The profiteer is being blamed on all hands
for the increase in prices. Undoubtedly, profiteering of a most
reprehensible sort has existed and does exist today, but the profiteer
is a result of ever-increasing prices rather than a cause thereof. His
E
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[399]
96
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
influence in boosting prices is negligible. If all the profiteers in the
world could be apprehended and thrown into jail or lined up and
shot, it would have no appreciable influence upon prices.
I t has been suggested that the abnormally high prices are psycho
logical in origin and that prices will fall just as soon as the people
can be made to think falling prices. Of course, psychology is in
volved in every price, but the larger quantities of currency and the
smaller amounts of commodities are physical facts that no psychic
legerdemain can overcome.
Higher Prices Possible.
£ SEE no prospect of any considerable fall in prices for several
years to come. I t will be impossible for the Governments of the
world to pay off their debts very rapidly. On the contrary, there is
every reason to apprehend that credits must be issued to foreign
Governments, foreign manufacturers, and foreign business men, in
order to rehabilitate the broken and shattered industries of Europe.
This being the case, we may expect that larger volumes of checks and
credit instruments will be thrown into circulation, thus boosting
prices still higher. If it is impossible to reduce the volume of the
world’s indebtedness suddenly, it is even more impossible to increase
the quantity of the world’s goods suddenly. Of course, the world's
productive forces are being marshaled as rapidly as possibly in order
to increase the production from farms, forests, mines, and factories,
but this is necessarily a slow process, especially in these times of
great business instability and labor unrest. The 1919 farm crops
have practically all been marketed. The only way that prices can
be brought down before next year’s crops begin to find their way to
market is through deflation of the currency. As pointed out above,
still further inflations are inevitable if Europe is to rehabilitate her
industries so that she can increase her supply of material goods and
thus bring about lower prices by increasing goods and decreasing
debts.
Some business men are apprehensive that the United States will be
flooded with European-made goods which will bring prices tumbling
down. The price of foreign exchange at the present moment is such
as to make it highly profitable for American business men to buy
large quantities of goods in Europe, especially in Germany and Aus
tria, if European countries only had the goods to sell. Not until
Europe has rehabilitated its industries may we expect to have our
markets flooded with European goods. That puts off the tumble in
prices several years. The normal seasonal drop in prices may be
expected in 1920. This seasonal drop comes much earlier than is
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[4001
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
97
generally supposed. In normal times the low-price level for all com
modities combined comes in March, April, or May. These seasonal
price changes are relatively small and will have but little effect upon
the housewives’ expenditures. No great and sudden fall in prices
seems possible for a long time.
People generally are yearning so intently for lower prices that
they have not thought much about the results of falling prices. The
prices we kicked about in 1913 have come to be regarded as ideal.
Untold distress has been caused by the rapid price increases of the
past four years. The sufferings already endured by the people
through rising prices will be multiplied tenfold if prices drop within
the next seven years to the 1913 level. A period of falling prices is
always a time of business depression, failures, and unemployment.
Production should be speeded up to the limit and debts shoidd be
paid not with more debts but with economic goods and services.
These processes should be set in motion without delay. It will re
quire several years to readjust industry and trade on a firm basis
again. In the meantime, the United States Government should, in
my judgment, join with the other leading Governments of the world
in the creation of an international commission to study ways and
means of setting up a true and relatively constant standard of value
to displace the present monetary units which are merely units of
weight and consequently variable in value or purchasing power.
The most important constructive work that can be done in any field
is the establishment of a stable standard of value, so that all the
people, rich and poor, employer and employee, bondholder and stock
holder, may be spared for all time the agonies of changing price
levels.
Retail Prices in Belgium.1
N THE October number of the Revue du Travail comparative
retail prices of household necessities in Belgium are published.
The prices given are for Brussels and Antwerp, the capital and
the commercial metropolis, respectively, and 10 communes of the
central district, an industrial section. These 10 communes on De
cember 31,1913, had-a population of 92,471. According to the indus
trial census of December 10, 1910, 25,711 or 27.8 per cent of the total
population of the district were engaged in industrial occupations.
Data were furnished by the more important cooperative associa
tions in the district and by various commercial firms established
prior to 1914. Prices are given for 46 articles.
I
1 Revue du Travail, Royaume de Belgique.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[401]
Brussels, Oct. 15, 1919.
98
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW ,
The following table gives index numbers for the 46 articles, bythree general classes and by months, January to September, 1919,
based on prices of April, 1914:
INDEX NUMBERS OF RETAIL PRICES OF 46 ARTICLES, IN BELGIUM, JANUARY TO
SEPTEMBER, 1919.
[Prices April, 1914=100.]
1919
Apr.,
1914.
Group.
Jan.
Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept.
100
100
100
673
556
469
422
657
634
539
419
388
401
403
384
405
378
368
13 articles of clothing, heat, andlight3----
358
372
3S3
352
367
383
355
Total (46 articles)............................
100
670
584
493
418
394
386
368
369
367
23 articles of prime necessity1..................
1 Bread, potatoes, coffee, chicory, rice, sugar, Leans, olive oil, vinegar, milk, cheese, salt, margarine, lard,
grain, meat, bacon, sausage, fish, vegetables, beer, soap, and rent.
2Cocoa, chocolate, tea, tapioca, macaroni, sardines, wine (ordinary quality), brushes, dusters, and
t0?Men’s clothing, hats, caps, shirts, collars, socks, men’s shoes, resoling of shoes, charcoal, firewood, gas,
candles, and matches.
In the following table are presented the retail prices of 24 selected
articles on specified dates:
RETAIL PRICES IN FRANCS1 OF 24 SELECTED ARTICLES IN BELGIUM, APRIL, 1914, AND
JANUARY TO SEPTEMBER, 1919.
1919
Unit.
Article.
Apr.,
1914.
F rs.
0. 275
.10
2. 50
.42
.65
2. 75
.20
.10
2.00
3.00
Beef, roast, without bone.........
1.70
Beet boiling, plate, side...........
2.40
Pork chops.................................
2.00
Bacon
...................................
2.00
Hodfish
...............................
. 10
Eggs............................................
.35
Soap, soft....................................
1.10
Kilo... 1.20
.75
M acaron i
.................. . ..d o...
Clothing, men’s, custom-made Each.. 45.00
suits.
Hats, felt
................. ............ . ..d o... 5.00
Shirts, ordinary quality........... ...d o ... 4.25
Socks, men’s, wool.................... Pair... 1. 75
Shoes", men’s".............................. ...d o ... 18. 00
Bread, home-made....................
Potatoes......................................
CnfFee, roasted............................
Rice .............................. .........
Sugar, white...............................
Olive oil......................................
Milk, skimmer!......._.................
Salt/table...................................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Kilo...
. ..do...
. ..do...
. ..d o...
...d o ...
Liter..
...d o ...
Kilo...
do
...d o ...
. ..do...
. ..d o...
. ..d o...
. ..d o...
Each..
Kilo...
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July.
F rs.
F rs.
F rs.
F rs.
F rs.
25.00
14.50
14.95
85.00
25.00
14.50
14.95
85.00
F rs.
0.80 0.80 0.85
.30
.30
.30
7.00 6.00 6.00
2.00 2.00 2.00
2.00 2.00 1.95
6.50 7.00 6.50
.60
.60
.50
.50
.30
.30
4.80 4. 80 4.80
Ï.3. 00 12.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 11.00
8. 00 8.00 8.00 7.00 7.00 6.00
12.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 12.00
11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00 11.00
6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 5.00 5.00
.55
.60
.75
.50
1.25 1.00
6.00 6.00 2.90 2.50 2.50 3.00
2.80 2. 80 2.80
3.60 3.60 3.60 3.60
2.20 2.20 2.20 2.20
275.00 275.66 275.00 160. 00 160. 00 160.00
0.80
1.00
9.00
3.25
2.00
7.00
.65
.50
0.80
.80
9.00
3.25
2.00
7.00
.65
.50
0.80
.50
8.00
2.00
2.00
7. 00
.65
.50
25.00 25.00 25.00
22.50 21.00 18.00
18. Ü0 18.0C 18. 00
225.00 225.00 225.00
1 The normal par value of the franc is 19.3 cen t
[402]
25.00
14.50
11. 75
85.00
Aug. Sept.
F rs.
F rs.
25.00
14.50
11. 75
85.00
25.00
14.50
11. 75
85.00
F rs.
0.85 0.85
0.85
.25
. 18
2. 75
5.50 5.50
5.50
2.10 2.10
2.00
1.95 1.95
1.95
7.00 6.50
6.50
.60
.50
.65
.30
.30
.30
4. 80 5.00
4.80
10.00 10.00 10.00
6.00 5.00
6.00
12.00 12.00 13.00
11.00 11.00 11.00
6.00 6.00
5.00
.68
.70
.60
2.60 2.40
2.60
2.80
2.80 2.80
3.60 3.60
3.60
2.20
2.20 2. 20
160.00 160.00 160.00
25. 00
14.50
11. 75
85.00
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING.
99
There has been but little variation in prices since May. Roast
beef declined from 12 francs per kilo in May to 11 francs in June,
and to 10 francs in July. Soap was higher in June by five-tenths of
a franc than in May, but lower in September than at any time in
1919. Prices of clothing and hosiery have remained practically sta
tionary since April.
Bread and pork are the only articles for which prices in September
were higher than in January. Since January, 1919, coffee has de
clined 38.9 per cent; rice, 35.4 per cent; table salt, 40 per cent; roast
ing beef, 23.1 per cent; boiling beef, 37.5 per cent; eggs, 44 per cent;
men’s suits, 41.8 per cent; and men’s shoes, 62.2 per cent.
Rent has remained stationary through the entire period.
Prices of Food and Fuel in Norway in 1914,
1917,1918, and 1919.
HE United States consul general at Christiania reports1 that
an official estimate places the increase in the cost of necessaries
of life at 175 per cent in the period from July, 1914, to June,
1919, and that prices in July, 1919, increased about 2 per cent over the
June prices. This estimate includes rent, taxes, clothing, fuel, and
the staple foodstuffs. It is stated that the cost of foodstuffs alone has
not increased materially since May, 1919. In this connection the
consul general transmits the following table of average market quo
tations for 21 principal cities in Norway, issued by the Bureau of
Statistics (official) at Christiania:
T
1 U n ite d S ta te s D e p a r tm e n t of C o m m erce.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
C o m m erce R e p o rts , D ec. 26, 1919, p. 1742.
[403]
100
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF FOOD AND FUEL IN 21 CITIES IN NORWAY IN SPECIFIED
MONTHS IN 1914 AND 1917 TO 1919.
Beef:
Fresh roast ........................................
Meat for soup.....................................
Mutton:
Fresh, hind cmarter...........................
Fresh, fore quarter............................
Salted....... ..........................................
Veal:
Fattened, roast...................................
Fore quarter.......................................
Sucklers..............................................
Pork:
Fresh...................................................
Salted, Norwegian......................
Saltedj American..............................
Codfish:
Fresh..................................................
Salted..................................................
Milk:
Whole..................................................
Skimmed...................... .....................
Butter:
Dairy...................................................
Farmers’.............................................
Margarine:
Prime..................................................
Cheapest.............................................
Cheese:
Goat....................................................
Whey...................................................
Spiced................................................
Eggs,Afresh.................................................
Flour:
Wheat.................................................
Rye .
......................
Potato ........................................
Bread:
R ye .....................................
Composition.......................................
Peas, veilrov................................
Barley, whole............................................
Rice, whole...............................................
Oats’, whole:
Norwegian..........................................
American...............................
Potatoes.....................................
Coffee:
Java .....................................
Guatemala.............................
Santos, Rio .............................
Sugar:
Lump..................................................
Granulated.........................................
Petroleum:
Water white.......................................
Ordinary standard white..................
Coal.......... .".................................
Coke.........................................
W ood, pine .................................
1 1 kilo= 2.205 pounds.
21 lite ra l.057 quarts.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
July,
1914.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
May,
1919.
June,
1919.
July,
1919.
Kilo i ........... $0.38
....... do..........
.33
$0.86
.77
$1.54
1.41
$1. 59
1.38
$1.58
1.38
$1. 58
1.36
Unit.
Commodity.
. . .do.........
. . . . do.........
....... do..........
.40
.38
. 29
.96
.93
.77
1.57
1.44
.93
1.40
1.32
1.31
1.41
1.33
1.35
1.39
1.32
1.32
. .do.........
.do.........
. .do.........
.39
.35
. 28
. 39
. 84
.54
1.60
1.47
.90
1.31
1.42
1.24
1.31
1.28
.80
1.43
1.29
1.24
. do.........
. . .do.........
....... do..........
.36
.39
.42
.91
.91
.88
1.37
1.35
.83
1.45
1. 51
.99
1.46
1.51
.97
1.46
1.48
1.06
... .do.........
. .do.........
. 12
. 11
.246
.204
.261
. 19
.205
. 194
.209
.191
.198
.26
Liter 2
. do.........
.04
.02
.079
.037
. 128
.052
. 139
.052
.138
.047
.138
.049
Kilo .........
do.........
. 66
. 60
1. 21
1.12
1. 89
1. 71
1.94
1.90
1.93
1.91
1.92
1.88
....... do..........
....... do..........
. 39
. 29
.62
.67
1.31
.92
. 85
. 81
.85
.80
. 88
.81
.... do.........
d o . ..
.44
15
.23
.44
.92
do .......
Twenty.......
1.16
.44
. 78
1. 66
1.34
. 55
. 80
1. 58
1.34
.57
. 80
1.63
1.36
.57
.78
1. 76
Kilo
do
... .do ......
.08
.05
. 13
. do.........
....... do .......
....... do..........
.d o . ..
.. .do........
.93
.072
.128
. 188
.094
.337
. 234
. 286
....... do .......
do _
5 liters3...
. 093
.083
.134
. 231
. 214
. 175
Kilo
....... do .......
....... do .......
.75
. 66
.596
....... do..........
....... do..........
. 152
. 139
. 256
. 227
. 728
. 463
5 liters .......
....... do .......
100 kilos...
Hectoliter4
Metric cord6.
.61
4.63
31 liter (dry)=0.1135 peek.
41 heetoliter= 2.838 bushels.
[404]
. 41
. 68
.95
. 222
. 195
.361
. 245
. 242
.337
. 125
. 402
.31
. 281
. 281
. 247
. 204
. 206
. 503
. 208
. 117
.396
.226
.321
. 202
.194
. 192
.490
.19
. 19
.49
. 194
. 117
. 193
. 118
.396
. 211
.227
.201
.291
. 194
1. 89
. 147
.399
.217
.228
.253
.201
.198
1.07
. 98
. 846
1.318
1.179
. 86
1.323
1.066
991
.385
. 292
.383
.324
. 402
.308
.418
.308
. 418
.308
. 624
. 56
5.31
2. 97
13. 87
.509
.501
3.13
1.61
13. 58
. 485
.501
3.17
1.66
13.46
.498
. 482
3.53
1 77
13.97
.49
. 46
6.18
2. 88
10. 66
. 163
1. 31
1.18
1. 01
5 1 metric cord=128 cubic feet.
1. 28
1.19
1.04
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR
Hours and Earnings in the Hosiery and Under
wear and Silk Industries.
T
HE industrial survey made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
early in 1919 1 included an investigation of hours and earnings
in the hosiery and underwear and silk industries. A sum
mary presentation of the results of this investigation is given in
this article, particularly in Table 4.
The data for the silk industry, except so far as it relates to silk
throwing or to the dyeing of silk goods, was obtained only from es
tablishments engaged in the manufacture of broad silks or ribbon
silks. The States included in the survey of the two industries cov
ered by this article, the number of establishments, and the number
employees listed in each State are shown in the following table :
T
a b le
1 .—
NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS AND NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN THE
HOSIERY AND UNDERWEAR AND SILK INDUSTRIES, BY STATES.
Silk.
Hosiery and underwear.
State.
As reported by
Census Bureau.
Bureau of Labor
Statistics survey.
As reported by
Census Bureau.
Bureau of Labor
Statistics survey.
Number Number Number Number Number Number Number Number
of
of
of
of estabof
of estabof estabof estabemployemploylishlishlishlishemployemployees.
ees.
ees.
ments.
ments.
ments.
ments.
ees.
Connecticut.......
Georgia...............
Illinois................
Indiana..............
Massachusetts...
Michigan............
Minnesota..........
New Hampshire
New Jersey........
New York.........
North Carolina..
Ohio...................
Pennsylvania...
Rhode Island...
Tennessee...........
Virginia..............
Wisconsin..........
20
2,904
3,468
3^535
2 338
10,635
2,714
2'088
3,328
2
4
483
74
38
498
40,095
7,787
3 411
41’ 130
4
4
4
4
758
381
1,945
26
13
68
5,690
2,270
6,244
4
4
4
1,425
577
913
1,448
137,637
51
16,093
25
22
11
46
77
34
13
3
2
2
2
4
4
539
254
426
945
3,506
755
1 944
'703
1,022
44
10,668
3
1,337
19
4,495
2
1,547
368
143
28,263
11,659
10
6
2,732
574
284
44,755
2,325
6
4
1,818
1,236
9
691
2
119
879
102,856
12
33
9,363
1 A b r ie f su m m a ry o f t h is s u rv e y a p p e a re d in t h e M o n t h l y L abor R e v ie w fo r S e p te m
b e r, 1919 (p p . 1 7 6 - 1 8 9 ), a n d a r tic le s d e a lin g w ith sp ecific in d u s tr ie s h a v e a p p e a re d in
s u b s e q u e n t iss u e s, e x c e p t N o v em b er.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[405]
101
102
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
It was not possible to arrange the survey in such a way as to obtain
the records of all establishments in an industry for the same pay-roll
period. Industry was in a very unsettled state during the progress
of the survey. Conditions changed so rapidly that the exact date
of the material presented is a matter of more importance than it
would be in a normal year. The pay-roll periods included in each
industry were distributed by months as shown in the following table:
T able 2 .—NUMBER OF PAY-ROLL PERIODS IN SPECIFIED MONTHS.
Number of pay-roll periods in-
Total
ber of
Industry.
Hosiery and underwear...........
Silk.............................................
1919
1918
?oIl"
peri
ods.
Sept.
51
33
1
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
4
15
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
5
2
17
2
12
9
13
May.
4
It will be seen that in the hosiery and underwear industry 43 of
the 51 schedules covered pay-roll periods in the first 4 months of
1919; in the silk industry 28 of the 33 schedules fell in December,
1918, and January, 1919. The material is presented as of the year
1919. So far as could be ascertained no change in rates of pay oc- ^
curred in either industry during the progress of the survey.
The information concerning hours and earnings on which the
tables are based was obtained directly from the pay rolls or other
records of the companies by agents of the Bureau. Other informa
tion was obtained from responsible officials in personal interviews.
Wherever the records of the company failed to indicate the time
actually worked by pieceworkers during the selected pay-roll period,
arrangements were made to have such a record kept for a future
period. In all cases the figures copied by the agents represented the
hours actually worked and earnings actually received.
Method of Making Computations.
THE material comes in to the office the figures for hours and
those for earnings are both in incommensurable form on account
of inequalities in the length of pay-roll periods and in the time
worked by different individual employees. Before they can be pre
sented in tabular form it is necessary to reduce both hours and earn
ings to a common denominator. The comparable figures selected for
use in the following tables are hours worked per day and per week, A
and earnings per hour and per week. These figures are obtained in
the following manner:
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[406]
103
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
The hours per day of each employee are obtained by dividing the
number of hours worked by him during the pay-roll period by the
number of week days, holidays omitted, in the pay-roll period. Thus
in the case of pay rolls for a single week containing no holidays, the
hours worked by each employee during the pay-roll period are di
vided by six, whether the employee worked on each of the six days
or not. Similarly the hours actually worked by an employee in any
establishment during a pay-roll period containing 13 workdays
were divided by 13, regardless of the number of days on which the
employee worked. The resulting figure represents the number of
hours per day that the employee would have worked if his time had
been distributed uniformly among the week days of the pay-roll
period.
All one-week pay rolls included in the survey of these industries
were six-day pay rolls. The half monthly periods, however, showed
considerable differences in length. The following table shows for
each industry the number of schedules covering each specified num
ber of workdays:
T able 3 .—SCHEDULE DISTRIBUTION BY NUMBER OF WORK DAYS IN PAY-ROLL
PERIOD.
Number of schedules in pay-roll period
covering—
•
Two weeks, onehalf month, or—
Total
One week
number
or 6 work
of sched
days.
12 work 13 work
ules.
days.
days.
Industry.
33
5
14
28
Total.......................................................................................
38
42
4
51
33
1CO
Hosiery and underwear...................................................................
S ilk ....................................................................................................
It will be seen from this table that in the hosiery and underwear
industry there is a great preponderance of one-week pay-roll periods,
with two-week pay-roll periods in second place, whereas in the silk
industry the situation is reversed, with 82 per cent in the 12-day
column.
By using the average number of hours per week day as a factor
it is possible to obtain a figure for the average number of hours worked
per week by multiplying that factor in every case by 6. With oneweek pay rolls the result represents approximately the original figure
for hours per week actually worked. Such variations as are found
are due to the fact that the average hours per day as given in the table
are the averages of the hours of individual employees, with no weight
to represent the proportion of the pay-roll period worked by different
individuals.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[407]
104
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
In the case of longer pay rolls, however, the resulting figure is
hypothetical. I t represents the number of hours per week that the
employees would have worked in a six-day week if their working
hours had been distributed uniformly over the week days of the entire
pay-roll period.
This figure of hours worked per week is no more useful for com
parisons of hours in different occupations or industries than is the
figure of hours per day. I t has the advantage, however, of enabling
comparisons to be drawn between the hours actually worked on the
average by people in each occupation and the full-time hours of the
same occupation.
By full-time hours per week is meant the number of hours that is
thought of in the occupation as constituting a normal week’s work—
the number of hours the employee regularly expects to work and the
employer expects him to work. This figure was obtained from, the
officials of the various establishments by agents of the Bureau. The
difference between average actual hours per week and average full
time hours per week is an indication of the degree of irregularity of
employment among the employees to whom the figures apply.
Combining hours per day or hours per week computed from the
records of one-week pay rolls with those computed from longer pay
rolls diminishes slightly the comparability of the resulting averages.
The nature and extent of this influence have been pointed out at some
length in a previous article on the results of the industrial survey.1
The effect of this influence is not sufficiently great, however, to pre
vent the use of the figures for average hours per day or per wTeek as
the basis of general comparisons between different industries, occupa
tions, or localities.
For comparative purposes the earnings of each employee are re
duced to the form of average earnings per hour by dividing his
total earnings for the pay-roll period by the total number of hours
worked by him during the period. The resulting figure indicates
how much he would have earned each hour lie worked if his earnings
had been distributed uniformly over all the hours actually worked
by him during the period.
By multiplying the average hourly earnings of a group by the
previously computed average hours per week worked by the same
group, a figure is obtained which represents very closely the average
actual weekly earnings of the group. In the case of one-week pay
rolls this process brings us back practically to the average actual
earnings for the week as computed.
In one respect the figure for actual weekly earnings computed in
the manner just described falls short of mathematical exactness. It
1 See M o n t h l y L abor R e v ie w
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
for January, 1920, pp. 121 and 122.
[408]
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
105
is assumed in computing weekly earnings in this manner that em
ployees work the same number of hours on Saturday as on other
week days. If in fact the hours on Saturday are fewer than the
hours on other week days, the earnings thus computed will be exact
only for those employees for whom Saturdays constitute exactly
one-sixth of the total number of days worked by them. Careful
experiment has shown, however, that the variations so nearly offset
one another that the net result is a departure of a few cents at the
most from theoretical accuracy.
In the detailed table which follows it has been necessary to omit
a number of occupations owing to space limitations. In the hosiery
and underwear industry 8 occupations have been included out of a
total of 14 for whom data were obtained in the survey. In addition
a number of occupations have been combined for present purposes
which have been given separately in previous reports on the same
industries. The selected occupations include 14,660 employees out of
a total of 16,093 for whom information was obtained. In the silk
industry the table covers seven occupations out of a total of 12, and
7,719 employees out of a total of 9,363.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TION, SEX, AND STATE.
106
T able 4 —AVERAGE ACTUAL AND FULL-TIME HOURS AND EARNINGS IN THE HOSIERY AND UNDERWEAR AND SILK INDUSTRIES, BY OCCUPA
H o s ie r y a n d u n d e rw e a r.
Average actual earnings made—
Average actual hours worked—
Occupation, sex, and State.
C u tte r s , h a n d , m a le .
Connecticut
Massachusetts
N ew Y ork...........................................................
North Carolina
T cnnpsspp
Virginia
Other States.......................................................
2
2
3
2
2
2
4
5
20
15
16
9
8
13
58.7
45.6
54.1
56.5
45.9
50.3
51.1
17
86
50.9
8
51
94
237
262
8
93
56
53
3
158
59
52
55.7
48.6
Tennessee............................................................
Virginia,
Wisconsin
Other States.......................................................
4
4
2
4
4
2
6
5
5
2
5
5
7
3
i
Total.........................................................
50
1,181
Total.........................................................
96.0
9.8
7.6
8.7
9.4
7.7
8.4
8.5
58.7
45.6
52.2
56.5
45.9
50.3
51.0
57.4
48.0
55.0
59.3
55.8
50.3
50.9
$23.16
17.11
20.39
17.69
12.86
20.81
21.55
98.9
8.5
51.0
53.3
18.53
9.3
8.1
7.9
8.0
6.9
7.5
8.1
8.3
8.1
9.8
8.5
8.0
7.9
9.2
9.5
55.7
48.6
47.4
48.0
41.2
45.0
48.9
49.8
48.6
58.8
51.0
48.0
47.3
54.9
57.0
55.0
56.8
51.4
49.5
47.8
54.0
50.9
54.9
59.7
51.3
53.8
55.4
54.6
53.9
57.0
20.93
13.53
7.8
46. 8
51.8
99.3
61.35
$0,418
.371
.374
.314
.276
.417
.444
$23.16
17.11
19.52
17.69
12.86
20.81
22.64
$23.97
17.83
20.57
18.61
15.42
20.83
22.40
40.66
.369
18.82
19.53
.376
.297
.500
.624
.461
.344
.368
.417
.357
.349
.564
.326
.354
.555
.343
20.93
14.43
23.70
29.95
• 19.16
15.48
17.99
20.77
17.35
20.52
28.76
15.65
16.88
30.47
19.53
20.69
16.89
25.69
30.90
22.03
18.60
18.43
22.92
21.28
17.90
30.34
18.05
19.32
29.93
19.52
.480
22.46
24.65
$37.70
K n i t t e r s , m a le .
Connecticut
(Georgia
I llin o is
Tn i an a
Massachusetts
Michigan............................................................
New Hampshire
New York . . .
....................................
North Carolina..................................................
Ohio
P e n n s y l v a n i a ..........................................................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
... ....
95.1
103.0
95.0
41.2
54.0
48.9
52.3
54.6
61.4
57.2
49.6
47.3
54.9
57.0
93.9
73.3
108.0
101.4
90.3
46.6
97.0
84.6
19.16
17.00
17.99
^ 19.86
20.93
23.86
27.69
15.85
16.88
31.83
50.72
59.67
32.03
43.52
23.53
30.00
58.08
31.22
19.53
19.49
53.28
«
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
Number Number During one pay period.
Full-time
Full-time During one pay period.
of estab of em
earnings
hours
lish
per week.
per
week.
Per
week
Per
week.
Per
hour.
ments. ployees.
Biweekly
Biweekly
day. Per week.
and semi
Weekly
and semi
Weekly
pay period. monthly
pay period. monthly
pay periods.
pay periods.
♦
M a c h in e f i x e r s , m a le .
50.4
60.0
Total.
43.8
53.8
54.9
57.8
59.8
50.0
50.2
56.7
54.0
56.1
47
425
101.5
113.1
100.5
117.4
111.5
81.9
110.2
115.8
108.0
8.4
9.2
8.7
8.4
6.9
9.2
9.2
9.5
8.8
8.5
9.4
9.4
8.9
9.4
8.6
51.9
50.4
55.2
52.2
50.4
43.8
55.2
54.9
57.0
52.8
51.0
56.4
56.4
54.0
56.1
51.6
55.0
56.7
57.5
49.5
48.0
54.0
52.5
55.0
59.8
51.0
53.5
55.9
55.4
53.1
50.0
51.6
54.5
54.5
53.1
24.89
23.88
23.45
27.48
24.80
26.74
26.63
28.88
41.98
22.88
27.45
30.60
45.48
50.88
66.39
50.47
55.88
38.96
63.00
68.41
50.18
.499
.425
.459
.660
.542
.488
.452
.481
.457
.574
.640
.416
.504
.537
.431
54.26
24.89
23.46
23.96
33.26
23.45
26. 94
24.80
27.42
24.13
29.27
36.10
23.46
27.45
30.60
22.24
27.46
24.07
26.38
32.67
25.97
26.35
23.71
26.45
27.33
29.29
34.24
23.25
27.94
27.21
21.53
26.11
26.36
14.93
16.08
19.97
18.47
W in d e r s , m a le .
New York__
Other States.
59.6
45.1
Total..
46
50.0
96.5
6.8
7.7
40.8
46.2
84.4
7.5
45.0
8.6
51.4
45.1
51.0
44.7
49.5
34.2
47.6
41.9
43.8
41.4
55.3
48.0
54.0
54.0
54.0
50.0
55.3
54.1
51.4
50.0
43.8
50.4
49.7
45.8
46.2
45.6
47.1
46.2
54.9
44.2
48.0
55.0
48.0
54.0
50.0
54.0
54.0
59.5
50.0
51.4
18.90
18.92
21.41
26.38
.366
.348
.352
18.83
C u t te r s , f e m a l e .
Connecticut........
Massachusetts__
Michigan........... .
New Hampshire.
New York..........
Ohio...................
Tennessee...........
Virginia..............
Wisconsin...........
Other States.......
Total.
10
164
30
18
20
15
30
5
34
260
51.4
45.1
51.8
44.7
49.5
34.2
47.6
41.9
43.8
100.4
7.5
8.5
7.4
8.3
6.8
8.0
7.0
7.3
6.9
22
12.25
15.88
13.39
13.04
13.44
10.41
10.56
9.91
12.17
21.73
.239
.354
.241
.289
.273
.256
.220
.235
.274
.324
12.25
15.88
12.29
13.04
13.44
10.41
10.56
9.91
12.17
13.41
13.21
16.97
13.01
15.52
14.75
12.80
12.18
12.70
14.11
16.18
13.71
15.68
12.34
16.01
11.41
14.50
13.25
14.65
17.63
13.65
16.70
13.35
15.89
15.29
17.14
18.78
13.33
13.94
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
Connecticut........
Georgia...............
Illinois................
Indiana..............
Massachusetts__
Michigan............
New Hampshire .
New York..........
North Carolina...
Ohio...................
Pennsylvania__
Tennessee...........
Virginia..............
Wisconsin...........
Other States.......
F in is h e r s , fe m a le .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
515
110
682
109
294
146
101
196
49.7
45.8
41.8
54.0
47.1
48.2
54.9
44.2
50.8
93.6
98.2
87.5
85A
8.3
7.6
7.7
7.6
<7.9
7. 7
9.1
7.4
8.0
12.34
16.01
10.78
9.90
13.25
13.43
17.63
24.77
31.67
31.01
11.68
14.88
19.32
.248
.348
.247
.318
.283
.317
.316
.267
.271
11.68
13.01
107
Connecticut...............................
Massachusetts............................
Michigan...................................
Minnesota...................................
New Hampshire.........................
New York...................................
North Carolina............................
Ohio............................................
Pennsylvania.............................
1
TION, SEX, AND STATE—Continued.
Hosieryandunderwear
108
T a ble 4.—AVERAGE ACTUAL AND FULL-TIME HOURS AND EARNINGS IN THE HOSIERY AND UNDERWEAR AND SILK INDUSTRIES, BY OCCUPA
—C o n tin u ed .
Average actual earnings made—
Average actual hours worked—
Occupation, sex, and State.
F i n i s h e r s , f e m a l e —Concluded.
[412]
Wisconsin............................................................
3
2
2
237
113
124
51.0
48.9
43.7
Total.........................................................
28
2,715
47.9
122
135
145
175
549
137
100
123
198
74
255
154
103
124
296
46.4
55.1
Other States.......................................................
3
2
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
, 1
Total.........................................................
50
2,690
45.0
8
3
120
121
46.3
63.1
8.5
8.2
7.3
51.0
48.9
43.7
55.7
53.4
51.4
$11.17
11.49
11.56
7.9
47.4
51.9
13.80
46.4
43.8
43.2
43.8
42.0
41.4
39.2
46.8
41.4
47.4
48.0
46.4
46.7
47.9
44.4
55.0
55.1
56.3
49.5
48.0
53.9
50.2
54.0
59.7
50.1
54.9
55.9
54.1
51.4
50.0
10.41
11.74
91.7
7.7
7.3
7.2
7.3
7.0
6.9
6.7
7.8
6.9
7.9
8.0
7.7
7.7
8.0
7.4
88.4
7.4
44.4
52.5
12.26
7.7
8.2
46.3
63.1
55.0
58.3
11.20
13.77
95.5
$0.218
.233
.264
*11.17
11.49
11.56
$12.15
12.43
13.55
.279
13.22
15.32
10.41
9.59
13.35
10.82
14.24
8.07
10.57
12.50
9.60
8.44
11.86
8.63
9.48
13.84
13.32
12.47
12.06
17.42
12.25
16.25
10.51
28.95
.227
.219
.309
. 247
.339
.195
.277
.267
.232
.178
.247
.186
.198
.282
.300
23.17
.265
11.77
13.85
26.07
.240
.270
11.20
17.04
13.21
15.75
$30.39
In sp e c to rs , m e n d e r s , a n d fo ld e r s , fe m a le .
Georgia................................................................
Illinois
Mftssaoh11setts.....................................................
Michigan ..........................................................
N ew Y ork .........................................................
North Carolina....................................................
Ohio.
.........................................................
Pennsylvania.....................................................
Tennessee............................................................
"Virginia................................ - ............................
42.3
40.3
39.2
46.8
50.8
48.1
50.3
47.0
46.7
47.9
82.9
93.3
86.6
83.4
83.2
91.9
67.6
97.0
97.4
84.9
14.43
8.91
10.57
11.54
13.85
10.90
14.80
7.42
9.48
13.84
18.26
28.87
21.73
23.43
16.13
29.23
13.44
19.80
23.38
17.78
14.42
13.83
10.66
13.57
10.41
10.56
14.50
15.00
K n itte r s , fe m a le .
CumleCllClit........................ ...............................
Georgia................................................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
♦
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
Full-time
Number Number During one pay period.
Full-time During one pay period.
earnings
of estab- of em
per
week.
per
week.
lishployees.
Per
week
Per
week.
Per
hour.
Biweekly
Per
week.
Biweekly
ments.
day.
and semi
Weekly
and semi
Weekly
pay period. monthly
pay period. monthly
pay periods.
pay periods.
♦
159898
In d ia n a ...............
M assachusetts__
M ichigan.............
M innesota...........
New H a m p sh ire.
New Y o rk ..........
N o rth C aro lin a..
O hio.....................
P en n sy lv a n ia___
Tennessee...........
V irginia...............
W isconsin........... .
T otal.
45.4
49.9
54.0
46 3
51.7
60 0
50.0
52.0
47.2
45.5
51.9
2.028
48.3
68
38.2
52.6
91.6
83.2
89.1
101.6
69.0
92.3
99.6
80.1
7.7
7. S
7.7
8.6
5.9
7.4
8.1
46.2
43.2
46.2
46.8
46.3
51.7
35.4
46.4
48.6
43 8
45.5
51 ■ 9
7.8
46.8
6.4
8.3
7.7
38.2
49.8
46.2
36.6
45.6
46.4
35.4
41 4
48.6
44.4
53.5
49.0
47.4
49.4
48.0
539
50.1
49.0
54.0
60 0
50 4
53.0
55 4
55.5
53.0
15.76
15.51
10.89
15.86
17.08
18.00
11.97
16.87
9.82
13.45
15.00
13.45
15.00
13.17
16.13
14.14
16.47
16.79
17.96
12.11
11.73
16.71
12.82
15.83
15.21
.287
13.43
15.14
20.43
• 294
.231
.228
.357
. 265
. 344
.241
. 255
.301
.237
.310
.289
.199
11.39
11.50
10.53
13.07
12.08
16.12
8.53
10.56
14.63
10.52
15.89
14.57
9.43
16.16
12.98
11.27
17.12
14.26
17.47
14.47
12.81
13.-00
13.24
17.38
15.32
11.58
24.55
.296
12.96
15 31
.253
.288
.319
.232
.293
.272
. 295
.273
.268
.296
. 206
.244
.298
11.87
12.95
14. 79
11.69
13.36
11.30
13.63
10.16
9.81
14.56
9.99
11.52
13.42
13.94
14. 24
15.31
12.52
14.67
14.46
15.94
16.08
13.40
15. 54
11.44
11.83
15.36
.287
13.09 I
14.68
24.47
27.40
22.84
33-78
13.87
21.87
30.37
21.81
13.82
26.91
11.39
13.66
21.09
.267
.336
.262
.329
• 343
.333
.202
.233
.312
.231
. 235
.287
12.34
14.52
12.10
15.40
15.86
17.08
7.15
10.81
15.16
10.12
L o o p e r s , fe m a le .
C onnecticut........
G eorgia................
I n d ia n a ...............
M assachusetts.. M ichigan______
New H am p sh ire.
N o rth C aro lin a..
O hio.....................
^ P en n sy lv a n ia—
t t Tennessee...........
l j V irginia...............
W isconsin.......
O ther S ta te s........
T o tal.
104
121
425
62
100
39
15
237
96
56
108
35.8
18.4
46.4
48.7
53.5
49.0
96.7
91.9
94.3
95-5
71.1
87.4
97.3
76.0
68
86.9
1,499
92.1
6.1
7.6
7.7
5.9
6.9
8.1
7.4
8 .9
8.1
7.9
55.0
56.1
49.5
48.0
53.9
50.8
60.0
50.2
53.2
559
56.0
53.1
58.1
43.8
21.00
12.87
5.11
16.12
10.86
27.89
25.40
17.20
22.71
29.41
21.08
15.89
14.57
13.43
S e a m e r s , fe m a le .
C onnecticut........
In d ia n a .................
M assach u setts...
Michigan............. .
M innesota............
New H am pshire.
New Y o rk ............
N orth C arolina..,
Ohio.
P en n sy lv an ia.
Tennessee........
V irginia...........
Wisconsin........
T o ta l.
46.5
46.3
37.4
54.0
41.3
49.1
41.9
36.3
47.7
48.3
46.7
44.0
79.8
69.5
102.4
99.2
1,562
45.2
94.5
96.8
98.2
7.8
7.3
46.5
45.0
46.3
50.4
45.6
41.3
46.2
37.2
36.6
49.2
48.3
46.7
44.0
55.0
49.5
48.0
54.0
50.0
53.1
54.0
58.9
50.0
52.4
55.6
47.9
51.5
14.79
12.29
11.55
11.30
13.68
14.79
9.70
13.13
9.99
11.52
13.42
7. 6 |
45.6
51.3
13.06
8.4
7.6
6.9
7.7
6.2
6.1
8.2
8.1
11.87
19.22
28.97
26.80
15.56
25.31
30.61
109
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
30
71
287
92
404
54
207
37
49
144
81
29
W AGES AND H O U R S OF LABOR,
157
209
148
65
102
6
66
57
537
159
83
207
TION, SEX, AND STATE—Continued.
110
T a b l e 4 ,— AVERAGE ACTUAL AND FULL-TIME HOURS AND EARNINGS IN THE HOSIERY AND UNDERWEAR AND SILK INDUSTRIES, BY OCCUPA
H o s ie r y a n d u n d e r w e a r —Concluded.
Average actual earnings made—
Average actual hours worked—
Occupation, sex, and State.
Iflfl
W in d e r s , f e m a l e .
46.6
*11.22
46.2
45.0
43.2
47.8
47.4
47.4
48.0
46.3
46.6
47.1
49.8
54.4
49.9
53.4
99.4
7.8
7.7
7.5
7.2
8.0
7.9
7.9
8.0
7.7
7.8
7.9
8.3
51.4
52.5
55.7
13.59
9.72
13.27
13.28
11.17
14.45
9.52
12.13
13.57
13.06
92.6
7.8
46.8
52.3
12.68
95.2
102.5
93.7
92.9
7.7
8.3
8.0
8.0
8.6
46.2
49.8
46.9
48.0
51.4
50.0
53.2
51.5
52.6
54.0
$17.44
14.15
93.6
8.0
48.0
51.7
19.65
41
68
383
57
29
147
17
168
97
14
47
188
44.5
43.3
47.8
49.1
47.1
43.5
46.3
46.6
47.1
53.0
89.6
100.7
97.8
O ther S ta te s............................................................
3
2
4
3
3
4
4
4
3
3
4
4
Total....................... .................................
41
1,256
46.6
.........................
Connecticut....................
Indiana..
Massachusetts.....................................................
Michigan............
New Hampshire........
New York . .......
Ohio....................................................................
Pennsylvania.....................................................
Tennessee..
Virginia___
Wisconsin__
75.7
93.5
86.0
55.0
49.5
48.4
54.0
24.03
$0,240
.248
.311
.238
.273
.313
.207
.247
.203
.259
.283
.242
$11.22
11.46
14.00
10.28
13.27
14.84
9.81
11.86
9.52
12.13
13.57
12.05
$13.17
12.30
15.08
12.88
14.07
17.02
9.85
13.18
11.34
13.33
14.84
13.48
25.53
.271
12.68
14.09
$38.83
42. 97
37.94
38.37
$0.383
.313
.419
.417
.185
$17.69
15.59
18.97
20.02
9.52
$18.68
16.58
21.59
24.00
9.99
38.24
.414
19.87
22.01
$22.83
35.37
24.73
34.85
16.96
22.97
Silk.
L a b o r e r s, d y e h o u se , m a le .
46.2
49.3
Connecticut.......................................
Massachusetts...................................
New Jersey.............. .........................
Pennsylvania....................................
Other States......................................
2
2
2
3
1
110
24
859
416
2
51.0
51.4
Total........................................
10
1,411
48.9
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
22.60
9.52
♦
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
Number Number During one pay period.
Full-time During one pay period.
Full-time
of estabearnings
of em
hours
lishper
week.
per
week.
ployees.
Per
week
ments.
Per
week.
Per
hour.
Per
week.
Biweekly
Biweekly
day.
and semi
Weekly
and semi
Weekly
pay period. monthly
pay period. monthly
pay periods.
pay periods.
•
•
♦
L o o m fix e r s , m a le .
Connecticut........................................................
Massachusetts.....................................................
New Jersey.........................................................
New York..............
Pennsylvania.....................................................
Rhode Island.....................................................
Virginia......................
Total.........
3
2
6
6
4
4
2
27
65
41
58
27
47
33
47.8
54.0
50.0
48.2
279
8
53.6
55.0
103.4
96.6
97.6
104.9
107.7
108.4
112.9
49.4
8.1
8.2
8.2
8.4
9.0
9.0
9.4
48.6
49.2
49.2
50.4
53.9
54.0
56.4
50.6
50.6
50.0
50.9
53.6
54.0
55.0
28.22
24.33
28.54
26. 77
102.7
8.4
50.4
51.5
87.5
7.3
92
43. 8
52 6
55 0
52 7
54.0
29.42
23.00
47.27
55.;10
56769
51.33
53.91
60.26
55.54
.563
.553
.580
.518
.501
.554
.464
27.36
27.21
28.54
26.11
26.96
29.92
26.17
28.44
27.92
29.01
26.32
26.82
29.90
25.54
27.85
54.95
.546
27.52
28.09
12 34
27 77
27.76
14 68
27 63
11 47
26.30
S p i n n e r s , m a le .
3
2
2
2
35
42
9
54.7
81.5
150.3
9.5
40. 8
57.0
27.63
49.39
274
476
217
.487
Total.........................................................
9
107
54.7
93.6
7.9
47.4
53.9
27.63
33.16
.342
■ 16.21
18.63
2
3
37
38
34
16
46.0
23.75
18.37
9.83
55 40
56! 69
38 11
45! 69
55.44
.464
458
612
.461
436
.452
.390
23. 49
2
50.7
50. 7
50 0
51.6
54 0
54.0
55.0
21.72
23 13
28 9Q
26.28
51.9
55.0
46.8
50.4
47.1
57.0
44. 9
44.4
52.2
47.33
52.2
7.8
8.4
7.8
9.5
7 5
7.4
8.7
21.92
23
7
io i.i
100.7
94.2
118.2
89.8
82.8
99.7
20.07
20.36
24. 42
21.47
48.5
97.7
8. 1
48.6
51.5
20. 44
49.86
.486
23.62
24.91
55.0
96.1
87.0
102. 5
48.1
48.0
51. 3
50.0
55.0
51.9
23.33
30.69
39.49
.443
.302
21.26
15.35
29o o2
24.34
15.55
95.8
8. 0
8.0
8. t>
8.0
48.0
50. 7
23.33
55.31
.558
26.78
28.15
8.1
7. 9
X. 2
8. 5
¿¡¿i* a i
24. 38
22. 54
24. 59
23. 57
25.16
25. 1 1
22.42
21
110.1
94 57
55 53
18 38
q
19
191*1
T w is te r s -in , m a le .
Connecticut........................................................
Massachusetts............
New Jersey.........................................................
New York..................
Pennsylvania.....................................................
Rhode Island.............
Virginia.. .
5
5
3
4
10
....
24
165
New Jersey.........................................................
Virginia..."......................................................
Other States.......................................................
4
59
Total.........
4fi
22.22
W a r p e r s , m a le .
Total.........................................................
2
8
4
8
71
2
327
218
348
92
43
358
23
90.5
96.9
95.1
97.0
101. 9
100.0
94.4
8.3
7. 9
48. 5
51.0
50. 0
47.2
51.3
50 0
51 5
52 9
54. 0
55.0
1,409
95. 9
8.0
48.0
51. 7
55.0
58 37
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
Massachusetts.....................................................
New Jersey.........
Pennsylvania___
Rhode Island. . .
W e a v e r s , b ro a d s i l k , m a le .
Connecticut........................................................
Massachusetts.....................................................
New Jersey.........................................................
New York........
...........................
Pennsylvania.....................................................
Rhode' Island...................................... ..............
Virginia...............................................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
4
4
2
24
------ --
7 G
45.3
48. 5
38.83
_______
45.44
!~413
19. 42
22.70
n
24.43
Ill
Total.........................................................
4
HOSIERY AND UNDERWEAR AND SILK INDUSTRIES, BY OCCUPA
TION, SEN, AND STATE—Concluded.
112
T able 4. —AVERAGE ACTUAL AND FULL-TIME HOURS AND EARNINGS IN THE
S i l k —Concluded.
Average actual earnings made—
Average actual hours worked—
Occupation^ sex, and State.
S p i n n e r s , fe m a le .
[416]
$0.2S5
.316
.213
.305
$12.97
16.23
9. 55
13.44
$14.28
15. 78
10.85
15.30
12. 97
24.19
.274
12.33
13. 77
12.89
20.00
43.40
29. 79
24. 40
.281
.477
.325
.277
.297
12.81
21.70
15. 99
12.20
16.20
14.08
23. 86
16.29
14.77
16.05
14.67
33. 27
. 329
15. 59
16.92
16.68
19.47
26.82
34.65
35.38
31. 98
29. 54
42.05
.336
.368
.385
. 320
. 301
.392
15. 72
17.33
17. 69
15.36
14. 77
■ 20.23
17. 32
18.09
19. 24
16.05
16. 14
21.16
17. 44
33. 79
. 354
16. 99
18. 31
45.3
51.5
44.5
44.0
50.1
50.0
50.7
50.2
45.3
89. 5
7. 5
45.0
50.3
45.3
47. 1
105.0
90. 4
99. 9
87. 7
7.6
7. 5
8. 2
7.3
9. 1
45.6
45. 2
49. 2
43.9
54. 5
50.1
50.0
50.1
53.1
54.0
17.43
Ï
29
23
10
22
27
13
111
49.6
90.8
7.9
47.4
51.6
3
2
5
6
4
3
m
92
131
47
110
90
46.9
7.8
7.9
7.6
8.0
8.1
8.6
46.8
47.3
48.0
48.4
51.6
51.6
51.0
50.0
51.1
54.0
92.1
94.6
91.4
88.9
96.8
99.1
54.0
50.9
94.2
8.0
48.0
51.9
45.3
2
2
8
372
2
2
Other States. . .
Total.........................................................
’$32.46
19. 09
26. 88
8.6
7.4
7.3
$12.97
102.9
88.9
8S. 0
109
20
105
13.8
Connecticut.........................................................
N pav .Torspy. *rr
T u is te r s - in , fe m a le .
Connecticut........................................................
Pennsylvania ..
Total.........................................................
16.20
V /a rp e rs, fe m a le .
Connecticut........................................................
Massachusetts
....................................
New Jersey___
Pennsylvania..
..........................
Rhode Island.....................................................
Total.........................................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
23
536
53.1
14. 72
♦
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
Number Number During one pay period.
Full-time
Pull-time During one pay period.
of estab of em
earnings
lish
per week.
per week.
ployees.
ments.
Biweekly Per hour. Per week.
Biweekly Per week Per week.
and semi
Weekly
day.
and semi
Weekly
pay period. monthly
pay period. monthly
pay
periods.
pay periods.
♦
W ea v e rs, b road s ilk , fe m a le .
Connecticut.........................................
Massachusetts.....................................
New Jersey..........................................
New York...........................................
Pennsylvania......................................
Rhode Island......................................
Virginia................................................
3
2
4
Ü
4
4
2
225
577
312
116
464
441
54
88.9
93.4
93.4
95.3
98.8
101. 1
92.8
Total..........................................
24
2,189
95.7
3
2
8
6
4
4
2
163
228
208
67
231
164
8
44.2
51. 5
55.0
90. 5
84.6
92.9
96.7
92.4
90.4
94.7
29
1,069
47.4
90.3
7.4 ;
8.4
7.8 ;
44.5
40.7
46. 7
47.7
49.4
50.6
46.4
50.9
50.4
50.0
52.2
53.4
54.0
55.0
35.06
40.08
42.33
36. 01
27. 79
46.13
27.48
8.0 !
4S.0
52.0
37.97
8.1
8.1
44.4
42.3
46.5
48.6
46.2
48.6
48.6
50.7
50.8
50. 0
51.9
52.1
54.0
55. 0
46. 2
51.5
7.8 j
7.8 !
7.9
8.2 j
.396
.434
.454
.374
.278
.453
.307
17.53
20.04
21.17
18.01
13.90
23. 07
14. 74
20.17
21.89
22. 70
19. 25
14.89
24.46
16.88
19.10
20.60
12.30
13.15
14.54
11.81
10.58
12.15
11.37
14.02
14. 66
15.52
12.17
11.91
13. 52
12. 88
12.43
13. 79
W in d e r s , f e m a l e .
Total.
[417]
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
49.1
13.14
9.66
13.01
9.50
20. 30
26.29
29.08
27.31
21.16
22. 75
23. 28
24. 94
.277
.289
.310
. 243
.228
.250
.234
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR,
Connecticut...
Massachusetts.
New Jersey...
New York___
Pennsylvania.
Rhode' Island.
Virginia..........
H-1
CC
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
I H
The last previous investigation made by the Bureau into labor
conditions in the hosiery and underwear and the silk industries were
carried out in the year 1914. The following table gives relative hours
and earnings for selected occupations in the two industries for which
the Bureau had the necessary data. The figures for 1913 are in all
cases used as the base. The comparison is necessarily confined to
those occupations for which the requisite information in comparable
form is at hand.
Method of Computing Industry Relative.
H E table also gives a relative (or index number) for each industry
as a whole. It seems desirable to point out certain features of
the method by which these relatives were computed. In the first place
the averages of hours and earnings on which the 1919 relative is based
cover only selected occupations. In earlier years the relatives have
been based on all wage-earning employees found in the establishments
visited. The employees who did not fall within any of the selected
occupations were grouped in the tables under the caption “ Other em
ployees.” This was done not because of any value that was supposed
to attach to figures for this heterogeneous group, but because it was
feared that the omission of these employees might seriously affect the
averages for the industry as a whole. Careful experiments carried
out by the Bureau indicate that, if the selected occupations include
low-paid groups, such as laborers, in proportion to their numbers in
the industry, the omission of “ other employees ” has little effect upon
industry averages.
In the second place it should be stated that the industry averages
given in the table are based on all of the occupations listed in the
several industries and not on those to which limitations of space
made it necessary to confine the detailed tables already presented.
The total number of selected occupations used in computing the in
dustry relative was 14 in the hosiery and underwear industry and
11 in the silk industry.
Furthermore, no attempt has been made to base the relatives on
data from identical establishments. With the. changes that the lapse
of time since the last investigation has brought about in the different
establishments, the plan of confining the comparison to data from
identical establishments would have two disadvantages. It would
in some cases seriously limit the numbers on which the comparative
figures are based; in other cases it might give undue weight to
changes in hours and earnings taking place in one or another of the
limited number of establishments covered when those changes did
not reflect conditions in the industry as a whole. The present rehn
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
115
lives are based on the entire body of information available for each
year for which a relative is shown.
Finally the effect of bonuses and of extra pay for overtime in
increasing hourly earnings has been carefully noted and every effort
has been put forth to make the full-time weekly earnings represent
exactly what the employees would earn by working the full-time
hours of the occupation and no more. For that purpose not only
has the extra pay for overtime been eliminated but also every bonus
which it required overtime work to secure. On the other hand attend
ance bonuses and others which could be earned in regular time have
been included in the hourly rates from which full-time earnings were
computed.
T a b l e 5 . —RELATIVE
FULL-TIME HOURS PER WEEK, EARNINGS PER HOUR, AND
FULL-TIME WEEKLY EARNINGS, 1913, 1911, AND 1919, IN THE HOSIERY AND UNDER
WEAR AND SILK INDUSTRIES, BY OCCUPATION, SEX, AND YEAR.
[1913=100.]
H o s ie r y a n d u n d e rw e a r.
Rela Rela Rela
tive
tive
full tive
full
Occupation, sex, and year. time earn
time
hours ings
per weekly
per
earn
week. hour. ings.
Cutters, male:
1913...................................
1914..................................
1919..................................
Cutters, female:
1913...................................
1914..................................
1919..................................
Finishers, female:
1913..................................
1914..................................
1919..................................
Inspectors, female:
1913...................................
1914...................................
1919..................................
Knitters, footers or toppers,
male:
1913...................................
1914...................................
1919..................................
Knitters, footers or toppers,
female:
1913..................................
1914..................................
1919..................................
Knitters,full-fashioned,male:
1913..................................
1914..................................
1919...................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
100
100
96
100
96
145
100
96
138
100
99
92
100
101
185
100
101
170
100
100
95
100
93
152
100
97
152
100
100
95
100
102
182
100
101
172
too
97
94
100
101
199
100
97
187
100
98
95
100
108
192
100
99
173
100
99
93
100
104
164
100
104
152
Occupation, sex, and year.
Knitters, web or tube, male:
1913...................................
1914
1919...
..............
Knitters, web or tube, female:
1913..................................
1914
1919...................................
Loopers, female:
1913...............................
1914...
1919...................................
Seamers, female:
1913..
1914.
1919...................................
Winders, female:
1913...
1914. .
1919
The industry:
1913...................................
1914 . . .
1 9 1 9 ..............
[4 1 9 ]
Rela Rela Rela
tive
tive
full tive
full
time earn
time
hours ings
weekly
per earn
petweek. hour. ings.
101
95
100
92
163
100
93
157
100
99
94
100
103
202
100
102
190
100
98
93
100
105
197
100
103
183
100
101
95
100
100
163
100
100
153
100
99
96
100
99
174
100
98
165
100
99
94
100
103
184
100
102
172
too
116
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
(Table 5 .—RELATIVE FULL-TIME HOURS FER WEEK, EARNINGS PER HOUR, AND
FULL-TIME WEEKLY EARNINGS, 1913, 1914, AND 1919, IN THE HOSIERY AND UNDER
WEAR AND SILK INDUSTRIES, BY OCCUPATION, SEX, AND YEAR—Concluded.
S ilk .
Rela Rela Rela
tive
tive
full tive
full
Occupation, sex, and year. time earn
time
hours ings
per weekly
per
earn
week. hour. ings.
Laborers, male:
1913 ...............................
1914 .
.....................
1919
Loom fixers, male:
1913 ...............................
1914. .
1919 ...............................
Reeiers, male:
1913
1914...................................
1919 ...............................
Spinners, male:
1913
1914...................................
1919...................................
Twisters-in, male:
1913 .................................
1914 .................................
1919...................................
Warpers, male:
1913 .............................
1914
1919 ...............................
Weavers, broad silk, male:
1913
1914..................................
1919..............
Weavers, ribbon, male:
1913...............................
1914. .
1919
Doublers, female:
1913...................................
1914
........................
1919 .
Pickers, female:
1913...................................
1914..................................
1919...................................
100
101
93
100
103
197
100
104
189
100
97
92
WO
103
170
100
100157
100
97
90
100
100
210
100
97
188
100
97
100
102
292
100
99
283
100
97
92
100
103
169
100
100
156
100
99
92
100
93
144
100
92
131
100
97
92
100
98
187
100
94
173
100
98
91
too
104
172
109
102
158
100
98
91
100
104
218
100
102
199
100
97
92
100
108
197
100
105
188
Occupation, sex, and year.
Quillers, female:
1913..................................
1914...................................
1919...................................
Reeiers, female:
1913...................................
1914.......................... ........
1919...................................
Spinners, female:
1913.....................
1914...................................
1919...................................
Twisters-in, female:
1913.....................
1914...................................
1919...................................
Warpers, female:
1913/.................................
i
1914...............................
1919..................................
j Weavers, broad silk, female:
1913...............................
1911...............................
1919..................................
Weavers, ribbon, female:
1913.............. •
1914...................................
1919...................................
Winders, female:
1913...................
1914........................
1919.....................
The industry:
1913...............................
1911...............................
1919.....................
Rela Rela Rela
tive
tive
full tive
full
time earn
time
hours ings
weekly
per
per
earn
week. hour. ings.
100
98
93
100
105
206
100
102
186
100
96
90
100
118
256
100
112
228
100
96
89
100
125
252
100
121
222
100
97
94
100
89
160
100
87
lol
100
97
93
100
99
173
100
97
161
100
97
93
100
201
100
96
186
100
99
91
100
99
177
100
98
162
100
97
92
100
106
209
100
103
192
100
98
92
100
100
191
100
98
177
The industrial survey covered eight industries for which the
Bureau had material on hand for the calculation of-industry relatives.
That the increases in earnings in the industries included in this
report may be compared with increases in the other six industries,
the relatives of each industry are given in the following table:
T a b l e 6 .—RELATIVE EARNINGS PER HOUR IN EIGHT INDUSTRIES, 1913 TO 1919.
[1913=100.]
Year.
( igars.
Clothing,
men's.
F urniture.
|
1913.. ........................ 1
1914..
1915.. ..........................
1916.. ..........................
1917.. .......................... !
1918.. ..........................1
1919.. ..........................
100
(A
(!)
G)
0)
(.0
152
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
100
(0
(0
(■)
0)
(!)
171
Hosiery Iron and
and un
Lumber.
steel.
derwear.
100
(0
103
('•)
(•)
(0
154
100
103
0)
0)
(■■)
(0
184
5 Not reported.
[420]
100
103
101
(0
()
0)
221
100
(:)
91
n
(;)
(-)
194
Millwork.
Silk
goods.
100
0)
99
CO
(0
(0
151
100
100
(0
(0
(0
(0
191
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
117
An examination of the table shows that the two industries under
consideration received increases in earnings somewhat in excess of the
average of the eight industries for which the Bureau has figures.
The silk industry is third from the top of the list, and the hosiery and
underwear industry fourth. The index numbers 184 for hosiery and
underwear and 191 for silk are both in excess of the Bureau’s index
number of 175 for the cost of living in the spring of 1919 on the 1913
basis.
C hanges in U nion W age Scales, 1907 to 1919.
UMMARIZED figures concerning the changes in recent years in
union wage scales, drawn from a report prepared by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, are here presented. The statements are given
in the form of index numbers (percentages) in which the figures for
each other year are compared with the figures for 1913; in other words,
1913 is made the base, or 100 per cent. The wage figures are as of May
each year.
S
INDEX NUMBERS OF UNION WAGE RATES, AND HOURS OF LABOR, 1907 TO 1919.
[1913=100.]
Index numbers of—
Rates of
Rates of Full-time wages
wages hours per per full
per hoar. week.
time
week.
Year.
1907.............................................
1908.............................................
1909.............................................
1910.............................................
1911.............................................
1912.............................................
1913.............................................
1914.............................................
1915.............................................
1916.............................................
1917......................
................................
1918
1919
................................
90
01
92
94
93
98
100
102
103
107
114
133
155
103
102
102
101
101
100
100
100
99
99
98
97
95
92
93
93
95
96
98
100
102
102
106
112
130
148
For all trades covered in the report, taken collectively, the average
union rate of wages per hour in May, 1919, was 155 per cent of the
average in May, 1913, that is, the average rate in 1919 was 55 per cent
higher than in 1913. In 1907 the average hourly rate was but 90 per
cent of what it was in 1913; thus the average hourly rate had in
creased between 1907 and 1919 in the ratio of 90 to 155, an increase
of 65 points in the index, which number is 72 per cent of 90, making
an increase of 72 per cent in the rate of wages per hour between
1907 and 1919.
The index numbers for full-time hours per week decreased gradually from 103 in 1907 to 95 in 1919. It should be borne in mind that
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[4 2 1 ]
118
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
these figures are percentages based on the year 1913, not actual
hours. Index numbers for rates of wages per week increased from
92 in 1907 to 148 in 1919, or 61 per cent.
These index numbers are based on the union minimum rates as
provided in agreements with employers. In some unions quite a per
centage of members are actually paid, by individual arrangement,
more than the union agreements specify. The average wage received
by union men, therefore, to a greater or less extent, exceeds the pre
vailing union rate. The business agents and secretaries furnishing
the information as to wage rates to the Bureau agents frequently had
only indefinite knowledge concerning the exact amount above the
scale received by some members of the union.
A Rest Day in Continuous O peration Industry.
B y F r e d C . C r o x t o n , O h io I n s t it u t e
fo r
P u b l ic E f f i c i e n c y .
V
ARIOUS plans have been suggested whereby 24 consecutive
hours of rest one day in seven, combined with the 8-hour
day, may be effected in industries requiring continuous
[operation.
It is essential that any plan adopted should:
1.
Be easily understood in order to prevent confusion on the part
; of foremen and workmen.
2.
Provide as far as possible for regularity of change or rotation
of shifts.
E d it o r ’ s n o t e . — Certain industries require continuous operation. The sim plest plan
for m anning such an industry has been to employ two crews, each working 12 hours a
day and 7 days a week, w ith 24 hours of continuous service when day and night crews
change place. This satisfies the need of the industry but is a heavy burden on th e man.
The tendency is toward an 8-hour day and a 6-day week. There are technical difficulties,
however, in applying a 6-day personnel to a 7-day industry.
In the November, 1919, M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , p a g e 199, there was presented a
working schedule for a continuous operation industry. The follow ing table presents a
• brief comparison of the provisions of the plan w ith those of the three plans described
by Mr. Croxton in th is article :
C o m p a r is o n o f p la n s .
Plan pub
lished in
November
Review.
Item.
Hours per turn...................................
Days per week...................................
Hours per week.................................
Possible working hours per year__
Rest period........................................
F u ll calendar day of rest.
Rotation in turn worked.
Rotation in rest day.......
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Plans here submitted.
No. 1.
............... Average 6.63..
48..................... Average 53___
2,503................ 2,766................
32 or 56 hours 24 hours after
6turns.
once in 7
days.
No. 2.
8 ...................
Average 6..............
Average 48............
2,503.......................
40 hours, average
once per week,
with 24, 32, 48,
or 56 hours twice
in 13 weeks.
O n c e i n 7 O n c e i n 19 Average once in 7
days.
days.
days.
Yes................ . Yes................ Y es/.......................
No................... Yes................ Y’e s...........................
6
[422]
No. 3.
8.
Average 6.
Average 48.
2,503.
40 hours, average once per
week.
Average once
in 7 days.
No.
Yes.
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR,
119
3.
Eliminate unnecessarily long rest periods which might tend to
demoralize the working force and to reduce earnings, and also to
increase the number of men required.
In the M o n t h l y L abor R e v ie w for November, 1919, one plan w a s
suggested and it may be helpful to suggest three additional plans to
meet varying needs and conditions. The plans here submitted cover
six working positions, but the principles involved may be applied to
any number of working positions excepting that the relief men in
squads not multiples of six must be assigned to work relief for more
than one squad in order to secure full time.
Plan No. 1.
PJMTIS plan is probably the simplest which can be adopted. It does
not provide for a full calendar day’s rest each week, but for full
24-hours rest after six consecutive turns. The information is pre
sented both in schedule and chart form merely for the sake of clear
ness. The plan covers 19 persons working in three 8-hour turns in
six positions.
Each of the numbers 1 to 18 represents an individual worker.
The letter “A” also represents an individual worker who may be
termed a relief man, although, as a matter of fact, he has opportunity
to work with exactly the same regularity as the employees indicated
by numbers. He is a relief worker merely in the sense of workingin the positions of persons numbered 1, 2, 3, etc,, when these persons
are off duty.
In the first presentation the turns are indicated in the first column
and in the column for each day has been entered the individual
number of each person on duty. The first turn may begin at any
hour that is most expedient. In the second presentation, which is
in chart form, the several employees are indicated by numbers in the
first column, and under each day the space has been crossed for the
turn worked and left blank for the period of rest.
The plan provides for each man, except the relief man, remaining
continuously in the same position. Thus, it will be noted that on
Monday of the first week position No. 1 is filled by employee No. 1
in the first turn; by employee No. T in the second turn; and by
employee No. 13 in the third turn. As a matter of fact, in many lines
of work all members of the squad would be engaged in the same work
without any distinction as to positions.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
120
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW;
SCHEDULE FOR 8-HOUR TURNS WITH 24 HOURS OFF AFTER 6 DAYS, IN CON
TINUOUS OPERATION INDUSTRIES.
Turn
Position
nuni- ! number.
foer. |
1................
2................
3...............
i 4................
5...............
i 6...............
1f l ...............
i 2...............
i
3...............
4............
5...............
! 6....................
1....................
2....................
3...............
»....................
5...............
6....................
First week.
c econd week.
Third week.
M. T. W. T. F. S. S.
M. T. W. T. F. S. S.
M. T. W. T. F. S. S.
1 A
2 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
3
4
5
13 13 13 13 13
A 14 14 14 14
3 A 15 15 15
4 4 A 16 16
5 5 5 A 17
6 6 6 6 A
13
14
15
16
17
18
6
1 1 1 1 1 1 A
8 2 2 2 2 2 2
9 9 3 3 3 3 3
10 10 10 4 4 4 4
11 11 11 11 11 5 5 5
12 12 12 12 12 12 6 6
13 7 7 7 7 7 7 1
14 14
8 8 8 8 8 8
9 9 9 9 9
15 15 15
10 16 16 16 10 10 10 10
17 17 17 17 17 11 11 11
18
18
IS IS
18
18
7
14
15
16
17
18
7 7 7 7 1 1 1 1 1 1
8 8 8 8 8 8 2 2 2 2 2
7
15 9 9 9 9
16 16 10 10 10
17 17 17 11 11
18 18 18 18 12
13 13 13 13 13
A 14 14 14 14
3 A 15 15 15
4 4 A 16 16
5 A 17
5
5
6 6 6 6A
1
2
10
11
12 12 12
9
13
14
15
16
17
18
1 1 1 1A
2 2 2 2 2
3
3
10 4
11 11
3
4
5-
3
4
5
3
4
5
12 12 12 6 6
9
9
3
3
3
10 10 10 4 4
11 11 11 11 5
12 12 12 12 12
3
4
5
6
7 7 7 “7 7 7
14 8 8 8 8 8
15 15 9 9 9 9
16 16 16 10 10 10
1 11
17 17 17 17 1
18 18 18 18 18 12
13 13 13 13 13
A 14 14 14 14
3 A 15 15 15
4 4 A 16 16
5 5 5 A 17
6 6 6 6A
13
14
15
16
17
18
Each man, including the relief worker, works 8 consecutive hours
and is off 16 consecutive hours in each 24-hour day. After 6 con
secutive turns of work each man, including the relief worker, has 24
hours off. Each man, including the relief worker, after he gets a ^
24-hour instead of a 16-hour rest period, starts work oil the shift
beginning eight hours later than the one on which he worked im
mediately preceding the rest period. Thus, employee No. 1 who
works the first turn on the first Monday gets 24 hours of rest immedi
ately thereafter, and then takes the second turn on Tuesday.
A complete rotation in turns is made in 19 days; the 20th day
(Saturday of the third week) has been included in both schedule
and chart merely to show that it exactly duplicates the first Monday.
Seven periods of 19 calendar days (133 calendar days) elapse before
the employees get back to the same schedule of turn and day per
week; for example, until employee No. 1 again gets his 24-hour rest
period following the first turn on Monday.
Working full time on the basis of 8 hours per day and T days per
week, each worker could work 2.920 hours per year. Under the plan
here submitted for an 8-hour day with 24 hours off after six turns,
each full-time worker could work 2,766 hours per year. On a work
ing schedule of 6 days per week and 8 hours per day, he could work
2,503 hours per year.
In large plants it may be more satisfactory to use a squad of relief ^
men for several groups of workers instead of a single relief man for ^
each group of six. In other words, instead of having “A” substitute
for employees 1 to 18 in one squad it may be more desirable to have
him substitute for employees 1, 7, and 13 in six different squads.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[424]
•
CHART FOR 8 -HOUR TU RN S
•
%
W /T H £ 4 H O U R S O F F A F T E R 6 D A Y S . /N C O N T /N U G U S
OPE RAT/ON /A'D/JSTP/ES
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR
f42 51
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
122
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Such a plan has some advantages. The schedule which follows sug
gests the method.
♦
SCHEDULE FOR 8-HOUR TURNS WITH 24 HOURS OFF AFTER 6DAYS, IN CONTINUOUSOPERATION INDUSTRIES, ILLUSTRATING USE OF RELIEF SQUADS WITH NO SHIFT
IN POSITION FOR RELIEF WORKERS.
Position
No.
M. T. W. T. F. S. S.
1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 2
f l ...............
9
3...............
4...............
5...............
6...............
3
4
5
3
4
5
3
4
5
3
4
5
3
4
5
7
7
7
7
6 6 6 6
6
[1............... 7
2................ 8
3............... 9
4................ 10
5............... 11
6............... 12
8
9
10
11
12
8
10
11
12
8
10
11
12
8
10
11
12
f l ...............
2................
3................
4................
5................
.6................
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
9
9
9
Third week.
Second, week.
First week.
Turn
No.
A
B
3 C
4 D
5 E
6 F
M. T. W. T. F. S. S. M. T. W. T. F. S. S.
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
7
8
10
11
12
9
7
8
10
11
12
9
7 7 7 1
8 S 8 8 2
9 9 9 3
10 10 10 10 4
11 11 11 It 5
12 12 12 12 6
7
9
7 1 1 1 1 1 1 A 13 13 13 13 13
8 2 2 2 2 2 2 B 14 14 14 14 14
9 3 3 3 3 3 3 C 15 15 15 15 15
10 4 4 4 4 4 4 1) 16 16 16 16 16
11 5 5 5 5 5 5 E 17 17 17 17 17
12 6 6 6 6 6 6 F 18 18 18 18 18
13 7 7 7 7 7 7 1 1 1 1 1 1
14 8 8 8 8 8 8 2 2 2 2 2 2
15 9 9 9 9 9 9 3 3 3 3 3 3
16 10 10 10 10 10 10 4 4 4 4 4 4
17 11 11 11 11 11 11 5 5 5 5 5 5
18 12 12 12 12 12 12 6 6 6 6 6 6
7
13
14
15
16
17
18
8
9
10
11
12
A
B
C
D
E
F
13
14
15
16
17
18
Plan No. 2.
nPHE Bureau of Labor Statistics has referred to the writer a letter
just received from a very large corporation, stating that they
have “ entered into a definite agreement giving to its * * * shift
employees a 48-liour week without reduction of earnings,” and asking
for “ any information as to a practical shift schedule, providing
r o t a t i o n i n t u r n s and r o t a t i o n o f t h e d a y o f r e s t with an a v e r a g e o f
k 8 h o u r s p e r w e e k .' '
In an effort to meet the needs of this corporation the schedule pre
sented on page 124 has been drafted.
Each of the numbers 1 to 18 represents an individual worker. The
letters A, B, and C represent what may be termed “ regular relief
workers,” and the letters D, E, and F what may be termed “ extra
relief workers.” In a period of 13 weeks a complete rotation of the
day of rest is made for each regular worker and each “ regular relief
worker,” and the average number of hours per week is 48 for the
regular workers. The three regular relief workers have had only 72
days each in the 13 weeks and the three extra relief workers have had G
days each. In large establishments, however, the three extra relief
workers can be eliminated and the three regular relief workers can be
given full 78 days in 13 weeks by starting the squads of 6 (18 for
three turns) at different times, so that one of the two consecutive rest
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[426]
m
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR,
123
days for the regular relief workers on one squad can fall at the time
when extra relief workers are needed on another squad.
The time off duty at the rest period is 40 hours, excepting when
the turn is shifted as follows:
0
During the sixth and seventh weeks—
Nos. 1 to 6 in shifting from the first to the third turn get a rest period
of 56 hours.
Nos. 7 to 12 in shifting from the second to the first turn get a rest
period of 32 hours.
Nos. 13 to 18 in shifting from the third to the second turn get a rest
period of 32 hours.
During the thirteenth week—
Nos. 1 to 6 in shifting from third to first get 24 hours.
Nos. 7 to 12 in shifting from first to second get 48 hours.
Nos. 13 to 18 in shifting from second to third get 48 hours.
0
In order to give each regular man a chance to work on each of the
three turns the schedule must be continued to cover 26 weeks. The
principle involved, however, is exactly the same as for the 13-week
period, except that at the next turn rotation (the third in the 26-week
period) Nos. 1 to 6 are shifted from turn No. I to turn No. II with a
24-hour rest period and shifted back in the twenty-sixth week with
a 56-hour rest period. In the same way Nos. 7 to 12 are shifted from
turn No. II to turn No. I l l with a 24-hour rest period and back again
with a 56-hour rest period, and Nos. 13 to 18 are shifted from turn
No. I l l to turn No. I with a 24-hour rest period and back again with
a 56-hour rest period.1 The schedule follows:
1 E d i t o r ' s n o t e .— W hile this change provides work on each turn it does not give the
same number of days on each turn. By continuing the period to 39 weeks and shifting
turns in the thirteenth, tw enty-sixth, and thirty-ninth weeks, the same number of days
on each turn may be obtained for the regular men.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[427]
Turn
num
ber.
Position
number.
n
9
I
3
4
5
.6
n
ii
.6
f]
2
in
3
4
fi
l' A
2
3 3
4 4
2
6
1 111 1 A 1 1 1 1 1A
2 A 2 2 2 9( 9
A 2 2 2
3 3 A 3 3 3 3
3 A 3 3
4 4 A 4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4 4
5 A
5 5 A
6 6 6 6
6
D
6
|
i
3
4
6
(1
9
h
3
4
6
n
9
hi
?,
4
5
u
«
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
6
6
R
6
- B 7 7 7 7 7 B 7 7 7 9 7B
8 8B 8 8 8 8 s B 8 8 8 8 8
Q
9 9 B 9 9 9 9 9 R 9 9 9 9
in 10 1010 B 10 10 10 io m B 101010
li 11 11 11 11 B n 11 li li 11 B 11 11
12 12 1212 12 12 E 1212 12 12 12 E 12
13 C 13 13 13 13 13 O 13 13 13 13 13 0
14
15
16
17
IS
14 C
15 15
16 16
17 17
18 18
14
C
16
17
18
14 14
15 15
C 16
17 0
18 18
14
15
16
17
F
14
15
16
17
18
C
15
16
17
18
14
(’
16
17
18
14
15
C
17
18
14
15
16
C
18
14
15
16
17
F
14
15
16
17
18
1
A
1 1 1 1
A I
2 2 2 2 2A
3 A 3 3 3 3 3
A 4 A 4 4 4
r, 5 .5 A 5 5
4
6
6
6
6 6 D
6
1 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 1 1A 1 1 1 1 1B 7
2 2 2 2 2 A 2 2 2 2 2A 2 2 2 2 2 B
A 3 3 3 3 3 A
4 A 4 4 4 4 4
5 5 A 5 5 5 5
6 6 6 I)
6
6 6
3 3 3 3 3 A 3
A 4 4 1 4 4 A
5 A 5 5 5 5 5
6
6 D
6 6 6
6
13
14
15
16
C
18
13 13 13 C 13 13
14 14 14 11 C 14
13 13 13
C 14 14
15 O 15
16 16 O
17 17 17
18 18 18
13
14
15
16
C
18
13
14
15
16
17
F
C
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15 C
16 16
17 17
18 18
13
c
13
14
15
C
(7
18
13
14
15
16
13
14
15
16
C 17
18 F
C
14
15
16
17
18
13
e
15
16
17
18
13
14
C
16
17
18
13
14
15
C
17
18
13
14
15
16
C
IS
13
14
15
16
17
F
C
14
15
16
17
18
13
C
15
16
17
18
13
14
C
16
17
18
13
14
15
c
17
18
Twelfth week.
Eleventh week.
0
16 16 16 16 16 16
17 17 17 17 17 17
C 18 18 18 18 18
-
s
13 13 13
14 14 14
15 15
(’■16 16
17 C 17
18 18 C
13 13 c
14 14 14
15
16 16 16
17 17 17
IS 18 18
13
C
15
16
17
18
6 R
6
6 6
6
6
7 7 7 B 7 7 7 7 7 R 7 7 7 7 7 C 13 13 13 13
14 14 14
8 8 8 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 98 O
B 8 8 8 8 8B
9 C 15 15
9 9 9 9 9 B 9 9 9
9 B 9 9 9 9 9 B 9 9 9 9 9 B
10 C 16
1
0
101010
B
30 10 B 10 10 10 10 10 B 10 10 10 1010 B 10 1010 1010
C
11 11 11 11 R 11 31 11 11 11 12
11 11 11 R 11 11 11 11 11 B 11 11 11 11 11 R 11 12
1212
12
12
12
12
K
12 12 12 12 E 12 12 1212 12 E 12 1212 12 12 E 1212
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 B 7 7 7 7 7 7
7 7 7 7 7 B
7 7 B 7
88 8
8 8 8 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 8 8 98 B B8 98 98 98 98 98 89 B9 B8 8
9
9 9
9
9 9 9 9 9 9 9 B 9 9 9 9 9
B
101010
1010
10
1010
10
B
1010
10
10
B
10
10
10
10
10101010 10 1010 B 10 1010 101010 10
B 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 B 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 B 11 11 11 11 11 n n b i i 11 11 11 11 11 11 B 11 11
12 B 12 12 12 1212 12 12 B 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 B 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 B 1212 1212 12 12 12 B 12
7 7 7 R 7
S 8 8 8 8B 8
9 9 9 9 9 9 B
7 7 7
S 8 8
3 3 3 3 B 9 9
4 4 4 4 4 B 10
A 5 5 b 5 5 B
7 7 7 7 B
Tenth week.
Ninth week.
Eighth week.
9
6 6
Seventh week.
Sixth week.
M. T. W. T. F. S S. M. T. W. T. F. S S. M. T. W. T. F. S. S. M. T. W. T F. S s . M. T. W. T. F. S. s .
13 13 13 13
14 14 14 14
O15 15 15
C 16 16
17 17 C 17
18 18 18 C
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
C
14
15
16
17
18
13
C
15
16
17
18
13 13 13
14 14 14
C 15 15
16 C 16
17 17 C
18 IS 18
13
14
15
16
17
C
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
c 13 13 13 13 13
14 14
14
15
16
17
18
C
15
16
17
IS
14
C
16
17
18
14 14
15 15
C 16
17 C
18 18
15 15
16 10
17 17
C 18
1 1 1 1A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 A 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 A 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 A3 2 2 2 2 32 32 2 A3 A2 32 32 32 32
A 3 3 3
3
3 3 3 3 3 3 A 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3 3 3A
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4 4
5 5 A 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 A 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 A 5 b
A
5 5A 5
6 A 6 6 6 6 6 6 6A 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 A 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 A 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 A 6
13 13
14 14
15 15
16 16
C 17
18 F
A
14
15
16
17
18
7 7 7 B 7 7 7
8 8 8 8B S 8
9 9 9 9 9 B 9
10 101010 10 10 B
11 11 11 11 11 11 11
B 12 121212 12 12
13
11
15
16
17
C
13
14
15
16
1/
18
C
14
15
16
1/
18
13
C
la
16
17
18
13
14
C
16
17
18
13
14
15
C
J/
18
1 1 1 1 1 1 1A i
2 2
2A
22
3 8 3 3 3
A 3 3
A
15
16
17
18
16 A 4
17 17 A
18 18 18
Thirteenth week.
i i
2 *
A o
4 4 4 4 4 4 A
5 5 0 b 5 5 5
.A 6 6 6 6 6 6
Fourteenth week.
7 A 1 1 1 1 1 1 ..
8 S A 2 2 2 2 2 ..
9 9 9 A 3 o 3 3 ..
10 101010 A 4 4 4 ..
11 11 11 11 11 A 5 5 ..
12 12 12 1212 1! A 6 ..
13 B
14 14
15 15
16 16
17 17
18 18
13
14
15
16
17
18
77777 7
B 8 8 8 8
15 B 9 9 9
16 16 B 10 10
17 17 17 B 11
18 18 18 18 Jj
1 C 13 13
2 2 C 14
3 3 3 C
4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5
13
14
15
C
5
13
14
15
16
O
13
14
15
16
17
6 6 6 6 6 6c
8 ..
9 ..
10 ..
11 ..
12 ..
13
14
15
16
17
18
..
..
..
..
..
..
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
2
3
4
M. T. W T. F. S S. M. T. W. T. F s S.
Fifth week.
Fourth week.
Third week.
Second week.
First week.
124
SCHEDULE PROVIDING ROTATION IN TURNS AND ROTATION OF THE DAY OF REST, WITH AN AVERAGE OF FORTY-EIGHT HOURS PER W EEK.
125
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
From the schedule it will be noted that during the early weeks of
the 13-week period the day of rest comes after five consecutive turns
and during the later weeks after seven consecutive turns. In one
calendar week there are two days of rest and in one calendar week
no day of rest for each of the regular workers excepting the three
filling position Xo. G (employees Xos. 6, 12, and 18).
The day of rest for each of the regular workers and for each of
the three regular relief workers makes a complete rotation as shown
in the following table :
DAY OF WEEK UPON WHICH DAY OF REST FALLS.
Desiguati on of worker.
Week of
period.
Numbers 1, Numbers 2, Numbers 3, Numbers 4, Numbers 5, Numbers 6, Numbers
7, and 13.
8, and 14. 9, and 15. 10, and 16. 11, and 17. 12, and 18. A, B,andC,
First.......... Tuesday
Second___ /Monday
(Sunday
Third........ Saturday
F ourth___ Friday
Fifth......... Thursday
Wednesday Thursday
jTuesday
/Monday
(.Sunday
Saturday
Friday
jTuesday
fMonday
\Sunday
Saturday
Sixth......... Wednesday Thursday
Friday
Seventh. . . Thursday
Saturday
Eighth___ Friday
Ninth........ Saturday
Tenth.......
Sunday
Eleventh.. N o n e
Twelfth. . . Monday
Thirteenth Tuesday
Friday
Wednesday Thursday
Saturday
Sunday
Friday
Saturday
Wednesday Thursday
j-Tuesday
/Monday
(Sunday
Saturday
Friday
Wednesday Thursday
jTuesday
/Monday
(Sunday
fMonday
(Sunday
Saturday
Friday'
Thursday
Wednesday Wednesday
jTuesday
Tuesday
fTuesday
(Wednesday
CSVednesday
Saturday
Sunday
None
Monday
Tuesday
(Thursday
Sunday
None
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday /Thursday
(Friday
None
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday /Friday
(Saturday
(Saturday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday
Friday
(Sunday
Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Friday
Wednesday Thursday
Saturday
Sunday"
Monday
Friday
Sunday
None
Monday'
For the regular workers the day of rest during the 13-week period
falls twice on each day of the week except for Wednesday in the first
column, Thursday in the second, Friday in the third, Saturday in
the fourth, Sunday in the fifth, and Monday in the sixth.
If it is satisfactory to make a. partial instead of a complete rota
tion of the day of rest the period required for rotation of the turns
and the partial rotation of the day of rest can be cut down accord
ingly, but these two principles must be kept in mind:
1. That during a certain portion of the period the days worked
between rest periods will be five in order to secure the day of rest
one day earlier each succeeding week and that during the remaining
portion of the period the days worked between rest periods will be
seven in order to secure the day of rest one day later each succeeding
week.
2. That in rotation of the turn the total hours of rest for the two
rotations during the period must be 80 hours, or twice the rest period
of 10 hours without rotation of turn.
159898 °— 2C
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
9
1129]
126
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
If desired in large plants, a squad of relief men for several groups
of workers may be used under tliis plan, following the general lines
indicated in the paragraph preceding the second schedule under
plan No. 1.
Plan No. 3.
TT IS often asserted that workers prefer to remain on the same turn
rather than to rotate, and that there is also an economic loss in
rotation of turns. It is not the purpose of this article to discuss the
merits of such contentions. The schedule which follows, however,
provides for the 8-hour turn with an average of 48 hours per week
and rotation of the day of rest but without rotation of the turn. The
period required for rotation is 12 weeks. It is not believed that fur
ther explanation of this schedule is necessary in view of the discus
sions of those presented under plans Nos, 1 and 2.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[430]
♦
SCHEDULE PROVIDING ROTATION OE THE DAY OE REST, BITT WITHOUT ROTATION IN TURNS, WITH AN AVERAGE OE FORTY-EIGHT
HOURS PER WEEK.
Turn
her.
I
[431]
III
f l .....................
2.....................
J3.....................
]4.....................
15.....................
[6.....................
First week.
Second week.
M. T. w . T. F. S. S.
M. T. W T. F. S. S.
Third week.
Sixth week.
M. T. W T. F. S. S.
3 3 3 A 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 A 4 4
5 5 5 0 5 A 5
6 6 6 6 6 6D
1 1 A 1 1
3 3 A 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 A 4 4 4
5 5 5 5 A 5 5
6 6 6 6 6D 6
Seventh week.
M. T. W. T. F. S.
1 1 1 A \1 1 1 1 1
A 3 3 3 3 3 A 3 3 3 3 3 A
3 3 3 3 A 3 3 3 3 3 A 3 3 3
4 4 A 4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4 4 4 4 A
4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4
5 5 5 A 5 5 5 5 5 A 5 D 0 5 5 A 5 5 5 5 5 A 0 5 5 5
A
6 6 6 6D 6 6 6 6 6 D 6 6 6 6 6D 6 6 6 G 6D 6 6 6 6 6 A
7 7 7 7 B 7 7 7 7 7 B 7 7 7 7 7 B 7
f l ..................... 7 B 7 7 7 7 7 B 7 7 7 7 7 B
7 7 7 7 7 B 7
7 7
2..................... 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 8 B S 8 8
8 8B 8 8 8 8 8B 8 8 8 8
9
3..................... 9 9 9 B 9 9 0 9 9 B 9 9 9 9 9 B 9 9 9 Q 9 B 9 9 9 9 9 B
i4 ..................... 10101010 B 1010 101010 B 101010 1010 B 10101010 10 B 10 10 10 1010 B ib ib ib ib io B 1010 ib ib 10 B lb 10
5..................... 11 11 11 11 11 B ii 11 11 11 11 B 11 11 U 31 11 B 11 11 11 11 13 B 11 11 11 11 11 r n n h ii 11 R
11
6..................... 121212121212 E 12 12121212 E 12 12121212 E 1212 1212 12 E 12 1212 12 12 E 12 12 12 12
12 E 1212 121212 B
f l ..................... 13 C 13 13 13 13 13 C 13 13 13 13 13 C 13 13 13 13 13 C 13 13 13 13 13 C 13 13 13 13 13 C 13 13 13 13 13 c 13 13 13 13 13
9
14 14 C 14 14 14 14 14 C 14 14 14 14 14 G 14 14 14 14 14 0 14 14 14 14 14 G 14 14 14 14 14 C 14 14 14 14 14 C 14 14 14 14
3..................... 15 15 15 C 15 15 15 15 15 C 15 15 15 15 15 G 15 15 15 15 15 C 15 15 15 15 15 C 15 15 15 15 15 C 15 15 15 15 15 c 15 15 15
4..................... 16 16 16 16 C 16 16 16 16 16 C 16 16 16 16 16 G 16 16 16 16 16 O 16 16 16 16 16 C 16 16 16 16 16 C 16 16 16 16 16 C 16 16
5..................... 17 17 17 17 17 C 17 17 17 17 17 C 17 17 17 17 17 C 17 17 17 17 17 C 17 17 17 17 17 C 17 17 17 17 17 C 17 17 17 17 17 C 17
6..................... 18 18 IS 18 18 18 F 18 18 18 18 18 F 18 18 18 18 IS E 18 18 18 18 18 F 18 18 18 18 18 F 18 18 18 18 18 F 18 18 18 18 18 c
f l .....................
2.....................
3.....................
4.....................
Ninth week.
Tenth week.
Eleventh week.
Twelfth week.
Thirteenth week.
1 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 1. 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 ? 2 2 2A 2 2 2 2 o 2 2A 2 2 2 2 9 2 2 A 2 2 2 2 2 9 2A 2 2 2 2 2 2
A 3
3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3 3
3 3 A 3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 A 4 4 4 4 4
A 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 A 5
5 5
A 5 5 5
6..................... 6 A 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 A 6 G 6 6 6 6 C A 6 6 6
III
Fifth week.
M. T.W .T. F. S. S.
1 A 1 1 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 1 1 A9 1 1 1 1 1 A 1 1 1
9 2 A 9 2 9 9 2A
2222 A 2222 A 22222 A
Eighth week.
II
Fourth week.
M. T. W T. F. s. S. M. T. W T. F. S. S.
3 A 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 A 4 4 4 4
5 5 A 5 5
6 6 6 6A 6 6
3 3 A 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 A 4 4 4
5
5
6
6 6
f l .....................
7 7 7 B 7 7 7 7 7
7 B 7 7
7
7 B 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 B 7 7 7 7 7
2..................... 8 8 8 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 B 8 S 8 8 8 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 B 8 8 8 8 8
9 9 9 9 9 9 9 B 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 B 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 B 9 9 9 9
3..................... 9 9 9 9 9 9 B
4..................... 10101010101010 B 1010101010 10 10 B 10 10101010 10 10 B 1010 1010 10 10 10 B 10 10 10
5..................... B 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 B 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 B 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 B 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 B 11 11
6 ........................... 12 B 1212121212 12 12 B 12121212 121212 B 121212 12 12 1212 B 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 B 12
f l .....................
2.....................
3.....................
4.....................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
13
14
15
16
17
C
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
O
14
15
16
17
18
13
C
15
16
17
18
13
14
C
16
17
18
13
14
15
C
17
18
13
14
15
16
C
18
13
14
15
16
17
C
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
C
14
15
16
17
18
13
C
15
16
17
18
13
14
C
16
17
18
13
14
15
C
17
18
33
14
15
16
13
14
15
16
0 17
18 C
13 13 C 13 13
14 14 14 C 14
15 15 15 15 C
16 16 16 16
17 17 17 17 17
18 18 18 18 18
13 13 13 13
14 14 14 14
15 15 15 15
16 16 16
17 C 17 17
18 18 C IS
13 C 13 13 13
14 14 C 14 14
15 15 15 C 15
16 16 16 16 C
17 17 17 17 17
18 18 18 18 18
13 13
14 14
15 15
16 16
C 17
18 C
13
14
15
16
17
18
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
127
13
14
15
16
C
6..................... 18
3
4
8 8B 8
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
II
Position
number.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
128
C om parison of E a rn in g s of New Y ork S ta te
F acto ry W orkers W ith R etail P rices of Food.
pT^jHE following table, taken from the Labor Market Bulletin,
I issued by the New I ork State Industrial Commission, gives
a comparison of the course of average weekly earnings in the
factories of the State with the course of retail food prices in the
United States. The figures are index numbers, with June, 1914, as
100, and those for prices are derived from the relative prices pub
lished by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics in the
M
onthly
L
abor
R
e v ie w
.
COMPARATIVE INDEX NUMBERS OF AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS IN NEW YORK
STATE FACTORIES AND OF RETAIL FOOD PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES.
1914
Month.
January............
February.........
March...............
April.................
May..................
June..................
July..................
August.............
September.......
October............
November........
December........
Average for
year..........
Average
weekly
earnings,
New
York
factories.
Retail
food
prices
in the
United
States.
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
Average
week- Retail
food
iy
earn- prices
ings, in the
New United
York States.
factories.
Average
week- Retail
food
iy
earn- prices
ings, in the
New United
York States.
factories.
Average
week- Retail
food
iy
earn- prices
in
the
mgs,
New United
States.
York
factories.
Average
week- Retail
food
iy
earn- prices
logs, in the
New United
York States.
factories.
Average
week- Retail
food
iy
earn- prices
ings, in the
New United
York States
factories.
98
98
100
100
99
99
98
97
97
99
103
108
108
106
106
106
98
105
100
99
100
101
100
102
101
105
106
106
101
104
102
99
100
101
101
101
101
102
104
105
106
102
107
108
110
111
112
113
111
108
107
108
110
110
113
112
120
121
124
122
122
127
127
127
128
127
129
134
136
139
139
114
115
129
114
117
118
119
114
119
122
129
134
134
146
1'53
154
147
151
15p
159
157
159
i 132
139
147
152
157
161
164
167
176
176
-! 170
183
162
162
156
156
160
164
169
173
180
183
185
1S9
148
160
170
181
174
175
174
176
177
1S2
188
196
192
207
187
174
177
1S4
187
186
192
194
190
190
194
199
185
188
200
1Drop in January, 1918, was due to Fuel Administrator’s closing order for Jan. 18-22.
2Drop in November, 1918, was due to closing of factories on Nov. 11, Armistice Day.
In creased W ages fo r W orkers in E n g in eerin g
and F o u n d ry T rades, G reat B rita in .1
ORKERS in the engineering and foundry trades recently
put forward a claim to an increase of $3.65 per week for
men and $1.82 for workers and apprentices under 18
years of age. The arbitration court has now made its award, which
gives to workers over 18 an advance of $1.22 per full ordinary week.
The increase takes effect on December 1 and will remain in force for
1Data from American consulate general at London, published in Commerce Reports for
W
Dee. 9, 1919.
U. S. Department of Commerce,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[432]
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
129
four months. The workers affected are those belonging to the Amal
gamated Society of Engineers, the Federation of Engineering and
Shipbuilding Trades, National Federation of General Workers, the
National Brass Workers anti Metal Mechanics, the Amalgamated
Machine Engine and Iron Grinders and Glaziers’ Society, the Amal
gamated Molders’ Union, and the General Iron Fitters’ Association.
The arbitrators state that the total advances over prewar rates
given under former awards amount to not less than $6.94 a week plus
12f per cent on’earnings in the case of time workers, and to $5.23 a.
week plus 10 per cent or over on piece rates, and 7| per cent on earn
ings in the case of pieceworkers.
The present award continues:
It has been prominently brought before the court that industry is seriously
handicapped by the uncertainty which must prevail when rates of wages are
changed at short intervals. In many branches of trade employers ai’e obliged
when quoting prices to attach a condition providing for variation in the event
of changes taking place in the rates of wages before the order is executed. As
a result, contracts are sometimes withheld, postponed, or diverted abroad, and
employment is adversely affected.
There appears to the court to be no lack of demand at the present time for
the products of the various industries in which the parties concerned are en
gaged. The state of trade, therefore, sets no limitation on production, and the
court concurs in the view expressed by many prominent men who speak with
authority for both employers and workmen th at great need exists for increased
output. Such increased output is necessary if the industry is to meet foreign
competition successfully; and is a condition without which increased employ
ment and the higher remuneration of the workers can not be achieved. State
ments have been made that even with that reduction of working hours which
has been made during the present year the proportionate loss of time by both
time and piece workers is very great. Good timekeeping is obviously essential
if a satisfactory rate of production is to be maintained.
In the view of the court, production would also be stimulated by the adop
tion, wherever practicable, of the system of payment by results. As already
stated, the percentage increase in the cost of living, as known at the date of
hearing, was practically the same as in October, 1918, when the hearing took
place which resulted in the last advance of wages. The court feels obliged,
however, to bear in mind that the ensuing months are winter months, and
that there is a general expectation, based on what appears to the court to be
substantial grounds, that considerable increases in the prices of various impor
tant articles of food and commodities in common use will take place. Since the
publication of the last Labor Gazette figures the prices of meat, milk, and
sugar have, in fact, been advanced by an amount which will materially affect
the working-class expenditure.
The amount hereby awarded is to be taken into account in the calculation
of payment for overtime and night duty, and for work on Sundays and holi
days and will form part of the total earnings of time and piece workers upon
which the bonuses of 121 per cent and 7\ per cent, respectively, are to be cal
culated, but it is not otherwise to apply to or affect present time rates, premium
bonus rates, or piecework prices, and is not to be taken into account as part
of the time rates for the purpose of fixing new piecework prices or bonus rates.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[133J
M ONTHLY
130
LABOE
R E V IE W .
Commenting on the situation, the London Daily Express refers to
the recurrence of the “ vicious circle,” whereby increase in cost of liv
ing is followed by demands for more wages; this being given raises
the price of products, results in higher living costs, and is followed
automatically by further claims to greater wages. In an effort to
break this circle labor leaders have suggested several plans. As given
in the Express, these plans include :
Increased production in conditions whereby the workers will be completely
safeguarded from any attempt at exploitation and given an adequate share in
the results of the extra production.
Legislation to prevent restriction of competition among manufacturers.
Universal payment by results, with binding guaranties against the reduction
of piece rates.
Release by the Government of the great stocks of foodstuffs still held, and the
removal of control in order to stimulate competition.
Expropriation of war fortunes and the limitation of present profits.
Prevention of speculative and overcapitalizing operations of great industrial
syndicates.
More stringent antiprofiteering action,
Regulation of wage standards in accordance with the conditions of the re
spective industries.
W ages and Hours of Domestic Servants in
England and B avaria.
England.1
CCORDING to a dispatch from the American consulate general at London, the following scale of wages and conditions
prepared by the joint advisory council representing the Mis
tresses’ Association and the domestic section of the Workers’ Union,
has been adopted by the Association of Employers of Domestic
Workers for Birmingham and the Midland Counties:
Girls of II to 16 in training: Minimum of $75.90 to $90.50 per
year.
Girls of 17: Minimum of $105.10, rising by stages to $158.65 for
servants aged 21, including an allowance of $12.65 for uniform.
Ordinary working hours: 6.30 a. m. to 10 p. m., with 21 hours for
meals, and 2 hours off for leisure. One-half day (3 p. m. to 10 p. m.)
per week, and a similar half day alternate Sundays, with a fort
night’s holiday each year.
For servants over 21: Minimum wages are to be agreed upon by
mistress and maid. Long service in one situation is recommended
for special recognition.
1 C o m m erce R e p o rts , D ec. 9, 1919.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
IT. S. D e p a r tm e n t o f C om m erce.
WAGES AXD HOUES OF LABOE.
131
Bavaria.1
#
m
rjH IE Republican Government of Germany having abrogated the
old oppressive laws regulating domestic service and granted
new rights to domestic servants, the latter’s wage and working condi
tions have of late been newly regulated in a number of States and
districts through laws, awards, and collective agreements. In
Bavaria, for instance, a Government decree has proclaimed a 10-hour
workday for domestic servants, leaving the arrangement of working
hours to mistresses and servants.
In the Bavarian twin cities Nuremberg-Fiirtli, the local union of
the Central Federation of Domestic Servants, conjointly with the
Christian and Catholic Servants’ societies and the National Federa
tion of Female Domestic Servants, had initiated a wage movement
and invited the Housewives’ League to discuss with them their de
mands with a view of concluding a collective agreement. These dis
cussions took up more than three months, but were without result,
as the housewives steadily refused to consent to shorter working
hours and better wageL A friendly settlement not being achiev
able, negotiations were broken off and the demobilization office at
Nuremberg was requested to take the dispute under consideration
and to make an award.
An award was made on June 4, 1919. The award, which was
declared legally binding by the Bavarian Government, granted the
demands of the domestic servants with respect to working condi
tions and provided a minimum wage scale. Representatives of
the Central Federation of Domestic Servants, the National Federa
tion of Female Domestic Servants, and the Housewives’ League
were given a hearing by the arbitration board before the award
was handed down. The award applies to the Nuremberg-Fiirth
district only, and its principal provisions are as follows:
Service record books are to be replaced by separate discharge cer
tificates. Notice must be given before the 15th to take effect on the
first of the following month. Leaving a situation without notice is
also provided for, sections 123 and 124 of the Industrial Code apply
ing here. The municipal employment exchange is to be used. After
nine months’ service, eight days’ leave is to be allowed. After more
than one year’s service, longer leave must be given. During leave
servants are entitled to full wages and to compensation for board.
Hours of work must be between 6 a. m. and 8 p. m., and rest periods
amounting to four hours must be included within this period, as
follows: Early coffee, one-quarter hour; breakfast, one-quarter hour;
dinner, one hour; tea, one-quarter hour; supper, one-half hour; and
1 C o r r e s p o n d e n z b la tt der G e n e ra lk o m m iss io n der G ewerkschaften Deutschlands.
J u ly 2 0 , 1919.
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one and three-quarters hours’ free time in the afternoon, which may
be spent outside the house. On Sundays and holidays only the most
necessary work shall be done. When spring cleaning is to be done,
extra help must be hired, unless the mistress helps. The hours for
afternoons and evenings out are arranged differently for juvenile and
for adult servants. Juvenile servants must be home by 8 p. m., adults
by 12 p. m. Opportunity must be given in the evenings to attend
night schools, lectures, meetings, theaters, etc. Wednesday afternoon
is to be free in each week, and in addition to the Sunday half day a
whole free Sunday in each month must be allowed in the summer
months.
Wages are fixed for beginners up to the age of 18. Domestic
servants under 16 years of age are to get 18 to 24 marks,1 and those
between 16 and 18, 25 to 32 marks a month. For those over 18 the
minimum monthly wages are as follows:
MINIMUM MONTHLY WAGE RATES OF ADULT DOMESTIC SERVANTS IN THE NUREMBERG-FURTH DISTRICT (BAVARIA) FIXED BY ARBITRATION AWARD OF JUNE 4,
1919.
Occupation.
Monthly
minimum
wage.
M a rks.
Housemaid under 20 years of age...........
Housemaid over 20 years of age............
AfpirJ nfall work
.............................
Chamber maid.........................................
35
40
40
45
55
45
Occupation.
Monthly
minimum
wage.
M a rks.
Chamber maid, highly qualified.........
Lady’s maid or nursery governess.......
Cook, plain..............................................
Cook, highly qualified...........................
Housekeeper...........................................
55
60
65
75
85
Overtime is to be paid at the rate of 1 mark an hour. In addi
tion to money wages, domestic servants are entitled to full board and
lodging. Laundresses and charwomen are to be paid 8 marks a day
for 8 hours’ work, or 5 marks a day if they are furnished meals.
During the first weeks of the application of the award the house
wives experienced great difficulty in adapting tlieir households to
its provisions, but the servants insisted on full observance. At the
end of July, however, the mistresses had with good grace accepted
the new order of things, and, as servants are scarce, were frequently
offering and paying wages much higher than those fixed by the
award.
i O w in g to t h e u n s e ttle d c o n d itio n of G e rm a n e x c h a n g e w a g e r a te s a re q u o te d in th is
a r tic le in m a r k s w ith o u t c o n v e rsio n in to th e e q u iv a le n t in A m e ric a n m oney. N o rm a lly
th e p a r v a lu e o f t h e m a rk is 23,8 c e n ts.
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COOPERATION.
Joint Farmer-Labor Cooperative Congresses.'
A
JO IN T farmer-labor cooperative congress will be held in
Chicago, February 12-15, whose purpose will be “ to give
effective aid to strengthening and developing the coopera
tive movement in America by the establishment of a Nation-wide com
mission, which shall serve in a comprehensive way to coordinate and
build up cooperative effort between and among producers and con
sumers, and to unify action in eliminating speculation and profiteer
ing in the necessities of life, and develop, to the mutual profit and
advantage of all concerned, permanent good will and understandmg.” It is not proposed, it is explained, to establish any new co™ operative organizations, but simply to bring together existing or
ganizations among industrial workers and farmers. The conference
will endeavor to work out some system of direct distribution whereby
the products of the farmers’ and the growers’ associations can be
brought to the industrial workers in cities, and, later, the products of
the workers be sent to rural districts.
At the conference will be delegates from the progressive farmers’
organizations, representing some eight or nine hundred thousand
farmers, from the various fruit growers’ associations, the Potato
Growers’ Association, the National Nonpartisan League, the Public
Ownership League, labor organizations, and the cooperative societies,
both wholesale and retail.
The congress is the outgrowth of a similar conference, also held in
Chicago, November 21 and 22.
At the November conference the “ National Cooperative Manifesto ”
was adopted. This manifesto affirmed the belief of the conference
that the present high prices are due to the “ wasteful methods, specu
lation, and profiteering of the middlemen,” and declared the temedy
to be the elimination of these middlemen through cooperative organiJP zations. The growth of cooperation in the United States was noted
1 T h e d a t a on w h ic h th is a r tic le is b a se d w e re o b ta in e d fro m t h e N a tio n a l C o o p e ra tiv e
N ew s (C h ic a g o ), J a n . 10, 1020, th e C o o p e ra tiv e H e ra ld (F a rg o , N. D a k .) , Dec. 19, 1 919,
a n d M r. W a r r e n S. S to n e , g r a n d c h ie f of th e B ro th e r h o o d o f L o c o m o tiv e E n g in e e rs .
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and indorsement made of the efforts to establish a national wholesale
society and to unify the cooperative movement along national lines.
The manifesto recommended that schools for training cooperative
managers and employees and for the inauguration of approved sys
tems of accounting and auditing be established.
The conference authorized the appointment of a committee of 12,
representing the farmers, organized labor, and cooperative associa
tions, to act as a joint board in developing the cooperative movement,
and to submit the manifesto to the Labor Conference held in Wash
ington, D. C., on December 13. The committee carried out its in
structions and duly submitted the manifesto. The Labor Conference,
however, took no action on it, merely referring the whole matter of
cooperation to the American Federation of Labor committee on co
operation. In spite of the national body’s failure to act, organized
labor is giving the February conference its strong support, the rail
road brotherhoods being particularly active.
*
C onsum ers’ C ooperation.
*
HAT most of the literature dealing with cooperation has led to
confusion in determining the true character of the movement
-JL is asserted by Albert Sonnichsen, secretary of the Cooperative
League of America, in his recent book, Consumers’ Cooperation.1
Because the practical experience of the movement has, until recently,
been too limited for a philosophy to be formulated, wrriters have “ in
variably confused its boundaries and extended them into other fields
of joint action, associating the movement with enterprises thoroughly
out of sympathy with it.” They have regarded the cooperative move
ment as having four phases: Productive, agricultural, credit, and
distributive—with consumers’ cooperation forming the last-named
phase.
The author eliminates the first three forms—the productive enter
prises for the reason that “ as a movement the self-governing work
shops have ceased to exist,” and the agricultural associations because
they are not truly cooperative. In the agricultural society the “ unit
of membership is not a person but a private business interest ” ; neither
is private profit eliminated, “ for the goods are sold at as big a margin
above the cost of production as possible, and this margin goes into ^
the pocket of the original seller, the farmer. True this margin is
very often not more than a just return for the labor involved in the
T
1 A lb e r t S o n n ic h se n : C o n s u m e rs ’ C o o p e ra tio n .
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223 pp.
COOPERATION".
fc
^
♦
135
production of the goods, but the margin is not regulated on that basis,
It is a purely speculative margin.” The farmers’ associations, he de
clares, are “ an integral part of the capitalist system,” and it is this
very system,—private profit taking—that the cooperative movement
combats. The credit societies organized among the working classes
are, he thinks, very closely akin to consumers’ cooperation, since they
are in the nature of cooperative savings banks. He points out, how
ever, that when the regular consumers’ societies begin to appear, the
credit societies disappear, being taken over as part of the business
operations of the consumers’ societies. The credit societies are not
necessarily truly cooperative in principle, inasmuch as they may be
formed by a group of small tradesmen to finance just the sort of enter
prises (i. e., the profit-taking ones) to which the cooperative movement
is opposed.
The author therefore restricts the cooperative movement to con
sumers’ cooperation.
Part I of the book is devoted to the history of cooperation in the
various countries-—England, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Ger
many, Italy, Russia, Belgium, and the United States.
Part I I is a discussion of consumers’ cooperation as a factor in the
social revolution. Stating that the ultimate aims of cooperation, the
realization of an international cooperative commonwealth “ coequal
and coextensive with the whole civilized world,” are essentially
revolutionary, though slow and peaceful in the methods of attain
ment, the author takes up such movements as socialism, syndicalism,
and anarchism and shows the differences and similarities between
them and cooperation.
The final chapter deals with the relation of cooperation and labor.
Under labor the author includes all “ whose means of livelihood are
dependent on the remuneration they receive for service rendered,
regardless of its social value ” ; the difference between worker and
capitalist lies in the nature of the source of their income: the one
lives by effort, the other by speculative trade.
The writer remarks upon the capitalistic aspect of the cooperative
movement as shown by the fact that although the forty or fifty
thousand workers employed by the English cooperative wholesale
societies have, on the average, higher wages, shorter hours, and better
working conditions than do workers under capitalistic management,
they have, as workers, no voice in the management, and may be dis
charged at the will of their employer. The stand taken by the
societies is that the workers in the consumers’ productive plants are
really in the service of the social body of which they are themselves
also members, and, as members, have as much control over working
conditions as they are entitled to.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
In spite of this aspect, cooperation is a labor movement, and it is
pointed out that in all general labor disputes the cooperative societies
have allied themselves with the workers.
The People Organized as Consumers.
TN SO far as cooperation tends to eliminate private profit, it also
A tends to increase the numbers of the working class. Thus the trans
formation of all members of society into workers would be the natural
result of the complete abolition of private profit as a means of sub
sistence.
Carrying out the cooperative program to its logical conclusion, this would
mean that the entire membership of all the cooperative societies would consist
of workers, organized as consumers. Thus the workers in the cooperative fac
tories would be their own employees and, through their cooperative societies,
would have full power to regulate working conditions to suit themselves. This
power the workers in the wholesale societies’ factories already have, but, of
course, they are now only 1 per cent of the total membership, the other 99 per
cent being employed outside the movement. They have, therefore, only 1 vote
out of 100 in the regulation of working conditions in their factories, and if the
other 99 votes are invariably cast in their favor it is only through sympathy,
and not through direct interest. But as cooperative production tends to increase
at a faster rate than the membership, this ratio of 1 to 100 will gradually change,
with 100 to 100 as a final, though perhaps an impossible, ideal. To all practical
purposes the ideal will be accomplished when the ratio is 51 to 100, and that is
well within the limits of possibility. Such a situation would give the cooperative
workers a majority control of their own working conditions.
For the purpose of indicating tendencies, however, I shall continue to argue
from the point of view of the id eal; the possible 100 out of a 100. Here, obvi
ously, the workers and the consumers would be completely identical. With
full power to raise their own wages as workers, there would be no incentive to
do so, for the cost of living would rise automatically with the standard of wages.
Under a system involving production for use only, labor would get the full
product of effort, and there would be no question of either high or low wages.
True, a certain portion of the wealth accruing from labor might be utilized in
manufacturing machinery, or building new factories, or set aside in the national
treasury, for the purpose of carrying on future productions, but all this would,
constitute social capital and would eventually revert to labor anyhow.
Summed up, and considered in its social aspect, as a universal institution,
cooperation would mean the people of the country organized as consumers, em
ploying themselves as workers, producing their own needs on a basis of actual
labor cost, for use only. Thus not only the incentive, but the means, to exploita
tion of labor would be entirely absent.
Cooperation would not, in the author’s opinion, entirely eliminate
labor disputes. “ Under universal cooperation, society as a whole ^
would dominate, and all the labor groups would be subservient to it.
This would entail no injustice to labor as a whole, because all members
of society would be workers, and all of the product of labor would
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COOPERATION.
137
therefore go to labor since none would be devoted to private profit.
But there would always be the possibility of dispute between one trade
and another.” Cooperation would, however, adjust the conflicting
trade interests “ as nearly as humanly possible, by making labor en
tirely subsidiary to the great motive behind it—consumption, the
human desire to fulfill the needs and pleasures of life.”
As to the destiny of the movement, the writer says: “ The basis of
the membership is a human being, pure and simple. Potentially,
membership includes all society—it is all-inclusive. Consumers’ co
operation is essentially a social movement, for the interests it repre
sents permeate all society.” lie thinks, however, that cooperation,
being entirely voluntary with the individual, will never become “ abso
lutely universal.” It will never wholly supplant private enterprise.
While theoretically it would accomplish the complete socialization of
industry, there would always be an opportunity for “ the private capi
talist who could, or thought he could, carry on business in competi
tion with the socialized industry,” for the inventor, and for the man
with originality and individuality in creative work. Cooperation “ is
based on the happiness, the free will, of the individual. It desires to
include no one it can not benefit. When cooperation has spread just
so far as it can benefit human beings it will stop, and be perfectly con
tent to stop.” The victory of cooperation has been and will be
“ through its own inherent superiority.”
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VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
T ra in in g and P lacem en t of D isabled ex-Service
Men in th e U n ited S tates.
Y THE Vocational Rehabilitation Act, approved June 27, 1918,
the training of discharged disabled soldiers, sailors, and marines
and their replacement in industry were made a special duty
of the Federal Board for Vocational Education.
According to the provisions of the act training was to be furnished
to two classes of disabled men : (1) Cases in which disability prevented
a return to previous employment, necessitating preparation for an
entirely new employment; (2) cases in which minor disabilities,
though not preventing a return to former employment, did require
what the board terms “ job-improvement instruction,” or instruction
for the purpose of advancement in the occupation followed.
One of the conditions of eligibility for training in cases under
number (1), previously cited, was that the discharged disabled man
must be entitled to compensation under Article I I I of the War-Risk
Insurance Act. The care which of necessity the War-Risk Insurance
Bureau was forced to exercise in securing proofs before ruling re
garding such compensation often caused considerable delay in plac
ing men in training, even when funds were available for doing so,
and finally in May, 1919, a bill, approved by the Secretary of the
Treasury, who represented the War-Risk Insurance Bureau, and
by the Federal Board for Vocational Education, was introduced into
Congress, amending the original act in this respect and disassociat
ing the work of vocational rehabilitation under the Federal Board
and the determination of compensation by the War Risk Insurance
Bureau.
Those eligible for training under the act1which became a law July
11, 1919, include: “ Every person enlisted, enrolled, drafted, inducted,
or appointed in the military or naval forces of the United States,
including members of training camps authorized by law, who since
April 7,1917, has resigned or has been discharged or furloughed there
from under honorable conditions, having a disability incurred, in-
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VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
139
creased, or aggravated while a member of such forces, or later develop
ing a disability traceable in the opinion of the board to service with
such forces, and who, in the opinion of the Federal Board for Voca
tional Education, is in need of vocational rehabilitation to overcome
the handicap of such disability, shall be furnished by the said board,
where vocational rehabilitation is feasible, such course of vocational
rehabilitation as the board shall prescribe and provide.”
The act also provides that every person who elects to take advantage
of courses of vocational rehabilitation prescribed by the board shall
be paid a monthly sum during his period of training sufficient for his
support and for the maintenance of his dependents, if any. The sum
so paid shall not, however, “ be more than $80 per month for a single
man without dependents, or for a man with dependents $100 per
month plus the several sums prescribed as family allowances under
section 204 of Article IT of the War-Risk Insurance Act.” The sum
of $6,000,000 was appropriated for the use of the Federal Board in
carrying out the provisions of this law, and by subsequent legislation,
July 18, 1919, an additional appropriation of $8,000,000 was placed
at its disposal for carrying on the work of vocational rehabilitation.
Regulations Regarding Training and Placement.
•'JpiIE Federal Board, being thus given a free hand to speed up its
work, adopted, soon after the passage of the act on July 11,
1919, certain regulations which experience had demonstrated as
advisable in the training and placement of the men and of which
the following are noteworthy :
( a ) No wages earned by men in training to be taken from the men, either
directly or indirectly by diminishing the amount of their support and main
tenance.
( b ) Men in training to be paid twice a month.
Provision for making pay
ments semimonthly has presented a large administrative problem, but has
helped to relieve the financial straits of disabled men.
(c) Men finishing school training to be put in probationary employment for
a period of two months on pay where necessary.
( d ) Men in placement training on the job to be eligible for transfer back
to school, as may be required in any case, for further institutional training
with pay.
(c) Men not to be dropped from the rolls on finishing courses of instruction
for a period of 60 days, until every effort has been made to secure employment
for them.
( f ) Men discontinuing training for any reason to be carried on the pay roll
to the 15th of the month or the last of the month, in order to give the district
)0i office opportunity to make further- adjustments and assign new courses of in
struction.
i f f ) Men to be provided with proper medical care.
As there are legal diffi
culties in the way of the W ar Risk Insurance Bureau as regards provision of
proper medical care for men in training who are in receipt of compensation
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M ONTHLY
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from the bureau, and in cases of sickness or injury not traceable to service,
the Federal Board has arranged to pay for medical care in all cases where it
becomes necessary and where such care is not provided by the War Risk In
surance Bureau or the Public Health Service, and to arrange for adjustment
of the payment of claims for this medical care by the proper responsible Gov
ernment agency.1
In carrying out its work of rehabilitation and placement the board
is authorized to cooperate with public and private agencies. Very
satisfactory cooperative arrangements have therefore been estab
lished with the following bodies: The Departments of Commerce,
Labor, and Agriculture; the War and Navy Departments; the Public
Health Service; the Surgeon General’s Office, War Department; the
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department; the War-Risk
Insurance Bureau; United States Employment Service; the Ameri
can Red Cross; the Council of National Defense; the National
Catholic War Council; the National Manufacturers’ Association; the
American Federation of Labor; the United States Chamber of Com
merce; the Elks’ War Relief Commission; the Elks’ Clubs through
out the country; the Rotary Clubs throughout the country; and with
casualty insurance companies throughout the country, as well as many
hundreds of others. In addition thousands of smaller agencies are
rendering efficient aid in the discharge of this task.
The word “ disabled ” is capable of various interpretations, accord
ing to the degree of injury received. The board has therefore found
it necessary to set a standard of disability for the application of its
efforts. A disabled man, as at present defined by the board, is one
suffering a major disability resulting in a vocational handicap of
approximately 15 per cent or more.
Training and Placement.
fjp TIE rehabilitation work is divided into institutional training and
placement training, some of the men requiring one kind, some
another, and still others both.
In each of the 14 districts into which the country is divided for
the work of vocational rehabilitation carried on by the board, there
is a supervisor of training and a supervisor of placement. The super
visor of training deals exclusively with the institutional end of the
work. It is his business to link up with the Federal Board such
schools and colleges as will furnish the training required to men
approved for institutional courses. While it is necessary for the
board to use all possible existing agencies, since it is not authorized
to construct buildings for its work, the task of providing for train
ing along professional, engineering, agricultural, and commercial
1 V o c a tio n a l S u m m a ry , N o v em b er, 1919, p. 184.
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VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
lines, according to a recent report,1 lias not been a difficult one, the
response from the universities, colleges, and schools throughout the
country having been most gratifying, and the facilities offered ade
quate.
On the other hand, the task of the placement supervisor, who is
always selected because of actual experience in industry, has been
much less simple. He must provide both placement training and
placement for men who do not desire to take institutional training or
who from their anxiety to get back into regular employment feel that
they can not afford the time to take such training. School facilities
for training along trade and industrial lines are either inadequate or
unavailable for several reasons. Schools furnishing a complete in
dustrial training are few in number, and such as do exist have been
crowded with regular students, especially since the close of the war.
Moreover, the range of occupations in which trade schools offer
courses is limited to 15 or 20, and these are quite insufficient to meet
the variety of trade training demanded by the discharged men.
It has been necessary, therefore, to make arrangements for indus
trial training in shops, mills, factories, and offices for men whose
previous experience and present physical condition best fit them for
these lines of work. While the responses from employers pledging
their facilities for placement training have been equally as prompt
and generous as those regarding institutional work, there are con
siderations which complicate arrangements of this character.
In order to make the best use of previous experience or skill the
board endeavors to give every man a thorough training in a pursuit
as closely related to his former occupation as his disability and other
circumstances allow, and furthermore one which will restore him to
His full wage-earning capacity, thus making him eligible for mem
bership in the union of his trade if he desires to join it. Effort is
also made to select places for training where the best working condi
tions prevail. Any interference, due to the introduction of intensive
courses of placement training, with the relationship or agreements
existing between employers and employees is carefully avoided.
The cooperation of the employees as well as of the employers in
plants where the placement training is done is sought and already
many of the labor organizations have pledged their assistance in this
work. Actable among these are the railway employees of the United
States whose resolution2 regarding aid to disabled soldiers and
sailors, adopted at Washington, September 18, 1919, follows:
Whereas many of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who served the country
in the recent war with Germany, have sustained permanent injuries, by which
1 U . S. F e d e r a l B o a rd fo r V o c a tio n a l E d u c a tio n . T h ir d a n n u a l re p o rt.
p. 18. V o c a tio n a l r e h a b ilita tio n .
W a s h in g to n , 1919.
2 V o c a tio n a l S u m m a ry , D ece m b e r, 1919, p p . 149. W a s h in g to n .
159898°—20
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Vol. TI,
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
they a re handicapped in p u rsu in g th e ir fo rm er vocations, a n d in some cases
p revented from engaging in an y self-su p p o rtin g p u rsu it, and
W h ereas society owes to these men a debt w hich can n e ith e r be e stim a te d in
term s of money n o r p aid in m easu res of p ra ise or applause, an d
W hereas these d isab led m en w ould in m any cases become m en d ican ts and
liab ilities upon society u n less re h a b ilita te d to u sefu ln ess an d economic equ ality
w ith o th er w orkers, and
W hereas th e F e d e ra l G overnm ent h a s m ade provisions fo r these men to be
educated, apprenticed , a n d tra in e d , free of cost to them , in th e v ario u s p ro fes
sions, trad es, and occupations according to th e ir sev eral circum stances, and
th a t they an d th e ir d ependents sh a ll be m ain ta in e d a n d su b sisted a t th e
G overnm ent’s expense d u rin g such p re p a ra tio n fo r fu tu re life, and
W h ereas th e m ost su itab le tra in in g fo r som e p u rs u its is av ailab le only “ on
th e job,” w here in stru c tio n can be given c o n cu rren tly w ith p ractice, and
W hereas the F e d e ra l B o ard fo r V ocational E d u catio n h a s expressed as its
policy th a t each d isab led m an sh all be re tu rn e d to as n e a rly h is fo rm er p u r
su it as is com patible w ith h is d isa b ility a n d m ost p ro m isin g to h is fu tu re
economic success, and, th a t all tra in in g w ill be th o ro u g h a n d designed in each
case to fit th e m an w ith th e a b ility to e a rn th e p rev a ilin g w age in th e occupa
tion fo r w hich he is tra in e d , and
W h ereas it h a s come to o u r a tte n tio n th a t some of these m en who have m ade
such sacrifices fo r th e common good of society can b est profit by tra in in g in
th e ra ilro a d shops of th e co u n try : T h e re fo re , be it
R e s o l v e d , T h a t we, th e re p re se n ta tiv e s of th e m ach in ists, boiler m akers,
blacksm iths, sheet-m etal w orkers, carm en, a n d electricians, em ployed on th e
ra ilro a d s of th e U nited S tates, pledge th e fu ll cooperation of these w o rk ers
w ith th e F e d e ra l B o ard for V ocational E d u c a tio n in c a rry in g on th is g re a t
w ork ; an d fu r th e r be it
R e s o l v e d , T h a t disabled ex-service men e n title d to tra in in g u n d e r th e d irec
tio n of th e F e d e ra l B o ard sh all be given special con sid eratio n an d privilege in
p u rsu in g courses of tra in in g in ra ilro a d shops a n d th a t a p p ren ticesh ip re g u la
tions sh all not o p erate to p re v e n t th e e n tra n c e of such w o rth y m en into courses
of special in stru c tio n in ra ilro a d shops ; an d fu r th e r be it
R e s o lr v e d , T h a t th e local com m ittees an d local re p re se n ta tiv e s o f th e se tra d e s
on the ra ilro a d s w ill upon re q u e st m eet w ith th e local re p re se n ta tiv e s of th e
F e d e ra l B oard fo r th e purpose of cooperation in th e ind u ctio n of such men’ into
shop tr a in in g ; and fu r th e r be it
R e s o l v e d , T h a t th e officers of th e railw ay em ployees’ d e p a rtm e n t of th e
A m erican F e d e ra tio n of L abor an d th e officers of th e m achinists, boiler m akers,
blacksm iths, sheet-m etal w orkers, carm en, an d e le c tric ia n s’ o rg an izatio n s be
req u ested to send out th is p lan of cooperation to a ll local lodges a n d local
rep re se n ta tiv e s on th e ra ilro a d s ; an d fu r th e r be it
R e s o l v e d , T h a t copies of th is reso lu tio n sh all be fu rn ish e d to th e e d ito rs of
th e official jo u rn a ls of o u r resp ectiv e o rg an iz a tio n s w ith th e re q u e st th a t sam e
be published in th e n ex t issues thereof, an d th a t copies of th e reso lu tio n be also
sent to th e D irecto r of th e F e d e ra l B o a rd an d to th e P riv a te S oldiers an d
S ailo rs’ Legion and th e A m erican Legion.
Officers of the railway employees’ department, United States Rail
road Administration and Federal Board, have arranged the follow
ing plan of cooperation which, by order of the Director General of
Railroads, Mr. Walker D . Hines, became effective October 31 on all
railroads under Government control,
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[446]
»
143
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
1. Only disabled men who a re tra in e d by th e F e d e ra l B o ard fo r V ocational
E d u catio n a re covered by th is a rran g em en t.
2. E ach of these h an d ica p p ed m en w ill re q u ire special co n sid eratio n in th e
light of th e ir p a rtic u la r circu m sta n c e s; every case w ill be ta k e n up sep a ra te ly
by th e rep re se n ta tiv e s of th e F e d e ra l B o ard w ith th e re p re se n ta tiv e s of th e shop
em ployees an d the shop m anagem ent, w ith a view to re ach in g a com plete u n
d e rsta n d in g of its circu m stan ces a n d th e esta b lish m e n t of th o ro u g h cooperation
in a rra n g in g th e d e ta ils of th e train in g .
3. As these m en w ill re q u ire a special c h a ra c te r o f tra in in g th ey w ill not be
considered a s ap pren tices, b u t w ill be ad m itte d to shops fo r the purpose of such
special tra in in g a s th e ir in ju rie s o r circu m stan ces req u ire, irre sp e c tiv e o f th e
nu m b er of ap p ren tices in th e shop or on th e system .
4. I f fo r any reason th e re is a fa ilu re to reach a sa tisfa c to ry u n d e rsta n d in g
locally concerning th e tra in in g of an y disab led m an, as h erein provided for,
th e case w ill be tak e n up im m ediately w ith th e ra ilw a y em ployees’ d e p a rtm e n t
an d th e c e n tra l office of th e F e d e ra l B o ard fo r V ocational E d u catio n in W ash
ington, D. C., fo r a d ju stm e n t.
5. E ach m an w hile in tra in in g u n d e r th is a rra n g e m e n t w ill be p aid a t th e
r a te of 25 cents p e r hour, irre sp e c tiv e of th e am o u n t received by him a s tr a in
ing pay from the F e d e ra l B o ard fo r V ocational E ducation.
6. No m an in tra in in g u n d e r th is special a rra n g e m e n t w ill be p e rm itte d to
w ork overtim e o r on legal holidays, n o r w ill h is co u rse of tra in in g be gov
erned by ap p ren ticesh ip reg u latio n s, bu t o th erw ise he w ill be re q u ire d to
observe th e ru les an d re g u la tio n s of th e shop.
7. E ach m an a t th e com pletion of tra in in g w ill be as free to accept em ploy
m ent w here he is tra in e d as elsew here, as circum stan ces m ay re q u ire an d
o p p o rtu n ity p resen ts itself, b u t if he continues in th e service as a w orkm an he
w ill be p a id th e p rev a ilin g r a te from th e d a te upon w hich h is tra in in g is com
pleted.
Courses Offered Disabled ex-Service Men.
r n t ie courses pursued by disabled soldiers, sailors, and marines
J- under the Vocational Behabilitation Act, together with the
number of men in each course, are shown in a table under date of
November 22, 1919, as follows:1
N U M B E R O F M E N I N E A C H C O U R S E O F F E R E D D I S A B L E D E X -S E R V I C E M E N .
P r e v o c a tio n a l tr a in in g .
Num
b e r in
co u rse.
C ou rse.
C ou rse.
Num
b e r in
co u r se.
A . F u n d a m e n t a l........................................................
1,4 6 9
C . C o r r e c tiv e ................................................................
99
E n g l i s h ........................................................ ...........
E le m e n t a r y e d u c a t io n ...................................
P r e p a r a to r y w o r k .............................................
"R eview \vnrlr
351
S97
217
4
B r a i ll e .....................................................................
L ip r e a d in g ......................................
S ta m m e r in g , c u r e for......................................
54
36
9
T o t a l o f m e n i n r> revocational cou rses
2 ,923
B . T r y o u t c a s e s ..........................................................
1,355
1 Vocational
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Summary, December, 1919, p. 148.
[447]
W ashington.
144
NUM BER
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
OF
M EN
IN
EACH
C O UR SE O FFE R E D
M E N — C o n tin u e d .
D IS A B L E D
E X -S E R V IC E
T rade a n d in d u s tr ia l tr a in in g .
Num
ber in
c o u rse.
A . B u ild in g tr a d e s .
C ou rse.
200
B . E le c tr ic a l t r a d e s .
E l e c t r i c i a n ......................................................
E le c tr ic a l b e n c h w o r k ...............................
I n s t a l l a t i o n ......................................................
T e le p h o n e a n d te le g r a p h r e p a ir ..........
S w itc h b o a r d o p e r a tio n .............................
E le c tr ic a l t e s t in g s a n d m e t e r w o r k . .
C.
M e c h a n ic a l tr a d e s.
( A u t o m o b ile s , t o t a l 958.)
A u to m e c h a n ic s .............................
A u to d r iv in g ....................................
I g n it io n , s ta r t in g , lig h t in g —
V u lc a n iz in g a n d t ir e r e p a ir .. .
T r a c to r o p e r a tio n a n d r e p a ir .
F a r m m e c h a n ic s ...........................
M otor m e c h a n ic s ...........................
P o w e r -p la n t o p e r a t io n ..............
R e fr ig e r a tio n ...................................
S ta tio n a r y s te a m e n g in e er in g .
S t e a m e n g in e e r in g , m a r in e . . .
M a c h in e -s h o p p r a c tic e ...............
M a c h in is t, g e n e r a l c o u r se a s . .
T o o l d e s ig n .......................................
M illw r ig h t ........................................
T o o l m a k in g ....................................
M a c h in e o p e r a tio n .......................
I I . M a n u fa c tu r in g p u r s u its .
593
85
51
19
2
2 ,1 2 8
651
50
178
79
122
111
66
13
13
189
6
410
142
56
1
223
F o r g e w o r k ............................
F o u n d r y m o l d i n g ..............
S h e e t -m e ta l w o r k ..............
T i n s m it h in g ..........................
D i e s in k in g a n d c u t t i n g .
B o ile r i n s p e c t i o n ................
B o ile r m a k in g ......................
W e ld in g , g e n e r a l................
W e ld in g , o x y a c e t y l e n e . .
W e ld in g , e le c t r ic ................
P a t te r n m a k in g ..................
C op per w o r k in g ..................
C a b le s p l ic in g .......................
23
9
52
B o o k b in d in g ........................................
l i n o t y p e o p e r a tio n a n d r e p a ir ..
M o n o ty p e o p e r a tio n a n d r e p a ir .
L i t h o g r a p h y .........................................
P r e ss o p e r a tio n ...................................
P h o t o - e n g r a v in g ................................
T y p e s e t t in g ...........................................
P r in tin g , g e n e r a l c o u r s e ................
D y e m a k in g .........................................................
G en er a l m a n u fa c tu r in g .................................
P a p e r m a n u fa c tu r e ..........................................
Sils-er p l a t i n g ......................................................
S u g a r m a n u fa c tu r e ...........................................
T y p e w r ite r a s s e m b lin g ....... ..........................
C igar m a k in g .......................................................
I n s tr u m e n t p o lis h in g a n d g r in d in g ----M o d e l m a k in g .....................................................
755
D . M e ta l tr a d e s ...........................
E . P r in tin g t r a d e s .
G . R a ilw a y o c c u p a t io n s .
L o c o m o tiv e d r i v i n g . .
Car in s p e c t io n ...............
S tr ee t-ca r m o to r m a n .
R a ilr o a d s ig n a lin g ___
G e n e r a l s t u d y ................
C a r p e n t r y .. .*.................
G a b in e t m a k in g .............
C o n cr e te m a s o n r y ___
H o u s e p a i n t in g .............
P lu m b in g .........................
S t e a m f it t i n g ..................
E le v a to r i n s t a l la t io n .
S t o n e c u t t i n g ..................
E s t im a t in g ......................
Watch making and repair....................
Jewelry making......................................
Jewelry and watch repair.....................
Engraving...............................................
Optics (lens grinding, etc.)................. .
J. Advertising trades...................................
Window trimming.................................
Sign painting.................. .......................
Show-card writing.................................
Iv. Woodworking and wood finishing trade:
Auto and wagon painting...................
Furniture making,...............................
Wood finishing......................................
Artificial limb making.........................
L. Food preparation...................................
Cooking..................................................
Candy making......................................
Baking...................................................
Pastry cooking.......................................
Meat cutting...........................................
Flour milling........................................
Grain testing............................... - .........
M. Textile work..........................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
4
29
3
’6
2
1
1
1
5
9
1
52
102
25
16
23
N . R e p a ir w o r k .................................
1
T y p e w r ite r r e p a ir ....................
S e w in g -m a c h in e r e p a ir .........
T a lk in g -m a c h in e r e p a ir -----P ia n o t u n in g ...............................
E le c tr ic p ia n o r e p a ir ..............
I n s tr u m e n t r e p a ir , g e n e r a l.
C a sh -reg ister r e p a ir .................
S e r v ic e m a n .................................
152
Ï
95
7
13
12
11
O . M isc e lla n e o u s tr a d e s a n d o c c u p a t io n s ..
3
B a r b e r ......................................................................
W a ite r ......................................................................
S t e w a r d ..................................................................
M in in g (fo r e m a n s h ip , e t c . ) .........................
M o tio n -p ic tu r e o p e r a tio n ..............................
D r a ftin g , g e n e r a l...........................................
D r a ftin g , a r c h it e c tu r a l..................................
F lo r a l d e s ig n ........................................................
U p h o ls t e r in g ........................................................
10
G a r m e n t a n d le a t h e r tr a d e s .........
C lo th in g d e s ig n in g a n d c u t t i n g .
C le a n in g , p r e s sin g , a n d d y e in g .
T a ilo r in g .................................................
M illin e r y .................................................
F u r g a r m e n t m a k in g .......................
H a r n e s s m a k in g .................................
S h o e m a k in g a n d r e p a ir ..................
E d g e t r im m in g ...................................
1
C o tto n in d u s t r y ............
W o o l s o r tin g ..................
L a c e m a k in g ..................
W e a v in g ...........................
L o o m f ix in g ....................
C o tto n g r a d in g ..............
G en era l t e x t i le w o r k .
4
8
2
2
5
I . C r a fts ...........................................................................
2
3
5
68
2
44
Num
b er in
co u rse.
51
8
50
1
4
2
111
11
[44S]
T o t a l o f m e n i n tr a d e a n d in d u s t r ia l
t r a in in g .................................................... - - -
1
9
31
0
524
145
1
6
5 ,0 7 9
145
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
NUMBER OP MEN IN EACH COURSE OFFERED DISABLED EX-SERVICE
MEN— Continued.
B u s in e s s a n d c o m m e r c ia l tr a in in g .
Num
ber in
course.
Course.
A.
Administrative position (semiprofessional)..........................
Advertising, general...............
Business administration........
Banking and finance..............
Real estate...............................
Insurance.................................
Foreign trade..........................
Factory management.............
Store management..................
Office management.................
Hotel management.................
Traffic management...............
Safety inspection.....................
Consular service, preparatory
Detective work.......................
Library work..........................
Public health inspection........
Salesmanship..........................
Accountancy...........................
Auto accessories (sales)..........
General business course.........
2,309
147
3Sÿ
99
9
12
110
1
Course.
B. Subordinate position- Continued.
Secretarial work..............................
Clerical work..................................
Official appliance operation.........
Postal clerk, preparation..............
Civil service, preparation..............
General commercial courses.........
C Commercial facilities (business aids)__
7
3
4
23
TelegraphyWireless ..................
Commercial............
Railway..................
TelephonyTelephony, general
Switchboard work.
Transportation—
Navigation.............
Railway traffic.......
Commercial freight.
Foreign languages—
Spanish...................
French....................
1
3
3
1
3
327
423
5
804
B-. Subordinate position...............
2,295
Total of men in business and
commercial training...............
Bookkeeping........................
Shorthand and typewriting.
Num
ber in
course.
75
32
2
3
17
1,884
175
45
78
3
11
1
13
5
2
14
3
4,839
A g r ic u ltu r a l tr a in in g .
A . General farming courses.........................
2,195
Farm management................................
General agriculture................................
Agricultural engineering.......................
County agent................ “........................
51
2,131
nimal husbandry. .
Poultry husbandry........
Dairying................
Bee culture..............
Meat i nspp.pti m1
A
12
1
186
Agronomy.......
Berry culture..........................................
Horticulture............................................
Citriculture.............................................
Sugar-beet culture
Truck gardening....................................
General gardening .
Landscape gardening.............................
Floriculture........... T..............................
Seed specializing
C. Farm animal courses__
24
4
78
9
D. Forestry...,
General forestry__
Tree surgerv. . . __
Lumber scaling and grading..........
1
35
4
E . Fisheries............................
22
8
1
Fisheries, general study of
Fish culture__
Total of men m training in agricultural courses.....................................
319
168
95
69
7
10
71
40
8
17
4
1
3
2 805
P r o f e s s io n a l e d u c a tio n .
A.
Scientific:
Engineering.............................
Agricultural engineering.
Civil engineering..............
Chemical engineering......
Efficiency engineering__
Ceramic engineering........
Electrical engineering__
Aeronautical engineering
Gas engineering ............
Oil engineering................
Structural engineering..
Mechanical engineering..
Marine engineering.........
Mining engineering.........
Textile engineering........
Safety engineering..........
Industrial engineering. . .
Sanitary engineering___
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
957
42
142
47
2
2
21S
A. Scientific—Continued.
Machine design................................
Surveying..."...................................
Chemistry........................................
Assaving...........................................
Geology.............................................
Oil technology.................................
4
36
7
36
177
12
48
2
2
3
1
[440]
21
102
16
24
10
Medical...................................................
547
Eye, car, nose, and throat............
Dentistry.........................................
Dental surgery.................................
Dental mechanics...........................
Medicine, general practice of.........
Orthopedics......................................
Nursing.............................................
Pediatrics.........................................
Biology.............................................
Neurology........................................
33
58
8
36
128
1
7
7
6
2
146
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
NUMBER OF MEN IN EACH COURSE OFFERED DISABLED EX-SERVICE
MEN— Concluded.
P r o f e s s i o n a l e d u c a t i o n —Concluded.
Course.
A. Scientific—Concluded.
Medical—Concluded.
Osteopathy......................................
Chiropractics....................................
Heat treatment...............................
Pharmacy........................................
Embalming and funeral manage
ment.............................................
Bacteriology....................................
Anatomy.........................................
Surgery............................................
Surgery, abdominal........................
Veterinary science..........................
X-ray operation...............................
Optometry.....................................
Urology............................................
Cadavaric work...................... ........
Chiropody........................................
Num
ber in
course.
Course.
Num
ber in
course.
C. Other nrolesslonal courses........................
040
Journalism................................................
Law..........................................................
Theology..................................................
Domestic science.....................................
General college course........................... .
Sociology..................................................
Economics................................................
Pedagogical courses—
Playground instructor.....................
Physical training..............................
Pedagogy, general.............................
Commemalteaching.......................
Music teaching..................................
73
352
35
3
80
4
9
16
1
102
57
17
1
7
2
27
7
9
Total of men in training in professionai courses..........................
i
2
8
8
7
G8
1
1
2,593
B. Artistic.........- .........................................
398
R e c a p itu la tio n .
Architecture...........................................
Cartooning..............................................
Commercial designing...........................
Interior decorating.................................
Music, general........................................
Music, instrumental..............................
Music, vocal...........................................
Dramatic art and public speaking.......
Photography, general...........................
Photography, motion pictures.............
Painting. . . ..........................................
Sculpture................................................
38
23
147
18
7
Prevocational training...................................
Trade and industrial training.......................
Business and commercial training................
Agricultural training.....................................
Professional education...................................
2 ,9 2 3
5,079
4,839
2,805
2 593
46
15
Total ................... - ..............................
IS, 239
7
,
74
10
11
i
It is apparent from this table, as the Vocational Summary points
out, that the largest number of men, 27.8 per cent, is enrolled in the
trade and industrial courses. The business or commercial courses
hold second place with 26.5 per cent, while prevocational training,
agricultural training, and professional training follow with 16 per
cent, 15.4 per cent, and 14.2 per cent of the men enrolled, respectively.
Up to December 11, 1919, a total of 39,000 men, from the 14 dis
tricts, had been recommended for training; 23,000 had been approved
for training, and of these 20,081 were taking courses of one kind or
another. Only 2,500, however, were in placement training. From
June 27, 1918, to November 29, 1919, the board had placed 3,752
without training and 118 with training. There have been in addi
tion 13,544 self-placements. Since August, 1919, tlie board lias placed
only those whom it has trained. In a consideration of the number
of placements made attention should be called to the fact that many
cases require a training period of about two years and from six
months to one year of practice, before placement is possible or prac
ticable. Delays, too, are apt to occur in both training and place
ment. Sometimes a man who, from every indication and all avail
able information, should be given a certain kind of training fails
to show any aptitude in it and must be transferred to some other
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[450]
147
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
line. I t also happens that after training disabled men can not always
be promptly placed because firms are not ready to assume the risk
incurred in employing them.
The self-placements very frequently result from indirect assistance
given by the board. In refusing to take full credit for the large
number of self-placements resulting indirectly from its good offices
the board is pursuing a somewhat different policy from that adopted
in some of the other countries dealing with the same problem.
R ecent A greem ents in B uilding T rades.
New York City.
HE following is the text of the agreement entered into on No
vember 20, 1919, between the Building Trades Employers’
Association and the Building Trades Council of the City of
New York, the latter representing 33 trade-unions. The agreement
was effective on January 1, 1920.
T
In order to secure continuity of employment and uninterrupted production
it is hereby agreed between the Building Trades Employers’ Association of
the City of New York and the Building Trades Council of the City of New
York * * * th a t:
1. The working week shall consist of forty-four (44) hours.
2. The rates of wages from January 1, 1920, to December 31, 1921. inclusive,
shall be as follows:
Per day o£
8 hours.
Art-glass workers______________________________________ $7. 00
Asbestos workers and insulators------------------------------------- 8. 00
Blue-stone c u tte rs-----------------------8. 00
C arpenters___________________________________________ 8. 00
Dock builders, house shorers, and sheath pilers---------------- 7. 50
Cement masons_______________________________________ 8. 09
Cement and concrete workers (laborers)--------------------------- O
Composition roofers and waterproofers---------------------------- 7. 00
Composition roofers and waterproofers (foremen)-------------- 7.50
Electrical workers____________________________________ 8. 00
Electrical workers’ helpers-------------------------------------------- 4. 50
Elevator constructors--------------------------------------------------- 8. 00
Elevator constructors’ helpers---------------------------------------- 6. 00
Granite cutters_______________________________________ 8. 00
Hoisting engineers, by the week__________________________ 46. 75
Hoisting engineers, by the day------------------------------------- 9- 00
Hoisting engineers, running compressors, extra per week— 7. 00
Housesmitlis and bridgemen, Local No. 40------------------------ 8. 00
Housesmiths’ finishers, Local No. 52_____________________ 8. 00
Housesmiths’ helpers________________________ ___________ 6. 00
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Now being adjusted.
148
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
P er day of
8 h ou rs.
Marble cutters and setters (April 1, 1920)-----------------------Marble carvers (April 1, 1920)---------------------------------------Marble polishers, bed rubbers and sawyers (April 1, 1920) —
Marble cutters’ helpers, riggers, crane and derrick men____
Mosaic and terrazzo w orkers----------------------------------------Mosaic and terrazzo workers’ helpers------------------_----------Metallic la th e rs______________________________________
Painters and decorators_______________________________
P lasterers____________________________________________
Plasterers’ laborers___________________________________
Plumbers and gas titte rs______________________________
Roofers and sheet-metal workers________________________
Steam and hot-water titte rs________________________ _—
Steam and hot-water fitters’ helpers------------------------------Tile lay ers______________________________________ 1----Tile layers’ helpers___________________________________
Upholsterers__________________________________________
Wood lathers_________________________________________
8.00
9.00
7. 50
6. 00
7. 00
(1)
8.00
8. 00
8. 50
0, 00
8. 00
8. 00
8. 00
G. 00
8. 00
6. 00
9. 25
8, 00
Provided, should the cost of living materially change, upon five months’
notice from the Building Trades Council or the Building Trades Employers’
Association given prior to January 1, 1921, the wage schedule for the calendar
year 1921 shall be reopened and readjusted by the representatives of the parties
hereto.
3. The existing trade agreements between the several trade associations,
members of the Building Trades Employers’ Association and the unions of
their respective trades shall be continued upon their present terms and condi
tions until the expiration of this agreement, unless changed by the mutual
consent of the parties thereto; except, that the working week and the wage
schedule herein agreed upon shall not be changed, except as herein provided for.
4. Regular or consecutive overtime shall not be worked unless permission to
do so shall have been given by a joint committee, consisting of the chairman
of the board of governors of the Building Trades Employers’ Association and
the chairman of the Building Trades Council; provided that this shall not
apply to occasional overtime made necessary by the exigencies of the work.
5. The unions as a whole or as a single union shall not order any strike against
a member of the Building Trades Employers’ Association, neither shall any
number of union men leave the work of a member of the Building Trades Em
ployers’ Association, nor shall any member of the Building Trades Employers’
Association lock out his employees; and, should any union or the members of
any union violate this agreement and the violation is not discontinued within
one week from the time notice of said violation is sent to the Building Trades
Council, it shall not be considered a violation of this agreement or of any
trade agreement if the Building Trades Employers’ Association or any member
or members thereof proceed to man the work with such men as can be secured,
or, in case of such violation, if the Building Trades Employers’ Association lock
out the members of the defaulting union or declares a general cessation of work.
It is further agreed th at if workmen not members of the unions parties hereto
are alleged to be employed on any job whereon any member or members of the
Building Trades Employers’ Association are doing work, it shall be brought
immediately to the attention of the board of arbitration hereinafter provided
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
N ow
b e in g a d ju s te d .
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
149
for. and if the facts are found by said board to be as alleged, it shall not be
deemed a violation of this agreement, or of any trade agreement, for any
member of the unions above mentioned to refuse to work on the job in ques
tion, unless such workmen are justifiably employed in the case above provided
for, that is, where a union or a number of members of a union have first violated
this agreement.
G. A permanent board of arbitration shall be established, said board to consist
of five members of the executive committee of the board of governors of the
Building Trades Employers’ Association and five members of the executive com
mittee of the Building Trades Council, to whom shall be referred all disputes
that may arise relative to alleged violations of this agreement or the intent and
meaning of any part thereof. The decision of said board of arbitration upon
any m atter submitted to it shall be final and binding upon all parties hereto;
and, should said board of arbitration fail to agree after three consecutive daily
meetings, said board of arbitration shall select an umpire, and each side shall
make its arguments before the umpire, and his decision shall be final and bind
ing upon all the parties hereto.
7. This agreement shall apply upon all work performed within the geographical
limits of Greater New York and Long Island and in such additional territory
as is included in the provisions of the existing trade agreements between the
several trade associations of employers and the unions of their trades.
8. The unions parties to this agreement agree to furnish at all times sufficient
men to man the work of the members of the Building Trades Employers’ Asso
ciation.
Norfolk, Va.
N AGREEMENT recently made between employing contractors
and members of unions with which the Norfolk Builders and
Contractors’ Association has contracts, created a joint arbitration
board to which all disputes are referred. The agreement is given in
fu ll: 1
This agreement made this 1st day of August, 1919, between the Builders’
and Contractors’ Association, of Norfolk, Va., party of the first part, hereinafter
called the builders’ association and t h e _____ union, party of the second part,
hereinafter called the “ union.”
W itnesseth: That the parties hereto hereby agree for their respective members
as follows:
1.
There shall at all times be maintained a joint arbitration board to consist of
the members of a board of five, hereinafter called builders’ board, to be
selected from year to year by the builders’ association and of the members of a
board of five, hereinafter called union board, to be selected from year to year
by and to represent the following unions: Asbestos .Workers and Pipe Coverers;
Steam and Operating Engineers; Carpenters’ District Council; Painters Decor
ators and Paper Hangers; Structual Ornamental and Reinforced Iron Workers;
Electricians; L ath ers; Slieet-Metal Workers.
C h a irm en
P resid e
A ltern a tely.
The five members constituting the builders’ board shall select its chairman,
and the five members constituting the union board shall select its chairman.
These chairmen shall be chairmen of the joint arbitration board. At the
iFrom Association General Contractor of America, Members’ News Letter, Dec. 20,
1919.
Chicago.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[453]
150
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
first meeting of the said joint arbitration board the chairman selected by the
union board shall preside, at the next meeting of the said joint arbitration
board the chairman selected by the builders’ board shall preside, and so on
alternately. There shall also be selected by the five members constituting the
builders’ board, a secretary, and there shall be selected by the five members
constituting the union board, a secretary. These secretaries shall both serve
as secretaries of the joint arbitration board. A quorum of said joint arbitra
tion board shall consist of nine members, and no action shall be taken in a.ny
case unless at least six members vote in the affirmative. The said joint arbitra
tion board shall meet at rooms to be provided by the builders’ association, in
the Monticello Hotel, Norfolk, Va., on the second and fourth Saturdays of each
month, at 3.30 p. m., the first regular meeting to be held on the 23d day of
August, 1919. Special meetings may be called at any time, to be held at said
place, by either chairman of said joint arbitration board. Notice of said special
meetings shall be given by either secretary by mailing same at least two days
in advance of the time of the meeting. In the event of the absence from the
meeting of the joint arbitration board of any member or members of the union
board the chairman of the union board may appoint the secretary thereof, or a
member or members of the union to take his or their place, and in case of the
absence of a member or members of the builders’ board the chairman of the
builders’ board may appoint the secretary thereof, or any member or members
of the builders’ board to take his or their place.
2. The builders’ association agrees, for its members, that they will, beginning
August 1, 1919, p a y _____ to all employees employed by them and belonging
to the mentioned unions, party of the second part. A day’s work shall consist
of eight hours’ work, beginning at 8 o’clock a. m. and ending not later than
5 p. m. except on Saturdays, and a day’s work on Saturday shall consist of
four hours. All overtime work on Saturday afternoons and holidays shall be
paid for at the rate of double time. Holidays shall be those named in the
international union laws and of said union approved for this district.
O n ly
U n ion
M en
to
m
be E m p lo y e d .
3. The builders’ association for its members agrees that said members shall
employ for the work covered by said union only men belonging to said union,
unless said union can not furnish sufficient men to meet the demand within
48 hours from the time notice is furnished a representative of said union, in
which event the members of the builders’ association shall have the right to
engage nonunion men until such time as the union can replace them with satis
factory union men.
4. The builders’ association, for its members, agrees that it will, so far as pos
sible, observe the by-laws and working rules approved by the international of the
said union', and the union agrees, on its part, that there shall not be any strike nor
tie-up on jobs of members of. the builders’ association except by an affirmative
vote of six members of the joint arbitration board, in writing, signed by them,
unless a general strike or tie-up is called by the international of said union.
D e c isio n o f B o a r d B in d in g .
5.
All m atters pertaining to or disputes affecting the job, held by any member
of the union with a member of the builders’ association, shall be referred to the
joint arbitration board, and no other action shall be taken thereon until the
said joint arbitration board shall reach a decision with reference thereto, as
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[454]
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
151
hereinabove provided, or as hereinafter provided for, and any decision so
reached shall be binding upon the members of the union and the members of
the builders’ association.
0. In any case where six members of the joint arbitration board are unable
to agree and thereby reach a decision, there shall be selected by an affirmative
vote of at least six members of the said joint arbitration* board a referee, to
whom the said m atters in dispute shall be referred, and his decision shall be
binding upon all parties hereto and shall be treated and considered as the deci
sion of the joint arbitration board.
7. The joint arbitration board shall have the right by an affirmative vote of
six members thereon, at any meeting, to impose a fine of not less than $25 and
not more than $100 on any members of the builders’ association or said union
for any violation of this contract, or any finding of the joint arbitration board,
by either party. There shall, however, be only one fine imposed for any one
act, violation, or offense, and the said fine so imposed therefor shall go to that
union which may be determined by the joint arbitration board, be divided be
tween several unions as said board may determine, and if the fine is imposed
upon said union said fine shall go to that member of the association on whose
job the offense was committed.
W a g e S ca le F ix e d b y A g reem en t.
»
8. Both the builders’ association and the union hereby agree that the rate of
wages fixed herein for the members of the union shall remain in effect for nine
months from the 1st day of August, 1919, and no change be demanded unless
notice is given to the joint arbitration board by either party hereto, in writing,
of its intention to ask for a change 90 days prior to the 30th day of April, 1920;
otherwise, shall continue and remain in force for a period of 12 months longer
from the 30th day of April, 1920.
9. Any member of the builders’ association shall have the right to retain men
not belonging to said union, now in his employ, for a period of 90 days only
from the 1st day of August, 1919, but in all events said association member shall
and must unionize his men before 90 days, if possible,
10. It is understood and agreed, as far as possible, that nothing herein con
tained shall give the right to the union, or its members, to complain or make
any dispute, or take action for a period of 90 days from date thereof, because any
member of the builders’ association has contracts on jobs on which nonunion
men have worked, or are working; but this shall not prevent complaint, dispute,
or action for any m atter within his own craft. But in no ease shall said union
complain or bring charges against any association member for engaging or
doing his work with nonunion bricklayers, plasterers,' plumbers, and steam fit
ters for the full duration of this agreement or until such time as these unions
shall make an arrangement with the builders and contractors’ association with
the consent of the arbitration board.
11. It is understood and agreed that this contract is made for and on behalf
of the regular members of the builders’ association only, and does not apply to
the associate or honorary members thereof; said associate or honorary members
consisting of building-material dealers, retail lumber dealers, etc., a list of
which from time to time will be furnished by the builders’ association to the
union on request.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[455]
152
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
C reation of a G erm an A rchive fo r Collective
A greem ents.1
*
0 INCE the compact of November 15, 1918,2 in which the central
vNk organizations of German employers and workers had agreed that
in the future the working and wage conditions for all workers
of both sexes should be regulated in accordance with conditions in the
trade in question through collective agreements with the trade or
ganizations of the workers, and since the people’s commissioners by
a decree of December 23, 1918,3 had given such collective agreements
legally binding force, collective bargaining has steadily grown in im
portance. While hitherto collective bargaining predominated only in
handicrafts establishments, now the handicrafts and large scale in
dustries, commerce and agriculture, manual workers, and salaried em
ployees outdo each other in concluding collective agreements, and the
subjects regulated by these agreements become more and more
numerous.
In view of the steadily growing extent of collective bargaining it is
comprehensible that the various agreements frequently show greater
diversities than would seem justified by occupational or local peculiarities. In the interest of sound social development it is, however, *
desirable that the stipulations of the various agreements be equalized
as much as possible. This applies not only to wage rates but also to
all other subjects regulated in collective agreements. Provisions
that have stood the test and make for efficiency should as far as pos£ible be incorporated in all the agreements, while provisions that are
out of date and have proved impracticable should be avoided. This
ran, however, only be accomplished by a central office in which
1 ll collective agreements concluded in Germany are gathered and
arranged for easy and ready reference for interested parties. A
number of employers’ and workers’ organizations have to a larger or
lesser extent been active in gathering such material. As commendable
as such activities may be they can at the best only cover the collective
agreements coming within the sphere of organization of the individual
federations, and do not make superfluous a centralized collection.
Such private activity of interested parties, moreover, can never render
the same service as an official archive. Moreover, only such a non
partisan institution will enjoy among all social classes that measure of
confidence which is required when the furnishing of reliable docu
mentary bases for the settlement of labor disputes and the conclusion ^
of collective agreements comes in question.
1 Reichs-Arbeitsblatt.
2M o n t h l y
Berlin.
Sept. 25, 1919, p. 691.
L abor R e v i e w , April, 1919, pp. 158-1(50.
s Id e m , pp. 1 6 0 -1 0 7 .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[456]
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.
153
In view of these considerations the bureau of labor statistics in
the German statistical office, which is charged with the annual com
pilation of statistics on collective bargaining has established an
archive for collective agreements (Tarifarchiv) which will try to
gather and arrange for reference all agreements concluded in Germany
at the earliest possible date after their conclusion. This archive is
not to be confounded with the collection of legally binding collective
agreements which is maintained by the Ministry of Labor as an
adjunct of the register of collective agreements and embraces only a
small number of such agreements. The archive in the bureau of labor
statistics will contain not only the legally binding but the great mass
of all the other collective agreements. In September, 1919, it had
already collected 2,500 agreements newly concluded during that year.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[4 5 7 J
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
Employment in Selected Industries in Decem
ber, 1919.
HE Bureau of Labor Statistics received and tabulated reports
concerning tlie volume of employment in December, 1919,
from representative establishments in 13 selected industries.
Comparing the figures of December, 1919, with those of identical
establishments for December, 1918, it appears that in 10 industries
there were increases in the number of persons employed. The largest
increase, 26.9 per cent, appears in automobile manufacturing. Three
industries show decreases, the largest being 25.8 per cent in car
building and repairing and 21.6 per cent in iron and steel.
Eleven of the 13 industries show an increase in the total amount of
the pay roll for December, 1919, as compared with December, 1918,
and 2 a decrease. Percentage increase of 96.4, 58.7, 48.8, and 44.9
appear in men’s ready-made clothing, woolen, silk, and automobile
manufacturing, respectively. A decrease of 22.8 per cent is found
in car building and repairing, while iron and steel shows a decrease
of 22 per cent.
T
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHM ENTS IN DECEM
BER, 1918, AND DECEMBER, 1919.
In d u stry .
A u to m o b i le m a n u f a c t u r i n g .
B o o t s a n d s h o e s ...........................
C ar b u ild in g a n d r e p a ir in g ..
C i g a r m a n u f a c t u r i n g ...............
M e n ’s r e a d y - m a d e c l o t h i n g .
............ ..
C o t to n f in is h in g ;
C o t t o n m a n u f a c t u r i n g ............
H o s i e r y a n d u n d e r w e a r ____
I r o n a n d s t e e l ................................
L e a t h e r m a n u f a c t u r i n g ..........
P a p e r m a k i n g ...............................
S i l k ........................................................
W o o l e n ...............................................
E s ta b
lis h
m e n ts
P e r io d
re p o rt
in g
of
fo r D e p a y r o ll.
ce m b e r,
b o th
y e a rs.
39
60
56
54
34
18
50
58
92
33
53
46
49
1 w eek..
. . . d o .........
J m o n th .
1 w eek ..
. . . d o .........
___d o ..........
.. .d o .....
. . . d o .........
§ m o n th .
1 w e e k ..
. . . d o .........
2 w eeks.
1 w eek ..
N um ber on pay
ro ll i n D e c e m
b e r—
1918
1919
1 0 1 ,7 2 9
5 1 ,8 8 3
7 6 ,4 0 1
19, 430
1 8 .5 6 1
14 ,3 67
3 6 ,5 7 5
2 9 ,8 7 6
1 8 2 ,0 8 6
1 5 ,8 7 7
2 9 ,3 6 3
1 5 ,0 9 2
3 9 ,4 6 0
1 2 9 ,0 7 5
5 6 ,8 5 0
5 6 ,6 6 5
1 7 ,9 2 8
2 2 ,0 0 5
1 6 ,2 4 0
39j 684
31', 535
1 4 2 ,7 6 6
1 7 ,8 9 9
2 9 ,8 6 7
1 7 ,8 4 9
4 5 ,6 5 3
Per
cent
of in (T O o r
de
c re a se
(-).
A m o u n t o f p a y r o ll
i n D e c e m b e r —•
1918
T 2 u . 9 $ 2 ,7 2 3 ,9 0 4
1 ,0 9 9 ,1 3 6
+ 9 .6
- 2 5 .8
4 ,6 2 6 ,6 5 6
- 7 . 7
3 2 5 ,6 0 4
+ 1 8 .6
3 8 5 ,0 0 6
2 89, 472
+ 1 4 .6
6 3 3 ,2 9 6
+ 8 .5
+ 5 .6
473, 497
- 2 1 . 6 1 2 ,7 5 0 ,7 3 4
+ 1 2 .7
3 7 2 ,7 3 4
6 5 7 ,8 7 3
T 1* 7
5 5 4 ,4 6 2
+ 18. 3
+ 1 5 .7
7 4 6 ,3 7 9
1919
$ 3 ,9 4 6 ,7 2 8
1 ,3 8 3 ,7 5 3
3 ,5 6 9 ,8 7 3
3 9 1 ,8 6 4
7 5 6 ,1 9 5
4 0 9 ,5 7 3
8 0 7 ,7 2 4
5 9 2 ,0 2 3
9 ,9 4 1 ,3 4 1
4 5 7 ,6 8 2
7 6 3 ,9 3 9
8 2 5 ,2 3 1
1 ,1 8 4 ,2 6 5
Per
cent
o f in c re a se
( + ) or
dec re a se
(-).
+44. 9
+ 2 5 .9
- 2 2 .8
+ 2 0 .3
+ 9 6 .4
+ 4 1 .5
+ 2 7 .5
+ 2 5 .0
- 2 2 .0
+ 2 2 .8
+ 1 6 .1
+ 4 8 .8
+ 5 8 .7
The table following shows the number of persons actually working
on the last full day of the reported pay period in December, 1918,
and December, 1919. The number of establishments reporting on
154
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[458]
155
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
the question is small, and this fact should be taken into considera
tion when studying these figures.
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS ON THE LAST FULL
DAY’S OPERATION IN DECEMBER, 1918, AND DECEMBER, 1919.
Establish
ments
reporting
for Decem
ber, both
years
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing
Boots and shoes.................
Car building and repairing..
Cigar manufacturing..........
Men’s ready-made clothing.
Cotton finishing..................
Cotton manufacturing.......
Hosiery and underwear___
Iron and steel......................
Leather manufacturing.......
Paper making................... ,
Silk......................................
Woolen..................................
22
25
54
18
6
15
33
19
78
19
23
23
46
Period of
pay roil.
1 week___
. . -do..........
i month...
Ï w eek ....
...d o .........
. ..d o ___ _
,. .do..........
...d o .........
| month...
1 week___
.. .do.........
2 weeks. . .
1 week___
Number actually working
on last full day of re
ported pay period in Per cent of
increase
December—
(+ ) or de
crease (—).
1918
1919
56,883
11,929
64,857
4,797
8,997
10, 463
24,256
12,288
143,628
11,959
14,036
9,845
32,298
75,545
13,810
50,345
5,271
9,592
11,905
26,925
13,334
115,482
13,342
14,984
31,878
39,864
+32. S
+ 15.8
-22.4
+ 9.9
+ 6.0
+ 13.8
+ 11.0
+ 8.5
-19.6
+ 11.6
+ 6.8
+20,7
+23.4
Comparative data for December, 1919, and November, 1919, ap
pear in the following table. The figures show’ that in 10 industries
there was an increase in the number of persons on the pay roll in
December as compared with November, and in 3 a decrease. The
greatest increase, 18.3 per cent, is shown in iron and steel, while a
decrease of 10.2 per cent appears in men’s ready-made clothing.
When comparing December, 1919, with November, 1919, 12 indus
tries show an increase in the amount of money paid to employees
and 1 shows a decrease. The most important increases, 23.T, 22.8,
20.3, and 17.9 per cent, appear in cotton manufacturing, iron and
steel, cotton finishing, and woolen. Automobile manufacturing
shows a decrease of 5.5 per cent.
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN NOVEMBER
AND DECEMBER, 1919.
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing.
Boots and shoes...................
Car building and repairing..
Cigar manufacturing...........
Men’s ready-made c lothing.
Cotton finishing...................
Cotton manufacturing.........
Hosiery and rrndcrwear___
Iron and steel.......................
Leather manufacturing.......
Paper making......................
Silk...............................
W oolen.......................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Number on pay
Estab
Per
roll in—
lish
cent
ments
of in
report Period of
crease
ing for
N ovem- pay roll. N ovem- Decem (+ ) or
de
ber and
ber,
ber,
crease
Decem
1919.
1919.
(
-).
ber.
44
60
54
53
44
18
-19
60
94
33
52
46
49
1 week.. 133,704
. ..d o...... 55,219
month. 52,933
1 week.. 17,847
. ..d o...... 25,314
...d o ...... 15,684
. - -do...... 39,099
. -.do...... 30, 797
i month. 127,280
1 week.. 17, 786
- -.do...... 28, 733
2 weeks. 17,392
1 w eek.. 47,253
[459]
130,351
56,437
54,845
17,866
22,736
16,240
40,669
31,493
150,000
17,899
28,997
17,849
45,653
Amount of pa y roll
in—
Novem
ber,
1919.
Decem
ber,
1919.
- 2.5 $4,207,402 $3,975,884
+ 2.2 1,248,318 1,373,683
+ 3.6 3; 377', 648 3,432,852
373,379
'389,264
+ .1
-10.2
753,916
784,596
340;517 409,573
+ 4.0
678,365
839,408
+ 2.3
530,269
591,482
+ 18.3 8,616,345 10,579,044
430,524
+ .6
' 457; 682
+ .9
701,995
736,698
•f 2, 6 ■ 776,570
825,231
- 3.4 1,904,264 1,184; 265
Per
cent
of in
crease
(+ ) or
de
crease
(-).
- 5.5
+ 10.0
+ 1.6
+ 4.3
+ 4.1
+ 20.3
+23.7
+11.5
+22.8
+ 6.3
+ 4.9
+ 6.3
+ 17.9
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A comparatively small number of establishments reported as to the
number of persons working on the last full day of the reported pay
periods. The following table gives in comparable form the figures
for November and December, 1910. The small number of establish
ments represented should be noted when using these figures.
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS ON THE LAST
FULL DAY’S OPERATION IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 1919.
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing
Boots and shoes..................
Car building and repairing.
Cigar manufacturing..........
Men’s ready-made clothing.
Cotton finishing..................
Cotton manufacturing.......
Hosiery and underwear__
Iron and steel......................
Leather manufacturing__
Paper making.....................
Silk......................................
Woolen.................................
Establish
ments re
porting for
November
and De
cember.
23
20
50
17
7
15
29
23
73
19
24
30
47
Period of
pay roll.
Number aei ually working on la st full day
of report ed pay pe- Per cent of
riod in—
increase
(+ ) or de
crease (—).
November, December,
1919.
1919.
1 week___
----do.........
£ m onth...
1 week___
__ do.........
....d o ........
__ do.........
__ do.........
i month...
i week__
__ do.........
2 weeks. . .
1 week__
79,359
13,905
47,185
5,080
12,702
11,497
23,073
13,794
99,281
13,170
14,973
13,618
41,460
76,491
14,064
48,289
5,281
9,970
11,905
23,303
14,161
U9,169
13,342
15,254
14,161
39,988
- 3.6
+ LI
+ 2.3
+ 4.0
-21.5
+ 3.5
+ 1.0
+ 2.7
+20.0
+ 1.3
+ 1.9
+ 4.0
- 3.0
Changes in Wage Rates.
TN ALL of the 13 industries there were establishments reporting
wage-rate increases during the period November 15 to Decem
ber 15, 1919. Of the establishments reporting, many did not answer
the inquiry relative to this item, blit in such cases it is not likely that
changes were made.
A u t o m o b i l e m a n u f a c t u r i n g .—One plant granted an increase of 3 per
cent to 12 per cent of the employees. Three per cent of the men in
one concern received a 2 per cent increase. One establishment reported
increases to 25 individuals but gave no further data, and another firm
gave some small increases but made no other statement.
B o o t s a n d s h o e s .—One concern gave an increase of 10f per cent to
23f per cent of the employees. Two firms reported a 15 per cent
increase affecting about 33-J per cent of the force in one plant and
the cutters and fitters, or about 32 per cent of the men, in the other.
An increase of 10 per cent was granted by five establishments, affect
ing all of the men in one, 08 per cent of the force in another, OGf per
cent of the employees in the third, and one-fourth of the workers in
the fourth, while the fifth plant did not state the number of persons
affected. In one concern 21 per cent of the employees received an
increase of about 7 per cent. All of the outside cutters in one firm
received an increase of one-half cent per pair.
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C i g a r m a n u f a c t u r i n g . —One establishment reported an increase of
10 per cent, affecting 78 per cent of the employees.
M e n ’s r e a d y - m a d e c l o t h i n g . —One establishment reported a 25 per
cent increase throughout the plant. One concern gave a 20 per cent
increase to 40 per cent of the employees. Eighty per cent of the
employees in one firm received a 15 per cent increase. Three men in
one plant were given an increase of $6 a week and 75 per cent of the
men received an increase of $5 per week. Two establishments granted
a $5 increase, affecting all of the employees in one plant and 81 per
cent of the men in the other; the second plant also gave an increase of
1 cent per piece to the remainder of the force. An increase of 10 per
cent, affecting 50 per cent of the employees, was given by one concern.
One plant gave an increase of 3 per cent to 6 per cent of the force.
C o t t o n f i n i s h i n g . —All of the employees in four plants received
an increase of 12| per cent. Six concerns granted an increase of
12| per cent, affecting 95 per cent of the help; and one of these firms
also gave a 6^ per cent increase to 5 per cent of the force. Six per
cent of the employees in one plant received an increase of 0.139
per cent. Another concern gave increases of 12 cents, 5 cents, 4
cents, and 3 cents per hour affecting the printers, 21 per cent of the
females, all of the men, and 79 per cent of the females, respectively.
C o t t o n m a n u f a c t u r i n g . —One establishment reported an increase
of 14 per cent affecting all of their employees. All of the men in
21 plants received an increase of 12| per cent, Three plants gave
a 12| per cent increase but did not state the per cent of the force
affected. One mill gave all of the force a 12 per cent increase. An
average increase of 9 per cent, affecting all of the employees, was
given by one concern.
H o s i e r y a n d u n d e r w e a r . —Increases ranging from 15 to 20 per
cent, affecting all of the employees was given by one concern. Five
plants reported an increase of 12-J per cent to all of the force. One
establishment gave a 12| per cent increase but did not state the num
ber of men affected.
I r o n a n d s t e e l . —An increase of 10 per cent to 6 per cent of the
force was given by one plant.
L e a t h e r m a n u f a c t u r i n g . —All of the men in one establishment re
ceived an increase of 12| per cent, and another concern gave a $2
bonus to all full-time workers (90 per cent of the force).
P a y e r m a k i n g . —All of the employees in one concern were given
a 10 per cent increase, and about 88 per cent of the men in another
plant received an increase of about 10 per cent. A 6 per cent raise,
affecting 6 per cent of the employees, was reported by one estab
lishment. Every man in one mill was advanced 50 cents per day.
159898°—20
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
S i l k . —One establishment granted increases ranging from 15 to
20 per cent affecting all of the pieceworkers, and gave increases
ranging from 10 to 15 per cent to all time workers. All of the em
ployees in one firm received a 12| per cent increase. Four plants
reported an increase of 10 per cent affecting the entire force in two
mills, 66 per cent of the force in another mill, and 50 per cent of
the employees in the fourth establishment. One concern gave an
increase of 0.06f per cent to 0.087 per cent of the force and a 12-|
per cent increase to 0.101 per cent of the men. Ninety-five per cent
of the workers in one concern received a 9 per cent increase and all
of the force in another mill were granted an increase of 8-| per cent,
The weavers, or about 70 per cent of the employees, in one establish
ment were advanced 5 cents per hour.
W o o l e n .—Thirty establishments gave increases ranging from 12-1
to 20 per cent to their employees. xUn increase of 12-| per cent, af
fecting all of the force, was granted by 13 firms. One plant gave
a 12| per cent increase to 99 per cent of the men. Two concerns
gave increases to all their employees, but did not state the amount
of the increase, and two establishments reported increases, but
made no further statement.
Provisions for Employment of ex-Service Men.
United States.
ITH the signing of the armistice and the accompanying
prospect of an immediate return to the United States of
the American forces, their proper placement in industry
became an engrossing question. The War Department felt that some
means other than the existing employment agencies which dealt
with employment generally were necessary in order to secure in
formation regarding possible vacancies.
Accordingly a scheme having for its object the proper placement
of ex-service men in industry was instituted by the Service and
Information Department of the War Department, and was operated
from March 3 to September 20, 1919, when, upon the resignation of
Col. Arthur Woods, who had the reemployment work in charge, it
was transferred to the War Plans Division of the General Staff,
where it is now being carried on under the direction of Maj. Gen.
William G. Haan, Assistant Chief of Staff.
The importance of work of this character being done by the War w
Department was later emphasized when the United States Employ
ment Service, which had endeavored to meet the situation of placing
the discharged soldier as adequately as possible in conjunction with
W
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159
its general work, was, through lack of funds, forced to suspend many
of its activities and depend upon State and local agencies for infor
mation regarding the status of employment throughout the country.
In order to facilitate the carrying out of the scheme, the United
States was divided into four districts, with Washington as a central
office, and with a branch in each district as follows: Boston as a center
for the New England States; New York for the Middle Eastern
States; Indianapolis for the Central States; and San Francisco for
the Western States. Recently the New England and Middle Eastern
branches have been consolidated. No branch was established in the
South, the reason given being that the South has no unemployment
problem. South Carolina, for instance, reports that she has reab
sorbed her 50,000 returned men and could use more.
The War Department has no employment agencies of its own in
these districts, but has striven to establish cooperative arrangements
with all of the soldier job-hunting agencies in each town or city. As
a result the local employment offices of all kinds—War Camp Com
munity Service, Bureaus for Returning Soldiers, Sailors, and Ma
rines; Salvation Army, Y. M. C. A., American Red Cross, Knights
of Columbus, National Catholic War Council, Boy Scouts of Amer^ ica, and Jewish Welfare Board—are all cooperating with the War
Department in an effort to place every ex-service man in satisfac
tory employment.
In addition to furnishing buildings, office furniture, and paid
employees, these local offices and welfare organizations have con
tributed generously of their funds and of their time. They also make
weekly reports on the applications for work received and the place
ments made. The American Legion also is putting its strength be
hind this movement, and reports from various parts of the country
show that it is rendering efficient aid in placing ex-service men.
The department keeps in touch with these local agencies, and
through them with the labor situation in each district, by means of a
force of traveling representatives, composed of 30 officers and 12
civilians, who travel from town to town enlisting cooperation with
local agencies, supervising the work, and giving all possible assist
ance to ex-soldiers, especially in those places where unemployment
is the greatest.
As a part of the headquarters work a special service was instituted
which undertakes to furnish technical ex-service men located in
Washington, or those coming to the city, with employment. The
4^ scope of this work has gradually extended to cover men and places
in the various districts, so that now when a firm makes a requisition
for a man having certain qualifications the office selects, from the
soldiers’ personnel cards, a man whose training and experience satisfy
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the requirements, and he is immediately notified of the opportunity
for work. In many of these instances, moreover, the office is able
to certify a man from the same part of the country from which
such a request comes, and thus the additional advantage is gained
of placing a man near his home. On the other hand, in many cases
firms are notified of available men in their vicinity.
To stimulate the interest of employers in the employment of sol
diers, what is known as the Legion of Patriotic Employers was organ
ized. Included among such employers are “ merchants, manufactur
ers, corporations, tradesmen, city governments, farmers, professional
men, banks, insurance companies, newspapers, storekeepers, railways,
private individuals, and all concerns, great and small, who have put
themselves down in writing with the Assistant Secretary of War as
agreeing to take back every man who left them to serve in the war.”
To every employer making this promise the War and Navy Depart
ments issue a certificate signed by the Secretaries of War and Navy
and bearing the seal of the United States, the American eagle, and
the name of the firm. On December 15, 1919, 62,964 of these certifi
cates had been issued to employers throughout the country.
On October 1, 1919, about 20,000 men remained unplaced. Between
that date and November 1 this number was increased by 90.000 officers
and men who had been discharged during that period. If past experi
ence holds good 80 per cent of this latter number will go back to their
old jobs, which leaves 38,000 still to be placed—a large problem.
Eeleases from the War Department for December 1, 1919, sum
marize the soldier employment statistics secured by the Service and
Information Branch as follows: In eight representative cities of the
New England district 1,642 ex-service men out of 2,708 seeking em
ployment were placed in positions. Boston, with 1,265 men seeking
work and 594 placements, represented one-half of this unemploy
ment. Thirty-seven cities in the Eastern States reported for the same
period 15,315 men applying for work and 9,513 placements, the rela
tive number of placements having greatly decreased during Novem
ber. New York City for the last week reported on had 2,318 appli
cants and 1,192 men placed, or about 50 per cent. In 58 cities of the
Central States 12,408 ex-service men were placed out of 16,125 apply
ing for work, leaving 3,717 unplaced, as against 4,518 in October,
showing an improvement in the number of placements made in this
district, though the number registering for employment was higher
than in the preceding month. The Pacific Coast States reported diffi
culty in placing all the discharged men of that district in suitable
employment. In 21 cities of that district 7,172 men registered for
work during the month of November and 4,913 were placed, San
Francisco showing the largest proportion of unemployment.
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EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
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What Some of the States Have Been Doing.1
JND IY ID U AL States, especially since the forced suspension of
much of the work of the Federal Employment Service, have en
deavored as far as possible to place in employment their own citizens
who had entered the service. This was accomplished in some cases
by means of State legislation, but generally through a continuance of
the Federal Employment Service in conjunction with State and local
employment agencies and the cooperation of the local councils of na
tional defense and welfare organizations of all kinds.
State legislation providing for the placement of ex-service men,
while confined to a limited number of States, covers a rather wide
range of method, no two States making quite the same provision.
A number of States, among them Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, enacted legislation restor
ing ex-service men to civil-service positions or giving them prefer
ence in municipal and other public works. Connecticut, Delaware,
Ilhode Island, and Minnesota allow peddling without licenses. The
Indiana Legislature enacted a law (S. B. 306) creating a board of
seven members, known as the employment commission of Indiana,
one section of which in cooperation with the Federal Board for
Vocational Education is endeavoring to secure employment for exservice men. Illinois also has a commission with wide powers for
obtaining employment for soldiers. A Preference of Employment
Act (chap. 253, Acts of 1919) passed by the Massachusetts Legis
lature gives preference to discharged soldiers and sailors “ in the
employment of mechanics, teamsters, and laborers in the construc
tion of public works by the Commonwealth or by a county, city,
town, or district, or by persons contracting therewith for such con
struction.”
I t has been the duty of the Missouri Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Employ
ment Organization, created by legislative enactment, to assist ex
soldiers and ex-sailors to obtain employment, to interview former
employers of ex-service men as to their reasons for failure to reem
ploy such men, and to make a public report of their investigations
to the governor. The Veterans’ Welfare Commission of Montana,
approved March 4, 1919, in its effort to educate and place returning
soldiers, may “ establish employment agencies, furnish employment,
provide institutions, assist the United States in reclamation or recon
struction work, make grants or loans, and expend the funds entirely
in the discretion of the commission.” One hundred thousand dollars
was appropriated by the Oregon Legislature to finance a commission
1 D ata taken largely from inform ation furnished by the American Red Cross, Come
Back, Nov. 8, 15, 22, and 29, and from U. S. Council of National Defense, Readjustm ent
and Reconstruction Inform ation, Part II. W ashington, D. C. (In press.)
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of five members, called the soldiers’ and sailors’ commission, whose
duty it shall be to spend this sum as it deems best in assisting
honorably discharged soldiers and sailors and marines to obtain
employment and in such other ways as will best promote the interests
of the men, while Rhode Island appropriated $9,550 for the mainte
nance of free employment offices for discharged soldiers and sailors
and other unemployed in such centers as the governor selects.
As early as January 25, 1919, California appointed a State com
mittee on soldiers’ reemployment readjustment to succeed to the ac
tivities of the State council of defense. In addition to concentrating
upon the placement of soldiers, accelerating the payment of allot
ments, controlling relief collections, and carrying out an Americani
zation program, the committee operating through 58 county divisions
of the council of national defense has sent requests to mayors, cham
bers of commerce, and other organizations, asking them to form
placement or readjustment committees. In addition the committee
made out the quota of returning soldiers for each county so that each
could know just what its obligation was. Surplus and shortage of
labor were also revealed by this means and men seeking jobs were
sent to places where work was available. California has in opera
tion a successful land settlement scheme, one of the few not in some
way dependent upon proposed Federal aid and giving preference to
the honorably discharged soldier, sailor, or marine. North and South
Dakota and Colorado also have independent land settlement schemes.
A sum of $500,000 was appropriated by the Legislature of the State
of Washington to assist ex-service men back to civil life. The fund
is administered by the veterans’ welfare commission, which may use
it in the manner best suited to carry out the purposes of the appro
priation. To this end the commission may establish employment
agencies, provide for institutions, and make grants and loans. New
Jersey created a nonsalaried State employment bureau to act in
cooperation with the Federal Government in furnishing employment
for men discharged from the service.
A number of States have provided through legislative enactment
for the vocational rehabilitation and training of ex-service men, and
have provided free tuition in State universities as a preparation for
future employment.
What may be termed private means taken in the various States,
cities, and towns throughout the country to solve ex-soldier unem
ployment problems are almost too numerous to mention, In many
places councils of national defense took over the work of the Federal
Government along this line. Welfare organizations, such as those co
operating in the War Department scheme previously outlined, have
used every facility at hand to carry on this important work. Sys-
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EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
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tematic canvasses of factories and business houses have been made
to obtain jobs for men discharged from the forces. Governors have
called on employers to reemploy all employees. Many States and
cities have assisted men financially until they found employment.
Citizen committees have given their services and the means to keep
up existing local agencies or to create new ones. Special courses in
vocational education have been offered to train men for certain lines
of employment and many universities are giving free tuition.
A fine spirit is manifested in many of these local agencies. Place
ment is not merely a matter of furnishing a man some sort of job.
An effort is being made to make each case, as far as possible, a per
sonal matter, and from a consideration of the circumstances sur
rounding each case to place each man in the right job. Reports from
various parts of the country, however, show that even all these agen
cies are not adequately meeting the situation, and that while a sin
cere effort has been made to meet the soldier unemployment problem,
much undoubtedly still remains to be done.
Belgium.1
rp H E text of a law, dated October 24, 1919, dealing with the reen
gagement of demobilized soldiers, appears in the Moniteur Beige
of October 31. Among the principal provisions of this measure are
the following:
Where a contract of service existed between an employer and a
man called to the colors, and the period of the contract was not
stated, the soldier, on his return to civil life, can demand to be rein
stated in the position formerly held. Mobilization, in short, can
not be considered as a reason for the breaking of a contract of service.
Application for reinstatement must be made within two weeks of
the man’s demobilization, or, if he should be suffering from wounds
or sickness, within two weeks from his recovery. For men already
discharged, this period is extended to one month from the date of
publication of the law.
If such reasons exist as the destruction of the works, lack of ma
chinery, raw materials or orders, disablement of the worker, etc.,
the employer can not be forced to reinstate a man in the position
formerly held, but if there is a similar suitable post vacant he is
bound to offer this. If the hindrances to reinstatement are tem
porary in nature the employer is bound to reengage the ex-soldier
when these are removed.
The rate of remuneration of a reinstated worker must be the nor
mal wage currently paid to workers of the same category, and not less
1 D a ta fro m T h e L a b o u r G a z e tte , L o n d o n , D ece m b e r, 1919, p. 517.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
than the rate he was receiving before being called up for military
service.
During the year following his reinstatement, a demobilized work
man is entitled to three months’ notice of dismissal, unless there is
a recognized legal reason for breaking the contract of service, or
unless a longer period is customary.
Employers may not allege, as a reason for noncompliance with
the demand for reinstatement, that a contract of service has been
made with a worker or workers who replaced the man when he was
mobilized.
If the contract of service at the time of mobilization was for a
specified period of time, then, instead of a demand for reinstatement,
the man is required simply to notify his employer of his return to
civil life, or of his cure within two weeks after demobilization or
discharge. Where the length of the unexpired period of contract
is less than three months the date of termination shall be postponed
for an unspecified period, should the man so demand.
Germany.
A CCORDING to the British Labour Gazette for November, 1919
(p. 468), the order of January 9, 1919, providing that all public
and private establishments, offices, and administrations should en
gage at least 1 disabled ex-soldier for each 100 persons employed,
including officials, salaried employees, and manual workers of both
sexes, has been amended by a subsequent order, dated September 24,
1919, which provides that 1 disabled ex-service man shall be en
gaged where the number of persons employed is 25 or over and not
more than 50, and 1 in addition for each further 50.
As applying to agricultural undertakings, the original order pro
vided that 1 disabled man was to be employed in every 50 persons
engaged, and this has been repealed.
A disabled person is described as one who is in receipt of a military
disablement pension amounting to 50 per cent or upward of the
full pension.
x
Overcoming Opposition to Physical Exam ina
tion of Workers.
HERE
to the
to Dr.
examination
T
is a growing attitude of opposition among labor unions
physical examination of industrial workers, according
C. D. Selby in an article on “ Reclaiming the physical
of industrial workers,” published in Modern Hospital
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for December 1. The author divides the problem presented by this
attitude into three phases and analyzes the phases in their practical
relations to the workers, the employers, and the industrial physicians.
It is the latter, however, upon whom he places the responsibility for
the existence of conditions which have led to this attitude as well as
for readjustments which would bring about a more generally effective
medical examination and supervision service, the value of which they
should demonstrate to both employers and employees.
The reason for the opposition of the labor unions to physical
examinations is ascribed to the rejection of applicants for employ
ment, rejections having been the only effect of such examinations which
the unions seem to have observed. Dr. Selby believes that physicians
are. partly responsible for this, since they have not measured up to
what industry was led to expect of them in the way of fitting men
to their jobs and helping them to correct physical defects. Conse
quently, the outstanding result has been the rejection of those who
were deemed physically disqualified. “ Inasmuch as physical exam
inations are essential to the betterment of health among working
people, efforts to offset this growing antagonism would seem to be
not only justified, but urgent as well; otherwise the whole movement
of industrial health supervision may fall.”
It is suggested that the first step in settling the problem is to satisfy
the unions. This would require :
First, that the number of rejections be reduced to the minimum; and second,
that means be provided for ( a ) the industrial rehabilitation of the essential
“ rejects” capable of restoration, and ( b ) the pensioning or institutionalizing
of those who are not.
To reduce the number of rejections it is imperative that industry be induced
to absorb more of the physically handicapped workers than it now does, which
is difficult to accomplish. In the first place, compensation acts tend to place
full responsibility upon employers for the results of injuries to such workers
even though preexisting conditions may have been largely responsible.
Furthermore, handicapped workers may or may not be competent, depending
upon ( a ) the skill of physicians in interpreting their physical values, ( b ) the
judgment of employing officers in assigning them to jobs, (c) the special
facilities they are furnished for work, and ( d ) the quality of supervision they
work under. In other words, handicapped workers require special and un
usual attention and facilities in order that their labor may be used with ad
vantage and to the profit of their employers. Few employers care to go to this
effort; and do not attempt to if they can maintain their working forces without.
Under existing conditions only a shortage of labor will induce the
average employer to hire handicapped workers, declares the author,
but he thinks that if employers could be assured of relief, in case of
injury, from the whole responsibility of end results due to preexist1 R e c la im in g t h e p h y s ic a l e x a m in a tio n o f in d u s tr ia l w o rk e rs , by C. D. S elby, fo rm e rly
c o n s u ltin g h y g ie n is t, U n ite d S ta te s P u b lic H e a lth S erv ic e .
In M od e rn H o s p ita l,
C hica g o , D ece m b e r, 1919, pp. 5 2 8 -5 3 0 .
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
ing conditions, they would be willing to hire physically defective
workmen. In order that the number of rejections be reduced, compensation acts must be “ so modified as to relieve employers from at
least a part of the responsibility of results of injuries that are in
fluenced by conditions beyond their control and for which the em
ployees themselves are responsible.”
The second phase of the problem is to make it easier for employers
to utilize the labor of handicapped workers to advantage and with
profit. The greatest responsibility in dealing with this phase lies
with the physicians, and the author thinks that, in general, physicians
have, so far, fallen short of fulfilling possibilities open to them for
the greatest service; that “ industrial physicians recognize and be
lieve in the theory of fitting men to their jobs, but fail in the majority
of instances in its application.”
Industrial physicians must demonstrate to their employers that not only
handicapped workers may be competent if properly employed, but that like
wise all workers will be more competent if they also are fitted into jobs they
are physically adapted to.
At the present time it is doubtful if physicians are prepared to do this, for
something more than a mere conception of physical values is required, and this
is a knowledge, a very intimate knowledge in fact, of wTorking conditions. In
dustrial doctors must be prepared to advise intelligently and convincingly on
the hiring and placing of all employees whether impaired or normal, and to do
so they must study each operation in their plants, classifying and codifying the
physical requirements of each so that their knowledge of working conditions is
instantly available.
Studies of this nature need not be of an ultra-scientific character. On the
contrary a few simple observations are all that are necessary. For example,
consider the physical requirements of iron molding in a fairly dusty foundry.
The workman must have (1) no disease of the respiratory tract, (2) no heart
or vascular disease, (3) no hernia; he must be (4) 5 feet 8 inches tall, and (5)
fairly strong (as indicated by his musculature) ; he must have (6) good back
action (for lifting), and (7) sound extremities. Then take the man in the
same foundry whose business it is to weigh the castings. About the only re
quirement to be expected of him is that he have sufficient eyesight to read the
scales. He could be ruptured, have high blood pressure, and what not—it mat
ters little.
The third phase of the problem suggested by Dr. Selby is con
cerned with the physical supervision of the handicapped workers
after they are placed. The men should be looked up from time to
time by the physician to see what effect the work has on them. Not
only does this enable physicians to advise handicapped workers if
they are doing harm to themselves, but it enables them to do their
own work more competently. It is suggested, in this connection, that
examining physicians should be expected to spend some time each
day in their plants for the purpose of observing impaired workers at
their work. Such workers should be required to report for further
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EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
167
examination occasionally, particularly in connection with their im
pairment.
The writer touches on the subject of the industrial rehabilitation
of essential “ rejects ” capable of restoration and of the pensioning
or institutionalizing of those who are not, commending to students of
sociology and particularly to those who are interested in the sociologi
cal phases of hospital work the problem presented by this subject.
Dr. Selby’s conclusions are as follows:
Two essential thoughts concerning industrial physicians have developed out
of this brief study. They will be emphasized in closing. The first is that the
doctors of industry must study working conditions and apply the information
they gain therefrom to the practical fitting of men to their jobs. The other is
that industrial physicians must, absolutely must, exercise more in the way of
physical supervision after the men get on their jobs. These two measures are
imperatively necessary if the physical examination is to be saved from the
antagonism of labor, and as a m atter of fact they are quite essential to the
proper pursuit of industrial hygiene. The opposition of labor should not be
required to stimulate physicians to do what is very properly their self-assigned
but greatly neglected task.
Effect of Employment of Mothers Upon Sick
ness Among School Children.
ACK of supervision of the child owing to the mother being em
ployed away from home is cited by Dr. G. W. N. Joseph, school
medical officer of the borough of Warrington (England), as
the one cause which was especially responsible for noticeable increase
in the number of minor ailments and the length of time necessary
for their cure among the children attending the schools of W arrin g
ton last year, according to an article in The Medical Officer 1 (Lon
don). Referring to Dr. Joseph’s report, upon which the statement
is based, the article continues:
L
In inquiring into the results of the employment of mothers the infantile mor
tality and sickness returns do not help much, because the infant is probably
less affected than any other member of the family. In Warrington, at any rate,
it appears that as many as 84 per cent of the women stay at home for a mini
mum of three months to breast feed the child from its birth. More than this,
when the mother does leave home she arranges for some responsible person to
look after her infant, and, if necessary, pays for this to be done. It is the older
child that suffers most from this lack of attention, for the older a child is the
more it has to shift for itself. In rare cases only, when the mother goes out to
work, are hot meals provided at midday, and the children generally have to
forage for themselves and make a meal of such things as bread and butter or
jam, meat pies, fruit tarts, and cake. Adult members of the family, too, suffer
1
I n d u s t r i a l e m p lo y m e n t o f m o th e rs .
1». 190.
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168
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
in this respect. The effect on the nutrition of the child has been marked to a
large extent by the increased family income enabling a higher standard of
living to be reached, but this increased income was due more often to State
allowances than to the earnings of the mother.
Dr. Joseph therefore considers it is not surprising, seeing that the number of
mothers employed in industry reached a maximum in 1918, that the number of
children suffering from minor ailments should be larger than previously, and
the time taken to cure the home treatment cases was nearly twice that of the
previous year. He urges that something must be done to prevent the mother
from engaging in work away from her own home if any real social progress is
to be made. Definite prohibition of employment of women with children is
not necessary, tmt our policy must be to make it easy for the mother to stay
at home as opposed to the policy of making it easy for her to engage in indus
trial work. Dr. Joseph makes the interesting suggestion that possibly legis
lation is needed to secure that a mother should be entitled to a proportion of
the husband’s earnings to enable her to look after the home and children when
she is capable and willing to do so. Undoubtedly, where the mother is a widow,
deserted, or the wife of an invalid husband, the desirability of some form of
mother’s or, rather, child’s pension requires consideration. The multiplication
of institutions such as creches or day nurseries, however essential they were
during the war, can not be in the best interests of the nation. As Dr. Joseph
says, the basis of all public health must be to give the people healthy homes,
to teach them to lead healthy lives in those homes, and to arrange that there
is a sufficient income for every family to enable the mother, or, where there is
no mother, some other responsible, person, to remain in each home to look after
the little ones.
Unemployment and Unemployment Relief in
Germany and Austria.
Germany.
EUTSCHER Reichsanzeiger,1the official German gazette, publishes the following data as to changes in the general level of
employment and unemployment in Germany during Septem
ber and October, 1919:
The premature commencement of cold weather, the ending of the
harvest season, the suspension of building operations, the increased
shortage of coal, transport difficulties, numerous stoppages of work,
and the continued return of war prisoners and refugees from occupied
territories and territories to be surrendered, have all combined to put
a considerable strain on the labor market. This is shown primarily
by increased unemployment.
According to returns from 82 trade-unions, covering in the aggre
gate 4,256,398 members, 110,626 (2.6 per cent) were out of employ
ment at the end of October, 1919, as compared with 2.2 per cent in
September of the same year and 0.7 per cent in October, 1918. Un
employment among men increased from 1.7 per cent in September to
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B e rlin , D ec. 1, 1919.
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
169
2.3 per cent in October, chiefly in consequence of the suspension of
building operations and the unsuccessful strike of the Berlin Metal
Workers. Among women, unemployment decreased from 4.1 per cent
in September to 3.9 per cent in October, principally on account of the
improvement in the textile industry.
The number of persons in receipt of unemployment relief in 97
cities dropped from 234,242 (of whom 164,544 were males and 69,698
females) on September 27, 1919. to 218,695 (158,409 males and 60.286
females) on November 1, 1919. As, however, no returns on the situa
tion on November 1 had been received from Hamburg, Munich, and
several other large cities, care must be taken in using these figures.
Returns relating to employment exchanges in October show that
for every 100 vacant situations for men there were 150 applicants, as
against 143 in September ; in the case of women the applications num
bered 115 as against 116 in September. Applications by men have
therefore increased considerably since the preceding month, whereas
those made by women were slightly fewer. There is a continued de
mand for labor in the mining industry. For every 100 vacancies there
were 52 male applicants in October as compared with 40 in Septem
ber. A shortage of labor was also experienced in agriculture, where,
for every 100 vacancies there were 88 male applicants as compared
with 81 in September, and 44 female applicants as compared with 37
in September. In commerce there was a large surplus of labor ; for
every 100 vacancies there were 430 male applicants (459 in September),
and 287 female applicants (277 in September). Considerable im
provement in the labor market of the textile industry was shown by
the fact that the number of male applicants for every 100 vacancies
dropped from 410 in September to 277 in October, while in the case
of women the number of applicants decreased from 402 in September
to 287 in October.
The Bôrsen-Zeitung1reports a further decrease of unemployment in
Berlin during September and October, 1919. The following table
shows the number of unemployed at the beginning and end of these
two months.
UNEMPLOYMENT IN BERLIN, SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, 1919.
September, 1919.
October, 1919.
Item.
Men.
Wom
en.
Total
Men.
Wom
en.
Number of unemployed—
At the beginning of the month................................. 71.000
At the end of the month............................................ 64.000
Number placed in situations during the month............ 17.000
Number of unemployed added to register during the
month...............................................
24.000
20.000
7,500
95.000
84.000
24.500
64.000
59.000
13,500
20,000
17,000
6,500
1 B ö rse n -Z e itu n g .
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B e rlin ,
13.500
12 a n d N ov. 16, 1919.
Total.
84.000
76.000
20.000
12,000
170
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
The total amount paid out for unemployment relief was 12,000,000
marks1 in September and 8,000,000 marks in October.
In Saxony the number of unemployed is decreasing almost every
where, according to the Munchner Neueste Nachrichten.2 Strikes
have decreased in number and duration. There is a growing tend
ency to settle disputes by negotiation or arbitration. It is only in the
metal industry that great difficulties exist. A growing sense of duty
is noticeable, one proof of which is seen in the decision to work on
Sundays in all lignite pits in Saxony. Even among the workers
themselves, a return to piecework is supported on condition that a
certain minimum wage is guaranteed. Only the workers in the rail
way workshops are opposed to piecework. The trade-unions do not
oppose the piecework system on principle, and in many industries it
has been reintroduced to the satisfaction of all concerned.
The extent of unemployment in Saxony during July, August, and
September, 1919, is shown in the following table:
UNEMPLOYMENT IN SAXONY, JULY, AUGUST, AND SEPTEMBER, 1919.
July.
Unemployed.
Alen
Wnnipii
Forsons under 21
.
August.
September.
...............................................................................
............................................................................
..........................................................................
70,636
55,652
11,255
67,874
56,989
11,911
59,931
48,272
7,875
............................................................
137,543
136,774
116,078
Tnt^l \
The Frankfurter Zeitung3 reports that in September the labor
market in Frankfort on the Main was favorably influenced by sev
eral circumstances, including the gardening exhibition and the prep
arations for the fair. The reinstatement of returned prisoners of
war is proceeding smoothly on the whole without burdening the open
market. According to official figures about 1,500 prisoners whose
place of residence is Frankfort had returned up to the end of Sep
tember. The number of persons in receipt of unemployment grants
decreased by 33 per cent during September, or from 5,600 in August
to 3,772 in September, 1919. Work was found for 12,085 persons
through the municipal employment office, as against 10,572 in Au
gust. Agricultural workers were much in demand. Skilled workers
for the metal industry and for the woodworking and building trades
were also in demand and in the printing trade conditions have much
improved. In commerce and industry there was a demand for
young people. In the case of women, the number of industrial
workers has decreased. There is a considerable demand for expe1 I n v iew of th e u n s e ttle d c o n d itio n of f o re ig n e x c h a n g e su m s o f G e rm a n a n d A u s tr ia n
m on ey in t h is a r tic le a r e n o t c o n v e rte d in to th e i r e q u iv a le n ts in A m e ric a n m oney.
2 M u n c h n e r N e u e s te N a c h ric h te n . M u n ic h , O ct. 30, 1919.
8 F r a n k f u r t e r Z e itu n g . F ra n k fo r t-o n - th e - M a in , O ct. 17, 1919.
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EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
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rienced stenographer-typewriters, but, on the other hand, the market
is flooded with average and badly-trained workers.
New Regulation of Unemployment Relief.
J IMMEDIATELY after the signing of the armistice, namely on
November 13, 1918, the German Government issued an order
regulating the payment of unemployment grants.1 Under this order
the communal authorities were required to pay unemployment bene
fits to residents who were without employment. One-half of the
expenditure incurred by the communes was to be refunded by the
central Government and one-third by the government of the par
ticular State concerned. Various abuses were soon found to exist
in connection with the above-named order, which was amended
by one dated January 15, 1919. Under this measure the com
munes were required to refuse or withdraw unemployment bene
fit if the unemployed person refused to accept work offered to him.
Furthermore, maximum rates of unemployment benefits were fixed
in the order. These were not to exceed one and one-half times the
daily rate of pay of unskilled labor as ascertained in accordance with
the provisions of the Workmen’s Insurance Code to be locally cur
rent, nor the maximum rates of relief prescribed for each locality
according to certain district classes, arranged in connection with the
rent allowance of Government officials, based on local variations in the
cost of living. These district classes were divided into four groups,
A, B, C, and a fourth group including both I) and E, the unem
ployment relief rates for adult men ranging from 6 marks per diem
in district class A, to 3.5 marks in district class D and E.
A further order dated April 16, 1919, amalgamated the two earlier
orders and added further provisions in matters of detail.
The Deutscher Beichsanzeiger2 contains an order dated October
27, 1919, issued by the German Minister of Labor amending in cer
tain respects the regulations as to payment of unemployment relief
contained in the order of April 16, 1919, and making the following
additional provisions:
Grants from national or State resources to communes or unions of
communes in refund of sums expended by them for unemployment re
lief may in* future be withheld where the rate of relief exceeds the
maximum laid down in the order of April 16, 1919.
If an unemployed person accepts a situation in which the full
normal rate of pay can be earned only after a certain degree of
familiarity with the processes, etc., has been acquired, the authorities
of the place in which the person in question last resided are authorized
1 See M o n t h l y L aboe R e v ie w , S e p te m b e r, 1919, p. 170.
2 D e u ts c h e r R e ic h s a n z e ig e r.
B e rlin , O ct. 29, 1919.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
to grant an allowance from their unemployment relief fund, for a
period not exceeding six weeks, to supplement such earnings, pro<
vided the earnings do not exceed the rate of unemployment relief by
more than one mark per day. The amount granted must not exceed
the difference between the wages and the daily rate (increased by one
mark) of the unemployment relief.
In localities belonging to the district classes A and B referred to
above, the municipal authorities are empowered to grant to unem
ployed persons over 18, who for 60 days or more during the preceding
three months have been in receipt of the full unemployment relief,
a special additional “ winter relief “ from their unemployment funds,
during the period from November 1, 1919, to March 31, 1920. The
amount of such grant per month shall be equal to four times the daily
rate of unemployment relief for persons out of work who have families
dependent upon them and three times for other persons.
The central authorities of the individual States may authorize the
payment of this “ winter relief ” in localities other than those situated
in district classes A and B.
The national minister of labor is empowered to make grants to com
munes in aid of measures which have for their object the reduction
of unemployment; the cost of such grants is to be borne by the national ^
treasury, the State and the communes in specified proportions.
According to official statistics, the unemployed in Germany have
received in the form of unemployment relief, from the revolution
up to October 4, 1919, a total sum of 4,500,000,000 marks.1 In the
period from December, 1918, to September, 1919, the city of Leipzig
has paid out in all 42,500,000 marks for unemployment relief, while
the total sum spent for the same purposes during the three-year
period 1915-1917 did not amount to 3,000.000 marks.2
Austria.3
CCORDING to the latest estimates there are 96,000 unemployed
persons in Vienna. This number, for a city with somewhat more
than 2,000,000 inhabitants is alarmingly high, even though it has
dropped since the days of the revolution, when the figure was 135,000.
The degree of unemployment can best be realized when this is com
pared with the figure for the whole of lower Austria (exclusive of
Vienna), which is barely 17,000. Nonmanual workers form the bulk
of the unemployed, and of these the highly qualified employees are
chiefly concerned. Former officials and private salaried employees
in commerce are particularly affected, and have not the slightest
1 F r a n k f u r t e r Z e itu n g . F r a n k f o r t on th e M a in , O et. 12, 1919.
2 M iin c h n e r N e u e s te N a c h r ic h te n . M u n ic h , O ct. 30, 1919.
3Der M o rg en . V ie n n a , O ct. 22, 1919.
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EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
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hope of finding employment in their former occupation. The authori
ties in charge of unemployment relief, in conjunction with the Vienna
Workers’ Council, are endeavoring to formulate a scheme to enable
these workers to utilize their previous experience in productive work.
A demand has been made on the Government that a new order
should be issued at once which would place employers under the ob
ligation to reinstate 20 per cent of the unemployed in their former
situations. A previous order in this respect had not been complied
with. The workers’ council is to supervise the carrying out of the
new order. The necessity for converting nonmanual into manual
workers has been recognized.
The unemployed complain that the unemployment benefits paid are
totally inadequate to meet the present cost of living. Representatives
of the unemployed conferred with Secretary of State Hanusch. They
did not demand an increase of the pecuniary unemployment benefits,
but asked that the food ration should be increased by 50 per cent.
Herr Hanusch explained the difficulties which this would involve,
and the increase was not granted because the Government had already
granted large subsidies, as follows: For bread alone, up to the
present, 300,000,000 crowns; for meat 500,000,000 crowns; and for
sugar 780,000 crowns daily.
The agreement between France and Austria concerning the em
ployment of Austrian workers in the north of France will soon be
signed. The communists are opposing the sending of workers to
1 ranee and are working up public opinion in favor of sending the un
employed to Russia, where 800,000 workers are needed. The un
employed are also demanding that they shall be supplied with cloth
ing and footwear during the winter months. This has been re
fused, as it would involve an expenditure of 100,000,000 crowns,
and the 8>tate in its present financial condition can not undertake
such expenditure.
159898°— 20---- -12
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CHILD LABOR.
Child L abor and th e W ar.
OW the barriers against child labor were let down during the
war is among the subjects dealt with in the seventh annual
report of the Children’s Bureau of the United States De
partment of Labor. Even before the entry of the United States into
the war American children went to work in increasing numbers to
help fill contracts placed with American manufacturers by the
belligerent nations. After this country entered the war, “ a mistaken
sense of patriotism and the many opportunities for employment at
an abnormally high wage combined to draw permanently into in
dustry large numbers of boys and girls, many of whom under normal
conditions would have continued in school for several years.’
The Federal child-labor law which had gone into effect on September 1, 1917, prohibited the employment of children under 16 in mines ™
and quarries and of children under Id in factories; limited the work
ing day to 8 hours for children under 16 employed in factories and
prohibited work for them between 6 p. m. and 7 a. m. But this law
was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court on June 3, 1918.
The immediate effect of the Supreme Court decision in States where
the State child-labor standards were lower than those imposed by the
Federal law was the prompt restoration of the longer working day
for children under 16 and an increase in the number of workingchildren. In a number of States there was an appreciable increase
in the violation of State laws. For example, in one State the in
spectors of the Children’s Bureau found that 47 out of 53 factories
visited after the Federal law had been declared unconstitutional were
violating the State law by employing children under 12. Four
hundred and thirty such children were employed. In 49 factories
visited when the Federal law was in force, only 95 such children
under 14 had been found at work. In one State where the minimum
age for employment in canneries was 14 years, 721 children under
that age, including 50 who were not yet 10 years old, were found at
work in the canneries in the summer of 1918.
^
I t was in recognition of the seriousness of this increasing employ
ment of young children that the War Labor Policies Board voted
that compliance with the standards of the former Federal child-
H
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CHILD LABOR.
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175
labor law should be required of establishments engaged on Govern
ment war contracts made after the date of the decision.
In consequence of a number of complaints received by the Chil
dren’s Bureau regarding illegal emploment of children in shipbuild
ing plants, a special investigation of this industry was made by the
Bureau in cooperation with the United States Shipping Board
Emergency Fleet Corporation in the winter and early spring of
1919. Practically all the important shipbuilding plants on the At
lantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes were inspected,
and there were found to be numerous violations of State and Fed
eral laws. Even more serious, however, was the employment of
children in hazardous occupations which in prewar times had been
confined to older boys and men.
In order to counteract the effects of the war-time employment of
children and to discourage such employment in the future, many
communities undertook back-to-school and stay-in-school campaigns
during 1918 and 1919 under the impetus of Children’s Year. Some
work to keep children in school and out of industry has been under
taken in the majority of the States. This work has included agitatation for better enforcement of school-attendance laws; more at
tendance officers; more schoolhouses; more and better teachers with
higher salaries; a longer school term; better child-labor laws; and
provision for advising children in choice of occupation and assist
ing them in finding suitable employment.
By these and similar means many States hope to reduce the il
literacy which is so alarmingly prevalent, especially in rural dis
tricts of the United States and which is so great a stumbling block
to Americanization; and to protect children against the hazards
of too early employment.
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IN D U STRIA L H Y G IEN E AND M EDICIN E.
Com posite In d u s tria l Poisons: A Review /
By W m. H.
R and,
M. D.
X A case of occupational poisoning the investigator usually at
tempts to isolate a single toxic factor that happens to be present
as raw material, or as a by-product, waste product, or end
product in an industry, and to hold it responsible for the syndrome
of diverse and perhaps incongruous symptoms of a subjective or
objective character which may develop in the workman.
There is an obvious fallacy in the conclusion to which this mode
of procedure leads the observer. It is like a crude piece of detective
work which attempts to fasten the guilt of a mysterious crime upon
the one man in a community whose ill repute constitutes the sole
ground of suspicion against him.
In the particular instance at issue the suspect may be innocent,
and able to prove an alibi; or, if culpable, he may have been only an
accessory or p a r t i c e p s c r i m m i s .
Every occupational disease is an industrial problem. Its diagnosis
is often obscured and rendered doubtful by apparently incompatible
physical signs. Each of these should receive due consideration, for
a differential diagnosis can not be determined by giving attention to
any salient feature in the case to the exclusion of all else. T Itimately the clinical picture must be visualized as a whole; but the
separate symptoms must first be considered one by one.
The etiology of an occupational disease is always important,
for a knowledge of the source of danger is prerequisite in order that
appropriate measures may be adopted for its elimination. Against
poisons used in the trades a man can often protect himself, provided
lie knows their origin and what their composition is.
For example, take the risk of poisoning in hat manufacture. I t is
commonly assumed that the peculiar danger in this industry arises
from poisoning with the acid nitrate of mercury with which the fur
is brushed in the process of carroting.
™
1This article is a review of a series of articles by Dr. Johann Mueller which appeared
I
in the April to August, 1919, issues of the Zentralblatt fur Gewerbehygiene.
176
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H Y G IE N E
AND
177
M E D IC IN E .
But aberrant symptoms sometimes manifest themselves in car
rot ers which are never present in uncomplicated mercurial ism.
Since every phenomenon must he accounted for, how are these an
omalies to be explained? Not by attributing all unexpected devel
opments and uncoordinated symptoms to the existence of some
hypothetical idiosyncrasy of the individual. That is an overworked
method of begging the question.
Inquiry at once elicits the fact that the carroting solution is not
a simple mixture containing a single poison. Teleky gives the fol
lowing formula for “ die Sekretage
P a r ts .
Mercury____________________ _________________ 4
Sublimate__________________________________
1
Nitric acid__________________________________ 32
Arsenic_______________ _________________
2
W ater_______________________________________ 120
^
^
In handling such a compound one is exposed to a number of
poisons. Consequently, the physical effects produced by the solution
are not uniform but multiform.
It is true that the manifestations of arsenic poisoning in this in
stance may be masked or obscured by the more obvious effects of the
mercury. But the more insidious lesions occasioned by the arsenic,
and the systemic disturbances due to nitric acid can not be ignored.
The problem is not to be solved by finding the value of x . The
statement of the equation involves also the values of y and z .
Whenever possible, of course, it is advisable to isolate and identify
the specific toxic agent in any case of industrial poisoning. But
when several poisons enter into the composition of a mixture handled
by the workman, the determination of the relative degrees of toxicity
in the ingredients offers a complex question for analysis. Yet a
candid investigator can not disregard any of the conditions.
In the instance already cited, where mercury is one of the elements
in a carroting mixture, it is neither legitimate nor logical to impute
all of the ill effects of the preparation to mercury poisoning alone.
The other components of the solution are not inert, and the concur
rent or consecutive pathological signs due to the presence of poisons
other than mercury in the compound must be recognized and ap
praised.
The net results of mixed poisoning are ascribable in part to defi
nite chemical reactions, but partly, also, to antecedent physical con
ditions which determine the absorption and elimination of toxic
substances. Our knowledge of the reactions between the body cells
and poisons is still meager, and better acquaintance with the molec
ular changes produced in the organism by agents of this nature is
most desirable. But while much is still uncertain, some points have
been made clear.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Buergi (cited by Mueller) has shown that the variable effects of
mixed poisons depend on several factors:
1. Mixtures of two substances may yield a new chemical body.
2. The solubility of one substance may be modified by the addition of another.
3. The penetrability of the cell membranes by one substance may be affected
by the addition of another.
4. The cell becomes by saturation with one substance more or less absorptive
of another.
These statements seem like self-evident propositions, but it is well
to have them explicitly formulated, since they have important corol
laries. Thus, from the combination of two virulent poisons, for ex
ample, copper sulphate and phosphorus, there may arise an innocu
ous compound. Conversely, a highly poisonous compound may result
from mixing two nontoxic substances (iodide of potassium and
calomel). It is in this way that industrial poisons often originate.
Now, the toxicity of a substance depends on its potential pene
trability into the body, and on its combination in the body with the
tissues of vitally important organs in sufficient concentration to cause
functional disturbances.
Poisons are absorbed by the system at a variable rate, which de
pends mainly on the solubility of the substances. Lead and its salts,
for example, produce their effects on the nervous and muscular tissues
only after the lapse of weeks or months. Lead is very slowly ab
sorbed, but it is still more slowly eliminated; hence its cumulative
action.
Rapidity, facility, and degree of poisoning are conditioned also by
the quantity absorbed, and by the frequency with which the poison
is introduced into the system. A given amount of morphine, for
example, administered in fractional doses at brief intervals, produces
a more powerful effect than the entire quantity given as one dose.
The principle holds good in reference to many industrial poisons.
A short exposure to the hazard of poisoning in an atmosphere heavily
charged with lead dust may occasion little trouble or none at all,
while long-continued employment in a room where lead-dust dif
fusion is much less dense may give rise to chronic plumbism of the
gravest type.
List of Industries Involving Use of Poisons.
^QR. JOHANN Mueller of Taegervilen has published in the Zentralblatt fur Gewerbehygiene (for April, 1919) a table in which
are listed numerous industries and their peculiar processes in which
workmen are subjected to the influence of multiple toxic agents
(mixed poisons). The table is reproduced in full on account of its
intrinsic value and its practical suggestiveness.
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L482]
179
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND MEDICINE.
LIST OF MIXED POISONS TO WHOSE INFLUENCE WORKMEN ARE SUBJECTED IN
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES.
Industry.
Process and
product.
Poisons used in
manufacture, and
chief end products.
Sulphuric acid
manufacture.
Roasting of p y
rites.
Sulphurous acid;
lead; sulphuric
acid.
N i t r i c a c id Distillation of ni
manufacture.
ter and sulphu
ric acid in castiron cylinders.
P r o d u c tio n of
baryte nitrate
by dissolving
barium sulphate
in nitric acid.
Manufacture of
lead nitrate by
dissolving lead
oxide in nitric
acid.
Manufacture of
the acid nitrate
of mercury.
F u m in g n itr ic
acid w ith n i
trous acid.
Soda manufac
ture.
Poisonous by
products and
impurities.
Arsenic impuri S p ecially dangerous is
ties; arsen ic;
cleaning of the lead cham
lead; evolution
ber in case of insufficient
of arseniureted
v en tila tio n . N itrous
hydrogen; de
gases. A rsenic com
velopment of ni
pounds. S u lp h u r o u s
trous gases in
acid. Chronic lead poi
the lead cham
soning.
ber and tower.
Nitrous gases........ Acid fumes, especially in
case of leaks.
Nitrous acid; tetroxide of nitro
gen.
Nitrous gases.
Nitrous acid; tetroxide of nitro
gen; lead.
Nitrous gases.
Nitrous acid; tetroxide of nitro
gen; mercury.
Nitrous gases.
Manufacture of sil Nitrous acid; tetver nitrate.
roxide of nitro
gen; silver.
Manufacture of Nitrous acid; tetsodium nitrate
roxide of nitro
by fusing niter
gen; lead.
w ith m etallic
lead.
Leblanc process. Sulphuric acid;
nitric acid.
Nitrous gases.
Chlorine manu Velden process__
facture.
R e m a r k s.
In the ignitions and explo
sions much nitrous gas is
set free. Used in pyro
technics and explosive
trades.
Used in color printing
plants, match manu
facture, and chrome-yel
low pigment.
Carroting fur, hat manu
facture, metal amalgam
production, bronzing and
silvering.
Silver.
Nitrous gases..
Used in photography and
in silvering glass pearls.
Arseniureted hy
drogen from im
purities of ar
s e n ic . From
smelting comes
much carbon
monoxide and
carbon dioxide.
B y the efflores
cence of soda
residua, s u 1phureted hy
drogen.
The evolution of carbon
monoxide is especially
dangerous.
Acid fumes also injure the
organs of respiration and
the teeth.
Hydrochloric acid;
Chlorine danger great.
m an gan ese;
chlorine.
Deacon process__ Hydrochloric acid; Since the sulphu Chlorine acne, probably a
chlorine.
ric acid is taken
combined effect of chlo
from the sul
rine and tar (chlorinated
phate furnace
phenol).
direct, it holds
as impurities ar
Electrolytic proc- \ Alkaline chlorides;
senic, sulphuric
esses.
chlorine; mer
acid, and nitric
cury.
acid.
Chloride of lime Manufacture of i Lead (chambers);
Chlorine poisoning from
manufacture.
the salt from j chlorine.
shoveling the lime; too
lime and chlo- i
early entrance into cham
rine.
ber.
C h lo r id e of Oxidation of phos Hydrochloric acid; Carbon monoxide;
phosphorus
phorus and hy
chlorine; carbon
phosphorus tri
manufacture.
drochloric acid.
disulphide.
chloride; phos
Use of carbon di
phorus pentasulphide as sol
chloride; arseni
vent.
ureted hydrogen.
Sulphur chlo Heating chlorine Chlorine; hydro Hyposulphurous Decomposition by addition
ride manu
and sulphur.
chloric acid.
acid.
of water with formation
facture.
of h yd roch loric-acid
fumes.
Phosgene man Chlorine and car Chlorine; carbon
Used mainly in dyestuti
ufacture.'
bon monoxide
monoxide; phos
manufacture.
treated with an
gene.
The effect is a combined
imal charcoal.
one—of the entire mole
cules and decomposition
products.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
L483]
180
MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW,
LIST OF MIXED POISONS TO WHOSE INFLUENCE WORKMEN ARE SUBJECTED IN
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES—Continued.
Industry.
Process and
product.
Poisons used in i
manufacture, and |
cliief end products.
Poisonous by
products and
impurities.
Chloride of zinc
manufacture.
Heating of zinc
o x id e
and
h y d r o c hloric
acid.
Made from methyl
a lc o h o l, com
mon salt, and
sulphuric acid.
Chlorine; hydro
chloric acid.
Arseniureted hy
drogen.
Methyl alcohol;
a c id fu m es;
methyl chloride.
C h lo r o fo r m
manufacture.
Distillation of al
cohol, acetone,
and chloride of
lime.
Chlorine; acetone;
alcohols.
Arseniureted hy
drogen; nitrous
gases; impuri
ties of methyl
alcohol.
The most impor
tant are: Amyl
alcohol; ethyl
chloride; alde
hyde ;allylchlorri'de; tetrachlormethane; phos
gene; chlorine
derivatives of
propyl, butyl,
amyl acids.
Carbon tctrac h lo r id e
manufacture.
Action of chlorine Chlorine; carbon
in carbon disul
d is u lp h id e ;
phide with chlo
methyl chloride.
ride of antimony
or aluminium.
Chlorine and sal Chlorine; ammo
ammoniac.
nia.
Methyl chlo
ride manu
facture.
Nitrous chlo
ride manu
facture.
Cyanochlori t e
'manufacture.
Dimethyl sul
phate'
Explosives:
Fulminate
of m e r
cury.
Nitroglyc
erin.
Used as a mordant.
Decomposition of phos
gene, ethyl chloride, and
other chlorine com
pounds by free hydro
chloric acid in the air.
In gas illumination evolve
carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, and hydro
chloric acid, with traces
of free chlorine, but no
phosgene.
These products of com
bustion may cause severe
irritation of the mucous
membranes.
Highly explosive.
Sulphuric a c i d
and methyl al
cohol.
Chlorine; m e r Hydrocyanic acid.
cury; cyanochlorite.
Alcohol; sulphuric Arseniureted hy It acts: (a) As a whole
drogen; nitroùs
acid; dimethyl
molecule; (6) By. split
gases.
ting up with water it
sulphate.
develops sulphuric acid
effect.
Solution of mer
cury in nitric
acid with alco
hol.
Mercury ; nitrous
gases; fulminate
of mercury.
Chlorine and cya
nide of mercury.
Action of mixed
nitric and sul
phuric acids on
glycerin in lead
vats.
Acetic acid; cyan id e c o m
pounds.
S u lp h u ric acid Arseniureted hy
drogen.
fumes; nitrous
gases (from the
acid mixture esp e c i a l l y , but
also by denitrat
ing of w a s te
acid s); nitro
glycerin; lead.
Guncotton. Action of a mix Acid fumes; nitrous Arseniureted hydrogen.
ture of nitric and
gases; cyanide
compounds.
sulphuric acid
on cellulose.
Smokeless
powder.
Remarks.
Gelatinizing of gun Solvents like ace
cotton with ace
to n e, alcohol,
tone.
ether, carbon di
sulphide, etc.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[4S4]
Used in percussion-cap
manufacture.
In filling the caps there is
special danger of chronic
mercury poisoning from
mercury fumes given off
in pressing and filling as
a result of small explo
sions giving rise to
nitrous gases.
Dynamite is produced by
m ixin g n itroglycerin
with
siliceous
earth
(“ dope”).
Mixing and sifting of dyna
mite cause chronic ulcers
at the finger tips and
under the nails.
According to Koelsch, the
nitrated benzols are viru
lent poisons, and, pri
marily, blood poisons:
(Methemoglobin forma
tion, damage to red blood
cells.) Perhaps,
also,
primary injury to the
central nervous system.
............................... Toluol nitrites are rela
tively harmless and cause
symptoms of poisoning
only after long-continued
exposure.
Severe poisonings are trace
able to im p u r it ie s .—
Koelsch.
181
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND MEDICINE.
LIST OF MIXED POISONS TO WHOSE INFLUENCE WORKMEN ARE SUBJECTED IN
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES—Continued.
Industry.
Process and
product.
E x p lo s iv e s —
Concluded.
S m o k e le ss
P ow derConcluded.
(Other ingredi Nitrites
ents.)
Poisons used in
manufacture, and
chief end products.
Poisonous by
products arid
impurities.
Remarks.
Nitrobenzol;nitro- Benzol; benzol ni
trites; unni tritoluol; dini trobenzol; phenols;
table hydrocar
pierio acid, etc.
bons; tetranitromethane.
Shot and bullet For hardening ar Lead; arsenic; an The proportion of
manufacture.
senic and anti
timony.
arsenic used is
mony are em
ployed.
Iodine and bro Production of io
dine and bro
mine manu
mine salts from
facture.
Chlorine; iodine;
bromine (wood
spirit as extrac
tion agent).
0.2 to 0.8 per
cent; of anti
mony 8 to 14
per cent.
Irritating chlorine
compounds in
small quantities.
(Slight action).
mother liquors
by the action of
chlorine a n d
oxidation agents.
Phosphorus in Production of phos Acid fumes; phos Arseniureted hy
phorus f r om
drogen.
dustry.
phorus fumes.
phosphorites by In the distillation By disintegration
means of sul
of the bleached
of the phos
phuric acid, or
bones with sul
phorus, phos
by electrolytic
phuric acid arise
phine is given
sulphureted hy
process.
off, with phos
drogen, carbon
dioxide, hydro
cyanic acid, hy
drochloric acid,
h y d r o flu o r ic
acid.
Phosphorus s u l Carbon disulphide Sulphureted hy
phide produc
drogen.
in the extrac
tion by melting
tion of phos
together r ed
phorus.
phorus fumes
ana c a r b o n
monoxide.
S w e d i s h
matches.
phosphorus
and sulphur.
Artificial fertil E x t r a c t i o n of Acid fumes; sul Hydrofluoric acid
phosphate
of
(since nearly all
phurous acid;
izers.
phosphates con
lime by sulphur
carbon dioxide.
ic acid.
India rubber:
Vulcanizing.
By the hot pro
cess at about
140°
sulphur
com pounds
emerge (chlo
rine, barium,
and antimony
sulphides).
By the cold proc
ess, dipping the
gum in a mix
ture of sulphur
chloride a n d
carbon
disul
phide (or its
substitute prod
ucts).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Besides the trouble from
gases, acrid fumes, etc.,
the dust is especially
dangerous on account of
its gross content of caus
tic lime (in Thomas slag
as high as 50 per cent).
tain
calcium
fluoride) ;
ni
trous gases; ar
seniureted hy
drogen.
Sulphur chloride; By disintegrating Nearly all rubber goods
are reinforced, often to
sulphur chloride
antimony.
the extent of 50 per cent
in water: sul
of substitutes mostly
phurous acid;
compounds with vege
sulphureted hy
table oils and sulphur
drogen ( f r o m
chlorides, but sometimes
antimony sul
containing lead or merphide).
cury.
Hygienic control can under
Carbon disulphide,
no circumstances be
as a substitute;
slackened over processes
benzine; turpen
conducted often accord
tine oil; carbon
ing to secret formulae
tetrachloride;
which prescribe strange
d i e h 1o r meth
ingredients for the mak
ane; ether; ace
ing of dyestuffs.
tone: benzol and
its derivatives;
anilin.
[485]
182
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
LIST OF MIXED POISONS TO WHOSE INFLUENCE WORKMEN ARE SUBJECTED IN
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES—Continued.
Industry.
Dyeing.
Process and
product.
Poisons used in
manufacture, and
chief end products.
Substances princi Mercury; l e a d ;
arsenic.
pally used are:
antimony sul
phide; cinnabar;
z i n c w h i t e;
frankfort black;
white lead and
other lead colors
(in the making of
rubber gloves);
also a r s e n i c
colors.
Artificial silk
manufacture:
1. Nitrocel Nitriting cellulose.
Action of a mix
lulose.
ture of nitric
and sulphuric
acids on cellu
lose.
Dissolving cam
phor, toluolj etc.,
in acetic acid.
Drying and spin
ning room proc
esses.
Denitriting............
2. Oxide of Precipitation of
co p p er o x id e
copper
and solution in
and am
strong ammoni
m o n ia c
ac menstruum.
process.
3. V iscose By use of strong
a lk a lie s , but
manufac
mostly with very
ture (ni
large quantities
trocellu
of carbon disul
lose).
phide.
4. A cety l Production of ace
tylcellulose by
cellulose.
addition of ethyl
chloride to a so
lution of nitro
cellulose.
Use of large quan
tities of anhy
drous acetic acid.
Spinning process:
Dissolving i n
ether, alcohol,
acetone, etc.,
and drying.
Celluloid indus The solvents are
try.
poisonous be
yond all else.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Poisonous by
products and
impurities.
Remarks.
Sulphureted hy
drogen
espe
cially by the re
duction of the
sulphide of anti
mony
wi t h
acids.
Acid fumes; nit Arseniureted hy
drogen; sulph ur
rous gases; cyan
ide compounds;
ei ed hydrogen;
acetic acid; cam-;
ammonia.
phor; t o lu o l
alcohol fumes;
ethers; undis
solved hydrocar. bons; ammon
ium sulphate,
Strong a lk a lie s
and acids; acid
fumes; ammo
nia.
The alkali and ammoniac
manufacturers should do
away with this method.
Fire risk small.
Strong alkalies;
ammonia; car
bon disulphide.
Like rubber manufacture.
N itr o c e llu lo se ;
acid fumes; ni-.
trous gases; cya n id e c o m
pounds; solvents
—acetone; amyl
acetate; carbu
reted hydrogen;
benzol and its
derivatives or
homologues.
Ether and alcohol
fumes; acetone,
etc.
Fire danger very great .
Acetone;
aceto- Ignition and deto Celluloid technique is ex
tremely complicated.
chiorhydrin; eth
nation, e s p e
er; benzine; ben
cially when there Dangers are mostly occa
sioned by the solvents;
zol ;amyl acetate;
are drafts of
but celluloid itself has
anhydrous acet
air, evolve fumes
ic acid; nitrobenmany peculiarities which
of carbon mo
zol; dinitrobenmake it very unsafe when
noxide, carbon
stored in great heaps:
zol; nitrochlordioxide, nitrous
1. Ready decomposabilbenzol;epiehlorgases, hydrocy
hydrin; methyl
ity. 2. Inflammability so
anic acid, acro
that it ignites like a
alcohol; carbon
lein, and cam
match. 3. Evolution of
phor.
disulphide; car
poisonous gases—(a) by
bon tetrachlo
decomposition and deto
ride; hexachlornation; (6) by secondary
e t h y l in , a n d
explosions of detonating
many other chlo
gases mixed with air.
rine products.
(Limit of explosibility, a
Mixtures: Benzine
content of 8 to 40 per
-1-amyl acetate;
cent.)
b e n z in e + m e thylalcohol ;benzin e+ alcoh ol;
xylol + alcohol;
ether+ alcohol+
acetic acid.
[486]
183
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND MEDICINE,
LIST OF MIXED POISONS TO WHOSE INFLUENCE WORKMEN ARE SUBJECTED
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES—Continued.
Industry.
Process and
product.
j Poisons used in
I manufacture, and
| chief end products.
Poisonous by
products and
impurities.
Celluloid manu- Made of camphor, Alcohol; camphor;
facture.
alcohol, and pyacid fumes; ni
roxalin.
trous gases.
Pyroxalin is ob
tained from vege
table fibers by
treatment with
sulphuric acid
and nitric acid.
Gas industry:
Coke ovens. Dry distillation, Illuminating gas:
carbon monox
p u r ific a tio n
processes.
ide, carbon di
oxide, , ammonia
m ethane, tai ;
ammoniac water
gas:sulphureted
hydrogen, car
bon disulphide,
h y d r o c y a n ic
acid; rhodan
com p oun d s
(phosphorus, ar
senic, etc.).
Process of Extraction of am Cyanogen; am
gas puri
monium salts
monia ; cyanide
fication.
com p oun d s;
by washing with
water.
rhodan com
Extraction of sulpounds. C a r
hur with carbon disulphide;
ethyl trichlor
on disulphide.
Production of the
ide.
ferrocyanide of
potassium.
Ammoniac pro Disintegration of Am monia; sul Pyridin, pyvrol,
duction.
the nonvolatile
p h u ric acid ;
phenols, tar.
ammoniumeommetaphosphoric
pounds w ith
acid.
caustic alkali.
Penetration of am
Distillation.
monia fume into
the acids gives
rise to ill-smell
ing gases. Sulphureted hydro
gen; cyanogen.
Lead poisoning
from lead.
Calcium carbide J R ed u ction by Acetylene; carbon j Ammonia; sul
manufacture. | s m e l t i n g or
dioxide; carbon | phureted hydro
electrochemical
gen; especially
monoxide.
process, produc
phosphine (to
in g acetylene
the amount of
by addition of
0.2per cent).
water.
Tar industry... Dry distillation of Tar fumes consist Poisonous
endanthracite coal.
products: Pyri
ing of:
F ra ctio n al dis
d i n , benzol,
1. Hydrocarbons
tillation.
of the meth
to lu o l, zylol,
ane series, par
n a p h th a lin ,
p h en ols, sali- j
affin, olefin.
Hydrocarbons
cylic acid, picric j
acid, cresols, j
of the aro
matic series,
naphthols, an
thracene.
benzol and its
homologues,
n a p h th a lin ,
an th racen e,
phenanthin,
etc.
2. P h e n o Is ,
( er e s o 1 i n ,
naphthalin).
3. S u l p h i d e s
(sulphureted
hydrogen, carbon d is u l
phide,mercap
tan,thiophen).
IN
Remarks.
According to Jehle and
Layet, the hygienic con
dition of t h e gas-plant
workman is by no means
satisfactory.
Especially iii the condens
ing and p u rification
rooms, the air is always
charged with gas.
Danger of poisoning is not
ably great in case of leaks
and industrial accidents
(bursting of pipes, etc.).
E
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[487]
Production of dense fumes
of tar, especially in ex
traction plants, wood
p r e s e r v in g establish
ments, roofing-paper fac
tories, and, above all,
from open kettles. Se
vere skm diseases occur
(tar itch).
184
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
LIST OF MIXED POISONS TO WHOSE INFLUENCE WORKMEN ARE SUBJECTED IN
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES—Continued.
Industry.
Process and
product.
Tar industry—
Concluded.
Dye manufac
ture.
1. Nitrites with
nitric acid and
sulphuric acid.
2. Reduction to
amines. •
3. Sulphurization
w ith con cen
trated sulphuric
acid.
4. Conversion of
sulphur acids
into phenols by
f u s i o n w it h
caustic soda.
5. Chlorinating,
b ro m in a tin g ,
combining with
phosgene.
6. Methylating.
Poisons used in
manufacture, and
chief end products.
Poisonous by
products and
impurities.
4. N i t r o g e n
com pounds
(a m m o n ia ,
methylamin,
anilin, pyridin, etc.).
P o i s o n o u s Incidental prod
products:Methyl
ucts: Nitro and
alcohol, ethyl
a m in o com
alcohol, phos
pounds of many
gene, formalde
varieties (nitro
benzol), acridin,
h yd e, h yd ro
carbons of the
cyanogen,
aromatic series
diimin.
(benzol, toluol, By-products and
xylol, naphthaimpurities: Am
lin, anthracene,
monia, sulphurphenols, cresols),
eted hydrogen
oxalic acid, tar,
(from sulphur
acetald eh yd e,
dyes), nitrous
anilin, toluidin,
gases ,acidfumes,
n i t r o b e n z o l,
cyanogen com
p i c r i c a c id ,
pounds, arsenipnenylglycocol,
ureted hydro
nitrosodimethgen stibine.
ylanilin, monodinitrobenzol.
(б)
Toxic reagents:
chlorine, nitric
acid, sulphuric
acid, sulphur
ated hydrogen,
(а)
a m m o n i a ,
methyl bromide,
methyl iodide,
a r s e n ic , antim o n y , le a d ,
ch rom iu m di
m e th y l s u l
phate.
(c) Poisonous endproducts: N i
trous products
(nitrobenzol, to
luol, picric acid),
aromatic bases
(toluidin, anilin,
xylidin, dimethy la n ilin ), sul
phur acids, phe
nols and cresols,
paraphenylendiauun, suspect
ed dyestuffs (as
a rule, of course,
dangerous only
in large quan
titie s ), saffron
yellow , an ilin
orange, picric
acid, d in itron ap h th ol, n i
trous dyestuffs,
aurantia-hexanitrodiphenylamin, kaiser yel
low, ethyl and
m eth yl violet
meldola d y e s,
corbulin, fast
blue, etc.
Metal industry: Roasting ore.
Lead__ . Reduction of the
oxides by coal,
Patterson crys| tallization pro
cess.
! Lead refining.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Lead danger
[4 8 8 ]
Sulphur dioxide;
arsenic; a n ti
mony; smoke of
smelteries.
Remarks.
The most frequent poison
ings are due to anilinbenzol and its homo,
lo g u es, n itr o b e n z o l,
nitrous gases, arsenic.
The shops are generally
well equipped from a
sanitary point of view.
But poisonings contin
ually occur as results of
improvidence or acci
dent.
A special danger is that
arsenic acts partly as an
acid impurity in arseniureted hydrogen, partly
also because it is used in
substance for bright
colors.
(Every factory boasts of
special patents and special
processes.)
IN D U S T R IA L
H Y G IE N E
AND
185
M E D IC IN E .
LIST OF MIXED POISONS TO WHOSE INFLUENCE WORKMEN ARE SUBJECTED
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES—Continued.
Industry.
Metal in d u i
try—Con.
Mercury__
Arsenic and
antimony
Iron.
Ferrosilicon
Lime burning.
)yexng.
Tanning.
Process and
product.
Poisons used in
manufacture, and
chief end products.
Whitelead manu Carbon dioxide;
facture by the
acetic acid; lead.
action of aceticacid fumes and
carbon dioxide
( c o k e burning)
on lead plates in
closed chambers.
Poisonous by
products and
impurities.
IN
Remarks.
Especially hazardous is the
work in the oxidizing
chamber.
Smeltery smoke: A prod
uct of imperfect combus
tion. It contains carbon
monoxide, sulphur di
oxide, dust of toxic met
als (lead, zinc, mercury,
arsenic, antimony).
Extraction from Mercury.
Sulphur dioxide; Smelting disease.
smeltery smoke. Pallor of countenance.
cinnabar in blast
furnaces.
Lowering of physical re
Condensation and
sistance.
distillation.
Finally, specific poisonous
effects.
The smeltery
Roasting of ar- Arsenic; antimony Smeltery smoke,
smoke is always heavily
senic-b earin g
arseniureted hy
charged with arsenic.
ores.
drogen, stibine.
There is absorption of
small quantities of ar
senic or arsenious oxide.
Furnace gases con Like risks exist in the
stitute the chief
smelting of cobalt, nickel,
danger. These
lead, copper, iron, silver,
consist of ar
and zinc.
seniureted hy
drogen, stibine,
carbon monox
ide, sulphur di
oxide, hydrocy
anic acid.
From this come Phosphine, arse Ferrosilicon virtually al
some mineral
niureted hydro
ways contains phospho
acid products,
gen, sulphureted
rus , arsenic, and sulphur,
sulphureted hy
hydrogen (with
so that the development
drogen, for ex
mois,ture), espe
of very poisonous com
ample.
cially under 70
pound's is to be ex
per cent in
pected. (Poisonings oc
amount; carbon
cur on ocean vessels when
dioxide; carbon
as a result of theentrance
monoxide; sul
of water such gases
phureted hy
evolve.)
drogen; sulphur
dioxide; a n d
arseniureted hy
drogen .
In blast furnaces
which are filled
with a mixture
of limestone and
coke.
Mordanting the fi Mordants: Chro Acid fumes, espe Schuler reports that severe
ber and dyeing
m iu m c o m
c ia lly h y d ro
epidermal in flammati ons
pounds, especi
it, often in lead
c h lo r ic a c id ,
result from using anilin
en vats.
ally potassium
chlorine, ammo
black.
dichromate, acenia, acetic acid,
t i c a c id , s u l
cyanogen, rhophuric acid, zinc
dan compounds.
chloride, potas
sium chlorate.
Solvents: Methylethyl-amyl alco
hol, turpentine,
benzine, benzolacetone.
Dyes: Lead and
arsenic colors,
anilin colors, ni
trite of lead col
ors, lead chro
mates.
B leaches: ch lo
rine, sulphurous
acid, chloride of
lim e, p h en ol,
fluorine.
D ep ila tio n and Sulphide of soda, Carbon dioxide; Great danger from pollu
lime gas, arsecuring of skins.
tion of the waste water.
cyanogen com
in ite of potasp o u n d s; su l-
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[489]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
186
LIST OF MIXED POISONS TO WHOSE INFLUENCE WORKMEN ARE SUBJECTED IN
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES—Continued.
Industry.
Tanning—Con.
Process and
product.
Poisons used in
manufacture, and
chief end products.
sium, formalde
h y d e, o x a lic
acid, cyanogen.
Arsenic for denud Lime water, arsenite of sulphur.
ing of wool, cy
anogen for dépi
lation.
Ash process.
M ordant of tan Chromium.
and its substi
tutes (quebra
cho, clay mor
dants, decoction
of wheat, bran,
and water, etc.
Chrome tanning.
Dyeing with ani- Anilin, anilin col
ors, potassium
iin colors, lead
ferrocyan id e,
colors, etc.
lead, arsenic,
sulphuric acid,
mercury colors,
color solvents.
Used especially for
bright colors:
Lead aceta te
and sulphuric
acid solutions.
Furrier indus Carroting............... Mercury; nitric
acid; n itrou s
try.
gases; arsenic.
White lead, load
Fur dyeing.
sulphate, Phe
nylendiamin.
Accum ulator
Litharge, m ini
um, sulphuric
(electric) fac
acid, mercury.
tories.
Celluloid solutions. Usually acetone
and 'amyl ace
tate (but other
solvents also).
Poisonous by
products and
impurities.
phureted hydro
gen; su lp h u r
compounds.
Putrid substances
like sulphureted
hydrogen, meth
ane, carbon di
oxide, sulphur
compounds, cy
anogen.
Sulphur dioxide.
Especially hazardous as a
house industry.
Acid fumes, arseniureted hydro
gen.
Incandescent Use of air pumps.. Mercury; fumes of Nitrous gases.
nitric acid, col
lamp facto Incineration of in
lo d io n , and
candescent bod
ries.
ether.
ies.
Phosphorus penta- A m yl acetate;
smelter gases.
chloride drying.
Mixtures: Acety
lene, illuminat
ing gas, nitrous
gas, etc.
Galvanotechnic. Galvanic reduc Hydrocyanic acid, Lead, arsenic, and
antimony from
dicyanogen, fer
tion of gold, sil
impure metals.
rocyanide of po
ver, c o p p e r ,
tassium, mer
nickel, zinc, etc.
cury (from the
electrodes).
Arsenious acids,
Breweries.
h y d r o chloric
acid, antimony.
Tinning, etc., Cleaning and cor Sulphuric acid, Arseniureted hy
drogen, ammo
h y d r o c h lo r ic
roding of metals.
by hand.
nia.
acid.
Metals, such as
lead,
arsenic,
etc.; sal ammo
niac.
Acid fumes, metal Arseniureted hy
Tinning..........
drogen, ammo
fumes.
nia.
Nitrous
gases,
Brass refining.
chlorine oxides.
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Remarks.
There is a whole series of
ill-defined ailments pro
duced by the action of
irritating acetone fumes,
and which, according to
Lewin, cause asthma and
bronchitis, and, accord
ing to Cossmann, result
in a condition resembling
diabetic coma, and com
plicated at the same time
by lead poisoning. There
are other combinations of
lead and acid action.
Workmen may be as much
endangered by macera
tion fluids as by the es
caping fumes, though
acute poisoning by prus
sic acid is rare. Chronic
effects are more frequent
(owing especially to the
inadequacy of precau
tionary regulations).
Chronic eczema is common
as a result of contact with
the solvents.
Widely practiced in every
small metal works.
187
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND MEDICINE,
LIST OF MIXED POISONS TO WHOSE INFLUENCE WORKMEN ARE SUBJECTED IN
VARIOUS INDUSTRIES—Concluded.
Industry.
Solder manu
facture.
Process and
product.
Poisons used in
manufacture, and
chief end products.
Hard solder is Zinc fumes, zinc
made of brass
oxides, lead, hy
and zinc.
drochloric acid.
Soft solder is ap
plied to the joint
as a saturated
solution of tin
and lead in hy
drochloric acid.
(Gases Acetylene,
illuminating gas,
oxygen admix
tures.)
Glue, putty,
cement, etc.,
manufacture.
Poisonous by
products and
impurities.
Remarks.
In this category
belong gases and
fumes of the arseniureted hy
drogen combus
tion material,
hence mostly
carbon monox
ide.
Morbidity directly due to
occupational poisonings
(aside from plumbism) is
not, indeed, great. R oth
shows, however, that
phthisis plays a leading
role among tinsmiths.
For this result the gases
and fumes rising from
the solder are surely re
sponsible, provoking irri
tation of the respiratory
organs (and by their con
tinual action greatly low
ering the resistance of the
system).
Acrolein, sulphur- It is worthy of notice that
eted hydrogen.
there are many second
ary or collateral trades
which are subject to spe
cial risks of the same sort.
E xtraction of fats.. Benzine, benzol,
acetone, carbon
disulphide, sul
phur chloride,
sulphur dioxide,
turpentine, car
bon tetrachlor
ide, etc.
Recovery of the Acid fumes............ Ammonia, nitro
residua from the
gen fermenta
glue kettles with
tion products,
sulphuric acid.
Mercaptan.
Lead colors; cata Arseniureted hy
lytic agents.
drogen.
Compositions
Combustion gases,
like carbon mon
oxide.
Putty made of Lead, mercury,
In putty factories there
litharge, r e d
carbon d i s u l
are mixed poisonings
lead, and lin
phide, turpen
from lead, mercury, and
seed oil.
tine, benzine,
carbon disulphide.
benzol tar prod
ucts.
Resinous cement
Mixtures of carbon disul
made of wax,
phide holding materials
turpentine, etc.
are used as cleansing
Solution of indiaagents or grease deter
rubber and shel
gents in combination
lac in coal tar
with lead, less often with
oil.
mercury compounds in
cement, and in plastic
masses for insulation.
Porcelain man Ultramarine pro
Sulphuric acid,
ufacture.
duction is a re
sulphur dioxide,
sult of fusing a
carbon monox
mixture of kao
ide, carbon diox
lin, sulphates
ide.
and charcoal.
Dyeing and paint Lead; arsenic; sil
ing.
ver nitrate; ni
tric acid; chrom
ium compounds
(hydrochloric
acid, hydroflu
oric acid; sul
phuric acid).
Enameled ware As raw materials Lead; tin oxide; Nitrous gases, acid Glazes react powerfully in
manufacture.
are used feld
sulphur dioxide;
combination.
fumes, carbonspar, fluorspar,
antimony.
dioxide, carbon- Dry-handled.
clay, niter, soda,
monoxide.
Dust, etc.
borax, lead ox
Furnace gases, etc.
ide, tin oxide.
Colors..................... Chromium, man
ganese, lead, ar
senic.
Photography.
Bromine, chlorine,
iodine, chrom
ium, mercury,
silver nitrate,
cyanogen, ferrocyanide of potas
sium, anilin, nitrobenzol, re
ducing agents
(blood poisons).
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188
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
A cursory survey of Mueller’s tabulation is likely to leave on the
reader an unfavorable impression as to its value. The author avoids
a discussion of such matters as the diagnosis, symptoms, and treat
ment of occupational poisonings, and waives all reference to other
related subjects of equal importance. Ilis grouping of the indus
tries seems arbitrary and anomalous, and the toxic substances said
to be used or generated in the processes of manufacture are so di
verse in their nature and effects that the entire presentation appears
like a capricious collection of ill-assorted and incoordinate data.
But on closer analysis and from a different angle, what seemed a
caricature becomes a clear picture. Let us take the author’s point of
view. He did not propose to make an elaborate and exhaustive classi
fication of industrial poisons. He merely undertook to study inten
sively a single phase of the subject and to report his observations.
Now the lesions produced by exposure to conglomerate poisons are
hybrid and heterogeneous; and it is the distinguishing merit of
Mueller’s work that it is the first to take cognizance of the complex
and erratic forms of what may be termed amalgam poisonings in the
trades.
The dominant features in the author’s classification are found in
columns 3 and 4 of the table, and relate to the poisons used in manu
facture, and poisonous by-products and impurities. Everything else
is subordinate. The industry and the process are relatively unim
portant. I t is the mixed character of the poisoning that Mueller
aims to illustrate, and that alone. He is a pioneer in this field of
exploration; though analogous examples of multiple infection are
common in other departments of medicine. In influenza, for in
stance, it has been proved that Pfeiffer’s bacillus is not the sole in
fective agency, but that pneumonococci, staphylococci, and strepto
cocci are often present in a given case, causing grave and discrepant
complications.
The appearance at this juncture of the foregoing elaborate table of
mixed poisons used in the industries may be regarded* as significant.
It will be recalled that a time limit of 10 years was suggested by the
International Association for Labor Legislation in 1911 as the maxi
mum interval before the “ List of industrial poisons ” adopted and
promulgated in that year should be subject to revision and brought
up to date. This period has nearly expired, and it is evident that
preparations are under way to insure incorporation in the revised
list of additional matter of special importance.
Though this work of Mueller in its present form contains no inti
mation that it is intended to serve as a basis for preliminary discus
sion or subsequent action at some future session of the association,
many of its innovations deserve, and will undoubtedly obtain, recog
nition in the prospective revision.
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[4 9 2 ]
IN D U S T R IA L
H Y G IE N E
AND
M E D IC IN E .
189
Value of Mueller’s Records.
IJELLER resumes tlie consideration of composite industrial
poisonings in the May number of Zentralblatt flir Gwerbehygiene, analyzing and correlating the data tabulated in his paper
published in the April issue of that periodical. He amplifies the
discussion still further in a series of articles in the same magazine
for the months of June, July, and August.
these consecutive records constitute an authentic and valuable
contribution to the knowledge of a subject concerning which there
is yet much to learn.
Mueller regards as an imminent danger the practice, now so com
mon in many industries, of manufacturing substitute products to
replace staple commodities. What was called an adulterated article
before the war at present goes under the euphonious name of a “ sub
stitute product ; and the middleman, the author says, has no interest
in exposing the fraud. When methods and processes of production
are fraught with danger it is customary to conceal the fact, and
Mueller’s experience indicates that fraudulent dealers seek to avoid
an expert investigation.
In one instance cited he saw the oily waste products of a chemical
factory made into shoe polish, washing powder, etc,, disguised some
times with perfumes so as to fit the product for trade competition.
The manufacturer troubled himself very little when the excessive
proportion of nitrobenzol added to the mixture caused hemoglobi
nuria and severe poisoning, “ such as we have repeatedly seen from
the use of shoe polish and floor wax.” (In a footnote the author
adds that during the war not less than 3,000 washing powders, dan
gerous to health and injurious to the laundry linen were manufac
tured in Germany.)
Such reckless contempt for the consequences of their action on the
part of unscrupulous manufacturers is likely to ruin the conscientious
producer who has some regard for the law and the general welfare.
The author holds that it is the plain duty of the Government to
pluck up by the roots these fradulent enterprises which vegetate
in the dark, in order to protect the honest producer on the one hand
and the unsophisticated user on the other. The latter can not know
his danger, since, so far as possible, it is kept out of sight.
The coal used in the manufacture of acetylene often contains
much sulphur and phosphorus. Although acetylene gas is poisonous
only when highly concentrated, reports and observations attest the
frequent occurrence of poisonings by this agent, The impure prod
ucts which are evolved in the processes of manufacture form poison
ous compounds that prove injurious, especially the hydrocarbons.
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190
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
Acetylene made from poor coal contains as much as 0.1 per cent
phosphine and sometimes arseniurated hydrogen, sulphureted hydrogen, and telluric compounds like ferrosilicium, the dangers of which
have only recently become known.
«
W e saw one m an w hose d u ty w as to clean a g re a t m any acetylene lam ps.
F o r a long tim e he fe lt ill w hen engaged in th is w ork, especially w hen th ese
lam ps w ere not lig h ted b u t gave off acety len e gas. I-le suffered fro m headache,
n ausea an d m alaise, choking sen satio n s, te n d e rn e ss in th e region of th e
liver, etc.
Another form of acetylene poisoning results from imperfect com
bustion of the gas. This affords an example of the manner in which
a host of industrial poisons may crop out in a single trade. The
example is all the more interesting because in an industrial process
now extensively employed in every large metal works the acetylene
jet is utilized for welding. In this operation oxygen and acetylene
must be kept mixed in definite proportions. The optimum for per
fect combustion consists of an acetylene content of about 7.3 per
cent. If acetylene enters into the combination in higher proportions,
combustion is imperfect; and, as a result, there are evolved hydro
gen, water, carbon dioxide, and above all carbon monoxide. From
prolonged imperfect combustion of acetylene comes phosphine which
with an attenuation of 1:100,000 kills rabbits in one hour: so it •
appears that even when slight concentrations occur, they are liable
to injure the health.1
Vvith the diffusion of unconsumed acetylene we may have sulphur
eted hydrogen and arseniureted hydrogen, so that in acetylene weld
ing it is possible that six poisons may be produced:
1. A cetylene (w hich form s a n u n sta b le com bination w ith th e hem oglobin of th e
blood).
2. C arbon dioxide.
3. C arbon m onoxide (p ro d u ct of im p erfe ct com bustion).
4. S u lp h u reted hydrogen (fro m th e su lp h u r co n ten t o f th e coal w hich is con
v e rted in to su lp h u re te d hydrogen by th e carb id e process a n d finally oxidized in to
su lp h u r d io x id e).
5. P hosphine (fro m th e p h o sp h o ru s co n ten t of th e c o al).
6 . A rsen iu reted hydrogen (also re su ltin g fro m th e p ro d u ctio n of h y d ro g e n ).
A workman often solders with an acetylene blast under a large, open
brewery vat. The space overhead is closed in, so that hot gases remain
in the cupola. Sometimes while at work the apparatus is extinguished
because the nozzle of the oxygen blast pipe becomes stopped up.
Hence arise—
1.
P ro d u c ts of im p erfe ct com bustion in consequence of th e g re a t v a ria tio n in 4 »
p re ssu re of th e b la s t jet.
1 I n t h e J o u r n a l o f t h e A m e ric a n M e d ic a l A s s o c ia tio n fo r S e p t. 6, 1019, p. 8 0 1 , th e
d e a th by a c e ty le n e g a s p o iso n in g is r e p o rte d o f “ a m a n o f 34 w ho h a d been w e id in g
fo r h a lf a n h o u r in s id e a la r g e b o ile r.”
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[494]
IN D U S T R IA L
H Y G IE N E
AND
M E D IC IN E .
191
2.
T he c o n stitu e n ts of acetylene. A fte r a v a ria b le p eriod th e w o rk m an be
comes ill and is obliged to go into th e open a i r ; he suffers from n a u sea a n d h as
an ir rita tin g cough. Ic te ric sym ptom s follow. R ecovery is slow.1
This process is used also by tinsmiths, and the resulting ailments are
often regarded as the effects of acetylene poisoning; but they are in
reality manifestations of mixed poisoning due to impurity of the
products and to carbon monoxide.
Diagnosis of Poisoning and Clinical Histories.
tjp HE diagnosis of poisoning is often difficult. Poison acts upon the
body like any other injurious agent, causing functional disturb
ance ; and the human body reacts in the same way whether this dis
turbance is due to a foreign substance invading it from without or
whether the noxious material is generated within the organism itself.
“ There are no symptoms of exogenous poisoning which may not with
equal propriety be traced to another cause.’’
Current popular opinion assumes that an exact chemical reaction is
necessary to demonstrate the presence of poisonous ingredients in a
mixture and establish a differential diagnosis of poisoning. But it is
possible to satisfy this requirement in only a few instances, mostly
those of acute poisoning. In chronic cases, as encountered in the in
dustries, the proof of poisoning by a single toxic substance is often
very difficult, and the diagnosis becomes impracticable by this method
when several poisonous substances act in combination.
In a certain number of cases it is feasible, of course, directly to
identify the poison (lead, mercury, etc.) though generally the clini
cal diagnosis must rest on secondary symptoms. It is deserving of
attention that, at the time the symptoms of poisoning appear in
chronic cases, manj^ poisons can no longer be isolated as such by
chemical means, and under special conditions are not demonstrable
at all. Not only are the readily decomposed substances (such as sulphureted hydrogen, carbon disulphide, nitrous bodies, cyanogen, and
carbon monoxide) often changed or eliminated, but even lead may
have left the body when symptoms of plumbism first develop.
Under these circumstances a positive certainty is attainable only
when one can analyze the clinical picture by the aid of all accessory
means, and especially by an examination of the blood and of the
nervous system.
“ In industrial poisonings,” says Mueller, “ we do not meet with
the clinical pictures which correspond to the typical lecture-room
examples, and by the combination of different poisons there natu
rally arise the most divergent variations of effect, according to the
quantity and the time of absorption. Experiments as to the effects
1 Z e n t r a l b l a t t f iir G e w e rb e h y g ie n c , J u n e , 1919, p. 99.
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[495]
192
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
of mixed medicaments are not yet so far advanced as to enable one
to deduce any general law; but they most impressively show that
through new combinations specific reactions may be produced, that
the action of some components may be intensified, as the effect of
each is sometimes reduced, sometimes potentized, according to the
mutations in the nature of the mixture."1
The author relates some illustrative clinical histories:2
I. A workman suffered an attack of enteritis without apparent cause. He
felt as if he were intoxicated, especially in the evening, and complained of
headache, profuse perspiration, and loss of appetite. In addition he had
periodical lancinating pains in the pectoral muscles and in the thighs, without
paralysis or aggravation on pressure. Patellar reflexes were lowered. With
fingers outspread, a rapid, fine, lateral tremor occurs. There is slight albumi
nuria. On questioning him, salivation is found to exist. The whole clinical
picture, with entire absence of fever, suggests a diagnosis of probable poisoning.
The peculiar lancinating pains in the pectoralis muscles lead to the conjec
ture that this is a case of carbon disulphide poisoning. It is well known that
in carbon disulphide poisoning polyneuritis is often present, particularly in the
muscles of the leg and chest, without degeneration or paralysis. These neuritic
symptoms are almost always accompanied, in chronic poisonings, by a condi
tion simulating inebriation which increases toward evening, with general irri
tability, loss of appetite, and intestinal disturbances, but with entire absence of
sensory disorders. We commonly find, however, in mere carbon disulphide
poisoning a tremor of the outspread fingers quite unlike this, while the very
rapid, exceedingly fine lateral trembling, with exaggerated intensity at the
beginning of a voluntary movement, is almost pathognomonic of mercury poi
soning. (Pieraccini, Zangger.) In our case the patient’s salivation and traces
of mercury in the urine furnished infallible clues. Inquiry as to the labor con
ditions in this case elicited the fact that the workman had to handle a mixture
of carbon disulphide, lead, and mercury compounds which smeared his arms
for hours before it could be washed off. So absorption of mixed poisons (car
bon disulphide and mercury) was demonstrated. Whether lead did not also
play a part could not be determined. At most its presence could not be directly
proved, and some of its typical effects (on the blood, mouth, and nervous sys
tem) were completely eclipsed by the symptoms of mercury poisoning.
In this case the nervous symptoms alone led to the immediate diagnosis of
poisoning by two agents, one of which could be positively identified in the urine.
II. A workman employed as a brass and tin smith, complained of gastric dis
turbances, vertigo, nausea, headache, and debility, becoming greatly emaciated.
Several physicians made a diagnosis of digestive trouble and treated him for
gastritis. But as no improvement occurred and no other cause of illness was
apparent, some one finally suspected poisoning, “ probably by tin.” A thorough
examination of the man revealed a typical lead line, and hematologic-ally there
was marked anemia with basophile erythrocytes. Lead was found in the urine,
and the man was certainly suffering from plumbism. But besides this, the man
had light brown spots on the fingers, and his mustache and beard were discolored
with a yellowish brown pigment. These signs led to the presumption of ex
posure to nitric acid and nitrous fumes. In workmen exposed to such fumes it
is usual to find this faint discoloration of the heard combined with intense
anemia, pallor, and chronic bronchial catarrh. Analysis of the situation showed
1 Z e n t r a l b l a t t fiir G e w e rb e h y g ie n e ,
2 Id em , pp . 104, 105.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[496]
June,
1919,
p.
104.
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND MEDICINE.
193
that the man came into contact not only with the two poisons indicated by the
symptoms, but with six or seven more. It is noteworthy that all these other
poisons left no specific symptoms by which they could be identified. They were
in fact obscured and submerged by the predominant symptoms of indigestion
and grave anemia.
III.
A workman had to pour a large quantity of anilin oil into a receptacle
and mix hydrochloric acid with it. Hence arose a dense cloud of anilin hydro
chloride. He used diazo compounds also with m aterials which may be injurious
to health, among them the nitrites. After a while the man became ill with violent
headache and vertigo, followed by dyspnea and persistent coryza with sore
throat, nausea, and obstinate enteritis. At intervals he had attacks of profuse
perspiration. Finally a fine eruption broke out over his entire body; he noticed
that there was always much water in his mouth, and that his teeth became
rough and crumbled away in small spicules.
On examination about three months after the beginning of his illness, the
man had a sallow complexion, pale mucous membranes, but no disturbances of
vision, though when nauseated his sight grew dim. No organic cause of the
nausea and gastric symptoms could be ascertained. All reflexes were present,
varying somewhat, but within the normal limits. Blood condition: Leukopenia,
eosinophilia.
That the workman had been exposed to acid fumes was highly probable,
for he exhibited the well-nigh pathognomonic sign of friability of the front teeth.
(Kuhnert and Boppert.) Such splintering deformities of the teeth are demon
strable for a Jong time. If one has inhaled hydrochloric acid fumes, he has
certainly absorbed some anilin also. The blood condition shows a picture such
as one finds after the action of benzol derivatives and their poisonous homologues
like anilin (polychromasia and diminution of leucocytes), so that the eosinophilia is probably to be interpreted as a sign of a general condition of irritabilty.
Concerning the effect of nitrites in this case nothing can be positively affirmed.
But Heingeling declares that the nitrite worker often suffers the loss of his front
teeth.
The cephalic congestion and the occurrence of perspiration are to be re
garded as incidental effects of nitrites upon the nerves. Possibly, too, the
eruption is traceable to the same source, for typical cases of nitrite poisoning
are known in which, along with the general symptoms, roseola-like eruptions
have been observed. (Harnack.) It is interesting to learn that this man was
for a long time considered under a mistaken diagnosis as syphilitic, on account
of this eruption. No other diseases are nowadays so frequently—indeed so
uniformly—misunderstood in a high percentage of instances as the mixed
poisonings.
Difficulties of Diagnosis.
JM ^ ELLEE has observed a series of mixed poisonings in which the
diagnosis of two or several poisons could be determined by the
symptoms; but in many other cases it could be arrived at only by
exclusion, and under the most painstaking scrutiny of the situation
(grouping of cases, recurrence under like conditions, acute illness
without fever).
The following points indicate the difficulties of diagnosis:
1. The human body is limited in its reactions.
2. The clinical pictures are often masked by acute illnesses of a different
etiology.
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3.
Individual differences: Pernicious influences act upon a body that lias
definite and altogether individual antecedents.
It is well known that a cell or an organ reacts to external stimulus by irrita
tion or paralysis, and that the form of reaction depends on the intensity of
the stimulation. So an irritant action superadded to a paralyzing injury will
not lessen the paralysis but increase it. If, now, another injury occurs which
in and of itself is merely irritating, the total effect will be intensified paralysis.
In this way the cumulative effect of several slight irritations is paralyzing,
since the system reacts to a succession of minor injuries as if they were a
single severe injury.
This is true in general, and in particular, also, of mixed poisonings.
For example, vomiting is a symptom of ambiguous import. If we
would enumerate all its causes, we must begin with the poisons which
directly affect the vomiting center in the oblongata ; then cause to
pass in review all impressions made on the organism acting indi
rectly by way of the reflexes; and finally include the anatomicopathologic changes which act as secondary stimuli to that center.
By analogy there exist many other general symptoms like anemia,
debility, emaciation, etc., and especially the. heightened nerve re
flexes, causing instability and irritability, which so often sail under
the common flag of nervousness, hysteria, etc. These are mere signs
that the body is reacting to injurious influences that have no specific
character. Chemical effects especially belong wholly in the cate
gory of ordinary diseases. Curschmann says:
Poisonings are general diseases occasioned by specific causes. A great
variety of symptoms may be produced by absorption of poison, as well as by
other etiological agents. Even tlie symptoms of specific poisoning are so com
pletely hidden in the mass of diverse toxic effects that they are scarcely per
ceptible ; hence, in many cases, one must be satisfied if he can clinically
establish a general diagnosis of probable poisoning.
It is not to be wondered at that the organism under the influence
of a mixture of poisonous gases responds simply by collapse or suffo
cation on the one hand, or by inebriation and confusion of ideas on
the other. In either case, the several component poisons may, of
course, play an important role, but their specific effect is merged in
the general effect. The typical is lost. (Compare the poisonings by
modern war gases.) Naturally, we find similar conditions in chronic
poisonings which, according to Lewin, are nothing else than the
cumulative total of single, small, acute effects.
A misleading clue, conducting to an erroneous or incomplete diag
nosis, is the fact that mixed poisons seem to have a selective though
somewhat erratic action on different organs, producing a diversity of
symptoms. As a result of exposure one man may suffer solely from
indigestion and nausea, others subject to the same conditions have
bronchial catarrh.
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In Switzerland the law discriminates between the effects of poison
ing and the effects of infection.1
Other circumstances may cloud the issue. Fatigue, infections,
diabetes, and arteriosclerosis may combine and shed on the clinical
picture refracted lights which distort the vision and render the
diagnosis problematical. Or alcoholism may complicate the situation.
Every physician divides his patients into two classes, the alcoholics
and the nonalcoholics; for experience teaches how much the treatment
and prognosis, as well as the effects of medicine, are determined by
chronic alcohol poisoning.
Importance of Alcohol in Industrial Poisoning.
A CCORDING to Mueller, the importance of alcohol in industrial
poisoning may be regarded from three points of view:
1. The purely physico-chemical action: On individual cells the alcohol acts
as a solvent of fats on the one hand, and, on the other, through pronounced
changes in surface tension of watery solutions, it at the same time facilitates
the penetration and action of other extraneous substances which are present.
2. Functional disturbances: By its paralyzing influence on all vital reactions
it reduces the normal resistance of the system.
3. Anatomical changes as a result of irreversible processes: (Circulatory
and nervous system, the liver, the kidneys, the internal secretions, etc.)2
It is because of the well-known injurious effects of alcoholic bever
ages that in many industries, especially where lead, arsenic, anilin,
and mercury are employed, the consumption of alcohol is expressly
forbidden.
Friedländer and Moor characterize alcohol as “ the deadly enemy”
of anilin workers, and Pieraccini makes a similar observation con
cerning its pernicious influence upon the health of those who handle
mercury.
Alcohol is never used in food products unless in mixtures with
other ingredients. But aromatic essences are dissolved in alcohol
that is often adulterated with fusel oil and amyl or methyl alcohol.
The French absinth and all essence-flavored beverages of like char
acter are much more toxic than alcohol itself .
To the alcohol addict traumatisms are peculiarly dangerous, in
England many cases of pneumonia are known to be occasioned by
trivial injuries of any kind. The main cause of such attacks is
attributable to the methyl alcohol used in schnapps.
In some factories female employees are said to induce a condition
of intoxication by inhaling the vapor of ether, benzine, and benzol,
1 A rt. 19 d es S ch w eiz. U n fa llv e rs ic h e ru n g s g e s e tz e s .
2 Z e n t r a l b l a t t f ü r G e w e rb e h y g ie n e , J u ly , 1919, p. 114.
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or by rubbing carbon disulphide into the skin, or by eating sweet
nitrous substances, by which practices severe chronic poisonings are
produced.
In the Zentralblatt for July Mueller recites in detail the histories
of many mixed poisoning cases which are deserving of analytical
study by all physicians whose duties require them to treat obscure or
ill-defined occupational diseases. The effects of carbon monoxide,
arsenic, lead, phosphoreted hydrogen, acetylene, benzine, mercury,
sulphureted hydrogen, etc., singly and in various combinations, are
fully discussed in these clinical records, together with the complex
syndrome of symptoms.
The increasing use of substitute raw materials and the adoption of
new manufacturing processes in the industries are innovations which
demand and deserve impartial consideration. It is no longer possi
ble to assume that an industry which was formerly “ safe ” will
remain so; and it is a fatal mistake for the physician to ignore the
possibility of poisoning because a certain manufacturer, for example,
in 1912 made use of none of the materials designated as dangerous to
health in Sommerfeld and Fischer’s “ List of Industrial Poisons.”
Owing to the introduction of substitute products and the change of
processes necessitated by the lack of the usual raw materials, new
situations are constantly arising and new dangers are incurred.
Mueller emphasizes the fact that there has been a notable increase
in the number of mixed poisonings coincidently with the develop
ment of modern technical processes. He assigns as the chief reasons
for this increase:
1. The extensive use in various industries of materials which endanger the
health by their chronic effects.
2. Im purities: The processes are seldom executed with chemically pure
materials. (In fact, there is now no possibility of choice.)
3. Supervision and execution of many wholly diverse and variable industrial
processes by the same workman. Complete ignorance of the dangers inherent
in the materials used on the part of both workman and proprietor.
The dangers increase in the small shops and temporary factories especially,
where even the most primitive means of protection are wanting. These places
are not subject to factory inspection laws, and live in isolation by deceit and
fraud.
4. Frequent change of methods and processes:
( a ) By the compulsion of competition.
( h ) Since the war in particular, through modification of the finished prod
ucts, so that a characterization of the industry according to its specific
chemical hazard is no longer feasible. Industries which yesterday were free
from risk may be very dangerous to-day, though the changes in the processes
are not generally known outside of the business. They are kept secret in
order to avoid competition.1
1 L e n t r a l b l a t t f ü r G e w e rb e h y g ie n e , A u g u s t, 1019, p. 142
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Difficulties in the recognition of mixed poisonings are occasioned
by—
1. The atypical clinical picture. Experiment with mixed poisons has shown
that wholly new, peculiar reactions may result from combinations of poisons
acting together. Especially is it true that the effects of single substances are
seldom proportionately evident ; on the contrary, potentized action is to be
expected. By the formation of new chemical substances changes take place
in the chemical and physical conditions that can not be anticipated on account
of the extraordinarily complex proportions in which the toxic effect enters the
system.
2. Limited possibilities of reaction of the human organism. There are great
individual differences. Complication with diseases of a nontoxic character
(principally infectious) which may modify and mask the poisoning symptoms.
3. The difficulty of investigating the environment. The demands upon the
physician’s knowledge of chemical and technical relations are often very great
and require special concentration of attention. On account of the rapid evolu
tion of modern technique, it is very hard to secure a comprehensive view of the
dangers in the several industries. Trade secrets and opposition of the manage
ment very often prevent a thorough analysis of the situation.
4. Complete disorientation of the workman, and very frequently of the busi
ness manager, also, by means of which the investigating expert is put on a
false scent.
In view of the importance of a correct knowledge of mixed poisons
the following measures are recommended:
1. Extension of prophylactic measures. It is a duty to call attention to
threatening dangers in order that protection against them may be provided by
the State. For reasons already specified, a modern industry encounters great
dangers in connection with mixed poisonings. As a rule, it is impossible to
discover existing risks except by an analysis of the injurious effects resulting
from the employment.
2. By legislation concerning accidents the Government and the law should
require the physician to execute these diagnostic tasks whenever possible in
order to avoid inequities in the administration of the law.1
R ecom m endations C oncerning th e M anufac
tu re and Use of Wood Alcohol.
W
IT H a view of securing more specific and uniform regulations
for the use of wood alcohol throughout the country, the
National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness, with
the cooperation of the Safety Institute of America and the National
Safety Council, has been preparing recommendations which would
be applicable and fair to the various lines of manufacture in which
wood alcohol is used, and which would, at the same time, protect the
public from misuse of the poison. These recommendations are
3 Z e u t r a l b l a t t fiir G e w e rb e h y g ie n e , A u g u s t, 1919, p. 143.
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published in a recent issue of Safety,1 in an article by George L.
Berry, field secretary of the National Committee for the Prevention
of Blindness, who takes advantage of the publicity recently given
by the press of the country to cases of poisoning and blindness
from drinking wood alcohol, to emphasize the special industrial
hazards concerned in its use and to ask for suggestions toward the
perfection of the code of regulations. I t is stated that “recommen
dations are especially sought which will develop means of securing
proper ventilation for the worker, and will be just in their re
quirements so far as manufacturers are concerned. I t must be
determined, therefore, as to where the danger point is reached when
considering the ratio of evaporation to the cubic foot air content of
a workroom during a given period, say, an 8-hour work day.”
The recommendations of the committee follow closely those made
some time ago by the department of labor of the State of New York,
which appear in Bulletin No. 86 of the New York State Indus
trial Commission.2 Mr. Berry prepares the way for a thorough
appreciation of these recommendations by a concise account of the
dangers resulting from the use of wood alcohol, its manufacture,
the commercial and industrial purposes which it serves, and the laws
governing its use. He says:
The harmful physiologic action of wood alcohol may be induced by breathing
its fumes, by taking it internally, or by absorption through the mucous mem
branes of the body. Its effect is usually noticeable very shortly after exposure,
although this does not necessarily follow. It usually acts as an acute poison.
As before stated, vision may become impaired, total blindness occur, or death
itself result. One investigator has recorded more than 1,000 casualties which
have occurred during the past 20 years due to the use of this poison. It ap
pears, however, that there are some persons who are practically immune to
any toxic effect from it.
The wood alcohol used in the United States is obtained chiefly from the de
structive distillation of wood; hard wood, birch, beech, maple, oak, elm, and
alder being best for the purpose. * * * After distillation and refinement
the final product thus obtained is a commercial wood alcohol, usually sold at
95 per cent strength by Tralles’ alcoholometer. It contains from 10 per cent
to 20 per cent acetone and varying proportions of other organic, impurities.
A law was enacted by Congress in 1906, permitting the use of a
tax-free domestic alcohol for industrial purposes for which the high
cost of grain alcohol was prohibitive. The law requires that the de
naturing shall occur u in the presence and under the direction of an
authorized Government officer, with methyl alcohol or other de
naturing material or materials or admixtures of the same which will
destroy its character as a beverage and render it unfit for liquid
1 H a z a rd s in th e m a n u f a c tu r e a n d u se o f w o o d a lc o h o l, by G o rd o n L. B e rry . I n S a fe ty ,
S e p t.-O c t., 1919, pp . 1G1—170.
s This bulletin was summarized in an article in the M o n t h l y Review for May, 1918,
pp. 252-254.
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medicinal purposes.” In addition to the denaturing process, pharma
cists are permitted to denature alcohol in small quantities and to
sell this for nonbeverage purposes, each container to bear a “ poison ”
label.
Uses of Wood Alcohol.
J N THE arts and crafts wood alcohol is used in the making of
hats, artificial flowers, incandescent mantles, and other articles.
It is used as a solvent for shellacs, varnishes, and finishes used
in the manufacture of pencils, rattan goods, toys, passenger coaches,
carriages, furniture, pianos, organs, and picture molding, and in the
manufacture of airplanes. As a solvent for lacquers and enamels
it is used in the manufacture of brass beds, hardware, lighting fix
tures, patent leather shoes, and leather clothing.
In the chemical industries wood alcohol is used primarily as a
solvent for fats, volatile oils, camphor, resins, gums, varnishes, stains,
shellacs, alkalies, and various salts, and in the manufacture of cellu
loid; also as an extractive in the manufacture of smokeless powder,
fulminate of mercury, and other explosives, and as a reagent for the
detection of salicylic acid, the determination of boric acid, the prepa
ration of grape sugar, and as a substitute for ethyl (grain) alcohol
for other purposes.
In pharmaceutical and medicinal preparations it is used as an ex
tractive ; it is substituted for ethyl alcohol in washes, tinctures, lini
ments, patent medicines, extracts and essences, such as Jamaica gin
ger, lemon extract, witch-hazel, bay rum, and numerous cosmetic
preparations; and it is used in making the artificial oil of wintergreen, gallicin, methylal, methylene-blue, and methylene chloride.
It is also used to some extent as a fuel, as an illuminant, and as a
cleaning fluid.
For many of these purposes denatured alcohol may be used with
equal results. It is as cheap, if not cheaper, than methyl alcohol,
and, while not always free from the dangerous qualities (dependent
upon the nature of the denaturing agent), cases of poisoning from
it have been exceedingly rare. The only advantage possessed by the
wood alcohol over the denatured in manufacturing seems to be that
it is claimed by some manufacturers to have better solvent and drying
qualities.
Following are the regulations suggested by the National Com
mittee for the Prevention of Blindness for the uniform control of
the use of wood alcohol:
1.
Definition: By the term “wood, alcohol” is meant that substance whose
composition, according to chemical nomenclature, is methyl hydrate, CH3OH,
whether pure or containing other substances as impurities, and is intended
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to include either the crude or refined product under or by whatever name or
trade-mark the same may be called or known.
2. Any inclosure in which processes are conducted where workmen are
thereby exposed to the fumes of wood alcohol to the extent of one part per
10,000 volumes of air shall be isolated in such a manner that these fumes
shall not enter other workplaces occupied by employees not immediately
concerned with the process.
3. When the nature of the operation will permit, the same shall be carried
on under a hood or other partial inclosure leading into an exhaust whereby
the wood alcohol fumes shall be removed without reaching the operator.
4. In the case of workplaces where the fumes of wood alcohol in the gen
eral atmosphere might prove deleterious to the health of workers, natural
or mechanical ventilation shall obtain providing for the exhaust of contami
nated air at the rate of not less than 75 cubic feet of air per minute per em
ployee, and likewise providing a complete change of air throughout the work
place every seven and a half minutes or oftener,1
5. In processes involving the use of wood alcohol in small rooms, tanks,
vats, and the like, where adequate general ventilation can not be provided,
employees shall work on short shifts of from 20 minutes to not exceeding
two hours in length, and shall be equipped with either an oxygen respiratory
apparatus, a helmet connected by means of hose to fresh outside air supply,
or a satisfactory chemical absorbent helmet. Where workers are dependent
upon fresh air supplied from without the inclosure by means of hose con
nection, they shall in all cases be provided with a life line leading to the
outside, and be attended by a fellow operator.
6. All jugs, bottles, cans, barrels, or other receptacles in which wood alco
hol is stored shall be labeled as follows:
(Skull and Crossbones Represented)
Poison
Wood Alcohol
May cause blindness or death
if swallowed or inhaled
All containers of this nature shall be kept corked or properly covered when
not in use.
7. Where wood alcohol is used by employees in processes which require
that the hands of the operators come in continuous direct contact with this
material, impervious gloves shall be supplied by the proprietors of factories
where such processes are conducted.
8. Whenever it is necessary to enter an inclosure, tank, or still in which va
pors of wood alcohol are present, an oxygen helmet or other approved respir
atory device, as mentioned in section 5, shall be provided by the proprietors
and worn by the person obliged to enter such inclosure, tank, or still.
9. Whenever wood alcohol is used or manufactured in the process as an
incident of the business carried on, a printed sign shall be kept posted in all
such workrooms, calling attention to the dangerous nature of wood alcohol.
1 T a k e , fo r e x a m p le , a ro o m 10 f e e t s q u a re w ith c e ilin g 10 f e e t fro m floor. W e h a v e
h e r e 1,0 0 0 cu b ic fe e t of a i r to d e a l w ith . F o u r w o rk e rs a r e e n g a g e d h e re in . F o r e a c h
o f th e s e w o rk e rs 75 cu b ic fe e t o f a i r p e r m in u te is p ro v id e d , m a k in g a t o t a l o f 300
cu b ic fe e t p e r m in u te . In co n se q u e n c e o f th is , th e e n tir e a i r c o n te n t o f th e ro o m w o u ld
be c h a n g e d e v e ry th r e e a n d a t h i r d m in u te s . I n a w o rk p la c e 40 by 40 by 10 (1 6 ,0 0 0
cu b ic f e e t) , w ith th e sa m e n u m b e r o f w o rk e rs a n d t h e in ta k e of a i r a t th e sa m e r a t e of
75 cu b ic f e e t p e r m in u te , i t w o u ld re q u ire 53 m in u te s to effect a c o m p le te c h a n g e o f
a i r in th e w o rk ro o m , th u s n e c e s s ita tin g a r e a d ju s tm e n t o f th e in ta k e .
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This sign shall be prepared by the department of labor of the State industrial
commission for free distribution.
10.
While not required in plants where alcohol is manufactured, it is recom
mended that a runboard or walk shall be provided in each kiln when the
temperature of the acetate or lime being dried is such as to make it uncom
fortable for the operators to walk thereon. The use of wooden clogs in such
work proves very satisfactory when the structural nature of the kiln is such
as to prevent a satisfactory runboard or walk being provided.
Q ualifications of In d u s tria l P hysicians.
ROBABLY tlte greatest opportunity for the promotion of the
public health has arisen through the rapid development in in
dustry of medical departments—manned as these departments
should be by medical men giving their full time and thought to the
conservation of human lives,” says Dr. C. E. Ford in a paper on The
coordination of industrial and community health activities, which
was read before the health section of the eighth annual congress of
the National Safety Council, held in Cleveland in October, 1919.1
Dr. Ford then reviews the relationship of the public health depart
ment, the medical profession, and the public, and says:
The closest possible relation should exist between the private or industrial
physician and the public health official. Public-health departments heretofore
have been limited in their relations with individuals for the purpose of teaching
personal hygiene. The industrial health department can be made the new and
strong arm of the public health department in bringing about precaution in
matters of health. Morbidity statistics not now available may be secured, as
well as organized assistance in time of epidemic.
The demand for this sort of service by the far-seeing executive, unapprecia
tive of the necessary qualifications of a medical director capable of undertaking
the responsibility, has led many medical men, the recent graduate, the unsuc
cessful or moderately so, into the field of industrial medicine; but until qualified
men are created by university training or long and varied experience, the
cause of industrial medicine, and in turn of industry itself, will not obtain the
largest measure of benefit. It no longer suffices for an industrial organization
of any size to employ a part-time physician who utilizes Ins job to pay office
rent or automobile upkeep. The physician who considers accident work or
casualty surgery as a mere “ pot boiler ” or “ stop gap ” for a period of financial
stress will hardly prove ornamental to his profession.
To meet the present-day requirement of a medical director it seems that the
following qualifications, in addition to a medical degree, are essential:
At least five years of general practice, in that a knowledge of man and his
foibles may be acquired. * * *
The industrial physician should have a knowledge of practice, not necessarily
profound, of the fundamentals of industrial relations and these include applied
preventative medicine, medical and psychopathic medical investigation, recre
ation, accident prevention, and the methods leading thereto.
He should have knowledge of the special problems relating to the employ
ment of women and children; some knowledge of pensions and insurance, in1 T h e c o o rd in a tio n o f i n d u s tr ia l a n d c o m m u n ity h e a lth a c tiv itie s , by C. E . F o rd .
Journal of I n d u s tr ia l H y g ie n e , N ew Y o rk , D ece m b e r, 1919, pp. 402-407.
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eluding liability, group and social; some knowledge of plant organization,
which is likely to prove effective in dealing with the problems of labor.
He should have knowledge of employment methods ; some notion of job analysis,
physical and mental tests, to determine the fitness of applicants ; knowledge of
race problems, knowledge of industrial training, apprenticeship, continuation
schools for training in particular jobs; and at least some knowledge in relation
to the cost of living according to local standards.
He should have knowledge of the hours of work in relation to fatigue and
output ; knowledge of shift systems, rest periods, regularity, absenteeism, etc.
fie should have a t least a superficial knowledge of the security and continuity
of employment in slack seasons, while convalescing from accident or disease, in
case of labor-saving improvements, as well as with the advent of old age.
I-Ie should have a general knowledge of physical working conditions, safe
guards, disagreeable gases and dusts ; heating, lighting, ventilation, locker rooms,
wash rooms, rest rooms, restaurants, hospitals, laundries, toilets, showers,
plant beautification, drinking water. Of course he should be responsible for
the physical examination of applicants and the periodic reexamination of em
ployees, as well as the medical attention to families of employees when such is
supplied.
He should have very definite knowledge of housing, transportation, recreational
and educational facilities; the transfer and replacement of misfits, or as has
been said “ fitting the square peg to the round hole.”
He should be familiar with the follow-up work, especially among new em
ployees and with the injured; the replacement of injured and crippled em
ployees.
He should have at least some knowledge of the athletic and social activities,
company stores, commissaries, the type of house suitable for economic adminis
tration and housing problems generally.
He should be familiar with labor turnover and its cost ; designs and data for
the construction and operation of hospitals, lunch rooms, neighborhood and
community houses ; general education and Americanization, together with a
knowledge of broad methods of raising the standard of employees’ living condi
tions and ideals.
C oordination of F ed eral, S tate, and Local
A gencies to P rom ote In d u s tria l Hygiene,
PY l
United States Public Health Service has all the power
|
that may constitutionally be given to a Federal health agency;
it. has also a distinct industrial health program; and what the
country needs for the promotion of industrial hygiene is not exten
sion of Federal authority, but health education of the people in order
to secure good financial support to wdiat exists, according to a state
ment by Dr. Schereschewskv, assistant surgeon-general, United States
Public Health Service, in his address before the section on industrial
hygiene of the American Public Health Association, at New Orleans,
October 28, 1919.1
1 N eed a n d m e th o d o f c o o r d in a tin g F e d e r a l, S ta te , a n d lo c a l h e a lth a g e n c ie s in p r o
m o tin g i n d u s tr ia l h y g ie n e , by J . W . S c h e re sc h e w sk y .
I n A m e ric a n J o u r n a l o f P u b lic
H e a lth , B o sto n , D ece m b e r, 191 9 , pp. 9 3 7 -9 4 2 .
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The paper begins by calling attention to the lesson of the war in
the rejection of 34 per cent of males of military age because of
physical defects and diseases, and to the further fact that, as the
average age of industrial workers is higher than that of the popula
tion group examined for the draft and the physical impairments tend
to increase with age, it is to be expected that the number of physical
impairments in the industrial group is higher than it was among
those examined for the draft. The paper also refers to the introduc
tion of new health hazards into industrial life along with the de
velopment of new industries, such as the dye industry. It empha
sizes the better concept of the value of the individual to the Nation
which the period of reconstruction has brought, and the fuller reali
zation of the “ utter folly of permitting needlessly unhealthful condi
tions to sap the man power of the country, to relegate the individual
to the scrap heap at a time in life when he should still have many
productive years before him.’5
The need is, therefore, imperative for a constructive national policy for the
better production and conservation of industrial health. What we must aim
at is the application of the principles of public health science to the field of
industry so as ultimately to secure for all workers practically the same measure
of health protection no m atter in what part of the country they live. It is
evident that, in attaining this end, Federal, State, and local health agencies
must play an interlocking and coordinated part in improving health conditions,
so th at overlapping may be prevented, no power usurped, and yet each govern
mental agency perform its full duty.
Dr. Schereschewsky then discusses briefly the possibilities of Fed
eral activities in connection with State and local governmental
agencies. Existing health powers of the Federal Government, which
under constitutional limitations are investigative, advisory, coopera
tive, and, to a certain extent—not fully defined—regulatory, are in
main exercised through the Public Health Service, although other
Federal bureaus, such as the Bureau of Chemistry in the Department
of Agriculture, the Children’s Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics in the Department of Labor, have activities more or less related
to the public health.
Under these powers the Public Health Service is authorized (a) to investigate
any and all disease-producing conditions; (b) prevent the spread of disease
through interstate channels; (c) prevent the introduction of disease into the
country from without; (d) cooperate with and. aid State and local authorities
in carrying out health measures; (e) disseminate information to the public.
^
With these powers the Public Health Service may perform all
functions for improving industrial health which were specified in the
program to meet after-the-war needs proposed by the Public Health
Service and presented to Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury
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204
with an urgent appeal to provide the funds for carrying it out.1
In this connection Dr. Schereschewsky emphasizes that “ what we
need is not so much an extension of Federal authority in health mat
ters as the development of a sense of responsibility for good health
conditions in the people of the State and locality. It is the develop
ment of this sense of responsibility which will enable the Federal
Government to play its really powerful and useful part in improving
health conditions generally.” He says that the “ only limitations on
its activities are constitutional limitations and the extent of the ap
propriations granted by Congress,” and expresses the opinion that if
in the future public opinion demands an extension of its powers of
regulation, either a broader interpretation of the constitutional
powers or such constitutional amendments as may be needed may be
expected.
The Public H ealth Service Program .
T j R• SCHERESCHEWSKY discusses briefly the following fea
tures of the Public Health Service program : Health surveys of
industries; Industrial morbidity reporting; Adequate systems of
medical and surgical supervision of industrial workers; Establish
ment of minimum health standards; Improvement of the sanitation
of industrial communities; and Civil industrial establishments owned
and operated by the Federal Government. Regarding the first, he
says, “ it is not sufficient to study an industry locally. Surveys must
be extended to cover all typical geographical locations of the industry
under consideration in order to determine the differences, if any, of
its essential occupational hazards, because of variations in location,
type of management, provisions for health protection, type and degree
of local health organization and the like.” New industries which
have been established as a result of the war and which will become
permanent features in our industrial life must also be studied.
What the Federal health agency may best do in connection with
securing adequate systems of medical and surgical supervision of
industrial workers is to “ study and standardize such systems, out
lining the best methods, and creating a demand for the qualified per
sonnel necessary for carrying these into effect. States may help, by
exercising their police power, in framing regulations for such serv
ices, and in cooperating with industrial communities in establishing
industrial clinics.”
In the establishment of minimum health standards, the author
thinks that “ much research is still required to formulate practicable
1 T h is
p r o g ra m
w a s p u b lis h e d
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INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND MEDICINE.
205
standards for existing industries, and to keep pace with the introduc
tion of new industries and new processes.”
Attention is called to the highly satisfactory results which have
followed the cooperation of the Public Health Service with State
and local health authorities in improving health conditions in rural
districts by building up local health organizations, and the belief is
expressed that “ a similar system applied to industrial communities,
in cooperation with States, will aid greatly in improving the insani
tary conditions all too prevalent in many of our industrial centers.
Moreover, the cooperation of the Federal Government in such enter
prises is abundantly justified because the benefits reaped are not solely
enjoyed by the community but by the Nation as a whole.”
Such then is the program of the United States Public Health Service for the
improvement of industrial health. We have seen that this consists essentially
in investigation, leadership, advice, education, coordination of effort and co
operation. The intention is to supplement, not supplant, State and local govern
ment. The authority under law to play this important part is already in ex
istence; all that is needed is money and the acquisition and training of the
necessary personnel.
There is, at present, in, the States and communities a great need for the
coordination of their own health activities, so far as the improvement of indus
trial health is concerned. While general health functions are exercised by State
health departments, and in communities by local health departments, supervision
over industrial health is exercised by State industrial commissions, State de
partments of labor or State departments of factory inspection. In local health
organizations little or no provision is made for the improvement of working
conditions. There is great need for change and improvement here.
Since the public exercises, as a rule, its police and regulatory powers through
the State machinery, the pressing need, so far as States and communities are
concerned, is to improve and coordinate their organizations to this end. The
program of the Public Health Service, if carried out in the manner discussed,
will provide a basic knowledge of conditions requiring remedy, and furnish
minimum health standards. If States and communities assume their share of
the responsibility, they will provide the funds and machinery to put these
standards into effect.
In this manner, so far as geographically practicable, uniform working condi
tions and effective means for the conservation of industrial health will prevail.
Yet we must keep ever in mind that the purpose of any health organization,
Federal, State, or local, is not to multiply upon the statute books unnecessary
laws, nor to develop political organizations, but to become administrative agents
of the public purpose, now approaching realization, to translate into deeds the
newly developing sense of responsibility for local health conditions, to help
realize, so far as possible, uniform health conditions, and a favorable environ
ment for the growth and development of the present and future generations.
159898°—20---- 14
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Industrial Dermatoses to Be Investigated by
N ational Safety Council.
*
A
y INVESTIGATION of industrial dermatoses lias been under
taken by a special committee of tlie heal ill service section of
the National Safety Council, according to a statement in Hos
pital Management for December.1 This committee is composed of
Dr. Carey P. McCord, director, department of industrial medicine
and public health, University of Cincinnati; Dr. C. A. Lauffer, medi
cal director, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co.; and Dr.
C. F. N. Schram, medical director, Fairbanks, Morse & Co. A
questionnaire asking for information on the subject has been sent to
members of the council. In connection with the questionnaire it is
stated that skin diseases of various typçs are prevalent among work
ers and that in many instances these conditions result from the manu
facturing procedures in which the workers are engaged; that very
little information is available as to the frequency of these diseases,
the varieties and severity of them, the industrial processes that pro
duce them, and the best methods of protection against, and treatment
of, them ; and that for this reason the committee has been appointed
to compile all obtainable information on the subject and to make w
recommendations concerning the prevention and control of industrial
skin conditions.
Under “ industrial dermatoses ” the committee includes any note
worthy abnormality of the skin (hair or nails, etc.) that originated
incident to industrial working conditions, or was aggravated by such
conditions. This, it is stated, will include such lesions as rashes,
eruptions, inflammatory processes, hypertrophiest (thickening or
hardening of the skin) from hard use, such as on the hands or on the
lips, low grade chronic skin diseases from long exposure to peculiar
light rays or from certain heat processes, skin diseases from con
stant friction or pressure, loss of hair, etc. Properly speaking, most
burns are likely to involve the skin, but inasmuch as the common
types of burns from fire have been so well studied this committee
will not include this particular skin lesion. Such burns as chemical
bums, X-ray or radium burns, etc., are, however, of especial interest.
Three instances of industrial dermatoses are mentioned in order to
direct attention to other types of work which, upon investigation,
may yield helpful information:
1.
In industrial plants where wood is stained in imitation of mahogany, where A
certain color pigments and dyes are manufactured, in which anilin oil or its
derivatives are used or manufactured, workmen very often present a skin af
fection which has been attributed to the poisonous action of this chemical. In
1 Industrial dermatoses to be investigated.
ber, 1919, pp. 54-56.
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In H ospital Management, Chicago, Decem
[5 1 0 ]
INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND MEDICINE.
207
similar chemical manufacturing processes or in munition plants where various
compounds are used, such as picric acid, the skin of the forearms sometimes
shows an eruption of small pimples with a bronzing and some drying or rough
ness of the skin.
2. Among men working in tanneries, especially those handling the hides in
the vats which contain chemicals, such as lime, acid, or dichromate, an eczema
is often observed. This is found particularly on the arms and hands and often
pus is formed beneath the skin. Sometimes small ulcers are formed.
3. In the shoe industry in various processes the shoe is pressed against the
abdomen for steadying. This pressure for several hundred shoes per day, over
long periods of time, results in an hypertrophy of the skin over the area pressed
upon. This hardened thickened skin often becomes the site of low-grade
chronic inflammatory skin disease. Such conditions are readily preventable.
The following list of industries and trade processes in which cases
of industrial skin diseases are known to have developed is given:
Industry.
Trade processes.
Aniline dyes.
Automobile and parts________________ Machine shopping (oil).
Bakelite.
Boots and shoes_____________________Closing and blackening.
Boxes, fancy and paper______________ Paper box making (glue).
Brass and bronzy products________ ___.Acid dipping.
Clothing and textiles-------------------------Cleaning, dyeing.
Cordage, twine, jute________________ Combing, stranding (oil).
Dry cleaning and dyeing_____________ Dyeing and cleaning.
Electric apparatus, etc_______________ Pitching dry batteries.
Enameling and japanning____________ Enameling.
Foundry and machine shop products---- Welding, electroplating.
Furniture and cabinets______________ Polishing and veneering.
Glass manufacturing_________________Mixing ingredients (arsenic) ; decorat
ing (benzine).
Halowax.
Iron and steel mills__________________Galvanizing (sal ammoniac).
Lime manufacturing_________________ Grinding, slaking.
Marble and stone____________________Surfacing (oxalic acid).
Oil cloth and linoleum_______________ Mixing ingredients.
Paint and varnish manufacturing______ Cleaning with benzine, manufacture
varnish.
Paper and roofing paper_____________ Sizing with alum.
Rubber goods_______________________ Specialty work, making inner tubes,
cold cure.
Soap_______________________________ Handling soap.
Sterotyping and electrotyping_________ Tending batteries.
Stoves and furnaces_________________ Metal cleaning (naphtha).
Toys and games_____________________ Brazing.
+
It is stated that the list is far from complete and that very little
is known as to the methods for quick results in handling these dis
eases. Manufacturers are asked to help the committee by answering
a list of questions, including the following:
General nature of the product of the plant. What particular processes are
involved in the manufacturing of the products of your plant?
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Do you know of the existence at the present time, or at any time in the past,
of any kind of skin disease among the workers in any part of the plant?
Please supply all possible information as to the nature and characteristics
of the skin disease observed.
Have you on hand, or can you obtain, “ close-up ” photographs of these skin
diseases? (Please include photographs when returning this questionnaire.)
In what particular manufacturing processes did such conditions arise?
Please supply full details.
What percentage of persons in any involved department were affected?
Total number affected?
W hat has been the method of caring for and treating such patients?
What measures have been installed for the elimination of these conditions?
Are the protective measures instituted adequate?
In other plants in which you may have connections, or with which you may
be familiar, do you know of the occurrence of any skin disease attributable to
working conditions or to trade processes, etc.? If so, please supply all possible
information.
What general and specific processes do you believe this committee should
investigate as probable prolific sources of dermatoses? This question does not
apply to your own plant, but to industry in general.
Tlease refer us to any papers you may have published on industrial skin
diseases, or to any other published work of this nature, with which you may be
acquainted.
Please write your own views with reference to industrial dermatoses—prev
alence, frequency, causes, methods of treatment, their significance as an
industrial medicine problem, etc.
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^
*
[5 1 2 ]
m
W ORKM EN'S COM PENSATION.
C o n stitu tio n a lity of W orkm en’s C om pensation
Laws of N o rth D akota and Tennessee.
North Dakota.
N SPITE of the fact that the Supreme Court of the United States
has placed the stamp of judicial approval on practically every
variety of compensation law in force in its five opinions sus
taining as many State laws, an unwillingness to regard such legisla
tion as valid still manifests itself. Objection to the North Dakota
statute was raised by an employer, who was engaged in the real es
tate and loan business, having two clerks in his employ engaged in
keeping books, making records, and attending to correspondence and
similar work.1 The claim Was advanced that the business is in no
sense hazardous or dangerous, and that the act of declaring such es
tablishments to be dangerous is a violation of the rules as to classifi
cation, and not within the police power of the State.
The statute under consideration defines hazardous employment as
any employment in which one or more employees are regularly em
ployed, excepting agricultural and domestic service and common
carriers by steam railroads. Contribution to a State fund, in accord
ance with rates fixed by an administrative bureau on the basis of the
degree of hazard of the employment, is compulsory on every em
ployer coming within the act.
Besides the objection to classification, it was contended that the
act. violated provisions of the State and Federal constitutions as td
freedom of contract and the equal privileges and immunities of
citizens.
The action was brought through an application for an injunction
to restrain and prohibit the workmen’s compensation bureau from in
any manner enforcing the act. An interesting preliminary question
related to the power of the commission to appear in person in its
own defense, the attorney general of the State claiming to be the sole
legal counsel of the bureau and the only person entitled to appear
I
®
0
1 S t a t e o f N o rth D a k o ta ex re l. H e n r y A m e rla n d v . J o h n N. H a g a n , c o m m issio n e r
of a g r ic u ltu r e a n d la b o r a n d ex-officio m e m b e r o f th e W o rk m e n ’s C o m p e n s a tio n B u re a u .
O ct. 25, 1919. 175 N o r th w e s te r n R e p o rte r, p. 372.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
in its behalf. The attorney general filed a motion to dismiss the
application on the ground that it alleged no facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. One of the members of the bureau, himself
an attorney, had filed a return seeking to accomplish the same ends
by a somewhat different legal process, and the attorney general un
dertook to have this reply stricken from the records as being an
encroachment upon his exclusive prerogative. The court held that,
though the attorney general was the proper legal adviser of the
various departments of the State Government, he did not thereby
become the client as well as attorney so as to exclude such client
from taking legal steps in his own behalf.
Taking up the case on its merits, the classification of all employ
ments as hazardous so as to require insurance was found not to be un
reasonable but a proper exercise of the police power of the State
under its authority to do away with the old common-law principles
and substitute therefor a compulsory compensation system adapted
to the conditions and opinions in effect at the present time. This
conclusion was sustained by a reference to the recent decision by the
Supreme Court of the United States in Arizona Copper Co. v .
Hammer (39 Sup. Ct, 553). The act under consideration expresses
the policy of the legislature of the State as expressed by an overwhelming majority. The legislature having thus determined the in
dustry to be hazardous, the court declined to hold that the employees
of the petitioner in this case were under no hazard whatever. The
contention as to classification was therefore dismissed, while questions
of liability without fault and interference with the freedom of con
tract were disposed of in favor of the law, various decisions of the
State courts and the United States Supreme Court being cited.
Nothing arbitrary or unreasonable was found to be embodied in the
act, nor was there any unconstitutional delegation of judicial power
to the administrative bureau. The exclusion of certain classes of
employees does not give rise to objection on the ground of unreason
able discrimination and is in accordance with the provisions of many
State laws whose validity has been established by courts of last re
sort. The petition was therefore dismissed and the act sustained
against all the contentions raised.
A partial dissenting opinion was prepared by one justice, who
would not declare the act wholly void, but would establish reserva
tions, one declaring that the bureau has no right to collect premiums
until a schedule of rates has been made and published, which
schedule must be just and reasonable; while as to ordinary clerical
service and work in hotels and restaurants, it should be found that
there is no inherent and material risk, so that no insurance would be
required,
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WORKMEN 7S COMPENSATION.
211
Tennessee.
J^E SS authoritative than the foregoing is the decision of a circuit
court judge of Davidson County, Tenn. (Harrison v . Phillips
and Buttorff Mfg. Co.). A typewritten copy of the opinion in
this case sets forth that the plaintiff, Harrison, sued, by his father
as next friend, to recover damages for the loss of both hands while
working at a cutting machine. The youth was 18 years of age, and
alleged inexperience and ignorance of the dangers and also ignorance
of the provisions of the workmen’s compensation act which had only
recently come into operation. Proper allegations were made for a
suit for damages, to which the employers replied that they were oper
ating under the compensation law, so that this law constituted the
sole method of redress for the injured employee. The constitution
ality of the act was thereupon challenged. The court reached the
conclusion that the diversity of the laws of other States and the pe
culiar provisions of the Constitution of Tennessee differentiated the
case from any cited by the attorneys; while the absence of any de
cision by the supreme court of the State left the judge to be guided
by his own impression as to the conformity of the law to the constitu
tion of the State.
The statute excludes coal mining from its operation, as well as the
employees of the State and its municipalities. However, there is a
provision that coal mines may be brought within the act by written
notice by the employer, no reference being made to an option on the
part of the employee. These provisions were said by Judge Ruther
ford to be partial and unreciprocal, rendering the act subject to the
criticism of being arbitrary and vicious class legislation, and in viola
tion of the constitution. The failure to include coal mines, while
including copper mines, phosphate mines, and others of similar haz
ard, was said to be a classification not based on reason; while the
exclusion of public employees deprived, them of equal privileges with
other employed persons.
Another objection was to the provision relative to medical service,
which service the employer is required to furnish and “ the injured
employee s h a l l accept.” This mandatory provision as to acceptance
by the employee of the medical aid furnished was said to deprive
him of his liberty under the constitution of the State, arbitrarily
requiring him “ to submit to the treatment and take the medicine and
remedies furnished by the doctor of the company regardless of the
character of his ailment and injury, and regardless of the incom
petency or character of the physician or the deadly effect of his medi
cines and remedies.”
It was also held that the establishment of a fixed schedule for
maimings and the limitation of the compensation benefits to a maxi
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
mum named in the law did not provide “ remedy by due course of
law,” nor were “ right and justice administered ” thereby, as required
by the State constitution. The abolition of trial by jury was also
said to be unconstitutional, and the contention that election consti
tuted a legal waiver of this right was rejected by the court on the
ground that there was no adequate freedom of choice under the
presumptive provisions of the act.
Further objections were noted, the judge citing the decisions
of the New York court of appeals and the Kentucky court of
appeals holding the original compensation laws of their respective
States unconstitutional, anckarriving at the conclusion that “ the act
as a whole is in violation of the Constitution of Tennessee.”
No one who has followed carefully the decisions of the Supreme
Court of the United States on the subject can fail to recognize that
each point made by Judge Rutherford in his opinion has been ruled
against by the Supreme Court in so far as its relation to the Federal
Constitution and the police power of the State is concerned. There
remains, of course, the question of the construction of specific or
peculiar provisions of the Constitution of the State of Tennessee,
but against this must be placed the great volume of decisions by
State supreme courts, covering every section of the country, holding
laws of like tenor constitutional. Furthermore, Judge Neil, a judge
of the same county, who sat with Judge Rutherford during the hear
ing of the case above noted, prepared a memorandum expressing his
views, which, “ after giving it the most thoughtful consideration,”
are to the effect that the act is constitutional. Judge Neil admitted
that there is much authority to sustain Judge Rutherford’s view of
the case, but expressed his opinion “ that the weight of judicial au
thority was to the contrary.” An appeal was taken to the supreme
court of the State.
F in al R eport on In v e stig atio n of New Y ork
In d u s tria l Commission.
T
HE finai report on the investigation by Mr. J. F. Connor into
the management and affairs of the New York Industrial Com
mission was submitted to the governor November 17, 1919.1
This report reviews the two interim reports previously submitted,
presents much additional data on the operation of the compensation
law, including the results of an actuarial investigation of the State
1 R e p o rt o f in v e s tig a tio n by J e r e m ia h F . C o n n o r, a s c o m m iss io n e r u n d e r sec. 8 of th e
e x e c u tiv e la w , k n o w n a s th e M o re la n d A ct, in r e la tio n to th e m a n a g e m e n t a n d a ffa irs
of th e S ta te i n d u s tr ia l co m m issio n .
83 pp.
T w o in te r im r e p o r ts , re v ie w e d in th e
M o n t h l y L abor R e v i e w f o r J u n e a n d S e p te m b e r, 1919, d e a lt w ith d ir e c t s e ttle m e n ts
a n d w ith th e m a n a g e m e n t o f th e S ta te in s u r a n c e fu n d .
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fund made by Mr. Miles M. Dawson, and contains a number of specific recommendations.
Underpayments.
rT H E investigation brought out several highly significant facts.
Among the most important of these was the large number of
underpayments of compensation claims on the part of employers and
insurance carriers, particularly stock companies and self-insurers.
Of 1,000 unselected cases of direct settlements 114 were found to have
been underpaid. This underpayment amounted to $52,279.84, or
$459 per case. The total underpayments on the basis of the 1,000
cases would amount to $1,400,000 annually. An analysis of the 114
cases shows that the private stock companies and the self-insured
employers were especially guilty of this “ short-changing” practice.
The following table shows the average amount originally paid by
direct settlement, and the additional amount awarded after investiga
tion and rehearing, classified by type of insurance.
AVERAGE AMOUNT ORIGINA LEY PAID BY DIRECT SETTLEMENT IN 114 COMPEN
SATION CASES AND AVERAGE ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION AWARDED ON RE
HEARING.
Type oi insurance.
Stock insurance companies........................................................
Mutual insurance companies.....................................................
Self-insurers......... . ..........................
Total..............................................
♦
Number
of
underpaid
cases.
Average
amount
originally
paid by
direct
settlement.
Average
additional
compensa
tion
awarded on
rehearing.
79
6
29
§114
29
157
Î383
61
747
114
120
459
Mr. Connor's investigation of lump-sum settlements disclosed the
same deplorable practice of underpayment. Of 80 selected cases 20
were found to have been underpaid. The total amount originally
awarded on the final adjustment of the 20 cases before a deputy
commissioner was $29,018.67. The total amount awarded on rehear
ing of these cases amounted to $52,086.97. The claimants in these
cases were underpaid, therefore, in the sum of $22,468.30, an average
of $1,123 per case. The stock insurance companies were again the
chief offenders. Claims against the State fund were also found to
have been underpaid. In 11 cases in the Buffalo office, in which
claimants had been previously awarded a total of $2,742.14, the com
mission on rehearing awarded a total of $9,579.91. The average
underpayment was $622 per case. These underpayments by the State
fund were all confined to the special groups, some of which are com
posed of individual employers. It is evident that the employers in
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these special groups are directly interested m keeping down com
pensation cost.
The report states that since the enactment of the direct settlement
provision of the compensation law in 1915 injured workmen in New
York have been defrauded out of at least $5,000,000. Some of the
e\ ils found to exist were stated to be due to activities of insurance
carriers, some to defects in the statute, and others to a breakdown in
administration. All of the underpayments, says the report, have
inured to the financial benefit of insurance companies, self-insurers,
and others, such as employers having the Wynkoop Service.
Security.
Q N E of the stock insurance companies licensed to do business in
the State of New York has been taken over for liquidation by
the superintendent of insurance. The failure of this company made
the employers insured by the company directly liable for the pay
ment of compensation. This caused much delay in the payment of
claims, and, in several cases where the employer was irresponsible,
made it impossible for the commission to enforce payment of com
pensation to injured employees or the dependents of deceased employees. The delay has resulted in great hardships. In the case of ®
a mutual insurance company, which withdrew from business, pay
ments of compensation were made in full. The company had ample
assets because of its reserves, and the employers could have been
assessed if necessary to cover any deficiency.
According to the testimony, more than 15,000 employers have
failed to give security for the payment of compensation, although re
quired to insure by the compensation act. Most of these are small
employers, and many of them are financially irresponsible. Awards
by the commission arising from claims against these employers are
often uncollectible.
“
R unners/’
0 NE
intended to be obviated by the workmen’s compensation
law was the ambulance-chasing lawyer and the contingent fee
under which the injured employee received only a small part of the
amounts recovered for personal injuries. According to the report,
a system of “ runners ” has grown up under the administration of
the compensation law, resulting in conditions as bad, if not worse,
than under the previous system. A large number of persons in New A
York City, called “ runners,” are engaged in the business of hunt
ing up claimants and appearing with them before the State industrial
commission. This condition is especially prevalent among Italian
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WORKMEN 7S COMPENSATION,
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claimants and others employed along the water fronts in Greater
New York. In many cases, the claimant, acting in concert with the
runner and a physician, perpetrates a fraud upon the employer or
insurance carrier. Claims for minor injuries are withheld for sev
eral months, with the expectation, almost always realized, that, when
the case comes on for hearing, an award of compensation will be
made to the date of the hearing. This means a larger sum for the
claimant, and that is all paid in one sum, resulting in more to divide
with the “ runner.” In some cases, claimants have been known to
report accidents of this character against as many as three ditferent
employers.
State Fund.
S REGARDS the investigation of the State fund, the outstanding
feature of the report is the unquestioned financial solvency of
the fund and the saving of millions of dollars by employers insured
in the fund.
Says the report:
The actuarial report, and the evidence produced before me, show that the
total saving to the employers insured in the State fund during this period of
time, over and above what it would have cost had the same insurance been
carried by stock companies, was approximately $4,000,000.
This also shows that had the employers insured by stock companies placed
their insurance with the State fund they would have saved during the same
period, by reason of lower expenses and returns in form of dividends, the sum
of $18,000,000. * * *
The investments of the State fund are all of a high class, amply secured, and
not in default as to principal or interest.
The State fund is solvent and possessed of unimpaired reserves, at least
equal in value to all liabilities, accrued or to accrue, and of surplus sufficient
to w arrant dividends to all policyholders at the rates provided and to provide
for catastrophes, with a margin over to cover against fluctuation in experi
ence. * * *
The management of the State fund has been greatly handicapped through
civil service requirements and by reason of the fact that the salaries of all em
ployees are fixed long in advance. Under the budget system the salaries and
expenses of the State fund up to July 1, 1921, have already been estimated in
detail. This budget system works well in relation to the ordinary administrative
departments, but it is a severe handicap to a State insurance fund in competi
tion with other insurance carriers. No business institution can succeed when
it has no leeway in the amount it can expend for salaries and expenses, and it
seems impossible to make an accurate estimate at this time for the salaries
and expenses of an insurance company for the month of June. 1921. For this
reason I recommend that the State fund be permitted to pay its expenses from
the premium income under limitations to be laid down by the legislature.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Recommendations.
rp HE following are some of the more important recommendations
submitted :
M ake it a m isdem eanor fo r anyone to receive a fee in' connection w ith a
claim fo r com pensation except in an am o u n t d eterm in ed by th e com m ission in
o rd e r to curb th e a c tiv itie s of “ ru n n e rs.”
E x ten d th e tim e fo r filing claim s from one y e a r to tw o y e a rs an d provide
th a t th e tim e in d isa b ility cases sh all comm ence to ru n from th e d a te of dis
ab ility in stead of from th e d a te of th e accident.
R eq u ire a panel of p h y sician s to be d esig n ated by th e com m ission, utilizin g
th e advice of recognized m edical societies, am ong whom in ju re d w orkm en m ay
h av e free choice, w ith pow er co n ferred on th e com m ission to ad d to, o r to
rem ove from , such panel, a t th e ir discretion.
M ake claim s for com pensation a n d d e a th benefits an d a w a rd s m ade th e re
upon p referred over all o th e r claim s ag ain st, an d deb ts of, in su ra n c e com panies
as w ell as em ployers.
P e rm it th e com m ission to call an d re q u ire to be p aid in to a tr u s t fu n d th e
p resen t value of a w a rd s a g a in s t all in su ra n c e com panies.
R eq u ire stock com panies \to set up an d m a in ta in reserv es to m eet th e a c tu a l
liab ility upon each claim in ste a d of se ttin g up as reserv es a p e rcen tag e of its
prem ium s.
S elf-in su rers should be re q u ired to se t up a n d deposit re serv es in th e sam e
m an n er and in th e sam e am o u n t as o th e r in su ra n c e c a rrie rs.
All em ployers failin g to give se cu rity fo r com pensation should be a u to m a ti
cally in su red in th e S ta te fund, an d a su m m ary m ethod estab lish ed fo r th e col
lection of prem ium s an d p en alties fo r th e period d u rin g w hich th e in su ran ce
attach es.
The compensation law should be extended to cover all employees Avithout re
gard to the character of the employment.
T h e am o u n t of com pensation an d d e a th benefits should be g en erally increased,
p a rtic u la rly as reg ard s lim its.
T he S ta te fu n d should be au th o riz e d by law to pay expenses d ire c tly o u t of
its prem ium incom e u n d er such re s tric tio n s as m ay be la id down by th e leg isla
tu re.
Provision should be made for appointment by the governor of a n advisory
board selected from employers insured in th e S ta te fund to take part in its
management and to confer upon them extensive poAvers of revieAV and re g u
lation.
T he provisions fo r pro r a ta dividends in th e S ta te fu n d should be am ended to
give th e com m ission pow er to d eclare an y pay dividends according to th e in
d iv id u al experience of each em ployer.
T he p aym ent of fu tu re in sta llm e n ts in one sum should onlj>be g ra n te d a fte r
c arefu l investigation, a n d each case of th is c h a ra c te r should be p assed upon by
a m em ber of th e S ta te in d u s tria l com m ission.
In disposing of claim s a g a in st th e S ta te fu n d th e em ployee should be given a
h e a rin g in every case in th e sam e m a n n e r as re g a rd in g claim s a g a in s t oth er
in su ra n c e ca rrie rs.
T he com m ission should select th e sp ecialists em ployed by th e m edical division
of th e com pensation b u re a u by th e m edical officer of th e S ta te in su ra n c e fund,
an d re g u la te th e fees.
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w o r k m e n ’s c o m p e n s a t i o n .
217
All cheeks issued in p ay m en t of claim s by th e S ta te in su ra n c e fu n d should
be m ailed to th e claim a n ts in stead of delivered personally.
An a u d it of the S ta te fu n d should be m ade a t le a st once each y e a r by an
outside acco u n tan t appointed by th e ad v iso ry board.
All profit-m aking in stitu tio n s, such as th e W ynkoop Service a n d th e W olff
M edical Service, should be elim in ated from th e S ta te fund.
Mr. Baldwin’s Reply.
JN A statement to the New York Industrial Commission, copy of
which has been furnished the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mr. F.
Spencer Baldwin, former manager of the State fund, reviews the
findings and recommendations of Mr. Connor’s report. Most of Mr.
Baldwin’s statements deal with matters already reviewed in the
September, 1919, issue of the M onthly L abor R eview. Mr. Baldwin
favors most of the recommendations, some of which he lias long ad
vocated. His concluding comments upon both the findings and
recommendations of the report are as follows:
T he counsel an d a c tu a ry d eclare th a t “ th e u sefu ln ess of m u tu a lity is dem on
stra te d ,” and fu rth e r, th a t “ th e m ost conclusive d em o n stratio n of th e benefits
of m u tu a lity w as in th e S ta te fund, w h ere th e com bined losses a n d expenses
fo r 1918 w ere only 47 p er cen t of th e p rem iu m s com puted a t in su ra n c e com pany
ra te s .” In th is connection he expresses th e opinion th a t th e solution of all th e
difficulties in th e field of com pensation in su ran ce is “ to m ake in su ra n c e in th e
S ta te fu n d obligatory upon all em ployers, a u to m atically a tta c h in g , a n d to p ro
vide fo r assessm ent an d collection of p rem ium s by su m m ary process lik e o th er
ta x e s.”
A t th is po in t w e come upon a significant h ia tu s betw een th e findings of th e
counsel and a c tu a ry an d th e recom m endations of th e M oreland A ct com m is
sioner. T he fo rm er fav o rs th e g ra n t of a monopoly to th e S ta te fu n d a n d th e
elim in atio n of a ll o th e r fo rm s of in su ran ce. T he la tte r m akes no recom m enda
tion fo r th e exclusion of p riv a te profit-m aking com panies, b u t m erely proposes
th a t em ployers who a re not o th erw ise in su re d sh all be assum ed to be in su red
in th e S ta te fund. T he M oreland A ct com m issioner proposes a n am endm ent
m aking a ll em ployers fa ilin g to give se cu rity fo r com pensation a u to m atically
in su red in th e S ta te fu n d an d to e stab lish a su m m ary m ethod fo r collection of
prem ium s a n d p en altie s fo r th e perio d d u rin g w hich th e in su ra n c e a ttach es.
W h ate v er ju stificatio n m ay be u rg ed fo r such a n am endm ent upon gen eral
grounds, it w ould un q u estio n ab ly h av e th e elfect of e m b a rra ssin g th e S ta te
fu n d by fo istin g upon it p ra c tic a lly u n in su ra b le risk s rejected by th e p riv a te
com panies. T h a t is, every em ployer who could no t ob tain in su ra n c e in one of
th e com panies, or w ho neglected to ta k e o u t in su ra n c e w ould be a ch arg e upon
th e S ta te fu n d w ith resp ect to every accid en t o ccu rrin g in h is estab lish m en t.
I t is inconceivable th a t th e prem iu m s for such risk s, even if th ey w ere col
lectible by su m m ary process, w ould be sufficient to m eet th e liab ilities. T he
S ta te fund, m oreover, w ould have no o p p o rtu n ity to a d ju s t ra te s in advance
fo r these risk s or to enforce m easu res of accid en t p revention, as th e in su ran ce
w ould be forced upon th e S ta te fund a fte r th e occurrence of accidents.
T he fa ilu re of th e M oreland A ct com m issioner to m ak e an y c o n stru ctiv e recom
m end ations fo r th e extension of S ta te fu n d in su ra n c e is th o ro u g h ly consisten t
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218
M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.
w ith th e m a n ifest d e stru c tiv e p u rpose of
W ynkoop Service an d th e W olff Service as
these o rg an izatio n s re n d e r efficient service
criticism fo r profit m ak in g on a larg e scale
an d th e p aym ent of com m issions to b ro k ers
a te re tu rn in service ren d ered .
h is in v estig atio n . H e a ssa ils th e
profit-m aking in stitu tio n s, although
a t low cost, a n d h as n o t a w ord of
by th e p riv a te in su ra n c e com panies,
a n d ag en ts w ith o u t an y p ro p o rtio n
Recent Reports of Industrial Accident
Commissions.
California.
REDUCTION in the total number of industrial injuries for
the year 1918 as compared to 1917 is a feature of the report
of tlie California Industrial Accident Commisison for the
year ending June 30, 1919, the following preliminary summary of
which has been furnished the Bureau by the commission. In the
calendar year 1918 there were 101,767 industrial injuries as com
pared with 109,988 for 1917, a reduction of 5,221. There were, how
ever, 80 more industrial deaths in 1918 than in 1917, as shown by the ^
total for each year; 1918, 706 deaths; 1917, 626 deaths. The perma
nent injuries for 1918 numbered 2,100, as against 1,942 for 1917.
The temporary injuries were 101,961 in 1918, as compared with
107,420 in 1917.
A brief survey of the 706 industrial deaths shows that 59 occurred
in the shipyards of California, 40 on the high seas, 38 were electro
cutions, and 19 were from improperly guarded gears and cogwheels.
There were eight women killed while at work during 1918. The pro
duction of motion pictures caused three deaths, and six policemen and
two firemen were killed in the discharge of their duties.
A summary of the dependency following the 706 industrial deaths
shows that there were 817 total dependents as the result of 364 fatali
ties; 153 partial dependents were left in 80 fatal cases; in 246 fatal
cases there were no dependents, and in 16 fatal cases the degree of
dependency was unknown. The average age of the widows was 37.6
years. The age of the dependent children averaged 8.4 years.
Life pensions were awarded in 13 cases of serious and permanent
injuries. There were 21,969 injuries that caused a time loss of 11
days or longer. The remaining temporary injuries did not last
longer than the 10-day waiting period. There were 8 life pensions A
awarded in 1917.
The following table shows the number and the different kinds of
injuries for the years 1914 to 1918:
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219
WORKMEN" ’S COMPENSATION.
N U M B E R A N D T Y P E O F IN D U S T R IA L IN J U R IE S I N C A L IF O R N IA D U R IN G T H E Y E A R S
1914 T O 1918, I N C L U S I V E .
T y p e o f in ju r y .
1914
1915
1916
1917
D e a t h s ..........................................................................................................- ...........- P e r m a n e n t in ju r ie s ................................................................................................
E y e s s u ffe r in g im p a ir m e n t o f v i s io n or r e m o v a l..................................
A r m s a m p u t a t e d ............................................................................ - ......................
F in g e r s l o s t ...........................................................................................................- . L e g s or f e e t l o s t .............................................................. - ................. ; ................. T o e a m p u t a ti o n s .....................................................................................................
691
1,292
172
28
872
533
1 ,2 6 4
175
13
798
28
40
657
1 ,709
'2 0 2
20
900
26
33
626
1 ,9 4 2
230
28
904
32
34
54
1918
700
2 ,1 0 0
251
36
1,059
51
In 1918 there were 8 women workers killed, 2 in 1917, 4 in 1916, 2
in 1915, and 2 in 1914. The average age of the killed during 1918
was 39.9 years and the average wage was $25.01 a week, as compared
to 38.8 years and $22.26 a week for 1917. Occupational diseases re
ported in 1918 numbered 445 ; in 1917, 506 ; in 1916, 348.
The sum of $3,953,030 was awarded California’s 104,767 injured
workers (including the dependents of those killed) during 1918.
The sum of $1,228,617 represents the medical, surgical, and hospital
payments. The total of these two sums gives $5,181,647.
Compensation in California is compulsory, excepting for agricul
tural employees, household domestic servants, and those employees
whose employment is both casual and not in the course of the trade,
business, profession, or occupation of the employer. The latter may
elect compensation. Acceptances reported for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1919, numbered 1,618. This number, added to 20,689 pre
viously reported, makes the total now on file 22,307.
The commission has issued 189 certificates of consent to self-insure
to employers preferring the certificates to policies issued by the in
surance carriers. On June 30,' 1919, there was on deposit with the
State treasurer securities to the amount of $3,635,000 to protect the
192,994 employees in the service of the 189 employers.
Report of the Compensation Department,
jQ ITRING the fiscal year ending June 30, 1919, there were 1,679
contested cases filed with the commission, This total should not
be confused with the total number of industrial injuries. The latter
number more than 100,000 each year, and out of that total only 1,679
failed, during the 12 months noted, of adjustment between the em
ployers and employees. It was necessary for the commission to de
cide the issue in the contested cases. Since the first compensation
law became effective on September 1, 1911, down to June 30, 1919,
7,784 claims were filed because of controversies.
The commission disposed of 1,506 cases during the year, being
173 cases less than those filed. Compensation was awarded in 1,002
of the 1,506 cases and denied in 292; 78 cases were settled and 134
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
dismissed. The extent and duration of disability was the cause of
394 cases; whether injury was in course of employment, the cause
of 252 cases; dependency, the cause of 168 cases. The willful mis
conduct of the employer was the issue in 13 cases, and the willful
misconduct of the employee in 27 cases. The troublesome issue of
hernia appeared in 69 cases.
The influenza epidemic of last winter and the absence of employees
of the compensation department in war service were factors in in
creasing the average time consumed in the decision of cases from
56.6 days in 1917-18 to 67.8 days in 1918-19.
During the last fiscal year applications for writs of review from
decisions of the commission were made to the appellate courts in
48 cases. Writs were granted in 33 cases and denied in 15 cases.
Of the 33 writs granted the courts affirmed the commission’s deci
sions in 12 cases and annulled 9 awards. Proceedings were settled
and dismissed in 2 cases and 10 cases were pending on June 30, 1919.
Including decisions upon cases instituted prior to the last fiscal year,
48 decisions were rendered by the courts, and the commission was
sustained in 35 cases, or approximately 73 per cent of its decisions
taken up on appeal. There are pending before the United States
Supreme Court three writs of error from final decisions of the Cal
ifornia Supreme Court affirming the commission’s awards.
Injunctions were granted by the Superior Courts of San Fran
cisco and Humboldt County restraining the operation of an unsafe
elevator and an unsafe boiler.
Rehabilitation of the Permanently Injured.
HP HE commission’s records show that during the last three years
there have occurred in California each year an average of 200
fatal accidents where no dependents were left. Under the new
rehabilitation act, the sum of $350 must be paid into the State
treasury for each such death for the purpose of providing for “vo
cational reeducation and rehabilitation of workmen disabled in
industry in this State.” From this source there will be available
approximately $70,000 a year for the work, which corresponds with
that done for disabled soldiers of war by the Federal Govern
ment, as well as by the governments of other countries.
Industrial education is claimed to be the solution for these un
fortunate men, and it is stated the industries responsible for their
condition should bear the cost. The Federal Board for Vocational
Education estimates that it will cost about $1,000 to rehabilitate
the average soldier, based on a 12 month’s course. California’s “gen
eral average” is 12 to 14 years older than the average soldier, and
it is not believed a course of more than six months is advisable.
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221
W ORKMEN S COMPENSATION.
State Compensation Insurance Fund.
H^HE premium income for the first half of 1019 exceeded $1,500,000,
indicating the likelihood of a total volume considerably in ex
cess of $3,000,000 for the full year. As the total premium income
for all carriers is estimated at $8,000,000, the fund was, on June 30,
1919, doing about 40 per cent of the entire compensation business
of California, in competition with a large number of insurance com
panies and interinsurance exchanges. More than $1,000,000 have
been returned to policy holders in dividends, and over $1,000,000 have
been accumulated as a net surplus for protection against catastrophe.
All legal reserves for losses, unearned premiums, and expenses have
been set up and maintained.
The fund’s total admitted assets on June 30, 1919, were $3,398,749.35. and the total net surplus, after deducting liabilities, was
$1,100,923.60. There was invested in Government and municipal
bonds the sum of $2,611,993.26,
New York.
’jp H E annual report of the industrial commission of New York for
the year ending June 30,1918,1 contains as a portion of the matter
presented a report of the commissioner in charge of the bureau of
workmen’s compensation. This is the fourth annual report, and is
of particular interest because of the account given of the develop
ment of legislation through what may be called an intensive process,
by reason of the wide range of experience rapidly accruing in this
the principal industrial State of the Union, and also because of the
fact that the legislature meets in annual sessions. Although the law
was originally drawn with an unusual degree of care, a very consid
erable number of changes were found to be necessary to carry out
without confusion and with certainty the purposes of its proponents.
Many additions to the employments enumerated have been made from
time to time, the original list of designated hazardous employments
being found incomplete. Finally it was decided to make a sort of
blanket coverage by declaring the law applicable to all employer:; not
already covered if they should have in their employment four or more
“ workmen or operatives.” No sooner was this amendment brought
to a legal interpretation than its effect was found to be nullified by the
construction put upon it by the attorney general of'the State. The
term “ workmen or operatives ” was said to have a more restricted
1 N e w Y ork.
.T u n e 3 0 , 1 9 1 8 .
A n n u a l r e p o r t o f th e I n d u s tr ia l
A lb a n y , 1 9 1 9 . pp. 9 9 - 1 5 9 .
1 5S>8RS ° — 2<V
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th e
12
m o n th s
ended
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M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
meaning than the term “ employee,” used elsewhere in the act, and
refers to manual labor only, and not to clerks or those engaged in pro
fessional work. This was contrary to the intention of those interested
in procuring the amendment, and the recommendation is made that
the word “ employees ” be substituted for “ workmen or operators,
so as to avoid the implication of a restriction to manual labor. An
other amendment defines the term employee to include all the em
ployees of an employer whose principal business is embraced by the
act, thus determining the compensation rights of clerks and office
employees, concerning whom question had been raised on the ground
that they are not exposed to the hazards of the undertaking or busi
ness.
Other amendments are referred to, all tending toward liberality or
clarity and the simplification of procedure. Notwithstanding these
achievements the commissioner in this report recommended some 20
additional changes. One of these asked for a compensation rate of
75 per cent instead of 66f per cent, an analysis showing that at pres
ent the lav/ provides compensation not in excess of 50 per cent of the
loss to the injured workmen. The upper wage limit should also be
increased from $100 to $150 per month, and the maximum weekly
benefits from $15 to $20. A shortening of the waiting time was also
recommended. The widest departure of any recommendation was one
proposing to make injuries compensable if arising “ in the course of
employment ” only, instead of “ out of and in the course of employ
ment.” The ordinary rule of interpretation was said to be too nar
row, and a broadening of the act was held to be justified on the basis
of a “ sound social policy and in a generous view of things as they
should be.” It was pointed out that a recent court decision encour
aged a liberal interpretation, which should be incorporated into law.
The bureau maintains offices in New York City, Albany, Syracuse,
Rochester, and Buffalo, but more than one-half the cases (28,988 out
of 51,508 docketed as occurring during the year covered) are re
ported to the New York City office. The following brief table shows
the principal facts for four years. The period covered by each year
is for 12 months ending June 30 of the year named.
NUM BER
OE
A C CID EN TS AND
CO M PEN SA TIO N
1915 TO 1918.
CASES, Y E A R
E N D IN G
Item.
1915
1916
1917
Number of accidents................. ......... .............. ..............................
N u m b er of eompensation eases.......................................................
Death eases only for same time.......................................................
Percentage of compensation cases to whole number of accidents.
225,391
41,667
'812
273,385
313,406
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
18
52', 227
1.366
18
60,132
1,570
19
JU N E
SO,
1918
286.871
53,012
1,504
IS
w o r k m e n ’s
c o m p e n s a t io n ,
223
A statistical analysis of the compensation cases for the four years,
207,038 in number, is to be made by the chief statistician, the opinion
being expressed that this is “ a sufficiently large number to give very
closely all the laws governing accidents, as well as revealing cost;”
Following the report of the commissioner is that of the manager of
the State insurance fund. The year covered by this report is the
calendar year. The table below affords a review of the principal
facts connected with this fund for the three years 1910 to 1918.
COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF BUSINESS OF STATE INSURANCE FUND
Item.
1916
Number of policyholders....................................................
Premiums in force...............................................................
Net premiums written........................................................
Earned premiums................................................................
Expense incurred................................................................
Expense ratio to earned premiums................ .per cent..
Losses and loss reserve.......................................................
Loss ratio to earned premiums......................... per cent..
Dividends allowed...............................................................
Investments.............................................. ...........................
Surplus..................................................................................
9,966
1797,743.31
$2,048,128.91
$2,045, 925.52 :
$188,020.08
9.2
$1,890,229.34
92.4
$240,084.74
$1,854,642.50
$258,179.44
1917
9,984
810,576.79
$2,694,851.17
$2,681,376.01
$302,796.92
11.3
$2,448,465.00
91.4
$150,420.83
$2,680,155.00 ;
$398,682.22
1918
8,782
$940,902.83
$3,332,841,88
$3,282,965.24
$246,639.75
75
$1,660,473.70
50.5
$229,956.45
$4,184,288.00
$817,210.50
The reduction in the number of policyholders in 1918 is explained
in part by the retirement from business of small employers on ac
count of war conditions, and the cancellation of policies for nonpay
ment of premiums, due to a closer follow-up system. The volume of
premiums in force increased, however, indicating an actual growth of
the fund.
Besides the premium income of three and one-third million dollars
there was an interest income for the year of $156,309.25.
Disbursements of benefits for the year were as follows:
LO SSES
P A ID ,
1918.
Medical_______________________________________
$207. 097. 47
T em porary to tal d is a b ility _____________ - __________
P erm an en t to ta l d is a b ility _______ _________________
544, 061. 24
1,307.97
Dismemberment___________________________ ___
440,010. 71
Death—dependency_____________________________
Death—funeral expense_________________________
137. 723. 38
15,286. 75
1. 365, 217. 52
Total losses paid.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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SOCIAL INSURAN CE.
P rovision fo r R etirem en t of School T eachers in
D istrict of Columbia.
ONGRESS lias passed a bill, which received the approval of
the President on January 15, granting to the school teachers
of the District of Columbia a system providing for the retire
ment of aged or disabled teachers. Thirty-five States have passed
such laws, the majority of which are State-wide in scope although a
few are more restricted, applying only to certain cities, counties, or
other State subdivisions. It has now at last been recognized by
Congress that the best interests of the schools of the District of Co
lumbia demand a retirement system for its school teachers.
The law has the indorsement of the teachers, the Board of Educa
tion, the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, and various
civic bodies of the District.
In order to provide the funds necessary to pay the annuities which
become payable under the act, the law first provides that a sufficient
amount is to be deducted monthly from the salary of each teacher
to purchase an annuity equal to 1 per cent of his average annual
basic salary as fixed by the law of 1906 (Public, No. 254). The
amounts so deducted are to be deposited with the Treasurer of the
United States to be invested by him and credited to the individual ac
count of each teacher. In addition to the annuity thus created, an
amount equal to $10 for each year of service of the retired teacher is
to be paid by the Government from the same fund as the current
expenses of the District of Columbia are now paid or may hereafter
be paid.
The age of voluntary retirement for old age is 62 years and that of
involuntary retirement TO years. Pensions will not be paid for old
age unless the teacher has taught continuously in the public schools
of the District of Columbia from his fifty-second year. Teachers 45
years of age or over, or who have taught continuously in the schools
of the District for 15 years, who become disabled or physically or
mentally unfit may be retired. Credit is given for service as a publicschool teacher outside the District of Columbia to the extent of 10
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IN S U R A N C E .
225
years. However, the last 10 years immediately prior to his retire
ment must have been served in the public schools of the District of
Columbia.
The minimum annuity of a teacher who retires because of age is
$480 and the minimum for retirement because of disability is $420.
The maximum average annual basic salary on which annuities may
be computed is $1,500. Upon retirement the teacher receives for the
remainder of his life (1) the annuity which he has purchased out of
his salary, equal to 1 per cent of his average annual basic salary
for each year of his whole term of service, and (2) the annuity
of $10 per year for each year of service. For example, a teacher
who retires at 62 years of age after teaching 40 years at an average
annual basic salary of $800 would receive annually 1 per cent of his
average salary for each year of his service, or ($8 multiplied by 40)
$320, the amount purchased by the teacher; and in addition thereto
($10 multiplied by 40) $400, the amount contributed by the Gov
ernment to be paid from the same fund as the current expenses of
the District of Columbia, making a total annuity of $720.
All teachers accepting positions in the public-school service of the
District of Columbia are deemed to have accepted the provisions of
the law and the act is in no way to interfere with the right of the
school board to discharge a teacher. If a teacher resigns from the
service, dies before retirement, or is discharged he or liis personal
representative is entitled to receive the sums deducted from his salary
with interest at 4 per cent, compounded annually.
The sum of $50,000 is appropriated to carry out the provisions of
the act, not more than $5,000 of which may be devoted to clerical ex
penses. The Secretary of the Treasury is required to render annually
to Congress a detailed and comparative report of all receipts and
disbursements under the act.
An interesting question arises with regard to annuities for physical
disability. Recently Congress extended the provisions of the Federal
employees’ compensation act to the employees of the District of Co
lumbia, and it has been held that public-school teachers are included
thereunder. The question thus presented is whether a school teacher
who is receiving a pension for disability under this law will be per
mitted to receive compensation for his disabilities under the compen
sation act also. It will be interesting to note what solution will be
made of this problem.
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H ealth In su ran ce in R esolutions of A m erican
P ublic H ealth A ssociation.
ESOLUTIONS adopted by the American Public Health Asso
ciation, at the annual meeting at New Orleans, October 27-30,
1919, include the following relating to the matter of health insurance:
Whereas in the presidential address of Dr. Lee K. Frankel, president of the
American Public Health Association, and in the paper presented by Sir Arthur
NeWsholme, lately the chief medical officer of the local government board of
England and Wales, the question of health insurance was dealt with and the
need illustrated for some system whereby the health of the people of all the
countries represented by the American Public Health Association may receive
the greatest degree of care which science makes possible, and
Whereas it has been shown in various countries that this can only he done
by Governments assisting through legislation the medical and social agencies
at present existing ; be it
R e s o l v e d , That the American Public Plealth Association representing, as it
does already through its members, a large part of the official work already car
ried on through Federal, State, and municipal authorities, does hereby urge
the appointment of committees in the several countries represented in the As
sociation by tlieir Federal Governments, to study existing methods for the
preservation and improvement of the health of the people of these several
countries, such as hospital facilities, public health activities, charitable insti
tutions and compulsory health insurance, with a view to reporting some ade
quate plan for coordinating already existing activities and for extending the
application of scientific and social agencies for accomplishing the desired ends.
M atern ity Benefit System s in C ertain F oreign
C ountries.1
EARLY all the leading industrial countries of the world have
some kind of maternity insurance system. A recent report
issued by the United States Children’s Bureau 1 includes a
study of the systems adopted by Australia, Austria, Denmark,
France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland. Particu
lar attention is given to the British system because industrial condi
tions in that country most closely resemble those in the United States,
and because the results of the system have directed attention to the
needs of the wage-earning mother in an especially striking manner.
There are three kinds of maternity insurance systems now in use
m the above-mentioned countries:
N
1 M a te r n ity benefit systems in certain foreign countries,
2 0 6 p p , U n ite d States Children's Bureau Publication 57.
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1. Where no cash benefit is provided. The mother is furnished
both before and after confinement with skilled nurses and medical
attendance, for which she pays if she is able. Example: New Zealand.
2. The State furnishes outright a sum of money from State funds.
Example: Australia, which pays the substantial sum of $25 on oc
casion of childbirth.
3. The insurance method. Contributions are collected from the
employer and insured person and sometimes from the State. Money,
medical aid, and institutional care are available on the birth of the
child. Example: Great Britain.
Most of the systems provide aid for the unmarried mother. In
New Zealand only is she excluded.
To avoid creating additional administrative machinery, these ma
ternity systems have been combined, whenever possible, with the sick
ness insurance systems.
In 1913-14 the Commonwealth of Australia paid out $3,284,839 in
maternity benefits, a sum representing 3 per cent of the consoli
dated revenue of the Government. In France, the National Govern
ment pays each year $1,000,000 and the local governments another
$1,000,000 in maternity allowances. Under the abnormal conditions
caused by the war the German Government appropriated 5,000,000
marks monthly for maternity benefits.
The operation of the British maternity benefit system is revealing
much valuable information in connection with the general question
of the relation of economic conditions to public health. It has been
made clear, for example, that expectant mothers were in many cases
under the necessity of running every kind of risk, because they could
not afford to cease work. The assurance of receiving the maternity
benefit encourages them to seek, and enables them to obey, medical
advice during pregnancy, thus protecting themselves, partially at
least, from poverty and the evils of ignorance. The relief afforded
from insecurity, with its attendant strain, is emphasized by insured
persons when expressing appreciation of the benefit.
The tendency seems to be toward compulsory systems. France and
Great Britain, although previously opposed to it, went on record at
the last international congress on social insurance at Borne in 1908,
as favoring the compulsory plan. No country which has tried a
form of maternity insurance has ever abandoned the plan; on the
contrary, amending laws have in practically every case extended
the system.
The systems in vogue in the various countries are given in consider
able detail. In most cases information is given on the following
phases of the plans; History of present system; industries or occu-
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pations included; persons included; benefits; sources of income; gen
eral and financial administration; operations; opinions of legisla
tors, employers, wage earners, social workers, etc., as to effect of the
system.
Sources of information are given in practically every case and there
is an extensive bibliography of general sources at the end of the
volume.
M odification of B ritish O ut-of-W ork D onation
P lan.
CCORDING to the British Labor Gazette for December,
1919 (p. 524), it was decided that the out-of-work donation
scheme1 instituted in November, 1918, in connection with
the demobilization of the war forces and of workers in war indus
tries should be discontinued on November 24, 1919, in so far as it
relates to civilian workers. The scheme originally was intended to
last for a period of six months, but owing to the high rate of un
employment it was decided in May, 1919, to extend the scheme in
modified form for a further six months.
The numbers claiming donation rose rapidly during December, 1918, but the
greatest increase was shown during January, 1919, the number at the end of
that month being almost double that recorded at the end of December. The
maximum point was reached at the beginning of March, when nearly 800,000
were claiming donation, of whom more than half were women. From that date
onward there was a rapid decline, but on May 24, when the original scheme
should have terminated, there were still over 400,000 claiming donation. The
labor situation improved very rapidly at this time and this was reiiected in a
marked decrease in the number of applicants for donation, though some of the
decline was also attributable to the inability of th e ' applicants to satisfy the
conditions attached to the extension of the original scheme, particularly in the
case of women. By the end of .Tune the total number had fallen to only 233,000
and the number of women applicants was less than a quarter of that recorded
at the end of February. The decline continued until September 26, when the
total was 100,731, of whom the women applicants formed less than one-third.
On September 22 the ¡Holders’ dispute began, and this was followed on
September 26 by the strike of railway workers. The effect was soon apparent
in the increased number of applications from men and hoys, particularly in
the engineering and iron-founding trades, and on November 21 there were
108,320 male applicants, of whom 45,889 were in these trades. In the case of
women’s industries, however, which were not affected hv the molders’ dispute,
the decrease continued, and on November 21 there were only 29,317 female
applicants for out-of-work donation at employment exc hanges.
1 S e e M o n t h l y L abor R e v ie w f o r J a n u a r y , 1919 (p. 6 2 ), F e b r u a ry , 1919 (p p . 8 8 - 9 0 ) ,
a n d M a y , 1919 (p p . 8 5 - 1 0 0 ) , fo r d is c u s s io n o f th e o u t-o f-w o rk d o n a tio n p la n .
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The Gazette gives the number of persons on donation on November
21, 1919-—“ the late date for which there will be complete records
for civilians as well as for ex-members of His Majesty’s forces”—
as 491,546, compared with 408,708 on September 19, prior to which
date there had been a continued decline since the maximum figure of
1,093,400 was reached on May 2. Of the 491,546 persons receiving
benefits, 353,909 were ex-service men and women, and 137,637 were
civilians; and of these 137,637 persons, 29,317, or 21.3 per cent, were
females. On November 28, the latest date for which figures are given
in the Gazette, the total number of applications by ex-service men
and women had increased to 358,823, of which 5,155 were filed by
women.
I t is stated that on November 25, 1919, an extension of the dona
tion to ex-service men and women came into force whereby a pay
ment of 20 shillings to men and 15 shillings to women can be made
to those persons who have exhausted their rights to donation under
the original scheme. Up to December 6, 20,496 applications under
the special extension scheme had been approved.
#
P ensions fo r Em ployees of S ta te In d u stria l
E stab lish m en ts in F ran ce.1
A
LAW promulgated October 21, 1919, provides for a minimum
retirement pension of 1,800 francs2 for each male employee
who shall have reached the age of 60 years and been 30 years
in the State service, and 1,500 francs for each female employee who
shall have reached the age of 55 years and been 30 years in the State
service, in any of the following branches : Manufacture of tobacco and
matches, State warehouses for manufactured goods in transit, general
bureaus of printing and engraving ( a t e l i e r d u t i m b r e .), bureaus of
posts and telegraphs and of mints and medals, military establish
ments under the supervision of the ministers of war and industrial
reconstruction, and arsenals and naval establishments, subject to the
regulations concerning premium payments into the national old-age
retirement fund, and in consideration of which a pension shall have
been or will be payable at a date subsequent to December 31, 1618.
A minimum pension of 1,500 francs is payable to laborers enrolled
in, the marine service, and laborers enrolled as second class in the
^ a r m y ; 1,650 francs to head and first-class workers in the army who
w have reached the age of 50 years and have served 25 years.
1 Journal Officiel de la République Française, Paris, Oct. 22, 1919.
2
Conversions into United States money are not made owing to fluctuations in value
of the franc. Norm ally the par value of the franc is 19.3 cents.
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The pension is increased one-thirtietli for those eligible to retire
ment after 30 years and one-twenty-fifth for those eligible to retiremerit after 2-5 years of service, for each year of service over 30 and
25 years, respectively.
These minima will be substituted for total or partial invalidity
compensation now in course of liquidation, subject to the same con
ditions as to date.
An employee may be retired for total disability after 15 years of
service, but in that case the pension for those required to serve 25
years to be eligible to retirement shall be reduced by one twenty-fifth
for each year not served up to 25. An employee may be retired for
partial disability after 20 years of service, unless the administration
provides him with other employment, but in that case the pension
shall be reduced one-thirtieth for each year not served up to 30, In
neither of these cases is age to be taken into consideration.
Length of service in the Army or Navy on account of which a
pension is allowed is counted in establishing the right to a pension
and the period of service, but shall not enter into the computation
for determining the amount of pensions, which shall be awarded
upon the years of civil service and reduced by one-thirtieth or onetwenty-fifth, as the case may be, for each year not served of the 30 ^
or 25 years required.
The regulations in force concerning laborers’ widows’ pensions
are modified as follows, effective January 1, 1919: A widow’s pension,
whether the husband was retired or died while in service after at
least 15 years of service to the State, dates from the day following
the death of the husband, provided marriage was contracted at least
tw o years before the date of cessation of service, or that he leaves
one or more children issues of that marriage prior to the cessation
of service.
The widow’s pension is equal to one-third of that to which the
husband was entitled at the time of his death, either by length of
service or as an invalidity pension. In case there are left three or
more children under 16 years of age, or who are unable to perform
any work, this pension is increased to one-half of that to which the
husband was entitled at the time of death.
When the number of children under 16 years of age, or disqualified
for -work, falls below7 three, the pension is reduced to the minimum
above set.
Full orphans, if pensioned because of the death of the father, are
entitled to one-third, and if three or more in number to one-half, of ^
the pension to which the father would have been entitled; if pen
sioned because of the death of the mother, they are entitled to one-
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231
tliiid of the mother’s earned pension. These pensions are payable
until the youngest child shall have reached the age of 16 years.
Employees in the naval service may, within six months, voluntarily
change their status under present pension laws and become subject
to this law. TVlien the status is so changed the length of service is
considered, both in determining the eligibility for retirement and in
calculating the amount of pension.
Reduction of State Subsidies to U nem ploym ent
Funds in France.
A
^
N
^
^
CCORDING to the Journal Officiel (Paris) for October 18,
1919, the President of France, on October 17, signed a decree
amending previous decrees relating to State subsidies to
municipal and departmental unemployment funds.
By decree dated April 19, 1918, provision was. made for the es
tablishment of unemployment funds, and the amount to be paid to
workers partially unemployed as a result of lack of raw materials or
coal was fixed at 3 francs per day for adults and 2 francs per day
for boys under 16 for each full cla}r of unemployment. The new de
cree modifies this provision by increasing the unemployment benefit
to 4.5 francs for adult males and to 3 francs for boys under 16 years
of age, provided, however, that the total relief so granted does not
exceed one-half the wage locally current.
Under the decree issued January 26,1919, the State subsidy payable,
between February 1 and November 15, 1919, to unemployment funds
for workers partially unemployed for the reasons stated above, was
fixed at 60 per cent of the relief granted, on condition that 20 per
cent be contributed by employers. This decree has been modified by
a provision that from November 16, 1919, to March 15, 1920, the State
subsidy shall be 40 per cent and the employers’ contribution 30 per
cent, and beginning with March 16, 1920, the subsidy shall be 33 per
cent and the employers’ contribution not less than one-third of the
expenses resulting from relief paid to their staff.
The decree of October 17 also amends the decree of January 14,1919,
which provided that the State subsidy to funds granting unemploy
ment relief to persons out of work for other reasons than lack of
raw materials or coal, for a period of 10 months from the issue of
the decree, should be 75 per cent of the relief paid in cash, within
certain limits. The new order fixes the subsidy for the period
November 16, 1919, to March 15, 1920, at 50 per cent of the amount
of relief paid, and restricts it to 33 per cent of the amount of relief
on and after March 16.
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New Regulation of M aternity Insurance in
Germany.1
LAW enacted on September 26, 19192 has amended, abrogated,
and supplemented a number of those sections of the German
Workmen’s Insurance Code which deal with maternity insur
ance. Briefly summarized the principal provisions of the law are
the following:
Women in confinement who during the year preceding confinement
have been insured against sickness for at least six months on the
basis of the Workmen’s Insurance Code or in a miner’s sick fund
shall be entitled to the following maternity benefits: (1) An allow
ance not to exceed 25 marks3 for the services of a midwife or medi
cal treatment if such are needed during pregnancy; (2) a lump sum
of 50 marks for defraying the costs of confinement: (3) a pecuniary
maternity benefit to the amount of the pecuniary sick benefit but of
not less than 1.50 marks per day, inclusive of Sundays and holidays,
for 10 weeks, of which at least 6 must fall in the period after de
livery: and (4) to mothers nursing their infants at the breast a
nursing benefit to the amount of half the pecuniary sick benefit
but of not less than 75 pfennigs per day, inclusive of Sundays and
holidays, for a period of 12 weeks after delivery. The same benefits
are payable to the wives of insured workmen and to the daughters,
stepdaughters, and foster daughters who live with them in the same
household and are themselves exempt from the obligation to insure,
and also to all women of moderate means in confinement, but with
the restriction that their pecuniary maternity and nursing benefit,
which, as they are not insured, can not be based on the pecuniary
sick benefit, shall amount to 1.50 and 0.75 mark per day, respectively.
The law defines a woman of moderate means in confinement as a
married woman in confinement whose husband’s and own income in
the calendar or fiscal year before delivery has not exceeded 2,500
marks, or an unmarried woman in confinement whose yearly income
has not exceeded 2,000 marks. This income limit is to be increased
by 250 marks for each living child under 15 years of age.
In the case of insured women in confinement or of insured persons’
wives, daughters, stepdaughters, and foster daughters who live with
them in the same household and are themselves exempt from insur
ance, but not in the case of women of moderate means in confinement,
the by-laws of sick funds may extend the period during which a
1Reichs-Arbeitsblatt. Berlin, Oct. 27, 1919, p. 773.
2 Reichs-Gesetzblatt, 1919, pp. 1757-1763.
3 Owing to fluctuations in the value of German money, conversions into American
money are not made. Normally the par value of the mark is 23.8 cents and of the
pfennig 0.0024 cent.
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pecuniary maternity benefit is payable to 13 weeks and that during
wllich a nursing benefit is payable to 26 weeks. The by-laws of sick
funds may also increase the amount of both the pecuniary maternity
benefit and the nursing benefit of insured persons’ wives, daughters,
stepdaughters, and foster daughters who are themselves exempt from
insurance up to one-half of the pecuniary sick benefit of the insured
person, and may also grant medical treatment to sick noninsured
members of the family of an insured person as well as a funeral
benefit in case of death of the consort or a child of an insured person.
In place of the pecuniary allowances for costs of medical and mid
wife’s services and of confinement, the sick funds, miners’ sick funds,
etc., may also grant free treatment by a physician and midwife as
v eil as the required medicines. In such a case all women in con
finement, without exception, and therefore also women of moderate
means, are entitled to these benefits in kind.
In order to put the sick funds on a financial basis which will en
able them to grant these increased maternity benefits, the new law
has increased the regular contributions to sick funds from 4.5 to 7.5
per cent of the basic wage of the insured persons. The contributions
may not be increased to an amount exceeding 7.5 per cent of the
basic wage except when it is required for covering the payment of
the regular benefits or upon joint resolution of the employers and
insured persons. Funds which grant medical treatment to sick non
insured members of the family of an insured person and a funeral
benefit in the case of death of the consort or a child of an insured
person, may levy a higher contribution from insured persons who
have a family.
I ne granting of the benefits to the insured persons and to the
members of their families is to be effected through the local sick
fund to which the insured person belongs. In the case of women of
moderate means in confinement the benefits shall be paid by the
general local sick fund of the district of which the woman in con
finement claims legal residence, and if such a fund does not exist
the rural sick fund shall pay the benefits. Persons employed in
agriculture and domestic servants, who under articles 418 and 435
of the Workmen’s Insurance Code are exempt from the obligation to
insure, must be granted by their employer from his own means the
maternity benefits provided by the present law for those female
members of their families who are not subject to compulsory ina surance. If the employer fails to provide the benefits prescribed by
the law the rural sick fund or the general local sick fund shall on
request pay these benefits to the persons in question. The employer
must then refund the benefits to the sick fund. Benefits paid by
sick funds to women of moderate means in confinement are refunded
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to them in full by the national treasury, which also refunds onehalf of the regular benefits paid to insured persons’ wives, daughters,
stepdaughters, and foster daughters who are themselves exempt
from compulsory insurance. The sick funds shall report all dis
bursements for maternity benefits to the insurance office of their
district, which shall have the right to refuse refund of improperly
made disbursements. The decision of the insurance office in this re
spect may be appealed to the superior insurance office, the decision
of which is final.
In so far as under other legal provisions a family member exempt
from insurance has a claim to compensation for damages due to ma
ternity, this claim is transferred to the sick fund or the agricultural
employer up to the amount of the benefits paid by them. If a sick
fund has thus been compensated the national treasury shall have
a claim to one-half the compensation received by the sick fund. In
so far as an unmarried woman of moderate means in confinement has
a claim on the father of her child for compensation of costs of con
finement and other costs, her claim is transferred to the national
treasury. Claims for support of a woman in confinement against
relatives responsible for her support are likewise transferred to the
national treasury. The father of the child and the relatives are ^
jointly liable to the national treasury as debtors.
Thus the new law' has not enlarged the sphere of persons entitled to
maternity benefits as compared with the emergency decree on ma
ternity benefits issued April 23,1915, but it has considerably increased
the benefits. The lump-sum benefit has been increased from 25 to 50
marks, the daily pecuniary benefit from 1 mark to 1.5 marks and the
duration of this benefit from 8 to 10 weeks, the allowance for services
of a midwife and physician from 10 marks to 25 marks, and the
daily nursing benefit from 50 to 75 pfennigs. A noteworthy inno
vation is that according to the new law all legal claims for compensa
tion of a woman in confinement due to maternity are transferred to
the sick funds which pay the benefits and to the national treasury, up
to the amount of the maternity benefits granted.
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LABOR LAWS.
New T ransport Act in Great Britain.
A
NEW railroad-control act passed the British Parliament and
received royal assent on August 15, 1919. The act provides
for the creation of a ministry of transport and for a unified
governmental control of all railroads and other means of transporta
tion. The ministry also has the power to extend or improve exist
ing lines or to construct additional facilities. This control is tem
porary, the law lapsing after two years. Only those terms of the
act which directly affect the employees of the railroads are here con
sidered.
The minister of transport is given authority to fix railroad tariffs
and wages. At the same time the financing of the railroads remains
as far as possible in the hands of the owners.
No employee is to be required to accept conditions of employment
or remuneration less favorable than those now enjoyed by said em
ployees. If any question arises as to the application of that prin
ciple the matter is to be referred to a permanent arbitrator or board
oi arbitration appointed by the Lord Chancellor. The findings o f
such an arbitrator or board shall be carried out forthwith. All em
ployees are guaranteed the maintenance of all their existing rights
as to wages, terms of employment, pensions, sick benefits, and other
allowances. Advisory committees are provided for, which the min
ister may consult before formulating general policies such as may
affect rates, wages, and services.
Sections Affecting Industrial Relations.
fjp HE principal sections of the law affecting industrial relations are
here reproduced in fu ll:
3 (c). The directors and other persons concerned with the management, and
officers and servants of any undertaking of the whole or part of which, or of the
plant whereof, possession is retained or taken shall obey the directions of the
minister as to the user thereof, and any directions of the minister in relation
to the undertaking or part or plant thereof of which possession is retained or
taken—
I. As to the rates, fares, tolls, dues, and charges to he charged; subject, how
ever, to the provisions hereinafter contained respecting references to the
advisory committee established for advising as to directions on the matters
aforesaid;
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II. As to the salaries, wages, and remuneration and conditions of employ
ment of persons employed on or in connection with the undertaking;
III. As to the working or discontinuance of the working of the undertaking
or any part thereof, including directions as to keeping open or closing of any
stations;
IV. For securing that the permanent way, rolling stock, plant, appliances,
or equipment, whether fixed or movable, are satisfactory in type and design;
Y . As to the carrying out of alterations, improvements, and additions which
the minister considers necessary for the public safety or for the more efficient
and economic working of the undertaking;
VI. For securing cooperation between undertakings and for securing the com
mon user of facilities, rolling stock, and equipment, whether fixed or movable;
VII. For affording running powers over their system, or any part thereof, to
the owners of any other undertaking;
VIII. For securing that manufacturing and repairing facilities and auxiliary
and ancillary services shall be used, and the purchase and distribution of
stores shall be conducted, in such manner as may be most conducive to economy
and efficiency.
Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing the minister to com
pel the owners of any such undertaking either to incur capital expenditure,
or to draw upon their reserve funds, for new works or capital improvements to
an extent which would seriously interfere with their finances, it being the inten
tion that the financing of the undertakings from a capital point of view shall
remain as far as possible with the owners.
21 (1) For the purpose of giving advice and assistance to the minister with
respect to a n d .fo r safeguarding any interests affected by any directions as
to rates, fares, tolls, dues, and other charges or special services, a committee
shall be appointed, consisting of five persons, one being a person of experience
in the law (who shall be chairman) nominated by the lord chancellor, two
being representatives of the trading and agricultural interests nominated by
the board of trade, after consultation with the associated chambers of com
merce, the central chamber of agriculture, and other interests concerned, one
being a representative of transportation interests nominated by the minister,
one being- a representative of labor interests nominated by the minister of labor,
after consultation with the parliamentary committee of the Trades Union
Congress and other interests concerned, together with, if deemed advisable, one
additional member, who may, at the discretion of the minister, be nominated
from time to time by him.
(2) Before directing any revision of any rates, fares, tolls, dues, or other
charges, or of any special services, the minister shall refer the matter to the
committee for their advice, and they shall report thereon to him, and where
such revision is for the purpose of an increase in the net revenue of any un
dertakings which the minister determines to be necessary, the committee shall
also advise as to the best methods of obtaining such increase from the different
classes of traffic, having due regard to existing contracts and the fairness and
adequacy of the methods proposed to be adopted. Before prescribing the lim
its of rates, tolls, or charges in connection with a new transport service estab
lished under section 9 of this act, the minister shall refer the m atter to the
committee for their advice.
(3) The committee, before reporting or advising on any matters referred to
them under this section, shall, unless in their discretion they consider it un
necessary or undesirable to do so, give such public notice as they think best
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adapted for informing persons affected of the date when and the place where
they will inquire into the matter, and any persons affected may make repre
sentations to the committee, and, unless in their discretion the committee con
sider it unnecessary, shall be heard at such inquiry, and if the committee in
their discretion think fit, the whole or any part of the proceedings at such in
quiry may he open to the public: P r o v i d e d , That for the purpose of this pro
vision the council of any city, borough, burgh, county, or district shall be
deemed to he persons affected in any case where such council or any persons
represented by them may he affected by any such proposed revision as aforesaid.
(4) The committee shall hear such witnesses and call for such documents
and accounts as they think fit, and shall have power to take evidence on oath,
and for that purpose any member of the committee may administer oaths.
(5) There shall he paid out of moneys provided by Parliament to all or any
of the members of the committee such salaries or other remuneration as the
minister, with the consent of the treasury, may determine.
(6) For the purposes of this section, “ special services” means the services
mentioned in section 5 of the schedule to the orders relating to railway rates
and charges, and in the corresponding sections of the schedules to the orders
relating to canal tolls, rates, and charges, confirmed by various acts passed in
the years 1891 to 1894.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
(23) (1) For the purpose of giving advice and assistance to the minister in
connection with the exercise and performance of his powers and duties, the
minister shall set up a panel of experts, and of impartial persons of wide com
mercial and trading experience, appointed from nominees, after consultation
v itli the various undertakings and interests concerned, of the various classes
of undertakings affected by this act, and of labor,'trading interests, local au
thorities. and such other interests as he may deem desirable.
(2) Before exercising any of the powers under subsection (1) ( h ) of sec
t i o n 3 of this act, to the exercise of which the owners of the undertaking con
cerned object., or establishing new transport services by land or water, the
minister shall refer the matter to a committee selected by him from the said
panel.
(3) The advisory panel or any committee to whom any matter is referred
under this section shall, before reporting or advising, if they see fit, give
public notice and permit any person affected or likely to be affected to place
his views before them either orally or in writing.
(4) Any member of the advisory panel, or any committee thereof, or of any
other committee established under this act, for giving advice and assistance to
the minister, shall be considered to be acting entirely in a confidential capacity.
Creation of Central Wage Board.
^ SIDE from this act but somewhat connected with it there may be
noted the fact that the organizations of employees whose mem
bers are concerned in the negotiations with the Government for the
standardization of railroad wages have made arrangements with the
Government for dealing with questions of wages and conditions of
employment during the period of the present control of railroads
under the ministry of transport by a central board of five railway
managers and five representatives of the trade-unions. The em159898°—20-— 1G
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ployee representatives are to comprise three members from the -Na
tional Union of Railwaymen and two from the Associated Society
of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. Each side has power to
add a sixth member.
The following item from the British Labour Gazette1 explains
the powers of this central board :
^
Failing agreement by this central board, matters in dispute and belonging
to the category mentioned, namely, wages and conditions of service, will be
referred to a national wages board, consisting of four railway managers, four
railway workers (or their representatives), and four users of railways (of
whom one shall be nominated by the parliamentary committee of the Trades
Union Congress, one by the Cooperative Union, one by the Federation of British
Industries, after consultation with other industrial organizations, and one by
the associated chambers of commerce, after similar consultation), with an
independent chairman appointed by the Government. It has been agreed by
the unions concerned that no strike shall take place on account of a dispute
arising on these matters until one month after the question in dispute has
been referred to the national wages board.
Local committees, to which m atters of purely local and other than national
importance are to be referred, will be set up, and discussions are taking place
at the present time as to their constitution, scope, and functions.
The Government and the railway men are also considering what
representation shall be given the latter in connection with the new
railroad control act. The advisory committee or panel mentioned in
section 23 of the act has been set up. It consists of 16 members, 12
railroad managers and 4 representatives of the workers. It includes
the following members :
■%
Mr. C. Aldington, Great Western Railway ; Mr. J. Bromley. Associated Society
of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen ; Sir Alexander Kaye Butterworth, North
Eastern Railway; Mr. C. T. Cramp, National Union of Railwaymen; Mr. C. H.
Dent, Great Northern Railway; Sir Francis Dent, South Eastern & Chatham
Railway ; Sir Sam Fay, Great Central Railway ; Sir William Forbes, London,
Brighton & South Coast Railway ; Mr. D. A. Matheson, Caledonian Railway ;
Mr. F. Tatlow, C. B. E., Midland Railway; Right Hon. J. H. Thomas, M. P.,
National Union of Railwaymen ; Sir Henry Thornton, K. B. E., Great Eastern
Railway ; Mr. A. G. Walkden, Railway Clerks’ Association ; Sir Herbert Walker,
K. C. B., London & South Western Railway; Mr. Arthur Watson, C. B. E.,
Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway; Sir Thomas Williams, London & North West
ern Railway.
Checkweighmen Act of Great Britain.
HE widely spread practice of paying for the mining of coal by
weight, the miners being authorized by law to appoint a ♦
checkweighman, received additional extension by a British
law of recent enactment (ch. 51, 9 and 10 Geo. 5). This law, known
as the Check Weighing in Various Industries Act, 1919, applies to—•
1December, 1919, p. 516.
T
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0
#
The production or manufacture of iron or steel, including any
process of founding, converting, casting, rolling, or otherwise finish
ing iron or steel.
The loading or unloading of goods, whether as cargo or stores,
into and from vessels.
The getting of chalk or limestone from quarries.
The manufacture of cement and lime.
Any other industry to which the provisions of this act may be ex
tended by regulations made by the secretary of state.
The appointment of the eheckweighmen in these industries is to
be made in the form provided for by the coal mines regulation acts.
(These acts authorize the persons interested to employ at their own
cost a person to be stationed at the place appointed for the weighing
of the coal, and at each place appointed for the making of deductions.
Such persons are to have every facility for carrying on their work,
but not to impede or interfere with the progress of the work of the
establishment.)
Special provisions are made in annexed schedules for the different
kinds of industries, so as to adapt the methods used to the specific
conditions. Where the quantity is determined or estimated otherwise than bv weighing, the checkweigher is to perform such duties
as the circumstances render proper. Penalties are provided for the
disclosure of any trade secret or other information with regard to the
employer’s business which the checkweigher may become aware of
by reason of his position. Employers are required to post notices
and distribute copies of the regulations made for the carrying out
of this act. Disputes are to be settled by arbitration either by a
specially appointed arbitrator or by a judge of the county court.
L abor Laws of Czecho-Slovakia.1
HE LAW of October 28, 1918 (No. 11, Compiled Laws), pro
vides for the temporary validation in Bohemia of the Aus
trian laws, and that of December 10, 1918 (No. 64, Compiled
Laws), recognizes for the time being the validity of the
laws of Hungary in Slovakia. The Austrian labor laws, with the
exception of the law relative to sick funds, being considered more
libera] than those of Hungary, it is intended to introduce them
gradually also in Slovakia.
Several modifications of the Austrian labor laws have already
been enacted and are here briefly set forth.
T
£
1 L a C o n fé re n c e d u T r a v a il e t l ’É t a t T c h é c o -S lo v a q u e .
S ocial. P ra g u e , 1919,
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
The Austrian Civil Code was amended March 19, 1916 (No. 69.
Compiled Laws), in so far as it related to labor contracts. This
amendment provides for the payment of the contract wages at cus
tomary periods. Workers who have been in the same employment
over two weeks are entitled to the receipt of wages even when, owing
to sickness, disability due to an accident, or force majeure, they
do not perform work, but only for a period not in excess of one
week. Workers are also entitled to pay for loss of time due to
the act of the employer. An employer is required to organize his
establishment and working appliances so as to safeguard the life and
health of employees, and if the employee lodges and boards with
the employer’s family, consideration must be given to the health,
morals, and religion of the employee.
The term of service ends as a rule on the expiration of the labor
contract. Common laborers who are paid by the hour, day, piece,
or task, may, however, be discharged on one day’s notice, or on
Saturday when the employee is dependent mainly on his labor or
when weekly wages have been agreed upon. Skilled laborers who are
dependent mainly on their labor may be discharged only after four
weeks’ notice, and all others only after two weeks’ notice. Similar
notice of his intention to quit service is required on the part of an
employee. Contracts may be terminated for valid reasons. Em
ployees, upon termination of contract, may demand a certificate set
ting forth the length of employment and the character of service
performed. The certificate shall, however, not contain any note or
remark which will create a moral prejudice against the employee.
Hours of Labor.
rp HE LAW of December 19, 1918 (No. 91, Compiled Laws), estab-*• fishes an 8-hour day or a 48-hour week. In certain classes of
•work (transportation, agriculture, etc.) agreements for a longer
day are valid provided the 48-hour week or a total working time of
192 hours during a 4-week period is observed. The act applies in gen
eral to all industrial establishments, State-operated factories and
establishments, public and private associations, foundations, groups,
or societies engaged in work for the public welfare or of public utility,
mines, below7 or above ground, and metallurgical establishments, and
to persons regularly employed in agriculture and forestry not living
with the employer’s family and paid by the day, week, or month. Per
sons living vdtii the employer and under contract for a period exceeding one month, or persons in personal service, including those receiv
ing payment in kind, shall be allowed 12 hours’ rest in each 24, of
which 8 must be unbroken and at night. Laborers shall have a rest
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LABOR LAWS.
241
period of 32 consecutive hours each week, which must include Sunday,
and persons working in the home of the employer shall have a rest
period of not less than 18 consecutive hours each week. In establish
ments operated continuously, with three shifts, the Government may
authorize a 52-hour week, and a reduction of the weekly uninter
rupted rest period from 32 to 24 hours, twice within a three-week
period. In case regular operation is interrupted by reason of a
catastrophe or accident, or if public interests or other special circum
stances require it, the number of hours of labor may be increased not
to exceed 240 hours extending over 20 weeks, in any one year, pro
vided there is no other method of making up the loss of production.
X i g h t w o r k .—Work between 10 p. m. and 5 a. m. is prohibited, but
certain classes of establishments may be authorized to work at night.
In these the work may be divided into two shifts, but no night shift
shall work more than seven hours, male persons alone being per
mitted to work.
S u n d a y r e s t .—Sunday rest is obligatory in all industries and occu
pations, but in certain classes of work, such as the cleaning of dwell
ings, repairing, that of watchmen, the taking of a yearly inventory,
work to safeguard against imminent danger, and in establishments in
which work can not be stopped without affecting their normal opera
tion. or in the preparation of perishable products, etc., Sunday work
may be authorized.
Employment of Women and Children.
rpiTE employment of women in industrial and commercial establish
ments and in mining during the six weeks following parturition
is prohibited, except that upon a physician’s certificate they may be
employed in mines after four weeks from parturition. All women
engaged in industry, agriculture, or household duties are covered by
the obligatory sickness-insurance law. ( S e e Social insurance.)
The law of December 19, 1918 (No. 91, Compiled Laws), prohibits
the employment of women between 9 p. m. and 5 a. m., except that the
employment of females over 18 years of age may be authorized for
short periods in establishments preparing perishable products (sea
sonal industries), in establishments where work is continuous, and
in work demanded by the public interest, if such work is not ardu
ous. This law has been interpreted to include dairies, hotels and res
taurants, railroad ticket offices, telephone and telegraph services, daily
newspapers, theaters, etc., hospitals, asylums, prisons, etc. The law
relating to daily hours of labor is applicable to women with the addi
tional provision that “ for women employed in factories the consecu
tive weekly rest of 32 hours shall begin Saturday not later than 2 p. m.”
Certain groups of establishments have been granted authority to dis
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
regard this provision when the weekly hours of labor per week do
not exceed 48. Females under 18 shall not be employed in work
detrimental to their physical development. Males only are permitted
to work underground. The provisions of the Austrian law relating
to dangerous and unhealthy processes or occupations remain in force.
The same law extends the laws for the protection of minors to all
classes of young persons. The employment of children under 14
years of age, unless they shall have completed their schooling, is
prohibited. Males under 16 and females under 18 may not be em
ployed in any work injurious to their health and physical develop
ment. All persons under 18 years of age working in industrial estab
lishments shall be granted the leave required for attending con
tinuation and trade schools.
The employment of children under 12 years of age is absolutely
prohibited. Those 12 years of age and over may be employed with
out compensation but only under conditions not injurious to health,
nor detrimental to their physical or moral development, and provided
they continue to comply with the school attendance law. They may
not be employed before school hours in the morning, nor during the
two hours preceding the afternoon session. In agriculture, and
domestic labor this prohibition is limited to the noon recess. Work
during vacation is limited to four hours daily in agriculture, and six
hours in domestic service. Labor on Sunday and religious holidays
and all domestic and agricultural work between 8 p. m. and 6 a. m.
is prohibited. In restaurants and saloons it is prohibited to employ
children at waiting on patrons and pouring drinks. Neither may
they be employed in public shows. In other occupations work is
prohibited between the hours of 8 p. m. and 7 a. m. Rooms assigned
to domestic work must conform to requirements of hygiene and
safety. Children working for wages who do not belong to the family
of the employer may be paid in part in kind, but only in clothing,
food, lodging, and school supplies, and never in alcoholic beverages.
The distribution of spirituous liquors and tobacco during working
hours is prohibited.
Work on State Account.
PjPHREE decrees are in force providing for State supervision of
labor conditions on work done by contractors. Employers must,
so far as possible, employ citizen laborers, preference being given to
those living near the place where work is being done. Employers are
required to take all necessary precautions to safeguard the life, health,
and morality of employees, and, in construction work, to assure their
lodging and board. Wages must be paid in legal tender. Minimum
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wages in the clothing industry are fixed by a wage board composed
of State officials, employees, and employers. In fixing such wages,
not only the character of the work but also living conditions in the
locality shall be considered. Employees engaged in the finishing
processes are not subject to any deduction from wages for light, heat,
or materials or working tools furnished. They are to be reimbursed
for thread purchased by them.
Social Insurance.
HP HE LAW of December 10, 1918 (No. 63, Compiled Laws), as
amended, requires that every citizen shall work to his full
physical and intellectual capacity, either as an employer or employee,
and provides that all persons whose wages are the principal source,
of their income and who are unable to secure employment, demobi
lized soldiers, and persons especially worthy of assistance are entitled
to unemployment benefits not in excess of 5 crowns1 per day. If the
employee is the head of a family he is allowed 1 crown in addition
for the wife or common-law wife and 1 crown for each child under
14 years of age, the total benefits in no case to exceed 10 crowns per
day. If suitable work is provided in the district in which the em
ployee is residing it must not be refused. This law was enacted as a
mere temporary measure suited to conditions after the termination of
the war. The Government has under consideration the enactment of a
definitive law on unemployment relief. The draft of this law provides
for unemployment insurance through workers’ mutual aid organiza
tions, which are to be under State control and will be subsidized by
the State. Only members of such organizations are to have a claim
to unemployment relief.
The Austrian laws relative to employment bureaus, jurisdiction of
the common law and industrial arbitration courts, the right of associa
tion and combination, and collective contracts remain in force.
S i c k n e s s i n s u r a n c e .—Sickness insurance is obligatory (law of May
15, 1919, No. 68, Compiled Laws) for persons regularly working
for wages or salary, under contract or as apprentice, and whose wages
are their principal source of income. Those earning over 3,500
crowns a year are exempt. All industries—agriculture, forestry,
railroad work, mines, and domestic labor—are included. For cer
tain classes such insurance is elective. Employees of the State, Prov
inces and communes, and of public foundations, when paid a fixed
yearly salary and entitled to at least 39 weeks’ sick leave, with pay,
are excluded.
From the first day of sickness insured persons are entitled to free
medical attendance, including the services of an obstetrician and
1 Value not known.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
midwife if necessary, and to the necessary medicines and other thera
peutic means. In cases of sickness in excess of three days a pecuniary
benefit equal to 60 per cent of the wages of the insured person, but not
exceeding 6 crowns per day, shall be granted for a period not exceed
ing 39 weeks. In maternity cases the insured are entitled to the
pecuniary sick benefit for as long as they are unable to work and after
parturition during a period not in excess of six weeks. If the mother
nurses her child at the breast she receives in addition to the regular
sick benefit a nursing premium equal to half the sick benefit for a
period of 12 weeks. In case of death of the insured his survivors are
granted a funeral benefit equal to 30 times his daily wages, but never
less than 90 crowns. Insured persons may have free treatment in
a hospital instead of the medical treatment, medicines, and pecuniary
benefit described. One-half of the pecuniary benefit is, however, pay
able to the descendants and ascendants of the insured person during
the entire period of his stay in a hospital.
The by-laws of sick funds may permit sick, funeral, and maternity
benefits to be granted also to those descendants and ascendants of an
insured member who are dependent on him and are not subject to com
pulsory insurance. Special funds may be established for purposes
connected with sickness insurance, such as aid to sick persons and
convalescents, prevention of contagious disease (tuberculosis, vene
real diseases), alcoholism, etc.
The means for the support of the various sick funds are procured
by assessments levied in the form of a percentage—not in excess of
25—of the daily wages of the insured persons. The employees pay
two-thirds and the employers one-tliird of the premium rate fixed
by the fund to which the workman belongs. The employer is held
responsible for the payment of the entire premium. If the worker
does not receive any cash wages the employer must pay the whole
premium.
Six kinds of sick funds are authorized to insure workers against
sickness: (1) Regional funds, (2) establishment funds, (3) tradeunion funds, (4) mutual funds, (5) benevolent funds, and (6) vari
ous authorized mutual aid societies. All funds authorized to insure
workers against sickness are subject to State control.
A c c i d e n t i n s u r a n c e .—Accident insurance is compulsory for all
persons employed in factories, blast furnaces, mines, quarries, ship
yards and subsidiary establishments, in building operations, in es
tablishments manufacturing or using explosives, in agriculture and
forestry when using machinery requiring other than man power, on
railroads, in transportation, in cleaning work, in storage houses,
and in theaters, and for fire departments, night watchmen, stone cut-
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LABOR LAWS;
ters, well diggers, etc. All accidents, whether the fault of the em
ployee or of the employer, are compensable, but the employer is held
responsible when the accident is due entirely to liis intentional act.
The employer bears the entire burden of the cost of insurance by con
tributing to the insurance fund 2.7 per cent of wages paid by him.
Compensation is payable beginning with the fifth week of disability,
benefits for the first four weeks being paid by the sickness fund.
When yearly earnings exceed (5,000 crowns, that amount only is con
sidered in calculating the compensation, which shall not be more than
two-thircls of the annual earnings. If death ensues a funeral benefit
of 150 crowns and survivors’ benefits become payable.
A nnual Leave by Law for M anual W orkers in
A u stria .1
X JULY. 1919, the Austrian ministry for social welfare
( S t a a t s a m t f ü r S o z i a l e V e r w a l t u n g ) submitted to the National
Assembly a bill providing for an annual vacation for all classes
of wage workers as being necessary to the maintenance of health.
The bill had the indorsement of the executive committee of the
Federation of Austrian Trade-Unions ( G e w e r l ' s c h a f t s k o m m i s s i o n ) ,
was passed by the National Assembly, and became effective on Au
gust 21, 1919. Thus an old demand of the working class lias for the
first time received legal sanction through enactment of a national
The law is applicable to all male and female workers covered by
the Industrial Code or article 2 of the mercantile employees’ law,
to all workers employed in undertakings not subject to the In
dustrial Code and belonging to the State, a Province, a commune, or
other corporation, to all railroad workers, workers of navigation,
public amusement and theatrical enterprises, and to miners. The
circle of persons covered by the law may be extended by the minister
of social welfare.
The law grants to workers employed one year in the same estab
lishment annual vacation of one week with full pay computed on
the basis of the average weekly earnings during the last 12 weeks of
the year in question. If the worker has been receiving board as
part of his compensation he is entitled to receive, in addition to his
pa}g an amount equivalent to one day’s pecuniary sick benefit for
1 Soziale Praxis uml Archiv fiir V olkswohlfahrt, p. 904.
Also, Arbeiter-Zeitung. Vienna, July 27, 1919.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
each clay of his leave. Workers who have been employed over
five years in the same establishment, and juvenile workers under
16 years of age, are entitled to two weeks’ annual leave with pay.
In order to prevent employers from evading the obligation by dis
missing a worker before the leave falls due, the law provides that
leave must be granted if at least 10 months’ service has been com
pleted or if 10 months has elapsed since the previous leave. Work
ers who have given notice themselves before their leave falls due or
who have been dismissed for some weighty reason lose all claim
to leave.
In establishments where not more than five workers are employed
the leave may be divided into two parts. If an employer is short
handed during the leave season and can not employ temporary labor,
he may increase the regular hours of labor to the extent of two hours
a day; but this must not affect the individual worker for more
than 14 days consecutively in a year. The rates of pay for such
overtime must be 50 per cent higher than the ordinary rates. The
works councils are to be consulted with respect to the date on
which leave shall begin, the possible division of leave in two parts,
and overtime work made necessary owing to the granting of leave.
These questions may, however, also be regulated through collective ^
agreements and through executive order of the minister for social
welfare. Contraventions of the law are punishable in accordance
with the provisions of the Industrial Code and the mine workers’
law,
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HOUSING.
Comparative Cost of Building, 1913 and 1919.
By Le R oy K. Sherman, P resident, U nited States H ousing Corporation.
HE United States Housing Corporation has completed the con
struction of some 6,000 houses and 64 dormitories. These
houses are located in 25 different places in the United States,
from Vallejo, Calif., to Bath, Me. Most of this work was done dur
ing the period of the war emergency and at a time when efficiency
meant speed rather than cheapness, so that the actual cost of these
houses was greater than would be the case under normal conditions.
However, with the experience of the builders and the estimating and
purchasing departments of the United States Housing Corporation,
it has been possible to compile comparative estimates of cost of a
typical six-room house in 1913 and in July, 1919, under normal condi
tions of procedure.
For the purpose of comparing the cost of dwelling-house construc
tion there was selected a six-room frame dwelling house. This house
is a very common and popular type of dwelling and is described on
page 375 of Volume I I of the Report of the United States Housing
Corporation. It is two stories with basement, having the living
room, dining room and kitchen on the first floor and three rooms, with
bath and toilet on the second floor. The outside dimensions of the
floor plan of the house are 22 feet 8 inches by 23 feet 8 inches. The
cubical content is 14,900 cubic feet.
Specifications.
rHH IS house has a monolithic concrete substructure wall 8 inches
thick from footings to the bottom of first-story floor joists, and is
plastered from grade to the top of the wall with white cement plaster.
The cellar is entirely paved with a 4-inch-thick concrete floor.
Subsoil drainage under the cellar floor consists of 4-inch broken stone
and a line of 4-inch-diameter tile drainpipe placed around the inside
face of footings. The walls of superstructure, both interior and ex
terior, are of 2 by 4 inch studs sheathed, papered, and weatherboarded on the exterior, and lathed and plastered (3 coats—scratch,
brown, and hard white coat) on the interior walls. The roof is
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sheathed, papered, and covered with a good quality slate. All flash
ings and counterflashings are of galvanized iron painted with two 4^coats of metallic paint.
Wood floors are doubled, with a layer of deadening felt between.
The first and second floors are trimmed throughout with baseboard
having shoe and cap moldings; all window and door openings are
trimmed both sides, windows have stools and aprons, and door open
ings have hardwood thresholds. All rooms, excepting kitchen, bath
and closets, have picture molding. A kitchen dresser is provided,
and a medicine cabinet with mirror is placed in the bathroom.
The woodwork throughout is B grade, or better, yellow pine. All
exterior woodwork is painted three coats of lead and oil paint, and,
with the exception of the kitchen and bathroom, all interior wood
work is given two coats of varnish stain. The woodwork of the
kitchen is painted two coats of lead and oil paint and the bathroom
woodwork three coats of enamel. All wood floors are given two coats
of boiled linseed oil. All interior plastered ceilings and walls, except
ing those of kitchen and bathroom, are painted two coats of coldwater paint. Walls of kitchen and bath are sized and painted two
coats of oil paint.
A complete hot-air system is provided for the heating with a “ Lib- ^
erty Heater,” which is a combination furnace and gas heater, with
stovepipe, damper, damper regulator, check damper, and an entire
set of firing tools. The furnace has been tapped for the installation
of liot-water coils. All pipes and stacks are covered with 16-pound
paper asbestos. All registers are cast iron, black japanned, lattice
design with iron borders.
The plumbing system is modern. Soils and vertical stacks are of
“ medium” cast iron, with all joints calked with oakum and leaded.
Clean-out wyes with brass screw plugs are placed at the foot of vertical
risers. Floor drains have been provided in the cellar floor and in
that of the side entry for the refrigerator. The fixtures are supplied
with both hot and cold water, hot water being supplied from a 24gallon boiler connected to the kitchen range, which is also provided.
With the exception of the water-closet and flushing tank, the fixtures
are of enameled iron. The two fixtures named are of porcelain.
The electrical work is B-X work, according to the requirements of
the National Board of Fire Underwriters. The fixtures consist of
a one-light ceiling fixture, a cast canopy 5 inches in diameter with
translucent glass shade, for the kitchen, first and second story halls, ^
and bedrooms, a one-light fixture with cast canopy and chains sup- ™
porting a 12-inch opal glass bowl for semidirect lighting for the
dining room, and a two-liglit fixture of the same kind for the livingroom. The fixtures throughout are of metal-brush brass finish,.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[552]
249
HOUSING.
Cost.
rp H IS house was built between October, 1918, and May, 1919, at
Watertown, X. Y., by the United States Housing Corporation, in
connection with 114 other houses in the same vicinity, for the sum
of $3,908. According to a tabulation of the Housing Corporation the
estimated cost of this house, if built in 1913, would have been $2,93*2,
exclusive of overhead and profit, with a few exceptions, and the esti
mated cost if constructed in July, 1919, would be $4,930, exclusive
of contractor's profit and overhead, with a few exceptions. The esti
mates show an increase in cost of building from 1913 to 1919 of 68 per
cent, the increase for labor being 65 per cent and the increase for
materials 71 per cent. The prevailing union scales of wages for
laborers and mechanics in the building trades for the city of Boston
in 1913 and 1919 were used in making this comparison. These scales
were selected as representing to a fair degree the average increase in
wages in the building trades for all parts of the country.
The following is an analysis of the unit prices for labor as given
on the estimate sheets:
ANALYSIS OF UNIT PRICES FOR LABOR, 1913 AND 1919.
Item.
Unit
quantity.
U n it
c o s t.
E x c a v a t io n ( g e n e r a l) ................................ Cubic yard. 1 0 .5 0
.7 5
E x c a v a t io n ( tr e n c h ) .................................. ___d o '.___
.1 7
B a c k f ill a n d g r a d in g ................................ ___d o .........
.4 0
C in d er fill , n o c e m e n t ............................... ___d o .........
1.2.5
P la in c o n c r e t e ............................................... __ do........
F o r m s for c o n c r e t e .....................................
.0 3 5
L ab orer’s t im e , o n e a n d o n e -h a lf Square foot
ca r p e n te r ’s.
1 .5 0
(C on crete flo o r , c e lla r .................................. Cubic yard.
.0 2
\T o p d r e s s in g .................................................. Square foot.
.0 0 5
W a ter p r o o f p a in t in g .................................. ---- d o .........
.0 5
D r a in a g e , ce lla r f lo o r ................................ Cubic foot..
.0 5
F lu e l i n i n g ...................................................... Linear foot.
P la s te r in g ( in t e r io r ) ..................................
.1 8
L ab orer’s t im e , s e v e n -e ig h th s p la s •Square yard
terer’s.
.0 5
L a t h i n g ............................................. ............... ___ d o ----.0 2
Corner b e a d s .................................................. Linear foot
/P la s t e r in g ( e x t e r io r ) .................................. jsquare yard
.3 1 3
(L ab orer’s tim e ,- o n e -h a lf p la ste r e r ’s .
.0 2
P la s te r b o a r d ................................................ Square foot.
L u m b e r a n d c a r p e n tr y ........................... |l,000b. m .. 1 7 .1 4
L ab orer’s t im e , e q u a ls c a r p e n te r ’s . ..
{
{
¡
0 .5 0
. 333
1 .4 7
.6 2 5
.2 0
1 0 .0 0
L a b o r ra te p er h o u r.
1913.
.10.25
.2 5
.2 5
. 25
.2 5
s o .3 5 { ;! ?
[5 5 3 ]
1919.
$ 0 .6 0 -
.5 0
.7 5
.5 0
.5 0
.8 7 5
2 .6 6 6
, o / . 625
• 48\ . 315
70/ . 8 7 5
• ' A 50
1 .6 9 3
2 5 .0 0
. 0219
. 565
. 565
• H ü ? !
.5 0
, - r / . 50
• ° ' 5( .2 5
( .5 0
2. 75
. 50
1 .2 5
, , / . 625
• 00 ( . 2 5
.5 0
.5 0
.5 0
.5 0
100
100
100
100
100
f. 75
[.5 0
.2 5
. 625
.2 5
.2 5
.6 2 5
1 1 .3
2 8 .3
Per
cent
of in c re a s e .
$( . 5 0
.5 0
.5 0
.5 0
.5 0
.1 6 7
3 1 .2 5
5 0 .0 0
5 .0 0
1 2 .5 0
Lump sum.
E x te r io r m illw o r k ......................................
L ab orer’s t im e , o n e -h a lf c a r p e n te r ’s.
/I n te r io r m illw o r k ......................................... \100 square
2 .0 0
'(L ab orer’s t im e , o n e -h a lf c a r p e n te r ’s. / feet.
[ /R o o fin g ............................................................. Lump sum.
(L a b o rer’s t im e , o n e -fo u r th ro o fer’s . . ___d o ____ 1 0 0 .0 0
S h e e t m e t a l .................................................... ___d o ____
P a in t in g ............. .............................................. — d o ____
P l u m b in g ......................................................... ----- d o . . . .
E le c tr ic a l w o r k .............................................
H e a t i n g .............................................................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Q uantity
per
h o u r.
»
100
20
100
100
40
}
.8 1
.8 1
f. 875
.7 5 j
I
[.5 0
.7 5
.7 5
.63j[. 50
• 75
I
.5 0
l
.6 7
.7 5
. 50
f. 875
.8 0
}
[. 50
'. 7 5
.7 5
.8 7 5
.7 5
. /o
46
44
44
44
50
67
60
j
45
50
50
75
36
50
250
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Example: Item No. 6, labor, cost per Lour, 1913:
C arpenters:
400 sq. ft.— 8 lirs. at $0.50=$4=40<> sq. ft.—$0.01. making forms.
400 sq. ft.— 8 hrs. at
.50— 4=400 sq. f t.= .01, placing and bracing.
Laborers:
400 sq. ft.— S lirs. at
.25= 2=400 sq. ft.= .005, placing* and bracing.
400 sq.ft.—16 iirs. at
.25= 4=400 sq. ft.= .01, wreck, clean and pile.
40 lirs.
.$0. 035 unit cost.
400 sq. ft.=40 lirs.=10 sq. ft. per hr. 10 sq. ft. X $0,035=80.35, labor rate per hour.
Labor cost. 1913=$14.00; labor cost, 1919=$24.00. 10=14=71 per cent labor
increase for 1919.
Cost of Building- Materials and Union Scale of Wages.
rp HE unit prices used in the estimate for materials were obtained
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor
and from the published records in the various trade journals. The
total percentage increase in cost of materials for the six-room houses
which we have used for illustration is 71 per cent.
The rates of wages per hour for the various building trades in 1913
were obtained from a bulletin of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The rates for 1919 are those contained in the report of the proceed
ings of the thirteenth annual convention of the Building Trades De
partment, American Federation of Labor, under date of June 4-7,
1919.
The percentage of increase in wages in 1919 over 1913 varies in
the trades used in our estimate from 36 per cent to 100 per cent.
The total percentage increase in the cost of labor in the six-room
frame house which we have used for illustration, is 65 per cent. The
total percentage of increase for both labor and materials is 68 per
cent.
These percentages of increase are comparable with the data pre
sented by Benjamin A. Howes in the October, 1919, issue of Country
Life, which shows an increase in building labor of 75 per cent and an
increase in building materials ranging from 30 to 100 per cent.
A recent publication by the Information and Education Service
of the United States Department of Labor entitled “ Economics of
the Construction Industry,” which furnishes very complete statistics
of the average annual hourly scale of building trades from May, 1913,
to May, 1918, gives the increase in wages as of May. 1918, as 31 per
cent. The report of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics on
wholesale prices records the rise in prices of all building materials
exclusive of steel as about 75 per cent in 1918 and 84 per cent in the
last quarter of 1918.
It thus appears that there has been a material increase in the cost
of building labor in 1919 over 1918, but this increase lias only fol
lowed the corresponding increase in cost of building materials and
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Í5541
251
HOUSING.
other commodities. The costs of both building labor and material
now appear fairly comparable with other increases in the cost of
living.
In addition to the estimate for the six-room frame house, estimates
have been prepared for a similar house built of hollow tile and
also one of brick. The comparison of the three is as follows:
C O M P A R I S O N O F C O S T O F S I X -R O O M D W E L L I N G H O U S E .
T y p e of h o u s e .
1913
1919
F r a m e h o u s e ..........
H o llo w - tile s tu c c o e d h o u s e ..................................
B r ic k h o u s e ..............................
_________ !.................................... . ................................................................................................
S2,£32.3fi
'3,362.65
3,546.34
S4 930 nS
5^665.18
0 038 72
Per cen t
of in
c rea se.
08
08
TO
In the comparison of estimated costs as of 1913 and 1919, the
same amount of materials and the same rates of output of labor are
used in each case. The rates of output of building labor are, of
course, subject to wide fluctuations. The rates assumed here have
been compiled and checked by the estimating division of the United
States Housing ( brporation and by builders of practical experience.
The efficiency of labor in the comparison presented is taken as being
the same in 1919 as in 1913. With the exception of a period in the
spring of 1919, many building contractors maintain that the
efficiency of building labor is not so high now as it Avas in 1913.
In compiling these tables the cost of labor and material was
figured out for each item for the house built as of 1913. The 1919
costs were arrived at by applying the percentage of increase in labor
and material to the 1913 figures. It should be borne in mind that
this is an estimate based on average prices and average work under
union labor. There is a wide variation in the cost of labor and
the cost of materials in different parts of the country, and this same
house built under different conditions from those assumed here may
easily vary $¿500 or more in cost.
Overhead, Land, and Utilities.
^
HE foregoing estimates do not include public utilities, con
tractor’s profit, and overhead or architect’s fee.
From the report of the “ Economics of the Construction Industry ”
by the United States Department of Labor, as well as from the
real estate division of the United States Housing Corporation, the
indications are that there has been little increase in the value of land
occupied by the ordinary dwelling house. For the purpose of fur
ther comparing the total cost of the frame house, with land, ap
purtenances, and overhead, we will assume the following:
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
252
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
$143.00
Cost: of land ($1,000 per acre—7 lots per acre)______
Cost of public utilities per lot_____________________
400. 00
Contractor’s profit and overhead__________________ 1.1 per cent.
Architect’s fee—plans and supervision------------------6 per cent.
Based upon the foregoing comparison the increase in the cost of
construction of a modern 6-room frame house between 1913 and
1919 becomes 66 per cent. The total cost of erection of houses in
1913 and 1919 is as follows:
TOTAL COST OF ERECTING SIX-ROOM FRAME HOUSE IN 1913 AND 1919.
1913
Item.
1919
Net cost of building. .
...........................................................................
Cost of land at -^1,000 per acre................................................................................
Cost of public utilities.
...............................................................................
Contractor’s profit and overhead, 15 per cent.....................................................
Archil eof;’s foe—plans and supervision, 6 per cent.............................................
§2,932.36
143.00
400.00
439. 85
202.33
$4,930.58
143.00
680.00
739.59
340.21
Total............................................................................................................
§4,117.54
$0, .833.38
Existing Housing- Problem with Reference to Increased Cost of
Building.
n p ilE housing shortage to-day is almost universal. It exists not
only in the cities of the United States but in almost every other
country. The housing shortage in this country due to war activities
and the increased cost of construction has been estimated at 1,000^000.
The market value of a house differs from most commodities. In
most commodities the consumption closely approximates the supply
and the selling value follows and corresponds with the increase in
cost, d'lie selling value of dwelling houses as a commodity is governed
largely by rentals which the house will bring. By far the greater
part of the house rentals come, of course, from houses built during
prewar costs. The rent of these houses has increased in general not
over 20 per cent. This represents an increased income to the owner
without an increased expenditure of capital.
An entirely different situation exists with respect to the owner
renting a house built in 1919. A 20 per cent increase in rents based
on 1913 costs will not bring the owner of a new building a rental suffi
cient to warrant him investing his money in dwellings for rental pur
poses. The new owner has to compete with the numerous owners of
property built in prewar times.
We are speaking generally. Of course, there are many cities where
the housing shortage is so acute that new buildings are built and
readily rented or sold at prices considerably in excess of the 1919
estimates which we have presented. Unquestionably as the housing
shortage' becomes more acute and as the older houses become obsolete
and go out of the market all rentals and selling values of property
will tend to approach the prices based on the cost of the new house.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[5 5 6 ]
HOUSING.
253
During this transition period the wits of people have been sharp
ened in an effort to meet the problem. They are using some lessons
learned from the Government’s housing experience during the war
and they are supplying construction and financial methods which
will reduce the cost of the building to the occupants. The housing
problem during the transition period is being solved by more efficient
methods of construction and financing so that economies in produc
tion will tend to reduce the cost of new dwellings as a compromise to
meet the rising values of the older property.
A large part of the new dwelling construction now being under
taken is handled by housing companies. The membership of these
companies consists largely of public-spirited citizens who are content
to finance the construction of dwellings at a modest return on their
investment, and they realize the incidental value which will revert to
their city and their local industries by adequate housing facilities.
The economies which are obtained by these housing companies are
accomplished by a reduction in the overhead cost which we have men
tioned in our estimate of the total cost of the dwelling to the occupant.
These economies, effected by a comprehensive plan, are as follows :
1. Reduction per house in the contractor’s percentage or profit and
the architects’ and superintendents’ fees by the construction of a hun
dred or more houses at one time under one contract.
2. The reduced cost of materials by purchase in carload lots for
wholesale building.
3. The more efficient utilization of highly subdivided and special
ized labor by the ability to install a more efficient construction or
ganization where a number of houses are built at one time.
4. The use of standards and uniform sizes in designs which do not,
however, make the houses appear to be standardized.
5. The improvements in arrangement of utilities and conveniences
in the house, as well as the artistic arrangement of the buildings,
drives, trees, and planting, so that the added attractiveness of the
house will invite the occupant in spite of an increased rental or cost.
State Loans for Cheap Dwellings in France.1
HE law- of April 12, 1906, amended December 23, 1912, rela
tive to State loans to enterprises engaged in the building of
cheap dwellings, was further amended October 24, 1919, so as
to provide for multiple dwellings (apartments). Its principal pro
visions are as follows:
The benefits of this law apply to multiple dwellings when the an
nual rent of each apartment does not exceed at the time of construc
tion the maximum shown in the following table:
T
1 J o u r n a l O fficiel de la R é p u b liq u e F ra n ç a is e , P a r is , O ct, 26, 1919.
159898°—20— —17
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[557]
a n n u a l r e n t a l o f a p a r t m e n t s f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t io n o f
254
Ma x im u m
which s t a t e l o a n s a r e g r a n t e d i n F r a n c e s
Maximum annual rent of apartments consisting of—
Communes, etc., to which law is applicable.
3 or more rooms eacli at least 9 2 rooms each at least 9 square
square meters (96.9 square
metgrs (96.9 square feet),
feet), with kitchen and wa:
with kitchen and waterf.er-eloset, and having a total
closet, and having a total
floor area 2of—
floor area2 of—
1 room at least 9 square meters
(96.9 square feet), with kitchen, and having a total floor
area2 of—
1 sleeping room, isolated, at
least 9 square meters (96.9
square feet), having a total
floor area2 of—
...
Communes having a population of 5,000 and
under..................................................... ............
Communes having a population between 5,001
and 30,000 and suburbs of communes having
a population within a radius of 10 kilometers
(6.2 miles) of 30,001 to 200,000............................
Communes having a population between 30,001
and 200,000, suburbs having 200,001 or more
within 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), and the
greater suburb of Paris, i. e., communes at a
greater distance than 20 kilometer's (12.4
miles) and not greater than 40 kilometers
(24.9 miles).........................................................
Communes of more than 200,000 pop illation and
the smaller suburbs of Paris, i. e., within 10
kilometers (6.2 miles).........................................
City of Paris and the Province of Seine..............
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
I fa n e s .
F rancs.
F rancs.
F ra n ts.
F rancs.
..
^
F rancs.
F r a n ts .
F r a n ts.
270
150
165
100
105
300
325
210
230
1.20
130
520
390
425
300
325
150
165
650
760
460
600
520
050
360
420
390
455
210
240
230
260
300
325
390
425
480
COO
720
250
1Conversions are not made in tills table owing to fluctuations in value of tbe franc. Normally the par value of 1 franc, is 19.3 m ils.
2 Between walls and partitions.
#
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
15 to 25 square More than 25 9 to is square Mote than 15
(96.9 to
35 to 45 square More than 45 25 to 35 square More than 35 meters (161.5 square
meters
meters meters
161.5 square square
meters (376.7 square meters meters (269.1 square meters t o 269,1 square (269.1 square
(161.5 square
to 4C4.4 square (484,4 square to 376.7 square (376.7 square feet), with or
feet), With or
feet),
with
feet),
with
feet).
feet).
feet).
without water- water-closet. without water- water-closet.
feet);
closel.
closet;
HOUSING.
255
The annual rental of individual dwelling’s shall be fixed at 4 per
cent of actual cost. The State may advance through the mortgage
bank not more than 200,000,000 francs and the Bank of Deposits and
Consignations (under Government supervision) is authorized to ad
vance not more than 300,000,000 francs to such enterprises.
Loans are to draw 2 per cent interest annually if used in the acquisi
tion or construction of individual cheap dwellings, or in the acquisi
tion of small properties, under the provisions of the law of April 12,
1906, that of April 10, 1908, and subsequent laws.
If used for the acquisition or construction of cheap dwellings or
small properties for rent only, the rate of interest is 2| per cent.
Provision is made for loans for completing dwellings now under
construction.
Small Land Holdings for Laborers.1
W IT H a view to assisting laborers and families of small means
to acquire small land holdings, the Provinces and communes
are authorized by Parliament to purchase and resell, after subdivision,
lands and rural estates. Communes are to acquire these lands under
the law of April 5, 1881. Purchases by Provinces are limited to
■0
the budget prepared by the prefect and especially authorized by
the provincial commission.
In all subdivisions necessary public roads must be provided for.
Lots designed as homes with a garden shall not exceed 10 ares (0.25
acre), and the price of a rural homestead shall not exceed 10,000
francs.
The selling price shall be so fixed as to result neither in a gain nor
a loss, and all sales must be made for cash. Property so acquired can
not be transferred for 10 years, and if purchased for a home can not
be used for any other purpose. The purchaser must engage to culti
vate it either by himself or with the help of members of his family.
When lands have been purchased by the Province and after the
division into lots has been made, plans are placed in the office of the
prefecture and branch offices of the Province and are open to the pub
lic for two months. Notice is given through the official bulletin and
posted in all communes. The price of each lot shall be given in these
notices.
In awarding lots the commission shall consider the morality of the
applicant and the number of children in the family, and preference
shall be accorded to those who for the payment have arranged for
™ long-term loans, either in a mortgage association or through a dis
trict agricultural loan fund.
1 J o u r n a l O fficiel d e la R é p u b liq u e F r a n ç a is e .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1559]
P a r is , N ov. 1, 1919.
LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.
F ifty-F irst Annual Trades-Union Congress,
Great Britain.
FULL report1of the Fifty:first Trades-Union Congress (Great
Britain), held at Glasgow September 8 to 13, 1919, has just
been received by this Bureau. This congress was made up
of 851 delegates representing 5,283,676 trade-unionists, “ the largest
representation of organized labor that this or any other country has
witnessed.” The chairman of the congress was lion. J. II. Thomas,
M. P., of the National Union of Bail way men, and the secretary was
Hon. C. W. Bowerman, M. P., of the London Society of Compositors.
The second day was devoted to a discussion of the report of the
parliamentary committee, which dealt with a large number of sub
jects, among which were the International Labor Conference, the
labor provisions of the peace treaty, international labor legislation,
and the proposal for the amalgamation of all unions. The report on
the last mentioned was not very definite, and it was decided to con
tinue the work along tills line. A resolution subsequently presented
to the congress instructing the parliamentary committee to take action
on the question of an amalgamation of all trades, with a viewT to
the organization of wmrkers under one heading, was lost.
On the third day the question of nationalization of the coal mines
came up for discussion, and a resolution was adopted instructing the
parliamentary committee to interview the Prime Minister and in the
name of the entire labor organization to insist upon the Government’s
adopting the plan of national ownership and joint control of the in
dustry recommended by the majority report of the coal commission.
The resolution rejected the Government’s scheme for the governance
of the industry “ as a scheme contrary to the best interest of the Na
tion.” The vote on the resolution wTas 4,478,000 for and 77,000
against.2
1 R e p o rt o f P ro c e e d in g s a t th e F if ty - f ir s t A n n u a l T ra d e s -U n io n C o n g re ss, h e ld in St.
A n d re w s H a ll, G lasg o w , on S ep t. 8 to 13, 1919. L o n d o n , 1919. 408 pp.
2 F o r d is c u s s io n o f th e s itu a tio n in th e B r itis h co a l i n d u s tr y see M o n t h l y L abor R e
v ie w
fo r M ay, 1919 (pp. 109 to 1 1 4 ) ; A u g u s t, 191 9 (p p . 78 to 86) ; a n d O c to b e r, 1919
(p p . 23 to 3 0 ),
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LABOR
O R G A N IZ A T IO N S .
257
The congress adopted a large number of resolutions, among which
may be mentioned those—
Recommending that hours of labor of persons employed on manual
labor should not exceed 41 per week and that systematic overtime
should be declared illegal.
Demanding that the Government provide pensions for mothers “ on
the principle of schemes now in operation in many of the States of
America.”
Recommending the abolishment of the present poor-law system and
the adoption of a measure such as will “ secure relief in all cases where
necessary without the deprivation of citizen rights and without the
stigma of pauperism.”
Protesting against the Government's delay in dealing with the
question of old-age pensions, and demanding that the act be amended
so as to provide a pension of £1 per week for all persons 60 years of
age and upward.
Indorsing the attitude taken by the woodworking trade-unions in
refusing to accept the system of payment by results as a condition of
employment in the furniture trade.
Demanding the repeal of the conscription act and the immediate
withdrawal of the British troops from Russia.
Recommending that the parliamentary committee urge upon the
Prime Minister the necessity of instituting a national scheme of col
lective death insurance by which families and individuals may be pro
vided with adequate funeral benefits.
Favoring the adoption of the metric system.
Calling upon the Government to deal with the shortage of dwelling
houses “ by making it compulsory for local authorities to prepare and
carry out immediately adequate housing schemes in their particular
areas ” and “ by the Government making grants free of interest, as will
enable local authorities to erect suitable houses at a reasonable cost to
the people.”
Demanding complete nationalization and control of the land.
Instructing the parliamentary committee to urge the Government
to prepare and elaborate within a period of two years a definite policy
of State purchase and management of the railways and all other
forms of transport and their administration by the State under pro
vision which will assure that those who are engaged in the industry
shall have a direct share in determining the conditions under which
it is to be carried on.
Declaring for nationalization of shipping, shipbuilding, and ship
repairing.
Calling upon the Government to deal with unemployment “ ( a ) by
regulating national or local work so as to provide for additional em-
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
258
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
ployment during' seasonable or local fluctuations of trade,'1 and " {b )
by providing adequate maintenance, and by organizing schemes of
useful work and of training with full maintenance for all workers
who can not find suitable employment.11
Requesting that the National Insurance Act be amended to pro
vide (1) for an increase in the sickness benefit to £1 per week for the
first 26 weeks; and 10s. for the remainder of the sickness or disable
ment; (2) for an increase in maternity benefits to £3: (3) for medi
cal service and drugs to be available day and night continuously,
and for the present system of payment to doctors to be revised, the
cost of such increase to lie met by the employers and the State.
Declaring that the Workmen’s Compensation Act should be so
amended as to provide among other things that workmen who are
totally incapacitated through accidents arising out of and in the
course of their employment be paid compensation equal to full earn
ings before the accident; that payment of compensation shall be made
from the date of incapacity ; that compensation be paid to all persons
incurring or contracting injury, disease, or disability in the course of
or arising out of employment.
The next annual meeting of the congress will be held at Ports
mouth in September, 1920.
Development of Woman-Labor Organization in
Germany During the War.
N a special article in Soziale Praxis,1 based on official statistics
and various publications on woman labor, Di*. Charlotte Leubuscher discusses the development of woman labor organization
in Germany during the war. The author says;
Tire organization of gainfully employed women may be effected in two ways:
Either in unions with exclusively female membership, or jointly with male fellow
workers. While the former principle of organization is prevailing among
salaried employees and in numerous higher callings, the combining of male and
female workers of the same occupation is by far the most frequent form of
organization among manual workers. Only the sectarian trade-unions of women
workers and the Christian Trade Society of Women Home Workers form an
exception to this rule. It is only natural that common organization of men
and women is the predominant form of organization, because women are being
employed in the same occupations as men and in many instances have replaced
men, and owing to this fact it is in the interest of male workers to include the
female workers in their organizations. It was therefore to be expected that the
increased employment of women during the war, and particularly tlieir invasion
of occupations hitherto exclusively exercised by men, would find expression in
an increase of the female membership of trade-unions. To be sure, it bad to be
taken into account that a large number of the woman workers who during the
1 S o ziale P r a x is u n d A rc h iv f ü r V o lk s w o h lfa h rt.
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B e rlin , A ug. 14, 1919.
LABOE ORGANIZATIONS.
259
war had taken up industrial employment with the intention of discontinuing
such employment later on would show neither inclination nor understanding for
belonging to a labor organization. Moreover, the favorable condition of the
labor market during the war and the facility with which wage increases were
obtainable made many a woman worker believe that the joining of a labor
organization would involve merely a useless expenditure. Finally, it should be
kept in mind that during the war the trade-unions worked with a greatly
m inced staff and under difficult conditions, and were therefore prevented from
carrying on an energetic propaganda among newly employed woman workers.
An official compilation recently published in the Reichs-Arbeitsb la tt1 indicates the fluctuation during the war of the female member
ship of the three most important trade-union groups, the central
federations of the Free (Social-Democratic) Trade-Unions, the
Christian Trade-Unions, and the Hirsch-Duncker societies. This
compilation shows that the1female as well as the male membership
had decreased up to the end of 1915. Beginning with 1916 the
former is again increasing, while the latter showed the first signs of
an increase in 1917. At the end of 1917 the number of female mem
bers in the trade-union groups referred to was 382,231, as against
255,149 at the end of 1913. The increase was therefore equivalent to
about 50 per cent. In 1913 the average annual female membership
formed 8.6 per cent of the total membership, while the corresponding
percentage for 1917 was 22.2. Up to the end of June, 1918, the Free
Trade-Unions report the largest increase in female membership, viz.,
an increase of 138,941, equivalent to 62.1 per cent. Membership
figures for the entire year 1918 are not yet available for all labor or
ganizations, but the figures so far published by individual federations
indicate that during the last year of the war labor unions experienced
a further rapid increase in their membership in general and in their
female membership in particular. Thus, the Factory Workers’ Fed
eration, which is affiliated with the Free Trade-Unions and is chiefly
recruited from the ranks of unskilled labor, has doubled its female
membership during 1918. At the end of that year it had 88,319
female members, who formed 37 per cent of the total membership. It
is a noteworthy fact that 42,211 female workers enrolled as members
of this federation during the last quarter of 1918. The extent of
the female membership in the most important federations of the
largest trade-union organization, the Free Trade-Unions ( F r e i e
( T e i v e r l c s c h a f t e n ), at the end of 1917 as compared with the end of
1913, is shown in the following table.
*
1 R e ic h s -A rb e its b la tt.
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B e rlin , F eb . 24, 1919, pp. 149ff.
1563]
260
M ONTHLY
LABOR
R E V IE W .
TOTAL AND FEMALE MEMBERSHIP OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FEDERATIONS OF
THE GERMAN FREE TRADE-UNIONS AT THE END OF 1913 AND OF 1917.5
End of 1933
End of 1917.
Increase
(+ ) 01decrease
(—) of
iemale
Total
Total
member
Per member
member
Per
ship in
of
ship.
ship.
of 1917 over
Num cent
Num cent
total
total
1913.
ber.
ber.
mem
mem
bership.
bership.
Female mem
bership.
Federation.
Bakers and confectioners.........................
Miners........................................................
Brewery and flour-mill workers..............
Bookbinders..............................................
Printers......................................................
Factory workers........................................
Butchers....................................................
Municipal workers....................................
Glass workers............................................
Woodworkers............................................
Hatters.......................................................
F'urriers......................................................
Leather workers........................................
Metal workers............................................
Pottery workers........................................
Saddlers......................................................
Tailors........................................................
Shoemakers..............................................
Tobacco workers.......................................
Upholsterers..............................................
Textile workers.........................................
Transport workers....................................
28,754
101,986
51,317
33,377
15,934
207,300
6,557
53,925
IS, 251
193,075
11,927
3,952
16,481
544,934
16,972
14,855
48,712
44,363
31,713
10,164
138,079
229,427
4,656
16.2
1,436
16,596
8,572
26,026
397
1,547
945
7,470
6,016
1,316
2,085
27,373
3,679
1,029
8,857
8,665
15,449
182
54,113
9,201
2.8
49.7
53.8
12.6
6.1
2.9
5.2
3.9
50. 4
33.3
12.7
5.0
21.7
6.9
18.2
19.5
48.7
1.8
39. 2
4.0
Female mem
bership .
7,296
110,454
17,316
20,265
7,702
110,584
2,929
32,984
7,361
90,237
8,616
1,444
7,752
392,930
5,077
15,306
25,470
17,453
27,706
2,570
75,253
64,725
2.457
’ 847
1,947
14,746
5,807
40, 456
1.257
6,923
800
18,456
6,367
681
2,795
83,266
2,612
6, 717
12,923
7,738
16,958
734
55,465
11,967
33.7
.8
11.2
72.8
75. 4
36.6
42.9
21.0
10.9
20.5
73.9
47.2
36.1
21.2
51. 4
43.9
50.7
44.3
61.2
28.6
73.7
23.1
- 47.2
+ 100.0
+ 35.6
- 11.1
- 32.3
+ 55.4
+216.6
+347.5
- 15.3
+ 147.1
+ 5.8
- 48.3
+ 34.1
+204.5
- 29.0
+552.8
+ 45.9
- 10.7
+ 9.8
+303.3
+ 2.5
+ 62.7
1 Reichs-A'rbeitsblatt, Berlin, Feb. 24, 1919, p. 151.
Granting that the actual number of organized woman workers
seems small in view of the extraordinary increase of employment of
women during the war, and although the gain in female membership
does not by any means offset the great falling off of the male mem
bership of German labor organizations, the increase of the fe
male membership up to the end of 1917 by 50 per cent is nevertheless
noteworthy. It may, moreover, confidently be expected that when
the official membership figures of German labor organizations for
1918 are published they will show a further considerable increase in
the percentage of female membership. Up to the end of 1917, the
trade-unions covering occupations for which there was great demand
in war industries show the largest increases in female membership,
which go far beyond the average increase. In the Federation of
Metal Workers of the Free Trade-Unions, for instance, the female
membership at the end of 1917 was 83,266 as compared with 27,373
at the end of 1913, an increase of 204.5 per cent.
Another fact worthy of mention is the increased participation of
woman workers in strikes and lockouts. In labor disputes initiated
by the metal workers’ federation, for example, the participation of
woman workers rose from 2,663 (4.6 per cent) in 1914 to 470,460
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[ÜG4J
LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.
i£
^
£
261
(29.8 per cent) in 1917. In those initiated by the German Wood
Workers' Federation, 1838 (7.4 per cent) female workers partici
pated in 1914, and 38,650 (24.8 per cent) in 1917. It must, however,
be admitted, that of the latter number only 17,791, or 46.1 per cent,
were organized.
That organization of woman workers has lagged far behind that of
their male fellow workers may be attributed chiefly to the unrespon
sive attitude of the former toward efforts at organization, above all
to the lack of understanding and interest for trade-unionism of the
ma jority of the women who are doubly burdened by occupational work
and their household duties, and, secondly, to the fact that most women
look upon industrial employment as a mere transitory stage in their
lives. The reasons which cause the trade-unions to put obstacles in
the way of extensive organization of woman labor are much harder
to analyze, They may be due to the inward attitude of the tradeunions in general and of male workers in particular to the problem
of woman labor. In a series of articles in Sozialistische Monatshefte
dealing with the problems of industrial woman labor, Max Quarck,
a member of the Reichstag, attributes the small success of the efforts
for organizing woman labor to the fact that the trade-unions do not
give sufficient consideration to the interests of woman workers, and
that the male workers show little understanding of their fellow
workers of the other sex and frequently assume even a hostile attitude
toward them. These imputations of Quarck were emphatically re
pudiated in the same journal by a number of prominent trade-union
leaders. But the perusal of some of the articles written in defense of
the trade-union point of view makes it evident that although the
trade-unions can not be accused of consciously neglecting the interests
of woman workers, male organized labor looks with disfavor upon
the extension of woman labor and above all upon the branching out of
women into fields of industrial labor hitherto considered the exclusive
domain of male workers. They either fear that an influx of female
labor will overcrowd the labor market and lower wages or that cer
tain occupations will prove injurious to women, or consider it un
desirable from the point of view of the working classes that an in
creasing number of women who have to attend to household duties
should seek industrial employment.
To-day there are only very few trade-unions which on principle
disapprove of industrial employment of women and consequently do
not look favorably on organization of woman workers. But their
attitude is due to reasons inherent in the nature of their trade. Thus,
the Federation of Building Trades Workers, which in the summer of
1916 made an investigation into th e extent, nature, and wages of
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262
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
woman labor, resolved not to organize woman workers employed in
their trades during the war. This resolution was based on the asser
tion that work in the building trades is unsuited for women: that,
therefore, the endeavor should be made to dispense with woman
labor as soon as possible: and that nothing’ should he undertaken
that could be looked upon as promotion or approval of such labor. A
like disapproving attitude toward woman labor lias always been
manifested by the miners' organizations of Germany. Although
during the war they have allowed women to be employed in work
above ground, they are advocating complete prohibition of the em
ployment of women in mining. The number of organized women in
mining has therefore remained insignificant even during the war.
The nonmilitant waiters' organizations are on principle opposed to
permitting women to join their unions because they see competition
by unmoral means in the employment of barmaids and waitresses,
I t is, however, obvious that the apprehensions quoted here, which are
justified to a great extent, and are by no means inspired by narrow
minded trade jealousy, are liable to produce discord within the tradeunions with respect to their attitude toward the problem of woman
labor and thus check their zeal in promoting the interests of woman
workers. But even if this should not hold good in so far as the
directorates of the trade-unions are concerned, it can not be denied
that the unfriendly attitude of her male fellow workers has kept
many a woman worker from joining a labor organization,
A number of trade-unions have acknowledged the growing impor
tance of woman labor by developing their benevolent institutions—
above all, throng! 1 the introduction of maternity insurance. As prop
aganda among working women for the idea of organization the Cen
tral Federation of the Free Trade-Unions since 1916 publishes a
women’s trade-union journal { G e w e r F s e h a f t ï k h e F r m m i z e i t u n g )
and several federations issue women's supplements to their journals.
The future of the organization of woman' workers naturally is
closely connected with the development of woman labor, which can
not be surveyed to-day. At the present time there is a marked retro
grade movement of woman labor, owing to extensive dismissals of
woman workers in war industries and the general stoppage of pro-’
duction due to lack of raw materials and fuel. One must, however,
reckon with the fact that in the future the pressure of economic con
ditions will force many more women than before the war to seek
gainful employment in industry. Whether labor organizations will
succeed in gaining and holding these women as members can not be
predicted. A further development of the benevolent institutions of
the trade-unions, with a view to the special interests of female mem-
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LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.
gk
263
bers, especially the general introduction of maternity insurance, as
proposed by Paul Umbreit, would certainly attract a larger number
of women to the trade-unions. In any case it may be assumed that
the strong participation of woman workers during the war in wage
movements has had the result also that a great many of the unorgan
ized woman workers have become familiar with the nature of tradeunion action. Therefore, it may be confidently expected that in the
future women will be more inclined than formerly to active partici
pation in labor disputes,
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[.5673
STRIKES.
The Australian Shipping Strike.
A
CCORDING to ail article in a recent periodical,1 the Australian
shipping1strike, which was finally settled the last of Septem
ber, 1919, was of interest for two reasons: It was a fair indica
tion of the existing state of industrial feeling in Australia and fur
nished a more or less accurate gauge of the influence of revolutionary
ideas. To these may also be added the effect of the manner in which
the whole matter was handled.
The strike arose from a demand on the part of the Seamen’s Union
for higher wages and improved working conditions. In December,
1918, after a long and expensive contest, the seamen secured a monthly
wage of £12 5s.2 as against £11, which they had been receiving.
The men were dissatisfied with the award, especially in view of £
the fact that the cost of living continued to rise, as did also the
profits of shipping owners, which in a majority of cases show an
increase of 80 per cent since 1914.
In April, 1919. the seamen made a new demand, the main pro
visions of which Avere: “An able-bodied seaman to receiA^e £14 a
month, Avith equivalent pay to other ranks; a 6-hour day in port;
accommodation on the ship to be improved to a standard embodied
in the Commonwealth Navigation Act but not yet brought into force;
menu to be improved in accordance with the standard adopted for
the Navy; overtime for trimming coal and working cargo; insur
ance guaranty of £500 to be paid to next of kin of seamen dying at
sea.”
This demand Avas in reality an appeal against the previous award,
a proceeding in opposition to a recent ruling by the Australian arbi
tration court, which provided that an award of the court could not
be altered during the period for which it Avas made. The direct
aetionists in the labor ranks desired to break the arbitration system,
and the secretary of the Australian Seamen’s Union, Mr. Thomas
Walsh, decided to call out the men to make a test case of the juris
diction of the court.
w
1 T h e N e w S ta te sm a n , L o n d o n , D ec. 20 , 1 9 1 9 , pp, 3 4 3 , 344.
2 O w i n g t o t h e f l u c t u a t i o n s in t h e v a l u e o f E n g l i s h m o n e y c o n v e r s i o n s a r e n o t m a d e i n t o
A m e r ic a n m o n e y .
N o r m a lly t h e p a r v a lu e o f t h e B r it is h p o u n d s t e r l in g is $ 4 .8 7 a n d o f
t h e s h i ll in g 2 4 .3 c e n ts .
264
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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STRIKES.
9
9
9
265
The public, while generally sympathetic with the seamen in their
demands for better working conditions, was as generally determined
that they should not ruin the arbitration system to secure them.
The Federal Government, which acted for the defense because the
shipping was still controlled by the Navy Department for Avar pur
poses, in order to vindicate the arbitration system refused any con
cessions to the men except through the arbitration court after evi
dence had been taken. So, as the writer of the article points out, a
situation was created in which “ the strike leaders, inspired by the
theory of direct action, refused to have anything to do with arbitra
tion. The authorities, inspired by the theory of arbitration, refused
to listen to any terms which had not been awarded by a court.”
And he adds the opinion that “ if each party had not been possessed
by its own theory, the strike might have been avoided. * * * It
took 14 weeks of bitter experience to exorcise these theories.”
From May 10 to August 26 a complete tie-up of State shipping
existed. Industry was crippled. In Victoria alone 25,000 men
were out of employment and in the whole of Australia 400,000 per
sons suffered directly from the strike. The loss in wages approxi
mated £3,500,000. Distress was relieved by the trade-unions, by the
Government, and by charitable organizations.
During all this time no attempt was made by either the Govern
ment or the shipoAvners to man the ships. With the exception of a
feAv extremists led by Mr. Walsh, secretary of the Seamen’s Union,
the behavior of the men was exemplary. Only when, after several
unsuccessful attempts at settlement, Mr. Walsh threatened to de
prive the people of fuel and light, did the Government fine and
imprison him. Notwithstanding the fact that his followers made a
claim for his release in each attempt to settle, there seems to have
been no definite effort on their part to effect it, and he was not re
leased until the final terms of settlement had been agreed upon.
The passivity of the Government, Avhile criticized in some quarters,
was, in the opinion of the Avriter, on the whole successful. The burden
of the strike falling on the workers, they realized the consequences of
it and the futility of the policy of direct action. They did not at any
time sympathize with the attempt to destroy their arbitration system.
One of the outstanding features of the strike was the attempts on the
part of the official representatives of organized labor to settle it.
Finally the men agreed to return to work and to confer with the
owners regarding a settlement, the terms to be filed as an award of
the arbitration court. After a month of conferences between the sea
men and the ship oAvners the folloAving agreement Avas published:
All ratings to lmve an increase of wages of 35s. per month.
( b ) The day’s work to consist of 8 hours.
(a)
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
(c) The men to be granted home leave in port, with a flat rate of 2s. 6 d. for
overtime.
(d) Wages to be paid during illness not caused by willful neglect.
(e) Each man to have 14 days’ holiday each year on full pay.
( f ) Meal hours to be fixed and accommodation provided according to the Com
monwealth Navigation Act where practicable, and the benefits of the Workers’
Compensation Act to be made available to seamen,
In summing up the situation the writer .says:
The strike undoubtedly marks a definite step in the history of the labor
movement. Direct action has been put into operation with discouraging results,
and the revolutionary element in the country has been shown to be extremely
small. While the workers stand together there will always be a powerful in
fluence within the party toward constitutional measures. This constitutional
section was kept alive by the Government policy of passive resistance. A call
for volunteers would have been interpreted as a challenge to unionism and
would have given the revolutionary ids chance. On the other hand, no sub
stantial breach has been made in the arbitration system, and it is clear that a
very considerable majority of the workers appreciate the benefits which it has
brought to them. While they probably feel that the influences dominating the
mind of the judges and officials of the court are middle-class, yet they realize
that a definite attempt has been made to introduce the factor of justice iuto the
wage bargain.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
»
IMMIGRATION,
Im m igration in November, 1919.
T
HEi following tables, prepared by the Bureau of Immigration of
the Department of Labor, show the total number of immi
grant aliens admitted into the United States in each month
from January, i913, to November, 1919, and the numbers admitted in
each fiscal year., 1915 to 1919, and in November, 1919, by nationality.
IMMIGRANT ALIENS ADMITTED INTO THE UNITED STATES IN SPECIFIED MONTHS
JANUARY, 1913, TO NOVEMBER, 1919.
1919
M o n th .
J a n u a r y .............................
F e b r u a r y .........................
M a r c h ................................
A p r il...................................
M a y .....................................
f a n e ....................................
J u l y .....................................
A u g u s t ...............................
S e p t e m b e r .......................
O c to b e r .............................
N o v e m b e r ........................
D e c e m b e r .........................
1913
16,441
59,156
96,958
136,371
137,262
176,261
138,244
126,180
136,247
134,440
104,671
95,387
1914
44,708
46,873
92,621
119,885
107,796
71,728
60.377
37,706
29,143
30,416
26,298
20,944
1915
15,481
13,873
19,263
24,532
26,069
22,598
21,504
21,949
24,513
25,450
24,545
18,901
1916
17,293
24,710
27,586
30,560
31,021
30,764
25,035
29,975
36,398
37,056
34,437
3 0 ,902
1917
24, 745
19,238
15,512
20,523
10,487
11.095
9,367
10,047
9 ,228
9,284
6,446
6; 987
N um ber.
P er cent
in c r e a s e
over
p r e c e d in g
m o n th .
9 ,8 5 2
K)' 586
14,105
16,860
15,093
17,987
18,152
20 ^597
2 6 ,584
3 2 ,4 1 8
2 7 ,219
1 8 .3
7 .5
3 3 .2
19. 5
i 10.5
19.2
.9
13. 5
29 .1
21. 9
i 1 6 .0
1918
6,356
7,388
6,510
9,541
15,217
14,247
7 ,780
7,862
9', 997
11,771
8,4 9 9
1 0 , 748
1 Decrease.
Classified by nationality, the number of immigrant aliens admitted
into the United States during specified periods and in November,
1919. was as follows:
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[571]
267
268
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
IMMIGRANT ALIENS ADMITTED INTO THE UNITED STATES DURING SPECIFIED
PERIODS AND IN NOVEMBER, 1919, BY NATIONALITY.
Year ending June 30—
Novem-
i\auona:iiy.
1915
1916
1918
1919
5,706
321
74
150
1,576
33
1,179
15
2,200
61
12,980
1,867
6,840
1,992
2,002
3,672
4,657
1,074
5,234
10', 168
149
135
32
17,602
17
668
2,319
155
1,513
49
8,741
5,204
35
7,909
2,231
210
24
278
732
314
5,823
'282
.105
205
1.697
23
1,169
4
2,735
68
26,889
968
12,598
1,837
813
3,055
7.910
1,236
2,137
10,056
77
160
52
28,844
6
732
1,574
89
1,532
103
8,261
10,364
85
4,224
3,092
231
18
608
1,223
247
636
122
21
47
181
22
78
1
842
20
5,282
114
2,210
597
197
620
1,509
473
4,538
732
8
25
16
3,160
110,618
141,132
27,219
African (black')............................................
Armenian .....................................................
Bohemian and Moravian.............................
Bulgarian 3Serbian ?Montenegrin................
Chinese...........................................................
Croatian and Slovenian................................
Cuban.............................................................
Dalmatian, Bosnian, Herzegovinian.........
Dutch and Flemish......................................
East Indian...................................................
English..........................................................
Finnish..........................................................
French............................................ - -............
German.........................................................
G reek............................................................
Hebrew..........................................................
Irish................ ...............................................
Italian (north)...............................................
Italian (south)_.............................................
Japanese.......................................................
Korean...........................................................
Lithuanian....................................................
Magyar...........................................................
Mexican..........................................................
Paeitie Jsland er ........................................
Polish.............................................................
Portuguese ..................................................
Roumanian...................................................
R ussian........................................................
R.Uthen inn (Rvissniak) , _______ _______
Scandinavian................................................
Scotch .........................................................
S lo v a k .........................................................
Spanish..........................................................
Spanish-A meri can.................................
Syrian ..........................................................
Turkish..........................................................
Welsh ........................................................
West Indian (except Cuban)......................
Other peoples................................................
6,675
82
38,662
3,472
12)636
20,729
15,187
26.497
23'503
10,660
46,557
8,609
146
2,638
3,604
10,993
6
9,065
4,376
1,200
4,459
2,933
24' 263
14,310
2,069
5,705
1,667
1,767
273
1,390
823
1,877
36,168
5,649
19,518
11,555
26,792
15,108
20j 636
4.905
33,909
8,711
154
599
981
17,198
5
4,502
12,208
953
4,858
1,365
19,172
13,515
577
9,259
1,881
676
216
983
948
3,388
7,971
1,221
327
1.134
1,843
305
3.428
' 94
5,393
' 69
32,246
5,900
24,405
9,682
25,919
17,342
17,462
3,796
35,154
8,925
194
479
434
16,438
10
3,109
10,194
522
3,711
1,211
19,596
13,350
244
15,019
2,587
976
454
793
1,369
2,097
Total............................................... - - -
326,700
298,826
295,403
5,660
932
1,651
3,506
2,469
1,912
3' 402
4,576
964
642
3,146
2,239
791
3,442
114
6,433
SO
#
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[572]
1919.
1917
149
1,045
48
188
18
1,126
1,794
103
766
212
62
4
143
67
43
Publications Relating to Labor.
Official—United States.
C a l if o r n ia .—I n d u s t r i a l A c c i d e n t C o m m i s s i o n .
80, 1919.
S a c ra m e n to , 1919.
R ep o rt.
J u l y 1, 1 9 1 8 , t o J u n e
167 pp.
A brief summary of this-report is given on pages 218 to 221 of this issue of the
Monthly L abor R eview .
Massachusetts .— B a n k C o m m i s s i o n e r .
A n n u a l rep o rt, 1918.
P a r t II rela tin g
to c o o p e ra tiv e h anks, s a v in g s a n d loan a sso c ia tio n s, a n d c r e d it union s.
B o sto n , 1919. 383, liv p p .
P u b l i c d o c u m e n t N o . 8.
On October 31, 1918, 186 cooperative banks were in operation and the aggre
gate of their assets was $140,201,033.98, which was an increase of $13,628,865.02
during the year, the largest increase in any one year since the inception of the
cooperative bank system in 1877.
----- B u r e a u o f S t a t i s t i c s . N i n t h a n n u a l r e p o r t o n u n i o n s c a l e o f - w a g e s a n d
h o u rs o f la b o r in M a s s a c h u s e tts , 1918.
B o s to n , O c to b e r 1, 1919.
U p ! pip.
L a b o r B u lle tin N o. 1 2 8 ( b ein g P a r t 11 o f th e a n n u a l r e p o r t on th e s ta ti s t ic s
o f la b o r fo r 1919).
The data for this report were obtained principally as of July 1, 1918, when
the schedules of inquiry were sent to most of the local trade-unions in the State
whose members were known to be working under a time-rate system. As used
in this report, the term “ time-rates of w ages” signifies the wages agreed upon
in return for services for a specified period, and should not be confused with
actual earnings since the earnings of employees depend both upon the rates of
wages and the number of hours, etc., for which payment is made. It is ex
plained that except where otherwise noted this report has reference only to the
minimum rates of wages and maximum number of hours which have become
effective in the various organized trades, and does not purport to show the extent
to which there may be individual variations from the established scale. The
rates of wages and hours of labor in this report are grouped by trades, occupa
tions and municipalities.
-----
H o m e s te a d C o m m issio n .
S i x t h a n n u a l r e p o r t , 1918.
P u b li c D o c u m e n t N o . 103.
B o s to n , 1919.
29 pp.
This report is a continuation of that of 1917, which is noted on page 316 of
the January, 1919, issue of the Monthly L abor R eview . It gives an account
of the progress which has been made in the experiment commenced at Lowell
of building houses, at an estimated cost of from $1,952.85 to $2,381.65, which
could be sold to workers on easy terms at from $2,400 to $3,100. The experi
ment has been made on a parcel of 7 acres of land which was divided into 47
building lots. The first appropriation—of $50,000—has purchased the land and
built 12 houses, which, with two exceptions, were sold before the contractor had
turned them over to the commission. The remaining two were sold very shortly
afterwards. Two more houses were very near completion, which would exhaust
the appropriation. To complete the experiment the commission recommends
bills providing for another appropriation of $100,000 with which to build 33
more houses, and the employment of a permanent secretary on salary. The
report also discusses the importance of proper housing, saying that “ no man
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270
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
who has not at least some minimum standard of decency realized in his ownhome can make the type of citizen we want and need,” and states that it is not
“ as a commission favorable to government ownership of houses, whether State
or municipal, at this time.” It also contains brief reports of the city and town
planning board.
N ew
Y o r k .— I n d u s t r i a l
e n d e d J u n e SO, 1 9 1 8 .
C o m m issio n ,
A lb a n y , 1919.
Annual
261 pp.
report
for
th e
12
m o n th s
L e g i s l a t i v e d o c u m e n t N o . 12k.
The 1917-18 report of the bureau of workmen’s compensation, which consti
tutes P art II of this report, is reviewed on pages 221 to 223 of this issue of the
Monthly L abor R eview .
P anama Canal.—G o v e r n o r .
1919.
W a sh in g to n , 1919.
A n n u a l r e p o r t f o r th e fiscal y e a r
366 pp.
e n d e d J u n e SO,
This volume contains the general administrative report and the reports of
the various departments of the Canal Zone. The sections of special interest to
labor deal with labor conditions, statistics of employment, housing, wage ad
justments, and wages of West Indian employees (commonly known as ” Em
ployees on the silver ro ll” ). Two tables give silver employees’ wages, 1906 to
June 18, 1919. The chief health officer submits tables of sickness and death
statistics. It is stated that on June 30, 1919, the total force employed by the
Panama Canal and the Panama Railroad Co. on the Isthmus was 20,361,
as compared with 19,265 on June 30, 1918.
P e n n s y l v a n i a .— H e a l t h
sem b ly
of
th e
I n s u r a n c e C o m m issio n .
R e p o r t to th e G e n e r a l A s
C o m m o n w e a lth
o f P e n n sylv a n ia .
H a rrisb u rg , J a n u a ry,
1919. ' 2k6 pp.
A
digest of this report was published in the July, 1919, issue of the Monthly
L abor R eview , pages 220 to 226.
V ir g i n i a .— B u r e a u o f L a b o r a n d
rep o rt, 1919.
In d u stria l
R ic h m o n d , 1919.
kS pp.
S ta tistics.
T w en ty-seco n d
annual
Presents the results of an investigation of the wages and hours of labor of
women wage earners in the mercantile establishments of Virginia. The in
vestigation covered department stores (including 5-and-lO-cent stores, 25-cent
stores, etc.), and dry goods and millinery establishments, and was confined to
four cities, viz, Richmond, Norfolk, Lynchburg, and Roanoke. The figures are
for December 31, 1918, but will probably hold good for the year 1919, as there
has been no material change in wages in these establishments during that year.
Out of a total of 2,468 persons employed in 138 establishments, covered by
the investigation, 3,257, or more than 50 per cent, receive less than $12 per
week ; 718, or nearly 30 per cent, receive less than $10 per week ; 223 receive
less than $8 per week, and 19 receive under $3 per week.
Although there are a large number of mines and quarries outside of the
coal industry, the inspection of the mines in Virginia is confined exclusively
to the coal mines. For the year ending September 30, 1919, there were 403
inspections made, covering 247 mines, and 5 prosecutions were instituted for
violations of State mine law. For the same period 945 coal-mine accidents
were reported. Of these 235 were caused by fall of roof (coal, slate, rock, etc.),
19 being fatal, and 236 nonfatal; 321 were caused by mine cars and locomo
tives, 9 being fatal, and 312 nonfatal.
U nited S tates.—C o n g r e s s .
S en a te.
C o m m itte e on m a n u fa ctu res.
S h o rta g e
o f coal.
H e a r i n g s p u r s u a n t to S . R e s . 163, a r e s o lu tio n d ir e c tin g th e c o m
m i tte e on m a n u f a c tu r e s to in v e s t ig a te th e c a u s e s o f th e s h o r ta g e o f co a l
and sugar.
W a sh in g to n . 1918.
1788 pp. (3 v o ls.)
6 5 th C o n g re ss. 2d
session.
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PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
271
United States.— C o n g r e s s .
S e n a te .
C o m m i t t e e o n t h e D i s t r i c t o f C o lu m b ia .
H ig h c o s t o f l i v i n g i n t h e D i s t r i c t o f C o lu m b ia i. R e p o r t .
[ P u r s u a n t to S .
R e s . 1 5 0 .]
W a s h i n g t o n . D e c e m b e r 8, 1 9 1 9 . 8 2 p p . R e p o r t N o . 3 2 7 .
6 6 th
C o n g r e s s , 2 d s e s s io n .
----- C o u n c i l
o f N a tio n a l D efen se.
T h ir d a n n u a l rep o rt, fo r th e
e n d e d J u n e 30, 1919.
W a sh in g to n , 1919.
160 pp.
C h arts.
fisca l
year
Includes sections describing the work of the committee on labor, the States
councils section, and the reconstruction research division. Among the im
portant activities of the committee on labor was the maintenance of existing
safeguards for the conservation and welfare of the workers and the formation
of the emergency employment committee for soldiers and sailors to aid dis
charged soldiers and sailors to secure employment upon their return to civil
life. The latter work was undertaken in cooperation with the United States
Employment Service.
The report presents in detail the work accomplished by the Reconstruction
Research Division, and states that “ there are in the files of this division more
coherent and dynamic material dealing with reconstruction and readjustment
matters in this and foreign countries than is elsewhere to be found in the
United States.” The States councils section reports that as a result of its
efforts to solve the housing problem in congested localities, in so far as it did
not necessitate the actual construction of houses, 111 loeal committees were
at work on the housing problems of 24 States and 65 homes registration services
were in operation. These committees dealt, among other things, with com
plaints of rent profiteering. It is stated that through the instrumentality of
these committees housing conditions in crowded centers of war industry were
considerably alleviated. In an appendix is given an analysis of the duties
and functions of the council.
•—— D e p a r t m e n t o f C o m m e r c e . B u r e a u o f t h e C e n s u s . B i r t h s t a t i s t i c s f o r
th e b irth r e g is tr a tio n a rea of th e
rep o rt.
W a sh in g to n , 1919.
299 pp.
------■D e p a r t m e n t o f t h e I n t e r i o r .
ec o n o m ics.
w ork
1 9 1 6 -1 9 1 8 , b y W illia m O r r.
S ta le s.
1\91 7.
B u r e a u o f E d u c a tio n .
W a sh in g to n , 1919.
•----- ----------- —- E d u c a t i o n a l
U n ited
103 pp.
of
th e
B u lle tin
Young
M e n ’s
W a s h i n g to n , 1 9 1 9 .
T h ird
annual
B ib lio g r a p h y o f h o m e
No.
6.
C h ristia n
60 p p .
A sso c ia tio n s,
B u lle tin - N o . 5 3 .
According to this account of the educational activities of the Young Men’s
Christian Association, the educational work originated in the apparent need
of it among the boys and men who came under the observation of the various
secretaries. It has been the aim of this educational service “ to furnish and
to make easily accessible to men and boys, mainly those in industry, such
courses of instruction as would enable them to become better citizens and
workmen.” While both general and vocational training are given, emphasis
is laid upon vocational instruction and the work is such as supplements rather
than supplants the work offered by the public schools along these lines.
The field of instruction is wide, including'city associations, railroad branches,
county work, Army and Navy branches, colored work, boys’ classes, and an
industrial department, in the United States, and a foreign department which
has charge of the educational classes in foreign countries. A large part of
the report is given to an interesting account of the educational work of the
Y. M. C. A. among the forces both at home and abroad during the war.
The importance of the industrial department has greatly increased during
the war due to the concentration of large numbers of workers in the industrial
centers. The association has striven to foster better relations between em
ployers and employed by means of reading courses, discussion groups, and
lectures, and to provide instruction in English and civics for immigrants. The
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
report shows that “ 53 city associations have 63 secretaries giving full time
to organized industrial extension work ” ; 4,500 volunteers serve regularly as
teachers and leaders of industrial workers; 9 secretaries are working with
immigrants in ports of landing and in depots; and in addition, there are 132
buildings with 187 secretaries operating in single industries and groups of
industries as follows;
Industry.
Coal........................................................
Lumber..................................................
Cotton....................................................
Metal mining.........................................
Iron anci steel........................................
Shipbuilding and munition plants—
Buildings.
Seeretaries.
35
19
19
16
12
31
46
22
26
18
25
50
Over 200,000 industrial workers belong to the association and are thus able
to take advantage of the educational opportunities offered at the various Y. M.
C. A. buildings, while 5,000,000 industrial workers are reached through the
association extension work. More than 60,000 industrial workers receive
instruction in English and civics every year, and approximately 1,000,000 are
reached by educational lectures. Special mention may be made of the work
being done by the industrial service movement of the association in enlisting
the services of young prospective business men as volunteers in the work among
foreigners. Through contact with workers in these classes they come to have
a more sympathetic understanding of foreigners and of the human side of
industry generally, which is of great practical advantage when they enter in
dustrial life later.
U nited S tates.—
D e p a r tm e n t of th e In terio r.
B u r e a u of M in es.
E x p erim en t
s ta tio n s o f th e B u r e a u o f M in es.
W a sh in g to n , 1919. 106 pp.
B u lle tin 175.
Account of the work of the experiment stations of the Bureau of Mines, the
purpose of which is to investigate economy, efficiency, and safety in mining,
and to make public the results of the investigations. The stations also serve
an educational purpose by making easily accessible to both miners and operators
a knowledge of the work being done by the Government in increasing produc
tion and making mining a safe occupation. During the fiscal year ended June
30, ISIS, 38 mine accidents were investigated, 30 in coal and 8 in metal
mines.
----- D e p a r t m e n t o f J u s t i c e . A n n u a l r e p o r t o f t h e A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l o f t h e
U n ite d S ta te s fo r th e y e a r 1919.
W a sh in g to n , 1919.
61/7 p p .
The report, which is for the year ending June 30, 1919, refers to a decision
by the Supreme Court in a case involving a definition of the words “ time of
employment” as used in a statute (act of June 25, 1910, 36 Stat. 423) which
denies to inventors compensation for the use by the United States of patented
articles, where the invention was perfected during the time of the employment
of the inventor in the service of the Government, it being held that the fact
that the invention was completed in hours when the inventor was not actually
on Government duty was immaterial.
Proceeding under the anti-trust statutes, the Department procured the con
viction of so-called business agents of Chicago labor unions on the charge of
combining and conspiring to interfere with interstate commerce by preventing
the unloading in Chicago of goods shipped from other States. Other cases
under this head affected manufacturers and dealers, one resulting in the disso-
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
273
lution of the Corn Products Refining Co. Another case in which conviction was
secured involved dealers in tile, etc., who formed an association of restricted
membership and then used threats against manufacturers who sold to nonmembers, an agreement also being entered into with the Tile Layers’ Union
under which the latter were to set tiles only for members of the association.
Prosecution in a number of cases was delayed on account of unsettled conditions
due to the war.
Some account is given of the activities of the Department of Justice in its
efforts to reduce the high cost of living. The value of additional legislation
enacted in 1919 is pointed out, which makes it “ now possible to deal vigorously
with all cases of profiteering.” Prosecutions for hoarding are also possible,
and the report enumerates seizures of commodities in IS States.
U n it e d S t a t e s .— D e p a r t m e n t o f L a b o r .
of L abor
SOli p p .
for
th e
fisca l
year
S even th a n n u al rep o rt of th e S ecreta ry
e n d e d J u n e SO, 1 9 1 9 .
W a sh in g to n , 1919.
This report includes accounts of the International Labor Conference and
the National Industrial Conference; of the war labor administration and of the
various bureaus of the departm ent; also departmental recommendations concern
ing the following m atters: Early legislation with a view to reviving and con
tinuing the activities of the working conditions service; an amendment to exist
ing statutes by which greater elasticity might be secured through temporary
administrative assignments for the relief of embarrassing situation's which arise
through the increase of departmental work; the establishment of a system of
old-age retirement for Government employees; the enactment of legislation to
permit the continuation of the work of the United States Training Service in
training wage earners; an increase from $4 to $6 per diem for subsistence for
employees of the department engaged in tra v e l; and legislation looking toward
the creation of new opportunities for employment by a more adequate use of the
land and of natural resources.
----- F e d e r a l B o a r d f o r V o c a t i o n a l E d u c a t i o n . T h i r d a n n u a l r e p o r t . 1 9 1 9 .
W a sh in g to n , 1919.
reh a b ilita tio n .
V o l.
I.— V o c a tio n a l
ed u ca tio n .
V ol.
11.— V o c a t i o n a l
As indicated above this report, consists of two volumes, the first dealing with
the general subject of vocational education, the second treating specially of
vocational rehabilitation. P art I of the general presentation of vocational
education includes a discussion of the progress and needs of vocational educa
tion, in which are included national needs, agricultural education, home eco
nomics, commercial, industrial, and trade education, together with an account
of the present status of trade and industrial education for girls and Avomen,
employment management, and a list of publications issued by the board since
June 30, 1918. P art II is a summary of the progress of vocational education
by States, while P art III is a statistical report of the administration of the
Federal Vocational Education Act for the year ending June 30, 1919.
Volume II of the report gives an account of the vocational rehabilitation work
done by the board, including a summarization of the original act and the
changes effected by the act of July 11, 1919. The systems of training are
described in some detail and are accompanied by a statistical report compiled
from weekly reports of the district vocational offices to the central office.
.-----
I n d u s tr ia l C onference.
ca lled b y th e P r e s id e n t.
P r e l im i n a r y s ta te m e n t o f th e in d u s tr ia l c o n fe re n c e
W a sh in g to n , 1919.
12 pp.
This preliminary statement Avas published in full in the January, 1920, issue
of the Monthly L abor R eview , pages 00 to 68.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
L577]
274
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
U nited States.—
I n te r s ta te C o m m e rc e C o m m issio n .
W a s h i n g t o n , D e c e m b e r 1, 1 9 1 9 .
173, v i pp.
T h ir ty - th ir d a n n u a l rep o rt.
A summary of casualties reported by the bureau of safety shows that during
the calendar year of 1918 the total number of persons killed in connection with
the operation of trains was 8,697, and of injured, 64,144, divided as follows:
Trespassers, 3,255 killed, 2,805 injured; employees, 2,928 killed, 47,556 injured;
passengers, 471 killed, 7,316 in ju red ; persons carried under contract, such as
mail clerks, Pullman conductors, etc,, 48 killed, 766 in ju red ; other nontres
passers, 1,995 killed, 5,701 injured. In addition, there were 589 killed and
110,431 injured in nontrain accidents. As compared with the figures for 1917
there was a decrease of 2 in the number killed and 176 in the number
injured in train accidents and an increase of 39 killed and a decrease of 1,851
injured in nontrain accidents.
----- N a t i o n a l R e s e a r c h C o u n c i l . T h i r d a n n u a l r e p o r t . 1 9 1 8 . W a s h i n g t o n ,
1919.
74 pp.
The council was established in 1910 under the charter of the National
Academy of Sciences. It acts as the department of science and research of the
Council of National Defense. Its chief work since the signing of the armi
stice has been to utilize the various preliminary studies made during the war
period for the formulation of a definitive scheme of organization and a plan
of work in keeping with the demands of existing conditions. Besides its war
activities, the report treats m atters of interest in the progress of the council
during the past year, among which are the development of the work of the re
search information service, the organization of the International Research
Council, the work of the industrial section, and the preparation of a plan of
permanent organization.
——• S h i p p i n g B o a r d . T h i r d a n n u a l r e p o r t f o r t h e y e a r e n d e d . T i m e 3 0 , 1 9 1 9 .
W a sh in g to n , 1919.
213 pp.
Includes an account of the work of the industrial relations division of the
Emergency Fleet Corporation, describing the labor adjustment policy, education
and training work, provision for health and sanitation, and efforts along the
line of safety engineering. The last section reports a total of $2,800,000 in wages
saved due to prevention of minor accidents, and a total of $1,000,000 insurance
premiums returned because of safety organization. A table giving the number
of shipyard employees by months from January, 1918, to June, 1919, shows a
total of 310,559 working on ship construction in November, 1918, when the
highest number was employed.
----- T r e a s u r y D e p a r t m e n t . F e d e r a l F a r m L o a n B u r e a u . T h e F e d e r a l f a r m
lo a n a c t, to ith a m e n d m e n t a p p r o v e d J a n u a r y 18, 1918.
W a s h i n g t o n ,, A u
g u st, 1919.
29 pp.
C i r c u l a r N o . I/.
(R e v ise d .)
Official—Foreign Countries.
A r g e n t i n a .— D e p a r t a m e n t o
A n u ario
N a cio n a l d el T ra b a jo .
E s ta d ís tic o 1917.
B u en o s A ires, 1919.
M in isterio
del In terio r.
269 pp.
B o l e t í n N o . 1¡.2.
This is the regular annual report of the Labor Department of Argentina, and
contains statistical and descriptive data relative to wages, h o u rs. of labor,
strikes, home work, prices, collective insurance, etc., for the year 1917. and in
some cases comparative data covering the period 1907-1917.
There has been a slight reduction in daily wages earned, data collected
showing that from 1914 to 1917 wages of males in Argentine money fell from
$3.81 to $3.70, and of females from $2.38 to $2.26. (The Argentine gold dollar
is equivalent to 96.5 cents in U. S. money; the value of a dollar in currency
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PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
275
( m o n e d a n a t i o n a l ) varies, but is approximately one-half gold value.)
Monthly
wages, however, increased in 1917 as compared with 1916, and changes in these,
both sexes considered, have been quite favorable to this class of employees.
In 1916 these wages reduced to a daily basis indicated that men so employed
received 29.2 per cent, and women 50.8 per cent less wages than day laborers,
and m 1917 men so employed received only 8.6 per cent less, while women r e
ceived 3.5 per cent more than day laborers. Monthly wages of men, when re
duced to a daily basis, increased 30.5 and those of women 109 per cent in 1917
over 1916. There has been but slight change in the hours of labor from 1914
to 1917, the average hours of work for each of the four years being, respectively.
8.42, 8.58, 8.56, and 8.46 per day.
There were 138 strikes in the capital, involving 136,062 persons. Of these 16
were general strikes. The loss in wages is estimated at $8,152,631 (Argentine
money). Railroad employees to the number of 66,906 were on strike, the wage
loss being estimated at $5,172,526.
*
A preliminary report for 1918 shows that there were 196 strikes, involving
.133,042 persons, in the capital.
A u s t r a l ia .
D e p a r tm e n t o f th e T re a su ry .
P en sio n s
o f f ic e .
I n v a lid a n d o ld -a g e p en sio n s.
S ta te m en t
3 0 th J u n e, 1919.
M elb o u rn e, 1919.
10 pp.
#
a n d m a te r n ity a llo w a n c e
fo r th e 12 m o n th s e n d e d
Under the provisions of the Invalid and Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908-1917,
there were, on June 30, 1919, 95,969 persons (38,261 men and 57 708 women)
receiving old-age pensions, and 31,999 persons (15,144 men and 16,855 women)
receiving invalid pensions, a total of 127,968. These figures represent an in
crease of 582 and 2,087, respectively, over the preceding year. Of the old-age
pensions, 9,250, and of the invalid pensions, 5,099, were granted during the
year ending June 30, 1919. On account of these pensions payments of
£3,880,865 (the normal value of the English pound is $4.8665) were made, an
increase of £126,888 over 1918. In addition, £55,750 were paid to benevolent
asylums for maintenance of pensioners, making a total payment of £3,936,615,
an increase over 1918 of £143,578. I t is stated that the average fortnightly
rate of pensions, which for both classes is fixed at a maximum of 25 shillings,
was £1 4s. 1.18d. for old age, and £1 4s. 6.06d. for invalidity, a combined
average of £1 4s. 2.4d. Approximately 85 per cent of the old-age pensioners,
and 93 per cent of the invalid pensioners received the maximum allowance.
The cost of administration for the year is given as £63,280, an increase of
£8,925 over 1918. It is shown that since the old-age pension act came into
effect on July 1, 1909, 174,282 claims for pensions have been granted. The
invalid-pension act became operative on December 15, 1910, since which time
47,554 claims have been granted. Old-age pensions may be granted to persons
over 60 years of age, except that men between 60 and 65 years are not eligible
unless they are permanently incapacitated for work. That portion of the act
which authorizes payment to women on attaining the age of 60 years came
into operation on December 15, 1910.
------------- P e n s i o n s
a n d m a t e r n i t y a l l o w a n c e office.
M a te r n ity a llo w a n ces.
S ta te m e n t s h o ttin g n u m b e r of cla im s g r a n te d a n d r e je c te d , ex p e n d itu re ,
a n d c o s t o f a d m in is tr a tio n d u rin g th e 12 m o n th s e n d e d 3 0 th J u n e. 1919.
M elb o u rn e, 1919.
3 pp.
During the year allowances were granted in 124,016 cases, and rejected, for
various causes, in 510 cases. The total amount paid to mothers was £620,080.
(The normal value of the English pound is $4.8665.) The cost of administra
tion is given as £11,369, or an average of £1 16s. 8d. for each £100 of
maternity allowance paid.
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276
A u s t r a l i a .— D e p a r t m e n t o f t h e T r e a s u r y .
m o n th s e n d e d 8 0 th J u n e, 1919.
W a r p en sio n s.
S ta te m e n t for th e 12
M elb o u rn e, 1919.
8 pp.
It is sliown in this report that pensions were granted in S2,938 and rejected
in 12,644 cases. At the close of the period a total of 181,529 pensions were in
force, of which 50,436 were in respect of deceased members of the forces. The
total amount paid to pensioners was £4,828,072. (The normal value of the
English pound is $4.8665.) The average fortnightly rate of pension to inca
pacitated members of the forces is given as £1 10s. 0.58d., and to dependents
of deceased and incapacitated members as 18s. ll.Sld., the average for all
pensioners being £1 3s. 4.11d. The total cost of administration was £97,788, or
an average of £2 6d. for each £100 of pensions paid.
------- (Queensland). —
D ep a rtm e n t of L abor.
R e p o r t o f th e d ir e c to r o f la b o r
a n d c h ie f i n s p e c t o r o f f a c t o r i e s a n d s h o p s fo r y e a r e n d e d 3 0 th J u n e , 1919.
B r i s b a n e , 1 9 1 9 . 1/7 p p .
Tables show that there were 3,180 registered factories employing 29,827
persons, and 5,281 stores, employing 10,587 persons. There were 89 accidents
reported in the factories of Brisbane, and 229 in factories outside Brisbane.
The labor exchanges report 37,930 registrations, a demand for 15,451 persons,
and 13,768 placements. The female labor exchange reported 2.578 registrations,
demand for 2,896, and 1,882 placements.
------ (V ictoria). —
L a b o r D ep a rtm e n t.
R e p o r t of th e ch ief
to rie s an d sh o p s fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 3 1 st D e c e m b e r, 1918.
30 pp.
P ric e Is. 8d.
in sp e c to r of fac
M e lb o u rn e , 1919.
States that 7,994 factories, employing 104,242 persons, and 25,920 shops, em
ploying 27,520 persons, were registered in 1918. A table of average weekly
wages in the various trades for which special boards have been appointed shows
a range of from 24s. lOd. in the underclothing trade to 86s. 2d. in the ice trade.
In the trades not under special boards the range was from 17s. 9d. in the arti
ficial flower trade to 93s. 7d. in slaughtering for export. It is stated that the
wages-board determinations are in operation over only parts of Victoria and
that, accordingly, there are some employees in trades for which boards have
been appointed who are not affected by the determinations. The average wages
of these range from 12s. 4d. in dispensaries to 82s. 9d. in brass works. There
were 459 accidents, 8 of them fatal, in factories during 1918. Of the total
number 356 were injuries to the hands.
B razil
(S ao P aulo) .—
In form agoes.
D ep a rta m e n to
E sta d u a l
do
O s A c c id e n te s no T ra b a lh o e m 1918.
T ra b a lh o .
Secgdo
de
&d o P a u l o , 1 9 1 9 . 5 3 p p .
This is a detailed report of industrial accidents in the State of Sao Paulo,
Brazil, for the year 1918, with comparative statistical data for the years 19121917 inclusive.
Canada.—
N a tio n a l I n d u s tr ia l C on feren ce.
O tta w a , S e p te m b e r 15-20, 1919.
O f
fic ia l r e p o r t o f p r o c e e d i n g s a n d d is c u s s i o n s t o g e t h e r w i t h v a r i o u s m e m o
r a n d a r e la t in g to th e c o n f e r e n c e a n d th e r e p o r t o f th e R o y a l C o m m is s i o n o n
In d u stria l R ela tio n s.
O t t a w a , 1 9 1 9 . L i v . 231,.
28 pp.
P ric e, 20 cents.
An account of the conference was published in the Monthly Labor Review
for November, 1919, pages 51 to 62.
------ (Quebec).-— D e p a r t m e n t
o f P u b lic W o r k s a n d L abor.
G en eral rep o rt, for
th e y e a r e n d in g 3 0 th J u n e, 1919.
Q uebec, 1919.
200 pp .
Illu stra ted .
Includes the administrative and statistical reports of the various branches
of the provincial labor department; namely, factory inspection offices, provin
cial employment bureaus, registrar of councils of conciliation and arbitration,
and the fair wages officer. Attention is called to the act amending the Quebec
Industrial Establishments Act relating to children and the act providing for
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
the fixing of a minimum wage for women, two new laws that have become ef
fective during the year.
The military employment bureaus reported that 8.1S9 soldiers without em
ployment were registered, 4,875 were referred to positions, and 3,799 gave notice
that they were placed.
Cuba.—
S e c r e ta r ia d e A g ric u ltu ra , C o m ercio y T ra b a jo .
L eg isla ció n
la R e p ú b lic a d e C u b a .
I. L e y e s y d isp o sic io n c e s v ig e n te s.
II.
p en d ie n tes a n te el congreso.
H a v a n a , 1910.
290 pp.
obrera de
P ro ye cto s
A compilation of the labor laws, including decrees and regulations promul
gated thereunder, in force in Cuba. Part II includes the text of proposed laws
now pending in the national congress.
Gbeat B ritain.—
B o a r d of E d u ca tio n .
R e p o r t o f th e s ta n d in g jo in t c o m m itte e
r e p r e s e n ta ti v e o f th e c o u n ty co u n cils a sso c ia tio n , th e m u n ic ip a l c o r p o r a tio n s
a sso c ia tio n , th e a sso c ia tio n o f e d u c a tio n c o m m itte e s a n d th e L o n d o n C o u n ty
C o u n cil, a n d o f th e R a ti o n a l U n io n o f T e a c h e r s on a p r o v is io n a l m i n i m u m
s c a le o f s a la r ie s f o r te a c h e r s in p u b lic e l e m e n t a r y sch o o ls.
L o n d o n , 1919.
8 pp.
C m d . 1/1/3. P r i c e , I d . n e t .
----- - ----pp.
m
C h i e f m e d i c a l officer. A n n u a l
C m d . 1/20.
P ric e, Is, 3d. n et.
report
fo r 1918.
London,
1919.
258
A section is devoted to the school medical service and juvenile employment,
the subject being considered in two p arts: The employment of school children
out of school hours; and Arrangements for the physical well-being of adoles
cents in employment, in connection with continuation schools, joint industrial
councils, industrial concerns, or juvenile unemployment centers. All of these
matters now come within the provisions of the school medical service, the scope
of which has been widened by the education act of 191S, whose provisions con
cern not only children in daily attendance at school, but also those children
and young persons who are emerging from school to enter full-time industrial
or other employment.
-----
B o a r d o f T r a d e . R e t u r n u r e la t in g to th e o u tp u t o f co a l a t co a l m in e s in
th e U n ite d K in g d o m d u rin g p e rio d s o f fo u r w e e k s, c o m m en cin g w ith th e
p e r io d e n d e d th e 2 1 st d a y o f J u n e , 1919, a n d to th e n u m b e r o f p e r s o n s e m
p lo y e d a t th e e n d o f th o se p erio d s, in th e v a r io u s d is tr ic ts .”
L o n d o n , 1919.
2 pp.
1 7 5 -1 V. P ric e , I d . n et.
-------------R e t u r n “ r e l a t i n g
to th e w e e k ly o u tp u t o f coal fr o m coal m in e s in
G r e a t B r i t a i n , c o m m e n c i n g -w i t h t h e w e e k e n d e d t h e 3 1 s t d a y o f M a y , 1 9 1 9 . ”
L o n d o n , 1919.
2 pp.
176-1II.
P r ic e , I d . n et.
....... ....... I n t e r d e p a r t m e n t a l
C o m m itte e on M e a t S u p p lies.
R e p o r t o f th e
c o m m it te e to c o n s id e r th e m e a n s o f s e c u r in g su fficien t m e a t s u p p lie s fo r
th e U n ited K in g d o m .
L o n d o n , 1919.
30 pp.
C m d . 1/56.
P ric e , 3d. n et.
------C o a l I n d u s t r y
L o n d o n , 1919.
C o m m issio n .
V o l. IIT. A p p e n d ic e s ,
3 1 8 p p . C m d . 3 6 1 . P r i c e , 6s. n e t.
ch a rts,
and
in d e x e s.
Volumes I and II were noted in the January, 1920, issue of the Monthly
L abor Review, page 291, and articles dealing with the situation in the British
coal industry and reports of the Coal Industry Commission were published in the
following issues: May, 1919, pages 109 to 114; August, 1919, pages 78 to 86;
and October, 1919, pages 23 to 30.
——
H o m e O ffice.
P r o te c tio n o f h o ists.
London,
S a f e t y p a m p h l e t N o . 2. P r i c e , 6d. n e t.
1919.
20
■------ L a w s , s t a t u t e s , e t c .
M a n u a ls of e m e r g e n c y leg isla tio n .
su p p lies m a n u a l,
1 /tli e d i t i o n .
R e v i s e d to J u n e 30, 1919.
1919.
253 pp.
P r ic e , 7s. 6d. n et.
pp.
Illu stra te d .
W a r m a teria l
London, June,
Comprises an Introduction; Alphabetical table of war material supplies, sub
ject to control, and release from control, since March 25, 1919; Defense of the
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
278
realm regulations enabling the making of war material supplies orders, as
amended to June 30, 1919, with notes; War material supplies orders, in force
on June 30, 1919, with notes; Priority, of orders; and Appendixes giving nonferrous metal industry act and rules; Restrictions on importation or exportation
of war material supplies; Relief from liability under contracts affected by
control of war material supplies; and Proof, construction and citation of war
material supplies orders, and of the enabling regulations.
Great B ritain.—
M in istry of H ea lth .
H o u sin g .
S c h e m e s s u b m i t t e d b y lo c a l
a u th o r itie s a n d p u b lic -u tility s o c ie tie s u p to th e 2 7 th S e p te m b e r , 1 9 1 9 ;
sc h e m e s s u b m itte d u p to 3 1 st O cto b er, 1919.
L o n d o n , 1919.
S3, l o t ) p p .
Crnd. 397, U 6 .
P r ic e , 6d., 9 d n e t.
The report covering tlie period up to October 31, 1919, states that 5,903
schemes, covering 46,290 acres, had been submitted by 1,282 local authorities
and 58 public-utility societies. A total of 2,159 sites, covering 23,700 acres,
were approved by the Ministry of Health. Of 1,266 schemes for layouts which
were submitted, 747 were approved. It is also stated that 922 applications,
covering 43,017 houses, for the approval of house plans had been received, in
addition to some cases in which type plans were submitted, and that 599, pro
viding for 31,043 houses, were approved. The cost of the land for 1,316
schemes, covering 14,693 acres, for which the price has been approved, is given
as £2,799,040, an average cost per acre of £191. (The normal value of the
pound is $4.8665.) The average cost of 7,121 houses included in tenders which
have been approved is £718. Of this number 3,630 are nonparlor houses, the
cost of which average £660, and 3,491 are parlor houses, the cost of which
average £779. Of the 7,121 houses, 6,234 were in urban districts and represent 0
an average cost of £722, while 887 were in rural districts and show an average
cost of £691. At the time of the report work was in progress on schemes which
when completed will provide 20,822 houses. In addition, work was in progress
on nearly 4,644 working-class houses not included in schemes under the hous
ing act.
---------— -
T h e h o u s i n g 'p r o b le m in G e r m a n y .
R eport
g en ce D e p a r tm e n t o f th e L o c a l G o v e r n m e n t B o a rd .
prepared
in th e
L o n d o n , 1919.
In te lli
89 p p.
The report deals with the conditions of housing in Germany and the measures
which have been proposed for remedying existing defects. Some account is
also given of the past history of housing. The facts relate mainly to the period
before the revolution; but the report states that the evidence indicates that,
given stability of government, the measures to be adopted will follow generally
those contemplated before the change.
Two of the most instructive measures in connection with housing for the
working classes in Germany in recent years have been the provision of capital
through thrift institutions and the use made of public-utility societies. * * *
Another institution, the municipal-house registry, which was introduced in
some towns before the war, has since been much extended because of the
urgency of the housing problem. The registry is, for houses, the counterpart of
the employment exchange for labor. Vacant houses or apartments are regis
tered, and prospective tenants are furnished with information regarding them.
The report points out that tlie municipal-house registry is advocated not only
because of the direct service to the community in providing a center where
offers of, and demands for, houses, tenements, or apartments can be brought
together, but also because in this way the local authority can readily keep in £
touch with the housing conditions of the district. It is urged that housing
inspection, (in which Germany has hitherto been backward) should be closely
connected with the house registry.
This idea is incorporated in the Prussian housing law of 1918, by which each
urban authority of size is required to establish a housing office to deal with in
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[582]
^
PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
279
spection and other housing matters of the local authority, and while not actually
required, it is contemplated that a house registry shall form part of every im
portant housing office. * * *
The war, as here, has gravely accentuated the housing problem. House build
ing was practically stopped. The shortage of accommodation became acute and
all manner of devices were adopted in order to make it good; prohibitions (not
by any means always observed) against the use of cellars and attics were with
drawn, and shops which were empty and even schools were compulsorily con
verted into dwelling places, all of which, however, did not more than slightly
relieve the pressure,
The estimates of the number of new dwellings required differ very much, those
given for the need of new dwellings for the whole Empire varying between
250,000 and 800,000, according to this report.
9
Great B ritain.— M i n i s t r y
fla ts
n et.
fo r th e w o r k in g
o f H e a lth .
M a n u a l on th e c o n ve rsio n o f h o u ses in to
classes.
L o n d o n , 1919.
12 pp.
16 p la n s.
P ric e, Is.
M in istry of L abor.
T ra in in g d e p a rtm en t.
F o r th e fr a m in g of a p p re n tic e s
w h o s e a p p r e n tic e s h ip h a s been in te r r u p te d b y s e r v ic e in H . M . forces.
S c h e m e N o . 31,. A p p r e n t i c e s i n t h e i r o n f o u n d i n g a n d l i g h t c a s t i n g s i n d u s t r y
(S c o tla n d ).
S c h e m e N o. 35.
A p p r e n tic e s in th e sh e et a n d p la te-g la ss in
du stry.
[L o n d o n , ¡918.]
1, p p . e a c h .
----- M i n i s t r y
o f P en sio n s.
R o y a l w a r r a n t fo r th e p e n sio n s o f s o ld ie rs d isa b le d ,
a n d o f th e fa m ilie s a n d d e p e n d e n ts o f s o ld ie r s d e c e a s e d , in c o n s e q u e n c e o f
th e g r e a t w a r. L o n d o n , 1919. 18 p p .
C m d . 1,57. P r i c e , 3 d . n e t .
N a t i o n a l H e a l t h I n s u r a n c e ■J o i n t C o m m i t t e e .
M ed ica l r esea rch co m m itte e .
F ifth a n n u a l rep o rt, 1918-1919.
L o n d o n . 1919.
90 pp.
C m d . 1,12.
P rice',
6d. n e t.
Includes a section devoted to the Industrial Fatigue Research Board, which
reports that the following investigations are in progress: In the department of
experimental psychology at Cambridge, an experimental investigation of exist
ing physiological and psychological tests of fatigue and an attempt to devise
more satisfactory tests; at some important iron and steel centers, investiga
tions of the physiological effects of heavy work and of work Involving exposure
to high temperatures; in the cotton industry, a study of the physiological effects
of work involving constant attention, heavy demands on the sight, and exposure
to hot and humid conditions; in the silk industry, investigations parallel to
those in the cotton industry; in the boot and shoe industry, a study of the effects
of moderately heavy work carried on under special and varying conditions as
regards hours and spells of work and factory hygiene; in heavy laundry work by
women, a study of the effects upon women of work involving heavy muscular
labor, continuous standing and long exposure to heat and humidity, to be sup
plemented by an inquiry into the effects of industrial fatigue upon maternity
and other functions; in a large confectionery factory in London, trial experi
ments upon the effects of changes in posture, economy of movement, and other
factors, with the object of finding the optimum conditions of effective work; and
a continuation of statistical tabulations of the large body of factory records col
lected during the war by the Ministry of Munitions.
£
-----
P r i v y C ou n cil. C o m m itt e e fo r s c ie n tific a n d in d u s tr ia l r e s e a r c h . R e p o r t fo r
th e y e a r 1918-19.
L o n d o n . 1919.
91, p p .
C m d . 320.
P r ic e , 6d. n et.
——
R e g is tr a r o f F r ie n d ly S o cie tie s. R e p o r ts fo r th e y e a r en d in g 3 1 st D e cem b er,
1918.
F r ie n d ly so cieties, in d u s tr ia l a n d p r o v id e n t so cieties, b u ild in g so cie
t i e s ; tr a d e -u n io n s , w o r k m e n 's c o m p e n s a tio n s c h e m e s, loan s o c ie tie s, s c ie n
tif ic a n d l i t e r a r y s o c i e t i e s , p o s t office, t r u s t e e a n d r a i l w a y s a v i n g s b a n k s .
P a r t A . — A p p e n d i x (A.)
P a r tic u la r s o f v a lu a tio n re tu rn s.
L o n d o n , 1919.
37 pp. 189-1.
P r i c e , l,d. n e t .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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280
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Great B ritain.—T r e a s u r y .
I n te r im rep o rt.
C o m m itte e on h ou sin g
L o n d o n , 1 9 1 9 . 7 p p . C m d . Jt M .
fin an ce.
H o u sin g
P ric e , I d . n et.
fin an ce.
Appointee1 to consider measures to be taken to facilitate the raising of capital
to carry out bousing schemes, the committee now recommends—
1. Mortgage loans of local authorities to be constituted a trustee security in
all cases in which the issuing authority has, under existing acts, power to issue
stock ranking as a trustee security.
2. The largest authorities to continue their present system of borrowing to
provide the money required for housing.
3. Power to be taken to continue the Public Authorities and Bodies (Loans)
Act, 1916, which enables local authorities to borrow abroad.
4. ( a ) Local authorities to have power, subject to the sanction of the depart
ments concerned, to combine for the purpose of issuing “ local bonds ” on the
security of their joint rates and revenues; ( h ) consideration to be given to the
question whether county councils can be empowered to raise money by the issue
of “ local bonds ” or otherwise, and lend to local authorities for the smaller areas
in the ceunty for housing purposes.
5. The onus of finding the capital necessary for housing to remain on the local
authorities.
6. ( a ) Local authorities to be empowered to issue, at their face value, 5i
per cent “ local bonds ” of the denomination of £5, £10, £20, £50, and £100, and
multiples of £100 for periods of five, ten and twenty years, secured on the whole
of the rates, revenues, and properties of the issuing authority, including the
rents derived from the houses to be erected, supplemented by the statutory
contributions of His Majesty’s exchequer under the housing acts; ( h ) bonds to
be on continuous issue; (c) terms of issue of bonds to be subject to revision at a
later date.
7. Interest on “ local bonds ” held by small investors to be paid without deduc
tion of income tax at the source.
S. Transfers of “ local bonds ” to be free of expense.
9. “ Local bonds ” to be constituted a trustee security.
10. “ Local bonds” to be accepted at their face value, with accrued interest,
in payment of the purchase price of houses sold by the local authorities.
11. An active campaign to be instituted throughout the country, with the object,
of securing the widest possible support of investors of all classes.
-— -------- C o m m i t t e e
o n o ld a g e p e n s io n s.
R e p o r t a n d a p p e n d ix to th e rep o rt,
in clu d in g m in u te s o f evid en ce.
2 p a rts.
L o n d o n , 1919.
19, 3 6 2 p p .
Cmd.
2/10, J i l l .
P r ic e , 3d., 3s. n e t.
■----------- -
S a v in g s h an ks a n d fr ie n d ly so cie tie s.
P ost-office s a v in g s b a n k s fu n d.
S a v in g s h a n k s fu n d.
F r ie n d ly so cieties fu nd.
[R e p o rt.]
L o n d o n , 1919.
2 pp.
128.
P r ic e , I d . n et.
----- (City
1918.
of
B irmingham ). —
B ir m in g h a m , 1919.
M e d i c a l O fficer o f H e a l t h .
108, 17 pp.
M ap.
C h arts.
R e p o r t for th e y e a r
Includes reports on the housing question; inspection of meat, tisk, and fru it;
and factory and workshop inspection.
Mexico.—
S e c r e ta r ia d c I n d u s tr ie , C o m e rc io y T ra h a jo .
B o le tin dc In d u strie ,
C o m ercio y T ra h a jo .
V ol. I I , N o s. 1 - 6 , J a n u a r y to J u n e , 1919.
M ex ic o ,
1919.
120, 1 5 5 ,1 5 9 pp. a n d n u m e r o u s s ta tis tic a l ch a rts.
Parts 5 and G treat of the following subjects of interest to labor: Weekly restday ; Basis of Justice ; The peace conference and labor problems; Labor demands
and labor legislation in Argentina; Conciliation and arbitration; Mixed perma
nent industrial councils; Workmen’s committees in Great B ritain; Labor legis
lation in Sonora and Puebla; Laborers’ dwellings; Labor conditions in Vera
Cruz; Strikes in Mexico; Labor inspector’s report, City of Puebla; Australian
land question; Law concerning strikes in the State of Tabasco; Industrial
accidents in mines; Accident law of Tabasco; Savings banks in Chile; Notes
on foreign labor, industry, and commerce, etc.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[5 8 4 ]
*
281
PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
S weden.-—K o m m e r s k o l l e g i n m .
1919.
T n du stri
b crd ttelse
for
dr
1917.
S to ck h o lm
,
170 pp.
This census of Swedish manufactures shows that there were 10,791 establish
ments in the kingdom in 1917 in which were employed 437,755 persons. Of
this latter number 36,430 were salaried persons and 401,325 were wage earners.
The census includes only establishments employing 10 or more persons.
N U M B E R A N D P E R C E N T O F E S T A B L IS H M E N T S A N D W A G E E A R N E R S IN T H E
M A N U F A C T U R IN G IN D U S T R IE S O F S W E D E N IN 1917.
Establishments.
Wage earners.
In d u s try group.
Number.
Extraction of minerals (including iron and steel industry)
Stone and clay............................................................
Woodworking..............................................................
Paper, printing, and publishing.................................
Food industries...........................................................
Textiles and clothing..................................................
Fur, hides, and rubber...............................................
Chemical industries....................................................
Gas, water, and electricity.............................. , .......
Total.................................................................
-——• S o e i a l s t y r e l s e n .
1919.
Y rk esin sp e k tio n e n s
Per cent.
Number.
Per cent.
1,859
953
2,134
778
3,316
545
343
371
492
19.8
7.2
30.7
5.1
3.2
3.4
4.6
142,359
37,618
59,983
41,857
37,263
43,881
13,959
18,472
5,933
35.5
9.4
14.9
10.4
9.3
10.9
3.5
4.6
1.5
10,791
100.0
401,325
100.0
17.2
8.8
verksam het
dr
1918.
S to ck h o lm ,
197 pp.
Report of the factory inspection service of Sweden for the year 1918. The
scope of the service is indicated in the following table:
N U M B E R A N D S IZ E O F E S T A B L IS H M E N T S S U B JE C T TO IN S P E C T IO N .
Number of
establishments.
Year.
1913..........................................................................................
1914.....................................................
1915.................................................................
1916................................................
1917................................................................................
1918......................................................................
•----- S t a t i s t i s k a
1919.
316
C en tra lb y ra n .
pp.
45,688
54,770
47,135
41,462
38,954
39,563
Number
employed.
329,289
367,695
367,005
402,464
360,175
381,852
S t a t i s t i s k drsbolc fo r S v e r ig e , 1919.
Effective
horsepower.
863,478
865,916
972,857
1,041,721
1,020,542
950,586
S to ck h o lm ,
Contains general statistics on population, agriculture, industry, labor, and
commerce.
Unofficial.
A m e r i c a n F e d e r a t io n o f L a b o r .
H isto ry , en cy clo p ed ia , re fe re n c e book.
Pre
p a r e d a n d p u b lish ed , b y a u th o r ity o f th e 1916 a n d 1917 c o n v e n tio n s. W a s h
in g to n , 1919.
515, v p p .
A compilation in encyclopedia form of the many questions considered in the
38 sessions of the Federation, affording a ready reference book that is intended
to be of assistance not only to officers and members of the Federation, but “ to
all who seek to know the principles upon which our trade-union is founded and
the wonderful successes achieved.” To this Is added such useful general in
formation as tables of weights and measures, perpetual calendars, statutes of
different States, and other similar matter.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[585]
282
M ONTHLY
L A B O R R E V IE W .
A merican F ederation
of Labor. C a l i f o r n i a b r a n c h . P r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e t w e n
t i e t h a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n , h e ld a t B a k e r s f ie ld , C a lif ., O c to b e r 6 -1 0 , 1 9 1 9 ,
S a n F r a n c is c o , U n d e r w o o d B ld g ., 1 9 1 9 .
135 pp.
-----
C o lo r a d o b r a n c h .
O ffic ia l p r o c e e d i n g s a n d o f f ic e r s ’ r e p o r t s o f t h e t w e n t y f o u r t h a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n , F o r t C o llin s , A u g u s t 1 1 - U i, 1 9 1 9 .
D e n v e r, 1919.
I ll
pp,
——
G e o r g ia b r a n c h . P r o c e e d in g s o f th e t w e n t y - f i r s t a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n , h e ld in
B r u n s w ic k , A p r il 1 6 -1 9 1 9 1 9 .
S a va n n a h , 1919.
48 pp.
-----
I d a h o b r a n c h . P r o c e e d in g s o f th e f o u r th a n im a l c o n v e n tio n , B o is e , J a n .
1 3 -1 6 , 1919.
B o is e , P . H . S p a n g e n b e r g , s e c r e t a r y , 1 9 1 9 .
62 p p .
----- I n d i a n a b r a n c h .
O ffic ia l p r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e t h i r t y - f i f t h a n n u a l c o n v e n t io n ,
h e ld a t I n d ia n a p o lis , A u g u s t 2 7 -3 0 , 1 9 1 9 .
256 pp.
-----
I o w a b ran ch .
C o n s t itu t io n a n d p r o c e e d in g s o f th e h t- e n i¡ /- s e v e n th a n n u a l
c o n v e n tio n , h e ld a t S io u x C i t y , M a y 2 0 -2 4 , 1 9 1 9 .
S io u x C ity , 1 9 1 9 . 8 9 p p .
----- -
K a n s a s b r a n c h . R e p o r t o f p r o c e e d in g s o f th e th ir te e n th a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n ,
h e ld in A r k a n s a s C ity , M a y 1 2 -1 4 , 1 9 1 9 .
L e a v e n w o r th , C h a r le s H a m lin ,
s e c r e ta ry , 1919. 93 p p.
- ---- • L o u i s i a n a b r a n c h .
P r o c e e d in g s o f th e s e v e n t h a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n , h e ld a t
L a k e C h a rle s , A p r il 7 - 9 , 1 9 1 9 .
S h r e v e p o r t, E . H . Z w a lly , s e c r e ta r y , 1919.
67 p p .
-----
M a in e b r a n c h . M in u te s o f th e p r o c e e d in g s o f th e s ix te e n th a n n u a l c o n v e n
tio n , h e ld a t C a la is , J u n e 3 - 5 , 1 9 1 9 .
A u g u sta , 1919.
93 pp.
----- -
M a s s a c h u s e tts b ra n c h .
P r o c e e d in g s o f th e th ir ty - f o u r th a n n u a l
tio n , h e ld a t G r e e n fie ld , S e p t. 8 - 1 0 , 1 9 1 9 .
B o s to n , 1 9 1 9 .
147 pp.
■
--
con ven
M in n e s o ta b r a n c h .
P r o c e e d in g s o f th e th ir ty - s e v e n th a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n ,
h e ld a t N e w U lm , J u l y 2 1 - 2 8 , 1 9 1 9 .
S t. P a u l, 1 9 1 9 .
92 p p .
------ M o n t a n a b r a n c h .
O ffic ia l p r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e c o n v e n t io n , H e le n a , F e b r u a r y
3 -6 , 1919.
B u tte , 0 . M . P a r te lo w , s e c r e ta r y , 1919.
152 pp.
C h a rt.
■ --
N eb ra sk a bran ch .
T h e F e d e r a tio n is t,
P r o c e e d in g s , 1919 c o n v e n tio n ,
O c to b e r , 1 9 1 9 , L in c o ln .
O m ah a, A u g u st 5 -8 . In
--
N e w Y o r k b r a n c h . O ffic ia l p r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e f i f t y - s i x t h a n n u a l c o n v e n t io n .
S y ra c u se , A u g u st 2 6 -2 8 , 1919.
U tic a , E d w a r d A . B a te s , s e c r e t a r y , 1919.
278 pp.
■ --
N o r th C a r o lin a b r a n c h .
P r o c e e d in g s o f th e th ir te e n th a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n ,
h e ld a t R a le ig h , A u g u s t 1 1, 1 2 , 1 3 , 1 9 1 9 .
A s h e v ille , 1919.
76 pp.
-----
N o r th D a k o ta b ra n c h .
R e p o r t o f th e e ig h th a n n u a l
J u n e 1, 1919.
[ F a r g o , C o n r a d M e y e r , s e c r e t a r y , 1 9 1 9 .]
-----
O h io b r a n c h .
P r o c e e d in g s o f th e t h i r t y - s i x t h a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n , h e ld in
Z a n e s v ille , O c to b e r 1 3 -1 7 , 1 9 1 9 .
C in c in n a ti, T h o s . J . D o n n e lly , s e c r e ta r y ,
1919.
143 pp.
■
■
--
c o n v e n tio n ,
32 pp.
M in o t,
O k la h o m a b r a n c h .
O ffic ia l p r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e s i x t e e n t h a n n u a l c o n v e n t i o n ,
h e ld a t S a p u lp a , S e p te m b e r 1 5 - 1 8 , 1 9 1 9 .
O k la h o m a C ity , 1 9 1 9 .
95 pp.
■ -- P e n n s y l v a n i a
b r a n c h ..
Y e a r b o o k a n d p r o c e e d in g s o f th e e ig h te e n th a n n u a l
c o n v e n tio n , h e ld a t H a r r is b u r g , M a y 1 3 - 1 6 ,1 9 1 9 .
H a r r is b u r g , 1919.
216 pp.
■
--
T en n essee bran ch .
B o o k o f la w s a n d p r o c e e d in g s o f th e tw e n ty - th ir d
a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n , h e ld a t C h a tta n o o g a , O c to b e r 6 -8 , 1 9 1 9 .
73 pp.
-——
T e x a s b ran ch .
P r o c e e d in g s o f th e tw e n ty - s e c o n d a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n , in
c lu d in g th e c o n s titu tio n a n d la w s , h e ld a t B e a u m o n t, M a y 1 9 -2 4 , 1919.
T e m p le , R o b e r t M c K in le y , s e c r e ta r y , 1 9 1 9 .
142 pp.
----- W
a s h in g to n b r a n c h .
P r o c e e d in g s o f th e e ig h te e n th a n nual c o n v e n tio n , h e ld
a t B e llin g h a m , J u n e 1 6 -2 1 , 191 9 .
T a c o m a , 1919.
152, 16 pp.
■
--
W e s t V ir g in ia b ra n c h .
P r o c e e d in g s o f th e t w e l f t h a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n , h e ld
in C la r k s b u r g , M a y 1 2 -1 7 , 1 9 1 9 .
C h a r le s to n , 191 9 .
I l l pp.
Armstrong A ssociation
fis c a l y e a r
of
P hiladelphia.
e n d in g A p r il 1 7 , 191 9 .
E le v e n th a n n u a l r e p o r t
P h ila d e lp h ia , 1 9 1 9 .
16 pp.
fo r
th e
B a r t o n , G eo rge E d w a r d . T e a c h i n g t h e s i c k . A m a n u a l o f o c c u p a t i o n a l t h e r a p y
a n d r e e d u c a tio n .
P h i l a d e l p h i a , W . B . S a u n d e r s C o ., 1 9 1 9 . 1 6 3 p p .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
P U B L I C A T I O N 'S R E L A T I N G
B oard
of Arbitration for the A greements between the
ing W orkers of A merica and Chicago Clothing
c isio n
o f D e c e m b e r 22, 1919.
283
TO LA B O R ,
[ C h ic a g o , 1 9 1 9 .]
A malgamated Cloth
Manufacturers. D e
1J¡ p p .
The board, in this decision, granted an increase beginning December 15, 1919,
and continuing to June 1, 1920, in the piece and wage rates. These increases
are to be applied as follows:
An increase of 20 per cent shall be given to sections or occupations where
the average earnings or wages on a 44-hour basis are $30 or less per week, and
5 per cent to sections where the average earnings on a 44-hour basis are $50
or more per week. An increase equivalent to $6 per week shall be given to
sections where the average earnings are from $30 to $49.99 per week.
An increase of 20 per cent shall be given to all week workers now receiving
less than $30 per week; an increase of $6 per week to week workers now receiv
ing from $30 to $49.99 per week; and an increase of 5 per cent to week workers
now receiving $50 or more per week.
In piecework sections, the equivalent of the increase shall be calculated and
added to the existing piece rates.
It is provided that the increase shall apply to all sections and classes of
labor represented by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, except
that inexperienced persons employed in the trade less than three months at
week work are not included.
B rainard, A nnie M.
M a c m illa n
C o .,
O r g a n is a tio n
1919.
li//f p p .
o f p u b lic
h e a lth
n u r s in g .
N ew
Y ork, The
This is the first of a series of books dealing with subjects essential to the
development of public health nursing, and is indorsed by the National Organiza
tion for Public Health Nursing. A preface by Mary Sewell Gardner states
that “ Three elements are essential to the successful administration of public
health nursing: First, the authority of Federal, State, or municipal health con
trol; second, an informed public; third, professional workers—i. e., public
health officers and public health nurses. The National Organization for Public
Health Nursing includes in its membership and management these essential
types.” The book describes various forms of organization and sets forth prin
ciples which have been tested and found satisfactory.
B unge, Augusto.
L a in f e r io r id a d e c o n ó m ic a d e lo s A r g e n tin o s
c a u s a s y r e m e d io .
B u e n o s A ir e s , 1 9 1 9 .
95 pp.
n a tiv o s ,
flu s
This report gives the result of an investigation of the influence of unrestricted
immigration in Argentina, based largely, if not entirely, on data shown in the
census of the Republic of 1914. It is stated that as a result of systematic en
couragement of immigration multitudes of uneducated and unskilled wage earn
ers have come into the country, causing wages to be lowered through exagger
ated competition in a limited labor market. Stress is placed upon the neces
sity of improving the system of general education, so that vocational training
shall he fostered and developed by directing the trend of popular education
toward a preparation for industrial or commercial needs, rural occupations, or
domestic arts. Continuation schools and the development of individual adapta
tion of the pupil for a vocation are also recommended.
Carnegie F oundation
for the
r e p o r t o f th e p r e s id e n t
1916.
172 pp.
^
^
Advancement
and
of
th e
of
Teaching.
tr e a s u r e r .
-----
T w e lfth a n n u a l r e p o r t o f th e p r e s id e n t a n d
C ity , 1 9 1 7 .
15Jj p p .
-----
P e n s io n s fo r p u b lic s c h o o l te a c h e r s , b y C ly d e
N e w Y o r k C ity , 1 9 1 8 .
85 p p .
B u lle tin N o . 12.
E le v e n th a n n u a l
Y o r k C ity . O c to b e r ,
N ew
o f th e
tr e a s u r e r .
F u rst
and
T.
N ew
L.
Y ork
K a n d e l,
A report for the committee on salaries, pensions, and tenure of the National
Education Association.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[5 8 7 ]
284
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
C lark:, N eil M.
B r o s ., 1 9 1 9 .
C o m m o n s e n s e in la b o r m a n a g e m e n t.
218 pp.
B ib lio g r a p h y .
N ew
Y ork, H a rp er
&
This book is not a discussion of the theories underlying-the establishment of
satisfactory relations between employers and employees, but is, on the con
trary, confined largely to discussion of the practical results achieved by dif
ferent companies through the various policies adopted by them toward this
end. Many instances are given of successful adjustment of employee relations
by means of good living and working conditions, different plans for adjusting
wages, payments of bonuses, profit-sharing, and establishment of shop .com
mittees or cooperative systems. The International Harvester Co.’s industrial
council plan and the wage policy of ihe Oneida Community (Ltd.) are appended.
D enning , A r t h u r nu P ré.
C o.
( L td .) , 1919.
S c ie n tific f a c to r y m a n a g e m e n t.
x ii, 211 p p .
C h a rt.
L o n d o n , N is b e t
tC-
The faults of business organization of the past and the necessity for reorgani
zation of industry along progressive lines are discussed by the author, who
especially commends American methods and principles as voiced by the leading
exponents of scientific management. In summarizing the functions of man
agers, foremen, and workers the statements are made that managers in the
future must approach their problems in a more scientific spirit, the duties of
foremen must be more carefully and logically regulated, and the workers must
realize the necessity for elimination of waste effort and for increased produc
tion. The qualifications of the factory manager of the future are defined and
the necessity for a definite plan of organization is shown. The appendixes
include a bibliography, a statement of the most vital requirement of British
industry, classification and purpose of standards, and a scientific organization
chart.
D esplanque, J ean.
L e p r o b lè m e d e la r é d u c tio n d e la d u r é e d u tr a v a il d e v a n t
le P a r le m e n t F r a n ç a is .
P a r is , 1 9 18.
v in , 558 p p .
B ib lio g r a p h y .
D ooley, W illiam IT.
te a c h e r tr a in in g
P r in c i p le s a n d m e th o d s o f i n d u s t r i a l e d u c a t io n f o r u s e in
c la ss e s .
B o s - to n , H o u g h t o n M i f f l i n C o ., 1 9 1 9 .
257 pp.
D uncan, O., S.
C o m m e r c ia l r e s e a r c h .
A n o u tlin e o f w o r k in g p r in c ip le s .
Y o r k , T h e M a c m i l l a n C o ., 1 9 1 9 .
885 pp.
N ew
The book is devoted to the development of the author’s theory that “ 1. The
immediate and primary need of business to-day is intelligent direction and con
trol, individually, generally ; 2. Intelligent direction and control of business can
be had only by a better knowledge of business principles ; 3. A better knowledge
of business principles can be derived only from a careful and comprehensive
survey of business facts ; 4. To secure a careful and comprehensive survey of
business facts is a problem for business reearch ; 5. Therefore, the immediate
need of business to-day can be met only by business research.”
E mployers’ F ederation
1 3 th
N o vem b er, 1919.
N ew South W ales.
of
S ydn ey,
1919.
R eport
of
annual
m e e tin g ,
35 pp.
This report includes the annual address of the president, who discussed:
Industrial problems ; The International Labor Convention ; and Industrial rela
tionships. A review of the living wage inquiry of 1919 of the New South
Wales Board of Trade and a summary of the conclusions of the Employers’
conference on industrial relationships, held in Melbourne in 1919, called by the
Central Council of Employers’ Federations, are appended.
E mployment Management
and
S ch o o l o f C o rresp o n d en ce, 1919.
S afety E ngineering.
7 v o ls.
C h ic a g o ,
A m e ric a n
I llu s tr a te d .
A reading course in modern employment management and safety measures
based upon a personal survey of 60 representative plants installations. The
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
L58SJ
P U B L IC A T IO N S
R E L A T IN G
TO LABOR
285
titles of the volumes ux-e as follows: Yol. I. Employment department organiza
tion, functions, personnel. 238 pp. Yol.. II. Job analysis, labor sources, safe
guarding selection, by Fred A. Krafft and W alter Stearns. 254 pp. Yol. III.
Training workers, systems, policies, forms, by Fred A. Krafft. 296 pp. Yol.
IV. Follow-up, labor turnover, collective bargaining. 371 pp. Yol.. Y. Indus
trial insurance, medical service, legal phases. 280 pp. Yol. VI. Safety work,
accidents, engineering features, equipment, by David S. Beyer. 182 pp. Yol.
VII. Mechanical guarding, special features, by David S. Beyer. 1S9 pp..
The course has evidently been hastily pi*epared, is brought together in an
unsystematic and quite illogical manner, and in many of the chapters gives
evidence of little or no editorial supervision. There is much repetition.
F ubttseth, A ndrew.
S e c o n d m e s s a g e to s e a m e n .
H i s r e l a t i o n s h i p to t h e h a r b o r
w o r k e r s a n d th e s h ip o w n e r s .
C h ic a g o , I n t e r n a t i o n a l S e a m e n ' s U n io n o f
A m e r ic a , 1919. 2 9 pp .
Discusses the personnel of the merchant marine and its varied requirements,
the crimping system, the seamen’s struggle to organize, and future duties and
possibilities.
Gompkks, Samuel.
L a b o r a n d th e c o m m o n w e lf a r e .
C o m p ile d a n d e d ite d b y
H a y e s R o b b in s .
N e w Y o r k , E . P . D u t t o n & C o ., 1 9 1 9 . 3 0 6 p p .
Im b o r m o v e
m e n t s a n d la b o r p r o b l e m s i n A m e r i c a .
This volume, composed of selections from the writings and addresses of Mr.
Gompers during the last 35 years, discusses certain broad general phases of the
labor problem in its relation to the life of the community as a whole.
H amilton , W alton H ale, E ditor.
C u r r e n t e c o n o m ic p r o b l e m s : ,1 s e r i e s o f r e a d
in g s in th e c o n tr o l o f in d u s tr ia l d e v e lo p m e n t.
R e v is e d e d itio n .
C h ic a g o ,
U n i v e r s i t y o f C h ic a g o P r e s s , 1 9 1 9 .
91/6 p p .
A collection of expressions on various economic matters, gathered from many
authors and various sources old and new, and adapted and arranged into a
coherent study. The conception of economics is much the same as that which
runs through the first edition of the work, but the materials now included are of
more immediate value as illustrative of the problems of to-day. The theory
upon which the book has been constructed is “ That our society is a developing
one; th at the institutions which make up its structure are interdependent; that
industry occupies a place of prime importance in determining its nature; that
current problems rest upon the triple fact of an immutable human nature, a
scheme of social arrangements based upon individualism, and a world-wide
industry organized about the machine technique; that current problems repre
sent a lack of harmony between the elements; and that conscious attention to
these interrelated problems is the means through which industrial develop
ment is to be controlled.” The book aims to give only a perspective of economic
problems, which precedes specialized study, and to present “ an outside view of
questions of the day and to indicate their places in the larger universe which
contains them.”
H asse , Adelaide It. I n d e x o f e c o n o m ic m a t e r i a l i n d o c u m e n t s o f t h e S t a t e s o f
th e U n ite d S ta te s .
P e n n s y l v a n i a 1 7 9 0 -1 9 0 1 /.
P r e p a r e d fo r th e D e p a r tm e n t
o f E c o n o m i c s a n d S o c i o l o g y o f t h e C a r n e g i e I n s t i t u t i o n o f W a s h i n g to n .
P a r t I - A to E .
W a s h i n g to n , C a r n e g i e I n s t i t u t i o n , 1 9 1 9 . 8 1 0 p p .
I nternational I nstitute
of Agriculture. B u r e a u o f E c o n o m i c a n d S o c i a l
I n te llig e n c e .
I n te r n a tio n a l R e v ie w o f A g r ic u ltu r a l E c o n o m ic s ( M o n th ly
B u l l e t i n o f E c o n o m ic a n d S o c i a l I n t e l l i g e n c e ) . Y e a r X : N o . 6 - 7 .
R om e,
J u n e < -J u ly , 1 9 1 9 . P p . 3 2 1 -1 /3 6 .
Part I is devoted to cooperation and association and contains articles on co
operation for the sale of produce in California and agricultural cooperation in
Norway, besides miscellaneous information relating to cooperation and associa159898°—20
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M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.
tiou in various countries. Regarding agricultural cooperation in Norway, the
number of cooperative societies, which in 1912-13 was 2,526, was in 1917 3,304.
^
with a membership of 207,769, showing th at about one-twelfth of the population
™
is interested in the cooperative movement in one form or another. These socie
ties fall into four main groups: Cooperative producing and selling societies, .
farmers’ federations for purchase in common, farmers’ cooperative selling
societies, and cooperative consumers’ societies. Among the latter the Union of
the Cooperative Societies of Norway is included.
The article on national insurance against labor accidents in Italy shows that
in 1918 the national institute issued, through the medium of its district officers,
secondary offices and agencies, 33,780 new policies insuring 698,998 workmen,
as against 679,736 in 1917, received 100,720 declarations of accidents, and paid
15,319,450 lire (par value of lira=19.8 cents) in benefits for 103,118 cases of
accidents of which 410 were fatal and 7.422 produced permanent disablement.
J ournal
op I ndustrial
C o ., D e c e m b e r , 1 9 1 9 .
H ygiene.
V o l. 1 , N o . 8.
P p . 3 7 1 -4 1 8 , 1 1 9 -1 4 2 .
N ew
Y o rk ,
T h e M a c m il l a n
This issue is devoted to the publication of papers delivered before the health
section of the National Safety Council at the Eighth Annual Safety Congress,
held at Cleveland, Ohio, October 1-4, 1919. The paper by Dr. David L. Edsall
on “ Industrial clinics in general hospitals,” was noted in the January. 1920.
issue of the Monthly L abor R eview .
Other papers in this number are on Health education in industry, by Dr.
W. A. E van s; Industrial dermatoses, their sources, types, and control, by Dr.
William Allen Pusey; Malingering—involving the problem of getting the sick
or injured employee back to work, by Dr. Judson C. Fisher; The treatment of
burns, by Dr. W. Irving C lark; and The coordination of industrial and com
munity health activities, by Dr. C. E. Ford. The last article is reviewed on
pages 201 and 202 of this issue of the Monthly L abor R eview .
L escohier, D on D. T h e la b o r m a r k e t . N e w Y o r k . T h e M a c m il l a n C o ., 1 9 19.
^
x ii, 338 p p .
The following note from the preface indicates the purpose of this volume:
“ It aims to prove the necessity for national machinery for the control of the
problem of employment and to furnish information which the author hopes will
be of value to employment office managers and to students of the employment
and the labor problem.”
Library E mployees’ U nion
1919. A s tu d y
p h l e t N o . 1.
h e lp .
of Greater
[N e w Y o rk
N ew York.
C ity ,
L opez, C. D.
I n d u s tr ia l d e m o c ra c y . 1848S e p t e m b e r , 1 9 1 9 .]
34 p p .
P am
S o c ie d a d e s y S in d ic a to s .
C o n t r i b u c ió n
C u e s t i o n e s s o c i a le s .
T o m o 1. M e x i c o C i t y , 1 9 1 8 .
Milnes, A lfred.
a la le g i s l a c i ó n
586 pp.
T h e e c o n o m ic f o u n d a t i o n s o f r e c o n s t r u c t i o n .
d o n a ld & E v a n s , 1919. 2 2 6 p p .
ob rera .
London, M ac
A collection of lectures delivered before the political and economic circle of
the National Liberal Club, London. The majority of the lectures were given
before the cessation of hostilities, but the author says that the change in the
world position has called for no alteration in the exposition of the economic
principles stated. Chapters are on Payment by production; Enrichment by
exchange—international trade; Foreign exchanges; The general question of
free trade; Recent attacks on free trade; Economics of a league of nations—
finance after the war and industry after the war—our liberties. The last
two chapters concern “ the vast and complicated subject of the relations be-
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P U B L IC A T IO N S
R E L A T IN G
TO
LABOR.
287
tween labor, capital, and the Government, in the immediate future, and in
the developments of more permanent industrial organization,” and devote con
siderable attention to the tariff, scientific management, and the work of the
Whitley councils. In concluding, the author says, “ We shall have to get
back to our peace standard of production and spread our goods again over
the whole world before we can even begin to pay our enormous debt. Far
beyond that standard we must go before the payment can be completed. And
there is no payment save in goods; and quantity of goods depends on our
efficiency. And I claim the right to use strength of hand and dexterity of
brain to the best account. My efficiency is the most precious portion of my !
freeman’s inheritance. I submit that the product of that efficiency is my own;
I have a right to exchange it with whomsoever I .please. For human progress ;
rests on exchange ; to limit exchange is to limit civilization, and pro tanto to '
enslave mankind. For it dooms mankind to greater exertion for smaller satis
faction. It is a resultless corvée ; stupid as well as wicked ; a usurpation beyond
the authority of any Government. Civilization has denied the right of owner
ship in human beings, and has declared the slave owner’s title bad.”
Mot.ey, Raymond,
u s e in a d u l t
197 pp.
and Cook, H uldah F lorence. L e s s o n s in d e m o c r a c y . F o r
i m m i g r a n t c la s s e s .
N e w Y ork.
T h e M a c m il l a n G o., 1 9 1 9 .
This book aims to instruct aliens in America in the essential facts con
nected with citizenship and is especially planned for those of limited education
and knowledge of the language. It is intended primarily for school use but
can also be used by foreigners who are not in formal classes and by candidates
for nationalization.
N ational Child Labor Committee.
C h ild w e l f a r e in K e n t u c k y .
A n in q u ir y
b y th e N a tio n a l C h ild L a b o r C o m m itte e f o r th e K e n tu c k y C h ild L a b o r A s
s o c ia tio n a n d th e S t a t e B o a r d o f H e a lth , u n d e r th e d ir e c tio n o f E d w a r d
N . C lo p p e r . N e w Y o r k , 1 0 5 E a s t T w e n t y - s e c o n d S t r e e t , 1 9 1 9 . 3 2 2 p p .
M ap.
Tiie National Child Labor Committee was invited in the spring of 1919 by
the Kentucky Child Labor Association, the Louisville Welfare League, the
State board of health, the Kentucky Federation of Women’s Clubs, and other
agencies to study conditions affecting children in Kentucky and to prepare a
report of the findings. Accordingly eight agents of the committee’s staff spent
several months visiting typical counties in the regions known as the Mountains,
Blue Grass, Beargrass, Pennyrile, and Purchase, as well as in the western
mining district, along the Ohio River, and in the isolated region in the southcentral division. This report covers Health. Schools, Recreation, Rural life,
Child labor, and Juvenile courts. The report on Child labor, by Mrs. Loraine
B. Bush concludes with a recommendation for the adoption as soon as practicable
of the minimum standards for the protection and education of children recom
mended by the United States Children’s Bureau and for the reorganization
of tiie present bureau of agriculture, labor, and statistics and the creation of
a State department of labor which will include among its activities the inspec
tion of mines as well as the enforcement of labor laws.
N ational Committee on P risons and P rison L abor.
T h e d e lin q u e n t g ir l a n d
w om an.
P r o c e e d i n g s o f a c o n f e r e n c e , F e b r u a r y 3, 1 9 1 9 . N e w Y o r k , B r o a d
w a y a n d 1 1 6 th S t r e e t , 1 9 1 9 . 31 p p . P r i s o n l e a f l e t s N o . 5 8 .
Includes a paper on Industrial training for women prisoners, by Airs. Jessie
D. Hodder, superintendent of tiie Massachusetts Reformatory for Women, based
on tiie work of the reformatory,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[591]
288
M ONTHLY
LABOR
R E V IE W .
N ederlandsch
Verbond v a n V a k v e r e e n i g m g e n . V e r s in g v a n d-e n e g e r u le
a lg e m e e n e
v e r g a d e r in g
* * * en van
de
b u ite n g e w o n e
a lg e m e e n e '
v e r g a d e iin g .
[ A m s t e r d a m , 1 9 1 9 .\ 1 1 0 p p .
Comprises the reports of the ninth regular meeting, July 18-20, 1918, and
the special meeting of April 1, 1919, of the Dutch Federation of Trade-Unions.
R awlley, Ratan C.
g a n iz a tio n .
E c o n o m i c s o f t h e s i l k i n d u s t r y : A s t u d y in i n d u s t r i a l o r
L o n d o n , P . S. K in g & S o n ( L td .) , 1919. 349 pp.
The object of this book is to present the economic side of the silk industry
in a connected form ; that is, from the production of the cocoons to the finished
fabric. The growing importance of the silk industry not only because of the
demand for the product as an article of dress hut for use in manufacture of
surgical and electrical appliances and in many branches of warfare, with, the
consequent presence of international competition, makes such a study of im
portance. The development of silk production in the F ar East is traced and the
economic factors connected with the production of the raw silk and the
silk manufacturing industries are discussed. Special attention is paid to the
effects of foreign competition on the British silk industry for the purpose of
determining the economic factors which influence success, and to the com
mercial organization of the raw-silk trade and the system of marketing and
distribution.
"Robertson, J ohn .
L td ., 1919.
H o u s in g
x i, 159 p p .
and
th e
p u b lic
h e a lth .
London,
C a s s e ll
& C o .,
In spite of the fact that only the most imperfect methods exist whereby to
measure the harm done to health by bad housing, there is, in the opinion of the
author, a mass of evidence already accumulated of the evil results of living
under unwholesome conditions. Bad housing forms only one of a circle of
vicious influences in the life of the economically depressed. Poverty, vice, drink,
and ignorance are all factors. But as bad housing is a factor which lends itself
to concrete attack, and because its elimination would probably yield the most
permanent and beneficial results, it is the most important problem for the social
reformer.
Bad housing is one of the outgrowths of rapid industrial development. The
author looks upon it as perhaps an inevitable result because it has arisen as a
consequence of a lack of foresight and judgment. These are human failings
against which it is somewhat useless to complain.
It is the purpose of the volume under review to suggest those changes in house
construction, space allotment, surroundings, general layout of block and city,
material of construction, floor plan, and room arrangements and household con
veniences, which will improve present methods of house construction. Reliance
is had almost wholly upon secondary measures. The underlying land problem
is wholly untouched. The local authorities and parliamentary legislation as
exemplified in the present housing acts of Great Britain are looked to in the
solution of the problem. Manufacturers are urged to utilize the opportunities
afforded by this legislation. If the improved houses are provided experience
indicates that the people will respond and appreciate the improvements.
Russell Sage F oundation Library.
o g ra p h y.
I n d u s tr ia l p e n s io n s : a s e le c te d
N e w Y o rk , D e c e m b e r, 1919. 4 pp.
B u lle tin N o. 38.
b ib li
S impson, Kemper.
P r i c e f ix in g a n d t h e t h e o r y o f p r o f i t .
I n Q u a r te r ly J o u rn a l
o f E c o n o m ic s .
N o v e m b e r . 1919.
C a m b r id g e , H a r v a r d U n iv e r s ity P re ss.
1919.
p p . 1 3 8 -1 6 0 .
This article discusses methods of price fixing, the theory of profit, and the
relation of the latter to price fixing.
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PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
289
S ociety
of I ndustrial E ngineers. A m e r i c a n a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l l a b o r c o n d i
tio n s .
C o m p le te r e p o r t o f th e p r o c e e d in g s o f th e f a ll n a tio n a l c o n fe re n c e ,
C l e v e l a n d , O c t. 2 9 - 3 1 , 1 9 1 9 .
C h ic a g o , 1 9 1 9 .
161 p p .
Sonnichsen , Albert.
1919.
C o n s u m e rs ' c o o p e r a tio n .
N e w Y o r k , T h e M a c m il l a n C o .,
x ix , 223 pp.
A review of this book appears on pages 134 to 187 of this issue of the
Review.
Studensky, Paul.
T h e p e n s io n p r o b le m a n d th e p h ilo s o p h y o f c o n tr ib u tio n s .
N e w Y o rk , B u r e a u o f M u n ic ip a l R e s e a r c h , 1917. 20 p p .
Tills pamphlet discusses the objects sought in the establishment of pension
funds and the lack of actuarial soundness in most of the systems in force. The
plans are divided into three classes: The wholly contributory, the noncontribu
tory, and the partly contributory systems. The author reaches the conclusion
that the partly contributory system is the one best calculated to secure success
largely by reason of the fact that it does not tend to increase or decrease wages
or to become “ deferred pay ” as is the case in one or the other of the two other
systems. It also permits the establishment of a system which is financially
sound, since by dividing the cost sufficient funds are created without unduly
burdening either the employees or the employer, municipality, or Government.
T albot, F rederick A.
C o ., 1 9 2 0 .
M illio n s
fro m
w a s te .
P h ila d e lp h ia , J . B .
L ip p in c o tt
308 pp.
The purpose of this book is to “ indicate certain of the most obvious channels
through which wealth incalculable is being permitted to escape, as well as the
narration of something concerning the highly ingenious efforts which are being
made to prevent such wastage.” It is intended primarily for the uninitiated
reader and aims to acquaint the man in the street and the woman at home with
the enormous wastage, both in finance and kind, which is incurred in the most
familiar fields during the course of the year, and to persuade them to observe
methods of thrift.
Todd, Arthur James.
M a c m il l a n C o ., 1 9 1 9 .
T h e s c i e n ti f i c s p i r i t a n d s o c i a l w o r k .
212 pp.
N ew
Y o rk ,
The
Although the main part of this book deals with the detailed administrative
methods of social workers and the problems involved in them, several chapters
are devoted to restating the philosophical and psychological principles upon
which the author believes sound social work is based and by which it is justified,
and a little space is given to cautions to social reformers. A chapter on “ Recent
tendencies in social reform ” gives a clear setting for the problems which at pres
ent confront the social worker and which are discussed in chapters dealing with
Sentimentality and social reform, The dead center in social work, The labor,
turnover in social agencies, The adventurous attitude in social work, and Social
progress and social work.
T rades
and
Labor Congress o f Canada. R e p o r t o f t h e p r o c e e d i n g s o f th e
t h i r t y - f i f t h a n n u a l c o n v e n t i o n h e l d a t t h e c i t y o f H a m i l to n , O n t a r i o , S e p
t e m b e r 2 2 to 2 7 , 1919.
O tta w a , P . M . D r a p e r , s e c r e ta r y - tr e a s u r e r , 1919,
23Ji p p .
An account of this convention was given in the December, 1919, issue of the
L abor Review, pages 365 to 368.
M onthly
T rades-U nion Congress.
R e p o r t o f p r o c e e d in g s a t th e f ifty - fir s t a n n u a l tr a d e s u n io n c o n g r e s s h e ld i n G la s g o w , S e p t e m b e r 8 to 1 3 , 1 9 0 .
L o n d o n , 1919.
.’i 0 8 p p .
A digest of this report is given on pages 256 to 258 of this issue of the
Monthly Labor R eview.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
290
U niversity D ebaters’ A nn ua l .
C o n s tr u c tiv e a n d r e b u tta l sp e e c h e s d e liv e r e d
i n d e b a t e s o f A m e r i c a n c o l l e g e s a n d u n i v e r s i t i e s d u r i n g t h e c o lle g e g e a r ,
1 9 1 8 - 1 9 . E d i t e d b y E d i t h M . P h e lp s .
N o v Y o r k , H . W . W i l s o n C o.,
1919. 234 pp.
B ib lio g r a p h ie s .
Two chapters are devoted to the subject of Government ownership of rail
roads and one treats of Federal employment for surplus labor.
W hitford, J ames F.
L o n d o n , N is b e t
F a c t o r y m a n a g e m e n t w a s t e s ; a n d h o w to p r e v e n t t h e m .
x, 220 pp .
8 c h a r ts .
<i- C o . ( L t d . ) , 1 9 1 9 .
This book deals with the problem of waste found in the average factory in
relation to the bearing which it has on the solution of present-day labor prob
lems. The author believes that when employers and employees realize that
their interests are identical and th at the elimination of preventable losses
serves the interests of both “the successful solution of a difficult anti com
plex problem is capable of attainm ent.” The author denies that modern factory
methods or scientific management are “ dehumanizing ” but argues that carried
out to the greatest possible perfection they bring the workers not only greater
material returns but increased leisure and opportunities for enjoyment. The
subjects of overtime, cost finding, and wage systems, including profit sharing,
are also discussed.
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m
m
SERIES OF BULLETINS PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.
[ The publication of the annual and special reports and of the bimonthly bulletin was
discontinued in July, 1912, and since that time a bulletin has been published at irregular
intervals. Each number contains matter devoted to one of a series of general subjects. These
bulletins are numbered consecutively, beginning with No. 101, and up to No. 236; they also carry
consecutive numbers under each series. Beginning with No. 237 the serial numbering has been
discontinued. A list of the series is given below. Under each is grouped all the bulletins
which contain material relating to the subject matter of that series. A list of the reports and
bulletins of the Bureau issued prior to July 1, 1912, will be furnished on application. The
bulletins marked thus * are out of print.]
Wholesale Prices.
* Bui. 114. W holesale prices, 1890 to 1912.
Bui. 149. W holesale prices, 1890 to 1913.
* Bui. 173. Index numbers of wholesale prices in the United
countries.
Bui. 181. W holesale prices, 1890 to 1914.
Bui. 200. W holesale prices, 1890 to 1915.
Bui. 226. W holesale prices, 1890 to 1916.
Bui. 269. W holesale prices, 1890 to 1918. [In press.]
States and foreign
Retail Prices and Cost of Living.
* Bui. 105. R etail prices, 1890 to 1911 : Part I.
Retail prices, 1890 to 1911 : Part II— General tables.
* Bui. 106. Retail prices, 1890 to June, 1912 : Part I.
Retail prices, 1890 to June, 1912 : Part II— General tables.
Bui. 108. Retail prices, 1890 to August, 1912.
Bui. 110. Retail prices, 1890 to October, 1912.
Bui. 113. R etail prices, 1890 to December, 1912.
Bui. 115. R etail prices, 1890 to February, 1913.
* Bui. 121. Sugar prices, from refiner to consumer.
Bui. 125. Retail prices, 1890 to April, 1913.
Bui. 130. W heat and flour prices, from farmer to consumer.
Bui. 132. Retail prices, 1890 to June, 1913.
Bui. 136. Retail prices, 1890 to August, 1913.
* Bui. 138. R etail prices, 1890 to October, 1913.
Bui. 140. Retail prices, 1890 to December, 1913.
Bui. 156. Retail prices, 1907 to December, 1914.
Bui. 164. Butter prices, from producer to consumer.
Bui. 170. Foreign food prices as affected by the war.
* Bui. 184. R etail prices, 1907 to June, 1915.
Bui. 197. R etail prices, 1907 to December, 1915.
Bui. 228. R etail prices, 1907 to December, 1916,
Bui. 266. A study of fam ily expenditures in the D istrict of Columbia.
Bui. 270. Retail prices, 1913 to 1918. [In press.]
[In press.]
Wages and Hours of Labor.
Bui. 116. Hours, earnings, and duration of employment of wage-earning women in
selected industries in the D istrict of Columbia.
Bui. 118. Ten-hour maximum working-day for women and young persons.
Bui. 119. Working hours of women in the pea canneries of W isconsin.
* Bui. 128. W ages and hours of labor in the cotton, woolen, and silk industries, 1890
to 1912.
* Bui. 129. W ages and hours of labor in the lumber, millwork. and furniture indus
tries, 1890 to 1912.
* Bui. 131. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, 1907 to 1912.
* Bui. 134. W ages and hours of labor in the boot and shoe and hosiery and knit goods
industries, 1890 to 1912.
* Bui. 135. W ages and hours of labor in the cigar and clothing industries, 1911 and
1912.
Bui. 137. Wages and hours of labor in the building and repairing of steam railroad
cars, 1890 to 1912.
Bui. 143. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, May 15, 1913.
Bui. 146. W ages and regularity of employment and standardization of piece rates
in the dress and w aist industry of New York City.
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Wages and Hours of Labor— Concluded.
Bui. 147. Wages and regularity of employment in the cloak, suit, and skirt industry.
Bui. 150. Wages and hours of labor in the cotton, woolen, and silk industries. 1907
to 1913.
Bui. 151. Wages and hours of labor in the iron and steel industry iu the United
States, 1907 to 1912.
» Bui. 153. W ages and hours of labor in the lumber, millwork, and furniture indus
tries, 1907 to 1913.
Bui. 154. Wages and hours of labor in the boot and shoe and hosiery and under
wear industries, 1907 to 1913.
Bui. 160. Hours, earnings, and conditions of labor of women in Indiana mercantile
establishm ents and garm ent factories.
Bui. 161. W ages and hours of labor in the clothing and cigar industries, 1911 to
1913.
Bui. 163. W ages and hours of labor in the building and repairing of steam railroad
cars, 1997 to 1913.
Bui. 168. Wages and hours of labor in the iron and steel industry, 1907 to 1913.
Bui. 171. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, May 1, 1914.
Bui. 177. Wages and hours of labor in the hosiery and underwear industry, 1907
to 1914.
* Bill. 178. W ages and hours of labor in the boot and shoe industry, 1907 to 1914.
Bui. 187. W ages and hours of labor in the m en’s clothing industry, 1911 to 1914.
* Bui. 190. W ages and hours of labor in the cotton, woolen, and silk industries, 1907
to 1914.
* Bui. 194. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, May 1, 1915.
Bui. 204. Street railway employment in the United States.
Bui. 214. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, May 15, 1916.
Bui. 218. W ages and hours of labor in the iron and steel industry, 1907 to 1915.
Bui. 221. Hours, fatigue, and health in B ritish munition factories.
Bui. 225. W ages and hours of labor in the lumber, millwork, and furniture indus
tries, 1915.
Bui. 232. W ages and hours of labor in the boot aud shoe industry, 1907 to 1916.
Bill. 238. W ages and hours of labor in woolen and worsted goods manufacturing,
1916.
Bui. 239. Wages and hours of labor in cotton goods manufacturing and finishing,
1916.
Bui. 245. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, May 15, 1917.
Bui. 252. W ages and hours of labor in the slaughtering and meat-packing industry.
Bui. 259. Union scale of wages and hours of labor, May 15, 1918.
Bui. 260. Wages and hours of labor in the hoot and shoe industry, 1907 to 1918.
Bui. 261. W ages and hours of labor in woolen and worsted goods m anufacturing, 1918.
Bui. 262. W ages and hours of labor in cotton goods m anufacturing and finishing
1918.
Bui. 265. Industrial survey in selected industries in the United States, 1919. Pre
liminary report. [In press.]
Employment and Unemployment.
* Bul. 109. S tatistics of unemployment and the work of employment offices.
Bui. 116. Hours, earnings, and duration of employment of wage-earning women in
selected industries in the D istrict of Columbia.
Bui. 172. Unemployment in New York City, N. Y.
Bul. 182. Unemployment among women in department and other retail stores of
Boston, Mass.
Bul. 183. Regularity of employment in the women’s ready-to-wear garment industries.
Bul. 192. Proceedings of the American Association of Public Employment Offices.
* Bul. 195. Unemployment in the United States.
Bul. 196. Proceedings of the Employment M anagers’ Conference held at Minneapolis,
January, 1916.
Bul. 202. Proceedings of the conference of the Employment Managers' Association of
Boston, Mass., held May 10, 1916.
Bul. 206. The British system of labor exchanges.
Bul. 220. Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Association of
Public Employment Offices, Buffalo, N. Y., .July 20 and 21, 1916.
Bul. 223. Employment of women and juveniles in Great Britain during the war.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Employment and Unemployment— Concluded.
Bui. 227. Proceedings of the Employment Managers’ Conference. Philadelphia, Pa.,
April 2 and 3, 1917.
Bui. 235. Employment system of the Lake Carriers’ Association.
Bui. 241. Public employment offices in the United States.
Bui. 247. Proceedings of the Employment M anagers’ Conference, Rochester, N. T„
May 9-11, 1918.
W om en in In d u stry .
Bui. 116. Hours, earnings, and duration of employment of wage-earning women in
selected industries in the D istrict of Columbia.
* Bui. 117. Prohibition of night work of young persons.
Bui. 118. Ten-hour maximum working-day for women and young persons.
Bui. 119. Working hours of women in the pea canneries of W isconsin.
* Bui. 122. Em ployment of women in power laundries in Milwaukee.
Bui. 100. Hours, earnings, and conditions of labor of women in Indiana m ercantile
establishm ents and garm ent factories.
* Bui. 167. Minimum-wage legislation in the United States and foreign countries.
Bui. 175. Summary of the report on condition of woman and child wage earners in
the United States.
Bui. 176. Effect of minimum-wage determ ination in Oregon.
Bui. 180. The boot and shoe industry in M assachusetts as a -vocation for women.
Bui. 182. Unemployment among women in department and other retail stores of
Boston, Mass.
Bui. 193. Dressm aking as a trade for women in M assachusetts.
Bui. 215. Industrial experience of trade-school girls in M assachusetts.
Bui. 217. Effect of workmen’s compensation law s in dim inishing the necessity of
industrial employment of women and children.
Bui. 223. Employment of women and juveniles in Great Britain during the war.
Bui. 253. Women in the lead industry.
Workmen’s Insurance and Compensation (including laws relating thereto).
Bui. 101. Care of tuberculous wage earners in Germany.
Bui. 102. British National Insurance Act, 1911.
Bui. 103. Sickness and accident insurance law of Switzerland.
Bui. 107. Law relating to insurance of salaried employees in Germany.
* Bui. 126. Workmen’s compensation law s of the United States and foreign countries.
Bui. 155. Compensation for accidents to employees of the United States.
* Bui. 185. Compensation legislation of 1914 and 1915.
Bui. 203. Workmen’s compensation law s of the United States and foreign countries.
Bui. 210. Proceedings of the Third Annual Meeting of the International Association
o f Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions.
Bui. 212. Proceedings of the conference on social insurance called by the Inter
national Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions.
Bui. 217. Effect of workmen’s compensation law s in dim inishing the necessity of
industrial employment of women and children.
Bui. 240. Comparison of workmen’s compensation law s of the United States.
Bui. 243. Workmen’s compensation legislation in the United States and foreign
countries.
Bui. 248. Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Internaübnal Association
of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions.
Bui. 264. Proceedings of the F ifth Annual Meeting of the International Association
of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions.
Industrial Accidents and Hygiene.
Bui. 104. Lead poisoning in potteries, tile works, and porcelain enameled sanitary
ware factories.
Bui. 120. H ygiene of the painters’ trade.
* Bui. 127. Dangers to workers from dusts and fumes, and methods of protection.
Bui. 141. Lead poisoning in the sm elting and refining of lead.
* Bui. 157. Industrial accident statistics.
Bui. 165. Lead poisoning in the m anufacture of storage batteries.
* Bui. 179. Industrial poisons used in the rubber industry.
Bui. 188. Report of B ritish departmental committee on the danger in the use of
lead in the painting of buildings.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial Accidents and Hygiene— Concluded.
* Bui. 201. Report of committee ou statistics and compensation insurance cost of the
International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions. [Lim ited edition.]
Bul. 205. Anthrax as an occupational disease.
Bui. 207. Causes of death by occupation.
* Bui. 209. Hygiene of the printing trades.
Bui. 216. Accidents and accident prevention in machine building.
* Bui. 219. Industrial poisons used or produced in the m anufacture of explosives.
Bui. 221. Hours, fatigue, and health in British munition factories.
Bui. 230. Industrial efficiency and fatigue in British munition factories.
Bui. 231. M ortality from respiratory diseases in dusty trades.
Bui. 234. Safety movement in the iron and steel industry, 1907 to 1917.
Bui. 236. Effect of the air hammer on the hands of stonecutters.
Bui. 251. Preventable death in the cotton m anufacturing industry.
Bui. 253. Women in the lead industry.
Revision of
Bui. 256. Accidents and accident prevention in machine building.
Bui. 216.
[In press.]
Bui. 267. Anthrax as an occupational disease. (Revised.)
Conciliation and Arbitration (including strikes and lockouts).
* Bui. 124. Conciliation and arbitration in the building trades of Greater New York.
Bui. 133. Report of the industrial council of the B ritish Board of Trade on its in
quiry into industrial agreements.
Bui. 139. Michigan copper district strike.
Bui. 144. Industrial court of the cloak, suit, and skirt industry of New York City.
Bui. 145. Conciliation, arbitration, and sanitation in the dress and w aist industry of
New York City.
* Bui. 191. Collective bargaining in the anthracite coal industry.
Bui. 198. Collective agreem ents in the men’s clothing industry.
Bui. 233. Operation of the Industrial D isputes Investigation Act of Canada.
Labor Laws of the United States (including decisions of courts relating to labor).
* Bui. 111. Labor legislation of 1912.
* Bui. 112. Decisions of courts and opinions affecting labor, 1912.
* Bui. 148. Labor law s of the United States, with decisions of courts relating thereto.
Bui. 152. Decisions of courts and opinions affecting- labor, 1913.
* Bui. 166. Labor legislation of 1914.
* Bui. 169. Decisions of courts affecting- labor, 1914.
* Bui. 186. Labor legislation of 1915.
* Bui. 189. Decisions of courts affecting labor, 1915.
Bui. 211. Labor law s and their adm inistration in the Pacific States.
* Bui. 213. Labor legislation of 1916.
Bui. 224. Decisions o f courts affecting labor, 1916.
Bui. 229. Wage-payment legislation in the United States.
Bui. 244. Labor legislation of 1917.
Bui. 246. Decisions of courts affecting labor, 1917.
Bui. 257. Labor legislation of 1918.
Bui. 258. Decisions of courts and opinions affecting labor, 1918. [In press.]
Foreign Labor Laws.
Bui. 142. Adm inistration of labor law s and factory inspection in certain European
countries.
Vocational Education.
Bui. 145. Conciliation, arbitration, and sanitation in the dress and w aist industry of
New York City.
Bui. 147. Wages and regularity of employment in the cloak, suit, and skirt industry.
* Bui. 159. Short-unit courses for wage earners, and a factory school experiment.
Bui. 162. Vocational education survey of Richmond, Va.
Bui. 199. Vocational education survey of Minneapolis.
Bui. 271. Adult working-class education in Great Britain and the United States.
[In press.]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Labor as
Bui.
* Bui.
Bui.
Bui.
Bui.
Bui.
Bui.
Bui.
Affected by the War.
170. Foreign food prices as affected by the war.
219. Industrial poisons used or produced in the m anufacture of explosives.
221. Hours, fatigue, and health in British munition factories.
222. W elfare work in B ritish munition factories.
223. Employment of women and juveniles in Great B ritain during the war.
230. Industrial efficiency and fatigue in British munition factories.
237. Industrial unrest in Great Britain.
249. Industrial health and efficiency. Final report of British Health of Muni
tion Workers Committee.
Bui. 255. Joint industrial councils in Great Britain.
Miscellaneous Series.
* Bui. 117. Prohibition of night work of young persons.
Bui. 118. Ten-hour maximum working day for women and young persons.
* Bui. 123. Em ployers’ welfare work.
Bui. 158. Government aid to home owning and housing of working people in foreign
countries.
* Bui. 159. Short-unit courses for wage earners, and a factory school experiment.
* Bui. 167. Minimum-wage legislation in the United States and foreign countries.
Bui. 170. Foreign food prices as affected by the war.
Bui. 174. Subject index of the publications of the United States Bureau of Labor
S ta tistics up to May 1, 1915.
Bui. 208. Profit sharing in the United States.
Bui. 222. W elfare work in B ritish munition factories.
Bui. 242. Food situation in Central Europe, 1917.
Bui. 250. W elfare work for employees in industrial establishm ents in the United
States.
Bui. 254. International labor legislation and the society of nations.
Bui. 263. H ousing by employers in the United States. [In press.]
Bui. 268. H istorical survey of international action affecting labor. [In press.]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
( V)
SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS ISSUED BY THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.
Descriptions oi occupations, prepared for the United States Employment Service, 1918-19.
Boots and shoes, harness and saddlery, and tanning.
Cane-sugar refining and flour milling.
Coal and water gas, paint and varnish, paper, printing trades, and rubber goods.
Electrical m anufacturing, distribution, and maintenance.
Logging camps and sawmills.
Medicinal manufacturing.
Metal working, building and general construction, railroad transportation, and ship
building.
Mines and mining.
Office employees.
Slaughtering and meat packing.
Street railways.
Textiles and clothing.
Water transportation.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
o
(vi)
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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