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U.
S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
ROYAL MEEKER, Commissioner
MONTHLY
LABOR REVIEW
VOLUME VIII
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
NUMBER 6
JUNE, 1919
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1919
a
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
CONTENTS.
Special articles:
page.
New trade agreement in the dress and waist industry of New York City,
by Boris Emmet, P h . D ................................................................................... 1-17
Waterside workers in the United Kingdom, by Benjamin M. Squires......... 18-37
Prohibitory amendment to the Constitution of the United States and its
relation to labor, by Lindley D. C lark......................................................... 38-43
-Reconstruction:
Social reconstruction program of the National Catholic War Council...........44-52
Soldier settlement plans in Canada.................................................................... 52-58
Platform of the Social Labor Party in Spain.................................................... 58, 59
Provision for the disabled, and vocational education:
A survey of industrial education in New York City.......................... ............60-68
Twelfth annual convention of National Society for Vocational Education.. 68, 69
Plan to prevent discrimination against employment of military cripples in
Great Britain........................................................................................................ 70-73
Department of industrial training established by British Government.......
73
Prices and cost of living:
Retail prices of food in the United States........................................................ 75-91
Prices of gas for household use in the United States....................................... 92, 93
Index numbers of wholesale prices in the United States, 1913 to April, 1919. 94, 95
Wholesale prices in the United States and foreign countries, 1890 to March,
1919........................................................................................ . .......................... 96,97
Price changes, wholesale and retail, in the United States........................... 98-101
101-116
Cost of living in the United States........................................................... .
Cost of living in the District of Columbia......................................................
117
Wholesale prices in Canada in 1917....................................................................
118
Cost of living in Great B ritain......................................................................... 119,120
Cooperation:
Progress of cooperative movement in Great B ritain.................................... 121-124
Employment and unemployment:
Employment in selected industries in April, 1919....................................... 125-128
Unemployment and American trade-unions................................................. 128-131
Activities of public employment offices in Massachusetts, 1918....................
132
Wffirk-of British employment exchanges in 1918..............................................
133
Employment management:
Securing the initiative of the workman......................................................... 134-136
Industrial councils and employees’ representation:
First joint industrial council in Canada organized in Toronto building
trades.......................................
137,138
Creation of labor boards for the German mining industries........................ 139-144
Wages and hours of labor:
Recent wage orders issued by Director General of Railroads..................... 145-164
Award of National Adjustment Commission to dredge and tugboat em
ployees of the Great Lakes........................................................................... 164-167
Wages of longshore labor July, 1914, to December, 1918............................ 167,168
Alliance of miners, railway men, and transport workers in Great Britain,
compiled by Mary Conyngton..................................................................... 169-177
Wages in the building trades in British cities, 1914 to 1918, compiled by
J. E. Eastlack................................................................................................. 177-180
Agricultural wages in Ireland.......................................................................... 180,181
Wages paid to mine labor in Alsace-Lorraine, 1913, 1914, and 1918..........181,182
Earnings and hours of labor of coal miners in H olland..................................
182
The 48-hour week in certain industries in Italy ............................................
183
Labor, wages, and cost of living in Switzerland........................................... 184-189
Minimum wage:
Wages of women and minors in the mercantile industry in the District of
Columbia, by Clara E. Mortenson.............................................................. 191-205
Report of Massachusetts Minimum Wage Board, 1918................................ 205-207
in
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
IV
CONTENTS.
Minimum wage—Concluded,
Page.
Recent orders by British Columbia Minimum Wage Board....................... 207, 208
Industrial peace in Australia through minimum wage and arbitration... 208-215
Woman in industry, and child labor:
Children’s Bureau conference on child-welfare standards.........................216-220
Women who replaced men in industry during the war............................... 221-226
Report of women’s advisory committee on domestic service, Great Britain. 226-229
Japanese women and girls in industry........................................................... 229, 230
Industrial accidents:
Trend of accident frequency rates in certain plants in the iron and steel
industry to the end of 1918........................................................................... 231-234
Quarry accidents in the United States in 1917............................................. 234, 235
Coal-mine fatalities in the United States in 1918......................................... 235-237
Accidents in mines and quarries in Ohio in 1917...........................................
237
Industrial hazards and diseases:
Hazards in a garage........................................................................................... 238-240
Army gas masks unsuited for use in industries............................................. 240-243
Precautions for preventing danger of infection from anthrax, Great B ritain. 243-245
Workmen’s compensation:
Occupational diseases and hernia under Federal compensation act......... 246-247
Report on industrial consequences of permanent disabilities in California. 247-253
Direct settlements under New York compensation law.............................. 253-255
Workmen’s compensation legislation in Missouri, North Dakota, and Ten
nessee.............................................................................................................. 255-259
Texas workmen’s compensation law held constitutional............................ 259-261
Workmen’s compensation law of Brazil......................................................... 261-263
Labor laws and regulations:
Federal child labor law held unconstitutional...............................................
264
Regulations governing home work in Argentina....................................... 265-266
Law regulating home work in Spain.............................................................. 266-269
Social insurance:
Reports on health insurance and old-age pensions:
California..................................................................................................... 270-280
Ohio............................................................................................................. 280-282
Pennsylvania.............................................................................................. 282-284
Medical administration of health insurance, by Dr. Woods H utchinson.. 285-292
Operation of laborers’ and peasants’ retirement fund in France, January 1,
1915, to December 31, 1916..........................................................................
293
Housing:
Housing policy for Ontario, Canada............................................................... 294-297
Labor organizations:
Growth of trade-unionism among British women during the war, compiled
by Mary T. Waggaman................................................................................. 29S-303
Trade-union membership in Great Britain................................................... 303-306
Strikes and lockouts:
Strikes and lockouts in the United States, 1916, 1917, and 1918, compiled
by Edson L. W hitney................................................................................. 307-325
Labor disputes in New York State, year ending June 30, 1918................. 326, 327
Conciliation and arbitration:
Conciliation work of Department of Labor, April 16,1919, to May 15,1919 .328-331
Immigration:
Immigration in March, 1919............................................................................ 332, 333
List of labor papers and journals and other periodicals featuring labor matters
received currently in the Department of Labor library.................................... 334-353
Publications relating to labor:
Official—United States..................................................................................... 354-358
Official—foreign countries................................................................................ 358-363
Unofficial............................................................................................................ 363-375
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR R E V IE W
vol . vin—n o . 6
WASHINGTON
ju n e ,
1919
NEW TRADE AGREEMENT IN THE DRESS AND WAIST INDUSTRY OF
NEW YORK CITY.
BY BORIS EMMET, PH. D.
A trade agreement, radically different from those formerly in
existence,1 has recently been signed between the New York Dress
and Waist Manufacturers’ Association and the International Ladies’
Garment Workers Union, as representing its locals, Nos. 10, 25, and
58. The agreement covers the majority of the larger shops of the
industry—about 170 in number—with a total employed of about
15,000. The standards of pay and work specified are, however, in
force throughout the entire industry in New York City and affect
more than 25,000 workers.
A true appreciation of the novelty of some of the principal features
of this new agreement may be obtained by comparing its main
provisions with the main features of the so-called protocol agreements
which were in force in the industry prior to this year. The protocol
agreements were based largely upon the principle of arbitration. A
board of arbitrators, consisting of one representative of each side,
and presided over by an impartial outsider, governed the industry.
Differences of opinion regarding general policies as well as individual
and shop controversies were subject to the jurisdiction of this supreme
tribunal.
The new agreement eliminates, to a very great extent, this method
of adjusting differences. Arbitration is replaced by conciliation
through a board of grievances consisting of an equal number of repre
sentatives from each side, without the assistance of outsiders. Unlike
its predecessor, the new agreement is definite and inflexible. None
of its provisions are subject to arbitration or interpretation by an
outside party. Individual or shop disputes or grievances may,
however, as of old, he submitted, in instances of deadlock, to
arbitration.
Another radical departure from the former protocol agreements
relates to discharges. Under the so-called protocol system of
collective bargaining each case of discharge was subject to the review
1The nature and workings of the earlier (protocol) agreements in the New York dress and waist industry
were described in detail in Bulletin 145 of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and in a special study entitled
“ Trade agreements in the women’s clothing industries of New York City,” Monthly R eview for Decem
ber, 1917, pp. 30-34.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
of an arbitrator, with full power to reinstate the discharged employee.
This arrangement, although satisfactory to the employees, was fre
quently obnoxious to the employer for the reason, it was said,
that it became almost impossible to get rid of a worker without
demonstrating gross incompetence or dishonesty. The new agree
ment substitutes a dismissal penalty wage, as an alternative for rein
statement, in certain cases of unjustifiable discharge. The dismissal
wage alternative to reinstatement can not, however, be applied in
cases of workers discharged for union activity. These must be
reinstated.
The third innovation in the agreement relates to measures to be
utilized to prevent individuals or groups of workers from resorting
to shop strikes for the purpose of adjusting grievances. Workers
unwilling to return to their work upon order of their union officials,
and within 24 hours, are to be considered as having automatically
forfeited their positions.
As pointed out in detail elsewhere in this article, the agreement
grants substantial increases in wages to all workers and provides
for a 44-hour week.
NEGOTIATIONS FOR R ENEW AL OF AGREEMENT AND GENERAL ST R IK E.
The old agreement, originally signed January 18, 1913, and subse
quently amended a number of times, expired on December 31, 1918.
Conferences for its renewal began in the early part of December.
Long before the expiration of the old agreement, however, both
parties expressed dissatisfaction with many of its features and sub
mitted proposals for a new agreement.
On December 11, 1918, the union presented to the Manufacturers’
Association a set of new demands, containing, among others, the
following: (1) Forty-four hour week; (2) a fiat increase of 15 per
cent to pieceworkers; (3) increases from $1 to $3 per week, to week
workers; (4) request that all factory organization changes which
might affect the interests of the employees be submitted to the
union for its approval; (5) the employer to be prohibited from dis
charging employees without previous investigation by a committee
of representatives of both sides; (6) provision that no work be sent
to outside shops while workers of inside shop are not fully employed;
(7) union representatives to have free access to employer’s shop,
unaccompanied by an association representative, for investigation
purposes; (8) complete unionization of shops;1 (9) employers to be
held responsible for the labor conditions in their outside shops.
1 The extent of recognition demanded by the union was considerably greater than accorded to it under
the previous agreements. In the preferential union shops formerly in existence, the employer, at the
request of the union, was required to discharge nonunion employees, “ provided a union member in good
standing competent for the class or grade of work to be done in such shop shall be at once available.” The
new demand regarding recognition virtually amounted to what is known as the closed shop.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1552]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
3
A summary of the objections of the employers to the new demands
of the workers was made public by the association in its official pub
lication.1 The following is a brief statement of some of the points
contained therein: (1) The 44-hour week would make it impossible
for the New York trade to compete with other markets; (2) the
demand for a wage increase is unjust because it was understood that
no new wage demands would be made at the December conference;
(3) to make factory reorganizations contingent upon union approval
would make the union a business partner, with full power of decision;
(4) the demand for the discharge of nonunion workers before compe
tent substitutes are furnished is, for the union, “ a new way to cripple
a manufacturer whom it dislikes” ; the union demand that “lazy, im
pertinent, or troublesome workers be kept until a complaint in
writing against them has been decided amounts to the worker winning
his case before the trial begins” ; (5) permission to send a walking
delegate into the shops would amount to constant “ snooping, dis
turbing, faultfinding, and trouble making” ; (6) the employer should
not be held responsible for labor conditions of outside shops over
which he exercises only a nominal control.
As a basis for negotiation the employers’ association presented to
the union a set of counter proposals, as follows: (1) That the prefer
ential union shop of the old agreement remain in force, but be not
applied to stretchers of cloth and examiners; (2) that workers who
in violation of agreement go on strike be deemed to have voluntarily
quit their employment; (3) that employers be free in discharging
employees, except for union activity; (4) that the employment of all
workers be automatically terminated at the end of each season; (5)
that the principle of arbitration in the settlement of policies for the
industry be eliminated; (6) that the old provision for equal distribu
tion of work during the dull seasons be eliminated; (7) that the weekly
hours of labor remain as heretofore; (8) that no overtime pay be
granted unless employee works full week, or 49 hours; (9) that shop
chairmen and members of price committees be selected from among
employees with a record of service with the firm of at least three
months.
As may readily be seen from the above demands of the respective
sides, each of the parties insisted on conditions considerably at vari
ance with those which had governed the industry since 1913. The em
ployers insisted on reducing somewhat the extent of union recognition,
on the absolute right to discharge, and on the elimination, to a great
extent, of the principle of arbitration. The employees desired a
greater extent of union recognition and a further curtailment of the
employer’s power to discharge. This curtailment was to be effected
1Dress and Waist News, Jan. 31, 1919, pp. 6 and 7.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
by specifically prohibiting discharges unless agreed to, in advance, by a
committee representing the union and the association. The employees,
in addition, requested a shorter working week and considerable in
creases in wages.
The issues regarding wages and hours were not of great importance
in the controversy which ensued. Although opposing the union
demands in this direction, the spokesmen of the Manufacturers’
Association concentrated their energies on insisting on the following
points: (1) The freedom of the employer to discharge; (2) the refusal
to increase further the extent of union recognition; (3) the elimina
tion of arbitrators from the industry; and (4) the penalizing, by dis
charge, of workers, who, in violation of the agreement, go on strike.
The question of shop strikes was said to be of utmost importance for
the reason that the number of such shop stoppages was constantly on
the increase. These frequent and deliberate violations of the con
tract, it was claimed, went unpunished because the old agreement did
not provide for effective means to stop them. To remedy this serious
condition, the employers insisted upon the insertion, in the new agree
ment, of a provision to the effect that striking employees are to be
deemed as having automatically forfeited their positions.
Repeated negotiations, which lasted more than two weeks, failed to
bring any satisfactory solution regarding the principal points of con
tention between the parties. In order to enforce its demands, the
union, January 21, 1919, called a general strike. The strike lasted
about 10 weeks. I t was brought to a close on April 9, 1919, when the
agreement described in this report was signed.
PR IN C IPA L FE A T U R E S OF THE NEW AGREEMENT.
The agreement outlaws strikes and lockouts and provides ageneies
for the peaceful adjustment of grievances. In instances of shop
strikes the union officials are obligated to restore the striking em
ployees to their work within 24 hours. From the contents of the
agreement it appears that after the expiration of the 24-hour period
the striking employees are considered as having automatically for
feited their positions. This provision is to be considered a valuable
and practical gain for the employers. The expiring agreement en
deavored to eliminate stoppages of work by specifying that union
officials be given a “ reasonable opportunity” to put their members
back to work. Constant differences of opinion regarding the reason
able amount of time in which the workers were to return resulted
frequently in stoppages extending over many days at a time.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
5
The preferential union shop of the earlier agreements is to remain
in force as heretofore. The weekly hours of labor are to be limited to
44. Overtime work is to be confined to 6 hours per week and to
hours on any one day. It is to be paid for at double rate. As
far as practicable, available work is to be distributed equally among
all employees during the dull seasons. The employer, however, is
given the option of eliminating head and apprentice cutters and
pattern graders from this provision of the agreement.
Wage increases are granted to all workers. Pieceworkers are to
receive an increase of 10 per cent over the prices which were in force
on April 9, 1919. All week workers, except cleaners, drapers, dress
pressers, and cutters, are to receive an increase of $1.50 per week.
Cleaners are to receive an increase of $1 per week. Drapers, press
ers, and cutters, except those most skilled (highest grade), are to
receive an increase of $2 per week. Most skilled cutters are granted
an increase of $3 per week. Increases are also granted to all other
week workers.1
The following legal holidays—paid for in full to the week workers—
are to be observed in the industry: Washington’s Birthday, Decora
tion Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and
Christmas.
1 The following table gives the weekly rates of wages in identical occupations, in force during the entire
period of collective bargaining in the industry, since 1913 to date:
Weekly rates of wages in dress and waist industry on specified dates.
Rates in effect on—
Occupation.
Jan. 18,
1913.
Pressers (on woolens).........................................
$20.00
Cutters: '
Grade A, first year...........................................
6.00
12. 00
Grade B, second year......................................
18. 00
Grade C, third year.........................................
Grade T>, fourth year, but not full-fledged...
(«)
Grade E, fourth year, full-fledged..................
25.00
Grade F ' 1 year after becoming full-fledged..
(«)
Examiners...............................................................
10.00
14.00
Drapers........................... .......................................
12. 00
J oiners......................................................................
Finishers..................................................................
8. 00
14.00
Sample makers.......................................................
Ironers, m a l e . .................................................................................
15.00
12.00
Ir oners, female........................................................
Cleaners, girls:
Under 16, first year.......................................... 1 6.00
Under 16, second year......................................
( d)
16 and over, first year......................................
(d)
16 and over, second year.................................
Feb. 7, Jan. 29,
1916.
1917.
/
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July 29, Apr. 7,
1918.6
1919.6
$23.00
$25.00
$27.00
$31.00
$33.00
6. 00
12.00
18.00
21.00
25.00
27.50
11.50
15.00
13.00
9.50
15.00
16.50
14.00
7.00
13.25
20.00
23.00
27.50
29.00
12.50
16.60
14.30
10.50
16.50
18.50
15.50
8.00
14.50
22.00
25.00
29.50
31.00
14. 00
18.00
15.50
12. 00
18.00
20.00
17. 00
10. 00
16.50
25.00
28.00
33.00
35.00
16.00
21. 00
17.50
14.00
21.00
23.00
19.00
12.00
18.50
27.00
30.00
d35.00
38.00
17.50
23.00
19.00
15.50
22.50
24.50
20.50
6.00
7.00
7.00
8.50
7.00
8. 00
8. 00
9.50
8.00
9.00
9. 00
10.50
9. 00
10.50
10.50
12.00
(•)
<•)
11.50
13.00
a All pieceworkers granted an increase of 8J per cent.
6 All pieceworkers granted an increase of 10 per cent.
c No such grade.
d $38 per week if required to do pattern grading.
* Not specified.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Jan. 7,
1918.o
6
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
METHODS FOR PIE C E-R A T E MAKING.
The new agreement modifies considerably the methods to.be resorted
to in the making of piece rates. The so-called schedule or log system
of rate making is to prevail, except in cases of disagreement on the
part of the respective clerks regarding its practicability.1 In such in
stances the employer is given the privilege of putting the log system
into operation. This privilege is, however, subject to the right of the
employees to file complaints charging unfairness in the working of the
system. Controversies regarding the application of the log system
are to be adjusted through the regular grievance adjustment channels
of the industry.
Piece rates for the making of specific garments are to be agreed
upon not later than one week after the commencement of work on
the garment in question. After one week the employees are given
the option of refusing to work on garments on which the rates are
unsettled. The rates of pay for the work done during the initial week
are to be determined by the employer. The employees concerned
are, however, privileged to file complaints charging underpayment,
and to receive back pay if the grievance adjustment agency so
orders.
AGENCIES FOR TH E A D JU STM EN T OF GRIEVANCES.
For the purpose of adjusting grievances each of the parties to the
agreement is to appoint a chief clerk, who may act through deputies.
The chief clerks of the respective sides, or their deputies, are to inves
tigate all complaints, and endeavor, to the limit of their ability, to
adjust the difficulty. All decisions made by them are conclusive
and binding upon both parties. In the event of failure to agree on
the part of the clerks, the controversy is to be submitted for deter
mination to a grievance board.
Each of the parties are to appoint an equal number of representa
tives, not exceeding four. The persons so appointed are to constitute
a grievance board, the function of which is the settlement of con
troversies arising by reason of a disagreement between the clerks.
The determinations of the grievance board on all matters submitted
to it are conclusive and binding upon both parties. The board ha 3
the power to impose fines and other penalties upon offending organ
izations, establishments, or individuals.
Individual or establishment controversies upon the disposition of
which the grievance board fails to agree are to be submitted for
1 The so-called log system of piece-rate making involves the subdivision of the garment into parts for
rate-making purposes and the setting of a rate on each specific part. The rate, as far as practicable, is to
he based upon the number of labor hours consumed in the making of the specific part. The final piece rate
paid is the equivalent of the number of labor hours multiplied by the standard hourly rate of pay for the
particular kind of work. The advantage of the log system consists in the fact that changes in style (which
very frequently amount only to changes in details) do not involve a reappraisal of the entire garment, but
only of certain parts of it.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
7
final a d ju d ic a tio n to an im p a r tia l o u tsid e person, se lec te d from a
p a n el of p ersons m u tu a lly agreed to b y b o th sid es.
T o fa c ilita te th e sp e e d y a d ju stm e n t of g riev a n ce s rules o f p ro
cedu re to b e fo llo w ed b y th e g riev a n ce b oard w ere fo rm u la te d and
in co rp o ra ted in th e agreem en t. T h e g riev a n ce b oard is to m e e t on
T u e sd a y an d F r id a y of ea ch w eek , e x c e p t w h e n u n n ecessa ry . A ll
co m p la in ts are to b e m a d e in w ritin g . C om p la in ts filed (e x c e p t
th o se in v o lv in g re v ie w of d isch arges) are d eem ed as a u to m a tic a lly
ad d ed to th e cu rren t calen d ar of th e b oard . A ll co m p la in ts filed
on S a tu rd a y , M on d ay, an d T u e sd a y of th e w eek are to b e d eem ed
ad d ed to th e su cc ee d in g F r id a y ’s calen d ar, an d all co m p la in ts filed
on W e d n esd a y , T h u rsd a y , an d F r id a y of th e w ee k are to b e ad d ed to
th e calen d ar of th e su cc ee d in g T u esd a y . G rieva n ces are to be h ea rd
an d d eterm in ed on th e d a y for w h ich th e y are se t. C o m p la in ts n o t
hoard or s e ttle d a t th e a p p o in te d m e e tin g of th e b oard are con sid ered
as h a v in g b een d isagreed u p on . A ll su ch cases are im m e d ia te ly to
b e su b m itte d to an im p a r tia l p erson for final d eterm in a tio n .
DISCHARGES.
T h e p rocedu re in a d ju stin g g riev a n ces in v o lv in g d isch arges is d is
tin c tly d ifferen t from th a t fo llo w ed in oth er co n tro v ersies. T h e a d
ju stm e n t of d isch arges is to b e g o v er n e d b y th e fo llo w in g ru les: T h e
first tw o w eek s of e m p lo y m e n t are to b e co n sid ered as p ro b a tio n a ry .
D u rin g th is p eriod th e em p lo y er is g iv e n a b so lu te freed o m to d is
ch arge em p lo y ee s. D isch a rg ed w ork ers w h o h a v e b een in th e firm ’s
se rv ic e m ore th a n tw o w eek s are e n title d to a re v ie w of th eir cases
b y th e re sp ec tiv e clerks of th e a sso c ia tio n an d th e u n io n . In th e
e v e n t of d isa g reem en t on th e p art of th e clerks th e d isch a rg e in
q u e stio n is to b e re v iew ed b y an im p a r tia l p erson, se lec te d from th e
o u tsid e, b y th e m u tu a l co n se n t of b o th p a rties. T h e rev iew is to
d eterm in e w h e th er th e d isch arge w as ju s t or u n ju st.1 A d isch arge
fo u n d ju stifia b le b y th e a b o v e-m e n tio n ed agen cies is su sta in e d an d
n o fu rth er a ctio n ta k e n . If, u p o n rev iew , th e d isch a rg e is fo u n d to
b e u n ju st, th e case is to b e d isp o sed of in on e of th e fo llo w in g
w a y s: (1) If th e d isch arged w ork er h ad b een e m p lo y e d for a p eriod
of m ore th a n tw o w eek s, b u t less th a n fou r m o n th s, th e em p lo y er is
g iv e n th e o p tio n of re in sta tin g th e em p lo y ee or of p a y in g h im , in lieu
of re in sta te m e n t, a d ism issa l w a g e or fine. T h e a m o u n t of th e fine
is to b e fixed b y th e ch ief clerks of th e r e sp e c tiv e sid es or b y an im
p a rtia l p erson, b u t is to be n o t less th a n on e w e e k ’s p a y nor m ore
th a n s ix w e e k s’ p a y ; (2) if th e d isch arged w ork er h a s b een e m p lo y ed
for m ore th a n fou r m o n th s, th e ch ief clerks or th e im p a rtia l p erson
(n o t th e em p lo y er) are to agree w h e th er th e d isch a rg ed w orker is to
‘ The agreement defines the term unjust as “ unfair, arbitrary, or oppressive.”
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be reinstated, or a dismissal wage or fine, in lieu of reinstatement,
be granted to him (the amount to be granted is not to exceed six
weeks’ pay); (3) discharged workers are to be reinstated if it is found
that they have been dismissed for union activity. Appeals from
discharges for alleged union activity are, however, limited to mem
bers of price committees and the union representatives of the shop.
Under the previous agreements the industry, as a rule, was con
sidered as being on a piecework basis. Employers who desired to
change to week work (to develop better quality, for instance) had
to get special permission from the union. Such permission, for a
period not to exceed six months, was usually granted in return for
an increase in week-work rates. At the expiration of this period a
new permit had to be obtained, and as a prerequisite to that, another
increase in weekly rates granted. The new agreement provides that
all shops on a week-work basis on April 9, 1919, are to remain so
until January 1, 1920. Thereafter the employer is given the option
of either reverting to piecework or granting a new $1.50 increase in
the weekly rate of wages. No further increases, in return for a
change to a week-work basis, are to be granted during the life of the
agreement.
QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS OF PR IC E COMMITTEES.
The demand of the employers that workers who are members of
shop price committees be selected from among their more permanent
employees was, to a great extent, agreed to by the union. The new
agreement specifies that only such workers as shall have been em
ployed in the particular establishment for two months continuously
shall be eligible for service on price committees. This provision is
not to apply, however, to newly organized shops or to establishments
where the proportion of employees with a continuous-service record
of two months is less than 25 per cent.
JOINT BOARD OF SA N IT A R Y CONTROL.
The joint board of sanitary control of the industry, an institution
created by the first collective agreement, in 1913, for the supervision
of sanitation and the reduction of accident and fire hazards, is re
tained in the new agreement.
As already stated, the new agreement is rather inflexible. This
inflexibility finds its expression in a provision to the effect that
whatever is not specifically granted is reserved, and not subject
to interpretation by arbitrators. Many provisions in the old agree
ment were ambiguous and subject to constant interpretations by the
board of arbitration. The agreement is to run for 21 months, during
which time neither the association nor the union may ask for changes.
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T E X T OF THE AGREEMENT.
T h e t e x t o f th e a g reem en t is as fo llo w s:
o p A g r e e m e n t this 7th day of April, 1919, entered in to between the Dresa
and Waist Manufacturers’ Association of the city of New York, hereinafter for
easy reference designated as the association, and Locals 25 (Ladies’ Waist and
Dressmakers Union)', 10 (Cutters Union), and 58 (Buttonhole Makers and Button
Sewers Union), of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union, and the
International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union, hereinafter for easy reference col
lectively designated as the union, witnesseth:
A rticles
1. OBLIGATION OP THE ASSOCIATION.
The association stipulates that every member of the association will comply with
the terms of this contract.
2. PREFERENTIAL UNION SHOP.
Each member of the association shall maintain a “ preferential union shop.” A
“ preferential union shop” is hereby defined to be a shop in which the standards of
safety, sanitation, working conditions, hours of labor, and rates of wages herein speci
fied prevail, and in which members of the union in good standing shall be preferred
in the hiring, employment, and retention of help, and in the distribution of work.
I t is understood and agreed that the provisions hereof with respect to preference to
union workers shall not apply to the parents and children of members of the asso
ciation, and that the members of the association may employ their parents or children
without regard to the latter’s union affiliation.
3. CONTRACTS WITH NONASSOCIATION FIRMS.
The union agrees that all individual contracts entered into between such union
and manufacturers not members of the association shall contain terms and conditions
at least equal to those in this agreement specified.
The union agrees at all times and upon the written request of the association to per
m it the association to inspect all individual contracts entered into between the union
and manufacturers of dresses or waists who are not members of the association.
4. HOURS OF LABOR.
A week’s work shall consist of 44 hours either in six working days of not more than
eight hours each on all days except the sixth, which shall consist of not more than
four hours, or in five working days of not more than nine hours each. The working
hours shall by mutual consent be arranged between the employers and their workers.
The work shall not commence before 8 a. m. on any day, and no work shall be done
after 12 noon on the sixth day, except as hereinafter provided. Workers observing
Saturdays may work on Sundays instead.
5. PERIOD OF OVERTIME WORK.
Overtime work shall be limited to six hours in any one week and one and one-half
hours in any one day, except on Saturdays and Sundays, as hereinafter provided.
No overtime work shall be permitted after 12 noon on Saturdays or Sundays, except
that all workers engaged in work upon a garment after the same has passed from the
regular machine operators—to wit, drapers, finishers, examiners, pressers, ironers,
buttonhole makers, button sewers and cleaners—shall be permitted to work not more
than two hours’ overtime on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, provided that said work-
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ers have not already worked more than four hours’ overtime during the other five
days of the week.
Cutters may work overtime not more than two and one-half hours on any day on
any or all of the first five days of the week.
6. PAT FOR OVERTIME WORK.
All week workers shall receive double pay for overtime work. All pieceworkers
shall receive extra compensation for overtime work on the basis of the base rate fixed
for a worker of average skill and experience.
7. INCREASES— PIECEWORKERS.
Pieceworkers shall receive an increase of 10 per cent on their present prices.
8.
INCREASES— WEEK WORKERS.
All week workers, except cleaners, drapers, dress pressers, and cutters, shall receive
an increase of $1.50 per week.
All cleaners shall receive an increase of $1 per week.
All drapers, dress pressers, and cutters, except highest grade, shall receive an in
crease of $2 per week.
Highest grade cutters shall receive an increase of $3 per week.
All operators, special machine workers, and all other workers now employed by
the weejk for whom no minimum is fixed in this contract shall continue to be em
ployed as week workers until December 31, 1019. The employers of such workers
ehall have the option on January 1, 1920, of either changing to piecework basis for
said workers or of continuing to employ said workers as week workers for the further
period of one year from January 1, 1920, to December 31, 1920, upon giving to said
last-mentioned week workers an additional increase of $1.50 per week on January
1, 1920.
9.
WAGES— SCHEDULE FOR WEEK WORKERS.
The following shall be the minimum rates for week workers, inclusive of the in
creases provided for in paragraph 8:
Cutters: ( a ) A full-fledged cutter is hereby defined as one who shall have worked
at his trade not less than three years, and who either shall have passed the examina
tion hereinafter provided for or have been recognized by both the association and the
union as full-fledged.
( b ) Full-fledged cutters who have been such more than one year shall receive a
minimum of $38.
(c) Full-fledged cutters who have been such less than one year shall receive a
minimum of $3-5 per week.
( d ) If, however, any such cutter shall be required to do pattern grading, then he
shall at once receive a minimum of $38 per week.
( e) Cutters’ apprentices shall be divided into four grades, and their minimum
weekly wages shall be as follows:
Grade A, apprentices of less than one year’s standing, $12.
Grade B, apprentices of more than one year, but less than two years’ standing
$18.50.
Grade C, apprentices of more than two years’ but less than three years’ standing, $27.
Grade D, apprentices of more than three years’ standing, but not yet passed or rec
ognized as full-fledged cutters, $30.
(/) The parties hereto shall appoint and maintain an examination board, to consist
of an equal number of representatives of each organization, and such board shall have
power to advance cutters’ apprentices to the rank of full-fledged cutters, after an
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apprenticeship of at least three years and a proper examination as to other qualifi
cations.
(.9 ) Apprentice cutters may be employed in the proportion of one to five full-fledged
cutters or part of full-fledged cutters, full fledged in the sense as heretofore defined,
except where any other proportion now obtains. Any deviation from the above
rules shall not be permitted, except on consent of the chief clerks or grievance board or
impartial chairman. If a new apprentice is hired to replace a former apprentice,
he shall in no event receive less than the apprentice he replaced has received or
would receive if retained, except that where the apprentice is graduated into the
full-fledged cutter class, he may be replaced in accordance with the provisions of the
first sentence of this subdivision.
10. OTHER WEEK WORKERS.
Drapers.................................................................................................................. $23.00
Joiners.................................................................................................................... 19.00
Sample makers..................................................................................................... 22. 50
Examiners......................................................................................................... .. 17. 50
Finishers............................................................................................................. 15. 50
Ironers—women................................................................................................... 20. 50
Ironers—m en........................................................................................................ 24. 50
Pressers................................................................................................................. 33. 00
Cleaners: Girls, during the first year, $11.50; during the second year, $13.
(a)
11. WAGES— PIECEWORKERS.
The rates for all pieceworkers hereinafter specified shall be inclusive of the increases
granted by paragraph 7 hereof.
(a) All operators, tuckers, hemstitchers, lace runners, closers, hemmers, sleeve
Betters, buttonhole makers, button sewers, pressers, and ironers shall be paid by the
piece, except as hereinbefore provided.
(b ) Rate—operators: The piece rate for operators shall be fixed on a basis which
will yield to an average experienced worker not less than 50 cents for each hour of
continuous work.
(c ) Rate—pressers: The piece rate for pressers shall be fixed upon a basis which shall
yield to the average experienced worker employed in pressing dresses not less than
64 cents per hour, and those employed in pressing waists not less than 50 cents per
hour for eaph hour of continuous work.
12.
PIECE RATE— OTHER WORKERS.
The piece rate for tuckers, closers, sleeve setters, hemmers, and buttonhole makers,
shall be fixed on a basis which will yield to an average experienced worker not less
than 65J cents for each hour of continuous work, and to hemstitchers, lace runners,
and button sewers not less than 50 cents.
13. DETERMINATION OP PIECE PRICES.
(a)
The schedule or log system shall prevail in the fixing of piece rates, except where
in the judgment of the chief clerks it is found to be impracticable to adopt or enforce
this system. But should the chief clerks disagree, the schedule or log system shall,
nevertheless, be introduced at the option of the employer, subject to complaint by
the workers on the ground that it operates unfairly against them, which complaints
shall be disposed of in the usual manner. In cases in which such schedule or log
system shall have been found to be impractical for adoption as above provided, and
in all cases until such system shall have been introduced, the prevailing method
for determining piece rates shall continue. Under the operation of the schedule
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or log system, the garments shall be divided, so far as practicable, into working parts,,
and a schedule rate shall be placed upon each of such parts, based, as far as practicable,
upon the estimated number of solid hours it would take a worker of average skill and
experience to make the part, multiplied by the standard base rate per hour, taking
into account the quality of the work required, variations in material, and operating
conditions in the factory, as well as the relation of such part to the other parts of the
garment.
(b ) Piece rates and the division of garments into parts shall be fixed by agreement
between the employer and the price committee.
(c) All price disputes shall be adjusted not later than one week after the commence
ment of work upon garments the prices of which are unsettled. If said prices are
not then adjusted, the workers shall not be required to work upon said garments and
shall receive for the work done during the week aforesaid at the rates fixed by the
employer, but the workers may, after the expiration of said week, file a complaint
of underpayment with respect to said week’s work. In the event an adjustment is
reached, the workers shall receive pay for all work done on said garments at said
adjusted rates.
14. PRICE COMMITTEE.
The price committee shall be elected, subject to the limitations hereinafter pro
vided, by the employees in each shop, at the regular shop meeting, in the presence
of the shop chairman.
15. PAYMENT OE WAGES.
Payment of wages shall be made in cash weekly and such wages shall include all
piecework completed, accepted, and approved within 72 hours of such pay day.
10. MACHINERY FOR THE ADJUSTMENT OF DISPUTES.
Each of the parties to this agreement shall forthwith appoint and be represented by
a chief clerk, who may act through deputies, who, in the first instance, shall investi
gate all claims, complaints, grievances, and disputes arising hereunder, and shall
be charged with the responsibility, if possible, of adjusting and deciding such claims
and grievances, and any decision made by such clerks or their deputies with respect
to any of such matters shall be conclusive and binding upon the parties hereto. In
the event the clerks fail to agree upon any complaint, grievance, or controversy
between the association and the union, as herein specified, or between the manufac
turer and his workers, as herein specified, except in case of the review of a discharge
as hereinafter provided, such dispute shall be submitted for determination to the
grievance board to be created and constituted as hereinafter provided.
In the event the clerks or their deputies agree upon a finding that either an em
ployer or a worker has been guilty of an evasion or violation of a provision of this
agreement, and it is certified by either of the clerks of the respective parties hereto
or their deputies that in his judgment a penalty should be imposed upon the offend
ing party, or in the event such finding is made by the grievance board, or such find
ing and certificate are made by the impartial chairman as hereinafter provided, said
finding shall be considered by the grievance board, and the grievance board shall
have the power to recommend to the respective organization of which such offending
party is a member the fine or penalty to be imposed upon such offending party, and
such fine or penalty may include expulsion from membership.
Each of the parties hereto agrees to appoint from time to time an equal number of
representatives, not, however, exceeding four, and the persons so appointed shall
constitute a board for the hearing and determination of all controversies arising by
reason of a disagreement between the clerks of the respective organizations or their
deputies, as hereinbefore provided, save and except upon a review of discharges as
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hereinafter provided, and for the purpose of recommending the imposition of fines
or penalties as hereinbefore provided. The determination of said grievance board
on all matters herein submitted for determination to said board shall be conclusive
upon the parties hereto.
The parties hereto agree to appoint umpires or impartial chairmen, who shall serve
as herein provided. In the event there be an equal division between the members
of said grievance board, the matter in dispute shall be submitted for determination
to one of said impartial chairmen, and the determination of said impartial chairman
shall be conclusive and binding upon the parties hereto.
17. CALENDAR AND PROCEDURE BEFORE GRIEVANCE BOARD.
The grievance board shall meet on Tuesday and Friday of each week, except when
not necessary or when session is waived in writing by the clerks of the parties hereto
or their deputies. All complaints of the parties hereto against each other shall be
made in writing. Upon the filing of any complaint by either of the parties hereto
with the other, except the review of a discharge, such complaint shall automatically
be deemed added to the calendar of the grievance board. All complaints filed on
Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday of the week shall be deemed added to the succeeding
Friday’s grievance board calendar, and all complaints filed on Wednesday, Thurs
day, and Friday of the week shall be deemed added to the calendar of the succeed
ing Tuesday and shall be heard and determined by said grievance board on the day
for which they are set, provided, however, that the party making the complaint shall
be ready to proceed through its clerk with an investigation and adjustment thereof,
at least 48 hours prior to the date of the grievance board meeting, to the calendar of
which said complaint has been added, otherwise the said complaint shall be deemed
adjourned to the subsequent grievance board meeting, and such adjournment
shall continue until the investigation and attempted adjustment has been made,
and it shall be the duty of the clerks and the deputies of the respective parties hereto
to make an investigation of all complaints between the time of the filing thereof and
the grievance board meeting for which said complaint has been set.
Upon the settlement or adjustment of any complaint by any clerk or his deputies,
the said complaint shall be deemed automatically canceled from the grievance board
calendar.
In the event, for any reason whatsoever, any complaint is not heard or determined
at the grievance board meeting for which the same has been set, it shall be deemed
at the conclusion of said meeting that the members of the grievance board have dis
agreed with respect to the said complaint, with the same force and effect as if said
complaint had been heard and the members of said board had failed to agree, unless
the clerks or their deputies agree in writing to an adjournment thereof. All com
plaints with respect to which there may at any time be a failure of agreement at the
grievance board shall be submitted for determination to one of the impartial chair
men as aforesaid upon the day following the meeting of the said grievance board,
unless the clerks agree to an adjournment.
18. NONCOMPLIANCE WITH DECISIONS.
In the event of the failure on the part of any member of the association or the union
to comply with any decision of the chief clerks, grievance board, or impartial chair
man within 72 hours after the rendition of such decision, said member shall, in addi
tion to the other penalties and obligations herein provided for, forfeit all the rights
and benefits of this agreement so long as said party remains in default. The associa
tion agrees that the operation of the machinery herein created for the adjustment
of grievances shall be a condition of the obligations hereinafter assumed by theunions.
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19. REVIEW OF DISCHARGES.
Each member of the association may discharge his workers, subject to the follow
ing provisions:
The first two-weeks period of employment of every worker shall be deemed to be
the probationary period, and there shall be no review of the discharge of any worker
during said period. In the event of the discharge of a worker after said probationary
period, the discharged worker shall be entitled to a review thereof, which review
shall be made in the first instance by the respective clerks of the association and the
union or their deputies, and if they fail to agree, the review shall be had before one
of the impartial chairmen aforesaid.
Upon such review there shall first be determined whether the discharge was just
or unjust. The word “ unjust” shall be deemed to include “ unfair, arbitrary, or
oppressive. ’’
In the event of a determination that the discharge was just, the discharge shall be
sustained and no further action taken.
In the event of a determination that the discharge was unjust, the case shall be dis
posed of as in subdivisions a, b, and c of this paragraph, provided:
(a)
If the discharged worker has been employed by the manufacturer against
whom the complaint is made for a period of less than four months, the manufacturer
shall have the option of determining whether to reinstate the worker or to pay to the
worker, in lieu thereof, a fine to be fixed by the chief clerks or their deputies, or by
the impartial chairman, if they fail to agree, which fine, however, shall be not less
than one week’s nor more than six weeks’ pay of the discharged worker. In the
event the discharged worker has been employed by the piece, the weekly wage shall
be based upon the base rate herein fixed for that class of work.
(■b ) If the discharged worker has been employed by the manufacturer against whom
the complaint is made for a period of more than four months prior to the discharge,
the chief clerks or their deputies shall agree or, in the event they fail to agree, the
impartial chairman shall decide whether the discharged worker be reinstated, or a
fine be paid by the employer to the discharged worker in lieu thereof, the amount of
such fine not, however, to exceed the amount of the fine provided for in subdivision
(a) of this paragraph,.
(c) In the event, however, of the finding of a discharge due to discrimination for
union activity, the discharged worker shall be reinstated with back pay. A dis
charge due to discrimination for union activity is hereby expressly defined and lim
ited to an unjust discharge of a member of the current price committee, which shall
consist of not less than three and not more than seven workers in a single factory,
including the shop chairman, and assistant shop chairman, excepting, however, that
in shops where there are more than one shop committee, because the operations are
divided, and therefore there exist various departments, each price committee shall
consist of not less than three and not more than seven members as aforesaid. Mem
bers of the price committee shall not be limited in their activities to the fixing of
prices, but may discharge other proper union functions in the factory. Only such
workers as Bhall have been employed in the particular factory for two months contin
uously shall be eligible for membership on the price committee, except in newly
formed shops or in such shops where the number of employees who have worked
over two months is less than 25 per cent of the entire working force.
20. REORGANIZATION OF FACTORIES.
Each member of the association shall have the right in good faith to reorganize his
factory. A reorganization in good faith shall mean a bona fide reorganization of the
employer’s business, necessitated by a permanent curtailment of his business or a
fundamental change in the character of his business. No member of the price com
mittee shall be discharged on account of such reorganization.
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21. LOCKOUTS, STOPPAGES, AND SHOP STRIKES.
There shall be no lockout, stoppage, or shop strike pending the determination of any
complaint or grievances hereunder throughout the entire period of this contract. In
the event, however, there be a stoppage of work or shop strike in any factory, immediate
notice thereof shall be given by the association to the union. The union agrees to
restore the striking employees to their work within 24 hours after the receipt by the
union of such notice, and until the expiration of said 24-hour period it shall not be
deemed that the striking workers have abandoned their employment. The considera
tion of stoppage cases shall have precedence over all other complaints and grievances
arising hereunder.
22. DISTRIBUTION OP WORK.
In case of slackness in the trade, work shall, as far as practicable, be divided equally
among all the workers, except, however, that as to foremen cutters or head cutters,
pattern makers, and cutters in grades A, B, C, and D, as hereinbefore specified, it
shall be optional with the employer to include or exclude said workers from the opera
tion of said last-mentioned provision.
23. PROVISION AGAINST UNNECESSARY ATTENDANCE.
Week workers who are requested to come in to work shall be supplied with one-half
d a y ’s work or be paid therefor, except in case of unforeseen contingency.
24. INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTS.
There shall be no time contracts between members of the association and individual
employees, and no security of any kind shall be exacted or accepted from workers.
25. REGISTRATION OP TIME.
If a time clock or other method of registering the time is adopted by the employer, it
shall be the duty of the workers on arriving and leaving to register the time of such
arrival or leaving.
26. LEGAL HOLIDAYS.
The following legal holidays shall be observed in the industry: Washington’s
Birthday, Decoration Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and
Christmas. All week workers shall be paid full wages for such holidays. The refrain
ing from work on May 1 or on Columbus Day (by Italians) shall not be deemed a
violation of this contract.
27. CHANGING SYSTEM OP WORK.
The manufacturer may at any tim e adopt special machines or other labor-saving
appliances. The manufacturer shall at the beginning of each season have the right
to change the system of manufacturing which has obtained in his factory, to wit,
whether the garment shall be manufactured in separate parts or as a whole, provided,
however, that the workers shall have the right within two weeks after such change is
effected to complain against such change in the event it appears that by reason thereof
the standards obtaining in that factory are reduced, or the change is calculated to
impair the health of the workers, or results in serious disadvantage to the workers.
28.
SUBSIDIARY SHOPS.
Each member of the association shall be fully responsible for conditions existing in
his subsidiary shops within Greater New York. A subsidiary shop shall include the
following:
( a ) A shop in which either he or a member of his firm (if it is a copartnership) owns
50 per cent or more of the stock of the corporation in whose name such shop is con
ducted.
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( b ) A shop in which either he or a member of his firm has a money interest of any
kind, amounting substantially to control.
(c) A shop which is managed directly by the member or in which the management
of the factory or business is under his supervision or control.
( d ) A shop whose product is controlled by the member or is sold by the same general
selling organization as his own.
(e) A shop whose credit is derived from or through the member, or whose standing
in the trade is based upon his reputed ownership thereof.
(/) Where the member is a corporation, a shop which is subject to the financial
control of the member, or in which it has a substantial money interest of any kind.
The words “ money interest” shall include a loan, pledge, or mortgage or guaranty
of credit.
The word “ control” shall include the case of a near relative of a member, or, if a
partnership, of any member of the firm.
29. CONTRACTORS.
Each member of the association shall register with the association and the association
shall register with the union the names of the proprietors and addresses of all shops or
factories in Greater New York in which such member shall be directly interested or in
which he shall have any work done or garments manufactured.
In case of slackness, the employer shall, as far as practicable, distribute his work
equally between the workers in the inside shop and the permanent union contractors
employed by the firm, or among the workers in the inside shop only, and at all times
preference shall be given to union contractors.
30. SUBCONTRACTING.
No subcontracting shall be permitted in the shops of members of the association, but
all employees in every department shall be employed and paid directly by the concern.
31. RELATIONS TO FIRMS ON STRIKE.
No member of the association shall do work for any other employer of labor whose
workers are on strike, nor shall any work be supplied by any member of the association
to any firm during the pendency of a strike.
32. HOME WORK.
No work shall be given to workers to be performed at their homes.
33. A P P R E N T IC E S H IP BIVISION.
Apprentices in all branches of the industry, other than cutters, shall be made up of
those learners in the trade who are within the first year of their service, but this pro
vision shall not be available for the purpose of reducing standards.
34. DEDUCTION FOR DAMAGES TO MATERIAL.
No deduction from pay shall be made against any employee for damage to material,
except where such damage is caused by willful negligence or wrongful act on the part
of the workers, resulting in injury to the employer.
35.
JOINT BOARD OF SANITARY CONTROL.
The joint board of sanitary control established in the dress and waist industry shall
be continued during the period of this agreement, as heretofore, and the parties hereto
agree to maintain, to the best of their ability, all standards which may hereafter be
established and prescribed by said board, and to comply with all existing and future
rules and regulations of said joint board of sanitary control, and to pay their respective
contributions to the expenses of said board.
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36. NEW MEMBERS.
The association shall have the right to accept so-called nonassociation employers a3
members of the association, save and except only during the pendency of a strike in
the factory of such a nonassociation employer. In the event a dispute is pending
between the nonassociation employer and the union at the time of the application by
such manufacturer for membership in the association, the association shall, notwith
standing, have the right to accept such membership three weeks after notice of such
application for membership has been given by the association to the union, but the
association shall become answerable and responsible to the union for compliance with
any decision or agreement that may be rendered or reached with respect to such
dispute.
In the event the applicant at the time of his election to membership in the associa
tion is not under contract with the union, it shall be a condition of said membership
that at least 75 per cent of the workers of said applicant shall become members of the
union and that the applicant shall endeavor to have the remainder of said employees
join the union.
The union shall give notice in writing to the association of the existence of any
dispute with the applicant within five days after the receipt by the union of the
notice of application of membership. Upon failure to give such notice, the dispute,
if any, shall be deemed waived and the association shall have the right forthwith to
accept such membership, without obligation of any kind, except as herein provided.
37. CONSTRUCTION OF CONTRACT.
It is further understood and agreed that this contract shall be strictly construed and
that the rights and obligations of the parties hereto shall be deemed limited and defined
by the express provisions hereof and not otherwise, and that no right or obligation
upon either of the parties hereto shall be implied, or deemed incorporated herein by
reason of any contract, matter or thing made or transpired prior to the date hereof,
and that none of the rights and obligations fixed by this contract shall be deemed
waived or modified, save and except by an instrument in writing of equal formality.
38. DURATION OE CONTRACT.
I t is further understood and agreed that this contract shall be binding upon the
parties hereto and shall continue in force and effect for the period commencing on
April 8, 1919, and terminating on December 31, 1920.
It is further agreed that two months prior to the expiration of this contract a con
ference shall be had between the parties hereto for the purpose of considering a renewal
thereof.
In witness whereof the parties hereto have hereunto set their hands and seals, the
day and year first above written.
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WATERSIDE WORKERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.
BY BENJAMIN M. SQUIRES.
The term “ waterside workers” is used in the United Kingdom to
designate a class of workers generally known in the United States as
longshoremen.1 It includes, broadly speaking ,all men employed in
loading, bunkering, and discharging all kinds of craft, men employed
in conveying goods from ship to warehouse and from warehouse to
ship, and any other labor immediately attendant upon this class of
work.
Labor of this class is usually recruited from the water front and is
extremely shifting, the casual nature of the work making it difficult
for men to be employed regularly by individual concerns. In the
absence of any system for regularizing and regulating employment,
innumerable abuses have crept in making for “ inefficiency, unreliable
labor supply, both as regards number and composition, high cost of
supervision and compensation for accidents, irresponsibility and
hostility of the workers, and public opprobrium.” 2
Except for reports setting forth the evils attendant upon the
situation and suggesting remedies, little attempt has been made in
the United States to place dock labor on a basis comparable with
other industries. During the war the shortage of labor gave rise to
quite different problems, but with demobilization and the somewhat
indiscriminate release of men from the Army and Navy it is important
that steps be taken to stabilize employment and to put the industry
on a sounder economic footing. A brief consideration of the problem
elsewhere, together with the way in which it has been met, will
serve to suggest ways and means by which it may be approached in
this country.
ORGANIZATION OF W A TER SID E W ORKERS IN TH E U N IT E D KINGDOM .5
Unlike dock labor in the United States, which is rather closely
organized as the International Longshoremen’s Association, the
so-called waterside workers in the United Kingdom are claimed by a
score or more organizations, each competing for membership. The
following list of the more important organizations will indicate the
difficulty in securing united action upon any proposed general plan of
regularizing employment:
1 In the United States the term “ freighthandlers” is used to designate railroad men engaged in
transferring freight between railroad car and warehouse or pier.
2 Report of the mayor’s committee on unemployment, New York City, 1916.
8 Summary of a report presented in 1914 at the Fourth Annual General Council Meeting of the National
Transport Workers’ Federation.
18
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National Union of Dock Laborers.
Dock, Wharf, Riverside, and General Workers’ Union.
Irish Transport Workers’ Union.
Scottish Union of Dock Laborers.
Amalgamated Stevedores’ Labor Protection League.
National Amalgamated Union of Labor.
National Union of Gas Workers and General Laborers.
National Amalgamated Laborers’ Union.
Cardiff, Barry, and Penarth Coal Trimmers’ Union.
North of England Trimmers’ and Teamers’ Association.
National Union of Railwaymen.
National Amalgamated Union of Enginemen and Firemen, etc.
United Order of General Laborers of London.
Amalgamated General and Warehouse Workers’ Union.
North East Coast Federated Societies.
Amalgamated Protective Union of Engine and Crane Drivers.
These various organizations attempt to provide for varying grades
of men, which in some ports will be found all in one union. In
London no less than seven unions have each an independent exist
ence. The Dockers’ Union is predominant. The Stevedores’ Union
ranks second and is an old-established union soliciting chiefly those
who do the work of stowing and discharging cargoes that requires
more than mere physical effort to handle satisfactorily. In some
districts within the London area the Stevedores’ Union provides for a
particular class of workers, those who discharge deals from ships.
On an adjoining dock the Dockers’ Union solicits for men doing pre
cisely the same land of work. At Cardiff, Bristol, Liverpool, Hull,
and Glasgow men doing work similar to that done by the London
stevedores are members of one or another of the many dockers’
unions. Other waterside workers in the London area are organized
in the Gas Workers, the National Amalgamated Union of Labor, and
the United Order of General Laborers, while two unions are com
peting for cranemen and enginemen. Of these one is confined to the
London district. Again, as with the stevedores, the separate organi
zation of cranemen and enginemen is quite adventitious and is
confined to a few ports. In the majority of shipping centers cranemen
and enginemen are in the same organization as the dockers.
With the exception of one or two of the General Laborers unions
the southwest and west of England is dominated by the Dockers’
Union.
On the Welsh side of the Bristol Channel at least four unions com
pete for the men of the Welsh ports. At Newport there is rivalry
between the members of the Dockers’ Union and the National Amalga
mated Union of Labor. At the ports of Cardiff, Barry, and Penarth,
where the chief industry is that of coal exporting, the coal trimmers are
members of the Coal Trimmers’ Union, confined* exclusively to those
ports, whereas the coal tippers are members of the National Union of
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Railwaymen. At Barry Port, in New Wales, the coal trimmers are
in the National Amalgamated Union of Labor, while at Llanelly, a
couple of miles away, the coal trimmers are members of the Dockers’
Union. At Swansea, the next port eastward, the trimmers and
tippers are in the National Amalgamated Union of Labor; at Neath
and Port Talbot, next on the coast, they are in the«Dockers’ Union.
At Liverpool the bulk of the waterside workers are in the National
Union of Dock Laborers, and although a large number of cranemen
are included in this union there is also a cranemen’s union providing
for this class of workers. In this district, too, the Gas Workers and the
National Amalgamated Union of Labor have a large number of
transport workers.
At the ports of Maryport, Northington, and Whitehaven, all small
ports, the Dockers’ Union competes with the Scottish Dockers.
In the Clyde district the Scottish Dockers’ Union is strong, but tho
Steel Smelters’ Union, not included in the above list, takes in trans
port workers.
On the east coast of Scotland the national claims of the Scottish
Dockers were destroyed by the strength of the National Dockers.
The northeast coast of England has the North of England Trim
mers’ and Teamers’ Association, the National Union of Railwaymen,
and the North East Coast Federated Societies, made up chiefly of the
National Amalgamated Union of Labor, but which is an attempt to
include all transport workers.
In Hull there are five unions. The men employed in the shipment,
of coal are divided between the Gas Workers and the National Union
of 11ailwaymen. The dockers proper are enrolled in one or the other
of the two dockers’ unions. The cranemen belong to the National
Enginemen and Cranemen.
In Goole, an adjacent port, the coal trimmers are organized in the
National Dockers despite the fact that in Hull men employed at the
same calling are members of the Gas Workers.
At Grimsby the Seamen’s Union have enrolled a number of shore
workers, while the Gas Workers (the local union for shore workers)
have organized a number of the seamen and firemen employed on
ships trading across the North Sea.
In Ireland the majority of organized transport workers are members,
of the Irish Transport Workers’ Union, but on the north and west
coasts the National Union of Dockers has built up several strong
branches.
It should be stated, however, that in spite of the apparent conflict
of jurisdiction of these several unions competing for waterside work
ers, a considerable number of them, together with other transport
workers’ unions, are affiliated and effort is being made to bring about,
an amalgamation.
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In 1910 the National Transport Workers’ Federation was formed,
which at the 1918 convention included 33 organizations. Four of the
unions listed previously as soliciting waterside workers—the Irish
Transport Workers’ Union, the National Union of Railwaymen, the
North East Coast Federated Societies, and the Amalgamated Pro
tective Union of Engine and Crane Drivers—are not affiliated with
this federation. The grades and occupations coming within the scope
of the federation fall into three groups:
I . W a t e r s i d e W o r k e r s . —Dockers and waterside workers engaged in various sec
tions and grades of transport employment and occupations ancillary to transport.
Dockers, stevedores, and waterside workers employed in all phases of loading and
unloading steamships, sailing vessels, and lighters and barges; warehousemen and
porters receiving, storing, and handling materials to and from ships, railway trucks,
motor lorries, carts, vans, and road vehicles in general; tally clerks, warehouse clerks,
checkers, weighers, and clerical workers assisting in the above occupations.
Mechanics and drivers and attendants of electric, hydraulic, and steam cranes,
hoists, elevators, capstans, and power contrivances in general used in the transport
and distribution of various materials; mechanics and lesser skilled workers employed
in the production and maintenance of electric, hydraulic, and steam power in use
around and about docks, wharves, warehouses, canals, etc., where transport is car
ried on.
Locomotive drivers, firemen, cleaners, shunters, and all grades of traffic workers
attendant upon and supplementary to ports, harbors, wharves, canals, etc.
Harbor and sea pilots, shore riggers, shore donkeymen, boiler scalers and cleaners,,
boatmen engaged in mooring and unmooring; workers employed in the operation of
lock gates, port and harbor entrances, and “ docking” and “ undocking,” and
dredgemen.
II. T r a n s p o r t a t i o n b y W a t e r . —Sailors and firemen, officers and engineers, cooks,
stewards, and other catering department employees, together with any unspecified
employees on all overseas and coastal shipping tonnage.
Transport workers by inland waterway, watermen, lightermen, flatmen, bargemen,
tugboat men, and all men employed on and about the above-mentioned craft.
III. T r a n s p o r t a t i o n b y R o a d a n d H i g h w a y . —Vehicular workers of all grades
and classifications—tram, cab, omnibus, and hackney-carriage drivers and conductors;
carters, lorry men, dray men, fioatmen, and carmen in general; drivers and attendants
of mechanically propelled vehicles engaged in the transport of all classes of goods or
passengers by road and highway; stable, garage, and depot employees necessary for
the cleaning, overhauling, and maintenance of the above-mentioned vehicles.
All workers who are or may be engaged in commercial aerial transport of goods and
passengers.
Proposals for amalgamating all transport workers were made at
the 1914 general council meeting, but at the 1916 meeting it was
reported that of 31 unions circularized, 15 did not reply, 8 were in
favor of proceeding at once, 7 were against any action being taken
during the war crisis, and 1 reply was ambiguous. The question
was not raised at the 1917 meeting of the general council, but at the
1918 meeting a motion to bring about complete amalgamation was
lost.
One further point should be noted in connection with the organiza
tion of waterside workers. On December 9, 1915, a joint meeting
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
of miners, railwaymen, and transport workers was held and a Triple
Industrial Alliance formed, which provided, in the main, for joint
action after the question at issue has been before the members of the
three organizations. Each organization agreed, before any definite
steps were taken instituting a movement which might involve the
other affiliated organizations, to submit the whole matter to the
joint body for consideration. A formidable alliance is thus presented^
the power of which has already been felt in the readjustment of
wages and working conditions.
DECJASUALIZATION SCHEMES BEFORE THE WAR.
L ondon.
Two noteworthy attempts to decasualize dock labor were made in
England prior to the war. The first concerted effort was made by
the London & India Docks Co. in 1892. The so-called list system
then adopted provided that all workers in the port were to be classed
in one of four groups:
1. Permanent laborers, with a guaranteed weekly wage.
2. Registered or “ A" men, also with a guaranteed weekly wage.
3. Preference or " B ” men, with a guaranteed hourly wage.
4. Second preference, or “ C” men (the casuals), at the same rate
as the UB ” men.
The upper classes were to be recruited from the best of the classes
below.
For the purposes of employment the entire dock system was
divided into five controls, which were subdivided into 45 departments.
A certain number of “ B ” men were assigned to each department.
T h e fo llo w in g q u o ta tio n re la tin g to th e L o n d o n sch em e is from th e
rep ort of th e S p ecia l C o m m itte e on U n sk ille d L a b o r, q u o te d b y C harles
B . B a rn es in T h e L o n g sh o re m e n .1
Every afternoon the head of each department forwards to the office of the super
intendent of the dock a labor indent form attached, which gives an estimate of the
number of men which will be required on the subsequent day. The form also shows
the number of weekly men actually employed on the date of the indent. By com
paring the number of weekly men employed on the current day with the requirement
for the following day, the prospective surplus or deficiency is ascertained, and at the
foot of the form instructions are inserted by the superintendent’s clerk as to how the
surplus is to be disposed of or the deficiency made up. The forms are then returned
to the department.
When the requirements exceed the available number of weekly men, which is
usually the case, forms are issued to the departments, showing not only the number
but the registered numbers of the preference men needed in order of priority, and
these forms are posted in conspicuous positions at each department in order that the
preference men may learn how many will be required, and where they are to attend
for work next morning. If next morning it is found more men than were indented for
1 The Longshoremen, by Charles B. Barnes. New York, Survey Associates (Inc.), 1915, p. 194. (Rus
sell Sage Foundation.)
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23
are wanted the department is at liberty to engage additional preference men from
its own list; but the numbers must be called strictly in the order in which they appear
on the list. When a department has exhausted its own list, it is the rule for the officer
to engage further men only in the order in which the numbers appear on a special
list, which is arranged to give sets of 10 per cent of the men of each other department
in the order of their priority. I t is arranged thus in order to insure the distribution
of the excess work of any one department amongst the men highest on the lists of the
other departments.
The question may now arise as to what is done if any one of the controls has not
sufficient work in its own departments to employ the whole of its weekly laborers.
The answer is that when the day’s returns are put together in the superintendent’s
office, and it is found that a number of weekly men will not be required, the superin
tendent of each of the other controls is telegraphed or telephoned to, and he is offered
the surplus men. He is bound to take the weekly men offered in lieu of employing
his own preference men, which he would other-wise do.
Briefly, “ a taking-on foreman can only engage preference men in the following
order: First, his own departmental preference list must be called; secondly, the
preference lists of other departments within his own control are to be taken; and
thirdly, preference men from other controls have to be engaged before local or any
other casuals are booked.”
T h is m eth o d , u sed c o n tin u o u sly b y th e L o n d o n & In d ia D o ck s Co.
a n d b y its su ccessor, th e P o r t of L o n d o n A u th o r ity , h a s n o t a lw a y s
w o rk ed sm o o th ly , b u t b y it “ crow ds of casu als co m p etin g h a p
h a z a r d ly for w ork in scores of p la ces h a v e b een rep la ced b y su p p lies
of m en d irected from a cen tral office to w h erever in th e d ock s th eir
se rv ic es m a y b e req u ired .” H o w ev e r, sin ce th e P o r t of L o n d o n
A u th o r ity em p lo y s o n ly a b o u t o n e-fifth of th e d o ck lab orers in th e
p o r t, an d sin ce th e oth er em p lo y ers in gen eral still regard it as rig h t
an d in e v ita b le th a t a large su rp lu s of lab or sh o u ld b e a llow ed to
a c c u m u la te a t th e d ock s, th e b en efits d erived from th e sy ste m
e x te n d to a c o m p a r a tiv e ly sm a ll grou p .
L iv e r p o o l .
A m ore a m b itio u s p rogram w a s laid d o w n in th e clea rin g -h o u se
sc h e m e d rafted b y Mr. W illia m s in an a tte m p t to so lv e th e p rob lem
of ca su a l d ock lab or in L iv er p o o l an d w h ich w e n t in to effect in th a t
p o rt J u ly 14, 1912. I t is su p p o rted b y th e B o a rd of T rade an d b y
c o n trib u tio n s from sh ip ow ners. T h e fo llo w in g is q u o te d from th is
rep ort r1
For the purpose of the clearing-house system the port of Liverpool is divided into
six clearing-house areas, each with its own local clearing house. A central clearing
house for the management of general affairs and the clearing of wages is established
in a location convenient to all areas. Each clearing-house area has its own com
mittee, and a joint committee of employers and workmen from all the areas acts as
a final referee in matters of dispute.
iT h e Longshoremen, by Charles B. Barnes. New York, Survey Associates (Inc.), 191S, p. 200,
(Bussell Sage Foundation.) The original source of this quotation is a report by K. Williams on Tha
First Year’s Working of the Liverpool Docks Scheme. London, P . S. King & Son, 1914.
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Dock laborers assemble at stands where foremen select those they wish to make
up their gangs. Under the clearing-house scheme the ordinary stands are supple
mented by “ surplus stands.” Two or three of these surplus stands are conveniently
located in each area for the use o f men who fail to secure work in the ordinary way.
A surplus stand is a small hut in charge of one or two officials of the Board of Trade
who have had dock experience. All the surplus stands in one area are connected
by telephone with the local clearing house, which is in turn connected with the
central clearing house. Notice can, therefore, be given almost immediately along
the whole line of the docks of a shortage or surplus of labor at any point, and the
labor distributed accordingly. Nearly all the firms are also connected directly by
telephone with the clearing house of the area in which they are situated. By this
system considerable progress has already been made toward overcoming the anomaly
of a local shortage and a local surplus existing in the same port at the same time.
The clearing houses deal with six matters relating to dock labor, four of which
will be described in detail.
I . T h e r e g i s t r a t i o n o f the m e n .—This was effected in the following manner:
Between July 1 and July 13 every man working as a docker was required to present
himself at the stand of the employer for whom he usually worked. There he received
a slip which entitled him to a “ tally.” 1
Slips are divided into two blocks:
(а) Slips numbered consecutively were given out in numerical sequence to the
more regular men, in order of preference as far as possible.
(б) Slips without any number on them were given to casual or irregular men in
any order wffiatever. Each slip clearly showed at what clearing house the man was
to register. A slip was given to any man who applied for it provided the firm could
identify him as a man who had worked for it previously.
These two divisions correspond, respectively, to the classes of “ company’s ” men
and “ clearing-house” men. Men belonging to the first class are in reality preference
men and are hired first at the stands of the particular firm whose tallies they bear.
I t is the intention of the founders of the system that other privileges shall be attached
to the tally held by the company’s men.
I I . T h e p a y m e n t o f w a g e s .—The procedure with regard to the payment of wages
has called for considerable modification since the scheme was originally drafted.
Each firm is now supplied with official wage sheets. These are of two kinds. Wage
sheets containing tally numbers printed in sequence are supplied to the large firms.
Sheets in which the tally numbers have to be written without fixed order are given
to the smaller firms. All wage sheets of each clearing-house area are of a color dis
tinctive to that area. Firms which have drawn their labor supply from several
areas must use wage sheets of as many different colors as there are areas from which
the men have been drawn.
Each clearing-house area is allotted a certain letter by which its tallies can be
recognized, and each firm is given a definite block of numbers, always starting at an
even hundred. Quay porters and shipmen have different blocks of consecutive
numbers. Each firm is allotted to a certain clearing house and the men belonging
to that firm must register and always deal with that clearing house. They are, how
ever, free to apply for work outside their clearing-house area.
The scheme went into effect on July 14, 1912. On and after that date a taking-on
foreman was obliged to satisfy himself that every man he engaged was in possession
of a local clearing-house tally. When a man is taken on, a record must be made
both of the clearing-house number and of the firm’s tally number allotted to him.
During the week the firm can deal with him under its own tally number. When
1 The tallies are small metal disks bearing letters and figures indicating the various areas in which they
work, and their numbers on the lists oi the firms by which they are employed.
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wages are made up he must be identified not by the firm’s tally number b ut by the
clearing-house number. Each firm is required to get duplicate sets of private tallies
of its special color and clearly marked with its own letter or cipher, for each man
is required to hand over his firm’s tally to the clearing house as a receipt when he
receives his wages, and these tallies can not be returned to the firms in time for the
Monday morning hiring.
Every firm is required to lodge pay sheets at the clearing house to which it is
attached before midnight on Friday, the wages ma'de up to 5 p. m. Friday. Firms
are also obliged to pay a check covering their wage account into an agreed bank
before 11 a. m. on Friday.
The clearance of wages takes place Friday night at the central clearing house,
and the process occupies practically the entire night. The clerical staff of each
area is accommodated in a separate room. When the wage sheets are received they
are sorted by color and apportioned to their respective areas. First their numerical
accuracy is verified; after this has been done they are divided among the clerks
and each item of wages is transferred to pay sheets containing printed numbers cor
responding with those borne by the men. The object of this is to make sure that in
case a man has worked for two or more firms his earnings will be brought together,
his insurance contribution deducted, and the net total due him clearly shown in one
sum. Thus a man who has worked for several firms or in different areas gets his
whole pay in the local clearing house of the area in which he is registered, whereas
formerly he was obliged to collect it from individual firms often far removed from
one another.
The pay sheets are distributed by the dock managers to the local clearing houses
early Saturday morning, with the sum of money necessary to pay the men. The
amounts are divided among the various pay clerks according to the sheets with which
they have to deal. The clerks count out their money and deposit each man’s wages
in small vertical trays or pigeon holes which bear the appropriate tally numbers. By
this method of balancing the cash before paying off begins, the risk of error is reduced
to a minimum. The paying off of the men begins at 10 a. m. Each clerk pays from
600 to 700 men. In order that the men may find their way easily to their pay win
dows their tally numbers are printed outside the pay huts.
Firms which wish to pay their workmen themselves may have special windows
in their local clearing house. In such a case a man registered in the “ A ” area who
bears the letter “ A ” on his tally must be paid at the “ A ” clearing house whether or
not he has worked outside that area. Thus although a firm has a window in the “ A ”
clearing house it will only pay men there who are registered in the “ A ” area. Men
registered in the “ C ” area must, in case this firm has no window in the “ C” clearing
house, be paid there by the Board of Trade.
There are three methods of payment:
1. A man who receives pay only from those firms which pay through the Board of
Trade presents himself at the proper window and receives his pay from all firms in
one sum, less his insurance contribution.
2. In the case of a man who receives his pay only from a firm which pays its own
wages the procedure is the same.
3. The man who receives his pay both from.a firm which pays only through the Board
of Trade and from a firm that pays directly has obviously to attend at two windows
in the local clearing house of the area in which he is registered. The insurance deduc
tion is made at the pay window belonging to the private firm, while amounts due
from other firms are paid in full by the Board of Trade. This arrangement requires
firms paying directly to render to the central clearing house on Friday night a list
of tally numbers of these men whom they intend to pay. Against these numbers on
the Board of Trade sheets the letter “ P ” is inserted in the insurance column. The
wages appearing on those sheets are then paid in full.
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In case a man disputes the amount paid to him he is paid the amount shown on
the wage ticket and moved on to a special dispute window. Here he receives a
dispute form, which he takes to his employer. If unable to settle the dispute with
him, he may lay his case before the clearing-house committee.
A voucher is given by the firms to any man who has worked for them during the
current week and who, wishing to work outside the docks, applies for one in order
to get his insurance card from the clearing house. The voucher is accepted as authority
to stamp the card. If a man has not been employed inside the scheme during the
current week, he simply deposits his tally at the clearing house and receives his
insurance card (unstamped) in exchange.
III.
T h e f u l f i l l m e n t o f e m p l o y e r s ’ o b l i g a t i o n s u n d e r th e I n s u r a n c e A c t .
clearing-house committee
is composed of five representatives of the employers and five representatives of the
men registered within each area. In case of a deadlock, a dispute is referred to the
joint committee. The manager of the local clearing house acts as secretary of the
committee of his area, but has no vote and takes no part in the proceedings. The
clearing-house committees deal with (1) the issue and withdrawal of tallies, (2) the
adjustment of disputes in connection with work done at the clearing house, (3) the
consideration of matters affecting its area referred to it by the joint committee, (4)
advice to the Board of Trade with respect to the appointment of the indoor and outdoor
staff of the clearing house, and (5) suggestions for the improvement of the machinery.
On the joint committee employers and men have equal representation. It meets
once a month, wh'en the proceedings of the clearing-house committees are submitted
to it for confirmation. The divisional officer of labor exchanges or his deputy is
present, but has no vote. In case of continued disagreement of the joint committee
the matter is left to be provided for by the consent of the parties disagreeing.
The clearing-house committees practically control the labor supply of the port.
They draft the detail working of the clearing house and it is their function to modify
or improve the system as experience shows its weak points. They must decide when
the labor supply of the port needs augmentation. It has been suggested that some
system could be devised by which respectable boys drafted in for some of the lighter
jobs would subsequently be given preference tallies, and thereby improve the status
of dock work.
In addition, these committees, formed as they are of masters and men, should
promote good feeling and the recognition that there are two sides to every question.
Thus they should in time be a powerful factor in abolishing sectional disputes.
V . T h e p r o v i s i o n o f p o s t-o ff ic e s a v i n g s f a c i l i t i e s . —The depositing of money is made
as convenient as possible in order that dockers may be encouraged to save.
V I . T h e d i s s e m i n a t i o n o f i n f o r m a t i o n . —Through the clearing house, for instance,
the men are notified of irregularities in the times or places where stands are to be
held or where they will be needed on the following day.
In case of trade disputes between employers and men the machinery provided in
this agreement lapses in the area affected, except in so far as its continuance may
be necessary for the payment of wages and of contributions under the Insurance Act.
IV .
W e e k ly m e e tin g s o f th e c le a r in g -h o u s e c o m m itte e s . —A
W A T ER SID E W ORKERS DUR IN G TH E W AR.
D u rin g th e w ar it w a s fo u n d th a t w ork in so m e of th e p o rts w as
b ein g se rio u sly a ffected b y th e v o lu n ta r y e n listm e n t of tra n sp o rt
w orkers. W h en th e M ilitary S erv ice A c ts w e n t in to effect it w a s fou n d
im p r a ctic a b le to b rin g in d iv id u a l cases o f d ock lab orers b efore m il
ita r y serv ice trib u n a ls b eca u se m o st of th e m en w ere c a su a lly em
p lo y ed an d d id n o t w ork for a n y in d iv id u a l em p lo y er w h o cou ld
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claim the services of any particular man. It was therefore necessary
to set up special tribunals which could consider the whole circum
stances of each port with a view to retaining the men necessary for
the work of each port and releasing for military service as many as
could be spared. The bodies set up were the port labor committees,
which consisted of employers and labor representatives in equal num
bers in each port.
In the course of their work many of the committees found it nec
essary to introduce registration schemes or other means of regulating
employment in the port, to insure that the services of men exempted
from military service were being used to the best possible advantage.
These schemes, as a rule, consisted of an arrangement under which
all recognized transport workers in the port were registered and
received either a tally or some badge of identification. Employers
agreed that no additional labor should be engaged while registered
men were available and a daily return was made by each employer
showing the hours worked by each registered man. In this way the
port labor committee was able to know whether sufficient labor was
available in the port, whether additional men could be released for
military service, and whether the men who had received exemption
were fully employed. The following are summaries of some of the
plans evolved:
Aberdeen.
A registration scheme was introduced during the war under which tallies were
issued to approved transport workers, and men might not be employed unless in pos
session of tallies. During the war a return of hours worked by each man was made to
the employment exchange. The tally is handed by the transport worker to the
employer when the man is engaged and is returned on the completion of the job.
The committee did not consider it necessary to provide for any special method of
registering additional casual workers introduced during the war, but they are under
stood to be confident that there would be no difficulty in tracing all such cases.
Ca r d if f .
A registration scheme was introduced during the war under which numbered cards
were issued to the recognized transport workers by the trade-unions concerned.
Particulars of cards issued were sent by the unions to the port labor committee and a
register was formed by the committee. During the war each employer made a return
to the committee showing the number of hours worked by each registered man. Cases
of bad time keeping and neglect of work are inquired into and dealt w ith by the port
labor committee through their inspector.
H
ull.
Before the war no systematic attem pt had been made to decasualize dock labor in
the port of Hull. Under the pressure of war conditions and the necessity of economiz
ing labor, a representative committee investigated the situation and recommended the
following scheme:1
There shall be a central office w ith a manager in charge who will administer the
scheme under the direction of a joint committee of employers and employees.
1 Report of the United States consul at Hull, England, July 13, 1918.
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Branches, probably four in number, conveniently situated, will be set up. Each
will be in charge of a foreman. These branches shall be linked by telephone with the
central office.
The engaging of men will be as before; that is, at the point where the work is to be
done, but the foreman at each shed, warehouse, etc., having engaged the number of
men he requires, shall then communicate by telephone or messenger w ith the nearest
branch the amount of surplus labor at his setting-on place, or if there is no surplus, to
report the fact. The foreman in charge of the branch should record these facts in
tabular form. If employers of labor are short of their requirements, they shall apply
to the nearest branch, stating the number and grade of men they require and the next
setting-on time. This information should be at once telephoned to the central office.
The manager will instruct each branch as to the number of cards to be issued.
Upon application for work the officer in charge of the branch shall issue to each ap
plicant for whom there is work, a card bearing the name of the ship, dock, next settingon time, and date. A man receiving one of these cards shall have the preference of
being set on before anyone else, provided he appears at the appointed time at the
setting-on place.
Each branch will have a notice board exhibited outside showing which ships, etc.,
require men at any stated time. The branches shall keep in close touch w ith the cen
tral office, and the manager of said office will control the whole operation, keep records,
and prepare all reports and statistics for submission to the joint committee.
L e it h .
A registration scheme was introduced during the war under which tallies were issued
to all transport workers, including the additional labor brought in to meet the shortage
due to recruiting. Men without tallies could not be employed.
The port labor committee were understood to take the view that temporary tallies
were not necessary, and that both the additional men brought in during the war and
the transport workers who joined the colors would easily be absorbed at the end of the
war.
M a n c h e s t e r .1
All labor in the port is hired through the medium of the Manchester Ship Canal Co.
The dock laborers assemble each morning at 7.30 in two large waiting compounds
(one for shed men and one for ship men) within the dock premises, and are there
selected and given tallies by the foreman. Such tallies are handed in at the time
keeper’s office, where their numbers are recorded. The men commence work at
8 a. m. Dock labor is taken on at stated hours only—that is, 8 a. m., 1 p. m., 7 p. m.
They are hired from day to day at time or piece rates. Wages are paid weekly on
Tuesdays. Payment is made from two or three central offices on the docks by the
canal company’s cashiers.
Decasuaiization of dock labor is effected to some extent by all workers being engaged
by or through the medium of the canal company. An effort was made a few years ago
to regularize a certain proportion of the dock laborers by instituting a “ preference
system,” whereby 1,000 to 1,500 men were given preference of employment. Caps
and badges were issued by the companies to be worn by the “ preference” men so
as to enable the foreman to identify them at the setting-on time. This system was
abandoned at the request of the men concerned.
M il f o r d H
a ven.
It is understood that the committee have under consideration proposals to restore
a registration scheme which was formerly in operation. This scheme provided for the
1 iteport oi the United States consul at Manchester, England, May 31, 1916.
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registration of all transport workers and the issue of tallies. Men with tallies were to
be employed before others, and employers could engage additional casual labor only
if all men holding tallies had been absorbed or were otherwise not available.
N ewport .
A system of registration has been introduced, under which each transport worker is
supplied with a colored registration certificate by his trade-union, which is exchanged
for a certificate of a different color every three months, in order to provide against trans
fers. The employer holds the worker’s certificate during the time th at the man is
employed, and during the war a return of hours worked by each man was made to the
port labor inspector by the employer each day. Gases of bad time keeping and mis
behavior are reported to the port labor committee.
During the war additional men might be employed without certificates, but em
ployers agreed when the registration scheme was started that members of the union
who were employed in the docks or other transport places prior to 1914 and had enlisted
should on their release from the colors have preference for employment over those who
had been engaged during the war.
Sunderland .
An arrangement is in force under section 99 of the Insurance Act for the central
stamping of health insurance cards at the employment exchange. The employers
furnish a weekly statement of the men employed by them, the cards are stamped by
the exchange, and the proper proportion of contribution is charged to each employer.
The advantages of this arrangement to the men are that a man who is first employed
toward the end of the week is not handicapped by incurring to the employer a charge
of the whole week’s contribution, while the employer who has employed men at the
beginning of the week knows that any employer who may subsequently eryploy the
same man will be compelled to pay his share of the insurance contribution for that
week.
G rim sby . 1
A detailed account is here given of the Grimsby scheme in order to
show the practical aspects of administration. The Grimsby port labor
committee very soon after its inception realized the necessity of
putting into operation a scheme for regulating the flow of transport
workers onto the docks under its control. It was accordingly decided
to ask all transport workers to register at the employment exchange,
where, on proving their good faith, they were given a numbered
registration card, which also acted as a permit to seek employment
on the docks. This latter was necessary, as the docks were scheduled
as a strictly prohibited area.
On completion of registration all the employers concerned were
asked to submit a weekly return of the men engaged each day,
quoting the numbers given on the cards. The statistics returned by
the employers were then transferred to the workman’s statistical card
and a record of his work was thus obtained.
With the incorporation of the fish dock workers and the extension
of the military service acts, and because of the fact that the men were
engaged in a very haphazard fashion, the committee considered it
1 Summary of a report submitted by the secretary of the Grimsby port labor committee.
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very essential to establish a central “ setting-on” station, where all the
transport workers could congregate at specific times and be “ set on.”
The central office, known as the port labor office, was then inau
gurated, and a small staff with a superintendent was installed.
With the opening of the port labor office it was found necessary to
reregister the whole of the transport workers in the port and to adopt
a different and more comprehensive system of returns. The following
special rules and regulations were adopted:
1. All transport workers must be in possession of a port labor registration certificate.
These registration certificates permit transport workers to enter the dock estates at
Grimsby and Immingham in compliance with clauses of the Defense of the Realm
Regulations, Defended Harbors, issued by the rear admiral commanding the east
coast of England, dated July 1, 1917, and January 1, 1917, respectively.
The registration certificate is issued on the understanding that the holder is to de
vote his full time to the transport work of the port, and should he obtain work outside
the docks, or not be available for work from any other cause, the registration certificate
must be handed in to the superintendent.
2. For work on the Royal, Union, and Alexandra Docks all setting on must take
place at the port labor office, the employers being given the use of the offices provided
for this purpose.
The Great Central Railway Co. will continue to set on at their adjoining time office.
3. Immediately the men have been engaged, the employer must hand the superin
tendent a list showing—
(a) Time of engagement.
( b ) Port labor registration certificate numbers'of all engaged.
4. After engagement, employers and men retain their usual machinery, but the em
ployers must hand the superintendent each morning a list showing—
(a) Port labor registration certificate numbers of men.
( b ) Number of hours worked by each man on the previous day.
5. When continuous employment at full time ceases, the employer must immediately
report the registration certificate numbers of the men released to the superintendent,
and the men should report themselves at the port labor office in order that the earliest
possible reengagement may be arranged.
Firms employing permanent gangs of coal trimmers must r e p o ;to the superintend
ent each Monday morning the number of hours worked by each man during the seven
days ending the preceding Saturday midnight, instead of supplying the information
as called for in rules 3 and 4, but the employers and men will keep in touch with the
superintendent when the men are available for other work, as provided above.
6. For work on the Immingham Dock, men may be set on at the Corporation Bridge
Tramway terminus, but employers must leave at the tramway office the list provided
for in rule 3, which will be collected by the superintendent, and men not engaged
should immediately make their way to the port labor office, which can be reached be
fore the corresponding Grimsby “ m arket.”
Similarly, the procedure under rules 4 and 5 must be strictly adhered to.
7. For work on the fish docks the existing system of setting on will be retained for
the present, but fish dock workers may register for work on the Royal, Alexandra,
and Immingham docks.
8. To insure the men being engaged in the employment for which they are best
suited, the superintendent will keep a complete register of all transport workers,
showing the classes, of work in which each man specializes, but transport workers
must be prepared to undertake any transport work where an unsatisfied demand
exists, at the current rate of pay applicable to such work.
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9. The port master, steamship owners, agents, and employers will keep in close
touch with the superintendent respecting movements of ships, arrivals, work offering
or expected, etc., to enable him to coordinate the labor supply and demand.
10. The superintendent will use the telephone or other means of ascertaining the
position at the request of employers or men.
11. The superintendent will keep daily, weekly, and permanent records of the time
worked by each transport worker.
12. Workers who, without adequate reason, fail to present themselves at the port
labor office when work is offering, or who refuse to accept any transport work offered,
will be reported to the port labor committee, who, after full investigation of the case,
will decide whether, and for what period, the port labor registration certificate en
titling the holder to seek work on the docks shall be withdrawn.
The committee will also investigate and deal with complaints against any person
or persons contravening the letter or spirit of these rules.
13. When the demand for labor exceeds the supply, temporary registration certifi
cates will be issued by the superintendent to suitable persons.
When such a shortage exists, a notice to that effect will be exhibited at the employ
ment exchange, 174-176 Cleethorpe Road, where application should first be made for
a permit to enter the dock to proceed to the port labor office.
14. The superintendent will complete a list of such temporary workers, whose
employment must be recorded as provided in rules 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
The general policy of the scheme will be to work with a minimum of interference
with existing arrangements.
Employers must not hold up men in anticipation of the arrival of any particular
ship, as arrangements will be made, where other immediate work is offering, for the
men to be engaged on the express understanding that they will be notified and released
immediately such ship arrives.
This arrangement is intended to obviate wasted waiting time, and to expedite the
dispatch of ships, but at the same time to insure the men not losing the work from
their usual employer.
In the event of a shortage of labor, priority in discharge or loading will be given in
the following order:
1. Vessels on Admiralty service.
2. Vessels with perishable food cargoes.
3. Vessels with other food cargoes or Government material.
4. Regular liners.
5. Other vessels.
Special registration cards were issued to regular dook workers and
temporary cards to those individuals who required only temporary
transport work in case of emergency. These latter men were engaged
only after all available regular workers were absorbed.
Employers were supplied with pads of returns, each return bearing
numbers corresponding with the cards issued. On engagement the
employer or stevedore merely checked the workman's number on
th e return sheet.
At the end of the day the employer filled in a further return, show
in g the number of hours worked by each workman “ set on.”
The above-mentioned statistics were collected daily and entered
on a special statistical card, so that practically at any time an up-todate record of the workman’s time could be obtained.
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Reporting on the results of the scheme, the secretary of the port
labor committee states that:
The committee has set up a minimum period of 40 hours per week to be worked,
eubject, of course, to shipping being available, and any man who fails to keep this
m in im u m ia required to give a satisfactory reason, or the committee considers the
withdrawal of his registration card.
I t will thus be seen that with the close cooperation of the employers it is practically
impossible for any unauthorized person to obtain employment on the Grimsby docks,
and the possibility of an undesired influx of workers is therefore removed. Such a
scheme could be secured only with the closest cooperation and good will of every
body concerned, and that cooperation has been secured in Grimsby to a remarkable
degree.
The result of the scheme has been to eliminate the undesirable . v»,nsport worker
and to assure the maximum of work to the genuine man. The records since the
inauguration of the scheme show that the time keeping and the number of hours
worked by each individual have improved tremendously. No difficulties regarding
the scheme have been or are experienced from the men themselves and it is very
doubtful if they would be prepared to go back to the old order of things.
DEMOBILIZATION AND RESETTLEM EN T OF W A T ER SID E W ORKERS.
When the armistice was signed the port labor committees were
asked by the Minister of Labor to remain in existence and to under
take the demobilization of transport workers, the inauguration of
special plans for the administration of the out-of-work donation
scheme, and for decasualization.
A central advisory (port labor) committee was also formed, con
sisting of representatives of employers and labor organizations
from each port, to advise the minister on matters of principle and
to coordinate the work of the port labor committees.
In the work of demobilization the port labor committees were
responsible for ascertaining the number of “ pivotal men” necessary
to restore the port to normal efficiency, and for certifying and approv
ing offers of employment to individual transport workers. These
arrangements have proved satisfactory in the case of all the ports,
since the committees knew what labor was required and were as a
rule able to ascertain the names and particulars of individual men
whose release was necessary.
Port labor committees were also made responsible for the adminis
tration of the Government’s out-of-work donation scheme.1 In
view of the casual nature of employment in the ports, however,
special arrangements were required for transport workers. To this
end the following circular letter was addressed to all port labor
committees on February 1, 1919:
In some of the ports special arrangements have been devised which meet the diffi
culty of applying the scheme to the special conditions under which transport workers
are employed, but in most cases no adequate scheme is in operation.
i Monthly L abor R eview , U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, January, 1919, p. 62.
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The matter has now been considered by the central advisory (port labor) committee,
which has advised the minister that the following special arrangements should be
adopted'
1. I s s u e o f o u t- o f - w o r k d o n a t i o n ’p o l i c i e s . —Applicants for policies who state that
they are transport workers will not be entered on the policies as transport workers
until they have been certified as such by the port labor committee.
I t should be observed that while this procedure applies to civilian applicants,
soldiers who are demobilized receive their policies at the dispersal camps, and their
trades are recorded on the policies according to their own statement. It will be
necessary for port labor committees to consider what special arrangements, if any,
are required to prevent soldiers who are not bona fide transport workers, but have
described themselves as such on their policy, from being recognized or registered as
persons following one branch or another of transport work, e. g., dock laborer, crane
driver, etc. Generally the soundest arrangement will be not to recognize as a transport
worker any man who has not been certified as such by the port labor committee.
2 . P r o o f o f a p p l i c a n t ' s u n e m p l o y m e n t a n d th e f a c t th a t he i s w i l l i n g to w o r k b u t u n a b le
to f i n d e m p l o y m e n t — In
ports where a registration scheme or a system of surplus
stands or clearing houses is in existence, there will, as indicated below, be no diffi
culty in ascertaining whether the applicant has tried to obtain employment.
In other ports it is proposed that an emergency system by the provision of surplus
stands or other appropriate schemes should be introduced. The system would need
adaptation to the requirements of each port, but as a rule the stands would be dis
tributed at convenient intervals through the port, and would be connected by tele
phone with the taking-on stations. Men desiring to obtain out-of-work donation
would be required to attend at the surplus stands for, say, half an hour after each call.
If work elsewhere in the port was available, they would be directed to it by the
surplus stand officer. If none was available, the surplus stand officer would stamp
or sign a card, showing that the man had unsuccessfully attempted to obtain work on
that day. Only men in possession of approved transport workers’ donation policies
could receive such cards. On the last day of the donation pay week, i. e., on Wednes
days, these tickets will be collected by the surplus stand officer, who will forward
them to the exchange or office at which the workmen’s policies are lodged. Donation
will then be computed in accordance with the evidence of unemployment furnished
by the tickets, and payment would be made at the exchange on Fridays in the usual
way.
It will be necessary for the committee in each port where an approved system is
not in operation to consider the application of this scheme with the divisional officer,
in order that detailed instruction may be prepared. In this connection it is very
desirable that special attention be given to the question of promises. To bring to the
employment exchange two or three times every day any considerable number of
men wanting employment in the docks would almost certainly be detrimental to
the development of the ordinary work of the exchange, and generally it is thought
that separate clearing-house or surplus stand accommodation on the docks will be
necessary. Even, therefore, when the employment exchange happens to be on or
immediately adjacent to the docks and appears to be suitable for dock work, the
committee will wish to give every consideration to any views on this aspect of the
matter which may be urged by the divisional officer.
3. O ffe r s o f s u ita b le e m p l o y m e n t . —In this connection it is suggested that each port
labor committee should draw up a list of the several occupations followed by transport
workers in the port. The procedure described in the foregoing paragraphs would
then be applied to applicants who stated that they followed one of those occupations.
I t would be for the port labor committee to indicate for the guidance of the employ
ment exchange the class of work which might be considered suitable for each group
of workmen, and, in order to prevent an unnecessary influx of surplus labor, how many
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jobs usually performed by one group could be regarded as suitable for unemployed
members of another group.
I t will also be open to the port labor committee to express their views generally
by way of recommendations to the department (a) on any points on which decisions
are likely to be asked from the courts of referees, such as the qualification constituting
a bona fide transport worker; and ( b ) as to the nature of alternative employment on
or away from the docks which might be considered suitable for certain classes of
dock workers; and the department would see that such recommendations were made
available for the guidance not only of the employment exchange office, but of the
appeals officers who prepare and submit doubtful cases to the courts of referees.
It is proposed that the view expressed by several of the committees should be
accepted; that after a period of 10 days’ unemployment a transport worker may be
required to take other suitable employment, if available, outside the port, or if he
refuses it, to forfeit unemployment donation. Employment in the port for any
period between midnight and midnight will count as employment for that day.
4. P r o o f th a t th e a p p l i c a n t b e sid e s b e in g u n e m p l o y e d s a tis f ie s th e o th e r c o n d itio n s o f
o u t- o f - w o r k d o rn a t i o n — In the event the port labor committee finds that the man has
lost work for any reason which disqualifies him from receipt of out-of-work donation,
the employment exchange would report the case to the court of referees, in order that
they might decide whether donation should be payable. The exchange will also,
if desired, report such cases to the port labor committee, in order that, where registra
tion schemes are in existence, the committee may consider whether the man should
be retained upon the register as an approved transport worker.
5. D e t e r m i n a t i o n o f d i s p u t e d c la im s ( r e la tio n s b e tw e e n th e c o u r ts o f refer e es a n d p o r t
la b o r c o m m itte e s ) . —Under the provisions of the out-of-work donation scheme the deci
sion of doubtful claims rests with the court of referees. In order, however, that port
labor committees may have an opportunity of submitting their views, the employ
ment exchange will send to the committee a copy of each reference, and the port
labor committee will be at liberty to submit their observations to the court of referee»
for consideration in accordance with the usual procedure.
The port labor committees may further consider it desirable to nominate represen
tatives to the panels of the courts of referees, in order to secure on the latter adequate
representation of the interests in the ports.
It will be observed that these arrangements have been prepared with a view to
protecting, so far as possible, the ports from an influx of casual labor, and to facilitate
the introduction of registration schemes for regulating employment in the ports where
such schemes are not already in existence.
A model scheme was also prepared by the central advisory (port
labor) committee on the basis of schemes introduced during the war
and sent to the various port labor committees to serve as a basis of
discussion for committees which had not introduced registration
schemes.
SUGGESTED MODEL SCHEME EOR REGISTRATION TO BE ADAPTED TO SPECIAL REQUIRE
MENTS OP EACH PORT.
1. All men recognized by the port labor committee as being bona fide transport
workers of the port o f -------- to be registered and given a number by the committee.
2. In the absence of special conditions, registration to be confined in the first in
stance to men who were employed in the port on August 4, 1914, in order that the
employment of transport workers who have left the port for military service may be
safeguarded. A further issue of tallies may afterwards be made to men who were
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first employed at a later date, if employment can be offered to them without preju
dicing the chances of employment of bona fide transport workers.
3. Each man registered to receive from the employment exchange a metal tally or
other token, bearing the registered number.
4. Registered men must, if required, produce their tallies on being engaged, and
men without tallies may not be engaged except as provided by section 5.
5. The secretary of the port labor committee on being satisfied that all registered
men are employed or are otherwise unavailable may sanction the issue of temporary
employment tickets, available for one week’s employment, to additional men not on
the register, in sufficient numbers to meet the temporary requirements.
6. All tallies to be withdrawn and reissued at the end of each quarter, to avoid
fraudulent transfers. On reissue of tallies registered numbers of transport workers to
be changed.
7. In ports where the labor is definitely specialized into different classes, a special
type of tally (e. g., round, square, triangular, etc.) may be issued to each class.
8. Cases of serious misbehavior or failure to work should be reported to the port
labor committee, in order that the committee may, if after investigation they think
it necessary, cancel the registration and withdraw the tally of the man complained of.
Such reports will be signed by one of the principals of the firm (not the foreman) by
whom the men had been employed, and it should be understood that it is expected
that the reports will be made only after careful inquiry by the firm as to the facts and
circumstances of each case.
In practically all ports schemes have now been introduced along
the lines suggested. The following, adopted by the Bristol Port
Labor Committee, is given as a sample:
BRISTOL
PORT
LABOR
COMMITTEE— SCHEME FOR
WORKERS.
REGISTRATION
OF
TRANSPORT
1. There shall be a complete registration scheme for all general labor employed in
or about the docks, divided into—
(а) All dock labor.
(б) All carters, warehousemen, and permanent loaders.
The term “ general labor” does not include members of engineering and other craft
trades and the permanent administrative staffs of employers.
2. All men at present holding record books to be registered. No other men to be
registered except those men who previously were employed on the docks, and are
now being demobilized from His Majesty’s forces.
3. The scheme shall come into operation on March 31, 1919, and all men under the
scheme to be members of the Dockers’ Union.
4. Registration to be by means of a numbered tally. Tallies to be of two varieties,
viz:
( а ) All dock labor (round and square metaled “ D ” ).
(б) All carters, warehousemen, and permanent loaders (oval and triangular
metaled “ C”).
Tallies are not interchangeable, and carters’ tallies will not be accepted for em
ployment as dock laborers, or vice versa.
The tally number issued to a man shall be retained by him during the whole of
his service, and the same number shall be eaitered on his union card.
Tallies to be exchanged quarterly at the Dockers’ Union offices.
Each quarter’s tallies will be of distinct shape to insure that they are exchanged
quarterly.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
The change of record books for tallies will be made during the last week of the
present quarter.
During this period the expiring record book or new tally will be valid, and during
the last week of each subsequent quarter the expiring tally and the new tally will be
similarly valid.
All tallies must be in possession of men by March 31.
5. No man shall be engaged who is not in possession of the official tally.
6. The tally must be collected by the employer or his representative upon a man’s
engagement and retained until the termination.
7. A man who is engaged for loading or discharging a ship is entitled and is required
to retain his employment until the completion of the work for which he is engaged.
8. Interruption of the engagement on account of stress of weather or other causes
not under the control of the employer or worker shall be dealt with in accordance
with the respective agreements with the union.
9. Any breach of the regulations regarding the employment of men without tallies,
or the discontinuance of work before its completion, on the part of either employer
or worker, shall be reported to the port labor committee.
10. Any man either transferring a tally or fraudulently obtaining work by the use
of another man’s tally shall be reported to the port labor committee.
11. Men losing tallies will be required to pay the cost of same.
12. On completion of demobilization the number of men on the docks shall be
reviewed, and in case it is necessary to reduce the number of men holding tallies, men
who took up work on the docks after August 4,1914, shall have their tallies taken away.
In case additional men are required at any time in the port, no men shall be ad
mitted without the consent of the port labor committee, and in the event of more men
being required, applications would be considered by the port labor committee, or
subcommittee thereof, provision to be made that such committee meets at regular
intervals.
The chief purpose of all the schemes as applied to after-the-war
conditions is to protect the ports against an influx of casual labor.
When the armistice was signed it was feared that on the transition
from war to peace work large numbers of men who were unemployed
might seek employment in the ports as the best-known means of
obtaining casual work. The result would have been that bona fide
transport workers who had joined the colors would have found on
their return that their chance of employment had been greatly
reduced. Such an influx would also have prejudiced any future
schemes for decasualizing the work in the ports, since it would be
difficult to reduce the number of men employed when they had once
obtained work. Under the schemes which are now in force in most
of the ports the bona fide transport workers are registered either
by the port labor committee or by the union on behalf of the com
mittee, and the men registered receive a tally or some mark of identi
fication, which is usually changed every quarter to prevent fraudulent
transfer. The employers agree that men who are not on the register
shall not be employed until all tally holders are employed or are
otherwise unavailable. In some of the ports it is agreed that addi
tional labor employed to meet a shortage, when all tally holders are
engaged, must be engaged through the employment exchange, or
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
37
m u st b e en g a g ed w ith a tem p o ra ry re g istra tio n tic k e t issu ed b y th e
se c r e ta r y o f th e p o rt la b o r c o m m itte e .
In certa in p o rts th e s y ste m o f su rp lu s sta n d s h a s b een in tro d u ced .
M en w h o can n o t o b ta in e m p lo y m e n t a t th e u su a l ta k in g -o n sta n d s
go to th e su rp lu s sta n d s, w h ich are co n n ecte d b y tele p h o n e w ith th e
ta k in g -o n sta n d s th r o u g h o u t th e p ort. T h e y are th e n d irected to
a n y p o in ts a t w h ich lab or m a y b e requ ired .
CONCLUSION.
I t m a y b e ob serv ed th a t th e sc h em es in force in th e p o rts o f th e
U n ite d K in g d o m for th e d eca su a liza tio n of d o ck la b o r are n o t su p
p orted b y co m p u lso ry p ow ers an d are a m a tte r for v o lu n ta r y agree
m en t b etw e en em p lo y ers and th e u n io n s. T h is is a p p a r en tly a
w ea k n ess th a t m u st b e o v erco m e b efore th e fu lle st m ea su re of su ccess
can be a tta in e d . In th e p a st su ch sch em es h a v e n o t b een fu lly
su p p o rted b y eith er em p lo y ers or w ork m en . R ep o rtin g in 1915 on
lab or ex c h a n g es an d u n e m p lo y m e n t, Mr. W . H . B e v er id g e o b serv es
th a t—
The reduction of the number of separate centers for the engaging of men (dock labor)
and the consequent concentration of their engagement upon a limited number of
exchanges, which has constantly been urged as the main means of improving the
conditions of employment, has not in fact been realized at Liverpool, Goole, or in the
South Wales ports. In the absence of this feature and of any effective restriction in
the numbers of men applying for work, no marked effect can be claimed for these
schemes in actually improving the regularity of employment.
On the whole it can not be claimed that any substantial progress has yet been made
with the decasualization of labor in the principal centers where such labor is employed.
The powers of the board have not proved adequate to secure that change in the methods
of engagement which alone appears to offer a prospect of real improvement.1
W ith th e se ttin g u p of p ort la b o r c o m m itte es d u rin g th e w ar and
th e co n tin u a tio n of th e se c o m m itte es d uring th e p erio d , a t le a st, of
d em o b iliza tio n , a lo n g step h a s b een ta k e n in th e d irectio n o f a p er
m a n e n t arran gem en t for regu larizin g th e e m p lo y m e n t o f d o ck lab or.
U n d o u b te d ly , h o w ev er, th ere m u st com e co m p u lso ry reg istra tio n of
d ock lab or w ith re strictio n s u p o n in d iscr im in a te in flu x a n d u p o n th e
rig h t of em p loyers to ta k e on u n reg istered m en .
1 Report on the Proceedings of the Board of Trade under the Labor Exchanges Act, 1909, and under
P art II of the National Insurance Act, 1911, to July, 1914. London, 1915. p. 35.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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PROHIBITORY AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OP THE UNITED
STATES AND ITS RELATION TO LABOR.
BY LINDLEY D. CLARK.
The proclamation by the State Department announcing the adop
tion of the eighteenth amendment to the Federal Constitution was
in the minds of most people th» final act in its incorporation into the
fundamental law of the land. This amendment, known at first as
Senate Joint Resolution No. 17, was introduced in the Senate by
Mr. Sheppard, of Texas, on April 4, 1917, and with some textual
alterations passed the Senate August 1 by a vote of 65 to 20, 11
members not voting. The resolution was amended in the House
by deferring its effect until the end of a year after its adoption, and
by giving the States concurrent power with Congress to enforce its
!provisions, instead of leaving the enforcement to Congress alone.
As the measure came from the Senate it was to be inoperative unless
ratified within six years from the date of its submission, but a friendly
spirit influenced the House to add another year of grace. The
House passed the amendment December 17 by a vote of 282 to 128,
23 members not voting. The Senate concurred in all amendments
on the 18th of the same month. It was deposited in the Department
of State on December 19, 1917, in the following form:
S e c t i o n 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale,
or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the
exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction
thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
S e c . 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce
this article by appropriate legislation.
S e c . 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an
amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided
in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the
States by the Congress.
This amendment was of course immediately available for considera
tion by the legislatures of the various States, but the action of Con
gress came at a time when no such body was regularly in session, and
just prior to the opening of a legislative year when normally but 11
of the 48 law-making bodies of the Union would meet. However,
the movement in its favor started off briskly, Mississippi being the
first State to ratify, securing its position by action in both houses
on the opening day of the legislature, January 8, 1918. Virginia
followed two days later; two other States ratified in the same month,
and by the end of the year eight legislatures in regular session and
seven in extra session, or 15 in all, had registered their approval of
the amendment.
38
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39
Such promptness made it sufficiently clear that the legislatures
elected in November, 1918, would in all probability be called upon
to make the final decision for or against the amendment, and in
many States this was one of the principal factors in the election of
legislators. On the assembling of the legislative bodies meeting in
1919, Oklahoma and Washington adopted the amendment on their
opening day, though Michigan, opening earlier, was the first to act.
Nebraska, acting on January 16, made up the required two-thirds,
being the thirty-sixth State to ratify, though a reference to clocks
was necessary to determine the fact, two other States taking action
on the same day. Connecticut, New Jersey, and Rhode Island were
the only States to take adverse action.
Official announcement of the adoption of the amendment was
made by the Department of State on January 29, 1919. The list
of States ratifying, with the dates of ratification, follows:
DATES OF RATIFICATION.
L
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
1918.
Mississippi............... .. .January,
Virginia.................... .. .January,
K entucky................. .. .January,
South Carolina......... .. .January,
North Dakota.......... .. .January,
Maryland................. .. .February,
Montana................... . . . February,
Texas.........................__ March,
Delaware.................. ...M arch,
South Dakota-------- .. .March,
Massachusetts........ . .. .April,
Arizona.................... ...M ay,
Georgia..................... ...Ju ly ,
Louisiana.................. .. .August,
Florida..................... .. .December,
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
1919.
Michigan.................. .. .January,
Oklahoma................. .. .January,
Ohio.................... ..... . . .January,
Tennessee................. .. .January,
Idaho........................ .. .January,
Maine........................ .. .January,
West Virginia.......... .. .January,
8
10
14
23
25
13
19
4
18
20
2
22
22
3
14
2
7
7
8
8
8
9
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
89.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
1919.
Washington.............. .. .January,
California.................. .. .January,
Arkansas....... .............. .January,
Illinois___ ___ ___ . .. January,
Indiana........................ .January,
Kansas......................... .January,
North Carolina............ .January,
Alabama...................... .January,
Iowa............................. .January,
Colorado.................... .. .January,
Oregon...................... ... .January,
New Hampshire___ .. .January,
U tah ......................... .. .January,
Nebraska..................... .January,
Missouri................... .. .January,
W yom ing................... .January,
Minnesota____ ____ .. .January,
Wisconsin................. .. .January,
New Mexico................ .January,
Nevada........................ .January,
Vermont................... ... .January,
New Y ork................... .January,
Pennsylvania._____ . . . February,
13
13
14
14
14
14
14
14
15
15
15
15
15
16
16
16
17
17
20
21
29
29
25
O p p o n en ts of th e a m en d m en t h a v e so u g h t to find le g a l o b je ctio n s to
its a ccep ta n ce, and an in ju n c tio n on th e grou n d th a t n o t tw o -th ir d s
of th e en tire m em b ersh ip of th e H o u se of R e p r e se n ta tiv e s v o te d for it
h a s b een u n d er co n sid eration . In te r e st in th is p la n re ce iv e d a sev ere
ch ec k w h en th e S u p rem e C ourt o f th e U n ite d S ta te s d ecid ed in a
ca se in v o lv in g th e id e n tic a l p o in t th a t a c o n stitu tio n a l req u irem en t
o f a tw o -th ir d s v o te m ean s tw o -th ir d s of th e q uorum p resen t and
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
voting, and not two-thirds of the roster of the body. (Missouri
Pacific R. Co. v . State of Kansas (Jan. 7, 1919), 39 Sup. Ct. Rep.,
p . 93.P
A second contention has been that, in those States in which a
referendum is provided for, the action of the legislature is still sub
ject to review, and that a reversal of action by the vote of the people
of 10 States would leave the amendment without the necessary threefourths support. This point came to an issue in the State of Oregon,
where the referendum exists, but was decided adversely by the supreme
court of the State on April 29, on the ground that the referendum
was applicable only to State legislation, and the referendum on this
measure was denied a place on the ballot. A case involving the same
question was submitted to the Supreme Court of Washington, which
by a divided court—5 to 4—decided in favor of the referendum.
The grounds for the decision are not yet available, but inasmuch as
the Constitution (Art. V) specifies that it is to be amended by action
of Congress and ratification “ by the legislatures of three-fourths of
the several States, or by conventions in three-fourths thereof/’ and
such action has been formally taken, the question involved is evi
dently whether or not the action of the States in adopting the refer
endum has in effect amended this article or has so changed the
meaning of the word “ legislature” as to make it include the entire
citizenship of the State. In either case, a Federal question is
involved, subjecting the matter to a final determination by the
Supreme Court of the United States.
T h e L e g isla tu re of R h o d e Isla n d h as a d o p ted a re so lu tio n in str u c t
in g th e a tto r n e y gen eral of th e S ta te to b eg in a ctio n in th e n a m e of
t h e S ta te to c o n te st th e c o n stitu tio n a lity of th e a m en d m en t as an
in fr in g e m e n t u p o n th e p o lice p ow er of th e S ta te and “ co n tra ry to
th e sp irit and s y s te m of th e d u a l form of g o v er n m e n t erected b y th e
C o n stitu tio n .” T h is w o u ld raise a d ifferen t q u e stio n en tire ly from
th a t in v o lv e d in th e a ctio n for a referen d u m , w h ich rela tes to th e
m o d e of a d o p tio n o n ly , w h ile th e re so lu tio n of th e R h o d e Isla n d
L e g isla tu r e ch a lle n g e s th e v a lid ity , of a le g a lly a d o p ted c o n stitu tio n a l
p ro v isio n .
T h e a m en d m en t is th e re su lt of an effort e x te n d in g over m a n y
y ea r s to secu re th e e x tin c tio n of th e m a n u fa c tu re and sa le of in to x i
c a n ts. I n itia te d m a in ly as a m o v e m e n t for m oral, p h y sic a l, and
so c ia l b e tte r m e n t, as co n ce iv e d b y its p rom oters, it g a in ed g rea t
im p e tu s b y its in d o r sem en t as a ste p in im p r o v in g in d u stria l co n d i
tio n s. R ailroad co m p a n ies h a v e for m a n y y ea rs h ad ru les a g a in st
1 The case cited involved the validity of the Webb-Kenyon Act, giving the States power to regulate
commerce in intoxicating liquors. This act was passed over a presidential veto, by a vote of two-thirds
of a quorum of the Senate, but not of two-thirds of the membership. The court held this valid, and
also declared "th e identity in principle between the rule applicable to amendments to the Constitution
and that controlling in passing a bill over a veto.”
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
41
drinking by employees connected with the movement of trains, and
legislation is found against the employment of intoxicated persons
in certain positions, the use of intoxicants by certain classes of em
ployees, the sale of intoxicants to employees after notice from the
employer, or the sale of liquor near a work camp, etc., laws on one
or more of these points having been enacted in 38 States of the
Union.
State-wide prohibition, based on the same arguments as indicated
above, has been provided for in 33 States, Alaska, and the District of
Columbia, either by statute (17) or by amendments incorporated in
the State constitutions (18), beginning with Maine in 1851 and ending
with Wyoming and Delaware, to be effective in 1920.
A n a ct of A u g u st 10, 1917, as a m a tte r of fo o d co n se rv a tio n , forb ad e
th e u se of food s, fru its, fo o d m aterials, and feed s in th e p ro d u ctio n of
d istille d sp irits for b ev era g e p u rp oses. T h is p ro v isio n w a s to b e in
effect after 30 d a y s from th e a p p roval of th e a ct, an d to co n tin u e
u n til th e en d of th e p resen t w ar as “ a scertain ed an d p ro cla im ed b y
th e P r e sid e n t.” T h e sa m e a ct a u th orized th e P re sid en t to lim it,
r e g u la te , or p ro h ib it th e u se of th e sa m e a rticles as a b o v e in th e pro
d u c tio n of m a lt or v in o u s liq u ors for b ev era g e p u rp o ses; or h e m ig h t
lim it th e a lcoh olic c o n te n t of a n y su ch m a lt or v in o u s liq u or. T h is
a c tio n w a s to b e ta k e n w h e n e v er th e P re sid en t sh o u ld find it essen
t ia l to th e n a tio n a l d efen se, an d to co n tin u e in force in h is d iscretion .
O rders h a v e b een issu e d in accord an ce w ith th is p ow er, and th e
su p p ly of fu e l to b rew eries w a s also re g u la ted . T h e b rew in g of n o n
in to x ic a tin g or “ n e a r ” beer w a s forb id d en for a tim e, b u t ea rly in
th e y ea r 1919 th e b a n w a s rem o v ed , th e B u rea u o f In te rn a l R ev e n u e
a d o p tin g a sta n d a rd of u n d er on e-h a lf of 1 p er c e n t alco h o lic c o n te n t
as p erm issib le.
None of these provisions restricted the sale of liquors, but an act
of November 21, 1918, provides that after June 30, 1919, and “ until
the conclusion of the present war and thereafter until the termination
of demobilization, the date of which shall be determined and pro
claimed by the President,” the sale of distilled spirits, or of beer,
wine, or other intoxicating malt or vinous liquors for beverage pur
poses shall be unlawful; withdrawal from bond and sale for export
are permitted. The provisions apply directly to the use of intoxi
cants, as distinguished from their manufacture only, and as such
have attracted the immediate attention of a correspondingly larger
number of persons. The fact that the war practically ended Novem
ber 11, 1918, and that therefore the reasons assigned for the original
enactment no longer exist is offered as ground for a rescission of the
measure. Action on the subject rests, of course, with Congress, but
no steps that it could take could be effective further than to do away
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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42
MONTHLY LABOB BEVIEW.
with prohibition beginning July 1, 1919, as, of course, a repeal of the
constitutional amendment would require the same steps as its adop
tion.
The remark has been frequently made that when the soldiers
return to civil life there will be a vigorous and effective protest against
the action taken in then absence. No real preponderance of opinion
has been obtainable on this point, but both friends and opponents
of the measure confidently announce enthusiastic approval or dis
approval of their respective views by the soldiers with whom they
have come into contact. It seems reasonable to assume that, as they
represent the whole area of the country, so also do they represent
the diverse opinions in an average ratio, and that no unity of action
is to be expected from them on this or any similar question on which
men differ. Furthermore, the Congress which submitted the amend
ment was elected in 1916, with all voters at home, and with the attitude
of candidates on the question an issue in many congressional districts.
No special enforcement laws have been enacted as yet by Congress,
though it is claimed that existing statutes are adequate. Some of the
State legislatures have enacted enforcement laws in contemplation
of the coming into effect of the constitutional amendment. A ques
tion of interpretation is being discussed, relative to the meaning of the
term ‘‘intoxicating liquors ’’ used in the amendment, which will doubt
less be met by the courts, though an enactment of a definition by
Congress would go far to settle the dispute, especially by making the
standard uniform for all States of the Union. Whether the limit will
fall below one-half of 1 per cent of alcoholic content as now held by
the Bureau of Internal Revenue, or whether it will be 2J per cent, as
fixed by certain brewers and their advisers, or whether some other
amount is fixed, there is still a practical certainty that the friends of
the measure will seek for national uniformity. At the date of this
publication a Federal court has enjoined interference with the manu
facture of beer with an alcoholic content of 2.75 per cent by the
breweries bringing the action. Enforcement bills introduced in Con
gress put the lawful amount at less than one-half of 1 per cent.
Industrial conditions resultant upon the inception of prohibition
have been in a large measure anticipated. The end of the use of grain
and other materials, etc., in distilleries necessarily meant the closing
of such places when materials in process of manufacture were worked
up, and in the abnormal conditions of the time the distribution of
the workers caused little if any disturbance. The breweries, too,
though in less degree, have already made partial adjustments and
are being converted into plants for a variety of uses, as cold-storage
plants, packing houses, ice factories, canneries, creameries, factories
for the production of soft drinks, ice cream, sirup, paint, soap and
chemicals, etc.
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MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
43
Mr. William H. Waggaman, of the United States Department of
Agriculture (Review of Reviews, April, 1919), forecasts a large de
velopment in the production of denatured alcohol for industrial
uses, using for this purpose many products not suitable for the manu
facture of spirits for beverage use. In this connection may be men
tioned a statistical study by Mr. Rollin E. Smith (Independent,
Mar. 1, 1919), in which he arrives at the conclusion that the produce
of 5,000,000 acres of land will become available for food in place of
being consumed in the manufacture of intoxicants.
The question of the loss of values of real estate used in connection
with the manufacture and sale of liquor has received much attention
from the fire insurance companies on account of the consequent in
crease in the so-called “ moral hazard’7 due to the change. While,
of course, each company is free to cancel or decline such insurance
according to its own judgment, the opinion has been expressed by
some of the leading insurance periodicals that with the very generally
announced transformation of the property to other uses, the deprecia
tion would not be such as to encourage incendiarism. Restaurants,
soft-drink establishments, automobile tire shops, and the movingpicture business are spoken of as being most frequently chosen as
new lines of business.
The Salvation Army is reported by the New York Sun (Apr. 28,
1919) as planning to take over a number of bar rooms and their
equipment, operating them as “ corner clubs for working men and
b°ys/ ’ giving employment to former bartenders in the dispensing of
soft drinks, sandwiches, and doughnuts; and the Evening Star, of
Washington, D. C. (May 10, 1919), gives an account of the ceremonies
attendant upon the taking over of a Baltimore bar room by the
Salvation Army, and other publications refer to similar action in a
number of cases.
The conclusion would seem to be that, despite the various efforts
to stay the coming into effect of prohibition, there is in progress a
pretty general adaptation of the manufacturing properties to other
industrial uses, that to some extent at least bar-room fixtures will
be found available for continued use, and that the “ poor man’s
club,” as the saloon has been called by various classes of persons,
will be still available, if initiated plans prove successful.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
115933
RECONSTRUCTION,
SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM OF THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC
WAR COUNCIL.
T h e p ro n o u n ce m e n t of th e N a tio n a l C ath o lic W ar C oun cil on
so cia l reco n stru ctio n , g iv in g a g en er a l r e v ie w of th e p ro b lem s and a
su r v e y of re m ed ies, is of m o re th a n p a ssin g im p o r ta n ce in t h e s e d a y s
of so cia l u n r e st w h e n th e g re a t q u e stio n s a ffectin g th e in te r e sts of
c a p ita l and lab or are b e in g d iscu ssed , and a so lu tio n of th e p ro b lem s
is b e in g so u g h t th a t w ill b rin g ju stic e to all. T h e p ro n o u n ce m e n t is
p rec ed ed b y a b rief in tr o d u cto ry r e v ie w of so m e of th e m o re im
p o r ta n t s ta te m e n ts and p rop osals th a t h a v e b e e n m a d e b y va rio u s
so c ia l grou p s and cla sses, in clu d in g th e N a tio n a l C ham ber of C om
m erce, v a riou s S ta te fe d e r a tio n s of lab or, ce rta in B r itish Q uaker
em p lo y ee s, and th e in te rd en o m in a tio n a l co n fer en ce of so cia l se r v ic e
u n io n s com p risin g 10 relig io u s b o d ie s, in clu d in g C ath olics, organ ized
in G reat B r ita in . T h e p ro n o u n ce m e n t h as th e fo llo w in g to sa y co n
cern in g th is in te rd en o m in a tio n a l s ta te m e n t of so cia l reco n stru ctio n :
This statement deals with principles, evils, and remedies. Presuming that Christi
anity provides indispensable guiding principles and powerful motives of social reform,
it lays down the basic proposition that every human being is of inestimable worth
and that legislation should recognize persons as more sacred than property; therefore
the State should enforce a minimum living wage; enable the worker to obtain some
control of industrial conditions; supplement private initiative in providing decent
housing; prevent the occurrence of unemployment; safeguard the right of the laborer
and his family to a reasonable amount of rest and recreation; remove those industrial
and social conditions which hinder marriage and encourage an unnatural restriction
of families, and afford ample opportunities for education of all children industrially,
culturally, religiously, and morally. On the other hand, rights imply duties, and
the individual is obliged to respect the rights of others, to cultivate self-control, to
lecognize that labor is the law of life and that wealth is a trust. Finally, the state
ment points out that all social reform must take as its end and guide the maintenance
of pure and wholesome family life.
Such in barest outline are the main propositions and principles of this remarkable
program. The text contains adequate exposition of the development and application
of all these points and concrete specifications of the methods and measures by which
the aims and principles may be brought into effect. In the latter respect the state
ment is not liable to the fatal objection that is frequently and fairly urged against the
reform pronouncements of religious bodies—that they are abstract, platitudinous,
and usually harmless. The statement of the interdenominational conference points
out specific remedies for the evils that it describes; specific measures, legislative and
other, by which the principles may be realized in actual life.
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RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM OF THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC W AR COUNCIL.
The following is the text of the social reconstruction program of
the National Catholic War Council:
No attem pt will be made in these pages to formulate a comprehensive scheme of
reconstruction. Such an undertaking would be a waste of time as regards immediate
needs and purposes, for no important group or section of the American people is
ready to consider a program of this magnitude. Attention will therefore be confined
to those reforms that seem to be desirable and also obtainable within a reasonable
time, and to a few general principles which should become a guide to more distant
developments. A statement thus circumscribed will not merely present the objects
that we wish to see attained, but will also serve as an imperative call to action. It
will keep before our minds the necessity*for translating our faith into works. In the
statements of immediate proposals we shall start, wherever possible, from those
governmental agencies and legislative measures which have been to some extent in
operation during the war. These come before us with the prestige of experience and
should therefore receive first consideration in any program that aims to be at once
practical and persuasive.
The first problem in the process of reconstruction is the industrial replacement of
the discharged soldiers and sailors. The majority of these will undoubtedly return
to their previous occupations. However, a very large number of them will either
find their previous places closed to them or will be eager to consider the possibility
of more attractive employments. The most important single measure for meeting
this situation that has yet been suggested is the placement of such men on farms.
Several months ago Secretary Lane recommended to Congress that returning soldiers
and sailors should be given the opportunity to work at good wages upon some part
of the millions upon millions of acres of arid, swamp, and cut-over timber lands in
order to prepare them for cultivation. President Wilson in his annual address to
Congress indorsed the proposal. As fast as this preliminary task has been performed,
the men should be assisted by Government loans to establish themselves as farmers,
either as owners or as tenants having long-time leases. I t is essential that both the
work of preparation and the subsequent settlement of the land should be effected by
groups or colonies, not by men living independently of one another and in depressing
isolation. A plan of this sort is already in operation in England. The importance
of the project as an item of any social reform program is obvious. I t would afford
employment to thousands upon thousands, would greatly increase the number of
farm owners and independent farmers, and would tend to lower the cost of living by
increasing the amount of agricultural products. If it is to assume any considerable
proportions it must be carried out by the Governments of the United States and of
the several States. Should it be undertaken by these authorities and operated on
a systematic and generous scale, it would easily become one of the most beneficial
reform measures that has ever been attempted.
UNITED STATES EMPLOYMENT SERVICE.
The reinstatement of the soldiers and sailors in urban industries will no doubt be
facilitated by the United States Employment Service. This agency has attained a
fair degree of development and efficiency during the war. Unfortunately there is
some danger that it will go out of existence or be greatly weakened at the end of the
period of demobilization. I t is the obvious duty of Congress to continue and strengthen
this important institution. The problem of unemployment is with us always. Its
solution requires the cooperation of many agencies, and the use of many methods,
but the primary and indispensable instrument is a national system of labor exchanges,
acting in harmony with State, municipal, and private employment bureaus.
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WOMEN WAR WORKERS.
One of the most important problems of readjustment is that created by the presence
in industry of immense numbers of women who have taken the places of men during
the war. Mere justice, to say nothing of chivalry, dictates that these women should
not be compelled to suffer any greater loss or inconvenience than is absolutely neces
sary, for their services to the Nation have been second only to the services of the men
whose places they were called upon to fill. One general principle is clear: No female
worker should remain in any occupation that is harmful to health or morals. Women
should disappear,as quickly as possible from such tasks as conducting and guarding
street cars, cleaning locomotives, and a great number of other activities for which
conditions of life and their physique render them unfit. Another general principle
is that the proportion of women in industry ought to be kept within the smallest
practical limits. If we have an efficient national employment service, if a goodly
number of the returned soldiers and sailors are placed on the land, and if wages and
the demand for goods are kept up to the level which is easily attainable, all female
workers who are displaced from tasks that they have been performing only since the
beginning of the war will be able to find suitable employments in other parts of the
industrial field or in those domestic occupations which sorely need their presence.
Those women who are engaged at the same tasks as men should receive equal pay for
equal amounts and qualities of work.
NATIONAL WAR LABOR BOARD.
One of the most beneficial governmental organizations of the war is the National
War Labor Board. Upon the basis of a few fundamental principles, unanimously
adopted by the representatives of labor, capital, and the public, it has prevented'
innumerable strikes and raised wages to decent levels in many different industries
throughout the country. Its main guiding principles have been a family living wage
for all male adult laborers, recognition of the right of labor to organize and to deal
with employers through its chosen representatives, and no coercion of nonunion
laborers by members of the union. The War Labor Board ought to be continued in
existence by Congress, and endowed with all the power for effective action that it can
possess under the Federal Constitution. The principles, methods, machinery, and
results of this institution constitute a definite and far-reaching gain for social justice.
No part of this advantage should be lost or given up in time of peace.
PRESENT WAGE RATES SHOULD BE SUSTAINED.
The general level of wages attained during the war should not be lowered. In a
few industries, especially some directly and peculiarly connected with the carrying
on of war, wages have reached a plane upon which they can not possibly continue for
this grade of occupations. But the number of workers in this situation is an extremely
small proportion of the entire wage-earning population. The overwhelming majority
should not be compelled or suffered to undergo any reduction in their rates of remuner
ation, for two reasons: First, because the average rate of pay has not increased faster
than the cost of living; second, because a considerable majority of the wage earners of
the United States, both men and women, were not receiving living wages when prices
began to rise in 1915. In that year, according to Lauck and Sydenstricker, whose work
is th e most comprehensive on the subject, four-fifths of the heads of families obtained
less than $800, while two-thirds of the female wage earners were paid less than $400.
Even if the prices of goods should fall to the level on which they were in 1915—some
thing that can not be hoped for w ithin five years—the average present rates of wages
would not exceed the equivalent of a decent livelihood in the case of the vast majority.
The exceptional instances to the contrary are practically all among the skilled workers.
Therefore, wages on the whole should not be reduced even when the cost of living
recedes from its present high level.
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Even if the great majority of workers were now in receipt of more than living wages,
there are no good reasons why rates of pay should be lowered. After all, a living wage
is not necessarily the full measure of justice. All the Catholic authorities on the
subject explicitly declare that this is only the m i n i m u m of justice. In a country as
rich as ours, there are very few cases in which it is possible to prove that the worker
would be getting more than that to which he has a right if he were paid something in
excess of this ethical minimum. Why, then, should we assume that this is the normal
share of almost the whole laboring population? Since our industrial resources and
instrumentalities are sufficient to provide more than a living wage for a very large
proportion of the workers, why should we acquiesce in a theory which denies them
this measure of the comforts of life? Such a policy is not only of very questionable
morality but is unsound economically. The large demand for goods which is created
and maintained by high rates of wages and high purchasing power by the masses is the
surest guaranty of a continuous and general operation of industrial establishments.
I t is the most effective instrument of prosperity for labor and capital alike. The only
persons who would benefit considerably through a general reduction of wages are the
less efficient among the capitalists and the more comfortable sections of the consumers.
The wage earners would lose more in remuneration than they would gain from what
ever fall in prices occurred as a direct result of the fall in wages. On grounds both of
justice and sound economics, we should give our hearty support to all legitimate
efforts made by labor to resist general wage reductions.
HOUSING FOE WORKING CLASSES.
Housing projects for war workers which have been completed, or almost completed
by the Government of the United States, have cost some $40,000,000, and are found in
11 cities. While the Federal Government can not continue this work in time of peace,
the example and precedent that it has set, and the experience and knowledge that it
has developed, should not be forthwith neglected and lost. The great cities in which
congestion and other forms of bad housing are disgracefully apparent ought to take up
and continue the work, at least to such an extent as will remove the worst features of a
social condition that is a menace at once to industrial efficiency, civic health, good
morals, and religion.
REDUCTION OF THE COST OF LIVING.
During the war the cost of living has risen at least 75 per cent above the level of 1913.
Some check has been placed upon the upward trend by Government fixing of prices in
the case of bread and coal and a few other commodities. Even if we believe it desir
able, we can not ask that the Government continue this action after the articles of
peace have been signed, for neither public opinion nor Congress is ready for such a
revolutionary policy. If the extortionate practices of monopoly were prevented by
adequate laws and adequate law enforcement, prices would automatically be kept at as
low a level as that to which they might be brought by direct Government determina
tion. Just what laws, in addition to those already on the statute books, are necessary
to abolish monopolistic extortion is a question of detail that need not be considered
here. In passing, it may be noted that Government competition with monopolies that
can not be effectively restrained by the ordinary antitrust laws deserves more serious
consideration than it has yet received.
More important and more effective than any Government regulation of prices would
be the establishment of cooperative stores. The enormous toll taken from industry by
the various classes of middlemen is now fully realized. The astonishing difference
between the price received by the producer and that paid by the consumer has be
come a scandal to our industrial system. The obvious and direct means of reducing
this discrepancy and abolishing unnecessary middlemen is the operation of retail and
wholesale mercantile concerns under the ownership and management of the consumers.
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This is no Utopian scheme. I t has been successfully carried out in England and Scot
land through the Rochdale system. Very few serious efforts of this kind have been
made in this country because our people have not felt the need of these cooperative
enterprises as keenly as the European working classes and because we have been too
impatient and too individualistic to make the necessary sacrifices and to be content
with moderate benefits and gradual progress. Nevertheless, our superior energy,
initiative, and commercial capacity will enable us, once we set about the task ear
nestly, even to surpass what has been done in England and Scotland.
In addition to reducing the cost of living, the cooperative stores would train our
working people and consumers generally in habits of saving, in careful expenditure,
in business methods, and in the capacity for cooperation. When the working classes
have learned to make the sacrifices and to exercise the patience required by the
ownership and operation of cooperative stores, they will be equipped to undertake
a great variety of tasks and projects which benefit the community immediately and
all its constituent members ultimately. They will then realize the folly of excessive
selfishness and senseless individualism. U ntil they have acquired this knowledge,
training, and capacity desirable extensions of governmental action in industry will
not be attended by a normal amount of success. No machinery of government can
operate automatically, and no official and bureaucratic administration of such ma
chinery can ever be a substitute for intelligent interest and cooperation by the indi
viduals of the community. .
THE LEGAL MINIMUM WAGE.
Turning now from those agencies and laws that have been put in operation during
the war to the general subject of labor legislation and problems, we are glad to note
that there is no longer any serious objection urged by impartial persons against the
legal minimum wage. The several States should enact laws providing for the estab
lishment of wage rates that will be at least sufficient for the decent maintenance of
a family, in the case of all male adults, and adequate to the decent individual support
of female workers. In the beginning the minimum wages for male workers should
suffice only for the present needs of the family, but they should be gradually raised
until they are adequate to future needs as well. That is, they should be ultimately
high enough to make possible that amount of saving which is necessary to protect
the worker and his family against sickness, accidents, invalidity, and old age.
SOCIAL INSURANCE.
U ntil this level of legal minimum wages is reached the worker stands in need of
the device of insurance. The State should make comprehensive provision for insur
ance against illness, invalidity, unemployment, and old age. So far as possible the
insurance fund should be raised by a levy on industry, as is now done in the case of
accident compensation. The industry in which a man is employed should provide
him with all that is necessary to meet all the needs of his entire life. Therefore, any
contribution to the insurance fund from the general revenues of the State should be
only slight and temporary. For the same reason no contribution should be exacted
from any worker who is not getting a higher wage than is required to meet the present
needs of himself and family. Those who are below that level can make such a con
tribution only at the expense of their present welfare. Finally, the administration
of the insurance laws should be such as to interfere as little as possible with the indi
vidual freedom of the worker and his family.^ Any insurance scheme or any adminis
trative method that tends to separate the workers into a distinct and dependent
class, that offends against their domestic privacy and independence, or that threatens
individual self-reliance and self-respect should not be tolerated. The ideal to be
kept in mind is a condition in which all the workers would themselves have the
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income and the responsibility of providing for all the needs and contingencies of
life, both present and future. Hence all forms of State insurance should be regarded
as merely a lesser evil, and should be so organized and administered as to hasten
the coming of the normal condition.
The life insurance offered to soldiers and sailors during the war should be con
tinued, so far as the enlisted men are concerned. I t is very doubtful whether the
time has yet arrived when public opinion would sanction the extension of general
life insurance by the Government to all classes of the community.
The establishment and maintenance of municipal health inspection in all schools,
public and private, is now pretty generally recognized as of great importance and
benefit. Municipal clinics, where the poorer classes could obtain the advantage of
medical treatment by specialists at a reasonable cost, would likewise seem to have
become a necessity. A vast amount of unnecessary sickness and suffering exists
among the poor and the lower middle classes because they can not afford the advan
tages of any other treatment except that provided by the general practitioner. The
service of these clinics should be given gratis only to those who can not afford to pay.
LABOR PARTICIPATION IN INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT.
The right of labor to organize and to deal with employers through representatives
has been asserted above in connection with the discussion of the War Labor Board.
I t is to be hoped that this right will never again be called in question by any consider
able number of employers. In addition to this, labor ought gradually to receive greater
representation in what the English group of Quaker employers have called the “ indus
tria l” part of business management—“ the control of processes and machinery; nature
of product; engagement and dismissal of employees; hours of work, rates of pay,
bonuses, etc.; welfare work; shop discipline; relations with trade-unions.” The
establishment of shop committees, working wherever possible with the trade-union,
is the method suggested by this group of employers for giving the employees the proper
share of industrial management. There can be no doubt that a frank adoption of these
means and ends by employers would not only promote the welfare of the workers,
b ut vastly improve the relations between them and their employers and increase the
efficiency and productiveness of each establishment.
There is no need here to emphasize the importance of safety and sanitation in work
places, as this is pretty generally recognized by legislation. What is required is an
extension and strengthening of many of the existing statutes and a better administra
tion and enforcement of such laws everywhere.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING.
The need of industrial or, as it has come to be more generally called, vocational
training is now universally acknowledged. In the interest of the Nation, as well as
in that of the workers themselves, this training should be made substantially universal.
While we can not now discuss the subject in any detail, we do wish to set down two
general observations. First, the vocational training should be offered in such forma
and conditions as not to deprive the children of the working classes of at least the
elements of a cultural education. A healthy democracy can not tolerate a purely
industrial or trade education for any class of its citizens. We do not want to have the
children of the wage earners put into a special class in which they are marked as out
side the sphere of opportunities for culture. The second observation is that the system
of vocational training should not operate so as to weaken in any degree our parochial
schools or any other class of private schools. Indeed, the opportunities of the system
should be extended to all qualified private schools on exactly the same basis as to
public schools. We want neither class divisions in education nor a State monoply of
education.
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CHILD LABOR.
The question of education naturally suggests the subject of child labor. Public
opinion in the majority of the States of our country has set its face inflexibly against
the continuous employment of children in industry before the age of 16 years. Within
a reasonably short time all of our States, except some stagnant ones, will have laws
providing for this reasonable standard. The education of public opinion must con
tinue, but inasmuch as the process is slow, the abolition of child labor in certain
sections seems unlikely to be brought about by the legislatures of those States, and
since the Keating-Owen Act has been declared unconstitutional, there seems to be
no device by which this reproach to our country can be removed except th at of taxing
child labor out of existence. This method is embodied in an amendment to the
Federal revenue bill, which would impose a tax of 10 per cent on all goods made by
children.
Probably the foregoing proposals comprise everything that is likely to have prac
tical value in a program of immediate social reconstruction for America. Substan
tially all of these methods, laws, and recommendations have been recognized in
principle by the United States during the war or have been indorsed by important
social and industrial groups and organizations. Therefore, they are objects that we
can set before the people with good hope of obtaining a sympathetic and practical
response. Were they all realized a great step would have been taken in the direc
tion of social justice. When they are all put into operation the way will be easy
and obvious to still greater and more beneficial result.
ULTIMATE AND FUNDAMENTAL REFORMS.
Despite the practical and immediate character of the present statement, we can
not entirely neglect the question of ultimate aims and a systematic program, for other
groups are busy issuing such systematic pronouncements and we all need something
of the kind as a philosophical foundation and as a satisfaction to our natural desire
for comprehensive statements.
I t seems clear that the present industrial system is destined to last for a long time
in its main outlines. That is to say, private ownership of capital is not likely to be
supplanted by a collectivist organization of industry at a date sufficiently near to
justify any present action based on the hypothesis of its arrival. This forecast we
recognize as not only extremely probable, but as highly desirable; for, other objec
tions apart, Socialism would mean bureaucracy, political tyranny, the helplessness
of the individual as a factor in the ordering of his own life, and, in general, social
inefficiency and decadence.
MAIN DEFECTS OF PRESENT SYSTEM.
Nevertheless, the present system stands in grievous need of considerable modifica
tions and improvement. Its main defects are three! Enormous inefficiency and waste
in the production and distribution of commodities, insufficient incomes for the great
majority of wage earners, and unnecessarily large incomes for a small minority of
privileged capitalists. The evils in production and in the distribution of goods
would be in great measure abolished by the reforms that have been outlined in the
foregoing pages. Production will be greatly increased by universal living wages,
by adequate industrial education, and by harmonious relations between labor
and capital on the basis of adequate participation by the former in all the industrial
aspects of business management. The wastes of commodity distribution could be
practically all eliminated by cooperative mercantile establishments and coopera
tive selling and marketing associations.
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COOPERATION’ AND COPARTNERSHIP.
Nevertheless, the full possibilities of increased production will not he realized so
long as the majority of the workers remain mere wage earners. The majority must
somehow become owners, or at least in part, of the instruments of production. They
can be enabled to reach this stage gradually through cooperative productive societies
and copartnership arrangements. In the former the workers own and manage the
industries themselves; in the latter they own a substantial part of the corporate
stock and exercise a reasonable share in the management. However slow the attain
ment of these ends, they will have to be reached before we can have a thoroughly
efficient system of production or an industrial and social order that will be secure
from the danger of revolution. I t is to be noted that this particular modification of
the existing order, though far-reaching and involving to a great extent the abolition
of the wage system, would not mean the abolition of private ownership. The instru
ments of production would still be owned by individuals, not by the State.
INCREASED INCOMES FOR LABOR.
The second great evil, that of insufficient income for the majority, can be removed
only by providing the workers with more income. This means not only universal
living wages, but the opportunity of obtaining something more than that amount for
all who are willing to work hard and faithfully. All the other measures for labor
betterment recommended in the preceding pages would likewise contribute directly
or indirectly to a more just distribution of wealth in the interest of the laborer.
ABOLITION AND CONTROL OP MONOPOLIES.
For the third evil mentioned above—excessive gains by a small minority of privi
leged capitalists—the main remedies are prevention of monopolistic control of com
modities, adequate Government regulation of such public-service monopolies as will
remain under private operation, and heavy taxation of incomes, excess profits, and
inheritances. The precise methods by which genuine competition may be restored
and maintained among businesses that are naturally competitive can not be discussed
here, but the principle is clear that human beings can not be trusted with the immense
opportunities for oppression and extortion that go with the possession of monopoly
power. That the owners of public-service monopolies should be restricted by law
to a fair or average return on their actual investment has long been a recognized
principle of the courts, the legislatures, and public opinion. I t is a principle which
should be applied to competitive enterprises likewise, with the qualification that
something more than the average rate of return should be allowed to men who exhibit
exceptional efficiency. However, good public policy, as well as equity, demands
that these exceptional business men share the fruits of their efficiency with the con
sumer in the form of lower prices. The man who utilizes his ability to produce
cheaper than his competitors for the purpose of exacting from the public as high a
price for his product as is necessary for the least efficient business man is a menace
rather than a benefit to industry and society.
Our immense war debt constitutes a particular reason why incomes and excess
profits should continue to be heavily taxed. In this way two important ends will be
obtained—the poor will be relieved of injurious tax burdens and the small class of
specially privileged capitalists will be compelled to return a part of their unearned
gains to society.
A NEW SPIRIT A VITAL NEED.
“ Society,’ ’ said Pope Leo X III, “ can be healed in no other way than by a return
to Christian life and Christian institutions. ” The truth of these words is more widely
perceived to-day than when they were written, more than 27 years ago. Changes in
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our economic and political systems will have only partial and feeble efficiency if they
be not reinforced by the Christian view of work and wealth. Neither the moderate
reforms advocated in this paper nor any other program of betterment or reconstruction
will prove reasonably effective without a reform in the spirit of both labor and capital.
The laborer must come to realize that he owes his employer and society an honest
day’s work in return for a fair wage, and that conditions can not be substantially
improved until he roots out the desire to get a maximum of return for a minimum of
service. The capitalist must likewise get a new viewpoint. He needs to learn the
long-forgotten truth that wealth is stewardship, that profit making is not the basic
justification of business enterprise, and that there are such things as fair profits, fair
interest, and fair prices. Above and before all, he must cultivate and strengthen
within his mind the truth which many of his class have begun to grasp for the first
time during the present war, namely, that the laborer is a human being, not merely
an instrument of production, and that the laborer’s right to a decent livelihood is the
first moral charge upon industry. The employer has a right to get a reasonable living
out of his business, but he has no right to interest on his investment until his employees
have obtained at least living wages. This is the human and Christian, in contrast
to the purely commercial and pagan, ethics of industry.
SOLDIER SETTLEMENT PLANS IN CANADA.
In the Canadian repatriation program, as in those of other coun
tries, the employment of returning soldiers occupies a conspicuous
place. Agriculture is Canada’s basic industry. She has still millions
of acres of uncultivated, unoccupied land both in the newer western
Provinces and in the older parts of the Dominion. For this reason
a scheme of land settlement which would result in utilizing this
land while providing an occupation and a home for a substantial
proportion of the returning soldiers would be of double value to the
country. It would satisfy the need for increased production that
Canada has in common with other countries which were engaged in
the war, and it would discharge her national debt to her Great War
veterans, thereby adding to those engaged in her primary industry
a large body of contented and prosperous citizens.
Recognizing these facts the Government has taken steps to facili
tate, if possible, the adoption of agriculture as a permanent vocation
by returning soldiers. The responsibility for this phase of Canada’s
reconstruction work rests upon the Department of Interior and
involves: (1) Passing upon the qualifications of applicants; (2)
providing the land; (3) assistance in financing; (4) agricultural
training, where necessary, of returned men; (5) subsequent super
vision.
In 1917 Parliament passed what is known as the Soldier Settlement
Act,1 designated as “ An act to assist returned soldiers in settling
upon the land and to increase agricultural production.” This act
became operative through the appointment of a Soldier Settlement
1 Cauada. The Soldier Settlement Board. Handbook.
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Board in February, 1918, and lias as its principal feature provision
for a long-term loan, at a low rate of interest, with the first two
payments deferrable under certain circumstances, which enables
the soldier-settler to acquire land and obtain the necessary stock
and equipment.
QUALIFICATION REGULATIONS.
Under the provisions of the law persons entitled to benefit as
“ settlers” are those who have served in the naval and military
expeditionary forces during the present war, and who have either
left the service with an honorable record or have been honorably
discharged. And the scheme applies not only to men of the Canadian
forces but to men of the forces of the United Kingdom or of any of
the self-governing British Dominions or colonies, and to British
subjects resident in Canada before the war who fought with any of
the allied forces. The widows of any such men as are mentioned
above are also eligible for the benefits of the act. A liberal feature
of the law should be noted in passing. It does not attempt to limit
the application of its provisions to Canadians in the forces. An
American, therefore, who has served with the Canadian expeditionary
forces may secure a homestead and a loan with which to stock and
improve it.
The act does provide for the appointment in the different Provinces
of qualification committees which shall act in an advisory capacity
to the board. It shall be the duty of these committees to determine
the qualifications of each applicant as to (a) military service; (b)
physical and personal fitness to farm; (c) capital or assets; (d )
farming experience. Each applicant must secure from the qualifica
tion committee a certificate of his fitness for agricultural work before
making application to the board for a loan.
PUR PO SES OF THE LOAN.
Loans may be made by the Soldier Settlement Board to those
entitled to them for any of the following objects: (a) The acquiring
of land for agricultural purposes; (6) the payment of incumbrances
on land used for agricultural purposes; (c) the improvement of
agricultural land; (d ) the erection of farm buildings; (e ) the pur
chase of live stock, machinery, and equipment; and (/) such other
purpose or purposes as the board may approve. All advances to
the settlers are made under the supervision of the board in the form
of payments for material equipment, improvements, or for other
purposes.
AMOUNT OF LOAN.
Owing to the diversified agricultural conditions and to the varying
values placed upon land in the various Provinces where land was avail
able for settlement, the provisions of the original Land Settlement Act
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were applied primarily to Dominion-owned land within a reasonable
distance of railway transportation. But the supply of such land,
which was limited to four Provinces, was early found entirely
inadequate to the demand, and the Government was forced to con
sider the advisability of securing privately owned land. At a meeting
of the premiers of all the Provinces it was decided that opportunity
should be afforded the returning soldiers to settle on purchased land
in any Province where it was available and met the requirements of
the Soldier Settlement Board; and later a bill was prepared by the
Minister of Interior authorizing the board to secure land in this way.
Before the bill could be presented to Parliament, however, the
sudden signing of the armistice and the consequent cessation of
hostilities and demobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces,
many members of which had indicated a desire to take up farming as
their permanent work, necessitated the taking of some steps to enable
the board to procure sufficient land to meet the emergency. Accord
ingly an order in council was passed February 11, 1919, under the
War Measures Act, embodying the essential features of the bill and
investing the Soldier Settlement Board with authority to act in
advance of the proposed parliamentary action.
The provisions of the law as given in this order are briefly as
follows:1
The Soldier Settlement Board is empowered to purchase land
suitable for immediate settlement, live stock, equipment, and
building materials, for sale to the settlers. If the settler has the
necessary farming qualifications and has been approved by the
qualification committee for the Province in which he desires to settle,
he may select agricultural land anywhere in that Province. In order
that the land may be purchased through the board it must be reason
able in price and, of such fertility that the settler will be able to earn
a living from it and to pay for it.® The terms of payment are subject
to the following conditions:
(c) The terms of payment shall be all cash down, or, at the option of the settler,
not less than 10 per cent cash down and the balance to be payable in 25 or less equal
consecutive annual installments, with interest at 5 per cent per annum, on the amor
tization plan, with full privilege of prepayment: P r o v i d e d , That the board may, in the
case of a settler who has had adequate and successful farming experience in Canada,
and who is otherwise, in the opinion of the board, possessed of qualifications or equip
ment specially fitting him for success as a farmer, dispense the settler from the making
of the whole or of any portion of the cash-down payment, in which case the full, or the
remaining portion of the sale price shall be paid, in manner hereinbefore provided
with respect to a balance of price by installments.
(d) 'No sale shall be made of a larger area than 320 acres, nor, except in the case of
a settler who is within the terms of the proviso in the n ex t preceding paragraph of
1 Order In Council. Canadian Official Record, Feb. 18,1919, vol. 1, pp. 9,10.
2 A subsequent regulation provides that the land must be within 12 or 15 miles of adequate trans
portation facilities.
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this section, shall the balance of purchase price left unpaid to the board at the t imo
of sale exceed $4,500, nor in the excepted case shall the balance or amount left unpaid
exceed $5,000.
To stock and equip these farms the board is furthermore author
ized to acquire and resell at cost live stock and equipment. Payment
to the board may be made in cash or, on the amortization plan, in
“ four equal consecutive annual installments,” as the settler may
elect, commencing at a date to be fixed by the board. The first of
these installments must be paid not sooner than two years and not
later than three years from the date of sale. The loan does not bear
interest for the first two years, but thereafter the settler must pay
the board 5 per cent per annum on the balance due. The balance of
sale price left unpaid to the board at the time of sale shall not exceed
$2,000. A provision in the order also permits the board to advance
up to $1,000 for permanent improvements repayable on the same
terms as the amount due on the land.
If the payments are not made promptly in the manner set forth by
the agreements of sale the board may rescind such agreements
and resell the property, real, personal, or other, to another settler.
Any surplus from this sale above the amount due the board shall be
paid to the settler; any deficiency arising therefrom must be met by
him.
OPERATION OF T H E ACT.
The loan privileges of the act came into operation on April 5, 1918.
A census was taken of the men in the forces who were desirous of
taking up agriculture as a permanent vocation on their return to
civil life. While for several reasons the exact number of those who
signified their intention to do so could not be considered absolutely
reliable, the approximate number was sufficiently large to indicate
the necessity of immediate preparation.
For the purpose of hastening the work, offices were first opened at
Winnipeg, Regina, and Edmonton and placed in the charge of super
visors under the Soldier Settlement Board. In order that the admin
istration of the assistance given the soldier settlers should be fair
and discriminative, honorary loan advisory boards, composed of ex
perienced men, were established. Similar offices were later opened
in Montreal, Toronto, and Victoria and “ arrangements [were] made
with the Minister of Agriculture, Prince Edward Island, the secretary
of the Farm Loan Board for the Province of New Brunswick, and the
secretary of the Nova Scotia Returned Soldiers’ Commission for the
administration of the act in these Provinces.” * * * “ Up to De
cember 15, 1918, 1,065 loans to returned soldiers, who have com
plied with the requirements of the act, have been approved, totaling
$1,385,786.” 1 Since that date the number of applications approved
by the board has passed 5,000.
» Canada.
The Soldier Settlement Board.
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AGRICULTURAL TRAINING FOR EX -SO LD IER S.
T h e S old ier S e ttle m e n t B o a rd d oes n o t co n te m p la te failu re on th e
p a rt o f so ld ier-settlers th r o u g h la c k o f k n o w led g e o f farm in g. T o
in su re th a t e v e r y a p p lica n t sh a ll h a v e an o p p o r tu n ity to su cc ee d it
h as a d o p ted a sy ste m o f tra in in g w h ich w ill a p p ly b o th to th o se w ho
h a v e h a d n o ex p erien ce an d to th o se w h o h a v e h a d lit t le or in suffi
cien t exp erien ce alon g a g ricu ltu ral lin es.
T h e p rop osed in stru ctio n is d iv id ed in to tw o p a rts— p rep a ra to ry
in stru ctio n an d field in stru ctio n . P re p a r a to r y in stru ctio n , w h ich is
d esig n ed as a t e s t w h e re b y th e a p p lica n t m a y sa tis fy h im self th a t
farm w ork w ill b e co n g en ia l to h im an d th e b oard m a y rea ch a d eci
sio n regard in g th e a d a p ta b ility o f th e w o u ld -b e s e ttle r to farm w ork,
co m p rises th e p ra ctica l farm in g cou rse an d th e in s titu tio n cou rse.
T h e p ra ctica l farm in g cou rse, as m a y b e in ferred from its n a m e, is
ta k e n on an u p -to -d a te farm u n d er th e d irect m a n a g e m e n t o f a su c
ce ssfu l farm er w h o is in te r e ste d in e x te n d in g a g ricu ltu ra l in stru ctio n
to v ete ra n s. T h is w ork w ill b e u n d er th e gen era l su p erv isio n of th e
S o ld ier S e ttle m e n t B oard , w h ich w ill k eep su ch a record as w ill
d eterm in e w h e th er th e se ttle r sh o u ld b e assig n ed a farm o f h is ow n.
T h e in stitu tio n course, w h ich cov ers a p erio d o f 12 w eek s an d m a y
b e taker:* a t a n y p eriod d uring th e y ea r c o n v e n ie n t to tra in in g in sti
tu tio n s, m u st b e fo llo w ed b y “ a t le a st on e su m m er sea so n and
p referab ly on e y e a r ’s p ra ctica l ex p erien ce on a se le c te d fa rm .” I t
in clu d es in stru ctio n regard in g farm p ow er, farm m a n a g e m e n t, farm
m a ch in ery , and b u ild in g c o n stru ctio n an d th e u se o f to o ls n ecessa ry
to b u ild in g c o n stru ctio n an d th e repair o f farm m a ch in e ry . A s in
th e case of th e cou rse in p ra ctica l farm in g, a record o f th e a p p lic a n t’s
w ork w ill b e k ep t an d u sed b y th e b oard in d eter m in in g h is q u alifica
tio n s for se ttle m e n t p rivileges.
F ie ld in stru ctio n p resu m es a degree of efficien cy in fa rm in g and
w ill b e g iv e n to se ttle r s after se ttle m e n t b y sp e c ia lly tra in ed in
stru cto rs. In p u rsu in g th is m e th o d o f in stru ctio n th e se ttle r w ill,
as th e h a n d b o o k p o in ts o u t, h a v e th e b en efit o f e x p er t co u n sel and
d irectio n an d w ill at th e sam e tim e b e g iv e n an o p p o r tu n ity for th e
ex ercise of in d iv id u a lity an d p erson al in itia tiv e . D u r in g th e w in ter,
m en ta k in g th is in stru ctio n are u rged to a v a il th e m se lv e s of on e o f
th e sh ort agricu ltu ral cou rses g iv e n b y a g ricu ltu ra l co lleg es or b y th e
D e p a r tm e n t of A gricu ltu re.
.
SPECIAL TR ANSPORTATION R ATES.
A sp ec ia l tra n sp o r ta tio n ra te o f 1 c e n t p er m ile h a s b een agreed
u p o n b etw e en th e railw a y com p a n ies an d th e G o v ern m en t for sold iers
w ish in g to s e ttle on th e lan d . “ T h is ra te w ill a p p ly to th e so ld iers’
first trip to w ork w ith a farm er, to a tte n d an a g ricu ltu ra l sch o o l, or
to lo o k for lan d ; it w ill also a p p ly in case th e sold ier w ish es to return
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to his home destination for the purpose of transporting his goods or
family to his farm, the same rate being also allowed to the adult
members of his family who journey with him to the farm.” By an
order in council1 passed April 22, 1919, provision has been made to
grant generous allowances to men during their agricultural training,
the amount depending upon the number of a man’s dependents. In
addition to these allowances “ settlers receiving instruction at agri
cultural training centers may be provided with board and tuition,
and settlers receiving practical training while employed on a farm
shall be permitted to retain such remuneration as they may receive
from the farmer.”
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TH E CANADIAN FLA N S.
While any part of the sale price of land, stock, or equipment remains
unpaid the board is protected against loss through legal action brought
against the settler, through priority of claim on the part of heirs, or
through any effort on the part of the settler to dispose of his claim.
Care is exercised that the settler shall not be victimized by unscrupu
lous land owners and that the assistance intended for him shall not
be diverted to anyone else. There is, however, no express provision
of the law which makes continuous tenancy for any part of the year
a condition of ownership. It appears to be purely a sale proposition
in which speculation is possible.
If, in addition to furnishing a home and employment for returning
soldiers, the Soldier Settlement Act aims to “ increase agricultural
production,” it must be accomplished by developing agriculture as a
permanent industry; and some condition which insures a continued
occupation of the land, and therefore a growing interest in its devel
opment would undoubtedly be of value in promoting that end. The
careful provision by the Government for testing the qualifications of
every applicant and the thorough supervision to be exercised over
his work on the land may presuppose an intention on his part of
making agriculture a permanent vocation. In this case the objec
tion just cited would doubtless be overcome.
Community settlements, which are finding favor in other land set
tlement schemes because they furnish the advantages derived from
cooperative buying and selling and the inspiration of distinct com
munity life and feeling, are lacking in the Canadian plan. Late
official information 2 shows that arrangements are now being made
whereby soldiers may be settled on the land in groups under the
same conditions as apply to individual settlers. This will encourage
community settlement and afford the men opportunity cooperatively
to establish churches, schools, stores, and recreation grounds as
they require them.
»Canadian Official Record, Apr. 17, 1919, p. 1.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
It is evident from the law as now enacted that the Dominion is
committed to the investment of a very substantial amount in land
settlement. In the case of men whose previous farming experience
entitles them to exemption as regards the initial payment, the expend
iture may reach $8,000 in each case. In the majority of cases it will
probably reach $7,500. The plan is among the first to be sufficiently
well organized to begin this necessary and commendable work.
PLATFORM OF THE SOCIAL LABOR PARTY IN SPAIN.1
The Social Labor Party (P a r t i d o S o c i a l i s t a O b r e r o ), at a convention
of the Socialist Party ( P a r t i d o S o c i a l i s t a ) held in Madrid November
23, 1918, adopted the following principles as being ' ‘palliative and
influential in securing the basic principle (of socialism) : The posses
sion of political power and the conservation of land in collective and
common ownership.”
E c o n o m i c .—Legal day of eight hours’ labor for adults, prohibition
of labor by persons under 16 years of age, and reduction to a sixhour day for those between 16 and 18 years of age. One and a half
days of rest per week and a minimum annual vacation of two weeks.
Minimum wages fixed by law and equal pay for equal work. Pro
hibition of the employment of women in work which may be either
physically or morally harmful. Labor inspection service, in which
delegates elected by the labor unions and paid by the Government
shall be required. Compulsory insurance against accidents, sickness,
old age, and involuntary employment. Laws relative to industrial
safety and hygiene and child welfare. Regulation of prison work
and abolition of home work. Reform in laws relating to tenants’
rights and ejectment. Moderate-priced houses for workmen.
F i n a n c i a l .—-Abolition of all indirect taxes.
Progressive tax on all
incomes in excess of 3,000 pesetas ($579). Assessments against lands
and estates on the basis of possible and not on actual production.
Abolition of the public debt. Free trade. Nationalization of mines,
mineral water, arsenals, and transportation service.
M u n i c i p a l . —Minimum wage and eight-hour day for municipal em
ployees. Abolition of indirect taxes. Tax on- increased value of
land by reason of the land becoming urban. Municipal autonomy.
Free public laundries and baths. Lunch rooms for schools. Provi
sion of clothing for children attending municipal schools. Establish
ment of playgrounds. Free medical attention and medicines. Free
board and lodging for transient laborers. Plomes for aged and inva
lids. Homes for the care of the infants of working women during
work hours. Labor exchanges.
i.Boletin del Instituto de R efo rm as Sociales, December, 1918, p. 642.
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A g r a r i a n p r o g r a m .—Abolition of land rents and taxes of all kinds.
Requisition by the State of all workable lands which for three
years next preceding January 1, 1919, have not been utilized. Guar
anties: All contracts of mortgage, rent, or sale of lands made by the
occupants of distributed lands shall be null, and all such lands shall
be free from seizure or any civil or judicial process except that requir
ing payment of a territorial tax. The establishment by the State of
agricultural credit funds to displace the existing system of loans on
grain stored in State elevators. The establishment by the State of
institutions for furnishing seeds, tools, etc., to farmers not financially
able to purchase them, and also to agricultural laborers’ associations
or cooperative societies.
A m o n g v a riou s other propositions approved was one limiting the
a rm y to 40,000 men.
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PROVISION FOR THE DISABLED, AND VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION.
A SURVEY OF INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION IN NEW YORK CITY.
The report of the New York City Industrial Survey1 recently
issued presents in a comprehensive manner the facilities for industrial
education in certain trades of that city and suggests changes in the
way of improvement.
Late in 1915 the board of estimate and control was requested by
the board of education to appropriate $15,000 for securing information
regarding industrial education in New York City, the work to be
undertaken in cooperation with the United States Department of
Labor, and to be of such a nature as to indicate the direction which
a further extension of industrial education should take. The demand
for this survey was first voiced in a ‘ ‘Declaration of principles and
policies of organized labor of the city of New York” at a conference
held April 20, 1915, and subsequently ratified by the following
organizations: New York Central Federated Union, Brooklyn Central
Labor Union, Bronx Labor Council, United Hebrew Trades, Allied
Printing Trades, United Board of Business Agents of the Building
Trades of Manhattan and Vicinity, Metal Trades of Greater New
York, Men’s and Boys’ Clothing Trades, Women’s Trade-Union
League, Women’s Garment Trades.
This expression of what organized labor in New York City wants
from industrial education “insists that such training shall be based
upon and continually modified with reference to the industrial charac
ter of the community. * * * The school authorities must pro vide
that sort of industrial training which employers and wage earners
jointly demand.” As a result of this demand the amount specified
was duly authorized, and on June 15, 1916, Mayor John P. Mitchel
appointed the following Industrial Education Survey Committee.
C. R. Richards, director of Cooper Union, chairman.
John Martin, member of board of education.
Thomas J. Carroll, member of board of education (died Oct. 27, 1916).
William J. Ettinger, associate superintendent of schools.
Miss Florence M. Marshall, principal, Manhattan Trade School for Girls.
Mrs. Mathilde C. Ford, secretary, committee on education, board of estimate and
apportionment.
Charles Delaney, board of aldermen.
1New York (City) Industrial Education Survey Committee. Report: P a rt I, The printing trade;
P art II, Inside electrical work; P art III, Carpentry and joinery; P art IV, The machinist trade; P art V,
Industrial classes in the public schools. New York City, Manhattan Linotype Co., 1918.
60
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Royal Meeker, United States Commissioner of Labor Statistics.
George A. Stevens, New York department of labor.
Arthur D. Dean, director, division of agricultural and industrial education, New
York State education department.
C. G. Norman, president, Manhattan Fireproof Door Co.
Frederick Alfred, president, M. B. Brown Printing & Binding Co.
Emil J. Deering, business agent, International Association of Machinists.
John J. Munholland, Pattern Makers’ League of North America.
Mrs. Sidney C. Borg, chairman, committee on investigation of commercial schools.
The committee organized for work in the summer of 1916, appoint
ing Mr. Lewis A. Wilson, specialist in industrial schools of the New
York State Department of Education, as director. Owing to the
limited tune and money at its disposal, the committee decided to
confine its investigations to the four trades of printing, machine
work, inside electrical work, and carpentry and joinery, and its
school studies to the four day vocational schools maintained by the
city and the evening, part-time, and cooperative-industrial classes
then in operation. The actual work of investigation was begun in
the fall of 1916. All the field workers were men of practical knowl
edge and long experience in the trades surveyed, and their reports
are careful detailed accounts covering organization of the trade,
divisions of work, apprenticeship conditions, means of outside train
ing, and other informational subjects pertinent to a survey of this
character. While it would be neither possible nor practicable in a
review of this kind to discuss these reports in detail, some of the
outstanding facts as to the present status of the industries described
and the recommendations of the committees regarding the education
and training necessary for their future success indicate the varying
conditions of the trades and the modern trend of opinion as to the
extent to which the educational system should minister to their
needs.
TH E PR IN TIN G IN D U ST R Y .
The latest official reports on the printing and publishing trade in
New York City present surprising statistics. In 1914 the indus
try comprised 2,650 establishments, employing 68,540 persons, and
producing one-fourth of the printing done in the United States.
About $76,955,000 1 was expended in wages and'salaries, the invested
capital amounted to $155,587,228, while the value of the product
was $215,570,954, a sum estimated to be “ one-twelfth of the [value
of the] output of the printing and publishing establishments of the
world.” In this particular New York now outranks London, which
has been the printing center of the world.
In their summary of the trade study the investigators report that
the printing and publishing trade in New York City is a centralized,
1This includes bookbinding and blank-book making, engraving steel and copper plate, plate printing,
lithographing, book, job, music, newspaper and periodical printing and publishing.
1 1 8 2 6 5 °— 19------ 5
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growing, progressive industry, in which, as a result of a successful
system of arbitration between employers and employed, industrial
peace has generally existed. Wages are good, employment is steady,
and advancement is possible to the wide-awake painstaking workman.
An organized system of apprenticeship exists at least in some divis
ions of the industry, but “ the findings indicate that this apprentice
ship system is not sufficient to furnish the related technical knowledge
demanded for a full mastery of the trade with its constantly advancing
standards. They also indicate that only in a small range of estab
lishments is it possible for the apprentice to secure the broad, practical
experience necessary for the all-round skilled worker. ” The survey,
moreover, reveals the fact that instruction in the nature of preem
ployment courses for boys under 16 years of age and instruction
bearing upon the various phases of the work for the older employees
would advance the interests both of the individual worker and of
the trade as a whole.
INSID E ELECTRICAL WORK.
In emphasizing the rapidly increasing demand for inside electrical
work in New York City, the trade investigating committee reports
that in 1916 “ buildings were equipped with inside wiring to supply
electricity for 1,492,146 incandescent lights, 684 arc lamps, 98,513
horsepower in electric motors, and to convey 7,639 kw. from dyna
mos installed.in isolated plants.” The value of the electrical con
tracts for the same period was $6,000,000, and 6,815 electrical
workers were employed, of whom 3,180 were journeymen, 2,940
helpers, and 695 apprentices. Applications for the approval of elec
tric light and power equipment were received to the number of
90,451, an increase of 17,092 over the number of applications sub
mitted the previous year.
The study made of this industry indicates a comparatively new,
moderate-sized trade, but one increasing in importance and pro
gressiveness, and representing good wages and fairly steady employ
ment. A joint trade board of employers and workmen exists for
the settlement of disputes. The electrical trade has a good appren
tice and helper system, but since effectiveness depends more upon
a “ knowledge of certain scientific facts and technical methods of
procedure” than upon skill, the apprentice or the helper can not in
the ordinary workshop obtain the knowledge necessary for a thorough,
comprehensive, and intelligent performance of the responsible duties
of his craft. As a result, the apprentice or helper must serve in
several shops to become master of his trade. The unions, however,
try to overcome this defect in instruction by supervision *pf work
arid examinations for advancement. The summary concludes that
in view of'the existing lack of facilities for securing the necessary
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scientific knowledge, preemployment courses for boys up to 16 years
of age and trade extension courses for those already employed in the
trade would be especially valuable.
C A R PE N TR Y AN D JOINERY.
While the trade of carpentry and joinery at present represents
about 55,000 workers in Greater New York, it has, during the last 20
years, declined from being one of the best of the building trades as
regards wages and regularity of employment to one of the poorest.
This is due to two causes, namely, the development of a code for fire
prevention which requires the erection of brick buildings, and the
increasing amount of work turned out of mills ready for erection or
assembling. The demand is for specialists in quantity of work
rather than in quality. The inquiries brought out the fact that the
skill and knowledge required can be picked up in the practice of the
trade. Apprenticeship has consequently almost ceased to exist,
and the investigators found little necessity for preemployment
classes, the only useful purpose of such instruction being to develop
foremen, supervisors, and high-grade workmen or to train workers
in the furniture trade.
THE MACHINIST TRADE.
The data on the machinist trade gathered by the survey show that
there are now in New York City approximately 1,000 machine shops
employing 12,000 general machinists, 1,300 tool, jig, and die makers,
16,425 helpers and specialists, and 1,275 apprentices, or 31,000 in all.
But, notwithstanding this apparently large number of machinists, the
city must be regarded as a machine-repairing rather than as a machinemanufacturing center. The survey points out that the industry is
constantly improving in methods and machinery, and the tendency
is to substitute the specialist for the all-round machinist. The situa
tion indicates the need of supervisors and foremen, of well-equipped
workmen for repair work, and of highly skilled mechanics for jig,
gauge, and tool making. .
The trade is only partially organized, and trade agreements for the
trade as a whole are lacking. Only four establishments were found
having regular indentured apprentices. Eleven other large establish
ments, employing 4,477 machinists, were training only 164 appren
tices. It is apparent from the statistics quoted that the'number of
apprentices is relatively small, a condition probably due to the
tendency toward specialization.
It is, furthermore, pointed out in the summary that while the trade
offers many lines of advancement it can not be secured through the
routine work. A broader knowledge of mathematics, physics, draw
ing, applied mechanics, properties of metals, and mechanism is neces
sary to the men who would occupy the higher positions In the machine
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industry. An apprenticeship to provide a basis for advancement
must, in addition to training given in practical processes, be based
upon the subjects mentioned. In order, then, that practical experi
ence in mechanical operations and a thorough understanding of the
principles underlying these operations may be acquired, preemploy
ment classes and evening classes offering such training and instruc
tion would, as in the case of the printing and electrical trades, serve
a very present need.
IN D U ST R IA L CLASSES IN TH E PU BLIC SCHOOLS.
Part V of this report is devoted to a survey of the opportunities for
industrial education at present offered in the public schools of New
York City. The data were collected by a staff of men well known in
school work throughout the country, and include entrance require
ments, age and grade and number of pupils, buildings and equipment,
courses, licensing of teachers, relation between trade and academic
instruction, training and salaries of teachers, and administration of
industrial classes in both day and evening schools.
The fact is emphasized that the administrative organization of in
dustrial education has not been of a kind to meet the peculiar and
exacting needs of this type of instruction. The buildings in many
instances are not adapted to the work, the shops being small, poorly
lighted, and too inadequately equipped to offer well-rounded courses.
Insufficient correlation exists between the academic and trade sub
jects. The supervision of the evening trade classes, which represent
the largest field of industrial education in New York City, is left
almost entirely in the hands of the principals of the schools, and this
lack of centralized authority is shown in methods of teaching, entrance
requirements, and kinds of instruction offered. Classes in these
schools are not organized to meet the needs of the special groups
which attend them. Such cooperation as exists between employers
and trade-unions in the development of the evening classes has been
secured through individual principals.
Teachers in the part-time classes are not specialjy prepared to meet
the problems of this kind of instruction, and the salary and assign
ment of work render it difficult to secure properly trained men for
these classes. Employers, it is stated, favor part-time industrial
classes and are trying to improve them.
RECOMMENDATIONS SUBM ITTED B Y THE VARIOUS COMMITTEES.
Early in the survey employers’ organizations and trade-unions of
the trades being studied were invited to appoint committees to confer
and coordinate with the director regarding the methods of conducting
the trade investigations. This was done, and these representatives
not only cooperated with the survey in the collection of data, but
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later checked up the submitted trade studies, and finally presented
reports incorporating recommendations for changes in existing indus
trial education as related to their respective trades. In addition to
these committees and during the progress of the survey, advisory
committees, composed of prominent educators from various parts of
the country, were appointed to deal with special phases of the educa
tional problem.
T R A D E COMMITTEES.
With the exception of a few points of special importance to their
respective trades, the various employers’ and trade-union committees
reporting reached the same general conclusions. Each recommends
that industrial education and training for its trade be carried on in
one or possibly two schools, in which shall be centralized all the
equipment now used in the vocational and evening schools studied,
this central school to be further provided with the most modern and
complete shop equipment, in order that students may learn the best
current practices in each trade.
The two-year day vocational school courses should be continued.
Attendance in the day-school classes should, in the opinion of the
committees, be limited. The committees for the printing trade
would limit such attendance to 300 boys, in order to safeguard the
trade, which usually absorbs about 400 boys a year. The committees
for the electrical trade recommend two central schools, with attend
ance limited to 200 boys in each school, while the metal trades favor
classes limited to 300 boys.
Part-time continuation classes for apprentices are recommended by
every committee, except that for carpentry and joinery, which makes
no mention of this point, due, no doubt, to the findings of the survey
regarding the decline of this trade in recent years. The employers’
committee on the printing trades urges the members of its associa
tion to send their apprentices, during the first two years of their
training, to this school for four hours a week, with pay, with the
understanding that the boys attend two nights a week on their own
time. The trade-union committee of the same industry would con
fine the night work to the third, fourth, and fifth years of appren
ticeship. In the report of the electrical trade recommendation is made
that the unions require the first and second year apprentices to
attend evening and trade extension classes for two nights a week for
two years. And the committee for the metal trades recommends
that, so far as possible, part-time classes be established for first and
second year apprentices.
Evening classes for men and boys already engaged in the various
trades studied are strongly advocated and in some instances courses
of instruction are outlined. A nominal admission fee of $2 is sug
gested for entrance to these extension courses, but provision is made
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that such fee shall be returned upon completion of 75 per cent of the
course. Libraries and reading rooms for men taking these courses
would be provided.
A development in the administration of industrial education is
found in the recommendation for a special advisory committee in
each trade, to advise the board of education in matters regarding the
extension of industrial education. The committee would be composed
of nine members—four representing employers’ organizations, four
from labor organizations, and one other member. The members of
all the reporting trade and employers’ committees united in this rec
ommendation, with the exception of the committee appointed by the
Metal Trades Association, which proposed that the special advisory
committee for the metal trades be confined to members of its
association.
ADVISORY COMMITTEES.
The centralization of industrial instruction in each of the trades
studied was indorsed by the advisory committees. It was pointed
out that such centralization has numerous advantages. In the first
place, economies not possible in other types of schools would result.
Central schools, in which both employers and employees have a
part, would awaken interest and secure cooperation on their part.
More extensive and modern equipment would attract and keep
men and boys entering the trades by providing opportunity for
a thorough training in the fundamental principles of the trades.
Courses could be arranged suited to the age, needs, and capacity
of those desiring instruction. And the variety of equipment would
make it possible to change the courses to meet the varying needs
of the different trades. Expert teachers could be secured and
standards unified. An adequate scheme of part-time education
could in this manner be provided for boys and girls between the ages
of 14 and 18 years of age who .are obliged to le.ave school and go to
work, and this the committees emphasize as an imperative obligation
on the part of the community.
SU R V E Y COMMITTEE.
if'
Basing ¿its report upon the entire findings of the survey, the survey
committee recommended—
That the administration of industrial education in the public schools of the city
center in a "director of industrial education responsible to the city superintendent
of the schools and the board of superintendents. * * * That in order to insure
the, essential cooperation of the trades and industries in the administration of indus
trial education advisory committees, consisting of employers and employees, be
appointed by the board of education for each of the trades of printing, carpentry, ma
chine work, and electrical work, such committees to consist of seven persons each,
three of whom ehalhbe selected from trade employers’ associations, three from labor
organizations, and these six shall nominate one additional member, who shall be a
layman.
I161GJ
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That the schools may keep in touch with changing conditions of
the trade, it shall be the duty of the director to advise with these
committees in regard to the establishment of new industrial schools
and classes, the selection of equipment, the content and length of
the courses of study, the requirements for graduation and certifica
tion, and the number of pupils admitted to day vocational schools.
The employment and licensing of teachers for these schools shall
be placed in the hands of special committees appointed by the board
of examiners. Requirements as to age, training, and education are
to be raised and salaries increased to a point of attractiveness.
As regards central schools, the committee recommends, for each
trade studied, the establishment of a central school or, as in the
case of the building trades, not more than two schools which shall
provide trade extension courses for journeymen and advanced appren
tices, part-time classes for younger apprentices, as well as all-day
preemployment courses, and that such courses take the place of the
instruction- at present carried on in the day vocational schools and
evening trade schools.
Pupils admitted to the day schools must be at least 14 years old
and have completed at least the sixth grade of school. Only, such
numbers shall be admitted as will safeguard the interests of the trade.
1he courses in these schools must include not only shop training, but
instruction for citizenship and elements of general education. Even
ing trade schools are recommended for pupils employed during the
day in occupations to which instruction offered in such schools is
related. The pupils in both day and evening classes shall be limited
to a number to which thorough instruction can be given. Instruc
tion in voluntary part-time industrial classes shall oonsist in part of
subjects related to the industrial needs of the occupations in which
the workers are employed and in part of those contributing to the
social and civic development of the employees. It should be the policy
of the board of education to extend voluntary part-time education
wherever possible, but, in the absence of compulsory school attend
ance laws for young people between the ages of 16 and 18 years,
opportunities for such instruction must be created through the
employers’ and employees’ organizations in the various trades. In
the judgment of the committee, the only effective solution of this
problem is a State law requiring part-time vocational instruction
for boys between the ages of 16 and 18 who are legally employed, and
compelling employers to allow such minora to attend these classes on
company time.
The report furthermore recommends the centralization of coopera
tive classes, which shall divide their work equally between the shop
and the school, as they do at present. But the committee believes
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
that these classes should not be organized unless there is a definite
agreement between the school and employers regarding hours of
labor and wages, for without such agreements the needs of the State,
the boy, and the employer can not be adequately met.
The conviction is also expressed that provision should be made to
extend the survey to other trades and to further investigations in
the trades studied. And, finally, the recommendation is made that—
The director of industrial education in cooperation with the trade advisory com
mittees make every effort to develop trade agreements with employers’ associations
and labor organizations in regard to the following matters:
1. Credit on apprenticeship time for the graduates of preemployment schools.
2. Compulsory attendance of apprentices or young workers in part-time and evening
classes.
3. The development of dull-season classes.
TWELFTH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR VOCA
TIONAL EDUCATION.
The Twelfth Annual Convention of the National Society for
Vocational Education was held in St. Louis February 20-22, 1919.
I t is regarded as one of the most successful meetings ever held by
this organization, for it offered an opportunity to evaluate the voca
tional education experience developed by the war and, in the light
of this experience, to work out future policies and practice in the
promotion of vocational education.
More than a thousand delegates attended the meetings. Forty-five
States were represented, many of them by official delegations
appointed by the governors or by the State departments of education.
A meeting of the official representatives of the Federal Board for
Vocational Education from all parts of the United States, held in
St. Louis on February 19, brought to the convention a group of men
who are most actively engaged in the administration of the SmithHughes Act.
The program opened with a general meeting on the “ Lessons of
the war.” The topics discussed were “ Rehabilitation of wounded
soldiers,” “ Methods and results of industrial training for workers
in the war industries,” “ Lessons from the experience of training
shipyard workers,” “ Use of vocational and technical schools for
training Army mechanicians,” and “ The war work of the industrial
and trade schools under the Smith-Hughes Act.”
On the afternoon of the first day the program provided for sectional
meetings for agricultural, commercial, industrial, and home-making
education. The banquet in the evening, given under the auspices
of the St. Louis general committee, was attended by 500 guests.
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The second general session was given over to the discussion of “ The
States and the Smith-Hughes Act.” The topics discussed were
‘‘Policies and problems of the Federal Board in administering the
Smith-Hughes Act,” “ Policies of the Federal Board from the stand
point of the State superintendent,” “ Effect of the Smith-Hughes Act
in an industrial State,” and “ Effect of the Smith-Hughes Act in an
agricultural State.” On the afternoon of the second day the sectional
meetings were again in session, divided as on the former occasion.
The meeting on Saturday morning was divided between a general
discussion of the war-time participation of women in industry and a
symposium on the future of the National Society for Vocational
Education.
The business meeting was largely attended. Prof. David Sneddon,
Teachers’ College, New York City, was unanimously reelected to the
position of president of the society. The consensus seemed to be
that the opportunities for constructive work on the part of the society
are bigger and better than at any time in the history of the organi
zation.
Resolutions were adopted as follows:
* * * Recognizing the great value of the lessons taught by the war, as to the
possibilities of training American youth on a comprehensive scale for civic, military,
and vocational service, and believing that plans of national training for national
service will certainly be brought before the Congress of the United States and will be
given serious consideration therein,
R e s o lv e d , That the National Society for Vocational Education go on record as con
vinced that whether the ultimate purpose of such training be military defense or civil
efficiency, or both, systematic training leading toward some vocation essential to the
national welfare, should form an integral and controlling feature of such national
training.
R e s o lv e d , That it is the sense of this meeting that the time has now arrived when
Federal aid should be extended to vocational commercial education on a plan similar
to that on which such aid is now extended to industrial education, agricultural educa
tion, and home economics education.
W h e re a s there exist at the present time such agencies as the boys’ and girls’ agri
cultural clubs, Boys’ Working Reserve, and the United States school garden army
supported by Federal funds and designed to promote activities of an agricultural and
homemaking nature amopg young people of elementary and secondary school age; and
W h e re a s this multiplicity of agencies interested in activities of such similar character
results in a confusion of aims and purposes in the several States; and
W h e re a s it seems desirable in the interest of the children of the country to eliminate
this overlapping of educational programs and to provide for the coordination of the
activities of these various agencies in the several States; be it
R e s o lv e d , That the National Society for Vocational Education go on record as favoring
the public school system of the several States as the proper agent for the coordination
and administration of the activities of the aforementioned agencies.
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PLAN TO PREVENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST EMPLOYMENT OF MILI
TARY CRIPPLES IN GREAT BRITAIN.
Apprehension among employers in Great Britain that the employ
ment of disabled soldiers and sailors would be attended with greatly
increased risk of accident has resulted in an investigation of the prob
lem by a special committee appointed by the Secretary of the Home
Office.1 The committee’s inquiries did not lead to any very definite
conclusions as regards the extent of discriminatory practices.
Different opinions were expressed by different employers and asso
ciations of employers even in the heavier and more dangerous trades.
The information received showed that the question has not yet
arisen in an acute form. Labor is scarce and employers are glad to
get any man who is capable of doing efficient work. In some of the
industries, however, employers felt considerable apprehension in
employing disabled men, chiefly because of the fear of increased com
pensation liability. Representatives of the shipbuilding industry in
particular stated that ,they would not employ crippled men unless
the State assumed the liability for compensation.
It was suggested that the employment of a disabled man involves
a greater compensation risk in two ways: (1) He is more liable to
accident, as his disability renders him less able to protect himself;
(2) the consequences of an accident to a man who is crippled or of
weakened constitution may be more serious. The committee, how
ever, found no statistical data which would throw light on either of
these points. As regards the first point there was a divergence of
opinion. The inspectors of the factory department gave it as their
general impression, based upon many years’ experience, that in fact
accidents were not relatively more numerous among disabled than
among ordinary men, or that at any rate the difference was so small
as to be negligible. It was stated that a disabled man was less able
to protect himself against certain dangers; but, on the other hand,
he is, as a rule, not employed on work of the more dangerous kinds
and his disability has rendered him more cautious. The opinion,
however, of both employers’ and workmen’s representatives on the
engineering and shipbuilding trade advisory committee was that there
was an appreciable increase of risk, at any rate in occupations where
machinery is used; and similar views were expressed by a number
of other associations of employers. Many disabled men will probably
desire to go back to the industries in which they were engaged before
the war, despite a measure of risk which may attach to them; and if,
as is the case in some of the specially dangerous industries, the open
ings for light employment suitable to disabled men are limited, there
1 Report of the Departmental Committee on Compensation for Disabled Sailors and Soldiers under
the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1906. [Cmd. 49] 1919. 8 pp.
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will be a tendency for them to go into more hazardous processes.
It was also suggested to the committee that a disabled man was a
greater source of danger to his fellow workmen. As regards the
second point mentioned above there is no doubt that the conse
quences resulting from an injury to a crippled man would be much
more serious than those resulting from a similar injury to a normal
workman.
The committee’s general conclusion is that the employment of
disabled soldiers and sailors will entail on the average a heavier
charge for compensation. But whether this increased charge, if
allowed to fall upon the employer, will weigh very much with him in
selecting men is a different question. In the first place, a majority
of the employers insure their risks, and the practice of the insurance
companies is to charge employers a flat rate of premium based upon
the amount of wages paid and fixed either for the whole of the trade or
industry or for large subdivisions thereof. The insured employer,
therefore, will not incur by reason of his employment of disabled men
any special liability, and the small addition to his premium which
would at the most be required to cover the increased cost of compen
sation, if this is spread over the whole trade, would not be felt to be
a serious matter by most employers. In case of the self-insured
employer, however, the whole burden of any increased liability due
to employing disabled men will fall on him. Many of these employers
may be expected to provide as far as possible for their own men, but
the risk of increased compensation costs will operate as a deterrent
in the reemployment of disabled men, especially in case of the smaller
employers.
The committee believed, however, that a much more important
factor than any increased liability for compensation will be the dimin
ished efficiency of the disabled men. Many industries, in making the
difficult change from a war to a peace basis, will be preparing for
the struggle which will ensue for the control of the world markets;
and it must be anticipated the able-bodied men will be given prefer
ence, and employers could not be urged to do otherwise.
At the same time the influence of the increased liability for com
pensation can not be excluded. Under the conditions that prevail
after the war costs will be closely scrutinized and working expenses
reduced by every possible means. In cases where the disability
might not mean any serious diminution of efficiency it may still be
sufficient to turn the scale against the man if the employer has to
bear the increased compensation risk himself.
The committee, therefore, came to the conclusion that the indi
vidual employer should be relieved of any additional compensation
liability which the employment of disabled soldiers or sailors may
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MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
entail, so as to prevent the apprehension of such liability prejudicing
the employment of such men. Three alternative ways for meeting
the situation were considered:
1. The increased cost might be borne by the man himself through
the payment of an additional premium rate. This suggestion was
rejected without hesitation because it would not be in accordance
with public sentiment and would be accompanied by great practical
difficulties.
2. It might be borne by the trade as a whole. It could be arranged
with the insurance companies that no increase of premium should be
charged to the individual employer of disabled men, but that any
additional charge which experience might show to be necessary
should be spread over the whole industry, or section of industry, by
an increase of the flat rate. If all the employers were insured this
would be much the simplest method of dealing with the problem and
the committee would have recommended it. But such a scheme
would not meet the case of the self-insured employer, and because
of this fact the committee could not recommend it.
3. It might be borne by the State. This is the course the com
mittee recommended. It was held that the State, in whose service
the disability has been incurred, should be prepared to accept the
liability for any increase in the cost of compensation which may
result from the employment of disabled men. The consideration,
however, of the machinery for giving effect to the proposal has pre
sented considerable difficulty. There is no simple method by which
the increase, if any, in cost of compensation due to the employment
of disabled men can be assessed. There is no machinery available
for determining in individual cases whether the injury was due to
the previous disability, or to what- extent it was contributed to by
the disability, or how far the results have been aggravated by the
disability, and even if there were such machinery, the determination
of the questions would often be an extremely difficult matter, involv
ing expenditure out of all proportion to the amount at stake.
The plan finally recommended by the committee provided that
the insurance companies be required to insure all disabled men at the
ordinary flat rate for the trade and that the State should refund to
the companies the excess, if any, of the compensation charge—plus a
due proportion of administration expenses—over the premiums
received. It would be necessary under such a scheme for separate
accounts to be kept by the insurance companies with regard to dis
abled men, and for employers to specify separately in their annual
returns to the companies the total wages paid to such men and to
identify all claims for compensation made in respect to disabled men.
The scheme would sufficiently meet the case of the uninsured em
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ployer, as lie would be able to insure a disabled man at ordinary rates
without insuring all his men. As regards employers who elect to
carry their own risk, an arrangement could be made whereby they
would be reimbursed by the State at the end of the year for tho
excess compensation cost paid for injuries sustained by disabled men.
DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING ESTABLISHED BY BRITISH
GOVERNMENT.
[From British Labour Gazette, February, 1919, p. 47.]
In view of the importance of providing industrial training such as is
required by large numbers of the demobilized members of H. M.
forces and civilian war workers who are being set free from their war
occupations, the Government has decided to set up a special
department of the Ministry of Labor to deal entirely with questions
of industrial training.
This department not only will administer various schemes for the
vocational training of discharged soldiers and sailors, of civil war
workers of either sex, and of women who are being discharged from
the various auxiliary corps, but will, in due course, take over from the
Ministry of Pensions the training of disabled men, with the exception
of those who require medical supervision or training of a curative
nature.
Further, the new department will lay down the general lines upon
which the training of serving soldiers and of men in hospitals will be
carried on.
Representatives of the trade-unions and employers will be con
sulted in regard to the proposed systems of training so as to receive
their advice and cooperation in the work of the department. Arrange
ments are also being made to insure tho interest of local authorities
in all training work.
The Minister of Labor has appointed Mr. James Currie, C. M. G.,
formerly Director of the Munitions Training Section of the Labor
Supply Department of the Ministry of Munitions, controller of the
new department.
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PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
RETAIL PRICES OF FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES.
The price of food for the United States shows an increase of 4 per
cent for April; 1919, as compared with March, 1919. Twenty-six
of the 41 articles were higher in April than they were in March.
The greatest increase, 72 per cent, is shown in cabbage; onions
increased in April, 15 per cent; pork Ghops, potatoes, and butter,
7 per cent each; lard and flour, 6 per cent each. Other articles show
increases ranging from less than five-tenths of 1 per cent in the price
of salmon, and 1 per cent each for oleomargarine and crisco, to 5 per
cent for sirloin steak, lamb, hens, and prunes. Bread, rice, peas, and
sugar show no change in price. The articles which decreased were as
follows: Navy beans and tomatoes, 3 per cent each; fresh milk, evapo
rated milk, and baked beans. 2 per cent each; nut margarine, corn
flakes, canned corn, tea, and raisins, 1 perr cent each; and Cream of
Wheat, less than five tenths of 1 per cent.
In April, 1919, the cost of all articles of food combined was 18 per
cent more than in April, 1918. Onions were 109 per cent higher
than a year ago. Other articles showing an increase are butter and
potatoes, 41 per -cent; prunes, 32 per cent; coffee, 28 per cent;
cheese, 23 per cent; and sugar and eggs, 16 per cent each. During
this year period navy beans decreased 33 per cent and corn meal 16
per cent.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
AVERAGE RETA IL PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES AND P E R CENT OF INCREASE OB
DECREASE, APR. 15, 1919, COMPARED W ITH APR. 15, 1918, AND MAR. 15, 1919.
Average retail price.
Article.
Unit.
Apr. 15,
1918.
^sipinin st.AA.k
Rih roaRk
Of]nek r^ast
"Plata beef
Pork oh ops
P anon
T
________ . . . . . . . . . . . .
T, T T________ . . . . . . . . . .
, ____ __ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
__________ . . . . . . . . . . .
. _____ _. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.................. . . . . . . . . . . . .
y.
__________ . . . . . . .
Salmon optinp/1
ilk fresh
..................
vrillr
¿nronAM
QWA
A^AnAfi ^-.............
jyillK , ü
Vcipui afHn/d
3U. 7nn
^Luiow
UC
Buttar
_________ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Olo 'ITYlQT’P’AVinA
m oriTAriri a
Cheese
»______ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cris co
_________ . . . . . . .
Eggs strictly fresh
p read
- _______ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
pimir
.................... ............... .
Horn vnAA.l
________ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Corn flakes......................................................
Cream of Wheat
, r. Tr__r_______
p i no
_________ _________________
Beans n a v y ______ ______ _
Potatoes - ____ _____ _
Onions
__________ ___________
Cabbage
• *________________ ___________ ____
Beans bakA<ì
Oor n nanu ad
Pea^ nan n ad
Tomatoes canned
Rugar, granulated ............................•..........
TAa _________ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Coff a,e.................. ........................................
"Primas_________ __________
"Raisins _________ ____ ___ . . . . . . . . . ___
Bananas
.
_________________
Oranges
__________________
All articles n.ombinac|
Pound___
. . .do...........
. . .do...........
. . .do...........
. . .do...........
. . .do...........
...d o ...........
. . .do...........
__do...........
__do............
.. .do...........
Quart........
(2)
Pound___
__do...........
. . .do...........
.. .do...........
...d o ...........
.. .do...........
Dozen.......
Pound3. . .
Pound___
.. .do...........
$0.366
.345
.293
.255
.199
.356
.495
.446
.295
.132
.507
.341
.331
.425
.097
.066
.071
28-ozrpkg.
Pound. ~ .
.. .do...........
.. .do...........
.. .do...........
.. .do...........
No. 2 can..
__do...........
__do...........
do__
Pound___
...d o ...........
...d o ...........
.. .do...........
.. .do...........
Dozen.......
.. do...........
i Increase of less than five-tenths of 1 per cent.
215-16-ounce can.
3 Baked weight.
.121
.180
.022
.033
.091
.639
.301
.166
.151
Mar. 15,
1919.
SO. 418
.394
.334
.284
.221
.386
.549
.514
.380
.411
.321
.153
.153
.665
.390
.355
.405
.334
.332
.483
.098
.068
.059
.141
.251
.134
.125
.029
.060
.053
.1-81
.193
.190
.164
.106
.704
.376
.209
.164
.366
.532
Apr. 15,
1919.
SO. 437
.405
.346
.294
.226
.414
.572
.529
.399.430
.322
.150
.150
.713
.392
.352
.419
.353
.334
.493
.098
.072
.060
.140
.250
.134
.121
.031
.069
.091
.177
.192
.190
.159
.106
.697
.385
.219
.163
.376
• .555
Per cent of increase
(+ ) or decrease
( - ) Apr. 15,1919,
compared with—
Apr. 15,
1918.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
19
17
18
15
14
16
16
19
+ 9
+ 14
+ 41
+ 23
+ 7
+ 16
+ 1
+ 9
- 16
+ 11
- 33
+ 41
+109
+ 16
+ 9
+ 28
+ 32
+ 8
+ 18
Mar. 15,
1919.
+ 5
+ 3
+ 4
+ 4
+ 7
+ 2
+ 4
+ 3
+ 5
+ 5
0)
- 2
- 2
+ 7
+ 1
- 1
+ 3
+ 6
+ 1
+ 2
(<)
+ 6
+ 2
- 1
(•)
(‘)
- 3
+ 7
+15
+72
- 2
- 1
(<)
- 3
0)
- 1
+ 2
+ 5
- 1
+ 3
+ 4
+ 4
* No change in price.
6 Decrease of less than five-tenths of 1 per cent.
For the six-year period, April, 1913, to April, 1919, the increase
in the retail prices of all articles of food combined was 85 per cent.
Six articles show an increase of 100 per cent or over; lard, 123 per
cent; flour, 118 per cent; bacon, 114 per cent; potatoes, 107 per
cent; ham and corn meal, 100 per cent each. Other increases range
from 70 per cent for fresh milk to 98 per cent for lamb.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1626]
77
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
AVERAGE R E TA IL PRICES IN TH E U N IT E D STATES AN D PE R CENT OF INCREASE OR
DECR EA SE, A PR . 15 OF EACH SPECIFIED Y E A R COMPARED W ITH A PR . 15, 1913.
Percent of increase ( + ) or de
crease (—) Apr. 15 of each
specified year compared with
Apr. 15,1913.
Average retail price Apr. 1 5 Article.
Unit.
1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
Sirloin steak...................
Round steak..................
Rib roast..........................
Chuck roast.....................
Plate beef........................
Pork chops......................
Bacon...............................
H am .................................
Lamb................................
Hens.................................
Salmon, canned.............
Milk, fresh.......................
Milk, evaporated (unsweetened).
B utter..............................
Oleomargarine................
N ut margarine...............
Cheese..............................
Lard.................................
Crisco................................
Eggs, strictly fresh........
Bread...............................
Flour.......................... .....
Corn meal.................. .....
Corn flakes......................
Cream of W heat...........
R ice..............................
Beans, n a v y ...............
P otatoes.. I............... .....
Onions..............................
Cabbage.................... .......
Beans, baked.............
Corn, canned...................
Peas, canned...................
Tomatoes, canned........
Sugar, granulated.........
T e a ............................. .
Coffee................................
Prunes..............................
Raisins.............................
Bananas...........................
Oranges............................
A ll articles combined.
Pound. .
.. .d o.......
...d o .......
...d o .......
...d o .......
...d o .......
__do........
__do........
...d o .......
__do........
...d o .......
Q uart...
15-16-oz.
can.
Pound..
. . .do.......
... d o . __
.. _do.......
__do........
.. .do.......
D ozen...
Pound. .
Pound*.
. . . do.......
8-oz. okg
28-oz.pkg
Pound. .
...d o .......
. . .do.......
...d o .......
__do........
No. 2 can
.. .do.......
...d o .......
.. .do.......
P o u n d ..
. .. d o .. .. .
...d o .......
...d o .......
...d o .......
D ozen...
. ..d o .......
C ts .
C ts .
25.4
22.3
19.9
16.2
12.2
21.6
26.7
26.5
20.2
22.2
25.4
23.0
20.1
17.0
12.4
21.6
26.7
2Ô. 8
19.8
23.0
8.8
C ts .
25.1
22.3
19.7
16.0
12.2
19.7
26.4
25.3
21.0
21.3
19.8
8.9 8.8
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
27.0
24.0
21.0
21.2
12-8
22.5
28.1
31.2
23.0
23.7
âo.o
8.8
31.7
28.9
25.2
21.2
16.1
30.6
38.2
36.5
27.6
29.1
23.6
10.2
36.6
34.5
29.3
25.5
19.9
35.6
49.5
44.6
35.3
C ts .
43.7
40. 5
34.6
29.4
22.6
41.4
57.2
52.9
89.9
43.0
29.5 32.2
13.2 15.0
15.0
40.6 32.7 35.9 41.4 50.8 50.7 71.3
39.2
35.2
23.2 24.8 33.0 34.1 41.9
15.8 15.6 15.1 18.7 26.4 33.1 35.3
33.4
25.1 25.5 25.9 27.4 38.6 42.5 49.3
6.6 6.2 7.1 7.0 8.4 9-7 9.8
3.3 3.3 4.5 3.9 6.7 6.6 7.2
3.0 3.1 8.3 3.3 4.7 7.1 6.0
14.0
25.0
9.1 9. i 9.5 12.1 13.4
7.7 9.4 16.7 18.0 12.1
1.5 1.8 1.5 2.4 5.9 2.2 3.1
3.6 4.8 13.4 3.3 6.9
9.1
17.7
19.2
19.0
15.9
5.4 5.0 6.6 7.9 9.6 9.1 10.6
54.6 54.6 55.1 63.9 69.7
29.9 29.9 29.9 30.1 38.5
13.7 13.3 14.5 16.6 21.9
12.5 12.6 14.2 15.1 16.3
37.6
55.5
- 1
m
- l
- 1
C1)
- 9
h
(i) — 1
-f 1
5
- 5 + 4
+ 4 —4
+ 6+
4- R4+
+ 31 +
+ 5+
+ 4+
4- 5 4■flR 4+14 +
+ 7+
+ 1 0)
(Q + 16 + 50 + 70
C1)
4- 3
+ 1
+ 5
+ 2
25 +
30 +
27 +
31 +
32 +
42 +
43 433
37 +
31
44 +
55
47 +
57 +
63 +
65 +
35
72
74
81
85
92
75 + 98
+ 94
-1 9 -1 2 + 2 + 25 + 25 + 76
— 1 — 4 +18 + 67 + 109 +123
+ 2
+ 11
G)
+ 3
+ 9 + 54 + 69 + 96
+25 + 50 + 73 + 75
+ 18 +103 +100 +118
+ 10 + 57 +137 + 100
+ 3
+27
+ 36
+10
+20 O
+60 +293 + 47 +107
- 7 +22 +46 + 78 + 69 + gé
- 1 + 1 + 12 + 48 + 57 + 85
1 No change In price.
* Baked weight.
R ELATIVE R E TA IL PRICES OF FOOD IN THE U N IT E D STATES ON MAR. 15, 1919, AND
A P R . 15,1913, TO 1919, AS COMPARED W ITH AVERAGE PRICE FOR 1913.
[Avoiage price for year 1913=100.]
Article.
Sirloin steak...............
Round steak...............
Rib roast............
Chuck roast................
Plate beef.......... ...........
Pork chops....................
B a co n ......................... .
H am ...... ........................
Lard.............................. .
H ens.............
Eggs.........................
Butter.............................
Milk.................................
B r e a d ......................... .
Flour...............................
Corn meal......................
P o ta to e s......................
Sugar__ ; ................... .
All artices combined
Unit.
Pound__
..d o ..........
--do..........
..d o ..........
..d o ..........
. .do..........
. .do..........
..d o ..........
. .do..........
. .do...........
Dozen.......
Pound___
Quart........
Pound A..
..d o ..........
..d o ...... .
..d o ..........
. .do..........
Mar.
Apr.
15,1919. 15, 1919.
165
177
169
178
184
184
203
191
211
193
140
174
172
172
206
197
171
193
175
172
182
175
184
188
165
212
197
223
202
143
186
169
172
218
200
182
193
182
Apr. 15—
1913
101
99
101
101
102
103
99
99
100
104
73
106
100
100
100
98
87
98
98
* Baked weight.
118265°—19----- 6
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[16271
1914
100
103
102
103
103
103
99
99
99
108
74
86
100
110
99
103
105
91
97
1915
99
100
100
98
101
94
98
94
96
100
75
94
99
126
137
109
86
122
99
1916
106
108
106
106
106
107
104
116
119
111
79
108
99
124
119
108
138
145
109
1917
1918
125
130
127
131
133
146
141
136
167
144
155
148
159
166
170
183
166
209
112
133
114
150
206
154
339
175
145
123
132
148
172
200
237
129
165
154
135
MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW,
78
AVERAGE RETA IL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD FOR
[The prices shown below are computed from reports sent monthly to the bureau by retail dealers.
Baltimore, Md.
Atlanta, Ga.
Article.
Unit.
Sirloin steak................ ................
Rcnind steak............... .................
Rib roast..................... ............. .
Chuck roast..................................
Plate beef.....................................
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
Pork chops............. ....................
Bacon, sliced.......... ....... ..........
Ham, sliced..................................
Lam b........................... ................
Hens........................................
L b ..
L b..
L b..
L b..
L b ..
Salmon, canned......................... .
Milk, fresh.................................. .
Milk, evaporated (unsweetened)
B u tte r.........................................
Oleomargarine...........................
Apr. 15—
Mar. Apr.
Mar. Apr.
15, 15,
15, 15,
1919.
1919.1
1919.
1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918
1913 1914 1917 1918
Apr. IS—
Cts.
Cts, Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. CtsJ
24.5
21.0
20.6
14.5
11.6
24.6
21.1
19.6
15.7
9.9
30. 0; 35.0
26.0, 31.9
24. 61 26.1
19.0 22.8
15.1 18.6
38.6
36.4
31.2
25.6
20.5
40.4
37.4
32.4
20.9
22.9
24.0
22.7
18.7
16.3
13.2
24.0
22.0
18.0
15.3
13.3
31.6
29.8
23.6
21.8
17.6
37.0
36.0
29.8
26.5
21.7
44.3
43.5
35.3
30.5
24.4
46. li
44.7
36.6
31.71
25.7
24.5
32.4
29.5
20.0
21.1
23.1
31.0
30.0
20.2
22.3
30.0
40.0
37.6
26.9
24.0
36.9
59.6
53.5
40.6
36.8
39.6
59.2
54.4
41.3
39.6
21.0
22.7
31.0
20.5
22.0
19.2
23.8
30.0
18.5
23.3
28.8
38.7
40.0
27.5
29.0
37.6
45.7
48.6
36.1
38.4
49.0
57.2
38.8
44.9
40.7
50.2
57.2
42.1
46.7
20.8 26.0 29.2 29.0
18.8 24.6 28.1 26.4
8.8 ' 8.7 9.2 13.0 15.0 14.3
15.1 14.8
(l)
15.9 15.7
L b .. 42.4 34.3 52.0 57.2 68.9 73.4 42.9 35.1 51.6 54.5 68.0 74.7
36.1 37.0
41.5 41.5
L b..
Lb .
Q t.. iô.ô 10.0 13.2 18.0 21.7 20.0
N ut margarine.................... ......
Cheese.........................................
L ard..................................... .
Criseo..........................................
Eggs, strictly fresh....................
Lb .
L b ..
L b.. 15.4 15.6
L b..
Boz. 22.4 23.9
Bread..........................................
F lour...........................................
Corn meal.......... ................. ......
Com flakes......................... ........
Cream of W heat......... .
Lb.2
L b..
L b..
-v Rice..... .............. ........................
B£ans>n av y ...............................
PotSt-pes......................................
O n io n s........... -.................. ......
L b..
Cabbage........... >.............. ..........
Beans, baked..............................
Corn, canned..............................
Peas, canned................. .............
Tomatoes, canned......................
Sugar, granulated......................
T ea.......... ............ .....................
Coifee..........................................
Prunes........................................
Raisins........................................
Bananas.....................................
Oranges.............................. .
1 15-ifbounco can.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
35.2
51.5
46.0
34.3
(3)
6.0
3.7
2.4
5.9
3.5
2.7
2.0
2.2
39.2
34.0 34.9 40.7
26.2 33.9 34.8
.......
32.6
40.0 42.6 42.2
8.4 10.0
6.7 7.1
4. C 5.6
(*)
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
Lb
Lb.
5.4
3.2
2.4
5.6
3.2
2.5
1.5
1.9
7.5
6.8
5.3
14.0 13.3
9.8 11.1 10.9
66. ( 79.5 91.5 88.2
30.0 28.3 37.4 36.0
5.0 10.2
15.2 17.3 21.0 20.6
15.9 16.7 17.9 17.4
31.0 29.7
11628]
9.6 9.6
6.8 7.3
5. 2 5.4
13. i 13.1
23.4 23.2
10.3 11.8 13.1 13.1
15.8 18.3 13.1 12.6
6.3 2.2 2.9 3.0
12. * 2.6 5.7 6.3
5.9
15.9
19.4
17.7
4.8
10.5
15.9
18.8
18.3
15.5 14.5
4.4
8.8 8.5 10.2 10.1
55. ( 67. f •73. ( 72.5
23.5 28.6 35.5 36.5
53.1 55. . . . . .
* Baked weight.
9.7
6.6
4. C 0.6
6.3 9.9
18.6 17.4
21.2 20.0
20.2 18.9
(5)
0)
0)
(»)
Lb
10.0
7.2
5.5
14.2
24.9
7.9 12.2 13.1 12.8
16.6 18.7 15.0 14.2
6.3 3.0 4.1 4.1
12.9 4.5 7.2 8.9
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
9.5
7.0
5.5
14. C
24.9
34.8 34.5
39.0
40.6
33.8 35.7 41.7 42.1
35.8 14.3 14.4 26.3 32.6 31.4 33.7
32.2 31.8
33.4
42.0 21.7 22.4 37.0 40.2 46.9 47.9
13.9 16.6 21.2
14.3 15.2 16.1
30.0
53.8
* 8-ounce package,
21.9
16.0
30.0
56.4
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
79
A P R . 15. 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, 1919, AND MAR. 15, 1919, FOR 19 CITIES.
As some dealers occasionally fail to report, the number of quotations varies from month to month.]
Birmingham, Ala.
Apr. 15—
Boston, Mass.
Buffalo, N. Y.
Apr. 15—
Anr. 15—
Mar.
Mar. Apr.
Al f '
15,
15,
15,
1919.
191&
.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1913 1914 1917 1918
1913 1914 1917 1918
1913 1914 1917 1918
C ts.
C ts .
26.1 28.0
23.0
19.3 2 1 . 0
16.8 17.0
10.5 1 2 . C
C ts .
Mar.
C ts .
34.2 38.5
31.3 34.8
26.3 29.7
2 2 .8 25.0
17.2 20. S
C ts.
C ts .
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts .
41.0
39.3
33.1
29.8
36. £
34.0
24.4
18. t
32.7
34. i
24.4
16. £
42. (
40.3
29.1
24.2
45.7
46.5
32.9
27.4
59.2
56.5
39.9
32.4
60.1
57.5
41.6
31.5
23.8
25.0
30.5
24.3
24.0
23.0
25. Oj
31.31
21.3
25.3
32.0
37.5
39.8
29.5
31.4
C ts.
as. as.
C ts.
as.
C ts .
C ts.
33.9
31.4
27.1
24.5
39.2
36.7
32.2
28.0
21 8
39.4
36.9
32.1
28.4
21 9
40.9
46.5
51.4
34.6
41.2
42.1
47.7
51.3
36.1
43.6
2 2 .1
44. S
41.5
35.«
31. C
23. £
22.5 22.9 29.7 34.5
32.5 34.0 42.0 54.0
30.0 32.0 40.8 45.5
2 1 . 8 21.9 31.0 35.0
19.3 20.5 23.3
36.2
60.7
53.0
41.1
36.6
39.0
62. e
53.7
46.4
38.6
36.3
46.0
46.9
36.4
........
38.6
51.0
56.2
41.6
43.0
42.8 2 0 .8 2 1 . 0 33.0
51.0 21.5 2 1 . 2 36.3
56.4 25.7 25.3 38.3
41.3 18.7 16.2 24.8
43.7 2 2 .8 2 2 .8 31.0
23.8 28.5
1 2 . 8 15.. 5
30.9
2 0 .0
44.4 37.5 56. Ó 54.5
16.0
70.8
41.0
24.8 30.7
8.9 8.9 1 1 . 0 14.5
16.8
«6.7 42.1 34.0 50.5 50.7
41.2
32.5
16.5
16.0
65.1
39.8
32 3
90 7 98 7
15.5 8 .Ó 8 .0 iò! o 13.0
15.4
72.3 40.2 31.4 49.4 49.1
40.1
35.0 34.8
15.8 16.0 25.7 32.2
40.1
40.7
33.7
32.9
45.6
40.0
33.6 33.4
42.9
35.0 16.0 15.6 26.5 32.9
33.1
46.3 31.0 33.0 45.1 52. Ò
35.2
41.7
35.1
33.2
60.2
33 4 33 4
34.6
31 A 33 .3 38 Q 40 0
42.8
36.4 14.3 14.0 2 5 .0 32.3 3 1 ! 7 3 4 .2
30 8 31 1
33.4
60.0 25.2 25.7 39.5 43.4 50 ! s 49 ! 4
10.8
7.4
4.9
14.7
25.3
9.7
7.4
5.2
14.7
25.3
13.2
14.9
3.9
6.9
13.1
14.0
4.1
8.8
6.1
20.1
20.1
20.6
9.4
20.1
20.2
21.8
14.3
11.0
85.3
41.0
14.0
11.1
86.2
40.5
21.1
17.3
39.7
51.4
22.5
17.7
40.6
54.7
2 2 .0
10.3
__
1 0 .0
22.7 25.0 37.0 40.2
5,3
3.8
2.1
5.0
3.7
2.5
1.9
9.7 12.0
17.6 18.5
2.3 6.3 2.7
15.0 3.2
5.2
_
9.6 10 .0
6.7 6.8
4.4 5.8
5.0 ÌÓ.Ó 9.2
78.6
__ 72.5
31.0 32.3
15.0 16.0
14.9 15.3
1 1 .8
32.6
2 0 .0
5.9
3.7
3.5
5.9
3.8
3.5
8.9
7.0
8.0
9.2
7.2
6.7
13. 3
24. 7
9.2
7.6
6.6
13. 7
24.8
1.5
10.1 12.3
17.1 18.6
2.0 6.1 2.5
14.0 3.5
13.6
11.8
2.7
6.1
13.8
11.7
3.0
6.9
6.2
19.0
21.9
22.1
11.7
18.6
21.4
21.7
20.4
10.4
68.6
42.5
17.3
10.4
67 4
45.1
21.7
15.8
46.3
57.1
23.5
15.8
43.0
55.9
5.1
4.9
8.3
7.5
5.6
9.2 9.2
62.4 63.9
34.0 34.1
15.3 17.2
14.7 15.1
* 28-ounce package.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
22.3 2 1 . 0 29.0
19.3 19.4 26.8
17.5 16.8 22.5
15.5 15.4 20.3
5.6
3.0
2.5
1 1 .8
5.1
3.0
2.6
36.1
45.5
46.2
33.3
9.3
6.5
4.6
10.0
6.3
7.8
9. 6
12 6
18 4
28 7
15.0
15 5
65.5
38 4
9 .5
6 .4
5 .3
14.0
14 5
70.9
9Q 2
9 .5
6.6
5.5
24 0
1.3
1.7
io
17.7
2 .2
8 4
13 3 13 0
2 .4
2 .7
57
67
3 6
15* 1
20 1
17 7
5.4
4.8
» No. 2 can.
[1629J
16 3 18 6
8
13
18
17
5
9
4
5
15 5
15 3
1 0 .4
1 0 .3
30.2
36 4
36 5
17.6
14.1
22.1 22 3
14 7
40 Q 41 9
9.3
9 .6
2 8 .5
13.2
12.2
5 7 .4
5 7 .4
80
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
AVER A G E R E T A IL PR IC ES OF T H E PR IN C IPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD FO R
Cleveland, Ohio.
Chicago, 111.
Article.
Unit.
Apr. 15—
Mar.
Apr. 15—
Mar. Apr.
x
m i iii
1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919. 1913 1914 1917 1918
L b ..
L b ..
L b..
L b ..
L b ..
Cts.
22.3
19.0
19.7
15.4
11.4
Cts.
24.4
21.3
20.1
16.1
12.0
Cts.
29.2
25.6
24.1
20.5
15.5
Cts.
33.7
30.4
28.8
24.9
19.4
Cts.
38.0
34.4
32.4
28.0
20.9
Cts.
39.7
35.7
34.2
29.2
21.4
Cts.
25.0
21.8
20.0
17.2
12.3
Cts.
25.0
22.3
19.6
17.1
12.1
Cts.
30.5
28.3
24.5
22.0
15.8
Cts.
35.2
33.4
28.1
26.1
19.7
as.
38.9
36.4
30.7
28.3
20.8
Cts.
39.9
37.5
32.2
29.0
22.0
Pork chops.................................... L b ..
Bacon, shced................................. L b ..
Ham, sliced.................................. L b ..
L b ..
"Firms
______________ L b ..
19.5
31.4
32.5
20.7
21.1
19.8
31.3
31.7
20.0
22.0
28.5
39.5
38.2
26.3
28.2
83.0
51.9
46.7
35.6
35.5
57.1
50.8
37.1
38.0
37.9
58.2
54.6
38.3
40.3
21.3
27.0
36.0
21.5
25.0
22.4 33.0
27.8 40.0
35.0 .39.0
19.7 28.8
24.9 33.6
35.2
48.8
46.7
34.3
41.2
55.3
55.5
38.5
43.4
43.3
55.5
57.1
39.6
45.8
21.5 28.6 30.6
26.0 30.1 31.9 32.5
Palm on p an n o d__T.................... Lb .
Milk, fresh.................................... Q t.. 8.0 8.0 10.0 11.9 13.0 13.0 8.3 8.0 10.0 13.0 13.0
15. C
Milk evaporated (nnswftfttfinftd) (1)
14.9 14.0
B u tter. . t .......... .......................... L b .. 39.0 30.1 48.4 46.0 63.9 67.1 42.0 33.7 54.3 49.6 68.2
38.7
Lb .
36.4 36. S
30.9
13.0
15.1
72.0
40.4
Sirloin steak.................................
Round steak.......................... .....
Rib roast......................................
Chuck roast..................................
Plate beef......................................
T*Jnt, margarine ....... _................
Cheese .......................................
L ard ..............................................
Cri spo
Eggs, strictly fresh......................
35.1 35.1
T/b
33.5 33.4
32.2 33.8 41.8 42.7
3&7 35.3 38.5 40.5
Lb .
27.2
36.4
16.3
33.0
34.0
25.2
32.2
16.5
15.0
31.7
34.0
L b.. 14.9
32.6 32.9
32.7 32.9
Lb
24.1
50.2
39.9
41.5
51.0
21.8
46.6
23.6
37.6
38.0
46.1
Doz. 22.9
Bread............................................ bL.2.
Flour............................................. L b ..
Corn meal...................................... L b ..
Corn flakes ................................. (3)
Cream of W heat........................... (4)
"Ripe............................ ...... ...........
Beans, n a v y ................................
Potatoes........................................
Onions. _____ ______ _
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
Lb
6.1
2.7
2.9
6.1
2. i
2.8
1.3
1.7
8.6 10.2 10.2 10.0
6.4 6.2 6.4 6.8
5.0 7.2 5.5 5.8
12.7 12.6
23.9 23.9
9.2 12.2 13.3 13.3
17.0 17.8 11.9 11.2
5.8 1.7 2.5 2.5
12.6 2. i 5.1 5.Í
Cabbage
....... ..................... Lb
Beans bak ed .. ..... ........ ........... (5)
Corn panned ___ _____ , ______ (5)
Peas panned ______________ (5)
Tomatoes, eanned_______ ___ (5)
Sugar, granulated........................ L b ..
Tea ........................................... L b ..
Coffee ........................................... L b ..
Prunes ______________ _____ L b..
Raisins......................................... L b..
Oranges -Trr____ , __________
115-16-ounce can.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
5.2
16.8
17.6
17.0
5.0
4.9
5.5
3.1
2.7
5.6
3.2
2.9
8.4
6.6
4.5
9.7
6.7
7.1
9.7 9.7
6.8 7.3
5.8 5.9
14.3 13.7
24.8 24.9
1.4
1.9
9.4
17.3
5.9
13. C
12.0
17.6
2. 1
2. £
13.5 13.3
11.3 11.3
2.8 3.1
5.7 7.6
16.0 16.4
9.2 8.7 10.0 9.9 5.2
53. C 56. f 62.7 62. C
29.0 28.1 34.3 35.7
14.8 16.3 21.1
14.7 15.0 16.4
41.3
45.1
i Baked weight.
11630]
5.8
16.5
20.5
19.4
10.2
16.6
20.1
19.1
16.9
9.7 9.0 10.8
50. ( 59.6 67.7
28.8 29.8 37.5
16.4
10.8
66.5
38.8
14.6 17.2 21.7
13.9 14.6 15.4
42.3
58.0
22.9
15.7
43.7
55.2
9.0
16.4
17.7
17.3
22.3
16.7
35.1
49.9
5.0
* 8-ounce package.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
‘ No. 2 can.
‘ 28-ounce package.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1 6 3 1 ]
81
82
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
AVERAGE R E T A IL PRICES OF T H E PRIN CIPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD FOR
Milwaukee, Wls.
Article.
Apr. 15-
Unit.
New Orleans, La.
Apr. 1 5 -
Mar. Apr.
Mar. Apr.
15,
1913 1914 1917 1918 19Ö. 19». 1913 1914 1917 1918 1919. 1919.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts .
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts .
C ts.
C ts .
Sirloin steak___ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . —
Round steak..........................
Rib roast.........................................
Chuck roast................................ —
Plate beef______ . . . . ------- ------
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
21.5
19.5
18.0
15.8
11.5
23.0
21.0
18.5
16.3
11.8
29.2
26.6
23.8
21.6
15.4
33.0
31.3
27.0
25.1
18.8
37.0
35.2
31.0
27.9
21.0
39.3
37.1
32.8
29.7
22.5
22.1
19.3
20.9
15.4
11.6
23.2
20.0
20.7
15.4
12.4
26.0
23.5
23.1
18.6
15.4
31-7
28.6
28.3
22.4
18.4
35.6
32.7
32.0
25.9
37.6
34.2
32.9
26.2
Pork chops.............. .. . ...... .........
Bacon, sliced ... . ............... . .....
Ham, sliced___ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __
Lamb............. ......... . . . . . ... .. ___
TTp,n<j. _____________ _Jl.,____
L b ..
L b..
L b..
Lb..
L b ..
19.5
26.8
26.8
20.0
22.3
19-5
27-3
27.7
19.2
22.3
29.2
37.8
36.2
29-3
30.6
33.4
48.5
45.3
35.4
36.5
55.2
51.9
39.3
39.1
38.3
55.7
53.2
39.7
42.7
22.5
29.1
27.6
22.0
24.3
23.9
30.0
26.0
21-1
24.1
30.5
41.0
36.3
30.0
29.2
36.4
50.1
41.6
35.4
«.0
44.3
60.3
50.4
43.8
44.1
Salmon, canned..............................
Milk, fresh--------------- ----- ------Milk, evaporated (unsweetened).
B u t t e r . . ' . . . . . . . . . . . , . ___. . . . . 1 .
Oleomargarine................... ...........
23.6 29.0 31.8 33.0
25.0 31.0 354 34.5
L b ..
Q t.. 7.Ö 7.Ö 8.0 10.0 12.0 12.0 iö.ö 9.7 10.0 14.2 16.0 16.0
15.2 14.9
15-7 15.8
P)
L b .. 38.2 30.0 50.8 46.5 65-3 69.1 40.3 32.2 53.2 50.8 66.4 72.6
39.8 39.6
37.8 38.3
L b ..
N ut margarine. . . . . . . . . .... .........
Cheese.. T................................ .
Lard..................................................
Crisco........................ .
Eggs, strictly fresh........................
35.8 35.6
33.8 33.4
L b ..
34.0 33.7 41.7 41.9
31.5 30.3 38.4 39-2
L b ..
L b .. 15.4 15.8 26.9 33.1 33.5 35.8 14.8 14.9 25.4 32.5 32.6 34.3
33.7 34.7
32-7 33.6
L b..
21.2 21.4 35.3 37.5 43.8 45.2 21.9 22.0 36.8 38.2 41.6 44.6
Bread........... ................ ................... Lb.2 5.6
Flour................................................ L b .. 3.1
Com meal................... ................. L b .. 3.3
Corn flakes....................................... m
Cream of W h ea t............................. (4)
R ice................................ ..................
B ea n s,n a v y ____ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Potatoes ........................................... .
Onions......... ............ . . . . . . . . . . . . .
L b ..
L b ..
L b .. 1.2
Lb .
5.9
3.1
3.3
1.6
9.2
6.4
8.2
9.2 9.2
6.6 7.0
6.2 5.7
14.3 13.9
24.9 24.6
3.8
2.6
4.8
3.6
2.8
10.0 12.4 14.4 14.6
17.0 18-4 11.5 11.2
6.3 1.6 2.6 2.7
13.7 2.6 5.4 5.7
2.0
2.1
8-7
6.8
5.8
Cabbage.......................................... L b ..
Beans^baked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (5)
Corn, canned........... ....................... (5)
(5)
Peas j canned........... .....................
5.8
16.5
18.2
17.1
Tomatoes, canned.......................... (S)
16.3
Sugar, granulated.......................... L b .. 5.3 4.8 9.3 8.9 10.7
T ea.................................................... L b ..
56.5 62.3 67.3
Coffee................................................ L b ..
........ 28.3 27.0 35.6
Prunes...................... ....................... Lb .
Raisins.......... .......................... .
L b..
Bananas___ ___________ ____
Oranges......................................
* 15-16-ounce can.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[16321
9.4
7.3
6.3
. 2L1 22.2
57.7
50.3
41.8
40.8
9-2
7.3
9.1
7.5
5.1
14.4 14.1
24.8 24.8
6- Ï
8-8 10.7 12.2 12.1
17.0 16.7 12.2 11.1
6-2 2.5 '3.8 3.7
13.3 3.0 6.3 6.7
4.2 5.3
18.1 18.]
18-1 17. (
18.4 18.6
10.0
16.7
18.7
18.1
15.1
16.2
1.0.6 5.2 4.8 9.2 8.8 10.4
66.7
63.0 58.1 67.1
35.8 — ........ 28.4 24.8 33.8
15.7 15.8 21.8 21.0
14.8 15.1 16.0 16.3
35.9 37.6
50.7 57.9
•Baked weight.
8.2
7.0
4.8
C ts .
14.9
10.3
66.6
34.6
14.2 16.0 20.0 21.3
14.3 15 4 16.8 16.9
16.3 25.Q
56.4 56.0
*8-ounce paokage.
83
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
A PR . 15,1913, 1914,1917, 1918,1919, A N D M AR. 15,1919, FOR 19 CITIES—Continued.
Philadelphia, Pa.
New York, N . Y.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Apr. 15—
Apr. 15—
Mar. Apr.
Mar. Apr.
Mar. Apr.
15,
15.
15,
15,
1919. 1913 1914 1917 1918 I9l0. 1919. 1913 1914
1913 1914 1917 1918 A
1917 1918 1919. 1919.
Apr. 15—
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts .
C ts.
26.1
25.1
22.6
16.6
14.8
26.1
25.5
21.6
16.0
14.8
31.8
31.5
27.0
21.0
18.8
38.0
38.4
32.4
25.9
24.2
44.9
46.8
40.7
32.1
28.7
45.3
47.0
41.3
32.0
28.0
30.0
25.2
22.4
17.3
12.0
30.0
25.9
21.8
17.6
11.9
35.8
32.6
26.9
23.5
15.7
43.3
39.9
33.0
28.6
20.1
51.6
48.0
39.1
32.6
22.1
53.6
49.1
41.0
33.7
23.0
27.0
23.2
21.5
16.7
12.8
27.3
24.2
21.7
16.5
12.8
32-9
30.4
26.1
23.9
15.5
40.0
37.3
31.7
28.0
20.0
47.6
43.7
37.5
32.5
23.4
48.1
44.0
37.7
32.5
23.4
22.7
24.9
28.5
19.0
21.3
21.9
25.1
29.5
16.4
21.6
31.9
36.8
39.2
24.9
29.3
36.7
46.7
33.7
31.8
39.8
49.9
55.8
33.9
40.4
43.7
51.7
57.0
34.7
41.7
22.4
25.4
30.7
20.8
22.7
22.1
25.7
29.6
19.6
24.3
32.9
37.5
42.3
28.6
30.9
38.0
47.9
49.9
36.4
—
41.0
54.4
55.4
40.3
43.6
44.9
55.1
57.8
43.4
44.6
23.2
28.1
29.8
22.0
28.0
23.0
29.1
29.9
20.7
27.4
32.0 37.8
38.1 50.9
39.7 48.3
31.7 38.4
37.0 ..........
39.0
56.0
58.0
41.9
46.2
43.8
57.0
69.3
41.7
49.9
28.5 35.7
9.0 10.9 14.0
36.7
15.5
14.3
67.3
37.8
37.1
20.4 26.7
15.5 8.0 8.0 9.0 12.0
13.7
72.9 47.3 37.5 54.8 56.2
37.5
29.4
13.0
15.1
71.3
40.7
28.5
23.7
13.0 8.8 9.2 10.3
14.7
77.9 42.6 34. Ò52.8
40.8
31.2
14.0
14.8
67.6
38.0
32.4
14.0
14.5
73.1
38.8
33.0
42.3
33.7
31.9
56.9
33.5
42.7
34.4 36.9
36.0 15.*3 15.1 26.0 33.4
32.3
56.9 24.9 25.3 39.7 44.0
36.6
44.0
32.3
32.2
51.2
36.3
46.5
33. Ò 35.2
34.5 15.4 15.6 26.4 32.9
31.2
49.8 24.1 24.0 40.1 42.4
36.8
40.1
33.4
33.0
51.2
35.9
41.5
35.3
33.2
49.4
10.0
7.0
6.6
12.0
23.9
10.0
7.3
7.0
12-0
23.9
9.4
6-8
5.8
12.5
24.5
9.4
7-1
5.6
12.3
24.1
10.0
6.7
8.1
10.0
6.7
10.0
7.1
13.4
25.3
13.7
25.0
13.2
12.6
3.7
5.9
13.3
12.7
4.2
7.0
14.6
12.5
3.7
5.9
14.4
11.7
3.9
6.5
14.2
12.1
14.0
11.9
3.0
5.3
15.8
18.9
18.0
11.7
16.0
19.3
18.3
6.8
14.2
19.2
18.3
11. 7
14.2
19.3
18.1
5.5
17.9
19.8
19.0
10.9
17.1
19.2
18.5
15.1
9.9
55.7
34.1
15.1
10.0
54.1
35.0
14.9.
10.0
62.9
33.6
13.6
10.0
60.9
34.3
9.7
73.5
30.1
15.1
10.8
80.0
36.4
15.1
10.7
80.3
37.7
23.1
15.7
35.9
58.1
23.3
15.6 _
35.7
54.7 —
22J
15.0
35.1
57.8
22-6
14.1 17.6
vr r . r,r 14.7
14.7
15.0 rT, m
35.5
58.3 —
........
23.3
16.0
41.6
56.4
23.4
16.0
41.1
59.3
9.0
40.9 32. i 51.3 49.3
•
33.5 33.8
15.9 15.6 26.3 33.4
30.2 31.9 42,4 47.6
6.0
3.2
3.4
2.4
4.9
6.1
3.2
3.4
2.4
4.4
8.9 10.0
6.9 7.0
5.7 8.4
9.1 12.1
16.2 18.2
6.8 3.5
13.3 3.6
8.7 8. è
49.4 52.7
26.6 26.7
14.5 17.4
r T.__ ;_ T__ ; 13.8 14.7
4.8
3.1
2.7
2.1
4.9
4.8
3.1
Ì7
2.5
Ì2
7.2
6.6
4.0
8.4
7.1
7.5
9.7 12.9
15.5 18.2
6.8 2.9
14.1 3.6
8.4 8.7
58.9 58.1
27.5 27.3
14.5 16.8
13.0 14.4
-----1
4 28-ounoe package.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
5.4
3.1
2.7
1.5
5.3
5.3
3.2
2.9
8.6
7.1
4.6
1.8
9.5
18.6
6.5
13.8
5.2 10.2
57.1
28.1
»No. 2 can.
[1633]
30.8
13.5
51.3
12.4
18.7
2.3
3.5
6.0
2.8
6.1
C ts.
6.1
6.8
84
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
AVERAGE RETA IL PRICES OF TH E PR IN C IPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD FOR
St. Louis, Mo.
Article.
Unit.
Apr. 1 9 1913 1914 1917 1918
San Francisco, Calif.
Apr. 1 5 -
Mar. Apr.
15,
1919. 1919.
Mar. Apr.
1919.
iok
1913 1914 1917 1918
Sirloin steak.................................
Round steak................................
Rib roast......................................
Chuck roast..................................
Plate beef.....................................
L b..
L b..
L b ..
L b..
L b..
Cts.
23.4
21.4
19.1
14.7
10.9
Cts.
25.8
23.2
20.0
15.5
13.9
Cts.
30.7
29.0
24.4
20.4
15.9
Cts.
34.8
34.2
29.2
24.0
19.6
Cts.
39.4
38.8
32.3
25.9
22.0
Cts.
41.5
41.0
33.8
27.9
22.9
Cts.
20.3
19.0
21.0
15.0
13.3
Cts.
20.7
19.7
22.1
15.5
15.0
Cts.
23.5
23.2
22.3
16.3
15.6
Cts.
29.1
29.0
28.1
21.6
20.5
Cts.
33.3
32.4
30.9
23.9
22.3
Cts.
32.6
31.7
30. i
24.0
Pork chops...................................
Bacon, sliced................................
Ham, sliced..................................
Lamb............................................
Hens.............................................
L b ..
L b ..
L b..
L b..
L b..
18.8
24.3
25.7
17.3
19.1
20.2
25.0
27.5
18.4
20.0
30.6
37.0
37.6
28.2
27.6
32.8
48.2
47.0
36.1
36.1
53.3
54.5
39.6
37.9
39.6
54.3
56.2
41.7
41.7
24.0
33.9
30.0
17.5
24.8
24.6
33.9
31.0
18.0
25.0
29.7
42.2
40.5
24.3
28.5
38.2
54.9
50.6
32.1
43.3
59.5
57.1
33.8
49.3
44.2
61.0
56.1
33.9
51.9
Salmon, canned...........................
Milk, fresh....................................
Milk, evaporated (unsweetened).
B u tte r..?.......... ....................... 1.
Oleomargarine.............................
L b ..
22.3 29.3 31.8 30.6
21.4 25.4 28.1 27.8
Q t.. 8.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.0 13.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 12.1 14.0 14.0
14.7 14.4
13.9 13.0
C1)
L b.. 38.8 |32.0 53.1 49.9 68.1 72.3 33.2 30.7 45.2 45.2 64.5 62.9
L b ..
37.0 37.1
37.4 36.0
N ut margarine.............................
Cheese.................................... .
L ard.............................. ..............
Crisco............................................
Eggs, strictly fresh......................
L b ..
34.8 34.6
36.0 36.5
L b ..
32.0 33.0 38.9 40.5
29.7 33.5 40.5 40.0
L b.. 13.8 12.6 25.0 29.9 32.0 34.1 17.9 17.8 25.9 33.8 33.7 34.4
L b ..
32.8 33.3
32.5 34.6
Doz. 19.4 20.0 36.8 36.4 44.5 45.7 23.2 27.1 37.4 41.9 44.6 51.7
Bread............................................ Lb.» 5.6
Flour............................................ L b.. 2.9
Corn m eal................... ................ L b .. 2.1
Corn flakes.......... ......................... (3)
Cream of W heat........................... (<)
Rice.......................... ....................
Beans, navy.................................
Potatoes............ ..........................
Onions..... ....................................
L b ..
L b ..
L b.. 1.2
L b ..
Cabbage........................................ L b ..
Beans, baked............................... (6)
Corn, canned................................ (o)
Peas, canned................................ (6)
Tomatoes, canned....................... (6)
Sugar, granulated........................ L b .. 4.9
Tea................................................ L b..
Coffee............................................ L b ..
Prunes..........................................
Raisins.........................................
Bananas.......................................
Oranges.........................................
115-16-ounce can.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Lh
L b..
Doz.
Doz.
5.6
2.9
2.6
1.7
9.7 10.0 10.0
6.6 6.2 6.5
4.3 6.6 5.0
13.9
24.2
8.9
17.9
5.9
12.6
10.0 5.7
6.9 3.3
5.0 3.4
14.0
24.3
12.1 13.3 13.2
17.7 11.8 11.6
2.0 2.7 2.9
2.8 6.8 6.4
1.2
5.9
3.5
3.6
1.7
6.9 10.0 10.0 10.0
5.8 6.2 7.1 7.1
5.3 7.4 6.3 6.2
14.0 14.0
24.8 24.7
97
16 1
5.2
10.2
12 1
15 7
2.2
22
5.7 8.1
16.1 16.1
16.4 16.3
16.9 16.2
* Baked weight.
[16341
22.0
16.4
31.2
49.5
13.6 13.0
10.6 10.0
2.9
4.9
3.2
5.3
5.0
10.0
20.0 19.9
19.6 19.2
17.9 18.1
14.0 14.0
4.7 10.5 8.6 10.7 10.4 5.2
54.3 67.0 72.7 72.4
23.7 27.6 34.9 35 7
14.1 16.7 20.4
14.9 16.7 16.4
33.5
50.4
22.0
4.9
15.8 14.3
9.1 8.6 10.5 10.4
50 0 52 8 57.2 56.9
29 8 80 8 36.6 36.1
12.6 13.5 19.1
13.4 13.3 14.6
35.0
50.8
* 8-ounce package.
19.3
14.4
38.9
53.0
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
85
A PR . 15,1913,1914,1917, 1918, 1919, AND MAR. 15, 1919, FOR 19 CITIES—Concluded.
Seattle, Wash.
Washington, D. C.
Apr. 15—
Apr. 15—
Mar. 15, Apr. 15,
1919.
1919.
1913
1914
1917
1918
Cts.
22.6
20.6
18.6
15.6
11.7
Cts.
24.2
20.8
19.3
15.3
12.5
Cts.
24.6
23.6
22.4
17.4
14.0
Cts.
31.6
29.8
26.7
23.1
19.6
Cts.
38.0
36.3
32.0
27.1
22.4
24.4
31.3
30.0
20.4
24.0
24.2
32.5
30.0
19.3
25.5
31.4
41.0
37.0
26.8
28.0
38.8
54.6
47.8
33.7
8.6
8.6
21.7
10.0
28.8
12.5
40.0
33.2
48.3
49.6
17.7
16.5
30.0
26.6
31.0
33.0
25.0
25.8
36.9
44.1
5.5
3.0
3.0
5.7
2.9
3.1
9.7
5.7
4.6
.8
1.1
9.2
16.2
4.4
11.8
5.9
5.4
Mar. 15, Apr. 15,
1919.
1919.
1913
1914
1917
1918
Cts.
39.9
37.5
33.3
27.8
23.1
Cts.
27.3
24.1
22.0
17.4
11.7
Cts.
27.1
23.4
21.0
17.3
12.5
Cts.
32.4
30.3
26.9
22.7
17.8
Cts.
41.1
38.8
31.5
28.2
20.9
Cts.
49.9
47.4
40.2
34.2
23.5
Cts.
51.8
48.6
40.9
35.0
24.2
45.7
60.2
55.4
37.8
44.5
47.7
61.7
58.3
40.4
46.5
22.8
26.5
29.0
23.3
22.8
21.3
24.9
28.6
20.1
23.5
31.2
38.6
39.6
28.5
30.2
40.8
48.8
48.4
38.8
44.5
52.0
57.7
44.8
45 6
46.9
63.0
69.6
48.6
47.7
32.2
13.7
13.9
68.4
42.5
31.8
12.0
13.3
66.3
40.8
9.0
9.0
21.3
10.0
29.1
14.0
43.3
34.4
54.0
54.6
24 7
• 17.0
16.1
71.1
37 9
33 6
16.0
15.7
76.7
88.4
38.4
40.8
33.4
35.7
50.0
36.8
43.2
34.2
35.6
52.0
14.7
14.1
32.9
26.5
35.6
33.5
22.0
23.6
38.3
44.2
35 3
41 3
33.0
33 0
47.9
35.8
42.9
35.3
33.3
49.4
10.0
5.8
7.6
10.0
6.5
6.9
14.9
27.2
9.8
6.6
6.9
14.5
27.2
5.6
3.7
2.5
5.5
3.7
2.5
8.3
6.7
4.4
9.3
6.6
6.3
9.9
6.8
5.2
13 9
24.3
9.9
7.3
5.4
14.0
24.5
12.2
17.8
1.6
3.3
14.2
11.8
2.1
5.9
14.3
11.1
2.4
6.4
1.5
1.8
9.3
16.6
6.6
12.5
12.5
19.6
2.5
3.6
14.3
13.5
2.7
53
14.4
13.6
2.9
7.1
5.6
23.3
21.0
20.4
8.0
22.7
21.3
20.4
7.0
16.6
19.5
20.1
12.7
15-9
19.5
19.9
19.7
10.8
63.8
39.0
18.5
10.8
63.3
39.3
17.5
10.2
77.2
36.3
17.5
10.2
77.1
37.7
19.5
15.8
50.0
57.8
19.7
16.7
49.1
58.1
22.6
15.8
41.3
58.6
23.1
15.6
41.8
59.4
9.4
60.0
32.6
9.1
56.9
31.6
13.6
13.1
14.8
14.0
♦28-ounce package.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
4.9
4.8
9.0
56.7
28.8
8.8
66.9
29.4
14.5
13.3
17.5
16.6
* No. 2 can.
[1635]
86
MONTHLY. LABOR REVIEW,
R ETA IL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES
Bridgeport, Butte,Mont. Charleston, Cincinnati, Columbus,
Ohio.
Ohio.'
Conn.
Article.
Unit.
Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr.
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
1919. 1919. 1919. i l k 1919. i l k 19li>. 19là. 1919. 1919.
Lb
Lb
Lb
Lb
Lb
Cts.
51.2
49.2
39.5
33.1
21.9
Cts. Cts.
52.0 37.7
50.0 35.2
39.8 32.3
33.1 26.2
21.0 19.3
Cts. Cts.
38.3 39.7
35.7 39.5
31.4 34-1
26.3 28.2
19.7 22.1
Cts.
40.7
40.7
34.3
28.7
22.7
Cts.
36.1
34.5
30.0
25.2
23.0
Cts.
38.3
37.1
33.1
26.9
23.7
Cts.
38. .4
36.7
32.3
28.4
22.9
Cts.
40.0
38.8
35.6
30.6
23.7
Pork chops................................... Lb
Bacon, sliced................................ Lb
Ham^ sliced.................................. Lb
Lb
Hens.............................................. Lb
37.8
58.1
59.5
40.0
42.6
42.2
57.6
60.9
40.5
43.5
37.3
60.0
55.6
34.2
40.7
40.6
58.6
54.6
35.0
41.0
39.7
56.4
52.1
41.1
46.3
42.4
55.9
53.8
43.2
48.5
38.6
51.7
53.0*
36.4
43.3
40.2
52.6
53.9
37.1
45.4-
35.9
49.8
53.8
35.0
38.9
39.0
53.3
56.2
43.3
40.6
30.0
13.7
14.4
70.4
37.7
Sirloin steak.................................
Round steak................................
Rib roast.......................................
Chuck roast..................................
Plate beef....... .............................
Salmon, canned...........................
Milk, fresh....................................
Milk, evaporated (unsweetened).
B u tter...........................................
Oleomargarine.............................
Lb
Qt.
«
Lb
Lb
37.7 37.6
16.0 15.0
15.9 15.4
63.8 70.9
37.3 38.2
43.2
15.5
15.4
64.6
44.0
40.8
15.5
15.1
71.3
45.0
30.1
20.3
15.1
66.1
40.9
30.1 29.2
20.3 14.0
15.0 14.1
74.1 65.9
41.0 37.4
29.2
14.0
14.2
71.4
38.2
30.9
13.7
15.1
70.0
37.5
Nut margarine.............................
Cheese...........................................
L ard..............................................
Crisco...........................................
Eggs, strictly fresh......................
Lb
Lb
Lb
Lb
Doz..
36.2 35.8 42.0
42.6 42.8 41.3
33.3 35.6 33.3
33.5 33.2 36.4
62.2 59.4 55.8
42.0
41.5
36.4
36.3
52.0
39.7
39.9
33.9
34.0
50.9
40.6
43.6
34-6
33.5
49.9
34.1
40.0
30.8
31.8
42.5
35.1
40.6
33.6
32.0
44.4
35.1 34.9
39.8 40.8
31.3 34.3
32.3 32.7
41.0 42.8
Bread............................................ Lb.2.. 10.0
Flour............................................ Lb
6.6
Corn meal..................................... Lb
7.1
Corn flakes...............................y..
13.9
Cream of W heat.......................... ?
24.1
10.0
7.1
6.8
13.9
24.1
10.6
6.9
7.8
14.4
29.2
9.9 10.0
7.0 7.3
4.9
7.4
14.6 15.0
29.7 25.0
10.0
7.5
5.0
14-9
25.0
9.9
6.7
4.9
13.8
24.7
9.9
7.2
5.0
13.8
24.9
9.6
6.5
5.7
14.3
26.0
9.6
6.8
5.7
14.2
25.0
Rice..............................................
Beans, n av y .................................
Potatoes........................................
Onions................... ......................
Lb
Lb
Lb
Lb
13.9
13.7
2.9
5.2
14.0
12.4
3.2
6.7
12.9
11.7
1.9
4.4
13.2
11.7
1.8
5.0
12.3
14.4
3.6
6.7
12.0
14.1
4.0
8.7
13.6
11.3
3.0
5.2
13.4
11.0
3.2
5.8
12.9
11.0
2.6
5.8
12.8
10.5
2.8
8.3
Cabbage........................................ Lb
Beans, baked...............................
(5
Corn, canned................................
(5
Peas, canned................................
(6
Tomatoes, canned........................ (6
Sugar, granulated........................ Lb
Tea................................................ Lb
Cofitee............ ............................... Lb
6.1
17.5
21.7
21.0
12.3
16.8
21.0
20.7
6.4
22.1
19.3
19.0
6.2
23.9
19.3
18.5
6.1
17.0
21.8
22.8
9.4
15.6
21.5
21.3
4.4
16.0
17.4
17.2
9.4
15.7
17.6
17.1
5.4
17.4
16.1
16.1
9.5
16.4
16.0
16.7
18.1
10.4
65.6
36.2
18.6
10.2
63.3
38.5
18.5 18.3
11.9 12.0
77.0 76.3
49.2 49.3
15.4
10.6
75.0
38.2
15.9
10.6
75.5
38.9
14.8
10.5
70.8
35.0
14.7
10.3
74.8
36.5
14.4
10.7
80.8
38.4
14.2
10.6
81.4
39.5
Prunes..........................................
Raisins.........................................
Bananas.......................................
Oranges.........................................
22.8
16.5
36.7
53.7
24.5 19.2
10.4 16.0
38.9 46.7
57.3 47.5
23.0
16.8
40.0
57.1
23.2
16.4
40.0
57.2
20.6
16.9
35.0
49.8
21.8 20.9
16.6 15.0
34.7 38.2
52.3 49.5
21.5
15.7
38.2
54.5
15-16-ounce-can.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Lb
Lb
Doz..
Doz..
*Raked weight.
[1636]
20.3
16.6
48.9
52.2
‘S-ounce package.
87
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
OF FOOD FOR 31 CITIES ON MAR. 15 AND APR. 15,1919.
Dallas, Tex.
Fall River, Mass. Houston, Tex.
Indianapolis,
Ind.
Jacksonville,
Fla.
Kansas City,
Mo.
Mai, 15, Aar. 15. Mar. 15, Apr. 15, Mar. 15, Apr. 15, Mar. 15, Apr. 15. Mar. 15, Apr. 15. Mar. 15, Apr. 15,
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
Cts.
44.8
43.8
36.6
33.5
28.1
Cts.
42.2
41.6
35.0
31.8
27.3
Cts.
59.8
50.1
37.2
31.3
Cts.
68.9
48.8
36.2
30.3
a s.
39.5
39.3
33.2
30.0
26.2
Cts.
40.0
39.7
32.0
28.7
24.8
Cts.
38.3
37.8
28.6
26.8
21.0
Cts.
39.8
39.4
29.7
27.9
22.2
Cts.
42.5
40.0
33.6
27.8
21. 3
Cts.
42.7
39.3
33.2
28.1
22.1
a s.
39.2
36.2
29.1
25.3
20 0
Cts.
40.2
37.8
30.4
25.9
40.5
60.0
57.5
41.0
36.2
41.0
62.1
56.4
46.7
37.7
36.4
51.6
53.9
39.6
44.1
40.1
51.7
53.9
40.5
44.3
38.6
62.4
52.2
40.0
47.5
39.0
65.5
51.7
38.8
43.5
37.8
54.3
56.4
45.0
36.3
40.7
54.5
57.4
44.6
88.0
38.3
56.2
54.7
36.3
42.4
39.7
56.2
55.3
37.2
40.9
35.3
54.0
53.1
34.3
35.5
38.1
58.7
54.1
35.2
40.0
31.7
20.0
16.2
64.5
35.3
31.8
18.0
15.7
68.2
36.5
30.5
16.0
15.8
62.6
38.7
30.2
15.3
15.3
71.3
39.7
29.6
18.7
15.9
64.2
39.1
29.6
18.4
15.6
68.7
39.9
26.7
12.7
15.1
65.4
39.8
26.9
12.5
14.9
68.8
38.9
29.5
18.0
15.4
67.0
40.3
32.8
18.0
15.4
76.4
40.9
31.4
15.0
15.8
65.1
37.4
31.9
15.0
15.3
69.2
37.1
36.9
40.5
35.5
32.9
40.3
36.3
42.4
36.0
33.3
44.5
36.6
41.9
33.2
33.0
62.2
36.7
42.4
35.6
32.7
60.5
37.2
39.5
31.9
33.9
39.6
37.4
40.7
32. r
34.9
44.3
35.4
41.5
32.9
34.1
42.3
34.9
42.5
35.5
33.8
44.0
36.3
39.9
33.4
32.8
46.8
37.6
42.6
34.9
32.6
48.4
35.2
41.1
35.2
35.0
45.9
34.9
42.2
37.0
35.6
45.0
10.0
7.0
6.5
15.0
25.2
10.0
7.8
6.5
14.9
25.4
10.0
7.0
7.8
14.4
25.2
10.0
7.4
8.4
14.2
25.5
8.9
7.1
5.6
14.1
24.7
8.9
7.4
5.8
13.9
24.7
9.5
6.8
5.2
14.6
25.9
9.5
7.1
5.2
14.5
25.6
10.0
7.1
5.1
14.6
25.3
10.0
7.3
5.1
14.6
25.5
10.0
6.4
6.0
14.8
25.0
10.0
6.0
6.5
15.0
24.6
13.0
13.6
3.0
7.5
12.7
13.2
3.6
7.7
13.4
13.1
3.0
6.2
13.4
12.2
3.0
7.3
11.8
13.2
3. 4 1
6.1
11.8
12.0
3.5
8.0
14.0
11.0
2.6
6.5
13.6
11.2
2.9
6.9
12.0
14.5
3.4
6.7
12.6
13.4 1
4.3
8.8
13.1
13.0
2.7
8.9
13.0
13.0
2.9
9.2
5.6
20.4
19.5
19.3
7.7
20.3
19.8
20.0
6.8
18.2
21.6
20.0
13.1
17.2
20.1
19.6
3.7
19.3
18.3
19.1
6.0
18.3
17.7
18.8
4.7
19.6
18.9
18.3
10.1
18.2
18.3
18.1
4.8
18.5
21.2
20.2
5.9
18.2
21.3
20.1
5.3
17.2
17.3
17.8
9.6
16.4
17.3
18.3
16.1
11.2
78.0
40.7
15.1
11.3
81.4
42.0
17.4
10.6
62.0
38.1
15.6
10.6
59.2
38.2
14.1
10.8
64.4
33.5
12.8
10.8
61.3
34.1
16.2
11.0
83.6
39.3
15.8
11.0
83.3
39.3
14.5
10.5
82.9
39.9
14.9
10.6
83.2
42.7
16.2
11.1
77.2
38.6
16.1
11.1
80.5
39.0
21.8
16.8
36.3
47.2
22.1
16.8
36.3
51.6
20.1
16.2
35.8
53.0
20.9
16.3
37.7
55.0
20.6
16.5
32.5
48.7
21.8
16.4
33.0
52.0
19.7
20.6
29.4
48.3
22.7
18.3
29.0
48.9
21.3
17.4
37.5
47.1
22.2
17.7
37.9
55.8
19.0
19.3
41.3
55.6
19.6
17.8
41.7
57.3
*28-oimce package.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
6 No. 2 can.
£1637]
88
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R E T A IL PRICES OF TH E PRIN C IPA L ARTICLES OF
Little Rock, Louisville, Manchester,
Ark.
N. H.
Ky.
Memphis, Minneapolis
Tenn.
Minn.
Article.
Unit.
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
41.8 43.1
38.8 39.6
34.6 35.8
29.1 29.4
25.0 24.8
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
Sirloin steak.................................
Round steak.................................
Rib roast.......................................
Chuck r o a s t................................
Plate beef.....................................
38.5 55. 4
37.2 49.9
32.1 33.0
28.5 30.4
23.8
55.3
51.0
34.8
31.1
40.4
37.9
31.9
27.8
23.5
42.5 35.2
39.6 33.0
33.8 29.3
29.1 24.3
24.5 18. 9
37.2
34.4
31.2
26.0
19. 9
Pork chops....................................
Bacon, sliced................................
Ham, sliced..................................
Lamb............................................
Hens..............................................
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
38.1 42.1 35.1 38.8 36.1
59.2 59.6 56.3 56.2 50.1
53.6 53.1 53.3 55.7 48.7
42.5 43.8 36.4 40.0 38.5
34.7 36.9 44.0 42.6 43.4
40.3
52.2
52.7
40.9
44.6
37.1 39.8 35.2
58.4 60.0 57.4
52.3 55.4 53.6
36.7 42.5 33.4
36.0 38.5 35.1
38.1
58.8
56.3
35.3
36.6
Salmon, canned...........................
Milk, fresh....................................
Milk, evaporated (unsweetened).
B u tter...........................................
Oleomargarine..............................
L b ... 30.1 30.8 29.7 29.3 31.1 31.5
Q t ... 18.5 16.0 15.0 15.0 15.0 15.Q
(') 15.8 15.8 15.0 14.7 16.9 16.2
L b ... 65.5 70.8 68.3 73.4 68.1 75.2
L b ... 39.3 39.9 40.3 39.7 38.6 38.2
34.6
18.0
16.3
68.7
41.2
33.7 37.2
18.0 13.0
16.0 15.3
73.9 62.2
41.8 37.1
36.7
13.0
15.3
66.2
37.3
Nut margarine.............................
Cheese............................................
L ard..............................................
Criseo............................................
Eggs, strictly fresh......................
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
Doz..
34.2 34.8
40.1 40.2
32.9 35.5
33.7 33.5
60.7 59.6
39.4
39.3
34.5
32.9
43.6
39.8
40.8
36.3
33.2
44.8
32.1
36.8
32.3
33.7
42.7
31.9
39.4
35.8
33.4
45.0
Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr.
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
1919. m b. 191Ò. 1919. 1919. 1919. 1919. 19lk 1919. 1919.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
38.0
37.0
31.8
27.5
23.2
C ts .
38.8 39.0 35.7 35.6
41.7 43.1 40.0 40.5
33.6 35.0 32.4 34.9
33.2 34.4 33.3 33.5
41.5 42.9 41.9 43.3
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
Bread............................................ Lb. ». 10.0 10.0
Flour............................................. L b ... 7.1
7.3
Corn meal..................................... L b ... 5.1
5.5
Corn flakes.................................... (3)
15.0 14.8
Cream of W heat.......................... (4) 25.0 25.0
9.8
6.8
5.0
13.5
25.2
10.0
7.4
5.3
13.4
25.3
9.3
6.8
7.3
15.0
25.2
9.3
7.2
7.1
15.0
24.9
10.0
7.2
5.1
14.3
24.6
10.0
7.4
5.4
14.3
24.5
9.2
6.4
5.3
14.2
25.2
9.2
6.9
5.7
14.2
25.2
Rice...............................................
Beans, navy................................
Potatoes........................................
Onions...........................................
L b ... 12.9
L b ... 13.3
L b ... 3.1
L b ... 6.5
12.5
13.2
3.4
9.1
13.0
13.0
2.3
6.4
13.2
12.1
2.5
8.0
13.3
12.5
2.5
5.4
13.1
11.7
2.8
6.7
12.4
13.4
2.9
7.2
12.2
12.9
3.2
7.9
13.7
9.8
2.3
4.6
13.6
9.8
2.6
6.1
Cabbage..................... ................. L b ... 1 . 0
Beans, baked...............................
19.1
(s)
Corn, canned................................
19.4
(”j
Peas, canned................................
20.8
(6)
9.1
18.3
18.2
18.8
6.1
16.3
18.6
18.7
9.2
4.3
16.0 18.8
17.6 21.9
18.1 21.0
8.2
19.0
22.1
20.4
4.8
19.2
18.8
17.9
8.1
18.6
18.5
18.0
3.7
20.0
16.6
17.1
6.7
19.1
16.7
16.9
Tomatoes, canned........................ (5)
Sugar, granulated........................ L b ...
Tea................................................ L b ...
Coffee............................................ L b ...
15.0 15.4 15.4
11.1 10.7 10.7
85.0 79.8 77.6
44.8 37.3 37.8
Prunes........................ ..................
Raisins..........................................
Bananas........................................
Oranges.........................................
l 15 -16-ounce can.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
15.7
11.1
86.4
42.1
L b ... 17.5
L b ... 18.8
D oz.. 35.6
D oz.. 57.3
21.5
10.7
63.1
41.2
20.0 15.2 15.5
10.6 10.8 10.9
60.7 83.7 85.3
41.5 39.2 39.2
19.6 21.0 22.3 20.2 21.7 22.5
18.0 16.4 16.5 16.2 16.6 16.7
37.5 37.1 37.3 34.5 35.8 35.0
56.4 48.1 50.9 51.8 55.3 51.1
* Baked weight.
I1 G 3 8 ]
16.4 16.3
10.9 10.9
61.0 63.1
40.4 39.4
24.0 21.8
17.4 15.8
36.5 39.3
54.9 53.4
* 8-ounce package.
22.6
15.8
40.6
57.8
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
89
FOOD FOR 81 C IT IE S ON MAR. 15 A N D A P R . 15, 1919—Continued.
Mobile, Ala.
Newark, N .
J.
New Haven, Conn.
Norfolk, Va.
Omaha, Nebr.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Apr. 15,
1919.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Apr. 15,
1919.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Apr. 15,
1919.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Apr. 15,
1919.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Apr. 15,
1919.
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
C ts .
35.7
35.4
31.2
27.1
24.5
87.9
36.9
32.5
27.9
24.6
48.1
48.3
40.5
33.4
25.1
48.1
48.8
39.3
83.2
23.6
55.5
49.7
38.8
33.3
55.6
60.5
39.8
35.5
47.9
43.2
88.9
84.0
21.8
48.0
42.4
38.0
31.9
24.0
38.6
36.5
30.3
26.3
19.1
43.0
40.4
82.6
28.8
20.0
41.8
61.1
54.0
37.8
43.6
45.0
63.0
55.4
37.9
44.0
39.7
49.7
55.0
42.8
42.8
43.0
48.9
55.0
41.8
43-3
37.4
56.8
58.2
41.1
42-9
40.4
56.4
59.3
41.7
44.6
39.1
55.7
42.0
44.3
45.8
40.8
52.8
60.0
46.1
47.4
36.1
58.8
55.9
34.9
37.1
38.5
60.0
58-9
40.0
40.3
31.0
18.3
16.2
68.7
41.1
31.0
18.3
15.8
74.1
42.1
36.4
15.5
14.3
69.5
39.4
33.9
15.7
13.9
74.1
39.1
85.9
16.0
15.3
63.5
38.7
33.5
14.4
15.1
72.3
40.4
34.2
21.5
15.0
67.1
43-3
32.1
22.7
15.2
75.4
43.5
81.9
13.8
16.8
64.9
40.1
32.2
13.5
16.1
70.6
40.4
37.0
40.2
34.0
33.5
43.4
37.0
41.8
35.4
84.3
47.7
35.8
44.2
33.5'
31.4
58.6
34.7
43.8
35.2
31.1
67.3
36.5
42.3
33.7
34.0
60.7
35.8
41.9
35.7
33.3
58.9
38.0
40.6
35.1
83.9
46.5
39-0
43.3
36.5
34.3
48.7
36.0
38.8
35.1
32.9
45.3
36.2
41.2
37.2
83.9
45.3
9.7
7.2
5.5
14.7
25.3
9.6
7.4
5.7
14.6
25.3
9.9
6.9
7.0
12.6
23.8
9.8
7.3
7.1
12.5
23.4
10.0
6.4
7.4
14.0
24.6
10.0
7.1
7.2
13.8
24.4
9.9
6.9
5-9
14.3
25.3
9.9
7.2
5.9
14.6
25.7
10.0
6.3
5.6
14.9
25.2
10.0
6.8
5.8
14.9
25.7
12.8
13.9
3.8
6.0
12.5
13.7
4.1
7.4
13.6
13.1
3.6
6.2
13.7
12.6
3.6
7.1
14.1
14.6
2.8
6.3
13.8
13.6
8.1
7.1
14.8
12.1
3.0
7.2
14.8
12.7
3.3
8.5
139
13.3
2.5
6.4
14.0
12.9
2.7
7.3
5.2
18.9
19.0
19.1
7.0
18.6
19.3
19.5
5.6
15.7
19.7
19.5
11.3
15.2
20.1
18.6
5.7
18.7
21.7
21.9
11.6
18.2
21.6
21.1
6.5
14.8
24.6
23.3
10.2
15.1
21.8
22.5
5.5
21.5
17.2
18.1
8.2
21.1
17.4
17.9
15.6
10.8
73.6
34.9
15.3
10.9
77.1
36.7
15.1
10.0
57.7
35.4
14.8
10.0
66.4
35.1
18.1
10.1
65.5
39.1
16.5
10.2
63.8
38.8
15.5
10.3
86.3
40.9
15.6
10.4
83.9
40.3
17.4
10.9
75-9
40.3
17.5
10.8
76.8
40.6
20.3
19.4
30.0
54.7
21.1
18.0
29.4
55.0
22.2
15.5
39.0
60.8
23.2
15.4
40.5
59-8
24.4
16.5
35.6
68.9
23.9
16.0
35.0
56.9
22.7
16.3
38.6
70.0
22.5
17.1
39.1
60.5
20.7
17.1
36.3
52.4
22.5
17.1
40.0
66.8
<23-ounce package.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
&No. 2 can.
11639]
90
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R E TA IL PR IC ES OF TH E PR IN C IPA L ARTICLES OF
Peoria, 111.
Article.
Portland,
Me.
Portland, Providence, Richmond,
Oreg.
R. I.
Va.
Unit.
Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr. Mar.
m b.
1919.
A
A .
A
x
Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr.
15,
15,
15,
1919. 1-919. 1919. 19lk 1919.
as.
as.
C ls .
C ts.
as.
C ts.
C ts.
as.
C ts,
as.
Sirloin steak....................................
Round steak..................................
Rib roast................
Chuck roast...................................
PTiit.p, hoof . . . _____. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
Lb ..
36.3
35.3
27.8
25.9
20. 4
38.6
37.6
30.1
26.7
21.3
61.1
63.0
35.1
30.2
64.0
53.7
35.2
30.5
35.2
33.1
31.6
25.4
20.4
35.2
33.7
31.7
23.6
21.3
65.5
53.3
42.3
3Ô.3
66.7 44.8
54.1 41.8
43.5 35.7
37.8 -31.4
25.0
41.8
36.7
32.3
24.8
Pork chops............. .........................
Bacon, sliced ................... ..............
Ham, sliced...... ............................'«
Lamb................................... ............
H ens......................... .......................
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
35.5
66.8
55.0
37.0
38.4
38.5 37.6
58.1 52.1
56.5 : 54.2
40.3 38.2
39.8 44.8
41.1
62.4
54.7
39.5
45.5
41.2
58.1
55.4
38.7
41.8
43.4
58.8
54.7
38.7
45.0
39.0
52.1
60.3
43.5
44.5
42.4
52.7
60.0
44.6
45.1
37.6
50.7
49.6
42.1
42.6
41.7
49.2
50.6
43.8
46.4
Salmon, canned..............................
Milk, fresh........................................
Milk, evaporated (tms weetened).
B utter.............................. ...............
Oleomargarine................— ..........
L b ...
Q t ...
ft
L b ...
L b ...
30.3
11.9
16.0
64.8
39.6
30.7
11.9
15.3
68.4
39.9
29.3
16.0
15.8
66.8
39.2
29.3
15.3
15.4
73.6
39.5
36.1
14.7
15.0
68.3
40.7
36.4
14.6
15.0
65.8
38.8
35.6
16.5
15.9
64.7
36.6
34.6
15.5
15.4
73.0
36.8
28.2
16.0
15.3
68.5
39.8
25.8
15.7
15.7
76.6
40.3
N ut margarine_______ ________
Cheese..............................................
Lard.................................................
Criseo................................... ............
Eggs, strictly fresh____ ___ ____
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
L b ...
D o z ..
35.9
40.9
34.3
33.6
44.1
36.1
42.7
30.0
34.4
44.2
35.4
42.0
34.9
33.6
59.1
35.6
43.7
37.2
34.2
55.9
36.5
40.2
34.5
35.2
50.1
35.4
43.9
35.2
34.6
45.9
33.8
41.9
34.4
33.8
60.5
33.5
42.1
36.0
32.8
59.0
37.3
41.4
33.7
33.8
45.2
36.8
42.3
34.3
34.5
46.2
Pb « in n
Flour............................................... L b ... 7.0
Corn meal........................ ................ L b ... 5.9
Corn flakes.......................... . .v . . . .
14.9
ft
Cream of W h ea t. . . . ....................
26.4
ft
in n
7 '. 4
in n
in n
7 '. 2
9 9
14.7
28.2
10 0
7.0
5.8
14.2
24.6
m n
T. 6
5.9
13.7
24.5
6.8
7.2
5.7
5.4
14.6 14.6
24.8. 25.2
R ice...................................................
Beans, n a v y ..... ...............................
Potatoes.............................. ............
Onions..............................................
4 4 .1
6.2
6.5
6.0
14.9
26.5
14.1
24.6
14.1
24.6
9
6.5
7.4
14.6
28.2
L b ... 14.0
L b ... 13.0
L b ... 2.5
L b ... 6.7
14.2
12.4
2.7
8.0
13.9
13.3
2.5
6.4
13.6
11.8
2.9
7.1
13.6
11.1
2.0
4.9
18.6
10.9
2.2
4.9
13.5
12.1
2.8
5.9
13.3
11.8
3.0
6.6
14.7
14.3
2.8
6.8
14.7
13.8
2.8
7.5
Cabbage ........ .. ......... ........... ................ L b ... 6.1
Beans, Baked ...... .............. ............... (5)
19.0
(*)
Com, canned...................... ............
17.0
(5)
Peas, canned ........................ .. ..............
18.9
9.6
20.0
17.2
18 7
3.1
22.0
21.9
20 4.
5.9
22.3
21.3
20 7
4.7
24.4
22.3
21 7
6.4
23.8
21.0
21. ft
5.4
18.4
19.9
19.9
10.8
16.8
20.0
2n 1
6.5
16.7
19.2
21 2
11.0
15.2
18.9
21 5
Tomatoes, canned ............ ................
16.3
Sugar, granulated........ ... ............. Lfbt ... 11.1
T ea.................................................... L b ... 71.8
Coffee............... ................................ L b ... 35.9
16.0
11.0
70.0
37.0
21.7
10 .4
20.3
10.3
20.3
10.8
63.8
39.7
61.1
39.7
18.7
10.8
61.0
41.0
18.0
10.5
63.4
41.2
15.9
10.5
61.7
43.9
18.5
10.8
80.1
36.2
17 r
10.9
63.6
38.3
81.8
38.3
Prunes..............................................
R a i s i n s . . . . . . . . . ............. ..............
B ananas......................— .............
Oranges............................ ................
25.3
16.5
10.1
57.4
20.5
15.3
37.5
61.3
20.8
15.1
38.5
64.3
16.2
15.3
45.0
57.5
16.0
15.2
42.1
59.6
21.4
15.6
38.0
59.3
23.9
15.4
43.3
62.2
19.3
16.2
41.8
57.1
22.1
16.0
40.9
56.3
1 15-16-ounce can,
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
L b ...
L b ...
D oz..
D o z ..
22.6
17.6
10.0
48.2
* Baked weight.
£16401
6.4
Q
6.3
7.3
* 8-ounce package.
.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
91
FOOD FOR 31 CITIES ON MAR. 15 A N D A PR . 15,1919—Concluded.
Rochester, N . Y .
St. Pau 1, Minn.
Salt Lake City,
Utah.
Scranton, P a.
Springfield, 111.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Apr. 15,
1919.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Apr. 15,
1919.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Apr. 15,
1919.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Apr. 15,
1919.
Mar. 15,
1919.
Cts.
CU.
Cts.
CU.
CU.
CU.
CU.
CU.
CU.
39.5
37.5
32.7
30.1
22.3
40.4
38.6
33.5
30.7
23.3
36.9
33.5
31.8
26.7
19.2
40.3
35.5
35.2
29.6
20.6
Apr. 15,
1919.
36.8
34.3
29.7
26.1
20.1
36.5
33.9
28.8
25.4
20.5
47.6
43.2
38.2
32.5
22.8
48.2
43.5
38.9
32.7
22.4
35.7
35.0
29.5
26.0
22.1
37.3
37.3
30.4
27.2
22.2
38.3
48.6
51.9
36.8
44.3
40.4
47.3
52.6
41.3
46.0
35.4
53.9
52.9
32.0
36.3
39.0
56.1
54.7
37.2
37.3
39.5
59.5
53.5
32.6
36.6
40.4
58.8
53.8
33.0
37.5
39.4
57.3
55.0
42.2
45.3
43.9
58.6
56.7
45.7
45.1
35.9
53.3
49.7
35.0
35.7
39.1
53.2
51.7
39.7
38.5
30.4
13.5
15.2
65.5
40.9
30.7
13.0
15.2
72.2
39.9
31.5
13.0
14.9
63.0
38.1
31.2
12.0
15.0
67.3
38.2 '
33.3
12.5
14.9
66.3
40.0
32.1
12.5
14.8
69.1
40.0
32.9
14.0
15.4
62.1
38.4
34.2
13.0
14.8
70.5
39.4
32.5
14.3
17.3
66.9
39.7
31.5
14.3
16.5
71.5
40.7
33.9
40.8
32.8
32,8
51.6
33.3
41.1
33.6
32.2
48.1
33.1
36.9
34.0
34.1
42.1
33.2
38.4
35.6
34.6
45.7
39.4
37.3
34.6
36.2
48.8
40.0
39.1
37.2
37.7
45.8
36.0
40.3
33.4
33.8
51.9
36.8
42.3
85.8
33.7
50.8
36.2
40.9
33.5
35.0
46.4
36.1
42.8
36.3
35.3
43.7
9.9
6.6
6.4
13.7
24.4
9.9
7.1
6.4
13.6
24.7
8.8
6.5
5.8
14.9
25.4
8.8
6.9
5.9
14.5
25.3
10.0
5.6
7.4
14.8
26.0
10.0
5.8
7.7
14.5
26.3
10.0
6.9
6.8
14.0
24.8
10.0
7.4
7.9
13.8
24.9
10.0
6.6
6.1
14.7
26.4
10.0
7.2
6 3
14 9
26.5
14.0
12.1
2.4
5.7
13.4
11.5
2.6
5.9
13.5
10.5
2.1
4.6
13.6
10.0
2.3
4.9
13.0
12.7
2.0
5.0
13.0
12.7
2.1
6.7
13.1
14.5
2.6
5.5
13.3
13.9
2.6
6.8
13.4
12.8
2.7
6.4
13 8
12.3
2 8
6.8
4.0
16.2
20.7
19.3
5.2
15.2
19.9
18.8
4.4
19.8
17.6
16.7
8.3
19.8
17.2
16.1
5.5
17.9
18.0
18.0
7.2
17.5
18.0
18.3
4.1
16.2
19.6
17.8
9.6
16.9
19.9
18.8
4.8
19.1
16.7
17.4
9 fi
19 7
16 3
17.0
18.6
10.3
60.8
34.9
15.9
10.2
60.8
35.5
16.5
11.1
59.5
36.3
16.4
11.1
60.7
38.3
16.6
11.1
68.0
42.5
16.6
11.1
68.9
46.1
17.8
10.3
64.2
35.8
16.8
10.4
65.3
38.0
17.3
10.9
81.1
37.0
16 7
11 0
80 Q
38.6
20.8
15.2
40.5
53.1
21.6
15.0
40.5
55.6
21.0
15.6
50.0
51.4
21.6
15.7
50.0
54.1
18.6
15.2
44.3
48.8
18.7
15.4
44.2
55.4
19.4
14.8
34.1
49.5
19.8
14.8
35.0
53.9
19.8
18.0
40.0
52.0
19 8
17 9
37 5
55.8
« 29-ounce package.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
* No. 2 can.
[16411
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
92
PRICES OF GAS FOR HOUSEHOLD USE IN THE UNITED STATES.
Prices of gas for household use on April 15 of each year, 1913 to
1919, inclusive, are given in the table following.
The prices given are per 1,000 cubic feet and are the net rates
charged for gas for household use as distinguished from use by manu
facturing plants and industrial establishments. Where a sliding
scale of prices, based on amount consumed, was reported, the price
for the smallest quantity has been quoted. Prices are in most cases
for manufactured gas, but natural gas has also been quoted where
that is in general use.
Prices are shown for manufactured gas in 44 cities. Twenty-four
companies, representing 20 cities, show an increase in price on April
15, 1919, as compared with April 15, 1918. Thirty companies,
representing 22 cities, show no change in price. One company
shows a decline in the price per 1,000 cubic feet. In Portland, Oreg.,
the price of gas decreased $0.051.
Prices for natural gas in 9 cities are also given. Buffalo, Cleve
land, Little Kock, and one company in Pittsburgh show an increase
of $0.05. Another company in Pittsburgh shows* an increase of
$0.075. In Kansas City the price of natural gas increased $0.20.
Prices for manufactured and natural gas, mixed, are given for Los
Angeles, Calif., on April of each year, 1915 to 1919, inclusive. There
has been an increase of $0.07 since 1918.
NET PRICE P E R 1,000 CUBIC F E E T OF GAS FOR HOUSEHOLD USE ON APR. 15 OF EACH
YEAR, 1913 TO 1919, BY CITIES AND COMPANIES.
M a n u fa c tu re d g a s.
Apr. 15,
1917.
Apr. 15,
1918.
Apr. 15,
1913.
Apr. 15,
1914.
Apr. 15,
1915.
Apr. 15,
1916.
Atlanta, Ga.................................
Baltimore, Md............................
Birmingham, Ala.......................
Boston, Mass.:
Company A ..........................
Company 11
.................
Company C...........................
$1.00
.90
1.00
$1.00
.80
.95
$1.00
.80
.95
$1.00
.75
.95
.80
.80
.85
.85
.80
.80
.80
Buffalo, N .Y ..............................
Bnttp Mont
____________
Charleston, S. C..........................
Chicago, 111..................................
Cleveland, Ohio..........................
Denver, Colo...............................
Detroit, Mich., Company B .......
Fall River, Mass.........................
1.00
1.00
1.10
.80
.80
.85
.75
.80
1.10
.80
.80
.80
.75
.80
1.00
1.50
1.10
.80
.80
.80
.75
.80
.80
.80
.80
1.00
1.00
1.50
1.10
.80
.80
.80
.75
.80
.80
.80
.80
1.00
1.00
1.485
1.00
.80
.80
.80
.75
.80
Indianapolis, Ind.,Company B.
Jacksonville, F la ........................
Los Angeles, Calif.:
.60
1.20
.55
1.20
.55
1.15
.55
1.15
.55
1.15
Manchester, N. H ........................
Memphis, T enn..........................
Milwaukee, W is..........................
^Minneapolis,Minn,Company A.
.75
.75
.75
1.10
1.00
.75
.85
.70
.70
.70
1.10
1.00
.75
.80
1.00
1.00
.75
.80
1.00
1.00
.75
.77
1.00
1.00
.75
.77
Newark, N. J ..............................
New Haven, Conn......................
New Orleans, L a ........................
1.00
.90
1.10
.90
.90
1.00
.90
.90
1.00 1
.90
.90
1.00
.90
.90
1.00 1
City and company.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1642]
$1.00
.75
.95
$1.00
.75
.95
Apr. 15,
1919.
$1.00
.75
.95
.90
.85
.80
1.00
1.00
1.485
1.10
. 755
.80
.85
.75
.95
1.00
.55
1. 25
1.00
1.10
.95
1.10
1.45
1.485
1.10
.88
.80
.95
.79
.95
1.00
.60
1.25
1.00
1.00
.75
. 77
1.10
.97
1.00
1.00
1.10
1.00
.75
. 95
1.35
.97
1.10
1.30
93
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
NET PRICE P E R 1,000 CUBIC F E E T OF GAS FOR HOUSEHOLD USE ON APR. 15 OF EACH
YEAR, 1913 TO 1919, BY CITIES AND COMPANIES—Concluded.
M a n u f a c t u r e d g a s —Concluded.
City and company.
New York, N. Y.:
Company A ..........................
Company B ..........................
Company C...........................
Company D ..........................
Company E ..........................
Company F ..........................
Company G ..........................
Company H ..........................
Company I ...........................
Company J ...........................
Norfolk, V a .................................
Omaha,'Nebr..............................
Peoria, 111....................................
Philadelphia, Pa., Company B .
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Company A ..........................
Company B ______ ______
Portland, Me...............................
Portland", Oreg...........................
Providence, R. I .........................
Richmond, Va.............................
Rochester, N. Y ..........................
St. Louis, Mo...............................
St. Paul, Minn............................
Salt Lake City, Utah:
Illuminating ......................
Cooking and heating............
San Francisco, Calif...................
Scranton, Pa.:
Company A ..........................
Company B ..........................
Seattle, W ash.............................
Springfield, 111.............................
Washington. D. C.:
Company A ..........................
Company B ..........................
Apr. 15,
1913.
Apr. 15,
1914.
Apr. 15,
1915.
Apr. 15,
1916.
Apr. 15,
1917.
Apr. 15,
1918.
50.80
.80
.80
1.00
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
$0.80
.80
1.00
.95
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
$0.80
.80
$0.80
.80
$0.80
.80
$0.80
.80
.95
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.95
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
$0.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
1.15
1.15
1.15
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
1.20
1.15
.85
1.00
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
.80
1.20
1.15
.85
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
.95
.85
.90
.95
.85
.90
.886
.85
.90
.95
.85
.80
.80
.95
.80
.90
.80
.90
.80
.85
1.00
1.00
1.00
.83
1.00
.80
.95
.75
.85
11.30
1.90
.75
11.30
1 .90
.85
1 1.30
1 .90
.85
1.90
.85
1 .90
.85
1 .90
.85
»1.10
.90
.95
1.20
1.00
.95
1.20
1.00
.95
1.20
1.00
1.00
.95
1.20
1.00
1.00
.95
1.20
1.00
1.00
1.15
1.15
1.25
1.00
1.30
1.30
1.25
1.10
1.00
.85
.85
1.00
.85
1.00
.85
1.00
.75
.85
.90
.90
. 95
. 95
$0.30
.30
.30
$0.30
.30
.30
$0.30
.35
.30
$0. 35
.35
.35
.886
.85
.80
.95
.75
.85
Apr. 15,
1919.
1.40
.779
1.30
1.00
.95
.75
.85
N a tu r a l g a s.
Buffalo, N. Y ..............................
Cincinnati, Ohio.........................
Cleveland, Ohio..........................
Columbus, Ohio:
Company A ....__........... ......
Compnn y B ___, ________ _
Dallas, T ex /................................
Kansas City, Mo.........................
Little Rock, A rk........................
JjOllisvillo, Kv.............................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
$0. 30
.30
.30
$0. 30
.30
.30
$0.30
.30
.30
.45
.27
.40
.45
.27
.40
.62
.45
.27
.40
.648
.45
.27
.40
.648
.45
.30
.40
.648
.30
.30
.45
.60
.40
.648
.275
.30
.275
.275
.275
.275
.30
.275
.275
.275
.275
.30
.275
.275
.275
.275
.30
.275
.275
.275
.275
.30
.275
.275
.275
.275
.30
.275
.275
.275
.30
Company D ..........................
Company ( r ______ _______
Company H ..........................
.30
.30
.45
.80
. 45
.648
.35
.35
M a n u f a c tu r e d a n d n a t u r a l g a s m ix e d .
Los Angeles, Cal.:
Company A . .
Company C...
$0.68
.68
$0.68
.68
1 Rate entered is for first 2,000 cubic feet.
118265°—19---- 7
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1643]
$0.68
.68
$0.68
.68
$0.75
.75
94
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
IN DEX N U M B E R S OF W HOLESALE PRICES IN T H E U N ITED STATES, 1913
TO APRIL, 1919.
T h e b u reau ’s w eig h ted in d e x n u m b er of w h o lesa le p rices in repre
s e n ta tiv e m ark ets of th e U n ite d S ta te s registered a n o th er sh arp in
crease in A pril from th e p reced in g m o n th , sta n d in g a t 203 as co m
p ared w ith 200 in M arch. M arked in creases w ere sh o w n in th e groups
o f farm p rod u cts and fo o d , etc ., th e in d e x n u m b ers for th ese grou p s
risin g from 225 to 233 an d from 200 to 207, r e sp e c tiv e ly . A slig h t
in crease also occurred in th e clo th s an d c lo th in g grou p . O n th e other
h a n d , th e in d e x n u m b er for m eta l an d m e ta l p ro d u cts d rop p ed from
161 to 153, th a t for ch em icals and drugs from 171 to 167, an d th a t for
lu m b er an d b u ild in g m ateria ls from 164 to 161. In th e grou p s o f fu el
a n d lig h tin g , h o u se-fu rn ish in g good s, and m iscella n eo u s a rticles th e
d ecrease w as slig h t.
A m o n g im p o r ta n t co m m o d itie s w h ose w h o lesa le p rices a v era g ed
h igh er in A p ril th a n in M arch w ere flaxseed , b a rley , corn, w h e a t,
"hay, h ides, h op s, h ogs, p ea n u ts, p o u ltry , b ea n s, b u tte r, coffee, eggs,
rye an d w h e a t flour, lard, b acon , h a m s, pork, p o ta to e s, and c o tto n
an d w oolen good s.
T o b a cco , ca n n ed good s, ch eese, m ilk , rice,
tea, cok e, bar iron, p ig iron, iron ore, bar silver, ste e l p ro d u cts,
w in d o w glass, oa k an d p op lar lu m b er, op iu m , quin in e, lu b r ica tin g
oil, paper, rope, an d la u n d ry so a p w ere ch eap er in A p ril th a n in M arch,
w h ile c o tto n , c a ttle , sh eep , fresh b eef, su gar, v in eg a r, sh o es, lea th er,
u nd erw ear, dress good s, coal, an d gaso lin e w ere p ra ctic a lly u n c h a n g ed
in price.
Comparing prices in April, 1919, with those of a year ago, it is seen
that the index number of farm products increased from 217 to 233,
that of food articles from 179 to 207, and that of fuel and light
ing from 170 to 179. During the same time the index number of
lumber and building materials increased from 145 to 161, that of
house-furnishing goods from 188 to 231, and that of miscellaneous
articles, including such important commodities as cottonseed meal,
jute, malt, lubricating oil, newsprint paper, rubber, starch, soap,
plug tobacco, and wood pulp, from 193 to 216. In the same period
the index number of cloths and clothing decreased from 230 to 215,
that of metals and metal products from 176 to 153, and that of chem
icals and drugs from 214 to 167.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1644]
95
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
INDEX NUMBERS OF WHOLESALE PRICES IN SPECIFIED MONTHS, 1913, TO APRIL, 1919,
BY GROUPS OF COMMODITIES.
[1913=100.]
Lum
Metals ber
and Chem House- Mis
and
build
icals furnish cella
metal
ing
ing
and
prod mate drugs.
goods. neous.
ucts.
rials.
Farm
prod
ucts.
Food,
etc.
Cloths
and
cloth
ing.
Fuel
and
light
ing.
1913.
Average for year___
January....................
April.........................
Ju ly ..........................
October.....................
100
97
97
101
103
100
99
96
101
102
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
100
100
100
107
102
98
99
100
100
101
101
98
100
101
100
99
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
102
100
100
99
98
101
101
1914.
January....................
April.........................
July..........................
October.....................
101
103
104
105
102
95
103
107
99
100
100
98
99
98
90
87
92
91
85
83
98
99
97
96
101
101
101
109
103
103
103.
103
98
99
97
95
100
98
99
99
1915.
January....................
April.................... .
July..........................
October....................
102
107
108
105
106
105
104
104
96
98
99
103
86
84
84
90
83
91
102
100
94
94
94
93
106
102
107
121
101
101
101
101
98
97
96
99
98
99
101
101
1916.
January....................
April.........................
July...........................
October.....................
108
114
118
136
114
117
121
140
110
119
126
137
102
105
105
128
126
147
145
151
99
102
98
101
140
150
143
135
105
109
111
114
107
111
122
132
110
116
119
133
1917.
January....................
February..................
March.......................
April....................... .
May..........................
June..........................
July...........................
August......................
September................
October.....................
November___:7___
December.................
147
150
162
180
196
196
198
204
203
207
211
204
150
160
161
182
191
187
ISO
180
178
183
184
185
161
162
163
169
173
179
187
193
193
194
202
206
170
178
181
178
187
193
183
159
155
142
151
153
183
190
199
208
217
239
257
249
228
182
173
173
106
108
111
114
117
127
132
133
134
134
135
135
144
146
151
155
164
165
185
198
203
242
232
230
128
129
129
151
151
162
165
165
165
165
175
175
137
138
140
144
148
153
151
156
155
164
165
166
150
165
160
171
181
184
185
184
182
180
182
181
1918.
January....................
February..................
March.......................
April.........................
May..........................
June..........................
Ju ly ...........................
August......................
September................
October....................
November................
December.................
205
207
211
217
212
214
221
229
236
223
219
221
188
186
178
179
178
179
185
191
199
199
203
207
209
213
220
230
234
243
249
251
251
253
253
246
169
171
171
170
172
171
178
178
179
179
182
183
173
175
175
176
177
177
183
183
183
186
186
183
136
137
142
145
147
148
152
156
158
157
163
163
216
217
217
214
209
205
202
207
206
204
201
182
188
188
188
188
188
192
192
227
233
233
233
233
178
181
184
193
197
199
192
191
195
197
207
204
185
187
187
191
191
193
198
202
207
204
206
206
1919.
January....................
February..................
March.......................
A pril1.......................
220
215
225
233
204
193
200
207
231
220
214
215
181
181
180
179
172
167
161
153
160
162
164
161
179
173
171
167
233
233
233
231
206
207
218
216
202
197
200
203
Year and month.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
.
‘ Preliminary.
[1645]
All
com
modi
ties.
96
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
W HOLESALE PRICES IN TH E U NITED STATES AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES
1890 TO M ARCH, 1919.
In th e fo llo w in g ta b le th e m ore im p o r ta n t in d e x n u m b ers of w h o le
sa le p rices in th e U n ite d S ta te s an d sev era l foreign co u n tries, as
co m p iled b y recogn ized a u th o rities, h a v e b een red u ced to a com m on
b a se in order th a t th e tren d of p rices in th e se v er a l co u n tries m a y be
d ir e c tly com p ared . T h e resu lts h ere sh o w n h a v e b een o b ta in ed b y
m er ely sh iftin g th e b a se for each series of in d e x n u m b ers to th e y ear
1913, i. e., b y d iv id in g th e in d e x for 1913 on th e o rig in a l b a se in to
th e in d e x for each y ea r or m o n th on th a t b a se. T h ese re su lts are
th erefore to b e regard ed o n ly as a p p r o x im a tio n s o f th e correct in d e x
n u m b ers in th e case of series co n stru cted b y a v era g in g th e re la tiv e
p rices of in d iv id u a l co m m o d ities. T h is ap p lies to th e in d e x n u m b ers
o f th e A n n a list, G ib son , th e E c o n o m ist, S au erb eck , th e D e p a r tm e n t
o f L ab or of C anada, th e S ta tistiq u e G énérale o f F ra n ce, an d, p re
su m a b ly , th e M o n th ly S ta tistic a l B u lle tin of N e w S o u th W a les, A u s
tralia. T h e in d e x n u m b ers of th e U . S . B u rea u of L a b o r S ta tistic s ,
B r a d str ee t, D u n , and th e B u rea u of C ensus and S ta tis tic s of A u s
tra lia are b u ilt on a g gregates of a ctu a l m o n e y p rices, or re la tiv es
m a d e from su ch a g gregates of a ctu a l p rices, and therefore can b e
re a d ily sh ifte d to a n y d esired b ase. In cases w h ere n o in d e x n u m
bers for yea rs are sh ow n in th e origin al sou rces, th e figures h ere p re
se n te d h a v e b een o b ta in ed b y avera g in g th e 12 m o n th ly in d e x
n u m b ers.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1646]
97
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
W HOLESALE PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES AND CERTAIN FOREIG N COUNTRIES.
[Index numbers expressed as percentages of the index number for 1913. See text explanation.]
United King Canada.
dom.
United States.
Year
and
month.
Annalist:
25 commodities.
Bradstreet:
96 commodities.
Dun:
200
commodities.
1890............
1895............
1900............
1905............
1910............
1913 ........
1914 ........
1915 ........
1916 ........
1917 ........
1918 ........
1914.
January. . .
April.........
Ju ly ..........
October__
1915.
January. . .
April.........
Ju ly ..........
October__
1916.
January. . .
April.........
July..........
October__
1917.
Ja n u ary ...
February..
March.......
April.........
May..........
June..........
July..........
August__
September
October. . .
November.
December.
1918.
Ja n u ary ...
February..
March.......
April.........
May..........
June..........
July..........
August__
September
O ctober...
November.
December.
1919.
Ja n u ary ...
February..
March.......
Commonwealth
Bureau
of Census and
Statistics: 92
commodities.
France.
New
South
Wales
Monthly
Statistical
Bulletin:
Number of
commodities
not
shown.
Statistique
Générale:
45 commodities.
84
88
100
95
114
137
153
162
85
93
100
102
140
188
262
339
81
70
80
86
99
100
99
100
123
175
196
78
68
71
79
98
100
104
106
126
187
205
70
86
88
98
100
97
107
128
170
203
175
167
77
83
98
100
101
105
123
169
190
75
72
76
81
102
100
105
110
129
191
211
183
72
82
81
90
100
99
123
160
204
225
85
73
88
85
92
100
100
127
160
205
226
81
71
80
84
92
100
100
110
134
174
205
97
70
82
84
92
100
106
147
138
153
100
98
99
99
102
101
104
107
97
95
94
100
103
99
99
102
100
99
101
108
97
96
95
101
98
90
104
106
101
101
99
102
2100
2 102
2109
2U3
98
102
101
95
2 100
2 100
2 101
2 107
98
99
101
101
O
GO
a?Ȕej
Department
Gib- Econo- Sai: erof
son: 22 mist: 44 beck:45 Labor:
comcomcom272
mod- mod- modcomities.
ities.
ities.
modities
(variable).
Australia.
109
105
101
99
106
107
108
103
103
103
105
111
117
111
103
112
124
122
125
118
125
126
134
103
108
111
112
2127
2153
2167
2142
101
109
115
117
2 124
2 135
2142
2 158
110
116
119
133
110
118
121
136
119
128
125
131
114
121
120
126
113
123
124
141
143
156
156
171
149
157
157
17»
127
132
132
138
2138
2137
2138
2139
123
137
134
140
2 179
2 190
2 186
2198
150
155
160
171
181
184
185
184
182
180
182
181
151
159
170
188
203
198
189
190
195
200
199
200
149
151
154
158
164
168
175
178
181
184
185
191
140
146
154
157
172
176
175
181
178
182
183
182
150
156
166
188
204
197
200
203
206
207
206
209
184
188
197
200
201
210
208
210
209
212
214
217
187
193
199
203
205
211
208
207
207
212
214
218
154
160
163
169
177
179
179
181
179
179
183
187
2 140
150
151
151
150
153
152
152
156
152
147
163
166
215
225
230
248
256
266
268
270
280
284
293
304
185
187
187
191
191
193
198
202
207
204
206
206
200
204
204
207
207
201
203
207
210
203
205
208
195
196
196
200
205
206
208
208
207
207
205
207
184
188
189
191
188
186
192
192
193
193
191
191
205
210
217
225
216
211
212
210
212
205
204
208
215
216
218
221
223
227
228
233
231
231
231
226
219
220
221
223
225
226
227
230
232
233
230
231
190
194
199
199
204
207
210
210
211
214
215
213
161
165
156
155
164
163
160
170
164
ICO
159
163
313
319
327
333
335
329
337
350
355
360
35S
353
202
197
200
211
201
209
201
192
187
190
182
180
206
201
212
217
216
213
224
221
217
211
206
205
1Average for January and July.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2146
2158
2166
2173
181
180
180
2 Quarter beginning in specified month.
[1647]
98
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
PRICE CHANGES, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL, IN THE UNITED STATES.
Exact comparison of wholesale with retail prices is not attempted
in the following tables. Some food products—fresh meats, for
example—are not sold by the retailer in the same form in which
they leave the wholesaler-, hence strictly comparable prices are not
obtainable. It was found impracticable also to obtain both whole
sale and retail prices for the same date, the retail prices being those
prevailing on the 15th of the month, while the wholesale prices are
for a variable date, usually several days prior to the 15th. The
figures in the table are therefore to be considered as merely indicative
of price variations in the retail as compared with the wholesale
markets.
To assist in comparing the fluctuations at wholesale and at retail, the
differential between the two series of quotations at successive dates
is given. It should not be assumed, however, that this differential
in any case represents the margin of profit to the retailer, since, in
addition to a possible difference of grade between the articles shown
at wholesale and retail, the various items of handling cost to both the
wholesaler and retailer are included in the figure.
W HOLESALE AND RETA IL PRICES OF IMPORTANT FOOD ARTICLES IN SELECTED
CITIES.
[The initials W=wholesale; R =retail. The wholesale price is the mean of the high and low quotation
on the date selected, as published in leading trade journals. The retail price is the average of prices
reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics by dealers.]
Article and city.
1919
1917
July—
1918
1913:
AvUnit. erage
for
year. 1914 1915 1916 Jan. July. Jan. Apr. July. Oct. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
Beef, Chicago:
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. C ts. Cts. a s . Cts. a s . a s . Cts.
Steer loin ends..W . L b .. 16.8 17.5 16.0 20.5 20.0 19.0 20.0 23.0 34.0 34.(1 32.0 32.0 34.0 32.0
Sirloin steak....... R . L b .. 23.2 26.0 25.8 28. 1 26.5 30.2 30.2 33.7 37.7 37.6 37.5 37.9 38.0 39.7
Price differential__
6.1 8.5 9.8 7.6 6.5 11.2 10.2 10.7 3.7 3.6 5.5 5.9 4.0 7.7
Beef, Chicago:
Steer rounds, No.
2 ........................ w .
L b .. 13.1 14.5 Ul4.3 14.5 12.0 17.0 16.5 18.5 25.0 26.0 22.0 22.0 23.0 24.0
Round steak.......R . L b .. 20.2 23.3 22.8 24.1 22.7 26.6 27.3 30.4 35.0 34.3 34.0 34.4 34.4 35. 7
Price differential__
7.1 8.8 8.5 9.6 10.7 9.6 10.8 11.9 10.0 8.3 12.0 12.4 11.4 11.7
Beef, Chicago:
Steer ribs, No. 2.W . L b .. 15.7 16.5 14.5 17.5 16.0 20.0 20.0 22.0 28.0 31.0 30.0 38.0 36.0 34.0
Rib roast............ R. LB.. 19.5 21.2 21.3 22.9 22.3 24.6 25.4 28.8 31.8 131.3 131.1 132.0 132.4 134.2
Price differential__
3.8 4.7 6.8 5.4 6.3 4.6 5.4 6.8 3.8
Beef, New York:
No. 2, loins......... W . L b .. 15.8 18.3 17.0 20. C 18.0 19.0 23.5 26.0 28.0 35.0 37.0 35.0 39.0 40.0
Sirloin steak....... R . L b .. 25.9 27.4 23.2 29.4 28.4 33.7 34.4 38.0 43.9 43.8 44.8 44.9 44.9 45.3
Price differential__
10.1 9.1 11.2 9.4 10.4 14.7 10.9 12.0 15.9 8.8 7.8 9.9 5.9 5.3
Beef, New York:
No. 2 ,ro u n d s...W . L b .. 12.1 13.5 13.5 14.5 13.0 17.5 18.0 20.0 28.0 27. C 25.0 24.0 24.0 24.0
Round steak.......R . L b .. 24.9 27.0 27.1 28. S 27.5 33.7 35.2 38.4 46.3 45.4 47.3 46.9 46.8 47.0
Price differential__
12.8 13.5 13.6 14.4 14.5 16.2 17.2 18.4 18.3 18.4 22.3 22.9 22.8 23.0
Beef, New York:
No. 2, ribs.........W. L b .. 15.1 16.5 16.0 18. C 16.0 19.0 23.5 25.0 28.0 32.0 35.0 35.0 35.0 36.0
Rib roast............ R . L b .. 21.8 22.5 22.7 24.3 23.8 27.9 29.4 32.4 37.5 37.2 40.9 40.9 40.7 41.3
Price differential__
6.7 6.0 6.7 6.3 7.8 8.9 5.9 7.4 9.5 5.2 5.9 5.9 5.7 5.3
Pork, Chicago:
Loins..................W. L b .. 14.9 16.5 15.0 16.5 16.5 25.0 27.0 29.0 29.0 34.0 27.0 26.0 30. C 31.5
Chops..................R . L b .. 19.0 20.4 20.1 21.7 22.7 29.2 31.6 33.0 35.5 39.0 35.2 33.3 35.5 37.9
4.1 3.9 5.1 5.2 6.2 4.2 4.6 4.0 6.5 5.0 8.2 7.3 5.5 6.4
Price differential__
»Price is for different quality of beef from that quoted at wholesale.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1648]
99
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
W HOLESALE AND RETA IL PRICES OE IMPORTANT FOOD ARTICLES IN SELECTED
CITIES—Continued.
Article and city.
J u ly 1917
1918
1919
1913:
Av
Unit. erage
for
year. 1914 1915 1916 Jan. July. Jan. Apr. July. Oct. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
Pork, New York:
Loins, western. .W . L b ..
Chops____ _____ R . „L b..
Price differentiae...
Bacon, Chicago:
Short clear sides. W . L b ..
Sliced....................R . L b ..
Price differential__
Ham, Chicago:
Smoked............... W . L b ..
Smoked, slieed... R . L b ..
P ri ee di lie venti a]__
Lard. New York:
Prime, contract.W . L b ..
Pure, tub............. R . L b ..
Price differential__ ..........
Lamb, Chicago:
Dressed round. .W . L b ..
Leg of, yearling.. R . L b ..
Price differential__ ..........
Poultry, New York:
Dressed fo w ls.. . W . L b ..
Dressed hens___ R . L b ..
Price differential__ ..........
Butter, Chicago:
Creamery, extra.W . L b ..
Creamery, extra.R . L b ..
Price differential. . . ..........
Butter, New York:
Creamery, extra.W . L b ..
Cream ery, extra.. R . L b ..
Price differential
Butter, San Francisco:
Creamery, extra. W . L b ..
Creamery, extra.. R. L b ..
Price differential.. .
Cheese, Chicago:
Whole m ilk ........W . L b ..
Full cream.......... R . L b ..
Price differential.. .
Cheese, New York:
Whole m ilk ,
State....................W . L b ..
Full cream.......... R . L b ..
Price differential. . .
Cheese, San Francisco:
Fancy________ W . L b ..
Full cream.......... R. L b ..
Price differential . . . ..........
Milk, Chicago:
Fresh...................W. Q t..
Fresh, b o ttled .. .R . Q t . .
Price differential. . .
Milk, New York:
Fresh...................W . Q t ..
Fresh, b o ttled .. ,R . Q t ..
Price differential. . .
Milk, San Francisco:
Fresh................... W . Q t..
Fresh, b o ttle d ...R . Q t . .
Price differential. . .
Eggs, Chicago:
Fresh, firsts........W . Poz.
Strictly fresh. R . Doz.
Price differental. . .
Eggs, New York:
Fresh, firsts........W . Doz.
Strictly fresh___ R . ■Doz.
Price differential. . .
Eggs, San Francisco:
Fresh...................W . Doz.
Strictly fresh___ R. Doz.
Price differential. . .
Meal, corn, Chicago:
F ine.....................W . L b ..
Fine...................... R . L b ..
Price differential. . . ..........
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
■Cts.
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cis. Cts.
15.2 16.3 15.3 16.5 17.0 23.5 26.5 27.5 30.5 37.0 33.0 33.0 32:0 34.5
21.7 23.0 21.7 23.9 24.8 32.6 34.8 36.7 40.6 46.7 43.5 39.9 39.8 43. 7
6.5 6.7 6.4 7.4 7.8 9.1 8,3 9.2 10.1 9.7 10.5 6.9 7. 8 9.2
12.7 13.9 11.3 15.9 15.8 24.7 30.1 27.5 27.4 29.1 29.4 27.3 29.3 32.6
29.4 31.8 31.5 32.8 31.6 43.9 49.8 51.9 54.7 59.3 61.6 57.1 57.1 58. 2
16.7 17.9 20.2 16.9 15.8 19.2 19.7 24.4 27.3 30.2 32.2 29.8 27.8
16.6 17.5 16.3 19.0 18.8 24.3 29.8 30.0 30.1 33.6 35.3 33.8 33.3 35. 3
26.6 33.8 32.8 34.9 33.3 41.4 42.8 46.7 49.1 52.0 55.3 52.1 50.8 54.6
10.0 16. 3 16.5 15.9 14.5 17.1 13.0 16.7 19.0 18.4 20.0 18.3 17.5 19.3
11.0 10.4 8.0 13.3 15.9 20.1 24.6 26.3 26.2 26.2 24.2 25.3 28.1 31.2
16.0 15.6 15.1 16.8 21.3 27.4 33.0 33.4 32.2 34.1 33.1 31.8 33.7 36.0
5.0 5.2 7.1 3.5 5. 4 7.3 8.4 7.1 6.0 7.5 8.9 6.5 5.6 4.8
14.9 17.0 19.0 19.0 20.0 26.0 24.0 29.0 31.0 24.0 28.0 29.0 33.0 33.0
19.8 21.9 20.8 23.1 23.2 28.7 30.6 35.6 35.7 32.3 34.2 36.3 37.1 38.3
4.9 4.9 1.8 4.1 3.2 2.7 6.6 6.6 4.7 8.3 6.2 7.3 4.1 5.3
18.2 18.8 17.5 21.5 22.0 24.8 29.8 34.0 36.0 34.5 35.5 32.5 34.8 35.5
21.4 22.0 21.9 25.6 26.1 28.7 32.6
41.0 41.0 40.8 39.5 40.4 41.7
3.2 3.2 4.4 4.1 4.1 3.9 2.8j
5.0 6.5 5.3 7.0 5.6 6.2
31.0 26.5 26.5 27.5 37.0 37.5 49.0 40.0 42.5 55.0 66.0 45.5 59.8 61.0
36.2 31.2 32.2 33.5 43.8 43.3 54.4 46.0 48.0 61.5 71.3 53.5 63.9 67.1
5.2 4.7 5.7 6.0 6.8 5.7 5.4 6.0 5.5 6.5 5.3 8.0 4.1 6.1
32.3 28.0 27.0 28.5 39.5 39.5 51.0 41.5 44.4 60.0 67.01 49.8 59.5 62.5
38.2 32.8 33.6 34.6 46.0 45.3 57.4 49.3 51.4 65.6 75.5 58.1 67.3 72.9
5.9 4.8 6.6 6.1 6.5 5.8 6.4 7.8 7.0
8.5 8.3 7.8 10.4
31.7 24.5 26.5 25.5 35.5 38.5 53.0 37.5 50.0 62.5 64.5 54.0 56.0 58.0
38.8 32.9 33.8 33.3 42.5 45.5 60.2 45.2 56.6 70.0 72.3 62.7 64.5 62.9
7$
7.1 8 4 7.3 7 8 7.0 7 n 7 2 7 7
14.2 13.3 14.5 14.5 21.8 21.6 23.3 21.5 22.7 35.0 36.3 27.3 30.3 29.8
__
22.9 24.2 32.1 33.9 37.5 35.3 34.5 39.5 43.9 38.9 38.5 40.5
8.4 9.7 10.3 12.3 14.2 13.8 11.8 4.5 7.6 11.6 8.2 10.7
15.4 14.4 14.6 15.1 22.0 23.8 23.0 22.5 23.9 32.5 36.8 29.5 32.1 31.5
49 7
22.9 22.8 30.1 32.8 34. 4 33.8 33 2 3r> 9
8.3 7.7 8.1 9.0 11.4 11.3 9.3 3.4 5.9 13! 1 lo! 2 1 1 . 2
15.9 12.5 11.5 13.5 18.0 20.0 25.5 26.0 26.0 30.5 33.5 27.5 31.0 32.5
20.0 22.9 24.2 29.7 33.5 33.5 32.3 37.5 41.9 37.4 40.5 40.0
8.5 9.4 6.2 9.7 8.0 7.5 6.3 7.0 8.4 9.9 9.5 7.5
3.8
8.0
4.2
3.6
8.0
4.4
3.7
8.0
4.3
3.6 4.5 4.7 7.0 5.8 5.3 7.5 8.4 7.8 6.8 6.4
8.1 10.0 10.0 11.9 11.9 12.0 12.9 14.0 14.0 13.0 13.0
4.5 5.5 5.3 4.9 6.1 6.7 5.4 5.6 6.2 6.2 6.6
3.5
9.0
5.5
3.0
9.0
6.0
3.0
9.0
6.0
3.1 5.1 5.0 8.1 5.9 5.4 8.2 9.2 8.1 7.6 6.1
9.0 10.0 11.4 15.0 14.0 12.7 15.6 16.0 16.0 15.5 15.5
5.9 4.9 6.4 6.9 8.1 7.3 7.4 6.8 7.9 7.9 9.4
3.8 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.8 4.3 6.6 5.9 5.9 7.4 7.4 7.4 7 . 4 7 . 4
10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 12.1 12.1 12.1 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 14.0
6.1 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.2 5.7 5.5 6.2 6.2 6.6 6. 6 6. 6 6.6 6.6
22.6 18.8 16.8 21.8 48.5 31. C 56.5 31.5 36.5 49.3 58.8 38.8 38.4 39.4
29.2 26.1 24.8 29.6 52.5 40.6 65.1 38.0 45.7 55.9 69.5 46.1 46.1 46.6
6.6 7.3 8.0 . 7.8 4.0 9.6 8.6 6.5 9.2 9.6 10.7 7.3 7.7 7.2
24.9 21.5 2».0 24.1 50.5 35.0 64.5 33.3 40.0 52.5 61.3 46.5 41.0 41.8
39.7 35.3 32.6 37.2 66.7 47.7 80.8 47.6 57.3 69.2 78.1 60.5 56.9 56.9
14.8 13.8 12.6 13.1 16.2 12.7 16.3 14.3 17.3 6.7 16.8 14.0 15.9 15.1
26.8 23.0 22.0 24. C 38. C 32. C 61.0 36.5 44.0 62.0 53.0 37.5 37.5 46.0
37.3 33.8 31.0 33.3 48.0 39.2 71.0 41.9 51.4 75.6 65.7 44.4 44. e 51.7
10.5 10.8 9.0 9.3 10.0 7.2 10.0 5.4 7.4 3.6 12.7 6.9 7.1 5.7
1.4
2.9
1.5
i.e
2.8
1.2
3.1
........
1.8
3.1
1.2
2.4
4.2
1.8
[1649]
4.5
5.8
1.3
5.1 6.0
7. C 7.2
1.9 L 2
5.4
6.8
1.4
4.1
6.7
2.6
3.6
5.8
3.2
5A
2.2
2.4
3. f
5. £
2.5
3.2
5.8
2.6
100
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
W HOLESALE AND R ETA IL PRICES OF IM PORTANT FOOD ARTICLES IN SELECTED
CITIE S—Concluded.
=
»
J u ly -
1913:
Article and city.
Beans, New York:
Medium, choice.W.
Navy, white....... R .
Price differential__
Potatoes. Chicago:
White i .............. W .
W hite..................R .
Price differential. . .
Rice, New Orleans:
H ead.................. W.
Head................... R .
Price differential. . .
Sugar, New York:
Granulated........W.
Granulated.........R .
Price differential__
1917
1918
3»
1919
AvUnit. erage
for
year. 1914 1915 1916 Jan. July. Jan. Apr. July. Oct. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
___
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
L b ..
.........
Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
4.0
4.0
5.8 9.8 10.8 15.4 14.1 13.7 11.9 11.0 9.9 8.0 7.5 7.9
8.1 11.3 14.9 18.8 18.5 18.2 17.5 17.2 15.3 14.3 12.6 12.7
2.3 1.5 4.1 3.4 4.4 4.5 5.6 6.2 5.4 6.3 5.1 4.8
1.0
2.4
2.7
.7
1.2
.5
1.6
2.3
.7
2.9
3.9
1.0
5. C 5.4
4.9
7.5
2.6
4.6
7.4
2.8
4.8 7.1 8.8 8.8 9.3 9.1 9.1 9.1 9.1 8.5
7.4 10.1 10.6 10.7 11.9 12.3 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.1
2.6 3.0 1.8 1.9 2.6 3.2 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.6
4.3
4.Ô
5.9
6.3
7.5 6.6
7. S 7.4
.4
.8
1.5
.5
.6
.3
4.2
4.6
.4
.4
4.4
5.0
.6
7.4
8.4
1.0
2.0
2.8
.8
7.3
9.7
2.4
1.1
1.7
.6
7.3
8.8
1.5
1.5
3.7
2.2
1.5
2.7
1.2
1.9
2.7
.8
7.4 8.8 8.8
8.8 10.6 10.1
1.4 1.8 1.3
1.8
2.4
.6
8.8
9.9
1.1
1.7
2.5
.8
1.8
2.5
.7
8.8 8.8
9.9 10.0
1.1 1.2
1 Good to choice.
The following table of wholesale and retail prices, expressed as per
centages of the average money prices for 1913, will enable the reader
to follow more readily the trend of price fluctuations of food articles
at wholesale and retail. A few articles included in the preceding
table are omitted from the following one, owing tp lack of satisfac
tory data for 1913. The table shows that, as compared with the
1913- base price, the wholesale prices of most of the commodities in
recent months were relatively higher than the retail prices. This is
particularly noticeable in the case of beef, bacon, lamb, eggs, corn
meal, and potatoes. The preceding table shows, however, that the
margin between the wholesale and the retail price of many of the
articles was greater in recent months than in 1913.
RELATIVE WHOLESALE AND RETA IL PRICES OF IMPORTANT FOOD ARTICLES IN
SELECTED CITIES (AVERAGE FOR 1913 = 100).
[The initials W=wholesale; R=retail.]
1913:
Aver-
Ju ly -
1917
1918
1919
for
year. 1914 1915 1916 Jan. July. Jan. Apr. July. Oct. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
Beef, Chicago:
Steer loin ends (hips).W .
Sirloin steak............. ..R .
Beef, Chicago:
Steer rounds, No. 2. .W .
Round steak............ --R.
Beef, Chicago:
Steer ribs, No. 2........ -W.
Rib roast.................. ..R .
Beef, New York:
No. 2 loins, city___ .W.
Sirloin steak............. ..R .
Beef, New York:
No. 2 rounds, c ity .. . .W .
Round steak............ -R.
Beef, New York:
No. 2 ribs, city.......... -W.
Rib roast................... ..R .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
100 104
100 112
95
111
122 119
121 114
113
130
119
130
137 202 202
145 163 162
190
162
190 202
163 164
190
171
100
100
111
115
109
113
111
119
92
112
130
132
126
135
141
151
191
173
198
170
168
168
168
170
176
170
183
177
100
100
105 92
109 109
111
117
102
114
127
126
127
130
140
148
178
163
197
161
191
159
242 229
164 166
217
175
100
100
116 108 127
106 109 114
no
114
120 149 165
130 133 147
100
100
112 112
108 109
120
116
107 145
110 135
149
141
165 231 223 207
154 186 182 190
119
111
106
109
156
135
166
149
100 109
100 103
106
104
[1 6 5 0 ]
126
128
177 222 234 222
170 169 173 173
185 212
172 171
247
173
253
175
198
188
198
189
232 232 232
188 188 187
238
189
198
188
101
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
R ELA TIV E WHOLESALE AND RETA IL PRICES OF IMPORTANT FOOD ARTICLES IN
SELECTED CITIES—Concluded.
July—
1917
1918
1919
1913:
Average
for
year. 1914 1915 1916 Jan. July. Jan. Apr. July. Oct. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.
Article and city.
Pork, Chicago:
Loins............................ W .
Chops............................ -R.
Pork, New York:
Loins, western........... W
Chops............................ -R .
Bacon, Chicago:
Short clear sides........ W .
Sliced............................ -R.
Ham, Chicago:
Smoked....................... W .
Smoked, sliced........... -R .
Lard, New York:
Prime, contract......... W .
Pure, tu b ..................... .R .
Lamb, Chicago:
Dressed, round.......... W .
Leg of, yearling.......... .R .
Poultry, New York:
Dressed fowls............. W .
Dressed hens............... .R .
Butter, Chicago:
Creamery, extra........ W .
Creamery, extra.......... .R .
Butter, New York:
Creamery, extra........ W .
Creamery, extra.......... -R.
Butter, San Francisco:
Creamery, extra........ W .
Creamery, extra.......... -R.
Milk, Chicago:
Fresh............................ W .
Fresh, bottled, del’vc .R .
Milk, New York:
Fresh............................ W .
Fresh, bottled, del’vc .R .
Milk, San Francisco:
Fresh............................ W
Fresh, bottled............. -R .
Eggs, Chicago:
Fresh, firsts................. W
Strictly fresh............... -R .
Eggs, New York:
Fresh, firsts................ W
Strictly fresh............. .R .
Eggs, San Francisco:
Fresh............................ W
Strictly fresh............... -R.
Meal, corn, Chicago:
Fine.............................. -W .
F ine.............................. -R.
Potatoes, Chicago:
White, good to choice. W .
W hite.......................... -R .
Sugar, New York:
Granulated................. W
Granulated................. -R.
100
100
111
107
101
106
111
114
I ll
119
168
154
181
166
195
174
195
187
228
205
181
185
175
175
201
187
211
199
100
100
107
106
101
100
109
110
112
114
155
150
174
160
181
169
201
187
243
215
217
200
217
184
211
183
227
201
100
100
109
108
89
107
125
112
124
107
194
149
237
169
217
177
216
186
229
202
232
210
215
194
231
194
257
198
100
100
105
127
98
123
114
131
113
125
146
156
180
161
181
176
181
185
202
195
213
208
204
196
201
191
213
205
100
100
95
98
73
94
121
105
145
133
183
171
224
206
239
209
238
201
242
213
220
207
230
199
255
211
284
225
100
100
114
111
128
105
128
117
134
117
174
145
161
155
195
180
208
180
161
163
188
173
195
183
221
187
221
193
100
100
103
103
96
102
118
120
121
122
136
134
164
152
187
198
192
190
192
195
191
179
185
191
189
195
195
100
100
85
86
85
89
89
93
119
121
121
119
158
150
129
127
137
133
177
170
213
197
147
148
193
177
197
185
100
100
87
86
84
88
88
91
122
120
122
119
158
150
128
129
137
135
186
172
207
198
154
152
184
176
194
191
100
100
77
85
84
87
80
86
112
110
121
117
167
155
118
116
158
146
197
180
203
186
170
162
177
166
183
162
100
100
95
100
97
100
95
101
118
125
124
125
184
149
153
149
139
150
197
161
221
175
205
175
179
163
168
163
100
100
86
100
86
100
89
100
146
111
143
127
231
167
169
156
154
141
234
173
263
178
231
178
217
172
174
172
100
100
100
100
97
100
97
100
97
100
110
100
169
121
151
121
151
121
190
140
190
140
190
140
190
140
190
140
100
100
83
89
74
85
96
101
215
180
137
139
250
223
139
130
162
137
218
191
260
238
172
158
170
158
174
160
100
100
86
89
80
82
97
94
203
168
141
120
259
204
134
120
161
144
211
174
246
197
187
152
165
143
168
143
100
100
86
91
82
83
90
89
142
129
119
105
228
190
136
112
164
138
231
203
198
176
140
119
140
120
172
139
100
100
114
97
ÌÒ7
136
107
171
145
321
200
364
241
429
248
386
234
293
231
257
200
229
193
214
190
229
100
100
237
182
66
78
160
151
286
263
429
331
200
187
110
113
150
247
150
180
190
180
180
160
170
167
180
167
100
100
98
94
137
129
174
161
153
151
172
171
170
198
170
180
172
180
205
216
205
206
205
202
205
202
205
204
200
COST OF LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES.
Continuing the presentation in the May number of the L a b o r
of data relating to the cost of living in industrial centers, the
following table shows the results of the investigation in 21 localities
in the North Central section of the United States. The period covered
by the investigation in these cities varied from the year ending
August 31, 1918, to the year ending February 28, 1919.
R
e v ie w
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1 6 5 1 ]
102
AVERAGE AMOUNT AND P E R CENT OP E X PE N D IT U R E P E R ANNUM FO R THE PRIN CIPA L GROUPS OF ITEMS OF COST OF LIVING OF
FAM ILIES IN SPEC IFIED INDUSTRIAL CENTERS, BY CITIES AND BY INCOME GROUPS.
B R A Z IL , DSHD.
Income group.
Average persons
in family,
Num
ber of
fami
Equiva
lies. Total. lent adult
males.
Families Av.surTotal
Deficit.
Surplus.
having plus(H-)
average
neither or defi
yearly
surplus
cit«:-)
expenses
Furniture
Families Average Families Average
Fuel and and fur Miscel
for
nor
per
light. nishings. laneous. family. having— amount. having— amount. deficit. group.
Average yearly expenses per family for—
Food. ' Clothing.
Rent.
2
27
20
20
5
2
a r>
4.4
4.7
4.2
4.8
6.0
2. 24
3.07
3.27
2.98
3.64
4.83
S5284. 21
433.76
508.03
485.08
541.56
633.66
$65.91
160.90
214.64
226- 03
243.66
306.53
$63. 00
87.50
96. 08
134.10
112.80
132.00
$68.81
66.76
69.68
71.87
79.12
77.85
$9.15
62.40
78.86
108.42
173.33
62.66
Total.....................
76
4.5
3.16
475.23
198.96
104.21
70.03
84.75
$95. 73 $586.80
211.90 1,023.23
258. 44 1,225. 72
404.83 1,430.33
511.74 1,662.21
608.56 1,821.25
18
17
18
4
2
$99.26
120.11
215.71
250.94
384.20
302.02
1,235.20
59
160.74
2
6
1
2
1
$20.35
61.16
60.00
10.97
11.00
—$20.35
3 ,+ 52.58
2 “4" yy- 09
........... +193.04
_------- ”4"19S. bo
+384.20
12
41.72
5 +118.20
[1 6 5 2 ]
P E R CENT.
2.6
35.5
26.3
26.3
6.6
2.6
48.4
42.4
41.4
33.9
32.6
34.8
11.2
15.7
17.5
15.8
14.7
16.8
10.7
8.6
7.8
9-4
6.8
7.2
11.7
6.5
5.7
5.0
4.8
4.3
1.6
6.1
6.4
' 7.6
10.4
3.4
16.3
20.7
21.1
28.3
30.8
33.4
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
66.7
85.0
90.0
80.0
100.0
Total..................... 100.0
38.5
16.1
8.4
5.7
6.9
24.5
100.0
77.6
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
100.0
22.2
5.0 .................
10.0|
20.0
11.1
10.1
6.6
15.8
CA LU M ET, MICH.
Under $900..,,............
$900 and under $1,200..
$1,200 and uñder $1,500
$1,500 and under $1,800
$1,800 and under $2,100
$2,100 and under $2,500
$2,500 and over............
2
20
35
9
2
4
î
3.5
4.9
5.7
4.9
3.5
7.0
6.0
2.22
3.28
3.52
3.88
3.22
5.33
5.28
$338.52
459.21
540.06
552. 74
505.36
712. 76
683- 00
Total...................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
73
5.3
3.57
524.42
$107. 41
204. 25
233.38
267.57
302.24
573.27
574.00
$78.00 $85.75
i 87.11 i 78.63
97.12
103.02
150.88 109.09
253.00 161.95
t 98.67 i 111.33
78.00
133.00
251.34 2 107.81
2 96.30
$33.59
68.52
63.45
73.33
38.20
99.77
94.00
66.96
$148.58 $791.85
177.09 1,071.56
226.18 1,263.21
292.30 1,445.91
338.25 1,599.00
441.51 2,038.26
521.00 2,083.00
237.66
1,283.21
2
17
32
9
2
4
1
$40.71
71.01
121.83
190.95
285.83
256.65
431.75
67
133.37
3
3
$143.42
68.00
6
105.71
4440.71
+ 38.84
4-105.56
4-190.95
4-285.83
4-256.65
4-431. 75
4113.72
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
$900 and under $1,200—
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
PE R CENT.
U n d e r $900..........................
$900 a n d u n d e r $1,200—
$1,200 a n d u n d e r $1,500..
$1,500 a n d u n d e r $1,800..
$1,800 a n d u n d e r $2,100..
$2,100 a n d u n d e r $2,500..
$2,500 a n d o v e r..................
2.7
27.4
47.9
12.3
2.7
5.5
1.4
42.8
42.9
42.8
38.2
31.6
35.0
32.8
13.6
19.1
18.5
18.5
18.9
28.1
27.6
9.9
18.1
8.2
10.4
15.8
14.7
10.8
17.3
7.7
7.5
3.7
15.3
6.4
T o ta l.........................
100.0
40.9
19.6
8 8.4
8 7.5
4.2
6.4
5.0
5.1
2.4
4.9
10.1
18.8
16.5
17.9
20.2
21.2
21.7
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
85.0
91.4
15.0
8.6
1 0 0 .0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
91.8
$196.11 $1,099.71
263.84 1,303.03
298.80 1,517.36
420.38 1,799.00
542.51 2,263. 05
436.48 2,633.22
8
14
22
16
7
2
$61.09
132.72
202.94
180.88
136.81
129.84
3
8
10
3
6
1
$192.42
111.85
111.34
104.65
96.93
124.05
2 - $6.81
1 + 41.88
+104.73
+135.79
+ 28.93
+ 45.21
158.30
31
116.29
3 + 71.05
4.5
25.0
5.2
18.5
8.2
C H ARLESTO N, W. V A .
13
23
32
19
13
3
5.2
4.7
5.2
5.2
6.4
6.3
2.92
2.90
3.55
3.73
4.40
5.11
$421.45
522.56
620.87
674.89
761.63
976. 74
T otal.....................
103
5.3
3.51
611.84
$181.57 $182.04
199.58 190.03
241.51 198.39
323.59 236.95
441.55 299.41
706.81 268.17
278.52
216.36
$30.68
33.84
35.38
39.52
39.35
37.29
$87.86
93.17
122.41
103.67
178.58
207.74
35.76
117.64
335.23
1,595.36
69
P E R CENT.
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200—
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,S00 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2 500 a n d over..
...
12.6
22.3
31.1
18.4
12.6
2.9
38.3
40.1
40.9
37.5
33.7
37.1
16.5
15.3
15.9
18.0
19.5
26.8
16.6
14.6
13.1
13.2
13.2
10.2
2.8
2.6
2.3
2.2
1.7
1.4
8.0
7.2
8.1
5.8
7.9
7.9
17.8
20.2
19.7
23.4
24.0
16.6
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
61.5
60.9
68.8
84.2
53.8
66.7
23.1
34.8
31.3
15.8
46.2
33.3
15.4
4.3
T otal..................... 100.0
38.4
17.5
13.6
2.2
7.4
21.0
100.0
67.0
30.1
2.9
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
[1653]
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200—
$1,200 and under $1.500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over...............
_t____
i Not inciuding 1 family in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
103
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8 Not including 2 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
Income group.
Average persons
in family.
Num
ber of
fami
Equiva
lies. Total. lent adult
males.
Families Av. surTotal
Deficit.
Surplus.
having plus(-t-)
average
neither or defi
yearly
surplus
expenses
Furniture
cit ( - )
Families
Average
Fuel and and fur Miscel
Families Average
nor
per
for
having— amount. having— amount. deficit.
light. nishings. laneous. family.
group.
Average yearly expenses per family for—
Clothing.
$142.27
143.78
205.76
248.80
292.60
396. 29
576.35
4
65
120
92
39
20
8
4.8
4.5
4.9
4.9
5.0
6.8
7.3
3.07
2.97
3.20
3.42
3.36
4.90
5.77
$403.90
454.75
523.01
553. 65
585. 65
816.36
1,026.76
Total......................
348
5.0
3.39
552.45
Rent.
$102.00 $59.78
1173.89 i 72. 08
2208. 04 2 82 99
3 239.69 s 93.54
1 251.89 196.31
4 268. 69 4 117.54
210.25 103.38
234. 03 s 216.22
6 87.15
$32.96 $170.80 $911.69
35.79 201.42 1,088. 94
55. 84 258.74 1,334.82
75.22 344.40 1,561.27
94.11
376.67 1,705. 58
79.04 494.67 2,174.79
147. 44 475.19 2,539.36
2
28
74
70
33
12
7
$75. 61
79.00
85.42
135. 53
298.75
267.26
267.58
2
26
38
19
6
6
1
$179.87
117.79
119.76
152. 09
155. 82
131.79
225.00
—$52.13
i i - 13.08
8 + 14.75
3 + 71.71
+228.81
2 + 120.82
+206.01
301.42
1,461.42
226
146.51
98
130.75
24 + 58.32
64. 68
[1654]
P E R CENT.
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over..............
1.1
18.7
34.5
26.4
11.2
5.7
2.3
44.3
41.8
39.2
35.5
34.3
37.5
40.4
15.6
13.2
15.4
15.9
17.2
18.2
22.7
11.2
i 16.2
215.7
815.4
114.8
412.3
8.3
6.6
1 6.7
2 6.2
8 6.0
»5.7
4 5.4
4.1
3.6
3.3
4.2
4.8
5.5
3.6
5.8
18.7
18,5
19! 4
22.1
22.1
22.7
18.7
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
50.0
43.1
61.7
76.1
84.6
60.0
87.5
Total.....................
100.0
37.8
16.0
6 14.9
6 6.0
4.4
20.6
100.0
64.9
...........
50.0
40.0
31.7
20.7
15.4
30.0
12.5
16.9
6.7
3.3
—
........ iò.'ó*
28.2
...........
6.9
—
C H IPPEW A F A L L S , WIS.
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over................
11
33
17
8
3
2
4.4
4.9
4.6
6.0 *
4.7
4.5
2.86
3.27
2.97
4.18
3. 63
4. 07
$364.97
431. 56
513. 20
583.23
562.29
551.13
$106.91
155.21
199.40
338.18
303.23
329.15
$91.47
134.38
157.04
210.02
207. 84
150.00
$75. 65
76.91
93.00
111.59
101. 56
106.26
$27.34
40.40
72.44
95.40
135.40
68.60
$139.77
178.96
250.20
357.41
328.50
622.95
$806.11
1,017.43
1,285.27
1,687. 82
1,638.82
1,828. 08
4
16
10
5
3
2
$66.58
127.92
138.44
142.93
324.40
466.99
5
14
6
3
$151.40
64.53
91.14
328.04
2 -144.61
3 + 34.65
1 + 49.27
- 33.68
+324.40
+ 466.99
Total.....................
74
4.9
3.27
465.35
187.80
144.79
85.96
56.38
226. 86
1,167.12
40
157.98
28
113.98
6 + 42.27
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
Food.
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under$l,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
104
CHICAGO, ELL.
AVERAGE AMOUNT AND P E R CENT OP E X PE N D IT U R E P E R ANNUM FO R THE PRIN CIPA L GROUPS OP ITEMS OP COST OF LIV IN G OP
FAM ILIES IN S P EC IFIED IND U STR IA L CENTERS, BY CITIES AND BY INCOME GRO UPS-Continued.
P E R CERT.
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over................
14.9
44.6
23.0
10.8
4.1
2.7
45.3
42.4
39.9
34.6
34.3
30.1
13.3
15.3
15.5
19.6
18.5
18.0
11.3
13.2
12.2
12.4
12.7
8.2
9.4
7.6
7.2
6.6
6.2
5.8
3.4
4.0
5.6
5.7
8.3
3.8
17.3
17.6
19.5
21.2
20.0
34.1
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
36.4
48.5
58.8
62.5
100.0
100.0
Total..................... 100.0
39.9
16.1
12.4
7.4
4.8
19.4
100.0
54.1
$35.55 $151.11
$816.32
54. 60 207.03 1,038.45
66.26 254.08 1,241.35
77.00 289.91 1,450.96
94. 07 358.47 1,628.78
150.32 528.11 1,939.77
18.78 785.78 2,417.76
17
47
60
29
7
2
1
$55.51
64.93
141.10
236.02
318.24
328.47
783.74
11
23
22
5
1
$63.13
84.97
108.87
92.96'
15.51
+ $7.55
+ 13.06
+ 70.59
+ 182.28
+274.02
+328.47
................ +783.74
140.95
62
89.10
24 + 70.08
...........
45.5
42.4
35.3 —
37.5
18.2 _______
9.1
5.9
------1
........... ..... ..... ------ !
—
37.8
8.1
C IN C IN N A T I, OHIO.
33
84
86
35
8
2
1
4.6
4.5
4.9
5.1
4.5
4.5
3.0
3.20
3.08
3.30
3.50
3.33
2.24
2.90
$356.11
429.30
504.41
576.83
608.36
568.82
806.44
$114.79 $122.28
150.92 » 150. 59
195.39 e 171. 56
217.63 227. 57
286.48 228.74
344.91
251.50
465.30 312.00
$36. 49
i 44.93
« 49.97
62.03
52. 67
96.13
29. 46
Total.....................
249
4.7
3.23
474.67
178.04 2 169.16
2 48. 61
61.14
237.29
1,168.82
163
5
14
4
1
P E R CENT.
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over...............
13.3
33.7
34.5
14.1
3.2
.8
.4
43.6
41.3
40.6
39.8
37.4
29.3
33.4
14.1
14.5
15.7
15.0
17.6
17.8
19.2
15.0
i 14.4
« 13.8
15.7
14.0
13.0
12.9
4.5
i 4.3
«4.0
4.3
3.2
5.0
1.2
4.4
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.8
7.7
.8
18.5
19.9
20.5
20.0
22.0
27.2
32.5
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
51. 5
56.0
69.8
82.9
87.5
100.0
100.0
Total..................... 100.0
4a 6
15.2
2 14.4
74.1
5.2
20.3
100.0
65.5
1 Not including 4 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
2 Not including 11 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
* Not including 16 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
* Not including 2 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
33. 3
27.4
25.6
14.3
12.5
7*5 2
lfi 7
4. 7
2.9 . . . . —
•-.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
[1 6 5 5 ]
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over................
....................... —
........... ........... —
.............. ................
24.9
6 Not including 37 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
6 Not including 1 family in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
2 Not including 5 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
O
Ch
106
AVERAGE AMOUNT AND P E R CENT OF E X PE N D IT U R E P E R ANNUM FO R THE PRINCIPAL GROUPS OF ITEMS OF COST OF LIVING OF
FAMILIES IN SPEC IFIED INDUSTRIAL CENTERS, BY CITIES AND BY INCOME GROUPS—Continued.
C L E V E L A N D , OHIO.
Income group.
Total.....................
Families Av. sur
Total
Surplus.
Deficit.
average
having plus (+ )
neither 'o r defi
yearly
surplus
cit ( - )
expenses
Furniture
Families Average Families Average
Fuel and and fur Miscel
nor
fór
per
light. nishings. laneous. family.
having— amount. having— amount. deficit.
group.
Average yearly expenses per family for—
Food.
Clothing.
$155.11
201.39
245.88
295.22
390.28
809.84
25
89
61
47
22
1
4.1
4.5
4.7
5.1
5.6
13.0
2.78
2.99
3.39
3.47
4.38
9.66
$444.45
502.51
557.99
590.95
680.33
1,086.05
245
4.8
3.31
545.71
Rent,
i$187.77 1 $48.80
i 230. 65 i 59.57
1 246.40 i 65.17
i 296.93 i 69.99
327. 05
70.76
67.00
240,00
245.19 2 251.79
2 62.93
$64. ii
66.42
92.15
139. 29
124.23
164.20
92.16
$206. 69 $1,108. 21
276.75 1,338. 55
354.36 1,562. 39
399.11 1,791.02
513.92 2,106.56
509.41 2,876,50
[1 6 5 6 ]
14
62
50
35
18
1
$53.70
92.24
134.33
199. 96
225. 43
82.50
9
27
11
12
3
$69.03
118.98
219.04
94.96
241.81
2 + $5.22
-t- 28.16
+ 70.61
+ 124.66
1 + 151.47
+ 82.50
135.14
62
130.78
3
+ 66.19
..........
334.64
1,532.82
180
P E R CENT.
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500-.
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,i00-.
$2,100 and under $2,500-.
$2,500 and over...............
10.2
36.3
24.9
19.2
9.0
.4
40.1
37.5
35.7
33.0
32.3
37.8
14.0
15.0
15.7
16.5
18.5
28.2
i 17.1
117.3
115.7
116.6
15.5
8.3
14.4
14.5
14.2
13.9
3.4
2.3
5.8
5.0
5.9
7.8
5.9
5.7
18.7
20.7
22.7
' 22.3
24.4
17.7
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
56.0
69.7
82.0
74.5
81.8
100.0
36.0
30.3
18.0
25.5
13.6
8.0
Total...................... 100.0
35.6
16.0
2 16.4
2 4.1
6.0
21.8
100.0
73.5
25.3
1.2
4.5
COLUMBTJS, OHIO: W hite F a m ilie s.
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1.200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800- $1,800 and under $2,100-.
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over...............
Total.....................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1
46
75
28
18
1
3.0
4.4
4.9
5.1
5.2
6.0
2.90
2. 78
3.13
3.33
3.72
5.00
$440.82
438.62
491.19
536. 57
597.25
595.6Ó
$250.37
155.96
201.77
248.34
307.20
273. 93
$264.00
185.07
206. 56
240.09
249.27
216.00
$49.50
52.87
54.97
60.49
70.10
65.00
$38.38
55.59
78.21
89.10
83.25
124.80
169
4.8
3.14
496.01
208. 96
211.21
56.95
74.43
$301.77 $1,344.84
202.30 1,090.40
260.08 1,292. 69
360.30 1,534.89
401.95 1, 709.01
515.07 1,790-40
277.29
1,325.39
23
55
21
15
1
$69.01
88.34
164.11
254.87
334. 60
115
122.17
1
18
14
3
3
$513. 50
93.51
70.59
85.58
138.53
39
98.90
-$513.50
5 2.08
6 + 51.61
4 + 113.91
+ 189.30
+ 334.60
15 +
60.31
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
Under $900......................
$900 and under *1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500. $1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500- $2,500 and over...............
Average persons
in family.
Num
ber of
fami
Equiva
lies. Total. lent adult
males.
P E R CENT.
0.6
27.2
44.4
16.6
10.7
.0
32.8
40.2
38.0
35.0
34.9
33.3
Total.... ................. 100.0
37.4
Under $900 ...................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800-.
$1,800 and under $2,100- $2,100 and under 82,500- $2,500 and over...............
18.6!
19.6
14.3 !
17.0
15.6
16.0
16.2 |
15.6
18.0
14.6
15.3 j
12.1
..........!........
15.8
15.9
3.7
4.8
4-3
3.9
4.1
3.6
2.9
5.1
6.0
5.8
4.9
7.0
22.4
18.6
20.1
23.5
23.5
28.8
100.0
50.0
73.3
75.0
83.3
100.0
39.1
18.7
10.7
16.7
10.9
8.0
14.3
4.3
5.6
21.0
68.0
23.1
8.9
C O LUM BU S, OHIO: Colored F a m ilies.
[1 6 5 7 ]
24
18
3
5
4-0
4.6
5.2
4.0
5.4
3.55
2. 96
3.38
2.57
3.27
$331.90
460.09
515.07
527.34
549.90
Total......................
51
4.8
3.13
489.74
$67.10
135.71
191.82
265.94
290.00
$120.00
i 161.56
197.17
268.00
300.80
149.64
$20.75
57.62
76.67
71.77
$44.00
53.44
54. 55
61.09
94.30
$122.00
189.50
259.29
548.42
423.51
$705.75
1,047.16
1,275.51
1,747.46
1,730.28
176.95 * 193.86
155.77
58.10
256.86
1
11
2
4
$30.00
64.53
101.23
115.05
253.59
1,229.23
34
100.60
..........
100.0
66.7
61.1
66.7
80.0
16
5
$79.46
50.83
224.67
124.20
3
1
+
+
+
+
+
13
80.86
4
+ 46.46
6
1
1
$30.00
26.47
44.92
1.81
178.03
P E R CENT.
2.0
47.1
35.3
5.9
9.8
47.0
43.9
40.4
30.2
31.8
9.5
13.0
15.0
15.2
16.8
17.0
U5.4
15.5
15.3
17.4
2.9
14.7
4.5
4.4
4.1
6.2
5.1
4-3
3.5
5.4
17.3
18.1
20.3
31.4
24.5
T otal.... ................ 100.0
39.8
14.4
i 15.7
14.5
4.7
20.9
Tinder $900 ...................
$900 and under $1,200—
$1,200 and under $1,500- $1,500 and under $1,800-.
$1,800 and under $2,100- $2,100 and under $2,300-.
$2,500 and over. ..............
} Not including 1 family in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
25.5
12.5
5.6
*
7.8
* Not including 4 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
107
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
66.7
20.8
33.3
33.3 —
20.0
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
1
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500-.
$1,500 and under $1,800-.
$1,800 and under $2,100- 169,100 stnn under $2,500..
$9j500 aT)d over ____ .
108
AVERAGE AMOUNT AND P E R CENT OF E X PE N D IT U R E P E R ANNUM FOR THE PRIN CIPA L GROUPS OF ITEMS OF COST OF LIVING OF
FAM ILIES IN SPEC IFIED IN D U STR IA L CENTERS, BY CITIES AND BY INCOME GROUPS—Continued.
D A N V IL L E , ILL.
Income group.
Average persons
in family.
Num
ber of
fami
Equiva
lies. Total. lent adult
males.
Families Av. sur
Total
Deficit.
Surplus.
having plus (+ )
average
neither or defi
yearly
surplus
cit ( - )
Families Average Families Average
Fuel and Furniture
Miscel expenses
for
nor
per
and fur laneous.
light. nishings.
family. having— amount. having— amount. deficit. group.
Average yearly expenses per family for—
Food.
Clothing.
Rent.
1
18
23
16
11
3
2
6.0
4.4
4.7
5.1
4.2
4. 7
5. 5
4. 00
2.84
3.31
3. 29
2.84
4.15
3.83
$407.71
424.94
505. 37
551. 77
464.85
645.50
699.70
$96. 00
$73.21
144. 93 136.50
210.32
154.74
309.42 1 188. 76
284.29 1 223.15
375.20 1 172.00
383.57
201.00
$79. 46
71.85
84.68
1 90.25
» 93.26
1 80.18
113.27
$7.14
63.91
70.98
68.16
88.88
43.76
188.33
Total.....................
74
4.7
3.18
499. 43
236.35 2 167. 90
2 84.42
72.54
[1 6 5 8 ]
$236.09 $899. 61
219.90 1,062.03
252.99 1,279. 08
366.80 1,576.43
411.17 1,555.58
559. 71 1,972.81
472.50 2,059.35
JO
14
11
10
3
2
$65.64
120.16
143.34
396.47
230.60
568.50
311.20
1,375.76
50
194.18
26.2
20.7
19.8
23.3
26.4
28.4
22.9
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
55.6
60.9
68.8
90.9
100.0
100.0
22.6
100.0
1
6
8
5
1
$27.00
27.10
71.73
135.98
25.30
21
69.93
—$27.00
2 + 27.43
1 + 48.19
+ 56.06
+358.13
+230.60
+568.50
3
+111.36
P E R CENT.
Under £900
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500. :
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and ever. .. .
Total.....................
1.4
24.3
31.1
21.6
14.9
4.1
2.7
45.3
40.0
39.5
35.0
29.9
32.7
34.0
8.1
13.6
16.4
19.6
18.3
19.0
18.6
10.7
12.9
12.1
1 12.0
114.1
18.5
9.8
8.8
6.8
6.6
15.7
» 15.9
5.5
0.8
6.0
5.5
4.3
5.7
2.2
9.2
100.0
36.3
17.2
2 12.3
2 6.2
5.3
1 3 .9
100.0
33.3
34.8
31.3
9.1
11.1
4.3
67.6
28.4
4.1
$110.03 $940. 70
166.67 1,092. 47
236. 71 1,333.20
277. 64 1,548.15
350. 01 1,813.55
423.18 2,063.12
688.90 2,735.44
22
58
81
37
13
5
1,520. 74
216
1
$54. 76
13
16
99.95
148. 59
23
185.43
10
1
191.34
315.43 ..............
64
138.72
D ET R O IT , MICH.
Under $900
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$l,S0O and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over................
1
36
78
106
48
14
5
4. 0
4.4
4.5
4.8
5.3
5.7
6.0
2.45
2.82
2.81
3.06
3.48
3.96
4.80
$357.32
436. 91
483. 71
544. 56
599.11
696. 94
842.28
Total.....................
2S8
4.8
3.11
535.64
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$185.60
178.04
216.24
244.50
308.57
391.29
580.41
$180.00
$81. 00
i 180.49 1 72.11
2 222.87 2 90.58
3 283. 31 3 99. 26
1 348.01 1 111.33
107.65
297. 43
358.43
112.87
251.98 * 266. 75
<96.15
$26.75
54.11
78.71
96.49
96.97
146. 63
152.54
89.62
278.38
$122. 00
162.10
134.85
113.56
132.95
113.80
131. 91
1
4
2
1
.........
-$122.00
- 25.08
+ 46.66
+ 88.91
+ 115.24
+ 169.55
+ 315.43
8 +
74.73
MONTHLY LAB OK REVIEW,
Under $900..
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under 11,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 find under $2,500
$2,500 and over................
P E R CENT.
1 1 8 2 6 5 °— 19------8
TTndp.r $900.........
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2 nOOfl.nrì nvp,r..
0.3
12.5
27.1
36.8
16.7
4.9
1.7
38.0
40.0
36.3
35.2
33.0
33.8
30.8
19.7
16.3
16.2
15.8
17.0
19.0
21.2
19.1
• 16.6
316.7
«18.3
i 19.2
14.4
13.1
8.6
1 6.6
2 6.8
3 6.4
16.1
5.2
4.1
2.8
5.0
5.9
6.2
5.3
7.1
5.6
11.7
15.3
17.8
17.9
19.3
20.5
25.2
61.1
74.4
76.4
77.1
92.9
100.0
Total___________ 100.0
35.2
16.6
‘ 17.5
4 6.3
5.9
18.3
75.0
100.0
36.1
20.5
21.7
20.8
7.1
2.8
5.1
1.9
2.1
22.2
2.8
.........
E V A N S V IL L E , IN D .
4.4
4.3
5.0
4. 6
4. 3
5.3
7.0
2.96
2.95
3.71
3. 48
3 41
4. 61
6.40
$334.50
413.09
481. 78
491. 48
586. 38
794.41
1,122.90
Total......................
106
4.6
3.37
459.59
[1 6 5 9 ]
$98.32 $125. 66
164.10 133.34
211. 29 137.39
230.08 ]30. 41
307. 03 208. 50
335.03 144.00
493.13 156.00
$49. 52
52. 22
60. 76
58. 43
65. 27
62.46
96.86
136.86
56.72
192.69
$788.01
1,010. 79
1,237.80
1,420.88
1,608.57
1,998.17
2,482.65
6'
25
27
11
4
3
1
$75.13
79.36
113. 61
221.91
303. 52
343. 93
248,50
4
S
5
$149.08
75.57
39.03
25S. 48
1,169. 65
77
135.55
17
82.12
$32.00 $148. 01
52.56
195.48
66.80 279. 78
126.16 384.32
71.51
369.89
76.80
1S7.27 426.49
65.32
3 -111. 20
4 + 37.28
5 + 77.63
+221. 91
+303. 52
+343. 93
+248.50
12
P E R CENT.
TTnrìor SODO
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,S00..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
Total
12.3
34.9
34.9
10.4
3.8
2.8
.9
42.4
40.9
38.9
34.6
36.5
39.8
45.2
12.5
16.2
17.1
16.2
19.1
16.8
19.9
15.9
13.2
11.1
9.2
13.0
7.2
6.3
6.3
5.2
4.9
4.1
4.1
3.1
3.9
4.1
5.2
5.4
8.9
4.4
3.8
7.5
18.8
19.3
22.6
27.0
23.0
29.3
17.2
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
46.2
67.6
73.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
30.8
21.6
13.5
23.1
10.8
13.5
100.0
39.3
16.5
11.7
4.8
5.6
22.1
100.0
72.6
16.0
11.3
i Not including 1 family in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
* Not including 3 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
3 Not including 4 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
4 Not including 9 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
109
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
+ 85.30
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
$2,500 and over__ ..........
13
37
37
11
4
3
i
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200—
$1,200 and under $1,500..
A M O U N T A N D P E R C E N T O F E X P E N D I T U R E P E R A N N U M F O R T H E P R I N C I P A L G R O U P S O F IT E M S O F C O S T OF L I V I N G
F A M IL IE S I N S P E C I F IE D I N D U S T R I A L C E N T E R S , B Y C I T I E S A N D B Y IN C O M E G R O U P S —C o n tin u e d .
OF
110
AVERAGE
F O R T W A Y N E , IN D .
In co m e g ro u p .
A v erag e p erso n s
in fam ily .
N um
b e r of
fam i
E q u iv a
lies. T o ta l. le n t a d u lt
m ales.
4
27
25
14
18
5
4
4 ii
4.7
4.4
4.3
4.3
T o t a l........................
97
Food.
C lo th in g .
5.5
2.75
2.94
2.93
2.54
3.35
4.60
4.36
$325.03
' 3 7 7 .5 7
429.55
• 466.84
529.02
635.16
741.94
$108.23
148.70
180. 78
241.04
298.47
368.49
496.68
4.6
3.09
458.09
222.10
6.6
R e n t.
$196.50
187.21
207.77
244.99
1 268. 63
252. 82
286.00
1
222.85
$84.07
92.93
98.05
106.97
1 119.26
115.98
105.15
$51.41
44.56
71.80
94.20
94.47
95.14
186.44
$109.39
209.56
244.99
342.59
496.94
530.38
643-24
$874.64
1,060.53
1,232.93
1,496.62
1,796. 74
1,997.98
2,459. 44
20
11
12
4
2
$104.65
124.46
1 9 6 .»
292.56
501.92
779.93
102.14
76.75
321.51
1,402.86
67
203.24
1
is
1
2
$41.48
167.02
123.42
125.43
165.38
77.62
217.80
27
140.46
3
'/
5
3
6
F a m ilie s
h a v in g
n e ith e r
s u rp lu s
nor
d e fic it.
A v .s u r p lu s ( + )
or defi
c it ( - )
for
g ro u p .
1 —$41.48
2 + 26.46
4- 74.89
"4” l^V• So
139.91
¿8t). OJL
+ 281.06
..........
3 + 10L29
[1660]
P E R CENT.
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over...............
T o t a l........... . . .........
4.1
27.8
25.8
14.4
18.6
5.2
4.1
100.0 ............
1 0 0 .0
6 6 .7
m o
m o
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
80.0
78.6
66.7
80.0
50.0
75.0
25.9
20.0
2L4
33.3
20.0
50.0
m o
69.1
27.8
37.2
35.6
34.8
31.2
29.4
31.8
30.2
12.4
14.0
14.7
16.1
16.6
18.4
20.2
22.5
17.7
16.9
16.4
1 15.4
12.7
11.6
9.6
8.8
8.0
7.1
1 6.8
5.8
4.3
5.9
4.2
5.8
6.3
5.3
4.8
7.6
12.5
19.8
19.9
22.9
27.7
26.5
26.2
m o
32.7
15.8
1
16.1
1 7 .4
5.5
22.9
------
25.0
7.4
3.1 —
G R A N D R A P I D S , M ICH.
U n d e r $900..........................
$900 a n d u n d e r $1,200....
$1,200 a n d u n d e r $1,500..
$1,500 a n d u n d e r $1,800..
$1,800 a n d u n d e r $2,100..
$2,100 a n d u n d e r $2,500..
$2,500 a n d o v e r..................
T o t a l................... ...
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2
34
39
12
9
2
2
4.0
4.4
5.1
4.7
5.7
4.5
5.0
2.45
2.99
3.38
2.86
3.67
3.86
3.90
$370.53
433.56
486.51
477.01
568.47
609.53
617.69
$133.30
162. 95
190.05
205.49
248.28
292.23
367.60
$111.00
148.67
189.48
204.88
242.78
132.00
362.50
$74.67
93.13
114.40
109.98
121.32
124.78'
134.85
100
4.8
3.21
477.51
192.39
182.99
107.08
$95.86
$9.55
38.77
178.26
52.52
264.64
112.77
293.96
421.89
54.42
604.66
100.43
58.33 1,090.70
55.46
272.88
$794.90
1,055.33
1,297.61
1,404.08
1,657.15
1,863.63
2,631.66
2
21
29
11
7
1
1
«27.15
68.23
112.51
192.57
343.11
710.75
229.60
1,288.32
72
14E 81
11
9
1
2
$125.82
154.92
63.50
56.97
1
Ì66. Ò0
+$27.15
2 + 1.44
1 + 47.91
+ 171.23
+ 254.21
1 + 355.38
+ 3 1 .8 0
24
130.07
4
+ 70.89
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
U n d e r $900
$900 a n d u n d e r $1,200___
$1,200 a n d u n d e r $1,500..
$1,500 a n d u n d e r $1,800..
$1,800 a n d u n d e r $2,100..
$2,100 a n d u n d e r $2,500..
$2,500 a n d o v e r..................
T o ta l
D eficit.
S u rp lu s.
av erag e
y e a rly
ex p e n ses F am ilie s A v erag e F am ilie s A v erag e
F u r n itu r e
F u e l a n d a n d fu r M iscel
p er
lan eo u s. fam ily . h av in g — a m o u n t. h av in g — a m o u n t.
lig h t.
n ish in g s.
A v erag e y e a rly e x p e n ses p e r fa m ily for—
P E R CENT.
Under $900...................
$900 and under $1,200..
$1,200 and under $1,500
$1,500 and under $1,800
$1,800 and under $2,100
$2,100 and under $2,500
$2,500 and over............
Total...................
2.0
46.6
41.1
37.5
34.0
34.3
32.7
23.5
16.8
15.4
14.6
14.6
15.0
15.7
14.0
<
14.0
14.1
14.6
14.6
14.7
7.1
13.8
100.0
37.1
14.9
14.2
2.0
34.0
39.0
12.0
9.0
2.0
9.4
8.8
8.8
7.8
7.3
6.7
5.1
1.2
3.7
4.0
8.0
3.3
5.4
2.2
12.1
16.9
20.4
20.9
25.5
32.4
41.4
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
61.8
74.4
91.7
77.8
50.0
50.0
32.4
23.1
8.3
22.2
8.3
4.3
21.2
100.0
72.0
24.0
5.9
2.6
50.0
50.0
............
4.0
G R E E N B A Y , W IS.
4
27
25
12
5
2
3.3
4.1
5.1
6.2
5.8
5.5
2.38
3.00
3.56
4.46
4.81
3.52
$280.87
417. 21
498.39
584.15
671.33
594.61
$122.63
174.42
224.11
260.04
379. 82
476.99
$97.25
122.49
131.34
161.85
2Ö7.00
207.68
$67.09
71.93
90.44
99.83
107.53
112.39
$50.93
43.85
50.26
78.47
118.07
65.47
$170.18
179.10
211.85
326.67
344.47
346.59
$788.95
1,008.80
1,206.40
1,511.01
1,828.21
1,803.72
1
22
20
8
3
2
$69.20
111.45
183.53
170.10
121.18
514.68
2
5
5
3
1
$74.13
42.96
40.10
49.96
5.83
1 —$19.76
+ 82.86
+ 138.81
1 + 100.91
1 +■ 71.54
+514.68
Total.....................
75
4.9
3.52
485.38
223.68
138.30
85.76
57.36
228.64
1,219.12
56
159.74
16
44.95
3 + 109.68
P E R CENT.
Under $900................
$900 and under $1,200..
$1,200 and under $1,500
$1,500 and under $1,800
$1,800 and under $2,100
$2,100 and under $2,500
$2,500 and over............
T otal.
35.6
41.4
41.3
38.7
36.7
33.0
15.5
17.3
18.6
17.2
20.8
26.4
12.3
12.1
10.9
10.7
li. 3
11.5
8.5
7.1
7.5
6.6
5.9
6.2
6.5
4.3
4.2
5.2
6.5
3.6
21.6
17.8
17.6
21.6
18.8
19.2
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
25.0
81.5
80.0
66.7
60.0
100.0
50.0
18.5
20.0
25.0
20.0
25.0
100.0
39.8
18.3
11.3
7.0
4.7
18.8
100.0
74.7
21.3
4.0
—
8.3
20.0
»Not including 2 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
I ll
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
5.3
36.0
33.3
16.0
6.7
2.7
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
[ 1661]
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
112
AVERAGE AMOUNT AND P E R CENT OF E X PE N D IT U R E P E R ANNUM FOR THE PRIN CIPA L GROUPS OF ITEMS OF COST OF LIVING OF
FAM ILIES IN SPEC IFIED INDUSTRIAL CENTERS, BY CITIES AND BY INCOME GROUPS—Continued.
IN D IA N A P O L IS, IN D .
Income group.
Average persons
in family.
Num
ber of
fami
Equiva
lies. Total. lent adult
males.
Families Av. surTotal
Surplus.
Deficit.
having plus(+)
average
neither or dedyearly
cit ( - )
surplus
expenses
Furniture
Families
Average
Fuel and and fur Miscel
Families Average
nor
per
for
having— amount. having— amount. deficit.
light. nishings. laneous. family.
group.
Average yearly expenses per family for—
Food.
9
37
45
32
12
7
3
4.3
4.2
4.6
4.5
5.2
4.7
8.0
3.11
2.74
3.13
3.05
3.92
4.00
6.72
$378.12
399.15
486.63
504.15
593.91
574. 70
949. 76
Total.....................
145
4.6
3.19
484.15
Rent.
$135.80
145.00
i 167.39
i 193.47
217.54
2 210.33
148.00.
$60.22
62. 71
i 77.93
i 82.01
104.72
2 96.00
93.20
$48.51
71.08
70. 74
92.54
74.34
99.47
154.67
$151.73
191.18
276. 23
343.16
417.94
519.16
522.06
$870.62
999.83
1. 272.04
1,459.50
1,749.04
1,833.17
2,386.56
2
23
39
29
11
7
3
$48.75
84.83
116.82
176.43
219.40
456.00
470.36
6
11
6
2
1
$79.74
68.26
70.19
140.72
141.43
1 —$42.33
3 4- 32.44
+ 91.89
1 +151.10
+189.33
+456.00
+470.36
206.63 s 170.76
3 77.04
77.68
290.11
1,308.66
114
164. 36
26
79.74
5 +114.93
$96.24
130. 72
190.23
241.10
340.57
334.16
518.87
[ 1662]
P E R CENT.
Under $900...................
$900 and under $1 200..
$1,200 and under $1,500
$1,500 and under $1,800
$1,800 and under $2,100
$2,100 and under $2,500
$2,500 and over............
6.2
25.5
31.0
22.1
8.3
4.8
2.1
43.4
39.9
38.3
34.5
34.0
31.4
39.8
11.1
13.1
15.0
16.5
19.5
18.2
21.7
15.6
14.5
i 13.2
i 13.2
12.4
211.6
6.2
6.9
6.3
16.1
15.6
6.0
2 5.3
3.9
5.6
7.1
5.6
6.3
4.3
5.4
6.5
17.4
19.1
21.7
23.5
23.9
28.3
21.9
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100 0
22.2
62.2
86.7
90.6
91.7
100.0
100.0
66.7
29.7
13.3
6.2
8.3
11.1
8.1
Total.................. .
100.0
37.0
15.8
3 13.1
3 5.9
5.9
22.2
100.0
78.6
17.9
3.4
$176.32 $828.53
206.32 1,039.04
291.36 1,268.42
390.64 1,543. 72
383.94 1,654.86
443.14 2,008.31
2
26
29
14
5
3
$30.00
74.00
111.10
160.09
384.78
345.36
1
6
6
5
1
$87.80
87.27
107.66
88.40
182.37
1 + $6.95
3 + 40.01
3 + 67.79
+ 95.14
+290.26
+345.36
79
131.84
19
99.04
7 + 81.27
3.1
L O U ISV IL L E , KY.
Under $900.............
$900 and under $1,200...
$1,200 and under $1,500.
$1,500 and under $1,800.
$1,800 and under $2,100.
$2,100 and under $2,500.
$2,500 and over..............
Total...................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
4
35
38
19
6
3
5.5
4.6
5.2
5.2
6.0
6.7
3.16
3.20
3.59
3.67
4.36
5.17
$360.59
445.28
503.22
575.40
631.36
726.25
$83.36
144.68
191.43
278.25
305.01
364.30
$127.50
134.59
154.99
166. 72
139.93
157.09
$60.87
58.83
61.74
66.78.
73.03
75.22
$19.90
49.35
65.68
65.94
121.58
242.32
105
5.1
3.55
505.23
198.87
148.46
62.68
66.78
286.22
1,268.21
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2'500 and over__ ' ........
Clothing.
FEH. CENT.
Tinder SODO
$900 and under 81,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $1,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over............
Total
3.8
33.3
36.2
18.1
5.7
2.9
43.5
42.9
39.7
37.3
38.2
36.2
10.1
13.9
15.1
18.0
18.4
18.1
15.4
13.0
12.2
10.8
8.5
7.8
7.3
5.7
4.9
4.3
4.4
3.7
2.4
4.7
5.2
4.3
7.3
12.1
21.3
19.9
23.0
25.3
23.2
22.1
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
50.0
74.3
76.3
73.7
83.3
100.0
25.0
17.1
15.8
26.3
16.7
25.0
8.6
7.9
100.0
39.8
15.7
11.7
4.9
5.3
22.6
100.0
75.2
18.1
6.7
$140.33
$847.99
190.32 1,053.27
260.87 1,278.03
301. 22 1,502.36
415.69 1,850.80
313. 02 1 857.63
519.38 2,231.12
3
34
57
38
12
6
5
$43.34
77.17
92.93
177.50
115.85
307.47
691.40
1
13
15
5
4
1
74.80
1 +$11.92
1 “t" 25. 20
2 + 53.62
+ 145.58
+ 59.24
+307.47
+563.70
271. 41
1,354.13
155
138.63
39
97.86
4 + 89.25.
60.0
70.8
77.0
88.4
M ILW AUKEE, WIS.
3.4
4.1
4.8
4.9
6.8
58
6.8
2.46
2.82
3.21
3.45
4.99
4.33
5.36
$358.68
425.97
505.36
561.54
654.17
701.14
731.40
$96.07 $142.30
158.69 2 148.64
216. 76 2167.85
237.69 200.57
372.35
187.94
232.50
378.11
517.61 221.50
$66.10
2 75.03
» 85.20
98.37
102.41
112. 22
101.61
$44.51
53.77
41.75
102.96
118.23
120.64
139.62
T otal.....................
198
4.9
3.39
519.42
230.76 i 175.03
>87.89
69.56
$70.43
10S. 78
88.62
97.07
110.58
[1663]
P E R CENT.
TTndPr JpQOO
$900 and linden 200
<gl 200 and under $1 500
•J1 500 a n d u n d e r $1 800
v'l 800 and u n d e r $2 100
$5 100 i^nd u n d e r $2 500
$2 500 and over
Total
21 7
81
30
3.0
42.3
40. 4
39.5
37. 4
35.3
37.7
32.8
11.3
15.1
17.0
15.8
20.1
20. 4
23.2
16.8
2 14.2
213.1
13.4
10.2
12.5
9.9
7.8
2 7.2
26.7
6.5
5.5
6.0
4.6
5.2
5.1
. 3.3
6.9
6.4
6.5
6.3
16.5
18.1
20.4
20.1
22.5
16.9
23.3
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
83.3
100.0
38.4
17.0
i 12.9
16.5
5.1
20.0
100.0
78.3
2.5
24 2
37 4
i N-ot including 2 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
«Not including 1 family in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
20.0
2.1
2.7
16.7
19.7
2.0
8Not including 5 families ih which rent is combined with fuel and light.
113
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
20.0
27.1
20.3
11.6
25.0
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
$2*500 and over...............
5
48
74
43
16
6
6
Under $900.......................
$900 and under $i ,200—
$1,200 and under $1,500..
Sl'500 and under $1,S00..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
114
AVERAGE AMOUNT AND P E R CENT OF E X P E N D IT U R E P E R ANNUM FOR THE PRIN CIPA L GROUPS OF ITEMS OF COST OF LIVING OF
FAM ILIES IN SPEC IFIED INDUSTRIAL CENTERS, BY CITIES AND BY INCOME GROUPS—Continued.
M IN N E A P O L IS A N D ST. P A U L , M IN N .
Income group.
Average persons
in family.
Num
ber of
fami
Equiva
lies. Total. lent adult
males.
Families Av. sur
Total
Deficit.
Surplus.
average
having plus (+ )
neither or defi
yearly
Furniture Miscel expenses Families Average Families Average surplus cit ( - )
Fuel
and
for
and fur laneous.
nor
per
Rent.
light. nishings.
family. having— amount. having— amount. deficit. group.
Average yearly expenses per family for—
Food.
6
49
101
45
30
8
1
4.3
4.2
4.9
5.2
4.9
4.8
5.0
3.45
2.90
3.40
3.70
3.37
3.43
4.03
$360.58
384.18
479.57
539.16
537.15
548.68
589.04
Total......................
240
4.8
3.35
478.25
$130.04
142.96
203.57
236.89
269.39
312.85
668.92
$150.02 $78.76
1180.67 181. 73
2 223. 71 290.96
s 244.82 8 99.49
1 262.87 1113.42
298.70
92.16
216.00 110.00
$25.94
48. 68
56.54
70.19
94.92
130.93
186.05
$175.48
181.26
246.37
328.61
373.12
628.54
452.38
$920.81
1,021.10
1,303.79
1,518.97
1,669.41
2, Oil. 85
2,222.39
1
36
69
38
27
7
1
$10.00
66.94
127.52
172.52
273. 75
249.69
588.21
5
12
29
7
3
1
$89.53
48.34
143. 79
250.10
185. 78
80.00
<92.61
64.54
276.16
1,349.98
179
153.64
57
133.08
209.41 ‘ 226.65
1
3
4
—$72.94
+ 37.34
+ 45.83
+ 106.78
4-227. 79
4-208.48
4-588.21
4- 82.98
[1 6 6 4 ]
PEE. CENT.
Under $900......................
$900 and undér $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over................
2.5
20.4
42.1
18.8
12.5
3.3
.4
39.2
37.6
36.8
35.5
32.2
27.3
26.5
14.1
14.0
15.6
15.6
16.1
15.6
30.1
16.3
117.7
2 17.1
8 16.1
116.8
14.8
9.7
8.6
18.0
2 7.0
«6.5
16'. 4
4.6
4.9
2.8
4.8
4.3
4.6
5.7
6.5
8.4
19.1
17.8
18.9
21.6
22.4
31.2
20.4
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
16.7
73.5
68.3
84.4
90.0
87.5
100.0
83.3
24.5
28.7
15.6
10.0
12.5
Total.................... . 100.0
35.4
15.5
416.8
<6.8
4.8
20.5
100.0
74.6
23.8
2.0
3.0
L7
P A N A , ILL.
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,lu0._
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over__ .’........
2
10
28
23
9
2
1
4.0
4.0
4.7
5.2
5.1
5.0
8.0
3.48
2.95
3.14
3.72
3. 74
3.79
4.39
$349.80
451.93
487.60
548.24
600. 42
653.97
509.89
Total......................
75
4.8
3.41
516.04
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$166.66 $222.00
189. 23 144.20
220.18 139.57
262.04 141.87
319.59
159.00
337. 73 137.89
229.37
180.00
$82.15
67.15
64.27
62.74
70.36
98.30
67.60
$53.75
73.81
96.88
112.63
1S1.79
160.48
625.29
$458.24 $1,332.59
220.59 1,146.90
306.82 1,3l5.31
365.67 1,493.19
440. 77 1,771.94
565. 78 1,954.13
419.98 2,032.13
1
3
12
18
8
2
1
$122.00
25.79
142. 73
247.16
191.20
466.20
528.40
145.92
66.34
116.41
341.90 1,429.26
45
207.81
242.65
1 $1,151.55
132.94
6
81.11
11
4
181.57
350.95
1
23
170.37
-$514.78
1 - 72.03
5 + 29.31
1 + 161.86
+ 130.96
+ 466.20
-f 528.40
7 +
72.44
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
Under $900......................
$900 and Under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$L500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and Under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over................
Clothing.
P E R CENT.
O '•
13.3
37.3
30.7
12.0
2.7
1.3
26.2
39.4
37.1
36.7
33.9
33.5
25.1
12.5
16.5
16.7
17.5
18.0
17.3
11.3
16.7
12.6
10.6
9.5
9.0
7.1
8.9
6.2
5.9
4.9
4.2
4.0
5.0
3.3
4.0
6.4
7.4
7.5
10.3
8.2
30.8
34.4
19.2
23.3
24.5
24.9
29.0
20.7
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
50.0
30.0
42.9
78.3
88.9
100.0
100.0
50.0
60.0
39.3
17.4
11.1
10.0
17.9
4.3
Total...................... 100.0
36.1
17.0
10.2
4.6
8.1
23.9
100.0
60.0
30.7
9.3
Under §900......................
§900 and under 81,200__
81,200 and under $1,500..
SI ,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under 32 TOO..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over...............
.........
ROCK IS L A N D A N D M OLINE, IL L ., A N D D A V E N P O R T , IOWA.
1
19
56
39
22
6
3
5. 0
3.9
4.5
5.2
4.7
5.5
5.3
2.60
2.77
3.00
3.31
3.20
4.07
4.53
$418.91
438.61
480.77
565.17
554.98
608.27
749.75
Total......................
146
4.7
3.16
519.35
$98.10
141.01
205.26
253.11
285. 04
370.63
472.61
$168.00 $76.80
155.73
69.47
3 188.81 8 84.28
8 220.15 8101.90
s 224.74 8105.24
284.97 118.24
229.28 140.82
233.26 6 202. 76
‘ 92.63
$3.05 $127.49 $892.35
48.86 191.67 1,045.35
63.50 255.17 1,280.09
99.62 315.10 1,552.38
110.87 377.09 l j 660.21
121.64
534.42 2,038.17
87.43 652.06 2,331.95
80.85
14
40
31
20
4
3
$81.32
109. 73
148. 89
273.61
605.51
634.95
5
11
8
2
2
$48.83
66.91
130.14
72.83
272.00
178. 06
28
96.82
300.04
1,429.67
112
1
5
6
+$47.07
+ 65.24
+ 91.65
+242.11
+313.01
+634.95
+118.02
P E R CENT.
Tinder $900
S900 and under $1,200. . . .
$1,200 and under $1,500. .
$1,500 and under $1,800. .
$1,800 and undèr $2,100. .
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over
Total
0.7
18.8
13.0
38.4
26.7
15.1
4.1
2.1
46.9
42.0
37.6
36.4
33.4
29.8
32.2
11.0
13.5
16.0
16.3
17.2
18.2
20.3
14.9
* 14.8
* 14.2
*13.5
14.0
9.8
100.0
36.3
16.3
‘ 14.2
1Not including 2 families in which rent is combined with f uel and light.
including 4 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
» Not including 1 family in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
2 Not
0.3
5.8
6.0
4.7
5.0
6.4
6.7
6.0
3.7
14.3
18.3
19.9
20.3
22.7
26.2
28.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
73.7
71.4
79.5
90.9
66.7
100.0
26.3
19.6
20.5
9.1
33.3
‘ 6.5
5.7
21.0
100.0
76.7
19.2
100.0
8.9
4.1
.........
*Not including 9 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
‘ Not including 3 families in which rent is combined with fuel and light.
115
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8.6
6.6
*6.6
* 6.6
* 6.3
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
[1665]
Under S900 .....................
$900 and under $1,200....
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over...............
116
AVERAGE AMOUNT AND P E R CENT OP E X PE N D IT U R E P E R ANNUM FOR THE PRINCIPAL GROUPS OF ITEMS OF COST OF LIVING OF
FAM ILIES IN SPEC IFIED INDUSTRIAL CENTERS, BY CITIES AND BY INCOME GROUPS—Concluded.
ST E U B E N V IL L E , OHIO.
Income group.
Average persons
in family.
Num
ber of
fami Total. Equiva
lies.
lent adult
males.
1
Families Av. sur
Total
Deficit.
Surplus.
having plus (+ )
average
neither or defi
yearly
surplus cit ( - )
expenses
Furniture
Average
Families
Average
Families
and and fur Miscel
nor
for
per
Rent. Fuel
having— amount. having— amount. deficit.
light. nishings.
laneous. family.
group.
Average yearly expenses per family for—
Food.
2
10
15
20
13
13
3.0
4.0
4.8
4.7
4.8
5.3
5.1
2.30
2.81
3.03
3.45
3.12
3.68
3.57
$280.00
449.28
541.37
622.47
628.23
693.05
715.44
Total.....................
74
4.9
3.33
632.49
$34.80 $240.00
138.61 211.20
197.93 208.58
233. 47 259.37
295.96 228.37
367.64 282.11
410.11 343.92
$31. 70
$78.20 $197.30
34.90 318.07
48.43 297.70
83.79 260.48
109. 70 399.76
150.66 443.62
199.47 566.00
$S62.00
1,205.80
1, 351.61
1,518.16
1,723.16
2,001.87
2,312.82
1
57.60
58.58
61.14
64.80
77.87
6
13
16
10
11
$146.80
168.16
292.26
377.50
639.64
2
4
2
4
3
2
$100.00
44.25
99.50
217.90
135.53
146.07
449.00
-$100.00
+ 44.25
+ 48.28
+ 16.69
+ 206.70
-1- 256.67
+ 472.16
261.41
63.13
116. 69
389.70
1,758.33
56
331.32
18
161.15
+ 211.53
294.91
[ 1666]
P E R CENT
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over_______
1.4
2.7
13.5
20.3
27.0
17.6
17.6
32.5
37.3
40.1
41.0
36.5
34.6
30.9
4.0
11.5
14.6
15.4
17.2
18.4
17.7
27.8
17.5
15.4
17.1
13.3
14.1
14.9
3.7
4.5
4.3
3.9
3.5
3.2
3.4
9.1
2.9
3.6
5.5
6.4
7.5
8.6
22.9
26.4
22.0
17.2
23.2
22.2
24.5
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
60.0
86.7
80.0
76.9
84.6
100.0
100.0
40.0
13.3
20.0
23.1
15.4
Total......... ..........
100.0
36.0
16.8
14.9
3.6
6.6
22.2
100.0
75.7
24.3
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
Under $900......................
$900 and under $1,200__
$1,200 and under $1,500..
$1,500 and under $1,800..
$1,800 and under $2,100..
$2,100 and under $2,500..
$2,500 and over...............
Clothing.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
117
COST OF LIVING IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
The cost of living in the District of Columbia was 44.85 per cent
higher in April, 1919, than in December, 1916, according to figures
compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, although it was 1.48
per cent lower than it was in December, 1918. Distributed over
the various groups of items entering into the family budget, the
changes from December, 1918, to April, 1919, varied from, a de
crease of 3.85 per cent in the prices of food to an increase of 0.98
per cent in the housing and 0.99 per cent in miscellaneous items.
These figures are based on a cost of living survey made in the
District in Januarjj, 1917, to which have been applied the prices at
the several dates mentioned as determined from reports made by
merchants giving the prices on a large number of items usually pur
chased by representative families. In determining the total increase
in the cost of living the changes in each group of items have been
given a weighting proportionate to the percentage that the expenses
for the group bore to the total expenses of the families as shown by
the survey mentioned.
The figures in the following table show the per cent of changes by
groups of items in June and December, 1917 and 1918, and in April,
1919, as compared with December, 1916; in December, 1918, as com
pared with June, 1918; and in April, 1919, as compared with Decem
ber, 1918.
i
CHANGES IN COST OF LIVING IN WASHINGTON, D . C., FROM DECEMBER, 191G, TO
APRIL, 1919, INCLUSIVE.
Per cent of increase from December,
1916, to—
Items of expenditure.
June,
1917.
Decem June,
ber,
1918.
1917.
Per cent
of in
crease
from
June,
Decem April, 1918, to
ber,
Decem
1919. ber,
1918.
1918.
Per cent
of in
crease (+ )
- or de
crease (—)
from De
cember,
1918, to ■
April,
1919.
Food.............................................................
30.09
38.89
45.47
65.03
59.68
13.45
-3.85
Clothing:
Male.......................................................
Female...................................................
2.54
1.55
26.06
34.70
46.30
55.34
60.82
86.59
57.83
84.68
20.12
9.92
-1.86
-1.91
Total clothing....................................
2.09
-1.45
Housing........................................................
Fuel and light..............................................
Furniture and furnishings..........................
Miscellaneous...............................................
All item s............................................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
30.00
50.41
72.56
70.06
14.73
.08
.30
23.05 42.25
15.68 31.92
18.12 . 25.17
1.26
53.75
61.59
23.63
2.21
58.50
74.22
35.19
2.33
57.30
73.15
36.53
.94
3.09
7.82
9.35
+
+
18.12
33.56
47.02
44.85
9.54
-1.48
27.58
[1667]
.98
.76
.68
.99
118
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
WHOLESALE PRICES IN CANADA IN 1917.
A recent report on Wholesale Prices in Canada in 1917 contains a
summary of wholesale prices in the Dominion since 1890 and a detailed
record for 1917. The arrangement of the subject matter is somewhat
the same as in previous reports, a brief review and analysis of price
changes during the year being given, followed by actual statistics
of prices. The latter are divided into two parts, the first containing
the absolute weekly or monthly quotations for each article through
out 1917 and the second consisting of tables of relative prices for
certain months and years back to 1890. Eighteen charts are used to
show price fluctuations.
A section of the report is devoted to retail prices and gives averages
for over 50 Canadian cities in 1900, 1905, and 1910-1917. The final
chapter contains a review of the course of wholesale and retail prices
during 1917 in other countries.
A comparison of wholesale prices in 1917 with those for other
selected periods is shown in the table which follows:
PERCENTAGE OF INCREASE SHOWN BY PRICES IN CANADA IN 1917.
Compared
with decade Compared
1890-1899. with 1890.
Grains and fodder..............................................................
Animals and meats............................................................
Dairy products...................................................................
F ish.....................................................................................
Other foods.........................................................................
Textiles:
(a) Woolens........................................................ : ___
(6) Cottons..................................................................
(cj Silk.........................................................................
(d) F lax.......................................................................
(e) Ju te.........................................................................
(f) Oilcloths.................................................................
Hides, tallow, leather, hoots, and shoes:
(a) Hides and tallow...................................................
(b) Leather..................................................................
(c) Boots and shoes....................................................
Metals and implements:
(o) Metals....................................................................
(6) Implements...........................................................
Fuel and lighting...............................................................
Building materials:
(a) Lumber..................................................................
(b) Miscellaneous materials........................................
(c) Paints, oils, and glass...........................................
House furnishings..............................................................
Drugs and chemicals.........................................................
Miscellaneous:
(a) Furs, raw ...............................................................
(6) Liquors and tobacco.............................................
(c) Sundries.................................................................
All commodities...................................................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
»Decrease.
[16G8]
Compared
with the
low year.
Compared
with 1916.
181.5
188.1
130.5
105.8
120.6
141.2
159.1
123.8
99.2
83.4
249.3-1897
249.6-1896
155.8-1897
127.2-1892
156.5-1897
37.5
28.8
26.8
11.4
41.0
213.5
126.9
17.3
197.1
370.5
55.6
194.6
93.6
»1.0
199.8
340.1
27.8
268.4-1902
151.0-1898
38.2-1912
279.4-1895
425.7-1898
91.9-1899
40.9
39.2
5.4
36.2
49.3
16.8
218.6
166.9
128.0
199.4
181.2
127.3
298.7-1894
186.7-1894
178.4-1894
9.7
28.8
18.5
159.1
81.6
93.0
106.6
75.0
79.7
202.3-1897
95.1-1897
106.4-1898
33.8
33.3
52.3
114.5
103.5
157.9
103.7
167.9
107.2
73.0
135.5
103.3
142.4
136.2-1898
132.8-1898
170.1-1894
108.9-1896
187.1-1899
22.4
35.1
31.0
21.5
42.9
311.6
67.8
375.8
76.8
66.8
411.3-1895
76.8-1890
104.8-1891
17.8
30.6
137.0
114.9
157.0-1897
30.2
86.8
22.0
MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
119
COST OF LIVING IN GREAT BRITAIN.
The following brief account of the cost of living in Great Britain
in February, 1919, as compared with July, 1914, has been furnished
this bureau by its special agent at London, the article being prepared
by F. H. McLeod, Esq., of the British Department of Labor Statistics:
Official statistics bearing on the cost of living are published each month in the Labor
Gazette, the journal of the Department of Labor Statistics (Ministry of Labor). For
the purpose of these statistics information as to the retail prices of the principal articles
of food is collected at the beginning of each month by the managers of the Ministry of
Labor employment exchanges, who summarize the quotations obtained from tho
various retailers applied to in their area and submit the results to the Department of
Labor Statistics.
Returns are obtained from all towns with a population exceeding 50,000 (the provin
cial large towns number 90, regarding some places in the London Outer Ring; e. g.,
_ West Ham and Willesden, as being in London) and from a representative selection of
550 small towns and villages. Altogether 670 places (including 30 London districts)
are reported upon.
The number of retailers applied to varies with the size of the place; in a large town
it would be 30 or more—five or six grocers, a similar number of butchers, and so on. In
a village there might only be two or three shops in the place. The retailers applied to
are those conducting a working-class trade; the selection of typical retailers is left to
the discretion of the local officer.
When the average prices of the various items and the consequent percentage in
creases have been determined, percentage increases for the separate articles are com
bined into a general figure to represent the average increase in the level of retail prices
by multiplying each percentage by a ‘Weight ” based on the relative importance of the
several articles in prewar working-class budgets and dividing the product by the sum
of these “ weights.” The resultant percentage increase as between July, 1914, and
February 1, 1919, was 130.
A figure has also been computed as an estimate of the average rise since July, 1914,
in actual expenditure on the principal articles of food. This figure, which for Febru
ary, 1919, was 77 per cent, is obtained by applying to the ascertained price percentages
a series of weights representing the change in consumption between 1914 and the cur
rent date. These weights are compiled from confidential information as to consump
tion in the possession of the Ministry of Food and are furnished to the Department of
Labor Statistics by that ministry. They are based on the consumption of the popula
tion as a whole during the three months prior to the month preceding that to which
the prices relate.
Increases in rents during the war period are restricted by statute to an amount
corresponding to the increase in local rates (local taxation), in regard to which informa
tion is obtained from time to time from town clerks and other local authorities. Up
to the present the average increase in rents has not been more than about 2 per cent.
With regard to the prices of other items—clothing, fuel, and light, etc.—the informa
tion collected by the department is not so extensive as in the case of food, but it is
sufficient for the purpose of combining with the percentage increase in prices of food
in order to obtain a general figure relating to the increase since July, 1914, in respect
of all items entering into the ordinary working-class family budget. This figure for
February 1, 1919, was estimated at 120 per cent, taking the same quantities and, so
far as possible, the same qualities in 1919 as in 1914.
As no information is available with regard to changes in the quantities purchased
of the various commodities other than food, it is not possible to compile an expenditure
percentage increase for all items corresponding to that for food, but a figure is computed
[1669]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
120
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
combining the increase since July, 1914, in expenditure on the principal articles of
food with the increase in retail prices of other items. For February 1, 1919, this per
centage was between 85 and 90.
I t may be of interest to add that the prices of all the articles included in our list of
principal foods have been regulated by orders of the food controller, the first item to be
brought under control being the price of milk at the end of 1916 and the last, the price
of eggs in November, 1918. This has simplified greatly the collection of our informa
tion in recent months, as in practice the maximum retail prices laid down by the food
controller have until this month been the prices actually charged in the majority of
cases. With the prospect of early de-control, and doubtless in the hope of hastening
the release from restrictions, a number of large firms have this week announced their
decision to sell some articles át less than maximum prices. This restoration of competi
tion marks the end of the simplification which has attended the collection of retailprices information during many months past.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 1670]
COOPERATION.
PROGRESS OF COOPERATIVE MOVEMENT IN GREAT BRITAIN.1
The signing of the armistice has stimulated a new interest in the
cooperative movement throughout Great Britain, where there already
were some 2,500 industried cooperative distributive and productivo
societies in operation, with a membership of three and one-half mil
lion persons, a total share, loan, and reserve capital of over $375,000,000, a total trade (distributive and productive) of just over $1,000,000,000, and a total profit in 1916, before deduction of interest or
share capital, of about $90,000,000.
On the whole the war has had a favorable effect on the progress of
cooperation in Great Britain. Controlled prices have helped rather
than hindered the movement, since in the case of the controlled com
modities, for which everybody must pay a certain retail price, mem
bers of the cooperative society have an advantage over nonmembers
in that they receive a dividend on all purchases. Cooperative stores
are the only stores paying such a dividend, and in many cases this has
been an excellent argument to prove the soundness of the cooperative
system.
The number of members of individual cooperative societies has
shown a fair increase, and this increase would undoubtedly have been
much greater had the societies been able to obtain sufficient supplies.
Government restrictions, applying equally to all stores, made it very
difficult for a stock of supplies to be maintained in any section of the
country. During the last 10 days of the present month (January)
British consumers have the option of changing their retail dealers,
and this is expected to result in a substantial gain in the membership
of retail cooperative societies, since it is believed that many persons
who were not members during the war now appreciate to a greater
extent the merits of the cooperative idea.
The extent to which the war has interfered with the normal organi
zation of cooperative societies can be realized when it is known that
the British Cooperative Society alone had 6,000 employees called to
the colors. The society undertook to make up the difference between
their pay as soldiers and their wages by means of the payment of a
separation allowance, and to date $3,000,000 has been disbursed for
this purpose. As demobilization proceeds and former employees
1From Commerce Reports, United States Department of Commerce, May 5,1919 (pp. 674-676.)
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1G71]
121
122
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
return the society will be in an excellent position to proceed with the
new development schemes referred to below.
The British Cooperative Wholesale Society (Ltd.), with head
quarters at Manchester, England, and the Scottish Cooperative
Wholesale Society (Ltd.), with head offices at Glasgow and Edin
burgh, Scotland, are the most important single units in this cooper
ative movement in Great Britain. The British society commenced
business on March 14, 1864, and the Scottish society on September 8,
1868. The membership of both societies is made up entirely of indi
vidual cooperative retail societies. The British society now com
prises 1,189 societies having 2,653,257 members. That the societies
have prospered during the war is evident from the table given below,
which covers the operations of the wholesale cooperative societies
from January, 1913, to June 30, 1918:
OPERATIONS OF WHOLESALE COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES, JANUARY, 1913, TO JUNE
30, 1918.
1913
Number of £5 shares
taken o u t.......................
Members in constituent
societies..........................
1914
1915
1916
1917
19181
416,366
432,049
469,869
556,098
616,048
636,578
2,272,496
2,336,460
2,535,972
2,653,227
2,748,277
2,803,325
Shares...............................
Loans and deposits..........
Trade and bank reserve
fund...............................
Insurance fund.................
Reserved balances............
$9,923,056
24,735,398
$10,370,312
26,760,713
$11,118,775
31,165,441
$12,914,591
40,894;776
$14,532,260
44,903,400
$15,068,903
50,908,851
3,950,703
4,270,252
88,950
4,396,177
4,890,609
582,014
4,172,221
5,503,432
512,769
3,940,337
6,111,925
530,137
3,989,192
6,824,804
3,833,838
3,930,755
7,156,222
3,830,578
Total.......................
42,968,359
46,999,825
52,472,638
64,391,766
74,083,494
80,895,309
Net sales........................... «152,671,721 $169,893,471 $209,783,851 1254,177,655 $280,846,357 $144,157,298
Increase over previous
year:
Amount......................... $9,558,234 $17,221,750 $39,890,379 $44,393,804 $26,668,702
$352,208
6.68
11.28
10. 49
Per cent.........................
23.19
21.16
6.25
Distributing expenses__ S3,008,568 $3,104,599 $3,481,324 $3,823,132 $4,319,087 $2,345,741
$592,589
Net profits........................ $3,095,673 $4,088,196 $5,289,700 $7,392,238 $5,600,037
Average dividend, per
4
5
3
cent................................
5
6
1
1Six months.
It will be noted that the profits of the trade department for the six
months ending with June, 1918, show a sharp decrease from those
for the year 1917. This is explained by the policy of the board of
directors to keep wholesale prices as low as possible, in order that the
members of the retail societies may reap the benefit.
The total sales of the wholesale societies for the first six months of
1918 are given as $144,157,298. It is estimated that the total sales
for the year ending December 31, 1918, will amount to $311,456,000.
Practically all of this total represents sales to cooperative retail socie
ties—in other words, wholesale prices. Groceries and provisions
make up the biggest item in the business of the Cooperative Whole
sale Society.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1 6 7 2 ]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
123
Up until the past two or three years the contact between the coop
erative societies and the trade-unions has not been at all close.
Recently, however, there has been a definite attempt made to per
suade trade-unions to do their banking business with the banking de
partment of the Cooperative Wholesale Society, and an important
scheme of agricultural and industrial development which will shortly
be announced by the society will tend, it is believed, toward establish
ing a closer working arrangement between the cooperative societies
and the trade-unions.
For a long time the leaders of the cooperative movement have
sought to widen the field of cooperative trading, and efforts have
been made to have the law governing cooperative trading so amended
as to allow individual members of societies to increase their interest
beyond the limit of $1,000. The Treasury has now sanctioned the
proposal to issue what will be called “ development bonds” in denom
inations of $100, $250, $500, $2,500, and $5,000 up to a sum of
$12,500,000. These bonds will bear interest at the rate of 5£ per
cent, payable half yearly, and they may be redeemed at par at the
end of ten years. At a meeting of the shareholders of the Coopera
tive Wholesale Society held in Manchester during the past week this
scheme for issuing development bonds was ratified.
The directors of the Cooperative Wholesale Society believe that
their scheme will appeal not only to individuals but also to tradeunions as a good investment for their funds. Already several hun
dred trade-unions are banking with the local retail cooperative society
in their districts, which acts as an agent of the banking department
of the Cooperative Wholesale Society at Manchester. Trade-unions
also invest their funds in municipal, government, and railway stocks.
The proposal which the Cooperative Wholesale Society now makes
to the trade-unions is that it will be to their interest to invest their
money in a cooperative scheme for development in the field of agri
culture and industry.
Among the projects contemplated under this development-bond
scheme is the acquisition and operation by the society of flour mills,
tanneries, jam factories, boot and shoe factories, corn mills, dairy
farms and similar enterprises. Not long ago the Cooperative Whole
sale Society began the manufacture of textiles. It bought and is now
running three weaving sheds—one at Bury with 900 looms, another
at Radcliffe with 500 looms, and a third at Chorley with 500 looms.
It proposes to extend its interest in cotton-textile Manufacturing
when it is in position to consume the yarn output of a moderate-sized
mill. It intends to build such a mill for the spinning of yarn in the
near future.
Another big development foreshadowed is the acquisition of large
coal fields in Yorkshire. Already the society owns a coal mine near
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1 6 7 3 ]
124
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Newcastle. During the war the society has spent large sums for the
purchase of farm lands and factories. For land in connection with
factory extensions it has paid $573,480; for new factories and work
shops, $3,049,650; and for farms and other land, $3,333,960—a total
of nearly $7,000,000. It is estimated that the society now holds
about 33,000 acres of farm lands, mostly in Lancashire, Cheshire,
Yorkshire, and Cambridgeshire.
It is hoped eventually to establish 1,400 branches of the banking
department of the Cooperative Wholesale Society.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
fl6 7 4 ]
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
EMPLOYMENT IN SELECTED INDUSTRIES IN APRIL, 1919.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics received and tabulated reports
concerning the volume of employment in April, 1919, from repre
sentative establishments in 13 manufacturing industries. Com
paring the figures of April of this year with those of identical estab
lishments for April, 1918, it appears that one industry, automobile
manufacturing, shows an increase of 3.1 per cent in the number of
persons employed, while 12 industries show a decrease. Respective
decreases of 28 and 20.9 per cent are shown in woolen and men's
ready-made clothing.
Eight of the 13 industries show an increase in the total amount of
the pay roll for April, 1919, as compared with April, 1918, and 5, a
decrease. Percentage increases of 22.1, 19, 16.3, and 14.6 appear in
automobile manufacturing, leather manufacturing, silk, and hoots
and shoes, respectively. A decrease of 27.2 per cent is found in
woolen, while hosiery and underwear and cotton finishing show
decreases of 13.4 and 10.4 per cent, respectively.
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHM ENTS IN A PR IL, 1918, AND
A PR IL, 1919.
Industry.
Estab
lish
ments
rep o rt
ing for
April
both
years.
Automobile manufacturing.
Boots and shoes...................
Car building and repairing..
Cigar manufacturing...........
Men’s ready-made clothing.
Cotton f in i s h in g . __________
Cotton manufacturing........
Hosiery and underwear___
Iron and steel......................
Leather manufacturing.......
Pa.pp.r m a k i n g ............................
Silk.......................................
Woolen.................................
46
74
45
59
36
18
52
62
106
30
58
39
51
Number on pay
roll in April—
Period
of pay
roll.
1918
1919
1week.. 103,853 107,088
.. .do....... 63,312> 61,179
4 month. 56,787 49', 999
i week.. 20,447 17,83,7
...d o ...... 23,901
18,917
...d o ...... 14,481 12,417
...d o ....... 47,768 43/, 571
...d o ....... 34,195 28,560
1month. 200,761 170,592
I w eek.. 14,533 14,440
...d o ....... 31,501 28,823
2weeks. 13,594 13,360
1week.. 51,371 37,010
Per
eent
of in
crease
(+ ) or
de
crease
(-)•
+ 3.1
- 3.4
-12.0
-12.8
^20.9}
-14.3
- 8.8
-16.5
-15.0
- .6
- 8.5
- 1.7
-28.0
Amount of pay roll
in April—
1918
1919
$2,497,87,4
1,035,837
2,656,727
280,983
414,617
254,177
682,362
450,778
10,552,509
264,480
575,699
376,708
938,446
$3,050,270
1,187,385
2,751,209
268,186
434,319
227,685
656,742
390,155
10,699,134
314,615
588,680
438,218
683,222
Per
eent
of in
crease
(+ ) or
de
crease
(-)•
+22.1
+14.6
+ 3.6
- 4.6
+ 4.8
-10.4
- 3.8
-13.4
+ 1.4
+19.0
+ 2.3
+16.3
-27.2
The following table shows the number of persons actually working
on the last full day of the reported pay period in April, 1918, and
April, 1919. The number of establishments reporting on this ques
tion is small and this fact should be taken into consideration when
studying these figures.
118265°—19-----9
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126
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHM ENTS ON THE LAST FU LL
DAY'S OPERATION IN A P R IL , 1918, AND A PR IL, 1919.
Establish
ments re
porting for
April both
years.
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing...................... ..
"Rnnts aiid sh oas
____ _____ ____ _
Car building and repairing...........................
Cigar manufacturing............. ......................
Mfin’s rftndy-Trmdfl ointhtng ____________
Cotton finishing.............................................
Cotton manufacturing................. ................
Hosiery and underwear...............................
Iron and steel............................................. .
Leather manufacturing................................
Paper m aking................................................
S i l k ..............................................................
Woolen .........................................................
Period of
pay roll.
1week___
22 ...d o ..........
43 $ m onth...
20 1week___
25
...d o ..........
...d o ..........
...d o ..........
...d o ..........
i m onth...
1week__
22 .. .do..........
24 2w eeks...
43 1 w eek.. . .
7
14
31
19
83
16
N u m b er a c tu a lly
working on last full
day of reported pay
period in April—
1918
1919
55,068
10,999
48,231 !
5,382
4,724
10,346
20,741
12,839
156,736
10,558
12,296
9,380
40,304
65,168
10,584
44,284
4,927
3,774
9,079
20,601
11,656
133,876
10.609
10,099
9,019
27,862
Per cent
of increase
(+ ) or de
crease (—).
+18.3
- 3.8
- 8.2
- 8.5
-20.1
-12.2
- .7
- 9.2
-14.6
-
1 7 .9
- 3.8
-30.9
Comparative- data for April, 1919, and March, 1919, appear in the
following table. The figures show that in 8 industries there was an
increase in the number of persons on the pay roll in April as compared
with March, and in 5 industries a decrease. The greatest increase,
37.3 per cent, is shown in woolen, while the‘largest decrease, 6.7 per
cent, appears in car building and repairing.
In comparing April, 1919, with March of this year, 6 industries show
an increase in the amount of money paid to employees and 7 show a
decrease. The most important increase was one of 48.2 per cent in
woolen, which was largely due to the fact that some plants which,
during the preceding months, had been compelled for various reasons
to reduce the working time, resumed operations in April on a basis
more nearly approaching full time. Iron and steel, cigar manufac
turing, and boots and shoes show the largest respective decreases of
8.6, 8.4, and 7.4 per cent.
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN MARCH AND
APRIL, 1919.
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing..
Boots and shoes....................
Car building and repairing...
Cigar manufacturing............
Men's ready-made clothing..
Cotton finishing....................
Cotton manufacturing..........
Hosiery and underwear.......
Iron and steel........................
Leather manufacturing........
Paper making........................
Silk.........................................
Woolen............ ....................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Amount of pay roll Per
Number on pay
Estab
in—
roll in—
Per
lish
cent
cent of
ments
of in
increase
report Period of
crease
ing for pay roll.
(+ ) or
(+ ) or
March, April, decrease March,
de
March
April,
crease
and
1919.
1919.
1919.
1919.
( -) •
April.
(-).
45
75
45
54
46
18
49
65
104
30
56
39
50
1week.. 92,197 97,309
...d o ...... 63.583 61,323
J month 53,602 49,999
1week.. 17,162 16,724
...d o ...... 19.583
19,737
...d o ...... 11,360 12,417
...d o ...... 42,397
42,775
...d o ...... 28,555
29,018
J m onth. 170,719 163,584
1week.. 14,352 14,440
...d o ...... 25,968 25,042
2weeks. 12,668 12,936
1week.. 24,986 34,318
[1676]
+ 5.5 $2,650,571 $2,769,949
- 3.6 1,284,346 1,189,566
- 6.7 2,840,112 2,751,209
- 2.6
278,809
255,452
450,160
424,051
+ -8
203,205
227,685
+ 9.3
596,929
645,071
+ -9
394,256
+ 1.6
398,404
- 4.2 11,326,153 10,355,137
317,241
314,615
+ -6
- 3.6
560,956
636,843
4-2.1 415,218 427,034
+37.3
630,534
425,415
+ 4.5
- 7.4
- 3.1
-
8.4
+ 6.2
+ 12.0
+ 8.1
- 1.0
- 8.6
.8
- 4.3
+ 2.8
+48.2
MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
127
A comparatively small number of establishments reported as to the
number of persons working on the last full day of the reported pay
periods. The following table gives in comparable form the figures
for March and April, 1919:
COMPARISON OP EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHM ENTS ON THE LAST FU L L
DAY'S OPERATION IN MARCH A N D APR IL, 1919.
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing
Boots and shoes...................
Car building and repairing.
Cigar manufacturing...........
Men’s ready-made clothing.
Cotton finishing................... .
Cotton manufacturing.........
Hosiery and underwear___
Iron and steel....................... .
Leather manufacturing___
Paper making........................
Silk.....................................
Woolen....................................
Establish
ments re
porting for
March and
April.
24
32
44
18
9
15
30
24
83
16
25
25
45
Period of
pay roll.
1week__
.. .do .........
J m onth...
1week__
. . .do .........
. . .do.........
. . .do.........
. . .d o .........
| m onth...
1week__
. . .do.........
2weeks. . .
1week__
Number actually work
ing on last full day of
reported pay period Per cent
in—
of increase
(+ ) or decrease (—).
March,
April,
1919.
1919.
57,476
16,191
47,221
4,583
10,285
8,425
19,414
12,200
137,420
10,925
10,988
8,778
16,590
62,894
15,512
44,915
4,424
10,043
9,265
19,219
12,609
128,927
10,936
10,827
9,025
26,229
+ 9.4
- 4.2
- 4.9
- 3.5
- 2.4
+10.0
- 1.0
+ 3.4
- 6.2
+ -1
- 1.5
+ 2.8
+58.1
CHANGES IN WAGE RA TES.
In 6 of the 13 industries there were establishments reporting wagerate increases, and in 5 decreases during the period, March 15 to
April 15, 1919. A number of firms did not answer the inquiry relative
to this item.
A u t o m o b i l e m a n u f a c t u r i n g . —The average hourly rate in one estab
lishment was increased 0.0032 cent, while a decrease of 0.014 cent
per hour was made by another establishment.
B o o t s a n d s h o e s . —One concern reported an increase but failed to
give any further data. A decrease of 2 per cent, affecting 1 per cent
of the help, was made by one plant.
M e n ’s r e a d y - m a d e c l o t h i n g . —An increase of 25 per cent to 75 per
cent of the employees w~as granted by one establishment, while
another establishment reported a 22 per cent raise but did not state
the number of persons affected. An increase of 10 per cent was given
by one concern, but no mention was made in regard to the number
receiving the increase. One firm granted a 15 per cent increase to
pieceworkers and $1.50 increase to week workers. Every employee
in one establishment received an increase of $2 per week.
C o tto n f i n i s h i n g . —A 3 per cent increase was given in one factory,
but no data were given as to the number of employees affected.
C o tto n m a n u f a c t u r i n g . —A bonus of $2.50 per week, affecting all of
the employees, was discontinued by one plant.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
H o s i e r y a n d u n d e r w e a r .-—All of the employees in one establish
ment received an increase of 18 to 20 per cent. The entire force in
three factories were decreased 9 per cent. One mill reported the
discontinuance of a 10 per cent bonus.
I r o n a n d s t e e l .—The tonnage men, about 5 per cent of the force,
were decreased about 8 per cent in one establishment. A decrease of
6 per cent, affecting the entire force, was made by one plant.
P a p e r m a l c in g .—A 12 per cent increase to about 2 \ per cent of the
force was reported by one establishment.
UNEMPLOYMENT AND AMERICAN TRADE-UNIONS.
In a monograph on Unemployment and American Trade-Unions,*
the author, D. P. Smelser, Ph. D., devotes the opening chapter to a
discussion of the statistics of unemployment and points out the
incompleteness of statistical information relating to unemployment
in the United States and gives, so far as available, tables prepared
by various State agencies and by several trade-union organizations
showing the fluctuations in unemployment throughout a series of
years. From the data he was able to obtain the author makes certain
deductions as to the relative volume and character of unemployment
in some of the principal trades, pointing out that cyclical fluctuations,
affecting all trades and industries, occur with some degree of regu
larity, the movement covering a period of four or five years. Thus,
1896, 1900, 1904, and 1908 were years in which the percentage of
unemployment reached a very high mark.
I t appears that a depression generally causes an increase at the high point ol 50 per
cent over the number normally idle. Thus, in Massachusetts it appears that there
was, on the average, 61 per cent more unemployment in 1908 and 1904 than in the
intervening years, while in New York there was, on the average, 50 per cent more
unemployment in 1908 and 1914 than the average of the intervening years. The
number unemployed does not register the full effect of a depression since short time
is more common in such periods. The amount of the weekly pay roll would be a better
measure, but the data are not obtainable. Industrial depressions affect the various
trades in different degree. For instance, a period of depression causes an increase of
100 per cent in the number of unemployed in the building trades, while it causes
increases of only 30 per cent in the garment industry, 40 per cent in food and liquors,
and practically none in some other trades and in public employment.
Two methods are suggested by which the trade-unions can alleviate
the consequences of unemployment due to cyclical fluctuations:
(1) Distribution of employment, and (2) unemployment insurance.
It is admitted, however, that distribution of employment is not
always practicable or possible. Such statistics as were available to
1Unemployment and American Trade-unions, by D. P. Smelser, Ph. D. Johns Hopkins University
studies in historical and political science. Series 37, No. 1. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Press, 1919154 pp.
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129
th e a u th o r d isclo se w id e flu c tu a tio n s in u n e m p lo y m e n t fro m m o n th
to m o n th ; in oth er w ord s, th ere is a la rg e se a so n a l flu c tu a tio n , an d
th e a u th or su g g e sts tw o rem ed ies fo r th is situ a tio n , n a m e ly : (1) T h e
re g u la riza tio n of in d u str y an d (2) th e d o v e ta ilin g of o cc u p a tio n s.
T ra d e-u n ion s, h e co n ten d s, co u ld fa c ilita te th e first b y lo w erin g th eir
m in im u m ra tes in th e d u ll season s, b u t “ th ere are certa in co n sid era
tio n s w h ich m a k e th is so lu tio n u n d esirab le to t h e m ,” and th e reg u
la r iza tio n of in d u str y requ ires th e coo p era tio n of em p lo y ers. T h e
seco n d rem ed y, it is b eliev ed , h a s g rea ter p o ssib ilitie s, “ a lth o u g h th e
tra d e-u n ion s h a v e g iv e n it little a t te n t io n .” H ere, again , certa in
co n d itio n s o p erate to m ak e th e p la n im p r a ctica b le in so m e trad es, as
th e au th o r p o in ts ou t.
T w o oth er form s of u n e m p lo y m en t are m en tio n ed b riefly — th a t
d u e to m a la d ju stm e n t of th e lab or su p p ly am o n g d ifferen t lo c a litie s
and th a t cau sed eith er b y a ch ron ic o v er su p p ly of w o rk m en in th e
tra d e or b y th e fa c t th a t w ork m en are so m e tim e s fo rced to ch a n g e
th eir em p loyers.
T h e a u th or p a sses from s ta tis tic s of u n e m p lo y m e n t to a d iscu ssio n
of th e tra d e-u n io n th e o ry of u n e m p lo y m en t, and co n sid ers tw o of
th e tra d e-u n io n p olicies w h ich b ear so m e re la tio n to u n e m p lo y m en t:
(1) T h e reg u la tio n o f th e n u m b er of w ork m en am o n g w h o m th e em
p lo y m e n t is to b e d iv id ed and (2) th e in crea sin g of th e to ta l a m o u n t
of em p lo y m e n t. T h e first w ou ld , in th e o p in io n of th e trad eu n io n ists, asserts th e au th or, in g rea t m ea su re so lv e th e p ro b lem of
u n e m p lo y m en t. T h e tra d e-u n io n ists a tte m p t to w ork o u t th is so lu
tio n b y re stric tin g im m ig ra tio n , b y a b o lish in g th e m a n u fa c tu re of
g o o d s b y c o n v ic t or ch ild la b o r in order to in crea se th e p er ca p ita
a m o u n t of w ork, and b y lim itin g th eir m em b ersh ip b y m ea n s of
certa in w ell-k n o w n ex p ed ie n ts, su ch as h ig h in itia tio n fees, rigid e x
a m in a tio n s to d eterm in e p roficien cy, r e stric tio n of a d m issio n of ap
p ren tices, etc. T h e m eth o d s a d o p ted b y tra d e-u n io n s to in crea se
th e to ta l a m o u n t of e m p lo y m e n t or to d istr ib u te th e em p lo y m e n t
o v er a greater n u m b er of th eir m em b ers are s ta te d b y th e a u th o r to
b e (1) re stric tio n of o u tp u t, (2) sh o rten in g of th e n o rm a l d a y , and
(3) re g u la tio n of o v er tim e . O w in g to th e fo rce of p u b lic o p in io n
and th e in crea sin g d isin c lin a tio n o f em p lo y ers to b a rg a in w ith th e
u n io n s th a t o p e n ly d eclare for r e str ic tio n of o u tp u t, th is p o lic y h a s
b een g en er a lly ab a n d on ed b y th e u n io n s w h ich fo rm erly ju stified it.
It is very doubtful whether restriction of output affects to any extent the amount
of unemployment. If restriction were applied only in seasons of depression, such
might be the effect, but restriction of output on the part of individual workmen
generally occurs in periods of prosperity.
T h e sh o rten in g of th e w ork in g d a y as a m ea n s o f g iv in g em p lo y
m e n t to a larger n u m b er of w ork m en h a s n o t so re su lted , accord in g
to th e te s tim o n y of u n io n lead ers w h o s t a t e th a t su ch th e o r y h a s n o t
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
worked in practice. Similarly, the actual results of the abolition of
overtime in lengthening the working season “ have been entirely con
trary, in the greater number of cases, to what was expected by the
unions. The unions have failed to understand that even if less were
produced in the eight-hour day than in a longer working day, the
natural tendency would be for the employers to increase their work
ing force rather than the length of the season.”
The methods that have been adopted by some trade-unions for
securing employment for their members through organized employ
ment bureaus are discussed in a chapter on local union employment
bureaus. These methods are three in number: (1) The business
agent or secretary, (2) the shop collector, and (3) fellow members.
Considerable space is devoted to a description of the functions, pow
ers, and activities of business agents who give their entire time to the
work and who are usually paid a salary. The chapter includes a
discussion of the attitude of trade-unions toward public employment
bureaus, and is an attempt to show the superiority of the trade-union
over other existing employment bureaus as a means of connecting
the unemployed with employers in need of men.
Closely linked with the matter of securing employment through
local union employment bureaus is that of distribution of workmen
through local union agencies; that is, the sending of unemployed
members from one labor market to another. The methods of those
unions that have attempted systematically to increase the mobility
of labor can not be successfully classified, the author suggests, and
so he describes separately the activities of several unions in this di
rection. This policy involves the matter of transportation, and a
table is given showing the amount that has been expended for this
benefit from 1903 to 1915 by those unions which reported to the
American Federation of Labor. The total is $746,122.69. However,
it is stated that “the systems of traveling loans and benefits in
American trade-unions have been, generally speaking, failures * * *
because they have induced needless traveling through the adminis
trative inefficiency of the local union secretaries.” A number of
hindrances are suggested to the movement of union workmen from
one city to another “which very largely nullify in some unions the
attempts to promote a better distribution of labor.” Chief among
these are lack of universal recognition of union cards, forfeiture of
claims to benefits in the union from which the workers go, and the
sacrifice of seniority rights and privileges.
In a chapter on distribution of employment the author undertakes
to show the extent to which trade-unions accomplish this result by
the adoption of one or more of the following methods: (1) Reduction
of the working hours per day or week of the entire force of workmen;
(2) division of the working force into groups, each working the normal
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
131
day or week in rotation; and (3) reduction of the working hours to a
certain point, after which the smaller amount of employment is met
by dismissal of workmen. The working of short time appears to be
quite general, while the third method mentioned uis very common.”
•The last chapter is devoted to unemployment insurance, opening
with a comparative statement of the amounts paid for unemployment
relief by trade-unions in America and in England, and showing ‘‘the
relatively small importance which American trade-unions attach to
organized out-of-work relief.”
Of the 111 national unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor in 1916
only 69 were reported as paying benefits of any kind, and of these 35 had established
only one form of benefit. Only 9 unions reported that they had expended anything
for the support of their unemployed. The expenditures for beneficiary features of
these 69 unions were $3,545,823 for the year 1916, and of this sum only $120,770, or
about 3 per cent, was for the relief of the unemployed.
In 1908, 669 of the 1,058 trade-unions in Great Britain paid some form of unemploy
ment benefit. The total expenditures in 1908 in England for this benefit alone was
$6,289,565, or $2.75 per capita.
Only three American national unions, it is stated, were in 1916
paying out-of-work benefits—the Cigar Makers’, the Deutsch Amerikanischen Tvpographia, and the Diamond Workers. As typical the
record of the Cigar Makers’ benefit fund system may be given:
During the first year of its operation $22,760 was paid to 2,286 members, or less than
10 per cent of the membership. The per capita cost for the first year was 92 cents,
87 cents for the second year, and 65 cents for the third year. During the depression
of 1893-1896 the cost increased greatly, there being expended in 1896 $175,767, or
$6.43 per capita. Since then the cost has gradually diminished, and, except for the
years 1908, 1909, 1912, and 1914, has never exceeded $1 per capita. The system had
been in operation 25 years on January 1, 1915, and had cost the union $1,486,732, or
an average annual per capita cost of about $1.90.
A number of unions have emergency out-of-work funds, notably
the flint glass workers and the glass bottle blowers. The amount of
weekly benefits and the regulations prescribed by some of the local
unions having unemployment benefit funds are noted briefly by the
author. He ascribes two reasons for the slight development of outof-work benefits in American trade-unions: (1) The unwillingness of
the average union member to acquiesce in the necessary increase of
dues, and (2) the apparent inadequacy of the administrative agencies
of the union to secure a just distribution of the benefits.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
ACTIVITIES OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN MASSACHUSETTS,
1918.
The work of the three public employment offices in Massachusetts
for the year ending December 31, 1918, is given in a pamphlet of 34
pages, comprising the twelfth annual report on this subject issued by
the director of the State bureau of statistics, under the date of Feb
ruary 15, 1919. These public employment offices are located at
Boston, Springfield, and Worcester.
During the year 44,812 applications for help were received from
10,738 individual employers, who asked for 62,558 workers. The
number of positions offered was 77,699, and 39,735 positions were
reported filled, although the total number of persons for whom posi
tions were secured was 21,419, or only 34.2 per cent of the number of
persons applied for by employers. The expenditures for the main
tenance of these offices during the year ending November 30, 1918,
were $38,421.86, which makes a cost of about 97 cents for each of the
39,735 positions filled during the year. The following table is a sum
mary of the work of these employment offices for the year 1918:
SUMMARY OF TH E BUSINESS OF THE T H R E E PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES OF
MASSACHUSETTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING DEC. 31, 1918.
Positions filled.
Applica
Persons
tions from
employers. called for.
Sex.
Male...........................................
Female......................................
Total................................
0)
(*)
44,812
Positions
offered.
Per cent
Per cent
of persons of positions
called for.
offered.
Number.
37,912
24,046
49,681
28,018
21,325
18,410
56.2
74.7
42.9
65.7
62,558
77,699
39,735
63.5
51.1
1Not separately reported.
Classified by occupation group, the number of persons called for
and the number of positions filled are shown in the following table:
NUMBER OF PERSONS CALLED FOR AND NUMBER OF POSITIONS FILLED BY MASSA
CHUSETTS PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES DURING THE YEAR ENDING DEC. 31,
1918, BY OCCUPATION GROUP.
Positions filled.
Persons
called for.
Occupation group.
Number.
Per cent of Per cent in
each occu
persons
pation
called for.
group.
Skilled, labor........................................................................
Unskilled labor...................................................................
Transportation.................................. .................................
Mercantile trade..................................................................
Clerical.................................................................................
All other, unclassified.........................................................
21,082
33,869
1,731
3' 631
L969
276
11,460
24 643
'923
1,607
'927
175
54. 4
72.8
53. 3
44.3
47.1
63.4
28.8
Total..........................................................................
62,558
39,735
63.5
100.0
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[16S21
6^0
2.3
4.0
2.3
4
133
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
WORK OF BRITISH EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES IN 1918.
A report of the work of the British labor exchanges during 1918 is
given in the March issue of the British Labor Gazette (pp. 82-84).
As was to be expected, the activities of the exchanges were main
tained at a high level during the 10 months preceding the signing of
the armistice; after that date the number of vacancies notified and
filled declined, while the number of registrations showed rapid in
crease. During the year the total number of individuals registered was
3,045,263, an increase of 7.3 per cent over the preceding year, and the
number of individuals for whom work was found was 1,324,743, or a
decrease of 3.7 per cent from the preceding year. Of the individuals
registered 37 per cent were men and 49 per cent women, compared
with 33 per cent men and 52 per cent women in 1917. It is stated
that among men the number of individuals placed in the ammuni
tion, chemicals, and explosives trades was considerably less than
that recorded in the preceding year and that there was also a decrease
in the numbers placed in conveyance and as laborers, while there was
a substantial increase in the numbers placed in building and works
of construction and in shipbuilding. Among women the number
placed in the ammunition, chemicals, and explosives trades was nearly
50 per cent lower than in 1917 and there was a decrease in the num
ber placed in engineering (foundries and machine shops), but con
siderable increases in the numbers placed in building, commercial,
and clerical employment and in domestic service. The following
table shows the number of vacancies filled in each trade group by
skilled and unskilled men:
NUMBER OF VACANCIES FIL L ED BY SKILLED AND UNSKILLED MEN IN SPECIFIED
INDUSTRIES.
Skilled.
Trade.
Building..........................................................
Works of construction....................................
Sawmilling and cabinetmaking.....................
Shipbuilding....................................................
Engineering (foundiies and machine shops).
Construction of vehicles..................................
Manufacture of metals....................................
Manufacture of electrical apparatus...............
Miscellaneous metal trades.............................
Precious metals, etc........................................
Bricks and cement..........................................
Chemicals, etc..................................................
Rubber and waterproof goods.......................
Ammunition and explosives..........................
Leather................................................, ...........
Total.
Unskilled.
66,316
64
4,471
18,176
106,804
1,911
7,359
808
1,398
689
564
4,078
1,497
4,902
569
57,809
107,961
3,163
26,966
80,173
2,214
7,571
95
387
219,596
307,043
8
407
4,645
419
15,151
74
The report shows that a total of 435,320 enrollments were secured
in various war schemes, such as war munition volunteers, army reserve
munition workers, Queen Mary’s army auxiliary corps, women’s land
army, etc. Of this number 103,966, or 23.9 per cent, were women.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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EMPLOYMENT MANAGEMENT.
SECURING THE INITIATIVE OF THE WORKMAN.
“ Securing the initiative of the workman” is the title of an address
by Robert B. Wolf, of the United States Shipping Board, delivered at
the thirty-first annual meeting of the American Economic Association,
held at Richmond, Va., December 27 and 28, 1918. In this address
Mr. Wolf attributed labor unrest to the fact that modern industry
affords no chance for the constructive impulses in man, with the
result that these impulses are therefore turned into destructive
channels. According to Mr. Wolf, the remedy lies in making our
industrial organizations democratic, so that the workman will have
a voice in the determination of working conditions.
Just so long as the majority of workmen are using their brains merely to direct
their bodies and are doing work which requires little or no thought, just so long shall
we have industrial unrest.
The shortsighted employer may prevent his employees from using their brains at
their work, and because of this hold their compensation down to a low level. There
is no advantage in so doing, however, for the result of the attem pt to repress individual
initiative is simply to deflect creative power into destructive channels.
The more progressive manufacturers are realizing this fact. As
an instance of this new attitude among employers, the speaker
quoted a remark made at the recent chamber of commerce meeting
at Atlantic City by one of the largest employers of labor in the
country:
I believe that that man Tenders the greatest social service who so cooperates in
the organization of industry as to afford to the largest number of men the greatest
opportunity for self-development and the enjoyment by every man of those benefits
which his own work adds to the wealth of civilization.
As this statement shows, industry is beginning to develop along
truly educational lines. In many plants work is being done in this
direction, the speaker stated. Employees throughout the entire
production division are being shown the relation of their work to the
finished product and are being provided with progress records show
ing their own individual success in mastering the process on which
they are engaged. Mr. Wolf said that not only is this being done
with great success, but it is being done with the cooperation of
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135
organized labor. This cooperation is essential, for it alone insures
a democratic handling of the situation and affords the workmen
through their unions a voice in the determination of manufacturing
standards.
The practicability of these ideas Mr. Wolf has tested out in the paper
and wood-pulp industry. A system of progress records was installed
which enabled each man to measure his success in his own operation.
The scheme was found to be practicable even for monotonous uniform
work, where there was apparently no room for individual initiative.
There were always fine points of quality in which improvement could
be made. Before the new system was put into operation the product
was of variable quality, and there were frequent complaints from
newspaper publishers that the paper was too heavy, or that it was
too light, so that it tore, or that it was too dry and brittle, or too
moist. After receipt of a complaint great care would be exereised
for a time, but as soon as this care was relaxed complaints were again
received. The product was never permanently satisfactory because
the producers were not really interested in making it so.
The installation of the progress records introduced the factors of
emulation and personal pride. The men became interested. They
ceased being mere machines and became thinking individuals. The
result was that “ efficiency” was restored. Indifference and dis
content were replaced by cooperation, while wits matched against
wits produced a spirit of competition on the plane of fair play. No
prizes or bonuses were needed to spur each man to his best. His
progress record was his inspiration. It secured him credit in his
own eyes, in the eyes of his fellows, and in those of his employer.
The men themselves soon#began to discover ways of measuring
further variables in the processes. First, the men who worked at
the final stage, that of running the paper machines, suggested that
their records would be much better if the paper stock with which
they worked were more uniform. So a system of measuring the
consistency of the stock was worked out, the men cooperating. Soon
the record keeping had to be extended back another step, because
of complaints from the men producing the paper stock that they could
not keep their product uniform unless their “ raw m aterials” were of
dependable quality. The whole process thus became a matter of
skill, and, as such, was interesting to the worker. Each man became
the master of his machine. As he perfected himself in one process,
he was transferred to another with higher pay, thus becoming an
all-round worker. Prodding was no longer necessary.
Mr. Wolf has recently been trying to adapt this idea to the needs
of the shipbuilding industry, with a view to effecting economies in
production by similarly enlisting the initiative and intelligent interest
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of the workers. The gist of the idea, making monotonous jobs
interesting, is the visualization for each man of his work.
Mr. Wolf states his belief to be that:
The workman must have a chance to express his individuality, and the degree of
conscious self-expression which the workman can attain is in direct proportion to
the ability of the organization to measure for his benefit the impress of his personality
upon it. The most democratic industrial plant, therefore, is the one which permits
the fullest amount of individual freedom to each member, irrespective of his position,
and at the same time is so sensitively adjusted that it reflects immediately the effects
of his actions. If his actions result in injury to others, he will see that, as a part of
the- whole, he himself must also suffer. An organization of this kind can never be
used by the employer to exploit the employee, for it will be continually demonstrating
to both that the success of any one part of the organization is absolutely dependent
upon that of every other part, and therefore upon the success of the whole.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1686]
INDUSTRIAL COUNCILS AND EMPLOYEES’ REPRE
SENTATION.
FIRST JOINT INDUSTRIAL COUNCIL IN CANADA ORGANIZED IN
TORONTO BUILDING TRADES.
According to the Canadian Labor Gazette,1 the first joint industrial
council to be established in Canada on lines similar to those suggested
in the Whitley report was organized as the result of a meeting of rep
resentatives of the Building Trades’ League and the contractors of
the city of Toronto, Ontario, held in the office of the Minister of
Labor on March 17, 1919. The council is to consist of 10 members,
the representation to be as follows: Two from the Builders’ Exchange;
one from the Ontario Association of Electrical Contractors and
Dealers; one from the Toronto Society, Domestic, Sanitary and
Heating Engineers; one from the International Master Painters’
Association; and five from the Building Trades’ League.
At a second meeting, held on March 31, the draft constitution was
presented, and after amendment was adopted, following which the
members of the joint committee were instructed to report back to
their respective organizations and request them to indorse the con
stitution and to appoint an accredited representative for the current
year. The text of the constitution to govern the Joint Industrial
Council of the Toronto Building Trades is as follows:
Cl a u s e 1. N a m e .—This council will be known as the Joint Industrial Council of
the Toronto Building Trades.
Cl a u s e 2. A i m s a n d o b j e c t — To harmonize and standardize the conditions of con
tracting and employment in the Toronto building trades and to secure the largest
possible measure of joint action between employers and employees for the develop
ment of industry as a part of national life and for the improvement of the conditions
of all engaged in that industry.
Cl a u s e 3. M e m b e r s h ip .—The council shall consist of 10 members, with power to
add to their numbers. Representation shall be as follows: Two from Builders’ Ex
change; one from Ontario Association of Electrical Contractors and Dealers; one from
the Toronto Society, Domestic, Sanitary and Heating Engineers; one from Interna
tional Master Painters’ Association; five from Building Trades’ League.
Cl a u s e 4. H o w e le c te d .—Representatives shall be duly elected by their respective
bodies (see clause 3), and it is further provided that it shall be optional for both parties
to elect alternatives.
Cl a u s e 5. C h a ir m a n a n d v ic e c h a ir m e n .—The chairman shall be a coopt member; he
shall be a disinterested person, and shall be elected by a majority of the council.
There shall also be two vice chairmen, one to be chosen by the employers and one by
the employees.
»Canadian Labour Gazette, April, 1919, pp. 437, 438.
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MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
Cl a u s e 6. S e c r e ta r y - tr e a s u r e r .—The council shall be empowered to maintain a
secretary-treasurer and such other clerical staff as it may think fit.
Cl a u s e 7. T e r m s o f o ffice .—The representatives of the council shall retire annually
and shall be eligible for reappointment by their respective bodies. Casual vacancies
shall be filled by the association concerned, which shall appoint a member to sit until
the end of the current year.
Cl a u s e 8. C o m m itte e s .—The joint council may appoint committees from time to
time, as may be deemed advisable, and such committees shall report back all matters
referred to them for confirmation, unless otherwise determined by the joint council.
Cl a u s e 9. C o o p te d m e m b e r s .—The council shall have the power of appointing on
committees, or allowing committees to coopt, such persons of special knowledge, not
being members of the council, as may serve the special purposes of the council, ( a )
The two associations in the council shall be equally represented on all committees,
and ( b ) any appointed coopted members shall serve in a consultative capacity only.
Cl a u s e 10. D u t y o f o ffic e r s. —( a ) The chairman shall preside at all meetings of the
joint industrial council and all committee meetings and shall perform such other duties
as are usual for such an officer: P r o v i d e d , h o w e v e r , He shall have no voting powers.
( b ) The vice chairmen shall, in order, perform the dirties of the chairman in the event
of his temporary disability or his absence from meetings. They shall have voting
powers by virtue of their membership in the joint industrial council, (c) The secre
tary-treasurer shall keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings of the joint council,
receive all moneys, and render a correct statement of same, at each general meeting
of the council. He shall perform such other duties as appertain to his office.
Cl a u s e 11. M e e tin g s . —(a) The meetings of the joint council shall be held as often
as necessary.
( b ) R e g u la r m e e t i n g s .—The regular meetings of the joint council shall be held on the
first Monday of each month at 2 p. m. in the office of the Dominion Government fair
wages officer or such other place as may be determined by the joint council from time
to time.
(c) S p e c i a l .—A special meeting of the joint council shall be called by the chairman
within two days of the receipt of a requisition from any of the constituent associations.
The matter or matters to be discussed at such special meetings shall be stated upon the
notice calling the meeting.
Cl a u s e 12. V o t i n g .—The voting both in council and in committee shall be by show
of hands or otherwise, as council may determine. No resolution shall be regarded as
carried unless it has been approved by a majority of those present on each side of the
council.
Cl a u s e 13. Q u o r u m .—The quorum shall be three members on e a ch side of the
council.
Cl a u s e 14. F i n a n c e .—The expenses of the council shall be met by the Employers’
Association and the Building Trades’ League in equal proportion.
Cl a u s e 15. H o w a m e n d e d .—This constitution may be amended by majority vote of
all the duly elected employee representatives together with a majority vote of all the
employer representatives. Amendments must be proposed in writing at a regular
meeting, and no vote shall be taken thereon until the regular meeting following such
presentation. No amendment shall be adopted that will destroy or lim it the equal
voting power of the employee representative and employer representative in the
joint council.
Cl a u s e 16. O r d e r o f b u s in e s s . —(1) Roll call. (2) Reading of the minutes of the
preceding meeting. (3) Business arising out of the minutes. (4) Secretary-treasurer’s
report. (5) Communications and accounts. (6) Deferred or unfinished business.
(7) New business. (8) Good of the council. (9) Adjournment.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
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CREATION OF LABOR BOARDS FOR THE GERMAN MINING INDUSTRIES.
The creation, of labor boards { A r b e i t s k a m m e m ), which for years
has been one of the standing demands of organized labor in Germany,
has finally become an accomplished fact. Although several bills for
the creation of such boards have been discussed by the Reichstag,1
none of them has ever been enacted into law. The present Govern
ment has promised that as soon as peace is concluded and conditions
become more settled it will support the enactment of a law creating
labor boards for all industries. In the coal-mining industry, how
ever, where lately continuous strikes had reduced production to such
an extent that all Germany is suffering from an extreme shortage of
coal, the need for labor boards was so urgent that the National Gov
ernment, as an emergency measure, issued a decree,2 dated February
8, 1919, which establishes labor boards for the coal fields of the Ruhr
district and of Upper Silesia. A brief digest of the more important
provisions of the decree is here given.
C r e a t io n o f th e b o a r d s .—The decree provides that until further
regulation by law one labor board each shall be established for the
coal fields of the Ruhr district and of Upper Silesia, and that labor
boards may also be created for other districts or other branches of
mining. The creation of these boards is to be effected through an
order of the provincial central authorities.
D u t i e s .—According to the decree it shall be the task of the labor
boards to cooperate, by the giving of information, rendering of
opinions, and submitting of proposals, in the preliminary work
necessary, in the branch of mining for which they have been created,
for the exercise by the Government of a comprehensive influence
on mining, and for the participation by the general public in the profits
therefrom (socialization), as well as to act as representatives, in
accordance with regulations to be hereafter enacted, in associations
regulating output and its disposal. In attending to the common
economic, vocational, and social interests of their industry, as well
as to the special interests of the employers, workmen’s committees,
and the entire working force, they are further instructed:
1.
To advise and support the Imperial, State, and communal
authorities through communication of facts, the rendering of opinions,
and cooperation in the carrying out of the regulations enacted for
the protection of life and health of the workers and for the main
tenance of morality and decency in establishments, especially b y fa) Being active in the carrying out of the decree of December 23,
1918,3 relating to collective agreements, workmen’s and salaried
employees’ committees, and the settlement of labor disputes, and by
1 See Monthly R eview of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics for May, 1918, pp. 68-72.
2Deutsche«- Reiehsanzeiger. Berlin, Feb. 22,1919.
‘ See Monthly L ahor R eview for April, 1919, pp. 160-167.
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rendering expert opinions as to the influence exercised by collective
agreements upon working conditions.
(b ) Rendering expert opinions relating to the issuance of regulations
based on Titles VII and IX of the Industrial Code, the mining laws,
and orders of the mine-inspection service, and on other laws for the
protection of life, health, and morals of the workers.
(c) Calling the attention of authorities intrusted with the carrying
out of the laws and orders referred to under (a ) and (b) to any abuses
and by suggesting measures for remedying them.
id ) Reporting on the customs prevailing in their district with
respect to the interpretation of agreements and the discharge of
obligations between employers and workers.
2. To promote amicable relations between employers and workers.
3. To promote arrangements and measures which have for their
object the improvement of the economic situation and general wel
fare of the workers, and especially of the rising generation, and at
the request of those intrusted with the carrying out of such measures
to cooperate with them in their administration.
4. To promote free employment offices.
5. To cooperate in procuring work for men disabled in war and
by accident.
Matters which merely concern particular establishments and are
not of general interest do not come within the sphere of activity of
the labor boards.
O r g a n i z a t i o n .—The membership of the board consists of two equal
groups. ' The employers’ representatives are to be elected from among
and by the employers and the workers’ representatives from among
and by the workers. Alternates are to be elected for the members.
Members of boards and their alternates receive a per diem fee,
determined by the State central authorities, and their traveling
expenses. The duties of each of these two groups shall be to examine
proposals and requests of employers or workmen represented by
them and prepare them for discussion by the labor board in plenary
meeting; to arrange for the election of a chairman and vice chairman;
and independently to render opinions whenever the plenary meeting
can not arrive at a valid resolution. The order creating a labor
board is to determine its territorial sphere of action, its name, head
quarters, and the number of its members, which may not be less
than 20.
R i g h t to v o te a n d e le c tio n p r o c e d u r e .—Those qualified to take part
in the election of members and alternates of the labor boards are all
German citizens who have completed their twentieth year of age, are
actively engaged within the district of the board, belong as employers
or workers to that branch of mining for which the board has been
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created, and are in possession of their civil rights. In the election of
the employers’ representatives the supervisory authorities (the
higher administrative authorities of the district) are to determine
the number of votes to be cast b y each employer, taking into con
sideration the number of workers employed by him. Persons en
titled to vote are eligible to membership on the board provided they
have been active for at least one year as employers or workers in
that branch of mining for which the board has been created, as are
also other persons who for at least three years have been active as
employers or workers in that branch of mining for which the board
has been created and who for at least one year have resided within
the district of the board, and persons who for at least one year have
been active as members of the directorate or as employees of a
mining trade organization of the employers or workers and are
residing within the district of the board.
Separate elections, conducted on the principle of secret and direct
voting and of proportional representation, are to be held for employ
ers’ and for workers’ representatives. The voting is to be restricted
to nomination lists, which m ust be handed in to the supervisory
authorities prior to a fixed time before the election. The supervisory
authorities m ay direct that the election of the employers’ repre
sentatives be public. Detailed regulations as to the election pro
cedure are to be issued by the State central authorities, and, if the
jurisdiction of the labor board extends over several States, by the
Imperial Labor Office.
Members of labor boards and their alternates are to be elected for a
term of two years. Reelection shall be permissible.
Order o f business .—The first convocation of the labor board is
to be effected through the supervisory authorities, and the first task
of the labor board is to elect a chairman. It m ay elect a nonpartisan
chairman or arrange that the chairmanship shall alternate between
an employers’ representative and a workers’ representative.
In the first case the election of the chairman takes place by majority
vote. Should no agreement be arrived at as to the person of the
nonpartisan chairman, the supervisory authorities appoint one,
who m ust be neither an industrial employer or worker, nor a director
or employee of an employers’ or workers’ trade organization. The
employers’ group and the workers’ group each elect a vice chairman.
These vice chairmen alternate in office, each serving for one year.
If the labor board resolves that the chairmanship shall alternate
between an employers’ representative and a workers’ representative,
the employers’ group and the workers’ group shall each elect a chair
man, these two chairmen alternating in office yearly or half-yearly.
The chairman actually presiding over the board shall be considered
118265°— 19------10
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
its chairman. The other chairman shall act as vice chairman. If
there is need for further vice chairmen the employers’ group and the
workers’ group shall each elect a vice chairman.
The chairman directs the current administration and the business
of the board, represents the board, and calls its meetings and presides
over them. On request of one-half of the members he must call a
meeting. The nonpartisan chairman has no vote.
If the labor board has a nonpartisan chairman, each group is to
be presided over by the vice chairman of the labor board elected by it.
The chairman of the group must call a meeting of the group when
ever the labor board has assigned some matter to it for discussion,
and may himself call a meeting whenever proposals and requests of
employers or workmen represented by the group are to be examined
and prepared for discussion by the labor board.
The board is au thorized to form committees from among its members
and to intrust these committees with special regular or temporary
tasks.
Resolutions as to opinions to be rendered must, even if a prelimi
nary discussion has taken place, be adopted in a plenary meeting of
the labor board, the employers’ representatives and the workers’
representatives voting separately. If the vote shows that at least
three-fourths of the employers, on the one hand, and at least threefourths of the workers, on the other, each take an opposite point of
view, the chairman shall assign the matter to the employers’ group
and to the workers’ group for separate discussion.
The meetings of the labor board shall be public, but those subjects
shall be excepted from public discussion which the board has found
unsuited for such discussion or which the authorities, in the giving
of orders, have designated as unsuited. The voting must be secret
if at least one-third of the members request it.
The boards, groups, and committees are authorized to call in to
their meetings experts, who shall have an advisory vote. The super
visory authorities may send a representative to the meetings of the
boards and groups who must at all times when requested be given a
hearing.
Resolutions are to be adopted by a majority vote. A notice to
all members to be present at a meeting and the presence of at least
one-half the membership of the board, group, or committee are
required for the validity of any resolution. At the adoption of
resolutions by the boards and their committees employers and
workers must vote in equal numbers, any excess in numbers being
eliminated from the larger group. If this procedure reduces the
number of the members of the board or the committee to less than
one-half the membership, the board or the committee shall never
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
143
theless be capable of adopting valid resolutions, provided that at
least three employers and three workers, or, if the committee consists
of only six members, two employers and two workers are qualified
to vote.
Detailed regulations as to the order of business of the labor board
shall be laid down in the by-laws, which shall be approved by the
supervisory authorities. The by-laws m ust contain provisions as to
the manner of convoking the labor board and the groups, the adop
tion of resolutions, the preparing and approval of the budget of the
board, the preparing and approval of the annual financial report,
the conditions for making and the form of 'an amendment of the
by-laws, and 'die newspapers in which notifications of the labor
board are to be published.
.Su pervision .—The decree subjects the labor boards to the super
vision of the higher administrative authorities of the district in
which they have their headquarters.
Whenever a labor board, in spite of repeated requests of the super
visory authorities, neglects the fulfillment of its tasks, or becomes
guilty of unlavfful acts or omissions which endanger the public wel
fare, or carries out purposes not contemplated by this decree, the
supervisory authorities m ay dissolve it and order a new election.
During the interim the affairs of the labor board are to be conducted
by its nonpartisan chairman, or, if a nonpartisan chairman does not
exist, by a business manager appointed by the supervisory authorities.
Costs o f the boards .—The decree provides that the costs accruing
from the creation and activities of each labor board shall, unless
otherwise covered, be borne by those communes situated within its
district in which establishments of the branch of mining represented
in the board are in existence. In accordance with an assessment
plan prepared annually by the chairman of the labor board the
costs of the board are to be assessed upon the establishments under
the jurisdiction of the board and on the workers employed in them,
the establishments paying one half of the costs and the workmen
the other half. The individual establishments are to be assessed
in proportion to the number of workmen employed in them, while
the workers are to be assessed on a per capita basis. The communes
are authorized to collect from the owners and workers of the estab
lishments situated in the communes the share of the costs of the
labor board assessed upon each. The owners of establishments
must advance the amounts assessed upon their workers and may
deduct these advances from the workers’ wages.
The labor board m ust prepare annually a budget as to the ex
penditures necessary in the fulfillment of its tasks. This budget
must receive the approval of the supervisory authorities.
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D ivisio n f o r salaried em ployees .—The decree further provides that
each labor board shall have a special division for salaried employees.
This division is to be administered on essentially the same lines as
the labor board proper. Its costs shall, however, be separately
determined, assessed, and collected.
Effectiveness o f the decree .—The above decree has legal force and
becomes effective on its promulgation.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1694]
WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR,
RECENT WAGE ORDERS ISSUED BY DIRECTOR GENERAL OF RAILROADS.
Several wage orders recently issued by the Director General of
Railroads as supplements to General Order No. 27/ grant sub
stantial increases of pay to the following classes of employees:
Supplement No. 14.—-All employees in the police department.
Supplement No. 15.—Engineers, firemen, and helpers.
Supplement No. 16.—Conductors, baggagemen, flagmen, brakemen, etc.
Supplement No. 17.—Sleeping and parlor car conductors.
Supplement No. 18.—Dining car, buffet, cafe, and club car employees, and em
ployees in restaurants.
Supplement No. 19.—Express employees.
*
Except for certain specified articles, these orders are all effective
as of January 1, 1919.
PROVISIONS OF SUPPLEM EN TS NOS. 15 A N D 18.
Supplements Nos. 15 and 16 are substantially the same, except
as to rates of pay provided, the articles covering these points in
each supplement being given in full. A bracketed note at the end of
each article in Supplement No. 15, as given hereafter, indicates
whether or not the same provisions appear in Supplement No. 16.
It should be stated that the article numbers in each supplement do
not necessarily correspond. The following is the text of Supple
ment No. 15 so far as it relates to wages and hours:
P assenger Service
A r t ic l e
I. —
(a ) R
ates
P
of
Less than 80,000 pounds......................
80,000 to 100,000 pounds.......................
100,000 to 140,000 pounds.....................
140,000 to 170,000 pounds.....................
170,000 to 200,000 pounds.....................
200,000 to 250,000 pounds.....................
250,000 to 300,000 pounds.....................
300,000 to 350,000 pounds.....................
350,000 to 400,000 pounds.....................
400,000 to 450,000 pounds.....................
450,000 to 500,000 pounds.....................
500,000 pounds and over......................
Mallets regardless of vreight................
.
Coal.
Per
mile.
Per
day.
Cents.
5.60
5.60
5.68
5.76
5.84
5.92
$5.60
5.60
5.68
5.76
5.84
5.92
6.08
6.16
6.24
6.32
6.40
6.60
6.08
6.16
6.24
6.32
6.40
6.60
6.00
6.00
Helpers—elec
tric.
Firemen.
Engineers.
Weight on d rivers.
ay
Oil.
Per
mile.
Per
day.
Per
mile.
Per
day.
Cents.
4.00
4.08
4.16
4.32
4.40
4.48
4.48
4.56
4.64
4.72
4.80
4.88
5.20
$4.00
4. OS
4.16
4.32
4.40
4.4S
4.48
4.56
4.64
4.72
4.80
4.88
5.20
Cents.
4.00
4.00
4.00
4.16
4.24
4.32
4.32
4.40
4.48
4.56
4.64
4.72
5.00
$4.00
4.00
4.00
4.16
4.24
4.32
4.32
4.40
4.48
4.56
4.64
4.72
5.00
Per
mile.
Cents.
4.00
4.00
4.00
4.00
4.00
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.32
4.32
4.32
Per
day.
$4.00
4.00
4.00
4.00
4.00
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.16
4.32
4.32
4.32
............
i General Order Ho. 27 was published in full in the Monthly R eview for June, 1918 (pp. 1-21).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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145
146
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
(6) In short turn-around passenger service, the earnings from mileage, overtime
or other rules applicable, for each day service is performed, shall be not less than $6
for engineers and $4.25 for firemen.
(c) Engineers, firemen or helpers employed on electric locomotives in passenger
service to be paid the rates shown in preceding table, based upon weight on drivers.
In the application of the rates for various driver weights in electric locomotive serv
ice, the total weight on drivers of all units operated by one engine crew shall be the
basis for establishing the rate.
( d ) Electric car service, whether operated in multiple unit or single unit, to be
paid minimum rate in preceding table.
( e ) All motor cars used in passenger service operated under train rules by engineers,
regardless of whether operated by gasoline, steam, electricity or other motive power,
to be paid minimum rate in preceding table.
(/) The term “ helper” as used in this order will be understood to mean the second
man employed on electric locomotives or other than steam power.
[This article is different in Supplement No. 16. See p. 151.]
A rticle
I I .—B asic D a y .
One hundred miles or less (straight-away or turn-around) five hours or less, except
as provided in Article III, section (a), shall constitute a day’s work. Miles in excess
of 100 will be paid for at the mileage rate provided according to class of engine.
[This article is different in Supplement No. 16. See p. 151.]
A rticle
I I I . — Overtim e .
( a ) Engineers, firemen, and helpers on short turn-around passenger runs, no single
trip of which exceeds 80 miles, including suburban and branch line service, shall
be paid overtime for all time actually on duty, or held for duty, in excess of eight hours
(computed on each run from the time required to report for duty to the end of that
run) within 10 consecutive hours; and also for all time in excess of 10 consecutive
hours computed continuously from the time first required to report to the final release
at the end of the last run. Time shall be counted as continuous service in all cases
where the interval of release from duty at any point does not exceed one hour. This
rule applies regardless of mileage made.
For calculating overtime under this rule the management may designate the initial
trip.
(b ) Engineers, firemen, and helpers on other passenger runs shall be paid overtime
on a speed basis of 20 miles per hour computed continuously from the time r e q u ir ed
to report for duty until released at the end of the last run. Overtime shall be computed
on the basis of actual overtime worked or held for duty, except th at when the mini
mum day is paid for the sendee performed, overtime shall not accrue until the expira
tion of five hours from the time of first reporting for duty.
Where a more favorable overtime rule exists, such rule may be retained, in which
event this section will not apply.
Where the provisions of this section for continuous time on turn-around runs of
over 80 miles one way, change existing overtime rules, the effective date will be
April 10, 1919; otherwise January 1, 1919.
(c) Overtime in all passenger service shall be paid for on the minute basis at a rate
per hour of not less than one-eighth of the daily rate herein provided, according to
class of engine.
[Article III, Supplement No. 16, is substantially the same.]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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147
Freight Service.
A
r t ic l e
I V .— R
ates
of
P ay.
(a)
Rates for engineers, firemen, and helpers in through and irregular freight,
pusher, helper, mine run or roustabout, belt line or transfer, work, wreck, construc
tion, snow-plow, circus trains, trains established for the exclusive purpose of hand
ling milk, and all other unclassified service shall be as follows:
Weight on drivers.
Less than 80,000 pounds......................
80.000 to 100,000 pounds......................
100.000to 140,000 peunds.....................
140.000 to 170,000 peunds.....................
170.000 to 200,000 peunds.....................
200.000 to 250,000 pounds.....................
250.000 to 300,000 pounds.....................
300.000 to 350.000 pounds.....................
350.000 pounds and over......................
Mallets less than 2715,000 pounds.........
Mallets 275,000 pounds and over.........
1O il diffe re n tia l n o t
Firemen.
Engineers—
steam, electric,
or other power.
Coal.
Helpers—
electric.
Oil.
Per
mile.
Per
day.
Per
mile.
Per
day.
Per
mile.
Per
day.
Cents.
6.08
6.16
6.24
6. 48
6.64
6.80
6.94
7.08
7.28
7.78
$6.08
6.16
6.24
6.48
6. 64
6.80
6.94
7.08
7.28
7.78
Cents.
4.24
4.32
4.4S
4.64
4.80
4.96
5.12
5.28
5.44
5.44
5.75
$4.24
4.32
4.48
4.64
4.80
4.96
5.12
5.28
5.44
5.44
5. 75
Cents.
4.24
4.24
4.32
4.48
4.64
14.80
5.12
5.28
5.44
5.44
5.75
$4.24
4.24
4.32
4.48
4.64
14.80
5.12
5.28
5.44
5.44
5.75
8.00
8.00
Per
mile.
Cents.
4.24
4.24
4.24
4.24
4.24
4.40
4.40
4.40
4.40
Per
day.
84.24
4.24
4.24
4.24
4.24
4.40
4.40
4.40
4.40
to a p p ly on engines w eighing over 215,000 p o u n d s on driv ers.
( b ) For local or way-freight service, 52 cents per 100 miles or less for engineers and
40 cents per 100 miles or less for firemen shall be added to the through freight rates,
according to class of engine; miles over 100 to be paid for pro rata.
(c) The term “ helper” as used in this order will be understood to mean the second
man employed cn electric locomotives or other than steam power.
[This article is different in Supplement No. 16. See Art. V, p. 152.]
A
V.
r t ic l e
( a ) Where rates below those for coal-burning locomotives are provided in this order
for oil-burning locomotives, they shall apply only on the railroads where differentials
have heretofore existed.
( b ) If a type of locomotive is introduced on a railroad which formerly was not in
use on that railroad, and the rates herein provided are less than those in effect on
other roads in ths territory, the rates of the other roads shall be applied.
(c) Road engineers, firemen, and helpers required to perform a combination of more
than one class of road service during the same trip will be paid at the rate and accord
ing to the rules governing each class of service for the time or miles engaged in each,
but will be paid for the entire trip not less than a minimum day at the highest rate
applying for any class of service performed during such trip.
When two or more locomotives of different weights on drivers are used during a
trip or day’s work, the highest rate applicable to any engine used shall be paid for
the entire day or trip.
[This article dees not appear in Supplement No. 16.]
A r t ic l e
'VI.
Wherever electric or other power is installed as a substitute for steam, or is now
operated as a part of their system on any of the tracks operated or controlled by any
of the railroads, the locomotive engineers shall have preference for positions as engi
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
148
neers or motormen, and locomotive firemen for the positions as firemen or helpers on
electric locomotives; but these rights shall not operate to displace any men holding
such positions on the date of issuance of this order.
[This article does not appear in Supplement No. 16.]
A
r t ic l e
V II.—B a s i c
D
ay
and
O
v e r t im e
.
(a) In all classes of service covered by Article IV (except where under mileage
schedules a more favorable condition exists), 100 miles or less, eight hours or less
(straight-away or turn-around) shall constitute a day’s work; miles in excess of miles
required for a minimum day will be paid for at the mileage rates provided, according
to class of engine or other power used.
(b ) Where there is no existing agreement regarding overtime provisions more favor
able to the employees, on runs of 100 miles or less overtime will begin at the expiration
of eight hours; on runs of over 100 miles overtime will begin when the time on duty
exceeds the miles run divided by 1 2 $. Overtime shall be paid for on the minute
basis, at not less per hour than one-eighth of the daily rate, according to class of engine
or other power used.
[Substantially the same article appears as Article VI in Supplement No. 16.]
A
r t ic l e
V III.—H
eld
A
w ay
fro m
H
ome
T
e r m in a l .
Present rules in effect to be continued subject to provisions of Article X X III;
it being the intention that the propriety of a standard rule be considered by the board
herein provided for.
[This article appears as Article V III in Supplement No. 16.]
A
r t ic l e
IX .—M o n t h l y ,
D
a il y
,
or
T
r ip
B
a s is .
( а ) All service which prior to the effective date of this order was paid on a monthly,
daily, or trip basis shall be established upon the mileage basis and paid the rates
according to class of service and operated under the rules herein provided.
(б ) In branch line service where differentials now exist in either rates, overtime
bases or other conditions of service, the main line rates shall be applied for the class of
service performed. Miles in excess of the mileage constituting a day will be paid
pro rata. If existing rates are higher than the revised main line rates they shall be
preserved, but the excess in the rate over the main line rate may be applied against
overtime. The passenger or freight overtime bases shall be applied according to the
rate paid. Other existing conditions of service shall not be affected by the foregoing.
(c) On other than Class I roads, independently operated, the rates of this order
shall be applied for the classes of service performed, but no change is required in the
miles, hours, or service for which the former rates compensated. Existing higher
rates shall be preserved. This section does not apply to terminal and other roads
where recognized standard rates and conditions are in effect.
( d ) If this order in any case produces abnormally high earnings because of unavoid
able long lay-overs, such cases may be referred back to the Director General for special
disposition.
[This article appears as Article IX in Supplement No. 16.]
A
r t ic l e
X .—A r b i t r a r i e s
and
S p e c ia l A
llo w a n ces.
The same rates shall apply to all arbitraries and special allowances as are applicable
to the service of which they are a part or upon which they are based, or if not related
to any particular class of service, the increase applicable to through freight service
shall apply, except that in no case shall they exceed the pro rata rate of the service
upon which the increase is based. The minimum time or mileage allowances shall
remain in effect.
[This article appears as Article X in Supplement No. 16.]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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149
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
A r t ic l e
X I. — B e g in n in g
and
E n d in g
of
D ay.
(a) In all classes of service engineers’, firemen’s, and helpers’ time will commence
at the time they are required to report for duty, and shall continue until the time the
engine is placed on the designated track or they are relieved at terminal.
(b ) Engineers, firemen, and helpers in pool or irregular freight service may he called
to make short trips and turn-arounds with the understanding that one or more turn
around trips may lie started out of the same terminal and paid actual miles with a
minimum of 100 mi les for a day, provided, (1 ) that the mileage of all the trips does not
exceed 100 miles, (2 ) that the distance run from the terminal to the turning point
does not exceed 25 miles, and (3) that engineers, firemen, or helpers shall not be
required to begin work on a succeeding trip out of the initial terminal after having
been on duty eight consecutive hours, except as a new day subject to the first-in
first-out rule or practice.
[Substantially the same provisions appear in Article XI, Supplement No. 16.]
Yard Service.
A r t ic l e
X II.—R a t e s
of
P ay.
Engineers
(per day).
Weight on drivers.
Less than 140,000 pounds.......................................................................
140,000 to 200,000 pounds.........................................................................
200^000 to 300[000 pounds............ ............................................................
300,000 pounds and over.........................................................................
Mallets under 275,000 pounds.................................................................
Mallets 275,000 pounds end over............................................................
[This article is different in Supplement No. 16.
A r t ic l e
$5.60
5.76
5.92
6.08
6.68
6.92
Firemen— Helpers—
steam
electric
(per day). (per day).
84.16
4.28
4.40
4.56
5.28
5.52
54.16
4.16
4.16
4.32
See Article X II, page 153.]
X III.—B a sic D a y .
Eight hours or less shall constitute a day’s work.
[Article X III, Supplement No. 16, is the same.]
A r t ic l e
X IV .—O v e r t i m e .
Except when changing off where it is the practice to work alternately days and nights
for certain periods, working through two shifts to change off; or where exercising
seniority rights from one assignment to another; or when extra men are required by
schedule rules to be used (any rules to the contrary to be changed accordingly), all
time worked in excess of eight hours’ continuous service in a 24-hour period shall be
paid for as overtime, on the minute basis, at one and one-half times the hourly rate,
according to class o:i engine.
This rule applies only to service paid on the hourly or daily basis and not to service
paid on mileage or road basis.
This rule is effective April 10,1919, but in calculating back pay from January 1,1919,
overtime accruing under former rules after eight hours’ service shall be paid at one
and one-half times the hourly rate.
[Substantially the same provisions appear in Article XIV, Supplement No. 16.]
A r t ic l e
XV.—A s s ig n m e n t s .
Engineers, firemen, and helpers shall be assigned fora fixed period of time, which
shall be for the same: hours daily for all regular members of a crew. So far as is practi
cable assignments shall be restricted to eight hours’ work.
[Article XV, Supplement No. 16, is substantially the same.]
[1699]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
150
A r t ic l e
XV I. — S t a r t in g T i m e .
(a ) Regularly assigned yard crews shall each have a fixed starting time, and the start
ing time of a crew will not be changed without at least 48 hours’ advance notice.
Practices on individual roads as to handling of transfer crews are not affected hy this
section.
( b ) Where three eight-hour shifts are worked in continuous service, the time for
the first shift to begin work will be between 6.30 a. m. and 8 a. m.; the second 2.30
p. m. and 4 p. m.; and the third 10.30 p. m. and 12 midnight.
(c) Where two shifts are worked in continuous service, the first shift may be started
during any one of the periods named in section (6 ).
( d ) Where two shifts are worked not in continuous service, the time for the first
shift to begin work will be between the hours of 6.30 a. m. and 10 a. m. and the second
not later than 10.30 p. m.
( e) Where an independent assignment is worked regularly, the starting time will
be during one of the periods provided in sections ( 6 ) or ( d ) .
( / ) At points where only one yard crew is regularly employed, they can be started
at any time, subject to section (a).
(g ) Where mutually agreeable, on account of conditions produced by having two
standards of time, starting time may be changed one hour from periods above provided.
[Article XVI, Supplement No. 16, contains the same provisions.]
A r t ic l e
X V II.—C a l c u l a t in g A s s ig n m e n t s
and
M e a l P e r io d s .
The time for fixing the beginning of assignments or meal periods is to be calculated
from the time fixed for the crew to begin work as a unit without regard to preparatory
or individual duties.
[Article XVII, Supplement No. 16, is the same.]
A r t ic l e
X V III.—P o in t
fo r
B e g in n in g
and
E n d in g D a y .
(a) Provisions of existing rules that there shall be a specified point for either going
on or off duty, or both, are not affected by anything herein; but schedules having no
such rules shall be modified to provide that yard crews shall have a designated point
for going on duty and a designated point for going off duty.
( b ) The point for going on and off duty will be governed by local conditions.
In
certain localities instructions will provide that engine crews will report at the hump,
others report at yard office, others at engine houses or ready tracks. It is not con
sidered that the place to report will be confined to any definite number of feet, but
the designation will indicate a definite and recognized location.
[Article X V III, Supplement No. 16, contains the same provisions.]
A r t ic l e
X IX .—L u n c h T im e .
(a) Yard crews will be allowed 20 minutes for lunch between four and one-half and
six hours after starting work, without deduction in pay.
( b ) Yard crews will not be required to work longer than six hours without being
allowed 20 minutes for lunch, with no deduction in pay or time therefor.
(c) This article is effective April 10, 1919.
[Article XIX, Supplement No. 16, contains the same provisions.]
A r t ic l e
X X .—A r b i t r a r i e s
and
S p e c ia l A l l o w a n c e s .
Where it has been the practice or rule to pay a yard engine crew or either member
thereof arbitraries or special allowances, or to allow another minimum day for extra
or additional service performed during the course of or continuous after the end of the
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[17001
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
151
regularly assigned hours, such practice or rule is hereby eliminated, except where such
allowances are for individual service not properly within the scope of yard service.
This article is effective April 10, 1919.
[Article XX, Supplement No. 16, is substantially the same.]
A r t ic l e
X X I.—H
ostlers
and
H
ostler
H
elpers.
Rates o f pay.
P e r day.
Inside hostlers.............................................................. ................................................. $4.16
Outside hostlers........................................................................................................... 4 gg
Helpers........................................................................................................................... 3 . 60
The term “ helper” applies to employees when used to assist outside hostlers.
Articles X III and XIV of the yard rules shall apply to hostlers and hostler helpers.
[This article does not appear in Supplement No. 16.]
The wages and hours provisions of Supplement N o . 16 which
fer from those of Supplement No. 15 are as follows:
dif
P a s s e n g e r S erv ic e.
A
r t ic l e
I .—R
ates
P
op
ay
.
(a)
Rates for trainmen on trains propelled by steam or other motive power except
as provided in section (b ).
Class.
Per mile. Per day.
Conductors.......................................................................................................
Assistant conductors or ticket collectors......................................................
Baggagemen operating dynamo....................................................................
Baggagemen handling”express 1.................................. ........ .........................
Baggagemen.................................................................................................
Flagmen and brakemeu...............................................................................
1 Rates specified for “ Baggagemen handling express” apply
who shall be paid exclusively by the railroads.
Per
month.
Cents.
4.00
3.20
3.00
3.00
2.77
2.66
16.00
4.80
4.50
4.50
4.16
4.00
$180.00
144.00
135.00
135.00
124.80
120.00
to baggagemen in the employ of railroads
( b ) The above rates apply on all roads except exclusively suburban roads doing
passenger business only, upon which the following rates shall apply:
Per mile. Per day.
Class.
Conductors.........................................................................................................
Ticket collectors..............................................................................................
Guards performing duties of brakemen or flagmen..........................................
A
r t ic l e
II.—B a s i c
D
Per
month.
Cents.
3.00
2.77
2.45
$4.50
4.16
3.68
$135.00
124.80
110.40
ay.
One hundred and fifty miles or less (straightaway or turn-around) shall constitute
a day’s work. Miles in excess of 150 will be paid for at the mileage rates provided.
A passenger day begins at the time of reporting for duty for the initial trip. Daily
rates obtain until the miles made at the mileage rates exceed the daily minimum.
A
r t ic l e
IV.—G u a r a n t i e s .
(a) Regularly assigned passenger trainmen who are ready for service the entire
month and who do not lay off of their own accord shall receive the monthly guaranty
provided for in section (a) of Article I, exclusive of overtime, except that former higher
monthly guaranties shall be preserved.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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152
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Extra service may be required sufficient to make up these guaranties, and may be
made between regular trips; may be made on lay-off days; or may be made before or
after completion of the trip. If extra service is made between trips which go to make
up a day’s assignment, such extra service will be paid for on the basis of miles or hours,
whichever is the greater, w ith a minimum of one hour. Extra service before or after
the completion of a day’s work will pay not less than the minimum day.
The bases of pay for extra service apply only in making up the guaranties. After
guaranties are absorbed schedule provisions for extra service apply.
( 6 ) When a regularly assigned passenger man lays off of his own accord or is held
out of service the extra man will receive the same compensation the regular man
would have received, and the amount paid the extra man, or men, will be deducted
from the amount the regular man would have received had he remained in service,
the sum of the payments to the man, or men, who may be used on the run equaling
the monthly guaranty.
(c) Reductions in crews or increases in mileage in passenger service from assignments
in effect January 1,1919, shall not be made for the purpose of offsetting these increases
in wages, but nothing in this order is understood to prevent adjustment of runs in short
turn-around and suburban service that are paid under minimum rules for the purpose
of avoiding payment of excess mileage or overtime that would accrue under these
rules without reducing the number of crews. Such runs may be rearranged, extended,
or have mileage changed by addition of new train service; separate pools or assign
ments may be segregated or divided, provided that crews are not taken off or reduced
in number. Added mileage up to mileage equaling the mileage rate divided into the
guaranteed daily rate does not change, take from, or add to the minimum day’s pay,
and this added mileage is not to be construed as “ increase in mileage” within the
meaning of this article.
( d ) For the purpose of avoiding payment of excess overtime on turn-around runs in
passenger service when any part or leg thereof is over 80 miles, the railroads will be
privileged to rearrange runs, combine pools or sets of runs, and may establish interdivisional runs excepting when this may be prohibited by provisions of existing agree
ments, such runs to be paid for in accordance with the mileage schedules of this order,
but in no case less than the combination of trip rates in effect at the date of this order.
F r e ig h t S ervice.
A r t ic l e Y .— R a t e s
op
P ay.
(a)
For service paid the through freight rates under schedules in effect prior to
January 1, 1919, the rates shall be as follows:
•
Class.
Per mile. Per day.
Pfvndnptors
............... ............... . ............. ....................................... ......................
Fl-iRmoTi and brakemen......................................................................................................
Cents.
5. 40
4.08
$5.40
4.08
(6 ) For service paid the local or way freight rates under schedules in effect prior
to January 1, 1919, the rates shall be as follows:
Class.
Per mile. Per day.
Conductors .................................. .....................................................................................
Flagmen and brakemen......................................................................................................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1702]
Cents.
5.92
4.48
$5.92
4.48
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
153
MILK, MIXED, AND MISCELLANEOUS TRAIN SERVICE.
(c)
The same increases shall apply to milk, mixed, and miscellaneous train service
as are applied to the service in which they are now classified. Where there is a
separate rate for milk, mixed, or miscellaneous classes of service, it shall be increased
in the same amount compared with the rates in effect December 31, 1917, as the
through freight or passenger rate, according to the overtime basis on which it is cal
culated.
A r t ic l e V II.—G u a r a n t ie s .
(a) Regularly assigned way freight, wreck, work, and construction trainmen who
are ready for service the entire month and who do not lay off of their own accord
will be guaranteed not less than 100 miles, or eight hours, for each calendar working
day, exclusive of overtime (this to include legal holidays). If, through act of Provi
dence, it is impossible to perform regular service, guaranty does not apply.
(b ) Crews may also be used in any other service to complete guaranty when for
any reason regular assignment is discontinued, but such service shall be paid for at
schedule rates unless earnings from such rates would be less per day than would
have been earned in regular assignment.
Y ard Service.
A r t ic l e
X II.—R a t e s
of
P ay.
v
4
Per day.
Class.
Denver
differential
territory.
Foremen......................................................................
Helpers.....................................................................................
Switch tenders................. ................................................
S5.44
5.11
4.00
All other
territories.
15.33
5.00
4.00
Where rules of existing schedule agreements provide that switch tenders are paid
helpers’ rates, such rules will be continued.
PROVISIONS OF SU PPL EM E N TS NOS. 17 AN D 18.
The provisions of Supplements Nos. 17 and 18, except in so far
as the rates of wages provided are concerned, are similar. Only
those portions of Supplement No. 17 relating to wages and hours
are given, and bracketed notes are appended to each article indicat
ing whether or not the same provisions are to be found in Supple
ment No. 18. The provisions of Supplement No. 18, relating to
wages and hours, which differ from those of Supplement No. 17
are given in full. Each supplement prescribes the procedure to
be followed in making promotions and in handling grievances. The
articles of Supplement No. 17 relating to wages and hours are as
follows:
A r t ic l e
I.—R a t e s
op
P ay.
( a)
For sleeping and parlor car conductors, establish basic minimum monthly
rate3 as follows, and to these basic minimum rates and all rates per month in excess
thereof in effect as of January 1, 1918, prior to the application of General Order No.
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27, add $25 pet month, establishing minimum rates per month as shown for a monthlymileage of 11,000 miles or less. Mileage made in excess of 11,00/) miles per month
will be paid for at the rate of 1.1 cents per mile. Deadhead mileage properly author
ized to be counted as service mileage. Compensation for trip of employees up to
designated schedule time of first station shown in working time-table after midnight,
on a car scheduled to leave prior to 12 o’clock m idnight of the last day of a month
will be credited to the month in which the train handling the car is scheduled to
leave.
B asie
m in im u m
Jan . 1,
1918, p rio r
N ew
to ap p lic a m in im u m .
tio n G en
e ra l O rder
N o. 27.
JTnp
O v er
O v er
O v er
O v er
O v er
0 first y Aar’s servi pa,
.................... .................................................
1 y e a r to 2 y e a rs’ s e rv ic e ........................................................................... .......................
2 yea rs to 5 y e a rs ’ se rv ic e .......... .......... ..... .....................................................................
5 y ea rs to 10 wears’ s e rv ic e ...............................................................................................
10 y e a rs to 15 y e a rs ’ s e rv ic e .............................................................................................
...................................... .......................................... ..............
15 y e a rs’ s e rv ic e .....
$90.00
1 0 0 .0 0
105.00
1 1 0 .0 0
115.00
1 2 0 .0 0
$115.00
125.00
130.00
135.00
140.00
145.00
(b ) For all sleeping, parlor, buffet, and club car porters who are not required to
perform kitchen service, establish a basic minimum rate of $35 per month, and to
this basic minimum rate and all rates of $35 per month and above, in effect as of
January 1, 1918, prior to the application of General Order No. 27, add $25 per month,
establishing a minimum rate of $G0 per month for a monthly mileage of 11,000 milea
or less. Mileage made in excess of 11,000 miles per month will be paid for at the rate
of fifty-five hundredths cent per mile. Deadhead mileage properly authorized to be
counted as service mileage. Compensation for trip of employees up to designated
schedule time of first station shown in working time-table after midnight, on a car
scheduled to leave prior to 12 o’clock midnight of the last da^ of a month, will bo
credited to the month in which the train handling the car is scheduled to leave.
(c) For employees in the service herein referred to and not otherwise provided for,
except such employees as are within the provisions of Supplements Nos. 4 and 7 to
General Order No. 27, increase the rates in effect as of January 1, 1918, prior to thei
application of General Order No. 27, $25 per month.
( d ) Extra employees performing road service shall be paid for each assignment the
rates herein established for miles made, with a minimum allowance of three hours, at
the hourly rates as specified in Article IV. Extra employees performing other than
road service shall be paid a minimum allowance of three hours for each assignment,
at the hourly rates as specified in Article IV.
[This article is different in Supplement No. 18. See Art. II, page 156.]
A r t ic l e
II.—E n t e r i n g
or
R e e n t e r i n g S e r v ic e R a t e .
Employees with more than one year’s cumulative experience as sleeping or parlor
car conductors with railroads and/or the Pullman service, at the time of entering or
reentering that service will receive as a starting rate the compensation of employees
with over one year to two years’ service; progressive rates shall be applied thereafter.
Seniority in service to date from date of last time employed.
[This article appears as Article I II in Supplement No. 18.]
A r t ic l e
I II .—P r o g r e s s iv e S c a l e s
oe
W a g es.
Where progressive scales of wages are in effect which are at variance w ith the one
herein provided, such scales will be changed to conform with the one herein estab
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
lished. The compensation for employees where higher rates are preserved will be
advanced in accordance with years in service as established by this order.
[This article appears as Article IV in Supplement No. 18.]
A r t ic l e
IV.—T e r m in a l T im e
and
R a tes.
Except where total number of hours from time scheduled to leave terminal on first
trip to scheduled arriving time a t terminal or set-out point on last trip, for trips con
stituting an assigned calendar month’s work, is less than 300 hours, or the employees
have at least six full 24-hour periods off duty a t home terminal, employees in sleep
ing, parlor, buffet, and club car service, included in Article I, will be paid initial
terminal tim e beginning one hour after the time they are required to report and do
report for duty, until departure of train in which car is handled, and final terminal
time beginning one hour after the time train i n which car is handled arrives at ter
minal or set-out point until they are relieved from duty. Terminal time shall be com
puted on the actual minute basis at the following rates per hour:
Conductors........................................................................ 52 cents per hour.
Porters and other attendants.......................................... 25 cents per hour.
Even hours will be paid for at the end of each pay period; fractions thereof will be
carried forward.
[This article is different in Supplement No. 18. See Article V, page 158.]
A r t ic l e
V.—C a l l s .
(a)
When notified, or called to work, outside of established hours of assigned runs,
employees included in Article I will be paid a minimum allowance of three hours at
the hourly rates specified in Article IV, or, if mileage is made, at the mileage rates
herein established, with minimum provided in this article, in addition to all other
earnings for the month.
(5) When employees are required to take out another run in advance of the leav
ing time of their regular assignment, and this service is performed in lieu of their
regular run, and they are not required to perform other service u ntil they take out
their regular run, such emergency service shall be computed and paid for as a part of
their regular assignment, provided that this service does not represent service plus
their regular assignment; if it does, the employees will be paid as per section (a) of
this article.
[This article appears as Article V II in Supplement No. 18.]
A r t ic l e
VI.—B o n u s P a y m e n t s .
Bonus payments of all descriptions paid in addition to established wage will be
discontinued from the date of issuance of this supplement, and those heretofore paid
will not be regarded as any part of the regular compensation upon which to base
increases herein provided.
[This article appears as Article V III in Supplement No. 18.]
A r t ic l e
V II.—P r e s e r v a t io n
of
R ates.
(a)
The minimum rates and all rates in excess thereof as herein established, and
higher rates which have been authorized since January 1, 1918 (including General
Order No. 27), shall be preserved.
(6) For conductors the wage runs with the place except where modified by age
in service.
(c)
Employees, other than conductors, temporarily or permanently assigned to
higher rated positions, shall receive the higher rates while occupying such positions;
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
employees temporarily assigned to lower rated positions shall not have their rates
reduced.
[Substantially the same provisions are made in Article IX , Supplement No. 18.]
A rticle
V III.—R elief P eriod .
Not less than 96 hours off duty each calendar month, in 24 consecutive hour periods,
or multiples thereof, will be allowed at designated home terminals for employees
herein included, whose assignment and service does not permit of at least 12 hours
off duty period at their designated home terminal each 48 hours. Employees required
to work on assigned lay-over days will be paid extra therefor as per Articles IV andV.
[Substantially the same provision is made in Article X, Supplement No. 18.]
The wages and hours provisions of Supplement No. 18 which
differ from those of Supplement No. 17 are as follows:
A rticle
I.—Classification — Stew ards .
To embrace all titles heretofore applied to the employees in charge of dining cars
and restaurants.
A rticle I I .—R ates of P a y .
(a)
For dining car, buffet, café, and club car employees named below, establish
basic minimum monthly rates as follows, and to these basic minimum rates and all rates
per month in excess thereof in effect as of January 1, 1918, prior to the application
of General Order No. 27, add $25 per month, establishing minimum rates per month
as shown for a monthly mileage of 11,000 miles or less. Mileage made in excess of
11,000 miles per month will be paid for at the rates per mile specified. Deadhead
mileage properly authorized to be counted as service mileage. Compensation for
trip of employees up to designated schedule arriving time at first station shown on
working time-table after midnight on a car scheduled to leave prior to 12 o’clock
midnight of the last day of a month will be credited to the month in which the train
handling the car is scheduled to leave.
Basic minimum
Jan. 1,1918,
New
Rate
prior to appli
cation General minimum. per mile.
Order No. 27.
Stewards, for the first year’s service...............................................
Stewards, over 1 year to 2 years’ service...........................................
Stewards, over 2 years to 5 years’ service..........................................
Stewards, over 5 years to 10" years’ service.................................
Stewards’ over 10 years to 15"years’ service..................................
Stewards^ over 15 years’ service..........................................................
Assistant steward^............................................................................
Chefs or first cooks, for the first year’s service..................................
Chefs or first cooks, over 1 year to 2 years’ service........................
Chefs or first cooks’ over 2 years to 5"years’ service..........................
Chefs, or first cooks, over 5"years to 10 years’ service.......................
Chefs or first cooks, over 10 years to 15 years’ service......................
Chefs or first cooks, over 15 years’ service..........................................
Second cooks, for the first year’s service...........................................
Second cooks, for the second year’s service.......................................
Second cooksj for the third year s service and thereafter.................
Third cooks, for the first year’s service...........................................
Third cooks, for the second year’s service and thereafter...... .........
Fourth cooks.......................................................................................
Pantrymen............................................................................................
Waiters in charge without stewards..................................................
W aiters...........................................................................................
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$90.00
100.00
105.00
110.00
115.00
120.00
90.00
75.00
85.00
90.00
95.00
100.00
105.00
55.00
60.00
70.00
35.00
45.00
30.00
25.00
40.00
30.00
$115.00
125.00
130.00
135.00
140.00
145.00
115.00
100.00
110.00
115.00
120.00
125.00
130.00
80.00
85.00
95.00
60.00
70.00
55.00
50.00
65.00
55.00
Cents.
11.11
1.1
1.1
1.1
1.1
1.0
.9
.9
9
.9
.9
.9
.7
.7
.7
.5
.5
.45
.45
.45
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
157
( b ) Extra employees performing road service shall be paid for each assignment the
rates herein established for miles made, with a minimum allowance of three hours
at the hourly rates as specified in Article V.
(c) Extra employees performing other than road service shall he paid a minimum
of three hours for each assignment at the hourly rates as specified in Article V.
( d ) For employees regularly assigned to business cars and to leased private cars,
add $25 per month to the rates in effect as of January 1, 1918, prior to the application
of General Order No. 27.
(e) For kitchen and troop car employees, add $25 per month to the rates in effect
as of January 1, 1918, prior to the application of General Order No. 27, and for em
ployees who perform two or more combinations of service, as cook, porter, a n d /o r
waiter, except employees regularly assigned to business cars, establish a basic
minimum rate of $40 per month, and to this basic minimum rate and all rates of $40
per month and above, in effect January 1, 1918, prior to the application of General
Order No. 27, add $25 per month, establishing a minimum rate of $65 per month
for a monthly mileage of 11,000 miles or less. Mileage made in excess of 11,000 miles
per month will be paid for at the rate of fifty-five hundredths cent per mile. Dead
head mileage made by company’s orders to be counted as service mileage. Compen
sation for trip of employees up to designated scheduled arriving time at first station
shown on working time-table after midnight, on a car scheduled to leave prior to 12
o’clock midnight of the last day of a month, will be credited to the month in which
the train handling the car is scheduled to leave.
(/) For first-class restaurant employees named below, establish basic minimum
monthly rates as follows, and to these basic minimum rates and all rates per month
in excess thereof, in effect as of January 1, 1918, prior to the application of General
Order No. 27, add $25 per month, thus establishing minimum rates per month
specified.
Basic minimum
Jan. 1,1918,
New
prior to appli
cation General minimum.
Order No. 27.
Stewards, for the first year’s service....................................................................
Stewards , over 1 year to 2 years’ service.............................................................
Stewards, over 2 years to 5 years’service...........................................................
Stewards, over 5 years to 10 years’ service..........................................................
Stewards' over 10’ years to 15 years’ service........................................................
Stewards , over 15 years’ service...........................................................................
Assistant stewards................................................................................................
Chefs or first cooks, for the first year’s service....................................................
Chefs or first cooks', over 1 year to 2 years’ service.............................................
Chefs or first cooks' over 2 years to 5"years’ service............................................
Chefs or first cooks) over 5 years to 10" years’ service..........................................
Chefs or first cooks) over 10'years to 15'years’ service........................................
Chefs or first cooks , over 15 years’ service...........................................................
Second cooks, for the first year’s service.............................................................
Second cooks, for the second year’s service.........................................................
Second cooks, for the third year’s service and thereafter..................................
Third cooks, for the first year’s service...............................................................
Third cooks, for the second year’s service and thereafter..................................
Fourth cooks....................... ................................................................................
Pantrymen.................................................................................
W aiters............................................................................................................
Kitchen helpers..................................................................................................
$90.00
100.00
105.00
no. oo
115.00
120.00
90.00
76.00
85.00
90.00
95.00
100.00
105.00
55.00
60.00
70.00
35.00
45.00
30.00
25.00
30.00
25.00
$115.00
125.00
130.00
135.00
140.00
145.00
115.00
100.00
no. oo
115.00
120.00
125.00
130.00
80.00
85.00
95.00
60 00
70.00
55.00
50.00
55.00
50.00
N ote.—The term “ first-class restaurant” ismtended to be applied only to such restaurants as are prepared
to furnish patrons with an extensive variety of food—in or out of season—skillfully prepared and served
with high-grade appointments. A combination of quality and variety of prepared food and service are
essential requisites to come within the classification.
($r) For restaurant (other than first class), laborers’ boarding car and camp
employees named below, establish basic minimum monthly rates as follows, and to
these basic minimum rates and all rates per month in excess thereof, in effect as of
118265°—19— 11
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
158
January 1, 1918, prior to the application of General Order No. 27, add $25 per month,
thus establishing minimum rates per month specified.
Basic minimum
Jan. 1,1918,
New
prior to applica minimum.
tion of General
Order No. 27.
Stewards, for the first year’s service....................................................................
Stewards, for the second year’s service................................................................
Stewards’ for the third year’s service and thereafter.........................................
Chefs or first cooks, for the first year’s service....................................................
Chefs or first cooks, for the second year’s service...............................................
Chefs or first cooks, for the third year’s service and thereafter.........................
Second cooks, for the first year’s service.............................................................
Second cooks, for the second year’s service and thereafter................................
Third cooks and for cooks employed in laborers’ boarding cars and cam ps...
Lunch-counter cooks.............................................................................................
Pantrymen............................ ................................. ...............................................
W aiters...................................................................................................................
Kitchen helpers.......................................... ..........................................................
A r t ic l e
V.—T e r m in a l T im e
and
$60.00
65.00
70.00
55.00
60.00
65.00
45.00
50.00
40.00
35.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
$85.00
90.00
95.00
80.00
85.00
90.00
70.00
75.00
65.00
60.00
50.00
50.00
50.00
R ates.
Except where total number of hours, from time scheduled to leave terminal on
first trip to scheduled arriving time at terminal or set-out point on last trip, for trips
constituting an assigned calendar month’s work, is less than 300 hours, or the employees
have at least six full 24-hour periods off duty at home terminal, employees in dining,
buffet, cafe, and club car service, included in sections (a) and (c) of Article II, will
be paid initial terminal time beginning one hour after the time they are required to
report and do report for duty, until departure of train in which car is handled, and final
terminal time beginning one hour after the time train in which car is handled arrives
at terminal or set-out point until they are relieved from duty. Terminal time shall
be computed on the actual minute basis, at the following rates per hour:
Cents
per hour.
Stewards....................................
Assistant stewards.......................................................
First cooks...................................................................................................
Second cooks...............................................................................................
Third cooks.................................................................................................
Fourth cooks...............................................................................................
Pantrymen..................................................................................................
Waiters in charge without stewards........................................................
Waiters........................................................................................................
Kitchen helpers.........................................................................................
Combination employees specified in section (e ) of Article I I .............
Kitchen and troop car cooks....................................................................
Kitchen and troop car waiters.................................................................
A r t ic l e
VI. — H o u r s
oe
S e r v ic e .—O
45
40
40
30
22
18
18
24
20
18
22
35
25
v e r t im e .
(a)
Where there is no existing agreement or practice more favorable to the employees
in restaurant, laborers’ boarding car and camp service, overtime shall be paid for all
time actually on duty in excess of 8 hours within 12 consecutive hours; and also for
all time in excess of 12 consecutive hours computed continuously from the time first
required to report for duty to the end of the day’s work. Time shall be counted
as continuous service in all cases where the interval of release from service does not
exceed one hour.
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MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
159
(b)
Where there is no existing agreement or practice more favorable to th e employees
in restaurant, laborers’ boarding car and camp service, the first two hours of overtime
shall be computed at the respective hourly rates, which will be determined by dividing
the monthly wage by (30 X 8), and thereafter at the rate of time and one-half, on the
actual minute basis. Even hours will be paid for at the end of each pay period;
fractions thereof will be carried forward.
PROVISIONS OF SU PPLEM EN T NO. 19.
Supplement No. 19 prescribes rates of pay, rules for overtime, and
working conditions for employees in the express service of Govern
ment controlled railroads. The text of this supplement, omitting
Articles XI, XII, XIII, and XIV, which correspond, respectively,
with Articles IX, X, XI, and X II of Supplement No. 17 and which
do not relate to wages or hours, is as follows:
Effective January 1, 1919, as to the employees herein named, the following rates
of pay (including excess mileage), except as provided in section (a), Article IV of
this order, and effective May 1, 1919, the following rules for overtime and working
conditions, except as provided in Article X I, in express service in Federal operation,
are hereby ordered:
A r t ic l e I . — R a t e s
oe
P ay.
For all express employees paid on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis, excepting
employees specified in Article V, the following rates of pay will be established:
(a) To the monthly rate of pay of position as of January 1, 1918, add $25 per month;
weekly and daily rated positions to be increased proportionately.
( b ) Where two or more employees are assigned to the same agency, or messenger
run, and performing the same general duties at different rates of pay, the pay of the
position as of January 1, 1918, mentioned in section (a) shall be assumed to be the
highest standard wage paid by any of the express companies succeeded by the Amer
ican Railway Express Co. for that position, it being the intent to equalize the rates
of pay for the same work at the same agency, or upon the same messenger run, to which
will be added the increase of $25 per month provided for in section (a). “ Highest
standard wage” as aforesaid shall not be held to apply to cases where a particular
employee or group of employees has received, for some special or extraordinary reason,
wages in excess of the going rate for service of similar scope and responsibilities.
(c) For positions created since January 1, 1918, or where the duties of existing posi
tions have been changed since that date, the rate of pay as of January 1, 1918, for
analogous positions of similar scope and responsibilities, shall be the rate to which
the increase specified in section (a) of this article is to be added.
(d) If the increases in sections (a), (6), and (c) of this article fail to establish the
minimum salaries as hereinafter specified, the following minimum salaries shall apply:
1. Office boys, errand boys, and chore boys, $45 per month.
2. Janitors, elevator and telephone switchboard operators, office, station, and ware
house watchmen $70 per month.
3. Employees (except those named in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this section) entering
the service, who lack the necessary experience to perform the work of their assign
ment, shall receive $60 per month for the first six months of service; $70 per month
for the seco*nd six months of service, and thereafter the rate of the job to which assigned.
The period of experience in their line of work shall be cumulative, and similar expe
rience in other employment shall count the same as if performed for the express com
pany. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to mean that former employees
may not be reemployed and paid the established rate of the position to which assigned.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
(e)
The wages for new positions, as created, shall be in conformity with the wages
for positions of similar kind or class (1) at the agency where created if there is a posi
tion of similar kind or class or (2) if none, the seniority department or district estab
lished under the provisions of section (6), Article X I of this order, shall govern.
A r t ic l e
I I .—H o u r l y R a t e s .
Rates of pay established by this order shall apply to employees paid on the hourly
basis. Their pay shall not be less per hour than that established by this order for
monthly, weekly, or daily rated employees performing the same class or kind of labor,
nor shall their conditions of service be less favorable.
A r t ic l e
I I I .—M a x im u m M o n t h l y W a g e .
No part of the increases provided for in this order shall apply to establish a salary
in excess of $250 per month.
A r t ic l e
IV.—P r e s e r v a t io n
of
R a tes.
(a) The minimum rates, and all rates in excess thereof, as herein established, and
higher rates which have been authorized since January 1, 1918, shall be preserved.
( b ) Except as provided in paragraph 3, section ( d ) , Article I of this order, employees
temporarily or permanently assigned to higher rated positions shall receive the higher
rate while occupying such positions; employees temporarily assigned to lower rated
positions shall not have their rates reduced.
(c) Employees engaged to perform the character of work specified in paragraphs
1 and 2, section ( d ) of preceding Article I, on entering the service and irrespective of
previous experience, will be paid the rate established for this work at place employed.
( d ) Where i t becomes necessary to engage inexperienced employees specified in
paragraph 3, section ( d ) of preceding Article I, such employees will be assigned to
the lowest rated positions; the employees in the service shall be advanced to higher
rated positions as per Article XI. The ratio of inexperienced employees shall not
exceed 20 per cent of the employees in any one classified department or district as
per section (fe), Article X I, nor shall they be employed if capable experienced persons
are available.
A r t ic l e V.—E x c e p t io n s .
The provisions of this order shall not apply to—
(a) Individuals performing special service requiring only a part of their time from
outside employment, or business; it'being the intention of this order that employees
affected thereby shall be bona fide salaried employees; such individuals will come
under the provisions of section (c) of Article X III.
.
:
( b ) Employees paid on a commission basis.
(c) Officials, including agents whose duties are supervisory and who do not per
form routine office work.
( d ) Machinists, blacksmiths, harness makers, and other crafts, for whom other
provision is made.
A r t ic l e VI.—H o u r s o f S e r v ic e .
( a ) Except as hereinafter provided and excluding employees assigned to train
messenger service, eight consecutive hours, exclusive of the meal period, shall con
stitute a day’s work.
( b ) Excluding employees assigned to train messenger service, where there is no
existing agreement or practice more favorable to the employees in combination
service as defined in Article IX of this order and for employees assigned to the smaller
class of agencies where not in excess of five employees are regularly employed, includ
ing clerks, transfer employees and drivers, overtime shall be paid for the time actually
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
on duty in excess of eight hours within 12 consecutive hours; and also for all time in
excess of 12 consecutive hours computed continuously from the time required to
report for duty to the end of the day’s work. Time shall be counted as continuous
service in all cases where the interval of release from service does not exceed one hour.
A r t ic l e
V II.—O v e r t im e
and
Ca lls.
( a ) Excluding employees assigned to train messenger service, where there is no
existing agreement or practice more favorable to the employees, the first two hours
of overtime accruing after eight hours of service within the spread of 12 hours shall
be computed pro rata and thereafter (including overtime after 12 hours) at the rate
of'time and one-half time, on the actual minute basis. Even hours will be paid for
at the end of each pay period; fractions thereof will be carried forward.
(b ) When notified or called to work outside of established hours, employees com
ing under the provisions of Article VI shall be paid a minimum allowance of three
hours at hourly rates.
(c) When notified or called to work outside of established hours, employees coming
under the provisions of Article V III shall be paid a minimum allowance of three hours
at the rates provided in section (b ) of said article, or, if mileage is made, at the mile
age rates established in section ( a ) of Article V III, provided that if the mileage rate
produces a less amount than the three hours at terminal rates, the greater amount
will be applicable.
( d ) Employees will not be required to suspend work during regular hours to absorb
overtime.
A r t ic l e
V III.—E x c e s s M il e a g e — T e r m in a l T im e
and
R
a tes.
( a ) Employees assigned to train service and who perform only such terminal work
as is in-connection with their run will be paid the monthly wage provided in section
(a) of Article I, for 8,000 miles or less; mileage made in excess of 8,000 miles per
month will be paid for at the following rates per mile:
Cents.
Express messengers.................................................................................1. 25
Messenger helpers.................................................................................... 1
Deadhead mileage properly authorized to be counted as service mileage. Mileage
for trips when schedule leaving time is prior to 12 o’clock midnight of the last day
of the month will be credited to the month in which the train handling the car is
scheduled to arrive.
( b ) Except where total number of hours from time scheduled to leave terminal
on first trip to scheduled arriving time at terminal or set-out point on last trip, for
trips constituting an assigned calendar month’s work, is less than 240 hours, or the
employees have at least six full 24-hour periods off duty at home terminal, employees
included in section ( a ) of this article will be paid initial terminal time beginning
one hour after the time they are required to report and do report for duty, until
schedule leaving time of train in which car is handled, and final terminal time be
ginning one hour after the train in which car is handled arrives at terminal or set-out
point. Terminal time shall be computed on the actual minute basis at the following
rates per hour:
Express messengers............................. .....................................................
Messenger helpers......................................................................................
Cents.
50
40
Even hours will be paid for at the end of each pay period; fractions thereof will
be carried forward.
A r t ic l e IX . — C o m b in a t io n S e r v ic e .
Employees assigned to a combination of train messenger and station service will
be paid overtime under the provisions of section (6), Article VI of this order.
[1711]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
162
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
A r t ic l e
X . — R e l ie f P e r io d .
Not less than 96 hours off duty each calendar month in 24 consecutive hour periods,'
or multiples thereof, will be allowed at designated home terminal for employees
specified in Article V III whose assignment and service do not permit of at least 12
hours off duty period at their designated home terminal each 48 hours. Employees
required to work on assigned lay-over days will be paid extra therefor as per section
(b ), Article VII.
PROVISIONS OF SUPPLEM EN T NO. 14.
Supplement No. 14 affecting employees in the police department
also contains provisions for promotions and handling of grievances
which are substantially the same as those in Supplement Nos. 17 and
18. The classification of employees and rates of pay as set forth in
Supplement No. 14 are as follows:
A r tic l e
I .— O f f ic ia l s — C l a s s if ic a t io n .
(а) C h i e f o f p o l i c e . — To embrace all titles heretofore applied to the ranking officer
in charge of the police department.
(б) I n s p e c t o r o f p o l i c e . —To embrace titles of assistant superintendent, assistant
chief special agent, assistant chief of police, special agent, inspector, and any other
designation heretofore applied to distinguish the official position next in rank to the
chief or ranking officer.
(c) C a p t a i n o f p o l i c e . —To embrace titles of assistant special agent, chief patrol
man, inspector of special agents, and all other employees who may be properly classi
fied under this title.
(d ) The calendar monthly compensation for the above officials shall be determined
by the regional directors.
A r t ic l e
II.—M o n t h l y R a t e d E m p l o y e e s .
(a) L i e u t e n a n t o f p o l i c e . —To embrace titles of detective sergeant, detective, assistant
special agent, investigator, and all other titles heretofore applied to designate the
officer of the police department next in authority to the captain (except employees
coming under the classification of section ( a ) of Article III). For this class of em
ployees establish monthly compensation, observing the following limits:
Minimum.............................................................................. $140 per month.
Maximum............................................................................. 185 per month.
( b ) S e r g e a n t o f p o l i c e .—To embrace titles of sergeant, roundsman, and all other
titles heretofore applied to designate the employee next in rank to the lieutenant
as defined in »ection (a) (except employees coming under the classification of section
( a ) , Article III).
For this class of employees establish monthly compensation,
observing the following limits:
Minimum..............................................................................$120 per month.
Maximum............................................................................. 165 per month.
For the reasons stated in section (c) train riders will also be paid under this section.
(c)The employees coming under the provisions of this article shall be paid by the
calendar month; on account of their duties and assignments being irregular and
diversified as to hours, responsibilities, and service, it is impracticable to establish
assigned hours of service or provide for payment of overtime. Each regional director
or his representative shall, in conference with the employees or their representatives,
determine the proper compensation, observing the prescribed limits.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1712]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
A r t ic l e
163
I II .—H o u r l y E m p l o y e e s .
( a ) P a t r o l m e n . —To
embrace titles of patrolman, chief patrolman, special patrol
man, station patrolman, guard, and watchman. This article shall not be construed
to apply to employees so designated coming under the supervision of other depart
ments, such as clock pullers and employees whose principal duties are to guard against
fires, protect buildings, and watch crossings and tunnels, and all other employees
who are included in the provisions of either Supplement No. 7 or No. 8.
A r t ic l e
IV.—R a t e s
op
P ay.
( а ) For patrolmen who were on January 1, 1918, prior to the application of General
Order No. 27, receiving less than 32 cents per hour, as determined by sections (£>), (c),
( d ) , (e), (/), and ( g ) of this article, establish a basic minimum rate of 32 cents per
hour, and to this basic minimum rate and all hourly rates of 32 cents and above, add
13 cents per hour, establishing a minimum rate of 45 cents per hour, provided that
the maximum shall not exceed 55 cents per hour.
(б) To determine the hourly rate for positions held by monthly paid employees,
multiply by 12 the regular monthly rate in effect as of January 1, 1918, prior to the
application of General Order No. 27 (exclusive of all compensation for extra
services), divide by 306 (number of working days for the year), and apply pro
visions of section (e ) of this article.
(c) To determine the hourly rate for positions held by weekly paid employees,
multiply by 52 the regular weekly rate in effect as of January 1, 1918, prior to the ap
plication of General Order No. 27 (exclusive of all compensation for extra services)^
divide by 306 (number of working days for the year), and apply provisions of section
(e ) of this article.
( d ) To determine the hourly rate for positions held by daily paid employees, mulitply the daily rate in effect as of January 1, 1918, prior to the application of General
Order No. 27 (exclusive of all compensation for extra services), by 365, divide the
result by 306 (number of working days for the year), and apply provisions of section ( e )
of this article.
(e ) Employees who were on January 1, 1918, prior to the application of General
Order No. 27, paid on a basis of 10 hours or more to constitute a d ay’s work, shall
receive one-eighth of the wages received for 10 hours on January 1, 1918, prior to the
application of General Order No. 27, as their basic hourly rate; employees working
less than 10 hours and over eight hours shall receive one-eighth of the wages received
for the number of hours recognized as a day’s work.
(/) Where there are no regularly assigned or established daily hours for the purpose
of computing the hourly rate, daily hours shall be regarded as 10, one-eighth of which
will be the hourly rate.
( g ) In determining the hourly rate, fractions less than one-fourth of 1 cent shall be
as one-fourth of 1 cent; over one-fourth and under one-half, as one-half cent; over
one-half and under three-fourths, as three-fourths of 1 cent; over three-fourths, as
1 cent.
A r t ic l e V.—M a x im u m M o n t h l y R a t e .
No rates shall be applied to establish a salary in excess of $250 per month.
A r t ic l e
VI.—P r e s e r v a t io n
of
R a tes.
( a ) Employees temporarily or permanently assigned to higher rated positions shall
receive the higher rates while occupying such positions; employees temporarily as
signed to lower rated positions shall not have their rates reduced.
( b ) Higher rates than herein provided which have been authorized and put into
effect since January 1, 1918, shall be preserved.
(c) The entering of employees into existing positions, or the changing of their
classification or work, shall not operate to establish a less favorable rate of pay or
condition of employment than is herein established.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1713]
164
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
A r t ic l e
V II. — H o u r s
o r S e r v ic e .
For patrolmen, eight consecutive hours, exclusive of the meal period, shall con
stitute a day’s work, except that where two or more shifts are worked in continuous
service, eight consecutive hours with not to exceed 20 minutes for meals shall con
stitute a day’Bwork.
A r t ic l e V III.—O v e r t im e a n d C a l l s .
(а) Where there is no existing agreement or practice more favorable to the em
ployees, overtime for hourly employees shall be computed for the ninth and tenth
hour of continuous service, pro rata on the actual minute basis, and thereafter at
the rate of time and one-half time. Even hours will be paid for at the end of each
pay period; fractions thereof will be carried forward.
(б) When notified or called to work outside of established hours, employees will be
paid a minimum allowance of three hours.
(c)
Employees will not be required to suspend work during regular hours to absorb
overtime.
AWARD OF NATIONAL ADJUSTMENT COMMISSION TO DREDGE AND
TUGBOAT EMPLOYEES OF THE GREAT LAKES.
The National Adjustment Commission was created in August,
1917, largely through the efforts of R. B. Stevens, vice chairman of
the United States Shipping Board, primarily for the adjustment and
control of wages, hours, and conditions of labor in the loading and
unloading of vessels. The original parties to the agreement were the
United States Shipping Board, the Secretary of War, the Secretary
of Labor, the American Federation of Labor, the International
Longshoremen’s Association, and the principal shipping operators
on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.1 The commission also handles
cases of dispute, when jointly submitted, not pertaining strictly to
longshore labor. A recent award issued by the commission revises
wages and working conditions of men employed on dredges and tugs
operated on the Great Lakes and tributaries thereof. The award is
retroactive to April 1, 1919, and effective for one year thereafter.
The class of work covered by the award comes under the general term
of marine contracting and includes river and harbor improvements,
submarine excavation of earth and rock, breakwater work, dock con
struction and heavy submarine foundations. It is thus distinct from
general lake towing, longshore labor, or freight and passenger service.
Four unions are involved, all locals of the International Long
shoremen’s Association: International Brotherhood of Dredge En
gineers and Cranemen; International Dredgeworkers’ Protective As
sociation, comprising firemen, oilers, watchmen, deckhands, and
scowmen; Licensed Tugmen’s Protective Association, comprising cap
tains and engineers; and Tug Firemen and Linemen’s Protective As
sociation, the linemen being generally known elsewhere as deckhands.
It should be noted that although the award includes men employed
on tugs it does not include all such men on the lakes, but is restricted
to men employed on tugs operated as a part of dredging plants.
1An account of the organization of the commission appeared in the Monthly R eview for October, 1917
(p. 29), and a number of wage awards by the commission were published in thq R eview for February,
1919 (pp. 147-150).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1714]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
165
In making its award the commission states that “ the case comes
* * * on the joint submission of the * * * parties whose
working relations have heretofore been governed by joint agree
ments. Upon certain points in the proposed 1919 agreements all
parties were in accord, and with respect to all other points it was
unanimously agreed to accept the decision of the National Adjust
ment Commission.” At the request of employers and employees the
award was incorporated in an agreement. The wage rates estab
lished are shown in the following table in comparison with previous
rates and with rates requested.
W A G E R A T E S O F D R E D G E A N D T U G B O A T E M P L O Y E E S O F T H E G R E A T L A K E S , 1914
T O 1918, A N D W A G E R A T E S R E Q U E S T E D A N D A W A R D E D F O R 1919.
[C om puted on b asis of 30 d a y s p e r m o n th , w ith b o a rd in c lu d ed .]
1914-1916
Occupation.
1917
1918
1919 request.
1919 award of
National
Adjustment
Commission.
Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate
per
per
per
per
per
per
per
per
per
per
hour. month. hour. month. hour. month. hour. month. hour. month.
12-hour day.7 8-hour day.
8-hour day.
8-hour day.
8-hour day.
Dipper dredges:
First engineer............ $0,514 $185.00 $0.800 $192.50 $0.848 $203.75 $1,015 $243.75 $0.896 $215.00
Second engineer......... .403 145.00 .635 152.50 .682 163.75 .848 203.75 .729 175.00
Craneman........ .......... .372 134.00 .590 141.50 .636 152.75 .800 192.75 .686 165.00
Second craneman___ .342 123.00 .543 130.50 .590 141.75
.755 181.75
Hydraulic dredge, 16
inches and under:
Engineer.......... .......... .460 165.00 .718 172.50 .765 183. 75 .831 223.75
.813 195.00
Next in ran k ............ .375 135.00 .593 142.50 .640 153.75 .806 193.76 .686 165.00
Hydraulic dredge, 17
inches and over:
Engineer.......... ......... .514 185.00 .800 192.50 .848 203.75 1.015 243.75 .896 215.00
Next in rank___ ___ .403 145.00 .635 152.50 .682 163.75 .848 203.75
.729 175.00
Dredge workers:
Oiler........................... .280 101.00 .452 108.50 .499 119.75
135.00
.665 159.75 .563
Fireman.................... .280 101.00 .452 108.50 .499 119.75
.665 159.75 .563
135.00
Deckhand.................. .250 90.00
.406 97.50
.453 108.75
124.00
.619 148.75 .517
Watchman................. .280 101.00 .452 108.50 .499 119.75 .665 159.75
.563
135.00
124.00
Scowman......... ......... .250 90.00 .406| 97.50 .453 108.75 .619 148.75 .517
2112.50 .344 2123.75
.444 2159.75 .450 2135.00
Licensed tugmen:
Captain (waiting on
dredge), Chicago...
Captain (other tugs),
Chicago and South
Chicago...................
Captain, all other
ports.......................
Engineer, Chicago
and South Chicago.
Engineer, all other
ports........................
Second engineer and
mate, Chicago and
South Chicago........
Second engineer and
mate, all other ports
Tug firemen and linemen:
Chicago and South
Chicago...................
Cleveland...................
All other ports..........
12-hour day.
12-hour day.
.555
200.00
.500
180.00
.576
155. 00
.506
4207.50
4182.50
.632
.430
.430
155.00
.506 4182.50
.562
.403
145.00
.480 4172.50
.534
10-hour day.
.632
4227.50
.088
6247.50 1.020
6227.50 1.020
6202.50 1.020
6202.50 1.020
6192.50 1.020
245.00
.700
245.00
.683 « 205.00
.562
.850
6255.00
245.00
.783
245.00
.717
6235.00
6215.00
7210.00
245.00
.375
135.00
.451 4162.50
.507 6182.50
.347
125.00
.424 4152.50
.479 6172.50
1.020
1.020
245.00
.277
.264
.250
100.00
.340 1122.50
.326 U17.50
.312 U12.50
.396 7142.50
.382 7137.50
.368 7132.50
.698
.677
.656
167.50
162.50
157.50
95.00
90.00
1$5 less p e r m o n th for 8-hour d a y .
2R a te for 12-hour d a y .
8R a te for 10-hour d ay .
.525
. 50S
.492
6 $12.50 less p e r m o n th for 8-hour d a y .
®$15 less p e r m o n th for 8-hour d ay .
7 $10 less p e r m o n th for 8-hour day.
* $7.50 less p e r m o n th for 8-hour d ay .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
245.00
[1715]
7157.50
7152.50
7147.50
166
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
The following table shows the percentage increases based on the
above wage rates:
P E R C E N T A G E IN C R E A S E IN M O N T H L Y A N D H O U R L Y W A G E R A T E S O P D R E D G E A N D
T U G B O A T E M P L O Y E E S O F T H E G R E A T L A K E S , 1918 O V E R 1914, 1919 R E Q U E S T O V E R
1914 A N D 1918, A N D 1919 A W A R D O V E R 1914 A N D 1918.
1919 re q u e s t over—
1919 aw a rd o v er—
1914
1914
1918 over 1914.
1918
1918
O ccu p atio n .
R a te R a te R a te R a te R a te R a te R a te R a te R a te R a ta
per
per
per
per
per
per
per
per
per
per
h o u r. m o n th . h o u r. m o n th . h o u r. m o n th . h o u r. m o n th . h o u r. m o n th .
D ip p e r dredges:
F ir s t en g in eer........................
Second en g in eer....................
C ra n e m a n ................................
S econd c ra n e m a n .................
H y d ra u lic dredges, 16 inches
a n d u n d er:
E n g in e e r..................................
N e x t in r a n k . ........................
H y d ra u lic dredges, 17 inches
a n d over:
E n g in e e r..................................
N e x t in r a n k ..........................
D red g e w orkers:
O ile r..........................................
F ir e m a n ..................................
• D e c k h a n d ................................
W a tc h m a n ..............................
L icensed tu g m e n :
C a p ta in
(w aitin g
on
d red g e), C h ic ag o ...............
C a p ta in (o th e r tu g s ), Chicago a n d S o u th C hicago.
C a p ta in , all o th e r p o r ts ...
E n g in eers, Chicago a n d
S o u th C hicago...................
E n g in eers, a ll o th e r p o r ts ..
S econd engineer a n d m a te ,
C hicago a n d S o u th Chicago.......................................
S econd engineer a n d m a te ,
a ll o th e r p o r ts ....................
T u g firem en a n d linem en:
Chicago a n d S o u th Chicago.......................................
C le v ela n d ................................
A ll o th e r p o r t s ......................
10.1
65.0
69.2
71.0
72.5
97.5
12.9 110.4
14.0 115.1
15.2
31.8
40.5
43.8
47.8
19.6
24.4
26.2
28.2
66.3
70.7
11.4 80.7
13.9 114.9
35.6
43.5
26.0
97.5
12.9 110.4
31.8
40.5
18.6 137.5
18.6 137.5
65.0
69.2
78.2
78.2
81.2
78.2
Í81.2
\37.5
120.8
10.1
20.8 147.6
18.6 137.5
20.8 147.6
37.5
77.6
74.3
80.9
84.4
16.2
20.7
23.1
8.0
76.7
83.0
18.2
26.0
22.2
6.1
19.6
24.4
19.6
24.4
74.3
80.9
58.2
58.2
65.3
58.2
65.3
77.5
33.4
33.4
36.8
33.4
36.8
29.1
33.4
33.4
36.8 106.8
33.4
36.8 106.8
29.1
101.1
101.1
101.1
100.0
(>)
21.8
19.6
24.4
26.2
28.2
21.8
24.0
23.8
83.8
22.5
48.4
26.4
30.7
26.4 104.0
30.6 137.2
36.1
58.1
61.4
81.5
30.7
32.5
30.6 137.2
32.8 153.1
58.1
69.0
81.5
91.0
27.3
35.2
35.2 172.0
81.5
101.2
34.3
38.0
38.0 194.0
96.0 112.9
42.0
43.0
44.7
47.2
42.5 152.0
44.7 156.4
47.2 162.4
67.5
71.1
75.0
17.5
18.2
18.9
76.3
77.2
78.3
7.7
21.0
21.0
5.5
6.9
5.5
6.9
8.0
6.1
7.3
7.3
16.2
20.7
5.5
6.9
5.5
6.9
33.7
33.7
37.8
33.7
37.8
50.0
12.7
12.7
14.0
12.7
14.0
30.8
12.7
12.7
14.0
12.7
14.0
9.1
53.2
27.5
23.6
3.0
56.6
66.7
30.6
38.7
23.9
27.6
3.3
6.2
62.8
69.5
35.5
41.4
24.6
27.9
3.7
6.5
89.5
92.4
96.8
57.5
60.5
63.9
32.6
33.0
33.7
10.5
10.9
11.3
1'L ess th a n o n e -te n th of 1 p e r ce n t.
It will be observed that the request for an eight-hour day was not
granted in full. A 10-hour day was established for tugboat employees
with compensation at straight time for the first two hours of overtime
and at the rate of time and one-half thereafter. Men on the dredges
have had an eight-hour day since 1917. In their request for revi
sion, however, they asked that overtime be allowed for time required
to tow the dredging plant to and from the site of work. The award
provided that 45 minutes without additional compensation should be
allowed for towing the dredge to and from work, but that if men
were required to work at repairs on the dredge during this time, they
should be compensated at the rate of time and one-half.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1716]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
167
A ll em p lo y ee s re q u este d th a t b oard allo w a n ce of SI p er d a y sh o u ld
be co n sid ered as a p a r t of w a g es in co m p u tin g o v er tim e . T h is w a s
co n ced ed b y th e com m ission .
T h e fo llo w in g ta b le of in d e x n u m b ers of re ta il p rices of fo o d in
G reat L ak e cities sh ow s th a t w age in crea ses on a m o n th ly b a sis h a v e
n o t eq u a led th e in crease in fo o d costs, th o u g h in crea ses in th e h o u r ly
ra te are, fo r th e m o st p art, in ex c ess of in creases in fo o d co sts.
INDEX NUMBERS OF RETA IL PRICES OF FOOD IN FIVE GREAT LAKES CITIES, 1913 TO
1919, BASED ON 18 IDENTICAL FOOD ARTICLES.
[April, 1913, to March, 1914=100.]
City.
Buffalo......................................................
Chicago..........................................................
Cleveland.................................................
Detroit.................................................
Milwaukee.................................................
April,
1913,to
March,
1914.
April,
1914,to
March,
1915.
April,
1915,to
March,
1916.
April,
1916, to
March,
1917.
April,
1917, to
March,
1918.
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.96
101.94
100.67
100. 71
102.65
102.37
102.63
100.90
101.61
101.35
124.36
121.93
122.06
121.96
123.42
165.48
156.17
155.85
160.51
161.17
April,
1918, to
March,
1919.
184.97
174.04
172.95
178.92
176,22
WAGES OF LONGSHORE LABOR, JULY, 1914, TO DECEMBER, 1918.
A re cen t r e p o r t1 issu ed b y th e N a tio n a l A d ju s tm e n t C om m ission
o f th e U n ite d S ta te s S h ip p in g B o a rd traces th e h isto r y o f th is lab or
a d ju stm e n t a g en cy , n o te s it s ju r isd ictio n and fu n c tio n s an d th e
p rin cip les w h ich h a v e g o v er n e d its d ecisio n s, and g iv e s th e ru les of
p ro ced u re a d o p ted an d a re v ie w o f th e p roceed in g s.
A la rge n u m b er of cases w ere s e ttle d b y th e lo c a l a d ju stm e n t co m m is
sio n s a t th e v a rio u s p orts, th u s r e lie v in g th e com m issio n itse lf of th e
n e c e s s ity of con sid erin g m a n y cases w ith w h ich th e y co u ld n o t b e so
fa m ilia r as lo c a l arb itrators. T h e p ro ceed in g s of th e se lo c a l a d ju st
m e n t co m m issio n s, as w e ll as a co m p lete rep ort of th e cases h eard
b y th e N a tio n a l A d ju s tm e n t C om m ission, are in clu d ed in th e rep ort.
A n im p o r ta n t wx>rk of th e co m m issio n w a s to b rin g a b o u t u n ifo rm
ra te s of w a g es in th e va rio u s p o rts, for th e a d o p tio n b y o th er a d ju st
m e n t a g en cies of u n iform w a g e sc a les co v erin g a ll se ctio n s o f th e
c o u n tr y m a d e it clear th a t th e sa m e a ctio n sh o u ld b e ta k e n w ith
r e sp ec t to lo n g sh o re w a g es if th e r e la tiv e p o sitio n of lo n g sh o re la b o r
as com p ared w ith oth er lab or w a s to b e p reserved . T h e d esira b ility
of u n ifo r m ity w^as fu rth er em p h a sized , in th e op in io n of th e co m m is
sio n , b y th e fa c t th a t th e G o v ern m en t w a s fa ce d w ith th e n e c e ssity of
sh iftin g lo n g sh o re la b o r n o t o n ly from pier to pier b u t also from p o rt
to p ort. H e a rin g s w ere h eld in N e w Y ork , N e w O rleans, and S a v a n
n ah , as a re su lt of w h ich n ew u n iform sc a les of lo n g sh o re w a g es w ere
e sta b lish e d for th e N o r th A tla n tic p o rts, for b o th co a stw ise and d eep se a v e sse ls, and a n ew u n iform sc a le for lo n g sh o re la b o r on d eep -sea
v e sse ls for th e G u lf o f M exico an d on e for th e S o u th A tla n tic p o rts.
i N a tio n a l A d ju s tm e n t C om m ission. C h a irm a n 's re p o rt ior th e p erio d en d in g D ec. 31,1918.
ington, 1919. 174 pp.
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Wash
168
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
T h e fo llo w in g ta b le sh o w s th e in crea ses of w a g es of lo n g sh o re lab or
(general cargo w ork ) from July, 1914, to th e clo se of 1918:
HOURLY WAGE RATES OF DEEP-W ATER AND COASTWISE LONGSHORE LABOR,
JULY, 1914, TO DECEMBER, 1918, AND P E R CENT OF INCREASE OVER JULY, 1914, AT
EACH DATE.
July, 1916.
District and occupation.
Wage
rate,
July,
1914.
July, 1917.
July, 1918.
Wage
Per
Per
rate,
cent
cent
July,
in Wage in Wage
1915. Wage crease
rate. over rate. crease
over rate.
July,
July,
1914.
1914.
December,
1918.
Per
Per
cent
cent
in Wage in
crease rate. crease
over
over
July,
July,
1914.
1914.
D EE P -W A T E R LO N G SH O REM EN .
North Atlantic:
Boston................................... $0.33 $0.33 $0.40
.33
.40
New Y ork............................. .33
.30
.40
.30
Philadelphia.........................
.275
.25
Baltimore.............................. .25
Norfolk.................................. .25 L275 .30
Average..............................
South Atlantic:
Charleston.............................
Savannah..............................
.292 2.297
.355
21.2 $0.40
.40
21.2
.40
33.3
.35
10.0
.35
20.0
21.2 $0.50
.50
21.2
.50
33.3
.50
40.0
.55
40.0
51.5 $0.65
51.5
.65
66.7
.65
100.0
.65
120.0
.65
97.0
97.0
116.7
160.0
160.0
21.6
.38
30.1
.51
74.7
.65
122.6
.20
.25
.20
.25
.20
.25
0
0
.25
.25
25.0
0
.35
.30
75.0
20.0
.50
.50
150.0
100.0
.225
.225
.225
0
.25
11.1
.325
44.4
.50
122.2
.30
.40
.40
.30
.40
.40
.30
.40
.40
0
0
0
.35
.40
.40
16.7
0
0
.50
.50
.50
66.7
25.0
25.0
.65
.65
.65
116.7
62.5
62.5
.3617
.367
.367
0
.383
4.4
.50
36.2
.65
77.1
.50
.55
.55
.45
.50
.55
.55
.45
.50
.55
.55
.50
0
0
0
11.1
.70
.70
.60
.65
40.0
27.3
9.1
44.4
.80
.80
.80
.80
60.0
45.5
45.5
77.8
.80
.80
.80
.80
60.0
45.5
45.5
77.8
.513
.513
.525
2.3
.663
29.2
.80
55.9
.80
55.9
North Atlantic:
Boston...................................
New York.............................
Philadelphia.........................
Baltimore..............................
Norfolk..................................
.30
.30
.225
.20
.22
.30
.30
.225
.20
.22
.35
.35
.25
.22
.22
16.7
16.7
11.1
10.0
0
.35
.35
.30
.25
.25
16.7
16.7
33.3
25.0
13.6
.48
.48
.40
.35
.40
60.0
60.0
77.8
75.0
81.8
.65
.65
.65
.65
.65
116.7
116.7
188.9
225.0
195.5
Average..............................
.249
.249
.278
11.6
.30
20.5
.422
69.5
.65
161.0
.25
.22
.20
.25
.22
.20
.25
.22
.20
0
0
0
.30
.27
.25
20.0
22.7
25.0
.40
.35
.35
60.0
59.1
75.0
.40
.40
.4 0
60.0
81.8
100.0
.40
79.4
.45
Average..............................
Gulf coast:
Mobile....................................
New Orleans..........................
Galveston..............................
Average..............................
Pacific coast:
San Diego..............................
San Francisco........................
Portland................................
Seattle.............................M..
Average..............................
COASTWISE LON G SH O REM EN .
South Atlantic:
Charleston.............................
Savannah..............................
Jacksonville...........................
.223
.223
.223
0
.273
22.4
.367
64.6
Gulf coast:
Mobile....................................
New Orleans..........................
Galveston..............................
.30
.30
.30
.30
.30
.30
.30
.30
.30
0
0
0
.35
.35
.35
16.7
16.7
16.7
.45
. 45
.40
50.0
5 0 .0
.4 8
33.3
. 45
50.0
60.0
50.0
Average..............................
.30
.30
.30
0
.35
16.7
.4 3 3
44.3
.46
53.3
Pacific coast:
San Diego..............................
San Francisco........................
Portland................................
Seattle....................................
.475
.5 0
.50
.45
.475
.50
.50
.45
.475
.50
.50
.50
0
0
0
11.1
.65
.65
.60
.60
36.8
30.0
20.0
33.3
.80
.80
.80
.70
68.4
60.0
60.0
55.6
.80
.80
.80
.70
68.4
60.0
60.0
55.6
.481
.481
.494
2.7
.625
29.9
.775
61.1
.775
61.1
Average..............................
Average..............................
J Increase of 10 per cent over July, 1914.
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2 Increase of 1.7 per cent over July, 1914.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
169
ALLIANCE OF MINERS, RAILWAYMEN, AND TRANSPORT WORKERS IN
GREAT BRITAIN.
COMPILED BY MARY CONYNGTON.
In April, 1914, a conference was held between the Miners’ Federa
tion of Great Britain, the National Union of Railwaymen, and the
Transport Workers’ Federation with a view to arranging for co
operative action and the support of one another’s demands. A com
mittee was appointed to draw up a working agreement, which was
referred back to the three bodies and accepted by the end of 1915.
It was carefully specified that the support involved was not to be
sectional nor unconsidered.
Action is to be confined to joint national action. Further, no action will be taken
until all three partners have met in conference and have agreed upon the course to
be adopted. Sympathetic action, in fact, is no longer to be left to the uncontrolled
emotions of a strike period, but is to be the calculated result of mature consideration
and careful planning.1
During the war little use was made of the combination, but within
a few months of the signing of the armistice all its members had
engaged in a struggle for improved conditions, and as demonstrated
for a short time in February and March, 1919, the importance to
the nation of its strength,2 both for aggression and for restraint,
can hardly be overestimated.
It was first recognized as a factor to be taken into account toward
the middle of February, 1919, at which time all three of its constitu
ent bodies had launched national programs, and none was satisfied
with the progress made. The railwaymen had been first in the field.
In the late summer of 1918 they had been on the verge of a strike,
and as part of the settlement made with them the Government had
promised that an eight-hour day should be established for the rail
road workers at the close of the war. After the armistice was signed
the railwaymen hastened to claim the fulfillment of this promise
and presented at the same time a national program embodying the
following demands:3
1. That eight hours constitute a working day and 48 hours a working week.
2. That all advances given as war increases be converted into permanent wages.
3. That a guaranteed day and a guaranteed week be established on all railways.
4. That double time be paid for all overtime.
5. That Sunday duty between 12 o’clock midnight Saturday and 12 o’clock mid
night Sunday be paid for at the rate of double time. Sunday duty to be independent
of the guaranteed week.
1 The Triple Industrial Alliance, by Robert Smillie: Labor Year Book, 1916, p, 103. (London.)
2At the beginning of 1914 the membership of the Miners’ Federation was given as 800,000, of the Trans
port Workers’ Federation as 250,000, and of the National Union of Railwaymen as 350,000. (See Tradeunionism on the Railways, G. D. H. Cole, London, 1917, p. 71.) The war brought changes in the distri
bution of men in industry, and the exact numerical strength of the alliance in 1919 is not known. There
was a general assumption, however, that it was not less than in 1914.
8 Quoted from Manchester (England) Guardian, Feb. 12, 1919, p. 6.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
170
6.
That night duty (6 p. m. to 6 a. m.) be paid for at the rate of time and a half.
7. That all piecework, tonnage, and bonus systems be abolished.
8. That on those systems where locomotive men at present work under a mileage
clause, 120 miles to constitute a day’s work on passenger trains and 96 miles on goods
trains; all mileage over and above this to be paid for at an equivalent rate.
9. That the period of rest between each turn of duty be not less than 12 hours.
10. That hybrid grades be abolished.
11. That conditions of service for railwaymen be standardized upon all railways in
the United Kingdom.
12. That there be equal representation, both national and local, for this union upon
the management of all railways in the United Kingdom.
13. That 14 days holiday with pay be allowed.
These demands were looked upon as almost revolutionary. Up to
the outbreak of the war, it was not denied, the wages for many grades
of railwaymen had been too low for any reasonable standard of living,
and tips had been depended upon to help out. During the war wages
had of necessity been raised until they were at least upon an eco
nomic basis, but hours had been exceedingly long. The demand of
the men that they should keep what they had gained in the way of
wages and should add to this a short and definitely restricted work
ing day, seemed to many unreasonable, while all perceived that it
must add materially to the cost of operation. The request for stand
ardized conditions would involve highly troublesome readjustments,
while to give the union a voice in the management would, of course,
be an entirely new departure, at which many looked askance. The
parliamentary election was close at hand and the excited atmosphere
of the campaign was not favorable to the careful consideration such
claims demanded. So a compromise was effected, signed on Decem
ber 6, 1918, by which it was agreed that the eight-hour day should
go into effect February 1, 1919, while other conditions should remain
unchanged pending the action of a committee, which should be set
up as soon as possible, to consider the questions of wages and con
ditions of service throughout the country.
This settled the immediate difficulty, but as the new year advanced
it became evident that matters were not going smoothly with the
railway negotiations. The situation was complicated by the fact
that there were several parties concerned. On one side were the
Government, represented in time of special stress by the Prime
Minister, but in less strenuous moments by the Board of Trade or
the Railway Executive Committee, or both, and the railway com
panies who still retained the actual administration of the'roads under
Government control. There were 79 of these companies, each with
its own individual arrangement of hours, classification of workers,
rates of wages, etc. On the other side were two organizations, the
National Union of Railwaymen, with an estimated membership at
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MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
171
this time of 500,000, and the Amalgamated Association of Locomo
tive Engineers and Firemen, with a membership of about 40,00c).1
This second association was not a member of the triple alliance and
consequently was not bound by the pledges the others had given not
to act without consultation. Its action in calling the tube strike
early in February, because of dissatisfaction with the manner in
which the eight-hour day had been put into operation, was a source
of embarrassment to the alliance and showed the need of the restrain
ing influence which the three allied federations brought to bear one
upon another.
Apart from this inevitable complexity there was an apparent tend
ency to delay, which the men found trying. They had supposed that
the committee to consider wages and conditions would begin its work
promptly, so that changes agreed upon might be made coincidently
with the introduction of the eight-hour day, but its first meeting was
called for February 12, nearly two weeks after the shorter day became
effective. When the men assembled for this meeting they found the
gathering was only the prelude to further delay:
On February 12, several months after their national program was presented to the
Board of Trade, they held their first meeting on it with the Railway Executive Commit
tee. At that meeting the committee had to tell the men that it was not ready to
negotiate with them, because it had only been told eight days before by the Govern
ment that it was to act as the Government’s agent in the settlement of the program.
That incident alone, as Mr. J. H. Thomas said in the House of Commons, was suffi
ciently exasperating, and it turned the thoughts of many railway men toward the
strike weapon.2
Meanwhile, on January 16, 1919, the National Transport Workers’
Federation had submitted to all associations representing port em
ployers the following demands:3
1. A working week of 44 hours in all parts of the Kingdom for all grades of dock and
waterside labor engaged on quay, warehouse, or ship work.
2. The same pay for time workers for the 44 hours as is now earned by such workers
for the existing hours, with an increase of 20 per cent for pieceworkers.
3. Men only to be taken on twice a day.
A conference between the port employers and the federation over
these demands took place January 31, at which it was decided to
leave matters in the hands of a joint committee of 14, 7 from each
side. By February 12, this committee had held two meetings without
coming to any agreement; the employers offered first a 48-hour, then
a 46|-hour week without reduction of pay, and declared the third
demand one for local settlement only, while the men adhered to their
original demands. The third demand, they explained, was intended
to prevent the practice of taking on men at any time during the day,
1 Manchester (England) Guardian, Feb. 8, 1919.
* London Times, Mar. 22, 1919, p. 12.
* London Times, weekly edition, Feb. 21,1919, p. 186.
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172
MONTHLY LABOK REVIEW.
as a consequence of which a man who was not engaged early in the
morning was kept hanging around for hours in the hope that he might
have a chance later on, whereas if he knew that no more engagements
would be made until a specified hour, he could make use of the interval
in looking for work elsewhere. Arbitration was suggested, but the
men were unwilling to consider it, and matters appeared to be at a
standstill.
At this time the attitude of the Miners’ Federation was more
threatening than that of either of its allies. Early in January the
miners had submitted to the coal controller a claim for an advance of
30 per cent in wages, with a retention of the war advances, and on
January 31 a further demand was made for a reduction of working
hours to six a day for undergound workers, nationalization of the coal
mines, and certain special treatment for demobilized miners. On the
10th of February the Government replied, conceding an advance in
wages of Is. (24.3 cents) a day—about one-third of what the men
asked—but saying that it could not grant off-hand such far-reaching
demands as those for shorter hours and nationalization. Therefore
it proposed to set up a commission to deal with these and to report
as soon as possible.1 The miners were by no means satisfied with
this response. They believed that they were entitled to the advances
they asked; they believed themselves strong enough to force these
concessions, and they also believed that the plan of setting up a com
mission was only a device to delay matters until they, the miners,
should be in a less favorable position for enforcing their demands.
The delay in the matter of getting the railway committee to work now
returned to plague the Government. The authorities pointed out
with much justice and force that the coal industry was basic, that on
its output and the price at which coal could be sold the welfare of the
country depended, and that it was unreasonable to expect demands
which might involve the ruin or the prosperity of the whole Kingdom
to be answered without consideration and investigation. The
miners replied, in effect, that much the same response had been made
to the railway men, and that the committee of inquiry promised
them more than two months before was not yet functioning; they, the
miners, were ready for a settlement now, and they intended to have
one. On February 12, at a conference of the miners’ representatives
it was decided to refer back to the local unions the question of whether
or not a strike should be called to enforce their demands. A strike
ballot was accordingly sent out, the returns to be in by February 25.
On February 12, therefore, all three federations were trying to
secure changes involving shorter hours, higher wages, and better con
ditions. The miners’ and the railway men’s claims also involved
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1 The Observer, London, Feb. 16, 1919, p. 2.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
173
re p r esen ta tio n of th e m en in th e m a n a g e m e n t of th e b u sin ess. A ll
th ree b o d ies w ere d issatisfied and in d ig n a n t, th o u g h th e tra n sp o rt
w orkers w ere less so th a n th e oth er tw o . I t w as a t th is ju n ctu re th a t
th e tra n sp ort w orkers se n t a telegram of g reetin g to th e m in e rs’ rep
r e se n ta tiv e s, w ish in g th em su ccess an d en d in g: “ C om b in ed , m iners,
ra ilw a y m en , and tra n sp o rt w orkers m u st b e ir re sistib le.” T h e
an sw erin g telegram co n ta in e d tw o sig n ifica n t s e n te n c e s :
Between the transport workers and the miners there is a bond of union which will
stand the test in the near future of the opposition of the capitalist classes. Miners and
railway men are with you.1
Then followed an anxious period, during which the miners, who
were daily rolling up a larger majority in favor of a strike, were the
center of interest, with the railway men and transport workers good
seconds. The leaders of the three federations held frequent confer
ences, and renewed their pledges to act as one if a strike became
necessary for any one of the three. Taken together, their member
ship was estimated at about a million and a half, and the consequences
of a combined strike could not be contemplated without alarm. A tieup of the railways, the mines, and the shipping would have meant
famine conditions for England within a few days. The Government
let it be known that it would take the strongest measures to suppress
any such strike, but no one imagined that the triple alliance, if a
strike were once called, would give up simply on a threat of force, and
the chances were that if an outbreak occurred there would be actual
warfare of a singularly embittered character. Neither side wanted
this, and the Government, in particular, bestirred itself to prevent
matters from reaching a crisis. The railway committee began its
work behind closed doors. Government intervention brought the
transport workers and employers together again in renewed nego
tiations. In the hope of helping the general situa tion, the Prime Minister
called a conference of employers and workers to meet February 27
and consider the causes and remedies for industrial unrest. To meet
the miners’ threat of a strike, a bill establishing a commission of
inquiry into the coal industry was brought into Parliament and pushed
rapidly, although the miners insisted that they would not accept such
a commission and announced a vote of nearly five to one in favor of a
strike, to begin March 15. At the last moment a compromise was
effected, by which the miners, in consideration of naming half the
members of the commission, agreed to postpone the strike until
March 22, to allow time for hearing the report of the commission on
hours and wages, a report on these subjects being promised for
March 20.
1Manchester (England) Guardian, Feb. 13,1919.
1182G50—10----- 12
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
174
The triple alliance took advantage of the temporary relaxation of
anxiety to make public its position. On February 25, the day fol
lowing the miners’ acceptance of the commission, the executives of
the three federations met for conference, and issued a statement,
giving the following resolution, which had been adopted unanimously:
Having fully considered the position of the negotiations as reviewed by the execu
tive of the Miners’ Federation, the National Union of Railwaymen, and the Trans
port Workers’ Federation, and having regard to the very grave consequences involved
in a stoppage by either body, and the fact that in the event of such stoppage the
members of each body would be very seriously and immediately affected, the execu
tives decide to adjourn this conference until each body has had an opportunity for
further negotiation. I t is further decided that no section of this triple alliance shall
agree to any action or settlement until this conference has again been called, such
conference to be held before March 15.1
Two days later, at the national industrial conference called by the
Prime Minister, Mr. J. H. Thomas, of the National Union of Rail
waymen, read a memorandum prepared by the executives of the
three federations setting forth the ideas for which the triple alliance
stood. Underlying their different national programs, the memoran
dum stated, was a common purpose to attain certain definite ends.
In the first place, it expresses the opinion that the organized workers of Great Brit
ain (1) have made up their minds to procure for themselves an increasing share of
the wealth produced by their labor; (2) are determined to shorten materially their
working hours; (3) are dissatisfied with a system which treats their labor power as a
mere commodity to be bought and sold as though they were machinelike units in
the process of wealth production and distribution; and asserts that they (4) demand
th at they shall become real partners in industry, jointly sharing in the determination
of working conditions and management.2
The leaders realized clearly that the campaign in which they wore
engaged might easily result in disaster, but believed that by care
such an outcome might be avoided. One of their leaders argued this
point in a public address. Having mentioned the agreement of the
three federations neither to strike nor to settle separately, he con
tinued :
This, it will be readily seen, may mean either peace or war. I want frankly to
face both. Peace should be the desire of all. To fight for fighting’s sake would be
criminal, and when it is remembered that the fight would be not against the employer
as an individual, but against the State, victory on either side may be purchased at
too great a price. * * * A very grave and perhaps fatal mistake will be made by
either side assuming that because the consequences are so terrible, one or the other
will give way. That feeling may easily precipitate the crisis. Rather let us realize
that the stakes are so high that we can not and must not make a mistake.3
T lie h o ld in g of th e in d u stria l con feren ce an d its a c tio n in a p p o in t
in g a jo in t c o m m itte e of em p lo y ers and e m p lo y ed to rep ort on m ea s
ures of im p r o v em en t, reliev ed th e gen eral s itu a tio n ap p recia b ly ,
1London Times, weekly edition, Feb. 28,1919.
2London Times, Mar. 9, 1919.
«Manchester (England) Guardian, Mar. 3,1919; speech of J. H. Thomas.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
175
though much tension remained. In the interval between the hold
ing of the conference and the report of the coal commission, the
transport workers practically came to terms with the employers, who
conceded a 44-hour week without reduction of pay, but with some
conditions attached. These were referred back to the local unions
for acceptance, while the organization went on to secure similar con
cessions for the omnibus and tramway men. With the concession
of the 44-hour week, whatever chance had existed of the transport
workers initiating a strike disappeared.
The miners’ demands were very much in the public eye, for the
coal commission’s sessions were open and fully reported in the daily
press. Complaint was made later that the mine-owners’ representa
tives were no match for the men’s, and that consequently the im
pression produced by the hearings was unduly favorable to the men.
Be that as it may, there is no question that the publicity of the
hearings was beneficial to the men and created a strong feeling that
justice and expediency alike called for substantial concessions to
them. The miners themselves were in an ugly mood—“ spoiling for
trouble,” one labor leader put it—but their leaders were obviously
open to reason and opposed to extreme measures, so long as the chance
existed that the commission would recommend a considerable part
of their demands.
The railway negotiations were in a more critical state. In direct
contrast to the action of the coal commission, the conferences on
the railway men’s program were held in the strictest secrecy. March
14 it was announced that the railway executive committee had made
an offer, which the men rejected in toto, rejecting also the principles
on which it was based. Conferences were resumed, but the men’s
leaders made no secret of their conviction that a peaceable settle
ment was not probable. The situation was so acute that at the
request of the Prime Minister the men’s leader, J. H. Thomas, liter
ally flew to Paris for a conference, returning the following day to
take up negotiations with the Government directly, instead of with
the Railway Executive Committee, acting for the Government.
On March 20 the coal commission handed in a report recommend
ing substantial concessions to the men and foreshadowing others to
come if this report were accepted.1 On the same day the Govern
ment presented a new offer to the railway men. The miners were
disappointed, and a considerable party was for an appeal to force,
but the leaders were strongly in favor of accepting the report, and
succeeded in arranging that the strike notices should be postponed
from day to day until a ballot could be taken on the question of
whether to accept the report or to strike.
1For an account of the reports of the coal commission, see the Monthly L abor R eview , May, 1919,
pp. 109-114.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1725]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
176
But the railway men were in no mood for further delay. On the
21st they rejected the Government’s offer and declared, in effect,
that nothing but the strike remained for them. A meeting of the
triple alliance was held that evening, and the two other parties to it
bent their efforts to inducing the railway men to hold back from such
action. The following resolution was unanimously carried, after a
prolonged session:
That this conference of the triple alliance instructs its subcommittee, in conjunc
tion with the National Union of Railwaymen’s negotiating committee, to approach
the Government with a view to removing the deadlock between the National Union
of Railwaymen and the Railway Executive, and meanwhile it requests the National
Union of Railwaymen to remain at work during the negotiations and pending a fur
ther decision of the triple alliance.1
The joint committee thus constituted was received by the Govern
ment representative the following morning, and after long discus
sions negotiations were renewed. On the 24th the Government
laid before the men a proposition covering the following points:2
1. Guaranteed week of 48 hours.
2. Guaranteed day to be further considered.
3. Time and a quarter for overtime, and time and a half for Work on Sunday or
specified holidays.
4. Time and a quarter for work between 10 p. m. and 4 a. m.
5. A minimum period of rest between turns of duty, ranging from 9 to 12 hours
according to nature of Work.
6. One week’s holiday with pay after 12 months’ service, without prejudice to men
already having a longer holiday under existing arrangements.
7. Committees of the two unions concerned to be the medium for discussing all
questions of rates of pay and conditions of service while present negotiations are pro
ceeding. To provide for future negotiations, a committee to be appointed to
consider—
( a ) Creation of a joint committee of representatives of the Railway Executive
Committee and the two unions to deal with questions of rates of pay and conditions
of service of men within conciliation grades.
(b ) Continuance or discontinuance of present conciliation boards.
8. Present wages to be continued till December 31, 1919, regardless of any fall in
the cost of living. Negotiations to be continued for fixing new standard rates so as to
insure that all men throughout the country shall receive the same payment for the
6ame work under the same conditions.
9. Other items in the program to be discussed at future meetings.
It is hard for men who have been keyed up to strike pitch to accept
a compromise, but the concessions involved in these terms were so
substantial that their allies did not hold the railway men justified in
going to extremes, and threw their whole weight on the side of peace.
For a few days the outcome was doubtful, but on the 27th the con
cessions were accepted, and the danger of a strike was definitely over.
1 London Times, Mar. 22,1919.
* Condensed from report in Labour Gazette, London, April, 1919, pp. 125, 126.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1726]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
177
At the end of the campaign, then, all three members of the alli
ance had registered definite gains. The transport workers had
secured a 44-hour week without reduction in time rates, and with an
increase of piece rates to compensate for the shorter working day.
The miners had gained two-thirds of their wage demand, a reduction
of their working day, and a practical promise of a voice in the future
management of the industry. The railway men had gained a defi
nitely limited day, with pay for overtime and night work, a stabili
zation of wages at least until the end of the year, a promise of stand
ardized conditions, and the formal recognition of their unions as the
medium for conducting negotiations. It is doubtful whether, with
out the aid of the alliance, such gains could have been secured, and
it is highly probable that without its restraining influence any gains
secured would have come only at the cost of a strike. First the
miners and then the railway men were narrowly held back from a
strike by the efforts of the other members. A combined strike
would have been so terrible in its effect that part of the public were
inclined to question whether such combinations of unions and feder
ations could not be prevented, but another and possibly a larger part
recognized their possibilities for good. The Westminster Gazette,
discussing the final negotiations, voiced what seemed to be the pre
vailing sentiment:
The triple alliance, while adding enormously to the power of the unions and to the
pressure which they can bring to bear on the community, does nevertheless provide
a guaranty that there shall be serious reason for any outbreak. All three have now
received substantial concessions, and any extremists who are anxious to provoke a
strike over the marginal demands will have to convince not only the moderate party
in their own union, but the leaders of the other two as well. The moderating influence
of the alliance was demonstrated on Friday, and will, we hope, continue to operate.
WAGES IN THE BUILDING TRADES IN BRITISH CITIES, 1914 TO 1918.
COMPILED BY J. E. EASTLACK.
In the Seventeenth Abstract of Labor Statistics of the United
Kingdom, rates of wages and weekly hours, recognized October 1,
1914, are shown for various occupations in building trades, ship
building, and foundries and machine shops. As no later issues
of the abstract showing similar statistics for these occupations
have been published, an effort has been made to compile later
wage data from the British Labor Gazette. This publication,
however, gives only the principal changes taking effect each month,
and these were found to be so incomplete and for many occupations
so indefinite that actual rates could not be obtained. It has been
possible to compile hourly rates for occupations in the building trades
only, but hours of work for these occupations could not be obtained.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1727]
178
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
The results of this compilation are shown in the table which follows.
The table gives the month in which increases took place and the
resulting wage rate. The rates may or may not apply to all the
workers in the respective cities and trades, so they can not with
certainty be called average wages. Where war bonuses were reported
these have been included in the rates shown.
R A T E S O F W A G E S IN B U IL D IN G T R A D E S O F S E L E C T E D
F E B R U A R Y , 1919.
B R I T I S H C I T I E S , 1914 TO
[C om piled fro m th e S e v e n te e n th A b s tra c t of L a b o r S ta tis tic s, 1914, a n d fro m th e B ritis h L a b o r G azette.]
Belfast.
Occupation and year.
Birmingham.
Bradford.
Bristol.
Rate
Rate
Rate
Rate
Rate
per Month. per Month. per Month. per Month. per Month.
hour.
hour.
hour.
hour.
hour.
Cents.
Cents.
Cents.
Bricklayers:
Cents.
1914"............................. 18.3 O c t... 21.3 Oct. . . 20.3 Oct. . . 20.3 Oct. . .
1915 ...........................
23.3 O c t..
21.3 Jan
1916............................. 20.3 M ay...
22.8 Nov
22.3 July
1917............................. 25.9 N ov... 29.9 D ec... 27.4 D ec... 28.9 D ec...
1918............................. 34.1 O c t... 39.4 Oct. . . 35.3 S e p t.. 36.5 D ec...
1919 ...........................
40.6 F e b ... 37.6 Jan. _
Carpenters and joiners:
1914............................. 18.3 Oct. . . 21.3 O c t... 18.3 Oct. . . 20.3 O c t...
1915.............................
23.3 Oct. .
21.3 Jan
1916............................. 20.3 M a y ..
21.8 Nov__ 22.3 July..
1917............................. 25.9 N oy... 29.9 D ec... 26.4 D ec... 28.9 Dec...
1918............................. 34.1 Oct. . . 39.4 Oct. . . 34.2 Sept. . 36.5 Dec...
1919.............................
40.6 Feb..
36.5 Ja/n
Laborers, building:
1914.............................
15.2 Oct__
14.2 Aug
1915.............................
17.2 Oct__
15.2 .Tan
1916.............................
17.7 Nov
17.2 Nov
1917.............................
23.8 Dec.
22.3 Doc
23.8 Dec
32.5 Oct__ 29.7 Sept.
1918.............................
30.4 D ec...
1919.............................
34.5 F eb ... 31.9 J a n ..
Masons:
1914............................. 17.2
1915.............................
1916.............................
1917.............................
1918............................. 34.1
1919.............................
Painters:
1914............................. 17.2
1915.............................
1916.............................
1917...........................
1918............................. 32.4
1919.............................
Plasterers:
1914............................. 17.2
1915.............................
1916.............................
1917............................. 25.9
1918............................. 34.1
1919.............................
Plumbers:
1914............................. 19.3
1915.............................
1916.............................
1917...........................
1918............................. 2 24.3
Slaters:
1917.............................
1918.............................
1919.............................
Oct. . .
21.8
23.3
Oct. . .
Oct
20.3
Oct. . .
22.8
Nov .
Dec
Sept.
Ja n .
27.4
35.3
37.6
O c t...
20.3 Oct. . .
21.3 .Tan
22.3 Ju ly .
28. 9 Dec
36.5 Dec. ..
Oct. . .
19.3
O c t...
17.2
Oct. . .
19.3
Doc__
Doc
S e p t..
Feb ..
21.3
Dec.
O c t...
22.8
26.9
33.0
36.5
34.2
N ov...
20.3 .Tuly ..
26. 9 Dec
34.5 D ec...
Oct. . .
21.8
23.3
Oct. . .
Oct__
Nov...
Oct__
29.9
39.4
40.6
Oct. . .
F e b ...
19.3
Oct. . .
D ec...
Oct__
Feb. ..
22.3
27.4
35.3
37.6
Dec__
N ov...
Sept._
Jan.
20.8
23.8
Oct. . .
Oct__
20.3
Oct. . .
30.4
36.5
Doc.
A p r...
38.8
Oct. . .
28.9
39.4
40.6
D ec...
Oct__
Feb__
24.8
A ug...
38.8
1N o t in c lu d in g a b o n u s of 12J p er c e n t to
2A n d a w ar b o n u s of $1.95 p er w eek.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Cardiff.
[1 7 2 8 ]
20.3
21.3
22.3
28.9
36.5
20.3
21.3
22.3
28.9
36.5
O c t...
Oct. . .
Jq,n
July
D ec...
Dec ..
O c t..
Jan
July
Dec
Doc...
m e n on m u n itio n s w o rk .
Cents.
19.3 Oct.
21.3 Oct.
24.3
30.4
133.5
May.
May.
Jan.
19.3
21.3
Oct.
Oct.
24.3
30.4
133.5
May.
May.
Jan.
15.2
Oct.
18 2
24 3
127.4
TVTav
M
r_*
Jan.
19.3
21.3
Oct.
Oct.
24 2
30 4
13 3 .5
IVfav
TVFay
Jan.
17.2
19.3
Oct.
Oct.
22 2 HTqy
28.4 May.
133.5 Jan.
19.3
21.3
Oct.
Oet.
24.3
May
19.3
21.3
Oct.
Oct.
25 4
IVTav
July.
31.4
MONTHLY LABOE KEVIEW.
179
R A TE S OF W AGES IN B U IL D IN G T R A D E S OF SELEC TED B R IT ISH CITIES, 1914 TO
F E B R U A R Y , 1919—Continued.
Cork.
O ccu p atio n a n d yea r.
B ric k lay ers:
1914..................................
1915..................................
1916..................................
1917..................................
1918..................................
1919..................................
B ric k la y e rs’ laborers:
1914..................................
1916..................................
1917................................
1918................................
C arp en ters a n d joiners:
1914..................................
1915................................
1916..................................
1917................................
1918..................................
1919..................................
L a b o rers, b u ild in g :
1916................................
1917..................................
1918..................................
1919.................................
M asons:
1914................................
1916..................................
1917..................................
1918................................
1919................................
P a in te rs :
1914................................
1915................................
1916................................
1917..................................
1918................................
P laste rers:
1914................................
1916................................
1917..................................
1918................................
1919................................
P la s te re rs ’ laborers:
1914................................
1916...................... .........
1917................................
1918................................
1919................................
P lu m b e rs:
1914..................................
1915................................
1916................................
1917..................................
1918..................................
Slaters:
1914.............................
1915.............................
1916...........................
1917.............................
1918...........................
1919.............................
D u n d ee.
G lasgow .
H u ll.
L eeds.
R a te
R a te
R a te
R a te
R a te
p er M o n th .
p er
p er M onth. per M onth. p er M onth.
M o n th .
h o u r.
h o u r.
h o u r.
h o u r.
h o u r.
Cents.
16.2
21.3
26.4
O c t...
A p r...
A p r __
Cents.
Cents.
21.3
O c t...
23.3
26.4
J u ly ..
A u g ...
21.3
22.3
23.3
28.4
40.5
O c t. . .
J u ly . .
M a y ..
D ec. . .
D e c ...
13.2
O c t__
120.3
31.4
16.9
O c t__
21.3
28.4
M ay. .
A p r . ..
13.2
18.3
A p r ..
A p r ...
21.3
26.4
A p r__
A p r __
17.2
O c t. . .
20.3
22.3
O c t__
20.3
J u ly ..
21.8
O c t__
O ct.
22.3
26.9
34.8
37.1
F eb .
O ct.
S ep t.
.Tan.
14.2
16.2
19.3
28.5
O ct.
A pr.
.Tilly.
S ep t.
19.3
O ct,
D ec,
J u ly .
O ct
S ep t.
Jan.
20.8
26.4
35.5
O c t__
O ct
N o v ...
21.3
26.4
34.2
36.5
17.2
22.3
31.4
O ct
O c t__
N ov.
16.
21.3
28.5
31.4
Apr*
O ct,
S ep t,
Jan.
20.3
22. 3
26.9
34.8
37.1
O ct,
F eb.
O ct.
S ep t.
Jan.
16.2
17.2
18.3
34.2
O ct.
M ar.
M ny,
N ov.
N ov.
20.3
21 3
26.4
34.2
36.5
O ct.
Feb.
O ct.
S ep t.
Jan.
O c t.
J u ly
J u ly ..
D e c ...
9
20.3
O c t...
17.2
O c t. . .
.Tan__
N o v ...
D e c ...
23.3
34.2
D e c ...
N o v ...
20.3
21.3
23.3
38.2
O c t. . .
.Tan
J a n ...
D e c ...
20.3
8
26.4
35.5
O c t. . .
O c t. . .
N o v ..
13.2
17.2
20.3
31.4
O ct _.
A u g ..
A u g ..
Deo
15.2
O c t. . .
15.2
O ct.
O ct,
26.4
M a r ...
22.3
29.7
32.5
21.3
22.3
23.3
27.4
39.4
O c t...
S e p t. .
S e p t. .
S e p t. .
D ec...
19.3
O c t...
19.3
O ct.
22.3
24.3
A p r.
Jan.
35.5
N o v ..
38.8
Oct.
20.3 M ay. .
21.3 M ay. .
22 3
24.3 M ay. .
38.2 Dee
21. 3
26.4
32.4
Oct . . .
Sept . .
21 3 T^n
22.3 Jan.
34 8 Sept,
31.7 Jan.
J a n . ..
J u ly ..
16.9
O c t. . .
20.3
O c t. . .
20.3
26.4
A p r . ..
A p r ...
26.4
24.3
N o v ...
A u g ...
18.3
O c t. . .
21.3
O c t. . .
19.8
N o v ...
28.4
J u ly ..
24.3
28.4
30.5
M a r .. .
M a r__
M a r .. .
M a y ..
1And a bonus of 24.3 cents per week.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
21.3
20.3
21.3
26.4
38.2
23.3
30.4
21.8
24.3
26.4
35.5
O c t__
O c t...
N o v ...
Cents.
O c t...
A p r . ..
M a y ...
A p r .. .
21.8
O c t...
S e p t. .
D ec__
D e c ..
M ar . .
19.3
24.3
20.3
20.3
23.3
20.3
22.3
26.4
40.5
19.3
Cents.
2
21
22.8
2And a bonus of 73 cents per week.
[1729]
Jan.
180
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R A TES OF W AGES IN B U IL D IN G TR A D E S OF SELECTED B R IT ISH CITIES, 1914 TO
F E B R U A R Y , 1919—Concluded.
L iverpool.
O ccupation a n d y ear.
R a te
per
h o u r.
M onth.
L ondon.
R a te
per
h o u r.
M onth.
M anchester.
R a te
p er
h o u r.
M o n th .
N o ttin g h a m .
R a te
p er
h o u r.
M o n th .
Sheffield.
R a te
p er
h o u r.
M o n th .
Cents.
Cents.
Cents.
Cents.
Cents.
B ricklayers:
23.3 O c t. . .
20.3 O ct.
21.3 O c t . . .
20.3 O c t . . .
1914" ................................ 22.3 O c t . . .
1915 ................................
22.3 N o v ...
25.3 J u ly . .
24.3 D e c ...
24.3 D o c ...
1916 .............................. 24.3 M ay . .
28.4 N o v ...
26.4 S e p t. .
1917 ................................ 28.4 D e c .. .
30.9 O c t. . .
29.9 Dec.
36.5 N o v ... 39.4 Dec.
1918.................................. 40.6 D e c ... 38.8 S e p t . . 36.5 N o v ...
1919 ..............................
42.6 F e b . . .
B ric k lay ers’ laborers:
16.2 O c t. . .
15.2 O c t__
14.2 O c t__
13.2 O c t . . .
1914 ................................
1916.................................. 16.2 M a y . .
|
1917 ................................ 21.3 D e c ...
1918 .............................. 33.5 D e c ...
28.4 N o v ...
30.8 N o v ...
C arpenters a n d joiners:
1914.................................
22.3 O c t . . .
23.3 O c t . . .
21.3 O c t__
20.3 O c t . . .
19.8 O ct.
1915.................................
22.3 N o v ...
D ec.
1916.................................. 24.3 M ay . .
25.3 J u l y . .
24.3 D e c ...
24.3 N o v ...
28.4 D e c .. . 30.9 O c t__
26.4 S e p t. .
29.4 Dec.
28.4 N o v ...
1917.................................
39.4 Dec.
1918 .............................. 40.6 D e c ... 38.8 S e p t. .
36.5 N o v ... 36.5 N o v ...
1919..................................
42.6 F e b . . .
L ab o rers, bu ild in g :
1915..................................
15.2 N o v ...
1916.................................. 15.2 M a y . .
18.3 J u l y . .
19.3 D e c ...
1917.................................. 20.3 D e c ...
21.3 S e p t. .
23.3 Dec.
20.3 J u n e . . 20.3 N o v ...
1918.................................. 32.4 D e c ...
30.8 S e p t. .
28.4 N o v ...
30.8 N o v ... 31.4 Dec.
1919..................................
34.5 F e b . . .
M asons:
1914.................................. 22.3 O c t__
20.3 O c t. . .
20.3 O ct.
21.3 O c t__
1915..................................
22.3 N o v ...
1916..................................
24.3 D e c . ..
1917..................................
29.9 Dec.
1918..................................
36.5 N o v ...
P ain ters:
- 1914.................................
19.3 O c t__
18.3 O c t__
17.2 O ct.
19.3
19.3 O c t . . .
1916.................................. 21.3 M ay . .
20.3 A u g .. .
20.3 A p r . . .
18.3 Jan .
21.3 M a y . .
1917.................................. 29.4 D e c __
23.3 A p r . . . 24.3 N ov.
25.9 O c t . . .
24.3 S e p t. .
1918.................................. 40.6 D e c ...
33.1 S e p t. .
33.1
34.2
N
o
v
.'..
34.5 S e p t . .
N ov.
1919..................................
36.5 F e b . 36.5 J a n . . .
P laste rers:
1914.................................. 22.3 O c t . . .
19.3 O ct.
22.3 O c t. . .
21.3 O c t . . .
23.3 O c t__
1916..................................
24.3 N o v ...
23.3 D e c __
25.3 J u l y . .
1917.................................. 28.4 D ec.
26.4 S e p t. .
28.9 Dec.
30.9 O c t__
26.4 N o v ...
1918.................................. 40.6 D e c ... 38.8 S e p t. .
36.5 N o v ... 38.2 Dec.
36.5 N o v ...
1919..................................
42.6 F e b . . .
P la s te re rs ’ laborers:
1914..................................
14.2 O c t__
15.2 O c t . . .
15.2 O c t . . .
1916.................................. 16.2 M a y . .
17.2 N o v ...
20.3 D e c . ..
1917.................................. 21.3 D o c ...
21.3 N o v ...
22.3 S e p t. .
1918.................................. 33.5 D e e ...
29.4 N o v ...
29.1 J u n e . .
1919.................................
31.9 J a n . . .
P lu m b e rs:
1914...............................
22.3 O c t . . .
24.3 O c t . . .
20.3 O c t. . .
20.3 O c t . . .
19.3 O ct.
1915..................................
22.3 A u g .. .
1916.................................. 24.3 M a y . .
24.3 N o v ...
22.3 O ct.
26.4 A u g ...
24.3 A u g ...
1917.................................. 28.4 N ov ..
28.9 Dec.
31.9
28.4 S e p t . . 27.4 S e p t. .
1918.................................. 40.6 D e c . . .
39.9 S e p t . . 38.5 N o v ... 37.6 N o v ... 37.1 Dec.
1919..................................
43.6 F e b . . .
S laters:
1916.................................. 23.3 M a y . .
23.3 D e c . ..
21.3 S ept.
1917.................................. 27.4 D e c .. .
26.4 N o v ...
25.3 S e p t. .
28.9 Dec.
1918.................................. 36.5 M a y . .
34.5 N o v ... 36.5 N o v ...
38.2 Dec.
35.3 J u ly . .
20.8
AGRICULTURAL WAGES IN IRELAND.
According to a report from the United States consul at Dublin,
received through the State Department, the Agricultural Wages
Board for Ireland recently fixed minimum rates of wages for agri
cultural workers in that country as shown in the table which follows.
The minimum rate per day is in each instance one-sixth of the weekly
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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181
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
r a te sh ow n . N o e x p la n a tio n is g iv e n of th e e x te n t of th e th ree areas
in to w h ich th e c o u n tr y is d iv id ed . N o r a te is fix e d for w ork in e x c e ss
of 10 h ou rs p er d a y ; p a y m e n t for su ch w ork m u st b e arranged
b e tw e e n em p lo y er and em p loyee.
MINIMUM W E E K L Y W AGES OF A GRICULTURAL W O R K ER S IN IR E L A N D
Age group, and area.
Minimum
rate
per week.
MALES—54 HOURS PER WEEK.
10to 18 years:
Area No. 1..........................................................
Area No. 2...........................................................
Area No. 3................................; .........................
18 to 20 years:
Area No. 1...........................................................
Area No. 2.....................................
Area No. 3..........................................................
Over 20 years:
Area No. 1.............................................
Area No. 2...........................................
Area No. 3....................................
$3.90
3. 54
3.18
5.82
5.34
5.10
6.54
5.90
5.34
MALES—60 HOURS PER WEEK.
16 to 18 years:
Area No. 1...........................................
Area No. 2..................................................
Area No. 3.......................................................
18 to 20 years:
Area No. 1..........................................................
Area No. 2.............................................
Area No. 3...........................................................
Over 20 years:
Area No. l ...............................................
Area No. 2...........................................................
Area No. 3.........................................................
4.26
3.78
3.42
6.18
5. 70
5. 34
6.93
6.30
5. 70
FEMALES—54 HOURS PER WEEK.
Over 18 years:
Area No. 1....................................................
Area No. 2.........................................................
Area No. 3..........................................................
3.90
3.30
2.94
FEMALES—60 HOURS PER WEEK.
Over 18 years:
Area No. 1................................................................
Area No. 2 ...........................................................
Area No. 3...........................................................
4. 02
3.66
3.18
WAGES PAID TO MINE LABOR IN ALSACE-LORRAINE, 1913, 1914, AND
1918.1
Average wages, quarterly earnings, shifts worked, etc., by miners
employed in the coal, iron, and potash mines in Alsace-Lorraine
during the year 1913, the second and third quarters of 1914, and the
first quarter of 1918 are reported in the November-December, 1918,
issue of the Bulletin du Ministère du Travail et de la Prévoyance
Sociale (p. 539).
From this table it may be seen that there has been a noticeable
increase in the average earnings per person employed and’per miner
in each class of mines. Considering all employees, the increase in
1Bulletin du Ministère du Travail et de la Prévoyance Sociale (Paris), Nov.-Dec., 1918, p. 539.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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182
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
earnings per quarter in 1918 compared with the nearest correspond
ing period of 1914 was 88.1 per cent in coal mines, 55.5 per cent in
iron mines, and 61.3 per cent in potash mines. The table is as
follows:
N U M BER EM PLOYED, SH IFT S W O R K ED , AND EARN IN G S OF M INERS IN ALSACEL O R R A IN E IN SP E C IFIE D PE R IO D S, 1913 TO 1918.
Earnings.
Period,
Coal mines:
1913.......................... ......................
1914, second quarter...................
1914, third quarter....................
1918, first quarter......................
Iron mines:
1913................................................
1914, second quarter..................
1914, third quarter.....................
1918, first quarter— .................
Potash mines:
1913................................................
1914, second quarter...................
1914, third quarter.....................
1918, first quarter....... ................
N umber of Number
persons
of shifts
employed. worked.
16,333
15,445
9,512
11,229
(l)
16,975
14,939
8,307
8,581
C)
1,175
1,879
692
1,060
0)
All
employees.
(i)
79
76
85
$1,329,577
752,700
1,816,709
Per
shift.
Per quar
ter per
employee.
$1.07
1.09
1.03
Per shift
per
miner.
$86.08
78.17
161.93
1.88
$1.27
1.30
1.24
2.48
74
63
77
0)
1,534,350
691,519
1,373,388
1. 41
1.37
1.32
2.09
0)
1.60
1.59
1.54
2.83
74
75
(i)
143,206
52,496
130,468
1.06
1.03
1.04
1.57
C)
1.19
1.15
1.14
7&
102. 87
83.38
160.00
76.24
76.04
122.94
2 .1 3
1N ot reported.
EARNINGS AND HOURS OF LABOR OF COAL MINERS IN HOLLAND.1
A statement in the Dutch journal Algemeen Handelsbad for
February 25, 1919, gives the average earnings per shift of under
ground mine workers in South Limburg (which is rated as the most
valuable coal field in Holland), as 9s. lid . ($2.41), and of surface
workers as 6s. 9d. ($1.64), with a general average for all workers
of 9s. ($2.19). The following are the average earnings per shift
for the various occupations: .
Underground workers:
s.
Hewers..............
12
Timbermen.................................................................... 9
Hewers’ laborers........................................................... 10
Haulers over 18 years of age....................................... 7
Haulers under 18 years of age.......................
4
Surface workers:
Enginemen.................................................................... 8
Stokers......................
8
Artisans..............
8
Other workers over 16 years of age-..................
7
Other workers under 16 years of age.......................... 2
a.
1
7
3
11
10
($2.94)
( 2.33)
( 2.49)
(1 .9 3 )
( 1.18)
2
1
3
1
6
( 1.99)
( 1.97)
( 2.01)
(1 .7 2 )
( .61)
It appears from a later issue of the same journal that the eighthour day prevails for underground workers at all mines, while those
employed above ground are still working 10 hours per day.
1D a ta ta k e n from B ritis h L a b o u r G azette (L o n d o n ) for M arch , 1919 (p. 86).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[17321
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
183
THE 48-HOUR WEEK IN CERTAIN INDUSTRIES IN ITALY.
It appears that an agreement has been entered into (signed Feb
20, 1919) between representatives of the Federation of Italian Manu
facturers and of the organizations of the metallurgical workers,
providing for the establishment of a 48-hour week effective on the
first of May for the engineering trades and on the first of July for
workers at continuous processes. The movement for an 8-hour day
was initiated, according to reports in recent issues of L’Avanti and
II Giornale d’ltalia, and noted in the British Labor Gazette for
March, 1919 (p. 86), at a congress of the Confederazione del Lavoro,
held at Milan, September, 1918, and after the signing of the armistice
the executive of the federation of labor began to agitate for this
reform. A summary of the agreement taken from the British Labor
Gazette is as follows:
In engineering establishments, shipbuilding yards, and allied trades hours are to be
reduced from 60 or 55 to 48 per week. In foundries where continuous work is carried
on the hours are to be reduced from 72 to 48 per week by adopting the system of three
shifts. Shifts in foundries are to be formed on the basis of the work which is at present
divided between two shifts being performed where possible by the same number of
workmen in three shifts. Care is to be taken that the actual hours worked under
the new system shall not be greater than under the old system, save in exceptional
cases. In works where seven days of uninterrupted work per week are required,
the working hours in each period of three weeks are not to exceed 144. The time
rates of each workman are to be adjusted so that his earnings for 48 hours shall be
equal to the present earnings for 55, 60, or 72 hours. Piecework rates are to be increased
by 16 per cent in works where hours are reduced from 60 to 48, and by 10 per cent
where hours are reduced from 55. In foundries there are to be, in- addition, extra
percentage bonuses on output, in order to encourage workmen to contribute to the
reduction of the number of hands employed on each shift. Works committees aro
to be formed whose functions are defined in a body of rules agreed between the parties.
A committee is to be appointed, consisting of five representatives of the employers
and five of the workpeople, which is to investigate the cost of living in relation to
the question of minimum wages.
The period during which the agreement is to be operative will be definitely fixed
when the last-mentioned committee has made its report.
Demands for the 48-hour week have been made by workers in the
textile, printing, chemical, and paper-making trades. An agreement
appears to have been reached in the printing trade and in the woolen
branch of the textile industry, where the rates of wages per day are
to remain the same while piece rates are to be increased in proportion
to the reduction in hours of labor. A joint board of employers and
workpeople is considering the question as to the method of giving
effect to the 48-hour week under conditions calculated to maintain
the full efficiency of the factories and to enable the trade to meet
foreign competition. In the printing trade the principle of the
8-hour day was accepted by both sides, the effective date being
March 17, 1919. The employers also agreed to an increase in wages.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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184
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
LABOR, WAGES, AND COST OF LIVING IN SWITZERLAND.
A recent report on labor and wages in Switzerland during the war,
prepared by the American vice consul at Basel under date of Jan
uary 15, 1919, has recently been made available to this Bureau
through the State Department. This report does not touch upon
conditions of labor, “ for it is generally known that in all respects
except wages, and perhaps hours, the Swiss laborer, expecially the
factory workman, enjoys exceptional conditions. All sanitary
measures in the form of proper heat, light, and ventilation have
been well met. And in those occupations that may be classed as
detrimental to the health and personal safety of the employee, as
for example in certain work in chemical, dye, and munitions fac
tories, it can be safely stated that all provisions for the health and
welfare of the laborer, in so far as the occupation itself will allow,
have been made.”
Wages and the general labor situation are considered in their rela
tion to the war, the cost of living as affected by the war, to war
profits, and to competition for world markets after the war. Ap
pended is a brief statement as to what Swiss labor expects from the
United States.
WAGES.
It is pointed out that some difficulty was experienced in collecting
wage data since “ the Swiss Federal Government has no official
labor and wage statistics gathered and compiled by its own agents
and for its own use,” and employers appear very reluctant to give
out any figures concerning wages.
It seems that the paralyzing effect of the first few weeks of the
war caused employers to reduce their forces and also the wages
paid, but that as the war progressed and the cost of living advanced
they found it necessary to increase wages, which they did without
increasing their forces, thereby enabling them to operate their
business at practically prewar costs. In connection with the fol
lowing table, which shows the wages paid and the prevailing hours
of labor in each specified occupation in 1914 and 1918, the report
explains that 95 per cent of the statistics are “ absolutely reliable,”
but that in a few cases, such as 1914 salaries and 1918 hours, the
figures had to be supplied by comparison with related occupations
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1 7 3 4 ]
185
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
WAGES AND HOURS IN SWITZERLAND IN 1914 AND 1918, SHOWING P E » CENT OF
INCREASE IN WAGES AND OF REDUCTION IN HOURS IN THE LATER YEAR.
Wages per hour.
Trades.
Banks:
Clerks...................................................................
Employees...........................................................
Alimentation:
Brewers, firemen................................................
Brewers, machinists...........................................
Brewers, malters.................................................
Brewers, skilled..................................................
Brewers, unskilled..............................................
Coopers, skilled. . ...............................................
Coopers’ unskilled...............................................
Gardeners, skilled...............................................
Gardeners, unskilled...........................................
Wearing apparel:
Dressmakers........................................................
Store salesmen.....................................................
Store cashiers......................................................
Store decorators..................................................
Store delivery......................................................
Tailors, cutters....................................................
Tailors’ piece, trousers.......................................
Tailors, pieee^ coat..............................................
Tailors, piece, overcoat......................................
Construction (stone):
Excavators..........................................................
Marble cutters.....................................................
Marble polishers, h and.......................................
Marble polishers, machine.................................
Marble workers’ helpers.....................................
Masons.................................................................
Masons’ helpers...................................................
Mortar carriers....................................................
Plasterers.............................................................
Plasterers’ helpers..............................................
Potters......... *...................................... ..............
Roofers.................................................................
Roofers’ helpers...................................................
Construction (wood):
Carpenters...........................................................
Door hangers.......................................................
Electricians.........................................................
Joiners, skilled....................................................
Joiners, unskilled................................................
Machinists...........................................................
Painters...............................................................
Turners................................................................
Wood carvers......................................................
Woodworkers.................... .................................
Metal workers:
Blacksmiths........................................................
Cartwrights.........................................................
Coppersmiths......................................................
Furnace setters...................................................
Locksmiths, skilled............................................
l-ooksmiths, unskilled........................................
Tinners................................................................
Tinners, factory..................................................
Turners...........*...................................................
Press workers:
Bookbinders........................................................
Typesetters, female............................................
Typesetters’ m ale.................................. .............
Sanitation:
Barbers................................................................
Janitor women....................................................
Transportation:
Chauffeurs...........................................................
Teamsters............................................................
Harness makers...................................................
1 Per week.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Hours per week.
Per
cent of 1914
in
crease.
1914
1918
i $8. 878
‘ 7.238
$10.019
14.186
.143
.143
.143
.143
.143
.143
.102
.116
.106
.178
.187
.187
.187
.162
.187
.112
.193
.112
24.3
31.0
31.0
31.0
13.5
31.0
9.4
66.7
5.4
» 9.650
838. GOO
123.160
»38.600
s 23.160
i 24.125
‘ 1.389
‘ 3. 773
‘ 5.269
111.580
357.900
*42. 460
357.900
342. 460
i 38.600
<2. 731
<7.913
‘ 10.122
.108
.125
.125
.110
.097
.141
.100
.077
.147
.093
.145
.139
. 106
Per
of
1918 cent
reduc
tion.
80.2 n o
96.0 8 9
8
8
20
12.5
2 10
810
2 10
2 10
2 10
29
56
63
63
91
9i
91
9}
91
9
521
63
63
7.5
7.5
7.5
7.5
7.3
20.0
50.0
83.3
50.0
83.3
60.0
96.5
109.7
92.1
56
60
60
60
60
52
56
56
56
56
.154
.193
.193
.183
.174
.251
.202
.151
.212
.183
.212
.232
.164
42.8
53.8
53.8
66.7
80.0
78.0
100.0
95.0
44. 7
97.9
46.6
66.6
54.5
2 9J
59
59
59
58
53
56
56
52
52
54
54
56
9J
57
57
57
57
53
53
53
52
52
52
52
52
.139
.135
.116
.139
.086
.127
. 139
.127
.151
.135
.261
.266
.290
.270
.193
.270
.270
.270
.270
.251
87.5
97.1
150.0
94.4
122.2
112.1
94. 4
112.1
80.5
85.7
52
53
53
52
52
53
52
53
54
53
52
52
53
52
52
52
52
52
50
52
.135
. 102
.122
.116
.125
.097
. 135
.125
.116
.251
.270
.251
.290
.270
.144
.251
.183
.183
85.7
164.1
106.3
150.0
115.3
50.0
85. 7
46.1
58.3
58
56
57
57
56
56
53
55
56
56
52
52
54
56
53
55
1 5. 404
1 5.018
i 5. 018
18.685
1 7.720
‘ 7.720
60. 7
53. 8
53.8
53
53
53
53
53
53
i 5. 404
317.756
i 8.685
332.810
60.7
84.7
70
53
60
52
329.336
i 7.334
.097
8 62.725
114.475
.193
113.8
97.3
100.0
60
60
53
60
60
53
8 Per day.
8 Per month.
[1735]
* Per piece.
6.66
7.7
7.1
7.1
7.1
7.1
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.5
5.6
5.6
3.8
3.8
7.6
1.9
1.9
1.9
8
1.9
3.4
10
10
3.7
14.3
1.9
186
MONTHLY LABOE KEVIEW.
The average increase in wages is estimated at 74 per cent and the
average reduction in hours, based on 33 occupations, is given as
5.7 per cent. The figures presented are applicable to conditions
in Basel, which “ strike a fairly accurate average for wages and
hours throughout Switzerland.” Wages are highest in Zurich;
Basel, Geneva, Bern, and St. Gall, in the order named, pay lower
average wages. It appears that employees in only one industry—
the hotel industry—suffered an actual and permanent reduction
in wages throughout the war, so far as information could be obtained.
Kitchen help in general in 1918 received approximately 50 per cent
of its 1914 wages, while other employees, such as waiters, porters,
clerks, etc., received in 1918 from 70 to 80 per cent of their 1914
wages. Almost total cessation of the annual influx of foreign
travelers is given as the principal reason for this situation. So far
as concerns office employees in metal, machine, textile, clothing,
paper, woodworking, chemical and dye factories, construction
firms, and general stores, mention is made of an agreement effective
in December, 1918, providing for an increase in wages over those in
effect in 1914, as follows:
Those receiving—
Per cent.
Less than $579, an increase o f ............................................................................. 70
Between $579.19 and $675.50, an increase of......................................................65
Between $675.69 and $772, an increase of............................................................ 60
Between $772.19 and $868.50, an increase of........................................................ 55
Between $868.69 and $965, an increase of............................................................. 50
Between $965.19 and $1,061.50, an increase of...................................................45
Between $1,061.69 and $1,158, an increase of.......................................................40
Between $1,158.19 and $1,351, an increase of.......................................................35
Over $1,351, an increase of....................................................................................33
Total average..................................................................................................... 50.3
Data as to wages in the large Swiss factories are limited, but the
report states that in Basel chemical and dye industries, for example,
wages of unskilled workmen varied from 24 to 30 francs ($4.63 to
$5.79) per week in 1914 and from 51.5 to 60.7 francs ($9.94 to
$11.72) in 1918; wages of chemists and of the office force were
increased 100 per cent in 1918 over the 1914 wages; and wages in
silk-ribbon factories were increased from 50 to 70 per cent in 1918
over 1914. In watch factories the increase in wages over 1914 was
75 per cent.
In addition to regular wages most workers received an extra weekly,
monthly, or yearly bonus, which varied greatly in various occupa
tions. To quote from the report:
For example, paper workers receive 2 to 8 francs [38.6 cents to $1.54] bonus per week;
brewers and coopers, 20 francs [$3.86] per month; store clerks and employees, 60-300
francs [$11.58 to $57.90] increase per year; chauffeurs, 10 per cent of what they take
in monthly, but it must exceed 160 francs [$30.88] per month income per machine;
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1736]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
187
and in many cases stenographers and telephone girls have their wages doubled every
other month, which constitutes a 50 per cent increase. Special allowances are granted
construction laborers, such as carpenters, painters, masons, teamsters, etc., for labor
outside of the city limits to cover carfare, midday meals, and if necessary, lodging.
In one chemical factory, which is representative of the other chemical and dye
factories, married men receive 10 per cent more per week than single men engaged in
the same occupation; and still above this married men are granted 2.80 francs [54
cents] per week extra for each child under 15 years of age. The bonuses of this firm
amounted to 12,373.85 francs [$2,388.15] for its laborers in 1915, to 332,915.90 francs
[$64,252.77] in 1918; over and above this were granted in special gratuities 13,579
francs [$2,620.75] in 1915 and 214,586 francs [$41,415.10] in 1918; to the laborers’
support fund a grant of 200,000 francs [$38,600] in 1916, 130,927.55 francs [$25,269.02]
in 1917, and 500,000 francs [$96,500] in 1918; for the foremen’s pension fund, 300,000
francs [$57,900] were granted in 1916, and 369,072.45 francs [$71,230.98] in 1917, and
250,000 francs [$48,250] in 1918. Besides a movement for a pension fund for the oldaged, long-employed laborers is on foot and is already in force in a few concerns.
HOURS.
The report states that the 8-hour day has been introduced
voluntarily in many offices and in some firms and factories, while
in other concerns it has been brought about by strikes and com
promises. There seems to be a sentiment among many manufac
turers against the 8-hour day, although the chemical factories in
Basel introduced the 8-hour day about 10 years ago and the directors
report “ entire satisfaction, for they have found that they can turn
out as much work in 8 hours as they did formerly in 10 hours.”
In all branches of trade and employment, it is stated, overtime
is usually paid for at the following rates: Day overtime, 25 to 50
per cent; night overtime and Sunday work, 75 to 100 per cent.
FEMALE LABOR.
According to this report the rates of pay before the war for female
labor were practically one-half of those for male labor; during the war
this proportion remained fairly constant. Female labor in stores
and factories was very poorly paid before the war, a maximum wage
of 60 to 100 francs ($11.58 to $19.30)1prevailing. However, at that
time the cost of living was generally low and there appears to have
been little dissatisfaction with the wages received, a condition which
materially changed when the war sent up the prices of food and
clothing.
Female labor in Switzerland has not yet been accredited an equal footing with the
male labor even where men and women are doing the same amount, kind, and quality
of work in the same concern.
SW ISS LABOR AND THE COST OF LIVING.
.The report estimates that the minimum possible increase in the
prices of food and fuel, which were government rationed, was 250
per cent in 1918 as compared with 1914, and that this increase is
1Presumably this is a m onthly wage, although the report does not so state.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[17371
188
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
based on the purchase of many articles of the cheapest quality.
The necessary clothing commodities such as leather, cotton, and
woolen goods, ‘ ‘which are not controlled by the Government and
the prices of which have risen tremendously/’ are not included in
figuring this percentage. For families buying first-class food and
clothing the cost of living in 1918 had risen 400 to 500 per cent over
1914.
The following table taken from an official publication of the foodcontrol office shows the Government-fixed price of rationed food and
fuel in 1914 and in 1918, and the per cent of increase at the later date,
this percentage being based on the prices in francs as given in the
original report:
TRICES OF SPECIFIED GOVERNMENT RATIONED FOOD AND FUEL COMMODITIES
IN 1914 AND 1918, AND P E R CENT OF INCREASE AT THE LATER DATE.
Unit.
Article.
Country lard................. .
Fresh eggs..................... .
Hard lard...................... .
Coke (for gas).................
Briquettes......................
Smoked bacon.............. .
Fresh kidneys................
Fresh pork.................... .
Potatoes........................
Sugar.............................
Corn flour......................
Macaroni, spaghetti, etc.
Beef................................
B utter............................
Bread (wheat).............. .
Emmenthal cheese.......
Wheat flour (whole)___
Unskimmed m ilk.........
P ound.
E ach...
100 lbs..
__ d o ..
__ d o ..
P o und.
...d o ...
__ d o ...
100 lbs..
Pound .
__ d o ...
...d o ...
...d o ...
...d o ...
__ d o ...
__ d o ...
...d o ...
Q u art..
Price in
1914.
$0.175
.019
.438
.420
.350
.228
.122
.210
.875
.048
.026
.048
.175
.315
.031
.193
.039
.042
Price in
1918.
$1,051
.116
2.486
2.101
1.751
1.051
.525
.788
2.626
.130
.070
.124
.403
.683
.064
.368
.073
.065
Per cent
of increase
1918 over
1914.
600.0
500.0
468.0
400.0
400.0
361.5
328.0
275.0
200.0
169.1
166.7
158.2
130.0
116.7
108.0
SO. 9
86.7
56.0
A fuller appreciation of the high prices of articles named in the
table is obtained by reading the following paragraph from the report:
The above are the lowest possible prices at which the poor people can buy these
articles after they have cashed their “ high-price aid stamps,” which are issued and
redeemed by the Government. Moreover, for example, beef at 2.30 francs per J kg.
[40.3 cents per pound] is the very poorest grade of beef; further a £ kg. of beef means
that it is a f-lb. piece of beef with its natural bone, and J lb. of extra bone added.
Smoked bacon at 6 francs per J kg. [$1.05 per pound] is also the poorest grade. Firstclass bacon sells at 10 to 12 francs per \ kg. [$1.75 to $2.10 per pound]. First-class
boiled ham is 7.50 francs per £ kg. [$1.31 per pound] in the bulk. Hogs on foot are
3 francs [57.9 cents] per pound; hogs dressed 3.75 francs [72.4 cents] per pound. Coke
for the average family costs 34 francs per 100 kg. [$2.98 per 100 pounds] instead of
24 francs [$2.10 per 100 pounds] as noted above; briquets 30 francs per 100 kg.
[$2.63 per 100 pounds] instead of 20 francs [$1.75 per 100 pounds].
The report comments on the ‘ ‘dictatorial policy of the large Swiss
manufacturers” and suggests that Swiss labor, especially semi
skilled and unskilled, must become more generally and closely organ
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189
ized "in order that it can force the rich employer to hear its voice
and heed its demands.”
By some sort of means from the side of the Swiss Government in Federal act, or by
a movement of labor itself, the profit-sharing system must be brought about in order
to insure justice to labor and capital alike, to decrease the unnecessarily large dividends
of Swiss manufacturers and to correspondingly increase the wages of the ordinary man
whose labor shared in the production and should also share justly in the profits. By
the profit-sharing system, the reduction of dividends and the increase of wages in'all
possible cases, the Swiss cost of production would not be affected to any considerable
degree so far as higher after-the-war wages are concerned. But if the Swiss manufac
turer continues to insist on his old million-building dividends and the laborer gets his
higher wages, the cost of Swiss production is bound to rise; the time is coming when
the large Swiss concerns must be content with smaller, ÿet quite sufficient,
dividends. * * *
Once Swiss labor has done these things for itself then the United States and other
countries interested in the welfare of Switzerland can aid in securing for Swiss labor
those indispensable necessities of Swiss employment entirely outside of the Swiss
domestic and labor control and for which Swiss labor must look to foreign countries.
These indispensable necessities are raw materials for reworking into finished products,
fuel for the firing of industry, access to the sea and means of ocean transportation.
1 1 8 2 6 5 °— 19------ 13
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MINIMUM WAGE.
WAGES OF WOMEN AND MINORS IN THE MERCANTILE INDUSTRY IN
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
BY CLARA E. MORTENSON, SECRETARY, MINIMUM WAGE BOARD OF THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA.
A survey of the wages paid to woman employees in the mercantile
industry in the District of Columbia was made during the months of
February and March, 1919. Transcripts of current weekly pay rolls
were obtained from 109 establishments employing 4,609 women.
The 109 establishments were representative in character, being
located in different sections of the District and engaged in various
branches of the selling business. The list covered 7 department
stores, 26 ladies’ specialty shops, 4 fruit and grocery stores, 9 dry
goods stores, 10 millinery stores, eleven 5, 10, and 15 cent stores, and
42 establishments classified as miscellaneous, which included 3 boot
and shoe stores, 5 drug stores, 3 music stores, 1 cigar store, 3 jewelry
stores, 2 florist shops, 1 men’s furnishing establishment, 3 book and
stationery stores, 2 fur stores, 2 hardware and building supply stores,
2 leather goods shops, 1 picture and picture frame store, 9 china,
glassware, and house-furnishing’s and furniture establishments, 3
embroidery stores, 1 oriental bazaar, and 1 souvenir store.
A N A LY SIS OF THE WAGE SITUATION.
Of the 4,609 women for whom data were obtained, nearly onetenth received a weekly rate of $8 and under, one-fourth a rate of
$10 and under, one-half a rate of $12 and under, and only one-fourth
a rate of $16 or over. The most frequent rates were those of $10,
$12, and $15 per week, almost half of the total number of women
being included in these three groups.
It will be noticed that the classification in the tables of this article
shows the rates as even dollars. The investigation revealed that
almost without exception the weekly rates paid in mercantile estab
lishments of the District are in round numbers. Only 53 women,
or a little over 1 per cent of the 4,609 women, received rates involv
ing fractions of a dollar.1
R elation of W age R a tes to A ctual Earnings.
At the outset the fact should be emphasized that these rates of
pay did not measure actual earnings. Earnings averaged well below
full-time rates. Some indication of this disparity may be found in
the data, shown in Table 1, secured from four department stores
i O f these 24 were em p lo y ed in one la d ies’ sp ecialty sto re at m o n th ly rates.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
192
employing 1,483 women. Figures of actual earnings (exclusive of
bonuses) were secured for the week for which pay rolls were obtained,,
While figures of earnings for one week are manifestly of less value
than those extending over a longer period, they may be taken as
indicative of a general trend. In the weeks for which pay rolls were
secured health conditions in the District were normal, and since the
figures for the four stores were totaled any individual abnormalities
would not greatly affect the general results.
T able 1.—CUMULATIVE NUMBER AND P E R CENT OF WOMAN EM PLOYEES IN FOUR
DEPARTM ENT STORES HAVING EACH RATE AND ACTUALLY EARNING EACH
AMOUNT OR UNDER P E R W E EK DURING ONE W E EK OF FEB RU A R Y OR MARCH,
1919.
employees ac
Woman employees hav Woman
tually earning each
ing each weekly rate.
weekly amount.
Weekly rate of wages.
Number.
Per cent.
191
283
527
569
925
959
1,040
1,212
271
12.9
19.1
35.5
38.4
62.4
64.7
70.1
81.7
18.3
$8 and under.......................................................................
$9 and under.......................................................................
$10 and under.....................................................................
$11 and under.....................................................................
$12 and under.....................................................................
$13 and under.....................................................................
$14 and under.....................................................................
$15 and under.....................................................................
$16 and over.’......................................................................
Number.
342
428
640
697
996
1,037
1,108
1,243
240
Per cent.
23.1
28.9
43.2
47.0
67.2
69.9
74.7
83.8
16.2
It may be seen from this table that the disparity between rates
and earnings was greatest in the lower wage groups. That is to say,
the difference between the numbers of workers whose weekly rates
and whose actual earnings were $8 and under was greater than the
difference between those with weekly rates and those actually earn
ing $12 and under or $15 and under. About 13 per cent had rates
of $8 and under, while a little over 23 per cent actually earned that
amount; 62.4 per cent had rates of, while 67.2 per cent earned, $12
and under; 81.7 per cent had rates of, while 83.8 per cent actually
earned, $15 and under. The number of women who earned $8 and
under in excess of those so rated was 151. While the low earnings
of some of these women was due to the fact that they were regularly
employed as part-time workers, the greater number earned less than
their wage rate because of absenteeism. Insufficient records as to
reasons for absence made it impossible to come to any conclusions
concerning the causes of this irregular attendance. However, in so
far as it was due to illness and incapacity caused by malnutrition
and inadequate shelter and clothing, an adequate living wage would
tend toward greater regularity and efficiency.
W ages of Minors.
An attempt was made to secure wage data for minors—boys and
girls under 18—but it was found that the only group of workers for
whom age records were kept were those under 16 years, for whom
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193
working permits must be secured. Employers in general did not
know whether the younger girls in their employ were 16, 18, or 20
years of age.
One large department store made a special effort to obtain the
names and ages of all minors on the pay roll. In this establishment
over 8 per cent of the-total number of females were minors. There
were one-third as many minor boys as girls. These boys were
employed as messengers, salesmen, wrappers, drivers, wagon boys,
office clerks, and as general helpers. The wages paid them ranged
from $6 to $18, the most frequent ratings being $9 and $12 per week.
The girls were sales girls, messengers, typists, cashiers, stock clerks,
maids, bundle wrappers, and miscellaneous workers. Of the minor
girls, approximately one-fifth received $6 a week, over one-fourth $9
or $10 a week, and another one-four.th $15 and over.
An analysis of these rates did not show any close correlation between
age and rate of pay. The work performed rather than the age of the
worker appeared to determine the wage paid. The fact that em
ployers did not know the ages of their employees would in itself prove
that age was not a determining factor in wage rates. The records of
minors are included in the general tables.
W age R ates by Type of Establishm ent.
Wage rates according to type of establishment are shown in the
following table:
T able 2.—NUMBER AND PER CENT OF WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN 109 MERCANTILE
ESTABLISHMENTS RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEKLY RATE, BY KIND OF
ESTABLISHMENT.
NUM BER.
Woman employees whose rates of wages per week were—
Kind of establishment.
$8 and
under.
$9
$10
$11
$12
11
471
73
5
7
36
1
27
71
20
1
4
11
1
4
772
58
5
4
84
2
43
226
678
620
1,298
112
1,410
968
2,378
Department stores...................
5,10, and 15 cent stores...........
390
20
5
151
35
Ladies’ specialty stores...........
"Fruit finii grocery stores_____
Miscellaneous stores.................
22
29
15
Total...............................
Cumulative to ta l2..........
452
452
$13
$14
$15
$16
and
over.
Total.
6
215
8
2
1
30
2
22
374
21
15
5
145
17
63
652
15
34
3
253
50
179
3,190
254
67
24
1631
73
370
125
2,503
i 280
2,783
640
3,423
1,186
1,186
4,609
4,609
3.0
1.6
1.6
6.7
3.1
3.0
4.2
4.8
2.7
5.9
11.7
8.3
22.4
20.8
23.0
23.3
17.0
20.4
5.9
50.7
12.5
40.1
08.5
48.4
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
2.7
6.1
13.9
25.7
100
94
4
21
PE R CENT.
3.0
14.8
28.7
7.5
29.2
5.7
1.4
7.3
2.2
7.9
1.5
16.7
1.7
1.4
1.1
24.2
22.8
7.5
16.7
13.3
2.7
11.6
4.9
13.5
2.4
21.0
Department stores...................
5, 10, and 15 cent stores...........
Millinery stores
............
P ry gonris stores......................
Ladies’ specialty stores............
"Fruit aud grocery stores___
Miscellaneous stores.................
12.2
7.9
T5
4.7
13.8
3.5
4.6
4.1
Total...............................
9.8
3.4
1 Including 24 women in one establishment, paid at monthly rates.
* Receiving each specified weekly rate and under, up to $15
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In Table 3 the data contained in Table 2 are arranged to show,
by cumulative percentages, the woman employees receiving each
classified rate or less.
T ap.t.e 3 __ CUMULATIVE P E R CENT
OF WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN 109 MERCANTILE
ESTABLISHMENTS RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEKLY RATE OR UNDER, BY
KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT.
Cumulative per cent of woman employees whose rates of wages
per week were—
Kind of establishment.
$15
$12
$14
$10
$13
$16
$9
$8
$11
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
under. under. under. under. under. under. under. under. over.
Department stores................................
5,10, and 15 cent stores........................
Millinery stores.....................................
Dry goods stores....................................
Ladles’ specialty stores....... .............
F ruit and grocery stores......................
Miscellaneous stores.............................
12.2
7.9
7.5
17.0
21.7
7.5
7.0
31.7
50.4
14.9
29.2
13.8
1.4
14.3
33.9
58.3
16.4
45.8
15.5
2.7
15.4
58.2
81.1
23.9
62.5
28.8
5.5
27.0
61.1
82.7
23.9
62.5
32.2
5.5
28.6
67.8
85.8
26.9
66.7
36.9
8.2
34.6
79.6
94.1
49.3
87.5
59.9
31.5
51.6
20.4
5.9
50.7
12.5
40.1
68.5
48.4
3.5
8.1
4.1
Total............................................
9.8
14.7
28.2
30.6
51.6
54.3
60.4
74.3
25.7
A comparison of the wage rates shown in Tables 2 and 3 brings
out some interesting facts. In 5, 10, and 15 cent stores 81.1 per
cent of the women employed had a weekly rate of $12 and under
and only 5.9 per cent a rate of $16 or over. In department stores
58.2 per cent had rates of $12 and under and 20.4 per cent rates of
$16 or over. In contrast 40.1 per cent of the women employed
by the ladies’ specialty stores were receiving $16 or over per week
and 63.1 per cent were receiving $15 or over. In the millinery
establishments one-half of the woman employees received $16 and
over per week and almost 75 per cent $15 and over. The seasonal
character of the millinery trade must, however, be considered in
connection with these wage figures. No woman employed in fruit
and grocery stores received less than $10 per week and 68.5 per
cent received $16 and over. In miscellaneous establishments
almost 50 per cent of the women had rates of $16 or over. These
rates in fruit and grocery and miscellaneous stores were due in
large measure to the preponderance of office employees, a more
highly paid group of workers.
W age R ates by Occupation.
The term ‘'mercantile industry” covers a number of distinct
occupations. These occupations may be roughly grouped accord
ing to the degree of skill and initiative required. Such a grouping
discloses a marked variation in wage rates from group to group, as
the following table shows:
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T able 4 . — NUMBER AND P E R CENT OF WOMAN EM PLOYEES IN 109 MERCANTILE
ESTABLISHM ENTS RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEKLY RATE, BY OCCUPA
TION.
NUM BER.
Woman employees whose rates of wages per week were—
Occupation.
$8
and
under.
$10
$9
$12
$11
$13
$14
$15
$16
and Total.
over.
58
12
106
6
401
58
61
10
663
131
61
32
157
64
337
127
627
370
2,471
'810
5
23
3
72
13
31
106
93
316
8
1
4
3
9
1
1
23
35
85
150
34
90
20
55
7
21
44
60
481
Saleswomen............. ................
Office employees......................
Alteration workroom employees.........................................
Millinery workroom employ
ees ..........................................
Miscellaneous e m p l o y e e s ,
w hite......................................
Miscellaneous employees, col
ored......................... ...............
224
74
44
15
38
11
6
3
1
416
Total................................
452
226
620
112
968
125
280
640
1,186
4,609
2.5
1.2
26.8
16.2
2.5
4.0
6.4
7.9
13.6
15.7
25.4
45.7
100.0
100.0
P E R GENT.
Saleswomen..............................
Office employees....... ...............
Alteration workroom employ
ees ..........................................
Millinery workroom employ
ees..........................................
Miscellaneous e m p l o y e e s ,
white......................................
Miscellaneous employees, col
ored........................................
Total................................
2.3
1.5
4.3
.7
16.2
7.2
1.4
6.6
.9
20.8
3.8
8.9
30.6
26.9
100.0
9.4
1.2
4.7
3.5
10.6
1.2
1.2
27.1
41.2
100. 0
31.2
7.1
18.7
4.2
11.4
1.5
4.4
9.1
12.5
100. 0
53.8
17.8
10.6
3.6
9.1
2.6
1.4
.7
.2
100.0
9.8
4.9
13.5
2.4
21.0
2.7
6.1
13.9
25.7
100.0
From the data contained in Table 4, and in Table 5, which fol
lows, it is evident that approximately 50 per cent of all sales
women, as contrasted with 26.8 per cent of the office employees,
received $12 or under per week. In the group $16 and over the
percentages were 25.4 per cent for saleswomen and 45.7 per cent
for office employees. The weekly rates for millinery workroom
employees fell a little below those for office employees, 29.4 per
cent receiving $12 and under and 41.2 per cent $16 and over. The
comparatively large proportion of employees in millinery workrooms
receiving $8 or under per week may be explained by the low rates
paid to apprentices or learners. None of the alteration workroom
employees had rates of less than $9 per week; one-fourth received
$16 or over; and a majority of the remainder received either $12
or $15 per week. Rates received by miscellaneous employees fell
considerably below the rates received in the specified occupations,
57 per cent of the whites and 82.2 per cent of the colored receiving
$10 or under per week.
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196
T able 5 —CUMULATIVE P E R CENT OF WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN 109 MERCANTILE ESTAB
LISHMENTS RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEKLY RATE OR UNDER, BY OCCUPA
TION.
Cumulative per cent of woman employees whose rates of wages
per week were—
occupation.
$8 and $9 and $10 and $11 and $12and $13and $14and $15 and $16and
under. under. under. under. under. under. under. under. over.
Saleswomen..........................................
Office employees...................................
Alteration workroom employees.........
Millinery workroom employees...........
Miscellaneous employees, white..........
Miscellaneous employees, colored.......
Total............................................
9.4
31.2
53.8
6.6
2.2
1.4
10.6
38.3
71.6
22.9
9.4
8.1
15.3
57.0
82.2
25.3
10.6
9.0
18.8
61.1
85.8
52.2
26.8
29.8
29.4
72.6
95.0
54.6
30.7
33.5
30.6
74.0
97.6
61.0
38.6
42.5
31.8
78.4
99.0
74.6
54.3
73.1
58.8
87.5
99.8
25.4
45.7
26.9
41.2
12.5
.2
9.8
14.7
28.2
30.6
51.6
54.3
60.4
74.3
25.7
2.3
1.5
Information similar to tliat shown in Tables 4 and 5 for all employ
ees is shown in Tables 6 and 7 for the colored woman employees only,
the classification, however, being by kind of establishment and not
by occupation.
T able 6 —NUMBER AND PER CENT OF COLORED WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN 109 MERCAN
TILE ESTABLISHMENTS RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEKLY RATE, BY KIND OF
ESTABLISHMENT.
NUMBER.
Colored woman employees whose rates of wages per week were—
Kind of establishment.
Under
$8
$8
$9
$10
$11
$12
$13
and
$14 $15
over. Total.
Department stores...................
All others..................................
102
9
99
14
42
32
27
17
14
1
24
14
11
4
2
4
327
89
Total...............................
111
113
74
44
15
38
11
6
4
416
P E R CENT.
Department stores...................
All others..................................
31.2
10.1
30.3
15.7
12.8
36.0
8.3
19.1
4.3
1.1
7.3
15.7
3.4
1.2
2.2
1.2
100.0
100.0
Total................................
26.7
27.2
17.8
10.6
3.6
9.1
2.6
1.4
1.0
100.0
T able 7 —CUMULATIVE P E R CENT OF COLORED WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN 109 MERCAN
TILE ESTABLISHMENTS RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEKLY RATE OR UNDER,
BY KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT.
Cumulative per cent of colored woman employees whose rates of
wages per week were—
Kind of establishment.
Under $8 and $9 and $10 and $11and $12 and $13and $14 and $15 and
$8 under. under. under. under. under. under. under. over.
Department stores................................
All others...........................................
31.2
10.1
61.5
25.8
74.3
61.8
82.6
80.9
86.9
82.0
94.2
97.8
97.6
97.8
98.8
100.0
1.2
Total............................................
26.7
53.8
71.6
82.2
85.8
95.0
97.6
99.0
1.0
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
As shown in Tables 6 and 7, over half the colored employees had a
weekly rate of $8 and under and only 5 per cent received over $12.
The variation in rates paid to women employed in the mercantile
industry was not entirely due to differences in occupation. An
analysis of the rates within a given occupation revealed a striking
lack of uniformity.
Table 8 shows the weekly rates of woman employees in the 109
mercantile establishments studied, by occupation and kind of
establishment.
T able 8.—NUMBER AND PER CENT OF WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN 109 MERCANTILE
ESTABLISHMENTS RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEKLY RATE, BY OCCUPATION
AND KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT.
NUMBER.
Woman employees whose rates of wages per week were—
Occupation and kind of
establishment.
$8 and
under.
$9
$11
$10
$12
$14
$13
$16 and Total.
over.
$15
*
SALESW OM EN.
Department stores...................
5,10, and 15 cent stores...........
Millinery stores........................
Dry goofis stores.......................
Ladies’ specialty stores............
Fruit a n d grocery stores ..
Miscellaneous stores.................
33
20
T otal...............................
Cumulative to tal1..........
58
58
10
301
72
2
7
12
1
6
32
20
106
164
401
565
4
70
35
1
5
38
9
14
3
61
626
663
1,289
61
1,350
157
1,507
337
1,844
627
627
2,471
2,471
50
1
7
113
1
28
56
1
89
556
4
3
9
1
7
3
2
1
5
6
13
18
199
11
4
1
34
42
79
4
5
45
195
19
6
128
7
2
1
10
2
7
549
57
1
4
4
32
365
2
16
2
161
8
73
1,718
236
27
23
312
15
140
5
76
4
OFFICE EM PLO Y EES.
Department stores...................
6 , 10, and 15 cent stores...........
ATi 11i nery stores........................
Dry goods stores.......................
Ladies’ specialty stores...........
Fruit and grocery stores..........
Miscellaneous stores.................
Total...............................
Cumulative to tal1..........
1
::::::
2
3
2
15
4
1
63
66
115
12
12
6
18
58
76
10
86
131
217
32
249
64
313
127
440
370
.370
810
810
347
77
120
32
110
21
31
4
9
18
88
2
14
26
90
1
9
63
916
3
20
OTH ER EM PLO Y EES.
Department stores...................
5 10 and 15 cent stores...........
Mil lyner y:st ores
Ladies’ specialty stores............
Miscellaneous stores.................
8
11
18
1
3
1
4
Total...............................
Cumulative to tal1..........
382
382
114
496
161
657
41
698
5
22
3
2
10
13
27
36
256
2
115
m
32
904
59
963
176
1,139
189
189
1,328
1,328
2 .6
17.4
32.0
24.2
3.7
17.4
1.6
12.2
7.5
3.0
7.4
4.3
3.2
13.3
5.0
11.4
8.1
22.2
21.7
24.4
26.7
22.9
21.2
.8
59.3
8.7
51.6
53.3
52.1
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
13.6
25.4
100.0
37
1
22
872
58
P E R CENT.
SALESWOMEN.
Department stores...................
5, 10. and 15 cent stores............
Millinery stores........................
Dry goods stores.......................
Ladies’ specialty stores............
Fruit and grocery stores..........
Miscellaneous stores.................
1.9
8.5
.3
17.5
3Ò.5
7.4
30.4
3.8
1.9
8.5
6.7
4.3
3.6
2.3
T o ta l.
4.1
14.8
4.3
16.2
2.5
1.7
2.9
10.0
2.1
26.8
2.5
iR e c e iv in g each specified weekly rate and under, u p to 815.
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198
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW ,
T able 8.—NUMBER AND P E R CENT OF WOMAN EM PLOYEES IN 109 MERCANTILE
ESTABLISHMENTS RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEKLY RATE, BY OCCUPATION
AND KIND OF ESTABLISHM ENT—Concluded.
P E R CENT—Concluded.
W oman employees whose rates of wages per week were—
Occupation and kind of
establishment.
$8and
under.
89
810
811
812
813
814
$15
1 0 .1
16.0
6.7
$16 and Total.
over.
OFFICE E M PLO Y EES.
Department stores.....................
10 ivnd Ifi oerit, stores.............
Milli ricry stores .........................
Dry goods stores ......................
Ladies’ specialty stores.............
Fruit fynd groeery stores...........
Miscellaneous stores...................
T otal..................................
1.8
.7
9.0
6.7
20.3
6.7
5.0
35.8
73.3
14.3
4.8
3.2
1 .8
6 .1
.9
4.3
9.5
23.2
15.7
54.0
75.0
68.7
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
1 .2
16.2
4.0
7.9
15.7
45.7
100
2.3
3 .4
9.6
66.7
38.9
22.7
1 .3
6.7
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
3.2
1.7
4.8
6.3
2 .6
1.5
.7
7.2
37.9
8.4
13.1
3.5
1 2 .0
2.8
1 1 .1
8 .6
1 0 .2
8.3
7.8
7.0
9.6
2 8 .8
8 .6
O TH ER EM PLO Y EES.
Department stores.....................
5 , 10, and 15 cent stores............
Millinery stores. . .
Ladies’ specialty stores.............
Fruit and grocery stores...........
Miscellaneous stores...................
T otal.... .............................
13.9
15.7
1 .2
50.0
3.5
3.1
1 2 .1
14.5
50.0
19.1
3.5
7.0
9.8
33.3
25.0
24.6
1.7
8.7
11.3
23.5
100
100
100
100
100
100
13.1
2.4
4 .4
13.3
14.2
100
In Table 9 are shown cumulative percentages of the woman employ
ees who received each classified weekly rate or under, by occupation
and kind of establishment.
T able 9 —CUMULATIVE P E R CENT OF WOMAN EM PLOYEES IN 109 MERCANTILE
ESTABLISHMENTS RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEK LY RATE OR UNDER, BY
OCCUPATION AND KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT.
Cumulative per cent of woman employees whose rates of wages per
week were—
Occupation and kind of establishment.
$12
$11
88
$13
814
$15
$10
$9
$16
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and and
under. under. under. under. under. under. under. under. over.
SALESWOMEN.
Department stores................................
5,10, and 15 cent stores........................
Millinery stoles.....................................
Dry goods stores...................................
Ladies’ specialty stores........................
Fruit and grocery stores......................
Miscellaneous stores..............................
1.9
8.5
6.0
23.3
3.6
Total............................................
OFFICE EMPLOYEES.
Department stores................................
5, 10, and 15 cent stores........................
Millinery stores.....................................
Dry goods stores...................................
Ladies’ specialty stores........................
Fruit and grocery stores......................
Miscellaneous stores..............................
Total............................................
OTHER EMPLOYEES.
Department stores................................
5,10, and 15 cent stores........................
Millinery stores.....................................
Dry goods stores....................................
Ladies’ specialty stores........................
Fruit and grocery stores......................
Miscellaneous stores..............................
Total............................................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
3.6
23.5
53.8
7.4
30.4
4.2
6.7
7.9
25.4
62.3
7.4
47.8
5.8
6.7
7.9
57.3
86.4
11.1
65.2
17.9
6.7
17.9
60.0
88.1
11.1
65.2
20.8
6.7
20.0
67.4
91.1
18.5
69.6
24.0
20.0
25.0
78.7
99.2
40.7
91.3
48.4
46.7
47.9
21.2
.8
59.3
8.7
51.6
53.3
52.1
2.3
6.6
22.9
25.3
52.2
54.6
61.0
74.6
25.4
1.8
2.5
11.5
6.7
12.8
6.7
33.1
13.3
38.1
13.3
48.2
20.0
64.2
26.7
.3
3.2
9.5
14.3
1.7
1.7
4.3
4.3
28.6
1.8
10.4
33.3
1.8
11.3
36.5
1.8
15.7
46.0
25.0
31.3
35.8
73.3
100.0
100.0
54.0
75.0
68.7
1.5
2.2
9.4
10.6
26.8
30.7
38.6
54.3
45.7
37.9
46.3
59.4
62.9
74.9
77.2
80.6
13.9
13.9
22.2
25.0
36.1
36.1
36.1
90.4
33.3
61.1
9.6
66.7
38.9
8.6
18.8
26.6
7.0
16.5
32.2
27.7
50.0
35.7
42.2
100.0
54.8
45.7
100.0
56.5
52.7
100.0
65.2
77.3
100.0
76.5
23.5
28.8
37.4
49.5
52.6
65.7
68.1
72.5
85.8
14.2
[1 7 4 8 ]
22.7
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
199
SALESWOMEN.
Saleswomen, being the largest occupational group, are considered
first. Omitting the saleswomen in millinery stores, because of the
seasonal character of their occupation and because of the fact that
many of them combine making and trimming with selling, and sales
women in fruit and grocery stores, because of their small number, it
is seen from data contained in Table 9 that the percentage of sales
women having rates of $12 or less ranged from 17.9 per cent in ladies’
specialty shops to 86.4 per cent in 5, 10, and 15 cent stores. The
corresponding percentage in department stores was 57.3 per cent.
In the group receiving $16 and over the same divergence was found.
This rate was received by 51.6 per cent in ladies’ specialty shops, by
21.2 per cent in department stores, and by less than 1 per cent in 5,
10, and 15 cent stores. It is obvious that these variations were due
in part to the differences in the character of salesmanship required
in the different types of stores. However, a detailed study of depart
ment-store wages (see p. 204) showed that even in stores of the same
type marked differences still persisted.
E f f e c t o f b o n u s s y s t e m s o n w a g e s .—-The effect of the bonus system
upon the wage level of saleswomen was difficult to determine. The
payment of bonuses or commissions was not common to all establish
ments. In the establishments which did supplement wages by some
such scheme, the methods of determining a bonus varied greatly;
in some stores a certain percentage was allowed on all sales; in others
a commission was paid on all goods sold in excess of a certain amount,
the basic amount and the percentage payment varying from depart
ment to department. The payment of a bonus was often contingent
upon other factors, such as a good-attendance record. Because of the
total absence of a bonus system in a large number of establishments,
the difference in methods of determination in establishments where
the system was in vogue, and the dependence of a bonus upon other
factors than salesmanship, it was impossible in this study to consider
bonuses as an integral part of the wages of saleswomen.
In the final analysis an inclusion of bonuses in cases where they
were determinable would not affect the general conclusions, for the
large proportion of the employees who received the commissions or
bonuses were in the highest paid group—the ladies’ specialty shops.
In these shops, where the payment of commissions was almost
universal, over half of the saleswomen were rated at $16 or over.
In 5, 10, and 15 cent stores where no commissions on sales were paid,
less than 1 per cent of the women were receiving $16 or over. A
study of department-store rates for saleswomen also showed that the
rates in a bonus-paying establishment compared favorably with those
in a nonbonus-paying establishment, the rates in some cases being
even higher in the prior instance.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1 7 4 9 ]
200
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
OFFICE EMPLOYEES.
The rates paid to office employees showed less variation than those
paid to saleswomen, as Table 9 shows. Omitting 5, 10, and 15 cent
stores, millinery,. and dry-goods stores, because of the very small
number of office workers employed in these establishments (see
Table 8), it was found that the rates for office employees ranged from
1.8 per cent at $12 and under in fruit and grocery stores to 33.1
per cent in department stores. The percentage receiving this
rate in ladies’ specialty shops was 28.6, and in miscellaneous stores,
10.4. The percentages receiving rates of $16 or over showed sim
ilar differences. Three-fourths of the office employees in fruit and
grocery stores had this rate, which was received by 68.7 per cent
in miscellaneous stores, by 54 per cent in ladies’ specialty shops,
and by only 35.8 per cent in department stores. This divergence in
rates paid to office employees may be explained in part by the fact
that the smaller stores employed one or two women in the office at
responsible and necessarily higher-paid work, while the larger stores
employed a large office force, many of them engaged in the simpler
clerical work.
MISCELLANEOUS WORKERS.
Table 9 shows that of the miscellaneous workers in department
stores 37.9 per cent received less than $9 per week, in millinery stores
13.9 per cent, in ladies’ specialty shops 8.6 per cent, and in miscella
neous establishments 7 per cent. The percentages receiving rates of
$12 and under were 74.9 for department stores, 36.1 for millinery
stores, 42.2 for ladies’ specialty stores, and 54.8 for miscellaneous
establishments. Here again the greater number of cleaners, scrub
women, maids, bundle wrappers, etc., may account in part for the
larger percentage of low-paid workers in the department stores.
CONCLUSION.
It is evident from an analysis of these wage data that not only was
there a difference in wage rates between different occupations in the
mercantile industry but also a marked variation within a given occu
pation. These variations in rates within a given occupation may be
accounted for in one way or another—difference in the degree of skill
required, difference in the character of the work performed, difference
in the length of service—but when all of these explanations have been
made, the fact remains that in February and March, 1919, over half
of all female store employees in the District were receiving $12 or less
per week (see Table 5), a wage obviously below that necessary to meet
the cost of living for a self-supporting woman.
WAGE KATES IN SEVEN D EPARTM ENT STORES.
The seven department stores included in the study employed
approximately 70 per cent of all the women for whom wage rates were
obtained. Similar conditions in these stores justify comparison of
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1750]
201
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW .
their wage rates. Both because of preponderance in workers and
comparable conditions a more detailed analysis has been made of
their pay rolls.
The division of work within a given establishment differs only in
minor details from the division in other establishments of the same
kind. By disregarding slight differences in classification the follow
ing occupational grouping has been made for all female employees in
the seven department stores:
T able 10__DISTRIBUTION OF WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN SEVEN DEPARTM ENT STORES,
BY OCCUPATION.
Occupation.
Number. Per cent.
Saleswomen................................................
Offioe employees.........................................
Alteration workroom employees...............
Millinery workroom employees.................
Messengers and bundle wrappers.............
Colored stock girls and maids...................
Miscellaneous employees...........................
1,718
556
180
43
258
144
291
53.9
17.4
5.6
1.3
8.1
4.5
9.1
T otal.................................................
3,190
100.0
W ages According to Occupation.
The wage figures given in Tables 11 and 12 show that a marked
variation existed in the rates of pay in the different occupations—a
variation both in range of rates and in proportion of workers at each
rate.
T able 11.—NUMBER AND P E R CENT OF WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN SEVEN DEPARTM ENT
STORES, RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W EEK LY RATE BY OCCUPATIONS.
NUM BER.
Woman employees whose rates of wages per week were—
Occupation.
Saleswomen..............................
Office employees......................
Alteration workroom employees.
Millinery workroom employees
Messengers and bundle wrappers.........................................
Stock girls and maids (colored)
Miscellaneous employees_____
Total...............................
$8 and
under.
$9
310
$11
$12
$14
$13
and
$15 $16
over. Total.
33
10
70
4
1
301
50
13
32
7
11
549
113
46
45
28
5
128
56
14
195
89
52
365
199
38
5
1
3
2
5
1
1
13
12
43
154
87
101
15
34
26
65
16
23
2
2
1P
8
5
46
1
2
5
6
14
14
20
32
258
144
291
390
151
471
71
772
94
215
374
652
3,190
1,718
556
DO
PE R CENT.
Saleswomen.............................
Office employees......................
Alteration workroom employees..........................................
Millinery workroom employees
Messengers and bundle wrrappers.........................................
Stock girls and maids (colored)
Miscellaneous employees.........
Total...............................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1.9
1.8
4.1
.7
17.5
9.0
1.9
1.3
32.0
20.3
2.6
5.0
7.5
10.1
11.4
16.0
21.2
35.8
100.0
100.0
11.6
.6
2.3
7.2
7.0
6.1
4.7
25.6
11.6
2.8
2.3
7.8
2.3
28.9
30.2
21.1
27.9
100.0
100.0
59.7
60.4
34.7
5.8
23.6
8.9
25.2
11.1
7.9
.8
1.4
5.2
3.1
3.5
15.8
.4
.8
1.9
2.3
4.8
4.8
6.9
11.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
12.2
4.7
14.8
2.2
24.2
2.9
6.7
11.7
20.4
100.0
[1751]
202
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
T able 12.—CUMULATIVE P E R CENT OF WOMAN EM PLOY EES IN SEVEN D EPA R T
MENT STORES RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W E EK L Y RA TE OR U N DER, BY
OCCUPATION.
Cumulative per cent of woman employees whose rates of wages
per week were—
Occupation.
$15
$16
$12
$13
$14
$9
$10
$8
$11
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
under. under. under. under. under. under. under. under. over.
Saleswomen..........................................
O ffice employees...................................
Alteration workroom employees.........
Millinery workroom employees...........
Messengers and bundle wrappers.......
Stock girls and maids (colored)..........
Miscellaneous employees......................
Total............................................
11.6
59.7
60.4
34.7
6.0
2.5
.0
13.9
65.5
84.0
43.6
23.5
11.5
7.8
20.9
90.7
95.1
51.5
25.4
12.8
13.9
25.6
91.5
96.5
56.7
12.2
17.0
31.7
34.0
1.9
1.8
57.3 60.0
33.1
38.1
39.4 42.2
37.2 39.5
94.6 95.0
100.0 100.0
72.5 77.3
58.2
61.1
67.4
48.2
50.0
41.9
95.8
100.0
82.1
78.8
64.2
78.9
72.1
97.7
100.0
89.0
21.2
35.8
21.1
27.9
2.3
67.8
79.6
20.4
11.0
As a group office employees received the highest rates of pay.
Saleswomen formed an intermediate class between these office workers
and the lower-paid employees—messengers, bundle wrappers, stock
girls, and other miscellaneous workers. Thus approximately 36 per
cent of the office employees and 21 per cent of the saleswomen re
ceived $16 and over per week, while only 11 per cent of the miscella
neous workers and 2 per cent of the messengers and bundle wrappers
received that much. Only 33.1 per cent of the office employees had
rates of $12 or under, in contrast to 57.3 per cent of the saleswomen
and 94.6 per cent of the messengers and bundle wrappers. Colored
stock girls and maids were in no case receiving more than $12 per
week, and less than 5 per cent of them more than $10. The number
of office employees and saleswomen receiving less than $9 per week
wras small; in each case the figure was less than 2 per cent, in contrast
to 35 per cent for the miscellaneous help and 60 per cent for the mes
sengers, bundle wrappers, colored stock girls, and maids.
The mode or most frequent rating for all employees wras $12 per
week; one-fourth received that wage. Howrever, when employees
wore divided into occupational groups, $12 was found to be the mode
for saleswomen only. While one-third of all saleswomen had a rate
of $12 per week, the most frequent wage rate for alteration and mil
linery workroom employees was $15 per week, and for messengers,
bundle wrappers, colored maids, and stock girls $8 per week.
W ages A ccording to Establishm ents.
In addition to differences in rates as between occupations, there
was also a marked variation in rates from establishment to establish
ment. This is shown in Table 13, which gives for each of the seven
department stores the per cent of employees who were receiving each
classified rate per week.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1752]
203
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
T able 1 3 .- P E R CENT OF WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN SEVEN DEPARTM ENT STORES
RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W E EK L Y RATE, BY ESTABLISHMENTS.
Per cent of "woman employees whose rates of wages per week were—
Establishment.
$8
and
under.
$9
$10
No. 1................
No. 2................
No. 3 ...............
No. 4 ...............
No. 5................
No. 6................
No. 7................
10.2
17.1
9.5
12.0
11.8
16.7
12.3
7.9
1.0
2.1
15.3
1.2
4.9
5.3
21.2
6.7
24.2
16.7
12.1
14.3
5.0
2.5
5.3
4.0
1.4
1.4
19.3
22.3
27.8
20.0
31.6
25.2
21.9
Total................................
12.2
4.7
14.8
2.2
24.2
Establishment
Establishment
Establishment
Establishment
Establishment
Establishment
Establishment
$11
2.7
$12
$14
$15
$16
and
over.
TotaL
2.7
3.6
3.5
8.7
.9
.8
3.5
7.5
11.4
5.8
2.0
7.4
3.1
8.8
11.6
13.5
7.4
13.3
9.6
12.4
15.5
17.0
24.4
17.5
6.7
21.4
21.2
26.2
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
2.9
6.7
11.7
20.4
100
$13
In the following table the data contained in Table 13 are arranged
to show, by cumulative percentages, the proportion of employees in
each establishment receiving each classified rate or under:
T able 14.—CUMULATIVE P E R CENT OF WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN SEVEN DEPARTM ENT
STORES RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W E EK L Y RATE, BY ESTABLISHMENTS.
Cumulative per cent of woman employees whose rates of wages
per week were—
Establishment.
$3
$10
$11
$9
$12
$13
$14
$15
$13
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
under. under. under. under. under. under. under. under. over.
Establishment No. 1.............................
Establishment No. 2.............................
Establishment No. 3.............................
Establishment No. 4...........................
Establishment No. 5.............................
Establishment No. 6.............................
Establishment No. 7______ _______
10.2
17.1
9.5
12.0
11.8
16.7
12.3
18.1
18.1
11.5
27.3
13.0
21.6
17.6
39.3
24.9
35.7
44.0
25.1
35.9
22.7
42.0
24.9
38.2
49. 3
29.1
37.3
24.1
61.3
47.2
65.8
69.3
60. 7
62.5
46.0
64.0
50.8
69.3
78.0
61.6
63.3
49.5
71.5
62.2
75.1
80.0
69.0
66.4
58.3
83.0
75.6
82.5
93.3
78.6
78.8
73.8
17.0
24.4
17.5
6.7
21.4
21.2
26.2
Total............................................
12.2
17.0
31.7
34.0
58.2
61.1
67.8
79.6
20.4
As Tables 13 and 14 show, 27.3 per cent of all the woman em
ployees in establishment No. 4 received $9 or under per week in con
trast to 11.5 per cent and 13 per cent in establishments Nos. 3 and 5,
respectively. Again, in establishment No. 4 almost half (44 per cent)
of the total number employed had rates of $10 or less per week, while
only one-fourth of the women in establishments Nos. 2, 5, and 7 had
a like rate. In establishment No. 4, 69.3 per cent of the women, as
compared with 47.2 per cent and 46 per cent in establishments Nos.
2 and 7, respectively, were receiving $12 or less per week. Less than
7 per cent of the woman employees of establishment No. 4 were
receiving $16 or over per week, while in establishments Nos. 2 and 7
24.4 per cent and 26.2 per cent, respectively, were in that group.
To carry this comparison further, an analysis was made of the
variation in wage rates by occupations in these seven stores. This
analysis is shown in Tables 15 and 16.
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T able 1 5.—P E R CENT OF WOMAN EM PLOYEES IN SEVEN DEPARTM ENT STORES,
RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED WEE'KLY RATE, BY OCCUPATION AND BY ESTABLISHMENT.
Per cent of woman employees whose rates of wages per week were—
Occupation and establishment.
98
and
under.
59
no
$11
$12
$13
$16
and Total.
over.
$14
$15
14.3
15.4
7.7
15.6
9.1
11.8
11.9
18.1
23.1
15.9
4.6
21.9
23.9
33.0
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
SA LESW O M EN .
Establishment No. 1 ................
Establishment No. 2 ................
Establishment No. 3...............
Establishment No. 4...............
Establishment No. 5................
Establishment No. 6 ............................
Establishment No. 7...............
Total...............................
2 .8
5.6
4.2
.6
.5
i. 7
6.4
.5
2.1
1.2
23.7
40.4
40.5
22.9
37.4
26.6
32.5
0.6
3.9
1.9
19.3
1.1
5.5
1.5
24.3
3.9
22.0
17.4
IS. 2
21.8
4.1
2 .2
1.7
.5
1.4
4.4
8.4
13.5
6.0
2.8
10.7
2.8
11.0
1.9
4.1
17.5
1.9
32.0
2.6
7.5
11*4
21.2
100
1.3
25.6
6.5
8.4
3.9
12.8
5.2
9.5
30.0
6.4
1.2
5.2
4.2
13.8
7.7
18.2
16.8
20.0
19.0
12.7
18.6
29.5
36.4
41.1
10.0
39.7
28.2
38.9
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
5.0
10.1
16.0
35.8
100
1 .8
2 .7
9 .2
OFFICE EM PLO Y EES.
Establishment No. 1................
Establishment No. 2...............
Establishment No. 3................
Establishment No. 4
E s t a b l i s h m e n t No. 5................
Establishment No. fi
Establishment No. 7................
Total...............................
2.1
1.1
10.0
8.4
1.2
1.4
5.2
4.2
6.6
1.7
.6
12.8
20.8
6.3
30.0
29.3
40.9
19.2
1.8
.7
9 .0
1.3
20.3
2.1
1 3 .0
12.6
T able 1 6 .—CUMULATIVE P E R CENT OF WOMAN EMPLOYEES IN SEVEN DEPARTM ENT
STORES,RECEIVING EACH CLASSIFIED W E EK L Y RATE OR UNDER, BY OCCUPATION
AND ESTABLISHMENT.
Cumulative per cent of woman employees whose rates of wages
per week were—
Occupation and establishment.
$12
$13
$14
$15
$9
$11
$16
$8
$10
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
under. under. under. over.
under.
under.
under.
under. under.
SALESW O M EN .
Establishment No. 1.............................
____
E s t a b l i s h m e n t No. 2
Establishment No. 3 .........................................
Establishment No. 4 .........................................
Establishment No. 5.............................
Establishment No. 6 .........................................
Establishment No. 7.............................
2.8
8.4
1.7
1.8
.5
4.2
.6
3.6
21.1
1.6
9.7
2.0
32.7
3.9
25.6
88.5
19.8
31.5
6.1
34.9
3.9
27.2
45.0
20.3
33.6
7.3
58.6
44.2
67.7
67.9
57.7
60.2
39.7
59.2
48.1
70.4
77.1
58.3
61.6
44.1
67.6
61.5
76.4
79.8
69.0
64.4
55.1
81.9
76.9
84.1
95.4
78.1
76.1
67.0
18.1
23.1
15.9
4.6
21.9
23.9
33.0
Total............................................
1.9
6.0
23.5
25.4
57.3
60.0
67.4
78.8
21.2
1.3
30.8
6.5
13.7
10.0
6.9
14.1
8.4
43.6
27.3
40.0
36.2
54.9
27.6
56.4
32.5
29.5
70.0
36.2
54.9
28.8
62.8
45.5
42.1
70.0
41.4
59.1
42.5
70.5
63.6
58.9
90.0
60.3
71.8
61.1
29.5
36.4
41.1
10.0
39.7
28.2
38.9
12.8
33.1
38.1
48.2
64.2
35.8
OFFICE E M PLO Y EES.
Establishment No. 1.............................
Establishment No. 2 .....................................
Establishment No. 3 .........................................
Establishment No. 4.............................
Establishment No. 5 ........................
Establishment No. 6 .........................................
Establishment No. 7.............................
Total............................................
2.1
3.2
10.0
8.4
1.2
9.9
1.2
26.9
6.5
11.6
10.0
5.2
14.1
7.8
1.8
2.5
11.5
2 0 .0
As shown in these tables, establishment No. 2 was paying less than
4 per cent of its saleswomen at a rate of $10 or under, while in estab
lishments Nos. 1, 4, and 6, over 30 per cent were being paid at that
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205
rate. One-third of the saleswomen in establishment No. 7 were
receiving SI6 or over in contrast to less than 5 per cent in establish
ment No. 4.
The same striking difference in rates within an occupation is shown
among the office employees. A variation of 30 per cent is shown in
the rates paid by one establishment over those paid by another.
These figures prove conclusively that within a given competitive
area establishments of the same kind may prosper side by side
although the wage level may differ from one to another. This bears
out the oft-proven fact that there is no connection between wage
rates and total labor cost; that where the highest rates prevail the
lowest labor cost may be found, and vice versa. It is generally con
ceded that high wages make for greater efficiency. Furthermore,
organization and management are such important factors in the cost
of carrying on a business that a few dollars more or less in the pay
envelope of the workers may be more than offset by scientific handling
of the labor force.
SUMMARY,
This survey of the wages paid in the mercantile industry may be
summarized as fohows : One-half of all women employed in this
industry were receiving $12 or less per week. This large proportion
of low-paid workers was not made up of unskilled employees alone,
for 54 per cent of them were saleswomen. It is obvious that a wage
of $12 is far below that required by a self-supporting woman to
meet the necessary cost of living and to maintain herself in health
and comfort.
REPORT OF MASSACHUSETTS MINIMUM WAGE COMMISSION, 1918.
The report of the Massachusetts Minimum Wage Commission for
the 11 months ending November 30, 1918, presents a summary of the
results of investigations conducted by the commission in 1918,
including an investigation of the wages of women in cotton textile
factories, in restaurants, in canning and preserving establishments,
and in confectionery establishments. The table following compiled
from the report gives the average weekly rates of payment to women
employed in cotton textile factories and in restaurants, and the
average weekly earnings of women employed in the canning and
preserving industry and in confectionery establishments:
1182G5°— 19—
14
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M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW .
NUMBER AND P E R CENT OF WOMEN RECEIVING EACH SPECIFIED AVERAGE
W EEKLY RATE OF PAY AND AVERAGE W EEKLY EARNINGS IN SPECIFIED IN
DUSTRIES IN MASSACHUSETTS.
Under $6.
Industry.
Under $8.
Num Per
ber. cent.
Under $9.
$9 and over.
Total.
Num Per Num Per Num Per Num Per
ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent. ber. cent.
Cotton tex tile1.............................
Restaurants2...............................
Canning and preserving 3............
Confectionery1.............................
131
106
188
189
1.4
14.7
28.5
17.6
1,002 10.4
240 33.3
460 69.7
483 45.1
2,528
313
589
673
26.4
43.4
89.2
62.8
7,063 73.6
408 56.6
71 10.8
398 37.2
Total...................................
614
5.1
2,1S5 18.1
4,103
34.1
7,940
65.9
9,591
721
660
1,071
100
100
100
100
12,043
100
1 Average weekly rates of pay; based on pay-roll records of 55 establishments from January to June, 1917.
2Average weekly rates of pay; based on pay-roll records for June, 1918. Over half of these receive one
or more free meals each day.
3Average weekly earnings; based on pay-roll records from July, 1917, to June, 1918.
1Average weekly earnings; based on pay-roll records from June to September, 1918.
The report includes a tabular statement of itemized cost-of-living
budgets as voted on by Massachusetts wage boards from January,
1914, to the fall of 1918. This table indicates the amounts that have
been considered necessary, at the dates noted, to provide woman
workers with decent living, the amount increasing from $8.71 in
January, 1914, to $12.50 in the fall of 1918, or an advance of 43.5.
per cent. The table is as follows:
ITEMIZED COST-OF-LIVING BUDGETS AS VOTED ON BY MASSACHUSETTS WAGE
BOARDS.
I te m .
B ru sh
b o a rd
(Jan u
a ry ,
1914).
W om
Laun
M e n ’s
C andy
e n ’s
d ry
c l o th
c lo th
b o ard
b o ard
in g
(su m
in g
(w in
b o ard
m e r,
b o ard
te r ,
( s p r in g ,
1914).
( s p r in g ,
1915).
1917).
1916).
B o a r d a n d lo d g i n g .................. $5.25
1 .4 4
C l o t h i n g .........................................
.5 0
L a u n d r y ........................................
.7 0
C a r f a r e s ........................................
.2 0
D o c to r a n d d e n t i s t ..................
.1 0
C h u r c h ............................................
N e w s p a p e r s a n d m a g a z in e s .
.1 6
. 19
V a c a t i o n ........................................
.1 7
R e c r e a t i o n ...................................
S a v i n g s ..........................................
I n c i d e n ta l s ...................................
O r g a n iz a tio n d u e s ....................
I n s u r a n c e ......................................
ftcl f-i rn p rn v ftm crj t - - . . .
$5.25
1.50
.4 5
.6 0
.2 5
.11
.11
.2 0
.2 0
8.7 1
» 8 .6 7
T o t a l ..................................
$5.2 5
1 .5 0
.5 0
.6 0
.2 5
.11
.1 6
.2 0
.2 0
8 .7 7
$o. 7o
1 .5 0
.2 5
.1 0
.2 5
.1 0
.1 8
.2 5
.2 5
.2 5
.1 0
8 .9 8
M e n ’s
fu r
n is h
in g s
b o ard
(su m
m e r,
1917).
M u s
lin
un
d er
w ear
b o ard
( w in
te r ,
1918).
R e ta il
O ffice W h o le
s a le
m illi c le a n
m illi
n ery
e rs’
n
ery
b o ard
b o ard
( s p r in g , ( s p r in g , b o a r d
(fa
ll,
1918).
1918).
1918).
$5.50 $6.0 0 $6.00
1.90
1.75
1 .5 0
.2 5
.3 5
.3 0
.4 0
.6 0
.6 0
.2 5
.4 0
.2 0
.1 0
.1 0
.1 0
.1 5
.1 5
.2 5
.3 5
.2 5
.5 0
.2 5
.2 0
.6 0
.5 0
.1 5
. 15
.2 0
.1 0
$7 .0 0
1 .9 2
.3 0
.6 0
.2 0
.11
.11
.3 5
.2 5
.2 5
.2 5
$7.00
1. 75
.3 0
.6 0
.4 5
.1 3
.11
.2 5
.2 0
.2 5
.3 5
$7.00
2 .0 0
.5 0
.8 4
.3 0
.1 3
.1 8
.4 0
.2 5
.3 0
.2 5
. 10
.2 0
.1 5
. 10
10.0 0 10.45
11.64
11.54
12.50
9 .6 5
1$8.75 was voted unanimously by the candy makers' wage board from the above budget as the necessary
cost of living, allowing 8 cents extra for miscellaneous requirements.
The report notes that wage boards for four occupations were in
session in 1918—namely, muslin underwear, retail millinery, office
and building cleaners, and wholesale millinery. The decrees approv
ing the determinations of these boards were made by the minimum
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207
wage commission and were noted in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w
for September, 1918 (pp. 201, 202), February, 1919 (pp. 194, 195), and
April, 1919 (pp. 186, 187). A brief summary of the result of the
wage boards’ activities in 1918 is presented, as is also a statement of
the enforcement of the commission’s decrees in the women’s clothing
industry, the men’s clothing and men’s furnishings industries, retail
stores, women’s muslin underwear, and retail millinery industries.
An appendix to the report gives the text of the Massachusetts Supreme
Judicial Court decision rendered September 24, 1918, upholding the
constitutionality of the minimum-wage law.
RECENT ORDERS BY BRITISH COLUMBIA MINIMUM WAGE BOARD.
7 he provisions of the Minimum Wage Act, approved by the British
Columbia (Canada) legislative assembly on April 23, 1918, were briefly
summarized in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for August, 1918 (p.
212). If, upon investigation, the minimum wage board which the
act created finds that in any occupation, trade, or industry the wages
paid to employees are inadequate, the board is empowered to call a
conference for the purpose of determining what is a suitable wage and
to establish and enforce the same. Down to March 31, 1919, six
orders had been issued by the board. Three of these orders per
taining to the mercantile industry became effective on February 24,
1919, and three pertaining to laundry, cleaning, and dyeing industries
became effective on March 31, 1919.
Order No. 1 fixes the minimum wage for female employees 18 years
of age and over in the mercantile industry at 26yV cents per hour, or
812.75 per week, effective for a period of 12 months from the date of
the order, namely, February 24, 1919.
Order No. 2 applies to females under 18 years of age employed in
the mercantile industry, and fixes a minimum wage for them at
87.50 per week during the first three months of employment, the rate
increasing by 50 cents per week for each successive three months of
service until a rate of $11 per week is reached. Employment for a
total period of at least one year shall be deemed to constitute com
pletion of the term of apprenticeship, and upon reaching the age of
18 years the girl shall receive the minimum wage provided for adult
workers.
Minimum wages for woman apprentices are fixed in order No. 3.
In this order it is explained that the act empowers the board to issue
to any woman apprentice a special license authorizing her employ
ment in a specified industry at a minimum wage, to be fixed in the
license, less than the minimum wage fixed for the said industry. The
order then fixes the apprenticeship term for women over 18 years of
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
age at one year divided into four periods of three months each, and
establishes a minimum weekly wage of $9 for the first period, $10 for
the second period, $11 for the third period, and $12 for the last
period. The term of apprenticeship for women under 18 years of
age shall not extend beyond the date on which said apprentice reaches
the age of 18 years, and during the apprenticeship period the wage
shall be as established in order No. 2.
The three orders relating to laundry, cleaning, and dyeing indus
tries likewise fix the minimum wage for women over 18 years of
age, for those under 18 years of age, and for woman apprentices.
Under order No. 4 women over 18 years of age are to be paid a
minimum wage of 28 J cents per hour, or $13.50 per week. Under
order No. 5 females under 18 years of age are to receive a minimum
wage of $8 per week during the first four months of employment,
$8.50 during the second four months, $9 during the third four months,
and an additional $1 per week during each four-month period there
after until a rate of $12 per week is reached, which rate is to continue
until the girl reaches the age of 18 years.
Order No. 6 is similar to order No. 3. The apprenticeship period
for women over 18 years of age is fixed at one year, divided into three
periods of four months each, and the minimum wage established is
$9 for the first period, $10.50 for the second period, and $12 for the
third period. No provision is made for women under 18 years of age,
as was done in order No. 3.
INDUSTRIAL PEACE IN AUSTRALIA THROUGH MINIMUM WAGE AND
ARBITRATION.
An article bearing the above title, written by Judge Henry Bournes
Higgins, president of the Australian Court of Conciliation and Arbi
tration, appeared in the issue of the M o n t h l y R e v i e w for February,
1916. This article was contributed by Judge Higgins to the Har
vard Law Review, and was reproduced through the courtesy of the
publishers of that magazine, to which it had been sent as a presen
tation of the Federal provision for industrial peace in Australia.
The same writer has supplied additional information of the sub
ject, covering some three years’ further experience, the account ap
pearing in the January, 1919, issue of the Harvard Law Review. The
new matter is offered as supplementary, and necessarily involves some
review of the subjects previously treated. A summarization of the
principal points, with some cpiotations, is here proposed.
The author’s title, “ A new province for law and order,” is ex
plained by the statement that “ the new province to be rescued from
anarchy is that of industrial matters.” The Federal Parliament of
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209
A u str a lia esta b lish ed th e cou rt w h o se a c tiv itie s are u n d er co n sid era
tio n b y an a ct of 1904, g iv in g it p ow er to c o n c ilia te w here p ra cti
ca b le, an d if n o t, to arb itrate, in in d u stria l d isp u tes e x te n d in g b ey o n d
th e lim its of a n y one S ta te . “ I t is a co u rt for co m p u lso ry a rb itra
tio n — in th e sen se th a t its aw ards are b in d in g as la w u p o n th e par
tie s .’; A g reem en t is first so u g h t; “ b u t w h en th e p a r ty w ith th e
stro n ger ec o n o m ic p o sitio n refuses to agree on lin es of ju stic e in
stea d of ec o n o m ic stre n g th , th e co u rt h as to in terfere b y d ic ta tin g
term s su ch as w ou ld , in its o p in ion , be ju st in a co lle c tiv e a g re em en t.”
The awards must be consistent one with the other, oi else comparisons breed un
necessary restlessness, discontent, industrial trouble. The advantages of system
and consistency in awards are increasingly apparent, as parties knowing the lines
upon which the court acts and understanding its practice, often now make agreements
in settlement of a dispute in whole or in part without evidence or argument. The
agreement if certified by the president and filed in the court is deemed to be an
award.
A frequent necessity is the establishment of a minimum wage.
Emphasis is laid on the double aspect of this proceeding.
The court adheres to its practice of dividing the minimum wage awarded in two
parts—the “ basic wage’’—the minimum to be awarded to unskilled laborers on the
basis of “ the normal needs of an average employee regarded as a human being living
in a civilized community” ; and the other, the “-secondary wage”—the extra pay
ment to be made for trained skill or other exceptional qualities necessary for an em
ployee exercising the functions required.
What is referred to as “ a curious controversy” on the subject of
the minimum fixed by the court is illustrated by an instance in
which the refusal of workers to accept employment at the basic
minimum was said by the would-be employers to be a strike, and
therefore a violation of the act. It appeared that the workers in
volved were in reality of superior skill, and that their demand for
an advance over the basic minimum was not unreasonable. How
ever, as the wage fixed was for the class of work as such, the court
could not see its way to advance the minimum rate generally. Not
withstanding this limitation, it was able to reassure the employers
that there is a difference between declining to enter on employment
and the concerted cessation of work which constitutes a strike; also
that it is not an unjust extortion for a man or class of men to special
ize on a particular line of work (loading wheat on ships in the case
in hand), and seek special pay therefor.
I t is quite in harmony with the principle of freedom of contract subject to the mini
mum wage that an employer should seek by extra wages to attract men, who, as he
thinks, will give him extra speed and efficiency. The device of a minimum wage
will soon prove to be a bane instead of a blessing if the position be perverted as the
arguments tend to pervert it. I can only say plainly that there is no breach of the
award or impropriety in a man refusing his services in loading wheat unless the em
ployer pay him more than the minimum. I t is all a matter of contract.
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The employers accepted this view, and without having made a
discriminatory rate, the court was able by its advice to adjust the
matter on a mutually satisfactory basis.
It would, of course, be an astounding position if, while the employer remains free
to give or refuse employment at the minimum rate, the employee were bound to take
employment at that rate. The employer has the formidable power of refusing to
give work to any particular man, the power to put an end to all his own business
operations; why should not the employee be free to refuse to take work? A mini
mum rate is in effect a restraint on the employer; a maximum would be in effect a
restraint upon the employee. The act gives power to prescribe a minimum rate,
and the object of that power would be defeated if a man that thinks his services are
worth more than the minimum rate were not free to hold out for a higher rate. Some
employers pay more than the minimum for the avowed purpose of attracting the
best men. Incidentally it may be remarked that the position as now settled here
is very far from justifying the fears of those who look upon provisions for minimum
rates as tending to the establishment of a “ servile state.” Mr. Belloc’s dogma 1
that “ the principle of a minimum wage involves as its converse the principle of com
pulsory labor” is not confirmed by such experience as I have had.
The statement has often been made that the minimum rate tends to become the
maximum rate. I have not found it so. I t is quite true that far more employees
get the minimum rate prescribed than got it before the rate was fixed, for, before that
time, they usually got varying rates, mostly below the minimum. I have not found
unions objecting to members taking extra pay for extra usefulness; for instance, in
building operations an expert scaffolder often claims, and gets without objection,
a higher rate than the flat minimum prescribed; and leading hands in a laboring
process often get higher rates than their mates; but unions object to extra rates for
extra servility, for disloyalty to one’s comrades.
The principle of free bargaining for wages above the minimum
was also held to as the solution of the problem of dirty or otherwise
offensive jobs. If unusually laborious or disagreeable labor was
involved, the court held that this was a matter of personal consid
eration, the basic or living wage having been adopted. “ Em
ployers must not be allowed to purchase by money a right to injure
health.” The same principles apply to jobs where there is exces
sive strain on the muscles or injury to the clothing.
This court tends rather to refuse to make differences in minimum rates except for
clearly marked distinctions and qualifications, such as craftsmen’s skill, or exceptional
responsibility, or special physical condition, necessary for the function. * * *
Differentiation in minimum rates prescribed must be made on broad lines.
•.
However, if the point involved becomes the basis of a dispute,
limitations will be prescribed, as of the weights to be lifted, wheeled
or otherwise handled in longshore work; though “ the court is very
chary about dictating to those who have to direct the work as to
the mode of carrying it out.” Thus it does not favor the arbitrary
fixing of the number of employees, or the altering of the functions
of officers, or the interference with extra work for overtime pay, or
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limiting the number of boys the employer may take on, especially
if he binds himself to teach a trade; but it is otherwise if the boys
are hired cheaply to do men’s work; and “ if women are put to work
more suited for men, as that of a blacksmith, or even to work for
which men are equally suited, the women must get a man’s maximum.”
Despite this general attitude, the court recognizes the movement
to secure for the employees some voice in determining working
conditions.
Wages and hours are not everything. A man wants to feel that he is not a tool,
but a human agent finding self-expression in his work. The court tries, therefore,
to encourage by all the means in its power the meeting of representatives of the
unions with representatives of the employers. Such meetings produce a good effect,
even when the employers adhere to their methods, giving their reasons. Fortunately
there is no difficulty as to the recognition of the unions. The unions have come,
and have come to stay. Our act could not be worked without unions. One of the
chief objects of the act is, under section 2, “ To facilitate and encourage organization
of representative bodies of employers and employees, and the submission of indus
trial disputes to the court by organizations.” Now the act enables the court to
appoint “ boards of reference,” and such boards involve opportunities for meeting
for discussion of methods and alleged grievances.
Judge Higgins then quotes from an opinion in which the impor
tance of boards of reference is emphasized, “ one at least for each
undertaking,” for the handling of complaints without bringing the
individual employee into the position where he is singled out as the
mover in the matter. Employees usually favor such an arrangement,
but the employers wish the first steps to be taken by the foreman
or the immediate superior, on a personal complaint. The law per
mits the boards of reference to act only on specified subject matter,
a situation which it is hoped Parliament will remedy by allowing
a more general appointment.
The fundamental difficulty of the position seems to be that the employer and the
union look at the methods used from different points of view. The employer—
generally a company acting through directors—looks at the money results, at profits,
at expenses. The union looks at the results to the human instrument. Both sides
of the subject ought to be considered. I t is significant that the unions are always
willing to have such boards, and the court often manages to get an agreement on the
subject.
Stress is laid on a statistical determination of the cost of living
as a guide for ascertaining the proper amount to be named as the
basic wage, and the court does not permit such wage to be lowered
by reason of considerations of competition with countries having a
lower standard; “ and this practice, it must be admitted to the
credit of the employers, has never been disputed so far as I know.”
With the secondary wage the position is different. There is more scope for com
promise or arrangement. At the same time it has been found advisable except in
extreme circumstances to diminish the margin between the man of skill and the
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man without skill. One of the drawbacks of industry in Australia is that the lads
do not learn their trades thoroughly—do not take the trouble to become perfect crafts
men. There is a tendency to be content with imperfect workmanship, to put up
with the “ handy m an,” and his rule of thumb, to put up with what is “ good enough” ;
and nothing should be done by the court which would lessen the inducement to learn
a trade and to learn it properly.
However, when the court has increased the basic wage because of abnormal increase
of prices during the war it has not usually increased the secondary wage. It has
merely added the old secondary wage, the old margin, to the new basic wage.
I t is true that the extra commodities that the skilled man usually purchases with
his extra wages become almost indispensable in his social habits as the commodities
purchased by the unskilled man. and have no less increased in price; but the court
has not seen fit to push its principles to the extreme in the abnormal circumstances
of the war, and the moderate course taken has been accepted without demur. I
may add that the court, where necessary, adopts gradations in the secondary wage.
For instance, after fixing the basic wage for unskilled laborers in the gas employees
case, it awarded 6d. [1-2 cents] per day for men classed as skilled laborers, Is. [24
cents] per day more for men in charge of plant, etc., 2s. [49 cents] per day more for
men of necessarily exceptional physical qualities, etc., such as stokers; and 3s. [73
cents] per day more for artisans fully trained. The margin between the basic and
the secondary minimum follows the margin usually adopted in the time of unregu
lated practice.
Hours of labor usually follow the Australian standard of 48 per
week, but not with absolute rigidity, both longer and shorter periods
being allowed, according to the nature of the employment. A
novel award under this head was one in which sheep shearers asked
for two 4-hour runs or work periods between 8 a. m. and 5.30 p. m.,
with a single meal time, while the employers wanted six runs with
two meal periods and three rest periods or “ smokos” between 6
a. m. and 6 p. m. The rest periods are said to increase production
and are regarded as profitable even if coming out of the work period
paid for. In the case in hand the court acceded to the request of
the employers.
A result of the act which recommends it most highly has been its
success in avoiding the stoppage of work. Hundreds of cases have
been considered under it, “ and the points in dispute might almost be
called infinite” ; notwithstanding this, the writer “ can recall
only two stoppages extending beyond the limits of any one State.”
Strikes in local disputes have, however, been very numerous; while
in Great Britain, working under the conciliation act of 1896, nearly
one-half the cases acted upon involved stoppage of work.
The court is insistent upon its attitude not to act on any case in
which its possible judgment has been forestalled, as by workmen
taking the hours which form the matter of the dispute. This was
the contention in a miners’ strike which caused stoppage and which
was complicated with political and war-time agitation. Adjust
ments were unsatisfactory, but the court was said not to be com
promised.
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In the second case involving stoppage glass-bottle makers in three
cities struck without a hearing and refused to return to work unless
their demands were conceded. The unions were penalized and the
men had to return to work on the employers’ terms.
A third case involved a sympathetic strike, not properly within
the purview of the court, but in connection with which its good
offices were availed of.
It is satisfactory to find that in none of those cases was the strike owing to the fail
ure, or alleged failure, of the court to grant justice in any dispute as to which it had
jurisdiction. It is significant also that the widespread strike of August, 1917, was in
a dispute which was outside the jurisdiction of this court, and which was not sub
mitted to this court, and which was not submitted to the court of the State in which
the dispute occurred.
The problem of the sympathetic strike is discussed at some length.
It is said to involve a psychological or perhaps a moral difficulty,
the choice to be made by a man who wants to be true to unionism
and his comrades, not taking advantage of their self-denial, and
who yet wishes to be peaceful and industrious.
Transport workers, especially, of all kinds, are always made to bear the brunt of
the struggle of other unionists. The grievance is not the grievance of his union and
there is nothing for the court to arbitrate about, no subject matter in dispute between
the sympathetic striker or his union and any employer. I t may be said that an
arbitration court can not be expected to achieve the impossible, that it must stop
short of a case in which there is no alleged industrial grievance as between the sympa
thetic striker and his employer, and that the court ought not to take away the right
of every man to put his hand in his pockets and say, “ I shall not accept the work
offered—no matter what my reason may b e .” Individual freedom of action to work
or not to work must be preserved at all costs; and yet it can not be right that the
community should be willfully held up in its necessary activities when the commu
nity provides means for preventing the oppression of the poor for their poverty.
I t would be a great gain to the community if each union were to confine its efforts
to its own grievances. In the case of the engine drivers, a class of workers whose
members are found in all sorts of undertakings, the court intimated that an award
for such a craft should be regarded as a special privilege entailing special obliga
tions, and asked what the members would do, for instance, in a strike of miners—
would they lower and raise the officials and any men remaining at work? The
leaders of the union were reasonable, admitted that the members should do so,
and gave the court an undertaking to that effect. Then, in the case of the Mer
chant Service Guild, I found that the masters and officers of the vessels were re
quired to contract to do manual work if and when required. This was obviously
meant to provide for the case of the seamen or others striking. The guild objected
to this clause, and the court forbade the insertion thereof in any contract. The
masters and officers were to carry out their own function, whatever men of other
unions did.
The last portion of the article under review is devoted to general
considerations. Difficulties had arisen in the past by reason of the
fact that after the court had spent weeks in investigating and deter
mining a case, the cpiestion of jurisdiction might be challenged by
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claiming that there was no dispute such as the court might legally
decide. This action would be followed by long and costly proceed
ings. Decisions by the High Court (the supreme court) of Australia
have afforded accuracy of definition, while an amendment of the law
has enabled the matter of jurisdiction to be determined in advance.
Again, the power to prevent the extension of a dispute beyond
boundaries of a single State is allowed by a decision of the High
Court, so that a threatening spreading of trouble can be forestalled.
The utility of the power conferred on the president to call a compulsory conference
of representative disputants has been time after time demonstrated. Frequently the
conference has prevented a local strike which was imminent. Frequently, arrange
ments are made for carrying on work until award; frequently, quarrels are settled or
agreements are made as the result of a conference. The power to call a conference is
discretionary; and if in any locality the members of a union have struck work the
president refuses to call a conference unless work is resumed in the meantime on the
old terms (that is to say, refuses to call a conference at the instance of the union).
This refusal has on some occasions set the wheels of industry going again until the
award has been made.
Since the previous article, employers more frequently than before seek the assistance
of the court for the settlement of disputes. They often ask for compulsory conferences.
For instance, the fruit growers at the interesting settlements of Mildura and Renmark
on the Murray River had, year after year, much trouble with the seasonal employees for
picking, packing, etc. An award was made in 1912, at the instance of the Rural
Workers’ Union and another, and the work went on for the term of the award, three
years, without conflict. When the term expired the union had been disbanded, its
members having joined the Australian Workers’ Union. The employers wanted to
get the same award between themselves and the Australian Workers’ Union, and the
latter union was willing to accept the same award; but there was no dispute and, there
fore, the court had no jurisdiction. Subsequently in view of the increase in the cost
of living the Australian Workers’ Union made a demand for higher wages, etc. This
demand was disputed, and then the court got jurisdiction. After a discussion in
conference an arrangement was made and filed, and the work went on smoothly.
This case, however, points to the inconvenience of limiting the jurisdiction of the
court to disputes. I t may be that the same power that deals with the disputes should
be enabled to regulate labor where necessary.
The president has frequently been asked to act in a one-State dispute as voluntary
arbitrator on an ordinary submission by agreement. The request has generally to be
refused, but in exceptional cases the court has acted at the request of ministers of a
State or Commonwealth, especially where the matter affects the defense of the Com
monwealth.
Another encouraging feature of the position is that the practice of arbitration, instead
of the practice of strike, is favored by all, or nearly all the greater unions. Federal
unions are frequently constituted with the avowed view of making common cause in
the several States as to existing grievances, and of getting the court to settle the dispute
all round. The Australian Workers’ Union—the greatest union in Australia, com
prising about 70,000 members in pastoral, farming, and other rural occupations—•
is a staunch supporter of the work of the court. Formerly there was continual
trouble with the shearers, shed hands, wool pressers, etc. There was no certainty that
the pastoralists could get their work done; and yet wool is probably the principal export
of Australia. Since the constitution of this court there has been no general strike of
these men. There have been some local troubles, but the executive of the union
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brings all its influence to bear in favor of waiting for the court. * * * I have found
gratification expressed in unexpected quarters on account of this approach to the
solution of a very difficult problem. One of the drawbacks of Australia is the want of
population in the back country, the drift to the cities, to occupations which are
regulated, and which provide opportunities for family life. On the whole, and
although it involves great difficulty and much toil, I am safe in saying that this inter
esting Australian experiment is so far a success, and that there is not the slightest
indication of any movement to revert to the old anarchic state. There are plenty of
suggestions, however, for the improvement of the system.
There is a very real antinomy in the wages system between profits and humanity.
The law of profits prescribes greater receipts and less expenditure—including expendi
ture on wages and on the protection of human life from deterioration. Humanity
forbids that reduction of expenditure should be obtained on such lines. Other
things being equal, the more wages, the less profits; the less wages, the more profits.
I t is folly not to admit the fact and face it. Moreover, the economies which are the
easiest to adopt in expenditure tend to the waste and degradation of human life—the
most valuable thing in the world; therefore so long as the wages system continues there
is need of some impartial regulating authority. Even if the wages system were to be
abolished to-morrow, as some thinkers desire, if in some way the producers had an equal
opportunity for self-expression in the product, there would be need still for regulation.
In proposition 30 of the previous article it is stated that “ the court refuses to dictate
to employers what work they shall carry on, and how, etc.” For “ employers”
substitute “ elected directors of industry,” and the proposition would remain sound.
Even elected persons are sometimes found indifferent to the legitimate claims of a
minority. Even unions have been found to disregard the just interests of craftsmen in
their ranks, if the craftsmen are few in numbers. Those who favor new systems as the
result of some cataclysm or catastrophe or revolution, and treat with scorn industrial
tribunals as mere alleviations, or as mere devices to bolster the existing system, had
surely better reconsider their opposition. Let not the better be always the enemy of
the good.
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WOMAN IN INDUSTRY, AND CHILD LABOR.
CHILDREN’S BUREAU CONFERENCE ON CHILD-WELFARE STANDARDS.
A four-day conference on child-welfare standards was held in
Washington, May 5 to 8, 1919, under the auspices of the Federal
Children’s Bureau. The meetings of the first day were devoted to
the means of protecting the health of mothers and children and the
standardization of laws concerning children in need of special care.
Standard requirements for obstetrical care, for the control of venereal
infection, and for the control of midwifery were discussed by Drs. J.
Whitridge Williams, Philip C. Jeans, and Charles Y. Chapin. Mrs.
Eleanor Barton, an English delegate, explained the work done by
the Woman’s Cooperative Guild of England, and stressed the aid
which was being given to working-class mothers at maternity centers.
This work is under Government supervision and control, but there
is no compulsion on the mothers to attend the centers. Urban and
rural problems of maternity and infancy were discussed by Dr. R. W.
Lobenstine and Dr. Henry F. Helmholtz.
I n th e d iscu ssio n of ch ild ren in n eed of sp ecia l care Mr. C. C.
C arsten s sp o k e on th e n eed for sta n d a rd iz a tio n and m eth o d of pro
cedure, and W . W . H o d so n to ld of th e m eth o d s and re su lts of th e
M in n eso ta C hild W elfare C om m ission. D r. T a k a y u k i N a m a y e , of
J a p an , sp o k e on sta n d a rd s of S ta te care. H is address w a s of sp ecia l
in te r e st in v ie w of th e fa c t th a t th ere h ad b een a m a n ife st ten d e n c y
on th e p art of se v er a l sp eak ers to e x te n d th e field of S ta te care,
esp e cia lly m ed ical. D r. N a m a y e , w h ile a d v o ca tin g S ta te care
w h erever n eed ed , p u t in a p lea for th e p reserv a tio n of fa m ily co n trol
over th e ch ild . In Jap an , h e said , th e y str o n g ly h o p ed to b u ild up
a sy ste m of ch ild w elfare b y str e n g th e n in g fa m ily ties, ra th er th a n
b y h a n d in g th e ch ild over to th e care of th e S ta te , in w h o le or in p art.
On T u esd a y , th e seco n d d ay, th e first m e e tin g w a s d e v o te d to th e
econ om ic an d so c ia l b asis for ch ild w elfare sta n d a rd s. P rof. W . F.
O gburn an d M iss S. P . B reck in rid ge sp o k e on th e fa m ily in co m e and
c o st of ch ild care, Mrs. E v a W . W h ite on th e c h ild ’s h o m e, and
H . F . B rau ch er on p roper p ro v isio n s for th e c h ild ’s leisu re. P rof.
K e lly M iller sp o k e on racial fa cto rs, stressin g th e difficulties a tte n d in g
th e care of ch ild ren of a n o n d o m in a n t race, and D r. R o y a l M eeker
d iscu ssed th e eco n o m ics of ch ild w elfare.
216
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217
In the afternoon Owen R. Lovejoy spoke on legislative prohibitions
and general standards, Dr. Emma MacKay Appel on minimum
physical standards, and Dr. D. L. Edsall on dangerous trades. Mr.
Lovejoy advocated a raising of standards and a study of the real
needs of children, instead of the acceptance of conventional ideas of
wliat a standard should be. Dr. Appel and Dr. Edsall stressed
especially the need of making sure that the work undertaken by
juveniles was suitable for them, and urged that this required a care
ful physical examination of each child, and a selection of work
for him based on the results of that examination, with periodic
examinations thereafter. Dr. Edsall in particular pointed out that
work not classed as dangerous might be extremely harmful to a
child with some special defect, while it might be undertaken with
perfect safety by a child who was either normal or had some defect
not conflicting with the requirements of this occupation. Dr. Rene
Sand, of the University of Brussels, Belgium, explained that at
present there was little to say of Belgian standards for child welfare
in labor matters, because during the German occupation all their
own regulations were swept away, and now that they are trying to
build up again, they wish to introduce the best possible standards for
child protection, but have not yet formulated them. He also dwelt
on the importance of the minimum wage, for children as well as for
adults. Hon. Albert E. Hill, governor of Tennessee, and Miss Agnes
Nestor spoke on hours of work for children, and Dr. Jessica Peixotto
on the minimum wage. Miss Elizabeth G. Fox spoke bn the protec
tion of maternity and infancy in rural districts. Dr. Hastings H.
Hart discussed the conclusions of the White House conference on
child welfare, called by President Roosevelt, from the viewpoint of 10
years’ experience, and Judge Victor P. Arnold, of Chicago, speaking
on what constitutes grounds for removing children from their homes,
urged that a child should be kept in his own home if there is any
possibility of doing so. The best results, he had found, came from
helping parents to make the home the place for the child. Edmond
J. Butler spoke of standards of child placing and supervision, and
Miss H. Ida Curry of child-caring work in rural communities.
W ed n esd a y m orn in g w a s g iv e n u p to a d iscu ssio n of th e p ro tec tio n
of th e h e a lth of m o th ers and ch ild ren, an d to a co n sid era tio n of
ch ild ren in n eed of sp ecia l care. D r. M errill E . C ham pion sp o k e on
h e a lth cen ters for p resch ool ch ild ren and D r. C. E . A . W in slo w on
p u b lic -h e a lth nurses. D a y -n u r se ry sta n d a rd s w ere d iscu ssed b y
D r. M ulon, o f • th e F ren ch W ar D ep a rtm e n t, an d D r. S. J o sep h in e
B a k er, w h ile M aj. L ou is T erm an ta lk e d on d en ta l clin ics. J u d g e
J a m es II. R ick s sp o k e of sta n d a rd s of org a n iza tio n in ch ild ren ’s
co u rts, an d D r. L ou is N . R o b in so n on sta n d a rd s of p ro b a tio n w ork,
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w h ile D r. W illia m H e a ly d iscu ssed th e p lace o f th e m ed ico -p sy ch o
lo g ic a l clin ic in th e tr e a tm e n t of d elin q u en ts. D r. C. M acfie C am pbell
sp o k e on th e p lace of m e n ta l h y g ie n e in th e ch ild -w elfa re m o v em en t,
an d D r. W alter E . F ern ald on S ta te p rogram s for th e care of th e
m e n ta lly d efectiv e.
At the afternoon session of May 7 Miss Tracy Copp discussed the
administration of the child-labor law in Madison, Wis. In Madison
the administration of juvenile employment is carried out by the
State industrial commission. The discussion included age and
qualifications necessary for children entering industry, rules gov
erning the securing and returning of permits, work of the woman’s
inspection department, and penalties upon employers for violations
of the law. A State law provides that every community with 5,000
inhabitants shall have a continuation school which children up* to 17
years of age must attend for eight hours a week on employers’ time.
It is hoped that compulsory attendance up to 18 years of age will
shortly be required.
Mr. R. C. Davison, representing juvenile employment exchanges
in Great Britain, said that the juvenile employment exchanges,
which are a part of the regular labor exchanges, were established
in 1910. There are now 400 main branches and 1,200 smaller
offices. In discussing the difficulties met in this work, Mr. Davison
emphasized the fact that during the war, when the demand for
workers was great, the existence of these exchanges made it too easy
for school learvers to secure jobs. There was a tendency also for
young people to seek immediate rather than permanent employ
ment. The advantages resulting from the work of these exchanges
more than offset any disadvantages. Through the data collected a
knowledge of conditions governing juvenile employment was secured
which had a marked influence upon the provisions incorporated in
the British Education Act (1918). The distribution of child labor
was centralized, thus keeping children from wandering; a wider range
in choice of employment was given; and jobs were secured under
conditions of publicity. This last point Mr. Davison considered an
important condition in all juvenile placement. Follow-up work
was accomplished through 250 advisory committees associated with
the juvenile employment exchanges.
During the demobilization period many training centers have been
established for children now unemployed through the closing of
factories and for other reasons, and the unemployment donation is
withheld from juveniles who do not attend these centers. "
Sir Cyril Jackson, of the British Ministry of Labor, briefly dis
cussed the provisions of the Education Act (1918), touching upon the
difficulties met in securing its passage and the possibility of improv
ing it in some important particulars.
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Among the important provisions of the bill is that requiring
attendance of young people between the ages of 16 and 18 years
upon part-time continuation schools for 320 hours a year.
On Thursday, May 8, Sir Arthur Newsholme, chief medical officer
of the Local Government Board of England, discussed the British
organization for child welfare, Dr. Thomas D. Wood spoke on health
examinations and the school nurse, Dr. W. R. P. Emerson on nutri
tional clinics, Dr. Graham Lusk on the nutrition of adolescence, and
Robert E. Leigh on the need for sex education. Standards were
adopted tentatively for the ‘public protection of maternity and for
the care of children from infancy through school age and while at
work up to maturity. The standards for working children are as
follows:
M in im u m S t a n d a r d s
fo r
C h il d r e n E n t e r in g E m p l o y m e n t .
AGE MINIMUM.
An age minimum of 16 for employment in any occupation, except that children
between 14 and 16 may be employed in agriculture and domestic service during
vacation periods.
An age minimum of 18 for employment in and about mines and quarries.
An age minimum of 21 for night messenger service.
An age minimum of 21 for girls employed as messengers for telegraph and messenger
companies.
Prohibition of the employment of minors in dangerous or hazardous occupations
or at any work which will retard their proper physical development.
EDUCATIONAL MINIMUM.
All children shall be required to attend school for at least nine months each year,
either full time or part time, between the ages of 7 and 18.
Children between 16 and 18 years of age who have completed the eighth grade and
are legally and regularly employed shall be required to attend day continuation
schools eight hours a week.
Children between 16 and 18 who have not completed the eighth grade or who are
not regularly employed shall attend full-time school.
Vacation schools, placing special emphasis on healthful play and leisure-time
activities, shall be provided for all children.
PHYSICAL MINIMUM.
A child shall not be allowed to go to work until he has had a physical examination
by a public-health physician or school physician and has been found to be of normal
development for a child of his age and physically fit for the work at which he is to be
employed.
There shall be a periodical medical examination of all working children who are
under 18 years of age.
HOURS OF EMPLOYMENT.
No minor shall be employed more than eight hours a day. The maximum working
day for children between 16 and 18 years of age shall be shorter than the legal working
day for adults.
The hours spent at continuation schools by children under 18 years of age shall be
counted as part of the working day.
Night work for minors shall be prohibited between 6 p. m. and 7 a. m.
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MINIMUM WAGE.
Minors at work shall be paid at a rate of wages which for full-time work shall yield
not less than the minimum essential for the “ necessary cost of proper living.”
PLACEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT SUPERVISION.
There shall be a central agency which shall deal with all juvenile employment
problems. Adequate provision shall be made for advising children when they leave
school of the employment opportunities open to them; for assisting them in finding
suitable work and providing for them such supervision as may be needed during the
first years of their employment. All agencies working toward these ends should be
coordinated through the central agency referred to.
ADMINISTRATION.
E m p l o y m e n t c e r tif ic a te s .—Provision
shall be made for issuing employment certifi
cates to all children entering employment who are under 18 years of age.
An employment certificate shall not be issued to the child until the issuing officer
has received, approved, and filed the following:
1. Reliable documentary proof of the child’s age.
2. Satisfactory evidence that the child has completed the eighth grade.
3. A certificate of physical fitness signed by a public-health physician or school
physician. This certificate shall state that the minor has been thoroughly examined
by the physician and that he is physically qualified for the employment contemplated.
4. Promise of employment.
The certificate shall beissued to the employer and shall be returned by the employer
to the issuing officer when the child leaves his employment.
The school last attended, the compulsory education department, and the continu
ation schools shall be kept informed by the issuing officers of certificates issued or
refused and of unemployed children for whom certificates have been issued.
Minors over 18 years of age shall be required to present evidence of age before being
permitted to work in occupations in which their employment is prohibited.
Record forms shall be standardised and the issuing of employment certificates shall
be under State supervision.
Reports shall be made to the factory inspection department of certificates issued
and refused.
E n f o r c e m e n t o f c o m p u ls o r y a tte n d a n c e I a n s . —Full-time attendance officers adequately
proportioned to the school population shall be provided in cities and counties to enforce
the school-attendance law.
The enforcement of school-attendance laws by city or county school authorities
shall be under State supervision.
F a c t o r y i n s p e c t i o n a n d p h y s ic a l e x a m i n a t i o n o f e m p l o y e d m i n o r s . —Inspection for the
enforcement of all child-labor laws, including those regulating the employment of
children in mines or quarries, shall be under the same department, The number
of inspectors shall be sufficient to insure the regular observance of the laws.
Provision should be made for a staff of physicians adequate to examine periodically
all employed children under 18 years of age.
These standards are to be submitted for consideration to nine
regional conferences which are to be held in various cities throughout
the United States.
In the final meeting it was resolved that a committee on progressive
child-welfare standards, advisory to the Children’s Bureau, should be
formed, representing the general phases of child welfare which had
been presented at the conference.
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W O M EN W H O REPLACED M E N IN INDUSTRY D U R ING TH E WAR.
The Bureau of Women in Industry of New York has issued1a study
of women who replaced men in industry during the war, with special
reference to what they are likely to do now that hostilities are over.
The industrial employment of women in New York was of course no
new thing; over 300,000 were so employed before the war, filling a
wide variety of positions. The change introduced by the war was
the passage of women directly into occupations which had thereto
fore been reserved for men. In England, with its longer war experi
ence, there was time to make the substitution indirectly, to adapt
machinery and buildings to the needs of women, to divide processes,
and to standardize products. In the United States it was necessary
to replace the men directly, without delaying to change processes,
alter machinery, and split up skilled or semiskilled processes into a
series of simple repetitive operations. While the war was on, women
were employed of necessity, whether or not they could do the work
satisfactorily; when the war ended, there was need to find out how
they had acquitted themselves in the new occupations, and whether
or not they were likely to remain in them.
The study covered 26 communities and 117 plants. The amount
of replacement in these is shown in the following table:
AMOUNT OF REPLACEM ENT IN NEW YORK STATE, BY GEOGRAPHICAL SECTION.
Number
of plants.
Section of State.
TotalnumTotal
ber of
number of
women on
women
working
replacing
men.
force.
Western....................................................................................................
Central ...................................................................................................
New Y ork City a/nrl viri ni ty ....................................................................
37
38
42
6,211
14', 322
5,211
6,672
4,747
3,224
Total...............................................................................................
117
25,744
13,643
In commenting on the variations in replacement shown here, the
report calls attention to the fact that women were first put into
vacancies where the work was light, less skilled, or repetitive.
“ Heavy or skilled work was attempted only after considerable time
had elapsed, or in response to unusual conditions, such as existed in
western New York. In both Buffalo and Niagara Falls the male
labor supply had been chronically inadequate.” In both these
places, therefore, when Government contracts were secured, women
were called out in large numbers and placed in every conceivable
process, the replacement being more general and extensive than in
other parts of the State.
1 New York Industrial Commission, Bureau of Women in Industry. The industrial replacement of men
by women in the State of New York. [New York] March, 1919. 69 pp. Special Bulletin No. 93.
118265°—19-----15
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Women were found taking men’s places in all industries and in a
surprisingly wide range of occupations. In general, substitution was
greater in industries in which women had not previously been em
ployed. Except in very heavy processes, no particular difference
was found between occupations as to the amount of substitution or
the success of the women in their new work.
Women were employed on power and nonpower processes in about equal proportion,
and after the armistice no well-defined movement can be traced toward dismissing
either form in preference to the other. Women have been found equally successful
on machine tools and nonpower processes.
In some cases it was found that a subdivision of processes had taken
place when women were introduced, not because women could not
perform the whole process, but because, for one reason or another, a
division of labor was needed by the shop organization. Sometimes
this division worked out oddly.
By way of illustration could be cited a certain plant in which women were intro
duced to operate a cable armor machine. The women performed a skilled 10-minute
operation of shaping and soldering a broken end of steel tape and lifted a 35-pound
spool of steel taping across the floor, while a man was called on to assist them in start
ing the machine, which required merely the lifting of a light lever. Women performed
the skilled and the heavy work; the man completed the circuit and started the
machine.
At first, women, of necessity, got their training as they worked, but
soon some of the large plants started training schools to prepare them
more quickly for skilled work. Seven plants were found to have
established such schools before the armistice, while “ in six additional
plants the future policy will definitely include training for an increas
ing number of women workers.” During the war the training was
designed to turn out specialists as quickly as possible, but since
hostilities ceased “ the opinion has been growing that women when
showing ability should be trained for the most skilled trades.”
Considerable space is given to the wage rates of the women who
replaced men. The rates are considered, first, as to their sufficiency
for the support of the women earning them, and, secondly, as to
how they compare with the wages paid men on the same work.
Bonuses for both men and women are ignored, being considered as
temporary expedients for stimulating production, subject to can
cellation at any time. As a matter of fact, they were widely canceled
when war production stopped.
From the first point of view, the wage situation was far from sat
isfactory. In its award concerning the General Electric Co. of Schen
ectady, the War Labor Board fixed $15 a week as the minimum wage
for female employees, presumably regarding that sum as necessary for
the support of a single woman. Yet of the 13,643 women who had
replaced men in the plants studied, almost three-fourths—73.9 per
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cent—were receiving less than $15 per week, and only 190 were in
the group earning $20 or over. The following table shows the
distribution of the women by wage groups:
W E E K L Y EA RN IN G S OF W OM EN R EPLA CIN G M EN D U RIN G T H E WAR, W IT H N U M B ER
OF W O M EN AND N U M B E R OF P L A N T S IN EA C H W A G E G ROUP.
Plants.
Weekly wage group.
Number.
Women.
Per cent
of total
plants.
$6 to $6.99........................................................ 1...............
$7 to $7.99............................................................................
$8 to $8.99............................................................................
$9 to $9.99............................................................................
810 to $10.99.........................................................................
$11 to $11.99.........................................................................
$12 to $12.99.........................................................................
$13 to $13.99.........................................................................
$14 to $14.99.........................................................................
$15 to $15.99.........................................................................
$16 to $16.99.........................................................................
$17 to $17.99.........................................................................
$18 to $18.99........................................................................
$19 to $19.99.........................................................................
$20 to $20.99.........................................................................
$21 to $21.99.........................................................................
$22 to $22.99.........................................................................
$23 to $23.99.........................................................................
$24 to $24.99.........................................................................
$25 to $25.99................................................... .....................
$26 to $26.99.........................................................................
Norecords...........................................................................
1
1
2
9
11
5
25
15
10
8
6
1
6
1
0
1
0.9
.9
1.7
7.7
9.4
4.3
21.3
12.8
8.5
6.9
5.1
.9
5.1
.9
.0
.9
13
.0
.0
.0
.9
11.1
Total..........................................................................
117
100.0
1
0
0
0
1
.9
Number.
15
42
21
534
685
234
2,421
3,981
2,158
510
1,758
229
166
20
0
15
25
0
0
0
150
679
13,643
Per cent
of total
women
replacing
men.
0.1
.3
.2
3.9
5.0
1.7
17.'8
29.1
15.8
3.7
12.9
1.7
1.2
.1
.0
.1
.2
.0
.0
.0
1.1
4.9
100.0
It is evident from this table that the women replacing men have
not reaped phenomenal advantages from their experiment. “ Al
though some women leaving peace employment at $8 to $10 a week
have bettered themselves by taking over men’s work, for a great
many of them it was a change of work without an increase of pay.”
When their wages are compared with those of men on the same
work, the situation is no more satisfactory:
Of 78 plants offering the comparative wages of men and women on the same work,
16, or 20 per cent, pay women the same rate paid the men whom they replace. Of
all women replacing men, 9 per cent receive equal pay. I t is to be noted, however,
that the higher the pay of the man replaced the smaller the chance of the woman
replacing him to receive it. The highest-paid men received $22, $24, $28.80, $34.50,
and $35 a week. The women who took their places did so at a reduction of $10, $12,
$17.70, $19.50, and $14.88 a week, respectively. The majority of men replaced at
equal wages received between $12 and $15 a week, a wage which is an extremely low
wage for men, but approaches the average wage paid to women throughout the State,
and is less than it costs a woman supporting no one but herself to live.
Fifty-six per cent of the women who replaced men received from
two-tliirds to three-fourths of the wages formerly paid the men for
the same work, and 11 per cent received less than two-thirds as
much as the men.
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I t seem s im p o ssib le to e sta b lish a rela tio n b etw e en th e se w a g es
a n d th e in d u stria l efficien cy of th e w om en re ce iv in g th em . In a
n u m b er of cases w om en w ere fo u n d p rod u cin g m ore th a n th e m en
p r e v io u sly em p lo y ed , w h ile in o th ers th e y p ro d u ced less, b u t th e
w a g es receiv ed did n o t reflect th e se d ifferen ces. C areful a n a ly sis
is m ad e of th e w a g e d ifferen ces in sh op s rep o rtin g on th e re la tiv e
p ro d u c tio n of w om en an d m en , an d th e situ a tio n is th u s su m m ed u p :
1. In 16 plants where women received equal pay for presumably equal work, 10
report that their production is satisfactory,. 6 that it is unsatisfactory.
2. In 11 plants where women produce more than men, not one woman receives as
much as a man doing the same work in the same plant, and most women receive less
than 75 per cent of the men’s wage.
3. In 13 plants where women are reported to produce less than men, the difference
between the men’s rate and the women’s rate is neither greater nor less than where
they produce more.
Special inquiry was made as to the attitude of the employers toward
the retention of the women who had been taken into new occupations.
When the process began it was taken for granted that the women
would remain only for the duration of the war, but with the signing
of the armistice the employers, at least, presented a change of front.
“ There were unmistakable signs that not only were women to be
kept in the places they were filling, but they were to be trained to fill
others requiring greater skill and initiative.” The underlying reason
for this is economic; their employment makes it possible to manu
facture at less cost per unit of production. A second important
consideration from the employer’s standpoint is that they are more
docile and acquiescent, so that management is easier and less ex
pensive. Practically half—48.2 per cent—of the women replacing
men were retained after the armistice. Of those whose employ
ment was discontinued by far the largest single group—4,198—had
been released because of the cancellation or reduction of Government
contracts. Sixty-two plants continued all women replacing men, 35
continued part of them, 16 dropped all, and 4 were undetermined
as to policy. Of the 6,771 women discharged, 2,225, or about onethird, were let go because of their own physical, mechanical, or
temperamental shortcomings. The reasons given for letting them
go were grouped as follows :
Administrative difficulties....................................................................1, 562
Work too heavy....................................................................................... 440
Production unsatisfactory.....................................................................
153
Lack of mechanical knowledge............................................................
70
The phrase “ administrative difficulties” covers a variety of reasons.
Friction with the foreman was the cause given in the case of by far
the largest number—1,549. Of these, 1,000 were in one plant, which
was the only plant in that community failing to make a success with
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the women employed. It was found that securing an open-minded
attitude on the part of foremen toward the introduction of women
was difficult. Some foremen are convinced beforehand that women
can not do the work, and by their attitude discourage and frighten
the newcomers. Others are distinctly opposed to the introduction of
women and will not cooperate to make their employment a success.
In other cases the theory of the docility of women is carried so far
that the women rebel. An illustration of this is given as occurring
in a firm when a difference in a Government contract made it neces
sary to cut wages.
Knowing the cut had to come the firm took pains to go to all its men employees
and explain the reason for the action, with the result that the change was accepted
without loss of time. A different policy was used with the women, On pay day a
notice was posted announcing the cut. A week’s strike followed.
Another “ administrative difficulty” is found in small establish
ments which lack the special provision for women required by the
New York laws. In the rush of the war period women were some
times employed in these shops for some time before the situation was
discovered; when it was, and the employers were called on to make
the necessary changes, they found it cheaper, in a few instances, to
let the women go.
Next to administrative difficulties, heavy work was the most
serious disqualifying cause, accounting for 440 discharges. These
women seem to have been assigned without much consideration of
their physical fitness for the occupations given them. The require
ments of the work were often rather extreme.
In 10 of 51 plants discontinuing some of their women replacing men 440 women (6.5
per cent) were unable to compete on equal terms with men because the work required
was shoveling coal and coke, handling lumber, trucking bags of foodstuffs or other
material from dock to storehouse or from storehouse to cars. * * * In one company
where the work called for the trucking of freight from dock to storehouse and the
tiering of sacks of coffee to the height of 9 feet, women were considered only 25 per cent
as efficient as the best men. * * * In yard work—shoveling of sand, coal, metal
scrap into wheelbarrows, sorting of brick, cleaning of electrodes, stoking furnaces, and
such work, one plant reckoned six women as equal to four men. In a plant where
large truck loads of leather were handled women delivered 60 per cent as much goods
as men.
*
Most of the women who replaced men during the war are unorgan
ized. In some cases the unions which they would have entered did
not admit woman members; in others the unions were indifferent to
their organization, believing that they would leave their new occupa
tions as soon as the war ended. The machinists indorsed the prin
ciple of equal pay for women, whether or not they were in the union.
The union standard rate of pay for a woman working in a machine shop is 65 cents an
hour, giving her the same rating as a specialist. The claim so often made by employers
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that they can not pay the same wages to women as to men because women can not
repair or set up their own machines is not considered by the union a legitimate excuse
for paying women lower wages, because the majority of machine shops have repair men
who attend to the machines for men as well as for women.
REPORT OF WOMEN’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON DOMESTIC SERVICE,
GREAT BRITAIN.1
Shortly after the signing of the armistice the Women’s Advisory
Committee, Great Britain, was asked to consider and report upon
the question of domestic service, the terms of the reference being as
follows:
To consider the general conditions in regard to domestic service as affected by the
employment of women on war work, and to indicate the general lines on which the
available supply of labor for this purpose may be utilized in the best interests of the
nation.
The advisory committee formed four subcommittees to deal,
respectively, with training, home helps, machinery of distribution,
and organization and conditions. The subcommittee on home helps
soon found its work so closely connected with health problems that
it seemed better to turn it over to another committee, already estab
lished, and to go out of existence. The three remaining committees
handed in reports which have recently been published.
The subcommittee on training makes the usual observations as to
the unskilled status of domestic service as a whole, the lack of any
standard of requirements, and the failure to relate wages to the
worker's training and efficiency. Few schools were found prepared
to train girls for domestic service, but these few more than met the
demand for such training. Part of this lack of demand, the commit
tee thought, is due to the fact that parents, if they wish to give their
daughters this training, must bear the whole expense themselves,
while if the girls enter one of the factory trades they would be earn
ing almost from the first; part is ascribed to the lack of social con
sideration attached to the calling, which in turn is largely due to its
unskilled status. The following recommendations are made:
]. That largely increased facilities for training should be provided.
2. That such training should commence on leaving school, extend over two years,
and should include some general education.
3. That the instruction should be of a good standard and should be given by properly
qualified persons.
4. That the training for houseworkers should be regarded in the same light as the
training for any other skilled worker.
5. That the cost of such training should fall on "the local education authority aided
by State grants, and not on the parent.
‘ Ministry of Reconstruction. Women’s Advisory Committee. Report on the domestic service problem,
together with reports by subcommittees on training, machinery of distribution, organization, and con
ditions. Cmd. 67. London, 1919. 36 pp.
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The committee on machinery of distribution points out the advan
tage of using the employment exchanges, which are maintained by
the Government and operated free, and which, prior to the war,
did not register domestic workers. One suggestion made is that
this use of the exchanges would be of distinct benefit because it
would apply to domestic service the same methods of engagement
which are used in connection with industrial and commercial work.
In course of fime the gradual extension of such a policy might tend to eliminate the
present segregation of servants as a class, a result which, from an economic point of
view, would be distinctly beneficial to our social system.
The committee on organization and conditions of domestic service
recognizes that both employer and employee have their grievances.
The creation of a body of skilled workers with certificates of training
from some recognized source is looked upon as a preliminary step
toward the improvement of conditions. For the formation of such a
body the committee makes the following recommendations:
That workers’ centers should be formed by local authorities, other local bodies, or
voluntary associations or groups. The work of these centers in the most complete
shape would comprise:
( а) The provision of a hostel where workers would live during training and during
and between engagements.
(б) Practical training of workers who would do part of the domestic service of the
hostel; also theoretic instruction, where not provided by the local education authority.
(c) Social clubs and opportunities for general education and recreation.
That where a hostel can not be provided, centers should be formed in suitable places
to afford opportunities for society, general education, and recreation, and to give
advice and help toward obtaining training.
That on the governing body of any center there should be a full representation of
workers and employers.
That as a means of obliterating undesirable social distinctions and avoiding a narrow
outlook, centers where there are hostels should provide some accommodation for
women other than domestic workers and should admit them to the privileges offered.
That to some extent the same advantages should be open to men, and the possibility
of forming bodies of men for work which may be too heavy for women should be
considered by those who organize domestic work.
It would appear difficult to get together a body of desirable workers
unless the conditions of domestic service are made more attractive
than at present. As a means for regulating conditions it is sug
gested that local joint committees of employers and workers, with
impartial, elected chairmen, be formed, and that these be coordinated
throughout the country. If the centers recommended are generally
formed, the committee thinks there should be no difficulty in even
tually applying the Whitley scheme of councils, and in coordinating the
work of the centers with that of the public authorities. Trade-unions
should be recognized and workers given facilities for joining them.
Pending the formation of joint committees or other bodies for
regulating conditions, the committee suggests that a substantial
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reduction be made in the hours during which domestic workers are
on duty; that definite time for meals be allowed; that, in addition,
free time amounting to at least two hours daily be given during which
the worker should be free to come or go as she chooses; and that a
fortnight’s holiday with board wages be given annually. For work
ers not living in the house the weekly hours should not exceed 48,
not including meal times.
Finally, attention is called to the heavy and unnecessary work
entailed by ‘'antiquated house planning and antiquated and laborwasting fittings and appliances,” and other conditions which can be
remedied only by public action.
Domestic workers will not take pleasure in their work as long as much of it consists
in constantly carrying by hand for unnecessary distances, often up and down stairs,
considerable weights of water, food, and fuel; of tending heating and cooking appa
ratus undesirably wasteful of labor; and of the larger cleaning processes which could
be better effected by outside workers furnished with mechanical appliances. * * *
Another evil, largely preventable, is the pollution of the air in and near towns by
smoke and the dirt of streets insufficiently cleansed. A large saving of washing,
cleaning, and other domestic work would be effected if the general standard of air
purity were raised even to the moderate standard attained where smoke abatement
is best enforced.
There was considerable diversity of opinion among the 16 members
of this committee as to these recommendations, and five memo
randums are added, explaining the reservations with which various
members either signed or failed to sign the report. Only one found
herself unable to sign, owing partly to her objection to allowing any
thing to enter that will produce a spirit of hostility on the part of
employers and lack of cooperation on the part of workers.
I regard any possibility of the introduction into the conditions of domestic service
of the&type of relations now obtaining between employers and workers in industrial
life as extremely undesirable and liable to react in a disastrous manner on the whole
foundation of home life.
Miss Clementina Black, whose views on cooperative households
are well known, points out that the pay per hour for the trained
workers contemplated will be higher than comparatively poor house
holds can afford to give for the number of hours’ work now really
needed unless some method of economizing service is found.
The best way of economizing service would be for a group of householders to estab
lish a common center for buying, preparing, and distributing food and for providing
central heating and hot water. The economies th at would result from such combi
nation, and the great reduction of service required in each private house would, besides
increasing comfort in other ways, enable every household not only to have all the serv
ice needed, but to have it of a much higher and more efficient type than at present.
Another pertinent memorandum, signed by three members, points
out that the measures recommended, if adopted, “ may create a
valuable body of trained workers employed under good conditions in
the comparatively few households which can afford to engage them,”
but it is doubtful if they will improve the situation for the family
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229
of small income. Tlie real demand for service, “ in the sense of the
demand which would be based on the requirements of a civilized
life,” is far greater than the effective demand, and the problem is
how to meet the needs of those who can not pay for the service
they need.
It is by no means only working people who have to be considered. Clerks, trades
people, and educated families with small incomes are in the same class. Young
intellectuals will not marry if the wife’s only prospect is the choice between incessant
drudgery and a neglected home.
The signers of this memorandum are not very clear as to how this
difficulty is to be remedied. As one means, they suggest efforts to
supply general workers, instead of specialists, who “ might often take
their meals with the families.” The devolution of work on outside
workers should be greatly extended, and public agencies might be
used for this.
If children’s nurses can not be afforded, the nursery school mistress and the visiting
sick nurse must be drawn into service. If people can not be hired for cleaning, the
work of the disinfection staff of the local authority must be extended. I t is possible
th at there is a future for communal kitchens, as the food at cheap restaurants is so
often expensive and of very poor quality.
Some, at least, of these devolved services should be provided at
public expense. The signers of the memorandum point out that the
local authorities already furnish home helps to a mother who is ill
and who can not pay for the help she needs. A limited free ration
of cleaning by the public authorities would be economical of labor,
life, and health, and the hope is expressed that the Ministry of Health
will obtain powers of this kind for local authorities.
A final memorandum, signed by three members, sets forth a com
plaint against the main report in that it does not lay down any
definite minimum for wages. The signers, therefore, present a scale
of wages for all possible varieties of domestic workers, which scale is
recommended as a basis for fixing a national standard wage for
domestic women. An eight-hour day, with pay for overtime, is
also urged.
JAPANESE WOMEN AND GIRLS IN INDUSTRY.
The prevailing impression that in Japan much of the hard labor is
done by women and girls is reinforced by some rather interesting
statistics on the subject in the Japan Yearbook for 1918.1
According to the Yearbook, “ Female labor constitutes a main
part in the factory economy of Japan. In 19,299 factories, employ
ing not less than 10 operatives each, male labor amounts to 42 per
cent and female labor 58 per cent. Of the total number of child
1Japan Yearbook. Complete cyclopedia of general information and statistics on Japan and Japanese
territories for the year 1918. By Y. Takenob. Tokio, Japan Yearbook Office, 1918. 785 pp. Map.
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workers under 15 years of age 18 per cent are boys and 82 per cent
are girls.” The following table embodies the result of inquiries made
by the Department of Agriculture and Commerce, at the end of
1916, into the condition of labor in factories employing five or more
operatives in Japan proper:
NUMBER OF WORKERS IN EACH SPECIFIED AGE GROUP IN FACTORIES IN JAPAN
AT THE END OF 1916.
Age group.
Male
workers.
Female
workers.
Total.
Under 12.................................................
12 to 15.....................................................
Over 15....................................................
1,203
19.564
437,865
5,571
87,709
543,389
6,774
107.273
981,254
Total.............................................
458,632
636,669
1,095,301
The largest numbers of child operatives under 15 years of age are
employed in match, glass, filature, cotton spinning, cotton weaving,
printing and binding, and hempen plaiting.
Not only are figures given showing the extent to which women
and girls are employed, but a gloomy picture is presented as to the
conditions under which the work is done. In this connection a
physician who has specially studied the conditions of female opera
tives from the medical and hygienic standpoint is quoted as follows:
Female workers in Japanese factories number 500,000, of whom 300,000 are under 20
years of age. Out of this army of women operatives 400,000 are engaged in the spin
ning, weaving, and dyeing industries. Seventy per cent of these women live in the
factory quarters, which means a sort of confinement. Work in the raw-silk factories
lasts 13 to 14 hours a day on an average, and that in the weaving mills 14 to 1G hours.
The remaining hours are devoted to sleeping, bathing, toilet, etc. I t is not surprising
that the health of these young women is seriously injured by such conditions. With
regard to the spinning mills, female workers are put to night work every seven or
eight days. Night work affects the worker’s health so severely that at the end of a
week they lose considerable weight. This loss may be partly recovered during the
succeeding week on the day shift, but the night work, though intermittent, ultimately
wrecks the health of the workers. None can stand the strain for more than a year,
when death, sickness, or desertion is the inevitable outcome. The consequence is
that 80 per cent of the female workers leave the factories every year through various
causes, but this loss is immediately replenished by new hands.
The food provided by the factory boarding houses may be tolerable to the class from
which the women are recruited, but as to the other accommodation it is simply sick
ening. The women on the night and day shifts are obliged to share one bed, which
is neither aired nor dusted, and never exposed to the sun, since as soon as one leaves
it another takes her place. Consequently consumption spreads among the operatives
like an epidemic.
The number of women who are recruited as factory workers reaches 200,000 every
year, but of these 120,000 do not return to the parental roof. Either they become birds
of passage and move from one factory to another, or go as maids in dubious teahouses
or as illicit prostitutes. Among the 80,000 women who return to their homes some
thing like 13,000 are found to be sick, about 25 per cent of them having contracted
consumption. The death rate from consumption of female factory operatives is, as
reported to the police, 8 per 1,000, but the death rate from the same disease after their
return home is 30 per 1,000. *
[1780]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS.
TREND OF ACCIDENT FREQUENCY RATES IN CERTAIN PLANTS IN THE
IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY TO THE END OF 1918.
The tables of which the following are an extension and modification
were first published in Bulletin 234, page 259 et seq. The data cover
approximately 50 per cent of the iron and steel industry.
Table 1 shows the progressive changes in accident frequency for
concerns producing different products over a six-year period. The
computation of rates for the annual periods ending with each month
makes it possible to trace the course of events in much greater detail
than would be possible with rates for the calendar years only. For
example, the low year corresponding to the depression of 1914-15 is
not a calendar year, but the year ending with July, 1915. This
method of presenting full years eliminates seasonal variations and
avoids the influence of local and temporary conditions, which some
times obscure the real trend of events. It should not be supposed
that this presentation is intended to supersede the presentation by
shorter intervals, as months. It is often of importance to know what
variations do occur when smaller periods are considered. This
presentation is useful in disclosing the general trend.
Table 2 shows the entire body of data for the six years, classified by
nature of product and by causes of injury. The classification of
causes conforms as closely as it was possible to make it to that in use
by the members of the International Association of Industrial Acci
dent Boards and Commissions. This classification is being intro
duced in the publications of the bureau as rapidly as possible.
The table discloses that in some cause groups there is close simi
larity in the rates of the concerns producing different products. In
others there is very considerable diversity. It is an interesting and
important question whether the higher rates observable in some plants
are inseparable from the kind of work in which they are engaged or
are due to some remediable defect in the methods of accident reduction.
Table 3 gives the data by years. The trend shown by Table 1 and
by the totals of this table is seen to be distributed to the different
causes with very considerable uniformity. One exception to this is
found in the case of asphyxiating gas. Little or no improvement in
the effects of this cause can be discovered. This should be a matter
of concern, since these accidents often cause death.
The value of this compilation is lessened by the fact that it is not
possible to determine severity rates and that departmental analysis
is not possible. It is exceedingly probable, however, that a cause not
showing improvement in a general rating is not improving in the
department of which it is characteristic.
A more detailed study of the data used in these tables is proposed in
a study of the iron and steel industry now in progress, which will cover
the years 1910 to 1919. It is hoped to issue this by the middle of 1920.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1781]
231
232
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
T able 1.—TREND OF ACCIDENT FREQUENCY RATES, 1913 TO 1918, IN PLANTS PRODUCING SPEC IFIED PRODUCTS.
Plants producing specified products.
Year ending with—
Fabri
cated
- prod
ucts.
Sheets.
Wire
prod
ucts.
Tubes.
Miscel Miscel
laneous laneous
steel
steel
products products
(group
(group
B)
A).
Total.
Accident frequency rates (per 1,000 300-day workers).
December, 1913...........................
January. 1914...............................
February, 1914............................
March, 1914..................................
April, '1914...................................
Mav, '1914.....................................
June', 1914....................................
July,' 1914.....................................
August, 1914................................
September, 1914..........................
October, 1914..............................
November, 1914...........................
December, 1914...........................
January, 1915...............................
February, 1915............................
March, 1915..................................
April, 1915....................................
May, '1915.....................................
June, 1915....................................
July, 1915.....................................
August, 1915................................
f>opi.pmh p,r; 1915 ......................
October, 1915...............................
November, 1915...........................
December, 1915...........................
January, 1916...............................
February, 1916............................
March, 1916..................................
April, 1916....................................
May, 1916.....................................
June, 1916....................................
July, 1916.....................................
August, 1916................................
September, 1916..........................
October, 1916...............................
November, 1916...........................
December, 1916...........................
January, 1917...............................
February, 1917............................
March, 1917..................................
April, '1917....................................
May, 1917.....................................
June, 1917....................................
July, 1917.....................................
August, 1917................................
September, 1917..........................
October, 1917...............................
November, 1917...........................
December, 1917...........................
January, 1918...............................
February, 1918............................
March, 1918..................................
April, 1918....................................
Mav, '1918.....................................
June, 1918....................................
Julv, 1918.....................................
August, 1918................................
Sentember, 1918..........................
October, 1918...............................
November, 1918...........................
December, 1918...........................
300.9
288.7
276.6
263.6
264. 5
236.0
226.6
215.6
200.0
189. 5
184.9
178.5
176.9
170.9
165.3
164.9
159.9
159.9
153.6
147.9
152.6
156.7
155. 5
159.1
160.4
160.3
159.9
158.3
158.2
161.8
163.6
162.3
164.1
160.4
160.3
157.2
156. 2
158.7
159.3
161.9
162.8
161.9
159.8
159.2
158.2
158.1
157.6
159.5
154.0
147.4
146.1
142.2
140.6
138.9
137.0
135.3
127.7
122.3
119.9
113.3
114.7
177.9
169.6
164.2
159. 4
159.3
157. 6
152.9
14S.7
146.6
143.9
140.4
140.2
138.6
136.1
136.1
131. 0
129. 5
129.9
132.9
135.4
138.5
149.8
154. 2
154.4
157.2
157.9
1,58.4
159.9
158.8
158.8
156.5
154.5
153.2
149.2
146.7
147.9
144.5
141.4
139.1
136.6
135.1
132.6
127.7
123.0
118.6
111.5
108.1
101.7
97.5
94.7
92.2
87.3
82.8
77.5
73.8
70.2
66.3
63.7
59.6
57.0
66.4
184.9
179.7
176. 6
173.0
169.7
164. 9
161.0
157.3
148.3
142.1
141.7
141.8
141.5
140.7
139.9
135.4
134. 2
128.9
125.3
120.0
117.1
115.5
114.1
114.3
111.8
110.9
111.0
111.8
111.2
110.5
109.4
109.7
108.4
107.2
105.6
104. 3
102.0
102.3
100.9
99.4
96.8
96.5
97.0
100.8
104.6
102.5
102.7
101.5
101.7
96.1
99.2
98.0
98.0
96.9
94.0
88.1
82.6
82.2
79.4
74.6
77. G
81.5
76.9
72.1
67.4
63.6
60.4
57.2
51.9
48.1
45.0
41.8
39.5
37.5
35.5
33.4
30.7
27.9
27.1
26.1
26.3
28.8
30.0
31.4
32.2
32.3
33.4
34.0
34.9
36.2
36.5
36.7
37.2
37.0
36.7
36.6
36.2
37.1
36.1
36.2
35.6
34.8
34.6
34.6
33.2
32.2
31.7
31.2
30.8
30.5
30.9
29.9
29.9
29.9
29.9
29.8
29.9
29.8
29.4
28.7
28.6
27.4
212.8
210.4
208.0
205. 8
201.9
196.6
188.3
381.7
173.3
167.1
160.6
155.4
152.0
145.3
136.1
130.4
126.8
126.2
128.1
130.5
134.9
140.3
145.5
151.2
155.8
164.1
172.5
179.3
183.6
186.1
188.2
193.0
197.9
200.1
202.8
203.6
202.7
201.5
199.6
196.4
193.9
190.9
186.7
180.5
173.7
167.4
162.6
158.8
154.0
149.8
145.8
142. 9
140.2
138.0
135. 5
133. 6
132.0
130.5
127.7
125.0
125.9
123.8
118.3
115.6
116.7
106. 4
102.7
100.0
91.1
92.9
88.1
85.2
82.1
82.7
80.8
83.1
81.3
79.1
75.2
69.9
65.4
60.3
61.3
62.9
66. 4
69.0
73.5
76.1
75.9
76.1
78.3
81.0
82.5
85.6
86.2
86.9
86.1
84,6
82.1
79.7
78.5
77.4
76.0
73.4
70.6
67.5
65.4
63.1
61.9
61.4
60.4
60.1
62.5
64.8
68.1
72.9
77.6
85.0
87.7
89.8
92.1
94.2
181.0
176.0
171.9
168.4
164.0
159.5
154.7
149.7
143. 7
138. 9
134.9
132.1
130.4
127.1
123.1
118.0
117.2
114.9
114.0
112.8
114.3
118.6
120.8
122.8
124.5
127.3
129.8
131.8
132.7
133.8
134.1
135.4
136.3
135.5
135.1
134.8
133.2
131.7
130.1
128.5
126.7
124.7
121,6
118.2
115.0
110.9
108.6
105.9
103.4
100.8
98.8
96.9
95.6
96.3
93.2
92.1
90.5
89.7
87.7
86.7
86.7
18,922
13,477
23,000
27,046
28,289
137,816
111.794
160,819
182,587
ISO, 204
Number of 300-day workers.
June,
June,
June'
June'
June'
1914....................................
1915....................................
1916...................................
1917....................................
1918....................................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8,817
6,706
8,276
10,110
10,349
16,841
15,759
21,906
25,504
25,939
[1782]
25,575
22,434
31,377
32,928
30,393
19,944
13,329
21,031
24,880
23,787
41,744
35,670
45,673
49,893
50,803
233
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
T able 2.—A C C ID E N T F R E Q U E N C Y R A T E S ( P E R 1,000 300-DAY W O R K E R S ) IN T H E IR O N
A N D S T E E L IN D U S T R Y , B Y C A U S E S A N D P R O D U C T S , 1913 T O 1918.
Miscella
neous
steel
products
Sheets.
Machinery:
Working machines—
Caught i n ................. ......................
Breakage..........................................
Moving material in.........................
3.7
.3
2.2
5.0
.2
.5
8.2
.4
5.2
2. 4
.3
1.4
10.2
.4
.9
4.9
.3
2.4
Cause.
Wire.
Tubes.
Fabri
All
cated
products. products.
Total............................................
6.2
5.7
13.9
4.1
11.5
7.6
Cranes—
Overhead.........................................
Locomotive.....................................
Other hoists.....................................
8.7
.9
.6
4.2
(*)
.1
2.0
.5
.6
2.9
.6
.2
18.8
.7
6.6
.6
Total.............................................
10.1
4.4
3.2
3.7
20.6
7.7
1.2
.5
Total (machinery)......................
16.3
10.1
17.1
7.8
32.2
15.4
Vehicles.........................................................
8.4
1.7
2.5
1.7
3.3
5.2
Hot substances:
Electricity..............................................
Hot metal...............................................
Hot water, etc.......................................
1.7
12.3
2.7
.3
2.7
5.6
.5
4.4
4.5
.2
3.2
.7
.8
3.5
.6
1.0
7.8
3.0
11.8
Total....................................................
16.7
8.5
9.4
4.2
5.0
Palls of person:
From ladders.........................................
From scaffolds.......................................
Into openings.........................................
Due to insecure footing.........................
.5
.9
.7
7.6
.3
.1
.4
10.4
.5
.5
.3
8.4
.3
.3
.1
2.9
1.8
.3
14.7
.7
.5
9.1
Total...................................................
12.3
11.3
9.7
3.6
17.0
10.8
Falling material, not otherwise specified...
2.2
.9
2.1
.6
3.8
1.9
29. 8
9.4
2.7
6.7
16.3
3.8
5.4
5.0
15.3
5.7
7.5
11.2
8.8
6.2
1.5
1.4
36.5
21.5
4.1
5.1
22.7
8.2
3.9
.4
4.9
8.2
.2
20.7
8.5
.3
16.1
6.8
.1
1.3
2.3
1. 4
4.5
15.1
.4
8.6
7.6
Total....................................................
62.1
60.0
62.8
17.7
88.1
57.4
Miscellaneous:
Asphyxiating gas..................................
Flying objects not striking eye............
Flying objects striking e y e ..”...............
Heat,'cramps, etc__ 7.."...................
Other causes...........................................
.8
2.2
7.5
1.5
9.6
.1
.6
4.5
2.7
16.8
.1
1.1
3.7
.7
16.1
.1
.5
1.6
.3
3.2
.1
3.6
11.8
.1
11.2
.4
1.6
5.8
1.3
11.1
Handling objects and tools:
Dropped in handling.............................
Caught between__ 7........................
Trucks and barrows..............................
Lifting..................................................
Objects flying irom tools not striking
eyp..................................................
Slive s and edges...................................
Using tools....”.......................................
.
.6
.5
6.5
T o ta k .................................................
21.7
24.7
22.6
5.7
27.1
20.4
Grand to tal.........................................
139.7
117.2
126.2
41.2
176.5
122.8
U S , 363
1 2 6 ,2 0 5
1 7 1 ,4 0 2
1 2 7 ,2 5 9
5 4 ,3 8 4
9 2 2 ,5 1 3
Num ber o f 3 0 0 -d a y workers ......................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
i Less than 0.005.
[1783]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
234
T able 3.—A C C ID E N T F R E Q U E N C Y R A T E S ( P E R 1,000 300-DAY W O R K E R S ) IN T H E IRON
A N D S T E E L IN D U S T R Y , B Y C A U S E S A N D Y E A R S , 1913 TO 1918.
Cause.
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
Total.
Machinery:
Working machines—
Caught in ...................................
Breakage...................................
Moving' material in ...................
7.5
.4
3.6
5. 5
.3
2.3
4.9
.3
2.4
5.2
.3
2.5
3.8
.2
2.1
3.4
.3
1.6
4.9
.3
2.4
Total.......................................
11.6
8.9
7.7
7.9
6.1
5.4
7.6
Cranes—
Overhead...................................
Locomotive...............................
Other hoisting apparatus.........
8.4
1.0
1.1
5.8
.4
.6
6.0
.6
.4
7.3
.5
.4
6.5
.6
.3
4.7
.6
.3
6.6
.6
.5
Total.......................................
10.4
6.9
7.1
8.3
7.4
6.5
7.7
Total (machinery).................
22.0
14.9
14.8
16.2
13.5
11.9
15.4
Vehicles...................................................
7.0
5.8
4.7
5.1
5.2
4.0
5.2
Hot substances:
Electricity........................................
Hot m etal........................................
Hot water, steam, etc......................
1.4
10.6
4.0
1.1
6.4
3.2
.7
6.9
3.6
1.2
8.9
3.5
1.0
7.3
2.4
.8
6.4
1.7
1.0
7.8
3.0
Total.............................................
16.1
10.7
11.2
13.6
10.7
8.9
11.3
Falls of person:
From ladders....................................
From scaffolds.................................
Into openings...................................
Due to insecure footing...................
.8
.7
.7
11.3
.3
.7
.3
11.0
.4
.6
.4
9.2
.5
.7
.6
9.4
.5
.8
.5
8.0
.4
.6
.4
7.0
.5
.7
.5
9.1
Total.............................................
13.5
12.3
10.5
11.1
9.7
8.5
10.3
3.7
2.0
2.1
1.8
1.3
1.0
1.9
33.6
10.1
5.8
7.6
21.7
7.8
3.1
6.8
22.9
7.7
4.1
7.4
25.2
9.2
4.2
7.4
18.2
6.4
3.5
6.0
16.6
5.3
2.6
4.3
22.7
8.2
3.9
6.5
.6
11.3
11.0
.5
10.1
7.9
.4
11.6
7.7
.3
9.4
8.8
.4
6.7
6.0
.3
4.4
5.0
.4
8.6
7.6
Falling material, not otherwise specified
Handling objects and tools:
Dropped in handling......................
Caught between...............................
Trucks and barrows........................
Lifting..............................................
Objects flying from tools not strikmg eye..........................................
Slivers and edges............ ................
Using tools................................ .
Total.............................................
80.0
58.1
61.8
64.6
47.2
38.5
57.4
Miscellaneous:
Asphyxiating gas.............................
Flying objects not striking eve.......
Flying objects striking eve.............
Heat, cramps, etc...........................
Other causes..'..................................
.7
2.4
8.8
2. 7
17.9
.5
1.8
6.3
2. 4
12.1
.4
1.7
5.2
1.2
11.5
.3
1.5
5.8
1. 1
.4
1.2
4.6
.4
11.5
9.1
.3
1.5
4.9
.6
6.2,
.4
1.8
5.8
13
n.i
Total..............................................
32.6
23.0
20.0
20.2
15.7
13.9
20.4
Grand total...................................
174.9
125.9
125.0
132.6
103.1
86.7
122.8
1 1 3 ,0 2 7
1 2 7 ,2 6 8
1 7 3 ,7 9 3
1 8 5 ,2 1 0
1 7 7 ,1 6 3
9 2 2 ,5 1 3
N u m b e r o f 3 0 0 -d a y w o r k e r s .....................
W ,0 5 2
QUARRY ACCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1917.
The report of the United States Bureau of Mines on quarry accidents
in the United States, recently issued as Technical Paper 213, shows a
decrease in the fatality rate in 1917 as compared with 1916, but an
increase in the rate for nonfatal injuries. In 1916, with a total of
90,797 employees reported, the fatality rate was 2.26 per 1,000
300-day workers; in 1917, with 82,290 employees reported, the death
rate from accident was 1.83 per 1,000 300-day workers. Nonfatal
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1 7 8 4 ]
235
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
injuries increased from 175.62 per 1,000 300-day workers in 1916 to
185.14 in 1917.
The statistics for 1917 represent 2,074 operators who worked their
quarries during the year, this number being 261 less than those
reporting for 1916. While these statistics are not complete, they are
said to be thoroughly representative of the industry.
The table following shows for each year, 1912 to 1917, the number
of employees, days’ work performed, number killed and injured, and
the fatal and nonfatal accident rates:
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, DAYS’ W ORK PERFORM ED, NUMBER KILLED AND INJURED,
AND ACCIDENT RATES, AT QUARRIES IN THE UNITED STATES, 1912 TO 1917.
Year.
Men employed.
Aver
age
Equiva
days
Actual
lent in
active. number.
300-day
workers.
Total
shifts.
Killed.
Injured.
Actual Per 1,000 Actual Per 1,000
num 300-day number. 300-day
ber. workers.
workers.
1912................................
1913................................
1914................................
1915................................
191&................................
249
246
233
246
253
113,105
106,278
87,936
100,740
90,797
93,837
87,141
68,187
82,447
76,457
28,151,043
26,142,237
20,456,157
24,734,224
22,937,178
213
183
180
148
173
2.27
2.10
2.64
1.80
2.26
Average for 5
years.................
1917................................
245
¿61
99, 771
82,290
81,614
71,525
24, 484,168
21,457,357
179
131
2.19
1.83
6,552
7,739
7,836
9,671
13,427
69.82
88.81
114.92
117.30
175.62
9,045
13,242
110.83
185.14
.
retailed tallies are given showing causes of accidents by kinds of
quarries and by States, and accidents in quarries are compared with
those in coal mines and in metal mines. The report also contains
rules for the prevention of accidents in quarries, promulgated by the
National Lime Manufacturers’ Association.
C O A L -M IN E F A T A L IT IE S IN T H E U N IT E D S T A T E S IN 1918.
Under the title “ Coal-mine fatalities in the United States,” the
United States Bureau of Mines presents the statistics of coal-mine
fatalities for the calendar year 1918. With an increased number of
employees, many of whom were inexperienced, and with a consider
able increase in production per man, the number of fatalities decreased
from 2,696 in 1917 to 2,579 in 1918.
The number of deaths caused by explosions of dust and gas de
creased 233, or 64.36 per cent, when compared with the year 1917.
There was an increase of 21.6 per cent in the number of fatalities from
explosives, and of 11.4 per cent in deaths caused by electricity.
There were smaller increases in fatalities caused by falls of roof or
face, by mine cars and locomotives, and by other causes. It is sug
gested that as the mines were operated more nearly full time than in
any previous year the accumulation of gas was thus prevented and the
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
236
number of deaths from gas explosions reduced. On the other hand,
the large number of inexperienced men replacing those who enlisted
or who were drafted into the Army made conditions unfavorable for
accident reduction.
The following table shows, by causes, the fatalities at coal mines
during the calendar years 1917 and 1918:
FATALITIES AT COAL MINES, BY CAUSES, YEARS ENDING DEC. 31, 1917 AND 1918.
Number Filled.
Per cent of
increase
(+ ) or de
crease (—).
Cause.
1918
1917
Underground:
Mi up, cars and locomoti vos ...........................................................
Gas and dust, explosions..................................................................
............ ....................................................
Idxpl osi on s ....
Idi patri city...........
............ ....................................................
Miscellaneous underground.............................................................
1,218
482
362
111
79
127
1,293
506
129
135
88
129
+ 5.16
+ 4.98
-64.36
+21.62
+11.39
+ 1.57
Total, underground...................................................................
2,379
2,280
- 4.16
Shaft.................................................... ....................................................
52
52
Surface:
Haulage .
...............................................................-.............
Machinery..
.......................................................................
Miscellaneous....
....................................................................
114
51
100
118
47
82
+ 3.51
- 7.84
-18.00
Total, surface..............................................................................
265
247
- 6.79
Grand to tal............................ ....................................................
2,696
2,579
- 4.34
The amount of coal produced in 1918 is estimated at 685,300,000
tons, as compared with 651,402,374 tons in 1917, the production per
death being 266,000 tons in 1918 and 241,618 tons in 1917. It is
estimated that about 760,000 men were employed in 1918, as com
pared with 757,317 in 1917.
The table following shows the data relating to fatalities and pro
duction for the years 1907 to 1918:
COAL-MINE FATALITIES AND PRODUCTION, 1907 TO 1918.
Average production
per man (tons).
Produc
tion per
death
Per 1,000 Per 1,000 (shorttons).
Per year. Per day.
300-day
em
ployed. workers.
Fatalities.
Y ear.
Average
daÿs
active.
231
195
1907......................
1908......................
1909
1910......................
1911......................
1912......................
1913......................
1914......................
1915......................
1916......................
1917......................
1918 1 ..
220
220
225
238
207
209
235
251
Men em
ployed.
680,492
690,438
666,552
725,030
728,348
722,662
747,644
763,185
734,008
720,971
757,317
760,000
Men
killed.
2,242
2,445
2,642
2,821
2,656
2,419
2,785
2,454
2,269
2,226
2,696
2,579
4. 76
3.54
3.96
3.89
3.65
3.35
3.73
3.22
3.09
3.09
3.56
3.39
6.19
5.45
5.31
4.97
4.46
4.70
4.66
4.44
3.94
4.25
147,407
167,407
174,416
177,808
186,887
220,945
204,685
209,261
234,297
265,094
241,618
266,000
1 The report states that the figures for 1918 are subject to revision.
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708
603
691
692
682
740
762
673
724
818
860
900
3.06
3.09
3.15
3.10
3.29
3.20
3.25
3.46
3.48
3.43
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
237
The report shows the statistics by States, and the causes of fatalities
are shown in considerable detail. There is also included a list of
permissible explosives, lamps, and motors tested prior to January 31,
1919.
ACCIDENTS IN MINES AND QUARRIES IN OHIO IN 1917.
Statistics of mines and quarries in Ohio for the year ending De
cember 31, 1917, are presented in a pamphlet (Report No. 36) recently
issued by the Industrial Commission of Ohio. The report is in five
sections, the first relating to coal mines and showing production,
number of employees, days of operation, wages, and accidents, and
the other four sections dealing with fire-clay mines, gypsum mines,
limestone quarries, and sandstone quarries, the data covering pro
duction, number of employees, days of operation, hours of labor, and
wages.
The report considers only fatal accidents, 113 of which were re
ported to the chief mine inspector. The amount of coal produced
was 41,677,986 tons and the number of employees was 53,670. There
was, therefore, one fatality to every 475 men employed and to every
368,832 tons of coal mined. This shows an improvement over the
year 1916, when one man in every 385 men was killed, or at the rate
of one life lost in the production of every 319,690 tons of coal.
Falls of stone, slate, or coal caused 67, or 59.3 per cent, of these
deaths, and mine cars 21, or 18.6 per cent, while electricity and powder
explosions each caused 4 deaths.
There were 99 fatal-accident claims before the industrial commis
sion during the year, on account of which the awards amounted to
$246,372.86. At the end of the year 18 of these cases were still
pending and 2 cases were partially closed.
1 1 S 2 6 5 '10----- 16
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INDUSTRIAL HAZARDS AND DISEASES.
HAZARDS IN A GARAGE.
The almost universal use of automobiles for business and pleasure
makes it advisable to utter a word of caution against the hazards that
exist in connection with the operation of these machines in garages and
other closed places, hazards the serious nature of which is not always
appreciated by the average automobile driver or even by mechanics
who constantly work in these places. Gasoline, acetylene, oil,
electric current, and power generated by the engines are not in
themselves dangerous, perhaps, if properly used and controlled, bub
the frequency with which accidents occur, sometimes resulting in
death, suggests the necessity of making these hazards as widely
known as possible and of telling h ow they may be avoided or guarded
against when present. This is done in an article by Chester C. Rausch,
assistant director, Safety Institute of America, which appears in the
March-April, 1919, bulletin of the institute, under the title “ Hazards
in a garage.” The article does not give any statistical information
as to the number of fatalities or injuries occurring in garages that
would enable the reader to determine the relative importance of the
hazards mentioned as compared one with another or with similar
hazards in other lines of work. There is great need for a study that
would furnish such statistical data.
T h e au th or d iscu sses in so m e d eta il each of th e h a za rd s co n n ected
w ith w ork in g in or a b o u t a u to m o b iles, in clu d in g th e g a so lin e h azard ,
air-pressure h azard s, a c e ty le n e h azard , sto ra g e b a tte r y h azard ,
sp ecific oil h azard s, rad iator h azard s, repair h a zard s, w a sh in g h azard s,
h azard s a t en tran ces an d e x its, an d fire hazard s.
Gasoline is recognized as the most frequent cause of accidents.
Care should be taken, it is explained, in filling tanks on cars, it being
very necessary that a metal connection should be established and
maintained between the supply tank and the tank being filled.
Otherwise static electricity is created, and when the two metal parts
are brought near enough together the static spark passes and
frequently ignites either the vapor or the liquid, causing serious
fires or explosions, and perhaps fatally burning the person handling
the gasoline. Leaking of gasoline in garages is also regarded as
dangerous, since “ a quart of gasoline will render 250 cubic feet of
air highly explosive.” It is a wise precaution to examine all connec
tions involving gasoline supply after repairs or adjustments have
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been made to any of these parts to make sure that none are left in a
leaking condition. Another source of danger from the use of gasoline
is the presence of the vapor generated. This being heavier than air,
it flows to the lowest point possible, filling work pit and presenting
a hazard that is extremely dangerous where heat, particularly in
the form of a repair torch, is present. When these torches are used
it is suggested that the car should be taken into an isolated and
well-ventilated room or the work performed in the open. Repair
pits should, if possible, have some means of ventilation from the
bottom, either by connection to a stack or by a fan, or a coat or
newspaper may be whirled about for a few minutes in the pit.
Of the most dangerous hazards encountered in garages—dangerous
because it attacks and overcomes a worker without giving any warn
ing of its presence—is that caused by the giving off of carbon monoxide
when gasoline is burned in an engine.1 It is desirable to quote the
author on this point:
When gasoline is burned in an engine it gives off carbon monoxide gas, water vapor,
a small amount of unburned gasoline (if carburetion is not perfect), and a few hydro
carbon compounds of little consequence. Carbon monoxide is colorless and practically
odorless after a few minutes of exposure; it causes collapse with scarcely any warning
and frequently death by suffocation. The odor and color of the exhaust is due to
lubricating oil of poor quality, or too great quantities of the oil striking upon hot
cylinder or exhaust pipes. To get some idea of the nature of the odor of carbon
monoxide, hold the hand near the exhaust of a car when properly operating. There
should be, if proper coil is being used, hardly more than a sharp, sweetish odor, and
this, in a closed garage, is hardly noticeable and gets in its deadly work without
warning.
No engine should be run in a small garage without ventilation and only for short
periods in large garages unless well ventilated. In small garages a simple connec
tion of metal roof conductor spout, or other suitable pipe, slipped over the exhaust
pipe and passed out of doors, gives satisfactory results in cold weather when it is
undesirable to open the door. The pipe will become., hot enough to ignite wood and
should be properly heat-insulated where it passes out of the building. Monoxide
gas is heavier than air and will flow into pits and lie near the floor. Men working
under cars, or in pits, should use special care, and ventilation should be provided as
near the floor as possible. The fact that so much air passes through the ordinary
garage from open doors that cause drafts and through skylights and windows accounts
for the fact that monoxide gas and gasoline vapor usually pass out before becoming
so dense as to cause serious harm, though frequently severe headaches and nausea
result from breathing the fumes.
The difficulty of extinguishing gasoline fire is noted, the author
suggesting that water spreads the fire, but that sawdust, either wet
or dry, works well, while acid-soda extinguishers are “fairly effective.71
“Probably the best extinguisher is the foam type, because it places
a smothering gas blanket of harmless material over the fire in a man
ner that does not allow ready disturbance. It is highly effective.77
1 See article on “ Poisoning from exhaust gas” in Monthly L abor R eview for February, 1919, pp. 219-221.
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M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
The chief danger from air pressure appears to be the use of storage
tanks not properly constructed and without safety valves. Only
tanks designed for internal pressure should be used, cautions the
author, and “they should have spring-type safety valves, as the
lever-type valves are too often tampered with and overloaded, as
well as some device to stop or disconnect the pump when a proper
pressure has been reached.”
The acetylene hazard is passed over briefly, since comparatively
few cars now are equipped with this sort of lighting system. The
use of the oxyacetylene flame, however, in repair work presents a
serious danger, as there are severe explosion hazards connected with
both oxygen and acetylene.
The charging of storage batteries presents a hazard that should be
guarded against, since hydrogen gas is generated in this process.
As this gas is highly explosive when mixed with air, ample ventila
tion should be provided. Care should, of course, be taken where
connections are made to sources of electrical power for the purpose
of charging batteries and where it is necessary to change an alternat
ing current into direct current. Furthermore, acid burns frequently
result from the use of sulphuric acid and distilled water, which may
be used in the maintenance of storage batteries. The eyes should
be protected from the acid by the use of goggles.
So far as the use of oil is concerned, the danger seems to lie prin
cipally in the fumes, which may cause temporary insensibility and
irritation to the eyes. Oil spilled on the floor may cause falls from
slipping. The release of boiling water from the radiator may cause
serious scalds. The fumes of denatured alcohol sometimes make
the water in the radiator poisonous. There are many hazards of
more or less serious character connected with repair work, such as
cranking machines, contact with moving parts of engines while making
adjustments, strain from lifting, etc. Hazards of minor importance
connected with the washing of cars are noted, and suggestions are
made to eliminate dangers that sometimes exist at entrances and
exits. To avoid fire, “no smoking” signs “should be the law and
gospel in the garage,” and where heat is necessary to prevent freezing
the use of electricity is suggested. The use of oil stoves, gas stoves,
or small coal stoves is not regarded as good practice even where good
ventilation is provided.
ARMY GAS MASKS UNSUITED FOR USE IN INDUSTRIES.1
During the last year the Bureau of Mines has received many in
quiries regarding the use of Army gas masks in the industries for
protection against poisonous and irritating gases. These inquiries
1 Prepared by A. C. Fieldner, supervising chemist, Pittsburgh Experiment Station, United States
Bureau of Mines.
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M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
241
show a general belief on the part of the public that this type of mask
will protect the wearer under all conditions against any gas whatso
ever, even in absolutely irrespirable air to the exclusion of the more
cumbersome mine-rescue breathing apparatus. This erroneous be
lief will no doubt be further confirmed by millions of discharged
soldiers, who have been trained in the use of the gas mask and have
been taught that it gives them absolute protection against all the
gases used in warfare or likely to be used. These men will not realize
that out in the open air of the battlefield, the percentage of gas in
the air can never be anywhere near as large as may occur in the con
fined spaces of a factory operation. A mask may afford complete
protection under outdoor conditions and break down at once when
used indoors, where a gas container has burst and filled the room
with gas. It must also be remembered that the absorbents in the
Army respirator, which filter out the poisonous gas, are specially de
signed for the gases used in warfare, and as a matter of fact do not
protect against the more common industrial gases as, for example,
illuminating, natural, producer, and blast-furnace gas.
In view of these limitations of the Army gas mask, which, if not
realized, will lead to serious accidents and fatalities, the Bureau of
Mines is issuing this brief statement of the industrial use and limi
tations of dust respirators, gas masks, and oxygen-breathing appa
ratus.
D U ST R E SPIR A TO R S.
Protection from dust and liquid mists is obtained by the use of a
simple dust respirator, which removes these particles by means of
a filter of moist sponge, cotton or wool pad, porous paper, or even a
very fine mesh metallic gauze. The respirator may inclose the mouth
and nose only, or it may be combined with a face mask containing
eyepieces if the eyes must also be protected. The simple “ pig snout’’
respirator, containing a moist sponge, has been on the market for
years. It is highly uncomfortable to wear, rather insufficient for
removing fine dust, and most workmen prefer to tie a large handker
chief over their nose and mouth. Some improvement has been made
in recent years, but on the whole a really efficient and comfortable
dust respirator that workmen will wear continuously is yet to be
devised. On account of the urgent need of such a device for safe
guarding the health of workmen in the mining and metallurgical in
dustries the Bureau of Mines has undertaken a study of dust respira
tors with a view of designing a satisfactory model.
ARMY GAS MASK.
The Army gas mask consists of a face piece of rubber and cloth
fabric, containing eyepieces and connected by means of a flexible
rubber tube to a canister containing charcoal and soda-lime for filter
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M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
in g o u t th e p o iso n o u s g as from th e in sp ired air. T h e ca n ister is su p
p o rted in a k n a p sa ck slu n g from th e n eck .
T h e A rm y g a s m a sk is b y n o m ean s th e u n u su a l p r o te c tiv e a p p li
an ce th a t is p o p u la rly b elie v ed . I t d oes n o t afford u n iv ersa l p ro tec
tio n a g a in st all gases, nor can it ever b e u sed in lo w o x y g e n a tm o s
p heres. I t fu rn ish es n o o x y g e n to th e w earer and ca n rem o v e o n ly
co m p a r a tiv e ly sm a ll p ercen ta g es of p oiso n o u s g a s from in h a led air,
u su a lly le ss th a n 1 or 2 per cen t. H igh er p ercen ta g es w ill im m e d i
a te ly p e n e tr a te th e ca n ister and “ g a s ” th e w earer. T h e sta n d a rd
A rm y ga s m a sk w ill fu rn ish p ro tec tio n a g a in st p ercen ta g es n o t e x
ce ed in g 2 per c e n t of th e fo llo w in g ga ses in air: S ulp h u r d io x id e,
h y d r o g en su lp h id e, ch lorine, carb on b isu lp h id e, n itro g en p eroxid e,
a n ilin e vap or, b en zy l b rom ide, b e n z y l ch loride, ch lo ra ceto n e, chlorp icrin, h y d r o g en ch loride, p h osgan e, su lp h u r ch lorid es, x y ly l b rom ide,
sta n n ic ch loride, tita n iu m tetra ch lo rid e, and silico n tetra ch lo rid e.
I t w ill b e se en from th e a b o v e th a t th e m a sk h as a w id e field of
u sefu ln ess in th e ch em ical in d u stries, around sm elters and roasters,
w h ere su lp h u r fu m es are g iv e n off, and in th e in d u stries u sin g ch lorine
and b lea c h in g p ow d er. T h e A rm y can ister also co n ta in s co tto n
filter p ads w h ich rem o v e ir rita tin g and p o iso n o u s d u sts, w h ich in
creases its u sefu ln ess around sm elters w h ere su lp h u r and arsenic
fu m es m u st b e rem oved .
T h e A rm y m a sk fu rn ish es n o p ro tec tio n w h a tev e r a g a in st carbon
m o n o x id e, w h ich is th e p o iso n o u s c o n stitu e n t of m in e g a ses after
fires and ex p lo sio n s in coal m in es or b last-fu rn a ces, p roducer, and
illu m in a tin g gases. F or th ese p u rp oses o x y g e n b rea th in g ap p aratu s
m u st b e used .
T h e B u reau of M ines is w ork in g on a carb on m o n o x id e m a sk and
h o p es to d ev elo p one th a t m a y b e u sed in th e fu tu re for lo w co n ce n
tra tio n s of th is gas.
A m m o n ia is an oth er gas th a t w ill p en etra te th e sta n d a rd A rm y
can ister. H o w ev e r, a sp ecia l ch em ica l m a y b e p la ced in th e A rm y
ca n ister w h ich w ill a d a p t it for u se around refrig era tin g p la n ts.
OXYGEN B R EA T H IN G A P P A R A T U S.
T h e se lf-c o n ta in e d o x y g e n b rea th in g a p p a ra tu s can n e v e r b e d is
p laced b y a ga s m a sk for u se in a tm osp h eres d eficien t in o x y g e n .
S u ch atm o sp h eres are en co u n tered in m in e-rescu e w ork , in gas m ines,
b la st-fu rn a ce sto v e s, g a so lin e tan k s, etc . A sid e from th e la c k of
o x y g e n , carb on m o n o x id e is also p resen t, for w h ich th e g a s m a sk is
u seless.
T h e o x y g e n b rea th in g a p p aratu s m u st also b e u sed in stea d of th e
g a s m a sk for en terin g ta n k s, tow ers, an d o th er clo sed sp a ces co n
ta in in g large q u a n titie s of irrespirable or p o iso n o u s g a ses, as, for
ex a m p le, a g a so lin e ta n k c o n ta in in g so m e resid u al liq u id . T h e con [1792]
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MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
243
centration of vapors produced by volatile liquids in closed containers
is too high to be entirely removed by gas-mask absorbents. The
only resource in such cases is a self-contained appliance in which the
wearer does not breathe any of the irrespirable atmosphere.
IMPORTANCE OF E X P E R T ADVICE ON PROTEC TIV E APPLIA N C ES.
Owing to the many factors entering into the use of protective
respiratory appliances, the importance of competent advice on the
selection and use of such appliances can not be overestimated. In
connection with the Bureau of Mines’ work of safeguarding the
health of miners and workmen in the metallurgical industries, a gen
eral investigation of respirators, gas masks, and breathing appliances
is being undertaken at the Pittsburgh Experiment Station of the
bureau. This research will be conducted by experienced chemists
and engineers who had charge of gas-mask research in the bureau’s
war gas investigations and subsequently in the Research Division of
the Chemical Warfare Service, United States Army. A 1,000-cubicfoot gas chamber is being installed, in which breathing appliances
can be tested on men in any gas desired.
The industrial respirator investigation will include :
1. Advice on the suitability of the standard Army gas mask for
use in various industrial gases.
2. Approval of industrial gas masks and respirators when properly
submitted to the bureau by the manufacturer in accordance with a
schedule to be announced later.
3. Instruction of workmen at plants in the use of masks and respi
rators in a manner similar to that now being given by the bureau in
the use of oxygen breathing apparatus.
PRECAUTIONS FOR PREVENTING DANGER OF INFECTION FROM
ANTHRAX, GREAT BRITAIN.
The British departmental committee appointed to inquire as to
the precautions for preventing danger of infection from anthrax in
the manipulation of wool, goat hair, and camel hair, submitted its
report under date of August 22, 1918/ which report contains a
number of recommendations and suggestions that are worthy of note.
Briefly stated, the committee has, after a rather exhaustive inves
tigation, reached the conclusion that any attempt to control anthrax
by means of regulations must be abandoned as totally inadequate to
cope with the danger, that prevention of the disease must be treated
as a world problem if any finality is to be reached in dealing with it,
1 Oreat Britain. Home Department. Departmental committee on anthrax. Report of the depart
mental committee appointed to inquire as to precautions for preventing danger of infection from anthrax
in the manipulation of wool, goat hair, and camel hair. Vol. II, Report of the committee. Cd. 9171. Lon
don, 1918. 45 pp. Price, 6d. net.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
and that the suppression of anthrax can only be attained by sustained
inquiry and effort by a permanent body such as a disinfection
authority, which the committee proposes in its recommendations to
be noted later. The committee met on 116 days, visited 13 repre
sentative works, and examined 49 witnesses. The investigation was
divided into two periods, the first being devoted to the taking of
evidence, etc., and the second to the carrying out of an extensive
experimental investigation for the purpose of devising a method of
disinfection of wool and hair, and, after the evolution of a successful
process, to consideration of the most effective means by which it
could be applied for the protection from anthrax of persons working
among these materials.
The report first describes briefly the salient points in connection
with each branch of the wool trade—worsted, woolen, and felt—
and the considerations, based upon the evidence placed before it,
which influenced the committee finally to attempt to find a method of
disinfection, then states the method of disinfection devised by the
subcommittee which carried out the experimental investigation,1 and
finally suggests a scheme by means of which it is believed disinfection
can be most effectively brought into operation. Without going into
the details of the findings of the committee, it is sufficient to state, in
the words of the report, that—•
There is, therefore, the anomaly that no measures are enforced in the woolen trade,
the felt trade, or in warehouses, for the prevention of the disease, and consideration
of the data as to the severe and increasing incidence of anthrax in these branches of
the trade in wool shows precautions to be very necessary.
T h e m easu res su g g ested for th e p rev e n tio n of a n th r a x are grou p ed
u n d er tw o h ea d s: (1) T h ose it is p o ssib le to en force b y reg u la tio n s,
an d (2) th o se w h ich aim a t m in im izin g th e d anger b y o th er a ctio n .
T h e co m m itte e co n clu d ed t h a t —
The danger of infection from anthrax in wool is not one which can be dealt with
advantageously by means of regulations, and, given a satisfactory alternative, is one
which ought not to be dealt with in factories.
Finding it impracticable to set up the highly organized system of
control necessary to stamp out the disease among animals in the
countries of origin, the committee came to the conclusion that of the
measures aimed at minimizing the danger from anthrax, a suitable
method of disinfection of wool and hair should be developed as
offering a better solution of the problem than the setting up of a
code of regulations “ which would be irksome and ineffective.” To
this end the following recommendation is made:
The policy of attempting to control the danger of infection from anthrax in wool by
regulations under the Factory Act should be abandoned, and instead the principle
of compulsory disinfection substituted.
1Published as a separate volume. See Monthly L abor R eview for August, 1918 (pp. 205-208).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1794]
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
.245
The process of disinfection is described, the impossibility of disinfec
tion in factories is suggested, and the establishment of central disinfec
tion stations is recommended in the following words :
Disinfection of wool and hair should be permitted only in central disinfection
stations, the sole business of which is disinfection.
As to the location of these central disinfection stations, the report
suggests that “ generally, however, the ports through which wool is
exported to this country appear to us to offer incontestable advan
tages as the points at which central disinfection stations should be
established.” The cost of disinfection is to be a charge against the
product.
The infected varieties of wool should themselves bear the cost of disinfection by
means of a charge levied on the quantity disinfected.
The capital cost of disinfection should be provided in the first instance by the
British Government, but should be repaid by means of a sinking fund, provision for
which should be made by a charge imposed on wool disinfected.
Without comment, other recommendations of the committee are
given in full, as follows:
An organization, which we will designate “ the disinfection authority,” should be
constituted by the Government and should be given the necessary powers and facilities
for bringing into operation and enforcing disinfection of wool and hair.
The duties of the disinfection authority should be the organization of disinfection;
the erection, management, and control of central disinfection stations; the preparation,
publication, and revision of lists of materials it is considered should be subject to the
requirement of disinfection, and of materials not subject to restrictions; and the exer
cise of such powers as may be necessary for preventing the admission of dangerous
materials into the country without disinfection.
The British Government should establish the disinfection authority and should
then take steps to obtain the cooperation of the Governments of all organized countries
(1) in securing the disinfection of wool and hair and (2) in such other measures as the
disinfection authority may advise for the general prevention of anthrax.
Arrangements should be made with the Governments of British territory abroad
whereby the export of materials, decided by the disinfection authority to be dangerous,
is prohibited except after disinfection in a disinfecting station under the control of
the disinfection authority and unless accompanied by a disinfection certificate.
And further, that where possible, similar arrangements should be made with the
government of such other countries as may appear desirable.
All materials included in the dangerous lists should be allowed to land only at
fixed ports, unless accompanied by a certificate of disinfection; and the port or customs
officers should be empowered either to refuse admission of any such material, or to
permit it to be landed only if transferred direct from the ship to a disinfection station.
A small experimental disinfecting station should be established without delay to
settle the type of station to be used and the arrangements necessary for bringing the
whole scheme into complete operation.
The question of dust prevention should be allowed to stand over till disinfection
becomes operative, and when the time arrives for the abrogation of the existing regu
lations, some inquiry as to the conditions in regard to dust should be made with a view
to the adoption of such precautions as may then be found necessary.
The cost of all general duties of the disinfection authority should be provided for
by the State out of State funds.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1 7 9 5 ]
WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION.
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES AND HERNIA UNDER FEDERAL COMPENSA
TION ACT.
The number and cost of cases of occupational disease and hernia
from September 7, 1916, to December 31, 1917, under the Federal
Compensation Act as furnished by the United States Employees’
Compensation Commission is shown in the following tables:
DURATION OF DISABILITY AND COMPENSATION AND MEDICAL COST OF OCCUPA
TIONAL DISEASES UNDER FED ERA L COMPENSATION ACT, SEPT. 7, 1916, TO DEC.
31, 1917.
Averaee days
of disability.
Number of
cases.
Nature of injury.
Average total
compensation
and medical
expenditures.
Poisoning:
Lead..............................................................................
Copper...........................................................................
1 34
2
40
3
$70.91
5.83
Total, poisoning........................................................
i 36
38
66.97
19
8
6
3
2
14.95
7.84
87.03
30.11
26.10
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
14
11
36
19
15
3
20
8
SG
7
4
4
45
17
14
6
12
21
64
17
25.62
1
2
2
1
1
3
35
5
50
37
57.73
334
115.32
Total, all other..........................................................
7
24
33 94
Grand total, occupational diseases....................................
197
25
42.00
Dermatitis:
Fulminate of m ercury..................................... ...........
Cement..........................................................................
Oil.................................................................................
T N T ..............................................................................
Benzine.........................................................................
Creosote........ T..............................................................
Gasoline.........................................................................
Potassium bichromite solution...................................
Brass..............................................................................
P ain t.............................................................................
Carbnbnenm poisoning.........
Lye w ater.....................................................................
Cleaning solution.........................................................
Working explosive “ D ” ..............................................
Grease, printer’s ink.....................................................
Total, derm atitis......................................................
All other:
Neuritis.........................................................................
Tenosynovitis...............................................................
Malarial fever................................................................
2
1
1
1 Does not include 3 fatal lead-poisoning cases.
248
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1796]
"
25.39
S.00
160.01
1.07
101.03
23.89
22.22
27.20
247
MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
D U R A T IO N O F D I S A B IL IT Y A N D C O M P E N S A T IO N A N D M E D IC A L C O S T O F O P E R A T E D
H E R N I A C A SE S U N D E R F E D E R A L C O M P E N S A T IO N A C T.
Duration of disability.
Actual days
lost.
Cases.
Sept. 7, 1916, to June 30,1917:1
Over 14 to 21 days........................................................
Over 21 to 28 days.......................................................
Over 28 to 35 days.......................................................
Over 35 to 42 days.................................................
Over 42 to 49 days.......................................................
Over 49 to 56 days....................................................
Over 56....................... ..............................................
Total..........................................................................
Average..................................................................
July 1, 1917, to Dee. 31, 1917:2
Over 14 to 21 days........................................................
Over 21 to 28 days....................................................
Over 28 to 35 days.......................................................
Over 35 to 42 days........................................................
Over 42 to 49 days........................................................
Over 49 to 56 days........................................................
Over 56 days................................................................
1No o p eratio n , 72 cases.
5
3
10
12
12
13
26
93
76
312
496
546
691
2,072
8481.33
471.79
897.19
1,949.30
1,976.30
2,693.16
5, 626.58
81
4,286
52.9
14,115.65
6
6
8
15
105
150
255
594
362
587
1,189
. 350.52
602.53
815.55
1,757.56
840.33
1,577.06
3,100.81
3,242
46.9
9,044.36
8
11
15
Total........................................................................
Average.....................................................................
Total compen
sation and
medical
expenditure.
69
2 No o p eratio n , 67 cases.
REPORT ON INF U31 RIAL CONSEQUENCES OF Pï R WANENT DISABILITIES
IN CALIFORNIA.
The effect of workmen’s compensation laws in alleviating the hard
ships resulting from industrial accidents and in restoring the disabled
to industry has been given all too little consideration by compensa
tion commissions in the United States. A comprehensive investiga
tion as to the economic handicap suffered by permanently disabled
industrial workers, recently made by the California Industrial Acci
dent Commission,1 is one of the first serious attempts by a State
critically to examine and analyze the operation of its compensation
law.2
The investigation showed that years after the injuries had occurred
the disabled persons were found struggling against heavy odds as
compared with the condition of their uninjured fellow workmen.
Thirty per cent of them were unable to return to employment.
Nearly 18 per cent were receiving lower wages than previous to their
injuries. About 40 per cent of them, through the unusual demand
for labor created by war conditions, had received a slight average
advance in wages. The average amount of time lost by each on
account of the injury was 11 months and 28-| days. The average
weekly wage at the time of the injury was $22.34, while the present
average wage is $16.60, a decrease of 26 per cent. According to the
1
2
R e p o rt on special in v e stig atio n s of serious p e rm a n e n t in ju rie s from J a n u a r y 1, 1914, to Ju n e 30, 1918.
1919. 15 pp.
A sim ilar in v e stig a tio n w as m a d e in M assachusetts b y th e U . S. B u re a u of L a b o r S tatistic s in 1918, th e
re s u lts o f w h ich w ere p u b lish e d in th e Monthly L abor R e v i e w for J u ly , 1918, p p . 3 2 -4 9 .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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248
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
report, “ the condition of the average injured industrial person in the
State of California, considered industrially, economically, morally,
and socially, is not as good as it was before his injury occurred.”
The investigation was limited to injuries which were serious enough
in character to constitute an industrial and economic handicap.
The survey was begun about July 1, 1918, and completed on December 31, 1918.
The period during which these injuries occurred extended from January 1, 1914, to
June 30, 1918. Nearly all these cases are of sufficient duration for time and thera
peutical efforts to have made whatever readjustments may be expected. At this
time there is, therefore, chance to form a Dir judgment of final consequences of the
injuries.
The records in the offices of the department of permanent injuries show that since
the beginning of the year 1914 there have been approximately 7,500 such injuries.
But study of these records indicates that only about 15 per cent of permanent injuries
are serious enough to constitute a handicap. As the purpose of the survey includes
only such cases as do constitute a, handicap, all others were eliminated, leaving about
1,100 to be investigated. Of these only about 700 were accessible at a reasonable
expense.
The findings presented herewith are not the mere refinements of statistics gathered
from reports. The facts included are not local. They are not gathered from a single
community, from a particular line of industries, or a special class of workmen. They
came from various communities in different parts of the State and include almost
every form of industry from street sweeping to banking. They were obtained at
first hand by experienced investigators from the living sources themselves. * * *
The larger purpose of the survey was to find out how extensive and intensive is
the need of industrial reeducation and what is the possibility of its accomplishment
bo far as the subjects themselves are concerned.
The spirit in which the injured complied with our requests and furnished the
desired information was most gratifying. Scarcely a person with whom we obtained
an appointment offered the slightest objection to furnishing complete information.
Likewise the cooperation of employers was most hearty. Without exception they
cheerfully extended every courtesy and assistance the investigators desired. * * *
Approximately there are throughout the State 350 compensable and noncompeneable injuries occurring each year of the character included in this report. But up
to this time there has been no organized or general effort for the physical reeducation
of these people to fit them again for self-sustaining employment. No general study
of the situation has yet been undertaken. In other countries this condition has been
improved. Even before the outbreak of the war, Belgium, France, and other foreign
lands had made a hopeful beginning in this great work. Meanwhile, the Red Cross
Institute for Crippled and Disabled Men, New York, has been accomplishing splendid
results on a limited scale in that section.
The number of injuries and the nature of the disabilities covered
by the survey are shown in the table following.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1798]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
NUM BER
OF
249
S E R IO U S P E R M A N E N T D IS A B IL IT IE S C O V E R E D B Y
S U R V E Y , C L A S S IF IE D B Y N A T U R E O F I N J U R Y .
Nature of injury.
Head and face, including disfigurement,
deafness, etc...............................................
Eye injuries:
One eye, enucleation of.........................
One eye, impaired vision of..................
Both eves, enucleation of.....................
Both eves, complete loss of vision of...
Both eyes, impaired vision of...............
Total....................................................
Arm and hand injuries:
One arm, loss of......................................
Num
ber.
32
49
85
3
4
9
Leg and foot injuries:
One leg, loss of........................................
One leg, limited use of..........................
Both legs, loss of....................................
Both legsi limited use of........................
One foot, loss of....................................
One foot , limited use of.........................
Both feet, limited use of........................
8
170
4
Total....................................................
257
27
93
1
14
16
1
Total....................................................
157
Trunk, including spine................................
Multiple in juries...........................................
57
47
i
2
One arm, loss of; other lim ited............
Both arms, limited use of.....................
One hand, loss of....................................
One hand, limited use of......................
Both hands, limited use of...................
Num
ber.
Nature of injury.
150
25
47
C A L IF O R N IA
Grand to tal........................................
700
Injuries to all minor members, such as fingers and toes, have been
included in the lists of their corresponding major members. For
convenience all losses of members, whether partial or entire, whether
by amputation or otherwise, have been classified under the one
heading “ Loss of.” The term “ limited use of” is admittedly vague,
but it is inclusive and serves the present purpose. In many cases
covered by this expression the injury is a far more serious handicap
than an amputation. Complete ankylosis of the hand, for example,
not only limits the use of the hand, but frequently renders it entirely
useless. What is still worse, such a hand is often very much in the
way, whereas, in case of amputation, the lost member may be re
placed by a very useful artificial appliance.
The industrial consequences resulting from the several types of
permanent injuries may be seen in the following table:
I N D U S T R IA L C O N S E Q U E N C E S O F S E R IO U S P E R M A N E N T I N J U R I E S IN C A L IF O R N IA .
N um ber
of cases.
P er cent
r e tu r n
in g to
sam e
em p lo y
m e n t.
P e r ce n t
u n a b le
to w o rk .
H e a d e n d fa c e ................................................................................................
E y e ..................................................................................................................
A rm a n d h a n d .............................................................................................
L eg a n d foot
.............................................................................................
T r u n k in c lu d in g s p in e ...............................................................................
M u ltip le in ju rie s ...........................................................................................
32
150
257
157
57
47
25.0
38.0
34.5
30.5
24.5
33-5
31.5
17.0
24.0
31.5
75.0
27.5
26.3
28.0
31.0
34.0
41.5
46.5
T o t a l......................................................................................................
700
33.0
30.0
34.7
P a r t of bo d y in ju re d .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1799]
A verage
d isa
b ility
ra tin g
(p er
c e n t).
250
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
An analysis of the foregoing table brings out several striking facts.
For example, injuries to the head and face and spine are the most
serious from the viewpoint of reemployment. It is a common
impression that disabilities of the legs and feet are a less serious
handicap industrially than disabilities of the arms and hands, but
the facts of this survey point to the contrary. The average disability
rating of leg and foot injuries is in excess of the rating of arm and
hand injuries, but this higher rating is more than offset by the in
creased inability to work. However, the reason for this heavier per
centage of inability to return to employment is attributed to the fact
that a larger percentage of those who suffer this kind of injury are
employed at common labor where sound limbs are more necessary.
GRADES OF EMPLOYMENT SINCE IN JU R Y .
The seriousness of an injury is measured by the employee’s sub
sequent occupational status. How many obtain reemployment and
what grade of work do they perform? At the time of the survey
there were 210, or 30 per cent of the total investigated, who were
unemployed. Of these 210 there were 190 who had never been able
to return to work because of physical inability or lack of a chance of
placement. The other 20 had been able to work for only short
intervals at odd jobs. The investigators were convinced that the
number of malingerers was negligible.
Scarcely less consequential is the fact that out of the list of 700 there were 120 who,
on account of their injuries, have been forced into lower grades of employment.
Striking instances of this are found in cases of men who, previous to their injuries,
were employed as skilled mechanics at standard wages, but deprived of the neces
sary degree of vision, or of the use of major members, or of nervous energy, or of mental
poise, they have been compelled to descend to less remunerative and less interesting
kinds of work—sometimes to mere piddling. Nor does the unhappy effect of this
demotion in industrial life end with the individual, though that were bad enough.
It reaches the man’s family and crushes many of their high and legitimate hopes.
Of the same 700 cases of serious permanently injured persons, 229, or nearly 33 per
cent, remained in the same grade of employment. But had it not been for the military
requirements of the country during the last year or two, and the consequent general
labor shortage, many of the injured employees who, under these circumstances, held
their own and have, therefore, been classified with this section of the table, would
have been compelled to descend to lower grades of employment, and consequently
the list showing descension in employment would have been increased in length.
Again, many that, for the same reason, were promoted would have remained in the
same kind of employment. * * *
Only 141, or about 20 per cent of the total, rose to higher ranks in spite of their
injuries. The chief factors in the promotion of these persons to higher forms of employ
ment were the unusual demand for labor, alluded to above, and the sympathy of
kindly disposed friends among employers. Then it sometimes happens that a severe
physical shock acts as a powerful mental stimulus and ushers a new epoch into the
intellectual, industrial, and economic life. All these agencies were active in lifting
these more fortunate of the injured into higher industrial and economic conditions.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1800]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
251
But as the element of competition in the industrial world returns to prewar condi
tions, the figures in these tables will certainly be changed with less favor to the
injured. * * *
It should he distinctly borne in mind that during the period of this investigation
the whole country was under the greatest labor pressure, especially with regard to
skilled workmen, it has felt for many a day or is likely to feel again soon. Conse
quently, employers were glad to take men into their service whom undoubtedly they
would reject in normal times. When these disabled employees were asked by the
investigators how they felt respecting their prospects for continuance in their present
positions, after the men in military service should return, many of them expressed
decided uncertainty .
It ought also to be understood that, although these persons have been able to return
to employment, it has not been without inconvenience and struggle. In many
instances it has meant constant and discouraging inconvenience both to themselves
and their employers.
WAGES SINCE IN JU R Y .
The wage status since injury is shown in the following tabular
statement:
CLASSIFICATION OF WAGES SINCE INJURY OF 700 PERMANENTLY DISABLED
EMPLOYEES IN CALIFORNIA.
.
Classification.
No wage (unemployed).........................
Lower wage.................................................
Same wage................................................
Higher wage..............................................
Not stated................................................
Total..............................................
Number. Per cent.
210
124
34
296
36
30.0
17.7
4.9
42.3
. 5.1
700
100.0
I t will be noted that 124, or 17.7 per cent, received a lower scale of
wage since their injuries. In many instances this implies also a
demotion into a lower class of employment. Men who formerly
held positions as skilled mechanics, with every prospect of promotion
and success, have been forced to relinquish all that and drop into the
scale of common labor, which meant not only a reduction in wages
but blighted hopes for the future; 296, or 42.3 per cent, received an
advance in wages over what they were getting at the time of the
injury. But this increase averaged only 19 per cent, while, accord
ing to the statistics of the State labor commission, the average
advance for all employees engaged in the manufacturing industry
was 39 per cent for the same period. One significant fact disclosed
by the investigation was that there were 43 cases who were entirely
dependent upon relatives or charity for support.
THE “ TY PIC A L GENERAL A VERAGE.”
For those who find interest and instruction in studying “ general
averages” the following sketch may not be without value. It should
he remembered that the 700 cases investigated are in no sense local.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1801 ]
252
MONTHLY LABOK EE VIEW.
They reach over a period of four and a half years. They come from
various parts of the* State and cover many varieties of industries.
The “ typical general average” is 37.8 years of age. He has had the equivalent
of four and a half years of common-school education. He is intelligent, ambitious,
and capable of learning. He has two dependents, besides himself, who look to him
for support. He has a disability rating of 34.75 per cent, or 139 compensation weeks.
He receives a compensation of $13.55 per week. He has lost 11 months and 28J
days from employment. He is now employed on a wage of $16.60 per week. He
feels that his position is uncertain and that the hazards of unemployment for him
increase daily. He owns an equity of $184 in a home. Previous to his injury he had
a wage of $22.34 per week, which, for the date when his injury took place, was equal
in purchasing power to $28 at present. The period of his compensation will soon
expire. He will then be dependent for support upon a wage of 65 per cent of that
enjoyed by his fellow workmen who have had no injuries, and he will be burdened
with increasing hazard of unemployment as the years go by.
IN D U ST R IA L R EEDUCATION THE SOLUTION.
According to the report the solution of the problem of the disabled
man lies in industrial reeducation.
If a man can not work he can not live. .If he can but half work he can but half live.
Expert rating judgment has handed down the decision that this “ average” injured
industrial worker has lost 34f per cent of his earning power. Consequently, there
remains to him less than two-thirds of his former normal power to work to live. The
mills of our industries have ground off his arms, or hands, or legs, or feet, or put out
his eyes. But there is a practicable and easy solution to the problem of his rehabili
tation. The solution is not a pension. He does not ask that. To offer him a pension
would be to commit an economic and a moral crime. He asks simply a new industrial
chance through industrial reeducation. To this he is entitled by his industrial neces
sity. To this he is entitled by our industrial prosperity, achieved, in part, at his
expense.' To this he is entitled by the very humanity of the age. Concerning the
cost of his industrial reeducation, as data on the subject are scarce and discordant,
general deductions must be made with allowances. Since the conditions of cost of
living in foreign countries differ widely from those that obtain here, their experiences
in reeducational work are of very limited use to us. The attainments in Canada come
nearer. The calculations of our Federal Board for Vocational Education are sugges
tive. But the problem of the reeducation of the injured industrial worker differs
quite distinctly from that of the disabled soldier, especially in the cost feature. The
Federal Board estimates that it will cost approximately $1,000 to rehabilitate the
average disabled soldier. This is on the basis of a 12-months’ course. But our “ gen
eral average” is 12 to 14 years older than the average soldier. For this reason, as well
as others still more practicable, it woidd not be feasible to put him through so long a
course. A course averaging 6 months in all probability will finally recommend
itself as the basis of calculation.
Evidently the chief item in the reeducational budget will be the living expenses
of the injured person and his dependents. That matter will hardly be left to any
arbitrary agency, but will be determined by the standard each person has already
attained for himself by his wage scale. The average industrial weekly wage for the
statistical year ending June 30, 1918, deduced from reports covering over 100,000
cases, was $18. If the wage scale principle should be adopted, the first item in the
budget could readily be determined. This would approximate an average of $79 per
month, or $475 for the reeducational period of 6 months. Next would come stipula
tions for expert medical advice, occupational therapy, tuition, etc., for more ad11802]
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
253
vanced training in schools and shops. Finally, the item for tools, books, and inci
dentals. As there is but little cost experience to draw upon in these particulars the
best that can be offered is likely a hazy approximation. But $225 would probably
cover these items. To summarize, then, we have the following table:
Per cent.
For
For
For
For
living expenses........................................................................ $475
medical advice........................................................................
50
vocational therapy..................................................................
75
tuition, books, tools, etc........................................................ 100
88
7
11
14
Total cost............................................................................. 700 100
Three hundred and fifty-two dollars of this amount is already provided for by com
pensation, leaving a balance of $348 to come from some other source. All this may be
lacking in the point of certainty. But there are two things about it that are certain.
One is that this amount wisely expended in industrial reeducation would vastly im
prove the industrial and economic conditions of the average injured person. Another
is that the returns on this cost would continue with cumulative profits during the re
maining 30 years of his life expectancy. Economically, not to mention other con
siderations, it would be a splendid investment.
DIRECT SETTLEMENTS UNDER NEW YORK COMPENSATION LAW.
Nearly all of the compensation laws in the United States permit
direct settlements through voluntary agreements between the
employer and employee in industrial accident cases. Such settle
ments or agreements are supposed to be in accordance with the pro
visions of the law and are subject to the approval of the compensation
commission. The original compensation act of New York required
the commission to adjudicate every claim for compensation and death
benefits arising from injuries subject to the act, but this provision
was amended in 1915 to permit direct settlements. One objection
urged against direct settlements is that under such a plan the com
mission can not satisfactorily determine the merits of a compensation
claim, and thus is opened the way for fraud and injustice. Recently
the governor of New York appointed a special commission to examine
and investigate the management and affairs of the State industrial
commission with special reference to direct settlements. The pre
liminary report of this investigating commission1 states that “ exist
ing conditions are so shocking as to require immediate remedial
legislation.”
The compensation law provides that where direct settlement is made a joint report
of the agreement shall be made to the commission, which shall examine the report
and approve the same when its terms are strictly in accordance with the compensation
law. I selected 1,000 reports of these agreements on direct settlements, taken in
chronological order from the files of the State industrial commission for the month
• i Preliminary report of Jeremiah F. Connor, commissioner appointed by the governor under the Moreland
Act, to examine and investigate the management and affairs of the State industrial commission, Mar. 26,
1919. Legislative Doc. No. 74,11 pp.
118265°—19---- 17
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1803]
254
MONTHLY LABOS KEVIEW.
of October, 1918. All of these 1,000 cases occurred in the Metropolitan District. In
each case the report of the agreement had been examined by the commission and
approved as strictly in accordance with the compensation law. Two of the regular
examiners employed by the commission selected for me, from the one thousand, 349
cases in which the injuries appeared to be serious. I have so far investigated 110 of
these 349 cases. I t was immediately apparent that many of the claimants had been
treated with gross injustice. I therefore requested and secured rehearings in these
cases before the industrial commission itself. These rehearings were held on Thurs
day and Saturday of last week, notice having been sent to the employer and insurance
carrier in each case. More than one-half of the cases proved to be underpaid in sums
ranging from small amounts to $2,000. Some of the conditions disclosed are almost
unbelievable.
The report cites seven cases of underpayment, the palpable injus
tice of which is brought out in the following tabular statement:
CASES OF UNDERPAYM ENT, W ITH AMOUNT ACTUALLY RECEIVED AND AMOUNT
DUE UNDER THE ACT.
Amount
actually
received.
How insured.
Stock company....................................... ................................................
Self-insured...................................... .......................................................
Self-insured............................................. ................................................
Stock company........................................................................................
Self-insured..............................................................................................
Stock company.......................................................................................
Self-insured..............................................................................................
$139.65
237.63
30.00
74.96
142.32
346.18
37. 50
Amount
Amount
due under underpaid.
act.
$757.21
2,237.63
1,950.00
1,282.96
1,242.32
1,554.68
i 437.50
$617.56
2,000.00
1.920.00
1.208.00
1,110.00
1,208.50
i 400.00
1 Case continued for further awards.
In all of the foregoing, the cases had been closed and would never have been before
the commission again nor would the claimants have received the additional compen
sation were it not for your investigation.
The remaining underpaid cases included a variety of methods under which the
claimants are unfairly treated. In some cases the wages were reported incorrectly.
Many of the claimants lost a week or two because the physician of the insurance
company said he was able to work and upon such statement compensation was termi
nated. In one case the claimant was entitled to additional compensation for dis
figurement. But the most serious cases are the ones resulting in permanent disability,
which is cleverly hidden behind the direct settlement. I am making tests in up
state cases which are revealing the same conditions.
Another aggravating feature of the direct-settlement plan is cases in which the
injured workman has the option of taking compensation or settling under some other
law. In many of these cases the claimants have thought they were receiving compen
sation until they found that they had signed a general release.
The commission has approximately 32,000 reports of agreements filed each year.
Only a very small percentage of these came before the commission for individual
hearings. In the up-State districts for the year ending June 30, 1918, out of about
13,500 agreements filed, a little over 1,000 came on for hearings before the commission.
The remainder are approved by the commission in a pro forma manner. In all such
cases the law is administered by the insurance carriers instead of the commission. I
am satisfied that in 50 per cent of such cases the claimant is underpaid.
I believe that during the past year alone claimants have been underpaid by $500,000.
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I recommend that the industrial commission be given a special appropriation of
$25,000 to investigate and rehear every agreement approved proforma since the direct
settlement law became effective.
Out of the 1,000 October, 1918, cases which I examined, attending physicians’
reports were missing in 714, and most of those filed were misleading as to the character
of the injury. I recommend an amendment to the law which will require attending
physicians to file reports in all cases, describing fully the nature and extent of the
injury under penalty of a misdemeanor.
Section 111 of the compensation act requires employers to file a report of the accident
within 10 days and provides that ‘‘an employer who refuses or neglects to make a report
as required by this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not
more than $500.” Out of the same 1,000 cases employers’ reports were missing in 204.
In spite of this percentage, which doubtless runs through all the cases, the commission
has not prosecuted a single employer under this section since the law became effective.
In some cases the employer is perhaps unable to make a report within 10 days, but in
the majority of cases the failure is intentional. The report of the accident is usually
made out by the foreman in charge and usually states the facts correctly. If promptly
filed with the commission, it is valuable as a check upon subsequent information in
relation to the case, and for this reason is doubtless suppressed.
I beg to report also that under the agreement plan the experience of New York State
under the workmen’s compensation law, the most valuable in the world, has been
entirely lost for the period since the agreement plan became effective. It has been im
possible to determine the extent of disability, the character of the injury, or the total
amount of compensation paid. A compensation law is beneficial to employers when the
accidents can be properly analyzed and preventive measures recommended. * * *
I have no hesitation in reporting that the amendment to the compensation law
authorizing direct settlements is a total failure. In the great majority of cases it is an
absolute impossibility for the commission to determine whether the report of the
agreement is in accordance with the provisions of the act. I can take any 25 cases
at random from the files of the commission and convince anyone of this fact.
I therefore recommend an amendment to the workmen’s compensation law abol
ishing direct settlements and requiring the commission to pass upon all cases. A copy
of a bill carrying out the recommendation is submitted herewith. I t restores the act
to its original form except that the awards are to be paid by the insurance carrier
instead of by the commission, as before.
In support of direct settlements it was urged that the claimants would receive com
pensation quicker, the expense would be lower, and a closer relationship would be
established between employer and employee. Upon the first question, I beg to report
that my test of 1,000 agreements shows the average time between the date of the acci
dent and the first payment to be 34 days. I am satisfied that claims for compensation
can be passed upon by the commission as quickly as this by the elimination of needless
red tape and by placing the cases on the calendar as soon as claims are received.
WORKMEN’S
COMPENSATION LEGISLATION IN
DAKOTA, AND TENNESSEE.
MISSOURI, NORTH
T h e h o p e th a t th e o u tw o rn d octrin e of th e e m p lo y e r ’s lia b ility for
h is n eg lig en ce w ill ere lo n g b e su p ersed ed b y th a t of w o rk m e n ’s co m
p en sa tio n is su sta in e d b y th e a ctio n of th e th ree S ta te s of M issouri,
N o r th D a k o ta , an d T en n essee, w h o se le g isla tu r es r e c e n tly en a cte d
c o m p en sa tio n la w s. T h is n arrow s th e lis t of n o n c o m p en sa tio n
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States to a contiguous group, of which Arkansas is the westernmost,
the others being Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and the
Carolinas. Legislative sessions were held in all these this year except
Mississippi, where sessions are held in the even years, and Georgia,
whose legislature convenes June 25. The legislature of Florida,
which met April 8 for a 60-day session, has before it bills for a com
pensation law, while that of Alabama, which has adjourned to meet
July 8, is reported as intending to take further action at that time,
a bill already having passed one house. Opportunity for Georgia to
act will be afforded when its legislature meets. Bills were introduced
but not acted upon in Arkansas and North Carolina, while, so far as
appears, no steps whatever were taken in South Carolina.
A w id e ran ge of a m en d in g a cts w ill be n o te d w h en a v a ila b le, so m e
o f th e m g o in g so far as en tir e ly to rew rite th e p rev io u sly e x istin g la w s.
T h e p resen t article is con fin ed to th e n ew co m ers in to th e co m p en
sa tio n fold . T h e la w of N o r th D a k o ta is of in te r e st b eca u se of its
in clu siv e n e ss and b ecau se of its e sta b lish m e n t of a S ta te fu n d in
w h ich all em p lo y ers oth er th a n self-in su rers m u st be in su red . I t
m a y b e n o te d th a t a com m issio n a p p o in ted in 1911 and rep o rtin g
in 1913 recom m en d ed a S ta te in su ran ce fu n d on grou n d s of ec o n o m y
an d efficien cy. T h e e n a c tm e n t of a la w in M issouri m ark s th e en d
of efforts b eg in n in g w ith 1910, th e re cen t le g isla tu re b ein g th e fifth
to h a v e h a d th e su b jec t of co m p en sa tio n b efore it. T h e p resen t
m easu re is a com p rom ise, th e h ou se h a v in g p a ssed a b ill p ro v id in g
for an e x c lu siv e S ta te fu n d w h ich th e se n a te refu sed to in dorse
an d offered a su b stitu te m easu re, w h ich w as a cc ep ted as p referable
to fu rth er failu re to secu re th e law . In Tennessee', also, fou r le g isla
tu res h a v e con sid ered th e su b jec t, b u t w ith o u t h a v in g en g a g ed in
su ch v ig o ro u s d isp u tes over p h ases of th e la w as in M issouri. T h e
T en n essee la w is n o ta b le b y reason of its failu re to co v er one of th e
m o st im p o r ta n t an d m o st h azard ou s in d u strie s of th e S ta te — coal
m in in g — b y its h ig h n u m erical ex e m p tio n s, an d b y n o t p ro v id in g an
a d m in istra tiv e b o d y .
MISSOURI.
T h e M issouri s ta tu te is ele c tiv e , elec tio n b ein g p resu m ed , and
c o m p en sa te s in ju ries b y a ccid en t arisin g o u t of and in course of th e
em p lo y m e n t. A w a itin g tim e of se v e n d a y s is p rescribed, b u t if
th e d isa b ility la sts lon ger th a n s ix w eek s, co m p en sa tio n is p a y a b le
from th e d a te of th e in ju ry. D o m e stic an d farm lab or, ca su a l
em p lo y ee s an d o u t w orkers, and em p lo y ers of less th a n five persons
are n o t u n d er th e a ct e x c e p t b y a c tiv e elec tio n . E m p lo y er s to
w h o m th e a ct ap p lies forfeit th e co m m o n -la w d efen ses if th e y reject
it. P u b lic em p lo y m e n ts are in clu d ed , rejectio n n o t b ein g p erm itted
to em p lo y ers th o u g h th eir em p lo y ee s m a y reject.
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Compensation is on a basis of two-thirds of the injured workman’s
wages, death benefits being payable for 300 Weeks, the maximum
being $15 and the minimum $6 . Benefits paid to the injured man
prior to his death are deducted from death benefits. Total disability
rated as temporary may be compensated by two-thirds the wages for
400 weeks, but, if rated as permanent, benefits will be reduced to 40
per cent of the wages after 240 weeks. Partial disability is compen
sable by two-thirds of the wage loss, but for specified maimings
benefits of two-thirds of the wages for fixed periods are to be paid.
Tnere is also a provision for disfigurements. Benefits have normally
the same maximum and minimum as in case of death.
Medical, surgical, and hospital aid is required for the first eight
weeks, and may not exceed $200 in amount. In case of death, burial
expenses up to $ 1 0 0 are provided.
Insurance is required unless capacity to carry one’s own risks is
shown. The act is to be administered by a commission of four
members, six-year terms being established, with an annual salary of
$4,000. A medical adviser may be appointed with a like salary.
Decisions of the commission are final except for appeals to courts on
matters of law. Benefits may be readjusted by the commission if
the conditions warrant it.
NORTH DAKOTA.
The North Dakota statute is compulsory, covering all employments,
public and private, other than agricultural and domestic service and
common carriers by railroad, which may come in by election. Casual
employees are not covered by the act, but it applies to aliens and to
all minors, whether lawfully or unlawfully employed; though for the
latter both compensation and damages are made available.
Injuries (the word “ accident” is not used) causing death or dis
ability for more than seven days are compensable, payments dating
from the time of injury.
Two-*thirds of the injured workman’s wages are payable as com
pensation during the term of total disability and two-thirds of the
wage loss during temporary partial disability. Permanent partial
disability is to be compensated by the payment of two-thirds wages
for fixed periods, varying according to the degree of disability, the
rate being 5.2 weeks for each per cent of disability. The workmen’s
compensation bureau, which is charged with the administration of
the act, is to fix a “ schedule of specific benefits to be allowed for
specific injuries, ” which shall not be changed oftener than once a year.
Death benefits are payable to a widow or wholly dependent widower
until death or remarriage, and to children until the age of 18, when
they cease unless the child is incapable of self-support. Payments to
parents continue until death or marriage or the cessation of depend
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ency, and to other beneficiaries for not more than eight years. If
payments to any beneficiary cease, the amount may be reawarded on
the basis of the status at death if such beneficiary had not existed.
Benefits may not exceed $ 2 0 per week nor be less than $6 . In case
of death a funeral benefit not to exceed $ 1 0 0 is allowed. Medical,
surgical, and hospital service and supplies are to be furnished accord
ing to the needs in each case. The bureau is to assist industrial
cripples to obtain appropriate training, education, and employment,
and may cooperate with the Federal Board for Vocational Education
to that end.
Insurance must be taken in the State fund, self-insurance not being
permitted. Failure to insure subjects the employer to suits for
damages in case of injuries, the common-law defenses being abro
gated. Employments are to be classified and premiums adjusted to
maintain suitable funds and a surplus.
Administration of the fund and the settlement of disputes are in
the hands of a bureau of three persons, one of them being the com
missioner of agriculture and labor, the governor appointing the other
two. Appointed members are to serve five-year terms, at salaries
of $2,500 per year. The bureau has powers of inspection of work
places and is to issue safety regulations. The right of appeal from
decisions of the bureau is limited to cases where all right to an award
is denied.
The law requires reports of all injuries, and contains the usual pro
visions as to waivers of rights and the exemption of awards from
attachments, etc.
TEN N E SSE E .
The law of Tennessee is elective, election being presumed except
as to casual employees, coal mining, agriculture, domestic service,
interstate carriers while engaged in interstate business, public
employments, and employers of less than 10 persons. Coal oper
ators, the State and its subdivisions, and employers of less than 10
persons may elect, but forfeit no defenses if they do not.
Injuries due to accident arising out of and in course of employ
ment are compensable, if they cause death or disability for more
than 14 days; but if disability continues as long as six weeks benefits
are paid for the first 14 days.
Compensation is 50 per cent of the wages, not more than $11 per
week, nor less than $5 unless the wages were less, when full wages
will be paid. Payment for permanent total disability continues for
550 weeks, the rate being $5 per week after the first 400 weeks, the
maximum total being fixed at $5,000. Partial disability is compen
sated by the payment of 50 per cent of the wage loss, fixed awards
being prescribed for specific injuries.
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Death benefits are subject to the same limits of amounts as for
total disability, and are limited to a term of 300 weeks, prior pay
ments, if any, to the injured workman being deducted. Payments
to a widow or widower cease on remarriage, as also do payments
to the dependent children of such widow or widower unless mentally
or physically incapacitated for earning a living, when payments
shall terminate on their reaching the age of 18.
Funeral benefits are payable up to $ 1 0 0 and medical and surgical
aid during the first 30 days, not to exceed $100 in amount.
Insurance is required in some authorized stock or mutual insurance
company, unless the employer can furnish bond or give satisfactory
proof of his ability to carry his own risk.
Elections and rejections are to be filed with the State factory
inspector. Disputes are to be settled by the judge or chairman of
the county court, with right of appeal to the circuit court, no adminis
trative body being provided for. No provision is made for the report
ing of accidents by employers, but copies of all settlements and
releases must be filed by the employer with the State factory inspector.
TEXAS
WORKMEN’S
COMPENSATION
LAW HELD CONSTITUTIONAL.
With a uniformity that would seem to discourage any but the
most persistent or the most highly imaginative opponents, the courts
of last resort continue to affirm the validity of the compensation
laws. The most notable recent decision of this sort is one by the
Supreme Court of the United States upholding the Texas law, notable
not so much because of any new questions determined or principles
settled, but chiefly by reason of the finality of the declaration.
The statute was enacted in April, 1913, and took effect in September
of the same year. It is elective in so far as the employer is concerned,
but if accepted by him, the employee remaining at work is also
regarded as accepting the act, no rejection being provided for.
Domestic servants, farm laborers, employees of railway common
carriers, and laborers at cotton gins are excepted. There is also a
numerical exemption by which the law applies only if the employer
has more than five employees.
The case under review (Middleton v . Texas Power & Light Co.,
39 Sup. 227) was based on an injury received in December, 1913,
for which a suit for damages was instituted. Benefits under the com
pensation law, which had been accepted by the employer, had been
rejected on the ground that the act was unconstitutional. The trial
court sustained the act and dismissed the action, whereupon an ap
peal to the court of civil appeals was taken. On this appeal the court
held that the act was unconstitutional in so far as it required the em
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ployee to abide by the election of the employer without the right to
make a separate and independent choice. However, on rehearing, thequestion of constitutionality was submitted to the supreme court
of the State, which in April, 1916, sustained the act as valid, where
upon the court of civil appeals affirmed the judgment of the trial
court.
An appeal from this decision was made, bringing the case to the
Supreme Court, of the United States, where it was decided March 3,
1919, nearly five and a half years after the injury was received and
the refusal to apply for or accept compensation. The first objec
tion raised in the argument by the plaintiff was that the act doe3
not provide equal protection of the laws, the claim being that cer
tain privileges are denied employees to whom the law is applicable,
which are without reasonable basis of difference permitted to persons
excepted from the scope of the act. The court noted the various
classes excluded and held the classification justifiable from the point
of view of the legislature, which is presumed to appreciate the needs
of the people of the State and to base its discriminations
on adequate grounds. These grounds were said to be easily dis
cernible. As to railroad employees, the Federal statute regulates
their rights in so far as interstate service is concerned, and this,
coupled with the “ difficulty that so often arises in determining in
particular instances whether the employee was employed in inter
state commerce at the time of the injury, reasonably may have led
the legislature to the view that it would be unwise to attempt to
apply the new system to railroad employees in whatever kind of
commerce employed.”
The exclusion of farm laborers and domestic servants has been sus
tained by the Supreme Court in the case of the New York law, and
by various State courts, on the ground that the risks involved “ were
exceptionally patent, simple, and familiar.” Similar reasoning was
said to be applicable to cotton-gin laborers. 1 The exemption of small
employers is justified on the grounds of reduced risks in the attendant
circumstances.
The point of the law that led the court of civil appeals to doubt its
constitutionality is the provision that makes the act binding on the
employee in cases where the employer has accepted it. A similar
1 Assuming the validity of such an estimate as regards the hazards of domestic and farm labor (although
farm work involves a wide range of hazards, and is, in fact, affected by a very considerable risk rate), the
cogency of the comparison as to cotton-gin laborers seems at least doubtful in view of the hazards involved.
It is of interest to note that the act was extensively amended in 1917 and that gins are no longer excluded.
The original situation is most closely comparable to the exclusion o f'‘the work of cutting, hauling, ratting,
or driving logs” from the provisions of the Maine law, which abrogate the common-law defenses generally
where the employer does not accept the compensation law, but makes an exception in regard to one of the
most important and hazardous industries in the State. Unfortunately, the legislature of the latter State
has not yet been able to rectify this indefensible situation, the exception being retained in the reenactment
of 1919.
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provision in the original statute of Kentucky was also condemned by
the supreme court of that State. The United States Supreme Court
took the view, however, that in electing to come under the compensa
tion system the employer was but fixing one of the conditions of em
ployment and that it thus became one of the terms of the employment
contract offered by him. The employee was therefore put to his choice
either to take employment under such conditions or to refrain ; and as
the relation of employer and employee is voluntary, there is in this pro
vision no denial to the employee of the equal protection of the laws
within the meaning of the fourteenth amendment. Neither is the
employee deprived of liberty or property without due process of law,
since he has no vested interest in the rights and remedies in existence
prior to the enactment of the present law. Just as employers were
held to be properly subjected to the compulsory laws of New York
and Washington, so the employee may legally become compulsorily
subject to the statutes adopted by the Texas Legislature.
All objections to the constitutionality of the law were therefore
found untenable, and whatever agency it was that so persistently
sought to perpetuate suits for damages in Texas must accept this
decision as final.
WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION LAW OF BRAZIL.
The Republic of Brazil is one of the latest additions to the number
of jurisdictions adopting the principle of workmen’s compensation.
The decree to this effect bears date of January 15, 1919, and became
effective 30 days later. The act does not preclude criminal procedure
in cases involving such action at common law. Agreements made
contrary to its provisions are null and void. Claims under it have the
same priority as wage debts, and awards are exempt from attachment
or other legal restraint. Aliens are entitled to benefits only if
residents within the national territory at the time of the accident.
The main provisions of the act may be summarized as follows: 1
IN JU R IE S COVERED.
An industrial accident is defined as one ‘'produced by any cause,
sudden, unexpected, violent, external, and involuntary, in the course
of employment, resulting in bodily injury or functional disorders
which constitute the sole cause of death, or of total or partial, per
manent or temporary, incapacity for work.” Occupational diseases
are included as accidents when they are contracted exclusively in the
course of employment, and are of a nature to cause, or to have caused,
in themselves, the death or disability of the worker.
i Data taken from Diario Official, Rio de Janeiro, Jan. 25,1919.
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Employers are responsible for compensation for such accidents,
arising out of and in the course of employment, except those caused
lyy “ force majeure,” or the deliberate act of the injured person or of
third parties.
SCOPE.
The employees included within the scope of the law are all persons
of either sex, minors or adults, hired by others to do any of the
following kinds of work: Construction, repair, maintenance or destruc
tion of buildings, bridges, roads, railways, electric railway lines, sewers,
lighting, telegraph and telephone systems; transportation, loading and
unloading; work in industrial establishments and agricultural occupa
tions in which machine power is used. Federal, State, and municipal
employees engaged in any of the work specified, with some exceptions
on account of certain allowances and pension rights, are covered in
this law.
COMPENSATION B EN E FIT S.
In case of death or permanent total disability, compensation con
sists of funeral expenses of $25 (United States money) and a lump sum
equal to three years’ wages of the worker, one-half to be paid to the
surviving consort and the other half divided among the direct heirs,
according to the common law and the civil code. If only a consort or
only direct heirs survive, the compensation is reduced to a sum equal
to two years’ wages; likewise, the direct heirs receive this same sum
if the surviving consort be divorced because of his or her own culpa
bility or be voluntarily separated. When there are no direct heirs, and
either no consort survives or the surviving consort has been divorced
because of his or her own culpability or voluntarily separated, other
dependents receive compensation equivalent to one year’s wages.
When disability is partial and permanent, compensation is calcu
lated according to a scale of degrees of disability, ranging from 30
to 60 per cent of the amount due for permanent total disability.
Compensation for temporary total disability is one-half of the
daily wage of the injured person, and for temporary partial disability
it is one-half of the difference between the daily wage normally re
ceived and that received by reason of the reduction in earning power
due to the accident, payable weekly until full capacity is regained or
until one year has elapsed. Whenever total or partial disability ex
tends over the period of one year, it is considered as permanent and
compensated as such. Any compensation paid to an injured per
son by reason of any incapacity is deducted from the compensation
which may become due on account of death or of a temporary dis
ability becoming permanent.
The law directs that in calculating compensation the annual sal
ary shall be 300 times the daily wage of the injured person at the
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time of the accident, but that no sum larger than $600 (United States
money) may be used as basic annual pay, even though the actual
wages may exceed this amount. When dealing with apprentices, daily
wages shall be computed as the minimum of an adult worker in the
same kind of labor; but, in case of temporary disability, the com
pensation of an apprentice must not exceed the actual wages he
received.
MEDICAL A N D SURGICAL AID.
The employer is required to provide medical and surgical aid, and
hospital treatment if necessary, from the moment of the accident.
When immediate aid is not available, the injured person may be
moved to the nearest point where treatment can be obtained; but
if his condition precludes this, all necessary assistance must be
brought.
ACCIDENT R E PO R TS AND PROCEDURE.
Every accident which causes a worker to stop work must be re
ported immediately to the police authorities, who send an officer to
the spot to take the deposition of the injured, the employer, and
witnesses, and record the nature and particulars of the accident, etc.,
for the legal documents required.
On the fifth day after the accident the employer must furnish the
police authorities proof that he has provided the necessary medical
treatment, and a doctor’s certificate concerning the condition of the
injured person, the present and probable results of the accident, and
the time in which a definite report may be made. The same day the
case is referred to the proper court, and judgment prescribing the
compensation due must be rendered within 1 2 days from the accident.
If after the fixing of the compensation and within a period of two
years from the date of the accident the injured person dies in con
sequence of the accident, or the disability increases or decreases,
recurs or disappears, or if a substantial error in the court’s judgment
is found, the employer, the injured person, or his representatives may
petition for a revision of the judgment. However, neither death nor
an aggravation of an infirmity, due exclusively to some fault of the
injured, may be considered as resulting from the accident.
During medical treatment either the employer or the injured per
son may demand an inquiry into the latter’s condition, whereupon
the judge shall appoint a physician to make an examination in the
presence of the attending physician. In case of a disagreement as
to the injured person’s condition and capacity for work, the judge
shall appoint a third physician, and upon his opinion base the
judgment.
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LABOR LAWS AND REGULATIONS.
FEDERAL CHILD-LABOR LAW HELD UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
Some account was given in the issue of the M o n t h l y L a b o r
for March (pp. 217, 218) of the enactment of a taxing meas
ure affecting the products of child labor. This is a part of the revenue
law of February 24, to become effective 60 days after approval. This
brought the act into operation on April 25, and Just a week later
Judge B03M, of the District Court of the United States for the West
ern District of North Carolina, held it “ unconstitutional and with
out the power of Congress to enact.’' By an interesting coincidence
it was Judge Boyd who declared unconstitutional the earlier Federal
child-labor law, which sought to exclude from interstate commerce
the products of child labor, his decision in that case being subse
quently sustained by the Supreme Court. 1
In the present case (Johnston v . The Atherton Mills, order in
equity No. 2 2 2 ) an advance copy of the opinion sets forth the follow
ing facts:
Eugene T. Johnston, as next friend of John W. Johnston, minor,
sued to make permanent a temporary injunction previously issued
to restrain the Atherton Mills from discharging such minor em
ployee from its service. The United States attorney for the district
suggested a lack of jurisdiction in the court, but this was overruled
by the court, and it announced its decision against the constitu
tionality of the act, as above stated.
No argument or citation is offered, the conclusion being announced
simply as the opinion of the court. The injunction prayed for was
issued, enjoining the Atherton Mills “ from in any way or manner by
reason of the force of the said act of Congress discharging the minor
plaintiff, John W. Johnston, from its service or curtailing the em
ployment of said minor plaintiff to eight hours per day.”
An appeal to the Supreme Court is said to be in prospect. In the
meantime the enforcement of the taxing provisions of the law is not
regarded as interrupted, except that no attempt is being made to
inspect the Atherton Mills as to the ages and hours of work of its
minor employees. An early determination of the points in issue is
obviously desirable, and it will be interesting to learn if it really is
impossible for a majority of the States to have protection against the
interstate shipment of goods produced under conditions which social
opinion generally condemns.
R
e v ie w
1 Hammer v. Dagenhart, 247 U. S. 251, 38 Sup. Ct. 581. See Monthly.L abor R eview , July, 1918, pp.
171-177.
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REGULATIONS GOVERNING HOME WORK IN ARGENTINA.1
The following is a resume of the provisions of a law regulating
home work which has recently passed the Congress of Argentina.
The law refers to all persons of both sexes who do work in their own
homes for others, exclusive of persons in domestic service, i. e., house
work.
The law directs the keeping of two separate books—the employer’s
register and the employee’s account book. The former shows the
names and addresses of workers, the nature and quality of the work,
the wages to be paid, and is open to inspectors of the Department of
Labor; the latter shows, in addition to the work to be done, the date
the material is taken home, the value thereof, the wages to be paid,
and the date of return of finished work, with wages paid therefor.
This book also sets forth clearly the amount to be paid by the worker
in case he loses or spoils material, together with the name and address
of his surety, if he has one.
The employer may impose a penalty for defective work, including
injury to materials, the fine not to exceed one-sixth of a day’s pay.
The regulations covering sanitation prohibit any work on cloth,
clothing, footwear, or flowers, and the preparation or packing of
food products or anything for human consumption in houses where
infectious or contagious diseases—mentioning specifically tubercu
losis—exist or have existed until the patients have recovered or
been removed and the premises disinfected by proper authorities.
Employers are also forbidden to receive work done in such houses
when known to them.
Persons in charge and tenants of houses occupied by workers on
the articles enumerated above are charged to report any infectious
or contagious diseases therein. Physicians are required to report
immediately to persons in charge and to proper authorities any case
of tuberculosis encountered in a home-worker’s house.
When the members of a single family are working under direction
of another member of the family the shop is not subject to the regular
inspection, and inspectors do not have access thereto except when they
have received authentic notice of an infraction of the special rules
which govern family workshops, viz, that no work requiring a steam
boiler shall be done and that the work shall not be dangerous or
unhealthful.
The Department of Labor is authorized to institute a wage com
mission for any industry employing home workers when so requested
in writing by at least 50 workmen in such occupation or industry.
The purpose of such a commission is to fix a minimum wage per hour
or per piece, in accordance with the national laws governing working
1 Boletin de la Union Industrial Argentina, Oct. 15,1918, p. 30.
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hours. Commissions are composed of an equal number of employers
and employees of either sex of mature age, the number of these
representatives to be determined according to the circumstances by
the Department of Labor. Representatives to serve on the commis
sions are elected by the parties they represent, and if not elected
within a given time the executive department names them upon
request of the Department of Labor. Members of commissions are
elected to serve two years and are eligible to unlimited reelection.
Wage commission meetings, presided over by a disinterested per
son not a member appointed by the executive department, are held
in the hall of sessions of the local authorities on call of the president,
when necessary or when requested by one-third of its members.
Commissions can not act unless a majority is present, of which at
least two must be representatives of the workers (when the commis
sion has more than two workers’ representatives).
A wage commission decides on every petition for the fixing of
minimum wages in the industry under its jurisdiction. These peti
tions may originate with the members of the commission, the labor
inspection bureau, or 1 0 interested workmen jointly. Decisions are
made by majority vote, ties being decided by the president.
Commissions, in determining a minimum wage scale, are enjoined
to take into consideration the nature of the work, minimum wages
for the same or similar lines in other parts of the nation, the market
price of the articles made, the workers’ necessaries of life, the customs,
prices, and standards of living in the region where the work is done,
and the value of the commodities or tools necessary to the work.
Wages determined by the commissions must be paid to the workerin full and in current money, with no deduction for payment of
contractors or subcontractors.
The scale of wages is determined in the locality where the raw
material is delivered to the worker and the work is to be done and
returned. The decisions are published in the form prescribed by
the Department of Labor and become effective 15 days after pub
lication.
LAW REGULATING HOME WORK IN SPAIN.1
A law was passed by the Spanish Parliament on July 5, 1918,
defining home work, creating supervisory bodies to insure the pro
visions regulating such work, and for the establishment of central
and local mixed commissions for fixing minimum wages in homoindustries.
1 Boletim do Departamento Estadual do Trabalho. Anno VII, Nos. 28 e 29 (3 and 4 quarters), 1918.
Sao Paulo.
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D e f i n i t i o n .—Home work is defined as any work performed for
wages at the homes of employees, either by a group of persons
living under the same roof and belonging to the same family within
the third degree of consanguinity or by an individual. Women
and children operating motors in the performance of such work are
protected by the law regarding dangerous and unhealthful occupa
tions. Laws regulating hours of labor, employment age, weekly
rest, and night work, are all applicable to home workers. The law is
extended also to embrace apprentices working in the home of an
other. Work done for use in the family or for direct sale is excluded.
Contractors, subcontractors, and retailers, as well as manufac
turers and merchants, are classed as employers under the act, whether
furnishing materials and implements or not.
Unless otherwise provided by law, 10 hours shall constitute a
day’s work. Custom and existing contract recognizing a shorter
day shall be observed.
The law refers specifically to the clothing trades, but may be
extended by the Government to other home industries.
S u p e r v i s i o n .—The Institute of Social Reforms is charged with
supervision. It shall report to the Government conditions of labor
found in home work, propose suggestions for improved conditions,
act as a conciliation board, advise arbitration, and (upon request of
both parties to a dispute) act as arbitrator, require the proper au
thorities to enforce improved hygienic conditions in working places,
promote the organization of home workers’ unions, and grant such
unions financial aid, establish mixed wage committees for home
workers, organize and supervise an inspection service and issue regu
lations relative to such service, and determine the authority of in
spectors appointed under it. It shall also encourage the organiza
tion of purchasers’ leagues and of exhibitions of borne work and
propose the extension of this law to other industries. Women may
be appointed as inspectors.
Vvage c o m m i t te e s .-—The Institute of Social Reforms, or a group of
home workers or employers, may propose, and any asylum or similar
institution engaged in home work or association of such institu
tions, may request the Government to organize a local mixed wage
committee. The competency of a committee is limited to an in
dustry or to a group of industries in a definite locality or district.
The president is named by the Government, and members are
elected by the Institute of Social Reforms and by employees and
employers, respectively. Women may serve as members, and at
least one shall be elected.
A central wage board is established within the Institute of Social
Reforms, to which appeals may be made. Employees and employers,
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respectively, may designate one of their number to represent them
before the central board. Members of these committees are entitled
to compensation for actual service rendered.
W a g e d e t e r m i n a t i o n .—Local wage committees shall determine a
minimum wage per day or piece: (1) When they find that wages are
lower than the minimum wages paid in the same industry in the same
locality or district; (2) when the Institute of Social Reforms, upon
its own initiation or upon the request of a group of employees or
employers of home workers, shall decide such measure necessary;
(3) when the judge of a competent court shall decide that the wages
being paid are insufficient; and (4) when the mixed committee shall
deem it advisable under extraordinary conditions, such as increased
demand for laborers, industrial expansion, increased cost of living,
etc. Materials and accessories furnished by the employer shall form
no part of wages.
The judge of an industrial court may declare null and void any
contract for home work in which he deems the stipulated wages are
insufficient.
P a y m e n t o f w a g e s .—Wages shall be paid weekly in coin, without
any deduction for materials furnished or for goods furnished on credit
by the employer, or for any other reason. Unless extraordinary
circumstances demand a revision, wage scales fixed by the committee
are to remain effective for a period of three years. Three months
before the expiration of this period the committee shall proceed to
determine a scale for the subsequent period.
No State, provincial, or municipal institution or dependency, no
commissioner or contractor engaged on public works or services, may
contract for any work to which the act applies at wages lower than
those fixed by the local or mixed wage committees.
O b l i g a ti o n o f e m p l o y e r s .—Every employer contracting for home
work as defined by this act is required to report to the local mixed
committee, if organized, or to the provincial labor inspection office,
that he has so contracted for work to be done outside of his regular
establishment, naming the place or places where it is to be done, fre
quency of payment of wages, and the date when the work is to be
finished; to furnish the names and addresses of persons employed on
his account; to post in a conspicuous place where work is given out
and received a printed table of wages and regulations as fixed under
authority of this act; to so regulate the giving out and the receiving of
work that the employees shall not have to wait in excess of a half hour;
to furnish each employee with a work card in the name of the em
ployee, on which entries are made showing the class and quantity
of work given him, date when the work is taken, wages to be paid,
and the value of the materials given out. The head of a family work
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shop and every employer of home workers shall furnish on demand
a list of all persons employed. Workers required to wait for mate
rials in excess of a half hour shall be paid for such excess time in
proportion to their earnings.
N e e d l e w o r k ; h o u r s o f la b o r .—A day’s work for women employed in
factories or workshops at needlework shall be, in general, 10 hours.
One year from the passage of this act it shall be reduced to nine
hours. One and a half hours shall be allowed for lunch. If indus
trial conditions demand it, work may he prolonged one hour per
day, not exceeding 60 days in a year, in such seasons as the character
of the work requires. Extra hours shall be paid at time and a half
rate. Where men and women are employed in the same establish
ment, the day’s work for all shall be that fixed by this act, or the
shortest day agreed upon or customary.
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SOCIAL INSURANCE.
R EPO R TS O N H EALTH INSURANCE A N D OLD-AGE P E N SIO N S.
CALIFORNIA.
The California Social Insurance Commission, created by legislative
enactment in 1915, made a report in 1917.1 The commission at
that time made a general survey of the social and industrial condi
tions of California in relation to the destitution problem and recom
mended that the State establish a social health insurance system.
Pursuant to the commission’s recommendation, the legislature pro
posed to the people of the State of California a health insurance en
abling amendment to remove technical constitutional obstacles stand
ing in the way of health insurance legislation. The life of the com
mission was continued and a report to the next session of the legisla
ture was requested. This report has just been made.2 In com
pliance with the terms of the creating act the commission determined
upon “ an intensive study of the problems involved in the adaptation
of a social health insurance system to the economic and political
organization of California.”
In addition to the majority and minority recommendations the
report contains a special critical discussion of medical administra
tion of health insurance by Dr. Woods Hutchinson.3 It also contains
a summary of the British health insurance law and digests of the
several reports on administration of national health insurance in
Great Britain, 1912 to 1917. That portion of the 1917 report relating
to the California survey is reprinted in the present report.
The recommendations of the majority of the commission are as
follows:
MAJORITY RECOMMENDATIONS.
The commission agreed on and announced certain standards which it regarded aa
essential to any bill which would be adaptable to California conditions. These
standards were:
1.
C o m p u l s o r y .—Insurance must be both voluntary and compulsory, but as to at
least a very large part of the insured, it must be compulsory. Experience in other
countries has demonstrated the necessity of this. A purely voluntary system does
not reach those who most need it. Its overhead charges are necessarily larger, com
pulsory contributions from employers are impracticable, and it does not admit of
free choice of doctors nor of exemption from medical examination.
i A su m m a ry of this report was published in the Monthly R eview for April, 1917, pp. 497-507.
* Report of the Social Insurance Commission of California.
March, 1919. 132 pp.
* Dr. Hutchinson’s article is printed in full on pp. 285 to 292 of this issue of the R eview .
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2 . C a r r ie r s .—In England the “ friendly societies,” unions, and similar voluntary
cooperative bodies are practically the sole carriers of insurance. In Germany the
carriers are private organizations, industrial groups, and the State. The commission
concluded, in the light of the experience of these other countries and of the civic
habits and traditions of our people, that the sole carrier of the medical benefits should
be the State, but that the cash or wages benefit should be carried either by the State
or by a fraternal or union, at the option of the insured, but not by private commercial
companies operated for profit.
3. B e n e f i t s .—The commission agreed that the scale of benefits ought, if possible, to
equal those now granted by California in case of industrial accidents, namely, full
medical and hospital care and two-thirds of wages. For the sake of simplicity of
administration, however, it would be admissible to divide wage earners into groups,
each with a standard medium or basic wage, and to compute the payment of premiums
and of benefits on this basic wage rather than making them an exact percentage of
the individual wage.
4. B e n e f ic ia r ie s .—The medical benefit shall include not merely the insured work
man himself, but his dependent family (wife and children).
5. P a y m e n t s .—The insurance fund as such shall be self-supporting and shall be
maintained by premiums paid by the insured employees and their employers. The
commission thinks that these payments should be equal in amount, except in certain
exceptional cases. Self-employed persons, being their own employers, if insured,
will obviously pay both premiums. The State’s contribution should go to the admin
istration of the act itself (not the fund) as in workmen’s compensation, and to equip
ping additional hospital facilities and medical administration. This payment by the
State should, if possible, amount to $1,000,000 per annum, but, by decreasing or
delaying hospital equipment, it can be done temporarily for less.
6. C h o ic e o j p h y s i c i a n .—Every insured person shall have the right to choose any
doctor practicing under the act, and every physician and surgeon licensed under the
laws of the State of California (as they now are or as they may hereafter be amended)
shall be permitted to practice under the act.
7. P a y m e n t o j p h y s i c i a n s .—Physicians practicing under the act shall, normally,
be paid by the “ panel” or per capita system; that is, each physician shall receive
a fixed amount per year for each person (including each dependent) registered as
choosing him as practitioner. Different arrangements may be authorized for spe
cialists, for organized groups, and for isolated communities.
8. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .—The act should be administered by the industrial accident
commission. There shall be under that commission a State and district medical
administration.
Details of the exact persons to be included, the nature of medical and related bene
fits, and of methods of administration are included in the outline of a proposed act
below. However, no attem pt will be made in this general report to go into minute
detail on questions of administration. The very full digest of the British act and of
reports on its practical operation included in this report will show as to each detail at
least a method by which each problem has been and can be met. We are by no means
recommending that in each instance the exact method employed in England should
be used in America; indeed, in some instances those methods would be inapplicable
to the system here recommended. But it is at least made plain that the questions of
detail which naturally arise in the inquirer’s mind are not new questions, and that
abundant experience exists and is available in the light of which they can be met.
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R ea son s
for
Sta n d a rd s.
In addition to those above indicated, the following reasons for each of the conclusions
of the commission may be given:
The reasons for compulsory rather than purely voluntary insurance are outlined
above. Both compulsory and any practical form of voluntary public insurance are
equally unconstitutional in California until an enabling amendment is passed, and
therefore no time would be gained by trying a voluntary system as a preliminary
experiment, and much might be lost, as has been done in countries which followed
this course, by virtue of the inevitable faults of a voluntary system—its failure to
reach those who most need it, its necessity for compulsory medical examination, and
other exclusions, and the impossibility of free choice of doctor under it, as well as the
impracticability of compulsory contributions from employers and voluntary contri
butions from employees in the same system. The only objection to “ compulsion” is
the sound of the word, and this objection has not come from those wrho would be
compelled, and are therefore the only ones concerned. Compulsion is merely the
means of universal application to all those coming within the provisions of the act.
The provision for a separation of medical and cash benefit carriers, with the State
as the sole carrier of medical benefits, but with unions and fraternals, as vrell as the
State, as cash benefit carriers, is peculiar to the California proposal. We think it
meets both the human and the business problems involved more simply and justly
than any other system. Few of the existing fraternal organizations now supply
medical attendance, and those few do it merely because there seems no one else to
do it; not because they find it a satisfactory part of their service. The provision of
medical benefits by private carriers of any sort involves “ contract m edicine” without
free choice of doctor. This has been the result of this system even under the indus
trial accident law. We are sure that both patients and physicians will be infinitely
better satisfied with a State system, in which all physicians electing to come under
the act practice on equal terms and patients choose for themselves among those
physicians.
We can see, on the other hand, no reason for excluding the existing fraternals and
unions from the cash benefit part of the insurance. I t is a business in which they are
engaged now, many of them very successfully. In England they are, with negligible
exceptions, the sole carriers. This amounts almost to a moral compulsion on them to
adndt all persons to their membership, which is manifestly undesirable in their own
interest. By allowing each insured person to choose for himself whether his wages
insurance shall be carried by a union, or fraternal, or by the State fund, provision is
made for all. There will of course be provision for supervision of these private funds
to insure solvency. The unions and fraternals would have certain competitive
advantages over the State, and the State would have certain other advantages, with
the certain result that each would find its field and place and that such competition
as remained would be stimulating to both and not destructive to either.
We do not believe that the German system of making semiofficial, semiprivate
industrial groups as the carriers is applicable to the conditions or the habits of American
communities.
Gash or wages benefits in England are very low. In Germany they are proportionate
to wages, but far below an American standard. We believe that in America they
should be high enough to meet the actual situation of the family whose income is cut
off by the sickness of the earning member. Experience with the workmen’s compen
sation act has shown that the standard of two-thirds of the wages is not too high, and is
frequently not high enough. A waiting period of a week or less is sufficient to check
all except chronic malingering, and this must and can be checked by proper medical
administration. I t is no answer to say that if the wages relief by insurance is inade
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quate, workers will supplement it by additional voluntary insurance. The poorest
paid will not; others will supplement it, if they do at all, either by insurance of which
they pay the complete cost themselves and to which industry contributes nothing, or
else by encroachments on savings, the loss of which by sickness is one of the chief
causes of dependency in old age.
In most countries the State makes a substantial contribution to the premium fund.
Under the existing tax system of California this would be probably impracticable.
The State can, however, provide the same administrative service which it does under
the industrial accident law at an actual saving of expense to itself over the cost of
adjudicating disputes in the courts, and it should provide improved medical equip
ment and administration, including diagnostic centers, not now generally available.
The freedom of the individual to choose his own physician, and of all physicians to
practice under the act on the authority of their State license, is too obviously desirable
to need discussion. The method of payment of physicians is more fully discussed by
Ur. Woods Hutchinson elsewhere in this report.
O u t l in e
op
A ct.
After careful consideration, the commission concluded that, considering the existing
constitutional situation and the fact that any legislation by California is necessarily
a matter for consideration by future legislatures, the system of social insurance required
to be presented in their report, as the conclusion of the commission, should be pre
sented in outline form rather than in the detailed draft of a tentative bill.
The conclusions and recommendations are:
I. SCOPE OP THE ACT.
There should be a health insurance act, both compulsory and voluntary, covering
at least the following persons:
1. C o m p u l s o r y .—All employed manual laborers, regardless of wages,' and all other
employed persons earning $1,600 a year or less should be compulsorily insured. There
should be no physical or medical examination required of the compulsorily insured.
2. V o l u n t a r y .—All other workers under the age of 60 earning $1,600 a year or less
should be entitled to come under the system voluntarily. Medical examination and
other conditions necessary to safeguard the fund may be required of the voluntarily
insured. Opportunity to insure for at least the medical benefits might be extended
also to persons of small income not engaged in gainful occupations.
3. E x e m p t e d e m p l o y m e n t s .—The following should be exempt: (a) Employees whose
employment is both casual and not in the course of the trade, business, or profession
of the employer; (b ) members of crews of vessels plying between ports of this State
and ports of other States or nations; (c) persons whose employment is subsidiary and
not their principal means of livelihood.
(No mention is here made of domestic servants and agricultural laborers as exempted. They are not
included in most workmen’s compensation acts in this country, but the commission does not recom
mend their exclusion.)
II. FINANCING OF THE ACT.
The insurance system shall be self-sustaining, supported by premiums to be paid in
equal amounts by the insured persons and by their employers. The State shall pay
for the administration of the act itself in the same way that it now does for the adminis
tration of the workmen's compensation act. In addition, it shall contribute an annual
sum, if possible, at least $1,000,000, for the equipment and maintenance of diagnostic
centers and for medical supervision.
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III.
PAYMENT OP CONTRIBUTIONS^.
In the case of employed persons compulsorily insured the employer shall in the first
instance pay the whole premium, deducting the employee’s half from his wages when
paid. The English stamp system, as outlined in the digest of the English act here
with, is recommended. Each employee is provided with an insurance hook, and his
contributions are pasted in in the form of stamps.
Self-employed persons, voluntarily insured, pay the whole premium themselves,
by the same system.
The commission recommends that the premiums paid and the benefits received be
proportional to wages, and not a flat rate; but for purposes of simplicity employees may
be divided into groups according to their wages, as for example those earning under
$15 a week, those earning between $15 and $22.50, and those earning between $22.50
and $30. A basic wage is determined for each group, and the premiums payable for
each person in the group shall be a fixed sum, computed as a percentage of that wage
and not a percentage of the actual individual wage. Actuarial figures, showing the
probable necessary premiums for the benefits proposed, were given in the former
report of the social insurance commission.
Provision should be made whereby the employer can, as is done in England, make
his payments, if desired, quarterly or half-yearly in high-value stamps.
IV.
BENEFITS.
There shall be both cash and medical benefits.
1. The cash, or sickness, benefit shall consist of a payment, after a waiting period
of not over one week, of two-thirds of the wages of the insured (or of the basic wage of
his group) during unemployment on account of sickness up to a lim it of 26 weeks.
2. The medical benefit shall include the services of a general practitioner of his
own choice for the insured person and his dependent family, and also:
( а ) Hospital treatment, including drugs and supplies, such as cotton, alcohol, etc.,
for the insured person and his dependent family for 26 weeks.
(б) Maternity benefit, including obstetrical care and a cash benefit of not less than
$25 to cover the extra expenses of childbirth, for the working woman and for the wife
of the workingman.
(c) Some provision for dental clinics.
(d ) Special tuberculosis treatment, entitling to 26 weeks’ institutional care in addi
tion to the 26 weeks provided for other sickness.
(e ) Funeral benefits of $100 for insured and dependents.
V.
INSURANCE CARRIERS.
The medical benefits shall be administered exclusively by a State medical fund.
The cash or wages benefits may be carried either with the State fund or with certain
private carriers, as provided in the following:
1. All bona fide mutual benefit organizations, fraternal organizations, unions, and
like organizations shall be permitted to be cash benefit carriers of health insurance,
and the insured person can take out his insurance for cash benefits in any such organ
ization he chooses, provided such organization complies with the regulations of the
commission as to minimum membership, solvency, etc., and becomes thereby an
approved society.
2. There shall, in addition, be created by the act a nonprofit making State fund,
to which all insured persons desiring to do so, and all other insured persons neglecting
to join some approved fraternal organization, shall belong for the purpose of cash
benefit insurance under this act.
3. Persons belonging to fraternal cash benefit carriers under the act shall be paid
their cash benefits by such organizations, and the portions of their premiums necessary
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to cover the cash benefit insurance shall be paid to the organization to which the in
sured persons belong.
In like manner, persons carrying their cash benefit insurance in the State fund
shall be paid their cash benefits from that fund, and the portions of their premiums
necessary to cover the cash benefit insurance shall be paid to the State fund.
The commission shall make regulations for the apportionment, collection, and pay
ment of these premiums and benefits.
4.
The medical benefits shall be administered exclusively by the State medical
fund. The portions of the premiums necessary to cover the medical benefit insur
ance shall be paid into this fund. All physicians rendering service under the act
shall be compensated out of this fund and all hospital bills for institutional care ren
dered under the act shall be paid out of this fund.
VI. MEDICAL FEATURES.
1. Every licensed physician and surgeon in the State of California shall be entitled
to practice under the act. The question who shall be entitled to practice in Cali
fornia, and on what conditions, is not for the health insurance act, but for the medical
practice act to determine. Whatever may be the requirements of that act, as it now
is or as it may hereafter be amended, becomes automatically the standard for practice
under the health insurance act.
2. Each insured person shall have the right, and if he has a dependent wife she
shall have the right, to choose any physician practicing under the act. The commis
sion shall make regulations for the registration of physicians wishing to practice under
the act and for the registration of the selections of the insured persons among such
physicians. I t may also fix the maximum number of patients which may be cared
for by any one physician, and may provide for the apportionment of persons failing
to make any choice of physicians.
3. The normal method of payment of physicians shall be on a capitation basis each
physician receiving a fixed sum per year for each person (including dependents) regis
tered as under his care. The commission shall be empowered to make other arrange
ments for isolated localities, and in all other cases where special arrangement is
necessary.
4. Provision shall be made for specialist as well as for general medical service. This
can be done in some instances by recognizing organized groups of physicians. In
general, it should be done by the establishment of diagnostic centers in all the prin
cipal centers, with laboratories, and usually attached to hospitals. In most cases the
specialists attached to these centers should be engaged on the part-time salary basis.
The determination who are qualified specialists should be made in the first instance
by a medical board so organized as to eliminate political or factional favoritism, but
any practitioner should also have the right to qualify himself as a specialist by passing
a satisfactory examination. A suitable sum shall be set aside from the medical
premium funds to provide for specialist salaries and necessary laboratory fees.
VII. ADMINISTRATION.
1.
The industrial accident commission shall administer the health insurance act.
2. The commission shall appoint a medical director to supervise the administration
of the medical provisions of the act.
3. The medical director shall district the State into districts and in charge of each
district appoint a district director, a full-time man if possible, to supervise the
administration of the medical benefits within that district. The duties of the district
director shall be twofold :
(a) To be technically responsible for the issuing of certificates stating the insured
person’s eligibility to sickness benefit. (In practical effect this would make him a
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medical referee to relieve the attending physician of the unpleasant responsibility
of declaring his patient “ on” or “ off” the sick benefit list. Ordinarily this will be a
perfunctory rubber stamping of the physician’s certificate.)
( b ) To be available for the arbitration in the first instance of medical disputes
between insured persons and their physicians or between several physicians practicing
under the act.
N ote.—Soma device should be worked out as a regulation of the commission to prevent unnecessary
appealing of trivial cases arbitrated by the medical district director by making it, for example, financially
risky to take an appeal or some such discouraging provision. There should be a partially lay local board
provided for as a court of appeal, by which disputes appealed from the district director can be tried, and
appeal from this board should be allowed to the commission in certain, cases.
One commissioner dissented from the conclusions of the majority
of the commission and submitted the following report:
MINORITY REPORT.
I concur In the recommendation of the majority members of the State social insurance
commission in favor of the establishment in California of a system of compulsory State
health insurance and in such features of the report of said majority members as are not
inconsistent with this minority report. The points of difference between myself
and the other members of our commission arise over questions of detail in working out a
system of State health insurance adapted to California conditions.
Various efforts have been made to adapt to American conditions one or another of
the various forms of State health insurance th a t have grown up in Europe in the last 50
years. In my judgment, the two most successful efforts along this line are represented
by the “ health insurance law” submitted under the auspices of the New York State
Federation of Labor to the New York Legislature in 1918 and the suggested outlines of
a bill for a system of State health insurance contained in the present report of the
majority members of our California State social insurance commission. Both of these
proposed bills contain excellent modifications of the European systems. I t is unfor
tunate that these modifications have not been consolidated into a single bill more
thoroughly adapted to American conditions than any bill previously drawn, and the
effort to accomplish this consolidation is the purpose of this minority report. I have
taken the New York Federation of Labor bill as the basis for the bill which I submit,
and in many places the language of the two bills is identical. From the New York bill
I have accepted three important provisions that are at variance with the recommenda
tions of the majority report of our California commission, namely:
The inclusion of all employees, regardless of how high their wages may be.
The exclusion of fraternal orders and labor unions from the State health insurance
system as such.
The standardization of contributions (or premiums) and of cash benefits. (On this
latter point I have gone slightly further than the New York bill.)
From the recommendations of the California commission I have accepted three
important provisions that are at variance with the New York bill, namely:
One State-wide fund in place of many local, establishment, and trade funds.
One State-wide system of administration, in place of many administrations corre
sponding to many funds.
Uniform medical benefits throughout the State, in place of variable medical bene
fits corresponding to various funds.
A detailed examination of the bill I submit will disclose various lesser points of
difference with both the New York bill and with the recommendations of the California
commission. In explanation of the various points above referred to, I offer the follow
ing considerations:
State health insurance should be (1) inclusive, (2) simple, (3) uniform, (4) tolerant,
(5) wholly governmental.
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In order to have the above five characteristics, State health insurance should differ
from the plan submitted by the majority members of the State social insurance com
mission in the following particulars:
S ta t e H ea l t h I n s u r a n c e S h o u l d b e I n c l u s iv e .
“ ( a ) The premiums should be a uniform flat rate for all insured persons, such as
10 cents a day; for example, 5 cents from the employee and 5 cents from the employer,
instead of a percentage of the weekly wage, the premium varying with different em
ployees. The uniform flat-rate premium will facilitate the inclusion of the changefully employed.”
A State health insurance system which does not apply to all citizens alike, but which
applies only to workers, is an innovation in itself in our American conception of proper
governmental functions. But a State health insurance system that is adapted to
furnish benefits to some workers (such as the regularly employed) and not to others
(such as the changefully employed) unnecessarily violates the American intuition.
When premiums (and cash benefits also) are on the basis of a percentage of the wages,
the problem of including the irregularly or changefully employed is much more diffi
cult than when premiums (and cash benefits also) are on a uniform flat rate.
The percentage of wages basis is the German system. Conditions of employment
have been much more stable in Germany than in the United States. Changes in
employment, in employer, and in residence have been less frequent there than here.
The problem of the changefully employed is consequently not so great there as here.
The German health insurance system revolves largely around the relationship of
the particular employee to his particular employer. An American health insurance
system must revolve more around the relationship of the citizen to the State. Our
California Social Insurance Commission has recognized this fact by providing in ita
proposed law for but one State-wide fund, in place of the many local, trade, and estab
lishment funds of the German system. I t has also provided a uniform percentage
of wages scale of premiums for all employees under the insurance scheme, in place of
the varying scales of premiums of the different funds of the German system. But
these changes are not all the changes that should be made. We must still further
Americanize the system by making it as inclusive as possible.
In order to work out a practical system for including the changefully employed, we
must have a system calling for flat premiums and flat cash benefits, such as a premium
of 10 cents a day (5 cents from employer and 5 cents from the employee) and a flat
cash benefit in case of sickness, such as $1 a day.
Some employees who work the year around for the same employer may have a defi
nite wage, on which a percentage can be easily calculated, but with other classes of
employees the exact amount of their wage is difficult to determine. Tips, free lodg
ing and board, piecework, commissions, changeful employment—’these factors may
make it difficult to determine exactly how much the wages are and what the premiums
and cash benefits should be if they are to be figured as a percentage of the wages.
Consideration of these facts must have had weight with Lloyd George, for in estab
lishing the English health insurance system he discarded the percentage of wages
basis of the German system and provided for uniform flat premiums and uniform flat
cash benefits.
S ta t e H ea l th I n s u r a n c e S h o u l d b e S im p l e .
“ (b ) The cash benefit paid during illness to insured persons should be a small uni
form flat rate for all insured persons, such as a dollar a day, for example, instead of a
percentage of the daily wage, varying with different employees. This will greatly
simplify the administration.”
The American people are not proficient in the intricacies of governmental adminis
tration. Probably no democracy is thus proficient. Democracies have not as yet
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learned how to work out efficient bureaucracies. We hope they will so learn some
day, but we must not anticipate that day too rapidly by advocating a too complex form
of health insurance.
The administration of a health insurance system will be much simpler if the cash
benefits paid during sickness are on a uniform flat-rate basis, low in amount, than if
they are on a percentage of wages basis, and high in amount. I t will be much
simpler to make the collections in and the payments out. The bookkeeping by
the State in keeping track of the payments made for each employee, the bookkeep
ing by employers in making payments for their employees, will both be much simpler.
The problems of malingering and of valetudinarianism will be much simpler to
meet if the cash benefits do not exceed a dollar a day than if the cash benefits amount
to two-thirds of the wages. The greater the amount of the cash benefits, the greater
the temptation to malinger. No State health insurance system in the world pays as
high a cash benefit as two-thirds of the wages.
Such a high schedule of payments would require a more perfect system of super
vision and administration to control the problems of malingering and of valetudinar
rianism than has been attained anywhere in the world.
S ta t e H ea l th I n s u r a n c e S h o u l d b e U n if o r m .
“ (c) The compulsory contributions for the financial support of the system should
apply to all employees, regardless of how high their wages may be, instead of apply
ing only to employees whose wages are less than a specified sum.”
The American sentiment against legislation that makes class distinctions is un
necessarily affronted if we say a health insurance system shall apply to all employees
earning less than a specified sum per year, but shall not apply to employees earning
more than that sum. There is no need for making this distinction. The system
should apply to all employees, even to a $100,000 a year employee. If the premiums
and cash benefits are on a uniform flat basis, there can be no charge of unfairness in
the rates such as might be made if the rates were on the percentage of wages basis.
Neither can the charge be made that it is unfair to the medical profession to include
high-priced employees in the health insurance system. State health insurance can
only succeed if it pays the doctors a just compensation for the services they may
render. State health insurance can not succeed if it rests upon charity from, or oppres
sion of, the medical profession. If State health insurance pays the doctors a just
compensation for the services they may render, then no injustice is done the doctors
by increasing the number of employees included in the insurance system, for the com
pensation would increase correspondingly. I t is estimated that a capable doctor, in
a thickly settled community, devoting his entire time to health insurance practice,
can take care of 2,000 persons on his panel. The lowest figure that has been considered
as payment to the doctors has been $4 per annum per person on a panel. Eight
thousand dollars a year, cash, paid from a State-controlled fund, involves no oppression
to the medical profession.
State H ealth I n su r a n c e S h o uld b e T o le r a n t.
“ ( d ) Persons having conscientious scruples against the use of scientific medicine,
as regulated by the State, should have the right to exempt themselves from the health
insurance system by making an appropriate affidavit.”
The argument is conclusive that State health insurance must be compulsory in
order to be cheap and effective. Nevertheless, State health insurance must have the
quality of tolerance if it is going to succeed in a democracy. There are some people
who may be called medical nonconformists. They have deep-seated convictions or
prejudices against scientific medicine, which, of course, is the only kind of medical
service the State could furnish. Medical nonconformists would insist that they should
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not be required to contribute to the financial support of a health insurance system
whose benefits they could not accept. They would receive rather general popular
support in this position.
Medical nonconformists should be allowed to exempt themselves from the health
insurance by signing an affidavit stating their opposition to the forms of medical
service offered by the State. In actual practice, relatively few would do this, and
their absence from the health insurance system would contribute greatly to the smooth
running of the system, for nonconformity and general contrariness are sometimes
closely allied.
S tate H ea l th I n s u r a n c e S h o u ld b e W holly G o v e r n m e n t a l .
“ ( e) The State health insurance system should be administered entirely by the
State, and the fraternal orders and labor unions should have no part in the State
system. Fraternal orders and labor unions should be allowed to fill a separate, addi
tional place of their own, entirely outside the State system.”
European Governments have had a way of mixing up public and private matters.
Public money, over there, may go to the support of privately controlled religious
organizations, or to the support of privately, managed schools. So with the European
systems of health insurance. They are operated in part by the Governments and in
part by fraternal orders, labor unions, and individual industrial establishments. This
is not the American way, and we should not copy thetee features of European health
insurance.
The plan of the majority members of our California Social Insurance Commission,
that a California health insurance law should provide that the cash benefits may be
carried with the State fund, or with a fraternal order or labor union, at the option of
the insured employee, is unsound. I t will add unnecessary complexities to the health
insurance system; it will call for an unnecessary and un-American supervision by the
State of California of the business of fraternal orders and labor unions; it will give rise
to constant friction between the fraternal orders and labor unions, on the one hand, and
the doctors who furnish the medical service under the direction of the State, on the
other hand; and it will subject the State fund to unfair competition.
On this last point, it is manifest that fraternal orders will find 'it greatly to their
profit to admit only good health risks to their membership, but the State fund must take
all the workers who apply. True, the law may prohibit fraternal orders from making
the passing of a physical examination a condition of admission to the orders, but no
law can prevent a fraternal order from being shrewd in the matter of its membership.
Making a fraternal order a man’s order will automatically exclude women, who are a
greater health risk. An effort to secure young men as members, leaving the old men
for the State fund, would be unfair to the State fund. A very ordinary membership
committee of a fraternal order, with no medical skill whatever, with a simple “ once
over” on new applicants for membership, could sufficiently separate good health
risks from poor health risks, leaving the latter for the State fund, so that the result
would be a competition grossly unfair to the State fund.
I t may be desirable not to exclude fraternal orders and labor unions from the health
insurance field, but it is not desirable to muddle them in with the State system. A
much better way is the recent recommendation on this particular point by the special
committee of the New York State Federation of Labor. This recommendation is that
the cash benefits paid by the State should be small and should be handled entirely by
the State, and that insured employees be allowed to carry additional cash benefits, if
they so desire, in fraternal orders or labor unions.
On the point that the administration of a State health insurance system should be
wholly governmental, I particularly wish to emphasize the wisdom of but one fund
and it State wide and State administered. In a State-wide fund the disturbing
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effects, from an actuarial point of -view, of local epidemics is minimized. In a State
wide fund with uniform premium charges, employees who have the misfortune to work
in unhealthful trades are not penalized because of their misfortune; they should pay
no higher premium rate than others. The various lines of industry are so mutually
dependent that industry may be said to be one and should bear its burdens equally.
One trade should not seek to separate itself from others in the burden of health insur
ance. Establishment funds should not be allowed because of the increased incentive
to the proprietor to hire only such employees as can pass a physical examination. The
permission of establishment funds will increase the difficulty of gray-haired men
getting employment. The mobility of labor is best preserved by a State-wide fund,
administered exclusively by the State.
T h e E x p e n s e of H ealth I n s u r a n c e S h o u ld b e K ept D o w n .
I wish to add a few words on this point.
Health insurance does not provide invalidity or old-age insurance. Health insur
ance provides only for temporary illnesses. When illness becomes permanent, either
in the form of permanent invalidity or of old age, the insured person loses all further
insurance or benefits from the health insurance system.
This is a hard condition, and if health insurance were established, would soon be
thought of as an intolerable condition. The just demand would arise for more money
with which to establish invalidity and old-age insurance.
The establishment of invalidity and old-age insurance must not be unduly delayed
by the fact that health insurance has absorbed an undue proportion of the available
funds. The best way to keep down the cost of health insurance is to keep the cash
benefits small, such as $1 a day, instead of large, such as two-thirds of the wages.
This will leave funds available for the earlier introduction of invalidity and old-age
insurance. The principal value of invalidity and old-age insurance lies in the cash
money benefits they pay out. The principal value of health insurance lies in the
adequate medical service it renders at a low cost and in the compulsory contributions
from industry.
The health insurance law which follows sets forth in detail and in legal form the
various points presented in this minority report. The adoption of such a bill
must be preceded by an amendment to our State constitution that will give the
necessary constitutional basis for the bill. In drafting such a constitutional amend
ment, the requirements of such a bill should be kept clearly in mind.
OHIO.
In 1917 the Legislature of Ohio authorized a commission to make
inquiry into the subject of sickness and its causes; the resultant
losses, public and private; methods of treatment, and provisions by
insurance and otherwise against losses; also to inquire into the sub
ject of old age in its relation to industry and the public interest,
and the adequacy of existing methods of caring for aged workers
(Acts of 1917, p. 520). The commission was authorized to expend
not to exceed $25,000 in carrying out their work. Seven persons
were named on this commission, who appointed a director of inves
tigations and a corps of assistants. The commission also procured
the cooperation of a number of advisory committees representing
social agencies, the State Manufacturers’ Association, the State Med
ical Association, and the State Federation of Labor.
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Special investigations were undertaken in a number of fields, of
which seven are noted as being the most important. These covered
mutual societies providing insurance benefits; fraternal sickness in
surance and trade-union sick benefit funds; care for the aged in
county infirmaries and private homes for the aged, including statis
tics on the causes of dependency; a house-to-house canvass in the
city of Hamilton to determine the extent of old-age unemployment
and dependency, and the economic condition among people over 50
years of age; a study of child welfare in public and private institu
tions; and health hazards and protective provisions in mining dis
tricts. A sickness survey of several cities was planned, but was
abandoned on account of the epidemic of influenza. Six public hear
ings were held in as many cities of the State, besides eight executive
hearings, at which persons specially invited gave testimony on par
ticular aspects of the investigations. By the issue of preliminary
statements of fact and of the subject matter to be considered,
witnesses were enabled to speak directly to the matter in hand, and
the commission considered ‘‘that the hearings were a decided success.”
T h e r e p o r t 1 is d iv id ed in to th r ee p a rts: S ick n ess and sick n ess
p rev en tio n , h e a lth in su ran ce, and old a ge and o ld -a g e p en sio n s. E x
te n s iv e a p p e n d ix es p rep ared b y sp e c ia lists d iscu ss (A) th e h ea lth
in su ra n ce m o v e m e n t in th e U n ite d S ta te s, (B ) n a tio n a l h e a lth in sur
a n ce in G reat B r ita in , (C) sic k n e ss in su ra n ce in G erm a n y , (D ) th e
h e a lth of O hio coal m in ers, and (E ) o ld -a g e p en sio n s in th e B ritish
E m p ire. T h ere are also su m m a ries of th e h e a lth and sa n ita ry la w s
of O hio and of th e te stim o n y g iv e n b efo re th e com m ission .
The first chapter presents a summary of findings and recommenda
tions, which was reproduced in full in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w
for March, 1919, pages 264-282. Two members of the commission dis
sented from the recommendations favoring health insurance and one
from that in favor of a system of old-age pensions.
O b jectio n s to h e a lth in su ra n ce are th e co m p u lso ry fea tu re, sa c ri
ficin g in d ep en d en ce, and th e d istr ib u tio n o f th e c o st e q u a lly b etw e en
em p lo y er and em p lo y ee , and re stin g on no b road er so c ia l b a sis. O b jec
tio n s to o ld -a g e p en sio n s ra ise th e q u e stio n as to th e c o n sta n t p ressure
for en la r g em en t of a m o u n ts; w h e th er th e y w o u ld b e regard ed as a
fo rm of poor relief, or if n o t, as a so r t of d eferred w a g e p a y m e n t; and
if th e la tte r , w o u ld th e y h a v e th e effect of k eep in g d o w n w a g e ra tes;
w h a t th e effect w o u ld b e as regards th e m o v e m e n t o f la b o r in to and
o u t of th e S ta te , n eig h b o rin g S ta te s h a v in g no su ch la w s. O ther
p aragrap h s d ev elo p th e su b je c ts of th e effect on se lf-h elp and o n th e
r e v en u e s y s te m of th e S ta te . T h ese are n o t offered as fin al ob jec1 Health, health insurance, old-age pensions; report, recommendations, dissenting opinions. By the
Ohio Health and Oid-Age Insurance Commission, Columbus, February, 1919. xiii, 448 pp.
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tions, since experience may yet lead to a solution of the problems
suggested to the satisfaction of the member raising these questions.
The report is of permanent value in its suggestions as to modes of
procedure and in the presentation of the results following its own
investigations, as well as in the subject matter of its appendixes,
giving, as they do, surveys of a wide range and of specific experience.
The gist of the report is fully set forth in the summary already noted
as published in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for March, 1919, to which
reference is made, in order to avoid duplication.
PEN N SY L V A N IA .!
A resolution of the Pennsylvania Legislature, passed in 1917,
authorized the governor to appoint a commission of “seven rep
utable citizens,” two members of the bar of the Supreme Court of
the State who have studied social problems, two employers of labor,
two members of recognized labor organizations, and a woman
experienced in the study of social problems, to look into the general
subject of old-age pensions. No salaries were to be paid to these
members, but an expense fund of $5,000 was appropriated.
This resolution was approved July 25, 1917. The first meeting of
the commission was held November 20, but work did not begin until
February, 1918, or, rather, until June, when a director of research
was selected. Coupled with the fact that a report was required “not
later than March 15, 1919,” it is apparent that a very elaborate
undertaking was not possible, especially with the financial limit set.
Hearings were dispensed with after one or two had been held, as
being of “ little value unless the commission is equipped with some
facts and knowledge of the subject to be discussed. Most of the
material ordinarily presented at such hearings is largely repetitions
or reiterations of opinions held by individuals, often with no facts to
substantiate them.”
Large use was made of existing reports of commissions and indi
viduals in regard to plans in use in foreign countries and the different
forms of insurance or pensions proposed elsewhere. Causes under
lying dependency and poverty among the aged, present conditions,
and the remedies required were studied by personal interviews with
3,405 inmates 50 years of age and over, in 60 almshouses in the
State and 2,170 inmates of 65 fraternal and benevolent homes for
the aged. Records of charity organizations furnished similar infor
mation for nearly 500 aged recipients of private relief in the State.
In addition to this, house-to-house canvasses were made by the
commission’s agents in the cities of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and
Reading, covering some 4,500 nondependent men and women 50
‘Report of the Pennsylvania Commission on Old-Age Pensions, March,
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283
years of age and over. Other sources of information as to points in
interest were the pensions systems adopted by various industrial
concerns in the State, by railroads, municipalities, the State, the
United States, and by fraternal organizations and trade-unions.
The results of these inquiries led to the conclusion that aside from
the persons found to be actually dependent on public or private aid
43 per cent of the population of the State 50 years of age and over
had no other means of support than their personal earnings; but 38
per cent claimed to own personal property. The prime of life having
passed, there is frequently a loss of position, with consequent de
crease in earnings on a change of occupation, even where any form
of employment is procurable. “ In certain industries, like that of
the railroads, for instance, it appears that more than one-half of the
workers become impaired before their fiftieth birthday."
The problem of the pauper was found to be largely a native one,
and not seriously affected by immigration, at least of recent date.
As to marital conditions, it appeared that 40 per cent of the alms
house group were single, 39 per cent were widowed, and but 16.9
per cent had living consorts. In the benevolent homes for the’aged,
30.1 per cent were single, 58.3 per cent widowed, and 7.8 per cent
married. “ More than 65 per cent of both these groups had no
children living, and of those that had children more than 90 per cent
were reported unable to help support." Among nondependents but
5.4 per cent were single, 38.2 per cent widowed, while 55.1 per cent
were married and living together. Only 10.6 per cent of the latter
group had no children living. With regard to health, 64 per cent of
the aged persons residing in their own homes were in fair or sound
physical condition, while in the almshouses but 12.3 per cent could
be so classed; 39.5 per cent of those in benevolent institutions were
reported as in fair or good health.
“ T h a t d ep en d e n c y in P e n n s y lv a n ia is n o t en tire ly d ue to th e
p erso n a l sh o rtco m in g s of th e in d iv id u a ls is ev id en ced b y th e e x c e l
le n t re co m m en d a tio n s g iv e n p ra ctic a lly all th e in m a te s of a lm sh o u ses
fo llo w ed up by th e com m issio n b y th eir form er em p lo y ers. G iv in g
d u e co n sid era tio n to th e fa c t th a t m o st h u m a n s w ill stra in a p o in t
ra th er th a n g iv e a p oor reco m m en d a tio n , th e relia b le q u a litie s of
th e se in m a te s are ev id e n c ed n e v e r th e le ss b y th e fa c t th a t m o st of
th e m h a v e served for lo n g p eriod s of tim e w ith on e em p lo y er, 40
p er c e n t serv in g fo r m ore th a n 10 years."
Existing means of caring for the aged were found to be insufficient
and without promise of ever being able to meet the situation. “ It
is shown that of all the numerous forms of aged benefit provided
only about 10,000 aged people in the State are actually benefited.
Of the numerous large industries in Pennsylvania, only about 20
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make it a rule to care for their aged employees after long and faithful
service.” Even on the railroads, of which all the larger ones have
pension systems, the “ number of workers actually benefited, as
compared with the total number of workers in this industry, is
insignificant.” Incidentally, very unsatisfactory conditions were
disclosed in a number of the poorhouses, including laxity of manage
ment, failure to keep records and accounts, and disadvantageous
intermingling of classes of criminals, diseased, and defectives with
other inmates.
Teachers’ retirement systems were undergoing considerable change
at the time of the investigation by reason of legislation enacted in
1917. While this act offered apparent grounds for encouragement,
the experience of past years emphasized “ the inadequacy and de
ficiencies of the systems in operation at present.” Municipal funds
in existence at the date of the report were few in number and of
limited scope. “ Only a negligible number” of fraternal and beneficial
associations have old-age benefits, and the efforts of labor organiza
tions to arrange for the care of their aged members have not achieved
such success as to indicate any very general relief by their aid.
The State Federation of Labor is said to have been for a decade an
active advocate of a State-wide pension plan for all aged workers.
The report is offered by the commission as only tentative. Limits
of time and means and “ the extraordinary times in which it was
forced to do its work” are given as reasons for an unwillingness to
regard the results of its efforts as final. The commission recom
mends further study of relief systems in those countries in which
the test of war has proved their soundness, a fuller determination of
the number of people in the State actually in need when reaching
old age, and approximate estimate of the sums now expended upon
the dependent aged by the various public and private relief organiza
tions, and more knowledge of the income and expenditures of wage
earners as an aid in choosing between contributory and noncontri
butory systems. For the reasons indicated, no bill was proposed,
but the hope was expressed that whether through the same commis
sion or another body “ the study of the problem will be further carried
on and promoted to a successful determination.”
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MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION OF HEALTH INSURANCE.
BY DR. WOODS HUTCHINSON.
[Reprinted from report of Social Insurance Commission of the State of California, March, 1919.]
T h e k e y n o te of th e m ed ica l a d m in istra tio n of h e a lth in su ra n ce is
th e c a p ita tio n sy ste m . T h is lifts th e w h o le re la tio n of d o cto r and
p a tie n t a b o v e th e le v e l of m ere b argain and sale, h u c k ster in g across
th e cou n ter, so m u c h tim e for so m a n y dollars, th e p a tie n t c o n sta n tly
try in g to g e t th ro u g h w ith as lit t le a tte n tio n and as few v isits as
p o ssib le in order to k eep d ow n th e siz e of th e b ill and th e d o cto r
fee lin g th a t h is d ig n ity and h is d u ty to h is p ro fessio n forb id h im
fro m ren d erin g a n y serv ices b elo w th e form al r a te fix ed in th e fee
bill.
T h e p r o sp e c tiv e p a tie n t p a y s a p rem iu m in to an in su ra n ce fun d.
O u t of th is fu n d th e d octor of h is ow n ch oice, in w h o m h e h a s m o st
co n fid en ce, is p aid a rea so n a b le fix ed su m per an nu m , in retu rn for
w h ic h h e is to do h is v e r y b e st to p ro tec t th e p a tie n t’s h e a lth and to
re lie v e h im in case o f d isease, le a v in g th e h o w m u ch and h o w o ften
an d w h e n an d w h ere of su ch p r o te c tio n to h is ow n b e st ju d g m e n t
an d th e re a so n a b le d esires of th e p a tie n t. T h e p resen t s y ste m of
fix ed fee s for d efin ite se rv ices is u tte r ly irration a l and a n tiso cia l and
sh o u ld b e ab olish ed as p r o m p tly as p ossib le, in th e b e st in te re sts of
th e p a tie n t, th e d octor, and th e co m m u n ity .
T h e se co n d g re a t a d v a n ta g e of th e c a p ita tio n s y ste m is th a t it
en a b les u s to a p p ly th e la w of averages, m a k in g th e g o o d y ea rs carry
th e b ad an d th e p eop le w h o tem p o ra rily are fo r tu n a te en o u g h to
en jo y g o o d h e a lth to h elp o u t th o se w h o are le ss lu ck y , and again in
th eir turn to b e h elp ed o u t b y th e m w h en sick n ess o v erta k es th em .
T h e s y s te m h a s its d ifficu lties, of course, b u t m o st of th e m are
su ch as in h ere in th e gen eral p ra ctice of m ed icin e as su ch — th a t, for
in sta n c e , of allo w in g som e m a n to ta k e h u g e n u m b ers of p a tie n ts
and th u s draw th eir fees w ith ju st as lit t le effort and a tte n tio n on
th eir p a rt as w ill a v o id an op en o u tb reak and lo ss of th eir clien tele.
T h is ty p e of d o cto r alread y e x ists in ab u n d an ce. E v e r y large com
m u n ity or su cc essfu l m a n u fa ctu rin g to w n sh ow s on e or tw o sp eci
m en s u n d er th e p resen t a n te d ilu v ia n m eth o d s of m ed ica l p ractice.
T h e ch ec k to th is sort of th in g , w h ich e x ists u nd er th e p resen t co n
d itio n s, w o u ld also a p p ly u nd er so cia l in su ran ce, th a t is to sa y , th a t
if a n y on e d octor, b y v ir tu e of in g ra tia tin g m a n n ers and sk illfu l
m ea su res of h is p rom o tio n , h as su cceed ed in g e ttin g u p o n h is b o o k s
m ore p a tie n ts th a n h e can p rop erly ta k e care of, th o se w h o co n sid er
th e m se lv e s n e g le c te d w ill sim p ly drop off h is lis t and se le c t an o th er
less b u s y and m ore co n sc ien tio u s p h y sicia n .
In lik e m an n er, th e p rob lem of elim in a tin g u n fit p ra ctitio n ers of
m ed icin e is n o g reater u n d er so cia l in su ran ce th a n it w o u ld b e u nd er
118265°— 19----- 19
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the present system. In fact the demand lias arisen in England for
an individual known as a medical referee, who to a considerable
extent fulfills this and other quite useful functions. He is a whole
time ipan, selected for his ability and character, who acts as a sort
of referee for all three of the parties concerned—patient, doctor, and
employer. He may be called by any one of the three, and may cast
a deciding vote in the various questions which arise, as, for instance,
whether a worker who has been ill is really fit or unfit to return to
work, etc. Any person who thinks he has not received proper
attention or been adequately cared for can appeal to this functionary.
If he finds that incompetence or neglect has occurred, he can bring
the offending physician before the local or central insurance com
mission board. Several districts have already appointed a medical
referee, and they report great satisfaction with the arrangement.
The same official could also have general supervision of the methods
of record keeping and keep a watchful eye on their being kept up
to the standard. It is advisable to have these records as simple
as possible and as free from mere red tape or official bookkeeping
as possible. Many of the English physicians have found it a great
advantage to employ in their offices for, say, every 1,000 or 1,500
names which they take under the panel system, a clerk, or secretary,
or bookkeeper, who attends to this part of the work. With her
assistance, they say that they can easily take care of 2,000 panel
patients, in addition to their original private practice.
A s for th e m an n er of b rin g in g th e d octor and p a tie n t to g eth e r, th e
E n g lish p a n el sy ste m ap pears to b e a t on ce a b o u t th e sim p lest,
g iv in g fr e e st ch oice and le a st lia b le to ab use of an y th a t can be
d ev ised . I t h as w ork ed e x tr e m e ly w ell in E n g la n d , th e in sured
p erso n b ein g in th e first p la ce g iv e n free ch o ice of th e p h y sic ia n
w h o m h e p refers, and in th e se co n d p lace h a v in g fu ll lib e r ty to
ch an ge h is p h y sic ia n eith er after so m a n y d a y s’ n o tic e or a t certa in
sta te d tim es in th e year.
There is, in my judgment, no danger whatever that the great major
ity of California physicians would refuse to come upon the panel. The
experience of the English medical profession is perhaps illuminating
in this regard. Before the Lloyd-George insurance act was finally
passed by Parliament, it had started the bitterest and most intense
opposition among the English medical profession. A majority of
the physicians in Great Britain had actually bound themselves by
signing an agreement never under any circumstances to allow their
names to go upon the panels if the law went into effect. There are
about 30,000 physicians in Great Britain. The law was passed, and
within 24 hours 10,000 of these physicians had offered their names
to go upon the panel; within 48 hours 20,000 were eager to be counted
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u p o n fo r se rv ic es; an d w ith in a m o n th , n in e -te n th s o f all th e d o cto rs
in G reat B r ita in w ere on th e p an el.
A s to th e lim it u p o n th e n u m b er of p erso n s an y on e d o cto r can
h a v e u n d er h is care, in m y ju d g m e n t th is sh o u ld n o t b e to o g r e a tly
in siste d u p on . T h ere is a g re a t differen ce in in d iv id u a l c a p a c ity
in th is regard, an d as a ru le th e m a n w h o b y g o o d re p u ta tio n , p le a sa n t
address, and en er g etic m eth o d s h a s su cc ee d e d in g e ttin g a large
n u m b er— in so m e in sta n c es in E n g la n d g e ttin g as h ig h as 6 ,0 0 0
or 7,000 n a m es on h is lis t — u su a lly em p lo y s or a sso c ia tes w ith
h im from tw o to fo u r y o u n g e r p h y sic ia n s, and d iv id es th e w o rk so
e v e r y p a tie n t is g iv e n ad eq u a te and s a tisfa c to r y serv ice.
H o w ev er,
it m ig h t b e w ell to h a v e a m a x im u m lim it of, sa y , 4 ,0 0 0 p a tie n ts for
an y one in d iv id u a l w h o h as n o t a sso c ia ted w ith him o th er d o cto rs
in h is w ork .
Practically, in the English experience, when the panel is made up
and the insured persons are requested to select their physicians,
there is always a considerable minority, ranging from one-fourth to
sometimes almost one-half of the total, who either know no physician
personally or have no choice in the matter and who ask the local
commission to assign them to a doctor. In so doing the commission
naturally and sensibly takes into account the number of names
which each doctor already has upon his panel and distributes these
no-choiee names among the doctors who are not overloaded with
patients, and as these usually happen to be the younger men, who
are keen and active and eager to make a reputation for themselves,
the result is, first, that the medical resources of the community are
more evenly and fairly distributed than at present, and second, the
patients get on an average much better attention than they do
under the present haphazard system of everybody flocking to get
upon the books of the most popular and successful or fashionable
doctor.
There should, of course, be a wide distinction made between
rural and urban practice in this respect. One physician might be
able to take care of 3,000 patients who live within 2 miles of his
house much more easily and satisfactorily than he could 1,500
patients who liye scattered over a radius of 5 or 6 miles in all directions
around him. There should also be taken into account the question
of overlapping, and where two or three physicians in a given district
have, we will say, 5,000 names among them, a reasonable attempt
should be made to exchange and adjust among themselves so that
each man will live as nearly as possible within the center of or within
easy reach of his own group, instead of the three of them covering
the whole area, perhaps 10 miles square. -This is already being done
in many English districts.
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T h e c a p ita tio n s y s te m w ou ld w ork ju st as w ell in rural d istric ts
in C alifornia as in u rb an d istric ts, p ro v id in g th a t carefu l a tte n tio n
w as p aid to in te llig e n t g rou p in g o f p a tie n ts around th e h o m e or
office o f th e d octor, and th a t a s y s te m of th o r o u g h ly g o o d c o u n ty
roads b e laid o u t in e v e r y d istric t, and p o ssib ly so m e sp ec ia l allow
a n ce b e m a d e to th e d octors w h o h a v e to co v er th in ly s e ttle d areas
for th e p u rch ase and u p k eep of a u to m o b iles.
I t is q u ite d esirab le th a t th e a m o u n t o f rem u n era tio n receiv ed b y
th e p h y sic ia n u n d er a so c ia l in su ra n ce sc h e m e sh o u ld b e a d eq u a te,
and, in d eed , rath er on th e lib eral sid e of th is, so th e d o cto r w ill b e
ab le to d e v o te h is v e r y b e s t tim e and en ergies to th e ca ses w ith o u t
fee lin g th a t h e is d oin g an in ju stic e to h is fa m ily b y p erh ap s n eg le ctin g
p r iv a te p a tie n ts, and also b eca u se it w ou ld draw in to c o u n tr y d is
tric ts and in d u stria l areas m en of h ig h a b ility and b e tte r q ualifi
ca tio n s th a n are n o w in clin ed to go there.
T h e average d o cto r w a n ts and, in d eed , p h y sic a lly requ ires a d ecen t
in co m e, su ita b le to m a in ta in h im se lf and h is fa m ily in h e a lth and
co m fort, b u t h e w a n ts ev e n m ore— a w id e and v a ried ex p erien ce in
h is p rofession and an o p p o r tu n ity o f re a lly fee lin g th a t h e is m a k in g
h im self u sefu l in p ro m o tin g th e h e a lth o f th e c o m m u n ity . G ranted
a w id e field of stu d y , u sefu ln e ss, and se lf-im p r o v em en t and an
a d eq u a te in co m e, an able, h igh -g ra d e p h y sic ia n , p a rticu la r ly a
y o u n g m an , w ill g la d ly go a lm o st an y w h ere and sp en d h im self
e n th u sia stic a lly in th e se rv ic e of th e c o m m u n ity and for th e a d v a n ce
m e n t of sc ien ce.
A liberal and remunerative capitation for the doctor under a
California health insurance system would be $5 per annum for each
member of the family of the class of insured coming under the act,
especially with the additional $1 per annum per person for con
sultation and specialist services. This system would turn every
large county or town of 10,000 or more inhabitants with its sur
rounding country into a sort of medical and nursing college and
cooperative organization, which would prevent tifie sense of isolation
and separation from his fellows and the life movements and progress
of his profession which is the greatest barrier or drawback to country
or small-town practice to-day.
T h e p la n o f d istric tin g th e S ta te for m ed ica l a d m in istra tio n is
ad m irable, su b je c t, o f course, to su c h a lter a tio n s in a d m in istra tiv e
d eta ils as th e lo c a l co n d itio n s and fu tu re d e v e lo p m e n ts m a y m ak e
n ece ssa r y .
I should consider something in the neighborhood of $8,000 as an
adequate salary for the State medical director, and $5,000 per annum
as the salary for the district directors. These latter, of course,
could make themselves extremely useful in general supervision of
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289
tlie workings of the system, watching over the records, and, under
certain conditions, acting as medical referees in case of difference of
opinion between patient and employer, or patient and doctor, or
both of these and the local insurance board or commission.
I think the commission’s plan for specialist service is broad and
statesmanlike, and would result in an enormous improvement in
the present methods of medical practice. I see no reason for revert
ing to the antiquated and objectionable fee system, even for the
specialist. Arrangement should be made for eye-ear-nose-and-throat
specialists on a different scale, but not upon a different basis, from
that of other specialists, merely for the reason that there would be,
roughly speaking, probably almost twice as much of their work
in a given community or county as any other specialist, except,
perhaps, dentists. I would suggest in a general way that each group
of specialists be organized upon the basis of a district or area con
taining, say, 50,000 people, depending somewhat on the density
or sparsity of the population. That would furnish, allowing a
dollar a year for each person, $50,000 a year for specialist service
for that district. For this it would be possible to secure the following:
Two surgeons, at $5,000................................... ................................. $10, 000
Internist......................... ................................... .................................
5,000
Two eye-ear-nose-throat specialists, at $5,000 .............................. 10, 000
Dermatologist.........................................................................
Gynecologist...........................................................................................
5,000
Orthopedist...........................................................................
Neurologist..........................................................................................
2,500
Bacteriologist and X ray......................................................
Two dentists, at $4,000........................................................
2,500
5,000j
2,000
8,000
50, 000
For these sums the specialists mentioned could well afford to
render a very considerable amount of service, especially in view of
the fact, that almost all of it would come to them from persons whom
they now treat for little or nothing, either in charity hospitals, or
in the clinics or medical schools, or in dispensaries, or by inability
to collect their bills on account of the death of the wage earner.
It must, of course, be remembered that this sum of from $2,000 to
$5,000 per annum would come in addition to their private practice.
All this is suggested in a purely tentative manner for the simple
reason that we do not know in the first place how much sickness
there actually is in the community, because no record is kept except
of the contagious diseases, and a very inadequate and imperfect
one of these. Still less do we know what is the proportion of the
different kinds of illness in the community—surgical, medical,
gynecological, nose and throat, etc. The only way would be to
make a rough working scheme and then try it out and adjust and
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perfect it by the experience of the years. My own judgment would
be that the great difficulty which we should find in carrying out the
scheme of specialist and consultation groups in dispensaries and
hospitals would be not so much to get money enough or work enough
for the specialists, but in finding sufficient specialists to carry out
the work properly, including all the rural and industrial districts of
the State. It could only be a guess, but I think we would require at
least double the present number of eye-ear-nose-and-throat men
and three to four times the number of dentists and dental sur
geons which are now in existence.
This would also enable us formally to tackle the much-vexed prob
lem of what is and who constitutes a specialist. At present any phy
sician who chooses to put eye and ear, or diseases of the skin, or
surgery upon his door and to buy a few dozen textbooks and a few
hundred dollars’ worth of instruments can call himself a specialist
in any department or section of medicine which he pleases. Under
the new plan it would be both necessary and feasible to provide
special courses of training and special degrees and licenses for spe
cialists in each of the different departments of medicine, which would
be a very great improvement.
It would also probably be perfectly feasible to arrange for specialists
to attend these consultation clinics in the rural districts, or at some
distance from their homes, one, two, or three days or parts of days
in each week, thus balancing the congestion of specialists in the large
towns and their sparseness in the country districts.
One of the most important changes which this system would call
for and which would be enormously beneficial to the community is
an adequate and satisfactory hospital system. There should be at
least five hospital beds for every thousand of population; as a mat
ter of fact, very few of the communities at present have more than
one or two beds per thousand.
I have visited and investigated personally a number of the county
hospitals in the State, such as those at Sacramento, San Jose, Santa
Cruz, Stockton, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and while most of them
could easily be enlarged so as to diminish the inadequacy of beds,
in my judgment the best method of reaching that problem is by
what is known as the new county hospital scheme This has nothing
whatever to do with the old county hopital, in the sense of the poor
farm or almshouse; it is a method already in use in many of the States
of the Union, by which the legislature passes an act to permit any
county in the State to bond itself in order to establish one or more
county hospitals. These are constructed on the most modern and
perfect of plans as to light, accommodations, grounds, etc., and be
come what might be termed “health clubs” for the entire community.
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All taint of pauperism or poverty is taken away from them entirely
by the fact that small, either yearly capitation or monthly fees, are
charged for their services. If the physicians of the county group
themselves together for the cooperative practice of medicine, after
the superb example of the Mayo brothers at Rochester, Minn., then
these county hospitals become the center of the medical, nursing,
and health activities of the entire county and community. Many
of these new county hospitals are now in successful operation in
different States of the Union, and so admirably do they fill a longneeded want that in several instances some of the most successful
physicians in the county have deliberately retired from their private
practice in order to accept positions as their superintendents and
medical directors.
With the assistance of the above method it would be quite safe to
offer hospital care for the family of the insured workers in California.
I do not feel that hospital treatment is necessary for all maternity
cases, but 60 to 70 per cent of maternity cases are taken care of in
States where this new county hospital system has been started.
District nurses are of great importance in connection with health
insurance and would promote in many ways the success and useful
ness of the scheme. They could do public health and follow-up work
and serve as the connecting link between this system and the formal
health officers and boards of the district and the State.
I should consider it quite practical for the State to offer a special
tuberculosis benefit and care in sanatoria, with or without a two-year
residential qualification. As new ideas of the role played by climate
in the cure and treatment of tuberculosis spread, each county and
State is providing itself with its own tuberculosis sanatoria. It has
now been proven that this disease can be cured as well in northern
and eastern locations as in southern and western ones, so that the
danger of California hospitals being overcrowded by tuberculosis
refugees from the East is rapidly diminishing.
I regard the benefits included in the table of costs in the commis
sion’s report of 1917 as of importance in the following order: Medical,
family, hospital, maternity, dental, tuberculosis.
Health insurance would provide the ideal and only means of
immediately detecting and promptly stamping out an epidemic,
such as Spanish influenza, and other acute contagious diseases. At
the first sign, the insured individual will naturally go to his doctor,
because he thinks he owes him money and because he is paid in
advance. The doctor can thus detect an infectious disease in its
early stages, and can promptly make his way to the house of the
first victim and examine all the members of the family to see if any
of them show signs. If not he can isolate them, and in diseases for
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which we have a vaccine, vaccinate them, and stamp out the epidemic
before it has time to get a foothold.
I should not consider it advisable to employ student doctors in
the treatment of insured persons, or any other human beings, except
under the strictest and most rigid supervision and instruction of
competent and qualified physicians at every step and for every
moment, I do not think the teaching of medical students would be
in the slightest degree interfered with by the institution of health
insurance. On the contrary, with the intelligence which comes by
rational methods and the diffusion of ideas of preventive medicine,
the main difficulty in securing patients for the clinics and perform
ing operations to be done in the presence of students would disappear.
As'an illustration, it may be pointed out that the famous Mayo clinic,
which consists entirely of private patients, from the lower to the
highest economic class, is utilized for purposes of clinical instruction,
and that without any objection whatever on the part of the patients
themselves. Modern methods of surgical operation also assist greatly
in this respect. The patient is anaesthetized before he or she comes
before the class at all, is covered completely from head to foot with
sheets, towels, and bandages. The face is covered by the anaesthetic
mask. The only part visible to the class is just the strip or area of
skin, usually not more than 12 by 6 inches, through which the incision
for the operation is actually made. The average physician or student
who sees an operation under modern conditions would not have the
slightest idea, as a rule, who or what or of what sex the patient was,
unless he was informed by the surgeon in giving a history of the case.
All that he sees is the small section of skin across which the surgeon
draws his knife.
For the great rural districts of California, a combination of the
methods of sending out the diagnostic centers certain days in the
week to certain localities and that of transporting the patients to
centers, such as is now used in carrying the children to the public
schools, would, I think, cover most of the elements of the problem.
In some areas, it would be better to take the specialist to the patient;
in others, the patient to the specialist—the latter especially in the
cases of patients needing surgical operation followed by prolonged
time in bed or requiring any continued hospital treatment.
From the medical standpoint, I regard it of extreme importance
that the cash benefits under health insurance should be available at
once from the determination of the nature and seriousness of the
disease. Most working families, unfortunately, run on rather a nar
row margin in their household expenses, and sickness brings a number
of important and necessary outlays which it is most desirable there
should be cash on hand to meet.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
OPERATION OF LABORERS’ AND PEASANTS’ RETIREMENT FUND IN
FRANCE, JANUARY 1, 1915, TO DECEMBER 31, 191&.1
The Minister of Labor and Social Welfare reports that during the
years 1913 and 1914 there was a considerable decrease in the number
of persons insured under the workers’ and peasants’ retirement law.
The law of February 27, 1912, placed the age of retirement, after
August 1 of that year, at 60 instead of 65; and the number of persons
granted pensions at that date has not as yet been compensated by
the number of persons added to the list by reason of new policies
issued.
On January 1, 1914, the number of insured persons was 7,710,380,
of which number 696,921 were voluntarily insured; on January 1,
1915, the numbers were 6,722,332 and 594,511, respectively; and on
January 1, 1916, they were 7,078,726 and 510,734, respectively. On
January 1, 1916, 3 Provinces, in which the number of insured persons
on January 1, 1914, was 879,519, were not included in the report, and
on December 31, 1916, 2 of these Provinces were not included.
The state of war reacted materially on the receipts of the fund.
For the first half of 1914 the receipts amounted to $3,665,833, and
for the second half to only $1,599,125. A comparison of the receipts
for the last five years shows that more than one-half of the persons
insured have been unable since August, 1914, to continue their
payments into the fund.
The amount of premiums paid into the fund in each of the years
1912 to 1916 was as follows:
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
.............................................................................................. $8,483,740
.............................................................................................. 8,786,429
.......................................................... : ................................. 5,264,958
.............................................................................................. 3, 704, 035
.............................................................................................. 4,611,297
The following statement shows the number of persons (exclusive
of minors) retired each year since 1911:
1911 and 1912................................................................................
1913 ..............................................................................................
1914 ..............................................................................................
1915 ..............................................................................................
1916 ..............................................................................................
186,092
706,714
220,925
115,026
97,842
Total....................................................................................
1, 326, 599
Of this total of 1,326,599 retired during the six years, 1,158,325
were still living December 31, 1916.
1 France. Ministère du Travail et de la Prévoyance Sociale. Rapport sur l’Application Pendant les
Années 1915 et 1916 de la Loi des Retraites Ouvrières et Paysannes. Paris, 1919. 22 pp.
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[1S43]
HOUSING.
HOUSING POLICY FOR ONTARIO, CANADA.
A chronic shortage in workmen’s housing became more or les9
acute as a result of war-time expansion of Canadian industry. The
attention of the Ontario .Government was called to this fact by the
Great War Veterans’ Association, and representations were subse
quently made by the Toronto Board of Trade, the Manufacturers’
Association, and organized labor bodies. On June 7, 1918, a provin
cial committee was appointed by an order in council. This committee
has now made its report.1
T h e rep ort com p rises se v e n ch ap ters of d iscu ssio n d ev o ted to a
co n sid era tio n o f th e n eed for h ou sin g, p u b lic p o lic y in h o u sin g , la n d
an d ta x a tio n , so c ia l a sp ec ts of h o u sin g , rural h o u sin g , to w n p la n n in g ,
a n d th e m in im u m essen tia ls of a h ou se. T here are 10 a p p e n d ix es
s e ttin g fo rth th e re q u ir em en ts and re co m m en d a tio n s o f th e C anad ian
F ed era l G o v ern m en t in resp ect to h o u s in g ;2 a m em o ra n d u m b y Mr.
T h o m a s A d am s on h o u sin g an d to w n p la n n in g in G reat B r ita in ;
th e first p rize e ssa y on th e h o u sin g p rob lem , b y Mr. A lb ert H. L eak e;
th e sp ec ia l p rize essa y , b y Mrs. J. E . W etlierell; illu stra tio n s sh o w in g
th e a d v a n ta g es of group h o u s e s ; su g g ested reg u la tio n s for g o v er n in g
p u b lic lo a n s to con tra cto rs and to com m ercia l b u ild in g co m p a n ies;
effect of car lin es on real e s ta te v a lu es; co n d em n a tio n of la n d for
m u n icip a l p u rp oses; sta n d a rd sp ecifica tio n s an d d raw in gs, sh o w in g
p la n s for in e x p e n siv e h ou ses.
While the Ontario housing committee was at work, the Dominion
Government enacted a measure appropriating $25,000,000 for making
loans to house-building companies and contractors upon a guaranty
of the municipality where the houses are to be constructed, and the
provincial legislature in July, 1918, likewise appropriated $2,000,000
for a similar purpose.
T h is action is in lin e w ith th e o b ser v a tio n s o f the- co m m itte e, w h ich
sta te s th a t “ th e id ea l s y s te m tow ard w h ich h o u sin g p o lic y seem s to be
m o v in g is th a t of co o p er a tiv e c o n stru ctio n an d co n tro l co m b in ed w ith
m u n icip a l an d g o v e r n m e n ta l p ro v isio n s of lo a n s a t th e lo w e st cu rren t
1 Canada. Ontario Housing Committee. Report, including standards for inexpensive houses adopted
for Ontario, and typical plans. Toronto, 1919. 187 pp. Folded plans. Illustrated.
2 A formal investigation was made by the Dominion Government, a report of which appears in summary
in the Labor Gazette (Ottawa) for April, 1919, pp. 447-451.
294
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rate of interest.” Such a system as this, namely, of Government
loans, has been in practice in Ontario since the passage of an act in
1913. The difficulty of its complete trial has probably been the lack
of funds. This lack the Federal act appears to supply.
The copartnership tenants system could be realized under the Ontario act. In fact»
the only difference between such a company and the Toronto Housing Co. would be
in the personnel of the shareholders and in the application to finance and management
of the principle of cooperation. The policy of the company would then be controlled
not by public-spirited citizens, who have invested money on a restricted dividend
basis, b ut by such citizens together with a much larger number of workmen and others
who at the same time would be shareholders of the company and occupants of the
houses.
Considering the land problem in connection with housing, the
committee is of the opinion that “ a fair assessment based on earning
capacity would go far toward solving the land problem, especially if
accompanied by measures to prevent the subdivision of agricultural
land into building lots before they are needed for use, or before they
are provided with transportation and other necessary services.”
In considering the application of any of thege expedients, recognition must be given
to the fact that taxation reform is only one factor in the solution of the land problem,
and that the primary purpose of taxation is the raising of revenue to meet community
needs, not the correction of abuses. As community needs increase, as greater responsi
bilities are assumed—and the tendency is altogether in the direction of the transfer of
responsibilities from the individual to society—fresh sources of revenue must be sought
or the old sources must bear heavier burdens. It will probably be found that the
taxes on land will need to be increased either absolutely or relatively to other sources of
revenue. In any case, land taxation should be impartially based on the ascertained
earning power of the land if put to adequate use. Value which is purely speculative—
that is, which is based upon the supposed earning power of the land at some date in the
future—should not serve to increase the assessment. On the other hand, the fact that
land is idle or only partly used—a dilapidated house, for example, occupying space
that should hold a good dwelling, a shop, or a warehouse—should not be allowed to
reduce the assessment. The real value of the land can be determined only on the basis
of actual returns examined over a period of years and in comparison with other proper
ties similarly situated. It is a difficult task and one requiring intelligence and expert
knowledge on the pa t of assessors.
At the same time it would be advisable, in the opinion of the
committee, to make provision for a special tax on land values for which
the owner is not responsible. Such a special tax on abnormal
increases in land values may well be levied when the property is sold.
The committee further recommends as feasible the condemnation
of land for use in municipal housing schemes or in schemes managed
by limited dividend companies under municipal control. “ There
can be no good reason longer to sustain a distinction between land
needed for railways and land needed for houses.”
In reference to rural housing, the committee concludes that
financial assistance should be made available to farmers on terms
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similar to those obtaining in the case of lot owners in the cities, except
that where security is ample the provincial government may lend
directly to the farmers; that plans and specifications of laborers’
cottages and farm houses should be available on application to the
department of agriculture; and that a policy of stimulating and
regulating the supply of agricultural labor should be complementary
to the encouragement of building houses for such labor.
So intimate a part of housing is town planning that the committee
recommends that town planning be made obligatory for all urban
municipalities in the Province. Pending the acceptance of such a
policy, the provincial government shall provide an advisory staff of
town-planning experts to assist municipalities which may undertake
town-planning schemes. It is suggested that an educational cam
paign in town planning be carried on through the press and through
the public schools.
Inasmuch as both the Federal and provincial governments made
available certain provisions for housing loans, the committee ren
dered immediate practical aid by making certain suggestions in
regard to the type of house, for the building of which the State was
ready to render its aid. The essential features, as suggested by the
committee, are as follows:
1. Sufficient land to give each family privacy and plenty of air.
2. Water-tight floors, walls, and roof.
3. One or more rooms for cooking, eating, and general day use.
4. Bedroom for parents’ use.
5. Bedroom for male children.
6. Bedroom for female children.
7. Provision for toilet with sanitary water-closet and sewer connection.
8. Running water supply fit for drinking.
9. Kitchen sink with waste connection to sewer.
10. Uninterrupted daylight and ventilation through windows in every room.
Additional features which are so desirable as to be almost essential
are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Bathtub and lavatory, with hot and cold water supply.
Laundry tub, with hot and cold water supply.
Direct sunlight in all principal rooms.
A second room, in addition to that used for cooking.
Clothes closets.
Porches and verandas.
Further additions of desirable features would include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Electric light.
A separate dining room.
A cellar.
Furnace for heating.
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Concerning the general features of the workman’s house, the com
mittee observes that—There is no good reason why an inexpensive house or group of houses should not be
quite as attractive as larger and more expensive buildings. I t is not, however, the
purpose of this report to define the limits of good design. Good design is to a degree
a matter of taste. Convenience and sound construction should receive primary
consideration, but the appearance need not suffer on that account. As the life of the
house is prolonged by good construction, so its value is enhanced by attention to
architectural effect. True art is simple; and the inexpensive houses under considera
tion, if lines and proportions are carefully studied, may readily be made to satisfy the
claims of art, and thus to become a source of pride and pleasure to the occupants
and the community.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1S47]
LABOR ORGANIZATIONS
GROWTH OF TRADE-UNIONISM AMONG BRITISH WOMEN DURING
THE WAR.
COMPILED BY MARY T. WAGGAMAN.
A by-result of the great war has been the development of the indus
trial potentialities of women. One of the important phases of this
development is illustrated by the following figures from official
sources showing the rapid growth of trade-unionism among British
women from 1914 to 1917, inclusive:
MEMBERSHIP IN BRITISH TRADE-UNIONS, AT THE E N D OF EACH YEAR, 1914
TO 1917.1
Year.
Males.2
1914........................
1915........................
1916........................
1917........................
3,596,769
3,758,140
3,896,947
4,513,522
Females.8
8 356,092
8404,994
1541,000
2 774,000
Total.4
3,952,861
4,163,134
4,437,947
5,287,522
The increase each year, over the preceding year, in the female
membership in British trade-unions was as follows:
Per Cent.
1915 ......................................................................................................... 13.7
1916 ......................................................................................................... 33.5
1917 ........................................................................................................ 43.1
The increase in the male membership for the whole period from
1914 to 1917 was about 25 per cent, while the increase in the female
membership for the same period was a little more than 117 per cent.
The next table shows the increase or decrease in the number of
women employed in certain occupations from July, 1914, to January,
1918.
1 Includes certain members in colonial and foreign branches, principally members of Amalgamated So
ciety of Carpenters and Amalgamated Society of Engineers.
2 Figures obtained by subtracting number of females from total membership.
s Female membership is partly estimated, m any unions being unable to state exactly the number
of males and females, respectively.
4 From British Labour Gazette, December, 1918, p. 485. (Most unions include in their returns men serv
ing with His Majesty’s forces, but there are many exceptions to this rule.)
6 British Labour Gazette, June, 1917, p. 201.
e Idem, May, 1918, p. 176.
i Approximate number} see British Labour Gazette, December, 1918, p. 485.
29S
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INCREASE OR DECR EA SE IN EM PLOYM ENT OF WOMEN IN CERTAIN OCCUPATIONS,
JA N U A R Y , 1918, AS COM PARED W ITH JU L Y , 1914.
Estimated
number of
females
employed,
July, 1914.
Occupation.
Industries......................................................................................
Government establishments........................................................
Gas, water, and electricity (under local authorities).................
Agriculture in Great Britain (permanent labor).......................
Transport (excluding tramways under local authorities)....... .
Tramways (under local authorities)...........................................
Finance and banking...................................................................
Commerce......................................................................................
Professions (employed persons—i. e., except in the case of hos
pitals, mainly clerks)................................................................
Hotels, public houses, cinemas, theaters, etc.............................
Civil service, post office................................................................
Other civil service.........................................................................
Other services under local authorities.........................................
2,175,500
Total....................................................................................
3,275,000
2,000
600
80,000
17,000
Increase (+ ) or decrease (—)
in employment of females,
July, 1914, to January, 1918.
Number.
+ 533,000
+ 207,500
-14,500
-
6,000
1,200
9,500
496,000
+
+
+
+
76,000
17,000
61,000
343,000
50.500
181,000
60.500
5,000
196,200
+
+
+
+
+
50,000
20, 000
47,500
76,500
30,000
+ 1,466,000
Per cent.
+
24.5
+ 10,127.1
+
743.5
7.3
+
447.8
+ 1,394.0
+
641.5
+
69.1
2
+
+
+
99.5
14.2
78.5
+ 1,555.'2
+ 15.2
+
44.8
1 Great Britain Board of Trade, industrial (war inquiries) branch. Report on the increased employment
of women during the war, January, 1918, p. 4.
2 Decline due to seasonal causes.
T h e in crease in th e e m p lo y m e n t of w o m en from J u ly , 1914, to
J a n u a r y , 1918, as sh o w n in th e a b o v e ta b le , w a s 1,466,000. T h e to ta
n u m b er of w om en in th e ab ove liste d o cc u p a tio n s in J u ly , 1914, w a s
3,275,000. T h e in crease of w o m e n ’s e m p lo y m e n t in su ch o cc u p a tio n s,
therefore, from th a t d a te to Ja n u a ry , 1918, w a s 44.8 p er cen t, w h ile
th e p ercen ta g e in crease of fem a le m em b ersh ip in tra d e-u n io n s for
th e th ree-y ea r p eriod, 1914-1917, w as a b o u t 117 per cen t, as p rev io u sly
sta te d . T h e tw o p erc en ta g es, howTever, wTere co m p u ted on a so m e
w h a t d ifferen t b a sis; for ex a m p le, th e figures on w o m en in trad eu n io n s did n o t in clu d e p rofession al or agricu ltu ral w ork ers, as do th e
figures on in creased em p lo y m e n t. T h e difference in th e b a sis of
c o m p u ta tio n in v o lv e s an u n d er estim a te of th e g ro w th of fem a le
tra d e-u n ion m em b ersh ip .
T h e p ercen ta g e in creases of u n io n m em b ersh ip , 1917 o v er 1914,
a m o n g w o m en in certa in trad es are ev e n m ore strik in g th a n th e p er
ce n ta g e in crease of m em b ersh ip in u n io n s am o n g w o m en in all in d u s
tries, as sh o w n b y th e fo llo w in g ta b le, w h ich , h ow ev er, co v ers o n ly
a b o u t 17 per cen t of th e 774,000 w o m en in trad e-u n io n s in 1917.
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INCREASE IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN, JANUARY, 1918, OVER JULY, 1914, AND
OF WOMAN MEMBERSHIP IN TRADE-UNIONS, 1917 OVER 1914.
Estimated number of women Membership in trade-unions.*
employed.1
Industry.
July,
1914.
Woolen and worsted....................................
Hosiery..........................................................
Textile bleaching, dyeing, and finishing...
Heavy-clothing trades..................................
Boots and shoes............................................
cent
January, Per
of in
1918.
crease.
170.000 174,700
74,200
60,000
32,900
24.000
157.000 3 159,000
71,600
56.000
2.7
23.6
37.0
1.0
27.8
1914
7,695
3,657
7,260
9,724
10,915
1917
35,137
17,217
22,527
36,108
4 21,165
Per cent
of in
crease.
356.6
373.5
210.0
271.0
93.9
1 Figures, except those for heavy-clothing trades, are compiled from the report of the British ±5oara oi
Trade, industrial (war inquiries) branch, on increased employment of women during the war, January,
1918 pp. 11 12. Figures for heavy-clothing trades are from British Home Office Tabular Reports, by
H. M. S. inspectors of factories, showing the present position in industries other than munitions Indus2 figures compiled from Report of the British Home Office on Substitution of W omen in Nonmunition
Factories During the War. London, 1919. Pp. 29, 30, 32, 34, 37.
3 Figures are for October, 1916.
4Approximate.
The woolen and worsted trade before the war was, to a great ex
tent, a woman’s and young person’s trade, and the above table indi
cates that it was a very poorly organized one, as in 1914 there were
170,000 females engaged in it with only 7,695, or 5 per cent, union
members. In January, 1918, the number of females in the trade
was 174,700, an increase of 4,700, or 2.7 per cent. The female mem
bership in unions at the close of 1917 had increased 356.6 per cent,
and the percentage of union membership to the number of females
engaged in the industry at about this same period was 20 per cent.
In July, 1914, there were 60,000 female workers in the hosiery
trade, and in January, 1918, 74,200—an increase of 23.6 per cent.
The proportion of female trade-union members to women in the trade
in 1914 was 6 per cent, and the proportion at the close of 1917 was
23 per cent. The increase, however, in trade-union membership
was 373.5 per cent.
Women were reported as increasingly successful as operatives in
hosiery. During the period covered by the above table three new
hosiery societies were organized—the Hinckly and District Trim
mers, the Basford and District Hosiery Trimmers and Finishers, and
the Hinckly District Hosiery Menders.
Twenty-four thousand females were in the textile bleaching, dyeing,
and finishing trades in July, 1914; and in January, 1918, the number
had been increased by 8,900, or 37 per cent, but the increase in
trade-union membership from 1914 to 1917 was 210 per cent.
From July, 1914, to January, 1918, the number of women in the
heavy-clothing trades increased only 1 per cent, while the increase in
trade-union membership from 1914 to 1917 was 271 per cent. In
1914 the proportion of female trade-union members to the number of
women employed in the industry was 6 per cent; in 1917, 23 per cent.
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The boot and shoe industry in July, 1914, employed 56,000 female
workers, and in January, 1918, 71,600, an increase of 28 per cent.
The women in the trade in 1914 were 20 per cent organized and in
1917, 30 per cent, the growth of trade-union membership being 93.9
per cent.
A probable reflex of the success that women have met with in
new occupations in establishments manufacturing light clothing is
shown in the 900 per cent increase in membership from 1914 to 1917
in the National Amalgamated Society of Shirt, Collar, and Jacket
Workers, as recorded in the Report of the British Home Office on
Substitution of Women in Nonmunition Factories During the W ar.1
Previous to the war the women in the light-clothing trades were very
poorly paid and had next to no opportunity for advancement.
As a corollary to these figures, showing the growth of tradeunionism among woman workers in Great Britain, it is interesting to
note a few conclusions reached in the brief section on Women in
British Trade-Unions, which appears in Mr. G. D. H. Cole’s recent
book, entitled “ An Introduction to Trade-Unionism.” 2
After speaking of the oft-reiterated difficulty in the way of organ
izing women, which arises from their impermanence in industry,
Mr. Cole concedes that “ it is, however, easily possible to exaggerate
this difficulty,” and thinks that “ it is probable that its dimensions
have been greatly exaggerated in the past. ” He is of the opinion that
the very low rates paid women have constituted a greater obstacle
to their organization and concludes that “ it is probably more to the
increase in women’s wages than to any other cause that the rapid
growth of trade-unionism among women during the war is due.”
Mr. Cole states that only in “ a comparatively small number of
cases have the women really secured equal rates with the men,”
as, for example, on the London tramways and buses and at some
other centers. Mr. Cole adds:
In the munitions trades women on skilled work are supposed to receive skilled
rates, b ut here, again, advances given during the war have not been fully conceded,
while women on semiskilled and unskilled work receive considerably lower rates
than men on similar jobs. In the distributive trades equality has sometimes been
secured in the cooperative movement, but almost everywhere in private employment
women’s rates are lower than men’s. In offices women are almost always paid con
siderably less than men. These rates, however, while they do not realize the principle
of equal pay for equality of work, are a considerable advance on the rates which were
actually being paid to women before the war. They have, moreover, had the effect
of stirring up among women an interesf in trade-union membership, and of making
them far more likely to become and to remain good trade-unionists, even when the
present artificial conditions cease to exist.
1 Report of British Home Office on substitution of women in nonmunition factories during the war,
p. 35.
2 An Introduction to Trade-Unionism, by G. D. H. Cole, published by the Fabian Research Department.
London. 191'8.
1182G5°—19----- 20
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
After a discussion of the past failure of women “ to take an ade
quate part in the management of mixed unions/’ the following state
ment is made by Mr. Cole:
In one respect the war has produced a considerable change, for the calling up of
men for the Army has, in many cases, forced upon “ m ixed” unions a large number
of women as branch secretaries and local officials, and on the whole the experiments
made in this direction seem to have been extremely satisfactory.
Whether or not it is granted that a low wage is the basic obstacle
to the unionizing of women, it will easily be admitted that the avail
able statistics indicate that some quickening process or processes
during the war must have obviated a number of difficulties which
formerly barred the way to the trade organization of British women.
In addition to higher wages, there were, no doubt, many accessory
causes making for such unionization.
The hindrances to organization which have been ascribed to the
youthfulness of women in industry have probably been diminished
by the fact that these young workers have been facing such grim
realities in the last few years that they have lost some of the heed
lessness and impatience that usually are regarded as characteristic
of youth.
Petty caste feeling among women, which is considered as another
bar to unionism, would also tend to disappear in the endurance of
the common fears and griefs of war and the sharing of the common
hope for peace.
The shortage of the labor supply resulted in lessening the competi
tion of unorganized women, which would be a distinct advantage to
woman unionists.
Women’s alleged submissiveness and lack of confidence have been
regarded as somewhat inhibitive to the spirit of trade-unionism,
but the withdrawal of their men from industry by enlistment and
draft and the necessity of maintaining dependents would create a
greater aggressiveness among women which would be accentuated by
the thought of the possibilities of being deprived of male support
through the casualties of war.
The admitted success of women in new lines of industry and the
attitude of the Government and the public as to the imperative
need for women’s labor in the carrying on of the war produced subtle
and vital changes in woman’s own attitude toward her work, aug
menting her self-confidence and individual sense of responsibility.
It may be said also that the attitude of men’s unions toward the
organization of women would be affected by the realization that
military success depended in large measure upon the utilizing of
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woman labor and that such labor, if left nommionized, would be
inimical to the interests of male unionists.
The hostility of the employer to women’s unions had during the
war to be tempered by his dire need for labor, and his antagonism
was also given salutary checks through industrial tribunals on which
were representatives of woman workers.
The effect of postwar conditions upon unionism among women in
Great Britain will have to be studied from innumerable angles.
The demobilization of the army, the return of men to their old
places, the dismissal of vast numbers of women from munition
works, the shutting down of other national factories (459,000 women
in March, 1919, were receiving unemployment donations1), and
possibly lowered wages at the expiration of the Wages (temporary)
Regulation Act can not help but influence adversely the membership
of women in trade-unions. On the other hand, however, the British
Government’s open recognition of the importance of trade-unionism
in national industrial organization has given an impetus to the labor
movement, both among men and women, which will not be readily
retarded. Moreover, women who have once experienced the value
of united effort and the sense of solidarity and group consciousness
resulting therefrom will not easily forget the advantages of organ
ization. At a recent conference of British trade-union women, the
delegates showed that they were acutely aware of the industrial
dangers confronting woman workers and were determined to push
vigorously the demands of their charter—“ the right to work, the
right to live, and the right to leisure.”
TRADE-UNION MEMBERSHIP IN GREAT BRITAIN.
The following figures on trade-union membership in Great Britain
were furnished this bureau through its special agent in London, and
are believed to be as accurate as could be obtained at this time. It
should be stated that some unions had dropped members absent on
account of the war, but that these members are being reinstated as
they are being demobilized and returned to their own industries, so
that in all probability the actual total trade-union membership is
nearly 6,000,000. The figures here given were used as the basis of
election of trade-union representatives to the proposed national
industrial council, mention of which was made in an article in the
May issue of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w (pp. 104 t o 108), giving
an account of the National Industrial Conference held in February.
1 Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, Mar. 19, 1919, vol. 113, No. 30, p. 2183.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Group 1 —Mining and quarrying:
Membership.
Miners’ Federation of Great Britain............................................ 800, 000
National Federation of Colliery Workers Other than Miners
(exclusive of some general workers)......................................... 50,000
Other societies.....................................................1.......................... 40, 000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 2.—Railways:
National Union of Railwaymen.................................................... 420, 000
Railway Clerks’ Association......................................................... 73, 000
Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firem en__ 42, 000
890,000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 3.—Other transport:
Dock, Wharf, Riverside, and General Workers’ Union............ 80, 000
National Union of DockLaborers.................................................. 50, 000
National Sailors’ and Firemen’sU nion......................................... 65,000
National Union of Ships’ Stewards, Cooks, Butchers, and
Bakers........................................................................................... 25, 000
Amalgamated Association of Tramway and Vehicle Workers.. 40, 000
London and Provincial Union of Licensed Vehicle Workers. . 25, 000
Other societies................................................................................. 50,000
535,000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 4.—Iron and steel trades:
Iron and Steel Trades Confederation.......................................... 100, 000
National Federation of Blast Furnace Men................................ 20, 000
Other societies................................................................................. 20, 000
335,000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 5.—Engineering and foundry workers:
Amalgamated Society of Engineers............................................. 300, 000
Amalgamated Society of General Toolmakers............................ 40, 000
Steam Engine Makers’ Society..................................................... 26, 000
United Machine Workers’ Association........................................ 30, 000
Electrical Trades Union................
30, 000
Friendly Society of Iron Founders.............................................. 35, 000
National Society of Brass Workers............................................... 25, 000
Other societies................................................................................. 70, 000
140, 000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 6.—Shipyards:
United Society of Boiler Makers.................................................. 90, 000
Ship Constructors’ and Shipwrights’ Association..................... 40,000
Associated Blacksmiths’ Society.................................................. 20, 000
Other societies................................................................................. 20, 000
556, 000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 7.—Building and woodworking:
Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners....................... 120, 000
National Amalgamated Society of House and Ship Painters
and Decorators............................................................................. 30,000
Operative Bricklayers’ Society.................................................... 30,000
Other societies.......................................................
170, 000
Total.....................................................................................................
280,000
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
11854]
100,000
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Group 8 .— Printing and paper:
Membership.
Printing and Kindred Trades Federation..................................................
Group 9.—Cotton:
Amalgamated Weavers’ Association............................................ 180,000
Amalgamated Association of Card Blowing and Ring Room
Operatives.................................................................................... 65,000
Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners......... 50, 000
Bleachers, Dyers, and Finishers’ Association (Bolton Amal
gamated)...................................................................................... 30,000
Other societies................................................................................. 25, 000
305
100,000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 10.—Other textiles:
General Union of Textile Workers............................................... 60, 000
Amalgamated Society of Dyers, Bleachers, and Finishers......... 30,000
Other societies................................................................................. 50,000
350,000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 11.—Boot and shoe and leather:
National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives............................ 80,000
Other societies................................................................................. 20,000
140,000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 12.—Clothing:
Amalgamated Society of Tailors and Tailoresses....................... 25, 000
United Garment Workers’ Association................................ .
50,000
Other societies................................................................................ 20,000
100,000
T o ta l..................................................................................................
Group 13.—Food trades:
All societies....................................................................................................
Group 14.—Distributive trades:
National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehouse
men, and Clerks.......................................................................... 85,000
Amalgamated Union of Cooperative and Commercial Employ
ees................................................................................................. 85,000
95,000
40,000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 15.—Agriculture:
National Agricultural Laborers’ and Rural Workers’ Union___ 60, 000
Scottish Farm Servants’ Union.................................................... 20,000
170,000
Total............................................................................
Group 16.—Clerks and agents:
National Union of Clerks............................................................... 25,000
Other societies................................................................................. 40,000
80,000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 17.—Government employees:
Postmen’s Federation.................................................................... 65,000
Postal and Telegraph Clerks’ Association................................... 30, 000
National Union of Police and Prison Officers............................ 45, 000
Civil Service Alliance................................................................... 20,000
Other societies................................................................................. 40,000
65,000
Total........................*...........................................................................
200,000
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
£1855]
306
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Group 18.—General labor:
M e m b e r s h ip .
Workers’ Union............................................................................... 350,000
National Union of General Workers............................................. 300,000
National Amalgamated Union of Labor...................................... 140, 000
Warehouse and General Workers’ Union.................................... 90,000
Municipal Employees’ Association.............................................. 30,000
Gas, Municipal, and General Workers’ Union........................... 40,000
Other societies................................................................................ 20, 000
Total.....................................................................................................
Group 19.—Woman workers:
National Federation of Women Workers....................................................
Group 20.—Miscellaneous trades:
National Amalgamated Union of Enginemen............................ 30, 000
National Society of Pottery Workers........................................... 30,000
Other societies............. ................................................................... 100,000
Total.........................., ........................................................................
970,000
60,000
160,000
Grand total............................................................................................... 5,436,000
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
f 18.50]
STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS.
STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1916, 1917, AND 1918.
COMPILED BY EDSON L. WHITNEY.
During the past five years the United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics has kept a record of such strikes in this country as have
come to its attention. The department has no authority to require
reports Relative to strikes from anyone and therefore is obliged to
gather its information in such way as it can from such sources as are
available. During these five years this information has been obtained
from agents of the bureau in the field, reports of commissioners of
conciliation of the Department of Labor and other similar boards,
reports of the various State labor boards, lists of strikes issued by
labor, trade, and other organizations, and from clipping bureaus,
supplemented by an examination of 25 daily papers printed in the
more important industrial cities of the country, 100 labor papers,
as many trade-union periodicals, and 20 leading trade papers. During
the year 1918, 3,997 circulars of inquiry asking information in regard
to about 3,500 reputed strikes and lockouts were sent to employers
reported to have had strikes in their establishments and to officials
of unions whose members had been concerned in or were believed to
have knowledge of labor troubles. Of this number, 1,392 were
returned answered in whole or in part, 420 were returned undelivered
for various reasons, and the remainder were unanswered. While this
report, based on the data secured from the above-mentioned sources,
omitting such reputed strikes as the returned schedules of inquiry
indicated had been erroneously reported, can not be claimed to be
based on a complete list of all strikes that have occurred in the
country during the years under review, it is believed that no
strikes of importance have failed to come to the attention of the
bureau and that the report is sufficiently complete to warrant
publication. Statistics for the years 1916 and 1917 are given for
purposes of comparison.
The table following shows the number of strikes and lockouts
beginning in each of the months 1916., 1917, and 1918:
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1857]
807
308
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
NUMBER OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS BEGINNING IN EACH MONTH, 1916, 1917 AND
1918.
Kind of
dispute.
Strikes:
1916.......
1917.......
1918.......
Lockouts:
1916.......
1917.......
1918.......
Total
1916.
1917.
1918.
Sep Octo No De Month To
Au tem
Janu Feb
ru March. April. May. June. July. gust.
vem cem not
ary. ary.
ber. ber. ber. ber. stated. tal.
419 604
421 . 438
301 377
180
268
180
203
196
208
289
299
293
8
14
8
3
7
11
5
10
11
15
14
10
188
282
188
206
203
219
294
309
304
434
435
311
340
297
284
310
428
274
318
346
269
247
328
194
255
312
140
192
245
200
147
180
237
13
12
6
14
10
6
3
4
6
8
7
5
5
9
10
4
4
4
6
5
2
12
10
617
450
383
354
307
290
313
432
280
326
353
274
252
337
204
259
316
140
196
251
205
149
192
247
174 3,678
475 4,233
224 3,181
24
17
16
103
126
104
198 3,786
492 4,359
240 3,285
The large increase in number of strikes during the month of May
in each year is accounted for by the fact that the trade agreements
in many industries terminated on the 30th day of April and the
unions very generally asked for an increase in wages in making the
new agreement with their employers. Reports for the closing months
of the year 1918 are incomplete, since reports, aside from those
obtained from the daily and weekly papers and periodicals, fre
quently do not reach the bureau until several months after the strike
has ended. Corrected figures for these months will therefore un
doubtedly show a considerable increase over those here given, proba
bly totaling at least 3,400 when such figures are received.
The disturbances for the year do not seem to have been confined
to any district or industry. One-seventh of the strikes occurred
in New York City and vicinity. It is difficult to particularize the
more important strikes of the two-year period, 1917 and 1918.
Many of them were short and involved large numbers of employees.
In both years strikes of miners, shipbuilders, longshoremen, machin
ists, and workers connected with the erection of cantonments through
out the country attracted general attention. In 1917 probably the
largest disturbances were those that occurred in the oil fields of
Louisiana and Texas; in the telephone systems in Arkansas and the
Pacific northwest; in the packing houses in St. Louis and Omaha;
among the sugar-cane workers in Porto Rico; in the sugar refineries
in New York and Philadelphia; among the potters in Ohio and New
Jersey; in the silk mills in Hoboken and vicinity; in the iron and steel
industry in Pittsburgh; among the cigar makers in Porto Rico and
New York City; hatters in Danbury, Conn.; shoemakers in New
York City; in the various clothing industries in New York City,
Philadelphia, and Chicago; in the northwest lumber industry; and
the general strike in Minneapolis and St. Paul. In 1918 probably
the largest disturbances were those that occurred among the tailors
of New York City; in the textile industry in New Hampshire, Rhode
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1 8 5 8 ]
309
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
Island, and Philadelphia; among the garment workers in Chicago and
the tailors in New York City; the paper mills in northern New York;
the cigar makers of New York City and St. Louis; the trolley sys
tems of Buffalo, Kansas City, and St. Louis; the molders and team
sters of Chicago; the retail clerks of St. Louis; the pressmen and
waiters and subway laborers in New York City; the General Electric
strike; and the general strike in Kansas City.
The table following shows the number of strikes and lockouts in
1916, 1917, and 1918, by States and by sections of the country:
NUMBER OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS. BY STATES AND SECTIONS, 1916, 1917, AND 1918.
Strikes.
State or section.
1916
1917
Alabama..................................................................
Alaska.....................................................................
Arizona....................................................................
Arkansas.............................................................. ..
California.............................................................
Canal Zone..............................................................
Colorado..............................................................
Connecticut.............................................................
Delaware............................................................ .
District of Columbia..............................................
Florida.....................................................................
Georgia................................................................ ..
Hawaii.....................................................................
Idaho...................................................................
Illinois................................................................ .
Indiana...................................................................
Iowa........................................................................
Kansas.....................................................................
Kentucky................................................................
Louisiana................................................................
Maine.......................................................................
Maryland........................................................... .
Massachusetts...................... ; .................................
Michigan..................................................................
Minnesota................................................................
Mississippi..............................................................
Missouri*.................................................................
Montana.................................................................
Nebraska.................................................................
Nevada....................................................................
New Hampshire.....................................................
New Jersey.............................................................
New Mexico.............................................................
New Y ork...............................................................
North Carolina........................................................
North Dakota.........................................................
Ohio........................................................................
Oklahoma................................................................
Oregon.....................................................................
Pennsylvania..........................................................
Porto Rico..............................................................
Rhode Island..........................................................
South Carolina........................................................
South Dakota.........................................................
Tennessee................................................................
Texas.......................................................................
U tah........................................................................
Vermont..................................................................
Virginia...................................................................
W ashing ton.............................................................
West Virginia.........................................................
Wisconsin................................................................
Wyoming................................................................
Interstate................................................................
14
3
7
20
54
4
17
325
12
7
9
8
4
5
149
70
25
12
11
7
30
45
374
66
24
4
90
14
21
Total..............................................................
North of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi —
South of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi---West of the Mississippi......................................... .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Lockouts
1918
17
5
20
35
105
13
2
3
10
90
46
121
17
14
14
26
1
32
276
65
63
43
37
39
40
58
342
62
52
13
117
66
27
2
20
219
4
679
7
2
265
33
57
481
6
103
7
2
40
56
21
8
34
290
64
55
2
25
29
70
14
13
18
37
1
10
235
68
39
32
17
16
36
69
336
59
40
4
99
28
11
6
17
138
2
662
12
3
188
17
18
303
5
• 53
3
3
22
37
12
9
36
126
49
52
5
4
3,678
4,233
3,107
165
406
2,900
304
1,029
20
411
577
7
276
24
22
566
23
76
5
24
28
3
10
14
57
39
61
4
[1 8 5 9 ]
1916
1917
1
1
1918
3
i
1
7
2
2
3
2
2
2
2
3
6
8
2
2
1
11
8
2
1
2
3
9
5
6
3
11
2
1
1
4
7
1
5
3
1
1
1
10
5
1
2
1
1
5
1
6
8
15
1
15
21
1
14
1
8
14
2
1
13
9
2
1
2
2
1
2
7
3
3
2
2
1
1
2
1
4
2
1
2
1
2
3,181
108
126
104
2,366
232
583
80
9
19
85
11
30
65
14
25
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
810
The largest number of disputes occurred in the leading manu
facturing States—New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and
Illinois, over one-half of the strikes being in these States.
The table following shows the number of strikes and lockouts in
cities in which 25 or more disputes occurred during 1916, 1917, or
1918:
____
CITIES IN WHICH 25 OR MORE STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS OCCURRED IN 1916,
1917. OR 1918.
City.
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
Baltimore, Md—
Boston, Mass.......
Bridgeport, Conn.
Cincinnati, Ohio..
Cleveland, Ohio..
Denver, Colo.......
Detroit, Mich.......
Holyoke," Mass__
Jersey City, N. J . .
Kansas City, Mo..
Milwaukee, W is..
Newark, N. J .......
New York City...
Lockouts.
Strikes.
Lockouts.
Strikes.
City.
36 33
57 81
37 25
39 27
73 118
26 33
58 67
8 25
28 18
28 17
9
25
27 23
17 36
29 13
54 47
352 470
44
62
11
24
91
24
38
17
17
7
17
7
17
11
36
462
3
5
1
2
3
2
3
1
1
3
1
1
11
3
5
1
1
2
5
9
2
1
2
9
1
1
1
1
3
13
2
Paterson, N. J ---Philadelphia, P a .
Pittsburgh, P a . . .
Providence, R. I . .
Rochester, N. Y ..
San Francisco,
Calif.................
St. Louis, Mo---Seattle, W ash---Springfield, Mass.
Toledo, Ohio__
Trenton, N. J __
Y o u n g s to w n ,
Ohio................
18
73
45
21
14
20
78
18
18
34
26
86
35
46
27
23
55
15
30
12
24
35
51
46
27
16
15
29
69
26
12
24
U
27
6
1
25
5
8
1
2
l
3
2
2
1
2
3
1
4
1
1
2
2
3
1
I
2
3
16
The table following shows the number of the sexes in the various
strikes and lockouts occurring during the three years under con
sideration :
NUMBER OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN 1916, 1917, AND 1918, BY SEXES.
Lockouts.
Strikes.
Sex.
1916
1917
1918
1916
1917
1918
Males.......................................................................
Fp.mnlfts...
...............................
Males and females...................................................
Not reported...........................................................
3,042
122
260
254
3,434
152
184
463
2,345
S6
263
487
76
99
9
23
6
21
76
3
11
14
Total..............................................................
3,678
4,233
3,181
108
126
104
In 1918 the employees were connected with unions in 1,811 strikes
and 73 lockouts; they were not connected with unions in 356 strikes
and 4 lockouts; in 26 strikes they were not so connected at the time
of striking, but organized almost immediately thereafter; in 988
strikes and 27 lockouts the relation of employees to unions was not
reported. In 1917 the corresponding figures were 2,277 strikes and
95 lockouts, 201 strikes and 3 lockouts, 55 strikes, and 1,700 strikes
and 28 lockouts. In 1916 the figures were 2,361 strikes and 94 lock
outs, 441 strikes and 5 lockouts, 70 strikes and 1 lockout, and 806
strikes and 8 lockouts.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1860]
311
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
The causes of strikes and lockouts were numerous. Aside from
wages few strikes occurred in which the cause was confined to one matter
in dispute. The principal causes are shown in the table following:
PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS, 1916, 1917, AND 1918.
Lockouts.
Strikes.
Matter of disputo.
1916
1917
1918
In crea se of w ag es...........................................
D ecrease of w ages..........................................
N o n p a y m e n t of w ag es.................................
In crea se of h o u rs ...........................................
D ecrease of h o u rs .........»...............................
In crea se of w ages a n d decrease of hours.
G eneral c o n d itio n s ...................... 1...............
C o n d itions a n d w ag es..................................
C o n d itions a n d h o u r s ..................................
C o n d itions, w ages, a n d h o u rs ...................
C o n d itions a n d reco g n itio n ........................
R ec o g n itio n of th e u n io n . . ........................
R ec o g n itio n a n d w ages................................
R ec o g n itio n a n d h o u rs ................ ...............
R ec o g n itio n , w ages, a n d h o u rs ................
D isch arge of forem an d e m a n d e d .............
D isch arge of e m p lo y e e s .............................
E m p lo y m e n t of n o n u n io n m e n .............. .
I n re g ard to th e a g re e m e n t........................
N ew a g re e m e n t.............................................
S y m p a th y .............................. .........................
J u ris d ic tio n .....................................................
M iscellaneous.......................................... ....
N o t r e p o rte d ...................................................
1,290
33
13
3
111
479
59
56
3
25
344
122
22
68
17
122
70
38
37
32
19
117
598
1,507
34
17
18
122
372
95
70
17
26
13
275
148
27
56
37
203
76
75
22
68
20
173
762
1,352
34
31
6
79
248
54
50
2
8
7
186
95
16
66
53
137
61
41
4
34
16
170
431
T o ta l......................................................
3,678
4,233
3,181
1916
11
2
1917
17
2
1
14
2
5
4
4
1
1
2
2
2
39
5
1
35
2
4
2
2
2
22
2
1
5
1918
5
4
2
3
1
1
3
1
3
2
1
1
7
33
5
30
9
35
108
126
104
The number of persons involved in strikes and lockouts is shown
in the table following:
NUMBER OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS, BY CLASSIFIED NUMBER OF PERSONS
INVOLVED, 1916, 1917, AND 1918.
Strikes.
Numbered persons
involved.
1 to 10 ..................
11 to 25..................
26 to 50..................
51 tolQO ...............
im t o 9 ^ 0
251 to 500...............
Lockouts.
Strikes.
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
197
345
411
411
151 135
268 256
318 318
343 337
238
348 281
272
13
10
15
7
6
7
8
9
3
10
3
Number of persons
involved.
Lockouts.
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
9
10
9
13
501 to 1,000............ 238 191 139
1,001 to '10,000....... 233 217 200
Over 10,000...........
22 67 16
Not reported......... 1,078 2,059 1,154
9
Total........... 3,678*4,233 3,181
0
5
1
44
1
4
1
80
2
4
i
34
108 126 104
In 1918, in 2,027 strikes and 70 lockouts the number of persons
involved was reported to be 1-,192,418 and 43,041, respectively, or
an average of 588 and 615, respectively. Omitting the 200 strikes
and 5 lockouts in which the number of persons involved exceeded
1,000 each, the average number involved in the remaining strikes
was 113 and in the lockouts was 127. In 1917, in 2,174 strikes and
46 lockouts the number of persons involved was reported to be
1,193,867 and 19,133, respectively, or an average of 549 and 416,
respectively. Omitting the 234 strikes and 5 lockouts in which the
number of persons involved exceeded 1,000 each, the average number
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[18613
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
312
involved in the remaining strikes was 169 and in the lockouts was 105.
In 1916, in 2,600 strikes and 64 lockouts the number of persons
involved was reported to be 1,546,428 and 53,182, respectively, or an
average of 595 and 831, respectively. Omitting the 145 strikes and
4 lockouts in which the number of persons involved exceeded 1,000,
the average number involved in the remaining strikes was 253 and in
the lockouts 148.
NUMBER OF STRIKES IN THE LEADING INDUSTRY GROUPS IN WHICH THE LARGEST
NUMBER OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS OCCURRED, 1916, 1917, AND 1918.
Strikes.
Lockouts.
Strikes.
Lockouts.
Industry.
Industry.
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
Building trad es... 376 439 410
Clothing industrips
222 475 410
Furniture industry
48 40 25
Iron and steel
72 56 7\
TvPfytkipr workers
34 19 15
44 295 74
Mea,t, putting__
70 35 39
Metal trades........ 547 504 435
18
21
17
5
12
18
2
3
1
2
14
4
2
31
1
1
23
Mining................. 399 405
Paper manufacturing............... 51 36
Printing and publishing............... 25 40
Shipbuilding....... 27 101
Stonework........... 59 23
Textile industry.. 258 233
Tobacco............... 61 44
Transportation. .. 224 330
177
3
2
34
2
1
39
136
14
202
47
186
4
3
2
3
2
4
4
2
5
2
1
3
2
5
NUMBER OF STRIKES IN INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONS IN WHICH TH E LARGEST NUM
BER OF STRIKES OCCURRED, 1916, 1917, AND 1918.
Strikes.
Lockouts.
Strikes.
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
66
23
92
43
41
27
15
13
t
4
44
19
22
53
73
41
40
37
22
9
72
97
58
19
48
26
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
2
3
3
22
32
T/nngsh ore men
68
Machinists............ 255
43
33
61
195
34
44
29
203
Bakers .........................
B o ile r m a k e r s
Boot and shoe
w o rk e /p s
B r e w e r y workers .
B r i p.km a k e r s ,._
Building laborers.
Carpenters............
"F re ig h t, h a n d l e r s
Glassworkers.......
Hat andeapmakers......................
Lockouts,
Occupation.
Occupation.
26
75
24
13
2
1
4
3
2
4
8
13
7
Metal polishers. . . 40 23 24
Miners, coal......... 370 339 149
Molders................. 145 155 108
Painters............... 45 41 57
P l u m b e r s and
steam fitters__ 52 53 70
Rubber workers. . 37 15 13
Sheet-metal workers...................... 20 32 45
Street railway employees.............. 55 111 115
S tru c tu ra l-iro n
workers............. 23 15 19
Tailors.................. 32 53 48
Teamsters............ 108 163 127
2
3
3
6
2
5
4
1
5
6
1
1
1
4
3
1
1
2
3
1
1
6
1
6
1
2
In 1918, in 2,944 strikes and 109 lockouts, the number of establish
ments involved in each was stated. Only 1 establishment was in
volved in each case in 2,421 strikes and 80 lockouts, 2 establishments
in 66 strikes and 4 lockouts, 3 in 41 strikes and 1 lockout, 4 in 23
strikes, 5 in 88 strikes, over 5 in 305 strikes and 24 lockouts. In 1917,
in 3,552 strikes and 113 lockouts, the number of establishments
involved in each was stated. In each case only 1 establishment was
involved in 2,913 strikes and 84 lockouts, 2 establishments in 139
strikes and 3 lockouts, 3 in 66 strikes and 4 lockouts, 4 in 41 strikes,
5 in 18 strikes, over 5 in 375 strikes and 22 lockouts.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
11862]
313
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
The following tables relate to those strikes and lockouts which were
reported to have ended during the three years under consideration:
N U M B E R OF S T R IK E S A N D LO C K O U TS, B Y M ONTHS IN AVHICH EA C H E N D E D , 1916,
1917, A N D 1918.
Kind of
dispute.
No De Month
Au Sep Oc vem
Jan Feb
cem not Total.
uary. ruary. March. April. May. June. July. gust. tem
ber. tober. ber. ber. stated.
Strikes:
1916..........
1917..........
1918..........
Lockouts:
1916 . . .
1917..........
1918..........
Total:
1916...
1917...
1918...
200
139
19S
213
143
200
217
189
163
170
167
140
150
115
111
75
125
157
5
2
5
4
3
3
6
5
5
2
2
6
5
2
4
2
4
4
216
161
218
200
141
203
217
146
203
223
194
168
172
169
146
155
117
115
77
129
161
114
103
102
129
86
119
173
146
157
2S9
183
190
330
206
252
213
157
213
3
3
2
3
2
1
3
4
6
3
7
10
7
9
3
4
117
106
104
132
88
120
176
150
163
292
190
200
337
215
255
3
119 2,392
140 1,899
75 2,077
12
11
9
53
58
63
131 2,445
151 1,957
84 2,140
R E S U L T S O F S T R IK E S A N D LO CK O U TS, 1916, 1917, A N D 1918.
Strikes.
Lockouts.
Result.
1916
1917
1918
1916
1917
1918
In favor of employers.............................................
In favor of employees.............................................
Compromised..........................................................
Emnloyees returned pending arbitration............
Not reported...........................................................
724
733
766
70
99
366
581
679
131
142
417
591
659
198
212
21
16
11
3
2
13
17
21
6
1
5
15
17
5
21
Total..............................................................
2,392
1,899
2,077
53
58
63
D U R A T IO N O F S T R IK E S AN D LO CK O U TS, 1916, 1917, AND 1918.
Strikes.
Lockouts.
Strikes.
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
1916 1917 1918 1916 1917 1918
than 1 day
38
141
183
146
124
129
109
91
85
48
106
40
42
88
190
107
89
57
45
61
86
25
25
39
23
37
84
140
164
119
108
66
¿3
112
55
37
54
23
24
60
14 days
15 to 18 days......... 142
37
69
47
84
1 day
2 days
4 days
days
7 days
8 d ays
9 d ays
10 d ays
l i d ays
12 da.ys
13 d a y s . . . . . . . . . . .
Lockouts.
Duration.
Duration.
2
1
2
2
3
2
3
1
3
2
1
2
2
1
1
1
2
2
3
1
1
3
6
2
1
Í
1
1
19 to
22 to
25 to
29 to
32 to
36 to
43 to
50 to
64 to
78 to
92 to
21 days.........
24 days.........
28 days.........
31 days.........
35 days.........
42 days.........
49 days.........
63 days........
77 days.........
91 days.........
199 days.......
Over 200 days___
82
38
60
53
25
48
22
53
39
26
87
17
Not reported........ 332
2
4
42
21
31
28
26
33
25
35
19
11
49
9
580
64
36
33
55
27
37
29
39
16
15
28
21
479
Total.......... 2,392 1,899,2,077
1
1
1
2
1
3
2
2
1
3
1
3
1
12
6
53
2
2
2
1
1
7
1
4
2
24
28
58
63
Included in the above table as “ not reported” are 127 strikes and
4 lockouts in 1918, and 200 strikes and 3 lockouts in 1917, designated
in the reports as “ short” but their exact duration is not given.
In addition, there were, in 1918, 68 strikes and 8 lockouts, and in
1917, 75 strikes and 1 lockout in which the places of the employees
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[1863]
314
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
were filled very soon after the strike occurred, and the work became
normal in a few days, but the bureau has no record that these dis
turbances were ever formally settled.
The total duration of these strikes was 28,386 days and of the lock
outs 1,096 daysin 1918, the average duration of theformerbeing 18 days
and of the latter 31 days. If, however, the disturbances lasting more
than three months are omitted from consideration, the average was
13 days and 24 days, respectively. In 1917, the total duration of
these strikes was 24,076 days, and of the lockouts 1,904 days, the
average of the former being 18 days and of the latter 56 days; or,
considering only those disturbances that lasted less than three months,
the average was 13 days and 27 days, respectively. In 1916, the total
duration of the strikes was 46,264 days and of the lockouts 3,375 days,
an average of 22 days and 64 days, respectively; the average duration
of those strikes lasting less than 90 days was 15 days, and of the lock
outs 19 days.
The commissioners of conciliation of the Department of Labor
handled 596 strikes and lockouts in 1918, and 303 in 1917, and
settled 317 of them in the former year and 137 in the latter. In 136
strikes and lockouts the employees returned to work, agreeing to
leave the settlement of their disputes to the War Labor Board. In
1918, labor leaders ordered strikers back to work in 58 cases, and in
1917, in 72. Between April 6, 1917, the date of our entrance into the
war, and November 11, 1918, the date of the signing of the armistice,
6,206 strikes and lockouts occurred. The bureau has statements that
388 strikes and lockouts, occurring during the 19 months of actual
warfare, were in the war industries, but inasmuch as practically all
the strikes in the shipbuilding, iron and steel, and metal-trade indus
tries, and most of those in the leather, men’s clothing, and textile
industries, and many of those in the various building trades, railroad,
and mining occupations were connected with the war more or less
directly, the number of war strikes is doubtless much larger.
The table following shows the number of strikes and lockouts in
1917 and 1918 in the leading industries and occupations, by States.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[18 6 4 1
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
315
N U M B ER O F S T R IK E S AN D LO C K O U TS IN S P E C IF IE D O C CU PA TIO N S, B Y STA TES,
1917 AN D 1918.
ST R IK ES.
States, etc.
Building trades.
Brass Brewery
and
and
BrickBakers. Barbers. brasssoft
Elec
goods drink makers. Brick Carpen trical
layers. ters. workers.
workers. workers.
1917 1918 1917 1918 1917 1918 1917 1918 1917 1918 19171918 1917 1918 1917 1918
1
1
Alabama....... ........................... .....
Arizona..........................................
California. . . . ............................. 1 2 1 3
1
Colorado......................................... 3
1
Connecticut.................................... 3
Delaware........................................
1
District of Columbia.....................
1
Florida............................. .............
1
Georgia.. . .
Illinois........'................................... 7 2 2 1
1
Indiana.......................................... 1
1
Iowa............................................... 1
Kansas............................................
Kentucky....................................... 2
1
Louisiana....................
1
Maine.. .
Maryland....................................... 4
Massachusetts................................ 10 5 3
Michigan........................................ 1 1
Minnesota.......................................
Mississippi.....................................
Missouri .*................................
3 1 1
1 1
Montana.........................................
Nebraska........................................ 2
....
..
2
New Hampshire................
New Jersey.................................... 6 4
New York...................................... 19 12 2 7
North Carolina...............................
1
North Dakota.............................
1
Ohio............................................... 8 3
Oklahoma.........................
1
Oregon..................................
Pennsylvania......................
13 3 3 2
1 1
Porto Rico......................... '...
Rhode Island.....................
South Dakota...... .................
1 1
Tennessee....................................
1
Texas..............................................
2
•
U tah...............................................
1
Virginia.......................................
1
2
Washington.........................
West Virginia........................
1 1 1 2
Wisconsin..................................
1
Wyoming................................
Total.................................... 92
41
19 24
1
1
1
1
1
i
1
1
1
2
3
1
1
3
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
1
2
1
5
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
5
2
1
2
3
1
!
1
1
1
1
3
3
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
8
4
1
2
4
22
26
9
5
9
1
1
2
1
6
4
2
2
1
4
6
3
1
1
2
2
1 11
1
5
9
3
1
2
1
1
1
1
3
1
3
2
1
1
2
7
2
4
9
4
1
2
6
4
3
3
1
2
1
3
1
2
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
5
1
75 33
44
3
3
1
2
3
4
2
4
2
1
1
1
3
1
5
9
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
5
1
1
1
1
7
2
3
1
13 97
1
LOCKOUTS.
Illinois
Indiana. _
Kansas
Maryland
Mnssaoh 11 sot ts
Minnesota
N p .w Jfvrsp.y
N p.w M o rlv
N orth Carolina.
Ohio
Pp.n n s y 1van i a
Ton n p.s,so p
T aras
tV ash in yton
Total
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1
i
2
i
1
1
. . . . . . . .
3
1
1
3
1
2
1
1
1
i
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
13
1
4
[1865]
3
3
2
4
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
316
NUMBER OF STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS IN SPECIFIED OCCUPATIONS, BY STATES,
1917 AND 1918—Continued.
STR IK ES.
Building trades—Continued.
States, etc.
Lath
ers.
Paint
Labor
Plumb
ers and Cement ers and Plas ers and
hod workers. paper terers. steamfitters.
carriers.
hangers.
Roof
ers.
Sheetmetal
work
ers.
1917 1918 1917 1918 1917 1918 1917 1918 1917 1918 1917 1918 1917 1918 1917 1918
Alabama.........................................
Alaska............................................
Arkansas........................................
California.......................................
Colorado.........................................
Connecticut....................................
Delaware........................................
District of Columbia.....................
Florida...........................................
Georgia...........................................
Idaho..............................................
Illinois............................................
Indiana..........................................
Iowa...............................................
Kansas............................................
Kentucky.......................................
Louisiana.......................................
Maine..............................................
Maryland.......................................
Massachusetts................................
Michigan........................................
Minnesota......................................
Mississippi.....................................
Missouri..........................................
Montana.........................................
Nebraska........................................
New Hampshire............................
New Jersey............ .......................
New York......................................
North Carolina..............................
Ohio...............................................
Oklahoma.......................................
Oregon............................................
Pennsylvania................................
Rhode' Island.................................
South Carolina...............................
Tennes
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