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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
JAMES J. DAVIS, Secretary
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
ETBELBERT STEWART, Commissioner
MONTHLY
LABOR REVIEW
VOLUME XXII
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
N U M BE R 1
JANUARY, 1926
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1926
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C E R T IF IC A T E
T h is p u b lic a tio n is is s u e d p u r s u a n t t o t h e
p ro v is io n s o f t h e s u n d r y
c iv il a c t (41 S ta ts .
1430) a p p r o v e d M a r c h 4 , 1921.
A D D IT IO N A L C O P IE S
OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM
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AT
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Contents
Special articles:
pag0
Conditions in the glass manufacturing industry, by James J. Davis,
Secretary of Labor_______________________________________
1-8
The bituminous-coal situation, by James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor- 8-16
Are average wage rates keeping pace with the increased cost of living?
by Ethelbert Stewart, United States Commissioner of Labor Sta
tistics__________________________________________________ 16--20
Industrial pensions for old age and disability, by Mary Conyngton,
of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics________________ 21-56
Brazil’s Department of Labor, by James A.Rowan, of Rio de Janeiro.
57
Industrial relations and labor conditions:
Labor passages in the President’s message to Congress____________ 58-60
Thirteenth annual report of the Secretary of Labor______________ 60-63
The workers’ share in job analysis____________________________ 63-65
France—Law creating trade councils__________________________ 65, 66
Porto Rico—Labor conditions, 1923-24________________________ 66, 67
South Africa—-Mining conditions_____________________________ 67-69
Prices and cost of living:
Retail prices of food in the United States.____ _________________ 70-91
Retail prices of coal in the United States_______________________ 92-94
Index numbers of wholesale prices in November, 1925____________
95
Comparison of retail price changes in the United States and in foreign
countries_______________________________________________ 96-98
Use of cost-of-living figures in wage adjustments_______________ 99, 100
Cost of living in foreign countries___________________________ 100-109
C h in aLiving conditions_____________________________________ 109-112
Retail prices in Shanghai, June 15, 1925____________________
112
Wages and hours of labor:
Wages and hours of labor of woodworkers in various countries___ 113-120
New York—Earnings of factory workers_______________________
120
Argentina—New closing law_______________________________ 120, 121
121
Dominican Republic—Closing law____________________________
Great Britain—Change in London building-trade hours_________ 121, 122
Haiti—-Wage increases______________________________________
122
Japan—Wages in June, 1925_________________________________
123
Sweden—Labor supply, hours of work, and wages in agriculture, 1924. 124
Productivity and efficiency of labor:
International statistics of production and per capita output of coal. 125-130
Child labor:
Canada—Child labor_____________________________________ 131-133
Labor agreements, awards, and decisions:
Agreements—
Brewery, flour, cereal, and soft-drink workers—Label agreement134
Capmakers—Milwaukee______________________________ 134,135
Wood heel industry—Haverhill, Mass___________________ 135, 136
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Labor agreements, awards, and decisions—Continued.
Awards and decisions—
Page
Clothing industry—Decisions of Hart, Schaffner, & Marx Trade
Board---------------------------- --------------------------------- 136, 137
Clothing industry—New York---------------------------------------. .
137
Motion-picture employees and stage hands—Decisions of Indus
trial Commission of Colorado------------------------------------- 137, 138
Railroads—Decisions of Railroad Labor Board— --------------- 138-141
Railroads—Decisions of Station Service Board of Adjustment,
New Haven system______________________ _____________
141
Street railways—Boston------------------------------- --------------- 141, 142
Norway—Collective agreements in 1924-----------------------------------143
Employment and unemployment:
Employment in selected industries in November, 1925-..------------ 144-158
Employment and earnings of railroad employees, October, 1924, and
September and October, 1925----------------- ------------------------- 159, 160
Recent employment statistics—
Public employment offices—
Connecticut. ______________________
160
161
Illinois-----------Massachusetts----------------161
Ohio_____________________________________________
161
Oklahoma__________________________ ____________ 161, 162
Pennsylvania.----------------162
Wisconsin_________________________________________
162
State departments of labor—
Illinois_________________ ________ ________________ 163, 164
Maryland_________________________________________
165
Massachusetts.------------------------------------166
New York________________________________________
167
Oklahoma._____________________________________________ 168
Wisconsin___________ ____ ____ _______ __________ 169, 170
Great Britain—Inquiry into working of English unemployment
scheme_____________________________
170
Industrial accidents and hygiene:
Dangers in the use and handling of radioactive substances---------- 171-174
Coke-oven accidents in the United States during 1924--------------- 175, 176
Dust explosions in industrial plants---- --------------------------------- 177-179
Dust hazard in the abrasive industry------------179-181
Health hazards in the use of intermediate dyes-------------- --------- 181, 182
Effects of ammonia gas and safe limit of gas in the atmosphere of
work places---------------------------------------------------------------- - 182-184
Occupational disease occurring in a buffer working on Britannia
m etal________________________________________________ 184, 185
Workmen’s compensation and social insurance:
Workmen’s compensation insurance__________________ ______ 186, 187
Report of South Dakota industrial commissioner---------------------- 187, 188
Finland—New accident insurance legislation--------------------------- 188-190
France—Application of social insurance laws in 1922-------- •-------- 190-191
Germany—Amendment of workmen’s accident insurance law------ 191-200
Labor laws and court decisions:
The courts, the legislatures, and labor-------------------------------------201
Colorado—Liability of labor organization for interfering with employ
ment_________________________________________________ 202, 203
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CONTENTS
labor laws and court decisions—Continued.
Kentucky—Service of process on labor organizations.....___ ___ 203, 204
Wisconsin—Basis for computing wage bonus______________ ___ 204, 205
Wyoming—Constitutionality of statute fixing hours of labor on public
works_______________________________
205,206
Chile—Labor legislation________________________
206-211
Bousing:
Agentina—House rents, 1920 and 1925:.___________________ ___
212
Great Britain—
Building societies_______________________ __________ __ 212, 213
Progress of State-aided housing______________________ ___ 213, 214
Workers’ education and training:
Canada—Ontario Workers’ Educational Association______________
215
Sweden—Workers’ education______________________________ __
215
The negro in industry:
The negro: A selected bibliography, compiled by Helen Louise Pier
and Mary Louisa Spalding__________________ . . . ____ 216-244
labor organizations and congresses:
France—-Membership of employers’ and workers’ organizations, Jan
uary, 1925____________________________________ __ :______
245
Germany—Twelfth Congress of General Federation of Trade-Unions. 245-247
Strikes and lockouts:
Mexico—Strikes, 1922 to 1924_________________________
248
Scandinavian countries—Labor disputes in 1924_________ _____ 248, 249
Conciliation and arbitration:
ConciiUtion work of the Department of Labor in November, 1925,'by
Hugh L. Kerwin, director of conciliation___________________ 250-252
Immigration:
Statistics of immigration for October, 1925, by J. J. Kunna, chief
statistician, Lb S. Bureau of Immigration_______ _____ _____ 253-258
What State labor bureaus are doing:
Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and W i s c o n s i n __. . .
259
Current notes of interest to labor:
Organization of photo-engravers’ investment trust___________
260
New York—Building congress plan for recognizing craftsmanship. 260, 261
Canada—Appointment of Royal Commission of Inquiry into the
Nova Scotia coal-mining industry__________________ ______ 261, 262
Publications relating to labor:
Official—United States____________________________________ 263-266
Official—Foreign contries_______________________
266,267
Unofficial..__________
268-271
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MONTHLY LABOR R E V I E W
v o l . xxii, n o .
l
WASHINGTON
J a n u a ry , 1926
Conditions in the Glass Manufacturing industry
B y J a m e s J. D
a v is ,
Secretary
of
L abor 1
AM glad to have the opportunity to meet with the glass manufac
turers of this country at a time when you have reason to make
merry. The unprecedented building boom of the last two or
three years has had its effect upon your volume of production. You
are making a lot of glass. Prices are good, and the long-expected
and long-delayed Supreme Court decision has kept you out of jail.
What more could you ask?
I grant that you did not get as high a tariff on small bracket sizes
as you wanted, and that the tariff has not operated to hold back
importation to anything like the extent that was expected. From
the first of the year up to September 30, 1925, the imports on window
glass had reached 35,381,329 pounds, or 5,000,000 pounds more than
the imports for the entire year of 1924, and the value of imports during
the nine months had exceeded the total value of imports for the
entire previous year by well over $100,000. Plate-glass imports for
nine months of 1925 reached well over 12,000,000 square feet, whereas
the total imports for the previous year were something over 16,700,000 square feet. Apparently the imports of plate glass are going
to run about what they did last year, while the imports of window
glass will very materially exceed those of 1924.
I do not know how much of this imported window glass comes
within the so-called small bracket sizes on which the tariff rates are
alleged to be too low. I do not undertake to say how much the size
of this importation revolves around the question of quality, but it is
my firm conviction that a tariff which lets in such a quantity of
material in an industry where we are equipped to produce two or
three times as much as we can use needs a radical revision. I some
times wonder if our whole theory of tariff might not be restudied
with profit to all.
In the steel industry, nearly three-fourtlis of a million tons of iron
in various stages of manufacture were imported from various foreign
countries during the year ending June 30, 1925. The value of these
imports was $24,996,243. Much of this iron importation, and I
take it that the same is probably true of glass importation, was the
result of the disadvantage in freight rates growing out of the fact that
our manufacturing plants are located so largely in the interior while
our population is so largely on or near our coast lines. I t costs so
1
1 Address delivered at a dinner given by the National Glass Manufacturers' Association to the jobbers
in the glass industry, Pittsburgh, Pa., Dec. 8, 1925.
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much in freight rates to get our manufactured material to the point
of consumption that our foreign competitors, having the advantage
of ocean freight rates, can undersell us at the shore line.
It seems rather a farce, even under our present theory of tariff pro
tection, to attempt to protect ourselves only at the point of manu
facture, utterly ignoring the point of sale. Nearly 35 years ago the
Bureau of Labor Statistics pointed out that a tariff on steel rails
which was ample protection for Pittsburgh amounted to free trade
in New Orleans and San Francisco.
I note that the window-glass production in 1923 was back to about
510,000,000 square feet, and that the plate-glass output this vear
(1925) will be in the neighborhood of 115,000,000 square feet. I do
not know how this compares with the demand in view of the present
building activities. I suppose the window-glass industry, like all
others, is having its difficulties in selling its products in view of the
almost limitless possibilities in its capacity for production. In the
modern idea of building, and by i(modern” I mean the ideas of very
recent years, you have an advantage in tliat the people are demandjng and architects are planning for very much more light and air
which necessitates a more liberal use of your products. I wish I
had some definite statistics as to the proportion of window-light sur
face area in the modern building as compared with that of a genera
tion avo, but no doubt there has been a greater increase in the use
of o-lass than in the amount of building. In other words, the home
market is expanding. On the other hand, the conditions in European
markets the last few years have rendered the opportunities for export
anything but satisfactory.
Quantity Production Versus Quality Production
A T THE risk of being accused of dealing too much in ancient
/ V ' history, I want to say that it is unfortunate, from my way of
thinking, that the hand-made-glass factories, in the years when they
felt they must increase their production in order to drive out the
machine, threw off all restraint and so lowered the quality of their
product that it is hard for them now to claim any superiority for hand
made tdass. I do not wish to be misunderstood. I do not believe m
limitation of output as that term was generally understood by the
older trade-unions, but neither do I believe in a speed rate which
destrovs the worker or puts him. on the scrap heap at the age of 40,
nor in" a production rate which destroys both the worker and the
quality of the product.
Limitation of output should work both ways, where it is practiced
at all. If a blower, to conserve his health and strength, is to make
but nine rollers an hour, then to preserve the quality, standards, and
reputation of hand-made glass he should put in one hour s lull work
on nine rollers. In my judgment, had that been done, factories which
failed to open this year because they did not care for another year s
competition with machine-made glass, would be taking advantage
to-day of the demand for higher-grade glass in the building trades and
would be running merrily on.
. .
If the increase of the limit from the 46 boxes per week on single
strength and 30 boxes on double strength, which was the limit 30
years ago, to the 50-rollers-per-day limit m the agreement ot 1920 and
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the 65 rollers per day in the present agreement—if these concessions
were made at the expense of quality they should never have been made
by the workers and they never should have been accepted by the
employers. I want to repeat that I am not in favor of limitation of
output as such and for its own sake. The American industries are
too slowly swinging back from the wild days of extravagant over
production, measured in quantity and price, coupled with wilder
extravagances in deterioration of quality and service that came upon
us during the war and particularly during the boom of 1920.
Let us remember that that excess was produced for the purpose or
in the hope of selling it abroad. We forgot all standards; we forgot
all of our records. Men with trade-marks that meant something to
them and meant something to the public forgot all this and put
material into their products which would not hold together. Let us
learn from the buyers’ strike of 1921-22, which was against quality
more than against price. Our production must embody our pride in
workmanship, our manhood, honesty, and character, or sooner or
later we shall have none of these.
Need of Preservation of Hand-Glass-Blowing industry
rTTIIS is also ancient history, but I always admired the owners of the
*
window-glass machine in their attitude toward their hand
made glass competitors. In the nature of things, as the development
of the machine went on, a great many more machine plants were
established and a great many more types of machines were invented,
and the ownership of machines became more and more diffused, so
the continuance of this attitude was of course impossible. But I want
to say that I think it would be a great misfortune to have hand
window-glass blowing pass forever from the face of the earth. Millions
of dollars have been spent and hundreds of men have put in their lives
seeking to restore some of the lost arts and handicrafts of the people
who have gone before us. What would we not give to-day to know
how Damascus steel was made! The art of hand blowing was lost to
Europe for over a thousand years, though in the meantime it may
have been preserved in some of the so-called uncivilized, unchristian
countries.
Unlike pottery making, which developed independently in every
part of the world, the manufacture of glass appears to have originated
in Egypt and from there to have spread over practically the whole
eastern continent in ancient times. Glass was unknown in the
western hemisphere at the time of its discovery by Columbus. On
the eastern continent, however, with all the changes in civilization,
even the final do wnfall of the later Egyptian culture resulting from the
Saracen capture of Alexandria, the secret of glass-making was not lost
until the downfall of Rome. For a thousand years from the downfall
of Rome the art of glass making was lost. In the year 1090 A. D.
there is mention of a glass worker in Venice, and a trade list of the
population of Venice in 1224 mentioned 29 glass workers. In 1302,
a window glass was made in France, but only to be used by the king.
The art that had been lost in the downfall of Rome was slowly being
rediscovered. It must be remembered that the window glass of
ancient Rome was cast or molded, not blown. Its manufacture seems
to have ceased about 400 A. D. It is not quite clear as to whether the
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glass made for the French king in 1302 was cast or blown. The
English window glass was so poor that in 1439 a contractor agreed not
to use it in the building of a chapel at Warwick. The interpretation
I put upon that contract is this: Possibly the contractor was pledged
not to use window glass in the chapel because of a prejudice against
building new things into the churches.
A reference to English-made window glass in 1435, however,
indicates that while it was very much dearer it was considered better
than “ Dutch, Venice, or Normandy glass/’ and up to the year 1500
glass windows were used only in the houses occupied by roy alty or by
the very wealthy. Window glass was about in the same class as the
Rolls Royce automobile of to-day—people took off their hats when
they saw it.
Even now the use of window glass in the homes and public build
ings in Europe is not at all in proportion to that in the United States.
In other words, while the population of Europe as a whole greatly
exceeds that of the United States, the consumption of glass in pro
portion to population is very much less. Why? Because in the
population of any European country there are comparatively few
able to buy, and. their trade, measured in volume, is never very
significant. The volume of sales in anything and anywhere is
measured by the ability of the working masses to buy.
Advantages of Handling Home-Produced Glass
rT’HE American worker has more windows in his house, the American
factory has more light and ventilation, -the American office
building has more window space in its outside walls, than is true of
any other country in the world, and it is of prime interest to the
jobbers and dealers in glass that this condition should continue in
America and that the wages of American workers should be such
that more of them can build their homes—can build better homes,
with more windows. It is to the interest of the jobbers to see that
the American worker not only wants more and more but is ab3e to
buy more and more of the things he makes.
I t may not seriously interest the American manufacturer, who is
also the European manufacturer, whether or not the American
market is protected and whether or not the wages of the American
workmen are kept up to a high standard, since he sells you the glass
that is imported as well as the glass made at home. Tariff may not
be as vital to him in the future as it has been in the past, but you,
as jobbers, are buying glass to sell and your interest is not only in
the price but in the power of the people to pay that price. The
greater the purchasing power of the masses the larger will be your
sales. For this reason, too, the jobbers should handle home-pro
duced glass rather than imported glass wherever possible. Sales of
imported glass in this country help no American workers to build
their homes and to that extent prevent the workers in that industry
from being a part of your market.
There should be closer contact between the manufacturers of glass,
the jobbers of glass, and the architects—the people who plan the
types of buildings in this country. As stated above, the use of glass
in all types of buildings has greatly increased in tne past generation,
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but it could increase much more and still be within the bounds
of wise and hygienic home building plans.
An educational campaign through architectural associations,
building and loan associations, and home-building societies of all
kinds, carried on under the slogan “ More light,” would help your
business and improve our homes. This sort of education pays; it
pays the manufacturers and jobbers, and the consumer is pleased
that he followed the lead.
Glass Industry’s Solution of Overdevelopment Problem
'T'HERE is, however a very much more important phase of the
* situation that I wish to discuss, and that is the regulation of
the running time. I was especially gratified by the decision of the
United States Supreme Court in the national window-glass case.
Everywhere we have approximately the same overdevelopment of
productive capacity that we have in the window-glass industry.
Twenty-four per cent of the bituminous coal mines, if they ran full
time, could produce all the coal we could use or sell. A very much
smaller per cent than this of the boot and shoe factories could make
all the boots and shoes we could use; a still smaller per cent of the
flour mills, etc., could produce all the flour we can use, and so on
all down the line. All of these industries are working spasmodically
and haphazardly two days a week, three days a week, tying the
men to their jobs the year round, but giving them only half-time
employment.
Lest we forget, I want to say to you that in my judgment the
early struggles of the window-glass industry, with its overproduction
problem, developed a solution for overproduction that challenges
the attention of every industry to-day, and will eventually challenge
the admiration of and be imitated by every industry where its
principles can be made to apply.
Prior to 1879 this industry was as fitful in its employment as any
other. That year the edict went forth that all plants must close
from June 30 to September 1. This gave time for all necessary
repairs and for getting the plant ready for the next year’s production.
Later this was changed so that plants were closed from June 15 to
September 15. This not only gave time for repairs but was a definite
step toward measuring the time of production of plants by the need
of the market. Later, when all the glass that could be sold could
be made in 18 weeks, the industry agreed on 18 weeks’ operation.
Employers and employees, sitting around the conference table, said
in effect, “ If we have but 18 weeks’ actual work why spread it over
52 weeks’ time? Why not do it in 18 weeks and have the rest of the
time in which to plan intelligently something else?” I believe that
this is the most intelligent scheme ever adopted for handling seasonal
industries and overdeveloped industries. Out of it might grow a
certain amount of general shifting of men from certain short-time
industries to other short-time industries during definite parts of the
year, so that our people could be employed the year round.
I know the stock objection, that a coal miner will not do anything
else but mine coal, and that a glass blower will not do anything else
but blow glass. I have heard that plenty of times. Within certain
limits it is true, but it is true largely because of the fact that the
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industries are so disorganized and also because a fellow can get a
day’s work or two days’ work a week at his particular occupation,
and so has not the proper incentive to go into something else. If
the coal miner who has 140 days’ work in a year obtained this work
in 140 consecutive working-days and knew there would be no more
coal mining for 160 days to come, his whole attitude of mind would
change.
If all the industries were organized thoroughly on both sides so
that all could get together, employers and employees, much practical
good would come from such association in this matter of stabilizing
employment, and after all that is the real problem before the Ameri
can people to-day.
There was no restriction of output in any real sense of the word.
The manufacturers knew practically what the next year’s sales
would be; knew that 500,000,000 square feet, or approximately
10,000,000 boxes of glass, would be sold during the year; that is to
say, the building trades and other industries could absorb that
amount. It was known that with the equipment at hand this could
be produced in a certain number of weeks, and while agreeing upon
a scale of wages or piece rates an agreement was then and there
made as to the length of lire, every factory starting on the same day.
The industry worked in the winter when the power of the heat of
furnaces to reduce the length of life of the man was least. The idle
time, which must come because of the overdevelopment of industry,
was bunched into a solid block. The men could use the rest of the
time as they pleased. As much of it could be used in leisure as was
necessary to renew the vigor, manhood, and strength for the coming
winter’s toil. As for the rest of it, there was plenty of time in
advance to make arrangements for profitable use of theirlabor power.
I repeat that the more I think of it the more it seems to me the
early window-glass blowers and their employers took the most
sensible view of this thing, and as I get a wider view of the industries
of the country I feel sure that sooner or later this system will be
vindicated not only by the Supreme Court as not being illegal, but
by being adopted by many, if not most, of the industries.
I do not mind telling you that I am not sure but that in some in
dustries—let us take the clothing industries in some localities and
possibly other industries—a more or less bogus strike is instigated
in the spring or summer months, the beginning of the dull season in
that particular industry. There is a suspension of work, which
after all is not a real strike but the voice of nature in man demanding
that his idle time shall be a period of consecutive rest.
Knowing that they will actually lose nothing and being unable
to get any agreement for suspension of work with their employer
as the window-glass workers did, the workers simply agree to quit
until work shall be really needed in the industry again. And while
this is done under the guise of a strike it is not the fiery economic
struggle that we generally understand by the word “ strike.” I do
not know how far this is the incentive, but you will readily under
stand how it might become so. In the building trades, for instance,
normally the carpenter and the bricklayer will do all the work they
can get to do in from 65 to 70 per cent of the time; a meaningless
strike would serve to bunch their leisure and bunch their work.
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Effect on Prices
This agreement between the window-glass employers and their
union workers had gone on perfectly satisfactorily for years when
some easily frightened persons became alarmed at the possibility of
price control. As a matter of fact, the possibility of price control
is present in a great many instances where there is no resort to it
and no inclination on the part of the manufacturers to take advantage
of such possibility. For instance, the Commissioner of Labor
Statistics tells me that the price of window glass did not go as high
as many other articles in the production of which the workmen are
not organized at all. The price of window glass at the peak was
195.2 per cent above the average price in 1913. It is no secret that
this is an industry in which organization on both sides was practically
complete, and in which the,two sides had agreed that the factories
should work so many'weeks, all beginning at the same time and
closing at the same time, or, as the later scheme was, half of the
factories should work for 18 weeks (or whatever number of weeks
was agreed upon) and then close, the other half then to start up
and work for 18 weeks, and then close. Yet, the product of the
unorganized turpentine industry increased in price 501.8 per cent
over the base price of 1913 and there is no combination in that
industry worth mentioning. Plate glass went up 229.5 per cent and
that is essentially an unorganized industry. The building-material
index figure advanced nearly 200 per cent. Since the slump began
window glass has dropped back more than many of the articles in
which labor is entirely unorganized.
The law under which an attempt was made to break up this agree
ment is a law that was begotten of fear and born of terror, and I
may say here that so far as I know, no law which resulted from an
outburst of popular fear has ever worked well in actual practice.
This law came into effect when the people were being stirred up
over the supposed menace of trusts and industrial combinations.
Much of this agitation was dishonest; most of it rested upon no
economic thought or study, and all of it was inspired by fear. Most
of the combinations that did attempt to boom prices are now things
of the past, and the overdevelopment of all our industries to-day
is awakening in our people a conviction that this must be controlled
and controlled by the industries themselves; that if it is not con
trolled we are headed toward a state of chronic unemployment and
partial employment which will be a worse menace and a more actual
source of danger than the trusts were theoretically considered to
be a few years ago.
If, then, some of our laws are outworn, the law-making power
still remains with the people, and they can unmake the laws they
make. I feel sure that some of our friends who very recently were
looked upon as criminals because they wanted to apply commonsense principles to their industries will yet come to be looked upon
as the real pioneers in the solution of a problem which otherwise
may become not only a political but a social menace. I have no
fear or dread of that unemployment which is understood six months
in advance and can be arranged for. Let unemployment come in
bunches and consecutively in various industries. This will enable
us to distribute it, not only among our whole people, but more
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M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
evenly during the year. Such an arrangement by all of the indus
tries would, 1 think, tend to decrease the rush to the city, except in
as far, of course, as an industry might be already centered in the
city. Such an arrangement would have much to do with our present
attitude toward work as the final object and purpose of man.
Xoften ask myself whether any real stability can be hoped for in a
civilization which crowds 51 per cent of the population into the
cities within a century, and if any social arrangement can last which
builds itself upon the theory that man was made for work rather
than that work was made for man. According to that theory the
greatest possible production per man is the social and economic
purpose of life, rather than that the greatest happiness and soul
development are the purpose, and that industry and commerce
must be made incident thereto. When He said that the Sabbath
was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, did He not express
a social theory which must be applied to all of our institutions ?
The Bituminous-Coal Situation
B y J a m e s J. D
a v is ,
S ecretary
of
L abor 1
HE great trouble with the coal industry is that it is too much
enveloped in smoke. Its great need is to have the smoke
blown away and the light turned on. When that is done, the
chief thing that is wrong with the industry will stand out clearly,
and we may then be able to do something about it. This wrong
thing affects operators and miners alike. Neither is to blame for it,
though both suffer from it. The evil provokes them to constant
differences, which will continue as long as it is allowed to remain.
This primary evil of the bituminous coal industry is simply over
development.
T
Overdevelopment of the industry
r~FHE United States Bureau of Labor Statistics informs me that
in Illinois there are 338 coal mines with railroad tipples, aside
from the 694 local wagon mines. The 338 shipping mines
operated, on an average, 139 days in the year. As a matter of fact,
only 55 per cent of them operated for even that average of 139 days,
and 10 per cent operated for only 60 days during the year. Yet if
the largest 84 of these 338 mines in Illinois had been operated for
300 days during the year, they could have produced 77,733,800 tons
of coal, or 7,000,000 tons more than all the shipping mines did pro
duce in 1924, and 5,000,000 tons more than was produced by both
the shipping and local wagon mines in the same year.
The meaning of this is that 254 of the 338 principal mines in a
single State represent, as capital invested, an unnecessary expenditure
of money, and they prevented the necessary number of mines from
producing an adequate amount of coal, with the necessary number
of men employed for a reasonable number of days during the year.
The turnover in the coal mines of Illinois is over 85 per cent.
Conditions like this are not confined to any particular State and can
1 Address delivered before the American Mining Congress, Washington, Dec. 10, 1925.
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T H E B IT U M IN O U S -C O A L S IT U A T IO N
9
result only in unprofitable returns. They often mean business
straits for many operators and a continuous struggle for existence
for thousands of miners who have families to support on part-time
work and pay. In these circumstances we are faced with a disturbed
relationship between operator and miner, often based on open suspi
cion and hostility. Confronted with problems of such complexity,
the leaders on both sides often simply throw up their hands.
The coal industry was one of the first to introduce the principle
and practice of real collective bargaining through interstate joint
wage agreements. At first these joint conferences were held annually,
then biennially, and the present agreement, known as the “ Jackson
ville agreement,” is for a three-year period. In many industries
business men advocate a long-term contract as stabilizing the industry
by providing a fixed major item of cost, provided the terms are
respected by all of their competitors. As I understand it, this was
the purpose of the Jacksonville agreement and it was the general
belief that in the case of an industry as overdeveloped as the bitumi
nous coal industry, there should be some method of contract for a
given period to provide that regularity of operation which is the
imperative need of the industry if it is to be spared the demoraliza
tion that follows ruthless competition, which means poor returns, if
any, on the investment and no fair distribution of work between the
miners.
I t is these economic faults in bituminous production that bring
about most of the suspensions and strikes, and when these occur the
whole problem is then passed on to the public, like a great case in
equity being referred to the supreme court of public opinion. Un
fortunately this great jury is rarely supplied with the real basic
facts in the case and is usually powerless to force a final and equitable
adjustment.
In the event of a stoppage of work, the urgent need of coal brings
together again the two great parties to the case, through joint con
ference a new agreement is signed, and industrial relationship is then
determined and resumed, but the fundamental evil of overproduction
remains. When each new agreement is signed there remain un
settled ills that are certain to breed a new difference. What is to
be done about it? Is there no remedy to be applied?
We possess no means of putting pressure on the owners of the
poorly productive, uneconomic, and superfluous mines that clutter
the industry and of forcing them to close. No legal or even moral
right exists for that purpose. As this would amount to the virtual
confiscation of property, I am convinced that such action would be
unconstitutional from the legal angle and also repugnant morally.
We have nothing, therefore, to rely upon but the inexorable economic
law and the ancient rule of the survival of the fittest to weed out those
who, innocently enough, create this evil of overdevelopment.
But I think it is possible to assist this process in such a way as
not to injure unduly the innocent offender and yet rid the industry
of the damage done.
No one needs to be reminded that coal is the very basis and motive
power of life to-day, and no one needs to be told that even above the
question of business profits, fair wages, and good relations between
miner and operator in the coal industry lies the public interest in
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M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
getting its regular and needed supply of coal. The first service we can
render this supreme public interest is to provide the public with abetter
understanding of the intricate economic problems of the coal industry.
The longest possible step in this direction was taken in the appoint
ment of the United States Coal Commission, and in solving the prob
lem of coal we now have the first practical guidance in the report
of this commission to the President and Congress. I t is the first
glimmer of daylight through the smoke.
I t is not my purpose to debate the findings and recommendations
of the Coal Commission beyond offering the opinion that it is at
least a step out of the murk which has so long surrounded the first
of our basic industries.
Loss of Time From Strikes and Other Causes
IN ANY consideration of strikes in the bituminous coal fields, let
1 us remember always that “ strikes,” especially in this industry,
attract general public attention because of wide publicity and
inconvenience to the general public, all due largely to the sudden
suspension of operation in a basic industry.
I t is quite natural that this should be the case. People are always
aroused by spectacular events widely discussed, but is it not a reflec
tion upon our national good judgment that the serious, ever-present
problem in the matter of coal receives little or no attention from
legislators, trade and civic bodies, and the press?
Let us consider the proportionate loss in man-days as set forth
by the Geological Survey. In 23 years—1900 to 1922—207,414,000
man-days were lost as a result of strikes in coal fields, the bulk of
the loss being due to suspensions during wage negotiations. But
in the same period, in the same fields, 1,282,670,000 man-days were
lost through other causes. In other words, 14 per cent of the loss
in the bituminous mining fields for 23 years was due to strikes and
86 per cent to other causes—no markets, car shortage, mine dis
abilities, etc. These calculations are on the basis of a workable year
of 308 days.
This loss of a billion and a quarter man-days in a score of years
from causes other than strikes makes the strike loss look small by
comparison. And with all this lost time, though we hear a great
deal about coal shortage during every strike, the Nation goes on,
and after a settlement we always catch up in coal production. At
the beginning of the twentieth century our annual output of bitumi
nous coal was about 212,000,000 tons. To-day it is approximately
525,000,000 tons in a normal year. In 1921, the survey shows, the
average daily capacity was equivalent to 860,000,000 tons for a fulltime year. In 1922 the number of men employed was 687,000 and
the daily output for the 143 days worked that year was equivalent
to a total of more than 900,000,000 tons for the full-time year of
308 days.
Our national industries and domestic needs require a little more
than 500,000,000 tons of soft coal per year. With mines, men, and
equipment capable of producing in 1922 nearly 400,000,000 tons
more than our requirements, is it any wonder that the bituminouscoal business as a whole is faced with the most serious problem
present in any American industry ?
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THE B IT U M IN O U S -C O A L S IT U A T IO N 1
1Î
Need of Change in Railroad’s Policy in Coal Purchases
'T ’lIER E is another phase of the coal industry that the public
A knows little about and which deserves greater publicity, and
that is the policy of the railroads as to their fuel purchases from the
coal mines.
I t is an important fact that the railroads use 28 per cent of our coal.
The question of the period of the year when many railroads take
this fuel is one that holds possibilities of much relief. For example,
I understand that it is the practice of some roads to make their
contracts with individual mining companies for daily shipments of
railroad fuel so elastic that they range from 5 to 20 cars a day.
The unfortunate practice of calling for the minimum number of cars
during the dull spring and summer months and for the maximum
during the fall and winter months materially interferes with the
profitable operation of the mines when commercial and domestic
fuel commands its most profitable rates and greatest markets.
I t strikes me that a reversal of this railroad policy, by taking the
maximum quantity during the slack spring and summer months
and the minimum during the busy fall and winter months would con
tribute to greater regularity of mining operation and greater profits
to the owners, by virtue of the larger share of commercial business
that they could serve during the rush seasons.
While I appreciate that the fuel purchases of the railroads con
tribute very often and in a very material way to the stabilization of
operations by greater opportunity to regulate shipments, still is it
fair that, as reported by several coal companies to the Department
of Labor, the railroads in many cases also make it a policy to dictate
their purchase prices on so close a margin that there is left little
or no profit for the coal operator? Is it true that this price is too
often governed by the price for which railroads can purchase coal
from fields located on other railroads where the physical operating
conditions niay be much better than those of the mines located on
their own lines, and where the cost of production is lower not only
on account of those better physical conditions, but also on account
of lower wage scales ?
In the pioneer days of each coal district the railroads encouraged
the development of mines; often their cooperation in fuel purchases,
based on. a small margin of profit, created or helped to create along
their lines mining communities and centers of population running
into the thousands. These communities in turn contributed not a
little to the prosperity of the railroad through freight consumption
and passenger patronage.
It seems to me to be a strange policy, if true, for the railroads, in
order to save a few cents a ton on their coal purchases, to transfer
their patronage to mines of other railroads and thereby bring about a.
suspension of operations which destroys the earning and purchasing
power of communities to whose development in earlier days they had
so materially contributed. Is it wise tor the railroads to ignore their
contribution to the maintenance of prosperity of communities lo
cated on their own roads ?
Systems not guilty of going off their own lines for the purchase of
their fuel are reported as too prone to fix the fuel price without due
regard to the cost of production. This, if true, not only contributes
74735°—26f----- 2
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M O N T H L Y LABO R R E V IE W
to the reduction of the purchasing power of their local communities,
but also forces general industrial disturbances through the effort of
the employers to adjust wages and working conditions to enable
them to conform to the mandatory demands of the railroad’s lower
prices.
I am inclined to the belief that it would be helpful to the coal
industry if all the coal roads showed a greater degree of cooperation
which would insure to the mines located on their roads a reasonable
profit on railroad fuel.
Railroad rates are formulated to enable the railroads to earn a
return on their investment. Would not the bituminous coal industry
in all States be in a much healthier condition if the railroad fuel
prices were also gauged so that the coal companies could realize a
profit on their railroad fuel loadings? The latter is as essential to
the prosperity of the coal mines as the first is to that of the railroads.
joint Effort of interested Parties Necessary to Correction of Present Situation
I70LL0W IN G to a logical conclusion the findings of the United
* States Coal Commission, my thought is that a complete and
satisfactory survey of the problems of overdevelopment and the
consequent evil of overmanning, with its constant overhead expense,
now rests primarily with the directly interested parties—the operators
and miners themselves.
I ani of the opinion that the intelligent business men engaged in
the bituminous coal industry and its efficient and capable workers
can by a real genuine joint effort do more toward the correction
of the recognized faults of the present coal situation than can any
other agency. The fact is conceded that there are “ too many mines,
too many miners, and too many companies” in the bituminous-coal
industry of the United States. This situation can result, as it has
resulted, only in unprofitable business for the vast majority of coal
operators and part-time employment for the mine workers. Surely
no men are better equipped by knowledge and experience than the
operators and miners themselves to devise a plan of correction that
will gradually place bituminous mining on a steady substantial
business basis.
If this suggestion should eventuate in a real genuine effort, the
various agencies of the Federal Government, legal, statistical, tech
nical, and clerical, could be utilized to aid and supplement the work
undertaken.
_The very thorough survey and findings of the United States Coal
Commission as set forth in the report of that body would prove of
inestimable value in the search for corrective measures to be under
taken by a joint voluntary commission made up of representative
operators and miners. Perhaps it would be wise to have a neutral
chairman, who should see that such a voluntary commission functions
without any avoidable delays.
During very recent years many Federal, State, and industrial
committees and agencies have wrestled with bituminous-coal prob
lems. Committees of the United States Senate and House of Rep
resentatives have gone into mining conditions in different fields. A
Fuel Administration directed the mining industry during the war
period. Bituminous coal commissions appointed by the President,
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T H E B IT U M IN O U S -C O A L S IT U A T IO N
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as well as joint scale-committee meetings of the operators and miners,
have convened under Government auspices. The governors of coalproducing States have been concerned over different phases of the
situation which affect their immediate districts. But so far no
general constructive workable plan has been devised to put an end
to the real basic difficulty of the industry as a whole.
Inasmuch as little, if any, progress lias been made toward a solu
tion of the problems existing in bituminous mining, it would appear
that a real inside-of-the-industry effort might follow the report and
findings of this agency that would solve the difficulties of the busi
ness and bring about a change, though a gradual one, that would
benefit both operators and miners as well as the public interests.
Can not the industry itself provide a scientifically developed plan
having for its object the voluntary reduction of the number of
high-cost mines, a limit on the opening of new mines, some adjust
ment that will transfer a certain percentage of the surplus mine
workers into other industrial activities, and the adoption of a policy
of discouraging the employment of casual mine workers in busy
seasons by confining the work to those who are regular employees
of operating companies?
I know the many obstacles to be overcome'and the radical changes
necessary to accomplish this program. But the result—stable em
ployment, stable output, stable markets—will mean satisfactory and
constant employment for workers, satisfactory and profitable returns
for operators, and a steady and regular flow of coal to supply the
needs of industrial and domestic consumers.
In any plan of the character mentioned the earnest cooperation
and aid of the rail and transportation companies, the manufacturing
enterprises, and the public utilities companies would be essential.
But all of these, and all our people, and the Federal and State Gov
ernments would be tremendously benefited by a constructive plan
that would “ cure the ills” and result in the stabilization of this
most important basic industry.
The anthracite industry, by reason of its physical and geographic
advantages, its higher cost of development, and the necessary prepa
ration of its products, is not affected by the ills of overdevelopment
that affect the soft-coal industry. The workers employed in the
anthracite mines have fairly steady employment. A majority of
the operations are said to be reasonably profitable and the market
is pretty generally developed to absorb the annual output. It is
true that occasionally suspensions occur as a result of disagreements
arising over the making of new contracts, but, taking one year with
another, the anthracite miners and operators occupy a highly favored
position as compared with those engaged in the bituminous industry.
X am chiefly concerned with the problem of reaching some broad
adjustment in the bituminous industry and it certainly deserves our
best thought and efforts. If for no better reason than their own
protection, the American people will not permit the present chaos in
coal to go on much longer. And I think too many of our people hold
the erroneous view that the worst, and even the only, evil in coal is
the “ strike.” Such strikes as have occurred in the past few years,
unfortunate as they were, have been those surface eruptions which
have served to bring out the disease and without which the disease
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M O N T H L Y LABOE EE VIEW
beneath would have gone without remedy and even without notice
by the people.
Now once more a difference in the industry has forced a busy
nation to think of the problems of coal, and I firmly believe that
some system of letting in the light and keeping the light turned on
is due and coming. Both operator and miner should welcome such
light. The miner wants his case better understood—and by that
I mean his personal problems, his dangerous occupation, his family
responsibilities, the limits to his annual earnings set by slackness of
work, the latter being another result of overdevelopment in the
industry. The situation of the operator needs to be understood.
The case of the so-called “ coal baron” is often the fact that he is
barren on the wrong side of the ledger. Give the public light on
both sides of the deal, and I believe the industry will hold a better
place in the public mind.
One of the first things the public will then discover is that neither
operator nor miner wants a strike. If they feel hostility toward
each other, it is purely because both have been vexed by these
technical and economic matters, such as overdevelopment, which
lie at the bottom of every difference. I believe that at heart the
operator wants peace in industry as ardently as the miner does.
In the past both have suffered from conditions which have baffled
us all. Abolish these technical ills or even abate them, as I feel sure
is about to happen, and the coal industry wiH lose its reputation
as a chronic breeder of disruption to industry in general.
Let me enlarge on my suggestion of a real fact-finding commission
built up within the industry, with a neutral chairman who would
enjoy the fullest confidence of operators and miners alike. I believe
such an agency could bring about many remedial changes in presentday practice. I have particularly in mind consolidation of mines
producing the same kind of coal in contiguous districts and competing
in the same market. Such consolidations should be within the law—
a law itself modified to conform to modern business conditions. We
now entertain less fear of monopolies, so called, and we hold greater
respect for those combinations which have eliminated waste and
brought about stability of markets, earnings, and wages.
Arbitration in the Coal Industry
I KNOW you expect me to say a word about the subject of arbitra*■ tion in the coal industry—particularly in view of the fact that
strikes frequently result from the very differences arising out of
making new contracts.
Much is heard of arbitration in labor disputes, especially in those
associated with the coal industry. I am in thorough accord with the
principle of voluntary arbitration. I believe it is not difficult to
find honest and sincere men to act as arbitrators when the occasion
demands. Nevertheless many obstacles arise when it comes to
securing the consent of the disputants to leave to a third party the
issues that divide them. If each interest involved selects its own
arbitrators, these generally divide along partisan lines, and a compro
mise is the result. If there is a third or fifth member of the board,
as is usually the case, generally he has to decide the award or work
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T H E B IT U M IN O U S -C O A L S IT U A T IO N
15
out- a compromise. To the credit of American employers and workers
it must be recorded that when they agree to abide by the decision
of an arbitration tribunal, they do so even when they disagree with
its findings.
In the President’s Bituminous Coal Commission of a few years
ago, the three arbitrators, representing employers, employees, and
the public, divided and the result was a majority and minority report,
though the award of the majority was accepted. Later the Presi
dent’s Anthracite Commission divided and two reports were again
submitted, though the award was respected until its expiration.
There is a general sentiment among workers that arbitration com
missions to decide wage rates and working conditions fairly should
take cognizance of earnings of companies, salaries paid officials,,
royalties, cost of supplies, commissions of sales agencies, and all
matters entering into the cost of production, in order to give a just
and reasonable wage award. Many employers, on the other hand,
object to this because they hold that their business interests would
suffer from competitors and others by disclosure of private records
and facts pertinent to their success.
Arbitration presents a most difficult problem in itself. Compul
sory arbitration has not found favor with the American worker or
employer.
At this moment there is controversy in the anthractie field, and a
demand for arbitration. If we had the fact-finding commission as I
have suggested, would we have the demand or the need of arbitration?
Would we have the controversy itself? I think not. Is it too late,
even now, to organize such a fact-finding commission, to cover both
the anthracite and the bituminous industries ? Again I think not.
Regardless of the occasional great coal strikes we have in this
country, a comparison of the trade disputes among our 41,000,000
gainfully employed Americans with those in other countries shows
that the United States is enjoying a much more peaceful situation
than any other industrial countiy in the world. At no time in our
history have we ever had more than 2^2 per cent of our working
population engaged in strikes at one time, and that was in only one
year of our industrial history. This, to my mind, is due entirely to
our extensive resort to the principles of collective bargaining, as
generally exercised by American industry, and to our utilization of
conciliation and mediation as exercised by some of the States and by
the Federal Government. These, supplemented by voluntary arbi
tration, can not but be most helpful in all industrial disputes.
As Secretary of Labor I can say with the greatest satisfaction that
the spirit of mutual good will is spreading in American industry.
There is far less hostility than there was between worker and employer;
there is far more harmony and readiness to work in the partnership
which should exist.
The coal industry, like all others, feels the need of the spirit of
cooperation. That spirit it has maintained to a remarkable degree,
considering that the industry is afflicted with more irritants than
almost any other. As I said before, the coal operators and the miners
were the first to enter into long-term agreements as one way out of
the state of constant disturbance that once prevailed. Once the
evils so well known and so fully catalogued by the United States Coal
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M O N T H L Y LABOR R EV IEW
Commission are removed or reduced, and once the industry realizes
that its salvation must come from within, I believe it will ’become a
model for keeping the peace in industry. And the effect of this on
industry in general is certain to be great.
Additional Corrective Measures
IN CONCLUSION, let me leave with you another thought. The
1 fact-finding body I suggest having been formed, the facts having
been found, the needs of the industry having been brought into the
light, the findings and recommendations having been accepted, it
may be necessary in applying corrective measures, to create a further
agency to administer and guide the industry.
I t may be heroic measures will be necessaiy. In this connection,
have you ever considered the possibility of the selection of an out
standing national figure, a man with ability, administrative experi
ence, a knowledge of law and business, and above all these a man who
commands the respect and confidence of the American people?
Is not such a suggestion worthy of the serious consideration of the
interests concerned? I believe it is.
Are Average Wage Rates Keeping Pace with the increased Cost of
B y E thelbert S tew art, U
n it e d
S t a t e s C o m m is s io n e r
of
L a b o r S t a t is t ic s
r T ',HE term ‘‘cost of living” as used in this article means “ living”
at the standard actually found in the canvass of 12,096
families in 92 localities of the United States, as represented by
the actual purchases made and the prices paid by those families
in 3918. Admittedly, these were workers’ families, as no salaried
officials earning more than $2,000 per annum were included.
It may be interesting to state that, in all the possible comparisons
we have made, the quantitative consumption of this group of families
checks up almost exactly with the average consumption in the country
as a whole.
This actual cost of living in 1918 has been reduced to a 1913 base
by adjusting the quantities of articles purchased to a 1913 price,
The wage rate indexes have also been computed on the 1913 base.
It must be emphasized that these are hourly wage rates and not
annual earnings. They indicate what workers receive when they
work and what the earnings would be if employment were constant,
When the textile mills work three days a week instead of six, it
follows, of course, that the income for the three days must be spread
over Jiving costs for twice that number of days. However, the
securing of the actual annual earnings of any large number of indi
viduals is such a stupendous statistical undertaking that we will
probably be compelled to be satisfied with deductions from wage
rates for a number of years to come.
In Table 1 I have attempted to compare the changes in union
rates of wages per hour in relation to the concurrent changes in the
cost of living from 1906 to 1925.
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A BE W AGES K E E P IN G PACE W IT H
T able
COST OF L IV IN G ?
17
3.—COMPARISON OF CHANGES IN UNION RATES OF WAGES PER HOUR AND
IN COST OF LIVING, 1906 TO 1925
[1913 = 100]
Year
Relative
Index num
num purchasing
power
of
bers of union Index
of cost
wages as
rates of wages bers
of living
per hour
measured in
living- cost
......................... ..................... ..............
1900
1907
__ __________________________
1908
............ ......... ............................
1909
________________________________
19] 0
_______________________
1911 . ________________________________
1912 ___________________________________
1913_______ ____ ________________________
1914
_______________
1915
. .
.
_ _______________
1916
.
_______________----1917 ________ ______________ _____ ______
1918
____________
1919
. -___ ______
85.0
89.7
91.0
91.9
94.4
96.0
97.6
100.0
101.9
102.8
107.2
114.1
132. 7
154.5
78.7
82.0
84.3
88.7
93.0
92.0
97.6
100.0
103.0
105.1
118.3
142.4
174.4
188.3
108.0
109.4
107. 9
103. 6
101.5
104.3
100.0
100.0
98.9
97.8
90.6
80.1
76.1
82.0
1920
________________________
1921___ „ __________________________________________
1922
.............................................
1923___
________ _________________________
1924__________________________ _____ _______________
1925__________ _________ _____ ________ ____________
199.0
2 0 5 .3
193.1
210.6
228.1
237.9
20 8 .5
177.3
167. 3
171. 0
170.7
173.5
9 5 .4
115.8
115.4
123. 2
133. 6
137.1
Changes in
purchasing
power of
wages as
compared
with 1913
Per cent
•
+8.0
+9.4
+7.9
+3.6
+1.5
0.0
0.0
—1.1
-2 .2
-9 .4
-19. 9
-23.9
-18,0
-4 .6
+
+
+
+
15.8
15.4
2 3 .2
33 .6
+37.1
In this table it is assumed that the rate of wages per hour in 1913
enabled the worker to live at the standard he had attained, or in
other words, that the purchasing power of his wages exactly met
his cost of living at his then standard. The table means that in
1908, while his wages were only 85 per cent of his 1913 wages, his
cost of living was 78.7 per cent of his 1913 cost; that the relative
purchasing power of his wage rates was 108 as compared with 100
in .1913, and he was 8 per cent better off, measuring his wage rates
with his cost of living in 1906, than he was in 1913.
This percentage of advantage, however, dropped consistently
until 1910 when it was only 1.5 per cent. Although there was a
material increase in 1911, it was entirely wiped out in 1912. Then
follows a period of seven years of loss, during which he either reduced
his standard or drew upon any savings he may have had, or met the
shrinking purchasing power of his wage rate by the earnings of the
wife or children, or went into debt. In 1914 he was at only a slight
disadvantage, his loss in purchasing power being only 1.1 per cent
and probably not seriously felt anywhere. However, by 1916
when it had reached practically 10 per cent it was felt, and in 1918
when the purchasing power of his wage rate was 23.9 per cent less
than in 1913, measured by the standards of 1913, the reader can
readily imagine the difficulties which faced the married wage earner
of the country. His wage rates had increased practically 33 per cent
in five years and this could easily be quoted to convince him of his
theoretical happiness. It was easy enough to quote this fact while
saying nothing about the fact that living costs had increased 74.4
per cent, and that the purchasing power of his wage rate was but
76.1 per cent of what it had been in 1913.
In 1920 there was a very marked increase in wage rates, and while
the cost of living took a jump also, the spread between wage rates
and living costs was narrowed almost to the fading point. Since
1921, hourly wage rates of organized workers have been going
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[17]
18
M O N T H L Y LABOR R EV IEW
consistently up, with the exception of a break in 1922, while on the
other hand cost of living has not varied sharply.
To-day the average union wage rate in the United States will buy
37.1 per cent more of living on the 1913 standard than it would in
1913. The above table refers, as stated, to union or organized labor
only. The figures for 1925 cover 717,916 workers distributed through
66 of the principal cities, and cover 78 trades.
That the standard of living has materially increased in many of
the families of these workers since 1913 is hardly open to doubt.
Some of these improvements in standards have been forced upon
them by the housing situation. People have been forced into the
suburbs, which made the use of an automobile necessary to get them
to their work on time, and many other new requirements in even the
most humble homes will readily suggest themselves, so that it must
not be understood that all of this represents possible savings.
The foregoing refers, as stated, exclusively to members of organ
ized labor, and some of the readers will doubtless wonder whether or
not this represents labor as a whole.
In an attem pt partially to answer this question I have in Table 2
applied the above methods to the emplojmes in three industries:
The manufacture of boots and shoes; the woolen industry; and the
cotton industry. These are in each instance pay-roll figures and
represent earnings for a pay-roll period reduced to hourly rates.
Subsequent to 1914, the wage investigations upon which this table
is based were made only in alternate years, hence from then on no
wage index numbers are shown for the odd years.
T able
2. — COMPARISON
Year
1906...................
1907...................
1908................. .
1909...................
1910......... ..........
1911___ _____
1912...................
1913............... .
1914
___
1915
1916
___
1917
1918-..................
1919
1920..................
1921
1922...................
1922
1924 1___ _____
OP CHANGES IN HOURLY WAGES AND IN COST OF LIVING,
1906 TO 1924
[1913=100]
Boot and shoe factories
Woolen mills
Cotton mills
Purchasing
power of
Index
wages
num Index
bers
Per
of
bers Index
num cent of
rates
of
of
bers change
cost
meas
as
wages
of
per living ured com
hour
in
pared
living with
cost
1913
Purchasing
power of
Index
wages
num Index
bers
of
bers Index Per
rates
of
num cent of
of
cost
bers change
meas
wages
of
as
per living ured com
hour
in
pared
living with
cost
1913
Purchasing
power of
Index
wages
num Index
bers
of
bers Index Per
of
num cent of
rates
bers change
cost
of
of
meas
as
wages
per living ured com
in
hour
pared
living with
cost
1913
86 78. 7
91 82. 0
89 84.3
93 88. 7
92 93. 0
94 92. 0
93 97.6
100 100. 0
101 103. 0
105. 1
108 118.3
142. 4
140 174.4
188. 3
232 208.5
177. 3
208 167.3
171. 0
214 170. 7
109.3
111. 0
105. 6
104.8
98.9
102. 2
95.3
100. 0
98. 1
+9.3
+11.0
+5.6
-4 .8
-1 .1
+2.2
-4 .7
0. 0
- 1 .9
91. 3
-8 . 7
80. 3 -19. 7
111. 3 +11. 3
124. 3 +24. 3
125.4 +25.4
86 78.7
92 82. 0
87 84.3
88 88. 7
90 93. 0
91 92. 0
102 97. 6
100 100. 0
103 103.0
105. 1
127 118.3
142.4
193 174.4
188. 3
355 208. 5
177. 3
268 167.3
171. 0
301 170.7
109.3
112. 2
103.2
99. 2
96. 8
98. 9
104. 5
100.0
100.0
+9.3
+12. 2
+3. 2
-. 8
-3 .2
-1 . 1
-4 . 5
0. 0
0.0
107.4
+7.4
110.7 +10. 7
170.3 +70.3
160. 2 +6. 2
176.3 +76.3
78.7
82. 0
84. 3
88. 7
93. 0
92. 0
97. 6
100. 0
103. 0
105. 1
120 118. 3
142. 4
179 174. 4
188.3
324 208. 5
177. 3
222 167.3
171. 0
251 170.7
78
89
88
85
88
90
99
100
103
99.1
108.5
104.4
95. 8
94. 6
97. 8
101. 4
100.0
100.0
-0 .9
+8.5
+4.4
- 4 .2
-5 .4
-2 .2
-1 .4
0.0
0.0
101.4
+1.4
102.6
+2.6
155.4
+55.4
132. 7 +32.7
147.0
+47. 0
l 1924 figures cover: For the hoot and shoe industry, 45,460 employees in 106 establishments in 13 States;
or the woolen industry, 41,622 employees in 72 establishments in 9 States; for the cotton industry, 77,995
employees in 114 establishments in 12 States.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[18 ]
ARE W AGES K E E P IN G PACE W IT H
COST OF L IV IN G ?
19
The striking thing about these figures is the fact that the lean
years for the comparatively unorganized labor in the factories
occurred earlier in the period under consideration and were subject
to more violent fluctuations than was true in the case of organized
labor (shown in Table 1).
It must be understood that the absolute rate of wages in cotton
mills, woolen mills, and boot and shoe factories was very much lowrnr
in 1913 than was the trade-union rate. For instance, the average
wage of trade-unionists covered by the investigation of 1913 was
45.9 cents an hour, as against $1.09 an hour in 1925; the average
wage in the cotton mills in 1913 was 14.8 cents, as against 37.2 cents
an hour in 1924; in woolen mills the rate was 17.7 cents in 1913, as
against 53.3 cents in 1924; and in the boot and shoe industry it was
24 cents as against 51.6 cents in 1924.
It will thus be seen that factory labor started at the base period
on a very much lower level of wages, and the purchasing power of
wage rates as shown in Table 2 is based upon the assumption that the
low standard of living^ which was the best the mill workers could
attain in 1913 was maintained throughout the period.
The hourly rates of workers in woolen mills increased 201 per cent
over the rates in 1913, making an index of 301 in 1924. Since cost
of living increased 70.7 per cent (making an index of 170.7) the
apparent purchasing power of the wage rate measured in terms of
the 1913 standard of living was 176.3, a clear gain of 76.3 per cent.
Possibly some of these workers pinched and saved all this margin;
others may have increased their standards of living, using up all of
the additional units of living they could earn. Undoubtedly many
pursued an intermediate course by raising their standards of living
to a considerable extent, and still saved a part of the increase earned
in these years. However, as intimated elsewhere, the wage figures
represent hourly wage rates received only when actually employed,
and the earnings therefrom had to be stretched over any idle time
that occurred.
I t should be understood that in the three industrial studies both
men and women employees are included, while in the trade-union
table practically men only are considered.
That the readers may have the purchasing power of the dollar
before them to compare with the purchasing power of hourly wage
rates, I have compiled the following table which gives the purchasing
power of the commercial 1913 dollar, and of the cost-of-living 1913
dollar from 1906 to June, 1925:
T able 3 .—PURCHASING POWER OP THE DOLLAR, 1906 TO JUNE, 1925
Purchasing Purchasing
power of
power of
1913 dollar
1913 dollar
(commercial) (cost of living)
1906.
1907.
1908.
1909.
1910.
■■911.
1912.
1913.
1914.
1915.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$1.129
1. 070
1.110
1.032
.991
1.075
1.009
1.000
1.019
.992
$1. 271
1. 220
1.186
1.127
1.075
1. 087
1.025
1. 000
.971
.951
Year
1916_______________
1917_______________
1918_______ ______
1919......... ......... .........
1920................ ..............
1921...............................
1922______ ____ _____
1923_______________
1924_____________ _
1925 (June)..... ...........
[19]
Purchasing Purchasing
power of
power of
1913 dollar
1913 dollar
(commercial) (cost of living)
$0. 789
.564
.515
.484
.442
.681
.672
.651
.668
.635
$0.845
.702
.573
.531
.480
.564
.598
.584
.586
.576
20
M O X T I il-X LABOR R EV IEW
111 explanation of this table, I may say that the commercial dollar
is based upon the wholesale price index covering 404 articles entering
into general commerce. The cost-of-living dollar is computed from
the index numbers of retail prices of food from 1906 to 1912, and from
the index numbers of cost of living compiled by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics from 1913 to June, 1925. The first is a measure of the
buying power of the dollar, generally speaking, measured by wholesale
prices. The other is the buying power of the dollar for purchases
which are confined to household necessaries. One is the dollar of
commerce. The other is the dollar of the home.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[201
\
Industrial Pensions for Old Age and Disability
B y M ary C o n y n g to n ,
of the
U n it e d S t a t e s B u r e a u
of
L a b o r S t a t is t ic s
HE problem of the care of old age is becoming more insistent as
the general idea of social responsibility is widening, and various
efforts are being made to cope with it. England has accepted
the principle that it is the duty of the State to see that provision for
such care is made, and her latest insurance act, passed in the summer
of 1925 (see M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , November, 1925, pp. 196198), divides the burden between the individual and the Government
by compelling contributions to an insurance fund during all periods
of employment and guaranteeing weekly benefits after the worker
has reached a certain age. Several of our own States have attempted
to establish old-age pensions by law, but so far not much has been
accomplished. Pennsylvania’s law providing for assistance to the
old has been declared unconstitutional, and the status of the work
attempted in other States is doubtful. Linder the circumstances it
is of interest to see what private employers are doing in the way of
securing for their employees some provision for old age, and with this
purpose in view the Bureau of Labor Statistics undertook an inquiry
into the extent and character of the pension systems of private
employers.
In such an inquiry several points stand out as of special importance.
Do employees in general contribute to the pension fund, or do em
ployers assume the whole cost? Are pensions provided for all, or
only for those doing special kinds of work, or receiving certain rates
of compensation? At what age is an employee considered ready for
retirement, and what are the usual requirements as to length of
service? What should be done about an employee who breaks down
before he has fulfilled the conditions as to age or length of service?
Is there any recognized standard of what a pension should amount
to, and, if not, how is it usually determined ?
To secure information on these and other points, inquiries were
sent to ail employers known or believed to maintain a pension system.
Replies were fairly complete, and when published reports did not
contain the data desired, further information was often added.
T
Growth and Extent Si Pension Systems
PROBABLY there has never been a time when humane employers
1
did not expect to provide to some extent for employees who had
grown old in their service, but the definite provision involved in an or
ganized pension system is largely a growth of the present century.
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad established its system in 1884, and a
few other plans were in effect before 1900, but for the most part those
now in force have been inaugurated within the last 20 years. From
1910 to 1916, inclusive, some 69 systems were established, but after
1916 the movement slackened, though it has never ceased entirely.
I t is difficult to say how widely pension plans are in use at any given
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[21]
„ 21
22
M O N T H L Y LABOR RE V IE W
time. Some employers are averse to establishing a formal pension
system, although they make much the same provision for their aged
employees that other employers do through a system. In the present
inquiry, for instance, 10 large corporations, some of which are well
known for their fair and considerate attitude toward their employees,
replied that they had never had a pension system, preferring to treat
each individual case as circumstances seemed to require. Other
employers establish a system tentatively, and it may be in force for
some time before any public mention is made of it.
In 1916, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics published a survey
of civil service retirement plans and industrial old-age pensions, it
listed 117 plans as then being carried on by private employers.
(See M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w , June, 1916, p. 110.) The number
has increased since then, but it is difficult to make a valid comparison
since in several cases a single plan has been extended to cover a whole
group of allied enterprises. Thus, a single plan received in answer
to the questionnaire of June, 1925, covers the gas and electric light
companies of eight different municipalities, and some of the railway
plans include allied lines operating throughout a whole section of the
country. In some of these cases there has been a consolidation of
plans existing separately in 1916. Thus the earlier list showed five
pension plans maintained by telephone and telegraph companies. In
1925 only two such plans were reported, but these cover telephone
and telegraph systems in practically every part of the country, and
apply to some 280,000 employees. Allowing for such combinations,
it is probable that the systems listed in the present article cover well
over 200 companies and corporations, while it is impossible even to
guess at the number of employees brought within their scope.
Kinds of Pension Plans
'"THERE are two main classes of pension plans—rcontributory
systems, in which the employee is required to contribute from
his earnings to a fund from which pensions are paid, and noncontrib
utory, in which no such contribution is required. There is some
question as to whether these are fundamentally different.
Whether the contribution to a pension fund be taken wholly from an employ
ee’s wages or salary, or be paid wholly by the employer, or be derived in part
from each, these contributions are in all three cases to be regarded as in reality
a deduction from wages or salary. It is the opinion of students of the pension
problem that the existence of a pension system in connection with any position
or employment is taken into account by both parties to the contract of employ
ment, and that, broadly speaking, wages and salaries actually paid are in due
course reduced below what they otherwise would be by the amount of the total
contributions from both the employer and employee to a pension fund. The
employee will thus pay for his pension by deductions from his wages or salary
whether he is conscious of it or not. (Illinois, Pension Laws Commission, Report,
1916, p. 282.)
Various economists hold this theory,1and the civil-service employees
of England were so convinced of its truth that they strove for years
to have their pensions changed from a noncontributory to a contribu
tory basis, in order that their share in providing them might be recog
nized, and the right acknowledged of their families to some share in
their accrued interest in the fund in case of the death of employees
•'American Economic Review, June, 1913, p. 287: “ Pensions as wages,” by Albert de Roode.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[22 ]
IN D U S T R IA L P E N S IO N S FO R OLD AGE A N D D IS A B IL IT Y
23
before reaching the age of retirement. Generally speaking, however,
in the past this point of view has been ignored, and it has been
assumed that in noncontributory systems the employer bears the
whole cost.
Apart from the matter of contributions, the plans vary widely.
Some employers establish a pension fund by an initial appropriation,
provide for its investment and for future appropriations to keep it
up to a fixed sum, establish a pension committee or board to manage
the system defining strictly their duties and powers, safeguard the
pension with elaborate provisions as to how it is to be obtained and
retained, and generally plan every detail of the system in advance.
Others, when establishing their plan, prepare little beyond a state
ment that every employee who has served a certain length of time and
has reached a certain age shall receive such and such a pension, and
still others draw up plans of all degrees of elaboration between these
extremes.
Purpose of Pension Plans
ENERALLY speaking, the underlying purpose of such plans is
^
to make life easier for employees who have grown old in the
service; in other words, it is on the whole humanitarian, though a
number of other purposes may play a part. Most employers hope
through the working of the pension plan to enlist the loyalty and
friendly feeling of their workers, to secure better service, and to
diminish turnover. Sometimes such a purpose is given as the reason
for instituting the plan.
T h e c o m p a n y h o p e s t h a t t h is v o lu n ta r y e s ta b lis h m e n t o f a p e n sio n s y s t e m
w h ic h w ill a s s u r e t o f a it h f u l e m p lo y e e s a n in c o m e w h e n u n a b le t o w o rk , e ith e r
b y r e a s o n o f a g e o r p e r m a n e n t in c a p a c ity , w ill co n firm t o t h e m t h is c o m p a n y ’s
a p p r e c ia tio n o f f a it h f u l se r v ic e , a n d i t s " in terest in th e ir w e lfa r e , a n d th e r e b y
in c r e a s e t h e ir d e sir e t o r en d er lo n g s e r v ic e a n d d e v o t e t h e ir b e s t e ffo r ts t o t h e
c o m p a n y , a s so m a n y e m p lo y e e s h a v e d o n e in t h e p a s t.
Sometimes the plan is intended to act as a deterrent to labor
troubles and especially to hinder employees from joining in strikes,
and certain of the plans contain provisions that anyone quitting the
employer’s service, even for one day, forfeits all claim to a pension,
and if he is taken back, must come in as a new employee so far as
pensions are concerned. The contributory plans are sometimes used
to give the employer a kind of insurance against dishonesty, it being
provided that in the event of the employee’s leaving or being dis
missed, any amount which he may be owing to the employer shall
be deducted before his contributions to the fund are returned to him.
Other subsidiary purposes may enter in, but it is evident that the
humanitarian impulse and the desire to secure more permanent and
devoted service are the leading motives.
Some Leading Features of Plans Studied
'TTIERE are a few important features, such as the conditions under
which pensions are given, and the manner of calculating their
amount, which, though they may vary in detail, must form a part of
any pension system. The following table shows the most important
features of the plans studied:
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[23]
ÌO
PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF OLD-AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION PLANS OF PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES
B a n k s , in s u r a n c e , a n d f in a n c i a l c o m p a n ie s
(c o n tr ib u to ry )
Retirement allowance
Company
Date
of
plan
Employees
included
Source of funds
Amount
Basis (per year of
service)
1913 All (except executives) entering service
under 40.
Farmers & Meehanies Savings Bank
of Minneapolis.
1912 All except those
under “lawfui” age.
First National Bank
of Chicago.
1899
First & Old Detroit
National Bank.
1913 ___ do________
First National Bank
of the City of New
Y ork.
1911 All but presi- Com pany, indefi- A of average pay for
d e n t, v i c e
nite; employees, 5
last 5 years up to
presidents, and
per cent of salary.
f o.
cashier.
Northwestern National Bank.
1911
All___ ____ _
Speyer & Co........ .
1906
Male employees
over 21.
All___________
Com pany, indefinite; employees,
3 per cent of salary.
Requ rements
Amount
Maximum
Service
Per year
Same as for re$5,000. For life, 15 years
after 25 years’
60, optional.
tirement.
service; under
that for period
of service.
Company, indefi- Ar of average pay for For life after 25
_do____ _ ___ do___ ____ ___ do________
nite; employees, 3
last 5 years, up to
years' service;
per cent of salary
M, omitting all
under that for
up to $4,000 a year.
over $4,000.
period ofservice.
Company, not stat- ■
3h of salary up to | ( .
___ do_______ _ _do
do
ed; employees, 3
per cent of salary.
ComDany, indefi- tisof final pay up to For life after 25 ___do_______ ___do___
Duration at disnite"; employees,
years' service;
t§, omitting all
e r e t io n of
3 per cent o f salary
over $4,000.
under that for
trustees.
up to $4,000 a year.
period of servA of final salary
up to 4J.
Com pany, indefi- A of average pay
nite; employees, 3
for last 10 years,
per cent of salary,
u p to £§, omitting
omitting that over
all over $4.000.
$4,000 a year.
C om pany, not
stated; employees,
2 per cent of salaries up to $3,000,
and 3 per cent on
salaries over $3,000.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
i
Requirements
Age
$5,000. For life, ___ do______ 65____________ Calculated as
after 25 years’
for retirement,
service; under
substituting
that for periA lor A .
od of service.
For period of ___ do_______ 65, compulsory; Same as for reservice, if un60, optional.
tirement.
der 25 years.
75 per cent of 25 vears
average salary
for l a s t 10
years.
I
ice.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do,
Do.
Do.
__do- .
I
M O N T H L Y LABOR RE V IE W
[24]
Bankers’ Trust Co.,
New York,
Disability allowance
B a n k s , in s u r a n c e , a n d f in a n c i a l c o m p a n ie s
C en tral S a v in g s
Bank, New York.
.do.
Guaranty Trust Co.
of New York.
1914
do.
National Bank of
Commerce of New
York.
National City Bank
of New York.
(')
do
1912
do.
1911
do.
P ru d en tia l Insur
ance Co. of Amer
ica.
All but execu
tive officers
and directors.
■---- Insurance C o ...
All.
Per month
$150; minimum, '25 years.
1 per cent of av
pay for last 10
$50.
years.
of final salary
up to 50 per cent.
(a) Not speci
fied; (b) 30
years.
$300.
i Not reported.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
l
Men, 70, com Duration and
amount vary
p u lsory; 65
with length of
optional. Wo
service. For
men, 65, com
permanent to
p u lsory; 60
tal disability
optional.
after 25 years’
service, same
as for retire
ment.
(a) 65; (6) 60. Varies from 20
to 50 per cent
of salary, ac
c o r d i n g to
length of serv
ice; minimum,
$300; m a x 1 mum, $3,600 a
year.
5years’ service.
IN D U ST R IA L P E N S IO N S FO R OLD AGE AND D ISA B ILITY
[25]
20 to 30 years.. 60, after 20 years’ Same as for re 20 years’ serv
tirement.
service; at any
ice.
age after 30
years’ service.
___ do................... .
65, compulsory; For first year 80 Total incapaci
3,000.
per cent, sec
60, optional.
ty after 10
years’ serv
ond 50 per
cent, third 25
ice.
per cen t of
final salary;
thereafter
nothing.
At discretion of
Company; appro 2 per cent of average $5,000; m in i (a) 45 years; (a) No age set;
(6) 15 years.
board of di
mum, $300.
(5) 65.
p ria tio n s from
pay for last 3
rectors.
years, up to •£•§.
time to time, plus
interest on same.
65, compulsory;
Company................. 2 per cent of aggre $5,000.
gate pay while in
60, optional.
service.
.do.
2 per cent of average $5,000.
pay for last 3 years
up to 60 per cent.
.do.
30 per cent of 15 years.
average salary
at time of re
tirement.
2 per cent of average
pay for last 3 years,
up to 60 per cent.
All.
Commercial Trust 1916
Co. of New Jersey.
National Shawmut
Bank of Boston.
(n o n c o n tr ib u to r y )
N)
Oi
PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF OLD-AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION PLANS OF PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES—Continued
ÌND
B a n k s , in s u r a n c e , a n d fin a n c i a l c o m p a n ie s {n o n c o n tr ib u to r y )—Continued
Disability allowance
Retirement allowance
Company
Date
of
plan
Employees
included
Source of funds
Amount
Basis (per year of
service)
1912
All but those
entering serv
ice after 45.
Appropriations by
company, gifts,
legacies, and inter
est on funds.
Maximum
Per month
1 per cent of average $500; minimum,
$25.
pay for 5 consecu
tive years of high
est salary.
20 years.
Requirements
Age
Service
Men, 65; wo
men, 60.
Same as for re Permanent dis
tirement.
ability after
20 y e a r s ’
service.
R a ilr o a d s {n o n c o n tr ib u to ry )
Atchison, Topeka & 1907
Santa Fe Railway
Co.
Atlantic Coast Line
Railroad Co.
1903
Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad Co.
1884
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
A ll ent eri ng
service under
50.
C om p any..____ _
1J4per cent of high
est average pay
for any 10 consec
utive years, plus
% per cent of such
pay over $50 a
month.
All.......... ........... ___ do__________ _ 1 per cent of average
pay for last 10
years.
All who have ___ do_____ ______
belonged to
relief associat i o n for 4
years.
Varies with salary
and length and
class of member
ship in relief asso
ciation.
$75; minimum,
$20.
15 years_____ 65.
Minimum, $15.. 10 years_____
Officers and em
ployees, 70;
train and yard
crews, track
foremen, etc.,
65.
$1.37Yi (a day); ___ do---------- 65.
excluding
Sunday; mini mu m , 25
cents a day.
Same as for re
tirement.
do.
Permanent incapacity
after 15 years’
service.
Permanent incapacity
between 61
and 70, after
10 y e a r s ’
service. Un
der 61, after
20years’ serv«
ice.
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
Union Trust Co.,
Chicago.
Requirements
Amount
Boston & Maine
Railroad and sub
sidiaries.
1901
I Canadian Pacific
g
Railway Co.
I_ Chicago, Burlington 1922
w
& Quincy Railroad
Co.
Chicago & North
Western Railway
Co.
1901
.do.
A ll en terin g
service under
42, and all in
service before
July 6,1904.
All.....................
.do.
Chicago, Rock _ Is 1910 A 1 1 entering
service at or
land & P a c i f i c
under 50.
Railway Co., and
Chicago, Rock Is
land & Gulf Rail
way Co.
Chicago, St. Paul, 1906 All.
Minneapolis
&
Omaha Railway
Co.
Delaware, Lacka 1902 ___ do............. .
wanna & Western
Railroad Co.
Grand Trunk Rail 1908
way Co. of Canada.
G r e a t Northern
Railway Lines.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1916
.do.
All, except exe
cutive officers.
.do.
(Up to 40 years) 1 $75.
per cent of aver
age pay for last 10
years.
30 years.
.do.
2 per cent of average $75; minimum,
$25.
pay for last 10
years.
20 years .
.do.
1 per cent of average
pay for last 10
years.
.do.
.do.
Company; up to ___ d o ...
$200,000 annually.
Minimum, $20.. 10 years.
$150; minimum
$25.
Minimum, $12. _
20 years.
...d o ______
25 years’ serv
ice.
Permanent incap ac i t y ,
after 20 years’
service.
Total incapac
ity after 25
years’ serv
ice.
.do.
.do.
.do
.do.
Permanent dis
ability after
.do.
.do.
service.
At 60 to 69, aft
er 25 years’
service.
65_______
.do.
$150; minimum
Company; up to
$105,000 annually.
.do.
Minimum, $12.
-do.
Minimum (es- 25 years.
tablishcd
August, 1920),
$25.
Minimum, $200 15 years.
(a year).
Company; initial
sum of $1,000,000.
65, compulsory;
60 to 65, at
discretion of
pension com
mittee.
70, for trainmen, Same as for re
tirement.
yardmen, fore
men; 65, at
discretion of
board.
.do.
70________ ____
.do.
.do.
_do-
sarne as for re At 60 to 64,
after 20 years’
tirement, at
service.
discretion of
president.
.do.
Company .
Comp any.
N o a g e fixed;
granted only
for permanent
total disabil
ity.
70, compulsory;
65 to 69, op
tional.
$ 20 .
20 y e a r s ’
1 per cent of highest
average pay for
any 10 consecu
tive years.
1 per cent of average $75; minimum
$25.
pay for last 10
years.-
At 60 to 64, aft
er 20 years’
service. At
any age, after
10
20 years.
70; 65, optional.. ___ do.................
years’
service if in
capacity i s
due to inju
ries received
in service.
Permanent in
capacity aft
er 25 years’
service.
IN D U ST R IA L - P E N S IO N S FOR OLD AGE A N D D ISA B IL IT Y
4-- Buffalo, Rochester & 1903
Pittsburgh Rad
on road.
All
to
P R IN C IP A L F E A T U R E S O F O LD -A G E A N D D IS A B IL IT Y P E N S IO N P L A N S OF P R IV A T E IN D U S T R IA L C O M P A N IE S —C ontinued
Retirement allowance
•
Company
Date
of
plan
Employees ..
included
Amount.
Source of funds
Basis (per year of
service)
Illinois Central Railroad Co.
1901
All except those
entering serv
ice after 45.
Company.. ______
Minneapolis,
St. 1910 All.........
___ do____ ____
Paul &Sault Ste.
Marie Railway Co.
Nashville, Chatta- 1914 ........do............... ___ do.................
nooga & St. Louis
Railway.
New York Central
Lines.
New York, Chicago
& St. Louis Rail
road Co.
N&w York, New
Haven & Hartford
Railroad.3
1 per cent of average
pay for last 10
years.
_do
1910 ___ do____ ____ ___ do.................... . ....... do____ ____
1914
All who enter ___ do..................
service under
45.
___ do__.................
___ do...... .............
Requirements
Amount
Maximum
Service
Per month
Minimum $25.._ 15 years
Minimum, $10
to $20.
10 years
$250; minimum
$10.
$200; minimum
$5.
15 years
1917
Pennsylvania Railroad System.
1900 ___ .d o .- ............ ....... do..... .................. ___ do.................... .
All...................... ___ do....................... 1 per cent of average
pay lor last 10
years.
10 years
Requirements
Age
70, compulsory.. Same as for re
tirement.
Minimum, $15. „ ----- d o ..........,
1 per cent of average
pay for last 10
years, up to 40 per
cent.
Norfolk & Western
Railway Co.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Disability allowance
(a) Train
and
track service,
65 years; (6)
o t h e r s , 70
years.
70
25 years ’ serv
ice for men;
20 for wom
en; in special
e a s e s , 15
years.
o
W
Kj
service.
tended to 70.
do
to
00
R a ilr o a d s (n o n c o n tr ib u to r y )—Continued
At discretion of
pension board.
do
Permanent in
capacity, 20
years * serv
ice.
20 years’ serv
ice.
Do.
*
30 years
Minimum, $20
Minimum, $15..
I
t
At any age, if
certified, by
c o m p a n y ’s
doctor as un
fit for further
service, ‘
70 compulsory; Same" as for re
65, optional
tirement.
after 25 years’
service.
do
70
20 years’ serv
ice
At 65-69, after
30 y e a r s ’
service.
1902
-do.
Rock Island Lines..
1909
-do..
Southern Pacific Co. 1903
and Southern Pa
cific Lines in Texas
and Louisiana.
Union Pacific Sys
tem.
_do_.
Union Pacific Sys
tem, Oregon-Wash
ington Railroad &
Navigation Co.
Western Maryland
Railway Co.
-do.
do.
$150; minimum
20 years .
$20 .
.do.
.do.
.do.
.do.
.do.
Company; initial
sum of $100,000:
and up to $50,000
a year. .
___ do..................
-do.
Company.
_do.
1910 ....... do___
30 years.
.do.
-do.
.do.
Minimum, $25.
.do.
$100; minimum
$15.
.do.
Clerical employ
ees and offi
cers, 70; train
crews, yard
men, and fore
men 65.
___ do.................
1911
All members of
welfare association.
Company and em
ployees each $1.50
a month for each
member of asso
ciation.4
.do.
.do.
-do.
.do.
.do.
-do.
.do.
.do.
.do.
65; at’ any age,
after 45 years’
service.
S tre e t r a ilw a y s (c o n tr ib u to ry )
Philadelphia Rapid
Transit Co.3
Amount a n d
duration a t
p r e s i d e n t ’s
discretion.
$40 ..............
65 if unable to
discharge du
ties of position.
Total incapac
ity 65-69. If
due to injury
w h i l e at
work, at any
age.
Permanent incap ac i t y
after 25 years’
service.
At 60-70 years
after 20 years’
service. Per
manent in
capacity at
any age after
25 y e a r s ’
service
for
men, 20 for
women.
Do.
Do.
At discretion
of executive
committee.
IN D U ST R IA L P E N S IO N S FOR OLD AGE AND D ISA B ILITY
P h i l a d e l phi a &
Reading Railway
Co.
2 Company states that it has no defined system, but that its practice is to give allowances as herein described.
3 Provisions for dependents of pensioned workers and for refunds of employees’ contributions not reported.
4 This payment also secures life insurance and sick benefits.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
to
PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF OLD-AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION PLANS OF PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES—Continued
S tr e e t r a ilw a y s
(n o n c o n tr ib u to r y )
Retirement allowance
Company
Date
of
plan
Employees
included
Source of funds
Amount
Basis (per year of
service)
[30]
Columbus Railway,
Power & Light Co.
Interborough Rapid
Transit Co.
All members of
employees’
benefit association, except
those receiving over $1,500
for five years.
1914 All members of
beneficial association.
1916 All_____ ______ Company; up to
$50,000 a year.
Louisville Railway
Co.
1905
Milwaukee Electric
Railway & Light
Co.
1912 ....... do................. Company annually
sets aside one-half
of 1 per cent of operating revenue.
1 per cent of average
pay for last 10
years.
.d o.— ....... .
1)4per cent of aver-
age pay for last 10
years.
All except those
receiving over
$1,800 for more
than 10 years.
New York Railways
Co.
All___________ Company; up to ___ do____________
$50,000 a year.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Requirements
Maximum
Service
Amount
Requirements
Same as for retirement.
30 years’ service.
Age
70; fi5-fi9r if incapacitated.
of average pay
years; (c) 25
for last 10
and l e s s
years; minit h a n 30
years.
mum, $20.
25 years
$30
Newport News A ISIS
Hampton Railway
Gas & Electric Co.
1916
Disability allowance
Per month
(a) 50 per cent; (a) 35 years;
(Ö) 40 per cent;
(6) 30 and
(c) 30 per cent less than 35
1909
1 per cent of average
pay for last 10
years.
o
At discretion of
company.
Permanent disability after
25 y e a r s ’
service.
do
70; 65 if incapa- ____do............... . At any age or
$12, $15, or $25,
l e n g t h of
citated.
according to
service, if due
occupation
to injury reand salary.
ceivedinservice.
$750 (a year) ; 15 years_____ 70, compulsory; Same as for re- Permanent and
tirem ent.
total incapacm i n i m u m,
60-69, optional.
Duration for
ity after 15
$300.
years’ servlife if retirement is at 60
ice.
or over, otherwise 14.1 years.
Minimum, $20.. 25 years for 70; 60-69ifphysi- Same as for re- After 25 years’
tirement.
service, if due
cally disqualithose under
to injury refled.
70.
ceived
in
service.
___do...... ............ 25 years_____ 7 0 ____
— - ____ do________ Permanent disability after
25 years’service.
Minimum, $20
___ do............. 7 0 ___________
Same as for retirement.
M O N T H L Y LABOR
Brooklyn R a p i d
Transit System.
GO
Omaha & Council
Bluffs Street Railway Co.
1916
All earning less
than $125 per
month.
Company.................
70, compulsory;
65, optional.
$25.
25 years.
No age s e t.......
Per cent of aver $60.
age pay for last 10
years.
20 years.
70, compulsory;
60, optional.
Third Avenue Rail
way System.
United Railways Co. 1915
of St. Louis.
[31]
W ashington Rail
way & Electric Co.
W ashington-V irginia
Railway Co.
1 Not reported.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
0)
m
(a) 35 years, 70.
(o) 2 per cent, (6)
(6)
30-34
1% per cent (c)
years, (c) 25lp 2 per cent, (d)
29 years, (d)
V/i per cent, and
20-24 years,
(e) 1 per cent of
and (e) un
average pay for
der 20 years.
last 10 years, up to
100 per cent.
.do.
per cent of aver $50; minimum, 20 years
Company; up to
do.
$20 .
age pay for last 10
one-fourth of 1 per
years.
cent of operating
expenses annually.
15 years
.do.
All members of Company; up to A percentage of aver
age pay for last 10
$10,000 a year.
relief associa
years, v a r y i n g
tion.
from 20 per cent
after 15-19 years to
30 per cent for 25
years, plus 2 per
cent for each year
over 25.
.do.
.do.
___ do................. — Maximum, $50;
Company.
minimum, $20.
Permanent dis
ability, due
to accident
received in
service, after
20y ears’serv
ice.
Same as for re
tirement.
.do.
.do.
At 60 or over
after 15 years’
service.
At 55 or over
after 15 years’
service; un
der 55, if in
jured in serv
ice. Special
pensions at
discretion of
board.
At 55-69, after
15 y e a r s ’
service; un
der 55, if in
jured in serv
ice. Special
pensions at
discretion of
board.
M
tei
D U SERIAL P E N S IO N S FOR OLD AGE A N D D ISA B IL IT Y
1918 All members of Company; and surplus from benefit
benefit associassociation.
ation.
Twin City Lines___ 1915 All members of Company________
e m p l o y e e ’s
benefit associ
ation.
United Electric Rail 1901 A ll............... . ___ do.................... .
ways C'o., Provi
dence, R. I.
(a) $30; (5) $500 20 years,
(a year) ; mini
mum, $240.
(a) Conductors and
motormen $1 per
month; (6) others
\lA per cent of final
salary.
co
PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF OLD-AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION PLANS OF PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES—Continued
T e le p h o n e a n d tele g ra p h c o m p a n ie s
Retirement allowance
Company
Date
of
plan
Employees
included
Source of funds
Amount
Basis (per year of
service)
Maximum
Per month
Boston Consolidated 1919
Gas Co.
All...................... Company
Consolidated Gas, 1911 ___ do................. ___ do...................
Electric Light &
Power Co., of
Baltimore.
age pay for last 5
years.
Disability allowance
Service
en, 50; (c) any
age.
. do
Amount
Requirements
Same as for re
tirement, but
duration at
discretion of
pension com
mittee.
Total incapac
ity after 15
years’ serv
ice.
Age
(a) 20 years; (a) Men, 60;
(6) 25 years;
women, 55; (6)
(c) 30 years. men, 55; wom
do
Do.
g
o
fH
eS
a
rKj
F
i>
O
W
fcti
ft
(n o n c o n tr ib u to r y )
2 per cent of average $2,500 (a year); 30 years
annual pay for last
minimum $360.
10 years.
Ip2 per cent of aver
to
Requirements
American Telephone 1913 All___________ Companies; initial 1 per cent of average Minimum, $30- _
& Telegraph Co.
sum of $9,855,000
pay for last 10
and associated Bell
and up to 2 per
years, or 10 con
operating cos. in
cent of annual pay
secutive years of
the United States.
roll.5
highest pay.
(Covers 18 compa
nies.)
Western Electric Co. 1913 ___ do____ ____ ....... do.- .................. ___ do______ _____ ____ do................
(New Y ork, Dela
ware, and Califor
nia corporations),
and International
Western Electric
Co. (Inc.).
O ther p u b lic u tilitie s
CO
(n o n c o n tr ib u to r y )
Minimum, $20-. 15 years
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
i
s
Men—Compul- Same as for re- Total disability after 20
sory, 70; optirement.
t i o n a 1, 65.
years’ servWomen, comice.
pulsory, 65;
optional, 60.
65........................ ___„do________ Permanent disability after
15years’serviee, or after
10 years if
disability is
due to inju
ries received
in service.
.do.
Edison Electric Illu 1913
minating Co., Bos
ton.
Malden Electric Co._
-do.
Company.
All except those
entering serv
ice over 50.
Company; up
$1,200 a year.
___do..... ...........
___do________
Company; up
$1,250 a year.
Company; up
$1,200 a year.
___ d o . . . ...........
[33]
Concord Electric Co.
Haverhill Electric Co
Sp r i n gf i e l d Gas
Light Co.
Salem Elec tric
Lighting Co.
Suburban Gas &
Electric Co.
Malden & Melrose
Gas Light Co.
Fitchburg Gas &
Electric Light Co.
Niagara Falls Power
Co.
1910
1910
1910
___do______
___do______
___do______
1910
___do______
1910
___do______
Philadelphia Elec
tric Co..................
1911
.do.
.do.
Southern California
Edison Co.
1919
.do.
.do.
1910
-do.
___d o . . - .
1910
.do.
___do___
1919
All.
Company.
2 per cent of average
payforlastöyears,
up to 60 per cent.
1 per cent of average Minimum, $300
(a year).
annual pay for last
10 years.
to ___ do........ ........... . Minimum, $200
(a year).
25 years.
15 years.
20 years.
50 or over, at
discretion of
employer.
Optional—men,
65; women, 60.
60 or over, if Same as for re
tirement.
physically dis
qualified.
___do.
___do.
___ do.
__ do___
__ do___
....d o ___
Incapacity af
ter 20 years'
service, due
to injuries re
ceive d in
service.
Do.
Do.
Do.
..do.
..do.
..do.
.do.
.do.
.do.
.do. . .
.do...
.d o ...
.do.
-do.
.do.
-do_
.do.
Do
_do_
-do.
.do.
.do.
.do.
Do.
.do.
.do.
.do.
___ do.
-do.
Do.
.do.
-do.
-do.
___ do.
-do.
65____
_--do..
(a) \]4 per cent of
highest a n n u a l
pay within last 10
years. (6) If (a)
exceeds $100, per
centage reduced
to l.
2 per cent of average
annual pay for 10
consecutive years
of highest pay.
(a) $100; mini
mum $25. (&)
$250.
10 years.
Do.
Disability at
50 or ove
after 15years’
service.
For employ* Men, 65; women, Same as if they 15 years’service
at any age,
had reached
60.
eesin service
for total in
retiring age.
A p r i l 30,
capacity, due
19ll,10years;
to injuries refor those en
eeived in
tering after-*
service.
ward,15years
A percentage of aver Minimum, $25.. 15 to 20 years.. Men—65 after 15 At discretion of 20 years’ serv
ice; at discre
committee.
years’ service;
age monthly pay
tion of com
60, after 20
during 5 years of
mittee, serv
years. Wom
highest pay; 2 per
ice require
en—60 after 15
cent of first $200 Of
ment may be
years’ service,
such pay; 1 per
waived.
55 after 20
cent of next $300; 1
years.
per cent of next
$500; %per cent of
next $1,000, and X
A
per cent of all
above $2,000.
Minimum, $15.
4Except American Telegraph & Telephone Co., for which limit of annual appropriation is $500,000.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
IN D U S T R IA L P E N S IO N S FOE OLD AGE AND D ISA BILIT
Consolidateci Gas
Co. of New York.
k¡
CO
CO
PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF OLD-AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION PLANS OF PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES—Continued
M is c e lla n e o u s
(c o n tr ib u to r y )
Retirement allowance
Company
Armour &Co___ _
[34]
Fairbanks, Morse
& Co. (Inc.).6
Hibbard, Spencer,
Bartlett & Co.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Employees
included
Source of funds
Amount
Basis (per year of
service)
Requirements
Maximum
Per month
All salaried em Company, in d e fi 1 per cent of average
ployees enter
nite; employees, 3
pay for last 10
ing under 40
per cent of salary,
years, omitting all
(women, 35) ;
up to $6,000.
over $6,000 a year
service under
age oi 20 not
reckoned.
initial (Up to 25 years) A
(>) All officers and Company,
employees 21
sum of $100,000
of average pay for
or over (wo
and annual sum
last 10 years, plus
m en 18 or
equal to contri
Vi of 1 per cent for
over).
butions of officers
each year over 10
and employees;
of contribution to
employees, 2 per
fund, omitting all
cent of salary up
salary over $4,000.
to $4,000.
1917 All salaried em Company, sum equal 2 per cent of average $4,000 (a year);
ployees, after
to contributions
salary for last 10
m in im u m ,
6 months’serv
of employees, plus
years.
$300.
ice.
occasional special
contributions; em
ployees, 3 per cent
of salary up to
$4,000.
1905 All over 18'en Emplo y e r , su m
% of average
tering under
equal to contribu
pay for last 5
40; e n tra n ts
tions of employees;
years, maxi
between 40and
employees, 2 per
mum $1,500 (a
55, on approv
cent of salaries but
year). F o r
al bycompany.
not more than $60
life after 20
a year (those enter
years’ contriing at 40 or over
b u t io n s to
pay higher rates).
fund; u n d e r
that, for term
equal to pe
riod of c o n
tributions.
1911
Amount
Requirements
(a) Men, 65;
women, 55. (6)
men, 60; wo
men, 50.
Same as for re
tirement.
Permanent to
tal incapac
ity after 25
years’ serv
ice.
20 years, with Men, 65; wo
10 y‘e a r s ’
men, 55.
c o n t r ib u tions to fund.
At d isc r e tio n
of board but
not to exceed
one-half of re
tirement al
lowance.
10 years’ serv
ice and 5
years’ con
tributions to
fund.
20 years_____
65, compulsory;
optional, for
men, 60; wo
men, 50.
At discretion of
trustees.
15 years’ serv
ice.
15 years_____
C om p ulsory;
men 65, wom
en, 60. At dis
cretion ofpen
sion commit
tee, 60 for men.
Same as for re
tirement, for
periodnotover
time of contributons to
fund.
Permanent in
capacity.
Service
Age
(a) Men, 30;
women, 25
years; (6)
men 40; wo
rn e n , 30
years.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
E lg in N a tio n a l
Watch Co.
Date
of
plan
Disability allowance
Pittsburgh Coal Co. 1902
(mine employees) .a
All...................... Company, in itia l
sum of $10,000,
thereafter month
ly sum equal to
employees’contri
butions ; employ
ees, 10 cents a
month.
$15............
At any age, if
incapacitated
through age,
illness or acci
dent.
M is c e lla n e o u s (n o n c o n tr ib u to r y)
American
Brake 1911 All___________ Company________ 1 per cent of average
Shoe & Foundry
pay for last 10
Co.
years.
American Brass Co.. 1913 ___ do________ ___ do____________ 2 per cent of average
pay for last 3 years
up to 60 per cent.
American Express 1921 Allenteringserv- ___ do...................... lL i per cent of first
Co.
ice under 40.
$1,200 of average
pay for last 10
years plus 1 per
cent of excess over
$1,200
American Smelting 1913 AIL,................... ----- do__..................... 1 per cent of average
& Refining Co.
pay for last 10
years.
American
Sugar 1912 All in service be- Company initial ap ___ do....................
Refining Co.
fore Oct. 12,
propriation $300,1924.
000. Ot he rs as
needed.
Bancroft, Joseph, &
Sons Co.
1915
Beechnut
Co.
1912 ___ do................. ___ do........................ 2 per cent of final
salary for sales
men and of day
wage for others.
Packing
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
AIL............. .
Company.............
1 Not reported.
1 per cent of average
earnings for last 10
years.
■
Minimum, $20.. 20 years
60
$5,000 (a year). .
ßÄ
$5,000 (a year);
m in im u m ,
$360.
$3,000 (a year);
minimum,
$300.
$5,000 (a year);
minimum ,
$240.
Same as for re 15 years’ serv
tirement.
ice.
(a) 20
years; (a) Compulsory— At discretion of Permanent or
(6) 25 years.
men, 70; wom
executive com
total incapac
en, 60; option
mittee.
ity after 15
al—m en , 65;
years’ serv
w o m e n , 55;
ice.
(b) m e n , 60;
women, 50.
20 years
Men, 60; wom
en, 50.
15 years. If Men 65, women At discretion of Permanent in
o v e r 65
60; after serv
pension com
capacity after
(women, 60)
ice of 30 years
mittee.
long service.
no se rvi ce
for men, 25 for
requirement.
women, at any
age. At any
age after 15
years’ service,
at discretion
of committee.
Men, 65; wo Same as for re T o t a l disabil
men, 55.
tirement. Du
ity after 15
ration at dis
y e a r s ’ serv
cretion of comice.
mittee.
10 years
70; earlier if in
firm.
6 This company also has a non contributory plan.
CO
Ot
CO
PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF OLD-AGE A ND DISABILITY PENSION PLANS OF PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES-Continued
M is c e lla n e o u s (n o n c o n tr ib u to r y )— C o n t i n u e d
Disability allowance
Retirement allowance
Company
Date
of
plan
Butler Bros.
1907
Source of funds
Basis (per year of
service)
All.
Company.
Requirements
Amount
Requirements
Maximum
Per month
1 per cent of average $1,000 (à year); 20 years.
minimum,
pay for last 5
$300.
years.
$25; minimum, ___ do...
$15.
_do_.
__ do.......
_do_.
Charged to operat
ing expenses.
1 per cent of highest
annual s a l a r y
with in l a s t 10
years.
$50; minimum, ___ do..............
$18.
Reserve fund based
on actuarial calcu
lations, plus an
nual approp ri a tions.
l per cent of average
monthly pay for
last 10 years with
addition of 10 per
cent of same aver
age pay, up to to
tal of 50 per cent.
$125.
Cheney Bros.
1910
All members of
benefit associ
ation.
Cleveland C l i f f s
Iron Co.
1909
Cleveland M e t a l
Products Co.
0)
All in mining, Company____ ____ 1 per cent of average $200; minimum,
$18.
monthly earnings
furnace, land,
for last 10 years.
and lumber
ing depart
ments.
1 per cent of average $250; minimum,
.do.
A ll....................
$30.
monthly pay for
last 5 years, plus
$10. This sets
pension for first
month after which
rate is varied
monthly accord
ing to changes
in average hourly
earnings.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Age
Service
25 years.
60...
.do.
Men, over 70;
women, Over
65.
.do............ 70 compulsory,
65 optional.
20 years.
Same as for re 20 years’ serv
ice.
tirement.
Men, 65; w o xaen, 55.
Same as for re
tirement. Du
ration not to
exceed period
of service.
Same as for re
tirement. For
total incapac
ity, deduction
for each year
under 65 for
men and 60
for women.
Do.
P a r t i a l inca
pacity, after
25 years’servi c e—in e n ,
65-69; w o men, 60-64.
Total inca
pacity, after
25 years’servi c e—m e n ,
55-64; w o men, 50-59.
20 years’ serv
ice.
(a) Same as for (a) 15years’serv
ret i rement ;
ice; (6) per
manent total
(ft) f o r 5
disability, af
years, t o t a l
ter 5 years’
payments not
service
to e x c e e d
$2,500.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
Calumet & Hecla 1904
Consolidated Cop
per Co.
Case, J. I., Thresh 1915
ing Machine Co.
Employees
included
Oi
All but presi ....... do........................
dent.
Com monwealth
Edison Oo.
All.................
do......................
Deere <fc Co.
___ do............... ____do..
Du Pont de Nemours,
E. 1., &Co.
___ do.......... ...... ____do____________
_____
1X
A per cent of aver
age pay for 5 years
of highest consec
utive pay. For
those entering ser
vice before 1913, 2
per cent.
1>2 per cent of aver
age pay for last 10
years.
30 per cent of (a) 20 years; (a) Men, 65, wo
aver age
(b) 30 years. men, 55, com
monthly pay
pulsory; (6)
for last 10
men, 60, wo
years; mini
men, 50, at
mum, $20. Re
discretion o f
d u c t i o n in
board.
percent age
for those en
tering service
after 45.
$6,000 (a year); (a) 30 years; (a) 55; (6) 60; (c)
minimum, af
(6) 15 years;
65.
ter 15 years’
(c) 5 years.
service, $300;
less than 15
years, $100 (a
year).
$150; minimum, 20 years.
65........................
At discretion of
board.
[37]
(a) Service prior to
Jan. l, 1925, 1}4
per cent of aver
age pay for last 10
years. (6) Service
after that date—
1 per cent.
Fairbanks, Morse &
CO.?
Machine-shop ....... do____________ 2 per cent of average
em ployees
pay for last 5
paid by hour.
years.
General Electric Co._ 1920
A ll.................... ....... do.......... ............
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 Not reported.
lYi per cent of aver
age pay for last 10
years.
( 6) $ 100 -
15 years .
Minimum, $300
(a year).
20 years.
---- do................. ____do.............
Permanent total
incapacity
without regard
to age, except
that employee
must have entered service
under 45, unless employed
prior to 1923.
Compulsory—
men, 70; wornmen, 60. Optional—men,
65; women, 55.
Men, 70; worn- Same as for reen, 60.
tirement.
capacity a t
any age in
curred
in
service.
On permanent
total
inca
pacity, pay
ment of sum
proportioned
to length of
employment
in lump sum
or annual in
stallments.
Permanent in
capacity after
20 years’serviee, at dis
cretion
of
board.
INDUSTRIAL PENSIONS FOE OLD AGE AND DISABILITY
Colorado Fuel & 1917
Iron Co. (and sub
sidiaries) .
7This company has a contributory plan for salaried employees. See page 34.
CO
-4
00
PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF OLD-AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION PLANS OF PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES—Continued
M is c e lla n e o u s n o n c o n tr ib u to r y —Continued
Disability allowance
Retirement allowance
Company
Date
of
plan
Employees
included
Source of funds
Requirements
Amount
Amount
Requirements
At discretion of
pension committee, not to
exceed retirement pension.
25 years’ service, at discretion of executive committee.
(a) Compulsory Same as for retirement.
— m e n , 70;
women, 65. (6)
Men, 65; wornen, 60, optional. (c) Men, 60;
women, 55. (d)
At any age.
Men,
65; worn- Same as for reMen,
25;
worn___
do.................
1 per cent of final or
tirem ent.
en, 55 years.
en, 20 years.
highest pay, at disDuration a t
cretion of commitdiscretion of
tee.
pension committee.
Permanent
total incapacity after 15
years’ service.
Basis (per year of
. service)
Maximum
[38]
0)
Goodrich, B. F., Co.
(and certain subsidiaries).
1915
All
do
Company_________ (Up to 30 years), 1 $1,500 (a year);
minimum,
per cent of average
$420.
pay for last iO
years; 2 per cent
for each of first and
3percentforeach
of next 5, up to 55
per cent.
____do______ _____ lyi per cent of aver- $100; minimum,
age pay for last 10
$30.
years.
1903 ___ do................. Company appropriates for pension
fund 1 per cent
monthly of total
pay roll, until
yearly balance ex
ceeds $20,000, then
M of 1 per cent un
til balance sinks to
$10,000.
Huyck, F. C., &Co. 1911 All members of Company contributes not less than
pension and
lpercentofaggrebenefit departgate wages and
ment.
salaries of members of depart
ment.
Gorham Manufactaring Co.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
30 per cent of
average yearly
earnings for
last 10 years.
Age
25 years-------- Compulsory, 70;
optional with
either side, 65;
at option of
directors, 55.
(a) Not speci-
fied; (6) 20
years; (c) 25
years; (d) 30
years.
Men, 70; wornen, 65.
(s)
5 years’ service.
c3>
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
Per month
General Fire Extin
guisher Co. (and
associated compan
ies).
Service
1908
Miner-Hillard Milling Co.
(')
Murphy Varnish Co.
(')
1912
National Lead C o... 1912
Newport News Ship 1915
building & Dry
Dock Co.
Parke, Davis & Co.. 1910
Phelps Dodge Corporation, Copper
Queen branch.
(>)
Pittsburgh Coal Co.7. 1919
per cent of aver- $175; minimum,
age pay for 10 con$27.
secutive years of
highest pay.
Company_________ 1 per cent of average $100_________
do
pay for last 10
years with addi
tion (to total) of 10
per cent of average
pay for last 3 years.
All members of ....... do...................... 1 per cent of average $50; minimum,
annual pay at time $20.
relief associof retirement.
ation.
All...................... Appropriations by
directors as needed.
All officers and
employees.
1
__do..___________ 2 per cent of average $200...............
pay for last 10
years.
(a)
Men, 25 years;
women, 20
years.
Men, 60, wom
en, 50, on re
quest. Men,
70, women 60,
by right,
20 years, with
65.
Men, 65;
w o m e n , 50.
(6) Men, 60.
Same as for re
tirement.
Permanent
total inca
pacity after
20 years’serv
ice.
Same as for re
tirement.
At 60 or over,
after 20 years’
service;
if
due to acci
dent or ill
ness at any
age, after 10
years’ serv
ice.
10 y e a r s ’
membership
in relief as
sociation.
20 years_____ 70.
Men, 65, women,
do.
....... do........................ 1 per cent of average Minimum $30...
55.
pay for last 10
years.
Men—(a) 25 Com pulsory—
....... do...................... ___ do......................
do
Men, 70; wom
years, (6) 30
en, 60. Option
years. Wom
al—Men (a)65,
en—(a) 20
(b) 60; women
years, (5) 30
(a) 55, (ft) 50.
years.
___ do........................ IK per cent of aver- $150; minimum, 20 years_____ Men, 65, wom
__do__.......
en, 55; option
$30.
age pay for last 10
al, 5 years ear
years.
lier.
Normally 58___ Same as for re
Company appropri- 2 per cent of average $125; minimum, 22 years.
___ d o ............
tirement.
$25.
annual earnings
ates $150,000 each
during service.
year.
Reduced if em
ployee retires un
der 58.
.do.
C o m p ulsory,
1
per
cent of average $100; minimum, 25 years.
Charged
to
operatAll salaried emmen, 70, wom
pay for last 10
$30.
ing expenses.
ployees.
years.
en, 60; option
al, 5 years ear
lier.
AH
1 Not reported.
2 This company has a contributory plan for salaried employees. See p. 35.
8 Disability covered by separate, contributory system.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
(a) 20 years,
(6) 30 years.
15 years’ serv
ice.
Permanen t
t o t a l inca
pacity after
15 years’service.
INDUSTRIAL PENSIONS FOR OLD AGE AND DISABILITY
International Harvester Co. (and
subsidiary companies).
International Silver
Co.
CO
CO
PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF OLD-AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION PLANS OF PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES-Continued
(4^
O
Miscellaneous (noncontributory) — C o n tin u e d
Disability allowance
Retirement allowance
Company
Date
of
plan
Procter & Gamble
Co. (and subsidiaries).
*
1915
i—i Pullman Co.... ........
o
1913
Sherwin - Williams
Co. (and subsidiai'V and affiliated
Companies).
1911
Simonds M anufacturing Co.
1908
Sprague, Warner & 1915
Co.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Employees
included
Source of funds
Amount
Requirements
Amount
All members of
pension and
benefit plan.
All e n t e r i n g
service under
45.
All members of
benefit association
Company contributes annually an
amount equal to
$16 per $1,000 of
aggregate yearly
wages of employees participating.
Company
__
Maximum
2)4 per cent of average pay for last 5
$1,800 (a year);
minimum,
$200.
years, up to 75 per
cent.
.do___ _
Per month
1 per cent of average Minimum, $15..
pay for last 10
years.
__ do_______ _____ 1 per cent of average
pay for last 10
years plus $10 a
month.
All...................... ___ do_ .....................
_do
Basis (per year of
service)
$100...............
1/4 per cent of aver-
$100; minimum,
$20.
(a) Service of 20 to
(a) $20, (6) $22,
' "(c) $24/ per
week.
age pay for last 5
years.
24 years—Tb of
total earnings for
last 5 years. (6)
Service of 25 to 29
y e a r s—TV (e)
Service of 30 years
or over—
Service
Requirements
Age
Total disability. For partial disability, reduced
benefits in
discretion of
board.
20 years_____ Men, 70; worn* Same as for re- P e r m a n e n t
disability
tirement.
en, 65.
a f t e r 20
years’ service.
25 y ears...___ Compul s ory, ___ d o. ............... 20 years’ servmen, 70; wornice.
en, 60. Optional, men,
65; women, 55.
20 years........... 70, compulsory; ___ do_-............. Permanent incapacity
65, optional.
a f t e r 20
years’ service.
___ do-- _____ 60, optional____ ___.do______ . . . 20 years’ service in diseretion of directors.
20 years_____
Compul s ory,
men, 65, wornen, 55; optional, 5 years earlier.
First year, special disability
benefits;
thereafter,
same as for retirement.
%
o
^
^
m
Z,
j-h
td
O
te
g
1—1
tel
rJ
I
Standard Oil Co. of
New Jersey.
1918 ....... do................. Initial sum by com
pany plus any
necessary annual
appropriations.
Stanley Rule & Lev
el Co.
1915
Studebaker Corpora
tion.
^ Sullivan Machinery
M CO.
1915
Swift & Co. (and
subsidiary corpora
tions) .
Talbot Mills.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1903
2 per cent of average
pay for last 5 years,
up to 75 per cent.
Minimum, $25.. (a) 20 years,
(6) 30 years.
Permanent
total i n c a pacity after
10 y e a r s ’
service.
Total incapac
ity after 15
years’ serv
ice; at dis
cretion
of
committee.
Permanent incapaeity
a f t e r 15
years’ serv
ice, at dis
cretion
of
board.
___do__...........
Company pays into
fund 1 per cent of
pay roll annually,
and also 4 per cent
on each year’s bal
ance.
1 per cent of average $1,200 (a year);
pay for last 10
minimum,
years.
$250.
All
receiving
$3,000 or less
a year.
Company.
Flat yearly rate of 25
per cent of average
earnings for last 5
years.
Minimum, $30.. 20 years.
Regular (a) men, At discretion of
65; women, 55.
board.
(b) Men, 55;
women, 50.
Compulsory—
men, 70; wom
en, 60.
(a) C o m p u l Same as for re
sory—men, 70;
tirement.
women, 60.
Optional with
e m p l o y e e —men, 65; wom
en, 55. At dis
cretion of com
pany — men,
60; women, 50.
(b) At any age
in discretion
of company.
60........................
.do.
1 per cent of average
pay for last 10
years, or 10 con
secutive years of
highest pay.
Minimum, $20. (a) 20 years,
(b) 25 years,
(c) 30 years.
(a) Men,
women,
(b) Mon,
One-half of aver 25 years.
age a n n u a l
pay for last 5
years, up to
$5,000 (a year);
minimum,
$360.
Com pulsory— After 25 years’
men, 65; wom
service, same
en, 55. Op
as for retire
tional — men,
ment. After
60; women, 50.
,15 to 24 years,
for each year
of service
per cent of
average pay
for last 5 years.
70.
Same as for re 15 years’ servtirement.
vice.
All.
All who enter
service under
40.
Initial fund $2,000,-
All, except offi
cers of com
pany.
Company.
000.
Company
adds to this at its
option.
(a) 25 years,
(6) 30 years.
Up to 35 years—1 $500 (a year)___ 15 years.
per cent of aver
age pay for last 10
years. Over 35
years—50 per cent
of same average
pay.
60
55
55
women,
50.
(c) At any age.
At discretion of
committee.
Permanent
total
inca
pacity after
20 years’
service.
PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF OLD-AGE AND DISABILITY PENSION PLANS OF PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES—Continued
M is c e lla n e o u s
Disability allowance
Retirement allowance
Company
Date
of
plan
Employees
included
[421
Bayonne Refinery of 1925 ___ d o . . . ...........
Tide Water Oil Co.
United Cigar Stores 1924 All except agents
Co. of America.
All.
United States Steel
& Carnegie Pen
sion Fund.
Amount
Company.
.do.
.do.
Company i n i t i a l
fund, $12,000,000.
Van Brunt Manufac
turing Co.
.do.
Company.
Vermont Marble Co. 1913
.do.
-do.
Victor Talking Ma
chine Co.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1924
All whose sala
ries at time of
retirement do
not exceed $300
a month.
Requirements
Amount
.do.
Basis (per year of
service)
Maximum
2 per cent of average
annual pay for
last 10 years.
Minimum, $40.
Per month
Service
(a)
20 years,
(&) 25 years.
Requirements
Age
(a) 70, compul
sory; 60, on
recommenda
tion of com
mittee. (6) 65,
optional.
___ do................
.do.
-do.
.do.
Men, 60; women, Same as for re Permanent in25 years.
2 per cent of average $ 200.
capacity
tirement.
55.
pay for last 5 years,
afterl5years’
up to 50 per cent
service.
of final pay.
Permanent
to
....d
o
.................
C
om
p
ulsory1 per cent of average $100; minimum, ___ do.............
tal incapac
men, 70; wom
$ 12.
pay for last 10
ity
after
15
en,
60.
Op
years.
years’ serv
tional — men,
ice.
65; women, 55.
65.............. ....... At discretion of Total incapac
\Yi per cent of aver Minimum, $18.. 20 years .
ity after 10
pension board.
age pay for last 10
years’ serv
years.
ice, at dis
cretion
of
company.
.d o ..
1 per cent of average Minimum, $10..
pay for last 10
years.
Men, 65; women.
-do_$50 (fiat rate)__
55.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
All.
Tide Water Oil Co._
Source of funds
to
(n o n c o n tr ib u to r y ) —Continued
■
Virginia Bridge
Iron Co.
&
1914
Wells Fargo & Co__
1903
Westinghouse
Brake Co.
1908
Air
{43]
Westinghouse Elec 1915
tric & Manufactur
ing Co.
Winchester Repeat
ing Arms Co.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1915
2 per cent of average $100; minimum, ___ do.............
pay for last 10 ■ $12.
years.
Com pulsory—
men, ;0;women, 60. Op
tional — men,
60; women, 50.
Same as for retirement.
Permanent to
tal incapac
ity after 20
years’ serv
ice at dis
cretion
of
company.
Do.
1 per cent of average $100; minimum, ___ do______ _ Compulsory— ....... do_______ _
men, 70; wom
$15.
pay for last 10
en, 60.
Op
years with addi
tional — men,
tion (to total) of 10
65; women, 55.
per cent’of average
p a y for fi rst 5
years,
Biper cent of aver- $125; minimum, (a) 25 years, (a) 70, compul- For each year of Permanent dis
.do.
All salaried em
(b) 40 years, sory; (&) 60, service, 1 per ability after
$30.
age pay for last 10
ployees.
15 y e a r s ’
cent of averoptional; (c)
(c) 25 years.
years, up to $100 a
service.
age pay for
60, if incapaci
month, and 1 per
last
10
years.
tated
for
effi
cent on any over
Minimum,
cient work.
that.
$25, maximum,
$75 a month.
All members of Company appropri 1 per cent of aver- $100; minimum, None set____ 70, compulsory; (9) ...................................- (5).
60, optional.
$30.
age pay for, 10
ation of $110,000;
relief depart
years of highest
a d d i t i o n s as
ment.
needed.
pay.
( 5) _________ _____ 0 ).
70.
. . . . . d o . . —. . . . . . Company—............ lper cent of aver $100. Minimum; 20 yfiars
normal, $20;
age pay for last 10
for retirement
years.
under 20 years’
s e r v i c e , $1
monthly per
year of serv
ice.
(a) Classes A and B, (a) Minimum, (a) 25 years, (a) Men, 60;
.do.
All
women, 55; at
(6) 30 years,
$20.
1 per cent of avercompany’s op
(c) no speci
age pay for last 5
tion; (&) men,
fied period.
years, (b) Class C,
55; women, 50,
at discretion of
atownrequest;
company.
(c) at any age
at company’s
option.
.do.
.do.
1 Not reported.
8 Disability covered by separate plan.
INDUSTRIAL PENSIONS FOR OLD AGE AND DISABILITY
74735*—26t---- 4
Wallace, R., &Sons 1912
Manufacturing Co.
.do
All
I
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MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW
44
A few of the contributory plans make specific provision for the
payment of a certain proportion of a deceased annuitant’s pension
to his widow, minor children, or other dependents; also for the
refund of the employee’s contributions, in case he dies, leaves the
service, or is dismissed. The table below shows, for the plans con
taining these features, the provision made:
*
P R O V IS I O N S F O R D E P E N D E N T S O F P E N S I O N E R S A N D F O R R E F U N D S
E M P L O Y E E S ’ CO N T R IB U T IO N S IN C O N T R IB U T O R Y PE N SIO N PLANS
C om pany
OF
Provision for dependents
R efunds of employees’ contributions—
Co.,
One-half of pension to
widow, children, or
dependent m other.
F arm ers & M echanics
Savings B an k of
M inneapolis.
F irst N ational B an k of
Chicago.
F irst & Old D etroit
N ational B ank.
One-half of pension to
widow or children.
W ith in terest a t 3 per cent com pounded sem iannually,
on w ithdraw al or dismissal; at 4 per cent, com
pounded sem iannually, in case of death u n d e r 15
years’ service.
W ith interest a t 4 per cent on w ithdraw al w ith con
sent of bank; otherwise w ithout interest. A t 4 per
cent in case of death u n d e r 15 years’ service.
Bankers T ru st
N ew Y ork.
F irst N ational B ank of
th e city of N ew Y o rk .
N orthw estern N ational
One-half of pension to
widow.
One-Iialf of pension to
widow and children.
W ith in terest a t 3 per cent, com pounded sem i
an n u ally , on w ithdraw al or dismissal; at 4 per cent
in case of d eath u n d e r 15 years’ service.
W ith o u t in terest on w ithdraw al or dismissal. A t 4
per cent in case of death u n d e r 15 years’ service.
W ith o u t interest, in case of w ithdraw al, dismissal, or
death u n d er 15 years’ service.
One-half of pension to
widow or children.
One-half of pension to
Bank.
widow and children,
for no t m ore th a n 7
years.
A rm our & Co.
One-half of pension to W ith o u t in terest, on resignation or dismissal. On
widow, widower, or
death before retirem ent—to w idow , w idower, or
children u n d er 18, for
children, for 10 years, one-half of regular retirem ent
10 years. P aym ents to
pension; to nam ed beneficiaries of unm arried em
widow or widower cease
ployees, em ployee’s contributions to fund, w ith
on remarriage; to. chil
interest a t 4 per cent.
dren, on reaching 18.
Elgin N ational W atch One-half of pension to W ithout in terest, on resignation or dism issal. In case
Co.
widow or children u n
of death before qualifying for pension, board m ay
der 18, for 5 years.
gran t tem p o rary pension to dependents, or re tu rn
contributions w ith interest a t 4 per cent.
H i b b a r d , S p e n c e r , ___ do_________________ W ith interest a t 3 per cent, in case of resignation,
B artle tt & Co.
dism issal, or death.
P ittsb u rg h Coal Co. $75 for funeral expenses...
(mine employees).
Daie of Establishment of Plans
'T'HIS is a somewhat misleading item, for employers have often
A found it necessary to modify a plan, after some years of opera
tion, to such an extent that it becomes almost a new scheme. In the
table only the earliest date reported is given. Most of the plans
take into account the probable need for future changes, and include
a provision authorizing the alteration, abrogation, or suspension of
all or any part of the plan, at the will of the company.
Inchisiveness of Plans
WILL be noticed that the plans commonly apply to all employees
of the company, but there are various limitations upon this.
Several plans exclude the executive officers of the company, and
several others limit the pension to those drawing a salary not over
a certain sum, the limit varying from $1,500 to $3,600 a year. Four
confine the operation of the plan to salaried employees. Ten
IT
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INDUSTRIAL PENSIONS FOR OLD AGE AND DISABILITY
45
restrict it to those entering the service under a certain age, vary
ing from 40 (35 for women) to 50, and a number of others
really enforce a similar regulation by providing that employees
shall not be taken on over a certain age. Contributory systems
sometimes provide that an employee above the prescribed age at
entrance may qualify for a pension if he chooses by paying a larger
contribution than is usually required, the amount varying with his
age. Nearly a dozen plans restrict the pension to members of a
relief or beneficial association maintained among the employees of
the company, and sometimes it is stipulated that this membership
must have lasted for a given period. In these cases, the plan
invariably states that the employer will defray all expenses of the
pension fund, while the employee’s membership dues go to furnish
sick, death, and funeral benefits, or to help in social and welfare
activities. In the contributory plans it is not unusual to find a
stipulation that employees under 21 shall not be required to con
tribute, but, on the other hand, the years before they commence their
contributions are not counted in as part of the period of continuous
service which qualifies them for a pension. In general, however,
there are few limitations, and the whole body of employees is usually
eligible for pensions, subject to the conditions as to service and age.
Methods of Determining Amount of Pensions
commonest method of determining the benefit is to fix the
pension at a certain percentage of the average salary for a, speci
fied period, multiplied by the number of years of service. The period
over which the salary is averaged is usually 10 years, and while the
usual custom is to take for this purpose the 10 years immediately
preceding retirement, in a few instances it is specified that the 10
consecutive years of highest salary shall be used. The percentage
fixed in the plans here listed varies from l ‘to
Sometimes the
initial percentage is increased in proportion to the length of service.
Sometimes the salary is divided and different percentages are used
for the different parts, while in other cases all of the salary above
a given amount, varying from $4,000 upward, is omitted from the
calculation.
Not all the plans provide for this method of determining the pen
sions. Five companies set a flat rate, the amount varying from $12
to $50 a month. Sometimes, when membership in a relief or bene
ficial society is required, the amount of the pension is related to the
length of membership, as well as to the term of service. One plan
has a unique provision for varying the amount of the pension. The
payment for the first month is determined in much the usual way,
after which the following provision applies:
In order to provide a means of readjusting pensions in accordance with the
value of the dollar, as expressed in terms of living expenses, the average hourly
earnings of all employees upon an hourly wage basis shall be figured monthly,
and the percentage of increase or decrease over the average hourly earnings_ of
the preceding month shall be used as a basis to increase or decrease all pension
allowances to be paid during the ensuing month, except initial payments.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
46
Minimum, Maximum, and Average Pensions
\ / E R Y commonly, in connection with the method of calculating
* the amount, the plans set a minimum and a maximum for the
pension. In the plans here shown the minima range from $5 to
$50 a month, $20 and $25 a month appearing more frequently than
any other amounts, while the maxima range from $25 to $500 a
month. Sometimes the maximum is set as a percentage of the
average salary for the last 5 or 10 years, or of the salary at time of
retirement. These percentages range from 30 up to 100, the latter
being found in only one instance.
There does not seem to be any close relation between these limits
and the average amount actually received. When the pension is
calculated as a percentage of the average salary over a period of
years, multiplied by the number of years of service, it is evident that
at even the most liberal rate, which in these plans is 2y2 per cent, few
workers would have salaries sufficient to bring their pensions up to
the higher maxima. The United States Steel and Carnegie Pension
Fund, which has published very full reports of the working of its
pension plan, affords an illustration of this. The maximum pension
allowed under this plan is $100 a month, but in 1924 the average
pension received was $41.50 a month, and this was the highest
average paid since the fund began operation in 1911. Compara
tively few companies publish these figures, but a number were kind
enough to send data concerning the average pension paid during
their latest fiscal year, from which the following table was compiled:
N um ber of
Average pension—
Under $20 a month.
$20 and under $30_
$30 and under $40_
$40 and under $50_
$50 and under $U0 _
$60 and under $75 _
$75 and under $100
$100 and over____
plans
3
S
_ 14
_ 19
5
4
2
4
A study of these plans shows that there is much variation in the
average pension, even when the same maxima and minima are set.
Five of those included had maxima ranging from $200 a month up
ward, and the average pensions paid during the latest fiscal year
were respectively $28, $33, $36, $85, and $110 a month. Six had
maxima ranging from $125 to $175, inclusive; the average pensions
paid under tiiese were in two cases $40, in one $47, in one $37, in one
$55 and in one $57 a month. Four had maxima of $100 a month, and
paid average pensions of $34, $37, $49, and $60 a month, and two
with a maximum of $75, paid average pensions of $40 and $41.
On the whole, these data showed that the average pension tended
to approximate the minimum more closely than the maximum
limit, but the approach was seldom close in either direction. Of
three companies having a minimum of $18 a month, one paid an
average pension of $24, one of $28, and the third of $36 a month.
One company with a minimum of $50 a month paid an average of
$55, while another with a minimum of $25 a month paid an average
of $100. In a group of nine companies which had not included in
their plans any minimum limit the average paid ranged from $10 to
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INDUSTRIAL PENSIONS FOR OLD AGE AND DISABILITY
47
$03 a. month, but in only two of these cases was the average pension
jess than $35 a month, while in five it was $40 or over. The eases
in which the average pension fell below $25 a month were very few.
A ge and Service Requirements
DRACTICALLY all the plans call for age and service qualifications.
•*- The length of service demanded ranges from 10 to 45 years,
but both of these limits are exceptional, 20 and 25 years being the
periods commonly set. One company allows employees to retire
a t 65 after five years’ service, but in such cases limits the pension to
$100 a year. Five railroads, three public-utility companies, and one
miscellaneous business permit retirement after 10 years, while for
transportation companies 15 years is not an uncommon limit. EUht
financial houses and four miscellaneous businesses also set this
figure. Sometimes a plan sets a service period, with an age require
ment, but gives also a longer period with the proviso that the worker
may retire after having completed such a term of service, regardless
of age. Thus one company, whose plan places the normal age of
retirement a t 65, after 15 years’ service, permits retirement at any
age after a service of 45 years. More often, a longer period of service
is jinked with retirement at an early but specified age. Thus, the
plan of one company provides that men may retire at 65 after a
service of at least 30 years, but at 60 if by that time they have served
40 years.
There is a good deal of elasticity about the age requirements.
Generally the plans provide one age at which retirement is expected,
the so-called compulsory age, and another at which it is permitted,
but neither of these is absolutely fixed. Usually the employers
reserve the right to continue the employee in service after the com
pulsory ago is reached, if in their discretion that seems best, and
usually retirement at the optional age depends upon the consent or
approval of the pension committee, or the directors, or some other
official body. In a few plans no age limit is fixed, blit the whole
matter is left to the discretion of the officials. In a few others, com
pletion of a certain term of service qu alifies the employee for a pension,
without regard to age. In the majority of plans, however, definite
limits are set. Sixty-five and 70 are the ages usually set for com
pulsory retirement, while the age for optional retirement ranges from
50 upward. Twenty-six plans make no provision for early retire
ment, setting 70 as the normal age; in 46 plans 65 is the highest age
limit set, while 54 permit or require retirement at 60. In some of
these cases a special length-of-service requirement is coupled with
the permissive age. Sixteen plans set the retirement ages, whether
compulsory or optional, for women at 5 and 26 at 10 or more years
earlier than for m en. One pi an puts it at 15 years earlier. Only three
of these, however, make a similar reduction in the required period of
service, so that women must enter the employ of these companies atfrom
5 to 10 years earlier in life than men in order to qualify for pensions.
The wording of the plans frequently suggests that the employees
are not anxious to retire earlier than they must, an attitude which is
entirely comprehensible in view of the fact that even the most liberal
pensions are considerably smaller than the normal salaries. Three
comnanies furnished data showing the average age at retirement
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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48
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW'
and the average length of service of those pensioned during the
operation of their plans, from which it is apparent that while many
employees are not able to continue in service until 70 the majority
do not avail themselves of the retirement privilege as early as they
might. The plan of the first of these companies set 70 as the normal
retirement age for men and 60 for women, but permitted it five years
earlier if the employee had served for 25 years. The average age at
retirement was practically 68, and the average length of service 35
years. The second plan allowed retirement at 60 for men and 55 for
women after 25 years of service, and permitted it for each sex five
years ea,rlier if the period of service had reached 30 years. The
average age of those pensioned under this plan was 63, and the average
length of service 35 years. The third plan set 70 as the retiring age
after a service of at least 20 years, but pensioned those who became
totally incapacitated after 25 years of service, no matter what their
age. In this case the average age at retirement was 66 years 9
months, and the average length of continuous service 33 years 6
months.
Pensions for Disability
NUMBER of the plans make provision for those who become
disabled or incapacitated before fulfilling the age and service
requirements for a pension. Usually some definite length of service
is required as a qualification for a disability pension, but this is apt
to be shorter than that for old-age pensions. The periods set in the
different plans range upward to 30 years. Quite often, even when a
period is set, the grant of a pension is left to the discretion of the
employers, and sometimes neither age nor length of service is men
tioned, the administering officials having full power to act as they
think the situation requires. It is often specified that a pension will
not be granted for incapacity or disability due to the employee’s own
conduct or carelessness, and" it is sometimes provided that a pension
will be paid only if the employee’s illness or injury is due to the work
done for the employer. In some cases it is specifically provided that
a pension shall be given, regardless of whether or not the sufferer is
drawing compensation under the workmen’s compensation law, but
more generally compensable cases are not regarded as subjects for
disability pensions.
The duration of the disability pension is often left to the discretion
of the administering officials, especially when only a short period of
service is required as a qualification. The plans differ as to pensions
for temporary disability, quite a number requiring that the employee
must be “ permanently and totally incapacitated.” Others pension
for temporary and partial incapacity, but usually require that the
company’s own medical officers shall certify to the genuineness of
the disability and to its duration. Such a certificate from the com
pany’s doctors is often required also in cases of total and permanent
disability. Sometimes an age as well as a service qualification is
required, in which case the distinction between the old-age and the
disability pension is rather vague. The amount is frequently de
termined in the same way as for an old-age pension, but in a number
of cases this, like the duration of the pension, is left to the discretion
of the administering officials.
A
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PENSIONS FOR OLD AGE AND DISABILITY
49
In a number of cases in which no disability pensions are provided
welfare or beneficial associations are maintained among the em
ployees, which care for cases of illness, injury, or disability.
Contributory Pension Systems
CONTRIBUTORY systems do not seem to have found much favor
^
among the companies covered by this study. Only 13 such
systems were reported, 7 of which were maintained by banks or finan
cial houses, 5 by miscellaneous business enterprises and 1 by a trans
portation company. They differ from the noncontributory systems
mainly in their requirements as to contributions, and in their pro
visions for the disposition of the contributions in case of the em
ployee’s death or withdrawal from the service.
The contributions are usually a fixed percentage of the salary
deducted from it at regular intervals. Of the 13 plans listed, 7 call
for 3 per cent, 3 for 2 per cent and 1 for 5 per cent of the salary,
while 2 require flat-rate contributions of a specified amount each
month. The percentage plans frequently place a limit upon the
amount to be contributed. Four plans call for 3 per cent and 1 for
2 per cent of the salary up to $4,000 a year, omitting all above that
amount from the contribution; 1 calls for 3 per cent on all up to
$6,000 ; 1 alters this arrangement by requiring 2 per cent on the salary
up to $3,000 and 3 per cent on all. above that amount; 1 calls for 2
per cent of the salary, not to exceed $60 a year, and only 3 call for a
straight percentage contribution without modification or limitation.
The two flat-rate contributions are found in plans which apply
mainly to wage earners rather than to salaried workers.
Nine of the plans provide that in case of the death of a pensioner
one-half of his pension shall be continued to his widow or minor
children, from three companies no report on this point was received,
and one pays a flat sum at the time of the pensioner’s death to assist
in meeting funeral expenses. If the employee leaves the company’s
service or dies before having qualified for a pension, it is customary
to return the amounts he has contributed to the fund, but there is
some variation as to the payment of interest. Two plans provide
that on withdrawal or dismissal the contributions shall be returned
with interest at 3 per cent, compounded semiannually; one provides
for simple interest at the rate of 4 per cent if the employee leaves
with the employer’s consent, but if he leaves without it no interest is
paid. One allows interest at 4 per cent and four provide for the return
of the contributions without interest. In case of the employee’s
death, it is in some cases left to the discretion of the officials whether
the contributions shall be returned, with or withou t _interest, or
whether a pension shall be allowed the dependents for a limited time.
Miscellaneous Provisions
rT ,HE above discussion covers the features common to all pension
plans, but a number of the systems include other provisions.
Since a service qualification is commonly required for a pension, some
plans set an age limit for entering the employment such that the
worker shall have had at least the minimum period of service required
before reaching the retiring age. This is sometimes modified to permit
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50
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW
the engagement of workers over the age limit, provided they renounce
any claim to a share in the pension plan.
Whether the pensioner may enter other employment after retire
ment is a matter taken up in some but by no means in all of the plans.
Frequently it is expressly authorized, provided the business entered
upon is not prejudicial to the interests of the pensioning company.
Sometimes the pensioner is prohibited from entering any business
of the same nature as that of his former employers, but may take
up any other line of work. Sometimes he is permitted to work for
anyone except his former employers, and sometimes he is warned that
“ engaging in any other business or employment may, in the discre
tion of the company, be deemed sufficient cause to terminate such
pension allowance.” Very commonly it is stipulated that the pen
sioner must secure the consent of the pensioning company before he
may undertake any other business or employment.
The suspension or termination of a pension is another matter on
which there is considerable diversity. One of the commonest pro
visions is that the pension may not be assigned, and that any attempt
to evade this prohibition will be considered grounds for its annulment.
Another provision, almost equally common, is that the pension may
be revoked in case of gross misconduct on the part of the recipient,
the employer being the judge of what constitutes such misconduct.
Bankruptcy of the pensioner, conviction of any felony or misdemeanor,
or the entry of any judgment or decree or order of any court of law
or equity are also rather commonly given as grounds for suspending
or revoking the pension. Sometimes it is provided that the pension
shall be forfeited if the pensioner engages in conduct inimical to the
interests of the company, and sometimes the whole matter is left to
the discretion of the administering body, which is given wide powers.
For example, one plan states that pension payments “ may be sus
pended or terminated at any time by the directors, if in their judg
ment the conduct of the pensioner may seem unworthy of this bounty,”
and another provides that a pension “ may be refused, suspended, or
terminated at the discretion of the executive committee for such
reasons as it may deem sufficient, and its judgment in that regard
shall be conclusive.”
Attitude Toward Pension Plans
Employers
'"THE merits of the pension system from the employer’s standpoint
*■ are readily perceived, i t prevents destitution among those who
have grown old in the service, and makes it possible to lay off em
ployees who through age, injury, or decrepitude have become inef
ficient, without involving them in severe hardship. I t tends to
secure greater stability, efficiency, and good will in the labor force;
it probably diminishes labor troubles, especially strikes, though this
effect is rendered less important by the fact that many of the systems
are established among the class of employees who do not strike; and
it tends to stabilize wage rates.
Against these advantages must be set the cost of maintaining a
system, and what is far more serious, the uncertainty of the cost under
the common method of establishing pension systems. At first the
expense is usually not serious. When a plan is initiated there are
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51
apt to be but few employees who have reached the retiring age, and
for some years pensioners may be few, but as new workers each year
reach the age limit and are added to the roll, while those already on it
are apt to remain there for some time, the cost mounts rapidly.
One company, whose plan calls for a service qualification of 25 years,
and a pension of 1 per cent of the average earnings of the final 10
years multiplied by the number of years of service, presented figures
covering the first 12 years during which the plan was in operation,
which show how rapidly the annual payments increased:
A initial
payments
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
Annual
payments
________
$37, 031
____________________ 4 3 ,0 3 0
_____________
55, 267
_____________________ 83,897
____________________ 96,4 2 5
___
109,911
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
___________________ $120, 780
____________________ 113,273
________________ ___ 134,923
____________________ 156, 323
___________________ 173,428
_______________ ____ 199, 100
I t will be seen that not only has the annual cost of the system in
creased more than fivefold, but that it is steadily rising, with the
constant load not yet in sight.
The cost, however, is not so serious an objection as the uncertain
basis on which many of the plans are established. A pension system
involves definite commitments for the future, and if it is adopted
without full provision for meeting the coming demands, it is a very
unsafe proposition. In many of the plans studied the actuarial basis
on which the system should have been established has been ignored.
In some cases a considerable reserve fund was set aside at the begin
ning to meet pension costs; in others, the corporation appropriates
year by year what is found to be necessary; in others, an initial re
serve fund is supplemented by annual appropriations not to exceed
a fixed amount. In general, the reserve funds and annual appro
priations appear to have been determined rather arbitrarily, without
reference to the age distribution of the employees at the time the
plan was established, or any study of the prospective rates of retire
ment, the rates of withdrawing before becoming pensionable, the
death rate both for those in active service and on the pension roll,
and other factors which go to determine the future demands on the
pension fund. Some of these plans deal with only a small number of
employees and the systems will probably never grow beyond the
ability of the corporation to handle them; in other cases the failure
to provide a sound basis may lead to serious and embarrassing con
sequences.
The danger of this position is recognized by all who have studied
existing pension systems. A committee of employers, appointed in
1920 to investigate the whole matter, in discussing the principles on
which pensions might safely be established, laid special emphasis on
this point:
No pension system should be started without competent actuarial guidance.
The projection into, a considerable future of the cost of a pension system is a
highly expert task, based upon the scientific collection of the appropriate data,
the scientific analysis of those data, and a wide aecpiaintanee with pension
formulae and experience. It is not fair dealing, either with the corporation or
with its employees not to forecast, in such an accurate manner, the cost of the
proposed pension plan.
The employees are entitled to a pension system which has set up an actuarial
balance over the years in which any one of them can expect to be affected. If
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52
MONTHLY LABOR- REVIEW
the employee is required to contribute to the pension system, this is only honest.
Even if the pensions are apparently the free gift of the corporation, and'the
economic possibility of this for a considerable period is doubtful, the employee is
entitled to look forward with assurance to the pension promise. A pension
promise that is uncertain involves an uncertain morality.—Merchants'' Asso
ciation of New York, Special Committee on Industrial Pensions, Report, p. 6.
Frequently the plans contain some provision designed to protect
the employing company against the possibility of costs increasing
beyond their expectations. For example, one plan states that—
The board of directors of this company reserve the right to establish a new and
lower basis of pension allowance, if at any time it shall be found that the basis
adopted will create demands in excess of the sum fixed by the board of directors
as the maximum amount to be expended for pension allowances in any one year.
Such provisions protect the companies, but make it impossible for
the employees to take the pension into consideration as a reliable
factor in their plans for the future.
Workers
Naturally no individual employee who has reached the age of
retirement is averse to taking a pension which he feels he has earned,
but organized labor as a whole looks with disfavor upon such systems.
The objections may be summed up under three heads: First, such
plans reduce the mobility of labor, tend to make the worker submit
to poor conditions without vigorous resistance, and to tie him to one
job, especially as he grows older. The acceptance of a lower wage
scale than could be secured by fighting for increases is prominent
among the effects to which they object. Second, pension systems
may be used to keep the worker from taking part in strikes or other
action intended to secure an improvement or prevent a worsening
of conditions, and may even be used as a strong lever to force him
into strike breaking. Third, even after fulfilling every condition
set, the worker has no legal right of any kind to a pension, but receives
it purely as a gratuity which may be suspended, reduced, or revoked
at the employer’s option.
As to the objections grouped under the first head, it will be noted
that they are, for the most part, the very purposes frequently cited
as grounds for establishing the systems. To lessen labor turnover,
to promote loyal and faithful service, and to induce cordial and
efficient efforts on the part of the employees to forward the plans
of the employer are often given in the outline of pension systems as
ends to be obtained by their establishment. Whether or not the
noncontributory systems tend to keep down the wage level is perhaps
open to argument, but it is a view accepted by many who study the
theory of pensions, and the workers themselves hold it strongly.
As to the second point, that pension systems may be used to pre
vent collective action on the part of labor, the wording of many of
the plans confirms the charge. A very common provision is that in
order to qualify for the pension a worker must give continuous serv
ice, and the definition of “ continuous” is such as to bar any one who
takes part in. a strike. Voluntary withdrawal from the service
constitutes a breach of continuity, and if the worker is reinstated
he comes in, so far as pensions are concerned, as a new employee,
or may forfeit his pensionable status altogether. Some plans put
the matter more explicitly. One limits pensions to employees who
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INDUSTRIAL PENSIONS FOR OLD AGE AND DISABILITY
53
“ have not been engaged in demonstrations detrimental to the com
pany’s best interests.” Another states that “ employees who leave
the service of their own volition or under stress of influences inimical
to the company, or who are discharged by the company, thereby
lose all benefits of the benefit and pension system,” while another
states flatly that “ employees who leave the service under strike
orders forfeit all claims to pension benefit.” Under such provisions
a man who has worked all his days for one company and is on the
verge of retiring with a pension may find himself forced to choose
between giving up all hope of the pension he has earned or, as he sees
it, being false to his fellows and to his own lifelong principles as a
union man.
The possibility of being called upon to act as a strike breaker is
not so common, but exists under some of the plans. A number
contain clauses giving the company power to revoke pensions at
their discretion, or in case “ the conduct of the pensioner may seem
unworthy of this bounty,” or if “ the pensioner displays a decided
lack of appreciation of the company’s liberality in granting the pen
sion.” I t is evident that a refusal to come back to the service, in the
event of a strike, might easily be construed as lack of appreciation
or unworthy conduct, or as justifying the company in using its dis
cretion to revoke the pension. A few plans distinctly provide that a
pensioner must come back whenever called.
O n r e q u e s t o f t h e c o m p a n y a t a n y t im e , p e n s io n e d e m p lo y e e s w ill b e e x p e c t e d
t o g iv e i t t h e b e n e fit o f t h e ir k n o w le d g e a n d e x p e r ie n c e a n d t o a c t a s a d v is e r s
w h e n e v e r c a lle d u p o n .
The employing company reserves the right to recall pensioners to the service
of the company, in which event pensions cease for the time being, and wages are
paid in accordance with the standard wage rates for the occupation for which
the pensioner has been recalled. This right of the company terminates when the
pensioner shall have reached the age of 70 years.
The acceptance of a pension allowance does not debar a retired employee from
engaging in other business, provided it is not prejudicial to the interest of this
company, but such person shall hold himself in readiness, and be subject to any
reasonable call of the company.
Such clauses are by no means universal, however, and at least one
company distinctly provides against a retired employee being forced
into service against his will, by stipulating that while the company
has the right to continue pensioners in service if it wishes, no pensioner
“ shall be compelled to accept such employment, and if he refuse, it
shall in no wise affect his rights to a pension.”
Naturally enough, the plans which provide for recalling pensioned
employees to the service are found mainly in industries in which
labor troubles have played a considerable part, and in which the
existence of a body of potential strike breakers may be of value to
the employers. Organized labor cites cases in which employers have
exercised this right, and superannuated workers have found them
selves obliged to accept service against their comrades or to forfeit
in old age the pensions for which they have qualified by long and
faithful service.
The third objection, the worker’s lack of any contractual right to a
pension, is considered by many to be an almost fatal objection to the
system. The worker has no rights whatever in the matter, even
when he has fulfilled every condition laid down in the plan. The
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
plans are frequently explicit on this point. The following provision
is only a trifle more outspoken than those of numerous other plans:
This pension system is established voluntarily by the company and may be
amended, suspended, or annulled, and any pension granted under the same
may be revoked at any time at the pleasure of the company, it being expressly
understood that * * * every pension allowance hereunder will be granted
only at the discretion of the company and continued only at its pleasure.
Even in the case of contributory pension systems, the employee has
no right to anything beyond the return of his contribution. This
question came before the courts in connection with the sale of one
of the lame packing businesses, in which a contributory pension
system had been established and carried on for some 10 or 12 years.
On the sale of the business the purchaser returned from the fund the
contributions of such of the employees as had not yet reached pen
sionable age, and used the remainder to pay the pensions already
earned for as long as the fund should hold out. The pensioners
sought to have the return of the contributions halted, on the ground
that they had fulfilled all the conditions for securing pensions, that
they had a right to the pensions, and that the pension fund should
not be used for any other purpose than paying pensions. The deci
sion of the court was th at the employees had acquired no rights
beyond the return of their contributions, that many of the pensioned
employees had already received more than they had put into the
fund and therefore had no claim to anything, and that the company
in establishing and maintaining the pension system had not in any
way bound itself to continue in business or to perpetuate the fund.
Substitutes for Pension Systems
HTIIE disadvantages of the pension system are so great, in the
A opinion of many, that efforts have been made to find a substi
tute which shall avoid its drawbacks and yet retain the advantage of
aiding the employee to avoid destitution in old age. The plan
which seems to have won most favor is the purchase of an annuity
for each employee, payments being made for each individually each
year, and each account being kept separate from all others. The
annuity is to he purchased through some well-established insurance
company, and its cash surrender value naturally increases with each
year for which payments are made. The employer may bear the
whole cost, or the employee may he required to contribute. The
plan may he optional or obligatory for the individual employee, he
may have a right to the cash surrender value of the policy at any
time, or may be unable to realize anything from it until he reaches
the age at which the annuity is to begin, or other variations may
be introduced.
Tire outstanding advantages of the plan are that it puts the whole
matter on a business basis, instead of making it a matter of the
employers liberality; that it is fair to the employees as among them
selves, since each receives his own amount, and one who leaves the
employment before retirement gets back what he has earned by his
period of service instead of having contributed for the benefit of
those who remain; that it gives the worker a contractual instead-of
only a moral right, so that he may plan his future with more assur
ance; that it can not be used, as the pension system may, for dis
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INDUSTRIAL PENSIONS FOR OLD AGE AND DISABILITY
00
ciplinary purposes; and that since the annuity is written by a strong
insurance company, even the employer’s failure or withdrawal from
business does not affect the worker’s surety. From the employer’s
standpoint, it secures the great advantage of a pension system in that
it enables him to retire employees who are becoming less efficient, with
out undue hardship to them, while at the same time it enables him to
calculate his costs accurately and it involves him in no future obliga
tions. The payments of each year are a. completed transaction, and
if at any time he should find it necessary to give up the system, each
worker would still receive the full benefit of all payments made on his
account up to that time. In other words, there is no pension fund
which must be maintained unless old employees are to be disappointed
in their legitimate expectations, and which may come to grief if the
employer fails, dies, or retires. Moreover, it meets the complaint
that the pension is really deferred pay, which the man who with
draws before reaching retiring age never gets, since every worker
under such a plan gets his own deferred pay, his return being greater
or less as his period of service varies.
Several companies have already adopted this general plan, their
systems varying in several points. As an example, one of these may
lie given in some detail. The plan first provides that any employee
may notify the company of his intention to apply to a designated
insurance company for an “ independence monthly income bond,”
and may authorize the company to allot from his salary any sum,
not less than $5 a month, toward the purchase of this bond. The
company will thereafter duplicate the amount of the employee’s
allotment, up to 5, 7M, or 10 per cent of his salary, depending upon
his length of service. The plan then continues:
The amount allotted from the salary, together with the company’s addition
thereto, will be handed you monthly on the 15th, in the form of a check to the
order of the insurance company. At the end of each quarter you will forward
the checks thus received to the insurance company, in payment of the quarterly
installment then due on your bond.
At your option, any amount up to one-half of the checks issued to you may be
applied to the purchase from the insurance company of any form of endowment
insurance, the dividends on which shall be allowed to accumulate as long as this
company’s contributions continue.
The insurance company will issue to you upon application and without medical
examination (unless disability feature is desired) an independence monthly
income bond, embracing the following features:
(a) Monthly income payable to you, commencing at age 65 (or other age, if
you prefer), and continuing for life.
(b) In the event of your death before the monthly income commences, your
beneficiary will receive in one payment an amount equal to the combined pay
ments made by you and this company, after deducting the cost of the disability
feature.
(c) In the event of your death after the monthly income has commenced,
but before 120 monthly payments have been made, your beneficiary will receive
the balance of 120 payments. Monthly income is thus payable for 10 years
in any event, and as much longer as you may live.
(d) In the event of permanent total disability (if medical examination has
been submitted to with satisfactory results) all further payments by you will
cease, and your monthly income will commence at once, and continue as long
as you live.
(c) After the contract has been in force one year, it will have cash surrender
or loan values comparable with those shown in the accompanying table.
(/) Tp°n reaching the age of 65 (or other selected age) you will have the
option of receiving a lump sum instead of the monthly income.
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MONTHLY
LABOR
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(g) All dividends on the contract shall be allowed to accumulate as long
as this company’s contributions continue.
The bond above described will be issued to you directly by the insurance
company. It becomes your property and all amounts contributed thereto by
this company are irrecoverable.
In the event of the termination of your employment by this company, the
bond may be continued by you at its full amount, or it may be reduced in amount
to offset the loss of this company’s further contributions, or it may be canceled,
and its cash surrender value withdrawn by you, or it may be converted into a
paid-up annuity.
At your option, the amount of the bond may be increased or reduced at any
time; or the age at which the monthly income payments to you will commence may
be altered if you wish.
Against such a system as this it is sometimes urged that as the
years go on the increasing cash surrender value of the policy becomes
an inducement to the employee to leave his employer’s service in
order to secure the lump sum at once. A second company which has
recently adopted the general principle underlying this plan varies its
operation in such a way as to eliminate this possibility. For each
employee who has been in its service for five years or more, the
company purchases annually a bond providing an annuity of $1 a
month commencing at the normal retirement age, which is set at 65
for men and 60 for women. These bonds remain the property of the
company until the employee either retires or completes 30 years of
service, when they are delivered to him. If he continues in the
service after 30 years, the company continues to buy an annual bond
on his account, which is delivered to him on purchase, The employee
can not at any time get a cash surrender value on these bonds, and
if he leaves the service before he has either reached the retiring age, or
completed the 30-year period , he receives no benefit whatever from the
plan. The company maintains, in addition, however, a contributory
plan, under which the employee may make monthly deposits to which
the company will add an amount increasing with the employee’s age,
for the purchase of additional retirement bonds. This enables the
worker to secure a more liberal income after retirement, at a very low
cost to himself. Should he withdraw from the service, or cease de
positing before reaching the retirement age, he is entitled to the
return of his own contributions, with 4 per cent interest, compounded
annually. This modification of the system does not meet the issue of
deferred pay—i. e., if the worker leaves before the set period he
receives nothing for the time he has served, but it does insure his
getting the pension if he remains to the end, regardless of what may
befall his employer’s business.
It is evident that this use of the annuity principle avoids most of
the objections urged against pension systems, and that it is adaptable
to varying conditions. In theory such plans are highly approved
by many students of the subject, but as yet there is little experience
showing how they stand the test of actual working.2
;On Ju ly 1, 1925, th e N ew Y ork Stock Exchange and its affiliated companies p u t into effect a service
a n n u ity p lan covering all employees u n d e r 60 who h ad com pleted one year of active service. F or each
employee th e companies purchase a n n u a lly an a n n u ity , beginning a t age 65, varying in am ount from $1
to $3 a m o n th , according to th e salary received. These am ounts are doubled for employees w ho authorize
a deduction o f n o t less th a n 3 p er cen t from th e ir salaries for th e purchase of additional annuities. If an
employee leaves th e service or wishes to w ith d raw from th e p la n h e m ay (1) continue on his ow n account
the full p ay m en ts to th e insurance com pany; (2) cease p a y m e n t an d receive a t 65 such a n n u ity as has
already been paid for; (3) w ith d raw an d receive back all his ow n contributions, w ithout interest. This
leaves th e m a tte r of deferred p a y to th e em ployee’s own decision. If he prefers to w ithdraw his contri
butions, he receives nothing b u t w h at he has him self p u t i n ; if he chooses to w ait, he receives all th a t the
com pany has paid for on his account, as well as w hat he has purchased himself.
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Brazil’s Department of Labor
fB v J am es
A. R
ow an
, o f R io d e J a n e ir o
HE Labor Department of Brazil is a division of the Ministry
of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce, and is incorporated
into a body called the National Council of Labor. The work
that this council may accomplish and the service it may render to
the Brazilian Republic are largely matters of conjecture as yet,
although the council unquestionably will become an influential part
of Brazil’s progress when the country becomes industrialized. At
present the Brazilian Labor Department, which is the National
Council of Labor in its embryonic stage, consists of a small staff
which is gathering statistics and general information on the relations
between the employers and the employees. Heretofore, working
conditions in Brazil have been looked after by the Department of
Public Health, a powerful institution with a prestige gained from
its victories over various tropical diseases. It is intended that the
National Council of Labor shall eventually take over some of the
duties of the Health Department in matters pertaining to working
conditions in industry.
An obstacle in the path of the newly created Council of Labor is
found in the disinclination of labor organizations to give any informa
tion to the council. Not long ago the council, which is supposed to
be representative of labor as well as of capital, requested certain
information from all the labor organizations in Rio de Janeiro, and
received a reply from only one.
The law of 1 9 2 3 which created the National Council of Labor gives
it the authority over all matters relating to labor organization, social
legislation, remuneration of labor, collective agreements, systems of
conciliation and arbitration, woman and child labor, apprenticeship
and technical instruction, industrial accidents, old-age pension funds
(including those of the railroad employees; see M o n t h l y L a b o r
R e v i e w for December, 1 9 2 5 , p p . 1 - 4 ) , popular credit institutions for
workers, and agricultural credit funds.
The council is composed of 12 unpaid members chosen by the
President of the Republic, 2 of whom are selected from among the
workers, 2 from the employers, 2 from high officials of the Ministry
of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce, and 6 persons of “ recog
nized competence” in the matters with which the council is created
to deal. There is also a salaried general secretary whose duty it is
to participate in the deliberations of the council, superintend the
investigations made by the council, and collect documents “ relating
to different problems of social economy.”
The council meets normally twice a month but may also hold
special meetings called by the president of the council or on petition
of at least two members.
The staff provided for by the law includes only one labor expert,
one clerk, two typists, an(l one porter. In cases of necessity, how
ever, additional clerks may be detailed to the council from the
Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce.
Provision is made in the law for the establishment of a social
museum and a library on social economy.
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IN D U STR IA L R E L A T IO N S A N D L A B O R CO N D ITIO N S
Labor Passages in the President’s Message to Congress
N THE President’s message to the Sixty-ninth Congress, on
December S, 1925, the following subjects were discussed: Govern
ment economy, budget, taxation, foreign relations, court of inter
national justice, foreign debts, alien property, immigration, national
defense, veterans, agriculture, Muscle Shoals, reclamation, shipping,
coal, prohibition, waterway development, water power, railroads,
outlying possessions, retirement of judges, mothers’ aid, Civil Service,
Federal Trade Commission, reorganization of Government depart
ments, and the negro.
A summary is given below of those parts of the President’s message
bearing most directly on matters of interest to labor.
I
Immigration
T H E results of the present immigration act indicate that it is “ on
1 the whole beneficial.” It undoubtedly protects the wage earners
of the United States. Careful investigation should be made, how
ever, to ascertain whether the law “ is working a needless hardship
upon our own inhabitants.” If it is depriving them of the society
and comfort “ of those bound to them by close family ties,” amend
ments should be made to relieve this situation, such modifications
being in accordance with the principle that our Government’s first
duty is to our own people. We should remember, however, “ the
obligations of a common humanity.” Immigration restrictions are
based largely on economic considerations. These measures are
resorted to in order that we “ may not have a larger annual increment
of good people within our borders than we can weave into our econ
omic fabric in such a way as to supply their needs without undue
injury to ourselves.”
Agriculture
T H E Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, the Farm Loan
1 Board, the intermediate credit banks, and the Federal Reserve
Board are all collaborating “ to be of assistance and relief,” to the
farmer. Despite decrease in production, the President predicts that
“ the farm income for the year will he about the same as last year and
much above the three preceding years.”
The farmers have been displaying “ a very commendable skill” in
organizing for cooperative marketing; and the farm products so
disposed of this year will represent a business of two and one-half
billion dollars, or almost 20 per cent of the total agricultural business.
In this connection the farmers are receiving assistance from the Fed
eral Government. “ The Department of Agriculture should be
strengthened in this facility, in order to he able to respond when these
marketing associations want help,” and a hill drafted for this purpose
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LABOR PASSAGES IN PR E S ID E N T S MESSAGE
59
will be presented to Congress. Consideration should also he given to
legislation for “ leasing the unappropriated public domain for grazing
purposes and adopting a uniform policy relative to grazing on the
public lands and in the national forests.”
The establishment of a closer relation between agriculture and the
other business activities of the country is recommended.
Coal
INABILITY to manage and control the immense coal resources
1 of the United States “ for the benefit of all concerned is very close
to a national economic failure.” The coal industry has been in
vestigated again and again and repeated recommendations made for
its improvement. The industry, however, “ seems never to have
accepted modern methods of adjusting differences between employers
and employees.”
Regional consolidations and greater freedom in f o r m i n g marketing
associations under the supervision of the Department of Commerce
are suggested for the more effective control of the industry and the
improvement of its service to the public.
At the present time the National Government has little or no authority to
deal with this vital necessity of the life of the country. I t has permitted itself
to remain so powerless that its only attitude must be humble supplication.
Authority should be lodged with the President and the Departments of Com
merce and Labor, giving them power to deal with an emergency. They should
be able to appoint temporary boards with authority to call for witnesses and
documents, conciliate differences, encourage arbitration, and in case of threat
ened scarcity exercise control over distribution. Making the facts public under
these circumstances through a statement from an authoritative source would be
of great public benefit. The report of the last coal commission should be brought
forward, reconsidered, and acted upon.
Railroads
rT'HE railroads of the country are fairly prosperous. A system of
* consolidations, however, would improve both their condition
and their service to the public. Recommendation is made for con
gressional authorization of such consolidations and also for the enact
ment into law of joint proposals already substantially agreed upon
by railroad managements and employees for the regulation and
improvement of their industrial relations if such proposals “ seem
sufficient also to protect the interests of the public.”
Both the railroads and their employees are creating boards for the
amicable settlement of their labor controversies. “ The solution
of their problems ought to be an example to all other industries.
Those who ask the protections of civilization should be ready to use
the methods of civilization.”
A strike is injurious to both labor and capital, and a strike in a
basic industry is injurious to “ the economic welfare and general
comfort of the whole people.” Such a conflict tends to create bitter
ness in the community, dividing it into “ warring classes” and weak
ening “ the unity and power of our national life.”
Labor can make no permanent gains at the cost of the general welfare. All
the victories won by organized labor in the past generation have been won through
the support of public opinion. The manifest inclination of the managers and
employees of the railroads to adopt a policy of action in harmony with these
principles marks a new epoch in our industrial life.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
Mothers’
Aid
THOUGH more than 40 States in this country have passed
laws in the aid of motherhood, the District of Columbia has
enacted no such measure. A carefully drafted bill will be submitted
to the present Congress, which upon adoption should serve as “ a
model for all parts of the union.'”
Thirteenth Annual Report of the Secretary of Labor
HE thirteenth annual report of the Secretary of Labor sum
marizes the activities of the various administrative units of
the United States Department of Labor for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 1925. Brief mention is made below of certain
important features of the immense amount of work reviewed in
this volume of less than 150 pages.
T
Work Done During Year
j ~ \ I V I S I O N o f C onciliation. —In
1924-25 the Division of Conciliation handled 559 industrial controversies, involving directly
and indirectly 334,009 persons. Adjustments were effected in 392
cases. The 64 cases in which no satisfactory settlement could be
brought about involved comparatively small numbers of workers.
Of the remaining cases, 42 were pending June 30, 1925, and 61 were
“ unclassified.”
E m p lo y m e n t S ervice. —The United States Employment Service,
in cooperation with the State and District of Columbia Services,
placed in employment 1,609,977 wage earners from July 1, 1924,
to June 30, 1925. Efforts are being made to extend the service to
include not only unskilled and skilled laborers, clerks, typists, and
stenographers, but also other classes of workers.
The development of the farm labor division of the United States
Employment Service is indicated by the following paragraph:
From a field activity supplying from 70,000 to 80,000 seasonal farm laborers in
1921, this activity has grown in three years to a service that in the year under re
view recruited and directed to employment more than 400,000 seasonal laborers to
assist in caring for and harvesting farm crops valued at upward of $2,000,000,000.
It also placed in monthly and yearly employment 16,411 farm hands.
The report above is based on the calendar year and not the fiscal year.
Industrial reports are being received from 530 cities, an increase
of 54 industrial centers as compared with the preceding year. This
information is disseminated through the Industrial Employment
Information Bulletin, the monthly organ of the United States
Employment Service.
H o u s in g C orporation .—Since beginning its work of liquidation in
July, 1919, the United States Housing Corporation has returned to
the Federal Treasury over $60,676,000. In the fiscal year 1924-25
this agency collected $4,459,654.55, which did not include $594,459.89
in receipts from the Government hotels.
B u r e a u o f L abor S ta tis tic s . —In addition to the M o n t h l y L a b o r
R e v ie w , the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics issued during
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61
the fiscal year 1924-25, 26 bulletins, 4 subject indexes, and 1 pam
phlet, while 15 other publications had been sent to the Government
Printing Office. (For further details see “ Work of the United
States Bureau of Labor Statistics,” M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w ,
November, 1925, pp. 4-7.) Studies were also in preparation on the
following subjects: Wages and labor conditions in coal mining, in the
lace and lace-curtain industry, and in other industries, family allow
ances, phosphorus poisoning in the manufacture of fireworks and rat
paste, radium necrosis as an occupational hazard, and the physical and
sanitary condition of American almshouses. Plans were under way
for the investigation of the productivity of labor in certain industries,
and also for the formation of cooperative alliances with the different
States for the purpose of making more complete the system of
accident reporting.
The bureau has continued to cooperate with the International
Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions, the
Association of Governmental Labor Officials of the United States
and Canada, and the American Engineering Standards Committee.
B u re a u o f Im m ig ra tio n . —In 1924-25 according to the report of the
Commissioner General of Immigration, the real immigration (im
migrant aliens) totaled 294,314 persons, a decrease of 412,582 or
58.4 per cent as compared with the preceding 12 months. Of the
immigrant aliens admitted, 75.7 per cent were from northern and
western Europe, 10.8 per cent from southern and eastern Europe,
and 13.5 per cent from other countries, while in the previous year
these percentages were, respectively, 55.6, 27.3, and 17.1.
The establishment of a new land border patrol was an important
achievement in connection with immigration activities. An appro
priation of $1,000,000 was made for this service. Among the results
of this organization were the capture of 331 alien smugglers, the ap
prehending of 4,641 aliens who were attempting to evade the immi
gration laws, and the seizing of vehicles and goods the value of which
was estimated at nearly $500,000.
B u re a u o f N aturalization.- —In 1924-25, 277,218 declarations of in
tention and 162,258 petitions for naturalization were filed, and
$710,373 was collected in naturalization fees. This was $134,669.53
below the sum collected in the previous year. During the 19 years of
Federal supervision, $9,058,217.87 has been received in such fees,
which sum exceeds by $218,063.48 all operating expenses charged
to the different appropriations and allotments for the bureau’s
administration of the naturalization laws.
C hildren’s B u re a u . —Forty-three States and the Territory of Hawaii
are cooperating with the Children’s Bureau under the maternity
and infancy act, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Hawaii
having accepted the provisions of this law during the year under
review.
During the same period this bureau continued its studies regarding
community control of rickets and posture training. A survey of
provisions for crippled children in 8 States was undertaken, a bulletin
on play and recreation for blind children was prepared, a miniature
model playground was constructed, reports were collected from States
and cities on the issue of work permits, and inquiries were made into
vocational opportunities for minors, into child labor in New Jersey,
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
child labor in canneries, rural child labor, and industrial accidents to
minors.
A plan was further developed for the uniform reporting of juvenile
court statistics and material on domestic-relations courts was
assembled.
In 1924-25 this bureau issued 30 new and revised publications on
various subjects falling under the following headings: Child hygiene,
child labor, child care, child delinquency and dependency, and
maternity and infant hygiene. Various other reports were in course
of preparation.
The Children’s Bureau cooperated in the Fourth Pan-American
Child Congress in Santiago, Chile, and in the First Congress of Social
Economy at Buenos Aires, Argentina, both held in October, 1924.
The chief of the bureau was called into consultation with the advisory
committee on the traffic in women and children which met in May,
1925, at Geneva, and was also requested to make suggestions for the
future activities of the child welfare committee.
Women’s Bureau.—The Women’s Bureau is credited with 11
publications in 1924-25 (9 bulletins, its annual report, and a pre
liminary report on women in Illinois industries). A bulletin on
women in the fruit growing and canning industries of the State of
Washington and a bulletin on women in Oklahoma industries were
in press before July 1, 1925, while the following 5 bulletins were
almost ready to be sent to the Government Printing Office at the
close of the fiscal year: Women workers and family support; Effects
of applied research upon the employment opportunities of American
women; Women in Illinois industries; Absenteeism of women in
textile mills; Legislation for women in Oregon. Studies were also
under way on the status of women in Government service, night
work for women, women in Delaware, Mississippi, and Tennessee
industries, trend of employment, minimum wage legislation, and
the effects of special legislation upon women. The Women’s Bureau
has also decided to make investigation in the next fiscal year into
the home and community facilities and family obligations of em
ployed women, the elimination of unnecessary fatigue, and industrial
poisons.
Library.—The catalogued accessions of the library of the Depart
ment of Labor in 1924-25 numbered 6,999, making a total catalogued
collection of 105,000 books and pamphlets.
Recommendations of the Secretary
A MONG the principal recommendations made by the Secretary
in his 1925 report were the following:
That the age limit for the retirement of Federal employees he
changed from 70 to 60 after 30 years of service and that the maximum
retirement rate be raised from $60 to $100 per month.
That some means be devised to counteract the disadvantages to
wage earners resulting from the tendency toward overdevelopment
in certain industries. American workers should have some guaranty
of approximately 300 days’ employment per annum if they desire it.
That a division of labor safety be created in the United States
Bureau of Labor Statistics (a reemphasis of a recommendation of
the preceding year).
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[02 ]
WORKERS5 SHARE IK J'OB ANALYSIS
That, in order to minimize unemployment, there should be clear
ing facilities in connection with part-time and seasonal labor.
That a study should be made of jurisdictional disputes, and the
elimination of waste resulting therefrom.
That an investigation be made of apprenticeship systems.
That the laws relating to aliens be codified and include provisions
for examinations of intending immigrants abroad and a more selective
basis for immigration, for a slight revision of quota classes for the
sake of humanity, for preference within quotas, for control and
more thorough examination of alien seamen, for greater uniformity
in deportation measures, for the better control of smuggling, for
facilitating naturalization procedure, for the establishment of special
naturalization courts, etc.
That model child labor legislation be enacted for the District of
Columbia.
That activities be continued for the reduction of infant and
maternal mortality, the prevention of so-called “ delinquency,”
the proper care of juvenile lawbreakers, and the prevention and
cure of certain children’s ailments.
That field investigations be conducted into the various aspects of
women’s employment and home life and that documentary research
be expanded with “ ultimate aims toward ideal working and wage
conditions for women, the mothers of future Americans. ”
The Workers’ Share in job Analysis
“ YOB study impartially conducted should accomplish substantially
I the same benefits for workers and management,” according to
.J consulting industrial engineer Geoffrey 0. Brown in his article
published in the November, 1925, issue of the American Federationist
(pp. 1029-1038). Job analysis, he holds, (1) discloses wasteful
methods of work; (2) establishes and standardizes conditions favorable to greater efficiency in production; (3) determines fair output
standards for different operations; (4) creates a basis for forecasting
operating costs; (5) reveals the extent to which particular jobs are
fatiguing, monotonous, or hazardous to the workers; (6) fixes a precise
relation between pay and performance; (7) establishes intelligent
standards of quality in production and workmanship ; and (8) provides
data for job specifications and for the preparation of standard practice
instructions. In brief, the right kind of job study makes for “ equity,
safety, interest, and economy in the performance of work.”
There is a growing conviction, however, especially among progres
sive managers and engineers, that the effectiveness of job analysis has
been diminished because of the undemocratic manner in which it has
been conducted. Management has heretofore had the exclusive
control of such study, and the worker, particularly the skilled worker,
has had neither need nor opportunity to use his wits. The job, there
fore, in a way is no longer his job. He can not take any whole
hearted interest in it nor perform it with maximum efficiency.
An increasing number of farsighted industrialists are realizing that
job study must take cognizance of the worker’s individuality, that his
“ subjectivity to his job” must he enhanced in every possible way.
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64
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
This can be accomplished only by allowing the workers to participate
jointly with management in job analysis and in the control and appli
cation of the facts established by such analysis.
As a preliminary to this participation, a joint job-study committee
should be created, genuinely representative of every one in the shop
affected by the job analysis. This committee should have at least
one technical member to represent a central planning office which has
previously worked out technical details for presentation to the joint
committee and which should render it technical aid when necessary.
Committees of this character have already been created in various
industrial plants.
.
The duties of such organizations are to receive and consider sug
gestions for (a) improving the coordination of raw material, supplies,
machines, tools, fixtures, mechanical and human energy; (b) proper
illumination, adequate safeguarding of mechanical equipment, and
ventilators; and (c) the amelioration of fatigue and monotony in the
performance of work.
In connection with item (c) a proposal has frequently been made
that workers on an uninteresting and tedious job might become pro
ficient in another occupation and be shifted to it for half of the day.
Mr. Brown regards time study as an 4‘indispensable adjunct” of
job analysis. In his 15 years of experience he has found time study
one of his most valuable single aids in the rehabilitation of a consider
able number of establishments and recalls no case in which his use
of such studies was not advantageous to labor. Time study may
avert bankruptcy. Unions should insist in their collective bargaining
that fair output standards be established through time studies when
they are necessary and practicable. Time study is “ a precision
instrument for use in the scientific investigation of work.” If time
study be abused by unscrupulous management, the remedy lies, Mr.
Brown believes, in “ the legitimate use of more time study at labor’s
insistence, to expose fraud and establish truth.”
Attention is called to the fact that time study in its incipiency
suffered from too close a connection with the calculation of “ wage
incentive rates.” It must be remembered that such study is valu
able for various other purposes.
When time study serves and supplements the discussions of a joint
job-analysis committee upon which the workers are adequately
represented and the results of time study are subject to approval or
rejection by that committee, the possibility of discrimination or
injustice through such study would seem to be eliminated. As an
additional precaution, however, the minutes of the joint committee’s
meetings should be available for inspection by a representative from
union headquarters, who in consultation with the committee could
aid in adjusting problematical matters upon which the committee
has not been able to come to a decision.
Mr. Brown thinks that the importance of facilities for transmitting
suggestions from workers to the joint job-study committee is obvi
ous. Distinctive and systematic appreciation should also be shown
for meritorious suggestions. To meet the human craving for honor,
successful suggestions should be posted in a conspicuous place at the
shop, together with the names of the originators. This kind of
recognition, however, should never be substituted for deserved
promotion or wage increases.
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[64]
LAW CREATING TRADE COUNCILS IN FRANCE
65
The following paragraph with which Mr. Brown concludes his
article indicates that the successful industrial engineer should also
be a psychologist :
Progressive industry is searching for avenues along which workers will find
opportunity for the development of genuine interest and self-expression in work.
Extreme specialization which discourages human initiative by denying workers
a share in the creative and interesting aspects of production, can never attain a
high degree of productive efficiency, and should be regarded with apprehension.
Anything that tends to curtail the mental growth and impoverish the character
of workers can find no permanent abiding place in our industries of to-day and
of the future.
Lav/ Creating 1 rade Councils in France 1
FRENCH law dated July 26, 1925, has for its purpose the
establishment of trade councils (chambres de métiers) for arti
sans, both master workmen and journeymen, in the different
Departments of France. Master workmen (m a îtres-artisans ) are
workers of either sex who work at a manual trade either by themselves
or with some member of their family or with journeymen or appren
tices but do not work for an employer.
The purpose of the law is to provide through the medium of the
trade councils a means of expression for this class of citizens analogous
to that of other classes. Merchants and manufacturers can secure
through the chambers of commerce, a hearing before the Government
or Parliament, for the purpose either of registering complaints or
giving technical advice, while agriculturalists have a similar oppor
tunity through the chambers of agriculture. The skilled workers,
however, have, up to this time, had no means of representing their
interests as a class and it is to remedy this situation that the present
law was enacted.
The law provides that the trade councils shall be constituted in
accordance with decrees which may be issued upon the proposal of
the Ministers of Labor, Commerce, and Public Instruction, these
decrees to be issued after consultation with the interested organiza
tions of the district. There may be one or several trade councils
in a Department and each council may be divided into as many
sections as seems necessary. The number of members of a trade
council may not be less than 18 nor more than 36, except in Paris
where there may be as many as 72 members. The councils are
composed of two-thirds master workmen and one-third journeymen;
to be eligible for membership a person must be at least 30 years
of age and have been actively engaged in his trade for at least 5
years, and if he is retired, for at least 15 years. The departmental
inspector of technical education, one labor inspector appointed by
the Minister of Labor, and one representative of the departmental
committee of technical education have the right to membership in
the councils, but in a consultative capacity only, and associate mem
bers may be appointed from the list of those eligible for active mem
bership, who may take part in the meetings of the council but without
a vote.
A
%
1 Bulletin du Ministère du Travail et de l ’Hygiène. Paris, July-Sept., 1925, pp. 299, 300, 113*-117*.
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MONTHLY LABOR ¡REVIEW
66
The duties of the councils are to protect the occupational and
economic interests of the trades. With this in view the advice of the
trades councils should be sought upon all questions having to do with
the improvement or development of a trade and upon all general
questions interesting the artisan class. Councils may also give
advice upon such questions upon their own initiative. The councils
are also to participate in the organization of apprenticeship in the
different trades under conditions to be fixed by a special law. The
departmental committees of technical education, provided for by the
law of July 25, 1919, must each include four artisans appointed by
the trades council concerned and there must be two such representa
tives on the local committees established in accordance with the
terms of the same law.
Labor Conditions in Porto Rico, 1923—24
HE Governor of Porto Pico in his twenty-fourth annual report
calls attention to the improvement in labor conditions in the
island during the year, due to decided wage increases, reduc
tion in unemployment, and improvement in living conditions. He
notes a more sympathetic attitude on the part of employers toward
their employees as a contributing factor, as also the extension of
Government activities in welfare work, educational fields, in the
prevention and treatment of diseases, and in the adoption of num
erous sanitary measures.
Unemployment.—Hue to the great building activity, which this
year has increased 100 per cent over any previous year, as well as
to the activity of the insular government and municipalities in pub
lic works, there is relatively less unemployment now than ever before.
Practically every business and commercial activity has increased the
number of its employees. Nevertheless unemployment still exists.
The island is densely populated and has comparatively few industrial
enterprises, 90 per cent of the people depending upon agriculture for
their support. Under these conditions the problem of finding work
for all is most difficult. The establishment of new industries and
either seasonal or permanent emigration are suggested as possible
remedies for the situation. A public employment office was created
by law during the year and has now begun operations, though in
a small way.
Wages.—Workmen in the coffee industry usually receive, in addi
tion to a house, a piece of land, and free bananas, 50 cents a day dur
ing the dull season and $1 during the harvest season. In the tobacco
fields the men receive $1 a day, the women 75 cents, and the boys
50 cents a day. In the tobacco factories cigar makers are paid be
tween $2 and $6 a day.
Labor laws.—A detailed list of the labor laws enacted since the
establishment of civil government on the island is given in the report,
among which are included legislation establishing minimum wages
for women and for laborers on public works, regulating the work of
women and children and protecting them against dangerous occu
pations, regulating the employment of minors and providing for the
compulsory attendance of children at schools, providing for the
T
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MINING CONDITIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA
67
settlement of strikes and lockouts, and laws on labor contracts and
workmen’s compensation. The law, mentioned above, fixing a mini
mum wage for all workers employed on works for the insular
government and municipalities, has affected considerably the general
wage scale for common labor.
Strikes.—The report states that there were no serious strikes
during the year. Although there were threatened strikes and in
stances in which the workers quit work, the differences were adjusted,
generally in favor of the employees. The work of the mediation and
conciliation commission was very effective in these settlements.
Workmen's Relief Commission.—The Workmen’s Relief Commission
which administered the workmen’s compensation act, has settled
14,718 of the 19,630 claims filed. During the year under review
.1412,530 was paid out on account of these claims. Of this amount
$267,135 was for indemnities, $23,843 for medicine, $79,499 for
medical attendance, and $42,053 for hospital service. There were
15,568 employers insured at the close of the year.
Mining Conditions in South Africa
r'T~'il fC report of the Union of South Africa Department of Mines
and industries for the year ending December 31, 1924, shows
. . that the number of workers employed in the mines, alluvial
diggings, and quarries had risen from 291,298 in 1923 to 305,946 in
1924. The greater part of this increase was among the natives and
other colored workers, the increase in the number of whites being
only 1,2/6. Proportionately, diamond digging shows the most
rapid growth in numbers, and the increase here is largely among
those engaged in alluvial digging and prospecting. The alluvial
diamond fields are free to all who can stake out a claim, and therefore
present an attractive opportunity to the man thrown out of work by
industrial .fluctuations, as well as to the restless and adventurous
element. The movement toward these fields has had several eco
nomic and social results of interest. It has threatened the control of
the diamond market exercised by the large producers through the
so-called interproducers’ agreement, and on this ground the Governinent has been urged to exercise some form of control and limitation
in regard to throwing open fresh areas. In support of this step it is
maintained that the good oi the community requires a curb upon the
rush to the diamond fields.
It is argued also that the effect on the people is to demoralize them, that the
gambling spirit now prevails in whole sections of tlie community, that the
children are brought up amidst most undesirable surroundings and without con
trol, and that the social and health conditions on the diggings are at the lowest
ebb.
It is pointed out that this view of the situation is extreme and leaves
out of consideration some redeeming features.
1 he older diggers, and many who are accustomed to go to the diggings for
short spells, will tell you that the life is free, it is a life of hard work and of hope,
but tiie diggings have taken thousands of men during the past three years who
would otherwise have lost their self-respect on relief works, that these men have
in many cases made good, have maintained themselves, and have retained their
self-respect.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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68
m o n t h l y
l a b o r
r e v ie w
1
I t is admitted, however, that there is much need for improvement
of conditions in the diamond fields, especially in the matters of
sanitation and provision for educational opportunities. The children
of the diggers present a problem much like that which some of our
own western States are facing in connection with the children of the
“ auto hoboes.” The report admits the difficulty of providing the
ordinary amenities of life in a constantly shifting population, but
holds that “ there can be no difference of opinion as to the absolute
necessity of adequate accommodation for the education of the children
and the housing of sufficient teachers.”
In view of the increasing number of children in the diggings, this is a matter of
first importance which should be tackled in a liberal spirit without delay. The
solution of this difficulty appears to be the establishment of more portable schools
and the appointment of many more teachers suitably provided with portable
houses.
In other words, meet the problem of a migratory population by
providing migratory teachers, who, with their portable schools and
their portable houses, shall follow wherever their roving flocks may go.
The department tries to control sanitary conditions by the coopera
tion of sanitary inspectors and diggers’ committees, and attention is
called to the fact that in general the health of these communities has
been good and outbreaks of serious disease have been rare.
Accidents
npHE report gives the following figures for fatalities and injuries in
* mines, alluvial diamond diggings, quarries, and works, lor 1923
and 1924, no injury being included unless in the opinion of a medical
practitioner it may result in disablement for at least 14 days.
1923
1924
Whites:
62
45
Killed_____
385 374
Injured____
447 419
Total.
Colored:
645 682
Killed_____
Injured____
3, 518 3, 993
Total.
4, 163 4, 675
Total killed______________________________
707 727
Total injured____________________________ 3, 903 4, 367
I t will be seen that among the white workers there was a reduction
in 1924 in deaths and injuries, but that among the colored workers
there was an increase in both respects. No explanation is offered for
this fact. The same difference appears in the death rate per 1,000
workers employed, which in 1923 was 1.80 for the whites and 2.48 for
the colored workers, while in 1924 the corresponding figures were 1.48
and 2.56. A much larger proportion of the colored than of the white
workers are employed underground, which is the region of greatest
danger, so that the greater hazard of the colored workers is easily
understood, but this does not account for the difference in the trend of
the rates.
The above figures cover quarries and the alluvial diamond diggings
as well as mines. For the mines alone, the following figures show the
distribution of fatalities, among the different causes:
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[68 ]
MINING CONDITIONS IN SOUTH A FEICA
1923
Fall of ground.,______________
Trucks and tramways_________
Fall of material__________ ___
Explosives__________________
Machinery_______ ___________
Falling in shafts, excavations, etc
Traveling by cage, skip, etc
Struck by cage, skip, etc
Other causes_________
Total
1924
301
79
42
62
274
75
55
106
22
21
19
17
16
79
18
14
22
82
637
667
It will be observed that of the definitely named causes only two—
fall of materials, and explosives—show an increase in the number of
fatalities due to them, and that both of these are causes which should
be largely controllable. A discussion of the cause of accidents due to
explosives in the Witwatersrand gold mines indicates that careless
supervision may be accountable for much of the increase.
Drilling into misfires, the scraping out of explosives from misfires by natives,
and explosions while charging up account mainly for the larger number of acci
dents. The general inference to be drawn seems to be that there is frequently
inadequate supervision over natives and greater hurry over work than is necessary
for reasonable safety. Where natives drill into misfires or scrape out explosives,
this should have been prevented by the miner in charge. His not having done so
is either a culpable dereliction of duty or Is the result of his having too many
duties to perform. The latter is difficult to substantiate, but, on the other hand,
it seems unlikely that miners have grown more careless than they wrere some years
ago. The conclusion is therefore almost unavoidable that miners sometimes have
too much to do to enable them to supervise the work of their natives adequately
and with a due regard to safety.
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[691
P R IC E S A N D C O S T O F LIVING
Retail Prices of Food in the United States
following tables are compiled from monthly reports of
actual selling prices 1received by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
from retail dealers.
Table 1 shows for the United States retail prices of food, November
15, 1924, and October 15 and November 15, 1925, as well as the per
centage changes in the year and in the month. For example, the
price per pound of bacon was 40.1 cents in November, 1924; 49.6
cents in October, 1925, and 49.2 cents in November, 1925. These
figures show an increase of 23 per cent in the year and a decrease of
1 per cent in the month.
The cost of the various articles of food combined shows an increase
of 11.4 per cent on November 15, 1925, as compared with November
15, 1924, and an increase of 3.4 percent on November 15, 1925, as
compared with October 15, 1925.
T a b l e 1 . —A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E O F S P E C IF IE D FO O D A R T IC L E S A N D P E R C E N T
O F IN C R E A S E OR D E C R E A S E N O V E M B E R 15, 1925, C O M P A R E D W IT H O C T O B E R 15,
1925, A N D N O V E M B E R 15, 1924
[Percentage changes of five-tenths of 1 per cent and over are given in whole num bers]
Average retail price on—
Article
U nit
N ov. 15,
1924
Oct. 15,
1925
N ov. 15,
1925
C e n ts
C e n ts
C e n ts
Per cent of increase
(+ ) or decrease
( - ) N ov. 15.1925,
com pared w ith—
N ov. 15,
1924
Oct. 15,
1825
Sirloin steak.
R ound steak
R ib ro a st___
C huck roast.
P late b e e f...
Pound
___ do.
___ do.
___ do.
___ do.
38. 7
32. 9
28. 2
20. 4
13.2
41. 2
35. 4
30. 0
22. 0
14. 1
40. 3
34. 4
29. 5
21. 6
14.1
+4
+5
+5
+6
+7
-2
-3
-2
-2
0
Pork ch o p s..
B acon...........
H am _______
Lam b, leg of.
H ens______
do.
do.
do.
do.
do.
31.6
40. 1
47.0
35.4
34.5
39. 1
49. 6
54. 3
38. 4
36. 5
37. 5
49. 2
53. 5
38. 4
35.8
+19
+23
+ 14
+8
+4
-4
-1
-I
0
-2
31. 7
13.8
11.0
48. 9
30. 2
35. 5
14. 3
11. 5
59. 4
30. 9
36.4
14. 3
11. 6
59. 7
31. 2
+ 15
+4
+5
+22
+3
+3
0
+1
-fl
+1
Salmon, canned, r e d . . . . _______ . .. ____do_______
M ilk, fresh................................... .......... Q u a rt..............
M ilk, ev ap o rated _____ ______ ___ _ 15-16 oz. c a n ..
B u tte r___________ _____ ________ _ P o u n d _______
Oleomargarine (all b u tte r su b sti ____do_______
tutes) .
34. 7
37.2
37.4
Cheese..................................
___ do.
+8
+1
L a rd __________________
22.4
24. 1
23. 3
___ do.
+4
-3
Vegetable lard su b stitu te.
25. 5
25. 9®
___ do.
25. 8
- 0 .4
+1
Eggs, stric tly fresh ______
60. 3
69. 4
Dozen.
68. 1
+2
+ 15
46. 0
+0. 2
4-3
47. 3
47. 4
Eggs, storage......................
___ do.
3I n addition t o m o n th ly retail prices of food a n d coal, th e b ureau publishes in th e M o n t h l y L a b o r
R e v i e w th e prices of gas a n d electricity from each of 51 cities lor th e dates for w hich these data are secured.
70
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RETA IL PR IC E S OF FOOD
T able 1 , - AV E R A O E R E T A I L P R IC E OF S P E C IF I E D F O O D A R T IC L E S A N D P E R C E N T
O F IN C R E A S E O R D E C R E A S E N O V E M B E R 15, 1925, C O M P A R E D W IT H O C T O B E R 15
3925,' A N D N O V E M B E R 15, 1924—C ontinued
Average retail price on—
Article
U nit
N ov. 15,
3924
Oct. 15,
1925
N ov. 15,
1925
C e n ts
C e n ts
C e n ts
P er cent of increase
(+ ) or decrease
( - ) N ov. 15,1925,
com pared w ith —
N ov. 15,
1924
Oct. 15,
1925
B read______________
F lo o r.......................... .
Corn m e a l..................
Rolled oats. ................
Corn flakes........... .......
Pound__
___ do___
___ do___
___ do___
8-oz. pkg..
8. 9
o. 4
5. 1
9. 1
10. 7
9. 4
5. 9
5.3
9. 2
11.0
9. 4
6.0
5.3
9. 2
11. 0
+0
+ 11
+4
+1
+3
W heat cereal...............
M acaroni.....................
Rice.............. ................
Beans, n a v y ................
P otato es......................
28-oz. pkg.
Pound__
___ do___
----- do___
.......do___
24.4
19. 6
10.5
10. 1
2.2
25. 1
20.5
11. 3
10.0
3. 7
25. 2
20. 5
11.4
9.9
5. 2
+3
+5
+9
-2
+ i36
-1
+41
O nions_____________
C abbage.......................
Beans, b a k ed ..............
Corn, can n ed..............
Peas, canned...... .........
___ do___
___ do___
No. 2 can.
.......do___
___ do___
5.1
3. 7
12. 6
16.6
18.3
5.8
4. 2
12.3
17.4
18. 2
5.7
4. 2
12. 3
17. 1
18. 1
+ 12
+ 14
-2
+3
-1
-2
0
0
-2
-1
Tom atoes, canned__
Sugar, g ran u lated ___
T e a ........ .......................
Coffee.....................
___ do___
Pound__
___ do___
.......do___
13.6
8.8
73. 5
49.0
13. 1
6.8
75.8
51.1
12. 9
6. 6
75. 7
51.2
-5
-2 5
+3
+4
-2
-3 -G . 1
+ 0 .2
P ru n es..........................
R aisins.........................
B ananas___________
Oranges........................
___ do___
___ do___
Dozen__
___ do___
17.2
14. 8
37.3
48. 9
17.2
14. 3
35. 1
04.6
17.2
14. 2
34.7
65.5
0
-4
-7
+34
0
-1
-1
+1
+11.4
+ 3.4
All articles combined.
0
+2
0
0
0
+ 0.4
0
Table 2 shows for the United States average retail prices of speci
fied food articles on November 15, 1913, and on November 15 of each
year from 1919 to 1925, together with percentage changes in No
vember of each of these specified years, compared with November
1913. For example, the price per pound of potatoes was 1.8 cents
m November, 1913; 3.9 cents in November, 1919; 3.3 cents in Novem
ber, 1920; 3.2 cents in November, .1921; 2.1 cents in November, 1922;
2.0 cents in November, 1923; 2.2 cents in November, 1924; and 5.2
cents in November, 1925.
As compared with the average price in November, 1913, these
figures show the following percentage increases: 117 per cent in
November, 1919; 83 per cent in November, 1920; 78 per cent in
November, 1921; 17 per cent in November, 1922; 44 per cent in
November, 1923; 22 per cent in November, 1924; and 189 per cent
in November, 1925.
The cost of the various articles of food combined showed an .increase
of 59.3 per cent in November, 1925, as compared with November,
1913.
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MONTHLY LABOE BEVIEW
72
2 —A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E S O P S P E C IF I E D FO O D A R T IC L E S AND PER CENT
O F IN C R E A S E O R D E C R E A S E N O V E M B E R 15 O F C E R T A IN S P E C IF I E D Y E A R S C O M
P A R E D W IT H N O V E M B E R 15, 1913
T able
[Percentage changes of five-tenths of 1 per cent an d over are given in whole num bers]
Average retail price on N ov. 15—
Article
U n it
P er cent of increase N ov. 15 of each
specified year com pared w ith N ov.
15,1913
1913 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
Sirloin steak ______
R ound ste a k ______
R ib ro ast____ ____
C huck ro ast.............
P la te b eeL .......... .
Pound.
_-_dO__
. - - d o __
-__do__
-- -d o __
25. 4
22.8
19.8
16.3
12.4
39. 3
36.2
30. 2
24. 2
17.3
43.5 35.7 37.3 38.9 38. 7 40.3
39.6 31.0 32.0 33. 1 32.9 34.4
32. G26.8 27. 5 28.3 28.2 29.5
25.3 19.2 19.6 20.4 20.4 21.6
17.7 12.8 12.7 13.0 13.2 14.1
55
59
53
48
40
71
71
65
55
43
41
36
35
18
3
47
40
39
20
2
53
45
43
25
5
P ork chops............. _
Bacon____________
H a m _____________
L am b, leg o f______
H e n s ...............: ___
__-do-_-__do-_. . . d o __
- .- d o __
__ do__
21.5
27.2
26.9
18.5
20. 6
42.1
51.0
50. 5
33.4
39. 2
44.1 32.0
53.0 39.7
57.1 45.7
37.1 30.6
42. 9 35.8
96
88
88
81
90
105
95
112
101
108
49
46
70
65
74
53
50
72
94
65
34
Salmon, canned, red
M ilk, fresh ______
M ilk, evaporatedB u tte r__ ________
O leomargarine (all
b u tte r
substitu te s ).
135.7 138.7 34.3
___ao-Q u a rt.. 9. 1 16. 4 17.3 14.3
(2) __
16.8 15.1 13.3
P o u n d . 38.7 75. 4 69.4 53.1
139. 4 37.8 29.3
. . . d o __
80
90
57
95
79
37
22.5 43.0 39.8 33.3 35. 5 37.7 34.7 37.4
15.9 36. 5 28.9 16.6 17. 6 18. 9!22. 4 23.3
37.8 31.4 21.5 23.2 23.7 25.5 25.8
91
130
77
82
48
4
49.7 81.0 86.1 69.5 64. 5 66.3 68.1 09.4
34.3 61.8 66.2 46.4 39.8 42.3 47.3 47.4
63
80
73
93
82
124
113
107
121
90
Cheese___________ -_ -d o__
L a rd _____________ -__do__
V egetablelard sub- --_do_s titu te .
Eggs, stric tly fresh _ D ozen .
Eggs, s to r a g e ....... . . . d o __
33.0 28.9
40.9 38.5
46.3 45.5
35.8 35.8
33. S 33.7
31.5
13.4
11.7
54.6
27.6
31.6 37.5
40. 1 49.2
47.0 53.5
35.4 38.4
34. 5 35.8
31.4 31.7 36.4
14.3 13.8 14.3
12. 2 11.0 11. 6
58.9 48.9 59.7
29.2 30.2 31.2
B read .........................
F lo u r____________
C orn m e a l .. ............
R olled o ats_______
C orn flakes...............
P o u n d . 5.6 10. 2 11.6 9.3 8.7
-__do_-- 3.3 7.4 7.3 5.1 4.8
. . . d o __ 3. 1 6. 6 5.9 4.2 3. 9
-__do__
9. 2 11.5 9. 7 8.8
14.1 14.3 11. 9 9.7
(3> ____
8.7 8.9 9.4
4. 6 5.4 6.0
4.4 5. 1 5.3
8. 8 9. 1 9. 2
9.7 10.7 22.0
W heat cereal______
M a c a r o n i................
R ice.........................
Beans, n a v y . . ........
P otato es__________
25.2
Pound.
19.6
_-_do__ 8.7 17.6
12.3
___do_ _
-__do__ 1.8 3.9
30.4 29.7 25.6
22.0 20.4 19.9
14.2 9.4 9.5
10. 1 8. 2 10.2
3.3 3.2 2.1
24. 3 24.4 25.2
19.7 19.6 20. 5
9.7 10.5 11.4
10.5 10. 1 9.9
2.6 2.2 5.2
4.3 7.5 4.4
3. 5 4.6 3.4
16.5 13.9 13.2
18.3 16.1 15.2
19.0 17.8 17.4
6.3 5.1 5. 7
3.9 3.7 4. 2
12.9 12.6 12.3
15.6 16. 6 17.1
17. 7 18.3 18.1
w ____
O n io n s................... -_-do__
C abbage_________ ___do .
Beans, b ak ed _____ («) ____
Corn, can n ed . . . .
(«>____
Peas, canned........ . 0 ) ____
Tom atoes, can n ed ..
Sugar, g ra n u la te d ..
Tea______ _______
Coffee____________
Prim es___________
R aisins............ .........
B ananas...................
O ranges........... ........
6.9
4. 5
17.0
18.9
19.1
16.1 13.7 13.0 12.8 12.9 13.6 12.9
0) —
P o u n d . 5.4 12.5 12.8 6. 7 8.1 10.3 8.8 0.6
_-_do_- 54. 5 71. 3 73. 6 69. 0 68 5 70 4 73. 5 75 7
-__do__ 29.8 48.9 41.3 35.6 36.5 37.8 49.051.2
-__do_._-_do_ _
D ozen.
...d o ..
30.2
22.7
39.9
54.2
52
44
42
25
6
59
51
49
33
14
42
69
94
64
47
47
75
91
67
74
81
99
108
74
47
57
52
57
41
52
26
54
58
11
68
19
54
41
66
47
40
35
30
16
33
23
37
38
40
38
66
55
55
45
26
55
39
42
59
64
65
68
82
71
35
.
102
63
8
9
11
21
31
117
83
78
17
44
22
189
131
137
35
24
50
9Ï
63
22
19
22
27
64
72
31
64
39
27.1 18.9 20.2 18.0 17.2 17.2
32.3 26.1 19.8 16.4 14.8 14. 2
46. 6 37.8 36.8 38.3 37.3 34.7
67.4 52.8 51.0 49. 0 48.9 65. 5
All articles combined.s
83.3 84.3 44.7 38.1 44.0 43.1 59.3
1B o th p in k and red .
215-16 ounce can.
3 8-ounee package.
* 28-ounce package.
5 N o. 2 Can.
6 Beginning w ith Jan u a ry , 1921, index num bers showing th e tre n d in th e retail cost of food have been
composed of th e articles show n in Tables 1 a n d 2, w eighted according to th e consum ption of th e average
family. F rom Jan u ary , 1913, to December, 1920, th e index num bers included th e following articles: Sirloin
steak, round steak, rib roast, chuck roast, plate beef, pork chops, bacon, ham , lard , hens, flour, corn meal,
eg g s,b u tte r, m ilk, bread, potatoes, sugar, cheese, rice, coffee, a n d tea.
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[72]
RETAIL PRICES OF FOOD
73
Table 3 shows the changes in the retail prices of each of 22 articles
of food for which prices have been secured since 1913, as well as the
changes in the amounts of these articles that could be purchased for
$1 in each year, 1913 to 1924, and in November, 1925.
3 . —A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E S O F S P E C I F I E D A R T IC L E S O F F O O D A N D
A M O U N T P U R C H A S A B L E F O R $1 IN E A C H Y E A R , 1913 TO 1924, A N D I N N O V E M
B E R , 1925
T able
Year
Sirloin steak
Round steak
Average Amt.
retail for $1
price
AverAverage Amt.
age Amt.
retail for $1 retail for $1
price
price
Rib roast
Chuck roast
Plate beef
Pork chops
AverAverAverage Amt.
age Amt. age Amt.
retail for $1 retail for $1 retail for$l
price
price
price
Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs.
3.9 $0. 223
4. 5 $0.198
5.1 $0.160 6.3 $0.121 8.3 $0.210 4.8
1913..................... $0. 254
1914............ ........ .259
.257
1915...............
.273
1916__________
.315
1917__________
1918__________ .389
1919__________
.417
1920____ ____ .437
1921__________ .388
1922......... ............ .374
.391
1923__________
1924__________
. 390
1925: November .403
3. 9
3.9
3. 7
3. 2
2. 6
2.4
2. 3
2. 6
2. 7
2. 6
2. 5
2. 5
Bacon
1913__________
1914__________
1915__________
1916.....................
1917....................
1918__________
1919__________
1920................... .
1921__________
1922__________
1923__________
1924__________
1925: November
.236
.230
.245
. 290
.369
.389
.395
.344
.323
.335
.338
.344
4.2
4. 3
4. 1
3.4
2. 7
2. 6
2. 5
2. 9
3. 1
3.0
3. 0
2.9
Ham
.204
4.9
5.0
4.7
4.0
3.3
3.1
3.0
3.4
3. 6
3. 5
3. 5
3. 4
.201
.2 12
.249
.307
.325
.332
.291
.276
.284
. 288
.295
Lard
. 167
.161
.171
.209
.266
.270
. 262
6.0
6.2
.2 12
. 197
.202
208
. 216
5.8
4.8
3.8
3. 7
3.8
4. 7
5. 1
5.0
4. 6
Hens
. 126
. 121
.128
. 157
.206
.202
. 183
. 143
. 128
. 129
7.9
8.3
7.8
6. 4
4.9
5.0
5.5
7.0
7.8
7.8
.203
.227
.319
.390
.423
.423
.349
.330
.304
1141
7. 1
.375
Eggs
4. 5
4.9
4.4
3.1
.220
2.6
2.4
2.4
2.9
3.0
3.3
2.7
Butter
Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Perdoz. Ltozs. Per lb. Lbs.
$0. 270
3.7 $0. 269
3. 7 $0. 158
6.3
.275
. 269
.287
.410
. 529
.554
.523
.427
.398
.391
.377
.492
3.6
3. 7
3.5
2. 4
1.9
1.8
1.9
2. 3
2. 5
2.6
2. 7
2. 0
Cheese
.273
. 261
.294
.382
.479
.534
.555
.488
.488
.455
. 453
.535
3. 7
3. 8
3.4
2. 6
2. 1
1.9
1. 8
2. 0
2.0
2. 2
2. 2
1. 9
Milk
. 156
. 148
. 175
. 276
.333
.369
.295
. 180
. 170
. 177
. 190
.233
6.4
6. 8
5. 7
3. 6
3.0
2. 7
3. 4
5.6
5. 9
5.6
5. 3
4. 3
Bread
$0. 213
.218
.208
.236
. 286
.377
.411
.447
.397
.360
.350
.353
.358
4. 7 $0. 345
4.6
.353
4.8
.341
4.2
.375
3. 5 .481
2. 7 . 569
2. 4 .628
2. 2
.681
2. 5 .509
2.8
.444
2. 9 .465
2.8
.478
2. 8
.694
Flour
2.9 $0. 383
. 362
.358
. 394
. 487
. 577
1.6
.678
1. 5 .701
2.0
.517
2.3
.479
2. 2
.554
2. 1
.517
1. 4 .597
2. 8
2.9
2.7
2. 1
1. 8
Corn meal
2. 6
2. 8
2. 8
2. 5
2. 1
1. 7
l. 5
1. 4
1.9
2. 1
1. 8
1. 9
1.7
Riee
Per lb. Lbs. Per qt. Qts. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs.
4. 5 $0. 089 1 1 . 2 $0. 056 17.9 $0. 033 30. 3 $0. 030 - 33.3 $0. 087 11. 5
4. 4 .089
11 . 2
. 063
1913__________ $0. 221
1914.................... .229
1915____ ____
.233
1916__________
.258
1917__________
.332
1918__________ .359
1919__________ .426
1920__________ .416
1921__________
.340
1922___________
1923.......................
1924___________
1925: N ovem ber
4. 3
3. 9
3.0
2. 8
2. 3
2. 4
2. 9
.329
.369
.353
..374
3.0
2. 7
2. 8
2. 7
Potatoes
1913___________
1914___________
1915.__________
1916___________
1917___________
1918___________
1919___________
1920___________
1921___________
1922___________
1923___________
1924___________
1925: N ovem ber.
.088
.091
. 112
. 139
. 155
. 167
. 146
11. 4
11. 0
9. 0
7.2
6. 5
6. 0
6. 8
7. 6
7. 2
7. 2
7.0
. 131
. 138
. 138
. 143
Sugar
.070
.073
.092
.098
. 100
. 115
.099
.087
.087
.088
.094
15. 9
14. 3
13. 7
10. 9
10. 2
10. 0
8. 7
10. 1
11. 5
11. 5
11. 4
10. 6
Coffee
.034
.042
.044
.070
.067
.072
.081
.058
.051
.047
.049
.060
29. 4
23. 8
22. 7
14.3
14. 9
13.9
12.3
17. 2
19. 6
21. 3
20. 4
16. 7
Tea
Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs. Per lb. Lbs.
$0,017
.018
.015
.027
.043
.032
.038
.063
.031
.028
.029
.027
.052
58. 8 $0. 055
55. 6
.059
66. 7
.066
37.0
.080
23. 3
.093
31. 3
.097
26. 3
. 113
15.9
. 194
32. 3
.080
35. 7 .073
34. 5 . 101
37. 0
.092
19. 2
.066
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
18. 2 $0. 298
16. 9
.297
15. 2
.300
12. 5
.299
10. 8
.302
10. 3
.305
8. 8
.433
5. 2 .470
12. 5
. 363
13. 7
.361
9. 9
.377
10. 9
.433
15. 2
.512
[73]
3.4 $0. 544
3. 4
. 546
3. 3
. 545
3.3
. 546
3.3
. 582
3. 3
.648
2. 3
.701
2. 1 .733
2.8
.697
2.8
.681
2. 7
.695
2. 3
.715
2. 0
.757
1. 8
1. 8
1. 8
1.8
1. 7
1. 5
1. 4
1. 4
1.4
1. 5
1.4
1. 4
1.3
.032
.033
.034
.058
.068
.064
.065
.045
.039
.041
.047
.053
31. 3
30. 3
29.4
17. 2
14. 7
15. 6
15. 4
22. 2
25. 6
24. 4
21. 3
18.9
.088
.091
.091
. 104
. 129
. 151
. 174
.095
.095
.095
. 101
.114
11. 4
11. 0
11 0
9. 6
7. S
6. 6
5. 7
10. 5
10. 5
10. 5
9. 9
8.8
74
MONTHLY
LABOR
R EVIEW
Index Numbers of Retail Prices of Food in the United States
IN TABLE 4 index numbers are given which show the changes in
1 the retail prices of specified food articles, by years, from 1907
to 1924, and by months for 1924, and for January through November,
1925. These index numbers, or relative prices, are based on the
year 1913 as 100 and are computed by dividing the average price of
each commodity for each month and each year by the average price
of that commodity for 1913. These figures must be used with
caution. For example, the relative price of rib roast for the year
1923 was 143.4, which means that the average money price for the
year 1923 was 43.4 per cent higher than the average money price
tor the year 1913. The relative price of rib roast for the year 1922
was 139.4, which figures show an increase of 4 points but an increase
of slightly less than 3 per cent in the year.
In the last column of Table 4 are given index numbers showing
the changes in the retail cost of all articles of food combined. From
January, 1913, to December, 1920, 22 articles have been included in
the index, and beginning with January, 1921, 43 articles have been
used.2 For an explanation of the method used in making the link
between the cost of the market basket of 22 articles, weighted accord
ing to the average family consumption in 1901, and the cost of the
market basket based on 43 articles and weighted according to the
consumption in 1918, see M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for March, 1921
(p: 25).
The curve shown in the chart on page 76 pictures more readily
to the eye the changes in the cost of the food budget than do the
index numbers given in the table. The chart has been drawn on
the logarithmic scale, because the percentages of increase or decrease
are more accurately shown than on the arithmetic scale.
2 For index numbers of each month, January, 1913, to December, 1920, see M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w
ior February, 1921, pp. 19-21; for each month of 1921 and 1922 see M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for February
1923, p. 69; and for each month of 1923 and 1924 see M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for February, 1925, p. 2 L
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[74]
T a b l e 4 . — IN D E X
NUM BERS SHOWING CHANGES IN THE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES, BY
YEARS, 1907 TO 1924, AND BY MONTHS FOR 1924 AND JANUARY TO NOVEM BER, 1925
Year and month
1907
.......................1908
- _ __
1909 ________________
1910...............................
1911 _______________
1912 ....... . ....... .........
Sirloinl Round Rib Chuck Plate Pork Ba Ham Lard Hens Eggs But Cheese Milk Bread Flour Corn Rice Pota Sugar Cof Tea
ter
steak steak roast roast beef chops con
meal
toes
fee
71.5
73.3
68. 0
71.2
73.5
77.9
78.7
89.3
75.7
77.6
82.0
91.4
89. 3
90.6
80. 7
80. 5
90. 1
103. S
88.4
93.5
81.4
83.0
88.5
93.6
91. 0
93.5
3.00. 0
84.1
80.1
92. 6
97. 7
93. 5
98.9
85.3
85.5
90.1
93.8
87.9
97.7
100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100. 0
100.0 100.0
101.8 101.7 98.6 102.2 102.3 94.4
99. 8 97.2 93.4 97.5 98.7 93.4
106.4 109. 2 111.0 110.7 108. 8 103.0
151.9
195.9
205. 2
193. 7
158.2
147.4
144.8
139. 6
137.8
135.6
134. 4
134. 1
133. 7
134.1
134.8
141. £
145.6
148. 5
148. 5
147.8
149. 3
150. i
164. 4
172. 6
171. £
174.1
180.4
182.6
183. 0
183. 7
182.2
142. 2 174.9
178.1 210.8
198. 5 233. 5
206.3 186.7
181.4 113.9
181.4 107.6
169.1 112.0
168.4 120.3
166.2 118.4
165.1 113.9
163.6 110.8
164. 7 108.9
164. 7 108. 2
165.8 107.0
166.2 108. 2
173. 2 122. 2
174.3 126. 6
175.1 135. 4
174. 7 141.8
173. 2 139. £
177. C 144.3
178.8 144.2
190. 3 146.2
198.9 146.8
197.0 143. 0
197. 0 144. £
202. 2 148. 7
204.1 1.53.8
204.1 151. £
201. £ 152. 5
198.9 147.5
134.5 139. 4
177. C 164. 9
193.0 182, C
209.9 197. 4
186.4 147.5
169.0 128.7
164.3 134.8
165.7 138.6
162. C 158.3
164.8 144. 3
168. 5 100. 9
169. 5 93. C
171.8 95.1
168. 5 104.6
165.7 114.2
163.4 129.3
165.7 150.4
164.8 173.0
162.0 197.4
161.5 202.3
168.1 204.4
169. 5 154.8
173. 2 113.3
177.9 110.4
177.9 113. £
173.2 122 . 6
171.8 133. £
170.0 141.7
171.8 150.4
171.4 174.8
168.1 201.2
127.2
150.7
177.0
183.0
135. €
125.1
144.7
135.0
360.1
157. 2
151.4
130. 8
120. 4
126.9
129.2
126. 1
126.6
125.1
127.7
137.1
136. 6
132. 1
144. £
139. 2
135. 5
137.6
138.9
141.3
145.7
155.1
155. 9
95.0
101. 5
109. 4
108. 2
101 . 6
105. 2
87.6
92.2
93. 9
94.9
94.3
101.6
100.0 100. 0 100.0
105.3 105.3
1 1 1 . 2 107. 7
112. 3 306. 6
101. 0
130. 5
132.1
ICO. 0
108.3
88.9
158.8
252. 7
188. 2
223. 5
370. 6
182.4
164.7
170. 6
158.8
164.7
164. 7
164.7
164.7
170.6
194.1
194.1
152. 9
152.9
141.2
129.4
135.3
147.1
152. £
147.1
141.2
158.8
205.9
258.8
258.8
109. 3
111.4
115.1
82. 0
84. 3
88. 7
93. 0
92 0
97. 6
100. 0 100.0 100.0 100.0
103.9 105.1 101.2
108.2 99.7
125.8 108.4 KH.3
120.1 100. 6
134. 6 112 . 6 104. 6
146. 4 100.3
211.2 192.2 119.0
169.3 101. 4
176.4 102. 4
203.0 226.7 148. 3
218.2 213. 3 173. 6
205.5 145. 3
245. 5 216. 7 200. 0
352.7 157.7
145. 5 121.8
175. 8 150.0 109. 2
154. 5 130. 0 109. 2
132.7 12 1.1
142.4 136. 7 109.2
183.6 126. 5
148. 5 156. 7 116.1
167.3 145.3
185. 5 128.2
136.4 146.7 112.6
139.4 146. 7 112 . 6
187.3 130.2
139. 4 146. 7 111.5
189.1 136. 9
139. 4 146. 7 112 . 6
180.0 140. 3
139.4 146. 7 113. 8
167.3 141. 6
139. 4 146.7 113.8
150.9 141.9
152. 7 142. 3
145.5 150. ( 114. 9
154. 5 156. 7 117.2
149.1 145.6
154.5 160.0 118.4
156.4 148.7
160. 0 154. 7
160.6 166.7 119. 5
160.0 164.4
163.6 170.0 102. 7
169.7 173.3 121.8
160.0 169.5
181.8 180.0 123.0
147. 3 173. 2
140. 0 174.8
193.9 183. 3 124.1
193.9 183. 3 125. 3
140.0 175. 5
136.4 174.8
184.8 183.3 126. 4
184. 8 180.0 126. 4
130.9 175. 2
184.8 180. 0 126. 4
130. 9 170. 5
129.1 170. 5
184.8 180. 0 128.7
184.8 180.0 129.9
127.3 170.8
184.8 180. f 129.9 211.8 127. 3 171.4
178. 8 176. 7 129.9 217. 6 123.6 171. 5
181.8 176. 7 131.0 305.9 120.0 171.8
101.4 102.4
100.2 101.3
100.4 113.7
106.9 146.4
119.1 168. 3
128. £ 185.9
134. 7 203. 4
128.1 153.3
125. 2 141. 6
127.8 146.2
131.4 145. 9
130. 5 149. 1
130. 2 147.3
130.3 143. 7
130.5 141. 3
130.7 141. 0
130.3 142.4
130.1 143.3
130. E 144. 2
130. 5 -46.8
132.0 148.7
135.1 150.1
135.7 151.5
136.4 154.3
137. 5 151.4
138.1 151.1
138.8 150.8
139. 0 151.6
139. E 155. 0
139.3 159. 9
139. 5 160. 4
139. 3 159.0
139.3 161.6
139.2 167.1
FOO:
104. 4 104.1 104.6
100.6 100.0 96.4
106. 9 106. 0 108.3
130.6 129.8 151. 7
166.3 170. 2 185. 7
168.8 166. £ 201.4
163.8 151.2 201.4
132. 5 118.2 166.2
123. 1 105. 8 157.1
126.3 106. 0 144. 8
130.0 109.1 146.7
129. 4 109.9 130.5
127.5 109.9 127.1
12S.8 109. £ 128.1
130.6 109. £ 336.7
133. t 110.7 142.4
132.5 109. 1 143.8
331.3 108.3 144.3
131.3 108.3 165. 7
130.6 109. t 170. 5
129.4 108. £ 178.6
127.5 109.1 150.5
126. 3 108.3 139. 5
128.1 109.9 146.2
127. 5 109.1 144.3
131.3 111.6 178.1
135.0 114.1 175. 2
138.1 115.7 171.4
136.2 114.0 172.4
140.0 115.7 186. 7
138.1 114.9 190. 5
137.5 114.9 192. 4
137.5 116. 5 186. 2
135.0 Ì16.5 178.6
87.2
89.6
91.3
94.6
95.5
97.4
100. 0 109.0 100.0
103.6 100. 5 112. 5
105. 0 99. 2 125. 0
116. 7 102.2 130. 4
150.4 125.4 164.3
162.4 156.2 175.0
192. 8 174.2 178. 6
188.2 187.6 205.4
153. 9 164. C 176.8
14S. 9 147.2 155.4
167. 0 155.1 155.4
159. 7 155.1 157.1
169. 2 159. 6 155.4
168.3 157.3 155.4
166. 1 156.2 155.4
161. 1 155.1 155. 4
156. 6 152.8 155. 4
155. 7 151. 7 155. 4
155.7 151. 7 155. 4
155. 7 153. £ 157.1
156.6 156.2 157.1
157. 5 156.2 157.1
157.0 155.1 158.9
157. £ 155.1 158. 9
162.4 156. 2 164.3
164. 7 156. 2 169.6
165. 2 155.1 167. 9
165. 2 155.1 167. 9
164. 3 153. £ 167. 9
165.2 153.9 167.9
165.6 155.1 167. 9
166. 5 156.2 167.9
167. 4 159. 6 167. £
168. 3 160. 7 167. 9
169. 2 160.7 167.9
OF
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
100.0
103. 0
101. 4
107.4
125.5
155.1
164. 1
167. 7
147. C
139. 4
143.4
145.5
144.4
142.9
144.4
146.5
148.5
14S. 5
147.0
147. C
146.5
144.4
142.4
141.4
143.9
143.4
147.1
150.0
150.5
150. 5
153. 5
153.0
152. (
151.5
149.0
74.3 74.4
76.1 76.9
82.7 82.9
91.6 94.5
85.1 91.3
91.2 90. 5
PR ICES
80. 3
SO. 6
91.0
100. 0 100.0
1913______________________
1914____ _____________ 102.0 105. 8
101. 1 103.0
1915_________________
1916...___ ___________ 107.5 109.7
124.0 129.8
1917_______ *............. ...
153. 2 165.5
1918_________________
164.2 174.4
1919_________________
172. 1 177.1
1920_________________
152.8 154. 3
1921_________________
1922_____ ____________ 147. 2 144. 8
153.9 150. 2
1923_________________
1924: Average for year.-. 155.9 151. 6
153.9 149. 3
January________
February______ _ 152.4 148.0
153.1 148. 4
March_________
April____________ 155.9 150. 7
May____________ 159.8 155.2
June____ _______ 160.2 156. 1
160.2 155.2
J u ly ................... .
160.2 156. 1
August...... ...........
September_______ 158.3 153.8
October _
____ 155.9 151.1
152.4 147.5
November_____ December___ _ _ 150.4 145.3
1925: January.................. 152.4 147. t
February-., ___ 151.6 146.6
March_____ __ _ 155.9 150.7
159.1 155.2
April- _________
M a y ----------------- 160.6 157.0
June____________ 161.4 157.8
July____________
166.1 163. 7
August - _______ 165.4 162. S
September
- 163.8 159. 6
October,-. ______ 162.2 158.7
November_______ 158.7 154.3
76.1
78.1
81.3
84.6
84.8
93.6
All
arti
cles
R ETAIL
USI]
9------ \- 9 Z —oSeifrl
[Average for year 1913=100]
O
-T
ÜT
T rend
in
R etaixj P r ic e s
op
F o od
in t h e
U n it e d S t a t e s , J a n u a r y , 1916,
to
N o v e m b e r , 1925
400
575
350
325
800
275
260
225
200
■175
150
125
100
75
60
4«
MONTHLY labor r e v ie w
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
o
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
R.etall Prices of Food in
A VEKAGE retail food prices are shown in Table 5 for 40 cities
15, 1925. For 11 other cities prices are shown for the same
not scheduled by the bureau until after 1913.
T a b l e 5 . — A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E S 0 E T H E P R IN C IP A L
[Owing to differences in trad e practices in th e cities included in th is report, exact comparison of prices in
the prices shown in this table are com puted from reports sent m o n thly to th e bureau b y retail dealers,
Baltimore, Md.
Atlanta, Ga.
Article
Unit
Sirloin steak ___ ____
Round steak...................
Rib roast-.
Chuck roast...
Plate beef........................
Pound____
___ do_____
do ..
___.do____
____d o ____
Pork chops___________
Bacon, sliced___ ____
Ham, sliced__________
Lamb, leg o f.. _______
Hens___________ . .
___do______
___do______
___ do_____
___ do_____
....... do_____
Salmon, canned, red___
Milk, fresh... .. ______
Milk, evaporated. ........
Butter.............................
Oleomargarine (all butter substitutes).
___ do_____
Quart___ . 10. 6
15-16 oz. can.
Pound____ 39.8
___ do_____
Cheese.............................
Lard____
Vegetable lard substitute.
Eggs, strictly fresh.. . . .
Eggs, storage________
___ do_____
___ do_____
....... do_____
Bread.............. ....... ........
Flour___________ ____
Corn meal __________
Rolled oats___________
Corn flakes___________
Pound____
_do_____
___ do_____
___ do_____
S-oz. pkg___
5.6 9.3
3. 5 0. 1
2.6 4. 6
9.5
11.4
10.4
6.9
4.5
9.7
11. 5
Wheat cereal_________
Macaroni.... ....................
Rice ________________
Beans, navy . _______
Potatoes...........................
28-oz. p k g ...
Pound........
___ do_____
___ do_____
....... do...........
26.1
21. 3
8. 6 10. 3
12. 9
2.3 3.1
25.6 25.6
Onions_______________
Cabbage
Beans,baked_________
Corn, canned _______
Peas, canned .............. .
....... do_____
___ do_____
No. 2 can__
....... do_.........
....... do_____
7.3
4. 7
12.4
16. 2
19.1
Tomatoes, canned.........
Sugar, granulated...........
Tea....... ........................ .
Coffee.......... ....................
Prunes. .. .........................
Raisins______________
B an an as...__________
Oranges______ _______ _
Birmingham,
Nov 1 5 -
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
15. 15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
1925
1925
1925
1925
1913 1924
1913 1924
1813 1924 1925 1925
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cls.
24. 2
21.3
19. 0
15.8
9. 9
35. 3
32. 3
26.1
20.7
38.3
34. 7
28. 2
2L3
12 .1 12.5
38. 0
34. 3
28. 6
21.3
12.5
22. 8
21. 3
17. 5
15. 0
37.3 39.8
33.4 35. 6
29. 9 30. 0
20.4 21. 5
12.2 13. G 14.6
38.9
34.9
30.1
21. 5
15.1
28.0
23.0
19. 4
16. 5
37.0
48.1
54.7
37.1
33.8
18.2
21. 5
27.5
18. 0
20. 2
29.4
35. 6
50.5
36. 7
37.0
40.1
47.1
56.9
39.6
37.8
36.3
46.3
57.3
40.4
37.3
23.0
34. 0
32. C
21.9
19.3
32.6
40.8
48.0
36.4
32. 7
37.0
48. 7
54. 2
37.3
35. 6
37.1
49. C
53.1
37.8
33. 9
31.7 34.9 35.4
17. 5 19.3 19. 3 8. 7
12.8 13. 6 13. 6
50. 1 60.3 59. 6 38.4
29.4 32.0 32.3
27.2
13.0
10. 9
53.4
28. 3
34.8
13.0
11. 3
63. 1
29.8
30.8
35.6
13.0 16.0 19.0
12 . 2
11.4,
63.6 41.7 52.7
34.9
30.1
35.9
19.0
12 . 6
61.6
30.2
37.5
19.0
25.0 31. 0
31. 1 37.7
30. 8 46. 7
20.2 36.1
21 . 0 32.1
37.0
47.6
55. 7
36.4
33. 0
37.1 39.6 39.7
32. 9 34.8 34.9
26. 3 28. 2 27.5
21.1 22. 5 22.6
10.0 13.9 13.9 13.9
12.6
62.2
36.4
25. 0 33.2 35.2 35.6 23.3 34.6 36.4 36.4 23.0 34.9 37.6 37.7
15.3 21.8 23. 9 23.0 15.0 22.0 23.8 21.8 15.1 22. 5 24.1 23.6
24.8 24.7 24.7
24.9 24.9 24.7
21.5 22.2 22.0
Dozen_____ 40.0 60.0 48.8 60.0 45. 9 69.1 56. 5 68.1 39.0 61.4 52.7 61.8
___ do_____
49. 9
47.5 33. 1 46.3 43.1 45.3 32.5 48.8 49. 0 48.6
9.4
5. 5
4.3
8. 7
10. 2
9.4 5.4
5. 6 3. 6
4. 2 2.5
8. 7
10.3
9.4
6. 3
4.3
9. 5
10.2 10.2
7.0
4.5
9. 7
11.8 12 . 0
21.8
11. 1
11. 8
22.3
21.8
19. 0
10. 9 9. 0 10. 3
9.4
11. 7
6.5 1.8 2.2
23. 7
19. 6
10. 8
8. 8
3.5
24.1
19.6
10. 6 8. 2
8. 7
5.1 2.2
25.7
19.1
10. 9
11. 9
3.6
25.6 25.7
19.1 19.3
1 1 . 9 12.0
11. 7 11.7
5.0 6.1
8.4
5. 9
12.3
17. 8
18. 6
7.8
5. 0
12.3
17.8
18.5
5.4
3. 8
11.5
16.1
16.8
3. 9
11.3
15. 9
16.0
11 .2
16.0
16.0
6.4 7.6
5.1 5 7
It
13.3 12.6 13.2
37. 1 18. 6 18.6
21.7 22. 6 22.6
___ do_____
Pound____ 5.7
___do ____ 60. 0
....... do___ _ 32.0
13.9 13. 0 13.1
12.7
9.5 7. 1 7.0 4.8 8.0
93. 3 101.1 100. 8 56.0 70. 9
47.4 51.4 51.1 24.4 46.6
10. 6
6. 1
75. 1
48. 6
10. 7
6. 0 5.4
75. 8 6J. 3
48.3 28.8
12 . 8 12 . 6 12.3
9.2 7. 1 7.1
90. 6 92. 9 92.9
49.6 53.9 64.0
....... do...........
___ do_.........
D o z e n .......
...__do__ ___
17.1
16.1
29.6
36.3
15.3 15.2
13.1 13.1
25.3 25.3
66.1 59.1
4.8
18. 2
15. 6
28. 2
57.1
10.4 5.5 8.9
6.9 3.1 5.1
4. 2 2.6 4.4
9. 5
8. 7
11.4
10 . 2
17.5
15. 5
28.1
54.0
16.4
33.4
27.4
45. 8
6.0
6.0
4.3
20.0 20. 3
16, 2 15. 2
37.0 37.6
43. 8 61. 8
7.1
4.3
10.1
11.9
19.8
15.0
36.9
54.9
] The steak for which prices are here quoted is cailed “ sirloin” in this city, but in most of the other
cities included in this report it would be known as “ porterhouse” steak.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
B E T A IL
PR ICES
OF
79
FOOD
51 Cities on Specified Dates
for November 15, 1913 and 1924, and for October 15 and November
dates, with the exception of November, 1913, as these cities were
ARTICLES OF FOOD IN 51 CITIES ON SPECIFIED DATES
one city with those in another can not be made for some articles, particularly meats and vegetables. Also
and since some dealers occasionally fail to report, the number of quotations varies from month to month]
Bridgeport,
Conn.
1913
C ls .
1 34. 0
35. 0
23.9
1 C. 2
Charleston, S. C.
Butte, Mont.
Buffalo, N. Y.
C is .
C is .
48.5
38.1
24.8
16.7
55.9 51.8
42.7 40. 9
29.6 .28.5
20.1 19.2
i
1924
Nov 15—
Nov 15—
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov. Nov. Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov. Nov. Oct. Nov.
15, 15,
15, 15,
15,
15,
15,
15, 15, 15,
15,
15,
1925 1925 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925
Cjt
O
2
Boston, Mass.
C is .
C is.
C is .
C is .
C is .
C is .
C is .
C is .
40.0 43. 2 41.7 19.4 31.0
34.8 38.5 37. 0 16.4 28. 2
25.4 29.1 28.4 15. 2 21. 5
10.8 12 .1 11.9 11. 7 12 .3
C is .
C is .
C ls .
C is .
C is .
C ts .
C ts .
21.4 32.2 32.7 31.8
28.2
25.8
25.0
17.2
11.9
20.8 30.0 30. 5 29.5
20.0 20.7 27.3 26.8
14.2
27.3 .30.1
23.2 26.3
22.8 25.1
16.4 17.6
10. 5 11.5
32.2
56.3
57.5
37.3
31.8
25.0
26. 6
27.5
22.5
21.5
1 62.4 i 68.7 166.8 40.9 50.7 48.3 22. 2 36.9 40. 1 38.8
34.0
30. 2
23.1
13.9
33.3
29.1
22.1
15.0 19. 2 19.5 19.7
12.0 14.4 14.1 14.0
30.0
35.9
44.7
41.4
35.9
37.3
45.4
51.2
42.5
36.2
34.4
44.0
49.4
43. 6
36.8
33.9 4 9 7 42.9 33.7 41.5 40.3 19.8
39.8 48.8 48.4 43.4 53. 2 52.3 21 . 2
51. 9 60.0 69.0 52. 5 58.9 57.3 26.3
37.0 39.7 40.7 37.4 39.9 39.1 15.6
38.9 41.6 39.7 38.8 39.9 40.3 20.0
33.4
34. 3
46.6
29.0
34.5
41.7
46.2
52.6
34.7
37.1
40. C
45. 1
61.2
34.1
36.2
26.9
47.9
52. 1
33.1
28.7
30.0 PA 4
14.9 14.8
11. 3 11.9
48.4 59.3
3C.0 29.8
36.9
14.8
12 . 2
59.6
29.3
28.4
14.0
10.4
49. 2
29.0
37.3
13.4
11.4
59. 5
29.5
38.1
13.4
11.4
60.1
29.8
29.7
36.9 30.7 30.6
14.3 14.3 14.3 12 . Ò 18.5
10.8
10.3 1 1 . 0 11. C
46. 7 58.3 60.9 37.8 46. 6
32.5 32.5 32.5 ....... 31.0
23.4
15.8
36.9 39.3
23.2 24.7
23. 3
39.5 37.9 38.6 39.4 21.5 35.1 38.4 38.3
23.8 22.6 24.0 22. 9 14.2 21.9 23.1 22.1
25.5 26.4 26.4
25. 9 25.5 25.4 25.6
36. Ö 37.4
23.6 26.9
29.5 28.2
37.4 21.0 30.3 34.5 34.2
25.7 15.0 23.8 24.0 23.7
25.5 24.1 24.5
28.4
60. 6
35.2
94.6
53.8
85.7
51.6
91.7 86.0 79.9 92.7 48.5 74.3 65.2 74.7
52.8 51.2 48.3 49. 2 30.6 46.2 45.1 45.8
73.4
42.5
63.8
42.0
79.9 40.0 59.6 53.3 55.3
4S.2 33.5 45.4 42.8 43.9
8.5
9.1
6.5
8.5 9.0 9. C 9.6
5.2 5.4 6.4
5.6
5.8
5.0 5.7 5.4
7.2
8. 2 8.9 8.8
9.9 10.4 10.4 11.8
9.7
5.9
6.4 10.7 10.8 10.8
3.7 6.4 7.3 7.3
2.6 4.1 4. 1 4.1
9.3 9.3 9.4
7.6
11.5 11.7 11.7
12.4 —
22. 4
24.6
33.0
20.5
24.3
8.9
38.2
......
6.0
3.6
3.5
..........
9.4
1.7
5.4
58.6
33.0
......
6.0
6.1
6.8
9.4
9.4
10.8
1 1 .1
24.0
24.9
23.4
12.3
22.8
11 .2
10.8
1.9
11.0
3.8
30.1
15.0
11. 3
49.9
29.6
33.1
15. 0
11. 5
58.5
29.4
33.4
16.0 é.o
11.4
58. 5 38.1
29. 5 .......
8.5 9.0 9.0 5.6
5.4 5.8 5.9 3.0
6.7 7.5 7.6 7.6 2.6
9.3 8.3 8.7 8.6
1 1 .1 10.5 10.6 10.6 ........
Ô.1
6.6
25.0
23.2
12.5
10.9
5.2
5.9
5.1
13.5
19. 5
21.3
23.5 24.9 24.7
23.3 22.9 22.7
1 1 .1 1 1 .1 11 .2
10. 5 10.9 10.6
2.0 3.7 4.9
5.1
4.2
6.1
6.0
24.1 24.1 24.1
16.9
16.9 16.4
4.7
3.5
14.9
15.6
16.0
14.8
14.0
81.9
64.6
81.8
56.4
14.8
11.8 10.9 10.8
7.7 5.0 8.5 6.3 6.2
82.5 50.0 70.3 74.9 75.8
56.4 26.8 41.8 46.2 46.2
5.2
2.4
10.5
16. 0
........ 16.3
6.8
6.6
13.0
8.7
70.7
55.5
75.5
56.0
14.1 14.4 14.2
12.7 14.5 13.6 13.3
6.6 8. 5 6.4 6.4 5.3 8.4 6.5 6.2
75.8 61.2 61. 1 61.1 45.0 65.2 69.3 68. 2
56.0 46.6 48.4 48.4 29.3 46.8 48.6 49.1
37.0
14.2
46.5
01.9
17.0
13.9
41.7
72.9
16.8
13.9
41.4
77.6
13. 2
6.8
5.2 4.9
12.2 11.9 12.0
19. 5 19. 6 19.5
21.4 21.2 20.8
17.8
15.3
36.7
62.7
17.7
14.1
34. 1
69.2
16.9
13. S
34.0
69.9 .....
16.7
14.3
46.9
55.9
3.4
3.2
10.2 10.6
16.4
13.6
41. 4
72.0
2 Per pound.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
25.0 26.0 26.4
27.3
19.7 ____ 19.1 18.8 18.8
12.3 5.6 8.0 8.9 8.8
10.8 ........ 10.3 10.8 10.4
4.0 2.2 2.5 3.7 5. 6
4.7
3.5
15.1
16.3
16., 6
9.9
4.Ö
20.0
21.6
5.0
13.9
6.1
4.5
4.0
14.8
16.7
16.8
9.8
3.5
5.0
4.4
14.4
19. 5
21.7
6.0
7.6
12.4
9.7
5.8
27.5
19.7
11.9
9.9
1.5
8
6.2
35.6 37.3
18. 0 18.0
11.8 11.9
56.3 57.9
30.7 31.8
26.8
20. 1
10.7
10.5
20.8 22.0 21.8
9.3 10.1 11.0 11.5
i.
37.5
57.1
58.2
37.4
32.7
[79]
1.8
10.2
11 .2
2.4
8.2
5.8 6.1 6.1
4.4 4.2 4. 1
10.5 10.2 10.3
16.4 17. C 16.0
18.8 18.5 18.0
15.8 16.5
16.2 16.6 17.5 17.5
13.3 16. Î 15.0 14.8 ........ 14.4 14.1
42.1 215.8 2 12.3 213. 2 ........ 41.4 40.0
76.1 43.6 Cl. 5 65.8 ..... 30.2 57.5
15.9
13.9
38.3
43.0
80
MONTHLY LABOE BEVIEW
T a b l e 5 .—AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTI
Chicago, 111.
Unit
Article
Sirloin steak___ ___
Round steak......... ........
Rib roast..................
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef.......................
Pound.
___ do..
___ do..
___ do..
___ do..
Pork chops.................
Bacon, sliced...............
Ham, sliced................
Lamb, leg of_______
Hens......................
Salmon, canned, red__
Milk, fresh__________
Milk, evaporated_____
Butter_____________
Oleomargarine (all but
ter substitutes)...........
.do____
.do___
.do____
.do........
.do..........
Cincinnati, Ohio
Nov. 15-
Nov. 15—
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
15, 15,
15,
15, 15,
1925
1925
1925
1925
1913 1924
1913 1924
1913 1924 1925 1925
Cts. Cts.
Cts. C/s. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
22.7 34.4 35.9 35.4 25.0 36. 4 37.7 36.2
20.7 30.7 32.8 31.7 22. 4 30.2 31.8 30.1
24.7 41.8 45.6 44.
21.4 32.5 36.1
19. 31. 7 34.9
15.9 21.6 24.8
12.0 12.8 14.3
19.3
32.4
32.3
19.3
17.4
27.
43.
47. 6
34. 8
33.1
35.9
52.7
53. 9
38.5
36.0
___ do.......
Quart___
8.0
15-16 oz.can.
Pound...
36.5
32.7
14. 0
10. 5
46.6
36.8
14.0
10.9
57.5
___do__
27.7 29.5 29.4
Cheese___________
_do.
Lard______________
-do.
Vegetable lard substitute ___do.
Eggs, strictly fresh...
Dozen.
Eggs, storage..........1__ ___do.
Bread______________
Flour______________
Corn meal______ ____
Rolled oats_________
Corn flakes...................
Pound...
__ do__
__ do__
__ do__
8-oz. pkg.
Wheat cereal........ .
28-oz. pkg._
Macaroni_________
Pound___
Rice_____________
___do____
Beans, navy_______
__ do____
Potatoes______ _____ ___do____
25. 3 39.5 41.9
15.0 22.3 23.9
26.3 26.5
39."8 66.1 56.
30.3 47.4 45.8
6.1 9.9
2.9 4.
5.4
2.9 6.2 6.6
8.4 8.5
10.0 10.1
23.7 24.4
18.0 20.0
9.0 11.0 11.4
9.9 9.6
1.7 2.0 3.5
Onions...........
Cabbage____
Beans, baked.
Corn, canned.
Peas, canned.-
__ do___
__ do___
No. 2 can.
__ do___
----do___
Tomatoes, canned.
Sugar, granulated..
Tea______ ___ _
Coffee................... .
__ do..
Pound.
__ do..
---- do..
14. 14.5
5.1 8.4 6.5
55.0 73.4 74.3
30.7 49.2 51.3
Prunes__
----do.
__ do.
Dozen.
....d o .
19.1
16.5
41.8
57.4
Raisins...
Bananas.
Oranges..
Cleveland, Ohio
5. 1 6.0
3.
3.8
12. 8 12.8
16.9 17. 4
17. 17.6
18.3
15.2
40.8
69.6
19.2 27.7 28.4 28. 2 18. 6 25.8 26. 2 26. 1
16. 1 18.3 19.8 16. 6 17. C 20. 2 21. 1 21.3
11.5 14.0 15.1 15.2 12.6 12.0 13.1 13.1
19.8 26.8 35.1 33.2 21.6 31.8 40.2 36.9
24.6 35.9 43. 7 43.5 28.1 41.4 50. 7 50.4
28. 5 47.2 54.7 53.6 35. 7 49.3 56.3 54. 2
17. 5 31.4 35.2 35.1 18.1 32.8 37.2 36.1
20.2 34.0 34.1 32.2 19.9 35.2 37.2 30.3
29.3 -34. 6 36.0
29.7 35.6 35,6
8. Ö 10. 0 12.0 12. t 8. t 14.0 13.8 13. 8
10.1 10,1 10. 8
10. 4 n 2 11 2
38.2 46.9 58.0 57.5 40.7 50.4 61.5 61.7
31.2 32.4 32. 3
21.0 34.1 36.4
14.2 21.4 22. 8
25. 5 25. 7
44.3 70.7 51.7
33.6 42.8 38.6
36.1
21.6
25.6
69. 1
45.8
22 2
31. 5
24.0 33. 4
16.3 23. 7
26. 8
50.0 76.0
35.7 50.0
37.9
25.1
27.3
66.7
48.8
37.8
24. J.
27.2
79.6
50.7
4.8 8.5 9.2 9.2 5.6 8,0 8.1 8.0
3.3 5.2 5.9 5.9 3.2 5.5 5.9 5.9
2.8 4,3 4.5 4.3 3.0 5.0 5.4 5. 5
8.4 8,7 8.7
8. 7 9.4 9.5
10.2 10.2 10.2
10.1
11.0 11.3 11.2
23.4 24.0 24.3
24.8 24. 9 25.0
16.0 20.1 20.2
19. 8 21.4 21.5
8.8 10. 5 11.1 11.1 9.0 10.6 11.6 11.7
8.4 8.2 8.3
9.3 8.9 8.8
1.9 2.2 3.9 5.4 2.0 1.9 3.3 4.3
5.7
4.4 6.0 5.4
4.8 5.2 5.1
4.3
3.3 4. 1 4.2
3. 7 3. 9 4.1
12. ___ 11.1 11.3 .11. 3
12,3 13. 2 13.0
16.
14.9 15.7 15. 7
17.1 18. 1 18.2
17.6
17.3 18.0 17.9
17.7 17.9 17.8
14.4
13.6 13.2 13.1
14.6 14.3 14. 2
6.3 5.3 8.5 6.9 6.8 5.4 8.9 7.0 6.8
74.1 60.0 74.1 76.7 76. 7 50.0 66.6 79.2 79.0
51.8 25.6 44.0 45.6 45.7 26.5 51.0 53. 8 53.6
18.4
15.2
41.3
74.0
17.3
14.6
42. 5
42. 7
17.5
14.2
37. 5
62.2
17. 7
14.2
37.5
57.8
17.4
14. 7
49 8
51.8
17.4
14. 2
50 0
70.5
17.4
14.0
47 5
74.4
. ’ The steak for which prices are here quoted is called “ rump ” in this city, but in most of the other citie3
included in this report, it would be known as “ porterhouse” steak.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[80]
81
BETAIL PRICES OF FOOD
CLES OP FOOD IN 51 CITIES ON SPECIFIED DATES—Continued
Dallas, Tex.
Columbus, Ohio
Denver, Colo.
Detroit, Mich.
Fall River, Mass.
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
Nov. Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15, 15,
15, 15,
15,
15,
1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cis.
37.5
31. 7
29. 0
22. 1
15.0
38. 7
33. 5
29. 5
23. 5
15.8
37.3
32.7
29.1
22. 5
15.3
23.6 33.4
21.0 29. 1
20. 1 27. 5
16.4 21.3
15.0 16.0
30.2
42.3
46.4
39.4
33.2
36.7
49. 9
53.9
40.8
36.0
34.1
49. 6
52.7
42.2
36.4
37.5
31.6
22. 5
18.4
32.6 38.3
12.0 1 1 . 0
10. 5 11. 3
46.7 58.1
7.8
5. 1
4. 4
9. 5
10.5
41.8
49.4
39. 1
28.5
49. 2
55.8
44.9
30.5
31.4 38.2
39.3
11.0 10.8 15.0 15. 0
11. 4
13.1 13. 2
58.4 40.0 49.1 57.6
37.7
21.4
25.9
63. 3
46.0
46. 5
56. 3
43. 9
29.3
28.0
29.2
15.2
18.5
50.8
56.1
35.8
28.7
50. 2
55. 7
35.3
28.1
40.3
33.1 38. 2
15.0 8.4 11.8 12.0
13. 3
10.4 1 1 . 2
58.1 35.0 41.5 56.1
12 . 0
11. 2
33.1 33.3 33.8
.....
8 .1 5.3 8.8 8.5 8.6 5.5
6.1 3.3 5.2 5.8 5.8 2. 5
4. 3 4. 0 3.6 4.9 4.8 5. 0 2.6
10. 2 10. 7 10. 4
9. 4 9. 5
10.8 10.8 ..... 11 .2 11 .2 11.3 .....
24.4
22. 8
12.4
9.0
2.0 3.5
24.3
23. 7
25.8 27.0 26.4
2!. 4 21. 3 21. 5
12.6 9. 3 11.8 12. 5 12. 4 8.6
8.8 __ 11. 7 12 . 2 11.8 _ _
5.1 2.3 4.0 5.2 6.1 Ì. 6
14.4 14. 5
9.0 7.4
80.3 85.2
49.3 52.2
5.9 ..... 7.2 7.4 7.2
4.3 ___ 5.9 5.8 5.4
13.1 __ 15. 0 14.5 14. 5 __
15.6 __ 18.0 19. 1. 18.3
16.2 ....... 21.8 21.8 2 1.1 .......
14.0
14.7 14.0 13.3
7.0 5.6 9.7 7.6 7. 1 5. Ì
84.8 66. 7 100.0 103. 5 102. 7 52.8
51.6 36.7 54.9 59.6 59.3 29.4
18.6
14.8
39.4
45.0
17.4
14.6
38.0 __
63.9 .......
5.3
4. G
13. 5
14.4
16.3
6.9
4. 5
13. 1
17.0
16.3
17.5
14.6
37.5
64.9
25.6 38.4
20.6 30. 1
20. 0 26.3
15.2 20.1
11.4 12.3
40.8
33.8
29.9
22.5
13.5
39. 5 *34. 3
32.2 27.3
29. 5 23.3
22.2 18.3
13.5
42.7
50.4
32.8
27.6
22.3
27.0
15.1
19.2
40.2
51.4
34.7
34.7
38.6
30. 5
9.0 14. 0
10 . 1
57.6 37.1 47.7
29.6 29.7 30.1
.....
51.8
58. 0
41.4
38.1
50.6
56.8
40.0
36.8
37.7 38.7
14. 0 14.0
11.0 1 1 .1
158.4 1 61.9 160.9
43.4 46.6 45.1
27.4 31. 3 31.3
2 1.1 22.9 22.6
13.0 13.1 13.2
20.2 20.6 22.1
16.3 16.2 10. (1
7.9
4.4
4. 2
9. 1
8.4
5.1
4.4
8. 6
11.8 11.9
12.0
—
4.2 5.1
2.8 3.2
14. 1 14. 1
15.6 16.7
17.0 16.8
14.3 14.1
9.6 7.2
68.6 67.6
48.6 51.6
4.9
3.2
13.7
16.3
16.8 .......
14.2
6.3 5.2
67.6 43.3
52.4 29.3
19.1 19.1
14. 5 14.7
h i. 7 811. 3
63.3 63.6 ........
8Per pound.
[ 81 ]
34.5
46.8
39.6
41.3
31.2
9.0 14.0
12 .1
58.8 59.0 36.0 47.6
8.7
5.2 5.9
5.2 5.9
8. 8 9. 7
10.1 10.7
8.8
24.5 25.2 25.0
23.0 25.1
19 5 21 7
20 7 18 8 19 2
10.4 11.7 11.4 8.4 10.2 11.9
1 1 .1 . 1 1 .1 10.7
8.8 8.9
2.0 3.2 4.7 1.7 1.5 2.7
18.3
14.6
32. C 32.0 33.8
214.7
51.2 65.2 68.5 ....... 51.1
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8.4 5.6
5. 1 3.1
4.4 2.9
8. 8
25.7
30.4
19.3
24.6
29.6 30.5 30.5 ....... 32.2
20.0 33.2 37.5 37.0 26.1 37.0 39.3 39.1 22.3 34.6 37.9 37.2
16.8 24.9 25.9 25.9 16.0 23.1 24.7 24.1 16.4 22.6 24.7 23. 9
22.4 24. 6 24. 0
25. 5 25. 0 24. 7
25. 7 27.1 27. 0
40.0 54.8 52.0 55.9 45.0 61.8 55.0 64. 0 41.0 66.4 60.7 68.1
35. 0
45.5 33.0 43. 3 43.1 44. 8 32. 2 44.8 43. 2 46.7
8.1
6. 1
24.3
18. 3
10.9
9.4
30.9 30. 0
26.6 26.3
22.0 21. 7
17.2 17.1
9.9 10.6
21.8 31.7 38.7 35.2 20.4 31.2 36.6 36.1 19.4 29.7 41.0 38.5 23.3 30.9
29.8 31.0 31.2 —
34.3 37. 5
21.8 22. 6
25. 7 25. 9
64.8 51. 3
64. 0 48. 0
33.6 33.3 22.9 28.4
30.6 29.9 20.3 24.8
27. 7 27. 5 16. 7 2 1 . 1
21.0 21.4 15.3 16. 7
15.4 15.4 9.9 9.5
4.3
2.9
5.3
3.4
8.7
5.8
5. 6
9. 6
10.6
23.6 37.0
15.3 21.7
26. 0
58.8 93. 6
34.6 49.9
6.2
3.3
3.6
.....
25.5
21 '7
11.9 10.0
8.9
4.4 1.8
5.4
3.5
8.8
5.7
7.5
9. 6
11 .2
39.4
46.6
52.2
41.3
42.3
39.3
46.4
50. 5
42.1
42.9
35.1
14.0
12 5
56.9
35.9
14.0
12. 5
56.6
31.6 31.6
39.5
23.8
27. 6
84.3
49 4
39.2
22.7
27. 9
94.2
51. 2
9.1
9.2
6.2
6.1
7. 5 7.7
9. 7 9 9
11.7 11.7
25.9 26.5 26.2
22 4 24 fi 24 fi
1(16 113 11.3
10.2 10.6 10.4
1.9
3.6 5.3
5.7
4.5
6.2
6,0
12.2
16. 3 17.0 16.9
16.8
17.7 17.2 17.3 ..... 19.0
4.6 4.9
12.4 12.3
17.5 17.3
19.1 18.9
13.4 13.8 13.5
14.1
8.4 6.9 6.8 5.3 8.9
62.1 72.7 73. 1 44.2 60.1
49.1 51.4 51.9 33.0 50.6
13.1 12.7
6.7 6.7
63.1 62.8
53.3 53. 5
19.2
15.1
36.1
55.5
15.3
14.9
15.8 15. 5
14.3 14. 5
45.6
57.2 54.0
12 .1 11.8 11.8
18.7
14.6
33.8
73.2
18.5
14.5
33. 8
79.6 .....
810. 3 8 9. 7 89.9
82
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
T a b l e 5 .—AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTI
Houston, Tex.
Article
Unit
Sirloin steak_______________
Round steak______________
E,ib roast________ _________
Chuck roast ______________
Plate beef
Pound____
___ do _ _ __
___ do......... .
__ do___ __do___
Pork chops ............................
Bacon, sliced __ __
Ham, sliced_____________
Lamb, leg of___________ __
Hens -.
Salmon, canned, r e d . . __
Milk, fresh________ ____ ___
Milk, evaporated. .
Butter________ . . ___
Oleomargarine (all butter substitutes).
Indianapolis, Ind.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. 15— Oct. Nov. Nov. 15— Oct. Nov.
15, 15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925
1913 1924 1925 1925
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
27.3 30.8 30. 4 26. C 34. 7 37. S 36.8 25. 6 35. 0 36 4 35 9
26. 5
22.5
17.5
14.6
29.6
23. 7
19. 2
15.9
29.6
23. 5
19.0
15.8
24.7
17.8
16.3
12.9
32.9
25.1
20.9
13.8
36. 3
28. 3
23. 7
14. 7
34. 8
28. 1
23. 7
14. 7
21 . 2 28. 8 30 0 30 5
21 . 6 27. 0 26. 5 26 6
14. 4 18. 3 19. 4 20. 2
1 1 . 2 10, 7 12 . 2 12 4
___do_____
___do___ _
___ do____
__ do_____
.do __
31.5
41. 6
45.8
31.0
32.3
39.3
50. 1
52. 3
36.0
35. 7
37.1
49. 7
51. 7
36.0
35.3
21.5
29. 2
30. 3
19.0
19.8
29.6
36. 9
47. 4
36. 7
32.1
38. 2
46. 8
55.9
40. 0
35. 8
35. 7
45. 7
54. 2
40. 8
34. 7
24.0
30. 9
30. 2
21 . 6
24. 6
___ do___ _
Quart_____
15-16 oz. can
Pound ___
___ do_____
31.2
15.8
11.5
49.2
31.6
32.9
17.3
11.7
58. 4
31.0
34.8
17.3
33.8 32. 1 31.4
33.0 32. 5 37.3
31.4
31.4 32.2 32.4
29.8 31.2 31.7
_ _do____
Cheese . . ____ ______
___ do____
Lard.
_____
-..
Vegetable lard substitute___ __ . . d o ____
Eggs, strictly fresh_________ Dozen_____
__do......... .
Eggs, storage______ ______
32.0
23. 9
19.0
54.4
43.9
34. 7
24. 2
17.8
47.1
40.0
34. 5
24. 2
17. 5
54. 7
41.3
Pound____
___ __
8.0
Bread . .
_do_____ 5. 4
Flour ..
___do___ . 5.0
Corn meal________________
Roiled oats________________ _ .do_____ 9. 2
Corn flakes________________ 8-oz. pkg.. . 11.0
8.9
47 4
53. 6
39. 5
38 8
8.0 12.0 11.8 11.8 12.3 19.3 22.0 22.0
10.0 10.6 10.6
11.6 12.0 12.3
58. 1 37. 5 46. 7 58. 4 57.1 39.0 49. £ 58. 7 59. 8
21. 3 34.1 37.4
15.0 20. 8 23.0
26. 9
43. 5 60.1 50. 2
35. 8 46.3 45. 0
8. 9 5.1
6. 0 3. 2
4. 9 4. 9 2. 6
9.2 9. 2
6.0
12.0 11.8
___ do....... .
6.3 6.0
___ do_____ 5.3 5. 3
No. 2 can
13.4 12.5
_ .do__
17.1 17. 5
___ do__ _
17. 5 17.3
35. 7
47. 1
53. 6
36. 7
38. 5
11.6
Wheat cereal_______ _____ 28-oz. nkg__ 24.4 25.4 25. 5
Marcaroni___ . . . . . Pound.. .. . 19. 3 19. 2 19. 2
_do_____ 9. 5 9. 7 9. 8 9. 2
Rice
_________ ___
Beans, navy_____________ . ___ d o ____ 1 1 .1 11 .1 10. 7
Potatoes_______ _________ ___ do____
4.0 5. 2 6. 2 1. 7
Onions ______________ ____
Cabbage__ ________ ____
Beans, baked........................
Corn, canned_________
Peas, canned______________
31. 3
36. 4
44. 4
36. 0
35.1
6. 3
5. 2
12. 5
17. 0
17.5
34.9
24.1
24. 6
69.3
48. 0
35.1
24 3
24 5
72.1
49. 3
8.1 8.1
5. 8 5.8
4. 6 4. 4
8. 2 8.1
10.0 10. 2 10.1
6. 2 10 3 1 1 . 0
3. 7 5. 8 6. 8
2. 9 4. 3 4. 2
9. 2
10. 9 11.6
11.0
6. 6
24.9
19.1
10. 7
9. 3
1. 7
6. 8
37.0
21.4
26.9
64,5
45. 7
8. 5
5. 4
4. 5
7. 6
24.8 24.8
20. 6 20. 6
11. 5 1 1 . 6
8. 9 8.8
3. 2 4.9
4. 7 6. 2
3. 5 4. 2
12.8 31. 8
16. 2 36. 7
16. 5 16. 7
6.1
4.1
11.8
15. 7
16. 7
22. 5 31. 5
15.7 21.4
24. 4
45.0 66.2
40. 0 47.4
4 3
9. 9
11 . 6
25.1 24.8 25 0
20. 2 20. 6 20 9
9. 6 10. 8 30 6
10. 6 10.9 1 1 . 0
2. 5 3.1 4. 5 6. 7
6.9 8.0 8.0
4. 7 6.6 6. 3
1 1 . 1 11.3 11. 3
18. 8 39. 4 19 2
19.0 19. 7 19. 7
. .do_____ 13. 5 12.0 11. 4
14.4 14. 4
Tomatoes, canned______
Sugar, granulated-___ _____ Pound......... 8.7 6.6 6.6 5.7 9.0 6.9
Tea_______ _____________ ___ do_____ 73. 2 74. 2 74. 2 60.0
78.8
Coffee________ ____________ ___ do........... 45.9
45. 6 30.0 49.1 51. 2
14. 2
12 . 0 11. 3 11 . 2
6.7 5.9 8.9 7.0 7.1
79. 2 60. 0 93. 9 95. 3 94. 7
51.4 34. 5 49.1 51.8 50.8
Prunes___________________ ___ do........... 18.3 16.7
Raisins___________________ ___ do_____ 15. 4 14.9
Bananas________________ ;. Dozen........ . 31.0 31.1
Oranges_____ ___________ ___ do......... 43. 2 50. 7
19. 8
15.0
30.0
58. 8
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 82 ]
16.8
14.3
29.4
56.1
19.3
15. 6
30. 8
42. 7
19.1
15.5
29. 6
59. 1
17.7
36. 3
32.0
30. 6
18.4
15. 3
28.6
49. 3
17.9
15.8
28. 6
53. 9
EETAIL PKICES OF FOOD
S3
CLES OF FOOD IN 51 CITIES ON SPECIFIED DATES—Continued
Kansas City, Mo.
Little Rock, Ark.
Los Angeles, Calif.,
Louisville, Ky.
Manchester, N . E.
Nov. 15— Oct. Nov. Nov. 15— Oct. Nov. Nov. 15— Oct. Nov. No5 .1 5 - Oct. Nov. Nov . 15— Oct.Nov.
15, 15,
15, Ir»,
15, 15,
15, 15.
15, 15,
1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. CIS. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cls.
24. e 37.3 39.1 38.1 25.0 33.1 33.3 32.5 23.9 35.1 38.1 35.5 23. 0 31.1 32. 5 32.5 134.8 154.6 158.4 1 57.4
22.3
18.1
15.6
12.2
31.1
25.7
18.8
11.2
32.0
26.3
19.6
12.6
31.4 20.0
26. 0 20.0
19. 4 16.3
12.6 13.0
30.0
25.2
18.2
14.4
29.5
26.4
21.0
14.8
29.5 21.4
26.1 18. 9
19.2 16.0
15.6 13.4
28.4
28.3
18.5
13.7
30.2
29.1
19.3
13.8
29.3 20. 0
28.4 18.1
19.1 15.5
13.7 13.1
27.3
23. 9
17.1
13.1
28.8
24. 1
18.5
14.8
28.3 29.5
24.4 20.8
18.8 18.0
14.8 —
43.5
26.5
21.4
15.3
46.3
28. 4
22, 9
15.9
45.9
28.4
22.3
15.7
20.8
30.9
28. 8
18.3
15.8
27.4
42.0
46. 0
33. 5
30.0
37.2
52.0
55.0
33. 7
31.5
35.4 21.0
51. 3 36. 7
55. 7l27. 5
33. Ot18. 8
30. 9jl8.8
30.7
40.3
48. 0
38.1
29.8
35.0
50.6
51.3
41. 7
32.4
34.0 26.0
48.8 33.5
50.7 35.0
40.0 18.6
30.8 26.3
39.5
48.4
59. 0
32.4
40.8
47.3
58.2
68.3
37.8
42.2
43.7 19.6
58.2 28.6
67. 3 29. 0
37.8 18.2
42.4 23.0
27. S
35.4
41.8
35.6
35.2
33.5
48.8
47. 7
36.3
36.8
33.6
47.1
46.3
38.8
37.1
22.0
24.0
28.3
20. 0
23.7
30.4
34.9
40. 7
35.6
41.8
38.5
43.5
47.7
37.7
42.0
39.5
43.6
46.4
38.0
42. 2
34.2 .37.4
9. i 13.0 13.0
11. 5 11.9
32. Î 46.9 58. 1
27.9
27.3
—-
37.6
13.0:10.5
11. 8 ___
56. 8 45. 0
27.6 — -
31.4 38.5
15. 7 15.3
11.6 12.4
48.3 58.9
30.1 29.1
38.1
15.3 1Ö.0
12.4
58.8 39.7
29.4 — -
33.0
14.2
9. 5
49.3
30.9
35.1
15.0
10.2
65.2
32.6
35.1
15.0 8.6
10.2
65. 2 40. 0
33.7 — -
29.9
13.0
11.4
49.5
30.6
31,9
14.0
12.0
59.9
32.1
32.9
14.0 8.5
11.9
59.8 41.8
33.0 —
30.7
14.0
12.8
48.0
27.0
37.3
14.0
13.1
58.4
27.5
38.2
14.0
13.0
60.1
28.0
22.0 33. 7
1G. 4 23.0
26. 8
35. 3 59.3
32. 5 43. 7
36.7
24. 2
27.8
47. 8
41. 0
36.9123.3
23. 3¡16. 5
27. 51___
60. 9 37. 5
42.3 - - - -
33.2
23.1
23.0
52. 4
50.0
37.6
24.3
23. 9
51. 0
43.3
37.6 19,5
24.4 18.1
23.3
55.7 58.8
51.3 37.0
37.4
22.2
25. 6
66.5
46.8
39.2
25.4
25.6
65. 0
50.7
39.7 22.5 32.4
24.9 15.8 21.8
26. 7
25.6
63.9 4L 3 58.7
50.4 35.0 —
36.5
23.2
28.2
49.7
44.0
37.5
22.0
28.2
71.1
47.0
22.0 35.4 37.8
15.8 21.9 23.3
24.4 26.3
60. 5 82. 3 73.1
40. 0 51.0 50. 6
37.4
22.7
26.3
82.0
50.3
8.4
5.2
5. 5
9. 0
10.8
9. 7
5.9
5.4
9.2
12. 4
9.8 6.0 8.1
5.9 3.6 5.8
5. 5 2. 8 4. 2
9.2
9.6
12.4 —
11.7
8.8
6.6
4. 2
10.4
12.3
8.8 6.0 9.1 9.3 9.3 5.7 8.9
6.6 3. 0 5.2 5.5 5. 6 3.5 5.8
4.3 3.4 5. 3 5.6 5.4 2.4 4. 3
8.4
10.2
9.9 9.9 9.9
10.4
12.3 —
10.5 10.1 10.1 —
9.3 9.3 5.9 8.3 8.7
6.6 6.5 3.4 5.7 6. 1
4.2 4. 1 3.4 5.0 5.4
9.0 8. 7
8.6 8.4
10.9 11.5
10.7 10.7 —
8.6
6.1
5.5
8.8
11.4
0.0
3.0
2.9
—
25.2
21.4
8. 7 9. 9
9. 8
2.0 2.0
—
6.2
3, 8
33! o
15.2
15.9
24.8 24. 6
26.1 26.5
19.8 20.9
21.1 21.1
10.5 10.4 8.3 9. S 10. 7
9.8 9.8
9.9 9.8
3.7 5.1 2.4 2.6 4.3
6.8
6.9
44
13. 6 13. 6
16.2 16.3
16.6 16.4 —
24. 5
24.6 24.2 24.2
24.6
22.8 24.5 24.7
24.0
17.4 18.4 18.4
20.8
17.5 17.4 17.5
9.9 7.7 10. 9 11.2 11.1 8.7 10,1 11.5 11.6 8.8 10.1
9.5
8.6 8.3 8.3
9.8
9.9 10.3 9.7
5.8 1.9 3.0 4.1 5.5 2. Ï 1.9 4.0 5.5 1.6 1.7
6.4 7.2 7.0
4 3 4. 7 4 8
12.5 11.9 11.9
16.1 17.4 17.4
19.1 19.2 18.9 —
5.6
5. 0
5.8 5.8
4. 3 5. 0
12.4 11.6 11.6
17.6 17.3 17.0
18.5 18.5 18.4 . . . .
4.7
4.0
11. 5
15.7
15.8
6.8 5.5
5. 2
11.1 11.1
18.2 18.0
17.5 17.5 —
25.0
24.2
10. 9
9.5
3.2
25.0
24.5
11.2
9.3
4.8
4.7 4.8 4.9
3.5 3.3 3.3
14.3 14.3 14.2
18.6 18.5 18.5
21.5 20.0 20.2
14.1
5.7 9. 1
¡54. 0 78.2
27.8 51.2
13. 5
7.2
79.0
52.5
13.0
6.8 5.3
79.3 50. 0
53.3 30.8
13.9 13.8
12.3 12.5 12.1
3 15.6 2 15.9 »15.8
13.2 12. 7 12.9
9.5 7.2 7.4 5.3 8.9 6. 5 6.3 5.3 9.1 7.1 6.9 5.3 8.9 6. 7 6.8
91.2 102. 2 100.8 54.5 74.6 76.5 76.5 65.0 73.6 76.3 76.3 47.5 59.8 62.1 62.2
52.3 56.1 56.1 36.3 53.7 53.3 53.9 27.5 49.8 51.0 51.8 32.0 50.6 52.5 52.5
17.1
15.8
13.4
53.9
17.5
15. 5
10.7
60.0
18.0
15.4
10.5
69.0 — -
17.9
16.0
310.9
42.3
. . . .
18.1
16.1
3 8.9
59.3
17.7
16.1
3 9.4
60.7 — -
15.7
12.2
»12.6
45.4
16.1
12.0
»9.7
61.5
16.1
12.2
» 9. 4
56.3 —
14.9
14.1
37.0
41.3
18.3
14.9
37.0
62.1
18.9
14.5 __
37.0 __
60.9 .......
15.8
14.3
» 10.6
50.6
15.6
14.3
» 8.3
60.9
16.1
14.3
»8.5
63 6
i The steak for which prices are here quoted is called “ sirloin ” in this city, but in most of the other cities
included in this report it would be known as '‘porterhouse” steak.
» No. 2Yi can.
8 Per pound.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[833-
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
84
T able
5 .—AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTI
Memphis, Tenn,
Unit
Article
Milwaukee, Wis.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Nov
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
15, 15,
15, 15,
1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925 1913
Oct. Nov.
15, 15,
1925 1925
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
Sirloin steak__________. Pound........
Round steak_____ ____ ....... do_____
Rib roast__ .. ......... ...... ____-do_____
Chuck roast__________ ___ do_____
Plate beef....... .............. ....... do..........
24.0
20.0
21 0
15. C
12.5
32. 5
28.6
24.3
17. 7
13.5
35. 0
32.3
25.8
18.9
14.3
34.4
31.7
25.4
19. C
14.8
23. 6
21.6
18.4
16.2
12. 1
36. 7
31.7
27.3
22.3
12.8
38.2
33.9
28. 1
23.5
14.2
36. S
31.0
26.4
23. 0
13.8
20. 0
18.7
17.7
15. 3
10. 1
28.3 31.5 30.5
25.0 28.4 27.4
22. 2 24. 7 24.1
17.2 18. 6 18. 7
10.9 11.1
Pork chops____ _____. .
Bacon, sliced______ ___
Ham, sliced___. . . . ____
Lamb, leg of__________
Hens _______________
___ do_____
____do___ _
-„-„-do_____
__d o ____
___ do__........
20.5
30.0
29.0
20. 6
19.5
26.2
37.3
45.4
36. 8
30.5
34.0
44. 7
51.3
37. 5
34.0
33.8
45.4
51.3
37. 3
31.8
19.6
27.8
28, 2
19. C
17.2
27.4
39. 4
45. 9
34. C
29. 5
37.5
48.0
50.3
37. £
31.2
34.0
47.3
49.3
37. 7
30.2
18.0
27. 7
30.0
14. 6
16.4
27.6
42.5
47.2
31.4
30.
35.7
50.3
52.3
34.4
30.8
Salmon, canned, red___
Milk, i'resh------------ . . .
Milk, evaporated - _
Butter_____________ .
Oleomargarine (all hutter substitutes).
38.9
__do_____
Quart_____ 10.0 15.0
11. 2
15-16 oz. can
Pound____ 38.8 45.5
24.9
___ do__ . . .
32.4
15.3
11.4
56.0
26. 1
32. 3
34.7
15.3 7.0 10.0
11. 6
10. 8
56.5 36.6 45.8
29.1
28.0
31.3
10.0
11. 4
56. 7
30.0
31. 0
36.6
10.0 8.0 11.0
11.2
11.3
56.9 36.3 44. 1
27.6
30.6
35.2
55.6
28.4
Cheese________ ______
Lard
Vegetable lard substitute
Eggs, strictly fresh ___
Eggs, storage...................
___ do_____ 22.0 29.8 33.9
___ do_____
20. 1 21.8
24.3 24.2
___ do_____
Dozen_____ 38. Ö 53. 0 46.7
___-do........... 30.0 45.0 41.0
34.2
20.8
24.2
53. 7
43.3
22.3 31. 8
16.0 22.5
26. 1
45. 0 61.1
33.0 43.6
34.8
24.4
26.9
52.2
41.8
35.0
23.6
26.8
62.6
43.4
21.3 31. 7
15.6 22.1
27.4
4L 6 55. 1
31.6 44.8
36.4
23.1
27.4
48.5
42.0
Bread_______________
Flour........... ............. .
Corn meal __________
Rolled oats
Corn flakes__________
Pound.........
........do_____
____ do_____
___ do_____
8-oz. pkg___
9.2
4.0
5. 2
8. 3
9.8
9.0
5. 3
5.5
8. 7
10.5
9.0
5.3
5.5
8.6
10.5
Wheat cereal............. .
Macaroni _
Rice - ___ _______
Leans, navy__________
Potatoes...........................
28-c-z. p k g...
Pound.
___do_____
.. ..d o. . .
....... do...........
Onions _____________
Cabbage
Beans, baked................ .
Corn, canned_________
Peas, canned_________
___ do..____
___ do
No. 2 can__
____do_____
___ do_____
6.0
3.5
2.5
9. 1
5.8
4.3
9.2
10.8
___do_____
- ___do_____
Dozen_____
____ do_____
1Whole.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
9.7
6.8
3.9
9. 5
11.1
5.7
3.1
3.3
23.7 25. 5 26.0
23.9
17.8 19. 6 19.6
17. 5
9.5 10. 3 10.3 9. Ö 10.8
9.8 9.5 9. 5
9.3
2.0 2.9 4.0 5.6 1.7 1.7
8.1
4.7 5.3 5.3
3.4 3.8 3.9
12.4 12.0 12.1
15.9 16.8 16.6
18.8 18.4 18.4
12. 6
Tomatoes, canned_____
do__ _
5. 1 8.8
Sugar, granulated-------- Pound____
85.
5
___
do_____
63.8
Tea
_________
do
27.5 49.2
Coffee______________
Pm nos
_________
___________
"Raisins
Bananas____________
Oranges
9.7
6.8
3.9
9. 5
11.2
16.9
15.2
33.3
42.4
14.3
12.0
6.8 5.3 8.4
96.4 50.0 70.0
50.4 27.5 44. 7
17.1
14.6
33.0
65.5
17.3
14.6
30.0
01.2
[84]
18.5
14.7
311. 2
54.3
12.0
12.0
36.5
22.
27.4
52.9
44.6
10. 0
5.4
5.5
8.4
10.9
24.2 24.3
23.9
17.4
18.6 18.7
11.5 11.6 8.6 10.7
9.1 9. 2
9.5
2.4 4.1 1.6 1.3
4.5 4.8 4.7
3.0 2.9 3.9
11.7 11.4 11.4
16.6 16. 9 16.9
17.0 16.9 16.8
12. 1
7.0
97.2
51.1
s No. 3 can.
5.6
2.8
2.5
33.7
50.0
51.
34.0
30.3
25.8
18.9
11.6
9.3
4.3
4.9
2.2
13.6
15.3
16.7
14.7 14.4
14.7 14.5 14.6
6.4 6. 1 5.1 9. 1 6.8 6.4
71.8 71.9 45.0 63.9 62.1 62. 1
47.4 47.4 30.8 50.5 54.2 54.1
17.3
14. 5
39.2
66.0
17.3
14.4
3 9.2
70.2
3 Per pound.
17.3 17.2 17.0
15.4 14.3 14. 2;
313.4 310.9 310. öl
57.6 62. 2, 71. 4
RETAIL PRICES OF FOOD
85
CLES OP POOD IN 51 CITIES ON SPECIFIED DATES—Continued
Newark, N. J.
Mobile, Ala.
New Haven, Conn.
New Orleans, La.
New York, N. Y.
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Nov. Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov*
15, 15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15,_
15,
15,
1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1325 1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925i
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
30.3 32. 5 32.9 27. 4 45. 1 47.2 45.8 32. 2 51.1 55. 1 54.6 21.5 32.0 34.3 33. 0 25.9 42.9 47.6 45.5
29. 3 31.3 31. 7
24. 7 26.3 25. 4
19. 5 20.8 20.4
15.6 16. 1 16.0
42.5
35.2
24. 2
12.7
44.8
36.8
25.7
13.8
42. 3 29.6
35. 9 23.8
25. 0 19.6
13.8 .......
42. 7
34.5
25.3
14.4
44.6
36. 1
27.6
14.7
44. 5
35.9
26.7
16.0
19.0
18.0
14.9
11.9
28.4
28. 1
19. 2
16. 7
29. 9
29. 1
20. 5
16.8
29.1
29.0
19.7
17.5
40.4 23.7 32.0
44.8 25.3 39. 7
50. 7 119.8 127.3
39. 4 19. 7 36. 2
36.4 22.0 37.8
39.5
45. 1
54. 7
38.5
37.6
37.2
45. 2
53. 2
38. 2
37.7
30.3
39.6
52. 5
36.8
39.5
40.6
50.5
58. 1
39.7
42. 2
39. 4
50. 4
57.5
39. 5
42.2
24.5
30. 5
26.0
20. 5
20.5
30.7
38.7
44.9
35. 9
34.2
37.9
47.1
50. 4
40.2
36.3
36.6 22.6 33.9 42.6
46. 5 25.6 39.0 50.0
49.6 27. 8 52. 1 59.5
38. 7 15. 1 34. 8 37.0
35.0 21. 1 37.9 39.3
40.7
49.5
59.4
36.9
39.0
26.8
9.0 16. 0
10.5
49.0 60.3 60.6 42. 7 51.6
30.6 30.5 30.8 —
31.3
30.5 32.4 33.9
9.Ö 16.0 16.0 16.6 9.8
11.6 12. 1 12.2
60. S 61.1 36.3 47. 6 58.2 58.8 38.1
32.0 33.3 33.2 .......
31.3 31.3 —
•38.4
14. 0
10. 4
48.3
31.2
37.3
14.0
11. 1
57.9
31.9
29.2
9.5 15.0
10.3
58.8 39.9 50. 1
29.9
32.0
34.9
15.0
33.8
22. 5
21. 2
56.3
49.8
35.7
23.8
21.5
50. 0
43.3
39.7
24.4
26.3
74.8
46.8
9.2
5.8
4. 6
8. 5
11. 1
9. 6 9.6 5.6
6.7 6. 6 3. 6
4. 2 4. 0 3.6
8. 9 8.8 __
11.3 11.3 —
36.5
38. 6
43.8
36.9
34.3
39. 2
44.9
50. 7
38.8
36.4
27. 3
21.3
17.8
12.4
29.0 35.3 36.9
20. 0 17.8 17.8
11. 2 12. 1 12. 1
37.2
23.2
21. 3
59.2
47.9
24.8 38. 1
16.3 22. 9
25.1
67. Ö 32. 0
36.8 51.4
23.7 24.3 24. <8
20. 1 20. 6 20. 8
9. 7 10.4 10.6
10.6 10.0 9.5
3.0
4.3
6.5
4.9 5.7
4. 5 4.8
11.6 11. 1
16.9 18. 2
16.8 16.7
5.5
4.8
11.0
17.6
16.2
8.7
5.4
6.7
8. 2
9.4
23.0
28.8
32.4
19.8
23.8
34.3 35.1
15. 0 15.0
11.2 11.2
23.5 30. 7
15. 7 22. 2
24.8
59. 7 86.4
33.0 51.3
38.6
24.6
25.8
79.4
47.0
38.9
23.8
25.8
92. 2
49.6
6.0 8.3
3.2 5.4
6.6__
3. 2 6.3
9. 1
8.3
10.1 10.1....... 10.4
8.9
5.9
6.9
9. 1
10.9
8.9 4.8 8.3 8.9
5.8 3. 7 6.2 7. 4
6.7 2.8 4. 5 4. 5
9. 2
9. 2 9.0
10.9 —
10.5 10.5
9.1
5.8
6.5
8.4
39. 8
23. 4
26. 3
81.6
47.6
9.2
5.9
21.9 32.9 35.7
15. 0 21.8 23. 0
22. 2 22. 8
41.3 53.9 50. C
30. 0 43.5 38.3
23.2 24.0 24.0
23.6 24.6 24.9
22. 6 22.9 23. C
20. 9 21. 1 21.1
9.9 10.8 10, 7 9.3 10.9 11.8 12.1 7.5
10. 1 10. 1 10.0
9.6 9.9 10. 1
2.7 2.3 4.1 5.4 1.8 2.1 3.7 5.3 2.2
9.5
5.0
4.0
13.3
15.5
18. 7
5.4
4.5
11. 5
16.8
17.8
5.4
4.8
11.5
17.2
17.2
5.4 6.1 6.2
3.9 4.9 4.8
12. 1 11. 6 11.9
17.8 19.2 18.9
20.1 20.7 20.1
23.7 24.6
8.9 9.6
9.3 9.8
9.8 9. 2
2.9 4.1
4.9
3.6
5.2
4.4
12.2 11.4
16.2 15.6
17.1 17. 6
25.4 41.0 44.8 43.0
21.3 36. 6 40.8 39.2
16.0 22.8 26. 2 25.2
14.5 18.5 21.0 20.6
37.7
14.0
11.0
34.3
15. 0
11. 2
60. 5
30.1
11.2
60.9
30.3
20.2 36. 4
22.6 16.2 23.3
35.8
37.7 37.8
24. 7 24.1
22. 5
25.9 25.8 25.8
54.9 56.1 80.1 72.8 82.5
43.3 37.3 49.1 48.5 48.5
8.9 6.0 9.5
7.4 3. 2 5.5
4.4 3.5 6.2
9. 1
8. 7
10.5 —
10.0
6.1 6.0
6. o 6.6
8.7 8.6
10.0 10.0
24.4
9.6
9.9
9.0
5.9
20.6
8.0 10.0
10.6
23.8 23.8
21.3 21.2
10.5 10. 6
11.3 11.1
4.1 5.7
5.2
4.7
11.4
15.6
16. 5
11.6
16. 5
22.7
2.3
2.7
4.6
3.3
17. 7
9.6
9.6
5.8 5.6
4.2 4.3
11. 5 11.5
16.5 16.2
16. 7 Iß. 3
12.5 12.0 11.6
12. 1 11.6 11.4
222. 2 223.0 222.7
12.8 12. 1 11.8
13.1 11.4 11.4
8.9 6.6 6.6 5. 2 8.4 6.3 6.0 5.2 8.9 6.6 6. 5 5.1 S. 1 5.9 6.0 4.9 8.2 5.9 5.8
80. 2 79.7 79. 7 53.8 57.6 62. 2 61.8 55.0 59.7 58.5 58.5 62. 1 81. 2 82. 2 82.2 43. 3 62.4 64.1 64. 2
48.1 51.6 51.3 29.3 46.2 49.2 49.4 33.8 50.6 53.0 52.8 25.7 43.8 37.5 37.7 27.2 45.8 47.5 47.8
17.0 17.6 17.6
16.4 14.3 14.7
27.5 22. 1 21.4
35.7 50.0 55.0 —
16.1
14. 0
36.3
52.8
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
16.2
33. 6
38.4
70.3
16.0
13.7
37.2
77.0 —
16.8 17.5 17.2
14. S 14. 0 33. 9
33.9 33.8 33. 5
50.5 66. 1 74.5 —
18.5 18.4 18.8
14. 8 13. 9 13. 8
17.9 18.0
41.5 58.8 55.0 .....
20. 0
16.1 16.1 10.0
14 9 14 3 14. 3
39.0 37.8 39.2
56.9 82.3 91.3
86
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW
T able
5 .—AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTI
Norfolk, Va.
Article
Unit
Omaha, Nebr.
Nov. 15—
Nov. Oct. Nov.
15,
15,
15,
1924 1925 1925 1913 1924
Peoria, 111.
Oct. Nov. Nov. Qct. Nov.
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
1925 1925 1924 1925 1925
Cis. Cts. Cts. Cis. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
39.2
33.3
31.6
21.4
14. 9
40.7
34.6
32. 6
22. 3
16.2
40. 3
33. 7
31. 6
22. 6
15.7
25.9
23.1
20.0
17.0
11.1
36. 1
31.9
25.3
20. 4
10.8
38.4
34. 3
27.2
21.4
11. 7
36.8 33.7
33.1 31.2
26.4 22. 5
21. 2 19. 7
12.2 12.6
29.6
34.8
40. 6
36. 4
33.8
36.1
4S.2
45.4
40.2
36.8'
35.8 21.1
48.1 28.8
44.6 31.3
41. 4 16. 7
35.7 16.3
31.7
42.4
47.8
36. 6
28.9
38.6
52. 5
56.6
38. 5
30.8
36.8
52.2
55. 5
37. 7
29.1
28.4
41.8
46.2
36.3
31.5
35. 2
51.0
52.9
37.5
31. 5
32.6
50. 0
51. 4
36.8
31.1
Salmon, canned, red___ ___ do__
Milk, fresh................... .
Quart_____
Milk, evaporated. ......... 15—
16 oz. can.
Butter_______________ Pound____
Oleomargarine (all but ___ do_____
ter substitute).
31.0
17. 0
10. 6
50.4
28.7
33.1
17. 0
11.5
59.7
27.6
34.6
17.0
8.7
11.4
59. 9 37.0
27.5
32.9
12. 1
11.1
44. 5
29.9
37. 5
12.1
11. 7
54. 6
30.2
37.8
12. 1
11.8
55. 1
31. 3
32.0 37.3
12. 0 12.0
11.3 11.7
46. 5 55. 3
31.1 31. 5
37.6
12.0
11.6
55.7
31. 2
Cheese________ _____
-.do.
L ard ...___ ______ ____
..do_
Vegetable lard substitute. ....... do.
Eggs, strictly fresh........... Dozen.
Eggs, storage________... ___do.
31.8
21. 1
22.0
66.0
47.7
34.4
23. 1
22. 5
55.4
44.8
34.8
22.8
22.2
63.9
46.1
32.8
24.4
27. 4
50.1
43.9
36.8 36.9
26.2 25.7
28.2 28.0
43.8 ’ 48. 7
41.0 43.8
33.8
22.6
27.2
56.8
42.6
35.5
24.1
27.3
47.7
42.8
35.8
23.7
27.4
60.1
45.8
Bread....... .........................
Flour________________
Corn m eal.... ....................
Rolled oats........................
Corn flakes...................... .
Pound___
___ do___
___ d o .....
___ do.......
8-oz. pkg._
8.1
9.5
9.5
5.2
5.4
6.1 .6.0
2.7
4. 6 4.7
4.8
2.7
7.9
8. 6 8. 6
10.3 10.4 10.4 .........
9.4
9.8
4. 6 5.3
4.9
5.0
10.3 10.4
12.1 12.5
9.8
5.2
5.0
10. 7
12. 5
8.6
5.3
4.9
8.8
11.4
10.0 10.0
5.8
5.8
5. 1 5.0
9.3
9.2
12.1 12.0
Wheat cereal...........
Macaroni________
R ice........................
Beans, navy______
P o ta to es...............
28-oz. pkg.
Pound___
-----do.......
___ do___
___ do.......
24.3
19.7
11.0
9.8
2.5
23.9 23.9
19.3 19.5
11. 5 11.4
9.5
9.1
4.0
5.8
24.8
21.0
10.1
10.1
1.7
26.7
21.6
10.6
10.1
3.7
27.8 25.4
21. 6 19.4
10.8 10.6
9.9
9.6
5.5
1.8
Onions............
Cabbage____
Beans, baked.
Corn, canned.
Peas, canned..
___ do.......
___ do___
No. 2 can.
___ do___
-----do___
5.0
3.4
9.9
15.3
19.2
6.4
4.2
10.1
16.7
21.3
5.1
3.4
14.8
16. 4
17.0
5.9
4.2
14.6
17.0
17.1
5.7
4.1
14.6
16.7
16.9
Tomatoes, canned______
Sugar, granulated.............
Tea________ __________
Coffee................................
___ do.
Pound.
-----do.
___ do.
6.4
4.1
10.1
16.1
21.3 .......
32. 6 10. 6 10.6
8.3
6.2
6.0
5. 7
83.7 92.0 91.4 56.0
47.4 49.8 49.3 30.0
Prunes...
Raisins...
Bananas .
Oranges..
___ do.
___ do_
Dozen.
___ do.
15.9 16.2
13.7 14.0
34. 3 35.0
45.0 63.6
Sirloin steak.
Round steakRib roast___
Chuck roast..
Plate beef___
Pork chops........ ............ .
Bacon, sliced................... .
Ham, sliced.................... .
Lamb, leg of...................
Hens............................... .
Pound.
___ do..
___ do.
___ do..
___ do..
.do.
-do.
-do.
.do.
.do.
16.5
14.0
33.8
60.5
23.3
17.7
43.3
30.0
8.5
1.8
14. 8 15.3
9.1
7.2
77. 4 76.8
52.1 57.5
17.5
16.5
34.3 32.5
33.4 31. 6
23.8 23.0
20. 4 19. 5
13.4 13.3
25.3
21.1
11.8
8.9
3.5
25.3
20.8
11.6
8.9
4.9
5.8
6.4
6.2
3.5
3.6
4.6
12.4 1L 7 11.8
14.5 16. 5 16.6
18. 6 18.8 18.8
15.2 15.6
6.7
9.5
77. 1 61.8
57.5 49.3
15.2
7.5
62.9
52.1
14.4
7.4
64. 2
52.1
17.9 19.4 19.6 19.6
16.0 15.4 14.9 14.3
<9.9 4 13.1 4 9.1 4 9. 4
54.1 56. 6 48.1 62.7 65.4
18.0
16.2
i 13. 5 4 10.3
46.0
1 The steak for which prices are here quoted is called “ sirloin” in this city, but in most of other cities
included in this report it would be known as “ porterhouse” steak.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[86]
B E T A IL P R IC E S OF FOOD
87
CLES OF FOOD IN 51 CITIES ON SPECIFIED DATES—Continued
Philadelphia, Pa.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Portland, Me.
Portland, Oreg.
Providence, R. I.
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Oct. Nov. Nov. Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov,
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
15, 15, 15, 15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
15,
15,
1924.
1925
1925
1925
1925
1925
1925
1925
1925
1913 1924
1913 1924
1913 1924 1925 1925
1913 1924
Nov. 15—
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
Cts. C?s. Cts. Cts.
î 30. 5 i 50.0 i 55.6 1 54.8
25. 7 37.8 42. 0 39.6
21. 5 33.3 37.3 36.5
13.0 21.5 23.8 23.2
12.0 11.0 11. 7 11. 7
27.3
24.0
21. 7
17.3
12.8
44. 3
36.4
32.9
22. 9
11.4
46. 6
39.0
33.1
24.3
12.4
45.9 157.4 1 61.6 459.6
37.5 43.3 46.8 45. 1
33. 1 28.3 30.6 30. 0
24. 1 19.6 21.4 20. 7
12.3 14.9 .16.6 16.2
22.9
21. 0
19. 1
16. 7
13.5
27.9
24.6
23. 1
15. 7
11.1
28. 6
25. 7
24.5
16. 7
12.1
28.0 439.8 1 68.1
25. 2 31.0 46.8
24.4 24. 2 37.1
16. 6 18.8 27. 5
12. 1 —
18.7
21. 4
30.3
30. 0
37.5
20.3
31.0
44.5
48. 8
32. 2
30.1
38.8
53.9
53. 6
34.7
31. 7
36.8
52. 1
52. 5
34.9
32.1
34. 5
37. 0
52. 0
37.3
37.7
42. 7
48. 5
59. 9
40. 2
40.5
39.9
47.3
58. 4
40. 2
40.3
22.5
30.4
29. 8
20.3
23.8
33.0
42.8
53.6
37.8
39.7
41.0
52.0
59.3
40.3
42.0
37.6
57.3
59. 0
39. 5
41.3
32.3
37. 9
47. 5
34.5
38. 5
42. 1
45.9
55. 1
37.3
40.8
40. 3
46. 0
54.3
39. !
39.8
28. 5
8. 0 12.3
11.3
44.3 53. 6
31.5
—
36. 2
12.0
11.4
62.9
32.1
37.6
12.0 9.2
11.5 _
63. 4 40.4
32. 7 —
28.0
14.0
10.6
51.6
30.4
35. 7
14.5
11. 7
60.4
32.8
36. 7
14. 5
13.8
60. 7
32.6
28. 8
14. 0
12. 1
51.3
29.3
37. 8
13.5
12.4
60. 0
29.1
38. 3
13.5 9.7
12. 5
59.9 40.4
29.5 .......
24.5 37.4 38.9
15.7 21.5 23. 9
25. 7 26. 2
46.3 69. 2 60. 0
33.4 47.5 44. 7
38. 7
23. 1
26.3
71. 9
47.9
35.8
21.8
23. 7
S4. 4
50.9
37.9 38.1 20.8 36. 2 38.4 39.4 22.0 35.0
22. 5
20. 9
30. 4
18. 8
23.1
25.0 37.2 39.2
15. 5 21. 7 24. 2
25.3 25. 6
50.8 71.6 66. 7
34.7 46.6 46. 7
—
4. 2
3.4
11.0
15.3
16.4
24. 4
21. 5
12. 0
9. 6
4.0
24. 6
21.5
12.0 9. 2
9. 3
5.9 2.0
5.5 5.6
5.3 4.7
10.9 10.9
15.8 15.3
15.6 15.4
.....
35.4
36.7
53.7
37.8
41.6
51. 2
40.3
29. 7
20.1
50. 1
39.9
29.6
19.4
43.8
47. 4
57.2
41.4
42.7
43.4
47.6
57.2
41.9
41.9
37.5 33.5 32. 3
11.7 12. 7 12.7
10.4 10.4 10.4
30.9 34.8 34.9
9.0 14.8 14.8 14. 7
11. 2 12. 1 . 1
46.8 60.9 62.9 38.4 47.3 57.9 57.8
29.8 30. 4 31.5 —
29.6 29.9 29.8
1 2
36.4
23.8
27.5
79.6
49.1
35.9
22.7
27.2
89.8
48.5
9. 2
8.8
5.9
6. 3
5.0
5. 1
9. 2 9.1
10. 7 10. 7
9.2
6.4
5.1
9.1
10.8
22. 8 17.8 23.2
28. 9
25.3
85. 7 55. 0 63.0
51. 9 37.5 46. 7
25. 6
29.5
55. 7
48.0
24.8 15.8 22.1
29. 2
26.8
60. 5 63. () 90.3
49.0 36.8 49.4
S. 3
5.8
5.8
9.3
10.5
9.3 9.3 10.0 10.0 5.5 9.6
5.8 5. 5 5.9 5.9 2.9 5.1
5. 5 5.1 5. 4 5. 2 3.5 5. 1
10. 2
9.4 7.8 7. 5 7.5
10. G 11.3 11.6 11.6 ..... 11.4
9.6
5. 2
5: 7
10.3
11.2
9.6 6. 1
5.3 2.9
5.7 3. 1
10.3
11.3 .....
24. 2
22. 4
10.9
9. 6
2.2
25.3
23.3
11.9
9. 3
3.4
25. 3
23. 4
12.0
9. 2
4.7
26. 1
25.6
17.4
24. 5
12.3 8.6 10.8
10. 2
10. 2
5.1 1.2 2.2
26.4
18.0
11.4
11.0
2.9
26.6
24.2
18.0
23.3
11. 2 9.3 10.3
10. 2
10. 1
3.8 1. 7 2.0
24.3
23.8
11. 1
10. 3
3. 7
5.4
3. 7
12.5
16. 7
18.3
5.9 6.0 4.9 5.1 5.4
5.0 4.6 2.3 3.6 3.5
12.8 12.8 15. 1 15.2 14.9
17.4 17.5 17.4 17.6 16. 5
18.1 18.0 20.4 19.5 19.5 —
4.4
3.2
14.6
19. 7
19. 9
4.0
2. S
14.6
20. 5
19.6
4.4
2.8
14. 6
19. 7
19.6 —
5.4 5.5
4.0 4.1
11.8 11.8
18.5 18.4
19.9 19.8
4.8 8.6 9.3 9.3 5.4 8.5
3.2 5.3 5.8 5. 7 3.2 5.3
2. 9 5. 0 5. 2 5. 1 3.0 5. 5
8.2 8. 7 8.7
9. 1
9.9 10.0 10.1 ..... 10.2
23. 4
20. 4
0. R 11. 2
10. 1
2.3 2.6
—
40.3
23.4
25. 7
77. 0
48. 6
22.0
22.8
32. 7
18.7
25.0
1 73. 3 1 72.7
24. 6
24. 6
11. 1
10. 4
1.7
24. 2
25.5
75. 8
51.2
25. 7
25. 0
12.4
10. 2
3.4
4.7
3.5
12. 2
17.9
20.1
24.4
23.8
11. 1
10.3
5.0
12.5
5. 0 8. 0
54.0 61. 7
24.5 41.6
12.1
6. 2
70.2
45.3
216.8 3 17.1 3 17.1
13.6 14.0 13.9
11.8
13.9 13.5 13.3 2 23.4 213.6 2 11.9
6. 1 5.7 9. 0 6.9 6.9 8. 7 6.6 6. 5 6. 1 9. 5 6.8 6.9 5.0 8. 6 6.5 6.4
70. 7 58. 0 78.6 82.0 82. 1 60.2 61.1 61.1 55.0 75.4 75.2 75.2 48.3 59.2 60.8 60.8
45.6 30.0 48.0 51.1 51.8 53.6 54.5 54.5 35.0 51.8 52. 4 52.6 30.0 53.5 53.8 54.1
15.9
13.9
31.9
47.3
14.9
13.3
32. 2
68.8
14.4
13.5
31.6
71.3 .......
—
2 No. 3 can.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
19.1
14.3
41,8
60.2
18.5
14. 2
38.7
62.7
18.2 16.0
14. 1 13.6
37.3 4 10.9
66. 2 64.0
2 No.
15.7 15.8
12.9 13. 1
4 9. 8 4 lO.t
72.4 66.1 —
2%can.
ÏÊ7]
10. 5 12.8 14.5
13. 4 13.5 13. 1
4 16.6 4 13.1 4 12.8
49.6 59. 2 58.1 —
4 Per pound.
17.6
14.5
33.3
56. 1
17.5
13.9
31.4
73.0
17.6
14. 0
31.9
75. 6
88
M O N T H L Y LABOR R EV IEW
TA3LE 5 .—AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTI
:
Richmond, Va
Rochester,
N. Y.
St . Louis, Alo.
J
Article
Unit
Sirloin steak_______________
___________
Round steak
Rib roast ________________
Chuck roast_______________
Plato hoof__________ ______
Pound.-.. ___ do___ _
____do__
___ do_____
....... do_____
22. 2
20.0
.18. 9
15. 9
13. 2
39.1
34.3
30.3
21. 5
15.0
39.9
34. 7
31.4
22. 7
15.8
40.3
35. 1
32.4
23.3
15.8
39.4
32. 8
29.4
23. 2
12.2
42.4
35. 6
30.7
25. 6
13.9
39.4
33.6
29.7
23.6
13.3
26. 6
23.6
20. !
16. 0
12.4
35.4
33. 0
28.6
19. 2
13.2
38.3
35. 5
30.2
21.8
14.2
36.6
34.3
29.9
20. 9
14.2
Pork chops ______________
Bacon, sliced, ....... ................
Ham, sliced_______________
Lamb, leg of____ __________
Hens
___________ -___
___ do___ _ 21.2
____do_____ 27. 2
___ do_____ 25. 0
__ do_____ . 19.3
____do_____ 19. 5
32.6
35. 1
39. 4
43.3
32.9
40. 5
46.7
44. 5
45.7
35.4
38.2
46.4
44. 6
45.6
36.0
36.5
46.2
35. 5
38.8
44. 1
45.0
52.9
38.3
41.0
39.5
43. 5
51.9
38. 1
39.3
17.8
25.8
27.3
18.3
16.5
28.2
38.9
44.6
34.7
30.8
34.3
46.8
51.5
37.7
32.6
32.5
45.8
50. 3
38.0
31.7
Salmon, canned, red________
do_____
Milk, fresh ______________ Quart_____ 10. 0
Milk, evaporated---------------- 15-16 oz. can
Butter
_______________ Pound____ 41.2
Oleomargarine (all butter sub__ d o .___
___________
statutes)
32.8
14.0
12.6
53. 2
34.8
14.0
12. 7
62.3
35.8
34.0
12.7
62.7
30.1
13.5
11.6
48.5
36.9
12. 5
11. 5
59. 1
33.3 38.0 37. S
37.6
12. 5 8.8 13.0 13.0 13. 0
___
9.8 10.6 10.7
11.6
59.1 38.1 49.1 60. ? 61.0
Cheese __________________
Lard
______ __- _____
Vegetable lard substitute___
Eggs, strictly fresh
___
Eggs, storage_____________
___ do____
___do ____
___ do_____
Dozen - ___ d o ....... .
B r ea d ____ ______________ Pound- ___
___do.
Flour
_____________
Corn meal,-- - ---------------- '___ do_____
Robed oats
do
Com flakes_______________ 8-oz. pkg
Nov. 15—
Oct. Nov.
Oct. STov. Nov. OclInov .
15,* 15,
15, 15, 15,
1925 1925
1913 1924 1925 1925 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924
Nov. 15—
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
31.1 31.0 31. 7 30.4 32.0 31.8
22.8 35.6 36.9
15.4 22.1 23.2
25.5 26.1
40. 0 60. 2 51.4
33.0 47.8 44.3
5.3 8.7
3. 2
2.3 5.0
9. 4
10, 4
36.5
23.2
26. 2
61.8
46.9
9.4 9.4
6.0 6.0
5.0 5.0
9.3 \14
11.3 11.3
25.4
25.3
Wheat cereal ______ ___ - 28-oz. pkg .
M aearoni _______________ Pound ___
20 8 21.1 21. 1
Rice____________ -- -------- ___ do_____ 10,0 12.4 12.7 12.8
do__
Beans, navy ______ _____
11. 2 10. 2 10. (
6. 1
__do_____ 2. 0 3. 0
Potatoes _______________
36.0
18. 6
20. 5
61.0
43.9
8.3 8.9
5.5 5.9
5.7 6.6
8.2 9.4
10.5 10. 4
8.9 5.6 9.1 9.9
5.9 2. 9 5.0 5. 7
6. 5 2.5 4.6 4. 6
8.4 8. f
9.4
10.3
10.1 10. 2
9.9
5.8
4.6
8. 8
10.1
24.0
19. 6
10. 6
9. 6
1.4
2.5. 0
21. 8
11.4
10. 1
3.1
25. 1
21.8
11. 1 8. 1
10. C
4.8 1,8
38.4
23.2
24.8
61. 6
45.9
38.2
22. 5
23.8
72.7
47.0
27.5 27.6 28.3
20.3 32.3 35.8
12.9 18. 5 20.6
25. 7 26. 6
38.4 59. 1 48. 6
32.5 4L 1 39.8
35.5
22.8
24.4
75. t
48.9
23.7
21. 1
9.9
9.0
2. 1
24.2
21. 5
10. 5
8. 5
3. 9
24.7
21. 5
10.7
8. 4
5.2
4.9
3.0
11. 2
16.3
17.5
6. 0
3. 4
11. 2
16.4
16.8
5. 7
4.0
11. 2
16. 2
16.8
6. 3
4. 4
11. 1
15. 2
19.9
7.0
4. 8
10.8
16. 2
20. 5
6. 7
4.9
10.8
16. 2
20. 3
4.5
2. 2
11.2
17.2
20.1
5.4
2.8 3.2
10.9 10.9
17.3 16.9
18.9 18.9
12.5
Tomatoes, canned-------------- ___ do_____
Sugar, granulated__________ Pound
5. 4 8.6
__ do__
Tea _ _ _____ :__________
56.0 86. 9
Coffee..__________________ ......_do_......... 27.4 47. 5
12. 1
6. 7
89. !
49.9
11. 7
6.6
88. 5
49.9
14.0
8.c
64. 7
45.4
14.0
6.1
66. 6
49. 5
13.8
13.5
6.C 5.1 8 8
66. 6 55. 0 71. 2
49. 5 24,4 47.9
12.9 12.0
6.8 6. 5
70.5 71.0
48.9 49.0
Prunes___________________ ___ d o ____
Raisins___________________ _ _do__ __
Bananas__________________ D ozen ........
Oranges__________________
, do..........
18. 6
14.4
36. 5
66. 9
19.1
14.4
36. 2
G6. 8
19.0
14.4
42. 1
54.3
18. 7
13. 9
37. 7
65. 8
18.3
14.0
36. 8
72. 5
19. 5
14. 4
33. !
59. 6
_ _do_____
Onions ________________
__do____
Cabbage________________
Beans, baked______________ No. 2 can__
Corn, canned______________ ___d o _____
Peas, canned______________ ___ do_____
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 No.
19. 2
14. 8
39. 2
46. 8
2l/i can.
2 Per pound.
[38]
19.3
15 2
34. 7
47.8
19.0
14. 7
32. 7
59. 2
89
RE TA IL PR IC E S OF FOOD
CLES
OF FOOD IN
St. Paul, Minn.
51 CITIES
ON SPECIFIED
Salt Lake City,
Utah
DATES—Continued
San Francisco,
Calif.
Savannah, Ga.
Scranton, Pa.
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Nov. 15—
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov. Nov. Oct. Nov.
Oct. Nov.
15, 15,
35, 15,
15, 15, 15, 15, 15,
15,
15,
1025
1925
1925
1925
1925
1925
1924
1925
1925
1913 1924
1913 1924
1913 1924
1913 1924 1925 1925
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
25. 0
20.8
20. 0
16.0
10.8
33.6
27.8
26. 1
20.9
11.5
35.1
29.3
28. C
22.5
12.1
33.4
27.9
27. 5
21.3
12. 1
22.4
20.0
19.0
14.5
12.5
27.7
24. 1
21.0
15. 9
11. 1
28.5
25. 8
21.9
17.0
11. 6
27.8
25. 1
20.9
16.4
11.9
21.0
19. 7
21.3
15. 5
14. 3
30.3
27.6
29.0
18.3
14.3
31.9
28.7
30.3
19. 3
15. 1
31.4
28. 6
29.9
19.3
15. 1
28.7
23.3
21. 7
14.4
10.9
31.3
25.8
25.0
15. 7
13.8
31.3
25.8
25.0
15. 7
13.8
26.0
21.5
23.0
17.6
11.9
48. 9 52.6
39.7 44. 7
35.9 37.6
26.3 29.5
10.8 13.0
62. 1
43. 1
37.6
28.9
12.7
18.8
25. 3
28.3
16. 1
16.4
28.7
40.4
42.8
30. 1
27. 7
34.8
48. 2
50.4
33.0
30.3
33.8
48. 9
48.8
31.6
29.0
23.4
30.0
30.0
18. 0
22.6
32. 5
39. 1
45. 3
31. 1
23.4
39. 1
48.5
52.0
34. 6
29.8
36.9
47.3
51.2
33.6
30.9
24.2
34.4
32.0
17.0
24.8
39. 5
52.2
54. 8
35. 2
41.8
45. C
62.2
63.8
39.6
41.7
45.1
62.2
64.2
40.0
42.4
28.9
34.2
36.1
38.0
33. 6
34. 8
45. 2
45.0
44.0
35.9
34.8
44. 6
45.0
43.0
34.5
21.8
27. 5
29.3
18. 7
21.0
35.4
42. 6
53. 7
44.4
42.0
44.5
50.6
59. 2
45.3
44.1
43.1
50.4
53.8
44.9
43,9
35.7 37.1
7.8 11.0 12.0 12. 0 8. 7
it. y 11.9 12.0
35. 0 43.2 53. 5 53.3 39. 2
35.9
11. 5
10.0
47.8
35.4
11. 5
10.6
59.4
35.8
28.3
11. 5 10,0 14. 0
9. 8
10.6
58.8 40. 4 50. 2
33.1
14.0
10.3
67.4
35.2
14.0
10.3
68. 1
33.0
17.3
10.3
50. 7
33.6
17. 5
11.2
61.6
36.8
34.3
17. 5 8.8 12.0
11.4
11. 3
61.6 37.1 47.4
34.3
12.0
11.9
57. 5
35.1
12.0
12. 0
58.9
........ 23.8 28.5 *28.8 ....... 30.2 29.7 30.9 —
21.0 34. 1
14. 8 23.0
26. 1
39. 6 54.3
31.2 44.5
35.0
23.4
28. 1
46. 3
40.5
35.5
22.6
28. 2
52. 1
41.6
6.0 9.3
2.9 5. 3
2. 5 4.9
9.3
11.2
—
10.2
5. 7
5.6
10. 1
12.2
10.2 5.9
5. 7 2. 4
5.8 3. 3
10. 0
12.2 .......
25.0
18. 6
10. 0 10. 3
9. 5
1.4 1.2
25 6
19. 0
11. 1
9. 6
2. 7
4.6
1. 7
14.0
15. 6
17.0
14.7
5.1 9.2
45.0 71. 3
30.0 52.0
24.2 27.4 31.3
20.0 24.6 25.5
29. 5 29.6
46.7 58.4 53.9
35.0 45.4 50.0
32.0
24.9
29. 6
56. 5
45.0
29.2 31.3 32.2 33.0 36.0 30.3 —
30.0
32.0 33.0
21.0 37.4 38.9
17.7 23.2 26. 1
28.0 27. 8
65. Ö 64. 5 63.8
40.7 45.5 50. 2
40.1
25.8
28. 1
66.6
50.3
32. 1
21.0
19. 5
65. 1
46.1
35.4
21.8
19. 2
62. 4
45.4
35.8
22. 1
19. 1
67.4
47.6
18.3 34.4
16. 5 22. 5
26.1
51.3 74.4
32.5 49.8
36.0
24.8
27. 3
63.4
48. 1
36.1
24.6
27.1
71.0
50.0
9.9
4. 5
4.9
8. 9
11.7
10.8
4. 8
5.4
8.8
12.3
10.5 5.9 9.2 9.9
4.7 3.4 5.6 6.0
5.2 3.5 5.3 5.9
9.4 9. 7
8.9
10.8 10.6
12.3 —
9.9
6.0
5.9
9. 7
10.6
8.6
6.0
3.9
9. 0
9.8
10.2
7. 0
3.9
9. 0
10.6
10.2 5.6 9.0
7.0 3.6 5. 7
3.8
6.0
9. 7
9.0
10.5 —— 10.3
10. 3
6.2
7.4
10. 1
11.1
10.3
6.2
7. 7
9.9
11.1
25.9
19.0
11.4
9.9
4.2
24.4
19. 6
8. 2 10.3
10. 9
1.3 1.8
25.3
19.6
11.9
10.6
2.7
25.4
23.7 25.0
13. 0 14. 5
19. 4
11.5 8.5 10.1 11.4
10. 7
10.1 10. 5
3.6 1.9 2.9 3.9
25.1
14.9
11.4
10.1
5. 2
23.6
17.8
9. 1
10.4
2. 7
24.9
18.1
9.9
11. 3
4.2
25.4
24. 5
22.8
IS. 1
10.4
8.5
10.1
11.8
11. 3
6.2 1,8 2.0
28.2
23.6
11.0
12. 3
3.3
26.2
23. 7
11.6
12.7
4.8
5.5
3. 5
14.0
15.4
16.4
5.6
4.0
14.1
15.3
16.4
3. 6
4. 1
15.2
15. 3
16.8
14. 6
7. 2
72.9
52.3
14.7
115.7 116.0 115.9 11. 5
U5. 0 '16.1 115. 9
6.9 5.7 9. 5 7.5 7.3 5.4 8.8 6.4 6.3 8.3
71.9 65. 7 86.9 85.6 84. 7 50.0 66.4 68.0 68.3 67.2
52.0 35.8 55. 7 56.8 56.9 32.0 50.1 52.0 52.2 45.0
18.1 17.2 17.0
16. 3 14.9 14.8
213. 3 211.1 210. 3
........ 55.4 65.0 78.1 .......
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
3.5 2.9
3.0 3.1
14. 5 14.5
16.9 16.0
16.4 16.4
16.3 15.8 15.9
13.4 13.3 13.5
216. 8 214.4'214. 2
39. 1 53.8 54.4 .......
3.9 4. 2 4.2 5.4 6.9 6.4
4. 5 5. 2 5.1
13. 5 14. 1 14.0 12.4 11.9 11.9
18.9 IS. 8 IS. 8 16. 5 17.0 16. 9 ___
19.0 19.0 18.8 17.8 16.8 16.7
15.9
13.3
37.0
46. S
I
[89]
14.5
12.6
35.0
55. 1
14.1
13. 0
34.4
60.5
14.9
13.6
35. 5
41.2
5.1
5.7 5.9
3.2
3.2 3.1
12. 1 11.4 11.4
17.2 17. 5 17.5
18.4 19.3 18.6
11.1 10.9
6.5 6.5 5.6
80.1 78.3 52. 5
48.8 48.2 31.3
13. 5 13. 2
8.8
6.8
62.6 66. 7
47.5 53.1
13.5
6.7
68.7
52.9
15.9
13.8
33.2
72.1
16.4
14.2
34-3
56.4
18.3
14.2
33.8
68.7
15.8
13. 6
31.8
54.5 —
18.3
14.2
34.3
72.7
90
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW
T a b l e 5 . — AVERAGE
RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD
51 CITIES ON SPECIFIED DATES—Continued
Seattle Wash.
Springfield, 111.
IN
Washington, D . O.
Nov. 15— Oct. Nov. Nov. Oct. Nov. Nov. 15— Oct. Nov.
15, 15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
1913 1924 1925 1925 1924 1925 1925 1913 1924 1925 1925
Article
Unit
Sirloin steak__________
Round steak_________
Rib roast ___________
Chuck roast...................
Plate beef- _______ - __
Pound.........
___ do ____
___ do ____
___ do-------. . . ..d o _____
23. 6 30. 5
20. 6 25.9
20. 0 24.8
15. 6 16. 9
12.8 19 O
32. 8 32.4 33. 2 33.8 33. 1 26. 5 43.5
28.8 28. 3 31.9 33.4 32. 3 22. 5 36. 7
25.9 25.8 22. 2 22.3 22. 9 21.0 33.6
17.9 18.1 19.6 19. 7 19. 1 17.6 24. 5
13.9 13.9 12.3 13.1 13.0 12.8 13.0
Pork ebops _________
Bacon, sliced...................
Ham, sliced__________
Lamb, leg of__________
Hens_________- ______
____do_____
........do-------........do_____
___ do_____
____do_____
24.0
32.0
30. 0
18.4
24.2
33. 0
49.0
51. 5
31.6
31.1
40. 3
57. 3;
58. 8
35.1
33.2
38.5
56.9
57.9
35. 7
34.5
28.1
40.0
40.4
39.0
29.9
Salmon, canned, r e d __
Milk, fresh.. _________
Milk, evaporated___
Butter. . _____ _____
Oleomargarine (all butter substitutes).
__ __do ___
31.4
Quart_____ ÎÔ. 0 9. 3
15-16 oz. can
10. 3
Pound......... 40. 8 47.8
____do_____
29.9
35. 4
13. 0
10. 8
60. 7
30.6
36. 0
13.0
10. 8
61.7
31.8
34.0 36.1
12. 5 12.5
11.8 11.9
47.9 58.8
31.1 32.5
Cheese _____________
Lard _ _____________
Vegetable lard substitute.
Eggs, strictly fresh____
Eggs, storage__ ______
____do_____ 22.8
___ _do ___ 16.9
____do--------
34. 5
23.6 24.8
28.6 28.6
36.4
24.9
28.2
37.3
22.9
28.5
Bread _____________
Flour
Corn m eal___________
Rolled oats___________
Corn flakes___ _______
Pound____
___do_____
....... do ____
___ do ___
8-oz. nkg___
Wheat cereal..... ...........
Macaroni____________
Rice ________________
Beans, navy__________
Potatoes. _
28-oz. p k g...
Pound____
___ do_____
___ do ____
d o . __
Onions....... ...... ............. .
Cabbage_____________
Beans, b a k ed ................
Corn, canned...___ ___
Peas, canned.................
____do ____
____do_____
No. 2 can__
........d o .........
____ do. ___
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
.Dozen ___ 59. 2 66.0
____do_____ 37.5
5. 6
2. 9
3.2
7. 7
1.4
61. 5 62. 5 66.0
47.2 49.6 45.1
Q 7 10.0
5.2
5. 0
5. 5
5.1
9. 2 9.0
11.7 11.8
9.7
5.2
5.4
9.0
11.9
10. 2
5.4
5. 5
10. 6
12.3
48. 1
53.3
36.4
33.3
36.4
24.2
28.3
46.4
39. 7
33. 7
24.3
13.5
43.8
37.1
32.8
23.3
13.1
35.2
37.6
54.3
39.0
38.2
43. 9
51.4
59. 6
40. 2
39. 2
40.3
48.4
59.0
41.1
38.8
29.1
37.6
12. 5 9. Ö 14.0
12. 0
11.8
59.5 40.3 50.4
29.7
32.5
36.2
15. 0
12.0
62. 0
30.9
37.3
15.0
11.9
62.0
31.0
33.8
47.2
52.0
37.2
31.1
21.4
26.4
31.3
19.1
21.3
37.2 23. 5, 37.2 39.0 39. 5
23.4 15. O' 23. 2 23.8 22.8
28.4
25.2 25.2 25.1
50. 8 63.9 47. 9 73.6 63.8 76.0
42. 5 47. 2 35.0 51.0
49.0
10.3 10.1
6. 1 G. 0
5.3
5.3
10.2 10.1
11.8 11.9
5.7
3.8
2.6
8. 8 8.0 8.0
5. 8 6.3 6.4
5. 0 5.4
9.1 9.4 9.3
10.4 10.7 10.0
25.8 26.0 26.5 25.4 27.1 27.1
24.1 24.6
18.1 18. 4 18. 3 19. 5 20. 4 19. 8
21.8
12. 2 12.9 12. 7 11.4 11.0 11.2 9.4 11. 2 11,6
9.1
9.3
9. 5 9.2
10. 4 11.3 10. 7 9.5
2. 2 2. 9 4. 5 1. 9 3. 6 5. 6 1.8 2. 5 3. 9
24.5
23.4
12. 3
9.3
5. 5
4.4
4.6
4. 4
4,0
3.1
3.1
14.3 14.2 14.2
18.9 19.6 19.0
20. 5 20. 5 20. 6
5.3
3. 5
11.9
15.9
18.1
5. 2
3.8
11.7
18.0
17. 9
4.8
11.5
16.8
17.4
5. 2
3.7
11.3
16.5
16. 7
6. 5
4.8
10.6
16.8
17.8
6.4
4. 6
10.8
16.4
17.4
Tomatoes, canned.......... ____do_____
117.1 1 18.6 118.1 15.5
Sugar, granulated........... Pound____ 6.1
9.4
7.0
6.9
9.8
.do. ___ 50. C 77.9 80. C• 79.8 76. 4
Tea_________________
Coffee_______________
__do. _
28.0 51.1 51. 4 52 0 46. ]
15.0
7.4
77. 0
53. 3
14.7
7.0 5.1
77.0 57 5
53. 3 28.8
11.9
8.3
80 9
46. 1
11.7
6.6
87 7
48 5
11.6
6.5
87 7
48« 2
19. 0
14. 7
37. 7
52.0
18. 4
14. 1
34. 7
71.8
17. 9
14. 0
34. 7
61.0
Prunes...........................
R a isin s..........................
Bananas..........................
Oranges______________
___ do_____
....... do_____
Dozen___ _
........do_____
14.5 14.9 14.9
15.2 13.4 14. 0
215.5 212. 7 2 12.9
51.0 62.9 61. 2
1No. 2J^ can.
17.7
16.0
13. 0
56. 0
17. 7
14.7 14.7
10. 1 9.9
60.2 63.3
2Per pound.
Comparison of Retail Food Costs in 51 Cities
'“FABLE 6 shows for 39 cities the percentage of increase or decrease
in the retail cost of food 3 in November, 1925, compared with the
average cost in the year 1913, in November, 1924, and in October, 1925.
For 12 other cities comparisons are given for the one-year and the onemonth periods. These cities have been scheduled by the bureau at
different dates since 1913. These percentage changes are based on
actual retail prices secured each month from retail dealers and on the
average family consumption of these articles in each city.4
8 For list of articles see note 6, p. 72.
4 The consumption figures used from January, 1913, to December, 1920, for each article in each city is
given in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for November, 1918, pp. 94 and 95. The consumption figures
which have been used for each month beginning with January, 1921, are given in the M o n t h l y L a b o r
R e v i e w for March, 1921, p . 26.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
100]
B E T A IL
P R IC E S
OF
FO O D
91
Effort has been made by the bureau each month to have perfect
reporting cities. For the month of November 99 per cent of all the
firms reporting in the 51 cities sent in a report promptly. The
following were perfect reporting cities; that is, every merchant in
the following-named 42 cities who is cooperating with the bureau
sent in his report in time for his prices to be included in the city
averages: Atlanta, Boston, Bridgeport, Buffalo, Butte, Chicago,
Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fall
River, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville,
Manchester, Memphis, Milwaukee, Mobile, Newark, New Haven,
New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Omaha, Peoria, Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Portland, Me., Portland, Oreg., Providence, Richmond,
Rochester, St. Louis, St. Paul, Salt Lake City, Scranton, Seattle,
Washington, D. C.
The following summary shows the promptness with which the
merchants responded in November, 1925:
RETAIL PRICE REPORTS RECEIVED DURING NOVEMBER, 1925
Geographical division
United
States
Item
Percentage of reports received _________
Number of cities in each section from
which every report was received_______
North
Atlantic
South
Atlantic
Noith
Central
South
Central
99
100
98
99
98
99
42
14
4
12
0
6
Western
T able 6.—PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN THE RETAIL COST OF FOOD IN NOVEMBER,
1925, COMPARED WITH THE COST IN OCTOBER, 1925, NOVEM BER, 1924, AND WITH
THE AVERAGE COST IN THE YEAR 1913, BY CITIES
Percentage increase, Novem
ber, 1925, compared with—
Percentage increase, Novem
ber, 1925, compared with—
City
City
A t-lanta
Baltimore
B ir m in g h a m
Boston
Bridgeport
Buffalo
B u tte
Charleston, S. C ...
C h ic a g o
Cincinnati
C le v e la n d
C o lu m b u s
D a lla s
Denver
Detroit
"Fall H i v e r
H o u s to n
I n d ia n a p o lis
Jacksonville______
K a n s a s City
T attle B o c lr
Los Angeles
Louisville
TVfanehest.er
Memphis................
Milwaukee..........
Novem October,
ber, 1924
1925
Novem
ber, 1924
October,
1925
67.8
72. 9
71.4
70.7
12.7
9. 8
9. 2
10. 7
3.1
3. 2
2.4
2. 3
4.0
Minneapolis...........
Mobile................. .
Newark ________
New Haven ___
New Orleans........ .
63. 7
59.9
69.3
61.8
10.0
73.2
11.6
10.1
8. 5
3.3
5.2
New York______
Norfolk________ _
Omaha__________
Peoria.
............
Philadelphia...........
72.1
64.0
10.4
11.5
13.2
71. 1
13.1
3 .5
3 .0
3 .5
3 .8
4 .1
68.0
10.9
10. 5
8. 1
9.7
10.5
3 .7
3 .6
2 .7
3 .2
3 .6
9.6
12.4
12.4
7.3
11.4
3 .6
3 .1
3 .4
1813
65. 6
76. 2
66. 3
63. 5
1 1 .1
11. 5
14.8
9.6
10. 5
2.0
4. 0
4. 5
2. 7
59. 4
52.4
73.2
12 . 1
12. 7
6.2
3. 8
0.9
4. 1
3.6
66. 6
10 .4
3. 9
8.8
11. 8
60. 9
65. 5
64. 0
14. 5
13. 0
55. 9
57. 0
65. 5
64. 5
56. 2
64.4
10. 3
9.4
14.2
10. 2
10. 5
9.1
74735°—26|---- 7
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2.0
4.3
3.5
4.1
2. 0
1.4
4.6
4. 2
2. 5
4.2
1913
Pittsburgh_______
Portland, M e____
Portland, Oreg___
Providence______
Richmond...............
Rochester................
St. Louis...............
St. Paul..................
Salt Lake City___
San Francisco____
Savannah................
Scranton_________
Seattle______ ____
Springfield, 111____
Washington, D. C._
[91]
13. 8
9.4
12. 5
8.9
12. 6
49. 5
70. 2
75.6
69. 2
43.3
65.8
70.9
57.2
7 3 .5
15.5
11.9
12.0
10.9
8 .8
3 .4
4 .1
2 .7
4 .3
2 .6
0.9
2 .8
2.6
3 .5
2 .8
5 .1
2 .4
M ONTHLY
92
LABOR
R E V IE W
Retail Prices of Coal in the United States a
HE following table shows the average retail prices of coal on
January 15 and July 15, 1913, November 15, 1924, and Octo
ber 15 and November 15, 1925, for the United States and for
each of the cities from which retail food prices have been obtained.
The prices quoted are for coal delivered to consumers but do not
include charges for storing the coal in cellar or coal bin where an
extra handling is necessary.
In addition to the prices for Pennsylvania anthracite, prices are
shown for Colorado, Arkansas, arid New Mexico anthracite in those
cities where these coals form any considerable portion of the sales
for household use.
The prices shown for bituminous coal are averages of prices of the
several kinds sold for household use.
T
AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF COAL PER TON OF 2,000 POUNDS, FOR HOUSEHOLD
USE, ON JANUARY 15 AND JULY 15, 1913, NOVEM BER 15, 1924, AND OCTOBER 15
AND NOVEMBER 15, 1925
[
1913
f;v
1
1924
1925
City, and kind of coal
Jan. 1.5
United States:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove........... ..........
C h estn u t...............
B itu m in o u s______
»7. 99
8 15
5.48
July 15
»7.46
7. 68
5.39
Nov. 15
»15.46
15. 36
9. 30
Oct. 15
»15. 87
15. 72
9.24
Nov. 15
: 0)
(>)
»9.71
Atlanta, Ga.:
Bituminous...... ........................
5. 88
4.83
7.35
7 45
Baltimore, Md.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove..................... .............
2
01
2 7. 70
2 7.24
2 16. 25
(*)
Chestnut.................. _ .
2 7.93
2 7. 49
2 15. 75
2 15.71
(>)
Bituminous..............................
7
Birmingham, A la.:
Bituminous......................... .
•/.O'!
7‘l/i
4. 22
4.01
7.99
Boston, M ass.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove....... ...... . . . ______
8. 25
7.50
16. 00
Chestnut..................... ...... ... .
8.25
7.75
16. 00
10. uu
17.00
Bridgeport, Conn.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove_____
......
15.50
16 . 00
16 00
Chestnut......................................
16.00
15.50
16.00
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Pennsylvania anthracitestove................
....
1Q QQ
6.75
6. 54
13.60
0)
C hestnut................... ...
1. 04
K,i
6. 99
6.80
l1o*
(>)
Butte, Mont.:
Bituminous.......... .....................
11 (>5
U 03
11 03
Charleston, S. C.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove_________
___
28.38
2 7. 75
2 17.00
217. 00
2 17.00
Chestnut___ _________
3 8. 50
2 17 .10
J 8.00
2 17.10
Bituminous___
2 fi 75
n
2 6.75
11 11 . ouu
Chicago, 111.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove___ _
17
8.00
7.80
1 ÎJ. i â
1 / . 10
iy
Chestnut...........
17
8. 25
8.05
1 1. 1
iyft
Bituminous______
Q. AH
4.97
4.65
0
yy
Cincinnati, Ohio:
Bituminous...... ...........
7 00
3.50
3.38
7.31
Cleveland, Ohio:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove.................
K
JO
7.50
7.25
1 0 . ‘±6
Chestnut.............. ............ .
7 75
1 Cl Qfl
7.50
14. 75
15.83
Bituminous......... .
4.14
4.14
y. 4 2
9.93
Columbus, Ohio:
Bituminous........
6. 66
6.95
7.72
1 Insufficient data.
2 Per ton of 2,240 pounds.
formerly secured semiannually and published in the March and September issues
o f the M on r a n i L a b o e R e v i e w . Since June, 1920, these prices have been secured and published monthly.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[92]
R E T A IL
P R IC E S
OF
COAL
93
AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF COAL PER TON OF 2,000 POUNDS, FOR HOUSEHOLD
USE, ON JANUARY 15 AND JULY 15, 1013, NOVEMBER 15, 1024, AND OCTOBER 15 AND
NOVEM BER 15, 1925—Continued
1925
1924
1913
City, and kind of coal
Jan .15
Dallas, Tex.:
Arkansas anthracite—
Egg___ __ . __.................................
Bituminous.................................... ........
Denver, Colo.:
Colorado anthracite—
Furnace, 1 and 2 mixed_________
Stove, 3 and 5 mixed.......... ............
Bituminous______________________
Detroit, Mich.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stave____________ ...___________
Chestnut_____________________
Bituminous.... .........................................
Fall River, Mass.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove . . .
..................... ...... ..........
Chestnut______ ___ ___ _______
Houston, Tex.:
Bituminous__ ________ _ _________
Indianapolis, Ind.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove........... ..................................__
Chestnut _ __________________....
Bituminous........................ ......... ..........
Jacksonville, Fla.:
Bituminous________________ _____ _
Kansas City, Mo.:
Arkansas anthracite—
Furnace___________ _______
Stove, No. 4. . . . .
Bituminous _____ ___ ______
Little Rock, Ark.:
Arkansas anthracite—
Egg...... .............................. .............
Bituminous..................................... ........
Los Angeles, Calif.:
Bituminous____ ___ _______________
Louisville, Ky.:
. Bituminous_______________________
Manchester, N. H.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove_____________ ___________
Chestnut_____________________
Memphis, Tenn.:
Bitum inous.................. ........ ............. .
Milwaukee, W is.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove...............................................
Chestnut................... .
..............
Bituminous................................... ..........
Minneapolis, Minn.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove_____________ ___________
Chestnut__________ ______ ____
Bituminous_______________________
Mobile, Ala.:
Bitum inous............................................
Newark, N. J.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
S t o v e . ____ _________ _____ __
Chestnut............... ..........................
New Haven, Conn.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove. . .........................................
Chestnut_____ _________________
New Orleans, La.:
Bituminous.______________ _______
New York, N . Y.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove__ ____ ___ ______________
Chestnut........ ... ............................
Norfolk, Va.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove__ ______________________
Chestnut. _____________ _____
Bituminous__________ ___________
i Insufficient data.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
July 15
Nov. 15
Oct. 15
Nov. 15
$7.21
$17. 33
14.18
$16. 25
13.22
$16. 83
13. 72
8.88
8.50
5. 25
9.00
8. 50
4. 88
16.25
16.33
9. 47
16. 00
16.25
10. 18
16.00
18. 25
10. 64
8.00
8. 25
5. 20
7. 45
7. 65
5.20
15. 63
15. 50
9. 25
16. 42:
16.26
9.86
8. 25
8.25
7. 43
7.61
15.83
15.83
16. 21
16.13
17.21
17.13
12.17
11. 67
11.67
$8. 25
(*>
10.59
8.95
9.15
3.81
8.00
8. 25
3. 70
16.50
16. 50
7. 24
16. 50
16. 50
7.27
16.75
16.75
7. 54
7. 50
7.00
12.00
14.00
14.00
*4. 39
3. 94
15.00
16. 38
8.13
14.30
15. 50
7. 79
14.20
15.83
7.98
6.00
5.33
14.00
10.83
14.00
10.77
14.00
1L 14
13.52
12. 50
15.79
15. 75
15.94
4.20
4.00
7.58
6. 68
7.36
10.00
10.00
8. 50
8. 50
17.75
17.00
17. 50
17.00
17. 75
17.25
M. 34
3 4. 22
7. 93
7.34
7. 51
8.00
8.25
6. 25
7.85
8.10
5. 71
16. 80
16. 65
9.28
16.80
16. 65
10.13
16.80
16.68
11.27
9. 25
9. 50
5.89
9. 05
9. 30
5. 79
18. 10
10.91
18. 10
17.95
11. 28
18.10
18.07
11.47
9.96
9.73
9.69
G. 50
6. 75
6. 25
6. 50
13. 51
13. 43
14.00
13.55
14.75
14. 50
7. 50
7. 50
6. 25
6. 25
15.25
15.25
15.80
15. 80
16. 25
16.25
»6.06
»6.06
10.72
10.11
10.61
7. 07
7. 14
6. 66
6.80
14.13
14. 08
17.04
17.04
20.50
19.63
16. 00
15.00
16.00
15.00
9.05
9.00
3Per 10-barrel lots (1,800 pounds) i
17.00
17.09
10.43
[93]
94
M ONTHLY
LABOR
R E V IE W
AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF COAL PER TON OE 2,000 POUNDS, FOR HOUSEHOLD
USE, ON JANUARY IS AND JULY 15, 1913, NOVEM BER 15, 1924, AND OCTOBER 15 AND
NOVEM BER 15, 1925—Continued
1913
1924
City, and kind of coal
Jan .15
Omaha, Nebr.:
Bituminous........ .....................................
Peoria, 111.:
Bituminous........ .....................................
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
S to v e................................................
Chestnut..........................................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove..... ............................................
Chestnut.................................... ......
Bituminous......................................... .
Portland, Me.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove_________________________
Chestnut____ ___________ ____
Portland, Oreg.:
Bituminous______ _______________
Providence, R. I.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove.-------------------------- ------- Chestnut_________ ________ ___
Richmond, Va.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
S t o v e ...----- -- . ..........................
Chestnut_____________________
Bituminous_________________ _____
Rochester, N. Y.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove............................. ........ ........ ...
Chestnut___ ________ ________
St. Louis, Mo.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove_________________________
Chestnut___ ______ _______
Bituminous_____ _________ ______
St. Paul, Minn.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove______________ ________ _
Chestnut......... ............. .............
Bituminous_________________. . .
Salt Lake City, Utah.:
Colorado anthracite—
Furnace, 1 and 2 mixed________
Stove, 3 and 5 mixed_____ _____
Bituminous. ................ .....................
San Francisco, Calif.:
New Mexico anthracite—
Cerillos egg.. _____________ _
Colorado anthracite—
E g g ...----------------------------------Bituminous___ ___________________
Savannah, Ga.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove....... .................... ......................
Chestnut. . . ______ ______ ..
Bituminous_______________________
Scranton, Pa.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove_____ ______________ _____
Chestnut_____________ ________
Seattle, Wash.:
Bituminous_______________________
Springfield, 111.:
Bituminous. ________ ____ ______
Washington, D. C.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove_________________________
Chestnut.___________ __________
Bituminous—
Prepared sizes, low volatile____
Prepared sizes, high volatile___
Run of mine, mixed____________
$6. 63
July 15
$6.13
Nov. 15
1925
Oct. 15
Nov. 15
$10.00
$10. 02
$10.08
6 34
6.76
7.04
'2 16.00
2 16. 20
2 7.16
2 7. 38
2 6.89
2 7.14
2 15. 36
2 15.11
2 16.14
2 16. 07
2 7.94
2 8. 00
4 3.16
2 7. 38
2 7.44
4 3.18
2 16. 50
2 16. 50
7.00
15. 50
15. 50
6.22
16 56
16. 56
(i)
(!)
6.13
16. 56
16! 56
9. 79
9.66
13. 69
13.20
13. 24
«8.25
«8. 25
» 7. 50
* 7. 75
« 16. 00
« 16. 00
»16. 25
« 16. 00
* 16. 67
«16. 67
8.00
8.00
5. 50
7. 25
7. 25
4.94
15. 50
15. 50
8.94
16.00
16.00
10. 04
14 25
14. 15
14.15
It! 15
(0
(i)
11. 39
8. 44
8.68
3.36
7. 74
7.99
3.04
16. 56
16. 81
6.56
16. 90
16. 65
6. 30
17. 20
16. 95
6. 53
9. 20
9. 45
6.07
9.05
9. 30
6.04
18.10
17. 95
11.42
18.10
17. 95
11.72
18.10
18. 04
11. 88
11.00
11.00
5. 64
11. 50
11. 50
5. 46
18. 25
18. 25
8. 38
18. 25
18. 25
8. 41
18.00
18. 00
8. 41
17.00
17.00
26. 50
25. 50
25. 50
17.00
12. 00
17.00
12.00
25. 00
16.89
25.00
16. 67
25. 00
16. 61
6 17 on
6 17 OO
6 10. 83
6 11.00
11.22
11.13
6 ll! 75
4. 25
4. 50
4.31
4. 56
10.62
.10. 62
7. 63
7. 70
10.21
9. 83
9.84
4. 45
4.38
4.38
2 15. 79
2 15. 38
2 15.85
2 15. 54
2 15. 92
2 15. 75
2 11. 42
2 8. 75
2 7. 38
2 12. 04
2 9. 00
2 7. 69
2 14 33
2 0 8«
2 8. 00
2 7. 50
2 7. 65
2 7. 38
2 7. 53
(>)
(!)
i Insufficient data. 2 Per ton of 2,240 pounds. 4 Per 25-bushel lot (1,900 pounds).
* Fifty cents per ton additional is charged for “ binning.” Most customers require binning or basketing
the coal into the cellar.
6 All coal sold in Savannah is weighed by the city. A charge of 10 cents per ton or half ton is made. The
additional charge has been included in the above prices.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[94]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
95
Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices in November, 1925
RA CTICALLY no change in the general level of wholesale prices
from October to November is shown by information gathered
in leading markets by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
United States Department of Labor. The bureau’s weighted index
number, which includes 404 commodities or price series, registered
157.7 for November as compared with 157.6 for the month before.
When compared with November, 1924, with an index of 152.7, an
increase of 3 Li per cent is shown.
. ,
Farm products declined 1 per cent from the October level, due to
falling prices of cattle, hogs, cotton and cottonseed, hay, and hides.
Lower prices were reported also for clothing materials and housefurnishmg goods, including furniture. In all other groups prices
averaged higher than in October, ranging from less than 1 per cent
in the case of building materials and chemicals and drugs to 3 per
cent in the case of articles classed as miscellaneous.
Of the 404 commodities or price series for which comparable Infor
mation for October and November was collected, increases were shown
in 138 instances and decreases in 113 instances. In 153 instances no
change in price was reported.
P
I N D E X N U M B E R S O F W H O L E S A L E P R IC E S , B Y G R O U P S O F C O M M O D IT IE S
[1913=100.0]
1924,
N ovem ber
C om m odity group
149. 5
153. 8
190. 4
162. 8
128. 7
171.6
134. 0
172.0
122.9
152.7
F a rm p ro d u cts......................
Foods......................................
Cloths a n d clothing.............
Fuel and lighting------------M etals a n d m etal products.
B uilding m a te ria ls.............
Chem icals and dru g s..........
H ouse-furnishing goods---M iscellaneous.......................
All com m odities...................
October
155.3
157.6
189. 5
171.7
127.9
173.9
134.9
187.9
138.0
157.6
N ovem ber
153.9
160.2
187.9
174.8
129.8
175. 6
135.4
165.9
142.0
157.7
Comparing prices in November with those of a year ago as measured
by change in the index numbers it is seen that the largest increase is
shown for the group of miscellaneous commodities, which, due largely
to increases in rubber and jute, averaged over 15 per cent higher than
in November, 1924. Fuels were 7 per cent higher and foods were 4
per cent higher than in the corresponding month of last year. Farm
products, metals, building materials, and chemicals and drugs were
somewhat higher than a year ago, while clothing materials and housefurnisliing goods were cheaper.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[95]
MONTHLY' LABOR REVIEW
96
Comparison of Retail Price Changes in the United States and in
Foreign Countries
HE principal index numbers of retail prices published by foreign
countries have been brought together with those of this bureau
in the subjoined table after having been reduced in most cases
to a common base, namely, prices for July, 1914, equal 100. This
base was selected instead of the average for the year 1913, which
is used in other tables of index numbers compiled by the bureau,
because of the fact that in numerous instances satisfactory informa
tion for 1913 was not available. A part of the countries shown in
the table now publish index numbers of retail prices on the July,
1914, base. In such, cases, therefore, the index numbers are repro
duced as published. For other countries the index numbers here
shown have been obtained by dividing the index for each month
specified in the table by the index for July, 1914, or the nearest
period thereto as published in the original sources. As stated in the
table, the number of articles included in the index numbers for the
different countries differs widely. These results should not, there
fore, be considered as closely comparable with one another. In
certain instances, also, the figures are not absolutely comparable
from month to month over the entire period, owing to slight changes
in the list of commodities and the localities included at successive
dates.
T
IN DEX NUM BERS OF RETAIL PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES AND IN OTHER
’ ;
COUNTRIES
C o u n try ...
U nited
States
N u ta b er of
localities
51
C om m odi
ties in
cluded
43 foods
C o m p u t
ing agen
cy
B ureau D e p art P arity
of Labor
m ent
Com
Statistics of Labor mission
Base =100
Ju ly ,
1914
A ustria
C anada (Vienna)
60
1
Belgium
Czecho
slovakia
D en
m ark
Finland
France
(except
Paris)
Prance
(Paris>
59
22
100
21
320
1
Foods
36 foods
23
56
29 foods 16 foods
(foods, etc.) !(17 foods)
Ju ly ,
1914
July,
1914=1
M in istry
of In d u s
try and
Labor
Office of
Statistics
A pril,
1914
Ju ly ,
1914
13
13
(11 foods) (H foods)
G overn
m ent
C entral
S tatisti Bureau of M in istry M inistry
cal D e Statistics of L abor of Labor
p artm en t
Ju ly ,
1914
Ja n u a ry - A ugust,
June, 1914
1914
Ju ly ,
1914
M o n th
1922
.Tan______
F e b ______
M a r_____
A p r___
M a y _____
Ju n e ___
J u ly ...........
A ug-------Sept____
O ct..
N o v _____
D ec............
139
139
136
136
136
138
139
136
137
140
142
144
149
143
142
138
138
137
138
141
139
138
139
140
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
748
871
904
1043
1374
2421
3282
7224
13531
11822
11145
10519
387
380
371
307
365
360
366
366
371
376
384
384
[96]
1467
1461
1414
1415
1444
1475
1430
1290
1105
1016
984
901
197
184
1151
1145
1124
1127
1132
1139
1144
1165
1166
1157
1140
1122
323
315
312
314
319
307
294
304
317
307
297
239
291.
290
297
305
COMPARISON OF RETAIL PRICE CHANGES
97
I N D E X N U M B E R S O F R E T A IL P R IC E S IN T H E U N IT E D S T A T E S A N D IN O T H E R
C O U N T R IE S —C ontinued
U nited
States
C ountry-
N um ber of
localities
51
C om m odi
ties in
cluded
43 foods
A ustria | Belgium
C anada (Vienna)
j
60
1
Czecho
slovakia
D en
m ark
F inland
22
100
21
Foods
36 foods
59
23
56
29 foods 16 foods (foods,
etc.) (17 foods)
France | ranca
(except | F
(Paris)
Paris)
1
320
13
13
(11 foods) (11 foods)
t
B ureau D ep art P arity
C om p u t of
Com
m en t
Labor
ing agency Statistics of Labor mission
Base=100-_
Julv.
1914
Ju ly ,
1914
July,
1914 = 1
M inistry
of In d u s
try and
Labor
Office of
Statistics
A pril,
1914
July,
1914
Govern
C entral M inistry M in istry
m ent
S ta tisti B ureau of of L abor of Labor
cal D e Statistics
p a rtm e n t
July,
1914
Month
1923
J a n _____
F e b - - - ..
M ar._-'_A p r :____
M a y ----Ju n e ........
J u ly ____
A ug........
Í
141
O ct..........
N o v ____
D ec------
10717
10784
11637
1293.5
13910
14132
12911
12335
12509
12636
12647
12360
383
397
408
409
413
419
429
439
453
458
463
470
941
934
926
927
928
933
921
892
903
901
898
909
ISO
139
I^Q1
140
140
141
144
143
140
147
143
147
142
142
14.5
143
140
138
137
142
141
144
144
14.5
1924
J a n ____
F e b ___
M a r___
A p r----M a y ...
Ju n e ___
J u ly ___
A ug----S ept___
O ct____
N o v ___
D ec___
146
144
141
133
133
139
140
141
144
145
147
148
14.5
14.5
143
137
133
133
134
137
139
139
141
143
13527
13821
13930
13338
14169
144.57
14362
1.5652
1.5623
1.534.5
16198
16248
480
495
510
498
485
492
493
498
503
513
520
521
917
917
908
907
916
923
909
897
908
916
922
928
194
1925
J a n -----F e b ___
M a r___
A p r___
M a y ...
Ju n e ___
J u ly ___
A ug----S ept___
151
143
148
148
143
1
1"6
157
145
147
145
14?
141
141
141
146
146
16446
16618
1692.5
15*430
521
1 899
i 911
1 904
1 901
1 894
1 914
i 916
i 894
i 884
215
Sept-i.-.
July,
1914
Jan u a ry - A ugust,
June, 1914
1914
511
506
502
505
509
517
525
i Revised index (29 foods) since Jan u ary , 1925.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[973
188
200
1108
1103
1096
1047
1016
1004
1003
1087
1103
1140
1133
1112
1089
1070
1067
1035
1037
1040
1052
1125
1125
1160
1160
210
1130
1120
1152
1137
1097
1101
1145
1222
1187
331
337
349
373
400
393
400
426
440
434
451
; .)
309
SIS
321
320
325
331
321
328
33ft
34»
355
365
376
384
392
380
373
370
360
366
374
383
396
404
403
410
415
409
418
42?
421
423
431
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
98
IN D E X NUMBERS OF RETAIL PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES AND IN OTHER
COUNTRIES—Continued
C o u n t r y ...
I ta ly
N e th e r
la n d s
N orw ay
Sw ed en
S w it z e r
la n d
U n it e d
K in g
dom
S o u th
A f r ic a
In d ia
(B o m
bay)
A u str a
l ia
N u m ber of
lo c a litie s
47
6
31
49
33
600
9
1
30
C om m od
itie s in
c lu d e d
21 fo o d s
29 (27
food s)
Foods
40
(fo o d s,
e t c .)
Foods
21 fo o d s
18 fo o d s
17 f o o d s
C o m p u t
in g a g e n c y
M in is t r y
of N a
t io n a l
E cono
my
C e n tr a l
B u reau
of S ta
tis t ic s
C e n tr a l
B u reau
of S ta
tis t ic s
S o c ia l
B oard
Labor
O ffic e
B a s e = 1 0 0 ..
1913
JanuaryJu ne,
1914
J u ly ,
1914
J u ly ,
1914
June,
1914
O ffic e
M in is t r y o f C e n
of
su s and
Labor
S ta tis
t ic s
J u ly ,
1914
1914
N ew
Z ea
la n d
4 6 fo o d s 59 fo o d s
L abor
O ffic e
B u reau
of C en
su s an d
S ta tis
t ic s
J u ly ,
1914
J u ly ,
1914
C en su s
and
S ta tis
t ic s
O ff ic e
J u ly ,
1914
Month
1922
J a n _________
F e b _ _ _ ..........
M a r . . ............
A p r ..................
M a y ...............
June.
...
J u l y -----------A u g ------------S e p t ________
O ct . . .
.
N ov ......
D e c _________
577
560
546
524
531
530
527
531
537
555
502
557
165
164
164
163
159
158
157
155
154
149
146
147
257
245
238
234
230
227
233
232
228
220
216
215
190
189
185
182
178
179
179
181
180
178
170
168
185
173
162
159
152
153
157
152
153
153
155
155
185
179
177
173
172
170
180
175
172
172
176
178
121
119
119
121
120
118
116
116
117
119
120
118
169
160
161
157
158
158
160
159
161
158
155
157
142
140
141
143
146
146
148
149
149
146
145
146
147
145
141
144
145
143
144
141
139
139
139
138
1923
J a n _________
F e b _________
M a r ________
A p r _________
M a y _______
J u n e ________
J u l y ________
A u g . . .......... ..
S e p t ________
O c t ..................
N o v . ...............
D e c _________
542
527
524
530
535
532
518
512
514
517
526
528
148
149
149
149
147
145
145
143
142
145
149
149
214
214
214
212
214
213
218
220
218
217
221
226
166
165
166
163
161
161
160
161
165
165
164
164
155
154
156
158
161
165
164
162
163
162
166
167
175
173
171
168
162
160
162
165
168
172
173
176
117
117
117
117
118
118
116
115
115
117
120
118
151
150
149
150
148
146
148
149
149
147
147
152
145
144
145
152
156
162
164
165
161
157
157
156
139
140
141
142
143
142
142
143
145
146
147
147
1924
J a n . . .............
F e b _________
M a r ________
A p r ............... ..
M a y ...............
J u n e ...............
J u l y . ............
A u g ------------S e p t . .............
O c t _________
N o v . . ............
D e c .............
527
529
523
527
530
543
538
534
538
556
583
601
150
151
152
152
151
151
150
150
152
154
156
157
230
234
241
240
241
240
248
257
261
264
269
274
163
162
162
159
159
158
159
163
165
172
172
172
168
167
167
165
165
168
168
166
166
169
170
170
175
177
176
167
163
160
162
164
166
172
179
180
120
122
122
122
122
120
117
177
117
120
122
121
154
151
147
143
143
147
151
156
156
156
157
156
155
153
152
150
151
149
148
147
146
146
147
148
150
149
150
150
150
150
148
146
145
145
148
150
609
609
610
006
600
602
605
619
156
157
157
155
154
152
152
152
152
277
283
284
276
265
261
260
254
241
170
170
171
170
169
169
169
170
168
168
168
168
166
165
167
167
165
165
178
176
176
170
167
166
167
168
170
120
120
121
124
123
122
120
119
118
152
152
155
153
151
149
152
147
156
148
149
151
152
154
155
156
156
156
147
146
149
149
150
149
151
152
1925
J a n _________
F e b _______
M a r ________
A p r ..................
M a y ................
J u n e ............. ..
J u l y .................
A u g . . . ...........
S e p t ________
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[98]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
99
U se of Cost-of-Living Figures in Wage Adjustments
SPECIALLY during the war, when the cost of living was steadilyrising and increases of wages became necessary in order to enable
workers to meet the increased expenditure, data on the cost of
living were rather widely used in determining just what the wage
increases should be. The numerous requests for such data sent in to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics led the bureau to attempt to ascertain
how the figures were being used, what other data besides its own were
utilized, and just how valuable these figures actually were. The
results of this study are embodied in its Bulletin No. 369, just issued.
I t was found (1) that the cost of living had entered into practically
every award made by Government arbitration boards, (2) that it had
also been considered by State and municipal agencies, and by State
arbitration boards, and had been the controlling factor in the fixing
of wages by minimum wage boards in 13 States and the District of
Columbia, and (3) that in the past 10 years it has entered into prac
tically every industrial case voluntarily arbitrated. Many individual
firms, also, were found to take account of the cost of living when
revising wages, as is shown, for those who reported to the Bureau, in
the table below:
E
NUM BER OF PRIVATE EMPLOYERS USING COST-OF-LIVING FIGURES IN ADJUST
MENT OF WAGES AND NUM BER OF EMPLOYEES AFFECTED
Number Number of
of em
ployers employees
Group
Employers using own cost-of-living figures ...................................................................
Employers using existing cost-of-living figures—
Regularly, in definite way........................ ...........................................................
In definite way on specific occasions____________________ ____________
In general way, considerable influence____________ ___________
In general way, little influence................... .......................................................
T o ta l....................................................
Employers making no use of cost-of-living figures..... ...............................................
41
106, 676
25
41
623
640
60,306
205,830
605,198
531, 330
1,370
1, 509, 340
491
114, 621
The report states:
It is impossible to estimate the number of employees affected by adjustments
based on changes in the cost of living. The awards of Federal arbitration boards
involved directly about 747,000 employees in the coal industry; 100,000 employees
in the packing industry; 500,000 employees in the shipping industry; and 2,000,000
employees on railroads. In addition the awards of the United States National
War Labor Board affected 711,500 employees in various industries.
Since 1922, all commissioned officers, below certain ranks in the Army, Navy,
Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Coast and Geodetic Survey, and Public Health
Services, have their subsistence and rent allowances determined by changes in
the cost-of-living figures of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. This
affects directly about 16,000 men.
No attempt is made to estimate the number of employees whose wages have
been affected by the use of cost-of-living figures by municipal agencies, State
arbitration boards, or minimum wage boards, because the records are not suffi
ciently complete. Neither are data available upon which to base an estimate of
those affected by the voluntary industrial arbitration awards referred to. In the
book and job printing industry of New York City alone, the wages of approxi
mately 22.000 employees were involved. In Chicago, in the same industry, the
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[99]
100
M O N T H L Y LABOR RE V IE W
number of employees affected was between 9,000 and 10,000. The awards of the
Council on Industrial Relations for the Electrical Construction Industry affect
about 150,000 men. It has been shown that private employers engaged in
various businesses have also utilized extensively cost-of-living figures.
Altogether, the number of employees affected directly by specific wage adjust
ments is very great; those industries alone, where the approximate number is
known, employ over five and one-half million workers. It should also be borne
in mind that in many instances an even greater number of employees is affected
indirectly, for often other employers engaged in the same character of work
voluntarily make changes in wages to conform to those uxecl by an adjustment
agency or"granted bv other employers. Therefore practically all labor has been
affected either directly or indirectly by adjustments which were based in some
measure upon the cost of living.
The report contains a detailed discussion of the way in which costof-living figures have been used by various Federal and State agencies
and by 111 individual firms, together with, copious quotations from
the reports and decisions in each case. The different uses of cost-ofliving figures shown and the opinions of various agencies set forth
in this report should be of value, to students of the question, in
determining the relative importance which should be given to the costof-living factor.
\
Cost of Living in Foreign Countries 1
Index Numbers
P
T O December, 1922, the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w kept its
readers informed on changes in the cost of living in foreign
countries by giving currently the most important data in short
articles dealing with each country separately and also figures showing
the trend of food prices in foreign countries. In order to show the in
ternational aspect of cost of living in general rather more clearly, it w'as
decided in December, 1922, to publish semiannually a general survey
and tables showing the international movement. Tables of index
numbers for different countries since 1914 have been compiled and
were published for the first time in the December, 1922, issue of the
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w . They are now published in the January
and July numbers. In the following pages these tables have been
brought up to the latest period for which data are available. Since
food indexes are published in a preceding article in this issue, they
are not included here. The number of countries given in the different
tables varies according to the information available. Several coun
tries publish an index number for food only, while others omit clothing
and sometimes even rent.
The very fact that the form of presentation suggests that the index
numbers are completely comparable internationally makes caution in
making such comparisons all the more necessary. Not only are there
differences in the base periods and in the number and kind of articles
included and the number of markets from which prices are taken, but
there are also many differences of method, especially in the systems of
weighting used.
U
of
1 Compiled from official and unofficial foreign publications named as sources in the December, 1922, issue
the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , p p . 8 1 -8 5 .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[100]
COST OF LIVING IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
101
The trend of the cost of living in the various countries during the
period 1914 to October, 1925 is illustrated by the index numbers
shown in the following four tables. General cost-of-living index
numbers are given in Table 1, and index numbers for the°cost of
heat and light, clothing, and rent, in Tables 2, 3, and 4, respectively.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
j
[101 ]
102
m o n t h l y l a b o r r e v ie w
T able
1 .—IN D E X
NUM BERS OF COST OF L IV IN G
[A = Food; B=H eat and light; C = Clothing;
Bul
garia
(12 lo
calities)
A, B,
Year
and
month
0
Aus
tralia
(30 lo
cali
ties)
A, B,
D
New
Zealand
(25 lo
calities)
A, B,
D
Ger Bel Swit
zer
Canada Hun United
many gium land
Egypt
(60 lo gary States
(32 (Cairo) (72 lo (59-61 (33
calities) A, B, cities)
locali
calities)
A, B, C, D, A, B, A, C, A, B, ties) locali
ties)
C, D,
C, D, D, E C, D, A, B, A,
E
B,
E
C, E
E
E
C
Average
Average
1901- 1911 = 19091913 =
100
1910 =
1Q14
1Q1/i
tQlfi
1917
191R
1919
1990
1991
1922
1923
1924:
.Tan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
.Time
July
Aug
fio.pt
Oot.
Nov
Dec___
1925:
.Tan
Feb
111
12 fi
101
130
129
134
148
175
167
156
168
1031
94/ifi
2524
3495
3258
i
V
J
l
1
l
1
l
166
165
165
1
> 168
L
2 155
2 163
149
151
100
l 103
i 105
1 169
1 104
1 119
i 143
1 161
1 179
1 192
i 161
i 149
8 150
» 151
« 151
6150
( »147
72158 J »144
I « 144
( 9145
12 158 - » 147
1 »147
( »147
12 159 \ » 148
{ »149
•
f »150
12 161 ] »151
1 »150
1
f » 149
1 12 161 \ » 148
{ »147
» 148
« 150
» 150
« 151
(
167 I
[
4178
May
June
July
Aug
fiopt
2 137
Italy
(Mi
lan)
A, B,
C, D,
E
Jan.,
1913,to Average
Apr., June, First half of
1913- 1914=
1914=100
1314 =
July,
=
100
1914= 1914
100
100
1913 = 100
100
100
France
(Paris)
A, B,
C, E
1 118
i 142
i 174
i 199
i 200
i 174
1 170
7 173
156
157
158
170
169
171
173
112
112
106
105
174
100
102
121
154
189
202
159
158
156
157
157
157
158
164
163
168
170
167
165
171
166
164
162
161
163
164
213
165
165
« 238
0 341
8 307
8 296
»334
480
495
510
498
485
492
493
498
503
513
520
521
1
[ 170
365
521
517
511
506
502
505
509
617
525
170
170
170
168
167
169
169
167
167
165
453
379
374
428
237
196
176
162
1» 110
19104
10 107
io 112
io 115
io H 2
io 116
io H 4
io 116
io 122
io 123
io 123
io 124
136
136
137
136
138
143
145
145
144
1
l 168
366
[ 170
)
170 )
172 [
171 J
367
377
]
1 ii 386
J
\ 390
!
j
[ ii 401
286
280
441
501
494
494
510
517
521
522
518
518
512
512
516
546
563
573
580
592
602
600
591
596
' 598
610
624
1 December.
»July.
8 June-July.
4 May-July.
8 September.
6 First quarter.
7 June.
8 Second quarter.
o Not including clothing or miscellaneous articles.
.
.
10 Based on a budget presuming a lower standard of living and not including miscellaneous articles,
u From International Labor Review.
..
82 Includes food and rent only.
. , „
13 Quoted from a report of the American consulate at Athens, dated Oct. 12, 1925.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[102 ]
103
COST OF LIVING IN FOREIGN COUNTEIESi
IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES, 1914 TO OCTOBER, 1925
D = Rent; E = Certain miscellaneous articles]
Greece
(101
locali
ties)
A, B,
E
Spain
(Ma
drid)
A, B,
E
1914 =-100
South
Africa
(9 locali
ties)
A, B, D
1910
=.
100
Uni
Den Fin
ted
mark
King
land
Austria (100+ (21 lo dom India
(Vi locali- cali
(620 (Bom
bay)
enna)
ties)
ties) locali A,
B,
A, B, A,
B, A, B,
ties) C,D
C,D
C,
D,
C,D,
A, B,
C, D,
E
E
E
1914
=
100
109
113
116
125
129
138
170
149
132
131
155
137
121
120
2 9800
461500
1072675
133
135
135
135
135
134
132
132
132
134
136
135
122
123
124
124
124
122
120
121
121
123
124
124
1174000
1194000
1199600
1197300
1220900
1244200
1239100
1314200
1316200
1330700
1357400
1365000
209
11 1429
111437
178
190
180
195
180
186
182
180
189
189
175
190
13 1405
13 1456
13 1472
13 i486
13 1429
13 1460
13 1453
13 1455
188
190
192
189
188
190
190
190
134
134
135
136
136
136
134
134
133
123
123
123
125
125
124
123
122
122
1376200
1389500
1366000
1343200
221
ii 1359
U 1240
ii 1330
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Nethe rlands
Swe
den
(40 lo
cali The Am
ties) Hague ster
A, B, A, B, dam
B,
C,D, C, D, A,
C, D,
E
E
E
Dec., Mar.,
1920— 1920=
100
100
July, 1914-= 100
1100
3 108
2115
2 121
2 146
2 168
2 188
2 182
181
177
100
119
159
264
360
324
346
412
602
1216
Ire
land
A, B,
C, E
Nor
way
(31 lo
cali
ties)
A, B,
C, D,
E
2 100
2 116
2 136
2 155
2 182
2 211
2 262
2 237
2 199
2 204
214
219
2 911
2 1139
2 1118
1127
2 100
2 125
2 148
2 180
2 203
2 208
2252
2 219
181
174
175
183
173
164 2 185
154
184
1138
1126
1123
1100
1199
1125
1132
1176
1177
1197
1202
1153
179
178
173
171
169
170
171
172
176
180
181
180
158 188
156
153
150 178
150
153
156 2 183
160
160
160 193
161
160
1181
1173
1191
1178
1153
1168
1194
1242
1219
179
179
175
173
179!
173
173
174
176
176
157
157
159
158
156
154
157
152
151
[103]
2 117
2 147
2 190
2 253
2 275
2 302
2 302
253
237
188
188
2 95
85
81
2 102
2 97
86
82
85
84
84
81
84
83
84
85
83
84
86
84
83
84
~ 176
249
251
260
173
171
174
267 '
195
188
1 139
2 166
2 219
2 257
2 370
2 236
198
178
178
273
261
249
177
176
175
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
104
T able
2 —IN DEX NUM BERS OF COST OF HEAT AND LIGHT IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES.
1914 TO OCTOBER, 1925
New
United Germany France
Zealand Canada
locali Hungary States (72 locali (Paris)
(4 locali (60ties)
(32
cities)
ties)
ties)
Italy
(Milan)
Switzer
land
(33 locali
ties)
Year and month
Average
1909-1913
=
1 99
1914
___
1915
.................... .................... ....................
196
1 96
1936_________
1917..................
1 125
1938___ *.........
1 147
1919
___
a 151
1 154
1 191
1920
.................... ....................
....................
3 185
1921.......... ........
3 208
1 194
1922
___
191
192
1923
.................... ....................
....................
183
186
1924:
January__
183
February...
182
180
March........
181
April..........
180
M ay..-----177
182
June_____
176
vj. July............
176
August___
182
176
. September.
176
October___
175
, . November.
175
179
175
December..
1925:
January__
176
February...
180
175
March.......
175
April..........
174
May......... .
182
173
,t June...... .
172
July______
172
, August___
172
September.
173
October__
173
=
100
June,
1914 = 100
8 101
2 101
2 108
2 124
2 148
2 157
2 195
2 181
2 186
183
177
179
"isl
126
126
123
122
2 July.
2 December.
3 Second quarter.
* First quarter.
1From International Labor Review*
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Average
of 1914=
1913-1914 First half
100
1913=100
100
[1041
4 164
3 296
3 308
296
329
163
155
151
148
147
146
143
141
140
136
135
135
136
138
138
138
138
139
139
140
142
142
356
350
360
368
»370
345
1 220
1 220
»611
1899
524
529
1 210
525
515
515
515
515
526
526
526
526
515
515
515
176
175
175
173
171
178
169
169
169
168
168
168
515
515
515
515
515
518
518
518
518
165
164
16-1
1&3
161
161
169
169
159
159
181
177
COST OF L IV IN G IN FO R EIG N C O U N T R IE S
T
able
105
2 .— IN DEX NUM BERS OF COST OF HEAT A ND LIGHT IN VARIOUS COUN
TRIES, 1914 TO OCTOBER, 1925—Continued
Year and month
Den
United
mark Finland KingIndia
Austria (H0O+
(21
localdom
(26- (Bom(Vienna) localities) 30 local- bay)
ities)
ities)
J u ly , 1 9 1 4 -1 0 0
1July.
2 December.
8 From International Labor Review.
6 September.
7 Coal, coke, wood, and petroleum.
8 Gas and electricity.
s Coal, coke, and wood.
10 Petroleum.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[105]
Norway Sweden Spain
Ireland (31 local- (40 local- (Mad
ities)
ities)
rid) 3
1 9 1 4 -1 0 0
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
106
T a b l e 3 —IN D EX NUM BERS OF COST OF CLOTHING IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES, 1914
TO OCTOBER, 1925
South
Africa Canada
(60 lo
(9 local calities)
ities)
Hun
gary
United
Ger
States
many
(32
(71 lo
cities) calities)
France
Italy
(Paris) (Milan)
Switzer
land
Austria
(33 lo (Vienna)
calities)
Year and month
1910=100
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
_________
1922
1923
_________
1924
............ ......
1925:
January ______
February_____
March__ _____
April. _______
May . . . ____
June _______
July
August
___
September __
October . ___
1 188
176
168
168
Average First half of 1914=
m s100
1914 =100
1913=100
i 101
l 105
l 120
J 149
i 205
i 269
l 259
i 184
173
176
173
1 125
1 143
i 167
1 198
l 234
1 235
i 173
167
166
156
156
145
142
171
Den
Fin
Czecho mark
land
slovakia (100+lo (21 lo
calities) calities)
United
King
dom
(97 lo
calities)
166
Year and month
148 1
f
172 } «440 \
1
172 j
174 1
173 > 445 •)
173
1
174
173
174
174
Ireland
100
8 284
8 221
« 651
2 512
610
615
611
8 296
4 485
4 353
325
375
428
India
(Bom
bay)
June,
1914=
228
179
175
178
667
667
667
667
642
665
667
667
667
179
179
180
180
180
180
180
180
177
177
i December.
8July.
8 First quarter.
4 Second quarter,
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2402
1618
1024
1057
2 100
2 110
2 160
2 190
2 260
2 310
2 355
2 248
2 217
2 239
2 267
277
272
2 1049
2 1038
2 1093
1065
1038
1044
1043
1043
1043
1043
1040
1040
1042
1043
« 125
« 155
« 200
« 310
« 360
2 430
2 290
239
222
220
230
230
230
230
230
230
228
228
228
228
326066
1598200
2037300
2157800
2168500
2168500
2165600
Decem
ber, 1920
= 100
1 160
2 263
247
214
226
« 189
2 173
179
209
210
207
207
207
198
192
191
188
190
312
6 388
« 336
8 292
247
230
246
? 210
2 285
« 310
2 390
2 270
220
198
192
192
259
257
244
1 From Internationa 1Labor Review.
6June.
1September.
[ 106]
100
Nor
Nether
Sweden lands
way
(31 lo
(40 lo
(The
calities) calities) Hague)
July, 1914=100
_________
1914
1915_____________
1916_____________
1917_____________
1918_____________
1919_____________
1920_____________
1921________ ____ _
1922........ ..................
1 9 2 3 ........................
1924..........................
1925:
January ____
February____
March _____
April_________
May
June _______
July....................
August _ .
September. __
October__ ____
July,
1914=
192
191
190
« 73
62
8 54
55
COST OF LIVING IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
T a b l e 4 .—IN D E X
107
NUM BERS OF COST OF RENT IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES, 1914 TO
OCTOBER, 1925
Australia New Zea Canada
United Germany France
(6 locali land (25
(60 lo Hungary States
(71 lo
(Paris)
ties)
localities) calities)
(32 cities) calities)
Italy
(Milan)
Year and month
1911 = 100 1909-1918
= 100
1914............ ............
1915..............................
1916_______________
1917_______________
1918............................
1919_______________
1920_______________
1921_______ _____ _
1922____________ _
1923_______________
1924.......................... .
1925:
January________ i
February______ 1
March.......... ......
April__________
M ay__________
June _________
July_____ _____
August__ ____ _
September ____
October________
Year and month
114
108
108
110
114
122
133
140
148
155
161
105
102
100
3 95
3 98
8 100
3 110
8 118
132
144
157
1 102
1 86
1 85
1 92
- 1 101
1 111
1 134
1 144
146
147
146
f
165 t
l
f
162 {
[
165
I
>
Den
Austria mark
(100+
(Vienna) localities)
Average
1913-14 First half of 1914=100
= 100
1913=100
Finland
(21 lo
calities)
2 100
2 102
2 102
2 100
2 109
2 125
2 151
2 161
161
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
145
39
39
39
39
United
King
dom
(22-30
locali
ties)
India
(Bom
bay)
168
58
167
77
72
72
79
79
80
82
88
89
89
Ireland
]
[
f
8 200
\
200
}
)
\
]
1
j
1 100
1 100
1 102
1 105
1 108
1 113
1 130
2 141
2 155
2 160
2 170
5850
48017
95467
133000
133000
133000
133300
170
178
1 July.
2 December.
a Second quarter.
74735°— 26t
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2 335
2 553
1767
901
107
118
145
153
148
147
2 165
165
165
165
1105
1165
1165
1165
1165
1266
1266
1266
1266
147
147
147
147
147
147
147
147
148
148
172
172
172
172
172
172
172
172
172
f
Norway Sweden Nether
lands
(31 lo
(40 lo
(The
calities) calities) Hague)
Decem
ber,
1920=100
127
2 127
128
[107]
111
7 123
7 147
7 161
171
173
176
128
128
2 108
c 112
2 112
2 120
2 130
2 155
163
167
178
7 109
ns
125
126
186
179
4 First quarter.
8 From International Labor Review.
6 September.
-S
393
393
393
393
393
393
393
393
393
220
July, 1914=100
1914...........................
1915______ ______
1916............... ...........
1917_____________
1918_____________
1919
...................
1920_____________
1921
_________
1922____ _________
1923___ __________
1924_____________
1925:
January. ____
February____
March _____
April_________
May_________
June _________
July_________
August_______
September___
October______
1 100
1 100
8 108
1 139
202
234
329
4 100
3 HO
164
200
200
179
179
188
186
186
7 June.
122
122
122
108
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
Method of Computing Index Numbers
N THE December, 1922, issue of the M o n t h l y L abor R eview
(pp. 81-85) a short account was given for each country of the
scope of the index numbers and of the method of computation used.
Changes that had taken place subsequently were noted in the July,
1924, issue and in that of August, 1925. The following changes have
taken place recently:
Austria.—In the issue of May 25, 1925, of its monthly bulletin,
Statistische Nachrichten, the Austrian Statistical Office announces
the discontinuance of the cost-of-living index heretofore computed by
an equipartisan commission specially appointed for this purpose,
At the present time the Statistical Office publishes each month an
index of the cost of food. Since this index also will be discontinued
at the end of 1925 and a new cost-of-living index covering all the
principal items of household expenditure will be computed by the
office beginning with 1926, the index of the cost of food has been
omitted in the tables preceding.
Hungary.—{Source: Magyar Statisztikai Szemle, Budapest.)
Since an official cost-of-living index is now being published by the
Hungarian Central Statistical Office the index computed by the
Hungarian Statistical Society formerly shown in the preceding tables
has been omitted, and from now on the official index will be shown.
The new index is based on a theoretical household budget of a work
man’s family of 4 persons (husband, wife, and 2 children, one 12 and
one 6 years of age). It covers the expenditures for food (12 articles),
clothing (13 items), heat and light (4 items), and rent for one room
and kitchen. The index is computed on the basis of prices ascer
tained at the end of each month in the public markets and stores.
The Statistical Office began publication of this index in June, 1925.
The index numbers are now based on gold kronen prices. Base:
1913 = 1.
Ireland.—In its quarterly reports on the cost of living, the Depart
ment of Industry and Commerce has ceased to show index numbers
for the cost of heat and light, and clothing,
General Survey
INURING the six months ending October, 1925, the general trend of
the cost of living was very uneven. Decreases in some countries
were offset by heavy increases in others. Table 1 indicates that the
cost of living has decreased in Egypt, Hungary, Switzerland, South
Africa, Denmark, India, the Irish Free State, Norway, and Sweden,
the decrease being most marked in Norway and India. Increases in
the cost of living are reported by Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the
United States, Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, Finland, and Great
Britain. In France, Belgium, Italy, and Finland the rise was very
marked. In Spain and the Netherlands the cost-of-living level under
went no change. In several countries the Government has taken
measures toward lowering the cost of living. With few exceptions,
however, these measures were unsuccessful. In France, Italy, and
Belgium the rise of the cost of living is to be ascribed to the deprecia
tion of the currency.
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IlOS]
CHINESE LIVING CONDITIONS
109
As shown in Table 2, the cost of heat and light lias decreased or
remained at its former level in all countries with the exception of New
Zealand, Germany, and Italy.
The cost of clothing has shown a slight downward trend in most
countries or remained stationary, the only exception being France
where prices have moved upward slightly, as shown in Table 3.
Rents have decreased in only two countries, New Zealand and the
United States, in the latter very slightly. In Canada, Italy, India,
Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, and the Netherlands the cost of
housing has remained stationary. Rents have continued to increase
in Australia, Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, and Great
Britain. All these fact's are brought out in Table 4.
Chinese Living Conditions
N ARTICLE on density of population and the standard of liv
ing in North China by C. G. Dittmer in Volume X IX of the
Publications of the American Sociological Society, 1925 (pp.
196-199), and one on living conditions in China by Maude B. Warner
in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social
Science, November, 1925 (pp. 167-173), together give a picture of
conditions of life in China at the present time.
Mr. Dittmer made a study of the effect of occupation pressure on
the standard of living in China while teaching in the American
Indemnity College in Peking during the years 1914 to 1917 and 1918
to 1921. This study was made more difficult because no standardsof-living studies had then been made, there were no vital statistics,
and the official census figures were very inexact.
The area of China proper (the IS Provinces) is approximately onehalf the area of the United States, and estimates of the population
vary from 350,000,000 to 450,000,000. The 1902 census placed the
population at 410,000,000 and the crude density at 268 per square
mile, with the densities in the different Provinces ranging from 66 to
683. Comparison of the density of population in China with Ameri
can and European densities is, however, of little value, since China
is still supported by medieval agricultural methods and receives little
aid from supporting industries.
With the exception of a few large cities, the population of China
is one of agricultural villages ranging in size from 25 to 500 families.
The usual-size village is about 100 families. The villages average
about one to the square mile in arable sections. The entire agricul
tural population lives in the village instead of upon the farm. The
postfamine studies of Professor Tayler have shown that one-third of
the farms are less than one acre, two-thirds are less than two acres,
and only one-tenth of 1 per cent are as large as 160 acres, which is a
very common size in the United States.
Statistics gathered by the in vestigator show densities ranging from
956 to 3,000 to the square mile, while Professor Tayler found 13 cases
in which the densities ranged from 290 to 6,880. From these and
other studies and estimates the writer concludes that in agricultural
China—which is practically all China—there is an average density
A
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[109]
110
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
of population varying with the fertility of the soil and other factors
from 1,500 to 2,500 to the square mile.
Two studies of the standard of living which might be maintained
under such density were made, one of 195 families in a rural district
near Peking and the other of 434 families in six different Provinces
of North China. As house and land are usually owned by the
peasants the rent value was included as a part of the income, as was
also the estimated value of fuel, such as twigs and stubble gathered
from the fields.
The families were classified in $25 (Mexican1) income groups, and
the incomes were found to range from $20 to $1,000 per year. The
income of the modal group was $82 per year. In the lowest income
group 71 per cent of the income was spent for food, 1 per cent for
clothing, 24.5 per cent for fuel, 2.5 per cent for house rent, nothing
for land, and 1 per cent for miscellaneous purposes. These expendi
tures are on the basis of $20 per year, and include a deficit of 50 cents.
Such families live in one-room houses, have no land of their own, and
gather the fuel they use from the fields. At the other end of the scale
the families having an income of $1,000 spend 46 per cent on food,
12 per cent on clothing, 5 per cent on light and fuel, 3 per cent on
rent, 5 per cent on land, and have 29 per cent left for savings and
for miscellaneous purposes. Such a family has a surplus at the end
of the year of $200, lives in a 10-room house, buys all the fuel used,
and has 15 acres of land.
The modal family is composed of 4.4 individuals of whom 1.6 are
children. The numerous other children of the family have either
died or disappeared in early infancy. The annual income of $82
leaves them with an average deficit of $1.26. The house which has
4.8 rooms has a rental value of $4.15, or 5.1 per cent of the income,
and is a hovel built about one end and part of the side of a mudwalled courtyard. The entire support of such a family is gained
from about two-thirds of an acre of land. Food costs $55.13, or 67.2
per cent of the income. They live on two meals a day and eat meat
but once a year. Meat and tea are the only luxuries they have ever
tasted and they have never in their lives had what we would call
a square meal. Clothing costs $3.09, or about 3.8 per cent of the
income, while the value of the fuel used is $9.82, or 12 per cent, and
$3.89, or 4.7 per cent, is spent for miscellaneous purposes or every
thing above the barest necessaries of life.3
Such a standard of living, which is one of bare subsistence, is the
price paid for the overpopulation of the country and is maintained
in the face of a tremendous birth rate only because the death rate
is equally high. “ There is no evidence/’ the writer says, ‘‘that the
population of China is increasing at all, and there is every evidence
that the standard of living has struck bottom; that a Malthusian
balance has been at last attained.”
Somewhat of a contrast to this gloomy picture of the living con
ditions of the vast majority of the population of China is given by
Mrs. Warner, who spent several years as a missionary in North China.
Mrs. Warner says that while first impressions of China leave “ a
JThe Mexican dollar is equal to approximately 50 cents United States currency.
The remainder of the expenditure ($7.18), not accounted for, probably covers rental paid for the
two-thirds acre of land.
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[110]
CHINESE LIVING CONDITIONS
111
superficial glare of squalor, ignorance, and misery of the masses,”
second impressions show—
First, that anything that comes into your mind about how people in general
live is bound to be true somewhere in China. Second, that no generalization
dare be made of how the Chinese live without subjecting oneself to severest
criticism and successful contradiction by intelligent Chinese. Third, we are
dealing with a civilized people not unlike ourselves, having the same physical
need of food and shelter, the same hunger for companionship, as shown in their
strong desire for home and social life. Moreover, we are speaking of a race who
were writing philosophies on how to live hundreds of years before the birth of
Christ and whose predominant psychology from 400 B. C. down to the present
is common sense with a strong moral bias.
Although now apparently on the verge of economic and political
ruin it must be remembered that China alone of all those countries
whose first existence was contemporary with hers has survived, and
not only survived but has also the most numerous race of people on
earth. In arriving at an estimate of the Chinese, the writer says,
t is necessary in a measure to disregard the centuries of corrupt
official life and consider the stable Chinese in his home and com
munity.
-*In general, Chinese society is divided, and has been for centuries,
into five classes—scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, and servants
and soldiers. The Chinese are a democratic people and there are
no special class distinctions nor any particular mode of living char
acteristic of one class and not of another, so that it is possible for a
member of one class to pass to another if he has the intellectual
capacity to do so. The industrial, commercial, and educational life
of the people, therefore, rather than any social class system, is the
basis of living conditions.
The size and density of population are well known, but while we
deplore the state of congestion the writer says they are naturally a
gregarious people and like it. As was stated earlier, the farmers live
in villages. They walk back and forth to their farms although at
harvest season they protect their crops by building shacks of sorghum
stalks and sleeping there with a shotgun and a dog. They and their
families work from daylight to dark, “ all illustrating the industry,
intelligence, common sense, and thoroughness with which the Chinese
use their native resources and which enable them to secure such large
results from their lands.”
The handicrafts of China have changed little through the past
two thousand years, as many of the articles made now were made
then. The one great change was the introduction of cotton. The
natural resources of the country are practically untouched and it is
said Shansi alone could support the world several hundred years with
her unexploited coal fields.
Factors which have contributed to the continuation of the Chinese
nation are said to be the physical vitality of the people who can labor
longer under all extremes of weather and inconvenience than any
other people; their natural industry and habits of economy; their
intelligence; their powers of adaptability and cheerfulness; and their
ability to cooperate into trade guilds.
The commercial life of the Chinese has been slow to respond to the
influence of other countries partly from disinclination on the part of
the Chinese, and partly because of the lack of transportation facilities
which make it impossible in many places to transport even small
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112
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
loads from one place to another. The inaccuracy of Chinese money
and of weights and standards has also been a bar to the development
of commerce with the outside world.
While the women of China have in the past occupied a subordinate
position the new era of women’s advancement has already begun to
affect them and opportunities for education are being offered them.
When the education of the masses of women, whom the writer con
siders to be capable of the finest possible intellectual attainment, has
begun to be realized, when China’s industrial resources have been
tapped, and when commerce with foreign nations has become popular,
the writer believes that we may expect real changes in the living
conditions, since we now see the Chinese as a race which has proven
its powers of adaptability, of endurance, and of patience.
Retail Prices in Shanghai, June 15, 1925
HE Shanghai Market Prices Report, June, 1925 (pp. 44, 45),
gives the following table of retail prices of food, clothing, fuel
and light, and miscellaneous articles in Shanghai, June 15,
1925:
T
RETAIL PRICES OF COMMODITIES IN SHANGHAI, JUNE 15, 1925
Quantity i
Commodity
Unit of
money 2
Retail
price,
June 15,
1925
Food products:.
Rice, white_______________ ___ _
. _______________ Shih____ Dollar___
11. 200
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___________________ Catty___ Copper__
Pork, fresh_______ _
63. 300
Pound___ Dim e____
Beef, fresh. _________
. . .
_
__ _________
3.330
Mutton, fresh......... . _ _ _ _ _
______ _________ __ do_____ __ d o ____
3.500
TUmon, native.__ _
_
__ __________ C atty...
Dollar___
.280
do.Chicken _________ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _______________
Copper—
89. 700
Eggs, fresh._ ___________ ____ ____ _____ ________________ Piece____
do
3. 400
Fish, fresh________ ________ _ _ _ _____ ............................... Liang___ .d o ___
3.209
Fishi salt, native......... ......... ....... ... _ _ ____________________ __ d o.— _ ... d o.. . . .
2.000
Greens....................... . __
__
............................ Catty____
d o.____
4, 000
__ do_____ ...d o .____
Buds, bean__________ __
_
.............. ..........
6. 300
Curd, bean_______ _
. . . _ Piece____ __ do
2.000
Oil, bean___ ______
Catty____ Dollar----.240
Sauce, 2d q u a lity___
___do.___
Copper.
16.000
Salt, common _ _ _
__ do_____
d o ____
11. 200
Sugar-, white, “ H X ” _______ __
___do_____ Dollar___
.092
Sugar, brown___ _____
. d o ____
do .
.080
Tea, “ Hung M uey”-______
...d o ,____
d o ____
.336
Clothing:
Cotton, raw, No. 1 (Tai Chong)_________________________ ___ ...d o .____
.700
do _ __
Roll_____
Machine cotton, 6-cord, 200 yds-.do . . .
.120
Cloth, striped, native, middle quality. . ................................... Chih_____
do
.065
Sheetings, grey, 14lbs. ( J a p ) _ _ 2 ____ _________________ _ do_____
(R):__
.110
Sheetings, black, 16.1bs_ native
_
_ _ _______ ___ _ do_____ . do ___
.165
Jeans, blue, middle quality (J a p )__________________________
.140
do_____ _ do_____
Cheeks, native. _
do
d o ____
.190
Men’s felt hats____
R anh___
do
1.100
Men’s cotton socks
Pair-------- -__do_____
.329
Shoes, cloth, middle quality.......................
do_____ __ d o ____
.700
Fuel and lighting:
Firewood, good (Szk Eou)..............................................
Bundle. _ do
.042
Charcoal (Wenchow) ____
do
picul___
1, 300
Anthracite, household _ ..........................
do _ __
do
2. 300
Oil, kerosene, “ B r i l l i a n t .....................
do
Tin
___
2. 350
Safety matches, native ..........................
10 boxes... Copper__
10.000
Candles, 12 oa. “ Prices” . ................................. ..........
, 6 pieces— Dollar___
.190
Miscellaneous articles:
Towels, No. 5__................. .................. .................
Piooo
.190
Soaps, laundry, 120 pieces, “ Ku P a n ___ ................
do
10.000
Copper__
Paper, low _____
36. sheets. _ Dollar___
.090
— ..... ......
1 1 shill=6,29.0 cubic inches; 1 ealty=l3^ pounds; 1 Iiang=lM ounces; 1 chih=U .l inches; 1 picul= 133U
pounds.
2 The exchange value of the Chinese dollar in May, 1925, averaged 73.125 cents United States, cur
rency, 1 dime equaled 17 cents, and there were 228.7 copper coins to the dollar.
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[ 112]
W AGES A N D H O U R S O F LA B O R
Wages ana Hours of Labor of Woodworkers in Various Countries 1
HE International Union of Woodworkers, Amsterdam, has
recently published a report, from which the information below
is taken, showing in tabular form the working conditions of
woodworkers in'the various countries of the world on October 1, 1924:
T
1[International Union of Woodworkers.] Working conditions for woodworkers in various countries—-the
position on October 1, 1924. [Amsterdam, 1925?] 12 pp.
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113
[113]
WAGES
A N D
HOURS OF LABOR OF WOODWORKERS, OCTOBER, 1924, BY COUNTRIES
[At par: franc, lira, dinar, leu=19.3 cents; Scandinavian krone=26.8 cents; ore=0.268 cent; pfennig=0.238 cent; shilling=24.3 cents; penny=2.03 cents; Austrian, Czechoslovak, and
Hungarian krone=20.3 cents; groschen=0.193 cent. Exchange rate varies.]
Country and source
of information
Hourly wages
Hours
Overtime work, extra payment, and
regulation
Vacations
Wages paid for
general holidays?
Belgium:
Denmark:
[114]
Cabinetmakers, 160 ore____________
Joiners, 181 ore____ _______ ________
Joiners, metal industry, 174 ore______ __ do.
Piano makers, 186 ore______________
Borstenbinderforprevalent. No data avail
bund (brush mak Piecework
I___do.
able.
ers) .1
S n e d k e rfo rb u n d
(cabinetmakers)
B o d k e rfo rb u n d
(coopers).'
160 5re„
Forgylderfor b u n d
(gilders).2
.do.
Traeindustriarbeidforbund (wood
working industry) .s
B illedskaerer-og
Dekorationsbilledh u g g erfo rb u n d
(carvers and sculp
tors).'
Copenhagen, 175 ore; country, 140 ore.
Unskilled workers, 115 ore__________
Wood carvers, 1.80 kroner.
Modelers, 2.00kroners___
Karetmagerforbund >168 ore.
(Cartwrights).2
1
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_do_
_do_
do.
-do.
_do_
Building: Legal maximum, 2 hours
daily, in case of abnormal activity,
subject to special agreement with
most representative group of work
ers employed.
Night work allowed in emergency and '/Noin shifting works.
Legal extra payment: First hour, 25
per cent; second hour, 33/^ per cent;
thereafter, 50 per cent. For night and
Sunday work, 100 per cent.
Extra pay: First hour, 25 per cent;
second hour, 33}4 per cent; there
after, 50 per cent. For night work,
100 per cent.
/Maximum, 9 hours per week........ ........
(Overtime work paid for at extra rates. _
Extra pay: First hour, 25 per cent;
second hour, 33 per cent; third horn,
50 per cent ;thereafter, 100 per cent.
No maximum____________________
Extra pay: First hour, 25 per cent;
second hour, 33 per cent; thereafter,
50 per cent.
Extra pay: First hour, 25 per cent;
second hour, S3 per cent; thereafter,
100 per cent.
Extra pay: First hour, 25 per cent;
second hour, 33 per cent ; thereafter,
50 per cent.
No maximum fixed, but overtime in
frequent and generally worked by
agreement with union.
[Extra pay: First hour, 25 per cent;
< second hour, 33 per cent; thereafter;
t 100 per cent.
N o.
No
No.
No.
Partially; if so, paid for
at normal rates.
To factory workers
but not to shop
workers.
May he had, but no No.
wages paid.
Some 100 workers in co
operative enterprises
have paid vacation.
No.
‘N o ..............
N o.
State and municipal em
ployees have 2-week
vacations with regular
pay.
No.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
Centrale Générale
du Batiment, de
l ’Ameublement et
des Industries di
verses.
Minimum, 2.90 to 3.75 francs; average,
3.10 to 4 francs; average, whole coun
try, 3.50 francs.
Wages of stone carvers and highly
skilled machinists are generally
higher by some 25 centimes.
Pattern makers: Brussels, 4.75 to 5 ■8per day, 48 per week...
francs; country, 4 to 4.25 francs.
Ship joiners, 3.75 francs____________
Basketware makers, 3 francs________
Adjustment of wages to index figure
every two months.
[SIT]
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!
WAGES AND H O U R S OF LABOR O F W OODW ORKERS
K u r v e m a g e r n e s 11
(Extra pay: 59 ore per hour; Sundays
To week workerForening (basket- >125 ore......................................-........ — 8 per day, 48 per w eek...
and general holidays, 75 ore; night ■No.
but not to piece
ware makers) 4 )
! work, 100 ore.
workers.
Skibstômrerforbund (Iron-ship joiners, 177 ore___________
'Extra pay: First hour, 25 per cent;
(ship joiners).1
j Wooden-ship joiners, 133 ore and tool I___do..............................
second hour, 33Rj per cent; third ►No.
and fourth hours, 50 per cent; thereNo.
Germany:
1 allowance of 5 ore per hour.
.
after, 100 per cent.
Cabinetmaking: Wages regulated by
collective bargaining in 17 wage dis
tricts. Districts divided into sub
districts, by locality. Minimum
hourly wages so determined range
from 40.5 pfennig in lowest wage
class of Silesia to 73 pfennig at
’Maximum, 51 hours per week, in
Hamburg. In Berlin wages are
urgent cases, when the. enterprise is
fixed by every enterprise independ
working with normal number of
ently since February , 1925, and aver
workers.
All workers have right
age 85 pfennig per hour.
Overtime subject to agreement with
to vacation, ranging
Sawmilling: 18 wage districts. Wages
works
council.
from 3 days after 6
range from 32 pfennig in lowest
Deutscher Holzar
Extra pay, 10 per cent...........................
months’ consecutive
beiter-Verband.2
class Of Upper Silesia to 63 pfennig
. In case of disagreement as to normal ■ employment to 7 days ■No.
in highest class of Brandenburg.
number of workers resort is had to
after 3 years’ employ
In both industries pieceworkers re
district wages council, whose award
ment on same job.
ceive a guaranteed extra wage of 15
is binding.
Average wages fixed
per cent.
Further overtime hours, Sunday, and
by agreement are paid.
Brush and pencil making: National
night work, and extra rates of pay
collective ‘agreement. Country is
regulated
in
district
agreements
sep
divided into 3 classes, by locality.
arately.
Wages amount to 58, 53, and 49
pfennig, respectively.
Stick industry: National collective
agreement reached in March, 1925.
Average rate of 63 pfennig and
piece-rate basis to be 66 pfennig.
In 35 large towns (8,100
workers), 8 per day
and 46 to 48 per week.
In 35 medium-sized
towns (1,390 workers),
8 per day and 48 per
dn 35 large towns with 8,100 paper
week.
hangers, minimum of 68 to 70 pfen
general extra pay of 25 per cent In 60 localities, question
In 18 small towns (475 Rather
Deutscher Sattler-,
nig.
first and second hours; in some
is regulated by col
Tapezierer- und In 42 medium-sized towns with 1,540
workers), 8 per day • for
instances
10 per cent, and 25 per
lective agreement; va
and 48 per week.
Portefeuiller - Ver
paper hangers, minimum of 84 pfen
cent
thereafter.
Overtime
of
1
to
2
cations paid for at reg
band.3
In Augsburg (35 work
nig.
hours
allowed,
but
seldom
worked.
ular rates.
In 23 small towns with 520 paper
ers), 50 per week.
hangers, minimum of 59 pfennig.
In 7 medium-sized towns
(150 workers), up to
54 per week.
In 5 small towns (45
workers), up to 54 per
week.
*All conditions established by collective agreement. 2Wages and hours established by collective agreement. 8Certain of these conditions are established by collective agreement.
t—‘
H -t
Ox
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR OF WOODWORKERS, OCTOBER, 1924, BY COUNTRIES—Continued
O
Country and source
of information
Hourly wages
National Amalgam 3s. 2d. to Is. 6d. If working away
ated Furnishing
from shop, Is. per meal, and lodging
Trades’ Associa
where necessary.
tion.1
1
EHG]
Amalgamated Soci
ety of Woodwork
ers.2
'Building: Over 75 per cent of member
ship, is. 8d.; 25 per cent, Is. 4d. to Is.
8d.
Shipbuilding: London, Is. 3%d.; Liver
pool, Is. 5d.; other places, Is. 2%d.
. And tool allowance of 3s. per week.
1
In cabinetmaking 8 per
day by decree which 120 hours per year in urgent cases___
, is badly observed.
extra pay fixed, but very seldom
In sawmilling
and Legal
paid.
basketware industries;
decrees in preparation.
Extra pay: First and second hours, 25
8 per day, 44 per week.
per cent or 50 per cent; thereafter, 100
per cent.
Or 8J^ per day, 47 per
week with Saturday Overtime allowed only in urgent cases,
half holiday.
with normal number of employees
. working.
Vacations
Wages paid for
general holidays?
No.
No
Vacations compulsory,
but no wages or al
lowance paid. Some
district
agreements
provide that at least
6 days in summer and
3 at Christmas or New
Year’s shall be given.
-No.
Building: Overtime allowed only in
urgent cases, and not for more than 4
Building: 44 per week in
consecutive days except by consent
winter, 4 6 in summer,
of appropriate joint committee.
with Saturday half Extra pay: First and second hours, 25
holiday.
per cent; third and fourth hours, 50 Yes; but no wages paid..
Shipbuilding: 48 per
per cent; thereafter, 100 per cent.
week in London; 47 Shipbuilding: Maximum 30 hours per
per week in other
month, except in certain specified
places.
eases and by agreement.
Extra pay: 50 per cent; for Sunday
. work, 100 per cent.
'Sawmiiling: London, Is. 9J4d. to Is.
8j4>d.; Liverpool, Is. 8J4d.; other
places, Is. 8d. to Is. 7d.; Scotland,
Amalgamated So
5d
ciety of Woodcut InIs.
Scotland, a demand for an increase 47 hours per week.
ting Machinists.
of wages to Is. 8d. has been sub
mitted to arbitration, but no award
. had been made at time of report.
Holland:1
Alg. Ned. Bond van
Meubelmakers,Be- Minimum: Cabinetmakers, 68 cents; [8}4 hours per day, 48
paper hangers, 66 cents ¡average, 7 to j hours per week.
hangers en Aanver9 cents higher.
wante Vakgenooten.1
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Overtime work, extra payment, and
regulation
No
Extra pay: 50 percent.
Maximum, 200 hours per year, 10 per
week.
¡
Extra pay: 20 per cent; for Saturday
and night work, 30 per cent; for Sun
day work, 100 per cent.
For each quarter year of
consecutive employ
ment, 1 working-day •Yes; full pay.
with normal wages.
Maximum, 4 days.
I
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW
'Cabinetmaking: 4.50 francs in Paris;
3 to 3.50 francs in the country.
Sawmiiling: 4.50 francs in Paris; 2.50 to
3irancs in the country.
Fédération des Tra
vailleurs de l’In Basketware industry: 1.80 to 2.50
francs (except St. Claude and Paris,
dustrie du Bois.
where wages are slightly better).
In Paris a tool allowance of 1 to 2 per
cent is paid.
Great Britain:
France:
Hours
Luxemburg:
Industrie-V erband
der Bau-und Holz a r b e i t e r des
Grossherzogtums
Luxemburg.
Joiners, 3 to 3.50 francs____________
Cabinetmakers, 2.50 to 3.75 francs___
Machinists in woodworking industry,
3.50 to 4 francs.
10 per day, 60 per week.. (Extra pay: 30 per cent.
Worker has option
of working on
general holidays
if employer is not
willing to pay for
them.
In Esch on the Alzette
only, with full pay.
After 1 to 5 years of con
secutive employment, N o
3 days; thereafter, 6
days.
Piecework prevalent__ ____ ,______
Maximum, 30 hours per month in ur
Average hourly wages: Wood-yard
gent cases.
workers, 1.78 kronen; machinists in
Extra pay: First and second hours, 25 After at least 12 weeks of
the woodworking industry (highly
consecutive employ
’
8
^2
per
day.
48
per
week..
per
cent; thereafter, 50 per cent; for
skilled) , 1.70 kronen; unskilled work
ment, 8-day vacation
Sunday and night work, 100 per cent,
ers, 1.57 kronen.
with full pay.
Work
in
sawmills
after
midnight
pro
Free fuel, and tool allowance of 4 ore per
hibited by law.
hour.
Extra pay: First and second hours, 25 All workers have right
Norsk Möbelindus- (Average hourly wages, 1.85 kronen. j-48 per week.
per
cent; thereafter, 50 per cent; for
to 8-day vacation with
triarbeiderforbund. \ And tool allowance of 3 ore per hour.
Sunday work, 100 per cent.
full pay.
Piano workers, 12,000 kronen_______
Paper hangers, 11,000 kronen_______
Maximum, 30 hours per year; with (Legal.) After 1 to 5
Austria:
Cabinetmakers, 10,500 kronen_______
special permit from public authori
years, 1 week; there Generally not.
Verband der Holzar Carvers, 10,500 kronen_____________ ’8 per day, 48 per week...
ties, 60 hours.
after, 2 weeks with
beiter Oesterreichs.8 Other crafts, 8,200 to 10,200 kronen___
full
pay.
Sawyers, 6,400 kronen,_____________
Extra pay: 50 per cent....... ..................
Tool allowance of 10 per cent_______
Cabinetmakers, 40 to 140 groschen___
Poland:
(unskilled), 30 to 90
After 1 year,
Zwiazek robotnikow Machinists
(Legal)____ _________ -...__________ ][ (Legal.)
groschen.
: per day, 46 per week... fIExtra
8 days; after 3 years, Full pay.
przemyslu drzew- Paper
pay: First and second hours,
hangers,
45 to 120 groschen____
j 15 days, with full pay.
nego w Polsce.«
j
50
per
cent
thereafter,
100
per
cent.
Sawyers, 25 to 55 groschen__________
[Maximum, 120 hours per year..............
1 All conditions established by collective agreement.
2 Wages and hours established by collective agreement.
1In the Dutch mirror and picture frame industries a collective agreement exists with almost the same conditions as described above. As these industries mainly center in Amster
dam, and are of very slight importance in the country, the agreement concerns Amsterdam only. Working conditions in the cane-chair industry have not been laid down in a col
lective agreement, but are same as in the other crafts. Conditions prevailing in the basketware industry are extremely bad, as in most other countries.
8 Except where expressly noted as having been established by law (“ legal”), conditions were established by collective agreement.
6 Wages established by collective agreement.
Norway:1
Norsk Sag-, Tomt-og
Hövleriarbeiderforbund,
[117]
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
{
WAGES AND H O U R S OF LABOR OF W OODW ORKERS
Yugoslavia:
In Slovenian towns, 8 per
Osrednje d r u stv o
day; in the country, 9
lesnili delavcev in Woodworkers in Slovenia, 3 to 7 dinars.
to 10. In enterprises
sorodnih strok na
with less than 15 em
slovenskem
ployees, 9 peri day.
Overtime during four times four weeks
ozemiju (Laibach).
Act Feb. 28, 1922.
in one calendar year on permit by
Carpenters and joiners (cabinetmak
competent public authorities.
ers), 8 to 16 dinars,
Verband der Holzar Pattern makers, 10 to 16 dinars___. . .
8 per day, 48 per week.
beiter (Agram).
Coopers, 6 to 12 dinars____________
Badly observed.
Cartwrights, 6 to 10 dinars______.
[Unskilled sawyers, 3 to 8 dinars....... ..
I
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR OF WOODWORKERS, OCTOBER, 1921, BY COUNTRIES—Continued
OO
Country and source
of information
Hourly wages
Hours
Sv. Byggnadsträarbetareförbundet.1
Switzerland:
Schweizerischer Bauund HolzarbeiterVerband.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[Extra pay: First and second hours, 40
: per cent; night work, 75 per cent;
[ Sunday work, 100 per cent.
Extra pay: First and second hours, 35
percent; thereafter,70percent; Sun
day work, 100 per cent.
Maximum, 50 hours per week or 200
per year. In very urgent cases an
other 150 hours may be worked, by
. special permit.
Maximum, 50 hours per month; 200
per year.
[Joiners in building industry, 1.22 to
j>___ do______________ Extra pay: First and second hours, 35
\ 1.60 ore.
per cent; nightwork, 70 per cent;
[Glaziers, 1.25 to 1.35 ore____________
. Sunday work, 100 per cent.
Average, 1914 to 1923 (francs):
Parquet workers—1914, 6.83; 1918,
1.18; 1920, 2.12; 1921, 2.13; 1922,
1. 66; 1923, 2. 06.
S aw yers—1914, 0.57; 1918, 0.93;
For shopworkers gener
1920,1. 36; 1921,1.38; 1922, 1. 26;
ally, 48, with Saturday
1923, 1. 19.
half holiday.
Cabinetmakers, machinists, car .Building:
Joiners and
vers and glaziers—1914,0. 63; 1918,
paper hangers, 48; par
1. 22; 1920, 1. 51; 1921, 1. 69; 1922,
quet
workers,
45 to 48;
1. 48; 1923, 1. 50.
carpenters, 44 in win
Paper hangers—-1914, 0. 67; 1918,
ter,
52
in
summer.
1. 32; 1920,1. 72; 1921,1. 73; 1922,
1. 56; 1923, 1. 54.
Carpenters—1914, 0.62; 1918, 1. 34;
1920, 1. 55; 1921, 1. 50; 1922, 1.37;
1923,1.39.
Vacations
Wages paid for
general holidays?
[Allowance of 40 kronen
1 for 1 week; for workers
1 under 18 years of age, | no
l 20 kronen.
4 to 6 days with full pay.
For glaziers only, 4 to 6 | n 0.
days with full pay.
[3 to 6 days in woodwork J ing industry; in build- Ino .
1 ing industry vacations
| seldom granted.
!
M O N T H L Y LABOR RE V IE W
Range from those paid at KlausenRumania:
burg (minimum) to those paid at
“ Holzarbeiter.” Of
Arad (maximum). At Klausenburg:
ficial organ of the
Unskilled workers, 7.10 to 9.50 lei;
Rumanian Com
skilled workers, 9.50to21.701ei. At
m u n i s t Wo o d
workers’ Union.1 , Arad, from 14 to 27 lei.
Average, at piecework rates: Sawyers,
90 ore; unskilled workers, 81 ore;
Sweden:
wood yard workers, 100 ore; rafts
per week, with Satur
Sv. Sägverksindusmen and wood sorters (both sea ,48day
half holiday.
t ri arbet aref örsonal
workers), 115 ore.
bundet.
Free medical treatment and fuel and
. housing allowance.
'Country divided into 10 wage districts.
Minimum, skilled workers, 80 to 120
ore; unskilled workers, 8 to 10 ore
Sv. Träindustriarbe- 1 lower;
average, some 10 ore higher.
tareförbundet.1
(in
Brush makers and picture-frame
workers, 100 ore. Tool allowance of
. 1 krone per week.
Overtime work, extra payment, and
regulation
Unie drevodelniku
(Prague).3
[119]
Hungary:
Magyarorszâgi Famunkäzok Szövetsége.1
Budapesti Szobrâszok Szakegylete.
48. Saturday half holi [Maximum, with special permit, 2
< hours per day for 4 (in some cases 20)
day optional.
l consecutive weeks.
Cabinetmakers in Greater Prague,
2.60 to 7.50 kronen. Average, 5.50
[Overtime by special permit of factory
kronen.
inspector.
Carvers, 4 to 8 kronen; in the country, 48 per week, with Satur
Extra pay: First and second hours, 30
2 to 3.50 kronen.
day half holiday.
|
per cent; thereafter, 50 per cent.
Mother-of-pearl turners, 2.80 to 4
I For night work, 100 per cent.
kronen.
Sawyers, 2 to 3.60 kronen.....................
After one-half year, 3
days; after 1 year, 6
days, with full pay.
(This will have to be
revised according to
new holidays act.)
No.
Cabinetmakers, 8,000 to 15,000 kronen.
Wood turners, 9,000 to 16,000 kronen,_
Machinists, 7,000 to 14,000 kronen___
Brush makers: Men, 8,000 to 12,000 90 per cent of member [Extra pay: First and second hours, [For paper hangers and
brush makers only, 3
kronen; women, 3,500 to 8,000
ship work 8 per day;
30 per cent; third and fourth hours,
to 7 days after 5 years’
kronen.
10 per cent work a
60 per cent; thereafter, 100 per cent.
consecutive employBasketware makers, 6,000 to 12,000
little longer.
For Sunday work, 100 per cent.
L ment on the same j ob.
kronen.
Paper hangers, 9,000 to 17,000 kronen.
Cartwrights, 10,000 to 24,000 kronen. _
No.
'Wood carvers, 17,000 kronen________
Stone carvers,121,000 kronen________ •48 per week.
Plasterers and mold makers,1 19,000
. kronen.
No.
All conditions established by collective agreement.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Cabinetmakers at Reichenberg, 6 days with
pay. In other places
often 4 paid general
holidays or special
holidays. In the but ■No.
ton industry 3 to 10
days. (This will have
to be revised accord
ing to new holidays
act.)
(■Unlimited.................... .
(Extra pay, 30 per cent.
■No.
3Certain of these conditions are established by collective agreement.
WAGES AND H O U R S OF LABOR OF W OODW ORKERS
'Cabinetmakers, 4 to 4.80 kronen.
Czechoslovakia:
Piano workers, 4.60 kronen____
Verband der Holzar Turners,
3.20 to 4.SOkronen,.......
beiter und Drech
Sawyers,
3.50 to 4.20 kronen___
sler ( R e i c h e n - Woodcutters,
3.50 kronen_____
berg).1
LTool allowance of 1 to 2 per cent
CO
120
M O N T H L Y LABOE REV IEW
No data were available from the Italian Woodworkers" Federation,
so that Italy had to be omitted from the table above. The following
data, taken from the official protest of the Italian Confederation of
Labor against the admission of the Fascist workers’ delegates at the
last International Labor Conference at Geneva, show conditions in
Cremona, described as being “ the mightiest bulwark of Fascist
domination.” In 1921-22 a collective agreement, covering the
woodworking industry, established the following 'wages: For ma
chinists, 3.17 lire per hour; highly skilled workers, 2.78 lire; skilled
workers, 2.42 lire; and unskilled workers, 2.23 lire. The present
collective agreement (that of 1924-25) reached by the Fascist wood
workers’ organization provides as follows: Machinists, 2.58 lire per
hour; highly skilled workers, 2.32 lire; skilled workers, 2.25 lire; and
unskilled workers, 2.01 lire. “ I t should moreover be borne in mind
that since 1921 the cost of living in Italy has by no means decreased,
indeed, has increased very considerably.”
Earnings of Factory Workers in New York State
HE following figures showing the gradual increase in the earnings
of office workers in New York State from June, 1914, to Octo
ber, 1925, are taken from the November, 1925, issue of The
Industrial Bulletin, published by the industrial commissioner of
that State:
T
■Average
weekly
earnings 1
June, 1914_______
Decem ber, 1916__
Decem ber, 1917__
October, 1918__
October, 1919____
October, 1920____
October, 1921____
October, 1923:
M en_________
W om en______
All employees.
October, 1924:
M en_________
W om en______
All em ployees
October, 1925:
M en_________
W om en______
All employees.
$19.
19.
21.
24.
27.
31.
31.
18
58
07
11
.13
06
27
42. 18
20. 77
32. 56
43. 60
21. 29
33. 58
44. 38
22. 63
34. 49
New Closing Law in Argentina2
HE retention of clerks between the hours of 8 p. m. and 6. a. m.
in stores and other commercial establishments rendering
public service is forbidden in Argentina, according to the
provisions of the 8 o’clock closing law (No. 11320) which was passed
T
1 For both men and women unless otherwise specified
2 La Prensa, Buenos Aires, May 30, 1025, p. 10.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 120 ]
C H A N G E IN LONDON BU IL D IN G -TR A D E H O U RS
121
on May 29, 1925, by the Chamber of Deputies after having been
amended by the Senate,
Exemptions.—The law exempts restaurants, hotels, boarding
houses, dairies, newspaper presses, and undertaking establishments,
which may remain open all night. Bars, cafés, confectionery stores,
and auction houses selling furniture and art objects may1 remain
open until 1 a. m. Stores in which tobacco, books, periodicals, or
flowers are sold may remain open until 1 a. m. if attended only by
the proprietors. Hairdressing establishments may remain open
until 10 o’clock on Saturdays and on days preceding holidays.
Pharmacies which take turns carrying on business on Sundays may
remain open until 10 p. m. ; as may also other pharmacies, providing •
they are attended during the evening hours by the employer or by
employees not working more than eight hours a day. 1Workers
in these establishments shall be entitled to a rest equivalent to the
time they were employed between the hours of 8 p. m. and 6. a. m.
In continuous industries employees may not work more than 8 hours
in every 24 and the working hours must alternate periodically.
The above-mentioned establishments must post in a conspicuous
place one or more records containing the names and job specifications
of all workers as well as their working hours arid time allowed for
meals and rest.
Penalties.-—First violations of the law are punishable by fines
ranging from 20 to 100 pesos national currency,3 and second offenses
by double the amount.
Closing Law in the Dominican Republic4
A LL commercial and industrial establishments as well as public
/- X
offices in the Dominican Republic must close all day on Sun
days and on legal holidays, according to a new law of that
country effective since June 1, 1925. Barbershops and grocery stores
may remain open on these days until 10 a. m., and public niarkets
until noon. The law exempts from its provisions restaurants, hotels,
dairies, bakeries, printing offices, hospitals, post offices, and telephone
exchanges. The closing hour on ordinary days for business estab
lishments is 7 p. m.
Change in London Building-Trade Hours
INCE August, 1923, the English building trades have been
working under an agreement which set the normal week at
44 hours except during the part of the year when daylight
saving, known in England as summer time, prevails, when it was
lengthened to 46^2 hours. This worked out at approximately seven
months under the shorter, and five months under the longer schedule.
The unions accepted the arrangement very reluctantly, claiming
that 44 hours should be the maximum throughout the year, and in
S
3 Peso at par =96.48 cents; exchange rate varies.
4 Gaceta Official, Santo Domingo, May 30, 1925; and Pan American Union Bulletin, Washington, Sep
tember, 1925, p. 952.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 121]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
122
London many of the rank and file refused to work the longer hours.
For two years there has been friction and unrest over the summer
hours, and the effort to enforce them has been attended with con
tinual trouble. Recently, however, an agreement was signed by the
London master builders’ association and. the two bodies in which
the London building workers are organized, which it is hoped will
not only settle this dispute, but go far toward restoring peace in
the industry. The Manchester Guardian, in its issue for November
13, 1925, gives an outline of the new arrangement:
Under the new agreement a 44-hour week is fixed for ail the year round, but
the men agree that overtime of two hours a day at time and a quarter pay shall
be permitted for the first five working-days of the week. All the unions, except
the plasterers, have agreed to the proposals.
Steps are being taken to have the form of the terms copyrighted, so that no
party outside the agreement may be in a position to use it for encouraging men
to leave their jobs or to become parties to using it for other ends.
Apprentices are not affected and will be encouraged to leave work early if
they are disposed to attend evening classes. It has been agreed, however, that
overtime should continue until the abnormal demand for labor in the building
industry ceases, but that overtime should only be permitted in shops or on jobs
where notice has been posted by authority of the joint signatories to the agree
ment. No employee, moreover, shall be dismissed on account of his objection
to work overtime.
Wage Increases in Haiti
COMMUNICATION from the American Consul at Cape
Haitien, Haiti, dated October 12, 1925, indicates that the
wages of various classes of workers had been increased materi
ally during the preceding three months. The report states that
mechanics, chauffeurs, and store clerks are receiving rates of from
10 to 20 per cent over'those received in 1924. The statement below
shows a few actual and typical examples of daily or monthly wages
paid during 1924 as compared with those paid in October, 1925, in
the specified occupations.
A
1924
Common laborers (per day)--------- $0. 20-$0. 25
Domestic servants (per month)___ 3. 00- 5. 00
Cooks (per month)_____________ 5. 00 - 8 . 00
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[122]
October, 1925
$0 . 25-$0. 35
6. 00- 10. 00
8. 00- 12. 00
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
123
Wages in Japan in June, 1925
RECENT consular report gives the average daily wages paid
in the principal cities of Japan in June, 1925. The average
daily wages of 8 classes of female workers combined was 0.956
yen,1and of 42 classes of male workers, 2.20 yen. The following table
shows the wages paid in the different occupations:
A
Average daily
wages (yen)
Filature operatives, female__________________________ 0 . 95
Spinning-mill operatives, female______________________
1. 10
Silk-throwing operatives, female______________________
. 87
Cotton weavers, female_____________________________
. 95
Silk weavers, hand, female___________________________ 1. 09
Knitting-mill operatives, male________________________ 1. 69
Knitting-mill operatives, female_________ _____________
. 89
Turners__________________________________________ 2 . 26
Finishers_________________________________________
2. 29
Founders_________________________________________ 2. 19
Blacksmiths_______________________________________ 2. 16
Wooden-pattern workers____________________________ 2 . 33
Potters___________________________________________ 1. 94
Glass workers_____________________________________
2 . 09
Cement workers___________________________________
1. 99
Brickmakers_______________________ ;_______________ l. 62
Tile makers_______________________________________ 2 . 04
Drug makers______________________________________ 1. 43
Matchmakers, male________________________________
1. 53
Matchmakers, female_______________________________
. 67
Oil pressers_______________________________________
1. 92
Paper makers, Japanese paper________________________ 1. 36
Paper makers, foreign paper__________________________ 1. 59
Leather makers____________________________________ 2 . 10
Flour-mill workers__________________________________ 1. 70
Sake makers_______________________________________ 1. 95
Soy makers_______________________________________
1. 78
Sugar-mill workers________________ -r_______________ 1. 97
Confectionery makers_______________________________ 1. 77
Canners__________________________________________ 2 . 12
Tailors___________________________________________ 2 . 55
Cobblers__________________________________________ 2 . 40
Clog makers_______________________________________ 1. 92
Carpenters________________________
2 . 98
Plasterers_________________________________________ 3 . 22
3 . 51
Stonemasons___________
Bricklayers________________________________________ 3 . 31
Tile layers________________________________________ 3 . 43
Painters__________________________________________ 2 . 85
Sawyers______________________
2 . 41
Joiners___________________________________________ 2 . 57
Lacquer workers___________________________________ 2 . 17
Steel workers______________________________________ 1. 55
Mat makers_______________________________________ 2 . 80
Sign painters______________________________________ 2 . 26
Bookbinders_______________________________________ 2 . 11
Stevedores________________________________________ 2 . 55
Laborers, male_____________________________________ 2 . 12
Laborers, female___________________________________ 1. 15
Fishermen________________________________________ 1. 62
House servants, male______________________________ 2 21 . 13
House servants, fem ale.,.._________________ 1 _______ 2 18. 58
1 Yen at par=49.85 cents; exchange rate varies.
2 Rate per month, with food and lodging.
74735°-—26t
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
-9
[123]
124
M ONTHLY
LABOR
R E V IE W
Labor Supply, Hours of Work, and Wages in Swedish Agriculture.
1924 1
ATA contained in a recent report2 on labor conditions in agri
culture in Sweden are based on information received from
2.137 rural communes, of which 656 or 30.7 per cent reported
a good labor supply, 1,334, or 62.4 per cent, a sufficient supply, and
110, or 5.2 per cent, an insufficient supply, while 37, or 1.7 per cent,
could not give a definite reply.
Hours of labor.—For the ordinary farm laborers the average net
working hours in summer were 9.9 and the rest period was 2.1 hours;
in winter the working hours were 7.8 and the rest period was 1.3 hours.
For horsemen, the average net hours of work were 10.6 and the rest
period was 2.2 hours during the summer; during the winter they were
8.7 and 1.6 hours, respectively. For cattlemen the average hours of
work were 10.4 in summer and 10.2 in winter and. the rest periods were
3.2 and 3.1 hours, respectively.
Wages.—The average yearly wages of male farm servants in 1924
were 570 kronor3 in cash, which with the addition of the estimated
value of board and lodging would make the total yearly earnings
1,164 kronor. Female farm, servants received an average of 430
kronor in cash, the estimated value of board and lodging making the
total annual earnings 933 kronor. The average wages of horsemen
were 624 kronor per year; including payments in kind they amounted
to 1.371 kronor. Cattlemen received an average of 717 kronor in
cash, which with the payments in kind made the average yearly
earnings 1,469 kronor.
The average daily wages of farm laborers in 1924 were as follows:
Per day
(kronor)
Males, permanent employees:
Without board—
Summer__________
Winter___________
With board—
Summer__________
Winter___________
Males, temporary employees:
Without board—
Summer__________
Winter___________
With board—
Summer__________
IVinter___________
4. 29
3. 36
2. 97
2 . 21
4. 79
3. 72
3. 34
2. 48
Per day
(kronor)
Females, permanent employees:
Without board—
Summer___________
Winter____________
With board—•
Summer_______!____
Winter____________
Females, temporary employees:
Without board—Summer___________
Winter____________
With board—
Summer____________
Winter__________
2. 98
2. 32
2. 07
1. 54
3. 27
2. 54
2. 28
1. 71
Agricultural wages increased steadily during the period 1914 to
1920, until the peak was reached in 1920 at 210 to 225 per cent over
1913 wages. During the three years following, wages decreased from
40 to 50 per cent, but in 1924 the decrease stopped and a tendency
toward an increase was shown, so that at the end of 1924 they were
about 80 per cent higher than in 1913. For further data on wages in
agriculture in Sweden, see M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w for April, 1921,
September, 1922, June, 1923, and September, 1924.
’ For workers employed by the year, wages are mainly for fiscal year 1924-25.
2Sweden. [Social departementet.] Socialstyrelsen. Arbetartillg&ng, arbetstid och arbetslon mom
Sveriges jordbruk ar 1924. Jamte specialundersokning rorande vissa arbets-och loneforhallanden for betodliugsarbetare i Skane. Stockholm, 1925. 77 pp.
3Krona at par=26.8 cents; exchange rate varies.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[124]
P R O D U C T IO N A N D EFFIC IEN C Y O F LA B O R
International Statistics of Production and Per Capita Output of Coal
The German Federal Coal Council {Reickskohlenrat), a body
which regulates the German coal industry/ has recently
issued a bulletin 3 giving international statistics on coal pro
duction, such as total production of the various varieties of coal,
number of workers employed, duration of shift, per capita output
per shift or year, exports and imports, wholesale prices, and wages of
miners. Since authentic international production data, and especially
data on per capita output, are very rare and hard to obtain, the follow
ing table has been compiled from the above source, showing for the
year 1913 and the postwar years the total coal production of all
important coal-producing countries in Europe, the number of workers
employed in the mines, the duration of their shift, and their per capita
output .3 To these European data there have been added the corre
sponding data for the United States as shown in the publications of
the U. S. Geological Survey 4 and the Bureau of Mines.5
T
COAL PRODUCTION, WORKERS EMPLOYED, HOURS OF LABOR, AND PER CAPITA
OUTPUT, BY COUNTRY AND YEAR
Per capita o u tp u t per
shift (short tons)
N u m b er of workers
C ountry, district, and year
A nnual
production
(short tons)
U nder
ground
T otal
D uration of
shift
(hours)
All
T otal u nder Pick
w orkers ground m iners
workers
G erm any:
W est U pper S ile s ia 1 9 1 3 _______________ ____________
1 9 2 0 ________ ________ _______
1921__________________ _______
1 9 2 2 _____________________
1 9 2 3 ________
1 9 2 4 __________
1925, first q u a r te r ..........
12,
8,
8,
9,
9,
12,
256, 585
6 9 6 ,1 2 4
0 3 0 ,3 2 8
738, 9 0 9
638, 701
0 1 5 ,1 7 9
31, 739
42, 037
4 6 ,1 6 8
48, 220
48, 497
41, 848
44, 738
D istrict D o rtm u n d —
9 -1 0
7U
73-i
7J i
m
m
m
%y<i
1 913______________ ______________
1 9 2 0 ______________________
1 921 ________________ _____
1 9 2 2 ......... ................
1 9 2 3 __________
7
1924_________ _____
8
1925,
7
first q u a rte r.. .......... ......... | .............. ..............
s
1 .2 6
1. 80
7. 46
.6 9
.6 9
1. 03
1 .1 6
1. 03
1. 02
1. 44
1 .6 1
4. 8L
6. 62
7. 36
1. 03
.7 0
69
.7 0
1 .3 0
.9 2
.8 9
.9 0
2. 05
1. 65
1 .7 3
1 .7 5
.9 5
.9 9
1 .1 9
1. 24
2 .0 9
2. 24
1 See article on socialization measures in Germany and Austria in M o n t h l y L a b o e R e v i e w , Novem
ber, 1919, pp. 73-75.
2 Germany. Reichskohlenrat. Statistische Übersieht über die Kohlen W ir ts c h a f t im Jahre 1924. Berlin,
1925. 63 pp.
*The figures given for European countries in the following table cover ail kinds of coal except lignite.
4 United States. Geological Survey. Mineral Resources of the United States, 1922. Part II: Coai in
1922. Washington, 1924; and Mimeographed Report No. 379: Production of coal in the United States in
1923.
1 United States. Bureau of Mines. Mimeographed Report No. 435: Goal production in the United
States in 1924.
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125
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
126
C O A L P R O D U C T IO N , W O R K E R S E M P L O Y E D , H O U R S O F L A B O R , A N D P E R C A P IT A
O U T P U T , B Y C O U N T R Y A N D Y E A R —C ontinued
Per capita output per
shift (short tons)
Number of workers
Country, district, and year
Annual
production
(short tons)
Germany—Continued.
District Aix-la-Chapelle—
_______
1913
1920
1921
_____
1Q22
- 1923
______
1924
_ ____
Lower Silesia—•
1913
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
.................____ _____
________
__________
____ _____
________
Under
ground
i Strike from A pril 4 to Ju ly 2.
1 Provisional figure.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
.54
.55
1.73
1.33
.41
.67
.74
1. 05
. 73
.75
.74
.55
.88
.95 .
8
S
.74
.45
.46
.49
.47
.61
.69
1.02
.64
.66
.69
.66
.86
.95
2. 21
1.49
1.62
1.69
1. 61
1.83
1.88
372, 389
469, 781
542, 496
544, 961
507, 478
443, 552
447,923
m
1.03
1. 28
.69
.70
.89
.90
1.72
1.75
8
8
.95
.99
1.19
1.24
2.10
2. 24
24, 362
34, 373
37,146
36, 019
38, 041
31,815
28, 079
8-9
7
7
7
7
8
. 78
1. 01
.46
.41
.52
.60
.63
.56
.71
. 81
1. 14
.88
.81
>.90
1.01
1.00
.98
1.01
4 1. 22
13, 762
14, 507
14, 829
15, 415
10,719
17, 639
18, 054
6, 093. 570
4, 680, 408
5,149, 992
6, 050, 580
5, 870, 903
6,157, 504
27. 290
36, 230
39, 277
41. 606
43, 552
36, 716
32, 251
m
909, 834 1,127,890
945,806 1,191,313
990, 359 1, 248, 224
918, 066 1,144, 311
933; 029 1,162, 754
979, 785 1, 220, 431
2 1,179. 281
1, 074, 079
44, 191,607 129,891
23, 773, 530 114,440
26, 789, 691 145, 904
31,130,102 155, 436
34, 351, 644 149, 950
41,508, 877 167, 582
48, 518, 892 204, 660
All
Total under Pick
workers ground miners
workers
. 84
. 55
3, 599, 042
2,416,264
2,376, 580
2, 634, 521
1, 473, 788
3,179, 062
Ruhr district—•
125, 883, 802
1913
96, 743,135
1Q20
1921
................... . 102,718, 757
105,711,
529
1922
________
45, 792, 162
1923
1924
_______ _____ 103, 696, 506
1925, first quarter_________
Free State of Saxony—
6, 002, 078
1913
4, 465, 458
1920
1921
4 , 97l' 418
4, 621, 986
1922
_________
4,170, 039
1923
...................
4,176, 653
1924
................... .
1925, first quarter_______
Great Britain:
321, 830, 428
1913
____________
1919
................ . 257, 256, 005
256, 955, 075
1920
1 182, 742, 054
1921
1922
................ .......... 279", 534i 793
309j 121, 896
1923
.............. .
30i; 429,976
1924
France:
1913
.....................
.......................
1919
1920
..................- ............
1921..............................................
1922
1923
_ ____________
1924
Belgium:
1913........... .........................- ........
1919
1920
..................1921
. . ___________ ____
1922
_________________
1923
......... .................1924
______ ______
1925, first quarter.............. ........
Netherlands:
1913 ______________________
1919
1920
- - - ......... - ...............
1921
....... .............. ........
1922 ......... ..................................
1923
1924
Czechoslovakia:
1913
1919
1920................... ......................
Total
Duration of
shift
(hours)
7
7
7
7
m
8M
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
8
8H
7'A
7^
7V 2
7 'A
7V 2
iV i
7Mi
4 1.09
4 1. 09
4 1.08
4 1. 14
4 1. 26
4 1. 24
1.08
.82
.80
.87 ______
.82
.89
.88 .............
.69
.49
.58
.57
.55
.61
.62
.58
. 81
3. 48
.53
.50
.51
.53
. 51
.52
.75
.74
.76
.76
.74
.75
3. 60
3. 69
3. 87
3.87
3. 86
105,921
93,432
HO; 116
112,978
104,150
107, 354
116, 832
. 120,647
146, 084
137,399
159,944
162, 840
153, 003
159, 433
168,016
172,365
2, 064, 627
3, 750, 059
4, 344; 204
4, 322,158
5,037, 557
5, 821,299
6, 791,332
7,169
14,134
15, 943
17, 269
17, 823
19,384
21, 619
9,715
20,318
22,874
24,996
25,163
26,896
29, 612
9
8
8
8
8
8
8
65,942
66,186
74, 779
sy
syi
9
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8 212.75 8 287.70 ! ______
___
8 265.66
8 272.27 .........
8 250.22 .........
8 282.19 1----------------8 298.73
8314.16
8 180.78
8 185.19
8 173.06
8 189.60
8 216.05
8 229.28
• 84
.66
.61
8 Per year.
4 D a ta supplied by U nited States B ureau of M ines.
[ 126 ]
1. 72
1.46
1.76
1.94
195, 833
9
172, 062 8 to 9
220, 468 8 to 9
8
235, 924
8
226, 677
8
253,818
8
281, 715
25,178,965
20, 373, 996
24, 679, 619
23,975, 243
23,378, 893
25, 261, 638
25, 749,962
15, 731, 516
11,911,448
13, 537, 503
1. 52
1.38
1.02
1.61
1.70
/PRODUCTION AND PER CAPITA OUTPUT OF COAL
127
C O A L P R O D U C T IO N , W O R K E R S E M P L O Y E D , H O U R S O F L A B O R , A N D P E R C A P IT A
O U T P U T , B Y C O U N T R Y A N D Y E A R —C ontinued
Per capita output per
shift (short tons)
Number of workers
Country, district, and year
Czechoslovakia—Continued.
1921
____ ________________
................... 1922
.......................... ......
1923
1924.............................- ........ ........
Poland:
East Upper Silesia—
1913
..................- ..........
1922.........................................
1923 . ________________
1924
......... ...............
1925, first two months_____
Dombrowa—
1913........... ...........................
1922 . ________________
1923
- ______________
1924______________ ______
Cracow—
1913
....... ........................1922 _____ _____________
1923 _____ _____ ________
1924 . ________________
United States:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
1913 ___________ _____
1 9 1 9 ____________________
Annual
production
(short tons)
Under
ground
75, 893
72,101
68, 895
69,001
35, 622, 250
28, 010, 799
29,189,169
26,128, 054
89, 581
144, 605
150, 856
124, 450
96, 638
1.32
.66
.67
.80
1.01
7.533.187
7, 776, 797
8,178, 038
7, 259, 814
23, 522
49, 038
50,133
1.16
2,172, 653
2.189.188
2, 257, 531
2, 010, 613
6, 975
14,831
14, 921
1.10
91, 525, 000
88,092, 000
89, 598, 000
90, 473, 000
54, 683, 000
93,339, 000
87,927,000
1913
______________
1919
_______ ______
1 9 2 0 ____________________
1 9 2 1 ____________________
1922 . _________________
1 9 2 3 . . ___ ____ ________
1924 .......................................
478, 435,000
465, 860, 000
568, 667, 000
415, 922, 000
422, 268, 000
564,157, 000
483,687,000
1913 _______ _______________
1 9 1 9 ______ _____ __________
1920
. ___________________
1921
- _ ____________
1922
.............. ......................
1923
______ ____________
14,799, 419
10,754, 573
13,035, 457
11, 614, 243
11, 753,734
13, 915, 252
Canada:
3 Per year.
m
All
Total under Pick
workers ground miners
workers
13, 253, 304
10,919, 771
13,610,498
15,828, 511
1 9 2 0 ____________________________
1921
. ....... ...................................
1922
.......................................... .
1 9 2 3 _________ _______________
1 9 2 4 ____________________
B itum inous coal—
Total
Dura
tion of
shift
(hours)
41 0 7 ,8 2 9
4101, 023
41 1 6 ,8 1 7
4 114, 279
4114, 721
4119, 463
45 0 8 ,8 0 1
45 2 9 ,8 1 2
4567, 289
<582, 409
4598, 486
4531, 904
8
8
8
.64
.69
.82
.84
.62
.60
175, 745
154, 571
145, 074
159,499
156,849
157, 743
160,009
8 -1 0
8
8
8
8
8
8
571,882
621, 998
639, 547
663, 754
687, 958
702,817
619, 604
8 -1 0
8
8
8
8
8
8
2. 02
•2 . 14
2. 28
2. 09
2 .3 1
2. 21
2 .0 0
3.
3.
4.
4.
4.
4.
4.
61
84
00
20
28
48
56
27, 917
27,198
29,387
30, 222
3537. 93
3 0 ,0 0 0
3553.
4 3 .1
4 3. 3
4 2. 9
4 3. 2
4 3. 0
4 2. 7
4 4.
4 4.
4 4.
4 5.
4 5.
4 5.
7
9
9
1
3
3
3 502. 65
3507. 06
36
4 D ata supplied by U nited States B ureau of Mines.
Production
r\U R IN G the World War, production in all fields of industry under^
went a reduction so as to permit a large output of war materials.
After the conclusion of peace the scant stocks of manufactured goods
and the great demand for such goods brought about a strong revival of
^industry in most countries and consequently also a greatly increased
demand for coal. The increased demand for coal, however, could
not be met fully because in the first postwar years production of coal
fell off considerably in nearly all the important coal-producing coun
tries, owing to the fact that during the war the mines had been
irrationally exploited, only the richest seams being worked; and
chiefly because the mine workers’ daily per capita output had de
creased, especially in European countries. This decrease in per capita
output was largely due to the universal introduction in postwar
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128
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
times of shorter shifts (7 to 8 hours) for miners. It had. been gener
ally expected that with the introduction of a shorter working-day the
workers, being less exposed to the influence of fatigue, would work
more intensively. In most instances, however, this expectation has
not been fulfilled. Not only the daily per capita output but also
the hourly output decreased. This phenomenon may be ascribed
to several physical and psychological causes, such as the difficulty of
resuming systematic, well regulated work after years of military
service spent in exposure to danger and privations, but largely in
idleness; exhaustion of nervous energy; reaction from the longendured military discipline; irritation over the nonfulfillment of too
liberal promises made to ex-soldiers; resentment against the war
profiteers with their ill-gotten riches; and general labor unrest.
Thus, in 1919 the world’s coal production fell to 1,148,607,000
short tons as compared wfth 1,341,511,000 tons in 1913, a decrease
of 14.4 per cent. In 1920 it rose to 1,286,396,000 short tons, or only
4.1 per cent less than the pre-war production. This increase was,
however, chiefly due to the fact that in that year the production of
bituminous coal in the United States increased by nearly 103 million
short tons over that of 1919. By that time the revival of industry
in Europe began to slacken and the demand for coal grew less. The
world coal market would have collapsed as early as 1921 owing to an
oversupply of coal, if several large miners’ strikes had not somewhat
disburdened it. In Great Britain there was a miners’ strike in Novem
ber and December, 1920, followed by the long strike in 1921 which
caused a loss in production of over 74 million short tons. Then
came the strike of the miners in the United States in 1922, which
lasted several months, causing also a great loss in production. The
French-Belgian occupation of the Ruhr district in 1923 was respon
sible for another decrease in production, amounting to approximately
75 million short tons.
The great decline of coal production in 1921 and 1922, is the
more remarkable when it is remembered that the world consumption
of coal normally increases by leaps and bounds. In the 20 years
preceding 1914 the average annual increase was 42,000,000 short
tons. There is probably no fact that speaks more eloquently of the
economic disorganization wrought by the war than this decline in the
production of coal.
In 1923 and 1924 the world’s coal production came very near to
file pre-war level. The per capita output of mine workers had also
increased gradually, in some countries even exceeding the pre-war
output. There was therefore no longer any reason for the former gen
eral clamor for increased production of coal. The supply of coal had
become ample but sales began to slacken and in 1924 a crisis set in
in the European coal-mining industry. Production ceased to be
the chief problem of the industry, and how to increase sales and how'
to meet foreign competition became the principal problems.
The principal reason for the decreased consumption of coal is to
be found in the stagnation of world commerce. Other contributory
factors are the increasing use of water power, the rapidly expanding
electrification of railroads and industries, the increasing use of oil
as fuel, and the installation of more economic heating systems by
large consumers of coal.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 128]
PRODUCTION AND PER CAPITA OUTPUT OF COAL
129
All efforts hitherto made in Europe with a view to increasing the
consumption of coal have centered in lowering the costs of production
so as to be enabled to cut the price of coal. The measures taken so
far have, however, not been successful. Mine workers ’ wages, which
form the largest item in the costs of production, are already very
low and the miners’ organizations have so far successfully opposed
all wage cuts. The mine owners therefore demand that the duration
of the shift be increased. But it is very hard to make an increase
in the hours of labor plausible to miners when they know th at there
is an overproduction of coal and that thousands of miners are out of
work and subsisting on unemployment doles.
In 1925 the crisis in the European coal industry become even more
accentuated than in 1924 and there are no indications of an improve
ment of the situation in the near future.
Per capita production
INTERNATIONAL statistical data on coal production and espe1 daily those on per capita output of mine workers are not com
parable from country to country because the location'and richness of
the coal deposits, the methods of mining, and the mechanical and
technical equipment vary greatly in the individual countries. Only
national data are comparable.
In Germany per capita output per shift showed a great falling off
in postwar years, in all the mining districts, up to 1924 when an
improvement set in. This improvement was chiefly due to an in
crease in the duration of the shift by" one hour. Owing to the de
creased per capita output a greatly increased working force had to
be employed in all mining districts. In 1924, however, the working
staffs had been reduced considerably, especially in the Ruhr district,
and the improvement in per capita output must, therefore, in part
be also ascribed to increased efficiency of the workers. The improve
ment in per capita output continued during the first quarter of 1925.
In Great Britain the per capita output per shift reached its lowest
point in 1920 with 0.81 ton. In 1921 and 1922 it rose to 0.90 and
1.01 tons, respectively. It decreased again slightly in 1923 to 1 ton
and in 1924 to 0.98 ton, and during the first quarter of 1925 stood at
1.01, a decrease of about 11 per cent as compared with 1913. This
decrease is largely due to a reduction of the duration of the shift in
postwar times from
to 7)4 hours.
While the total production has increased in France, per capita
output per shift has decreased considerably; in 1924 the per capita
output was only 0.62 ton, as against 0.69 ton in 1913. If only under
ground workers are considered the corresponding figures are Í ,08 and
0 .88 tons.
Belgian coal production in 1924 shows an increase over that in
1913, but the per capita output per shift of all mine workers and
that of all underground workers has decreased in postwar times,
although that of pick miners has increased from 3.48 tons in 1913 to
3.87 tons in 1924, in spite of a reduction of the daily hours of labor
from nine to eight.
The Netherlands is the only European country in which coal pro
duction has increased in a surprising manner, and also the only one
in which the per capita output of ail workers combined and of under
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[129]
130
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
ground, workers only, increased in postwar times. The per capita
output per year of all workers rose from 212.75 tons in 1913 to
229.28 tons in 1924, and in the case of underground workers only,
the corresponding figures are 287.70 and 314.16 tons.
The newly-acquired Polish mines in East Upper Silesia show a
great falling off in production in spite of the fact that the working
force employed has been greatly increased. The mines in Dombrowa
and Cracow have maintained their pre-war production but only by
means of a working staff twice as large as in 1913. The per capita
output per shift in the East Upper Silesia mines has decreased from
1.32 tons in 1913 to 0.66 ton in 1922. In 1923 it rose to 0.67 ton, in
1924 to 0.80 ton, and in the first two months of 1925 to 1.01 tons.
In Czechoslovakia, the per capita output per shift was the same
in 1924 as in 1913, namely 0.84 ton.
In contrast with the large coal-producing countries in Europe the
United States not only maintained its pre-war coal production in
most of the postwar years but even increased it considerably in 1920
and 1923. A slump in bituminous coal production took place in
1921, and in 1922 in both bituminous coal and anthracite production.
In the latter year this was due to the miners’ strike which lasted
several months. In 1924 producers curtailed bituminous coal pro
duction considerably, owing to unfavorable conditions in the iron and
steel industry.
The most remarkable fact is that in postwar times the per capita
output per shift in American bituminous coal mines increased from
year to year in spite of shorter hours of labor; in 1913 the average
per capita output was 3.61 short tons and in 1924 it had gradually
increased to 4.56 tons. In anthracite production per capita output
reached its highest level in 1922 with 2.31 short tons, which represent
an increase of about 14 per cent over 1913; since then per capita out
put has fallen off considerably, and in 1924 it was only 2 short tons,
as compared with 2.02 short tons in 1913.
Canada’s coal production in postwar times has never reached the
level of pre-war production. Per capita output, although it decreased
in the first postwar years, in 1923 exceeded the pre-war figure.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[130]
C H IL D L A B O R
Child Labor in Canada 1
“¿O H IL D labor with all its sinister accompaniments is already
|
raising its ugly head7’ in the Dominion of Canada, Miss
Helen Gregory MacGill declared in a paper read before the
conference of the Canadian Council on Child Welfare, which met at
Ottawa, September 28 to October 1, 1925.
Laws have been passed by the various Provinces directly or in
directly relating to working children, but there is great need for
coordination and correlation of this legislation not only as between
Provinces but within individual Provinces. On the whole, the Cana
dian child labor laws “ present a curious patchwork, an undigested
hodgepodge of good intentions frustrated by administrative amend
ments.”
For instance, the minimum wage boards of British Columbia and
Ontario protect to some degree the wages and hours of young girls,
but boys do not come at all within the jurisdiction of these boards
and boys have been and will continue to be substituted for girls.
In Ontario, New Brunswick, and Quebec children may work in
factories 10 hours a day and 60 hours a week,2 and in emergencies
72>^, 80, and 72 hours, respectively. Manitoba permits 54 hours
per week in factories and in emergencies, 70 hours; Saskatchewan,
48 hours; in emergencies, 7 2 ^ hours. In British Columbia chil
dren under 16 years of age may be employed 66^2 hours a week,
and young girls have sometimes worked 77 hours a week in fruit
and confectionery shops. In the British Columbian act, seats
for clerks are mandatory but no one is employed by the munici
palities to enforce the law nor has the minimum wage board any
authority to see that this provision is carried out. The clerks
themselves are afraid to make charges against their employers in
this connection for fear of losing their jobs. Indeed, this section of
the law would be a dead letter throughout the Province if it were not
for some well-disposed employers who are themselves willing to put
the regulations into effect.
In British Columbia and Nova Scotia the factory act provisions in
regard to minimum age, hours, and time for beginning and ending
work are set aside during fruit canning and packing and fishing sea
sons. In the former Province the restrictions relative to the work of
all children, young girls, and women are completely rescinded during
such seasons. Nova Scotia also makes concessions to these indus
tries, but with reservations.
In Alberta, employment of girls under 15 years of age, in offices,
shops, and factories between 11 p. m. and 7 a. m. is prohibited; in
1Labor Gazette, Ottawa, October, 1925, pp. 981, 983-991.
2In Quebec cotton and textile mills, children may work 53 hours per week.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1131]
131
132
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
Manitoba, of children under 12 years of age, habitually, between 9
p. m. and 6 a. m.; in New Brunswick of “ female persons” between
10 p. m. and 6. a. in.; in Nova Scotia of girls between 9 p. m. and 6
a. in. (girls under 18 may, however, be employed for 36 days per an
num for not more than 1 2 y%hours per day); in Ontario, of boys under
16 and girls under 18 between 6 p. m. and 7 a. m. in shops and be
tween 6.40 p. m. and 7 a. m. in factories, except for 36 days per
annum in emergencies when employment may be extended to 72 ^
hours per week; in Quebec, of children under 18 years of age between
9 p. m. and 6 a. m .; in Saskatchewan, of boys under 16 and girls under
IS after 6.30 p. m. except for 36 days a year in emergencies, when
employment may be extended to 72 U hours per week, such employ
ment, however, not being allowed between 10 p. m. and 7 a. m. for
persons under 18 years of age.
British Columbia has raised the age precluded from night work to
15 years for both boys and girls, but Prince Edward Island and the
Yukon have no prohibition as to night work.
Alberta is declared to have done well in limiting children’s hours to
8 a day and 48 a wreek.
In Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan the compulsory
school age is 15 years; in Nova Scotia cities, 16 years, but in this
Province any child over 13 years of age may remain away from
school if he is actually engaged in gainful employment and “ satisfies
the school commissioners that it is necessary for him to work.”
Moreover, a child over 13 who has' passed grade 5 may secure an
exemption of 30 days from school attendance if “ his services are
required in husbandry or necessary household duties, or some one is
dependent upon him, or he has valid excuse.”
In New Brunswick the age for entering factories is 14 years. In
this Province the workmen’s compensation board has been recently
empowered “ to prohibit by publication in the Royal Gazette the
employment of boys under 14 and girls under 18 years of age in fac
tories, the work of which the board may deem unwholesome or
dangerous.” In Manitoba the lawr permits boys to begin working in
shops at 13 years of age and girls at 14 years of age, the allowed hours
being 8 per day and 48 per week. Boys over 14 years of age, how
ever, may he employed 14 hours per day and 60 hours per week.
Under a resolution the compulsory school age may be raised to 15
years by school trustees, provided they have employed a schoolattendance officer. Children between id and 16 years of age are
obliged to attend school unless they are regularly employed in house
hold duties or in industrial or farm work, but a child over 12 years of
age may be exempted by the school principal or any “ competent
authority ” from school attendance for 6 weeks if the services of such
child ‘‘are required in husbandry or urgent and necessary household
duties.”
The compulsory school age in Ontario is nominally 16 years, but
practically 14 years with various exceptions for work permits. In
rural districts it is not even required to go through the form of secur
ing such certificates.
Prince Edward Island makes it obligatory for children to be in
attendance for “ 60 per cent of the school period” ; in Quebec there is
no compulsory school Law but a child may not be employed in busi
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ness, trade, or industry unless lie or she can read or write fluently.'
In the Yukon district a child under 12 years of age is required to
attend school 16 weeks per annum.
"
^
The Provinces, Miss MacGill pointed out, raise the compulsory
school age and then promptly relax the enforcement of such regula
tions, every Province having its special exemptions for ‘‘husbandry,”
“ household duties,” “ maintenance of self” or some “ other depend
ent,” or “ during the fishing and fruit season.” She closed her
address by suggesting in some detail minimum standards for child
welfare in Canada.
On the last day of the conference of the Canadian Council on Child
Welfare it was decided to include the following in the 1925-1930
program of that body:
<
1. Effort to obtain recognition of the following standards in legislation affect
ing employment of juveniles in Canada:
(a) The minimum age for permanent gainful employment during the school
year of either sex shall be 15 years.
(b) Night employment shall be prohibited for persons under 18 years of age.
(c) Employment of persons under 21 years of age in dangerous,-' unhealthy, or
hazardous occupations shall be prohibited.
(d) Persons under 18 years of age shall not be employed more than 8 hours a
day or 44 hours a week and shall have a rest period of one day in seven. Hours
spent in continuation classes shall be counted as hours of labor.
(e) Minimum wage regulations shall apply to all persons of both sexes 18 year*
of age.
2. Investigation into aims and methods of juvenile employment divisions and
vocational guidance bureaus in Canada, the United States, and elsewhere with a
view to development of the most effective services in these fields.
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L A B O R A G R E E M E N T S , A W A R D S , A N D D E C IS IO N S
AGREEMENTS
Brewery, Flour, Cereal, and Soft Drink Workers— Label Agreement
A
COPY of the combination label agreement used by the Inter
national Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, and Soft
Drink Workers of America follows:
F ir s t. That in consideration of the employment agreement in existence between
the undersigned firm and Local Union No. — of the International Union of
United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, and Soft Drink Workers of America, the inter
national union agrees to furnish the union label as long as the employment agree
ment is in force and existence. The union label may be used on sacks, barrels,
or packages containing union-made flour, on which the firm may see fit to use
said label.
S e c o n d . In case of termination of the employment agreement by lapse of
time, or in case of violation of its terms or of this label agreement, when no new
agreement can be consummated, or the differences adjusted, the undersigned
firm agrees, on demand of the international union or its duly authorized local
representatives, to at once discontinue the use of the union label and surrender
the cut and property rights in said label to the International Union of United
Brewery, Flour, Cereal, and Soft Drink Workers of America.
T h ir d . In no case shall the local or International Union of United Brewery,
Flour, Cereal, and Soft Drink Workers be required to refund any money for
such unused barrels, sacks, or other packages, used by the undersigned firm to
distribute its product on which the union label appears.
Cap Makers— Milwaukee
I OCAL No. 16 of the United Cloth Hat, Cap, and Millinery Work■*—' ers? International Union, at Milwaukee, entered into an agree
ment with four local firms for one year from August 1 , 1925. The
agreement provides for a closed shop, 44-hour week, week work, and
a minimum wage of $40 a week, except for lining workers.
The sections referring to holidays, labels, and unemployment
insurance follow:
Party of the second part shall not be required to work on the following legal
holidays: New Year’s Day, Decoration Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day,
Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, and no deduction shall be made therefor
from the wages of the party of the second part.
All labels of party of the second [part] used by party of the first part shall be fur
nished by party of the second part at cost of $3.75 a roll, said labels to be under the
exclusive control of the party of the second part.
Employers and employees engaged in the cap trade and business in large
industrial centers realize the duty and correlative right of workers to protection
against periods of economic stress and unemployment; that the employers of
workers are not responsible for slack seasons and depressions in the trade; that
the trade owes the employee a livelihood in slack as well as in busy seasons.
Therefore, it is agreed and understood that in the event that party of the first
part fail to employ party of the second part for a full period of 48 weeks, then,
and in that event, party of the first part shall be liable for and pay to party of the
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second part for the use and benefit of its members employed by party of the
first part a sum of money equal to 5 per cent of the total wages paid to said
em ployees during the current year in the following manner, to wit: In the event
that said employment is less than 48 weeks and more than 43 full weeks, 1 per
<• cent of the sum equal to 5 per cent as herein stated shall be paid to party of the
second part for each week less than said 48 weeks; in the event that said employ
ment is equal to 43 full weeks or less for the current year, of the whole of said 5
per cent as herein above described shall be paid by party of the first part to party
of the second part, which latter party shall equitably divide and distribute same
among those of its members employed by party of the first part as and for an
unemployment insurance.
The party of the first part shall sign and furnish to the chairman of the party
of the second part a verified statement weekly showing the amount of money
paid to each member of party of the second part as herein described and the hours
of shop employment and operation, said statements to be compared with the
books of party of the first part at the expiration of this agreement.
Wood H eel industry— Haverhill, Mass.
A N arbitration agreement effective until December 31, 1926,
* * affecting 900 workers in 16 factories, was made between the
»Shoe Workers Protective Union of Haverhill and the Haverhill Wood
Heel Manufacturers’ Association, January 15, 1925, providing for a
closed shop and that there shall be no strike, lockout, or cessation of
work. By its terms the board of arbitration is given the right to
determine the manner of conducting its hearings, to summon wit
nesses, to conduct an investigation of all matters in dispute referred
to it, and to settle the same, and its findings which are to be made in
writing are to be conclusive and binding upon the parties.
The following extracts show the other provisions of the ageement:
The manufacturer agrees that there shall be no laying off of members of the
crew during slack periods, and during the slack periods work shall be distributed
as equally as possible among the crews.
During the months of December, January, February, March, April, and May
of each year the regular working time shall be five and one-half days each week
of 48 hours. The remaining six months of the year the working week shall be
five 9-hour days of 45 hours.
The agent of Local No. 11 may within legal limits, if in his opinion overtime
work is necessary, grant additional hours. For overtime work, operators shall
be paid additional compensation at their regular rate. This article is not arbi
trable.
All differences between the parties to this agreement shall be referred for final
settlement to a board of arbitration consisting of three members [named]. All of
said members shall serve until the expiration of this agreement.
A vacancy in the membership of said board of arbitration caused by the death,
resignation, refusal, or inability to serve of the third or neutral member, shall be
filled by the appointment of a new member of said board by the then agent of
Local No. 11 of the Shoe Workers' Protective Union and the then secretary of the
Haverhill Wood Heel Manufacturers’ Association: P r o v id e d , ho w ever, That if
within 12 secular days from the creation of such vacancy, the said agent and the
said secretary shall fail to agree upon and designate the third or neutral member
of said board, then said appointment of the third or neutral member shall be
named in writing by any five of [eight] named persons, acting upon the written
application of said secretary or said agent, but no neutral member shall be so
named unless he has the indorsement of either said secretary or said agent.
In case of the failure of any member of said board other than the neutral merm
ber to serve for three days for any cause, then the other members of the board of
arbitration shall proceed and transact business, and in such case their decision
shall be the decision of the board, and if they fail to agree the decision of the
neutral member shall be the decision of the board.
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Every decision of the said board of decision [sic] shall so far as it may be possible,
relate back to, and become effective as of, the date of the original claim for arbi
tration, and the same matter shall not be brought before the board again within
six months from the date of said decision.
If either party shall refuse to arbitrate any controversy under the foregoing
provisions and such provisions for legal reasons can not be enforced, then and in
such case the parties respectively agree that they will submit such controversy to
arbitration under the provisions of chapter 251 of the general laws, and will
execute an agreement therefor in accordance with said chapter, which agreement
shall name as arbitrators the persons then constituting the aforesaid board of
arbitration, and shall contain, so far as it properly may, the provisions of this
agreement respecting arbitration; and it is further agreed that in case of a refusal
to sign such agreement, this agreement itself shall constitute an agreement for
arbitration under provisions of said chapter.
The third or neutral member of said board of arbitration shall be reimbursed
for all expenses and disbursements incurred by him in the performance of his
duties, and shall be paid a reasonable compensation for his services, the parties
hereto agreeing to pay in equal shares all sums of money required for the abovementioned purposes. Clerical or stenographic services incurred by the board
shall be borne equally by the association and union.
The various clauses of this agreement are to be independent of each other,
and if any one clause is for any reason invalid, the invalidity thereof shall not
affect the other clauses.
Withdrawal from the Wood Heel Manufacturers’ Association shall not free any
of the members from responsibility under this agreement.
A W A R D S A N D D E C IS IO N S
Clothing industry— Decisions of Hart, Schaifner, & Marx Trade Board
Examination of Goods
rTTIE Hart, Schaifner, & Marx Trade Board, in decision No. 1447,
November 9, 1925, rendered a decision in regard to inspection
of goods by officials before it was done by the regular examiners. The
union objected to this as taking work away from the examiner. The
opinion of the trade board follows;
In the opinion of the trade board the officials of the union, particularly interested
in the purchase and the quality of the woolens, have occasionally checked inspected
special pieces of goods without resort to examination by the cloth examiners. It
is admitted that examinations or inspections of this sort are exceptional and
occasional.
So long as they are exceptional and occasional the trade board finds them
allowable. It may well be that the woolen buyers may wish to check up on a
particular parcel of goods, as they appear to have done hitherto, and such inspec
tion should be made by the company’s official. If the inspection became a regular
rather than an occasional feature, then the union might have some claim for
restoration of the “ first examination.”
Pay for Time Lost
IN DECISION No. 1446, November 10, 1925, the Hart, Schaifner, &
A Marx Trade Board gave a decision in regard to time lost by a
prospective employee. The company made a request for a cloth
examiner, who was sent by the union. He reported at 1 o’clock but
was not put at work until 1.41 p. m. The union demanded pay for this
time, but the company objected to paying men “for such time as they
wait pending enrollment and assignment to work.” The trade
board ruled as follows:
It seems to the trade board that the only interest of the people lies in a reason
ably prompt attention to the men who report on requisition, and not have the
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AWARDS AND DECISIONS--- MOTION-PICTURE EMPLOYEES
137
men sit and wait. And there is no reason why the man should not be taken care
of promptly by the foreman or some of his assistants. After all, the company
can release a man if he is found incompetent during the first two week's. The
trade board can not recognize a sweeping requirement that the company must
pay invariably for whatever time is lost by waiting. Each instance would have
to be dealt with on its own merits.
In the present case the trade board allows the claim in the interest of prompt
dealing with applicants.
Clothing Industry— N ew York
HpHE impartial chairman in the New York Clothing Industry on
A November 7, 1925, rendered a decision in case No. 136, relative
to a registered contractor not being given work.
The firm contended that the workmanship of the contractor was
unsatisfactory; that during the previous month it had been obliged
to pay $250 for busheling on work made in this shop and to pay in
advance for work on which the contractor had withheld delivery; and
that it had liled four complaints with the exchange because of un
satisfactory work.
The union contended that the firm had originally employed this
contractor without consulting the union; that his 65 employees were
entitled to the work of the firm; that the coats complained of had
been damaged before they were made up; and that tne firm’s com
plaint about workmanship was due to a desire to secure a reduction
in price.
The impartial chairman, after an investigation, stated that u there
has been a radical change in the management of the shop, which
warrants the expectation that the workmanship will be greatly
improved.” He therefore directed “the firm to send another trial
lot to this shop, the contractor to be responsible for any loss the firm
may suffer should the workmanship not prove satisfactory.”
Molion-Picture Employees and Stage Hands —Decisions of Industrial
Commission of Colorado
IN FILE No. 1273, November 25, 1925, the Industrial Commission
* of Colorado fixed the rate for stage hands and moving-picture
employees at Colorado Springs, the employees having filed a demand
for an increase in wages and reduction of hours as follows:
For operators of moving-picture machines, a change from $35 for 8 hours per
day, 6 days constituting a week, to $37.50 per week,
hours per day, 6 days
constituting a week. For relief men for machine operators a change from 75
cents per hour to 85 cents per hour. ‘ At the present time the above change
affects four operators and two relief men.
Their demands also include a change in wage for electrician, property man,
assistant carpenter, and flyman on two days vaudeville show, from $15.75
weekly salary to $17 per week. This demand at the present time affects only
four employees.
The employees contended that they were entitled to the increase in
wages because of the increase in living costs, low wages in comparison
with the wages paid other craftsmen, and a greater patronage of the
theater sufficient to compensate for the increase, and that the
operators were entitled to a decrease of hours “for the reason that
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M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
said operators are absolutely confined within their working booths
for periods as long as four hours at a time without any arrangement
for even short-time relief and that said half hour would be of great
aid to said employees and has been granted to such operators in
other cities.”
The employers contended that if the demands were granted it
would materially add to the cost of production and that the earnings
did not justify such increases.
The commission’s report was as follows :
The commission finds from the evidence herein that said employees are entitled
to the increase in wages demanded herein; that the reduction in hours for
motion-picture machine operators is not justified at this time.
Therefore, it is the order and decision of the commission that for two days
vaudeville per week, electrician, property man, assistant carpenter, and flyman
be paid a weekly salary of $17; that motion-picture machine operators be paid
$37.50 for 8 hours per day for 6 days per week, and that relief men be paid 85
cents per hour. The above wages to be effective December 1, 1925.
Railroads—Decisions of Railroad Labor Board
Cabin Interlocker
IN DECISION No. 3926, November 23, 1925, the question of the
1 use of a “ cabin interlocker” at a crossing was considered. At
Mineola, the tracks of the Texas & Pacific Railway Co. are inter
sected by a branch of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, neces
sitating the erection of a tower in which three lever men were em
ployed to manipulate the levers controlling the operation of trains
over the crossing. As very few trains were operated over the branch
line, the Texas & Pacific Railway Co., in the interest of economy, did
away with the tower and installed a “ cabin interlocker” in its place.
Under the present arrangement the normal position of signals and derails is
clear for the.Texas & Pacific tracks, and when Missouri-Kansas-Texas trains
find it necessary to cross over a member of the train crew enters the tower and
operates the signals, permitting the train to pass through and, again setting
signals and derails in clear position for the Texas & Pacific tracks.
The employees contended that through a technicality the positions
of three men had been excluded from the telegraphic agreement—
as the 'Same tower is there and also the levers which govern the operation of
tracks over the crossing; that these levers are now being handled by trainmen
from a central point, the same as the regular towermen who were employed
prior to the abolishment of the positions. They ask that the positions be re
stored and the employees replaced thereon and compensated for monetary loss
since November 26, 1923, account of trainmen performing this service.
The board, however, upheld the action of the carrier.
Discharge of Assistant Yardmasler
IN DECISION No. 3902, November 19, 1925, the Railroad Labor
A Board decided the status of an assistant yardmaster on the St.
Louis-San Francisco Railway, who had been dismissed for appearing
as a witness for defendant in a suit. He had been in the employ of
the company for about 20 years, acting as brakeman, conductor,
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switchman, and assistant yardmaster. In July, 1924, while acting
temporarily for a few days as general yardmaster—
Mr. It. was summoned as a witness in the Federal court in behalf of a defendant
who was an employee of the carrier and was being prosecuted by the carrier for
the alleged offense of breaking into a box car. Mr. It. had previously declined
to attend court upon the mere request of the defendant and did not attend until
he had been subpoenaed. He then called on the telephone the same train master
who had assigned him to the position of general yardmaster and informed him
of the summons. The train master told him to go as a witness and that he would
take care of his work until his return. He was absent from his work about 1 hour
and 45 minutes.
The summons was read to Mr. It. over the telephone and the superintendent
of the carrier in a letter to him claimed that the summons was telephoned to
Mr. It. by the defendant’s lawyer and that he was not, in fact, legally summoned.
The evidence shows that Mr. R. did ask the name of the man reading the sum
mons to him but did not ask his official position. There is nothing in the record
that shows any lack of good faith on the part of Mr. R. or any justification for
the assumption that he had manifested any eagerness to appear as a witness in
behalf of his fellow employee, who was finally discharged without conviction.
The carrier takes the position that the Railroad Labor Board has no jurisdic
tion over this case, because the position held by Mr. R. at the time of the occur
rence was an official one that took him from under the transportation act, 1920.
O p i n i o n .—The Labor Board finds-—
1. That, upon the merits of the matter, the dismissal of the employee was not
justified; and,
2. That his case is within the jurisdiction of the board.
It would be a long stretch of a technicality that would give Mr. R. the status
of an official simply because he may have been temporarily holding an official
position for a few days, and thus deprive him of his rights under the transporta
tion act incident to his general status as an employee.
D e c is io n .—The Railroad Labor Board decides on the evidence presented in this
dispute that Mr. R. shall be reinstated to the service of the carrier with seniority
rights unimpaired and paid for all time lost, less the amount earned in other
employment.
Rearrangement of Messenger Runs
PRECISION No. 3929, November 23, 1925, grew out of rule 59, in
^
decision No. 2132 ( M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , April, 1924,
p. 107), directing tlie Southeastern Express Co., among other things,
to grant its employees one day’s rest in seven. To carry out this
requirement the carrier, February 26, 1924, posted bulletins re
arranging the messenger runs operating between Bristol, Knoxville,
and Chattanooga, Temi.
The employees protested the rearrangement of runs, contending
that rule 59, above mentioned, did not contemplate changing the
runs of messengers, that the carrier should have provided messengers
to relieve the regular messengers on their lay-off days, and that the
act of the carrier was in violation of rule 88 of the agreement, reading
as follows:
“ R u l e 8 8 . R a te s .—Established positions shall not be discontinued and new ones
created under a different title covering relatively the same class of work for the
purpose of reducing the rate of pay or evading the application of these rules.”
The employees request that all the runs involved in the rearrangement be
restored as they were prior to decision No. 2132, and that the express messengers
be paid for all extra expense incurred thereby and for all extra hours worked by
reason of the change.
The carrier states that the rearrangement of this messenger service was made
in order to obtain the maximum service from the monthly assignments of these
employees without the payment of overtime and in order to give each messenger
».fleeted one day off duty each week, and there is no rule which will prevent it
from making any changes in its schedules or terminals that may be deemed
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advisable from an economical and operating standpoint, when such changes
will decrease the costs and expenses of operations and perfect the express service
rendered to the public.
The carrier contends that it did not abolish old established positions and create
new ones under different titles but merely rearranged the messenger service for
the purpose of applying rule 59 of decision No. 2132 of the Labor Board, and
in doing so some of the rates of the messengers were decreased from $158.80 to
$151.30 per month and others were increased from $143.80 to $151.30 per month,
which rearrangement of messenger service is not a violation of rule 88 of the
agreement, as the messengers were not cut off and put back under a new title,
and there has been no reduction in the force of messengers.
D e c is io n .—The carrier was within its rights in rearranging the runs of express
messengers for the purpose of giving these employees one regular day off duty
in seven.
Status of Strikers
IN DECISION No. 3905, November 20, 1925, the Railroad Labor
- Board stated its position in regard to the relation existing be
tween a carrier and its employees on strike, under certain circum
stances.
The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R. R. Co. bad arranged
with contractors in various cities to handle its freight locally. The
hoard having stated in decision No. 1279, October 23, 1922, that the
freight-house employees of the contractors were under the jurisdic
tion of the Labor Board, the carrier discontinued the contracting
system at Scranton and took over the operation of the freight house,
retaining the contractor’s employees, and ignoring the employees in
its service at the time the handling of its freight house had been let
out, claiming that as such employees had struck at the time the work
was contracted they had “ ceased to be its employees,” having
“ severed their connection with the carrier.”
The Brotherhood of Railway Clerks complained to the board
because the former employees had not been reinstated when the car
rier ceased contracting.
The Railroad Labor Board, after an examination of the question,
rendered decision No. 1361, from which the following extracts are
taken:
The carrier takes the position that the men can not present their grievance to
the Labor Board, because they have refused to work for the so-called contractors
under the diminished wages and mutilated working rules imposed.
These contracts were merely subterfuges by which the carrier arbitrarily
changed the wages and working conditions of these employees without com
pliance with the provisions of the law. The employees sought conferences with
the carrier, but they were denied this right.
The carrier had taken steps which purported to close its shops, transfer its
employees to a new employer, remove them from the application of the trans
portation act, 1920, and obliterate their wage and rule agreements. This was
equivalent to a lockout. This was done under a claim of legal right, and the
employees apparently acquiesced in the carrier’s view of the matter that the shops
had been closed and that they had been thrown out of employment. The Labor
Board can not afford to strain at a technicality and say that these men, with
their entire status as railway employees apparently destroyed by a deliberate
act of the carrier, should not be heard to complain before the board because they
stopped work under the contractor.
The board adhered to its views as expressed in the above extract
and added the following:
While, as stated, the decision did not specifically provide that the employees
Who may have suspended work be returned to the service, the opinion above
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141
expressed clearly shows that it was not the intention of the board to consider
such employees as having lost their rights to their former positions.
D e c is io n .—The carrier is directed to take up with any employee who may have
suspended work the matter of reinstatement upon the application of the inter
ested employee or his representative.
Railroads—Decision of Station Service Board of Adjustment, New
Haven System
TN DOCKET No. 47, November 19, 1925, the Station Service Board
* of Adjustment, Operating Department, New Haven System, a
seniority question was involved. A storekeeper at the Boston freight
terminal was released on account of certain alleged irregularities.
Later his restoration, with seniority rights unimpaired, was authorized
by the superintendent, and he displaced a delivery clerk at the
terminal. The latter protested his displacement.
The board approved the restoration of the storekeeper with
seniority rights unimpaired. However, it objected to his exercising
displacement privileges and directed the restoration of the delivery
clerk to his former position, permitting the storekeeper “ to exercise
his bidding rights for advertised vacancies.”
Street Railways—Boston
CAN THE expiration of the agreement between the Boston Ele^
vated. Railway Co. and its employees, the following questions
concerning proposed changes in the existing contract of employment
were submitted to a board of arbitration:
1. The changes requested by each party in part 5—“ Classification, hours,
and rates of the present agreement.”
2. Shall there be a differential for motormen on surface car lines operating
more than one car.
3. What disposition shall be made of the truck drivers’ cases now pending
between the association arid the company under section 406.
As to 1. The association has requested that the rates of wages of all em
ployees of the company who are members of the association be increased 22p^
cents per hour.
On the other hand, the trustees have requested that the basic wage of 7244
cents per hour be reduced to 65 cents per hour.
The arbitrators considered the various questions at issue and
rendered a report October 23, 1925, from which the following extracts
are taken:
The act under which the road is now being operated assumes that the car
rider will pay the whole expense. The taxpayer steps in only to meet deficits
which are to be temporary, and which are to be repaid later out of receipts from
car riders. It is assumed that the trustees can increase fares indefinitely and
they are instructed to do so if necessary to meet requirements.
We agree that within reasonable limits the expense of our transportation
system should be paid by those who ride and not by the taxpayer.
The policy to which, heretofore, the Commonwealth has committed itself has
been to place upon the car rider the burden of paying the carrying charges of
the rapid transit facilities. Most of these facilities, whether provided by over
head or subsurface construction, have served to relieve a surface congestion
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which tended to become a nuisance not only to the car rider, but to the vehicle
operator and pedestrian as well.
All classes of the highway-using public have been benefited by subway or
elevated construction, but the rentals, computed to cover interest and sinkingfund requirements on its cost, have been levied only upon the car rider. When
the pressure upon the car fare becomes acute, the tendency in every arbitration
is to pass this cost of service pressure on to the employees by the argument that
the 10-cent fare is already overloaded, and will collapse under the additional
burden of an increase of wages. Obviously, therefore, this logic asks the em
ployees as such to bear some of the expense of providing adequate highway
facilities for the public, and rapid transit for car riders. To present the car
rider with service at cost is merely presenting him with the burden of carrying
the cost of a service only a portion of which is rendered to him. An equally
large part of the service is rendered to the public, and to the extent that it is,
should be borne by the public, and without complaint. Therefore it has ap
peared to the board that a denial of the right to an increased wage until the
cities and towns which have to date been assessed for the deficits of previous
years have been reimbursed is based upon a fallacy. Surely no part of this
burden should be passed on to the employees.
Furthermore, to suggest that because the fares can not be raised and because
the public control act provides for a fixed return upon invested capital, the
employees can not be paid a fair and reasonable wage is thoroughly unjust.
It appears to be a sound assumption that the legislature intended that labor
should receive a reasonable wage as well as capital a fixed return. Capital can
not expect to be guaranteed against a varying return upon its investment and
shift to the employees the burden of absorbing the fluctuations of income from
the industry.
In regard to the differential between surface motormen who drive
one car and those who drive trains the board said:
We are of opinion that there is not enough difference between these duties
to warrant a differential in wages.
In regard to a differential between rapid transit guards and motormen the board said:
We are of opinion that the present differential between surface-car motormen
and rapid-transit motormen is at least sufficient. Therefore, we could not make
a differential between rapid-transit guards and rapid-transit motormen except
by reducing the wages of the guards.
In regard to one-man car operators and bus drivers, the board said:
In 1923 the board of arbitration, in commenting upon a similar issue, stated
that “ in those cases where the operators must collect the fares, make change,
and issue transfers, the present differential of 8 cents per hour is inadequate.”
No change was then made in the differential for the reason, among others, that
a large proportion of one-man car operation did not require fare collection, the
proportion of one-man car operation was only about 25 per cent, and a substantial
increase in the basic rate was being awarded. At the present time the proportion
of one-man car operation is between 45 and 50 per cent and gradually increasing.
The arbitrators are convinced that the difference between the work of the
motorman of the one-man car and the motorman of the two-man car under the
conditions existing in Boston upon the elevated system calls for a differential in
excess of the present rate of 8 cents per hour. Accordingly, they decide upon
an increase to 10 cents per hour, which differential is hereby awarded. The
same differential is also awarded to bus drivers.
The board awarded no change in the basic wage rates.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[142]
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
143
Collective Agreements in Norway in 1924 1
T THE end of 1924 there were 409 collective agreements in
force in Norway, affecting 111,476 workers. Of the agree
ments in force at the end of the year, 39 were general agree
ments which covered most of the factories in the particular trade or
industry and affected over 70,000 workers. Sixty of the agreements,
covering 3,436 workers, were new agreements. The most important
provisions of the agreements were those relating to wages. Wage
increases were shown in 177 agreements affecting 84,668 workers.
The former wage rate was continued in 108 agreements covering
17,643 workers. A minimum wage was fixed in 149 agreements
involving 44,437 workers, and a “standard” wage was fixed in 42
agreements covering 6,618 workers, while 2 agreements covering
5,750 workers provided that the work should be paid for partly
according to a minimum and partly according to a standard wage.
Another of the more important provisions in the agreements in
1924 was that relating to vacations. Under the agreements about
92 per cent of the workers are to receive 8 or 12 days’ vacation, the
8-day vacation being the usual one provided for.
Prior to 1914, agreements of two and three years’ duration were
ordinarily made. Since 1918 they have as a rule been for only one
year, but there is a tendency now to make them effective for a
longer period.
A
1 Norway. Statistiske Centralbyrä. Megling og voldgift. Tarifiavtaler og arbeidskonflikter.
1925. 28*, 48 pp. Norges offisielle'statistikk, VII, 177.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[143]
Oslo,
EM PLO YM EN T AND U NEM PLOYM ENT
Employment in Selected Industries in November, 1925
MPLOYMENT in manufacturing industries of the United States
increased 0.2 per cent in November as compared with October.
This is the fourth successive month of increased employment,
and while the increase is smaller than in either August, September, or
October it is notable in that customarily in November so many
industries report reduced forces that a lowering of the employment
index might be expected. The bureau’s index of employment for
November is 92.5 as compared with 92.3 in October. Pay-roll totals
increased 0.4 per cent in November and per capita earnings increased
0.2 per cent.
These figures are based on reports received by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics from 9,405 establishments in 53 industries covering 2,937,894 employees whose combined earnings during one week of Novem
ber were $79,372,005. The same establishments in October reported
2,930,660 employees and total pay rolls of $79,022,468.
E
Comparison oi Employment in October and November, 1925
'T'HE volume of employment increased in November in five of the
* nine geographic divisions of the United States. Generally
speaking, the Eastern and Southern States show gains, while the
Western States show decreases. The largest gain in employment—1.4
per cent—and the largest gain in pay-roll totals—2.5 per cent—were
in the South Atlantic division, while the greatest losses in the two
items were 2 per cent in employment in the Pacific division and 2.6
per cent in pay-roll totals in the West North Central division.
Five of the i2 groups of industries gained in employment in Novem
ber, while 8 groups show increased pay-roll totals. The miscellaneous group and metals, other than iron and steel, each gained over 2
per cent both in employees and employees’ earnings; the leather group
lost 2.9 per cent of its employees, and pay-roll totals were reduced
7.6 per cent; and other group changes were small.
Twenty-nine of the 53 industries show an increase in employees,
rubber boots and shoes leading with a 5.4 per cent advance. Sub
stantial, though somewhat smaller, gains also appear in the agricul
tural implement, machine tool, stamped and enameled ware, carpet,
electrical machinery, shirt, and furniture industries. The cottongoods industry gained 2.3 per cent and the iron and steel industry
gained 1.5 per cent in employees.
The greatest decreases in employment were in such distinctly
seasonal industries as ice cream (8.1 per cent), carriages, fertilizers,
and women’s clothing. The boot and shoe industry shows a drop of
3.9 per cent in employment with a drop of 10.4 per cent in pay-roll
totals, while the automobile industry coupled a drop of 1 per cent in
employment with an increase of 0.5 per cent in pay-roll totals
Thirty-one industries show increased pay-roll totals, the leading
industries in this respect being pianos, with a gain of 6.1 per cent;
144
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[144]
E M P L O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
145
rubber boots and shoes, with a gain of 6 per cent; and agricultural
implements, electrical machinery and apparatus, and electrical car
building and repairs, each with a gain of over 5 per cent. Machine
tools, slaughtering and meat packing, and paper boxes each gained
4 per cent or over; and carpets, brass and copper products, book
and job printing, and shirts each gained 3 per cent or over.
The most pronounced falling off in pay-roll totals was in the boot
and shoe industry, which shows a decrease of 10.4 per cent. Other
substantial decreases in this item were almost entirely seasonal ones,
women’s clothing leading this group with a decline of over 9 per
cent.
For convenient reference the latest figures available relating-to all
employees, excluding executives and officials, on Class I railroads,
drawn from Interstate Commerce Commission reports, are given
at the foot of the first and second tables.
COMPARISON OF EM PLOYM ENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS DURING ONE
WEEK EACH IN OCTOBER AND NOVEM BER, 1925
Industry
Number on pay roll
Per
Estab
cent
lish
of
ments October, Novem
1925
ber, 1925 change
Amount of pay roll
October,
1925
Per
cent
of
November, changa
1925
Food and kindred products__
Slaughtering and meat packing;.
Confectionery............................._
Ice cream.....................................
Flour._______________________
Baking....:_______ . . . ________
Sugar refining, c a n e ................
1,268
80
260
127
346
440
15
206,199
75, 622
35,951
7. 951
16, 671
59, 034
10,970
204,539
77, 6S4:
35. 268
7,305
16. 221
57, 528
10,-533
-0 .8
+2. 7
-1 .9
-S. 1
-2 . 7
-2 . 6
-4 .0
$5, 176,428
1,926,925
648, 637
264, 336
451, 455
1, 565, 804
319, 269
$5,166,900
2,007,349
634,113
251,073
430.025
1,518,036
325, 404
-0 ,2
+4.2
-2 . 2
-5 . 0
-4 .7
-3 . 1
+1.9
Textiles and their products__
Cotton goods______ ________
Hosiery and knit goods........... .
Silk goods__________________
Woolen and worsted goods____
Carpets and rugs___________
Dyeing and finishing textiles__
Clothing, men’s . . . ......................
Shirts and collars____________
Clothing, women’s___ » ______
Miiiinery and lace goods..____
l, m
579,122
190,135
86, 461
62, 380
68, 507
21,557
29, 882
58, 622
22, 867
17. 643
12,068
575,663
194, 564
87, 409
62, 471
69, 088
22,329
30, 043
57, 526
23,576
16, 790;
11,867
+1.0
+2.3
+ 1.1
+0. 1
+0.8
+3.6
+0. 5
-1 .9
+3.1
-4 .8
-1 .7
11,258,074
3, 024,988
1, 609, 339
1,356, 8.38
1, 499, 753
571, 167
750, 292
1,350, 690
369, 610
469, 988
255, 389
41,314,630
3,112, 008
1, 638, 607
1, 336, 41.7
1, 529, 826
593, 598
733, 464
1, 306, 607
380, 692
426, 688
256, 723
+ 0.5
+2.9
+1.8
-1 .5
+2.0
+3.9
-2 .2
—3. 3
+3. 0
- 9 .2
+0. 5
613,507
272, 743
21, 981
620,499
276,864
21,461
+ 1. Í
+ 1.5
-2 . 4
18, 299, 380
8,366,053
631,050
18, 363, 365
8,331,493
610,827
+0. t
-0 .4
-3.2-
202,698
34,963
27,030
204, 477
35,107
28,120
+0.9
+0. 4
+4.0
5,949, 569
889,972
841, 253
6,059, 240
898, 272
877,165
+1.8
+0 9
+ 4.8
36, 750
17,342
36, 737
17,-724
-0 )
+2 2
1,100, 773
520, 710
1,058, 374
527,994
-3 . 9
+ 1 .4
Lum ber and its products_____| 1,010
Lumber, sawmills................... __!
384
Lumber, millwork______ _____
254
Furniture......................................
372
203, 615
110,715
33, 683
59, 217
202,137
107,915
33,450
60, 772
-0 .7
-2 .5
-0 . 7
+2.6
4, 631,677
2, 334, 298
840,038
1,457,341
4, 586, 341
2, 270, 326
820,813
1,495, 202
-1 .9
- 2 .7
-2 .3
4-2. 6
Leather and its products_____
Leather.................................. ......
Boots and shoes......... ................
368
141
227
125,578
28, 554
97, 024
121,962
28, 758
93, 204
-2 .9
+0. 7
-3 .9
2, 885,567
732,008
2,153, 559
2,666,940
737,041
1,929,899
- 7 .«
4-0. 7
-10.4
Taper and p rin tin g._________
Paper and pulp.................. ........
Paper boxes_________ _______
Printing, book and job_____ . . .
Printing, newspapers........ ........
849
207
167
266
209
165,010
55, 383
19, 727
44,146
45, 754
166,512
55,180
20,076
44, 879
46, 377
+0.9
-0 .4
+1.8
+1.7
+1.4
5,234, 110
1,475,840
431, 645
1,493, 510
1,833,115
5,343,946
1,499,121
449,066
1, 540, 594
1,855,165
+2.1
+1.6
+4.0
+3.2
-4-1.2
Chemicals and allied products.
Chemicals..................................
Fertilizers___________ ______
Petroleum refining...___ _____j
247
84
106
57
81,415
21, 652
8, 662
51,101
81,296
21,919
8,159
51, 218
-9 .1
+ 1. 2
-5 .8
+0.2
2,380,515
542,185
156, 550
1,681,780
2,391,275
555, 673
147,705
1, 687,897
+9.5
+2.5
—5. 0
+0.4
324
265209
192
31
87
276
89
184
82
Iron and steel and their
produets_________________ 1, 590
Iron and steel_______ _______
207
Structural ironwork__________
156
Foundry and machine-shop
products___________ ______
798
Hardware............... .....................
65
Machine tools________ ,______
158
Steam fitUngs and steam and
hot-water heating apparatus..
114
Stoves..........................................I
92
1Less than one-tenth of 1 per cent.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[145]
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW
146
COMPARISON OP EM PLOYM ENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS DURING
WEEK EACH IN OCTOBER AND NOVEM BER, 1925—Continued
Number on pay roll
Per
Estabcent
lishof
ments October, Novem change
ber, 1925
1925
Industry
Stone, clay, and glass products
Cement___ _______ ______
Brick, tile, and terra cotta........
Pottery................................ ........
Glass............................... .............
Metal products, other than
Iron and steel___ ___ ___
Amount of pay roll
October,
1925
ONE
Per
cent
of
November, change
1925
648
85
373
58
130
113,738
25, 957
33, 722
13,094
40, 953
113,671
25,187
33,175
12,875
41,434
-0 .9
-3 .0
-1 .6
-1 .7
+1.2
$3,036,129
774, 341
873, 449
352, 259
1,036,071
$3,028,593
773, 005
853,761
342,378
1, 059, 449
-0 .3
-0 .2
-2 .3
-2 .8
+2.3
+2.9
+1.8
Stamped and enameled ware—
Brass, bronze, and copper prod
ucts...... ....................................
157
42
43.093
15,168
43,953
15, 778
+2.1
+4.0
1,146,802
403, 999
1,180,219
411,183
115
26,925
27,194
+1.0
742,803
769,036
+3.5
Tobacco products.. --------------
182
44,096
43, 753
-0 .8
787,035
805,499
+1.1
30
152
8,135
35,961
7, 837
35, 916
- 3 .7
-0 .1
125, 226
671, 809
115,612
689,887
- 7 .7
+2.7
979
217
75
529,636
362, 817
2,912
525,144
359, 111
2,663
-0 .8
- 1 .0
-8 .6
17,471,194
12, 645, 228
60,077
17. 654,316
12, 702, 295
61, 218
+1,0
+0.5
- 7 .4
+5.1
Chewing and smoking tobacco
and snuff..................................
Cigars and cigarettes--------------
Vehicles for land transporta
tion ________ ____ ____ _
Automobiles . . . ---------------Carriages and wagons ---------Car building and repairing,
electric-railroad-------- ------- -Car building and repairing,
steam-railroad______ ______
Miscellaneous industries
__
Agricultural implements___ _
Electrical machinery, appara
tus, and supplies.....................
Pianos and organs--------- ------ Rubber boots and shoes______
Automobile tires____________
Shipbuilding, steel____ ______
T otal.................. ............
187
17, 508
17, 631
+0.7
513,872
539,996
493
146, 399
145, 739
- 0 .5
4,246,017
4, 350,801
+2.5
377
91
235,663
25,131
340,755
26, 207
+2.2
+4.3
6, 705,568
710, 459
6,870,887
750,401
+2.5
+5.6
136
36
11
62
41
106,015
7, 582
16, 701
55, 531
24,643
109, 714
7,631
17,664
54, 361
25,178
+3.5
+0.6
-j“ö. 4
-2 .1
+2.2
3, 005, 272
234, 958
414,004
1, 608,706
732,169
3,157,494
249,185
438,916
1, 572, 419
702, 472
+5.1
+6.1
+6.0
- 2 .3
- 4 .1
9,405 2,930,660 2,937,894
+0.2
79,022,468
79,372,005
+0.4
R e c a p itu la tio n b y G e o g ra p h ic D iv is io n s
GEOGRAPHIC DIVISION
New England................................ 1,290
Middle Atlantic........ ................. . 2, 338
East North Central.......... ............. 2,488
West North Central.......................
887
971
South Atlantic _______________
392
East South Central_____ . . . . _
West South Central___________
343
Mountain_______ ___________ _
153
543
Pacific.............................................
T o ta l_____________ ___
424, 252
838, 325
970, 553
149, 018
245, 008
98,019
71, 335
26, 740
106,800
427, 432
842, 212
970,364
147, 305
249,055
99,000
71, 542
26,349
104, 635
9,405 2,930,660 2,937,894
+0.7 $10, 264,375 $10, 239,864
+0.5 23, 330, 708 23,407,097
29,878,117 30,138, 709
-0 )
-1 .1
3, 746. 479 3, 647.874
+1.4
4, 678, 548 4, 794, 581
+1.0
1, 934,130
1,957,748
+0.3
1, 544,114
1, 546,141
-1 .5
714, 988
714, 688
2,931,009
-2 .0
2, 925, 303
-|-0.3
79,923,488
79,372,005
E m p l o y m e n t o n C la ss I R a ilr o a d s
Sept. 15, 1925.
Oct. 15, 1925..
1,787,024
1,800,453
i Less than one-tenth of 1 per cent.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
+0.8
2 $236, 973, 787
2 250, 508,828
J Amount of pay roll for 1 month.
[146]
- 0 .2
+ 0 .3
+0.9
-2 .6
+ 2 .5
+ 1 .2
+ 0 .1
—0)
-0 .2
+ 0 .4
E M P L O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
147
Comparison of Employment in November, Î 924, and November, 1925
T H E volume of employment in November, 1925, was 8.3 per cent
1 greater than in November, 1924, pay-roll totals had increased
14.2 per cent, and per capita earnings had increased 5.5 per cent,
as shown by reports, for the two periods, from 8,142 establishments
in 53 industries.
In this comparison over an interval of 12 months large gains are
shown in 8 of the 9 geographic divisions as to employment and in
every division as to pay-roll totals. The greatest gains were in the
East North Central States—17.4 per cent in employment and 28.1
per cent in employees’ earnings—the East South Central States
following with a gain of 8 per cent in employment and a gain of
13.8 per cent in pay-roll totals. The solitary decrease was a drop
of 0.6 per cent in employment in the West'South Central States,
this division also showing the one small increase (1.4 per cent) in
pay-roll totals. The increases in pay-roll totals in the remaining 8
divisions ranged from 4.6 per cent to 28.1 per cent.
Ten of the 12 groups of industries gained employees in November,
1925, as compared with the same month of 1924, and every group
gained in employees’ earnings. The vehicles group shows a gain of
21.7 per cent in employees and a gain of 35.5 per cent in employees’
earnings. The food and the tobacco groups are the two groups
showing decreased employment.
Increased employment in November, 1925, over November, 1924,
is shown in 41 of the 53 separate industries and increased pay-roll
totals are shown in 47 industries, the automobile industry showing a
continuance of its huge increases, with a gain of 42.9 per cent in
employment and a gain of 62.2 per cent in employees’ earnings.
Machine tools, agricultural implements, stamped and enameled
ware, hosiery, glass, and silk also show notable gains in both items.
The smallest gain in employment in the industries mentioned was
14 per cent in silk goods and the smallest gain in pay-roll totals was
16.6 per cent in the glass industry.
As in October the outstanding decreases in this comparison over a
period of 12 months were in the woolen and worsted and the steam
car building and repairing industries.
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS DURING ONE
WEEK EACH IN NOVEMBER, 1924, AND NOVEMBER, 1925
Industry
Food and kindred products __
Slaughtering and meat packing.
Confectionery. _____________
Ice Cream................... ................
Flour_____ ________________
Baking ___________ ________
Sugar refining, cane__________
Textiles and their products__
Cotton goods ______________
Hosiery and knit goods..............
Silk goods___________ _____ _
Woolen and worsted goods____
Carpets and ru g s.......................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Number on pay roll
Per
Estab
cent
lish
of
ments Novem Novem change
ber, 1924 ber, 1925
Amount of pay roll
Novem
ber, 1924
Novem
ber, 1925
Per
cent
of
change
S20
79
228
96
245
258
14
185, 503
82, 105
29, 464
6,157
13,911
45, 082
8,784
181, 960
77, 398
30,470
6,416
13, 746
44, 370
9,560
-1 .9
-5 . 7
+3.4
+4.2
-1 .2
-1 .6
+8.8
U, 605, m
2, 080, 524
525, 287
201, 487
366, 491
1,171, 441
260, 699
$4, 617, 040
2, 002, 063
551, 622
224,962
370, 746
1,173,995
293, 652
-3 .8
+5.0
+11.7
+1.2
+0.2
+12.6
I, 594
302
249
201
165
29
514,710
171, 894
72,925
53, 094
68,913
21, 799
546, 048
183, 679
83, 845
60, 513
61, 874
22,146
+6.1
+6.9
+15.0
+14. 0
-10.2
+1.6
9,937,297
2, 701, 695
1, 289,474
1,065, 002
1. 623,911
10, 716, 935
2, 926, 922
1, 585, 803
1, 292, 064
1, 357, 240
+23.0
+21.3
-16.4
[147]
582,463
688,340
+0.2
+7.8
+8.3
+1.0
148
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
COMPARISON OF EM PLOYM ENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS DURING ONE
WEEK EACH IN NOVEM BER, 1924, AND NOVEM BER, 1925—Continued
Industry
Textiles am i their products—
Continued.
Dyeing and finishing textiles—
Clothing, men’s ______ ______
Shirts and collars____ ______
Clothing, women’s ....... ........ .
Millinery and lace goods__ ___
Number on pay roll
Per
Estabcent
lishof
ments Novem Novem change
ber, 1924 ber, 1925
Amount of pay roll
Novem
ber, 1924
Novem
ber, 192.5
Per
cent
of
changa
84
256
78
154
76
27,845
51, 429
20,223
15,006
11,579
29,628
55,413
22, 761
15,104
11,085
4-6. 4
+7. 7
+12.5
+0.7
-4 .3
$659; 843
1,328, 716
307, 279
338,107
240, 807
$722; 848
1,208,503
361, 310
376,597
242, 308
-f"9. 5'
+ 11.9
+17.8
+ 11. 4
+0. 6
1,304
200
138
631, 493
248,092
16,913
577, 955
269,163
18. 563
+8.8
+8.5
+9.8
15, 066, 131
7,330, 372
440,556
17,145, 891
8,124, 296
523, 884
+13.8
+10.8
+18.9
633
54
154
165,283
32, 666
21,399
178,868.
33, 475
27, 513
+8.2
+2.5
+28. 6
4, 642, 727
800, 787
610,052
5, 311, 217
857, 220
855, 374
+14. t
+7.0
+40, 3
101
84
30, 722
16, 330
33, 727
16, 646
+9.8
+1,9
778,112
463,.515
979, 089
494, 311
+25. 8
+6. 8
Lum ber and its products.........
Lumber, sawmills_______ ___ _
Lumber, mill work........ .............
Furniture_________ ___ -*........
930
350
246
340
185,973
103, 551
29, 830
52, 492
ISO, 358102. 308
32,080
55,870
+2.3
-1 .2
+7. 2'
+6.4
4,074-, 996
2,122, 592
715, 421
1,236, 983
4,320,225
2,156, 872
790, 235
1, 373, 118
+6.9
+1.6
+10.5
+11.0
Leather and its products_____
Leather........ ..................... ..........
Boots and shoes.. .............. ......
315
116
199
115,374
25. 344
90,030
115,140
26,336
89,104
+0.1
+3.9
-1 .0
3,477, 869
623,105
1,854, 764
2,533, 562
679, 859
1,853, 703
+3.3
+9. (
-0 . 1
Paper and printing
________
Paper and pulp ______________
Paper b oxes...... ..................
Printing, book and job. -------Printing, newspapers:..... ...........
758
199
148
226
185
146, «64
52,131
17,118
38,083
38,732
159,125
52, 928
17, 466
39,163
40, 568
+3.8
+1. 5
+2.0
+2. S
+4.7
4,480, 688
1,363, 711
371,162
1, 249, 038
1,496,757
4,801,925
1,442, 253
393, 211
1,338, 326
1, 628,135
+7,3
+5.8
+5.9
4*7.1
+8.8
Chemicals and allied products.
238
79
102
57
73,315
19, 471'
6; 939
46,905
79,810
20, 533
7,859
51, 218
+8.6
+5. 5
+13.3
+9.2
3,183,403
485,153
129,103
1, 568,147
2,352,977
523, 589
141, 491
1, 687,897
+7.8
+7.9
+9.6
+7.6
Stone, clay, and glass products.
549
75
297
50
127
100,613
23, 976
28,958
11,849
35, 230
Í04,638
23,069
29,398
11,678
40, 483
+4.6
-3 .8
+ 1.5
- 1 .4
+14.9
2,820,935
689, 439
761, 836
278, 484
890, 266
2,834,832
711, 752
772,183
312,>615
1,038,082
+8.3
+3.2
+1.4
+12,3
+16.6
82
40
31,293
12, 371
36,523
15, 534
+16,7
+25.6
795,695
290. 575
993,953
405, 111
+24,9
+39.4
Iron and steel an d their
products _______________
Iron and steel --------- ----- ----Structural ironwork.__________
Foundry and machine-shop
products..... ............... ...........
Hardware _______________ .
Machine tools_____ ______ _
Steam fittings and steam and
hot-water heating apparatus..
stoves
Chemicals___________ _____
Fertilizers------- -------- ---------Petroleum refining
------------
Cement __________________
Brick, tile, and terra cotta.........
Pottery.......... ........................... .
Glass. ............................................
Meta! products, other than
iron and steel_______ ___
Stamped and enameled ware__
Brass, bronze, and copper
products...................................
Tobacco products__________
Chewing and smoking tobacco
and snuif_________________
Cigars and cigarettes..................
Vehicles for land transpor
tation __ ___ __________
Automobiles, ________ _______
Carriages and wagons________
Car building and repairing,
electric-railroad____ _______
Car building and repairing,
steam-railroad.............. ...........
M iscellaneous industries........
Agricultural implements______
Electrical machinery, appa
ratus, and supplies...... ............
Pianos and organs ...................
Rubber boots and Shoes______
Automobile tires. ................... .
Shipbuilding, ste e l..-------------
T otal..................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
42
18,921
20,988
+10.9
505,120
588,842
+16. 6
173
40. 568
39, 636
-3 .3
739, 835
734, 119
+0.8
30
143
8,383
32,185
7,837
31, 789
-6 .5
—1.2
124, 041
605, 784
115,612
618, 507
-6 ,3
+2. 1
876
199
33
417,940
245, 683
1,748
598,451
351,063
1,988
+21.7
+42.9
+13.7
13,637,518
7, 650, 619
39, 676
17,117,982
12, 412,154
47, 462
+35. 5
+62. 2
+19. 3
+2.5
176
17,207
17,320
+0.7.
518, 513
531,713
468
153, 302
138, 080
-9 .9
4, 428, 710
4,126, 633
-6 .8
337
83
396, §64
18, 220
238,851
23,187
+10.8
+27.3
5,826,931
478, 380
8,542,844
672, 395
+13.3
+40,8
116
29
10
00
39
91,801
6, 859
15,590
50, 791.
23, 703
103,968
6, 951
16, 275
53, 810
24, 600
+13.3
+1.3
2,993, 055
228, 982
402, 577
1, 559, 352'
686, 483
+19.9
+2.6
+5.9
+4.0
2, 49ft, ,563
223, 266
407,112
1, 537, 589
683, 111
8,143 3,549,131 2,759,474
+8.3
65,434,367
[148]
+
4.4
-Í. 1
+ 1. 4
+0.5
74,713,985 T+14,3
149
E M P L O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
COMPARISON OF EM PLOYM ENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS DURING ONE
WEEK EACH IN NOVEM BER, 1924, AND NOVEM BER, 1925—Continued
R e c a p itu la tio n b y G eo g ra p h ic D iv is io n s
Number on pay roll
Per
Estab
cent
lish
of
ments Novem Novem Change
ber, 1924 ber, 1925
Industry
Amount of pay roll
Novem
ber, 1924
Novem
ber, 1925
Per ! !
cent !
of
change
GEOGEAPHIC DIVISION
New England..............................
Middle Atlantic....... .....................
East North Central___ . ...........
West North Central...................
South Atlantic........ ..........
East South Central........................
West South Central.__________
M o u n t a i n .....................................
Pacific______ ______
T otal_______________
1,068
2,134
2,150
717
852
345
297
127
452
370, 421
782, 635
776,043
132,198
218, 324
86, 918
69, 273
23, 967
89, 342
386, 777
813, 067
911, 225
137,142
232, 661
93, 884
68, 870
24, 831
91, 017
+4. 4
+3.9
+17.4
+3.7
+6.6
+8. 0
-0 .6
+3. 6
+ 1.9
$8, 711, 089
21,100, 922
22,144, 430
3, 202, 929
4, 099, 005
1, 640, 873
1,477,481
651, 876
2, 405, 782
$9, 235,123
22, 813, 271
28, 369, 691
3, 395, 027
4, 511,299
1, 866, 873
1, 498, 651
681,913
2, 540, 217
+6.9
+7.2
+28. t
+6. a
+10. 4
+13.8
+1.4
+4.6
+5.6
8,143
%,549, 121
2, 759,474
+8.3
65,434,367
74, 713,965
+ 14. S
E m p l o y m e n t q n C la ss I R a ilr o a d s
Oct. 15, 1 9 2 4 .................... .
Oct. 15, 1925..................
1,806,342
1,800,453
- 9 .3
i $248,374,250
» 250,508,828
+0. 9
1 Amount of pay roll for 1 month,
Per Capita Earnings
O EU CAPITA earnings increased in November as compared with
October in 29 industries and decreased in the remaining 24
industries. The most pronounced increase was 6.2 per cent in the
cane-sugar refining industry, while the outstanding decrease was 6.7
per cent in the boot and shoe industry.
Comparing per capita earnings for November, 1925, and Novem
ber, 1924, increases are shown in 44 of the 53 industries. Six of th.es«
increases are over 10 per cent each, the industries showing this
marked improvement in the earnings of their employees in a year's
time being steam fittings, pottery, automobiles, stamped and enam
eled ware, women’s clothing, and agricultural implements. The
three industries showing the greatest falling off in per capita earnings
in the year’s time are woolen and worsted goods, rubber boots and
shoes, and automobile tires.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[149]
150
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
COMPARISON OF PER CAPITA EARNINGS, NOVEMBER, 1925, WITH OCTOBER, 1925,
AND NOVEMBER, 1924
Industry
Sugar refining, cane................ .......
Pianos and organs-------------------Car building and repairing, elec
tric-railroad..................... ...........
Ice cream..................................... —
Car building and repairing, steamrailroad....................... .................
Cement__________________ ___
Cigars and cigarettes........... ..........
Brass, bronze, and copper prod
ucts ______________ _________
Millinery and lace goods_______
Paper boxes .....................................
Paper and pulp....................... ......
Automobiles_____________ ____
Electrical machinery, apparatus,
and supplies....................... ........
Printing, book and job.... ...... ......
Slaughtering and meat packing._.
Agricultural implements...............
Carriages and wagons__________
Chemicals.............. .................. ......
Glass________________ ______
Woolen and worsted goods--------Foundry and machine-shop prod
ucts____________ ____ ______
Hosiery and knit goods_____ . . . .
Hardware.......... ...... ______ ____
Rubber boots and shoes...............
Cotton goods...................................
Per cent of
change November, 1925,
compared
with—
October,
1925
November,
1924
+6.2
+5. 4
+3.5
+ 1.2
+4. 4
+3.4
+ 1.9
+7. 2
-1-2. 9
+2.9
+2.8
“{-3. 5
+7.3
+3. 4
+2.5
+2. 2
+2. 2
+2.0
+1.5
+5.1
+5.1
+3. 8
+4.2
+13.6
+1. 5
-j-1. 5
+1.4
+1.3
+1.3
+1.2
+1.1
+1.1
+5. 8
+4.2
+2.1
+10.4
+5.2
+2.3
+1.5
-6 .9
+1.0
+0.8
+0.6
+0.6
+0.5
+5. 7
+7.0
+4.5
-5 .2
+1.3
Industry
Per cent of
change No
vember, 1925,
compared
with—
Octo Novem
ber,
ber,
1925
1924
+0.3
Carpets and rugs_____________
+0. 2
Fertilizers_____________ ______
+0.2
Machine tools________________
+0.2
Petroleum refining_________
Furniture____________________ -(»)
Leather
_ _______________ -(>)
-0 .1
Automobile tires____________
Printing, newspapers____ ____
-0 .1
Shirts and collars _______ ____
-0 .1
Lumber, sawmills______ _____
- 0 .2
Confectionery_____________ __
-0 .3
-0 .5
B ak in g ____ - -- -- -• - ___
Brick, tile, and terra cotta_____
-0 . 6
Stoves _ _ _________ _______ -0 . 8
-0 .9
Structural ironwork___________
Pottery.— ____ __________ ____ -1 . 2
Clothing, men’s_______________ -1 .4
Lumber, millwork_____________ —1.6
Silk goods.. ___________ _
-1 .7
Iron and steel_______ ________ -1 .9
F lou r_____ ___________ ____ _ -2 .1
Stamped and enameled ware____ -2 .1
Dyeing and finishing textiles____ -2 .8
Steam fittings and steam and hotwater heating apparatus ______ -3 .8
Chewing and smoking tobacco
and snuff____ ____ __________ - 4 .2
Clothing, women’s . .................. .
-4 .6
Shipbuilding, steel_____________ -6 .1
-6 .7
Boots and shoes__ ___________
-0 .6
—3.3
+9.1
- 1 .4
+4.3
+ 5.0
- 4 .3
+3.9
+4.5
+ 2.8
+1.5
+ 1.8
-0 . 2
+4.7
+8.3
+13.9
+3.9
+3.1
+6.4
+2. 1
+ 2.4
+11.0
+ 3.0
+14.6
-0 .3
+10.7
- 3 .4
+ 1.0
1 Less than one-tenth of 1 per cent.
Comparing per capita earnings for October and November in
the 9 geographic divisions, increases are shown in 5 divisions and
decreases in 4 divisions, the Pacific States showing the greatest
increase—1.9 per cent—and the West North Central States the
greatest decrease—1.5 per cent.
When November, 1924, and November, 1925, are compared in
creases are shown in each division, the East North Central States
showing a gain of over 9 per cent. The Pacific States, which last
month showed a decrease in this comparison covering a year’s
interval, this month show a gain of 3.6 per cent.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[150]
E M PL O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
151
COMPARISON OF PER CAPITA EARNINGS, NOVEMBER, 1925, WITH OCTOBER, 1925,
AND NOVEMBER, 1924, BY GEOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS
Per cent of change
November, 1925, com
pared with—
Geographic division
October,
1925
Pacific............................ ....................
Mountain___________________
South Atlantic............ ................
East North Central_________________
East South Central...................................
Middle Atlantic..... .......................................
West South Central...............................
New England.......... . . * ___________
West North Central..... ..............................................
Total....................................... .
November,
1924
+1.9
+1.4
+1. 0
+0.9
+0.3
-0.1
-0 .2
-1 .0
-1 .5
+3.6
+1.0
+3.3
+9.1
+5. 3
+3.2
+2.0
+1.5
+2.2
+0.2
+5.5
i ime and Capacity Operations
D EPO R T S in percentage terms from 7,296 establishments show
that in November the establishments.in operation were working
an average of 94 per cent of full time and employing an average of
85 per cent of a normal full force of employees. These percentages
are unchanged from the October report and are in accord with the
slight changes in employment and pay-roll totals shown for the. larger
number of establishments covered in the first table of this report.
One per cent of the reporting establishments were idle, 72 per
cent were operating on a full-time schedule, and 27 per cent on a
part-time schedule, while 47 per cent had a full normal force of
employees and 52 per cent were operating with a reduced force.
FULL AND PART TIME AND FULL AND PART CAPACITY OPERATION IN MANU
FACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS IN NOVEM BER, 1925
Per cent of Average
Average
Per cent of
establish per cent
establishments per cent
ments
of full
of full
operating—
operating—
time
time
operated
operated
in estab
in estab
lish
Full
lish
Part
Full Part ments
capac capac ments
time time operating
ity
operating
ity
Establish
ments re
porting
Industry
Total
num
ber
Food and kindred products...
Slaughtering and meat packing.
Confectionery.......................... .
Ice cream__ ____ _______ ____
F lou r................ ............ ...........
Baking____________________
Sugar refining, cane...................
Textiles and their products__
Cotton goods___________ ____
Hosiery and knit goods_______
Silk goods.__________________
Woolen and worsted goods___
Carpets and rugs____________
Dyeing and finishing textiles...
Clothing, men’s .........................
Shirts and collars.......... .............
Clothing, women’s_________
Millinery and lace goods.........
1Less than one-half of 1 per cent.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1,017
41
215
93
300
358
10
i, 238
261
182
159
176
21
72
173
54
90
50
Per
cent
idle
1
(*)
1
1
(■)
1
2
1
4
67
66
73
95
38
81
50
33
34
26
4
61
19
50
90
93
96
99
77
96
86
50
29
51
4
47
68
20
49
71
48
95
52
32
80
87
86
91
67
82
95
75
67
64
68
72
74
86
44
08
32
34
34
28
26
14
54
28
17
33
46
93
92
95
96
95
97
89
88
95
90
85
45
57
47
48
44
33
33
39
54
43
16
54:
41
53
52
56
67
65
57
46
56
82
86
GO
88
88
85
81
81
‘ 86
90
80
66
as
I
2
i
[151]
66
52
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
152
FULL AND PART TIME AND FULL AND PART CAPACITY OPERATION IN M ANU
FACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS IN NOVEM BER, 1925—Continued
Establish
ments re
porting
Industry
Iron and steel and their products,.
Iron and steel.......................... ...........
Structural ironwork _ ________
Foundry and machine-shop products......................................... ..........
Hardware
_ ________________
Machine tools _
Steam fittings and steam and hotwater heating apparatus________
Stoves
__ . .
______________
Lumber and its products_______
Lumber, sawmills,............... .............
Lumber, millwork ______________
Furniture
Total
num
ber
Per
cent
idle
1,385
0)
69
58
62
89
73
. 35
25
22
75
65
78
75
85
66
97
89
51
40
49
60
85
85
41
38
658
46
134
66
70
90
34
30
10
94
97
99
90
78
70
47
30
53
837
321
203
313
(0
Chemicals and allied products___
304
58
103
43
0
156
126
196
123
77
22
73
78
80
24
22
20
90
97
98
97
53
50
55
52
48
46
44
48
94
88
93
90
1
05
34
90
45
54
85
83
•16
16
23
22
97
66
56
61
62
92
42
39
38
8
33
94
94
92
92
73
37
28
28
2G
B8
96
97
95
35
53
16
58
84
47
84
40
62
39
93
51
47
0
104
184
1
1
1
83
55
83
77
78
100
2
72
72
72
3
67
16
43
97
85
97
95
96
100
47
44
52
54
Cement ______ _____
______
Brick, tile, and terra cotta____ ____
Pottery ________________ _____
Glass________ .. _____________
536
67
296
48
115
Metal products, other than iron
and steel ____ . ____ __
138
32
96
75
80
Tobacco products___ __________
10S
67
24
84
38
75
79
78
59
31
22
37
97
92
54
41
85
15
80
20
80
74
35
20
96
36
04
76
90
44
40
100
24
10
56
55
96
99
93
86
100
73
37
94
Stamped and enameled ware.. ___
Brass, bronze, and copper products..
Chewing and smoking tobacco and
snuff________ _______________
Cigars and cigarettes.. __________
Vehicles for land transportation..,
Automobiles____________________
Carriages and wagons_____ .. ___
Car building and repairing, electricrailroad___ _________ _______
Car building and repairing, steamrailroad............... .................. ..........
Miscellaneous industries________
Agricultural implements__________
Electrical machinery, apparatus,
and supplies ___________ _____
Pianos and;organs._______ ______
Rubber boots and sh o e s .....______
Automobile tires ................ ................
Shipbuilding, steel.............. ............
Total__________ __________
4
' '
1
147
59
1
3
151
417
390
74
111
30
9
42
24
7,396
0
1
5
1
1Less than one-half of 1 p e r cent.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
80
30
35
56
18
79
31
90
61
dd
2
774
78
3
1
601
Stone,day, and glass products__
31
94
94
96
Paper and printing__ _______
Chemicals ____________________
Fertilizers
Petroleum refining.......... .................
31
34
19
1
388
Paper and pulp_________ ______
Paper boxes . ............ .
Printing, book and job___________
Printing, newspapers __
69
65
81
157
122
Leather and its products_______
Leather....... ....................................
Boots and shoes_______ ______ ___
Per cent of Average
Average
Per cent of
establish per cent establishments
per cent
ments
of full
of full
operating—
operating— time
time
operated
operated
in
estab
in estab
lish
Part
lish
Full
Full Part ments
ments
capac
capac
time time operating
operating
ity
ity
[1521
98
74
83
91
83
81
45
42
51
19
51
58
47
86
88
99
38
03
50
64
81
83
81
33
94
37
53
87
63
25
91
95
17
* 43
8?»
57
57
43
98
70
30
95
96
95
56
44
87
58
82
77
47
73
33
• 31
8
27
67
64
92
92
83
47
53
25
20
98
90
91
97
85
85
97
99
96
44
36
41
45
50
96
86
76
98
88
87
81
89
81
55
85
E M P L O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
153
Wage Changes
CTFTY-SIX establishments in 24 industries reported wage-rate
1 increases in the month ending November 15. These increases,
averaging 5.8 per cent, affected2,823 employees, or 19 percent of the
total employees in the establishments concerned.
Wage-rate decreases were reported by 11 establishments in 10
industries. These decreases, averaging 7.7 per cent, affected 1,64.9
employees or 7 per cent of the total employees in the establishments
concerned.
WAGE ADJUSTM ENT OCCURRING BETW EEN OCTOBER 15 AND NOVEMBER 15, 192,5
Per cent of in
crease or decrease
in wage rates
Establishments
Employees affected
Per cent of employees
Industry
Number
Total reporting
number increase
or
report decrease
ing
in wage
rates
Range
Aver
age
Total
number
In estab
lishments
reporting
increase
or
decrease
in wage
rates
In ali
estab
lish
ments
report
ing
Increases
Slaughtering and meat packing..
Icecream ... .....................
Flour... ......... .
B aking..................
Hosiery and knit goods.........
Silk goods_____________
Iron and steel.............. . .
Structural ironwork___ _
Foundry and machine-shoo
products.......... .
Machine tools.......... ........
Stoves____________ .
Lumber, sawmills.........
.
Lumber, miliwork_____
Furniture...................
Printing, book and job.. _
Printing, newspapers___ ____ _
Chemicals......... ...............
Fertilizers____ ______
Brick, tile, and terra co tta ......
Glass.................
Brass, bronze, and copper produ cts..................
Automobiles___
Electrical machinery, aooaratus, and supplies..... .........
Shipbuilding, steel...............
80
127
346
440
265
209
207
156
l
6
1
3
1
5
3 9. 5-13
2 9. 5-10
i
10
i
1. 5
2
3-10
6.0
3.0
5.0
10.1
9.6
10.0
1.5
5.4
81
17
137
21
17
82
200
7
5
18
100
10
6
10
43
14
798
158
92
384
254
372
266
209
84
106
373
130
8
2
3
4
2
5
5
2
1
2
1
1
4-20
5
7-10
1-10
5-10
5- 8
2-19
2-12
10
5- 9
15
5-15
11.0
5.0
9.9
5. 7
7.7
6.8
6.9
3.1
10.0
6.7
15.0
7.5
307
23
113
498
47
28
175
110
48
7
185
22
16
13
42
9
8
48
7
79
100
90
115
217
1
2
9
5-10
9.0
5.7
7
116
9
13
136
41
3
2
1.1- 7
9.3
1.6
9.3
516
26
26
8
(i)
(B
(l)
(l)
(‘)
(i)
(‘>
(‘)
(*)
(i)
(»)
(!)
(*)
(!>
(1)
(1)
(t)
(1)
(1)
(l)
(D
(»)
Decreases
Woolen and worsted goods____
Iron and steel____
Foundry and machine-shop
products___ _______ ..
Lumber, sawmills................
Lumber, miliwork............ ..........
Furniture_____ _________
Printing, book and job_______
Fertilizers....................... ......... .
Cigars and cigarettes..................
Carriages and wagons_______
192
207
1
10
2 5. 8- 6. 8
10.0
6. 6
72
1,270
100
100
798
384
254
372
266
106
152
75
1
1
1
1
i
1
1
1
20.0
11. 1
20.0
2.0
3.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
20
125
30
4
12
16
95
5
12
11
100
59
29
71
1 Less than one-half of 1 per cent.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[153]
20
11.1
20
2
3
10
10
10
(t)
(i)
(if
(1)
ci
w
ci
1
1
J
1
M O N T H L Y LABOE RE V IE W
154
Indexes of Employment and Pay-roll Totals in Manufacturing Industries
INDEX numbers for November and October, 1925, and for Novem1 ber, 1924, showing relatively the variation in number of persons
employed and in pay-roll totals in each of the 53 industries surveyed
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, together with general indexes for
the combined 12 groups of industries, appear in the following table.
The general index of employment for November, 1925, is 92.5
and the general index of pay-roll totals is 96.2.
In computing the general index and the group indexes, the index
numbers of the separate industries are weighted according to the
importance of the industries.
IN D EX E S OF EM PLOYM ENT AND PAY-ROLL TOTALS IN M ANUFACTURING IN DUS
TRIES, NOVEM BER, 1924, AND OCTOBER AND NOVEM BER, 1925
[Monthly average, 1923=100]
1925
1924
Industry
November
October
. November
Employ Pay-roil Employ Pay-roll Employ Pay-roll
ment
ment
totals
ment
totals
totals
General index- _____________
87.8
87. G
92. 3
98.2
82. 5
96.2
Food and kindred products____ ___
95.2
91.2
95.6
84.7
96. 2
102.1
84.0
97.2
94. 2
98.9
84.9
97.5
104.0
85.6
94.8
83.8
99.9
96. 3
94.7
104.2
95.7
97.5
86.9
105.9
100.4
100. 2
107.7
94.4
93.7
86.1
98.0
S8.5
92.2
101.5
91.9
97.1
90.6
103.6
95.4
95.5
104.4
96.2
Textiles and their products..................
85.8
80.3
89.2
95. 2
95.7
93.0
95.9
82.2
80. 5
81.3
81.9
83.0
76.2
92.0
93. 9
98. 5
91.0
96. 7
72.2
80.1
76.0
82.8
89.5
83.1
101.1
107.6
87.3
91.2
100.7
87.6
87.6
84. 4
78. 5
90.3
79.9
112.2
116.1
84.0
88.9
107.9
79.6
00.5
95.3
79.3
89.8
85.0
102.2
107.7
88.0
94.5
101.2
86.0
90.3
80.4
77.2
114.2
114.4
85.7
92.4
105.5
77.0
93.2
86.6
79.6
81.7
88.5
85.5
75.6
89.1
77.8
81.9
S9. 7
84.7
73.8
92.0
78.1
87.2
93.9
95.1
80.9
91.7
93.7
92,2
99.1
102.6
82.8
99.3
103. 9
88.5
95.3
92.9
81.6
92.1
97.5
100.2
108.4
92.9
89.5
84.7
91.0
102.4
90.7
108. 3
98.7
102.4
92.7
104.0
100.1
Lumber and its products.. ......... ......
93.2
91.2
96.6
98.1
95.8
93. 5
98.4
102.3
94.3
90.4
104. 0
101.8
102.4
98.3
112.3
110.1
93.2
88.2
103.2
104.4
100.9
95.7
109.7
113.0
Leather and its products,.................. .
91.4
88.7
92.3
84.8
88.4
83.3
94.8
90.8
95.8
92.0
93.1
91.6
91.9
91.4
92.1
93.8
82.1
Paper and printing ............ ............. ........
101.1
93. 1
104.7
102. 5
105.5
103.4
97.1
109. 2
103. 5
107.6
101.8
94.9
105.6
100.6
108.3
108.0
101.1
111.6
107.4
114.1
103.0
94.5
107. 5
102.3
109.8
102.7
116.1
110.9
115.4
Chemicals and allied products______
89.0
89.9
85.2
89.5
94.6
87.5
90.8
89.8
97.0
95.8
101.1
98.6
Slaughtering and meat packing----------Confectionery..................... -......................
Icecream. ---------------- ------------------Flour. ____ _______ ______________
Baking........... ........................ ..................
Sugar refining, ca n e...------------- -----Cotton goods.. ------------------ ----------Hosiery and knit goods............................
Silk goods........... ................................ .
Woolen and worsted goods_____ _____
Carpets and ru gs------------------- _
Dyeing and finishing textiles_________
Clothing, men’s_____________ _______
Shirts and collars
________________
Clothing, women’s_____ ____________
Millinery and lace goods__ ____ ______
Iron and steel and their p ro d u cts__
Iron and steel______________________
Structural ironwork_______ _____ _____
Foundry and machine-shop products__
Hardware....... ................................... ........
Machine tools_________ __________ ..
Steam fittings and steam and hot-water
heating apparatus___ _____________
Stoves.........................................................
Lumber, sawmills....... ............................
Lumber, millwork................................... .
Furniture..................................................
Leather.............. ................................... .
Boots and shoes............ .......................... .
Paper and pulp............................... ..........
Paper boxes_______________________
Printing, book and job_____________ .
Printing, newspaper...... ...........................
Chemicals__________ ________ ______
Fertilizers.. . ___________ __________
Petroleum refining__________________
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[154]
93.2
88.0
94.7
107.3
98.4
100.1
105.5
98.0
89.8
82.2
92.7
98.7
99.3
84.3
85.4
110.4
100.5
102.6
99.0
98.4
E M P L O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
155
IN DEXES OF EM PLOYM ENT AND PAY-ROLL TOTALS IN M ANUFACTURING INDUS
TRIES, NOVEM BER, 1924, AND OCTOBER AND NOVEM BER, 1925—Continued
1924
Industry
1925
November
October
November
Employ Pay-roll Employ Pay-roll Employ Pay-roll
ment
totals
ment
totals
ment
totals
Stone, stay and gEass products...........
Cement _______ ______
Brick, tile, and terra cotta..
Pottery_____ ____ ______
Glass_____________________
94.8
99.2
96. 2
107.5
87.5
98.8
102.2
101.5
100. 3
94.6
190.5
99.8
100. 7
107.2
98.1
too. i
106.3
106. 8
120.1
108.5
99.7
96. 8
99.1
305.4
99.3
108.8
106.1
104.8
116.8
111.0
Metal products, other th a n iron and
steel_____________.
Stamped and enameled ware___
Brass, bronze, and copper products____
90.1
84.9
92.5
89.8
79.9
93.5
98.3
99.1
98.0
99.2
101.5
98.4
109.2
103. 0
99.0
102.8
Tobacco p rod u cts... .
Chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff
Cigars and cigarettes_______ ____ ____
97.0
97.4
97.0
100.3
94.3
101.0
95.1
93.8
95.3
99,0
99.8
98.9
94.6
90. 3
95.2
100, C
92 1
101.6
Vehicles for land tran sp ortation ...
Automobiles____ ___
Carriages and wagons _____ _
Car building and repairing, electric-railroad... ___________
Car building and repairing, steamr a i l r o a d ._____________
84.2
83. 5
85.5
83.8
81.8
82.0
94.6
119.3
109.1
99.5
130.7
106.2
93. 7
118. 1
99.7
101.0
131.4
98.3
Miscellaneous industries
Agricultural implements. .
Electrical machinery, apparatus, and
supplies. __ ________
Pianos and organs
Rubber boots and shoes....... ..........
Automobile tires___________
Shipbuilding, steel _________
103.4
101.9
88.5
89.6
89.1
90.8
89.8
95.4
84.4
84.8
78.6
79.9
78.2
81.9
84.8
77.9
87.4
79.7
89.2
95.0
93.2
106.5
91.0
99.1
93 0
112.4
88.6
99.0
79.0
101.7
77.2
89.9
119. 3
88.1
104.3
80.7
94.6
98.6
80.8
109.2
78.1
98.9
113.0
90.4
107. 2
84.1
98.0
99. 2
85. 2
107. 0
79.8
104.0
119. 9
95. 9
104. 7
80.7
Brass, Bronze, and Copper Products’ Index Numbers, January, 1923, to November.
1925
CTATISTICS for the brass, bronze, and copper products’ industry,
beginning with January, 1923, have been added to similar data
hitherto published for 52 industries.
The brass, bronze, and copper products’ relatives have been
incorporated into the indexes for the metal products (other than
iron and steel) group, and ■the revised figures for that group are
given in the accompanying table, together with the relatives for the
two industries which the group now includes.
74735°—26t----- 11
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[155]
M O N T H L Y LABOE RE V IE W
156
IN D EX NUMBERS OF EMPLOYM ENT AND PAY-ROLL TOTALS— BRASS, BRONZE
AND COPPER PRODUCTS AND STAMPED AND ENAM ELED WARE, AND REVISED
GROUP IN DEX NUMBERS
[Monthly average, 1923= 100]
Metal products, other than iron and steel
Month and year
Stamped and
enameled ware
Group index
Employ
ment
Pay-roll
totals
Brass, bronze, and
copper products
Employ Pay-roll Employ Pay-roll
ment
totals
ment
totals
1923
January................... ........................ ......
February_____________ . . . _____
March................ .....................................
April...............................
...
M ay--------------------------- --------------June...................
July_____________________________
A ugust__________ _________ ______
September________. . . ____ ______
October_____ __________________ _
November_____ _______ __________
December_________ __________ ..
99. 7
103.3
105. 8
106.2
104.5
102.8
100.7
98.3
95.4
94.6
93.8
95.2
94.0
99.0
105.9
109. 5
109. 4
106.5
101.7
90.1
93.5
93.9
93.9
96.7
104.9
106.9
110.6
109.3
107.0
102. 8
100.7
93. 0
91.8
92.1
89.1
92.0
103.6
106. 5
114.8
113.2
111.9
107.7
97.5
90.5
86.5
89.2
88.1
90.3
97.3
101. 6
103.5
105.0
J03.4
102.8
100. 5
100.7
97.0
95. 7
95. 9
96.7
90.4
96.2
102. 6
108.2
108. 5
106. 1
103.2
98. !
96.1
95. 6
96.1
99.0
1924
January..................................................
February ________ _______________
March____ _ _________________
April...._____________ ____ ________
M ay..................... ............. ........ .............
June................... _ ______________
July._______ __________ __________
August________________ __________
September______ ____ ___________
October............ ......................................
November______ _. . . . ._ . ____
December............ .................................
95.9
100.8
101. 6
99.9
96.5
91.3
85. 4
84. 1
85.0
88.8
90.1
93.4
95.1
102.6
105. 3
100.6
94.8
86. 7
78.2
80.0
83.6
86.6
89.8
95.5
94.0
101. 9
105.4
100.0
94.0
86.8
81.3
81.0
79.2
85.1
84.9
87.1
87.5
102. 2
100.9
100.7
89.0
78.6
71.3
71.9
73.7
77.2
79.9
84.1
96.8
100.3
100.1
99.9
97. 6
93.2
87.4
85.5
87.6
90.5
92.5
96.2
97.9
102.8
104.7
100. 6
96.9
89.7
80.8
83.0
87.3
90.0
93.5
99.7
1925
January....... ............................................
February. .............................................
March........... ........ .................................
A;>ril____________________________
M ay............ ...........................................
June____________________ ._ _____
July____ ________________________
August........................... ........................
September______ _______ _________
October. _________________________
November...............................................
93. G
95.5
97.3
95. 5
95.9
95.9
95.4
95.5
96.3
98.3
100. 2
95.0
98.1
99.9
94.9
97.9
97.0
91.1
98.3
92.6
99.2
102.3
87.0
90.9
95.0
92.9
91.8
91.9
89.8
91.0
94.0
99. 1
103.0
79.6
88.1
94.5
91.8
90.1
89.8
80.5
88.5
86.8
101.5
103.4
96.6
97.6
98.3
96.7
97.8
97.7
98.0
97.6
97.4
98.0
99.0
100.7
101.8
101.9
96.0
100.8
99.6
99.1
101.9
94.7
98.4
101.9
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[15G3
E M P L O Y M E N T 1 AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
157
The following table and chart show the general index of .employ
ment in manufacturing industries from June, 1914, to November,
1925, and the general index of pay-roll totals from November, 1915,
to November, 1925.
GENERAL IN D E X OF EM PLOYM ENT AND OF PAY-ROLL TOTALS IN MANUFACTUR
ING INDUSTRIES
E m p l o y m e n t { J u n e , 1 9 1 4 , to N o v em b er, 19 2 5 )
[Monthly average, 1923=100]
1919.
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
104.6 .117.0
107. 4 117.5
109.6 117.4
109.0 115.0
109. 5 115.1
110.0 114.8
110.3 114. 2
110.0 112. 7
111.4 110.7
112.9 113.2
114. 5 115. 6
115. 1 117.2
110.1
114.7 103. 2
116. 5 104.0
115.0 103. 6
114.0 106. 3
113.4 108.7
114. 6 no. 7
114.5 109.9
114.2 112. 1
111.5 106.8
113.4 110.0
113.5 113.2
116.1
115. 6
116.9
117.1
117.4
117.9
110.0
109.7
107.0
102. 5
97.3
91.1
76.8
82.3
83.9
84.0
84.5
84.9
84. 5
85.6
87.0
88.4
89. 4
89.9
87.0
87.7
83.2
82.4
84.3
87.1
86.8
88.0
90. 6
92.6
94. 5
96.6
98.0
99.6
101.8
101.8
101.8
101.9
100. 4
99.7
99.8
99.3
98.7
96.9
95.4
96.6
96.4
94.5
90.8
87.9
84.8
85.0
86.7
87.9
87.8
89.4
90.0
91.6
92.3
92.1
90.9
90.1
89.3
89.9
90.9
92. 3
92.5
115.0
114. J 108.2
109. 9
85.1
88.4
100. 0
»0.3
1914
1915
1916
98. 9
95. 9
92.9
94.9
94.9
93.9
92.9
91.9
92.9
93.9
93.9
94.9
95.9
94.9
95.9
98.9
100.8
103.8
105.9
Average.. i 91.9
37. G
Month
January
February...........
March________
April ________
M av...................
June_________
July..................
August______ September____
October. _____
November____
December
II0.4
1917
1918
2
91.1
P a y - r o ll to ta ls {N o v em b er, 1 9 1 5 , to N o v e m b e r, 1 9 2 5 )
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
53.8
56.0
52.1
57.8
60.0
59.7
62.1
62.5
58.7
60.9
62.9
65. 5
69.2
71.0
69.8
70.5
73.6
69.4
75.8
76.1
73.1
75.0
74.4
82.2
87.4
87.8
79.6
79.8
88.2
88.8
94.5
94.3
97.5
105. 3
106. 6
110. 3
104.1
111.2
104. 2
95.0
95.4
94. 5
96.7
100. 2
102.5
105. 3
111. 6
105.5
111.3
121, 5
126.6
124.8
133.0
130.6
135.7
138.0
124. 9
132. 2
128.2
123.0
111.3
102.4
80.6
82.4
83.3
82.8
81.8
81.0
76.0
79.0
77.8
76.8
77.2
81.5
71.5
76. 7
74.2
72.6
76.9
82.0
74. 1
79.3
82.7
86.0
89.8
92.9
91.8
95.2
100.3
101.3
104.8
104.7
99.9
99.3
100.0
102.3
101.0
98.9
94.5
99.4
99.0
96.9
92.4
87.0
80.8
83.5
86.0
88.5
87.6
91.7
Average............... 3 54.9
«1.9
76.3
96.7
103.6
125.9
80.0
79.8
m o
90.6 2 93.3
Month
January_______ ______
February . . ________
March ____ ______
April ______ _______
May ________________
June. ............................
July. __________„___
August
September .................
October
______
November....... ............
December............... ......
i Average for 7 months.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
3 Average for 11 months.
[157]
3 Average for 2 months,;
1925
90.0
95. 1
96.6
94.2
94.4
91.7
89.6
9i. 4
90.4
99.2
96.2
O i
00
GENERAL INDEXES Of E M P L O Y M E N T fr OF PAY-ROLL TOTALS
IN MANUFACTURING I ND U S T R I E S .
M ONTHLY
LABOE
[158]
E E V IE W
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
E M PL O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
159
Employment and Earnings of Railroad Employees, October, 1924,
and September and October, 1925
-'HE following table shows the number of employees and the
earnings in various occupations among railroad employees
in October, 1925, in comparison with employment and earn
ings in September, 1925, and October, 1924.
The figures are for Class I roads—that is, all roads having operating
revenues of $1,000,000 a year and over.
T
EM PLOYMENT AND EARNINGS OF RAILROAD EMPLOYEES IN OCTOBER, 1924, AND
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, 1925
[From monthly reports of Interstate Commerce Commission. As data for only the more important
occupations are shown separately, the group totals are not the sum of the items under the respective
groups; the grand totals will be found on pp. 146 and 149]
Professional, clerical, and general
Month and year
Clerks
Stenogra
phers and
typists
Total
for
group
Maintenance of way and structures
Laborers
(extra gang
and work
train)
Track and
roadway
section
laborers
Total
for
group
Number of employees at middle of month
October, 1924_________
September, 1925..............
October, 1925...... ...........
168, 421
167,014
167,493
25, 063
25,126
25,117
282, 263
282, 617
282, 977
64, 319
67,780
64, 728
222,152
224, 481
223,981
420,930
428,808
425, 647
$16,976, 263
16, 255, 618
17, 079, 387
$39, 610, 019
38,909, 518
40,284, 290
Total earnings
October, 1924_________ $22,046, 407
September, 1925_______ 21, 351, 310
October, 1925.................. 22,147,031
$3, 087, 111
3,037, 065
3,118, 010
$38, 740,072
38,171, 954
39, 260, 590
$5,128, 083
5, 286, 505
5, 232, 451
Maintenance of equipment and stores
Carmen
Machinists
Skilled
trade
helpers
Common
Laborers
laborers
(shops,
(shops,
engine
engine
houses,
houses,
power
power
plants, and plants,
and
stores)
stores)
Total
for
group
Number of-employees at middle of month
October, 1924 ................
September, 1925______
October, 1925________
122, 967
114, 550
116, 710
62, 807
59, 602
60, 651
119,311
111,347
113,303
44,815
42, 380
43,046
60,617
57, 998
58, 457
539, 798
512, 301
519,972
$5, 200,108
4, 589, 826
4, 952,607
$72, 318, 309
64,815, 405
69, 458,095
Total earnings
October, 1924 ................ $18, 602,900
16, 224,047
September, 1925.-.____
October, 1925................... 17,571,622
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$10, 208,973 $13, 544,369
9, 062, 215 11,829, 020
9, 799, 610 12, 821, 038
[159]
$4, 381, 503
3, 938, 088
4,161,827
160
M O N T H L Y LABOR E E V IE W
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS OF RAILROAD EMPLOYEES UN OCTOBER, 1824,
AND SEPTEM BER AND OCTOBER, 1925—Continued
Transportation other than train and yard
Month and year
Station
agents
Telegra
Truckers
Crossing
phers, telc(stations,
and bridge
phoners, warehouses, flagmen
and
and towerand
gatemen
men
platforms)
Total
for
group
Transpor
tation (yardmasters,
switch ten
ders, and
hostlers)
Number of employees at middle of month
October, 1924_ _ . ............
September, 1925................
October, 1925___________
31, 276
30, 988
30, 907
26,442
25, 840
25, 949
39,929
40, 938
41, 648
23,057
22, 734
22, 589
210, 920
212, 213
211,901
24, 287
23, 915
24,007
$26, 052,854
25, 601, 698
26,455,735
$4, 454, 525
4, 386, 747
4,496,208
Total earnings
October, 1 9 2 4 ..................
September, 1925 _______
October, 1925.....................
$4,884,377
4,749,347
4,863,585
$3,949, 004
3, 794, 498
3, 949, 495
$3,841, 271
3,790, 760
4, 089, 551
$1,738,127
1,710, 054
1 ,700j 957
Transportation, tram and engine
Road
conductors
Road
brakemen
and
flagmen
Road
Yard brake- engineers
Road
men and
and
and
motor - firemen
yardmen
helpers
men
Total
for
group
Number of employees at middle of month
October, 1924 _________
September, 1925________
October, 1925___________
37, 607
37.350
38, 223
76, 861
75, 747
77,349
52, 905
52,810
54, 954
44, 684
44, 486
45,285
46, 477
46,095
46, 9X2
328,144
327,170
335,949
$9,008,905
8,863, 864
9,577,684
$67,198, 471
65,088. 465
70,553,912
Total earnings
October, 1 9 2 4 ............. ..
September, 1925________
October, 1925_________
$9,186, 405
8,875,868
9, 506, 760
$14,002, 781
13,311,176
14,377,146
$9, 401,923
8,985, 866
9,869, 769
$12,129,806
11,899,134
12,828, 595
Recent Employment Statistics
Public Employment Offices
Connecticut
T
HE Bureau of Labor of Connecticut has supplied the following
statistics on the operations of the five free public employment
offices of that State in November, 1925:
ACTIVITIES
OF CONNECTICUT PUBLIC
EM PLOYM ENT OFFICES IN NOVEMBER, 1925
Sei
Applica
tions for
employ
ment
Applica
tions for
help
Situations
secured
Males________
___
Females....... ............
2, 548
1, 664
1, 855
1,489
1, 742
1, 361
68. 3
81. 7
T otal......... .........
4, 212
3, 344
3,103
73. 6
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 160 ]
Per cent
of appli
cants
placed
Per cent
of appli
cations for
help filled
92.7
161
E M P L O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
Illinois
The Labor Bulletin of the Illinois Department of Labor in its
November, 1925, issue shows acti vities of the Illinois free employment
offices for the month of October, 1924 and 1925, as follows:
ACTIVITIES OF ILLINOIS FREE EM PLOYMENT OFFICES IN OCTOBER, 1924 AND 1923
October, 1924
October, 1925
Item
Males
Number of registrations. _______ ______
Help wanted.. . . . . _________________
Persons referred to positions_________ . . .
Persons reported placed_____ _________
Persons registered for each 100 places open..
Females
12,973
8,972
8,916
7,597
Total
6, 7S8
5,199
5,157
4,341
Males
19, 761
14, 171
14, 073
11,938
139. 4
17, 388
14,455
13, 712
12, 111
Females
6, 702
5, 312
5, 306
4,595
Total
24,090
19, 767
19,018
16, 706
121.8
Massachusetts
The Department of Labor and Industries of Massachusetts reports
as follows on the work of the four public employment offices in
October, 1924 and 1925:
ACTIVITIES OF FOUR PUBLIC EM PLOYMENT OFFICES IN MASSACHUSETTS I N
OCTOBER, 1924 AND 1925
Month and year
Work
ing
days
Applica
tions for
positions
26
26
39,115
39, 668
October, 1924____ _________
October, 1925____________________
Hein
wanted
3, 422
4,159
Persons
referred to
positions
4, 319
5,176
Persons
placed in
employ
ment
2,941
3, 598
Ohio
The Ohio Department of Industrial Relations has supplied the
following data on placement work of the State-city employment
service of Ohio in November, 1925:
OPERATIONS OF STATE-CITY EM PLOYMENT SERVICE OF OHIO IN NOVEMBER, 1925
Number
of appli
cants
Group
Males:
Nonagri cultural.............. .............................................
Farm and dairy. __________ ________________
Total_______ _____ _____ ________
Females___________ ________
Grand total___________________________ .
Help
wanted
Persons
referred to
positions
Persons
reported
placed in
employ
ment
31,715
460
14, 241
550
14,053
457
12,834
392
32,175
14, 791
14, 510
13, 226
14, 701
7, 373
7, 238
6, 457
46, 876
22,164
21, 748
19,383
Oklahoma
The following figures from the November 15, 1925, issue of the
Oklahoma Labor Market, published by the State bureau of labor
statistics, show the operations of the public employment offices of
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1161]
162
M O N T H L Y LABOE RE V IE W
that State in October, 1924, and September and October, 1925, as
follows:
ACTIVITIES OF OKLAHOMA PUBLIC EM PLOYM ENT OFFICES IN OCTOBER, 1924,
AND SEPTEM BER AND OCTOBER, 1925
Number placed in employment
Industry
October,
1924
Septem
ber, 1925
October,
1925
Agriculture__________ __________________ _____ __ _____ ___
Building and construction.____ __________ _________________
Clerical (office)_________ ________ _ ..
_________________
Manufacturing________________ ________ . . . _____ ______
Personal service.. ________
_ __________ _____________
Miscellaneous..
1,063
116
2
41
1,310
2,156
1,520
' 129
6
92
962
2,068
1,038
98
10
104
877
2,278
Total________________________________________________
4, 688
i 4, 797
4,405
1As published. Actual sum of items, 4,777.
Pennsylvania
The Department of Labor and Industry of Pennsylvania reports
as follows on the activities of the State employment offices for September, 1924 and 1925:
September,
1924
(4 weeks)
Persons applying for positions:
Men
Women _
Total_____________________
Persons asked for by employers:
Men
Women
T otal
Persons placed in employment:
Men.
Women
Total
September,
1925
(5 weeks)
6, 965
3, 407
10, 009
4, 130
10, 372
14, 139
4,349
1, 581
7, Oil
2, 530
5,930
9, 541
4, 014
1, 218
6, 414
5,232
8, 427
2, 013
Wisconsin
The Industrial Commission of Wisconsin, in a mimeographed report,
has supplied the following information as to the activities of the
Federal-State-municipal employment service of Wisconsin in October,
1924 and 1925:
ACTIVITIES OF FEDERAL-STATE-MUNICIPAL EM PLOYMENT SERVICE OF WISCON
SIN IN OCTOBER, 1924 AND 1925
October, 1924
October, 1925
Item
Males
Applications for work_________ .
Help wanted... .
Referred to positions_______
Placed in employment______________
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Females
11.995
11, 212
10, 533
8, 623
[162]
4, 595
3, 528
3, 772
2, 733
Total
16, 590
14, 740
14,305
11, 356
Males
14, 098
14, 061
12, 788
11, 032
Females
4,778
4,155
4,117
3,036
Total
18,876
18, 216
16,905
14, 068
E M P L O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
163
State Departments of Labor
Illinois
HTHE DATA given below from The Labor Bulletin of November,
A 1925, published by the Illinois Department of Labor shows
changes in employment in representative factories of that State in
October, 1925:
CHANGES IN VOLUME OF EM PLOYM ENT IN OCTOBER, 1925, AS COMPARED WITH
SEPTEM BER, 1925, AND OCTOBER, 1924
October, 1925
Industry
Stone, clay, and glass products:
Miscellaneous stone and mineral products, _
Lime, cement, and plaster___________
Brick, tile, and pottery...................
Gla-ss___ _________
Total.................: ____
Metals, machinery, conveyances:
Iron and steel ___
Sheet metal work and hardware__ _
Tools and cutlery „ ___
Cooking, heating, ventilating apparatus,.
Brass, copper, zinc, babbitt metal___
Cars and locomotives ..
Automobiles and accessories ............
Machinery______ _____
Electrical apparatus__ ___________
Agricultural Implements. ______
Instruments and appliances___
Watches, watch cases, clocks, and jewelry...
Total_____________
Wood products:
Sawmill and planing-mill products.
Furniture and cabinet work_______
Pianos, organs, and other musical instruments..
Miscellaneous wood products___
Household furnishings____________
Total_____ _______ ______________
Furs and leather goods:
Leather____ ._
Furs and fur goods_________
Boots and shoes., ______
Miscellaneous leather goods____
Total_____
Chemicals, oils, paints, etc.:
Drugs and chemicals____
Paints, dyes, and colors.. _________
Mineral and vegetable oil. . . .
Miscellaneous chemical products...........
'Total____________________________
Per cent of change
Number
of firms
reporting
Number
of em
ployees
September,
1925, to
October,
1925
23
9
34
14
1,588
505
5,463
4, 983
—2 6
+ .4
—5 4
+ 10.0
+28M
80
12,539
+ 9.6
+11.0
116
30
16
23
23
14
27
50
26
28
7
15
35,129
9; 547
1, 571
4, 877
3; 060
9, 018
lb 735
17,852
32, 643
7,965
2,173
7,915
+ 1.5
+ 2.2
+ 8.2
+ 1. 1
+ 1.7
+ 13. 2
+2.4
+3. 1
+3.0
+4.7
+ .5
+3.9
+16.7
+3.1
-4 .5
+5. 8
-32.2
+44.8
+21.8
-14.9
+33.5
-3 .9
+5.4
375
143,485
+2. 6
+1.6
32
45
15
23
7
2, 711
6, 994
3, 249
2, 669
714
+• 1
+2. 0
+ 13. 4
- 3 .6
+i>. 2
+5.4
+5.0
+16.9
- 7 .2
+5.2
122
16, 337
+2.9
+3.4
9
8
16
8
2,229
96
11, 632
1,529
+ 1.6
+9.1
+ 1.4
+6.7
+15.6
+7.9
+3.8
+181.0
41
15, 486
+2. 0
+5.5
20
24
10
9
2,061
2, 589
5,188
3; 937
+4.0
+ 1. 2
+2.0
+3. 8
+1.0
+ 15.1
+18.7
+10.8
—4 3
October,
1924, to
October,
1925
+2.8
+24.0
63
13, 775
+2. 6
+11.0
Printing and paper goods:
Paper boxes, bags, and tubes.
____
Miscellaneous paper goods_____
Job printing..
Newspapers and periodicals.
Edition bookbinding______________
35
16
76
12
9
4,419
1, 069
7,931
3, 642
1,793
+3.5
+1. 1
-6 . 2
—. 4
+ 13. 4
+37.1
+3.8
+2.9
+ .7
Total_________________________
148
18, 854
—9
+4.5
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[163]
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
104
C H A N G E S IN V O L U M E O F E M P L O Y M E N T IN O C T O B E R , 1925, AS C O M P A R E D W IT H
S E P T E M B E R , 1925, A N D O C T O B E R , 1924— C ontinued
October, 1925
In d u stry
Number
of firms
reporting
Number
of em
ployees
Per cent of change
September,
1925, to
October,
1925
October,
1924, to
October,
1925
Textiles:
Cotton and woolen goods- ______ ____________
Knit goods, cotton and woolen hosiery__________
Thread and twine_________________ ___________
9
6
6
1,419
2,914
607
+1.8
+2.8
+17.0
+11.6
+12.7
- .6
Total___________ ____ _____________________
21
4, 940
+4.1
+10. 3
Clothing, millinery, laundering:
Men’s clothing_______________________________
Men’s shirts and furnishings___________________
Overalls and work clothing____________________
Men’s hats and caps__________________________
Women’s clothing!.._____ _ _________________ _
Women’s underwear__________________________
Women’s hats _______ _ . .................................
Laundering, cleaning, and dyeing............. ......... ...
5
4
10
2
20
10
8
35
10,257
1,164
830
68
. 1,283
686
582
2,371
-3 .5
- 2 .5
+3.6
- 1 .4
+4.2
+16.3
-19.4
-2 .7
+2.6
+ 18.7
- 3 .0
+136. 2
-1 .4
+59.0
-20.7
+ 7.0
94
17,241
-2 .4
+3.5
24
15
26
19
10
18
18
19
13
22
16
1,120
844
4,686
21,953
3, 710
2, 496
2,345
1,412
1,141
259
736
+1.4
-78.3
+ .8
+ .4
- .4
+3.6
+4.9
- 3 .6
-13.8
-25.4
-12.5
-4 .1
-53.3
-2 .8
-3 .7
Total.................................................. .................. .
Pood, beverages, and tobacco:
Flour, feed, and other cereal products.... ..................
Fruit and vegetable canning and preserving______
Miscellaneous groceries. _. ___________________
Slaughtering and meat packing___________ _____
Dairy products______.*_________ ______ _______
Bread and other bakery products__ ____________
Confectionery
Beverages___ _
_
......... .......................
Cigars and other tobacco products______________
Manufactured ice_____ _
_____ ____ _______
Ice cream.................. ................................ ..................
+ 6 .0
-3 .7
-8 . 1
+10.6
-18. 1
- 1 .6
.......................................................... ........
200
40,702
- 7 .2
+2. 5
Total, manufacturing industries______________
1,144
283,359
+ .8
+2.6
Trade, wholesale and retail:
Department stores..___ ______________________
Wholesale dry goods........................................... ........
Wholesale groceries____ . .............. ........................
Mail-order houses......................................................
28
6
6
3,452
540
877
14, 595
+6.3
+3.8
+9.0
+1-7
-11.4
+6.1.
- 5 .8
-4 .6
T otal..
Total..........................................................................
43
19,464
+8.0
Public utilities:
Water, light, and power______________ ________
Telephone_________ ________ _ _______________
Street railways ...................................................... .
Railway car repair shop_____________ ____ ______
5
9
27
24
14, 480
27,404
27,136
12, 226
- .2
- .3
+ .9
-. 1
-5 . 6
+5.2
+ .9
-8 .6
Total................ ..........................................................
65
81, 246
+ .1
- .8
Coal mining............................................ ..........................
50
14,672
+1.7
+27.6
Building and contracting:
Building construction...................................... ............
Road construction___ . . ........... ...............................
Miscellaneous contracting______ ______ ________
113
11
27
7,851
580
1,719
+ .6
+17. 2
+17.0
+26.8
-29.9
+2.6
T otal.......... ...............................................................
151
10,150
+3.9
+ 18.6
1,453
408,891
+1.1
+2.3
Total, all industries____________ ____________
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[161]
E M P L O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
165
Maryland
The Commissioner of Labor and Statistics of Maryland has fur
nished the following statistics on changes in volume of employment
in that State from October to November, 1925:
COMPARISON OF EM PLOYM ENT IN IDENTICAL MARYLAND ESTABLISHMENTS I N
OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER, 1925 i
Employment
Industry
Number
of
establish
ments
report
ing for
both
months
B ak ery _________________________
Beverages and soft d rin k s__ _____
B oots a n d shoes..............................
Boxes, pap er and fancy__________
Boxes, w ooden__ _______ ________
B rass an d bronze_______________
B rick, tile , e t c . . . . ____________ _
B ru sh e s.^ ...................................... .
C ar building an d repairing_______
C hem icals..............................................
C lothing, m e n ’s outer g a rm e n ts.__
C lothing, w om en’s outer garments.
C o n fectio n ery ............................. .......
C otto n go ods.................... ..............
F e rtilize r_____________ __________
Food prep aratio n -................... ..........
F o u n d ry ..... ............ ........................
F urnishing goods, m e n ’s_________
F u rn itu re ........... .............__________
G lass_______ _______ ___________
Ice cream _____________ __________
L eather goods___________________
L ithographing__________ ________
L um ber a n d p lan in g ____________
M attresses an d spring b e d s..........
P a te n t m edieine_______ _________
Pianos....................................................
P lum bers’ s u p p lie s ...___________
P rin tin g ..___________________ _
R u b b er tire m an u factu re________
S h ip b u ild in g............. ....................1..
S h i r t s . . ................................................
Silk goods .................................. ...........
Slaughtering a n d m eat packing___
Stam ping an d enam eled w are....... .
T inw are................. ............... ..............
Tobacco________ ____ ___________
U m b re lla s..........................................
M iscellaneous.. ........ ........................
5
5
9
9
4
4
5
6
5
6
5
7
7
5
5
4
12
7
11
3
4
C
5
9
4
4
3
4
9
1
3
6
4
3
3
4
8
3
19
Pay roll
Per cent
of in
Number crease
(+
) or Amount,
of em
ployees decrease
Novem
(
)
as ber,
Novem
1925
ber, 1925 compared
with
October,
1925
540
215
1,387
538
298
2, 505
758
1,113
4,431
1, 2G0
2,328
763
1, 753
1,371
529
135
1.317
2,963
1, 111
789
291
715
570
720
154
868
897
1,234
1,312
1, 791
563
878
744
997
926
2,858
1,129
434
4,220
-f-3.6
-5 .3
+1. 7
+ .9
+1.3
-3 .1
+ .6
+9.7
- .7
-2 . 2
- 4. 0
-25.9
+10.9
+• 5
-23.0
- 5 .0
4*5. 0
i
+6.3
-11.6
- 2 .2
-2 .3
-3 . 7
+1.3
+2. 4
+ 1.1
+ .5
- .9
- 4 .4
-6 . 5
-2 .6
+6.2
+ .9
+5. 7
- 9 .9
+4.6
4*6. 6
+2.1
$15,759
5, 459
25,036
7, 630
4,880
60, 039
18, 715
20, 820
149, 890
33, 672
43, 458
11,152
21, 288
23, 357
10, 491
3, 122
32, 644
38,191
26, 569
17, 423
9, 679
14, 746
16, 528
17, 307
3,845
13, 292
26, 068
35, 304
46, 596
108, 518
14, 957
12, 217
10,880
28,084
16, 937
61, 214
16,832
7,610
92,998
Per cent
of in
crease
(+ ) or
decrease
(—) as
compared
with
October,
1925
- 1 .9
-12.5
+1.8
—5. 2
- 4 .5
+3.8
- 7 .7
+ 3.2
- 1 .1
- 5 .3
- 8 .1
-13.2
+ .5
-23.2
-1 1 .2
- 3 .1
+ 4.0
+7.1
—. 1
- 4 .4
+2.7
- 4 .3
- 3 .4
+12.5
+1.3
+8.7
+ 1.0
-10.6
-20.4
+ .5
+4.3
+3.4
+3.9
- 6 .6
+3.3
+ 8.4
+2.8
1Pay-roll period one week, except rubber-tire manufacture, for which such period was one-half month.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[165]
166
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
Massachusetts
A press release from the Department of Labor and Industries of
Massachusetts shows the following changes in volume of employ
ment in various industries in that State from September to October,
1925:
N U M B E R OF E M P L O Y E E S IN 993 M A N U F A C T U R IN G E S T A B L IS H M E N T S IN MASSA,
C H U S E T T S , W E E K IN C L U D IN G O R E N D IN G N E A R E S T TO S E P T E M B E R 15 A N D
O C T O B E R 15, 1925
Number of wage earners employed
Number
of estab
October, 1925
lishments
reporting September, 1925
Full time Part time Total
Industry
Automobiles, including bodies and parts---------------Bookbinding______________ _ ------------------------Boot and shoe cut stock and findings ------------------Boots and shoes________ _______________________
Boxes, paper________________ ___________ _____
Boxes, wooden packing____________ ___________
Bread and other bakery products-------- --------------Carpets and rugs---- ------- .. ------- ------- -------------Cars and general shop construction and repairs,
steam railroads--- --------------- ---------------- ------Clothing, men’s ___ ___________________________
Clothing, women’s . . . ___ _________________ _____
Confectionery ________________ _
. ---- ------Copper, tin, sheet iron, etc. _______ ______ _____
Cotton goods..................................................... .............
Cutlery and to o ls-------- ------ ---------------- . . . ------Dyeing and finishing textiles-------------- ------------Electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies-------Foundry products_____________________________
Furniture
. _.____________ _________________
Gas and by-products _____ _________ _ _______
Hosiery arid* knit goods_____ _____ . . -----------Jewelry.____ ___________ _ -------- .. . ----------Leather, tanned, curried, and finished. ------- - ------Machine-shop products_________________________
Machine tools____________________ ___ ____ _ .
Musical instruments___________________________
Paper and wood pulp________
. .. ------ . . . .
Printing and publishing, book and j o b . . . ----- ------Printing and publishing, newspaper--------------------Rubber footwear_____ ____ __________________ ..
Rubber g o o d s.._____ _______ _ _________ .. ...
Silk goods______________________ ______________
Slaughtering and meat packing__________________
Stationery goods_____________ _______ . . . . .
Steam fittings and steam and hot-water heating apparatus _ ______________________________ ___
Stoves and stove linings...................... ........ ........ ........
Textile machinery and parts-------------------------------Tobacco.......................... ...............................................
Woolen and worsted goods________________ ______
A ll bther industries.....................................................
Total, all industries.............................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1G6]
18
15
48
72
25
33
51
5
4,314
993
2, 221
23,068
2,165
1, 144
3,946
3,679
4,288
786
1, 573
13,259
1,386
846
4,075
1,798
75
219
671
11,645
927
338
98
1,952
4,363
1,005
2, 244
22,904
2,313
1,184
4,173
3, 750
4
31
37
13
18
55
23
7
33
25
33
12
12
36
26
38
23
12
21
39
19
3
7
10
5
8
2, 887
3, 948
1,554
3,433
1, Ü8G
36, 555
4, 643
6, 341
11,319
2, 663
3,402
1,029
5,099
2, 737
4.272
7,496
1,806
3,243
5,749
3,418
2,303
8, 294
3,143
3,971
1,458
1,609
1,939
2,820
1,183
3,566
3,016
25,345
3,887
3,251
10,943
3,823
3,618
1,020
2,323
2,633
3,131
6,583
1,558
1,267
4,460
3,183
2, 334
7, 224
3,197
3,723
300
1,620
975
1,117
379
137
51
13, 777
1. 080
5, 215
815
782
33
312
1,204
18
2,914
3,937
1,562
3,703
1,067
39,122
4,967
6,466
11,758
2,605
3,651
1,020
5,115
2,865
4,234
7,624
1,914
1,328
6,032
3,395
2,334
8,365
3,197
4,035
1,504
1,638
9
5
15
57
125
1,902
1,607
5,187
770
19,117
28, 377
1,948
1,284
2, 746
643
10,442
14, 757
448
2,413
131
9,141
13, 669
1,948
1,732
5,159
774
19, 583
28,426
993
229,946
159, 778
76,132
235,910
0
2, 792
232
3,103
1,041
356
61
1,572
212
3, 341
167
E M P L O Y M E N T AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
New York
The New York State Department of Labor has furnished the
following tabulation of changes in employment and pay rolls in New
York State factories in November, 1925. The table is. based on
returns from a fixed list of approximately 1,700 factories. The
weekly pay roll for the middle week of November was $14,700,438.
C H A N G E S IN E M P L O Y M E N T A N D PA Y R O L L IN N E W Y O R E S T A T E F A C T O R IE S
F R O M N O V E M B E R , 1924, A N D O C T O B E R , 1925, TO N O V E M B E R , 1925
*
Industry
Per cent of increase (+ ) or decrease (—)
October, 1925, to
November, 1925
Employ
ment
Cem ent................ ...... ..................
Brick......................
Pottery. ....... ............. ..................
Glass............... ......................................... j ..
Pig iron....... .....................
Structural iron _ _____
Hardware______________ _______
Stamped w a r e _____________ ..
Cutlery________ _______
Steam and hot water___________
Stoves. ............................ .............
Agricultural im plem ents..._____
Electrical machinery, etc...
Foundry ___ __________ _
Autos and parts...........................
Cars, locomotives, etc.........
Railway repair shops.......... . . . .
Millwork. . . . . . .
Sawmills... ....................
Furniture and cabinet__________________
Furniture..........................
Pianos ______________
Leather .. __________
Boots and shoes___________
Drugs_____ ____ ______ _
Petroleum .................. ..................... Paper boxes___ _____ ____
Newspapers_____________ .
Book and job___ ______
Silk goods_____ _______________ _ _ .
Carpets___ _____________
W oolens_______
Cotton goods_________
Cotton and woolen............ .
Dyeing______ ____ _____________________________
Men’s clothing_____
Shirts and collars........ ..............
V omen’s clothing___ _____________________ ____
Women’s headwear______________ _____ _
Flour_______________ _
Sugar____ _ ___
Slaughtering. _____________ _________
Bread____________
Confectionery_______
Cigars ........... ...............................................
-1 .4
-13. 1
+1.7
+3.3
+7.2
-1 .5
+2.3
+6. 6
+3. 0
+5.6
+1.8
+4.8
+5.3
+2. 2
-2 .2
+16.0
+ .9
- .6
-14.0
+4.1
+4.8
Total....................... ........ ...............................
1 C hange of less th a n one-tenth of 1 per cent.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Pay roll
November, 1924, to
November, 1925
Employ
ment
Pay roll
- 1 .0
+2.5
- .3
+1.0
+1.6
+. 9
+3.4
+2.3
+1.1
+ 1.4
-4 .8
+2. 7
-5 .3
+ .9
- .3
- .3
+2.0
-3 .2
-1 . 6
- .9
-3 .6
-12.3
- 1 .8
+6.8
+7.6
- .4
+2.8
+3. 6
+2.8
+4.0
-5. 1
+5.4
+7.3
+8. 8
-3 . 2
+15.0
-2 . 7
-. 1
-13. 2
+6.0
+7.1
+7.7
+5. 0
-10.8
+1.9
+3. 5
+5.5
(0
+4.4
+2.3
-. 1
+1.3
+8.3
+1.8
4-1.0
-12.6
+2. 6
-11.4
-1 .1
0)
+2.0
+5.0
- 4 .0
+1.3
+2.8
+23.1
+13. 7
-1 .1
+16.8
+16.9
+6. 1
+22. 7
+20. 3
+• 4
+14.3
-1 . 2
+28. 9
+10. 1
+3.7
+21.7
-20.6
-6 .9
+4.6
-21.4
+5.6
+5.4
+5.2
-6 . 3
+1.0
+4. 6
-13. 9
- .9
+12.8
- 1 .6
+ 12. 1
+4.6
+6.8
-9 .9
+14.6
+2. 6
+2. 7
+8.4
+6.6
-2 .9
+1.8
+26. 6
- 2 .0
-3 .2
-1 .1
-15.3
+28. 3
+15.6
+ 5.6
+23.8
+19.4
+13.7
+24.9
+25.8
+10.8
+19.6
+10.4
+32.2
+14.9
+9. 7
+29.1
-22.1
—8.0
+ 4.1
—18.6
+12.0
+12.0
+ 8,6
- 2 .1
+ 4.6
+ 6.0
-10.8
+ 2.3
+20.9
+ 2.6
+18.5
+ 5.8
- 2 .9
-10.5
+18.2
—1.4
+ 2.6
+14.3
+21.1
+ 1.4
+ 4.0
+20.6
-2 .9
- .9
- 1 .5
—9.8
+ .6
+ .9
+3.6
+7.3
+1.7
-5 .0
168
M O N T H L Y LABOR R EV IEW
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Labor Market, published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of Oklahoma, in its issue of November 15, 1925, contains
the following information on changes in employment and pay rolls in
710 establishments in that State from September to October, 1925:
CHANGES IN EM PLOYM ENT AND PAY ROLLS IN 710 INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS
IN OKLAHOMA, SEPTEM BER TO OCTOBER, 1025
October, 1925
Employment
Number
of plants
reporting
Industry
Cottonseed-oil mills..................... ..............................
Eood production:
Bakeries._____ ___ _ ____ ________ _____ _ .
Confections____ _______________ ____ ___
Creameries and dairies _ ______________ __
Flour mills________________ ______________
Ice and ice cream ___ .. _ ______ __ ___ _
Meat and poultry................................ ........ ...........
Lead and zinc:
Mines and mills ______ ___ ____ _________ . .
Smelters__________ ____ ___________________
Metals and machinery:
Auto repairs, e tc ...________________ _. .........
Foundries and machine shop___ _______ . . __
Steel-tank construction___T_________________
Oil industry:
Production and gasoline extraction___________
Refineries. _____ _______ ___ ______________
Thinting: Job work_______ _______ _____________
Public utilities:
Steam-railroad shops
_
_ ____________
Street railways. . ________________________
Watertight and power....... . ...........................
Stone, clay and glass:
Brick and tile ___________________________
Cement and plaster_________ ________ ___ ___
Crushed stone ______ _________ ___________
Glass manufacturing______________ _________
Textiles and cleaning:
Textile manufacturing____ _________________
Laundries and cleaning_______ _____ _______
Woodworking:
Sawmills_________________________ ; _______
Millwork, etc___ ________ ______ __________
Total, all industries.................. ................. ......
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 168 ]
Pay roll
Per cent
Per cent
of in
of in
crease
crease
(+
) or
(+
)
or
Number decrease
of em ( —) com Amount (decrease
—
)
com
ployees
pared
pared
with Sep
with Sep
tember,
tember,
1925
1925
13
311
+90. S
$6,099
+86.4
35
7
11
44
33
14
517
83
117
344
388
1,650
+3.2
+22.1
-6 .3
-30.0
- .4
13,929
1,387
2,710
8,159
10,387
36,622
+6.2
+20.4
+12.9
-3 .3
-26.0
+1.7
46
17
3,498
2,130
+9.4
+5.4
102,649
59,590
4-14.2
29
38
16
1,645
977
531
+27. 7
-4 .9
-3 .7
57,362
25,407
11,340
+59.5
-9 .6
-2 .1
123
66
24
3, 621
4,964
259
+ .6
-9 .8
+2.4
105,945
154,107
7,010
- 2 .0
-3 . 6
-1 .8
n
6
50
1,863
630
1,229
-5 .8
-4 .8
49,798
16; 228
33,517
+ .7
+1.3
-1 .4
11
c
6
9
359
1,035
256
995
-13.7
-5 .9
- 9 .2
+28. 2
6,950
26,390
3,404
25,560
-4 .0
-3 .4
-11.5
+26.3
9
52
337
1,474
+14.2
+2.9
5,307
25, 230
+25.0
+1.8
14
20
294
367
-18.6
+1.7
3,574
9, 686
-44.9
-8 .7
710
29,874
+ .7
808, 347
+4.1
Î69
E M P L O Y M E N T ’ AND U N E M P L O Y M E N T
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Labor Market for November, 1925, issued by the
State Industrial Commission, contains the following data on volume
of employment in Wisconsin industries in October, 1925:
P E E C E N T O F C H A N G E IN N U M B E R O F E M P L O Y E E S A N D IN T O T A L A M O U N T O F
PA Y R O L L IN ID E N T IC A L E S T A B L IS H M E N T S IN W IS C O N S IN IN D U S T R IE S F R O M
O C T O B E R , 1924, A N D S E P T E M B E R , 1925, T O O C T O B E R , 1925
Per cent of increase (+ ) or decrease ( —)
Septem ber to
O ctober, 1925
K in d of em ploym ent
Employ
ment
O ctober, 1924, to
October, 1923
Pay
roll
Employ
ment
Pay
roll
If anual
A griculture..................................................
Logging.......... .............. ........................
M in in g ........................................................ .
Lead and zinc............... ______ ____
Iro n ............... .........................................
Stone crashing and.q u arry in g _______
M anufacturing____________ _______ _
Stone and allied industries:_______
B rick, tile, a n d cem ent blocks.
Stone-finishing.._____________
Metal________________ _______
Pig iron a n d rolling m ill products.
Stru c tu r al-i ron. w o rk ____ ____ ___
Foundries an d m achine shops___
R ailroad repair shops___________
Stoves-......... ...................................... .
A l u m i n u m a n d e n a m e l w a r e __________________
M a c h i n e r y ..............................................................................
A u t o m o b i l e s . _____ _____________________________
O t h e r m e t a l p r o d u c t s _______ _____ _____________
W o o d ____________________________________ ____________
S a w m i l l s a n d p l a n i n g m i l l s ____________________
B o x f a c t o r i e s __________ ______________ ___________ _
P a n e l a n d v e n e e r m i l l s _________________ ______
S a s h , d o o r , a n d . i n t e r i o r f i n i s h ________________
F u r n i t u r e ............. ..................................................................
O t h e r w o o d p r o d u c t s . ...................................................
R u b b e r ______ ________ _______ _______________________ _
L e a t h e r . ............. ............................ ........................................'
T a n n i n g _________ _________ _______
B o o t s a n d s h o e s _________________________________
O t h e r l e a t h e r , p r o d u c t s _____________ ___________
P a p e r ___________________________________________
P a p e r a n d p u l p m i l l s .................................... .................
P a p e r b o x e s . ________________ ____________________
O t h e r p a p e r , p r o d u c t s ______________________ ____
T e x t i l e s ______________________________ _____
• Hosiery and o th e r k n it goods.
C lothing__________ ____ ___
O ther textile p ro d u cts______
Foods_________________________
Express, telephone, and telegraph.
[169]
+ 1.8
+1.5
+2.4
-7 .3
+3.8
-7 .9
-4 .2
-9 .7
+ 6.6
+5.4
+ 2.6
+8.7
+ 2.2
- 1 .1
+17. 6
+19. 2
+ .3
+ .2
+5.7
- 1.6
+7.4
+15. 4
+4.6
+14. 8
+7. 6
+ .9
+3.7
+9.5
-1 .4
-1- 2. 8
+9.9
+9.4
-|-I6. 8
+ 6.8
- .7
-3 4 8
-4 .7
+ 66.1
+63.2
-j-75. 3
- 8.8
+7.3
—1. 5
+ 2.8
-4 .9
+19. 9
+ 14 3
-5 ,2
+25,8
-8 .3
+ 11 . 8
+ 8.2
+42.1
+25. 8
+19. 3
-, 1
-14. 5
- 11.0
+9. 8
+11.5
7
+5. 6
+ 6. 6
+ 2. 4
+7.1
+2. 5
- 5 .8
+1.9
—, 7
+5. 6
+ 10. 2
+ .5
- 1.8
+ 1. 4
-5 .8
+60. 8
+52.4
+ 84 0
- 8 .3
4-13. (>
- 7 .5
- 12.6
-4 5
+27. 6
+ 16, /
+12.4
+40. a
—5,5
+15.1
+13. 8
451. 3
+27. T
+28.3
+ 2. 9
—12.7
- 9 .6
+18: 7
4T3I 8
+9.1
+9. 3
+3. 1
4 8 .6
+ 19.7
+ 2.2
—.2
+ 6.2
+5:8
+5:4
48.a
+3. 6
+ 10.3
- 7 .9
+4.8
+ 8. 8
+7.7
-14. 7
+3. 7
-15.1
- 2 .1
+ .5
+ 1. 8
-50.3
+5.0
+ 12.1
-31.6
+7.1
+3.6
4- o
+ 1 1 .1
-6 .3
-9 .2
+ 1.1
+4. 7
+4.3
+ .7
+ 2 .1
+ .9
+3.8
-38.3
+4.7
-il 1
+ .9
—55. S
-9 .9
+9.2
- 2.2
-8 .4
+4.2
- 1 .9
-3 .9
+8.7
- 9 .0
-2 .5
+3.9
- 8.8
- 6 .4
Meat packing.______ ___________________
Baking and confectionery_________________
Milk products__________________________
Canning and preserving.___ ______________
Flour mills_________________ ___________
Tobacco manufacturing___ _______________
Other food products______ _______
Light and power________________________
Printing and publishing.................I l l k k l ’"!.""""
Laundering, cleaning, and dyeing______________
Chemical (including soap, glue, and explosives)___
Construction:
B uilding....___ _____ ___________ __________
Highway__ ___________________ ___
Railroad______ ____ _________ _____ ______
Marine, dredging, sewer digging.............. ................
Communicati on:
Steam railways___ ______ ___________________
Electric railways_______________________
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
+18.2
+ 1-8
+4.3
-4 .9
-13. 7
—. 5
- 10.6
- 3 .0
- 10.2
+ 1-2
+ 1.2
-3 . 5
+ 2.0
- , 1.
+3.7
+7.4
+7.1
-4 .2
-3 .6
+ .4
-5 .7
- 1.6
+ 1. 0
+ .9
+8.3
+3.5
-1 .3
+2. 4
+ 2.0
+ 2.4
+2.9
+4.0
+3.5
+9.8
+ 1-1
- 2.6
- 1.0
- .5
-1 4 5
- 8.8
+ 1.7
-5 .5
—55. 7
-.0
+2.9
-4 .1
+6.7
+ 1.0
- .6
- 2 .1
+ .2
-5 .4
-7 .1
- 2.6
-5 .7
.0
+45.4
- 20.2
—5. 5
+13.8
+4 4
+41
+5.2
+4.7
- 1 .4
- 8.6
+ 3.9
432. 8
-15.7
+3.3
+9.1
+8.3
+2.9
+13.0
- 1 3 .0
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW
170
PER CENT OF CHANGE IN NUM BER OF EMPLOYEES AND IN TOTAL AMOUNT OF
PAY ROLL IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN WISCONSIN INDUSTRIES FROM
OCTOBER, 1924, AND SEPTEM BER, 1925, TO OCTOBER, 1925—Continued
Per cent of increase (+) or decrease (—)
September to
October, 1925
Kind of employment
Employ
ment
Manual—Continued
Wholesale trade.............. - - -------------------------------Hotels and restaurants
_ __ ___________________
Pay
roll
October, 1924, to
October, 1925
Employ
ment
Pay
roll
-0 .1
-3 .4
+ 12. 4
+3.4
-0 .1
+9.4
+ .5
—. 7
- .7
-2 .8
+2.3
+ .4
-4 .2
+ .9
-1 .5
-1 . 0
+8.8
+• 7
+16. 2
+6.3
-11.8
+2.9
+4.4
+5.8
+7.1
-10. 5
+5.4
- 9 .8
+6.2
+19. 3
+10.1
+9.6
Nonmanual
Manufacturing, mines, and quarries...............................
Cobstruction................... ............................... ............. .
Communication____ _________________ __________
Wholesale trade----------------- -------------------------------Retail trade—Sales force only... __________________
Miscellaneous professional services--------------------------Hotels and restaurants___ ________________ ______
Inquiry into Working of English Unemployment Scheme
Y TNDER date of November 11 , 1925, the Manchester Guardian
Sj
states that the Minister of Labor has appointed a committee
of inquiry “ to consider, in the light of experience gained in
the working of the unemployment insurance scheme, what changes
in the scheme, if any, ought to be made.”
The chairman of the committee is Lord Blanesburgh, a prominent
Conservative, and the membership includes representatives of both
employers and workers, among the latter being Miss Margaret
Bondfield and Mr. Frank Hodges, both of whom were members of
the late Labor Government. In commenting on the appointment
of the committee, the Economist (London) in its issue for November
14, 1925, says:
The initiation of the inquiry is welcome on two grounds. Sufficient experience
must by now have been collected to reveal abuses and shortcomings, and to
suggest necessary revisions. Secondly, the committee will serve to dispel
the popular fallacy, particularly persistent abroad, that the so-called “ dole” is
merely charitable relief by the State. Recent visitors to America, for instance,
have found current there the idea that 1,200,000 British workers are merely
living on State charity. In view of this, no harm will be done by the authoritative
repetition of the fact that the word “ dole” is a misnomer, and that the whole
scheme of unemployment pay is a properly worked out insurance scheme, whose
actuarial basis, it is true, has been from time to time strained by the incidence
of unexpectedly large-scale unemployment.
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[1701
IN D U S T R IA L A C C ID E N T S A N D H Y G IE N E
Dangers in the Use and Handling of Radioactive Substances
HE recent report by Hoffman on “ Radium (mesothorium)
necrosis” 1has led to the publication in the December 5, 1925,
issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association2 of
an article by three investigators, giving their as yet unfinished
observations on the danger of the accumulation of radioactive
substances in the human body and their effect on the hematopoietolytic 3 systems.
The Hoffman study, which was made from the statistician’s
standpoint, was based on a survey of 4 deaths and 8 living cases
occurring among girls employed in painting the dials of watches and
clocks with luminous paint, and the conclusions reached were that
there was a distinct occupational poisoning caused by the habit of
pointing in the mouth the tips of the brushes used in painting and
that radioactive substances, notably mesothorium, were the cause
of the necrosis.
The recent death of one of these patients gave the writers the
opportunity_of securing accurate clinical and pathological data for
this study, in addition to which there are under their observation,
cases which range in severity from mild, ones showing only slight
necrosis of the jaw and without blood changes to serious ones in
which there is profound anemia and extensive destruction of the
upper and the lower jawbone.
T
In the fatal case [the authors say] we have demonstrated, by means of electro
meters, gamma radiation from the body during life and measurable amounts of
emanation in the expired air. In the organs after death, amounts of radioactive
elements were found, sufficient to be determined quantitatively bjr alpha radia
tion and penetrative gamma rays, notably in the spleen, liver, and bones, which
represent the largest part of the reticulo-endothelial system.
It will be several months before quantitative readings can be completed on
these organs and the lesions produced in animals, but we are satisfied that they
contain a mixture of mesothorium, with its decaying products, and radium, in
what appears to be lethal quantities. In another case, in which there is a well
marked anemia, we have shown emanation in the expired air in large and meas
urable quantities coming from actual deposits of mesothorium and radium in the
body, the blood giving off emanation while passing through the lungs. In three
other workers, who show at present (September 9, 1925) little or no clinical
symptoms and are apparently healthy, we have demonstrated radioactivity in
the expired air. In several pieces of necrotic bone removed during life from the
lower jaw of a radium worker, we have demonstrated a considerable amount of
alpha radiation. This girl died about three years ago of a supposed syphilitic
osteomyelitis of the jaw, with profound anemia and sepsis. The dentist kept the
pieces of bones because of their unusual size.
This report is published now as a warning that when long-lived radioactive
substances are introduced into the body, either by way of the gastro-intestinal
tract (as they were in these cases), or by way of intravenous injections for thera
peutic effects (as is being advocated for the treatment of such conditions as gout,
arthritis, arteriosclerosis, leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease), death may follow a
i S e e M onthly L a b o r R e v i e w , N o v e m b e r , 1925, p p . 181-184.
2The Journal of the American Medical Association, December 5, 1925, pp. 1769-1776. “ Some unrecog
nized dangers in the use and handling of radioactive substances. With special reference to the storage of
insoluble products of radium and mesothorium in the reticulo-endothelial system,” by Harrison S. Martland, M. D., Philip Conlon, M. D., and Joseph P. Knef, D. D. S.
3The word “ hematopoietolytic” was coined by the authors to designate two distinct systems—the
hematopoietic system, which governs the blood-making process and is situated in the adult mainly in the
marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen, and the reticulo-endothelial system, situated mainly in the same organs,
but separate from and adjacent to these centers, one of the chie'f functions of which is the destruction and
absorption of foreign particles in the blood.
74735°—26|----- 12
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m o n t h l y labor r e v ie w
long time after, from the effects of constant irradiation on the blood-forming
centers. Minute particles of the radioactive substances are phagocyted by the
local and migratory histocytes of the reticulo-endothelial system and are deposited
in the bones, spleen, and'liver in sufficient amounts to produce, for a period of
time, seemingly curative or stimulative reactions, to be followed later by exhaus
tion and destruction of the blood-producing centers.
Radioactive elements are among the most powerful known agents affecting
the hematopoietic system. From the moment of introduction into the body by
any channel, they act spontaneously and, according to the element and its
quantity, irritate the blood-producing centers to various degrees. Small doses
increase temporarily red and white cell production. After a shorter or longer
time, small or larger doses cause partial or almost total destruction of leukocytes
and a diminution in the erythrocytes, producing a severe anemia that simulates
the pernicious anemias of regenerative and aplastic types.
The use of radioactive materials on watch dials for night visibility
dates in this country from 1913. Since that time a large and impor
tant industry has been built up employing many hundred men and
women in laboratories and plants either applying radioactive phos
phorescent material to watches, clock dials, electrical appliances,
compasses, and aeronautic instruments or producing such material.
Radium, mesothorium, or radiothorium are mixed with crystalline
zinc to form the luminous material, the quantity of radioactive
material varying according to the desired amount of luminosity the
maximum amount of radium element or its equivalent being 1 mg.
to 8 gm. of the zinc sulphide. While radium wras used at first, meso
thorium and radiothorium have been substituted for it because of
greater luminosity and the fact that they are not so expensive. This
is important from the standpoint of toxicity, as mesothorium in
equilibrium wfith its radiothorium emits five alpha particles while
radium emits only four. There is also greater velocity and pene
tration by the alpha particles of mesothorium and its decayed products
and they are therefore physiologically more active. Zinc sulphide
rendered luminous by activation with about 20 per cent radium and
80 per cent mesothorium was ingested by all the patients whose cases
are included in this report.
All these workers had been almost constantly employed at painting
dials for from 3 to 7 years and had painted from 250 to 300 watches
a day. For several years, and until they were warned to stop», they
had been accustomed to point the camel’s-hair brushes with their lips.
The number of times this was done might vary from 1 to 14 times
for one dial. On the basis of once for each dial it vais estimated that
a worker would swallow 125 mg. of paint and on the basis of 14
times for a dial about 1.75 gm. daily, which would contain from 3
to 43 micrograms of radioactive substances according to the amount
swallowed. Allowing for what would be eliminated by the body it
is considered that during a period of 5 or 6 years, 1 mg. or more of
radioactive elements would be deposited in the bones, spleen, and
liver.
In the fatal case ■which came under the observation of the writers
the patient, who was 35 years old, had worked as a dial painter from
October, 1917, to March, 1925. In 1923, following instructions
given her at that time, she stopped pointing her brushes, at which
time she was well except for neuralgia-like pains in the left leg.
These pains later became so severe that she was obliged to use a
cane, and in March, 1925, she developed a condition simulating
pyorrhea and gave up work as a painter although she was in fair
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[172]
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE
1 *yr>
loo
health until June (three weeks before death), when she noticed that
she bruised easily. One week later her teeth became sore, the gums
bled, and she was very weak. She was admitted to the hospital
one week before her death, at which time she was acutely ill with a
high temperature. There were marked lesions of the mouth and
gums with bleeding and there was beginning necrosis of the soft
palate, gums, and cheeks.
Electrometer tests were made while the patient was still living as
the occupational history and the clinical and pathologic picture
indicated that the cause of her illness was radioactivity. These
tests were made to determine whether there was penetrative radia
tion from her body and emanation in the expired air and the results
of both were positive for radioactivity. Electrometer tests after
death, on viscera and bones, showed small but definite penetrative
radioactivity in the liver, spleen, kidneys, heart, and marrow from
some of the bones, while there was considerable radioactivity in the
lower jaw and both femurs. The tests were made for both gamma
and alpha rays, and showed positive gamma radiation to be present
in the organs, while alpha radiation was most marked from the
spleen, bone marrow, and the outer layer of bone, and the liver.
Sontgen-ray dental films were attached by metal clips to some of
the bones and in six weeks’ time there were exact shadowgrams of the
metal clips, while a definite exposure of film with hazy shadowgrams
was secured in 60 hours on a film attached to the lower jawbone.
While this case in certain respects resembled pernicious anemia the
writer says:
As to the etiology, we feel that we have proved by the demonstration and
measurement of radioactive substances in the body during life, in the expired
air and in the organs after death, that the anemia in this case is dependent on
the ingestion, long before, of radioactive paint, and that it is caused by the
actual deposits in the spleen, bones, and liver of radium and mesothorium with
their decayed products. For the foregoing reasons we have designated this
anemia as a “ rapid anemia of the pernicious type due to radioactivity.” Radio
activity in the bones is very clearly shown by the exposure on the dental films.
A case of chronic anemia of the pernicious type with extensive
necrosis of the lower javf in a person still living "was also under the
observation of tjie writers. This case was that of a woman 24 years
of age who had worked for seven years as a dial painter, during which
time she pointed brushes with her lips. This patient, w'ho was in the
hospital, had. a persistent progressive necrosis of the lower jaw
beginning two years before. Her temperature, except for periodic
rises, was usually kept nearly normal through the frequent use of
mouth washes and expert dental care. There was, however, a
spontaneous fracture of the jaw with necrotic perforation of the hard
palate. The electrometer tests of the expired air of this patient
showed positive radioactivity.
An account is also given of a woman aged 26 who had been em
ployed both as a dial painter and as an instructor and who showed
definite radioactivity although she was still in good physical condi
tion. She had always used very good brushes and had not pointed
them as frequently as was common among the other workers. The
electrometer tests of her expired air, however, showed th at there was
emanation from both mesothorium and radium in measurable quan
tities, these tests being made long after she had given up work with
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
the radioactive substance. In view of this fact it is considered
probable that although her present condition is good the active
deposits of insoluble products of radium and mesothorium in her
bones, spleen, and liver, which are constantly bombarding her blood
forming centers, may eventually cause either an acute fatal anemia
or a more chronic anemia with or without local lesions and bone
necrosis.
In summing up the deleterious effects of exposure of the human
body to radioactive elements there are four ways given in which
there may be such exposure. Penetrative or external radiation may
produce harmful effects as a result of overexposure or long-continued
exposure by means of the Röntgen rays and radiation by radium and
its allied products, many cases of fatal anemia among radium workers
and radiologists having been recognized by clinicians as due to such
exposure. The inhalation of dust containing radium or the inhala
tion of emanation is another exposure hazard which is connected
with certain work in the radium industry, such as tubing and retub
ing of partly aged radium, repairing needles, plaques, and containers,
the preparation of radium and mesothorium and their decaying
products for the manufacture of luminous paint, etc. Death from
anemia in which this mode of entry was the cause have been recorded.
Swallowing radioactive substances, as in the industry under con
sideration, produces both anemia and local lesions in the form of bone
necrosis, and the intravenous injection of radioactive substances
which is sometimes done in the treatment of certain diseases results
in an accumulation of these elements in the body.
The radioactive elements when introduced into the body emit
“ so-called positive, negative, and neutral (gamma) radiations of
which positive charged alpha particles represent over 80 per cent of
the total radium energy.’’
The conclusions reached by the writers in summing up the results
of the experiments and the clinical study of these cases are that this
is the first time these anemias have been actually proved to be due
to the ingestion of radioactive elements and that the necrosis of the
jaw, which forms an important lesion in this disease, is due to local
irritative radiation caused by clinging particles of radioactive sub
stances on the gums, teeth, and roof of the mouth. The increased
virulence of bacteria when exposed to small amounts of radioactivity
is said to be a subject which has not yet been sufficiently investi
gated. This is believed to be the first time that radioactivity has
been demonstrated in the human body during life by means of electro
meters, although the presence of radium, mesothorium, and their
decayed products has been demonstrated in previous experiments in
the organs after death. The importance of this means of determi
nation of the presence of radioactive elements in the body is pointed
out as it can be shown by this means months and years before clini
cal symptoms develop. Check tests on normal individuals have failed
to show any radioactivity.
After these radioactive elements are once deposited in the body
there is no treatment known by which they can be eliminated,
changed, or neutralized. They decrease in amount in varying periods
of time according to their individual characteristic decay, radium
taking 1,750 years and mesothorium 6.7 years to reach one-half of
its original activity.
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[174]
IND USTRIAL. ACCID EN TS
AND HYGIENE
175"
Coke-Oven Accidents in the United States During 1924
REPORT of the accidents at coke ovens during the calendar
year 1924, issued by the United States Bureau of Mines
(Technical Paper 388), shows both lower death and injury
rates than in any other year on record. The fatality rate was 1.16
per thousand full-time workers and the injury rate was 79.54, as
compared with rates of 1.76 and 101.18, respectively, in 1923. Next
to 1924, the lowest accident rates which have been reported were
those for 1915, when the fatality rate was 1.21 and the injury rate
90.78.
The accident reports are voluntarily furnished to the Bureau of
Mines by operators of coke ovens throughout the country. Accord
ing to these reports there were 20,451 men employed in the manu
facture of coke who worked a total of 6,204,448 man shifts, the aver
age number of work days per man being 303. There were 24 fatali
ties and 1,645 injuries which caused disability beyond the remainder
of the day or shift on which the accident occurred. There was a
decrease of 14 per cent in the number of employees in 1924 as com
pared with 1923; of 19 per cent in the number of man shifts; and of
6 per cent in the average workdays per man, while the number of
deaths was 21 less, and the nonfatal injuries were 948 less than in
1923. The time lost from all fatal and nonfatal accidents at coke
ovens amounted to about 3 per cent of the total number of man
shifts worked during the year. There were 6,450 men employed
at the beehive ovens, of whom 3 were killed and 457 injured, giving
a fatality rate of 0.75 per thousand 300-day workers and a rate of
113.54 for nonfatal injuries; while at the by-product ovens there
were 14,001 men employed and there were 21 fatalities and 1,188 in
juries, which resulted in a fatality rate of 1.26 and an injury rate
of 71.33 per thousand 300-day workers.
The following table shows the number and classifications of in
juries for the eight-year period, 1917 to 1924:
A
NUM BER AND CLASSIFICATION OF INJURIES AT COKE OVENS OF THE UNITED
STATES, 1917 TO 1924
Number of injuries
Type of injury
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
Fatal................................................
76
73
53
49
17
29
45
24
Serious (time loss of over 14 days):
Permanent disability—
Total1________________ .
Partial2........................ ......
Others____________________
Slight (time loss of 1 to 14 days)--.
2
72
735
5,904
2
73
969
6, 748
2
121
790
3,118
3
76
722
2, 614
24
318
1, 511
1
35
387
1,287
5
71
625
1,892
38
431
1,176
Total injuries.........................
6, 713
7,792
4, 031
3, 415
1, 853
1,710
2, 593
1, 645
Total fatalities and injuries..
6,789
7, 865
4,084
3, 404
1,870
1, 739
2, 638
1, 669
32, 417 32, 389
28, 741
28,139
16, 204
19, 278
23, 729
20, 451
Men employed— ........................
1Permanent total disability: Loss of both legs or arms, one leg and one arm, total loss of eyesight, paral
ysis or other condition permanently incapacitating a workman from doing any work of a gainful occu
pation.
2 Permanent partial liability: Loss of one foot, leg, hand, eye, one or more fingers, one or more toes,
any dislocation where ligaments are severed, or any other injury known in surgery to be permanent partial
disability.
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M O N T H L Y LABOR RE V IE W
The accident rates in the following table are based on the number
of 300-day workers employed. The table shows the number of
men employed, the days of labor performed, the fatalities and
injuries, and the rates per thousand 300-day workers for the calendar
years 1917 to 1924.
NUM BER OF EMPLOYEES, DAYS OF LABOR PERFORMED, FATALITIES, AND
INJURIES AT COKE OVENS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1917 TO 1924
Number killed Number injured
Men employed
Y ear
Aver
age
days
active
Actual
number
329
329
289
319
257
284
324
303
32,417
32, 389
28, 741
28,139
16, 204
19,278
23, 729
20, 451
1927. ............ ..........................
1918____________________
1919______________ ______
1920............. ........................
1921________________ ___
1922____________________
1923____________________
1924........................................
of labor
Equiva Days
Per
Per
performed
lent in
1,000 Total
1,000
Total 300-day
300-day
300-day
workers
workers
-workers
35,595
35, 476
27, 674
29, 921
13, 868
IS, 236
25, 627
20,681
10, 078, 429
10, 642, 688
8,302,059
8, 976,214
4,160, 298
5,470,939
7, 688, 160
6, 204,448
76
73
53
49
17
29
45
24
2.14
2. 06
1. 92
1. 64
1. 23
1. 59
1. 76
1.16
6, 713
7, 792
4,031
3,415
1, 853
1, 710
2, 593
1, 645
.188, 59
219. 64
145. 66
114. 13
133. 62
93. 77
101.18
79. 54
The principal causes of nonfatal injuries at all coke ovens during
1924 were fails of persons; burns; falling objects; cars, lorries, and
motors; and hand tools, in the order named, while haulage equip
ment, coke-drawing machines, and falling objects caused the highest
fatality rates. In the following table the number of fatalities and
injuries occurring during the year ending December 31, 1924, and
the rate per thousand 300-day workers are shown by causes.
NUM BER OF FATALITIES AND INJURIES AT COKE OVENS AND RATE PER ONE
THOUSAND 300-DAY V/ORKERS, 1924, BY CAUSES
Killed
Cause
Rate per
Number
Cars, lorries, and motors________ __________________
Railway cars and locomotives ____________ _____
Coke-drawing m acbines__________________________
Electricity ______________________________________
Falls of persons___ -__________________ __________ —
Hand tools_______________________________________
Suffocation from gases__________________ ____ _____
Burns __________________________________________
Gas explosions_______ ____________________ _ . . ._
Dust explosions___________________________________
Falling objects______________________ _____________
Nails, splinters, etc____ _________ __________________
Run of coal or coke_________ _____________________
Giber causes____ ____ _____ _________ _____________
Total_____. . . . . . _____________________ _______
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Injured
£170]
1,000
300-day
workers
6
0. 29
5
.24
.05
. 10
1
2
1
1
.05
.05
5
.24
Rate per
Number
131
27
32
30
218
115
14
199
12
7
3
.14
189
28
14
629
24
1.16
1,645
1,000
300-day
workers
6. 33
1.31
1. 55
1. 45
10. 54
5. 56
.as
9. 62
.58
. 34
9. 14
1. 35
30. 41
79.54
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE
177
Dust Explosions in industrial Plants 1
SUMMARY, by Hylton R. Brawn, of the investigations of the
United States Bureau of Chemistry into the causes and meth
ods of prevention of dust explosions in industrial plants is
given in the September, 1925, issue of Industrial and Engineering
Chemistry (p. 902). The investigations have shown, the writer
says, u that practically all combustible dusts and some dusts not gen
erally considered combustible will explode with violence under favor
able conditions, when mixed with the proper proportion of air and
ignited by a flame, spark, or other source of ignition,” Although
there is much experimental work yet to be done to show the exact
conditions under which various dusts will or will not explode, it is
certain that “ dust from practically any material which will burn or
be readily oxidized when fine enough and dry enough to form a
cloud or be thrown into suspension in the air will explode if it comes
in contact with a flame or spark sufficiently hot to ignite it.” A
temperature as low as 540° C. (1,004° F.), which is considerably
below dull red heat, will ignite some dusts, while for some of the
more explosive dusts an explosive mixture is formed by 7 milligrams
of dust in a liter of air. There is no record of a spontaneous dust
explosion, but a spark, flame, or other cause is necessary to ignite
the dust.
The extent of the hazard of dust explosions, it is said, is not yet
recognized by manufacturers, since there is often a false feeling of
safety caused by the fact that in their experience no dust explosions
have ever occurred in their particular industry. There are approxi
mately 22,000 establishments in this country manufacturing dusty
products or producing dusts in the process of manufacturing, and
thousands of warehouses, transfer stations, etc., where such material
is handled. During the past year dust explosions and the resulting
fires caused the death of 45 persons, the injury of 28 others, and the
destruction of about $3,000,000 worth of property. These explosions
occurred in starch and woodworking plants, leather-grinding mills,
feed-mixing plants, and grain elevators, and in Í923 explosions were
reported of lignone, dye, aluminium bronze, dried wood pulp, spice
dust, paper dust, wood flour, powdered milk, cork dust, and hardrubber dust.
A flame of any kind, including sparks from static electricity and
the breaking of lighted electric lamps, may start an explosion when
ever enough dust to form an explosive mixture is in the air. The
plants in which steps should be taken to eliminate the dust-explosion
hazard are classified in three groups: Plants handling dusty or pow
dered material in package form, those in winch it is handled in loose
form, and plants manufacturing or producing explosive dust.
In all these classes of industries general cleanliness throughout the
plant is a requisite in the prevention of dust explosions, and dust
should not be allowed to accumulate overhead or where a jar or con
cussion would throw the dust into suspension. Cleanliness is the
principal precaution necessary in warehouses or shipping rooms where
the material is handled in packages or bulk lots, and the chief danger
A
1 See
M onthly L abor
J
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R e v i e w , A p r i l, 1922, p p . 180, 181.
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MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW!
of dust in sufficient amounts to propagate a flame is from the accumu
lation of dust from packages which are accidentally broken open. In
plants handling dust in loose form, as in packing, mixing, sifting, etc.,
there are more opportunities for dust clouds to be formed, as the
machinery creates drafts which stir up the dust and tend to keep it
in suspension. An electric spark or arc may occur in many places
about an industrial plant, causing an explosion if there is sufficient
dust present. In dusty places it is advisable to install electrical
apparatus—motors, switches, etc.—-in a separate dust-proof room.
All electric lamps should be protected with heavy dust-proof globes
and strong guards, and drop cords and extension lights should not be
used. The danger from static electricity is shown by the large num
ber of explosions and fires on threshing machines and in cotton gins.
Charges of more than 50,000 volts of static electricity have been
measured on threshing machines and on moving belts in industrial
plants. Various methods of eliminating static electricity are used,
but they are not always effective. If the charge is present on the
machinery, grounding the frame may eliminate it and if it is present
on moving equipment, brushes, combs, and wipers resting on the
moving parts may be effective, while maintaining a high humidity
around the equipment may remove the hazard.
Mechanical causes of dust explosions which may be largely
eliminated by care in the maintenance and use of machinery are
metallic sparks, friction fires, and hot bearings. While the open flame
for lighting industrial plants has been generally superseded by electric
lights, lanterns are often used when the power goes off or the plant
is shut down for repairs, and the use of blow torches and metal-cutting
or welding flames create a hazard when used in making repairs.
In plants in which the dust or powdered material is produced or
manufactured, plant cleanliness is of even more importance than in
those in which it is handled in loose form, and dust-collecting and
dust-removing equipment of the best type is an absolute necessity,
while every attempt must be made to remove the various sources of
ignition. The high-speed grinding equipment used in these plants
is a frequent source of fires and explosions through the production of
metallic sparks. The entrance of foreign material into the grinding
machine, which may strike sparks and ignite the dust within the
machine, is difficult to control. Screens and separators will partially
remove i t , but in plants where grinding is the major part of the process
it may be necessary to introduce an inert gas into the grinding
machines to prevent the formation of an explosive mixture of dust
and air. It has been shown by tests that it is impossible to produce
an explosion in most of the dusts now considered explosive if the
oxygen in the air in which the dust is carried in suspension has been
reduced to 12 per cent. This requires replacing 21 per cent of the
oxygen in the air with an inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide.
A greater reduction is necessary in a few cases, as sulphur dust
requires a reduction of the oxygen content to 8.5 per cent. A
thorough study is, however, necessary in cases where the use of inert
gas is considered essential to determine the amount of gas necessary
to prevent explosions.
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[178].
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE
179
The methods suggested for the reduction or elimination of the
explosion hazard in dusty industries are summed up as follows:
(1) Prevent the formation of dust clouds or the accumulation of dust in
sufficient quantity to form a cloud, either by maintaining general plant cleanli
ness or by installing dust-collecting equipment.
(2) Eliminate all sources of ignition.
(3) Maintain an atmosphere of reduced oxygen content incapable of supporting
a dust explosion where it is impossible either to prevent the formation of dust
clouds or to eliminate the sources of ignition effectively.
Dust Hazard in the Abrasive Industry1
HE results of a study of the effect of the inhalation of dust from
artificial abrasive wheels are given in a recent issue of the
Journal of Industrial Hygiene.
The use of artificial abrasives in industry has increased to such an
extent in the past 10 years that the natural sandstone wheel which is
known to cause silicosis is now used only in the manufacture of cutlery
and axes and even in these industries is being gradually replaced by
the artificial abrasive wheel. The extent of the use of artificial
abrasives is shown by the fact that in an average year about 60,000,000
pounds of artificial grinding wheels are produced in this country.
The artificial abrasives most used are aluminium oxide and silicon
carbide, each having hard tough crystals which, when divided, are
wedge shaped in form and have a cutting power almost as great as
that of a diamond. Large quantities of dust are produced in the
crushing and sizing of these crystals into the different sized grains
and in the manufacture of grinding wheels. While dust-collection
systems remove the greater part of the dust from about the machines,
there is still a considerable amount floating in the air of the work
rooms.
Reference is made by the writers to a study of the dust hazard in
the abrasive industry by Winslow, Greenburg, and Greenburg, in
1919, by dust analysis, in>which it was found that the inorganic dust
in the air of abrasive factories included coke, crude aluminium hydrox
ide, a fused aluminium compound (aloxite or alundum), and car
borundum (silicon carbide). The last two materials are extremely
hard and both possess the property of fracturing in very irregular
particles and there is every reason to suspect that such dusts should
be very deleterious to health.
Although many studies have been made of the effect of silica dust
in grinding with sandstone wheels or in mining, the only study of the
effects of the use of artificial abrasive wheels previous to this one was
an investigation made in England in 1923 by Dr. E. L. Middleton,2
in which it was concluded that the inhalation of dust from artificial
grinding wheels was not so dangerous as that from sandstone wheels.
The present study, which is clinical in character, represents 14
years’ experience in the largest single abrasive and grinding wheel
factory in the world. The average number of employees during this
T
'Journal of Industrial Hygiene, August, 1925, pp. 345-351. The dust hazard in the abrasive industry,
by W. Irving Clark, M. D., and Edward B. Simmons, M. D.
2See M onthly Labor R e v ie w , November, 1924, p p . 210-212.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
period lias been 2,100, about one-fifth of whom have been exposed
to the inhalation of large quantities of dust.
The departments in which the processes are very dusty are the
abrasive department, where the lumps of abrasive are crushed into
grain and sized; the shaving department, where the dry wheels, still
in clay form, are shaped on a special type of potter’s wheel; the truing
department, where the vitrified wheels are cut to exact size on spe
cially constructed lathes; and the clay department, which is the
dustiest of all, where the clays which make up the bond in the wheels
are weighed and mixed. In all these departments very complete
dust-removal systems have been in operation for years, the amount
of dust so collected daily being at present 12,000 pounds.
Complete physical examinations are given all applicants for em
ployment, and employees working in dusty departments are re
examined as frequently as seems necessary. After 10 years’ exposure
to the inhalation of dust, employees are examined annually. In
addition the factory health department studies their working con
ditions and every effort is made to reduce the dust hazard. The
majority of the employees in the dusty departments are of Swedish
descent and the next largest group is Italians.
Physical examinations and X-ray pictures of the chests of 79 men
employed 10 years or more in the dusty departments showed that
there were signs of silicosis in only one case and this was in the
incipient stage. This worker was employed in the clay plant where
there was no artificial abrasive dust but where an analysis of the
clay showed that it contained 9 per cent of pure silica in the form of
feldspar, so that this was probably a case of true early silicosis.
The pictures of the lungs of the workers exposed to artificial
abrasive dust did not show any typical signs of silicosis, although in
four cases there was evidence that the lungs were working hard to
keep themselves clear of dust. The specialist who examined the
pictures considered that if these were the lungs of granite workers,
they would represent a perfectly safe risk for an indefinite period,
and it was also his opinion that none of the men, with the exception
of the man exposed to clay dust, would develop active symptoms of
pneumonoconiosis.
X-ray pictures of the chests of seven men at two plants of the
company where the crude artificial abrasive is made, who had been
exposed to the dust for periods of from 53d 1° 18 years, showed no
evidence of the presence of dust disease.
An analysis of the causes of all the deaths reported by the benefit
association since 1892 showed that 6 3d per cent were due to pul
monary tuberculosis; the rate for the city as a whole was 5 per cent.
As ba bies and very young children were included in the latter figure,
however, it seems that there is probably little difference in the
death rates for the two groups. During the past 10 years 31 cases
of pulmonary tuberculosis had occurred among the employees.
Twenty cases occurred in the nondusty departments, where there
was an average of 1,808 employees, and 11 in the dusty departments,
where the number of employees averaged 332. While the percentage
of cases was slightly higher in the dusty departments, the risk does
not seem to be great, as the percentage of the total force developing
tuberculosis each year during the 10-year period was only 0.014
per cent.
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181
The following conclusions are reached by the writers as a result of
the 14 years’ observation and of the data presented in the paper:
1. In factories which, provide proper methods of dust removal, the continuous
inhalation of artificial abrasive dust, extending over many years, does not pro
duce the symptoms or present the X-ray findings of pneumoconiosis,
2. The number of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis occurring in the artificial
abrasive industry does not greatly exceed the number normally present in the
community,
3. Workers who habitually use grinding wheels will run but slight risk of
developing pneumonoconiosis if they use artificial abrasive rather than sand
stone wheels for all grinding operations, and if the machines upon which the
artificial abrasive wheels are mounted are properly hooded and excessive dust
removed by suction fans.
Health Hazards in the Use of intermediate Dyes
HE Industrial Hygiene Bulletin, November, 1925, published
by the New York State Department of Labor, contains an
account by Carroll M. Sails of the extent to which paraphenyiene diamine 1 is used as a dye intermediate and the dangers
attending its use.
Paraphenylene diamine is known in the trade under the German;
name of “ ursol black,” the American-made product being sold as!
“ universol black.” I t is still widely used as a hair dye, although;
for the past 10 years it has been reported as being displaced by lessj
poisonous substitutes. Fifty thousand packages of hair dye per
month have been distributed by one firm alone, each package con-1
tabling an amount sufficient for two applications.
The total production of para per year in the United States for all
uses is 350,000 pounds, valued at $425,000. In regard to the toxic
properties of the substance the following is quoted from a statement
of the United States Public Health Service: “ Paraphenylene diamine
is an aniline derivative which by oxidation becomes black or brown.
The poisonous qualities of this chemical are well known. A number
of cases o,f poisoning from the use of this compound as a hair stain
and even from wearing hose dyed with this chemical have been
reported.”
Efforts are being made by various organizations toward having
legislation enacted against the use of paraphenylene diamine, and a
bill has been drafted by the legal division of the American Medical
Association to be presented to Congress, prohibiting its use in both
fur and hair dyes. In the writer’s opinion the prohibition should be
limited to iiair dyes, as he considers that it would impose unneces
sary hardship on the fur industry since the foundation of the business
of each fur dyer is the secret formula by which the color is produced.
As it frequently takes years to develop a satisfactory formula, to
change it would be disastrous and it is possible by thorough wash
ing and drumming of dyed furs to remove the excess paraphenylene
diamine and oxidation products and eliminate the danger of poison
ing to wearers of the furs.
In the use of hair dyes, however, the situation is different, as
the poisonous dye is rubbed on the living skin. Satisfactory sub
stitutes also are known and several manufacturers are advertising
nontoxic hair dyes. In these dyes the poisonous quality of the
T
i
See
M o nthly L a b o r K e v ie w ,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
February,
1919, p . 215;
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May,
1924, p p . 194, 195,
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
paraphenylene diamine is reduced or entirely eliminated by chemi
cally combining with the amine compounds other compounds which
do not affect its dyeing properties but which do prevent its being
readily absorbed by the skin. Its poisonous effect is therefore
greatly reduced and may be still further decreased by use of another
amine less toxic than paraphenylene diamine.
While the application of these principles to the fur-dyeing industry
is to be desired, it is considered that it should be done gradually by
means of restrictions and not suddenly by prohibition, and that much
could be accomplished by the refusal of fur merchants to accept
dirty furs, thereby co m p ellin g manufacturers to put the product
through a better drumming process. If the skins are not thoroughly
drummed, this is shown by the fact that dirt can be shaken out of
the furs when handled and chemical tests can be employed to show
the presence or absence of poisonous substances. The large number
of cases of fur dermatitis which occurred in London in 1922-23
caused much agitation and within the past year many cases of
dermatitis in furriers have been reported to the New York State
Department of Labor.
From the standpoint of the workmen, also, the development of
substitutes for paraphenylene diamine is desirable, as the processes
of dyeing, dressing, cutting, making up into garments, and mer
chandising all bring the workers into contact with the dye or the
dyed fur. According to one authority, asthma and eczema are the
diseases found most frequently among fur and hide workers who come
in contact with dyes containing paraphenylene diamine and there is
an occasional case of acute dermatitis with swelling of the neck and
head and loss of hair, followed in rare cases by death. After once
having been poisoned there is a tendency to become hypersensitive
to the poison so that even the finished products (dyed furs) can not
be handled. The most hazardous working conditions occur during
the drying of the dyed pelts and when they are removed from the
drums in which they have been treated with sawdust or sand. In
the latter case the operation is accompanied by clouds of dust con
taining paraphenylene diamine and its oxidation products.
Until satisfactory substitutes for paraphenylene diamine are
found, the writer recommends that in the dyeing process as weak
solutions as practicable should be used; that a mordant which helps
to develop and fix the dye should be used first when the dip process
is employed, and when the brush, process is used the brushed skin
should be given from 12 to 24 hours to develop the dye. The dyed
skins should be washed thoroughly with running water, preferably in
a paddle, and the washed and dried skins should be thoroughly
drummed in a revolving drum containing sawdust or clean sand for
several hours.
Effects of Ammonia Gas and Safe Limit of Gas in the Atmosphere of
Work Places
N RESPONSE to an inquiry received by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics relative to the effects of ammonia gas on persons coming
in contact with it and the safe limit of the gas in the atmosphere
of the work place, the following information which was compiled in
I
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183
reply is published for the benefit of the readers of the M onthly
L abor R eview :
Ammonia, NH3, a colorless gas of sharply penetrating odor [enters the body]
in gaseous form through the organs of respiration. [It is] seldom pure, [being]
mostly in combination with other gases. Immediate effect [is] on the con
junctiva and the cornea.
A proportion of more than 0.15 per cent of ammonia in the air immediately
causes an irritable condition of the mucous membranes. Chronic bronchial
catarrhs are especially liable to follow long-continued inhalation of small quan
tities of the gas diffusedi n the air. From these are to be discriminated the acute
conditions of transient illness: Intense irritation of the respiratory organs;
violent sneezng; lachrymation, redness of the eyes, inflammation of the cornea
and of the conjunctiva; increased secretion of saliva; burning in the pharynx,
and a sense of constriction in the larynx; paroxysmal cough, with secretion of
tenacious, viscid, even bloody, mucus; embarrassment of respiration, attacks of
suffocation; vomiting of serous masses; arnmoniacal odor of the perspiration;
retention of urine, which may last many hours and even two or three days;
acute inflammation of the respiratory organs, and scattered areas of inflamma
tion in the lungs, in severe cases, a fatal outcome. Protracted breathing of small
quantities is apt to cause chronic bronchial catarrh.1
In Industrial Poisoning in the United States, by Dr. Alice Hamil
ton, which has recently been published, there is the following descrip
tion of cases of industrial poisoning from ammonia and a statement
as to percentage of ammonia vapors in the air which can be tolerated:
Industrial poisoning from ammonia is always accidental, the result of a sudden
escape of ammonia in gaseous or liquid form, usually from an artificial ice appar
atus. I have the history of an engineer who was working in an ice plant, re
pairing the engine, when a valve stem blew out and the place was at once filled
with ammonia vapors so strong that he was overcome and hurried to a hospital
unconscious. His mouth and fauce,s were red and with a glazed appearance,
his tongue dry and his breath distinctly arnmoniacal. He was continually
belching, but his lungs w'ere clear and he recovered the following day and was
discharged. In severer cases, edema of the lungs is likely to develop and the
case follows the same course as that of poisoning by caustic acids.
Fairbrother, of East St. Louis, described an accident which resulted in the
poisoning of four men by fumes of ammonia. They were constructing an ice
machine in a brewery and a large vat broke, allowing liquid ammonia to spread
over the floor, filling the room with its vapor. It was about three minutes
before the men could be released and then one of them was found comatose,
with a heart beat scarcely perceptible and he died in 15 minutes. His body
was drenched in ammonia and his face and hands already blistered and tongue
and pharynx denuded of mucous membrane. The second was in a condition very
much like that of chloroform excitement, unable to stand, in wild delirium, with
marked disturbance of heart beat and respiration. He was given morphine but
died in two hours. The third was conscious and could walk alone. He was put
to bed, complaining of occasional difficulty in breathing and perferring to lie
propped up on pillows, but he could swallow easily and talk. About five hours
later his dyspnea suddenly increased and after a few gasping breaths he died.
The fourth had suffered a compound fracture in the accident and sloughing
necessitated amputation. At the time of writing, three months later, he was
convalescing but all that time he had suffered from bronchial irritation with
continual coughing, frequent hemoptysis, and partial paralysis of the right
side. The cause of death in the three other cases was given as: “ Heart failure,
resulting from bronchial congestion, which was caused by inhalation of am
monia gas.”
Ronzani tested ammonia vapors in the same wray as he had tested hydrofluoric
acid. He found that long inhalation of as little as 0.1 per 1,000 parts of air does
no harm, but if the proportion is raised to as much as 0.5 per 1,000 there may be
a loss of agglutinins and bactericidal substances in the blood, after prolonged
inhalation. Lehmann could tolerate 0.33 per 1,000 and he thought 0.5 per 1,000
below the danger limit, but Ronzani dissents, so far as long-continued exposure
is concerned. He finds at 0.5 per 1,000 more or less marked disturbance of
1U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Bui. 100: List of industrial poisons, p. 739, Washington, 1912.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
general nutrition, irritation of the respiratory passages, changes in the blood,
anemia, and a loss of resistance to infection by the anthrax bacillus, by the
tubercle bacillus and by the diploeoecus of Frankel. Lehmann found that
dogs could increase their tolerance to ammonia fumes to five times as much as
they had stood in the beginning.
Occupational Disease Occurring in a Buffer Working on Britannia
Metal
N INQUIRY was recently received by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics in regard to the possibility of a fatigue neurosis
developing in the occupation of buffing. In the case in ques
tion a neuritis developed which if was contended was due to the
fatigue of the occupation, complicated possibly by the effects of
Britannia metal on which the employee worked.
While the effects of fatigue have been studied in various occupations
and industries, no references could be found to the specific operation
of buffing. The general effects of the present-day division of labor
and the speed with which operations are performed are shown,
however, in the following quotation from Industrial Health, by Kober
and Hayhurst (pp. 751, 752):
A
Even where diminution of output is not present and where specific diseases
can not be traced directly to the fatigue of labor it is undoubted that industrial
overwork often occurs and puts the worker into a physical condition, at present
difficult to recognize by any specific test, wherein his physiological mechanism
is in a state of depression and ready to fall a prey to specific maladies. Treves
speaks of this as not presenting “ a well-defined morbid picture; but it is a slow
deviation, often obscured by its very slowness, and predisposing to illness of any
nature; it is the borderland of illness.”
A pronounced feature of modern industrialism is the great division of labor
among the workers and the limitation of the task of each to a specific procedure.
While certain kinds of work still require the expenditure of much muscular force
by the worker, the introduction of machinery has tended in general to diminish
muscular effort. It has, however, been replaced by a new element which is no
less fatiguing, namely, speed. * * *
. * * * A worker doing one thing does nothing else; that is, his main activi
ties are limited to a small part of his body, to a, restricted neuromuscular mechan
ism, which undergoes a rapid rhythmic exercise. In some cases this exercise
becomes hardly more than a series of exactly similar unconscious reflex actions;
in others it demands the aid of an acutely attentive consciousness. The danger
lies in the pace becoming so rapid that there is little opportunity, such as usually
exists with the rhythmically beating heart, for recuperation between successive
discharges of energy. At the end of the day’s work, therefore, the physiological
mechanism involved is too often near exhaustion and even the rest of the body
may suffer likewise.
Antimony which forms 8 to 10 per cent of Britannia metal seems to
be the dangerous constituent of this metal, the other elements of
the alloy being copper and tin. Fatigue, muscular pains, and neu
ralgia of the extremities have been among the effects noted in the
use of this and other alloys containing antimony. The following
extracts from works on industrial diseases show the composition
and the effects of the antimony in the manufacture of these alloys
and also in the remelting of old and scrap metal;
A n t i m o n y .—This brittle silver-white metal is largely used as an alloy in type
metal; 60 per cent lead, 25 per cent antimony, 15 per cent tin. Hard lead:
3 per cent antimony, 97 per cent lead. Britannia metal: Antimony 8-10 per
cent, copper 0-3 per cent, tin 90-92 per cent. In the manufacture of these
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INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE
185
alloys, and likewise in the remelting of old, and scrap metal, vapors of antimony or
antimony oxide are evolved, the significance of which has remained somewhat
obscure, although first pointed out by Lohmeyer, cited by Lehmann, who in a
footnote suggests the possibility that some of the disturbances attributed to
these vapors may be due to arsenic.
On the other hand, Erben considers that industrial antimony poisoning occurs
among workmen in smelting antimony alloys and in making tartar emetic,
through inhalation of fûmes of oxide of antimony. Rambousek refers to a
workman in Hamburg engaged in pulverizing pure antimony, who was attacked
with vomiting lasting several days and in another case the inspector noted nosebleeding and vomiting as following on the crushing of antimony ore.
It was generally held that the chief danger from antimony alloys was lead,
until Schrumpf and Zabel found among the younger operatives" in a type foundry
very few cases of lead poisoning, but a goodly number presented the following
clinical picture: “ A remarkable facial expression, complaints of nervousness,
irritability, sleeplessness, fatigue, dizziness, headache, both frontal and cere
bellar, muscular pain, neuralgia in the extremities, nausea, loss of appetite,
gastrointestinal disturbances, and constipation. Examination of the blood,
apart from lower blood pressure, revealed a diminished leukocyte count and a
notable eosinophilia. Antimony was found by the Marsh test in the fecal
discharges. The symptoms disappeared after suspension of work for 2 to 3
weeks. The changes in the blood were also brought about by feeding rabbits
with antimony sulphide and the oxide.”
P. Boveri fed rabbits metallic antimony suspended in oil in doses from 0.0050.055 grams every other day for a period of 30, 60, and 90 days, without apparent
bad effects. Larger doses produced diarrhea, with a progressive cachexia and
death. (Industrial Health, by Kober and Hayhurst, pp. 583, 584.)
In the preparation of antimony products toxic vapors may be evolved, as they
are, also, in the use of some of these products in manufactures, particularly the
vapor of the trioxide (Sb20 3) and antimonious acid.
The various preparations are used in burnishing the rifle barrels and steel ware
(antimony chloride), making type and stereotype metal alloys, hardening lead
for ammunition, making Britannia ware and white metal, making fireworks,
anil in dyes, vulcanizing and making red rubber, for which latter the pentasulphide
is used. Antimonial preparations are further employed as mordants in cotton
dyeing and textile printing. Cases of chronic antimony poisoning have been
observed also among workers in chemical industries and paint makers who
are exposed to dust from the antimonial salts.
S y m p t o m s .—The symptoms are both acute and chronic, Locally the anti
mony compounds give rise to dermatitis and pruritus, especially where the skin
is perspiring. Inhaled as dust and in vapor, they cause acute symptoms such as
rhinitis, inflammation of the pharynx, bronchitis, gastric disorder, and colic,
sometimes with diarrhea. In serious cases of poisoning there are circulatory
disturbances such as vertigo, palpitation, faintness, and feeble heart action.
Albuminuria is common.
Schrumpf and Zabel, of Strassburg, have shown, both experimentally with
animals and chemically, that much of the chronic poisoning among typesetters
is not due to lead, but to antimony. Type is often faced with a mixture of lead,
70 to 80 per cent, antimony 15 to 20 per cent, and tin 5 per cent. As the tin is
inert, the cause of the poisoning must lie between the two other metals. In twn
patients these experimenters recovered antimony from the stools, and a number
of typesetters were found to lack important symptoms of lead poisoning, such as
granular basophilia, leukocytosis, albuminuria, biliuria, and increased blood
pressure.
The symptoms presented, however, were typical of chronic antimony poison
ing as follows: Frontal and occipital headache, vertigo, oppression in the chest,
peripheral .neuralgic and muscular pains, gastric disorder, constipation, insomnia,
general nervousness, irritability, muscular fatigue, and sexual weakness. Blood
examination exhibited only moderate anemia, leukopenia, and an eosinophilia
of 10 to 25 per cent. The urine appeared normal. Recovery usually took place
upon a milk diet and laxatives, with regulated rest, exercise, and fresh air. (The
Occupational Diseases, by W. Gilman Thompson, pp. 16 l s 162.)
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CUBJl
W O R K M E N ’S C O M PE N SA T IO N A N D SO C IA L
IN SU R A N C E
Workmen’s Compensation Insurance
HE authors of a recent volume on workmen’s compensation
insurance 1 have undertaken to furnish a hand book covering
the history and principles of workmen’s compensation and the
subject of insurance in this field, covering employers’ liability gen
erally. The book is in three parts, the first discussing injuries and
their prevention, the second, methods of indemnification for industrial
injuries, and the third, workmen’s compensation and employers’
liability insurance. There are also 23 appendixes, a fairly extensive
list of references, and an index.
The method used is largely that of illustration, classes of injuries,
types of accidents, and analyses of considerable numbers of cases
furnishing the basis for such deductions as are attempted. Modes of
prevention, likewise illustrated by example, and agencies that work
in the field are also considered.
A discussion of the common law of employers’ liability, with a
brief note on legislation, opens the section devoted to methods of in
demnification. Naturally the main portion of this section is devoted
to the subject of workmen’s compensation, showing the historical
growth of the movement and the judicial tests to which it was sub
jected. Types and provisions of laws are then noted, including
coverage, compulsory or elective application, the problems of mari
time jurisdiction and interstate commerce, occupational diseases, and
in brief practically the entire list of problems commonly met in the
enactment and administration of compensation laws. The subject
of malingering receives brief but suggestive attention.
If any criticism is to be made of the treatment of the foregoing
sections, one item would be the predominant references to New
York decisions and rulings in a volume that is presumably of national
scope in its general discussion of the subject; however, the wealth of
material and the convenience of access are at least partial justifica
tion of the practice.
The authoritative position of the authors in regard to the actuarial
aspects of workmen’s compensation insurance gives the greatest
interest to the third section of the work, in which the problems and
methods of insurance organization, rating, rate making, policy coverage, operative costs, distribution of losses, and collective insurance
are considered. Here, again, examples and illustrations are used to
such an extent that anyone interested in the subject, even without
technical information, would be able to discover the principles on
which insurance is based, and the methods of developing rates, merit
T
1 M ichelbacher, G. I'., and N iai, T hom as M .: W orkm en’s C om pensation Insurance, Including
ployer’s L iability Insurance. N ew Y ork, M cG raw -H ill Book Co. (Inc.), 1925. si, 503 pp.
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W O R K M E N S C O M PE N SA TIO N AND SOCIAL IN S U R A N C E
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rating, and the various other aspects of insurance. Considerable
space is given to the question of the disposition of “ shock” losses, or
the results of accidents causing a number of deaths or serious injuries.
The appendixes cover a wide range, presenting an American acci
dent table, illustrations of machine guards, data as to safety contri
vances, typical schedules, classifications, and instructions for their
preparation, the constitution of the National Council on Compensa
tion Insurance, a universal standard workmen’s compensation policy
form, illustrative manual pages showing rates for various classifica
tions, etc. None of this is in itself, of course, original matter but is
illustrative of various aspects of the question considered in the body
of the work. Taken altogether the volume presents in moderate
compass a very complete compendium, covering a wide range of sub
jects relating to the central topic of workmen’s compensation
insurance.
Report of South Dakota Industrial Commissioner
HE Industrial Commissioner of South Dakota has issued the
eighth annual report of operations under the compensation law
of that State, covering the year ending June 30, 1925. This
is the concluding report of the administration under the Immigration
Department, which has heretofore administered the law through
deputies. Since July 1, 1925, an industrial commissioner appointed
directly by the governor has had charge of the administration of the
act.
Perhaps no State purporting to administer the law other than
through the courts has such a restricted compensation administration
as South Dakota. I t “ maintains its department so far with the
commissioner and one stenographer, with a small sum for additional
clerk hire at times of rush.” As a result of this system the 4,535
accidents reported during the }mar ending June 30, 1924, have cost
$4,642.29, “ or just a shade over $1.20 for each claim.” It is rec
ognized that earlier settlements might in many cases be secured if an
assistant were provided to make investigations and help in the
administration of the act, but with the restricted appropriations such
an addition to the working force is impossible.
The law was amended in 1923 so as to allow farmers to secure
insurance under the compensation act. This was a direct reversal of
the original status of the law, which excluded farmers, but farming
is being increasingly included. The movement originated with the
desire of threshers to protect themselves under the compensation
system, and it is now possible for a farmer to include himself as
well as his workmen under the law.
A brief table gives the number of accidents in different employ
ments, the largest number, 491, appearing among packing-plant
workers. Highway and bridge construction comes next with 357;
garage and auto workers, 327; laborers, 258; threshers, 257; transfer
and truck men, 202; farm laborers, 172, etc.
There were 22 deaths, 4 of which were in mining, while elevators
were responsible for 3, and falls for a like number. The maximum,
benefit in case of death is $3,000, though in one case the employer
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74735°—26t---- 13
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voluntarily made an allowance of $5,000 in a lump sum. The com
missioner recommends that the maximum be changed from $3,000
to $5,000, the existing limit being below the recognized standards.
However, the earlier urgency for advancing the weekly maximum
from $15 is said to have somewhat disappeared in view of the smaller
number of employees receiving wages in excess of $30 per week. The
percentage of compensation allowed by the State law is 55. No other
recommendations than that for an increased death allowance were
offered by way of amendment to the law.
New Accident Insurance Legislation of Finland 1
A
NEW law on workmen’s accident insurance was enacted
in Finland July 17, 1925, effective January 1, 1926.
Coverage
T H E law specifies that all persons (including seamen) who,
for compensation or to learn a trade or occupation, have
agreed to perform manual labor under another person’s charge or
direction shall be insured by the employer or the commune against
bodily injury resulting from accidents while at work. These pro
visions do not apply to an employer’s children, grandchildren, parents,
or grandparents living with him, nor to workers who are employed
for "less than six successive days (excluding Sundays and holidays)
by an employer who has no other workers on the same kind of work
subject to insurance legislation. Insurance under the act is permit
ted to the employer for himself, his family, and other workers not com
pulsorily covered. The State is not compelled to insure under this act,
but every manual worker who is injured in the employ of the State
must be paid compensation from the State funds in accordance with
the provisions of this act.
Definitions
T H E new law defines accidents at work as accidents occurring
to workers while at work or otherwise in the course of employ
ment on the premises and also those occurring off the premises while
engaged in the employer’s business or on the way to or from the
place of work or while attempting to protect the employer’s property
or (in connection with the work) human lives. Injuries inflicted
intentionally by the injured party on himself or sustained when
engaged in criminal acts are not compensable. Compensation may
be reduced or denied when the employee disregards regulations or
instructions posted on the premises.
An occupational disease contracted in the handling or preparation
of certain substances—a list of which is to be prepared by the State
Council—shall be considered a bodily injury the result of an accident
and be compensable. An employer under this act is defined as the
party for whom the work is being done, and he is held responsible,
even for insurance premiums, if a subcontractor can not pay.
1 F in lan d .
Socialminist&riet.
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The term “dependen ts” under this act shall apply to spouse, children,
and any relatives whom the injured worker is obliged to support,
including minor or invalid brothers and sisters.
Benefits
j \ / f ED I CAL treatment.-—Medical treatment is furnished from the
1 Vi time the accident occurs until recovery, but not for over one
year. It includes the necessary care prescribed by a physician, either
in a hospital or otherwise, medicine and bandages, transportation to a
doctor, the first supply of special bandages and any other appliances
such as crutches, artificial limbs, etc., and a renewal of such supplies
if the economic status of-the injured person requires it.
The injured person must comply with the directions of the physi
cian, except in the case of an operation which might endanger his
life. A patient refusing medical treatment and intentionally retard
ing his recovery may be deprived of his right to pension.
Benefits other than medical treatment are not granted for disability
lasting less than three days.
Temporary disability.—In case of temporary total disability, bene
fits equal to two-thirds of the injured person’s average wages, but
not more than 30 marks1nor less than 5 marks per day, shall be paid
for a period not exceeding one year, beginning the day after the acci
dent. If the injured person is not married and has no dependents,
his benefits shall equal one-half of his average daily wages, but
shall not be over 25 marks nor less than 4 marks.
In case of partial disability, benefits are in proportion to disability,
but no benefits are granted for less than one-fifth decreased earning
power.
When the disability necessitates care by another person, bene
fits for the period of such disability shall be increased to four-fifths of
the average daily wages, but shall not exceed 40 marks nor be less
than 10 marks. If an employer has voluntarily paid wages during a
period of disability he is entitled to a refund from the compensatfon
fund.
The injured person may, instead of such benefits, receive treatment
and hospitalization, in which case his wife is entitled to an allowance
of two-fifths and each child under 17 years of age to an allowance
of one-fifth of the above benefits, the combined allowances, however,
not to exceed four-fifths of such benefits. In case there are no wife
and children, other dependents are entitled to an allowance not to
exceed two-thirds of such benefits.
Permanent disability.—In case of permanent disability in which the
earning power is reduced one-tenth or more, pensions are paid from
the time temporary disability benefits cease, the amount paid in case
of total disability being two-thirds of the annual earnings in case
there are dependents and one-half if there are no dependents. In
case the disability is not total the pension is correspondingly reduced.
II the injured person is helpless and requires the care of another
person the amount of the payments shall be increased to an amount
not exceeding his yearly wages.
1M ark a t p a r= i9 .3 cents, exchange ra te varies.
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Pensions are computed on annual earnings. On earnings under
3.000 marks a minimum of 3,000 marks is used as the base; from 3,000
to 7,200 marks, annual earnings are used; from 7,200 to a maximum of
24.000 marks the computation is based on 7,200 marks plus one-third
of the excess earnings above that amount If the earnings can not be
ascertained for a part of the year, they are fixed at the current remu
neration for that kind of work in the locality. Pensions not exceed
ing 300 marks may be commuted to a lump sum.
Death.—In case of death, funeral benefits of one-sixth of the de
ceased worker’s annual earnings, but not less than 500 marks, are
to be paid, and other allowances as follows: To the surviving spouse,
until remarriage, an annual allowance amounting to one-third of the
annual earnings; to each child under 17 years, one-sixth of such earn
ings if one parent survives or one-fourth if both are dead (these bene
fits are payable until the age of 17 years is reached, but they p a y
be extended to 18 years in case of a child in vocational training);
the sum of all the above not to exceed two-tliirds of the annual earn
ings; in the event of neither wife nor children surviving, to other
dependents, an allowance of one-half of the annual earnings.
A widow is not entitled to a pension if her marriage to the deceased
worker took place after the occurrence of the accident which resulted
in death. If a widow receiving a pension remarries, she is entitled to
a lump-sum settlement equivalent to two years’ pension.
Other Provisions
A CCIDENTS must be reported immediately. If claim is not
made within a year the right to compensation is lost.
Temporary disability benefits and allowances to the family are
payable at least once a month and pensions at four regular intervals
during the year except when the pension is less than 500 marks.
Employees receiving pensions from State funds under any other
act are paid compensation under the accident insurance act in such
amount as the accident insurance pension exceeds the other pension.
Employers must report workers under them subject to insurance
and report where they are insured and if not insured furnish necessary
data for the group (commune) insurance.
Accident insurance under this law may be written by a State
insurance institution if such is founded and private insurance com
panies authorized by the State for this purpose.
***■
Application of Social Insurance Laws in France in 1922
SUMMARY of the annual report of the social-insurance organ
izations of France for the year 1922 is given in the Bulletin
du Ministère du Travail et de l’Hygiène (Paris), July-September, 1925 (pp. 281-288).
This report, which is the latest one issued, covers old-age and
invalidity relief, maternity allowances, and family allowances.
For the first time since the war, the statistics for all the 87 Depart
ments of France included within the former boundaries have been
assembled, but figures for Alsace and Lorraine are not used, as the
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social-insurance institutions there still differ from those in the rest
of France. At the close of 1922 there were 575,855 persons receiv
ing old-age and invalidity relief, as compared with 644,461 in 1912,
the last pre-war year reported. The majority of those pensioned
received assistance in their homes and only 62,837 received hospital
ization or were placed in the care of private families.
There has been an appreciable increase in the amounts of the
allowances, 45 per cent of the pensioners now receiving more than
15 francs1 per month, in addition to the temporary increase of 10
francs per month paid by the State since 1918, while before the war
but 35 per cent of those pensioned received as much as this. The
total amount paid out in 1912 for monthly allowances, hospitaliza
tion, administration of the insurance funds, and other expenses was
106.280.000 francs, and in 1922, including the extra bonus paid by
the State, the amount paid for these items was 260,954,000 francs.
The average cost for persons receiving hospital care was four times
as great in 1922 as in 1912, while the average allowance of those
receiving assistance at home was hardly doubled.
The costs of the old-age and invalidity pensions are divided among
the State, the Departments, the communes, and the insurance in
stitutions. Before the war less than half of these costs were borne
by the State; in 1920 the State contributions amounted to 61.4 per
cent, and in 1922 to 57.7 per cent of the total amount expended.
During 1922, 337,939 women received maternity allowances. In
more than three-fourths of the cases this allowance was paid for a
period exceeding six weeks, and more than one-third of those assisted
received 1.50 francs or more per day. The total cost of this form
of insurance, including nursing bonuses, was 20,547,000 francs,
approximately half of which was paid by the State and the rest by
the Departments and communes.
Bonuses to large families were paid to 209,155 families at the close
of 1922. The number of families receiving this allowance in 1920
was 236,521 and the reduction in the number was considered to be
due, in part at least, to the lowered birth rate. About 40 per cent of
these families had 4 children, while about 60 per cent of the widows
had 2 children to care for and 60 per cent of the widowers had 3
children. The minimum allowance is 5 francs per month, the maxi
mum allowance 7.50 francs, and the average annual payment in
1922 amounted to about 70 francs per family. The total costs of
the allowances and administration of the funds amounted to
27.170.000 francs in 1922, of which about 55 per cent was paid by
the State and the remainder by the Departments and communes.
Amendment of German Workmen’s Accident Insurance Law
HE law governing German workmen’s accident insurance has
recently been extensively amended—first, by an order of May
12, 1925, of the Minister of Labor which extended such insur
ance to all important industrial diseases, and second, by a law
enacted July 15, 1925, which made essential changes and improve1Franc at par=19.3 cents; exchange rate varies.
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ments in the entire accident insurance system. Brief summaries of
the contents of the ministerial order and of the new law are given
below.
Extension of Accident insurance to Industrial Diseases
I TNTIL recently under the German accident insurance law, compensation, as a rule, was not paid for industrial diseases. An
accident is a sudden occurrence, and in making accident compensa
tion awards the German boards generally demanded that the injury
should be due to a sudden occurrence, and not to influences operat
ing over a long period as is the case in most industrial diseases.
V ic tim s of in d u s tr ia l diseases therefore had a claim only to the
benefits of sickness insurance which are much lower than those of
accident insurance.
The workmen’s insurance code {Reichsversicherungsordnung), of
which the accident insurance law forms part, merely authorized the
Federal Council (Bundesrat) to extend accident insurance to certain
industrial diseases. The new German constitution transferred this
authority from the Federal Council to the Federal Government,
and the latter has recently made use of this authority.
On May 12, 1925, the Minister of Labor issued an order 1 extend
ing accident insurance to the following industrial diseases: Diseases
caused by lead or its compounds; phosphorus; mercury or its
compounds; arsenic or its compounds; benzol or its homologues,
nitro and amido compounds of the aromatic series; carbon disul
phide; skin cancer caused by soot, paraffin, tar, anthracene, pitch,
and related substances; cataract of glassworkers; diseases caused
by Röntgen rays and other radioactive rays; hookworm of miners;
and the so-called “ Schneeberg” cancer of lungs found in ore miners
in the district of Schneeberg (Free State of Saxony).
The ministerial order limits only in a general way the compensable
industrial diseases, but on August 6, 1925, the minister of labor
issued instructions describing them more in detail.2 The list of
diseases fails to mention anthrax and other infectious cattle diseases,
glanders, actinomycosis (lumpy jaw), caisson disease, nystagmus,
infectious diseases such as syphilis of glassblowers, and poisonings
caused by sewer gases, all of which were formerly considered acci
dents by the boards of awards.
The ministerial order provides that only those establishments in
which workers are regularly exposed to the influence of the poisonous
substances enumerated in the list, and glass works, establishments
using Röntgen or other radioactive ra}^s, and mines are subject to
insurance against industrial diseases. Compensation is to be granted
only if the disease was contracted through occupational employment
in an establishment subject to insurance against the disease.
In applying to industrial diseases the provisions of the workmen’s
insurance code on accident insurance, sickness and death caused by
such a disease are to be compensated for in the same way as if caused
by accident. The beginning of the sickness is to be considered as
the point of time at which the accident occurred.
The order further provides that, if it is feared that an industrial
disease may develop, recur, or become worse if the insured person
1Germany. Ministry of Labor.
2Idem, Aug. 8, 1925, pp. 326, 327.
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continues to work in an establishment subject to insurance against
such disease, the insurance carrier may grant him compensation not
exceeding half the amount of the full benefit for as long as he does
not accept employment in such an establishment. In addition he
shall be paid compensation for disability.
. The insurance office in the district in which an establishment is
situated shall have charge of the investigation of all cases of sickness
from an industrial disease occurring in such establishment. It shall
have the sick person examined by a suitable physician, and may
also itself make an investigation. A physician treating an insured
person for an industrial disease must immediately notify the insurance
office of the case, under penalty of a fine.
The order permits appeals in all cases in which there is a dispute
as to whether a disease is an industrial disease within the meaning
of the order.
Law Amending Workmen’s Accident Insurance Law
Q N JULY 14, 1925, the Reichstag passed a law 3 amending numer
ous provisions of that part of the workmen’s insurance code 4
relating to accident insurance. The new law relates chiefly to
insurance benefits, making important changes in this respect. The
fundamental idea governing the entire law is that more attention
shall in the future be given to those accident insurance activities
which aim at accident prevention, putting them ahead of compensa
tion for injuries. It considers accident prevention the principal duty
of the insurance carriers. If, however, an insured person has been
injured in an accident the restoration of his earning capacity shall
first be attempted with all possible means, money compensation
being granted only after such restoration has been found to be
impossible.
The following is a brief summary of the more important provisions
of the new law.
Accident prevention.—Trade accident insurance associations (the
carriers of workmen’s accident insurance) must see that accidents
are prevented in so far as this is made possible by the development
of production methods and of medical science and the existing
economic conditions, and that in case of accident injured persons are
granted effective first aid. The regulations as to prevention of
accidents may impose on members new obligations as to first aid
in case of accident and on injured persons as to their conduct. (The
provision as to first aid is entirely new.)
The original law obligated the accident associations to appoint,
upon the demand of the National Insurance Office, technical super
visory officials in sufficient numbers to supervise the carrying out of
the regulations as to prevention of accidents. Under the new law
the National Insurance Office may demand that these supervisory
officials iurnish proof of a certain training and that they shall not be
dismissed except for good reason. These officials are to report to
the National Insurance Office on the carrying out of the provisions
as to accident prevention and first-aid measures, and shall also, on
! ? y ™ ar*y- _Ministry of Labor. Reichsarbritsblatt, Berlin, Aug. 8, 1925, pp. 328-340.
A tail translation of the workmen’s insurance code is to be found in Bulletin No. 96 of the United States
Bureau of Labor, Washington, September, 1911, pp. 501-774,
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request, give information thereon to the feta,to factory inspectors.
The new law also increases the amount of the fines for violation of
the accident-prevention regulations.
Restoration of earning capacity of injured persons.—I naer the
original law the benefits of accident insurance did not become opera
tive until the beginning of the fourteenth week after the accident.
During this waiting time of 13 weeks the insured person was entitled
only to the benefits of sickness insurance unless the accident associa
tion voluntarily assumed his curative treatment a t an earlier date.
Under the new law the accident associations must assume the
medical treatment of an injured person immediately after the ac
cident. This gives to every person injured in an industrial accident,
without regard to whether or not insured against sickness, the right
to various benefits, such as medical treatment, occupational retrain
ing, nursing, etc., and makes the accident-insurance carrier responsible
from the beginning for the curative treatment. The insurance
carrier is charged with the duty of using all suitable means for
restoring the health and earning capacity of the injured person and
for preventing a change for the worse in his condition.
The territory covered by most of the accident associations is very
large, however, some of them covering all of Germany, and they do
not have as many local institutions as the sick funds, which are
largely organized locally, so that the accideno association offices are
generally remote from the place of the accident and thus not always
able to give immediate relief. In most instances therefore the ac
cident associations will now, as before, have to make use of the
institutions of the sick funds._ Since most of the persons insured
against accident have also claims on the sick funds, in case of an
accident they will naturally apply first to the sick fund lor aid.
The relation between the interested parties, the injured person,
the sick fund, and the accident association, under the new law is
as follows: The curative treatment under accident insurance takes
precedence over that under sickness insurance. The injured person
has a claim to the greater benefits of accident insurance. He retains
his claim to treatment by a sick fund, but this treatment assumes
the character of a provisional benefit. The sick fund must grant
its own benefits, but its obligation to_ continue such benefits ceases
as soon as the accident-insurance carrier becomes responsible. The
latter may now, as before, make use of a sick fund in administering
the curative treatment, but the sick fund becomes merely the agent
of accident-insurance carrier and has a claim for refund of its ex
penditures. The new law requires the sick funds, for suitable com
pensation, to assist the accident associations in every way in the
carrying out of accident insurance. This cooperation is to be governed
by agreements and by orders to be issued by the Minister of Labor
and the National Insurance Office.
The curative treatment granted to injured persons now consists,
in medical treatment, which includes physician’s services, medicines,
therapeutical appliances and other aids necessary for the success of
the treatment or to alleviate the results of the injury, and nursing
care, the latter being a new provision. Nursing care is to be^ granted
as long as the injured person is so helpless that such care is neces
sary, and may consist either in the furnishing of a nurse, or, if the
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injured person prefers to be attended by a member of bis family, in
an allowance of from 20 to 75 marks per month.
The accident association may in place of medical treatment grant
free treatment, free sustenance, and care in a sanatorium and in
place of nursing care, free sustenance and care in a suitable institu
tion. This requires, however, the consent of the injured person if
he has a household of his own or is a member of the household of
his family. His consent is not required if the physician prescribes
treatment or care that can not be given at the injured person’s
home, if the disease is infectious, if the injured person has repeatedly
disobeyed the orders of his physician or violated the regulations on
curative treatment, or if his condition or conduct necessitates con
tinuous observation.
The accident association may regulate the conduct of injured
persons and their supervision through a committee consisting of an
equal number of directors of the association and of representatives of
the insured persons if it has the approval of the National Insurance
Office.
In addition to curative treatment and nursing care, the new law
grants an entirely new benefit, that of occupational retraining
{Berufsfursorge). The insurance carrier must provide training in
his old or a similar trade with a view to restoring or increasing the
earning capacity of the injured person which has been reduced
through the effects of the accident or train him for an entirely new
trade. The insurance carrier shall also assist him in obtaining
employment. Refusal of the injured person to submit to occupational
retraining shall be no reason for reducing his compensation.
Pecuniary benefits.—The regulation of pecuniary benefits was the
real cause for the enactment of the new law, it becoming necessary
to rescind the numerous orders issued during the inflation period
which granted increases in the pecuniary benefits, the original
amounts having become practically worthless owing to the deprecia
tion of the German mark. The new provisions, taken as a whole,
increase the pecuniary benefits considerably.
The pecuniary benefit paid to an injured person is to consist now,
as before, if the injured person is totally disabled, of an annual
benefit equal to two-thirds of his annual earnings (the full benefit),
and if he is partially disabled, of a part of the full benefit corresponding
to his loss of earning capacity, to be paid during the period of the
disablement. The injured person has no claim to pecuniary benefits
if his disability does not exceed 13 weeks. If an injured person is in
receipt of compensation equal to 50 per cent or over of the full
benefit he is entitled to an additional 10 per cent of the compensation
awarded him for each of his legitimate children under 15 years
of age. This allowance may be continued in the case of children, who
owing to physical or mental disability are unable to earn their
living, as long as their disability continues and the injured person
supports them, and in the case of a child who has not finished his
vocational training when he becomes 15 years old until he becomes
18 years of age, as long as such training is unfinished and the
injured person supports such child. The total annual compensation
of an injured person may not, however, exceed his annual earnings.
In the matter of children’s allowances the following children shall
be considered legitimate children: (1) The illegitimate children of
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an injured woman; (2) the illegitimate children of an injured man,
if his paternity has been established; (3) children who have been
legitimated; (4) adopted children; and (5) stepchildren and grand
children who have been supported by the injured person before the
accident. If it can be proved that a father fails to support his
legitimate or illegitimate children the allowances for such children
shall be paid directly to the person providing for their support.
Pecuniary accident benefits to injured persons who are insured
against sickness are payable beginning with the date on which the
sickness insurance benefits stops, but at the latest with the beginning
of the twenty-seventh week after the accident. In the case of all
other injured persons the benefits are payable beginning with the
day after the accident. Until the expiration of the twenty-sixth
week after the accident the accident association may pay to the
insured person a pecuniary sick benefit in place of the pecuniary
accident benefit.
During the period of his treatment in a sanatorium or other
institution the injured person has no claim to a pecuniary sick benefit
or accident benefit, but the new law grants him a daily allowance for
small expenses which during a year equals one-twentieth of his annual
earnings. During such period the accident association also pays an
allowance to his family equal to the pecuniary benefit which they
would receive in case of his death. A wife who has married the
injured person after the accident is also entitled to this allowance
during the first year of her marriage.
The new law discontinues the former provision increasing the sick
benefit to two-thirds of the basic wage during the period from -the
fifth to and including the thirteenth week after the accident, and
the claims to institutional care and sickness insurance benefits.
'Tire new law contains several new provisions regarding survivors’
benefits. The widow of the insured person receives one-fifth of the
latter’s annual earnings which is increased to two-fifths if through
disease or other infirmity she loses at least half her earning capacity,
to begin when the loss of earning capacity has existed longer than
three months, and to continue throughout its duration. On remar
riage the widow receives a lump-sum settlement amounting to threefifths of the injured person’s annual earnings. The widower’s benefit
is correspondingly increased.
The children of a fatally injured person now receive as before,
each one-fifth of the injured person’s annual earnings until they
become 15 years old and beyond that age under the same condi
tions as are fixed by the law for children’s allowances.
The maximum amount of all survivors’ benefits combined is by
the new law increased from three-fifths to four-fifths of the annual
earnings.
Under the new law" the widow of a seriously injured person who has
no claim to a widow’s benefit because her husband did not die from
the effects of an accident receives a lump-sum settlement equal to
two-fifths of the annual earnings of her husband.
Computation of annual earnings.—The new law makes several
changes favorable to insured persons in the method of computing
their annual earnings. Heretofore earnings in excess of 1,800 marks
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per year were computable at only one-tliird of the excess amount.
This limitation of the computable earnings worked great hardship
upon miners, whose wages, owing to the great accident risk, are
higher than those of other workers, as it reduced them when they met
with an accident, and it was still more unfair in the case of numerous
high salaried technical employees. While the new law still holds to
the principle that it is not the purpose of social accident insurance to
pay to the highest salaried technical employees a pecuniary accident
benefit corresponding to their full earnings,.-it introduces for all
branches of accident insurance the same maximum limit for computa
ble annual earnings that was formerly in force in the marine accident
insurance, namely 8,400 marks. The result is that now all manual
workers and the great majority of the technical salaried employees
receive accident compensation computed on the basis of their full
earnings.
It was also considered unfair that injured persons who suffered an
accident while they still were minors should during their entire life
draw compensation computed on the basis of their obviously low
earnings at the time of the accident. Only in those cases in which
compensation was computed on the basis of the usual local wage
or of average rates (agricultural workers, seamen) was it possible for
them under the old law to be awarded a higher compensation when
they became 21 years of age. The new law makes it possible for
injured juvenile persons to obtain increased compensation after they
become 21 years of age, and under certain circumstances their com
pensation may even be increased several times.
The new law also provides for an improved method in computing
the annual earnings of seasonal workers and of those insured persons
who in pursuance of the order on unemployment relief are temporarily
employed at emergency relief works and while so employed meet with
an accident.
Finally the new law makes fundamental changes in the provisions
regulating the computation of annual earnings in agricultural accident
insurance. The computation of compensation for accidents suffered
by technical salaried employees is in the future to be governed by the
same provisions as in industrial accident insurance.
Compensation of agricultural manual workers shall now, as here
tofore, be computed on the basis of average wage rates. Differentia
tion between artisans and other agricultural workers ceases. While
hitherto in the determination of uniform average earnings only sex
and age were taken into consideration, wage groups are now to be
formed, which in addition to sex and age shall consider the various
kinds of employment, and may also take into consideration local
differences in wage rates and the size of the family of injured workers.
Artisans are also to be included in these groups. The law further
authorizes in the case of certain groups of agricultural workers, the
computation of the annual earnings on the basis not of average wage
rates but of the individual earnings of the workers.
The computable annual earnings of agricultural workers are no
longer to be determined by the superior insurance office but by an
equipartisan committee which is to be formed for each insurance
carrier.
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Revaluation of old compensation awards.—As has already been
mentioned, the real reason for the enactment of the new law was the
necessity of doing away with the system of supplements to old
compensation awards. Beginning with July 1, 1925, the present
law abrogates all the numerous administrative orders relating to
such supplements and revalues the old compensation awards in
accordance with new detailed provisions. In this revaluation the
law differentiates between accidents which occurred before the war
and those which occurred a t a later date.
The revaluation of awards made for accidents which occurred prior
to July 1, 1914, is to be effected by multiplying the annual earnings
of the injured person determined when the original award was made
by a specified coefficient. This coefficient is: 1.65 for the years 1885
to 1890; 1.60 for 1891 to 1895; 1.45 for 1896 and 1897; 1.35 for
1898 and 1899; 1.25 for 1900 to 1904; 1.15 for 1905 and 1906; 1.10
for 1907 to 1909; and 1.00 for 1910 to 1914.
Awards for accidents which occurred after July 1, 1914, but before
July 1, 1924, are to be revalued by basing them on average annual
earnings newly determined by a special equipartisan committee for
each insurance carrier, with a nonpartisan chairman, on the basis of
the average annual earnings from July, 1924, to June, 1925, made
by the various kinds of insured persons covered by the insurance
carrier in question. For this purpose the insured persons may bo
grouped by occupations and local districts, and the wage rates fixed
by collective agreements shall bo taken into consideration in de
termining their average earnings.
In place of the above two methods of revaluation of old awards
(made before July 1, 1924) the insurance carriers may employ a third
method. This method consists in basing the revaluation on the
average annual earnings at the going into effect of the present law of
insured persons who are not disabled and who perform the same
kind of work in the establishment in which the accident for which the
compensation is to be revalued has occurred.
In the revaluation of awards for accidents which occurred between
July 1, 1924, and June 30, 1925, the annual earnings of the injured
person shall be computed by multiplying the number of working days
usual in the establishment within a year by the average daily wage
received by the insured person after June 30, 1924, but before the
accident.
The procedure prescribed for the revaluation of old awards made
on the basis of the individual earnings of the insured person or on that
of determined average rates of earnings, (in the case of salaried em
ployees in agricultural establishments, agricultural manual workers,
seamen, etc.) is much simpler. In such cases the provisions of the
Workmen’s Insurance Code shall be applicable but the usual local
wage rate on July 1, 1925, or the individual average annual earnings,
or the specially determined average annual earnings shall be used as
basis.
Lump-sum settlements.—The new law allows the continuance of all
annuities awarded for slight injuries—i. e., those amounting to less
than 20 per cent of the full benefit—but makes lump-sum settlements
possible if the injured person gives his consent and if the annuity
awarded does not exceed one-fourth of the full benefit. In the case
of annuities amounting to less than one-tenth of the full benefit the
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consent of the injured person will not be required, provided two
years have elapsed since the accident. The lump sum paid in such
cases shall equal three times the annuity. In all other cases the lump
sum is to be the present value of the annuity.
The new law further provides that insured persons accepting a
lump-sum settlement shall not lose their claim to curative treatment
or occupational retraining care and that their claim to compensation
shall revive if, subsequently to the settlement, their disability grows
essentially worse, i. e., if during a period in excess of one month the
earning capacity of the injured person has further decreased by more
than 10 per cent.
Insurance carriers may also grant lump-sum settlements to all
injured Germans who have been awarded compensation and who
leave Germany for permanent sojourn in foreign parts.
Insurance of employers and their families.—It has already been men
tioned that in the future the trade accident insurance associations
must grant curative treatment and pecuniary benefits from the date
of the accident to all persons whether or not insured against sickness.
Since in accident associations covering small-scale industries and
agriculture a large part of the insured persons are employers and their
relatives who are not insured against sickness this obligation would
greatly increase the burdens of the accident associations. The new
law provides, therefore, that the by-laws of accident associations
may provide that insured employers and their relatives who are not
insured against sickness shall not have a claim for curative treat
ment, occupational retraining, and pecuniary benefits until 13 weeks
have elapsed after the accident. In accidents which presumably will
cause the loss for more than a year of at least half the earning capacity
of the injured persons, however, such associations shall be required
to grant curative treatment beginning with, the date of the accident.
Extension of the scope of accident insurance.—The new law provides
that employment in an establishment subject to insurance shall cover
the journey to and from the working place and the care, maintenance,
and replacement of the working tools owned by the insured if under
taken in connection with his employment in the insured establish
ment.
The law also authorizes the Federal Government to extend agri
cultural and maritime accident insurance to cover the compensation
of industrial diseases.
^ Distribution of costs among accident associations and sick funds.—
Hitherto during the waiting time of 13 weeks the costs were as a rule
borne by the sick fund. The benefits accruing to insured persons
after the expiration of the waiting time were distributed among acci
dent associations and sick funds in accordance with complicated
provisions. Under the new law the waiting time no longer enters
into consideration in the distribution of the costs of accident insurance.
The new law provides, however, that the costs of light accidents
shall now, as heretofore, be borne by the sick funds. In providing
i or the distribution of the costs the law differentiates between pecuni
ary and other benefits.
If the claim to pecuniary sickness insurance benefits ceases before
the expiration of the eighth week after the accident, the costs for
curative treatment up to the termination of the pecuniary sick
benefits are to be borne by the sick fund in so far as they do not
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exceed the amount of the regular sick-fund benefits. All other
expenditures for curative treatment are to be borne by the accident
association. Thus, if the claim to pecuniary sick benefits terminates
before the end of the eighth week the accident association has to
bear that part of the costs of the curative treatment up to the termi
nation of the pecuniary sick benefit by which the accident benefits
exceed the sick benefits, and after the pecuniary sick benefit termi
nates it has to bear all the costs of the curative treatment. If the
claim to pecuniary sick benefit does not terminate after the expira
tion of the eighth week, the accident association has to bear all the
costs of the curative treatment and the sick fund none. The effect
of this new regulation is that the sick fund bears only the costs of
slight accidents. In addition the regulation acts as an incentive to
the accident associations to make the curative treatment as rapid
and efficient as possible, as, if the accident association restores the
working capacity of the injured person before the end of eight weeks,
it is able to shift all the costs of the curative treatment upon the
sick fund.
The costs of pecuniary benefits are borne by the sick fund during
the first eight weeks only, and subsequently by the accident associ
ation. The new law provides, however, that the pecuniary benefits
to be borne by the sick fund are not to exceed the amount of the
regular sick fund benefits and the part of the costs of pecuniary
benefits which the accident association is required to bear has also
been limited.
Contributions— The new law authorizes accident associations to
charge interest to employers, communes, and communal unions who
fail to pay their contributions promptly or to repay advances. They
may also provide minimum contributions in their by-laws.
Statistics.—Under the new law not only the accident insurance
carriers but all workmen's insurance carriers are required to furnish
to the National Insurance Office such information as the latter
requires for its statistical, actuarial, and accounting work.
Supervision.—In the matter of accident prevention and first aid
the law provides for supervision by the insurance authorities of the
extent and suitability of the measures taken by the accident associ
ation.
When new law is effective.—The new lav/ went into effect on July 17,
1925, the day of its promulgation, but its provisions on pecuniary
benefits were retroactive to July 1, 1925. The provisions on other
benefits will not go into effect until January 1, 1926, as supplemen
tary administrative orders are yet to be issued and the insurance
carriers also need some time to adjust themselves to their new
tasks. For the present they have to perform the enormous task of
revaluing from 700,000 to 800,000 old compensation awards, which
will take weeks to complete. The former provisions on waiting
time also remain in force until January 1, 1926.
The burdens which the new law imposes on industry and agricul
ture are considerable. Better accident prevention and systematic
and suitable curative treatment are, however, expected to bring
about a decrease in serious accidents and cases of disability and thus
ultimately to reduce the expenditures for accident compensation and
preserve the working forces.
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L A B O R LAW S A N D C O U R T DECISIONS
The Courts, the Legislatures, and Labor
HE United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has for many
years published bulletins stating what laws have been enacted
with regard to labor, and others reviewing the attitude of the
courts toward such laws. The latest addition (Bui. No. 391) to'
the latter list summarizes decisions rendered during the years 1923
and 1924 by the Federal and higher State courts. This is the most
comprehensive number of the series yet published, presenting some
450 cases, covering numerous phases of the legal problems of employers and workingmen. Thus, more than 100 points involved in work
men’s compensation laws and their administration are discussed,
some of them in several cases; the activities, responsibilities, and
status of labor organizations are noted under some 40 different
topics; questions of constitutionality are considered in more than 30
cases, and so on, practically throughout the field.
May a city select barber shops as a special object of restriction as
to work time? Or may it require bakery employees to submit to
medical examinations? Did the Supreme Court in the Adkins case
lay down a rule as to minimum wage laws which is binding as to the
State laws on this subject? May an employee contract to accept
his wages at a time different from that prescribed by statute ? May a
newspaper be compelled to publish the names of recalcitrant employ
ers under a State board order? What is lawful picketing? An
“ outlaw strike” ? An “irreparable injury” under the Clayton Act?
When will the courts intervene to set aside rules of a labor organiza
tion ? What is the jurisdiction of the Railroad Labor Board ? Does
restriction of manufacture constitute an interference with interstate
commerce? May a labor organization compel an employer to pay
in one city the rates current in another, because the latter is his
home? What are the rights of alien beneficiaries under compensa
tion laws? Does the right to an award for a specific injury survive
to the dependents in case of the death of injured workman? Does
an award to a widow, dying during the benefit period, inure to the
benefit of an heir? When are stevedores, ship carpenters, etc., en
titled to compensation, and when relegated to admiralty? What is
the effect of the law giving to seamen the same rights of recovery as
are given railroad employees by the Federal liability statute ? These
and many other questions are answered, sometimes diversely, by the
courts rendering decisions on the points indicated as set forth in
Bulletin No. 391 of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just from the
press. As its introduction concludes: “ The bulletin [is] one of
interest to the workingman whose legal problems are given consider
ation, and to every student of the industrial situation in its judicial
phases.”
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Liability of Labor Organization for Interfering with Employment
O WHAT extent a labor organization can engage in activities
that prevent the employment of an individual, and the proper
procedure of the injured person in seeking to recover damages
were questions before the Supreme Court of Colorado in a recent
case (Order of Railway Conductors v. Jones, 239 Pac. 882). R. F.
Jones had been a conductor employed on the Denver & Interurban
Railroad, and was party to a collective agreement or “ schedule and
roster” by means of which the status of the various employees and
their employers was fixed. I t is not clear from the report whether
Jones was ever a member of the Order of Railway Conductors, nor
is any reason given why the organization undertook, as indicated by
the evidence, to “ eliminate” him from the provisions of the agree
ment. The undertaking was successful, however, with the effect
that Jones was unable to secure any employment other than on a
branch line during four months of the year. On account of the
damages suffered from the aggression of the union and its officials
and agents, suit was brought in the district court of Boulder County,
with a verdict and decree for $50,000 damages—$30,000 actual and
$20,000 exemplary. On this finding against the union and its
officers and agents a writ of error was procured, followed by a
reversal and the granting of a new trial.
I t was in evidence that the defendants had, by means of persuasion,
threats, coercion, and intimidation, procured the results complained
of. Their principal defense was justification, claiming that they had
never interfered with his opportunities for employment “ except when
such employment was in violation of the rights of other employees
of the same class as plaintiff under seniority rights fixed by a con
tract with the railway company to which plaintiff was a party.”
The court admitted the soundness of this contention, if correct; but
correspondence of the officers of the union and a resolution adopted
by it indicated a deliberate plan to “ eliminate” the plaintiff from
any rights under the agreement, one letter reporting success in getting
his name “ stricken from the conductor’s roster of the Fort Collins
division.” If the defendants had made their attacks for the purpose
of maintaining rights of their own which were equal or superior to
those of the plaintiff, there would be sufficient justification for the
course which they took; but the matter of the construction of the
contract had been by agreement referred to an arbitrator, whose
decision, awarding the plaintiff superiority, showed that they pos
sessed no “ equal or superior rights,” so that there was no justifica
tion in their attempt to enforce their adverse construction of the
contract. For such gratuitous and unjustifiable interference with
the plaintiff’s right to free contract, liability would lie; nor would it
be a defense that his employment was at the will of the employer,
since “ an employee has a right to the free exercise of such will.”
It was agreed that the action should be regarded as one in equity,
and one of the grounds of alleged error was the claim that the court
below had tried the case by jm y as a law case, but decided it by
decree with an injunction as an equity case. I t appears that the
defendants claimed the cause was in equity, and that the plaintiff
consented to try it as such, but that a jury was then called and
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203
evidence taken, the purpose of the jury being “ to assist and advise
the court,” although its findings were not binding upon it. Since
the distinctions between actions at law and suits in equity had been
abolished by statute in Colorado, no ground for error appeared in
the proceedings in this respect. “ For the purpose of their verdict
they [the jury] were the sole judges; what the court might do with
the verdict was immaterial to them, and the court did ultimately
determine the facts.”
However, the supreme court ruled that the claim of the plaintiff
for damages was based on tort and not on any equitable ground,
and that damages are not recoverable in equity, though equitable
relief may be added to damages even for tort.
There was a question as to the nature of the instructions with
regard to motive. The point was not quite clear, but apparently it
was required that the jury should find malice as a motive on the part
of the defendants. As to this the supreme court said, “ We think
that motive is irrelevant to the question of defendant’s liability, and
that their desire to injure him and purpose to do so are also irrele
vant.” Interfering with employment to his injury without justifica
tion created liability, whether their purpose was good or evil; whereas
if they had the right to do what they did they were not liable, “ even
if their motive is hate and their purpose to injure him ;” but this
was not to be understood as saying that the matter of malice or
purpose to injure “ would not be relevant as tending to show that
the defendants did what they are charged with doing or as relating
to exemplary damages.”
Reversal was necessary in order to correct certain errors as to
damages allowed for unlawful acts committed more than six years
before the commencement of the suit, and because matters of damage
were submitted to the jury which were not properly the subject of
damages; but the principal features of the case as decided by the
court below—i. e., the question of liability and that of form of pro
cedure—were sustained.
Service of Process on Labor Organizations
CCEPTING the principle of suability of unincorporated labor
organizations, how may they be brought into court? This
is the sole question that was passed upon by the United States
District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, in a case recently
before it (Christian v. International Association of Machinists et al.,
7 Fed. (2d) 481). Charles Christian undertook to sue eight labor
organizations to recover damages for the loss of employment by
reason of an alleged conspiracy in restraint of interstate trade and
commerce. The action was brought under the terms of the Federal
antitrust law, frequently referred to as the Sherman Act, and it was
by reason of this action under a Federal statute that the Federal
court had jurisdiction, the frequently used basis of diversity of
citizenship not being necessary in such a case.
Christian had secured the service of writs of summons on certain
individuals assumed by him to be representative of the various
defendant organizations. These organizations were with a single
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exception international labor unions, with locals in the district where
the action was brought. Service had been made on persons de
scribed as the “ local chairman and a member” of the representative
bodies in most cases, on “ its agent” as to one, and on the president
of the one local organization, System Federation No. 41, which was
a subordinate of the Railway Employees’ Department of the American
Federation of Labor. The judge recognized the decision of the
Supreme Court in the Coronado case (259 U. S. 344, 42 Sup. Ct. 570)
as deciding affirmatively the question whether or not such organiza
tions could properly be sued; but it found against the plaintiff,
Christian, on the question as to the effectiveness of service on merely
local officers of subordinate organizations. He rejected the con
tention that the members were members only of the local unions and
not of the international, which is made up only of local unions,
holding that members of the locals were “ also in fact members of
the international union.” However, an official of the local merely
is in no sense representative of the international any more “ than a
stockholder in a corporation is a representative thereof.” No service
of process on one member could subject another member to a per
sonal judgment, nor could any law be constitutionally enacted con
taining such a provision. To bring an organization into court a
propeny representative person, service on whom would give a reason
able inference that the fact would be brought home to the union
which he represents, is necessary. In the Coronado case it was said
that certain unions were before the court “ properly served by proc
esses on their principal officers.” Since such officers had not been
served except in the single instance of service on the president of
System Federation No. 41, this was the only organization actually
brought into court by the steps taken. As to the other defendants,
therefore, the writs must be quashed. Of course, on such a procedure
nothing as to the merits of the case was developed, the only question,
as already stated, being the method of serving process to secure
jurisdiction of the parties.
Basis for Computing Wage Bonus
HETHER losses can be figured to offset profits in different
months in computing a promised wage bonus was the ques
tion that was before the Supreme Court of Wisconsin in a
recent case (Girman v. Hampel, 205 N. Wr. 393). The plaintiff,
Girman, was employed by the defendant, Hampel, as manager of his
meat market on a weekly salary, plus 15 per cent of the monthly
operating profits of the business. At the end of two years the weekly
salary had been paid, and a part of the bonus based on profits, but
Girman claimed a balance of some $500 in excess of Hampel’s allow
ance. In answering suit for the recovery of this balance, it was
claimed that the amount of the bonus had not been fixed, and that its
payment was left entirely to the judgment and good will of the
employer. There w^as also a contention that, as there were losses
during certain months, the final settlement should be based on the net
profits after the losses for these months had been deducted. I t did
not appear that this practice had been carried out in connection with
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205
the plaintiffs predecessor; nor was there anything in the agreement
or promise made stipulating any such condition. On the other hand,
at the end of about one and one-half yearn7 employment, a statement
of the balance then due was given the plaintiff without any deduction
for the loss occurring in one of the months covered. There was also a
promise to pay this sum.
The court below had found in favor of the plaintiff for the balance
as determined without making any deduction for the unprofitable
months, holding that, as the promise was to pay a percentage of the
monthly profits, this was the only basis for computing the amount.
The supreme court on appeal, affirmed this judgment, finding that
the practice of furnishing monthly statements was in effect a monthly
determination of the amount of the bonus due. If there were months
of no profits no bonus would be payable, but neither would there be a
liability on the part of the employee to reimburse the employer out
of the bonus for the profitable months.
Constitutionality of Statute Fixing Hours of Labor on Public Works:
Wyoming
HE question indicated in the above title hardly seems an open
one since the decision by the Supreme Court in Atkin v. Kansas
(1903), 191 U. S. 207, 24 Sup. Ct. 124, sustaining the power of
State legislatures to regulate the conditions of employment on public
works. However, the Supreme Court of Wyoming found the statute
on that subject enacted by the legislature in 1913 (secs. 4308, 4309,
C. S. 1920) so defectively drawn as to be invalid (States. A. H. Read
Co., 240 Pac. 208).
The act in question was in two sections, the first limiting the hours
of service of laborers, workmen, or mechanics on public works of the
State or its municipalities to eight hours per day. No further pro
vision is contained in this section; i. e., there is no prohibition on
longer service or the requirement of further labor than that indicated
by the term, “ eight hours in any one calendar day.77 The second
section declares it a misdemeanor punishable by fine or imprison
ment for anv person “ to violate anv of the provisions of section
4308.77
A contracting company engaged in street paving, the expense to
be met by assessments on property especially benefited thereby, em
ployed a workman ten hours instead of the eight prescribed by the law.
It was brought before the district court or Laramie County which
submitted questions on constitutional points to the supreme court of
the State. This court held that the legislature had power to fix the
hours of labor on public works, and that such action did not violate
either the State constitution or the fourteenth amendment to the
Federal Constitution, there being no denial of due process or equal
protection of the laws; also, the work was of a nature defined as a
public work even though paid for in whole or in part by assessments
on private owners. However, since the statute defined no criminal
offense, such as making it unlawful for any employer to permit or
require longer hours of work, the penal provision was too indefinite
and uncertain to afford a basis for the enforcement of the punish-
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
ments named in the second section; nor could the courts supply
necessary words to relieve the uncertainty or to give form to a pre
sumed intention of the legislature. The discussion was quite exten
sive, many authorities being cited, but the conclusion was that the
statute 'was, in its existing form, “ void and unenforceable as a penal
statute because of the indefiniteness and uncertainty of its penal
provisions.”
Labor Legislation of Chile
Workmen’s Compensation Law
N MAY 9, 1925, the new workmen’s compensation law of Chile
(No. 4,055) was published in the Diario Oficial of that Re
public, having been passed on September 8, 1924. The most
important provisions of this new legislation, which supersedes the
previous law (No. 3170) of December 27, 1916, are given below.
O
Employments Covered
The law covers employees and workers in the following industries
or occupations, provided that not less than five are employed: (1)
Nitrate fields, salt works, quarries, mines, factories, foundries, and
workshops'; (2) establishments manufacturing or using explosive,
inflammable, unhealthful, or poisonous materials; (3) transporta
tion enterprises whether by land, air, sea, river, lake, or canal, and
loading and unloading undertakings; (4) the construction, repair,
maintenance, and service of railway lines, buildings, harbors, roads,
bridges, canals, drainage systems, and other works of a similar
nature; (5) the installation, repair, and maintenance of electrical
equipment and of telegraph and telephone systems; (6) river and sea
fisheries; (7) agriculture, forestry, stock breeding, and in general ail
factories, business undertakings, and workshops. The State and the
municipalities shall be considered as employers for the purposes of
this law.
injuries Covered
Compensation must be paid for industrial accidents arising out
of or in course of the employment. The liability of the employer
or contractor in charge of work for another does not preclude
the subsidiary liability of the proprietor. Injuries due to force
majeure or those caused intentionally by the worker himself are not
compensable.
Occupational diseases are also compensable if caused directly by
the exercise of the employment. The President of the Republic
shall specify in special regulations the occupational diseases which
are compensable, and such regulations may be revised every three
years.
Compensation Benefits
The compensation scale is based upon the earnings of the injured
employee, not less than 600 nor more than 3,000 pesos,1 during the
year preceding the accident.
1Peso at par=38.5 cents; exchange rate varies.
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Death.—If the industrial accident causes death the employer shall
pay in addition to funeral expenses, which may not exceed 200 pesos,
compensation to the specified relatives and dependents of the de
ceased as follows: (1) To the surviving spouse, provided the mar
riage took place before the accident, a life annuity equal to 20 per
cent of the yearly wage of the deceased. A widower is entitled" to
the annuity only if unable to work. Upon the remarriage of the
widow her allowance is transferred to the children. (2) To the legit
imate or illegitimate children under 16 years of age, until they reach
that age, a joint annuity equal to 40 per cent of the deceased parent’s
yearly wage if a spouse survives who is entitled to an annuity, and 60
per cent if not. The annuity is to be divided equally among the
children, and in no case may a child receive more than 20 per cent
of the deceased parent ’s wage. (3) In the absence of children, to the
legitimate or illegitimate ascendents and descendents dependent upon
the deceased or who in accordance with the law are entitled to a
claim for living expenses; a life annuity in case of the former and a
temporary allowance in case of the latter until they become 16
years of age. Individual allowances may not exceed 10 per cent
nor their sum total 30 per cent of the annual wage. Should more
than three ascendents and descendents appear, the compensation
will be divided equally among them. (4) Failing the above-men
tioned relatives, to other persons dependent upon the victim on
the date of the accident, a life annuity if unable to work, or a tempo
rary allowance payable until they reach the age of 16 years. The
sum of these allowances may not exceed 20 per cent of the wage
nor 10 per cent for any one person. The allowances are to be paid
in monthly installments in advance.
Permanent total disability.—An employee who is permanently and
totally disabled shall receive a life annuity equivalent to 60 per cent
of his yearly wages. The regulations of this law are to determine
the injuries which produce disability and to contain a schedule
of specified permanent partial disabilities.
Permanent partial disability.—In case of permanent partial disa
bility the injured worker receives an indemnity not exceeding two
years’ wages.
Temporary disability.—Employers are required to pay employees
who are temporarily disabled half of their wages from the day on
which the accident occurred until they are able to resume work.
If disability lasts longer than one year, benefits for either permanent
total or permanent partial disability are to be paid, according to
the nature of the case. Accidents causing serious mutilation, though
not permanent disability, entitle the worker to compensation not to
exceed one year’s wages.
Medical benefit.—Every employer, even if having less than five
employees, shall furnish medical and pharmaceutical attention
until, according to a medical report, the employee is able to resume
work or is declared permanently disabled. If proper medical atten
tion can not be given at the plant, the employer shall take the injured
worker to the nearest town, hospital, or place where he can receive
proper treatment, including surgical attention if necessary. If the
worker chooses the doctor, the liability of the employer is limited
to the amount fixed by the judge, depending on the nature and
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circumstances of the accident.
expenses up to 4 pesos a day.
L A B O R R E V IE W
An employer is liable for hospital
Security of Payment
Employers may insure their risks with a mutual association, a
Chilean insurance company, or other institution which meets certain
conditions in regard to organization and safety. This releases the
employer from all liability, providing the amount to be paid to the
worker is not less than that accorded him by this law. Employers
who do not insure their workers as above must provide adequate
security for the payment of compensation for which they are liable
and contribute to the creation of a guaranty fund out of which is to
be paid any compensation for which insolvent employers or insurers
are liable.
Neither the rights conferred by this law on employees nor the
benefits paid under it may be renounced, surrendered, or attached,
and in general any agreement contrary to this law will be considered
void.
Accident Reporting
Within five days after the accident employers or their representatives
are required to report to the civil judge of the locality where the accid ent
occurred each case which causes death or disability. In reporting
the accident the following items are to be included: The names and
addresses of the employer of the injured person and of the witnesses
of the accident, as well as the age, wage, and civil status of the
worker; the time, place, and circumstances under which the accident
occurred; and the nature of the injuries. If the report is not properly
made, the employer will incur a fine of from 50 to 200 pesos. A
similar report may be made by the injured worker or any person in
the locality.
Administration and Procedure
Upon being informed of the accident the civil judge will proceed
immediately to the place where the accident occurred and investigate
the case as regards the following points: (a) The cause, nature, and
circumstances of the accident; (b) the names of the employer and the
injured person; (c) the nature of the injuries; (d) the names of the
persons entitled to compensation and the date and place of their
birth; (e) the earnings of the injured person; (/) name and address
of the company with which the employer is insured. When he has
completed his investigation he will summon the interested parties
or their representatives to a hearing, at which he will attempt to
bring about an amicable settlement and to settle definitely the com
pensation award. Appeals against decisions of the judges in work
men’s compensation cases will have preference over all other cases
and the appearance of the parties will not be necessary. The law
empowers the employer, the injured worker, or other persons in
receipt of compensation granted by a judgment or by conciliation
to claim a revision of the compensation on the grounds of aggrava
tion or improvement in the condition of the injured person, or of his
death as the result of the accident. Such action must be brought
within two years of the date of the accident,
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LABOR LAWS AISTD COURT DECISION'S
209
A judicial investigation of the case will not be necessary if the
disability is of a temporary character or if the injured person has
submitted a medical certificate or has taken no steps to allow the
judge to make the investigation.
Irrespective of the liability of the employer, the injured employee
or his heirs retain the right of action against any third party causing
the accident; this may be brought by the employer at his own expense
and in the name of the worker or his heirs, if they do not initiate
the same within 90 days after the accident.
Labor Contract Law
I AW No. 4,053, which the Chilean Congress passed on September
■1—
' 8, 1924, and its regulative decree published in the Diario Gficial
on May 12, 1925, cover labor contracts. The law does not, how
ever, cover agricultural or domestic labor, nor work performed in
commercial or industrial establishments haying less than 10 workers
or employing only the members of one family under the direction
of one of them.
Contracts may be made orally or in writing. The employer is
required even in oral contracts, however, to give each worker a
written statement duly signed by him or his authorized representa
tive, in which the following items must appear: (1) The kind of
service to be rendered; (2) the wages the worker is to receive, as
well as the minimum wage; (3) the manner and date of payment of
wages; (4) the manner of determining the wage, whether by unit
of time or of work; (5) the duration of the contract. This statement
shall be visaed by an official appointed by the chief of the labor
bureau and must be delivered to the worker not later than 24 hours
after he begins work.
The written contract shall be made in duplicate, one copy to be
retained by the employer and the other to be given to the worker
immediately after signing both copies and must contain the same
information as required for the declaration in oral contracts. Ii a
worker uses his own tools and implements a statement to this effect,
enumerating the tools used, must be contained in the written contract.
Contracts for special technical services must always be in writing.
A collective contract m ust be a written agreement between an
employer or an association of employers and an association of workers,
with the object of establishing certain general conditions of labor and
wages, either for one company or a group of companies or industries.
Its provisions become obligatory and an integral part of all individual
contracts made during its life. ‘The trade-union or workers’ organiza
tion is directly responsible for the obligations undertaken by each one
of the laborers belonging to it; and likewise it has the authority to
exercise the rights corresponding to them. The collective contract is
binding on all employers agreeing to it, whether personally or through
representatives; also on all member workers except those who within
15 days notify the association of their intention to withdraw. The
collective contract applies also to those who join the organizations
after the agreement has been made.
Contracts may be terminated under the following conditions: (1)
Upon the conclusion of the work for which the contract was made;
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
(2) at the end of the contract period; (3) upon the death of the
worker; (4) on account of force majeure; (5) on account of the dis
honesty, assault, gross abuse or immoral conduct of either party;
(6) because of the laborer’s deliberate damage to the employer’s
machinery, tools, etc.; (7) on account of the employer’s or worker's
actions or omissions affecting the health or safety of the workers or the
safety of the building; (8) when either of the parties fails to comply
with his obligations; (9) upon the laborer failing to work for two or
more consecutive days without a justified cause; (10) on account of the
worker abandoning his job; and (11) upon the petition of either of the
parties, with six days’ notice. If the employer wishes to end the
contract he must pay the laborer an indemnity equal to six days’
wages and in addition the worker’s fare and transportation of his
family if his work necessitated a change of residence.
On the expiration of all individual labor contracts, whether oral or
written, and regardless of the reasons for the termination, employers
upon the request of the laborers are required to give them a certificate
containing the following data: (a) The original date of the contract;
(b) termination date of same; (c) reason for the termination; and (d)
nature of the work rendered.
The legal maximum duration of the labor contract is one year
except contracts for services requiring special technical knowledge
which may be made for periods of five years. If, after the expiration
of the contract, the worker continues to render service with his
employer’s knowledge the contract is considered to be automatically
renewed. For the written renewal of a contract a signed declaration
of both parties, stating their willingness in this respect, shall be
sufficient.
Hours of labor and of rest.—The Chilean law establishes the 8-hour
day and 48-hour week,' but if employers and workers agree to establish
a half-day’s rest each week, the limit of 8 hours may be exceeded in
order to make up the weekly total of 48 hours. Workers may agree
to work not more than 10 hours a day if they so desire, providing their
wages are increased accordingly. The workday shall not be continu
ous but shall be broken by rest periods, the total duration of which
must not be less than one hour.
Wages .—All wages must be paid in legal tender, during working
hours, at the place of employment. Pay periods must not exceed one
week for those working by the day, nor two weeks for those working
on a time basis. Those on a fixed wage shall be paid monthly and
pieceworkers are to be paid each week in proportion to the work done.
Employers may not reduce or retain the wages for fines, value of
water, medicines, medical attention, house rent, use of fools, or other
loans in merchandise or money, except for intentional damage to the
place of work, instruments, or working material. Wages of men and
women shall be the same for the same kind of work. The law gives
minors and married women the right to receive their pay directly and
to administer it as they please.
The married woman can, furthermore, receive up to 50 per cent
of the wages earned by her husband, provided he has been declared
a drunkard by judicial findings. The same right will be enjoyed by
a mother with regard to the wages earned by her minor children. A
commission composed of employers and workers will fix annually
the minimum wrage, which can not be less than two-thirds nor more
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LABOE LAWS AND COUET DECISIONS
211
than three-quarters of the normal wage paid for the same kind of
work to laborers having the same qualifications in the locality in
which it is performed.
Shop rules.—Shop rules are to be posted in conspicuous places on
the premises of all factories, workshops, and other labor centers.
These rules shall contain a statement of the wage rates for the differ
ent classes of work, the hour of beginning and of stopping work, and
the time allotted for rest periods.
Employment of women and children.—Women, irrespective of age,
may not be employed in mining or other underground work, nor in
other occupations which require great physical strength. During 40
days before and 20 days after childbirth women shall be entitled to
a complete rest, and shall retain their positions.
Young persons over 14 and under 18 years must have the written
authorization of the father, mother, or grandfather to undertake a
labor contract, and even then may not be employed on work unsuited
to their age, or for more than 8 hours a day. Minors between the
ages of 12 and 14 years who have completed the schooling required
may be admitted to such work as is suitable to their age, provided
they have the authorization of their parents. Only with the author
ization of the governor may children under 14 years be employed in
public performances in theaters, circuses, cabarets, or any other
place of entertainment.
The law prohibits the employment on night work of children of
either sex under 16 years of age. Night work is defined as that done
between 7 p. m. and 6 a. m. from May 1 to September 30, and from
8 p. m. to 5 a. m. during the other months. Those over 16 and under
18 years of age may not work at night in employments prejudicial
to their health or morality. Among the dangerous and unhealthful
occupations in which young persons under 18 years of age are for
bidden are the following: All underground work, industries manu
facturing or using inflammable materials, the cleaning of motors or
transmission apparatus while in motion, and work which requires
excessive physical exertion.
If minors under 18 years of age have not completed the require
ments for primary instruction their employers must allow them two
hours a day to attend school, provided it is within one kilometer of
the establishment in which they work. If there are 20 or more
minors employed in the establishment and no school exists in the
specified area, the company must establish a school for them, in which
they will be given instruction in primary subjects and elementary
information about the industry in which they are engaged.
Employers must supply free to the father or guardian of each
minor under 18 years of age a notebook containing the minor’s
name, sex, age, birthplace, and residence, as well as the working
hours, wages paid, and meal and rest hours.
Labor Office.—The name of the Labor’Offiee (Oficina del Trabajo)
is changed to General Labor Bureau (Dirección, Genercd del Trabajo).
This bureau, which forms part of the Ministry of the Interior, is
described and an enumeration of its duties are given in this law.
Penalties.—Violations of this law are punishable by fines ranging
from 50 to 500 pesos. Those who fail to pay the fines within 10
days are to be imprisoned for a term of from five to ten days.
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H OU SING
House Rents in Argentina, 1920 and 1925
REPORT from the American consul at Rosario, Argentina,
dated October 5, 1925, contains the results of an investigation,
made recentl}r by the Ministry of the Interior, of rents for
dwellings of the working and middle classes in Argentina in 1925 as
compared with those in 1920.
The following table gives the average monthly rents for unfur
nished apartments with 1, 3, and 4 rooms in 1920 and in 1925 for
seven cities of Argentina:
A
A V E R A G E M O N T H L Y R E N T IN S P E C IF I E D C IT IE S O F A R G E N T IN A , 1920 A N D 1925
[Exchange rate of peso was 40 cents on Oct. 5, 1925]
Average m o n thly rentals of a partm ents w ith —
C ity
1 room
3 rooms 4 rooms
1 room
1925
1920
P esos
C ordoba........................... - --------------------------------Corrientes----------- --------------------------------------R osario----------------------- --------------------------------San J u a n ____________
- - -------------- -- Santa F e---------- ----------------------------------- -----Santiago del E stero — -------------------------------T u c u m a n ___________________________ ____ ___
15
15
15
10
18
10
20
P esos
50
60
60
55
50
45
60
3 rooms 4 rooms
P esos
65
100
80
65
70
50
80
P esos
20
20
30
15
35
25
30
P esos
70
80
100
65
95
80
80
P esos
85
110
150
80
150
90
100
Building Societies in Great Britain
ART 5 of the report of the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies for
1924 is devoted to a discussion of the progress of building
societies in England, Wales, and Scotland, based on their
annual reports for the year 1923. The business of the societies
showed a very great increase during that year.
P
Membership was nearly 900,000: advances amounted to over £32,000,0004
and mortgage assets reached nearly £99,000,000, the total assets being nearly
£125,000,000. Preliminary figures‘for 1924 indicate a further expansion during
that year.
A survey of the number of registered building societies since 1914
shows that there has been a decrease from 1,542 in that year to 1,171
in 1923, but along with this falling off there has been a marked
increase in membership, receipts, and advances made. In other
words, the tendency to-day is toward fewer and larger societies than
was formerly the case. The following table shows the increase in
certain particulars since 1891 :
1 P o u n d a t p a r= $4.8665; exchange ra te varies.
212
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HOUSING
MEM BERSHIP, RECEIPTS, AND ADVANCES OE BUILDING SOCIETIES IN GREAT
B R IT A IN , 1891 TO 1923
Y ear
1891. ...................................... ....................................................... ................
1910_____________ ______ ______ ___________ ________________
1914______
______
1920_____ ____
1921________________________________________________________
1922 _________________________ ___________ _________________
1923_________________________________________________________
M em
bership
Receipts
639,196
627, 581
627,240
747, 589
789, 052
826, 032
895, 524
£19,029,286
42, 410,594
22, 891,773
48, 072, 341
47,146, 705
62, 628, 709
61, 574, 528
A dvances
£9,291, 571
8, 761,950
25, 094,961
19, 673, 408
22, 707, 799
32, 015, 720
The effect of the scarcity of housing is clearly shown in the figures
for 1920, while the collapse of the postwar boom is reflected in the
marked fall in advances in 1921, Since then the recovery has been
rapid.
It is difficult to compare the cost of managing the societies now
and in pre-war years, since the growth in membership, the larger
number of advances made, and the heavier turnover of business have
all tended to increase the work, and therefore the cost, of running
the business. A study of costs, however, reflects favorably on the
management.
If related, either to the membership or the number of properties mortgaged
the cost of management shows an increase of about one-third as compared with
the years immediately before the war, but in relation to the balance outstanding
on mortgage the rate of increase is reduced by half. Taking a general view the
figures show that the management of building societies, as a whole, is conducted
in a very economical manner.
Practically one-third of the m e m b e rsh ip consists of so-called
“ advanced” members—i. e., members to whom loans have been
made on mortgages. “ This proportion remains the same as in
1915.”
Well over a quarter of a million persons are now purchasing properties through
building societies and their average of indebtedness to their societes (for princi
pal only) is £341, or £21 more than in the preceding year, and £40 more than in
1915. A record has been compiled of the amounts advanced by building socie
ties for 23 years and in this period more than £250,000,000 has been lent to
members.
Progress of State-Aided Housing in England
HE English magazine, Garden Cities and Town Planning, in
its issue for November gives figures as to the number of
houses authorized under the different housing acts, bringing
the data up to October, 1925:
T
H O U S E S A U T H O R IZ E D U N D E R A C T S O F 1919, 1923, A N D 1924, AS O F O C T O B E R , 1925
N um ber of houses authorized
To be
erected by
local
authorities
A ct
U nder act of 1919_..............................
.
U nder act of 1923____________ _ _
U nder act of 1924___ _________ _____________________ _
T o tal.............................................................
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To be
erected by
private
enterprise
Total
56, 034
83, 226
181,139
1, 946
174, 540
237, 173
85,172
139, 260
183, 085
496,885
214
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
Practically all the houses approved under the 1919 act are com
pleted, hut those authorized under the two later acts range all the
way from plans to completed dwellings. Definite arrangements have
been made for the construction of 248,545 houses, of which 182,871
are under the 1923 act and 65,674 under the 1924 act; 70,461 are
in course of construction and 122,719 have been completed.
During the month of September, 1925, contracts were made by
local authorities covering the construction of 4,547 nonparlor houses
at an average cost of £437/ and 2,003 parlor houses at an average
cost of £500.
1 Pou n d a t par=$4.8G65; exchange rate varies.
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W O R K E R ’S ED U C A T IO N A N D TR A IN IN G
Oniaiio Workers Educational Association1
r P H E Workers’ Educational Association of Ontario, which is sup»
ported by the University of Toronto, was formed in 1918 to
extend to laboring men and women the privilege of securing
“ a higher or ‘cultural’ education of the university type.” The asso
ciation is approved by the Dominion Trades and Labor Council and
other workers’ organizations but regulates its own procedure and
activities.
The enrollment of the association at its last session included 1,113
students among the branch schools at Brantford, Galt, Hamilton,
Ottawa, Scarboro’ Bluffs, Toronto, and Windsor. Additional
branches will be established at other centers in Ontario, provided 20
or more prospective students be organized for each center. There
will be two sections for the coming sessions: (1) A year’s course for
introductory classes, to which only working men and women will be
admitted, and (2) a three-year course for tutorial classes with no
restriction in regard to students. The directors believe that any
one who takes the one-year introductory course will be able to follow
the three-year course for the tutorial classes with members from all
walks of life.
The subjects to be studied cover a comprehensive field, among
them being economics (including the causes underlying the deter
mination of prices, wages, interest, rent and profit, the conditions
leading to the present large-scale industrial production and its dis
tribution), industrial psychology, sociology, civics, Canadian and
British history, English literature, journalism, the drama, and public
speaking.
Workers’ Education in Sweden 2
A T THE annual meeting of the executive committee of the
A \ Swedish Workers’ Educational Association, held September
A
30, 1925, the report submitted for the period July 1, 1924, to
June 30, 1925, showed that the Workers’ Educational Association
(Arbetarnes Bildningsforbund) during 1924-25 had 2,005 active study
circles with 25,496 members; 560 new circles were formed. Lecture
courses numbered 305, and 1,544 lectures were given, the cost being
64,893 kronor.3
1 L abor Gazette, O ttaw a, N ovem ber, 1925, p. 1058.
2 Landsorganisationen i Sverge. Fackforeningsrdrelsen N o. 41, 1925, pp. 356, 357.
8 K rona a t par=26.8 cents; exchange rate varies.
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T H E N E G R O IN IN D U ST R Y
The Negro: A Selected Bibliography
C o m p il e d
by
H e l e n L o u ise P ie r
and
M a r y L o u is a S p a l d i n g 1
The Negro in Industry
B ib lio g ra p h ies
F. W.
Negro in Industry. New York, Russell Sage Foundation, 1924.
N e g r o Y e a r B o o k , 1913. Tuskegee, Ala., Negro Year Book Publishing Co.,
1914.
J e n k in s ,
R u s s e l l S ag e F o u n d a t io n .
L ib r a r y .
The negro in industry: A selected bibliography.
( I t s Bulletin No. 66.)
U
n it e d
S ta tes.
L i b r a r y o f C o n g ress.
New York, 1924.
4 pp.
B ib lio g r a p h y d iv is io n .
List of references on negro migration.
(Typewritten.)
Washington, December, 1923.
General References
W. A.
Business is life: A survey of negro progress.
Survey, September 13, 1913, pp. 709, 710.
Aery,
Gives gist of the annual session of the National Negro Business League held in Philadelphia.
Human-interest stories constitute a conspicuous feature.
----- Business makes men, especially if the men are negroes.
Survey, September 18, 1915, p. 550.
A brief article citing examples of negroes who have been successful. Mentions the work of the negro
business leagues.
----- Negro in Industry. Hampton, Va., Hampton Normal and Agricultural
Institute, 1919.
B o w e n , L. K.
Colored people of Chicago.
Survey, November 1, 1913, pp. 117-120.
A study of the status of the negro in Chicago, home environment, schools, working mothers,
restriction of occupation, and Government employment.
B r a w l e y , B e n ja m in .
A Short History of the American Negro.
1919.
New York, The Macmillan Co.,
See chapters on Recent history, pp. 166-177; Social and economic progress, pp. 215-227. Chapters
contain scattered material on migration and economic progress of the negro.
C h ic a g o C o m m is s io n o n R a c e R e l a t i o n s .
The Negro in Chicago: A Study of Race Relations and a Race Riot.
cago, University of Chicago Press, 1922. xxiv, 672 pp.
Chi
See Chapters on Migration of negroes from the South, pp. 79-105; The negro in industry, pp. 357435. Discusses causes and effects of negro migration, employment opportunities, conditions of
the negro in industry, and organized labor and the negro worker. Gives a detailed account of the
Chicago riot.
C l a r k e , J. B .
Negro and the immigrant in the two Americas.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
September, 1913, pp. 32-37.
Traces the gradual northward movement of the negro and his entrance into industry as
a competitor of the European immigrant.
i This bibliography was prepared in connection with the course given by the Library School of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin. The first section, “ The negro in industry,” was prepared by Miss Pier, and the
second section, “ The health of the negro,” by Miss Spalding.
216
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THE NEGRO IN INDUSTRY
D
a n ie l s ,
217
John.
In Freedom’s Birthplace.
Boston, Houghton, Mifflin
&
Co., 1914.
“Economic achievement,” pp. 308-397.
G o l d , H. R. and A r m s t r o n g , B. K.
A Preliminary Study of Interracial Conditions in Chicago.
Home Missions Council, 1920.
New York,
Contains some material on negro migrations, labor unions, and the industrial status and effi
ciency of the negro.
H
am pton
(V a .) N
orm al a n d
Annual report, 1898.
A g r ic u l t u r a l I n s t i t u t e .
Contains report of Hampton Negro Conference.
----- Hampton graduates at work.
H a y n e s , G. E.
Negro Newcomers in Detroit, Mich. New York, Home Missions Council,
1918.
■
----- .The Trend of the Races. Published jointly by Council of Women for Home
Missions and Missionary Education Movement of the United States and
Canada. New York, 1922. 205 pp.
“ Sixty years of progress,” pp. 23-62. Mentions briefly the negro migration and industrial relations.
J a c k s o n , G. B. and D a v i s , D. W.
Industrial History of the Negro Race of the United States. Richmond, Va.,
Negro Educational Association, 1911. 369 pp. (2d ed.)
J O H N S E N , J. E.
Selected Articles on the Negro Problem. New York, H. W. Wilson Co.,
1921.
370 p p .
See chapters on Migration, pp. 245-258; Negro in industry, pp. 259-279. A compilation of
selected articles on migration, negro migration during the war, efforts to check the movement,
effects of the movement on the South and on the negro, effect of war conditions on negro labor,
and the industrial success and opportunity of the negro in industry.
J o h n s o n , J. W.
Changing status of negro labor.
( I n National Conference of Social Work.
388. Chicago, 1919.)
Proceedings, 1918, pp. 383-
A brief historical review of the changing status of the negro from 1619 down to present
date. Describes the effect of the war, his migration northward and resulting labor problems,
and his relation to the unions.
----- The exploited negro.
( I n American Labor Year Book, 1921-22, pp. 106-110.)
Gives a brief historical background of the negro and a summary of negro migration and its causes
and effects. Describes the agricultural system in the South, and the Arkansas massacre and the
Tulsa riots arising from economic causes.
----- The making of Harlem.
Survey, March 1, 1925, pp. 635-639.
A general article on the negro in Harlem, giving scattered information on negro migration and em
ployment there.
K e l l o g g , P a u l U. ( E d .) .
Wage-earning Pittsburgh.
New York, Russell Sage Foundation, 1914.
Article by Helen A. Tucker: “ The negro of Pittsburgh” [1907-8], pp. 424-436.
L o c k e , C. E.
Is the negro making good?
Cincinnati, Methodist Book Concern, 1913.
62 p p .
E. (Ed.).
Democracy in Earnest. Washington, Southern Sociological Congress, 1918.
M cC u l l o c h , J a m e s
Article by Monroe N. Work: “ Secret societies as factors in the social and economical life of the
negro.”
M il l e r , K e l l y .
Everlasting Stain.
Washington, Associated Publishers (Inc.), 1924.
352
pp.
M
R. R.
Status of the negro in America.
Current History Magazine of the New York Times, May, 1922, pp.
221-236.
oton,
Deals chiefly with the status in general of the negro, but contains specific information on
the work of the Negro Business League.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
N
egro
N
egro
B u s in e s s .
Outlook, September 9, 1914, p. 66.
A one-column discussion of the negro’s progress in business, agriculture, and industry.
Y e a r B o o k , 1912. Tuskegee, Ala., Negro Y e a r Book Publishing
1912.
N
Co.,
Contains chapters on economic progress, occupations, agriculture, etc.
E c o n o m ic P r o g r e s s .
e g r o 's
Literary Digest, February 1, 1913, pp. 215, 216.
Quoted from the Southern Workman. Gives wealth, and number of negroes employed in Gov
ernment service, in the professions, and in business.
P e n n s y l v a n i a . B u r e a u o f I n d u s t r i a l S ta tis tic s .
Annual report, 1910.
The negroin Pennsylvania, pp. 53-108. A general study of the negroin the State showing in partic
ular the approximate amount of real estate owned by negroes in Pennsylvania, by cities and coun
ties, the number of property holders, and the assessed and market value of the holdings.
------------Annual report, 1913-14.
Negroes in Pennsylvania, pp. 25-38. Gives statistics of occupation and a
classification of negroes, in table form, showing sex and occupation.
R o b in s o n , J. II .
Cincinnati negro survey and program.
( I n National Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1919, pp. 524538. Chicago, 1920.)
Gives briefly the historical background of the negroes, their influx from the South into
Ohio, and describes the working conditions of the negro laborer, discrimination in industry,
and the negro in business and in the professions in Cincinnati.
S a n d bu r g , C arl.
Chicago race riots, July, 1919.
71 pp.
New York, Harcourt, Brace & Howe, 1919.
Contains chapters discussing the Chicago race riots, negro migration, the demand for negro
labor, new industrial opportunities, the unions, and trades for colored women.
S t e m o n s , J. S.
Key: A Tangible Solution of the Negro Problem.
lishing Co., 1916. 156 pp.
New York, Neale Pub»
A general discussion of the negro problem which touches the economic phase and negro migration
as well.
T a y l o r , A. A.
Negro in South Carolina During the Reconstruction.
sociated Publishers (Inc.), 1924. 341 pp.
W il l N
egroes
S tay
in
Washington, As
I n d u str y ?
Survey, December 14, 1918, pp. 348, 349.
W o o d , J. B.
Negro in Chicago: A first-hand study. Chicago, Chicago Daily News,
1916. 31 pp.
Reprinted from the Chicago Daily News, issues of December 11 to 27,1916. A study of the negro
in Chicago, migration there, occupations, and relations to the trade-unions.
T. J.
Negro and the industrial peace.
Survey, December 18, 1920, pp. 420, 421.
W OOFTER,
An article on the negro in industry. His chief industrial problems are briefly summarized.
Statistics
J O N ES, T . J.
Negro population in the United States.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
September, 1913, pp. 1-9.
A digest of statistical material based on the 1910 census, giving increase, distribution, and
proportion of negro population. Tables and graphs.
M i s s o u r i . N e g r o I n d u s t r i a l C o m m is s io n .
Biennial report, 1921-1922.
Jefferson City, [1922?]. 84 pp.
Contains material on negroes of Missouri, giving industrial statistics and distribution of negro
population.
Reviewed in M onthly L abor R eview , June, 1923, pp. 35-37.
—— —— Third biennial report 1923-1924.
Jefferson City, [1924?] 71 pp.
Summarized in M onthly L abor R eview , May, 1925, pp. 32, 33.
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THE NEGRO IN INDUSTRY
U n it e d S t a t e s .
D e p a r tm e n t o f C o m m erce .
219
B u r e a u o f the C e n su s.
Farm tenancy in the United States: An analysis of the 1920 census relative
to farms, classified by tenure, supplemented by pertinent data from
other sources, by E. A. Goldenweiser and Leon E. Truesdell. Washing
ton, 1924. (Census monographs, No. 4.)
See chapter on Race and nativity of farm tenants, pp. 71-79. Contains statistical information
on the negro farm tenant in the United States. Comparative tables Nos. 17, 23, 24, 46, 49, and 60
refer to the negro tenant.
------------ ------ Fourteenth census of the United States. Washington, 1920.
See volumes on Population, Agriculture, and Occupations. Gives statistics on the negro population
of the United States, growth, distribution, occupations, and negroes in agriculture.
—---------------- Negro population, 1790-1915.
Washington, 1918.
Gives statistics on the growth and distribution of negro population in the United States, home
ownership, size of families, occupation, negro agriculture, acreage and value of farm property, term of
occupancy, and tenure classes.
----- ------------- Negroes in the United States. Washington, 1915. 207 pp. ( I t s
Bulletin No. 129.)
A special report on the negro, based on the 1910 census, giving statistics on distribution of negro
population, principal occupations, by State, age, and sex, and agriculture.
W a l k e r , T. C.
Development in the tidewater counties of Virginia.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Sep
tember, 1913, pp. 2S-31.
Shows the economic progress and increase in land holdings of negroes in the last 50 years.
W a s h i n g t o n , B. T.
Census and the negro.
Independent, April 11, 1912, pp. 785, 786.
A digest of the returns of the 1910 census, with quotations from E. G. Branson, president
of the State Normal School at Athens, Ga., regarding the negro farmer.
Economic Conditions
E c o n o m ic C o n d it io n s o f t h e N e g r o i n W e s t V i r g i n i a .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , April, 1923, pp. 713-715.
E m l e n , J. T.
Movement for the betterment of the negro in Philadelphia.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Sep
tember, 1913, pp. 81-92.
Discusses the social and economic problem in Philadelphia resulting from migration, and
the movement toward betterment of conditions. Gives maps showing distribution of negroes
in 1910, by wards, in Philadelphia.
G. E.
H a y n es,
Conditions among negroes in the cities.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Sep
tember, 1913, pp. 105-119.
Discusses the urban movement, segregation, and the economic sequel.
M c C o n n e l l , W . J.
Effect of industrialization upon the negro.
( I n Southwestern Political and Social Science Association. Proceedings,
1924, pp. 265-270.)
M oton,
R. R.
Negro and the new economic conditions.
( I n National Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1917, pp. 273276.)
N
a t io n a l
A general discussion of the new economic conditions and the negro as a factor in agricul
ture and industry.
L e a g u e o n U r b a n C o n d it io n s A m o n g N e g r o e s .
Report, 1912-1913; announcement, 1913-1914. (Bulletin, vol. 3, No. 2.)
Sanford,
R. C.
Economic condition of the negroes of Knoxville.
( I n University Commission on Southern Race Questions.
1917, pp. 69-72.)
Minutes,
A survey made by a student in the University of Tennessee of the economic condition of
the negroes of Knoxville and the negroes of Tennessee.
74735°—26'
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
15
[2191
220
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
T annenbaum , F rank.
Darker Phases of the South. New York and London, G. P. Putnam’s Sods,
1924. 203 pp.
Discusses the single crop and its social and economic consequences in the South.
W. D.
The negro from Africa to America. New York, George H. Doran Co., 1924.
487 pp.
W r ig iit , R. R.
Study of the industrial conditions of the negro population of Pennsylvania
and especially of the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
( I n Pennsylvania. Industrial Statistics Bureau. Annual report, 1912.
pp. 21-195.)
W eatherfo rd,
E m p lo y m e n t
G en era l R efe re n c e s
A r m s t r o n g A s s o c ia t io n
of
P h il a d e l p h ia .
Negro in business in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, 1917.
14 pp.
An investigation made before the great migration of negroes from the South. Businesses conducted
by negroes in Philadelphia are classified according to number and kind.
B r o w n , W. H.
Education and economic development of the negro in Virginia. Charlottes*
ville, 1923. (Phelps-Stokes fellowship papers No. 6. University of Vir
ginia.)
Contains some material on the negro farmer and landowner, on employment of negroes in Vir
ginia, and gives instances of the negro’s progress in business.
W. A.
Industrial Conditions among Negroes in St. Louis.
University, 1914. 123 pp.
C r o ssla n d ,
St. Louis, Washington
Occupations and wages; negro men in the professions and ip. business; the negro wage earner,
pp. 12-97; detailed tables on occupations and wages, pp. 113-121.
C r o s t h w a it , D. N.
Making up the labor shortage.
Industrial Management, May, 1918, pp. 412, 413.
A discussion of negro labor in general, of colored men as mechanics, and of colored women in
industry. Attempts to point out how the management can supply its labor needs without
undue trouble and do away with the labor turnover problem.
E m pl o y m e n t of N e g r o e s in P e n n s y l v a n ia I n d u s t r ie s .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , January, 1921, p . 206.
Gives table showing increase in number of plants and number of employees in specified counties
in Pennsylvania for the years 1916 and 1919.
E m ploym ent
of
N
egroes on
R a il r o a d s .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , November, 1924, p . 161.
Summary of a statement by the United States Department of Labor. Lists negroes employed
on railroads by occupations. Indicates that opportunities in the field of transportation are rapidly
being opened up to the colored worker.
F
D. T.
Negroes a, source of industrial labor.
Industrial Management, August, 1918, pp. 123-129.
arnham ,
G row th
Views of an experienced man on the value of negro labor. Charts show negro labor turnover
and the work of the negro compared with that of the Italian.
of N egro B u s in e s s .
Literary Digest, October 25, 1924, p. 62.
Gives number of colored people engaged in different lines of business, and a comparative table of
the economic progress of the negro in the years 1900 and 1924. A statistical statement based on
figures presented at the jubilee celebration of the National Business League.
H a y n e s , E. R.
Negroes in domestic service in the United States.
Journal of Negro History, October, 1923, pp. 384-442.
A discussion of the part negroes have had in the changes and developments of domestic
service in the United States during the past 30 years. Shows to some extent the relations of
negro domestic workers to white workers, and discusses some of the larger problems in this
field of employment. Gives number and sex in domestic and personal service.
H
G. E.
The negro at work.
American Review of Reviews, April, 1919, pp. 389-393.
a y n es,
A summary of the effects of the war on negro labor, and after-war problems of reconstruction-
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[220 ]
221
THE NEGRO IK INDUSTRY
H aynes, G. E.
Negro at work in New York City: A study in economic progress. New
York, Columbia University, 1912. 158 pp. (Studies in history, econom
ics, and public law, 1912, vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 437-594.)
A discussion of the negro as a wage earner and the negro in business in New York City.
Gives graphs and comparative tables and includes a selected bibliography.
----- Negro labor and the new order.
{ I n National Conference of Social Work.
Proceedings, 1919, pp. 531-538.)
An article on the changing status of the negro laborer. Brings out the effects of the World War,
the negro worker’s new view, negro migration, cooperative racial-labor conferences, abolition of
negro child labor, the negro as a source of surplus labor, and the new basis of capital and labor.
—— The negro laborer and the immigrant.
Survey, May 14, 1921, pp. 209, 210.
Discusses negro labor versus immigrant labor, and the place of the negro in industry.
H ill , T. A.
Recent developments in the problem of negro labor.
{ I n National Conference of Social Work.
Proceedings, 1921, pp.
321-325.)
Remarks on the outstanding developments since migration, labor relations, relationship
between the unions and the negroes and the fact that organized labor has begun to recog
nize the negro as an industrial factor in the North. Mentions the problem of unemploy
ment and the work of the Chicago Urban League.
W a r B r in g s U n p r o p h e s ie d O p p o r t u n i t i e s to t h e N e g r o R a c e .
How t h e
Current Opinion, December, 1916, pp. 404, 405.
H
An editorial on the effects of the World War on the industrial opportunities of the negro.
U n i v e r s i t y . C o m m e r c ia l College.
ow ard
Studies of negroes in business. Washington, D. C.
Press, 1914.
I m m e l , R. W.
Negro and his opportunity.
Industrial Management, July, 1919, pp. 75, 76.
Howard University
A view of the characteristics of the negro worker.
C. S.
Black workers and the city.
Survey, March 1, 1925, pp. 640-643.
J o h n so n ,
A general article giving a discussion of the negro worker and his employment in the cities,
with particular reference to New York City. Discusses skilled and unskilled employment,
organized labor, and the negro woman worker.
E. K.
Psychology of the negro workingman.
{ I n Proceedings of the Employment Managers’ Conference, 1918, pp.
101-105. Washington, 1919. (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Bul
letin No. 247.)
K e l l o g g , P a u l U. { E d .)
Wage-earning Pittsburgh. (New York, Russell Sage Foundation, 1914.)
J o n es,
Article by R. It. Wright: “ One hundred negro steel workers,” pp. 97-112.
M il l e r , K e l l y .
Professional and skilled occupations.
. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
September, 1913, pp. 10-18.
N
egro
Gives a list of negroes engaged in professional service and in productive and distributive
pursuits in 1900.
L a b o r D u r in g a n d A f t e r t h e W a r .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w ,
April,
1921,
pp.
1 3 7-142.
Gives a concise account of the formation and work of the Division of Negro Economics in the United
States Department of Labor, and discusses the industrial employment of negroes during and after
the war.
N egro L a bo r fo r t h e S t e e l M il l s .
World’s Work, July, 1923, pp. 243, 244.
Offers negro labor as the solution of the labor problem in the steel mills. The negro can be changed
from a cheap field hand into an effective wage earner.
N egro L abor in t h e S tove I n d u st r y .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , September, 1920, pp. 183, 184.
Quotes from an article in the International Molders’ Journal for August, 1920, discussing arguments
in favor of negro labor.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
■222
N
egroes
in
I n d u str y .
Survey, September 27, 1919, p. 900.
An editorial discussing the problem in the after-war situation id industry in regard to the negro.
OVINGTON, M. W.
Half a Man: The Status of the Negro in New York. New York, Longmans,
Green & Co., 1911. 236 pp.
See chapters on Earning a living, pp. 106-137; The colored woman as a breadwinner, pp. 138-169.
A study of the negro worker in New York City, particularly in business and in the professions.
Q u i l l i n , F. U .
Negro in Cleveland, Ohio.
Independent, March 7, 1912, pp. 518-520.
Discusses the negro in Cleveland, giving various positions which colored men hold in the city.
Shows progress of the negro.
M i s s o u r i . N e g ro I n d u s t r i a l C o m m is s io n .
Biennial report, 1921-1922.
Jefferson City, [1922?].
S4 pp.
Includes information on employment and general conditions. Summarized in M onthly L abor
R eview , June, 1923, pp. 35-37.
S e l i g m a n n , H. J.
The Negro Faces America.
New York, Harper & Bros., 1920. 318 pp.
The negro in industry, pp. 186-217. Discusses negro labor during the World War, and the rela
tions of the negro and white worker and the unions.
S e w a l l , J. L.
Industrial revolution and the negro.
Scribner’s Magazine, March, 1921, pp. 334-342.
Discusses the negro as a source of labor supply. Brings out the value of future education
and training to the negro in the economic world.
S o u t h e r n N egro i n C l e v e l a n d I n d u s t r ie s .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , J u ly , 1924, p p . 41-44.
An article based on a survey of 75 of the largest industrial employers of the greater Cleveland
district. Discusses the characteristics and possibilities of negro labor. Gives table showing per cent
of colored employees and per cent of total turnover due to colored workers in 15 Cleveland plants.
U n i t e d S t a t e s . E ig h t- h o u r C o m m is s io n .
Report.
-----
Washington, 1918. 503 pp.
Employment of negroes in train and yard service, pp. 413-416. Discusses wages, restrictions
on employment, additional services, and characteristics of the negro railroad employee.
D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r .
D iv is io n o f N e g r o E c o n o m ic s .
The negro at work during the World War and during reconstruction. Statis
tics, problems, and policies relating to the greater inclusion of negro wage
earners in American industry and agriculture. Washington, 1921.
144 pp.
A report giving an account of the formation and work of the Division of Negro Economics of the
United States Department of Labor, a discussion of the work of the negroes in the more important
war industries, with comparative tables with white workers, and a chapter on the work of the
colored woman during the war. Contains also a report on race troubles in Chicago, and reports
from various States discussing the work of the Division of Negro Economics, showing methods
adopted to meet special problems of different localities.
W o r k , M. N.
The South’s labor problem.
South Atlantic Quarterly, January, 1920, pp. 1-8.
W r ig h t , R. R.
The negro in unskilled labor.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
September, 1913, pp. 19-27.
Considers chiefly those engaged in agriculture, domestic and personal service, and trans
portation and trade
N e g r o i n A g r ic u ltu r e .
W. A.
Negro farmers of Virginia.
Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, 1917.
Bulletin, vol. 13, No. 4.)
Aery,
A m e r i c a n A s s o c ia t io n
of
F a r m e r s ’ I n s t it u t e W
7 pp.
(In
its
o rk ers.
Condition of colored farmer of the South.
( I n United States Department of Agriculture, Experiment Station Bul
letin No. 251, pp. 62-71. Washington, 1912.)
Contains brief extracts of papers read at the meeting of the association. The various
reports disouss the tenant question among the negro farmers of Georgia, negro farmers of
North Carolina, the condition of the colored farmer of the South, and his relation to farmers’
institute work.
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T H E NEGRO IN IN D U ST R Y
T.
Rural land ownership among the negroes of Virginia.
1916. 110 pp.
B it t in g , S.
University of Virginia,
Relates particularly to the negroes in Albemarle County. Includes a bibliography.
C h r is t e n s e n , N ie l s .
Fifty years of freedom: Conditions in the sea coast regions.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
September, 1913, pp. 58-66.
Discusses the negro in industry during the 50 years, giving tax figures for the value of negro
holdings. Brings out especially the negro’s progress in agriculture.
D a v is , J a c k so n .
Negro in country life.
(Reprinted from the Southern Workman, 1911.)
Shows the results of the work of the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in improving
economic conditions among the negroes in Virginia.
E d w a r d s , T. J.
Tenant system and some changes since emancipation.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
September, 1913, pp. 38-46.
An explanation of the plantation system in the South. Discusses the share cropper and the
renter.
L. C.
Southern agriculture, plantation system, and the negro problem.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, March,
1912, pp. 90-99.
H a y n e s , G . E.
Effect of war conditions on negro labor.
Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, February, 1919, pm
299-312.
Gray,
Same article in Lindsay, S. M.: War labor policies and reconstruction, 1919, pp. 165—178.
Discusses the effect of war conditions on negro labor, first, in the relation of negro wage
earners to white employers, North and South; second, the change in the relation of negro
wage earners to white wage earners; and third, the change in the negro himself.
M c C u l l o c h , J a m e s E. (E d .)
The South Mobilizing for Social Service. Addresses at Southern Sociologi. cal Congress, Atlanta, 1913. Nashville, 1913.
Address of E. C. Branson on negro working out his own salvation.
M e r c i e r , W. B.
Extension work among negroes, 1920.
( I n United States Department of Agriculture Circular No. 190, Wash
ington, 1921. 24 pp.)
Shows how extension work for negroes, conducted by agents of their own race under
supervision of the agricultural colleges and the United States Department of Agriculture,
is helping to make the farm life more profitable and attractive td the negro.
M i s s o u r i . N e g ro I n d u s t r i a l C o m m is s io n .
Second report, 1921. Jefferson City, [1921?].
Report of committee on farm labor and rural-life conditions of Missouri negro people, pp. 17-22.
Contains material on negro farm labor, and migration to the cities. Gives figures for the negro popu
lation of different counties in the State.
P a r k s , P. C.
Conditions among negro farmers in the South.
( I n United States Department of Agriculture, Experiment Station Bulle
tin No. 238, pp. 74-76. Washington, 1911.)
Discusses the fundamental economic conditions among negro farmers in the South and
offers education and organized effort as the remedy.
S c a r b o r o u g h , W. S .
Negro farmer in the South.
Current History Magazine of the New York Times, January, 1925, pp.
565-569.
S t o n e , A. H.
Negro and agricultural development.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
January, 1910, pp. 8-15.
Stresses the dependence of southern agriculture, particularly in the cotton industry, on
negro labor.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
224
U n it e d S t a t e s . D e p a r tm e n t o f A g r ic u ltu r e .
■ Yearbook, 1923. Washington, 1924.
See index under negroes for paging.
Contains material on tenant farmers, landowners, and farm operators and migration from southern
farms.
W a l k e r , T. C .
Development in the tidewater counties of Virginia.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
September, 1913, pp. 28-31.
Shows the increase of ownership of farm lands among the negroes.
W a s h i n g t o n , B. T.
The negro as a farmer.
North American Review, February, 1912, pp. 175-181.
----- Negro’s part in southern development.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, January,
1910, pp. 124-133.
With emphasis on the fact that negroes are becoming more and more engaged in business and in
trades.
— — Rural negro and the South.
( I n National conference of charities and corrections. Proceedings, 1914,
pp. 121-127.)
Discusses the economic situation from the point of view of the South and the possibilities of the
negro in his relation to the South.
W e a t h e r f o r d , W. D .
Negro Life in the South. New York, Association Press, 1910.
The economic condition of the negro, from the beginnings of slavery, pp. 29-58.
N e g ro W o m e n a n d C h ild r e n i n I n d u s t r y
M. R .
Woman’s Work in Municipalities. New York, D. Appleton & Co., 1915.
B eard,
The negro, pp. 182-195.
C h e y n e y , A. S.
Negro woman in industry.
Survey, April 23, 1921, p. 119.
A short article on the negro woman in industry, discussing the pay and kind of work.
C l a r k , J e s s i e , and M c D o u g a l d , M r s . G. E.
New day for the colored woman worker: A study of colored women in indus
try in New York City. [New York], 1919. 39 pp.
Discusses the coming of the colored woman into industry in New York City, problems, her
general and industrial background, the types of work she is doing, conditions under which she is
working, wages, collective bargaining, and the colored woman as a permanent factor in industry.
Gives tables of industries, hours of work, and wages.
C o n su m e r s’ L e a g u e of E a st e r n P e n n s y l v a n ia .
Colored women as industrial workers in Philadelphia.
47 pp.
Philadelphia, 1920.
A summary of an investigation to ascertain how far colored women have entered into theindustrial field and with what results. Reviewed in M onthly L abor R eview , May, 1921, pp. 122-124.
I r v i n , H. B.
Conditions in industry as they affect negro women.
( I n National Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1919, pp.
521-524.)
M cD
Discusses the present industrial situation, the recognition, achievements, and the attitude
of labor toward the negro woman worker.
E . J.
ougald,
The double task: The struggle of negro women f or sex and race emancipation.
Survey, March 1, 1925, pp. 689-691.
M
A general discussion of the emancipation of negro women. Includes information on the
negro woman in domestic service, the professions, and in industry.
R obert.
cM u r d y ,
Negro women as trained nurses: Experiment of a Chicago hospital.
Survey, November 8, 1913, pp. 159, 160.
Olcott, J a n e .
The Work of Colored Women.
1919. 136 pp.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
New York, National board of the Y. W. C. A.,
[224]
THE
U n ited Sta te s.
NEGRO
IN
D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r .
225
IN D U ST R Y
C h ild r e n 1s B u r e a u .
Child labor on M aryland truck farms, by Alice Channing. W ashington,
1923. 52 pp. (Bureau publication No." 123.)
— — ------ -— — Child labor and th e work of mothers on Norfolk truck farms.
W ashington, 1924. iv , 27 pp. (Bureau publication No. 130.)
------- ----- -------- Welfare of children in cotton-growing areas of Texas. W ashing
ton, 1924. 83 pp. (Bureau publication No. 134.)
------------ W o m e n ’s
B u rea u .
Negro women in industry.
W ashington, 1922. 65 pp. ( I t s Bulletin No. 20.)
An investigation of negro women in industry before and after the war. Gives information on
occupations, wages, hours, and conditions of employment. Reviewed in M onthiy L aboe R eview ,
July, 1922, pp. 116-118.
•---------------------- W omen in Alabama industries.
( I t s Bulletin N o. 34.)
W ashington, 1924.
86 pp.
Gives material on hours, wages, and working conditions. Includes comparative tables.
---------------------- Women in
( I t s Bulletin No. 22.)
Georgia
industries.
A study of hours, wages, and working conditions.
comparative tables.
W ashington,
1922.
89 pp.
Contains information on the negro woman, giving
--------------- -------- W omen in M aryland industries.
( I t s Bulletin N o. 24.)
W ashington, 1922.
96 pp.
Includes information on the negro woman worker, giving comparative tables.
------ -------- ------ - W omen in Missouri industries.
( I t s Bulletin N o. 35.)
W ashington, 1924.
127 pp.
Part 3 deals particularly with the negro woman worker. Includes comparative tables.
------ — ---------- D om estic workers and their em ploym ent relations, by M. V.
Robinson. W ashington, 1924. 87 pp. ( I t s Bulletin No. 39.)
Organized Labor
A t t it u d e op N a tio n a l A ssociation f o r A d v a n c em en t of C olored P e o p l e
i n R e g a r d to O r g a n i z e d L a b o r .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , September, 1924, pp. 176, 177.
A brief statement of the relation of the negro and the labor unions. Quotes open letter of the con
ference to the American Federation of Labor and other groups of organized labor.
J o n e s , E. K.
Negro in industry.
( I n N ational Conference of Social Work.
438-442.)
Proceedings, 1919, pp.
Brings out the need of negro membership in the trade-unions.
L e e , B. F.
Negro organizations.
Annals of th e American Academ y of P olitical and Social Science,
September, 1913, pp. 129-137.
M o o r e , F. R.
Letting him into th e labor union.
World Outlook, October, 1919, p. 28.
N egro
enters the
L abor U n io n .
Literary D igest, June 28, 1919, p. 12.
An editorial on the vote of the American Federation of Labor to open its doors unconditionally to
the negro, and the economic advantages this would give to the negro.
N egroes
and
O rgan ized L a b o r .
Survey, February 9, 1918, pp. 527, 528.
A brief discussion on admitting negroes into the unions.
W a s h i n g t o n , B. T.
Negro and the labor unions.
A tlantic M onthly, June, 1913, pp. 756-767.
Contains quotations from letters of various leaders of labor organizations concerning the
negro and the labor unions.
W o l f e , F. E.
Admission to American trade-unions.
( I n Johns Hopkins U niversity Studies in H istorical and Political
Science, 1912, pp. 566-588.)
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MONTHLY LABOE BEVIEW
Migration
An other N egro E xodus
to t h e
N orth.
Literary D igest, February 17, 1923, p. 18.
B a k e r , R. S.
The negro goes north.
World’s Work, July, 1917, pp. 314-319.
Ascribes negro migration primarily to war conditions. States briefly the effect on the South
and attempts to stem the tide. Describes types of negro migrants and discusses some of the
resulting problems.
B o d d y , J. M.
G etting at th e true causes of th e migration of negro labor from the South.
Econom ic World, March 9, 1918, p. 335.
B r a n s o n , E. C., a n d o t h e r s .
M igration.
( In U niversity Commission on Southern Race Questions. M inutes,
1917, pp. 48, 49.)
A letter pointing out the problem of negro migration.
B raw ley, B en ja m in .
Social H istory of the American Negro.
N ew York, T he M acm illan Co., 1921.
The negro in the new age, pp. 341-371. Discussion of migration and its effects and resulting prob
lems.
D a v i s , P. O.
Negro exodus and southern agriculture.
American R eview of Reviews, October, 1923, pp. 401-407.
Attributes negro migration chiefly to economic causes.
D o n a l d , H . H.
Negro migration of 1916-1918.
Journal of Negro H istory, October, 1921, pp. 383-498.
Presents the most salient facts pertaining to the movement in its entirety. Describes previ
ous movements, volume, destination, composition, and causes and effects.
E conomic C a u s es
of the
N egro E x odus.
Literary D igest, August 18, 1923, pp. 14, 15.
E d e n s , B. M.
When labor is cheap.
Survey, Septem ber 8, 1917, p. 511.
A letter discussing the adjustment and readjustment of the negro migrant. Gives southern
point of view.
E pst e in , Abraham.
Negro migrant in Pittsburgh.
U niversity of Pittsburgh, 1918.
74 pp.
A discussion of the general conditions among the negro migrants [in Pittsburgh. Gives compara
tive tables on occupations and wages received in the North and in the South.
E xodus
in
A m erica .
Living Age, October 6, 1917, pp. 57-60.
Attributes the northward movement largely to the labor shortage caused by war conditions.
E xodus
in
A m erica .
N ew Statesm an, July 28, 1917, pp. 393-395.
Discusses the causes of the migration in 1917.
E x t e n s iv e M ig r a t io n
of
N egro L abor
from t h e
So u t h e r n Sta tes.
Economic World, October 28, 1916, pp. 549, 550.
F i s h e r , I saac.
Negro m igration, an opportunity for biracial statem anship in the South,
(In N ational Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1924, pp. 75-82.)
A paper discussing a few of the causes and effects of negro migration.
F ortson, B lanton, a n d P ic k e n s, W illiam .
Negro migrations: A debate.
Forum, Novem ber, 1924, pp. 593-607.
Two articles presenting opposing views: Northward to extinction, by Blanton Fortson;
and Migrating to fuller life, by William Pickens.
H a r r i s , A. L.
Negro migration to the North.
Current H istory M agazine of the N ew York Times, September, 1924,
pp. 921-925.
A general discussion of negro migration to the North, with particular emphasis on the
urbanization of the negro population.
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THE
H
NEGRO
IN
IN D U S T R Y
227
R. L.
When the negro comes north.
W orld’s Work, M ay-Ju ly, 1924.
artt,
See index for paging.
A series of articles on the causes and effects of migration, extent, and future results.
H
G. E.
Migration of negroes into northern cities.
(In N ational Conference of Social Work.
497.)
a y n es,
Proceedings, 1917, pp. 494—
A survey of the economic causes of negro migration.
------ Negro migration, its effect on fam ily and com m unity life in the North.
( In N ational Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1924, pp. 62-75.)
A discussion of the causes and effects on the North of negro migration, types of communities from
which the negro migrant comes, and types of the negro migrants.
------ Negroes m ove north.
Survey, M ay 4, 1918, pp. 115-122; January 4, 1919, pp. 455-461.
The first article discusses the causes of the migration, and the second article is chiefly concerned
with the effects.
H i l l , J. A.
R ecent northward migration of th e negro.
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , March, 1924, pp. 1-14.
Shows the shifting eente rof negro population from the time of the Civil War down to presentday movements. Gives information also on occupations of negroes in the North, and of negro
women in domestic service. Based on census figures.
T. A.
W hy southern negroes don’t go south.
Survey, Novem ber 29, 1919, pp. 183-185.
H
il l ,
H
o r w il l ,
H. W.
Negro exodus.
Contemporary Review , September, 1918, pp. 298-305.
Discusses causes for the exodus and describes race riots.
J o h n s o n , G. B.
Negro migration and its consequences.
Journal of Social Forces, March, 1924, pp. 404-408.
L a bo r A spec t s
of th e
N
egro
M ig r a t io n .
Chicago C ity Club Bulletin, October 31, 1917, pp. 242, 243.
A short article on migration, briefly mentioning race riots and problems.
L e o n a r d , O s c a r , and W a s h i n g t o n , F. B.
W elcom ing southern negroes: E ast St. Louis and D etroit— a contrast.
Survey, July 14, 1917, pp. 331-335.
L ure
Discusses the economic and political causes of the East St. Louis riot and describes the work
of the Detroit League on Urban Conditions and other organizations for the betterment of the
negro.
of t h e N orth fo r N e g r o e s.
Survey, April 7, 1917, pp. 27, 28.
States some of the immediate results of the migration of negroes to Philadelphia, and the way
various committees are working to better conditions.
L y o n s , A.
M oving day from Dixie.
World Outlook, October, 1918, pp. 18, 19.
M a c L e a n , A. M .
Where color lines are drawn.
Survey, July 1, 1922, pp. 453, 454.
M c K e n z i e , H . B.
South, the cotton, and the negro: Reply to H. Snyder.
North American R eview, April, 1924, pp. 486^-495.
M ig r a t io n o f N e g r o e s t o N o r t h e r n I n d u s t r ia l C e n t e r s .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , January, 1921, pp. 201-203.
Contains table showing white and negro population in certain northern industrial centers in 1910
and 1920, giving per cent which each race formed of the total population and the per cent of increase.
M OFFAT, A D E L E N E .
N ew problems caused by the im portation of colored labor into th e North.
( I n N ational Federation of Settlem ents. Proceedings, 1918, pp. 18-20.)
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228
M
M ONTHLY
oses,
LABOR
R E V IE W
K ingsley.
T he negro comes north.
Forum, August, 191/, pp. 181-190.
Discusses the economic causes of the negro migration and the resulting problems of negroes
flocking to the North.
M
S. T.
Standard of living am ong 100 negro migrant fam ilies in Philadelphia.
Annals of th e American Academ y of Political and Social Science, N o
vember, 1921, pp. 173-218.
ossell,
Gives a detailed statement of the migration to Philadelphia during the years 1916, 1917,
and 1919. Occupations, incomes, and sources of incomes of migrant families in Philadel
phia are analyzed in tabular form.
M o t o n , R. R.
M igration of negroes from th e southern to the northern States and its
economic effects.
Econom ic World, M ay 19, 1923, pp. 688-691.
N a t io n a l L e a g u e
on
U r b a n C o n d it io n s
am o n g
N egroes.
Conference on negro m igration, 1917.
N e g r o M ig r a n t i n P it t s b u r g h .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , February, 1918, pp. 155-157.
N e g r o M ig r a n t s i n P h il a d e l p h ia in 1923.
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , Novem ber, 1924, pp. 54, 55.
N e g r o M ig r a t io n .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , June, 1923, p p . 34, 35.
N e g r o M ig r a t io n .
N ew Republic, July 1, 1916, pp. 213, 214.
N e g r o M ig r a t io n
as t h e
S outh Se e s I t .
Survey, August 11, 1917, p. 428.
A short discussion of the causes of negro migration. Includes various excerpts from speeches on
race relations given at the Southern Sociological Congress held at Asheville.
N e g r o M ig r a t io n i n 1923.
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , April, 1924, pp. 64-66.
Contains table giving per cent of negro population in each State. Shows also the increase for
skilled and unskilled labor.
N egro M ig ration s.
Forum, December, 1924, pp. 853-857.
A symposium summarizing or quoting opinions of various prominent men and women on
migration after the debate by Judge Blanton Fortson and William Pickens in a previous issue
of the Forum.
N e g r o M ig r a t io n s a n d M ig r a n t s .
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w , January, 1922, p p . 4 2 -4 8 .
A summary of the negro in industry based on articles by T . J. Woofter and S. T . Mossell.
N e g r o M o v in g N o r t h .
Literary D igest, October 7, 1916, pp. 877, 878.
N
ew
An editorial discussing the beginnings of the negro migration and touching on possible effects.
Ox o d u s.
Outlook, M ay 16, 1923, p. 878.
States causes of the continued migration and its economic effects on the South,
N
ew
N e g r o M ig r a t io n .
Survey, February 26, 1921, p. 752.
A short description of the negro movement northward to the industrial centers two years after the
end of the war,
P e n d l e t o n , H. B.
C otton pickers in northern cities.
Survey, February 17, 1917, pp. 569-571.
A study of negro migration and employment, and resulting conditions.
R ea son s W
hy
N egroes
G
o
N orth.
Survey, June 2, 1917, pp. 226, 2 2 /.
Includes map giving the approximate trend and volume of negro migration from the South during
the year 1916-17.
R o s e , J. C.
M ovem ents of negro population as shown by census of 1910.
American Econom ic Review , June, 1914, pp. 281-292.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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THE NEGRO IN INDUSTRY
229
W. 0.
Why Jim Crow is flying.
Collier’s, December 8 , 1923, pp. 15, 16.
S c H IE F F E L IN , W. J.
Harmful rush of negro workers to the North.
New York Times Magazine, June 3, 1917, p. 7.
S c o t t , E. J.
Negro Migration During the War. New York, Oxford University Press,
1920. 189 pp.
S a u n d er s,
Brief introduction gives a description of previous migrations of the negro. Main portion of
the book discusses causes and effects of the movement, efforts to check it, the northern situation,
public opinion, and remedies for relief by national organizations.
W. O.
Interstate migration of negro population.
Journal of Political Economy, December, 1917, pp. 1034-10-13
S h a f f e r , E. T. H.
A new south: The negro migration.
Atlantic Monthly, September, 1923, pp. 403-409.
S cR O G G S ,
Snyder, H
ow ard.
Negro migration.and the cotton crop.
North American Review, January, 1924, pp. 21-29.
S o u t h C a l l in g N
egroes
B ack.
Literary Digest, June 23, 1917, p. 1914,
S outhern N
egroes
M o v in g N o r t h .
World’s Work, June, 1917, p. 135.
S t o n e , P. H.
Negro migration.
Outlook, August 1, 1917, pp. 520, 521.
The view of a graduate of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute on northern migra
tion. Emphasizes the possibilities of the South.
A, A.
Movement of negroes from the east to the Gulf States from 1830 to 1850.
Journal of Negro History, October, 1923, pp. 367-383..
T aylor,
Discusses the movement and its causes. Reproduces from the census reports tables showing
the concentration of migration upon selected areas.
U n i t e d S t a t e s . D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r.
Annual report, 1917-18, pp. 109-113.
Wasmngton, 1918.
Tells of the establishment and organization of the Division of Negro Economics in the Department
of Labor and includes a brief report on negro migration in 1916-17.
------------ Inclusion of negro workers into northern industries. Press release,
1923. (Mimeographed.)
------------ D iv is io n o f N e g r o E c o n o m ic s .
Negro migration in 1916-17; reports by R. H. Leavell, T. R. Snavely, T.
J. Woofter, W. T. B. Williams, and Francis D. Tyson, with an introduc
tion by J. II. Dillard. Washington, 1919. 158 pp.
V an
Reports on negro migration in general and from Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and Geor
gia. Gives material on the causes of migration, and economic conditions of the negro in industry.
d e G r a a f f , A. S.
Redistribution of the American negro.
Tuscaloosa, Ala., 1921.
15 pp.
Quoted in American Review of Reviews, January, 1922, pp. 95, 96.
W a l d r o n d , E. D.
The negro comes north.
New Republic, July 18, 1923, pp.
200 ,
201.
.A brief summary of the causes of negro migration.
■
----- Negro exodus from the South.
Current History of the New York Times, September, 1923, pp. 942-944.
A brief article outlining the causes of the 1916-17 movement. Gives statistics on the increase of
negro migrants by cities and by States.
W a s h i n g t o n , F. B.
Program of work for the assimilation of negro immigrants in northern cities.
( I n National Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1917, pp. 497503.)
Includes an article on Migration of negroes into northern cities, by George E. Haynes. Out
lines the program of the Detroit League on Urban Conditions among Negroes for the assimila
tion of negro immigrants in northern cities. Includes a discussion by conference members.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[229]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
230
W hy
the
N egroes
go
N orth.
Literary Digest, May 19, 1923, pp. 13, 14.
W o o d s o n , C. G.
Century of Negro Migration, Washington, Association for the Study of
Negro Life and History, 1918. vii, 221 pp.
Traces the history of negro migration down to the exodus during the World War. Includes
maps, diagrams, bibliography, and an index.
----- Negro in Our History.
393 pp.
Washington, Associated Publishers (Inc.), 1922.
See index under Migration of the negroes to the North.
Discusses briefly migration and its causes. Contains a reproduction, from the United States
Bureau of the Census, of a map of the United States showing percentage of negro population in the
United States in 1910, by counties.
W
oofter,
T. J.
Negro Migration: Changes in rural organization and population of the
cotton belt. New York, W. D. Gray, 1920. 195 pp.
Describes land tenure and organization of farm life in the cotton belt, and how this organiza
tion results in movements of the population. One chapter is devoted to city migration and
another to summing up the effects of migration. Bibliography given.
----- The negro on a strike.
Journal of Social Forces, November, 1923, pp. 84-88..
1he Health of the Negro
General References
W. A.
Better health and better homes for negroes by negroes.
Survey, May 15, 1915, vol. 34, pp. 158, 159.
Aery,
An article on what the negro has done, in cleaning up his community, combating tubercu
losis, and instituting cleanliness. Various agencies helping in this work are the schools, negro
physicians, and negro insurance companies.
L. C.
Negro health problem.
American Journal of Public Health, 1915, vol. 5, pp. 194-203.
B e r m a n , H. S.
An experience of eighteen months’ association and close observation in the
negro’s mental, physical, and moral activities compared to that of whites.
Journal of the Michigan Medical Societv, June, 1920, vol. 19, pp.
241-245.
B o y l e , E. M.
A comparative physical study of the negro.
Journal of the National Medical Association, 1912, vol. 4, pp. 124-130.
D o u g l a s , S. W.
Difficulties and superstitions encountered in practice among negroes.
Journal of the Arkansas Medical Societv, January, 1922, vol. 18, pp.
155-158.
Allen,
D o w lin g , O scar.
The negro as a health factor.
Texas State Journal of Medicine, January, 1916, vol. 2 , p. 470.
G r a v e s , M. L.
The negro, a menace to the health of the white race.
Southern Medical Journal, 1916, vol. 9, pp. 407-413.
H a y n e s , G. E.
Negro migration—its effect on family and community life in the north.
( I n National Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1924. Chicago,
1924, pp. 62-75.)
A large part of the article is devoted to causes of the migration, its extent and perma
nence, types of negroes who come, and the communities from which they come and to which
they go. The material on housing, health, and the death rate is excellent.
A. B.
Health question of the man next door.
New York Medical Journal, May 17, 1919, vol. 109, pp. 847-851.
—— The need of health education among negroes.
Opportunity, August, 1924, vol. 2 , pp. 235-237.
J ackson,
The question of the health of the negro is a national one and aflects the white man as seriously
it does the black man
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HEALTH OF THE NEGEO
231
J o h n s t o n , V. D.
A new estimate of negro health.
Opportunity, September, 1923, vol. 1, p. 27.
A review of the first statistical bulletin published by the North Carolina Mutual life Insur
ance Co.
T. J.
Negro population in the United States.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Sep
tember, 1913, vol. 49, pp. 1-9.
J ones,
Gives increase in the negro population between 1900 and 1910. Charts. Tables.
J. A.
Health problems of the negroes.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, March,
1911, vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 110-120.
K enney,
Shows what the negro is doing to raise the standards of health among his own people,
including the organizing of societies, lectures, individual work, and the establishment of
hospitals.
The same article is found in Journal of the National Medical Association, 1911, vol. 3,
pp. 127-135.
A. E.
Our Negro Population.
1913.
M a rtin ,
Kansas City, Franklin Hudson Publishing Co.,
“ Health and morals,” pp. 107-125. Based on a sociological study of 23,566 negroes in Kansas
City, Mo. includes mortality statistics, causes for the high death rate, birth statistics, and
moral conditions. Tables.
N i c h o l s , F. O.
Aim and scope of social hygiene.
Opportunity, April, 1923, vol. 1 , pp. 8-10.
Shows how the negro is following the instinct of self-preservation through education, environ
ment, legislation, recreation, and protective social and medical measures.
P hysiq ue
of
N egro W o m en.
Opportunity, May, 1923, vol. 1, p. 22.
An editorial on the physical condition and comparative development of the colored woman teach
ers of West Virginia.
R o m a n , C. V.
Negro health problems.
University of Cincinnati Medical Bulletin, 1920-1922, vol. 1, pp. 53-55.
S n y d e r , J. R.
Problem of the negro child.
Southern Medical Journal, January, 1923, vol. 1G, pp. 8-11.
T a y l o r , J. M.
The negro and his health problems.
Medical Record, 1912, vol. 82, pp. 513-515.
U n ited Sta te s.
D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r .
Negro migration in 1916-17.
D iv is io n o f N e g ro E c o n o m ic s .
Washington, 1919, pp. 143-145.
In the section on health of the migrants tells of the introduction by employers of physical exam
inations of Degro applicants, and gives the death rate for negroes in Pittsburgh during the first seven
months of 1917 as 55 per cent higher than the birth rate, while for the city population as a whole the
number of deaths was 30 per cent less than the number of births.
W ilso n , R obert.
Real effects of civilization upon the negro.
Journal of Sociologic Medicine, February, 1918, vol. 19, pp. 19-38.
The Negro in the City
W. F.
A southern health officer on the negro health problem in cities.
Survey, April 17, 1915, vol. 34, p. 67.
Brenner,
Plea of a health officer in Savannah, Ga., that the white man give the negro a fair deal. The
author believes the high rate of crime and of death from tuberculosis among negroes to he due
to overcrowding in cities.
J. W.
The making of Harlem.
Survey, March 1 , 1925, vol. 53, pp. 635-639.
J ohnson,
A history and description of Harlem, New York. An article interesting for reading rather
than for study.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[231]
MONTHLY LABOE. REVIEW
232
E. K.
The negro’s struggle for health.
Opportunity, June, 1923, vol. 1, pp. 4—8.
J o n es,
The negro in Africa and during slavery was comparatively healthy. With the movement
to the cities tuberculosis and rickets made great inroads on the race. His problem thus has
been to learn “ to live in the city.” But the general physical condition of the negro is improv
ing, and the race will increase in population. Many statistics.
The. same article will be found in Proceedings of the National Conference of Social Work,
1923, pp. 68-72; also in Hospital Social Service, September, 1923, vol. 8, pp. 126-136.
H. R. M.
Negro health problem in cities.
Ohio State Medical Journal, March, 1916, vol. 12, pp. 173-175.
L a n e , W. D.
Ambushed in the city.
Survey, March 1, 1925, vol. 53, pp. 692-694.
L a n d is ,
An article about Harlem, New York, containing information on high rents, overcrowding,
bad drug stores, “ hooch,” quack doctors, and the death rate and diseases of the negro.
N a t io n a l L e a g u e o n U r b a n C o n d it i o n s A m o n g N e g r o e s .
Report, 1912-13; Announcement, 1913-14. ( I n i ts Bulletin, November,
1913, vol. 3, pp. 1-30.)
O’K e l l y , H. S.
Sanitary Conditions Among the Negroes of Athens, Ga.
Georgia, 1918.
University of
Contains the reports of the city bacteriologist, the sanitary inspector, andithe secretary of the
board of health, besides material on housing and mortality.
Housing
S. P.
Color line in the housing problem.
Survey, February 1, 1913, vol. 29, pp. 575, 576.
B r e c k in r i d g e ,
C h ic a g o
Describes the high rents, insanitary quarters, and immoral neighborhood which the negro
renter faces.
C o m m is s io n o n R a c e R e l a t i o n s .
The negro housing problem.
( I n The Negro in Chicago.
Chicago, University of Chicago Press,
1922, pp. 152-230.)
Valuable material on overcrowding and insanitary conditions.
B. G.
The negroes of Lynchburg, Virginia. Charlottesville, Va., 1923.
Stokes fellowship papers. University of Virginia.)
C h il d ,
(Plrelps-
“ The economic status of the Lynchburg negroes,” pp. 39-57. Excelllent material on over
crowding, water supply and plumbing, mortality, infant mortality, and health.
C o m st o c k , A. P.
Chicago housing conditions; The problem of the negro.
American Journal of Sociology, September, 1912, vol. 18, pp. 241-257.
Result of a house-to-house canvass in seven blocks of Chicago’s black belt.
housing, sanitary conditions, lighting, and rents. Map. Tables.
D
Information on
E. F.
A negro city in New York.
Outlook, December 23, 1914, vol. 108, pp. 949-954.
yckoff,
Reviews housing from an economic and social point of view.
The same article appears in the Papers of the American Negro Academy for 1915.
E p s t e in , A b r a h a m .
The Negro Migrant in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh, 1918.
General conditions among negro migrants in Pittsburgh, pp. 7-18. Report based on the result
of over 500 answers to questionnaires, and visits and study of almost every negro quarter in the city.
Special stress is laid on high rents and the number of persons per room. Tables. Graphs.
G i l b e r t , J. W.
City housing of negroes in relation to health.
( I n Southern Sociological Congress.
The New Chivalry—Health.
[Nashville], 1915, pp. 405-411.)
Takes up the subject of bad housing in relation to disease. Home ownership tends to
improve health and lower the death rate. A plea for better living conditions for the negro
from the viewpoints of health, economics, and public conscience.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[232]
HEALTH OF THE NEGRO
H
233
G. E.
Conditions among negroes in the city.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
September, 1913, vol. 49, pp. 105-119.
aynes,
Shows migration and segregation of negroes in cities with the attending evils of bad housing
and bad morals.
The same or a similar article appears in the Southern Sociological Congress. Battling for
Social Settlement. Nashville, 1914, pp. 120-131.
H
P roblem
o using
of -
W ashington.
Outlook, April 25, 1914, vol. 106, pp. 877, 878.
Editorial on the high death rate in Washington, D. C., which is attributed to the crowding of
negroes in alleys.
E. D.
Urban conditions in Harlem.
Outlook, March 10, 1915, vol. 109, p. 597.
J ones,
A letter pointing out several inaccuracies in the article “ A negro city in New York, ” by E.
F. Dyckoff, which appeared in the Outlook, December 23, 1914, vol. 108, pp. 949-954.
L ease
of
N ew L ife
in
N egro C ountry H
omes.
Survey, August 30, 1913, vol. 30, pp. 657, 658.
Shows the improvement in negro homes as a result of the schools of Macon County, Ala., where
the gospel of the toothbrush and soap and water has made itself felt. Investigation was made
by Tuskegee Institute. For the work taught in the school see Survey, March, 1913, vol. 29, p. 837.
A. L.
Where negroes live in Philadelphia.
Opportunity, May, 1923, vol. 1, pp. 10-15.
M anly,
Based on the reports of the survey of the W'hittier Center and the Philadelphia Housing
Commission, 1921. The report contains descriptions of overcrowding, taking in of lodgers,
insanitary living conditions, and high rents.
A. E.
Our Negro Population.
1913.
M a rtin ,
Kansas Citv, Franklin Hudson Publishing Co.,
“ The housing conditions,” pp. 86-107. The result of a sociological study of the negroes of
Kansas City, Mo., covering 23,566 negroes. Contains information on overcrowding, high
rents, lack of sanitary conveniences, and cleanliness. Table.
M i s s o u r i . N e g ro i n d u s t r i a l C o m m is s io n .
Housing conditions among negroes in Kansas City.
{ I n i ts Semiannual report, January 1-July 1 , 1921, pp. 18-33.)
Investigations and reports founded upon the work of the Community Service Urban League
of Kansas City, Mo. Tables. Diagrams.
------------ Biennial report, 1921-1922.
Jefferson City, [1922?].
84 pp.
Contains much information on poor housing as well as on oiher subjects.
Reviewed in M onthly Labor R eview, June, 1923, pp. 35-37.
M odel H
o u s i n g as a
C ollege C o u r se.
Survey, September 13, 1913, vol. 30, pp. 715-717.
Plan of Paine College, Augusta, Ga., to build small houses to be rented at low rates and yet yield
10 per cent gross on the Investment. Good housing and living as taught in the settlement and practi
cally applied would become a part of the school curriculum.
S. T.
Standard of living among one hundred negro migrant families in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, 1921. 50 pp.
M ossell,
Founded on the negro migrations of 1916,1917, 1918. The article is concerned primarily with
occupations, budgets, and economics. The material on housing and food is excellent.
N a tional L e a g u e
on
U r b a n C o n d itio n s A mong N e g r o e s .
Housing conditions among negroes in Harlem, New York City.
tin, January, 1915, vol. 4, 29 pp.)
(I t s
Bulle
Report of an investigation made through the housing bureau of the league. Four conclu
sions: The negro attempts to maintain a higher standard of living than his economic op
portunities allow; municipal indifference is shown toward negro districts; good and bad elements
of negro population are mixed indiscriminately in tenement houses; and high rents and the
lodger evil and the size of the house are interrelated.
N egro H
ousing
St u d y .
Buffalo Foundation Forum, May, 1921, pp. 8-11.
N e g r o M i g r a n t s i n P h i l a d e l p h i a i n 1923.
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , November, 1924, pp. 54, 55.
Based on the 1923 annual report of the Philadelphia Housing Association. Some remarks on over
crowding with the usual resulting sickness, especially the smallpox increase of 1923.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[233]
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW
234
N egro M ig r a t io n s and M ig r a n t s .
M o n t h l y L a bo r R e v ie w , January, 1922, p p . 4 2 -4 8 .
Based on two studies, Negro migration: Changes in rural organization and population of the
cotton belt, by T. J. Woofter, and The standard of living among one hundred negro migrant
familiesin Philadelphia, by S. T. Mossell. The summary of the first study is mostly economic, but
a brief survey of housing and the agencies needful to remedy conditions is given in the second
summary.
N egroes
of
B uffalo, T h e .
Survey, October 22, 1921, vol. 47, p. 118.
A short but excellent article on negro housing in Buffalo, N. Y. Based on the records of 429
families, and differing from most surveys in that no great overcrowding was found and conditions
were better than had been expected.
B. J.
The housing of negro migrants in Pennsylvania.
Opportunity, February, 1924, vol. 2 , pp. 46, 47.
N ew man,
An address given before the Pennsylvania Board of Health on overcrowding and high rents.
R. E.
Negro home life and standards of living.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Sep
tember, 1913, vol. 49, pp. 147-163.
P ark,
The negro farmer, and his requirements for happiness, as well as the negro artisan and
professional man, are considered. Much of the article considers the economic point of view,
but the sociologic student will find much of interest also, especially the table of a month’s
ration for one farmer.
P e n d l e t o n , H. B.
Cotton pickers in northern cities.
Survey, February 17, 1917, vol. 37, pp. 569-571.
A n article on the negro migration to the north, the bad housing conditions awaiting the negro
migrant, and the resulting pneumonia and sickness.
P h i l a d e l p h i a H o u s i n g C o m m is s io n .
The Housing of the City Negro, by B. J. Newman.
Philadelphia, [1915?].
Based on a survey of 1,158 negro homes made by the Whittier Center for the Philadelphia
Housing Commission. Detailed information on sanitary arrangements with table of same. A sec
tion is devoted to the lodger evil. The conclusion is that negro housing does net differ from the
housing of any other race. The blame for conditions found is put chiefly upon the city itself. The
need to take care of the single lodger and the necessity of having good houses to be rented at low
rates are shown.
R eed , R uth.
The negro women of Gainesville, Georgia.
Athens, Ga., 1921. 61 pp.
Deals with all phases of the negro woman question, but has much to say on living conditions and
health.
T r a w ic k , A. M.
Lack of proper home life among negroes.
( I n Southern Sociological Congress.
Nashville, 1914, pp. 111-120.)
U
n it e d
Battling for Social Betterment.
The author is interested chiefly in the negro who lives in the alley or back yard. He pic
tures the lack for both children and adults of everything that makes a dwelling a home. The
article is extremely interesting, but contains few facts.
S t a t e s . D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r . D iv is io n o f N e g ro E c o n o m ic s .
Negro migration
in 1 9 1 6 -1 7 .
Washington,
1919.
Descriptions of the labor camps of the different railroads and corporations, and community
housing in cities, pp. 145-149.
Living conditions in the North, pp. 22-24.
------------ W o m e n ’s B u r e a u .
Negro women in industry, by E, L. Shields. Washington, 1922. ( I t s Bui.
No. 20.)
"Virginia home study,” pp. 55-65. Survey based on visits to 85 homes of negro women, giving
hours of work, living conditions, age at beginning work, and home responsibilities resulting
in overwork.
W h a t C a n b e D o n e ri o I m p r o v e
N egro P o pu la tio n ?
the
L iving C o nd itio n s
of
B a l t i m o r e ’s
Baltimore Municipal Journal, March 16, 1917, vol. 5, p. 1.
T. J.
Thg negroes of Athens, Georgia. Athens, Ga., The Lbniversity, 1913.
W oofter,
62 pp.
First few pages contain information on overcrowding, water supply, sanitary conditions, filth, and
exploitation of the negro.
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[234]
HEALTH
OF
THE
NEGBO
235
Public Health
A
ery
, W . A.
Public health work of the Negro Organization Society.
Survey, November, 1913, vol. 31, p. 110.
B a r d in , J a m e s.
Some public health aspects of race relationships in the South.
{ I n Lectures and addresses on the negro in the South. Charlottesville,
Va., 1915, pp. 70-83. (Phelps-Stokes fellowship papers. University
of Virginia.)
'■
Written on the assumption that the negro race is inferior, antisocial, and lacking in
adaptability. Nevertheless, what the writer has to say on diseases, including insanity,
tuberculosis, and syphilis, and the resulting economic waste is excellent. Though he believes
the negro race to be doomed to degeneracy he believes the white man to be responsible for
the negro’s health, which at present is a menace to the whole country.
B o nd, J am es.
■
Work of the United States Public Health Service with negroes.
Opportunity, February, 1923, vol. 1, pp. 12, 13.
Gives some interesting figures of the United States Public Health Service, with information
. about the agencies through which the work is conducted.
P. M.
Colored child welfare stations in Kansas City.
Child Health Magazine, September, 1924, vol. 5, pp. 381-383,
D
acey,
D
o w l in g ,
O scar.
The negro and public health.
{ I n Southern Sociological Congress.
Nashville, 1912, pp. 212-216.)
The Call of the New South.
An address by the president of the Board of Health of Louisiana. Traces the poor health
of the negro to his poverty, irresponsibility, and lack of social conscience, and offers some
practical advice for bettering affairs.
D
oyle,
A.
Rural nursing among negroes.
Public Health Nurse, December, 1920, vol. 12, pp. 981-985.
E s h l e m a n , F., and D a n n e n b e r g , M. L.
Tuberculosis training for colored student nurses.
Public Health Nurse, June, 1923, vol. 15, pp. 301-303.
F i s c h e r , W. A., and B r e e d , D. E.
Negro health week in Texas.
Survey, October 16, 1920, vol. 45, pp. 100, 101.
Gives the program for the negro health week in Texas, showing the eagerness of ail classes
of negroes to help. Some statistics.
M. L.
Practical remedial measures for the improvement of hygienic conditions of
the negroes in the South.
American Journal of Public Health, 1915, vol. 5, pp. 212-217.
G r a v es,
H ealth
of the
N
egro.
Survey, July 19, 1919, vol. 42, pp. 596, 597.
An editorial on a symposium held in Cincinnati to consider the health of the negro. Much is said
about the high death rate of negroes in Cincinnati, and a plan for a community health center as
proposed by the city health officer is given.
J a c k so n , A. B .
The need of health education among negroes.
{ I n National Conference of Social Work.
266-270.)
Proceedings, 1924, pp.
An explanation of the need of health work among negroes and a plea for the same. An
interesting account of the negro’s fitness as shown by the draft. The result of health ques
tionnaires sent to colored colleges on health examinations for entrance will be of value
to the sociological student.
E. K.
Life saving by negroes.
Survey, June 12, 1920, vol. 44, p. 381.
Jo n es,
Four paragraphs on the various means used by New York, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta in con
ducting negro health campaigns.
J o n e s , S. B .
Fifty years of negro public health.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Sep
tember, 1913, vol. 49, pp. 138-146.
Traces health of the negro from the days of slavery to the date of the article. Civilization
is having a deteriorating effect upon the negro, but there are agencies counteracting its
effect; many problems, however, remain to be solved.
74735®—26t-----16
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M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW
J. A.
How Tuskegee Institute is promoting better health conditions in the South.
Modern Medicine, 1919, vol. 1, pp. 627-630.
K enney,
L e e , L.
The negro as a problem in public health charity.
American Journal of Public Health, 1915, vol. 5, pp. 207-211.
M a r h in e r , J. L.
Public health nurses of the negro race in Alabama; their place in the public
health program of the State.
Public Health Nurse, June, 1923, vol. 15, pp. 304-307.
M e y e r s , S . B.
The negro problem as it appears to a public health nurse.
American Journal of Nursing, 1918-19, vol. 19, pp. 278-281.
N
ew
Y ork C it y .
N
ic h o l s,
D e p a r tm e n t o f H e a lth .
Health campaign among negroes.
p. 105.
Weeklv Bulletin, April 7, 1917, vol. 6,
F . O.
Opportunities and problems of public health nursing among negroes.
Public Health Nurse, March, 1924, vol. 16, pp. 121-123.
----- Some public health problems of the negro.
Social Hygiene, January, 1921, vol. 7, pp. 41-47.
Morals and health are closely interwoven. The colored man’s religion, because of its emotion
alism, is often not practical. Venereal diseases are more frequent among the negroes than among the
white people. The cause of this state of affairs lies in the home life of the negro and the public school.
Among educated negroes children are few. Health embraces spiritual and moral, as well as physical
aims, and the colored race is an inviting field for the forces of social betterment.
U n it e d S t a t e s . T r e a s u r y D e p a r tm e n t.
P u b lic H e a lth S e rv ic e.
National negro health week.
See the Public Health Reports for the various years. The article is practically the same for the
different years, consisting of a list of diseases to which the negro is susceptible and their remedies.
In the report for March 18, 1921, pp. 559-561, the daily program for health week is given. Also
issued in reprints.
W e r t e n b a k e r , C. P.
My experiences in organizing negro antituberculosis leagues.
{ I n Southern Sociological Congress. The Call of the New South.
Nashville, 1912, pp. 216-220.)
A brief history of the founding of the first State antituberculosis league in Savannah, Ga.
what it aimed to do, and what was actually accomplished.
T. J.
Organization of rural negroes for public health work.
{ I n National Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1923, pp.
72-75.)
W OO FTER,
Difficulties in public health work among negroes are ignorance of the negro and lack of
organizations for spreading the health message. Agencies which should help in the work
are farm and demonstration agents, rural teachers, the southern employer, and the colored
county nurse.
Recreation
F o x , G e n e v ie v e .
Norfolk considers its colored citizens.
The Playground, February, 1923, vol. 16, pp. 540, 541.
An article on a $5,000 fund voted by Norfolk, Va., for a community health and recreation
center. The center includes a clinic- operated by colored physicians, and treating an average
of 300 cases per month.
J a r v is , W a l t e r .
Indianapolis provides for its colored citizens.
The Playground, February, 1923, vol. 16, pp. 541, 542.
A description of Douglass Park, with the various kinds of apparatus and swimming pool,
which it contains.
S e t t l e , T. S.
Recreation for colored citizens, needs and methods.
The Playground, January, 1925, vol. 18, pp. 597, 598.
T r a w ic k , A. M.
The play life of boys and girls.
{ I n Southern Sociological Congress. Democracy in Earnest.
ville, 1918, pp. 354-362.)
Nash
Tells what the various cities are doing as to games and playgrounds, but shows the great
need remaining.
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H E A L T H OF T H E NEGRO
237
Diseases
A tlanta
F ig h t s
the
W h it e
P lague.
Opportunity, May, 1923, vol. 1, pp. 20, 21.
A description of the fight against tuberculosis waged through 14 of the public schools in Atlanta,
Ga.
B o a s , E.
P.
Relative prevalence of syphilis among negroes and whites.
Social Hygiene, September, 1915, vol. 1, pp. 610-616.
Statistics of syphilis are very hard to gather and unreliable, but figures for various forms of
syphilis in negroes and comparison with the same for white people are given, as they indicate
the relative incidence of the disease in the two races. From hospital and army statistics it
appears that syphilis is two and a half times as frequent in negroes as in whites. Accurate
statistics as to venereal diseases are, however, lacking.
B u r r e l l , W. P.
Colored Anti-Tuberculosis League, Richmond branch.
Hampton Bulletin, September, 1910, vol. 6, pp. 51-57.
Tells of the work done by the league, including the various agencies assisting in the work.
H. G.
Tuberculosis among the negroes.
{ I n National Tuberculosis Association.
York, 1921, pp. 226-233.)
C arter,
Transactions, 1920.
New
Tuberculosis is a disease of civilization, eradicated by a high standard of living. The negro
is especially susceptible to the disease, but the negro of mixed blood shows greater resistance
to the malady than the pure negro. A large part of the article is concerned with tuber
culosis from the medical viewpoint, but the discussion vzhich follows the article will be of
interest to everyone.
A n t i- T u b e r c u l o s is L e a g u e o f V ir g in ia .
C olored
First annual report, by G. J. Bowens.
Hampton Bulletin, September, 1910, vol. 6, pp. 63-66.
A history of the founding of the league, including also a history of the Antituberculosis League
of Portsmouth, Va.
W. A.
Crusade against the white plague in Norfolk, Va.
Hampton Bulletin, September, 1910, vol. 6, pp. 57-62.
D rake,
Description of the antituberculosis work in Norfolk, Including the registration law and the
clinic in Norfolk exclusively for colored people. The league is a white organization, but aids
in fighting tuberculosis among negroes.
E s h l e m a n , F., and D a n n e n b e r g , M. L.
Tuberculosis training for colored student nurses.
Public Health Nurse, June, 1923, vol. 15, pp. 301-303.
G a r v i n , C. H.
Negro health.
Opportunity, November, 1924, vol. 2, pp. 341, 342.
A discussion of the diseases to which the negro is susceptible. Optimistic as to the future. *
C. R.
Racial characteristics as the cause of the large death rate from tuberculosis
among negroes.
{ I n National Tuberculosis Association. Transactions, 1923-1924.
New York, pp. 203-206.)
G randy,
H
am pto n
The result of six years’ observation during which time the records of colored people were
kept separately from those of white people. The same work relatively was done for both
races, but the improvement in the white race was greater than in the colored race. Large
death rate among negroes felt to be due to a racial lack of resistance, due to short contact with
the disease, rather than to bodily weakness or manner of living.
N o r m a l a n d A g r ic u l t u r a l I n s t i t u t e .
Antituberculosis league, Portsmouth, Va.
{ I n Hampton Bulletin, October, 1912, vol. 8, p. 59.)
Gives report of the league for the year ending June 30, 1912, including such information as
number of eases treated and homes visited.
H e s s , A. F., and U n g e r , L. J.
Diet of the negro mother in New York City.
Journal of the American Medical Association, March 30, 1918, vol.
70, p. 900.
An article interesting on the whole only to the medical student. Conclusion is that prev
alence of rickets among negroes may be due to a change from a vegetable diet in Africa to a
meat diet in America.
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238
H
M ONTHLY
LABOR
R E V IE W
G. W.
The prevalence of contagious and infectious diseases among negroes, and
the necessity of preventative measures.
( I n Southern Sociological Congress. The Human Way. Nashville,
1913, pp. 55-61;)
ubbard,
Written by the dean of Meharry Medical College. Traces the prevalence of disease among
negroes to ignorance, poverty, environment, the migration to the city, and superstition. A
section of two pages of practical remedies is given.
Hu beard, K a te.
Are there any blind black babies?
Survey, April 15, 1924, vol. 52, pp. 91-93.
Result of inquiries among physicians in the State of Mississippi. Only 30 cases of blindness
were reported by the whole State, and practically no negro children were blind as a result of
preventable infection at birth.
R. L.
Syphilis and tuberculosis in the negro race.
Texas State Journal of Medicine, January, 1924, pp. 495-498. ;
L a n d i s , H. R. M.
The clinic for negroes at the Henry Phipps Institute.
(In
National Tuberculosis Association. Transactions, 1921, pp.
429-438.)
K eller,
An account of the hiring of a colored nurse and doctor in the Whittier Center, Philadelphia,
and of the handling of syphilis patients and undernursed children. According to the article
the system may come to be regarded as a model in places having a concentrated colored popu
lation. A discussion follows the article, and in this discussion the work of clinics in Norfolk,
Va., Newark, N. J., and other cities is given. Table.
—-— Tuberculosis problem of the negro.
Virginia Medical Monthly, January, 1923, vol. 49, pp. 561-566.
L o v e , A. C., and D a v e n p o r t , C. B.
A comparison of white and colored troops in respect to incidence of disease.
( I n National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings, 1919. Washing
ton, 1919, vol. 5, pp. 58-67.)
N egro
A report by members o’i the Sanitary Corps, United States Army, based upon analysis of
over 15,000 colored soldiers admitted on sick report, Covers diseases more common to the
black man than to the white man—those due to lack of acquired immunity, and to lack of
natural resistance, and venereal diseases—and diseases less common to the black man. Con
cludes that the negro is more susceptible to diseases of the lungs and pleura but less sus
ceptible to diseases of the skin, mouth, and throat. Over six pages of tables.
Brief reviews of this article are given in Journal of the AmericanMedical Association, May
17,1919, vol. 72, pp. 1468-1469, and Literary Digest, June 14, 1919, vol. 61, p. 23.
P h y s i c ia n s o f B a l t im o r e .
Opportunity, May, 1923. vol. 1, p. 21.
,
Shows the increase since 1882 among negroes in employing fully qualified negro physicians.
N
ew
Y ork C it y .
D e p a r tm e n t o f H e a lth .
Illness census of the city of New York, by S. W. Wynne.
( I n i ts Monthly Bulletin, January, 1918, pp. 1-17.)
Result of a survey by the health department in New York City, February, 1917, of two of
the most populous districts. Statistics of population, by age groups, amount, cause, and
duration of illness, class of treatment, degree of incapacity, the feeding of infants, and a discus
sion of remedies. Tables.
N e w Y o r k C it y T u b e r c u l o s i s A s s o c ia t io n .
Tuberculosis among the colored people in New York City. ( I t s Bulletin, Sep-
tember-October, 1921.)
An abstract of this bulletin, with table of statistics from 1910 to 1920, will be found in the
American Review of Tuberculosis, December, 1921, vol. 5, p. 214.
R ic k e t s a n d t h e R a c e .
Opportunity, May, 1923, vol. 1, p. 2.
An editorial on the causes and prevalence of rickets among negroes.
S l o a n , M. F.
Urgent need of hospital facilities for tuberculous negro.
Southern Medical Journal, August, 1917, vol. 10, p. 654.
S p i n g a r n , A. B.
Venereal diseases among negroes.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.
ceedings, 1919, pp. 299-312.
Pro
Treats of venereal diseases as they affect colored troops. Shows how the diseaseshouidbe
combated and the danger of allowing conditions to remain as they are.
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H E A L T H OF T H E NEGRO
and K i n g e r y , L. B.
Syphilis in the negro.
j ^
American Journal of Syphilis, July, 1919, vol. 3, p. 384.
T h o m psen, L loyd,
-«? /
'!
‘
A summary of fragmentary studies of syphilis among negroes) published by medical men
A brief survey of the article is given in Social Hygiene, October, 1919, vol. 5, pp. 629,630.
T u b e r c u l o s is a n d E n v ir o n m e n t .
Opportunity, March, 1924, vol. 2, p. 68.
An editorial on an observation by Dr. H. B. Jacobs that while the death rate of negroesdn
Baltimore exceeds that of whites, tuberculosis seems to be confined to certain districts. Where there
is overcrowding there is tuberculosis regardless of race.
.
■i .
U n i t e d S t a t e s . D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r .
D iv is io n o f N e g ro E c o n o m ic s .
Negro migration in 1916-17.
-----
Washington, 1919.
Pellagra as' an index to hunger wages, pp. 26, 27. Shows that increases in pellagra coincide with
business depression and poor crops.
T r e a s u r y D e p a r tm e n t. P u b lic H e a lth S e rv ic e.
Anti-venereal-disease and sex-hygiene program for colored populations,
by R. C. Brown. Public Health Reports. Reprint No. 542, pp. 15871593.
Report of the United States Surgeon General, 1918, showed venereal diseases to be more than
twice as prevalent among negroes as among whites. Remedies offered include1a community
“ clean-up,” establishment of laws, education, and the help of the trained social; worker. Map.
W e r t e n b a k e r , C. B.
My experience in organizing negro antituberculosis leagues.
{ I n Southern Sociological Congress. The Call of the New South.
Nashville, 1912, pp. 216-220.)
A brief history of the founding of the first State antituberculosis league at Savannah, Ga.;
what it aimed to do, and what was actually accomplished.
W h er e N egroes A re I m m une.
Literary Digest, February 18, 1922, vol. 72, p. 62.
The negro is comparatively immune from measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, and diseases hav
ing definite skin manifestations, and his metabolism is much better than that of the white man.
W i l l i a m s , F. C.
Health work among negroes in North Carolina. North Carolina Tuberculosis
Association Sanatorium.
Economic Waste
B a r d in , J a m e s.
Some public health aspects of race relationships in the South.
{ I n Lectures and addresses on the negro in the South. Charlottesville,
1915, pp. 70-83. (Phelps-Stokes fellowship papers. University of
Virginia.))
Information on diseases, including insanity, tuberculosis, and syphilis. The writer
believes the white man to be responsible for the negro’s health, which at present is a menace
to everyone.
N e g r o Y e a r B o o k . Tuskegee, Ala., Negro Year Book Publishing Co.
See the various yearbooks for graphs on the waste to the country through the sickness of negroes.
W o r k , M. N.
The South and the health of negroes.
{ I n Southern Sociological Congress. The New Chivalry—Health.
Nashville, 1915, pp. 412-421.)
A veryi nteresting article showing the economic waste to the country through sickness and
preventable deaths. The author has translated the facts into figures and comparisons.
W r ig h t ,
R. R.
Health the basis of racial prosperity.
{ I n Southern Sociological Congress. The New Chivalry—Health.
Nashville, 1915, pp. 437-446.)
Discusses how prosperity rests upon health, the inferiority of the negro in comparison with
the white man in this regard, and the economic wAste to the country as a whole because of
sickness among negroes. Many figures.
M ortality
A bbo tt, G race.
Methods by which children’s health may be improved.
Opportunity, January, 1924, vol. 2, pp. 10, 11.
A comparison between colored and white infant mortality, with some discussion of causes.
B ea les,
L. V.
Negro enumeration of 1920; a reply to Dr. Kelly Miller.
Scientific Monthly, 1922, vol. 14, pp. 352-360.
[239]
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240
M ONTHLY
B r o a d e n in g
the
L if e S p a n
of th e
LABOR
R E V IE W
A m e r ic a n N e g r o .
Metropolitan Life Statistics Bulletin, September, 1923, pp. 1-3.
D u b l i n , L. I.
Effect of health education on negro mortality.
Opportunity, August, 1924, vol. 2, p. 232.
Facts presented are based on the 2,000,000 negroes insured in the Metropolitan Life Insurance
Co. Gives decrease in death rate, with specific reference to certain diseases.
----- The effect of health education on negro mortality as shown by the Metro
politan Life Insurance Co.’s figures.
( I n National Conference of Social Work. Proceedings, 1924, pp. 274-279.)
Evidently the full article from which the above is taken. In health the negroes are only a genera
tion behind the white people. The mortality increases and decreases for different diseases are given,
with some comment on causes, and the difference for various cities and districts noted.
—— Mortality Statistics of Insured Wage-Earners and their Families.
politan Life Insurance Co., 1919.
Metro
Scattered data on negro mortality are given throughout the book, and tables and charts, which are
numerous, generally give figures for colored people. Invaluable for a comparison of the two races.
• -- Recent Changes in Negro Mortality. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., 1924.
Facts presented are based on almost 2,000,000 negro men, women, and children of all ages.
statistics for specific diseases and increase or decrease.
Gives
• -- Recent improvement in the negro’s mortality.
Opportunity, April, 1923, vol. 1, pp. 5-8.
The death rate of the negro has been decreasing for every age of life. Discussion of the different
diseases to which the negro is susceptible, and their bearing upon the death rate. Based upon a
1920 address of Dr. Dublin.
------Reduction in Mortality Among Colored Policyholders. Metropolitan Life
Insurance Co., 1920.
■
----- Some observations on the mortality of negroes in America.
Economic World, September 13, 1924, vol. 28, pp. 384-386.
E p s t e in , A br ah am .
The negro migrant in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh, 1918.
Health study, pp. 54-64. Contains material gathered from the city health department, and records
of hospitals and coroners’ offices. Covers mortality, morbidity, births, infant mortality, and
remedial measures for infant mortality taken by the New York Bureau of Child Hygiene.
H i l l , J. A.
Recent northward migration of the negro.
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , March, 1924, pp. 1-14.
Discusses the death rate of negroes in the north as compared with the birth rate. Statistics
from 1914 to 1919 are given.
E. K.
Problems of the colored child.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,
November, 1921, vol. 98, pp. 142-147.
J o n es,
Contains about a page on infant mortality, with quotations of figures from the Metro
politan Life Insurance Co.
M il l e r , K e l l y .
Eugenics of the negro race.
Scientific Monthly, July, 1917, vol. 5, pp. 57-59.
Study of the number of children in the families of 55 colored teachers in Howard University.
Upper class of the race dying out unless reinforced from below.
M i n t o n , H . M.
The part the negro is playing in the reduction of mortality.
Hospital Social Service, July, 1924, vol. 10, pp. 10, 11.
N
egro
R ace N
ot
D
y in g
Out.
Literary Digest, November 17, 1923, vol. 79, p. 25.
Gives the increase in the life span of both men and women between 1911-1912 and 1922
of residence from south to north has bad little effect on these figures.
N e g r o ’s H e a l t h .
Change
Survey, January 29, 1921, vol. 45, pp. 637, 638.
Article is chiefly an excerpt from speech by W. D. Hill of the North Carolina insurance Co. Dis
cusses the high death rate of negroes, and suggests remedies, mostly suitable, however, for insurance
companies.
R i l e y , B. F.
Causes of unusual mortality among negroes.
( I n Southern Sociological Congress. The New Chivalry—-Health.
Nashville, 1915, pp. 385-392.)
Among the causes given are venereal diseases, stimulants, poor housing, and infant mor
tality. The article is mainly a plea for the negro.
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[240]
H E A L T H OF T H E NEGRO
241
C. Y.
Vitality of the negroes; comparison of death rate with that of whites.
Journal of the National Medical Association, 1910, vol. 2, p. 180.
Ross, M a r y .
Health hazards of being a negro.
Survey, September 15, 1923, vol. 50, pp. 617-619.
R om an,
Discussion of whether the negro can survive in America. Death rate, however, is declining,
and the diseases from which he suffers are due to the handicaps our social organization has
placed upon him, and can be conquered by education and improved living conditions.
The same article can be found in World’s Work, December, 1923, vol. 47, pp. 131, 132.
S t a t is t ic s o p M o r t a l it y , B i r t h , a n d S i c k n e s s .
{ I n Negro Year Book, 1921-22. Tuskegee, Ala., Negro Year Book Publish
ing Co., pp. 361-367.)
Gives causes, cost of sickness of negroes, and comparison with statistics of the white population.
Tables.
T annenbaum , F rank.
Darker Phases of the South.
G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1924.
Pp. 148-185. See pp. 164, 165 on fear of the whites of being outbred by negroes.
T r a s k , J. W.
Significance of the mortality rates of the colored population of the United
States.
American Journal of Public Health, March, 1916, vol. 6, pp. 254-264.
According to the author, while the death rate of the colored population is greater than the
death rate of whites, it is not greater than that of many European cities and countries, and
on the whole not discouraging. Tables.
U n i t e d S t a t e s . D e p a r tm e n t o f C o m m erce.
B u r e a u o f th e C e n su s.
Negroes of the United States. Washington, 1915. { I ts Bulletin No. 129.)
Mortality, pp. 43-46,194-203. Gives statistics for 1910 of deaths of negroes, with city, cause, and
effect of home ownership on the death rate. A comparison of the death rate and causes with that
of the white raceis made. On pp. 194-203 statistics of mortalityin 1900 and 1910 are given by States.
•------------------ Negro population, 1790-1915.
Washington, 1918.
See chapters on fertility and mortality, which contain valuable data on all phases of these subjects.
W h y N eg ro B a b ie s D i e .
Opportunity, July, 1923, vol. 1, pp. 195, 196.
Editorial on the comparative statistics of different racial groups. Many figures.
Intelligence
H. M.
What the Army intelligence tests measured.
Opportunity, July, 1924, vol. 2, pp. 197-202.
B ond,
Contends that Army or other tests, because of their limitations, are unreliable in estimating
the intelligence of the negro.
D e r r ic k , S . M .
A comparative study of the intelligence of 75 colored college students by the
Stanford revision of the Binet-Simon scale.
Journal of Applied Psychology, December, 1920, vol. 4, pp. 316-329.
Study made at the University of South Carolina. Purpose of the paper is to make a com
parison of two groups of students, white and colored, in regard to intelligence, correlation of
mental ability with school success and with environment, and differences in specific mental
traits. Bibliography.
F e r g u s o n , G. O.
Intelligence of negroes at Camp Lee, Virginia.
School and Society, June 14, 1919, vol. 9, pp. 721-726.
These tests were made on troops from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, but the
results were fairly typical of the whole army. A general description of the tests and results of
the same. A great difference in the score between white and colored literates, and littls
difference in the mechanical test for illiterates.
■
—•— Mental status of the American negro.
Scientific Monthly, June, 1921, vol. 12, pp. 533-543.
G a t e w o o d , E. L.
Teachers’ estimates of negroes and whites.
School and Society, January 18, 1919, vol. 9, pp. 90, 91.
Based on examination of 88 children i n a special school for backward and incorrigible children.
Each teacher was asked to give her estimate of the child’s ability when he entered the school
and at the end of the term or when he left the school. These results were then compared with
the results of individual diagnoses obtained by the Yerkes-Bridges point scale. A brief but
technical article.
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[241]
242
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW
E.
Comparison of races.
Scientific Monthly, March, 1925, vol. 20, pp. 248-254.
G regg, J.
An article on the fallacy of mental tests as an index to the intelligence of a race, as no race is
probably superior, though races are superior and inferior in various qualities. The comparisons
of grades of Hampton students, including honor students, according to skin color are interesting.
I n telligence
of
N egroes
as
C ompared
w ith
W h ites.
Current Opinion, November, 1921, vol. 71, pp. 640, 641.
The defective morality and instability of the negro is due to his lack of mentality; which will
never equal that of the white man. In his own field, however, the concrete, the practical, and the
tangible, he is superior to his white brother.
J o h n s o n , C. S.
Mental measurements of negro groups.
Opportunity, February, 1923, vol. 1, pp. 21-25.
An attempt to show the Unreliability of the tests of Dr. M. J. Mayo in New York City, 1913,
and the army tests in proving the mental inferiority of the negro.
.
H. H.
Race and mental tests.
Opportunity, March, 1923, vol. 1, pp. 22, 28.
L ong,
Admits that there is a difference between people in mentality and that tests are useful,
but objects to the far-reaching generalizations drawn from intelligence tests. Author believes
that we must either admit mysterious alteration in the biological heredity of races or concede
that environment is a sufficient cause for progress. Tables.
W. J.
Mental capacity of the American negro.
Archives of Psychology, November, 1913, No. 28.
M ayo,
Divided into six parts: Measurement of racial differences; data and methods; comparative
ages and time of attendance at school; comparative scholastic efficiency; educational signifi
cance of the data; and conclusion. The conclusion is that the average mental ability of the
white man is higher than that of the negr o, but not a great deal higher; and that mental varia
bility in the white race is somewhat more pronounced than in the colored race.
Also published in book form.
M
orse,
J o sia h .
Comparison of white and colored children measured by the Binet scale of
intelligence.
Popular Science Monthly, January, 1914, vol. 84, pp. 75-79.
Minute description of mental tests made on the school children of Columbia, S. C., with the
conclusion that negro children are younger mentally and different from white children.
H. W.
Negro children in the public schools of Philadelphia.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Sep
tember, 1913,-vol. 49, pp. 186-208.
Odum,
Study made by the Philadelphia Bureau of Municipal Research in the public schools of
the city, including all elementary schools, during the months from September, 1910, to
January, 1911, and subsequently. Gives figures on retardation of negroes as compared with
whites, ability in different studies, grades, tests of general intelligence, and tests of mental
processes. The conclusion is that the fundamental differences of the negro’s, mind must
be taken into consideration in any school system.
S. L., and T e t e r , G. F.
A comparison of colored and white children by means of a group scale of
intelligence.
Journal of Applied Psychology, September, 1919, vol. 3, pp. 277-282.
P ressey,
Tests included all children from the third through the twelfth grades in two schools for col
ored children with a study of the age-grade placement of these children. Ten tests of 20 items
each given. The paper discusses the following questions: How do colored children compare
with white, grade for grade and age for age? and do colored children show a distinctive make-up
of abilities? The conclusion is that colored children rate below white children and are different
in their abilities.
W. H.
Mind of the negro child.
School and Society, March 6, 1915, vol. 1, pp. 357-360.
P yle,
Tests based on examination of over 400 children in the public schools of Columbia, Mexico,
and Moberly, Mo. In general the mentality of negroes rated about two-thirds that of whites.
Note made of differences in mentality for sex, age, and social position. Excellent tables.
Graphs.
Southern
N egro
in
C leveland I n du str ies, T h e .
Monthly Labor Revie w , July, 1924, pp. 41-44.
A discussion based on an inquiry among 75 employers in the Greater Cleveland district, pub
lished by the Union Trust Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, and reprinted in The Economic World of
May 3,1924, as to whether the negro is limited in his capabilities, as a workman. The conclusion is
that the negro has not failed in any class of work in which he has been given a fair trial.
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[242]
HEALTH OF THE NEGRO
243'
M. J.
Intelligence tests and eugenics.
,
' "
Journal of Applied Sociology, June-Julv, 1922. 1
S tr o n g , A. G.
V
.
White and colored children as measured by the Binet-Simon scale of intel
ligence.
Pedagogical Seminary, December, 1913, vol. 20, pp. 485-515.
Stormzand,
■, ......
Tests made.on oyer 200(white and oyer 100 colored children by the University of. South Carolina, using the 1911 revision of the scale. . A large part of the article is devoted to a description
of the tests, and a discussion of their reliability. Conclusion is that colored children are younger
mentally than white children. Tables.
SUNNE, DAGNE.
Comparison of white and negro children in verbal and nonverbal tests.
School and Society, April 19, 1924, vol. 19, pp. 469-472.
Based on a survey of white and colored children, started in 1915, and.first reported in Journal
of Applied Psychology, March, 1917, vol. 1, pp. 71-83. Tests made according to the national
intelligence tests and Meyer’s mental measure. Tables.
E. L.
Intelligence scores of colored pupils in high schools.
School and Society, November 10, 1923, vol. 18, pp. 569, 570.
T h o rn d ik e,
Comparative measurements of colored and white pupils in the high schools of a large city
of the North Central Division. Examinations made by a composite standard educational
test. Table.
Psychology
B a r din , J ames.
The psychological factor in southern race problems.
Popular Science Monthly, October, 1913, vol. 83, pp. 368-374.
The negro’s peculiar mental characteristics will never be those of the white man, and all
progress will be made as a negro. He should thus be studied as a negro and not as a potential
white man.
F erguson,
G. O.
Psychology of the negro; an experim ental study.
Press, [1916],
New York, The Science
E. F.
Psychological factors in negro health.
Journal of Social Forces, March, 1925, vol. 3, pp. 488-490.
F ra zier,
An article relating to the ignorance and superstitions of the negro in regard to disease, and
the part fear and social repression play in the negro’s health.
C. V.
The negro’s psychology and his health.
{ I n National Conference of Social Work.
274.)
R oman,
Proceedings, 1924, pp. 270-
Brings out the following points: The negro is religious; he is more devoted to personality
than to principle; he has an inferiority complex; nature has built a splendid physiological
machine in the American negro, but he is the victim of had surroundings, the fault of the
American community; and the negro has as much racial worth as any other race.
Health Resources
R. A.
Training negro nurses.
Survey, March 26, 1921, vol. 45, pp. 926, 927.
D odd,
An article on what is being done to meet the need for colored trained nurses. Contains a
list of five schools offering training to which colored nurses are admitted.
F or
the
T r a inin g
of
N egro D octors.
Outlook, March 19, 1924, vol. 136, pp. 462-464.
An editorial on the ruling out of order in the Senate of an appropriation of $500,000 to the medi
cal school of Howard University.
H ospital M a in t a in ed
by
C olored R ace.
Modern Hospital, January, 1919, vol. 12, p. 43.
Editorial on the Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia.
H ospitals
and
N u rse T ra in in g S chools.
Negro Year Book, 1921-22, pp. 370—372.
Publishing Co.
Tuskegee, Ala., Negro Year Book
A list of hospitals and training schools arranged by States.
J. A.
Negro in medicine.
K enney,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Tuskegee Normal and Agricultural Institute, 1912.
[243]
244
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW
J. A.
Safeguarding maternity.
New Republic, March 9, 1921, vol. 26, p. 45.
K enney,
Letter by J. A. Kennedy, M. D., director of the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital,
Tuskegee Institute, Ala., on the work which Tuskegee Institute is doing for the midwives of
Alabama.
o p N e g k o D o c t o r s a n d N u r s e s .]
Editorial.
Survey, March 1, 1925, vol. 53, pp. 698, 699.
L a n d i s , H . R. M.
Colored physicians and colored nurses for colored patients.
{ I n National Tuberculosis Association. Transactions, 1916.
York, 1916, pp. 377-386.)
[ L a ck
New
An account of the health work for negroes in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. The dis
cussion following the article tells of similar work done in other cities, notably Atlanta, Balti
more, and Richmond, and includes discussion of such questions as the ability of colored nurses.
S. J.
The negro in the field of dentistry.
Opportunity, July, 1924, vol. 2, pp. 207-212.
L ew is,
A short history of negro dentistry, including restandardization of dental colleges, the develop
ment of the dental section of the National Medical Association, and the growth generally of
dentistry among the negro race.
M cM urdy, R obert.
Negro women as trained nurses in Chicago.
Survey, November 8, 1913, vol. 31, pp. 159-180.
Tells what is being done in Provident Hospital in Chicago, which has already graduated
over 100 colored nurses, and has 25 in training.
M ed ical T r a in in g
for
N egroes.
Outlook, July 4, 1923, vol. 134, p. 304.
An editorial on the need of negro doctors, dentists, and nurses, and training schools for the same
as pointed out by the Secretary of the Interior, Hubert Work.
M eh a r r y M edical C o l l e g e .
Opportunity, April, 1924, vol. 2, pp. 122, 123.
A brief history and description of a negro medical college.
N e g r o M e d i c a l As s o c i a t i o n .
Negro Year Book, 1921-22, p. 369.
Publishing Co.
Tuskegee, Ala., Negro Year Book
A list of negro medical associations, with names and degrees and addresses of the presidents
and secretaries, of same. Arranged according to State.
P r o v id en t H o spita l.
{ I n The Negro in Chicago. Chicago Daily
Statistical information about Provident Hospital'.
S c h olarsh ips
for
News, 1916. 31 pp.)
N egro M edical St u d e n t s .
School and Society, September 20, 1919, vol. 10, pp. 344, 345.
An editorial on six scholarships of $1,200 each to specially qualified negro medical students, by
Julius Rosenwald, of Chicago.
M. F.
Urgent need of hospital facilities for the tuberculous negro.
Southern Medical Journal, August, 1917, vol. 10, p. 654.
Sloan,
[S o c i a l A g e n c i e s
in
H
arlem
A id ing
in
P rogress
Survey, March 1, 1925, vol. 53, pp. 698, 699.
of
N e g r o e s .]
Editorial.
Amdng the social agencies described are the New York Urban League, the Henry Street visit
ing nurse service, and the Harlem tuberculosis committee of the New York Tuberculosis Associa
tion.
U n i t e d S t a t e s . D e p a r tm e n t o f th e I n te r io r . B u r e a u o f E d u c a tio n .
Negro education. { I t s Bui. No. 38, 1916.)
Hospitals and nurse training schools, p. 176. A brief survey of the founding of various negro
hospitals.
—— ------------ Negro education. { I t s Bui. No. 39, 1916.)
See index, under “ Medical schools,” or the name of the specific hospital or school wanted, for refer
ences on negro medical schools.
W h y N e g r o V e t e r a n s L a ck N e g r o D o c t o r s .
Outlook, July 18, 1923, pp. 396-398.
An article on the difficulties in establishing a veterans’ hospital controlled by negro nurses and
physicians in Tuskegee, Ala. Special stress is laid on the lack of skilled doctors among negroes.
W in n e r
of th e
S pingarn M ed a l.
Survey, February 20, 1915, vol. 33, p. 550.
A brief account of E. E. Just, winner of the Spingarn medal, and head of the department of
physiology at Howard University.
v
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[244]
L A B O R O R G A N IZA TIO N S A N D C O N G R ESSES
Membership of Employers’ and Workers’ Organizations in France,
January, 1925
«HE Bulletin du Ministère du Travail et de l’Hygiène (Paris)
July-September, 1925 (pp. 288, 289), gives the following
table, showing the membership of employers’ organizations
and trade-unions (,syndicats ) in France on January 1,°1924, and
January 1, 1925, and the number and membership, both of organiza
tions formed and of those dissolved during the year. These organiza
tions are grouped in 884 federations, 309 of which are employers’,
392 workers’, 7 mixed, and 176 agricultural.
T
JANUARY 1, 1925
January 1, 1924
Type of organization
Employers’ organizations.
Workers’ organizationsMixed (employers’ and workers’) organizations.
Agricultural organizations.
Total.
January 1, 19251
Number
of
organiza
tions
Number
of
members
Number
of
organiza
tions
6, 210
6,597
194
8,633
434, 833
1,804, 912
32,161
1,204, 946
6, 596
7,072
196
9, 041
496,360
1,846,047
32,331
1, 222, 534
21,634
3,476, 852
22,905
3, 597, 272
Number
of
members
1 welfth Congress of General Federation of German Trade-Unions
HE twelfth congress of the General Federation of German
Trade-Unions {AU gem einer D eutscher Gevierlcschaftsdbund ) was
held at Breslau from August 31 to September 5, 1925. Com
pared with the last congress at Leipzig, in 1922, which was attended
by about 800 delegates, the number of delegates present (313) was
rather small. Phis decrease in the number of delegates was due
not only to the heavy decrease in the membership of the federation
to 4,557,032, but also to new regulations for the election of delegates
which allowed only one delegate to every 10,000 members.
The International Federation of Trade-Unions of Amsterdam and
the central trade-union organizations of Austria, Czechoslovakia,
Denmark, Hungary, Latvia, Memel Territory, the Netherlands,
Poland, Rumania, Sweden, and Switzerland were also represented.
T
7,,i. V , i . .--- , -r , * i utopuati/, v iciiua, in uv . i, iyzo, pc
Office, Industrial and Labor Information, Geneva, Oct. 12, 1925, pp, 35-39.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[245]
245
246
M O N T H L Y LABOE REV IEW
Numerous representatives of the German Federal Government and
of the State governments, who had been invited by the directorate
of the federation, were also present.
In his report to the congress, the president of the federation
recalled the difficulties with which the federation had had to contend
since its last congress in 1922 and gave an account of the present
economic situation.
A report was submitted by Professor Hermberg on the economic
situation in Germany, in which he endeavored to show that the
present difficulties of the country were due not so much to shorter
hours of labor or wage increases as to methods of production and the
inadequacy of economic organization.
Mr. Hermann Midler submitted a report on social legislation in
Germany.
A brief summary of the more important resolutions adopted is
given below.
Wages.—The congress accused the German employers’ association
of causing extensive wage disputes, with disastrous results to German
industry, by the continuance of their wage policy. I t stated that
the real value of present-day wages of by far the greater part of
German labor is way below that of pre-war wages, and that the
purchasing value of these wages is falling steadily with the con
tinued rise in the cost of li ving caused by the customs tariff and taxa
tion acts adopted by the Reichstag and accentuated by increases
in rents. The congress regarded the attempts of employers to
justify their pressure on wages as inevitable under present economic
conditions as an illustration of their effort to further only their own
interests.
While fully appreciating all the burdens imposed on German
industry, the congress expressed the firm intention of the tradeunions to continue the struggle for a decent standard of living for
labor, contending that improvement of the purchasing power and
standard of living of the masses is essential and profitable for German
industry and for the whole German people.
Hours of labor.—The congress strongly condemned the liours-oflabor order of December 21, 1923, as nullifying the eight-hour day,
and stated that while this order was issued on the plea of employers
that longer hours were essential for the revival of German industry,
experience since then has shown that output has not been increased
by the enforced extension of working hours. The congress noted
with satisfaction that the trade-unions have succeeded in maintaining
or winning back the eight-hour day for at least half the German
working population and admonished the unions to regain it in those
industries in which it is at present exceeded. I t also demanded of
the Government and Reichstag the introduction as soon as possible
of another law reestablishing the eight-hour day. If necessary, this
should be effected by means of a national referendum.
Works councils.—The congress reaffirmed its resolutions on the
functions of works councils and their support by the trade-unions,
adopted at the congress of Leipzig in 1922. It noted with satisfac
tion that the large majority of works councils have carried on their
work in accordance with these resolutions and that they have proved
their value as part of the German trade-union movement.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[246]
LABOR
O R G A N IZ A T IO N S
AND
C O N G R ESSES
It pointed out,-however, that the employers have made strenuous
efforts to estrange the works councils and the trade-unions and by
works alliances and agreements to exclude the trade-unions in the
determination of working and wage conditions. These efforts, the
congress claimed, are directed against the right of the workers to
share in the control of industry, and the whole of labor should there
fore continue to oppose them.
The congress also affirmed strongly the principle that only the
trade-unions can be considered as the rightful medium of collective
bargaining and that any attempt to give recognition to the works
agreements provided for in the bill on collective agreements, now
pending, should be fought to the utmost by the unions.
Organization.—Several motions were made in the matter of organi
zation. A proposal made by Mr. Diessmann and signed by a number
of delegates of other federations demanded the organization of all
unions affiliated to the General Federation into 14 industrial federa
tions. This proposal was, however, rejected by the congress, which
passed in its stead one sponsored by the directorate of the General
Federation, recognizing the need of related trade organizations
affiliated to the General Federation to form industrial unions, with
a view to strengthening the power of the trade-union movement as
much as possible and simplifying the organization. It considered,
however, voluntary amalgamation of the unions the best method for
achieving this end.
The congress called on all unorganized workers and especially on
the juvenile workers to strengthen the unions by joining them in
much larger numbers. In this connection the congress imposed on
all unions the obligation to accept as members all unskilled workers,
helpers, and female workers employed in the occupational branches
over which the individual unions have jurisdiction.
Resolutions on other problems.—The congress also adopted resolu
tions demanding the dissolution of the “ Technical Emergency
Corps,” which it claimed had degenerated into a corps of strike
breakers; opposing the proposed increase of house rents and the
abrogation of the law on the protection of tenants of dwellings;
encouraging the organization of home workers; advocating that
organized labor patronize exclusively the labor bank and the life
insurance association, “ Volksfiirsorge” (an institution founded by
the trade-unions and cooperative societies); and demanding the
speedy enactment of laws on the labor contract, collective bargaining,
labor courts, unemployment insurance, and the creation of a perma
nent national economic council and of equipartisan chambers of in
dustry and commerce.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[247]
S T R IK E S A N D L O C K O U T S
Strikes in Mexico, 1922 to 1924 1
T
HE Mexican Bureau of Labor has issued the following figures
on strikes in that country during the three-year period 1922
to 1924:
Strikes
1922 _________________
1923 ____
1924 ______________
197
146
138
Strikers
6 3 ,0 0 0
5 4 ,3 9 6
29, 244
Labor Disputes in Scandinavian Countries in 1924
Denmark
CCORDING to data gathered by the Statistical Department in
Denmark,2 71 work stoppages took place in that country
in 1924. Most of the disputes were of short duration, 27
lasting less than 1 week and only 17 over 3 weeks; and the total
number of workers involved in all the disputes was less than 10,000.
The number of working-days lost was 175,100, as against 19,700 in
1923. Since 1897, when these statistics were first gathered, only
the year 1903 has shown as small a number of working-days lost
(18,500), and of the other years only 1912 and 1915 show less than
50,000 days. The number of days lost, 1919 to 1922, was approxi
mately as follows: 1919, 900,000; 1920 and 1921, 1,300,000 each; and
1922, 2,300,000.
A
Norway 3
TSJORWAY in 1924 had 61 labor disputes which affected a total of
63,117 workers (of whom 47,125 were organized) and caused a
loss of 5,152,386 working-days.
The most extensive disputes during the year were the general
lockout and strikes in the transport industry, the iron industry, the
paper industry, and the masons. The controversy in the transport
industry was caused by a dispute over the new agreement, and in the
iron industry by a wage reduction.
Strikes involving 99 per cent of the total striking workers were
settled by mediation.
Most of the disputes in 1924 fell in the group lasting from 31 to
90 days. From the point of view of scope and duration of disputes
1924 was the most critical year so far experienced.
1 The Mexican American, Mexico City, May 16, 1925, p. 19.
Statistiske Departement. Statistiske Efterretninger No. 22, July, 1925.
3 Norway. Statistiske Centralbyrä. Megling og voldgift. Tariffavtaler og arbeidskonhikter.
1925.
2 Denmark.
248
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[248]
O s lo ,
S T R IK E S
AND
249
LOCKOUTS
The following table gives, for the past 4 years, the number of
disputes, the number of workers involved, and the number of workingdays lost:
NUM BER OF LABOR DISPUTES, WORKERS INVOLVED, AND WORKING-DAYS LOST
IN LABOR DISPUTES IN NORWAY, 1921 TO 1924
Workerj involved
Number
of
disputes Number Average
per
dispute
Year
1921,.........................
1922...................
1923...... ........ ..............
1924..................
89
26
57
61
154, 421
2,168
24,965
63,117
Working-days lost
Average
per
dispute
Number
1,735
83
438
1, 035
3, 583. 742
91, 380
796, 274
5,152, 386
40, 267
3, 515
13,970
84, 465
Sweden
Fj ATA furnished in the annual report4 of the Swedish Labor
^
Board on labor disputes in Sweden show that in 1924 indus
trial disputes in that country numbered 261. Comparison with
preceding years, especially 1920 and 1923, indicates that in 1924
labor conditions on the whole were peaceful. The number of
disputes in 1924 exceeded the number in 1923 but the number of
workers involved was less in 1924 than for any other year since 1916.
Even the number of working-days lost (1,200,000) was considerably
less than for the immediately preceding years. The average num
ber of workers per dispute was 92, as against 500 for 1923 and 172 for
the period 1914 to 1923. The greatest number of disputes (62)
occurred in the building industry.
Of the 261 disputes, 238 were strikes, 11 were lockouts, and 12 were
mixed controversies. Each strike affected on an average 82 workers,
each lockout 140, and each mixed dispute 245 workers.
In 1924 wages were the subject of controversy in 178 or 68.2 per
cent of the disputes. In the case of 130 or 50 per cent of the dis
putes, both parties to the controversy were organized, while in 124
or 48 per cent of the disputes only the workers were organized.
Over one-half of the work stoppages during the year lasted less
than one month and about one-fourth from one to three months.
Che following table shows the results of the disputes:
RESULTS OF LABOR DISPUTES IN SWEDEN, 1914 TO .192#
Work stoppages
Result
1914 to 1923
Num
ber
Per
cent
Workers involved
1924
Num
ber
1914 to 1923
Per
cent
Num
ber
Per
cent
1924
Num
ber
Per
cent
Settled on employers’ terms..
Settled on employees’ demands______ . _ ......... .
Compromised____________
Result unknown or dispute
unsettled..............................
838
24.1
31
11.9
98, 710
16.5
2,736
11.4
869
1, 615
25.0
46.5
41
169
15.7
64.7
59, 983
430, 604
10.1
72.2
1, 512
17,878
6.3
74.6
154
4.4
20
7.7
7, 209
1.2
1,850
7.7
Total_______________
3, 476
100.0
261
100. 0
596, 506
100.0
23,976
100.0
4 Sweden. [Socialdepartementet] Soeialstyrelsen. Arbetsinstallelser och kollektivavtal saint forlikningsmannens verksamhet ar 1924. Stockholm, 1925. 177 pp.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[2491
C O N C IL IA T IO N A N D A R B IT R A T IO N
Conciliation Work oi the Department oi Labor in November, 1925
B y H ugh L. K
e r w in ,
D
ir e c t o r
of
C o n c il i a t i o n
HE Secretary of Labor through the Conciliation Service, exer
cised his good offices in connection with 25 labor disputes
during November, 1925. These disputes affected a known
total of 26,581 employees. The table following shows the name and
location of the establishment or industry in which the dispute oc
curred, the nature of the dispute (whether strike or lockout or con
troversy not having reached strike or lockout stage), the craft or
trade concerned, the cause of the dispute, its present status, the terms
of settlement, the date of beginning and ending, and the number of
workmen directly and indirectly affected.
On December 1, 1925, there were 45 strikes before the department
for settlement and, in addition, 18 controversies which had not
reached the strike stage. Total number of cases pending, 63.
T
250
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[250]
LABOR DISPUTES HANDLED BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTM ENT OF LABOR THROUGH ITS CONCILIATION SERVICE, NOVEMBER, 1925
Duration
Craft concerned
Cause of dispute
O. F. Paulson Construction Co., Controversy Lathers and car Jurisdiction............ .
Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
penters.
Porter Construction Co., Buffalo, ----- do_____ Bridge building... Nonunion carpenters..
N. Y.
Mather Stock Car Co., Chicago, 111. Strike_____ Stock-car building. Violation of agreement,
etc.
Wëygadt Mills (Inc.), Easton, Pa.. .......do_____ Silk weaving____ Wage increase; discharge
of boy.
American Radiator Co., Bayonne, .......do_____ Radiator industry. Wage scale and condi
tions.
N. J.
Marvel Shirt Co., New York City. ___ do_____ Shirt making........ Nonunion shop work___
Threatened
strike.
Strike____
___do........
Textile industry..
Organization trouble___
Working conditions____
Wage increase demanded.
___ do_______________
.do.
.do.
Controversy M in in g .
___do________
Strike..
Working conditions; in
junction pending.
Abrogation of contract__
Organization of wiremen.
___ do_____ Upholstering____
Discharge of boy.
___ do.
Electric-wire
dustry.
in
___ do.......... ___ do.................... Asked 44-hour week; $1.10
per hour.
Controversy Building.............. Organizations dispute___
Lockout___ Clothing industry. Proposed change from
week to piece work.
Shoe workers, New York City____ Strike_____ Shoe industry___ 0
W. J. Newman Co., Contractors, ___ do_____ Ironworkers and Jurisdiction of iron wreck
common labor.
ing.
Chicago, 111.
Seven fish companies, Erie, Pa....... Controversy Fishing industry.. Wage cut of 2 cents a
1 Not reported.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Threatened
strike.
1925
Oct. 26
1925
Oct. 30
Direct Indi
rectly
ly
1 ...d o ___
50
Adjusted. Terms of settlement not re Nov. 5
ported.
Adjusted. Boy rehired. Demand for in Oct. 26
crease dropped.
Adjusted. Readjustment of conditions.. Nov. 3
Nov. 16
185
Unclassified. Settled before commission
er’s arrival.
Adjusted. Strike called off by officials of
union.
Adjusted. Weavers accepted multiple
loom system.
Unable to adjust. Mediation declined...
Adjusted. Weavers accepted 10 per cent
wage cut.
Adjusted. Question submitted to 6 men;
mine to remain idle till settled.
Pending____________________________
Adjusted. Union committee will act in
this case.
Oct.
200
50
6
Nov. 12
8,000
0
Nov. 11
3, 100
721
Nov. 9
Nov. 12 Nov. 23
70
1,100
230
800
Nov. 9 ...d o ---400
125
0
(0
Nov. 2
cents.
Building trades. . . Jurisdiction of metal win Adjusted. Metal workers withdrew re
dow-frame work.
quest to place metal frames.
29
800
Nov. 2
Nov. 17
- __________________ _________________________________
Oct. 30
Nov. 12
Oct. 28
Unable to adjust. Refused compromise
suggested by commissioner.
Pending____ ________________________
Unclassified. 16 shops settled before ar
rival of commissioner.
0—
100
Nov. 12
Adjusted. Men returned; boy not rehired
Adjusted. Ironworkers returned without
change.
Adjusted. No cut enforced; limitation im
posed on independent boats.
pound—8 cents to 6
Eli Lilly Building, Indianapolis,
Ind.
Ending
Nov. 16
Nov. 10
6)
Nov. 20
Nov. 17
Nov. 12
Nov. 18
Oct. 26
Nov. 21
0
Nov. 28
A R B IT R A T IO N
B. &S. Mine No. 2, Dubois, P a ...
Metropolitan Electric Protective
Co. and National Wiring Protec
tive Co., New York City.
Smith Upholstering Co., WilkesBarre, Pa.
Progressive Upholstering Co., To
ledo, Ohio.
Laborers, New York City_______
Pants makers, New York City.......
___ do_____ Ironwork..........
Adjusted. Metal lathers employed in
place of wood lathers.
Adjusted. No change in conditions........
Begin
ning
Men involved
AND
[251]
Structural Steel & Iron Co., New
ark, N. J.
Pepperell Manufacturing Co., Biddeford, Me.
Marvin Carr Mills, Durham, N. C_.
D. B. & R. Knight Textile Co.,
Providence, R. I.
Dering Mine, No. 6, Clinton, Ind--
Present status and terms of settlement
C O N C IL IA T IO N
74735°—26f----- 17
Nature of
Company or industry and location controversy
2,500
6,000
90
300
100
50
to
Ox
BA' T H E
U N ITED STATES D EPARTM ENT OF LABOR THROUGH ITS CONCILIATION SERVICE, NOVEM
BER, 1925—Continued
Duration
Nature of
Company or industry and location controversy
Craft concerned
Cause of dispute
Barr & Skinner, Akron, Ohio.- --- Controversy Lath work______
Total____ _______________
i Not reported
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Men involved
Present status and terms of settlement
Begin
ning
Indi
Ending Direct rectly
ly
Adjusted. Cutters reinstated-_ _ Nov. 17 Nov. 25
Pending- ......... ........... ............................. 0)
Adjusted. Returned without change—55 Nov. 4. Nov. 14
and 65 cents per hour continued; 48-hour
week.
Asked wage increase------ Unclassified. Settled before commission Oct. 1 Nov. 2
er’s arrival.
15
185
35
1,015
0)
30
22,995
3,586
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW
M. Bandler, New York City ____ Controversy Garment trade___ Eight cutters laid oil___
Liberty Upholstering Co., Phila Strike_____ Upholstering____ $5 cut on upholstering
parlor suites.
delphia, Pa.
Fada Radio Co., Bronx, N. Y____ ___ do_____ Radio-wire work . Asked 12Y to 15 per cent
increase.
252
LABOR D ISP U TES H A N D L E D
IM M IG RA TIO N
Statistics of Immigration for October, 1925
J. J. K u n n a , C h ie f S t a t is t ic ia n , B u r e a u
of
I m m ig r a t io n
N OCTOBER, 1925, there were 48,112 aliens admitted to the
United States, of whom 28,685 were immigrants and 19,427 were
nonimmigrants. The number departed was 20,938, of whom
7,674 were emigrants and 13,264 nonemigrants. The number de
barred was 1,965 and the number deported 909.
During October about twice as many immigrants came from Ger
many as from any other European country. Germany furnished us
5,459 immigrants; Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2,392; Irish
Tree State, 2,921; Italy, 670; Poland, 589; and Sweden, 911. In
the Western Hemisphere Canada, as usual, was the principal country
from which immigrants were admitted. Canadian immigration
amounted to 9,535 and Mexican, 1,919.
There were 7 nationalities each of whom supplied the United States
with over a thousand immigrant aliens in October. Germans num
bered 6,230; Irish, 4,668; English, 4,657; Scotch, 2,780; French,
2,384; Mexican, 1,860; and Scandinavian, 1,798. There was only
one nationality—the Italian, with about 2,000—of which more than
a thousand emigrant aliens departed.
In October there were 7 States that received more than a thousand
aliens for permanent residence therein. Of the immigrant aliens ad
mitted, 7,268 came to reside permanently in New York State, 3,126
in Michigan, 3,019 in Massachusetts, 1,992 in Illinois, 1,891 in Cali
fornia, 1,782 in Pennsylvania, and 1,496 in New Jersey. New York,
with about 3,000 emigrant aliens leaving it, was the only State from
which more than a thousand emigrant aliens departed.
Of the total number of 28,685 immigrants admitted 3,724 were
servants, 2,366 laborers, 1,731 farm laborers, and 1,634 clerks and
accountants. About 45 per cent, or 3,480, of the emigrant aliens
departing were laborers.
Some of the figures above come from tables not published here for
want of space.
I
T able 1.—INWARD AND OUTWARD PASSENGER MOVEMENT PROM JULY 1 TO
OCTOBER 31, 1925
Inward
Period
1925
July...................
August_______
September____
October______
Outward
Aliens departed
Aliens
United
Aliens
United
deStates
deStates
barred
citi
ported
citi Total from
Total after
Non
Nonzens
Emi emi Total de
Immi immi Total zens
enter grant
land
grant grant
arrived
ing i
grant
parted
in g 2
Aliens admitted
18, 590
22, 421
26, 721
28, 685
14,177
17, 052
23, 081
19,427
32, 767
39, 473
49, 802
48, 112
32, 080 64,847 2,000
59, 663 99,136 1,774
76, 258 126, 060 1,429
38,313 86, 425 1,965
Total___ 96, 417 73, 737 170,154 206, 314 376, 468
8, 784
7, 539
7, 200
7,674
17, 715
12,978
12, 485
13, 264
26,499
20, 517
19, 685
20, 938
66,136
37,185
24, 369
24, 227
92, 635
57, 702
44, 054
45,165
919
940
8.55
909
7,168 31,197 56, 442 87, 639 151,917 239, 556
3,623
1 These aliens are not included among arrivals, as they were not permitted to enter the United States.
2 These aliens are included among aliens departed, they having entered the United States, legally or
illegally, and later being deported.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[2531
253
254
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
T a b l e 2 .— LAST PERM ANENT RESIDENCE OF IMMIGRANT ALIENS ADM ITTED TO
AND FUTURE PERM ANENT RESIDENCE OF EMIGRANT ALIENS DEPARTED FROM
THE UNITED STATES DURING OCTOBER, 1925, AND FROM JULY 1 TO OCTOBER
31, 1925, BY COUNTRY
[Residence for a year or more is regarded as permanent residence]
Immigrant
Emigrant
Country
October,
1925
A l b a n i a , . __________ _________________________________ _________ _
A u s t r i a .................. ...................................................................... .....................
B e l g i u m _______________________________________________________
B u l g a r i a __________________________________________ _________ _
C z e c h o s l o v a k i a __________ _________________ _________________ _
D a n z i g , F r e e C i t y o f ________________________________________
D e n m a r k . . ______ _____________________________________________
E s t b o n i a . . . ______ ______________ _____ ________________________
F i n l a n d ___________________ _________ ___________________________
F r a n c e , i n c l u d i n g C o r s i c a __________________________________
G e r m a n y _________________________ _____________________ ______
G r e a t B r it a in a n d N o r t h e r n Ir e la n d :
E n g l a n d _________ _________________________________________
N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d ________________________________________
S c o t l a n d ________________ __________________________________
W a l e s ______________________________________________________
G r e e c e ________________ ________________________________________
H u n g a r y _______________________________________________________
I r is h F r e e S t a t e ______________________________________________
I t a l y , i n c l u d i n g S i c i l y a n d S a r d i n i a _______________________
L a t v i a ________________________________________________ _______
L i t h u a n i a . __________ ___________ _________ _______________ _____
L u x e m b u r g ____________________________________________________
N e t h e r l a n d s ________________________________ ________ ____ _____
N o r w a y ______________ _______ __________________________________
P o l a n d _________________________________________________ ________
P o r t u g a l, in c lu d in g A z o r e s , C a p e V e r d e , a n d M a d e ir a
I s l a n d s ____________ _________ _________________________________
R u m a n i a ______________________ _________ ______________________
R u s s i a ____ _______ ______________________________________________
S p a i n , i n c l u d i n g C a n a r y a n d B a l e a r ic I s l a n d s ___________
S w e d e n ____ ______________ ________________ ________ ____________
S w i t z e r l a n d _____ ____________________ ________________________
T u r k e y i n E u r o p e ________________ ___________________________
Y u g o s l a v i a — ______ _________ _________ _________________________
O t h e r E u r o p e . _______ ___________ ________ ________ ___________
July to October, 1925
October,
1925
July to October, 1925
14
113
87
20
272
24
209
20
37
460
5,459
64
367
270
62
1,224
93
682
39
168
1,566
14, 740
1, 044
41
1, 221
86
81
88
2,921
670
45
67
21
174
447
589
3,572
128
4,057
416
322
296
9, 430
2,716
122
338
46
599
1,726
1,978
408
23
162
4
638
78
76
2,242
4
21
34
180
220
2,142
128
680
16
2,557
344
402
7, 690
22
200
3
177
635
1, 491
48
81
149
15
911
214
12
117
22
189
381
558
149
2,359
641
87
407
87
276
167
12
190
75
38
5
272
2
1,205
635
56
963
388
183
18
1, 068
16
43
40
38
5
120
58
4
32
89
382
164
193
202
34
825
1
260
5
165
431
1,468
T o t a l E u r o p e __________________________________________
15, 779
49,879
5,938
24, 767
A r m e n i a _______________________________ _______ ________________
C h i n a . . . _____ ____ _______________________ __________
I n d i a __________________________________________________________ I
J a p a n _______ __________________________________________________ I
P a l e s t i n e ___________ ___________ ___________ _____ ________ _____
P e r s i a . . ________________________________________________________
S y r i a ____________________ __________________________ ________ ____
T u r k e y i n A s i a __________ _________ ________ _____ _____________
O t h e r A s i a . ______________
II
1
190
17
75
23
3
43
4
338
24
111
22
1
27
11
7
19
1,036
50
441
92
15
163
6
2
731
52
239
102
19
147
1
39
T o t a l A s i a ______________________________________________
358
1,332
545
1,910
C a n a d a ______ __________________________________________ _______
N e w f o u n d l a n d ________________________________________________
M e x i c o . ________________________________________________________
C u b a _________ _________ __________________________________ I . H I
O t h e r W e s t I n d i e s ____________________________________________
C e n t r a l A m e r i c a ______________________________________________
IIIIIIIIIII
B r a z i l ______ ___________
O t h e r S o u t h A m e r i c a __________________ _____ _______
O t h e r A m e r i c a _____ ________________
I .I I I H
9,535
288
1,919
180
87
135
64
235
31, 584
857
9,226
898
420
638
322
866
3
222
28
310
148
232
54
22
130
874
112
1,122
699
740
236
77
422
12, 443
44,814
1,146
4,283
45
13
24
21
2
100
91
127
65
9
1
6
26
10
2
21
36
118
52
10
I.III. Ill
T o t a l A m e r i c a _____ _____ _____________________________
E g y p t . . . ............. .............................. ............................ ..................... ..............
O t h e r A f r i c a ______________________________ ___________
A u s t r a l i a _______________ _____________________ H I I I I I I I I I I I I I
N e w Z e a l a n d . . . ............. ..........
..1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
O t h e r P a c i f i c I s l a n d s ____________
I_I
27
T o t a l _____ __________ ___________________________________
105
392
45
237
G r a n d t o t a l a l l c o u n t r i e s ____________ ________________
28, 685
96,417
7,674
31,197
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[254]
IMMIGRATION
255
T a b l e 3 .—IM MIGRANT ALIENS ADM ITTED TO AND EMIGRANT ALIENS D EPARTED
FROM THE UNITED STATES DURING OCTOBER, 1925, AND FROM JULY 1 TO OCTO
BER 31, 1925, BY RACE OR PEOPLE, SEX, AND AGE GROUP
Immigrant
Race or people
October,
1925
July to
October,
1925
October,
1925
July to
October,
1925
109
9
53
203
324
71
97
65
88
10
592
38
100
462
647
24
123
297
1,929
109
5
23
104
305
233
50
9
101
36
30
351
260
902
164
564
282
611
17
1,040
24
15,658
233
8,112
17,322
408
3,144
15,284
426
2,612
224
11
176
359
9,021
2
984
246
109
361
170
5,572
9,101
253
284
1,134
165
48
462
154
167
32
212
178
28,685
96,417
7,674
31,197
M ale... _ ............ ...................... ...... ................ ...... ........
Female_____ _______ _______ ________ __________
14,337
14,348
49, 581
46,836
5,605
2,069
21,490
9i 707
Under 16 years........................................... .................. .
16 to 44 years____________________________________
45 years and over................................................................
4, 764
21,084
2,837
16,433
70,392
9,592
5, 777
1,527
370
1,602
23,038
6,557
African (black).- .
___________________________
Armenian
______ ______________ . . _________
Bohemian and Moravian (Czech)____________ ____
Bulgarian, Serbian, and Montenegrin____ _ _______
Chinese..'______________ . ___ ____ .
.......
Croatian and Slovenian. . . . ________ ___________
Cuban. ____ _______________________________ ____
Dalmatian, Bosnian, and Herzegovinian. _ . _ ____
Dutch and Flemish.. .............. _ . .............. ...... ..........
_
.. . .
East Indian. _____ . . . . . . . . .
English.. .............. ..................... ... . . . _____ ____ _
Finnish
___ _________
.....
. .
French..................................... _ . . . . _______ . . ..
German. . . . . . . .
_
...
Greek....... .................... . . . ....... .
...
Hebrew
....
..
. . . .
.....
. _
_.
.......
Irish_______ ____
Italian (n o r th )............ ...
_
___________
...
Italian (south). . . _______ _________
Japanese_________ _____ ___ __________ _ . . . .
Korean . . . . .
..
_ _
__ . .
. . . __ . .
Lithuanian......................... . . .
M agyar...................................
. . . .
.
..
Mexican. . ........................... ............. . _ .
Pacific Islander
............
........................ ..............
Polish..... ............. . . . . .
..
. . ..
Portuguese.. __________ ___ _______ . _________
Rumanian. . _______________________ .. _______
Russian.
_______________ ______ _ .. ______
Ruthenian (Russniak)_____________ ._ _ _____ _
Scandinavian (Norwegians, Danes, and Swedes) ____
Scotch.______ ____ _________________ ___________
Slovak.___ ____ ____ ______________________ . . ..
. . . . _________ . .
... _
Spanish........... .
Spanish American ___ ___ _ . . ______ ___ ___ _
Syrian ___________ _____. . . ___ ___ .. ____ ____
Turkish_____ ______ _______ ____ _____ . . . . . . . ._
Welsh________________________ _________________
West Indian (except Cuban) _. ___________________
Other peoples....................................... ..................... . . . .
Total__ _______
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
. . . ................... .
. . . . ..
[255]
91
86
237
45
158
82
99
2
357
7
4,657
62
2,384
6,230
102
804
4,668
116
656
66
Emigrant
46
84
1,860
365
66
30
128
76
1,798
2,780
30
211
285
148
62
3
332
224
73
245
124
38
21
9
80
398
46
409
683
981
307
472
213
415
28
2,873
174
488
1,801
2,597
183
616
1,548
6,121
434
13
211
449
1,097
1
1,418
1,232
554
272
35
1,397
886
454
1,181
492
185
95
48
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
256
T able 4.—ALIENS ADM ITTED TO THE UNITED STATES U N DER THE IMMIGRATION
ACT OF 1924, DURING OCTOBER, 1925, AND FROM JULY 1 TO OCTOBER 31, 1925, BY
COUNTRY OR AREA OF BIRTH
[Quota immigrant aliens are charged to the quota; nonimmigrant and nonquota immigrant aliens are not
charged to the quota]
Admitted
Country or area of birth
Albania_____ _____ ____
Andorra__________________
Austria_______________
Belgium___ _________ _
Bulgaria_____________ _
Czechoslovakia_________ _
Danzig, Free City of____ . _
Denmark, . ._
Esthonia............................
Finland_____ _______
France___ ______ __________
Germany______________
Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
England_____________ _
Northern Ireland____ _
Scotland______________
W ales.._____ ______ ____
Greece_______________ ____ _____
Hungary__________________
Iceland._______ ________ ______
Irish Free State______________ .
Italy____________ _____________
Latvia.......... ............. .............
Liechtenstein___________________
Lithuania.... ............. ............
Luxemburg___________ _____ ____
Monaco................ ...... ............. ...........
Netherlands____ _ ___________
Norway . _________ _________ .
Poland__________________ _____
Portugal___________________ ____
Rumania-------- --------------------------Russia_________ ______________ .
San Marino_____ _______________
Spain.................................................
Sweden___ __________________ .
Switzerland_____ __________ .
Turkey in Europe_______________
Yugoslavia..____________________
Other Europe......................................
Total Europe...........................
Afghanistan _________ _____
Arabia- ...................................
Armenia_______________
Bhutan______________ _
China________________ .
India.......... ..................... .................
Iraq (Mesopotamia)......... . .
Japan. . ___ ____
Muscat_________ ______
Nepal____ ____ ________ _
Palestine________ . . .
Persia.............. ..........
Siam _________ . .
Syria. ____ _ . . . .
Turkey in Asia_________
Other Asia...................
Total Asia________
Annual
quota
Quota immigrant
Grand
Total
total
during July
to
October, October,
July to October, July to October,
1925
1925
October,
1925 October,
1925
1925
1925
100
100
785
i 512
100
3,073
228
i 2,789
124
471
1 3,954
51, 227
100
473
100
28,567
i 3,845
142
100
344
100
100
11,648
6,453
5,982
i 503
603
i 2, 248
100
1131
9,561
2,081
1100
671
i1)
1161,422
100
100
124
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
(!)
0)
1,424
Nonimmigrant
and nonquota
immigrant
f
1
)
(
49
7
62
254
90
63
7
282
24
203
28
37
381
5, 503
205
2
596
713
68
1,135
13
855
35
659
2, 729
4,722
55
293
169
35
1,178
83
731
41
149
1,312
14,793
195
191
25
391
6
233
11
229
792
1,483
285
254
32
673
30
436
39
266
1,173
6,986
889
882
103
2,313
96
1,586
76
808
4.041
19,515
4,131
295
4,342
432
37
178
18
10,234
1,431
60
3
149
28
1
522
1,801
1,947
158
212
635
2
77
2,576
569
51
210
84
1,259
106
1,282
95
6
50
7
3,132
347
26
10,825
175
3,819
464
895
606
12
2,670
8,831
104
2,727
51
951
120
291
171
3
792
2,480
31
3,986
157
2,233
215
297
221
10
3,924
2,827
57
45
16
1
161
476
526
31
61
183
83
14
1
329
272
549
227
119
326
128
30
2
490
748
1,075
258
180
509
5
955
195
11
77
23
269
50
5
962
1,118
1,822
817
516
1,152
1
1,860
1,635
1,047
364
838
59
448
575
347
99
233
15
453
1,530
542
110
310
38
14,956
470
8,161
896
932
734
30
12,904
10,262
164
3
418
78
6
1,484
2,919
3,769
975
728
1,787
3
1,937
4,211
1,616
'415
1,048
'143
49,016
15,701
52,648
14,865
30,566
101,664
2
27
12
2
61
19
31
4
88
70
48
14
10
16
12
1
4
2,238
220
7
1,871
1
579
54
1
546
1
595
66
2
550
1
2,308
268
21
1,881
1
43
43
10
7
46
3
78
10
1
30
102
40
8
348
120
89
20
14
2
94
40
19
30
21
2
104
41
49
145
83
8
394
123
167
384
103
5,107
1,389
1,492
5,491
5 Annual quota for colonies, dependencies, or protectorates in other Europe, other Asia, other Africa,
other Pacific, and in America, is included with the annual quota for the European country to which they
belong. Quota for Turkey in Asia is included with that for Turkey in Europe.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[256]
257
IM M IG R A T IO N
T able 4.—ALIENS ADM ITTED TO THE UNITED STATES UNDER THE IMMIGRATION
ACT OF 1924, DURING OCTOBER, 1925, AND FROM JULY 1 TO OCTOBER 31, 1925, BY
COUNTRY OR AREA OF BIRTH—Continued
Admitted
Annual
quota
Country or area of birth
Cameroon (British)
Cameroon (French) _
Egypt--------------------------------------Ethiopia......... ................... ........
Liberia. _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ _ _
Morocco. _____________________
Ruanda and Urundi . . . .
South Africa____________ _______ _
South West Africa
Tanganyika
Togoland (British)
Togoland (French)
Other Africa___ _______________
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
Quota immigrant
Nonimmigrant
and nonquota
immigrant
Grand
total
Total
during July to
October, October,
1925
1925
July to October,
July to
October, October,
1925
1925 October,
1925
1925
1
8
8
1
2
108
1
10
11
7
115
1
20
1
27
1
164
1
49
1
2
3
22
1
49
59
16
38
1
14
4
35
10
14
49
Total Africa. ______________
1,200
118
35
226
48
83
344
Australia_______ ________ ______
Nauru
New Zealand. . _____________
New Guinea
Samoa
Yap.
.. .
Other P acific____ __________ . . .
121
100
100
100
100
100
(»)
621
■
56
6
1,219
288
294
1,275
43
11
419
99
110
462
4
2
1
63
17
19
1
67
103
19
1,702
404
423
1,805
32, 469
1, 541
15, 597
4,434
380
99
1,976
58
14
9,372
478
3,342
786
65
11
444
11
2
9, 372
478
3,342
786
65
11
514
13
4
32,469
1,541
15,597
4,434
380
99
2, 221
64
21
43
6
1,287
12
1
260
17
1
260
68
6
1,287
414
68
6
95
18
95
42
414
101
8
2,060
512
512
2,060
4
14
3
3
4
18
60, 792
Total Pacific_______________
Canada
__. . .
Newfoundland
. . ..
Mexico _
__ . . . . . . .
Cuba
________ . . . .
Dominican Republic
Hahi
British West In d ies.___ . . . . . .
Dutch West Indies . . . .
.... .
French West Indies______ _____ _.
British Honduras___ _________
Canal Zone
Other Central America
Brazil
British Guiana. ______ ______
Dutch Guiana
French Guiana
Other South America
(')
(>)
0)
(>)
245
6
7
70
2
2
.
(')
25
5
...
(>)
0)
(0
33
2
24
Greenland
Miquelon and St. Pierre__________
(0
(0
Total America. .. _________
Grand total all countries_____
164, 667
4
322
103
60,470
15,412
15, 515
49,943
15,961
120,153
32,118
48,079 3 170,096
i Annual quota for colonies, dependencies, or protectorates in other Europe, other Asia, other Africa,
other Pacific, and in America, is included with the annual quota for the European country to which they
belong. Quota for Turkey in Asia is included with that for Turkey in Europe.
1 Does not include 57 Chinese aliens admitted under recent court decision, and 1 alien who arrived prior
to the close of June 30, 1924, and was admitted during the current fiscal year.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[257]
258
M O N T H L Y LABOE REV IEW
T able 5 —ALIENS ADM ITTED TO THE UNITED STATES UNDER THE IMMIGRATION
ACT OF 1924, DURING OCTOBER, 1926, AND FROM JULY 1 TO OCTOBER 31, 1925, BY
SPECIFIED CLASSES
’
’
N um ber
Admissible classes under immigration act of 1924
admitted
July to
October, October,
1925
1925
N o n im m ig r a n ts u n d e r se c tio n S
Government officials, their families, attendants, servants, and employees______ _
Temporary visitors for—
Business_________________ _________ ________________________________
Pleasure_________________________________________________
In continuous transit through the United States.................... ......................... _” ” ” '
To carry on trade under existing treaty_______________ ___________________
Total____________________________
380
1, 332
1,789
2,367
1, 340
38
5,335
9,914
5,999
148
5,914
22, 728
579
394
9,878
1 2,175
1 1, 338
33,493
14,904
58,237
1 288
1 45
261
1 91
» 181
N o n q u o ta im m ig r a n ts u n d e r se c tio n i
Wives of United States citizens.......... ..................................................................
Children of United States citizens........ .............. ..................... ...............
Residents of the United States returning from a temporary visit abroad.” ” ” .......
Natives of Canada, Newfoundland, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic
Canal Zone, or an independent country of Central or South America_________
Their wives____________ _________ ______ _____________________
Their children_____________
” ” ” ” ” ” ’”
Ministers ofreligious denominations____________ _____________ _
Wives of ministers_______________
””
Children of ministers_________
” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” 1”
Professors of colleges, academies, seminaries, or universities___ ______ ____
Wives of professors__________ _____________________________________ _____
Children of professors.......... .............. ...... ........... ...................."
””””””
Students........................
66
20
62
12
28
14
6
100
25
3
238
1,183
Total___________________________________________ _________ ________
26, 204
97,425
Quota immigrants under section 5 (charged to quota)..................................................
15,961
49,943
48,079
170,096
Grand total admitted...........................................
Wives, and unmarried children under 18 years of age, born in quota countries.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
r258]
‘ 8
W H A T S T A T E L A B O R B U R E A U S A R E D O IN G
AMONG the activities of State labor bureaus, the following,
reported by the bureaus themselves, are noted in the present
issue of the M onthly L abor R eview :
Connecticut.—Report of placements by public employment offices,
page 160.
Illinois.—Report of placements by public employment offices, and
statistics of volume of employment in the State, pages 161 and 163.
The following table from the annual report of the Department of
Labor of Illinois for the year ending June 30, 1924, shows in brief the
activities of the division of factory inspection of that State for the
12 months covered by the report:
S U M M A R Y OF IN S P E C T IO N , JU L Y 1, 1923, TO J U N E 30, 1924
N um ber of inspections
Law s un d er th e provisions of w hich inspection is m ade
E n tire
State
Chicago
and
Cook
C ounty
State
outside
of Cook
C ounty
C hild labor law
__ __ __________________________________________
W om en's 10-hour law _ ____________________________________________
S tructural iron law
__
______________________________________
Blower law
___
____________________________________________
W ashhouse law
_ _ ____________________________________________
B edding law
__ _______________________________________
_____ _________________
H ealth, safety, and comfort law
_
65,607
28,954
824
917
435
1,182
8,163
40,941
16,190
24,666
12, 764
868
361
527
5, 863
49
74
655
2,300
T otal, u nder all law s_____ _______ ______________________________
106, 082
i 64,750
i 40, 508
i T he totals for Chicago and Cook C ounty and th e S tate outside of Cook C ounty do n o t include inspections under stru ctu ral iron law , w hich are no t subdivided b y divisions of the State. T h u s there is a dis
crepancy betw een th e totals for th e tw o divisions and th e to tal for th e entire State.
Maryland.—Statistics of volume of employment in the State, page
165.
Massachusetts.—Placement work of the public employment offices,
and statistics of volume of employment, pages 161 and 166.
New York.—Changes in employment and pay roll, page 167.
Ohio.—Activities of the public employment service, page 161.
Oklahoma.—Report of placements by the public employment
offices, and statistics of volume of employment in the State, pages
161 and 168.
Pennsylvania.—Placement work of the public employment offices,
page 162.
South Dakota.—Report of operations under the State workmen’s
compensation act, page 187.
Wisconsin.—Report of the activities of the public employment
service, and statistics of volume of emplojcment in the State, pages
162 and 169.
259
[259]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
C U R R E N T N O T E S O F IN T E R E S T T O L A B O R
Organization of Photo-Engravers’ Investment Trust 1
HTHE creation of an investment trust for the purpose of securing a controlling interest in nonunion photo-engraving plants
was agreed to at the 26th annual meeting of the International PhotoEngravers’ Union in Cleveland, Ohio, August, 1925. The executive
council of the union was authorized to organize “ a common-law
trust to carry out the plan.”
The trustees of the proposed organization “ will have the sole
legal title to all property, in any part of the United States or in any
foreign country, at any time held, acquired, or received by them as
trustees. ” They may purchase, lease, or otherwise secure an interest
in photo-engraving establishments with all the equipment, and are
empowered to do all that is necessary and incidental to the manage
ment and operation of such establishment.
The trustees may also carry on the business of printing, job printing, engraving,
publishing, lithography, and electrotyping, and may purchase or otherwise
acquire patents, patent rights and privileges, trade-marks, trade names and
improved or secret processes, and may sell the right to use the same after they
have been acquired.
Mr. Matthew Woll, the president of the International PhotoEngravers’ Union, in discussing the proposed security trust before
the convention stated that it is intended that members should invest
their earnings or savings in this new scheme instead of in the stock
of the company with which they are temporarily employed.
N ew York Building Congress Plan for Recognizing Craftsmanship 2
TY/TTH a view to stimulating interest in skilled workmanship,
the New York Building Congress has adopted a plan
for recognizing craftsmanship on specific building operations. It has
a special committee on the subject, which has recommended that in
each new building a bronze tablet should be placed, to bear the
names of workers engaged in erecting the building chosen, one from
each of the leading crafts, as representative of the best work and
finest craft spirit. The names are selected by a representative
committee, working in cooperation with the contractors, foremen,
and building operatives. In making the choice, attention is' paid
to the quality and quantity of the work done, the spirit of cooperation
and loyalty shown, and the interest of the operative in his work.
Each worker who is thus selected is given a certificate of superior
craftsmanship prepared by the Building Congress, his name is kept
i T h e A m erican Photo-Engraver, Chicago, Septem ber, 1925, p. 758; and th e American Labor W orld,
N ew Y ork, October, 1925, p. 37.
s Bricklayer, Mason, a n d Plasterer, W ashington, D. C., N ovem ber, 1925, pp. 250, 251.
260
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 260 ]
CURRENT NOTES OF INTEREST TO LABOR
261
upon an honor roll maintained at its headquarters, and thereafter
his advice is to be sought when a further extension of the crafts
manship movement is contemplated.
As a means of further stressing the importance of good workman
ship, it is planned to present the certificates with some ceremony,
preferably at a dedication of the building upon which the workers
have been engaged when chosen. On September 10, 1925, such a
dedication ceremony was held for the Barclay-Vesey Building, being
planned to follow upon the laying of the last brick and the setting
of the last stone. Certificates were presented to a bricklayer and a
stone setter who had been nominated by a secret ballot of their
fellow workmen, and approved by the committee, and speeches
were made by a number of prominent men, who emphasized the
importance of good workmanship, especially at the present time,
when there is a tendency toward “ near-construction and wall paper
houses. ” Outstanding members of the other crafts will be selected
as the work proceeds.
Appointment of Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Nova Scotia Coal-mining
Industry 3
Government of Nova Scotia has appointed a royal commission
* to investigate the coal-mining industry of that Province. The
commission is given authority to investigate the following matters:
rP H E
1. (a) Income, rates of wages, hours and conditions of employment prevailing
in the various classes of occupations of mine workers above and below ground;
and whether and if so to what extent and by what means such income, wages,
hours or conditions should be varied or revised, having regard to the best interests
of the industry and those employed therein;
(b ) Any inequalities between the different classes of mine workers as regards
wages, hours and conditions of employment; and whether and if so to what
extent any of such inequalities are unjustifiable or unfair and what remedy or
remedies should be applied;
(c) Conditions affecting mine workers while in the course of their employment;
and whether it is practicable to improve such conditions and if so in what manner
and to what extent;
(d) The social and domestic conditions under which mine workers live; and
whether it is practicable to improve such conditions and if so to what extent
and in what manner and direction;
(e) The cause or causes of the constantly recurring disputes, friction and strife
between the operators and their workmen.
2. (a) All factors directly or indirectly entering into the cost of production,
transportation, distribution and marketing of coal and its by-products by any
operator and for as many past years as said commissioners deem expedient; and
whether such costs have been or are excessive and if so to what extent and for
what reason or reasons;
(6) The capitalization, general financial organization and cost of management
of any operator or operators and whether such capitalization, general financial
organization and cost of management is or has been excessive, and if so, to what
extent and in what direction such capitalization, general financial organization,
and cost of management should be revised or reduced in the best interests of the
industry;
(c) The possibilities of increasing the demand for coal, including its utilization
as coke.
3. All such other conditions and matters whatsoever, whether of the kind
hereinbefore mentioned or not, which directly or indirectly have affected or are
relevant to the state or condition of the coal-mining industry in the Province,
as may be deemed expedient by the commissioners.
a R eports from A m erican Consul G eneral a t Halifax, N ov. 2 and 12, 1925.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
The members of the commission are: Sir Andrew Rae Duncan,
chairman, selected by the British Government, formerly British
coal controller and now chairman of the advisory committee to the
Department of Mines of Great Britain; Maj. Hume Cronyn, Ontario
business man, formerly member of the Canadian House of Commons;
and Rev. Hugh P. MacPlierson, president-rector of St. Francis
Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
The first open session of inquiry was held on November 11, 1925.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 262 ]
P U B L IC A T IO N S R E L A T IN G T O L A B O R
O fficial-U n ited States
I l l in o is .—Department
30, 1924•
of Labor.
S p r in g fie ld , 1 9 2 5 .
S e v e n th a n n u a l re p o rt, J u l y 1, 1 9 2 3 , to J u n e
iv , 1 6 0 p p .
A table from this report, which summarizes the work of the factory inspection
division of the Illinois Department of Labor for the year ending June 30, 1924,
is published on page — of this issue of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w .
M a s s a c h u s e t t s .— Department of Education. B u lle tin , vol. X , N o . 6 : T h i r t y
le s so n s i n n a tu r a liz a tio n a n d c itiz e n s h ip — a n o u tlin e f o r tea chers o f a d u lt
i m m ig r a n ts , b y th e D iv is io n o f U n iv e r s ity E x te n s io n .
B o s to n , N o v em b er,
1925. 77 pp.
N o r t h C a r o l in a .— Child
Welfare Commission.
u n d e r 1 6 y e a r s o f age.
8 pp.
R u li n g s f o r c h ild r e n e m p lo y e d
R e v is e d a n d p a ss e d M a y 2 7 , 1 9 2 5 .
R a le ig h , 1 9 2 5 .
P e n n s y l v a n ia .—Department
of Labor and Industry. S ta te -w id e s a fe ty co n
fe r e n c e o f th e D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r a n d I n d u s t r y , H a r r is b u r g , M a y 2 2 , 1 9 2 5 .
H a r r is b u r g , 1 9 2 5 . 6 4 p p .
The proceedings of a congress dealing with various aspects of the safety prob
lem in the State of Pennsylvania.
P o r to R ic o .—Governor. T w e n ty - fo u r th a n n u a l re p o rt, f o r th e fis c a l y e a r en d ed
J u n e SO, 1 9 2 4 W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
N o . 5 2 9 , 6 8 th C o n g ., 2d. sess.)
iv , 7 2 p p .
( U . S . H . o f R e p . D oc.
Data fro m th is r e p o rt a re p u b lis h e d on p a g e 66 of th is issu e of t h e M o n t h l y
L a b o r R e v ie w .
S o u t h D a k o t a .—Industrial
Department.
m o n th s e n d in g J u n e SO, 1 9 2 5 .
E ig h th a n n u a l
[P ierre?], 1 9 2 5 . 4 0 p p .
re p o rt, f o r
A s u m m a ry of t h e c o n te n ts of th is r e p o rt is g iv en o n p a g e
issu e of t h e M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w .
187 of
the
12
th e p re s e n t
Un it e d
S t a t e s .—Coal Commission. R e p o r t tr a n s m itte d p u r s u a n t to the act a p p ro v e d
S e p te m b e r 2 2 , 1 9 2 2 ( p u b lic N o . 8 4 7 ). I n fiv e p a r ts . W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 . [ V a r i
o u s p a g in g .] P a r t i : P r i n c i p a l f i n d i n g s a n d r e c o m m e n d a tio n s [i n c l u d i n g in d e x
to a ll fiv e p a r ts , a n d r e c o m m e n d a tio n s f o r le g isla tio n ). P a r t I I : A n th r a c ite —de
ta ile d s tu d ie s .
P a r t I I I : B i t u m i n o u s coal— d e ta ile d la b o r a n d e n g in e e r in g s tu d
ie s.
P a r t I V : B i t u m i n o u s coal— d e ta ile d s tu d ie s o f c o st o f p r o d u c tio n , in v e s t
m e n t, a n d p ro fits . P a r t V : A tl a s o f s ta tis tic a l tables.
(S . D oc. N o . 1 9 5 , 6 8 th
C o n g ., 2 d sess.)
The principal provisions of the act creating the United States Coal Com
mission were published in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w for November, 1922
(pp. 193, 194), and summaries of various sections of this report which appeared
in mimeographed form were printed in the following issues of the R e v i e w in
1923: February (pp. 36-42); August (pp. 22-26); October (pp. 18-25); Novem
ber (pp. 17-24); and December (pp. 26-39).
—-— Department of Agriculture. R e p o r t o f th e S e c r e ta r y o f A g r ic u ltu r e , 1 9 2 5 .
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
iv , 9 7 p p .
Besides material relating to purely farm matters, contains data of interest
to labor on agricultural cooperation, the Government’s relation to cooperative
marketing, the farmer’s cost of living, and price spreads in distribution.
[263]
263
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
U n it e d S t a t e s .—Department
of Commerce. T h ir te e n th a n n u a l re p o rt o f the
S e c r e ta r y o f C o m m erce , f o r th e fis c a l y e a r e n d e d J u n e 8 0 , 1 9 2 5 . W a s h in g to n ,
1 9 2 5 . v. 2 1 3 p p .
According to this report, the prominent features of the year ended June 30,
1925, for the nation at large were “ the high rate of production, consumption,
and exports; high real wages; the absence of any consequential unemployment;
continued growing efficiency in management and labor; continued expansion in
application of scientific discovery in such fields as electric power and light, the
gas engine, and radio.”
--------- — Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. S t a tis tic a l a b stra c t o f
th e U n ite d S ta te s , 1 9 2 4 .
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
x v i i i , 8 2 4 PP-
The sections of this report which relate to labor give statistics of prices and cost
of living, wages, hours of labor, industrial accidents, vocational education, and
immigration.
------------ Bureau of Mines. M i n e r s ’ c ir c u la r 2 9 : M i s u s e o f fla m e s a fe ty la m p s
a n d d a n g e rs o f m ix e d lig h ts , b y L . C. I ls le y .
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
12 p p .
This circular gives advice on the use and care of flame safety lamps in mines
and gives examples of explosions which have been caused by the abuse or misuse
of flame safety lamps or by the use of open lights and safety lamps in the same
mine.
— --------------- T e c h n ic a l p a p e r 3 7 2 : S ilic o s is a m o n g m in e r s , b y R . R . S a y e r s .
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
iv, 2 4 PP-
This is a review of the literature, including various special studies, relating to
miners’ phthisis. The prevalence of silicosis in the United States, Great Britain,
South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand is shown, and the conditions promoting
silicosis, the effects of rock dust on the lungs, and the stages of silicosis are dis
cussed, the different stages of the disease being illustrated by reproductions of
X-ray pictures. There is also an account of the different methods used in
determining the quantity of dust in the air and the methods of protection against
dust, including wet drilling, water sprays, water blasts, ventilation, and physical
examination of the workers.
— --------—---- T e c h n ic a l p a p e r 3 8 8 : C o ke-o ven a c c id e n ts i n the U n ite d S ta te s
d u r in g th e c a le n d a r y e a r 1 9 2 4 , b y W i ll i a m
ii, 88 pp.
Data from this report
a re g iv e n o n p a g e
W . A dam s.
W a s h in g to n , 1924-
175 of this issue of the
M onthly
L a b o r R e v ie w .
—— Department of Labor.
T h ir te e n th a n n u a l re p o rt o f the S e c r e ta r y o f L a b o r,
f o r th e fis c a l y e a r e n d e d J u n e 8 0 , 1 9 2 5 .
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 . v, 141 PP-
This publication is summarized on page 60 of this issue of the
M o nthly L abor
R e v ie w .
------- ---- Bureau of Immigration.
1925.
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
A n n u a l re p o rt, fis c a l y e a r e n d e d J u n e 30 ,
v, 181 p p .
Extracts from this report are given in the summary of the thirteenth annual
report of the Secretary of Labor, on page 61 of this number of the M o n t h l y
L a b o r R e v ie w .
S ta tis tic s of im m ig ra tio n fo r t h e fiscal y e a r 1924-25 w ere p u b lis h e d o n p a g es
195-201 of t h e S e p te m b e r, 1925, issu e of t h e M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w .
------- -----Bureau of Labor Statistics.
B u ll e ti n N o . 3 6 9 : T h e u se o f c o s t-o f-liv in g
fig u r e s i n w a g e a d j u s tm e n ts , b y E l m a B . C a rr.
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 . v, 5 0 6 p p .
A s h o r t d e s c rip tio n of t h e c o n te n ts of th is re p o rt is g iv e n o n p a g e
issu e of t h e M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w .
99
of th is
— -------------- B id l e ti n
N o . 8 9 1 : D e c is io n s o f c o u rts a ffe c tin g la b o r, 1 9 2 3 -2 4 ,
b y L i n d l e y D . C la r k a n d S ta n le y J . T r a c y .
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 . x v i i i, 551 p p .
A short summary of this report is given on page 201 of the present issue of the
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[264]
PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
U n it e d S t a t e s . —Department
of Labor.
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
le tin N o . 3 9 4 : W a g e s a n d h o u r s o f la b o r i n m e ta llife r o u s m in e s , 1924•
in g to n , 1 9 2 5 . i n , 3 4 'pp.
265
B u l
W a sh
Advance figures from this bulletin were published in the M o n t h l y L a b o r
for May, 1925 (pp. 77-83).
---------- - ----- B u ll e ti n N o . 3 9 7 : B u i l d i n g p e r m its i n th e p r i n c ip a l c itie s o f the
R e v ie w
U n ite d S ta te s i n 1 9 2 4 .
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
H i, 9 5 p p .
Advance figures from this report were published in M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w
for June (pp. 144-159), July (pp. 173-176), and September (pp. 155-159), 1925.
----- ----- Bureau of Naturalization. A n n u a l re p o rt, fis c a l y e a r e n d ed J u n e 30 ,
1925.
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
57 pp.
Some figures from the above document were published in the thirteenth annual
report of the Secretary of Labor, summarized on page 61 of this issue of the
M o n t h l y L a bo r R e v ie w .
------------Children’s Bureau.
30, 1925.
T h ir te e n th a n n u a l re p o rt, fis c a l y e a r e n d e d J u n e
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 . H i,
PP-
48
brief resume of the work of the Children’s Bureau in 1924-25 is given in
the summary of the report of the Secretary of Labor on page 61 of this issue of
the M o n t h l y J^a b o r R e v i e w .
----- ------ Women’s Bureau. S e v e n th a n n u a l re p o rt, fis c a l y e a r e n d ed J u n e 3 0 ,
A
1925.
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
22 pp.
A statement regarding the w o rk of the Women’s Bureau for the last fiscal
year is given in the summary of the thirteenth annual report of the Secretary
of Labor, on page 62 of this n u m b e r of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w .
----- Treasury Department. Public Health Service. P u b lic h e a lth b u lle tin
N o . 1 4 8 : M e n ta l h y g ie n e w ith s p e c ia l re feren c e to th e m ig r a tio n o f p eo p le,
b y W a lte r L . T r e a d w a y .
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 . x i i , 1 9 0 p p .
The study of migration with special reference to its bearing upon mental
health was started by the Public Health Service in 1922, and this report gives
the result of certain preliminary inquiries concerning immigration which may
assist in the development of our immigration policy. A review is given of the
evolutionary process in man as furnishing a background for an estimate of the
probable effects of the intermingling of races through immigration on the mental
health of the population. The development of relief organizations and the
evolution of special facilities for the care of the insane and the feeble-minded; the
results of 10 decades of immigration to the United States; the evolution of immi
gration laws; the medico-legal status of the mentally disabled immigrant; and
mental diseases among foreign-born and native-born persons are among the
subjects treated. There is a bibliography, and various statistical tables relating
to immigration are appended.
----- -------------- P u b lic h e a lth b u lle tin N o . 1 5 0 : C a r b o n -m o n o x id e lite r a tu r e , by
R . R . Sayers.
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 .
H i, 5 4 p p -
This is a review of the literature relating to carbon-monoxide poisoning, giving
a list of places and industries in which it occurs, the symptoms, pathology, per
centages dangerous to health, methods of detecting carbon monoxide in the blood
and air, and treatment and prevention of poisoning from the gas. A bibliography
is also given.
----- ------------- P u b lic h e a lth b u lle tin N o . 1 5 8 : P ro c e e d in g s o f a c o n fe re n ce to
d e te r m in e w h eth er or n o t th ere i s a p u b lic h e a lth q u e s tio n i n th e m a n u fa c tu r e ,
d is tr ib u tio n or u s e o f te tra e th y l lea d g a so lin e .
W a s h in g to n , 1 9 2 5 . v ii, 1 1 6 p p .
The proceedings of the conference on the use of tetraethyl lead gasoline includes
accounts of the methods of manufacture, and the mixing, distribution, and trans
portation of tetraethyl lead gasoline, including a paper by Dr. R. R. Sayers giving
the results of an experimental study by the United States Bureau of Mines of the
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[265]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
266
toxic effects on animals of ethyl gasoline and its combustion products. The larger
part of the discussion centered in the public health aspects of the use of this
fuel; and the conference passed a resolution calling upon the Surgeon General
of the United States Public Health Service to appoint a committee of seven rec
ognized authorities in clinical medicine, physiology, and industrial hygiene to
study the health hazard involved in the retail distribution and general use of
ethyl gas and to report the results of this investigation by January 1, 1926, if
possible, to a public conference called by the Public Health Service, at which
labor should be represented. The resolution also stated that the conference
indorsed as wise the decision of the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation to discontinue
temporarily the sale of ethyl gas, and recommended that the investigation should
be paid for exclusively out of public funds.
Official—Foreign Countries
G e r m a n y .—Reichskohlenrat.
i m J a h r e 1 924-
S ta tis tis c h e Ü b e rsic h t
B e r lin , 1 9 2 5 . 6 3 p p .
ü b er
d ie
K o h le n w ir ts c h a ft
A series of international and national statistical tables on coal production in
1924 and preceding years, published by the German National Coal Council.
Some of the data shown have been reproduced in an article in the present issue
of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , page 125.
G r e a t B r i t a i n .—Foreign Office. P a p e r s re sp e c tin g labor c o n d itio n s i n C h in a .
C h in a N o . 1 , ( 1 9 2 5 ).
L ondon, 1925.
130 pp.
C m d. 2442.
This report was presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs. It contains reports on labor conditions in China furnished by consuls
stationed in the various sections of China to the British Ministry of Labor.
----- Industrial Fatigue Research Board. R e p o r t N o . 3 2 : S t u d ie s i n re p e titiv e
w o r k w ith s p e c ia l re feren c e to re st p a u s e s , by S .W y a t t a n d J . A . F ra se r.
d o n , 1 9 2 5 . iv, 4 3 p p .
Lon
This report on the effects of breaking up long periods of light repetitive work
by short rest pauses is based on observation of 16 workers in 3 processes over
periods of 15 weeks. The operations studied were handkerchief folding, hand
ironing the folded handkerchiefs, and stamping out cigarette-tin lids on stamping
presses. A comparison of the results obtained in the three processes shows that
the introduction of rest pauses resulted in a distinct increase in the rate of working.
In handkerchief folding the total output of the workers increased 2.3 per cent,
in handkerchief ironing, 1.6 per cent, and in the morning spell of the stamping
process 0.7 per cent, with a decrease, however, of 2.7 per cent in the afternoon
work. In the latter process, though, the results of the introduction of rest
periods were affected by the fact that there were frequent enforced stoppages of
work. A comparison of the results following a regular rest period of 10 minutes
and enforced and irregular stoppages due to conditions of the work amounting
to the same length of time show that the expected rest is superior in its effects.
In addition to the general improvement in the output following the introduction
of a 10 -minute rest period in each spell of work the study demonstrated that it
resulted in increased contentment and satisfaction on the part of the operatives.
—-— Registry of Friendly Societies. R e p o r t f o r the y e a r 1924■ P a r t 2: A p p e n
d ix .
L o n d o n , 1925.
A complete list of the societies registered under the friendly societies act on
December 31, 1924, with particulars as to members, funds, and valuation.
The appendix is published in eight sections, of which six deal with different
parts of England, one with Wales, and one with Scotland.
—— *------------ P a r t 5 : B u il d i n g so cieties. L o n d o n , 1 9 2 5 . i i , 6 0 p p .
Some data from this report are given on page 212 of this issue of the M o n t h l y
L abor R e v ie w .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[266]
PU B L IC A T IO N S
RELATING TO LABOR
267
G r e a t B r i t a i n .—Royal
Commission on National Health Insurance. M i n u te s o f
evid en ce ta k e n b efore c o m m is s io n .
V o l. I I , th ir te e n th to tw e n ty - th ir d d a y s ; V o l.
I l l , tw e n ty - fo u r th to th ir ty - fo u r th d a y s.
L o ndon, 1925.
[V a r io u s p a g in g .]
--------------------A p p e n d i x ,
so c ieties, m e d ic a l
[ V a r io u s p a g in g .]
I t a l y .—Ministero
tistica.
P a r t I I I : S ta te m e n ts s u b m itte d b y c e r ta in a p p ro v e d
a s s o c ia tio n s , re p re se n ta tiv e b o d ies, etc. L o n d o n , 1 9 2 5 .
dell’Economia Nazionale.
Direzione Generale della Sta-
A n n u a r i o sta tis tic o I ta lia n o , 1 9 1 9 - 1 9 2 1 . S e c o n d a serie, V o l. V I I I .
I n d i c i e c o n o m ic ! fin o a l 1924R o m e , 1 9 2 5 . H i, 5 2 6 p p .
Statistical yearbook of Italy for the years 1919 to 1921, published by the
Italian Statistical Office. In an appendix are given certain economic indexes
for the period 1881 to 1924. Of special interest to labor are the statistics on
emigration, sickness and mortality among railroad employees, trade schools,
production in various industry groups, wholesale and retail prices, cost of living,
chambers of labor, trade-unions, strikes and lockouts, unemployment, employ
ment exchanges, industrial courts, and social insurance.
N o r w a y .—[Departementet for Sociale Saker.] Riksforsikringsanstalten. S y k e fo r s ik r in g e n f o r d re t 1924• O slo, 1 9 2 5 . [6], 8 3 p p .
N o r g e s o ffisielle sta t i s ti k k , V I I , 1 8 0 .
Annual report by the State Insurance Institution of Norway on sickness
insurance in that country in 1924. Sickness insurance is compulsory, with
opportunity for voluntary insurance offered under certain conditions.
------------ Statistiske Centralbyrh. M e g lin g og v o ld g ift. T a r iffa v ta le r og a rb e id sk o n flik te r .
O slo, 1 9 2 5 .
28*, 4 8 p p .
N o rg e s offisielle s t a tis tik k , V I I , 1 77.
Report by the Central Statistical Bureau of Norway on conciliation and
arbitration, collective agreements, and labor disputes in that country in 1924.
Figures from this report appear on pages 143 and 248 of this issue of the
M onthly ' L a b o r R e v i e w .
S w e d e n .—[Socialdepartementet.]
Socialstyrelsen. A r b e ta r tillg d n g , a rb e tstid och
a rb e tslo n in o m sverig es j o r d b r u k d r 1 9 2 4 . J d m t e s p e c ia lu n d e r s o k n in g rtira n d e
v is s a a rb e ts- och Ib n e fd r h d lla n d e n f o r b e to d lin g sa rb e ta re i S k d n e . S to c k h o lm ,
1925. 77 p p .
Data from this report are given on page 124 of this issue of the
M onthly
L abor R e v ie w .
------------------ A r b e ts in s ta lle ls e r och k o lle k tiv a v ta l s a m t f o r l ik n i n g s m a n n e n s verks a m h e t d r 1 9 2 4 • S to c k h o lm , 1 9 2 5 . 1 7 7 p p .
Report by the Swedish Social Board on labor disputes, collective agreements,
and activities of the conciliators in Sweden in 1924. For brief extracts from
this report see page 249 of this issue of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w .
____________ H y r e s r a k n in g e n dr 192 4 . D el I . H y r e s fo r h d lla n d e n a m . m .
S to c k h o lm , 1 9 2 5 .
68 pp.
The Social Board of Sweden (S o c ia ls ty r e ls e n ) when taking the census made a
housing survey for certain localities (220) in Sweden in 1924, the results of which
with respect to rents appear in this report. Data as to dwellings and number
of persons occupying them will follow in a later report.
The report contains a resume in French.
U n i o n o f S o u t h A f r i c a .—Department of Mines and Industries. A n n u a l re p o rts
o f th e se c re ta ry f o r m in e s a n d i n d u s tr ie s a n d th e G o v e r n m e n t m i n i n g e n g in e e r
f o r th e c a le n d a r y e a r e n d e d D ecem b er 3 1 , 1924■ P r e to r ia , 1 9 2 5 . [ V a r io u s
p a g in g .] 2 9 ta b les.
Some data from this report will be found on page 67 of this issue of the
L abor R e v ie w .
74735°—26t----- 18
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[267]
M onthly
268
M O N T H L Y LABOR R EV IEW
Unofficial
A m e r ic a n A ca d em y
op
P o l it ic a l
C X X I I , N o . 2 1 1 : T h e F a r E a s t.
S o c ia l S c ie n c e . T h e A n n a l s , V o l.
P h ila d e lp h ia , N o v e m b e r, 1926. v, 2 7 7 p p .
and
Data on living conditions in China, taken from this volume, are published on
page 109 of this issue of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w .
A m e r ic a n F e d e r a t io n o f L a b o r . New York branch. O fficia l book. P r o
c ee d in g s o f th e s ix ty - s e c o n d a n n u a l c o n v e n tio n , a t S y r a c u s e , A x ig u s t 2 5 - 2 7 , 1 9 2 5 .
A lb a n y , 1 9 2 5 . 2 1 6 p p .
The adopted report of the legislative committee to this convention recom
mended, among other measures, the ratification of the Federal child labor amend
ment, an exclusive State insurance fund for workmen’s compensation, the pro
hibition of injunctions in industrial controversies unless such injunctions be
“ authorized by a verdict after trial of the facts before a judge and a jury,” and
a 48-hour week for women and minors in gainful occupations.
The joint report of the insurance committee of the New York State Federation
of Labor and the Central Trades and Labor Council of Greater New York and
vicinity is of special interest.
A n t h r a c it e B o a rd
of
V o l. X I .
[19257]
B arre, P a .
B rotherhood
of
C o n c il ia t io n .
x ii, 155 pp.
R a il w a y C a r m e n
R e p o r t.
V o l. X I I I .
of
V o l. X .
1925. xv, 207 pp .
[19257] x v,
pp.
W ilk e s -
A m e r ic a .
204
Proceedings o f the fifte e n th
Kansas City M o
c o n v e n tio n , K a n s a s C ity , M o ., S e p te m b e r 1 4 - 2 8 , 1 9 2 5 .
1925. 5 2 9 p p .
Among the numerous subjects discussed at the convention were the following:
Brotherhood cooperative banking, progressive political action, the strike of July,
1922, a trade-union insurance company, and the brotherhood and union-manage
ment cooperation.
C h a d d o c k , R o b e r t E. P r in c ip le s a n d m e th o d s o f s ta tis tic s . B o sto n , H o u a h to n
M i f f l i n C o .,
1925.
x v i, 4?1
PP-
This volume is designed to present the elementary principles of statistics both
from the standpoint of assembling the data and of sifting evidence. The book is
divided into three sections, covering, in Part I, a preliminary review of the sub
ject, including misuses of statistical data and statistics in the service of science;
in Part II, the classification and description of mass data; and in Part III, the
gathering and presentation of statistical data.
C o m it é C e n t r a l
des
A l l o c a t io n s F a m il ia l e s .
c a tio n s f a m i li a l e s , R o u e n - L e H a v re , J u i n
L ille , 1 9 2 5 . 2 2 4 p p .
V me co n g res n a tio n a l des a llo
8 a u 10, 1925.
C o m p te r e n d u .
The subjects of some of the principal addresses at the fifth National Congress
on Family Allowances were as follows: The social institutions of the Lower Seine;
the social action of funds for family allowances—new realizations; family allow7ances in agriculture; vacation colonies; and vacation camps.
C r a ig , D a v id R .
T h e e c o n o m ic c o n d itio n o f th e p r i n t in g i n d u s t r y i n N e w Y o r k
C ity — a w a g e a r b itr a tio n s t u d y o f th e b ook a n d jo b b ra n c h . N e w Y o r k , N e w
Y o r k E m p l o y i n g P r i n te r s ’ A s s o c ia tio n , 1 9 2 5 . i x , 76 p p .
Since 1907 arbitration has been the established procedure for settling wage
disputes in the book and job branch of the New York printing industry. Since
1919 one of the factors to be considered by the arbitrator has been the economic
condition of the industry. This, however, has not been easy to determine, as
“ no systematic analysis had been made of the existing information” and the
parties’ statements are said to have rarely been based upon fact. The present
study is an attempt to supply the need for a more solid foundation of fact, and
covers fluctuations of production, employment, sales, pay roll, overhead costs,
total costs, and profits.
[268]
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PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR
F o s t e r , W il l ia m
T.,
M i ff l in C o ., 1 9 2 5 .
and
C a t c h in g s , W a d d il l .
P ro fits.
269
B o sto n , H o u g h to n
x x ii, 465 pp .
The introduction of this volume contains a general statement of the economic
problem and a discussion of the results of the profit motive in developing indus
try, the various kinds of income, and the various sources of profits. Other
phases of the subject dealt with are the necessity of profits and losses, the amount
and distribution of profits, the functions of prices and profits, and money and
profits in relation to consumption. The appendix contains notes to all the chap
ters, and various statistical tables.
G o o d r ic h , C a r t e r .
c h a n g in g in d u s t r y .
T h e m i n e r ’s fr e e d o m — a s tu d y o f th e w o r k in g life i n
B o sto n , M a r s h a ll J o n e s C o ., 1 9 2 5 . x i , 1 8 9 p p .
a
The “ freedom” under discussion developed from the old-time conditions of
mining, under which coal getting was largely an individual job depending upon
the skill and knowledge of the miner, who from the nature of his work enjoyed
a larger measure of independence and personal responsibility than was per
mitted to the worker in some form of mass production. The introduction of
machinery threatens this freedom, and the author’s question is whether the
advantages of machine production can not be secured without reducing the
miner’s work to the monotonous routine of the factory hand. This can not be
done, he states, without a realization of the full import of the change that is
going on and a deliberate effort to preserve the opportunity offered under the
old system for the worker to make his job a real and important part of his life,
instead of merely a means of earning a livelihood.
H a m il t o n , W a l t o n H., and W r ig h t , H e l e n R. T h e case o f b itu m in o u s coal.
N e w Y o r k , M a c m i ll a n C o., 19 2 5 .
x i, 8 1 0 p p .
The authors give an analysis of the situation in regard to the production of
bituminous coal, comparing the actual results with those which the working of
the competitive system is expected to produce, and showing the confusion
which prevails in the production, transportation, and sale of bituminous coal,
which is the chief source of manufacturing power, and therefore absolutely
basic. An examination is made of the hopes for improvement held out by
such plans as greater unification, greater efficiency in the individual mine, the
mechanization of the industry, and the like, and some of the causes militating
against the success of each of these are given. The authors do not attempt to
forecast the solution of the problem, but point out its exceeding difficulty, due
largely to the fact that “ a solution must make terms with an established system
buttressed about with hoary traditions.” Because of this fact the observer
sees little but confusion in the industry.
He sees a clash of vested interests in which operators, mine workers, and
consumers alike refuse to surrender current advantages for the greater promises
of a nebulous afterwhile. He sees an array of vested rights compelling indi
viduals to do as they will with their own even though their blind doings return
to plague their authors. He sees the chance of action by all concerned with
coal pent in by the laws of the land which make a unified direction of the industry
impossible. He sees a bewildering ignorance of the larger situation and a con
fusing abundance of fearless and ill-informed advice. He sees an inertia which
rejects the new for the reason that it is the new, and clings blindly to the old
because it is the customary. And, permeating it all, as the creator and the
created of all the rest, he discovers the strange notions, the obsolete thoughts,
the confused ideas which thwart vision, promote disorder, and hold a chaotic
industry as in a vise. He wonders if it can be that vested chaos, like established
order, creates in men’s minds a defensive scheme of thought which makes its
overthrow impossible.
[I n t e r n a t io n a l
U n io n o f W o o d w o r k e r s .] W o r k i n g c o n d itio n s f o r w ood
w o rk e rs i n v a r io u s c o u n tr ie s — -the p o s itio n o n O ctober 1, 1 9 2 4 .
[ A m s te r d a m ,
1925?] 1 3 p p .
Data
fro m
this report are reproduced
on
L a b o r R e v ie w .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[269]
page 113 o f this issue of the
M onthly
270
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
D. T h e a d m i n i s t r a t io n o f i n d u s t r i a l e n te r p r is e s , w ith s p e c ia l
re feren c e to fa c t o r y p ra c tic e.
N e w Y o r k , L o n g m a n s , G reen & C o ., 1 9 2 5 .
v, 6 1 8 p p .
R e v is e d e d itio n .
J o n e s , E dw ard
Some of the subjects covered in this volume are the general principles of busi
ness administration; scientific management; employment management, including
materials on mental tests, trade tests, job analyses, and rating scales; an analysis
of the elements involved in wage bargaining, and wage-payment plans; and a
discussion of recent studies of fatigue.
K o b e ( J a p a n ) H ig h e r C o m m e r c ia l S c h o o l . Institute for Commercial Re
search. T h e se c o n d a n n u a l b u lle tin o f th e f in a n c i a l a n d e c o n o m ic s ta tis tic s
o f J a p a n (1 9 1 8 -1 9 2 4 ).
K obe, 1925.
[ V a r io u s p a g in g .}
In addition to financial statistics of Japan the yearbook contains index numbers
of wholesale prices and of the average monthly wages in Tokio and Osaka.
M c M a h o n , T h e r e s a S. S o c ia l a n d e c o n o m ic s ta n d a r d s o f liv in g . N e w Y o r k ,
D . C. H e a th & C o., 1 9 2 5 .
v i, 4 8 0 p p .
This is a historical and analytical study of the development of social and
economic standards of living in Europe and in the United States. It includes
consideration of the immigrant and his standard of living, wages and standards
of living, American rural standards, feminine living standards, the evolution of
social classes in Europe and in the United States, and the democratization of
American standards of living.
M e t r o p o l it a n L i f e I n s u r a n c e C o . Policyholders’ Service Bureau. M e th o d s
o f c o m p e n s a tio n N o . 3: M e th o d s o f p a y in g fa c t o r y w o rk e rs.
15 p p .
N e w Y o rk, 1925.
This pamphlet gives examples of methods of paying factory workers which
are in force in different companies, including the group payment plan, and
various individual incentive plans.
M i n e I n s p e c t o r s ’ I n s t it u t e
of
A m e r ic a .
P ro c e e d in g s ,
P e o r ia , III. ,
May,
[H a r tfo r d , C o n n .? ], 1 9 2 5 . 105 p p .
The proceedings of the 16th annual meeting of the Mine Inspectors’ Institute
of America contains papers relating to causes and prevention of accidents and
rock-dusting legislation and regulations in coal mines.
1925.
N a t io n a l A s s o c ia t io n
of
M a nu facturers
of th e
U n it e d S t a t e s
L a b o r c o n d itio n s i n E n g la n d , b y N o e l S a r g e n t.
[1925?]. 11 p p .
N ew
of
A m e r ic a .
Y o r k , 5 0 C h u rc h S t .
N a t io n a l B u r e a u
o f E co n o m ic R e s e a r c h ( I n c .).
P u b lic a tio n N o . 7: I n
co m e i n th e v a r io u s S ta te s , i ts so u rce s a n d d is tr ib u tio n , 1 9 1 9 , 1 9 2 0 , a n d 1 9 2 1 ,
b y M a u r ic e L e v e n .
N e w Y o rk, 1925. 806 pp.
This study of the sources and distribution of income is based upon estimates
of the national totals, by Willford 1. King. The distribution by States includes
over 50 items entering into the income of the American people. In the sum
mary the total income from all sources received by individuals in each State is
shown for the years 1919, 1920, and 1921, at its current value, and also at its
purchasing value based on the purchasing value of the dollar in 1913. The
share of the farm population in the total net income is also shown, the per capita
current income in each State for the nonfarm population and for the farm popu
lation, and the income of the bulk of the people for specified income classes, ex
cluding incomes of $10,000 or over.
N a t io n a l I n d u s t r ia l C o n f e r e n c e B o ard ( I n c .).
U n ite d S ta te s .
N ew Y o rk, 247 P a rk A ven u e, 1925.
I n d u s t r i a l p e n s io n s i n the
x iii, 157 p p .
This study covers the results of operation of 248 pension plans established by
industrial firms or corporations in this country. An account is given of types of
plans, costs and amounts of pensions and methods of financing the plans, together
with a statement of the attitude of employees and of labor organizations. The
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[270]
PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR
271
second part of the book gives suggestions regarding the organization and admin
istration of pension systems. A list of the companies scheduled is given in the
appendix.
R u s s e l l S a g e F o u n d a t io n L ib r a r y .
selected b ib lio g ra p h y ].
3 pp.
B u ll e ti n N o . 73: C o o p era tive h o u s in g [a
N e w Y o r k , 1 3 0 E a s t T w e n ty -s e c o n d S t ., O ctober, 1 9 2 5 .
Industrial conditions among women in China. A n address to the
International Congress of Working Women, August, 1 9 2 3 , in Vienna. Lon
don, International Federation of Working Women, 3 2 Eccleston Square, S. W. 1,
S h in , T a k u .
[19231].
11 p p .
This is a brief résumé of working and living conditions of working women in
China.
S o m m e r f e l d t , W. P. Norsk tidsskriftindex, 1 9 2 3 . Systematisk fortegnelse over
innholdet av 202 Norske periodiske skrifter. S jette àrgang. Utgitt med stqtte
av den Norske inter parlamentariske gruppe. Christiania, Steenske Forlag, 1924 .
x x v , 1 6 0 pp.
Catalogue of contents of 202 Norwegian periodicals, some of which cover the
labor field. This is the sixth year of publication.
S t a n f o r d U n iv e r s it y . Food Research Institute. M is c e lla n e o u s p u b lic a tio n
N o . 2:
T h e A m e r i c a n b a k in g in d u s t r y , 1 8 4 9 - 1 9 2 3 , a s sh o w n i n the c e n s u s
re p o rts, b y H a z e l K y r k a n d J o s e p h S ta n c liffe D a v is . S ta n fo r d U n iv e r s ity ,
C a lif., 1 9 2 5 . i x , 1 0 8 p p .
In the summary of this study it is stated that both salaries and wages in the
baking industry have increased greatly since 1914 and wages have advanced
relatively much more than salaries. This may be said of manufactures in
general, but “ wages in the bread-baking branch of the industry in particular
have risen in a greater degree than in all manufacturing industries.” The
baking industry also has a shorter working-day than the manufactures in general.
S to d d a r d , L o t h r o p .
S o c ia l cla sses i n
S c r ib n e r ’s S o n s , 1 9 2 5 . v ii, 1 7 8 p p .
p o stiva r E u r o p e .
N ew
Y o r k , C h a rles
A comparative survey of the various social classes making up the population
of the different countries of Europe, both within the classes themselves and in
their relations to each other.
U n iv e r s it y D e b a t e r s ’ A n n u a l . C o n s tr u c tio n a n d r e b u tta l sp eech es d elivered in
d ebates o f A m e r i c a n colleges a n d u n iv e r s itie s d u r in g th e college y e a r 1 9 2 4 - 2 5 .
E d ite d b y E d it h M . P h e lp s .
N e w Y o r k , H . W . W ils o n C o ., 1 9 2 5 . i x , 4 1 6 p p .
Among the eight debates included in this volume two relate to labor
problems—those on Japanese exclusion and child labor.
N ic o l e .^. Le mouvement d’hygiène
Imprim erie d’Êditions Paul Roubaud, 1 9 2 5 .
X ardel,
industrielle.
xvi, 3 5 5 pp.
Aix-en-Provence,
The first section of this work on industrial hygiene gives a historical review of
the development of the movement; the second part treats of industrial fatigue,
its causes and remedies, the industrial diseases and industrial accidents; and the
third part gives a résumé of the accomplishments in industrial hygiene in France,
the United States, Great Britain, and Italy, and the international aspect of the
question. A bibliography is appended.
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