Full text of Monthly Labor Review : June 1946, Vol. 62, No. 6
The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
REVIEW
VOL 62 • NO. 6
JUNE 1946
JUL ? 5 1946
IN THIS ISSUE.
d
t
l
b
h
Y
Workmen’s compensation for seamen
Welfare provisions for miners in 6 foreign
countries
Factors affecting earnings in chemistry and
chemical engineering
Prices in first quarter of 1946
Wilmington shipbuilders during and after
World War II
OF LABOR • BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
UN ITED STATES D EPA R T M EN T OF LABOR
L. B. Schwellenbach, Secretary
B U R EA U OF LABOR STATISTICS
A. F . H in r ic h s , Acting Commissioner
Inquiries should be addressed to Bureau of Labor Statistics
Washington 25, D. C.
The M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w is published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
under authority of Public Resolution No. 57, approved May 11 ,1 9 2 2 (b2 Stat. 5 b l),
as amended by section 307, Public Act 212, 72d Congress, approved Ju n e 30, 1932.
This publication approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents
I). S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C.
Price, 30 cents a copy
Subscription price per year—
$3.50, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico
$4.75, other countries
MONTHLY
. ’ !' •
■_! I D l J i i
m
11 Li
r
i f 1
lJ Lj
r
LLD Li Lf
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABORf+BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
+
LAWRENCE R. KLEIN, Editor
c o n t e n t s
+ w w /###/###,
JUNE 1946, Vol. 62, No. 6
##///###/#/########/########/#####/############/####/###////#######/##
Page
Special articles:
Workmen’s compensation for seamen_______________________________
Welfare provisions for miners in six foreign countries_______________
Employer contributions to union benefit funds_________________
Wilmington shipbuilders during and after World War II____________
Factors affecting earnings in chemistry and chemical engineering____
851
862
867
870
879
Employment conditions:
Future levels of German industrial employment____________________
895
Education and training:
Standards for on-the-job veteran training___________________________
Training courses for union leaders___________________ ______________
904
906
Industrial relations:
An industrial relations charter for the Americas_____________________
Labor-management and factory committees in Italy ________________
907
912
Industrial injuries:
Workmen’s compensation for seamen_______________________________
Work accidents in Chile____________________________________________
851
914
Labor-management disputes:
Work stoppages in April 1946______________________________________
915
Labor laws and decisions:
Recent decisions of interest to labor________________________________
Italy— Social security legislation in 1945-46________________________
New Zealand— Social legislation, late 1945__________________________
918
925
927
Women in industry:
Will prewar domestic workers return?---------------------------------------------Women in New York retail and service jobs, 1945----------------------------
930
931
Wage and hour statistics:
Wilmington shipbuilders during and after World War I I ------------------Wage structure in machine-tool industry, January 1945-------------------Salaries of clerical workers in 20 cities, October 1945-----------------------Trend of factory earnings, 1939 to March 1946--------------------------------Egypt— Wages and hours in textile industry, 1943 and 1945-----------695228 — 46 — — 1
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
*
870
933
944
1006
945
CONTENTS
u
Wage and hour regulation:
Advance approval of 65-cent hourly pay by Stabilization Board_____
Stabilization Board policy on wages and summer workweek________
page
946
946
Prices and cost of living:
Prices in the first quarter of 1946___________________________________
Index of consumers’ prices in large cities, April 1946________________
Retail prices of food in April 1946__________________________________
Wholesale prices in April 1946______________________________________
947
963
966
972
Building operations:
' Building construction in urban areas, April 1946____________________
977
Trends of employment and labor turn-over:
Labor force, April 1946_____________________________________________
Summary of employment reports for April 1946____________________
Industrial and businessemployment____________________________
Public employment____________________________________________
Construction__________________________________________________
Detailed reports for industrial and business employment, March 1946_
Labor turn-over in manufacturing, mining, and public utilities,
March 1946________________________
981
982
982
984
987
989
998
Trends of earnings and hours:
Summary of earnings and hours data for March 1946_______________
Trend of factory earnings, 1939 to March 1946_____________________
1002
1006
Labor conditions in Latin Am erica ________________________________ 907, 914
Recent publications of labor interest__________________________________
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1008
This Issue in B rief
Workmen’s compensation fo r seamen
Under a modified workmen’s compensation act, disabled American merchant
seamen would have received about 10 percent more than under the existing directsettlement system, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics study. Approx
imately half of the seamen would have received less under the compensation
system than under the direct-settlement scheme; death and permanent total
disability cases would have gained greatly. The Bureau’s study was made to
determine how seamen would be affected by the provisions of a liberalized work
men’s compensation act, recommended by a Federal Interdepartmental Commit
tee; the study was based on an analysis of approximately 6,000 accident reports
submitted to the Committee. Page 851.
Welfare provisions fo r miners in six foreign countries
Mine workers in at least six foreign countries are benefiting from special welfare
legislation. In Great Britain a tax of one penny a ton is paid into a fund managed
by Government employer-employee representatives. The proceeds are used for
health, welfare, and recreational facilities for coal miners. The Netherlands and
Spain have somewhat similar funds, while Belgian miners are given special benefits
under the social security laws. Page 862.
Wilmington shipbuilders during and after World War I I
In the winter of 1945-46 a fourth of a representative group of 166 former ship
builders of Wilmington, Del., were unemployed, nearly half had returned to pre
war jobs or had taken new ones, while nearly 13 percent, most of whom were
men, had withdrawn from the labor market. Lower wage rates and hours of
work were largely responsible for the reduced level of earnings in January 1946
compared with April 1945. During the first phase of reconversion the number of
workers who migrated was noticeably smaller than during the war. Page 870.
Factors affecting earnings in chemistry and chemical engineering
Earnings of persons employed in chemistry and chemical engineering vary
widely, depending on type of work done, amount of education, and years of ex
perience. In 1943, persons employed in chemistry who had 1 year of experience
earned a median base monthly salary, with overtime, of about $200; those with
5 years’ experience averaged about $245; with 10 to 12 years of experience, about
$285; and with 21 to 25 years’ experience, about $360. Salaries of those employed
in chemical engineering ranged from a median of $235 (including overtime) with
1 year of experience to $450 with 21 to 25 years of experience. Page 879.
Prices in the first quarter o f 1946
Price developments during the first quarter of 1946 differed significantly from
the general wartime pattern. Increases were greater in primary markets than in
retail stores and were larger for industrial than for agricultural commodities.
Primary market prices rose 1.7 percent— with significant increases for important
industrial commodities and for agricultural products. Retail prices of consumer
goods advanced slightly as higher prices for most of the principal items in the
family budget, particularly clothing, more than offset lower prices for foods.
Page 947.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
hi
IV
THIS ISSUE IN BRIEF
Wage structure o f machine-tool industry, Janu ary 1945
Plant workers in the machine-tool industry had average straight-time hourly
earnings of $1.05 in January 1945. Only about 1 out of 30 workers earned less
than 65 cents per hour; a fifth earned $1.25 or more. Men averaged $1.07 and
women only 82 cents an hour. By regions, average hourly earnings varied from
92 cents in the Middle West to $1.08 in the Pacific region. Incentive workers
averaged one-sixth more per hour than time workers in occupations where both
methods of pay were widely used. Difference between union and nonunion wages
varied considerably among the several regions. Detailed wage data and informa
tion on wage and related practices are given in the article on page 933.
Future levels o f German industrial employment
The plan adopted by the Allied Control Council in March on reparations will
leave in Germany industrial capital equipment sufficient to provide for domestic
consumption approximating the level of 1932 and for exports to pay for strictly
necessary imports. Exports must consist largely of consumers’ goods instead of
producers’ goods, as formerly. Industrial employment will be reduced by the plan
and the loss of territory to the east, to the extent of some 6 million jobs compared
to 1936. The labor force will be nearly as large as prewar if proposed population
transfers are carried out. The level of unemployment will depend on the absorp
tive capacity of agriculture, building, and “peaceful” industries. These will,
however, be handicapped by reductions in industries supplying their equipment.
The plan assumes that Germany will be treated as an economic unit. Page 895.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
V
CURRENT LABOR STATISTICS
Current Statistics of Labor Interest in Selected Periods 1
[Available in reprint form]
1946
Item
Unit or base
period
1945
Febru
ary
April
March
Thousands. .
_ do___ __
_do_______
.do__ .
_ _ .do___ ___
___ do____ ___
__ d o ______
do__
__ do_______
____do_______
56, 900
40, 310
16, 590
54, 550
38,420
16,130
46,360
8,190
2,350
36, 721
55. 660
39, 370
16,290
52,950
37,170
15, 780
45, 370
7, 580
2,710
36, 271
54, 340 2 51,930
38, 340 2 33,840
16, 000 2 18,090
51, 690 2 51,160
36,200 2 33,410
15,490 2 17, 750
44, 700 2 43, 410
6,990
2 7, 750
2,650
2 770
35; 360
37, 791
_ ___do___ __
__do._
_ ___do___
__do_______
__do_____
__ do_______
___do___ ___
12, 376
490
1,544
3, 934
7, 738
5,138
5, 501
12,004
801
1,349
3,929
7, 618
5,076
5,494
11, 393
808
1,260
3,906
7,500
5,031
5,462
April
1939:
Average
for
year
E m p lo ym ent and unem ploym ent
Civilian labor force (B C ): T otal., . . .
Male
.
. _____________
Fem ale.. _____________________
Employed4____ __
______ _ .
Male . . . . . ___________ . . .
Female_______ . . . . . .
Nonagricultural .
_______
Agricultural____ . . . . . .
Unemployed_____________ _____ ...
Civilian employment in nonagricultural
establishments: Total.4
Manufacturing. . . . . .
_____
Mining
. ________
Construction*.
._ _ __
....
Transportation and public utilities__
Trade .
. ._ _______
Finance, service, and miscellaneous. . .
Federal, State, and local government,
excluding Federal force-account
construction.
Military personnel.._______ ______ _
Production-worker employment:
Manufacturing
____________
Bituminous-coal mining____ ____ .
Class I steam railroads, including salaried
employees (ICC).
Hired farm workers (B A E )__________
15,102
761
699
3, 792
6,990
4,444
6,003
* fit, 230
2 40, 950
2 13,280
2 46, 930
» 35, 600
» 11, 330
3 37,430
« 9, 500
* 7,300
30, 353
10,078
845
1,753
2,912
6,618
4,160
3, 988
_ _do____ _
4, 360
4, 973
5,952
12,092
362
_ d o . _____
_ do__
___do___ ___
10,982
60
1,347
10, 624
342
1, 367
9, 983
341
1, 365
13, 356
305
1, 421
8,192
371
988
1,652
1,489
1,424
1, 660
«'2,109
40.8
45.9
40.5
37.5
40.5
45.5
40.5
37.3
2 45.4
2 43.8
2 39.7
40.0
37.7
27.1
43.0
32.6
$42.14
$58.30
$31.12
$52.87
$40. 55
$57. 37
$30.77
$53.04
2 $47.40
2 $52.26
2 $27.21
$54.42
$23.86
$23.88
$21.17
$30.39
$1.034
$1.274
$0.841
$1,411
$1,001
$1.265
$0.837
$1.422
2 $1.044
2 $1.197
2 $0.752
$1.361
$0.633
$0.998
$1.007
$0.967
$0.982
2 $0.969
2 $0.922
$0.622
$0.640
* $4. 40
$4.12
• $1. 53
do__ ___
H o u rs and earnings
Average weekly hours:
Manufacturing . ___________
Hours.. . . . .
Bituminous-coalmining_______ . . .. ____do_____ _
___do__.___
Retail trade .
.
____
_ do_______
Building construction (private)
. .
Average weekly earnings:
Manufacturing
_________ ._
Bituminous-coal mining__ ___ ___
Retail tr a d e ___
__ _
____ .
Building construction (private)
Average hourly earnings:
Manufacturing
________________
Bituminous-coal m ining___________
Retail tr a d e __
. . ____________
Building construction (private)_____
Averagestraight-time hourly earnings
in manufacturing, using—
Current employment by industry.
Employment by industry as of
January 1941.
Quarterly farm wage rate, per day with
out board (BA E).
$4.36
$0.886
$0. 536
$0.933
Industrial injuries and labor turn-over
Industrial injuries in manufacturing per
million man-hours worked.
Labor turn-over per 100 employees in
manufacturing:
Total separations
________________
Quits
. _________________
Lay-offs_______________________
Total accessions _ ________________
17.6
18.2
2 17.0
15.4
6.2
4.3
1.3
6.8
6.6
4.2
1.8
7.1
6.3
3.9
1.7
6.8
6.6
4.8
0.8
4.7
«3.5
«0.8
«2.6
«2.9
465
575
385
130
260
130
431
306
218
98
15, 500
2.49
14,000
2.42
21,500
3.94
1,472
Ó.20
1,484
0.28
Labor-m anagem ent disputes
Work stoppages beginning in month:
Number
____________
Number of workers involved_______ Thousands___
All work stoppages during month:
Number of man-days idle ________ ____do_______
Man-days idle as percent of available
working time.
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
VI
CURRENT LABOR STATISTICS
Current Statistics of Labor Interest in Selected Periods 1— Continued
1946
Item
Unit or base
period
April
March
1945
Febru
ary
April
1939:
Average
for
year
P rices
1935-39=100...
130.9
130.2
129.6
127.1
99.4
1935-39 = 100...
1935-39= 100. 1935-39 = 100...
1935-39=100...
1935-39 = 100...
1935-39 = 100...
1935-39 = 100...
141.7
154.3
139.6
150.5
136.6
144.1
110.4
151.3
126.0
141.7
140.1
153.1
108.4
110.5
150.2
125.9
140.1
111.0
149.7
125.6
139.6
109.8
114.9
123.8
136.6
95.2
100.5
104.3
99.0
101.3
100.7
95.2
1935-39 = 100...
1935-39 = 100...
1935-39 = 100...
1935-39 = 100...
1935-39 = 100...
1935-39 = 100. 1935-39 = 100...
1935-39=100...
1926 = 100_____
1926=100_____
113.3
132.8
137.4
137.7
185.9
124.9
126.1
135.3
110.2
104.5
110.3
131.3
137.0
139.0
183.4
124.9
125.9
132.4
108.9
103.4
109.8
131.3
136.6
144.2
181.1
124.9
125.4
126.9
107.7
102.5
108.9
130.8
133.5
139.9
173.3
124.6
123.8
126. 4
105.7
100.5
94.5
96.6
95.9
91.0
94.5
95.5
87.7
100.6
77.1
79.5
1926=100_____
103.3
102.2
101.3
99.3
81.3
1926=100_____
1926=100_____
135.4
110.8
133.4
109.4
130.8
107.8
129. 0
105.8
65.3
70.4
Millions ____ $12,784 $13,199
National income payments (BFD C)
»$27,600
Consumer expenditures for goods and ___ _do_______
services (B FD C ).
Retail sales (B FD C )___ _______________ ___do________
$7,397
$7, 208
$12, 068
Consumers’ price index (moderate income
families in large cities): All items.
Food . _____________ _____ _______
Clothing_______________ __ ---------Rent
_
_ ______________
Fuel, electricity, and ice____________
Housefurnishings.. . ______________
Miscellaneous_____________________
Retail food price index (large cities): All
foods.
Cereals and bakery products________
Meats____ _ _ . . ----------- ------------Dairy products____________________
Eggs---------------------------------------------Fruits and vegetables______________
Beverages__ ____________________
Fats and oils_______________________
Sugar and sweets---------------. . _ . . .
Wholesale price index: All commodities-.
All commodities other than farm
products.
All commodities other than farm
products and foods.
Farm products . _ . ______________
Foods ___________________________
N ational incom e and expenditures
$13,194 « $5,724
»$24,684 »$14,256
$6, 208
$5,461
« $3, 471
P roduction
1935-39 = 100...
161
164
149
229
109
1935-39=100...
1935-39 = 100...
Thousands of
short tons.
Car loadings index, unadjusted (F R )____ 1935-39 = 100...
Electric energy (F P C ): Total___________ M illion s of
kw.-hr.
Utilities (production for public use) ____do_______
____do______
Industrial establishments*.________
173
99
3,210
170
131
56, 540
152
134
49,975
245
140
43,360
109
106
« 9,945
107
21, 271
132
21,675
119
19, 449
139
22,823
101
(10)
17,481
3; 790
17,800
3; 875
16,193
3,256
18,640
4,183
6 $9,752
(10)
$856
$398
$735
$741
$631
$360
$415
$118
« $527
(10)
71,900
82,800
48,100
19,300
« 42,900
Industrial production index, unadjusted
(F R ): Total.
Manufactures_________________ ____
Minerals__________________________
Bituminous coal (B M ). _______________
Construction
Construction expenditures_________
Millions _____
Value of urban building construction ____do_______
started.
New nonfarm family dwelling units_____
1 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics unless otherwise indicated. Abbreviations used: BC (Bureau of
the Census); ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission); BA E (Bureau of Agricultural Economics); BFD C
(Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce); F R (Federal Reserve); BM (Bureau of Mines); FP C (Fed
eral Power Commission). Most of the current figures are preliminary.
3 Not comparable with February, March, and April 1946 figures because of a change adopted by the
Bureau of the Census in July 1945 in sampling methods. (See Monthly Report on the Labor Force, Sep
tember 1945.) Estimates for months prior to July 1945 are being revised.
3 10-month average—March to December 1940. (See footnote 2.)
4 Excludes employees on public emergency work, these being included in unemployed civilian labor force.
Civilian employment in nonagricultural establishments differs from employment in civilian labor force
mainly because of the inclusion in the latter of such groups as self-employed and domestic and casual
workers.
‘ Includes workers employed by construction contractors and Federal force-account workers (nonmain
tenance construction workers employed directly by the Federal Government). Other force-account non
maintenance construction employment is included under manufacturing and the other groups.
6 April.
7 March.
8 January.
» First quarter.
10 Not available.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
JUNE 1946
Workmen’s Compensation for Seamen
B y M a x D . K ossoris and J o seph Z ism a n 1
SEAM EN constitute one of this country’s major industrial groups
not covered by any kind of workmen’s compensation law. This is
contrary to the situation in nearly all other maritime nations. What
is particularly interesting is that United States merchant seamen do
not want any such legislation at present.
Seafaring is a hazardous occupation. Estimates for the last
prewar year, 1938, indicate that out of a total estimated work force
of about 132,000 seamen employed on American-flag merchant vessels,
about 14,500 were the victims of accidental injuries and diseases
arising during the course of employment on a vessel.
These accidents and diseases cost shipowners about 4% million
dollars, exclusive of claim-handling expense. As seamen are provided
free medical treatment and hospitalization in U. S. Marine Hospitals,
this single year’s injuries and diseases cost the Federal Government
about $700,000. Injured seamen, or their dependents in case of
death, are estimated to have received about $3,600,000 after due
allowance for attorney fees and court costs.
The estimates for 1938 indicate that about 300 seamen were killed,
400 suffered some degree of permanent disability, and 13,800 suffered
temporary disabilities. Accidental injury caused approximately
two-thirds of these cases and disease the remainder. It is important
to realize in this connection that the present rights of seamen embrace
the right to compensation for disease to a much greater extent than
is customary under even the most liberal type of workmen’s compensa
tion act in this country. Generally the types of diseases which are
compensable under such laws must arise specifically out of work
hazards. Even under a very hberal law and administration, these
industrial diseases rarely exceed 5 percent of the total injury count.
As against this, fully one-third of all work disabilities to seamen during
1938 were diseases.
The reason for this difference lies largely in the conditions under
which seamen work and live. A seaman generally is employed for
the duration of a voyage. He “ signs on” under the terms of “shipping
articles” which constitute a contract of employment between the
seaman and the master of the vessel, and he “signs off” when the
voyage is terminated and he has received his pay. From the moment
i Mr. Kossoris is Chief of the Bureau’s Industrial Hazards Division, and Mr. Zisman was formerly with
the U. S. Maritime Commission.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
851
852
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
he reports for duty and until the voyage ends, the seaman is “in the
service of the vessel.” On board ship, he lives in the quarters assigned
to him; he eats the food served to him; he is on duty 8 hours per day—
4 hours “on watch” at a time, with 8 hours “off watch.” He cannot
leave the vessel at any port without the master’s permission. In
other words, while in the service of the vessel he has no control over
his environment, over his food, and living conditions, and he is ob
viously exposed to the hazards of the elements as well as the climatic
conditions of the various parts of the world to which the voyage
takes him. Furthermore, the seamen has no choice but to obey the
master of a ship, no matter how hazardous the mission to which he
is assigned.
While living conditions are good on modern ships, many of the
older ships offer only the barest of comforts. Frequently no medical
attention is available, and injured or ill seamen are usually treated
by one of the officers and put ashore at the nearest port if conditions
require it.
In the light of these conditions, it is clear why the rights of seamen
cover a wide variety of diseases not normally regarded as having any
logical connection with employment. These conditions also provide
the explanation why any kind of workmen’s compensation act for
seamen should make no distinction between work injuries and dis
eases which arise during the course of employment.
The "Ancient Rights” of Seamen
There are several other important differences between seamen and
other industrial workers. One of these is the right— dating back to
ancient maritime law—to wages to the end of the voyage, even though
a disability occurs before then. Another is title to a “maintenance
and cure” allowance until the disability is removed, or until it becomes
clear that no further medical attention will contribute toward lessen
ing the degree of the permanent impairment. The usual maintenance
allowance for disabled seamen in 1938 was about $2.50 per day for
the average seaman, and went up to about $4.50 or $5 per day for
officers. As already indicated, hospitalization was free in U. S.
Marine Hospitals, but during the period of hospitalization no pay
ments were due for maintenance and cure. In addition, the seaman
was entitled to indemnity for pain and suffering—an item which is
foreign to the philosophy of workmen’s compensation.
States permitting an employer to elect whether or not to come under
the provisions of a workmen’s compensation law usually strip an em
ployer of his common-law defenses in case he elects not to accept the
compensation law. Such defenses had made it almost impossible for
injured workers to recover damages for work injuries prior to the
acceptance of the workmen’s compensation principle that compensation
for wages lost due to injuries which arise out of and in the course of
employment was payable regardless of fault.
Two laws, the Seamen’s Act of 1915, popularly known as the
LaFollette Act, and the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, known as the
Jones Act, give seamen similar relief from the operation of the
customary common-law defenses. The first of these acts, specifically
aimed at the fellow-servant rule, provided that in any suit for an
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION FOR SEAMEN
853
injury sustained on board a vessel, seamen having command shall
not be held to be the fellow servants of those subj ect to their authority,
A Supreme Court decision in 1918, however, nullified the provisions
of this act (Chelentis v. Luckenbach). Several other decisions followed
similar reasoning and led to pressure for the passage of more com
prehensive legislation. The Jones Act, passed in 1920, not only
remedied the defect in the LaFollette Act, but introduced new prin
ciples. I t extended to seamen the rights which railway workers had
under the Federal Employer’s Liability Act of 1908.
In short, as a result of the Jones Act, the ability of seamen to recover
damages for their work injuries now rests primarily on their ability to
prove negligence on the part of their employer or any of his officers,
agents, or employees; and, if the seaman can prove that a prescribed
safety provision was violated, the employer cannot even argue that
the seaman was guilty of some negligence himself.
The Seamen and Workmen’s Compensation
Prior to the passage of the Jones Act, the International Seamen’s
Union was strongly in favor of workmen’s compensation legislation.
In 1913, when this type of legislation was in its infancy, the union
attempted to obtain specific inclusion in the California workmen’s
compensation law, but failed. Sharing the general discouragement
of workers with the employer liability laws, the union turned its
attention to a possible Federal law. In both its 1913 and 1914 annual
conventions, a resolution was passed “that the workmen’s compensa
tion laws, State and Federal, should be extended to embrace all classes
of seamen, and the legislative committee is hereby instructed to take
the necessary steps to accomplish this object.”
World War I interfered with the progress of legislation. In the
meantime, the Jones Act was passed. By 1923 it was clear to the
union leadership that their existing rights should not be surrendered,
and that a workmen’s compensation act be accepted only as an addi
tional remedy. With employers fairly well deprived of their commonlaw defenses, the seamen wanted to preserve the right to sue under
the Jones Act, and to use the workmen’s compensation rights as an
alternative— depending on which gave them the better result.
On the other hand, the shipowners began to push workmen’s
compensation as the exclusive remedy, after evaluating courts’ in
terpretation of the Jones Act. Thus, there was a complete reversal
of the usual positions of employers and employees— the shipowners
urged a workmen’s compensation act as the exclusive remedy, and
the seamen opposed it.
A Senate Committee, which had before it a workmen’s compensa
tion bill (H. R. 6881) proposed by shipowners, therefore found itself
confronted in 1940 with a situation in which the employers fought for
a workmen’s compensation act, while the employees vigorously op
posed it. The Senate Committee sought more light on the subject
and requested a number of Federal agencies to set up a joint com
mittee to investigate the whole problem and to report its findings.
This Committee, hereafter referred to as the Interdepartmental
Committee, consisted of representatives from the Department of
Commerce, the Department of Labor, the United States Maritime
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
854
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
Commission, the United States Employees’ Compensation Commis
sion, and the Maritime Labor Board.
Present Settlement Methods
When a seaman is injured or becomes ill while in the service of the
vessel, his superior makes a report to the master of the vessel, who
makes the required entry in the ship’s log, reports to the owner, and
in some cases to the United States Coast Guard. The seaman is
brought back to his original port of sailing or to some other agreedupon port. There he gets in touch with the claims official of the
shipowner. Arrangements are made for such wage and maintenance
payments as may be due the seaman and the negotiation for the claim
settlement begins.
As a general rule, the seaman conducts his own negotiations. When
he does, the available evidence indicates that a settlement usually is
reached quickly.
The settlement covers four items: (1) Wages to the end of the
voyage; (2) a maintenance allowance for the out-patient and con
valescence period; (3) costs of such other items as medicines, medical
appliances, hospitalization not furnished by the United States Marine
Hospitals, artificial limbs, etc.; and (4) indemnity if the liability of
the shipowner can be established— covering compensation for pain
and suffering, loss of future earning power because of permanent
impairment, and sometimes loss of wages until other jobs become
available.
Settlement practices vary considerably among the operators of
various types of vessels. Operators of oil tankers frequently pay full
wages for the entire disability to officers and key personnel who have
been with the company for a long time. Some claim adjusters have
developed more or less fixed scales for various types of disabilities.
Others apply the benefit scales of certain State workmen’s com
pensation laws in determining amounts due for permanent impair
ments. Some of the oil companies extend to seamen the employee
benefit plans available to their other personnel.
If the seaman calls an attorney into the negotiations, the ship
owners usually stop all payments— whether for wages still due or
maintenance and cure. The reason advanced for this procedure,
which technically violates the seaman’s rights, is that money paid
prior to the reaching of the final settlement often commands little
consideration by the seaman’s attorney in arriving at the final settle
ment. In attorney cases, therefore, final settlements may include
payments for all four types of items.
Insurance companies play a minor role in the settlement negotia
tions. Less than 8 percent of the nearly 6,000 cases studied by the
Interdepartmental Committee were negotiated by these carriers.
The reason for this lies in the fact that shipowners usually carry
“ protection and indemnity” insurance, which covers all of the ship
owners’ risks, including liabilities toward shippers as well as damage
to the vessel. These policies generally cover liability for injuries and
diseases of seamen on a “ deductible” basis, under which the insurance
company becomes liable only for amounts in excess of a specified sum.
Thus, a policy may provide that the insurance carrier in any one case
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION FOR SEAMEN
855
is liable only for the amount in excess of $500. Although these limits
vary widely among shipowners, the settlement amounts usually fall
below these limits, and consequently the services of insurance carriers
are seldom invoked.
Because seamen’s rights are well established, few of the disabled
seamen find it necessary to employ attorneys. Of the approximately
5,400 cases supplying information on this point to the Interdepart
mental Committee, about 17 percent were settled through attorneys
and only 2 percent were litigated in the courts. Although a higher
percentage of fatalities and permanent impairment cases were settled
through attorneys, most settlements were negotiated directly between
the seamen, or their dependents in cases of death, and the shipowner’s
claim agents. Twenty-two percent of fatalities were settled through
attorneys, and 45 percent of the cases involving p erm an en t
impairments.
Interestingly, seamen employed attorneys more frequently when
their settlements were negotiated with insurance carriers. The per
centage of such cases was 35, and 10 percent were taken into court.
In the direct settlement cases, the respective percentages were 17 and 2.
The Interdepartmental Committee’s study revealed also that a
relatively small number of admiralty attorneys handled a majority of
the attorney cases. Out of 373 cases reported by 77 attorneys, 236
were handled by only 10 of them.
Many of the cases settled through attorneys involved small amounts.
Nearly one-fifth involved $100 or less, and over half of them resulted
in gross recoveries of $300 or less. Only one-fifth of the cases had
gross recoveries in excess of $1,000.
On the average, attorney fees and litigation costs used up 36 per
cent of the gross amount received by the seamen. In about a third
of the cases, attorney fees and costs absorbed 40 percent of the settle
ments. Almost half, however, called for a 33% percent fee to the
attorney.
As a rule, the fee decreased with the amount of the recovery.
Cases settled for $100 or less usually called for a 40 percent fee. At
the other extreme, cases settled for $10,000 or more never involved
fees above one-third of the settlement, and in about one-third of these
cases fees were 20 percent or less.
One of the great advantages claimed for a workmen’s compensation
acts is the promptness of the settlement, and the relative certainty of
the amounts due as benefits. Settlements under employer liability
laws, on the other hand, suffered from the long delay between the date
of the injury and the date of settlement— with no payments in
between. It is therefore significant that under the modified employers’
liability act under which seamen settle their claims, over three-fourths
of the reported disability cases had been settled within 3 months after
the date on which disability began.
The employment of attorneys tended to delay settlement. One
reason for this was that the seamen used attorneys when they had
difficulty in establishing the negligence of the shipowners, or their
agents, or the unseaworthiness of the vessel. In death cases, ship
owners frequently insisted that the claimants establish legal proof of
dependency, thus compelling the dependents to obtain such rulings
from the courts. The reason for this procedure, obviously, was to
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
856
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
194 6
protect the shipowners against having to make payments to more than
one claimant.
Permanent disability cases usually involved longer lags between
the date of injury and the date of settlement. The main reason for
this was the desirability of waiting until the wound had healed and
the degree of residual impairment could be ascertained.
Comparison of Recoveries
UNDER THE PRESEN T SETTLEMENT METHOD
Of 5,487 cases reported to the Interdepartmental Committee
for which disability developed during 1938, the average amount
recovered per case was $283. Less than 2 percent received $2,500
or more, and less than 1 percent received $5,000 or more. Injury
cases averaged $333, compared with $169 for disease cases. None of
the disease cases was settled for as much as $5,000.
Practically all of the 5,487 cases resulted in recoveries to the seamen
or their dependents. Only 29 were still pending in the spring of
1941, when the survey was concluded, and 104 had been closed with
out payment. Among the latter, however, no claims had been made
in 76 cases, and in only 28 had the shipowners refused to make any
settlement.
After deducting attorney fees and other litigation expenses, the
distribution of the total number of cases in which recoveries were
made and the average amount per case, by extent of disability, was
as shown in table 1.
T a b l e 1.—Average Net Recovery in 5,354 Disability Cases
All cases
Injury cases
Disease cases
Extent of disability
Number Amount
Number
Amount
Number Amount
_ _
5,354
$268
3,631
$319
1,723
$159
Death______________
-- __________
Permanent total
_
_ .
Permanent partial______ _ _
_______
Temporary total--- -
112
18
188
5,036
1,761
3,646
1,898
162
57
8
176
3,390
3,161
5,312
1,968
174
55
10
12
1,646
310
2,213
879
136
All cases
_ _____________ _ _
The table presents two significant features: (1) That cases of
disease were settled at lower average amounts than were injuries, in
every category of disability; (2) that death cases were settled for
relatively small amounts. The latter point may be explained by the
fact that seamen frequently have few close of kin dependent upon
them. Furthermore, these dependents had the burden of establish
ing the negligence of the shipowner or the unseaworthiness of the
vessel. Frequently, too, they were not in a position to press their
claims. Consequently only about half the fatalities involved in
demnity payments.
One of the facts to emerge from the Interdepartmental Committee
study was that it seemingly paid the seaman to employ attorneys.
The seaman who negotiated his settlement directly averaged a settle
ment amount of $197, Those who used attorneys netted an average
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION FOR SEAMEN
857
amount of $617; $532 if no court action was involved, and $1,234
if tlie case was litigated. While the attorney cases frequently involved
the more severe injuries, the chief claims agent of one of the companies
explained that he automatically raised his settlement offer when an
attorney called, so as to head off litigation. Thus, the seaman who
refused to accept a settlement of $100 was offered $250 if be had his
attorney phone the agent. Even after the attorney deducted onethird of the settlement as his fee, the seaman was still better off than
if he had not employed an attorney.
UNDER WORKMEN’ S COMPENSATION
The Interdepartmental Committee posed three questions relative
to compensation for injuries to seamen: (1) Whether the principle of
workmen’s compensation was more desirable than a system of liability
based upon negligence; (2) whether it was possible to devise a work
men’s compensation system that would preserve for injured seamen
their ancient rights of wages to the end of the voyage and of mainte
nance and cure; and (3) whether such a system would be “ desirable
and advantageous from the standpoint of the seamen, the industry,
and the public.”
The committee answered the first two questions with an unqualified
“ yes.” The answer to the third question, while affirmative, was
qualified. The committee had at hand the findings of its statistical
subcommittee which showed clearly that the seamen would lose
decidedly if the provisions of the Longshoremen’s and Harbor Work
ers’ Compensation Act, which was under consideration by the Senate
Committee, were extended to them, and that they were better off under
their present employer liability system. To overcome this difficulty,
the subcommittee suggested certain modifications of the usual type
of workmen’s compensation act structure: (1) That the compensa
tion act become operative only at the end of the voyage, so as t >
preserve to the seamen the right of wages to the end of the voyage;
(2) that the benefit payments during the period of temporary disability
be not less than the allowance for maintenance and cure; and (3) that
the wage base for computation of the benefit rate be predicated on full
employment for 12 months of the year, even though seamen averaged
only about 8%. I t was also suggested that there be no waiting period
for benefits and that there be no limitation on total compensation
payable for disability and death.
Unfortunately, the time available to the Interdepartmental Com
mittee was insufficient to permit evaluation of the reported cases
under the system it recommended. That task was undertaken sub
sequently, although it suffered considerable delay because of the
urgency of war activities. But now that World War II is over, it
seems pertinent to focus attention on this problem again.
As these findings have an important bearing on the problem, brief
mention of the steps used in the evaluation process are appropriate.
The benefit rate was computed at 66% percent of the full-time annual
wage together with the value of subsistence, lodging, overtime, and
bonuses. The benefit rate therefore was based on earnings during the
period of employment directly preceding the disability. To this
amount was added the monthly value of subsistence and lodging
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
858
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
established for purposes of the Social Security Act: $48 for licensed
officers and supervisory personnel, and $36 for all other members of
the crew.
The benefit-rate formula recommended by the Interdepartmental
Committee was used—no limitations on total benefits payable for
death or disability, and the benefit payments during the out-patient
and convalescence period at least equal to the current payments for
maintenance. The same method was used to compute benefits during
the hospitalization period, for which nothing is payable under the
present employer liability system.
Payments for death and permanent impairments were predicated on
the same benefit base. For permanent total disabilities the benefit
period was computed at the full life expectancy of the disabled seaman.
For permanent partial disabilities, the schedule of specified weeks pro
vided in the Longshoremen’s and Harbor Workers’ Act was used.
Similarly, benefits payable to dependents of fatally injured seamen were
calculated on the basis set forth in this act, except that for benefits the
minimum used was $14 per v7eek, and the maximum $28, rather than
the smaller amounts specified in the act. No correction was made for
the remarriage of widows.
H owt adequate are the minimum standards proposed by the Inter
departmental Committee in comparison wuth amounts paid under the
present system? Although present-day earnings cf seamen are differ
ent from what they were in 1938, the prewar year studied by the Com
mittee, a comparison of actual payments for disabilities in that year
with the amounts payable under the modified compensation system
provides a fair comparison of the relative pecuniary advantages and
disadvantages of the two systems.2
The comparison, shown in table 2, covers 5,812 cases for wdiich data
w'ere adequate for comparison.
T a b l e 2 . — Comparison of Probable Awards with Actual Net Recoveries, by Extent of
Disability (Cases Reported Closed, 1938)
Difference 1
Type and extent of disability
Number
of cases
Probable
award
Net
recovery
Amount
Average
Percent of
net recovery
All cases____________ ______ _
Injury_________________
Disease_________________
5,812
3,957
1,855
$2,197,805
1,426,362
771, 443
$1,637, 281
1, 326,067
311,214
$560, 524
100, 295
460,229
$96.45
25.35
248.10
34.2
7.6
147.8
Fatal_____________________ _
Injury_________________
Disease_________________
139
71
68
735, 744
454,667
281,077
216,987
199,121
17,866
518, 757
255, 546
263, 211
3, 732.06
3, 599.24
3,870. 75
239.1
127.8
1473.0
Permanent total____________
Injury_________________
Disease.......... ........................
21
9
12
225, 053
69, 736
155, 317
73, 792
46, 552
27, 240
151, 261
23,184
128, 077
7,202.90
2, 576.00
10, 673.08
205.0
49.8
470.2
Permanent partial.....................
Injury...... ................ .............
Disease.................................
224
208
16
426, 682
377, 257
49,425
437, 437
423,865
13,572
-1 0 , 755
-4 6 , 608
35,853
-48.01
-224.07
2, 240.80
- 2 .5
-1 1 .0
264.2
Temporary total........................
Injury....................................
Disease.............................. .
5,428
3,669
1, 759
810,326
524,702
285,624
909,065
656, 529
282, 536
-9 8 , 739
-131,827
33,088
-18.19
-35.93
18.81
-1 0 .9
-2 0 .1
13.1
1 Unless indicated by (—) minus signs, the differences indicate gains over the net recoveries.
3 A comprehensive report, dealing with the entire subject matter, is now in preparation.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
859
WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION FOR SEAMEN
The “net recovery” figures are net amounts received by seamen
after the deduction of attorney and court costs where these were
incurred. It was assumed that there would be no such costs under
the compensation act. The total amount actually paid by shipowners
was $1,977,195. The total net amount retained by seamen was
$1,637,281. It will be noted that in terms of total payments by
shipowners, the total amount payable under the proposed act would
be $2,197,805— about 10 percent more than the amount actually paid
out by the shipowners.
Table 2 reveals clearly that cases involving fatalities and permanent
total disabilities would fare much better under the compensation act.
On the average, each fatality and permanent total disability would
be paid more than twice the amount actually paid. These two types
of cases, although constituting only 160 out of 5,812, or less than 3
percent, accounted for nearly $961,000, or about 44 percent of the
total.
The permanent partial impairment cases would not fare quite as
well under the proposed compensation system. On the average,
benefit payments would fall 2.5 percent below present net recoveries.
The difference was much sharper for temporary total disability cases.
Here compensation benefits would fall 10.9 percent short of the total
amount paid under the present system. Although the total sum pay
able for this type of disability was less than that for fatalities and
permanent total disabilities, the number of persons involved was
5,428, or 93 percent of the total. Thus, on the average, death and
permanent total disabilities would gain, and permanent partial and
temporary total disabilities would lose under the proposed compen
sation system.
Although this comparison deals with total amounts and with aver
ages, the study did permit a more detailed analysis of the distribution
of seamen who would lose or gain under the proposed system. The
latter comparison is shown in table 3.
T a b l e 3 . — Cases Gaining Versus Cases Losing Under a Proposed Workmen's Compensa
tion Law, by Extent of Disability (Cases Reported Closed, 1938)
Cases in which workmen’s compensation as compared with
employers’ liability would have resulted in—
Extent of disability
All cases
Gain
N um ber
P ercent
N u m ber
P ercent
N u m ber
P ercent
10
10
0
7.2
13.1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100.0
100.0
100.0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
131
115
16
58.5
55.3
100.0
92
92
0
41.1
44.0
0
1
1
0
.4
.5
0
2,399
1,468
931
44.2
40.0
52.9
2,766
2,059
707
51.0
56.1
40.2
263
142
121
4.8
3.9
6.9
All cases_________ ______ ____
Injury___________________
Disease__________________
5,812
3,957
1,855
Fatal_______________________
Injury___________________
Disease.............. .....................
139
71
68
129
61
68
92.8
85.9
100.0
Permanent total.......................
Injury___ _____ _________
Disease__________________
21
9
12
21
9
12
Permanent partial..................... .
Injury____________ ______
Disease__________________
224
208
16
Temporary total......................... Injury.__________________
Disease....................................
5,428
3,669
1,759
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Neither gain nor
loss
Loss
2, 680
1,653
1,027
46.1
41.8
55.4
2,868
2,161
707
49.3
54.6
38.1
264
143
121
4.6
3.6
6.5
860
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
About 46 percent of disabled seamen would have been better off
under the proposed compensation system. About 49 percent would
have been worse off, and about 5 percent would not have been affected
either way. Nearly 86 percent of the death cases, and every perma
nent total disability case, would have gained under the present system ;
but 41 percent of the permanent partially disabled seamen would
have been worse off, as would 51 percent of all those temporarily
disabled.
From a purely financial consideration, therefore, about half of the
seamen would be paid less under the suggested compensation system.
Most of these seamen, however, were those who suffered temporary
disabilities. On the other hand, the death and permanent total
disability cases appear to have been greatly under-compensated under
the present system. They would have received enough more in
compensation to lift the total amount payable to disabled seamen
under the proposed system about 10 percent above that actually
paid by the shipowners.
Thus, disabled seamen as a group would have received more, but
about half would have received less under workmen’s compensation.
The explanation for this lies in the fact that the proposed compensa
tion system cannot make up the amounts paid as indemnity to tem
porarily disabled seamen. As already pointed out, the proposed
system matches the present system for wages to the end of the voyage
and payments for maintenance and cure. It adds payments for the
hospitalization period, which is not compensated under the existing
system. But this amount fails to match the average amount paid
as indemnity for suffering and pain, and for which no allowance is
made under workmen’s compensation, which is predicated on a partial
offset for wage loss.
There are, however, intangible benefits under a workmen’s compen
sation system, as the Interdepartmental Committee pointed out.
First, it provides a definite and quick way of ascertaining the amount
due a disabled seaman. It provides a definite and certain benefit
scale in contradistinction to recoveries determined by the uncertainty
of damage suits or negotiated settlements. Further, workmen’s com
pensation eliminates the controversial elements of negligence and
assumption of risk and reduces the contest between seaman and ship
owner to a minimum. It avoids costly and cumbersome court proce
dures and much of the bitterness usually engendered in these suits.
It provides regular periodic compensation payments in lieu of a single
lump-sum settlement payment, “thus protecting the recipients from
improvidence.”
Conclusions
The probable results of the application of the type of liberal work
men’s compensation act proposed by the Interdepartmental Com
mittee may be summarized as follows:
1.
The total amount which seamen, as a group, would receive for
disabling injuries and diseases probably would be in excess of what
they receive under the present limited employer liability system. A
workmen’s compensation system modeled along the proposed lines
would cost the shipowners about 10 percent more.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION FOR SEAMEN
861
2. As is true of workmen’s compensation systems generally, litiga
tion would be curtailed greatly. Because benefit payments are
stipulated in considerable detail and the question of fault is immaterial,
there would be less tendency on the part of shipowners to evade liabil
ity and on the part of seamen to get as much as they could. It is likely,
too, that industrial relations would be improved.
3. Shipowners might be encouraged to engage in accident preven
tion to a greater extent than they now do if the law contained penalty
provisions— such as a fixed percent of additional compensation if a
prescribed safety rule had been violated by the shipowner or his agent.
Such a provision is contained, for example, in the Workmen’s Com
pensation Act of Wisconsin.
4. The proposed act would compensate cases of death and perma
nent total disability far more adequately than is now the case. On
the other hand, the majority of temporarily disabled seamen would
receive less.
5. About half of all disabled seamen would receive less under the
proposed compensation system than they do now, because this system
does not offset the present “indemnity” payment for pain and suffering.
The basic philosophy of workmen’s compensation is to offset in part—
usually two-thirds up to a prescribed maximum— the wage loss of the
disabled worker.
6. The adoption of the proposed compensation system would in
crease the average payment to dependents of fatally injured or diseased
and to severely disabled seamen at the expense of the less severely
disabled.
695228-46-
-2
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Welfare Provisions for Miners in Six Foreign
Countries1
WORKING and social conditions in coal and other mines in for
eign countries are frequently covered by special legislation or by
special provisions for miners in general social legislation. This de
velopment has arisen in part because of the dissimilarity between
mining and factory or office employment, including the additional
hazards of underground work in respect to accidents and general
health, and recently because of the difficulty of obtaining an adequate
labor force for the mines. The usually strong trade-union movement
in the coal industry has also been a factor. European miners have
generally received larger food rations than other workers since early
in the war period because of the heavy physical labor required by
work in mines and the strategic importance of coal in war production
and in postwar industrial rehabilitation. Developments along these
lines are summarized below in regard to Belgium, Great Britain,
British India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Spain.
Belgium 2
In view of the importance of the coal industry in the reconstruction
of Belgium, social security legislation enacted after the liberation in
September 1944 included provisions specially favorable to miners.
The Belgian Miners’ Pension Fund provides old-age and survivors’
pensions; sickness, invalidity, and unemployment benefits; family
allowances; and annual vacations. The following are examples of
special provisions for miners in Belgium:
(1) The financing of the miners’ social security system from con
tributions by workers amounting to 8 percent of wages (as in other
industries) and by employers amounting to 17.5 percent of pay roll
for surface workers and 21.5 percent of pay roll for underground
workers (as contrasted with an employer contribution of 15.5 percent
in other industries).
(2) Retirement at 60 and 55 years of age for surface and underground
workers, respectively (in contrast with a retirement age of 65 in other
industries), and greatly increased pensions up to 12,300 francs a year
for surface and 15,000 francs a year for underground workers (by
decree-law of May 8, 1945), with supplementary pensions for service
in excess of 30 years, and pensions payable at the end of 30 years’
service regardless of age.
(3) Special supplementary'paid vacations[ofc 12 daysdor underground
workers with free railway fare during leave.
(4) Survivors’ benefits for widows and orphans in excess of those
paid by the general social security system, with an old-age pension
of 4,200 francs (decree-law of May 8, 1945) to survivors at the age of 55.
(5) Increased disability allowances up to 50 percent of a year’s
salary based on 300 days at a ceiling wage of 90 francs daily (under
decree-law of May 8, 1945).
1 Prepared by the Bureau’s Foreign Labor Conditions Staff under the direction of Faith M. Williams.
1 Data are from the 1945 and early 1946 issues of the Revue du Travail (Ministère du Travail et de la
Prévoyance sociale de Belgique, Brussels).
862
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WELFARE PROVISIONS FOR MINERS
863
Other special national regulations designed to compensate coal
miners particularly, provide (1) recruitment bonuses for unemployed
men contracting for the first time for underground work, which
amount to 2,000 francs, half payable at the time of hiring for 6 months,
and half after the completion of O^months of work, if the miner agrees
to renew his contract; (2) exemption from military service in return
for working underground until the age of 28 and thereafter; and (3)
additional food rations, without]cost to the miners.
Another special advantage given miners under Belgian legislation
consists of loans to be used for housing. Interest rates range from
two and one-half percent to miners with less than 5 years of service
in the coal mines to one-half percent to miners with 20 or more years.
The State pays the difference between these rates and those normally
charged by the lending agency.
Coal miners also profited more than other workers from the wage
increases given after liberation. Between 1938 and the end of 1945,
their average wage rose from about 48 to 125 francs per day, an in
crease of 160 percent. In a period 2 years longer (1936 to 1945) wages
for other workers were estimated to have risen variously from 86 to
160 percent.
Great Britain 3
Welfare activities for the benefit of British miners have been carried
on by the Miners’ Welfare Fund since 1920. The Mining Industry
(Welfare Fund) Act of 1943 provided for a levy on the output of coal
mines to finance the Fund, to continue until 1951 at the existing rate
of Id. per ton. The rate had been raised to this amount by a 1939
law, after a reduction to }{d. during the depression.
Activities include recreational projects, scholarships for the educa
tion of miners’ children, convalescent homes, and various other func
tions. Three of the main activities of the Fund are the provision of
pithead baths, canteens, and rehabilitation centers. The construction
of pithead baths was stopped in the middle of the program, owing to
war shortages of labor and material. However, in 1944, 362 pithead
baths were in use in mines employing 419,146 men— 57 percent of the
total workers in the industry. Parliamentary discussions at that time
emphasized the importance of completing the program, both for the
benefit of the workers who chose mining as an occupation and for the
men then being directed to mining as a result of the labor shortage.
Under the canteen program, 893 mines employing 95 percent of all
the men engaged in the industry had canteens then operating; full
meals were served at the canteens of mines employing 50 percent of
all mine workers. The shortage of labor has again retarded comple
tion of the program. Lack of bathing facilities has acted as a deter
rent to full utilization of canteens. With regard to rehabilitation
centers, two were in operation, five were in preparation, and others
covering the whole of the coal fields were provided in collaboration
with hospitals in the area.
Administration of the Fund is provided by a tripartite Miners’
Welfare Commission. In 1939 this commission, appointed by the
3 Data are from Great Britain, Ministry of Labor Gazette (London), January 1944, and Parliamentary
Debates, House of Commons, December 16, 1943; Monthly Labor Review, May 1935 (p. 1208); the Coal
Industry Nationalization Bill of 1945; and recent consular reports.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
864
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
Minister of Fuel and Power, consisted of three representatives of the
Mine Workers Federation of Great Britain, three representatives of
the Mining Association of Great Britain, one representative of the
royalty owners, and three public members including the chairman.
The Coal Nationalization Bill, introduced late in 1945, changes the
administration by providing for a Miners’ Welfare Commission which
“ shall consist of a chairman and nine other members appointed by the
Minister [of Fuel and Power] and all persons who hold office as mem
bers of the Commission at the commencement of this Act shall vacate
office.” The Nationalization Bill passed the House of Commons as
of M ay 20, 1946. The bill has still to pass the House of Lords.
British India4
The Government of British India, by an ordinance of January 31,
1944, established a Coal Mines Labor Welfare Fund. This ordinance
provided the general framework of the plan, the details of which were
to be determined by later ordinances and notices.
Contributions to the fund are in the form of a tax on each ton of
coal or coke leaving the collieries; the tax must be between 1 to 4
annas (equivalent to 1.88 to 7.52 cents at the 1944 average rate of
exchange).
Administration of the fund is under an advisory committee ap
pointed by the Central Government. This committee is to include
an equal number of representatives of colliery owners and workmen
in the industry; at least one member must be a woman. The size of
the committee was to be determined later. The committee was to
advise the Central Government on further regulations under the
ordinance and on any other matters arising out of the administration
of the ordinance. The Central Government may appoint inspectors,
welfare administrators, and other officers to supervise the carrying out
of the activities financed from the fund.
With the advice of the advisory committee, grants from the fund
may be made to a Provincial Government, a local authority, or the
owner of a coal mine having a welfare scheme.
The proceeds of the fund are to be used to provide (1) the improve
ment of public health and sanitation, the prevention of disease, the
provision of medical facilities, and the improvement of existing
medical facilities; (2) the provision of water supplies and facilities for
washing; (3) the provision or improvement of education facilities; (4)
the improvement of standards of living, including housing and nutri
tion, the amelioration of social conditions, and the provision of
recreational facilities; and (5) the provision of transport to and from
work.
A somewhat similar miners’ welfare fund has been recently estab
lished in Hyderabad, which is not under direct British rule.
4 Data are from International Labor Office, Legislative Series, 1944-Ind. 1, and Indian Journal of Social
Work, March 1946 (p. 313).
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WELFARE PROVISIONS FOR MINERS
865
The Netherlands 5
Coal miners in the Netherlands have received a variety of special
concessions in regard to their social and working conditions.
State collieries, which before the war produced 60 percent of the
country’s total coal, have for a long time been obliged to provide
baths free of cost. There was, however, a special tax of about 3 cents
per ton of coal produced; the proceeds were expended for the general
benefit of mining towns. About 90,000 of the combined population
of 225,000 of those towns were miners and their dependents.
Most workers in the Netherlands are covered by compulsory
national old age, invalidity and death, and sickness insurance systems,
first instituted as early as 1913. The Government, employers, and
workers contributed to the sickness insurance funds; the Government
and employers to the old-age, invalidity, and death benefits. A
Miners’ Fund at Limburg provided insurance against various risks.
In 1936, the Miners’ Fund was coordinated with the national old age,
invalidity, and death insurance and the Government started paying a
subsidy to the Fund.
Employers and employees make equal contributions to this fund
ranging from FI. 3.60 to FI. 9.00 a month.6 Miners are covered if
under 40 years of age at the time of first entering the mines. For
underground workers the pensionable age is 55, compared with 65
for nonminers. Benefits, payable after 120 months, consist of a
basic pension varying according to wage class, number of contributions,
and number of dependent children. Prior to 1936, miners who left
mining for other insurable employment were covered under the com
pulsory pension plan for the duration of outside employment only.
In 1946, a change in the pension system affecting miners was under
review.
During the reconversion period following the war, coal miners have
received special treatment in the form of larger rations of food and
other consumer goods. Points for the purchase of consumer
goods are given to piece-rate workers whose production exceeds 80
percent of their basic wage; time workers are given an average num
ber of points based on the production of the entire mine. The plan
has been in effect since August 1945.
New Zealand 7
The Coal Mines Act of 1925, the latest consolidated law in a series
devoted exclusively to mining which began in 1886, provides for a
wide range of benefits. Under it a Coal Miners’ Relief Fund is
obtained from contributions paid by the employers of %d. (about
/ o of a cent at the January 1946 rate of exchange) on every ton of
marketable coal mined. Benefits are paid to miners injured in the
course of employment and to their dependents in the case of death;
all such benefits supplement those paid under the workmen’s com
pensation law.
3 Data are from Dutch State Coal Mines, by Llewellyn A. Morgan (Fabian Society, London), July 1944;
Labor Conditions in the Netherlands, in Monthly Labor Review, January 1944 (reprinted as Serial No.
R . 1611); and from reports by United States foreign service officers.
•In 1935 the florin was valued at $0,678, and in May 1946 it was valued at $0,378.
7 Data are from New Zealand Official Yearbook, 1940 (p. 623) and 1944 (pp. 345, 521); and International
Labor Office, Legislative Series, 1925-N. Z. 2 (p. 20).
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
866
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
The Coal Miners’ Relief Fund is administered by a “Public
Trustee,” but investigation of claims and payment of benefits are the
function of Coal Miners’ Relief Fund local committees, which are com
posed of elected representatives of coal-mine employees. The local
committees’ expenses are paid from the general fund.
The Coal Mines Act of 1925 also permits miners to form medical
clubs, which may be financed from contributions from the Coal
Miners’ Relief Fund or from pay-roll deductions authorized by the
employees and made through the employers. The act further pro
vides that suitable housing accommodations must be supplied for
workers as required by the Minister of Mines. Other safety and
health provisions of the act deal with the control of coal dust, the
use of safety lamps, the prohibition of work in places where the
presence of gas is suspected, and the inspection of mines before work
starts.
Pensions for miners totally incapacitated for work because of
silicosis were first provided in 1915 and preceded most other forms of
health or invalidity insurance in New Zealand. Under 1945 amend
ments to the social security program, weekly invalidity benefits
amounting to £4 (about $12.89) go to married miners and nonminers
with dependents. In the case of nonminers maximum total weekly
income is not to exceed £5 (about $16.14) for a married man with
dependents, and correspondingly less for unmarried persons. In the
case of miners no maximum income limit is provided.
Spain 8
The Spanish Ministry of Labor made provision for social welfare
funds for coal miners in February 1946. An order provides for com
pulsory insurance organizations and funds for coal-mining regions.
These regional funds are to be raised by (a) a contribution of
3 percent of the total earnings of each worker; (b) employer contri
butions of 1.50 pesetas 9 for each ton of coal used commercially; and
(c) employer contributions of 0.50 peseta per ton produced.
A communication from the United States Embassy in Madrid in
May 1946 states that the order provides for organization of regional
social insurance funds for the coal mining industry by June 1, 1946.
These funds were to be similar to that established in May 1944 for the
Asturian coal mining industry; each regional fund, apparently, was
to be administered by a council composed of representatives of man
agement and miners, and responsible to the Ministry of Labor. A 2
percent charge on total collections covers administrative costs.
Virtually all coal-mining employees in the regions specified are
covered. At the same time, there appears to be some overlapping
with the coverage of national insurance funds. The latter, however,
are usually worded so that they apply to industries not regulated or
not granting equivalent benefits. Full details about the interrela
tionships of such funds are not presently available in this country.
If the regional social insurance funds for the coal mining industry
take the Asturian coal fund for their model, they will provide the
following benefits for the workers:
8 Data are from reports from the United States Embassy, Madrid; the Boletin Oficial del Estado (Madrid)
and International Labor Office, Legislative Series.
•In February 1946,1 peseta=9 cents in U. S. currency in foreign exchange. No information is available
as to differences in the cost of an equivalent standard of living ip Spain and the United States.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WELFARE PROVISIONS FOR MINERS
867
(1) Manual workers who have reached the age of 65 between’;Jan
uary 1, 1934, and July 1, 1946, are to receive 150 pesetas per month.
Foremen, overseers not classified as technicians, and administrative
employees not receiving the national old-age pension are to receive
240 pesetas per month. Rights to these retirement benefits are pred
icated upon 20 years of contribution by] the worker to the fund.
Those not having contributed for the full period of 20 years, upon
reaching the age of 65, are to receive 1 peseta daily for every period
of 5 years of contribution to the fund. Under an order of April 24,
1946, retirement benefits vary with length of service as follows: for
10 years of service, the benefit amounts to 20 percent of average
earnings; for 20 years, 30 percent; for 40 years, 50 percent; and for
more than 50 years’ service, 60 to 70 percent.
(2) Survivors of workers covered under the regulation of March 28,
1933, are entitled to the following benefits: 90 pesetas monthly for
the widow, plus 30 pesetas per month for each minor child, or brother
or sister living with the widow up to a maximum of 150 pesetas
monthly. Survivors of workers covered for the first time by the
measure of April 24, 1946, are entitled to 50 percent of the retirement
benefits listed by that order. Thus, under the order of April 24,
1946, the survivor of a worker employed for 20 years would receive
15 percent of the average earnings of the deceased worker, together
with 60 pesetas per month for each orphan under 16 years of age.
(3) Sickness benefits amount to 90 pesetas per month plus 30
pesetas monthly for wife and each child, up to a maximum of 240
pesetas per month.
(4) According to the most recent communication of the United
States Embassy in Madrid, burial and funeral benefits range from
500 to 2,000 pesetas. No details are presently available regarding
the various factors that determine the amount to be paid for these
burial and funeral benefits. The Asturian fund calls for a benefit of
300 pesetas.
- (5) The maximum unemployment benefit is 50 percent of the
basic wage for a period of not more than 6 months. These benefits
are not to go into effect for 3 years, and not until imported coal is
subject to a tax equivalent to 1.50 pesetas per ton.
Employer Contributions to Union Benefit Funds,
United States 1
B Y A G REEM EN T between the National Electrical Contractors
Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
(A FL ), 1 percent of gross pay rolls is to be allocated by employers to
the existing union pension fund. Provisions for pensions are not
common in collective agreements. As the 1-percent allocation does
not constitute “wages” under the Stabilization Act of 1942, the
National Wage Stabilization Board ruled that the agreement between
the union and the employer did not require its approval. However,
approval must be obtained from other Government agencies, notably
1
Information is from National Wage Stabilization Board release NWSB-45; Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bulletin No. 841, Health-Benefit Programs Established Through Collective Bargaining (Washington,
1945): and BLS records.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
868
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
the Office of Price Administration, if price ceilings or costs rise as a
result of the action.
Company financing has also gained recognition in a recent arbitral
decision in the leather-tanning industry. The recent arbitration
award in the American Hide and Leather Co. case grants the request
of the International Fur & Leather Workers Union (CIO) for group
insurance benefit (sickness and hospitalization), without contribution
on the part of the employees. The arbitrator’s decision, requiring
the company to expand its group life insurance to provide these
additional benefits, was based on the fact that this is the prevailing
practice in the tanning industry, particularly in Massachusetts, where
more than half of the workers are covered by health-benefit plans paid
for by the company and an additional number by plans paid for by
joint employee-employer contributions.
In providing for a benefit fund through collective bargaining, a
practice effective in certain other industries was applied to electrical
workers. For example, a survey made by the U. S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics in 1945 showed that more than 600,000 workers were covered
by representative health-benefit plans, established as part of the con
tractual relationship between unions and employers.
Administration and Coverage of Plans
The pension plan as negotiated by electrical contractors and
organized employees provides that payments are to be made period
ically to a 15-member board of trustees, including 7 each to be selected
by the company and the union and 1 public member to be appointed
by the Secretary of Labor. Such sums are to be placed in the union’s
existing pension fund for use “solely for pension benefits.” 2
At the time that the Bureau investigated health-benefit programs,
the systems in operation were distributed among (1) those adminis
tered by insurance companies; (2) those administered by the union;
and (3) those jointly administered by employers and union repre
sentatives.
About a third of the employees were covered by health-benefit
systems which were underwritten and administered by insurance
companies. A numerically important group in this category con
sisted of 100,000 members of the Textile Workers Union of America
(CIO) in various branches of the textile industry who, in general,
were entitled to receive benefits covering accidents, sickness, and
death.
Plans for somewhat less than a third of the workers required that
the union should assume all, or the major share of, administrative
responsibility. The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union
(AFL) had the largest coverage in this group (about 150,000 em
ployees in the women’s apparel industry). In addition to health
benefits, some of the plans administered by this union cover vacations
and retirement. The ILGWU stresses medical care, and the union
maintains health centers in most of the important clothing centers.
Jointly administered health-benefit plans are of two principal
types— those confined to a single company and those on an industry
2
The pension is $42 monthly to eligible union members at the age of 65 years; $2 of this amount is devoted
to keeping the pensioner in good standing in the union.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WELFARE PROVISIONS FOR MINERS
869
or an area basis. More than 200,000 workers are covered by the
health-insurance of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America
(CIO). Of this total some 125,000 workers are employed by com
panies under the Men’s and Boys’ Clothing Manufacturers Associa
tion agreement. The Amalgamated Insurance Fund is administered
by a 12-member executive board of the union. However, consent of
an advisory committee composed of 11 members of the association
representing employers is required, before the trustees may “enter
into any insurance contract or purchase any insurance policy, or
make any change in any outstanding policy.”
Financing of Plans
The fund covering electrical workers is to be jointly financed by
the employer contribution of 1 percent of pay rolls (already referred
to) and the employee payment of 57 cents a month. Among the
plans surveyed by the Bureau, the majority are employer-financed.
This generalization applies to all the union-administered systems,
almost all of those jointly administered, and more than half of those
administered by insurance companies.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wilmington Shipbuilders During and After
World War I I 1
T H E general improvement in nonagricultural employment since
October 1945, following the decline which commenced after the end of
the European phase of the war, has by-passed local pockets of per
sistent and fairly heavy unemployment. Areas in which there was a
heavy concentration of war production are typical of such localities.
One such instance was Wilmington, Del., and its wartime shipyard
workers during the winter of 1945-46.
The Shipyard
The Wilmington shipyard, from which 166 workers were selected by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics for intensive study as representative
of the 4,700 employed by the yard in April 1945, produced destroyer
escorts during the early war years; production later was shifted to
“ landing ships medium.” In addition, the shipyard also produced
dredges for the Army Engineers.
Employment in January 1941 was only 250. B y September 1943,
it had increased nearly forty-fold to more than 9,600, with the majority
of the total hired after June 1942’. This was the peak of employment.
From October 1943 on, the decline was fairly continuous, and by
the beginning of 1946 employment had dropped to approximately
200 workers.
It is against, this backdrop of intensive production and employment
activity— and subsequent sudden cessation of production and cur
tailment of employment— that the Bureau, through its study, at
tempted to portray the occupational and economic antecedents of the
workers of the shipyard, their mobility, their geographic dispersion,
something of their social characteristics, and, perhaps most important,
the general effect on them of rapid disemployment in terms of income
and occupational readjustment.
Labor Supply
Wilmington’s industries have usually been able to draw workers
from the nearby agricultural districts of Delaware and eastern M ary
land. During World War II, apart from the labor shortage induced
by the expansion of other industries in the immediate area, the ship
yard faced active competition for labor from the large industrial
centers of Philadelphia and Baltimore, and from the New Jersey
County of Salem, directly across the Delaware River. Although the
supply of workers was less short than in Baltimore, classified as a
Group I war manpower area, Wilmington remained in Group II for
most of the war period.2
1 Prepared by Hilda W. Callaway of the Bureau’s Wage Analysis Branch. The field work for the study
was conducted by the Bureau’s regional office in Philadelphia.
3
Wilmington was classified as Group I only between May and September 1943. Group I included “areas
in which acute labor shortages exist or are anticipated, that will endanger essential production” ; Group II
included “areas in which labor shortages exist that are approaching a balanced demand-supply situation.”
(Source War Manpower Commission.)
870
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
SHIPBUILDERS IN WILMINGTON (D EL.)
871
Unable to obtain enough workers from the population of the city or
neighboring areas, the shipyard’s representatives traveled great dis
tances on a recruitment drive. One shipyard worker, for example,
said he learned of the Wilmington job from a company representative
while employed as a truck driver in Marshfield, Wis. The United
States Employment Service, in particular, and the Industrial Union
of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America were also instru
mental in bringing workers to the shipyard. Some of the workers
heard of job openings while enrolled in vocational schools located in
other States; others were attracted by reports of friends and relatives
within the city.
The Shipyard Work Force
The 166 representative shipyard workers differed in many char
acteristics from the prewar labor force, which had built ships on a
custom basis.
Before the war, men predominated in the shipyards, primarily
because of the heavy nature of the work. The inflated war demands
for labor, coupled with the steady drain of men into the armed forces,
resulted in a drastic revision of hiring standards. Women and older
men, as well as young men 16 and 17 years of age, many without
training and without previous industrial experience, were taken on.
Early in 1942, the Wilmington shipyard began the recruitment of
women. In the group studied in April 1945 there were about onefifth as many women as men, a sharp contrast with the situation in
March 1942 when only a half of 1 percent of private-shipyard wage
earners were women.3
Men ranged in age from 17 to 68 years; more than two-fifths were
under 35 and about one-half as many (22 percent) were over 45.
The women were much younger; only 1 (a former buyer for a Wilming
ton retail store) was over 45 years of age, while 20 were under 35.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
All but 11 of the 166 workers had received at least 4 years of school
ing; 1 Negro and 3 white men had never attended school. Women
had acquired more high-school education than men; almost three-fifths
as compared with about one-half. On the other hand, none of the
women but 5 of the men, including 1 Negro, had taken some college
work.
While a high-school or college education is not required for many
types of employment, either provides an advantage for the job seeker
in some pursuits. Perhaps of greater assistance in shipbuilding is the
acquisition of specialized training and skills. Although this industry
changed from custom-made to mass-production methods during the
war, a high proportion of skilled labor was still required. However,
only 35 of the 166 workers studied had any trade school or vocational
training before entering the yard; yet 84 men and 4 women were
holding skilled jobs and another 32 men and 10 women were employed
in semiskilled occupations when surveyed in April 1945.4 Fifteen
men and 2 women had taken their training after January 1941 and
3 See Wartime Employment Production and Conditions of Work in Shipyards, U. S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics Bulletin No. 824 (p. 6), 1945.
* Training of the 35 workers covered a period of 1 month or more.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
872
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
the others, 21 men and 1 woman, prior to this date. A few received
training in both periods.
Before the war some workers had acquired skills which were in no
way related to their shipyard jobs, such as a former commercial
artist who became a pipe welder, first class, at the shipyard. There
were, however, more workers whose prewar training was useful in the
shipyard. To illustrate: A 57-year old man who in 1907 had completed
a 3-year apprenticeship in sheet-metal work and had worked contin
uously at the trade, started in the shipyard in December 1942 as a
first-class sheet-metal worker. In a few months he was promoted to
foreman in the sheet-metal department and was still serving in that
capacity in the spring of 1945.
The majority of the workers with no training before the war had
taken courses in the company-operated school, under the Government
vocational training program, or in private schools. The cost of train
ing undertaken in private schools was frequently high, as much as
$135 for some workers. Because the starting rate of pay was uniform
for all workers employed in the same capacity, irrespective of source
or types of training undertaken, the workers who had spent their own
funds felt that their investment was wasted.
An important question arises in connection with the training and
skills acquired during the war: Will these skills aid workers in finding
jobs in a selective and competitive labor market? Obviously, a defin
itive answer is not possible. It must be recognized that not only
shipyard workers but millions of others who were engaged in war
production acquired skills previously foreign to them. In addition,
millions of men received training of various kinds while with the armed
forces. From a competitive viewpoint, one out of a hundred men who
can read blueprints may be in no better position than one out of a
hundred common laborers. Perhaps the greatest and most important
gain that may be realized from the broader acquisition of skills is that
which follows from the general improvement in the efficiency and
productivity of American labor.
UNIONIZATION
The Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of
America, a CIO affiliate, had a closed shop agreement with the ship
yard which included all the yard’s wage earners with the exception of
supervisory personnel, working foremen, and subforemen. None of
the women included in the sample had been union members before
their shipyard employment. This is not surprising since most of them
had been housewives or domestics. On the other hand, 51 of the 135
men had held union cards previously; 10 of them, former miners, had
been affiliated with a union for periods varying from 6 to 15 years.
Migration
Shipbuilding and other essential industries would have been severely
handicapped had not workers been willing and able to move to the
war production centers; in very few instances was the local labor
supply adequate to meet manpower requirements.
Between January 1941 and April 1945, two-fifths (69) of the shipyard
workers surveyed had made an aggregate of 78 moves from one city
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
SHIPBUILDERS IN WILMINGTON (DEL.)
873
to another to obtain work. For a few workers, the moving cost was
nominal; they came in their own cars and brought fellow workmen
who shared transportation expenses. Others came by bus and railroad
coach, which explains to a large extent why the cost of moving for 44
of the migrants 5 was less than $50, even though the distances some
of them traveled was great. Thus, a farmer from Georgia brought
his wife and daughter with him by train at a cost of about $30. E x
penditures for 7 of the moves ranged from $100 to $200 and a like
number cost $200 to $300. Only one worker, who came from New
Hampshire and brought his family of 4, spent as much as $300.
The shipbuilders who came to Wilmington from other industrial
centers probably had less difficulty in adjusting themselves to an
urban community than the farmers and farm laborers, coal miners,
filling-station attendants, domestic servants, and textile workers
from the rural areas and small towns. In January 1941, 74 of the
166 workers were scattered over 18 different States, not including
Delaware. Forty-two of the migrant workers came from either rural
communities or small towns, whereas only 12 were from cities of more
than 250,000 inhabitants, Less than a fourth of the 166 workers,
exclusive of the Wilmington residents, lived within a hundred mile
radius of the city in January 1941; 8 were living more than 500 miles
away, and 33 were 100 to 500 miles distant.
Prewar Employment of the Shipbuilders
With the channeling of manpower and materials to military pur
poses there began a tremendous shifting of workers to war industries,
and from one war industry to another, as military requirements
changed. In January 1941, all but 12 men and 15 women of the 166
studied were employed. Five men were still in school and 3 were
unemployed and seeking work. Twelve women were housewives,
11 of whom had never been gainfully employed until the war encour
aged them to offer their services.
About a fourth of the workers were usually employed in manufac
turing, chiefly in the textile mills of Wilmington and the Carolinas,
in the manufacture of transportation equipment, and in the local
leather industries. Construction supplied the next largest group, 25,
while 24 came from the service trades, and 15 from farms in Dela
ware or elsewhere. Wholesale and retail trade supplied 13 workers; a
like number came from transportation, communication, and public
utilities; 10 came from the coal fields, principally of West Virginia
and Pennsylvania. Five workers were usually employed by Federal,
State, or local government, and the remaining 3 by finance, insurance,
and real estate companies.
Closely interwoven with the industrial shifts were changes in the
workers’ occupations. In April 1945, 88 workers were employed in
skilled and 42 in semiskilled jobs. Of the remaining 36 workers,
15 held unskilled jobs, 9 were service workers, and the other 12 held
various clerical jobs, such as timekeeper, material checker, etc.
Though a predominance of skilled workers is characteristic of the
industry’s labor force, many of the shipbuilders had not previously
4
For purposes of this study, a person was considered a migrant if he moved from one city to another to
take or seek work. Moves unrelated to employment were not counted.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
874
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
been craftsmen. For example, of the 15 former farmers and farm
laborers, 8 held skilled and 6 semiskilled jobs. The farm laborers
may have had an advantage over some of the other workers because
they frequently acquire mechanical skill in repairing and handling
farm implements.
As might be expected, in view of the short supply of required skilled
labor, upgrading of workers to skilled and semiskilled jobs became a
necessity. However, it is noteworthy that out of 47 workers who had
held skilled jobs before 1941, 5 became semiskilled workmen, 3 became
clerical workers, and 1 held a custodial job at the shipyard. By
contrast, only 11 of the 36 workers usually engaged in semiskilled
work remained in the same category; 20 were upgraded to skilled
jobs, 4 became service workers, and 1 a clerical worker.
Irrespective of age, sex, or color, all but 8 of the workers (7 of whom
had entered the labor market late in the war) had changed jobs at
least once since January 1941. Almost two-fifths of the 166 workers
had held 4 or 5 jobs; 27 percent, 6 to 9 jobs; and the same proportion,
2 or 3 jobs.
The Shipbuilders’ Wartime Earnings and Hours
Shipyard workers are among the highest paid in manufacturing
industries. Gross weekly earnings of the 166 shipbuilders averaged
$63.16 in April 1945, about $14 above the national average for all
manufacturing workers. After deductions for income tax, social
security, and union dues, net “take home” pay was $55.19, exclusive
of war bond purchases. In terms of 1941 purchasing power this
amounts to $42 a week.
Although job rates were the same for men and women, very few of
the latter obtained the higher paying jobs; no woman received over
$70 per week. On the other hand, 28 men earned more than this
amount and 4, who were foremen, grossed more than $100.
The comparatively high weekly earnings of the shipbuilding workers
in April 1945 were to a large extent due to shift bonuses (3 shifts were
in operation) and to overtime pay. Among the 166 workers, 146
were working 48 hours, 17 worked over 52 hours, 2 were on a 40-hour
schedule, and 1 worked 49 to 51 hours.
Many of the workers had left industries in which wage rates his
torically have been lower than in the durable-goods industries. Only
18 workers, 13 of whom were women, had hourly earnings of 90 cents
or less in April 1945. While 1 out of every 6 women earned at least
$1.20 an hour, more than two-thirds of the men earned that much or
more. For most of the workers, shipyard work meant a substantial
increase in hourly rates over 1941.
Despite the high level of weekly earnings in April 1945, it is unlikely
that many shipyard workers received an annual wage income in 1945
equal to that of 1944, owing to the cut in the workweek and lower
wage levels for peacetime employment. In 1944 there was a greater
concentration of women than men at the lower income levels: only
2 of the women had an annual wage income of $3,000 or more, as
compared to 57 (two-thirds) of the men; 22 of the latter had incomes
above $4,000. This is partially accounted for by the late entrance
of women into the shipyard and the fact that’ some of them worked
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
875
SHIPBUILDERS IN WILMINGTON (DEL.)
less than 12 months in 1943. To a greater extent, the difference was
due to the smaller proportion of women in skilled jobs. The following
table also shows a marked increase in the incomes of both men and
women between 1943 and 1944, primarily the result of occupational
changes.
Classified Annual Wage Income of 160 Identical Shipyard Workers, 1943-44, by Sex1
1943
1944
Income class
Men
All income classes_______________________________
Under $500-__ __ ___ _ ________ ___________
$500 and under $1,000- - ______________ _____
$1,000 and under $1,500-- _ _ ____ ___ ______
$1,500 and under $2,000-_ _ ______ _______
$2,000 and under $2,500_______ _ _______
$2,500 and under $3,000-- _____
_____
$3,000 and under $3,500_______
_____
________ ___
$3,500 and under $4,000- - _
$4,000 and under $4,500-. _ _____ - - ______.
$4,500 and under $5,000__________ _ _____
$5,000 and over_________ - __ ________________ .
Women
132
2
5
15
20
33
26
15
6
6
4
28
1
5
5
10
5
2
Men
Women
132
28
1
2
6
9
8
2
5
11
29
40
25
10
4
8
1 Excluding 3 men and 3 women who had no wage income in 1943. None of them earned more than $2 500
in 1944.
Effects of the Cut-Back
Not all job seekers found work in the Wilmington area after war
time operations ceased. When wartime employment at the shipyard
was at its highest point, in September 1943, only 387 persons in
Wilmington were receiving unemployment compensation. Two years
later, following VJ-day, the number had grown to 9,300; in January
1946, unemployment benefits were being paid to 18,600 persons.
Shipbuilding contributed heavily to the pool of unemployment.
In the yard surveyed, the rolls had been cut from 4,700 to almost
200 workers between April 1945 and January 1946. Of the 166
workers interviewed, only 5 still held their shipyard jobs in the
winter of 1 9 4 5 -4 6 ;6 over a fourth were unemployed and seeking
work. As the figures below show, most of the workers had been
jobless for 1 to 3 months. Not all of them had received unemployment
compensation: some were ineligible because of illness;7 others were
reluctant to apply because they considered the benefits as relief;
some were disqualified for quitting their jobs; still others did not
know of the program or where and how to file a claim.
N u m b e r of
unem ployed workers
All periods of unemployment_____________________________________
42
Less than 1 month_______________________________________________
1 and less than 2 months________________________________________
2 and less than 3 months________________________________________
3 and less than 4 months________________________________________
4 and less than 5 months________________________________________
5 and less than 6 months________________________________________
6 and less than 7 months________________________________________
7 and less than 8 months________________________________________
5
10
14
4
4
2
3
6 Ten workers known to have lost their jobs could not be traced during the resurvey and another had died.
7 It is of interest to note that Rhode Island is the only State paying cash benefits during illness. These
benefits are financed by a 1-percent contribution out of workers’ wages.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
876
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
THE COURSE OF UNEMPLOYMENT
The high rate of unemployment among the former shipbuilders
reflects the immediate effects of the disappearance of war work in
Wilmington; of the 42 unemployed, 33 were still living within the city
or neighboring suburbs. Some of the unemployed had no intention
of leaving but hoped eventually to find jobs in the same area. This
hope was fostered by the construction of an automobile assembly
plant, started in the winter of 1945. Lack of information as to what
was available or of means to move and uncertainty about ability
to find housing accommodations elsewhere also kept workers from
migrating. Some of the unemployed had turned down jobs because
they considered the wages offered too low. In particular, skilled and
semiskilled jobs in textile and leather manufacturing plants were
refused on the grounds that wages were inadequate; in some cases,
they were less than half the shipyard hourly wage.
Women, older men, and workers of both sexes with limited work
experience found it especially difficult to obtain suitable work. Thus,
more than one-half of the women studied, in contrast to one-fifth of
the men, were unemployed. About a fourth of the men 45 years of
age or older were seeking work as compared with a fifth in lower age
brackets. Several of the workers had turned down jobs offered by
the U. S. Employment Service in the hope of finding something at
their usual skill level. These refusals did not always mean disquali
fication for unemployment compensation; war and prewar training
frequently justified the demands for particular types of work. For
example, a skilled leather worker who became a power shear machine
operator at the shipyard at $1.12 an hour, refused a job as laborer at
60 cents an hour in a local tanning plant.
Some workers had no jobs offered them by the USES. To cite one
case, a 27-year-old woman— a shipyard laborer who baled paper and
rags—had not been offered a job since she was laid off in June.
Nearly half the workers, 77 in number, had found other jobs by
January 1946, generally through the aid of the USES or their union.
Several seem to have realized their postwar plans and to have made a
satisfactory adjustment to peacetime employment. Three prewar
farmers wanted to return to agriculture and are now reestablished on
farms. Some construction and factory workers have resumed their
prewar trades or jobs. Others whose plans, when first interviewed,
involved ventures into new fields have made only temporary adjust
ments and expect to find other employment within the next 12 months.
Ten workers, three of whom were self-employed before entering war
industry, were operating their own businesses in January 1946. How
ever, two of them, an upholsterer and a filling-station operator, were
having financial difficulties and expected to return to the wageearner group. Withdrawals from the labor market, 21 in all, were
greater than was expected in April 1945: 9 men were inducted into
the armed services, 1 young man entered college, and 5 women
became housewives. The other 6 were men forced out of the labor
market by illness.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
877
SHIPBUILDERS IN WILMINGTON (D EL.)
INDUSTRIAL AND OCCUPATIONAL SHIFTS
While only 5 of the 155 were still shipbuilders in January 1946, the
distribution of workers, occupationally and industrially, had not by
then returned to the prewar pattern. Manufacturing and construction
accounted for relatively more of the employed workers in the winter
of 1945-46 than in January 1941. On the other hand, agriculture,
mining, and services showed losses. However, compared to 1941, a
relatively large number were unemployed or had left the labor market,
and the changes indicated may reflect an unstable situation.8
Using identical workers, thereby excluding both wartime entrants
into the labor market and the unemployed, the proportion of work
ers in manufacturing increased from 31 to 39 percent.
Em p lo ym ent of 88 identical workers
U sual— P rew ar
W inter 1945-46
P ercent
N u m ber
P ercent
N um ber
_______ _ . ____ ______
88
100
88
100
______
Agriculture ______
Mining _
_
______
Construction. _
Manufacturing. _
------ ______
______
Wholesale and retail trade _
______
Fin an ce..
— ..
______
Transportation. _
_ .
______
Services ._ . . . .
______
Government . . .
...
11
5
14
27
7
3
8
11
2
13
6
16
31
8
3
9
12
2
3
2
18
34
8
3
10
6
4
3
2
21
39
9
3
11
7
5
All industries _
Although every fourth displaced shipbuilder found a job in con
struction work, more than half of them had been in other industries
prior to the war. Among those who had found manufacturing jobs
in January 1946 were 5| 'prewar farmers, a miner, 4 construction
workers, an insurance salesman, and 2 service workers. More than
a third of the workers whose usual prewar employmeut was in factories
went into other fields, chiefly construction, although there were
instances where an industrial worker took a service or government job.
For the same reasons that the full extent of industrial shifts are
not yet apparent, postwar occupational changes are still incomplete.
Two-fifths of the skilled workers and a seventh of the semiskilled
(based on prewar experience) were among those seeking work. Less
than one-half of the 88 employed workers who had prewar experience
were working at their usual occupation or in their prewar jobs.
Apparently, in making postwar adjustments, workers were strongly
influenced by their wartime jobs; thus, there was a continued concen
tration of workers in craftsmen occupations.
POSTWAR WAGES AND HOURS
Between April 1945 and January 1946, average gross weekly earn
ings had declined 32 percent, according to reports from 81 identical
shipbuilders whose average pay had been $63.53 in the prior period.
Earnings of women, both white and Negro, had fallen 50 percent. A
29 percent decrease was found for white men, as compared to 37 per8
In January 1946, 9 were in the armed forces and 12 were not seeking work. In January 1941, the corre
sponding figures were 1 and 11.
6 9 5 2 2 8 — 46 -----------3
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
878
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
cent for Negro men. The greater decline for women reflects a shorter
workweek (48 hours in April 1945 and about 41 hours in January 1946);
the workweek for men was only 1 hour below the April average.
While in most cases the shift to peacetime employment meant a sharp
wage cut, the wages of workers now employed in construction on a
40-hour schedule exceed those of shipyard workers based on a 48-hour
week.
Keports from 66 workers 9 revealed that the average ex-shipbuilder
grossed only $44.32 per week in the winter of 1945-46. Five years
earlier his average weekly earnings were $35.36. In 1941 the sole
deduction, 35 cents, was paid as social-security taxes; in the winter of
1945-46, about $2 more was deducted for income taxes. In view of
the increased cost of living essentials, spendable income amounted to
less than $33 in 1941 purchasing power. Many of these workers had
accumulated savings and war bonds, but in large part they had been
expended because of unemployment or the reduced weekly pay and,
to some extent, by migration costs.
MIGRATION
In all, 37 workers or slightly more than half of the number who came
to Wilmington to work in shipyards left the congested Wilmington
area after April 1945. All but 10 returned to their 1941 residences.
Some moved the day following receipt of their last pay; others stayed
a few weeks searching for work. A few found jobs in other plants
which were winding up war contracts, or in peacetime industries,
before they made the decision to return home.
No community labor market which experienced as rapid an expan
sion of war industries as did Wilmington is likely to absorb all its
displaced workers. While some will move on to other communities
in search of work, or will return to former residences, others will
remain. The United States Employment Service, which was instru
mental in bringing many of the workers to the war areas, is now re
directing workers to new jobs. The rapidity and efficiency with
which this can be done are circumscribed by the fact that the USES
does not have funds to transport stranded workers to former homes
or to new jobs.
The Wilmington shipyard workers’ experiences are not unique.
War production utilized millions of workers, the vast majority of
whom faced and still face the question: “Where can a job be found?”
1 Added to their group are the veterans and new entrants into the labor
market. The absorption of workers into the peacetime labor force
will be influenced by the amount of training or retraining of workers
whose present skills are not marketable, relocation of workers to areas
where there is an active labor demand, and guidance of workers to jobs
which are suitable both in terms of skill and wages.
9 In order to make comparisons with 1941, only those workers for whom information was available for both
ates could be used.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Factors Affecting Earnings in Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering1
Summary
T H E incomes of persons employed in chemistry and chemical engi
neering vary widely, depending on the type of work done, the amount
of education, and the years of experience, as well as on individual
abilities. These factors were evidenced in the results of two surveys
of the economic status of those engaged in chemistry and chemical
engineering in 1941 and 1943.
In making these surveys, no attempt was made to define member
ship of the chemical profession; the surveys included reports from
persons who stated that they were employed in the fields of chemistry
or chemical engineering. Persons who performed routine work in
such jobs as testing were included, as well as those who advanced
through research and production into administrative positions requir
ing executive ability in addition to a knowledge of chemistry. This
is reflected, in part, in the wide range of earnings. The report, there
fore, is not intended to show the earnings of members of the chemical
profession as such. Infoimation on the economic status of those work
ing in the field in the many different types of jobs which may be open
will be helpful in the guidance of young people and veterans interested
in appraising the possibilities open to students of chemistry, and in
planning their education.
Most of those working in the field had college training in chemistry
or chemical engineering: The combined data show that about 87 per
cent of those reporting had at least a bachelor’s degree in either of
these fields; an additional 6 percent had no degree, but had taken at
least some college courses in chemistry or chemical engineering;
another 3 percent had degrees in some other field of science or
engineering.
The chemical manufacturing industries employed nearly two-thirds
of all those in the field of chemistry, and about 82 percent of those in
chemical engineering. Those employed in chemistry were engaged
chiefly in analysis and testing, industrial research, and technical ad
ministration; other major fields were teaching, production, develop
ment, research in basic science, and technical service. In chemical
engineering, highest proportions were employed in technical adminis
tration oi production work; large numbers were also engaged in devel
opment, industrial research, technical service, and design. In general,
administrative jobs paid highest salaries; technical service and indus
trial research paid more than analysis and testing or secondary school
teaching.
There was a marked tendency for the earnings of chemists holding
a doctor’s degree to exceed those of persons employed in the field of
chemistry at the same age or experience levels and holding a master’s
or bachelor’s degree, or none. This was true to a lesser extent, and
less consistently, among chemical engineers.
i Prepared in the Bureau’s Occupational Outlook Division, by Cora E. Taylor, under the supervision of
Harold Goldstein.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
879
880
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
194 6
The charts and tables accompanying this aiticle indicate clearly
that years of experience are a major factor in differences in earnings.
Earnings reported for 1943 were higher than in 1941. The median
base monthly salary of those employed in chemistry increased by 21.5
percent and in chemical engineering by 26.4 percent, in the 2-year
period. There is some evidence that salaries have advanced further
since the time of the survey.
Scope and Method of Survey
Early in 1944, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with
the American Chemical Society, made a survey of the economic status
of members of the society by means of a questionnaire mailed to all
members.2 At approximately the same time the Bureau also made a
sample survey of persons employed in the field of chemistry and chemi
cal engineering who were not society members. After the elimination
of members of the armed forces and those reporting a field of employ
ment other than chemistry or chemical engineering, there were about
19.000 questionnaires in the sample of American Chemical Society
members, and 2,500 in the sample of nonmembers. Taking the two
groups as representing, respectively, the total membership and the
total number employed in the field who were not members of the
society, weights were established to give the two groups their proper
proportions as related to the total estimated number of persons em
ployed in chemistry and chemical engineering in 1943. Information
from reliable sources placed the total number of chemists at about
71.000 and of chemical engineers at about 26,000, as of January 1944.3
I t is difficult to decide\who ought to be included in a survey of a
professional field. Professional society memberships are likely to
include a higher proportion of those who have succeeded in their
profession than of those who have been relatively unsuccessful; on
the other hand, an attempt to correct this bias may dredge up large
numbers of persons on the fringe of the profession and hence equally
bias the figure in a downward direction. The fact is that some pro
fessions as fields of economic opportunity are not precisely definable.
On the one hand, the young college graduate is often assigned to a
variety of routine jobs of a subprofessional sort, serving, as it were,
an informal apprenticeship. On the other hand, the more able young
people with no more than a high-school education may rise to jobs of
this sort and higher. The ceiling for those with little formal training
is often higher than the floor for those with degrees. Beyond this
fact of overlapping there is an enormous spread of professional capacity
ranging from an undefined lower level of competence to a level that
calls for genius or near-genius. The Bureau has tried, therefore, to
include the complete range of capacities in the field of chemistry and
chemical engineering.
Sex, Age Distribution, and Years of Experience
I t is evident that those employed in chemistry and chemical
engineering were predominantly male. Women in 1943 formed only
> Professional Chemical Workers in War and Peace. An analysis of the ecorn, uc status of the members
of the American Chemical Society, 1941 to 1943, by Andrew Fraser, Jr. (Available in Chemical and Engi
neering News, issues of May 25, July 10, August 25, and October 10, 1944, or in reprint form from the Mack
Printing Co., Easton, Pa.)
* The methods used in the survey will be described in more detail in a reprint of this article.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
881
EARNINGS IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
slightly more than 4 percent of the total in the field of employment of
chemistry and about 0.2 percent in chemical engineering. Slightly
less than 3 percent of the total number of persons employed as chem
ists and 0.4 percent of those employed as chemical engineers were
women, according to the 1940 census.
The median age of those employed in chemistry in 1943 was 33.5
years; that of women so employed was 29.4 years. The median age
of those employed in chemical engineering was 32.6.
In 1943, the median years of experience were 10.5 for chemists and
9.6 for chemical engineers.
Major Field of Education and Educational Level
A high percentage of persons engaged in chemistry hold degrees
above the bachelor’s level (table 1). Nearly a fourth have a master’s
degree, while- almost 19 percent have obtained the degree of doctor.
About 8 percent of those employed in chemistry are without a degree,
but almost all have done some college work. Fewer chemical engi
neers than chemists have advanced formal education beyond the
bachelor’s degree. Almost two-thirds have the bachelor’s degree,
about 22 percent have acquired the master’s degree, but only 7.6
percent hold the degree of doctor. Relatively few employed engineers
are without a degree.
T a b l e 1.— Distribution of Persons Employed in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
by Major Field of Education and Educational Level, 1943
Major field of education
Number
employed
Educational level
Chemical
Chemistry engineering
All other
CHEMISTRY
_____________
71,000
59,700
6,600
4,700
Doctors
_ _________ ___ _______________
Masters _ _ _ _ ___ _____________ - ____ _______
Bachelors
_______ ___________ ________________
Incomplete college __
___ ___________________
13,300
17, 300
34,700
5,200
500
12.400
14.400
28,000
4,400
500
300
900
4,900
500
600
2,000
1,800
300
N u m b e r l of persons em ployed: Total.
N o college
_________________
________
0)
Percent, by educational level!
___ ____________ _______
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Doctors
_ ________ ___ _________________ _____
Masters
_ _________________________________ ____
Bachelors
__ _ _______ _____________________
Incomplete college ____ _ _ _______________________
N o college
_ _ _________________
18.7
24.4
48.9
7.3
.7
20.8
24.1
46.9
7.3
.9
3.6
14.0
74.6
7.8
12.8
43.8
37.8
5.6
Person s em ployed: T o ta l
«
Percent, by major field of education8
P ersons em ployed: Total
D o cto rs
Masters
_________________ ____
_ ____________________ -___ ____________________________ —
B ach elors
In com p lete college
_ _ _ _ __ ________________________
_______________________________
No college
- ___________________
See footnotes a t end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
100.0
84.2
9.2
6.6
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
93.7
82.8
80.8
85.0
99.8
1.8
5.3
14.1
9.9
4.5
11.9
5.1
5.1
.2
882
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
T a b l e I.-—Distribution of Persons Employed in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering ,
by Major Field of Education and Educational Level, 1943 — Continued
Major field of education
Number
employed
Educational level
Chemical
Chemistry engineering
All other
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Number i of persons employed: T o ta L ______________
26,000
4,600
20,100
1,300
Doctors_________________________ ____________ ____
Masters______________________________________ . . . .
Bachelors.. ______________________ _______________
Incomplete college. ______________________ ____ ____
No college_________________________________________
2,000
5,800
16,800
1,300
100
600
900
2,800
300
(2)
1,300
4, 600
13, 200
900
100
100
300
800
100
(2)
Percent, by educational level3
Persons employed: Total___________________________
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Doctors___________________ ______________________
Masters____________________________ ______________
Bachelors___ _________ ___________________________
Incomplete college ___________ ____________________
No college________________________________________
7.6
22.3
64.5
5.1
.5
13.9
19.2
59.5
7.1
.3
6.3
23. 1
65.7
4.4
.5
5.7
20.2
64.6
9.4
.1
Percent, by major field of education 3
Persons employed: Total....... ................................................
100.0
17.6
77.4
5.0
Doctors_________________________ _______ __________
Masters______________________ _______ ______
Bachelors___________ ____ _________________________
Incomplete college. _________________________ ______
No college_________________________________________
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
32.2
15.1
16.2
24.5
9.7
64.1
80.4
78.8
66.4
89.5
3.7
4.5
5.0
9.1
.8
1 Estimated numbers of persons in this part of the table are shown rounded to the nearest 100.
2 Less than 50.
3 Percentages computed before rounding.
4 Less than a tenth of 1 percent.
About 9 percent of those employed in the field of chemistry in 1943
had received their education in the chemical engineering field, but as
many as 17.6 percent of those employed as chemical engineers had
been trained as chemists. In absolute numbers, however, the shift
was in the other direction: Some 6,500 persons whose major field of
education had been chemical engineering were employed as chemists,
while only about 4,500 persons made the reverse shift. As many as
6.6 percent of the chemists, mostly with a master’s degree, were
educated in some field other than chemistry or chemical engineering.
Among the chemical engineers, 5 percent reported some other field
of education.
Geographical Distribution
Employment opportunities for those in the field of chemistry are
concentrated in the Middle Atlantic States, with New York State
employing the greatest numbers. The three States comprising the
Middle Atlantic region (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania)
and the five comprising the East North Central region (Illinois, Ohio,
Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin) employed over half the chemists
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
EARNINGS IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
883
and chemical engineers in the United States in 1943. California and
Massachusetts each employed more than 4 percent of those in the
field. The South Atlantic States employed about the same proportion
of chemical engineers as chemists. Chemists had a higher proportion
of jobs in the West North Central region; engineers were proportion
ately more numerous in the West South Central region, where the
petroleum industries are important.
Source of Employ ment
Over 60 percent of those working in chemistry and as many as 82
percent of those in chemical engineering found employment in the
manufacturing industries in 1943, with by far the greatest numbers in
the chemical industries (table 2). The second largest employer was
the petroleum industry, where the proportion of engineers is con
siderably higher than that of chemists. Federal and State govern
ments and educational institutions each employed about 7 percent of
all chemists. The Federal Government employed 4.7 percent of the
chemical engineers, but other public authorities afforded little employ
ment opportunity for this group.
T a b l e 2 . — Percentage Distribution of Persons Employed in Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering, by Source of Employment, 1943
Percent of persons em
ployed in—
Source of employment
Chemistry
Public authorities________ ____________________ ______ ________ -—
Federal Government
______ _________ - - _____
____ _______ -- - -- -- - State government
Other puhlie authorities
____________________________
Nonpublic organizations
____________________ _________________ ___
Educational institutions ___________________ ___________________
Private firms or companies______________________________ _________
Manufacturing
_____________________________________
Food
_ __ ________________ ____________________________
Textiles
_________ _____________________________ _____
Paper and allied products___________________________________
Chemical
___________________ ________________________
Paints, varnishes, and colors
___________ ___ _________
Miscellaneous chemical industries ________ _________
Petroleum and coal products_____ __ _____ _______________ Rubber products _ ______ _ ______ __ ___________________
Iron and steel and their products _ ______- ______ _______
N on ferrous metals and their products
_ __ ________ _____
Other manufacturing industries__________ _______ ________
Other private organizations 1
____ ______ _________
Other nnnpublie organizations 2
_____________ __ _______
Retired, unemployed, or direct relief
_______ _______ ____ _________
Not reported
_ _________________________________________
Total
________________________________ ____ ___
Chemical
engineering
1.2
6.7
4.7
1.0
1.0
91.7
1.6
86.4
82.2
3.3
1.4
4.1
35.6
3.9
31.7
17.1
4.9
2.1
4.1
9.6
4.2
3.7
.1
1.5
100.0
100.0
20.7
7.6
6.9
6.2
78.1
6.8
66.4
63.1
4.9
2.1
2.3
28.1
5.9
22.2
7.7
4.0
3.1
3.1
7.8
3.3
4.9
(3)
1 Includes mining, construction, public utilities, etc.
s Includes research institutes, consulting laboratory firms, technical or trade associations, etc.
8 Less than a tenth of 1 percent.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
884
f
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
C H ART I
EDUCATIONAL LEVELS OF PERSONS
IN EACH MAJOR OCCUPATIONAL FIELD
C H E M IS T RY
AND
CHE M IC A L
E N G IN E E R IN G
1943
|
D OCTORS
M A STE RS
CHEMISTRY
0
20
I IN C O M PL E T E
1NO CO LL E G E
BACH ELORS
40
OR
PERCENT
60
80
100
TOTAL
TEACHING, C O L L E G E
OR U N IV E R SIT Y
R E S E A R C H IN
B A S IC S C IE N C E
R E SE A R C H ,
IN D U S T R IA L
A D M IN IST R A T IO N ,
T E C H N IC A L
DEV ELO PM EN T
T E C H N IC A L S E R V IC E
PRODUCTION
A N A L Y S IS
AND T E ST IN G
TEA CH IN G ,
SECON D ARY SCHOOL
TO TAL
R E SE A R C H ,
IN D U S T R IA L
D EV EL O P M EN T
A D M IN IST R A T IO N ,
TECH N IC AL
TECH N IC AL
S E R V IC E
D ESIG N
PRODUCTION
U N ITED S T A T E S D E P A R T M E N T OF L A B O R
BU R EAU OF L A B O R S T A T IS T I C S
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
» L E S S THAN T W O -T EN T H S O F O NE P E R C E N T
R E P O R T E D IN C O M P L E T E C O L L E G E OR NO C O LLEG E
885
EARNINGS IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Occupational Status
In 1943, over 60 percent of the chemists surveyed were engaged in
analysis and testing, industrial research, and technical administration.
Almost half the engineers were engaged in technical administration
or production. The distribution according to occupational status is
shown in the accompanying tabulation.
Occupational status, 1943:
Research, industrial__________
Administration, technical____
Teaching, college or university
Analysis and testing_________
Research in basic science_____
Development________________
Production__________________
Technical service____________
Teaching, secondary schools-_
Design_______________________
All other_____________________
T otal______________________
P ercent engaged in —
Chemical
Chemistry
engineering
22.
14.
6.
23.
4.
5.
7.
2.
5.
0)
6.
6
9
5
8
8
9
7
1
7
11. 9
27. 2
0)
0)
0)
0)
15. 1
21. 7
6. 2
0
5. 1
12. 8
100. 0
100. 0
1 Number reporting is too small to be significant and is included in “all other.”
Persons interested in chemistry as a career may be concerned with
the extent of formal education which may be necessary to facilitate
entrance and success in the various fields of work. In some fields
advanced degrees are essential; in others, they are held by a relatively
small proportion. The data are shown in chart 1. For example, in
research in basic science, nearly 60 percent of those employed in
chemistry held a doctor’s degree; 25 percent held a master’s degree.
The doctorate was also held by nearly 60 percent of those in college or
university teaching, and an additional 30 percent held a master’s degree.
On the other hand, in secondary school teaching only 1 or 2 percent
were doctors, but nearly 60 percent held a master’s degree. In
analysis and testing only 2 percent, and in production only 5 percent,
held a doctor’s degree.
Among chemical engineers, a high proportion of advanced degrees
was found in design work. Analysis and testing and production jobs
were filled largely by those with a bachelor’s degree. Since bachelors
account for nearly two-thirds of all the chemical engineers, it is not
surprising to find them predominating in most fields of work.
Earnings
MEDIAN ANNUAL INCOME
Respondents in the survey were asked to report then annual income
including salaries, fees, and bonuses, regardless of whether or not
earned in their profession. The median for all employed in chemistry,
without regard to any attribute, was $3,280 in 1943; for those employed
in chemical engineering, it was $3,998. The median income ranged
from $2,152 for beginners in chemistry to $4,751 for those with 36 to
40 years of experience. Those in chemical engineering began at an
average of $2,452, and the average steadily increased to $6,620 at
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
886
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
levels of 26 to 30 *iyears’§ experience. Median annual incomes, by
years of experience, are graphically shown in chart 2.4
In interpreting the data on income, it should be noted that those
persons employed in the field of chemistry are relatively young (median
ages being 33.5 years for chemists employed in 1943 and 32.6 years
for chemical engineers), and that the median income, therefore, reflects
the preponderance of younger men. Actually, income increased with
experience, according to the survey, the older and more experienced
chemists and chemical engineers having earned, on the average, well
over the indicated median for the groups as a whole.
CHART 2
MEDIAN ANNUAL INCOME OF PERSONS
EMPLOYED IN CHEMISTRY AND
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
BY
YEARS
THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS
OF
EXPERIEN CE
1943
THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS
Y E A R S OF E X P E R IE N C E
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BUREAU OF LABOR S TA TIS TIC S
BASE MONTHLY SALARY RATE
The base monthly salary rate was reported in two ways— (1) exclu
sive of overtime payments, fees, and bonuses; (2) exclusive of fees and
bonuses, but inclusive of overtime. It was found that after about 13
4 The data underlying this chart will be included in a reprint of this article.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
EARNINGS IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
887
to 20 years of experience total annual income tended to exceed by
substantial amounts a figure 12 times the base monthly salary rate
inclusive of overtime. This would indicate that, on the average, those
persons at the higher-experience levels began to receive appreciable
additional income from fees, bonuses, and sources other than base
salary.
Median monthly salary rates, with and without overtime, for per
sons employed in chemistry and chemical engineering in 1943, are
shown in table 3, by length of experience.
T a b l e 3 . — Median Base Monthly Salary Rates of Persons Employed in Chemistry and
Chemical Engineering, by Years of Experience, 1943
Median base monthly salary rate in—
Chemistry
Years of experience
Chemical engineering
Excluding
overtime
Including
overtime
Excluding
overtime
____________
$243
$268
$297
$324
Under 1 year__________________ ____ _ _____________
1 year____________________ ___ ______________ ___ 2 years_____________________________ ___ __________
3 years__________ ________________________________
4 years _______________ . . _____________________
5 years ______________ _____________________ ______
6 y e a r s ___ ________________________ ____________
7-9 y e a rs _____ _____________________
- ____ 10-12 years _ _ _ . - ____________________
______
13-15 years.
......
..........
.
.
__ _______
_________
____________
16-20 years .
21-25 y e a rs ___ _____ . . .
.
________
_____
26-30 y e a r s __________
_
____ _____ .
31-35 years__ ___________
____ . _______
__
36-40 years______________
___ _________
. . -41-43 years _________ _
_ . ________ . .
44 years and over__
______________________ _____
170
177
194
204
210
216
235
241
257
274
300
340
336
341
357
360
201
206
222
230
229
248
256
262
286
298
329
359
357
357
371
414
176
204
225
240
246
259
268
297
333
358
411
434
510
213
237
256
261
273
294
302
322
370
387
437
451
512
All persons employed _________
.
(0
(0
0)
(1)
(1)
0)
Including
overtime
(i)
(0
(1)
0)
i Number reporting is too small to compute median.
Earnings of those in chemistry seem to have had an almost steady
increase until a nledian of $360 a month was reached after 40 years’
experience. Those in chemical engineering, with 26 to 30 years’
experience, advanced rapidly to as high as $510. In 1943, chemists, on
the average, earned $25 each month in overtime payments; chemical
engineers earned as much as $27. Apparently the beginners benefited
most from overtime, as chemists with less than 1 year of experience
had a median income of $201 a month including overtime, or $31 more
than the straight-time median. A similar group of chemical engineers
earned, with overtime, $37 more than the straight-time median.
Earnings by Occupational Field
Highest salaries were earned in administrative jobs. Teachers in
colleges and universities received slightly above the median salary
of all employed in chemistry; chemistry teachers employed in second
ary schools received considerably less remuneration. Analysis and
testing, in which field more than a fifth of those employed in chemistry
were engaged at the time of the survey, showed a comparatively low
rate of pay. The median base monthly salaries for those in chemistry
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
888
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
and those in chemical engineering engaged in the principal fields
of work are shown in the accompanying tabulation.
M e d ia n base monthly salary,
1943
All principal fields- _ _ _ _
Research, industrial _
___
Administration, technical__
Teaching, college or university
Teaching, secondary
Analysis and testing
__
__
Research in basic science
Development
Production
_ Technical serviceD e sig n _____ _ _ _
-
Chemistry
Chem ical
engineering
$243
$297
259
335
249
218
210
243
229
255
281
256
370
0)
0)
C1)
0)
0)
262
278
268
301
1 Number too small to compute median.
Among the reasons for differences in earnings between those
employed in chemistry and those in chemical engineering was the
concentration of persons in some fields of higher remuneration in
chemical engineering. For example, more than a quarter of those in
engineering were engaged in technical administration, as compared to
about a seventh of the persons who classified themselves in the field
of chemistry. The latter group, on the other hand, had higher
proportions in such fields as analysis and testing and secondary
school teaching, in which salaries seemed to be lower than the general
average. Within a particular field of work, in some cases those em
ployed in chemistry earned more, on the average, than those in
chemical engineering; in other cases the reverse was true.
Earnings by Education
The income of those employed in chemistry and chemical engineering
seems to vary with the extent of their education. Differentials in
earnings between holders of the bachelor’s degree and holders of the
master’s degree were neither large nor consistent, but the median base
monthly salaries of those holding the doctor’s degree significantly
exceeded those of the other groups. Chemists with a doctor’s degree
and with 6 to 12 years’ experience reported average monthly base
salaries about $65 higher than those of chemists at the same experience
levels who held lower degrees. The differentials ranged between $72
and $104 for chemists with 13 to 20 years of experience, and averaged
well over $125 a month for chemists with more than 30 years in the
field, A similar pattern of generally widening differences in salaries
between doctors and the other two groups is found among the chemical
engineers.
Persons who reported not having completed college or not having
gone to college attained lower median base monthly salaries, among
the chemical engineers, than each of the other groups at each experi
ence level, but, among those employed in chemistry, their salaries were
not consistently or significantly different from those of chemists with
the bachelor’s or the master’s degree. Many persons in this group
attained success because of special abilities or because of valuable
practical experience. Of the total employed in both chemistry and
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
EARNINGS IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
CHART 3
MEDIAN BASE MONTHLY SALARY OF
PERSONS EMPLOYED IN CHEMISTRY AND
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
BY ED U C A T IO N A L L E V E L
A C C OR DING TO Y E A R S OF E X P E R I E N C E
1943
M E D IA N S A L A R Y
DO LLARS
« ..r.n ^ T n v /
M E D IA N S A L A R Y
DO LLARS
500
CHEMISTRY
400
300
200
100
10
0
5
10
15
20
Y E A R S OF E X P E R IE N C E
15
20
Y E A R S O F E X P E R IE N C E
U N IT E D S T A T E S D E P A R T M E N T O F L A B O R
B U R E A U OF L A B O R S T A T IS T IC S
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
25
30
35
25
30
35
889
890
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
chemical engineering, less than 1 percent was without college training
(table 1); so that the combination of those having incomplete college
training, and those without college experience entirely, actually
represents a group composed chiefly of persons who may have had a
great deal of formal college education but who lacked the precise re
quirements for a degree.
In general, salaries of chemists and chemical engineers seem to rise
steadily for at least the first 20 or 30 years of professional work. It
should be emphasized, however, that the data do not permit of definite
statements as to the progression of salaries of individuals. What is
shown is a cross section at one time, of the salaries of persons employed
in the field with varying amounts of experience. The curves shown
in the charts reflect many factors in the history of the profession oyer
the past 30 or more years, as well as the mere factor of the increasing
years of experience of the individuals.
Information on median base monthly salary in chemistry and chem
ical engineering, analyzed by educational level according to years of
experience, as of 1943, is given in table 4 and chart 3.
T a b l e 4 . — Median Base Monthly Salary of Persons Employed in Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering, by Educational Level and Years of Experience, 1943
Median base monthly salary of persons employed, with—
Years of experience
Bach
Doctor’s Master’s elor’s
degree
degree
degree
Incom
Bach
plete or Doctor’s Master’s elor’s
degree
degree
no
degree
college
Chemical engineering
Chemistry
All persons_______
______
_____
Less than 6 years..
6-12 years.................................
13-20 years__________ ___
21-30 years _______________
31 years and over ________
Incom
plete or
no
college
$312
$232
$226
$252
244
297
345
405
461
199
232
267
313
329
196
232
273
346
337
206
226
241
323
327
$312
$282
235
312 /\
316
f
389
489 f
481
l 0)
230
299
383
466
(')
$406
)
1
\
1
$285
(9
254
329
(>)
0)
i Number too small to compute median.
Women in Chemistry
In 1943 women constituted slightly more than 4 percent of all per
sons employed in chemistry and considerably less than 1 percent of all
employed in chemical engineering. It is impossible with so small a
sample to give any reliable data for women engineers, and the number
of chemists is also too small to make detailed analyses with any degree
of accuracy. The material presented in this section is considered to
be less reliable than for the entire group, but, in general, indicates the
status of women in relation to all chemists.
The distribution of women employed in chemistry by years of
experience shows a concentration in the lower experience levels. Over
half the women had less than 7 years of experience. The median age
was 29.4 years, as compared to a median age of 33.5 years for all
chemists. Over 30 percent had been in the field less than 2 years
at the time of the survey, and represent an age group of 25 years or
less.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
EARNINGS IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
891
By comparing the occupational status of women (as shown in the
following tabulation) with that of all chemists (p. 885), it is evident that
analysis and testing is relatively a much more important field for
women than for men, inasmuch as about 31 percent of all women
were in that status as compared with only 23.8 percent of all chemists.
Teaching in colleges and research in basic science have higher pro
portions of women, while the reverse is true in such fields as technical
administration and industrial research. The distribution of women
employed in chemistry in 1943 is shown by occupational status.
Occupational status:
Research, industrial____________________________
Administration, technical______________________
Teaching, college or university_________________
Analysis and testing___________________________
Research in basic science______________________
Development__________________________________
Technical service______________________________
Teaching, secondary school______________________
All other__________ :___________________________
T otal_______________________________________
P ercent
14.
5.
14.
31.
13.
3.
3.
3
1
1
1
0
9
7
4.0
10. 8
100. 0
In examining the earnings of women employed in chemistry, such
factors as experience and type of job in influencing income become
especially important. The largest number of women were engaged
in analysis and testing— the field in which many beginners find em
ployment, and therefore one in which the salaries are comparatively
low. The concentration in the low-experience levels greatly affected
the income median for the group. It is not surprising, therefore, to
find the income of women considerably below that of the entire group
of chemists, of which nearly 96 percent are men. While income may
be influenced also by employment and personnel policies, such factors
are beyond the scope of this survey.
Salaries of women were, on the average, below those of men who
had the same number of years of experience. The median base
monthly salaries of women employed in chemistry, by years of ex
perience, are shown for 1943:
.
M edia n base monthly
salary, 1943
Alljwomen employed_____ __________________
$170
Less than 6 years’ experience_________________
6-15 years’ experience_______________________
16 years’ experience and over________________
159
195
225
Comparison of Prewar and Wartime Data
Since information was requested for the year 1941 as well as for
1943, it is possible to make some comparisons of the prewar and war
time statuses of those employed in the field of chemistry.
Changes in employment, occupational status, and earnings are
evaluated in this study, on the basis of reports by those in the occupa
tions early in 1944 as to their experience in 1941 and in 1943. Like
all retrospective surveys of individuals, therefore, it is subject to some
bias resulting from the inclusion of persons who entered the field
between 1941 and 1943, and the exclusion of those who left the field
during that period because of death or other reasons. To some extent,
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
892
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
the bias is corrected by tabulating data only on those individuals
reporting for both years; but even such data reflect not only the
changes in the profession as a whole but also the progress of the
careers of individuals— their advancement in occupational status and
in income normally tending to occur with age and experience. Further
more, the data for the earlier year do not reflect the higher incomes
and advanced occupational status of the older men who died or
retired during the period. Fortunately the period was so short that
the data are not affected very much by deaths, and it is likely that,
as in the labor force as a whole, retirement rates among chemists
and chemical engineers were lower in this ¡period because of the
great wartime needs for experienced workers.
SHIFTS IN SOURCE OF EMPLOYMENT
Using only the data from those respondents who reported source of
employment both in 1941 and in 1943 (86 percent of those in chemistry,
88 percent of those in chemical engineering), it was found that em
ployment shifts among those chemists already working in the field in
1941 were mainly into manufacturing, especially into the miscellaneous
chemical industries. Chemists left employment in State and local
governments, educational institutions, and textile manufacturing.
Chemical engineers did less shifting, because their normal employ
ment is principally in the manufacturing industries. Some engineers
left State and local government jobs, educational institutions, and
paint, varnish, and color manufacturing.5
SHIFTS IN OCCUPATIONAL STATUS
The shifts in occupational status, or type of work, were more
pronounced than the shifts in source of employment. The shifts in
occupational status are shown in table 5. For chemists, the greatest
increases were in the fields of industrial research and technical ad
ministration, the shift, being away from analysis and testing, and
teaching. For chemical engineers, the chief shift (9.7 percentage
points) was into the technical administration field. Employment in
production increased by 3.7 percentage points. Among the engineers,
the greatest reduction (9.5 percentage points) was in analysis and
testing; the proportion engaged in industrial research dropped by
3.1 percentage points. While these changes, as shown by the data,
represent largely the real changes in status which took place in the
field of chemistry in this period, to a small extent they also reflect the
bias mentioned above.
The distribution of the “ total group” of chemists and engineers in
1943 is presented in table 5 in order to show whether the shifts in
occupational status of individuals responding for both years is repre
sentative of real shifts in the profession. The total group includes
those entering the field in 1942 and 1943, but, of course, excludes
those who left in that period. Very slight differences appear when
the two groups are compared for 1943. The shifts all reflect the
emphasis on war production. The greater proportion of chemists
engaged in analysis and testing in the total group in 1943, as compared
1A table'showing these data will he included in a reprint of this article.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
EARNINGS IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
893
with the identical group in the same year, indicates that this field
absorbs many beginners. Beginners in chemical engineering ap
parently secure jobs more readily in analysis and testing and pro
duction; a smaller proportion of beginners than of the older group
were employed in technical administration.
T a b l e 5 . — Percentage Distribution of Persons Employed in Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering Reporting Occupational Status fo r 1941 and 1943
Chemistry
Identical
group 1
Occupational status
1941
Research, industrial_____ _ _______________ ____
Administration, technical_________________________
Teaching, college or university... . . . . . __________
Analysis and testing... . . . _____
_____ _
____________ _
Research in basic science............ . _
Development_____ __________________________ _
Production______________________ ___________ . .
Technical service_________ . . . _ ________ _____ ___
Teaching, secondary school____ ____ ____________ _
Design__________________
_________ . _
All other_________________________________________
Total. __________ _________________________
Chemical engineering
Total
group2
1943
17.6
10.7
8.0
25.2
4.2
4.5
7.1
2.1
7.5
23.1
16.2
6.6
21.7
4.9
6.0
7.7
2.1
5.6
13.1
6.1
100.0
100.0
1943
Identical
group 1
1941
22.6
14.9
6.5
23.8
4.8
5.9
7.7
2.1
5.7
Total
group2
1943
1943
14.6
18.7
(3)
11.4
(3)
14.1
17.6
4.8
11.5
28.4
0
1.9
(3)
14.9
21.3
5.9
6.0
4.7
14.1
5 2
10.9
5 1
10.3
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
( 3)
( 3)
11.9
27.2
(3)
2.5
(3)
15.1
21.7
6.2
( 3)
1 Includes only those who reported occupational status for both years.
2 Includes all who reported occupational status for 1943.
3 Number reporting is too small to be significant and is included in “all other.”
CHANGES IN BASE MONTHLY SALARIES
In making comparisons of earnings in 1941 and 1943 for the same
group of workers (table 6), it should be borne in mind that the respond
ents had 2 years more experience when reporting 1943 salaries. In
1941, 7.5 percent of those employed in chemistry earned less than
$100 per month, but in 1943 there were only 2.2 percent earning less
than this amount. As many as 31.8 percent earned less than $160
per month in 1941; 2 years later there were only 8.0 percent. It is
T a b l e 6 . — Percentage Distribution of Persons Employed in Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering Reporting Base Monthly Salary, 1941 and 1943
Percentage distribution
Base monthly salary
rate
Under $100________
$100-$119__________
$120-$139__________
$140-$159__________
$160-$179__________
$180-$199__________
$200-$219__________
$220-$239__________
$240-$259__________
$260-$299__________
Chemistry
Chemical en
gineering
1941
1943
1941
7.5
5.4
8.6
10.2
9.7
8.5
10.6
5.6
5.8
7.0
2.2
.9
1.5
3.4
6.8
8.3
11.9
9.4
9.1
13.2
2.1
1.7
4.9
9.5
9.3
8.1
9.3
6.6
6.9
8.7
Percentage distribution
Base monthly salary
rate
1943
.5
.2
.3
.6
1.7
3.8
6.3
8.4
10.1
15.5
Chemistry
Chemical en
gineering
1941
1943
1941
$300-$339__________
$340-$399__________
$400-$479__________
$480-$569__________
$570-$679__________
$680-$849__________
$850 and o v er____
7.2
5.2
3.5
2.1
1.0
.8
1.3
10.8
8.5
6.5
3.1
1.6
1.1
1.7
9.1
6.6
6.6
4.0
2.4
1.9
2.3
13.5
12.3
11.4
6.6
3.5
2.1
3.2
Total________
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
1943
6 9 5 2 2 8 — 46 ---------- 4
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
*
894
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
not known to what extent those reporting the low salaries may have
been engaged in routine work in such jobs as analysis and testing or
production. At the other end of the scale, 14 percent made $400 or
more per month in 1943, compared to 8.6 percent in 1941.
Among those employed in chemical engineering, as many as 18.2
percent earned less than $160 per month in 1941, but only 1.6 per
cent in 1943. In 1941, 17.2 percent earned more than $400; 2 years
later 26.8 percent fell in that salary bracket.
The extent to which the increases in earnings shown in table 6
reflect the professional advancement of individuals rather than a
general advance in income levels in the field is partially suggested by
data in table 7, which includes all persons employed in chemistry and
chemical engineering who reported income in either year. The
median base monthly salaries for 1941 are nearly identical in the two
tables, both in the case of chemists and in that of chemical engineers.
In 1943, however, the tabulation for all those reporting (table 7),
shows lower median incomes than the tabulation (table 6) which covers
only those reporting in both years (chemists, $243 as compared with
$252; chemical engineers, $297 as compared with $308); i. e., those
who entered the field between 1941 and 1943 had lower-than-average
salaries, as would be expected. Since the survey omits the income in
1941 of persons who left the field since, including largely those who
died or retired and whose incomes in 1941 were very likely higher than
the average, the 1941 average shown by the survey may be slightly
lower than the true average in that year, and the increase in income
levels indicated by table 7 may be somewhat greater than actually
took place.
Nevertheless, it is significant that an increase of nearly 22 percent
occurred in the median base monthly salaries of those employed in
chemistry, and that the salaries of those employed in chemical engi
neering advanced slightly more than 26 percent in the 2-year period,
reflecting the great needs of war industry for the services of these
workers. I t is also of interest that the salaries of the lowest-paid
groups in both fields of employment increased by the greatest amounts
proportionately (table 7).
T a b l e 7 .— Comparison of Five Levels of Base Monthly Salaries in 1941 and 1943 fo r All
Persons Employed in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Percent earning above
specified income level
Median base
monthly income
1941
1943
Increase from
1941 to 1943
Amount Percent
Median base
monthly income
1941
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$107
148
200
276
383
$160
194
243
318
426
Amount Percent
Chemical engineering
Chemistry
90 percent________ _______
75 p erce n t-------------- -------50 percent----------------- --- 25 percent...... .................. .........
10 percent------ ------ ------------
1943
Increase from
1941 to 1943
$53
46
43
42
43
49.5
31.1
21.5
15.2
11.2
$144
174
235
333
490
$199
236
297
400
540
$55
62
62
67
50
38.2
35.6
26.4
20.1
10.2
Employment Conditions
Future Levels of German Industrial Employment1
ON MARCH 28, 1946, the Allied Control Council in Berlin announced
its decision regarding the character and amount of German industrial
capital equipment to be retained for the maintenance of a peaceful
German economy, to be allocated as reparations, or to be eliminated.
The basis for the decision was explained as follows:
In accordance with the Berlin Protocol the Allied Control Council is to
determine the amount and character of the industrial capital equipment un
necessary for the German peace economy and therefore available for reparations.
The guiding principles regarding the Plan for Reparations and the Level of the
Postwar German Economy, in accordance with the Berlin Protocol are: (a)
Elimination of the German war potential and the industrial disarmament of
Germany; (b) payment of reparations to the countries which had suffered from
German agression; (c) development of agriculture and peaceful industries; (d)
maintenance in Germany of average living standards not exceeding the average
standard of living of European countries (excluding the United Kingdom and
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics); (e) retention in Germany, after pay
ment of reparations, of sufficient resources to enable her to maintain herself
without external assistance.
In accordance with these principles, the basic elements of the Plan have been
agreed. The assumptions of the Plan are: (a) That the population of postwar
Germany will be 66.5 millions;2 (b) that Germany will be treated as a single
economic unit; (c) that exports from Germany will be acceptable in the inter
national markets.
In arriving at an estimate of the level of living permitted by the
Potsdam agreement, an attempt was made by the experts working
with the Control Council to compare the prewar consumption levels
in Germany with those in neighboring continental countries through
the use of per-capita national-income data. Adjustments were made
to allow for a higher degree of urbanization in prewar Germany than in
other European countries. The results so obtained were then checked
by comparing the average per-capita consumption of individual
items, principally food and clothing, in the respective countries. It
was concluded that Europe would attain 1930-38 consumption levels
some time before 1950, and that outside the United Kingdom and
Russia, average consumption in those years was 25 to 30 percent
lower than in Germany, or somewhat below the German level in 1932.
Modifications of 1932 consumption patterns were then introduced,
to replace war damage to residential building and to reduce con
sumption of food, textiles, and clothing (other than shoes), in order
to keep down imports and maximize the exports of “peaceful” in
dustries.
1 Prepared by Jean A. Flexner of the Bureau’s Foreign Labor Conditions Staff.
2 The 1939 population of Germany (not including the Saar, the Sudetenland, or Austria) was 69.3 million. •
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
895
896
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
The average might provide the low income group with a better
distribution of goods and services than in 1932, depending upon the
levels of employment that are attained and the measures that may be
adopted to reduce the inequalities of income as they existed in 1932
or to insure the direct supply of goods and services to low income
groups.
The Control Council decided that, in addition to the categories
prohibited at Potsdam (munitions of war, aircraft, and sea-going
vessels), all industrial capital equipment for the production of certain
items is to be eliminated forthwith: (1) Heavy machine tools and
heavy tractors of certain types, to be specified by the Allied Control
Authority; (2) primary aluminum; (3) magnesium; (4) beryllium;
(5) vanadium produced from Thomas slags; (6) radioactive materials;
(7) hydrogen peroxide above 50 percent strength; (8) specific war
chemicals and gases; (9) radio transmitting equipment.
Capital equipment for the production of synthetic gasoline and oil,
synthetic rubber, synthetic ammonia, and ball and taper-roller
bearings, in quantities needed for the civilian economy, will be retained
until it is possible to import them.
Industries in which varying amounts of the prewar capital equip
ment will be removed include steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals,
the manufacture of machinery and machine tools, electrical equip
ment, automobiles, tractors, optical and precision instruments, and
cement.
In addition, the Council estimates production in the pulp, paper
and printing, rubber, textiles and clothing, and boot and shoe in
dustries “necessary for the German economy in 1949,” which may
be exceeded if feasible. Unrestricted industries (in which it is hoped
to maximize production) include coal, potash, building and building
materials, furniture and woodwork, glass, ceramics, bicycles, and light
motorcycles. The industrial capacity which remains is supposed to
provide necessary exports as well as minimum domestic needs.
Effects of Allied Control Council Decisions on Employment
IN R ES T R IC T E D IN D U STR IES
The possible effect which the announced restrictions may have in
relation to the 1936 level of employment in the industries immediately
affected is shown in table 1. It is assumed that productivity in 1949
will not differ much from that in 1936. During the war, productivity
in many industries increased, but during later stages of war and after,
low rations, displacement of labor, plant dispersal and destruction,
and low-capacity operation have reversed the trend. It is also prob
able that removal of newer plants and restriction of the metal-fabricat
ing and chemical industries, which were probably among the most
efficient in the country, will adversely affect the efficiency of other
industries.
Calculation of the number who were employed in the prohibited
“ aircraft and munitions of war” industries is impossible, as they do
not appear in the June 1936 census of industry. Perhaps they were
not reported at all, since at that time German rearmament was pro
ceeding in violation of the treaty of Versailles. According to one
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
897
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
T a b l e 1.— German Industrial Employment in 1936 and as Estimated fo r 1949 1
Industry
All industrial employment___________________________ ____
Restricted industries:
Iron and steel___________ _____ ___ ____ _________ _ . . .
Primary manufacturing.________ _________________
Foundries _____. . . " _______ ____________________
Wares (except hand tools and vehicle parts)____ ____
Construction steel ______ _________ ______________
Nonferrous metals...................................... ..................... ......
Primary manufacturing___ . . . ............................... _ _
Foundries- - .............T ............ ...................................
Wares ______________ _________ _
-...............
_
Mechanical engineering____________ ________________ _
Heavy engineering________
Boilers, etc. .7 ________________
. ______
Fittings, etc _______ _ .
Other machinery (j^) ............... ....................... . ..
Light engineering. . .1 ____
...
Textile machinery____ ________________ . . .
Sewing machines, etc____ ________________ . . . .
Graphic and printing machinery
Food processing machinery. .
Business machines... _ _
. . . . .
Small tools (hand)_______ __________ ______ _
Other machinery (}^)___ _
____
_____ ___
Machine tools. . . . _
____
. .
.....
Precision instruments and optics______________________
Automotive_________________________________________
Automobiles._________ _
....
Vehicle parts . . . . ____________
. . ..
Electrical engineering * . . . . . __ _____ . __ _ ____ __
Electrical generating and transmitting. ______________
Chemicals:
Basic (inorganic). _______________________________
Fertilizers (phosphates, carbides)__________________
Synthetics.................................................... ...........................
Other__________________ ________________________
Pharmaceuticals______________________ ______________
Dyestuffs____________ _____ ________________________
Organic tar dyes
Inorganic mineral dyes
Cement and concrete _________ ______ ____________
Shipbuilding.. ____________________________ . ______
Total ____________ ___
_________
Percent of 1936 employment . . . _____ _. . . _____
Industries for which levels are estimated for 1949 (not fixed):
Agricultural machinery_______ _______________________
Textiles_________________ . . _____ _ ____ . _____
Rubber_________ ________________ . . . _ ___________
Pulp, paper, printing______. . . _.
__________________
Boots and shoes___ . . .
_
_ . _______________
Railroad cars, locomotives
_______________
Coalmining_______ . . . ________________________ ____
Total_______________ . .
. ___________
Percent of 1936 employment . ___________________
Unrestricted industries:
Manufacturing, other than shown above
Mining, other than coal . . _______________ ______
____ . . .
Building . . . ______
.
..
Total
Number
employed
in 1936 (in
thousands)
Percent of
prewar ca
pacity to be
retained
Estimated
employment
in 1949 * (in
thousands)
7. 950. 4
754.0
201.6
147.4
357.4
47.6
324.0
74.8
26.1
223.1
552.8
172.6
22.4
23.8
126.4
290.2
29.4
23.0
24.5
27.9
25.5
33.5
126.4
90.0
97.1
159.2
110.1
49.1
294.2
109.7
29.0
31. 2 /
14.9
36.9 /
32.7
36.4
27.7
8.7
38.1
76.3
2, 586. 5
37.3
911.7
52.4
383.5
103.8
22.5
505.3
2,016. 5
39
294.1
53
171.7
» 42
232.2
70
26
68.0
41.4
50
60
147.1
65.8
4U
'U
80
51
68
» 13
80
77
62.5
65
70
75
26.2
18.6
25.9
10.0
1,161.4
44.9
29.8
702.0
32.8
249.3
72.7
20.0
379.0
1,485.6
73.7
2, 070.8
56.6
1,220. 0
3, 347.4
i Sources: 1936 employment, Die Deutsche Industrie (Berlin), 1939; Percent of prewar capacity to be
retained, Allied Control Council, Plans for Reparations and Level of Postwar German Economy (Berlin),
Mar. 28, 1946.
» The method used in estimating future employment (col. 3) was to apply to 1936 employment (col. 1),
the percentage of prewar output to be retained (shown in col. 2). A considerable, but unavoidable, error
may be present because of the difficulty of matching the categories given in the Germany industrial census
of 1936 with the categories named by the Allied Control Council.
» The Control Council decided that 38 percent of prewar capacity as measured by value of output in 1938
was to be retained; an adjustment has been made in order to show the percentage which this would represent
of 1936 output. The percentage of 1938 output to be retained in the subgroups was fixed at 31 percent for
heavy engineering, 50 percent for light engineering, and 11 percent for machine tools.
* This term is taken to correspond fairly closely with the German census group, electrical industry or
electrical manufacturing. The census group may, however, be too inclusive.
* Oceangoing vessels are prohibited. The estimate for 1949 employment is based on Foreign Economic
Administration, Enemy Branch (Washington), Final Report on a Program for German Economic and
Industrial Disarmament, December 1945, Part. III.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
898
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
authority,3 between 500,000 and 600,000 persons may have been
employed in war-related industries and escaped enumeration in the
1936 industrial census. Others, however, believe this estimate is too
high.
The loss of jobs estimated for the restricted industries would have
thrown 1,425,100 people out of work in 1936. This means a reduction
to 45 percent of the 1936 level for these industries.
Industries for which the Allied Control Council hq,s estimated but
not fixed the level of 1949 production, are not expected to regain the
1936 level by 1949 because they are dependent either upon the prod
ucts of restricted industries or upon imported commodities paid for
before the war by the products of the restricted industries. The
Control Council’s estimate of production for 1949 appears to provide
1,485,600 jobs, or about 75 percent of the 1936 number— a loss of
531,000 jobs in the group.
Because of the general shortages, coal and potash mining will be
encouraged as much as mining supplies and transport will allow.
Necessary supplies and services to this end, according to the Council,
will be arranged. Intensive recruiting of coal miners is being carried
on. Coal production is not expected to regain its former level,
notwithstanding.
IN UNRESTRICTED INDUSTRIES
Manufacturing industries which have been left free to develop
(within the limitations of available resources) include the building
industry, building materials (except for steel and cement), furniture,
woodworking, glass, ceramics, bicycles, and light motorcycles. These
industries employed 3,347,000 persons in 1936 (“ Unrestricted indus
tries” in table 1).
General Factors Affecting Employment Levels
The extent of employment in other segments of the German econ
omy (agriculture, trade, domestic service, government, etc.) cannot be
obtained for 1936, but is to be found in the 1939 occupational census.4
The number and percentage distribution of persons in the German labor
force in 1939, in the Altreich (i. e., excluding Austria, Sudeten, Saar)
are given below:
All occupational groups
Agriculture____________________________________________
Forestry and fishing___________________________________
Mining________________________________________________
Manufacturing and mechanical (including handicraft,
building, etc.)_______________________________________
Trade and finance_____________________________________
Communications and transportation____________________
Service trades__________________________________________
Domestic service_______________________________________
Government1__________________________________________
N u m b e r {in
thousands)
Percentage dis
tribution
34, 269
100. 0
8, 750
185
684
25. 5
.5
2. 0
13,
3,
1,
1,
1,
3,
734
419
873
044
344
236
40.
10.
5.
3.
3.
9.
1 Excluding post offices and railroads, classified in communications and transportation.
8 L. Rostas, in the Economic Journal (London), April 1943, p. 42.
4 Die Erwerbspersonen im Deutschen Reich (Census of Occupations), May 17, 1939. Berlin, 1941.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1
0
5
1
9
4
899
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
It would be inaccurate to assume that the same volume of employ
ment for any of these groups will be projected into 1949. Account
must be taken of a number of limitations which will make the postwar
employment pattern different from the prewar pattern: (1) Territorial
changes and population shifts; (2) changes in the size, age, sex, com
position, and adaptability of the labor force; (3) availability of im
ports of raw materials (dependent on exports) ; (4) effect of a lowerthan-prewar level of consumption upon the demand for employment
in connection with furnishing goods and services; and (5) indirect
effects of the reparations removal program.
Whatever the future level and distribution of employment in post
war Germany, it will differ materially from that of 1939. For ex
ample, about 14 percent of the total 1939 labor force was located
east of the Oder-Neisse line. About 15 percent of the coal miners,
8 percent of those employed in making agricultural machinery, 6 per
cent of the textile workers, 4 percent of the shoe-industry employees,
and 21 percent of the paper-products industry employees, according
to the 1936 industrial census, were located in the provinces of East
Prussia, Pomerania, and Upper and Lower Silesia. To these must be
added others in the ceded parts of Brandenburg. The transfer of a
large proportion of the Germanic population of this and other neighbor
ing regions into Germany proper will increase the number of people
seeking work, while the loss of territory decreases the opportunities
for employment. It cannot, however, be assumed that employment
opportunities will diminish at the same rate in all fields: service jobs
and certain kinds of administrative jobs that depend upon the size
and density of population will be affected differently from jobs that
depend upon natural resources (e. g., coal mines, agriculture) or on
factories and capital equipment. It is estimated that some 4 million
jobs may be eliminated by these territorial changes.
The changes which have occurred in the size and composition of
the labor force are suggested by table 2.
T a b l e 2 . — German Population, 1939 and 1946, by Sex and Age Groups 1
1939 2
Sex and age
Number
(in millions)
19462
Percent
Number
(in millions)
Percent
Total population____ _____________________________
69.3
100.0
62.8
100.0
Male population___________________________________
Under 14 years of age_________________ __________
14-50 years of age___ ______ _______ _____________
50-65 years of age.. _______________ _____________ }
Over 65 years of age___ ____ ________________ ____
33.9
7.7
23.8
2.5
48.9
11.1
34.2
3.6
27.1
7.8
16.4
2.9
43.2
12.4
26.1
4.6
Female population. ______________________________
Und’er 14 years of age_________________ ________
14-50 years of age_______________________________
50-65 years of age-------------------------- -------------------Over 65 years of age____________________________
35.4
7.4
19.6
5.5
2.9
51.1
10.7
28.3
7.9
4.2
35.7
7.4
18.9
6.0
3.4
56.8
11.8
30.1
9.6
5.4
1 Source: Military Government of Germany, U. S. Zone. Report on Manpower, Trade Unions, and
Working Conditions, No. 7, Feb. 20, 1946, Appendix B (p. 22).
2 Census data, 1937 boundaries.
2 1946 boundaries; based on current registrations. It should be noted that these figures were compiled
before the planned transfers of Germans who have been living in other countries were completed.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
900
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
It is expected that still further changes will take place when the
displaced Germans and those still held prisoner by the Allies return.
A total labor force of some 31 to 33 million persons is anticipated
by 1949, depending upon the eventual size of the German population.
In 1939, the labor force in the Altreich (excluding Austria, Sudeten,
and Saar) was 34.3 millions. The future labor force will be as large
as, or larger than, prewar (relative to the territorial size of Germany)
but will contain a much lower proportion of skilled workers of all
types and relatively fewer able-bodied males. The difficulties already
experienced in adapting the postwar labor force to the jobs that need
to be done are expected to continue. These difficulties are vividly
illustrated in current reports from the U. S. Zone.
The January 1946 labor registration in the U. S. Zone showed, as
in earlier months, a very wide gap between the number of unem
ployed, job openings, and placements, in the month.
Total
M a le
Fem a le
Total registered 1____________________
5, 859, 871
3, 253, 425
2, 606, 546
Employed_______________________- - - Unemployed_________________________
Job openings_________________________
Labor office placements______________
4, 914, 781
945, 190
229,246
124, 401
2, 880, 091
373,334
164,
84,
2, 034, 690
571, 856
016 65,230
726 39,675
i Source: Eighth Report, Military Government U. S. Zone, March 20, 1946, Manpower, Trade-Unions,
and Working Conditions (p. 3).
I t was reported that 38 percent of the registered unemployed were
unemployable for physical or other reasons. Labor shortages occurred
in building, certain mechanical occupations, and in agriculture, al
though it was the off season. “When industrial activity increases
because of the greater availability of fuel, power, and raw materials,
the scarcity of suitable trained labor may reach crisis proportions,”
says the report of the U. S. Military Government for March 20, 1946.
Conditions were not very different in the British Zone in February
1946.4
The targets for 1949 employment may appear extremely low when
compared with prewar, but they are far higher than present day
levels, at least in western Germany. Thus, it is reported that Ruhr
steel mills were operating in February 1946 at less than half of the
planned capacity. In the United States Zone in February, industries
were operating chiefly on the basis of stock-piled materials; consumer
goods industries were operating at between 5 and 25 percent of exist
ing capacity; power generation at 45 percent; ferrous metals at 10
percent; and building materials at 20 percent.
Conditions Affecting Fulfillment of the Plan
The Allied Control Council anticipated that German industries
(restricted and unrestricted) would be able to produce an export
surplus in 1949 to the extent of 3 billion Reichsmarks (1936 value),5
in order to pay for an equal quantity of approved imports. These
imports, chiefly food and raw materials, constitute an essential mini
mum. Without these imports, output, consumption, and employ4 For discussion of employment conditions during the occupation, see also Monthly Labor Review (Wash
ington), February 1946 (p. 187).
.
, TT c
'The average exchange rate of the reichsmark for the year 1936 was 40.2575 cents in terms of U. S. currency.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
901
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
ment would sink below the estimated levels. Y et the precarious
equilibrium of Germany’s foreign trade depends upon several assumed
conditions stated by the Council: (1) That the population of the
postwar Reich will not exceed the estimate of 66.5 millions; (2) that
Germany will be treated as an economic unit; and (3) that Germany’s
exports will be acceptable in international markets. If one or more
of these conditions fail to materialize, presumably modification of the
plan would be considered.
In addition to the above assumptions, fulfillment of the Control
Council’s plan would seem to depend also on the following factors:
(1) That labor is available for the industries it plans to encourage;
(2) that the domestic economy will not require a higher level of im
ports to maintain the consumption level set by the Control Council;
and (3) that the restrictions imposed do not impede the development
of the unrestricted industries.
i | I
j jfc
\
The Control Council obviously intends to cut back the industries
supplying capital equipment only to a point which would prevent a
resurgence of a German armament industry. Prior to the war these
industries maintained a capacity exceeding domestic requirements by
exporting, as shown by the following tabulation of German exports
in 1936.
Total German exports, 1936 1____________________________
V a lue in
million
reichsm arks
P ercent
4, 768. 2
100. 0
War-potential industries____________________ _____________
2, 925. 7
Iron and steel products_________________________________
724.4
Other metal and metal products_________________________
262.1
Machinery (excluding electrical)_____________________
6 0 5 .7
258.3
Electro-technical products______________________________
Optical and precision instruments________________________
90.5
Automotive and vessels___________________________
Chemicals and their products, lubricants, and cement767. 4
Peaceful industries_______________________________________
1, 125. 8
Textiles and fibers______________________________________
486.9
Fu rs------------------------------------------------------------------------------48.1
Leather and shoes_____________________________
Paper and paper products_______________________________
149.8
Books, etc______________________________________________
36.0
96.9
Musical instruments, toys, etc___________________________
Glass and glassware_____________________________________
76.0
Olay, ceramics, etc______________________________________
66.9
Rubberwares____________________________________________
40.3
Woodwork and furniture________________________________
38.9
Coal and potash________________1________________________
413. 2
Other (not specified)_____________________________________
303. 5
61. 3
15.2
5.5
1 2 .7
5.4
1.9
217.34.5
16.1
23. 6
10.2
1.0
86.0 1.8
3.1
.8
2.1
1.6
1.4
.8
.8
8. 7
6. 4
i Source: Statistisches .Tahrbuch fur das Deutsche Reich (Berlin), 1938 (p. 265).
In 1936, almost two-thirds of the total value of German industrial
exports came from the “ war potential” group, whereas only 24 percent
of industrial exports came from the “ peaceful” industries. If to
the latter are added exports of coal and power, the proportion rises
to 32.3 percent. The total value of “ peaceful” exports, including coal
and power, was 1,539 million RM, about half the value of planned
approved 1949 exports.
Cuts made in the metal-fabricating industries by the Control
Council greatly exceed the proportion of product exported in 1936:
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
902
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
17.5 percent of the total value produced in the “ engineering” group
of industries shown in table 1 was exported, whereas the Control Coun
cil cuts would eliminate capacity producing nearly 60 percent of the
1936 product. The remaining capacity is intended to furnish some
exports, as well as to supply domestic needs. How this cut may
affect the industries purchasing or using the products of the metal
fabricating industry is indicated by the following tabulation:
Users or purchasers, 1 9 3 6 :1
reichsmarks )
Manufacturing industries_____________________________
Foods, e tc _______________________________________
Metal fab ricatin g_______________________________
Electrical equipment__________ : _________________
Furniture, woodworking__ _______________________
Chemicals (including oil)________________________
Other manufacturing_____________________________
Construction_________________________________________
Household____________________________________________
Transportation_______________________________________
Agriculture___________________________________________
Fuel and power______________________________________
All other domestic uses 2______________________________
Value (in
millions of
P ercent
1, 301
138
988
63
35
42
35
1, 054
490
50
12
14
6, 799
11.. 8
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
9. 6
4. 5
.5
.1
.1
62. 0
Total domestic economy____________________________
9, 720
88. 6
Exports____________________________ ______________________
1 ,2 4 9
3 11. 4
Grand total____________ ___________________________
10,969
100.0
1 Source: Estimates prepared by Jerome Cornfield of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Allied Repara
tions Commission.
2 This group was estimated as a residuum and consists chiefly of capital equipment produced in the metal
fabricating industries.
2 The 11.4 percent shown here and the 17.5 percent shown above do not agree, because “metal fabricating”
is less inclusive than the engineering group of industries used in table 1.
I t is difficult to reconcile the hopes for expansion in such lines as
building, woodworking, textiles, printing, or even agriculture, with the
reductions planned in steel production and metal-fabrication, since
these industries depend upon the latter group to supply their capital
equipment, parts, and replacements.
Furthermore, unless the machinery and mechanical equipment of
the “ peaceful” industries is kept up, the exports of these industries—
wood products, glass, ceramics, and similar items— are likely to fall
behind schedule. While less efficient methods of manufacture often
result in the employment of more people, it is impossible to predict
whether such methods can compete successfully with highly mecha
nized and more efficient industries in world markets, even though
German workers are living at very low levels.
Potential Effect of the Plan
The Allied Control Council decisions appear to eliminate at least
2 million industrial jobs that were in existence in Geimany in 1936.
Territorial changes will decrease employment opportunities by about
4 million jobs. Employment in government appears likely to be
smaller. Opportunities in the service industries will be limited by the
reduced level of living. Agriculture is counted on to absorb a con
siderable number of additional workers through the breaking up of
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
903
large holdings and resettlement of in-migrants on the land, although
western Germany already has a comparatively dense agricultural
population.
In contrast, the labor force within the new boundaries may, by
1949, prove to be almost as large as that of the greater area in 1939,
but inferior to it in respect to skills and adaptability for either con
struction tasks or highly skilled manufacturing such as Germany
excelled in before. Whatever reconversion program Germany might
be permitted to undertake, a large volume of unemployment would
appear to be inevitable for some years ahead. Estimates given to
the British Parliament, on the assumption that the Allied Control
Council’s plan will be canied out and that the future German popu
lation will not exceed the estimate of 66.5 million persons in 1949,
run between 2.5 and 3.5 millions. American estimates have put the
probable figure even higher. In 1932, there were 5,575,000 unem
ployed in Germany.
The Potsdam program, which the Allied Control Council was
implementing in its decision of March 28, was intended to insure the
peace of Europe by means of the industrial disarmament of Germany
and the dispersion of its highly concentrated industry for the benefit
of countries injured by German aggression. These countries will be
materially assisted in the reconstruction and expansion of their wardamaged industries by receiving German facilities and tools, and in
future may be able to supply themselves with some of the articles
formerly imported from Germany, but it cannot currently be predicted
whether this will ultimately be detrimental to the European level of
living. Those who favored the transfer of industries from|Germany
to neighboring countries stressed the beneficial effect within those
countries of broadening their base of heavy manufacturing industry.
The development of large-scale unemployment in Germany, with its
historical accompaniment of unrest and political instability, would
challenge the feasibility of the plan, unless overcome by retraining
and reallocation of the labor force, adjustment of hours, fostering of
new technical processes and new industries, and other measures such
as could only be put into effect by a strong central authority.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Education and Training
Standards for On-the-Job Veteran Training1
T H E Retraining and Reemployment Administration of the U. S.
Department of Labor has issued a list of basic standards for approval
of establishments offering veterans nonagricultural on-the-job training
under the GI Bill of Rights.2 In presenting suggestions for the consid
eration of the agencies in each State that are responsible for the
approval of establishments furnishing the training, the RRA recog
nized that such agencies have full responsibility for fixing standards for
approval, and that in many States standards are higher than those
suggested. However, the Administrator of the RRA expressed the
hope that the States could see fit to adopt the criteria presented as a
minimum basis for approval. The recommendations referred to are
those adopted by the Interagency Committee for Development of
Criteria and Standards for On-the-Job Training, on April 8, 1946, and
approved by representative veteran, trade-union, and educational
bodies.
To promote careful attention to the maintenance of training
standards among State agencies, various indirect means are available
to Federal authorities. For example, the Veterans’ Administration,
which pays subsistence allowances to veteran trainees, has indicated
(in Circular 61) that it will remove a veteran from its subsistence
pay rolls if certain requirements are not met. The U. S. Employ
ment Service, in proposing that all State agencies adopt the criteria
established by the Interagency Committee, has warned, its local
offices against referral of veterans to on-the-job training under
employers who do not meet these standards.
M inimum Standards
Federal recommendations for minimum standards to be met by
employers providing nonagricultural on-the-job training to veterans
are as follows:
The training content of the program is adequate to qualify the veteran for
appointment to the job for which he is to be trained.
There is reasonable certainty that the job for which the veteran is to be trained
will be available to him at the end of the training period, as is evidenced by such
factors as the ratio of trainees, veteran and nonveteran, to trained workers.
The job is not in a standard wage classification, in which progression and
appointment to the next higher classification are based upon such factors as
length of service and normal turnover, and not upon skills learned through
organized training on the job.
1
Data are from IT. S. Department of Labor, Retraining and Reemployment Administration (Recom
mended Minimum Criteria for Approval of Establishments Offering Nonagricultural On-the-Job Training
for Veterans, Washington, 1946); and from Veterans Administration (press release dated April 29, 194f»).
1 See Monthly Labor Review, April 1946 (p. 595).
904
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
905
The wages to be paid the veteran for each successive period of training are not
less than those customarily paid in the establishment and the community to a
learner in the same job who is not a veteran, and are in conformity with' State
and Federal laws and applicable bargaining agreements.
The job customarily requires a period of training which justifies the setting up
of a complete program of not less than 500 hours of training.
The length of the training period is no longer than that customarily required
by the establishment and other establishments in the community to provide
the trainee with the required skills, [and to] arrange for the acquiring of job knowl
edge, technical information, and other facts which the trainee will need to learn
in order to become competent on the job for which he is being trained.
Provision is made for related instruction.
There is in the establishment adequate space, equipment, instructional material,
and instructor personnel to provide satisfactory training on the job.
. Adequate records are kept to show the progress made by the veteran toward
his job objective.
. Appropriate credit is given the veteran for previous job experience, whether
in military service or elsewhere, his beginning wage adjusted to the level to which
such credit advances him, and his training period shortened accordingly.
A copy of the training program as approved by the State agency is provided
to the veteran by the employer.
Upon completion of the_ training, the veteran is given a certificate indicating
the length and type of training provided and attesting to his competency in the
job for which he was trained.
Employees of the establishment are advised of the training program.
The approving agency should have access to the establishment for the purpose
of assisting in the development and improvement of the training program.
Other Requirements
In clarifying the obligations of employers under the training pro
gram, the Veterans Administration stated on April 29 that “job
training establishments will not have to guarantee veterans work at
the end-of their training courses regardless of circumstances.” VA,
however, will prevent an employer from taking veterans as trainees if
he has reason to think that work will not be available for the veterans
when the training course ends.
The maximum monthly subsistence allowance of $65 for a veteran
without dependents, or $90 for one having dependents, under the GI
Bill of Rights, is intended to supplement wages paid by the employer
during training. In combination, the subsistence allowance and wages
may not exceed the wages of the experienced worker employed in
the same kind of job. “The subsistence allowance is not a dole to
the veteran nor is it intended as a subsidy to the employer.”
On-the-job training is defined in the RRA report under review as
any form of industrial or occupational training which requires a mini
mum of 500 hours, and in which a differential customarily exists
between the beginning wage and the wage paid to a trained worker.
If an employer desires to undertake such training, he should be re
quired to make written application to the appropriate State approving
agency, giving pertinent descriptive information, the length of the
training period in hours, the wages to be paid at different stages and
those paid to other employees already trained in the kind of work
for which the veteran is to be trained, and the number of hours of
supplemental instruction required.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
906
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
Training Courses for Union Leaders
S IX T Y high-ranking officers of 15 Building-Service Employees’ unions
(AFL) registered for a labor and economics course at the Industrial
Relations Center of the University of Chicago.1
The course was to include one evening session weekly for a period
of 10 weeks. Lectures by national authorities were to be followed by
general discussion. The proceedings were to be transcribed, and the
entire work of each session condensed into four or five pages and made
into a packet for distribution among the officers of the Building
Service Employees International Union throughout the United States
and Canada.
In addition to the course for officers, the International Union was
reported arranging a course for shop stewards, also in conjunction with
the Industrial Relations Center of the University of Chicago. This
course was to have sections for the union’s organizers and business
agents. It would immediately follow the course for officers.
1 American Federation of Labor.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Weekly News Service (Washington), March 12, 1946.
Industrial Relations
An Industrial Relations Charter for the Americas1
T H E Third Regional Labor Conference of American Countries, which
met in Mexico City from April 1 through April 16, 1946, adopted six
resolutions which may well form the basis of an industrial relations
charter for the Americas.
More than 20 countries, including the United States and Canada,
participated in the work of the conference. The extent to which
agreement was reached on the general principles underlying industrial
relations policy speaks well for the adoption of national legislation
for the protection of the freedoms outlined in the resolutions. The
draft resolutions adopted by the conference cover the following aspects
of industrial relations: freedom of association; protection of the right
to organize and to bargain collectively, including machinery for the
determination of the collective bargaining agent; procedures for
voluntary conciliation and arbitration, and principles concerning the
extension of collective agreements where such procedure is or may
be provided for by national laws or regulations.
The industrial relations committee of the conference had before it
the report, prepared by the International Labor Office, on industrial
relations 2 which briefly outlined the problems and practices of the
American countries, with particular emphasis on the Latin American
countries. The Office submitted for consideration 7 draft resolutions,
and representatives of the various countries submitted an additional
22 resolutions and amendments. The committee’s final report was
confined to 6 resolutions.3
Freedom of Association
Two resolutions adopted by the conference relate to the protection
of freedom of association. The first recommends incorporation of
the guaranty of freedom of association into the constitutions of the
American States; the second recommends the widest extension of that
freedom and security against dissolution of employers’ and workers’
organizations by administrative order.
1 Prepared by Harold S. Roberts, Assistant Chief of the Bureau’s Industrial Relations Branch and adviser
to the delegates representing the U. S. Government at the Third Conference of the American States Mem
bers of the International Labor Organization.
2 International Labor Office. Report IV, Industrial Relations, Fourth Item on the Agenda. Montreal,
1946. (Prepared for Third Conference of American States Members of the ILO.)
3 Five additional resolutions were submitted to the Conference, but they dealt with problems other than
the basic protections of the right to organize and bargain collectively. These resolutions were concerned
with high-wage policy; equal pay for equal worir: stability of employment: the suggestion that the sub
ject of industrial relations be placed on the agenda of other conferences: and the suggestion that the ILO
study the problem of collaboration between public authorities and employers’ and workers’ organizations.
The committee deleted from its draft resolutions two Office draft resolutions dealing with compulsory
mediation and arbitration and the enforcement of collective bargaining agreements through the establish
ment of labor courts.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
907
908
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
An amendment proposed by the employers’ member from Colombia
to require registration of unions as a condition precedent to the grant
of freedom of association was defeated. Another proposal by the
employers’ group to confine the activities of trade-unions to “ social
and economic” problems was subject to long debate, but was also
defeated. An amendment offered by the government delegate for
Bolivia to grant trade-union officials legislative immunity was dis
cussed at length but voted down. The labor delegates of the com
mittee were divided on the desirability of such immunity, but subse
quently went on record against special immunities for labor leaders,
proposing instead an addition to resolution No. 3 to protect labor
leaders in the exercise of “legitimate” trade-union activity during the
course of a strike. In their argument for the proposal workers’ dele
gates pointed out that in certain countries labor leaders were thrown
in jail during the course of a strike and that the specific language pro
posed was necessary. The conference adopted the amendment with
out opposition. The section reads as follows:
(3)
Appropriate legislative measures should safeguard in each country the
exercise of labor union rights and the activities of the labor leaders, particularly
during the preparation and the period of strikes so that labor leaders may not be
dismissed, prosecuted or deprived of their liberties because of their legitimate
union activities.
Significant clauses from these two resolutions, as finally adopted,
are presented below:
Draft resolution (No. 1) concerning constitutional provisions for freedom of
association
The Conference therefore resolves that:
The American States should guarantee freedom of association in their
constitutions.
Draft resolution (No. 2) concerning freedom of association
^.
The Conference calls the attention of the States Members of the Americas to
the following principles, which seem to constitute an adequate definition of freedom
of association:
(1) Employers and workers, whether public or private, without distinction of
occupation, sex, color, race, creed or nationality, should be entitled to form organ
izations of their own choosing without previous authorization;
(2) Organizations of employers and workers should be granted full autonomy
in organizing their administration and activity, in drawing up their constitution
and administrative rules, and in framing their policies;
(3) Organizations of employers and workers should not be subject to dissolution
by administrative orders.
In those countries where forced dissolution is imposed by way of penalty for
certain acts deemed illegal, the trade-unions should be entitled to the full protec
tion of the appropriate procedure;
(4) Organizations should have the right to constitute federations and confedera
tions of trade organization;
The formation, operation and dissolution of federations and confederations
should not be subject to formalities other than those prescribed for employers’
and workers’ organizations;
(5) Where the acquisition of special privileges by organizations is subordinated
to certain conditions of substance and of form, these conditions should not be
such as to imperil freedom of association as defined above.
The Right To Organize and Bargain Collectively
The third resolution seeks to protect the right to organize by
prohibiting employers or their agents from resorting to yellow dog
contracts, discharge, or any other pressure to compel a worker to
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
909
join or not to join a trade-union. The resolution further suggests in
addition to prohibition of company-dominated unions and refusal by
employers to recognize and bargain in good faith, establishment of
machinery to enforce these prohibitions and to hold elections for the
determination of appropriate collective bargaining agencies.
The committee deleted from the International Labor Office draft a
section seeking specifically to prohibit trade-unions from resorting to
“coercion or intimidation” to compel unorganized workers or those
belonging to a rival union to join another union or participate in
trade-union activity. The committee felt that adequate remedies
exist to protect individuals against coercive activities of any kind,
from any source. The employer members brought this matter up
in plenary session in the form of a special resolution which after much
debate, was defeated by a vote of 34 to 11. A resolution by the
employer group to qualify the clause protecting the closed shop was
also defeated by a vote of 30 to 17. The committee also deleted that
portion of the Office draft suggesting the establishment of technical
services to the labor relations boards to assist the parties in collective
bargaining. The committee felt that such assistance should come
from the departments of labor or from the conciliation or mediation
agencies. The text of resolution 3 reads as follows:
Draft resolution (No. 8) concerning protection of the right to organize and to bargain
collectively
Whereas the Declaration of Philadelphia has proclaimed the need for the effec
tive recognition of the right of collective bargaining; and
Whereas it is in the interest of all the parties that conditions of employment be
determined by collective bargaining; and
Whereas collective bargaining can only be based on the due observance of the
right to organize of all the interested parties and on the acceptance in good faith
of the principle of collective bargaining; and
Whereas it is therefore the duty of the State to safeguard the exercise of the
right to organize and to facilitate collective bargaining by all possible means,
The Conference calls the attention of the States Members of the Americas to
the following principles which seem to provide a suitable basis for the regulation
of collective bargaining.
I .— Protection of the Exercise of the Right to Organize
(1) In view of the fact that the individual worker’s right to organize may be
placed in jeopardy by discriminatory measures directed against him at the time
of hiring or during tenure of employment, the law should particularly prohibit
on the part of the employer or his agents all acts designed to—
(a)
make the hiring of the worker subject to the express condition that he does
not join a certain trade-union or withdraws from a trade-union of which he is
already a member;
(ib) prejudice or injure in any manner whatsoever a worker on account of his
being a member, agent or official of a certain trade-union ;
(c) dismiss a worker for the sole reason that he is a member, agent, or official
of a certain trade-union;
(d) in general, exert any kind of pressure upon a worker with the object of
compelling him to join or not to join a certain trade-union.
(2) With a view to ensuring that collective bargaining be undertaken in good
faith, the law should particularly prohibit on the part of the employer or of the
employers’ organization or their agents, all acts designed to—
(a) promote the formation of trade-unions controlled by the employer;
(b) interfere in the formation or administration of a trade-union, or suport it by
financial means or other support except that an employer should not be prohibited
from permitting workers to confer with him during working hours without loss
of time or pay, and further that nothing in this section should prohibit the collec
tion of dues;
6 9 5 2 2 8 — 46 ------ 5
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
910
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
(c) hamper the exercise of the worker’s right to form organizations, conclude
collective agreements, and take concerted action for the defense and protection
of their interests;
(d) refuse to recognize trade-unions and to negotiate with them with a view to
the conclusion of collective agreements.
It should, however, be understood that a clause in a collective agreement
requiring compulsory membership in a certain trade-union, not only as a condition
precedent to employment but also as a condition of continued employment,
is not barred by this resolution.
(3)
Appropriate legislative measures should safeguard in each country, the
exercise of labor union rights and the activities of the labor leaders, particularly
during the preparation and the period of strikes so that labor leaders may not be
dismissed, prosecuted, or deprived of their liberties because of their union activities.
II.— Collective Bargaining Machinery
(1) The State should undertake to place at the disposal of the parties agencies
to secure the due observance of the right to organize as defined above.
(2) These agencies should be given exclusive power insofar as the judicial
system permits, to take cognizance of and impose penalties for violations of the
exercise of the right to organize.
(3) The agencies should be entrusted with the authority to determine which
labor organization represents a majority of the workers for collective bargaining
purposes. In case of disagreement they should hold a secret ballot election and
certify the union which represents the majority of those voting in the appropriate
collective bargaining unit as the exclusive representative of all the employees in
such unit for purposes of collective bargaining.
Voluntary Conciliation and Arbitration
The principle of voluntary conciliation and arbitration was adopted
in the form of a suggestion for conciliation machinery on a large scale,
free of charge and expeditious. Parties to a dispute were urged to
refrain from strikes and lock-outs while conciliation is in progress.
The recommendation of the conciliator, once accepted, would be
binding on both parties. The Office draft suggesting public enforce
ment of agreements resulting from conciliation was deleted by the
committee.
The resolution on voluntary arbitration recommends machinery for
such purposes and prior agreement to accept the arbitration award;
awards would have the same force and effect as agreements volun
tarily arrived at by the parties. The Office draft suggestions for
appointment of arbitrators by the State and public enforcement of
arbitration awards were not followed.
Important sections of this resolution, as adopted by the conference,
follow.
Draft resolution (No. 4) concerning voluntary conciliation and arbitration
The Conference calls the attention of the States Members of the Americas to
the following principles which it considers should be the basis of any system for
the voluntary adjustment of collective labor disputes.
1.— Voluntary Conciliation
(1) Conciliation agencies should be established on a permanent basis in all parts
of the country and should be in sufficiently large number to assist the parties
whenever a labor dispute becomes imminent.
(2) In those countries which have a formal conciliation machinery and the
agencies operate on a group basis that they be tripartite in character. Labor
organizations concerned in a dispute should be permitted to intervene in all stages
of the proceedings.
(3) Conciliation procedures should be free of charge and expeditious. The
delays for the appearance of the parties and the hearings of the evidence should be
fixed in advance and reduced to a minimum.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
911
(4) Recourse to conciliation procedures should be voluntary but once a dispute
has been submitted to a conciliation agency by consent of all the parties concerned,
the parties should agree to refrain from strike or lock-out while conciliation is in
progress.
(5) The parties should be free to accept or reject the recommendation of the
conciliation agencies. But once a recommendation has been accepted, it should
be binding on the parties.
(6) Agreements arrived at by the parties in the course of the proceedings as well
as recommendations of the conciliation agencies that are accepted by the parties
should legally have the same force as voluntarily concluded collective agreements.
2.— Voluntary Arbitration
(1) There should be instituted voluntary arbitration machinery wdiich may be
resorted to either before or after conciliation procedures.
(2) Recourse to arbitration should be voluntary. But once a dispute has been
submitted to arbitration by consent of all the parties concerned, the parties should
agree to accept the award.
(3) Arbitration awards should have the same legal force as collective agreements
voluntarily agreed to by the parties.
Validity and Extension of Collective Agreements
Two resolutions were adopted concerning the extension of collective
agreements. The first recommends that employers and workers be
bound by the agreement and that the provisions apply to all workers
in the plant or plants. The International Labor Office draft dealing
with the provisions of individual contracts of employment was not
included because it was felt that individual contracts of employment
were contrary to and in violation of the principle and spirit of collective
bargaining.
The resolution dealing with the extension of collective agreements on
a regional or industry basis was confined to those countries “ where
extension of collective agreements is or may be provided for by
national laws or regulations.”
The resolutions, as adopted by the conference, read in part as follows:
Draft resolution (No. 5) concerning the validity of collective agreements
The Conference calls the attention of the States Members of the Americas to
the following principle which should serve as a guide for the future elaboration
of national laws and regulations respecting the validity of collective agreements:
(1)
The provisions of the collective agreement should be applicable to all the
workers in the appropriate collective bargaining unit in the undertaking or under
takings even though they are not members of the organization which concluded
the agreement.
Draft resolution (No. 6) concerning the extension of collective agreements
The Conference calls the attention of the States Members of the Americas
(where extension of collective agreements is or may be provided for by national
laws or regulations) to the following principles and conditions which should be
at the basis of national laws and regulations:
(1) The collective agreements should be made applicable only to the employers
and workers who operate within the industrial or territorial scope of the agree
ment as determined by the contracting parties.
(2) Only those collective agreements which have been voluntarily agreed to
and which bind the majority of the workers and the majority of the employers
(who must also employ the majority of the workers), may be the subject of the
legal extension.
(3) The employers and workers who may be brought under the provisions of
the collective agreement must be previously consulted and authorized to submit
their observations and objections.
(4) The extension of a collective agreement should only be effected if the com
petent authority is satisfied that the employers to be brought under its provisions
are in a position to enforce the conditions of employment stipulated in the agree
ment without endangering the economic existence of the undertakings.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
912
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
Labor-Management and Factory Committees in Italy1
T H E types of factory committees (“internal commissions”) which
developed in Italy after liberation resemble the English factory com
mittees in that they were not originally created by the Govern
ment but arose under agreement between labor and management.
They are similar to the former German factory committees in that
they are composed of workers’ representatives only and have a definite
structure and duties. They date from the early 1900’s, were first
recognized by formal agreement in 1906 and expanded until World
W ar I, but disappeared under the Fascists after 1921. At the end of
World W ar II, similar factory groups were organized in various indus
tries. In September 1943 the National Association of Italian Indus
trialists (“Confindustria”) signed a 3-year agreement with the Confed
eration of Industrial Workers providing for the formation of internal
commissions and giving them certain functions of a labor-management
committee. Early in 1946, the Fiat automobile company concluded
an agreement on labor-management committees with representatives
of workers and the local and central governments. Drafts of a law on
labor-management committees were under discussion, with labor sup
port and reported industrialist opposition.
D evelopm ent o f C om m ittees
Before F ascism .— Internal commissions (or factory committees)
were first formed in Italy about 1900, and consisted of the persons
who represented labor in disputes. They were recognized officially
by an automobile company on October 27, 1906, in an agreement
which stipulated that any disputes over the collective contract should
be settled by the internal commission and management. Numerous
other commissions were formed, and during World War I, the Gov
ernment encouraged, without making compulsory, the settlement of
workers’ claims through such commissions.
In 1919, automobile firms in Turin and Milan agreed that workers’
groups should designate members of internal commissions, and the
movement spread to the electrical, gas, textile, rubber, tanning, and
shoemaking industries. These commissions met with management,
to carry out, generally, the same functions as those of an American
grievance committee. An attempt was made to change them into a
new type of organization based on Communist principles, but the
General Confederation of Labor opposed the change, as did also the
National Association of Italian Industrialists. After the strikes of
1920, drafts of legislation which would have increased labor’s control
of industry were discussed, and the Government presented a bill
that would have given labor the right to control the management of
industries. The bill, which satisfied neither industry nor labor, failed
to pass in the 1921 legislative session, and, owing to the rise of Fascism,
was not "again presented in Parliament.
A fter World War I I . —During the period of resistance, toward the
end of World War II, the* Committee of National Liberation of
Northern Italy installed worker groups in various industries, to act
1 Data are from reports of John Clarke Adams, labor attaché, United States Embassy, Rome, October 2,
22, and 29, November 1, 1945, and January 7, February 2, and March 1 and 27, 1946.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
913
in some cases as labor-management committees, and in others as
internal commissions of the earlier type. In the South, labor won
nonvoting membership in committees of some industries which had
been taken over by the Government.
On September 2, 1943, soon after the beginning of Allied operations
in Italy, Confindustria signed a 3-year agreement with the Confedera
tion of Industrial Workers, creating internal commissions and authoriz
ing them to act not only as grievance committees but also as consulta
tive bodies on technical matters, or as labor-management committees.
In early 1946.— An active campaign for the establishment of labormanagement committees was carried on in the North of Italy during
the winter of 1945-46. On February 18, 1946, the management of
the Fiat company of Turin concluded an agreement on labor-manage
ment committees or consultative councils with the Ministers of
Industry and of Labor, the mayor of Turin, and representatives of
the Turin Chamber of Labor, the Piedmont Regional Economic
Committee, and the Fiat Factory Committee of National Liberation.
The agreement provided for a consultative committee or council
at the centra] plant and each factory. The committees were to
consist of specified numbers of workers and directors and were to
meet regularly, with adequate secretarial personnel, premises, and
archives.
The administrative bodies and factory directors were to continue
to be under the authority of the shareholders’ assembly. The directors
were required, however, to consult the committees or councils on the
following matters, which were defined as the functions of the com
mittees: Improvement of the workers’ living conditions (within and
without the factories); improvement of production and of the means
of production (aiming at an increase of productive efficiency) ; innova
tion of labor-saving appliances or methods intended to reduce costs
of production; increasing the means of production by development
of workers’ welfare initiative; and formulation of general plans, plans
of production, and ways of carrying them out (estimated budgets and
final balances).
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial Injuries
Work Accidents in Chile1
STATISTICS on officially registered accidents, classified by extent of
disability, are presented in the accompanying table for the years 1932
to 1944.2 Accidents in Chile are reported by the insurance companies
and factory inspectors.
Work Accidents in Chile, by Extent of Disability
Accidents resulting in—
Year
Total
registered
Permanent Temporary
disability disability
Death
1932____________ . __________________________________
1933_______________________________________________
1934_______________________________________________
1935_______________________________________________
1936_______________________________________________
1937_______________________________________________
1938_______________________________________________
12, 319
13, 524
36, 070
49,037
48,974
56, 252
48,098
1,270
1,179
2,821
4, 390
3,191
3,802
3,170
10,921
12, 227
32,975
44, 295
45,414
51, 999
44,539
128
118
284
352
369
451
389
1939_______________________________________________
1940_______________________________________________
1941_______________________________________________
1 9 4 2 ...:___________________________________________
1943_______________________________________________
1944_______________________________________________
53,668
67,427
62, 790
71, 207
68,407
65,814
3,493
4,116
4, 005
4, 609
3,484
3,383
49,833
62,909
58, 361
66,148
64, 534
62,002
342
402
424
450
389
429
The rapid rise in the number of registered accidents probably reflects
an increase in coverage and better reporting, rather than an increase
in accidents. Even in 1944 the coverage was far from complete.
Among 314,000 insured persons there were 42,466 accidents— a rate
of 135 accidents per thousand insured persons. If this rate were
applied to the total of about 1,300,000 persons in the working popula
tion covered by safety laws, an estimate of about 180,000 would be
obtained. This suggests that, in addition to the 65,814 accidents
officially registered in 1944, more than 100,000 accidents were not
registered. It may be assumed that many accidents result in minor
injuries which are not recorded, either through some fault of manage
ment or reluctance of the worker to incur the disfavor of the employer
and that the accident rate may be lower for noninsured workers.
The direct cost of registered accidents to the employers, including
indemnity payments and capital value of pensions, amounted to
20,278,000 pesos.3 This amount does not include other items of
direct cost, such as hospitalization, medical attention, purchase of
orthopedic appliances, safety measures, and administrative expenses
which are estimated to amount to 60,000,000 pesos per year. Indirect
costs are probably much greater than the direct costs, but no official
estimates are available.
1 Prepared by Luis Cárcamo C., Chief of Labor Statistics, Chile.
2 Accident statistics have been published in Dirección General del Trabajo since 1932; they do not,
however, include government employees who are not covered by safety laws.
8 Average exchange rate of peso in 1944 (free market) =3.1 cents.
914
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Labor-Management Disputes
Work Stoppages in April 1946
T H E labor-management dispute picture for April was dominated by
the industry-wide stoppage in the bituminous-coal mines, which
accounted for more than one-half of the total idleness duripg the
month. Owing largely to this stoppage, idleness increased from 14
million man-days in March to 15% million in April.
The 465 new stoppages recorded in April, together with an esti
mated 380 which continued from March, made a total of 845 stop
pages in effect during the month, and involved 925,000 workers. In
March, the 655 stoppages in effect involved about 1,000,000 workers.
For the first 4 months of 1946 the total number of work stoppages
was higher than in the comparable period in 1945, but lower than in
1944. However, idleness in January through April 1946 (70,200,000
man-days) was almost twice that for the entire year 1945 (38,025,000
man-days), and was more than eight times as great as in 1944 (8,721,000 man-days).
T a b l e 1.— Work Stoppages in April 1946, with Comparable Figures fo r Earlier Periods
Work stoppages beginning Man-days idle during period
in the period
(all stoppages)
Period
Number
Workers
involved
Number
Percent of
available
working time
April 1946 1_________________________________
March 1946 1________ _____________________
April 1945_____ ______ __________________
465
385
431
575,000
130, 000
305, 500
15, 500,000
14,000, 000
1,472,000
2.49
2. 42
.20
January-April 1946 1 _______ - - _________
January-April 1945_________ _____________
January-April 1944
____ __________________
1,435
1,326
1,509
2,235,000
660,100
560,100
70, 200,000
2,834,000
2, 224, 000
3. 00
.09
.07
January-April 1935-39 average_____ ________
935
401,000
5, 435,000
1 Preliminary estimates.
Bitum inous-coal mine stoppage.— Failure of the bituminous-coal
operators and the United Mine Workers of America (AFL) to nego
tiate a new agreement prior to the expiration of their existing agreement
on March 31, 1946, resulted in an industry-wide stoppage from April
2 through May 29 except for a 12-day truce May 13-25, during which
period the majority of the miners worked. Approximately 350,000
workers were involved in the stoppage. The mines were seized by
the Government on May 22, but normal production was not resumed
until after an agreement was signed on May 29 by the Secretary of
the Interior and union representatives to cover the period of Federal
operation of the mines.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
915
916
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
At the outset of the controversy the union filed a 30-day notice
under the Smith-Connally Act on March 1, 1946. Negotiations
began March 12 but did not yield an agreement by the March 31
deadline. As a result, the miners followed their “no-contract nowork” policy and remained away from the pits on April 2 following
their customary observance of April 1 as an annual holiday. Joint
conferences under auspices of Federal conciliators continued until
April 10 when union officials declared that further negotiations would
be useless.
During this period the specific issues in dispute were not clearly
defined, as the union concentrated upon its general demand for a
security and welfare fund without suggesting the methods by which
the fund might be raised and administered. A proposal for such a
fund, to be financed by a royalty of 10 cents per ton on all coal mined,
had been advanced in the 1945 negotiations but had been dropped
when no agreement seemed possible at the time.
From April 10 until April 30 no meetings of the parties were held.
As effects of the coal shortage on the Nation’s reconversion program
became increasingly serious, the Secretary of Labor insisted that
negotiations be resumed. At this time the union also demanded
back pay for overtime worked by the miners in connection with four
holidays during the war period. Some 3 million dollars was involved.
On May 4 President Truman issued a report through the Office of
W ar Mobilization and Reconversion in which the coal dispute was
termed a “national disaster.” The Office of Defense Transportation
immediately ordered coal-consuming railroads to stop all freight
shipments except foods, fuels, and a few other essential items. A
25-percent reduction in passenger service, effective May 10, was
quickly superseded by further ODT restrictions cutting passenger
service on coal-burning carriers to 50 percent by May 15. Public
utility companies took drastic steps to conserve power consumption
and wartime “brown-outs” were reinstated in a number of cities.
Meanwhile, negotiations continued to be stalemated over demands
for the security and welfare fund, and holiday back pay. However,
a 12-day truce, effective from May 13 through May 25, was agreed
upon with the provision that any wage increase agreed upon would
be paid retroactively to cover the period of the truce.
The back-to-work order of the union officials met with considerable
opposition in certain sections of the industry, particularly in western
and central Pennsylvania. At no time during the truce period were
less than 100,000 miners idle and, after Government seizure on May
22, the number idle was even greater.
On May 13 the operators offered and the union accepted a $3,000,000
settlement for all past overtime work. At this time also union spokes
men made their first concrete statement in connection with the health
and welfare fund issue, demanding an amount equal to 7 percent of
the industry’s gross pay roll to finance the welfare plan, the fund to be
administered solely by the union. It was estimated that this would
total approximately $70,000,000 annually.
On May 15 the operators rejected the union proposal of May 13 for
the 7 percent pay-roll deduction to finance the health and welfare plan
and the next day both the operators and the union officials rejected a
proposal to arbitrate the dispute as suggested by President Truman.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
917
LABOR-MANAGEMENT DISPUTES
On May 21 the President ordered Government seizure of the mines
under authority of the War Labor Disputes Act. The Secretary of the
Interior took over the properties, effective at 12:01 a. m., May 22; the
operators indicated their willingness to cooperate, while union officials
stated that under the Smith-Connally Act they could not order the
men to work or not to work and consequently had no alternative but
to leave to the individual miners any decision about continuing on the
job. Thousands of miners remained idle and as the truce period ex
pired on May 25 the Nation’s bituminous mines became virtually idle
again with over 300,000 miners staying away from work.
On May 29, however, an agreement, to be effective during Federal oper
ation of the mines, was signed by the Secretary of the Interior and the
union. The principal terms provided for a wage increase of 18% cents
per hour and a health and welfare fund to be financed by payment of
5 cents per ton on all coal mined— the fund to be administered by three
trustees, one selected by the union, one by the Coal Mines Adminis
trator, and the third by the other two. Other terms included man
datory compliance with a Federal Mine Safety Code to be issued by
the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and an annual vacation payment of $100
in place of the existing $75 vacation allowance.
Activities of the United States Conciliation Service, April 1946
There were 1,814 assignments made to labor disputes, including
arbitration and technical services, during April 1946, as compared with
1,765 assignments in March and 2,153 in April 1945. This represents
an increase of 2.7 percent in case assignments over March and a
decrease of 16.6 percent from April 1945.
During the month of April 1946, the U. S. Conciliation Service
disposed of 1,704 situations in comparison with 1,921 during the
fourth month of 1945. Of the 1,704 situations disposed of, 20.8
percent were strikes and lock-outs; 38.0 percent were threatened
strikes; 29.5 percent were controversies; 4.4 percent were arbitration
cases; 6.5 percent were investigations, elections, and special services.
According to April records, 355 strikes and lock-outs were settled
by conciliation; one of these cases was a lock-out. The records show
that 648 situations were threatened strikes and 504 were controversies
in which the employer, employees, and other interested parties asked
for the assignment of a commissioner of conciliation to assist in the
adjustment of disputes. The remaining 197 situations include 75
arbitrations, 11 technical services, 38 investigations, and 73 requests
for information, consultations, and special services.
Cases Closed by U. S. Conciliation Service in April 1946, by Type of Situation and
Type of Disposition
Method of handling
All methods------- ---------------------------------Settled by conciliation--------------------------T V o lr p iP iV l s p r v in p . s
s p p p i n l sP T v in p .fi
I n v e s t i
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Total
1,704
1,507
75
11
111
Strikes and Threaten Controver Other situ
ations
sies
ed strikes
lock-outs
355
355
648
504
648
504
197
75
11
111
Labor Laws and Decisions
Recent Decisions of Interest to Labor1
F a ir Labor Standards Act
BO N A F ID E settlements not binding.—On writ of certiorari to the
United States Supreme Court,2 the question left open by that Court
in Brooklyn Savings B an k v. O’N eil (324 U. S. 697),3 as to whether a
good-faith compromise settlement of a dispute over coverage under
the Fair Labor Standards Act is a bar to a suit for liquidated damages,
was answered in the negative.
Service and maintenance employees of a loft building made a claim
against their employer for overtime pay and liquidated damages.
The company refused the claim on the ground that its tenants did not
ship their products directly in interstate commerce but delivered them
to customers within the State who subsequently shipped a substantial
part of these goods in interstate commerce in the regular course of their
business. Under threat of suit, the company made a settlement
agreement, paying all overtime compensation claimed on receiving
from each employee a written release from any further obligation
under the act.
One of the employees later sued, on behalf of himself and other
employees, for liquidated damages. The employer pleaded the
release as a bar to the suit.
A majority of the Court, in the opinion by Mr. Justice Keed, held
that neither wages nor damages under the act “are capable of reduc
tion by compromise of controversies over coverage.’’ The remedy of
liquidated damages cannot “be bargained away by bona fide disputes
over coverage” since such a compromise would thwart the public
policy of “minimum wages, promptly paid, embodied in the WageHour Act, by reducing the sum selected by Congress as proper com
pensation for withholding wages.”
The Court also found that the act did cover maintenance and
service employees of a “building that is tenanted by occupants who
receive, work on, and return in intrastate commerce goods belonging
to nonoccupants who subsequently in the regular course of their
business ship substantial proportions of the occupants’ products to
other States.”
1 Prepared in the Office of the Solicitor, IT. S. Department of Labor. The cases covered in this article
represent a selection of the significant decisions believed to be of general interest. No attempt has been
made to reflect all recent judicial and administrative developments in the field of labor law nor to indicate
the effect of particular decisions in jurisdictions in which contrary results may be reached, based upon local
statutory provisions, the existence of local precedents, or a different approach by the courts to the issue
presented.
2 T>. A . Schulte, In c . v. Oangi, — U. S. —, Apr. 29, 1946.
3 Discussed in Monthly Labor Eeview, June 1945 (p. 1263); October 1945 (p. 759); November 1945 (p. 995).
918
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
LABOR LAWS AND DECISIONS
919
A dissenting opinion written by Mr. Justice Frankfurter (in which
the late Chief Justice Stone and Mr. Justice Burton joined), took
the position that the Court should not outlaw what has always been
a familiar and socially desirable practice of encouraging amicable
settlement of differences unless Congress explicitly or by “broad hint”
directs otherwise.
The Court specifically left open the question on the position taken
by the "Wage-Hour Administration that, if 20 percent of a building is
occupied by firms substantially engaged in production for commeice,
it is likely that maintenance employees are covered by the act.4
Reemploymen t
Veteran’s reemployment rights in seasonal industries. A veteran has
reemployment lights to his former “position” in a seasonal industry
under the reemployment provisions of the Selective Service and Train
ing Act of 1940, even though he entered military service during the
off-season period, if he “can establish ‘customary continuance in his
employment and recognition of his preferential claim to his^ job,
when work is resumed,” according to a decision of the Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeals.6
The veteran in this case had been employed for a number of years
by a tobacco warehouse operator. For the three tobacco seasons
prior to his entry into the service he was employed as sales manager
and contact man in the defendant’s Asheville (N. C.) warehouse;
he was required to work for a few weeks prior to the opening of the
Asheville market in addition to the approximate 2-month period
the market is open each year. Upon discharge the defendant refused
to reinstate the veteran to his position as sales manager.
The district court had decided in favor of the employer on the
ground that no reemployment rights existed, since there was no legally
enforceable contract of employment at the time plaintiff was inducted
into the service. That court further indicated that no reemployment
rights could exist when an employee in a seasonal industry was
inducted outside the period of actual employment, unless he bad a
contract which would sustain a breach of contract action for failure
to return to the employment upon discharge.
In reversing this decision the circuit court held that pi oof of a
legally enforceable contract of employment is no more a pioper
requirement in such cases than it is with respect to any other employee
whose services are terminable at will. An employee may hold a
position in a seasonal industry fat times w h e n no work is going on.
The test is whether a continuing employment relationship existed at
the time the employee was inducted.
Veterans’ seniority rights not changed b y j collective bargaining^ con
tract.— The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals holds that the seniority
rights of a veteran as they existed at the time of his induction into the
armed forces are based on a Federal statute and may not' be altered
by a collective bargaining agreement during the life of the pertinent
provisions of the Selective Service and Training Act.
■t Release P. R. 19 (rev.), Nov. 9,1943, Wage-Hour Division, U. S . .Department of Labor.
8 XJ. S . ex rel. Stanley v. W im bish, O. O. A., 4th Circuit, Apr. 10,1946.
_
. T ,
p
f
nr
« Trailm obile Co. et a l v, W hirls, C. C. A. 6th, Apr. 5, 1946. Discussed in Monthly Labor Review
March 1946 (p. 437),.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
920
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
The veteran, Whirls, had seniority dating from 1935 at the time he
entered the armed forces. He was reinstated in his former position
upon his release in May 1943. In July 1944, because of a consolidation
or merger involving the employer, a new collective bargaining agree
ment was entered into which stated that seniority of all empk>3Tees
should date as of January 1, 1944.
The circuit court held that the contract was invalid insofar as it
attempted to alter the seniority status of employees inducted into the
armed forces, since under the Selective Service and Training Act a
veteran must be returned to his position without loss of seniority.
The court interpreted the phrase “ without loss of seniority’’ as
creating a statutory right to seniority based on the status at the time
of induction. The court further held that the veteran’s right to rein
statement without loss of seniority, his right to participate in insurance
or other benefits offered by the employer, and his right to the job for a
year after restoration were separate, distinct, and independent benefits
and should not be construed as limiting each other. Thus the right to
seniority based on the statute at the time of induction is not limited
to the year during which the position is guaranteed but will last as
long as the Selective Service and Training Act remains in effect.
Although the superseniority question was not involved in this case
the court indicated that it did not agree with the second circuit
decision in the Fishgold case.7
Union official’s right to reinstatement in office.— The plaintiff was
elected secretary-treasurer of a local union at its annual elections in
January 1942. He enlisted in the Navy in July 1942, at which time
he was granted a leave of absence from the union, and the union adopted
a resolution pledging his reinstatement to the office on his return from
military service. The plaintiff, upon discharge from service, sought
reemployment as secretary-treasurer of the union under the terms
of the Selective Service and Training Act. The district court in
denying his reinstatement, held that the bylaws of the local union
provided for yearly elections and a leave of absence from office in the
union could not be granted for a longer period than the regular term
of office without amendments to the local union’s bylaws and the
international’s constitution. The resolution of the local union only
assured him reinstatement if he returned before his term of office
expired and could not be considered a waiver of the bylaws of the local
and the constitution of the international.8
National Labor Relations Board Decisions
Union violation o f no-strike pledge.—Employees who engage in an
economic strike in violation of a no-strike provision in an agreement
between their bargaining representative and their employer have no
rights to reinstatement under the National Labor Relations Act.9
The National Labor Relations Board ruled that this is true, even
where the bargaining representative subsequent to the strike received
illegal assistance from the employer, and the agreement was, therefore,
TFishgold. v. Sullivan D ry Dock & R ep a ir, 62 F . Supp. 25. Discussed in November 1945 Monthly Labor
Review (p. 993) and now pending before the Supreme Court.
8 Fra ser v. Shoberg, et ah, IT. S. D. C., Eastern Dist. of Washington, Apr. 4,1946.
• Scullin Steel Co., 65 N LR B No. ?!9, Cases Nos. 14-0-856 and 14-C-943, Feb. 21, 1946.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
LABOR LAWS AND DECISIONS
921
invalid. The no-strike provision of the agreement was binding, the
Board stated, since the contract was valid at the time of the strike
In the absence of any showing that the company had breached its
agreement at the time of the strike, and in view of the admitted fact
that the strike was not due to an unfair labor practice and that the
striking employees had not been refused reinstatement because of
outside union activities, the Board held that under the doctrine of the
Sands case10 the company was justified in its refusal to reinstate them.
Demotion ojforem en for union activities.—The National Labor Rela
tions Board in two separate cases set forth the rights and obligations
of foremen and supervisory employees. The first case 11 was termed
by the Board as “ unique” in that an assistant foreman, who was a
member of the union covering production employees, actively cam
paigned for the union on company time, despite the fact that at a
management meeting of supervisors, all supervisors were told to remain
absolutely neutral on the subject of union activities. This assistant
foreman was warned against future union activity and finally was asked
to withdraw his membership in the union or be demoted. On refusal
to give up his membership he was demoted and the Board absolved
the employer of charges of discrimination, because the employer might,
if the employee continued such activities, have been charged with
interfering with the freedom of choice guaranteed to employees under
section 7 of the act.
In the second case 12 two supervisory employees retained their
membership in the union in order to keep certain legitimate union
benefits such as burial insurance and the right to work in another plant
in case of a reduction of force owing to reconversion problems. These
employees wore their rank and file union buttons at all times. The
employer gave them their choice of withdrawal of membership in the
union or demotion. On refusal to withdraw from the union they were
demoted and the Board held the employer guilty of discrimination.
The Board pointed out that the employer could have insisted that
they remove their union buttons and on refusal, would have been
justified in demoting them. The record showed that the employer
issued an ultimatum to the employees and that the disciplinary action
was not taken to preserve the employer’s neutrality but was “moti
vated by opposition to the mere retention of membership in the union
by supervisory employees.”
Election and card check as bases o f bargaining rights.—The National
Labor Relations Board in absolving the employer in this case,13 from
a charge of refusal to bargain with the union, has distinguished situa
tions involving certifications of a union from those where the union’s
status is determined by a card check.
In March 1944, the Regional Board conducted a card check of
employees to determine a bargaining representative in an agreed unit.
The company thereafter entered into negotiations with the chosen
union and some agreement provisions were tentatively agreed upon.
Thereafter the number of the respondent’s employees was reduced by
10 N ational Labor Relations Board v. Sands M fg . Co., 306 U. S. 332.
11 In re Exusta Paper Corp. et al., and International Brotherhood of Paper Makers (A F L ), 66 N L R B No.
147, Mar. 27, 1946.
iJ In re Climax Engineering Co., division of General Finance Corp., and International Association of Ma
chinists (unaffiliated), 66 N LR B No. 165, Mar. 29, 1946.
is In re Joe Hearin, Lumber, and Lumber & Sawmill Workers’ Union, Local 2795 (A FL) 66 N L R B No.
150, Mar. 28, 1946.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
922
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
50 percent and 16 of the 25 employees remaining in the unit submitted
to the respondent a petition declaring, in substance, they no longer
wished the union to represent them. In July 1944, the employer
refused to continue negotiations with the union on the ground that a
majority of the employees had abandoned the union. There was no
evidence of employer interference in the drawing up and signing of
the petition. The Board stated that in an election based on a secret
ballot, the union has a right to retain its bargaining status for a reason
able length of time (usually 1 year) in order to give it sufficient time
to conclude an agreement. However, said the Board, a card check
may not be presumed to reflect the “employees’ true desires with the
same degree of certainty” as an election by secret ballot and, hence,
will not be given the same degree of durability.
Ju risdiction o j Board over airport restaurant.— The National Labor
Relations Board, stating that its policy has generally been not to assert
jurisdiction over restaurants because of their local character, made an
exception in the case of the restaurant at the National Airport.14
The Board stated that “the operations here involved form an integral
part, and are essential to the proper functioning, of the Washington
National Airport, the only federally owned and operated airport in
the country.” The Board ruled that the company, by assuming the
peculiar status of an exclusive concessionnaire under Government
contract, had placed itself in a unique position whereby it serviced
employees who were themselves in interstate commerce and served
“in flight” meals to airline passengers. Although a strike shut-down
of the restaurant probably would not affect flight schedules, the Board
held, it would, nevertheless, have a detrimental effect on efficiency of
airport employees and the comfort of passengers in interstate flight.
Ju risdiction o j Board over branch oj joreign bank.—The National
Labor Relations Board, citing the Ronrico Corp., (53 N LR B 1137),
held that the Wagner Act covers the territory of Puerto Rico and gives
the Board jurisdiction over the employees of the branch of a foreign
bank. 15 The employer was found guilty of discriminating against
employees for their union activities by discharging them and circulat
ing pamphlets among employees during an organizational campaign,
and was ordered to cease and desist its interference and reinstate
certain employees with back pay.
Unionization of plant guards.— The National Labor Relations Board
filed a petition in the Circuit Court of Appeals for enforcement of an
order requiring the company to bargain collectively with the plant
union as representative of its plant guards. The company had
formerly bargained with the union under a contract which provided
that it would not apply to “foremen or assistant foremen * * * watch
men, salaried employees and nurses.” During the life of the contract
the union petitioned the Board for certification as the bargaining
representative for the plant guards, or watchmen. Following the
election, the company refused to bargain with the union concerning
the guards, as they were not employees within the meaning of the act,
and because they were militarized the guards could not belong to a
union. The guards at the time were members of the military police
14 In re Air Terminal Services, Inc., and United Cafeteria & Restaurant Workers, Local 471 UFW A ,
Case No. 5-R-2144, Apr. —, 1946.
15 In re Royal Bank of Canada, 67 N LR B 56, Apr. 17, 1946.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
LABOR LAWS AND DECISIONS
923
and under control of the Army. This court, on petition, denied the
Board’s order to force the company to recognize the union representa
tive for the guards. The guards were subsequently demilitarized
but remained members of the Cleveland police force, and on certiorari
to the U. S. Supreme Court this fact was brought to the Court’s
attention by the Board. The Supreme Court remanded the case to
the circuit court for further consideration because of the changed
status of the guards.16
On rehearing, the circuit court on the basis of the fact that the
guards were members of the police force, even though demilitarized,
again denied the petition for enforcement of the Board’s order. The
court took the position that, as members of the police force, the guards
under Ohio law were public officers, regardless of the fact they were
compensated by a private employer. Stating that the Board must
consider the public welfare as a material factor in designating ap
propriate bargaining units, the court held that to decide the issue in
any other manner would limit the power of the Government to furnish
adequate police protection.
Two circuit courts have denied enforcement of the Board orders
directing employers to bargain with unions representing guards where
the guards were represented by the same union which represented
production employees.17 The Board, on the other hand, has re
affirmed its own decisions that plant guards are entitled to union
representation, even though represented by the union already rep
resenting production employees.
Slate Laws and Decisions
Anti-injunction law 'partially invalid.— Declaring that a provision of
the State anti-injunction law, forbidding injunctions against giving
publicity to a labor dispute by picketing, abridged the power of equity
courts, the New Jersey Court of Chancery 18 said that when it “ finds
that the complainant needs the protection of the court and is entitled
to it by the established principles of equity * * * the legislature
cannot absolve the court from this duty or impair the court’s juris
diction to perform it.” Thus, the court held that mass picketing,
whether peaceful or otherwise, which prevented free access to the com
pany’s property, worked an irreparable injury upon the owner, and the
statute, as worded, gave him no remedy in equity nor did he have an
adequate remedy at law.
The second provision attacked by the court was a provision in the
statute declaring certain acts “ to be lawful and in no wise to constitute
a tort or nuisance.” The title of the act referred only to limitations
on the issuance of injunctions and gave no notice that one of the pur
poses of the law was to make certain acts lawful. This violated the
constitutional provision that the object of every law must be ex
pressed in the title. 19
1« N ational Labor Relations Board v. J o n e s & L au ghlin Steel C o rp ., O. C. A. 7th, Apr. 4, 1946.
17 N ational Labor Relations B oard v. J o n e s & L au ghlin Steel C orp., discussed in Monthly Labor Review,
February 1945 (p. 344), April 1945 (p. 829).
N ational Labor Relations B oard v. E . C . A tkins & Co., discussed in Monthly Labor Review, May 1945
(p. 1046).
is W estinghouse Electric C orp. v. United Electrical, Radio & M a ch in e W orkers of A m erica , Local A26, et al.
New Jersey Court of Chancery, Mar. 20,1946.
is The New Jersey Legislature has since introduced a bill to amend the title of the act in accordance with
the decision in this case.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
924
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
The union contended that even if it had massed pickets in an un
lawful manner around the gates of the company, the company had not
fulfilled its legal obligation to comply with War Labor Board direc
tives and exhaust all efforts to conciliate, mediate, and arbitrate the
dispute as outlined by section 8 of the Norris-LaGuardia Act. The
court held that directives of the War Labor Board had been advisory
only and did not constitute a legal obligation. Furthermore, because
the employer had not conceded to union demands, this did not prove
it had not made a bona fide attempt to settle the dispute. The com
pany, having complied with all applicable laws, the court granted a
continuance of the injunction against the union granting the employers
access to their properties during the strike.
Conditions 'precedent to relief under N orris-LaG uardia Act.— The
District Court of Indiana denied an employer's request for injunctive
relief because of the employer’s failure to make every reasonable effort
to settle the labor dispute as required by section 8 of the Norris-La
Guardia Act.20
The court held that the action of mass pickets in refusing to permit
nonstrikers to enter the plant and the failure of the police to break
through the picket line satisfied the law’s requirements that unlawful
acts be threatened and that the police be unable or unwilling to furnish
adequate protection. However, the court declared that all statutory
conditions precedent to granting relief must be present and the em
ployers had not bargained with the union in a manner which showed
that they were making all reasonable efforts to come to an agreement.
The court based this conclusion on the following facts.
1. The company made no effort to rebut the arguments advanced
by the union as the basis of their demand for higher wages.
2. The company’s action in publicly announcing a counterpro
posal before discussing it with the union, with a view to settlement,
showed an interest in gaining public support rather than settling the
labor dispute.
3. The termination of the collective bargaining agreement by the
company on the day it made a counterproposal was not consistent
with the requirement of making every reasonable effort to settle the
dispute.
4. The company failed to attend a scheduled mediation meeting
with U. S. Department of Labor officials and offered no reason for its
nonappearance.
Statute penalizing discrim ination because o f political affiliation u p
held.— The First Circuit Court of Appeals 21 upheld the validity of a
Puerto Rico statute making it a misdemeanor to discriminate against
employees “ because they are affiliated with a certain political party.” 22
A group of employees were discharged by the defendant because they
were members of the Popular Party. Upon conviction under the
statute quoted the defendant appealed, contending, among other
things, that the statute violated the due process clause contained in
section 2 of the Organic Act of Puerto Rico.
The court held that it was not unreasonable to prohibit an employer
from interfering with an employee’s democratic right to join a political
30 General E lectric Co. v. Sojack, D. C . Northern District of Indiana, Mar. 5,1946,
5i Santiago v. P eople of P uerto R ico, C. O. A. 1st, Apr. 1,1946,
?3 Act No. 114, Laws of Puerto Rico. 1942,
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
LABOR LAWS AND DECISIONS
925
party and that due process, under the facts in this case, was not vio
lated. An analogy was drawn between the statute involved and the
provisions of the National Labor Relations Act prohibiting interfer
ence with employees’ right to participate in labor organizations.
Colorado L abor Peace Act invalid in p art.—A Colorado statute
was declared unconstitutional by the State District Court (City and
County of Denver) insofar as it restrained peaceful picketing.23 This
statute provided: “The term ‘labor dispute’ means any controversy
between an employer and such of his employees as are organized in a
collective bargaining unit, concerning the rights or process or details
of collective bargaining. * * * It shall not be a labor dispute
where the disputants do not stand in the proximate relation of employer
and employee.”
The case arose out of a major effort to organize the dairy industry
in Denver. There was no claim of the use of violence or other unlawful
means of persuasion. Pressure was exerted against stores handling
nonunion milk, nonunion truck companies which haul milk, and non
union dairies. Most of the nonunion companies employed only
nonunion labor. Thus the employer-employee relationship required
by the statute was not present. In dissolving the temporary injunc
tion which had been granted against the defendants, the court ruled
that the legislature could not prohibit peaceful stranger picketing;
that the peaceful mass picketing engaged in by the union members
was the lawful exercise of the right of assembly; and that there was
sufficient unity of interest between the stores selling nonunion milk
and the nonunion dairies and truck companies to remove the threat
of picketing the stores from the prohibition against a secondary
boycott.
Social Security Legislation in Italy, 1 9 4 5 -4 6 24
INCREASES in disability and old-age pensions and in family allow
ances, which had been provided in southern and central Italy in
March and April 1945, and November 1944, were extended to northern
Italy by agreement between the Allied and Italian authorities and by
implementation orders of August 16, 1945. The agreement also
authorized the repeal of legislation passed by the Fascist Republican
Government regarding contributions and benefits. Decrees providing
supplementary benefits for unemployed workers and persons suffering
from tuberculosis were drafted later in the summer of 1945. The
small benefits formerly received by agricultural workers were increased
500-600 percent in early 1946, for sickness, old-age, accident, and
tuberculosis insurance and marriage and family allowances. Need
for a reorganization of the social security system has been recognized,
and in October 1945 a royal commission was preparing new legislation.
23 H enn igh et al. v. International Brotherhood of Team sters, Colorado District Court, City and County of
Denver, Feb. 27, 1946.
24 Data are from Gazzetta Ufficiale (Rome), November 16, 1944, May 12, July 7, and August 23, 1945;
reports from United States Embassy, Rome, of Alexander Kirk, Ambassador, September 21, 1945, and of
John Clarke Adams, labor attaché, April 27, June 25, September 14, and October 3, 1945, and April 18 and
May 8, 1946.
6 9 5 2 2 8 — 46------- 6
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
926
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
Social Insurance to Spring of 1945
D isability and old-age benefits.— Increases in disability and old-age
pensions amounting to 70 percent were granted by decree-law of
March 1, 1945, in the southern and central regions of Italy, which were
then under the administration of the Italian Government. Twentyfive percent of the old-age pensions being paid by the National Social
Provident Institute before the decree went into effect amounted to
less than 500 lire annually and another 25 percent, from 500 to 1,000
lire. The decree-law placed the annual minimum old-age pension
for men at 5,400 lire and for women at 4,320 lire, or at 70 percent
above the existing pension, whichever was greater. The minimum
pension for disability was to be 4,320 lire for men and 3,240 lire for
women (with the same provision as is given above regarding an
increase of 70 percent).
E xtra contributions from employers and from workers who were
subject to the forms of social security on which the increased benefits
were to be paid were authorized in the decree. As the National
Social Provident Institute had no funds available for this expenditure,
the State also was to contribute.
Cost-of-living allowances fo r disability 'pensioners— Cost-of-living
bonuses were authorized for workers in private industry by legislation
of November 1944, applicable in the southern and central areas of
Italy.2 In order to give similar relief to injured and sick workers in
the same areas, monthly cost-of-living bonuses up to 300 lire, scaled
on disability ranging from 50 to 100 percent, were provided by decreelaw of April 26, 1945.
F am ily allowances.— A scale of family allowances was also estab
lished by decree-law of November 9, 1944, for workers in industry,
agriculture, commerce, and the arts and professions, and in banking,
insurance, and tax-collection agencies. The decree increased to 3,000
lire per month per worker the earnings on which family-allowance
contributions might be assessed, and legislation proposed in August
would raise the limit to 3,600 lire.3
Measures Taken in Summer of 1945
After the liberation of northern Italy in the spring of 1945, it was
necessary to unify the provisions for social insurance in operation in
the southern and central parts of Italy with the provisions which had
been in operation in the northern part under the Fascist Republican
Government. Under an agreement reached August 7 and authorized
by the Allied Military Government August 16, modification in social
insurance benefits and contributions which had been instituted by the
Fascist Republican Government were to be repealed, and the increases
in disability and old-age pensions and family allowances provided, as
noted above, were to be implemented in the north of Italy.
Unemployment and tuberculosis insurance.— Because of the increase
in unemployment and tuberculosis and the rise in the cost of living,
decrees were drafted in August to enlarge benefits for these two types
of insurance.
a For details on the bonuses and rise in the cost of living, see Monthly Labor Review, May 1945 (p. 1013).
3 For details, see Monthly Labor Review, November 1945 (p. 941).
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
927
LABOR LAWS AND DECISIONS
Supplementary benefits for tuberculosis were necessary because of
a steady increase in cases during the war and a rise in the cost of
medical assistance. In 1942 the average daily cost of hospitalization
was 30.86 lire; in the summer of 1945 it reached 210 lire. The deficit
in the tuberculosis insurance fund, a substantial sum in 1942, was
estimated at 789 million lire for 1944 and possibly 3,500 million lire
for 1945.
In an attempt to cover the deficit and provide better treatment for
beneficiaries, a decree of August 1945 set an additional contribution
to be paid half by employers and half by workers, and variable from
year to year according to requirements. Contributions were to be
chargeable on the first 3,600 lire of the monthly pay. The supple
mentary benefit would amount to 30 lire per day for those covered
by compulsory tuberculosis insurance, plus 5 lire daily for each de
pendent child. The period of benefit payments (both basic and
supplementary) would be 2 years.
Social Legislation in New Zealand, Late 1945
POSTWAR legislation in three major fields was enacted by the New
Zealand Parliament late in 1945. This consisted of new wage and
hour laws, increase in social security benefits, and provision for the
establishment of a National Employment Service.
Wages a n d Hours
1
New basic minimum wage rates for workers in general and maxi
mum hours for factory and for office and shop employees were pro
vided by three laws.
W ag es—-Under the Minimum Wage Act (approved December 7,
1945), all persons 21 years and over were to be paid at least the follow
ing rates, effective April 1, 1946:
£.
Workers paid by the hour, per hour_
Workers paid by the day, per day__.
Workers paid by the week, per week.
1
5
M ales
s. d. i
2
2
5
9
0
0
Fem ales
s. d.
£.
1
13
3 3
i
'
(
1
The average rate of exchange of the New Zealand pound in December 1945 was $3.21. Use of the
foreign exchange rate, however, does not give an accurate measure of the relative purchasing power of
money, but information is not available showing the relative living cost in the United States and New
Zealand.
Employers may make limited deductions if board and lodging are
furnished. The provisions of the act apply specifically to Govern
ment, as well as to nongovernment employment; apprentices and
certain trainees are exempted.
In September 1945, actual hourly rates paid to various types of
unskilled laborers were under 3s., although most other workers were
paid more than the rates established by the amendment. Most likely
to be benefited were tobacco, truck garden, and general farm workers.
Prior minimum wage regulations, established by the Court of Arbi
tration in 1936, provided for £3.16s.0d. a week for adult male workers
and £1.16s.0d. for adult female workers.
1 Data are from reports by J. Jefferson Jones, III, third Secretary of the American Legation, Welling
ton, No. 296 of December 21, 24, and 28, 1945.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
928
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
H ours.— Maximum hours for factory and for shop and office em
ployees were set at 40 a week, by the terms of the legislation of
December 7, 1945, amending the Factories Act and the Shops and
Offices Act.
Under the Factories Act amendment, no worker is to be employed
for more than 8 hours a day, nor for more than 4% hours continuously
without an interval of at least 45 minutes for a meal. It also pro
hibits specified hours of night, Sunday, and holiday work to women
and boys. The Court of Arbitration is given discretionary power to
adjust the rates of wages and overtime conditions of workers whose
hours are reduced to 40, for the purpose of removing any anomalies
or inequities, or relieving any hardship on the workers caused by the
reduction in working hours.
Effective after June 30, 1946, payment of time and a half for over
time up to 4 hours a week, at the discretion of the Court of Arbitra
tion, is provided by the amendment to the Shops and Offices Act.
National Employment Service 2
The Employment Act of 1945 (passed in mid-October 1945) pro
vides for the establishment of a National Employment Service. To
administer the law, the Governor General was empowered to appoint
a Minister of Employment, to preside over a separate Government
department. This arrangement superseded the Employment Divi
sion of the Labor Department, which functioned through the States
Placement Service (absorbed in January 1942 by the Industrial Man
power Division of the National Service Department).
The new department is to provide a complete service for placing
workers and assisting employers in furnishing work. It is to make
periodic surveys and forecasts of the classes of employment required
or available, and to take necessary action to place persons in such
employment, and to do everything necessary or expedient to promote
and maintain full employment. The department may provide hostels
and residences for workers, and a home-aid service for domestic and
other workers in emergencies. For full employment, it was recog
nized that accurate, complete, and continually current information
regarding employment trends and opportunities was fundamental.
Social Security 3
Social security payments to the aged, the unemployed, and the
sick were increased substantially under the terms of the New Zealand
Social Security Amendment Act of 1945, approved on November 24,
1945. An important objective of the act was to guarantee a mini
mum weekly income of £5 to a married couple with two children
when the principal wage earner is unable to work through no fault
of his own. The benefit for an unmarried adult unable to Work is
generally £2 weekly. In addition, after April 1, 1946, family benefit
was to be increased to 10s. weekly for each child, and superannuation
* Data are from report by J. Jefferson Jones, III, third secretary of the American Legation, Wellington,
N » IJata^re’from' New Zealand, Statutes, 2 Geo. VI, Social Security 1938, No. 7, Wellington, 1942; Social
Security Department, Social Security Monetary Benefits and War Pensions, Wellington, 1944; and from
report of J. Jefferson Jones, III, Third Secretary of American Legation, Wellington, December 8, 1945.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
929
LABOR LAWS AND DECISIONS
benefits for those over 65 would be paid at the rate of £25 for the
year beginning April 1, 1946, and would increase by £2 10s. each year
until £104 is reached in 1978; the limit previously set in 1940 was
£84 10s. The old and new rates of benefit other than family and
superannuation benefits are given in the accompanying table, and
were effective on October 1, 1945.
No means test is required for family and superannuation benefits,
nor for miners’ benefits, but other benefit payments are reduced if
the applicant’s income from the social security fund and other sources
exceeds a specified amount, usually £5 for a couple and £3 for an
unmarried adult.
Social Security Benefits in New Zealand Before and After Changes Effective October 1 ,1945
Type of benefit and person eligible
Old-age benefit:’
Couple (both eligible)___ _____________ ______________
Couple (wife under age)________________ ____ _________
Unmarried_____________
_______________________
Unemployment benefit:
Married man................................ ............................... ..............
Unmarried person over 20___________________ _______
Unmarried person under 20________ _____ _____________
Widow’s benefit:
With dependent children_____ ________________________
With children, not dependent________________________
Childless widow___________________________________
Invalidity benefit:
Married man__________ _____ __________________ __
M arried female_______ ____ ______________ _________ _
Unmarried person over 20 2______ _____ _______________
Unmarried person under 20 2__________ ______ _________
Miner’s benefit:3
Married_____________________________________________
Single_______________________________________________
Widow 4 ______ ______ __________________ ________
Sickness benefit:8
Married man_____________________ ___ ____ ________ _
Single person over 2 0 ... _____ ___________ . . .
_____
Single person under 20________________________________
Previous
weekly
rates
New weekly
rates
£ . s .d
3 5 0
2 3 0
1 12 6
£.
4
4
2
Total income
allowable
from all
sources
s. d.
0 0
0 0
0 0
5 0 0
5 0 0
3 0 0
1 15 0
1 0 0
10 6
4 0 0
2 0 0
1 0 0
5 0 0
3 0 0
2 0 0
1 10 0
1 5 0
1 5 0
2 0 0
2 0 0
1 10 0
3 10 0
3 0 0
3 0 0
2
1
1
1
4
2
2
1
5
5
3
2
3
12
12
2
0
6
6
6
0
0
0
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
0
0
0
0
2 3 0
1 12 6
1 0 0
4 0 0
2 0 0
1 10 0
No limit
No limit
No limit
1 15 0
1 0 0
10 6
4 0 0
2 0 0
1 0 0
5 0 0
3 0 0
2 0 0
1 For those 60 years of age and over.
2 Former rate payable only to persons 21 years of age or over.
3 The rates set forth are payable to a person who is suffering from miner’s phthisis [silicosis], if the person
is “permanently or seriously incapacitated” , and to a person suffering from any other miner’s occupational
disease or heart disease, if he is “totally or permanently incapacitated.”
4 With option of receiving regular widow’s benefit.
8 The total allowable income may be increased by a further £1 a week by a grant from a friendly society,
etc.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Women in Industry
Will Prewar Domestic Workers Return?
ONLY one out of seventy-three women who previous to the war were
household maids, cooks, or waitresses expressed the wish to go back to
her old job, according to a survey made by the New York State Depart
ment of Labor.1 Both employers and employees knew the problems
in this field of employment but offered few solutions. The war af
fected various changes in both attitudes and actual standards.
Household Employment in New York State
The number of women in household employment in New York State
declined from an estimated 223,000 in 1940 to 178,000 in 1944— a drop
of 20 percent— although even in 1940 the supply of domestic workers
was regarded as inadequate.
Since Y J-day a slight rise in the number of women in household
employment had been noted. This was caused largely, the survey
indicates, by the return of women who left the labor market when their
husbands took war jobs or went into the armed services. Numerous
former household workers who had become bookkeepers, clerks, and
other office workers had not, at the time of the survey, been affected
by the discharges of production workers.
W ages.— The hourly rate in up-State cities was substantially below
that in New York City. Both the U. S. Employment Service and the
private placement offices interviewed in the investigation reported
that rates varied with the amount of skill required. Private agencies
reported that in cases in which employers expected higher skills, wage
scales were accordingly higher. The part-time or day-to-day general
houseworker was paici from 50 cents an hour in certain up-State cities
to the prevailing rate in New York City of $1.00 per hour, together
with a guaranty of a specified number of hours a day on a regular
schedule.
H ours.-—The trend toward a regular 8-hour day was becoming more
pronounced in domestic work, although 10-hour and 12-hour days
were more widespread.
Household employees are very hours conscious, especially after coming from
factory jobs. In New York City general houseworkers are now requesting work
weeks of 40 to 48 hours. Few will work longer than 48 hours. Outside of New
York City the long workweek has not changed despite the shortage of help. The
general work schedule for regular jobs that pay over $20 per week still calls for
six 12-hour days or a total of 72 hours a week.
Em ployees’ viewpoint.— Factory work, in the opinion of workers,
continues to be more attractive than household employment; it is
1 Industrial Bulletin (New York City), January 1946.
930
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WOMEN IN INDUSTRY
931
considered dignified and does not .have the stigma of domestic service.
Women who were laid off were still seeking factory employment rather
than household jobs, because they considered the 8-hour factory day
more desirable, even though total pay might be less.
E m ployers’ viewpoint.— Numerous domestic workers, employers
claim, lack experience and training in household techniques. Many
employers would welcome a set of standards which would enable them
to evaluate the services of skilled and unskilled workers.
Em ploym ent agency’s viewpoint.—All the heads of employment
agencies who were interrogated were of the opinion that “ the only way
to attract new workers to the domestic service field is by setting and
maintaining better working standards.”
Scheduling of regular hours of work and regular time off is the first requirement.
Agencies, however, are reluctant to take the lead in establishing standards and, at
most, attempt to get employers and employees to agree in advance to some
limitation of hours.
The solution, according to several agency heads, is to put household service on a
professional level with regular hourly wage rates set for varying levels of skill.
Social Legislation Concerning Household Workers
Domestic workers are virtually excluded from social legislation,
although a few States have made some effort to include them.
M inim um wage.— Wisconsin’s wage order of 1932 provides a wage
standard of $6 a week for 50 hours with meals, and $4.25 with both
meals and room. A minimum hourly rate is also fixed for part-time
work.
H ours.— Washington State restricts the hours which may be worked
by household employees to 60 per week, except in emergencies.
W orkmen’s compensation and unemployment insurance.—In Cali
fornia, domestics working over 52 hours a week are covered by the
workmen’s compensation law. A forward step has recently been taken
by New York State in amending its workmen’s compensation law to
include domestic workers (including chauffeurs, among others).
Under chapter 311 (Laws of 1946), approved March 30, and effective
January 1, 1947, domestic workers employed 48 hours or more per
week by the same employer in cities and towns of 40,000 or more pop
ulation, are protected. While domestic workers are not specifically
denied coverage under the New York State unemployment insurance
law, required insurance is limited to employers with four or more
workers, thereby excluding the bulk of those employed in this field.
W
W
W
Women in New York Retail and Service Jobs, 1945
FOR the first time since the war began, women and children were
being outstripped by men in rate of increase in retail and service em
ployment in up-State New York. This fact was disclosed by the most
recent annual survey made by the New York State Department of
Labor’s Division of Industrial Relations, Women in Industry and
Minimum Wage .1
1 Industrial Bulletin (New York 13), January 1946.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
932
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
The study, covering 17 up-State cities, found 18,336 women workers
employed in 715 retail-trade and service establishments in 1945, as
compared with 17,869 reported in 1944— an expansion of less than 3
percent in a period during which the total of adult male workers in
creased 8 percent. The 1944 survey had indicated a rise of 7 percent
for women workers and a decline of 7 percent for adult male workers.
The 1945 study disclosed that the number of male workers under 21
years of age had decreased 10 percent in retail and service jobs in the
17 cities under review.
In 1945, employment of women increased in clothing and depart
ment stores, food stores, restaurants, cleaning and dyeing establish
ments, and theaters, but declined in variety and drug stores.
Wages in Service Industries
Lau ndries.— In October 1945, the weekly earnings of women laundry
workers averaged $25.20— an increase of 56 cents over the wages paid
in the preceding October. In all areas of the State the wages of men
were 50 percent above those of women. This was caused partly by
differences in occupations and by the fact that men’s hours were
slightly longer than women’s. In September 1945, in laundry office
jobs, women averaged $27.27 a week, against $24.81 for women
factory workers.
Hotels.—A slight upward trend in women’s wages in hotels over
July 1944 was reported. At the earlier date women working in allyear hotels averaged $21.09 weekly (various occupations being office
workers, chambermaids, waitresses, elevator operators, cooks, and
dishwashers).
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wage and Hour Statistics
Wage Structure in Machine-Tool Industry,
January 1 9 4 5 1
Summary
IN JA N U A RY 1945, plant workers in the machine-tool industry in the
United States as a whole earned $1.05 an hour, exclusive of premium
pay for overtime and shift differentials. Of the 80,900 plant workers
in the industry, only about 1 out of 30 earned less than 65 cents per
hour; one-fifth earned $1.25 or more. Men averaged $1.07 per hour,
and women, predominantly engaged in less-skilled operations, earned
only 82 cents.
Regionally, average hourly earnings varied from 92 cents in the
Middle W est to $1.08 in the Pacific region. In the three most
important machine-tool manufacturing regions, Middle Atlantic,
New England, and Great Lakes, earnings averaged $1.01,[$1.03, and
$1.06, respectively. Regional differences were less marked among
skilled than among lower skilled occupations.
Incentive workers, on the average, earned one-sixth more per hour
than time workers in occupations where both methods of pay were
widely used. Earnings also tended to be higher in large as compared
with the smaller establishments and in the larger communities.
Differences between union and nonunion wages varied considerably
among the several regions. While rates of union workers were
markedly higher than nonunion rates in the Middle Atlantic region,
and somewhat higher in the Great Lakes region, the reverse situation
was found in New England.
The wage data relate primarily to average hourly wage rates (or
earnings) and include incentive earnings but exclude premium pay for
overtime and shift differentials. Since the most typical workweek
in January 1945 was 55 hours, earnings were considerably increased
by overtime at premium pay. Moreover, one-fifth of the plant
workers were employed on late shifts and the majority of these
workers received shift differentials. In addition, five-eighths of the
establishments studied paid supplementary bonuses which, averaged
over all workers, amounted to about 3 cents per hour for plant workers
and about 2 cents per hour for office workers.
Paid lunch periods and provisions for paid sick leave were rare.
Four out of five establishments provided paid vacations for plant
workers after a year or more of service and nearly all establishments
i This report was prepared by Donald L. Helm. T. P. Kanninen was responsible for the section on the
labor force. Detailed information on wages may be obtained from a mimeographed report (Wage Structure:
Machine Tools, 1945); wage statistics by locality are available in the Bureau’s regional offices.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
933
934
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
194 6
reported a formal vacation policy for office workers. About twothirds of the establishments had insurance or pension plans for both
plant and office workers.
Characteristics of the Industry
The machine tool is the very keystone of our mass-production
economy. I t is possible, owing to the precision with which metal
parts can be shaped and cut by these tools to specifications calling for
minute tolerances, to produce thousands of parts so nearly identical
that they are interchangeable in assembly or repair without requiring
the painstaking labor of hand fittings. The most familiar product of
these tools, the automobile, best illustrates how, by their use, mass
production of a highly complicated product is achieved.
When the country’s rearmament program was inaugurated in 1940,
thus creating a large demand for machine tools, the industry was
already producing close to capacity. This was in part traceable to
an earlier increase in production stimulated by European preparations
for war. Machine-tool sales rose from 200 million dollars in 1939 to
1,200 millions in 1943, and employment increased by 250 percent
during the same period. Although peak wartime production was
reached before January 1945 (the date of the Bureau’s study), produc
tion and employment were still well above prewar levels.
Since a large proportion of all the machine tools produced for war
purposes during recent years are easily adapted to peacetime produc
tion and since machine tools are relatively durable, the industry is
faced with the prospect of a somewhat limited market for its products
in the immediate future. Several factors may operate, however, to
improve the outlook for the industry. Of great importance is the
ability of engineers and designers to develop tools which increase
productivity and decrease costs. One example is the “progressive
station” or “process” machine tool which has found increasing favor
in recent years. Combining the functions of a number of machine
tools, a unit handled by this machine can be progressively moved
through a cycle of machining operations. On the demand side, an
expansion of export trade to the devastated areas of Europe could
absorb some tools. In addition, the prospect of increased uses of
light-weight metals, such as aluminum and magnesium, by American
manufacturers offers possibilities for greater utilization of higher-speed
machine tools.
Scope of Study
The industry includes all establishments engaged primarily in the
manufacture of machine tools.2 These tools are defined as “power
driven complete metalworking machines not portable by hand, having
one or more tool and work holding devices, used for progressively
removal metal in the form of chips.” 3 Honing machines, lapping
machines, and grinders are included in this classification. The typical
establishment in the industry produces both standard and specialpurpose machine tools of but a single type insofar as principles of
! The scope of the present study corresponds to that of Industry Group 3541 of the Standard Industrial
Classification Manual (issued by the Bureau of the Budget).
s As defined by the United States Bureau of the Census and the National Machine Tool Builders
Association.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WAGE AND HOUR STATISTICS
935
operation or functions are concerned, though some establishments are
engaged in the manufacture of many types of tools.
The data presented in this report, based on January 1945 pay rolls
and other company records, were obtained by the Bureau’s agents from
arepresentative sample of 181 establishments with 77,633 employees.
This sample, limited to establishments with 8 or more workers, con
stituted about three-fifths of the establishments in the entire industry
and seven-tenths of the workers.
The Labor Force
The manufacture of machine tools involves processes common to
the production of a wide variety of other metal products. Thus,
machining, filing and fitting, heat treating, assembling, surface coat
ing, and inspection work are also carried on in varying degree in the
automotive, ordnance, aircraft, and electrical products industries and
in the production of the great variety of equipment and machinery
employed on farms and in offices and industrial establishments.
OCCUPATIONAL DISTRIBUTION
Machining occupations accounted for slightly more than one-fourth
of total employment in the industry in January 1945; related to em
ployment in processing occupations only, the proportion is nearly
doubled (see table 1) .4 Production machinists, machine-tool operators
who operate several types of machines, and set-up men, who specialize
in setting up and adjusting machine tools operated by others, together
accounted for only a twentieth of all workers engaged in machining.
Nearly all machining was carried on by operators of a single type of
machine. Since there are wide differences in skill among these spe
cialized workers, resulting from division of labor and differences in the
organization of production, they have been classified by grade; a
similar classification is presented for inspectors and assemblers. The
latter, the second most important occupational group in the industry,
accounted for one-tenth of all workers and one-sixth of all processing
workers.
Nonprocessing plant jobs accounted, in the aggregate, for slightly
less than one-third of the plant force (excluding office). A m ong the
most important in this group were inspectors, material handlers,
factory clerical, custodial, and maintenance workers.
Although no attempt was made to determine the distribution of
workers according to lines of skill, a relatively high degree of con
centration in the skilled categories is indicated. This concentration
is unusual since approximately two-thirds of the workers in the
machine-tool industry were employed in establishments with over 500
employees. These plants typically have a division of labor permit
ting employment of large numbers of workers with training in a limited
phase of their work.
4 The classifications shown in table 1 were selected from the viewpoint of their significance in the machinetool industry. The sum of the employment listed under “processing” understates the proportion of process
ing workers to the extent that some apprentices, learners, and helpers, as well as some workers classified
as “other plant workers,” are engaged in processing jobs. The latter category also includes workers engaged
in semiprofessional operations in engineering departments, in experimental work and production control,
as well as in a variety of indirect plant jobs. This grouping of occupations was resorted to because it was
impractical to present data for each of these jobs separately without obscuring the relationship between
the major groups of related jobs. For this one reason, the occupational categories appearing in this table
are generally broader than those employed in the presentation of occupational wage rates.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
936
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
T able
1.— Percentage Distribution of Workers in Machine-Tool Establishments, by
Occupational Group and Size of Establishment, January 1945
Percentage of workers in establishments
of—
Occupational group
M aintenance
__________________________________
Carpenters
___________________________________
Electricians
_________________________________
Machinists
_ _ _______ ________________
Main ten an (».a men, general utility _____________________
Mechanics
____________________________
Millwrights
______________ «_______________
Other maintenance workers
_ ___________
Supervision:
Working foremen, proeessing departments
Processing:
Casting
__ _________________________
Coremakers and molders____________________________
Other foundry workers
_ _____________________
Maehining
___________________________
Set-up men, machine tools _________________________
M nohin e-tool operators, class A ____________________
Machine-tool operators, class B ____________________
Machine-tool operators, class C ____________________
Machine-tool operators, miscellaneous machines_____
Other unclassified machine-tool operators____________
Machinists, production
_
_________________
Assembling
_____________________________________
Assemblers, class A ___ ___________________________
Assemblers, class B
_____ ______________________
Assemblers, class C ______________________________
Tool and die makers
___________________________
Welders, solderers and brazers _ ____ ____________ _____
Chippers and grinders, sand blast and tumbler operators...
Filers and burrers ___________________________________
Stamping and forming workers_________________________
Heat treaters ____
________________________________
Painters
. ____________________________________
Polishers and buffers__________________________________
Inspection
________________________________
Inspectors, class A
_ ____________________________
Inspectors, class B
_ ___________________________
Inspectors, class C .
______________________________
Apprentices, learners and helpers___________________________
Factory clerical
_. _ .
. _____________________________
Stock clerks
.
. ____________________________
Other factory clerks
. ____________________________
Packing and crating______________________________________
Material handling._______ . _________________ ____ ______
Custodial (guards, janitors and watchmen)__________________
Other plant workers
______________ ____ _________________
Office workers
_________________________________________
Total
_____________________________________________
501 or
more
workers
8-250
workers
251-500
workers
1.8
.3
.5
.3
.1
.2
.2
.2
1.4
.4
.3
.2
.3
.1
.1
1.7
.3
.5
.3
.1
.3
.1
.1
1.3
2.5
1.9
.8
1.7
1.1
.6
26.0
.3
8.4
8.0
3.4
.4
4.6
.9
10.4
4.4
4.2
1.8
1.4
.3
1.0
1.3
.4
.6
.7
.2
3.8
1.2
1.6
1.0
1.4
2.7
1.1
1.6
1.0
1.8
2.5
26.0
13.7
3.3
2.5
.8
34.4
.3
9.3
11.1
5.2
1.5
4.2
2.8
15.1
5.3
6.6
3.2
2.6
.4
1.1
1.2
.2
.2
1.1
.3
1.4
.5
.6
.3
.7
3.8
.9
2.9
2.3
1.5
2.8
14.5
9.2
3.2
2.1
1.1
29.9
.3
9.9
8.2
4.4
.8
5.2
1.1
13.3
7.2
4.4
1.7
1.6
.5
1.8
1.5
.3
.6
1.0
.5
2.4
.5
.7
1.2
3.1
3.9
1.4
2.5
1.2
1.9
2.5
17.7
9.5
1.0
.6
.4
23.3
.3
7.9
7.2
2.7
.2
4.5
.5
8.6
3.5
3.6
1.5
1.0
.2
.8
1.4
.5
.8
.5
.3
4.8
1.6
2.1
1.1
1.2
2.2
1.1
1.1
.6
1.8
2.5
29.8
15.9
100.0
100.0
100.0
All sizes
2.0
.3
.5
.4
(‘)
1
.2
.3
.3
100.0
1 Less than a twentieth of 1 percent.
VARIATION OF OCCUPATIONAL STRUCTURE WITH SIZE OF ESTABLISHMENT
The differences in the type of labor required to staff large, medium,
and small machine-tool establishments are revealed in table 1.
Smaller plants show the greatest concentration of labor in processing
occupations; the proportion of total employment varied from seventenths in plants with 8 to 250 workers to slightly more than one-half
in large plants employing 501 or more workers. Maintenance,
inspection, and material-handling occupations engaged a smaller
proportion of the staff of small plants. In these plants, also, rela
tively few workers were employed in engineering, experimental, and
production-control work.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WAGE AND HOUR STATISTICS
937
An examination of the machining occupations shows that plants
in the 8-250 group had, proportionately, nearly 50 percent more
workers engaged in such work than did the largest size group. In
all groups, however, specialized machine-tool operators accounted
for about three-fourths of all machining workers. This similarity
among plants of different size is apparently explained by the employ
ment, by most of the plants in the 8-250 group, of a large number of
workers to turn out a limited number of types of machine tools, thus
achieving a relatively high degree of labor subdivision. Even where
operations are relatively highly subdivided, the manufacture of ma
chine tools requires great precision and hence the employment of
large numbers of skilled, though specialized, workers.
Employment o j women.—Compared with other machinery industries,
fewer women were employed in machine-tool manufacture; the pro
portions of total employment in January 1945 were one-fourth as
against one-sixth, respectively. Women were nearly equally divided
between plant and office occupations; most of the plant workers were
employed as class C machine-tool operators, class C assemblers, class
C inspectors, and factory clerks.
U nionization.— In 69 of the 181 plants surveyed the majority of
workers were covered by union agreements. Though union plants
represented slightly less than two-fifths of the establishments covered,
they employed roughly three-fifths of the workers in the industry.
Wage Structure
The wage structure of the machine-tool industry is summarized in
this article in terms of average straight-time hourly rates (hourly
earnings in the case of piece or other incentive workers) excluding
premium overtime payments and shift differentials. Incentive
bonuses were included as well as cost-of-living bonuses, which were
considered as part of the worker’s pay* nonincentive bonuses and allow
ances for room or board or other payments in kind were excluded.
Wage levels for all plant workers are shown for the United States as
a whole and for broad economic regions in table 2. Occupational aver
ages are presented only for key plant and office jobs which are believed
to be representative of the range of rates and skills prevailing in the
industry. No attempt was made to present information for all
occupations in the industry. However, all plant workers were
included in the over-all averages and frequency distributions; only
administrative, executive, professional, and all office employees were
omitted. The wages of inexperienced beginners, apprentices, and
handicapped workers were excluded from the occupational wage
data but were included in the over-all averages and distributions
for all workers.
Although the wage rates include differentials for late-shift work,
the number of workers reported refers to all shifts, and represents the
approximate employment in all establishments in the industry
(excluding only those below the minimum size covered by the study)
rather than merely the employment in establishments actually studied.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
938
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
UNITED STATES AS A WHOLE
Average Hourly Earnings
Average straight-time hourly earnings of all plant workers in the
machine-tool industry amounted to $1.05 in January 1945 (table 2).
Only 3.3 percent of the workers earned less than 65 cents an hour;
one-fifth received straight-time earnings of at least $1.25 an hour.
Just about half received earnings ranging from 80 cents to $1,149
an hour.
T a b l e 2 . — Percentage Distribution of all Plant Workers in Machine-Tool Establishments
by Straight-Time Average Hourly Earnings 1 and Region, January 1945
United
States
Average hourly earnings 1
New
England
Pacific
0.7
3.4
4.0
5.4
6.3
8.5
9.9
0.9
3.4
4.4
7.4
6.5
7.4
7.9
9.2
7.1
8.3
7.9
9.0
8.9
8.5
7.4
6.3
5.8
6.1
7.1
7.8
7.1
7.9
6.3
6.9
3.8
5.3
4.4
9.1
6.9
8.1
4.4
9.3
7.1
7.1
8.5
4.6
6.6
7.3
5.8
4.9
4.9
3.5
2.4
1.9
1.6
5.7
4.4
3.8
3.8
1.9
1.4
1.4
7.7
3.1
7.1
2.0
2.9
1.3
1.2
5.6
5.3
4.8
3.6
2.6
2.2
1.8
3.7
3.1
5.0
3.0
1.9
.7
1.4
5.5
7.7
11.0
4.8
5.7
3.9
.7
2.4
1.5
1.0
.5
.3
.5
1.5
1.1
.8
.7
.5
.7
1.3
.4
.7
3.1
2.0
1.3
.6
.3
.5
.3
.5
.2
1.3
.1
.1
0.1
.4
.7
2.3
4.1
5.5
5.4
80.0-84.9 cents
_____________
85.0-89.9 cents______ __________________
90.0-94.9 cents
. . __________
95.0-99.9 cents
. ____ _____ _
______ ______
100.0-104.9 cents
105.0-109.9 cents. _ ._ . _______________
110.0-114.9 c e n ts ... __________________
6.7
7.1
7.7
7.6
8.1
6.6
7.2
115.0-119.9 cents. _____________________
120.0-124.9 cents
. ________________
125.0-129.9 cents _____________________
130.0-134.9 cents. _____________________
135.0-139.9 cents. . . .
________________
140.0-144.9 cents. . . . . . ____________
145.0-149.9 cents ______________ _____ _
150.0-159.9 cents. _____________________
160.0-169.9 cents. _____________________
170.0-179.9 cents .
______________
180.0-189.9 cents
190.0-199.9 cents
200.0 cents and over
_ . . ________
________
Middle
West
0.1
.4
.7
1.8
3.4
5.0
5.7
0.1
.5
.8
1.9
3.6
5.1
5.8
Total_________________
Great
Lakes
.6
.7
1.6
3.7
4.8
6.9
Under 50.0 cents
50.0-54.9 cents
_ . ____________
55 0-59 9 cents
60.0-64.9 cents
65.0-69.9 cents.. ___
________________
70.0-74.9 cents
_ . ____________ . . .
75.0-79.9 cents. . ___________________
Total number of workers
. _ _____
Average hourly earnings1_______________
Middle
Atlantic
(2)
.1
.1
(?)
(?)
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
80,900
$1.05
23, 600
$1.03
7, 000
$1.01
46,900
$1.06
1,400
$0. 92
2,000
$1.08
1 Excluding premium pay for overtime and night work.
2 Less than a twentieth of 1 percent.
Occupational Wage Rates
One approach to an understanding of the wage structure of an
industry is to examine the wages paid to workers performing different
jobs.5 The data on wage rates presented in table 3 cover a group of
occupations selected as representative of the machine-tool industry
from the viewpoint of type of operations and levels of skill utilized.
In January 1945 the range in earnings was considerable. For the
country at large, the averages for men varied from 70 cents for watch
men to $1.35 for highly skilled tool and die makers. Average
earnings of $1.34 an hour were also reported for machine-tool set-up
men and class A automatic screw-machine operators. In nearly one8 A more detailed analysis of the relationship of wages among different occupational groups will appear in
a forthcoming mimeographed report: Occupational Wage Relationships—Machine Tool Industry.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
939
WAGE AND HOUR STATISTICS
T a b l e 3.— Average Hourly Wage Rates (Straight-Time Hourly E arn ings)1 fo r Selected
Occupations in Machine-Tool Establishments, January 1945
PLANT WORKERS
Occupation, grade, and sex
Num Aver
ber
age
of
hour
work
ly
ers
rates
M en
Assemblers, class A___
Assemblers, class B _______________
Assemblers, class O_______________
Carpenters, maintenance__________
Cbippers and grinders____________
Coremakers, hand________________
Crane operators, electric bridge... "I'
Drill-press operators, radial, class Â".
4, 540
4,036
1, 298
280
812
322
480
777
915
169
Drill-press operators, single and mul
tiple spindle, class A__ __________
378
Drill-press operators, single and mul
tiple spindle, class B _____________
594
Drill-press operators, single and mul
tiple spindle, class O_____________
259
Electricians, maintenance__________
512
Engine-lathe operators, class A _____ 1,838
Engine-la.the operators, class B __ . . . . 1, 646
Engine-lathe operators, class C _____
484
1,935
1, 436
Grinding-machine operators, class C.
396
G uards...____ ____________________
718
Heat treaters, class A ________ ______
248
Heat treaters, class B ______________
406
Inspectors, class A ____ ____________ 1,265
Inspectors, class B _________________ 1, 394
Inspectors, class C_________________
338
Janitors_________________________ ’ ’ 1,413
Machinists, maintenance___________
346
Machinists, production_____________ 945
Machine-tool operators, miscellane
ous m achines..._____ ___________
461
Maintenance men, general utility___
74
Mechanics, maintenance___________
206
Milling-machine operators, class A . . . 1, 610
Milling-machine operators, class B_._ 1,647
Milling-machine operators, class C . . .
509
Millwrights_____________ __________ 253
Molders, floor___________ __________ 452
Molders, hand, bench______________
117
Molders, machine____ _____________
252
Painters, finish......... ................ ............. 284
Painters, rough____ ______ _______ ’ ’ 415
Patternmakers, wood______________
158
Polishers and buffers, metal________
47
Polishing and buffing machine oper
ators_____ _____________________
51
$1.19
1.06
.97
1.05
.95
1.19
.92
1.23
1.08
.88
1.17
.99
.85
1.13
1.20
1.00
.85
1.28
1.07
.95
.83
1.14
1.00
1.17
1.06
.88
.77
1.16
1.13
1.10
.97
1.13
1.21
1.05
.98
1.05
1.16
1.08
1.18
1.04
.96
1.29
1.20
.94
Occupation, grade, and sex
M e n — Continued
Pourers, metal__ __
Screw-machine operators, automatic:
Class A ___________
Class B ...... ..................
Class C________
Set-up men, machine tools____
Shake-out-men __
Sheet-metal workers, production _
Stock clerks___
Tool and die makers__
Truck drivers________
Truckers, hand_____
Truckers, power.. . .
Turret-lathe operators, hand (including hand-screw machine), class A .
Turret-lathe operators, hand (including hand-screw machine), class B .. .
Turret-lathe operators, hand (including hand-screw machine), class C
Watchmen_______
Welders, hand, class A .. .
Welders, hand, class B
Working foremen, processing departments _
Num
ber
of
work
ers
Aver
age
hour
ly
rates
45
$0.85
23Q
171
47
320
235
158
942
1,403
277
050
323
1.34
1.20
1.19
1.34
.81
1. 28
.84
1.35
.89
.81
.92
1,791
1.16
1,250
1.06
424
331
185
71
.90
.70
1.18
1.08
1, 291
1.23
257
519
73
39
.97
.97
W om en
Assemblers, class B .. _
Assemblers, class C _ .
Crane operators, electric bridge___
Drill-press operators, radial, class C ...
Drill-press operators, single and multiple spindle, class B __
Drill-press operators, single and multiple spindle, class C . . . .
Engine-lathe operators, class B .
Engine-lathe operators, class C
Grinding-machine operators, class B
Grinding-machine operators, class C
Inspectors, class B ____
Inspectors, class C___ . .
Janitresses------- . . .
Milling-machine operators, class B
Milling-machine operators, class C
Stock clerks__
Turret-lathe operators, hand (including hand-screw machine), class B
Turret-lathe operators, hand (including hand-screw machine), class C_._
.95
96
242
29
180
138
305
251
675
130
145
205
213
.78
.87
.90
.97
.89
.95
.81
.76
.93
97
1.01
133
.95
213
58
224
688
60
356
720
91
288
532
69
120
$0. 74
.71
.59
.61
.74
.72
.66
.51
.82
.69
.72
.69
39
76
129
112
.78
.63
.60
.62
.86
.72
OFFICE WORKERS
M en
Bookkeepers, hand___________
Clerks, accounting___________
Clerks, general_______________
Clerks, order..._______________
Clerks, pay roll______________
Office boys__ ____ ___________
26
66
62
51
31
26
$1.34
1.05
.83
.99
.93
.59
55
132
.69
.92
39
90
45
.95
.78
.68
84
240
.75
.72
W om en
Billing machine operators..........
Bookkeepers, hand___________
Bookkeeping machine operators:
Class A __________________
Class B __________________
Class C_____ ____________
Calculating machine operators:
Class A __________________
Class B ______________
W om en — Continued
Clerks, accounting_______________
Clerks, file, class A _______________
Clerks, file, class B __________ ___
Clerks, general.............. ............
Clerks, order_______ __________
Clerks, pay roll__________________
Clerk-typists___________________
Office girls_______________ _______
Stenographers, class A ...................
Stenographers, class B ____________
Switchboard operators____________
Switchboard operators-receptionists
Transcribing machine operators:
Class A_____________________
Class B _________________ ’
Typists, copy, class A ______
Typists, copy, class B ___________
1Excluding premium pay for overtime and night work.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
940
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
half of the most highly skilled occupations average straight-time
hourly earnings were $1.20 or more.
Despite the increase in the employment of women in the machinetool industry during the war, the number employed in skilled jobs
was very small. As a result, the range of average straight-time
hourly earnings of women by occupations was found to be not nearly
so great as that shown for men (table 3), varying from 72 cents an
hour for stock clerks to $1.01 an hour for class B hand turret-lathe
operators. In one-half of the occupations women earned between
90 and 97 cents an hour. For the three most typical occupations,
however, women’s earnings were somewhat lower: 89 cents for class
C grinding-machine operators, 88 cents for class C assemblers, and
only 81 cents for class C inspectors.
Variation of Wages by Sex
The over-all straight-time hourly earnings of men plant workers
in the United States averaged $1.07, compared with only 82 cents for
women plant workers. Three inter-related factors largely account
for this 30-percent difference: (a) very few women performed the more
highly skilled operations; (b) since job opportunities in the industry
were not opened to women until late in the war, a greater proportion of
women than men were learners and beginners even as late as January
1945; and (c) even experienced women had shorter w ork experience.
While only 2 percent of the men plant workers received rates of less
than 65 cents an hour, 13 percent of all women plant workers earned
less than this amount. At the other extreme, more than one-fifth
of all men received $1.25 an hour or more as compared with only 2.6
percent of the women.
In occupations in which both men and women were employed in
significant numbers, the differential in favor of men was not nearly
as great as that indicated by the over-all averages. The largest
difference (15 percent) occurred among class B engine-lathe operators,
with men averaging $1.00 an hour, and women, 87 cents. In 14 other
occupations, a difference in favor of men was observed, while in 4,
the earnings of women exceeded those of men.
REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN WAGE LEV ELS
6
In January 1945 average straight-time hourly earnings for all plant
workers were highest in the Pacific region ($1.08). Although 17
percent above the Middle West, the Pacific over-all average was only
2 percent higher than the average reported in the Great Lakes region.
Earnings in the New England and Middle Atlantic regions fell below
the national average of $1.05.
While no workers received less than 65 cents an hour in the Pacific
region, the other regions showed proportions varying from 3 percent
in the Middle Atlantic to 14 percent in the Middle West.
In the majority of key occupations in each region, average hourly
earnings for men followed the pattern for all plant workers. Thus,
wages were highest in the Pacific region (nearly one-half of the occu« The regions used in this study include: N ew E n g la n d — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; M iddle Atlantic— N e w Jersey,New York, and Pennsylvania;
Great Lakes— Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin; M iddle West— Iowa, Kansas,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; and Pacific— California, Nevada, Oregon, and
Washington.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WAGE AND HOUR STATISTICS
941
pations averaged at least $1.20) and lowest in the Middle West region
(two-thirds of the occupations averaged less than $1.00). Where
workers were classified by grade, regional differences were less marked
among class A than class B workers; the greatest regional disparity
occurred for class C workers.
Greater competition for the services of the highly skilled workers
is probably largely accountable for the greater uniformity in their
wage rates.
In general, women plant workers in the Great Lakes region earned
substantially more than elsewhere. The wages of women office work
ers were below those of women plant workers and varied somewhat
from the regional pattern of the latter group. Thus, there was a
tendency for earnings of women office workers to be highest in the
Middle Atlantic region, ascribable, in part, to the greater concentra
tion of employment in cities of 100,000 and over. By applying con
stant weights to a group of selected office occupations it was found
that wages in the Middle Atlantic region were 7 percent higher than
those reported for the Great Lakes region, and 11 percent higher than
those paid in New England.
VARIATION OF OCCUPATIONAL WAGE LEV ELS B Y SIZE OF ESTABLISHMENT
AND COMMUNITY, UNIONIZATION, AND METHOD OF WAGE PAYMENT
The influence, of size of establishment, size of community, unioniza
tion, and method of wage payment on the wage structure of the
industry is suggested but not accurately measured by data presented
here.
The number of establishments in the industry is too small, relative
to the number oi factors affecting wage levels, to permit separate
measurement of the influence of each variable. Large machine-tool
establishments were more frequently located in large than in small
cities and incentive payment was relatively more important in the
bigger plants. Unionization also tended to be more prevalent in
large than in small plants, and was also found primarily in certain
wage areas and regions.
In nearly every occupation for which data are available, earnings
of workers in the largest establishments (501 or more employees)
were substantially higher than in the two smaller size groups. For
men in all key jobs, earnings in the largest establishments were 14
percent higher than in plants employing 8 to 250 workers and 15
percent higher than in plants with 251 to 500 workers. There was
but little variation in the over-all earnings of workers in the small
and intermediate-size groups, though there was a tendency for the
small plants to show slightly higher earnings than the next larger
size group.
An even more marked relationship was discovered between the
small and intermediate-size groups with respect to the wages of
skilled workers. An outstanding example is that of tool and die
makers. Average earnings of these workers in all small establishments
was $1.41, which was 20 cents higher than those for similar workers
in intermediate-size establishments and 2 cents higher than the
average in the largest establishments. Earnings of less skilled workers,
6 9 5 2 2 8 — 46------- 7
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
942
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
however, were greater in the intermediate than in the smaller estab
lishment group.
.
With few exceptions, workers in communities with a population
of 100,000 or more had higher earnings than employees in smaller
communities. Men, for example, averaged 14 percent an hour more
in large than in small cities. This relationship was observed among
production workers of different grades of skill as well as among
custodial and maintenance workers. Regionally the differential in
favor of the large cities was about 16 percent in New England, 14
percent in the Great Lakes region, and 12 percent in the Middle
Atlantic region.
Average straight-time hourly earnings of union workers exceeded
the earnings of nonunion workers in 6 out of every 10 occupations
studied; however, the average over-all difference in favor of union
workers was less than 2 percent.
The relation of unionization to the wage structure varied consider
ably by region. In the Middle Atlantic areas union workers held the
advantage in nearly every occupation for which comparable data
were available, an average advantage of 16 percent. In the Great
Lakes area the over-all difference was 6 percent in favor of union
workers, but rates of nonunion workers were higher in 13 occupations.
The picture in New England was quite the reverse. Nonunion workers,
enjoyed an average differential of 9 percent over union workers, and
in roughly 7 out of every 10 of the occupations reported their average
earnings exceeded those of union workers. Among the major factors
responsible for this situation was the greater importance of incentive
work in large nonunion establishments in this, region.
With but few exceptions, workers paid on an incentive basis earned
more per hour than time workers in each region and in each occupation
where both methods of wage payment were widely used. Among men
class A assemblers, incentive workers averaged 16 cents an hour more
than time workeis; at the class B level, the difference was 20 cents;
at the class C level, 35 cents. In New England, men incentive
workers on the average earned one-fourth more than time workers; in
the Great Lakes States and for all regions combined., the difference
was approximately one-seventh and one-sixth, respectively.
Wage and Related Practices
The policy of wage stabilization, invoked during the war years,
focused interest not only on individual plant methods of determining
pay rates but also on general working conditions and such practices
as vacations, bonuses, and insurance, which tend to increase real in
come without increasing hourly wage rates. These wage and related
practices, as they applied to the machine-tool industry in January
1945, are discussed below. In the main, the information is based on
the predominant practice in each establishment studied.7
i The information on wage and related practices is reported in terms of establishments rather than employ
ment and reflects an over-representation of large establishments and of large cities. Proportionately larger
samples of such establishments were taken in order to permit presentation of separate data for the more im
portant wage areas and for establishments in different size groups; no attempt has been made to weight the
number of establishments to correct for this over-representation. In contrast, all information based on
numbers of workers rather than establishments was balanced internally. Thus, each region, each size of
establishment group, and each size of city group was given proper weighting in tabulating the data on
shift employment, the number of workers paid on an incentive basis, and the amount of nonproduction
bonuses. The earnings data presented in the wage-structure section of this article were similarly balanced.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WAGE AND HOUR STATISTICS
943
METHODS OF WAGE DETERMINATION
Experienced plant employees in more than three-fourths of the
machine-tool establishments were paid according to a written or other
generally recognized rate or scale of rates for each occupational group.
In nine-tenths of these plants a range of rates for the same occupation
was reported; the remainder had but a single rate for all workers per
forming the same operation.
While little better than 20 percent of the establishments were classi
fied as having incentive systems, nearly 30 percent of all plant employ
ees were found working under them. The use of such systems in the
Great Lakes and New England regions was considerably greater than
in the other sections of the country. By far the greatest proportion
of incentive systems were predicated upon the efforts of individual
workers rather than on group endeavor. Bonus systems outnumbered
piece-work systems by nearly 3 to 1.
HOURS OF WORK AND SHIFT OPERATIONS
The scheduled hours of work refer to the usual workweek of full
time first-shift employees. Generally, premium overtime rates were
paid for work in excess of 40 hours. Since 175 of the 181 establish
ments surveyed reported a workweek of 48 hours or more for men
workers, it is evident that average hourly earnings of workers in the
industry were considerably higher than the average straight-time wage
rates discussed earlier.
A normal workweek of 55 hours was the most typical in the indus
try. Normal weekly hours of women workers were usually 48.
Slightly over half of the establishments surveyed operated more
than one shift, but only 15 percent of all plant workers were on a sec
ond shift and only 5 percent on a third shift. The latter operation
was reported by roughly one-eighth of the establishments surveyed.
Second-shift operations were more extensive in the Great Lakes and
Pacific regions than in the rest of the country.
Seven out of every eight plants reporting more than one shift paid
an extra-shift differential, usually 5 cents or a flat 10-percent addition.
NONPRODUCTION BONUSES
Nonproduction bonuses for plant workers were reported by fiveeighths of the establishments surveyed: two-thirds distributed Christ
mas bonuses. Reports of bonus payments to office workers were
roughly comparable to those shown for plant workers. When bonus
earnings were averaged over all workers, they supplemented hourly
earnings of plant workers by 3.3 cents; similarly, earnings of office
workers were increased by 2.1 cents. In New England the average
bonus of plant workers amounted to 4.7 cents, compared with 3.0
cents in the Great Lakes'region, 1.5'cents in Middle Atlantic, and only
0.5 cent in the Pacific region.
OTHER BEN EFITS
Pour out of every five establishments reported formal’provisions
for paid vacations after 1 year’s service for plant workers; 90 percent
of these provided 1 week’s paid vacation. Provisions for office work
ers tended to be more liberal. A 2-week paid vacation was granted
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
944
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
to office employees by more than half the establishments, and nearly
all plants reported a formal annual-vacation policy for these workers.
Few plant workers were covered by formal provisions for paid sick
leave. Office workers fared somewhat better. Nearly one-fifth of
all establishments employing office workers provided for paid sick
leave, ranging from less than 1 week to as much as 1 month. The
majority, however, provided for 1 week of paid sick leave after 1 year
of service.
Insurance or pension plans were reported by two-thirds of the
establishments. With but few exceptions these plans applied equally
to plant and office workers, and the majority provided both life and
health insurance plans. While various insurance or pension plans
were found in all regions, this service was provided by a larger pro
portion of the establishments in New England than in other regions.
Salaries of Clerical Workers in 20 Cities, October 1945
W E E K L Y salaries of regularly employed, full-time workers in 13
clerical positions in October 1945, as compared with October 1944,
are shown in the following table giving summary data from surveys
made by the National Industrial Conference Board in 20 cities.1
The salary rates do not include overtime, but do include incentive
payments and production bonuses earned during the regular working
hours. However, salary rates for clerical employees working less than
40 hours per week were not converted to 40-hour rates. Working
hours ranged from 35 to 48 per week among the 381 companies, with
36,039 clerical employees, represented in the October 1945 survey;
about two-thirds of the companies had a 40-hour week.
Weekly Salaries of Clerical Employees, October 1944 and 1945
Weekly salaries of—
Middle 50 percent of employees
All employees
Position
Range
Median
Low
Mode
High
Octo Octo Octo Octo Octo Octo Octo
October October Octo
ber
ber
ber
ber
ber
ber
ber
ber
1944
1945
1944 1945 1944 1945 1944 1945 1944 1945
Billing machine operators______ $15—
$57
Bookkeeping machine operators.. 17- 55
Calculating machine or comptometer operators_____ _____ — 15- 54
Key punch operators— ______ . . 17- 45
Junior dictating machine tran18- 43
scribers_____________________
Senior dictating machine tran19- 59
scribers_____________________
15- 45
Junior copy typists____________
Senior copy typists—. ..................... 18- 48
17- 55
Stenographers_________________
File clerks_____________________ 16- 58
Receptionists__________________
18- 50
Telephone switchboard operators. 17- 52
14- 39
Office boys or girls_____________
$18-$63
16- 57
$25
28
$28
27
$24
25
$27
27
$29
28
$30
30
$34
32
$36
34
17- 54
18- 47
28
28
30
30
26
25
28
27
30
28
32
30
35
32
37
34
17- 40
22
28
23
24
25
28
28
30
2016171616201615-
30
25
28
30
22
25
30
20
32
25
30
30
21
28
30
23
27
22
25
28
21
25
28
19
28
23
27
29
22
28
30
20
30
24
29
31
24
29
30
21
32
25
30
33
26
32
33
22
35
27
32
35
30
35
34
23
37
28
34
37
31
36
36
24
60
45
51
63
58
58
56
38
1 Data are from National Industrial Conference Board, Inc. (New York): Studies in Personnel Policy,
No. 74—Clerical Salary Survey of Rates Paid, October 1945; Conference Board Management Record,
January 1945.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
WAGE AND HOUR STATISTICS
945
Wages and Honrs in Egyptian Textile Industry,
1943 and 1 9 4 5 1
IN MID-1945, the average daily wage for men in an Egyptian textile
plant employing about 28,000 workers varied from 25 to 40 piasters,
and for skilled workmen, from 25 to 50 piasters. Skilled laborers, such
as print designers, were receiving from 10 to 15 pounds monthly.
Wages for women in the same plant were much lower than wages for
men, averaging 10 to 15 piasters daily.
Average weekly rates in the Egyptian textile industry in July 1943,
shown in a sample study by the Egyptian Statistical and Census
Department, ranged from 35 piasters in rope and string making to
101 piasters2 in cotton ginning and pressing. The average rate for
the 16,229 workers covered in the study was 69 piasters. Among
those receiving the higher rates were workers in passementerie and
embroidery, silk spinning and weaving, carpet and rug making,
cotton spinning and weaving, and tent and sack manufacture.
H ours w orked.— In mid-1943 the highest average number of hours
worked per week in the Egyptian textile industry was 54 (in silk
spinning and weaving), and the lowest 42 (in net making), the average
for all branches being 47 hours. In cotton ginning and pressing,
preparation of wool, wool spinning and weaving, tent and sack manu
facture, and passementerie and embroidery, the average was 50 hours.
Two years later, in mid-1945, the large plant of approximately
28,000 workers (previously referred to) was operating 24 hours a day,
with three 8-hour shifts. In certain parts of the plant, however,
10-hour shifts were being worked, 1 hour being allowed for lunch.
One shift of female workers was operating on a 9-hour schedule and
had 1 hour for rest, although the majority worked the straight 8-hour
schedule without rest periods.
Size o f plant, safety, etc.— Textile establishments in Egypt varied
considerably in size. A survey of mid-1943, covering a fourth of the
industry, included 1,605 establishments, which had 16,229 workers.
Of these, cotton-spinning and weaving establishments predominated,
with 1,250 plants and 12,383 workers.
The large establishment of 28,000 workers (previously mentioned)
was operating, in mid-1945, 4 cotton-spinning, 2 wool, 1 flax, 4 ginning,
and 3 weaving mills. Ten percent of its workers were women. Boys
and girls from 12 to 18 years of age were employed in many parts of
the plant.3 Although factory buildings were reported to be well
lighted and reasonably well ventilated, with parts of the structures
cooled, no safety provisions for the protection of workers (such as
guards on moving machinery) were observed in April 1945. The
company maintained a small clinic with two full-time doctors. A
hospital with 110 beds was almost ready for use in June 1945, and wTas
to be turned over to the Egyptian Health Service for operation.
1 Data are from report from American Legation, Cairo, July 9,1945, and various restricted and published
sources. It should be noted that neither the 1943 nor the 1945 wage rates cover the Egyptian textile in
dustry as a whole.
2 Average exchange rate of the Egyptian pound (100 piasters) was quoted in July 1942 as $4.15, and at the
end of July 1945 at $4.12. Studies in the interwar period showed that to convert one currency into another
according to the foreign exchange rate does not give an accurate measure of the relative purchasing power of
money, but information is not available showing the relative living costs in the United States and Egypt.
s The legal minimum age is 12 years, but children 9 to 12 years of age may be engaged for a 7-hour day
in certain specified industries.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wage and Hour Regulation
Advance Approval of 65-Cent Hourly Pay by
Stabilization Board
ANY wage or salary increase which does not result in an hourly
rate of pay above 65 cents an hour was given advance approval under
genera] order No. 43 issued by the National Wage Stabilization Board
on March 20, 1946.1 The increases may be used for price-relief
purposes without specific application to the NWSB, under the wageprice policy established by Executive Order No. 9697 of February
14, 1946.2
Following the relaxation of direct wage controls on August 30, 1945,
pay below 55 cents was considered to be substandard and subject to
increase to that level. On January 18, 1946, regional boards of the
NWSB were authorized to approve wage increases to bring the rates
of pay up to 65 cents an hour (for price-relief purposes) in individual
cases only. Thus, the action of March 20 endorses a broad extension
of rates up to 65 cents hourly.
Stabilization Board Policy on Wages and Summer
Workweek3
EM PLO Y ER S who wish to shorten their workweek for the summer
season, without a reduction in the pay of employees, need not obtain
approval from the National Wage Stabilization Board, if no question
of price relief is involved. A reduction in the scheduled workweek
may be made irrespective of the past practice of the employer regard
ing summer work. This practice has been customary in many estab
lishments and is especially prevalent in retail stores which have closed
for an extra day or half-day during part or all of the summer season,
without reducing the pay of the employees.
As the shorter workweek is temporary, the return to the longer
workweek without an increase in pay may not be considered as con
stituting a wage decrease. In reducing hours, the employer must
make clear, however, the temporary nature of the summer hours
schedule.
1 Information is from National Wage Stabilization Board release No. 29 of March 22, 1946.
2 The terms of this Executive order were summarized in the Monthly Labor Review of March 1946 (p. 397).
2 Information is from National Wage Stabilization Board release No. 48, May 16, 1946.
946
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Prices and Cost o f Living
Prices in the First Quarter of 1946
Summary
P R IC E developments during the first quarter of 1946 differed signif
icantly from the general wartime pattern. Increases were greater in
primary markets than in retail stores and were larger for industrial
than for agricultural commodities. In the latter respect, the situation
differed from that of the fourth quarter of 1945 when movements in
agricultural prices were still the major influence on average prices of
all commodities.
Primary market prices continued to increase (1.7 percent) during the
first quarter of 1946 as a result of increased costs of production and
consequent adjustment of OPA ceilings. Both agricultural and
nonagricultural commodities contributed to the rise. Farm products
and foods increased 1.4 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively, while
all commodities other than farm products and foods increased 1.7
percent. Retail prices of consumer goods rose slightly over the 3month period, as higher prices for most of the principal items in the
family budget, especially clothing, more than offset lower prices for
foods.
The percentage changes in wholesale and retail prices are shown
in table 1.
T a b l e 1.— Percent of Change in Retail and Wholesale Prices, in Specified Periods
Percent of change in—
Wholesale prices of—
To March 1946 from—
December 1945: 3 months ago ____ - __________ ___ ________
August 1945: End of war ____________ ___ __________ ____
March 1945: Year ago
____________________________ May 1943: Hold-the-line order1 _____ ______
__
___
January 1941: Wage base date__ _ _______ _____ _________
August 1939: Month before war in Europe--------------------------
Retail prices
All commodi
of living
except
All commodi ties,farm
essentials
ties
products and
foods
+ 0 .2
+ .7
+ 2 .7
+4. 1
+29.2
+32.0
+ 1.7
+ 3 .0
+ 3 .4
+ 4 .6
+34.8
+ 45.2
+ 1 .7
+ 2 .3
+ 3 .0
+
5.7
+21.2
+27.6
i The President’s hold-the-line order was issued on April 8,1943. The peak of the price rise which had led
to this order was reached in May, which is, therefore, used for this comparison.
Inflationary pressures remained strong during the quarter under
review, and the fear of rising prices was widespread. These pressures
947
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
948
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW----JU N E 1 9 1 6
WHOLESALE PRICES
SINCE THE WAR
IN D E X E S - A U G U S T 18, 1945=100
PR ICES HAVE ADVANCED RAPIDLY
ALL COMMODITIES
NON AGRICULTURAL P R IC E S-W E LL
H ELD DURING WAR - HA VE MOVED UP
XALL COMMODITIES
(E X C E P T F A R M P R O D U C T S AN D FOOD)
R IS E S REFLECT HIGHER C E IL IN G S
AGRICULTURAL P R IC E S HAVE SHOW N
IN C R E A SE S -PAR T LY SEASO N A L
AUG
SEPT
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
OCT
1945
NOV
DEC
JAN '
FEB
1946
MAR
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
949
were clearly evident in movements of stock and real estate prices, and
of those few commodity prices which were uncontrolled, such as
cotton and rye. Important among the inflationary factors were the
large volume of liquid assets in the hands of business and consumers,
the high level of consumer income (only slightly below last year),
pressure for higher wages, deferred demand for housing, durable goods
and industrial equipment, the need for inventory replenishment,
foreign demand for American products for relief and rehabilitation,
and the continuation of deficit financing. Consumers were spending
an unusually high proportion of current income. Although income
payments to individuals and gross wages and salaries were about 5
percent below levels of early 1945, the volume of retail trade was at
record levels, and consumer expenditures during the first quarter of
1946, estimated at an annual rate of 120 billion dollars, were higher
than during 1945.
Moreover, although production of many basic commodities was
increasing, production of consumers’ durable goods was lagging
behind earlier expectations, and there were acute shortages of certain
nondurable goods. As a result, OPA’s general decontrol program was
not proceeding as rapidly as had been hoped and the schedule for
gradual elimination of subsidies was delayed. Because of such con
siderations, the Office of Price Administration sought extension of its
powers under the Emergency Price Control Act, to stabilize the
national economy until all-out production could be achieved, and
hearings were begun before the House Committee on Banking and
Currency.
The general wage-price policy continued to be of major importance
as workers sought upward adjustments in wage rates. In midFebruary President Truman substantially modified wage-price policy
with the issuance of Executive Order No. 9697, although emphasis
continued to be placed on wage adjustments through collective
bargaining. The new order authorized the approval for price relief
purposes of wage increases that conformed to the general pattern of
increases in the industry or local labor market since VJ-day. The
Price Administrator was directed to give immediate consideration to
industry requests for price increases to relieve hardships resulting
from approved wage adjustments. New wage agreements during the
quarter were concluded in many industries.
As war contracts were canceled and manufacturers resumed pro
duction of peacetime goods, increases in maximum prices were allowed
by OPA to cover wage increases under the new wage-price policy as
well as higher costs of labor and materials which had accumulated
during the period of war production. In addition, incentive price
increases were authorized to stimulate production of scarce materials
and others vital to the reconversion program, such as building
materials.
Prices of Industrial Goods
Significant increases occurred in prices for important industrial
commodities during the first quarter of 1946, in contrast to their com
parative stability during the war. The accelerated advance which
was apparent during the last quarter of 1945 continued into the new
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
950
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
year. As the problem of providing adequate housing grew more
serious, prices of building materials rose 4.5 percent with sharp
increases for lumber and structural steel. Metals and metal products
as a group rose 2,7 percent, chiefly because of higher prices of basic
iron and steel products. The group of miscellaneous commodities
advanced 0.8 percent in price, as average prices for paper and pulp
increased 4 percent. Chemicals and allied products declined frac
tionally.
Percentage changes in prices of the principal groups of industrial
products are shown in table 2.
T a b l e 2 .-—Percent of Change in Prices of Industrial Goods in Primary Markets, in
Specified Periods
Percent of change—
Commodity group
Metals and mp.tal products. ____________
THiildiup- materials
.. _____ _ _ ______
nhemicfl-ls and allied products _ _______
Miscellaneous commodities
From holdIn last
From end
In last
the-line
year,
of war,
quarter,
order,1
Dee. 1945 to Aug. 1945 to Mar. 1945 to May 1943 to
Mar. 1946 Mar. 1946 Mar. 1946 Mar. 1946
+ 2 .7
+ 4 .5
-. 1
+ .8
+ 3 .5
+ 6.0
+ .7
+ .8
+ 4.0
+ 6.7
+ 1.2
+1.1
+ 4.4
+13. 0
+ 1.3
+ 4.0
From
month be
fore war in
Europe,
Aug. 1939 to
Mar. 1946
+16.3
+39.4
+29.4
+30.4
i The President’s hold-the-line order was issued April 8,1943. The peak of the price rise which had led to
this order was reached in May, which is, therefore, used for this comparison.
Price increases for many commodities were the largest since price
controls were first established. Many of them followed OPA ceiling
adjustments to cover higher costs, to restore profit margins, or to
stimulate greater output of needed materials. Some of them were
necessitated by cost conditions which had developed during the war.
Others, however, reflected the unsettled conditions of the quarter,
evidenced by growing labor unrest and outspoken industry requests
for relief from OPA restrictions.
The steel strike and other work stoppages seriously affected produc
tion in many industries, notably automobiles and machinery. Feb
ruary output of trucks, including military types, was the lowest since
Pearl Harbor. Production of automobiles dropped to 47,965 units,
while output of railroad cars was considerably reduced and production
of locomotives virtually ceased. More than 4 percent of rail rolling
stock was awaiting repairs compared with 2.4 percent during the war.
On the other hand, production of some items not affected by strikes
continued to increase. Output of passenger tires, for example, aver
aged 1,140,000 per week in February, compared with only 630,000
in September 1945. Toward the end of the quarter, with settlement
of strikes for the steel, automobile and most of the electrical goods
industries, there was a decided upturn in production. Employment
in manufacturing industries increased by more than 400,000 persons
between February and March. However, with the advent of the
bituminous-coal strike further reductions in the output of many
industries was anticipated.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
951
The price advances during the quarter were especially significant
from the standpoint of future developments, because they were con
fined largely to basic materials and for the most part had not yet
been reflected in increased prices of highly fabricated articles or con
sumers’ goods.
BUILDING MATERIALS
Manufacturers’ prices of building materials rose 4.5 percent, the
sharpest quarterly price increase since the fall of 1940. The advance
in general reflected higher ceilings allowed by OPA to cover increased
costs or to stimulate production of materials needed for the housing
program.
To encourage lumber production, OPA granted price increases
during the quarter for all principal species of lumber, with major
increases allowed on fir and pine construction lumber, oak flooring,
and red cedar shingles. These advances, averaging about 6 percent,
brought lumber prices to 78 percent above the August 1939 level.
OPA indicated that these increases were tentative and would be
withdrawn if production did not reach satisfactory levels. The Civilian
Production Administration estimated that lumber production would
have to be stepped up from the 1945 rate of 27 billion board feet per
year to one of 36 billion board feet to meet the Government’s housing
goal of 2,700,000 homes in 2 years. CPA currently estimates a pro
duction of about 30 billion board feet for 1946.
Brick prices rose 0.6 percent during the 3-month period, with ceiling
adjustments in some regions. Following the $2 per thousand brick
price increase allowed late in 1945 and a 35 percent increase in em
ployment in the industry, production rose sharply to levels nearly
double a year ago. March output, however, still was well below the
minimum required for carrying out the housing program. Further
production increases were expected as seasonal plants resumed
operations.
An 0.6 percent increase in cement prices reflected an advance of
10 cents per barrel granted by OPA to southern producers late in
February to cover increased production costs. Both production and
shipments of cement were more than 60 percent above the first quarter
of 1945, reflecting the increasing demand for cement as the construc
tion industries revived.
Ceiling increases for steel, after settlement of the steel strike, were
followed by the first change in structural steel prices since 1938.
Quotations for steel shapes were 12 percent higher at the end of the
quarter than at the beginning. Cast iron pipe, butts, and nails also
reflected increases in basic steel prices.
Plumbing and heating quotations remained steady, but in March
OPA granted a net increase of 5.65 cents per square foot for cast iron
radiation and the USES acted to channel foundry labor into this
industry. Paint and paint materials quotations were stable but the
OPA made it possible for producers of paints, sold to such users as
householders, farmers, and painting contractors, to raise their prices
on any product which was not yielding a 1936-39 profit margin.
Other building materials showing price advances with ceiling revisions
included window glass, plaster, and crushed stone.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
952
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 194 6
METALS AND MACHINERY
Prices of metals and metal products rose 2.5 percent on the average
during the first quarter of 1946 as OPA, under the new wage-price
policy, permitted producers of steel and certain other basic ferrous
materials, as well as a number of machinery manufacturers and metal
fabricators, to raise prices to offset wage increases. Ceiling increases
also were allowed for some machinery and fabricated metal products
to increase output.
These latest advances, a continuation of the upward movement
begun in January 1945, brought the total increase in prices of metals
and metal products from August 1939 to over 16 percent. The antici
pated large expansion in production of machinery and other metal
products for civilian use, after the close of the war had not materialized
by the end of the quarter. Strikes early in 1946 forced curtailment of
operations in most of the basic metal industries. Supplies of all im
portant ferrous and nonferrous metals were critically short in terms
of demand.
The steel strike began on January 21 when the companies refused
to accept in full the President’s recommendation for a wage in
crease of 18.5 cents per hour without compensating price relief. In
order to end the strike, continuation of which would have seriously
hampered the reconversion program, the Stabilization Administrator
directed OPA to raise ceiling prices an average of $5 per ton. In
creases ranging from $2 to $12 per ton on individual products were
authorized by OPA on March 1, retroactive to February 15.. Although
producers agreed to the 18.5 cents wage increase they stated that
further price relief would be necessary.
Producers raised stainless steel prices 8.2 percent, the average
amount of the ceiling increases and the first advance in prices of stain
less steel since controls were removed in October 1945. Prices of tin
plate were not advanced in order to protect tin can manufacturers
who maintain prices announced at the beginning of the year.
The supply of raw materials for steel production including scrap,
pig iron, and iron ore remained short. Imports of battlefield scrap
did not arrive in expected quantities and “springboard” premiums
on heavy melting grades of scrap were reported as high as $2.50 per
ton at Pittsburgh and $3.00 per ton at Chicago. On March 15,
OPA permitted producers of pig iron to advance their prices 75 cents
per gross ton to offset higher production costs. This was the third
increase in little more than a year, causing a price rise of about 11 per
cent since January 1945, but producers stated that further increases
were needed to provide sufficient supplies to meet all demands. At
the end of March most iron ore miners were still out on strike. The
workers were demanding an increase of 18.5 cents per hour while the
companies’ highest offer was 10 cents.
The supply of principal nonferrous metals, particularly copper,
lead, and tin, was extremely short. Domestic supplies of copper and
lead were curtailed by strikes, while imports of copper were virtually
nonexistent and those of lead considerably below their wartime rate.
A world shortage exists for these metals, and it is becoming increas
ingly difficult to secure foreign supplies, while the prices at which they
are obtainable are steadily rising. Prices of lead were advanced
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
953
30 percent in the London market during the quarter. Reflecting this
upward pressure on prices, RFC announced a buying price of foreign
lead of 7.0 cents per pound, compared with 6.5 cents per pound during
the war; still higher prices are indicated for second quarter purchases.
At the same time R FC announced resumption of its foreign copper
purchase program, which had been discontinued in October 1945,
when it was believed that existing stockpiles would be sufficient for
future demands.
Metal producers generally were asking for higher prices in place of
subsidies, arguing that higher prices would stimulate output of the
larger producers, some of whom were receiving only a small subsidy
payment. At the end of March, the Director of Economic Stabiliza
tion announced that higher labor costs resulting from recent wage
increases would be provided for by the payment of higher premiums
to producers, but ceilings would remain unchanged.
All of the major manufacturers of automobiles were in production
by the end of the quarter, following settlement of the General Motors
strike on March 11. Output fluctuated considerably as producers
were forced to shut down assembly fines at frequent intervals because
of material shortages or strikes in their own or their supplier’s plants.
Higher manufacturers’ ceiling prices for Lincoln, Chrysler, Nash and
Hudson cars were established early in the quarter to be absorbed in
part by dealers. In general, these ceilings, including allowances for
engineering changes, provided for increases at retail ranging from 3.0
to 12.0 percent above 1942 levels. On March 11, OPA allowed further
increases averaging 2.5 percent at the manufacturer’s level in prices
of automobiles produced by Chrysler, Ford, Nash, and Hudson to com
pensate for higher wages granted by the industry. These advances
resulted in increases in retail prices ranging from $1 to $51, with dealers’
margins reduced further to 19.5 percent.
CHEMICALS AND ALLIED PRODUCTS
Despite relative scarcities of some products such as fats and oils,
alkalies, phosphate, metallic compounds, glycerin, and casein, prices
of chemicals and allied products generally have remained firm since
late 1945. The fractional decline in average prices during the first
quarter was due to lower prices for carbon tetrachloride, cream of
tartar, and tartaric acid, which offset price increases for castor oil and
ergot.
The over-all production of industrial chemicals has increased in
recent months and by February 1946 was less than 6 percent below
the war peak. Llowever, production of certain important products,
including sulphuric, hydrochloric, and hydrofluoric acids, ammonia,
chlorine, bicarbonate and bichromate of soda, and salt cake, has not
improved. Work stoppages, shortages of containers, and the transfer
of box cars to the delivery of grains also have affected the production
and consumption of chemicals.
March prices for drugs and pharmaceuticals were 111.7 percent of
the 1926 average, 5 percent below December 1945 levels. Average
prices for domestic tartaric acid declined approximately 11 percent to
levels at which the imported commodity was selling. At 62% cents
per pound for the granulated or powdered grades in barrels, the large
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
954
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 194 6
lot price for tartaric acid was at the lowest level since April 1941.
Prices for the tartrate compounds— cream of tartar, rochelle salts, and
seidlitz mixture— fell 9 to 12 percent following a price decrease of 18.8
percent for argols, the raw material for these products. Effective
February 18, ceiling prices for castor oil in drums were raised 9.1 per
cent, the first increase since February 1942. Prices for castor beans
in Brazil, sole current source for the United States, rose 22 percent
from September 1945. To stabilize prices in this country maximum
import prices were set in February 1946 at $118 per long ton, c. i. f.,
first American port or point of arrival, or $15.38 higher than the
previous ceiling established by an intergovernmental agreement with
Brazil, which expired early in 1944. Ergot prices rose 6.8 percent as
spot supplies were depleted and recent shipments were impounded by
order of the Food and Drug Administration.
Sales of fertilizers continued their upward swing with the expanded
farm production program. Tag sales in 16 States in the first quarter
exceeded the corresponding period of last year by 11 percent. Diffi
culties were encountered in securing sufficient raw materials, particu
larly nitrogen bearing materials. Production of sulphate of ammonia,
a byproduct of coke manufacture, was reduced by the steel strike.
Demands for potash salts were large and requests were made for con
tinuance of the wartime controls on distribution. Ceiling prices for
castor pomace were raised. Fertilizer manufacturers will absorb this
increase on the quantities used in mixed fertilizer but not on resales
of straight material.
Supplies of fats and oils continued short and dependent upon res
toration of F ar E ast production. Government and trade officials did
not foresee any marked improvement until early 1947. Under the
Philippine trade bill (H. R. 5856) 200,000 tons of copra may be shipped
annually to the United States free of duty until 1955; thereafter, the
amount that can enter the country exempt from customs duty will be
reduced 10,000 long tons annually until 1974, when all limitations will
be lifted.
PAPER AND PULP AND RU BB ER
During the first quarter of 1946, average prices for paper and pulp
increased 4 percent to a level 42 percent above August 1939, with
increased ceilings for paperboard, book paper and newsprint, to en
courage production of standard items. Increasing costs had caused
manufacturers of book, wrapping, and writing papers and paperboard
either to shift to the production of more profitable grades or to elim
inate certain finishing processes, such as sheeting and trimming of
paper rolls. Newsprint ceilings were raised $6 per ton in late 1945
to cover higher production costs.
Demand for almost all grades of paper and paperboard continued
to be in excess of supply despite a higher level of current production
and small withdrawals for military purposes. Publishers were unable
to satisfy the demand for textbooks, and newsprint publishers had
difficulty in securing supplies. Some Canadian newsprint mills shifted
production from newsprint to the more profitable grades used for
magazines.
As during the war years, the supply of fibrous raw materials con
tinued to be a serious problem. To stimulate production in the South-
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
955
ern area, OPA raised ceiling prices for pulpwood in February by $1.40
a cord. Unfavorable weather conditions, shortages of transportation
equipment and the lack of woods labor have hindered production.
The first postwar wood pulp was received from Finland in January.
Swedish producers, however, were reported as canceling contracts to
ship wood pulp to American consumers at existing ceiling prices be
cause of increased costs for chemicals, labor, and fuel. This possibility
of reduced foreign pulp shipments also strengthened the domestic
wastepaper market, which had shown some weakness.
Prices for most rubber and rubber products remained unchanged
during the quarter. Effective March 1, prices for synthetic butyl
rubber (G R-1) were advanced 3 cents to 18.5 cents per pound.
Higher costs for both raw materials and labor necessitated advances
in OPA ceiling prices for a number of mechanical rubber products.
Production of rubber products still was hampered by shortages of
raw materials. Political disorders and labor shortages have prevented
large-scale production of natural rubber in the Far East. An interim
price of 20% cents per pound, f. o. b. Far Eastern ports, for standard
top grades of crude natural rubber was announced by the State De
partment in January. The Government selling price, however,
remained unchanged at the wartime established level 22% cents a
pound. Tire production rose sharply, but supplies still were short
compared with the large consumer demand. Dealers were experi
encing difficulties in accumulating inventories of the more popular
tire sizes.
Prices of Consumer Goods
Price increases for consumer goods during the first quarter of
1946 were generally larger m primary markets than in retail stores.
Largest advances in primary markets occurred in prices of textile
products (3.3 percent) and housefurnishings goods (2.1 percent), and
there were smaller advances for agricultural products, hides and
leather products, and fuel and lighting materials. Retail prices
for all items averaged 0.2 percent higher. Food prices dropped 0.9
percent at retail, but clothing costs were 2.5 percent higher and there
were smaller increases for other groups.
At the primary market level prices of cotton goods of unchanged
specifications rose 5.9 percent, following ceiling adjustments required
under the Bankhead amendment to the Stabilization Extension Act
of 1944. This law provided that ceiling prices for the major individual
cotton products must be high enough to reflect parity prices of cotton
to growers. In addition, raw cotton quotations advanced sharply,
at times reaching the highest levels in 25 years, largely in response to
speculative influences. Other textile fibers and their products were
generally stable in price.
Supplies of civilian goods improved somewhat during the quarter,
but, in general, they remained far below demand. Most foods were
in relatively good supply, but meats and fats and oils still were inade
quate to meet demand, and sugar was still rationed. Supplies of
moderate-priced clothing and textile housefurnishings were larger, but
stifl far below total needs. The return to civilian life of more men
from the armed services increased demands on supplies of wool cloth
ing, and shortages of men’s suits were as severe as at any time during
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
956
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
T a b l e 3 . — Percent of Change in Consumers’ Prices and in Prices of Consumer Goods
in Primary Markets, in Specified Periods 1
Percent of change—
Commodity group
Consumers’ prices: All items______ _____
Food_____________________________
Clothing --------------------------------------Rent
__________________ ____ ___
Fuel, electricity, and ice_____________
Gas and electricity________
Other fuels and ice _________ . .
Housefurnishings_________ _____ ____
Miscellaneous_____________________
Consumer goods (primary market prices):
Farm p rod ucts...................... ..................
Foods.. ________________ ____ _____
Hides and leather products........ .............
Textile products____ _______________
Housefurnishing goods________ ____ _
Fuel and lighting materials__________
In last
quarter,
Dec. 1945
to Mar.
1946
From end
of war,
Aug. 1945
to Mar.
1946
+ 0 .2
- .9
+ 2 .5
+ .1
+ .2
- 1 .2
+ 1 .3
+ 1 .3
+ .9
+ 0 .7
-.6
+ 4 .6
+ 1 .4
+ .7
+• 8
+ 3.3
+ 2.1
+ .2
From
From holdmonth
In last
the-line
before
war
year, Mar.
order,2
Europe,
1945 to
May 1943 in
Aug.
1939
Mar.
to Mar. ■ to Mar.
1946
1946
1946
-.8
- 2 .4
+• 4
+ 2.9
+ 1 .1
+ 2.7
+3.1
+ 6.5
+ .1
+ .5
- 2 .7
+ 2.9
+ 3.9
+ 1.9
+ 4.1
-2 .0
+19.7
+ .4
+ 2 .7
- 3 .3
+ 7.6
+20.1
+ 9.2
+32.0
+ 49.8
+52.6
+ 3.9
+13.3
-6 .2
+32.6
+49.3
+25.4
+ 5 .1
+ 2.8
+ 1.5
+5.1
+ 2 .3
+ .2
+ 4.9
+ 4.6
+ 1.7
+ 5 .0
+ 2.3
+ 1.9
+ 6.1
- 1 .0
+ 1.7
+ 7.5
+ 4.1
+ 5.2
+118.7
+62.8
+29.2
+54.4
+24.9
+17.1
1 In comparing retail and primary-market price movements the following differences between the con
sumers’ price and primary-market price index must be noted: The consumers’ price index includes only
selected goods and services purchased by moderate-income families in large cities, and reflects in part the
effect of disappearance of lower-priced articles. The primary-market indexes represent all commodities
and are based on goods with unchanged specifications.
2 The President’s hold-the-line order was issued April 8, 1943.
The peak of the price rise which had led
*to this order was reached in May, which is, therefore, used for this comparison.
the war. Although production of nylon stockings rose rapidty, the
supply remained inadequate.
Output of some consumer durable goods, such as radios, improved,
but most articles still were not available in quantity. Moreover,
there was a noticeable tendency for manufacturers to concentrate on
production of more expensive lines. February shipments of radios,
electric irons, and vacuum cleaners, for example, were 65 to 75 percent
of the 1941 rate, while shipments of sewing machines, mechanical
refrigerators, and electric ranges represented an even smaller propor
tion of the 1941 rate. Adequate housing remained one of the fore
most problems of the postwar period, with the backlog of demand
estimated at 10 million homes.
For some articles in tight supply, particularly poultry and meats,
butter, corn, and nylon stockings, black markets were reported widely.
Numerous devices, such as cash payments on the side and barter
transactions, to obtain corn for feed were reported in the Chicago
market, and some slaughterers complained of inability to operate at
legitimate prices.
FARM PRODUCTS AND FOODS
Gradual upward trends in prices of farm products and foods in
primary markets since the end of the war continued during the first
quarter of 1946. Prices dropped slightly in January but advanced in
February and March. The net rise amounted to 1.4 percent for farm
products and 0.7 percent for foods. Retail food prices dropped 1.3
percent on the average between December and February, because of
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
957
seasonal price declines for eggs, but rose 0.4 percent in March, with
increases in cereal and bakery products, fresh fruits and vegetables,
dairy products, and sugar.
The advances were general, eggs being the only major commodity to
decline in price. Since most foods had been selling at or near the
legal maximums, the advances were the result of increases in OPA
ceilings, occasioned by wage adjustments (meats), subsidy removals
(butter, cheese), changes in parity (grains), rising world prices (sugar,
pepper), or poor local crops (fresh vegetables). Domestic and export
demand, stimulated by world food shortages, was strong, and the pre
vailing inflationary sentiment was given impetus by proposals to revise
the parity formula, and to relax or eliminate OPA controls. Acting to
prevent still further price increases, the Government, late in January,
announced a revision of its subsidy withdrawal program, extending
the duration of payments for the remaining commodities at least until
June 30, 1946.
During the quarter domestic food shortages, particularly of sugar,
butter, and fats and oils, though severe, were minor in comparison
with growing famine conditions abroad. On February 6, President
Truman in a drastic nine-point program ordered controls over the
distribution and use of grains in order to provide supplies for export.
This included a food conservation publicity campaign, limitations on
the use of grains for alcoholic beverages and animal feeds, an increase
to 80 percent in the wheat flour extraction ra te ,1 restrictions on inven
tories and distribution of wheat, flour, and their products, and special
preference for rail and water shipments of grains for export.
Prices for grains moved up 2.6 percent during the quarter, most of
the rise occurring in March, when ceilings were increased from 2 to 4
cents per bushel to meet legal parity requirements. The tightness in
other grains had spread to oats which had been comparatively abun
dant, while rye, still free from price control, rose 25.5 percent.
Livestock and poultry prices increased 3.0 percent in the same
period, principally owing to advanced prices for cows and lambs. As
in the previous quarter, demand for cows was strengthened by the high
prices for steers. Packers declared that they could not buy steers at
prevailing prices and stay within compliance limitations of the subsidy
regulations. Lamb prices rose more than seasonally with good
quality and short supply, despite the increase in subsidy payments to
producers in February. Ceilings continued to govern all sales of hogs
and a large percentage of steers. There was some weakness in steer
quotations in March owing to packer resistance and poorer quality
caused by the feed shortage. Livestock prices reflected little change
in mid-January during the strike at large meat-packing establish
ments, since a sharp decline in marketing occurred which coincided
with the reduced demand. Meat prices in primary markets remained
at ceilings, moving up about 2 percent in March to the level of the
new maximums granted by OPÂ to cover in part the cost of recent
wage increases. Retail ceiling revisions were scheduled to be effective
in April.
Declines in egg prices in major wholesale markets ranged from 23 to
28 percent from December to March, while retail prices in large cities
dropped approximately 28 percent. Supplies were unusually large
1 White wheat flour is obtained from a 70 to 72 percent extraction rate.
6 9 5 2 2 8 — 46------- 8
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
958
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
and the U. S. Department of Agriculture supported the market bypurchasing eggs for drying and freezing.
Prices of dairy products rose 2 percent at wholesale and 0.6 percent
at retail. The subsidy of 3% cents per pound on Cheddar cheese was
removed February 4, resulting in a rise of 3.2 cents per pound in the
average price of cheese in primary markets between December and
March. Effects of the removal of the 5 cents per pound butter subsidy
had been reflected largely in both wholesale and retail markets by the
end of 1945. The butter shortage was acute during the first quarter
of 1946, and, although fluid milk production was increasing seasonally,
the supplies available to civilians were 30 million pounds less than
during the previous quarter.
The stability of prices of canned and dried fruits and vegetables
continued although supplies were far short of demand, while prices
of most fresh fruits and vegetables increased seasonally. Primary
market prices of oranges dropped when ceilings were re-imposed early
in January, but rose less than usual during the ensuing months because
of the preponderance of small sizes. Potatoes, not under price control,
rose 17.2 percent in price in retail stores, while onions were 20.5 percent
higher in March than in December.
Sugar ceilings also were increased in February in order to meet
prices from Cuba, thus assuring some relief from the present shortage.
The subsidy of 3 cents per pound paid to coffee importers to enable
them to meet world competition was extended to June 30 to maintain
ceilings on green coffee. Removal of the subsidy on peanut butter,
which OPA had estimated would raise retail prices 6.4 cents per pound,
was reflected in a price rise of 2 cents at retail during the first quarter
of 1946 in addition to an earlier rise of 2.5 cents.
T E X T IL ES AND APPAREL
Retail costs of clothing continued the steady advance of recent
years due to the disappearance of lower-priced goods, with a rise of
2.5 percent during the first quarter. Prices for articles of constant
quality in primary markets were generally stable until late in the
quarter, when substantial increases in ceilings for cotton goods were
granted. Spot market prices of raw cotton, still free from price re
strictions, advanced about 10 percent in March 1946 to reach the
highest point in two decades. Expectation of a more liberal parity
formula for agricultural products furnished the greatest stimulus to
cotton purchases. Upward adjustments in ceilings for cotton yarns
and fabrics in order to offset the rising cost of cotton staple averaged
more than 5 percent.
Continued allocation of substantial yardages of sturdy cotton,
rayon, and woolen fabrics to manufacturers of moderate-priced gar
ments to be retailed at predetermined prices increased the flow of this
class of apparel. As sales volume continued to soar, retailers were
often unable to meet the demand for many important articles of
apparel and housefurnishings, such as men’s woolen suits and cotton
apparel, as well as women’s hosiery, cotton sheets, and yard goods.
During the quarter, OPA exempted manufacturers’ production of
lower priced lines of certain scarce commodities from MAP.
Lower prices for most grades of domestic wools resulted from
reductions in the selling price of Commodity Credit Corporation wool
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
959
stocks on February 21, 1946. CCC stocks of domestic wool in Decem
ber 1945 totaled 449 million pounds (grease basis), about 135 million
pounds larger than a year earlier, and exceeding a full year’s domestic
production. The reduction in CCC selling prices was the second
made in a period of 3 months to encourage consumption of domestic
wools by American manufacturers. In recent periods approximately
92 percent of the total amount of apparel wool consumed in this coun
try has been of foreign origin.
Wool yarns and woolen and worsted piece goods prices remained
unchanged, although there was a continued scarcity of these products
for men’s apparel, attributable to a high rate of consumption and a
maldistribution of products rather than over-all underproduction.
By the end of 1945 the number of wage earners in the woolen and
worsted industry was somewhat greater than the 1935 to 1939 average,
and estimated yardage produced in 1945 was 100 million yards greater
than the annual production in the years 1936 to 1939. However, in
recent months more than half of the mill production of woolen and
worsted piece goods was utilized in women’s apparel, reversing the
normal relationship between men’s and women’s apparel.
Unfavorable price ceilings and lack of linings and pocketings
reportedly also hampered the production of medium- and low-priced
men’s suits. CPA’s allocations of needed yardage and OPA’s costplus-margin pricing order for manufacturers were slowly alleviating
the scarcity. However, preticketed suits and topcoats were not in
sufficient quantity in retail stocks to cause any appreciable lowering
in average cost to consumers.
Increases of approximately 15 and 5 percent, respectively, were
reported in manufacturers’ prices for men’s business shirts and woven
shorts, after the issuance of the cost-plus-margin formula, but supplies
had not yet increased appreciably at consumer levels.
The quantity of preticketed boys’ apparel found in retail stores in
this quarter exceeded that of any recent period. Prices were generally
lower than for nonpreticketed garments which were higher priced than
in December.
Most of the inexpensive and medium quality women’s untrimmed
coats and suits in retailers’ stocks in the first quarter were preticketed
and generally at lower prices. Their quality compared favorably
with that of higher-priced nonpreticketed garments in the same stores.
Reflecting the abnormally large consumption of wool fabrics by the
women’s wear industry, the supply generally was more than sufficient
to meet demand, although higher-quality high-cost styles, for which
CPA had made no allocation of fabrics, were scarce.
Shortages of all types of leather shoes, particularly in the lower
price lines, began to appear during the first quarter as purchases of
staple hides continued to exceed output. Many prewar producers of
inexpensive leather shoes had shifted from nonrationed to casual
types of footwear after shoe rationing ended. Subnormal imports
of goat skins and other skins required for shoe upper leather clouded
the outlook for improved supplies of all leather shoes. To maintain
footwear production at a high peacetime level the OPA permitted
manufacturers to charge 4J( percent more for nearly all classes of shoes,
effective January 5, 1946. Retailers were asked to absorb this increase.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
960
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
FU ELS AND LIGHTING MATERIALS
Average prices for fuels and lighting materials in primary markets
rose slightly during the first quarter of 1946 as increases for coal more
than offset decreases for petroleum products. Retail prices for the
group declined 0.5 percent, chiefly because of reduced utility rates.
European requirements and relaxation of fuel rationing resulted in
tight supplies of space-heating fuels during the heating season, but
mild weather in most areas prevented serious hardship.
Declines in refinery prices for gasoline more than offset increases
for fuel oil, so that average wholesale prices for petroleum and petro
leum products declined slightly during the quarter. By the end of
March fuel oil prices at all levels of sale and in all areas reflected
ceiling price advances to encourage greater production, which had been
begun in December in the Atlantic Coast shortage area. In January
ceiling increases for medium distillates (2, 3, and 4) were raised from
one-fifth cent per barrel to one-half cent per barrel, the same adjust
ment originally allowed for kerosene, range oil, and No. 1 oil in all
areas except the Pacific Coast where this level was allowed in March.
In March residual fuel oil ceilings also were raised 15 to 21 cents per
barrel.
Meanwhile, because of heavy inventories, refinery prices for gasoline
continued to decline from ceilings. For example, the low price for
Oklahoma regular grade gasoline averaged 5 cents per gallon in March,
2 percent below December 1945 and 17 percent below the previous
October. During March, however, gasoline prices strengthened,
partly because of an anticipated increase of 10 cents per barrel m
crude oil ceilings and partly because inventories, though high, were
no longer rising and the spring season of renewed heavy consumption
was at hand.
Wholesale prices for anthracite and bituminous coal moved frac
tionally higher between December and March, but producers’ prices
for foundry and furnace coke remained unchanged. As the quarter
closed the strike of bituminous-coal miners opened the possibility of
later price increases for bituminous coal and coke. Retailers’ price
ceilings for sales of coal and coke to consumers were raised 10 cents per
ton on January 2, to cover wartime increases in distribution costs, and
most retailers took advantage of the adjustment before the close of
the quarter.
Discontinuance of excess profits taxes by the Federal Government
late in 1945 was followed by sizable increases in the net earnings of
many utilities, with consequent renewed pressure by local authorities
for lower rates. During the first quarter of 1946, domestic rates for
electricity were lowered in six of the cities in which the Bureau collects
such information. As a result, the composite price index of 25 kilo
watt-hours of electricity for domestic consumption declined 1.7 per
cent, about one-third as large as the decline of the previous 5 years.
Domestic rates of gas utilities were subject to the same influences as
those affecting electric utilities, and in addition the rates of natural
gas distributors continued to reflect reductions instituted by their
pipeline suppliers. During the first quarter of 1946, sizable rate
decreases occurred in two cities consuming natural gas and smaller
decreases in two cities consuming mixed gas. Changes in fuel costs
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
961
or in the heating content of the gas resulted in changes in bills in 17
cities, with the national average showing a small decline.
HOUSING
Residential rents in all large cities combined advanced fractionally
during the first quarter of 1946. With more veterans returning daily,
the housing situation became more critical. Reports from most large
and many small cities indicated that housing shortages were worse
than during the war. Instances were reported of bonuses being paid
to obtain rental units.
Following the extension on September 15, 1945, of the eviction
waiting period from 3 to 6 months, the rate at which tenants were
evicted to make way for owner-occupants dropped temporarily. How
ever, by March the eviction rate in areas under rent control had sur
passed former high levels with over 29,000 tenants being evicted
monthly. Many owners, including returned veterans, were moving
back into houses which had been rented by others during the war, and
brisk sales markets continued to reduce the number of dwellings
for rent.
Residential construction increased during the first quarter of 1946.
In January, 38,300 permits were issued for privately financed nonfarm
dwellings, and in February, 42,500. This represented a substantial
increase over the number issued in the first 2 months of 1945. Con
tinued scarcity of many essential building materials, however, limited
production of homes.
During the quarter a number of measures were taken to speed home
construction. Thus, OPA granted price increases on a number of
building materials. At the end of the quarter, legislation authorizing
subsidies to encourage production of building materials was before
Congress, and building restrictions were restored by Housing E x
pediter Wilson W yatt.
HOUSEFURNISHINGS
Retail costs of housefurnishings advanced 1.3 percent during the
first quarter of 1946. Primary market prices rose 2.1 percent.
Retail costs of wool floor covering advanced slightly as new mer
chandise began to appear in some cities. Although current and future
supplies of jute yarn were expected to be ample to meet all trade
needs, the continued shortage of labor in the carpet mills indicated that
earlier predictions of production reaching the 1941 level by the end of
the year may not materialize. Retailers’ stocks of hard surface floor
covering were reported lower than during the war and it was expected
that the shortage of linseed oil would limit this year’s production to
about 40 percent of normal. Moreover, it was not probable that the
burlap-backed article would be produced for some time. Industry
wide increases of 5 percent were granted wool floor covering manufac
turers January 4, 1946, and of 9 percent to the hard-surface industry
February 25, 1946, to be absorbed by retailers.
Price changes for bedding and wood household furniture were
mixed. Costs of stoves showed upward and downward adjustments as
OPA continued tp set specific dollar-and-cents ceilings.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
962
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
In January case goods shipments increased from 10 to 40 percent
over those recorded for any month in 1945, although at the end of
March shortages in retail outlets remained acute. The poor quality of
furniture was commented upon by many retailers. Manufacturers
who were expected to derive the greatest advantages from OPA’s
low-end furniture order issued December 18, 1945, reported they were
turning out little more of the cheaper futniture because of lumber and
labor shortages. One manufacturer of upholstered furniture reported
retarded production during the quarter because of the steel strike’s
effect on supplies of springs.
Shortages of high carbon wire springs continued to handicap produc
tion of innerspring and soft mattresses. The requirement that re
tailers absorb the 16 percent price increase granted to manufacturers
of innerspring mattresses, December 13, 1945, was eased under an
order effective March 27,1946, which reduced the retailers’ absorption
to an amount equivalent to a manufacturer’s increase of 12.35 percent.
Output of radios increased during the period but production of other
durable goods was adversely affected by work stoppages, especially
in the steel and electrical industries.
MISCELLANEOUS GOODS AND SERVICES
Ketail costs of miscellaneous goods and services increased 0.9
percent during the first quarter of 1946. In many service establish
ments prices during the past 6 months reflected the stability of
prewar years. Only scattered increases were reported in the cost of
newspapers, motion-picture admissions, and barber and beauty shop
services. The cost of laundry work and automobile repairs showed
both increases and decreases in different cities as OPA allowed in
dividual price adjustments. Domestic service rates increased in
several southern cities. In Detroit, streetcar fares jumped from 6 to
10 cents.
Fees for selected medical services and hospital rates increased in
cities throughout the United States. Increases were attributed to the
continued high incomes of patients coupled with the doctors’ and
hospitals’ increased overhead expenses.
For the first time in several years, the supply of most brands of
cigarettes exceeded the demand. Some stores again sold in multiple
units resulting in small price decreases to customers. The Office of
Price Administration announced an impending increase of approxi
mately 25 cents per thousand to cigarette manufacturers, which
would be passed on to consumers.
Some manufacturers of soap flakes, soap powder, and textile soaps
for industrial use reported price increases during the quarter. Prices
of household soaps remained at ceilings. In retail stores house
wives were finding growing quantities of relatively high-priced soap
less detergents, which were partially alleviating the existing soap
shortage.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
963
Index of Consumers’ Prices in Large Cities, April 19461
FOR the second consecutive month, retail prices of goods and services
for moderate-income city families rose 0.5 percent, as higher prices in
all important groups of items except electricity were reported in midApril. The consumers' price index is 130.9 percent of the 1935-39
average and 3.0 percent above the April 1945 level. Food, clothing,
and housefurnishings costs—which represent 57 percent of the budget
for wage earners and moderate-income workers in large cities— were
a little over 50 percent higher than in August 1939, the month before
war in Europe.2
Food prices increased 1.1 percent between mid-March and midApril 1946. Higher prices in all major groups, except eggs and
beverages, contributed to this rise. The cost of cereal and bakery
products avdanced 2.7 percent as the 10-percent reduction in the
weight of loaves requested on March 15 by the President's Famine
Emergency Committee resulted in a 4.8-percent increase in the average
price per pound for breads. Fresh fruit and vegetable prices rose 1.8
percent, with prices of onions, potatoes, cabbage, and sweetpotatoes
increasing seasonally more than 4 percent; lettuce and spinach declined
5 and 6 percent, respectively.
The average price of meats increased 1.1 percent during the month
as OPA allowed higher ceiling prices to compensate for wage adjust
ments. This represents the largest monthly increase in this group
since early in 1943. Chicken prices rose sharply (6 percent) between
mid-March and mid-April. Sugar increased 2.5 percent.
Clothing costs advanced 0.8 percent between March and April,
reflecting both the Government's policy of granting price increases to
manufacturers to encourage production and, to a lesser extent, the
return of some items of prewar quality at prices higher than when
they were last available. Higher prices were reported for men's
topcoats, wool suits, business shirts, work clothing, and socks, and for
1 The “consumers’ price index for moderate-income families in large cities,” formerly known as the “cost
of living index,” measures average changes in retail prices of selected goods, rents and services, weighted by
quantities bought by families of wage earners and moderate-income workers in large cities in 1934-36. The
items priced for the index constituted about 70 percent of the expenditures of city families whose incomes
averaged $1,524 in 1934-36.
The index only partially shows the wartime effects of changes in quality, availability of consumer goods,
etc. The President’s Committee on the Cost of Living has estimated that such factors, together with
certain others not fully measured by the index, would add a maximum of 3 to 4 points to the index for large
cities between January 1941 and September 1944. If small cities were included in the national average,
another Y point would be added. If account is also taken of continued deterioration of quality and dis
appearance of low-priced merchandise between September 1944 and September 1945, the over-all adjustment
for the period January 1941 to September 1945 would total approximately 5 points. As merchandise of pre
war quality and specifications comes back into the markets and the Bureau is able regularly to price it
again, this adjustment factor will gradually decrease and finally disappear.
2 The indexes in the accompanying tables are based on time-to-time changes in the cost of goods and
services purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers in large cities. They do not indicate whether
it costs more to live in one city than in another. The data relate to the 15th of each month, except those
for January 1941, in tables 1 and 3. For that month they were estimated for January 1 (the date used in
the “Little Steel” decision of the National War Labor Board), by assuming an even rate of change from
December 15,1940, to the next pricing date. The President’s “hold-the-line” order was issued April 8,1943.
The peak of the rise which led to that order was reached in May, which is, therefore, used for this comparison.
Food prices are collected monthly in 56 cities during the first 4 days of the week which includes the Tues
day nearest the 15th of the month. Aggregate costs of foods in each city, weighted to represent food pur
chases of families of wage earners and lower-salaried workers, have been combined for the United States
with the use of population weights. In March 1943, the number of cities included in the food index was
increased from 51 to 56, and the number of foods from 54 to 61. Prices of clothing, housefurnishings, and
miscellaneous goods and services are obtained in 34 large cities in March, June, September, and December.
In intervening months, prices are collected in 21 of the 34 cities for a shorter list of goods and services. Rents
are surveyed semiannually in most of the 34 cities (in March and September, or in June and December).
In computing the all-items indexes for individual cities and the rent index for the average of large cities
because of the general stability of average rents at present, the indexes are held constant in cities not sur
veyed during the current quarter. Prices for fuel, electricity, and ice are collected monthly in 34 large cities.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
964
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
women’s cotton house and street dresses, hose, and gloves. Retailers’
inventories of men’s apparel continued low, but some improvement
over previous months was reported by individual merchants. The
cost of rayon dresses declined over the month as substantial shipments
of garments manufactured under the Government’s program to
increase stocks or lower-priced apparel reached retail stores. In
creased costs of materials continued to force prices upward for cotton
products. April prices for cotton clothing were 84 percent higher than
in August 1939; wool clothing costs rose 48 percent, and silk, rayon,
and nylon apparel, 45 percent. Men’s shoe prices advanced as shoes
of prewar quality became available at higher prices.
Housefurnishings costs rose 0.7 percent over the month. Prices for
sheets advanced more than 6 percent owing to an increase in ceiling
prices and the further disappearance of lower-priced sheets. Prices
for stoves and bedroom furniture also increased.
The average cost of miscellaneous goods and services edged upward
0.1 percent on scattered increases for beauty-shop services, tobacco,
household supplies, newspapers, and motion-picture admissions.
Since August 1939 the cost of services has increased about 20 percent.
The cost of electricity to consumers in Minneapolis, Norfolk,
Richmond, San Francisco, and Savannah was lowered from 4 to 10
percent by rate reductions between March 15 and April 15.
Rents were not surveyed in April.
T a b l e 1.— Index of Consumers’ Prices for Moderate-Income Families and Percent of
Change, April 1946, Compared with Earlier Dates
April
1946
March
1946
April
1945
This
month
Last
month
Year
ago
Group
May
1943
May
1942
January
1941
General
Maxi
“ Little
Holdmum
steel”
the-line”
decision
Price
Reg
order
ulation
August
1939
Month
before
war in
Europe
Indexes (1935-39=100)
All items____________________
Food_________________
C lothing________________
Rent
Fuel, electricity, and ice —
Gas and electricity____
Other fuels and ice____
Housefurnishings------------Miscellaneous---------------- -
130.9
141.7
154.3
110.4
92.6
127.7
151.3
126.0
130.2
140.1
153.1
108.4
110.5
92.9
127.7
150.2
125.9
127.1
136.6
144.1
109.8
95.5
123.7
144.9
123.8
125.1
143.0
127.9
108.0
107. 6
96.1
118.7
125.1
115.3
116.0
121.6
126.2
109.9
104.9
96.6
112.9
122.2
110.9
100.8
97.6
101.2
105.0
100.8
97.5
104.0
100.2
101.8
98.6
93.6
100.3
104.3
97.5
99.0
96.3
100.6
100.4
29.9
45.2
52.5
3.2
9.5
- 5 .0
22.8
51.0
23.8
32.8
51.6
53.8
3.9
13.2
- 6 .5
32.6
50.4
25.5
Percent of change to April 1946
All items ________ ________
Food _____ ___________
Clothing ________________
R e n t1
_ _____________
Fuel, elee,trinity, and ice _ _
Gas and electricity___
Other fuels and i c e ___
Housefurnishings_________
Miscellaneous------. . . -----1 Percent of change to March 1946.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
0.5
1.1
.8
3.0
3.7
7.1
-. 1
- .3
.5
- 3 .0
3.2
4.4
1.8
.7
.1
4.6
-.9
20.6
.4
2.6
- 3 .6
7.6
20.9
9.3
12.8
16.5
22.3
- 1 .4
5.2
- 4 .1
13.1
23.8
13.6
965
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
T a b l e 2 . — Percent of Change in Consumers' Price Index from Specified Dates to April
1946, B y Cities
March
1946
April
1945
May
1943
May
1942
January
1941
August
1939
Last
month
Year ago
Hold-theline order
General
Maximum
Price
Regulation
“ Little
Steel”
decision
Month
before
war in
Europe
City
Average____________________
+ 0.5
+ 3.0
+ 4.6
+12.8
+29.9
+32.8
Baltimore, M d_____________
Birmingham, Ala___________
Boston, Mass_______________
Buffalo, N. Y ______________
Chicago, 111________________
Cincinnati, Ohio____________
Cleveland, Ohio____________
Denver, Colo_____________ _
Detroit, Mich____________ .
Houston, T e x ____ ______
Kansas City, Mo______ ____
Los Angeles, Calif__________
Minneapolis, M in n ___ _____
New York, N. Y _________ .
Philadelphia, P a______ _____
Pittsburgh, Pa_________ . . .
St. Louis, Mo_________ _____
San Francisco, C alif.._____ _
Savannah, Ga______________
Seattle, Wash .
_________
Washington, D. C ____
+ .9
+ .2
+ .6
+ .8
+ 1.2
+ .3
+ .6
+ .3
+ .9
+ .1
+ .2
+ .2
+• 3
+ 1.0
+ .2
+ .5
+ .5
+ .3
+ .3
+ .2
+ .3
+ 2.5
+ 1.9
+ 2.8
+ 3.2
+ 2.4
+ 2 .2
+ 1.8
+ 2.2
+ 4.4
+ 1.7
+ 1.8
+ 2.6
+ 2.7
+ 4.8
+ 2.9
+ 2.9
+ 3.0
+• 9
+ 2.9
+ 2.4
+4.1
+ 4 .0
+6.1
+ 3.4
+ 1.9
+ 4 .0
+ 4.8
+ 3.5
+ 3.9
+ 4.8
+ 2 .7
+ 4.4
+ 6.0
+3.9
+ 7.5
+ 3.9
+ 5.5
+4.1
+ 4.6
+ 5.5
+ 3.9
+ 6.4
+12.8
+12.5
+11.5
+ 8.9
+11.2
+12.0
+11.5
+11.9
+12.3
+ 9.9
+12.1
+13.0
+9.1
+17.8
+13.1
+13.8
+11.7
+13.9
+15.1
+11.0
+14.7
+32.4
+31.4
+27.5
+28.8
+28.0
+30.3
+29.9
+29.3
+32.1
+25.2
+30.0
+30.1
+24.3
+32.2
+30.7
+30.2
+27.8
+31.6
+37.2
+31. 7
+31.7
+35.1
+35.5
+30.2
+33.2
+31.2
+33.4
+32.5
431.1
+35.4
+26. 8
+29.7
+32.7
+26.9
+34.8
+32.6
+33.9
+31.6
+34.9
+40.1
+34.1
+33.5
T a b l e 3 . — Percent of Change in Consumers' Price Index, March 1946 to A pril 1946
by Cities and Groups of Items
Fuel, electricity and ice
City
All
items
Food
Average ________________________
+ 0 .5
+ 1 .1
Atlanta, Ga_______________
Baltimore, M d__________
Birmingham. Ala__________
Boston, Mass ____________
Buffalo, N. Y _____ _________
Chicago, 111_____________ _
Cincinnati, Ohio__________
Cleveland. Ohio_____ _______
Denver, Colo_____________
Detroit, Mich_____ . . __ __
Houston, Tex___ _______
Indianapolis, Ind__________
Jacksonville, Fla_________
Kansas City, Mo_________
Los Angeles, C a lif________
Manchester, N. H _____ . . .
Memphis, T enn _________
Milwaukee, W is ________ .
Minneapolis, Minn ____ __
Mobile, Ala. ____________
New Orleans, L a __________
New York, N. Y _____________
Norfolk, V a ____________________
Philadelphia, P a . . .............
Pittsburgh, Pa__________
Portland, Maine______________
Portland, Oreg________________
Richmond, V ä ________________
St. Louis, M o ____ __________
San Francisco, Calif_______
Savannah, G a _________________
Scranton, P a ______________
Seattle, Wash___ _ _ _ _ _
Washington, D . C ____________
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
+ .9
+ .2
+ .6
+. 8
+1-2
+•3
+ .6
+ .3
+ .9
+■1
+ .2
+ .2
+ .3
+ 1 .0
+ .2
+ .5
+ .5
+ .3
+ .3
+ .2
+ .3
+ 2 .3
+ 1 .6
-.6
+ 1 .3
+ 1.8
+ 2.3
+• 7
+ 1 .3
+. 4
+ 2 .3
+ .3
+ 1 .2
+ 1 .0
+ .3
+• 1
+ 1.0
+ .7
+ 1.3
+ .9
+ .6
+ 1 .4
+ 1 .5
+ 1.9
+ .4
+ .8
+ .4
+ 1.1
+• 1
+ .6
+ .7
+ .6
+ 1.1
+ .5
+ .6
Cloth
ing
Total
Gas and
elec
tricity
- 0 .1
-0 .3
o
0
0
- .1
0
0
0
0
0
+ .1
0
0
0
0
0
+• 2
0
0
+ .2
—0.1
0
0
+ .1
0
0
+ .1
0
+ .1
0
0
0
0
+ .1
0
+ .3
0
0
-1 .9
0
0
0
- 1 .9
- .1
0
0
+■2
-1 .6
0
- 2 .7
-.6
0
+ .2
+ .5
0
+ 0 .8
+ 1 .7
+ 2.1
-.3
+1.1
+ 1.0
0
+ .8
+ 1.0
+ .7
0
+ .4
+ .8
+ .4
+ 1 .5
+ .3
+ .8
+ 2 .2
+ .3
+ .4
- 5 .6
o
0
0
2
0
+•1
0
0
- 4 .8
0
-3 .0
- 2 .1
0
— 5.
0
0
Other
fuels
and ice
0
0
0
0
+•1
0
+ .1
+ .2
0
+ .3
0
0
o
o
+ .2
0
+ 4
o
o
-.2
o
o
+ .1
o
-.2
0
0
+. 2
0
0
0
0
o
+■2
0
Housefurnish
ings
Miscel
laneous
+ 0.7
+ 0.1
+ .3
+ .6
+ .8
+ .2
+ .4
0
+ .5
+ .6
+ .4
+ .3
+ .2
+ .2
+ .2
0
+ .2
- . 1
+ .2
- . 1
-. 1
-. 1
+ .2
+ .7
0
+ .3
+ .3
0
+ 2 .4
0
+ .8
+ 1 .6
0
0
+ .2
- .
+•
+ .1
+ .5
-.7
-.7
1
1
+•1
+■1
+ .2
966
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
T a b l e 4 . — Indexes of Consumers’’ Prices fo r Moderate-Income Families in Large Cities
1935 to A pril 1946
Indexes (1935-39=100) of cost of—
Year and month
All items
1935..................................................
1936
..................... ....................
1937................................................
1938__________ ____ __________
1939___ ______ _______________
1940__________ ______________
1941__________________ ______
1942___________ _____________
1943___ ____ _________________
1944_________________________
1945--_______________________
1945:
Jan. 15__________ - __ _
Peb. 1 5 _________________
Mar. 15-, . ______ ______
Apr. 15 . ______________
May 15
_______ - __
June 15
-- ______
July 15
__ __ ___ Aug. 15____ _ ________
Sept. 15 .
______
Oct. 15__________________
Nov. 15_________ ______
Dec. 15 _________________
1946:
Jan. 15__________ - _____
Feb. 15 _________________
Mar. 15__________________
Apr. 15 2_________________
Food
Clothing
Rent
Fuel, elec Housefurnishtricity,
ings
and ice
Miscel
laneous
98.1
99.1
102.7
100.8
99.4
100.2
105.2
116.5
123.6
125.5
128.4
100.4
101.3
105.3
97.8
95.2
96.6
105.5
123.9
138.0
136.1
139.1
96.8
97.6
102.8
102.2
100. 5
101.7
106.3
124.2
129.7
138.8
145.9
94.2
96.4
100.9
104.1
104.3
104.6
106.2
108.5
108.0
108.2
108.3
100.7
100. 2
100.2
99.9
99.0
99.7
102.2
105.4
107.7
109.8
110.3
94.8
96.3
104.3
103.3
101.3
100.5
107.3
122.2
125.6
136.4
145.8
98.1
98.7
101.0
101.5
100.7
101.1
104.0
110.9
115.8
121.3
124.1
127.1
126.9
126.8
127.1
128.1
129.0
129.4
129.3
128.9
128.9
129.3
129.9
137.3
136.5
135.9
136.6
138.8
141.1
141.7
140.9
139.4
139.3
140.1
141.4
143.0
143.3
143.7
144.1
144.6
145.4
145.9
146.4
148.2
148.5
148.7
149.4
(i)
(i)
108.3
(>)
(>)
108.3
(i)
(0
108.3
0)
(*)
108.3
109.7
110.0
110.0
109.8
110.0
110.0
111.2
111.4
110.7
110.5
110.1
110.3
143.6
144.0
144.5
144.9
145.4
145.8
145.6
146. 0
146.8
146.9
147.6
148.3
123.3
123.4
123.6
123.8
123.9
124.0
124.3
124.5
124.6
124.7
124.6
124.8
129.9
129.6
130.2
130.9
141.0
139.6
140.1
141.7
149.7
150. 5
153.1
154.3
(')
(>)
108.4
(>)
110.8
111.0
110.5
110.4
148.8
149.7
150.2
151.3
125.4
125.6
125.9
126.0
•Rents not surveyed in this month.
* Preliminary figures.
Retail Prices of Food in April 1946
R E T A IL prices of food in April 1946 in relation to those in selected
preceding periods are shown in the accompanying tables.
T a ble
1.— Percent of Change in Retail Prices of Food in 56 Large Cities Combined,1 by
Commodity Groups in Specified Periods,
Jan. 14,
1941, to
Apr. 16,
1946
+ 3 .7
- 0 .9
+ 44.9
+51.6
+ 4 .0
+ 1.5
+ 1.0
+L2
+ 1 .6
+ 3 .2
+ 4 .4
+ 2 .9
- 1 .6
+ 7 .3
+ 9 .0
- 1 .0
+ 1.0
+ .2
+ 1.9
+ 7 .0
+ 5 .3
-4 .0
- 8 .7
-9 .4
- 2 .5
+ 7.9
+10.4
+ .4
- 3 .1
- 2 .6
- 2 .9
- 1 .8
+ 7 .3
+ .3
-.2
+ 6 .0
+19. 4
+31.4
+ 9.5
+32.1
+39.9
+63.9
+86.4
+30.7
+41.4
+99.2
+113. 9
+40.8
+70.2
+37.4
+57.0
+42.0
+21.3
+38.8
+20.3
+ 29.2
+39.8
+68.4
+122. 2
+47.6
+51.8
+101.2
+115.3
+40.5
+87.7
+31.6
+49.2
+41.5
Apr. 17,
1945, to
Apr. 16,
1946
____
+ 1.1
Hercals and bakery products____________ _______
Meats
______________ _______
- __- Beef and veal - ____________ ______
______
Pork
____ _ _______- - _____
Lamb - __
_________ ___ ___ ___
Chickens_____________________ - _______
Fish, fresh and canned _ _
_ ____
Dairy products_______ _______ ___ - ____________
Eggs
_________ _______ ___ ___ - -Fruits and vegetables ________
___ - __________
Fresh
__________ _ __ ____ - __
Canned_____________ ___
- ______
- D ried ..- ______________________ _
__ _____
Beverages.. _________ __________- ___________
Fats and oils __ ___________ _________ _______ Sugar and sweets ______________________________
+ 2 .7
+ 1.1
+ 1 .3
+ .8
+. 8
+ 6.1
- 2 .8
+ .3
- .9
+ 1.4
+ 1 .8
-.7
+ .4
0
+•2
+ 2 .2
All foods
________________
- - - -
Aug. 15,
1939, to
Apr. 16,
1946
May 18,
1943, to
Apr. 16,
1946
Mar. 12,
1946, to
Apr. 16,
1946
Commodity group
1 The number of cities included in the index was changed from 51 to 56 in March 1943, with the necessary
adjustments for maintaining comparability. At the same time the number of foods in the index was
increased from 54 to 61.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
RETAIL PRICES OF FOOD TO CITY WORKERS
AVERAGE FOR LARGE CITIES
INDEX
1 9 3 5 -3 9 = 1 0 0
INDEX
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
•UREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
CO
05
968
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 19 46
RETAIL PRICES FOR GROUPS OF FOOD
AVERAGE FOR LARGE C IT IE S
U NITED ST A T ES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BUREAU OF LABOR S T A T IS T IC S _________
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
969
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
T a b l e 2 . — Indexes of Retail Prices of Food in 56 1 Large Cities Combined,2 by Commodity
Groups, on Specified Dates
[1935-39=100]
1946
1945
1943
1941
1939
Apr. 16 a Mar. 12
Apr. 17
May 18
Jan. 14
Aug. 15
Commodity group
All foods........... .................. .............. .............. .
141.7
140.1
136.6
143.0
97.8
93.5
Cereals and bakery products____ ______
Meats_________ _________ __________
Beef and v e a l______ ______ . . . .
P o rk ...------------------------- -------------Lamb__ : . . . _____________________
Chickens__________________________
Fish, fresh and canned______________
Dairy products...............................................
Eggs--------------------------------------------------Fruits and vegetables_____________ _ ._
Fresh___ _ _ . . . ________________
Canned... ____ _________________ _
Dried______ . . . ____________ ____ _
Beverages. ________ _________ ______ _
Fats and oils_________________________
Sugar and sweets______ . . .
___ . . . . .
113.3
132.8
119.8
113.7
138.1
159.3
221.3
137.4
137.7
185.9
199.8
128.7
169.5
124.9
126.1
135.3
110.3
131.3
118.3
112.8
137.0
150.2
227.7
137.0
139.0
183.4
196.3
129.6
168.9
124.9
125.9
132.4
108.9
130.8
118.6
112.4
135.9
154.3
211.9
133.5
139.9
173.3
183.3
130.0
167.9
124.6
123.8
126.4
107.6
138.3
131.2
125.5
141.6
147.6
200.5
136.9
142.1
190.8
205.8
131.1
158.0
124.5
126.3
127.6
94.9
101.1
109.4
86.1
98.7
97.2
118.7
105.1
97.4
93.3
93.4
91.4
99.6
90.9
80.3
95.3
93.4
95.7
99.6
88.0
98.8
94.6
99.6
93.1
90.7
92.4
92.8
91.6
90.3
94.9
84.5
95.6
i Indexes based on 51 cities combined prior to March 1943.
1 Aggregate costs of 61 foods (54 foods prior to March 1943) in each city, weighted to represent total pur
chases by families of wage earners and lower-salaried workers, have been combined with the use of popula
tion weights.
• Preliminary.
T a b l e 3 . — Average Retail Prices of 78 Foods in 56 Large Cities Combined,1 April 1946,
Compared with Earlier Months
1946
1945
1941
1939
A p r . 1 6 3 M a r . 12
A p r . 17
J a n . 14
A u g . 15
C ents
C en ts
C ents
A r tic le
C e r e a ls a n d b a k e r y p r o d u c t s :
C e r e a ls :
F l o u r , w h e a t 3........ ................................... ______ 5 p o u n d s ..
M a c a r o n i ___________________________ __________p o u n d ..
W h e a t c e r e a l 4 ____________________ ______ 28 o u n c e s ..
C o r n f l a k e s 5. . ___________________ . . _ - - l l o u n c e s ..
C o r n m e a l _________________________ __________p o u n d ..
R i c e 4_____________ ________________ ------------------ d o ____
R o lle d o a t s ________ _____ __________ ____________ d o ____
F l o u r , p a n c a k e 4___________________ ______ 20 o u n c e s . .
B a k e ry p ro d u cts:
B r e a d , w h i t e .............................................. - . - _____ p o u n d ..
B r e a d , w h o le -w h e a t—........................ ____________ d o ___
B r e a d , r y e . - ____________ _______
- - ________ d o ____
V a n illa c o o k ie s ____________________
________ d o ____
S o d a c r a c k e r s ______________________ ____________ do
M e a ts:
B eef:
R o u n d s t e a k _______________________ ------------------ d o ____
R i b r o a s t _____________________
. _ ____________ d o ___
C h u c k r o a s t ______________
_____ ------------- _ _ d o ____
S te w m e a t 4 _____________ - - - - - - - ------------------ d o ____
L i v e r ______________________________ ------------------d o ____
H a m b u r g e r ____________
___
__________ d o ____
V e a l:
C u t l e t s _____________________________ ____________d o ____
R o a s t , b o n e d a n d ro lle d 4_ _ - __ ------------------ d o ____
P o rk :
C h o p s . . ............
.......... _ _________ ____________d o ____
B a c o n , s li c e d ______ . . — _______ ________ _ .d o ____
H a m , s lic e d _________ - ___________ ________ _ _ d o ____
H a m , w h o le _______________________ _______ -_ _ d o ____
S a l t p o r k ______ ___________________ -_ ________ d o ____
L i v e r 4. _______ ________ _____ _____ ................. - . - d o ____
S a u s a g e 4______________
__________ ____________d o ____
B o lo g n a , b i g 4_____ _____
_______ ------------------ d o _ _ S e e fo o tn o te s a t end o f ta b le .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
C ents
C ents
3 1 .9
1 5 .7
2 3 .1
9 .3
6 .5
1 3 .0
1 0 .4
1 2 .4
3 1 .9
1 5 .6
2 3 .2
9 .3
6 .5
1 2 .9
1 0 .4
1 2 .4
3 2 .2
1 5 .8
2 3 .2
9 .0
6 .4
1 2 .8
1 0 .3
1 2 .3
2 0 .7
1 3 .8
2 3 ,5
9 .8
4 .2
7 .9
7 .1
(8)
1 7 .9
1 4 .0
2 4 .2
9 .7
4 .0
7 .5
7 .1
(«)
9 .3
1 0 .0
1 0 .5
3 0 .0
1 8 .6
8 .9
9 .7
9 .9
2 9 .6
1 8 .6
8 .8
9 .6
9 .9
2 8 .9
1 8 .9
7 .8
8 .7
9 .0
2 5 .1
1 5 .0
7 .8
8 .8
9 .2
( 8)
1 4 .8
4 1 .2
3 3 .6
2 8 .9
3 0 .2
3 7 .8
2 7 .7
4 0 .8
3 3 .3
2 8 .3
» 2 9 .9
3 7 .4
2 7 .2
4 0 .4
3 2 .7
2 8 .0
2 9 .3
3 6 .9
2 7 .4
3 8 .6
3 1 .5
2 5 .2
( 8)
( 8)
( 8)
3 6 .4
2 8 .9
2 2 .5
( 8)
(8)
( 8)
4 5 .1
3 5 .7
4 4 .6
* 3 5 .8
4 3 .6
3 4 .6
4 5 .2
( 8)
4 2 .5
( 8)
3 7 .4
4 1 .5
5 0 .5
3 6 .0
2 2 .6
2 2 .4
3 8 .9
3 4 .2
3 7 .0
4 0 .9
» 5 0 .8
3 5 .9
2 2 .2
2 2 .4
3 8 .6
3 3 .9
3 6 .9
4 1 .0
4 9 .3
3 4 .5
2 2 .1
2 2 .1
3 8 .1
3 3 .9
2 9 .1
3 0 .1
4 5 .1
2 6 .2
1 6 .7
( 6)
(•)
(«)
3 0 .9
3 0 .4
4 6 .4
2 7 .4
1 5 .4
( 8)
( 8)
( 8)
970
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
T a b l e 3 . — Average Retail Prices of 78 Foods in 56 Large Cities Combined,1 April 1946,
Compared with Earlier Months— Continued
1946
1945
1941
1939
Jan. 14
Aug. 15
Cents
Cents
Article
Apr. 162 Mar. 12 Apr. 17
M eats—C ontinued
Cents
Lamb:
40.7
Leg---------------------------------- __________ pound..
46.3
Rib chops_____ - ------------- ____________ do___
48.3
____________
do----Poultry: Roasting chickens____
Fish:
Fish (fresh, frozen)________ ____________ do___
«
24.8
Salmon, pink-_ _ ---- ---------- ___16-ounce can..
____________ do___
43.9
Salmon, red 4______ ____
Dairy products:
55.0
Butter_______________________ __________ pound..
38.4
Cheese_______________________ _________ __do____
15.4
_____
.
.
.
quart..
Milk, fresh (delivered)'_________
14.6
Milk, fresh (store)----- ------------- ________ ___do_ __
.-.HJ-S-ounee
can..
9.9
Milk, evaporated-------------------47.8
Eggs: Eggs, fresh------------------ -------- ___________ dozen..
Fruits and vegetables:
Fresh fruits:
14.8
Apples------ --------- ------------- __________ pound .
10.9
Bananas------ --------- ----------- ______ ____do___
___________
dozen.
.
45.0
Oranges......................... .............
8.6
____ _____________each..
Grapefruit4_______
Fresh vegetables:
20.5
Beans, green ----------------- -- ___________ pound..
8.0
Cabbage.------------------------- ____________ do___
8.8
Carrots___________________ ___________ bunch..
11.4
Lettuce___________________ . ............. .......head..
9.6
Onions___________________ ............. .........pound..
78.0
Potatoes__________________ _______ 15 pounds..
10.2
Spinach_____________ ___ __________ pound..
11.4
Sweetpotatoes------------------- _____________do__ _
10.2
Beets 4___________________ . . . _______ bunch..
Canned fruits:
can..
28.0
Peaches................. .................... ____ ..N o .
26.4
Pineapple________________ ............. ............do___
14.0
Grapefruit juice___________ ________ No. 2 can..
Canned vegetables:
13.6
Beans, green--------------------- ................. .........do___
14.8
Corn---------- -------------------- _____________ do___
13.6
Peas_____________________ _____________do___
12.7
Tomatoes.. . .......................- _____________ do___
13.3
Soup, vegetable 4 -------- . . . _____ 11-ounce can..
17.6
Dried fruits: Prunes---------------- ___________ pound..
Dried vegetables:
11.9
Navy beans_______________ _____ ______ _do___
3.9
Soup, dehydrated, chicken noodle4 ........ounce..
Beverages:
30.5
Coffee________________________ ___________ pound..
24.0
T ea------------- ----------------------- ______ .-14 pound..
10.4
Cocoa 4_______________ _______ ................-Yi pound..
Fats and oils:
18.7
L a rd ... . . .
----------- --------- ___________ pound..
Shortening other than lard—
20.2
In cartons_________ _____ ................. .........do___
24.8
In other containers........... . _____________do___
28.3
Salad dressing____ ____ _______ _____________ pint..
24.1
Oleomargarine________________ _______ _ ..pound..
_______ __ _do__ _
33.3
Peanut butter. . ___________
30.4
Oil, cooking, or salad4_________ _____________ pint..
Sugar and sweets:
7.2
Sugar------------------------------------ ........ .........__pound-_
15.6
Corn sirup___________________ _______ 24 ounces..
20.3
Molasses 8 4 ----------------- ------ ___ 16 fluid ounces..
15.1
Apple butter 4 ---------------------- ........ ..........16 ounces..
1 Data are based on 51 cities combined prior to January 1943.
2 Preliminary.
3 Price formerly published for 10 pounds.
4 Not included in index.
5 Price formerly published for 8 ounces.
6 Not priced.
7 Composite price not computed.
3 Price formerly published for 18 ounces avoirdupois.
8 Revised.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Cents
40.4
45.9
45.5
Cents
39.9
45.4
46.5
27.8
35.0
31.1
27.6
36.7
30.9
(7)
24.9
43.3
0
23.4
40.8
0
15.7
26.4
54.8
38.1
15.4
14.5
9.9
48.3
49.9
35.6
15.6
14.5
10.1
49.5
38.0
27.0
13.0
11.9
7.1
34.9
30.7
24.7
12.0
11.0
6.7
32.0
14.5
10.9
44.8
8.3
11.8
10.4
45.7
9.4
5.2
6.6
27.3
«
4.4
6.1
31.5
0
20.2
7.6
8.6
8 11.9
8.8
74.6
10.9
10.9
9.5
20.0
6.6
8.0
12.4
5.2
79.7
11.7
9.5
9.6
14.0
3.4
6.0
8.4
3.6
29.2
7.3
5.0
(6)
7.2
3.9
4.6
8.4
3.6
34.4
7.8
5.5
(6)
«28.1
26.4
14.1
27.6
26.9
14.4
16.5
20.9
(6)
17.1
21.0
(8)
13.6
14.8
13.6
12.9
13.3
8 17.6
13.0
14.8
13.3
12.2
13.4
17.7
10.0
10.7
13.2
8.4
0
9.6
10.0
10.4
13.6
8.6
(6)
8.8
11.7
3.9
11.4
3.8
0
30.4
24.0
10.4
30.4
24.1
10.4
8 18.6
18.8
20.1
8 24.8
28.2
24.1
33.2
30.6
20.2
24.6
25.5
24.2
28.4
30.8
11.3
18.3
20.1
15.6
17.9
0
11.7
20.2
(6)
16.5
17.9
0
7.1
15.6
20.3
14.9
6.7
15.8
20.2
13.8
5.1
13.6
17.3
0
5.2
13.7
8 17.6
0
12.8
23.1
5.8
6.5
0
20.7
17.6
9.1
9.3
22.3
17.2
8.6
9.9
(6)
971
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
T a b l e 4 . — Indexes of Average Retail Prices of All Foods, by Cities,1 on Specified Dates
[1935-39=100]
1946
1945
1941
1939
Apr. 16 2 Mar. 12
Apr. 17
J a n .14
Aug. 15
City
United States ____
. _____________________ ____
141.7
140.1
136.6
97.8
93.5
Atlanta, G a ._ ____. . .
. _ _ ... _ _
Baltimore, M d__________________________________
Birmingham, Ala_______________________ _______
Boston, Mass__________ ________________________
Bridgeport, Conn _____________________________
140.8
149.4
142.0
135.9
135.2
137.7
147.1
142.8
134.1
136.9
137.3
144.9
141.1
130.8
133.9
94.3
97.9
96.0
95.2
96.5
92.5
94.7
90.7
93.5
93.2
Buffalo, N. Y _________________________________
Butte, M ont___________
. .
. . .
. . .
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 3 ______ ____ . . . ____ . ... .........
Charleston, S. C ___________ _ . _ _ __________
Chicago, 111 ______________ . . . . . . . . _____
138.8
135.9
144.9
138.9
141.9
136.4
135.7
144.1
138.3
138.7
134.7
134.2
140 5
133.5
136.2
100.2
98.7
95 9
95.9
98.2
94.5
94. 1
Cincinnati, Ohio____ _
Cleveland, Ohio_________________ ________ ____
Columbus, Ohio__________ _______ _________ . .
Dallas, Tex_____________ ______ ________
Denver, Colo_____________ ______________________
137.9
144.5
133.3
138.2
140.5
136.9
142.7
131.2
138.3
139.9
135.0
140.7
128.4
134.4
137.9
96.5
99.2
93.4
92.6
94.8
90.4
93.6
88.1
91.7
92.7
Detroit, Mich____________ ______ _ _____
Pall River, Mass. ______. . . . .
Houston, Tex.........................
Indianapolis, Ind___________________________ ____
Jackson, Miss.3 _________________________ _____
140.1
133.7
139.7
137.7
145.2
137.0
133.8
139.3
136.0
146. 6
132.1
130.1
136.7
133.3
148.3
97.0
97.5
102.6
98.2
105 3
90. 6
95.4
97.8
90. 7
Jacksonville, Fla_____________ _______ ____ _ . .
Kansas City, Mo_________ . . . . ... ...........
Knoxville, Tenn.3________
Little Rock, Ark______
Los Angeles, Calif_______________________________
148.0
134.0
159.7
141.2
149.0
146.5
133.6
159. 1
137.9
148.9
145.5
131.5
156. 5
137.6
144.4
98.8
92.4
97 1
95.6
101.8
95.8
91.5
Louisville, K y ______________ . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manchester, N. H . . ____ _ ____________________
Memphis, T e n n ...____
Milwaukee, Wis_________
Minneapolis, M inn... . . . . . ______ ____________
133.8
137.8
149.8
138.3
133.0
132.9
136.4
148.8
136.5
131.8
130.6
132.7
145.2
134.3
129.5
95. 5
96.6
94.2
95.9
99.0
92.1
94.9
89.7
91.1
95.0
Mobile, Ala_________ ______ _______
Newark, N. J _____ _____ _ . . .
New Haven, Conn____ _______ __________________
New Orleans, L a _______
. ..
New York, N. Y _____
148. 6
143.1
136.8
153.6
144. 5
147.7
140.8
137.0
151.5
142.3
144.9
138.0
134.1
152.5
136.8
97.9
98.8
95. 7
101.9
99.5
95. 5
95.6
93. 7
97. 6
95.8
Norfolk, Va________________
Omaha, Nebr. ______
Peoria, 111___ _
....
Philadelphia, P a .. ______
Pittsburgh, P a .________
147.2
134.6
146.8
139.6
142.5
144.5
132.5
143.9
139.0
141.4
140.1
130.3
140.9
134.2
135.4
95.8
97.9
99.0
95.0
98.0
93.6
92.3
93.4
93.0
92.5
Portland, Maine_________________ _______
Portland, Oreg______
_____________ . _.
Providence, R. I . . . .
____. . . _
Richmond, Va ____________ ______
Rochester, N. Y . ...................................
135.4
151.5
141.8
136.7
138.6
134.8
149.9
139.9
136.5
135.9
131.3
147.4
134.1
133. 2
133.7
95.3
101.7
96.3
93.7
99.9
95.9
96.1
93. 7
92. 2
92.3
St. Louis, Mo......................................
St. Paul, Minn..................................... ..................
Salt Lake City, U tah.____ ___________________
San Francisco, Calif.......................... ...........................
Savannah, G a_______ ____ ____________________
143.4
131.9
143. 5
149.3
155.7
142.6
131.1
142.5
148.3
154.7
139.0
128.5
140.1
148.4
150.8
99.2
98.6
97.5
99.6
100.5
93.8
94.3
94.6
93.8
96.7
Scranton, P a ______ _____ ____ ____ ________
Seattle, Wash.......... ....................................
Springfield, 111_____________________ .
Washington, D. C__ ________
Wichita, Kans.3__________________ _____ _
Winston-Salem, N. C.3__________
143.3
146.3
145.8
142.2
149.4
141.7
141.8
145.6
144.1
141.3
148.0
141. 5
136.4
143.0
142.0
137.8
149 9
138.0
97.5
101.0
96.2
97.7
97 2
93.7
92.1
94.5
94.1
94.1
95.1
92.3
94.0
94.6
1Aggregate costs of 61 foods in each city (54 foods prior to March 1943), weighted to represent total pur
chases by wage earners and lower-salaried workers, have been combined for the United States with the use
of population weights. Primary use is for time-to-time comparisons rather than place-to-place comparisons.
2 Preliminary.
2 June 1940=100.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
972
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
T a b l e 5 . — Indexes of Retail Food Prices in 56 Large Cities Combined,1 1913 to April 1946
[1935-39 = 100]
All-foods
index
Year
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919 _
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
___
Year
All-foods
index
Year and
month
79. 9
81.8
80.9
90.8
116.9
134.4
149.8
1927 _______
1928________
1929
1930- _____
1931-1932________
1933________
132.3
130.8
132.5
126.0
103.9
86.5
84.1
1941________
1942________
1943________
1944- ______
1945- ______
168.8
128.3
119.9
124.0
122.8
132.9
137.4
1934________
1935________
1936 _______
1937________
1938
1939
1940- ______
93.7
100.4
101.3
105.3
97.8
95.2
96.6
January___
February..March____
April______
M ay_______
June ______
July_______
Year and
month
All-foods
index
105.5
123.9
138.0
136.1
139.1
1945
137.3
136.5
135.9
136.6
138.8
141.1
141.7
All-foods
index
1945— C on.
A u gu st-___
September
October-----November..
December.--
140.9
139.4
139.3
140.1
141.4
1946
January.. . .
February___
March____
April______
141.0
139.6
140.1
141.7
i Indexes based on 51 cities combined prior to March 1943.
Wholesale Prices in April 1946
H IG H ER prices for both agricultural and industrial commodities
raised average primary market prices 1.2 percent during April 1946,
the sharpest monthly advance in more than 4 years. The wholesale 1
price index prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, rose to 110.2
percent of the 1926 average, 4.3 percent above the level at the end
of the war, and 47 percent above the level of August 1939, prior to
the start of war in Europe.
In sharp distinction to wartime price movements, industrial and
agricultural products have shared almost equally in price advances in
recent months. This trend continued in April, with farm products
rising 1.5 percent, foods 1.3 percent, and all other commodities 1.1
percent. Prices for nonagricultural commodities in April were 4
percent above the level of a year earlier, and 29 percent above the
August 1939 average.
Price advances during the month for agricultural commodities were
largely seasonal, or reflected inadequate supplies. Competitive bid
ding by buyers, prior to the imposition of slaughter controls, raised
quotations for cattle, and sheep prices advanced seasonally. Prices
for chickens rose sharply, stimulated by the shortage of meats. Rye
quotations rose 15 percent to levels approximately $1 per bushel
above the ceiling which becomes effective June 1. Most fresh fruits
and vegetables were higher. In addition, there were advances to
new ceilings for citrus fruits, to cover higher labor costs of producers.
Egg prices were generally lower, as storage stocks reached an all-time
high. Cotton quotations continued to advance, while prices for
foreign wools weakened with increased imports and poorer quality.
i The Bureau of Labor Statistics wholesale price data, for the most part, represent prices in primary
markets. In general, the prices are those charged by manufacturers or producers or are those prevailing
on commodity exchanges. The monthly index is calculated from a monthly average of one-day-a-week
prices. It should not be compared directly with the weekly wholesale price index, which is designed as
an indicator of week-to-week changes. Indexes for the last 2 months are preliminary.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
973
Higher prices for processed foods resulted from a number of OPA
ceiling adjustments made to cover higher costs. Thus, prices of
fresh meats averaged higher in April, and most dried fruits increased
in price. Buying prices for fluid milk in Chicago rose as the usual
seasonal decrease in prices, under the Milk Marketing Agreement,
was suspended and producers were given a temporary price advance.
Bread prices rose in some areas as OPA permitted a 10 percent re
duction in loaf weight without a corresponding reduction in the
price per loaf, in order to encourage the saving of cereal grains for
foreign relief shipment. Black pepper prices averaged higher in
April, following earlier ceiling adjustments.
Textile products rose 3.1 percent on the average during April, with
the sharpest increases for clothing. Men’s and boys’ suits and top
coats rose from 7 to 15 percent in price, following readjustment of
OPA ceilings to allow cost-plus-margin pricing and stimulate pro
duction of lower price lines. Work clothing prices also were higher
with ceiling adjustments to restore profit margins to manufacturers.
Cotton goods averaged 3.5 percent higher in April, reflecting ceiling
adjustments in earlier months.
Crude-petroleum prices were increased 10 cents per barrel early in
April, and gasoline quotations, which had been below ceiling for
several months, advanced, reflecting partly the higher crude prices
and partly increased demand with the coming of summer.
Metals and metal products rose 0.4 percent as a group, with higher
ceilings allowed to cover increased labor and material costs for agri
cultural implements, rivets, bolts and screws, and copper and brassmill products.
OPA ceiling adjustments to stimulate output of materials needed
for the housing program continued to be reflected in higher prices for
building materials. These commodities rose 1.3 percent as a group to
a level 7.4 percent higher than at the end of the war. Price increases
were reported for common and refractory brick, cement, and practi
cally all types of construction lumber except southern pine, and for
sewer pipe, radiators, range boilers, and plumbing fixtures.
Housefurnishing goods rose 0.6 percent during April, largely
because of higher prices for textile furnishings. Cotton blankets,
sheets, and pillowcases advanced about 2 percent under OPA reg
ulations to stimulate production of certain staple commodities.
Manufacturers raised prices of wool floor coverings approximately
4.5 percent under the second ceiling adjustment for these commodities
in recent months. Hard-surfaced floor coverings also were higher
with additional ceiling increases.
Continuing the recent program to stimulate production of standard
products, OPA raised ceiling prices for container board and wood
pulp. The higher prices for wood pulp also were designed to encourage
increased imports. Manufacturers’ prices for cigarettes were in
creased late in the month to cover higher labor and material costs,
and soap prices continued to advance fractionally. Ceilings for
quebracho were raised to allow domestic purchasers to meet world
market prices
69 5 2 2 8 — 46-
-9
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
974
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
T a b l e 1 . — Indexes of Wholesale Prices by Groups and Subgroups of Commodities, April
1946, Compared with Previous Months
Percent of change to
April 1946 from—
Indexes (1926=100)
Groups and subgroups
April
1946
March
1946
April
1945
All commodities.- _______________ ______
110.2
108.9
105.7
75.0
+ 1 .2
+ 4.3
+46.9
Farm products___________________________
Grains____ __________________ ______ _
Livestock and poultry.. .............................
Other farm products. ...... ......................
Foods_________________ ________________
Dairy products.. ____________________
Cereal products. _. ______ ____________
Fruits and vegetables__________________
Meats---------------------- ------------ -----------Other foods____________________ ______
Hides and leather products.................. ..............
Shoes____ _________ _________ ______
Hides and skins_______ _______ ____ _
Leather---------------------------------------------Other leather products______ ________
Textile products ---------- --------------------------Clothing_____________________________
Cotton goods. _ _ -------------------------------Hosiery and underwear_____________ _
Rayon---------------- ----------------------------Silk____ ______ ___________________
Woolen and worsted goods...... ....................
Other textile products____________ ____ _
Fuel and lighting materials.. _____________
Anthracite___________ ____ _____ ______
Bituminous coal.............. ...............................
Coke_______ ______ ___________________
Electricity-__________ ___________ _____
Gas_____________________________ ____
Petroleum and products. . ______ ______
Metals and metal products_________ ____ _
Agricultural implements................... ...........
Farm machinery.. _______ _____ ____ __ _
Iron and steel_________________________
Motor vehicles______ _______________ _
Nonferrous metals_____________________
Plumbing and heating______________ _
Building materials.__________________ ____
Brick and tile__________ ____ ________ _
Cement_____ _______________ _
Lumber. _ _________________________ .
Paint and paint materials__________ .
Plumbing and heating_________________
Structural steel______________ ___ ____
Other building materials_______________
Chemicals and allied products_____ ________
Chemicals___________________
Drugs and pharmaceuticals______
Fertilizer materials________ ____ _____
Mixed fertilizers______ _____ ____
Oils and f a t s ...........................................
Housefurnishing goods__________ _______
Furnishings_________________
Furniture_____ ________ ______
Miscellaneous.___________________
Automobile tires and tubes______
Cattle feed_________ ______ ____
Paper and pulp_______________
Rubber, crude............ ....................
Other miscellaneous.............................
Raw materials____________ .
Semimanufactured articles..............
Manufactured products.......................
All commodities other than farm products
All commodities other than farm products
and foods ........................ .
135.4
137.0
135.1
134.2
110.8
116.3
99.4
138.2
110.3
97.7
119.8
128.6
117.6
104.0
115.2
107.9
117.4
137.6
75.5
30.2
133.4
136.7
133.5
131.4
109.4
116.1
96.2
133.1
109.6
97.7
119.8
128.6
117.6
104.0
115.2
104.7
109.5
132.9
75.5
30.2
129.0
130.5
136.4
123.2
105.8
110.7
95.4
123.4
108.2
94.7
117.9
126.3
117.0
101.3
115.2
99.6
107. 4
119.7
71. 5
30.2
+ 1 .5
+ .2
+ 1.2
+ 2.1
+ 1.3
+ .2
+ 3.3
+ 3 .8
0
0
0
0
0
0
+ 3.1
+ 7.2
+ 3.5
0
0
+ 5.0
+ 5.0
- 1 .0
+ 8.9
+ 4 .7
+5.1
+ 4.2
+12.0
+ 1.9
+ 3.2
+ 1.6
+ 1.8
+ .5
+ 2.7
0
+ 8.3
+ 9.3
+15.0
+ 5.6
0
+122.0
+166.0
+104. 7
+123.3
+64.9
+71.3
+38.2
+136. 2
+49.7
+62.0
+29.2
+27.6
+52.3
+23.8
+18.6
+59.1
+44.0
+110.1
+22.8
+ 6.0
112.7
110.5
86.1
104.0
125.2
133.5
(>)
(9
62.8
108.8
98.6
99.6
107.4
112.8
87.1
100.8
126.5
119.9
102.4
171.4
108.0
100.8
120.1
112.8
96.1
97.1
112.4
81.9
86.6
102.1
107.5
112.1
102.9
95.7
73.0
159.6
113.9
46.2
99.2
122.2
101.1
105.5
104.5
112.7
109.6
85.0
104.0
125.2
134.9
(i)
79. 6
61.2
108.4
98.5
99.6
107.0
112.8
86.1
95.1
124.9
117.4
102.3
167.6
107.8
95.1
120.1
112.3
96.0
97.0
111.7
81.9
86.6
102.1
106.9
110.9
102.9
95.6
73.0
159.6
113.7
46.2
98.9
120.5
100.4
104.5
103.4
112.7
100.9
83.5
95.3
120.6
130.7
58. 7
77. 0
64.2
104.2
97.5
98.7
98.1
112.8
85.9
92.4
117.1
110.6
99.4
154.4
106.3
92.4
107.3
103.8
94.9
95.8
106.8
81.9
86.6
102.0
104.5
107.5
101.5
94.8
73.0
159.6
109.0
46.2
98.9
116.8
95.0
101.8
100.5
61.0
51.5
66.0
60.1
67.2
67.9
71.9
58.5
73.7
60.3
92.7
100.8
77.2
84.0
97.1
67.8
81.5
65.5
61.5
28.5
44. 3
75.5
63.7
72.6
72.1
96.0
104.2
75. 8
86. 7
51.7
93.2
93.5
94.7
95.1
92.5
74.6
79.3
89.6
90.5
91.3
90.1
82.1
79.3
107.3
89.5
74.2
83.8
77.1
65.5
73.1
40.6
85.6
90.0
81.1
73.3
60.5
68.4
80.0
34.9
81.3
66.5
74.5
79.1
77.9
0
+ .8
+ 1.3
0
0
- 1 .0
0
+ 9.5
+ 3.1
+ 9.1
+ 3.8
+ 2.1
+49. 3
+73.5
+18.6
+44.2
+30.4
+28.1
+ 2 .6
+ .4
+ .1
0
+ .4
0
+ 1 .2
+ 6.0
+ 1.3
+2.1
+ 2.3
+ .2
+ 6.0
0
+ .4
+ .1
+ .1
+ .6
0
0
0
+ .6
+ 1.1
0
+ .1
0
0
+ .2
0
+ .3
+ 1.4
+ .7
+ 1.0
+ 1.1
-2 .2
+ 4.4
+ 1.1
+ .9
+ 9.5
0
+ 1.4
+ 9.1
+ 8.0
+ 8.4
+ 3.0
+11.0
+ 1.6
+9.1
+11.9
+ 8.7
+ 1.3
+ 1.4
+ 5.2
0
0
+ .1
+ 2.9
+ 4.3
+ 1.4
+ .9
0
0
+ 4.5
0
+ .3
+ 4.6
+ 6.4
+ 3.6
+ 4.0
+21.5
+16.7
+5. 5
+ 5.2
+12.9
+21.9
+16.8
+27.1
+41. 2
+32.5
+12.2
+90.2
+31. 5
+27.1
+11.9
+26.0
+29.5
+15. 9
+45.8
+25.0
+18.5
+151.5
+25.6
+24.6
+26.9
+30. 6
+20.7
+133. 3
+42.4
+32.4
+22.0
+83.8
+35.7
+33.4
+34.1
103.3
102.2
99.3
80.1
+ 1.1
+ 4.0
+29.0
>No quotation.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
August March
1939
1946
April
1945
August
1939
975
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING
Index Numbers by Commodity Groups, 1926 to A pril 1946
Index numbers of wholesale prices by commodity groups for se
lected years from 1926 to 1945, and by months from April 1945 to
April 1946 are shown in table 2.
T a b l e 2 . — Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices by Groups of Commodities
[1926=100]
Foods
Hides
and
leath
er
prod
ucts
Tex
tile
prod
ucts
Fuel
and
light
ing
mate
rials
Metals
and
metal
prod
ucts
Build
ing
mate
rials
100.0
104.9
48.2
51.4
80.9
86.4
68.5
100.0
99.9
61.0
60.5
82.1
85.5
73.6
100.0
109.1
72.9
80.9
95.4
104.6
92.8
100.0
90.4
54.9
64.8
71.5
76.3
66.7
100.0
83.0
70.3
66.3
76.2
77.6
76.5
100.0
100.5
80.2
79.8
87.0
95.7
95.7
100.0
95.4
71.4
77.0
86.7
95. 2
90.3
100.0
94.0
73.9
72.1
78.7
82.6
77.0
65.3
67. 7
82.4
105.9
122.6
123.3
128.2
70.4
71.3
82.7
99.6
106.6
104.9
106.2
95.6
100.8
108.3
117.7
117.5
116.7
118.1
69.7
73.8
84.8
96.9
97.4
98.4
100.1
73.1
71.7
76. 2
78.5
80.8
83.0
84.0
94.4
95.8
99.4
103.8
103.8
103.8
104.7
90.5
94.8
103.2
110.2
111.4
115.5
117.8
April______
M ay_______
June_______
July_______
129.0
129.9
130.4
129.0
105.8
107.0
107.5
106.9
117.9
117.9
118.0
118.0
99.6
99.6
99.6
99.6
83.5
83.7
83.9
84.3
104.2
104.3
104.7
104.7
August____
SeptemberOctober__ _
November-..
December..-
126.9
124.3
127.3
131.1
131.5
106.4
104.9
105.7
107.9
108.6
118.0
118.7
118.6
118.8
118.9
99.6
100.1
101.0
101.1
101.4
84.8
84.1
84. 2
84.6
84.8
129.9
130.8
133.4
135'. 4
107.3
107.8
109.4
110.8
119.4
119.6
119.8
119.8
101.6
102.2
104.7
107.9
84.9
85.1
85.0
86.1
Year and
month
Farm
prod
ucts
1926________
1929________
1932________
1933________
1936________
1937________
1938 _______
1939________
1940________
1941________
1942________
1943________
1944________
1945________
Chem Houseicals
furand
nishallied
ing
prod goods
ucts
Miscellaneous
All
com
modi
ties
100.0
94.3
75.1
75.8
81.7
89.7
86.8
100.0
82.6
64.4
62.5
70.5
77.8
73.3
100.0
95.3
64.8
65.9
80.8
86.3
78.6
76.0
77.0
84.4
95.5
94.9
95.2
95.2
86.3
88.5
94.3
102.4
102.7
104.3
104.5
74.8
77.3
82.0
89.7
92.2
93.6
94.7
77. 1
78.6
87.3
98.8
103.1
104.0
105.8
117.1
117.3
117.4
117.5
94.9
94.9
95.0
95.3
104.5
104.5
104.5
104.5
94.8
94.8
94.8
94.8
105.7
106.0
106. 1
105.9
104.7
104.9
105.0
105.2
105.6
117.8
118.0
118.3
118.7
119.5
95.3
95.3
95.5
95.7
96.1
104.5
104.6
104.7
104.7
104.7
94.8
94.8
94.8
94.8
94.8
105.7
105. 2
105.9
106.8
107.1
105.7
106.6
108.4
108.8
120.0
120.9
124.9
126.5
96.0
95.9
96.0
96.1
106.2
106.5
106.9
107.5
95.3
95.6
95.6
95.7
107. 1
107.7
108.9
110.2
1945
1946
January____
February___
March_____
April______
The price trend for specified years and months since 1926 is shown
in table 3 for the following groups of commodities: Raw materials,
semimanufactured articles, manufactured products, commodities
other than farm products, and commodities other than farm products
and foods. The list of commodities included under the classifications
“ Raw m aterials/’ “ Semimanufactured articles,” and “ Manufactured
products” was shown on pages 10 and 11 of Wholesale Prices, Ju ly December and Year 1943 (Bulletin No. 785).
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
976
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
T a b l e 3 . — Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices by Special Groups of Commodities
[1926 = 100]
Year
All
com
Semi- Man modi
manties
Raw ufac- ufac
mate tured tured other
prod than
rials
arti
farm
ucts
cles
prod
ucts
All
com
modi
ties
other
than
farm
prod
ucts
and
foods
100.0
97. 5
55.1
56 5
79.9
100.0
93.9
59. 3
65. 4
75. 9
100.0
94. 5
70. 3
70.5
82.0
100.0
93.3
68.3
69.0
80.7
100.0
91.6
70.2
71.2
79.6
1937
193«
1939
1940________
1941________
84.8
72. 0
70.2
71.9
83.5
85.3
75. 4
77.0
79.1
86.9
87.2
82. 2
80.4
81.6
89.1
86.2
80.6
79.5
80.8
88.3
85.3
81.7
81.3
83.0
89.0
1942
1943
1944
1945________
100. 6
112.1
113.2
116.8
92.6
92.9
94.1
95.9
98.6
100.1
100.8
101.8
97.0
98.7
99.6
100.8
95.5
96.9
98.5
•99.7
1926
1Q9Q
1932
1Q33
1Q26
Year and
month
SemimanRaw ufacmate- tured
rails
arti
cles
1945
April .
May . . . .
June _ ___
July_______
August. _ __
September...
October __ .
November.
December...
1946
January. . . .
February___
March_____
April______
All
com
All
com modi
Man modi ties
other
ties
ufac
tured other than
prod than farm
farm prod
ucts
prod ucts
and
ucts
foods
116.8
117.7
118.2
117.5
116.3
114.8
116.6
118.9
119.2
95.0
95.0
95.4
95.3
95.5
96.5
96.8
96.9
97.6
101.8
101.8
101.8
101.8
101.8
101.7
101.9
102.2
102.5
100.5
100.6
100.7
100.7
100.9
100.9
101.0
101.3
101.6
99.3
99.4
99.6
99.7
99.9
99.8
100.1
100.2
100.5
118.3
118.9
120.5
122.2
97.6
98.8
100.4
101.1
102.9
103.4
104. 5
105.5
101.9
102. 5
103.4
104.5
100.8
101.3
102.2
103.3
Weekly Fluctuations
Weekly changes in wholesale prices by groups of commodities dur
ing March and April 1946 are shown by the index numbers in table
4. These indexes are not averaged to obtain an index for the month
but are computed only to indicate the fluctuations from week to week.
T a b l e 4 . — Weekly Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices by Commodity Groups, March
and April 1946
[1926 = 100]
All commodities________
_____
109.1
108 7
108.4
108.4
108.2
107.6
135.2
109.7
120.1
104.5
85.5
133.3
109.5
120.1
104.3
85.4
132.9
109.4
120.1
102.4
85.4
133.1
109.5
120.1
101.9
85.4
133. 9
109.2
120.1
101.9
85.4
130.7
107.9
120.1
101. 4
85. 4
108.2
124.0
96.1
108.7
95.4
108.0
124.0
96.0
108.7
95.4
107.9
123.6
96.0
108.5
95.4
107.9
123.6
96.0
108.4
95.4
107.7
123.3
96.0
108.4
95. 4
107.8
121.1
96.0
108.3
95. 4
107.8
121.0
96.0
108.0
95. 4
122.8
100.8
104.8
122.2
100.6
104.6
121.1
100.5
104.5
120.9
100.3
104.3
121.0
99.7
104.3
121.4
99.6
103.8
119.5
99.6
103.7
-- 109.6 i 109.6
109.3
135.5 i 135.4
110.3 110.4
120.3 120.3
105.5 105. 2
86.6
86.6
135.1
109.9
120.3
105.0
86.5
109.0
126.0
96.1
108.7
95.4
123.0 i 123.0
101.2 100.8
105.1 105.1
Metals and metal products
--------- 109.0
Building materials.-. ------------------- 126.0
96.1
Chemicals and allied products------Housefurnishing goods.
------------- 108.7
Miscellaneous----- -------------------------- 95.5
Raw materials. ------Semimanufactured articles------- -Manufactured products _ ----------All commodities other than farm
products.. . ------- --------- --------All commodities other than farm
products and foods... - .............
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Mar.
16
Apr.
6
Farm products ------- ----Foods ____ ___________ ________ _
Hides and leather products-------------Textile products___________
___
Fuel and lighting materials..
------
1 Revised.
Mar.
23
Apr.
13
Mar.
S
Mar.
2
Mar.
30
Apr.
20
Apr.
27
Commodity group
103.9
103.9
103.7
103.4
103.3
103.0
103.0
102.6
102.5
103.1
103.1
102.8
102.4
102.3
102.0
101.9
101.6
101.5
Building Operations
Building Construction in Urban Areas, April 1946
T H E value of building construction scheduled to be started in urban
areas of the United States during April 1946 amounted to 398 million
dollars as compared to 741 million dollars in March. It is significant
that nonresidential building made up nearly seven-tenths of the 343million-dollar drop. April valuations could not be expected to approx
imate the March figures, because building “starts” in that month
were given an extra stimulus by builders who rushed plans for certain
types of projects in order to get operations under way before the
construction limitation order was issued on March 26.
Although building permit valuations were much lower in April 1946
than in March, they were 10 percent above the February level; yet
valuations in February 1946 were higher than in any month since the
beginning of 1942 when monthly data first became available. The
higher value of building scheduled to start in April, as compared with
February, was accounted for entirely by the fact that residential
building was 56 percent greater; the value of nonresidential building
and additions, alterations, and repairs was lower.
During April, 46,388 dwelling units were scheduled to be started in
urban areas, 16 percent less than the 55,332 reported in March but
41 percent more than the 32,936 units scheduled in February. A year
ago only 12,511 units were started and nearly a fourth of these were
Federal projects. Federal housing dwindled from 5,266 units in
March to 970 in April.
T able
1.— Permit Valuation1 of Building Construction in All Urban Areas,'by Class of
Construction and by Source of Funds, A pril 1946 2
Valuation (in millions)
Total
Class of construction
April
1946
All construction.
____
Percent of
change from—
March
1946
Federal
Non-Federal
April
1945
April
1946
Percent of
change from—
March
1946
April
1945
Percent of
change from—
April
1946
March
1946
\
April
1945
_.
$398
-4 6 .3 +237.4
$394
-4 5 .1 +372.1
$4
-8 4 .2
-8 9 .7
New residential______ ____
New nonresidential. . . ____
Additions, alterations, and
repairs_______ ______
226
109
-1 7 .8 +465.2
-6 8 .4 +163. 6
224
107
-1 5 .0 +583. 2
-6 7 .9 +534. 5
2
2
-8 6 .3
-8 1 .8
-7 9 .5
-9 2 .2
-8 6 .9
-9 3 .2
63
-4 8 .2
+72.6
63
1 Includes value of Federal construction contracts awarded.
2 Percentage change computed before rounding.
3 Value less than $500,000.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
-4 7 .7
+86.6
(3)
977
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
978
19 46
T a b l e 2 . — Number of New Dwelling Units and Permit Valuation * of Building (con
struction in All Urban Areas, by Source of Funds and by Type of Dwelling, April 1940
Valuation (in thousands)
Number of dwelling units
Percent of
change from—
Percent of
change from—
Source of funds and type of dwelling
April 1946
April 1946
All dwellings.------------ -----------------------Privately financed------- ----------------- -----1family-------------------------2family2----- .------------------Multifamily 3--------------------------------Federally financed..------ -----------------------
March
1946
April
1945
March
1946
April
1945
46,388
-1 6 .2
+270. 8
$223, 208
-1 5 .0
+462.0
45,418
39,000
2, 571
3,847
970
- 9 .3
-6 .7
-4 ,2
-3 1 .3
-8 1 .6
+378.0
+454.4
+197. 6
+139. 8
-6 7 .8
221, 754
195,969
10, 688
15,097
1,454
-1 2 .2
- 9 .9
- 9 .0
-3 5 .5
-8 5 .4
+580.1
+664.0
+320.0
+242. 4
-7 9 .6
1 Includes value of Federal construction contracts awarded.
Includes 1- and 2-family dwellings with stores,
s Includes multifamily dwellings with stores.
2
T a b l e 3 .— Permit Valuation 1 of Building Construction in All Urban Areas, by Class
of Construction and by Source of Funds, First 4 Months of 1945 and 1946
Valuation (in millions)
Class of construction
First 4 months
of—
1946
1945
Per
cent of
change
First 4 months
of—
1946
All construction_________ $1, 806
$383 +371. 5
$1, 757
771
725
102 +655. 9
168 +331. 5
748
706
310
113 +174. 3
303
New residential-------------New nonresidential--------Additions, alterations and
repairs_______________
Federal
Non-Federal
Total
1945
Percent
of
change
First 4 months
of—
1946
1945
Per
cent of
change
+594. 5
$49
$130
-6 2 . 3
+722.0
91
61 +1,057. 4
23
19
11
107
+109.1
-8 2 . 2
+200.0
7
12
-4 1 . 7
$253
101
1Includes value of Federal construction contracts awarded.
Comparison of First 4 Months of 1945 and 1946
The value of urban building construction started during the first
4 months of 1946, amounting to over 1,800 million dollars, is approxi
mately five times greater than the 383-million-dollar figure for the
corresponding period of 1945. Residential building valuations rose
nearly eightfold, from 102 to 771 million dollars: and nonresidential
building rose more than 4 times, from 168 to 725 million dollars.
Non-Federal building as a whole increased nearly seven times, from
253 to 1,757 million dollars; but the value of all Federal contracts
awarded declined from 130 million to 49 million dollars even though
Federal residential construction increased.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
979
BUILDING OPERATIONS
T a b l e 4 . — Number of New Dwelling Units and Permit Valuation 1 of Building Con
struction in All Urban Areas, by First 4 Months of 1945 and 1946
Number of dwelling units
Source of funds and type of dwelling
First 4 months of—
1946
All dwellings , _ _____
1945
Percent
of change
Value (in thousands)
First 4 months of—
1946
1945
Percent
of change
162, 259
31, 764
+410.8
$746, 932
$100, 255
+645.0
Privately financed,_ ______
_
149,905
1family
____________ , , 126,643
,
2family2_ _
8,355
Multifamily 3____ ________ ,
14,907
Federally financed,,, ________ . . . . . .
12, 354
27,843
21,807
2,344
3,692
3, 921
+438.4
+480. 7
+256.4
+303.8
+215.1
725,163
635,023
34,043
56,097
21, 769
89,839
72,360
6,627
10,852
10,416
+707.2
+777. 6
+413. 7
+416.9
+109.0
1 Includes value of Federal construction contracts awarded.
2 Includes 1- and 2-family dwellings with stores.
2 Includes multifamily dwellings with stores.
Construction From Federal Funds , A pril 1946
The value of contracts awarded and force-account work started
during March and April 1946 and April 1945 on all construction
projects financed wholly or partially from Federal funds and reported
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics is shown in table 5. This table
includes all types of construction both inside and outside the corporate
limits of cities in continental United States.
The contracts awarded and force-account work started on Federally
financed building construction inside the corporate limits of cities in
urban areas were valued at $3,560,496 in April 1946; $22,579,797 in
March 1946; and $34,424,801 in April 1945.
T a b l e 5 . — Value of Contracts Awarded and Force-Account Work Started on Federally
Financed Construction in Continental United States, by Type of Project, April 1946
Value (in thousands)
Type of project
All types..................................... . .
Airports 3__________ __________
Buildings:
Residential_______________
Nonresidential........................
Electrification <_______________
Highways, streets, and roads__
Reclamation_________________
River, harbor, and flood control.
Water and sewer......... ................ .
Miscellaneous,......... .....................
April.1946;11
March 1946 2
Aprilp945 3
$55, 992
$85,153
1.973
743
1,666
1,538
5,530
768
31,068
2,821
5,035
309
6,950
14, 999
15,692
3,593
24,992
7, 501
12,318
61
5,254
10,339
41, 766
737
2,686
1,938
787
1,435
1,939
$63,293
1
Preliminary; subject to revision. Because of delay in receipt of contract notifications the total shown
is probably an understatement of from 20 to 30 percent. The revised figure will be shown next month.
The greater part will be for nonresidential building. Water and sewer and miscellaneous projects (most
dual or multipurpose projects that cannot be classified separately) will probably also be changed materially
but to a lesser degree. Little or no change can be expected in the following: Highways, streets and roads;
river, harbor and flood control; and reclamation.
3 Revised.
3 Exclusive of hangars and other buildings which are included under building construction.
4 Includes the value of loan agreements made for Rural Electrification projects.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
980
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
Coverage and Method
Figures on building construction in this report cover the entire
urban area of the United States which by Census definition includes
all incorporated places with a 1940 population of 2,500 or more, and
by special rule, a small number of unincorporated civil divisions.
Valuation figures, the basis for statements concerning value, are
derived from estimates of construction cost made by prospective
builders when applying for permits to build and the value of contracts
awarded by the Federal Government. No land costs are included.
Unless otherwise indicated, only building construction within the
corporate limits of cities in urban areas is included in the tabulations.
Reports of building permits which were received for cities containing
between 80 and 85 percent of the urban population of the country
provide the basis for estimating the total number of buildings and
dwelling units and the valuation of private urban building construc
tion. Similar data for Federally financed urban building construction
are compiled directly from notifications of construction contracts
awarded, as furnished by Federal agencies.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Trends o f Employment and Labor
Turn-Over
Labor Force, April 1946
U N EM PLO YM EN T declined by 360,000 persons between March
and April to a level of 2,350,000, according to the Bureau of the
Census Monthly Report on the Labor Force. Employment rose by
1,600,000, and the civilian labor force increased by 1,240,000 to
reach 56,900,000.
The decrease in the number of unemployed persons between March
and April reversed the upward movement which had prevailed since
the war’s end. A substantial reduction in unemployment of veterans
was the main factor underlying the total decline during the month.
In April, male unemployment (1,890,000) was over four times the
VJ-day level, whereas female unemployment (460,000) was approxi
mately the same as at the end of the war.
Total Labor Force in the United States, Classified by Employment Status, Hours Worked,
and Sex, March and April 1946
[Source: U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census]
Estimated number (in thousands) of persons
14 years of age and over 1
Item
Total, both sexes
March
April
Total labor force 2--------------- --------------------------------
60,040
Civilian labor force____________________ ____
Unemployment________________ _ ------------- Employment__________________ ______________
Nonagricultural___________________________
Worked 35 hours or more_______________
Worked 15-34 hours____________________
Worked 1-14 hours 3___ _ ____________
With a job but not at work 4_____ ______
Agricultural___________
_____________
Worked 35 hours or more_______________
Worked 15-34 hours_______________ .-----Worked 1-14 hours 3__ _ ______ _
With a job but not at work 4_____ _ . . .
55, 660
2, 710
52, 950
45, 370
38,070
4, 020
1,270
2,010
7,580
5,540
1,690
200
150
Male
Female
March
April
March
60, 740
43, 650
44,070
16,390
16, 670
56, 900
2,350
54, 550
46,360
39, 000
4, 290
1,120
1,950
8,190
6,260
1,590
160
180
39, 370
2, 200
37,170
30, 750
26, 770
2,010
560
1,410
6, 420
5,190
990
120
120
40, 310
1,890
38, 420
31,590
27, 570
2,100
440
1,480
6,830
5,780
860
(*)
100
16, 290
510
15, 780
14, 620
11, 300
2,010
710
600
1,160
350
700
(*)
(*)
16, 590
460
16,130
14,770
11, 430
2,190
680
470
1,360
480
730
(*)
(*)
April
1 Estimates are subject to sampling variation which may be large in cases where the quantities shown are
relatively small. Therefore, the smaller estimates should be used with caution; those under 100,000 are not
presented in the table but are replaced with an asterisk (*). All data exclude persons in institutions.
2 Total labor force consists of the civilian labor force and the armed forces. Estimates of the armed forces
during the census week are projected from data on net strength as of the first of the month.
3 Excludes persons engaged only in incidental unpaid family work (less than 15 hours); these persons are
classified as not in the labor force.
4 Includes persons who had a job or business, but who did not work during the census week because of
illness, bad weather, vacation, labor dispute, or because of temporary lay-off with definite instructions to
return to work within 30 days of lay-off. Does not include unpaid family workers.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
981
982
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
Increases of 610,000 in agricultural employment and 990,000 in
non agricultural employment accounted for the gain in total employ
ment between March and April. The gain in farm employment was
largely seasonal in character, continuing the upswing which began in
February. The unusually large increase in nonfarm employment
during the month took place principally among veterans.
I t is significant that for the second successive month there was an
increase in the number of women engaged in nonagricultural pursuits.
Although this may partly reflect the pre-Easter expansion of retail
trade, it also indicates the cessation of large-scale withdrawals of
women from the labor force following the end of the war.
Summary of Employment Reports for April 1946
EX PA N D IN G employment in virtually all industry divisions in April
raised the total number of nonagricultural employees to 36,928,000,
the highest level since the end of the Second World War. At the same
time unemployment declined by 13 percent, according to the Bureau
of the Census, to a level of 2,350,000.
Sizable increases in employment between mid-March and mid-April
were reported by manufacturing, construction, and trade establish
ments. The increase of almost 200,000 workers raised employment in
construction to 1,549,000, the highest number since the beginning of
1943. The only significant employment decline among the major
industry divisions was in mining as a result of the coal strike.
Industrial and Business Employment
The number of production workers in manufacturing increased over
the month by 510,000 to a level of 11,153,000. For the most part this
increase was concentrated in the durable-goods group and reflected
primarily the resumption of operations after the settlement of labormanagement disputes.
Employment increases in the lumber, furniture, and stone groups
amounted to almost 40,000 between March and April. Employment
in each of these groups is above the level in April 1945 and combined
employment for the 3 groups is more than 130,000 (11 percent) above
that of last year.
The net increase in employment in the nondurable-goods group
amounted to 16,000, with a pronounced upward trend in 7 of the 11
major groups. Contraseasonal employment gains were reported in
the leather, paper, and printing groups. Employment in the apparel
group increased by 2,000, rather than experiencing the usual seasonal
decline.
Although seasonal increases occurred in several industries of the
food group, employment for the group as a whole declined by 11,000.
Government restrictions affecting the baking industry and livestock
shortages curtailing operations in slaughtering and meat packing were
primarily responsible for this decline.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
983
T a b l e 1.— Estimated Number of Employees in Nonagricultural Establishments, by
Industry Division
Estimated number of employees
•(in thousands)
Industry division
April
1946 i
Total estimated employment2________
____________ ______
Manufacturing 2________________ __________
Mining__________________________________
Contract construction and Federal force-account construction..
Transportation and public utilities____________________ ____
T r a d e ..____________ _______ ___________
Finance, service, and miscellaneous ______ _________
Federal, State, and local government, excluding Federal forceaccount construction__________ . . ____ _ . . . _____ _
March
1946
February
1946
April
1945
36,928
36, 281
35, 374
37, 791
12, 551
505
1,549
3,922
7, 759
5,140
12,014
801
1,345
3,929
7,622
5,076
11,401
808
1.260
3,907
7,505
5,031
15,102
761
699
3,792
6,990
4,444
5, 502
5,494
5,462
6,003
1 Preliminary.
2 Estimates include all full- and part-time wage and salary workers in nonagricultural establishments who
are employed during the pay period ending nearest the 15th of the month. Proprietors, self-employed
persons, domestic servants, and personnel of the armed forces are excluded.
3 Estimates for manufacturing have been adjusted to levels indicated by Anal 1942 data made available
by the Bureau of Employment Security of the Federal Security Agency. Since the estimated number of
production workers in manufacturing industries have been further adjusted to final 1944 data, subsequent
to December 1942, the two sets of estimates are not comparable.
T a b l e 2.-—Estimated Number of Production Workers and Indexes of Production-Worker
Employment in Manufacturing Industries, by Major Industry Group 1
Estimated number of produc
tion workers (thousands)
Industry group
Productionworker indexes
(1939=100)
Apr.
1946 2
Mar.
1946
Feb.
1946
Apr.
1945
Apr.
1946 2
All manufacturing. . ____________________________
Durable goods.. . . . . . . . . . ___ . ________
Nondurable goods__ . . .
.
............ .
11,153
5,497
5,656
10, 643
5,003
5,640
9,989
4,427
5, 562
13,356
7,854
5, 502
136.1
152.2
123.5
129.9
138.5
123.1
Iron and steel and their products_______ _ _ _____
Electrical machinery___ . . . . . __________________
..
Machinery, except electrical
. . . . . ____
Transportation equipment, except automobiles... . . .
Automobiles.. . . ______________ ______ ____ ____
Nonferrous metals and their products____________ _
Lumber and timber basic products . . . _________
Furniture and finished lum ber products__ ____ _____
Stone, clay, and glass products_______________ ____
1,348
448
948
496
624
332
558
367
377
1,268
367
880
464
445
317
534
361
367
843
348
831
467
415
291
521
355
356
1,707
715
1,184
1,964
691
423
510
342
318
135.9
172.9
179.3
312.8
155.1
144.9
132.6
111.5
128.4
127.9
141.8
166.5
292.6
110.7
138.4
127.0
109.9
124.9
Textile-mill products and other fiber manufactures__
Apparel and other finished textile products. . . .
Leather and leather products.. . _______________ . . .
Food____________ _____________________________
Tobacco manufactures.. . _. ____ . . . . .
Paper and allied products____ _____ ____________ 1
Printing, publishing, and allied industries...
____
Chemicals and allied products.. . _ _________ . . . .
Products of petroleum and coal__________________ .
Rubber products . . . _____ __________ ______ .
Miscellaneous industries________________________ .
1,183
1,018
356
1,023
85
357
374
493
146
220
401
1,176
1,016
355
1,034
82
353
372
494
145
220
393
1,157
993
348
1,045
81
348
367
491
138
214
380
1,074
932
314
1,014
81
312
319
693
134
205
424
103.4
128.9
102.5
119.8
90.8
134.5
114.2
170.9
138.2
182.0
163.7
102.8
128.6
102.4
121.0
87.9
132.9
113.5
171.4
136.7
181. 5
160.5
Mar.
1946
1 The estimates and indexes presented in this table have been adjusted to levels indicated by the final 1944
data made available by the Bureau of Employment Security of the Federal Security Agency and should
not be compared with the manufacturing employment estimates of production workers plus salaried employ
ees appearing in table 1. These data are not comparable with data published in mimeographed releases
dated prior to April 1946 or the May 1946 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Comparable data from
January 1944 are available upon request.
2 Preliminary figures.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
984
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
Public Employment
Civilian.— The only Federal agency showing a sizable increase in
employment in the month ending April 1 was the Veterans Administra
tion with an increase of 18,000. The creation of the W ar Assets
Administration under the Office of Emergency Management on
March 25 resulted in a decrease of 24,000 in the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation. This transfer, together with the Veterans
Administration gain and minor changes in other agencies, brought
total employment of the peacetime-agency group to 1,057,000— a level
7,500- higher than in the preceding month.
During the month, the War and Navy Departments continued
their postwar contraction with respective employment declines
of 24,000 and 33,000 within continental United States. Outside the
continent, employment of the War Department declined 16,000, but in
the Navy Department, employment continued its steadily upward
1946 trend and rose by 600. The Navy Department expansion is
occasioned by construction work on new bases in the Pacific.
T a b l e 2.-—Employment and Pay Rolls fo r Regular Federal Services and for Government
Corporations in Selected Months
Executive 1
Year and month
Conti nental
Unitec States
Total
All areas
Total
Legis
lative
W ashington, D. C.,
area
Govern
ment
Judicial corpora
tions 2
Employment3
April 1939_________________
April 1940 _____ _
____
April 1941_____ . _ . _ ___
April 1942............. .
April 1943_________________
April 1944 . _
April 1945_________________
928,467
1,003, 682
1, 286,094
1, 992, 037
3,188,126
3, 256, 494
3, 613,169
896,128
969,155
1, 248, 662
1,951, 686
3,144, 683
3, 211, 583
3,570,080
859, 707
916,800
1,166, 751
1, 782, 352
2, 868,633
2, 837,492
2,920, 353
121,390
128, 939
167,471
239, 589
287, 065
263, 392
256, 262
5,292
5,860
6, 033
6, 339
6,119
6,147
6, 346
2,317
2, 379
2, 509
2,606
2,583
2, 675
2,626
24,730
26, 288
28,890
31,406
34, 741
36,089
34,117
January 1946-.. . . . .
February 1946 4
March 1946 A . __ .
April 1946_________________
2,973, 297
2,926, 050
2,898, 455
2,860, 388
2,929, 899
2,882, 635
2, 855. 223
2, 817, 396
2, 378, 916
2, 373,885
2, 370,116
2, 347, 272
229, 389
232, 981
235,667
236, 724
6, 401
6,433
6,459
6,480
3, 011
3, 023
3,053
3, 070
33,986
33,959
33, 720
33, 442
Pay rolls (in thousands) 5
April 1943_________________
April 1944. __ __ ___
_ _
April 1945_____ __________
$662,685
691, 043
687, 700
$655, 240
683,048
679, 932
$625, 755
620, 009
$58,178
54, 793
54, 399
$1,417
1,500
1,627
$763
761
782
$5,265
5, 734
5,359
January 1946 4__ .
___
February 1946 4 _______ .
March 1946 7 _
_____
April 1946 7________________
528, 365
502, 043
520, 506
522,379
520, Oil
493, 818
512, 301
514, 098
475, 581
452,929
472, 041
474, 658
49, 653
49, 921
51, 895
51, 345
1,766
1,768
1, 771
1, 780
968
940
930
939
5, 620
5, 517
5, 504
5,562
m
1 Includes employees on force-account construction who are also included under construction projects
(table 6). Beginning July 1945, data include approximately 22,000 clerks at third-class post offices who were
previously working on a contract basis. Data exclude substitute rural mail carriers.
2 Data are for employees of the Panama Railroad Co., the Federal Reserve banks, and banks of the Farm
Credit Administration, who are paid out of operating revenues and not out of Federal appropriations. Data
for other Government corporations are included under the executive service.
3 Figures are as of the first of the calendar month.
4 Revised.
8 Data are for all pay periods ending within the calendar month.
6 Data not available.
i Preliminary.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
985
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
Aside from the increase resulting from the War Assets Administra
tion transfer, employment of emergency war agencies 1 showed little
change during the month—a decline of 1,300 within continental
United States, and 200 outside.
Although Federal employment in the Washington, D. C., metro
politan area has crept upward since the first of January 1946, it has
been so widely distributed among the almost 60 agencies that growth
in any one (except the Veterans Administration) is almost imper
ceptible.
On April 1, 1946, total Federal employment in all areas amounted
to 2,860,000 or 753,000 less than in April 1945. Within continental
United States, Federal employment was 2,383,000 or 573,000 less
than a year ago.
T a b l e 3 . —-Employment and Pay Rolls for the Executive Branch of the Federal Govern
meat in Selected Months1
Other agencies 3
War agencies2
Year and month
All agen
cies
Total
Outside
Continen conti
tal United nental
United
States
States 4
Total
Continen
tal United
States
Outside
conti
nental
United
States 4
Employment5
896,128
969,155
1,248, 662
1,951,686
3,144, 683
3,211, 583
3,570,080
190,106
246,861
479, 297
1,102,428
2,335,763
2, 392, 207
2,689,936
162, 363
205, 804
410,304
947,119
2,074, 686
2,033,498
2,056,697
27, 744
41,057
68,993
155, 309
261,077
358, 709
633, 239
706,022
722, 294
769,365
849, 258
808,920
819,376
880,144
697,345
710,996
756,447
835,233
793,947
803,994
863,656
8,677
11,298
12,918
14,025
14, 973
15, 382
16,488
January 1946 _
2,929,899
February 1946 6______ _ __ 2,882,635
2,855,223
March 1946 6___ ______
2,817,396
April 1946 ___ _ __ _
1,945,206
1,863,334
1,805,832
1,760, 505
1,416, 285
1, 377,049
1,343, 592
1,313, 751
528, 921
486,285
462, 240
446,754
984,693
1,019,301
1,049,391
1,056,891
962, 631
996,836
1,026, 524
1,033,521
22,062
22,465
22,867
23,370
April 1939___________ ___
April 1940
April 1941 _
_
______
April 1942_______________
April 1943 _______ ______
April 1944
_ __ ___
April 1945________________
Pay rolls (in thousands)7
April 1943 _
April 1944________________
April 1945__________ ____ _
$655, 240
683,048
679,932
$299, 714
518,657
512,058
(8)
$464,612
455, 785
(8)
$54,045
56, 273
$155,526
164,391
167,874
(8)
$161,143
164, 224
(8)
$3,248
3,650
January 1946 6 ______ _ _
February 1946 3__________
March 1946 9___ _
April 1946 9 _ _ __
520,011
493,818
512,301
514,098
321,448
294,207
304, 544
305,936
282,707
258,010
269,117
271, 390
38, 741
36,167
35,427
34, 546
198,563
199,611
207,757
208,162
192,875
194,919
202,924
203,268
5,688
4,692
4,833
4,894
1 Includes employees on force-account construction who are also included under construction projects
2 Covers War and Navy Departments, Maritime Commission, National Advisory Committee for Aero
nautics, The Panama Canal, and the emergency war agencies.
.
3 Beginning July 1945, data include approximately 22,000 clerks at third-class post offices who previously
were working on a contract basis. Data exclude substitute rural mail carriers.
4'Includes Alaska and the Panama Canal Zone.
3 Figures are as of the first of the calendar month.
« Revised.
2 Data are for all pay periods ending within the calendar month.
3 Data not available.
2 Preliminary.
i
In addition to the agencies created for the war emergency, this group includes the Maritime Commission,
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and The Panama Canal.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
986
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
194 6
M ilitary.— Armed forces personnel declined 600,000 during the
month ending April 1, 1946. This was the smallest drop since VJ-day
and indicates a tendency toward a leveling off of discharges for both
the Army and Navy. Although the 4.4 million level on April 1, 1946,
was 7.7 million lower than that for April 1945, the actual number of
persons discharged during the war was approximately 9.2 million.
The difference was made up by new inductions and enlistments.
T a b l e 4 . — Personnel of the Military Branch of the Federal Government, in Selected
Months1
[In thousands]
Branch
Year and month
Sex
T otal2
Army 3
April 1939________________ __________
April 1940_________________________ ____
April 1941_____________________ _______
April 1942______ _____ _________________
April 1943________________ __________
April 1944_______________________ ..
April 1945___________ ______________
July 1945___ _________________
October 1945_______________________ .
January 1946._________________________
February 1946 »___________ . .
March i946«__________ . . . .
April 1946«_______________
354
433
1,426
3,052
8,409
11,034
12,092
12, 295
11,519
7, 048
5, 952
4,973
4,360
203
249
1,109
2,388
6,509
7, 758
8,157
8,266
7,565
4,229
3,469
2,786
2,428
Navy *
151
184
317
665
1,900
3,276
3,935
4,029
3,955
2,819
2,483
2,187
1,932
Men
Women
m
(6)
(«)
(«)
1,423
3,041
8, 318
10.842
11,826
12,020
11,261
6, 883
5,811
4,855
4,260
4
11
91
192
266
275
259
165
142
118
100
1 Data are as of the first of the calendar month.
2 Because of rounding, totals will not necessarily agree with the sum of the items shown.
3 Prior to March 1944, persons on induction furlough are included. Prior to June 1942 and after April
1945, Philippine Scouts are included.
4 Covers Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Includes missing personnel and personnel in the
hands of the enemy.
* Data not available.
• Preliminary.
T a b l e 5 . — Pay of the Military Branch of the Federal Government, in Selected Months
[In thousands]
Branch
Y ear and month
Army 2
April 1939.
April 1940.
April 1941..
April 1942.
April 1943.
April 1944..
April 1945..
July 1945___
October 1945.
January 1946..
February 1946.
March 1946...
April 19467__
Type of pay
Total i
$27,851
32,165
93, 001
239,417
885,667
1, 386,475
1,614,725
1, 684,712
1,859,636
1,493,875
1,182, 242
985,996
834,028
$13,575
15, 322
60, 496
154, 576
672,199
923,948
1,037,063
1, 079,480
1,179, 249
995,167
749,482
600, 303
480,820
Navy 3
$14, 276
16, 843
32, 505
84,842
213,468
462, 528
577, 662
605, 232
680, 387
498, 708
432, 761
385, 692
353, 208
Family
Pay roll2 4 Musteringout pay 5 allowances6
$27,851
32,165
93, 001
239,417
810, 676
1,141,148
1,353,847
1, 378, 785
1,323, 369
861,673
716, 094
598,296
558, 549
$46,962
11, 733
46, 939
284,476
480, 350
355,005
302, 602
208,304
$74,991
198, 365
249,145
258,988
251,791
151,852
111,143
85,098
67,175
‘ Because of rounding, totals will not necessarily agree with the sum of the items shown.
2 Army pay rolls have been revised.
3 Covers Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
4 P ru d e s men’s share of family allowances but excludes the Government’s contribution. For the war
period, data for the Army represent obligations. Data for the Navy proper for January and October include
cash payments for clothing allowances.
•
Payments may extend over a period of 3 months, data for the Navy proper and Coast Guard
include the entire amount in the month of discharge. Data for the Marine Corps for January-April 1946
are estimated.
« Represents Government’s contribution. Men’s share is included under pay roll.
7 Partially estimated.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
987
The peak in expenditures for pay rolls and family allowances was
reached at the point of greatest military strength during the summer
of 1945. The peak for mustering-out pay of the armed forces, on the
other hand, was not reached until January 1946. Since then, the
three types of pay combined have declined $659,000,000 and in April
1946 aggregated approximately $834,000,000. The Army expendi
tures amounted to almost half a billion dollars, those of the Navy to
over a third of a billion.
Source o j data.— Data for the Federal executive service are reported
through the Civil Service Commission, whereas data for the legislative
and judicial services and Government corporations are reported to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment on Federal force-account
construction is included in both the executive branch (tables 2 and
3) and in construction employment (table 6).
Military personnel and pay figures are reported monthly to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. They will be published quarterly
hereafter.
Mimeographed tables giving civilian employment and military
personnel and pay, monthly, 1939 to date, and civilian pay rolls,
monthly, 1943 to date, are available upon request.
Construction
EMPLOYMENT
The employed construction labor force continued to expand in April,
reaching a total of 1,717,500. Nearly half the month’s increase of
220,800 is accounted for by employment on housing which rose from
417,500 to 521,200. Nonresidential building accounted for a fifth of
the increase and a third of total construction employment in April.
Housing employment, with 30 percent of all construction workers in
April 1946, increased 25 percent over March and was more than five
times greater than it was a year ago in April 1945.
More than half the employment increase of 11,200 construction
workers on all Federal work was in residential building as employment
on Federal housing more than doubled over March. Expansion in
public housing reflects operation of the program approved last Decem
ber for transferring temporary dwellings from previously war-con
gested areas for the use of veterans in locations where emergency hous
ing conditions exist.
Since the beginning of the year total construction employment has
increased by over a third (35.6 percent), employment on housing by
three-fifths (63.6 percent), and on nonresidential building by one-fifth
(21.5 percent).
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
988
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW----JU N E
1946
T a b l e 6 . — Estimated Employment and Pay Rolls on Construction in Continental United
States, April 1946
Employment (in thousands)
Type of project
April
1946 4
March
1946
1, 717. 5
1,496. 7
At the construction site_________ _ __________ 1,495.4
Federal projects 4______________________ _ 5 88.1
Airports_______________________________
2.6
39.5
Buildings_________ ________________
Residential___________ __ . . . . . .
11.8
Nonresidential7___ _ ___________
« 27.7
Electrification_________ _____ ______
3.2
Reclamation. _ _ _ _ _
____________ _
7.6
16.4
River, harbor, and flood control______
14.3
Streets and highways____________ ____
1.4
Water and sewer systems_____________
3.1
Miscellaneous______ . . .
_ . . . _____
Non-Federal projects_____________________ 1,407.3
Buildings________________ __________ 1,079.0
Residential... _ _ _ _____ _ ____
509.4
569.6
Nonresidential. _ _ . . . _____ __
98.0
| [ Farm dwellings and service buildings.._
135.8
r >
Public utilities___ ______ ____ _ ____
_.._
34.5
\ f $ ' Streets and highways________ _
10.0
| It
State___ _
______________
f i 1 I
County and municipal_______ __
24.5
60.0
r P
Miscellaneous _____________________
w r Other»_________________________________
222.1
Maintenance of State roads 8__.
_ . . . . ___
95.5
1,302. 7
»76.9
2.2
34.2
5.0
5 29.2
2.6
6.4
15.9
11.7
1.3
2.6
1,225. 8
932.7
412.5
520.2
78.7
130.0
27.8
8.6
19.2
56.6
194.0
94.1
New construction, to tal8____ ________________
April
1945
808.7
Pay rolls (in thousands)
April
19464
March
1946
April
1945
0
(3)
0
715.6
0
(3)
0
« 248.2 «$16, 520 «$14,352 « $49,967
5.5
538
1,036
380
200.4
7, 513
6,386
40, 612
11.1
2,075
915
2,434
5 189. 3
« 5,438
« 5,471
« 38,178
.5
97
480
388
6.7
1,453
1,245
1,508
13.9
3,050
3,037
2, 600
7.8
2,637
2,174
1,430
3.4
267
253
587
10.0
489
582
2,097
467.4
0
(3)
0
264.1 250,328 215,454
62, 592
86.0
(3)
(3)
0
178.1
(3)
0
(3)
67.7
(3)
0
0
102.7
(3)
0
0
18.7
(3)
0
0
7.5
(3)
0
0
11.2
(3)
0
0
14.2
(3)
0
0
93.1
(3)
0
0
82.2
1 Preliminary.
2 Data for all construction workers (contract and force account) engaged on new construction, additions,
alterations, and on repair work of the type usually covered by building permits. (Force-account employees
are workers hired directly by the owner and utilized as a separate work force to perform construction work of
the type usually chargeable to capital account.) The construction figure included in the Bureau’s nonagricultural employment series covers only employees of construction contractors and on Federal force account
and excludes force-account workers of State and local governments, public utilities, and private firms.
3 Data not available.
4 Includes the following force-account employees, hired directly by the Federal Government, and their
pay rolls: April 1946—16,423, $3,033,501; March 1946—16,593, $3,024,907; and April 1945—19,556, $3,695,141.
These employees are also included under the Federal executive service (tables 2 and 3); all other workers
were employed by contractors and subcontractors.
s Includes employment on construction of plants to produce atomic bombs, which, for security reasons,
was not previously included in these estimates but was shown in the classification “other” , as follows:
April 1946, 1,800; March 1946, 2,600; and April 1945, 30,000.
e Excludes pay-roll data for construction of plants to produce atomic bombs.
7 Employees and pay rolls for Defense Plant Corporation projects are included, but those for projects
financed from R FC loans are excluded. The latter are considered non-Federal projects.
s Includes central office force of construction contractors, shop employees of special trades contractors,
such as bench sheet-metal workers, etc.
8 Data for other types of maintenance not available.
EARNINGS AND HOURS
Revised February and March 1946 data on hours and earnings in
private construction show little fluctuation from January despite the
continued increase in private construction activity. Although mate
rials shortage was still a serious problem in March, the average work
week of employees engaged in both building and nonbuilding con
struction increased over February. Among the special building
trades, the most significant rise in weekly hours was recorded by the
masonry (2.8 hours) and excavation and foundation (1.7 hours)
groups.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
989
A fairly steady increase in hourly earnings in private building
assisted in practically maintaining average weekly earnings in March
1946 at the level of March 1945, despite the 2%-hour decrease in the
average workweek.
Reports on number of employees, weekly pay rolls, and weekly
hours are received monthly from approximately 11,000 different
contractors. Data published are summaries of all reports received
during the months shown and do not necessarily represent reports
from identical firms.
T a b l e 7. — Average Hours Worked Per Week and Average Weekly and Hourly Earnings
on Private Construction Projects, fo r Selected Types of Work, March 1946 1
[Subject to revision]
Average hours per
week
Type of work
Average weekly
earnings 2
Average hourly
earnings
March Febru
March Febru
March Febru March
ary March
ary March
ary
1946 1946
1946 1946
1946 1946
3 1945
3 1945
3 1945
All types of work.. _______________
37.8
37.5
(4)
Building construction____________
General contractors___________
Special building trades 3 ______
Plumbing and heating___ _
Painting and decorating. .
Electrical work__________
Masonry____ . . . . . . ____
Plastering and lathing______
Carpentry_________________
Roofing and sheet metal _.
Excavation and foundation__
Nonbuilding construction. . ______
Highway and streets___________
Heavy construction. _ . . . ___
Other.. _ _ _ _ _ ______________
37.5
37.0
38.0
38.9
37.8
40.3
36.6
35.0
39.3
36. 5
36.9
39.9
39.4
41.0
38.9
37.3
36.8
37.8
40.0
37.1
40.9
33.8
34.9
38.7
35.7
35.2
39.0
39.5
40.4
40.3
40.0
39.9
40.0
41.0
39.4
43.6
36.2
35.0
39. 7
38. 8
38.2
(*)
(4)
«
(4)
$52. 74 $52. 74
52. 87
50.40
55. 58
55. 65
56. 31
65. 25
51.91
56. 32
54.44
48. 76
48.70
51.92
49. 88
55.94
48.21
(4)
53. 04 $54. 49
50. 80 52.01
55. 37 56. 21
56.92 55. 77
55.16 54. 95
65. 28 67. 73
48.91 48. 89
55. 81 54. 27
53. 37 53. 64
48. 45 52 70
45. 97 46. 76
50. 60
(4)
51.98
(4)
54. 74
(4)
49. 27
(4)
$1. 395 $1. 406
1.411
1. 362
1.463
1.430
1.492
1. 619
1.419
1.611
1. 385
1 335
1. 319
1. 300
1.265
1. 363
1.240
1. 422
1. 379
1. 465
1.423
1.487
1.596
1.448
1.601
1. 379
1 350
1. 306
1.296
1. 316
1. 355
1.224
(4)
$1. 363
1.303
1.406
1.361
1.396
1.555
1. 352
1. 550
1. 353
1.225
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)
1 Includes all firms reporting during the month shown.
2 Hourly earnings, when multiplied by weekly hours of work, may not exactly equal weekly earnings
because of rounding.
3 Revised.
4 Not available prior to February 1946.
3 Includes types not shown separately.
Detailed Reports for Industrial and Business Employ
ment, March 1946
M ON TH LY reports on employment and pay rolls are presented
below for more than 150 manufacturing industries and for 27 non
manufacturing industries, including water transportation and class I
steam railroads. Data for both manufacturing and nonmanufactur
ing industries are based on reports of the number of employees and
amount of pay rolls for the period ending nearest the 15th of the month.
695228—46----- 10
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
990
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
T a b l e 1. — Estimated Number of Production Workers in Manufacturing Industries 1
Estimated number of production workers
(in thousands)
Industry
All manufacturing i___
Durable goods 1___
Nondurable goods 1
Mar.
1946
Feb.
1946
Jan.
1946
Mar.
1945
. 10,624
. 4,986
- 5,638
9,983
4, 417
5,566
10, 666
5,205
5,461
13,601
8,039
5,562
D urable goods
Iron and steel and their products 1________________ _________ Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling mills____________
Gray-iron and semisteel castings_______________________
Malleable-iron castings________________________ ________
Steel castings..________ ___ ____ _______________ ______ _
Cast-iron pipe and fittings_____________________________
Tin cans and other tinware___________________ ____ ____
Wire drawn from purchased rods...............................................
Wirework.............................................. .......................................
Cutlery and edge tools....................................................... ..........
Tools (except edge tools, machine tools, files, and saw s)...
Hardware_______________________________________ _____
Plumbers' supplies.........................................................................
Stoves, oil burners, and heating equipment, not elsewhere
classified................................ .....................................................
Steam and hot-water heating apparatus and steam fittings.
Stamped and enameled ware and galvanizing____ ____ _
Fabricated structural and ornamental metalwork................
Metal doors, sash, frames, molding, and trim .......................
Bolts, nuts, washers, and rivets_________________ ____ _
Forgings, iron and steel....................... .......................................
Wrought pipe, welded and heavy riveted..............................
Screw-machine products and wood screw s............................
Steel barrels, kegs, and drums__________________ _______
Firearms.......................................................................................... .
1,268
467.3
76.5
20.1
37.6
16.2
33.4
20.6
32.4
22.5
22.2
39.9
23.0
843
169.9
71.6
17.7
25.6
14.6
28.9
15.1
28.8
21.6
21.5
38.3
22.0
1,308
448.7
74.3
24.5
52.6
15.4
38.0
29.4
33.9
23.1
24.2
38.2
21.6
1,733
478.5
74.6
25.5
71.8
15.6
41.9
32.7
34.7
24.4
27.5
46.8
23.2
47.6
36.1
64.9
43.2
7.7
19.3
25.2
10.8
26.1
4.7
11.4
44.0
34.1
57.8
32.0
6.8
14.8
22.9
7.1
25.9
2.7
10.9
51.6
44.0
68.6
44.7
7.9
20.9
25.6
14.5
26.8
6.3
10.9
63.6
55.2
86.9
70.0
10.7
23.9
35.4
24.4
43.0
8.4
30.7
Electrical machinery 1...........................................................................
Electrical equipment—................................................. ............... .
Radios and phonographs_______________________________
Communication equipm ent...__________ _______________
367
186. 5
68.2
68.6
348
175.3
64.9
66.4
476
290.6
65.5
63.9
726
426.4
116.7
104.8
Machinery, except electrical1..............................................................
Machinery and machine-shop products....... .............................
Engines and turbines............................... .............................. .......
Tractors.............. .......................................................... ...................
Agricultural machinery, excluding tractors..............................
Machine tools............... ............................................................ .......
Machine-tool accessories......................................................... .......
Textile machinery..........................................................................
Pumps and pumping equipment............................................
Typewriters.__________________________________________
Cash registers, adding and calculating machines____ ____ _
Washing machines, wringers and driers, domestic..................
Sewing machines, domestic and industrial.______ ________
Refrigerators and refrigeration equipment2..............................
880
313.9
24.8
39.1
33.6
56.8
46.8
27.2
48.9
16.2
30.2
9.4
8.7
43.6
833
295.0
24.5
24.3
32.7
58.2
46.7
26.6
47.5
15.3
30.1
9.6
8.4
43.9
956
333.7
39.0
53.3
38.9
58.1
46.8
29.0
52.8
14.7
29.5
9.9
8.1
47.4
1,206
449.9
66.7
57.2
43.9
74.6
64.4
26.4
71.5
13.1
29.8
12.8
11.1
51.1
Transportation equipment, except automobiles*...........................
Locomotives............ .............. .................. .................... ....................
Cars, electric- and steam-railroad...............................................
Aircraft and parts, excluding aircraft engines.____________
Aircraft engines..................... ...................... ..................................
Shipbuilding and boatbuilding.................................. ..................
Motorcycles, bicycles, and parts_________ _________ _____ _
462
5.0
42.6
117.1
22.1
220.4
8.1
469
4.2
41.9
119.1
21.2
227.6
8.7
519
123.3
F47.2
118.6
21.3
249.0
8.5
2,061
34.0
58.6
637.6
210.6
917.1
9.5
Automobiles >...................... ............................... .....................................
430
401
416
700
Nonferrous metals and their products >..........................................
Smelting and refining, primary, of nonferrous metals............
Alloying and rolling and drawing of nonferrous metals, ex
cept aluminum................ .......................................... ..................
Clocks and watches____________________________________
Jewelry (precious metals) and jewelers’ findings_________ _
Silverware and plated w are.______ _______ ______ ________
Lighting equipment____________ ________________ ______ _
Aluminum manufactures..............................................................
Sheet-metal work, not elsewhere classified................................
317
30.1
291
33.7
333
35.3
426
39.5
48.0
25.2
16.9
13.2
18.4
40.3
22.0
47.0
24.7
16.5
12.7
17.2
24.6
20.4
155.7
[23.7
[15.8
12.2
(17.8
42.0
[22.5
72.6
26.3
13.2
11.0
26.2
70.5
32.0
Lumber and timber basic products 1........... ......................... .............
Sawmills and logging camps.........................................................
Planing and plywood mills............................................................
534
206.5
66.2
521
202.2
65.9
514
201.7
64.8
517
218.4
69.8
See footnotes a t end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
991
T a b l e 1 . — Estimated Number of Production Workers in Manufacturing Industries 1— Con.
Estimated number of production workers
(in thousands)
Industry
Mar.
1946
Feb.
1946
Jan.
1946
Mar.
1945
D urable goods—Continued
Furniture and finished lumber products 1............................. ...........
Mattresses and bedsprings.............. . ..........................................
Furniture__________________________. . . _____ ___________
Wooden boxes, other than cigar-.................................................
Caskets and other morticians’ goods.. _________________
Wood preserving.................................................................. ...........
Wood, turned and shaped...........................................................
361
17.8
154.3
24.6
13.3
11.7
22.7
355
18.4
151.9
24.1
12.9
11.7
21.9
348
18.0
149.7
23.9
12.5
11.6
21.4
348
17.6
152.6
27.1
12.2
10.1
21.3
Stone, clay, and glass products 1......... .................................... ..........
Glass and glassware______________________ - ............ .............
Glass products made from purchased g l a s s _____________
Cement_________ ____ _________________________________
Brick, tile, and terra cotta______________________________
Pottery and related products.......................... .............................
Gypsum______________________________________________
Wallboard, plaster (except gypsum), and mineral wool____
Lime ________________ . ____________________________
Marble, granite, slate, and other products...............................
Abrasives______________________ ______________________
Asbestos products________ ________ _______ _______ ______
367
101.9
12.3
23.6
54.3
43.6
5.1
10.0
8.5
15.2
17.7
14.6
356
99.3
11.8
22.4
52.9
42.9
4.9
10.0
8.0
14.8
16.9
14.5
335
86.9
10.9
21.8
52.0
41.6
4.7
10.1
8.2
13.7
16.8
14.3
322
88.3
11.1
16.1
40.9
38.9
4.1
9.4
7.7
13.8
21.6
20.1
Textile-mill products and other fiber manufactures 1_____ ____
Cotton manufactures, except smallwares......................... . . . .
Cotton smallwares........ ................ ................ ................................
Silk and rayon goods______________________________ ____
Woolen and worsted manufactures, except dyeing and
finishing...____ ________ _____ _______________________
Hosiery. __________________________________ __________
Knitted cloth____ ________________ ______ ________ ______
Knitted outerwear and knitted gloves____________ _______
Knitted underwear . ______ _________________________
Dyeing and finishing textiles, including woolen and worsted.
Carpets and rugs, wool_________________________________
Hats, fur-felt......... ..................... ....................................................
Jute goods, except felts..................................................................
Cordage and twine------------------------- -----------------------------
1,176
442.4
14.3
89.8
1,157
437.3
13.9
89.2
1,127
428.7
13.5
87.5
1, 095
424.2
13.5
88.0
158.1
111.5
11.2
30.6
34.9
62.9
22.4
10.9
4.0
14.4
153.9
109.8
11.1
29.6
34.5
62.5
21.6
10.6
3.8
14.2
149.1
106.3
10.7
28.7
33.6
60.5
20.1
10.3
3.8
14.7
145.2
98.6
10.3
28.6
34.1
58.8
20.0
9.3
3.2
14.9
Apparel and other finished textile products 1__________________
Men’s clothing, not elsewhere classified_________________
Shirts, collars, and nightwear___________________________
Underwear and neckwear, men’s________________________
Workshirts. _ . . _____________________________________
Women’s clothing not elsewhere classified_______________
Corsets and allied garments__________________ ____ _____
Millinery_________________ _____ _________________ _____
Handkerchiefs..
__ .
___ ____________________
Curtains, draperies, and bedspreads........ ................................
Housefurnishings, other than curtains, etc_______________
Textile bags_________ _________________________________
1,016
189.9
52.3
12.0
13.6
218.5
16.0
21.3
2.5
12.2
10.5
12.9
993
186.5
51.7
11.7
F13.6
213.7
15.7
20.8
2.5
12.1
10.3
14.5
956
180.6
50.5
11.3
12.7
207.1
15.0
19.6
2.3
11.6
9.6
14.7
945
201.4
49.4
12.1
14.3
212.7
14.4
20.6
2.6
10.3
11.2
14.7
Leather and leather products 1___________ _________________
Leather_______
______ _____________________________
Boot and shoe cut stock and findings____________________
Boots and shoes____ . . . . ______________________ ______
Leather gloves and mittens______________ ______________
Trunks and suitcases__________________ ______________
355
44.0
18.0
191.6
11.9
14.0
348
44.7
17.4
187.0
11.7
13.6
338
43.5
17.1
182.1
11.2
12.6
317
39.3
16.1
172.3
11.9
12.6
Food 1 .
....................... ........ ............................................ ................
Slaughtering and meat packing_____________ __________
Butter____________________ ________ __________________
Condensed and evaporated milk . _____________________
Icecream __ ___________________________ ______ ________ _
Flou r.. . ________________________ ____ ___________ _
Feeds, prepared..____ ________________ _______________ _
Cereal preparations......................... ........................... ...................
Baking........................................................... .............. ......................
Sugar refining, cane............... .......................................... .............
Sugar, b eet...________ _____ ___________________________
Confectionery...
_____________________________ ______
Beverages, nonalcoholic___ ___________ ____________ ____
Malt liquors_______________________________ ___________
Canning and preserving........................ .....................................
See footnotes a t end of table.
1,034
147.0
22.4
13.1
16.4
130.2
[22.6
10.9
254.5
12.9
4.5
52.5
22.6
51.5
84.9
1,045
151.2
21.7
12.8
15.5
31.3
23.5
11.0
253.2
12.3
4.9
51.4
22.4
55.5
89.6
1,051
152.6
21.0
12.6
15.0
31.5
23.8
10.4
254.1
12.6
7.8
52.8
22.8
54.8
92.5
1,016
136.2
22.6
13.9
14.0
29.0
21.2
9.3
256.8
15.0
3.9
58.1
25.7
49.9
95.8
N ondurable goods
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
992
T able
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
1.— Estimated Number of Production Workers in Manufacturing Industries1—Con.
Estimated number of production workers
(in thousands)
iHuusiry
Mar.
1946
*
Feb.
1946
Jan.
1946
Mar.
1945
N ondurable goods—Continued
Tobacco manufactures 1_____________________ _____________
Cigarettes__________________ _ _____
_____
Cigars__
___________________ _ ----------------------- Tobacco (chewing and smoking) and snuff.. _ _ _____ _
82
32.0
37.2
7.3
81
31.9
36.4
7.8
81
32.5
35.2
8.0
82
34.8
33.2
8.7
Paper and allied products 1-------------------------------------------------Paper and pulp______________________________ _______
Paper goods, other___________________________ ______
Envelopes____ _________ _______ _____________________
Paper bags____________ ________________________________
Paper boxes__________ ________________________________
353
162.0
46.2
10.1
14.2
83.9
348
159.8
45.6
10.0
14.0
83.1
341
156.6
44.4
9.8
13.6
82.6
318
146.1
44.8
9.4
12.9
77.4
Printing, publishing, and allied industries 1_______________ _
Newspapers and periodicals____________________ ________
Printing, book and job________. . . _______________ _____
Lithographing_____ ____ ____________ ______ ____ _____ __
Bookbinding_______ __________________________________
372
127.0
154.2
28.3
30.1
367
124.9
152. 7
27.9
29.8
359
122.3
148.6
27.3
29.1
322
109.3
132.4
24.5
27.6
Chemicals and allied products 1_____________________________
Paints, varnishes, and colors_________________________ . .
Drugs, medicines, and insecticides. ________ .
______
Perfumes and cosmetics_______________ . . ____________
Soap._______________________ _. . . _ _________ ____
Rayon and allied products___ _ ______________________
Chemicals, not elsewhere classified________ ____________
Explosives and safety fuses____________________ ________
Compressed and liquefied gases__ ____ ________ _________
Ammunition, small-arms.._____________________________
Fireworks_____________ . ________________ . . . . ______
Cottonseed oil____________ _________________ _________
Fertilizers________________ ___________________________
494
34.8
50.8
12.1
14.2
59.7
115.4
14.6
5.5
8.3
2.5
13.9
31.4
491
33.8
50.8
12.1
13.9
59.7
114.8
15.5
5.3
8.4
2.4
15.4
28.5
489
33.0
49.7
12.0
13.6
59.4
114.6
17.3
5.6
9.6
2.1
17.7
24.9
698
29.4
49.9
12.1
13.4
54.6
115.3
98.7
5.9
67.2
23.8
16.3
26.9
Products of petroleum and coal1_____
________________. . .
Petroleum refining__________
_ _____
...
. ........
Coke and byproducts____ _____ _
Paving materials_____________________ . . . ______ __ .
Roofing materials______________________ . . ___ _ ____
145
96.9
25.4
1.8
10.5
142
96.4
22.6
1.5
10.8
142
96.1
23.8
1.4
10.4
134
91.8
22.0
1.5
9.5
Rubber products 1_______________ _ ________ _____________
Rubber tires and inner tubes____ _______ __________ ____
Rubber boots and shoes_______ ________________ _____
Rubber goods, o th e r ...______. . . _____ _______ _________
220
103.7
17.3
68.1
214
101.4
16.9
66.7
209
98.8
16.3
65.7
209
95.7
17.4
72.6
Miscellaneous industries >. . . . . _____________ __________ .
Instruments (professional and scientific) and fire-control
equipment.......................... . . . _____________ ____ . . .
Photographic apparatus.............................................. ................
Optical instruments and ophthalmic goods.. ______ ______
Pianos, organs, and parts........................ ................ .....................
Games, toys, and dolls_____________ ________________ . . .
Buttons______________ ___________ ___________________
Fire extinguishers._______ ____________________ ________
391
380
368
426
22.7
23.5
21.1
8.1
19.6
10.1
2.3
22.3
22.5
20.7
7.5
18.7
10.2
2.3
22.1
22.0
20.2
6.8
17.6
9.6
2.3
59.9
28.0
23.6
7.4
15.9
9.8
4.7
1
Estimates for the major industry groups have been adjusted to levels indicated by the final 1944 data
made available by the Bureau of Employment Security of the Federal Security Agency and should not be
compared with the manufacturing employment estimates of production workers plus salaried employees
appearing in table 6. Data for the major industry groups are not comparable with data published in
mimeographed releases dated prior to April 1946 or the May 1946 issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
Comparable series from January 1944 are available upon request. Estimates for individual industries have
been adjusted to levels indicated by the 1939 Census of Manufactures, but not to Federal Security Agency
data. For this reason, together with the fact that this Bureau has not prepared estimates for certain indus
tries, the sum of the individual industry estimates will not agree with the totals shown for the major in
dustry groups.
íRevisions have been made as follows in the data for earlier months:
Refrigerators and refrigeration equipm ent .—December 1945 production workers to 44.7; 1945 annual
average to 45.2.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
ALL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
400
350
300
250
200
150
1 00
50
0
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
WAGE E A R N E R S AND WAGE EARNER PAY RO LL
CO
ZD
Zs3
994
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
T a b l e 2 . — Indexes of Production-Worker Employment and Pay Rolls in Manufacturing
Industries 1
[1939 average^ 100]
Employment indexes
Industry
M ar. Feb.
1946 1946
Pay-roll indexes
Jan. Mar. Mar. Feb.
1946 1945 1946 1946
Jan.
1946
Mar.
1945
All manufacturing 1 ___________ — - — ----------- 129.7 121.9 130.2 166.0 232.5 210.2 229.2 341.7
138.1 122.3 144.1 222.6 235.7 198.7 243.0 465.1
Durable g o o d s __________________________
Nondurable goods 1..... ........................ - ...................... 123.1 121.5 119.2 121.4 229.3 221.5 215.7 221.0
D urable goods
Iron and steel and tbeir products 1------------------------Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling mills-----Gray-iron and semisteel castings---------------------Malleable-iron castings... ----------------------------Steel castings_____ . ----------------- ---------------Cast-iron pipe and fittings..---------------------------Tin cans and other tinware---- --------------------Wire drawn from purchased rods--------------------Wirework___ ____ _ ________________________
Cutlery and edge tools-----------------------------------Tools (except edge tools, machine tools, files,
and saws)_________________________ ________
Hardware---------------------------- --------------------Plumbers’ supplies----------------------------------------Stoves, oil burners, and beating equipment, not
elsewhere classified.. -------------------------------Steam and hot-water heating apparatus and
steam fittings_________ ____ ____ . . .
-------Stamped and enameled ware and galvanizing—
Fabricated structural and ornamental metal
work_____ . . .
____ . . .
--------------Metal doors, sash, frames, molding, and trim----Bolts, nuts, washers, and rivets----------------------Forgings, iron and steel.. -------------- ------------Wrought pipe, welded and heavy riveted--------Screw-machine products and wood screws--------Steel barrels, kegs, and drums------ ------------------Firearms___________________ _______________
___
____
Electrical machinery i______ ____
Electrical equipment- ___________
______
Radios and phonographs.. ____. . . ---------------Communication equipment--- ------- ---------Machinery, except e l e c t r i c a l --------------------- -------Machinery and machine-shop products-----------Engines and turbines..____ ___________________
Tractors_____ _______________ ______________
Agricultural machinery, excluding tractors-------Machine tools_______ ________ _______________
Machine-tool accessories..........................................
Textile machinery_____________________ ______
Pumps and pumping equipment............................
Typewriters..______ ________________________
Cash registers, adding and calculating machines.
Washing machines, wringers and driers, domestic.
Sewing machines, domestic and industrial______
Refrigerators and refrigeration equipment2........ .
Transportation equipment, except automobiles 1----Locomotives__________________ ____________ _
Cars, electric- and steam-railroad______________
Aircraft and parts, excluding aircraft engines___
Aircraft engines..................................... .....................
Shipbuilding and boatbuilding________: ............ .
Motorcycles, bicycles, and parts_______________
Automobiles > ........... ............................. ........................
Nonferrous metals and their products 1____________
Smelting and refining, primary, of nonferrous
■metals_____________________________ ______ _
Alloying and rolling and drawing of nonferrous
metals, except aluminum____________ ______ _
Clocks and watches__________________________
Jewelry (precious metals) and jewelers’ findings.
Silverware and plated ware___________________
Lighting equipment_____ ___________________
Aluminum manufactures.......... ....... ........................
Sheet-metal work, not elsewhere classified......... .
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
127.9 85.0 131.9 174.8 211.1 127.2 216.1 333.5
120.3 43.7 115.5 123.2 181. 5 47.6 173. 2 229.1
131.0 122.6 127.2 127.2 254.0 230.0 247.0 269.4
111.2 98.3 135.9 141.7 212.6 187.3 264.8 298.9
125.0 85.1 174.9 238.7 206.5 143.9 263.6 457.7
97.9 88.5 93.4 94.2 192.3 174.1 186.4 190.2
105.2 91.0 119.7 131.8 178.1 149.2 208.0 231.2
93.9 68.9 134.0 148.6 142.9 99.2 199.2 257. 5
106.7 94.6 111.6 114.1 194.1 165.3 206.2 235.9
146.0 140.2 150.1 158.1 306.9 288.2 305.3 332.4
145.0 140.6 158.3 179.7 275.5 262.3 290.3 352.1
111.8 107.5 107.1 131.4 209.2 195.7 203.0 280.7
93.1 89.4 87.8 94.2 157.1 148.5 146.8 180.4
103.2
95.4 111. 9 137.8 181.5 159.4 197.2 269.7
119.2 112.5 145.1 182.1 204.2 191.8 251.9 349.7
116.8 104.1 123.4 156.4 215.9 188.7 225.0 331.4
121.7
99.1
135.2
163.9
128.7
154.0
77.3
227.6
141.8
103.2
156.7
213.7
166.5
155.1
132. S
125.1
120.9
155.1
185.9
124.2
202.0
99.7
133.6
126.4
111.2
123.9
290.8
77.1
173.5
295.1
248.6
318. c
116.3
107.0
138.4
90.2
88.4
103.4
149.3
84.6
153.0
44.5
217.9
134.2
97.0
149.1
206.7
157.7
145.8
131.3
77.8
117.6
159. C
185.7
121.5
195.9
94.5
153.0
128.7
106.7
124.7
295.7
64. Î
171. C
300.2
239. (
328.7
125.2
99.6
126.8
125.9
101.6
145.8
166.4
172.8
158.4
103.4
217.0
183.7
160.8
150.6
199.0
180.9
164.9
209.0
170.5
139.8
158.6
186.1
132.6
217.9
90.7
149.9
133.1
102.8
134.9
326.9
360.8
192.5
298.9
239.7
359.6
122.0
103.5
145.3
197.2
138.1
166.8
230.0
291.1
253.9
138.9
614.4
280.2
235.9
268.3
326.4
228.3
222.3
357.7
183. C
157.7
203.8
255.8
120.6
295.0
80.6
151.4
171.4
142.1
145.3
1298.4
525.7
239.1
1607. (
2368.8
1324. 5
136.8
173.9
185.6
205.0
170.4
219.3
271.2
202.3
281.7
145.0
420.4
225.1
156.3
285.9
351.2
277.9
258.0
230.2
190.2
192.6
256. C
286.8
232.5
355.0
189.1
270.4
194. £
205.1
194.0
511.0
154.5
306. S
525. C
379.7
553.5
190.3
158.2
250.8
136.9
144.7
179.9
242.1
133.9
268.9
84.8
399.9
211.1
145.3
271.8
334.6
255.9
239.4
230.5
99.9
185.8
256.8
276.7
222.7
345.8
174.4
253.9
200.9
195.8
168.4
493.6
123.6
290.2
520.8
369.1
530. i
201.0
135.6
228.7
196.3 368.7
168.0 273.1
248.4 344.8
294.4 472.0
279.0 609.3
290.1 515.3
191.5 268.8
398.1 1404.6
302.6 528.6
258.9 452.5
271.9 528.7
327.4 554.1
297.5 438.7
272.8 419.8
371. 4 769.3
249.2 287.5
233.7 324.6
262.3 382.0
284.1 456.9
247.5 236.4
391.4 630.4
166.2 165.9
262.0 298.9
213.1 315.4
185.2 304.7
164.1 266.0
559.1 2767.9
735.5 1233. 2
329.7 506.4
514.3 3190.3
356.6 4279.7
602.5 2906.6
204.4 263.3
153.5 325.5
256.1 364.0
108.9 121.9 127.8 143.0 190.8 210.5 224.7 265.4
123.7
124.2
116.9
109. C
89.6
171.1
117.4
121.1
121.6
114.0
104.5
84.1
104. £
108.8
143.5
116.7
109.5
100.7
87.1
178.5
119.8
187.1
129.5
91.2
90.4
127. £
299.2
170.8
222.0
248.2
221.9
217.5
139. C
290.5
218.2
221.6
233.6
211.5
208.5
133. (
172.8
197.1
256.7
219.8
203.1
198. 2
137.7
269.]
214.1
367.0
287.5
164.4
169.5
236.1
556.0
335.4
995
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
T a b l e 2 . — Indexes of Production-Worker Employment and Pay Rolls in Manufacturing
Industries 1— Continued
Employment indexes
Industry
Mar. Feb.
1946 1946
Pay-roll indexes
Jan. Mar. Mar. Feb.
1946 1945 1946 1946
Jan.
1946
Mar.
1945
D urable goods— Continued
Lumber and timber basic products 1__________ ____
Sawmills and logging camps____________ ______
Planing and plywood mills___________________
127.0 124.0 122.3 123.0 233.2 218.7 207.7 226.2
71.7 70.2 70.0 75.8 131.9 123.0 118.2 140.4
91.2 90.8 89.2 96.0 161.5 157.8 148.9 168.0
106.2
95.7
95.8
106.8
97.9
89.5
96.9
209.0
169.6
184. Í
199.8
184.8
226.8
195.9
200.4
173.1
176.7
190.1
179.7
213.4
183.0
192.9
173.2
169.:
185.4
169.8
206.8
180.2
201.3
172.4
181.8
214.2
175.9
192.3
179.4
109.8
126.5
110.8
67.6
72.0
117.6
82.4
216.3
246.7
220.2
155.3
169.1
217.3
178.5
203.9
236.5
205.2
141.6
158. c
209.5
172. Í
185.4
192.1
178.9
135.1
155.2
195. 5
160.5
190.5
207.1
192.6
108.3
121.0
191.3
144.6
122.7 122.9 124.7 115.8
90.2 84.8 86.2 81.8
82.2 79.8 74.0 74. 7
228.9 218. £ 217.6 279.7
91.8 91.1 89.9 126.5
232.4
190.8
129.5
360.5
183.8
228.5
167.7
121.5
301.5
181.5
233-2
169-8
109.6
325. c
177.8
214.0
159.8
114.7
495.0
266.5
Furniture and finished lumber products >.................... 109.9 108.1 06.0
Mattresses and bedsprings.. ____________ ____
96. £ 100.2 97.9
Furniture________________ _______ ____ ______ 97.0 95. 4 94. C
Wooden boxes, other than cigar_______________
97.0 95.2 ¡4.2
107.2 103.7 00.6
Caskets and other morticians’ goods_________
Wood preserving____________________________ 103.9 103.8 102. 9
Wood, turned and shaped____________________ 103.4 99.4 97.3
Stone, clay, and glass products 1.....................................
Glass and glassware__________________________
Glass products made from purchased glass_____
Cement__________ _ _______________________
Brick, tile, and terra cotta___________________ _
Pottery and related products____________ _____
Gypsum____________ . .
________________
Wallboard, plaster (except gypsum), and min
eral wool___________________ ______________
Lime______
Marble, granite, slate, and other products______
Abrasives_______ ____________ _______________
Asbestos products................. ................ .............. .......
124.9
146.0
123.3
99.0
95.6
131.7
104.0
121.4 *114.3
142.3 124.5
117.8 1 0 8 . 6
94. C 91.5
93.2 91.5
129.6 125.8
99.6 95.8
N ondurable goods
Textile-mill products and other fiber manufactures i
Cotton manufactures, except smaliwnrpq
Cotton smallwares_______
Silk and rayon goods_____
Woolen and worsted manufactures, except dye
ing and finishing____ _
Hosiery__________________
Knitted cloth________ _
Knitted outerwear and knitted eloves
Knitted underwear_____
Dyeing and finishing textiles, including woolen
and worsted________
Carpets and rugs, wool
Hats, fur-felt______ .
Jute goods, except felts.
Cordage and twine____
102.8 101.2 98.6 95.7 212.6
111.7 110.4 108.3 107.1 242.3
107.1 104.6 101.6 101.4 210.8
75.0 74.4 73.0 73.5 163.6
203.7
230.0
200.0
158.3
190.7
217.0
195.6
149.4
177.5
206.5
198.0
139.3
105.9 103.1 99.9 97.3 234.2
70.1 69.0 66.8 62.0 129.0
102.2 101.2 98.3 94.1 208.5
108.8 105.4 102.1 101.6 226.9
90.5 89.4 87.3 88.5 182.7
226.9
125.3
202.3
211.0
174.4
206.6
115.7
190.8
196.3
165.9
193.4
101.2
170.3'
195.2
169.1
94.1 93.4 90.5 87.9
87.7 84.5 78.7 78.0
74.6 73.2 70.7 63.7
110.2 105.6 105.0 90.1
118.8 117.0 121.4 123.3
180.7
153.2
166.6
224.5
225.5
177.8
146.4
153.4
211.8
208.1
167.7
135.1
151.9
205.0
229.2
151.2
140-9
128.3
178.0
236.1
Apparel and other finished textile products i
Men’s clothing, not elsewhere classified
Shirts, collars, and nightwear
Underwear and neckwear, men’s
Work shirts___________
Women’s clothing, not elsewhere classified
Corsets and allied garments..
Millinery.............. ...........
Handkerchiefs________
Curtains, draperies, and bedpsreads 2
Housefurnishings, other than curtains, etc
Textile bags_______________
128.6
86.8
74.2
74.1
101.0
80.4
85.1
87.7
50.8
72.2
98.9
107.7
125.8 121.0 119.7
85.3 82.6 92.1
73.4 71.7 70.1
72.2 70.1 75.0
100.9 94.2 106. 5
78.7 76.3 78.3
83.4 79.9 76.9
85.7 80.6 84.8
51.2 47.2 52.7
71.4 68.3 60.6
" 96. 5 90.6 105.1
120.7 122.5 129 9
263.6
170.0
152.7
169.4
201.4
172.6
165.2
169.6
105.9
149.1
194.5
181.2
240.2
158.1
147.7
159.8
197.7
153.3
156.1
152.6
105.1
139.8
174.7
207.3
228.0
148.0
135.9
147.5
181.6
149.4
147.5
146.6
87.9
136.3
165.9
204.2
233.1
174.4
132.9
158.3
208.7
157. 2
136.7
160.0
99.8
125.2
198.9
214.1
Leather and leather products 1
Leather...........
...
Boot and shoe cut stock and findings
Boots and shoes.. _
Leather gloves and m ittens...
Trunks and suitcases.. . .
102.4
92.2
96. 5
87.9
119.0
168.6
100.4
97-4 01 A
92-0 «2 2
92.6 90. 6 «5 9
85.8 83-5 7 0 0
117.1 111.7 110 5
163.0 151.2 151.8
202.1
103.9
170. 5
182.7
216.3
304.8
194. 5
165. 3
165.0
174. 1
211.8
280.6
185.2
163.2
160.8
164.0
203.2
262.8
172.3
151.1
150-1
153.6
215.1
254.8
Food
........ ......... _
Slaughtering and meat packing
Butter_______
Condensed and evaporated milk
Ice cream.......................... .
Flour________________
Feeds, prepared........ ................
121.0
122.0
124.7
135.1
104.4
121.8
146.8
122.2
125.5
120. 7
132.3
98.5
126.5
152.6
206.6
191.1
211.3
236.7
163.3
214.1
259.7
211.5
199.4
200.9
225. 8
152.3
241.6
272.7
215.0
217.9
195.1
219.3
146.2
228.0
276.4
194.4
178.2
196.3
238.7
130.8
201.0
235.6
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
' 94. 5
123.0
126.7
117.2
130.2
95.3
127.0
154.7
11« 0
112 1
125 0
142.9
89 4
117 0
137.5
996
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
T a b l e 2 . — Indexes of Production-Worker Employment and Pay Rolls in Manufacturing
Industries 1— Continued
Employment indexes
Industry
Mar. Feb.
1946 1946
Pay-roll indexes
Jan.
1946
Mar. Mar. Feb.
1945 1946 1946
Jan. Mar.
1946 1945
139.6
110. 2
89.0
74.7
106.2
107.4
151.9
68.8
124.5
111.3
106.2
37.6
116. 7
120.8
136.1
71.2
N ondurable goods—Continued
Food—Continued
Cereal preparations_________________________ Baking.__ _____ ____________________ _____
Sugar refining, cane 2______ __ . __________ .
Sugar, beet. _ _ . _ ____. . .
Confectionery_______________________ _ ------Beverages, nonalcoholic______________________
Malt liquors...
_ _ ................. .....................
Canning and preserving. . ______ _____ ______
146.8
110.3
91.2
43.1
105.6
106.3
142.6
63.2
248.6
181.2
121.4
74.0
183.2
144.9
237.8
136.6
228.3
180.1
132.1
121.2
191.1
146.3
228.1
144.1
232.6
170.2
181.3
58.1
198.5
159.7
200. 9
142.6
Tobacco manufactures 1_______________ _____ . . .
Cigarettes_____________ ___________________
Cigars_____
___ . . . . . . . .
. . . _____
Tobacco (chewing and smoking) and snuff_____
87.9 87.3 87.0 87.8 171.3 165. 2
116.6 116.1 118.3 126.8 201.7 194.3
73.1 71.5 69.2 65.3 156.4 148. 9
79.9 84.6 87.7 94.8 129.0 133.4
166.7
201.4
145.7
137.4
166.0
207.4
135. 3
156.9
Paper and allied products 1_______________________
Paper and pulp_________ . ____________ _ .
Paper goods, other----------------------------------------Envelopes______ ____ _ ___________________
Paper bags______________________ _____ ______
Paper boxes_________________________________
132. 9
117.9
122.6
116.6
128.1
121.3
131.0
116. 3
121.2
115.1
126.6
120.1
128.6
113.9
118.0
113.2
122.9
119.5
226.2
203.6
206.6
185.4
221. 6
204.0
221.7
198.4
201.8
185.5
218.5
204.2
201.9
183.4
198.2
170.0
208.3
182.3
Printing, publishing, and allied industries 1-----------Newspapers and periodicals__________________
Printing, book and job___ ___
. . _______
Lithographing______________________________
Bookbinding____ ____ _______________________
113.5
107.0
122.1
108.9
116.8
112.1
105. 3
120.9
107.3
115.0
109.4 98.2 176.8 170. 6
103.1 92.1 154.4 148.9
117.6 104.8 200. 2 193.9
105.2 94.2 167.5 161.8
112.9 107.2 224.6 215.1
165.7
143. 5
188.8
163.4
205. 5
139.4
120. 2
157.2
136.9
186.0
Chemicals and allied products 1___________________
______
Paints, varnishes, and colors . . ____
Drugs, medicines, and insecticides_____________
Perfumes and cosmetics_______ _______________
Soap________________________________________
Rayon and allied products____________________
Chemicals, not elsewhere classified____________
Explosives and safety fuses___________________
Compressed and liquefied gases_______________
Ammunition, small-arms_____________________
Fireworks _____________________ ___________
Cottonseed oil___________ __________________
Fertilizers___________ ___________________ ____
171.4
123. 6
185.5
116.9
104.4
123.7
165.9
201.2
138.3
193. 6
216.8
91.7
167.6
170.3
120.1
185.5
116.8
102.2
123.6
165.0
215.3
132.7
197. 5
203.3
101.4
151.7
169.7
117.4
181.5
115.4
100.3
123.0
164.7
238.7
141.0
225.8
183.4
116.8
132.5
242.3
104.4
182.0
116.9
98.3
113.1
165.7
1361.1
149.7
1576. 2
2059. 2
107.1
143.4
292.3
192.3
301.0
185.0
169.7
199.6
281.4
314.7
220.7
376.8
547.6
198.4
387.0
286.3
185.2
297.2
184.9
167.2
197.3
275.9
328.2
208.6
384.0
509.9
215.3
335.9
285.2
180.1
281.4
174.9
169.1
197.0
276.8
365.1
233.5
428.2
474.3
252.8
282.7
431.0
169.5
280.2
168.0
170.7
181.8
296.7
2091.6
270.7
3167. 0
5759.0
224.5
340.5
Products of petroleum and coal1......... .............. ............
Petroleum refining___________________________
Coke and byproducts________ ____ ____ _______
Paving materials 2____________________ ____ _
Roofing materials____________________________
137.2
133.1
116.9
72.8
130.5
133.7
132.3
104.0
60.3
134.4
134.0
131.9
109.7
58.3
128.8
126.6
126.1
101.5
62.8
117.7
231.0
217.9
210.7
129.5
229.1
224.7
217.4
179.3
115.4
241.0
220.9
210.6
189.3
111.8
237.1
224.6
220.6
184.0
119.5
213.9
Rubber products 1______________________ _________
Rubber tires and inner tubes_______________ . .
Rubber boots and shoes______________________
Rubber goods, other__________________________
181. 5
191.6
116.7
131.5
177.1
187.3
113.9
128.8
172.7
132.4
109.7
126.9
173.2
176.8
117.4
140.3
302.8
281.1
217.9
242.4
292.1
271.9
211. 5
233.8
290.1
272.6
203.6
231.8
315.4
301.9
216.3
264. 5
Miscellaneous industries 1________________________
Instruments (professional and scientific) and
fire-control equipment............. ...............................
Photographic apparatus______________________
Optical instruments and ophthalmic goods___
Pianos, organs, and parts_______________ _____
Games, toys, and dolls...............................
Buttons______________________ _______
Fire extinguishers.....................................
205.3
136.2
181. 3
105.8
105.2
92.1
228.9
147.3
109.7
86.8
46.7
103.4
105.5
153.9
66.6
119.7
106.3
119.1
108.1
116.7
111.9
256.4
182.8
137.1
68.3
185.7
148.1
200.2
132.1
233.3
208.1
214.0
197.7
230.4
212.5
160.0 155.4 150.4 174.3 293.1 278.8 271.0 348.0
201.3
130.1
178.0
98.5
100.4
92.7
227.2
200.2
127.1
173.7
88.9
94.1
87.7
231.3
541. 4
162.1
202.7
97.5
85.3
88.4
470.4
347.6
215.3
309.4
179.4
212.6
190.1
471.1
321.7
204.5
300.8
159.8
199.2
185.5
466.9
330.4 1068. 3
198.7 275.4
295.9 354.3
148.5 188.0
179. 2 180.5
177.5 180.2
458.0 1076. 9
1 Indexes for the major industry groups have been adjusted to levels indicated by the final 1944 data made
available by the Bureau of Employment Security of the Federal Security Agency. Indexes for the major
industry groups are not comparable with those published in mimeographed releases dated prior to April
1946 or the May 1946 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Comparable series from January 1944 are available
upon request.
2 Revisions have been made as follows in the indexes for earlier months:
Refrigerators and refrigeration equipm ent. —December 1945 employment index to 127.1, pay-roll index to
198.2; 1945 annual averages to 128.5 for employment and 221.0 for pay roll.
C urtains, draperies, and bedspreads.— December 1945 pay-roll index to 137.1.
S u ga r refining, come.—December 1945 pay-roll index to 140.1.
Paving materials. —December 1945 pay-roll index to 128.1.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
997
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
T a b l e 3 . — Estimated Number of Employees in Selected Nonmanufacturing Industries
Estimated number of employees (in thousands)
mu us try
Mar. 1946
Eeb. 1946
Jan. 1946
67.7
342
55.7
14.0
17.8
14.4
7.2
2.3
504
(2)
236
244
385
(3)
(3)
1,367
156
67.2
341
63.5
21.9
17.9
14.6
7.1
2.0
488
46.9
231
243
383
(3)
(3)
1,365
166
65.7
338
67.3
22.9
20.5
14.9
6.7
2.3
465
42.3
227
240
378
(3)
(3)
1,393
165
Mining:4
Anthracite____ ____________ ______________ ____
Bituminous coal_____ __________________________
Metal_________________________________________
Iron________________ _____________________
Copper___ _______________________________
Lead and zinc . . __ __ __ . . . _ _ ________ _
Gold and silver____ . . . _ ______ __________
Miscellaneous.. _ _______ . . . ______ . . .
Telephone ._ ________ __________ ____ ____ . . . .
Telegraph 2 . .
____________________
Electric light and power____
Street railways and busses__________________________
Hotels (year-round)______ _____________ ___________
Power laundries______________
Cleaning and dyeing.. . . . . . . .
.
_________
Class I steam railroads 4____________ _____________
Water transportation • . . . .
_. ___________ ______
Mar. 1945
65.4
334
69.1
23.9
22.1
14.8
5.6
2.7
404
44. 8
201
231
352
m
(3)
1,423
152
1 Data are for production workers only.
2 Excludes messengers, and approximately 6,000 employees of general and divisional headquarters, and
of cable companies. March 1940 data are not available.
3 The change in definition from “wage earner” to “production worker” in the power laundries and clean
ing and dyeing industries results in the omission of driver-salesmen. This causes a significant difference
in the data. New series are being prepared.
4 Source: Interstate Commerce Commission.
5 Based on estimates prepared by the U. S. Maritime Commission covering employment on active deepsea American-flag steam and motor merchant vessels of 1,000 gross tons and over. Excludes vessels under
bareboat charter to or owned by the Army or Navy.
T a b l e 4 . — Indexes of Employment and Pay Rolls in Selected Nonmanufacturing
Industries
[1939 average=100]
Employment indexes
Industry
Mining:
Anthracite _________________________
Bituminous coal_____________ _______
Metal___________ ____________________
Iron._______ _____________________
Copper______ .
Lead and zinc.___________________
Gold and silver___________________
Miscellaneous____________________
Quarrying and nonmetallic. __________
Crude-petroleum production 1 ________
Public utilities:
Telephone-_____ _____________ ______ _
Telegraph__________ . . . . __________
Electric light and power_______________
Street railways and busses_____________
Wholesale trade.'.________________________
Retail tra d e ............................ ........................... .
Food_____ . . .........................................
General merchandise____________ _____
Apparel___ _______ _________________ .
Furniture and housefurnishings_______
Automotive ______________ _______
Lumber and building materials.........
Hotels (year-round) 2___r._________________
Power laundries___________ _______ ______
Cleaning and dyeing. __________ ________
Class I steam railroads 3_ . __________ _____
Water transportation K . ................. ....................
Pay-roll indexes
Mar.
1946
Feb.
1946
Jan.
1946
Mar.
1945
Mar.
1946
Feb.
1946
Jan.
1946
Mar.
1945
81.7
92.2
63.1
69.1
74.9
92.9
29.1
57.8
88.8
90.8
81.1
92.0
72.0
109.2
74.9
94.1
28.6
49.2
84.3
91.0
79.3
91. 2
76.3
113.9
85.9
95.6
27.2
56.9
83.3
90.0
79.0
90.2
78.4
118.8
92.8
95.0
22.6
69.2
76.6
82.6
178.5
227.2
94.5
75.5
120.6
182.0
39.9
88.0
172.6
144.4
178.3
222.8
94.6
78.9
121. 3
183.0
38. 5
75.8
157.2
142.0
149.3
209. 9
118. 0
170.8
137.1
180.4
35.8
83.7
150.9
139.0
149.7
204.3
130. 9
213.1
153. 2
180.4
29. 5
114.4
142. 5
132.8
158.6
(4)
96.4
126.1
106.6
106.1
106.9
118.6
109.7
74.1
88. 2
104.7
119.3
109.6
124.3
138.4
297.8
153.7
124.7
94.7
125.7
105.5
104.2
106.8
114.6
104.8
72.9
86.9
103.3
118.7
109.0
121. 5
138.3
316.9
146.3
112.4
92.9
123.7
104.7
104.1
106.6
116.8
105.5
70.9
85.8
101.9
117.3
109.3
120.3
141.0
314.8
127.1
118.9
82.1
119.0
95.3
99.3
105.9
117.4
111.0
62.0
68.6
89.4
109.0
105. 5
117.4
144.1
290.4
237.0
(4)
140.4
187.2
167.5
160.9
163.9
173.3
170. 2
115.1
142.6
165. 5
201.1
181.3
213.4
(4)
550.6
230.7
176.9
138.3
187.2
165.0
157.4
161. 6
165.5
162.3
112. 5
140. 5
161.6
199.8
177.0
199.1
(4)
577.3
205.2
155. 3
133.7
181.4
161.2
154.9
159.7
165.8
163.2
107.1
139.0
158.6
196.4
178.7
201.7
(4)
575.3
162.4
170.8
116.8
176.2
141.4
133.0
141.2
147.6
153.4
88.6
104.3
131. 5
166.7
162. 2
192.3
(4)
724.7
1 Does not include well drilling or rig building.
2 Cash payments only; additional value of board, room, and tips, not included.
3 Source: Interstate Commerce Commission..
4 Not available.
5 Based on estimates prepared by the U. S. Maritime Commission covering employment on active deepsea American-flag steam and motor merchant vessels of 1,000 gross tons and over. Excludes vessels under
bareboat charter to or owned by the Army or Navy.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
998
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
194 6
Labor Turn-Over in Manufacturing, Mining, and
Public Utilities, March 1946
W ITH accessions averaging 70 and separations 66 per 1,000 employees,
labor turn-over rates in manufacturing continued in March to approxi
mate wartime levels more closely than those of prewar years. Quits,
both among men and among women, remained high—42 per 1,000, as
compared with prewar levels under 10. Lay-offs, however, were
approximating their 1939 rates, in both the nondurable- and durablegoods groups.
Although the hiring rate in the nondurable-goods group declined, in
the durable-goods group of industries this rate increased from 70 to
78 per 1,000, indicating that many plants which had been affected
by material shortages were beginning to expand. Among the durablegoods groups, the highest accession rate— 104 per 1,000 workers—was
reported by the automobile industry, in which reconversion had been
slowed by steel shortages.
The impending strikes in metal and bituminous-coal mining
prompted miners to quit their jobs, which raised the quit rate in
metal mining to 50 per 1,000, and in bituminous-coal mining to 42
per 1,000. The accession rate in the latter dropped from 52 in Feb
ruary to 33 per 1,000 in March.
T a b l e 1 .-—Monthly Labor Turn-Over Rates (per 100 Employees) in Manufacturing
Industries 1
Class of turn-over and year Jan.
Total separation:
1946........... ..............
1945___ _________
1 943...._________
1939_____________
Quit:
1946_____________
1945— .....................
1943_____ ____ _
1939_____________
Discharge:
1946.............. .........
1945_____________
1943_____________
1939_____________
Lay-off:3
1946_____________
1945________ ____
1943........... ..............
1939________ ____
Military and miscellaneous:4
1946............. ............
1945______ ______
1943_____________
Accession:
1946......... ................
1945..........................
1943.— ...................
1939..........................
Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July
Aug.
Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
6.8
6.2
7.1
3.2
6.3
6.0
7.1
2.6
2 6. 6
6.8
7.7
3.1
6.6
7.5
3.5
7.0
6.7
3.5
7.9
7.1
3.3
7.7
7.6
3.3
17.0
8.3
3.0
12.0
8.1
2.8
8.6
7.0
2.9
7.1
6.4
3.0
5.9
6.6
3.5
4.3
4.6
4.5
.9
3.9
4.3
4.7
.6
2 4.2
5.0
5.4
.8
4.8
5.4
.8
4.8
4.8
.7
5.1
5.2
.7
5.2
5.6
.7
6.2
6.3
.8
6.7
6.3
1.1
5.6
5.2
.9
4.7
4.5
.8
4.0
4.4
.7
.5
.7
.5
.1
.5
.7
.5
.1
2 .4
.7
.6
.1
.6
.5
.1
.6
.6
.1
.7
.6
.1
.6
.7
.1
.7
.7
.1
.6
.6
.1
.5
.6
.2
.5
.6
.2
.4
.6
.1
1.8
.6
.7
2.2
1.7
.7
.5
1.9
2 1.8
.7
.5
2.2
.8
.6
2.6
1.2
.5
2.7
1.7
.6
2.5
1.5
.5
2.5
10.7
.5
2.1
4.5
.5
1.6
2.3
.5
1.8
1.7
.7
2.0
1.3
1.0
2.7
.2
.3
1.4
.2
.3
1.4
2.2
.4
1.2
.4
1.0
.4
.8
.4
.8
.4
.8
.3
.8
.2
.7
.2
.7
.2
.6
.2
.6
8. 5
7.0
8.3
4.1
6.8
5.0
7.9
3.1
2 7.0
4.9
8.3
3.3
4.7
7.4
2.9
5.0
7.2
3.3
5.9
8.4
3.9
5.8
7.8
4.2
5.9
7.6
5.1
7.4
7.7
6.2
8.6
7.2
5.9
8.7
6.6
4.1
6.9
5.2
2.8
1 Month-to-month employment changes as indicated by labor turn-over rates are not precisely comparable
to those shown by the Bureau’s employment and pay-roll reports, as the former are based on data for the
entire month while the latter refer, for the most part, to a 1-week period ending nearest the middle of the
month. In addition, labor turn-over data, beginning in January 1943, refer to all employees, whereas the
employment and pay-roll reports relate only to production workers. The turn-over sample is not so exten
sive as that of the employment and pay-roll survey—proportionately fewer small plants are included;
printing and publishing, and certain seasonal industries, such as canning and preserving, are not covered.
2 Preliminary.
8 Including temporary, indeterminate, and permanent lay-offs.
4 Miscellaneous separations comprise not more than 0.1 in these figures. In 1939 these data were included
with quits.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
999
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
The accession rate for men continued to be considerably higher
than for women in the durable-goods group. For the first time since
VJ-day, however, the reverse was true in the nondurable-goods
division, where more than half of the groups reported a greater
accession rate for women than for men.
T a b l e 2 . — Monthly Labor Turn-Over Rates (per 100 Employees) in Selected Groups and
Industries,1 March 1946 2
Group and industry
Total
separa
tion
Quit
Dis
charge
Lay-off
Military Total ac
and mis
cellaneous cession
Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb.
M a n u fa ctu rin g
Durable__________ ____ ___________
Nondurable_______________________
Iron and steel and their products____
Blast furnaces, steel works, and
rolling mills___ ____ __________
Gray-iron castings______________
Malleable-iron castings_____ ____
Steel castings_____ ____________
Cast-iron pipe and fittings______
Tin cans and other tinware______
Wire products, _ . ___________
Cutlery and edge tools__________
Tools (except edge tools, machine
tools, files, and saws)__________
Hardware_______________ _____
Stoves, oil burners, and heating
equipment___________________
Steam and hot-water heating ap
paratus and steam fittings.. .
Stamped and enameled ware and
galvanizing__________________
Fabricated structural-metal prod
ucts___________ _____________
Bolts, nuts, washers, and rivets...
Forgings, iron and steel_________
Electrical machinery____________ . . .
Electrical equipment for indus
trial use______________________
Radios, radio equipment, and
phonographs_________________
Communication equipment; ex
cept radios_______ ___________
Machinery, except electrical___ ___
Engines and turbines___________
Agricultural machinery and trac
tors_________________________
Machine tools____________ _____
Machine-tool accessories________
Metalworking machinery and
equipment, not elsewhere classi
fied__________________________
General industrial machinery, ex
cept pumps____ ___________
Pumps and pumping equipment-.
Transportation equipment, except
automobiles__________________ ___
Aircraft_________________ _____
Aircraft parts, including engines..
Shipbuilding and repairs________
6.9
6.4
6.4
6.1
0.5
.4
0.5
.4
2.1
1.5
2.3
1.2
0.2
.2
0.2
.2
7.8
6.2
7.0
6.7
5.8
5.2
3.7
3.0
.4
.4
1.4
1.6
.3
.2
7.5
5.8
m
7.0
7.1
4.1
6.8
9.0
5.7
4.0
2.8
6.4
6.7
3.5
5.6
5.3
2.6
3.9
(3)
5.3
5.2
2.7
5.9
4.4
1.7
3.1
.2
1.3
.5
.5
.3
1.6
.2
1.0
(3)
.9
.5
.4
.4
1.8
.2
.6
1.5
.6
.1
1.4
.6
3.3
2.6
.1
(3)
.5
1.2
.8
.3
2.5
3.6
.2
.3
.4
.3
.2
.2
.3
.3
.1
(3) 6.4
.3 11.7
.2 9.9
.2 4.8
.2 9.5
.3 8.0
.2 6.8
.1 8.5
(3)
9.5
8.8
5.0
11.6
5.3
2.0
5.9
5.4
7.6
3.7
6.4
3.8
5.5
2.5
4.7
.6
1.0
.5
.9
.7
.8
.5
.5
.3
.3
.2
.3
10.8 11.7
6.7
9.5
4.5
8.5
5.2
4.1
.6
.8
4.7
6.4
.3
.4
9.9
6.4
5.1
4.7
.5
.7
.2
.4
.2
.2
7.7
8.0
8.8
5.3
3.9
.5
.3
1.1
4.3
.1
.3 10.6
6.8
5.7
3.5
2.9
4.3
2.6
3.1
3.0
2.1
1.7
.5
.3
.3
.7
.2
.3
2.8
1.4
1.6
1.9
.8
.7
.2
.3
.2
.1
.4
.2
6.3
4.0
4.5
6.0
6.0
7.0
7.8
4.6
5.2
7.2
5.8
5.9
5.9
5.9
3.7
3.4
.5
.5
1.6
1.8
.1
.2
7.2
7.7
6.4
6.5
3.8
3.4
.6
.7
1.8
2.2
.2
.2
6.2
6.3
6.9
6.7
4.2
3.8
.6
.5
2.0
2.1
.1
.3
8.4
9.2
3.4
3.1
2.2
2.1
.2
.2
.8
.7
.2
.1
6.4
5.9
5.1
8.6
4.6
6.4
2.9
3.0
2.4
2.1
.4
.4
.4
.5
1.6
5.1
1.6
3.7
.2
.1
.2
.1
5.5
6.3
4.9
6.0
3.6
5.7
0)
(3)
4.1
4.9
(3)
2.0
2.9
(3)
1.7
2. 2
(3)
.2
.5
(3)
.4
.5
(3)
1.3
2.2
(3)
1.9
2.1
(3)
.1
.1
C3)
.1
.1
(»)
4.2
5.4
(3)
4.0
5.0
4.6
3.7
3.4
2.6
.5
.5
.4
.4
.3
.2
5.8
4.8
4.8
4.5
4.5
5.0
2.9
3.0
2.4
2.2
.4
.5
.5
.5
1.3
.9
1.3
2.0
.2
.1
.3
.3
5.0
6.2
4.7
5.1
11.6 11.3
8.2 8.5
8.9 8.8
14.8 13.7
3.6
3.4
2.9
3.9
3.5
3.0
2.5
3.9
.5
.3
.3
.7
.6 7.4
.3 4.4
.3 5.6
.9 10.1
7.0
5.1
5.9
8.6
.1
.1
.1
.1
.2
.1
.1
.3
8.6
7.6
7.8
9.6
7.2
6.8
6.7
7.6
N onferrous metals and their products. 5.9
Primary smelting and refining,
except aluminum and magne
sium_________________________ 3.0
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
3.4
4.3
4.8
8.7
7.6
5.6
6.7
10.5
5.7
5.1
Automobiles *______________________ 5.4
Motor vehicles, bodies, and
trailers *________________ _____ 5.0
Motor-vehicle parts and acces
sories *.............................................. 6.2
See footnotes at end of table.
4.1
4.3
5.3
2.4
1.8
.3
.3
2.6
2.8
.1
.4 10.4
7.6
4.3
2.1
1.6
.3
.2
2.5
2.1
.1
.4 11.5
8.0
7.5
3.0
2.3
.3
.4
2.7
4.6
.2
.2
8.3
6.7
5.5
4.2
3.5
.6
.5
.9
1.3
.2
.2
7.9
7.6
3.8
1.9
2.3
.4
.2
.6
1.2
.2
.1
4.5
5.3
1000
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW----JU N E
194 6
T a b l e 2 . — Monthly Labor Turn-Over Rates (per 100 Employees) in Selected Groups and
Industries,1 March 1946 2— Continued
Group and industry
Total
separa
tion
Quit
Dis
charge
Lay-off
Military Total ac
and mis
cellaneous cession
Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb.
M a n u fa ctu rin g — Continued
Nonferrous metals and their prod
ucts—Continued
Rolling and drawing of copper
and copper alloys_____________ 5.5
Lighting equipment--------- --------- 6.5
Non ferrous-metal foundries, except aluminum and magnesium. 6.5
4.5
5.4
4.7
4.8
3.3
4.8
5.8
4.4
Lumber and timber basic products— 8.2
Sawmills __
________________ 7.8
Planing and plywood m ills... . . . 5.4
7.5
7.3
4.6
6.6
6.1
4.1
Furniture and finished lumber products______________________ ______ 9.0
Furniture, including mattresses
and bedsprings-------------- ------ 9.4
0.5
.1
0.3
.2
3.2
.7
5.6
5.4
3.7
.4
.4
.4
0.1
.l
5.9
9.0
5.9
10.3
0.2
1.4
0.8
.3
0.1
.2
.7
1.1
1.6
.3
.3
8.5
6.8
.5
.4
.4
1.0 1.2
1.1- 1.4
.3
.7
.2
.2
.2
.2
.1
.2
8.2
7.8
5.6
8.5
8.4
6.5
8.3
7.0
5.9
.6
.7
1.2
1.5
.2
.2 10. 2
9.4
8.8
7.3
6.2
.6
.7
1.3
1.7
.2
.2 10.5
10.0
Stone, clay, and glass products______
Glass and glass p r o d u c ts ...------Cement__ _____________________
Brick, tile, and terra cotta---------Pottery and related products------
5.2
5.3
5.1
6.8
5.0
4.9
4.9
5.3
5.8
4.7
3.8
3.3
4.1
6.0
4.1
3.5
3.2
4.2
4.8
3.8
.5
.6
.5
.5
.5
.5
.5
.5
.6
.5
.6
.9
.2
.1
.2
.6
.8
.3
.2
.2
.3
.5
.3
.2
.2
.3
.4
.3
.2
.2
7.2
6.7
9.2
9.2
5.9
8.1
10.0
7.2
8.3
6.3
Textile-mill products_______________
Cotton___ __________________ . .
Silk and rayon goods___ _____
Woolen and worsted, except dyeing and finishing--------------------Hosiery, full-fashioned---------------Hosiery, seamless___ ___
Knitted underwear.. . ----------- .
Dyeing and finishing textiles, ineluding woolen and worsted .
6.3
7.5
6.5
5.8
7.1
5.8
5.3
6.5
5.5
4.8
6.1
4.5
.4
.4
.4
.4
.5
.4
.4
.4
.4
.4
.3
.7
.2
.2
.2
.2
.2
.2
6.7
7.6
6.6
7.3
8.2
7.2
4.9
3.4
5.4
5.7
4.1
3.2
5.5
5.0
3.9
3.1
4.9
4.9
3.1
2.8
5.0
4.3
.5
.2
.2
.5
.4
.3
.2
.4
.3
.1
.2
.2
.4
.1
.3
.3
.2
(5)
.1
.1
.2
(5)
(5)
(5)
5.7
5.0
6.2
5.9
6.4
5.5
7.0
6.5
4.5
4.3
2.8
2.8
.7
.6
.7
.7
.3
.2
5.0
5. 9
Apparel and other finished textile
products__________ r-------------------- 5.4
Men’s and boys’ suits, coats, and
overcoats_____________________ 4.0
Men’s and boys’ furnishings,
work clothing, and allied garments_________________ ______ 5.9
5.2
4.7
4.3
.2
.2
.4
.6
.1
.1
6.3
6.1
3.9
3.5
3.3
.1
.2
.3
.3
.1
.1
6.2
5.6
5.4
5.2
4.4
.1
.2
.5
.7
.1
.1
5.7
5.6
.1
.1
.1
.1
.2
.1
6.2
4.9
6.4
6.3
4.8
6.6
5.1
4.1
5.5
4.7
3.8
4.9
4.5
3.2
4.8
.3
.3
.3
.2
.2
.3
.3
.6
.2
.3
.5
.3
------- 9.9 9.7
Food and kindred products..
Meat products_________________ 12.0 12.4
Grain-mill products_____________ 8.0 6.7
4.6
4.6
5.1
5.7
6.8
4.5
.6
.7
1.1
.7
.9
1.0
4.5
6.4
1.7
3.0
4.3
.9
.2
.3
.1
.3
.4
.3
6.4
6.8
5.7
8.1
10.0
6.2
6.2
5.2
4.3
.3
.2
.9
1.5
.3
.2
7.5
6.4
.8
.9
.8
.2
.2
.4
.2
.2
.3
7.1
6.7
8.4
7.1
6.3
8.8
1.3
.4
.8
.2
.2
.2
.2
.2
.2
4.6
4.9
3.9
4.6
5.0
4.6
Leather and leather products_____ _ 5.4
Leather... ________ . . _ --------- 4.8
Boots and shoes________________ 5.5
Tobacco manufactures______________ 6.7
Paper and allied products.______ :___ 6.1
Paper and pulp_____ __________ 5.3
Paper boxes____________________ 8.3
5.8
4.8
8.3
4.8
4.1
6.8
4.3
3.3
6.5
.5
.5
.6
.5
.4
.7
.6
.5
.5
Chemicals and allied products______ 4.2
Paints, varnishes, and colo rs.___ 4.2
Rayon and allied products. ------- 4.5
Industrial chemicals, except explosives_______________ . . . . . 3.4
4.2
3.6
3.9
2.4
2.9
2.6
2.3
2.6
2.3
.4
.3
.6
.4
.4
.6
1.2
.8
1.1
3.5
2.1
2.1
.3
.4
.8
.8
.2
.2
4.7
4.4
Products of petroleum and coal_____ 2.7
Petroleum refining______________ 2.3
2.8
2.7
1.2
1.0
1.2
1.1
.2
.1
.2
.2
1.1
1.0
1.2
1.2
.2
.2
.2
.2
3.2
2.9
3.0
2.8
Rubber products____________ ______
Rubber tires and inner tubes____
Rubber footwear and related
products_____________________
Miscellaneous rubber industries. .
4.6
3.7
4.7
4.1
3.7
3.0
3.8
3.4
.3
.2
.3
.2
.4
.2
.4
.3
.2
.3
.2
.2
5.9
5.1
6.6
5.8
6.0
6.3
5.3
5.9
5.1
4.7
4.4
4.3
.3
.5
.3
.6
.4
.9
.4
.8
.2
.2
.2
.2
6.9
7.1
7.4
7.9
Miscellaneous industries 4....................
5.9
4.1
3.6
2.7
.4
.3
1.7
1.0
.2
.1
6.6
6.0
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TRENDS OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR TURN-OVER
1001
T a b l e 2 . — Monthly Labor Turn-Over Rates ( per 100 Employees) in Selected Groups and
Industries,1 March 1 9 4 6 2— Continued
Group and industry
Total
separa
tion
Quit
Dis
charge
Lay-off
Military
and mis
cellaneous
Total ac
cessori
Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb.
N o n m a nu fa cturin g
6.2
2.5
8.6
7.4
4.6
0
6.8
4.9
0)
5.6
5.0
1.4
6.9
6.7
0.5
0)
7 .9
1.1
.4
0.4
0
.7
.4
0.4
.5
.4
.1
0.3
0
.2
.2
0.3
.6
.2
.2
0.1
0
.2
.1
6.6
4.3
8.3
7.0
6.1
0
8.9
6.6
Coal mining:
Anthracite mining______________ 2.1
Bituminous-coal mining_________ 5.6
2.4
4.8
1.7
4.2
1.8
3.9
(«)
.2
0
.2
.3
.9
.4
.4
.1
.3
.2
.3
2.7
3.3
3.1
5.2
Public utilities:
Telephone_____________________
Telegraph _ ________ _ __ .
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0)
0)
0
0)
0)
0)
0)
0
0
..
.. _
Metal mining___ _
Iron-ore______ _____ _
. ...
Copper-ore__________ _________
Lead- and zinc-ore____________
0)
0)
5.4
1 Since January 1943 manufacturing firms reporting labor turn-over have been assigned industry codes
on the basis of current products. Most plants in the employment and pay-roll sample, comprising those
which were in operation in 1939, are classified according to their major activity at that time, regardless of
any subsequent change in major products.
2 Preliminary.
3 Not available.
4 Current month data based on incomplete returns. Data for miscellaneous industries based on incom
plete returns for both February and March.
3 Less than 0.05.
T a b l e 3 . — Monthly Labor Turn-Over Rates (p er 100 Employees) for M en and Women in
All Manufacturing and Selected Groups,1 March 1946 2
Total separation
Industry group
Men
Women
Quit
Men
Accession
Women
Men
Women
Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar. Feb.
All manufacturing________________ _ 6.4
Durable___
________________ 6.6
Nondurable____ ____ __________ 6.2
5.9
6.1
5.7
7.1
7.8
6.8
7.0
8.1
6.7
3.8
3.9
3.6
3.4
3.2
3.6
5.2
4.9
5.3
5.1
4.5
5.2
7.2
8.0
6.1
6.8
6.9
6.7
6.4
6.5
6.3
6.4
5.8
6.5
5.6
4.5
5.0
4.8
5.3
4.3
9.0
7.8
6.2
7.7
6. 9
6.3
3.7
2.6
2.8
2.7
2.4
2.1
5.2
5.0
3.9
5.0
4.6
3.5
7.7
6.5
5.8
5.8
7.0
5.2
6.7
8.1
4.0
5.6
8.7
3.3
11.3 10.8 13.6 13.7
5.2 5.0 7.3 8.3
5.9 5.2 6.0 6.1
8.4 7.3 6.0 9.4
3.6
2.3
4.3
6.7
3.5
1.7
3.3
5.5
4.2
3.8
3.9
5.1
4.1 9.3
3.8 10.6
4.2 8.2
6.3 8.6
7.6
5.5
7.7
8.9
4.4
8.7
7.1
3.2
3.8
6.9
7.6
3.0
7.1
3.7
5.7
3.4
6.6
4.5
6.5 10.7 10.2
4.0 7.7 8.6
8.1
5.6
6.1
6.0
Iron and steel and their products____
Electrical machinery_______________
Machinery, except electrical. ...............
Transportation equipment, except
automobiles_____________________
Automobiles_______________________
Nonferrous metals and their products.
Lumber and timber basic products. -.
Furniture and finished lumber prod
ucts------- ----------------------------------Stone, clay, and glass products ____
Textile-mill products_______________
Apparel and other finished textile
products________________________
Leather and leather products----------Food and kindred products... -------Tobacco manufactures______________
Paper and allied products____ .•_____
Chemicals and allied products---------Products of petroleum and coal.. . . .
Rubber products___ _______________
Miscellaneous industries3___________
9.1
5.1
8.0
4.8
8.1
5.5
9.3
5.4
6.3
5.7
6.2
5.9
5.1
4.5
5.5
5.2
7.1
8.0
6.2
6.5
3.8
4.6
9.9
4.8
5.7
3.6
2.3
4.2
5.1
3.4 5.8 5.5
4.4 6.3 6.0
9.3 10.6 11.3
5.5 7.8 6.7
5.2 7.4 7.4
3.6 6.6 6.6
2.4 7.6 7.2
4.2 6.0 6.1
3.2 7.2 5.7
3.1
4.0
4.1
3.9
4.4
2.1
1.1
3.3
2.8
2.8
3.8
5.1
4.5
3.7
1.9
1.0
3.3
1.9
5.1
5.5
6.1
6.0
5.8
3.7
3.2
4.8
5.1
4.6
5.3
7.9
4.1
5.9
3.7
3.5
5.0
4.0
5.6
5.7
6.2
6.1
7.2
4.8
3.1
5.8
6.9
5.7
6.0
7.9
6.5
7.2
4.9
3.0
6.5
5.8
6.4
6.7
7.1
8.3
6.5
3.7
3.8
6.1
6.1
6.1
6.7
9.0
6.3
6.1
3.5
2.3
7.1
6.3
1 T h e s e fig u re s a r e b a s e d o n a s lig h tly s m a lle r s a m p le t h a n t h a t fo r a ll e m p lo y e e s , i n a s m u c h a s s o m e
firm s d o n o t r e p o r t s e p a r a te d a t a fo r w o m e n .
2 P r e l im i n a r y fig u re s.
3 B a s e d o n in c o m p le te r e tu r n s .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Trends o f Earnings and Hours
Summary of Earnings and Hours Data for March 1946
W ID ESPREAD wage-rate increases raised gross average hourly
earnings for all manufacturing industries to $1.03 in March, the
highest level since VJ-day.
Preliminary estimates indicate that
hourly earnings rose to $1.06 in April, exceeding the wartime peak.
Weekly earnings in manufacturing rose $1.59 as a result of higher
wage rates and a slight rise in the workweek to 40.8 hours in March
1946, but averaged 11 percent below a year ago because of the 10.2
percent reduction in the workweek and substantial elimination of
overtime premium pay.
Increases in average hourly earnings were evident in March in both
the durable- and nondurable-goods groups. Earnings in the former
averaged $1.10 in March, while in the latter the average was 97%
cents. The difference in earnings between these two major divisions
is considerably less than the 20% cents difference that existed when
the war ended.
The nondurable-goods industries are paying workers the highest
average hourly earnings ever reported. The figure for March— 97%
cents— represents an increase of almost 8 cents from a year ago and
is 6% cents higher than in August 1945. Each of the major nondurable-goods groups contributed to this increase.
While workers in the durable-goods group averaged $44.72 a
week, 16 percent below last year, those in the nondurable group
earned $39.87, on an average, a gain of 3 percent.
When the war ended, three of the major nondurable-goods groups
reported average weekly earnings of less than $30. Each of these—
textiles, apparel, and tobacco— averaged $33 or better in March.
Preliminary April averages are presented below:
W eekly
earnings
W eekly
hours
H ourly earnings (in cents)
All manufacturing____________________ $42. 92
40. 6
105. 8
Durable goods________________________
Nondurable goods____________________
40. 5
40. 6
113. 1
98. 8
1002
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
45. 80
40. 11
1003
TRENDS OF EARNINGS AND HOURS
Earnings and Hours in Manufacturing and Nonmanufacturing Industries, March 1946
M ANUFACTURING
Average weekly
earnings 1
Mar. Feb.
1946 1946
Average weekly
hours 1
Jan. Mar. Feb.
1946 1946 1946
All manufacturing______________ ____ ______ $42.14 $40. 55 $41.15
Durable goods. ______________________ 44.72 42.49 43.67
Nondurable goods_________________ ____ 39.87 39. 03 38. 75
Average weekly
earnings i
Jan. Mar. Feb.
1946 1946 1946
Jan.
1946
Cents Cents Cents
40.8
40.6
40.9
40.5
40.0
40.9
41.0 103.4 100.1 100. 4
40.8 110.1 106.3 107.0
41.2 97.5 95.3 94.1
46.79 42.49 44. 95
40.1
39.2
41.1 116.8 108.4 109 5
45. 26
49.51
47.24
46. 21
40.85
40.29
45. 61
44.83
44. 93
49. 37
48. 27
42. 09
41. 69
41.38
46.52
43.42
37.9
43.8
41.8
38.9
41.7
39.9
42.1
44.7
30.4
43.4
42.9
41.6
43.0
41.0
41.5
44.2
38.5
45.0
43.9
37.6
44.5
44.4
44.1
44.5
46.14 45.57 44.87
42.04 40. 95 42.61
44.38 43. 57 43. 85
45.0
43.0
42.2
44.8
42.6
42.2
45.0 102.6 101.8 99.8
44.1 97.7 96.1 96. 6
42.5 105.2 103.1 103 2
44.01 41.81 43. 97
41.2
40.8
42.7 107.0 102.6 103.1
44. 38 44.17 44. 99
41.2
41.6
42.9 107.7 106.2 104.9
42. 90 41.78 42.03
D urable goods
Iron and steel and their products___________
Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling
mills___ _____________ _ ___________
Gray-iron and semisteel castings________
Malleable-iron castings. . . ___________
Steel castings____________________ ____ _
Cast-iron pipe and fittings...___________
Tin cans and other tinware_____________
Wirework___ _____ ______ ____ _______
Cutlery and edge tools_________________
Tools (except edge tools, machine tools,
files, and saws)________ ____ _________
Hardware______ ______ _______________
Plumbers’ supplies___________. . . _____
Stoves, oil burners, and heating equip
ment, not elsewhere classified_________
Steam and hot-water heating apparatus
and steam fittings_________ _____
Stamped and enameled ware and galvan
izing________________________________
Fabricated structural and ornamental
metalwork___________________
Metal doors, sash, frames, molding, and
trim___ _______________________
Bolts, nuts, washers, and rivets__
Forgings, iron and steel_________________
Screw-machine products and wood screws.
Steel barrels, kegs, and dru m s....................
Firearms__________________________
40.6
40.9
41.8 105.0 102.2 100.5
47. 44 42. 72 43.90
42.1
39.4
40.9 111.8 107.5 106. 4
45.68
41.25
49.85
47.06
40. 86
48.93
43.73
44.10
48.85
45. 22
41.47
48.44
44.12
43.01
53.31
47.09
40.32
48. 55
44.4
38.3
39.1
42.5
38.6
42.6
43.0
42.5
39.3
41.7
41.0
43.5
41.9
41.4
42.8
43.3
40.6
43.8
Electrical machinery_____________ . . . .
Electrical equipment. _________________
Radios and phonographs_____________
Communication equipment________ ____
41.86
41.61
39.23
46.15
41.49
40.94
39.01
45.41
43.52
44.05
38. 78
46.13
40.4
40.1
39.4
42.0
40.3
40.0
39.7
41.8
41.3 103.7 102.9 105.3
41.3 103.2 102.3 106.7
40.5 99.6 98.7 95.8
42.3 108 8 108.1 108.5
Machinery, except electrical________________
Machinery and machine-shop products.. .
Engines and turbines_____________ .
1’ractors_____________________ ______
Agricultural machinery, excluding tractors
Machine tools_________________ .
Machine-tool accessories_________
Textile machinery____________
Typewriters____________________ .
Cash registers, adding and calculating
machines...........................................
Washing machines, wringers and driers,
domestic..______ _____________
Sewing machines, domestic and industrial
Refrigerators and refrigeration equip
ment 3________ _____ __________
48. 66
48. 29
46. 03
51.40
44. 34
53. 05
53.15
48.87
45. 69
47. 49
47.91
46. 66
46. 52
43.98
51. 74
51.43
47.87
44. 42
47.84
47.81
49. 61
49. 34
45.02
53. 07
52. 53
48. 28
44.12
41.6
41.7
38.9
41.7
40.4
43.5
41.6
44.7
43.1
41.4
42.3
39.2
38.2
40.2
43.0
41. 4
45.7
43. 6
42.0
42.5
41.5
41.9
40.6
44.4
42.5
46.3
43.4
Transportation equipment, except automo
biles________ ______ _________ _____
Locomotives_______________________
Cars, electric- and steam-railroad...............
Aircraft and parts, excluding aircraft
engines.......... ...................... ......................
Aircraft engines___________ ______
Shipbuilding and boatbuilding__
Motorcycles, bicycles, and parts..................
Automobiles___________________ __________
See footnotes a t end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
36. 75
47.70
47.17
47.15
40. 93
38.84
44.00
43.84
129.0
112.3
112.5
119.3
97.7
101.6
108.4
99.8
104.4
107.8
127.2
109.7
106.2
114.9
116.9
115.4
117.8
123.4
109.0
121.7
128.2
109.4
105.9
(2)
110.0
109.8
113.9
95.2
94.7
106.0
99. 1
102.4
104.3
124.4
107.5
101.2
111.3
114.7
112.9
119.0
121.2
108. 5
120.5
124.4
104.8
102.0
116.9
109. 7
110. 1
111.9
93. 6
93.7
105. 5
97. 4
106. 2
104. 6
124. 6
107.9
99.4
110.8
113.9
112.3
119. 6
117. 6
110.9
119. 5
124.0
104. 4
101.8
53. 56 50.49 53.18
41.3
39.3
42.5 130.9 129. 2 126. 3
40. 73 41.23 42.28
49.84 49. 59 48. 75
40.1
43.9
40.0
44.0
42.7 101.6 103.2 98.9
43.6 113.8 113.1 112.5
44.91 38. 74 34. 62
39.0
34.8
32.7 115.6 111.7 106.4
50.63 48.03 49.29
56.92 54. 58 57.89
46. 40 44.33 45.14
40.0
42.7
41.8
38.9
43.2
41.0
40.0 126.6 123.5 123.1
42.3 133.3 126.2 136.8
41.5 110.7 107.9 108.5
50. 56
52.82
51. 46
45. 27
48.84
51. 48
49. 44
46.36
41.0
41.9
38.8
41.5
40.3
42.1
37.3
41.9
41.1
40.9
38.8
43.3
46.09 42.36 46.19
36,9
34.1
37. 5 125.0 124.2 123.0
49.29
53. 43
47. 61
44.41
123.3
125.8
132.5
109.3
122.2
126.8
127.8
106.0
118.8
125.8
121. 3
107.0
1004
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
Earnings and Hours in Manufacturing and Nonmanufacturing Industries,
March 1946 —Continued
M AN U F ACTURIN G— Continued
Average weekly
earnings 1
Average weekly
hours 1
Average weekly
earnings i
Industry
Mar. Feb.
1946 1946
Jan. Mar. Feb.
1946 1946 1946
Jan. Mar. Feb.
1946 1946 1946
Jan.
1946
D urable goods—Continued
Nonferrous metals and their products______
Smelting and refining, primary, of nonferrous metals_________________________
Alloying and rolling and drawing of nonferrous metals, except aluminum______
Clocks and watches____ ___ __________
Jewelry (precious metals) and jewelers’
findings________ ____ _______ _________
Silverware and plated ware_____________
Lighting equipment..... ............... ...........
Aluminum manufactures_______________
$47. 31 $47.13 $46.13
42.4
Cents Cents Cents
43.2
43.3 111.6 109.1 106.6
46. 72 46. 06 46.91
41.1
42.1
43.3 113.9 109.4 108.4
51.70 52. 89 51. 69
41.58 39.96 39. 31
43.2
42.2
45.1
41.6
45.5 119.6 117.4 113.5
41.0 98.5 96.0 95.8
47.12
51.92
42. 54
41.85
45.2
46.5
40.2
40.8
44.6
46.8
40.9
42.0
44.6
47.0
41.1
41.0
106.4
113.2
104.0
114.0
105.7
112.5
104.2
109.4
105.6
110.7
103.6
102.1
Lumber and timber basic products _________ 34.87 33. 54 32.15
Sawmills and logging camps____________ 33. 51 31.91 30.58
Planing and plywood m ills....................... 39.18 38. 69 37.14
41.1
40.5
43.0
40.1
39.4
42.3
38.8
38.0
40.9
84.8
82.7
90.9
83.6
81.0
91.2
83.0
80.4
90.4
Furniture and finished lumber products_____ 37.71 36.79
38. 46 37. 46
Furniture____________________________
Caskets and other morticians’ goods_____ 40. 41 40. 60
Wood preserving_______________________ 34. 88 32.84
36. 07
36. 56
39.19
32.11
42.4
42.2
43. 3
42.2
42.2
42.1
43.5
40.6
41.8
41.4
43.7
39.3
88.9
91.3
93.2
82.7
87.3
89.1
93.2
80.9
86.4
88.2
89.6
81.7
Stone, clay, and glass products______________
Glass and glassware..................... . . . . . .
Glass products made from purchased glass.
Cement __ ________________________ _
Brick, tile, and terra cotta___________ .
Pottery and related products___________
Gypsum______________________________
Lim e.. . .
. _________ . . _________
Marble, granite, slate, and other products
Abrasives_____ ______ ________________
Asbestos products______________________
48. 25
52. 61
41.79
46.49
47.14
52. 59
42.58
45.96
40.89
42. 84
37. 08
42.17
36. 83
38.12
45.14
41. 15
41.39
44. 68
46. 61
39. 64
42.10
36. 22
40. 50
35. 25
37. 61
45. 44
38.58
40. 22
38.94
46. 27
38. 33
38.81
34.13
39. 72
35.16
36.22
43.88
38.28
38.88
42.10
45.96
41.5
40.1
42.1
43. 1
41. 6
40.9
46.8
46.7
42.1
39.8
43.3
41.0
39.9
41.6
42.5
40. 6
41.0
47.5
45.3
41.3
36.8
43.6
40.7 98.5 96.7 94.2
38.8 107.0 105.7 100. 3
39. 5 86.1 84.9 85.3
42.1 97.8 95.4 94.3
40.9 88.0 86.3 85.7
39. 6 94.4 92.7 92.7
46.3 96.5 95.8 94.7
44.9 87.3 84.5 84.3
41.2 98.4 97.1 94.4
40.0 112.2 105. 9 105.2
44.3 107.7 106.2 103.8
34. 68
31.36
36. 59
34. 76
33.76
30.14
35. 59
33. 74
32. 44
29.01
35.81
32.42
40.4
39.8
42.2
41.5
40. 5
40.0
42.1
41.5
40.4
40.1
42.4
41.0
85.8
78.8
86.7
83.8
83.3
75.3
84.6
81.2
80.3
72.4
84.6
79.0
41.29
33.83
38. 53
34. 50
29. 64
41.04
33.15
37. 73
33.14
28. 67
38. 52
31.68
36. 66
31.87
27.90
41.4
38.6
43.7
39.9
39.1
41.6
38.4
43.8
39.3
38.9
41.8
37.4
43.5
38.3
38.4
99.9
87.1
88.0
85.6
75.5
98.8
86.2
86.2
83.8
73.3
92.2
84.6
84.3
82.2
72.5
40.23
40.31
51.93
36. 39
33.78
39.89
40.09
48. 75
35.86
31.70
38.84
39. 62
50. 03
34. 89
33. 58
43.2
40.5
42.6
43.4
41.5
43.9
40.7
41.2
43.3
40.4
44.1 93.1 90.9 88.2
40.4 99.7 98.5 98.3
42.1 121.0 118.1 118.5
42.7 84.1 83.1 81.6
42.8 81.3 78.5 78.2
36.04
37.04
28.54
30.44
21.29
47.02
33.77
47.17
27.28
27.93
33.96
29.89
33.71
34.94
28.06
29.61
21.08
42.70
32.58
43.45
26.98
26.47
31.22
30.12
33.24
33.88
26. 54
28.13
20.73
42.95
32.10
44. 32
24.47
26.98
31.50
29.16
37.5
37.5
37.3
36.2
35.1
37.3
39.8
34.7
36.9
37.0
39.1
38.6
36.5
36.8
36.9
36.9
35.0
35.7
38.7
33.5
37.0
35.5
38.3
40.0
36.7 96.2 92.3 90.6
37.0 98.1 94.7 91.2
36.2 77.1 76.1 72.8
36.0 83.9 79.8 78.1
34.9 61.0 60.2 59.4
36.1 122.8 117.1 116.6
38.9 85.2 84.3 82.6
34.3 109.2 107.1 105.2
35.0 74.2 73.1 70.4
36.2 74.8 73.4 73.8
38.5 86.2 81.1 81.5
39.6 77.5 75.4 73.6
N ondurable goods
Textile-mill products and other fiber manufactures__________________________ ____ _
Cotton manufactures, except smallwares..
Cotton smallwares_____________________
Silk and rayon goods____ _______ _______
Woolen and worsted manufactures, except
dyeing and finishing__________________
Hosiery...
__________________________
Knitted c lo th ............. ._ _____________
Knitted outerwear and knitted gloves___
Knitted underwear____________ _______
Dyeing and finishing textiles, including
woolen and worsted__________________
Carpets and rugs, wool_________________
Hats, fur-felt___________________ ______
Jute goods, except felts_________________
Cordage and twine....... .................. ................
Apparel and other finished textile products__
Men’s clothing, not elsewhere classified...
Shirts, collars, and nightwear___________
Underwear and neckwear, men’s________
Work shirts____________ _______ ______ _
Women’s clothing, not elsewhere classified.
Corsets and allied garments..........................
M illinery____________ ________ ________
Handkerchiefs____________________ ____
Curtains, draperies, and bedspreads 3____
Housefurnishings other than curtains, etc .
Textile b a g s ....................................................
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1005
TRENDS OF EARNINGS AND HOURS
Earnings and Hours in Manufacturing and Nonmanufacturing Industries,
March 1946 — Continued
M ANUFACTU RING— Continued
Average weekly
earnings 1
Average weekly
hours 1
Average weekly
earnings 1
Industry
Mar. Feb.
1946 1946
Jan. Mar. Feb.
1946 1946 1946
Jan. Mar. Feb.
1946 1946 1946
Jan.
1946
N ondurable goods —Continued
Leather and leather products_______________
Leather_______________________________
Boot and shoe cut stock and findings____
Boots and shoes __________________ .
Leather gloves and m ittens.. . .....................
Trunks and suitcases _________________
$37. 37 $36.69
43.70 43.49
35.95 35.99
36.67 35.83
30. 72 30.56
37.81 35.98
40.8
42.6
40.5
40.6
36.6
40.6
40.4
42.6
40.7
40.2
37.3
39.6
39.9 91.7 90.7 90.4
42.8 102.8 102.2 103.0
40.9 89.2 89.0 88.2
39.2 89.6 88.5 87.7
36.9 84.1 82.4 83.8
40.0 92.5 90.2 90.5
Food----------------------- ----------- -----------------Slaughtering and meat packing....................
Butter................................... .............................
Condensed and evaporated milk________
Ice cream_____________________________
Flour_________________________________
Cereal preparations________________ . . .
Baking____ ____ ______________________
Sugar refining, cane3___________________
Sugar, beet ---------- --------------------------Confectionery.______ __________________
Beverages, nonalcoholic________ ________
Malt liquors__________________________
Canning and preserving_______________
40.50
42.56
37. 77
40.38
42.87
44. 56
44.17
41.49
35.97
38.97
32.31
36.75
49. 50
33. 71
41.37
46.68
37. 20
38.72
41.82
45.58
41.60
40.95
35. 49
39.95
33. 21
35.90
53.06
33.86
42.9
40.6
46.4
47.6
47.6
47.7
42.4
45.1
39.4
39.1
39.8
42.7
40.5
39.6
44.3
46.1
45.9
47.6
47.0
50.7
41.4
45.1
37.6
38.8
40.0
42.0
44.3
39.5
44.9 94.4 92.4 92.1
48.7 104.8 93.9 96.1
46.1 80.9 80.2 80.6
46.7 84.9 82.5 82.9
46.8 87.4 86.7 86.3
49.4 93.6 95.5 92.4
40.8 104.9 103.7 102.0
45.4 92.0 91.3 90.4
39.9 91.0 89.0 88.9
40.9 99.6 100.3 97.6
40.3 80.2 80.3 80.2
42.1 84.6 84.9 84.2
43.9 122.0 123.2 120.9
40.2 85.9 84.4 84.6
Tobacco manufactures_____________________
Cigarettes_______________________ _____
Cigars.......... .......................... ................... _
Tobacco (chewing and smoking) and
snuff__ _____ _______________________
32.95 31.98 32.36
36. 71 35. 50 36.13
30.62 30. 01 30.27
39.7
40.8
39.3
38.5
38.7
38.5
39.3
40.3
39.0
83.0
90.1
78.0
28. IS 27.49 27.28
37.3
37.1
36.5
75.5
74.1
74.8
Paper and allied products__________________
Paper and pulp________________________
Envelopes____ ________________________
Paper bags_________________________ . .
Paper boxes ..................................................
41.99
44.80
40. 52
36.23
38.73
41.19
44.34
38. 47
35.27
37.30
41.17
44.08
39.09
35.80
37. 55
43.9
44.7
43.7
41.2
43.0
43.9
45.2
43.0
40.8
42.7
44.3 95.7
45.5 100.1
43.6 92.7
41.4 88.7
43.2 89.6
93.8
98.2
89.5
86.7
87.5
92.8
96.9
89.6
86.7
86.9
Printing, publishing, and allied industries___
Newspapers and periodicals...__________
Printing, book and job_________________
Lithographing_________________________
50.76
54.99
49.51
51.03
49.65
53.62
48.16
50.09
49.36
52.95
48.18
52.01
41.3
38.7
42.7
43.0
40.8
38.6
42.0
42.4
41.1
38.0
42.9
43.7
123.0
139.5
116.1
118.8
121.6
137.1
115.2
118.2
120.0
136.4
113.0
119.0
Chemicals and allied products_____ _________
Paints, varnishes, and colors____________
Drugs, medicines, and insecticides______
Soap____________________________ . . . .
Rayon and allied products___ ____ _ .
Chemicals, not. elsewhere classified...........
Explosives and safety fuses-------------------Ammunition, small-arms___ ___________
Cottonseed oil____ _
_____________ . . .
Fertilizers 4------ ------ ------- ---------------
43.29
45.89
38. 35
46. 43
39.53
51.14
47.98
44.01
29.73
31.93
42.73
45. 49
37. 64
46.76
39.13
50.60
47. 25
43.97
29. 26
30.68
42.61
45.17
36.28
48.17
39.23
50. 66
46.96
42.89
29. 76
29.88
41.8
43.1
40.6
41.6
38.9
42.3
40.2
40.2
49.7
44.4
41.8
43.4
40.8
43.3
39.1
42.2
40.1
42.4
49.4
42.9
42.0
43.5
39.6
45.2
39.2
42.9
40.2
41.4
51.5
41.2
103.5
106. 6
93.9
111.5
101.6
121.4
120. 2
109.6
59.8
71.9
102.2
105.0
92.2
108.0
100.1
120.0
118.5
103.6
59.3
71.6
101.5
104.0
91.9
106.5
100.0
118.0
117.4
103. 7
57.7
72.5
Products of petroleum and coal_____________
Petroleum refining_______________ ____
Coke and byproducts__________________
Roofing materials______________ _______
53.12
55.81
46.73
44.49
52.93
56. 25
44. 42
45.86
52.06
54.59
44. 95
47.00
40.8
40.4
40.8
44.3
41.4
40.8
41.9
45.7
41.7
40.9
42.5
46.6
130.2
138.2
115.1
100. 5
127.9
136.9
106.4
100.4
124.9
133.0
106.0
100.9
Rubber products__________________________
Rubber tires and inner tubes___________
Rubber boots and shoes-----------------------Rubber goods, other________________ . .
46.27
49.72
41.94
43. 27
45. 85
48.90
41.69
42.65
46. 71
50.29
41.72
42.91
40.7
38.4
44.0
43.3
406
38.4
43.9
43.2
41.7 113.8 112.9 112.1
39.9 127.5 126.6 125.5
44.2 95.3 95.1 94.5
43.7 100.0 98.8 98.2
Miscellaneous industries__________ . . ----- 42.24 41.25 41.45
Instruments (professional and scientific),
and fire-control equipment____________ 48. 62 46.13 47. 56
Pianos, organs, and parts........ .................... 41.60 39. 66 40.74
42.3
41.9
41.8
40.7
41.7
40.2
40.3
41.4 118.4 113.2 113.9
41.9 100.4 98.7 97.6
See footnotes at end of table.
6 9 5228— 40
11
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
40.93
43.23
37. 06
39. 31
42.24
48. 33
42.92
41.15
33.45
38. 94
32.60
36.24
54. 55
33.18
Cents Cents Cents
$36.03
44.06
35.85
34.71
30. 78
36.35
99.9
83.2
91.7
77.6
98.5
82.4
89.7
77.1
99.1
1006
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
194 6
Earnings and Hours in Manufacturing and Nonmanufacturing Industries,
March 1946 —Continued
NONMANUFACTURING
Average weekly
earnings 4
Average weekly
hours 4
Average weekly
earnings 4
Industry
Mar. Feb.
1946 1946
Mining:
Anthracite---- ------ -- ----------------------Bituminous coal_______ ____ . . _______
Metal____ ______ - ------ ----------- —
Iron 4 ______
Copper4-.. ______________ _________
Lead and zinc4_____ . . ---------- - - - Quarrying and nonmetallic--------- ------ -Crude-petroleum production... ----------Public utilities:
Telephone.. . . . ------ -- --------------------Telegraph 5__ ------------------------------------Electric light and power-----------------------Street railways and busses--------------------Wholesale trade-------- -----------------------------Retail trade . . ------------ ---------------------Food ------- ------------------ -- ----------General merchandise- ---------------- -----Apparel
. . . - ------ ----------------Furniture and housefurnishings_________
Automotive----- -- --------- ---------------------Lumber and building materials-------------Hotels (year-round)6----------------------------------Power laundries... ------------------------------- -Cleaning and dyeing--------------------------------Brokerage
. -------------------------------------Insurance-------- ---------------------------------------
Jan. Mar. Feb.
1946 1946 1946
Jan. Mar. Feb.
1946 1946 1946
$56.10 $56.84
58.30 57.37
42. 52 37.31
28. 93 19.12
45. 65 45.90
49.84 49.48
41.91 40.25
53.40 52.45
$48.63
54.16
43. 66
39. 55
45.07
47.89
39.25
51.89
41.0
45.9
39.6
26.6
43.8
45.2
45.1
40.8
41.2
45.5
35.2
18.6
44.1
44.8
44.1
40.5
36.4
43.3
42.1
39.9
43.6
43.9
43.3
41.1
44. 37
36. 73
50. 63
50. 29
46.07
30.77
36.36
25.37
32.00
42.32
45.87
40.73
26.43
29. 22
33. 33
72.52
50.45
41.19
35.78
50.32
49.74
45.14
30.54
36.23
25.05
31.83
41.44
48.05
40.37
26. 21
29.38
33.83
71.77
49. 80
40.2
(5)
41.6
49.4
41.9
40.5
40.7
36.8
37.1
43.3
46.3
43.1
44.1
43.5
43.4
(7)
(7)
40.7
44.1
42.4
49.2
41.9
40.5
40.5
36.8
37.6
43.4
46.1
42.9
43.7
43.3
42.5
40.1
44.0
42.7
49.2
41.8
40.5
40.7
36.7
37.5
43.6
45.8
43.0
43.4
43.6
43.1
(7)
43. 76
(3)
50. 75
49. 91
46.31
31.12
36. 76
25. 75
32. 40
42. 65
45.90
40. 92
26.57
29.81
34. 77
68. 24
51.09
V)
(7)
(')
Jan.
1946
Cents Cents Cents
137.6
127.4
107.3
108.3
104.2
110.3
93.0
131.8
137.6
126.5
106.0
102.1
104.0
110.4
91.3
128.9
133.9
125.9
103.6
99.2
103.4
109.2
90.7
125.7
110.5
(5)
122.2
100.1
110.1
84.1
86.7
68.9
87.9
99.6
101.0
96.1
60.0
68.4
81.5
(7)
(7)
109.5
83.3
119.5
101.1
109.5
83.7
85.7
68.4
87.1
99.7
100.1
96.0
60.2
67.5
79.3
(7)
(7)
103.0
81.3
117.7
100.7
107.0
82.8
84.2
68.2
87.2
98.0
99.4
95.5
60.4
67.5
79.3
(7)
(7)
i These figures are based on reports from cooperating establishments covering both full- and part-time
employees who worked during any part of one pay period ending nearest the 15th of the month. As not all
reporting firms furnish man-hour data, average hours and average hourly earnings for individual industries
are based on a slightly smaller sample than are weekly earnings. Data for the current and immediately
preceding months are subject to revision.
a To prevent misinterpretation of the average of $1,217 for those workers who were employed in February
in blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling mills, it is not shown in the table. The increase from 116.9 to 121.7
cents per hour does not measure the increase awarded when the steel strike was settled. Maintenance
workers were kept on during the strike, while low-paid production workers were out. Since hours and
weekly earnings are normally used only to interpret what has happened to those people who were employed,
these figures are shown hut should be used with caution.
a Revisions have been made as follows in the data for earlier months:
Refrigerators and refrigeration equipm ent. —December 1945 to $44.72 and 109.7 cents.
C urtains, draperies, and bedspreads. —December 1945 to $27.29, 36.1 hours, and 74.1 cents.
S uga r refining, cane. —December 1945 to $36.83 and 42.2 hours.
4 Comparable data from January 1939 are available upon request.
5 Excludes messengers and approximately 6,000 employees of general and divisional headquarters, and of
cable companies. March 1946 data are not available.
6 Cash payments only; additional value of board, room, and tips, not included.
i Not available.
> + ##****«
Trend of Factory Earnings, 1939 to March 1946
T H E published average earnings of factory workers are summarized
in the accompanying table for selected months from January 1939 to
March 1946.1 The earnings shown in this table are on a gross
basis (i. e., before deductions for social security, income and victory
taxes, bond purchases, etc.)
Weekly earnings in all manufacturing averaged $42.14 in March
1946— 81.7 percent above the average in January 1939, 58.2 percent
above January 1941, and 8.4 percent above October 1942. Weekly
i Compare Trends in Factory Wages, 1939-43, in Monthly Labor Review, November 1943 (p. 869), es
pecially table 4 (p. 879). For detailed data regarding weekly earnings, see preceding table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TRENDS OF EARNINGS AND HOURS
1007
pay for March 1946 dropped 11.1 percent below that of March
1945, as the result of deductions in both hourly pay and working
hours. However the average earnings of factory workers were still
higher than before the war, as a result of such wartime factors as
changing composition of the labor force within plants, shifts in the
distribution of workers among plants and among industries, as well
as wage-rate increases.
Gross hourly earnings in all manufacturing averaged 103.4 cents in
March 1946— 63.6 percent above the average in January 1939, 51.4
percent above January 1941, and 15.8 percent above October 1942.
Straight-time average hourly earnings, as shown in columns 7 to 9,
are weighted by man-hours of employment in the major divisions of
manufacturing for January 1941. These earnings are estimated to
exclude premiuni pay at time and a half for work in excess of 40 hours.
However, the effect of extra pay for worK on supplementary shifts
and on holidays is included. For all manufacturing, the straighttime average in March 1946 was 100.7 cents per hour; this was 57.1
percent higher than in January 1939, 51.7 percent above January
1941, and 24.8 percent above October 1942.
Earnings of Factory Workers in Selected Months, 1939 to March 1946
Average weeklyearnings
Month and year
Average hourly
earnings
Estimated straight-time
average hourly earn
ings i weighted by
January 1941 employ
ment
All
manu
factur
ing
Dura
ble
goods
Non
dura
ble
goods
All
manu
factur
ing
Dura
ble
goods
Non
dura
ble
goods
0)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(S)
$25.33
27. 39
30.48
$21. 57
22.01
22.75
$0. 632
.655
.683
$0. 696
.717
.749
$0. 583
.598
.610
$0. 641
.652
.664
$0. 702
.708
.722
$0, 575
.589
.601
.688
.725
.751
.751
.783
.807
.826
.863
.888
.668
696
.718
1939: January... .....
$23.19
1940: January____ ______
24. 56
1941: January___ ______ _ 26.64
All
manu Dura
ble
factur
goods
ing
Non
dura
ble
goods
(9)
1942: January_____ . . . . . .
July________________
October____ _______
33.40
36.43
38.89
38.98
42.51
45. 31
26. 97
28. 94
30.66
.801
.856
.893
.890
.949
.990
1943: January____________
April________ ______
July________________
October____ „ ____
December___
_ _
40. 62
42.48
42. 76
44.86
44. 58
46. 68
48.67
48.76
51.26
50.50
32.10
33. 58
34.01
35.18
35.61
.919
.944
.963
.988
.995
1.017
1.040
1.060
1.086
1.093
.768
.819
.790
.833
.806
.850
.824
.863
.832 . .873
.905
.916
.939
. 950
.962
. 726
.742
.753
. 768
.775
1944: January_____________
April . . . _________
July-----------------------October________ ____
December_________ .
45.29
45. 55
45.43
46.94
47.44
51. 21
51.67
51.07
53.18
53.68
36.03
36.16
37.05
37.97
38.39
1.002
1.013
1.018
1.031
1.040
1.099
1.110
1.116
1.129
1.140
.838
.850
.862
.878
.883
.877
.889
.901
.908
.912
.965
.976
.993
.991
.997
.780
.794
.802
.817
.820
1945: January_____________
April----------------- ----July____________ ___
October . . ________
December_____ . . .
47.50
47.12
45.12
40. 97
41. 21
53.54
52.90
50.60
44. 23
44.08
38. 66
38.80
38.59
37. 76
38.52
1.046
1.044
1.032
.985
.994
1.144
1.138
1.126
1.063
1.066
.891
.899
.902
.909
.927
.920
.925
.933
.942
.957
1.005
1.007
1.017
1.014
1.028
.827
.836
.842
. 863
.880
1946: January_____________
February2__________
March 3_____________
41.15
40.55
42.14
43. 67
42.49
44.72
38.75
39.03
39.87
1.004
1.001
1.034
1.070
1.063
1.101
.941
.953
.975
.970
.982
1. 007
1.037
1.047
1. 076
.895
.911
.932
i The method of estimating straight-time average hourly earnings makes no allowance for special rates of
pay for work done on major holidays. Estimates for the months of January, July, September, and Novem
ber, therefore, may not be precisely comparable with those for the other months in which important holidays
are seldom included in the pay periods for which manufacturing establishments report to the Bureau.
This characteristic of the data does not appear to invalidate the comparability of the figures for January
1941 with those for the preceding and following months»
* Preliminary.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Recent Publications o f Labor Interest
June 1946
Education and Training
Forty years in vocational education. By J. C. Wright. (In School Life, Federal
Security Agency, U. S. Office of Education, Washington, May 1946, pp. 13-16.
10 cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington.)
A new frontier: Workers’ education and the university. By John D. Connors. (In
Adult Education Journal, New York, April 1946, pp. 73-77.)
One of the most marked trends in workers education, the author states, is the
increasing cooperation between higher educational institutions and labor.
Postwar education of Negroes: Educational implications of Army data and experi
ences of Negro veterans and war workers. By Ambrose Caliver. Washington,
Federal Security Agency, Office of Education, [1945?]. 71 pp., bibliography,
illus.
Vocational training program for office machine mechanics. Cleveland, National
Office Machine Dealers Association, 1945. 51 pp., illus. $2.
Brazil— where education keeps pace with industry. By Francisco Montojos. (In
American Vocational Journal, New York, February 1946, pp. 14, 15, 36, 37;
illus. 25 cents.)
Account of the aims, organization, and operation of industrial education in
Brazil, by the director of the Division of Industrial Education, Brazilian Ministry
of Education.
Forty-second annual report of the Workers’ Educational Association, [London],
for the year ended May SI, 19J+5. London, 1945. 50 pp. 6d.
Guaranteed Wage
Annual wage guarantee plans. By Rita Ricardo. (In American Economic Re
view, Menasha, Wis., December 1945, pp. 870-890. $1.25.)
An attem pt to evaluate the claims made in behalf of guaranteed-wage plans by
analyzing the interaction of various forms of guaranties and labor costs, labor
turn-over, product output, supply of raw materials, consumer demand, and the
business cycle; and the possible effects of the adoption of a guaranty by (a) a
single firm, (b) an’entire industry, and (c) all industry.
Annual wage plans in the United States. (In International Labor Review, Mon
treal, January-February 1946, pp. 49-58. 50 cents. Distributed in United
States by Washington branch of I. L. O.)
Reviews advantages of, objections to, and conditions of operation of annual wage
plans; some outstanding practical examples; and various recent proposals for more
widespread introduction of such plans.
Guaranteed-wage plans in practice. By F . Beatrice Brower. (In Conference
Board Management Record, National Industrial Conference Board, Inc.,
New York, April 1946, pp. 101-105.)
Brief summary, based on data for 61 active or discontinued annual wage and
employment-guaranty, plans, of motives for adoption, duration, benefits, and
disadvantages, and effects of depression and war on such plans.
E d ito r ’s N o t e .— Correspondence regarding the publications to which reference is made in this list
should be addressed to the respective publishing agencies mentioned. Where data on prices were readily
they have been shown with the title entries.
a v a i la b le ,
1008
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
1009
The pure theory of the guaranteed annual wage contract. B}r Wassily Leontief.
(In Journal of Political Economy, Chicago, February 1946, pp. 76-79. $1.)
Develops the theory that the guaranteed annual wage type of union-manage
ment agreement is comparable to monopoly trading in which both price (wages)
and quantity (number of workers) are subject to restriction. The author con
cludes that the introduction of the guaranty agreement in place of the conven
tional wage agreement makes the total amount of labor to be hired as well as the
wage rates to be paid objects of collective bargaining and thus constitutes the
exercise of monopoly power by the stronger of the two contracting parties to the
agreement. The basic data of the argument is demonstrated by a complex linear
graph.
Housing
Breaking the building blockade. By R obertILasch. Chicago, University of
Chicago Press, 1946. 316 pp., charts. $3.
The author’s thesis is that America will have good housing when the people
demand it. A plan is offered for providing adequate shelter.
Housing: Part I , Prewar and war homebuilding; Part I I , Postwar problems and
programs. (In Index, Vol. X X V I, No. 1, New York Trust Co., New York,
spring 1946, pp. 1 -1 2 ; charts.)
Shows the inadequacy of housing even before the war, and the special postwar
problems.
Inflation in homes and home sites— report on a Nation-wide survey. Washington,
U. S. National Housing Agency, 1946. 37 pp., charts; processed.
Results of a study made in the latter part of March 1946 to find out how much
house and lot prices advanced in recent years. Information is given by region.
New types of housing. By Frank P. Huddle. Washington (1205 Nineteenth
Street NW .), Editorial Research Reports, 1946. 16 pp. (Vol. 1, 1946,
No. 9.) $1.
.
,
Deals with the changes in methods of construction and materials used and the
obstacles to making full use of these advances.
Ordinance No. 827-45 constituting a building code enacted by the Council of the City
of Toledo, Ohio, December 26, 1945. Toledo, Commission of Publicity
and Efficiency, 1946. 109 pp. (Supplement to Toledo City Journal,
January 5, 1946.)
This new code, according to the Toledo City Journal for December 29, 1945,
incorporates “all of the best thought on modern regulation of construction.
* * * I t’s an antidote for slums.”
Income
City-family composition in relation to income, 1941 and 1944• Washington, U. S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1946. 6 pp. (Serial No. R. 1824; reprinted from
Monthly Labor Review, February 1946.) Free.
From estimates of national income to projections of the Nation's budget. By Gerhard
Colm. (In Social Research, New York, September 1945, pp. 350-369. 75
cents.)
The author emphasizes policy uses of national income statistics, and devotes the
final section of his article to national income estimates as an aid in postwar policies.
Economic projections beyond present data are described not as forecasts but as
“extremely useful tools of policy formulation.”
Statistics of income for 1942, Part 1, compiled from individual income tax returns,
taxable fiduciary income tax returns, estate tax returns, and gift tax returns.
Washington, U. S. Treasury Department, Bureau of Internal Revenue, 1945.
375 pp., forms. 55 cents,'Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
Redistribution of incomes in Great Britain through public finance in 1937. By Tibor
Barna. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1945. 289 pp., charts. 18s.
An attempt to estimate the actual change in the distribution of incomes brought
about by the Government’s activities in the expenditure and tax fields.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1010
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
19 46
Industrial Accidents and Workmen's Compensation
Code for the -prevention of dust explosions in the plastics industry {A SA Z 12.16-1945).
Boston, National Fire Protection Association, [1946?]. 22 pp. 25 cents.
Inspection standards for strip mines {coal and lignite), revised October 1945. Wash
ington, U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, 1946. 32 pp.;
mimeographed. (Information circular No. 7350.)
Use gas welding and cutting equipment safely. Safe operation of punch presses.
Use hand trucks safely. Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Division of
Labor Standards, 1946. (Industrial safety charts, series M-O.) 5 cents,
Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
1946 annual safety equipment issue, National Safety News. Chicago, National
Safety Council, March 1946. 228 pp., illus. 60 cents to nonmembers of
Council.
Contains nine sections on safeguards and related topics in various fields of
safety and industrial hygiene. Pertinent codes and standards are cited.
Compilation of Industrial Insurance and Medical Aid Acts, [State of Washington],
as amended by session laws of 1945. Olympia, Department of Labor and
Industries, Division of Industrial Insurance, [1945]. 72 pp.
Legislation relating to workmen’s compensation and medical aid for injured
workers. Under the Medical Aid Act employers are required to contribute to a
State medical aid fund for the purpose of furnishing adequate medical, surgical,
and hospital care to their injured worker's.
What you are entitled to under the Workers’ Compensation Acts of Queensland.
Brisbane, State Government Insurance Office, [1945?]. 27 pp.
Industrial Hygiene
Medicine in industry. By Bernhard J. Stern. New York, Commonwealth Fund,
1946. 209 pp., bibliographies. $1.50.
Socio-economic analysis of development, status, and needs of industrial health
and industrial medicine in the United States. Special attention is given to the
extent of industrial disability, the handicapped worker in industry, preventive
services, the industrial physician, and medical care and health insurance.
Nursing in commerce and industry. By Bethel J. McGrath. New York, Com
monwealth Fund, 1946. 356 pp., bibliographies, charts, forms, illus. $3.
Comprehensive concept and treatment of industrial nursing, with background
information in a variety of fields. There are chapters dealing, respectively, with
industrial hazards, mental hygiene, sight conservation, orthopedic nursing, re
habilitation, nutrition, women in industry, and workmen’s compensation.
The organization of a mental hygiene unit in industry. By Keeve Brodman, M.D.
(In Industrial Medicine, Chicago, April 1946, pp. 259-262; bibliographv.
50 cents.)
Actual causes of certain occupational dermatoses: I I , A further study of 532
cases with special reference to dermatitis caused by certain petroleum solvents.
By Joseph V. Klauder, M.D., and Marjory K. Hardy, M.D. (In Occupa
tional Medicine, Chicago, February 1946, pp. 168-181; chart, illus. 75
cents.)
Formaldehyde. Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Division of Labor
Standards, 1945. 12 pp., bibliography. (Controlling chemical hazards
series, No. 3.) 5 cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
A medical study of the effect of T N T on' workers in a bomb and shell loading
plant and report of fatal cases of aplastic anemia. Washington, Federal Secu
rity Agency, Public Health Service, 1945. 98 pp., pasters, charts, illus.
(Public health bull. No. 291.) 25 cents, Superintendent of Documents,
Washington.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
1011
Industrial Relations
Human leadership in industry— the challenge of tomorrow. By Sam A. Lewisohn.
New York, Harper & Bros., 1945. 1Í2 pp. $2.
A past president of the American Management Association pleads for the
development of a “new leadership” among employers and for elevation of the
study of “human engineering” to the level of importance now accorded technical
engineering in the training of management personnel.
New concepts in collective bargaining. New York, American Management Associ
ation, 1946. 47 pp. (Personnel series No. 97.)
Presents some management viewpoints on certain controversial provisions in
postwar union agreements.
Pay day: Labor and management in the American system of free enterprise. By
Ray Millholland. New York, William Morrow & Co., 1946. 240 pp.
$2.50.
Analysis of the basic causes of controversy between labor and management,
with constructive suggestions for the prevention of industrial conflict by the
application of intelligence, cooperation, and compromise.
Profitable labor relations and how to develop them. By Paul Mooney. New York,
Harper & Bros., 1946. 209 pp. $2.50.
The author proposes that management develop positive and constructive
leadership in industrial relations. He believes this will eliminate many of the
present labor troubles and bring greater returns to management and labor.
Seniority and ability in promotion and lay-off. Princeton, N. J., Princeton Uni
versity, Industrial Relations Section, March 1946. 4 pp. (Selected refer
ences, No. 8.) 10 cents.
Strikes and lock-outs in Canada during 1945. (In Labor Gazette, DepartmenUof
Labor, Ottawa, March 1946, pp. 365-389; charts.)
Statistics are given by years, 1901 to 1945, on number of strikes and lock-outs,
number of workers involved, and time loss in man working days, for coal mining,
for industries other than coal mining, and for all industries combined, with more
detailed data for 1945 on these and other points, by individual industries, methods
of settlement, etc.
Union status in collective agreements in the manufacture of nonferrous metal products,
nonmetallic mineral products and chemical products, Canada, 1945. (In
Labor Gazette, Department of Labor, Ottawa, March 1946, pp. 268-277.)
[Collective agreement studies No. 3.]
[Labor Legislation
Annual digest of State and Federal labor legislation, enacted August 1, 1944, to
August 1, 1945. Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Division of Labor
Standards, 1946. 84 pp. (Bull. No. 75.) 20 cents, Superintendent of
Documents, Washington.
The Supreme Court and fair labor standards, 1941—45■ By E. Merrick Dodd. (In
Harvard Law Review, Cambridge, Mass., February 1946, pp. 321-373. 75
cents.)
Cites the cases that have come to the U. S. Supreme Court as a result of the
enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and the decisions made under
important provisions such as those concerning wages and hours.
Labor laws of Indiana. Indianapolis, Division of Labor, 1945. 107 pp.
Some problems of labor law enforcement in China. By T. K. Djang. (In Inter
national Labor Review, Montreal, January-February 1946, pp. 39-48.
50 cents. Distributed in United States by Washington branch of I. L. O.)
Legislación del trabajo, [Colombia]— disposiciones, reglamentarias y jurisprudencia.
By Campo E . Baron S. Bogotá, Editorial de la Librería Voluntad, S. A.,
1944. 1065 pp.
Collection of Colombian labor laws, decrees, and resolutions, together with
relevant rulings by administrative agencies, etc., issued or passed after 1941.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1012
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E 1 9 4 6
#
Labor Organization
Labor unionism in American agriculture. Washington, U. S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1945. 457 pp., bibliography. (Bull. No. 836.) 70 cents, Super
intendent of Documents, Washington.
Extracts from this report were published in the Monthly Labor Review for
January 1946 (pp. 25-36).
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, its origin and development. By Brailsford
R. Brazeal. ‘ New York, Harper & Bros., 1946. 258 pp., bibliography. $3.
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was the first Nation-wide all-Negro
union that succeeded in becoming an effective organization. This book gives a
detailed account of the conditions which brought about the porters’ attempts at
organization, the difficulties they encountered, the setting up of the union in
August 1925, their long struggle to gain recognition, and their final success in
securing a written agreement in October 1937.
Employee organizations in the public service. New York, National Civil Service
League, [1946?]. 31 pp. 25 cents.
Statement concerning the relations of government with its employees.
State regulation of labor unions. (In Yale Law Journal, New Haven, Conn.,
February 1946, pp. 440-445. $1.25.)
The international labour movement. By John Price. London, Oxford University
Press, 1945. 273 pp. 15s. net.
This study is concerned with the structure and work of the international labor
movement between the two World Wars and with its outlook for the future.
Medical Care and Sickness Insurance
National Health Act of 1945. Reports to Senate Committee on Education and
Labor relating to ‘the bill (S. 1606) to provide for a national health program.
Washington, Government Printing Office, 1945, 1946. 36, 113, 206, 36 pp.
(Senate committee prints Nos. 1-4, 79th Cong., 1st and 2d sess.)
Print 1 includes the message of the President requesting legislation for a na
tional health program and outlining five major fields for inclusion, a statement
summarizing provisions of Senate bill 1606, and questions and answers about
the prepaid medical-care provision of the bill. Print 2 reproduces documents
giving views of medical and other professional groups and individuals regarding
the health-insurance feature of S. 1606. Print 3 contains documents concerning
hospital construction and maintenance with reference to provisions of S. 1606
and S. 191 (Hospital Survey and Construction Act), and on hospital insurance.
Print 4 presents a memorandum prepared by the Bureau of Research and
Statistics, Social Security Board, dealing with barriers to adequate medical
service, measurement of need for such service, and ways of spreading the costs,
including discussion of both voluntary and compulsory aspects of sickness insur
ance, and a bibliography.
Illness and medical care among 2,500,000 persons in 83 cities, with special refer
ence to socio-economic factors, [based on National Health Survey of 1935—36].
Washington, Federal Security Agency, U. S. Public Health Service, 1945.
Variously paged; bibliographies, charts.
Collection of 27 reprints.
Migration
Civilian migration in the United States, December 194-1 to March 1945. Washing
ton, I J . S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1945. 8 pp.,
map; processed. (Population— special reports, series P -S , No. 5.)
Harvest nomads. Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, Division of Labor
Standards, 1945. 21 pp., map, illus. (Bull. No. 73.) 10 cents, Superintend
ent of Documents, Washington.
Pictorial record, with some text, showing living and working conditions of
migrant agricultural workers.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
1013
Outstanding facts about citizens naturalized in 1945. By Helen F . Eckerson.
(In Monthly Review, U. S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturali
zation Service, Washington, April 1946, pp. 293-297. 10 cents.)
Includes data on countries of origin, years of arrival, ages, and occupations.
What shall we do about immigration? By Maurice R. Davie. New York, Public
Affairs Committee, Inc., 1946. 32 pp., bibliography, charts. (Public affairs
pamphlet No. 115.) 10 cents.
Reviews the history of immigration into the United States and the development
of restrictive legislation, and discusses various proposals for liberalizing without
basically changing the immigration policy. The author holds that the problem
of postwar immigration can be solved only through international cooperation.
Occupations and Occupational Adjustment
Occupational information, its development and application. By Carroll L. Shartle.
New York, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1946. 339 pp., bibliographies, charts, forms,
illus. $3.50.
One chapter is devoted to jobs for the handicapped.
101 ways to be your own boss: A practical, expert guide to small businesses that can
be started with $200 to $5,000, including exceptional, little-known opportunities,
in profitable, uncrowded fields. By Michael Gore. New York, Arco Pub
lishing Co., 1945. 128 pp. $2.49 ($1, paper cover).
Six ways to get a job. By Paul W. Boynton. New York, Harper & Bros., 1945.
142 pp. $1.50.
The author suggests how to get a job, where to look for one, how to get the
necessary training for the desired job, and how to get ahead in the business selected.
He emphasizes the desirability of “making a plan and following it out.”
Chemistry as a profession. Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, U. S. Em
ployment Service, National Roster of Scientific and Specialized Personnel,
1946. 20 pp., bibliography, illus. (Vocational booklet No. 2.) 10 cents,
Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
Establishing and operating a grocery store. By Nelson A. Miller and others.
Establishing and operating an automobile repair shop. By W. K. Toboldt and
others. Establishing and operating a painting and decorating contracting
business. By M. L. Way and others. Washington, U. S. Department of
Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 1946. 375, 141,
116 pp., respectively; illus. (Industrial (small business) series, Nos. 21,
24, 27.) 55, 35, 25 cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
Nursing— a profession for college women. New York, American Nurses’ Asso
ciation, Nursing Information Bureau, 1945. 35 pp., bibliography. 25 cents.
Prices , Price Control, and Rationing
Prices in fourth quarter and year 1945. Washington, U. S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1946. 17 pp. (Serial No. R. 1828; reprinted from Monthly
Labor Review, March 1946.) Free.
Price spreads between farm ers and consumers fo r food products, 1 9 1 8 -4 4 • Wash
ington, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Agricultural Economics,
1945. 290 pp., charts. (Department of Agriculture miscellaneous pub
lication No. 576.) 45 cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
This study contains a new series of farm-retail price spreads, showing retail
cost per unit of farm products, farm value of equivalent produce, the price spread
or marketing margin, an estimate of marketing charges, and the farmer’s share of
retail cost. Statistics are given on the cost of the market basket or the retail cost
of 1935-39 average annual purchases of farm food products by a family of three
average consumers.
Food subsidies and parity prices. By Frank P. Huddle. Washington (1205
Nineteenth Street NW .j, Editorial Research Reports, 1946. 16 pp. (Vol.
1, 1946, No. 6.) $1.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1014
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
Regulation of prices in the reconversion period. By Jules Backman. New V ork
and Washington, American Enterprise Association, 1945. 38 pp. (Eco
nomic survey series, No. 413.) 50 cents.
In a series of 27 pertinent questions and answers the author presents and
analyzes what he considers the basic policy considerations in price regulation in
the transition period.
Statutes and executive orders relating to price control and rationing. Washington,
U. S. Office of Price Administration, 1945. 46 pp. 10 cents, Superintendent
of Documents, Washington.
Wartime prices, price control, and rationing in foreign countries. Washington,
U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1946. 36 pp. (Bull. No. 851; reprinted
from Monthly Labor Review for October and November 1945, with additional
data.) 10 cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
Profit Sharing
Experience with profit sharing. By F. Beatrice Brower. (In Management
Record, National Industrial Conference Board, Inc., New York, February
1946, pp. 33-38.)
Summarizes conclusions from earlier studies and discusses salient features of
recently adopted profit-sharing plans.
Profit sharing and stock ownership for wage earners and executives. By Bryce M.
Stewart and Walter J. Couper. New York, Industrial Relations Counselors,
Inc., 1945. 142 pp., bibliography. (Monograph No. 10.) $1.25.
Sharing profits in industry. By Thomas K. Ford. Washington (1205 Nine
teenth Street N W .), Editorial Research Reports, 1946. 14 pp. (Vol. 1,
1946, No. 8.) $1.
The subject is examined under three main heads: Labor’s claim to share in
industrial profits, cycles in development of profit sharing, and profit sharing in
the postwar period.
Social Security ( General)
Issues in social security. A report to the Committee on Ways and Means, House
of Representatives, by the Committee’s social security technical staff,_estab
lish ed pursuant to H. Res. 204 (79th Cong., 1st sess.). Washington,
Government Printing Office, 1946. 742 pp., charts.
Assembles and evaluates basic data pertaining to the programs under the
Federal Social Security Act and proposals before the Committee on Ways and
Means for their extension and liberalization. Part I deals with old-age and
survivors insurance, Part II with public assistance, and P art III with unemploy
ment compensation. The study suggests approaches and procedures, presents
conclusions, and embodies considerable statistical material. Related studies are
appended.
Social insurance. By Frank P. Huddle. Washington (1205 Nineteenth Street
NW .), 1946. 16 pp. (Vol. 1, 1946, No. 14.) $1.
Reviews the protection afforded under the present social-security system and
proposals now before Congress to strengthen the system.
Community resources for relief for strikers and their families: A study of the policies
and practices of representative public and voluntary social welfare agencies.
New York, National CIO Community Services Committee, Division of
Social Research, 1946. Variously paged; mimeographed.
Public aid in Ohio, 194-1-44- Columbus, Department of Public Welfare, 1945.
73 pp., charts; mimeographed.
Shows extent of public assistance (Federal, State, and local, excluding institu
tional care) as administered by the Ohio Department of Public Welfare. In
cludes data on costs, recipients, etc., of programs of general relief, soldiers’ and
sailors’ relief, aid for the aged, aid to dependent children, and aid to the blind.
Reglamento general que regula las relaciones entre la Caja del Seguro, \Ecuador],
patronos y afiliados, en vigencia desde el 1° de Julio de 1945. [Quito], Caja del
Seguro, 1945. 38 pp.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
1015
U nem ploym ent In su rance
Synopsis of major amendments to 44 State unemployment compensation laws, 1945
legislative sessions. Washington, Federal Security Agency, Social Security
Board, Bureau of Employment Security, 1945. 87 pp.; mimeographed.
Summarizes major amendments and shows provisions of the laws before amend
ment. Arranged by topics— coverage, financing, eligibility, disqualifications,
benefits, military service, and administration.
Unemployment insurance abstract— program statistics and legal provisions, 1937-45.
Washington, Federal Security Agency, Social Security Board, Bureau of
Employment Security, 1946. 70 pp., ioose-leaf; processed. (Supplement to
Employment Security Statistics, January 1946.)
Should state unemployment insurance be federalized? By Herman Gray. New
York and Washington, American Enterprise Association, 1946. 71 pp.
(National economic problems, No. 419.) 50 cents.
Comissariado do Desemprégo, [Portugal], Boletim número 26, ano de 1944. Lisbon,
Ministério das Obras Públicas e Comunicagoes, 1945. 271 pp., charts.
Annual report for 1944 of the Portuguese Unemployment Commission, includ
ing a brief summary of the work of the Commission since 1933, and data on un
employment in Portugal in 1944, scheme of classification of the unemployed,
direct aid given and public works carried on or assisted by the Commission, and
vocational rehabilitation and training of the unemployed.
Veterans’’ Affairs
Apprenticeship and on-the-job training for veterans: A bulletin for business and
industrial employers of Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo, Mich., W. E . Upjohn Insti
tute for Community Research, 1946. 38 pp.
Describes Federal Government programs for training veterans and pro
cedure to be followed in providing on-the-job or apprenticeship training.
Educational opportunities for veterans in approved institutions of higher education.
Washington, U. S. Veterans Administration, 1946. 61 pp.; processed.
Lists approved schools by State and city and the number of applications that
each will accept in the term under way and later in 1946.
Counseling with returned servicemen. By Carl R. Rogers and John L. Wallen.
New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1946. 159 pp., bibliography. $1.60.
Exemplifies methods for use in counseling veterans by citing interviews in indi
vidual cases in which the initiative was always left with the returned serviceman.
Instructor’s manual for use with veterans’ training program. Cleveland, National
Office Machine Dealers Association, [1945?]. 16 pp., forms.
Endeavors to show instructors ways of helping trainees over learning difficulties.
The veterans’ best opportunities, with basic business principles and their application.
By Edward R. Fiske. New York, Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1946. 324 pp.,
bibliographies. $2.50.
Prepared for veterans but equally applicable to others, including students, who
are seeking careers, the book is intended to aid in discriminating between genuine
opportunity and hazardous propositions. Opportunities in individual pursuits
are described by specialists.
What you can do with your Army training as a civilian. What you can do with your
Navy training in a civilian job. What you can do with your officer training in a
civilian job. Washington, B ’nai B ’rith Vocational Service Bureau, 1944-46.
3 large folded charts. 20 cents each, but free to agencies counseling vet
erans.
Compensation or pension to veterans or their dependents: Analysis of elements of
entitlement to and rates of compensation or pension. By U. S. Veterans Ad
ministration. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1945. 29 pp. (Sen
ate doc. No. 99, revision of No. 15, 79th Cong., 1st sess.)
Postwar code of pay, allowances and service pensions, and gratuities for members
of the forces below officer rank, [Great Britain]. London, His Majesty’s Station
ery Office, 1945. 32 pp. (Cmd. 6715.) 6d. net.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1016
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW— JU N E
1946
Postwar code of pay, allowances, retired pay, and service gratuities for commissioned
officers of the armed forces, [Great Britain]. London, His Majesty’s Stationery
Office, 1946. 32 pp. (Cmd. 6750.) 6d. net.
Wages and Hours of Labor
Union wage scales in the building trades, 1946. Washington, U. S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1946. 76 pp.; mimeographed. Free.
Present salaries being paid in fire departments in the United States and Canada,
January 1946. (In International Fire Fighter, Washington, April 1946,
pp. 6-16.)
Wage structure, iron and steel forgings, 1945. Washington, U. S. Bureau of Labor
' Statistics, 1946. 35 pp.; mimeographed. (Wage structure, series 2, No. 6.)
Free.
Wages in the basic lumber industry, 1944. Washington, U. S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 1946. 47 pp. (Bull. No. 854.) 15 cents, Superintendent of
Documents, Washington.
Union wage rates of city streetcar and bus operators, July 1, 1945. Washington,
U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1946. 11 pp. (Bull. No. 856; reprinted
from Monthly Labor Review, January 1946, with additional data.) 5
cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington.
Index numbers of wage rates in Canada, 1939 to 1944■ (In Labor Gazette, Depart
ment of Labor, Ottawa, March 1946, pp. 284, 285.)
Statistics relative to wages, hours of work, and employees in the printing industry
of Montreal and district, 1937-44. Montreal, Printing Industry Parity
Committee for Montreal and District, [1946?]. 48 pp., charts.
Wage rates [in New Zealand, 1945]. (In Research Bulletin, New Zealand Feder' ation of Labor, Wellington, February 22, 1946, pp. 1-55.)
Summarizes changes in wage policy and in wage rates during 1945 and gives
actual basic wage rates for a wide variety of industries and occupations.
General Reports
Report and recommendations of California State Reconstruction and Reemployment
Commission, for the year ending December 31, 1945. Sacramento, 1946.
167 pp., chart.
This report presents the commission’s comprehensive program to develop new
industries and markets, promote reemployment of veterans and readjustment of
displaced war workers, meet the housing crisis, and encourage future economic and
social improvements. Specific recommendations include those dealing with im
provement of wage standards and employment practices, better housing, and
educational, health, and welfare services.
Czechoslovak industry after nationalization. By J. Goldman. (In Bulletin of
Institute of Statistics, Oxford University, Oxford, England, March 1946,
pp. 88-90. 2s. 6d.)
With the use of statistical data, it is shown that the postwar productivity of
labor in Czechoslovakia was in upward swing by the fall of 1945, though still
considerably below prewar levels. The percentage distribution of the labor force
as compared with 1935 and the impact of nationalization are also treated.
Work and welfare in Delhi Cloth and General Mills. Delhi, Delhi Cloth and
General Mills Co., Ltd., Chief I^ibor Officer, 1945. 41 pp., illus. 2d ed.
Re. 1, post-free.
Contains information on recruitment of workers, pay, vacations with pay,
and welfare arrangements at factories of the Delhi Cloth and General Mills Co.,
said to employ over 15,000 permanent workers and about 5,000 seasonal workers.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF LABOR INTEREST
1017
Report of the CIO delegation to the Soviet Union, [October 11-19, 1945}. Washington,
Congress of Industrial Organizations, [1946]. 28 pp., illus. (Publication
No. 128.) 15 cents.
Account of visits to various Soviet factories, with comments on working condi
tions, wages, standard of living, social insurance, and social services available to
workers. The structure and functions of the Soviet trade-union system are also
outlined.
Report of delegation to the U. S. S. R., July-August 1945. London, Iron and Steel
Trades Confédération, 1945. 36 pp.
Description of iron and steel plants of the Soviet Union visited by a delegation
of the British Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, trade-unions and their activi
ties, welfare schemes, and social conditions. General impressions of Soviet
industry and life are also given.
A critique of Professor Hutt’s “ Two studies in the statistics of Russia.” By C. A.
Friedmann. Reply: Further aspects of Russian statistics. By W. H. Hutt.
(In South African Journal of Economics, Johannesburg, December 1945,
pp. 332-343, 344-363. 6s. net.)
"Two studies in the statistics of Russia” appeared in the South African Journal
of Economics for March 1945. Additional information is presented and discussed
in the criticism and reply published in the December issue of the Journal, with
the purpose of correctly estimating the Soviet standard of living.
Summarized departmental report of Department of Labor, Union of South Africa,
1944, including the report of the Workmen’s Compensation Commissioner.
Pretoria, 1945. 10 pp. Is. 3d.
Covers such subjects as employment applications and placements, reemploy
ment of returned soldiers, and administration of labor laws.
Memoria del Ministerio del Trabajo y de Comunicaciones presentada al Congreso de
los Estados Unidos de Venezuela en 1945, Tomo I. Caracas, 1945. 536 pp.
and pasters.
This volume contains the report of the Labor Bureau (Dirección del Trabajo)
of Venezuela for the year 1944, including data on labor inspection, collective labor
agreements, hours of work, labor organizations, cost of living, wages, profitsharing, cooperative movement, and decisions of the Superior Labor Court.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
ti S
G O VERN M ENT PRIN T IN G O F F IC E : 1946
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
@FedFRASER