Full text of Monthly Labor Review : March 1939, Vol. 48, No. 3
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR • BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Photo by P W A
n this issue
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Industrial Relat ions in
Industrial
n|uries in
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Frances Perkins, Secretary
♦
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Isador Lubin, Commissioner
Sidney W. Wilcox, Chief Stat
istician
Hugh S. Hanna, Chief, Edito
rial and Research
A.F.Hinrichs, Chief Economist
Henry J. Fitzgerald, Adminis
trative Officer
C H IE FS OF D IV ISIO N S
Jacob Perlman, Wage and Hour
Statistics
Swen Kjaer, Industrial Acci
dents
Lewis E. Talbert, Employment
Statistics
Florence Peterson, Industrial
Relations
J. M. Cutts, Wholesale Prices
Stella Stewart, Retail Prices
Charles F. Sharkey,
Law Information
Faith M. Williams, Cost of
Living
Boris Stern, Labor Informa
tion Bulletin
Herman B. Byer, Construction
and Public Employment
John J. Mahaney, Machine
Tabulation
Labor
Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, under authority of
Public Resolution No. 57, approved May 11, 1922 (J 2 Stat. 541), as
amended by section 307, Public Act 212, 72d Congress, approved
June 30, 1932. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Wash
ington, D. C. Price, 30 cents a copy. Subscription price per year in
the United States, Canada, and Mexico, $3.50; other countries, $4-75.
This publication approved by the Director, Bureau of the Budget.
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR • BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
+
HUGH
S. H A N N A , E D I T O R
CONTENTS
+
MARCH 1939 Vol. 48 No. 3
Cover: Pay Day at Grand Coulee Dam.
Special articles:
Industrial relations in 1938__________________
Wages and hours in 1938____________________
Living costs in 1938_______________ ________
Social security:
Recent changes in dismissal-compensation plans.
Work of Social Security Board, 1937-38_______
Grants for old-age assistance_________________
Pensions for the blind in Canada_____________
Page
% *
C>-----____544
__________
493
509
531
538
545
548
Industrial and labor conditions:
Working conditions of pecan shellers in San Antonio______________
Working conditions under the TVA____________________________
549
551
Employment conditions:
Unemployment in Canada, 1921 to 1938_________________________
Measures relating to depressed areas in Great Britain_____________
554
555
Labor involved in industrial production:
Labor requirements in manufacture and distribution of electrical
products__________________________________________________
559
Productivity of labor and industry:
Productivity and employment in the beet-sugar industry__________
Labor efficiency in the Soviet Union____________________________
564
567
Unemployed youth:
Economic condition of rural youth______________________________
570
Negro in industry:
Conference on problems of the Negro and Negro youth____________
576
Education and training:
National Occupational Information and Guidance Service_________
NYA student aid, 1938-39___________________________________
578
579
Housing conditions:
Characteristics of urban housing, 1933 to 1936___________________
International comparison of rents______________________________
580
582
Cooperation:
Position of cooperatives under Wage and Hour Act_______________
The cooperatives and TVA____________________________________
586
587
Profit sharing:
Compulsory profit sharing in Venezuela_________________________
589
Health and industrial hygiene:
Medical care for low-income farm families_______________________
Congress on industrial health__________________________________
129324— 39-------1
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595
Contents
II
Industrial accidents:
Industrial injuries in the United States during 1937---------------------Industrial injuries to women and men, 1932 to 1934----------------------
Pase
597
615
Labor laws and court decisions:
Recent court decisions of interest to labor:
Constitutionality of State law regulating hours of truck drivers. _
Right of illegally employed minor to recover for injuries----------Meaning of “voluntarily leaving,” as used in unemployment com
pensation act__________________________________________
Relief appropriation of 1939___________________________________
Prohibition of discharge in Argentina because of marriage---------------
619
620
621
622
623
Industrial disputes:
Trend of strikes______________________________________________
Analysis of strikes inNovember 1938----------------------------------------Activities of the United States Conciliation Service, January 1939-----
624
625
633
National income:
National income, 1929 to 1937___________________________
635
Cost and standards of living:
Changes in cost of living in the United States, December 15, 1938---Cost of living in foreign countries______________________________
Where the purchaser’s food dollar goes__________________________
639
651
655
Minimum wages and maximum hours:
Operation of wage and hour law, 1938__________________ _______
Steel wage determination under Public Contracts Act_____________
Bobbinet wage determination under Public Contracts Act-------------Application of hours decrees in France__________________________
Regulation of hours of young persons in Great Britain____________
657
659
661
662
664
Wages and hours of labor:
Wages and hours in the fertilizei industry, 1938---------------------------Union scales of wages and hours of motortruck drivers, June 1, 1938. .
Puerto Rico—Earnings in various industries, 1937-38_____________
Yugoslavia—Wages in December 1935 and 1937__________________
666
682
692
694
Labor turn-over:
Labor turn-over in manufacturing establishments, December 1938___
697
Employment offices:
Operations of United States Employment Service, January 1939____
701
Building operations:
Summary of building construction in principal cities, January 1939__
707
Trend of employment and p a y rolls:
Summary of reports for January 1939:
Total nonagricultural employment__________________________
Industrial and business employment________________________
Public employment_______________________________________
Detailed reports for industrial and business employment, December
1938_________________
712
712
715
718
Retail prices:
Retail prices of food in January 1939___________________________
741
Wholesale prices:
Wholesale prices in January 1939_______________________________
Recent publications of labor interest__ _____
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753
This Issue in B rief
Wages and hours in 1938.
During the recession of the early
part of 1938, hourly earnings fell but
slightly from the comparatively high
levels of 1937. Weekly hours and
weekly earnings fluctuated more wide
ly, mainly because of changes in busi
ness conditions. Late in the year,
hourly earnings as well as weekly earn
ings and weekly hours tended to rise.
Notable developments of the year in
cluded the growth of collective bar
gaining, the extension of public policies
both Federal and State, and increased
interest in the problems of wages and
living standards. These are some of
the features of a general summary of
wages and hours in 1938, with analysis
of the factors involved. Page 509.
Industrial relations in 1938.
Although business conditions in 1938
were not conducive to any great ex
tension of union membership, organ
ized labor was able not only to main
tain its relatively high 1937 member
ship figure but to make increases in
certain trades and areas. A number
of agreements were signed in indus
tries and professions where collective
agreements had not been general. In
industries previously organized, unions
in most cases were able to maintain and
renew their contracts without wage
reductions. During the year, too, an
increasing number of employers began
to accept trade-unions and to adjust
their management methods and poli
cies accordingly. Organized labor was
not able, however, to make much
headway where resistance had proven
most difficult in 1937, such as in a few
of the medium-size and smaller steel
companies, west coast and southern
agriculture, and some southern sec
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tions of the lumber, tobacco, textile,
and other industries. Page 493.
Cost of living in 1938.
The cost of goods purchased by
wage earners and lower-salaried work
ers was 1.6 percent lower in 1938 than
in 1937, food prices being the most
important factor in the change. As
there were also declines in employ
ment and in average weekly earnings,
the gross purchasing power of these
workers was considerably reduced. In
manufacturing industries this reduc
tion in aggregate purchasing power was
approximately 23 percent. Page 531.
Industrial injuries in the United States
during 1937.
Estimates indicate that during 1937
there were 19,600 occupational deaths,
127,000 permanent injuries, and slight
ly less than 1,700,000 temporary in
juries in the United States. These esti
mates include not only workers, but
also self-employed proprietors. For
employed workers only, the fatalities
arising in the course of employment
were estimated as 17,800, the per
manent injuries as nearly 112,000, and
the temporary disabilities at 1,533,600.
The total of all disabling occupational
injuries amounted to about 1,838,000.
Mining and quarrying rated as the
most hazardous from the point of in
juries to workers, and construction
second. Page 597.
Wages in fertilizer industry.
Hourly earnings in the fertilizer
industry averaged 32.6 cents during
the spring season of 1938, but the
range between plants was from a low
of less than 7}£ cents to a high of
$1.00. The weekly hours averaged
45. Of the total number of employees
hi
IV
This Issue in Brief
covered, in the Bureau of Labor Statis
tics’ survey, 26.1 percent received less
than the 25 cents per hour minimum
set by the Fair Labor Standards Act
for the first year of its operation,
beginning in October 1938. Page 666.
Wages of motortruck drivers.
Motortruck drivers’ wage rates
increased on the average about 3.6
percent during the year ending June
1, 1938. At this date the average
hourly rate for drivers was 79.3 cents
and for helpers 67.5 cents. The
average hours per week provided in
union agreements were 47.8. About
60 percent of the drivers worked on a
48-hour basis and about 13 percent
were included in agreements which
provided hours from 44 to loss than 48.
Page 682.
Dismissal compensation plans.
Prior to the enactment of the various
State unemployment laws, during the
past few years, a considerable number
of industrial companies had estab
lished dismissal compensation plans,
under which employees on termina
tion of employment were granted
cash payments varying in size usually
with years of service. A survey
recently completed indicated that
while certain of these plans have been
modified or discontinued since unem
ployment insurance laws were enacted,
the majority of the companies having
such plans have continued them as a
supplementary protection to dismissed
employees. Page 538.
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Grants for old-age assistance.
The Social Security Act provides
th at the Federal Government may bear
half of the expense of old-age assistance
granted in the various States, but its
share may not exceed $15 per person
per month. Any amount above $30
per month must be borne by the State
or local authorities. How far the
actual allowances fall below the $30
level is indicated by an analysis made
by the Social Security Board of nearly
600,000 cases granted assistance dur
ing 1937-38. For the whole country
the median monthly allowance was
$18. In individual States the median
ranged from $5 to $38. Nearly 57
percent of all the pensions granted in
the period studied were under $20
per month; 29 percent were between
$20 and $30; and slightly over 14 per
cent were over $30. Page 545.
Labor requirements in
electrical products.
making
of
A study of the labor requirements in
the manufacture and distribution of
electrical products showed that in
1937, 651 man-hours of labor were
required to produce and distribute
$1,000 worth of electrical products.
The production of the raw materials
used accounted for 37 percent of this
labor; the transportation of the mate
rials to the factories, for 2 percent;
manufacturing, for 48 percent; en
gineering and development, for 5
percent; administration and sales, for
7 percent; and transportation of the fin
ished product to the construction site,
for 1 percent. Man-hour data were
obtained for 13 major groups of pro
ducts and 26 selected items. Page 559.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
FOR MARCH 1939
IN D U S T R IA L R E L A T IO N S I N 1938
By F l o r e n c e P e t e r s o n , Bureau of Labor Statistics
THE YEAR 1937 had witnessed an unprecedented growth in tradeunion membership and activity. The reverberations of organizing
campaigns were heard throughout industry and even in certain por
tions of agriculture. The general public was made conscious, as perhaps
never before, of the dissatisfaction among the wage earners of the
country. Labor leaders were headlined in the papers and union affairs •
and activities competed with other news events in the general press.
This extensive union activity of 1937 was a continuation of the
accelerated growth in union organization which began with the passage
of the National Industrial Recovery Act in 1933. It received added
impetus when the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the National
Labor Relations Act in April 1937. An important factor, however,
was the favorable business situation. During most of the year pro
duction was rising and business was making a profit. Wage earners
found the situation favorable for pressing demands for a share in the
gains of this business prosperity, as well as a readjustment in the
management-worker relationship.
The year 1938 opened with business conditions greatly changed.
During the winter months factory employment dropped more than
30 percent and was to decline still further. With this decline in busi
ness came demands from many employers for decreases in wage rates.
It was apparent that 1938 would prove to be a severe test of the ability
of trade-unions to hold on, faced as they were with severe unemploy
ment among their newly organized members, as well as the pressure
for withdrawing the wage gains they had obtained in 1937.
The way in which organized labor met its internal and external
problems in 1938 was probably even more significant than its success
under the relatively favorable conditions of 1937. Reduced funds
made it necessary to lay off many of its organizers, but organization
work continued, although at a slower pace. While few wage increases
were demanded, there was a vigorous effort not to allow any serious
disruption in wage scales. Some wage cuts occurred, especially in the
smaller plants. In the mass-production industries and on the rail
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
roads, wage scales were maintained almost without exception through
peaceful negotiations.
As business gradually improved during the latter half of the year,
the unions immediately undertook to tighten up their local organiza
tions. They tried to guard 'against discrimination by seeing that
rehiring was done on the basis of seniority. After their members were
reemployed, they carried on intensive campaigns to induce former
members to resume payment of union dues. At the close of the year
it was evident that organized labor not only had held its own by
maintaining most of the local unions and by renewing agreements as
they expired, with no reductions in wage rates, but also had made
some extensions into new trades and industries and localities.
During the year, too, there was a perceptible change in the attitude
of many employers toward the collective-bargaining situation within
their plants. An increasing number began to accept the trade-union
as an integral part of their management program, and to adjust their
methods and policies accordingly. Organized labor had not been
able, however, to make much headway where resistance had proven
most difficult in 1937, such as in a few of the smaller and medium-size
steel companies, west coast and southern agriculture, and some south
ern sections of the lumber, tobacco, textile, and other industries.
Labor Disputes
In 1937 an unprecedented number of strikes had taken place.
Strikes were called as a means of rallying workers into the union; in
other instances strikes were resorted to when employers refused union
recognition after the union had obtained a majority representation.
Most of these strikes took the conventional form of a walk-out with
picketing. A considerable number, however, were sit-down or stay-in
strikes, and these had received a great deal of publicity and acrimonious
discussion both by the parties concerned and the general public.
The strike picture was greatly changed in 1938. There were only
half as many strikes as in 1937, with only about one-third as many
workers involved. The proportion of union organization and recog
nition strikes declined somewhat, whereas the number of strikes in
protest against wage cuts increased. Also, there were more strikes
over questions of seniority and lay-off policies. The latter disputes
were frequently the result of too casual or ambiguous seniority clauses
in the agreements. When the lay-off test came, managers and workers
differed as to interpretation.
The number of sit-down strikes greatly decreased during 1938.
Although unfavorable public opinion was an important factor in
causing this decrease, most of the union officials themselves discour
aged such spontaneous action. After the first upheaval in getting the
unions recognized, most of the unions considered sit-down strikes to
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial Relations in 1938
495
be inadvisable and unnecessary. While this was true generally, sitdown strikes continued to occur in a few localities and industries.
Certain sections of automobile manufacturing were much harassed
by labor strife and confusion during 1938. The initial organization
drives, accompanied by numerous strikes, had taken place in 1937.
These had resulted in union agreements with all the major firms except
the Ford Motor Co. The signing of these agreements, however, did
not establish peace. Although the reluctant way in which some of
the companies accepted the collective-bargaining relationship was
no doubt responsible for some of the continued strain, the situation
within the union itself was not favorable to the building up of stable
employer-union relationships. For a number of months there had
been growing suspicion and ill feeling among officers of the union.
During the summer of 1938, C. I. O. officials had attempted through
compromise measures to bring about unity. The internecine struggle
continued, however, and by the close of the year there was every
indication of a real split.
West coast.—Probably the most severe crisis which organized labor
faced during 1938 was on the west coast. During 1937 and the early
months of 1938 there had been increasing tension between the various
groups of employers and unions, as well as between various unions.
Associations of agricultural and industrial employers were organized
in order to aid their members in time of strike and to combat the in
creasing unionization in their communities. The situation was
intensified by the numerous disputes between rival unions and leaders,
particularly those in the Washington and Oregon lumber industry,
and among warehouse and maritime workers all along the coast.
Antiunion employers, as well as others who did not oppose the
principle of collective bargaining but who became impatient and
alarmed over the rival-union disputes, united on a legislative program
to curtail the activities of organized labor. In September, Los
Angeles passed an ordinance severely limiting the right to strike and
picket. State initiative proposals appeared on the ballots in Cali
fornia, Washington, and Oregon which would not only restrict strike
and picketing activity but forbid the use of coercion and intimidation
in any labor dispute and make sit-down strikes illegal.
A preliminary test was provided in the several strikes and lock-outs
which occurred shortly before the State elections, chiefly that of the
warehousemen (C. I. O.) and retail clerks (A. F. of L.) in San Fran
cisco. In both instances union agreements had expired and employers
had refused to negotiate for new agreements until the unions made
certain concessions. The unions interpreted this attitude as an un
willingness to bargain and an intention to get an open-shop campaign
under way before the November elections. All realized that the out
come of these strikes would have a major influence on whether or not
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
the longshoremen’s agreement, expiring September 30, would be
peacefully renewed. If not, a conflict even more serious than that in
1934 was predicted.1
Faced with such serious threats from organized employers, rival
unions laid aside their factional disputes and united in a common
program of defense. Toward the latter part of October, compromise
settlements were effected on the particular issues involved in the
warehousemen’s and retail clerks’ disputes. A new agreement between
the waterfront employers and the longshoremen was signed without
a strike. Organized labor considered the outcome of these disputes
as significant victories since, in spite of strong opposition, the unions
had been successful in maintaining a collective-bargaining status.
During this time all the unions united in a strenuous campaign of
publicity and education on the dangers to labor of the initiative pro
posals. At the polls a few weeks later the initiative pioposals in
California and Washington were defeated. In Oregon, however, the
measure passed and became effective December 1, 1938.
A. F. oj L. vs. C. I. 0 .—-A disturbing factor on the American labor
scene is the existence of two rival labor-union movements. This
situation was not improved during the year 1938. In December 1937
negotiations between the A. F. of L. and C. I. 0. representatives,
chosen by their respective organizations to investigate the possibilities
of peace, adjourned without coming to any agreement. Shortly
thereafter the A. F. of L. executive council expelled all the C. I. O.
unions2 except the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union,
and both organizations took new steps toward forming competing
unions in industries where other unions already existed.
Government officials were not unmindful of the seriousness of the
situation. President Roosevelt, in his letters of greeting to both the
A. F. of L. and the C. I. O. conventions, urged reconciliation and
warned against the effects of continued disunity. In October the
Secretary of Labor proposed that a mediation committee of 13 persons
be created—5 each from the A. F. of L. and C. I. O., and these 10
to choose 3 others.
Although there was much discussion at the October convention of
the A. F. of L. regarding the “dual” movement and some earnest
proposals were made to resume unity negotiations, no action was taken
except the approval of a resolution to “continue the battle and at the
1 In 1934 a strike of longshoremen not only tied up shipping for several months but led to a general sympa
thetic strike which practically closed all business in San Francisco for 2 days.
2 These unions had been suspended in September 1936. On February 4, 1933, the United Mine Workers,
the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, and the Flat Glass Workers were expelled. On M ay 2 the Amal
gamated Clothing Workers, the United Textile Workers, the Oil Field, Gas Well and Refinery Workers,
the United Automobile Workers, the United; Rubber Workers, and the Amalgamated Association of
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers were expelled.
The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, while technically not expelled from the A. F. of L.,
was aflaiiated with the C. I. O. until November 11, 1938, when it voted to become independent.
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Industrial Relations in 1938
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same time stand ready to respond to any genuine appeal for peace
and any honorable and sincere opportunity to reunite the labor move
ment.’’ 3 A month later, the Committee for Industrial Organization
shed its temporary form and organized as the Congress of Industrial
Organizations.4
However, in a number of localities some definite efforts were being
made in 1938 to work together for some common ends. For example,
as an aftermath to their joint effort to defeat antiunion legislation, the
A. F. of L. and the C. I. 0. locals in some cities on the Pacific coast
were seeking to form permanent united labor councils. In other cities
some of the rival unions were expressing a desire “through cooperation
to protect the gains of organized labor.”
Governmental Activity
Commission on Industrial Relations.—The large number of strikes
which took place in 1937 and the growing seriousness of the rupture
within the organized labor movement, were cause for concern to the
general public as well as to workers and employers. As is usual in a
time of dissatisfaction, eyes were turned to other lands for comparison.
Some employers and some of the press held that other democratic
countries were not experiencing so much industrial unrest, and alluded
to certain legislation in those countries as the basis for their more
peaceful condition. In response to this growing concern, President
Roosevelt sent a commission to Great Britain and Sweden to make
an impartial study of their labor-employer relations. The basic con
clusions drawn by the commission from its study were that in both
these countries collective bargaining was an accepted fact, that em
ployers and workers were well organized, and that there was a “coop
erative spirit coupled with restraint” 5 shown by both parties.
The implication, by contrast, was that any unusual amount of
labor disturbance in this country was due in large part to the fact
that unionism was just now trying to get a foothold in a large section
of our industrial life and that a certain amount of friction was inevi
table until both employers and workers become more accustomed to
the habit of collective bargaining.
New legislation.—Two major legislative measures passed by Con
gress during 1938 materially affect the interests of labor. These
were the Fair Labor Standards Act and the amendment to the Mer
chant Marine Act. Although the primary purposes of these acts were
directed toward other ends, both of them refer to collective bargaining
3 American Federation of Labor. Proceedings of 58th Annual Convention, 1938, p. 374.
The first constitutional convention of the Congress of Industrial Organizations was held at Pittsburgh,
November 14-18, 1938.
« U. S. Department of Labor. Keport of the Commission on Industrial Relations in Great Britain and
Sweden. Washington, 1938.
*
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
and methods of employer-employee dealing. Directly and indirectly
they will have a vital influence on industrial relations within the
areas in which they function.
Fair Labor Standards Act.—The Fair Labor Standards Act is pri
marily concerned with the determination of minimum wages and
maximum hours—matters which are outside the scope of this article.
However, certain clauses, as well as the general administrative proce
dure provided in this act, will influence future employer-employee
relationships in a number of ways:
Collective bargaining and collective agreements are mentioned
specifically in the act with reference to exceptions to the 40-hour
week and with reference to fixing minimum wages above 25 cents an
hour. In the former case, overtime without extra compensation is
allowed for employees working under collective agreements which
provide a maximum total working time of 1,000 hours during any
period of 26 consecutive weeks, or on an annual basis which provides
for a maximum of 2,000 hours during any period of 52 consecutive
weeks. Among the factors to be considered in the fixing of wages
above the 25-cent minimum immediately provided in the act, are
“the wages established * * * by collective labor agreements
negotiated between employers and employees by representatives of
their own choosing.” Such legal recognition to collective bargaining
situations will have a tendency to enhance the prestige and importance
of collective agreements, as well as to affect the content of the pro
visions dealing with these specific matters.
Of even greater influence in industrial relations is the provision for
the establishment of tripartite industry committees. The knowledge
that representatives of the union serve on a Government board along
with employer representatives will no doubt carry weight among the
rank and file workers. This should help the unions to maintain the
interest of their members as well as to enlist the interest of unorganized
workers.
Of equal significance are the possibilities offered in the work of the
industry committees. At these committee hearings both employer
and worker representatives learn about the general economic situation
of the entire industry, its problems and prospects. In the process of
arriving at a recommendation for the establishment of higher wages
than the initial 25-cent minimum rate, employer and worker repre
sentatives are afforded an opportunity to engage in what approximates
collective bargaining. Since the employer and worker members on the
committee represent the entire industry, these negotiations somewhat
resemble collective bargaining on a national scale as far as minimum
wages are concerned. Unlike collective bargaining, of course, is the
fact that these dealings are carried on under Government auspices
and have a limited, specified purpose. Nevertheless, within this
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Industrial Relations in 1938
499
framework many employer and worker representatives will meet
during the administration of this act to discuss their industry situation
and problems.
What this might portend in employer-employee relations was
necessarily conjectural at the close of the year. The act became
effective on October 24 and during the ensuing 2 months only a few
hearings had been held and only two industry committees (textiles
and apparel) had been appointed.
Merchant Marine Act.—The amendment to the Merchant Marine
Act was primarily to promote further the merchant marine policy
originally provided in the 1936 act. A new “title X ” was added, how
ever, which deals with the problems of labor relations in water-borne
commerce. Under its provisions a Maritime Labor Board wTas ap
pointed by the President on July 6, 1938, to serve for 3 years.
The chief duties of the Board are: (1) To encourage all maritime
employers and employees to bargain collectively and to make and
maintain written agreements; (2) upon request of either party, to
act as mediator in any dispute over the interpretation of an agree
ment or over the terms of a new agreement—if mediation services
are unsuccessful, the board is to use its best efforts to secure the
assent of both parties to arbitration; (3) to prepare, before March
1, 1940, a comprehensive plan for the establishment of a permanent
policy for the amicable adjustment of all maritime disputes and for the
stabilization of maritime labor relations.
During the board’s first 6 months of operation it mediated a number
of disputes on the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. A good deal of
the board’s attention was devoted to a study of the general labor situa
tion within the industry in preparation for the recommendations it
must make by March 1940.
Federal Conciliation Service.—The oldest Federal agency dealing
with employer-employee relations is the United States Conciliation
Service, created in 1913. In the interests of industrial peace, 40 con
ciliators were actively at work during 1938 answering calls from
employers and workers throughout the country to mediate in their
disputes and to help bring about settlements where these disputes
had resulted in strikes. In a number of instances the disputants asked
that the Service appoint one of its commissioners to act as arbitrator.
During the year, the United States Conciliation Service handled
1,765 disputes, involving a million and a half workers. These included
strikes and lock-outs as well as threatened strikes and controversies
which had not yet reached the stage of strike action. In addition to
the handling of disputes after they arose, the Service held many con
ferences and investigated numerous complaints, in order to prevent the
occurrence of disputes and to bring about better understanding
between employers and workers.
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National Mediation Board.—The year 1938 marked the fourth
year of the existence of the present National Mediation Board. The
Railway Labor Act as amended in 1934 gave authority to the National
Mediation Board to investigate and dispose of disputes among railway
employees over questions of representation and the making and revis
ing of agreements. It also established the National Railway Adjust
ment Board to settle disputes arising out of individual grievances or
out of the meaning or application of labor agreements. In 1936 the
duties of the board were extended to cover air transportation.
Despite the fact that several serious crises arose during the year
between carriers and railway unions, there were no disputes which
caused interruption of the railway and air services. The most impor
tant case (as regards number of employees and financial cost) which
has ever been handled since the enactment of the act arose during the
spring of 1938, when the managements of all class I railroads served
notice of their intention to reduce rates of pay 15 percent. This
would have amounted to a wage reduction estimated at $250,000,000.
Direct negotiations between representatives of the unions and carriers,
as well as efforts of the Mediation Board, failed to bring about a
settlement. The President thereupon created an emergency board
as provided under section 10 of the act.
The board held public hearings and investigated the financial
problems of the railroads as well as the wages of the workers. The
board’s report concurred in the carriers’ contention as to the grave
financial situation of the industry. Nevertheless, it found no justifica
tion for wage reductions, since “the level of wages of railroad labor is
not high when compared to wage levels in other industries.” The
board asserted that “the carriers will need to adjust themselves by
means more heroic than wage reductions.”
Acting on the recommendation of the board, the railroads, on No
vember 4, withdrew their orders for the wage reduction and a threat
ened strike was thus averted.
National Labor Relations Board.—The National Labor Relations
Board functions in two capacities: (1) It certifies, either with or with
out the holding of elections, what unions shall represent employees
in their negotiations with employers; (2) it deals with cases of unfair
labor practices as defined in the act—that is, employers’ interference
with workers in their efforts to organize and bargain collectively.
Following the first decisions of the Supreme Court, which determined
the validity of the act, in April 1937, there was a tremendous increase
in the number of cases brought before the Board, evidencing a growing
tendency, where the issue of union organization was involved, for
workers to turn to the Board rather than to resort to strikes.
During the fiscal year ending July 1, 1938, the Board closed 8,851
cases involving over 1,800,000 workers. Of these, 5,694 were com
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plaints of unfair labor practices and 3,157 involved representation
issues. Over 96 percent of the complaint cases were withdrawn or
settled in an informal way through voluntary cooperation of the
employer, the complaining union, and the agent of the Board. Elec
tions were held in 1,152 of the representation cases. Of the total
343,587 valid votes cast in these elections, 67.8 percent were in favor
of trade-unions, 14.4 percent in favor of nonaffiliated unions, and 17.8
percent were against all types of labor organizations.
Employer opposition to the National Labor Relations Act and its
administration did not abate during the year. The earlier criticism
tended to be directed toward the Board, and charges were made that
the findings of the Board were based on misinterpretations of the act.
As the Supreme Court rendered more and more decisions sustaining
the Board’s orders, the general line of criticism shifted from the Board
to the act itself. As a consequence, some employers’ associations at
the close of the year were proposing major amendments to the act
which they hoped would be given consideration in the next Congress.
Added to the voice of employer opposition was that of the A. F. of L.,
as expressed in public pronouncements of its officials and in conven
tion resolutions. During the year A. F. of L. spokesmen showed
increasing suspicion and antagonism toward the Board, charging it
with bias and prejudice in favor of the C. I. O. and a misuse of power
to further “preconceived economic predilections of members of the
Board.” 6 Chief among the remedies which the Federation proposed
were amendments to the act limiting the powers of the Board in the
fixing of the representation unit and a curtailment of the Board’s
power to invalidate union contracts. It was expected that these
proposals, together with others, would be presented to Congress soon
after it convened in January.
Management and Labor
One means of learning the general status of the employer-employee
relationship at a given time is through the subjects discussed at
employers’ conferences. Such gatherings reveal not only the general
industrial and economic situation but also employers’ reaction to gov
ernmental and organized labor activity. During the 1920’s, for
instance, when the Government was relatively silent on matters con
cerning employer-employee relations and organized labor was not
expanding, management representatives devoted most of their group
discussions to such matters as labor turn-over, wage-incentive plans,
production control, etc.
When, in 1933, the Government began to show an active concern in
the condition of labor, and labor itself showed a disposition to expand
« American Federation of Labor. Proceedings of 58th Annual Convention, 1938, p. 344.
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
its area of influence, employers were faced with new problems. To
some employers it seemed a throw-back to war times, when the Gov
ernment and war labor boards encouraged collective bargaining and
set up minimum standards of working conditions. These employers
hoped and expected that, as in the war period, the new legislation and
labor activity would be temporary and therefore no fundamental
changes in management policy would be necessary. Thus, in employ
ers’ conferences during 1933-36 there was a good deal of discussion
pointing to the unconstitutionality of the National Labor Relations
Act, the Social Security Act, and other social legislation.
Some employers maintained, on the other hand, that the very pas
sage of such acts revealed certain weaknesses in industry which it was
their job to correct, even though the specific legislation should be
changed or annulled. They urged a closer personal relationship
between employer and employees. They said the workers should be
educated in the fundamentals of the business—“if management talks
directly with its men, it will not be necessary for them to turn to out
side labor leaders.” Foremen should be better trained in personnel
dealing—“if grievances are handled promptly there is no need for
trade-unions.” They advocated improvement in wage-incentive plans
and the maintenance of wage differentials—“the American worker is
an individualist who is only mildly interested in collective bargaining.”
Much stress was laid on the advantages of the employee plant com
mittees or employee-representation plans as an improvement over
individual dealing and as a substitute for trade-unions. It was freely
admitted that many employers had established such plans merely to
give the appearance of conforming to the law. Such employers were
criticized and a good deal of time was devoted to discussions on how
the employer could make his employee-representation plan function.
Although the lines of discussion in employers’ conferences neces
sarily altered when the Supreme Court validated the N. L. R. A. in
the spring of 1937, a change in attitude was not uniformly apparent.
There was considerable agreement with speakers who reaffirmed the
desirability of maintaining the traditional relationship between the
employer and the individual employee—“let your employees feel
that you are their natural leader and they will not turn to an out
sider.” There were expressions of resentment and rebellion—“no
matter what the law and courts say, an employer must not condone
outside interference with his business.” Others, neither so discour
aged nor so resentful, suggested that all that was needed was a change
in the employee-representation plans; chiefly, a withdrawal of employer
financial support and a substitution of employee committees for joint
employer-employee committees.
As the months passed, the tone of management conferences some
what changed. Instead of completely ignoring the existence of trade
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503
unions, as was done in the 1920’s, or mentioning them only with ex
pressions of opposition as was done later, during 1938 there was more
and more disposition to accept the collective-bargaining situation and
to take it for granted. Significant was one such conference, an
nounced as “The Reconstruction Phase of the Employer-Employee
Relationship” which gave as its keynote—
During the past year strikes and other labor disturbances have been frequent
and severe. And yet, many leaders in industrial relations feel that industry has
definitely entered the “reconstruction phase” in its relationship with workers—
that out of the turmoil there has been evolved a set of principles which, admittedly
still far from perfect, nevertheless mark out the way to industrial peace.7
Many of those responsible for labor relations in their various
plants showed a real desire to learn how to fit their personnel policies
within a collective-bargaining framework, even though some of the
trade-union demands seemed to be in conflict with what formerly had
been considered good personnel practice. For instance, in a discus
sion of seniority and lay-offs, one personnel manager indicated that
his firm no longer used the depression period “to clean house by laying
off the less efficient” because the unions were too seniority-minded and
had objected. He conceded to the union that it was not fair to throw
the less competent out of work during slack times when it was most
difficult to get another job. In return he had obtained the support of
the union for a continuous rating system, with allowance for individual
discharges at the end of probational periods or periodic check-ups.
This willingness to adapt new patterns from old, to concede the
right of workers to some voice in the making of employment policies,
was not universal, however. As is to be expected in the early stages
of any drastic change, the year 1938 witnessed many contrasts in the
employer-employee relationship among the various industries as well
as among plants within an industry. Some employers who had gone
so far as to discuss matters with delegates of employees flatly refused
to formalize the decision of such discussions in written form.
Even among employers who had signed written agreements there
were many contrasts in method of dealing, based in large part on the
degree of sincerity with which the employer had accepted the col
lective-bargaining relationship. In some instances where serious
strikes had taken place and the employer had reluctantly signed an
agreement, he was able by delay and other tactics to forestall any
real collective bargaining in the day-to-day operation of the plant.
In some of the larger companies, collective bargaining stopped when
the top management and union officials had met on basic wage and
hour schedules. No grievance or other employee committees were
established, and the foremen continued to function as they had in the
past. Contrasts are illustrated by the following instances:
7 Conference of the Personnel Division of the American Management Association, Chicago, February
1938.
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
A large company, as a result of a prolonged strike and the pressure
of public opinion, had signed a union agreement. Department
supervisors, however, were led to believe that this formal capitulation
did not mean much and that they should make every effort to carry
on as before. By the terms of the agreement the workers’ committee
could meet with the plant supervisor on a certain day each month.
When, at such meetings, the employees’ representatives brought up
grievances and suggestions, the supervisor’s reply was that all requests
should be put in writing and he would submit them to the general
manager. A few days or even weeks later a formal letter would
reach the committee explaining why the company could not accept
the employees’ requests. The committee could not even discuss the
matter further until the next monthly meeting. Obviously, such a
situation is not collective bargaining; it provides for no meeting around
the conference table to discuss frankly the pros and cons of disputed
issues. This company has experienced a number of strikes since the
signing of its agreement.
In contrast is another large concern which throughout its history
had vigorously fought trade-unions. In 1937 the management decided
to reverse its position and to give collective bargaining a trial. An
agreement was signed without the union calling a strike. Convinced
that the management was sincere, most of the plant supervisors tried
to adapt themselves to the new situation. In view of the fact that a
good many of them had been appointed to supervisory positions as
much for their antiunion attitude as for their working ability, this
adjustment was no small task. The employees also realized that they
had much to learn. In one plant of this company the union set up a
“school” for the members of its grievance committees. Some of the
foremen requested that they be allowed to attend. For the rest of
the course, union committeemen and foremen voluntarily met several
evenings a month to discuss techniques of settling disputes and
grievances.
In general, it can be said that 1938 was a year of transition in
management-employee relationship. In contrast to those firms which
were continuing their belligerent opposition to any kind of collective
bargaining, was an increasing number of employers who had accepted
unionism and were making a sincere effort to adjust their personnel
policies and methods to the new situation. Between these extremes
were employers who felt that open antagonism was unwise but who
hoped the current union activity was a passing phenomenon. These
pursued different courses. Some gave a semblance of meeting the
demands of their employees by going through the formality of signing
a union agreement, but in one way or another set up barriers to any
real day-to-day collective-bargaining relationship. Others made
unusual efforts to improve plant working conditions and personnel
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505
policies with the hope that their employees gradually would lose
interest in trade-unions.
Union Membership and Agreements
Although business conditions in 1938 were not conducive to any
great extension of union organization, the unions were able not only
to maintain their relatively high 1937 membership figure but to make
increases in certain trades and areas. Membership reported to the
1938 conventions of the A. F. of L.8 and the Congress of Industrial
Organizations 9 totaled nearly 7% million. With the addition of the
nonaffiliated railroad unions, the total trade-union membership in
1938 was somewhat over 8 million.
The momentum of the 1937 organization drives in the mass-produc
tion industries extended into some of the service and retail trades and
professions. In 1938 the most marked gains in union membership
were among electrical workers, canneries, machinists, truck drivers,
packing-house workers, bakeries, laundries, hotels and restaurants,
retail trade, and certain sections of commercialized agriculture.
There was considerable union increase, also, among clerical and pro
fessional workers, such as actors, insurance agents, State and county
employees, teachers, and newspaper reporters.
Collective agreements naturally followed in the wake of union
membership. In industries previously organized, unions in most
cases were able to maintain and renew their contracts without wage
reductions. In addition, many new agreements were entered into
during 1938, some of these covering a considerable number of workers.
Probably the most notable was that between the United Mine Work
ers and the Harlan County Coal Operators. The signing of this agree
ment, on August 27, brought to a close a long history of open hos
tility between them. Previous to the signing, the Federal Department
of Justice had indicted a number of the coal operators and sheriffs
on charges of conspiracy to suppress the bargaining rights of the
miners.10 The three months’ trial ended in a hung jury. Mean
while the National Labor Relations Board had issued an order to
one of the companies, and had been sustained by the circuit court,
to reinstate with back pay a number of its employees who had been
discharged for union activity. The United Mine Workers agreed to
drop its charges when the Coal Operators Association signed the
agreement, which follows the general terms of the Appalachian agree’ The figures given here represent the voting strength of the affiliated unions: that is, the average paidup membership to the A. F. of L. for the fiscal year.
• Membership given as of October.
i° The National Labor Relations Act provides for no criminal penalties. In this case the Government
invoked an act of 1870 forbidding conspiracy to prevent citizens from exercising rights guaranteed under
Federal laws and the Constitution.
129324— 39------- 2
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
506
ment to which most of the bituminous-coal employers adhere. Thus
the last important nonunion section of the coal industry was brought
under collective bargaining.
Among other agreements covering relatively large numbers of
workers were those with the General Electric Co., the Postal Tele
graph-Cable Co., the National Association of Retail Meat Dealers,
and 17 truck companies in the Middle West. The agreement formally
consummated in January 1939 between the Postal Telegraph-Cable
Co. and the American Communications Association (C. I. O.) covers
about 13,000 employees. The union had been certified by the
National Labor Relations Board after an election in a unit which is
geographically the largest yet found appropriate by the Board. It
covers the company’s entire continental system, with the exception of
certain offices for which the Commercial Telegraphers Union (A. F.
of L.) has contracts.
The contract with the Retail Meat Dealers and the Amalgamated
Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America (A. F. of
L.) includes uniform provisions for 30,000 retail meat dealers on all
points except wage rates, which are negotiated locally by the unions
and meat dealers’ associations. The agreement of the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Helpers of
America covers interstate truck operators in 12 States extending from
northern Kentucky to Nebraska.
Extent of Collective Bargaining in 1938
The year closed with wide differences in the extent of collective bar
gaining in the various industries of the country. The situation varied
from almost completely unionized working conditions to industries,
trades, and professions where a negligible number of the employees
worked under collective-bargaining conditions.
Outstanding among the industries almost entirely under written
agreements were coal mining, railroad train and engine service,
breweries, flat glass, newspaper printing, and men’s and women’s
clothing. Musicians, actors, and radio artists and performers were
almost all working under collective-bargaining conditions. The
automobile industry, with the exception of the Ford Motor Co., was
almost entirely under union agreements, as was also the steel industry
with the exception of half a dozen of the medium-size concerns, and
the rubber industry with the exception of the Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Co. and a few small plants.
At the other extreme were the industries where there was little, and
in some cases almost a complete absence of, collective bargaining.
Among these were agriculture, domestic service, aircraft manufac
turing, chemicals, iron mining, quarrying, most of the service indus
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tries and trades, retail and wholesale trade, and office and professional
workers.
There were wide sectional differences in the degree of unionization
within a number of the industries. For instance, while longshoremen
and seamen on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts were generally under
agreements, there were few agreements on the Gulf coast or Great
Lakes. The Butte, Mont., area was much more strongly organized
than the rest of the metal-mining industry, and the cigar industry
remained largely unorganized, with the exception of that in Tampa,
Fla. Most of the union agreements in the air transport, lumber,
fishing and canning industries were with companies on the west
coast. Organization of building-maintenance workers took place
predominantly in New York City and a few other large cities. The
hosiery industry in and around Philadelphia was almost entirely
under agreement, as were also most of the full-fashioned hosiery
mills in the North. However, agreements were almost nonexistent
in the seamless branch of the industry, especially in the South.
The approximate extent of union agreements in the various indus
tries and trades, based on the proportion of the workers covered, is
given in the table following.
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Prevalence of Written Union Agreements, in 1938, Within Various Industries
Large proportion under written
agreements
About half under written
agreements
Moderate proportion under written
agreements
Breweries.
Clothing, men’s (outerwear
and furnishings).
Clothing, women’s (outer
wear and underwear).
Coal mining.
Furs.
Class (window, plate, and
other flat glass except glass
ware).
M usicians.1
Newspaper printing and pub
lishing.
Performers (legitimate stage,
vaudeville, burlesque, grand
opera, motion pictures, and
radio performers).3
Railroad train and engine
service.
Aluminum (refining and fabrication).
Automobiles and parts.
Book, magazine, and job printing and
publishing.
Building construction.1
Cement manufacture.
City passenger transport (street rail
way, elevated, bus, and subway).
Electrical equipment (includes radios).
Hats and millinery.
Iron and steel.
Longshore.
Machinery and parts.
Maritime transport (licensed and un
licensed personnel).
Motion-picture production (except
actors).
Railroad clerical service.
Railroad shops and maintenance.
Rayon yarn.
Rubber (tires, inner tubes, boots,
shoes, and other rubber goods).
Stoves.
Tailors (merchant tailors employed in_
retail trade).
Baking (bread, cracker,
and cake—includes route
salesmen).
Bus transport, intercity.
Glassware.
Hosiery.
Metal mining, nonferrous.
Petroleum (crude produc
tion and refining).
Ship building and repairs
(private shipyards).
Shoes.
Silk and rayon textiles.
Trucking (city and inter
c it y —e x c lu d e s rou te
salesmen).
Upholstering and floor
covering (employees J n
retail trade).
Barbers.1
Brick and clay products (includes pot
tery and china ware).
Butchers (employed in retail trade).
Canning (vegetable, fruit, fish, etc.).
Cigarettes.
Cigars.
Cleaning and dyeing.
Coke and manufactured gas.
Cotton textiles and small wares.
Dyeing and finishing textiles (exclud
ing hosiery).
Fishing.
Flour and other grain products.
Furniture (wood, upholstered and
metal).
Hotels and restaurants.1
Jewelry and silverware.
Leather (tanning and leather prod
ucts other than shoes).
Light and power.
Lumber and timber products (logging,
sawmills, planing mills, and prod
ucts other than furniture, pulp, and
paper, turpentine and rosin).
Meat packing.
M ilk and other dairy products (in
cludes route salesmen).
Newspaper office employees (editorial,
circulation, and advertising).
Pulp and paper products.
Sugar refining, cane and beet.
Taxicab.
Telegraph.
Theater—maintenance employees (pic
ture-machine operators, ushers, stage
hands, box-office employees).
Woolen and worsted textiles.
1 Conditions regulated in many cases by detailed written working rules which may
be accepted by each employer w ithout being incorpoated in an individual written
agreement.
FRASER
Digitized for
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Almost entirely without written
agreements
Agriculture.
Aircraft manufacture.
Air transport (includes airport em ploy
ees).
Automobile sales and service (includes
gasoline stations).
Building maintenance (residential and
office buildings).
Chemicals (paints, varnish, fertilizer,
cosmetics, perfume, soap, explosives,
drugs, and industrial chemicals).
Clocks, watches and precision instru
ments.
Confectionery.
Domestic service.
Hospitals and similar institutions.
Iron mining.
Laundries.
Office, technical, and professional em
ployees (excludes retail trade, thea
ter, newspaper and railroad employ
ees).
Quarrying.
Retail trade (department, specialty
and grocery stores—sales, delivery,
and office personnel).
Telephone.
Turpentine and rosin.
Wholesale trade.
3 Stage, vaudeville, burlesque and grand opera performers are generally covered by
individual contracts with uniform provisions, as agreed upon in collective bargaining,
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
A lmost entirely under written
agreements
W AGES A N D H O U R S I N 1938
By W
it t
B
ow den,
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Outstanding Features
IN SPITE of the severe recession of the early part of 1938, hourly
earnings fell but slightly from the comparatively high levels of 1937,
and toward the end of 1938 the movement was reversed, notably in
the lower-wage groups. Weekly hours, which usually tend to rise
when business is expanding, fell slightly in the later months of the
year, especially in many of the industries with comparatively long
hours. The enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act, widely
recognized as an outstanding event of 1938, was one of a number of
measures adopted by the Federal Government and the States for the
general purpose of maintaining conditions favorable to fair standards
of wages and hours. These measures, although important, may be
viewed as supplementing other factors such as collective bargaining.
The most serious problem of wages in 1938 was a result of the
curtailment of pay rolls accompanying increased unemployment and
part time, but there was a rapid improvement toward the end of the
year. Fluctuations in business activity in the field of industrial
production are reflected in the Federal Reserve Board’s index of
production of manufactures and minerals. This index, when adjusted
for seasonal variation, stood at 117 (the 1923-25 average equaling 100)
in August 1937 and at 76 in May 1938, a fall of about 35 percent. By
December the index had regained most of the loss and stood at 104.
The fluctuations were much less extreme in many forms of business
activity, as, for example, in department-store sales. The index of
department-store sales when adjusted for seasonal variations fell
from 94 in September 1937 to a low point of 78 in May 1938, a fall of
only 17 percent, and rose by December 1938 to 89.
Another outstanding characteristic of the period was the continued
growth of labor organizations and the enlargement of the field of
collective bargaining. The main effects of these developments in
raising wage rates were felt before 1938, but they were apparent in
1938 in checking the downward tendency of wage rates during the
decline in business activity. It is probable also that the increased
sense of organized strength and responsibility accompanying the more
extensive organization of labor and the greater prevalence of collective
agreements tended, during the upturn later in 1938, to check strikes
and related activities such as are frequently resorted to for raising
wages when business conditions are improving.
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510
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Average Hourly Earnings
INDUSTRY AVERAGES IN OCTORER 1 1938
In October 1938 average hourly earnings in all manufacturing in
dustries combined were 63.7 cents. When the various nonmanufac
turing industries for which information is readily available are com
bined for an approximate average of hourly earnings in these indus
tries, the result is almost identical with the figure for manufacturing
as a whole. But when the separate groups of industries are con
sidered, wide differences appear. Thus, in the durable-goods manu
facturing industries, the average in October 1938 was 71.0 cents, and
in the nondurable-goods group, 57.9 cents.2 In the 14 groups of
manufacturing industries, as classified by the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics, the averages for October ranged from 87.8 cents in the trans
portation-equipment industries to 45.6 cents in the tobacco group.
In the separate manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industries,
average hourly earnings varied in October from 99.1 cents in the
printing and publishing of newspapers and periodicals to 25.2 cents
in the cottonseed oil, cake, and meal industry.3 (See chart 1.)
The industries that produce nondurable goods and those that render
staple, localized services are among the industries with lowest average
hourly earnings. The 10 industries with lowest averages in October
1938 were the following: The cottonseed oil, cake, and meal industry,
hotels (year-round), men’s furnishings, shirts and collars, cotton
goods, laundries, silk and rayon goods, knitted underwear, fertilizers,
and canning and preserving. Among the industries with relatively
low averages are a few that produce durable goods or products that
enter into durable goods and capital equipment. Among these are
the furniture, lumber, and brick, tile and terra cotta industries, and
quarrying and nonmetallic mining. These, however, are exceptions.
The industries with low averages are in a great many instances
organized on the basis of large numbers of small establishments and
firms and are frequently subjected to competitive pressures on rates
of pay as well as prices.
1 October was chosen for comparison because of the fact that the October figures were the last before the
Fair Labor Standards Act went into effect.
8 The general averages and the averages of the durable-goods group have been affected by the recent
omission of railroad-repair shops. Tractors have been shifted from engines, turbines, etc., to agricultural
implements, and stamped and enameled ware has been transferred from the nonferrous metals to the iron
and steel group. The group averages now being revised may be slightly affected by these changes. It
should be noted also that all figures for the most recent months are subject to minor revisions.
* The averages were computed from sample data and are necessarily approximations. If exact figures were
available, slight changes might occur in the ranking of industries in order of average earnings.
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Wages and Hours in 1938
511
In the combined manufacturing industries and 16 nonmanufactur
ing industries,4 the average number of wage earners in October 1938
was about 14,000,000. About 5 percent of these were in industries
paying an average of more than 90 cents an hour; about 10 percent
were in industries paying more than 85 cents an hour; somewhat
more than 20 percent were in industries paying more than 75 cents an
hour; and 53 percent were in industries paying an average of more
than 60 cents an hour. Only 5.4 percent of the total number were
in industries with average hourly earnings of 40 cents or less. It
must be emphasized, however, that these are industry averages and
that large numbers of employees in all of the industries received
earnings much below the industry averages.5 Economic analysis and
the formulation of policies require consideration of the diversities
and particularly of the extremes not fully revealed by the industry
averages.
4 The nonmanufacturing industries that were included are the following, listed in descending order of
average hourly earnings in October 1938: Anthracite mining, building construction, bituminous-coal min
ing, electric light and power and manufactured gas, crude-petroleum producing, telephone and telegraph,
electric-railroad and motorbus operation and maintenance, wholesale trade, class I steam railroads, metal
liferous mining, retail trade (other than general merchandising), quarrying and nonmetallic mining, retail
trade (general merchandising), dyeing and cleaning, laundries, hotels (year-round). Perquisites are not
included in the figure for hotel employees.
8 The percentages of wage earners given above do not represent the numbers receiving the average hourly
earnings indicated but only the numbers in the industries with indicated averages. In each industry there
is of course a wide range of hourly earnings.
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CHANGES
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
I N A V E R A G E H O U R L Y E A R N I N G S , O C T O R E R 1937 T O D E C E M B E R 1938
The larger declines in average hourly earnings between October
1937 and October 1938 were predominantly in the industries with
comparatively low rates of pay. Thus in manufacturing industries,
declines materially larger than in manufacturing as a whole occurred
in shirts and collars, cotton goods, silk and rayon goods, cotton small
wares, woolen and worsted goods, dyeing and finishing textiles,
women’s clothing, and radios and phonographs. In the nonmanu
facturing industries, also, the largest declines were in the industries
with relatively low rates, although year-round hotels and laundries
were exceptions. Among 52 manufacturing and nonmanufacturing
industries with average hourly earnings above the general average,
only 23 bad lower averages in October 1938 than in October 1937;
while among 52 industries with averages below the general average,
41 were lower than in the previous October. It was the severity of
the competitive pressure on wages in the low-wage industries that
gave decisive impetus to the movement for public action in some such
form as the Fair Labor Standards Act.
In manufacturing industries as a whole, there was a decline of 4.4
percent in average hourly earnings from October 1937 to October 1938.
Among the nonmanufacturing industries there were decreases in
building construction, electric light and power and manufactured gas,
telephone and telegraph, metalliferous mining, retail trade in both
its branches, quarrying and nonmetallic mining, and dyeing and clean
ing. There were increases in hourly earnings in anthracite mining,
crude-petroleum producing, electric-railroad and motorbus operation
and maintenance, laundries, and year-round hotels. There were no
changes in the averages in bituminous-coal mining, wholesale trade,
and steam railroads.
In all manufacturing industries combined, a slight downward move
ment of average hourly earnings ended in August 1938, and the Decem
ber figure of 64.8 cents was 1.7 percent above the October figure.
There were increases also in several of the nonmanufacturing indus
tries, ranging from 1.3 percent in quarrying and nonmetallic mining
and in year-round hotels to 2.9 percent in crude-petroleum producing.
In some of the nonmanufacturing industries there were declines,
notably in the general-merchandising branch of retail trade, but this
reduction may be accounted for by the comparatively low-paid
seasonal employment in general merchandising in December.
The industry averages afford incomplete evidence regarding the
effects of the Fair Labor Standards Act on wages, for in most indus
tries the number of workers who were paid at rates below the minimum
of the law was so small that an increase in their earnings to the mini
mum had no marked effect on the general average. It is nevertheless
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significant that in the three manufacturing industries with lowest
hourly earnings in October 1938 (cottonseed oil, cake and meal, men’s
furnishings, and shirts and collars), the increases from October to
December were much larger than the increases in manufacturing as a
whole. Other industries with relatively low average hourly earnings
that showed increases significantly larger than the increase for manu
facturing as a whole were canning and preserving, cigars and ciga
rettes, knitted outerwear, knit cloth, and chewing and smoking tobacco
and snuff.
Average Weekly Earnings
I N D U S T R Y A V E R A G E S I N O C T O B E R 1938
In manufacturing industries as a whole, average weekly earnings
in October 1938 were $23.95. In the durable-goods industries, the
CHART 2
AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS IN
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES -
1937
1 .9 3 8
U S BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
average was $26.95, and in the nondurable-goods industries, $21.35.
There are 14 main groups of manufacturing industries as classified by
the Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Aver
age weekly earnings in October 1938 ranged in these 14 groups from
$33.88 in the manufacturing of transportation equipment to $16.65
in the textile-fabrics group. In the 16 nonmanufacturing industries
previously mentioned (footnote 4), the highest average was $33.81 in
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crude-petroleum producing and the lowest (other than in year-round
hotels, affected by perquisites) was $17.24 in laundries, but this last
figure was only a little below the average of $17.62 in the general
merchandising branch of retail trade. In the separate manufactur
ing and nonmanufacturing industries, the highest average was $37.25
in newspapers and periodicals, and the lowest was $12.84 in shirts
and collars.
Six of the 10 industries with highest average weekly earnings in
October 1938 also had highest average hourly earnings during the same
month. These were newspapers and periodicals (with the highest
average, namely, $37.25), automobiles, petroleum refining, electric
light and power and manufactured gas, beverages, and rubber tires
and inner tubes. The last-named industry, with an average of $31.25,
was the lowest among the high 10. The other 4 industries among the
10 were crude-petroleum producing, electric-railroad and motorbus
operation and maintenance, explosives, and telephone and telegraph.
The 10 industries with lowest average weekly earnings were shirts and
collars, cottonseed oil, cake, and meal, cotton goods, men’s furnishings,
knitted underwear, year-round hotels, silk and rayon goods, canning
and preserving, fertilizers, and cigars and cigarettes. The range of
weekly earnings among these 10 industries was from $12.84 in shirts
and collars to $16.77 in cigars and cigarettes. These 10 industries,
with the exception of cigars and cigarettes, also had lowest average
hourly earnings.6
Average weekly earnings, as computed from sample reports from the
different industries, vary from industry to industry and from time to
time in the same industry on account of changes not only in rates of
pay but in hours of work. Average hours worked in turn vary widely
because of differences in such factors as part time, overtime, labor
turn-over, and seasonality, which affect different industries in widely
different degrees and the same industry to a varying extent at different
times.
When the various industries are grouped together on the basis of
$2 intervals in average weekly earnings, it is found that industries
with averages above $36 employed less than 1 percent of the total
number of wage earners and industries with averages above $32
employed less than 9 percent. There was a high degree of concentra
tion of employees in the industries with averages between $24 and $32,
almost 60 percent of the total number being employed in these indus
tries. About 22 percent of all employees were in industries with
8 In the case of average weekly earnings as of average hourly earnings, minor differences may in some
instances be due to the impossibility of obtaining perfectly representative samples. These, if available,
might require slight changes in the ranking of some of the industries. The general averages and the averages
of the durable-goods group have been altered by the recent omission of railroad-repair shops. Minor re
visions now under way may slightly affect some of the group averages. All figures for the most recent
months are subject to minor revisions.
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Wages and Hours in 1938
averages of less than $20 per week. Less than 1 percent of the total
number were employed in industries with averages of less than $14.
These percentages, it is important to observe, do not represent the
number of workers receiving the average weekly earnings indicated
but only the number of workers in the specified industries. The
averages, that is to say, are industry averages. In each industry there
is of course a wide range of weekly earn m gs.
CHANGES
IN
M ONEY
E A R N IN G S
AND
IN
“REAL”
E A R N IN G S
When there is a significant change in the prices of goods and services
bought by wage earners, the accompanying changes in money earnings
require adjustment to price changes for ascertaining the trend of
“real” earnings. In March 1938 the Bureau of Labor Statistics
index of cost of living was 83.0 (the 1923-25 average being 100); in
June it was 83.3; and in September and December, 82.7. These
figures indicate a slight decline from the 1937 average of 84.3, and the
purchasing power of the wage earner’s dollar was therefore somewhat
greater in 1938 than in 1937. But money earnings per week in most
industries fell with reductions in working time, and real weekly earn
ings were somewhat lower in 1938 than in 1937.
Changes in money earnings during the year were affected to some
extent by changes in rates of pay, reflected in average hourly earnings.
More significant, however, were the changes in average hours worked.
These were mainly an accompaniment of fluctuations in business
conditions, although there were some reductions in normal or full
time hours toward the end of the year for conformity to the Fair
Labor Standards Act. The comparability of average weekly earnings
in different industries and in the same industry at different times is
affected by seasonal variations. In highly seasonal industries the
average depends vitally on whether a particular month falls within
the period of peak activity or during some other period of the year.
In the production of beverages, for example, October is not a peak
month. In July, a peak month in this industry, average weekly
earnings were $34.73 as compared with $32.50 in October, in spite of
the fact that average hourly earnings in October were slightly higher
than in July.
Average weekly earnings are significant for ascertaining the general
trends of earnings, and when such limitations as seasonal variations
are duly recognized, they are significant also for comparing the
various industries and industry groups. Industry averages, however,
whether of weekly earnings or of hourly earnings or of weekly hours,
must be supplemented by information relating to diversities within
the industries when it is desired to analyze the problems of policy
relating to wages and hours. These problems are found especially
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in the extremes of earnings and of hours in particular portions of
industries or in particular establishments, regions, or types of employ
ment. Typical diversities will be discussed later.
Hours of Labor
INDUSTRY AVERAGES IN OCTORER 1938
In manufacturing industries as a whole, average weekly hours
worked in 1937 ranged from 41.0 in March to 34.4 in December.
In January 1938, the average fell to 33.2 and thereafter until July it
fluctuated narrowly between 34 and 35 hours. In August there was
an upturn to 36.3 hours and a further rise to 37.4 in October, followed
by a decline to 36.5 in November. In October 1938, in the separate
manufacturing industries, average weekly hours were shortest in the
locomotives industry (29.2), and ranged upward to 51.3 in the cotton
seed oil, cake, and meal industry. In the principal nonmanufacturing
industries, the range in October 1938 was from 26.8 hours in bitumi
nous-coal mining to 46.7 hours in year-round hotels.
Most of the figures relating to hours, as published by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics, are average hours worked and not full-time or regu
larly scheduled hours of shifts or of plant operation. These averages
of hours worked are computed from extensive reports of employment
and man-hours in a large number of industries. Average hours
worked range widely from industry to industry and vary from month
to month, and the changes do not conform to changes in scheduled
or full-time hours. This is explained by variations in part time,
overtime, labor turn-over, and similar factors.
CHANGES IN HOURS UNDER FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT
In the manufacturing industries and the principal nonmanufacturing
industries combined, about 60 percent of the wage earners in October
1938 were in industries with average hours above 39 per week, about
50 percent were in industries with averages above 40 per week, and
about 45 percent were in industries with averages above 41 per week.
The goal set with respect to hours by the Fair Labor Standards Act
relates not to average hours actually worked but to normal or regularly
scheduled hours. Average hours actually worked are usually not
less than 10 percent below scheduled hours, and the latter were there
fore materially above the statutory goal or “ceiling” of 40 hours as a
maximum, even when the general average only is considered.
The Fair Labor Standards Act became effective October 24, 1938,
and the November and December figures reveal a significant reversal
of the movement of weekly hours. Since July 1938, the trend had
been upward, the figure for July for all manufacturing industries being
34.7 hours, and for October, 37.4 hours. The average for November
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was 36.5 hours. It is perhaps particularly significant that in most
of the manufacturing industries with highest average weekly hours in
October 1938, there were significant declines between October and
November. Thus, in cottonseed oil, cake, and meal, hours fell from
51.3 to 44.7; in the butter-manufacturing industry, from 46.6 to 45.8;
in the flour-milling industry, from 45.2 to 41.6; in jewelry manu
facturing, from 45.2 to 39.2; in millwork, from 42.4 to 39.7; in paper
boxes, from 42.2 to 40.4; and in sawmills, from 40.9 to 37.0. It is
not possible to isolate seasonal and special factors completely, but
there is reason to conclude that the Fair Labor Standards Act had an
effect on the averages, especially since there was an upward trend in
business activity, which is normally accompanied by a rise instead of
a fall in average weekly hours.
The continued upturn of business through the middle week of
December (the week usually reported by employers to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics) naturally tended in most industries to lengthen the
average working week. Thus, in the general-merchandising branch of
retail trade, hours rose from 39.0 in November to 41.0 in December.
Nevertheless, in 7 of the 16 nonmanufacturing industries previously
mentioned (footnote 4) there were declines in hours. In manufactur
ing as a whole, the average rose from 36,5 in November to 37.1 in
December. In the separate manufacturing industries, 6 of the 10
industries with highest hours in October 1938 had lower averages in
December than in November.
Variations in Weekly P ay Rolls
Weekly pay rolls in most industries had an unusually wide range
during the years 1937 and 1938. The industry with the largest
variation between January 1937 and December 1938 was the beetsugar industry. In this industry the difference between the high
month (November 1937) and the low month (January 1937) was 85.7
percent. This industry, however, has an extreme seasonal variation.
In the case of locomotives, the industry with the next largest variation
in pay rolls, the high month was October 1937 and the low month was
October 1938. In this case, the divergence of 80.1 percent of the low
month from the high month was obviously not seasonal but mainly
a reflection of general business conditions and of particular conditions
that affect such an exceptionally specialized type of product as loco
motives, dependent largely on special orders rather than on the general
market demands for its rate of activity at any given time. Rates of
pay had no significant role in the pay-roll variations in this industry,
for average hourly earnings in October 1937 were 77.4 cents, and in
October 1938, 75.9 cents. Most of ttie industries with extreme vari
ability in pay rolls were either industries of a highly seasonal character,
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
such as beet sugar, canning and preserving, and anthracite mining,
or were industries that are very susceptible to fluctuations in business
activity. The latter were in most cases connected with the produc
tion either of capital goods or of durable consumers’ goods, such as
locomotives, automobiles, radios and phonographs, iron and steel
forgings, and carpets and rugs.
The general effect of the downturn in pay rolls beginning in 1937 was
moderated by the occurrence of the low point at different times in
different industries. During the period from January 1937 to Decem
ber 1938 the high month in the nonmanufacturing industries ranged
from March 1937 in bituminous-coal mining to December 1938 in the
general-merchandising branch of retail trade, the late summer and
fall months of 1937 being preponderantly the high months. In con
trast, the high month in 9 of the 14 main groups of manufacturing in
dustries occurred during March to May 1937. The low month in 8
of the 16 nonmanufacturing industries was either January or February
1937, although in the largest industry, retail trade, the low month was
August 1938. In contrast, the low month in the 14 main groups of
manufacturing industries with 3 exceptions ranged from January to
July 1938.
The industry with the smallest degree of variability in respect to
pay rolls was electric-railroad and motorbus operation and mainte
nance. In this industry the low month, January 1937, was only 7.0
percent below the high month, August 1937. This minor difference
was partly a result of the fact that average hourly earnings were some
what higher in August (the high month) than in January (the low
month), the figure for August being 68.5 cents, and for January, 66.1
cents.
The industries with relatively small variations in pay rolls were in
most instances either service industries such as electric-railroad and
motorbus operation and maintenance, wholesale and retail trade,
year-round hotels, laundries, and telephone and telegraph, or indus
tries that produce directly for the consumer market in the general field
of nondurable products, as, for example, newspapers and periodicals,
electric light and power and manufactured gas, chewing and smoking
tobacco and snuff, druggists’ preparations, petroleum production, and
the staple foods.
Variability of Capital-Goods Industries
There is thus a marked contrast in the variability of pay rolls and
volume of activity in the industries that produce capital goods and
consumers’ durable goods, on the one hand, and the industries that are
connected with the more staple services and nondurable consumers’
goods, on the other hand. The significance of this contrast has be
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come increasingly apparent in recent years for various reasons, par
ticularly because of the progressive difficulty in expanding the demand
for the products of capital-goods industries, on which employment
and pay rolls have vitally depended. There has been a progressive
narrowing of frontiers throughout the world and an intensification of
competition in the world’s capital-goods markets. There has also
been an increasing emphasis on machines and techniques that econo
mize capital investments. The former conditions of demand for non
military capital goods therefore no longer exist. As a result, some of
those who under former conditions would have found employment in
making capital goods are unemployed or dependent on relief work
unless they can find some new source of opportunity; and this is the
condition confronting also that proportion of consumption-goods em
ployees formerly required to supply the demands of those displaced
from the capital-goods industries.
The restriction of demand for capital goods and investments is more
than cyclical, as it is associated with a world-wide slowing up of the
rate of growth of unsettled or slightly industrialized regions, of popu
lation, and of world economy. These circumstances, combined with
the development and increased use of capital-saving techniques, have
tended to create a continuing, long-term stagnation in world markets
for capital goods and in world outlets for investment of income not
needed for consumption by those who receive it. The accompanying
problems of unemployment and of inadequate working-class income
have therefore called for public action, to an unprecedented extent, in
the form either of direct relief or of employment by the use of public
funds.
Although the wide range of the low month in the various branches
of employment cushioned the decline in pay rolls, the severity of
the decline became so apparent early in 1938 as to lead to a large
expansion of emergency employment. The expansion of emergency
pay rolls financed by public funds was mainly in projects operated
by the Works Progress Administration. In October 1937, the pay
rolls thus financed totaled $81,486,784. Throughout most of 1938
there was a progressive increase, the total in October 1938 being
$170,347,326. There was a further slight increase in November.
Problem of Extremes of Wages and Hours
NATURE
OF THE
PRO BLEM
The wide ranges in the industry averages of hourly earnings, of
weekly earnings, and of weekly hours were described in earlier para
graphs. In summary, the range of hourly earnings in October 1938
was from 99.1 to 25.2 cents; the range of weekly earnings was from
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
$37.25 to $12.84; and the range of weekly hours was from 26.8 to
51.3 hours.
These averages, however, do not reveal the extent of the diversity
in wages and hours. In a given industry there is a wide range of
average earnings and average hours in the various establishments.
There are still wider variations among the occupations, classes of
workers, and types of employment. There are also differences in
wages and hours that are characteristic of regions, communities of
different sizes, establishments of different sizes, and types of business
organization.
Most of these diversities are normal characteristics of a complex
and highly diversified economy. The principal problems of policy
relating to wages and hours arise from the extremes, and especially
from the lower extremes of wages and the upper extremes of hours.
Many wage earners, even in the industries with relatively high
average wages, have annual earnings too low for the maintenance of
generally recognized minimum standards of living. The lower levels of
wages and the upper extremes of hours in a given industry or region
tend to force wages down and hours up in other industries and areas.
The adverse effects of the lower extremes of wages on the national
economy are now more apparent than formerly. Since employers
and investors are no longer able to depend as formerly on expanding
external markets for the sale of capital goods and the investment of
their funds, wages must now in a much more vital sense be viewed
not only as production costs but also as consumer income.
RANGE
O F U N IO N
RATES
IN
THE
B U IL D IN G
TRADES
The variations in rates of pay are illustrated by union scales of
wages in the building trades. The average union rate per hour on
June 1, 1938, for the journeyman trades was $1,465, while the union
rate average for helpers and laborers was 85.1 cents. Average hourly
earnings for all workers, both union and nonunion, in building con
struction in June 1938 are estimated to have been 90.4 cents. Among
journeymen, the highest average union rate was that for plasterers,
$1,688, but only 13.1 percent of union plasterers received rates
ranging from $1.60 to $1.70, the wage interval in which the average
was located. The lowest average union rate of helpers’ and laborers’
occupations was that for building laborers, which was 77.1 cents,
and the lack of central tendency of the average is indicated by the
fact that only 7.4 percent of union building laborers received rates
between 75 and 80 cents, the interval in which the average was
located. Among union building-trades journeymen, the average
hourly rate in the cities covered by the Bureau’s annual survey of
union scales ranged from $1,740 in New York City to 86.7 cents in
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York, Pa. The average rate for helpers and laborers ranged from
$1,119 in New York City to 42.6 cents in Jacksonville, Fla. There
was of course a much wider range among the separate occupations
both of the journeyman group and of the helpers and laborers gioups.
ENTRANCE
RATES
OF
COM M ON
LAROR
The diversity of earnings is also significantly illustrated by the
Bureau’s annual survey of average hourly entrance rates of adult
male common laborers. Between July 1937 and July 1938 there was
virtually no change (an increase of less than 1 percent) in the general
average for the 20 industries included in the survey. But when the
separate industries are considered and the rates are analyzed separ
ately for the North and West and the South and Southwest, the
changes range from a decline of 7.6 percent in the fertilizer industry
in the North and West to an increase of 12.1 percent in the leather
industry in the South and. Southwest. Although the general average
in July 1938 was 50.8 cents, 3.3 percent had entrance rates under 25
cents, 8.0 percent under 30 cents, and 16.6 percent under 40 cents,
these being mainly in the South and Southwest. But the preponder
ance of the lower-rate workers in the latter region is in part a result
of the prevalence in that region of industries that have relatively
low rates in other regions as well as in the South.
The nature of the industries predominant in the several States is
one cause of the wide variations by States. The highest average
entrance rate among the States in July 1938 was 62.0 cents, in the
State of Washington; and the lowest was 27.2 cents in Florida. The
rates ranged very widely. Thus, one-tenth of 1 percent of common
laborers in the South and Southwest received less than 12.5 cents per
hour as an entrance rate, while in the North and West four-tenths of
1 percent received between $1 and $1.10, and a few were paid more
than $1.10.7
W AGES
OF FARM
W ORKERS
The average number of hired farm workers has ranged in recent
years in the neighborhood of 2,500,000, but the work is highly seasonal,
the smallest number being employed in January and the largest
number in July or October. The revised estimate of average pay per
month with board fell from $29.84 in October 1937 to $28.25 in
October 1938. The corresponding figures without board were $38.11
and $36.09. The daily rate with board fell from $1.46 in October
1937 to $1.36 in October 1938. The rates without board fell from
$1.73 to $1.59. It is to be noted that these figures are not average
7 M onthly Labor Review, January 1939, pp. 162-175: “Entrance Rates of Common Laborers, July 1938,”
by Edward K. Frazier and Jacob Perlman.
1 2 9 3 2 4 — 39--------3
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Monthly Labor Review— March 1939
earnings but average rates of pay. Since farm labor is highly seasonal
and to a considerable extent merely casual, average monthly earnings
were much lower than monthly rates of pay.
The United States Bureau of Agricultural Economics, which makes
these estimates, also publishes figures of average rates for the nine
geographic divisions as classified by the Bureau of the Census. Aver
age regional rates per month with board ranged in October 1938 from
$41.83 in the Pacific States to $15.68 in the East South Central States.
The average rate per month without board was $62.05 in the Pacific
States, and the lowest average was $22.66 in the East South Central
States. The highest and lowest averages of daily rates were in the
same geographic divisions as were the highest and lowest monthly
rates. These rates with board were $2.02 and $0.77, and without
board $2.71 and $1.03.
EXTREM ES
AS
IL L U S T R A T E D
EY
THE
F E R T IL IZ E R
C O T T O N -G O O D S ,
F U R N IT U R E ,
AND
IN D U S T R IE S
In August 1938, about one-twelftli of the wage earners in the cottongoods industry received less than 25 cents; almost a fifth received less
than 30 cents; about half received less than 35 cents; and approxi
mately 70 percent received less than 40 cents. Special surveys of
earnings in April 1937 and August 1938 8 reveal the wide range of
hourly earnings and also an increase, between April 1937 and August
1938, in the proportion of workers in the lower ranges of earnings.
In both months a few employees, but materially less than 1 percent,
received less than 12.5 cents per hour and a still smaller proportion
received 97.5 cents and over. In April 1937 about 60 percent of the
workers received earnings ranging from 32.5 to 47.4 cents, and in
August 1938 about 63 percent earned from 27.5 to 42.4 cents. Changes
affected workers in both the North and the South. The proportion
of workers receiving less than 30 cents an hour increased in the
North from 1.2 percent in April 1937 to 2.7 percent in August 1938,
and in the South from 14.4 to 24.2 percent. The proportion of un
skilled workers receiving less than 30 cents increased in the North
from 3.4 percent in April 1937 to 8.0 in August 1938, and in the
South from 32.3 to 46.7 percent. (See chart 3.)
Industries that had average hourly earnings significantly higher than
the minimum of 40 cents, proposed as the goal in the Fair Labor
Standards Act, had many employees who received much less than 40
cents. Thus, in the furniture industry average hourly earnings have
been considerably above 40 cents since 1934 and have risen above 50
* For April 1937 survey see M onthly Labor Review, April 1938, pp. 956-980: “ Average Hourly Earnings in
Cotton-Goods Industry” (reprinted as Serial No. R. 747);.for August 1938 survey see M onthly Labor Re
view, December 1938, pp. 1239-1249: “ Wage Structure in Cotton-Goods Manufacture,” by A. F. Hinrichs.
For detailed analysis, see U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin No. 663: Wages in Cotton-Goods Manu
facturing, by A. F. Hinrichs.
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cents. A special survey of the furniture manufacturing industry for
October 1937 9 indicated that in the wood household branch of the
furniture industry, 36.7 percent of employees were then receiving less
than 40 cents an hour; 24.9 percent were receiving less than 35 cents
an hour; 9.5 percent, less than 30 cents an hour; and 3.8 percent, less
than 25 cents an hour. In the Southern States, 74.1 percent of
employees in this branch of the furniture industry received less than
40 cents an hour, while 9.7 percent received less than 25 cents. Among
the unskilled workers in this branch of the industry in the South in
October 1937, 97.8 percent received less than 40 cents an hour; 49.0
percent received less than 30 cents an hour; and 25.6 percent received
less than 25 cents an hour.
In the furniture-manufacturing industry as a whole, the number
earning under 25 cents an hour formed 1.1 percent in the North and
9.6 percent in the South. Workers receiving less than 30 cents an
hour were 3.8 percent of the total in the North and 21.7 percent of
the total in the South. The corresponding figures for those receiving
less than 40 cents an hour were 19.4 and 74.7 percent. These regional
differences are not wholly a result of differences in wage rates for the
same occupations or types of work. They are partly explained by
the fact that there are virtually no southern plants making metal
office furniture and public-seating furniture, which are the higherwage branches of the furniture industry.
In 283 representative establishments included in a special survey
of the fertilizer industry in the spring months of 1938, average hourly
earnings at that time were 32.6 cents.10 In these plants, 60.4 percent
of all wage earners received less than 32.5 cents an hour. More than
two-thirds (68.7 percent) received less than 40 cents an hour, and
more than one-fourth (26.1 percent) received less than 25 cents an
hour. In the South, 79.7 percent of all workers received less than
32.5 cents an hour, and 35.0 percent received less than 25 cents an
hour. In the case of unskilled workers, the percentages were larger.
EXTREM ES
IN
HOURS
In the special survey of the fertilizer industry previously men
tioned, average weekly hours as well as average hourly earnings
ranged widely. In the northern wage district, the general average
was 45.2 per week. The occupational averages, when computed
separately for white and Negro workers, ranged from 54.3 to 35.6
hours per week. In the case of the upper southern wage district,
the general average was 44.9, while the range, when similarly com* U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Average Hourly Earnings in the Furniture Manufacturing Industry,
October 1937. (Mimeographed.)
See “ Wages and Hours in the Fertilizer Industry, 1938,” on p. 666 of this issue of the M onthly Labor
Review (reprinted as Serial No. R. 864).
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524
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
puted, was from 58.0 to 34.7 hours. In the lower southern wage
district, the general average was 45.0 and the range was from 60.2
to 34.4 hours. In a special survey of the manufacture of radio
transmitters and related products for May 1938,11it was found that the
PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYEES
IN COTTON TEXTILE INDUSTRY
BY AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS
AUGUST 1 9 3 8
PERCENT
OF TOTAL
NORTHERN
PERCENT
OF TOTAL
R EG IO N
25
20
15
10
- 5
0
U S
10
20
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
B L S BU LLETIN 6 6 3 ,
pp 1 1 7 - 118
full-time working week was prevailingly 40 hours, with certain
variations above 40. The average hours worked by employees
covered ranged from less than 8 to more than 60 hours per week.
n M onthly Labor Review, September 1938, pp. 611-620: ‘-Earnings and Hours in the Manufacture of
Radio Transmitters and Related Products, 1938.’' (Reprinted as Serial No. R. 787.)
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours in 1938
525
Tlie wide range of average hourly earnings involves serious eco
nomic problems because of the fact that the lower averages are not
measures either of the comparative efficiency and productivity of the
workers or of the comparative utility to consumers of the products of
the industries with the lower averages. But some of the gravest
problems of substandard wage-earner income are in industries with
average hourly earnings that are moderate or even relatively high.
This fact became particularly apparent in the hearings of the Emer
gency Wage Board appointed by the President in connection with the
railroad wage controversy of 1938. The Board pointed out that
average hourly earnings in railway employment in October 1937
were somewhat higher than the average for all manufacturing indus
tries combined and that the average even for section men during the
first 6 months of 1938 was 40.6 cents. At the same time, it was stated
that the most serious problem of many important groups of railroad
workers is the irregular, casual, or seasonal nature of employment,
resulting in extremely inadequate annual wages.12 Many important
groups of workers in virtually all industries have such limited employ
ment that their problem, when viewed in terms of average weekly
hours throughout the year, is a problem of excessively low average
hours.
Growth of Interest in Wages and Living Standards
THE
PRO BLEM
OF A N NUAL
E A R N IN G S
The 1938 railroad wage controversy turned not so much on the
general averages of hourly and monthly earnings as on the extremes
of rates of pay and especially on the lower extremes of annual earnings.
These, it was found, were often affected more significantly by irregular
and part-time employment than by rates of pay. An unprecedented
amount of information regarding annual earnings and the effects of
inadequate employment on earnings was made available in 1938 by
the Railroad Retirement Board under the provisions of the Railroad
Retirement Act. This information was presented in the form of
tabulations summarizing the earnings and months of service of individ
ual employees, whereas previously available data consisted for the
most part of monthly totals of wages paid and of numbers of persons
employed.1,1
These tabulations show that the average annual compensation in
1937 of railroad employees who had any work during the year was
only $1,108; and that the average of those employees who were
“attached” to the industry in the sense that they had some employ12 Emergency Board appointed September 27, 1938, under sec. 10 of the Railway Labor Act. Report
In re Atchison, Topeka & Santa Ee Ry. and other class I railroads and certain of their employees. Wash
ington, 1938. See in particular pp. 34-37, 52.
13 U. S. Railroad Retirement Board. Railroad Wages and Months of Service, 1937. Washington, 1938.
3 vols.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
526
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
ment in at least 6 months of the year was $1,563. The irregularity
of employment is partly reflected in the fact that only 52.6 percent
of all employees had employment in each of the 12 months, and only
68.9 percent had employment during 6 months or more. The lower
wage groups were as a rule the least regularly employed. The average
annual compensation of those who had employment during each of
the 12 months was $1,779; of those who had employment in only
11 months, $1,234; in only 10 months, $1,023; in only 9 months, $926;
in only 8 months, $724; in only 7 months, $605; and in only 6 months,
$507. The proportion of employees receiving the lower annual earn
ings increased very rapidly as the irregularity of employment increased.
This is indicated by the percentages of employees receiving, for
example, less than $1,000. Among those who had some employment
in each of the 12 months, 14.6 percent received less than $1,000; in
the 11-months group, the number receiving less than $1,000 formed
39.2 percent of that group; in the 10-months group, 54.3 percent; in
the 9-montlis group, 62.3 percent; in the 8-months group, 78.6 percent ;
in the 7-montlis group, 87.8 percent; and in the 6-months group, 92.4
percent. Among all of those who had work in less than 6 months,
only 760 individuals received $1,000 or more.
The widespread interest in the problem of annual earnings and such
related questions as a reduction of the rate of labor turn-over, a smooth
ing out of seasonal fluctuations, and vacations with pay has led to a
number of special studies in these fields, especially by the United
States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although the plans actually in
operation for stabilizing employment and assuring a minimum annual
income are not numerous, a few experiments have recently been under
taken.14 The vast amount of casual labor and the need for labor
mobility in an age of rapid change and readjustment raise problems
beyond the scope of a single employer or even of an industry. It
is nevertheless a fact of significance that there has been a wider recog
nition of the dependence of living standards on regularity of income
and on aggregate annual income.
P U B L IC
P O L I C IE S
When the impact of depression thrust upon the Nation after 1929
the problem of handling over a long period an unprecedented amount
of unemployment, the traditional individualism was modified by the
necessity of using public funds for meeting at least the minimum living
requirements of the unemployed. It was further modified by the
choice of the alternative of using public funds for providing jobs
instead of doles. The general works program was designed to proSee M onthly Labor Review, July 1938, pp. 52-59 (reprinted as Serial No. R. 778), and January 1939,
pp. 66-67.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours in 1938
527
vide a minimum amount of work at prevailing rates of pay to avoid
depressing the general wage levels and standards of living. The
general works program and the special undertakings, such as the
Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Youth Administration,
were also designed, within the limits of noncompetitive employments,
to aid in maintaining living standards by performing such needed
tasks as the construction of schools, municipal utilities, roads, parks,
and recreation centers. A recognition of these values was reflected
in the expansion of the works program as a method of facing the sharp
decline in employment early in 1938, while at the same time there
was growing recognition of the need to provide additional safeguards
against abuses in the use of works-program funds.
The years 1937 and 1938 were marked also by significant extensions
of public policies that directly affect wages and hours. The most
notable development in this field was the enactment of the Fair Labor
Standards Act, which went into effect on October 24, 1938. This law
was designed for the general purpose of maintaining “a ceiling for
hours and a floor for wages.” It was also designed to afford special
protection for children.
Farm labor was not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act and
there has been little effort to regulate the wages, hours, and conditions
of work of agricultural labor. The Sugar Act of 1937 did, however,
require the payment of not less than prescribed rates of wages for
sugar-beet labor as a condition of eligibility for benefit payments
under the act. The minimum wage rates as determined for the 1938
crop of sugar beets varied in the 7 sugar-beet areas but provided for
significant increases in rates in some of the areas.15
The general program of social insurance, adopted earlier, was de
veloped administratively into a comprehensive national system and
was subjected to its first severe test by the business recession of the
latter part of 1937 and the early part of 1938. The effects of this
program on wages and hours are restricted to the mitigation of un
employment and other social hazards, but it was the intent of the
authors of the program that these cushioning processes should aid in
maintaining the flow of income and of goods into consumption during
recessions and also in maintaining the morale of wage-earning classes.
Measurable success in these respects is widely recognized. In 1938,
$396,300,000 was paid as unemployment compensation in 31 States.
A public policy more directly concerned with wages and hours is
embodied in the Public Contracts (Walsh-Healey) Act of July 30,1936,
prescribing labor conditions in establishments making goods under
contract with the United States Government. Ten additional
is M onthly Labor Review, February 1938, pp. 322-340: “ Wages, Employment Conditions, and Welfare
of Sugar-Beet Laborers,” by Elizabeth S. Johnson: M onthly Labor Review, June 1938, p. 1419: “ Minimum
Wage for Sugar-Beet Labor, 1938.”
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
528
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
minimum-wage determinations became effective in 1938. In some
of these industries, marginal differentials were granted. The condi
tions fixed by the minimum-wage determinations included minimum
hourly rates and minimum weekly earnings for a week of 40 hours.
In the field of railroad wages, an outstanding incident in public
policy was the report of the Emergency Wage Board. In 1937 col
lective agreements with railroad employees provided for upward ad
justments in wage rates. Later declines in business led railroad em
ployers in May 1938 to serve notice of their intention to reduce rates
of pay 15 percent on July 1, 1938. Prolonged negotiations, as well as
efforts by the National Mediation Board, failed to settle the contro
versy, and on September 27 the President appointed an Emergency
Wage Board under the authority of the Railway Labor Act. After
extensive hearings the Board recommended that the proposed reduc
tion be given up, and the employers accepted the decision. The
problems confronting the railroads were the subject of special study
by a committee of six, representing the employers and employees,
appointed by the President on September 20. This committee re
ported on December 23, with recommendations for an extension of
public authority to include the various phases of the national trans
portation system. The extension of public policy in relation to
modes of transportation other than railroads was marked by an order
of the Interstate Commerce Commission on July 12, 1938 (modified
by an order of Jan. 27, 1939), for regulating the hours of work of bus
and truck drivers engaged in the transportation of passengers or prop
erty in interstate or foreign commerce. This order was limited,
however, to regulations for promoting safety.16
In many of the States, labor legislation in 1937 and 1938 dealt with
wages and hours. Notable among these measures were several laws
providing either for the initial adoption or for the renewal and strength
ening of minimum-wage legislation. These measures were largely a
result of the decision of the United States Supreme Court holding
minimum-wage laws for women constitutional.
The growth of interest in the living standards of the Nation and
especially of the low-income groups found expression in 1938 in pro
posals for significant extensions and improvements of the program
relating to unemployment insurance and old-age pensions. The lowcost housing program was rapidly advanced. Proposals were made
for a more extensive and systematic program for improving public
health, hospitalization, and medical care. At a conference in July
1938, called by an Interdepartmental Committee to Coordinate
Health and Welfare Activities, the discussion assumed the form of a
tentative national program. At the Fifth Annual Conference on
Labor Legislation at Washington in November, a movement gained
See M onthly Labor Review, September 1938, pp. 544-545.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours in 1938
529
impetus for the enactment of State laws designed in general to provide
for intrastate industries and employments such safeguards relating to
wages and hours as are embodied in the Federal Fair Labor Standards
Act.17
P U B L IC
IN Q U IR IE S
R E L A T IN G
TO
IN C O M E
AND
L IV IN G
STA N D A R D S
Surveys of public health, hospitalization, and medical needs have
included the relation of income to these problems.18 Extensive studies
of family budgets and of income and expenditures had been under way
before 1938 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Home
Economics, and the Works Progress Administration. These were
initiated in connection with the obtaining of current family budget
data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for revising its cost-of-living
indexes and were expanded into a national survey of consumer incomes
and expenditures. The analysis of the data, far more adequate than
any previously available information, was undertaken by the National
Resources Committee.19
The use of the data of the surveys for revision of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics cost-of-living indexes was continued in 1938, with
numerous extensions and applications relating to living costs and
living standards in various localities.
It has long been recognized that in many countries cooperative
enterprises, especially in the field of merchandising, have been effec
tively used for maintaining living standards. This result has been
achieved mainly by downward pressure on prices and by insistence on
adequate standards of quality. The recent increase of interest in the
subject in the United States found expression in various ways, includ
ing studies by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.20
It is apparent that neither wages nor hours nor any single aspect of
the Nation’s economy can properly be viewed in isolation except for
limited descriptive or analytical purposes. There is evidence of an
increasing recognition of this fact. Among the many indications of
the shift of emphasis was the formation of the Temporary National
Economic Committee, consisting of six members of the Senate and
the House of Representatives and six representatives of executive
agencies. This Committee, in some respects unprecedented in
17 Growth oi interest in such legislation was revealed by a recent national survey of opinion by the Ameri
can Institute of Public Opinion. The survey indicated that 71 percent of voters and 56 percent of employers
favored the Fair Labor Standards Act ("New York Times, January 1, 1939).
18 See for example, U. S. Public Health Service, The Relief and Income Status of the Urban Population
of the United States, 1935, Washington, 1938. (Preliminary Reports, the National Health Survey, Popu
lation Series, Bulletin No. C.)
19 A volume on the income aspect of the survey (Consumer Incomes in the United States: Their Distri
bution in 1935-36) was published in August 1938 by the National Resources Committee.
20 In addition to publishing numerous articles in the M onthly Labor Review, dealing with several aspects
of the movement, the Bureau is publishing a bulletin (No. 659) on Consumers’ Cooperation in the United
States, 1936, by Florence E. Parker, giving the results of field surveys.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
530
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
American history, initiated in 1938 an inquiry into the causes of the
faulty functioning of the Nation’s economic system. In the early
hearings, there was special emphasis on the persistence, extent, and
effects of unemployment and inadequate employment, not only of
labor but also of productive resources generally. The effects, it was
shown, are apparent chiefly in the substandard living conditions of
many millions of the working population. The Committee will
require much time for assembling and analyzing the relevant data for
the purpose of proposing remedies. The early hearings nevertheless
made apparent the necessity for increasing the production of needed
goods and services. They also emphasized the intricate nature of
the problem of wages arising from the fact that wages are both pro
duction costs and consumer income, the flow of domestic income
having a particularly vital bearing on volume of production in a
period of inelastic external markets and investment outlets.21
21
For a summary of the early work of the Committee, see M onthly Labor Review, January 1939, pp. 1-15,
“ Basic Problems of National Economy,” by Edwin M. Martin.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
L IV IN G COSTS IN 1938
By F a i t h M. W il l i a m s , Bureau of Labor Statistics
THE cost-of-living indexes prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
indicate that the cost of all goods purchased by wage earners and
lower-salaried clerical workers was 1.6 percent lower in 1938 than in
1937. If the money income of these workers had remained the same
in the 2 years, they would have been able to purchase a larger amount
of goods and services in 1938. However, average per capita weekly
earnings of employed wage earners in all manufacturing industries
combined were 7.4 percent lower in 1938 than in 1937. As a result,
the purchasing power of employed workers was actually lower by 5.9
percent in 1938 than in 1937. Moreover, in the 12 months ending
with December 1938, employment in the manufacturing industries
was on the average considerably below the 1937 level, and total pay
rolls for the year 1938 are estimated to have been 24.0 percent below
the total for 1937. Since living costs were on the average 1.6 percent
lower in 1938 than in 1937, this decline represents a drop of 22.8
percent in the aggregate purchasing power of wage earners in
manufacturing.
Trends of Various Items
Food prices were the most important factor in determining the
difference between living costs at the end of 1937 and at the end of
1938. Beginning in May 1937, the cost of the kinds of food purchased
by families of wage earners and clerical workers in large cities declined
steadily until March 1938, with the exception of one month. From
September to February the drop was extremely rapid, reflecting
disturbing factors on both the demand and the supply side of the
market. Declines in pay rolls during the fall, winter, and spring
materially reduced demand, while large wheat, fruit, and commercial
truck crops resulted in increased amounts of these foods available for
domestic use.
The movement of food costs after February 1938 was not so spec
tacular as in the preceding 5 months. The most important change
was in bread prices which began to decline in May, after an upward
movement which had continued since August 1936. The year ended
with the food-cost index within a fraction of a percent of the February
level. After irregular increases from February to June, a new decline
occurred which was again reversed in December when an unusually
large seasonal advance appeared in butter prices, and 11 of the 13
fresh fruits and vegetables carried in the index rose in price. These
increases were large enough to offset declines in the other group
indexes included in the food-cost index in the last month of the year.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
531
532
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
The interaction between the movement of pay rolls, wholesale
prices of food, and food costs to families of wage earners and clerical
workers is shown in the accompanying graph.1 As the graph (see
p. 643) shows, food prices are much more sensitive than other prices
entering into the cost of living, and they responded immediately to
the drop in demand occasioned by the falling off in pay rolls in 1937.
WHOLESALE PRICES OF FOOD, RETAIL COST
OF FOOD, AND FACTORY PAYROLLS
1 9 2 3 - 2 5 = 100
IN D E X
U .S
IN D EX
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
The Bureau’s recent studies of family expenditures show that food
costs are still the most important item in the budgets of the lowerand middle-income groups. Food purchases took from 28 to 39 per
cent of the average expenditures of employed wage earners and clerical
i
The index of food prices at wholesale includes 144 different price series and is weighted according to quan
tities entering the country’s wholesale the markets; index of retail food costs includes 84 price series and is
weighted according to family purchases of wage earners and clerical workers. The two indexes are therefore
not strictly comparable, and are here presented solely to show trends.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Living Costs in 1938
533
workers in 42 large cities covered in a survey made in 1935-36. Next
in importance to food comes housing, the proportion of total family
expense going for this item varying from 12 to 21 percent. The per
centage was higher in the Northeast where rents as such are affected
by density of population in the metropolitan areas which characterize
this region, and where heat is frequently paid for with rent in such a
way as to make it impossible to separate one from the other.
Rental costs rose by a fraction of a point during 1938. In 15 of the
32 cities covered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ rent index, there
were increases ranging from 0.2 in Baltimore to 4.6 percent in Chicago.
In 16 cities there were slight declines. From the low of 62.6 in March
1935 (as compared with 100.0 in 1923-25), the rent index for 32 cities
combined rose to 69.3 in December 1937 and stood at 69.6 at the end
of 1938.
Clothing costs appear to be slightly less important to the wage
earner and clerical group than they were at the end of the World War,
but they still take about 10 percent of the expenditures of the average
urban family. As contrasted with very consistent increases from
July 1935 to September 1937, the index of clothing costs declined in
each quarter of 1938. The drop from December 1937 to March 1938
amounted to 1.4 percent and was relatively twice as great as that
which occurred between the spring, summer, and fall quarters. The
decline in prices of clothing at wholesale, including shoes and other
items, which began in April 1937, leveled out or was reversed after
July 1938. Neither of these changes in prices at wholesale had had
enough effect upon prices in retail stores in December to prevent the
further decline of the Bureau’s index of clothing costs in 32 cities
combined.
Fuel and light costs moved irregularly during the year, with the
usual seasonal drop in the spring and increase in the fall and winter.
At the year’s end the index for this group stood at 88.0 percent as
compared with 100.0 for average costs in 1923—
25, and 87.3 percent
at the end of 1937. In 10 of the 51 cities in which the Bureau obtains
electric light and power rates, costs were lower in December 1938 than
in December 1937 for families using 25 and 40 kilowatt hours per
month. Most families in the wage earner and lower-salaried groups
buy electric service at these levels. The relatively small proportion
which have electric refrigerators and thus consume more power were
benefited by reductions in three additional cities (Washington,
Rochester, and Milwaukee).
The adjustment of prices of furniture and furnishings to the decline
in demand which began early last fall was marked. The drop in retail
costs from December to March was very sharp, with smaller declines
in the three succeeding quarters as retail sales increased again.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
534
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
The cost of the goods and services combined in the index for miscel
laneous items is more stable than that of any other group in the costof-living index. Rates for laundry, telephone, and medical service
change very slowly, and so do newspaper prices and admissions to
motion-picture theaters. Using average costs in 1923-25 as a base,
this index stood at 98.6 in December 1937, and 98.5 in December 1938.
Changes in Cost of Typical Budgets
Perhaps the best way of summarizing what these changes in living
costs mean to urban wage earners in large cities is to consider the cost
of a maintenance budget for a family of four in connection with the
distribution of such workers according to income.
In March 1935 the Division of Social Research of the Works
Progress Administration conducted a study of comparative living
costs in 59 cities. The purpose of that study was to determine the
cost of a uniform level of living in a large number of places at the same
time, and how these costs compared from one city to another. Quan
tity budgets were constructed by the Works Progress Administration
to represent the needs of families at two levels of living—the basic
maintenance level, and an emergency level. An identical budget for
each of these levels of living, with certain adjustments in the fuel, ice,
and transportation lists to take account of climatic and other local
conditions, was used in each of the cities. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics cooperated by obtaining the prices necessary to compute
the costs of these budgets. Insofar aspossible, prices for identical
commodities were obtained in each city.1
The Works Progress Administration points out, regarding the
budgets used, that “the maintenance budget is not so liberal as that
for a ‘health and decency’ level which the skilled worker may hope to
obtain, but it affords more than a ‘minimum of subsistence’ living.”
Estimates of the cost of these budgets at later dates may be made
for the 31 cities covered by both the Works Progress Administration’s
study and the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ studies of changes in the
cost of goods purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers
by applying the Bureau’s indexes of living costs (which show changes
in costs from time to time) to the WPA data on intercity differences
in costs in March 1935.2 The following table shows the results of
combining the two sets of figures.
1 D etails of this stu d y and a description of the goods and services included in these budgets are given in
Research M onograph X I I (Intercity Differences in C osts of L ivin g in M arch 1935, 59 Cities) of th e D ivision
of Social Research, W orks Progress A dm inistration, W ashington, D . C.
2 A s th e cost-of-living indexes of th e B ureau of Labor Statistics are based on a budget w eighted differently
from th e bu dget used in the W orks Progress A dm inistration stu d y, w hen th e tw o sets of figures are com
bin ed the resulting estim ates of intercity differences in costs are m erely approxim ations.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Living Costs in 1938
535
T a b l e 1.—Estimated Cost of Living for a 4-Person Manual Worker's Family at M ainte
nance Level1 in 31 Large Cities, as of Dec. 15, 1938 2
City
Total
Food
Clothing
Housing
Atlanta___________________
Baltimore.
_ _
Birmingham______ ______
Boston,_ . . . ______________
Buffalo. ________ ______
Chicago.. . . . _____________
C incinn ati... . _________
C leveland... . ____________
Denver __________ _______
D etroit.. _________________
Houston__ ______________
____
Indianapolis.
...
Jacksonville.
Kansas C ity___________ . . .
Los Angeles_______________
M em phis__________________
M inneapolis._ . . .
M obile____________________
New Orleans_______________
New York_________________
Norfolk __________ _______
Philadelphia____ ______ .
Pittsburgh______________ . .
Portland, M aine___________
Portland, Oreg... ___ . . .
Richmond____
_________
St. Louis. . . . . ____ _ . . .
San Francisco_____ ______
Scranton.. . . . . . . . . . . .
Seattle. . . . . -------------------Washington, D . C ______ . . .
$1,307. 48
1, 334. 59
1, 227. 63
1,340. 94
1, 303. 01
1, 413. 53
1, 322. 50
1,428. 35
1, 274. 21
1,423.85
1, 254. 61
1, 244. 32
1, 249. 13
l, 266. 20
1, 366.90
1, 245. 26
1, 438. 97
1, 129.91
1, 254. 86
1, 393. 67
1, 250. 95
1, 321. 21
1, 362. 58
1, 263. 31
1, 293. 43
1, 274. 95
1, 363. 23
1, 440. 79
1, 296. 64
1, 296. 20
1, 435. 53
$441. 29
459. 99
429. 08
455. 75
439. 01
445. 34
422. 71
452.70
419.02
432. 45
432.34
422.12
473.93
438.92
425. 65
408. 94
432. 97
423. 22
429. 21
483. 02
437. 96
437. 38
447. 13
447. 42
447. 78
423. 41
443. 99
447. 33
443. 26
435. 28
462. 31
$152. 02
152. 57
155. 27
167. 75
171.62
172. 20
167.46
194, 40
162. 26
180. 28
163. 85
160. 86
155. 52
169.29
191. 26
154. 49
180. 93
146.12
159. 94
149. 30
159.02
161. 68
169. 14
176. 20
187. 46
180. 03
163. 46
194.00
169. 71
181.32
167. 63
$286. 90
247.85
226. 42
260. 19
241. 12
292. 61
272. 57
284. 52
237. 25
310.41
244.13
16
218. 48
209.84
246. 91
262. 50
303. 67
175. 30
204.09
308. 54
245. 78
254. 57
284. 91
201. 11
192.66
251. 90
285. 15
284. 42
267.88
196.31
353. 29
Furniture,
Fuel and furnishings,
light
household
equipment
$63 89
70. 86
57.53
89. 03
76. 78
98. 77
56. 44
71. 13
70. 07
85. 18
43. 77
68.34
75. 07
64.05
60. 15
57. 65
124. 22
58. 95
55. 41
83. 90
74.29
72. 05
56. 46
93. 32
69.40
74. 44
56. 23
63. 83
64. 79
77. 17
74.64
Miscel
laneous
$33. 37 . $330.01
33. 22
370. 10
328. 27
31. 06
34.42
333.80
35.28
339. 20
32.68
371.93
367. 44
35. 88
34. 39
391. 21
34.14
351.47
381.80
33. 73
334. 45
36. 07
32. 55
322. 29
292. 77
33. 36
30. 44
353. 66
406. 64
36.29
34. 52
327.16
35. 33
361.85
292.36
33. 96
372. 59
33. 62
29:79
339. 12
302. 33
31. 57
363. 57
31. 96
32. 74
372. 20
33. 99
311.27
362.16
33.97
35.61
309. 56
31.88
382. 52
37. 13
414.08
318. 32
32.68
' 34.86
371. 26
34. 33
343. 33
1 As defined by the Works Progress Administration.
2-Computed by applying, by groups of items, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ indexes of the cost of goods
purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers, which show changes in costs from time to time
in each of the cities, to the data on differences in costs from city to city, presented by the Works Progress
Administration in its publication, Intercity Differences in Cost of Living in March 1935, 59 Cities, Research
Monograph X II.
In March 1935, the cost of this budget in 59 cities varied from
$1,414.54 in Washington, D. C., to $1,129.81 in Mobile, Ala. The
average cost was $1,260.62. In December 1938, when costs in the
31 cities have been estimated by combining the WPA budget and
the Bureau’s cost-of-living indexes, the city with the highest cost for
the maintenance budget ($1,440.79) was San Francisco and that with
the lowest cost ($1,129.91) was Mobile. The average cost for the 31
cities was $1,316.73, as compared w ith'$1,282.97 for the same cities
in March 1935.
Income Levels of Nonrelief Urban Families
The study of consumer purchases recently made by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics covered 11 of the cities included in the Works
Progress Administration’s cost-of-living study. The percentage of
families of employed wage earners, having received no relief during
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
536
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
the year 1935-36, whose incomes fell below the cost of the mainte
nance budget is shown in the following statement:
Metropolises:
Percent
New York (white)_________________________________ 19. 9
New York (Negro)________________________________ 51. 7
Chicago (white)______________________________ ____ 30. 2
Large cities:
Providence, R. I. (White)_______ ____________ ______ 34. 6
Columbus, Ohio (white)____________________________ 23. 6
Columbus, Ohio (Negro)_____ _____________________ 63.3
Atlanta, Ga. (white)_______________________________ 26. 4
Atlanta, Ga. (Negro)______________________________ 84. 2
Omaha, Nebr. (white)______________________________28. 2
Denver, Colo, (white)__________________________ *__ 29. 7
Portland, Oreg. (white)____________________________ 29. 4
Middle-sized cities:
Columbia, S. C. (white)____________________________ 22. 0
Columbia, S. C. (Negro)___________________________ 88. 5
Mobile, Ala. (white)__________________________ _____32. 7
Mobile, Ala. (Negro)_______________________________ 90. 1
Butte, Mont, (white)______________________________ 21.0
An estimated distribution of the families of wage earners in cities
and nonfarm rural communities in 1935-36 has recently been made
by the National Resources Committee on the basis of the data col
lected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Home
Economics in the study of consumer purchases.3 The distribution for
metropolises and large and middle-sized cities, based on data col
lected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is presented on a percentage
basis in the following table. It shows 36.8 percent of the wage
earners’ families in metropolises, 47.6 percent in large cities, and 56.2
percent in middle-sized cities with incomes under $1,250 in 1935-36.
This estimate excludes entirely families that received relief (either
direct or work relief) at any time during the year. At the lowest
income levels the families of wage earners not having received relief
at any time during the year were smaller than the family provided
for in the Works Progress Administration budget just quoted. Since
relief is allowed in relation to need, the larger families received relief
when their incomes dropped to a point which was still treated as
sufficient to support a family of two or three persons. In all cities
covered in the Consumer Purchases Study the average size of wageearner families having received relief was larger than the average size
of family among nonrelief wage earners. The large proportion of
families with incomes below the average cost of this budget serves to
emphasize the importance to the urban wage-earner group of the
increases in real income which come with declines in living costs,
provided money incomes remain the same.
3 National Resources Committee.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Consumer Incomes in the United States.
Washington 1938.
Living Costs in 1938
537
T a b l e 2. — Percentage Distribution of Nonrelief Wage-Earning Families in Metropolitan
Areas and Large Cities, by Income Level, 1935-36 1
Fam ilies livin g in—
Income level
Under $250______________________________________________
$250 to $500_________________________________ __________
$500 to $750______________________________________________
$750 to $1,000____________________________________________
$1,000 to $1,250___________________________________________
$1,250 to
$1,500 to
$1,750 to
$2,000 to
$2,250 to
$1,500___________________________________________
$1,750___________________________________________
$2,000___________________________________________
$2,250___________________________________________
$2,500___________________________________________
$2,500 to $3,000___________________________________________
$3,000 to $3,500___________________________________________
$3,500 to $.,000___________________________________________
$4,000 to $4,500___________________________________________
$4,500 to $5,000___________________________________________
$5,000 and over__
________ ____
_ _ _____ __
All levels ____________________________
__________
Metropolises
(1,500,000
population
and over)
Large cities
(100,000 to
1,500,000
population)
Middle-sized
cities (25,000
to 100,000
population)
• 1.0
3.0
6. 2.
11.5
14.1
1.9
5.5
10.1
14.7
15.4
2.4
6.3
12.5
17.8
17.2
14.4
12.5
10.3
7.1
5.2
12.8
11.0
9.2
5.9
4.0
13.0
10.0
7.5
4.8
3.1
7.7
3.5
1.8
.8
.4
.5
5.1
2.2
1.2
.5
.2
.3
3.0
1. 2
.5
.3
.2
.2
100.0
100.0
100.0
1 Based on report of the N ation al Resources C om m ittee, W ashington, 1938: Consum er Incom es in the
U n ited States (p. 97). A t the low est incom e levels in these cities, families having received no relief
during the year were unable to liv e on their incom es. T h ey either drew on reserves accum ulated in the past
or secured credit.
129324— 39—
-4
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Social Security
RECENT
CHANGES IN
D ISM ISS A L -C O M P E N SA T IO N
PL A N S
By E v e r e t t D. H a w k i n s , Mount Holyoke College
AS SHOWN by an earlier study, more than 200 American firms paid
dismissal compensation during the period 1928 to 1933 to assist em
ployees who were permanently laid off primarily because of techno
logical changes or depression conditions.1 Data recently obtained
indicate that with improved business in most industries, the need for
dismissal compensation decreased and the number of new plans de
clined. A few large firms, however, adopted formal dismissal policies
to replace their informal plans. The dismissal-compensation move
ment received considerable impetus from the publicity given to the
joint union-railroad agreement of May 21, 1936, providing several
types of compensation for employees adversely affected by the con
solidation of the facilities of two or more carriers.2 With the passage
of the Social Security Act in 1935 and the adoption of unemploymentcompensation laws in all 48 States, the District of Columbia, Alaska,
and Hawaii, employers have had to reconsider their own plans to com
bat economic insecurity. A large number of companies have revised
their retirement systems, to supplement annuities payable under title
II of the Social Security Act. Many of the company unemploymentbenefit and guaranteed-employment plans have been modified or
abandoned.3 Although the various unemployment-insurance laws
do not specifically provide for dismissal compensation,4 except as they
include permanent lay-offs, a similar process of adaptation has been
taking place in many dismissal-compensation plans. Such policies
still form a part of the industrial-relations programs of several hun
dred American companies.
1 See M onthly Labor Review, November 1934, pp. 1067-1077: “Dismissal Compensation in American
Industry.”
2 See M onthly Labor Review, June 1936, pp. 1503-1505: “Dismissal Compensation for Railway Employees.
Displaced by Railroad Consolidations.” Similarly the payments to displaced ferryboatmen in San Fran
cisco Bay received considerable attention (Idem, October 1936, pp. 867-869: “Dismissal Compensation for
San Francisco Ferrymen”).
3 M onthly Labor Review, October 1937, pp. 839-842: “Unemployment-Benefit Plans in 1937” ; and July
1938, pp. 52-59: “Annual Wage and Guaranteed-Employment Plans.”
4 The Massachusetts and Rhode Island laws allow lump-sum payments instead of periodic unemploy
ment benefits in certain special cases.
538
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Social Security
539
No single trend can be found in dismissal-compensation experience
from 1935 through 1938, because of marked differences in such policies
prior to 1935. Plans had ranged from those making small “notice”
payments of 1 or 2 weeks’ wages to those granting allowances of 1 or 2
years’ pay; from informal plans in which each individual was con
sidered separately to those with definite eligibility rules and scales of
compensation; and from those which included only employees laid off
for a particular reason (such as the closing of a plant) to those com
pensating all employees permanently laid off. In addition, company
practice varied because unemployment-insurance benefits were pay
able by the end of 1938 in only 31 States, and because in all but 8
States dismissal notice or compensation postpones the payment of
insurance benefits. Thirty-two State unemployment insurance laws,
following “The Draft Bill,” hold that a worker is disqualified for un
employment benefits in any week that wages are paid in lieu of notice.
If such payment is less than the unemployment benefits, benefits are
payable but reduced thereby.5 Eleven additional States also include,
as disqualifications, compensation for wage loss or dismissal allow
ances.6 Only 8 States (Alabama, California, District of Columbia,
Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin)
have no such provision.7 Although over half of the firms reported
they have not altered their dismissal-compensation policy, the fact
remains that important changes have been made and a considerable
number of companies are contemplating some modification of their
dismissal program.8
From the present study, the following conclusions may be drawn:
(1) A few companies have protected the waiting period at the expense
of larger dismissal payments; and (2) a larger number of firms have
reduced their scales of dismissal compensation for certain groups of
employees, but have planned to assist (a) those not covered by the
Social Security Act, (6) those with long service, or (c) those whose
previous salaries made unemployment-insurance payments seem inad
equate. Every indication points to the continuation of dismissal pay
ments by American firms in particular instances as supplements to
un empl oym en t-insuran ce b enefi ts.
s West Virginia does not provide partial unemployment benefits if wages in lieu of notice are less than the
benefits.
6 Connecticut and Montana do not provide for such reduced unemployment benefits. In Missouri, the
weeks of wages in lieu of notice or compensation for wage loss are deducted from the benefit period as if the
unemployment insurance had been paid.
7 For a summary of these provisions see pp. 82-85 of the Social Security Board’s report: Comparison of
State Unemployment Compensation Laws, August 1, 1938. In addition, the Bureau of Internal Revenue
has ruled that dismissal wages are “wages” and subject to both the unemployment and old-age-insurance
taxes (Regulations 90 and 91; see also 53 S. S. T. 54; 125 S. S. T. 123; 318 S. S. T. 285.)
8 The National Industrial Conference Board in its report, “ Dismissal Compensation,” in September 1937
(pp. 14, 15) found less actual and contemplated change than that reported in the present author’s survey
made over a year later. For a summary of the Conference Board report, see M onthly Labor Review,
December 1937, pp. 1355-1360.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
540
Scope of Survey-
Tins study is based on returns from 88 out of 105 companies which
were addressed by mail on November 14, 1938. The firms selected
were known by the author to have had considerable experience with
dismissal compensation. An attempt was made to include various
types of manufacturing concerns, oil refineries, banks, stores, and public
utilities scattered throughout the United States. Obviously the more
industrialized States of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan,
Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, and California have greater representa
tion in the sample than others, although several of the companies
questioned operate in all, or most, of the States of the Union. The 88
firms employ over a million and a half workers, indicating that the
group includes a number of very large employers. In fact, only 5
companies have fewer than 1,000 workers, but 40 have 5,000 or more.
Any conclusions drawn from this summary must take into account
these characteristics of the sample.
Plans W ith No Changes
Table 1 summarizes the number of changes since 1935 in the dis
missal-compensation policies of the 88 firms. Eighteen companies
reported no change had been made and none was contemplated at the
time of reporting. A midwestern company explained:
The adoption and operation of unemployment insurance by the various States
will, we believe, have no effect upon our policy and practice relating to dismissal
compensation * * * for the reason that we pay a dismissal wage or compensa
tion only to those employees who are permanently dismissed because they have not
proven entirely suited to the job; whereas no dismissal wage is paid by us to
employees merely laid off on account of lack of work and whom we will willingly
reemploy, when conditions warrant. Therefore * * * the existence of the
unemployment insurance laws should have no effect upon our dismissal-wage
procedure.
T a b l e 1.— Changes Made or Planned in Dismissal-Compensation Policy of 88 Finns,
Classified by Type of Business, 1935-38
Number of firms, by type of business
Policy
Total
Manu Oil re Public
fac
turing fining utility
Mer
can
tile
Bank Miscel
laneous
ing
Total-----------A .. . -------------------------------------
88
38
8
15
16
8
3
No change made and none contemplated------1
N o change made--------------------------------------No change made, but change contemplated —
Change made, but no relation to Social Secur
ity A ct_________________________________
Change made related to Social Security Act___
Plan discontinued________________________
18
26
15
9
9
6
1
1
3
5
4
3
6
3
3
4
1
1
11
2
10
2
3
3
3
2
2
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
3
1
1
Social Security
541
Twenty-six companies did not comment on the future, but replied
that they had not changed their policies. Several reasons were
offered for continuing their present plans. A public utility stated,
“At various times when lay-offs were necessary, we have fairly
regularly given one-half week’s pay for each year’s service, with a
minimum of 2 weeks. We have had very few instances of this kind
since 1935 and so will definitely say that the passage of the socialsecurity laws lias had no effect on our plans for dismissal compensa
tion.” Several companies with informal plans replied in the following
vein: “This company has no generally defined policy in regard to
dismissal wages. We have, however, paid dismissal wages to a
number of employees, but each case is decided on its merits; therefore,
no changes have been made in our policy since the beginning of socialsecurity legislation.” One Massachusetts manufacturing firm con
tinues its practice of paying 1 week’s wages at dismissal, although
“this prolongs the waiting period 1 week but gives the man 1 more
week’s compensation, unless he finds a job within the stipulated
period.” The eight banks which replied are all members of the
Federal Reserve System and so are not covered by the Social Security
Act. One eastern bank, however, stated, “We look forward to being
included under the act by Congressional amendment in the coming
session. I see no reason, however, why this should change our
policy.” Besides banks which are excluded from such legislation, it
is probably fair to conclude that a number of companies have not
modified their dismissal-compensation plans because (1) they differed
from unemployment-insurance benefits, (2) they were informal, (3)
they were seldom used, or (4) they paid very small sums in lieu of
notice.
Plans II ith Contemplated Changes
Fifteen companies have kept their old dismissal pglicies, but have
contemplated, or are engaged in making, some modification. A large
chemical firm intends “making some changes as soon as practicable.
We have not yet made these changes because of the fact that sub
stantial numbers of our employees are located in States in which
unemployment-insurance benefits are not yet available.” Four firms
replied that they were in the process of revising their dismissalcompensation plans in the light of the social-security legislation. Two
others answered that they might “make an adjustment * * * in
consideration of unemployment insurance, but have so far not seen
fit to do so.” One large company considered an increase in its scale
of dismissal payments, but decided not to liberalize its allowances
because of unemployment insurance.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
542
Plans With Actual Changes
Of the 29 company plans which were definitely modified from 1935
to 1938, 11 were reported as not caused by the Social Security Act,
15 were related to that legislation, and 3 were discontinued entirely.
One of the discontinued plans was given up for financial reasons,
another had been adopted only for an emergency situation, and the
third one (with relatively small payments) was terminated because of
the public system of unemployment benefits.
The following explanations were given by the 11 companies which
adopted new plans for reasons other than the Social Security Act:
6 formalized their policies, 2 raised their scale of benefits because of
improved business conditions, 1 increased compensation because of a
merger, 1 reduced benefits because of a new public contract, and 1
signed a collective agreement with a trade-union, covering dismissal
procedure.
The scale of dismissal compensation (table 2) adopted by a large
food company in 1938, and similar to one used by an oil company, is
notable because it varies allowances with the wages, age, and service
of the dismissed employee. Like many other highly developed
policies, the compensation is increased more rapidly for those with
longer service. The plan defines clearly the cases for which compensa
tion is and is not paid, the method of computing average earnings,
attained age, and length of service, the procedure in case of reemploy
ment, the notice to be given, and the approval to be secured from
company officials before making any payments. The allowances are
to be paid in a lump sum on the date of termination, with periodic
payments only in exceptional cases which have secured executive
approval.
T
able
2. — Schedule of Termination Allowances Adopted by a Food Manufacturing
Company in 193d
[Maximum =52 weeks]
Age at
termination
Number of weeks’ earnings to be paid as termination allowance after specified years of
continuous service 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
63 and ovem- 2 3 5 6 8 9 11 12 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 52 52 52 52
60 to 62____ 2 3 5 6 8 9 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 32 35 38 41 44 47 50 52 52 52 52
57 to
54 to
51 to
48 to
45 to
59____ 1 2
56_____ 1 2
53_____ 1 2
50____ 1 2
47____ 1 2
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
8
7
7
7
7
[4 5 6
42 to 44____
4 5 6
39 to 41____
3 4 5
36 to 38___33 to 35____ (2>(2) (2) (2) 3 4 4
2 3 3
30 to 32___
2 2 3
27 to 29____
2 2 2
26 and under.
10 12 14 15
9 11 13 14
8 10 12 13
8 9 11 12
8 9 10 11
7
6
6
5
4
3
2
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
9 10
8 9
7 8
6 7
5 6
4 5
3 4
16
15
14
13
12
17
16
15
14
13
18
17
16
15
14
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
11 12 13 14
10 11 12 13
9 10 11 12
8 9 10 11
7 8 9 10
6 7 8 9
5 6 7
15 16 17
14 15 16
13 14 15
12 13 14
11 12 13
10 11
18
17
16
15
14
27 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 52 52 52
26 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 52 52 52
25 26 29 32 35 38 41 44 47 50 52 52 52
24 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 52 52
23 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 52 52
19 20 21 22 23 26 29 32 35 38 41 44 47
18 19 20 21 22 25 28 31 34 37
17 18 19 20 21 24 27
16 17 18 19
15
1 To be granted in addition to notice of 1 week after M year of service, 2 weeks after 5 or more years of
service; and in addition to any vacation pay due. A similar schedule is used by an oil company.
2 Notice or pay in lieu thereof.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Social Security
543
Even among the 15 companies with plans in which changes were
made which were related to the Social Security Act, the systems vary
considerably. Three oil companies with highly developed plans have
deducted unemployment insurance from the amount of dismissal
compensation granted. One of these firms, however, declared, “We
are still in some doubt as to the merits of deducting for amounts pay
able under the law * * * and we may ultimately make another
change which may eliminate the ‘law’ deduction and make the over-all
program applicable only to employees with, say 10 or more years of
service, rather than 5 years as at the present time.” A fourth com
pany provided in its 1938 formal plan that the firm might deduct
unemployment benefits, but “we have acted upon several cases since
the adoption of the plan and in none have we made any deductions for
unemployment insurance.”
Two firms have adopted new plans applicable only to those not
eligible for unemployment insurance. As a result of financial condi
tions, one firm has given up its plan for short-service workers, but still
pays compensation to long-service employees on an individual basis
because “the social-security laws have not been in effect long enough
to erase our obligation to superannuated employees.” Another com
pany cut its notice or pay in lieu of notice for factory workers, but
kept the larger payments for those with some years of service. On
the other hand, a department store has not reduced dismissal
compensation for those entitled to 2 or 3 weeks’ compensation
because it felt that “a majority of people are not budgeted to cover this
gap” after dismissal before unemployment-insurance payments begin.
It has lowered allowances in the higher brackets because of the unem
ployment-insurance benefits. A paper-manufacturing company re
duced its formula used to determine compensation by approximately
25 percent
Two companies have tried to link their dismissal payments to the
terms of the particular State statute. One of these, a large department
store, adopted on January 1, 1939, a plan to make full payments during
the 3 weeks’ waiting period of the State law, followed by half pay
(or more for those receiving over $30 a week) for the 16 weeks covered
by law, and then an additional week’s pay for each added year of
service (table 3).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
544
T a b l e 3 . —Old and New Schedules of Dismissal Compensation of a Department Store,
to Complement the New York State Unemployment Insurance Law
New schedule
Length of service
Old schedule,
full pay
4 days.—
6 days_______
5 years____ _______
6 years_____________
7 years_____________
Full pay«-
_
Full pay
3 days.— ____
6 days___
9 days _______
2 weeks____
4 w eek s.-- . . . 3 weeks _____ 2 w e e k s... —.
5 w eek s.-- _ _ 3 weeks______ 3 w eek s..5 weeks____
3 weeks____ _ 4 w eek s.. _ . .
3 weeks__
20 years .
Half pay 1
6 weeks__
..
16 weeks_____
1 week.
1 week, plus 1 week for each
additional year of service.
i Employees whose salary is more than $30 a week are to be paid during this period the difference between
$15 and their weekly salary. Payment is to be made either in a lump sum or weekly, depending on the
circumstances in each case. If the latter, weekly checks are to be mailed directly to the individual’s home.
W O RK OF SOCIAL SE C U R IT Y B O A R D , 1937-38
MORE than 2% million persons were receiving benefits, under the
social security system, for old age, blindness, and child dependency,
at the end of the fiscal year 1937-38. The annual report of the
Social Security Board 1 indicates that a total of nearly $454,000,000
was spent for these benefits during the year, of which the Federal
Government contributed about $210,000,000. In addition some
17.760.000 persons received benefits for total or partial unemploy
ment, in a total amount of nearly $180,000,000. Under the system of
old-age insurance, in which the States do not participate, about
170.000 persons received lump-sum payments aggregating $5,915,000.
The Board’s report pointed out a marked development in both the
extent and effectiveness of the program and noted that 1937-38 saw
the first operations, on any considerable scale, of unemployment
compensation and old-age insurance. It also emphasized the impor
tance of the whole social security system as a “cushion” against such
adverse conditions as were encountered during the recent business
recession.
The following statement gives summary data regarding unemploy
ment compensation and old-age insurance.
Old-age insurance:
Number of account numbers issued to June 30, 1938______
39, 565, 157
Lump-sum claims certified through 1937-38:
Number____________ _____________________________
169, 622
Amount___________ _________ ____________________
$5, 915, 367
Average per claim_________________________________
$34. 87
Old-age reserve account June 30, 1938__________________$1, 930, 620
1 Social Security Board. Third annual report, 1938. Washington, 1938.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Social Security
545
Unemployment compensation:
Estimated number of subject employers__________ _______
668, 166
Estimated number of workers with wage credits___________
27, 602, 000
Benefit payments issued, January-June 1938:
Number--------------------------------------------------------------17,768,275
Amount--------------------- : ---------------------------------------- $179,508,721
Average paym ent_________________________________
$9 61
Trust fund, June 30, 1938______________________________ $881, 868, 479
The number of beneficiaries on the roll June 30, 1938, and the
obligations incurred for each type of benefit are given in the following
table.
Number of Beneficiaries, Amount of Benefits, and Federal Contributions, 1936-37 and
1937-38, by Type of Benefit
Kind of benefit
All benefits., _________
Number
on roll,
June 30,
1938
Total obligations
incurred 1
1936-37
1937-38
Average
monthly
payment
2, 308, 474 $292, 959, 938 $453, 872,856
Old-age assistance________ _ 1, 665,402
Aid to dependent children.. ._ 604,160
Aid to blind.
___ _ .
38, 912
243, 219,000
40, 760,000
8,980, 938
361, 570, 000
80, 926,000
11, 376, 856.
Federal contributions 2
1936-37
1937-38
$146,114, 210 $209, 446, 840
$18.01
23. 33
20. 19
127, 634, 064
13, 900, 596
4, 579, 550
179,180, 473
25,098, 532
5,167, 835
1 Reported by State agencies.
2 Included in “total obligations.”
W W W
G R A N T S FO R O LD -A G E A SSIST A N C E
AMONG 585,877 persons accepted for old-age assistance during the
period July 1937-June 1938 the average allowance per month was
$19.48 and the median allowance was $18. In the various States the
median allowance ranged from $5 in Mississippi to $38 in Colorado.
These facts were disclosed by an analysis made by the Social Security
Board, the results of which were published in the Social Security
' Bulletin for November 1938.
The report explains that the determination of amount granted varies
in the different States. “It is usually intended to represent the
amount needed to meet the standard which the State is willing to
support as a reasonable basis for public assistance.” Frequently the
amount is determined on the budget-deficit principle: The needs of
the individual are computed from a standard budget covering food,
rent, clothing, etc.; the budget is adjusted to take account of any
resources the applicant may have; and the remainder represents the
budget deficit. The amount of grant, however, does not always
equal the amount of budget deficit, even in States using this method.
The amount actually granted may be reduced because of the maximum
set in the State law or because of shortage of funds. Some States
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
546
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
tend to make flat grants, with deductions taking into account the
individual’s private income.
It is pointed out that “the amount of grant does not necessarily and
in fact usually does not represent the total amount of income of a
recipient of old-age assistance.”
About 12 percent of the 585,877 monthly grants initially approved
during the period covered were for amounts under $10; 23.3 percent
were from $10 to $14.99; 21.8 percent from $15 to $19.99; 18.4 percent
from $20 to $24.99; and 10.7 percent were from $25 to $29.99. There
were 14.3 percent that were for $30 or more.
The distribution of initial grants made to those accepted for assist
ance during the year period, by States, is shown in the following table.
The median grant in each State is also given.
Distribution of Initial Grants to Old-Age Assistance Recipients, July 1937-June 1938,
by Amount and State, and Median Grants
Percent of recipients with initial grants, per month, of—
Numher of
recip
ients
State
U n
der
$5.00
$5.00
to
$9.99
$10.00 $15.00 $20.00 $25.00 $30.00 $31.00 $35.00
to
and
to
to
to
to
to
$14.99 $19.99 $24.99 $29.99 $30.99 $34.99 over
1.3
5.9
$18
56.2
67.3
12
26
8
35
38
United States 1_____ 585,877
0.8
10. 7
23.3
21.8
18.4
10.7
7. 1
6 470
fi M 0
2. 3
.2
7
.4
(2)
28. 5
.8
65. 0
2.8
.4
33.3
2. 3
34. 3
3. 2
1. 1
16. 5
11.4
10.0
25. 5
4.3
28.3
5.1
31.5
5.9
2.8
9.5
5.7
11.8
7.7
5. 2
8.4
2. 4
33.4
11. 4
58. 7
1.8
2. 2
42.9
40.8
24.8
13. 2
13. 3
19.7
30.4
7. 2
30. 1
17.4
2.0
12.3
2.6
26.8
24.9
2.0
4.0
.9
12.7
39.8
4. 4
8.8
7.0
12.8
47. 3
20.9
36. 3
13. 5
27. 5
48. 3
28.9
31. 3
24.6
25.0
4.4
21. 7
16. 1
47.3
16.4
17.4
5.0
5. 5
10.1
6. 7
1.9
4. 1
1.9
1.7
46. 4
2.4
10. 2
.5
3.4
34.0
13.9
28.9
2.7
23.8
8.4
30.6
20.9
6. 7
32.3
3.7
23.2
27.1
19.5
24.0
.9
15.3
5.7
19.0
10.4
.6
14.5
6.6
41.5
5.6
.1
.1
6.4
3.7
California_________
Colorado,-- - _
47', 9.54
11,833
2 767
147
21, 082
36 700
1 546
Kansas-- .
25 133
9 166
14 316
_ _ . . 21, 516
5, 757
4. 8
J2
.6
2. 1
.5
(2)
5.0
6.6
Me
dian
grant
26
10
14
8
20
1.1
1.0
15. 2
19
15
20
16
10
9
20
16
30
18
8, 479
10. 356
4, 952
Massachusetts__ __ 19, 550
Michigan________ •_ 41, 323
5.8
.1
.6
8 855
1 992
29’ 012
3,’ 216
3, 510
.2
33 9
.1
4. 3
60. 1
8. 5
2. 3
10. 5
12.9
5. 5
37. 2
20. 5
40. 0
34. 3
.5
33. 5
34.8
31. 3
28.1
15.5
4.7
14. 4
25.4
12.8
4. 9
10.8
3.9
1.4
6.2
.9
19
5
15
18
14
«
.2
18
2. 4
32.6
1.4
2. 4
11. 3
22. 1
31.8
17.6
4. 3
21. 1
33. 5
16. 7
22. 2
12. 2
24. 3
31. 4
9. 1
23. 1
13.9
16. 5
8.9
5.1
17.8
67.0
25.0
1. 7
2.6
3.3
30
22
18
12
21
Louisiana
_______
2 145
6, 928
1,002
New Mexico___
New Y ork.. _____ 23,423
.5
(?)
.3
.1
.4
.4
2. 1
59. 6
28. 1
7. 4
20
1
3.9
8.0
32. 8
20. 5
28. 3
64
.1
5.5
32. 3
33.7
19.8
19* 020
7.2
1. 4
6.4
4.0
15.9
43.9
18. 7
10. 2
7 432
.9
14.3
25.4
24.6
14.7
18.7
2.3
7,169
O regon...
_ _
w
1 Distribution of total was adjusted for disproportionate representation of States.
2 Less than Mo of 1 percent.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 ’ 486
.9
7.1
.9
7.4
1
1
8
16
20
14
20
Social Security
547
Distribution of Initial Grants to Old-Age Assistance Recipients, July 1937~June 1938,
by Amount and State, and Median Grants—Continued
State
Number of
recipients
Pennsylvania______ 20, 266
Rhode Island______
2, 588
South Carolina_____ 24, 415
South D akota______ 8, 988
Tennessee...... .......... 24, 647
Percent of recipients with initial grants, per month, of
Under
$5.00
$5.00
to
$9.99
0.9
1.6
4.7
43.7
3.0
15.4
23. 1
28.0
37.4
22. 1
51.8
18.5
23.3
12.4
43.9
22.5
26.0
23.8
6. 2
21. 7
6.8
18.5
13.9
11.4
6. 3
6.6
3.5
2.5
.3
.2
(2)
18
Id
16, 934
7, 585
2,052
.1
15. 7
2.0
16. 2
49.9
5. 1
42. 1
25.3
18.8
25.9
7.6
23.2
11.0
1.4
16.0
2.8
.1
34.4
2.0
Washington_______
West Virginia______
Wisconsin_________
Wyoming__________
9,858
4, 498
9, 209
531
.2
.2
.1
12.5
3.9
1.9
9.9
48.5
20.4
10.9
14.0
27.5
29.5
26.4
28.8
7.3
20.1
31. 2
17. 7
2.3
13.5
19. 4
29. 5
1.7
12.4
10. 2
D ist. of C olum bia...
Alaska____________
Hawaii____________
987
554
945
.7
13. 2
2.0
57.2
13. 5
30. 5
17.9
29. 3
12. 3
2.9
27.6
4. 9
1.7
11. 2
28. 7
3.7
16.3
$20
17
12
T ex a s-.___________
U tah______________
V e rm o n t..._______
Virginia___________
.3
M e
dian
grant
$10.00 $15.00 $20.00 $25.00 $30.00 $31.00 $35.00
to
to
to
to
to
to
and
$14.99 $19.99 $24.99 $29.99 $30.99 $34.99 over
13
0.4
25
10
23
12
18
20
10 0
3 5
21. 6
25
30
«
11
2Less than Ho of 1 percent.
Some grants of less than $15 per month were approved in all States. In
Arkansas all grants approved during 1937-38 and in 18 other States more than
half of all grants were for less than this amount. On the other hand, in 27 States
the majority of the grants were for from $15 to $29. Grants of $30 were ap
proved in 43 States; in 8 of these they comprised one-fourth or more of all grants.
Since, under the terms of the Social Security Act, the Federal Government may
match one-half the grant up to a total of $30, grants of this amount are of particu
lar significance as an indication that the Federal limitation tends to encourage
States to set a similar maximum. Grants of $31 or more were approved in only
nine States. Substantially all the grants in this bracket were approved in Cali
fornia, Colorado, New York, and Massachusetts.
The report emphasizes that, in interpreting sectional differences in
the level of assistance grants, the reader should bear in mind that
the amount is dependent upon such factors as the provisions of State
laws, cost and standard of living, availability of tax resources, degree
of urbanization, existence of supplementary income, wage levels, and
public attitude toward the problem of dependency.
As noted, the national median (all cases combined) was $18 in
1937-8. For persons living alone the median was $21 ($20 for males,
$21 foi females). For those living in household groups the median
was $17, and for those living in institutions $26. In the latter case,
the report states, the amount covers for a considerable proportion of
the recipients the cost of medical and nursing care.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
548
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
P E N S IO N S FO R T H E B L IN D I N C A N A D A
PENSIONS for the blind in Canada are payable under an extension
of the old-age pension act. According to a recent account/ the
blind pensioner in Canada really receives the old-age pension, but he
receives it at the age of 40 instead of at the age of 70. The first allow
ances for the blind were paid October 1, 1937. At the end of the first
year there were 3,850 beneficiaries on the roll—estimated as over 30
percent of the total number of blind in the whole country.
Because of constitutional and legislative difficulties, assistance to
the blind was long delayed. The division of State and Federal powers
in Canada is somewhat the same as in the United States, except that
the field of each is less clear cut. “The Federal Government is reluc
tant to invade the fields usually assumed to be the exclusive territory
of the Provinces, and the Provinces, particularly when it comes to
new legislation which involves the expenditure of money, hesitate to
act,, in the hope that the central Government may shoulder the
responsibility.”
Old-age pensions are provided under legislation passed by the
Canadian Parliament which must in turn be accepted by legislative
action on the part of the Provinces. In response to pressure of public
opinion, the Federal Government proposed that, if the Provinces
were willing to share in the expense and responsibility of administra
tion, an amendment be passed adding blind pensions to the old-age
pensions act. Such an amendment was passed on March 22, 1937, and
on October 1 of the same year the first payments were made.
All of the Provinces signed agreements with the National Govern
ment, so that both blind and old-age allowances are being paid under
a nation-wide system.2
As in the case of old-age assistance, the Canadian Government pays
75 percent of the cost and the Provinces 25 percent. In order to
qualify for a blind pension, the applicant must be over 40 years of
age; a Canadian citizen; a resident of Canada for 20 years, and of the
Province in which he receives the pension, for 5 years; and have less
than 10 percent of normal vision.
The maximum allowance is $20 per month. In the case of single
persons having an annual income of $200 or married persons with over
$400, deductions are made, from the blind allowance, corresponding to
the excess in income. The allowances actually being paid average
about $19 per month.
1 Outlook for the Blind (New York), December 1938, pp. 165-168: “ Pensions for the Blind in Canada,
1938,” by Harris Turner.
2 For data on old-age pensions in Canada, see M onthly Labor Review, January 1939 (p. 69).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial and Labor Conditions
W O R K IN G
C O N D IT IO N S OF P E C A N
SA N A N T O N IO
SH E L T E R S
IN
SUBSTANDARD conditions were revealed by an investigation of the
pecan-shelling industry in San Antonio, Tex., by the Wage and Hour
Division. The investigation was made as a result of the application
of an employer in the industry for temporary exemption from the
minimum-wage provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938.1
Pecans harvested are of two kinds—“seedling pecans” the crop of
which is from 54 to 56 million pounds annually, and “paper-shell
pecans” of which there are 16 to 18 million pounds. Seedling pecans
are grown chiefly on native wild trees in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Arkansas, Oklahoma, and in small volume in Mexico. Approximately
half the crop originates in Texas. Although the trees are not culti
vated, farmers do some clearing of brush, etc., to promote the growth
of the bearing trees. The nuts are picked in the autumn and sold to
dealers and shellers.
In general, paper-shell pecans and the larger seedlings are sold in
the shell, and the smaller seedlings are shelled before marketing.
Shelling and picking out the meats furnish the greatest part of the
work in the industry. Wholesale handlers, who buy the nuts from
the growers and dealers, shell, pack, and market the meats. They are
known as “shellers.” Operations are carried on mainly in San Anto
nio, St. Louis, and Chicago. Two companies buy and market about
75 percent of the total crop. Before 1930, farmers received an average
of 13% cents per pound f. o. b. shipping point, for unshelled nuts.
Since then the price has ranged from 5 to 11 cents, the average price
being substantially less than that of the earlier period.
The usual practice for many years has been to use shelling machines
which graded, cracked, and conveyed the pecans to tables or belts on
which they were hand picked or cleaned to remove shells. In San
Antonio, however, the work has all been done by hand since 1926.
The petition for a low rate of pay for learners was made by a firm in
that city. This firm replaced the mechanized process by hand work,
in connection with introduction of a contractor system. The com1 U. S. Department of Labor.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wage and Hour Division.
Press release No. R. 158, January 23,1939.
549
550
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
pany bought nuts from farmers and dealers and turned them over to
contractors who hired crackers and pickers to shell them. Rates of
pay for pecan workers were 5 to 6 cents a pound for the two principal
grades. An average worker picked or shelled 8 or 9 pounds of handcracked nuts per day, and weekly earnings averaged $2.50 to $3.50.
Frequently a family of 2 to 4 persons was employed.
The pecan company thus avoided the direct responsibility of an
employer and benefited from the substandard conditions of employ
ment, while the taxpayers bore a part of the labor cost in paying for
the relief that was furnished to the pecan sliellers.
With relatively low shelling costs, simple mechanical installations,
and only moderate investment for plant requirements, the industry
has been fairly prosperous. Even the plant investment was avoided
by the San Antonio company operating on the contract system.
The contractors operated until the Wage and Hour Law went into
effect in October 1938.
Labor organized in 1938 in the Pecan Workers’ Union of San An
tonio, a local of the United Cannery Agricultural Packing and Allied
Workers of America. A strike was called to protest further wage
reductions. A committee headed by the mayor effected a settlement
whereby workers secured an increase of one-half cent per pound of
nuts. However, when the Wage and Hour Law went into effect on
October 1938, the workers became unemployed again and the com
pany began to install machine equipment. It was expected that em
ployment would be furnished to 2,500 to 3,000 persons when work was
resumed on a regular schedule.
The company applied to the Wage and Hour Division for a 90-day
exemption from the minimum-wage provisions of the Wage and Hour
Law on the ground that the entire processing operation must be
learned now that machinery was to be used. In reviewing the case,
the Government found from experimental work and from the testi
mony of other employer and employee representatives that practically
no learning period was necessary. In practice, shelling or picking
after the nuts are cracked by machine is easier than under the old
system. A picker trained to shell by hand is already a trained and
experienced worker for the same work in the machine-equipped plant.
It was estimated that employees could become proficient pickers under
the new conditions in 2 to 10 days.
Average daily output increased from the 8 to 9 pounds, when crack
ing was done by hand, to 14 to 34 pounds under the machine system.
An investigation made by a management consultant disclosed that,
regardless of method, labor in shelling accounts for 60 to 80 percent
of the costs.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial and Labor Conditions
551
The real problem of the employer, it was stated, is to obtain an
adequate, technically trained supervisory staff. This will require
time. No reason was seen for penalizing the worker, by paying him
substandard wages, during the period necessary to train the manage
rial force, install machinery, and get production fully under way.
Only the applicant company and one other employer supported the
application for the wage exemption for learners. All the others op
posed it, and the conclusion was reached that the application repre
sented neither the needs nor the wishes of other important sections of
the pecan-shelling industry. The application was therefore denied.
W O R K IN G C O N D IT IO N S U N D E R T H E TV A
THE number of employees of the Tennessee Valley Authority was
12,791 at the end of June 1938. The decline of 975 employees as com
pared with the previous year was caused primarily by the practical
completion of the Pickwick Landing Dam project.
The report of the Authority for 1937-38 1 notes that, basically, all
hiring of workers, changes of status during employment, and termina
tions are made “on the basis of merit and efficiency and in accordance
with the principles of a career system.”
Wage levels are fixed on the basis of prevailing rates and are ad
justed, as changes occur in those rates, after conference with union
representatives. The third such conference took place during the year
under review and lasted from November 16, 1937, to February 5, 1938.
Separate negotiations were carried on for three groups: (1) Construc
tion employees paid by the hour; (2) employees in the manufacturing
division of the fertilizer works, paid on an annual basis; and (3) all
other employees on an annual basis. The conferences resulted in
recommendations for some increases in pay in several classifications,
and for certain changes in procedures, overtime rates of pay, and job
classifications.
Union-management cooperation.—At the Muscle Shoals fertilizer
works a successful plan of union-management cooperation has been
worked out. Under this plan every employee’s work is reviewed every
3 months by his supervisor. This is done, in the case of union mem
bers, in the presence of the shop steward of the union involved, and the
forms used in the rating were devised by the various unions. It is
pointed out that TVA’s interest in this is from the standpoint of
increasing efficiency and not for building up possible causes of dis
charge. As the employees have become convinced of this they “have
become more favorable to thorough and critical appraisals of their
1
United States. Tennessee Valley Authority.
Washington, 1938. 2 vols.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1938.
552
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
work so that weaknesses can be corrected and the range of skills
increased.”
Unions and management are also cooperating in the handling of
grievances and jurisdictional disputes. These are taken up promptly
through shop stewards and supervisors. In the opinion of the Author
ity, “the primary value” of the system is that “orderly and recognized
procedures have been established through which problems of concern
to either management or the unions may be explored jointly and
mutually satisfactory conclusions reached.”
Training of employees.—One of the tangible results is a new interest,
on the part of the employees, in training opportunities and an expan
sion by the Authority of in-service training. As it is the policy to fill
vacancies by promotion from within the staff, the Authority has
realized the need of providing training so that employees may fit
themselves for advancement. An apprenticeship system, on a Valleywide basis, has been created for skilled and semiskilled crafts of largest
employment in construction work. At each TVA project a committee
handles the apprenticeship program. These committees are composed
of the general craft foremen (representing the management), the local
union representative, the State supervisor of vocational education, the
local supervisor of job training, and the local representative of the
TVA personnel department.
In addition, at each project there is also a joint committee, consisting
of the TVA construction superintendent, the secretary of the Tennessee
Valley Trades and Labor Council, the State supervisor of vocational
education, the local supervisor of job training, and the local TVA
personnel man. These committees have adopted a standard plan to
govern apprentice training.
Other training courses include those in hydro-plant operation, in the
work of powdermen, in engineering planning and design, accounting,
transmission-line theory, and public administration. Three special
training plans are (1) the student engineering plan, which alternates
work on the campus and on the job; (2) assistantships (training for
professional jobs), open to college graduates and providing for a year’s
intensive training; and (3) internships, offering a year’s work for
undergraduates nominated by their universities, after which they are
expected to return to college.
Retirement for TVA employees.—The question of a retirement sys
tem has been under consideration since 1934. A study was made by
an actuarial consultant in 1936 and 1937, and a joint committee of
employer and employee representatives was established to aid in the
formulation of a plan. A plan has been drawn up which, at the time
of the report, awaited only the determination of certain legal ques
tions before being submitted to the board of directors.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial and Labor Conditions
553
Housing.—As the employer of a large and widely scattered staff,
it has been the policy of the Authority to supplement the housing
available in the immediate vicinity of the project. For employees at
Chickamauga Dam, housing was available in the city of Chattanooga
and the Authority had to provide no supplementary facilities. At the
site of the Norris Dam, however, it was necessary to provide a per
manent town and this was done, creating Norris, Tenn. Temporary
villages have been built to house workers at the Wheeler, Pickwick
Landing, Guntersville, and Hiwassee projects. Three small villages
that had been built in the Muscle Shoals area during the construction
of Wilson Dam were taken over by the Authority in 1933.
During 1937-38 it had charge of the operation of 1,044 single-family
dwellings and 22 dormitories.
All the villages are supplied electricity, water, schools, police and
fire protection, sewage-disposal and garbage-removal systems, and
maintenance of roads, streets, and walks.
Health and safety.—The TVA has certain functions both in regard
to public health in the Valley and in regard to the health and safety
of its employees.
In cooperation with the United States Public Health Service and the various
Valley State health departments, the Authority makes studies of stream pollution,
conducts malaria control operations in its reservoir areas and studies of methods
for reducing malaria incidence, assists in tuberculosis studies, and aids in the
strengthening of local health services in the area.
The Authority provides direct medical care for ill and injured construction em
ployees, physical examinations and immunizations, medical care in areas where
private aid is not available, rehabilitation of the injured, and clears service-con
nected injuries with the United States Employees’ Compensation Commission.
It seeks to control communicable diseases, and protect employees against in
dustrial health hazards. I t constantly strives to reduce construction accidents
through use of safety devices and in TVA villages and construction camps con
ducts strict supervision of water supplies and sewage disposal.
A number of studies have been made or are under way, involving
questions of potential hazards to employees working with various sub
stances or at specific processes. A study was started during the year
to determine the relationship of environment and working conditions
to the efficiency and health of a selected group of office employees.
In 1937-38, of 25,166 occupational injuries, only 661 involved a loss
of working time. On the basis of man-hours worked, the lost-time
accidents had a frequency rate of 26.7 per million man-hours; the
severity rate was 3.60 per thousand man-hours.
129324— 39------ 5
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Em ploym ent Conditions
U N E M P L O Y M E N T IN C A N A D A , 1921 TO 1938
APPROXIMATELY 15 percent of the total estimated number of
wage earners in Canada in 11 months of 1938 were unemployed, as
compared to 2.5 percent in 1928 and 4.2 percent in 1929. In 1933 the
proportion unemployed was as high as 26.5 percent.
The number of employed wage earners during 11 months of 1938
showed an increase of slightly more than one-eighth as compared with
1926. The number of unemployed, however, was more than four times
as great.
Estimates are given below of the total number of employ ed and unem
ployed wage earners, by years, 1921 to 1937, and for 11 months of 1938.
Estimated Numbers of Employed and Unemployed Wage Earners in Canada, with
Indexes, 1921 to 1938
[1926 = 100]
Total
Year
Number
(in thou
sands)
Employed
Index
Number
(in thou
sands)
Index
Unemployed
Number
(in thou
sands)
Index
Percent
of unem
ployed
in total
number
1921_________________________
1922_________________________
1923_________________________
1924_________________________
1925_________________________
1926_________________________
1,971
1,967
2, 059
2,042
2, 063
2,140
92.1
91.9
96.2
95.4
96.4
100.0
1,795
1,830
1,958
1,897
1,920
2,041
87.9
89.6
95.9
92.9
94.0
100.0
176
138
101
145
144
99
177.8
139.4
102.0
146.5
145.5
100.0
8.9
7.0
4.9
7.1
7.0
4.6
1927_________________________
1928_________________________
1929_________________________
1930_________________________
1931_________________________
1932_________________________
2, 209
2,359
2, 551
2,654
2, 537
2,459
103.2
110.2
119.2
124.0
118.6
114.9
2,147
2,299
2,444
2,313
2,095
1,820
105.1
112.6
119.7
113.3
102.6
89.1
62
60
107
341
442
639
62.6
60.1
108.1
344.5
446.5
645.5
2.8
2.5
4.2
12.8
17.4
26.0
1933_________________________
1934_________________________
1935_________________________
1936_________________________
1937_________________________
1938 (11 m onths)_____________
2,434
2, 574
2, 626
2, 671
2, 706
2, 704
113.7
120.3
122.7
124.8
126.4
126.4
1,788
2, 045
2,126
2, 225
2,369
2, 303
87.6
100.1
104.1
109.0
116.1
112.8
646
529
500
447
337
401
652.6
534.4
505.1
451.6
340.4
405.1
26.5
20.6
19.1
16.7
12.5
14.8
The above data were prepared by the Social Analysis Branch of
the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, which in making the estimates
defined a wage earner as “one who holds or has held a job,” and the
unemployed as “those who normally work for pay, but are not gain
fully employed at the time.”
554
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Employment Conditions
M E A SU R E S
R E L A T IN G TO D E P R E S S E D
G R E A T B R IT A IN
555
A R E A S IN
COMPULSORY location of industries in the distressed areas of Great
Britain was unsuccessfully advocated by Labor Party members of
the House of Commons, in the debates held on November 28, 1938,
on continuance of the Special Areas (Amendment) Act of 1937.
The occasion for this debate was an opposition (Labor) motion to
delete the subsection of the bill providing for a year’s continuance
of the law. The purpose of the motion was to permit an expression
of labor’s dissatisfaction with operations under the legislation, and
to urge the Government to adopt a bolder policy. In the ensuing
discussion the existing methods were defended, and the dangers of
compulsion were cited by the Minister of Labor. The Labor motion
was rejected by the House of Commons in committee, without a
division vote.
In the course of the debates, it became evident that, whereas the
Government was dealing with the distressed areas as a localized
problem, the labor group was advocating control of agriculture and
industry as a dual measure of national defense and unemployment
relief. The issues discussed are summarized briefly here,1 as are also
certain general statements of commissioners of the special areas in
their annual reports.2
H i s t o r y o f th e l e g i s l a t i o n .-—Legislative action was taken in 1934 in
order to alleviate distress in certain districts of Great Britain termed
“special areas,” where unemployment was abnormally high. These
districts had been centers for the heavy industries, chiefly mining,
shipbuilding, and iron and steel. Reduction in operations had in
volved a similar recession in trade, and as new activities were not
established, acute unemployment became chronic.
The terms of the 1937 law continued the Special Areas (Develop
ment and Improvement) Act of 1934 in effect until March 31, 1939,
and enabled the Government to give further assistance to the special
areas and also, under certain conditions, to other areas.
Specifically, the 1937 law authorized the commissioners of special
areas to induce persons to establish industrial undertakings in the
areas designated, by renting factories to employers, and by granting
them financial assistance in the form of concessions as to rent, income
taxes, or other taxes, for not more than 5 years. In addition, the
law authorized financial aid to local authorities in these areas. It
1 Data are from report of Russell W. Benton, American vice consul, London, December 6, 1938; British
Ministry of Labor Gazette, April and M ay 1937 (pp.135, 173); Great Britain, House of Commons, Parlia
mentary Debates, November 28, 1938; and M onthly Labor Review, February 1937 (p. 375).
2 Great Britain. Reports of Commissioners for Special Areas in England and Wales for year ended
September 30, 1938 (Cmd. 5896); and in Scotland for period September 1,1937, to September 30, 1938 (Cmd.
5905).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
556
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
also permitted loans to certain companies outside the special areas,
which meet the conditions specified, and authorized purchase of some
of their capital stock.
Policy advocated by labor.—Recommendations of labor members of
the House of Commons were that the Government should adopt the
principle of compulsion rather than persuasion in allocating new
industries to the special areas; that it should forbid unemployed
labor to be moved to new industries in already congested areas such
as London and Birmingham, and should require the industries to
go to the areas of unemployment; that greater efforts should be made
to substitute for imports the domestic production of a wide range of
commodities; and that the program should be worked out in terms
of the national economy rather than of regional economy, giving
attention to the need of rehabilitating agriculture and decentralizing
industry in order to render the country more self-sufficient in case
of war.
Labor members speaking in the course of the debate referred to
the stubbornness of the problem and failure of the relief measures
taken to reduce the number of unemployed. It was stated that the
agricultural problem remained as acute as it had been before remedial
legislation was passed.
In the opinion of other members, legislation for the special areas,
having been enacted as an experiment, had been given sufficient
time to prove its inadequacy. Action was asked on the ground that
statistics revealed an unusually high sickness and death rate in the
distressed areas. The male death rate in Durham, for example, was
stated to be far above the national average.
Particular concern was expressed over the plight of child workers
and older workers. With children going to work who should be at
school, and over 750,000 people of 65 and over employed who should
be on adequate pensions, persons in middle life, it was stated, were
unemployed. In other instances, men of 45, having lost their jobs,
had no expectation of again securing employment.
As the solution of the problem had been stated to be the encourage
ment of trading estates (i. e., especially established self-contained
villages with factories for light industries) and new industries, labor
questioned why more establishments had not been created.
The view was expressed that unemployment should have been dealt
with as a whole, and that a larger sum of money should have been
spent in all areas, instead of making expenditures for unemployment
relief and assisting restricted areas.
Emphasis was placed upon the need for preventing mass migration
of labor into already overcrowded districts such as Greater London
and Birmingham. If the expense or inadequacy of transportation
is retarding development of industries where the unemployed live,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Employment Conditions
557
labor urged, an attempt should be made to correct the existing condi
tions.
It was also urged that cognizance should be taken of the displace
ment of labor through mechanization, that experiments in the use of
new kinds of equipment should be extended, and that industries
such as engineering should aid if they are not financially able to develop
new lines of production to include articles now being imported from
abroad.
Statement oj Minister oj Labor.—The Minister of Labor summarized
the points brought out in the debate, showing that certain proposals
lacked concreteness, and answering some queries. He stated that the
problem of aiding the special areas had been approached, as outlined
in the enabling legislation, with a view to diversifying industrial
development and that the effect of the legislation on the special areas
had been good. In discussing the general problem of the relative
merits of compulsory and voluntary location of industries, a passage
from an earlier report on the subject was quoted, as follows:
Some advocate the compulsory location of industry as a sure cure for unemploy
ment, but this I regard as unnecessary and dangerous. National prosperity
depends upon industrial success. Industrial success in turn depends upon the
effort and enterprise of the individual and upon efficiency. I am unable to fore
see that these factors would be likely to be maintained, still less improved, through
the exercise by Government of general compulsion in determining the location of
industry. Whatever expectations theorists may envisage from its application,
it would certainly under present conditions cause dislocation, not to say chaos,
seeing that there is an altogether insufficient degree of cooperation in individual
industries with the trade-unions to offer a sound basis for its operation. The
immediate result of its application under such conditions would undoubtedly
be increased unemployment.
Reports oj commissioners.—Reports of the commissioners for the
special areas were subsequently issued, covering operations in Eng
land and Wales and in Scotland, respectively, for the period ending
September 30, 1938.
The Commissioner for England and Wales stated that in the 12month period for which he was reporting he had been concerned with
work previously started rather than with development of new activi
ties. Special effort had been made to induce new industries to come
to the depressed areas. Experience had shown that attractive trading
estates are well supported, and such estates had made satisfactory
progress. There had also been a number of cases of rental of factories
on sites outside trading estates. The commissioner believed that
the provision of the law of 1937 which grants him the right to estab
lish such factories had been of great value, as in the special areas
there is a lack of modern factories suitable for light industries. Like
wise, attention was directed to the value of capital grants to worthy
industrialists, in this period when heavy taxation has reduced capital
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
558
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
available from large private fortunes. Finally, it was stated that in
view of the adverse effects of the recession the progress made was
especially satisfactory.
The commissioner advised continuance of the special-areas legisla
tion, pending the report of the Royal Commission on the Geographical
Distribution of the Industrial Population, and even if that report
should recommend restrictions on the industrial growth of the larger
cities, London and Birmingham, which in itself would encourage new
activity in the special areas. He stated: “The results of the efforts
to induce industries to come to the special areas are only just begin
ning to show themselves and I intend that the work should proceed
with unabated energy.”
In evaluating the results of legislation on special areas in Scotland,
the commissioner concluded that the foundations being laid for solving
the unemployment problem were sound, but that the problem was not
yet nearing solution. The public-works projects, which were not
initiated as a means of relieving unemployment, will nevertheless be
valuable in reducing the number out of work and the industrial
schemes for the express purpose of increasing employment are only in
their infancy.
He pointed out that a temporary boom in heavy industries will give
only temporary relief, and that it is necessary to decide upon the
ratio of primary to secondary industries, on which basis it can be
decided what public services are needed. In order to attract new
industries, steps have been taken to make the special areas more
attractive, to improve the quality of the labor supply, and to provide
factories and factory sites. By this combined attack it is hoped to
revive the areas economically and socially. Social revival is viewed
as necessary to industrial rehabilitation, since the prolonged depression
has brought community life practically to a standstill.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Labor Involved in Industrial Production
LA BO R R E Q U IR E M E N T S IN M A N U F A C T U R E A N D
D IS T R IB U T IO N OF E L E C T R IC A L P R O D U C T S 1
B y B e r n a r d H. T o p k is , Bureau of Labor Statistics
A STUDY made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as part of a series
on the construction industry, indicates that for every $1,000 worth 2of
electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies produced and dis
tributed in the United States in 1937, 651 man-hours of labor were
required.3 Of this labor, 37 percent was required in the production
of raw materials used; 2 percent was required for transporting these
materials to the factories; manufacturing took 48 percent; engineering
and development, 5 percent; administrative and selling activities of
the companies, 7 percent; and transportation by rail and truck of the
finished product from the factory to the site of construction, 1 percent.
These figures were based upon a study of labor requirements for 13
major groups of products manufactured by 14 electrical-manufacturing
T a b l e 1.—Distribution of Cost of Production and Distribution of $1,000 Worth1 of
Electrical Products, in Terms of Money and of Man-Hours of Labor in 1937
Man-hours
Item of cost
All item s______________ ___________ ___
Raw-material production. _ ___________
Transportation of raw material _______
Manufacturing labor A __________ __ .
Engineering and development labor3____
Administrative and sales labor A . . _____
Transportation of finished product5 ___
O ther4 ________ _______ _____ ______
Cost
$1,000
387
20
260
42
59
23
209
Number
Percent
651
237
15
313
33
45
8
100.0
36.4
2.3
48.1
5.1
6.9
1.2
0
(7)
1 Based on cost at the site of construction.
5 Based on average earnings of $0.83 per hour.
3 Based on average earnings of $1.27 per hour.
4 Computed at $1.30 per hour.
* Includes both rail haul and drayage to site of construction.
4 Includes taxes, depreciation, rent, profit, insurance, depletion, advertising, and telephone, telegraph,
and postage.
7 N ot available.
1 Prepared under the direction of Herman B. Byer, chief of the Bureau’s Division of Construction and
Public Employment. Seventh of a series of studies on labor requirements in the manufacture and trans
portation of construction materials. For previous articles see M onthly Labor Review, M ay 1935, p. 1155
(steel); March 1936, p. 564 (cement); M ay 1937, p. 1136 (lumber); October 1937, p. 846 (rail transportation
of construction materials); December 1937, p. 1391 (clay products); June 1938, p. 1381 (plumbing and heat
ing supplies).
3 $1,000 worth of products refers to cost at site of construction, and includes cost of rail transportation and
drayage of finished product from factory to site of construction.
3 These man-hours account for only about 79 percent of the total costs. It was not possible in the study to
ascertain the labor involved in such items as taxes, depreciation, rent, profit, insurance, depletion, advertis
ing, and telephone, telegraph, and postage.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
559
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
560
companies, which produced about $710,000,000 worth of electrical
machinery, apparatus, and supplies in 1937.
The preceding table shows the distribution of cost and of man-hours
required, for every $1,000 worth of product, among the various stages
or departments of production.
For each of the 13 major groups of electrical products the following
statement shows the man-hours required to produce and distribute
$1,000 worth of product.
M an-hours per
$1,000 of p ro d u c t1
All groups of products________________________________
Turbines________________________________________
Large motors and generators----------------------------------Small motors____________________________________
Fractional horsepower motors---------------------------------Transmission and distribution equipment-----------------Switch gear______________________________________
Control_________________________________________
Transportation equipment_________________________
Meters and instruments----------------------------------------Wire and cable___________________________________
Wiring supplies and appliances-------------------------------Plastics_________________________________________
Refrigerators____________________________________
651
707
632
643
780
588
582
587
653
566
613
659
742
566
i T h is value is based on cost at site of construction.
Similar data on the number of man-hours required to produce and
distribute 26 selected items in these 13 major groups of electrical prod
ucts were also obtained. They are shown in table 2.
T a b l e 2 . —Number of Man-Hours Required to Produce and Distribute 26 Electrical
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Commodities in 1937
Commodity
CJnit of
measure
i ____________
i ____________
i ____________
i ____________
i ____________
100__________
1.........................
1. . . _________
1__________ 100__________
1-................... 100__________
1,000 feet_____
liOOO feet_____
1,000 feet_____
1,000 pou nds..
10,000’ feet____
1,000..................
1,000.......... .
1,000..................
1,000..................
1,000............
100__________
1,000 feet_____
hooo.......... — .
1.........................
Man-hours
34,845
240, 346
30,742
166
25
350
3,608
836
131
316
22,207
319
455
14
8
95
26
95
37
76
65
72
165
35
20
49
D IS T R IB U T IO N P E R $ 1 ,0 0 0 E X P E N D E D FO R E L E C T R IC A L M ACH IN ERY,
a©*
©
I
3SL
R
CA
3
a
2
I
R.
©
S
MATERIAL
U. S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
TRANSPORTATION
LABOR
& DEVELOPMENT
LABOR
a
SALES
LABOR
OF FINISHED PRODUCT
OT
O'*
562
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Effect of Federal expenditures on employment in the electrical indus
try.—About 50,000,000 man-hours of labor were required to produce
and distribute the $77,000,000 worth of electrical products purchased
in 1937 for use on construction projects financed from Federal funds.
Approximately 98,000,000 man-hours were required to produce and
distribute the electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies used in
P. W. A. construction projects alone, from July 1933 to September
1938. On the basis of the findings of the Bureau’s study in the elec
trical-manufacturing industry it was possible to compute, for each type
of P. W. A. project, the number of man-hours required per $1,000 of
Federal funds expended. These ranged from 9 man-hours on the con
struction of water-supply systems to 271 man-hours on steam power
and light plants.
Scope and Method of Study
In 1937, according to the United States Census of Manufactures,
there were 1,435 establishments in the United States which were manu
facturing electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies valued at
$5,000 or more per year.6 These establishments manufactured
$1,622,098,291 6 worth of electrical machinery, apparatus, and sup
plies and employed an average of 257,660 wage earners in 1937. To
determine the man-hours involved in the production and distribution
of electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies manufactured in
1937, a study was made of the pay-roll and cost records of 14 com
panies, manufacturing approximately $710,000,000 worth of electrical
products in 1937.7 These products were grouped into 13 major lines:
Turbines, large motors and generators, small motors from 1 to 15
horsepower, fractional horsepower motors which includes all motors
of less than 1 horsepower, transmission and distribution equipment,
switch gear, industrial control, transportation equipment, meters and
instruments, wire and cable products, wiring supplies and appliances,
plastics, and electric refrigerators.
As already indicated, a supplementary study was also made,
covering 26 specific electrical products.
» Census of Manufactures, 1937—Release No. 1303 (December 29,1938). Under the census definition, this
industry embraces establishments engaged primarily in the manufacture of machinery, apparatus, and
supplies for employment directly in the generation, storage, transmission, or utilization of electric energy.
It does not include establishments whose principal products (over 50 percent of total value of products) are
electric-lighting fixtures, electric signs, or motor-driven tools, mechanical refrigerators, washing machines,
radios, and other machines and appliances constructed with built-in motors, or other electrical equipment
(such machines and appliances being classified for census purposes in other industries). The manufacture
of radio-apparatus parts such as transformers, batteries, coils, condensers, etc., are treated as products of
the electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies industry, as such products are manufactured principally
by establishments classified in this industry and sold to manufacturers of radios.
« This value does not include electric refrigerators nor steam turbines. According to the release of Census
of Manufactures for 1937, $16,261,123 worth of steam turbines were manufactured in 1937 (Release No. 1304,
December 7, 1938); $363,788,412 worth of refrigerators and refrigerating and ice-making apparatus were
manufactured in 1937 (Release No. 1310, December 30, 1938).
^ This does not include the manufacture of incandescent bulbs; nor does it include lighting fixtures and
radio equipment except in cases where these products have been made by large companies as a part of their
full line of apparatus and supplies.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Labor Involved in Industrial Production
563
The data for both studies were based on production and prices in
1937, and the conclusions are applicable to that year only, since changes
in price level from year to year will affect the interpretation for any
other period. It was not feasible to express the man-hours required
for the industry as a whole in terms of units of any product or group of
products, because the industry is composed of many diverse branches,
having unique products and manufacturing problems.
The total labor required to produce and distribute electrical products
is the sum of the labor required for producing the raw materials, trans
porting the raw materials to the factory, manufacturing the finished
product, the engineering and development and administrative and
sales labor of the companies which produce the finished product, and
transporting the finished product from the factory to the point of use.
The unit for measuring the labor required for each of these functions
for the industry as a whole, and for each of the 13 major lines of
product was $1,000 worth of product based on the selling price at the
factory. The total man-hours for the industry as a whole and for each
of the 13 major lines of product were also computed in terms of $1,000
worth of product based on cost at the site of construction; i. e., the selling
price of the goods at the factory plus the cost of rail freight and drayage.
N o t e .—More detailed information based on this study is published in a
pamphlet entitled “Labor Requirements in Manufacture and distribution of
Electrical Products” (Serial No. R. 883), which may be obtained upon request.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
P roductivity o f Labor and Industry
P R O D U C T IV IT Y A N D E M P L O Y M E N T I N T H E B E E T SU G A R IN D U S T R Y
BETWEEN 1917 and 1935 the productivity of labor in the manu
facture of beet sugar doubled. No major changes in production
methods occurred during this period, but there were numerous minor
improvements. Among these was an increased application of elec
tricity that made possible the use of instruments and devices for
facilitating precise control of chemical processes and mechanization
of handling operations. Better machine designing and improved
modes of coordinating mechanical operations account for a part of
the increased productivity. There were also advances in knowledge
of chemistry in application to this industry. The increased volume
of production tended to prevent the displacement of labor. The
industry is highly seasonal, and although the aggregate number of
workers connected with the various branches of beet-sugar production
is considerable, the work is concentrated during short periods of the
year and the annual earnings are only a fraction of a living wage for
most of the workers employed by the industry. These are some of the
findings of a recent study by the National Research Project of the
Works Progress Administration in cooperation with the National
Bureau of Economic Research.1
Beet-sugar production was not developed on a large scale until
after 1890. The growth of the industry has been almost continuous
and has been affected only to a slight extent by business fluctuations.
During the depression beginning in 1929, production increased sharply,
and there was a marked decline after general business activity began
to improve. The growth of the industry has been closely connected
with the tariff and quota policies of the Government. The United
States Tariff Commission estimated that in 1916, 43.2 percent of the
industry was dependent on the Tariff Act of 1913 and earlier acts
going back to 1897.
The amount of employment provided by sugar-beet growing, beetsugar factories, and subsidiary enterprises, as expressed in yearly
man-hours, was approximately 111,130,000 in 1917, and an average
i U. S. Works Progress Administration. Productivity and Employm ent in Selected Industries: Beet
Sugar. B y Raymond K. Adamson and Miriam E. West. Washington, 1938. (Studies of Productivity
and Employment in Selected Industries, Report No. N -l.)
564
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
565
Productivity of Labor and Industry
of 92,531,000 in 1934-35. The main part of this employment was
in the growing of beets.
T a b l e 1.—Estimated Average Yearly Man-Hours of Direct and Indirect Employment,
Beet-Sugar Industry, 1917-35
Total
(thou
sands)
Year
1917
1920-24
1928-32
1934-35
________________________
__________________________
____________________________
___________________________
111,130
111,977
91, 541
92, 531
Growing
and trans
portation
of beets
(thou
sands)
Processing
(thou
sands)
75,145
82,656
70,983
72,004
29,210
25,931
17, 596
17,601
Fuel for
factories
(thou
sands)
Machinery
for
factories
(thou
sands)
4,929
1,491
1,085
1,075
1,846
1,899
1,877
1,851
An estimate was made of the number of persons dependent on the
beet-sugar industry for a part of their income from employment in
1933. In that year the number employed in factories was about
30,000. There were about 70,000 sugar-beet growers and about
159,000 hired laborers in the beet fields. It is estimated that the
number who found employment in the production of fuel used in beetsugar factories was about 2,000, and the number required for making
machinery for these factories, about 1,000, while several thousand
more found some employment in transportation and in the wholesale
and retail distribution of sugar. The estimated total for 1933, a year
of peak production, was between 262,000 and 270,000.
The most significant feature, however, of employment in this in
dustry is its seasonal character. Most of the hired workers in the
growing of beets have work for only a few weeks in the year and most
of the workers in the factories in 1933 averaged not more than 72 days
of work. The number of “campaign” days of factory production
between 1917 and 1935 ranged from 89.6 in 1920 to 57.7 in 1934.
Factory production is mainly during the last 3 months of the year,
and employment is highly concentrated during these months.
T a b l e 2 . —Index of Seasonal Employment in Beet-Sugar Factories, 1903—
33 1
[12-months’ average=100]
Month
M ffv-------TilT IP -------------
Index
68.6
32.4
32.8
38.2
42.9
46.8
M onth
July_______________________________
August----------------------------September---------------------------October_____---------------------------November--------------------- --------- December------------- ------------------------
Index
53.6
74.4
99.3
254.2
258.7
198.1
i Tor basic data, see table A-2, p. 143, in the reference in footnote 1 on p. 564.
As a result of the highly seasonal character of the industry, both in
the growing of beets and in the production of sugar, there is an excep
tional amount of part-time, casual, and transient employment,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
566
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Obviously the income of the ordinary worker is not enough for a
year’s living, and opportunities for other types of work are slight.
The number of workers in factories who have regular employment
ranges between 3,000 and 4,000 while more than 20,000 have employ
ment ranging around 70 days and an average income for the year from
this industry of about $225. Few of the large number of laborers em
ployed in the growing of beets (about 159,000 in 1933) have more than
90 days’ work in the beet fields, and very few find work in the beetsugar factories after the harvesting season. Most of them are casual
or transient workers. The effects of such conditions are apparent in
an aggravated problem of public relief or emergency employment.
Far more significant are the effects of inadequate employment and
income on the workers and their families.2
The volume of production may be estimated, from the point of view
of the growing of sugar beets, in terms of tons of beets sliced, and from
the point of view of final output, in terms of tons of sugar produced.
Production was at its peak in 1933, when 10,778,000 short tons of beets
were sliced and when 1,636,000 short tons of beet sugar were produced.
T a b l e 3 . — Sugar Beets Sliced and Beet Sugar Produced, 1899-1935
Year
1899_________________
1903____________
1908___________________
1913_____________
1918____ _____________
1920__________________
1922_________________
Beets sliced
(thousands
of short
tons)
Sugar
produced
(thousands
of short
tons)
795
2,175
3,965
5,639
5,649
7,873
5,786
82
254
502
743
722
1,030
754
Year
1924
1926
1928
1931
1933
1935
Sugar
Beets sliced produced
(thousands (thousands
of short
of short
tons)
tons)
7,423
6,711
6,951
7,620
10,778
7, 745
1,083
899
1,086
1,165
1,636
1,186
In a group of factories for which data were available for the period
1917-35, the number of man-hours per unit of product during the
“campaign” period of production was almost continuously reduced.
In 1917 the number of man-hours per ton of beets sliced was 2.78, and
in 1935, 1.35. In 1917 the number of man-hours per 100-pound bag
of sugar produced was 1.02, and in 1935, 0.44.
Between 1917 and 1935, the productivity of labor (the average out
put per man-hour, which is the amount of labor per unit of output
expressed inversely) increased about 106 percent in terms of tons of
beets sliced, and about 132 percent in terms of sugar produced. This
increase, as previously stated, was substantially a result of a large
2 In regard to the labor aspects of production of sugar beets, see “ Wages, Employment Conditions, and
Welfare of Sugar-Beet Laborers,” by Elizabeth S. Johnson, in the M onthly Labor Review for February
1938 (pp. 322-340); and Changes in Technology and Labor Requirements in Crop Production: Sugar Beets,
by Loring K. Macy and others, Washington, Works Progress Administration, 1937, Report No. A -l.
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567
Productivity of Labor and Industry
number of relatively minor technological changes. A notable charac
teristic of many industries in recent years is the introduction of
technological changes that tend to save capital as well as labor. A
rough indication of this tendency in the beet-sugar industry is the
fact that the estimated capital investment in beet-sugar factories in
1918 was $224,585,000, and in 1935, only $208,076,000. During this
period there was, however, a considerable decline in prices.
T a b l e 4 . —"Campaign” 1 Man-Hours per Unit of Product in 31 Identical Beet-Sugar
Factories, 1917-35
Year
Man-hours
per—
N um
ber of
100fac
pound
tories
Ton
operat ofbeets bag of
sugar
ing
sliced
pro
duced
1917 . ________________
1918 - __________ ____
1919
___________
1920___________________
1921__
______________
1922___________________
1923___________________
1924
_______________
1925___________________
1926___________________
30
30
29
31
30
29
31
30
30
26
2. 78
3.11
2. 76
2.61
2.10
2. 08
2. 05
1.95
2. 00
1.70
1.02
1.09
1.13
.93
.73
.76
.76
.64
.74
.63
Year
1927_____
1928____________
1929_____
1930____________
1931________
1932_________________
1933___________________
1934______________ .
1935___________________
Man-hours
per-—
N um
ber of
fac
100tories
pound
Ton
bag of
operat ofbeets
ing
sliced sugar
pro
duced
29
30
30
29
26
29
30
26
29
1. 65
1 62
1. 55
1. 40
1. 35
1. 46
1. 31
1 42
1.35
0 57
. 51
55
51
45
. 47
. 43
45
. 44
■ Period of peak-season production.
Increased production tended to maintain employment, while
increased productivity (or reduced labor requirements per unit of
output) tended to curtail employment. The net result, as previously
stated, was a reduction in the amount of employment, especially in
factory production, between the years 1917 and 1935. During these
years, the number of tons of beet sugar produced increased about 55
percent, whereas the estimated total number of yearly man-hours in
all branches of the industry combined fell about 17 percent, during
an increase of about 25 percent in total population.
LABO R E F F IC IE N C Y IN T H E SO V IET U N IO N
SEVERAL decrees designed to improve the efficiency of the workers
were issued in the Soviet Union during December 1938.1 These decrees
introduced a “labor book” system similar to that in use in Germany,2
1 T h e data on w hich th is article is based are from Izv estiy a (official Soviet daily), M oscow , issues of D e
cember 21, 22, 27, and 29, 1938, and January 1,1939.
2 See M o n th ly Labor R eview , October 1935 (p. 937).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
established rewards for outstanding service, and provided penalties
for idling, unexcused absences from work, etc., and set forth a schedule
of allowances for disability caused by sickness, accident, or old age.
Introduction of the Labor Book ”
Formerly a person applying for a job was required to present his
passport and a statement from his last employer regarding quality of
his work and the reasons for his separation from the job. This was
changed, on December 21, 1938, with the issuance of a decree requiring
all wage earners and salaried employees in the Soviet Union to be
provided with a labor book, beginning January 15, 1939, containing
the following information: Full name, father’s name, worker’s age,
education, occupation, length of the employment, quality of work,
transfers from one employer to another, and causes of transfers.
All individual special encouragements and rewards for efficiency are
also to be noted, but not fines or punishments.
Only the employer is to enter the required information in the book.
This is to be done in two languages—Russian, and the language preva
lent in the locality. No applicant may be given employment unless
he presents his labor book. During the course of employment the
book is kept by the employer, who returns it when the worker leaves.
The book costs the worker, in the first instance, 50 kopecks (about
10 cents), but if he loses it as a result of his own fault he has to pay a
fine of 25 rubles (about $5), after which a duplicate book is issued.
The money received for the books or in fines is transferred to the State
treasury.
Rewards for Efficiency
A series of decrees issued on December 27, 1938, established the
title of “Hero of Socialist Labor” and provided for two silver medals,
one for “labor valor” and the other for “labor excellence.”
The title of “Hero of Socialist Labor” is to be bestowed upon
workers for exceptionally efficient labor and inventive ability in the
field of industry or trade, transportation, or agriculture, and for
scientific discoveries. With this title are also to be given the “Order
of Lenin,” a diploma certifying to the worker’s invention, a money
reward, and all privileges and franchises granted to “Labor Heroes”
under the provisions of the previous decrees.
The medal for “labor valor” is to be given for efficient labor in the
building of the Socialist order, for outstanding service in the use of
the Stakhanov efficiency methods, and for contributions to science,
technique, and culture. Persons receiving the medal are also to re
ceive a monthly allowance of 10 rubles (about $2) from the State
treasury, and have the privilege of riding free of charge on the street
cars in the cities of the Soviet Union.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Productivity of Labor and Industry
569
I lie medal for labor excellence/’ is to be given for “shock w ork/’
high productivity, and service to science, technique, and culture.
Recipients of this medal also may ride free on the street cars, and
receive a monthly allowance of 5 rubles.
Hours of W ork, and Absences
The decree of December 29, 1938, contained certain new provisions
and some which merely strengthen those already in operation.
The length of the legal working day in the Soviet Union is variously
8, 7, and 6 hours, the 7-hour day being the most common. In order
to reduce time lost by arriving late, leaving early, overstaying the
lunch period, or idling on the job, the decree requires that each worker
shall work the full hours each day required by the law.
Absence is to be permitted only for valid causes specified in the law.
Absence without such cause is punishable by penalties of varying
degrees of severity, including reprimand, transfer to another job,
decrease of wages for 3 months, or demotion to a lower-paid job. A
worker absent without valid cause three times during 1 month or
four times during 2 consecutive months is to be dismissed.
In case a worker is dismissed and later reinstated his average wages
are to be paid for his lost time but not for more than 20 days. Ap
peals against dismissal are provided for and such cases must be
decided by administrative offices within 3 days and by courts within
5 days after receiving the appeal.
Service Requirements for Social Insurance
The decree of December 29, 1938, also made certain modifications
in the eligibility requirements and benefits under social insurance, this
being an attempt to relate the amount of benefit to the period of the
worker’s service in the enterprise in which he is employed. The
purpose is to raise labor efficiency by providing inducements to workers
to remain in the same employment. A summary of the changes
made by this decree will appear in a subsequent issue of the Monthly
Labor Review.
129324— 39------ 6
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Unemployed Youth
E C O N O M IC C O N D IT IO N OF R U R A L Y O U T H
WIDESPREAD unemployment at the present time and decreasing
opportunities for placement in the future are the conditions faced by
rural youth according to a study by the Works Progress Administra
tion.1 Ultimate farm ownership which could be anticipated by farm
youth under earlier conditions is becoming a more remote possibility,
and in rural America, with the development of such industries as
lumbering, mining and textiles in these areas, the trend in recent years
has been toward dependence on wage work. “Any analysis of the
economic situation of rural youth,” the report states, “must recognize
this trend as well as the traditional background both of the rural
economic system and of the economic relationship between parents
and children.”
An appraisal of unemployment among rural youth must take into
consideration the fact that family farm labor includes employables in
the farm family who do not necessarily receive a stated wage, as well
as gainful workers who have moved from cities to live with and help
their families and relatives or to engage in subsistence farming. This
definition of employment would include many young persons in relief
families who were working on the home farm. It would also include
a large number of surplus rural youth just above the relief level who
were working at home with little or no pay because it was impossible
to find work elsewhere.
In considering the opportunities of rural youth for obtaining eco
nomic security it must be remembered that this does not necessarily
mean a job with wages but rather the possibility of attaining farm
ownership or a satisfactory tenant status.
The report divides rural youth into three economic categories:
Those gainfully and advantageously occupied or otherwise advanta
geously-situated; those who have remained above the relief level but
whose situation is precarious; and those who are at the relief level.
Employment and Income
Most of the unpaid family labor and a large part of the hired labor
on farms is performed by young persons between the ages of 15 and
1 Works Progress Administration. D ivision of Social Research. Rural youth: Their situation and pros
pects, by Bruce L. M elvin and Elna N . Smith. Washington, 1938. (Research Monograph X V .)
570
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Unemployed Youth
571
24. In 1930, over 95 percent of all the young men 15 to 19 years of
age and over 70 percent of those 20 to 24 years of age listed in the
Census as agricultural workers belonged to one or the other of these
groups. Of a total of 9,562,059 male and 909,939 female workers in
agriculture, there were 1,184,784 male and 475,008 female workers
of all ages in the unpaid family group; approximately 12 percent of all
male workers and 52 percent of the female workers were employed
without pay.
The low earnings of agricultural workers and therefore of farm
youth (since they form such a large proportion of all farm laborers)
are shown by different studies. The average annual earnings among
male agricultural workers in 11 counties studied in 1936 ranged from
$178 among Negro cotton pickers in Louisiana and $125 among white
workers in a Tennessee county to $347 among white laborers in Penn
sylvania and $748 among orientals in Placer County, Calif. In some
cases board and lodging were furnished in addition to wages, but not
in a large proportion of the cases. That only a small proportion
of farm boys have an agreement with their fathers as to the payment
for their work is shown by an Iowa study made in 1934. Of 1,107
out-of-school farm youth only 286 reported that they received wages
for work performed by them. An example of the extent of unem
ployment among the rural youth during the depression years is shown
by a county in New York in which only 42 percent of the unmarried
rural youths aged 15 to 29 who were not in school had full-time
employment in 1935 and 30 percent were completely unemployed
or working only occasionally. On the farms of the county 21 percent
of the young men were unemployed. Of the total employed in both
villages and open country the principal occupations, in the order of
their importance, were those of farm laborers, unskilled laborers,
and skilled mechanics. The average weekly earnings of the entire
employed group were $13. Of 110 married young men in the same
county, 81 percent were employed full time and had average weekly
earnings of $18, but 21 percent received less than $15 a week. The
average cash income of 282 single rural young men and women in
5 Connecticut townships was $221 for the 12 months ending in the
spring of 1934, ranging from an average of $112 for those aged 16
to 17 years to $378 for those 21 to 25 years of age. Many of this
group had board, lodging, and clothing provided in addition to wages.
A recent survey of unmarried young persons in Arkansas, Mary
land, Iowa, Utah, and Oregon by the Department of Agriculture
showed that only 26 percent were not dependent on their father’s farm
for employment, 36 percent were either operating the home farm or
replacing a hired man, and 38 percent were dependent on the home
farm but if needed at all were employed only at seasonal labor.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
572
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Other local studies show the same high percentages either entirely
unemployed or not self-supporting.
The increase in the number of young persons in rural areas, espe
cially on farms, between 1930 and 1935, was due, in addition to the
normal population increase, to the checking of the movement toward
the cities which characterized the decade between 1920 and 1930.
The great increase of youth in rural territory was due largely to this
“piling up” process on the land, and the low incomes among these
young people are, in part at least, a result of this process. In sub
marginal land areas this effect is intensified although even on good
land the effect on economic opportunities of the surplus of young
persons is evident.
The various studies show that rural young persons were receiving
little return when working at home and had few opportunities to
work away from home.
The situation of young women who have been forced to remain
at home is even more precarious than that of the young men. The
traditional job of these young women is housework or farm labor,
although the villages do offer some employment opportunities.
Young women are even more dependent on the generosity of their
parents than are young men. One study in Wisconsin showed that
65 percent of the girls depended upon their parents for spending
money and only 20 percent were economically independent. In the
tobacco and cotton farm families of the South the position of the
young women in the family is that of an unpaid servant.
Youth on Relief
The number of rural youth in relief families reached its peak in
1935 when about 1,370,000 young persons, or 14 percent of all rural
youth, were receiving aid. By October of that year the number had
declined to approximately 625,000. This reduction was due in the
main to the expansion of the Civilian Conservation Corps and to the
transfer of rehabilitation families from the Federal Emergency Relief
Administration to the Resettlement Administration and did not mean
that any large number had secured employment. From February
1935 to October 1935 there was an increase in the relative proportion
of young women on relief, as the C. C. C. and most agricultural and
other work opportunities were open only to young men. During
the same period there was greater concentration in the age group
16 to 19 years than in the age group 20 to 24 years, as such opportu
nities were more generally available to the older age group. In
relief families less than one-half of the young men and slightly more
than one-tenth of the young women had some employment, chiefly
as farm laborers, domestic servants, and unskilled laborers. Al
though a larger proportion of rural youth in relief families than of
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Unemployed Youth
573
urban youth had had work experience, this was of such a limited
nature that it qualified them only for lower-paid jobs.
Employment Opportunities
In the past, rural youth could look forward ultimately to farm
ownership, starting first as a farm laborer, becoming a tenant, and
then owning a farm, but several factors have combined to make this
progress more and more difficult. These include the growing burden
of debt on the farms, increase in tenancy, decreased demand for farm
laborers, the trend toward large-scale ownership of land, the mechani
zation of agriculture, and the development of areas of general agri
cultural maladjustment.
Ownership of the land they cultivate is steadily being lost by the
farmers of the country, the equity of farm operators having dropped
from 54 percent of the value of all farm real estate in 1900 to 42
percent in 1930. It is probable that this equity was still less in 1935.
The average in 1930 ranged from less than 30 percent in Illinois,
Iowa, and South Dakota to over 70 percent in Maine, New Hamp
shire, and West Virginia. The farmers are burdened with both
long-term and short-term debts. The latter bear very heavy interest,
the interest rates charged in the South, according to a study in 1936,
ranging from 10 percent on Government loans to 15 percent on bank
loans, and 16 percent on merchant accounts, with still higher rates
for tenants and share-croppers.
The proportion of tenants increased from 25 percent of all farmers
in 1880 to 42 percent in 1935. A permanent tenant class is developing
from which relatively few are able to rise to ownership of the land.
This increase is quite general throughout the country but is especially
marked in certain sections of the South, such as the Mississippi Delta
where the proportion of tenancy is 90 percent; the Red River Bottoms,
80 percent; and the Black Belt, 73 percent. The problem of tenancy
was becoming serious even before the depression, as the length of time
in which a farmer was able to pass from the status of tenant to owner
had been lengthening for several decades. An even greater difficulty
is encountered by farm laborers in becoming tenants, a fact of great
importance to rural youth since they usually have to start in that
position. During the depression the total number of farm laborers,
including both wage hands and unpaid family workers increased from
4,393,000 in April 1930 to an estimated 5,919,000 in January 1935.
During this period the number of hired laborers decreased rapidly
because of lessened demand, and in 1935 it was estimated there were
only about 1,646,000 hired workers whereas unpaid family workers
had increased to 4,273,000. Individual ownership of the land has
also been affected by the trend toward corporate ownership which in
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
574
some sections, such as Iowa, Montana, and in the South, has reached
very large proportions.
Increased mechanization has eliminated the need for large numbers
of laborers, both members of the family and paid workers. In 1930
there were about 920,000 tractors on farms and by 1935 this number
had increased to about 1,175,000. The increased use of mechanical
power had resulted in a 23-percent increase of the agricultural output
per worker from 1919 to 1929, and in 1933 in the wheat-producing
areas of the Great Plains only about 25 percent as much man labor
was required to produce 1 acre of wheat as in 1919. Since the demand
for food products is fairly stable there can be little expansion in the
demand for agricultural products, unless there is a large increase in
their industrial use. With the present tendencies unchecked, the report
states, there are only three courses that seem to be open to agricultural
laborers. These are: To remain on the land with a low level of living;
to go to cities, usually to work at very low wages; or to go on relief
or take jobs provided by one of the governmental agencies.
Agricultural maladjustment is found in six extensive rural areas.
These are the Appalachian-Ozark, the Lake States Cut-Over, the
Spring Wheat, the Winter Wheat, the Western Cotton, and the
Eastern Cotton regions. The first of these represents an extreme in
maladjustment. Already overpopulated in 1930, particularly on
submarginal land, there was a migration to the land in the earlier
years of the depression while many persons in other occupations
turned to farming. The problems of the region are caused mainly
by overpopulation in relation to present economic opportunities.
The Cotton Belt is an area of disorganized agriculture with an excess
of population. It has been estimated that nearly 3 million young
persons matured into the age group 15 to 25 years between 1930 and
1935 in the rural districts of 11 Southern States. Of this number
about a quarter of a million are being cared for mainly on subsistence
farms. In the other areas exhaustion of the land and drought condi
tions, together with a turning to the land of persons previously engaged
in nonagricultural occupations, have resulted in intensive distress.
The proportion of youth in relief families in these areas is generally high. In
addition there is a mass of young people in marginal families, some on good land,
more on poor land, but all continually on the borderline of distress. This large
number of marginal youth is an impelling force operating to cause the spread of
areas of maladjustment. Under present conditions the farm population of America
is already above the maximum needed for maintenance of the agricultural output.
Hence, unless unusual demands for labor develop in the cities, more and more
rural youth may look forward to living only on a self-sufficing basis.
Possibilities of Employment Outside of Agriculture
If the excess number of rural youth is to be absorbed outside of agri
culture, employment for approximately 1,400,000 more rural youth
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Unemployed Youth
575
will have to be found in 1940 than in 1930. However, the employ
ment situation for young persons in other than rural areas is also se
rious. Studies in Detroit, Denver, and New York City show a high
percentage of unemployment among young persons out of school.
These young persons have to compete with those in the older age
groups, and it has been the experience of the United States Employ
ment Service that it is more difficult to place the young than the older
persons. For example, for the year ending July 1, 1936, young persons
under 25 years of age constituted 34 percent of all applicants but only
21 percent of all persons placed. Among these young persons seeking
employment applicants with past experience in agriculture, forestry,
and fishing formed the largest segment.
The increasing advance of technology affects rural young persons
both on the farm and in industry. In recent years the introduction of
new or improved machines has not been accompanied by increased
employment. In 1935 the vplume of total employment was 18 percent
below the 1920 level, but the volume of production was 14 percent
higher. The restriction in the number needed to produce manufac
tured goods is further shown by the fact that whereas in the third
decade of this century production in the manufacturing industries
increased about 40 percent, the number employed decreased about 2
percent from 1919 to 1929. Although over a period of time there are
changes in the relative importance of different products and different
industries and changes in the labor requirements, for the present, at
least, the manufacturing field is not absorbing an increasing number of
rural youth.
The largest group of unemployed young persons in the urban popu
lation is concentrated in the group below the age of 20. According to
a study of workers on relief made in March 1935, 49 percent of all
urban workers 20 years of age and under were inexperienced, as com
pared with 14 percent of those aged 21 to 24 years. Since young per
sons form a large proportion of the migrants from rural to urban areas
it is evident that such migrants are likely to find the labor market
already glutted with young persons of their own age. Employment
opportunities were improved in the cities prior to the business reces
sion of 1937-38, but the director of the National Youth Administration
for the State of Illinois found that while there was a limited oppor
tunity for work in the service fields and in factories, employment was
more certain for those young persons who were willing to perform
hard physical labor.
In conclusion, it is stated that “even with a substantial increase in
urban employment it is doubtful if there will be a demand for workers
approaching the available supply. Faced with restricted opportuni
ties in urban areas rural youth can no longer solve their economic
problems by leaving the village or the farm.”
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Negro in Industry
C O N F E R E N C E O N P R O B L E M S OF T H E N E G R O A N D
NEGRO YOUTH
SOME progress in employment opportunities and in educational,
recreational, health, and housing facilities for Negroes, was reported
at the Second National Conference on Problems of the Negro and
Negro Youth, held in Washington, D. C., January 12-14, 1939, under
the auspices of the National Youth Administration. The purpose of
the meeting was to review the progress made since the 1937 conference,
and to make recommendations for solving basic problems through
formulation of objectives and policies, for the advantage of Negroes,
which can be accomplished in whole or in part by the executive and
legislative branches of the Federal Government.1
The agenda included the subjects: Youth and its problems, health
and housing, education and recreation, social and economic oppor
tunity, farm tenancy, and public employment.
The opening address was made by Aubrey Williams, Administrator
of the National Youth Administration. Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune,
Director of the Division of Negro Affairs of that administration, was
chairman of the sessions. Among the speakers were Mrs. Franklin
D. Roosevelt and various officials and representatives of Government
and private agencies interested in the problems under discussion.
Negroes holding policy-making positions under the Federal Govern
ment served as consultants to the several reporting committees. In a
brief statement based on reports submitted to the Conference by the
four evaluation committees, the chairman announced that it was
“apparent that there have been specific gains, some of them as the
result of certain procedures and actions taken by the Federal Gov
ernment.” Among the significant gains noted was the expanding
opportunity for employment and economic security resulting from
the Federal relief program of such Government agencies as the Works
Progress Administration, the National Youth Administration, and
the Public Works Administration. Negroes, “who in the field of
private industry are proverbially the last hired and the first fired’
found some recognition” of their “intense and pressing needs for
wider work opportunity.” Attention was called to the widening of
the horizon of Negro youth through greater educational and recrea1 U . S. National Youth Administration. Second National Conference on Problems of the Negro and
Negro Youth, Washington, D . C., January 12-14, 1939. Press releases Nos. 6-307,13977-A, 13987, and 14027.
576
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Negro in Industry
577
tional facilities. Such programs as adult education under the Works
Progress Administration, student aid under the National Youth
Administration, and the vocational training offered in the Civilian
Conservation Corps have made training available to thousands of
Negroes. More healthful housing and living conditions were reported
under the Federal housing schemes, and new stability in family life
through Social Security benefits and welfare services such as those of
the Children’s Bureau. The Farm Security and Farm Credit pro
grams were declared to hold out hope and guidance for Negro farm
tenants.
The chairman also commended the stand taken by the President’s
Advisory Committee on Education on “definite legislative guaranty
for equitable Negro participation in the expenditure of Federal funds
for education,” and the recent ruling of the United States Supreme
Court (59 Sup. Ct. 232) that a Negro petitioner was entitled “to be
admitted to the law school of the State (Missouri) University in the
absence of other and proper provision for his legal training within the
State.”
Immediate Needs
Reviewing in brief the various recommendations submitted in
connection with the problem of Negroes, the chairman listed the
following needs as immediate:
Federal anti-lynching legislation.
Elimination of discrimination in Federal Civil Service.
Unrestricted use of the ballot.
Continuation of an adequate and federally administered work-relief program.
An expanded low-rent housing program.
Extension of Social Security benefits to agricultural and domestic workers.
Participation in the program of the Federal Housing Administration.
Additional policy-making positions.
Equitable participation in the George-Deen Act for industrial education.
Full participation in the apprenticeship-training and vocational-guidance
program.
A national health program.
Continuation and extension of youth-service programs.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Education and Training
N A T IO N A L O C C U PA T IO N A L IN F O R M A T IO N A N D
G U ID A N C E SE R V IC E
THE establishment in the United States Office of Education of a new
Occupational Information and Guidance Service has been announced
by the United States Commissioner of Education, who states that his
office “has long been interested in this field of service, but not until
this year have funds been available to finance it.”
In an article in the November 1938 issue of Occupations—the
Vocational Guidance Magazine (New York), the Commissioner ex
plains that, although this service must emphasize as its prime objec
tive the promotion of guidance with a view to the individual’s making
a living, the interpretation of guidance must never be narrow.
The new agency has received an impetus from the cooperation of
the National Occupational Conference, not only through the counsel
of its director, but by the allotment over a 3-year period of a sum of
money to initiate certain activities more rapidly than would other
wise be possible with the Federal funds already appropriated.
For the current year, besides the assignment of Harry A. Jager as
chief of the service, two specialists in occupational information, one
specialist in tests and measurements, and two specialists in field
service—one a woman—have been appointed. The staff has also
been supplemented by various authorities.
The proposed development of the Service will follow three main lines. The
first is the collation and dissemination of information about occupations. The
second concerns a permanent, cumulative inventory of the individual who is to
pursue one of these occupations. The third is the promotion throughout the
Nation of the consciousness of the need of occupational information and general
guidance as an integral part of school programs. It is clear that future progress
involves also the encouragement of the development of personnel and organization
for counseling services in State departments of education, local school systems, and
in individual school units, so th at they may function in helping youth and adults,
in school and out, to make better decisions about ways of making a living and
about other personal problems.
In the judgment of the Commissioner of Education, the future of
the guidance movement depends to a considerable extent on the avail
ability of Federal funds under the Smith-Hughes and George-Deen
Acts for the salaries and expenses requisite to maintain State-super
vised programs of occupational information and guidance.
578
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Education and Training
579
In concluding his announcement, the Commissioner of Education
states that “the emphasis of the Service will be placed upon coopera
tion with State and local authorities in making occupational informa
tion and guidance really function in the education of boys and girls,
youths and adults, in city and country.”
w w ##,
N Y A S T U D E N T A ID , 1938-39
IN THE academic year 1938-39, the National Youth Administra
tion’s college and graduate aid program is reaching 13 %percent more
young persons than during 1937-38, according to an announcement
made in January by the Administrator.1 This expansion has been
made possible through a more substantial appropriation received by
the National Youth Administration under the Emergency Relief
Appropriation Act of 1938.
The student quotas assigned to colleges and universities were on the
basis of 9.3 percent of the total enrollment (as of October 1, 1936) of
resident graduate and undergraduate students in the age group 16 to
24 inclusive. For 1938-39 the quota for the whole country is 87,969,
or 11,976 more than in 1937-38.
The average monthly aid for college students is limited to $15 and
for graduate students to $30. However, since the applications for this
assistance greatly exceed the number of those who can receive aid,
the average payment has been reduced in order to help as many stu
dents as possible. In November 1938, preliminary figures indicated
that the average wage paid by the National Youth Administration to
112,984 college and graduate students was $12.11 per month. The
allowance for undergraduates averaged $11.94; for the graduate
students, $17.98.
The allotted funds for college and graduate aid for the academic
year 1938-39 totaled $11,849,760. These allocations to the States
are ordinarily made on a monthly basis over a period of 9 months,
although sometimes the period is 8 months. The monthly allocations
for 1938-39 to all States, the District of Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii,
and Puerto Rico, amounted to $1,318,192.
A supplement of $100,000 to the regular allotment to the fund for
college and graduate aid was designated for the assistance of Negro
college and graduate students residing in those States having only
limited higher educational facilities for Negroes. This fund will
make it possible for 539 Negro students to earn on an average $20.60
per month. The majority of this number will be graduate students.
1 U. S. National Youth Administration.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Press release No. 6-313, Washington, D . C., January 29,1939.
Housing Conditions
C H A R A C T E R IST IC S OF U R B A N H O U SIN G , 1933 TO 1936
A REPORT recently issued by the Works Progress Administration
makes available comprehensive information on the physical and
financial characteristics of the dwellings of over two-fifths of the urban
population.1 This report gives data for 203 cities, of which material
for 64 cities was contained in the Federal real property inventory made
by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce in cooperation
with other governmental agencies during 1933-34.2 Recognition of
the value of the earlier study led to demands for extending the coverage
to other cities. In the additional surveys, locally sponsored but con
ducted under the same general procedure, bringing the total coverage
to 203 cities, the technique was altered from time to time, so that the
final figures for various surveys and their subdivisions are not strictly
comparable on all points.
Of the 8,375,397 dwelling units included in the investigation, 33.3
percent were owner occupied, 58.1 percent were occupied by tenants,
and 8.6 percent were vacant. Of the 5,097,523 analyzed with respect
to condition of the structures, 39.0 percent were in good condition,
44.8 percent needed minor repairs, 13.9 percent needed major repairs,
and 2.3 percent were unfit for use. The proportion of total dwellings
in good condition ranged from 58.3 percent of the total in Allegheny
County, Pa., Philadelphia, Pa., Washington, D. C., and Stamford,
Conn., taken as a group, to 16.3 percent for 32 New Jersey localities
each having a population of at least 25,000 persons.
Since a variety of factors contribute to substandard housing, it is
difficult to set a precise and rigid definition of good or bad conditions.
However, absence of sanitary facilities, unsafe condition of the
physical structure of the dwelling, overcrowding, and the presence of
more than one family in a unit designed for a single family are im
portant and were therefore investigated.
Of the dwelling units covered by this survey, 15 percent either had
no toilet facilities or shared their use with one or more other house
holds; in the Southeast the percentage lacking flush toilets was 32, in
1 U. S. Works Progress Administration. Division of Social Research. Urban Housing—a Summary of
Real Property Inventories Conducted as Work Projects, 1934-36. Washington, 1938.
2 For a summary of the findings of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce survey, see M onthly
Labor Review, March 1935 (p. 723).
580
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Housing Conditions
581
the Southwest 25, in the Northwest 19, and in the Northeast 12.
Installed bathing facilities were even less common, as 19.9 percent of
the households either had no such facilities or shared them with others.
Conditions in the southeastern cities were worse than in other localities,
with over two-fifths of the dwelling units having no private baths or
showers. Only 5 percent of the total dwelling units were without
running water, but in southern cities the proportion was about 15
percent. In some cities in which running water was installed it was
not used for either of the foregoing facilities.
Central heating equipment was lacking in over 40 percent of the
homes. The range was from 32 percent in the northeastern to 94
percent in the southwestern region. The lack of equipment in the
warmer sections of the country is not believed to be entirely due to
climatic conditions making heated houses less essential.
Indication of social rather than physical conditions is given in the
statistics showing that 17 percent of all the occupied dwelling units
housed more than one person per room, and that about 5 percent of
the families were living as extra families in units which already housed
a primary family. Overcrowding, as measured by the standard of
one person per room, ranged from 15 percent in two northern regions
to about 25 percent in southern regions. “Doubling up” varied from
4 percent in New York City to 9 percent in two southern areas.
[^Outside of New York City the typical house was a single-family wood
structure. Such dwellings represented four-fifths of the total, except
in the Northeast where they formed 72 percent of the total and in New
York City where only 43 percent were single-family houses. The dis
tribution based on number of dwelling units rather than structures is
somewhat different. For all regions exclusive of New York City, 57
percent of the dwelling units were single-family houses and 18 percent
were multifamily structures housing three or more families. In New
York City, which exemplifies extreme concentration of population,
only 12 percent of the dwelling units were in single-family houses.
Larger homes were found in the Northeast, exclusive of New York
City, than elsewhere. Almost half of the units in the Northeast had
six rooms or more, as compared with one-third in the Southeast and
Northwest, and only one-fourth in the Southwest and in New York
City. One-story structures were commonest, except in the Northeast,
where 15 percent were one-story buildings, as compared with over 50
percent in each of the other regions.
Wood exteriors predominated outside of New York City, ranging
from 64.7 percent of the total in the Northeast to 81.9 percent in the
Southeast. Brick was used for 29.9 percent of the structures in the
Northeast, and stucco for 27.7 percent in California.
Over half of the units were built before 1915 and nearly one-fourth
before 1895. The northeastern cities had the largest proportion of
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
582
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
those built before 1915, and the smallest proportion, 31 percent, was
in the Southwest. New York City had unusually large proportions
of the oldest and of comparatively new buildings.
Owners were occupying two-fifths of all occupied units except in
New York City. Owner occupancy ranged from one-third in the
Southeast to over one-half in the Northwest. Basing the conclusions
on two kinds of facilities—toilets and bathtubs—the owner-occupied
units were better equipped than were those occupied by tenants.
White families more frequently owned their homes than did those of
other races. Owners tended to occupy their homes longer than ten
ants. Four-fifths of the owner-occupied units had been occupied for
5 years or more, as compared with 18 percent in case of the tenantoccupied units. Forty percent of the tenants had been less than a year
in their present dwellings.
Vacant dwellings made up 8 percent of the total. They were less
well equipped in general than occupied dwellings and in greater need
of repair. For example, two-fifths of all units were in “good” condi
tion as compared with one-quarter of the vacant units. Over onethird of the vacant units had been idle for a year or more, but in the
West the proportion was smaller. Mobility was greater among tenants
in the Southwest than elsewhere, as less than one-fifth of the vacant
units had been unoccupied as long as a year and two-thirds had been
vacant less than 6 months.
As this study was made during a period of depression, business con
ditions must be taken into account in interpreting financial statistics.
About 65 percent of the single-family owner-occupied structures out
side of New York City were valued at less than $5,000, and only 8
percent were valued at $10,000 or more. Nearly one-fifth of the
structures were valued at less than $2,000, the range being from onetenth in the Northeast to over one-third in the South. Over half of
the single-family owner-occupied structures were mortgaged. The
highest proportion of mortgaged houses was in the Northeast.
The monthly rent for about half the rental-dwelling units was below
$25. In New York City, the average rental was between $30 and
$40, and in the Southeast over 70 percent of the monthly rentals were
under $20. In computing rentals, interviewers included estimates of
rent levels for vacant dwellings.
W W W
IN T E R N A T IO N A L C O M PA R ISO N OF R E N T S
RENTS in 62 cities, located in 19 countries, are compared in the latest
of a series of studies on this subject undertaken by the International
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Housing Conditions
583
Labor Office.1 Earlier investigations established methods of measur
ing the quality of housing and a system of rating dwellings according
to floor space, equipment, and privacy, and also gave some informa
tion on the actual cost of rent in selected cities.2 The object of these
inquiries is to make accurate data available on rental costs for use in
international cost-of-living comparisons.
The study reviewed here covers late 1936 and early 1937. The
statistics relate to rents of dwellings of the kinds usually occupied by
workers in the respective countries. Rates are given in the national
currencies of these countries and are also converted into Swiss francs
at the average exchange rates for December 1936. Monthly rentals
per dwelling, per room, and per square meter of living-room space are
shown, supplemented by information on total floor space.
A dwelling was defined as a separate architectural unit composed
of one or more rooms intended for the occupancy of a single family.
A room in general was defined as a bedroom, sitting room, or kitchen,
unless the kitchen was too small to be used as a living room. Bath
rooms, pantries, passages, porches, and attics were excluded from the
room count. Rent was taken to mean the net cost of rental plus
such items as charges for upkeep of passages, removal of refuse, and
fire insurance, but not the cost of heat and light. It was necessary
to depart from the exact definitions in some cases to allow for local
customs in the use of living space.
In order to obtain rents for workmen’s dwellings, choices were
made from data of the different countries. For example, where the
available statistics were averages covering all kinds of housing, figures
were specially computed by the cooperating governments for districts
where homes of workers predominated. For other countries the
rents used were sometimes those for small houses, which were
accepted as an approximate indication of workers’ rents. Systems
of rent control in effect in some countries raised difficulties, since
rents for comparable dwellings in the same town might vary depend
ing upon whether or not they were subject to control. Where weights
could be given to the controlled and uncontrolled rents an average
was computed; otherwise rents for the two groups were calculated
separately.
The International Labor Office has classified dwelling units in four
groups according to comfort, amenities, and sanitation, as follows:
A. Dwellings with private bathrooms and toilet and running water within the
dwelling.
B. Dwellings without private bathrooms, with private toilet and running
water within the dwelling.
1 Data are from International Labor Review, December 1938, pp. 840-861.
2 See M onthly Labor Review, March 1937, pp. 628-630, for a discussion of the methods.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
584
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
C. Dwellings with shared toilet (in multiple houses; on the same floor) and
running water within the dwelling or on the same floor.
D. Dwellings in multiple dwelling houses with toilet in yard and water supply
in common outside the dwellings.
The assumption of those making this study was that dwellings that
are good, average, or poor with reference to the standards listed, will
also fall in these respective categories as to heat, light, ventilation,
etc. Although heating and lighting systems provide an indication
of the standard of comfort, they have not been taken into account in
this survey, owing to the great variation in the requirements under
different climatic conditions.
Floor space was taken into consideration, as it was believed that
the number of rooms in a dwelling is not, by itself, a measure of the
adequacy of the accommodations. Rooms may be sufficiently large
in some countries to provide as much space in a two-room suite as in
one of three or four rooms elsewhere. An attempt was made to collect
data on the normal floor space of dwellings of different sizes and stand
ards of quality in order to be able to calculate the rent per square
meter. Floor space, however, might be defined as including only the
area of the main rooms of the dwelling, exclusive of passage, bath
rooms, etc., or as including these additional spaces. Either interpre
tation is justified, but the living rooms are the decisive factor making
for the comfort and amenity of the family, and the narrower definition
was therefore adopted.
The monthly rental rates (in Swiss francs) of workers’ dwellings,
classified by number of rooms, in 15 countries are shown in the fol
lowing table. These statistics cover only dwellings of standard A,
which have running water and private bathroom and toilet.
Monthly Rent (in Swiss Francs) Paid for Workers' Dwellings, in 15 Different Countries,
1936-37
[Average exchange rate of franc in December 1936=22.985 cents]
M onthly rent (in Swiss francs) of dwellings with specified number of rooms
Country and town
Australia:
M elbourne_____________
S y d n e y __________ ____
Austria: Graz______ ______
Canada:
H alifax......... - __ _...........
Montreal.............................
D enm ark: C openhagen........._
U n ited States:’
Chicago 4_______________
D e n v e r 4________________
Los Angeles 4.......................
N ew Y ork 4_____ ____
P h ila d elp h ia 4____ _____
1
2
(■)
0)
i 50. 60
i 54.00
29. 35
<•)
(•)
(•)
(*)
(')
See footnotes at end of table.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
4 134.10
» 91. 50
« 96.35
4 149.40
4 121.00
3
4
5
0)
(>)
54.90
65. 65
71.75
46. 75-68.75
37.60-55.20
39.60-66.00
47.20-91.20
70.40
69.20- 91.20
65.25- 82.85
57. 20- 88.00
69.20-113. 20
88.00
68.95- 90.95
130.70
116.15
116.60
150.05
127.40
127.15
111.30
147.40
157.10
132.85
6
80.35
83.40
94. 75
95.10
91.85-135.85 105.30-149.30
70.05- 92.05 84. 50-128.50
74.80-105. 60 88.00-132.00
91.65-135. 65 113.90-153.50
96.80
101.20
91.65-135.65 101.20-145.20
* 64.30
*87.90
153. 55
139.50
172. 50
165.90
119.70
172.90
150.90
192.50
203.70
127.60
Housing Conditions
585
Monthly Rent (in Swiss Francs) P aid for Workers' Dwellings, in 15 Different Countries
1936-37—Continued
M o n th ly rent (in Sw iss francs) of dw ellings w ith specified nu m ber of rooms
C ountry and tow n
1
France:
L ille .____ ______________
Paris 8__________________
Great Britain:
B irm ingham 7. ________
B r is to l7.................................
G la s g o w ..______ _______
L ondon •________ ___ _
M anchester and Salford.
N ew castle 10____________
H ungary: B u d a p est........... .
Ireland:
Cork......................................
D ublin:
F la ts . ............................
C ottages........................
D u n d a lk ________________
N ew Zealand:
A uckland w .. . ____ _____
Christchurch 77_________
D u n ed in 1J. ____ ________
W ellington 72___________
N etherlands:
A m sterd am _____________
R otterdam _____________
U trech t.................. ..............
Sweden:
G oteborg_______________
M a lm o ....... ............... ...........
Stock holm ______________
Switzerland:
B a s e l...................... .............
B ern______ ____ ________
Zurich__________________
C zechoslovakia: Prague____
U nion of South A frica:78
B loem fontein 72_________
C ape T ow n 72___________
D urban 73______________
E a st L ondon 73_________
K im berley 72____________
Pieterm aritzburg 72...........
Port E lizabeth 73............ ..
Pretoria 73____ ____ ____
W itw atersrand 73_______
2
64. 65
3
4
58.35-78. 35
75.00- 82.00
42.00
100.00
49.75
3 52.10
69.50
• 67. 20
8 61.40
66.00
78 49.80
49.80
88.60
5
75.30
2 57.90
56.75
119. 75
29.35
77 13.90 77 18. 55
77 23. 15
77 27.80
77 34.75
1
6
89.20
68.35
174. 55
62.55
77 37.05
77 46.35
47.90
73 64. 50
73 62.95
73 64. 50
73 86.05
83.15
50.40
2 77 59.40
3 77 59.40
3 77 79.20
78 33. 10
91.95
50.95
41.55-59.65
129. 90
60.25
53.60-80.00
75.65
88.35
90.00
78 57.00
91.35
125 85
110.00
112.35
163.35
135.00
102.95
92.85
113.95
108. 75
60.85
88. 75
90.45
122.20
127.25
130.20
123.85
140.40
130.95
76.40
114. 65
125.05
153.20
151.05
155.40
162.10
167.90
153.80
98.35
135.45
152.85
182.80
189.95
73 79.00
73 79. 60
73 86.40
73 101.80
3 77 89. 10
3 77 79.20
3 77 113. 85
154. 70
183.25
183.35
165.10
116. 20
158.15
167. 60
191. 70
192. 50
I Rental shown ( o r 2 rooms covers 1-, 2-, or 3-room dwellings.
3 An important proportion of the dwellings is of a lower standard.
3 A certain proportion of the dwellings is of a lower standard.
7 Based on samples of all dwellings of which the quality falls predominantly into standard A. It is prob
able that a high percentage of the wage earners have this or a higher standard. In N ew York and Chicago
the predominant type of dwelling is the multiple dwelling house, while in other cities the family house con
taining 1 or a few families is predominant.
• Rental shown for 2 rooms covers 1- or 2-room dwellings.
8 Private ownership.
7 Single-family dwellings in rows.
• As given in the International Labor Office inquiry of 1935.
• M ostly separate houses but including some tenements or flats.
Dwellings either in flats or in houses.
II A kitchenette or scullery (of from 2 to 5 square meters) is not included in the number of rooms.'
11 Data referring to all dwellings which may also be taken as representative of workers’ dwellings, the
workers’ housing standard not being very different from those of the rest of the population. The dwellings
are chiefly single-family houses consisting of a single floor, often of the “ bungalow” type, with a small garden.
11 A kitchenette which can be used only for cooking food, of an area varying between 7 and 8 square meters,
is usually included in the number of rooms.
77 Dwellings with central heating.
Average rents weighted according to number of dwellings covered and those not covered by the act
protecting tenants.
79 Kitchen for colored servants not included in the number of rooms.
129324— 39------ 7
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Cooperation
P O SIT IO N
OF C O O PE R A T IV E S U N D E R
H O U R AC T
W AG E A N D
THE Fair Labor Standards Act provides no express exemption for
cooperatives as such, according to the decision of the Wage and Hour
Division, United States Department of Labor.1 Many requests have
been received by the Administrator for information regarding the
status of employees of cooperatives, many of whom are shareholders
in the association by which they are employed.
The Administrator’s statement follows:
The question has been asked whether cooperatives are employers and members
who work for them employees within the terms of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The term cooperative is used to describe various types of business organizations
differing in form and method of operation. Accordingly, no statement can be
made to cover all types of organizations calling themselves cooperatives. How
ever, it may be said generally th at no justification can be found for concluding
th at member-workers of cooperatives, otherwise covered, are not entitled to the
benefits of the act.
Any doubt which exists must be based on the notion that cooperatives are, in
effect, partnerships and th at no employer-employee relationship exists between
them and the members who work for them. Although it is possible that there
may be “workers’ ” cooperatives in which the interests of the members as workers
are in all respects the same as their interests as proprietors and in which the usual
characteristics of the employer-employee relationship do not exist, and hence in
which the worker-members would not be employees within the meaning of the act,
it is to be noted th at cooperatives are commonly separate entities in which the
usual characteristics of the employer-employee relationship exist as between
them and worker-members. Cooperatives are generally in the corporate form
with interests distinct from those of their members. Though their workers may
be stockholders, as workers they are subject to the usual control and discipline of
the corporate employer; they work at the discretion of the cooperative’s board of
directors or other managerial body. Their concern, as workers, with wages,
hours of work and other working conditions, is quite distinct from and may be
much greater than their interest, as stockholders, in profits or dividends.
The Fair Labor Standards Act provides no express exemption in favor of coop
eratives as do some other statutes, and the provisions in the act defining the
employer-employee relationship cover the relation of the ordinary cooperative to
its workers regardless of whether or not they are stockholders or members.
1 U.
S. Department of Labor.
586
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wage and Hour Division.
Release of January 11, 1939.
Cooperation
587
T H E C O O PER A TIV ES A N D TV A
RURAL cooperative associations are of assistance to the Tennessee
Valley Authority in carrying out certain phases of its program. The
annual report of that agency 1points out that there are 19 cooperative
associations which are distributing TVA electricity in rural areas;
terracing is being done on a shared-cost basis with several soil-con
servation associations; and a number of cooperative organizations
have been formed to operate refrigeration units for rural communities,
using the low-cost refrigerator developed jointly by the Authority and
the University of Tennessee Engineering Experiment Station.
The experience of one association in the last-named group is cited.
This was a Georgia association which installed a refrigerator costing
$650. Labor estimated at about $150 was contributed by the mem
bers. Operating costs (electricity, interest, and depreciation)
amounted to $176. As it was estimated that gross savings in re
duced losses from spoilage and waste, and in the provision of cheaper
meats, aggregated about $476, the net saving was estimated at about
$300, or 37 percent on the total investment, with the refrigerator
operating at only 50 percent of capacity. During the 12 months
ending October 31, 1937, the 61 member families stored 16,000 pounds
of meat and other farm products.
Up to the year under review the TVA had rendered administrative
assistance to three cooperatives with which it had contractual rela
tions, but this assistance was terminated as the organizations became
self-sufficient. These associations were Tennessee Valley Associated
Cooperatives, formed in 1933 to reduce the relief burden in certain
rural areas through cooperative processing and marketing of farm
products; Southern Highlanders, Inc., a marketing organization for
small producers of hand-craft articles, whose membership has grown
to more than a thousand individuals and separate producing groups;
and the Land O’The Sky Association, Inc., doing similar work for
eight farm cooperatives engaged in canning and other activities.
The 19 electricity cooperatives, at the end of June 30, 1938, were
operating 3,814 miles of rural line, had 20,911 customers (of whom
17,524 were residential customers), and had total residential electricity
sales of $892,757, or $60.51 per customer. The report notes that the
operation of the cooperatives was on the whole less profitable than
that of the municipalities. This was attributed to differing charac
teristics of service, mainly a more scattered distribution of customers.
Nevertheless, “four of the older organizations were strong in every
way, having accumulated substantial consumers’ earned equities.”
Generally speaking, it seems reasonable to anticipate that all cooperatives will
be operating on a profitable basis within relatively few years, since they were
1 United States. Tennessee Valley Authority.
ington, 1938. 2 vols.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Annual report for fiscal year ended June 30,1938. Wash
588
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
established only after careful surveys as to their financial feasibility, and most of
them are still in the developmental period of operations.
On the whole, distribution operations by the municipalities and cooperative
associations have proved financially successful. The 15 municipalities and 5
cooperative associations showing surpluses at the end of the year had accumulated
consumers’ earned equities of almost $650,000, about 40 percent of this amount
during the last fiscal year.
The financial report of the Authority indicates that 15 electricity
cooperatives had long-term obligations to the Authority which at the
end of June 1938 amounted to $1,982,717.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Profit Sharing
C O M PU L SO R Y P R O F IT SH A R IN G I N V E N E Z U E L A
COMPULSORY sharing of net profits by an industrial or commercial
employer with his salaried and wage-earning employees, at rates
ranging from 2.05 percent of annual earnings for those in small enter
prises to 12.45 percent for those employed in large undertakings, was
decreed in Venezuela on December 17, 1938,1based upon article 63 of
the Labor Act of July 16, 1936.2 Certain large agricultural, cattle
raising, and fishing enterprises, in which industrial and commercial
work predominate, are also subject to the provisions of the decree,
but the employee’s share in the profits is to be 50 percent of that to
which he would be entitled in the other enterprises. The decree
specifies that sharing in profits does not entitle the employees to
share also in management.
Classification of Enterprises
For determination of the percentage of profits to be distributed,
commercial and industrial enterprises are divided into four groups.
Large enterprises are divided into two classes: Class A includes those
employing 400 or more persons, as well as those employing a smaller
number if they have capital of at least 1,000,000 bolivares; and class
B includes those having from 200 to 400 employees, as well as those
with a smaller number if they have capital of from 200,000 to 1,000,000
bolivares. Small enterprises are also divided into two classes: Class
A including enterprises having 50 to 200 employees, as well as those
employing fewer persons but having capital of 50,000 to 200,000
bolivares; and class B, enterprises habitually employing fewer than
50 persons and also those having less than 50,000 bolivares of capital.
N et Profits
Net profits for any year are those earned during the 12 months end
ing December 1, but an employee who has been hired or one who has
withdrawn during the year is entitled to his proportion of the profits
for the number of whole months of his employment. The net profits
are found by deducting from the gross profits the general expenses of
1 Gaceta Oficial, Caracas, December 17, 1938, pp. 120,667-120,669.
2 International Labor Office, Geneva, Legislative Series—1936, Venezuela 2.
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590
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
the establishment or enterprise; the interest, not greater than that
current on the market, to which the capital is entitled; and amounts
set apart for reserves or dividends, but these latter may not exceed
10 percent of the capital. The decree does not allow for balancing of
years showing profits with those showing losses, nor may employers
reduce the salaries they have been paying, because of the profitsharing requirement.
Rate of Participation
The rates of participation, based upon the employee’s earnings
during the year, are as follows:
Large enterprises:
Percent
Class A_________________________________________ 12. 45
Class B _________________________________________ 8. 30
Small enterprises:
Class A_________________________________________ 4. 15
Class B_________________________________________ 2. 05
Profits less than the required amount, or sufficient to cover only
the percentages fixed in this decree, are to be distributed among the
employees according to the above scale, each employee receiving an
amount proportioned to his annual earnings. As previously noted,
employees in agricultural, cattle raising, and fishing enterprises sub
ject to the decree are to receive half rates.
Time and Mode of Payment
Half of the employee’s share in the profits is to be paid to him
during the 5 days preceding December 25 of each year, and the
remaining 50 percent is to be deposited to his credit in his savings
account in an approved Venezuelan bank, but employers who have
already established a company savings fund or a cooperative may
deposit the second 50 percent in these, subject to payment of interest.
In certain emergencies, the employee may, with the approval of the
labor inspector having jurisdiction, draw out 50 percent of the amount
credited to him. When his connection with an enterprise ceases, the
amounts to his credit may be transferred to some other place or
institution, also with the approval of the labor inspector. In any
case, after six annual payments have been deposited to his credit an
employee may withdraw his savings. At the death of an employee,
his heirs may at once receive the full amount of his savings. In Jan
uary of each year the employer is required to furnish a report of the
profits paid to employees by him, with proof of his statements. Con
troversies arising under the decree are to be heard in labor courts.
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Profit Sharing
591
Retroactivity of the Decree
Notwithstanding the fact that the decree could not normally be
effective before December 17, 1938 (the date of its publication in the
Gaceta Oficial), the first payment is declared to be due for the period
from December 1, 1937, to December 1, 1938. Sixty days, dating
from December 20, 1938, are allowed for the employers to make a
further retroactive payment, divided as above, for the time from
July 16, 1936, the date of the Labor Act, to November 30, 1937. For
this interval of slightly over 16 months, the payment is to be onethird of that to which employees are entitled for the year ending
December 1, 1938.
Deposit of Payments
In an order of January 12, 1939, the Minister of Labor and Com
munications, who is in charge of the execution of the decree, designated
7 banking institutions in which the deposit of profit-sharing payments
is to be made, with the rates of interest on these deposits which each
is willing to pay.3 Of the 7 institutions, 2 do not pay interest, 2 pay 1
percent, 1 pays 2 percent, another pays 2 percent up to 5,000 bolivares
and 1 percent up to 10,000 bolivares, and the seventh pays 2 percent
up to 10,000 bolivares.
s Report of Antonio C. Gonzales, American Minister at Caracas, January 14, 1939.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Health and Industrial Hygiene
M E D IC A L CA RE FO R LO W -IN C O M E F A R M F A M IL IE S
THE Farm Security Administration, with the cooperation of State
medical associations, has developed plans under which low-income
farm families are being helped to obtain medical care at moderate cost.
Such plans, in November 1938, covered more than 78,000 families in
20 States.1 The provision of medical care is an outgrowth of the
rehabilitation program covering more than 600,000 low-income and
destitute farm families. As a lending agency, the Farm Security
Administration found, quite apart from any humanitarian purposes,
that a family in good health is a better credit risk than one in poor
health and that good health is a necessary part of a family’s economic
rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation program is designed to assist relief families to
become independent self-sustaining units and to this end loans are
made, after plans have been worked out by trained agricultural and
home-management supervisors with the farmers and their wives, for
the operation of the farms and homes. Rehabilitation loans are made
principally to enable the farmer to purchase farm equipment, live
stock, fertilizer, seed, etc. The loans, carrying interest at 5 percent
and secured by crop liens and mortgages on livestock, average about
$300. It has been the experience of the Administration that the
loans are generally repaid. This credit is extended only to farmers
who cannot obtain assistance elsewhere, and as they are what would
be ordinarily rated as poor risks the Government’s security is depend
ent upon their success, which in turn depends, in part, upon their
being in good physical condition.
Provisions of Plans
The plans developed by the Farm Security Administration to
provide medical care for its borrowers are put into effect only with the
cooperation of the local medical societies. As a first step, an agree
ment is made with the State medical association, outlining the general
principles acceptable to the association, after which the local medical
1 Farm Security Administration.
November 1, 1938.
592
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Medical-Care Plans for Low-IncomeF arm Families. Press release.
Health and Industrial Hygiene
593
societies in the areas most needing this service are approached for the
purpose of working out the details of a plan for borrower families.
The plans, as agreed upon with the medical societies, provide that
in general the total amount a borrower is to spend in a given period,
usually one year, will be within the amount he is considered able to
pay (as determined by the farm plan) and that the family shall have
free choice of a physician. They also provide that the funds for the
payment of medical costs and fees shall be paid to a trustee at the
beginning of the period and may then be pooled into a common fund
or credited to the individual families, according to the agreement
reached by the local physicians and the families concerned. The
amount paid by persons covered by the plans varies in the different
localities but is usually between $20 and $30 per family per year.
Where necessary, the Farm Security Administration will increase the
size of its loan to a borrower in order that he may participate in the
plan.
The plan which is in most general use provides that a part of the
money shall be set aside for surgical cases, hospitalization, and emer
gency needs and that the remainder shall be divided into equal monthly
allotments for the payment of medical fees for the period covered.
Monthly statements are submitted by physicians for their services.
If the allotment for the month is sufficient, all bills are paid in full and
any balance is carried forward to the next month or to the end of the
period. If the funds are not sufficient to pay the physicians’ bills
for the month, however, the allotment is prorated among the phy
sicians, and any funds remaining from previous periods may either
be used to complete payment of the bills for months in which funds
were not adequate or be returned to the families, as the terms of the
agreement may provide.
If the plan provides that a separate fund is to be kept for each
family, the physician agrees to provide medical care for the period
for the amount designated. If the actual cost of service rendered is
less than the sum set aside, the balance is refunded to the family,
but if it is greater the physician continues attendance during the
period without additional compensation. This type of plan does not
provide for hospitalization but sometimes it is varied to provide for
pooling part of the payments from all families to meet hospitalization
and emergencies.
The experience with the two types of plans has shown that for lowincome families the pooled-fund plan is preferable, as it insures ade
quate care in cases of protracted and serious illness and protects the
doctor from having to care for such cases without compensation.
Both plans have proved effective in the preventive aspects of medi
cine. Families which, because of inability to pay, would ordinarily
postpone seeking medical attention until minor illnesses became chronic
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
594
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
or serious are able to have such care, while in many areas physicians
who have previously served Farm Security Administration borrowers
with little or no compensation are assured of reasonable payment.
In both plans payment for medical care is based on the expected
income of the family and the physicians use a uniform fee schedule
as the basis for their charges. Since the incomes of these families
range from $20 to $300 a year it is realized that they cannot pay
heavy fees and the families generally realize that even though no
medical attention may be needed in the year the security afforded is
worth the investment. In general there is no abuse of the privilege
in requesting unnecessary medical attention, and in the rare instances
where such demands have been made the local representative of the
Farm Security Administration has usually been able to adjust the
matter. If he fails to do so, however, the family may be dropped
from the program. Physicians, in general, are pleased with the pro
gram since families who were formerly unable to pay anything are
now able to pay at least a part of the customary fees.
Extent of Prepayment Plans
County plans for medical care are in operation in 120 counties in
the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri,
Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Tennessee. Agreements
have been reached with the State medical associations in Colorado,
Louisiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North and South Dakota,
Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
A report, for the first 9 months of 1938, of a county medical plan
in 1 of the Southern States covers 304 families paying an average of
approximately $26 per year per family. The amount available in
the medical fund was $439.85 per month, or $5,278.20 for the year.
The bills presented for the 9-month period totaled $5,316.44 ’of which
$3,945.93 had been paid. There was a surplus of $12.72 in the first
month but a deficit in each of the succeeding 8 months. The monthly
payments on a pro-rata basis had ranged from 53 to 89 percent of
the bills. The hospital fund for the year amounted to $2,639.10
and the bills to $1,769 of which $1,549.69 was paid, the pro-rata
monthly payments ranging from 67 to 100 percent of the total bill.
In North and South Dakota, because of the large number of families
in need of help as a result of repeated droughts, State-wide programs
were put into effect in November 1938. It was expected that a large
proportion of the 77,000 families eligible in the 2 States would become
members of the farmers’ aid corporations. The fee charged was $2
per month per family, to be used for emergency medical and dental
care, emergency hospitalization, and for necessary drugs and medical
supplies, and home nursing. This plan covers service only for acute
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Health and Industrial Hygiene
595
or emergency conditions. Charges are based on a special schedule of
fees agreed upon by the interested organizations and a fixed propor
tion is set aside for the different services.
Medical prepayment plans have also been organized on a community
basis. One such program, started in March 1938, is administered
by the families themselves which pay annual membership dues of
$18 per family for general practitioner care. In several communities
the homesteaders have organized voluntary beneficial associations
which serve as the agencies for the conclusion of special agreements
with physicians and hospitals. In still other cases the Farm Security
Administration advances the money for medical care and the loans
are repaid when the crops are sold.
With the exception of public health nurses placed in a number of
the projects, the Farm Security Administration is avoiding subsidiz
ing medical care as far as possible. The report states that as yet
“there has not been sufficient experience with these various plans to
perfect them. Adjustments and changes will be necessary. It is
not felt that these programs are a final answer to all the problems of
medical care in rural areas, but it is felt that they are worth-while
examples of methods which may be used in approaching these prob
lems.”
C O N G R E SS O N IN D U S T R IA L H E A L T H
THE organization of a Council on Industrial Health was authorized
at a meeting of the House of Delegates of the American Medical
Association in 1937. It was decided by the members that a series of
conferences should be held for the purpose of clarifying the objectives
of the industrial health movement and the first annual congress was
held accordingly in Chicago, January 9 and 10, 1939. The meeting
was attended by approximately 250 leaders in industrial health work.
The plans of the Council include an investigation of present activities
in the field of industrial health, the objectives of this study being to
outline problems of health in industry and to indicate what is being
done about them. Another phase of the Council’s plan for the
advancement of industrial health is a stimulation of clinical discus
sions on industrial medical problems through the State and county
medical organizations.1
In his statement to the congress, Dr. Seeger, chairman of the
Council, pointed out that there had been a lag among the rank and
file of practising physicians who care for the great mass of industrial
workers, in acquainting themselves with preventive and curative
1 Data are from Journal of the American Medical Association (Chicago), January 21, 1939 (p. 241) and
statement made to the Congress on Industrial Health by Dr. Stanley J. Seeger, chairman.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
596
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
measures developed by medical and engineering experts in the field
of industrial hygiene. This lag is due both to the rapid development
of industry and to the failure of medical educational systems to stress
the importance of industrial medicine and give it due importance in
courses of study. “The implications of the development of industry
and the change in the practice of medicine effected by workmen’s
compensation laws has not been sufficiently emphasized.” Therefore,
the practising physician must attempt to orient himself in this ex
panding field and must study the aims and accomplishments of the
various organized agencies concerned with industrial health problems.
The program of this first conference was devoted to consideration
of the points of view of organized medicine and of the principal pro
fessional, governmental, and nonmedical agencies responsible for the
health of the working population.
In commenting editorially on the results of the conference, the
Journal of the American Medical Association points out that indus
trial medicine has progressed greatly in the past quarter century and
that within the profession a career in preventive industrial practice
is being increasingly recognized as a worthy aim in itself. The
conference furnished every indication, it is said, that lay organizations
welcomed the opportunity to learn at first hand the attitude which
organized medicine takes toward industrial practice.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial Accidents
IN D U S T R IA L
By M
ax
IN J U R IE S I N T H E
D U R IN G 1937
U N IT E D
ST A T E S
D . K o s s o r is a n d S w e n K j a e r , Bureau of Labor Statistics
IN 1937 there were approximately 19,600 occupational deaths,
127.000 permanent injuries, and slightly less than 1,700,000 tem
porary injuries in the United States, according to estimates of the
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. These estimates covered
not only workers, but also self-employed persons. For employed
workers the estimates indicate 17,800 deaths, 111,900 permanent
injuries, and 1,533,600 temporary disabilities, or a total of about
1,663,300. The total occupational injuries for the United States,
including those to workers and self-employed proprietors, amounted
to 1,838,000.
Mining and quarrying appears to have been the most hazardous of
the industry groups studied. The ratio of 2,028 deaths for every
million employees is the highest of any of the groups. The total of
115,048 disabilities per million employees in this industry indicates
that, on the average, 1 out of every 8 employees was injured during
the year. Construction ranked second, with approximately 1,048
fatalities per million employees, and, on the average, 1 out of every
8 employees injured during the year. Miscellaneous transportation,
including busses, taxis, marine, and air transportation industries,
ranked third in fatality ratio. Agriculture, which in the aggregate
had more fatalities than any other single group, had 416 fatalities per
million employees.
The 79 industries studied in the annual survey included more than
20.000 identical establishments for which figures were available for
1936 and 1937. These establishments had about 4% million employees
during 1937 and a total exposure of nearly 8%billion employee-hours.
The entire group experienced 898 deaths, 59 permanent total disa
bilities, 10,390 permanent partial disabilities, and 129,397 temporary
total disabilities. The total time loss of 18,500,000 days averaged
4.3 days for every worker employed during the year. For the entire
group surveyed, the average number of disabling injuries per million
employee-hours worked increased slightly from 17.06 in 1936 to 17.19
597
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
598
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
in 1937, and the average days lost per thousand hours worked remained
practically constant with 2.25 for 1936 and 2.26 for 1937.
Outstanding in 1937 for high frequency rates (that is, average
number of disabling injuries per million employee-hours) were logging
with a frequency rate of 116.11, sawmills with 63.06, pulp manufac
turing with 51.64, fertilizer manufacturing with 41.59, and brick, tile,
and terra-cotta manufacturing with 35.08. The frequency rate for
logging was 8 percent in excess of that of 107.43 for 1936, and the
rate for sawmills increased slightly as did that for fertilizers. On the
other hand, the frequency rate for pulp manufacturing decreased from
60.56, and that for brick, tile, and terra cotta from 38.68.
Industries with low frequency rates were coke ovens with 4.21,
cement with 4.87, women’s clothing with 4.88, gas manufacturing with
5.78, tobacco products with 5.87, men’s clothing with 6.02, explosives
with 6.10, knit goods with 7.05, and electrical machinery, apparatus,
and supplies with 7.80. The entire printing and publishing group
showed low frequency rates, as did the laundry and dry cleaning group.
The survey revealed no definite relationship of industrial injuries to
changes in employment. In some industries increases in employment
were accompanied by increased -frequency rates, while in others
decreases in employment had the same effect. In still others, decreases
in employment were accompanied by increases or decreases in the
frequency rate. For instance, in the explosives industry, a 14.5 per
cent increase in employment was matched by a 10.8 percent decrease
in the frequency rate. Cement had a similar experience, as had ma
chine tools and pulp manufacturing. But a decrease of 1.7 percent in
soap-manufacturing employment resulted in an increase of 51.9 per
cent in the frequency rate. In other industries, such as confectionery
and logging, considerable increases in frequency rates were experienced
with practically no changes in employment.
An analysis of the distribution of the types of injuries indicates that
the cement industry had more fatalities per thousand injuries than
any other industry. Its ratio of 68 fatalities per thousand injuries,
however, appears to be due to the absence of minor injuries, inasmuch
as the frequency rate for the industry is only 4.87. For the electric
power and light industry, the fatality ratio dropped from 29 in 1936
to 17 in 1937, but for the miscellaneous utility groups, that is, estab
lishments carrying on activities falling into more than one of the
industries listed, the number of fatalities remained practically con
stant, with 33 in 1936 and 34 in 1937.
The individual reports of the cooperating establishments indicated
clearly that a large percentage was able to go through the entire year
with no or very few disabling injuries. On the other hand, other
establishments with essentially the same hazards and in the same size
group of employment had a considerable number of such disabilities.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
599
Industrial Accidents
As has been indicated in earlier surveys and special studies, the experi
ences of the establishments without injuries indicate beyond any
doubt that most of the injuries reported could have been prevented.
To establishments with injury experiences, the problem of safety is a
constant challenge—but a challenge which can be met.
Estimates of Disabling Industrial Injuries During 1937
The data already referred to for the national experience are given
in table 1. Footnotes indicate the degree of comprehensiveness of
the information on which these estimates are based. It will be noted
that for some of these industries the estimates were based on frag
mentary data, while for others, such as manufacturing, mining, and
railroads, the estimates are based on comprehensive information.
In contrast with the estimates for 1936, those for 1937 have been
amplified to include self-employed proprietors as well as employed
workers. The total of the two groups is the total of all occupational
injuries. In two of the industries, however, it was impossible to make
this segregation; thus, included in agriculture are self-employed
farmers and family labor, and included in mining and quarrying are
self-employed miners.
In the mining and quarrying group, anthracite and bituminous-coal
mining together accounted for about 1,400 fatalities, and mining of
metals (not including iron) accounted for an additional 160 deaths.
In the public utilities group, the telephone and telegraph industry
accounted for approximately 20 deaths, light, power, and gas utilities
for about 150, and street railways for the remainder. The railroad
group includes both steam and electric railroads. The miscellaneous
transportation group includes trucking, taxicabs, busses, pipe lines,
water shipping, and aircraft. The services and miscellaneous indus
tries group includes finance, government, educational and professional
employment, and the large group of miscellaneous services and indus
tries not elsewhere classified.
T able 1.—Estimated Number of Disabling Injuries During 1937
Number of injuries, by extent of disability
All disabilities
Industry group
Total
Em ploy Self-em
ees
ployed
All industries_________________________ 1,838,000 1,663, 300
Construction i ..................................................
M a n u f a c t u r i n g 3...............................................
Trade—wholesale and retail1...................
Miscellaneous transportation7...............
Services and miscellaneous industries 7___
See footnotes at end of table.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
270, 500
107,800
391,700
364.400
16, 500
241,200
40,100
42,400
363.400
Death
7 270, 500
4 107,800
5 353,300
354, 300
16, 500
191,000
40,100
29, 200
« 300,600
174, 700
38,400
10,100
50,200
13, 200
62,800
Total
Em ploy Self-em
ees
ployed
19, 600
17,800
4, 500
1,900
3,700
2,500
300
2,800
800
800
2,300
7 4,500
4 1,900
« 3,300
2,300
300
2,200
800
600
8 1,900
1,800
400
200
600
200
400
600
Motithly Labor Review—March 1939
T a b l e 1.— Estimated Number of Disabling Injuries During 1937— Continued
Number of injuries, by extent of disability
Permanent
Industry group
Total
Temporary
Employ Self-em
ees
ployed
Total
Employ
ees
All industries__________________________
126,700
111, 900
14,800 1, 691,700 1,533,600
Agriculture 1_____ __ ___________ ____
Mining and quarrying 3________________
Construction 1_________________________
Manufacturing 3__________ ____________
Public utilities 3____ _
__ _______
Trade—wholesale and reta il1...................
Railroads 6____________ - ____________
Miscellaneous transportation 7__________
Services and miscellaneous industries7___
13,500
3,300
20,600
27,900
700
32,000
1,400
2,200
25,100
3 13, 500
4 3, 300
3 18,500
27,000
700
25,300
1,400
1,500
8 20,700
252, 500
102,600
367.400
334.000
15, 500
206.400
37,900
39,400
336.000
1 Based on fragmentary data.
1 Includes self-employed proprietors and family
labor.
3 Based on comprehensive survey.
4 Includes self-employed proprietors.
2,100
900
6,700
700
4,400
2 252, 500
4 102,600
8 331, 500
325,000
15, 500
163, 500
37,900
27,100
8 278,000
Self-em
ployed
158,100
35,900
9,000
42,900
12,300
58,000
3 Includes W. P. A. projects.
6 Based on Interstate Commerce Commission data.
7 Based on small sample study.
8 Includes C. C. C. projects.
Table 2 indicates the relative hazards of each of the industry
groups by showing per million workers the number of fatalities, per
manent, and temporary injuries.
T a b l e 2 . —Estimated Number of Industrial Injuries per Million Workers, by Industry
Group and Type of Disability, 1937
E x ten t of d isab ility
In d u stry group
T otal
Fatal
Perm anent T em porary
total
A ll in d u stries_________________ ____ ____ ________
40,159
430
2,702
A g ricu ltu re1______ _ _____________ _____________
M in in g and quarrying (includes p etroleum and natural
g a s ) 3________________ ____________________________
C onstruction l__........... .................................................................
M anufacturing 3_____ ____________ _____ ___________
P u b lic u t ilitie s 2____ __________________________
Trade—w holesale and r e ta il1....................................................
R a ilro a d s3____ _____ _______ _____ ____ ______ _______
M iscellaneous tran sp ortation 4____________ ___________
Services and m iscellaneous industries 4_________ ____
24, 978
416
1,247
23,315
115,048
112, 230
36,379
17, 591
29,407
34,098
36,730
40,842
2, 028
1,048
236
320
339
680
755
258
3,522
5,877
2,772
746
3,895
1,190
1, 887
2,812
109,498
105, 305
' 33,371
16,525
25,173
32, 228
34,088
37, 772
1 Based on fragmentary data.
3 Based on comprehensive survey.
37,027
3 Based on Interstate Commerce Commission data.
4Based on small sample studies.
Survey Data
The entire group surveyed included 20,167 identical establishments
for 1936 and 1937. The reason for using identical establishments was
to maintain strict comparability in the exposure study in order to
determine changes in the disabling-injury experience from 1936 to
1937. For the entire group, employment increased from 3,890,000
in 1936 to 4,294,000 in 1937. Similarly, the employee-hours worked
increased from nearly 8 billion to nearly 8% billion. The total number
of disabling injuries increased from 130,573 to 140,744, resulting in a
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial Accidents
601
relatively slight increase in the frequency rate (i. e. the average
number of disabling injuries per million employee-hours worked)
from 17.06 to 17.19. The severity rate, however, remained practi
cally unchanged, with 2.25 and 2.26 respectively in 1936 and 1937.
There was very little change in the total number of fatalities and
permanent total disabilities. Permanent partial injuries increased by
about 1,350, and temporary total disabilities by about 10,000.
For the total manufacturing group, with 18,112 identical estab
lishments, employment increased from nearly 3% million to slightly
above 4 million. Similarly, employee-hours worked increased from
7% billion to nearly 8 billion, and the total number of disabling in
juries from nearly 126,000 to approximately 135,000. The resulting
increase in the frequency rate from 17.81 to 17.82 was slight, as was
the practically negligible increase in the severity rate from 2.30 to
2.31. The total time lost in 1937 amounted to 17,493,500 days, or
approximately 4.3 days for each employee.
Logging experienced the highest frequency rate of 116.11, repre
senting an 8.1 percent increase over the 1936 rate of 107.43. Saw
mills, with the next highest frequency rate, 63.06, also experienced
an increase over the frequency rate of 61.81 in 1936. The industries
with low frequency rates have already been cited. It is pertinent
here, however, to indicate that most of these industries experienced
decreases from their 1936 rates. Additional groups to which attention
is directed are the laundry and dry-cleaning establishments which
show low rates in 1937 and in each instance a decrease over 1936.1
T a b l e 3 . — Injury Rates and Injuries by Extent of Disability for 20,167 Identical
Establishments, 1936 and 1937
1936
Number of disabling injuries
Industry
All industries....................
N um
N um ber
of
ber
em
of
ploy
estab ees
lish
(in
ments thou
sands)
Employeehours
(in Total
mil
lions)
Result ng in Per Per
ma ma
nent nent
Death total par
tial
dis dis
abil abil
ity
ity
Tem
po
rary
total
dis
abil
ity
Total
time
lost
(days)
Fre Se
quen ver
ity
cy
rate 1 rate 1
20,167
3,890 7,998 130,573
881
58 9,043 120, 591 16,365,410 2 17.06 2 2.25
Total, manufacturing___ 18,112
3,664 7,513 125, 722
805
52 8,819 116, 046 15,475,713 2 17.81 2 2.30
M a n u fa c tu r in g
Chemical products..........
Druggist prepara
tions ___________
E xplosives............
Fertilizers_________
Paints and varnishes.
Petroleum refinin g..
1,409
194
32
361
357
95
See footn o tes a t end o f table.
223
448
5,631
81
21
45
13
283
92
874
560
1,275
3
7
9
9
7
3 12
19
58
21
41
110
20
8
459
20
17
21
4
46
131
5,083 1,119,303 2 12.75 2 2.52
260
68
844
505
1,120
46,525 6.29 1.03
60,332 6.84 4.48
101, 321 41.45 4. 80
121,400 13.81 2.99
289,052 11.59 2.63
i The data shown in table 3 are available also for individual States and will be furnished on request.
129324— 39----- 8
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
602
T a b l e 3.-—Injury Rates and Injuries by Extent of Disability for 20,167 Identical
Establishments, 1936 and 1937—Continued
1936—Continued
Number of disabling injuries
N um
Em
N um ber
of
ployber
eeem
of
hours
estab ploy
(in Total
ees
lish
mil
(in
ments thou
lions)
sands)
Industry
M a n u fa c tu r in g —
Resulting in—
Tem
Per Per
po
ma ma
rary
nent nent
total
Death total par
tial
dis
dis dis
abil
abil abil
ity
ity
ity
Total
time
lost
(days)
Fre
quen
cy
rate 1
Se
ver
ity
•ate 1
Con.
Chemical products—Con.
Rayon and allied
Soap______________
N ot elsewhere classifled__ _________
Food products_________
Baking____________
Canning and preConfectionery______
F lo u r , fe e d , and
other
grain-mill
products___ _____
Slaughtering
and
meat packing____
Sugar refining.............
N ot elsewhere classifled______________
Iron and steel and their
products—............. .........
Iron and steel______
Hardware_____ . . .
Machine tools______
Stamped and enam
eled ware_____ __
Steam fittings a n d
apparatus.. . . . Stoves.— _________
Structural and or
namental
iron
work____________
N ot elsewhere classifled______________
Leather and leather
products....... ..................
Leather_____ ______
Boots and shoes____
N ot elsewhere classifled______ _____
Lumber and lumber
products.........................
Planing mills...........
Sawmills__________
F u r n itu r e ...___ .
N ot elsewhere classifled...........................
Machinery (not tiansportation).......................
Agricultural implements__________
Electrical machin
ery, apparatus,and
supplies-------------Foundry and ma
chine- shop prod-
14
72
22
16
44
32
429
254
1
2
2
26
37
402
213
284
68
141
1,671
1,878
482
272
44
363
208
40
29
9. 67 0.99
8 .0 2 2.17
1,864
30
2
161
575 13, 733
98 1,671
67
4
799 12,863 1,462,077 2 21.18 2.35
125 1,535
235,901 17.00 2.40
1, 735
585
6
1
71
59
11
79
44
388,173 13.18 2.74
1,650
540
143,141 24.48
54,009 9.92
2 .0 2
.92
535
30
66
1,614
■ 17
3
86
1,508
248,239 24.47 3.76
187
61
108
18
239
36
6,404
1, 461
26
1
404
45
5,973
1,410
644, 706 26.76 2. 69
111, 755 41.06 3.14
42
3
6
16
247
24,326 46. 65 4. 32
2,192
760
350
162
6
263 —
213
175
3
4
712 1,542 26, 680
500 1,092 17, 654
1,672
110
52
819
55
24
14 1,896 24, 557 3, 309, 320 218.50 2 2.31
5 1,018 16,456 2. 237,806 16.17 2.05
2
164, 798 15.13 1.49
166 1,501
767
48
72,129 14.86 1.31
348
51
108
2,492
8
1
389
2,094
348, 707 23.15 3. 24
166
139
40
26
85
54
1,449
1,651
11
8
2
1
83
97
1,353
1,545
166,142 17.12 1.96
161,846 30.63 3.00
134,449 41.82 7.21
232
9
19
780
3
2
74
701
35
9
20
163
1
1
21
140
550
146
385
162
34
125
316
69
242
3,571
1,248
2, 241
9
5
4
1
171
1
99
3,390
1,175
2,137
274,996 2 11.05 2. 85
112,725 18.00 1. 63
156, 532 9.25 .65
19
2
4
82
4
78
5,739 18.39 1.29
2,201
91
657
337
743
208
13
33
36
93
373
33
2 , 68 (
120
4,064
26
512 1, 073 19,672
100
69
68
—
431 17,57C
25 2,696
73 2,440
4,53!
7c
198 3,837
44
16
25
9
6
2
4
23,443
8 .2 2
1,341 16,103 2,643,942 2 53.23 2 8.31
144 2,508
610,915 107.43 24.34
235 2,189
357,088 33. 20 4.8 6
255 4,251
586,819 61.81 8 .0 0
441 3,387
491,119 19.36 2. 48
266
3, 768
598, 001 59.14 8.70
9 1,671 17, 892 2, 292,604 219.13
.....
1.18
22 . 22
21!
1, 88 C
215,118 18, 56
21
378
2,774
480, 334
8.61 1.31
7, 998
3
55(
7,408
847,88
29.11 3.01
6,39
3
52
5,82
749,27
2 0 .0
10C
5
11C
2,108
261
17'
36.
3,17,
12
27
14 i
31
1,24
U C t S - ..............................
N ot elsewhere classi1,07
fled.......................
See fo o tn o tes a t end o f table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
43,850
68 , 650
. 89
2.3,
Industrial Accidents
603
T a b l e 3. — Injury Rates and Injuries by Extent of Disability for 20,167 Identical
Establishments, 1936 and 1937—Continued
1936—Continued
Number of disabling injuries
N um
N um ber
of
ber
emof
estab ployees
lish
(in
ments thou
sands)
Industry
M a n u fa c tu r in g —
Employeehours
(in
mil Total
lions)
Resulting in—
Per Per
ma ma
nent nent
D eatl total par
tial
dis dis
abil abil
ity
ity
Tem
po
rary
total
dis
abil
ity
Total
time
lost
(days)
Fre Se
quen ver
ity
cy
rate 1 r a te 1
Con.
Paper and allied prod
ucts__________ _
P u lp__________
Paper_________
Both paper and pulp.
Folding boxes__
Set-up boxes___
N ot elsewhere classi
fied............. .......
products____________
Book and job______
News and periodical
Not elsewhere classi
fied..........................
Rubber and rubber prod
ucts___________
Rubber tires...
Rubber goods (other
than tires)_____
Not elsewhere classi
fied_____________
Stone, clay, and glass
products.___ ________
Brick, tile, and terra
cotta............ ...........
Cement___________
Glass______________
Pottery____ _______
N ot elsewhere classi
fied......................
Textile and textile-mill
products____________
Carpets and rugs.......
Clothing, men’s ........
Clothing, women’s...
Cotton goods______
Dyeing and finishing
Knit g o o d s................
Silk and rayon prod
ucts, not elsewhere
classified..................
Woolen goods.............
N ot elsewhere classi
fied............................
Transportation equip
m ent........ ......................
Motor vehicles_____
Shipbuilding.............
N ot elsewhere classi
fied...........................
Miscellaneous manufac
turing................... .........
Coke ovens________
Tobacco products...
Radio and phono
graph...................... .
749
If
114
272
4
60
119
38
30
6,562
225
1, 764
2,999
834
320
25
]
176
245
28
58
18
15
77
11
22
420
4
2,220
130
57
64
305
157
132
2,139
1,009
964
10
2
1,416
652
4
i
152
8
16
166
52
25
89
61
165
108
2,183
1,732
16
14
2
122
131
2
13
6
i
15
30
250
6
13
27
201
849
125
246
5,456
46
507
68
32
108
33
2,639
16
212
12
134
71
34
16
56
16
2,037
465
14
4
27
2
5
103
2,745
24
406
' 545
478
164
592
706 1, 347 14, 372
18
33
300
63
109
625
39
68
367
260
502 6 , 952
31
64
923
133
252 1, 503
45
6
12
205
125
2,527
7
183
51
100
1,050
8
225
143
67
267
224
37
533
450
73
5,645
3,930
1,546
50
25
23
15
5
11
169
2
362
24
127
86
23
9
43
253
19
82
2, 508
202
484
1
58
44
83
542|
1
See fo o tn o tes a t end o f table
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
35
381
58 8fi4
166
87
60
1,961
917
898
289, 283
137,158
111,728
19
146
40,397 10.08 2.45
97
67
2,070
1,651
218,031 212.14 21.21
180,164 16.05 1.67
12
236
18
183
748, 514 223.12 22.70
42 8Q0
11. 55
157’ 209
2.64
368^ 517 25. 28 3.11
2.21
1.24
23,104
2.61
2 6 .94
6 .43
7.30
8 .34
2.S6
.87
.85
.77
.55
5,233
554,074 222.62 22.31
2
73
27
61
8
2,550
173
1,960
453
203, 472 38. 68
113,880 6.71
191,881 18.80
37,330 14.15
6
97
2
1
4
4
105
2,789
782
285
6,121
20 c
1, 681
175
2
12
415
2;
77
196
51
35
2
5
3
15
338
8
1
1
21
110
1
6
1
1
1
2
7,511 22. 46 1.64
760 13, 565 1,306,439 2 9.17 2.92
42
256
61,809 8.99 1.85
27
593
74,424 5.73
24
340
45,083 5.37
287 6,652
466,056 13.84 .93
66
853
115,510 14. 34 1.79
54 1,445
81,860 5.96 .32
.68
.66
3
207
2,312
fi fifi5
329Ì 422
50
992
125 filO
518
396
112
5,076
3,508
1 411
10
157
351
41
2,132
71
442
85
455
6
1
2.98
3. 60
1.77
1.14
122
12! 35
.56
1.61
1. 25
801,401 10.33 1.47
512,659 8.74 1.14
271 009
3.70
17 788
1.67
455, 729 10. 54 2
58 80fi 4 fi8 3.14
49 790 5 98 .61
67,940
6 .53
.82
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
604
T a b l e 3 . —Injury Rates and Injuries by Extent of Disability for 20,167 Identical
Establishments, 1936 and 1937—Continued
1936—Continued
Nur aber of disabling injuries
N um
ber
of
N um
em
ber
ploy
of
estab ees
lish
(in
ments thou
sands)
Industry
M a n u fa c tu r in g — C
Em
ployeehours
(in Total
mil
lions)
Resulting in—
Tem
Per Per
ma
po
ma nent
rary
nent
total
Death total par
tial
dis
dis dis
abil
abil abil
ity
ity
ity
Total
time
lost
(days)
Fre Se
quen ver
ity
cy
rate 1 rate 1
on.
Miscellaneous manufactaring—C ontinued.
Smelting and refining (nonferrous). . .
Nonferrous
metal
181
1,005
257,085 21.23 4. 55
38
159
22,608 14. 59 1.67
129
40
2,904
923
24
215
599,6 6 6 »9.87 * 1. 68
125, 532 11.73 1.51
6,710 7.35 1.90
38,367 19. 55 3.22
70
26
56
1,199
8
6
14
197
253
62
150
36
5
12
10
1
2
1
17
3,097
974
26
233
5
2
315
83
4
59
12
33
30
68
715
7
1
23
684
142
95
193
1,664
36
2
69
1,557
347,825
8.63 1.80
m
169 1,25C
86
1C
34
2
61
18
81
5
2
1,153
84
317,416
2,173
7.38 1.87
8.41
20
6
1Ï
328
2
6
32C
28,236 25.06 2.16
49
18
39
459
13
2
20
424
126,309 11.79 3.24
1,802
528
923
76
17(
2?
1
95
lc
100
1,751
31C
1,043
17
12
45
7
1
68
1,641
291
967
290,031 »10.58 »1.76
51,368 11.07 1.83
173,757 10.45 1.74
351
19
42
401
6
14
381
12
1
N o n m a n u fa c tu r in g
Public u tilities...............
Transportation........ .
B o t h streetcar
and bus..........
Electric l i g h t and
power, and gas----Electric power
and light........ .
Both electric and
Utilities, not elsewhere classified___
Laundry and dry cleanLaundries________
Both laundry and
dry cleaning..........
1
1
16
80,455 10.58 1.19
64,906
.21
9.44 1.53
1937
Ali industries---------------
20,167
4,294 8,470 140,744
898
59 10,390 129,397 18, 502,396 117.19 4 2.26
18,112
4,049 7,941 134,931
818
56
10,110
123,947 17,493, 500 4 1 7 .82 42.31
1,409
476
6 ,339
76
3
535
5,725 1,189,149 113. 70 4 2.58
299
94
965
595
1,493
M a n u fa c tu r in g
Total manufacturing----Chemical products_____
Druggist prepara-
Paints and varnishes.
Petroleum refining...
Rayon and allied
N ot elsewhere classifled______ ____ _
Food products...................
Canning and preservFlour, feed, and
other
grain-mill
products_________
194
32
361
357
95
3 13
62
48
15
23
44
117
14
72
24
15
48
31
497
379
23
150
8
21
284
73
1, 878
482
289
50
363
208
51
29
535
32
See fo o tn o tes a t end o f table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
239
27
47
126
267
70
924
540
1, 349
41,234 6.26 .8 6
32, 299 6 .1 0 2 .1 0
134,891 41.59 5.81
121, 302 13.63 2.78
270,904 12.79 2.32
40
56
455
320
66,024 10.41 1.38
81, 949 12.18 2.63
1,800
440,546 13.41 2.93
32
3
14
21
8
16
2
2
3
2,017
30
1
186
572 13,113
109 1,786
81
9
5
840 12,187 1, 630,319 1 21.49 42.56
126 1,651
220, 552 16.40 2 .0 2
78
59
2,104
733
8
1
71
1,645
21
2
99
80
1,997
652
192,114 26.81 2.45
87,100 12.47 1.48
86
1,536
282,170 23.14 3.97
Industrial Accidents
605
T a b l e 3.— Injury Rates and Injuries by Extent o f Disability f o r 2 0 ,1 6 7 Identical
Establishments, 1936 and 1937 —Continued
1937—Continued
Number of disabling injuries
Industry
M a n u fa c tu r in g
her
EmOf
emeeploy- hours
ees
(in
lishmil- Total
(in
ments
thou- lions)
sands)
Numher
of
Resulting inPer- Perma- manent nent
Death total partial
disabil dis
abil
ity
ity
Ternpo-
Total
time
lost
(days)
Frequency
rate 1
Severity
rate 1
disabil
ity
—Con.
Food products—Con.
Slaughtering
and
meat packing____
Sugar refining T_____
N ot elsewhere classifled______________
Iron and steel and their
products__ __________
Iron and steel______
Hardware_________
Machine tools_____
Stamped and enameled ware________
Steam fitting and
apparatus________
Stoves_____________
Structural and ornamental iron work.
N ot elsewhere classif l e d . . . ______ . . .
Leather and leather products_____________
Leather___________
Boots and shoes... ..
Not elsewhere classifled_____________
Lumber and lumber
products___________
Logging___________
Planing mills______
Sawmills____ ____ _
Furniture________
• N ot elsewhere classifled___ _______
Machinery (not transportation)_______
Agricultural implem ents_______
Electrical machinery,
apparatus,
and supplies_____
Foundry and machine-shop prod
ucts________
N ot elsewhere classifled___________
Paper and allied products______________
P u lp_____ _______
Paper________
Both paper and pulp.
Folding boxes____
Set-up boxes__
N ot elsewhere classified__________ .
187
61
107
16
214
31
5,744
892
42
4
10
209
2,192
760
350
162
824 1,703 29,092
588 1,205 18,829
124 1,891
58
30
78 1,133
32
3
10
°41
189
11
382
48
5,327
834
687,717 26.81 3.21
4. 59
19
190
19, 783 21.77 2.06
14 2,255 26, 582 3, 964,257 <18. 60 <2.55
1,209 17,419 2, 649,575 15. 63 2 .2 0
197 1,683
15. 29 1. 85
84 1,041
124,987 14. 56 1.61
12
348
54
108
2,717
166
139
46
27
94
53
1, 683
1,793
232
10
22
887
35
11
21
159
550
146
385
158
33
123
300
3, 521
1,324
2,105
6
1
229
i
1
19
2
5
92
i
457 18, 662
25 2,896
79 2,623
84 5,289
195 3,907
107
28
9
33
13
7 1,528 17,020 2, 702, 586 <52.62 <7. 56
1
170 2,697
535,492 116.11 21.47
1
300 2,313
380,837 33.33 4.84
1
293 4,962
631,489 63.06 7.53
2
483 3,409
591,399 19.99 3.03
100
7 2,296 22,296 3,077,801 <2 0 .1 1 <2.46
2,201
222
91
657
337
743
14
38
41
95
373
2 , 680
36
618
66
74
11
100
62
127
2,785
263
231
475
3, 7Q2
5
17
147
311
9,573
43
178
378
8,
36
749
15
114
277
176
245
130
3
29
57
17
13
62
124
35
26
7,000
297
1.722
3,329
728
351
771
12
24
573
See footnotes a t end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1
1
1.247
122
2,300
424,667 25.20 3.94
117
1,559
154,627 18.00 1.65
171,096 34.03 3.25
102
779
170, 781 41.10 7.91
20
lo5
178
63
108
3,336
282
1,070
639
405
121
3, 947
1, 291 24,699
6
1
11
21
2
39, 533
7. 55
1 .8 8
1,995
294,084 <11.10 ‘.90
19. 96 1.78
162,359 9.18 .71
84
13,335 20.41 2.96
3,639
563, 369 53.6 6 7. 66
373
2,407
350,674 21.93 2.76
499
3,186
1.24
710
8,818 1,157,498 30.80 3.72
4
714
7,885
982,229 22.85 2.60
1
432
16
92
168
51
50
6 , 526
278
1, 619
3,139
675
298
848,495 24.49 3.01
42,411 51. 64 7.37
27.88 3.25
376,407 26.74 3.02
20. 55 2. 65
13.71 2. 55
55
517
69,687 ‘ 24- 341 2.96
1
3^
1
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
606
T a b l e 3 . — Injury Rates and Injuries by Extent of Disability for 20,167 Identical
Establishments, 1936 and 1937—Continued
1937—Continued
Number of disabling injuries
N um
Em
ber
of ploy
eeemof
hours
estab ployees
Total
lish
(in
ments thou
lions)
sands)
N um
ber
Industry
&
M a n u fa c tu r in g
Resulting in—
Tem
Per Per
po
ma ma
rary
nent nent
par
total
Death total tial
dis
dis dis
abil
abil abil
ity
ity
ity
Total
time
lost
(days)
Frequency
rate 1
Se
ver
ity
rate 1
—Con.
Printing and publishing
products_____________
Book and job______
News and periodical.
N ot elsewhere clas
sified____________
Rubber and rubber
products.................... .
Rubber tires---------Rubber goods (other
than tires)----------N ot elsewhere clas
sified...... ..................
Stone, clay, and glass
products........................
Brick, tile, and terra
cotta____________
Cement.......................
Glass............................
Pottery___________
N ot elsewhere clas
sified...... .............. .
Textile and textile-mill
products____________
Carpets and rugs----Clothing, men’s ____
Clothing, women’s ..
Cotton g oods.......... .
Dyeing and finish
in g.............................
Knit goods.................
Silk and rayon prod
ucts, not elsewhere
classified..................
Woolen goods______
N ot elsewhere classi
fied...........................
Transportation equip
m ent___________ ____
Motor vehicles_____
Shipbuilding______
N ot elsewhere classi
fied.......................
Miscellaneous manufac
turing...............................
Coke ovens.................
Tobacco products.. .
Radio and phono
graph.___ _______
Smelting and refin
ing (nonferrous)...
Nonferrous metal
products_________
288
126
135
2,103
66
152
10
52
25
2,220
12
51
1,905
899
844
328,802
160,653
104,943
7.34 41.03
8.03 1.28
6.65 .77
1
24
162
63,206
7.21 2.40
2
2
97
46
2,002
22
286
40, 250
9. 27 1.22
29
210
58,749
8.38 2.02
1
185
3
901
6
26
190
3
96
64
162
2,118
1,567
17
21
16
33
307
2
6
16
29
244
. 5
849
142
269
5, 729
39
4
250
5,436
629,074
16
2
1
1
111
3
12
2. 514
136
2.162
501
290,088 35.08 3.85
107,112 4.87 2.95
181, 502 19.30 1.55
37, 982 14.88
7
123
12,390 23.15 2.19
100
134
71
38
18
65
17
75
36
117
35
27
3
6
131
1
722 1,303 14, 245
384
33
19
609
101
62
317
65
38
7,044
509
276
38
4
4
3
507
110
2,745
24
406
545
478
110
10
2,643
177
2 , 262
516
—
11
8
1
12
9
1
2
1
2
29
91
1,509
232, 740 412.24 4 1.47
133,741 15. 70 1.34
421 . 20
42.30
1.10
758 13,440 1, 357,615 4 9.45 4. 99
87, 997 11.76 2.70
32
347
98, 356 6.02 .97
44
559
50, 776 4.88 .78
295
20
545,830 13.83 1.07
351 6,679
48
73
778
1,589
77, 378 14.36 1.34
123,234 7.05 .52
1
7
132
144
2,029
14,151 11.88 1.11
266,157 11.73 1.44
2
2
51
1,020
6,017
4,318
1,400
40
IS
17
1
1
485
36E
116
5,491
3,936
1,267
774,260 4 9.71 41.24
501,767 8 . 73
237,083 17.23 2.92
17
299
5
6
288
35,410 17. 46 2.07
251
2,293
85
489
20
271
7
44
2,001
■;
68
383
15
132
946
2C
154
164
592
30
131
58
236
829
1, 664
15
338
7
103
13
185
152
2,171
9
183
57
104
1,075
225
143
67
343
303
32
593
494
81
15
8
362
24
128
10
20
202
45
83
58
41
76
451
70
25
58
1, 094
8
7
14
174
See fo o tn o tes a t end o f table.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
138
63
1,012
1,416
652
2
1
1
74
444
93, 736 10.37
.90
1.02
464,318
36,071
51,869
69,116
73 4 1.35
4. 21 1.79
5.87 .62
4 9.
5.96
.91
295, 586 18. 74 5. 06
11,676 12.69
.85
Industrial Accidents
607
T a b l e 3 . — Injury Rates and Injuries by Extent of Disability for 20,167 Identical
Establishments, 1936 and 1937—Continued
1937—Continued
Number of disabling injuries
Industry
N um
ber
of
estab
lish-!
ments
N um
ber
of
em
ploy
ees
(in
thou
sands)
253
62
165
37
Em
ploy
eehours
(in
mil Total
lions)
Resulting in—
Per Per
ma ma
nent nent
Death total par
tial
dis dis
abil abil
ity
ity
Tem
po
rary
total
dis
abil
ity
Total
time
lost
(days)
Frequen
cy
rate 1
Se
ver
ity
rate 1
‘ 12.16
12.39
16.84
14.80
< 2.00
1.68
N o n m a n u fa c tu r in g
Public utilities..................
Transportation.........
Streetcar.............
Bus.......................
Both streetcar
and bus............
Electric light and
power, and gas........
Electric power
and light..........
Gas........................
Both electric and
g a s....................
Utilities, not else
where classified___
Laundry and dry clean
ing....................................
D ry cleaning..............
Laundries............ .
Both laundry and
dry cleaning........ .
12
17
1
5
350
85
2
13
4,246
1,052
42
186
197
39
3,975
7
41
177
1
1,002
793,666
142, 627
4,
24,576
1.96
1.96
33
31
70
824
31
784
113,165 11.79 1.62
142
107
221
2,667
123
2,499
477,073 12.05 2.16
104
18
96
5
198
10
2,312
59
109
5
2,163
54
420,157 11. 68 2.12
10,358 5.78 1.01
20
6
13
296
9
282
46, 558 22.32 3. 51
49
20
44
527
35
474
173,966 12.03 3. 97
1,567
254
872
83
9
50
1,475
242
818
215, 230
32,834
131,071
‘ 1.26
9.07 1.17
8 . 55 1.29
24
415
51. 325
9.12 1.06
1,802
528
923
351
1 The frequency rate is the average number of disabling injuries for each million employee-hours worked.
The severity rate is the average number of days lost for each thousand employee-hours worked. The
standard time-loss ratings for fatalities and permanent disabilities are given in Method of Compiling Indus
trial Injury Rates, approved by the American Standards Association, 1937.
2 Weighted by employment as shown in Census of Manufactures and Census of Business, 1935, and
computed for 1936 by means of indexes of employment of Bureau of Labor Statistics.
3 Includes only plant employees.
‘ Weighted by employment as shown by Census of Manufactures, 1937, for manufacturing industries, and
Bureau of Labor Statistics’ estimates of employment for nonmanufacturing industries.
The ranking of industries on the basis of size of frequency and
severity rates, shown in table 3, indicates that on the whole the 1937
ranking differed very little from that of 1936. In each of the 2 years,
logging ranked as the industry with the worst experience in terms of
both frequency and severity rates. The sawmill industry, which was
seventy-eighth in the frequency rate ranking in 1937, was seventysixth in severity. The other two industries in the lumber and lumber
products group, namely, planing mills and furniture, also were among
the industries with poor injury records.
Among the few significant changes in rank are those for book and
job printing and publishing which was seventh lowest in 1936, but
fifteenth in 1937. Similarly, the rank in the severity rate for this
industry moved from twelfth to twentieth. Streetcar transportation,
which was twelfth in 1936, was forty-seventh in 1937. On the
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
608
other hand, bus transportation moved from fifty-fifth in 1936 to
forty-first in 1937, and its severity-rate ranking changed similarly
from sixty-fourth to thirty-fifth. Electric power and light, thirteenth
in 1936 in size of frequency, was twenty-fifth in 1937. Gas production,
on the other hand, moved from eighteenth in 1936 to fourth in 1937.
The laundry and dry cleaning group shows better ranking in 1937 in
each of its three groups.
T a b l e 4 . —Rank According to Frequency and Severity Rates, of 79 Industries, 1936
and 1937 1
Severity-rate rank
Frequency-rate rank
Industry
Chemical products:
Food products:
Iron and steel and their products:
Steam fittings and apparatus............... ....................... -
Leather and leather products:
Lumber and lumber products:
Machinery (not transportation):
Electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies------Paper and allied products:
Printing and publishing products:
6
10
9
73
37
33
24
15
36
75
36
34
24
31
35
47
63
25
62
46
8
1937
16
71
73
58
53
15
46
56
7
41
74
54
45
24
50
56
37
47
26
67
62
71
39
66
66
72
75
69
57
49
43
13
69
55
62
70
46
43
42
61
48
69
74
16
44
43
40
64
50
72
74
13
44
26
24
65
42
59
75
19
44
33
28
49
53
29
22
21
6
50
55
23
31
3
58
79
70
78
54
76
79
71
78
54
77
79
74
76
51
77
79
72
76
61
77
51
19
67
56
58
14
70
60
40
24
60
48
77
76
68
68
65
59
31
52
65
56
37
63
78
54
61
47
7
15
11
10
12
26
Rubber and rubber products:
1936
1937
1936
66
32
61
21
52
12
11
50
68
30
63
78
34
53
19
66
49
75
63
60
51
48
58
20
4
46
22
45
31
45
9
22
18
17
3
37
16
14
N ot elsewhere classified ------ -----------------------------1 The lowest rate is ranked first, the second lowest second, etc.; 2 industries tying for the same rank were
assigned the same rank number, but the next number was omitted to avoid distortion of subsequent rank
numbers.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial Accidents
609
T a b l e 4 . —Rank According to Frequency and Severity Rates, of 79 Industries, 1936
and 1937— Continued
Erequency-rate rank
Severity-rate rank
Industry
1936
Stone, clay, and glass products:
Brick, tile, and terra cotta _______ _
Cement______________ .
Glass ____________ ______
Pottery______________ _____ _____
N ot elsewhere classified____
Textile and textile-mill products:
Carpets and rugs.______ ____________
Clothing, men’s________ _______ _______
Clothing, women’s_______________
Cotton goods _________
Dyeing and finishing____________
Knit goods____________________ _____
Silk and rayon products, not elsewhere classified.
Woolen goods___________________
N ot elsewhere classified______________
Transportation equipment:
Motor vehicles___________ _
Shipbuilding____________________
N ot elsewhere classified . . . ______
Miscellaneous manufacturing:
Coke ovens. _________________ .
Tobacco products___________ ______
Radio and phonograph_________ _____
Smelting and refining (nonferrous)____ . . . .
Nonferrous metal products___________
Public utilities:
Transportation:
______
Streetcar____ ____________
B u s ............... ................................
Both streetcar and bus_______
Electric power and gas:
Electric power and light_____________________
Gas_____________________ _______
Both electric and gas...... ............ ........ ................
Utilities, not elsewhere classified- .
Laundry and dry cleaning:
Dry cleaning_______________________ ____ _ .
Laundries______ ____________ _
Both laundry and dry cleaning__________________
1937
71
9
52
39
60
21
3
2
/
38
40
5
29
35
28
20
57
44
1936
73
2
52
42
62
27
7
3
38
39
1937
57
67
35
17
30
67
57
27
15
43
38
52
8
10
7
14
36
5
14
11
2
22
1
29
26
23
4
28
16
25
22
8
18
48
49
17
12
68
31
55
40
1
1
4
62
5
32
5
8
6
10
58
41
51
33
72
31
9
73
12
55
30
47
41
28
20
35
35
29
13
18
64
34
25
4
59
30
39
42
1
11
45
65
65
69
32
27
23
19
17
37
34
27
21
20
41
64
2
6
17
13
In table 5 are shown the percentage changes in employee-hours
worked and the percentage increases or decreases in the frequency
and severity rates which accompanied these changes. It is apparent
that the pattern is far from uniform and that increases or decreases
in employment were accompanied by decidedly different changes in
the injury rates in the various industries. Some of the most significant
industry changes have already been cited. The data necessary to
explain these differences are not available.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
610
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T a b l e 5.- —Changes in Injury Rates Compared With Changes in Employment in Identical
Establishments, 1936 to 1937
Employee-hours Frequency rate
worked
Industry
Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent
of in
of de
of de
of de of in
of in
crease crease crease crease crease crease
Chemical products:
6 .1
0.5
14.5
1 0 .8
0.3
10.0
7.7
6 .1
7.7
1.7
6.3
10.7
7.8
.3
10.5
13.7
9.5
25.7
11.8
39.4
2 1 .2
6.9
5.4
.2
70.3
29.2
53.3
10. 3
3.3
12.0
1.1
41.1
2 .0
8.9
5.1
.2
10.5
2.3
11.1
4.3
5.3
10.9
.8
11.0
1.1
52.3
7.3
24.2
22.9
15.8
8 .2
6 .2
Leather and leather products:
15.8
21.3
60.9
5.6
19.3
46.2
2 1 .6
1.7
15.7
7.0
1.3
3.5
10.8
16.5
53.1
2 1 .0
10.4
7.7
51.9
1.7
Food products:
Iron and steel and their products:
Severity rate
8.3
9.7
59.3
9.2
9.2
129.5
Lumber and lumber products:
.6
7.1
14.4
Electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies----Paper and allied products:
1.3
3.3
18.2
29.9
13.1
18.6
5.8
14.0
54.8
3.5
4.9
5.8
19.7
24.9
60.0
7.5
10. 5
9.2
2 .2
7.2
5.1
1.4
10.3
6.4
Silk and rayon products, not elsewhere classified.
N ot elsewhere classified_________ _____ ________
3.3
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
9.6
2.9
19.9
105.6
13.4
47.1
9.4
2 .2
19.8
2 .0
58.4
267.3
9.3
27.4
5. 5
23.4
36.2
23.1
8.9
28.5
2.7
5.2
3.1
8 .2
7.2
5.4
1 1 .2
11.1
10.4
14.9
Textile and textile-mill products:
10.6
26.6
29.5
2 .6
5.3
20.4
14.7
5.7
5.4
Stone, clay, and glass products:
12.0
46.0
1 0 .2
7.7
13.4
Rubber and rubber products:
2 2 .2
9.3
11 . 8
Printing and publishing products:
.4
5.9
.4
2 .0
7.1
Machinery (not transportation):
11.8
8.1
29.2
18.1
12.4
3.5
33.5
30.8
5.1
9:1
:i
.1
18.3
13.4
45.9
42.6
18.2
15.1
25.1
62.5
98.2
5.0
1 .0
1 0 .6
28.0
Industrial Accidents
611
T a b l e 5 . — Changes in Injury Rates Compared With Changes in Employment in Identical
Establishments, 1936 to 1937—Continued
Employee-hours
Frequency rate
worked
Severity rate
Industry
Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent
of in
of in
of de
of de
of in of de
crease crease crease crease crease crease
Transportation equipment:
Motor vehicles ______ __________
Shipbuilding _____________________
N ot elsewhere classified_______________
Miscellaneous manufacturing:
Coke ovens____________________
Tobacco products_________ ________
Radio and phonograph___
Smelting and refining (nonferrous)________ _ ..
Nonferrous metal products............. .......... .
Public utilities:
Transportation _____ ________________
Streetcar________________________ _
Bus___________
_________________ . . .
Both streetcar and bus __________ ________
Electric power and gas. . . . . ________ _______
Electric power and light ____ ____________
Gas_____________________________
Both electric and gas ______ ______________
Utilities, not elsewhere classified.. _______ ____
Laundry and dry cleaning:
D ry cleaning ___ _____________ _________ . .
Laundries.____ _____________________
______
Both laundry and dry cleaning__________ ______
.1
18.4
1 0 .0
11. o
61. 3
24.0
8.7
1.9
3.4
1. 6
2.3
29.5
1. 6
11. 0
1 1 .2
49.1
5. 6
129.1
11 3
3.2
24.3
11. 4
39.6
58.3
31.3
10.9
2
1.4
12.5
43.0
9.1
1. 0
8. 7
11.7
13.0
9
8
5. 5
3.4
14.8
16.8
10. 5
2 1 .1
9.7
2 .0
.1
2 .1
39.1
36.1
20 . 0
13. 4
381.0
62. 5
22.5
36.1
25.9
30.7
18.1
18.2
3.4
13.9
D isability Distribution
In table 6 are shown the number of deaths and permanent and tem
porary disabilities per thousand injuries for each of the industries
listed. The data given for industry groups have been weighted by
the total employment in each industry in the group.
T a b l e 6 . —Disability Distribution per 1,000 Injuries and Average Days Lost per
Disability for Identical Establishments, 1936 and 1937
Number per
1,000
Average days lost per dis
ability
injuries
Death and
permanent
total dis
ability 1
Permanent Temporary
partial dis
total dis
ability
ability
Permanent
partial dis
ability
Temporary
total dis
ability
1936
1937
1936
1937
1936
1937
1936
All industries____ ____ ____________
8
7
Total manufacturing_______________
7
6
Chemical products_______ . . . . .
Druggist preparations______
Explosives................... .................. ...
Fertilizers— .....................................
Paints and varnishes_________ .
Petroleum refining..____ _______
Rayon and allied products______
Soap__________________________
N ot elsewhere classified_______
17
12
0
88
Industry
1 Each
1937
1936
70
74
922
919
1,001
1,045
18
72
77
921
917
961
1,006
18
20
92
107
223
28
79
84
80
148
92
895
918
739
966
902
878
937
838
897
896
893
745
957
908
904
916
844
893
1,083
1,183
997
1,648
1,270
904
1,233
1,069
1,014
1,121
20
22
21
2
4
16
17
8
71
185
24
82
103
61
146
15
86
11
76
10
16
19
32
15
13
12
death or permanent total disability is charged'with a time loss of 6,000 days.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1,113
593
1,315
1,337
1,032
1,105
1,019
1,155
19
20
15
18
24
14
24
20
1937
20
26
17
19
24
22
22
22
612
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T a b l e 6. —Disability Distribution per 1,000 Injuries and Average Days Lost per
Disability for Identical Establishments, 1936 and 1937—Continued
Average days lost per dis
ability
Number per 1,000 injuries
Industry
Food products.......... ........................... . .
Baking____ . ______ ___________
Canning and preserving________
Confectionery__________ _______
Flour, feed, and other grain-mill
products____ ________________
Slaughtering and meat packing—_
Sugar refining_________________
N ot elsewhere classified________
Iron and steel and their products____
Iron and s te e l....................... ...........
Hardware_____________________
Machine tools______________—
Stamped and enameled ware____
Steam fittings and apparatus-----Stoves______ _____ ___________
Structural and ornamental iron
work______ _____ ___________
N ot elsewhere classified..................
Leather and leather products_______
Leather........ ......................................
Boots and shoes_________ ____ _
N ot elsewhere classified________
Death and
permanent
total dis
ability
Permanent Temporary
partial dis
total dis
ability
ability
Permanent
partial dis
ability
Temporary
total dis
ability
1936
1937
1936
1937
1936
1937
1936
1937
1936
5
7
3
5
5
4
63
75
46
75
67
71
47
109
932
918
951
923
928
924
949
890
1,060
1,142
979
911
1,086
1,092
1,109
882
17
18
18
15
18
18
17
16
53
63
31
61
52
67
54
91
935
933
965
939
934
927
935
909
1,194
983
1,313
1,303
1.308
1,018
1, 356
884
17
14
21
6
7
4
4
3
72
58
99
59
156
57
59
80
64
104
74
149
70
67
920
932
898
936
840
934
936
912
925
890
919
847
926
930
791
794
667
752
676
820
832
809
838
659
677
768
736
862
6
12
7
25
95
129
115
126
899
859
878
849
1,243
402
1,170
608
46
54
44
49
50
48
51
76
952
942
954
951
948
949
948
913
929
932
928
1,225
76*
53
96
56
115
65
83
59
114
55
124
71
917
931
897
938
883
928
911
931
882
939
872
922
1,284
903
895
895
864
2
1
12
14
4
4
6
11
0
0
8
10
3
5
4
9
8
11
6
2
1
4
3
2
0
1
11
20
11
14
19
21
956
1,329
877
1,302
1,148
1, 698
915
1,113
917
1,168
801
619
879
762
6
5
91
100
4
2
101
134
7
5
119
135
874
860
788
4
7
5
5
70
82
74
83
926
911
921
912
932
754
5
4
3
S
68
10
6
73
54
53
50
70
142
96
927
903
953
930
938
891
907
922
936
941
943
927
849
902
1,115
1, 610
1,186
1,191
1,270
911
829
83
109
57
126
922
909
932
880
1,020
888
1.044
62
114
936
853
1,002
44
39
48
90
61
29
72
119
948
953
944
910
928
963
921
861
41
28
127
30
17
58
54
42
164
40
23
53
945
966
816
962
974
942
53
140
43
65
57
83
72
63
942
853
949
927
1
0
10
Printing and publishing products___
Book and job____________ _____
News and periodical- _________
N ot elsewhere classified________
6
5
6
6
Rubber and rubber products_______
Rubber tires__________________
Rubber goods (other than tires)
N ot elsewhere classified________
8
8
8
0
Stone, clay, and glass products_____
Brick, tile, and terra cotta______
Cement__________________ ____
Glass....................... ...........................
Pottery_______________________
N ot elsewhere classified________
14
Textile and textile-mill products___
Carpets and rugs.______________
Clothing, men's_______________
Clothing, women’s _______ _____
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
7
3
9
2
5
3
7
21
11
8
7
20
6
13
7
57
68
8
4
9
0
6
8
5
7
5
13
8
8
10
6
72
86
19
18
17
18
16
16
16
Machinery (not transportation)____
Agricultural implements_______
Electrical machinery, apparatus,
and supplies_________________
Foundry and machine-shop prod
u c ts .................................... ............
N ot elsewhere classified..................
93
44
65
61
109
83
20
1,048
1,140
1,028
879
6
5
25
16
16
15
15
18
20
6
2
Paper and allied products__________
Pulp__________ ______ _
____
Paper______________________ . .
Both paper and pulp________ ._
Folding boxes_________________
Set-up boxes____ ___________ . .
N ot elsewhere classified............ .
22
25
6
8
7
19
21
18
7
16
7
4
7
14
17
19
16
12
21
Lumber and lumber products______
Logging----------------------------------Planing mills__________________
Sawmills...... ......................................
Furniture..........................................
N ot elswehere classified________
4
1937
20
18
22
27
17
20
20
20
15
19
21
16
15
18
15
848
16
20
1,029
842
17
16
18
18
1,063
1.213
1,125
1,069
1,319
844
966
17
15
18
18
18
17
14
20
20
1,682
1,093
1,146
1,040
1,502
17
18
17
17
18
18
19
19
783
1,009
563
633
726
608
977
738
18
17
18
18
26
933
951
768
956
971
939
1,020
1,046
1,236
1,029
982
900
750
18
15
28
17
15
14
21
938
904
918
931
1,038
1,174
1,598
1,174
1,670
17
14
16
18
912
2,0 2 0
955
1,369
1,038
800
1,025
1,101
1,300
869
17
18
19
21
22
17
22
24
35
18
39
18
18
9
19
20
19
18
Industrial Accidents
613
Disability Distribution per 1,000 Injuries and Average Days Lost per
Disability for Identical Establishments, 1936 and 1937— Continued
T a b l e 6.-
Average days lost per d is
ability
Number per 1,000 injuries
Industry
Textile and textile-mill products—Con.
Cotton goods________
Dyeing and finishing_____ .
Knit goods___________ ____
Silk and rayon products, not else
where cla ssified _________
Woolen goods_________
N ot elsewhere classified. .
Transportation equipment . .
Motor vehicles...............
Shipbuilding__________
N ot elsewhere classified
Death and
permanent
total dis
ability
Permanent Temporary
partial dis total dis
ability
ability
Permanent
partial dis
ability
Temporary
total dis
ability
1936
1937
1936
1937
1936
1937
1936
1937
1931 1937
2
2
4
3
4
1
41
72
36
50
58
44
957
924
961
948
938
955
960
1,138
730
980
867
1, 205
17
19
13
18
23
15
0
7
5
4
24
82
48
46
61
47
976
915
944
947
1,633
1,151
1,164
814
1,223
982
14
19
22
949
20
19
5
4
97
101
84
84
83
895
892
913
929
911
912
905
963
742
707
982
360
776
756
927
350
21
22
28
29
16
14
22
850
825
9i3
839
883
871
908
849
674
300
894
582
817
1,300
900
924
17
35
16
14
19
40
14
16
21
3
8
8
7
15
12
12
17
Miscellaneous manufacturing
Coke ovens.............. ..................
Tobacco products______ _____
Radio and phonograph________
Smelting and refining (nonferrous)—............................
Nonferrous metal products____
9
105
5
47
2
2
0
11
0
16
Public utilities_________
Transportation___________
Streetcar..............................
Bus_________ ____
Both streetcar and bus____
Electric power and gas_________
Electric power and light____
Gas_________________
Both electric and gas______
Utilities, not elsewhere classified.
18
15
11
Laundry and dry cleaning___
Dry cleaning_________
Laundries._______________
Both laundry and dry cleaning...
DEATH
AND
4
0
11
10
0
11
11
23
29
17
17
0
6
0
38
9
33
17
34
9
13
7
8
15
12
5
5
72
59
141
70
85
157
20
112
82
90
151
934
17
u
151
193
121
838
807
864
885
868
115
1,360
'435
22
536
14
19
41
41
38
69
32
41
49
23
18
44
43
37
24
38
38
46
47
85
30
942
953
976
951
951
937
936
915
953
900
1, 230
1,074
300
1,434
857
1,333
1,312
400
1,850
1,403
1,305
1,342
4,000
1,371
1,250
1,287
lj 264
1,780
1,289
1,543
18
18
17
16
19
18
19
16
16
19
21
66
941
948
924
922
957
936
922
977
976
923
60
42
65
35
52
35
57
54
931
945
927
950
941
953
938
941
1,613
1,746
1, 576
1,550
1,673
18
16
19
19
PER M A NEN T
1,111
1,829
1,294
24
22
17
26
20
20
27
18
25
19
20
19
20
T O T A L D IS A B IL IT Y
The manufacturing industries group with the highest number of
deaths per thousand injuries was that of stone, clay, and glass products
which had 14 such fatalities in 1936 and 13 in 1937. The high figure
was due largely to the high proportion of deaths and permanent total
disabilities in the cement industry, with 68 per thousand injuries in
1937. The second highest manufacturing group was that of chemical
products, which had 12 deaths and permanent total disabilities in 1937
for every thousand disabling injuries. This figure, however, repre
sented a decided decrease from that of 17 for 1936. The highest
fatality rate within the chemical-products group was that of 32 for
explosives, which, however, was less than half of that of 76 for 1936.
Soap manufacturing, which had 16 fatalities per thousand injuries in
1936, dropped to 8 in 1937. A similar drop was experienced by pe
troleum refining from 19 to 12. On the other hand, the ratio of deaths
for the fertilizer industry increased from 10 to 15.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
614
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
In the food-products group, the number of fatalities per thousand
injuries was uniformly low, with the exception of flour, feed, and other
grain-mill products, which rose from 12 to 14, and sugar refining which
more than doubled, rising from 4 to 11. In the iron and steel products
group, the number of fatalities per thousand injuries remained at 8 for
each of the 2 years. For the iron and steel industry itself, the
fatality ratio increased from 10 to 11. Within this group, in hardware
it doubled from 3 to 6, and in steam fittings and apparatus it more
than halved—from 9 to 4.
The leather and leather-products group showed only 1 fatality per
thousand injuries for 1937 and 2 in 1936, and in the lumber and lumberproducts group, fatalities decreased from 7 to 6. The largest improve
ment in this group was experienced by logging, in which the ratio of
fatalities dropped from 16 to 10, and in planing mills, in which it de
creased from 7 to 4. The machinery group showed relatively little
change, as did the paper- and allied-products group. In this latter
group, the number of fatalities per thousand injuries in set-up box
manufacturing increased from 0 to 1936 to 9 in 1937.
Attention has already been called to the high ratio of deaths and
permanent total injuries in the cement industry, but in view of the
fact that the frequency rate for the group is very low, this high ratio
must be attributed to the absence of minor injuries, which can be traced
definitely to vigorous and comprehensive safety work.
Among the nonmanufacturing groups, streetcar transportation
showed a sharp decrease from 38 fatalities per thousand injuries in
1936 to none in 1937. Two of the industries within the electric power
and gas group siiowed decreases, and a third, gas, showed no fatalities
in either of the 2 years.
P E R M A N E N T P A R T IA L D IS A B IL IT Y
The experience for the explosives industry indicates that although
disabling injuries were relatively few, as indicated by the low frequency
rate of 6.10, many of the injuries which did occur tended to be of a
permanent nature. With 223 permanent disabilities per thousand
injuries, the industry reflects the highest ratio within the industries
surveyed. Further, this number represents a sizable increase over
the already high ratio of 185 for 1936. On the whole, however, these
injuries appear to have been relatively less serious, as permanent in
juries go, as indicated by the relatively low time charge per disability
of 745 days. Other industries with high ratios of permanent dis
abilities per thousand injuries were soap, with 148 in 1937 and 146 in
1936; stamped and enameled ware, with a decrease from 156 to 149;
furniture, with an increase from 115 to 124; and agricultural imple
ments, with an increase from 101 to 134. Other industries with high
ratios of permanent injuries were set-up boxes, cement, radio and
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial Accidents
615
phonograph, and smelting and refining. Outstanding for high average
time charges for these permanent injuries were cement, with 1,029
days (a considerable decrease over the figure of 1,369 for 1936); bus
transportation, with 1,371 as compared with 1,434 for 1936; and
utilities not elsewhere classified, for which the average time charge
increased from 1,403 days to 1,543. Similarly, the average time
charges for permanent disability were high for the entire laundry and
dry-cleaning group.
T EM P O R A R Y T O TAL D IS A B IL IT Y
In contrast with deaths and permanent injuries, a high number of
temporary total disabilities per thousand injuries generally reflects
an injury experience composed primarily of minor injuries. The
industries, therefore, which stand out in this connection are those to
which no reference has been made for high numbers of deaths and
permanent disabilities per thousand injuries.
Among the industries with large numbers of temporary total dis
abilities were: Fertilizer; the entire food group (with the exception
of confectionery); iron and steel; stoves; leather; boots and shoes;
paper and pulp; news and periodical printing and publishing; rubber
tires; brick, tile, and terra cotta; glass; pottery; women’s clothing;
knit goods; silk and rayon; and woolen goods. Average high time
losses per temporary total disability were experienced by explosives,
with 26 days in 1937 as against 20 in 1936; petroleum refining, with
24 days in each year; iron and steel, with 25 days in 1937 against 21
in 1936; rubber goods other than tires, with 24 in 1937 and 18 in 1936;
cement, with 39 in 1937 as against 28 in 1936; motor vehicles manu
facturing, with 29 in 1937; streetcar and bus transportation, with 26
in 1937; and utilities, not elsewhere classified, with 25 in 1937 as
against 19 in 1936.
Industries with low average durations per temporary total injury
were confectionery, with 16 and 15 days, respectively, in 1937 and
1936; slaughtering and meat packing, with 17 and 14 days; agricul
tural implements, with 15 days in each of the 2 years; knit goods,
with 15 days in 1937 and 13 in 1936; and radio and phonograph, with
16 and 14, respectively, in 1937 and 1936.
IN D U S T R IA L IN J U R IE S TO W O M E N A N D M E N ,
1932 TO 1934
WOMEN form a substantial proportion of the persons injured in
industry. Of the States reporting data on accidents by sex, there
were 3 States in 1931 in which over 9 percent of the industrial acci
dents involved women; 5 States in 1932; and 7 States in 1933 and 1934.
Rhode Island and New Hampshire, both important textile States,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
616
had the largest proportion of women injured in industry, and Mas
sachusetts, New Jersey, and Georgia also had substantial proportions.
In the latest year reported (1934 in most cases) by 19 States which
report accident data by sex,1large numbers of women were injured—
over 4,000 in 4 States (Massachusetts, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and
New York), from 1,000 to 2,500 in 6 States (Georgia, Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Minnesota, and New Jersey), and substantial numbers in
the other States. A study of the comparable State data on occu
pational injuries of women and men from 1932 to 1934 has been
made by the United States Women’s Bureau, the information herein
being taken from the report of that study.2 It is stated that because
of the variations in the basis of reporting, data as between States are
not comparable, but comparisons may be made of data for a series of
years in a single State.
T a b l e 1.— Industrial Injuries in 19 States, by Sex, 1932 to 1934
1932
1934
1933
,
Females
Females
Females
State
Total
N um
ber
Per
cent
of
total
Total
N um
ber
Per
cent
of
total
4.5
4,353
22,266
5,870
31, 749
17,995
194
1,776
311
2,089
632
10,247
7, 564
31,769
13,156
164
541
610
3,432
814
4.5
5.3
8 3,
8 .1
10.8
6 .2
631
11,823
8 ,435
35,217
18,975
164
526
548
4,111
1,030
11.7
5.4
8 .8
24,173
2, 321
9.6
181
1,907
8,269
11.6
24,173
51, 841
1,964
18, 537
69,918
2, 321
4,940
208
1,795
7,452
9.6
9.5
14.9
9. 7
10.7
4,893
'309
251
860
5.7
14.7
6.5
5.9
2,311
3,998
320
281
13.8
7.0
4.8
9.1
5.2
7.7
7.1
Iowa 1____ ______________ 4 5,315
K entucky. _____________ 11,741
8,139
Maryland _____________
Massachusetts___________ 42,067
M ichigan._______________ 16, 662
269
392
611
4,020
923
5.1
3.3
7.5
9.6
5.5
8 3,
29,825
2,636
N ew Jersey_________ . . . 20,198
N ew York______ _______ 82,433
1,919
7,884
9.5
9.6
1,560
17. 559
74,487
85, 099
2,322
4,935
16,195
4,944
311
357
906
5.8
13.4
7.2
5. 6
85, 642
2 , 109
3,852
14, 562
Rhode Island__________ .
South Dakota___________
Total
4.7
9.5
5.3
7.1
7.4
187
1,650
321
1,953
1,243
..
Per
cent
of
total
181
1,812
311
1,930
2 801
3,829
19,077
5,870
27,207
2 10,760
3,856
Colorado___________ ____
Georgia_________________ 18,126
Idaho 1. ________________ 6,116
Illinois 2___________ _____ 25,462
Indiana— ______________ 17,529
M innesota 1 ________
N um
ber
10.9
11.1
1 The numbers reported for a 2-year period have been divided by 2.
2 For this table figures showing compensable cases occurring have been used.
2 9 -month period, the report period being changed.
4 Excludes 203 cases reported for the 2 -year period ending June 30,1932, not classified
8 Excludes 222 cases for the period ending June 30,1934, not classified by sex.
1,102
8 .0
5.3
6 .6
6.1
4.5
4.4
6. 5
by sex.
«J
Although as a rule men suffer the most serious injuries, there were
during the 3 years 1932-34, in the 10 States reporting on extent of
disability, 185 women who either lost their lives or were permanently
2 Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, N ew Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Dakota, and Wisconsin.
1 U. S. Women’s Bureau Bulletin No. 160: Industrial Injuries to Women and Men, 1932 to 1934, by
Margaret T. Mettert. Washington, 1938.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial Accidents
617
and totally disabled in the course of their employment. Over 4,000
women in New York, almost 1,600 in New Jersey, over 1,600 in Illinois,
and considerable numbers in the other States, were permanently dis
abled during the same period. From 64 to 98 percent of the injuries
of the men and from 71 to 99 percent of the injuries of the women, in
the various States, were temporary disabilities. Table 2 shows the
extent of disability suffered by women and by men from occupational
injuries in 1934.
T a b l e 2 . — Classification of Industrial Injuries, by Extent of Disability,
Sex, and State, 1934
Percent of injuries that were—
Number of in
juries
Georgia_______________
Idaho____ _____ ________
Illinois._______________
Maryland___ __________
Massachusetts.......... .........
Michigan________ ____ _
M innesota_____________
Missouri____ ____ ______
New Jersey____________
New York_____________
Pennsylvania 7_________
Permanent
total
Fatal
State
Males
Fe
males
1 4,472
1 395T 2 .1
2 311
.6
- 2,135
2.4
548
[ 1 .0
4,111
.7
1,030
1 .0
8 1, 514
1 .2
4,940
.1
1,795
1 .2
7,452
1 .2
2,490
1.9
8 5,559
28, 980
7,887
31,106
17,945
8 14,606
46, 901
16, 742
62,466
44, 237
*
Permanent
partial
Temporary
Fe Males Fe
Fe
Fe
Males males
males Males males Males males
0.5
1 1 .0
.6
.2
(3)
.1
(3)
(3)
.4
.3
.1
.3
.3
.2
0 .2
4.0
8 30.9
(3)
4.8
2.5
6.9
7.3
.1
(3)
.1
.1
(8)
6.
(8)
i
6 .6
2 .6
8 28.1
3.6
1.9
8 .2
4.7
2 .2
.8
30.3
24.0
8 4. 5
28.6
18.4
8 3.1
86.9
95.3
66.5
94.3
96.7
92.1
91.5
97.7
68.5
74.7
93.6
92.9
96.8
71.7
96.4
98.0
91.5
95.0
99.0
71.1
81.3
96.6
1 Only compensable cases.
! Denied claims omitted. The numbers reported for a 2-year period have been divided by 2 .
* Less than Ho of 1 percent.
4 Closed compensable cases.
8 Includes disfigurement.
* The numbers reported for a 2-year period have been divided by 2. Permanent total and permanent
partial are combined.
7 For 1933, the latest year for which statistics were available.
8 Permanent total and permanent partial are combined.
Bruises, contusions, or abrasions were the most common type of
injuries to both sexes in the four States reporting nature of injury;
they constituted from 14 to 38 percent of the reported injuries. Cuts
and lacerations were also a common type. The more serious injuries,
such as amputations and dislocations, occurred to women and men
in about equal proportions. Men had a higher proportion of fractures,
sprains, and strains, than women, while the reverse was true as to
burns and scalds and punctured wounds.
In most of the States reporting on the point, the majority of the
injuries occurred in the manufacturing industries, though most of
the injuries to men in Pennsylvania, and a material proportion in
Illinois and Indiana, were in mining and related industries. The pro
portion of women injured in factories was usually greater than that
of men, the percentage in the various States ranging from 27 to 86 for
men and from 40 to 89 for women. In New Hampshire and in Georgia
129324— 39------ 9
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
618
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
the highest percentages of the injuries occurring to women were in
the textile mills, in Illinois they were in food plants, in Indiana and
Pennsylvania in clothing factories, and in Michigan in machinery and
vehicle factories.
In general, the major causes of injuries to women were machinery
and falls of persons, while handling objects was the principal cause of
injuries to men. Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Hamp
shire, and New Jersey reported that at least 20 percent of the total
injuries to women were caused by machinery, and Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania,
that the same proportion was caused by falls of persons. Handling
objects caused 20 percent or more of the injuries to men in Georgia,
Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Labor Laws and Court Decisions
R E C E N T C O UR T D E C ISIO N S OF IN T E R E S T TO LABO R
Constitutionality of State Law Regulating Hours of Truck Drivers
A STATUTE of New Hampshire, which prohibits the operation of
motor vehicles for specified transportation by drivers who have been
continuously on duty for more than 12 hours, was sustained as
constitutional in a recent decision of the United States Supreme
Court.1 The act applies to common and contract carriers for hire,
but does not cover those transporting products of their own manu
facture, nor motor vehicles not principally engaged in the trans
portation of property for hire or operating exclusively in a city or
town or within 10 miles of its limits. In addition to forbidding a
driver to operate a motor vehicle for more than 12 hours, the statute
provides that “after a driver has been continuously on duty for 12
hours, it shall be unlawful for him or for the owner of the vehicle to
permit him to operate any such motor vehicle on the highways of
this State until he shall have had at least 8 consecutive hours off
duty.” For violations of the act, the Public Service Commission is
authorized after notice and hearing to suspend or revoke any regis
tration certificate.
In upholding the validity of the statute, Mr. Justice Butler, who
delivered the opinion of the Supreme Court, observed that the pur
pose of the act was “to protect users of the highways of this State
from the danger likely to result to them from the operation thereon
of trucks under the control of drivers suffering from the effects of
fatigue.” It was pointed out that the corporation had failed to show
that in the operation of motor vehicles to which the statute applies,
continuous driving for more than 12 hours is not more prevalent
than in the operation of vehicles exempted from the provisions of
the act. As there was a reasonable basis for the differentiation,
the Court was of the opinion that “the classification in question
does not conflict with the rule of equal protection.”
The Court also held that the State statute was not superseded
by the Federal act. That act authorized the Interstate Commerce
Commission to “establish reasonable requirements with respect
1 I I . P . W e lc h C o .
v.
T h e S ta te o f N e w H a m p s h ir e ,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
59 Sup. Ct. 438.
619
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
620
to * * * qualifications and maximum hours of service of em
ployees, and safety of operation and equipment,” but, according to
the opinion of the Court, ‘‘Congress by mere grant of power to the
Interstate Commerce Commission did not intend to supersede State
police regulations established for the protection of the public using
State highways.” The Commission, as authorized by the act, issued
an order establishing certain hours of service for drivers of motor vehi
cles operated in interstate commerce by contract and common carriers,
but this regulation did not become effective until January 31, 1939.
The violations of the State act occurred before the order was made, and
for this reason it was declared that the regulations of the Commission
had not superseded the State act. In this connection, the Court said:
“In view of the efforts of governmental authorities everywhere to miti
gate the destruction of life, limb, and property resulting from the use of
motor vehicles, it cannot be inferred that Congress intended to super
sede any State safety measure prior to the taking effect of a Federal
measure found suitable to put in its place.”
Right of Illegally Employed Minor to Recover for Injuries
A 15-year-old boy who was injured while operating a tractor and
plow on a farm was held by the Supreme Court of Kansas to have a
right of action against his employer, based on a violation of the State
child-labor law.2 That act provides that no child under 16 years of
age shall be employed in any mine or quarry, or “at any occupation
at any place dangerous or injurious to life, limb, health, or morals.”
It was contended by the employer that the injured boy was not em
ployed in a dangerous place within the meaning of the law, and that
the law was “not intended to apply to one engaged in agriculture,”
since the State legislature enacted at the same session a workmen’s,
compensation act which exempted agricultural employment.
In holding that an action could be maintained because of the
violation of the child-labor law, the court declared that danger must
be absent from both place and occupation in order to render the law
inapplicable. “What the legislature intended to prohibit,” it was
said, “was employment at any place in any occupation which is
dangerous to life, limb, health, or morals of a child under 16 years
of age.” In answer to the contention that the child-labor law and
the workmen’s compensation act should be considered together, the
court pointed out that the compensation statute dealt with employees
in certain defined employments and provided for compensation, and
that there were many employments besides agriculture not within
the terms of the law. The child-labor act, on the other hand, covers
an entirely different field, as it prohibits child labor and does not
2 K r o n v a l l v.
G arvey,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
84 Pac. (2d) 5.
Labor Laws and Court Decisions
621
otherwise attempt to regulate labor. It was therefore the view of the
court that the legislature “did not intend by the provisions excepting
agricultural pursuits and employments1¡incident ¡thereto from the
workmen’s compensation act to make such a provision' applicable to
the child-labor act.”
Meaning of "Voluntarily L e a v i n g A s Used in UnemploymentCompensation Act
In a recent case decided by the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, the
meaning of the word “voluntarily” as used in the State unemploymentcompensation act was determined.3 The statute provides that an
employee is ineligible for compensation if his unemployment is due to
his “voluntarily leaving work.” The claims of two employees were
involved in the decision. In one case, the employee resigned because
his physician told him that continued employment in his occupation
would endaiiger his health, while in the other case the employee was
discharged, but left his employment prior to the effective date of the
discharge in order to attempt to secure other work.
In discussing the two cases, the court pointed out that the word
“voluntarily” may be used in a number of different ways, but with
regard to the purpose and intent of the act, the most appropriate
definition is “of one’s own motion,” so that the expression, “he left
work voluntarily,” meant that the employee left of his own motion
and was not discharged. It was observed also that voluntary leaving
is the opposite of a discharge or other action by the employer severing
relations with his employees, against which “the act was mainly
designed.” Finally, the court declared that where the employee,
without action by the employer, resigns or quits his employment, this
action amounts to voluntarily leaving work, “such as to render him
ineligible for unemployment compensation under the act.”
For these reasons, the court held that the employee who resigned
because of his health was not entitled to compensation, as he quit of
his own motion and was not discharged, dismissed, or laid off by his
employer. The court said that it was not within the province of the
board “to explore the reasons or mental processes which led the
claimant to give up his employment.” It was pointed out that this
would result in too variable and uncertain results, and would be
doing violence to the usual and ordinary meaning of the term “vol
untarily leaving” in the light of the purpose of the enactment. In the
case of the employee who was discharged, but left his employment a
few days before the effective date of the discharge, the court held that
he was entitled to unemployment compensation from the date the dis
charge became effective. After stating that the claimant’s employ3D
e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r a n d In d u s tr y
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
v.
U n e m p lo y m e n t C o m p e n s a tio n B o a r d o f R e v ie w ,
3 A tl. (2d) 211.
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
622
ment was broken or severed as a result of the act of the employer in
notifying him that he would be laid off, the court declared that “his
leaving a few days in advance of the time fixed for his lay-off, with the
employer’s full assent, cannot be construed as ‘voluntarily leaving
work’ but only as anticipating by a few days, with the consent of the
employer, the effective date of his dismissal.”
R E L IE F A P P R O P R IA T IO N OF 1939
TO PROVIDE funds for work relief and direct relief until June 30,
1939, a joint resolution appropriating $725,000,000 was approved by
the President on February 4, 1939 (Pub. Res. No. 1).
The new appropriation supplements the amount designated in the
Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1938.1 Of the total amount,
the Works Progress Administrator is authorized to expend any amount
up to $15,000,000 for the purpose of providing direct relief for needy
persons. An investigation of persons on relief rolls must be made
immediately for the purpose of eliminating those not in actual need.
However, up to April 1, 1939, the number of employees on Works
Progress projects may not be reduced by more than 5 percent. If
an emergency should arise which would require the President to
submit an estimate for an additional appropriation, the Congress
specified that a statement as to the facts constituting the emergency
must be given.
Under the terms of the measure, the relief employment of aliens is
prohibited and hereafter every relief employee must make an affidavit
that he is a citizen of the United States. Preference in employment
must be given to needy American citizens who are veterans of certain
wars, and then to other needy American citizens or other persons
owing allegiance to the United States. There can be no restriction
in thei employment of persons 65 years of age or over, nor of women
with dependent children.
A person refusing an offer of private employment forfeits his right
to work relief. However, any person accepting private employment
may at the end of such employment return to his previous employment
status with the Works Progress Administration, provided he is still
in need and did not lose the employment through his own fault.
The amount which maybe allocated to other Federal departments and
agencies was increased from $60,000,000 to $88,000,000. Such funds,
however, may not be used for war materials, nor used by any Federal
agency for the purpose of establishing mills or factories which would
manufacture articles or materials in competition with existing indus
tries.
1 See M o n th ly Labor R eview , A ugust 1938 (p. 345.)
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Labor Laws and Court Decisions
623
Political coercion in relief lias been prohibited. Any person who
offers employment or compensation as a reward for political activity,
or who attempts to deprive any person of employment or compensa
tion on account of race, creed, color, or political activity, may be
punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not
more than 1 year, or both. This provision applies also to all depart
ments and agencies of the Government. In addition, any person em
ployed in an administrative or supervisory capacity and paid from
relief funds is forbidden to use official authority or influence for the
purpose of interfering with an election or affecting its results.
The measure also prohibits the use of the funds for the payment of
the compensation of any civil-service employee. By the terms of an
Executive order issued by the President on June 24, 1938, adminis
trative employees of a number of agencies, including the Works Prog
ress Administration, following the taking of a noncompetitive examina
tion, were to be given a civil-service status as of February 1, 1939.
The Congress provided that this Executive order would not apply to
“positions the compensation of which is payable from appropriations
contained in the Emergency Belief Appropriation Act of 1938 or from
the amount appropriated in this joint resolution.” It was also pro
vided that such appropriations could not be made available for the
paying of an incumbent of a position placed in the competitive
classified civil service of the United States after January 10, 1939.
P R O H IB IT IO N OF D ISC H A R G E I N A R G E N T IN A
B E C A U SE OF M A R R IA G E
AN EMPLOYEE discharged on account of marriage must be paid an
indemnity of not less than 1 year’s salary,1 under a law promulgated
in Argentina on October 7, 1938.1 The right to this compensation
does not preclude claims for damages under the common law or any
special laws.
Business organizations holding public-service concessions and civil
and commercial organizations of any kind, are prohibited from making
internal regulations or labor contracts or agreements which provide
for dismissal of employees because of marriage, and such acts are null
and void. Violation of this provision is punishable by a fine of 1,000
to 10,000 pesos for each infraction, and in case of repetition of the
offense the maximum penalty is doubled. Fines so collected are to be
paid into the Institute of the National Education Council or to the
provincial councils.
Domestic servants are not covered by the provisions of this law.
1 U. S. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.
Law Series, January 1939 (p. 42).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Division of Commercial Laws.
Comparative
Industrial Disputes
T R E N D OF S T R IK E S
IN JANUARY 1939 there was a 17-percent increase in the number
of strikes, according to preliminary estimates as compared with
December 1938. There were increases of about 70 percent in number
of workers involved and about 35 percent in man-days idle during
January. The large increase in number of workers involved was
accounted for principally by the short strike of several thousand
taxicab drivers in New York City from January 3 to 6.
As compared with January a year ago, the preliminary estimates
indicate increases in January 1939 of 9 percent in number of strikes,
56 percent in number of workers involved, and 34 percent in man-days
of idleness.
The preliminary estimates given in the accompanying table for
December and January are based on newspaper reports and other
information available as this goes to press. An analysis of strikes in
each of these months, based on detailed and verified information, will
appear in subsequent issues of the Monthly Labor Review.
Trend of Strikes, 1933 to January 1939 1
Workers involved
in strikes
Number of strikes
Year and month
Con
tinued
from
preced
ing
month
Begin In prog
ning in
ress
month during
or year month
Ended
in
month
In effect Beginning In progress
at end
during
in month
of
month
or year
month
16,872,128
19, 591,949
15,456,337
13,901,956
28,424,857
1,168,272
1,466,695
1,117,213
' 788,648
1,860,621
1,695
l ’ 856
1933
1934
193.5
193fi
1937
2 ,014
2 ,172
4| 740
Man-days
idle during
month
or year
1937
January____ ______
February_________
M arch___________
April_____________
100
139
146
250
273
330
358
297
295
263
205
202
June_____________
July______________
August________
September________
October__________
Novem ber................
December________
Footnotes at end of table.
624
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
171
211
614
£35
604
610
472
449
361
320
262
131
271
350
760
785
877
940
830
746
656
583
467
333
132
204
510
512
£47
582
533
451
393
378
265
213
139
146
250
273
330
358
297
295
263
205
202
120
108,621
99,335
290,324
221,572
325,499
281,478
143,678
143,033
88,967
67,242
68,929
21,943
214,268
226,329
358,155
394,178
445,170
474,954
353,682
238,828
160,241
127,109
118,632
60,518
2,720,281
1,491,268
3,288,976
3,377,223
2,982,735
4,998,408
3,007,819
2,270,380
1,449,948
1,181,914
981,697
674,205
Industrial Disputes
625
Trend of Strikes, 1933 to January 1939 1—Continued
Workers involved
in strikes
Number of strikes
Year and month
M an-days
idle during
month
In progress
or year
during
month
Con
tinued
from
preced
ing
month
Begin
ning in
month
or year
120
117
125
157
168
168
146
144
141
124
132
104
156
178
247
247
265
194
178
219
185
199
167
145
276
295
372
404
433
362
324
363
326
323
299
249
159
170
215
236
265
216
180
222
202
191
195
149
117
125
157
168
168
146
144
141
124
132
104
100
35,251
52,446
55,534
77,167
80,867
51,931
48,104
45,663
93,403
50,012
37, 770
32,000
55,772
76,608
104,100
109,062
121,800
93,397
82,194
77,347
129,588
108,851
68,605
51,000
476,988
504,985
750,756
822,428
1,145,027
838,747
750,617
806, 564
969,165
817,378
503,513
475,000
100
170
270
165
105
55,000
75,000
640,000
In prog
In effect Beginning
ress
Ended
at end
in month
during
in
of
or year
month month month
1938
January__________
February_________
M arch____ _______
April_____________
M ay _____________
J u n e ..___________
July_____ ________
August___________
September ______
October__________
N ovem ber. ______
D ecem ber1_______
1939
January 1...... ............
1 Strikes involving fewer than 6 workers or lasting less than 1 day are not included in this table nor in the
following tables. Notices or leads regarding strikes are obtained by the Bureau from more than 660 daily
papers, labor papers, and trade journals as well as from all Government labor boards. Letters are written
to representatives of parties in the disputes asking for detailed and authentic information. Since answers
to some of these letters have not yet been received, the figures given for the late months are not final. This
is particularly true w ith regard to figures for the last 2 months, and these should be considered as preliminary
estimates.
A N A L Y SIS OF S T R IK E S I N N O V E M B E R 1938 1
Strike activity in November 1938 was considerably less than in the
preceding months of the fall and summer. Detailed information was
obtained on 167 strikes which began in November, involving somewhat
fewer than 38,000 workers. The following analysis is based on these
strikes, plus 132 which continued into November from preceding
months, making a total of 299 strikes in progress during the month,
involving nearly 69,000 workers and resulting in more than a half
million man-days idle in November.
The industry groups affected by the greatest number of new
strikes in November were trade (27), textiles (20), food (15), building
and construction (13), lumber and allied products (12), and domestic
and personal service (12). The strikes in these six groups accounted
for about 60 percent of all strikes beginning in November. There were
more workers involved, by far, in the automobile-manufacturing in
dustry than in any other. This was due principally to short stoppages
at the Chevrolet Gear & Axle plant and the Plymouth plant, both in
Detroit. The industry groups with the most man-days of idleness be
cause of strikes in November were lumber and allied products (96,000),
i D etailed inform ation on a few strikes has not yet been received. (See footnote to preceding table.)
D a ta on m issing strikes w ill be included in th e annual report.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Lahor Review—March 1939
626
textiles (74,000), trade (52,000), machinery manufacturing (47,000),
and transportation and communication (46,000). The large amount
of idleness in the lumber group was due principally to the dispute at
the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills at Bellingham, Wash., and the
dispute at two Portland, Oreg., furniture plants. Both of these dis
putes began prior to November and both were still in progress at
the end of the month.
T able 1.— Strikes and Lock-Outs in November 1938, by Industry
Beginning in
November
In progress dur
ing November
Mandays
idle dur
ing N o
N um Workers N um Workers vember
involved ber
involved
ber
Industry
. . _ _ _ --- -
167
37, 770
299
68, 605
503, 513
8
807
15
1,936
20, 288
1
92
1
1
92
374
828
4,862
Steam and hot-water heating apparatus and steam
fittings__________________________ ___ _________
Stoves_____________________________________________
Structural and ornamental metal work__________ ____
2
1
1
414
110
28
Other.........__________________ ____ ______________
3
163
2
2
2
1
2
4
414
140
81
186
465
184
2,604
740
1,449
744
7,605
1,456
Machinery, not including transportation equipment____ ...
Electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies _______
Foundry and machine-shop products ...........................
9
5
2
2, 899
1,151
312
17
6
5
2
4
4,953
1,218
1,644
585
1,506
47,193
3,828
19, 627
5,184
18, 554
All industries
Iron and steel and their products, not including machinery.Cutlery (not including silver and plated cutlery), and
edge tools.......................................................... - ............ .....
Other ....... .1...........:_________________
____
2
1,436
6
5
16,133
16,133
6
5
1
17, 156
16,133
1,023
42, 040
37, 948
4, 092
Nonferrous metals and their products_____ __ _ ... __
Lighting equipment________________ ____ _
_____
Silverware "and plated ware_________________________
Other ____ ______ _____ ________ ________
____
3
876
1
2
36
840
4
1
1
2
914
38
36
840
4, 542
570
612
3,360
Lumber and allied products ___________
. ...........
Furniture _____________ _______ __ ___ _____
Sawmills and logging camps ________________ ___
Other _________________________ ____ _ ___
12
6
3
3
1,087
321
670
96
25
16
5
4
5, 647
2, 672
2,823
152
95, 809
46,838
46,927
2,044
3
2
1
575
165
410
4, 780
3; 960
820
Transportation equipment................ - . . . . ___
...
Automobiles, bodies and parts ____ _______ ______
Shipbuilding _______ ______________ _ _____
Stone, clay, and glass products ...
... __
Brick, tile, and terra cotta ____________
Other __ 1_____ _ .
. . . __
Textiles and their products______ _ ... _______________ _
Fabrics:
Carpets and rugs_____________________________ _
Cotton goods___________________________________
Cotton small wares_______________________
_
Dyeing and finishing textiles____________ ____ . _
Silk and rayon goods_______________ _______ _
_
Woolen and worsted goods______________________
Other_____________________________ _________
Wearing apparel:
Clothing, men’s ___________ ____ ... ... _ .
Clothing, women’s ........... . . . . ______
__
M en’s furnishings _________________ ______
Hats, caps, and m illin e r y ... ...... .............. ...........
Shirts and collars___________________________ _.
Hosiery________________________________
_____
Knitgoods______________________________ ______
Other............................. . . . ______
. . . .
Boots and shoes______________________________ _____
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20
3, 048
36
5, 944
74, 321
2
750
2
1
9
1
1
1
200
44
18
750
1,125
24
19
200
44
88
750
15, 500
372
399
400
440
860
1
8
1
1
1
1
1
26
1,050
12
391
304
33
211
4
13
1
1
2
1
1
1
310
1,133
12
391
1,004
33
211
600
2.404
11, 397
24
6,647
20, 780
693
1,055
12, 600
1
78
3
3
520
520
7,184
7,184
1
2
3
1
1
1
2
Industrial Disputes
627
T able 1.— Strikes and Lock-Outs in November 1938, by Industry—Continued
Beginning in
November
In progress dur
ing November
Mandays
idle dur
ing N o
N um Workers N um Workers vember
ber
involved
ber
involved
Industry
_ _
._
__ _
Baking --- __________________ __ ______________ ._
Beverages_____________________________________ . .
Butter____________________________ _______________
Canning and preserving____________________________
Confectionery________________________________
Slaughtering and meat packing_________________ ____
Other___ _________________________ ____ ___________
Food and kin dred products_____
15
2
1
1
1
2
5
3
3,245
50
18
21
16
122
2,865
153
__ _
Chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff_____________
C igars... ___________ ________________ _______ _ .
Tobacco m anufactures_______
20
3
1
1
2
4
6
3
3,860
72
18
21
152
204
3,240
153
16,146
'299
36
147
1,296
642
13, 232
494
2
1
1
1 675
l ”035
640
9 070
4
2
68
49
7
3
609
58
374
2
19
3
1
519
32
12, 582
288
4
1
1
2
422
135
205
82
4
422
135
205
82
3, 988
405
2,665
918
2
1
1
659
571
88
4
1
3
1, 361
571
790
13,302
2,292
11,010
M iscellaneous m an u factu rin g _____
6
1
1
1
3
326
94
43
15
174
15
3
1
3
8
932
370
43
39
480
5 59,6
b 083
473
183
3,787
Extraction of m in erals. __________
3
2
1
651
611
40
5
3
1
1
1, 329
1,076
40
213
15,030
10; 437
120
4,473
Transportation and com m unication __
_ . ___ _ _ _ _ _ _
Water transportation_____________ ____________ ____
Motortruck transportation_______ ______________
Motor bus transportation____________________ _____
Taxicabs and miscellaneous___ ____ _______ . _____
Telephone and telegraph_________ ._ _ ____________
8
1
5
1, 573
150
1,250
1
1
73
100
17
2
11
1
2
1
4,752
258
4,257
34
103
100
45, 774
1,074
43, 611
408
481
200
Trade
_ _______ _____ _
Wholesale______. . . _____________ _________ _ .
Retail____________________________________________
27
10
17
3 106
1,734
1,372
46
14
32
7 767
l ‘ 830
5,937
51 886
13* 285
38,601
D om estic and personal service ____________ .
12
7
5
526
372
154
21
11
7
3
779
475
209
95
5,491
1,614
1,598
2,279
5
4
1
186
178
8
7
5
2
261
191
70
3 388
2,454
934
13
6
462
161
29
15
973
367
5,979
3,190
Boxes, paper_______ __________ ______ _ . _______
Printing and publishing:
Newspapers and periodicals___________ . . . ___
Other_____________ ____ ___________________________
Chem icals and allied p r o d u cts ___
._
Chemicals___________ _______ _ ... ____________ . .
Fertilizers_________________________________________
Other______________ _______________ ___________ .
Rubber products _________ . . .
..
. . . ____ _
Rubber tires and inner tubes______________ . ______
Other rubber goods........... . __________________ ____
Electric light, power and manufactured gas______ _ _.
Broom and brush_____________ __________________
Furriers and fur fa c t o r ie s _____ ____________________
Other___________________ ________ ____ ___ ____ ..
_
_ ___
Coal mining, bituminous____________________ _____
Metalliferous mining................................................. ...........
Other_________________ ____ ____________________
. . . . . ___
Hotels, restaurants, and boarding houses_____________
Laundries_________________________________ . . . .
Dyeing, cleaning, and pressing_____________________
Professional s e r v i c e .. ______
...
_______ .
Recreation and amusement__________________________
Semiprofessional, attendants, and helpers_____________
B uild ing and construction _____ ________
. . __ __
_
Buildings, exclusive of P. W. A___ _______ _ . . .
All other construction (bridges, docks, etc., and P. W. A.
buildings)________ ____________________ _______ _
1
1
2
7
301
14
606
2,789
____ _______ ___ _
Agriculture______________________________ ______ ___
Fishing_____________________ ____ _______ _____ _____
4
3
1
822
672
150
5
4
1
2, 822
2, 672
150
7, 534
6, 484
1,050
W. P. A ., relief, and resettlem ent projects_______ _________
1
150
2
2,750
6,650
Other nonmanufacturing in d u stries _______________
5
646
6
668
10, 708
Agriculture and fishing ___
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
_ _. _
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
628
States experiencing the most new strikes during November were
New York (49), Pennsylvania (19), and New Jersey (18). California,
Illinois, Massachusetts, and Ohio had 7 each. Only 3 States had as
many as 3,000 workers involved in new strikes during the month.
These were Michigan (16,133), New York (7,033), and Illinois (3,208).
The States with the most man-days idle because of strikes during the
month were New York (95,000), Pennsylvania (50,000), Washington
(44,000), Michigan (38,000), and Oregon (32,000).
Two of the 167 strikes beginning'in November extended into two
or more States. One was a strike at terminals of auto transport
companies in Kansas, Ohio, and Texas. The other was a strike
against a retail fuel company in Washington, D. C., and nearby
Maryland and Virginia.
T a b l e 2 . — Strikes in November 1938, by States
Beginning in
November
In progress during
November
State
N um
ber
All States. ___ _
.
..
. . . ____ _
_
Workers
involved
N um
ber
Workers
involved
Man-days
idle
during
November
167
37,770
299
68,605
503,513
5
1
7
1
5
2
2
1,068
39
552
75
897
40
472
7
5
3,208
347
1
3
94
260
4
7
6
2
2
847
530
16,133
26
137
_______
18
1
49
1,542
'435
7,023
O h io.________________ . __________ . . ______
7
844
i
19
1
35
2,100
35
5
1
2
1
1
2
123
73
255
13
300
267
8
1
16
1
5
2
3
1
14
10
2
1
4
1
4
9
7
5
4
1
27
1
95
2
13
1
2
32
2
1
2
5
2
5
1
5
4
1,614
39
6,433
75
897
40
490
27
4,081
1,318
1,375
94
604
400
847
693
16,222
101
574
46
3,897
435
9,783
89
4,669
209
1,544
3,991
53
625
325
123
80
2,444
13
2,144
2,211
17,761
' 273
23,717
1,125
9,437
470
1,520
'405
23,446
17,802
13,375
282
6,584
5,600
5,153
3,321
38,126
1,770
3,544
1,150
26,182
3,480
94 752
867
14,803
2,090
31,724
49,814
438
5,000
4,450
509
299
44,051
39
21,810
28,344
Florida________________________ . ................... .
Idaho__ ______________ ___ . . ____________
K entucky__________________ ____ _______ . . . .
M aine___________________ ___________________
M aryland...
.....
. _________
Michigan_______ __________ . _______________
New Jersey.. ______________ . . .
.
Rhode Island____________ ____________________
South Carolina_____ ___________________ ____ _
Virginia...........
Wisconsin_____. . .
.....
.
.
._
...
_ ...
_ . . . ______ __ ___ _
There was an average of 226 workers involved in the 167 strikes
beginning in November. Two-thirds of the strikes involved fewer
than 100 workers each, 28 percent of them involved from 100 to
1,000 workers each, and 5 percent involved 1,000 or more workers
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Industrial Disputes
629
each. The only strikes involving as many as 5,000 workers were the
two in the automobile industry referred to before.
T a b l e 3 . — Stiikes Beginning in November 1938, Classified by Number of Workers
Involved
Number of strikes in which the number of
workers involved was—
Industry group
All industries---------------------------------------------------
Total
100
500
1,000
6 and 20 and and
and
and
under under under
under
under
100
20
500
1,000 5,000
167
40
8
1
73
39
4
3
5.000
and
under
10.000
7
6
2
1
1
2
2
M a n u fa c tu r in g
Iron and steel and their products, not including
Machinery,' not including transportation equip-
9
5
3
12
20
1
15
4
4
2
6
3
2
5
4
3
1
1
I
7
6
1
8
1
1
1
5
2
3
8
1
1
2
2
1
N o n m a n u fa c tu r in g
3
8
27
12
5
13
4
1
5
2
8
7
2
3
2
2
12
4
2
10
1
1
2
1
3
4
1
1
1
3
3
1
2
In 63 percent of the strikes beginning in November, including 52
percent of the workers involved, the major issues were recognition,
closed shop, discrimination, or other matters related to union organiza
tion. (Wages and hours were also involved in many of these cases.)
Wages and hours were the major issues in 21 percent of the strikes.
About 30 percent of the total workers were in this group.
In 16 percent of the strikes, including 18 percent of the workers, the
major issues were miscellaneous matters including sympathy strikes,
union rivalry, jurisdiction, and various grievances over such questions
as delayed pay, medical examinations, vacations, and protests against
certain disciplinary methods.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
630
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T a b l e 4 . —Major Issues Involved in Strikes Beginning in November 1938
Strikes
Major issues
Number
Percent of
total
167
35
20
9
5
1
105
13
31
30
18
11
2
27
3
6
1
17
All issues__________ _______________________________
Wages and hours____________________________ . .
W age increase--------------- --------------------------------Wage decrease. _________________ ____________
Wage increase, hour decrease____________________
Hour decrease______________ „ --------------------Union organization___ _____________
..
.. _
Recognition_________ ________________ _______
Recognition and wages__________________________
Recognition, wages and hours______________ . . .
Closed shop______________________ ______ _______
Discrimination__________________________ . .
Other----------------- ------- -------------------------------Miscellaneous_____________________________________
Sym pathy___________________________________ _
Rival unions or factions-- ________ _______ . . .
Jurisdiction______________________ ____________
Other_________________________________________
Workers involved
100.0
21.0
12.0
5.4
3.0
.6
62.8
7.8
18.4
18.0
10.8
6.6
1.2
16.2
1.8
3.6
.6
. 10.2
Number
Percent of
total
37, 770
11,296
7,673
2,440
883
300
19,579
2, 241
5,730
1,997
1,928
860
6,823
6,895
1,799
824
175
4,097
100.0
29.9
20.3
6.5
2.3
.8
51.9
5.9
15.2
5.3
5.1
2.3
18.1
18.2
4.7
2.2
.5
10.8
Of the 299 strikes in progress during November, 195, or 65 percent,
were terminated during the month with an average duration of 23
calendar days. About one-third of these strikes were ended in less
than a week after they began; 48 percent lasted from a week up to a
month; and 19 percent had been in progress for a month or more.
Seven strikes in the latter group (about 4 percent of the total) had been
in progress for 3 months or more when they were terminated. Practi
cally all of these were small strikes against individual firms and none
of them involved as many as 500 workers.
T a b l e 5. —Duration of Strikes Ending in November 1938
Number of strikes with duration of—
Industry group
All industries_______________________________
Total
195
and 1 and
2 and
Less 1 week
3
less
less
less
less
than 1 and
than
H
than
1
than
2
than 3 months
week
or
more
month month months months
64
46
Iron and steel and their products, not including
machinery_________
______ ________
Machinery, not including transportation equip
ment_____________________________________
Transportation equipment__________________
Nonferrous metals and their products__ ______
Lumber and allied products____________ ___
Stone, clay, and glass products_______________
Textiles and their products__________________
Leather and its manufactures________________
Food and kindred products____ _____________
Tobacco manufactures______________________
Paper and printing_____ ____________________
Chemicals and allied products_______________
Rubber products—. ........................ ..............
Miscellaneous m anufacturing-._____________
48
"
M a n u fa c tu r in g
1
8
2
3
3
12
5
3
18
1
21
2
14
2
4
2
2
10
4
5
1
5
1
3
5
9
1
1
3
23
1
i
6
5
1
6
1
1
6
2
1
1
4
1
2
i
1
4
7
1
1
i
i
1
1
2
i
N o n m a n u fa c tu r in g
Extraction of minerals.___________ .
Transportation and communication_______ __
Trade____________ ______ .
Domestic and personal service_________ _____
Professional service___ ____________
Building and construction__________ _______
Agriculture and fishing..........
........ .
W. P. A., relief, and resettlement projects. ____
Other nonmanufacturing industries_____
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2
13
28
13
5
22
2
2
4
2
4
7
7
1
3
1
3
1
8
2
1
8
1
6
2
1
3
8
2
3
1
1
i
1
Industrial Disputes
631
Government officials or boards assisted in negotiating settlements of
about 45 percent of the strikes ending in November 1938. These
strikes included approximately 35 percent of the total workers in
volved. About 35 percent of the strikes, including 18 percent of the
workers, were settled through negotiations directly between the
employers and representatives of organized workers.
About 17 percent of the strikes, including 26 percent of the total
workers involved, were terminated without formal settlements. In
most of these cases the strikers simply dropped their demands and
returned to work without settlements or they lost their jobs entirely
when employers replaced them with new workers, moved, or went out
of business.
T able 6. — Methods of Negotiating Settlements of Strikes Ending in November 1938
Strikes
Negotiations toward settlements carried on by—
Number
T otal________ . . . _______
Workers involved
Percent of
total
Number
Percent of
total
_______________________
195
Employers and workers directly____ . _____________
Employers and representatives of organized workers
directly_________________________________________
Government officials or boards_________ _____ . . . . . .
Private conciliators or arbitrators__ _ . . . .
...
. ...
Terminated without formal settle m e n t_____
N ot reported_________ _________ __________________
3
1.5
88
.2
69
87
2
33
1
35.4
44.7
1.0
16.9
.5
9,081
17,118
9,883
13,046
200
18.4
34.6
20.0
26.4
.4
49,416
100.0
100.0
Forty-two percent of the strikes ending in November, including 27
percent of the workers involved, resulted in substantial gains to the
workers. About 31 percent of the strikes, including 43 percent of the
workers involved, resulted in partial gains or compromises, and in 20
percent of the strikes the 24 percent of the workers involved gained
little or nothing.
T a b l e 7. —Results of Strikes Ending in November 1938
Strikes
Results
Number
Workers involved
Percent of
total
Number
Percent of
total
T otal____________________________ ________ ______
195
100.0
49,416
100.0
Substantial gains to workers_____ _ . . . ------- . . . . . .
Partial gains or compromises____________ _______ _.
Little or no gains to workers-------------------------- --------Jurisdiction, rival union or faction settlem ents________
Indeterm inate_________________________ _________
N ot reported______________________________________
82
61
38
8
5
1
42.0
31.3
19.5
4.1
2.6
.5
13,196
21,318
11,837
580
2,285
200
26.7
43.1
24.0
1.2
4.6
.4
Of the 195 strikes ending in November, about 19 percent were prin
cipally over wages and hours, and 64 percent were over union-organiza
tion matters. From the viewpoint of the workers involved, the union
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
632
Monthly Labor Review-March 1939
organization strikes were more successful than the strikes over wages
and hours. Of the strikes over union-organization issues, the workers
substantially won their demands in 47 percent, obtained compromise
settlements in 33 percent, and in 20 percent gained little or nothing.
Of the wage-and-hour strikes the workers won 46 percent, compro
mised 24 percent, and in 24 percent gained little or nothing.
Of the 25,377 workers involved in the strikes over union-organiza
tion matters, 40 percent won substantially all of their demands, 54
percent obtained compromise settlements, and 6 percent gained little
or nothing.
Of the 13,273 workers involved in the strikes over wages and hours,
20 percent substantially won their demands, 12 percent obtained com
promise settlements, and 66 percent gained little or nothing.
T
able
8 . —Results
of Strikes Ending in November 1938, in Relation to Major Issues
Involved
Strikes resulting in—
Major issues
Total
Substan
tial
gains to
workers
^Partial
gains or
compro
mises
Jurisdic
tion,
Little or
rival
no gains union,
or
to
faction
workers
settle
ments
Indeter
minate
N ot re
ported
Number of strikes
All issues...................... ..................
196
82
61
38
Wages and hours............. ............
Wage increase........................
Wage decrease..................... .
Wage increase, hour decrease....................... ............
Hour decrease____________
37
20
9
17
6
5
9
6
2
9
7
5
1
1
1
Union organization......................
Recognition............... ............
Recognition and wages____
Recognition and h o u r s ..—
Recognition, wages, and
hours____ _______ _____ _
Closed shop................... ........
Discrimination......................
Other....................... ...............
125
18
33
1
59
7
18
1
41
3
10
25
35
24
7
7
16
12
3
2
13
8
3
4
6
4
1
1
Miscellaneous...... ............ ............
Sym pathy...............................
Rival unions or factions___
Jurisdiction..................... .......
Other................................ .......
33
6
11
4
5
1
1
7
2
s
5
8
1
3
7
1
22
8
6
11
3
7
1
Number of workers involved
All issues........................................
49,416
13,196
21,318
11.837
Wages and hours............... ...........
Wage increase____________
Wage decrease____ _______
Wage increase, hour decrease........ ...........................
Hour decrease........................
13,273
10,027
2,525
2,618
1, 327
832
1, 565
395
1,108
8,810
8,' 225
' 585
421
300
159
300
62
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
580
2,285
200
80
80
200
200
Industrial Disputes
T
able
8 . — Results
633
of Strikes Ending in November 1938, in Relation to Major Issues
Involved— Continued
Strikes resulting in—
Major issues
Total
Substan Partial
tial
gains or
gams to compro
workers
mises
Jurisdic
tion,
Little or
rival
no gains union,
or
to
faction
workers
settle
ments
Indeter
minate
N ot re
ported
N um ber o f workers involved—Continued
Union organization......................
Recognition............................
Recognition and wages____
Recognition and hours____
Recognition, wages, and
hours__________________
Closed shop............................
Discrimination.....................
Other........................................
25,377
3,585
4,973
70
10,133
464
3,558
70
13,602
1,814
1,335
1,642
1,307
80
2,645
3,369
711
10,024
1,154
1,569
158
3,160
1,378
1,692
531
6,852
113
108
22
12
Miscellaneous................................
Sym pathy...............................
Rival unions or factions...'.
Jurisdiction..........................
Other........................................
10,766
1,799
560
20
8,387
445
6,151
1,385
24
445
6,151
1,361
580
2,205
1,775
560
20
430
A C T IV IT IE S OF T H E U N I T E D ST A T E S C O N C IL IA T IO N
SE R V IC E , JA N U A R Y 1939
THE United States Conciliation Service disposed of 332 situations
involving 76,921 workers, during January 1939.
Labor disputes consisting of strikes, threatened strikes, lockouts,
and controversies accounted for 129 situations that involved 68,987
workers. The remaining 203 situations, involving 7,934 workers, are
classified as “other situations” and included requests for information,
arbitrations, complaints, conferences regarding labor conditions, etc.
Employees and employers in 37 States, the District of Columbia,
and Alaska, used the services of this agency during January (table 1).
The facilities of the Service were used in 24 major industrial fields,
such as automobiles, food, iron and steel, textiles, etc. (table 2).
T
able
1.— Situations Disposed of by U. S. Conciliation Service, by States, January 1939
Disputes
State
N um
ber
Other situations
Workers
involved
Total
N um
ber
Workers
involved
N um
ber
Workers
involved
129
68,987
203
7,934
332
76,921
Alabama____________________________ .
5
1, 720
Arkansas_____________________________
1
120
California_____ ____ ___________________
Colorado...___________________________
Connecticut___________________________
District of Columbia___________________
Florida____ _____ ____________________
9
5,788
1
10
550
470
6
1
1
2
19
2
4
22
3
6
1
1
2
36
501
5
115
67
11
1
2
2
28
2
5
32
3
1,736
1
121
2
5,824
501
555
585
67
All States__________ _________________
129324— 39-------10
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
634
T
able
1 . — Situations
Disposed of by U. S. Conciliation Service, by States,
January 1939— Continued
Disputes
State
N um
ber
Workers
involved
Illinois________________ _______________
Indiana_______________________________
.
...............
Iowa________
Kansas. _____________________________
Kentucky_____________________________
Louisiana . _____
...
-----------
2
10
4
2
1
4
1
1
Massachusetts---------------- -------------------Michigan______________
______
Minnesota________ . . . ___________ _ Missouri________ . ------------- ------------M ontana______________________________
New Hampshire - _____________________
New Jersey.
------------------- --------------New York___ ____ . . . -----------------North Carolina----------- ---------------------Ohio------------ -----------------------------------Oklahoma_______________________ _____
Oregon_____________ . ----------- --------Pennsylvania__________ _____ __________
Rhode Island------- ------ ------------------------
3
4
4
1
1
I
9
11
1
9
1
2
22
1
1, 668
27, 600
1. 278
220
30
165
1 096
5, 553
575
6,506
8
1,550
8,014
35
Tennessee_____ ______________ _________
Texas___ ____________ . ----------- . . . Utah
_____________
Virginia________________ _____________
Washington_______________________ ___
2
1
1
1
2
50
22
135
165
1,149
W isconsin.........................................................
1
12
T
able
2 . — Situations
.
Total
Other situations
406
2,473
840
83
18
554
9
125
N um
ber
Workers
involved
8
8
2
2
4
1
18
530
2
2
4
1
2
3
9
1
3
1
2
9
22
10
14
1
3
12
1
5
3
5
2
3
208
20
6
1
2
9
937
2,356
28
1
3
115
2,000
840
3
10
2
4
5
1
2
85
5
7
N um
ber
Workers
involved
2
18
12
4
3
8
2
1
2
6
13
5
4
2
3
18
33
11
23
2
5
34
2
5
5
6
1
3
6
5
2
406
2, 491
1, 370
85
20
558
10
125
2
1, 671
27, 808
1,298
226
31
167
1,105
6,490
2,931
6, 534
9
1,553
8,129
2,035
840
53
32
135
167
1,234
5
19
Disposed of by U. S. Conciliation Service, by Industries,
January 1939
Disputes
Industry
N um
ber
Total
Other situations
Workers
involved
N um
ber
Workers
involved
N um
ber
Workers
involved
All industries_____________________ ____
129
68,987
203
7,934
332
76,921
Agriculture_______________________ ____
Automobile_______________
. _______
Building trades__________________ _____
Chemicals___________________ _______
Communications____ __________________
Domestic and personal_______
_______
Food_______________ __________________
Iron and steel— ___________
_______
Leather____
.
_________ ___
Lumber:
----------Furniture_____________ .
O ther.._ _ __________ ____ _ ______
Machinery__
. . . . ______ . . --------Maritime____ . . . __________________
M ining______ _ . . . _________________
Motion pictures____ . . . ______________
Paper and printing______ ______________
Petroleum______________ . . . _________
3
12
11
2
1
6
19
11
3
920
28, 364
1,675
177
21
254
6, 592
6, 568
1,591
4
2
21
4
2
6
15
9
4
901
21
33
8
2
43
325
617
4
7
14
32
6
3
12
34
20
7
1,821
28,385
1,708
185
23
297
6,917
7,185
1,595
5
6
5
4
2
1
2
2
1,927
2,211
2,276
3,920
368
1,500
2,545
20
Stone, clay, and glass__________________
Textile:
C o tto n _______ _ _ ___________ . .
Other_______________ . . . . ---------
5
632
2
4
9
6
2
2
4
4
2
2
2
4
341
11
2
2
4
10
3
2
7
10
14
10
4
3
6
6
2
7
1,929
2,215
2,617
3,931
370
1,502
2,549
30
3
634
2
11
2
8
6
805
3,946
1,210
671
794
10
15
2,636
2,573
4
11
3
56
7
11
3
369
12
26
2
12
17
3
56
3,441
6,519
1, 210
678
805
3
369
Trade_______ ___ ______ ___________ - Transportation__________ ______ _______
Unclassified--------------- -------------------------
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
National Income
N A T IO N A L IN C O M E , 1929 TO 1937
REVISED estimates of national income for 1937, with comparative
data for 1929-37, show a rise from $63,466,000,000 in 1936 to $69,817,000,000 in 1937. The national income or “income produced’’ minus
business savings (earnings not currently distributed to stockholders
or other proprietors of business enterprises) equals “income paid out,”
which rose from $62,586,000,000 in 1936 to $69,330,000,000 in 1937.1
The concepts of income developed by the Bureau of Foreign and
Domestic Commerce in making these estimates are conveniently
summarized by the Bureau as follows:
National income or income produced equals—
Gross income of all producing units.
Minus raw materials consumed by all producing units.
Minus depreciation and obsolescence (capital equipment consumed by all
producing units).
Income paid out equals—
National income.
Minus business savings.
Income payments to individuals equals—
Income paid out.
Minus employer and employee contributions to Social Security programs.
Minus employer and employee contributions to the Federal Government
employees’ retirement plan.
Minus contributions under the Railroad Retirement Act.
Plus direct-relief and public-assistance disbursements.
Plus Social Security benefits.
Plus Federal Government retirement plan payments.
Plus Railroad Retirement Act payments.
Plus payments to veterans on adjusted service certificates.
The largest item of income payments, described as “total compen
sation of employees,” includes salaries, wages, work-relief pay rolls,
social security contributions of employers, pensions, and workmen’s
compensation payments. Other items of income paid out are divi
dends and interest, entrepreneurial withdrawals,2 and net rents and
royalties.
1 U. S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. Income in the United
States, 1929-37, by Robert R. Nathan. Washington, 1938.
2 Defined by the Bureau as “the amounts which employers and self-employed individuals withdraw
from their business enterprises as compensation for their own efforts.” This type of income paid out is
characteristic of unincorporated enterprises including farming, and estimates are described as being “sub
ject to both statistical and theoretical difficulties.”
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
636
T
able
1.— National Income Paid Out, by Type of Payment
Item
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
Amount (in millions of dollars)
Total income paid out_____________________ 78, 556 73,290 62,032 49,024 45,317 51,510 55,137 62,586 69,330
31, 563 29,596 34,051 36,679 41,906 46,728
3,423 2,947 3,379 3,574 3,936 4, 593
7,243 7, 271 9,019 10,218 11,909 14,037
19,798 17, 746 19, 258 20,433 22,226 24,197
669 1,489 1,430 2,462 1,860
292
923
7
3
964
903 1,017 1,081 1,117
1,081 1,099
9,913 8,017 7,088 7,748 7,812 8,881 9,563
4,335 2,745 2, 209 2,793 3,038 4, 284 5,010
5, 295 5, 019 4,710 4,862 4, 725 4,652 4,656
9,848 7,887 7,214 8,021 8,729 9, 565 10,441
2, 083 1, 558 1,418 1,690 1,917 2,234 2, 599
Total compensation of em ployees.------ --------Salaries (selected industries)1----------------Wages (selected industries)1____________
Salaries and wages (all other industries) —
51, 509 47, 551 40,188
5,606 5,645 4,694
17, 093 14,214 10,585
27,873 26, 706 23,827
Other labor incom e..
_______________
Total dividends and interest3______________
Dividends____________ _____ ___ _______
Interest_______________ ___________ ___
Entrepreneurial w ithdraw als.--------- -----------N et rents and royalties___________ _________
937
11,331
5,978
5,202
12, 296
3, 419
986
11, 396
5,801
5,393
11,581
2,763
Percentages of 1929
Total income paid out--------------------------------
100.0
93.3
79.0
62.4
57.7
65.6
70.2
79.7
88.3
Total compensation of employees___________
Salaries (selected industries)1---------- -----Wages (selected industries)1-----------------Salaries and wages (all other industries). .
100.0 92.3
100.0 100.7
100.0 83.2
100.0 95.8
78.0
83.7
61.9
85.5
61.3
61.1
42.4
71.0
57.5
52.6
42.5
63.7
66.1
60.3
52.8
69.1
71.2
63.8
59.8
73.3
81.4
70.2
69.7
79.7
90.7
81.9
82.1
86.8
Social Security contributions of employers.
Other labor income_______________ _____
Total dividends and interest3_______ ______
Dividends------------------------------------------Interest— ____________ ____ ______ . Entrepreneurial withdrawals..................... .........
N et rents and royalties.. _________________
Bureau of Labor Statistics cost-of-living index.
100.C 105.2
100.6
100. c 97. C
100. c 103.7
100.0 94.2
100. t 80.8
100.0 97.5
100 . c
115.4 117.3 102.9
87.5 70.8 62.6
72.5 45.9 37.0
101.8 96.5 90.5
80.1 64.1 58.7
60.9 45.6 41.5
89.1 80.2 76.2
96. 4 108. 5 115.4 119. 2
68.4 68.9 78.4 84.4
46.7 50.8 71.7 83.8
93.5 90.8 89.4 89.5
65.2 71.0 77.8 84.9
49.4 56.1 65.3 76.0
79.1 81.1 82.1 84.7
i Includes mining, manufacturing, construction, steam railroads, Pullman, railway express, and water
transportation.
J Includes pay rolls and maintenance of Civilian Conservation Corps employees and pay rolls of Civil
Works Administration, Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and the Federal Works Program
projects plus administrative pay rolls outside of Washington, D . C., for all except the Federal Works Pro
gram. Area office employees and their pay rolls under the Federal Works Program are included with the
regular Federal Government employment and pay-roll figures.
* Includes also net balance of international flow of property incomes.
The total compensation of employees in 1937, as defined in the
estimates of income, was 90.7 percent of the 1929 total, while all
income paid out in 1937 was 88.3 percent of the 1929 total. Between
1929 and 1937 there was a significant change in the items forming
employee compensation. Total compensation of employees in 1937
was 9.3 percent smaller than in 1929, but items described as “other
labor income/’ such as pensions and workmen’s compensation pay
ments, were 19.2 percent larger than in 1929. Social security con
tributions of employers, beginning in 1934, rose to $923,000,000 in
1937. Work-relief wages, beginning in 1933, totaled $1,860,000,000
in 1937. A significant portion of work-relief wages went to farmers,
members of professions, and young persons not normally in the
wage-earning and salaried groups, and thus there was an expansion
of employee compensation not connected with the normal distribu
tion of income to wage-earning and salaried groups.
In many employments, it is not possible to distinguish between
wage earners and salaried employees. It is possible, however, to
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National Income
637
differentiate the two types of workers in manufacturing, m in in g
and contract construction, and also to compare the various forms of
income paid out in these industrial groups. (See table 2.)
T
able
2 . — Total
Income P aid Out, Wages, Salaries, and Dividends and Interest1 in
Manufacturing, Mining. and Contract Construction, 1929-37
Manufacturing, mining, and contract construction
Item
Total income paid out........
Wages...............................
S alaries...___________
Dividends and interest
Amount (in millions of dollars)
1929
1932
1933
23,257
14,383
4,617
3,277
10,687
5,910
2,784
1,462
10,145
5,997
2,383
1,331
1934
1936
Index numbers (1929=100)
1937 1929 1932 1933 1934 1936 1937
12,481 17,027 20,193 100.0 46.0
7,621 10,115 12,058 100.0 41.1
2,767 3,240 3,833 100.0 60.3
1,657 (2)
100.0 44.6
0
43.6
41.7
51.6
40.6
53.7 73.2 86.8
53.0 70.3 83.8
59.9 70.2 83.0
50.6 0
0
46.9
45.5
53.5
42.7
58.2
58.6
62.6
53.2
79.3 94.1
77.3 92.2
72.5 86.2
0
0
41.5
42.8
58.4
27.0
56.4
57.2
68.3
37.0
71.5
69.6
74.5
0
26.7
22.9
33.8
37.0
26.9 40.7 49.9
23.6 37.0 46.4
34.5 49.2 56.7
27.2 0
0
Manufacturing
Total income paid out____
Wages...............................
Salaries............................
Dividends and interest.
18,014
10,790
3,980
2,785
8,553
4,558
2,444
1,308
8,454
4,906
2,128
1,190
10,489 14,286 16,948 100.0 47.5
6,319 8,346 9,950 100.0 42.2
2,493 2,886 3,431 100.0 61.4
1,483 0
100.0 47.0
0
Mining
Total income paid out____
Wages........ .....................
Salaries_________ ____
Dividends and interest.
1,969
1,347
161
411
821
563
100
119
817 1,110 1,407 1,611 100.0 41.7
577
771
938 1,065 100.0 41.8
94
110
132 100.0 62.1
120
111
152 0
100.0 29.0
0
81.8
79.1
82.0
0
Contract construction
Total income paid out..........
Wages..............................
Salaries________ _____
Dividends and interest.
3, 274 1,313
2,246
789
476
240
81
35
874
514
161
30
882 1,334 1,634 100.0 40.1
531
831 1,043 100.0 35.1
164
234
270 100.0 50.4
22 0
100.0 43.2
0
1 Interest on long-term obligations only. Interest received by corporations is deducted from interest paid
by corporations to arrive at net interest originating in corporations. (See Income in the United States,
1929-37, p. 11.)
2 Comparable figures not available because of a change in the Revenue Act of 1934.
In manufacturing, mining, and contract construction combined,
total income paid out in 1937 was 86.8 percent of the 1929 total; wages
in 1937 were 83.8 percent of the 1929 total; and salaries were 83.0 per
cent. Because of a change in the Revenue Act of 1934, dividend and
interest payments before that date are not exactly comparable to
payments thereafter. Between 1929 and 1934, dividend and interest
payments declined somewhat more than wages. Dividends and in
terest together in 1934 were 50.6 percent of the 1929 figure, while
wages in 1934 were 53.0 percent of the 1929 figure. However, there was
a much more rapid rise after 1934 in dividends and interest than in
salaries, wages, or total income paid out in these three industrial
divisions, namely, manufacturing, mining, and contract construction.
Dividends and interest in 1937 were 227.6 percent of the 1934 figure;
wages were 158.2 percent; and total income paid out was 161.8 percent.
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T
able
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
3 . — Indexes of Total Income P aid Out, Wages, Salaries, and Dividends and
Interest 1 in Manufacturing, Mining, and Contract Construction, 1934r-37
[1934=100]
Manufacturing, mining, and
contract construction
Manufacturing
Item
Total income paid out------------------Salaries____________ __________
Dividends and interest________
1934
1935
1936
1937
1934
1935
1936
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
112.7
113.7
105.6
123.6
136.4
132.7
117.1
192.9
161.8
158.2
138.5
227.6
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
113.4
114.8
105.7
128.0
136.2
132.1
115.8
203.7
___
Dividends and interest________
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
107.5
106.1
99.1
97.4
126.8
121.7
109.1
132.9
161.6
157. 5
137. 6
238.9
Contract construction
Mining
Total income paid out_______
1937
145.1
138.1
120.0
160.7
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
110.8
111. 1
107.3
131.8
151.2
156. 5
142.7
168.2
185.3
196. 4
164. 6
240.9
i Interest on long-term obligations only. Interest received by corporations is deducted from interest
paid by corporations to arrive at net interest originating in corporations. (See Income in the United states,
1929-37, p. 11.) A change in the Revenue Act of 1934 prevents continuous comparison of interest and divi
dends with other items. For comparative trends from 1929 to 1934, see table 2.
National income produced as distinguished from national income
paid out is defined as the net value of goods and services produced
expressed in terms of current prices. Since prices change from year
to year, the volume of goods and services produced (“real” national
income) does not change at the same rate as does their net value.
No satisfactory general index of prices is available that would make
possible the adjustment of the net value of goods and services for
measuring changes in their quantity, that is, in real income. How
ever, it is known that prices fell considerably between 1929 and
1933 and therefore the net value of national income produced fell
more rapidly than did real income. It is known also that prices
rose between 1933 and 1937, and therefore real income increased less
rapidly than did the national income in current dollars. But prices
in 1937 were still materially lower than in 1929. The wholesaleprice index was 9 percent lower and the cost-of-living index was 15
percent lower. The national income produced was only 14 percent
below that of 1929. These figures indicate that real income^ in 1937
closely approximated that of 1929. There was, however, an increase
of about 6 percent in the population.
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Cost and Standards o f Living
C H A N G E S I N COST OF L IV IN G I N T H E U N IT E D
S T A T E S, D E C E M B E R 15, 1938
THE cost of living for families of wage earners and lower-salaried
workers in the 32 large cities of the United States surveyed by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics was at the same level on December 15,
1938, as on September 15, 1938.
Slight declines in the cost of food, clothing, housefurnishing goods,
and miscellaneous items were .counterbalanced by an increase in fuel
and light costs, while rents remained unchanged.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics index of the cost of all goods pur
chased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers in 32 cities, based
on costs in 1923-25 as 100, was 82.7 on December 15, the same as on
September 15. Living costs in these cities averaged 2.1 percent lower
than a year ago and 17.0 percent below the peak point in December
1929. They were 11.1 percent higher than at the low point of June
1933.
Living costs declined in 21 of the 32 cities and increased in 11,
during the quarter ending December 15. In each of these cities the
change was less than 1 percent, except in Buffalo where food costs
caused the index for all items to increase by 1.2 percent.
Food costs in the 51 cities in which food prices are secured, were
only 0.1 percent lower on December 15 than on September 15. At
the end of the quarter, the index of food costs was higher in 12 cities
and lower in 20 of the 32 cities for which the Bureau prepares
indexes of total living costs. Of the 12 cities in which higher prices
were reported, 2 showed advances of more than 3 percent (Buffalo,
3.8 percent, and Los Angeles, 3.4 percent) both largely the result of
the higher cost of fresh fruits and vegetables. The declines reported
were all relatively small. In only 1 city, Boston, did the net decline
exceed 2 percent (2.2 percent), due in large part to an unusual drop
in the price of eggs between November and December, as well as to
the lowered cost of meats.
Rents paid by wage earners and lower-salaried workers were below
the September 15 level in 16 cities, higher in 15, and unchanged in 1
of the 32 cities included in the survey. In no case was the change as
much as 1 percent.
639
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Fuel and light costs showed an average increase of 1.4 percent,
usual at this season of the year. In 24 cities, increases were reported,
of which the largest was in Houston, 4.3 percent, due entirely to
increased wood prices. Four other cities reported advances of over
2 percent, all as the result of increases in coal prices—New York
(3.5 percent), Birmingham (2.5 percent), Boston (2.4 percent) and
Chicago (2.2 percent). Of the 7 cities reporting declines, 2 showed
decreases of over 2 percent, Memphis (3.6 percent) and Cincinnati
(2.5 percent). In Memphis the drop was due primarily to a decline
in the cost of electricity resulting from the introduction of a new rate
schedule for domestic service. In Cincinnati the decline came as the
result of lower costs for gas brought about by an increase in the
B.t.u. content of the gas served in that city.
There was practically no change in average costs of clothing, house
furnishing goods, and those items which are covered in the “Miscel
laneous’’ index. All three indexes for the 32 cities combined declined
by a fraction of 1 percent. Clothing costs declined slightly in 26
of the 32 cities and fractional increases were reported for 6 cities.
In only 1 city, Atlanta, was there a decline of as much as 1 percent
(1.1 percent), due to lower prices for many items of clothing.
Eight cities showed increases in the cost of housefurnishing goods
and 24 reported decreases. Only Baltimore reported a change greater
than 1 percent (a 2.4 percent drop) which resulted chiefly from price
reductions in textile furnishings.
The cost of the goods and services included in the miscellaneous
group was lower in 23 of the cities and higher in 9. In each of these
cities, with the exception of Jacksonville, the change during the quarter
was less than 1 percent. City-wide reductions in the cost of laundry
service caused the miscellaneous index for Jacksonville to decline by
1.5 percent.
Percentage changes in the cost of goods purchased by wage earners
and lower-salaried workers from September 15, 1938, to December
15, 1938, are shown in table 1 for 32 large cities of the United States,
by groups of items.
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Cost and Standards of Living
T
able
1.— Percentage Change From September 15, 1938, to December 15, 1938, in Cost of
Goods Purchased by Wage Earners and Louer-Salaried Workers
C ity
A ll item s
Food
C lothing
2 -0 .1
-0 .3
-0 .7
-.7
-2 .2
-1 .6
M id d le A tlantic:
B u ff a lo .. ................................
N e w Y o r k ................................
P h ila d elp h ia.............................
P ittsb u rgh .................................
Scranton_____ ____________
+ 1 .2
+ .5
-.6
-.3
+ .7
+ 3 .8
+ .9
-2 .0
-1 .0
+ 2 .7
E a st N orth Central:
C h ic a g o ................................ ..
C in cin n ati___________ ____
C lev elan d .................................
D e tr o it. ..................................
Indian apolis______________
-.4
-.7
(3)
-.2
- .1
-1 .7
-1 .5
+ .3
-.8
-.2
-.4
-.4
-. 1
+ .2
-.2
W est N orth Central:
K ansas C i t y . . . .......................
M in n eap olis.............................
St. L o u is ...................................
- .1
+ .4
-.5
-. 1
+ 1 .3
-1 .4
South A tlantic:
A tla n ta ....... ...............................
B altim ore__________ _____ _
Jacksonville...... ..................... .
N orfolk......................................
R ich m on d .................................
S avan nah________ ________
W ashington, D . C _______
+ .4
-.4
-.9
(0
-.3
+• 1
-.3
E a st South Central:
B irm ingh am ______________
M em p h is_________ _______
M o b ile_____________ ______
W est South Central:
H o u ston __________________
N ew Orleans............................
H ousefurnish
ing goods
-.5
- .1
-0 .1
+ .2
+ 2 .4
-.9
+ .9
- .7 -
+ .3
-.3
-.4
-.4
(3)
0)
+ .3
(3)
+ .1
+ .2
+• ö
+ 3 .5
+ 1 .6
+ .2
+ 1 .7
- .3
+ .4
- .9
+ .4
-.2
+ .2
- .2
0)
-.6
+ .4
+ 2 .2
-2 .5
+ .2
+ .8
(3)
-.2
+ .6
-.8
-.4
-.2
+ .1
(>)
-.6
-.7
- .1
-.2
+ .3
-.2
+ 1 .2
+ .2
+ .5
-.5
-.4
+ .3
+ .1
+ .1
-.1
+ 2 .1
-.8
-1 .3
-.1
- .7
+ .3
-.6
-1 .1
+• 3
(3>
- .5
- .4
-.6
-.2
-. 1
- .1
+• 1
+ .3
+ .6
-.5
+ 1 .6
+ 1 .0
-1 .1
+ 1 .6
-. 1
+ .1
+ 1 .4
+ .8
-2 .4
-.2
-.2
-.7
+ .1
+ .5
-.4 -.5
-1 .5
(0
(>)
(3)
-.2
- .5
-.6
- .4
-1 .5
-1 .0
- .7
-.9
- .1
-.4
-.4
-.3
+ .9
+ 2 .5
-3 .6
+ .2
-.3
-.5
-.6
0)
+ .3
-.1
+ .7
- .9
-.4
-.6
(3)
+ .7
+ 4 .3
-1 .0
-.9
-.2
(3)
+ .9
-.2
+ .1
-.1
-.7
+ 3 .4
+ 2 .0
-. 1
+ 1 .0
-.4
-.1
+ .1
-.2
0)
-.3
(>)
-.2
+ .2
+ .6
(‘)
+ .1
-.3
-.2
-.2
-.4
(>)
+ .8
+ .5
- .1
+ .2
«
-0 .2
M iscel
laneous
+ 1 .4
(>)
Pacific:
Los A ngeles______ ________
Portland, Oreg........................
San Francisco...........................
S ea ttle........................................
F u el and
ligh t
(3)
Average: 32 large cities................
N e w E ngland:
B oston ........................................
Portland, M a in e....................
M ountain: D en v er.......................
R en t
-0 .1
-.2
-.2
+ .8
(3)
-.1
-. 1
-.9
-.1
-. 1
0)
-.1
-.7
+ .7
- .9
-.2
(3)
-.1
-.1
i Decrease less than 0.05 percent.
* Includes 51 cities.
* Increase less than 0.05 percent.
* N o change.
Percentage changes in the cost of goods purchased by wage earners
and lower-salaried workers from a peak point in June 1920, from
December 1929, from the low point June 1933, and from December 15,
1937, to December 15, 1938, in 32 cities, are presented in table 2.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
642
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T able 2. —Percentage Change in Cost of A ll Goods Purchased b y Wage Earners and
Lower-Salaried Workers, for Specified Periods
Percentage change from—
City
June 1920
Dec. 1929
to Dec. 15, to Dec. 15,
1938
1938
June 1933
Dec. 15,
to Dec. 15, 1937 to Dec
1938
15, 1938
-
Average: 32 large cities______________________ ______ _
-3 1 .8
-1 7 .0
New England:
Boston____________ __________- _______ __________
Portland, M aine_______________________________
-3 2 .5
-3 3 .1
-1 8 .8
-1 6 .3
+ 7.4
+ 6.9
- 2 .6
- 2 .7
Middle Atlantic:
Buffalo________________________________________
New York_____________ . __________ _________
Philadelphia___________________________________
Pittsburgh________ ____ _______________________
Scranton...... .................. .....................................................
-3 0 .1
-2 8 .3
-3 1 .0
-3 1 .6
-3 3 .2
-1 6 .8
-1 6 .5
-1 8 .0
-1 7 .8
- 2 0 .0
+10.5
+ 8 .5
+ 9 .4
+12.5
+ 7 .2
- 2 .1
- 2 .0
-1 ,5
- 1 .4
- 2 .0
East North Central:
Chicago._____ ________________________________
Cincinnati________ ______ _____________________
__________ _ . . .
Cleveland_______________
Detroit___ _____________________ ____________
Indianapolis____ _______ _______________________
-3 2 .2
-3 1 .7
-2 8 .8
-3 7 .1
-3 6 .1
-2 0 .4
-1 7 .9
- 1 2 .2
-1 7 .6
-1 7 .2
+ 12.2
+ 9 .5
+14.2
+ 2 1 .6
+ 11.6
- 1.8
- 2 .9
- 1 .4
-4 .1
- 2 .0
West North Central:
Kansas C ity___________________________________
Minneapolis__________________________________ _
St. Louis_______________ ______ ________________
-3 7 .4
-3 1 .2
-3 3 .5
-1 5 .3
-1 4 .9
-1 8 .4
+ 8 .3
+ 12.8
+10.3
- 1 .7
- 1 .9
- 2 .2
South Atlantic:
Atlanta__________________ _____________ ____ _
Baltimore_________________________ ___________
Jacksonville—__________________________________
Norfolk_______________________________________
Richmond_____________________________________
Savannah........................... .............................................
Washington, D . C __________ _______ ___________
-3 8 .6
-2 8 .6
-3 6 .3
-3 5 .4
-3 3 .9
-3 7 .6
-2 9 .2
-1 7 .6
-1 4 .3
-1 7 .6
-1 6 .0
-1 5 .6
-1 8 .2
-1 2 .3
+ 12.6
+10.9
+ 11.1
+11.3
+ 10.0
+ 8 .3
+ 11.1
- 2 .4
- 1 .7
- 3 .5
- 2 .2
- 2 .6
- 2 .3
-2 .3
East South Central:
Birmingham___________________________________
M em phis________________________ ____________
M o b ile _____ _______________________________
-3 9 .4
-3 4 .5
-3 5 .4
- 20.1
-1 6 .3
-1 9 .0
+14.3
+10.7
+ 9 .9
- 2 .7
- 2 .4
- 2 .2
West South Central:
H ouston..
_ _ _____ _____________________
New Orleans___________________________________
-3 3 .4
-2 8 .7
-1 6 .6
-1 5 .4
+14.8
+ 11.0
-
Mountain: Denver________________ ______ __________
-3 3 .9
-1 4 .3
+
11.2
- 3 .0
Pacific:
Los Angeles__________ ____ _____ ____ _______ . . .
Portland, Oreg___________ _ __________________
San Francisco______________________ ____ ______ _
Seattle___________ ______ _______ _____ __________
-2 8 .9
-3 4 .6
-2 5 .4
-3 0 .8
-1 6 .1
-1 3 .0
- 12.0
-1 2 .7
+13.0
+14.7
+12.3
+11.3
- .4
- 2 .0
- 1.1
- 1 .7
+
11.1
2 .1
2 .0
1 .0
Indexes on 1923-25 Base
Indexes of the average cost of all goods purchased by families of
wage earners and lower-salaried workers are constructed for each of
the 32 cities surveyed and for these cities combined, using an average
of the years 1923-25 as the base.1 These indexes, from 1913 through
December 15, 1938, for the 32 cities combined, are shown in table 3.
The accompanying chart presents these data in graphic form.
1 Indexes of food costs based on costs in 1923-25 as 100 are computed monthly for 51 cities (including the
32 cities in this report). Percentage changes from month to month are calculated for 7 additional
cities. These data will be sent upon request.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
C ost of G o o d s Purchased b y ’Wage Earners
and Lower- Salaried W orkers
A V E R A G E O F 3 2 LA R G E C ITIE S O F TH E UNITED STA TE S
U n ite d S tates B u r e a u
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
of
L a b o r S tatistics
644
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T a b l e 3 . —Indexes of Cost of Goods Purchased by Wage Earners and Lower-Salaried
Workers in 32 Large Cities Combined, 1913 Through Dec. 15, 1938
[Average 1923-25=100]
Date
All items
Food
1
Clothing
Kent
HouseFuel and furnish
light
ing goods
Miscel
laneous
1913—Average___________ . ___
1914—December______________
1915—December______________
1916—December______________
1917—December______________
1918—December______________
57.4
58.9
60.1
66.9
79.4
95.8
63.1
66.3
66.3
79.5
99.1
118.2
55.7
56.3
58.3
66.9
83.1
118.9
61.4
61.4
62.3
62.8
61.5
64.7
53.9
54.5
54.5
58.5
66.9
78.7
47.7
49.6
52.8
61.0
71.8
97.8
50.1
51.6
53.9
56.8
70.4
81.9
1919—June______ ____________
December______________
1920—June__________________
December______________
1921—M ay--------------------- -----September_____________
December_______ _____
98.2
109.8
117.3
126.4
146.1
115.7
95.8
128.8
159.5
168.6
151.0
129.8
67.3
73.1
79.4
87.5
92.7
93.3
94.8
77.8
82.6
91.3
103.7
98.4
98.2
99.1
104.0
123.0
137.0
132.8
114.3
103.2
100.4
84.3
92.9
99.2
103.2
103.2
102.5
96.3
95.9
100.9
95.0
93.2
93.4
96.3
100.7
100.4
99.5
99.2
98.9
99.0
99.1
99.6
99.9
97.6
98.9
99.5
97.9
105.8
102.1
100.4
100.0
100.0
103.4
99.4
95.8
94.7
93.4
93.0
91.1
90.5
1922—March_________________
June___________________
Septem ber.._____ ______
December_______ ______
1923—March........ .................. .......
J u n e ....................................
September_____________
December______________
1924—March______ _____ _____
June______________ ____
September_____________
December._____________
1925—June............ ............... .........
December______________
121.2
112.2
102.8
101.7
100.3
102.1
112.2
99.7
107.2
96.8
97.0
96.4
97.7
97.6
98.7
99.9
93.5
95.6
93.3
96.7
94.6
97.7
102.4
100.4
99.3
99.4
100.0
101.9
100.2
99.5
101.8
94.6
95.0
95.2
95.8
96.3
97.3
98.2
99.7
99.0
98.9
99.2
95.9
95.9
97.3
99.5
104.2
101.5
100.2
100.6
101.3
101.4
101.7
101.4
101.3
100.0
101.4
104.0
111.1
99.5
98.9
98.5
97.9
108.9
108.1
108.7
104.7
102.5
103.2
97.1
96.2
95.3
94.0
93.8
93.3
103.7
105.7
92.8
92.2
91.5
1926—J u n e .................................
December_______ _____ _
1927—June___________________
December............. ..............
1928—June......................................
December______________
102.5
102.3
101.9
100.4
99.2
99.4
1929—June_____________ _____
December______ ____ _
1930—June________ ____ _____
December...........................
1931—June___________________
December............................
99.1
99.6
97.7
93.8
88.3
85.1
1932—June___________________
December______________
1933—June___________________
December______________
1934—June__________ ________
November 15__________
79.7
76.6
74.5
77.2
78.4
79.1
67.6
64.7
64.9
69.6
73.4
75.3
1935—March 15..............................
July 15...................... ...........
October 15...........................
1936—January 15_____________
April 15................................
July 15________________
September 15___________
December 15___________
1937—March 15........... ..................
June 15_________ _______
September 15___________
December 15.......................
80.6
80.4
80.7
81.3
80.6
82.0
82.4
82.4
83.8
84.5
85.0
84.5
1938—March 15________ ______
June 15________________
September 15.....................
December 15.......................
83.0
83.3
82.7
82.7
1
100.8
101.1
99.0
97.9
96.5
95.5
102.2
101.5
98.7
99.8
101.1
100.6
97.7
99.7
102.8
102.9
102.9
99.4
98.6
99.1
97.9
97.8
102.0
100.0
99.7
99.8
99.8
100.2
100.8
101.1
101.0
101.4
101.7
102.1
102.1
102.8
94.3
93.3
92.0
90.1
87.3
83.9
97.0
99.1
95.9
98.1
93.7
95.3
90.2
89.9
73.5
69.5
68.4
76.2
77.9
77.8
78.5
72.7
8 8 .8
68.4
65.6
65.8
73.5
75.0
75.5
100.4
98.8
96.4
96.8
96.6
96.7
79.8
80.2
80.2
81.6
79.4
84.0
84.3
82.9
85.4
86.3
85.8
82.6
78.0
77.8
78.0
78.3
78.6
78.4
78.6
79.6
80.9
82.1
84.0
84.0
62.6
62.7
63.3
63.5
63.7
64.2
64.6
65.4
65.9
67.5
89.3
84.9
87.7
88.3
68.1
8 6 .0
69.3
87.3
76.0
76.2
77.0
77.0
77.3
77.5
78.2
79.2
83.1
85.1
86.7
87.6
96.8
96.7
96.6
96.6
96.5
96.4
96.5
96.8
97.3
97.7
98.1
98.6
78.6
80.2
78.7
78.6
82.8
82.3
81.7
81.5
69.4
69.7
69.6
69.6
8 8 .0
85.4
84.6
83.4
83.3
98.5
98.7
98.6
98.5
101.2
92.1
80.6
76.2
8 8 .1
83.4
77.6
6 6 .8
63.9
62.7
62.7
89.8
84.9
90.0
87.7
89.0
8 8 .0
86.1
87.4
87.8
88.1
84.9
85.5
8 6 .8
8 8 .0
8 8 .8
85.1
79.3
74.9
103.0
103.4
103.7
103.4
102.8
101.8
Covers 51 cities since June 1920.
The indexes of the cost of goods purchased by wage earners and
lower-salaried workers prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
show relative costs as of particular dates. For various purposes,
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
645
Cost and Standards of Living
however, it is often necessary to have estimates of annual average
indexes. These estimates are, therefore, presented in table 4, for 32
cities combined, from 1913 through 1938. The annual average
indexes have been computed as follows: The annual average food
index is an average of the indexes (monthly most years) falling within
each year; the annual average indexes for clothing, rent, fuel and light,
housefurnishing goods, and miscellaneous items are indexes of the
weighted average of the aggregates for each pricing period affecting
the year, the weights representing the relative importance of each
pricing period. When these goods were priced only twice a year, in
June and again in December, it is evident that prices in December of
the previous year were more indicative of prices in the next month,
January, even though it fell in a new year, than were the prices of the
succeeding June. Therefore, costs in December of the preceding year
and in June and December of the given year are all considered in
arriving at an average cost for the year. The relative importance of
each of these costs is expressed for December of the previous year by
2y2, for June of the given year by 6, and for December of the given
year by 3j4. Weights for years in which pricing was done at other
intervals will be furnished on request.
T a b l e 4 . —Estimated 1 Annual Average Indexes of Cost of Goods Purchased by Wage
Earners and Lower-Salaried Workers in 32 Large Cities Combined, 1913 Through 1938 ■
[Average 1923-25=100]
Year
All items
Food
2
Clothing
Rent
HouseFuel and furnish
light
ing goods
Miscel
laneous
1913______________ ___________
1914_________________________
1915________________ ________
1916_________________________
1917_______________ ________ _
57.4
58.2
58.8
63.2
74.4
63.1
64.6
63.9
71.7
92.4
55.7
56.1
57.4
62.9
75.6
61.4
61.4
61.9
62.6
62.1
53.9
54.3
54.5
56.6
63.0
47.7
49.0
51.3
57.2
66.9
50.1
51.2
52.8
55.5
64.2
1918_________________________
1919_________________________
1920_________________________
1921_________________________
1922_________________________
87.2
106.2
101.1
120.2
116.2
103.6
97.2
133.1
111.8
102.8
101.0
73.3
79.4
93.1
99.3
98.6
76.7
86.3
99.1
95.0
63.2
68.4
80.4
92.4
95.1
85.9
108.2
132.8
101.6
102.5
135.7
161.6
124.4
94.8
99.7
97.9
96.9
105.0
108.5
104.5
101.2
97.5
100.4
98.4
97.0
95.1
101.0
100.3
99.1
101.8
100.1
99.3
99.9
101.5
100.5
98.9
100.6
102.2
100.6
98.1
95.9
93.6
100.8
101.1
93.7
92.7
90.7
82.7
73.2
96.5
94.3
91.7
86.9
78.0
98.9
98.2
97.2
95.1
90.4
91.3
90.2
87.9
79.2
68.9
102.3
103.1
103.5
102.7
70.9
77.5
77.9
78.7
82.4
82.3
67.2
62.9
62.9
64.2
67.4
69.5
87.4
6 8 .0
8 8 .6
74.9
76.4
77.8
84.9
84.5
97.0
96.7
96.7
96.5
97.8
98.6
1923_______________ ____ ____
1924_________________________
1925_________________________
1926_________________________
1927___________________ ____ _
99.0
99.2
101.8
102.6
100.6
1928_________________________
1929_________________________
1930_________________________
1931_________________________
1932_________________________
99.5
99.5
97.0
79.8
103.3
104.7
99.6
82.0
68.3
1933________ _____ ____ ____
1934_________________________
1935_________________________
1936_________________________
1937_________________________
1938 3________________________
75.8
78.6
80.7
81.6
84.3
83.0
66.4
74.1
80.5
82.1
85.1
78.9
8 8 .6
1 For explanation of method used, see above.
2 Covers 51 cities since June 1920.
* Preliminary.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
87.5
87.5
8 6 .6
87.0
101.7
100.2
646
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Table 5 presents indexes of the cost of goods purchased by wage
earners and lower-salaried workers in each of 32 cities (arranged
alphabetically), using average costs in 1923-25 as 100. These indexes
are presented by groups of items for each pricing period in 1938 in
each city. This table supplements tables 6 through 37 in the Decem
ber 15, 1937, pamphlet, in which indexes were published for all pricing
dates since the initiation of the index through December 15, 1937.
Mimeographed tables of indexes for individual cities are available
upon request.
T a b l e 5. — Indexes of Cost of Goods Purchased by Wage Earners and Lower-Salaried
Workers, for Pricing Periods in 1938
[Average 1923-25=100]
City and date
All items
Food
Clothing
Rent
House
Fuel and furnishing
Miscel
light
laneous
goods
Atlanta, Ga.:
June 15_________ . . .
September 15__
December 15_____________
Baltimore, Md.:
March 15________________
June 15_____ ___________
September 15.. _________
December 15_____________
Birmingham, Ala.:
March 15________________
June 15_________ . . . . . . .
September 15...
December 15_____________
Boston, Mass.:
March 15________________
June 15_________ . . .
September 15____________
December 15_____________
Buffalo, N . Y.:
March 15____
_
June 15__________________
September 15.'.___________
December 15. ___________
Chicago, 111.:
March 15________________
June 15___ _____________ _
September 15_____________
December 15_______ _____
Cincinnati, Ohio:
March 15____________ . . .
June 15__________________
September 15_____________
December 15_______ .
Cleveland, Ohio:
March 15________________
June 15______ ______
September 15_____________
December 15_____________
Denver, Colo.:
March 15____ ________ _
June 15__________________
September 15____ _______
December 15_____________
Detroit, Mich.:
March 15__________ ______
June 15__ ______________
September 15......... ................
December 15_______ ____ _
Houston, Tex.:
March 15.___ ___________
June 16__________________
September 15_____________
December 15_____________
Indianapolis, Ind.:
March 15................................
June 15__________________
September 15..........................
December 15_____________
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
80.5
80.3
80.0
80.3
71. 5
72.5
71.7
73.1
8 6 .2
85.7
84.9
83.9
65.8
65.8
65.3
65.3
75.5
69.4
72.5
73.6
86.3
86.7
86.5
82.8
84.2
83.8
83.1
82.4
82.3
81.6
81.9
76.2
76.2
76.3
76.2
81.4
80.9
82.8
83.7
84.8
82.7
104.5
104.3
104.3
103.8
77.6
77.2
77.2
76.8
68.4
88 . 6
88.1
60.1
60.0
59.8
59.6
83.5
78.0
81.1
83.1
81.8
81.7
81.3
81.1
93.1
93.0
93.0
93.0
82.4
83.0
82.9
82.3
74.0
76.1
76.2
74. 5
85.7
75.7
75.6
75.4
75.4
85.2
83.7
85.5
87.6
84.0
83.4
81. 3
82.0
98. 7
98. 6
98.4
98.2
85.0
84.1
83.6
84.6
78.0
77.6
75.8
78.7
81.4
80.6
80.4
80.6
73.7
73.7
73.7
73.7
98.1
96.3
97.3
97.8
93. 2
92.1
90.9
90. 6
100.3
98. 5
98. 5
99.3
79.4
80. 5
79.7
79.3
79.9
82. 5
80.1
78.8
75.6
75.3
74.7
74.4
58.4
60.6
60.6
60.7
95.4
91.9
94.0
96.0
76. 5
75. 8
74.1
73.9
100. 6
8 6 .8
79.4
81.9
79.6
78.4
82.8
82.0
81.7
81.4
77.8
77.6
77.4
77.2
98.4
95. 5
96.9
94 4
96.2
94.3
92 9
93.4
101.5
101.3
101.1
101.0
79.8
81.7
80.5
70.0
69.4
69.3
69.2
101.0
100.3
100. 7
100.9
80 7
80.8
79. 8
79. 2
104.4
104.3
104.2
104. 2
8 6 .2
87.2
86.3
85.7
6 8 .6
68.5
67.5
87.5
8 6 .8
87.4
87.0
8 6 .1
91.0
90.1
8 8 .6
89.3
8 6 .8
86.1
95. 5
95.4
95.7
95.4
100.7
100.2
100.2
8 0 .8
85. 7
85.4
85.0
84.9
84.0
84.4
82.8
82.8
84.0
85.7
81.9
82.6
79.5
78.9
78.2
78.0
64.4
64. 3
64.3
64. 4
79. 4
79 3
77.9
77.8
92. 2
90 7
89. 3
88 . 7
100. 2
100 2
100.0
81. 9
81.5
80.0
79.8
80.2
81.4
77.3
76.7
84.0
83.3
82.0
82.1
69.5
68.4
67. 5
67.1
80.1
76.8
78. 5
79.1
85.1
82 8
82.0
81. 6
95. 2
95.1
95.0
95.1
82.6
82.0
82.0
82.2
77. 5
76.5
77.3
77.9
78.5
77.7
76.6
76.3
73.6
73.8
73.9
73. 9
80. 3
76. 3
73.4
76. 6
94. 2
93 8
93. 7
92.8
94. 6
94. 5
94.6
94.6
81.9
82.4
81.5
81.4
78.2
81.3
78.1
77.9
80.9
80.3
79.8
79.7
6 6 .0
65.7
65.7
87. 3
83. 3
84.7
84.7
88.5
88.4
87. 9
87.8
93.5
93.6
93.7
93.6
8 6 .0
86.3
85.8
85.8
6 6 .0
99.1
Cost and Standards of Living
647
T a b l e 5. — Indexes of Cost of Goods Purchased by Wage Earners and Lower-Salaried
Workers, for Pricing Periods in 1938—Continued
City and date
Jacksonville, Fla.:
March 15_________ _______
June 15__________________
September 15_____ ______ _
December 15________ ____
Kansas City, Mo.:
March 15________________
June 15_____________ ____
September 15............. ...........
December 15_____________
Los Angeles, Calif.:
March 15________________
June 15__________________
September 15____________
December 15_____________
Memphis, Tenn.:
March 15___ _____ ______
June 15____ _____________
September 15___ _________
December 15_______ _____
Minneapolis, Minn.:
March 15________________
June 15______ __________
September 15____________
December 15_____________
Mobile, Ala.:
March 15____
_______
June 15__________________
September 15____________
December 15. __________ _
New Orleans, La.:
March 15________________
June 15___
____
September 15___ _______
December 15_____________
N ew York, N . Y.:
March 15_____ ________
June 15_________________
September 15___ _______
December 15.............
Norfolk, Va.:
March 15________________
June 15_____ ___________
September 15______ ____
December 15____________
Philadelphia, Pa.:
March 15________ ______
June 15___ ______________
September 15____________
December 15_______ ___
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
March 15________________
June 15__ ______________
September 15______ ______
December 15_______ ___
Portland, Maine:
March 15________________
June 15________________ _
September 15_____ ______
December 15_____________
Portland, Oreg.:
March 15________________
June 15__________________
September 15____________
December 15_____________
Richmond, Va.:
March 1 5 __ ____________
June 15_________________
September 15..........................
December 15_____________
St. Louis, Mo.:
March 15_______________
June 15__________________
September 15......................
December 15...... ....................
San Francisco, Calif.:
March 15.................................
June 15_________ _____ ___
September 15..........................
December 15........ ..................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
All items
Food
Clothing
Rent
HouseFuel and furnishing
Miscel
light
laneous
goods
80.0
79.8
79.9
79.2
76.0
76.8
77.5
76.5
82.3
81.1
80.7
80.7
60.0
59.6
59.6
59.6
88.9
87.9
87.4
86.4
83.8
82.0
81.7
81.5
90.7
90.7
90.7
89.3
82.0
82.6
81.8
81.7
78.6
82.0
79.9
79.8
82.2
81.7
81.5
81.1
61.8
61.7
61.6
61.5
84.2
79.4
79.5
80.5
81.7
80.3
78.2
77.9
100.2
100.2
100.1
100.2
78.1
78.6
78.3
78.9
71.5
72.2
71.2
73.7
86.9
86.4
86.4
8 6 .1
55.3
55.4
55.3
55.2
82.0
81.6
81.5
81.7
83.1
82.8
82.4
82.2
93.9
95.0
95.0
94.9
81.7
81.7
81.5
81.0
74.9
75.3
75.1
74.3
88.7
88.5
87.4
87.3
63.2
63.1
63.0
62.9
88.5
85.6
94.3
94.2
93.3
92.8
95.0
95.0
94.9
94.9
84.8
85.6
83.9
84.2
84.1
87.4
82.3
83.4
81.0
80.3
79.7
79.2
71.2
71.6
71.9
72.1
90.8
89.3
90.8
90.9
89.4
88.3
87.7
87.4
97.7
97.6
96.5
96.6
83.5
83.4
82.6
82.3
75.1
75.3
74.5
74.0
90.3
90.0
89.5
89.1
6 6 .8
66.9
66.9
67.5
72.4
70.4
71.3
71.4
90.4
90.1
89.2
88.7
99.6
99.5
98.1
97.4
83.9
83.2
83.7
83.6
82.5
81.7
83.5
82.8
82.9
82.2
81.5
81.0
72.5
72.5
72.7
73.3
77.6
75.3
75.0
74.2
96.7
95.3
93.5
93.3
92.5
92.1
92.0
92.7
84.0
84.3
84.3
84.8
79.9
80.8
81.2
81.9
80.6
80.1
79.4
79.1
77.2
77.3
77.4
77.7
86.4
84.4
84.5
87.4
79.3
79.4
78.2
78.6
99.1
99.7
99.6
99.6
85.1
84.4
84.5
84.5
76.1
74.7
75.6
75.5
89.7
89.2
88.3
87.9
64.6
64.7
64.7
64.9
81.7
80.0
80.6
81.9
8 8 .0
87.3
86.9
86.7
104.0
104.0
104.0
104.0
82.4
83.1
82.5
81.9
80.0
82.2
80.0
78.4
80.2
79.5
78.9
78.6
68.9
69.1
69.1
69.2
82.3
78.6
82.2
83.6
85.5
83.0
81.6
80.9
96.3
97.8
97.7
97.6
82.4
82.9
82.6
82.3
78.2
79.6
78.8
78.0
81.5
81.4
81.2
80.9
69.2
70.2
70.4
70.4
101.4
99.7
100.7
100.9
85.0
84.5
83.9
84.3
96.4
96.2
96.1
96.1
85.0
85.1
84.6
84.1
77.6
79.3
78.1
76.8
83.0
82.3
82.4
82.3
76.7
76.5
76.4
76.6
83.7
79.6
80.0
79.3
91.7
91.3
90.7
90.0
103.6
103.5
103.3
103.1
84.3
83.7
82.9
83.3
80.3
80.9
78.2
79.8
82.3
81.9
81.8
81.7
62.4
62.2
62.3
62.1
86.9
84.8
85.7
8 6 .0
8 6 .2
85.0
85.1
84.9
102.0
100.1
100.1
100.1
84.0
83.1
83.5
83.3
72.2
70.7
71.9
71.4
91.4
90.5
90.1
89.7
73.0
73.1
73.3
73.3
82.6
80.4
83.0
82.9
93.6
93.0
91.2
90.5
99.5
99.3
99.2
99.1
83.5
83.8
83.2
82.9
83.6
85.9
83.9
82.7
83.0
82.2
82.0
81.9
58.6
58.5
58.4
58.3
87.6
84.5
87.2
87.6
90.6
90.6
89.8
90.1
101.9
101.5
101.4
101.3
87.8
81.1
81.3
82.0
81.9
93.6
93.0
92.4
92.5
73.3
73.6
73.8
73.7
80.2
78.7
78.7
78.7
91.0
90.7
89.5
89.4
104.7
106.4
106.4
106,3
8 8 .2
88.3
88,3
88.1
8 8 .8
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
648
T
a ble
5 . — Indexes of Cost of Goods Purchased by Wage Earners and Lower-Salaried
Workers, for Pricing Periods in 1938— Continued
C ity and date
All items
Food
Clothing
Savannah, Ga.:
92.1
91.5
91.4
91.4
77.6
78.4
77.6
77.8
8 6 .1
85.1
84.4
83.9
63.6
63.8
63.8
64.1
85.0
84.3
83.9
84.0
86.4
86.3
86.4
82.0
82.1
80.7
81.3
75.5
77.1
73.0
75.0
83.5
83.0
83.0
83.0
72.6
72.5
71.9
72.1
76.8
73.1
75.0
76.3
8 6 .8
8 6 .1
8 6 .0
97.2
97.1
97.4
96.5
87.6
87.5
79.1
79.6
77.7
78.5
90.5
89.4
89.0
88.9
71.3
71.3
71.1
71.0
98.3
97.3
97.6
97.7
92.9
92.8
91.2
90.9
101.1
101.2
101.2
101.1
79.6
80.6
80.7
80.2
83.9
83.8
82.9
82.7
8 8 .0
84.3
82.1
83.6
84.8
91.1
90.3
88.9
89.3
100.3
99.9
99.9
99.8
Seattle, Wash.:
September 15_____________
House
Fuel and furnishing Miscel
laneous
light
goods
81.4
81.2
80.8
80.9
Scranton, Pa.:
September 15............ ............
Rent
8 6 .8
87.0
Washington, D . C.:
87.1
87.2
87.0
8 6 .8
87.7
87.4
87.0
8 8 .0
90.3
Description of the Indexes
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indexes presented in this pamphlet
show changes from time to time in the cost of goods and services
purchased by wage earners and lower-salaried workers in each of 32
large cities of the United States and in these cities combined. The
importance of each city in the average for the cities combined is
determined by the population of the metropolitan area in which the
city is located.
These indexes are now constructed by pricing a fixed bill of goods
at quarterly intervals—March 15, June 15, September 15, and De
cember 15. In order that the index for any city will reflect price
changes and not changes in qualities or kinds of commodities, identical
goods and services are priced at consecutive periods (or equivalent
goods when changes in consumption habits make pricing identical
goods impossible).
The bill of goods or budget priced has been chosen to represent
those goods and services most important in the spending of families of
wage earners and lower-salaried workers in each of the 32 cities
covered, as shown by a study of the expenditures of 12,096 families
in 1917-19.1 Differences in climate as reflected in fuel requirements
and the weight of clothing used, as well as differences in food con
sumption habits, make it impossible to use an identical budget from
city to city. Although the list of items priced varies little from city
to city, there are differences in the grades of goods priced and the
weights assigned to each item.
i The results of this study were published in Bureau of Labor Statistics Bull. No. 357, now out of print,
but obtainable in most public libraries.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Cost and Standards of Living
649
• The budgets now used include 84 foods, although before 1935 only
42 items were included. The prices used in the construction of the
food indexes are taken from retail price quotations secured in 51
cities. For all other groups of goods indexes are computed for 32
cities. There are 68 items included in the clothing indexes, 17 in the
housefurnishing-goods indexes, and 5 in the fuel and light indexes.
For these indexes, several grades of each commodity are priced in
order to secure representative averages.
For the rent indexes the number of quotations secured varies with
size of city. The range is from approximately 700 in Mobile to ap
proximately 2,500 in New York City.
The miscellaneous group, containing 44 items, includes streetcar
fares, motion pictures, newspapers, laundry services, cleaning sup
plies, barber service, tobaccos, toiletries, medical care, and medicines.1
The Bureau has recently completed a Nation-wide study of family
expenditures in large cities which will provide a new budget more
nearly approximating present-day consumption. The computation
of new weights and the preparation of a revised index are now in
process.3
Prices are obtained from retail outlets selected as representative
of the stores patronized by wage earners and lower-salaried workers.
Prices for items in the food and fuel and light indexes are secured by
mail, all others by personal visits of representatives of the Bureau
who have been trained to recognize differences in quality, construc
tion, and design which affect the sale value of a given article. Speci
fications, developed after a study of the commodities covered and
consultations with experts in each merchandising field, are used by
the agents in securing prices comparable from one period to the
next. When a new item replaces one which has disappeared from
the market, or which is no longer frequently purchased, the price in
the previous pricing period is obtained for the new item in order that
the index may still be computed from prices of identical commodities
from period to period.
k The percentage change in the cost of each group of items between
given pricing periods is computed on the basis of the aggregate cost
of a bill of goods representing the expenditures of the wage earner
and clerical group. Each time the comparison is made, identical
quantity weights are multiplied by comparable prices for both periods.
If the aggregative cost of miscellaneous items in a certain city was
computed to be $309 on December 15 and the aggregative cost in
September was $300, the cost of miscellaneous items in'.’that city
would be stated to have increased 3 percent from September 15 to
» A mimeographed list of the items included in the indexes will be sent on request.
* Articles presenting the results of this study have already been prepared and published in the M onthly
Labor Review. Reprints are available upon request.
1 2 9 3 2 4 — 39--------11
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
650
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
December 15. Given the September miscellaneous-items index for
that city as 93.6, based on costs in 1923-25 as 100, the December
index would become 96.4 (93.6X103.0 percent).4
The groups of items in the index are combined into an all-items
index by summing aggregate costs for the six groups at a given date
and dividing by the similar sum in the base period.
It is apparent, from the above, that any one wishing to compute
indexes on a base other than the 1923-25 base used in this pamphlet
may do so merely by dividing the indexes for each date by the index
given for the date chosen as the new base. If the percentage change
over a given period of time is desired, divide the later index by the
earlier, subtract 100 if there has been an increase, or subtract from
100 if there has been a decrease.
The only comparison between cities that can be drawn from the
Bureau’s indexes is a comparison of the extent of change in living
costs in different cities over given periods. Thus, the index of the
cost of all items as of December 15, 1938, based on costs in 1923-25
as 100, was 76.8 in Birmingham and 88.3 in San Francisco. A com
parison of these two indexes indicates that on December 15, 1938,
living costs in Birmingham were 23.2 percent lower than the average
for the years 1923-25, but that in San Francisco costs on this date
were only 11.7 percent lower. This comparison does not indicate
that costs on December 15, 1938, were 15 percent higher in San
Francisco than in Birmingham. In order to secure figures showing
a comparison of actual living costs between cities, expenditures
serving as the weights for items priced in the different cities would
have to be representative of identical levels of living. Differences
between the average costs from which the indexes are computed in
different cities are due to differences in standards and in purchasing
habits in those cities as well as to varying prices for goods of given
grades. Differences between the indexes of costs from time to time
in the various cities at any particular date are due entirely to differ
ences in the percentage of change of living costs in each city.
The comparison of the cost of the same level of living from one
part of the country to another presents serious technical difficulties
for which wholly satisfactory techniques have not yet been developed.
This is particularly true in attempting to measure differences in living
costs from large to very small cities or from urban to rural communi
ties, where consideration must be given not only to differences in such
factors as climate and consumption habits, but also to differences in
housing, the fuels available, and the means of transportation. In large
cities with similar climate, comparisons are possible with the use of
* For method of index construction, see article “ Revision of Index of Cost of Goods Purchased by Wage
Earners and Lower-Salaried Workers,” published in the September 1935 M onthly Labor Review, reprints
of which are available upon request.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Cost and Standards of Living
651
an identical budget and descriptive specifications to facilitate pricing
identical commodities and services from city to city. Such studies,
because of their great expense, are beyond the present resources of
this Bureau.
The Division of Social Research of the Works Progress Administra
tion made a study of the comparative cost of living at a “maintenance
level” and at an “emergency level” in 59 cities, as of March 15, 1935.
The results of this study were published in the report of the Works
Progress Administration “Intercity Differences in Costs of Living in
March 1935, 59 Cities,” Research Monograph XII, a copy of which
may be secured by writing to that Division. No attempt has been
made to repeat this study for a later date. Approximations for later
dates may be made for 31 cities by applying to the data secured by the
Works Progress Administration as of March 15, 1935, the Bureau of
Labor Statistics’ indexes which show changes in living costs from time
to time. A mimeographed statement of the method of combining
the two sets of figures, with the results obtained for the 31 cities as
of December 15, 1938, will be sent upon request either to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics or the Works Progress Administration.
COST OF L IV IN G I N F O R E IG N C O U N T R IE S 1
THE principal index numbers of the cost of living (official and un
official) published in the different countries are given in the following
table. A brief discussion of these indexes is presented in earlier issues
of this pamphlet.
* Table from International Labor Review.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Geneva, January 1939, pp. 114-117.
652
T
Monthly Lahor Review—March 1939
able
6 . — Indexes
of Cost of Living for Specified Periods for the United States and
Certain Foreign Countries1
[Series recalculated by International Labor Office on base 1929=100;’ <z=food;
c=clothing; d=rent; e = miscellaneousJ
Country.
Argen Aus Austria Bel
tina tralia
gium
Towns and Bue
nos
localities___ Aires
Original base
( = 100) --------
Composition
of index___
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
______
.............
______
______
__ ____
.............
______
..........
Country.
Bur
ma
Can
ada
Chile
China
Rio de
Ja
12-67
neiro
Ran
goon
60
San
tiago
Peip Shang Tien
ing
hai
tsin
59
Oct.
1933
192327
July
1914
1921
192829
1914
1931
1926
Mar.
1928
1927
1926
1926
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-d
87
78
83
78
83
91
93
92
95
92
93
92
94
7 91
*
95
85
81
78
80
81
83
85
100
96
97
95
95
95
95
95
104
93
84
83
79
80
85
92
84
94
95
94
94
94
94
93
«93
90
90
95
95
94
94
94
«94
*85
* 85
* 86
* 86
* 87
* 88
Dan
Co Costa Czecho
slo
lombia Rica
zig
vakia
Bo
gota
San
Jose
Prague
Dan
zig
Original base
( = 100) .........
Feb.
1937
1936
July
1914
Com position
of index___
a-e
a-e
a-e
m
(3)
(3)
(3)
e)
(3)
(3)
1937— M ar.
June.
Sept.
D ec..
1938— M ar.
June.
Sept.
D ec..
B ul
garia
Brazil
Vienna
Towns and
localities__
1930 .........
1931 ____
1932 ____
1933 ____
1934 ____
1935 ____
1936.............
1937...........
and lighting;
30
101
1937— M ar_
June__
Sept__
Dec___
1938— M a r ....
June__
Sept___
Dec.......
6 =heating
«
(3)
(3)
(3)
(s)
(3)
100
98
m
n o
m
105
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
58
58
59
60
60
60
60
«60
100
98
90
87
89
88
89
89
89
88
92
88
87
87
«86
Den
Esto
mark Egypt nia
99
90
81
78
79
79
81
83
99
98
104
130
130
132
144
162
103
90
113
117
86
110
76
75
81
94
99
98
99
105
82
83
84
84
84
84
84
«84
152
164
171
165
165
171
171
« 173
105
98
Fin
land
103
98
91
80
78
86
98
122
108
110
108
104
137
155
139
132
143
«142
France
Ger
many
Great
Britain
and
N.
Ireland
Tal
linn
36
Paris
45-50
72
509
July
1913
1931
Jan.
1913July
1914
1913
1935
1914
1930
19131914
July
1914
a-e
a-e
a, c-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
a-e
106
107
107
109
108
108
107
107
94
95
95
95
97
98
7 98
97
98
98
98
97
97
98
»97
See footnotes at end of table.
119
» 122
68
64
60
57
58
(3)
Cairo
95
»107
87
94
99
114
92
80
73
100
98
93
92
91
90
92
93
94
100
91
88
88
88
80
77
76
85
93
97
96
90
90
92
96
99
98
91
87
83
84
101
86
86
104
85
103
104
105
106
106
105
106
85
84
85
85
86
87
86
«87
89
(3)
(3)
(«)
(3)
(«)
86
80
75
74
75
84
89
105
‘» 106
89
89
92
95
94
93
«92
1» 106
i o 109
io 108
io 107
1° 106
io
109
100
97
91
87
83
78
95
94
93
87
91
100
100
88
105
102
111
104
109
113
118
124
124
* 124
*
*
*
*
*
*
86
102
* 97
*99
* 104
*110
*lis
* 115
* 117
96
88
96
90
78
77
79
80
81
81
87
90
94
81
81
81
81
8!
82
81
«81
92
95
96
97
94
97
95
«95
88
85
86
653
Cost and Standards of Living
T
able
6 . — Indexes
of Cost of Living for Specified Periods for the United States and
Certain Foreign Countries 1— Continued
[Series recalculated by International Labor Office on base 1929=100;2 o=food;
c=clothing; d=rent; e = miscellaneous]
H un
Country_____ Greece gary
T o w n s and
localities___
44
Original base Dec.
( = 100) _____ 1914
Composition
of index........
a -e
Ah
Buda Bom med
Saigon
pest
bay
abad
105
50
24
13
July
1914
June
1928
July
1937
July
1914
July
1914
1930
a -e
a -e
a -e
a -e
a -C y e
a -e
1913
1925
Mar.
21 ,
1936Mar.
20 ,
1937
a -d
a -e
a -e
a, d, e
a -e
Lith
Country.......... uania
87
87
m
105
108
107
107
105
105
»106
88
88
88
87
88
«87
Lux
em
burg
104
9
Original base
( = 100) . ........
1913
1914
a -e
a-c,
N eth
erlands
e
77
80
81
81
81
82
81
»82
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
107
93
81
75
69
69
70
83
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3>
(*)
(3>
75
78
79
77
73
73
7 73
‘ 83
‘ 83
‘ 84
110
113
118
128
135
IS O
U SO
97
91
89
86
87
89
91
97
100
116
‘ 88
* 90
< 93
‘ 96
‘ 95
<95
‘ 97
‘
101
‘
Netherlands
Indies
« 98
‘ 97
« 98
100
101
m
126
129
8 129
106
109
113
»116
72
H
82
81
81
93
87
•9 6
Po
land
4-25
31
3
Lima
War Whole
saw coun
try
Jan.
1922
1913
a, b, e
a -e
a -e
a -e
51
53
53
53
52
53
8 53
94
94
98
96
Peru
a -e
41
43
46
47
46
44
43
116
117
119
120
88
100
91
79
76
72
73
73
79
Pales
tine
July
1914
80
82
83
83
82
84
83
8 83
99
99
102
103
107
109
113
75
75
80
82
84
N or
way
19261930
n 52
49
52
100
86
17 98
100
103
106
110
113
118
New
Zea
land
Jan.
1929
97
65
48
39
39
41
38
44
Tokyo Riga
(3>
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
87
92
95
98
98
98
97
8 98
1913
96
90
84
83
83
81
79
82
Japan
97
87
83
80
76
77
83
91
Oct.
1923Sept.
1924
102
89
1930.................
91
83
1931
...
79
71
1932
...
79
61 ......................
1933
......................
76
57
1934
...
74
50
1935
...
75
51
1936
...
79
56
1937
.-
56
1937—
Mar_______
56
June___
56
Sept___
56
D ec___
57
1938—
Mar______
57
J u n e....
57
Sept___
8 57
D ec___
90
77
78
74
73
73
73
78
Bata
Amster Java
and
via
dam Madura
T o w n s and
localities—
Composition
of index___
7
Aug.
1926Juiy
1927
IS O
1937—
M ar______
m
June___
131
Sept___
132
D ec........
131
1938—
Mar______
128
June___
130
Sept___
Lat
via
Italy
July
1933June
1934
91
88
1930.................
86
1931.................. u 100
83
106
1932
......................
......................
100
77
1933
....
m
1¡ 9 9
116
76
1934
....
100
78
i n
1935..................
101
82
121
1936
....
106
131
87
1937
....
and lighting;
Ire
land
Indo- Iran
China
India
6 =heating
a,
b, e
86
97
92
90
89
89
91
93
89
80
82
79
80
79
84
92
100
88
90
91
93
95
94
95
95
895
97
88
98
90
84
79
81
83
100
102
103
103
104
102
»1 0 2
85
87
85
86
83
85
» 91
o,
c -e
Por
tugal
1928
June
1914
a -e
a, b, e
95
84
83
83
83
84
90
96
92
82
74
67
62
60
58
62
95
97
97
98
98
99
96
8 96
62
62
62
62
60
60
60
» 60
89
96
90
86
83
85
86
86
89
88
88
90
86
86
85
«85
654
Monthly Labor Review—March Ì939
T a b l e 6 . — Indexes
of Cost of Living for Specified Periods for the United States and
Certain Foreign Countries1—Continued
[Series recalculated by International Labor Office on base 1929=100;2 a=food;
c=clothing; d=rent; e=miscellaneous]
Pun
jab
Ru
ma
nia
T o w n s and Lahore Bucha
localities__
rest
Original base
( = 100) ____
Composition
of index___
1930________
1931________
1932________
1933________
1934________
1935________
1936________
1937......... .
1937—M a r....
June__
Sept___
D ec___
1938—M a r....
June__
Sept___
D ec___
19311935
a -e
(3)
(a)
(3)
o)
(3)
100
115
72128
108
104
7 105
1929
a,
b
Swit
zer
land
Tur
key
Union
of
South
Africa
United
States
Madrid
49
49
Istan
bul
9
32-51
1914
1914
July
1914
June
1914
Jan.June
1914
1914
1923-25
1926
July
1914
a, b, d
a , b, e
a -e
a -e
a -e
a -e
a -e
a -c , e
a -e
Spain
6
103
107
103
97
94
92
91
91
92
100
73
62
56
, 53
57
61
67
96
92
87
87
87
95
62
65
70
74
74
77
74
87
87
87
95
95
97
97
97
98
98
86
86
88
88
89
«87
100
102
99
98
93
86
81
80
80
81
85
92
87
85
76
75
69
98
94
90
B. L.
S.
Yugoslavia
3
Bel (Croa
and
grade tiaSla
vonia)
88
98
89
80
76
79
81
92
87
81
79
75
74
61
60
71
91
85
78
65
72
70
« 70
94
94
93
83
84
83
83
84
69
71
88
89
92
85
77
66
85
86
85
85
85
• 85
1 Table from International Labor Review, January 1939 (pp. 114-117).
2 Except for series in italics, which are on original base, or recalculated
3 No indexes computed.
4 Indexes computed as of February, May, August, and November.
8 May.
8 July.
7 August.
8 October.
• November.
10 Indexes computed as of January, April, July, and October.
11 New or revised series beginning this year.
12 Average calculated for a period less than 1 year.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
and lighting;
Swe
den
South
ern
Rho
desia
88
9 74
6 =heating
88
*70
on nearest possible year to 1929.
655
Cost and Standards of Living
W HERE
THE
P U R C H A S E R ’S FO OD
D O LLA R
GOES
By H ector L azo and M. H. B letz 1
OF every dollar spent by the housewife for food for her family in
September 1937, the retailer received 21.7 cents, according to a recent
study.1 The dollar’s worth of food in its raw state, or as it left the
farm, had a value of 36.6 cents. To this the transportation agencies
(railroads, trucking companies, etc.) added 7.3 cents for their services,
brokers and commission merchants added 1.6 cents, manufacturers
and processors 27.0 cents, and wholesale grocers 5.8 cents.
These sums, of course, did not represent net profit, for out of them
had to be met the costs of each class of agent or dealer. Tabulation
of expenditures for each item of cost showed that 7.2 percent of each
dollar spent for food represented net profit of all agencies combined.
For their services the farmers received 10.7 percent, and 8.0 percent
went for seeds, animals, etc., used in production by the farmers.
Owners of middleman businesses received 10.3 percent for their
personal services, and employees’ wages amounted to 22.9 percent.
Advertising took 1.4 percent, and direct taxes 5.7 percent.
Method of Study
Using as a basis an average family of four persons, an average
family income of $2,100, and an average expenditure of 32-38 percent
for food, the authors arrived at a weekly expenditure for food items
of $12.92 per week. A Home Economics expert in the Department
of Agriculture prepared a series of menus for a family of four which
for that amount would provide the requisite balanced diet to feed this
family “properly.” Priced at the levels of the second week of Septem
ber 1937, the cost of the menus came to $12.50. That week was used
because, in the authors’ opinion, it represented more nearly than any
other the average for the year as a whole.
The food budget was divided into six broad groups of items: Dairy
products and eggs; flour, bread, and cereal products; meat products
and fish; canned goods; fresh fruits and vegetables; and beverages,
seasoning, and dessert. Official reports, congressional and other
official hearings, and findings of other specialized studies were used to
obtain for each of these food groups the proportion of the consumer’s
dollar going to the producer and to each class of middlemen. The
cost of doing business of each of these classes of middlemen was then
ascertained for each food group. A summary of the results is shown
in table 1.
i Mr. Lazo is executive vice president of the Cooperative Food Distributors of America (the central
federation of a number of retailer-owned cooperative wholesales), and Mr. Bletz is a statistician with special
knowledge of marketing of food. They are joint authors of a study entitled “Who Gets Your Food Dollar?”
(published by Harper & Bros., N ew York), on which the present article is based
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
656
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Distribution of Weekly Food Expenditures
The amount and percent of the weekly food purchases ($12.50 for
the second week in September 1937) which were accounted by the
gross sums going to farmer and specified middlemen are shown in
the following table.
Amount and Percent of Weekly Food Expenditure Going to Specified Agencies
Agency
Amount of weekly food expenditure going to—
Farmers and other primary producers 1__
Transportation agencies—. _____
Brokers and agents...........
Processors, assemblers, and packers
Wholesale grocers______
Retail grocers________ _______
T otal____________ _
Percent of weekly food expenditure going to—
Farmers and other primary producers 1__
Transportation agencies__________
Brokers and agents_______
Processors, assemblers, and packers.........
Wholesale grocers_______
Retail grocers_______. . . .
Total____________
1 Includes
Total
weekly
food
budget
Dairy
prod
ucts
and
eggs
Flour,
bread,
and
cereal
prod
ucts
$4. 565
.81
.285
3.40
.72
2. 72
$1.05
. 11
$0. 32
.1 1
.2 1
.0 1
.62
.13
.31
.04
.57
.06
.25
.06
.56
1.06
$0. 365
.055
.04
.93
. 14
.33
12. 50
2.23
1. 35
4.08
1.86
36.6
7.3
47.1
5.0
1 .6
.6
27.0
5.8
21.7
100.0
Meat
Fresh Bever
prod Canned fruits ages,
ucts
and season
goods vege
ing,
and
and
fish
tables dessert
$1.97
.2 2
$0.44
. 31
. 02
.2 1
.06
.47
1.51
—
$0. 42
. 10
03
. 51
. 11
.30
1.47
27.6
5.8
13.9
23.6
8.4
2.9
42.3
4.4
18.4
48.2
5.3
1.5
13.6
5.4
26.0
19.7
3.0
2. 2
49.9
7.5
17.7
1. 5
13.6
4.3
31.0
28.7
7.1
17
34.5
7. 7
20.3
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
29.4
2 0 .2
cost of seed and other primary products as well as of container materials and fuel.
In general the largest portions of the consumer’s dollar were ac
counted for by the farmer, the processor or manufacturer, and the
retailer. The farmer’s share, however, included his expenses for seed,
animals, fertilizer, fuel, and containers, which together formed from
7.9 to 8.2 percent of the total cost of the various foods.
The farmer’s returns were relatively greatest for his dairy and meat
products, least for canned goods. For the cereal products, where
processing costs were high (42.3 cents), the farmer got only 23.6 cents
of the buyer’s dollar; and on canned goods, where the processor took
49.9 cents, the farmer received only 19.7 cents. The farmer’s relative
share (29.4 cents) was also low on fresh fruits and vegetables; on these
commodities 20.2 cents went for transportation and the retailer took
31.0 cents—-more in both cases than in any other food group.
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M inimum Wages and M aximum Hours
O P E R A T IO N OF W AGE A N D H O U R LAW , 1938
ESTIMATES for September 1938 show that 11,000,000 persons were
employed in industries subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, of
whom 300,000 were receiving less than 25 cents an hour and 1,384,000
were working more than 44 hours per week when the legislation be
came effective. These figures are included in the first report of the
Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, United States De
partment of Labor,1 to the President, for the 4K months of 1938 dur
ing which the Division functioned. In addition to information on
economic coverage of the law, the report contains sections on the
scope of the legislation, progress of the Wage and Hour Division, the
administrative program for 1939, and general administrative prob
lems. Only the economic section of the report and the number of
complaints and violations reported are dealt with here. An article
in the Monthly Labor Review for January 1939 (p. 151) showed the
major interpretations and regulations issued during the early months
of operation under the act.
As it was believed necessary to have a knowledge of the coverage
of the law, in order to administer it effectively, estimates of various
kinds were made by the economic section of the Wage and Hour
Division. They are not regarded as final by the Administrator, as
they were based on data collected before the Wage and Hour Division
was established, and not to meet its needs. The totals calculated
are used as a partial measure of the groups being dealt with and are
subject to correction and enlargement in the light of findings in special
surveys.
The following estimates were made as of September 1938:
N um ber
Employees covered by the act_____________________ 11, 000, 000
Total receiving less than 25 cents an hour__________
300, 000
Total receiving less than 30 cents an hour__________
550, 000
Total receiving less than 40 cents an hour_________
1,418, 000
Total working more than 44 hours a week_________ 1, 384, 000
Total working more than 42 hours a week_________ 1, 751, 000
Total working more than 40 hours a week_________ 2, 184, 000
1 U. S. Department of Labor. Wage and Hour Division.
period August 15 to December 31, 1938. Washington, 1939.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Interim report of the Administrator for the
657
658
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
The total of 11,000,000 persons covered includes 10,670,000 em
ployees subject to the act in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Recent data were not available for Hawaii and Alaska. This total
does not include about 220,000 employees of manufacturing estab
lishments with less than 6 wage earners per establishment. It is
expected that the estimate of coverage will be raised considerably
when more accurate measurements are made. The tentative figure
of 11,000,000 persons is roughly one-third of the supervised em
ployees who worked for wages and salaries.
The aggregate numbers receiving less than 25 cents an hour (300,000) and working more than 44 hours a week (1,384,000) are extremely
conservative estimates, according to the report under review. These
are the numbers affected by the terms of the legislation during the
first year of operation, which will end on October 23, 1939. Many
workers engaged in low-paid occupations are not subject to the Fair
Labor Standards Act. Other heures given under the classifications of
wages and hours in the above tabulation show what the effect of
introduction of progressively higher standards, as provided by the
law for subsequent years, would mean to workers if they were em
ployed in the same numbers and under the same conditions that
existed when these estimates were made.
It was too early to measure the effects of the law at the end of 1938.
The most noticeable immediate consequences were adjustments in
connection with the minimum-wage provision and a tendency toward
increased employment resulting from the provision that hours worked
in excess of the maximum of 44 per week must be compensated at one
and one-half times the regular hourly rate. Spot surveys conducted
in December failed to show that widespread lay-offs followed the
introduction of higher labor standards.
Although no official action was taken in 1938 to punish violators of
the provisions of the law, several hundred violations were investigated.
Some employers agreed to pay back wages when informed that they
had paid less than the required minimum. Complaints and violations
reported numbered 5,294. They were received either directly at the
Washington office of the Wage and Hour Division or through field
representatives.
Preliminary analysis of complaints showed that on their face 40
percent constituted violations, 27 percent did not contain enough
information on which to base a preliminary determination, 17 percent
were cases of complaint against employers who were not subject to the
law or in which no violation was involved, and the remaining 16 per
cent were borderline cases that were not yet determined.
The Administrator stated in the foreword to the report that his
belief that employers, employees, and the public approve of the pur
poses of the law was confirmed by an extensive inspection trip.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Minimum Wages and Maximum Hours
659
Because of the general acceptance of the objectives of the legislation,
the Administrator believes that the Wage and Hour Division has a real
responsibility for securing compliance. Otherwise the law may work
hardship on complying employers who compete with others who do not
maintain the minimum standards laid down.
ST E E L W AGE D E T E R M IN A T IO N U N D E R P U B L IC
CONTRACTS ACT
WAGES in the iron and steel industry, ranging from 45 to 62% cents
per hour according to locality, were determined, effective March 1,
1939, as the prevailing minima to be paid on work to fulfill contracts
with agencies of the United States Government, subject to the pro
visions of the Public Contracts Act.1 This is the twentieth determina
tion of industry-wide coverage.2
Definitions
Industry.—For the purposes of this determination the iron and steel
industry is defined as including the business of producing and selling
all or any one or more of the following products:
Axles—rolled or forged.
Bale ties—single loop.
Bars—alloy steel, hot rolled.
Bars—cold finished, carbon and alloy.
Bars—concrete reinforcing, straight lengths.
Bars, ingots, blooms, and billets—iron.
Bars—merchant steel.
Bars—tool steel.
Ferro-manganese and spiegeleisen.
Girder rails and splice bars therefor.
Ingots, blooms, billets, and slabs—alloy.
Ingots, blooms, billets, and slabs—carbon.
Light rails—60 pounds or less per yard—and splice bars and
angle bars therefor.
Standard tee rails of more than 60 pounds per yard—and
angle bars and rail joints therefor, or any of such prod
ucts.
Mechanical tubing.
Pig irqn—foundry, high silicon silvery, malleable, open
hearth basic, Bessemer and high silicon Bessemer.
Pig iron—low phosphorus.
Pipe—standard, line pipe, and oil country tubular prod
ucts.
Plates.
Posts—fence and sign.
> X J . S. Department of Labor. Division of Public Contracts. Press releases Nos. 597 and 623.
2 For earlier determinations see M onthly Labor Review, July 1938 (p. 112), December 1938 (p. 1358), and
February 1939 (p. 369).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
660
Railroad tie plates.
Railroad track spikes.
Sheet bars.
Sheets.
Skelp.
Steel sheet piling.
Strip steel—cold rolled.
Strip steel—hot rolled.
Structural shapes.
Tubes—boiler.
Tube rounds.
Wheels—car, rolled steel.
Wire—drawn.
Wire hoops—twisted or welded.
Wire nails and staples, twisted barbless wire, barbed wire,
twisted wire fence stays, and wire fencing (except chainlink fencing).
Wire rods.
Wire—spring.
Wire—telephone.
Tin plate, tin-mill black plate, and terneplate were excluded from the
coverage of this determination, because the Government does not buy
these products and evidence exists that the wage scale in their manufac
ture differs from the scale otherwise applying in the iron and steel indus
try. No objection was made to the definition recommended by the
Public Contracts Board, which excluded the classifications of produc
tion noted, except that the Machinery and Allied Products Institute
requested that the definition be so worded as to exclude application to
open-hearth and electric furnaces used in that industry. As agreed
upon, the definition does not apply to open-hearth and electric furnaces
utilized in any production other than that specifically enumerated.
Locality.—In making the wage determination, it was recognized
that the problem of selecting the geographical boundaries of each
“locality” within which prevailing minimum wages were to be deter
mined, involved difficulties. Objection was made to establishing rates
of pay in the iron and steel industry that did not take into account
existing wage differentials based on location and population of munici
palities, geographical area, and size of establishment. One group held
that “locality” as used in the Public Contracts Act is synonymous
with “city, town, village, or other civil subdivision of the State,” as
used in the Davis-Bacon law (act of August 30, 1935, 49 Stat. 1011),
and therefore the rates of pay on Government contracts should be
fixed in the same way. However, Congress avoided using the same
language, and this, the determination states, “indicates a Congres
sional intent to relax the rigid requirement of the Davis-Bacon law,”
giving the Secretary of Labor the power “to exercise a sound discretion
in the selection of appropriate units for prevailing minimum-wage
determinations.”
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Minimum Images and Maximum Hours
661
Wages Established
Prevailing minimum wages were established for six different locali
ties, as shown below. The determination also provides that appren
tices may be employed at lower rates, if their employment conforms
to the standards of the Federal Committee on Apprenticeship. No
other tolerances for special classes of labor are allowed. This deter
mination applies to every employer contracting to supply the Govern
ment with goods valued at over $10,000. No employee may work
over 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week, without payment for over
time, on goods for Government contracts,1and child or convict labor
is forbidden.
In the locality consisting of the States of Louisiana, Arkansas,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma,
Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, and West Virginia
(except the counties of Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Harrison, Monongalia,
and Marshall), the minimum rate is 45 cents per hour.
In the locality consisting of the States of Washington, Oregon, and
California, the minimum rate is 60 cents per hour.
In the locality consisting of the States of Montana, Idaho, Nevada,
Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona, the minimum
rate is 60 cents per hour.
In the locality consisting of the States of North Dakota, South
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and the area
in and about East St. Louis, 111., the minimum rate is 58% cents per
hour.
In the locality consisting of the States of Wisconsin, Illinois (except
the area in and about East St. Louis, 111.), Michigan, and Indiana
the minimum rate is 62% cents per hour.
In the locality consisting of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Mary
land, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, and that
portion of the State of West Virginia comprised within the counties of
Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Harrison, and Monongalia, and
the District of Columbia, the minimum rate is 62% cents per hour.
B O B B IN E T W AG E D E T E R M IN A T IO N U N D E R P U B L IC
CONTRACTS ACT
THE twenty-first wage determination under the public contracts law
(Walsh-Healey Act) covers minimum prevailing wages of workers en
gaged in the manufacture of bobbinets to fulfil Government contracts.1
Rates of pay are fixed at 37% cents an hour or $15 per week of 40 hours
• U . S. Department of Labor.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Division of Public Contracts.
Press release No. 622, January 28, 1939.
662
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
under the terms of this determination, which became effective on
February 13, 1939.
This determination covers the manufacture of the products of the
bobbinet machines, including what is commonly known as unbleached
bobbinet or mosquito netting as described on Federal specifications.
Evidence introduced at hearings showed that there are only five
companies manufacturing bobbinets in the United States, of which
two are located in New York and one each in Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, and Rhode Island. The total employment is about 700.
A P P L IC A T IO N OF H O U R S D E C R E E S I N F R A N C E 1
THE workweek in France was increased from 5 to 6 days by a decree
law of November 12, 1938, for all establishments except those author
ized by the Minister of Labor to operate on a 5-day schedule.2 That
law, while maintaining the principle of the 40-hour week established
in 1936, authorized the working of additional hours, within prescribed
+ limits, in order to secure increased national production. Thirty-five
decrees were issued December 31, 1938, setting forth details of appli
cation of the modified working hours, to bring earlier laws into line
with the November decree. Three of these decrees were of general
application.
The provision in the November decree that the 5-day week could be
worked only after authorization by the Minister of Labor gave rise
to protests from labor, and in some cases from employers, and as a
result, shortly after the decree was issued, the Minister stated that
in providing for weekly hours based on a 6-day week, it was not in
tended absolutely to prohibit the practice of working five 8-hour days.
Accordingly, an order by the Minister of Labor and the Minister of
Public Works was issued on December 31, authorizing the 5-day week
in establishments or parts of establishments in which the actual work
ing week does not exceed 38 hours, if the establishment has no direct
contact with the public and is not subject to variations in activity
because of weather conditions. In such establishments, when the
working hours exceed 38 but are less than 45 a week, authorization to
continue on the 5-day week is considered as granted if the labor inspec
tor has not refused the request of the head of the establishment within
a period of 8 days. This authorization may be granted also to estab
lishments having no direct contact with the public, in which the activi
ties are affected by weather conditions, if the working hours do not
exceed 45 per week. Establishments having direct contact with the
1 Data are from report of Edwin C. Wilson, American Chargé d’Aflaires ad interim, Paris, January 9,
1939; and Journal Officiel (Paris), issues of January 1, 3, and 7, 1939.
* For the provisions of that law, see M onthly Labor Review, January 1939 (p. 137).
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Minimum Wages and Maximum Hours
663
public, and others in which the working week exceeds 45 hours, must
receive special authorization if the 5-day week is worked.
The decree of May 24, 1938,3 fixing the method of making up time
lost in an establishment because of a collective interruption of work
for reasons other than a labor dispute, and the procedure to be followed
in the authorization of supplementary hours in such cases, is amended
to provide that the additional hours may not increase the working
time in the establishment to more than 9 hours per day and 48 hours
per week.
Organization of the working force by shifts and by rotation of
workers can be authorized provisionally by the labor inspector after
consultation with the employers’ and workers’ organizations con
cerned, but final authorization is given by the Minister of Labor.
The authorization must fix the special methods of control of the dura
tion of work, and in case the work is organized by shifts, must fix the
maximum length of the workday for each employee as well as for the
establishment. The labor inspector may authorize a division of the
working hours which does not exceed an average of 40 hours in a 3week period, but the hours may not exceed 9 per day without special
authorization by the labor inspector. During the period in which
such hours are worked, and for one month thereafter, the employer
may not discharge any regular employee because of lack of work.
The remaining decrees modify the schedules of hours in particular
cases, longer hours being allowed in certain industries, such as stores,
because of the intermittent character of the work. Five methods of
dividing the workweek are provided for retail stores. In retail trade
except food stores, the decree provides that 42 hours shall be con
sidered as equivalent to 40 hours of effective work. These hours of
overtime can be used to make up time lost for holidays other than the
statutory holidays with pay. The number of hours between the be
ginning and end of the workday may not exceed 10 hours for entire
days and 5 hours for half days. The principle of rotation is adopted
in order to allow the stores to remain open on six days. In grocery
stores provision is also made for rotation of workers, but the total
amount of time spent at work may not be interrupted by more than
two rest periods, and may not exceed 12 hours for whole days and 6
hours for half days (13 and 6%, respectively, in dairy stores).
The maximum duration of presence of workers in hotels, cafes, and
restaurants is fixed at 45 hours for cooks and 50 hours per week for
other employees. In seasonal resorts, the hours of cooks are fixed at
50 per week, and those of other workers at 56. These hours may be
worked for a period of 5 consecutive months if there is one season, and
in two periods of 3 consecutive months each, if there are two seasons.
* See M onthly Labor Review, August 1938 (p. 394).
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In retail drug stores, 42 hours (44 hours, if there is only one employee)
are considered as equivalent to 40 hours’ effective work. The total
daily hours of work, including rest periods, may not exceed 11.
The 6-day week is to be in effect for port workers, and many excep
tions are made in arranging hours, in order to meet the demands of
the shipping industry.
A decree providing general regulations for the taxicab industry in
Paris establishes a 10-hour day, but owners of single cabs driven by
themselves may work 11 hours.
The ten decrees revising earlier decrees relating to working hours in
different kinds of mining operations, provide in general for only minor
changes. For underground mines the maximum workday remains 7
hours and 45 minutes, and hours are not extended beyond the previous
38 hours and 40 minutes per week. The 5-day week is still authorized,
but a choice is given of working a 5%~ or a 6-day week. A 10-percent
increase over the regular rate is paid for overtime.
R E G U L A T IO N OF H O U R S OF Y O U N G PE R SO N S
I N G R E A T B R IT A IN
HOURS of employment of persons under 18 years of age were shortened
in a number of occupations by the terms of legislation adopted in
both Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1938.1
Great Britain.—The law of Great Britain became effective on Jan
uary 1, 1939. Employment of young persons under 18 years of age
is thereby limited to 48 hours per week, and for those under 16, a
44-hour week is prescribed after December 31, 1939.
Young persons of these ages who are covered by this act are those
employed (1) In the collection or delivery of goods, or in any incidental
carrying, loading, or unloading; (2) in messenger work outside the
premises of a business; (3) in messenger work in a hotel or club; (4)
in messenger work in a newspaper publishing house; (5) in messenger
work at a place of public entertainment, amusement, swimming pool,
etc.; (6) in a private dwelling as an operator of a power-run elevator;
(7) in the operation of motion-picture projection equipment; (8)
in receiving and dispatching goods in a laundry, dyeing, or cleaning
establishment. If the hours of work of young persons are regulated
by other laws, or such persons are employed in or in connection with
agriculture or in a ship, they are not subject to the terms of this law.
The law also requires that at least half an hour must be allowed
for a meal or rest, after 5 hours of continuous employment, and that
i Great Britain (Laws, Statutes, etc.), Young Persons (Employment) Act, 1938 (1 and 2, Geo. 6 , ch. 69)'
Northern Ireland, Acts of Parliament, Factories Act (2 Geo. 6 , ch. 23); Great Britain, Ministry of Labor
Gazette, September 1938.
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Minimum linages and Maximum Hours
665
three-quarters of aD hour must be allowed for dinner if the employ
ment covers the period between 11:30 a. m. and 2:30 p. m. A weekly
half-holiday and a whole holiday on Sunday or some other day are
required.
Persons over 16 may work overtime 6 hours in 1 week or 50 hours
in a year, but the maximum number of weeks during which overtime
may be worked in 1 year is 12. Overtime is prohibited for persons
under 16, who may not work in excess of 44 hours a week after the
first year of operation under the law.
The new law also amends the Shops Act, 1934, the amendment to
become effective January 1, 1940, making a 44-hour week (instead of
48 hours) the maximum for young persons under 16 years of age
employed in shops, except that hours may be averaged in a 2-week
period including Christmas week.
Northern Ireland.—Special legislation adopted in Northern Ireland
placed the same restrictions on the working hours of young persons.
The occupational coverage includes employment in collecting, carrying
or delivering goods, carrying messages or running errands for a
factory but mainly outside the factory; employment in connection
with any business carried on at a dock, wharf or quay, or any ware
house except where it is a part of a factory; employment by a person
occupying a dock, wharf, quay or warehouse, or premises within it or
forming part of it; and employment in connection with any process
carried on at any dock, etc., by a person having the use of it or in
connection with loading, unloading, or fueling ships in any dock,
harbor, or canal.
In establishing the 44-hour week, effective after 1 year from com
mencement of the act, for young persons under 16 years of age, the
law of Northern Ireland further provides that the Minister of Labor
may prescribe longer hours if it is determined that such employment
would not be injurious to the workers, if short hours for young per
sons would seriously affect the carrying on of a particular industry or
process, and if it can be shown that a process is particularly suitable
for young persons as a means of training them for permanent em
ployment in the industry.
The Factories Act (Northern Ireland) becomes effective July 1,
1939, at which time the 48-hour week for young persons will also be
applied. Introduction of the 44-hour week for young persons who
have not attained the age of 16 will be postponed until a year later.
1 2 9 3 2 4 -3 9 -
-12
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours o f Labor
W AG ES A N D H O U R S IN T H E F E R T IL IZ E R
IN D U S T R Y , 1938 1
Summary
ALTHOUGH hourly earnings of all workers in the fertilizer industry
averaged 32.6 cents during the spring season of 1938, they ranged all
the way from less than 7% cents to over $1 per hour. The weekly
hours averaged 45. Weekly earnings amounted to $14.67.
Of the total number of employees covered, 26.1 percent earned less
than 25 cents an hour, and 55.1 percent were paid under 30 cents.
There were 68.7 percent receiving less than 40 cents.
The fertilizer industry is largely located in the southern States.
Its labor force is predominantly composed of unskilled workers, who
constituted 72 percent of the total labor force. It is also largely
composed of Negroes, who formed 77 percent of the total, as compared
with 23 percent white workers.
These facts were found in the first field survey ever made by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of wages and hours in the fertilizer industry.
The survey covered 283 establishments and 15,657 wage earners.
Scope and Method of Survey
DEFIN ITIO N OF INDUSTRY
The plants surveyed were those falling within the fertilizer industry
as it is defined in the Census of Manufactures. According to that defi
nition, the industry includes establishments “engaged primarily in the
production of commercial fertilizers, of which the principal classes are
complete fertilizers (mixtures of superphosphates, potash, and ammoniates) and superphosphates.” It does not include the merchan
dising of fertilizer materials in the natural state or tankage from meat
packing establishments used without further processing.2
1 More detailed information, of which this article is a summary, is published in a pamphlet entitled “Wages
and Hours in the Fertilizer Industry, 1938“ (Serial No. R. 864), a copy of which may be obtained on request.
This pamphlet was prepared by J. Perlman, O. R. Witmer, H. O. Rogers, and P. L. Jones, of the Bureau’s
Division of Wage and Hour Statistics.
2 The survey also excluded firms engaged in the mining and grinding of phosphate rock for sale to fertilizer
plants.
666
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Images and Hours of Labor
667
The modern fertilizer industry dates from about the middle of the
last century, when the process of treating mineral phosphates with
sulphuric acid to form superphosphates was discovered. Although
the acidulation of phosphate rock furnishes one of the essential fer
tilizer ingredients, the industry also comprehends two other processes,
namely, the manufacture of sulphuric acid and the mixing, in varying
proportions, of superphosphates with other ingredients, such as potash,
ammoniates, or nitrates, and fillers to make complete fertilizers.
Depending upon the integration of the three processes involved,
there are also three types of fertilizer establishments, namely acid
making, superphosphate, and dry-mixing plants. Acid-making es
tablishments are completely integrated plants, which manufacture
their own sulphuric acid and superphosphates and mix the various
fertilizer ingredients. Superphosphate or wet-mixing establishments
purchase their acid requirements, but they make their own super
phosphates and mix them with the other ingredients. On the other
hand, dry-mixing plants manufacture none of the conventional fer
tilizer ingredients, being engaged only in mixing purchased materials.
SALIENT FEATURES OF INDUSTRY
Judged by American standards, the fertilizer industry is not very
large, whether measured in terms of employment or of value of prod
ucts. In 1937, the latest year for which figures 3are available from the
Census of Manufactures, the industry showed an average of 20,893
wage earners, but at the peak of seasonal production it provided
employment for considerably more workers. The value of products
made in fertilizer plants amounted to $195,759,025 in 1937. This
figure, however, is subject to wide fluctuations, varying with farm
income, as may be seen from the fact that it ranged from $232,510,936
in 1929 to $94,939,311 in 1933.
The present survey was made on a sample basis, covering 283 estab
lishments and 15,657 wage earners. It is estimated that, at the time
of the survey during the spring months of 1938, the number of workers
included about two-fifths of the total labor force in the industry.
Among the factors considered in selecting the sample were geograph
ical distribution, type of plant, size of establishment, corporate
affiliation, size of community, and unionization of workers.
As freight costs represent a substantial portion of the price paid by
the farmer for fertilizers, close proximity to the principal marketing areas
has been the main factor in determining the regional distribution of
the industry. One of the most distinctive features of the latter, there
fore, is its marked concentration in the southeastern coastal States,
* These cover only establishments with a value of product of $5,000 and over.
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
where the exhaustion of the soil, due primarily to the growing of one
crop, such as tobacco or cotton, as well as to soil erosion, has created
a great demand for fertilizers. Nevertheless, an important portion
of the industry is scattered throughout much of the remainder of the
country, especially the northern States east of the Mississippi River.
The survey covered the 24 leading fertilizer States.4
By far the great majority of the establishments in the industry are
dry-mixing plants. Of the 283 establishments in the sample, 35 were
acid-making, 42 superphosphate, and 206 dry-mixing plants. In
terms of the number of workers, the figures were respectively 4,927
(31.5 percent), 3,083 (19.7 percent), and 7,647 (48.8 percent). It will
thus be seen that size of establishment tended to vary directly with
degree of integration, the average number of employees being 141 for
acid-making, 73 for superphosphate, and 37 for dry-mixing plants.
It also should be pointed out that the survey did not cover any estab
lishments with fewer than 10 workers; the largest plant employed
slightly over 400 wage earners.
Concentration of ownership is an important factor in the industry.
First, it is customary to consider the “Big 7” companies, each having a
large number of establishments scattered over the country. In addi
tion, there is a substantial number of intermediate companies, each of
which has 2 or more plants in the industry. The remaining group
may be termed 1-establishment companies. Of the 283 plants in
the sample, 60 belonged to the “Big 7,” 72 to the intermediate group,
and 151 to the 1-establishment firms; they employed 35.5, 28.9, and
35.6 percent, respectively, of the total employees covered. Measured
in production, however, the “Big 7” companies are vastly more im
portant than is indicated by the relative number of their employees.
To a lesser degree this is also true of the intermediate companies.
It is also essential to point out that degree of integration tends to
vary directly with concentration of ownership. Of the 35 acid-making
plants in the sample, 21 belonged to the “Big 7,” 7 to the intermediate,
and 7 to the 1-establishment companies, the distribution being re
spectively 57.4, 27.3, and 15.3 percent of the employees in acid-making
plants. Of the 42 superphosphate establishments, 19 belonged to the
“Big 7” companies, which also employed 44.8 percent of the workers.
In this group, however, the 1-establishment concerns were more
important than the intermediate companies, the former accounting
for 13 plants and 32.7 percent of the employees and the latter for 10
establishments and 22.5 percent of the workers. Conversely, of the
206 dry-mixing plants, 20 belonged to the “Big 7,” 55 to the inter
mediate, and 131 to the 1-establishment companies, the distribution
of employees being respectively 17.6, 32.5, and 49.9 percent.
< See table 3, p. 674.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours of Labor
669
The fertilizer industry is fairly well distributed by size of commu
nity.5 Of the 283 establishments in the sample, 53 were located in
rural territory, or places with a population of under 2,500, but these
plants employed only 9.3 percent of the total workers. A substantial
number of establishments, namely 65, were also found in the small
towns of 2,500 and less than 10,000 population, which accounted for
11.9 percent of the total employees. There were 87 plants, with 35.9
percent of the workers, in communities of 10,000 and under 100,000,
and 55 establishments with 26.2 percent of the employees were located
in metropolitan areas of 100,000 and less than 500,000. Lastly, 23
plants employing 16.7 percent of the workers appeared in the large
metropolitan areas of 500,000 and over.
It should be noted that there is also a tendency for the dry-mixing
plants to concentrate largely in the smaller communities, while the
integrated establishments are found mostly in the more populous
places. Of the 35 acid-making plants, only 1 was located in a com
munity with a population of under 10,000, 14 were in communities of
10.000 and less than 100,000, and 20 in communities of 100,000 and
over, the distribution of employees being respectively 4.0, 33.9, and
62.1 percent. Of the 42 superphosphate establishments, 6 with 15.8
percent of the workers were in places of under 10,000, 13 with 30.5
percent in places of 10,000 and less than 100,000, and 23 with 53.7
percent in places of 100,000 and over. On the other hand, of the 206
dry-mixing plants, 111 were found in areas of under 10,000, 60 in
areas of 10,000 and less than 100,000, and 35 in areas of 100,000 and
over; the distribution of employees was 34.5, 39.3, and 26.2 percent,
respectively.
It follows, therefore, that the tendency is for the 1-establishment
concerns to be found mostly in the smaller communities, while the
larger companies are concentrated more in the metropolitan areas. Of
the 60 establishments belonging to the “Big 7”, only 5 with 6.5 per
cent of the total employees were in communities with a population of
under 10,000, 25 with 36.7 percent in communities of 10,000 and less
than 100,000, and the remaining 30 with 56.8 percent in communities
of 100,000 and over. Of the 72 intermediate companies, 24 were
found in areas of under 10,000, 23 in areas of 10,000 and less than
100,000, and 25 in areas of 100,000 and over; the distribution of work
ers was, respectively, 15.2, 33.9, and 50.9 percent. In contrast, of the
151 one-establishment concerns, 89 with 40.8 percent of the employees
* Communities were classified according to size on the basis of metropolitan areas. For places with a
population of 100,000 or more, the Bureau of Labor Statistics followed the metropolitan district classification
of the Bureau of the Census. On the other hand, for areas with less than 100,000 population, the Bureau of
Labor Statistics established similar metropolitan areas, including not only the population within a political
subdivision, but. also that of the outlying area. In other words, an attempt was made here to classify com
munities according to labor market areas, within which there is competition among workers for jobs, as well
as among employers for workers, thus influencing the wage levels.
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
were in places of under 10,000, 39 with 36.6 percent in places of
10,000 and less than 100,000, and only 23 with 22.6 percent in places
of 100,000 and over.
In other words, there is a marked contrast between establishments
belonging to the “Big 7” and the 1-plant companies. On the whole,
the former are mostly of the integrated type 6 and are located mainly
in the more populous communities. On the other hand, the latter
are mostly dry-mixing establishments and are located largely in the
less populous centers. The plants of the “Big 7” also differ from the
1-establishment concerns in other respects. For example, a number
of the large companies control their own raw materials, such as phos
phate rock and nitrates, and to a limited extent organic nitrogen
carriers, in addition to producing superphosphates. In contrast,
nearly all of the 1-establishment concerns have to buy their super
phosphates and other materials. Furthermore, there is keen compe
tition between the large and small companies, especially with respect
to certain local markets where the 1-plant companies have a distinct
advantage in being able to adapt their formulas to the more highly
specialized requirements emanating from the peculiarities of the soil.
The position of the intermediate companies, however, is not so clearcut with respect to the above characteristics. As regards integration,
most of their plants are of the dry-mixing type, thus resembling more
nearly the 1-establishment companies. On the other hand, the plants
of the intermediate companies have a tendency to concentrate in the
more populous communities, in which respect they resemble more
nearly those of the “Big 7” concerns. As regards control over raw
materials and superphosphates, the intermediate companies are in
some instances in the position of the “Big 7,” while in other cases they
occupy the position of the 1-establishment companies. Nevertheless,
the part played by the intermediate companies cannot be minimized,
as they constitute an important segment of the industry.7
Of the 283 establishments in the sample, 6 (with 6 percent of
the employees) were operating under trade-union agreements at the
time of the survey. All of these plants were located in communities
with a population of 100,000 and over. Of the 6 union locals involved,
3 were affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and the other
3 with the Congress of Industrial Organizations.
Another distinguishing feature of the industry is the extreme
simplicity of its manufacturing processes, especially in mixing fertilizers.
As a result, manpower requirements have been reduced to a minimum,
and most of the work is now being done by mechanical devices capable
of handling large quantities of bulk materials. In the early days, the
6 In a sense, all plan ts belonging to the “ B ig 7” are fu lly integrated, since each com pany m akes both acid
and superphosphates th at can be supplied to all of its establishm ents.
i One of the characteristics of the intermediate companies, furthermore, is that some of them are a part
of large concerns in other industries. Likewise, nearly all of the “ Big 7” companies are integrated with
other industries.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours of Labor
671
hand shovel was the tool universally used in the mixing of fertilizer.
At the present time, the unloading or moving of materials within the
plant is being done by power shovels and cranes, chain elevators, con
veyor belts, etc. Special excavating and cutting machines, and mix
ing, bagging, automatic weighing, and sewing machines have also
replaced hand work. In some of the small establishments, however,
because of the shortness of the production season and small volume
of sales, the installation of certain types of machines is not always
justified, and many hand workers are therefore still employed.
As will be pointed out later, a further peculiarity of the fertilizer
industry is the large proportion that unskilled workers and Negroes
form in the labor force.8 It is also important to note that in rural
areas and small towns many of the employees are agricultural laborers,
who are drawn into the plants to work during the peak season.
Still another outstanding characteristic of the fertilizer industry is
its extreme seasonality. Although there is a small amount of seasonal
activity in this industry in certain parts of the country before the fall
planting, by far the most important season occurs prior to planting in
the spring months. This season extends over the months of March,
April, and May, traveling progressively from the extreme southern to
extreme northern States. In the majority of the States, however, it
occurs during the latter part of March and the greater part of April.
In making this survey, the information obtained covered in most cases
the peak seasonal activity in the various regions. In some of the in
tegrated plants, it is customary to carry on the production of acid and
superphosphates during the months prior to the season, which made it
necessary to obtain supplementary information for those months.9
Average Hourly Earnings
METHODS OF WAGE PAYMENT
Nearly all wage earners (99.8 percent) studied in the fertilizer
industry were paid on a straight time-rate basis. Indeed, this was
the exclusive method of payment in 277 of the 283 plants for which
information was obtained. In the remaining 6 establishments, some
piece-rate workers were employed, but even there by far the largest
majority were time workers. Production-bonus systems of wage pay
ment were not reported by any of the plants covered.10
8 In the plants studied, there were 17 females, all of whom were engaged on unskilled, light operations, but
they were excluded from the tabulations contained in this report.
» In these establishments, the same employees worked in the preparation of acid, superphosphates, and
mixed fertilizers progressively during the respective production parts of the year. In order to eliminate
duplication, therefore, each of these workers was allocated to one or the other of the reported occupations, so
that each occupation was represented in the proper proportion.
1» The figures on earnings in this report do not include the value of perquisites, but very little of these
are furnished to employees in the industry. In 12 establishments, some of the workers were given free
houses, including free electric light and fuel in several instances. In 4 other plants, houses were rented to
employees at reduced rates. Respirators were distributed without cost to such persons as required them in
their work by 4 establishments, 2 of which also gave free boots and gloves. Six plants paid all or part ofttu
premiums on group insurance, and 1 establishment furnished free medical services.
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Extra rates of pay for overtime were not general in the industry.
In 51 establishments, however, overtime was paid for at rates either
of time and one-third or time and one-half.12 Of these plants, 20 were
operated by the “Big 7,” 13 by the intermediate companies, and 18
by the 1-establishment concerns. Extra overtime rates were provided
for in 5 of the 6 establishments operating under trade-union agree
ments. Overtime was prohibited as a matter of policy by the manage
ment in 9 plants. In the remaining 223 establishments, all wage
earners working beyond the regular scheduled hours received their
usual time rates.13
SUMMARY FOR INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE
In the spring of 1938, the earnings of the 15,657 workers covered
in the 283 fertilizer manufacturing plants averaged 32.6 cents an
hour. However, there is a large measure of variability behind this
average, as may be seen from the distribution of individual earnings
shown in table 1.
Apart from the wide range of individual hourly earnings, the most
significant feature of table 1 is the concentration of the industry’s
labor force in the low-earnings classes. Over one-fourth (26.1 per
cent) of all workers earned less than 25 cents an hour, and considerably
more than one-half (55.1 percent) were paid under 30 cents. Nearly
seven-tenths (68.7 percent) received less than 40 cents. There was
a small scattering of employees in the upper-earnings classes, but
nine-tenths (89.9 percent) earned under 52.5 cents.
The largest proportion of workers in any one class, accounting for
over one-fourth (26.7 percent) of the total, was found between 25
and 27.5 cents. In terms of 5-cent intervals, the distribution still
shows the major concentration between 22.5 and 27.5 cents, with
minor concentrations in the classes of 37.5 to 42.5 cents and 47.5
to 52.5 cents.
12 Extra earnings due to overtime were taken into consideration in computing average hourly earnings.
M ost of the overtime was found in the Northern wage region, but the additional earnings due to it would
affect the average for that region by less than 1 cent.
13 Overtime compensation, either on a pro-rata or extra-rate basis, usually did not apply to salaried em
ployees, who were expected to do the extra work without additional remuneration.
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Wages and Hours of Labor
673
T able 1.- Percentage Distribution of Fertilizer Workers, by Average Hourly Earnings
and by Skill, During Spring Months of 1938
Average hourly earnings
N u m b er of w orkers.
U nder 7.5 cen ts_________
7.5 and under 12.5 c e n ts ..
12.5 and under 17.5 oen ts.
17.5 and under 22.5 cen ts.
22.5 and under 25.0 cen ts.
25.0 and under 27.5 cen ts.
27.5 and under 30.0 cen ts.
30.0 and under 32.5 cen ts.
32.5 and under 35.0 cen ts..
35.0 and under 37.5 cen ts..
37.5 and under 40.0 c en ts..
40.0 and under 42.5 c en ts..
42.5 and under 47.5 c en ts..
47.5 and under 52.5 c e n ts ..
52.5 and under 57.5 c en ts..
57.5 and under 62.5 c e n ts ..
62.5 and under 67.5 c e n ts ..
67.5 and under 72.5 c e n ts ..
72.5 and under 77.5 c e n ts ..
77.5 and under 82.5 c e n ts ..
82.5 and under 90.0 c e n ts ..
90.0 and under 100.0 cen ts.
100.0 cents and over______
Skilled
workers
Semi
skilled
workers
15,657
939
3,402
11,316
0 .2
1 .0
0.3
2.3
12.4
15.0
1.3
31.2
1.5
4.5
0.3
1.9
26.7
2.3
5.3
1.3
5.8
0.4
.9
.3
3.2
2.3
4.5
1.7
4.6
5.7
7.5
1.3
17.9
5.0
7.9
1 .2
1 .6
2 .1
6.3
9.5
1 0 .2
12.5
1 .2
8.4
5.0
6 .2
6 .6
6 .1
8 .8
3.1
.2
8.9
10.5
6.5
7.3
7.5
7.5
4.4
4.0
4.0
100.0
100.0
2 .8
1.5
.7
.6
.5
.4
.3
T otal.
1 Less
Total
workers
Unskilled
workers
1 .8
1.1
6 .1
5.2
.9
9.4
5.2
4.9
1.5
1.7
11.8
6.7
4.6
3.1
.9
.6
.4
.5
(0
.6
.1
(•)
(‘)
(0
(•)
100.0
100.0
than Ho of 1 percent.
One cause of the dispersion of hourly earnings in the fertilizer in
dustry is the distinctly different wage levels of the 3 skill-groups
(table 2). Compared with an average of 57.6 cents for skilled workers,
the earnings of the semiskilled averaged 36.4 cents, and the average
of the unskilled was 28.7 cents. The difference between the average
earnings of the skilled and semiskilled employees is thus quite pro
nounced, namely 21.2 cents, while the one between the semiskilled
and unskilled is 7.7 cents.
T able 2.—Average Hourly Earnings in the Fertilizer Industry, by Region, Race, and
Skill, During Spring Months of 1938
Number of workers
Region and race
All
work
ers
Skilled Semi
work skilled
work
ers
ers
U n ited S ta te s_______
w h it e ......................
N eg ro____ _____ _________
15, 657
3, 660
11,997
939
795
144
3,402
N orthern w age d istr ic t.............
W h i t e . . . . .............................
N eg ro____________ ______
Southern w age d istrict______
W h ite......................................
N eg ro ......................................
U pper Southern wage district
W h ite______ ____________
N eg ro____ ______________
Lower Southern w age district.
W h ite .....................................
N eg ro......................................
4,012
2,294
1,718
11, 645
1, 366
10,279
2,174
281
1,893
9,471
1,085
8,386
415
387
28
524
408
116
1,228
715
513
2,174
486
122
472
93
379
1,702
393
1,309
91
31
402
317
85
1,201
2,201
1,6 8 8
• N o t a sufficient num ber of workers to p resent averages.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Average hourly earnings
Un
skilled
work
ers
All
work
ers
Skilled Semi
work skilled
work
ers
ers
11,316
1,664
9,652
$0.326
.461
.281
$0. 576
.613
.398
$0.364
.449
.319
$0.287
.390
.268
2,369
1,192
1,177
8 , 947
472
8,475
1,580
97
1,483
7,367
375
6,992
.508
.519
.491
.263
.368
.248
.363
.441
.351
.240
.350
.224
.702
.709
(>)
.483
.524
.356
.555
.592
C1)
.463
.506
.323
.521
.524
.517
.283
.338
.269
.376
.412
.367
.258
.320
.241
.460
.447
.474
.241
.248
240
.340
.312
.342
.219
.232
.219
U n
skilled
work
ers
674
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
I N F L U E N C E O F G E O G R A P H IC A L L O C A T IO N
The average hourly earnings are presented, by States, in table 3.
In some States, it will be noted, the coverage is relatively small, which
limits the significance of the averages for those States. The State
figures, however, may be used to develop certain broad regional classi
fications for the presentation of the data.
T able 3.—Average Hourly Earnings in the Fertilizer Industry, by Region and State,
During Spring Months of 1938
Region and State
Number of
plants
Number of
workers
Average hourly
earnings
United States____________________ ______ _____ ______
283
15,657
$0.326
Northern wage district______________________________
Connecticut_________________________ ____ ______
Illinois_________________________________________
Indiana___________ ___________ . . . . _________
M aine__________________ _____ _____ __________
Massachusetts_____ _____________________________
_______________________
Michigan__________ _
New Jersey_____________________________________
N ew York_____________________________________
Ohio_______ ____ _______________________ _______
Pennsylvania_____________________________ _____
Western shore of Maryland and northern Delaware.
78
4
3
5
7
4
3
4,012
238
240
150
214
137
182
658
188
564
287
1,154
.508
.444
.539
.422
.378
.486
.624
.558
.495
.505
.456
.516
Southern wage district______________________________
Upper Southern wage district_______ _____ _______
Eastern Shore of Maryland and southern Delàware__________ ________________
_______
Kentucky i_ _________ ___________ _______
Tennessee____________________ __________ .
Virginia_____________________________ ____
205
29
11, 645
2,174
.263
.363
199
188
343
1,444
.260
.360
.337
.385
Lower Southern wage district____ _______________
Alabama___ _____ __________________________
Arkansas_____________ ___ ________________
F lo r id a ...______ _____ ________________ . _
Georgia____________________________ _______
Louisiana______________ ________________ .
M ississippi____________ _ __________ . . . .
North Carolina____________ ______________ .
South Carolina_____________________________
Texas___________________________________ ..
176
19
4
15
60
4
9,471
1,048
.240
.231
.192
.308
.218
.273
.217
.250
.236
.259
12
6
12
11
11
8
3
4
14
6
29
32
7
110
818
2.850
245
244
2,145
1,860
151
1 Includes 1 plant in southern Indiana.
D I F F E R E N C E S B E T W E E N W H IT E A N D N E G R O W O R K E R S
Outstanding among the characteristics of the fertilizer industry is
the high proportion of Negro workers employed. Indeed, this industry
is one of the few in which colored workers predominate. Of the 15,657
wage earners included in the present survey, 11,997 were Negroes.
This means that for the industry, as a whole, about 3 out of 4 workers
employed were colored.
The proportion of Negro workers differs from wage region to wage
region. In the Southern wage region, virtually nine-tenths of the
wage earners were Negroes. In this respect, of predominance, there
was very little difference between the Upper Southern and Lower
Southern wage areas. Among the northern plants, on the other hand,
colored workers constituted 43 percent of the wage earners employed.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours of Labor
675
In view of the presence of a considerable number of both white and
colored workers in the fertilizer industry, any differences in earnings
as between whites and Negroes are of interest. It should be noted,
however, that the wages of any group of employees are a product of
two factors, one being the hourly earnings and the other the number
receiving the various earnings. Hence, any comparison of wages
must take into account as far as possible the differences between white
and colored workers as regards occupational opportunities and rates
of pay in a given occupation.
The number of employees receiving the various hourly earnings is
determined to a large extent by the skill composition of the labor force.
Although colored workers predominate in numbers in the industry’s
labor force, relatively few were found in the skilled jobs. The repre
sentation of Negroes among skilled employees was especially meager in
the Northern wage region, where they constituted only 7 percent of the
total. The ratio of skilled colored employees to the total skilled
workers was 25 percent in the Upper Southern and 21 percent in the
Lower Southern wage area. On the other hand, Negroes were rela
tively numerous among semiskilled employees, the figures being 42
percent in the Northern, 80 percent in the Upper Southern, and 77
percent in the Lower Southern wage regions. Finally, colored workers
were proportionately most prevalent in unskilled occupations, of
which they formed 50 percent in the Northern, 94 percent in the Upper
Southern, and 95 percent in the Lower Southern wage districts. The
presence of a proportionately larger number of Negroes than whites in
the semiskilled and unskilled groups naturally results in a greater
number of lower-paid employees among the former as compared with
the latter.
As a general rule whites and Negroes were not found on the same job
in the same plant. There were, however, a number of establishments
in which white and colored employees worked side by side at one or
more occupations. For the country as a whole, 22 percent of the
whites and 19 percent of the Negroes worked on the same occupation in
the same plant. The proportions varied somewhat by region, the re
spective percentages being 22 and 35 for the Northern, 29 and 20 for
the Upper Southern, and 20 and 15 for the Lower Southern wage areas.
In general, no differences in hourly rates were found to exist between
white and colored employees who worked side by side at the same
occupation in the same plant. On that basis, it was found that for
the country as a whole 94 percent of the colored employees and 93
percent of the whites received the same hourly earnings. Moreover,
the situation was essentially the same in all parts of the country.
It would require too exhaustive an analysis to determine whether
or not whites and Negroes engagedTn the same work but in different
plants received the same hourly earnings. This is due to the fact that
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Revieiv—March 1939
676
any such tabulation would have to be made on the basis of individual
occupations closely matched and limited to more or less comparable
plants. Substantial wage differences might well reflect no more than
regional differences in hourly earnings or differences due -to other
factors.
The number of workers of each race found in the various occupations
in the plants covered, by region, is shown in table 4.
T a b l e 4 . —Distribution of Fertilizer Workers by Race, Region, Skill, and Occupation
Region, skill, and occupation
Northern wage
district
Lower Southei n
wage district
Upper Southern
wage district
Total White Negro Total White Negro Total White Negro
All workers______ . ____ ________________ 4,012
Skilled workers________________________
Maintenance mechanics.............. ............
Supervisors................. .............................
Miscellaneous skilled w orkers........... .
2,294 1,718 2,174
415
158
163
94
387
152
155
80
28
Semiskilled w orkers................ . _______ 1,228
Acid chambermen__________________
41
Baggers____________________________
232
Bag printers.......... ......................................
31
Bag sewers_____ ______ _____________
Car runners and conveyor operators__
109
C le rk s...__________________________
61
D ry mixer operators____ ____________
93
Helpers, maintenance mechanics’_____
82
Rock grinders______________________
29
Scalemen................................................. .
91
Superphosphate mixers______________
27
Truck and tractor drivers____________
Miscellaneous semiskilled workers____
715
29
513
119
47
55
48
103
62
222
100
110
Unskilled workers.............................. .............. 2,369
Acid-department workers, u n sk illed ...
53
Cart pushers..................... ....................... . 804
Den diggers...............................................
148
Laborers, dry mixing................... ............
567
Shovelers, h a n d ..__________________
207
Stowers, bags of fertilizer._____ ______
266
Substandard workers and learners.........
4
Watchmen_____ ____ ______________
78
Miscellaneous unskilled workers______ 242
6
8
14
12
120 112
21 10
68
16
64
9
73
46
6
45
14
13
27
18
27
64
122
39
65
18
2
7
157
8,386
317
83
85
17
54
14
379 1,702
62
72
310
79
414
119
78
37
58
32
142
77
14
40
19
159
44
7
106
18
133
19
393
18
1,309
44
289
52
398
73
7
105
48
33
82
37
56
85
97 1,483 7, 367
61
13
845 2,026
3
123
35
346 3,925
54
374
82
325
78
127
7
328
375
93
9
7
33
23
15
4
8
100
71
85
1,085
402
91
35
52
4
472
17
79
30
127
37
17
33
13
15
40
1,192 1,177 1,580
17
36
14
420
384
867
48
71
344
223
381
94
113
55
155
111
2
281 1,893 9, 471
88
1
28
75
10
8
11
1
5
1
21
1
1
22
1
6
22
31
4
13
14
100
276
26
8
20
6
8
68
1
6
68
222
12
21
27
16
5
51
37
29
7
77
7
50
48
59
6,992
59
1,967
28
3,781
363
314
72
15
300
2
2
144
11
11
6
112
121
I N F L U E N C E O F S I Z E O F C O M M U N IT Y , C O R P O R A T E A F F I L I A T I O N , A N D T Y P E
OF PLAN T
Hourly earnings in the fertilizer industry varied directly with size
of community (table 5). It will be noted, however, that earnings in
the larger communities in the Upper Southern wage district resemble
the wage levels prevailing in the smaller communities in the Northern
wage district. In the Lower Southern wage district, average earnings
in even the larger communities were much below the level of the
smallest communities in the Northern wage area, but they roughly
approximated the averages shown for the two smallest-size groups in
the Upper Southern district.
In the Northern wage region, with two exceptions, the average earn
ings per hour increased with size of community, the total spread being
from 36.4 cents in rural territory (with a population of under 2,500)
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours of Labor
677
to 59.0 cents in the metropolitan areas of 1,000,000 and over. One
of the exceptions related to small towns of 2,500 and less than 5,000,
which averaged even more than communities of 25,000 and under
50,000. The other exception affected the metropolitan areas of
100.000 and less than 250,000, which averaged less than those with
50.000 and under 100,000.
A similar story is told by the figures relating to the Southern wage
territory. In the Upper Southern wage district, although the aver
age in rural territory exceeded that in small towns with 2,500 and
under 5,000 population, both had lower averages than communities
of 100,000 and less than 500,000, the only other places for which
figures are shown. The spread between rural territory and metro
politan areas of 250,000 and under 500,000 amounted to 11.1 cents,
while the widest range between small towns and largest communities
was 15.6 cents. In the Lower Southern wage area, the rural territory
also averaged slightly more than small towns. Furthermore, com
munities of 250,000 and less than 500,000 averaged slightly below
those with 100,000 and under 250,000. However, with these excep
tions, the hourly earnings increased with size of community. The
widest range (between small towns and places of 100,000 and less
than 250,000) was 13.2 cents.
T a b l e 5 . —Average Hourly Earnings in the Fertilizer Industry, by Size of Community
and Region, During Spring Months of 1938
Northern
Size of community
T otal_____________ ____ __________
Under 2,500 population______ ____ ._
2,500 and under 5,000 population____
5,000 and under 10,000 population___
10,000 and under 25,000 pop ulation ...
25,000 and under 50,000 population.__
50,000 and under 100,000 population..
100,000 and under 250,000 population.
250,000 and under 500,000 population.
500,000 and under 1,000,000 population__________________ __________
1, 000,000 population and over..............
1 Less
Upper Southern
Lower Southern
Aver
Aver
Aver
N um N um age N um N um age N um N um age
ber of hourly ber of ber of hourly
ber of hourly
ber of work
ber
of
earn plants work earn plants work earn
plants ers
ers
ers
ings
ings
ings
78
6
3
16
7
4
5
4
12
8
13
4,012 $0. 508
109
98
395
106
231
505
.364
.438
.371
.372
.430
.461
.437
.475
1,278
1,059
.552
.590
111
120
29
2,174 $0. 363
4
4
139
89
1
2
2
20
105
171
5
9
374
1,000
2
276
.301
.256
«
(')
(0
.359
.412
0
176
9,471
$0.240
43
24
17
29
13
25
13
1,208
638
625
1,545
.183
.175
.177
.213
.261
. 264
.307
.284
12
1,220
2, 236
925
1,074
)
than 3 plants; no average computed.
As mentioned before, there is a tendency forthe larger companies to
concentrate in the bigger metropolitan areas, whereas the 1-estab
lishment concerns are found mostly in the smaller communities. In
view of this, it is of interest to note to what extent size of company
affects hourly earnings. This is shown by table 6 which presents the
average hourly earnings by size of community and by corporate
affiliation.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
678
An examination of table 6 shows that, while for each size of company
the average earnings per hour increased with size of community, on
the whole there were also differences in favor of the “Big 7” over the
intermediate firms as well as in favor of the latter over the 1-estab
lishment companies for each size of community. One exception was
found in metropolitan areas with a population of 100,000 and under
500.000 in the Northern wage region, where the average hourly
earnings varied inversely with size of company. There were also 2
exceptions in the Lower Southern wage district, one in communities
of less than 10,000 with the 1-establishment firms averaging slightly
more than the intermediate companies, and another in places of
100.000 and under 500,000, with the intermediate firms averaging
somewhat more than the “Big 7” companies.
If size of community is disregarded, however, the average earnings
per hour vary pronouncedly with size of company in each wage region.
In the Northern wage area the “Big 7” averaged 7.1 cents more than
the intermediate, while the latter averaged 6.5 cents more than the
1-establishment companies. In the Upper Southern wage district
the difference between the “Big 7” and intermediate plants amounted
to 3.7 cents, as compared with a difference of 3.9 cents between the
latter and the 1-establishment companies. Lastly, in the Lower
Southern wage district, the “Big 7” averaged 3.5 cents more than
the intermediate firms, and the difference between the intermediate
and 1-establishment companies amounted to 3.3 cents.
T a b l e 6.- —Average Hourly Earnings in the Fertilizer Industry, by Region, Size of Coni'
munity, and Corporate Affiliation, During Spring Months of 1938
“ Big 7” companies
Region, and size of community
1
and under
100,000
popula-
100,000 and under 500,000 popula500,000 population and over------and under
100,000
1
43
149
1,177
929
100,000
popula-
1,361 $0. 503
.407
146
0)
7
170
.431
.438
.600
.392
0)
7
7
9
.465
.557
.355
(»)
2
313
732
786
34
2
210
5
542
(0
.399
36
17
7
»
7
5
12
6
$0.438
.366
124
.390
274
428
459
114
.472
.507
.316
.255
(>)
66
3
66
244
35
3,881
1,749
.369
(i)
.208
.178
30
1,851
.226
7
281
.268
38
3
35
15
2, 377
509
.241
.170
103
24
1,997
.273
14
1,153
.237
11
1, 003
.298
6
715
.300
i Less than 3 plants; no average computed.
1,233
407
2
.409
(>)
.276
.209
100,000 and under 500,000 popula-
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
28
7
588
241
3,213
213
6
1
and under
100
popula-
100,000 and under 500,000 popula-
10,000
1,418 $0. 574
49
0)
3
9
8
1
10,000
companies
N um Aver
um Aver N um N um Aver
age N um ber of age
N um N
age
ber of hourly
of hourly
ber
of
ber
of
ber of ber
work hourly
work earn
work earn
earn
plants ers
plants
plants
ers
ers
ings
ings
ings
14
10,000
1 -establishment
Intermediate
companies
1
Wages and Hours of Labor
679
As was pointed out before, there was a tendency for integrated
establishments to appear largely in more populous areas, while dry
mixing plants were found mostly in smaller communities.
Weekly Hours and Earnings
In view of the fact that the survey was taken during the spring
months of 1938, the weekly hours and earnings reflect conditions in
the fertilizer industry at the peak of the season, being considerably
higher than the respective figures that prevailed in other parts of the
year.
T a b l e 7.
Average Weekly Hours and Weekly Earnings in the Fertilizer Industry,
by Region, Race, and Skill, During Spring Months of 1938
A verage w eek ly hours
Region and race
Average w eek ly earnings
Sem i
U n
U n
A ll
Skilled
A ll
Skilled Sem i
workers workers skilled skilled workers workers skilled skilled
workers workers
workers workers
U n ited S ta tes......... ......... .........
W h ite____ _________
N egro___ ____ _____________
45.0
47.9
44.1
51.5
50.5
56.6
52.0
50.6
52.7
42.4
44.8
42.0
$14.67
Northern wage district_____________
W h ite____________________
N egro________________ _
45.2
47.4
42.3
49.6
49.6
(0
48.7
50.6
46.0
42.6
44.7
40.5
Southern wage district............
W h ite________________ . .
N egro...................... ..................... .
44.9
48.9
44.4
52.9
51.4
58.4
53.8
50.7
54.7
42.3
44,9
42.2
11.00
U pper Southern wage district___
W h ite__________ . . . . . .
N egro____ _____ _________
44.9
48.1
50.5
49.3
(>)
53.3
52.1
53.6
41.9
43.1
41.9
16. 29
21.19
15. 56
28. 01
29. 21
0)
21.45
19. 65
L ow er Southern wage district___
W h ite_____________
N eg ro ____________ _______
45.0
53.7
52.0
60.0
54.0
50.3
55.1
42.4
45.4
42.2
10.80
17.16
9.97
24.86
13.94
44.4
49.1
44.4
$29.67
30.96
22. 55
$18.91
22.72
16.83
$12.15
17.46
11.23
22.93
24.58
20.73
34.82
35. IS
25.37
26. 51
23.78
19. 58
19. 98
19.19
11.82
17.99
25. 59
26.96
20. 77
15.26
17.14
14. 72
10.13
22.12
12.40
(0
26. 32
19.41
20.01
16.11
13. 29
10.18
11.12
14.28
13.42
14. 33
9. 30
10. 53
9.24
1 N o t a sufficient num ber of workers to present averages.
For the country as a whole, the actual average weekly hours for all
workers amounted to 45.0 (table 7). Practically the same average
was found in each of the 3 regions, although the distribution according
to weekly hours differed from one territory to another (table 8). In
each of the 3 regions, the highest average hours worked were reported
for skilled and semiskilled workers, with considerably lower figures
for unskilled employees. This was true of both whites and Negroes.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
680
T a b l e 8 . —Percentage Distribution of Fertilizer Workers, by Actual Weekly Hours
Worked and by Region, During Spring Months of 1938
Southern wage district
Weekly hours
United
States
2.4
5.9
5.6
6.9
9.3
1 1 .0
8.5
11.4
11.7
8 .2
1 0 .2
5.4
____________ - ___________________
1 .0
3.8
4.8
5.6
10.4
17.0
1 0 .8
13.6
9.2
8.7
8.9
3.8
.7
2 .2
.2
100.0
100.0
2 .8
Total
Northern
wage
district
Total
Upper
Lower
Southern Southern
wage
wage
district
district
2 .8
6 .6
3.3
5.8
7.4
8.9 '
9.0
7.7
10.7
12.7
5.9
6 .1
6 .6
1 1 .0
10.3
8.4
8.5
8.9
7.8
2.7
6.7
5.8
7.5
8.5
8.7
7.5
1 1 .2
13.7
1 2 .8
8 .1
10.1
.8
7.6
2.4
.4
5.5
3.1
.9
100.0
100.0
100.0
8 .1
1 0 .6
5.9
3.0
The average weekly earnings for all workers in the industry were
$14.67 (table 7). According to the distribution in table 9, as
many as one-sixth of the total (16.1 percent) earned under $6 during
the week scheduled, some of these low earnings being due to part-time
work, others to extremely low hourly earnings, and still others to a
combination of both factors. Another sixth (16.9 percent) received
between $6 and $10, so that one-third (33.0 percent) were paid less
than $10. Nearly another third (31.1 percent) earned between
$10 and $16, which means that the remaining third (35.9 percent)
received $16 and over. Only 8.4 percent of the total earned $28
and over, and 1.4 percent as much as $40 and over.
Owing to the fact that the average weekly hours were practically
the same in all three regions, their differences in average earnings
per week reflect largely variations in average hourly earnings. The
average earnings per week for all workers amounted to $22.93 in the
Northern, $16.29 in the Upper Southern, and $10.80 in the Lower
Southern wage districts.
Furthermore, due to the fact that the average weekly hours for
skilled and semiskilled were considerably higher than those of un
skilled employees for each race and region, the relative difference in
average earnings per week between unskilled and either skilled or
semiskilled workers was much higher than the respective figure for
average hourly earnings.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours of Labor
681
T able 9.—Percentage Distribution of Fertilizer Workers, by Weekly Earnings and by
Region, During Spring Months of 1938
Southern wage district
United
States
Weekly earnings
3. 4
$2 and under $4_____________________ ____ _
$8
and under $10 -________ _
___
___________ ____
$14 and under $16___________ __________________
$16 and under $20 ___ ____________________________
6 .1
6 .6
7.4
0.5
9.8
12.5
8 .8
11.2
9.5
6 .8
$28 and under $32___.......................... ................................
3.6
$40 and under $44_____________ _________________
2 .2
1 .2
.6
.3
$48 and under $52____ _____ __________ _________
$52 and over.............................................................. ...........
1L ess th an Ho of 1 percent.
129324— 39------ 13
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Northern
wage
district
0 .1
1 .8
2.4
2 .8
2 .2
2.3
3.7
5.5
14.5
21.4
17.6
9.9
7.1
4.0
2 .1
1.1
Total
4.5
7.6
Upper
Lower
Southern Southern
wage
wage
district
district
1 2 .0
1.7
5.0
4.6
4.6
5.3
12.4
15.4
9.9
8 .8
11.1
1 0 .0
10.0
16.1
15.4
10.4
4.5
1.4
.7
.2
8 .0
9.0
5.4
3.1
1.5
.5
.3
.1
.1
.2
.7
.3
.8
.1
.1
100.0
100.0
100.0
5.1
8 .2
8 .8
10.0
13.5
13. 2
16.5
9.9
8.7
3.1
1.4
.8
.3
.2
.1
.1
.1
.1
(>)
100.0
(>)
.1
100.0
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
682
U N IO N SCALES OF W AG ES A N D H O U R S OF
M O T O R T R U C K D R IV E R S , JU N E 1, 1938
THERE was an increase of 3.6 percent in the average hourly wage
rate for motortruck drivers between May 15, 1937 and Juue 1, 1938
in 65 principal cities of the United States. The average hourly rate
for union truck drivers’ helpers rose 3.5 percent. Based on comparable
quotations, the 1938 average hourly rate for drivers was 79.3 cents
and for helpers 67.5 cents.1 In 1937 the drivers’ average rate was
76.5 cents and that of helpers, 65.2 cents.
During the year there was extensive union organization activity
among truck drivers throughout the country. Union agreements
were signed in many cities as well as in certain types of delivery and
trucking which had not previously been organized. Although these
new agreements usually provided higher wage scales than had existed
before the agreements were signed, these wage rates were, on the
average, not so high as the wages provided in those areas of the
industry which had been organized for several years or more. The
inclusion of rates from these newly organized sections of the trade,
therefore, results in a lower average for the year than that obtained
by a comparison of quotations received for 1937 as well as 1938.
Including the wage scales for those which did not report union wage
rates iu 1937, the average for union drivers in 1938 was 78.1 ceuts per
hour and for helpers, 65.9 cents.
The term “truck drivers” covers a heterogeneous group of occupa
tions such as drivers of building and excavating trucks, coal trucks,
ice trucks, general hauling and transfer trucks, delivery trucks of
various and miscellaneous commodities, and express and freight
trucks. In each of these classifications different types and sizes of
trucks are likely to be used. Every truck-driving occupation and
every size and type of truck usually has a different wage rate. Fur
thermore, there is a great variation between cities as to commodities
handled, types of trucks, and the terminology used to describe these
different occupations. For these reasons it is impossible to make
an intercity classification by types. The data on all truck driving
in all cities studied, therefore, are treated as one trade in this study,
division being made only between drivers and helpers.
i This report is based upon the latest of a series of annual surveys by the Bureau of Labor Statistics cover
ing union wage and hour scales in various trades in the principal cities of the United States. The Bureau’s
agents visited 72 cities in the 1938 survey. Effective union agreements providing hourly wage rates for one
or more types of truck driving were reported in 65 of the cities visited.
During 1938, 1,326 wage quotations were received, covering 152,490 drivers and 26,369 helpers. Of the
total quotations, 1,052 also reported wage scales in effect on May 15, 1937. There were wage rates reported
in 1938 for 16,334 drivers and 2,585 helpers which were not reported in 1937.
Ail of the percents of change and the year-to-year comparisons in this report are based upon identical
quotations which showed comparable data for both years. The averages are weighted according to the
number of union members reported in 1938.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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683
T a b l e 1.—Distribution of Union Motortruck Drivers, by Hourly Rates, 1937 and 1938 1
Percentage of mem bers w ith classified hourly
rates
Classified hourly rates
Drivers
1938
Average hourly rate................................................
Under 30 cents........ .......................................................
30 and under 35 cents_______________ _
35 and under 40 cents.................... ...............
40 and under 45 cents........................
45 and under 50 cents_______ _____
50 and under 60 cents......................
60 and under 70 cents................................
70 and under 80 cents...................... .................
80 and under 90 cents...................................
90 cents and under $1.00__________
$ 1.00 and under $1.10 ...... ..............................
$1.10 and over.........................................
Helpers
1937
1938
$0.793
$0.765
$0. 675
0 .1
0 .1
.1
fl 1
.1
.1
1.4
3.9
.1
.4
1.1
1 .0
.3
5.0
17.5
32.5
18.7
12.4
10.3
.5
5.4
29.6
25.5
15.0
10.5
10.7
2 .0
1 .2
11.1
40.2
26.6
9.8
5.0
1 .6
.1
1937
$0. 652
n
2
(2)
.1
3.4
3.8
23.7
29.6
22.5
10.2
4.8
1 .6
.1
1 Based on comparable qu otations for both years.
s Less than Ho of 1 percent.
Changes in Wage Scales
The upward movement in wage scales was apparent throughout
the entire range of drivers’ rates. The greatest shift was from the
60- to 70-cent wage bracket to scales of 70 cents and higher. In 1937
almost 30 percent of the drivers received between 60 and 70 cents per
hour. During the year 40 percent of these members were advanced
to higher rate classifications. The proportion of drivers having rates
between 70 and 80 cents increased from 25.5 percent in 1937 to 32.5
percent in 1938, and the proportion having scales of 80 cents and
higher rose from 37.4 percent to 43.4 percent.
Conversely, there was a decrease during the year in the number of
drivers having rates of under 70 cents, the proportion falling from
37.1 percent in 1937 to 24.1 percent in 1938. In 1937 there was a
concentration of 55.1 percent of the drivers in the range between 60
and 80 cents per hour, with a nearly even division of this membership
between the 60- to 70-cent bracket and the 70- to 80-cent bracket.
In 1938, however, the percentage of the membership in the 70- to 80cent bracket (32.5 percent) was considerably greater than that in any
other 10-cent rate interval. The median rate for the drivers’ group
was between 70 and 80 cents per hour in both years.
Over three-fourths of the helpers had rates ranging between 50 and
80 cents per hour in both years. Within this range, however, there
was considerable upward movement during the year. In 1937 there
were nearly equal proportions of helpers in the 50- to 60-cent bracket
(23.7 percent) and the 70- to 80-cent bracket (22.5 percent). The
60- to 70-cent bracket included the largest group of helpers, but the
proportion (29.6 percent) was not outstandingly greater than those in
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours of Labor
685
the two adjoining wage brackets. In 1938, although the total per
centage of helpers in the 50- to 80-cent range of rates changed only
slightly (from 75.8 to 77.9 percent), the relative proportions in the
three 10-cent intervals changed considerably. The proportion of
helpers having 50- to 60-cent rates was reduced over half, to 11.1
percent; the number having 60- to 70-cent rates increased over onethird, to 40.2 percent; and those in the 70- to 80-cent bracket increased
nearly one-fifth, to 26.6 percent. There was no change during the
year in the proportion of helpers having rates of less than 40 cents
per hour, and only a minor change from 6.5 percent in 1937 to 6.7
percent in 1938 in the proportion having scales of 90 cents and higher.
Increases in hourly wage rates were reported in slightly more than
40 percent of the comparable quotations for drivers and in over 41
percent of the quotations for helpers. Decreases were relatively few,
appearing in only six of the drivers’ quotations and in two of the
helpers’ quotations. The proportions of the membership affected by
rate changes corresponded very closely with the ratio of the quotations
showing changes, the increases applying to 40.0 percent of the drivers
and to 41.3 percent of the helpers. The decreases reported affected
1.0 percent of the drivers and 1.2 percent of the helpers. The 1937
scales continued unchanged for 59.0 percent of the drivers and for 57.5
percent of the helpers.
Drivers
Total number of rate quotations comparable
with 1937_____________________________
840
Number providing increases
341
Number providing decreases
6
Number with no change __
493
Total number of members covered by comparable quotations _
_
136, 156
Percent affected by increases
40. 0
Percent affected by decreases
1. 0
59. 0
Percent with no change.
Helpers
212
88
2
122
23, 784
41. 3
1. 2
57. 5
T a b l e 2 . —Percent of Change in Union Wage Rates of Motortruck Drivers,
M ay 15, 1937, to June l, 1938
Drivers
Helpers
of total Number of quota Percentage of total
of quota Percentageaffected
Classified percentage change Number
affected
tions showing— members
tions showing— members
by—
by—
Increase Decrease Increase Decrease Increase Decrease Increase Decrease
Less than 5 percent________
10 and under 15 percent____
15 and under 20 percent....... .
30 percent and over.................
1 Less
than Mo of 1 percent.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
66
99
85
43
18
16
14
2
1
1
1
1
9.9
11.2
0.5
(i)
7.4
.2
22
20
22
.3
13
8 .0
1 .6
1 .0
.9
(')
8
2
1
1
13.3
(9
8 .8
•
13.7
1
2 .8
2.3
.2
.2
1 .2
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
686
A majority of both the drivers and helpers who received increases
were benefited by advances which amounted to less than 10 percent of
their 1937 rates. The highest percentage increase, an advance of 60
percent, was reported for package-delivery drivers in Los Angeles,
whose rate was raised from 37.5 cents per hour to 60 cents per hour
during the year. Helpers on freight trucks in Charleston, W. Ya.
had the highest percentage increase among the helpers (41.5 percent),
their rate being raised from 41.7 cents to 59 cents per hour. A sub
stantial number of increases amounting to 20 percent or more of the
1937 rates were reported—48 for drivers and 11 for helpers. How
ever, relatively few union members were affected by these larger in
creases—only 3.5 percent of the drivers and 2.7 percent of the helpers.
Overtime Rates
A majority of the reports specified time and one-half as the rate for
excess hours. This scale was effective for 67.5 percent of all the drivers
covered and for 63.4 percent of the helpers. Time and one-third was
specified for 6 percent of the drivers and for 9.6 percent of the helpers.
Other penalty rates for overtime work, most of which were specific
monetary rates not in any particular ratio to the normal rates, were
provided for 16.4 percent of the drivers and for 20.8 percent of the
helpers.
About 14 percent of the quotations for drivers and nearly 10 per
cent of the quotations for helpers indicated that the agreements con
tained no provisions relating to overtime rates. These quotations
applied to 9.8 percent of the total drivers’ membership in the cities
covered, and to 3.6 percent of the helpers’ membership. Overtime
work was reported as being prohibited in 15 drivers’ quotations and
in 5 helpers’ quotations, covering 0.3 percent of the drivers and 2.6
percent of the helpers.
T a b l e 3 .—Overtime Rates Provided for Motortruck Drivers and Helpers, June 1, 1938 1
Drivers
Overtime rates provided in agreements
Time and one-third___________ ___ _________________
Time and one-half________________ ________________
Other penalty rates________________________________
No penalty rate provided_______________ ___________
Overtime prohibited........ - _____ ____ _____ __________
1 Based
on all quotations received for 1938.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Helpers
Number Percentage
Number Percentage
of
of
of
of
members
quotations members
quotations
covered
covered
51
729
119
152
15
6.0
67.5
16.4
9.8
.3
21
189
20
25
5
9.6
63.4
20.8
3.6
2.6
Wages and Hours of Labor
687
Hour Scales
The relatively few increases and decreases in full-time weekly hours
which occurred during the year resulted in virtually no decrease in the
average scale of hours for drivers or helpers. The average for drivers
was 47.8 hours per week for both years and for helpers 47.3 hours.
T a b l e 4 . —Distribution of Union Motortruck Drivers, by Hours Per Week, 1937 and 19381
Percentage of mem bers w ith classified hours
Classified hours per week
Drivers
1938
Helpers
1937
1937
1938
Average hours per week___________ _________________
47.8
47.8
47.3
47.3
Less than 40 hours________________________ _______
40 hours___________________ _____ ________
Over 40 and under 44 hours_________________________
44 hours___________________________________ . . . . . . .
Over 44 and under 48 hours.............. ......................... ...........
48 hours._____ ____________________________________
Over 48 and under 54 hours________________________ _
54 hours._________________________________
Over 54 and under 60 hours_________________________
60 hours _______________ __________ _____
Over 60 hours..................... .............. ........................ ..............
0.4
10.9
0.4
10.5
11.7
1 1 .8
.9
12.5
68.3
.9
4.4
.9
13.3
67.7
0
3.7
9.1
60.3
0
1 .0
4.1
9.5
60.5
4.5
7.1
.9
2.5
2 .2
.2
.3
6 .1
5.8
.6
4.2
.2
.2
1 .1
1.3
1 B ased on comparable quotations.
2 Less th an Ho of 1 percent.
Slightly over 60 percent of the drivers and approximately 68 percent
of the helpers were working on a basis of 48 hours per week in both
1937 and 1938. A 40-hour week was in effect for 10.9 percent of the
drivers and for 11.7 percent of the helpers in 1938. None of the
helpers and only 0.4 percent of the drivers had workweeks of less than
40 hours. Hour scales exceeding 48 per week were reported for
about 15 percent of the drivers and for slightly over 6 percent of the
helpers.
Decreases in full-time weekly hours were reported in 46 of the
drivers’ quotations covering 4.1 percent of the comparable member
ship. Increased hour scales were reported in 13 quotations applying
to 1.9 percent of the drivers’ membership. Ten of the helpers’ quo
tations reported decreases in weekly hours and 5 reported increases,
applying to 2.4 and 3.1 percent of the membership, respectively.
Total number of hour quotations comparable Drivers
with 1937_____________
832
Number providing increases___________
13
Number providing decreases_________
46
Number with no change______ ________
773
Total number of members covered by com
parable quotations_____________________ 132, 501
Percent affected by increases___________
1. 9
Percent affected by decreases__________
4. 1
Percent with no change_______________
94. 0
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Helpers
208
5
10
193
23, 707
3.1
2.4
94.5
688
T
able
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
5 . —Amount
A m o u n t o f c h a n g e in
h o u rs p e r w eek
of Change in Union Hour Scales of Motortruck Drivers, M ay 15,1937,
to June 1, 1938
N u m b e r of
q u o ta tio n s
s h o w in g —
P e rc e n ta g e
o f to ta l
m e m b e rs
a ffe c te d
b y —
In
In
D e
cre ase cre ase cre a se
A m o u n t o f c h a n g e in
h o u rs p e r w eek
1
1
4
5
0 .1
.1
1
2
13
2
2
14
.6
(0
0 .4
1 .7
. 1
.2
1 .1
P e rc e n ta g e
o f to ta l
m e m b ers
a ffe c te d
b y —
In
D e
In
D e
c re ase c re ase cre ase c re a se
D e
cre ase
Drwers
1
1
N u m b e r of
q u o ta tio n s
s h o w in g —
n
1
0 )
0 .3
.8
0 .6
(> )
H elpers
H h o u r ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
3 h o u r s . . . _____ ___________
6 h o u r s ____________________
8 h o u r s ____________________
1
3
1
1 .1
5
4
1
1 .9
.1
.6
1 .8
0)
1 L e s s th a n H o o f 1 p e rc e n t.
The amount of the increases in weekly hours ranged from one-half
hour to 16 hours per week, the greatest being a change from 44 to 60
hours per week for building-material and dump-truck drivers in Los
Angeles. The decreases ranged from 2 to 10 hours per week. Tractor
operators in San Francisco reported the greatest reduction, with a
change from 40 to 30 in their weekly hours.
The increases in hours most frequently reported were changes from
48 to 54 hours per week and from 44 to 60 hours per week, each of
which occurred in 4 of the trucking classifications. The most frequent
decreases were from 48 to 40 hours, reported in 12 instances; 48 to 45
hours, reported in 11 instances; 54 to 48 hours, reported in 10 in
stances; and 60 to 54 hours and 54 to 51 hours, each reported in 6
instances.
Other Provisions of Union Agreements
The larger number of union agreements specify an 8-hour day for
local drivers and helpers. Comparatively few provide for a shorter
workday, but 9- and 10-hour days are not uncommon. Some of the
agreements covering the handling of seasonal commodities provide
for longer workdays during some months than in others.
In most agreements 6 days constitute the maximum workweek,
although provisions for 5- or 5K-day weeks are contained in a number
of contracts. Seven-day weeks were reported only for ice-truck
drivers in Houston, funeral drivers in New Orleans, taxi drivers in
Oklahoma City, bread salesmen in Philadelphia, and newspaper drivers
in Pittsburgh.
Only a few of the agreements, mainly those covering the hauling of
milk, bakery goods, and fruits and vegetables, specify the hours of the
day during which work is to be performed. In the handling of these
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wages and Hours of Labor
689
commodities, starting times as early as 2 or 3 a. m. are sometimes
necessary.
Sunday and holiday work.—The agreements usually provide that no
regular work shall be performed on Sundays or holidays. In a major
ity of cases, however, provisions are made for necessary work on these
days at a penalty rate, usually time and a half or double time. In
most cases it is required that a minimum amount of work be given
to anyone called out on Sunday or holidays. This minimum ranges
from 4 hours to a full day. Under some agreements a union permit
must be secured for any holiday work. Work on Labor Day is pro
hibited under any circumstances in a number of agreements.
The holidays generally observed are New Year’s, Memorial Day,
Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas.
Only a few agreements provide for fewer than these 6 holidays,
although various other holidays are occasionally included. Straight
pay for these holidays is frequently granted to regular employees or
to those who have worked 3 days during the week of the holiday.
Extra-pay provisions.—The most frequent extra-pay provision relates
to drivers who report at the regular starting time but find no work
available. In such cases if the driver was not notified of this lack of
work the day before, a minimum amount, usually from 2 hours’ to a
half day’s pay, must be paid him.
Drivers who start the day’s work are frequently guaranteed a half
day’s pay, or a full day’s pay if their work extends past the noon hour.
In a few cases a full day’s pay is guaranteed for any day on which
work is begun. Under some agreements these guaranties are waived
when work is suspended on account of adverse weather conditions.
Drivers sent on overnight trips are usually granted an allowance to
cover the expense of meals and lodging. Some agreements specify the
amount to be furnished for such expenses, varying from $1.50 to $3.50
per day. A meal allowance is sometimes granted for trips which are
unusually long but which do not involve being away from home over
night.
When trucks are left for the night at points outside the city rather
than in the regular garage, drivers are usually paid straight time for
traveling between the city limit and their trucks.
Union status.—Union membership is usually a condition of con
tinuing employment. Under a majority of the agreements the
employers agree to hire only union members in good standing, as long
as satisfactory members are available. In only a few agreements,
however, are the employers bound to accept without choice the mem
bers sent by the union in response to notices of vacancies. Generally,
if active members who are acceptable to the employers are not avail
able within a reasonable time, the employers are permitted to engage
any nonmember who may be willing to join the union. In some cases
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
690
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
these new employees must obtain permit cards from the union. In
practically all instances such employees must make application for
membership in the union within a specified time, ranging from 1
week to 30 days. The union in return agrees to accept into full mem
bership any such employees who are not disqualified by their previous
records. Under a relatively small number of agreements membership
is withheld and nonmembers are required to be replaced by union
drivers as soon as they become available. The unrestricted privilege
of engaging either members or those who are willing to become mem
bers is most common in agreements covering salesman drivers whose
duties involve the securing and maintenance of contacts with customers.
The check-off system of collecting union dues is not generally made
a part of the truck drivers’ contracts. A number of agreements,
however, provide that the employers will honor signed orders from the
employees for payment of dues to the union. Provisions for the
appointment of a union steward at each garage, whose duties shall
include the collection of dues, are fairly common.
Seniority and discharge.—One week’s notice is required under a
number of agreements when a driver is quitting or is to be laid off.
In a few cases two weeks’ notice is required. Failure to give the
required notice when quitting causes the driver in some cases to
forfeit a week’s pay.' Similar notice is required for discharge for
causes other than intoxication or dishonesty, which are usually
specified as grounds for summary dismissal. Other reasons for dis
charge are not generally specified, except that the discharge must be
for good cause and must not involve discrimination because of union
membership. The company generally agrees to discharge men expelled
by the union, the union in turn agreeing to consider the expulsion of
any driver discharged for cause.
Seniority is made the guide in lay-offs and reemployment under a
number of agreements. Seniority rights usually hold through a
limited lay-off period and through leave of absence for sickness or
union duties, provided that the leave does not exceed from 3 to 6
months.
Vacations.—Vacations with pay are granted in nearly a fourth of
these agreements, the length of vacations ranging from 1 to 2 weeks.
Usually a year of service is required before a driver becomes eligible
for a vacation. The acceptance of pay in lieu of a vacation is per
mitted only to drivers leaving the service of the employer. The
period during which vacations must be taken is frequently specified.
Preference in the choice of time for vacations is granted to individual
drivers in accordance with seniority. In a very few cases drivers are
given the right to take annual vacations of a designated length, but
receive no pay while off duty.
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691
Settlement of grievances.—A majority of the agreements provide a
definite procedure for the adjustment of any disputes that may arise.
These include methods of arbitration to be followed when direct
settlement between the union and the employer is impossible. The
arbitration decision is made binding upon both parties, and strikes or
lockouts are prohibited except in the event that one party, in violation
of the agreement, should refuse to abide by the arbitrator’s ruling.
Sympathetic strikes are quite generally disapproved and are fre
quently prohibited entirely. In a very few cases sympathetic strikes
are stated not to be a violation of the agreement, provided other
members of the drivers’ union are involved. It is generally specified,
however, that in case of a strike or lockout at another company,
driver’s refusal to pick up or deliver on the premises of the company
involved will not be considered a violation of the agreement.
Learners.—A learning or probation period is provided for new em
ployees in a number of agreements. This period varies from a few
days to several months. During this period the new employee is
excluded from the benefits granted under the agreement. In a few
cases a lower pay scale is established for learners, but usually they
may be paid any amount satisfactory to the learners and the employers.
Seniority rights do not accrue until the end of the probation period.
Long-distance hauling.—Agreements covering long-distance-freight
operations generally distinguished between the runs over the road
between terminals and the local pick-up and delivery of freight at the
terminals. The pick-up and delivery is always paid for at time rates,
while driving between terminals is generally paid for on a mileage or
trip basis regardless of the actual time required. The hours of work
on road driving are not commonly specified except as to a weekly
total or as may be established by State law or by regulations of the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
Provisions for an allowance for expenses while on the road are
generally included, and enforced lay-overs waiting for a load are
required to be paid for at time rates. Special time rates are frequently
provided for remaining with the truck to watch the load in the event
of a breakdown, such “watching time” to start as soon as the driver
has notified the terminal by telephone of the breakdown.
Other provisions.—The provisions regarding uniforms for drivers are
rather varied, but generally when uniforms are required the company
must assume the cost and, in some cases, must provide an additional
allowance for maintenance. In a few cases the cost of uniforms is
shared equally by the company and the worker. Less frequently, a
maximum price to the employee is set in the agreement and the
maximum number of uniforms he is expected to have is stipulated.
A frequent stipulation in the drivers’ agreements provides that no
driver shall be required to wash or grease his truck, or to make any
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
692
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
repairs other than may be necessary in an emergency while away
from the garage.
When drivers are required to furnish cash bonds, the employers are
usually required to pay interest on the amount deposited. This
interest is most frequently set at 4 percent, although a few agreements
specify 6 percent. If the employer demands a surety bond rather
than a cash deposit, he is generally required to pay the necessary
premiums. Failure to supply the required bond is recognized as just
grounds for refusing to employ any union member, although some
agreements provide that a driver who cannot deposit the entire
amount requested may make up the difference in specified weekly
installments. Under such circumstances the interest does not start
until the full amount has been paid.
E A R N IN G S
IN
V A R IO U S IN D U S T R IE S
RIC O , 1937-38
IN
PUERTO
EARNINGS of 71,288 workers employed by 1,004 industrial estab
lishments and farms in Puerto Rico, in 1937-38, averaged 15.7 cents
per hour; 62,394 of these workers (87.5 percent) received less than 25
cents per hour, and 46,175 (64.9 percent) less than 15 cents per hour—
the equivalents of $12.00 and $7.20, respectively, for a full-time week
of 48 hours. The average per hour for 49,028 adult males was 17.1
cents, and for 21,985 adult females, 12.7 cents.
In the industries reported in the following table, male workers in a
cigarette factory averaged 29.5 cents per hour, but in 40 tobacco
growing undertakings received only 6.3 cents. The average hourly
earnings of female workers ranged from 4.2 cents in tobacco cultiva
tion to 38.9 cents in a cigarette factory. These data are taken from
the report of the Commissioner of Puerto Rico for the year 1937-38.
Average Hourly and Weekly Earnings and Hours of Labor in Various Industries in
Puerto Rico, 1937—38
In d u s try , a n d sex o f w o rk e rs
A lc o h o l d is ti lle r ie s : M a le s ______________ ________
B u tt o n f a c to rie s :
M a l e s _____ _____ . _ __________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
F e m a l e s _ _ _ _ _ _____ ____ __________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
C ig a r f a c to rie s :
M a l e s __________________________ _______ _______
F e m a le s ________________________ .
_____ . . .
C ig a r e tte f a c to rie s :
M a l e s . ______ _________________________________
F e m a l e s ............... .......................... ........... .............. ...........
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
N u m
b er of
e s ta b
lis h
m e n ts
N u m
b er of
em
p lo y e e s
A v erag e h o u rs
p er w eek
F u ll
tim e
A c tu
a lly
w o rk ed
A v e r
age
e a rn
in g s
p er
h o u r
A v e ra g e e a rn
in g s p e r w e e k
F u ll
tim e
A c tu a l
3
149
5 0 .9
3 9 .7
$0. 1417
$ 7 .2 1
$ 5 .6 2
3
2
438
188
4 3 .8
4 4 .2
3 5 .1
4 0 .1
.2 0 8 7
.1 4 1 6
9. 15
6. 26
7. 33
5. 68
23
9
349
30
4 7 .7
4 7 .7
3 8 .5
3 2 .4
. 141
. 126
6. 72
6. 01
5 .4 5
4 .0 8
1
1
26
9
4 8 .0
4 8 .0
2 7 .4
9 .2
.2 9 4 8
.3 8 9 2
1 4 .1 5
18. 68
8 .0 9
3 .5 9
693
Wages and Hours of Labor
Average Hourly ami Weekly Earnings and Hours of Labor in Various Industries in
Puerto Rico, 1937-38— Continued
N u m In d u s try , a n d sex o f w o rk e rs
C o ffe e c u ltiv a tio n :
M a l e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..................... ..........................
e s ta b lis h m e n ts
N u m
b er of
em
p lo y e e s
A v e ra g e h o u rs
p er w eek
F u ll
tim e
A c tu
a lly
w o rk ed
A v er
age
in g s
p er
h o u r
A v erag e e a rn
in g s p e r w e e k
F u ll
tim e
A c tu a l
20
6
300
54
4 7 .9
4 8 .0
3 4 .5
3 2 .2
$0. 0686
.0 5 0
$ 3 .2 8
2. 40
$ 2 .3 7
1 .6 1
12
1
121
2
4 7 .8
4 8 .0
4 2 .6
3 6 .0
.1 6 6 2
.1 2 5
7 .9 4
6 .0 0
7 .0 8
4 .5 0
5
4
185
428
4 5 .5
4 7 .0
3 2 .0
3 2 .3
. 1137
. 1137
5 .1 7
5. 34
3. 64
3 .6 ,8
10
4
245
19
4 8 .9
4 8 .0
2 6 .7
9. 1
. 1173
.0 6 2 5
5. 73
3. 00
3 .1 3
.5 7
3
3
146
205
4 8 .0
4 8 .0
3 2 .8
2 4 .4
.2 4 0 5
. 1731
11. 54
8 .3 1
7 .9 0
4. 23
16
19
137
1 ,3 8 7
4 6 .2
4 6 .4
3 4 .3
28. 7
. 1615
. 1376
7. 46
6. 38
5 .5 4
3 .9 5
50
51
686
1 ,8 2 2
4 6 .9
46. 5
3 3 .6
3 0 .5
. 1378
. 1324
6. 46
6 .1 6
4. 63
4. 04
6
6
58
367
4 7 .4
4 6 .5
3 9 .2
3 2 .4
. 180
. 1445
8. 53
6. 72
7 .0 6
4. 69
8
7
234
361
4 7 .7
4 3 .5
3 9 .4
3 2 .4
. 1526
. 1542
7 .2 8
6. 71
6 .0 1
5. 01
8
13
29
278
4 6 .9
4 7 .1
4 5 .1
2 8 .8
. 1702
.1 3 2 8
7. 98
6. 25
.7 .6 8
3 .8 3
2
5
4
105
4 6 .0
4 6 .6
4 6 .0
3 4 .4
.1 5 4 9
. 1315
7 .1 2
6 .1 3
7 .1 2
4 .5 2
17
22
102
1 ,0 0 2
4 7 .2
4 6 .4
3 5 .3
3 3 .4
. 1837
. 1336
8. 67
6 .2 0
6. 49
4 .4 7
57
3
15, 439
16
4 8 .7
4 8 .0
2 7 .8
2 1 .5
. 1457
.0 9 8 9
7. 09
4. 75
4. 05
2 .1 3
40
4
4
1 1 ,9 2 8
14
853
5 5 .9
5 0 .8
5 6 .0
4 3 .9
5 0 .6
4 0 .5
.1 8 4 9
. 1212
. 1609
10. 33
6 .1 6
9 . 01
8 .1 3
6 .1 3
6. 52
40
27
421
380
4 8 .0
4 8 .0
3 7 .1
4 3 .9
.0 6 3
.0 4 1 8
3 .0 2
2 .0 1
2 .3 4
1 .8 4
57
57
1 ,6 7 2
13, 617
4 8 .1
4 7 .7
4 2 .6
3 3 .0
. 1319
. 1255
6. 34
5 .9 9
5 .6 3
4 .1 4
C o ffe e ro a s tin g :
F r u it-c a n n in g p la n ts :
F ru it-p a c k in g s h o p s:
H a t fa c to rie s :
N e e d le w o rk in d u s try :
C h i l d r e n ’s g a r m e n t s :
H a n d k e rc h ie fs a n d a r t lin e n :
M e n ’s s h i r t s :
M e n ’s s u i t s :
P a n ts :
W o m e n ’s d r e s s e s :
W o m e n ’s u n d e r w e a r :
S u g a rc a n e p la n tin g :
S u g a r fa c to rie s :
T o b a c c o c u ltiv a tio n :
T o b a c c o s trip p in g :
In 1937-38 the average hourly earnings of 6,815 workers in 1,105
commercial establishments in Puerto Rico were 19.6 cents, 5,521 adult
males averaging 20.9 cents per hour, and 1,260 adult females averag
ing 14.4 cents.
The average earnings of 1,038 nongovernmental male office workers
for an average full-time week of 47.3 hours amounted to $19.42. The
average pay of 445 female office workers, excluding those in govern
mental service, for an average full-time week of 46.8 hours, was $11.93.
Earnings of male workers ranged from $6.77 for messengers to $48.14
for comptrollers and auditors, and of female workers from $10.16 for
clerks to $33.33 for correspondents,
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
694
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
W AG ES I N Y U G O SL A V IA , D E C E M B E R 1935 A N D 19371
EIGHT hours constitute both the working day and the length of a
working shift in all industries and trades in Yugoslavia, except in
case of seasonal work, in which the workday may be 10 hours. A
maximum of 2 hours, in addition to the regular 8 hours, is permitted
upon authorization by the labor inspector. Time and a half is paid
for overtime.
Certain deductions from wages are made: Taxes average 3 percent
of the total yearly earnings. Weekly contributions for health insur
ance and employment service amount, respectively, to 42 percent of
1 day’s wage per week (7 percent of the weekly earnings) and 3.6
percent of 1 day’s earnings. Contributions to the Chamber of Labor
amount to 0.3 percent of the weekly earnings. Deductions for taxes
and contributions to the Chamber of Labor are charged wholly to the
workers, and contributions to health insurance and to employment
service are paid half by the workers and half by the employers.
The cost of insurance against industrial accidents is borne by the
employer, on the basis of the minimum wage, and according to a
special scale corresponding to the degree of danger in each occupation.
This scale is graduated from 1 to 100 percent of the contributions to
health insurance.
The following table shows daily wages in December 1935 and
December 1937 in the specified industries.
D aily Wages in Yugoslavia in December 1935 and 1937
[ A v e r a g e e x c h a n g e r a t e o f d in a r in D e c e m b e r 1 9 3 5 a n d 1 9 3 7 = 2 .3 c e n ts ]
I n d u s tr y a n d o c c u p a tio n
M in in g :
O v e r s e e r s _________________ .
P o w d e r m e n __________________
M i n e r s ....................
T e a m s te r s ___________________
P r o f e s s i o n a l w o r k e r s . . . ______
U n s k i l l e d w o r k e r s . . _____ _________
P e tro le u m p ro d u c tio n :
M a c h i n is ts , lo c k s m ith s , tu r n e r s - , d is ti lle r s , r e f in e r s , c a r p e n te r s .
F i r e m e n ........ ............................
F o re s try :
W o r k e r s o n l o g s , s l e e p e r s , a n d s t a v e s .........................
W o o d m e n ............. ..
U n s k i l l e d w o r k m e n ( l o a d i n g , u n l o a d i n g , e t c . ) ............................
L u m b e rin g : i
M a c h i n i s t s ........ .....................
S t o k e r s . ______ ______________ .
W o r k e r s a t s a w s ________ _________
U n s k i lle d w o r k e r s _________ .
L o a d in g fin is h e d g o o d s . .
.
L o a d in g a n d u n lo a d in g f ir e w o o d ____
M a c h in is ts , e le c tric ia n s , s to k e r s . . . .
D e c e m b e r 1935
D e c e m b e r 1937
D inars
3 8 .G O 28. 0 0 2 0 .3 4 14. 2 4 19. 5 0 1 4 .5 0 -
5 2 .0 0
3 3 .0 0
2 8 .0 0
2 2 .0 0
37. 00
2 2 .5 0
38. 0 0 -
18. 0 0 -
90. 00
30. GO2 4 .0 0 -
9 6 .4 0
6 8 .0 0
3 0 .0 0 -
96 40
24. GO22. 0 0 1 8 .0 0 -
5 0 .0 0
3 0 .0 0
2 5 .0 0
2 4 .0 0 ( 2)
18. 0 0 1 6 .0 0 -
6 0 .0 0
7 0 .0 0 -
4 0 .0 0
2 4 .0 0
2L 001 6 .0 0 -
3 2 .0 0
24. 00
« 6 0 .0 0 5 6 .0 0 -
7 5 .0 0
8 8 .0 0
2 4 .0 0 -
5 0 .0 0
2 0 .0 0 -
3 0 .0 0
S e e fo o tn o te a t e n d o f ta b le .
1 B a s e d u p o n re p o rts o f R o b e r t B . M a c a te e , A m e ric a n c o n s u l a t B e lg ra d e , N o v e m b e r 12, 1938, a n d J a n
u a r y 1 8 ,1 9 3 9 -
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
695
Wages and Hours of Labor
D aily Wages in Yugoslavia in December 1935 and 1937—Continued
In d u stry and occupation
L u m b e rin g — C o n tin u e d .
L o c k s m ith s , s a w o p e r a to r s , p la n e r s , p r e s s m e n ________________________
U n s k i lle d w o r k e r s ______________________________________ _________ _________
F e m a le la b o r _______________________________________________________________
S u g a r p ro d u c tio n : 5
H i g h e r p r o f e s s i o n a l a n d s k i l l e d w o r k m e n ............... .. ....................... .. ................
Y o u n g e r p ro fe s s io n a l a n d s k ille d w o r k e r s , w ith fe w e r y e a r s o f e x
p e r i e n c e ........... .. ........................................................................................................................
U n s k i l l e d d a y w o r k e r s . . ....................................... .......................................... — ...........
S ta rc h a n d c o rn s ir u p in d u s tr y : >
M a c h i n i s t s ........................... . .......................... .............. .. .............................. ......... ..................
M a c h i n e o p e r a t o r s a n d f i r e m e n ............. ....................... ................ ..............................
L o c k s m i t h s , e l e c t r i c i a n s , c a r p e n t e r s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____
T r a in e d w o r k e r s o n g r in d in g , d e x tr in e r e f in in g , o il p re s s in g , a n d
o p e r a t i n g d e h y d r a t i o n c h a m b e r s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ _ _____ _ _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
U n s k i lle d w o r k e r s f o r y a r d w o r k , lo a d in g , a n d u n lo a d in g ___________
Y e a s t in d u s try :
T r a i n e d o p e r a t o r s i n c o o k i n g o f m o l a s s e s a n d i n f e r m e n t a t i o n ............
H e l p e r s . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ — ........... ..
A c e tic -a c id in d u s tr y :
T r a i n e d o p e r a t o r s i n r e f i n i n g , d i s t i l l i n g , a n d f e r m e n t a t i o n . . . ______
H e l p e r s ....... ....................................................................................................................................
M illin g in d u s tr y :7
M i l l e r s . .......................................................... ............................ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A s s i s t a n t s ......................................................................................................................................
W a t c h m e n __________ _____ _ _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S t o k e r s .................................. . ................................................ ........................................................
M a c h i n i s t s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........
L o c k s m i t h s ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
U n s k i l l e d w o r k e r s .................. ....................... ......... .......................................... .. ..................
B re w in g in d u s tr y : s
B r e w e r s , a s s is ta n t s , b o ile r o p e r a to r s , e t c _______________________________
M a c h i n i s t s , s m i t h s , b r i c k l a y e r s , c h a u f i e u r s , e t c ........................................ . .
U n s k i l l e d h e l p e r s ................. .............................. .. ..................................... - .........................
T e x tile in d u s tr y :7
S k ille d m a le s :
S p i n n e r s .............. .......................... ................... ........... .............. ................ .........................
W e a v e r s _______ . . . . ________________ _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S k ille d fe m a le s :
S p i n n e r s ................................................................................................................................
W e a v e r s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ,. ...................... ........... .............. .. ................................... .......................
U n s k ille d w o rk e rs :
S p i n n e r s ................................................................................................................................
W e a v e r s . ---------------------------------------- -------- ---------------------------------------------F o o tw e a r in d u s tr y :
M o d e l e r s ........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F i n e s t i t c h e r s ................... .............. .............. ......................... ........... ....................... ................
■ S e w e r s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ;_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
C u t t e r s ............ .. ........... .. ...............................................................................................................
P u n c h e r s . -------------------------- ---------- ------------------- ------------ -------------------------------F i n i s h e r s , f e m a l e .................... ........... ..................... ................................. ........... ........... ..
P rin tin g in d u s try :
M a le s :
C l a s s I, u p t o 3 y e a r s ’ e x p e r i e n c e ........... .............. .. ..........................................
C l a s s II, u p t o 3 y e a r s ’ e x p e r i e n c e . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - F e m a le s :
C l a s s I ........ ....................... ..... ............ - ......................... - .............. .......
C l a s s II_____________________________ ________________ ___
C l a s s III........ ...................................................... ..................................
U n s k i l l e d w o r k e r s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ■- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - M e t a l l u r g i c a l i n d u s t r y : 11
L o c k s m i t h s , t u r n e r s , r e a m e r s , e t c -------------------- -------- -----------------------------A s s e m b l e r s . ............... .. .......................... ,. .......... ................ ................ ............................ ...........
F o u n d e r s . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __________________ ________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________ _____
T r a i n e d h e l p e r s ----------------- ------------ -------------- --------------------- ------------------------B u ild in g tra d e s :i*
S k ille d w o r k e r s , w ith 3 y e a r s ’ e x p e rie n c e :
M a s o n s . ..................... .. ............................ .............................. ................... .........................
C a r p e n t e r s ______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ _____ _________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S k i l l e d w o r k e r s w i t h m o r e t h a n 3 y e a r s ’ e x p e r i e n c e .....................................
M o l d e r s a n d f i n e - s t o n e m a s o n s .................... .. ............................................. ................
U n s k i l l e d w o r k e r s .......... .. ............................................ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - C e m e n t in d u s try :
L o c k s m ith s , tu r n e r s , p lu m b e rs , m a s o n s , e le c tric ia n s , h a rn e s s -
Unskilled workers, w ith experience a t ovens, mills, press-oilers,
breakers, e tc .......................-..................H elpers............................... ...........................
W orkers loading and unloading cement.
See footn o tes a t end o f table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
December 1935
Dinars
December 1937
Dinars
48.0023.00-
28.0022. 00-
52. 00
64.00-
68.00
44.00-
56.00
34.00
50. 0040.00-
62.00
53.00
50.00
36.0030.00-
40.00
35.00
43.0036.00-
76.00
40.00
44.0036.00-
76.00
40.00
32.0022.0022.0024.0060.0028.0016.00-
36.00
24.00
24.00
26.00
75.00
30.00
20.00
36.0034.00-
40.00
35.00
24.00
32.00
24.71-
54.00
20.00-
37. 00
72.00
44.00
27.00
10 20.0010 16.00-
30.00
24.00
10 16. 0010 16.00-
24. 00
24.00
to 16.00-
20.00
12.0016.00-
20.00
24.00
16.00-
24.00
10 24.00
48.00
40.00
40.00
36.00
32. 00
28.00
60.00- 80.00
92.00- 125.00
30.00-
66.00
32.0032.00-
80.00
72.00
12. 00-
28.00
40.0031.0023.0045.00-
43.00
35.00
28.00
50.00
40. 00u 45. 001J 32. 0028.00-
60.00
80. 00
80. 00
40.00
40. 00-
50.00
55.0075. 0028.00-
65.00
85.00
30.00
32. 00-
44. 00
33.00-
37.00
30. 00
23. 00
> 18. 00-
696
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Daily U ages in Yugoslavia in December 1935 and 1937—Continued
I n d u s tr y a n d o c c u p a tio n
D inars
B r i c k a n d t i l e i n d u s t r y : 14
C u tte rs a n d h a n d le rs o f ra w
D e c e m b e r 1935
b r ic k s _________
__________________________
D e c e m b e r 1937
D inars
35. 0 0 30. 001 8 .0 0 3 0 .0 0 25. 0 0 -
45. on
35. 00
2 5 .0 0
4 5 .0 0
3 0 .0 0
G l a s s i n d u s t r y : 14
S k ille d o p e ra to rs o n —
100. 0 0 -
85. 00
9 0 .0 0
8 8 .0 0
8 0 .0 0
1 5 0 .0 0
8 0 .0 0
A g ric u ltu re :
12. 0 0 30. 00
M a n s e r v a n t s , t e a m s t e r s , c o w h e r d s , s h e p h e r d s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ‘« 1 5 0 . 0 0 - 6 0 0 . 0 0
W i n e d r e s s e r s ___________________________ __ ______________________________ “ 6 0 0 .0 0 - 7 2 0 .0 0
R a ilw a y tr a n s p o r ta tio n :
P r o f e s s i o n a l e m p l o y e e s ------------------------------- -------------------------------------------2 3 .4 0 78. 30
U n s k ille d w o rk e rs :
1 9 .8 0 40. 95
T e m p o r a r y _____________________ _________ __________ - ____________
18 2 . 2 5 5. 0 0
169 1 0 . 0 0 - 1 , 9 0 0 . 0 0
B r a k e m e n , f i r e m e n , s w i t c h m e n , y a r d m e n , w a t c h m e n _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ ‘« 8 6 5 . 0 0 - 1 , 6 5 5 . 0 0
‘« 7 1 5 .0 0 - 1 .3 9 0 .0 0
(1 » )
14. 0 0 >« 1 5 0 . 0 0 “ 600. 0 0 -
3 5 .0 0
600. 00
7 2 0 .0 0
23. 4 0 -
7 8 .3 0
19.
‘« 2.
■« 9 1 0 .
1« 8 6 5 .
1« 7 1 5 .
40 95
80255 .0 0
0 0 - 1 ,9 0 0 .0 0
0 0 -1 , 655. 00
0 0 - 1 .3 9 0 0 0
(IS)
‘ The sawmills usually give to the workers free lodging, light, and firewood. The workers engaged in the
loading and unloading of wood logs are supplied by the enterprises with raincoats and rubber boots.
2 N ot specified.
3 Per ton.
4 Per carload of 15 and 20 tons, respectively.
5 First category workers have free lodging, light, 22 cubic meters of wood and 90 kilograms of sugar per year.
Those of the second category have also lodging, light, 17 to 21 cubic meters of wood, and 70 kilograms of sugar.
These are the average allowances; some factories give more, others less. In addition to the above, workers
of the first and second categories receive usually supplementary allowances for the education of their children.
8 Highly skilled and essential workers get free lodging, fuel, and light.
7 Most mills give to their workers a certain amount of flour, usually 25 to 30 kilograms per month. Highly
skilled workers usually receive free lodging, light, and fuel.
8 Each workman gets 1 liter of beer per day.
8 Some factories allow workers to purchase for themselves or their families certain quantities of cloth for
clothing at less than the factory price.
40 Basic rate.
41 Assemblers when working outside the factory receive a certain daily allowance and free lodging.
12 Based on years of experience.
13 Number of working hours: 10.
14 M ost of the brick and tile factories give free lodging in barracks.
14 Glass craftsmen and grinders as well as their assistants have lodging allowances—unmarried, 100 dinars
and married from 200 to 400 dinars, depending on the members in the family, per month. Some craftsmen
and assistants receive 1 to 2 cubic meters of firewood monthly.
16 Per month.
17 Per year.
18 Per hour.
18 No regular pay; earn from 1,200 to 4,000 dinars per month, according to season.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
La bo r J u ni O ver
-
LA BO R T U R N -O V E R I N M A N U F A C T U R IN G
E S T A B L IS H M E N T S , D E C E M B E R 1938
ALTHOUGH a marked increase was shown in the number of lay-offs
and total separations in December as compared with the preceding
month, both rates were less than half as high as in December 1937,
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly survey of labor
turn-over in manufacturing industries. The lay-off rate increased
from 2.44 per 100 employees in November to 3.21 in December, and
total separations from 3.14 to 3.88. The lay-off rate for December
1937 was 7.77 and the total separation rate 8.51 per 100 employees.
The quit and discharge rates decreased slightly from November.
Both rates were also lower than for December of 1937. The accession
rate for the current month of 3.22 per 100 employées was lower than
the November rate, 4.24, but considerably higher than in December
1937.
Of the 27 industries for which separate rates are published, 4 had
lower total separation rates than in November 1938 and 25 had lower
total separation rates than in December 1937. The December 1938
accession rate was above that for the preceding month in 9 industries.
Compared with December 1937, there were 20 industries showing
higher accession rates. One industry had no change.
All Manufacturing
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ survey of labor turn-over covers
more than 5,000 representative manufacturing establishments, which
in December employed more than 2,350,000 workers. The rates
represent the number of changes in personnel per 100 employees on
the pay rolls during the month.
The rates shown in table 1 are compiled from reports received from
representative plants in 144 industries. In the 27 industries for
which separate rates are shown (see table 2) reports were received
from representative plants employing approximately 25 percent of
the workers in each industry. These data include for the first time
turn-over rates for plants manufacturing glass, machine tools, and
rubber boots and shoes.
Table 1 shows the total separation rate classified into quit, dis
charge, and lay-off rates and the accession rate for each month of
129324— 39-
-14
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
697
LABOR
TURN-OVER RATES IN MANUFACTURING
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
U.S.BUREAU OF LABOR
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
STATISTICS
Labor Turn-Over
699
1937 and 1938 for manufacturing as a whole. The averages of the
monthly rates for both years are also presented.
T
able
1.— Monthly Labor Turn-Over Rates in Representative Factories in 144 Industries1
Class of turnover
and year
Jan Feb
uary ruary March April M ay June July
Au
gust
N o D e Aver
Sep
tem Octo
cem age
ber vem
ber
ber
ber
Separations:
Quits:
1938............
1937 _____
Discharges:
1938______
1937,..........
Lay-offs:3
1938 _____
1937______
Total:
1938______
1937______
Accessions:
1938 .................
1937_________
0.52
1. 27
0. 49
1.19
0.61
1.43
0.59
1.38
0. 62
1.37
0.01
1.89
0.59
1. 25
0. 65
1.23
0.82
1.59
0.78
1.05
0.60
.72
0.58
.60
0.62
1. 25
.11
.21
.11
.22
.11
.24
.10
.23
.13
.21
.11
.19
.09
.21
.10
.19
.12
.19
.12
.19
.10
.16
.09
.14
.11
.20
5. 45
1.90
3. 79
1.44
3. 74
1.53
3.85
1.48
3.82
1.79
3. 69
1.94
3.13
2.06
2.33
2. 57
2. 62
2. 84
2.40
4. 45
2.44
5.99
3. 21
7. 77
3.37
2.98
6. 08
3.38
4. 39
2.85
4. 46
3.20
4.54
3.09
4.57
3.37
4.41
4.02
3.81
3.52
3.08
3.99
3. 56
4.62
3. 30
5.69
3.14
6.87
3.88
8.51
4.10
4.43
3.78
4. 60
3.13
4.71
3.13
4.74
2. 58
4.04
2. 84
3.56
3. 44
3.69
4.81
3.36
5.29
3.36
4. 51
3.78
5.19
2.84
4. 24
1.79
3. 22
2.12
3.85
3.55
i The various turn-over rates represent the number of quits, discharges, lay-offs, total separations, and
accessions per 100 employees.
3 Including temporary, indeterminate, and permanent lay-offs.
Detailed turn-over rates for 27 selected manufacturing industries
are shown in the accompanying table which gives the number of quits,
discharges, and lay-offs, total separations, and total accessions per
100 employees in reporting firms in December and November 1938
and December 1937.
T a b l e 2 . — Monthly Turn-Over Rates (per 100 Employees) in Specified Industries
Class of rates
Dec.
N ov.
Dec.
Dec.
N ov.
Dec.
Dec.
N ov.
Dec.
1938
1938
1937
1938
1938
1937
1938
1938
1937
Automobiles and bodies
0. 41
.0 7
2 .0 3
2. 51
3 .1 2
Total separation.......... ...........
0 .4 9
.0 8
1 .8 9
2 .4 6
8 .2 9
0. 55
.0 9
12. 77
1 3 .4 1
2 .6 0
Automobile parts
0 .6 1
.15
4 .4 1
5 .1 7
4 .8 8
Brick tile, and terra
cotta
_
0 .4 0
.12
5. 74
6 .2 6
3 .4 3
0 .5 3
.10
4 .6 5
5 .2 8
4 .9 2
1 .0 6
.15
1 7 .1 8
1 8 .3 9
1. 79
Cotton manufacturing
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
0 .9 7
.2 4
2 .2 9
3. 50
3 .4 3
1 .0 1
.2 1
1 .3 8
2 .6 0
4 .0 8
0 .7 4
.1 7
5 .5 0
6 .4 1
1 .7 8
0. 57
. 11
2 .3 5
3. 03
9 .9 7
0 .4 5
. 14
2 3 .0 9
23. 68
1 .8 5
0. 64
.0 4
6 .4 6
7 .1 4
.6 6
1 .1 9
. 15
2 2 .8 1
2 4 .1 5
1 .4 4
Electrical machinery
0 .4 8
.0 3
2. 38
2 .8 9
3. 43
0. 47
.0 7
.9 8
1. 5 2
3 .4 5
0. 58
. 13
2 .4 1
3 .1 2
6 .9 2
0 .5 9
. 10
4 .7 9
5 .4 8
2 .2 3
0 .9 8
.14
4 .2 9
5 .4 1
8. 57
Cigars and cigarettes
Cement
0 .2 1
.1 1
1 5 .8 1
1 6 .1 3
1 .0 5
Boots and shoes
0. 57
.1 3
9 .6 5
10. 35
.9 4
0 .8
.0
7 .0
7 .9
1 .8
2
7
8
7
5
0 .8 9
.1 0
4. 08
5 .0 7
2. 29
0 .7 9
.1 2
7 .9 1
8 .8 2
1. 58
Foundries and machine
shops
0 .3 1
.0 6
1 .8 7
2 .2 4
3. 52
1 .8 7
.0 5
1. 6 7
3 .5 9
4 .1 2
0 .3
.1
6 .2
6 .7
3
7
5
5
.99
700
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T a b l e 2.-— Monthly Turn-Over Rates (per 100 Employees) in Specified Industries—
C o n tin u e d
Class of rates
Dec.
1938
Nov.
1938
Dec.
1937
Nov.
1938
Dec.
1938
0.51
.14
7. 29
7.94
3.09
0.49
.21
8.85
9.55
3.09
0. 65
.19
3. 56
4.40
4. 87
0. 32
.04
1.12
1.48
1.62
0. 53
.05
5.41
5. 99
.46
0. 43
.03
.79
1.25
4. 42
0.68
.04
6. 73
7.45
5.08
0. 64
.05
6. 47
7.16
3. 92
0.29
.06
1.90
2.25
1.17
0. 24
.01
.94
1.19
2.08
0.60
.03
9.07
9.70
8. 26
0.41
.18
3.01
3. 60
1.10
Rubber boots and shoes
Quit..................... .
Discharge........--.
Lay-off................
Total separation
Accession______
0. 56
.01
1.29
1.86
1.35
0.87
.06
.53
1.46
2.05
0.81
.03
11.19
12.03
8. 55
Slaughtering and meat
packing
Quit..................... .
Discharge............
Lay-off...........—
Total separation.
Accession..........-
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
0.53
.16
10.05
10.74
7. 62
0.61
. 17
5.93
6. 71
11.11
0.67
.15
7.15
7.97
.39
0.67
.10
1. 38
2.15
2.27
0. 47
.19
8.13
8.79
8.21
0.44
.03
1.91
2.38
1.33
0. 23
.01
1.97
2. 21
1.01
0.51
.07
1.18
1.76
2. 33
0. 62
.08
4.67
5.37
1 15
0.26
.18
2. 67
3.11
1.26
0. 41
.02
.89
1.32
2. 27
1. 29
.20
1. 72
3. 21
11.23
0.30
.18
7. 49
7.97
3. 73
0.45
.06
.56
1.07
3. 23
0.83
.17
20.05
21.05
1.25
0.42
.09
1.62
2. 13
.98
0.38
.02
.68
1.08
1.88
0.42
.18
2.60
3.20
.39
0.35
.08
2.61
3.04
4. 45
0.34
. 19
5.56
6.09
3.27
0.41
.09
1.53
2. 03
1.94
0. 56
. 11
1. 21
1.88
1.25
0.43
.75
13.11
14. 29
.49
Sawmills
0. 56
.05
5.51
6.12
.72
Steam and hot-water
heating apparatus
0.39
.03
1.28
1.70
1.05
0.67
.15
9. 21
9.93
.31
Rayon
Rubber tires
0. 46
.04
.82
1.32
2. 51
0.48
.09
.65
1.22
3. 51
Printing: Book and job
Radios and phonographs
1.05
. 14
3.61
4. 80
4.22
Dec.
1937
Machine tools
Petroleum refining
Printing: Newspapers
Quit................. —
Discharge...........
Lay-off________
Total separation.
Accession______
0. 86
.10
1.66
2. 62
2. 46
Nov.
1938
Hardware
K nit goods
M en’s clothing
Quit-....................
Discharge.........
Lay-off________
Total separation
Accession______
0.32
. 12
.94
1.38
3. 49
0. 36
.07
1.74
2.17
2. 21
Iron and steel
Q u it....................
Discharge-........Lay-off.................
Total separation
Accession______
Dec.
1938
Glass
Furniture
Q uit...............—
Discharge______
Lay-off.................
Total separation.
Accession______
Dec.
1937
0. 39
.07
4.86
5. 32
.99
0.86
.26
5.50
6.62
4. 41
0.91
. 18
5.34
6. 43
3. 95
2.20
.14
15. 37
17.71
4.14
Woolen and worsted
goods
1.51
.09
2.11
3.71
6.67
0.84
.06
3.71
4.61
8.63
0.60
.04
6.01
6. 65
7.17
Employment Offices
O PE R A T IO N S
OF U N IT E D ST A T E S E M P L O Y M E N T
SE R V IC E , JA N U A R Y 1939
A RISE of one-third in the volume of persons registering for work with
offices of the United States Employment Service during January re
flected the inauguration of unemployment-compensation payments in
16 States and 2 Territories at the beginning of the year. Applications
were received from 1,432,263 persons in January. Despite the in
creased load of registration activity, the seasonal decline in the total
volume of placements was less than in any comparable period in the
last 4 years, while the number of regular private placements showed a
slight increase.
The volume of applications for work received at the employment
offices in January was the highest since January 1938. This was due
largely to the fact that the number of States inaugurating the payment
of unemployment-compensation benefits during the month was ex
ceeded only when the unemployment-compensation program first
came into effect on a large scale, in January 1938. Unemployed
workers must register for employment in connection with the filing of
claims for benefit payments. Consequently the beginning of benefit
payments in a State normally results in the receipt of a large volume
of registrations from previously unregistered workers and the renewal
of the applications of many previously registered workers whose
applications had lapsed into inactive status.
New applications were received from 651,790 persons in January,
and renewals were reported for 780,473 previously registered appli
cants. Men filed 1,069,405 registrations and women 362,858. These
gains, coupled with a decline in the number of cancelations reported
during the month, resulted in a rise of 3.1 percent in the active file to
7,442,069, reversing a 4-month downward trend.
Complete placements made by the Service numbered 199,761. This
was 15.1 percent lower than in December, the smallest seasonal decline
since 1935. Private placements numbered 130,154, of which slightly
more than one-half were of regular duration. Although the total
private placements were 21 percent lower than in December, they were
nearly 40 percent higher than in January 1938. The number of regular
private placements was slightly above the volume in December and
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
701
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
702
was 66.0 percent higher than the volume in January 1938. Placements
in public employment numbered 69,607, only 1.7 percent below the
volume of December. Total placements of men numbered 129,195
and placements of women 70,566. As usual the seasonal decline in
private placements was general, decreases being reported in 42 States.
The 1,646 employment offices and 2,242 itinerant points operated
by the United States Employment Service received 11,545,429 personal
visits during January, 26.4 percent more than in December. A total
of 128,039 field visits to employers was made during the month. In
addition to complete placements, the Employment Service assisted in
making 31,086 supplemental placements.
T a b l e 1. — Summary of Operations of United States Employment Service, January 1939
Percent of change from—
A ctivity
Number
1,432,263
651, 790
780,473
199,761
130,154
69,607
7,442,069
December 1 January
1938
1938
+33.3
+33.7
+33.0
-15.1
-2 0 .9
- 1 .7
+ 3.1
- 8 .2
-3 0 .8
+26.2
+46.0
+39.9
+59.0
+22.6
January
1937
+117.3
+123.0
+112. 8
-1 7 .5
-9 .6
-2 9 .1
+18.5
i Adjusted for number of working days in month.
Placements of veterans during January showed smaller seasonal
declines than for registrants as a whole. Veterans were placed in
10,395 jobs, 4,373 of which were with private employers and 6,022 in
public employment. Applications were received during the month
from 56,362 veterans, 19,097 of whom filed new applications and 37,265
filed renewals. At the close of the month 365,897 veterans were
actively seeking work through the public Employment Service
facilities.
T a b l e 2 . — Summary of Veterans’ Activities, January 1939
Percent of change from—
A ctivity
Total placements........... ..........................................................
Public
.........................................................................
1 Adjusted for number of working days in month.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Number
56,362
19,097
37,265
10,295
4, 373
6,022
365,897
D ecem ber1 January
1938
1938
+31.8
+36.1
+29.7
-1 0 .2
-1 7 .5
-4 .0
+ 1 .2
-1 4 .2
-3 8 .6
+ 7 .7
+32.8
+31.8
+33.6
+14.8
January
1937
+52.7
+60.6
+49.0
-3 1 .4
-3 4 .5
-2 9 .0
+ 5 .6
Employment Offices
703
T a b l e 3 . —Operations of United States Employment Service, January 1939
TOTAL
Placements
Applications
Private
D ivision and
State
Per
Field
cent of
Regu Pub visits
change
Total N um
lar
lic
from
ber
D e (over 1
month)
cem
ber i
United States.. 199, 761 130,154
N ew England..
Maine_____
N . H ______
Vermont___
M ass______
R. I ...... .........
C onn............
M id. Atlantic.
N ew Y ork ..
N ew Jersey..
Pa...................
E. N . Central..
Ohio ______
Indiana____
Illinois_____
Michigan___
W isconsin...
W .N . Central.
M innesota..
Iow a. _____
Missouri___
N . D ak o ta ..
S. D a k o ta ...
Nebraska___
Kansas_____
S. Atlantic___
Delaware___
M aryland...
Dist. of Col..
Virginia___
W . Virginia.
N . Carolina.
S. Carolina..
Georgia____
Florida.........
E. S. C entral..
K en tu ck y ...
Tennessee. . .
Alabama___
M ississippi..
W. S. Central..
Arkansas___
Louisiana__
Oklahoma...
Texas______
M ountain____
M ontana___
Idaho______
W yom in g ...
Colorado___
N . M exico..
Arizona____
U tah______
N evada____
Pacific_______
Washington.
Oregon. ___
California. _.
A laska.............
Hawaii______
10, 663
1,557
2,046
877
2,357
698
3,128
24, 340
14, 603
3, 699
6,038
32, 977
6,770
4,756
9, 926
6, 699
4,826
17, 646
3,768
4,650
3,278
1,053
901
1,828
2,168
31, 750
722
2,570
2,746
4, 617
2,745
7,152
2,813
5,421
2,964
14, 905
1,931
4,187
4,742
4,045
36, 552
2,552
4,259
3,213
26, 528
8,905
991
1, 035
510
1, 512
1,167
2,065
768
857
21,661
1, 370
3,233
17, 058
61
301
7,732
1,034
1,755
491
1,604
603
2,245
19,277
11,255
3,220
4,802
24,971
4,480
4, 364
9, 221
4,115
2,791
11, 247
2,712
3,202
2,180
883
679
671
920
14,166
406
1,523
2,458
1,874
1,983
3,454
7,03
1,765
0
6,896
774
2, 572
2,513
1,037
25,233
1,178
2, 992
1,466
19,597
5,469
477
727
213
1,061
666
1, 303
408
614
14,974
1,167
1,405
12,402
47
142
-2 1
-1 2
+13
+11
-2 1
-2 3
-3 2
-1 8
-1 3
-1 5
+16
-2 1
-2 2
-2 3
-2 3
-1 8
-2 9
-2 1
-1 9
-1 7
-2 0
-1 2
-4 8
-2
-1 9
-7
-2 1
-4 9
-2 7
-8
-1 3
-2 7
-2 1
-2 2
-2 1
-1 9
-6
-1 5
-2 5
-2 3
-3 0
+15
+14
-2 4
-3 6
-3 6
-2 2
-2 7
-4 0
-7
-5 9
-4 9
-5 0
+24
-9
+20
+2
-1 2
-3 4
+30
Total
N ew
Active
file,
Jan. 31,
1939
SuppiePersonal mental
visits
place
ments
66,384 69,607 128,039 1,432, 263 651, 790 7, 442, 069 11, 545,429 31,080
5,185 2,931 5,998
75,988 31, 966 589, 329
859,866 1, 535
683
523
966
12,473 2,945
42,140
92,398
1, 290
291
754
6,509 1,627
32, 667
39, 532
287
386
249
3,227 1,015
18, 596
19,415
1, 223
753 1,184
25,868 15, 746 328, 564
433,807
205
375
95
451
9, 386 4, 480
55, 671
102; 066
36
1,327
883 2,394
18,525 6,153 111, 691
172, 648 1,003
10, 222 5,063 19,059 331,212 164,650 1,878,008 3, 288 65.S 1, 44
5,682 3, 348 10, 722 168, 528 82, 590 603, 578 1,872, 535
1,407
479 1,188
58,847 39,400 266! 908
531, 349
Û1
3,133 1,236 7,149 103,837 42, 660 1,007,522
884, 771 1,284
12,919 8,006 23,404 276, 343 118, 573 1,508,823 1,638,499 3,525
2,181 2,290 2, 395
92,478 52,119 492,134
435; 413
2,528
392 4,171
37, 371 16,038 211,592
730
367,525
4,048
705 5, 741
28,125 10, 626 303,097
150,097
249
2,450 2,584 7, 067
59,988 29,840 333,029
485 490
1,712 2.035 4,030
58,381 9,950 168, 971
199,974
’568
5,473 6, 399 15, 344 126,447 58, 544 716, 548
944 739 1, 564
1,445 1,056 6,120
23,076 10,301 213', 097
235
305, 398
1,399 1,448 2,838
18,708 8,187 103,269
747
229; 186
1,217 1,098 2,601
41,960 24,025 206, 659
183, 674
412
170
794
5, 392 1,899
31,810
30,957
85
230
222
660
4, 247 1,744
37, 728
22, 347
373 1,157 1, 268
13, 766 4,598
49, 733
73, 685
36
397 1,248 1,063
19,298 7,790
74,252
99,492
336
8,304 17, 584 11,958 166,155 76,868 889,843 1, 316,928 3 230
168
112
316
5, 212 2, 200
17, 777
33,547
43
880 1,047 1,502
25,245 8, 115
74,163
180, 80S
1,103
288
73
9,638 4,636
45, 749
90, 577
26
1,305 2,743 1,182
24,436 11,152
51,843
154, 802
1,389
762 1,617
20,350 6,542 151, 938
521
178, 665
1,960 3, 698 2,180
32,765 15, 742 150. 811
280
331,088
468 2,110
943
10,509 6,067 130,755
114
131,987
1,031 3, 656 4,107
32, 920 18,992 155,551
119; 653
90
0 2,964
242 1 5,080 »3,422 » 111, 256
95,801 1,338
4,812 8,009 6,479
78,611 43,574 491,512
595,283 3, 599
427 1,157
396
22,546 14,806 107,308
879
68 827
1,751 1,615 2,789
14, 387 9,064 146,698
201,540
1,883 2,229 2,245
20, 651 9,504 153,831
177,028 1 835
751 3,008 1,049
21 027 10, 200
83, 675
147,888
371
9,436 11,319 25,531 155, 560 69,446 540,801 1,116, 788 9, 683
549 1,374
938
13,867 7, 331
80, 533
82 978
1,918 1,267 2,244
39, 544 12,329 148; 351
185,514 1,139
568 1,747 2.045
26,100 14,819
71, 730
196
181 124
6,401 6,931 20,304
76,049 34,967 240', 187
667,172 7 ,7 9 5
2,815 3,436 6,117
68,820 22,105 229,990
396,324 2,682
209
514 1,225
4, 658 1,351
34; 736
31 ; 285
109
339
308 1,121
6,830 2,575
23, 546
82; 171
76
99
297
198
6,138 1,853
13; 167
27,183
16
466
451
415
25,810 8,065
64, 664
111, 124
22
491
501 1,061
5,034 1,995
39,121
31, 694
12
849
762
709
6,460 2,870
24; 680
40,485 1,969
94
360
799
11, 279 2,467
25,041
424
55, 535
268
243
589
2,611
929
5; 035
16,847
54
7,137 6,687 13, 915 150, 503 63,866 587,980 1,379,839 2 ,991
377
203 1,144
17,202 6, 775 148, 707 ' 194; 317
250
988 1,828 1,420
13, 493 5,915
84,894
174; 731
470
5,772 4, 656 11, 351 119,808 51,176 354; 379 1,010, 791 2,271
17
14
82
894
602
i 7
2,318
7, 550
64
159
152
1,730 1,596
6; 682
819
958
1 Adjusted for number of working days in month.
!
not include 13 545 initial claims received and 3,497 registrations of nonclaimants taken by the newly
into th e :a ctiv* file ° f th<5 FIonda State Employment Service. These activities have not yet been cleared
s January 1-14 only.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
704
T a b l e 3 — O p e r a tio n s o f United States Employment Service, J a n u a r y 1939— Coutinued
MEN
A p p lic a tio n s
P la c e m e n ts
N ew
P riv a te
D iv is io n a n d S ta te
T o ta l
N u m
b er
U n i t e d S t a t e s ---------------------
1 2 9 ,1 9 5
3 0 ,3 3 2
P e r
ce n t of
ch an g e
fro m
D e
cem
b er i
-2 2
R eg u
la r
(o v er 1
m o n th )
P u b lic
27, 248
5 8 ,8 6 3
N u m
b er
P e r
ce n t of
ch an g e
fro m
D e
cem
b er '
t, 0 6 9 ,4 0 5
159, 513
+ 3 2
+ 5
— 1
— 14
-1 5
+ 4
+ 3 1
+ 11
T o ta l
A c tiv e
file ,
Ja n . 31,
1939
5 ,8 5 7 ,3 2 9
4 1 7 ,7 1 3
3 3 ,4 7 5
2 4 ,5 9 1
1 4 ,9 5 4
2 2 9 ,4 5 7
3 6 ,2 8 3
7 8 ,9 5 3
6, 731
1 ,0 9 9
1 ,5 8 7
644
1 ,4 0 0
260
1 ,7 4 1
3 ,8 6 3
580
1 ,3 1 2
258
658
189
866
- 5
+ 3 0
+ 2 2
0
-2 4
-3 4
-2 4
2 ,5 5 6
308
957
135
500
131
525
2, 868
519
275
386
742
71
875
5 0 ,9 8 1
9 ,5 0 4
4 ,6 6 0
2, 508
1 6 ,8 3 8
5, 269
1 2 ,2 0 2
1 9 ,0 1 2
1 ,8 6 3
1 ,0 2 6
711
9 ,3 3 0
2, 298
3 ,7 8 4
1 2 ,0 8 2
7 ,6 7 2
1 ,2 9 7
3 ,1 1 3
7 ,1 1 4
4, 381
832
1 ,9 0 1
+
-1
7
4
5
6
3 ,8 6 1
2 ,2 4 8
417
1 ,1 9 6
4 ,9 6 8
3 ,2 9 1
465
1 ,2 1 2
2 3 2 ,6 1 5
1 1 1 ,0 7 9
4 5 ,7 2 1
75, 815
1 1 0 ,7 7 9
52, 266
30, 800
27, 713
1 8 ,0 6 7
3 ,7 4 9
L 972
4 ,9 3 7
4 ,4 6 6
2 ,9 4 3
1 0 ,2 3 9
1 ,4 9 7
1 ,6 0 5
4 ,2 8 1
1 ,8 9 2
964
-2
-2
-2
-1
-3
-2
3 ;
5
0
2
9
8
4 ,6 9 1
672
741
1 ,5 7 7
1 ,2 0 2
499
V, 8 2 8
2 0 9 ,1 0 3
7 2 ,8 6 9
26, 567
1 8 ,9 6 5
46, 573
4 4 ,1 2 9
86, 574
4 0 ,1 4 7
1 1 ,0 7 3
7 ,0 0 6
2 1 ,7 8 6
6 ,5 8 0
+ 3 9
+ 1 8 2
-1 2
-1 4
+ 7
— 4
1 ,2 4 3 ,9 4 9
4 1 6 ,1 4 3
1 7 0 ,0 2 9
2 4 8 ,3 1 2
2 /1 , 4 á 6
1 3 8 ,0 2 9
1 0 ,7 1 7
1 ,9 6 8
2 ,6 7 1
1 ,9 6 2
558
500
1 ,3 8 9
1 ,6 6 9
4 ,4 3 3
945
1 ,2 5 9
865
398
288
244
434
-2
-3
-3
-1
-4
+
-3
-
7
2
1
8
5
9
6
1
1 ,7 1 2
382
477
403
173
63
96
118
6 ,2 8 4
1 ,0 2 3
1 ,4 1 2
1 ,0 9 7
160
212
1 ,1 4 5
1 ,2 3 5
r9 5 ,8 0 4
1 5 ,9 5 1
1 3 ,1 1 2
3 1 ,7 1 1
4 ,0 9 5
3 ,3 0 3
11, 209
1 6 ,4 2 3
4 1 ,1 6 4
6 ,6 5 1
4 ,9 3 0
1 7 ,4 3 2
1 ,3 5 9
1 ,1 6 0
3 ,2 8 3
6 ,3 4 9
+ 3 1
— 10
-1 6
+ 9 2
+ 5 6
+ 2 9
+ 3 1
+ 3 0
5 7 8 ,5 4 6
1 7 1 ,6 3 2
81. 580
1 6 6 ,7 4 4
2 6 ,0 9 7
2 9 ,8 7 1
4 1 ,0 2 6
6 1 ,5 9 6
2 3 ,4 2 6
384
1 ,8 6 9
895
3 ,4 6 9
1 ,6 6 3
5 ,0 8 7
2 ,4 8 6
4 ,6 2 1
2 ,9 5 2
5 ,9 1 0
68
823
612
736
902
1 ,4 0 8
380
981
0
-2
-7
-1
-3
-2
-1
-2
-3
-2
4
0
0
1
1
3
8
0
5
3 ,2 9 4
37
439
299
507
698
670
231
413
0
17, 5 16
316
1 ,0 4 6
283
2, 733
761
3, 679
2 ,1 0 6
3 ,6 4 0
2 ,9 5 2
1 2 1 ,1 7 7
3, 664
1 8 ,8 3 3
5 ,9 5 9
1 8 ,7 9 8
1 7 ,0 4 3
20, 737
8 ,2 7 3
23, 327
4, 543
51, 342
1 ,4 8 7
5 ,2 7 7
2 ,7 8 6
8, 097
4 ,9 3 3
9, 658
4, 345
1 1 ,8 2 6
2 ,9 3 3
+ 2 5
+ 1 0 5
+ 7
+ 2 5
+ 19
+ 2 0
+ 3
+ 4 0
+ 6 8
+ 5
6 8 6 ,3 7 0
1 3 ,7 5 4
5 8 ,6 3 6
3 1 ,4 8 6
3 9 ,9 3 8
1 3 0 ,6 6 9
1 0 5 ,1 1 4
1 0 4 ,0 9 6
1 1 9 ,4 5 3
8 3 ,2 2 4
E a s t S o u t h C e n t r a l ----------K e n tu c k y . . . . . . . T e n n e s s e e _____
.
A l a b a m a ____
...
M i s s i s s i p p i -------------------
1 1 ,6 3 0
1 ,4 5 8
2 ,8 4 6
3 ,8 7 3
3 ,4 5 3
3 ,6 5 0
301
1 ,2 3 4
1 ,6 5 6
459
-1
+
-1
-1
-4
9
9
3
4
6
2 ,3 7 2
110
808
1 ,1 8 5
269
7 -, 9 8 0
1 ,1 5 7
1 ,6 1 2
2 ,2 1 7
2 ,9 9 4
6 4 ,3 8 4
19, 221
1 0 ,6 9 4
1 6 ,4 4 4
1 8 ,0 2 5
34, 300
1 2 ,4 0 9
6 ,7 5 0
7 ,1 1 5
8 ,0 2 6
+
+ 1
+
+
+
3 9 8 ,7 0
8 6 ,3 6
1 1 6 ,3 8
1 2 4 ,0 9
7 1 ,8 5
W est
A
L
O
T
2 5 ,9 6 2
1 ,9 3 7
2 ,9 7 9
2 ,2 1 5
19, 013
14, 678
573
1 ,5 3 6
470
1 2 ,0 9 9
-2
+ 3
+
-3
-3
9
6
9
2
3
3 ,8 7 5
144
765
134
2 ,8 3 2
11, 28 4
1, 364
1 ,2 6 1
1 ,7 4 5
6 ,9 1 4
125, 377
1 2 ,0 1 8
3 2 ,1 9 7
2 1 ,4 3 4
5 9 ,7 2 8
54, 542
6, 260
9, 352
12, 294
2 6 ,6 3 6
+ 1 3
+ 1 9
+ 4 3
-1 0
+ 16
4 4 4 ,1 0 8
6 9 ,9 0 9
1 2 0 ,9 4 5
6 1 ,5 6 4
1 9 1 ,6 9 0
6, 123
749
621
369
867
883
1 ,5 1 3
485
636
2 ,7 5 2
247
317
83
430
388
760
132
395
-4 5
-3 5
-3 0
-5 2
-1 6
-6 2
-6 1
-5 1
+ 4 9
1 ,4 4 8
94
103
31
131
307
559
25
198
3 ,3 7 1
502
304
286
437
495
753
353
241
5 7 ,3 4 6
4 ,0 7 4
5 ,8 5 6
5, 357
21, 246
4 ,2 3 8
5 ,1 3 4
9 ,1 6 2
2 ,2 7 9
1 7 ,1 3 0
1 ,0 6 7
2 ,0 5 2
1 ,4 9 1
6, 294
1 ,5 5 9
2 ,1 5 0
1 ,7 5 4
763
+ 2 5
+ 2 0
-1 6
+ 131
+ 9 2
-1 0
-2 0
+ 1 3
+ 4 8
1 9 5 ,3 9 6
2 9 ,6 6 4
2 1 ,8 1 2
1 1 ,4 5 9
5 2 ,7 4 6
3 3 ,0 8 7
2 1 ,0 5 2
2 1 ,4 4 1
4 ,4 3 5
1 4 ,1 8 6
729
2 ,8 7 0
10, 587
7 ,5 9 3
548
1 ,0 4 5
6 ,0 0 0
- 6
+ 1 7
+ 7
-1 0
3 ,4 1 0
122
731
2 ,5 5 7
6 ,5 9 3
181
1 ,8 2 5
4 ,5 8 7
110, 253
1 4 ,3 0 8
1 1 ,0 8 9
8 4 ,8 5 6
4 2 ,7 0 7
5 ,1 0 6
4 ,4 9 1
3 3 ,1 1 0
+ 1
+ 2
-1
+ 1
44
227
32
68
-4 0
+ 1 1
12
17
12
159
N ew
H a m p s h i r e ---------
M a s s a c h u s e t t s . - - -----R h o d e I s l a n d - - -------C o n n e c t i c u t ........... ...........
M i d d l e A t l a n t i c ______ __
N e w Je rse y .
—
P e n n s y l v a n i a --------------E a s t N o r t h C e n t r a l -----------
W is c o n s in ______________
W e s t N o r t h C e n t r a l ----------
S o u t h D a k o t a ____ - - K a n s a s ---------- - -------------S o u t h A t l a n t i c . - - _____ -
V i r g i n i a ------------------------W e s t V i r g i n i a -------------N o r t h C a r o l i n a -----------
S o u t h C e n t r a l ---------r k a n s a s _________
o u is ia n a ..
k l a h o m a ______ _______
e x a s ___________________
M o n t a n a _____
U ta h
H a w a i i ___
____
_________________
_______
2, 252
367
656
2, 574
1 ,9 7 9
821
1 ,5 4 1
53S
1 ,4 2 4
+
+
+ 5
+
5 6
16
5 0
3 1
4
3
3
3
1
9
3
1
1
3
0
2
6
3
+ 6 2
+131
1 ,4 3 0 ,9
4 1 3 ,1
2 0 9 ,6
8 0 8 ,1
3
6
1
5
2
4
1
7
4 5 3 ,5 0
1 2 9 ,9 3
6 9 ,1 7
2 5 4 ,3 9
9
9
4
9
7
4
8
3
3
2 ,1 3 7
5 ,7 3 7
i A d ju s te d fo r n u m b e r o f w o rk in g d a y s in m o n th .
„
,
. „
.
. . . .
1 R e g is tr a tio n a c tiv itie s o f n e w ly e s ta b lis h e d o fB c e s o f th e F lo r id a S ta te E m p lo y m e n t S e rv ic e n o t a v a ila b le
fo r in c lu s io n in th is ta b le .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
705
Employment Offices
T able
3.—Operations of United States Employment Service, January 1939— Continued
WOMEN
Applications
Placements
New
Private
Division and State
Total
Per
cent of
N um change Regular
(over 1
ber
from
Decem month)
ber 1
Total
N um
ber
70, 566
69,822
-2 0
39,136
362,858
192, 277
N ew England____ ____________
3,932
M aine____________________
458
N ew Hampshire___________
459
Vermont_______ __________
233
Massachusetts_____________
957
Rhode Island__________ ___
438
Connecticut_______________ 1,387
M iddle Atlantic_______ _____ __ 12.258
N ew York................................. 6, 931
N ew Jersey____ __________
2,402
Pennsylvania_____________
2,925
East North Central
. . . _ _ 14,910
Ohio_____ ______________
3, 021
Indiana___________ ______ 2,784
Illinois______________
4,989
Michigan_______ __________ 2,233
Wisconsin_____________
1,883
West North Central_____
6, 929
Minnesota......... .......... .
1,800
Iowa____________ ___
1,979
Missouri__________ . . .
1,316
North Dakota........................
495
South Dakota___________
401
Nebraska________ ______
439
Kansas—.................................
499
South Atlantic_____ _________
8,324
Delaware______________ .
338
M aryland________________
801
District of Columbia. . .
1,851
Virginia____________ ______
1,148
West Virginia_____________ 1,082
North Carolina__________
2,065
South Carolina____ ______
327
Georgia_________________
800
Florida *___________
12
East South Central...........
3,275
K entucky___________ ____
473
Tennessee______
1,341
Alabama__________
869
M ississippi.______________
592
West South Central________
10, 590
Arkansas_____________ .
!" 615
Louisiana___________ ____
1,462
Oklahoma____ ________
998
Texas__________________
7,515
M ountain_______ _____
2,782
M ontana______________ . . .
242
Idaho_________________
414
W yoming_____ ______ _____
141
Colorado...............................
645
New Mexico______________
284
Arizona................ ....................
552
U tah_____________________
283
Nevada___________________
221
P acific..._____________________ 7,475
Washington_____________
641
O regon................... ............... .
363
California....................... ........... 6,471
Alaska..............................................
17
Hawaii................. ............................
74
3,869
454
443
233
946
414
1,379
12,163
6,874
2,388
2,901
14, 732
2,983
2,759
4,940
2,223
1,827
6,814
1,767
1,943
1,315
485
391
427
486
8,256
338
700
1,846
1,138
1,081
2,046
323
784
0
3,246
473
1,338
857
578
10,555
605
1,456
996
7,498
2,717
230
410
130
631
278
543
276
219
7, 381
619
360
6,402
15
74
-1 8
-3
-1 1
-3 6
-2 2
-3 0
-1 3
-1 6
-2 1
+20
-2 4
+31
-2 1
-2 5
-2 3
-1 7
-1 7
-1 3
-6
-1 1
-8
-5 0
-8
-3
-1 1
-1 9
-4 1
-4 0
+4
-7
-3 6
-1 5
-1 0
-1 6
2,629
375
333
152
723
244
802
6,361
3,434
990
1,937
8,228
1,509
1,787
2,471
1,248
1, 213
3, 761
1,063
922
814
239
167
277
279
5,010
131
441
804
798
691
1,290
237
618
0
2,440
317
943
698'
482'
5, 561
405
1,153
434
3,569
1,367
115
236
68
335
184
290
69
70
3,727
255
257
3, 215
5
47
25,007
2,969
1,849
719
9,030
4,117
6,323
98, 597
57, 449
13,126
28,022
67,240
19, 609
10,804
9,160
13,415
14,252
30,643
7,125
5, 596
10, 249
1,297
944
2,557
2,875
44,978
1,548
6,412
3, 679
5,638
3, 307
12, 028
2,236
9,593
537
14,227
3,325
3,693
4,207
3,002
30,183
1,849
7, 347
4,666
16,321
11,474
584
974
781
4,564
796
1,326
2,117
332
40, 250
»2,894
2, 404
34,952
72
187
12,954
1,082
601
304
6,416
2,182
2,369
53,871
30, 324
8,600
14,947
31, 999
11, 972
4,965
3,620
8,072
3,370
17,380
3, 650
3,257
6,593
540
584
1,315
1,441
25, 526
713
2, 838
1,850
3,055
1,609
6,084
1,722
7,166
489
9, 274
2,397
2,314
2, 389
2,174
14, 904
1,071
2,977
2,525
8,331
4,975
284
523
362
1,771
436
720
713
166
21,159
1,669
1,424
18, 066
63
172
United States____ ____________
-2 0
-1 4
-1 6
-3 9
+16
-3 1
+0
+19
-1 9
-3 9 '
-2 4
-0
-2 5
-2 8
+1
-5 2
-1 3
-5 0
-6
-1 1
+24
-1 0
-1 3
-1 2
+54
Percent of
change
from
Decem. ber 1
Active
file,
Jan. 31,
1939
+39 1,584, 740
+14
+16
46
-2 4
+6
-1-52
+23
+37
+30
+385
+4
+46
+178
+3
-9
+27
+40
+53
+25
+19
+110
+7
+84
+69
+48
+62
+183
+17
+ 18
+40
+27
+47
+49
+242
-2 8
+49
fl3 4
+23
+47
+27
+26
+23
+51
+24
+19
+36
+36
+4
+72
+ 136
+2
+33
-2 1
+43
+27
-6
+ 13
+33
+50
+105
171,616
8,665
8,076
3,642
99,107
19,388
32,738
447, 076
190, 414
57, 297
199,365
264,874
75,991
41, 563
54, 785
61, 593
30, 942
138,002
41,465
21, 689
39,915
5, 713
7,857
8, 707
12,656
203,473
4, 023
15, 527
14, 263
11,905
21,269
45, 697
26,659
36, 098
28,032
92,803
20,939
30,314
29, 732
11,818
96,693
10,624
27, 406
10,166
48,497
34, 594
5,072
2,034
1,708
11,918
6,034
3,628
3,600
600
134,476
18, 769
15, 721
99, 986
181
945
1 Adjusted for number of working days in month.
* Registration activities of newly established offices of the Florida State Employment Service not available
fordnclusion In this table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
706
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T a b l e 4 . —Operations of United States Employment Service, January 1939
VETERANS
Placements
Applications
New
Private
Division and State
Total
Percent
Public
of
N um change Regular
(over 1
from month)
ber
Decem
ber 1
Total
Active
file,
Percent Jan. 31,
1939
of
N um change
from
ber
Decem
ber i
United S ta te s........... ............ 10, 395
4,373
-1 8
1,650
6,022
56, 362
19,097
+36
365,897
N ew England____________
M aine__________ _____
N ew Hampshire______
Vermont______________
Massachusetts________
Rhode Island_________
Connecticut__________
721
58
132
48
152
19
312
231
24
77
16
33
15
66
-1 5
-1 4
+51
+7
-3 4
-2 9
-3 9
142
16
48
7
26
4
41
490
34
55
32
119
4
246
2,885
565
281
128
942
232
737
774
63
44
44
409
60
154
-1 2
-2 8
-2 1
-6
-1 0
-3
-1 0
28, 265
2,084
1,946
871
16,620
1,874
4,870
M iddle Atlantic__________
N ew York.......................
N ew Jersey___________
Pennsylvania_________
East North Central_______
Ohio................. .................
Indiana_______________
Illinois________ _______
M ichigan.................. .......
W isconsin____________
W est North Central_______
M innesota. __________
Iowa......... ........................
Missouri............................
North D akota________
South D akota_________
Nebraska_____________
Kansas.......... . ............ .
South Atlantic____________
Delaware_____________
M aryland______ _____
District of Columbia___
Virginia .............. ............
W est Virginia_________
North Carolina_______
South C arolina...............
Georgia_______________
761
394
149
218
1,451
245
166
478
293
269
1,123
231
406
155
37
48
107
139
1, 584
28
135
103
270
127
350
135
276
160
736
120
215
261
140
1,791
174
148
229
1,240
670
101
72
49
85
49
142
92
80
1,552
79
335
1,138
0
6
447
219
133
95
710
122
108
321
99
60
414
93
172
59
21
28
14
27
373
3
49
54
43
45
87
18
74
0
199
16
63
97
23
957
60
69
73
755
277
45
36
11
39
9
64
15
58
763
31
87
645
0
2
+26
+29
+118
-2 2
-1 5
-2 9
+13
-4
-3 7
-1 7
-2 7
-2 3
-2 6
-1 8
-3 6
-3 2
-5 3
-2 5
-1 3
-7 9
-2 7
-2 3
+10
-1 2
+16
-3 3
-1 6
244
80
105
59
280
39
48
98
69
26
119
20
51
25
8
4
4
7
189
2
23
18
31
45
36
5
29
0
111
8
37
49
17
227
12
42
16
157
105
17
7
1
12
9
36
6
17
232
9
314
175
16
123
741
123
58
157
194
209
709
138
234
96
16
20
93
112
1,211
25
86
49
227
82
263
117
202
160
537
104
152
164
117
834
114
79
156
485
393
56
36
38
46
40
78
77
22
789
r48
248
493
0
4
8,807
2, 210
2,425
4,172
11,534
3,535
1,635
1,045
1,840
3,479
5,861
898
932
1,808
162
216
798
1,047
5, 932
135
1,082
489
795
838
891
372
1,104
226
3,032
1,069
608
819
536
6, 333
688
1,764
1,295
2,586
3,892
345
420
423
1, 351
185
383
610
175
7,970
805
694
6,471
67
49
4,140
+107
1,086
+8
1,880 +1,046
1,174
+41
3, 788
+45
1,767
+245
503
-9
292
-2 3
843
+6
383
4 "1
1,943
+29
290
-1 7
254
-1 6
823
+85
52
+206
56
+93
176
+42
292
+21
1,822
+15
41
+21
208
+9
197
+19
191
-1 5
190
+26
308
+2
164
+55
395
+54
128
-1 2
1,303
+62
508
+143
308
+36
276
+45
211
+17
+15
2,058
+27
268
+68
315
-5
652
+16
823
892
+18
82
+95
-3
137
+178
103
+83
255
-2 2
64
-2 5
151
61
-2 4
39
+11
2,286
+13
179
-3
-2 2
158
1,949
+19
47
+81
44
-8
74,416
17,689
12,918
43,809
87, 708
30.300
12,319
18,646
15, 985
10,458
43,431
13,976
6,071
12,913
1,438
2,075
2, 629
4,379
37,401
935
3, 626
3,101
1,702
6, 555
4, 280
4,329
5,534
7,339
20,194
5,098
6,917
6,094
2,085
23,750
3,866
6,037
4,142
9,705
13,497
2,192
1,460
868
3,339
2,119
1,718
1,472
329
36,662
10,860
’ 5,026
20,776
182
359
East South Central..............
Kentucky ___________
Tennessee................... .
Alabama___________. . .
M ississippi___________
West South Central_______
Arkansas............ ..............
Louisiana_____________
Oklahoma____________
Texas________ ________
M o u n ta in ........................ .
M ontana...... ....................
Idaho............. ....................
W y om in g...__________
Colorado..........................
N ew M exico...................
A rizon a........................ .
U tah_________________
Nevada..............................
P a c ific ......................................
W ashington.....................
Oregon............ ..................
California___ ____ ____
H aw aii------------ --------------
-1 9
-5 4
-3 7
+8
+15
-1 6
+88
-1 6
-5
-2 0
-4 3
+15
-4 5
+38
+22
-7 2
-7 5
-2 9
+76
-2 2
-3 3
-5
-2 3
-7 1
r-5 7
166
0
1
1 A djusted for num ber of w orking d ays in m on th .
« R egistration activities of n ew ly established offices of th e Florida S tate E m p lo y m en t Service n o t availab le
for inclu sion in th is tab le.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
B uilding Operations
S U M M A R Y OF B U IL D IN G C O N S T R U C T IO N IN
P R IN C IP A L C IT IE S , JA N U A R Y 1939 1
A GAIN of 12.9 percent over December was reported in tbe permit
valuations of new residential construction in January. There was an
increase of 11.3 percent in permit valuations for additions, alterations,
and repairs over the same period. In new nonresidential construction
a decrease of 3.0 percent was reported. For all classes of building con
struction the gain in the value of permits issued amounted to 6.1
percent.
A comparison of building-permit valuations for January 1939 with
January a year ago, based on data from all reporting cities with the
exception of New York City, indicated a gain of 78.2 percent in total
construction, with large increases shown in each class of construction.
The largest gain, 110.4 percent, was in new residential construction.
The value of permits issued for new nonresidential construction
increased 80.1 percent and of additions, alterations, and repairs,
26.3 percent.
Due to a new building code which became effective in New York
City on January 29, 1938, there was a large influx of applications for
permits during January 1938. Therefore, in studying the comparisons
of the current month with the same month of 1938, the data excluding
New York City are of greater significance than are the data for all
cities including New York. When New York City figures are included,
there was a decline of 13.0 percent in the value of permits issued for all
classes of building construction, residential construction declining 27.9
percent over the year period, new nonresidential construction register
ing a gain of 7.8 percent, and additions, alterations, and repairs show
ing a small gain of 1.4 percent.
Comparison of January 1939 with December and January 1938
A summary of building construction in 2,108 identical cities in
January 1939, and December and January 1938 is given in table 1.
1
More detailed Information by geographic divisions and individual cities is given In a separate pamphlet
entitled “ Building Construction, January 1939,” copies of which will be furnished upon request.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
707
Monthly Lahor Review—March 1939
708
T a b l e 1. — Summary of Building Construction for Which Permits Were Issued in 2,108
Identical Cities, January 1939
Permit valuation
Number of buildings
Class of construction
Percentage
change from—
Percentage
change from—
January
1939
January 1939
D ecem Janu
ber 1938 ary 1938
D ecem Janu
ber 1938 ary 1938
All construction____ ____ __________________
38,982
+ 1 .7
+13.1
$155,883, 522
+ 6.1
-1 3 .0
N ew nonresidential . .
_ - _________
Additions, alterations, and repairs__________
11,685
6,502
20, 795
+ 5 .4
- 7 .4
+ 2 .9
+34.4
+17.4
+ 2 .8
72, 258, 035
59,358,332
24, 267,155
+12.9
-3 .0
+11.3
-2 7 .9
+ 7 .8
+ 1.4
A summary of permit valuations of housekeeping dwellings and the
number of families provided for in new dwellings in 2,108 identical
cities, having a population of 1,000 and over, is shown in table 2 for
January 1939 compared with December and January 1938.
T a b l e 2 . — Permit Valuation of Housekeeping Dwellings and Families' Provided for in
2,108 Identical Cities, January 1939
Permit valuation of house
keeping dwellings
Number of families provid
ed for in new dwellings
Percentage
change from—
Percentage
change from—
Type of dwelling
January
1939
Decem Janu
ber
ary
1938
1938
January
1939
Decem Janu
ary
ber
1938
1938
All types___ _____________________________
$70,807,777
+11.4
-2 9 .0
21,029
+23.1
-3 0 .8
1-family__________________________________
2-family i _________________________________
Multifamily 2_________ __________________
40,644,682
1,985,405
28,177,690
- 1 .4
+ 1 .5
+38.4
+51.9
-3 1 .0
-5 9 .8
10, 663
849
9,517
+ 3 .6
+10.8
+58.2
+43.1
-3 1 .9
-5 6 .2
1 Includes 1- and 2-family dwellings with stores.
2 Includes multifamily dwellings with stores.
Analysis by Size of C ity , January 1939
Table 3 shows the value of permits issued for building construction
in January 1939 compared with December and January 1938, by size
of city and by class of construction.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Building Operations
709
T a b l e 3 . — Permit Valuation of Building Construction in 2,108 Identical Cities, by Size
of City, January 1939
T o ta l c o n s tru c tio n
N u m b e r
of
. c itie s
S iz e o f c i ty
A ll r e p o r t in g c i tie s _________
2 ,1 0 8
$155, 883, 522
14
79
95
166
434
403
493
424
5 3 ,4 4 3 ,3 2 2
3 6 ,1 2 5 ,1 7 1
1 7 ,2 1 1 ,3 2 4
10, 701, 847
1 6 ,0 7 7 , 6 0 5
1 1 ,9 6 4 ,6 5 7
7 , 4 5 0 ,4 0 6
2 ,9 0 9 ,1 9 0
5 0 0 .0 0 0 a n d o v e r __________ _
1 0 0 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 ..
5 0 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 .. .
2 5 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 5 0 ,0 0 0 ____
1 0 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 2 5 ,0 0 0 ____
5 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 1 0 ,0 0 0 _____
2 ,5 0 0 a n d u n d e r 5 ,0 0 0 _____
1 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 2 ,5 0 0 ______
N ew
P e rm it
v a lu a tio n ,
Ja n u a ry
1939
A ll r e p o r tin g c itie s .
____
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e
fro m —
D ecem
b e r 1938
+ 6 .1
+ 1 5
+ 3 6
+ 2 7
-4 8
-2 5
+ 1 7
+ 2 1
+ 3 3
.5
.9
.6
.6
.2
.4
.2
.9
n o n re s id e n tia l b u ild in g s
S iz e o f c ity
5 0 0 .0 0 0 a n d o v e r ____________
1 0 0 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 ..
5 0 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 .. .
2 5 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 5 0 ,0 0 0 ____
1 0 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 2 5 ,0 0 0 ____
5 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 1 0 ,0 0 0 _____
2 ,5 0 0 a n d u n d e r 5 ,0 0 0 ______
1 .0 0 0 a n d u n d e r 2 ,5 0 0 ______
P e rm it
v a lu a tio n ,
Ja n u a ry
1939
$ 5 9 ,3 5 8 , 3 3 2
1 5 , 5 1 9 ,1 2 5
1 4 ,7 7 5 ,2 4 0
8 ,2 5 3 ,9 9 4
3 ,8 2 7 ,0 4 6
5, 606, 795
6 , 2 8 6 ,3 9 9
3 , 7 8 9 ,4 9 8
1, 3 0 0 , 2 3 5
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e
fro m —
D ecem
b e r 1938
- 3 .0
+ 7 3
+ 2 9
+ 1 2
-7 1
-4 7
+ 2 0
+ 1 4
+ 4 6
.6
.0
.8
.5
.3
.9
.4
.9
N ew
Ja n u a ry
1938
J an u a ry
1938
re s id e n tia l b u ild in g s
P e rm it
v a lu a tio n ,
Ja n u a ry
1939
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e
fro m —
D ecem
b e r 1938
Ja n u a ry
1938
- 1 3 .0
$72, 258, 035
+ 1 2 .9
- 2 7 .9
- 5 6 .1
+ 1 2 8 .6
+ 130. 2
+ 2 2 .8
+ 6 7 .5
+ 2 3 .7
+ 134. 5
- 8 .6
3 1 , 2 6 9 ,8 3 8
1 5 , 8 7 3 ,1 2 6
5, 727, 69 0
4 ,1 8 5 , 3 5 1
6 ,7 5 7 , 9 4 8
4, 542, 232
2 , 6 8 1 ,4 9 1
1 ,2 2 0 ,3 5 9
+ 2 .5
+ 6 4 .8
+ 4 0 .0
- 9 .6
- 1 7 .0
+ 2 1 .4
+ 1 7 .8
+ 2 2 .7
- 6 1 .0
+ 1 6 6 .9
+ 9 2 .3
+ 8 9 .2
+ 8 5 .8
+ 7 9 .4
+ 8 7 .8
- 3 .9
A d d itio n s , a lte ra tio n s , a n d
re p a irs
P e rm it
v a lu a tio n ,
Ja n u a ry
1939
P e rc e n ta g e c h a n g e
fro m —
D ecem
b e r 1938
P o p u la
tio n
(c e n su s
of
1930)
Ja n u a ry
1938
+ 7 .8
$ 2 4 , 2 6 7 ,1 5 5
+ 1 1 .3
+ 1 .4
60, 584, 929
- 4 9 .6
+ 1 8 5 .8
+ 3 6 5 .1
- 1 0 .9
+ 3 5 .6
+ 4 .9
+ 2 0 2 .4
- 2 1 .2
6 ,6 5 4 ,3 5 9
5 ,4 7 6 , 8 0 5
3 ,2 2 9 , 6 4 0
2 ,6 8 9 ,4 5 0
3 ,7 1 2 ,8 6 2
1 ,1 3 6 ,0 2 6
9 7 9 ,4 1 7
388, 596
- 2 .5
+ 3 .2
+ 5 5 .1
- 3 .0
+ 3 7 .0
- 9 .4
+ 7 4 .9
+ 3 2 .6
- 3 7 .1
+ 1 6 .8
+ 1 8 .6
+ 2 1 .7
+ 103. 6
- 1 .2
+ 9 7 .3
+ 4 7 .9
2 1 ,4 4 9 ,8 5 3
1 5 ,0 1 7 ,8 8 0
6 ,3 3 8 ,5 9 7
5 ,8 3 7 ,1 7 4
6, 671, 555
2 ,8 3 7 , 6 8 0
1, 7 54, 213
677, 977
The permit valuation of housekeeping dwellings in the 2,108 identi
cal cities reporting for December 1938 and January 1939, together
with the number of family-dwelling units provided in new dwellings,
by size of city, is given in table 4.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
710
T a b l e 4 , —Permit Valuation of Housekeeping Dwellings and Families Provided for in
2,108 Identical Cities, by Size of City, December 1938 and January 1939
Fermit valuation of house
keeping dwellings
Number of families provided for in—
All types
of dwell
ings
Size of city
January
1039
December
1938
1-family
dwellings
2-family
dwellings 1
M ulti
family 2
Per
cent
age
D e Jan D e Jan De Jan D e
change Janu- cem
cem
cem
uary ber uary cem
ber uary
ber uary
ber
1939 1938
1939 1938
1939 1938 1939 1938
All reporting cities____ $70,807,777 $63, 540, 373 +11.4 21, 029 17,077 10,663 10,295
849
766 9, 517 6,016
500,000 and o v e r ........... 31,267, 238 30, 296,815 + 3 .2
100,000 a n d u n d e r 15,326,126 9,631,851 +59.1
500,000.........................
50,000 and under 100,000. 5,529, 355 3,986, 338 +38.7
25,000 and under 50,000.. 4,148,266 4, 557,987 - 9 .0
10,000 and under 25,000.. 6,671,110 8.127,846 -1 7 .9
5,000and under 10,000... 4, 524, 232 3, 735,178 +21. 1
2,500 and under 5.000... 2,120,091 2, 210,057 - 4 .0
1,000 and unuer 2,500...
1,219,859
994, 301 +22.7
8, 739 8,082 2,859 2,848
5, 029 2,628 2,297 2,026
186
222
244 5, 694 4,990
153 2,510 449
925
1,077
930
1,243 1,047 1,028
2,075 1,640 1,677
992
1.050
935
616
657
595
265
287
256
99
97
150
52
31
12
1,669
1, 256
1,985
1,379
670
302
90
76
86
71
41
5
645
112
195
335
23
3
57
139
312
44
21
4
1 Includes 1- and 2-family dwellings w ith stores.
2 Includes multifamily dwellings with stores.
The information on building permits issued during January 1939
and December and January 1938 is based on reports received by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2,108 identical cities having a popula
tion of 1,000 and over.
The information is collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from
local building officials, except in the States of Illinois, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, where the
State departments of labor collect and forward the information to
the Bureau. The permit valuations shown in this report are estimates
made by prospective builders on applying for permits to build. No
land costs are included. Only building projects within the corporate
limits of the cities enumerated are included in the Bureau’s tabulation.
The data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show, in addition
to private and municipal construction, the value of buildings for which
contracts were awarded by the Federal and State Governments in the
cities included in the report. For January 1939 the value of these
buildings amounted to $24,977,000, for December 1938 to $14,029,000,
and for January 1938 to $2,118,000.
Construction from Public Funds
The value of contracts awarded and force-account work started
during January 1939 and December and January 1938 on construction
projects financed wholly or partially from various Federal funds is
shown in table 5.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Building Operations
711
T a b l e 5 . — Value of Contracts Awarded and Force-Account Work Started on Projects
Financed From Federal Funds, January 1939, December 1938, and January 1938 1
Contracts awarded and force-account work
started—
Federal agency
January 1939
Total...... ........................... ....................................
Public Works Administration:
Federal...................................................
Non-Federal:
N IR A ........ ................ ...........................
E R A A ............................................
PW A A .....................................................
Federal projects under The Works Program.
Regular Federal appropriations___________
U. S. Housing Authority_______________ _
December 19382 January 1938 2
$124,055,934
$510, 503, 381
1, 690, 604
24, 225, 382
341,470
133,478
1, 740, 761
18,294,955
1,198,801
99,275,421
1, 721,914
1,869, 612
3,960,851
201, 251,232
9,386, 556
260, 306,086
9, 503, 662
2,026,947
35, 576,151
$83, 755,897
7,423, 431
38, 387,898
1 Preliminary, subject to revision.
2 Revised.
The value of public-building and highway construction awards
financed wholly from appropriations from State funds, as reported
by the various State governments for January 1939 and December
and January 1938 is shown in table 6.
T a b l e 6 . — Value of Public-Building and Highway-Construction Awards Financed
Wholly From State Funds
Value of contracts
Type of project
Public buildings_____________________
Highway construction___________________
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
January 1939
December 1938
$246, 322
7, 038, 663
$205, 283
4,051, 786
January 1938
$1,885, 350
2, 870,821
Trend o f Em ploym ent and P ay Rolls
SU M M A R Y OF R E P O R T S FO R JA N U A R Y 1939
Total Nonagricultural Employment
SEASONAL employment declines in retail stores, factories, and con
struction accounted primarily for the decrease of approximately
880,000 in the number of workers engaged in nonagricultural indus
tries in January as compared with December. This decline was only
slightly larger than that which took place from December 1936 to
January 1937, and was much smaller than the unusually sharp drop
from December 1937 to January 1938. Compared with January of
last year, there was a decrease of 100,000 workers. These figures do
not include employees on Works Progress Administration and Na
tional Youth Administration projects, enrollees in the Civilian Con
servation Corps, nor certain temporary workers who are hired only
during peaks of activity in some industries.
Emergency employment declined approximately 81,000 in January.
This decline resulted from a reduction of nearly 92,000 in projects
operated by the WPA, partly offset by increases in the number of
CCC enrollees and those on NYA work projects.
Industrial and Business Employment
There was a decrease of 1.9 percent in factory employment, indi
cating the release of approximately 130,000 wage earners since De
cember. Corresponding pay rolls fell 3.8 percent, representing a
loss of $6,300,000 in weekly wages. These decreases were of seasonal
proportions. The index of factory employment for January (89.5
percent of the 1923-25 average) was 1.9 percent above the level of
January 1938, when a sharp reduction in industrial activity was under
way. The index of factory pay rolls (83.2 percent of the 1923-25
average) was 10.9 percent higher than a year ago.
Gains in employment were reported by 19 and increases in pay rolls
by 16 of the 87 manufacturing industries surveyed monthly by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the durable-goods group there was a
1.8 percent decrease in employment and a 4.9 percent recession in pay
712
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
713
rolls. For the nondurable-goods industries there was a somewhat
greater than seasonal decline of 1.8 percent in employment and a 2.7
percent drop in pay rolls. The industries in which substantial num
bers of workers were laid off included beet sugar (11,900), sawmills
(8,600), knit goods (8,600), confectionery (8,300), cigars and cigar
ettes (8,100), furniture (6,100), baking (5,600), men’s furnishings
(5,200), newspapers (4,500), and stoves (4,400). The following in
dustries showed declines ranging from 2,400 to 3,600 workers: Radios
and phonographs, automobiles, cement, meat packing, paper boxes,
and electrical machinery. Shoe factories added 10,800 workers to
their pay rolls, millinery firms took on 3,000 wage earners, factories
manufacturing agricultural implements added 2,600 workers and fer
tilizer plants rehired 2,200 men.
In retail trade, there was a post-holiday decline in employment
of 16.2 percent or well over half a million workers. The January 1939
employment index at 82.2 percent of the 1929 average was 2.2 percent
below the level of a year ago. The December-January decline, which
was slightly greater than seasonal, reflected the lay-off of the unusually
large extra force taken on for the holiday trade. Employment in the
general merchandising group decreased 37.0 percent but was only 0.8
percent below the level of January of last year. Apparel, jewelry,
furniture, hardware, and cigar stores reported large employment
losses. The other retail groups covered showed reductions of less
than 5 percent, with the exception of dealers in wood, coal, and ice
and in farm supplies, who increased the number of their employees
by 4.4 and 0.3 percent, respectively.
Wholesale trade as a group reduced employment seasonally by 2.1
percent. The principal employment reductions were in firms selling
food products, groceries, machinery, dry goods and apparel, farm prod
ucts, and automobiles, equipment and parts. The only groups re
porting increased employment were those dealing in farm supplies;
forest products, except finished lumber; and metals and minerals.
Anthracite mines reduced their working forces 2.5 percent and
bituminous-coal mines 0.7 percent. Pay rolls in the coal-mining
industries showed more pronounced declines than employment, re
flecting reduced production during the first half of January. Em
ployment in quarries declined less than seasonally, by 7.0 percent,
and showed a gain over January 1938 of 0.7 percent. Oil wells de
creased their operating forces by 1.2 percent, and metal mines by 1.5
percent. Power and light companies reported about the usual Jan
uary employment decline (1.6 percent), telephone and telegraph firms
reported 0.2 percent fewer workers, and electric railroads reported an
0.3 percent employment cut. A seasonal loss of 3.8 percent occurred
in dyeing and cleaning plants, and there were slight reductions in
129324— 39------ 15
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
714
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
laundries and hotels. Personnel in brokerage and insurance offices
was increased slightly, by 0.1 and 0.6 percent, respectively. The
gain in insurance companies raised the employment level 1.1 percent
above the corresponding month of 1938.
In private building construction, the decrease of 11.5 percent in
employment was, with the exception of January 1937, the smallest
January reduction reported since 1933. All parts of the country
reported reduced employment in construction, the smallest losses
occurring in the Pacific Coast and East and West South Central States,
while the largest declines were shown in the New England, the East
and West North Central, and the Mountain States. The figures are
based on reports which were supplied by 14,603 contractors employing
103,978 workers in January. They do not cover public construction
projects financed by the Public Works Administration, Reconstruction
Finance Corporation, or Works Progress Administration, or by regular
appropriations of the Federal, State, or local Governments.
A preliminary report of the Interstate Commerce Commission
indicated a decrease between December and January of 1.4 percent,
or 13,912 persons in the number employed by class I railroads. The
total number reported for January was 929,770. Corresponding pay
roll figures for January were not available when this report was
prepared. For December they amounted to $150,372,130 as against
149,011,526 for November, a gain of 0.9 percent.
Hours and earnings.—The average hours worked per week by wage
earners in manufacturing industries were 36.3 in January, a decrease of
2.2 percent since December. The corresponding average hourly earn
ings were 65.1 cents, an increase of 0.2 percent as compared with the
preceding month. Average weekly earnings decreased 1.9 percent to
$23.81.
Of the 14 nonmanufacturing industries for which man-hour data
are available, 3 showed increases in average hours worked per week
and 12 showed gains in average hourly earnings. Average weekly
earnings were higher for 5 of the 16 nonmanufacturing industries
surveyed.
Employment and pay-roll indexes and average weekly earnings in
January 1939 for all manufacturing industries combined, for selected
nonmanufacturing industries, and for class I railroads, with percentage
changes over the month and year intervals are presented in table 1.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
715
T able 1.— .E mployment, P ay Rolls, and Earnings in A ll Manufacturing Industries
Combined and in Nonmanufacturing Industries, January 1939 (Preliminary Figures)
Employment
Percentage
change
from—
Industry
Index,
January
1939
All manufacturing industries
combined 1...................................
Class I steam railroads 2..... ........
Coal mining:
Anthracite 4..... ........................
Bituminous 4...........................
Metalliferous m ining.............. .
Quarrying and nonmetallic
m ining.............................. ..........
Crude-petroleum producing___
Public utilities:
Telephone and telegraph___
Electric light and power and
manufactured gas_______
Electric-railroad and motorbus operation and mainte
nance......................................
Trade:
Wholesale________________
R e ta il.._________________
General merchandising..
Other than general mer
chandising.....................
Hotels (year-round) 47.................
Laundries 4_..................................
Dyeing and cleaning 4..................
Brokerage-...................................
Insurance........................................
Building construction.................
Percentage
change
from—
Index,
January
D e
cem
ber
Jan
uary
1938
1938
-1 .9
-1 .4
+ 1 .9
- 3 .1
{1 9 2 3 -2 5
= 100)
89.5
52.1
Average weekly
earnings
Pay roll
1939
De
cem
ber
1938
Jan
uary
Aver
age in
Jan
uary
1939
1938
Percentage
change
from—
D e
cem
ber
Jan
uary
1938
1938
{1 9 2 3 -2 5
= 100)
{1929=
100)
83.2
(3)
-3 .8
«
+ 1 0 .9 $23.81
(3)
-1 .9
+ 8 .9
(3)
(3)
(3)
{1929=
100)
50.0
88.7
61.4
-2 .5
-.7
-1 .5
- 1 6 .0
-8 .5
- 8 .9
38.0 - 1 0 . 6
78.1 - 3 . 5
55.3 + 2 .2
-1 8 .4
+ 1 0 .9
-6 .4
24.74
23.27
28.27
-8 .3
-2 .8
+ 3 .8
-2 .8
+ 2 1 .2
+ 2 .8
38.5
67.0
-7 .0
-1 .2
+• 7
- 1 1 .0
30.3
61.0
+ 9 .4
-1 0 .4
19. 76
33.08
-3 .0
-1 .1
+ 8 .6
+ .6
-9 .8
-2 .3
74.1
-.2
-4 .8
92.0
-.5
-1 .8
530.89
-.3
+ 3 .1
90.0
-1 .6
-4 .1
95.8
-2 .5
- 3 .1
5 33.52
-.9
+ 1 .0
69.2
-.3
-4 .2
71.2
+ 2 .1
88.1
- 2 .1
82.2 - 1 6 .2
90.7 - 3 7 .0
-3 .2
-2 .2
- .8
75.5
-.3
69.7 - 1 2 . 0
84.0 - 3 1 . 6
80.0
91.8
93.3
94.2
(3)
(3)
(3)
-7 .0
-.2
- .1
-3 .8
+ .1
+ .6
- 1 1 .5
-2 .6
-2 .7
-3 .6
-2 .6
-8 .0
+ 1 .1
- 1 2 .9
66.7
80.2
79.6
65.8
(3)
(3)
(3)
+ .8
5 32.20
+ 2 .4
+ 5 .2
-.6
-.7
3 29. 62
5 21.71
« 18.38
+ 1 .9
+ 5 .0
+ 8 .6
+ 3 .4
+ 1 .6
+ .1
-5 .0
-.7
-1 .1
-1 .6
-.6
-.7
-3 .7
- . 6 - 1 0 .1
+ .4
-1 4 .0 -1 0 .6
5 24.46
515.01
17.43
19.15
536.44
5 34.99
28.18
+ 2 .2
-.9
-.4
+ .1
- .7
-.2
-2 .7
+ 1 .9
+ 1 .1
+ 3 .0
+ 3 .1
-2 .3
-.7
+ 2 .3
+(«)
1 Revised indexes—Adjusted to 1935 Census of Manufactures. Indexes for earlier months and years given
in table 3 of the November 1938 issue of the M onthly Labor Review.
2 Preliminary; Source: Interstate Commerce Commission.
3 N ot available.
4 Indexes adjusted to 1935 census. Comparable series back to January 1929 presented in January 1938 issue
of the pamphlet, Employment and Pay Rolls.
5 Average weekly earnings not strictly comparable w ith figures published in issues of the M onthly Labor
Review dated earlier than April 1938 (except for the January figures appearing in the March issue), as they
now exclude corporation officers, executives, and other employees whose duties are mainly supervisory.
6 Less than Ho of 1 percent.
7 Cash payments only; the additional value of board, room, and tips cannot be computed.
Public Employment
Employment on projects financed by the Public Works Administra
tion continued to increase with the gain in the number of projects
under construction which were financed from funds provided by the
Public Works Administration Appropriation Act of 1938. There
were 217,000 employees for the month ending January 15, 1939, on
all Public Works Administration projects, a gain of 23,000 over the
number working in December 1938 and more than double the num
ber at work a year ago. Pay rolls for January 1939 were $17,079,000.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
716
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
During the month ending January 15 approximately 2,800 men
were working on projects of the United States Housing Authority,
and pay rolls amounted to $320,000. These figures cover new con
struction and demolition and pertain only to the projects started
under the United States Housing Authority; those formerly under
the Public Works Administration are shown under PWA building
construction projects in this report.
A seasonal decrease of 33,000 in employment occurred on construc
tion projects financed from regular Federal appropriations. For the
month ending January 15, 182,000 men were at work. Decreases
in employment were reported for all types of projects with the following
exceptions: Rural Electrification Administration projects, ship con
struction, and water and sewerage projects. Pay rolls on construction
projects financed from regular Federal appropriations in January
were $18,704,000.
Slightly more than 2,500 men were working on construction projects
financed by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation during the
month ending January 15. Pay-roll disbursements for the period
totaled $290,000.
There Was a further curtailment of work-relief employment on
projects operated by the Works Progress Administration in January
when about 92,000 workers were laid off, reducing the number working
to 2,895,000. As compared with last January, however, nearly
995.000 more persons were at work. Pay rolls for January 1939
amounting to $155,733,000 were $11,271,000 less than in December
1938, and $62,395,000 more than the pay rolls for January a year
ago. For the month ending January 15, the number of persons work
ing on Federal projects under The Works Program declined 3,000
and pay rolls dropped $405,000. A gain of 1,000 in employment was
reported on work projects of the National Youth Administration.
Data on employment and pay rolls for Student Aid in January will
not be available until next month.
As the result of the beginning of an enlistment period there were
330.000 employees in camps of the Civilian Conservation Corps in
January, an increase of 9,000 over the number for December. Of
the total number employed 294,000 were enrollees, 5,000 reserve
officers, 300 nurses, 1,600 educational advisers, and 29,000 super
visory and technical employees. For all groups of workers pay-roll
disbursements in January totaled $14,709,000.
In the regular services of the Federal Government decreases in
employment were reported in all services with the exception of the
legislative. Of the 864,000 employees in the executive service in
January 120,000 were working in the District of Columbia, and
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
717
744,000 outside the District. Force-account employees (employees
who are on the Federal pay roll and are engaged on construction
projects) were 10 percent of the total number of employees in the
executive service. Increases in employment occurred in the number
of force-account employees for the Panama Canal and in the ad
ministrative offices of the Public Works Administration. The follow
ing departments were among those agencies reporting decreased em
ployment: Post Office and War.
The effect of seasonal influences on employment on construction
work was evident on State-financed road projects. During the month
ending January 15, 153,000 men were working on these road projects,
a decrease of 31,000 compared with the preceding period. Of the
total number at work 18,000 were engaged on new road construction
and 135,000 on maintenance. Pay rolls for both types of road work
amounted to $10,525,000.
A summary of Federal employment and pay-roll data for December
1938 and January 1939 is given in table 2.
T a b l e 2 . — Summary of Federal Employment and P ay Rolls, January 1939 (Preliminary
Figures ’)
Employment
Class
January
1939
Decem
ber 1938
Federal services:
Executive 2____________________
863,911 2 918, 861
2, 228
2,271
Judicial________________________
5,234
Legislative____ ________________
5,145
M ilitary___________ ___________
339, 680
340,891
Construction projects:
Financed by PW A 4 - - - - - - . . . 217,266
194, 677
USHA low-cost housing. ---------2, 774
2,301
Financed by RFC «------------------2,546
2,892
Financed by regular Federal appropriations..................... ..............
181, 976
214,844
Federal projects under The Works
124,074
Program------------- ----------------------- 121,095
Projects operated by WPA_ ________ 2, 895,214 2,986,931
National Youth Administration:
Work pro jects..------ ------------------ 238,862
237, 399
368,921
(6)
Civilian Conservation Corps________
330,144
320,975
Percentage
change
- 6 .0
- 1 .9
+ 1 .7
-.4
Pay rolls
January
1939
December
1938
$131,382, 390 3$142,064,975
547, 687
554,388
1,197,211
1, 209,738
26, 674,833
26,935, 537
Percentage
change
- 7 .5
-1 .2
+ 1.0
-
1.0
+11.6
+20.6
-1 2 .0
17,079,092
319, 784
290,403
16,169, 889
292, 583
308, 347
+ 5 .6
+ 9 .3
-5 .8
-1 5 .3
18, 704,411
20,190,980
-7 .4
-2 .4
- 3 .1
5, 509,841
155, 733,123
5,914,821
3 167,004,505
-6 .8
- 6 .7
+ :e
4, 376,868
(«)
14, 709,313
4,328,281
2, 395, 855
14,449,956
+ 1.1
+ 2 .9
+ 1 .8
1 Includes data on projects financed wholly or partially from Federal funds.
2 Includes force-account and supervisory and technical employees shewn under other classifications to
the extent of 114,673 employees and pay-roll disbursements of $13,943,027 for January 1939 and 124,937
employees and pay-roll disbursements of $14,670,121 for December 1938.
2 Revised.
4 Data covering PW A projects financed from Emergency Relief Appropriation Acts of 1935, 1936, and
1937 funds and Public Works Administration Appropriation Act of 1938 funds are included. These data
are not shown under The Works Program. Includes 36,993 wage earners and $3,325,884 pay roll for Janu
ary 1939; 46,049 wage earners and $4,106,952 pay roll for December 1938, covering Public Works Adminis
tration projects financed from Emergency Relief Appropriation Acts of 1935,1936, and 1937 funds. Includes
170,942 wage earners and $12,626,438 pay roll for January 1939; 136,966 wage earners and $10,747,455 pay roll
for December 1938, covering Public Works Administration projects financed from funds provided by the
Public Works Administration Appropriation Act of 1938.
5 Includes 256 employees and pay-roll disbursements of $18,321 for January 1939; 241 employees and pay
roll disbursements of $19,499 for December 1938 on projects financed by the RFC Mortgage Co.
6 January data not available.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
718
Monthly Labor Review-—March 1939
D E T A IL E D R E P O R T S FO R D E C E M B E R 1938
A MONTHLY report on employment and pay rolls is published as
a separate pamphlet by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This gives
detailed data regarding employment, pay rolls, working hours, and
earnings for the current month for industrial and business establish
ments and for the various forms of public employment. This pam
phlet is distributed free upon request. Its principal contents for
the month of December, insofar as industrial and business employ
ment is concerned, are reproduced in this section of the Monthly
Labor Review.
Industrial and Business Employment
Monthly reports on employment and pay rolls are available for
the following groups: 87 manufacturing industries; 16 nonmanu
facturing industries, including private building construction; and
class I steam railroads. The reports for the first two of these groups—
manufacturing and nonmanufacturing—are based on sample surveys
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and in virtually all industries the
samples are large enough to be entirely representative. The figures
on class I steam railroads are compiled by the Interstate Commerce
Commission and are presented in the foregoing summary.
EMPLOYMENT, PAY ROLLS, HOURS, AND EARNINGS
The indexes for the manufacturing industries have been adjusted
to the 1935 Census of Manufactures and are not comparable to those
published in the July 1938 and earlier issues of the pamphlet. Com
parable indexes for earlier months and years are available on request.
Electric- and steam-railroad repair shops have been excluded from the
new series in keeping with the reclassification for the 1937 Census of
Manufactures.
The average hours worked per week, average hourly earnings, and
average weekly earnings for all manufacturing industries combined
now relate to 87 industries, instead of 89 as heretofore, because of
the exclusion of electric- and steam-railroad repair shops. This
exclusion also affects the averages for the durable-goods group be
cause these industries were classified in that group. The average
hours and hourly earnings for the 87 manufacturing industries com
bined, and for the manufacturing groups, are weighted on the basis
of estimated employment for the separate industries. As these
estimates have been affected by the revision of the indexes, it follows
that the weighted averages for November and December differ from
the averages that would result if the former estimates of employment
were used as weights. Revised averages for earlier months will be
computed and made available in the near future.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
719
The indexes and averages for the iron and steel group and the nonferrous metal products group have been affected by the transfer of the
stamped and enameled ware industry from the latter group to the
former. The indexes, hours, and hourly earnings for the knit-goods
industry are now weighted on the basis of four subdivisions (hosiery,
knitted outerwear, knitted underwear, and knitted cloth) for which
separate figures are now given. Tractor manufacturing establish
ments have been transferred from the engine, turbine, water wheel,
and windmill industry to the agricultural implement industry, there
by affecting the figures for both industries.
The revised series of employment and pay-roll indexes, as well as
average hours worked per week, average hourly earnings, and average
weekly earnings for October, November, and December 1938, where
available, are presented in table 1. The October and November
figures, where given, may differ in some instances from those previously
published, not only because of the foregoing, but also because of revi
sions necessitated by the inclusion of late reports and other causes.
The weekly average earnings shown in table 1 are computed by
dividing the total weekly pay rolls in the reporting establishments
by the total number of full- and part-time employees reported. As all
reporting establishments do not supply man-hour data, average hours
worked per week and average hourly earnings are necessarily based on
data supplied by a smaller number of reporting firms. The size and
composition of the reporting sample varies slightly from month to
month and therefore the average hours per week, average hourly earn
ings, and average weekly earnings shown are not strictly comparable
from month to month. The sample, however, is believed to be suffi
ciently adequate in virtually all instances to indicate the general move
ments of earnings and hours over the period shown. The changes from
the preceding month, expressed as percentages, are based on identical
lists of firms for the 2 months, but the changes from December 1937
are computed from chain indexes based on the month-to-month
percentage changes.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
T a b l e 1.—
Employment, P a y Rolls, Hours, and Earnings in Manufacturing and Nonmanufacturing Industries
^
M A N U F A C T U R IN G
°
[Indexes are based on 3-year average, 1923-25=100, and are adjusted to 1935 Census of Manufactures. N ot comparable to indexes published in pamphlets prior to August 1938.
parable series available upon request]
Com
Employment index
Pay-roll index
Average weekly
earnings 1
Average hours worked
per week 1
Average hourly
earnings 1
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem October
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Industry
A l l m a n u f a c t u r i n g . .......... ..
.
...
D u r a b l e g o o d s ........ .............. .. .
N o n d u r a b l e g o o d s ..........
C e n ts
C e n ts
jr*
§*1
5
3*
C e n ts
91.2
90.5
89. 5
86.6
84.1
83.8
$24. 24
$23.82
$23. 95
37.1
36. 5
37.4
64.8
64. 5
63.7
^
83.1
98.8
82.1
98.4
79. 0
99.4
80. 4
93. 5
78 3
90.6
75 2
93.4
27 25
21. 52
27 11
20.85
26 95
21. 35
66 8
37.4
36.4
37.
4
58.4
58! 0
57! 9
§*
87.4
91.1
91.6
66.1
86. 5
89.8
90.0
65.7
83.9
86.1
84.9
65.4
80.8
83.2
94.4
55.7
79.1
81.9
90.6
54.5
74.9
73.9
81.0
53.8
26. 90
28.49
26.41
20.01
26.64
28.48
25. 69
19. 71
25.94
26. 79
24.42
19.54
35.6
33.8
38.0
34.0
35.1
33.8
37.1
33.9
34.9
31.9
35.0
34.1
75.7
84.2
69.7
58.4
75.7
84.1
69.5
58.0
75.3
83.9
69.9
56.9
82.9
49.6
86.3
72.6
134.3
82.6
48.0
84.4
73.0
133. 6
80.2
45.6
79.5
73.1
128.7
78.6
49.4
90.1
60.4
136.0
75.5
44.4
93.2
54.9
133.5
73.6
41.9
86.3
62.0
133.3
23.93
29. 25
25. 31
23. 55
24.33
23.11
27.18
26.79
21.34
24.03
23.22
26.94
26.32
24.14
24.88
39.8
38.4
38.0
35.7
38.5
39.0
36.0
39.0
32.0
38.1
39.3
36.3
38.8
36.1
39. 7
60.7
76.2
66.7
66.1
62.9
60.2
74.6
68.9
66.6
63. 2
59.7
74.3
68.0
66.7
62.7
67.9
74.7
61.9
84.1
69.1
78 9
60.7
84.6
71.3
83.1
61.1
86.2
58.4
61.4
53.2
87.9
53.3
62.7
50.1
87.5
59.0
75.7
50.5
89.2
25.05
24.30
27.18
22.76
23. 27
23.55
26.07
22.50
24.98
26. 98
26.12
22.50
35.9
36.9
37.4
37.7
33.9
35.5
36.0
37.3
36.3
41.0
36.3
37.3
69.9
67.2
72.7
60.8
68.9
66.7
72.5
60.7
69.0
66.2
72.0
60.6
83.9
171.6
91.8
105.0
80.9
164.6
89. 5
98.6
77.0
148. 5
87.2
93.7
82.0
185. 9
89.2
113.5
75.8
189.2
83.9
95.0
71.9
156.1
81.9
92.4
24.19
26.16
26. 93
29. 76
23. 24
26.39
26.04
27.08
23.11
25.65
26. 07
27.11
39.6
38.6
37.4
37.3
38.0
38.8
36.2
34.3
38.2
37.9
36.3
35.2
61.2
67.8
72.1
80.2
61.2
68.1
72.0
79.4
60.8
68.0
71.7
77.7
134.6
83.7
135.4
83.2
136.1
80.7
118.8
82.4
119.7
80.4
119.7
78.0
28. 51
27.08
28. 57
26.69
28.43
26. 71
35.1
37.0
35.0
36.7
34.9
36.5
82.1
82.3
73.2 » 73.0
82.2
73.2
85.3
81.7
83.5
78.9
83.4
77.5
98.0
75.9
91.6
70.6
90.4
69.4
29.73
26.48
28.35
25. 51
28.01
25. 54
37.7
37.2
36.2
35.8
35.8
36.0
79.3
71.2
78.6
71.3
78.5
70.9
D u r a b le goods
Iro n a n d s te e l a n d th e ir p ro d u c ts , n o t in c lu d in g
m a c h i n e r y . . __________________
Blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling m ills..
Bolts, nuts, washers, and rivets____ _________
Cast-iron pipe_____ _______ . .
. .
Cutlery (not including silver and plated cutlery) and edge tools______________________
Forgings, iron and steel____ ________________
Hardware______ _
__________________ .
Plumbers’ supplies_______________________
Stamped and enameled ware________ _____ .
Steam and hot-water heating apparatus and
s t e a m fittings................ ................................
Stoves__________________________________ .
Structural and ornamental metal work____ .
Tin cans and other tinware__________ . . .
Tools (not including edge tools, machine tools,
files, and saws)__________ ____ ___________
Wirework_________ ____ _______________ .
M a c h in e ry , n o t in c lu d in g tra n s p a rta tio n e q u ip m e n t.
Agricultural implements (including tractors)..
Cash registers, adding machines, and calculating machines____________________________
Electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies.
Engines, turbines, water wheels, and windmills_________ _________________________
FRASER
Foundry and machine-shop produdts________
Digitized for
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
§
2
T
1
^
®
Ql.
^
7®
vo
119.9
118.0
67.0
127.9
96. 1
845.1
106.9
29.8
17.4
100.5
94.8
140.4
117.6
118.8
64.2
128.9
91.6
814.9
101.9
26.3
16.9
96.6
95.4
143.2
100.5
84.1
54.0
50.9
70. 5
51.3
62.6
93.0
42.3
79.9
54.9
52.3
71.6
52.4
67.8
92. 1
42.9
80.0
T e x t i l e s a n d t h e i r p r o d u c t s _____ _____________________
98.6
F a b r i c s .............. .. ................... .. ................ .. .............. .. ..................
91.8
C a r p e t s a n d r u g s .............................................................
81.5
C o t t o n g o o d s ...................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..........
87.1
C o t t o n s m a l l w a r e s ____________ __________ ____
84.5
D y e i n g a n d f in i s h i n g t e x t i l e s _______ ________ _
112.1
H a t s , f u r - f e l t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................. .. ..................
82.4
K n i t g o o d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...............
115.1
H o s i e r y .................. ..................... .. ................ ..............
145.7
K n i t t e d o u t e r w e a r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
79.0
K n i t t e d u n d e r w e a r .............................................
71.2
K n i t t e d c l o t h . . . . . . . . . ............................................... ..
160.2
S i l k a n d r a y o n g o o d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
63.2
"W o o l e n a n d w o r s t e d p o o d s ........................... .........
85.3
96.9
89.5
79.5
100.2
82.9
96.9
94.2
66.9
72.5
64. 1
79.8
101.0
120.0
110.8
56. 1
67.8
65.8
56.2
64.9
110.5
97.9
56.5
128.1
83. 8
780.8
91. 3
23.5
11.1
95.1
88. 5
148.4
96. 2
85.6
91.8
78.1
62.4
62.2
60. 0
68.4
54.0
53.1
70.1
52.0
70.1
87.5
42.3
77.7
44.6
44.9
63. 5
39.4
57.2
99.4
31.4
75.5
44.5
46.4
63.8
39.0
63.7
98.6
30.7
74.5
46.0
50.4
63.0
40.6
65.4
92.9
30. 1
73. 2
21.71
19.27
24.03
20. 06
25. 50
25. 76
25.08
23.56
21.40
19. 57
23.82
19. 46
26. 15
25.68
24. 12
23.12
22.40
20.94
23. 96
20.37
26. 02
25.47
23.87
23.41
40.2
36.7
36.5
37.2
37.1
35.7
35.4
37.3
39.7
37.0
36.3
36.5
38.0
35.7
34.9
36.8
42.4
40.9
37. 1
38.8
37.8
35.6
35.2
37.2
54.1
53.3
65. 1
53.7
68.8
72.3
71.0
63.1
54.0
53.7
64.5
53.1
68.8
72.2
68.8
62.4
52.8
52.0
64.0
52.6
69.2
71.6
66.8
62.6
97.5
87.2
76.7
83.7
79.9
105. 8
89.1
114.5
143.9
83.3
70.2
156.3
61.2
71.9
83.3
81.1
71.1
75.7
82.2
97.2
75.3
119. 5
164.1
73.3
62.4
126.8
51.8
72.8
78.4
77.3
66.9
73.6
77.3
92.7
70.1
118.5
165.0
83. 1
76.5
66.0
72. 4
77.4
92.0
78.0
122.1
167.0
77.0
62.7
131.0
50.2
58.1
16. 99
16. 80
23.03
14. 13
18. 46
20. 87
23. 84
18.15
19.51
17.87
14. 75
17.93
15. 79
19. 80
16. 35
16. 35
22.29
13.89
17.81
20. 47
21.77
18.18
19. 74
16.81
14.58
17. 45
15.15
18. 78
17. 00
16.65
22.78
14. 04
18. 56
20.99
22. 13
18. 68
20. 13
17.91
15. 06
18.99
15.83
18. 75
35.7
37.1
36.8
36.8
39.1
39.0
34.0
36.8
36.9
38.0
35.0
38.1
37.2
37.8
34.6
36.3
35.5
36.2
38.0
38.2
31.5
36.8
37.2
36.6
35.0
37.2
35.6
35.8
35. 5
37.0
36.0
36.8
39.9
39.2
31. 2
37.7
37.5
39.2
36.1
40.8
37.2
35.6
48.2
46.1
62.6
38.4
47.7
53.2
70.5
50.4
53.3
46.7
42.2
46.9
42.3
52.4
47.8
40.0
62.7
38.4
47.4
53.0
69.7
50.5
53.8
45.9
41.5
46.9
42.1
52.6
48.6
45.9
63.2
38.2
46.9
53.0
67.2
50.8
54.4
45.4
41.5
46.0
42.2
52.7
107.6
66.9
130.3
98.7
879.6
107.4
28.2
13.7
107.3
90.1
144.0
98.9
83.2
84.9
84.7
68.3
68.2
106.9
61.3
130.9
95.9
799.0
107.6
23.1
12.8
94.2
90.2
148.0
99.8
87.1
82.7
83.4
66.2
28. 44
22.62
26.08
24.46
32. 64
31.72
33.15
25.93
25. 34
31.87
25. 76
26. 33
26.92
21.23
24.11
24.41
28.07
26.58
20. 14
20. 60
26.78
22.40
24. 83
24. 39
33.64
29.81
34.89
24.21
24. 30
29.05
25.70
26.44
27.14
21.88
22.81
25.43
27. 39
26.03
19.91
19. 75
27.12
22.53
24.09
24. 55
33.88
30.79
34.98
25. 62
22.14
30. 75
26. 06
26. 66
27.28
21.66
25.89
25.53
26. 77
26. 34
21.09
20.77
38.4
38.8
41.0
38.1
36.4
42.0
36.0
35.6
32.9
37.5
38.6
38.5
38.2
36.9
40.8
36.6
43.3
38.4
38.0
39.4
36.3
38.5
36.6
37.9
37. 1
40.2
37.5
32.7
31.7
34.5
38.7
40.4
38.3
38.1
39.2
37.6
42.4
37.9
37.6
37.9
36.8
39.1
36.6
38.0
38.6
40.4
38.7
34.7
29.2
36.9
39.7
40.1
38.5
37.7
45.2
38.7
41.5
38.2
41.0
40.5
74.0
58.2
63.5
64.1
89.8
76.5
92.4
72.8
77.0
84.7
6e.7
68.3
70.8
57.6
59.2
69.1
65.0
69.2
53.2
52.7
73.8
58.2
67.9
64.4
90.6
75.1
93.2
74.0
76.5
83.8
66.2
65.5
71.0
57.9
57.6
67.7
64.9
68.8
53.3
52.4
73.8
57.7
66.0
64.6
87.8
75.5
90.6
73.9
75.9
83.2
65. 9
66.5
70.9
57.5
56.3
65.9
64. 5
68.9
52.0
51.8
N o n d u r a b le goods
86.1
83.0
109.3
82.8
114.2
144.8
78.2
70.9
155.8
61.7
78.4
68.6
61.4
119.6
48.6
63.7
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
91.6
66.5
71.1
65.2
79.5
115.8
108.0
61.3
125.3
79.4
785.8
86.3
25.3
16.1
92.1
92.2
142.4
96.4
83.6
100.3
85.4
64.0
66.4
65.7
79.7
M a c h i n e to o l s _______ _______ _______________________
R a d i o s a n d p h o n o g r a p h s . . . ........... .. ................ ..............
T e x til e m a c h in e r y a n d p a r t s _____________________
T y p e w r i te r s a n d p a r t s ____________________________
T r a n s p o r t a t i o n e q u i p m e n t . ............. .............. ............................
A i r c r a f t . . _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ ___________
A u t o m o b i l e s .................... .............. ........... .. ..................... .........
C a r s , e l e c t r ic - a n d s te a m - r a i lr o a d _______________
L o c o m o t i v e s __________________ ___________ _________
S h i p b u i l d i n g . _____ _ __________ ___________ _______ _
N o n f e r r o u s m e t a l s a n d t h e i r p r o d u c t s .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A l u m i n u m m a n u f a c t u r e s . ............................. .. ................
B r a s s , b r o n z e , a n d c o p p e r p r o d u c t s _________
C lo c k s a n d w a tc h e s a n d tim e -re c o rd in g d e v ic e s .
J e w e l r y .................. ................................................................ .........
L i g h t i n g e q u i p m e n t ............ .. ............................ .. ................
S i l v e r w a r e a n d p l a t e d w a r e . . _______ ___________
S m e ltin g a n d re fin in g — C o p p e r , le a d , a n d z in c .
L u m b e r a n d a l l i e d p r o d u c t s ...................... .............. ........... ..
F u r n i t u r e — . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ................ ..
L u m b e r:
M i l l w o r k — _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___________ ___________ ____
S a w m il ls _______________________________________
S t o n e , c l a y , a n d g l a s s p r o d u c t s . . ...........................................
B r i c k , t i l e , a n d t e r r a c o t t a ............................ .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
C e m e n t .................. ........... ........... ....................... ......... ........... ..
G l a s s ............... .. ..................... .............. ........................................ ..
M a r b l e , g r a n i t e , s l a t e , a n d o t h e r p r o d u c t s _____
P o t t e r y ____________ ________ _ _________ __________ _
S e e fo o tn o te s a t e n d o f ta b le .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
K5
T a b l e l.—Employment, P ay Rolls, Hours, and Earnings in Manufacturing and Nonmanufacluring Industries— C o n tin u e d
to
to
MANUFACTURING— Continued
Industry
Employment index
Pay-roll index
Average weekly
earnings
Average hours worked
per week
Average hourly
earnings
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
N ondurable goods— Continued
Continued.
Wearing apparel.........- ...........—............ - ..............
Clothing, men’s .- ----------- . . ------------------Clothing, women’s ............................ .............
T e x tile s a n d th e ir p r o d u c ts —
M en’s furnishings---------- --------- ------------M illinery________________ _____ ________
Baking__ _________________________________
Beverages_________________________________
Canning and preserving-----------------------------Confectionery--------------- ------------------------Slaughtering and meat packing. ---------------Sugar, beet............................. ..............................
Sugar refining, cane_____________ ________
Chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff------Cigars and cigarettes.--------------------------------........ -Boxes, p a p er..-------------------------------- - .............
Paper and pulp.......................................................
P a p e r a n d p r i n t i n g ............. ....................... ..
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Cents
112.2
97.1
160.6
99.6
149.0
57.8
116.4
88.6
87.6
85.3
120. 1
143.5
223. 3
95.1
85.3
91.3
78.1
68.7
102.4
230.7
84.4
65.2
62.1
65.6
108.0
103.9
106.3
112.0
98.1
158.5
98.5
149.7
55.1
117.7
84.8
83.3
84.0
123.4
144.6
229.2
96.8
103.3
90.6
78.2
70.4
100.7
274.8
86.6
66.9
61.9
67.5
107. 0
105.2
105.9
119.6
104.5
171.4
98.9
149.2
74.2
119.2
89.6
89.9
81.2
128.8
144.3
233.6
99.4
147.3
93.0
77.5
73.7
97.4
270.3
89.0
66.3
57.7
67.4
105. 5
102.8
104.8
84.7
68.3
114.8
102.8
143.3
43.2
105.3
70.0
63.3
87.6
120.9
138.2
257.2
80.4
77.4
91.5
73.0
60.0
112.5
221.9
72.9
59.6
73.0
57.9
107.3
109.4
103.4
78.0
63.1
101.7
99.8
150.7
40.4
104.1
62.4
54.4
84.7
122.4
139.7
264.7
82.4
86.0
84.9
73.8
60.7
110.0
275.3
75.4
59.8
69.1
58.5
103.3
110.0
102.9
93.0
74.9
128.8
104.8
140.1
62.7
99.3
69.6
64.5
81.7
127.0
139.5
272.6
85.6
130.3
91.6
79.7
63.6
110.0
228.4
79.3
60.7
63.3
60.3
103.7
112.7
106.5
$17. 61
18. 39
18.88
17.38
15.08
19.12
14.00
18.62
17.11
24. 77
24.72
25. 26
32.02
22.10
16. 55
18. 65
24.42
29.21
27. 68
24. 75
23. 29
16. 92
18.40
16. 56
28.61
21.49
23. 85
$16.35
16. 73
17.10
16. 96
15.91
18. 99
13. 70
17. 22
15.41
24.30
24.22
25. 21
32.11
22. 27
15.14
17. 40
24. 67
28.89
27. 54
25. 77
23.46
16.55
17.47
16.33
27. 58
21.34
23. 78
$18.01
18. 68
19. 94
17.75
14.85
21.92
12.84
18. 32
16.97
24.23
24.11
25. 30
32.50
22. 52
16.07
18. 23
26.88
29.06
28.51
21.74
23.96
16.84
17.17
16.77
28. 14
22.29
24.85
33.1
31.5
33.5
37.3
35. 6
28.7
35.4
36.2
35.5
39.2
40.4
41.3
37.4
45.4
35.4
40.3
40.8
45.2
40.8
47.0
38.2
35.9
36.3
35.9
38.6
40.3
39.0
31.4
28.9
31.1
36.8
38.3
28.6
35.3
32. 8
31.3
38.6
40. 1
41.6
37.8
45.8
3 3 .5
37.8
41.6
44.9
40.5
51.2
37.7
35.8
34.2
35.9
3 7 .9
40.4
38.9
33.1
31.4
33.0
38.8
36.7
33.9
34.7
35. 3
34. 6
38.5
41.0
42.0
38.5
46.6
37.3
40.2
45.2
45.1
41.8
42.5
38.5
37. 1
35.0
37.4
38. 6
42.2
40.6
52.1
58.7
51.8
46.3
37.9
63.9
39.6
52. 6
50.0
63.1
61. 9
61.6
86.4
48.8
48.1
46.6
59.7
63.8
68. 2
53.0
61.0
46. 9
50.9
46.4
77. 1
53. 8
61.3
Cents
51.0
57.2
50. 5
46.0
38.0
66. 3
38.9
53. 3
50.8
62.9
61. 2
61.1
85.7
48.7
47.0
46.7
59. 5
63.5
68. 5
50.6
62.2
46. 2
51. 3
45.6
76. 2
53. 3
61.3
Cents
53.1
59.1
54.8
45. 8
36.4
62.3
37.0
53.0
50.6
63.0
59. 8
60.9
85.5
48.3
44.9
45.9
58. 7
63.4
68.5
51.4
62.3
45. 6
49.3
45.2
76.4
53. 2
61.3
103.7
108.0
101.4
107.1
99.6
106.0
96.9
113.2
89.1
109.6
87.9
108.7
31.10
38. 56
29.22
37.11
29.35
37. 25
39.3
36.7
37.1
36.4
37.3
36.5
79.8
101.1
79.8
98.5
79.9
99.1
112.7
118.1
111.4
116.9
113.9
109.2
82.7
82.3
112.4
311.3
88.6
83.6
65.1
67.2
134.7
113.0
118.9
111.6
117.2
116.3
109.7
82.8
78.5
112.4
312.8
88.9
82.4
63.4
66.1
133.6
113.4
119.5
111.9
114.8
122.1
110.3
84.1
79.5
112.9
314.4
93.2
77.7
60.1
63.5
123.3
120. 1
134.1
115.8
129.8
95.5
120.2
95.1
70.0
115.4
302.4
89.7
89.0
65.9
79.0
133.7
119.1
133.6
114.6
128.1
100.1
119.6
91.7
65.2
113.8
302.7
88.3
85.2
60.6
75.3
130.7
120. 1
132.8
116.2
128.1
104.0
123.9
96.5
70.1
116.3
302.6
94.8
79.7
61.6
69.1
122.6
28. 52
35. 30
25. 66
30. 72
12. 76
24.80
31.64
15.75
27.80
23.80
28.80
28.40
23.17
33.80
23.44
28. 26
34. 86
25.41
30. 22
13.11
24.54
30.45
15.38
27. 34
23. 74
28. 29
27. 58
21.88
32. 77
23.09
28.41
34. 45
25. 79
30. 88
13.04
25.31
31. 62
16. 41
27.83
23. 63
28.98
27. 27
23.48
31. 25
23. 43
38.2
36.4
38.9
39. 4
43 4
39.6
39. 5
35.5
39.9
37.1
38. 8
37.4
38.8
35.2
39.4
37.8
35.8
38.6
38.9
44.7
38.7
38.0
33.9
39.4
37.0
38.0
36.7
36.6
34.5
39.2
38.7
35.5
39.9
39.8
51.3
40.3
39.4
36.7
40.1
37.0
39.4
36.6
38.7
33.1
40.0
74.3
97.4
65.8
78.1
29.0
59.3
80.1
44.4
69.9
64.1
74.5
76.4
59.7
96.3
60.1
74.4
97.9
65.7
77.6
28.8
59.2
80.2
45.4
69. 5
64.1
74.6
75.6
59.7
95.2
59.5
73.6
97.6
64.8
77.5
25.2
58.9
80.3
44.8
69.4
63.9
73.7
75.6
60.7
94.4
59.2
NONMANUFACTURING
[Indexes are based on 12-month average, 1929=100]
Coal mining:
Anthracite 2________________ _____ ________
Bituminous 2________ _______ ______________
Metalliferous mining.....................................................
•Quarrying and nonmetallic m ining......... .
Crude-petroleum producing....................................... .
Public utilities:
Telephone and telegraph 3________ __________
Electric light and power and manufactured
g a s 3........................................................................
Electric-railroad and motorbus operation and
maintenance 3. . . ................................................
Trade:
Wholesale 3 °___ ____ _______ _______ _______ _
R e ta il3......................................................................
General merchandising 3_______ _____ ___
Other than general merchandising 3............
51.3
89.3
62.3
41.4
67.7
51.0
88.6
61.9
44.4
68.3
52.4
87.2
57.9
44.4
69.5
42.5
80.9
54.3
33.7
62.5
36.2
81.4
52.3
37.2
63.3
C e n ts
C e n ts
C e n ts
43.4
78.3
49.2
39.2
63.7
$26.99
24. 05
27.16
20. 42
33.41
$23.14
24.31
26.36
21.03
34. 22
$26.99
23.84
26. 52
22. 37
33.81
29.3
27.5
39.8
37.2
39.0
24.9
27.7
38.7
38.1
39.0
28.8
26.8
39.5
40.9
39.7
91.7
88.1
68.5
55.1
86.3
91.7
87.8
68.4
55.4
86.1
92.5
88.7
67.5
54.4
83.9
74.2
74.4
74.7
92.7
93.0
95.3
30.71
30.96
31.57
39.3
39.2
39.8
81.2
82.4
82.7
91.4
91.9
92.5
98.2
98.6
99.9
33. 72
33. 61
33. 72
39.9
39.8
39.8
84.5
84.7
84.5
69.4
69.5
69.9
69.5
68.8
68.9
32.59
32. 35
32.23
45.6
44.9
44.7
70.4
71.1
71. 2
90.0
98.1
146.0
86.0
89.8
86.9
104.5
82.3
89.1
85.9
99.4
82.3
75.6
79.4
122.9
70.3
75.4
71.5
91.8
67.3
75.1
70.8
88.3
67.2
29.10
20.13
16.95
24.12
29. 35
20. 76
17. 43
23.91
29.70
21.04
17. 62
24.04
41.8
42.7
41.0
43.5
41.8
42.3
39. 1
43.4
42.3
42.4
39.0
43.5
69.6
52.6
44.4
56.5
70.1
54.0
47.9
56.1
70.6
53.8
48. 1
55.7
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
Printing and publishing:
Book and job................ ............................ ......
Newspapers and periodicals......................... .
Chemicals and allied products, and petroleum re
fining— ........................................................................
Petroleum refining.............. ................... .............. .
Other than petroleum refining....... .................... .
Chemicals______________ ____ ___ _____ _
Cottonseed—oil, cake, and meal...................
Druggists’ preparations..................................
Explosives......................................................... .
Fertilizers..........................................................
Paints and varnishes................. ................... .
Rayon and allied products............ ..............
Soap.....................................................................
Rubber products________________ _____ ________
Rubber boots and shoes........................................
Rubber tires and inner tubes_______________
Rubber goods, other...............................................
See fo o tn o tes a t end o f table.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
tsa
T able 1.—Employment, P ay Rolls, Hours, and Earnings in Manufacturing and Nonmanufacturing Industries— Continued
to
NONM ANUFACTURING—Continued
Employment index
Industry
Pay-roll index
Decem Novem Octo Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
1938
1938
1938
Average weekly
earnings
Average hours worked
per week
Average hourly
earnings
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
Decem Novem Octo
ber
ber
ber
1938
1938
1938
C e n ts
Hotels (year-round) 834______________________ Laundries 3_________ _________________________
Dyeing and cleaning 8____________ ____________
Brokerage 35_______________________ _________
Insurance 8 5 7_________________________________
Building construction 8_____________________ ___
91.9
93.4
97.9
+ .2
+ .1
- 6 .7
92.5
93.7
102.5
+ .7
- .2
-4 .2
92.9
94.4
106.8
- .9
-.5
+ 3.3
81.1
80.0
68.3
+ .9
+ 1.2
-6 .6
81.3
79.3
73.9
+ 1 .5
+ 1 .3
- 8 .4
80.8
79.5
78.0
+ 1 .2
+ .2
+ 5 .2
$15. 02
17.43
19. 23
36. 59
35. 79
28.97
$15.07
17.30
19. 66
36. 22
36.00
28.95
$15.01
17.24
19.91
35. 76
35. 56
30.11
46.3
42.2
40.7
0
0
31.7
47.2
41.8
41.4
46.7
41.4
42. 1
0
31.9
0
33.8
TO
0
32.3
41.4
48.7
0
0
91.4
C e n ts
31.8
41.6
48.5
0
0
90.7
C e n ts
31.9
41.8
47.9
0
0
89.2
figures published in pamphlets prior to January 1938 as they now exclude corporation
1 Average weekly earnings are computed from figures furnished by all reporting estab
officers, executives, and other employees whose duties are m ainly supervisory.
lishments. Average hours and average hourly earnings are computed from data supplied
4 Cash payments only; the additional value of board, room, and tips cannot be com
by a smaller number of establishments, as all reporting firms do not furnish man-hours.
puted.
The figures are not strictly comparable from month to month because of changes in the
8 Indexes of employment and pay rolls are not available; percentage changes from pre
size and composition of the reporting sample. Hours and earnings for all manufacturing
ceding month substituted.
industries now relate to 87 industries instead of 89 which were covered in the July and
4 N ot available.
prior issues of the pamphlet. The 2 industries excluded are electric- and steam-railroad
7 Percentage change in 'employment from August to September 1938 revised from
repair shops. The averages for the durable goods group have also been a ffected by this
+ 0.6 to -0 .3 .
exclusion. See text in section headed, “ Employment, pay rolls, hours, and earnings.”
8
Indexes adjusted to 1935 census. Comparable serias back to January 1929 presented o September 1938 indexes for retail trade revised as follows: Total, employm ent 84.7,
pay roll 69.4; general merchandising group, employment 97.0, pay roll 85.3.
in January 1938 issue of the pamphlet, “ Em ploym ent and P ay Rolls.”
8Average weekly earnings, hourly earnings, and hours not strictly comparable with
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
725
INDEXES OF EMPLOYMENT AND PAY ROLLS
Indexes of employment and pay rolls are given in table 2 for all
manufacturing industries combined, for specified groups and sub
groups of manufacturing industries, for each of 87 manufacturing
industries, and for each of 13 nonmanufacturing industries, including
2 subgroups under retail trade, by years where available from 1923 to
1938, inclusive, and by months, from January 1938 to December 1938,
inclusive. The accompanying chart indicates the trend of factory
employment and pay rolls from January 1919 to December 1938.
The indexes of factory employment and pay rolls are based on the
3-year average 1923-25 as 100. They relate to wage earners only and
are computed from reports supplied by representative manufacturing
establishments in 87 manufacturing industries. These reports cover
more than 55 percent of the total wage earners in all manufacturing
industries of the country and more than 65 percent of the wage earn
ers in the 87 industries included in the monthly survey of the Bureau
of Labor Statistics.
The indexes for the nonmanufacturing industries are based on the
12-month average for 1929 as 100. Figures for mining, laundries, and
dyeing and cleaning cover wage earners only, but the figures for public
utilities, trade, and hotels relate to all employees, except corporation
officers, executives, and other employees whose duties are mainly
supervisory. For crude-petroleum producing they cover wage earn
ers and clerical field force. The coverage of the reporting samples for
the various nonmanufacturing industries ranges from 25 percent for
wholesale trade to 90 percent for quarrying and nonmetallic mining.
Data for both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industries are
based on reports of the number of employees and amount of pay rolls
for the pay period ending nearest the 15th of the month.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
o\
em plo ym en t
s
pa y
ro lls
A L L MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
©
Sa
?
eO
vo
Oj
'O
UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
727
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
T
able
2 . —Employment
and Pay-Roll Indexes
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
[3-year average, 1923-25=100]
Year and
month
All indus
tries
NondurableDurablegoods group i goods group 2
Em
Em
ploy
ploy Pay
ment rolls ment
1923__________ 103.8 102.9 104.1
96.4
96.0
1924__________ 96.4
99.8 . 101.1
99.5
1925__________
101.7 104.2 102.5
1926
______________________
96.5
99.5 102.4
1927
__
99.7 103.5
97.7
1928
__
1929
__ 106.0 110.4 106.2
89.4
92.4
87.6
1930
__
67.8
67.7
78.1
1931
__
46.7
52.8
1932__________
66.3
50.1
57.5
1933......... .......... 73.4
64.5
85.7
73.0
1934__________
74.1
81.3
1935..................... 91.3
85.6
91.5
1936____ ____ _ 97.8
1937__________ 105.8 102.0 104.0
77.5
77.3
86.8
1938_____ ____
Pay
rolls
103.2
95.9
100.9
104.8
98.9
102.3
111.2
83.8
55.6
33.4
36.8
52.5
65.0
81.7
103.5
68.2
Em
ploy
ment
103.6
96.4
100.0
100.9
102.3
101.6
105.9
96.9
87.9
79.2
88.5
97.8
100.7
103.8
107.6
96.0
Pay
rolls
102.5
96.1
101.4
103.6
106.3
104.9
109.6
95.6
81.4
61.6
65.0
78.0
84.2
89.9
100.4
88.0
Iron and steel and their products, not
including machinery________
Blast fur
Bolts, nuts,
naces, steel
Iron and
and
works, and washers,
steel group
rivets
rolling mills
Em Pay
Em
Em
ploy rolls
ploy Pay
ploy Pay
ment rolls ment rolls ment
104.1 103.5 104.5 104.5 112.5 111.5
89.5
96.5
96.5
89.5
97.0
97.1
99.0
99.0
98.9 100.0
98.4
98.0
102.3 104.8 101.0 103.0
95.6
98.5
96.0
97.1
95.7
96.7
96.2 100.6
97.0 100.6
103.3 108.3 103.2 109.6 114.0 122.0
86.3
89.9
90.3
87.7
56.2
74.2
53.6
70.3
55.7
68.4
27.4
55.2
32.5
57.4
31.3
57.8
39.5
39.9
40.5
59.8
65.8
71.0
57.2
80.2
53.9
86.2
55.0
76.0
73.8
87.1
66.5
92. 1
88.1
68.7
105.4
92.2
99.5
93.3
99.0
86.6
111.4 109.8 120.0 120.5 113.6 114.6
69.2
82.4
66.9
82.7
66.6
87.7
1938
January______
February........ .
March_______
April_________
M ay_________
June...................
July.......... .........
August_______
September____
October______
N ovem b er___
December____
Year and
month
1923_____ ____
1924___ ______
1925
__
1926
1927
__
1928
1929...............
1920
1931__________
1932....................
1933__________
1934__________
1935__________
1936__________
1937__________
1938__________
84.0
67.1
93.7
75.0
81.7
67.2
95.9
76.9
80.1
87.8
87.9
77.1
67.4
95.8
79.3
94.0
84.7
74.6
77.0
65.6
64.2
91.5
82.6
72.9
75.0
80.9
70.8
72.4
90.3
61.7
84.1
58.6 .92.9
70.6
70.3
91.7
76.9
63.7
99.0
71.7
94.9
81.0
75.3
68.7 101.7
93.4
99.4
83.8
79.0
75.2
82.1
90.6
84.1
98.4
78.3
80.4
98.8
93.5
86.6
83.1
Iron and steel and their products, not
Cutlery (not
including
silver and
Forgings—
Cast-iron
plated cut iron and steel
pipe
lery) and
edge tools
Em
Em
Em
Pay
ploy Pay
ploy Pay
ploy
ment rolls ment rolls ment rolls
87.8
88.2
87.7
85.7
83.4
81.6
81.9
85.7
88.8
89.5
90.5
91.2
86.4
60.9
94.5
60.7
83.1
83.2
63.2
85.3
92.7
63.7
81.1
84.4
64.3
90.9
64.5
88.2
80.0
64.3
82.3
63.3
80.7
85.8
62.9
80.7
62.7
77.3
77.8
59.1
82.3
58.1
82.2
77.2
76.7
57.4
56.8
78.1
79.4
83.8
65.3
65.3
81.9
81.7
84.7
67.6
68.6
84.9
83.9
74.9
86.1
73:9
90.0
86.5
79.1
81.9
89.8
83.2
91.6
87.4
80.8
91.1
including machinery—Continued
Hardware
94.6
93.7
65.5
66.7
89.5
87.5
87.8
97.8
74.2
67.4
64.5
80.0
81.9
84.6
93.7
78.3
60.4
47.2
43.8
59.0
67.0
74.1
87.9
66.3
41.9
32.1
33.4
46.3
51.5
58.6
69.4
44.9
32.5
17.9
20.9
34.4
42.9
52.8
68.4
36.6
Em
ploy
ment
101.6
96.6
101.8
100.8
93.0
92.8
101.7
88.6
70.3
58.9
63.4
76.5
80.8
85.5
99.0
70.1
82.7
82.8
80.4
80.0
76.6
75.4
63.9
74.5
77.7
80.2
82.6
82.9
66.6
67.2
66.9
63.6
61.7
61.5
52.1
60.9
67.5
73.6
75.5
78.6
51.6
47.8
45.8
43.6
42.8
40.2
38.5
41.5
43.5
45.6
48.0
49.6
37.4
35.3
35.4
32.7
31.9
29.3
28.9
34.5
37.7
41.9
44.4
49.4
75.2
71.8
70.5
64.9
63.5
61.3
56.5
60.6
66.9
79.5
84.4
86.3
96.0
101.6
102.4
110.1
101.8
92.4
87.8
80.4
71.5
46.3
42.1
57.5
60.3
69.9
73.7
63.3
94.6
101.7
103.7
110.5
98.2
85.3
85.2
75.3
55.1
25.1
22.1
34.0
39.2
54.4
65.2
51.0
99.6
102.4
98.0
61.4
60.6
61.5
63.3
63.3
63.5
61.7
63.0
64.6
65.4
65.7
66.1
44.7
43.8
48.5
50.5
50.6
51.1
51.9
53.0
53.8
53.8
54.5
55.7
97.9
101.8
100.3
116.5
97.4
86.1
113.9
97.4
88.7
Pay
rolls
100.1
96.3
103.6
106.3
96.1
96.0
106.9
81.6
58.9
38.4
42.6
56.5
67.0
80.7
100.8
64.2
55.5
59.3
56.4
51.8
53.2
52.4
48.3
57.6
65.7
86.3
93.2
90.1
Plumbers’
supplies
57.4
61.9
61.6
59.9
65.0
61.1
58.5
66.3
73.1
81.0
90.6
94. 4
Stamped and
enameled
ware
Pay
rolls
48.0
27.3
30.3
29.4
50.0
60.4
72.0
56.5
Em
ploy
ment
110.1
95.7
94.2
96.9
93.0
104.1
120.5
106.3
85.4
79.5
97.2
131.9
150.5
160.2
171.6
122.7
53.3
51.6
52.5
54.2
58.9
57.6
55.3
57.3
59.6
62.0
54.8
60.4
122.5
122.8
128.1
126.0
122.6
112.5
105.1
114.1
121.6
128.7
133.6
134.3
104.2
109.3
118.8
115.6
109. 1
99.7
92.0
109.9
119.9
133.3
133.5
136.0
Em
ploy
ment
89.9
100.1
110.0
89.5
100.0
110.5
96.7
94.6
92.5
87.2
65.1
48.3
52.6
46.3
66.6
75.9
82.6
72.1
70.6
71.3
70.6
70.9
71.8
72.5
72.5
73.1
73.2
73.1
73.0
72.6
Pay
rolls
111.2
92.8
96.0
98.3
95.7
108.0
125.6
104.9
76.
56.5
66.7
102.3
128.2
147.4
169. 1
115.1
1938
January______
February_____
M arch_____ .
April_________
May^________
June.. ______
July_________
August_______
September____
October______
November____
December____
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
728
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T a b l e 2 . — Employment
and Pay-Roll Indexes— C o n tin u e d
M ANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES—Continued
Iron and steel and their products, not including machinery—Continued
Year and
month
Steam and
hot-water
heating
apparatus
and steam
fittings
Em
ploy
ment
102.2
97.7
100.1
102. 6
99.3
92.4
91.6
78.3
67.1
47.4
51.6
58.9
62.7
75.6
86.1
66.7
January _____ 64.6
February____
63.7
March. . . . . .
64.7
April________
63.6
M ay______
65. 1
June_________
64.9
July............ .
67.1
August_______ 69.0
September____ '69.8
October______
71.3
N ovember.. . 69.1
December____
67.9
1923......... ...........
1924__________
1925
__
1926
1927......... ...........
1928...
1929....................
1930
1931......... ...........
1932...................
1933__________
1934__________
1935__________
1936__________
1937__________
1938......... ...........
Stoves
101.7
98.0
100.3
105.5
101.6
94.4
92.4
69.0
46.3
26.8
30.6
39.6
45. 1
60.9
77.7
51.2
Em
ploy
ment
106.0
95.0
99.0
104. 2
96.2
94.0
99.3
83.1
6)9.4
55.0
64.3
78.4
88.9
98.2
102.0
73.6
47.8
46.6
47.0
45.9
47.5
51.0
51.5
55.5
53.3
59.0
53.3
56.4
61.1
70.8
73.3
72.1
73.4
71.4
68.2
76.0
79.7
83.1
78.9
74.7
Pay
rolls
Structural
and orna
mental
103.5
96.0
100.5
105.8
97.5
93.5
98.8
74.3
53.4
33.4
40.8
52.6
66.9
81.4
86.1
58.8
Em
ploy
ment
104.4
97.7
97.9
107.5
106.1
106.5
111.2
98.9
76.0
49.7
43.3
54.3
55.2
69.1
79.2
61.2
104.0
96.6
99.4
109.9
108.8
111.0
112.8
94.2
61.5
29.9
23.9
34.7
36.2
53.2
70.8
50.4
41.7
53.8
57.4
56.3
58.4
55.4
52.0
61.5
69.2
75.7
62.7
61.4
66.2
63.7
62.0
61.2
59.7
58.3
59.1
59.8
60.5
61.1
60.7
61.9
54.2
52.0
50.6
49.4
48.8
46.7
48.8
51.2
49.7
50.5
50.1
53.2
Pay
rolls
Pay
rolls
Tools, not
edge
Tin cans and including
tools, ma
other tinware chine
tools,
files, and saws
Em
ploy
ment
101.0
100.0
99.0
97.7
100.0
102.3
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
105.7
102.2
92.1
Wire work
Pay
rolls
103.1
101.8
95.1
Em
ploy
ment
93.1
100.0
106.9
Pay
rolls
89.6
100.0
110.4
98.4
104.2
91.7
95.6
120.4
122.5
104.3
113.6
107. 6
117.8
12A2
129.3
83.7
73.3
77.3
88.6
91.0
99.5
105.4
89.3
83.3
65.8
67.6
78.7
82.9
94.5
109.5
93.1
60.4
48.8
53.5
64.6
70.4
83.2
98.4
76.9
51.1
33.2
37.2
50.6
60.6
78.4
98.0
. 68.2
95.6
87.6
97.9
124.1
139.7
164.2
194.8
135.3
80.6
56.8
65.6
93.4
117.8
151.4
194.7
128.9
87.9
86.9
88.3
88.7
87.5
88.9
91.4
99.5
97.6
86.2
84.6
84.1
89.6
89.6
92.9
91.2
91.8
92.6
94.4
107.0
103.0
89.2
87.5
87.9
81.3
79.3
79.2
76.6
74.8
73.0
69.7
71.9
74.8
77.0
80.9
83.9
70.8
68.0
71.2
65.3
64.0
60.9
57.6
63.0
67.4
71.9
75.8
82.0
148.1
138.1
134.7
131.0
129.4
115.5
109.6
106.2
127.9
146.5
164.6
171.6
125.4
118.1
122.7
118.7
114.4
99.8
91.6
99.8
134. 2
156.1
180.2
185.9
19S8
Machinery, not including transportation equipment
Cash registers, Electrical ma
Engines, tur
adding ma
chinery,
bines, water
chines, and
Year and month
apparatus,
and
wheels and
calculating
supplies
windmills
machines
Employ Pay Employ Pay Employ Pay Employ Pay Employ Pay
ment
rolls
rolls
ment
rolls
ment
rolls
ment
rolls
ment
107.4 105.1
1923______________
110.2 110.1
103.0 100.1
99.0
101.6
105.8 104.1
97.2
99.2
94.9
85.6
97.3
97.9
90.0
88.6
1924_____________
94.9
86.8
95.4
99.3 101.0
97.6
99.1 100.7
111.0
109.8
1925______________
103.0 104.3
1926_____________
107.4 111.1
117.8 124.1
121.9
134.6
102.4 106.2
117.3
131.4
116.1 121.7
103.1 100.4
1927............
1928_____
104. 9 111.3
132.0 140.7
118.3
140.1
1929______________
125.9 134.3
145.5 154.4
120.8 137.3
127.3 134.4
129.0
150.9
104.9 102.7
115.2 107.9
107.1 109.3
98.4
102.7
1930..............
52.1
69.1
80.9
59.4
1931............... ............
78.3
64.2
65.8
87.3
68.7
70.3
1932______________
37.3
74.9
52.5
60.6
39.7
44.8
57.0
36.5
23.5
27.1
78.2
60.8
30.0
60.1
38.9
33.8
40.5
43.3
58.8
48.3
1933______________
72.2
54.2
88.5
73.0
52.1
1934_____________
79.4
59.6
108.0
54.7
62.0
95.4
66.6
69.2
73.5
118.9 103.9
116.0
80.7
61.1
1935______________
89. 1
91.5
82.3
81.4
81.2
94.1
139.4 130.2
130.3 115.0
1936______________
103.3
150.6 149.6
114.9 115.9
167.4 185.2
103.6
118.5
1937______________
123.9 126.9
121.2 124.0
138.6 123.4
81.6
74.9
90.9
83.1
86.7
94.4
1938_____________
Machinery
group
Agricultural
implements
(including
tractors)
19S8
January____ _____
February________
M a rch ... _______
April_____________
M ay__________ .
June_____________
July_____________
A u gu st_______
September_______
October _____ _ _
November________
December..
104.0
99.7
96.9
93.2
89.7
86. 1
82.9
84.1
85.5
87.2
89.5
91.8
95.1
91. 1
88.0
83.6
80.6
76.4
72.7
76. 1
78.6
81.9
83.9
89.2
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
158.7
152.8
150.3
147.8
133.8
125.2
100.6
99.8
90.3
93.7
96.6
105.0
169.1
161.8
160.7
152.9
137.2
124.1
98.6
95.6
87.1
92.4
95.0
113.5
143.0
143.7
142.4
141.9
140.1
137.3
137.5
135.0
136.4
136.1
135.4
134.6
134.2
129.4
130.0
120.6
122.0
121.4
123.1
120.5
120.8
119.7
119.7
118.8
96.0
89.9
86.5
81.6
78.1
75.3
73.0
74.0
77.4
80.7
83 2
83.7
87.3
80.9
77.4
72.0
68.4
66.6
64.1
67.7
73.0
78.0
80.4
82.4
92.0
91.4
89.4
92.4
90.1
85.5
82.1
82.6
83.1
83.4
83.5
85. 3
98.8
99.2
100.8
101.7
97.1
89.4
85.9
89.9
90.0
90.4
91.6
98.0
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
T a b l e 2 . —Employment
729
and Pay-Roll Indexes—Continued
M ANUFACTURING IND U STR IES—Continued
Machinery, not including transportation equipment—Continued
Foundry and
machine-shop
products
Year and month
Em
ploy
ment
1923______________
1924............. ..............
1925______________
1926
1927- .
1928
1929______________
1930-_
1931.............................
1932_______ ______
1933______________
1934______________
1935______________
1936______________
1937______________
1938______________
Pay
rolls
Machine tools
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Radios and
phonographs
Textile ma
chinery and
parts
Typewriters
and parts
Em
ploy
ment
Em
ploy
ment
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Pay
rolls
Pay
rolls
117.5
86.8
95.7
95.7
93.2
84.2
96.7
66.0
54.3
35.1
47.9
55.6
54.3
66.4
86.3
53.3
100.0
100.0
100.0
98.4
100.0
101.6
111.5
113.0
202.9
139.8
96.5
60.5
81.4
110.0
117.8
136.8
134.4
78.9
116.4
92.7
90.9
90.1
85.3
78.5
88.1
71.2
61.3
48.4
60.5
67.6
62.1
69.3
80.6
60.5
121.1
130.1
77.8
61.6
68.5
102.5
110.0
119.5
152.3
119.4
60.0
35.8
44.1
87.6
97.0
115.4
152.8
104.7
72.7
68.3
57.9
65.8
66.8
71.6
72.4
75.5
83.5
97.9
106.9
107.6
66.5
63.9
61.5
58.3
58.0
54.2
53.9
57.7
59.9
61.3
64.2
67.0
54.9
52.8
51.3
49.4
49.3
47.2
45.3
50.2
54.1
56.5
61.3
66.9
119.5
116.8
115.4
114.1
116.6
115.0
115.5
117.7
121.6
125.3
128.9
127.9
88.0
102.4
94.1
91.5
92.4
93.7
91.5
97.9
115.7
128.1
130.9
130.3
108.4
93.9
97.7
103.3
97.7
98.8
111.3
94. 2
69.7
51.1
54.6
71.0
78.5
92.4
110.5
81.6
106.7
93.6
99.7
107.4
99.9
102.6
117.9
89.0
55.4
31.9
34.9
52.2
62.6
83.0
110.6
71.2
108.1
92.0
99.9
119.3
114.3
127.9
167.2
126.0
74.7
42.1
44.9
75.8
99.5
125.2
158.7
123.4
105.3
90.8
103.9
125.3
116.3
139.8
187.6
121.9
61.5
28.6
30.9
60.7
91.4
125.5
179.3
115.5
89.5
105.9
104.6
88.1
107.5
104.4
204.5
141.0
124.4
80.4
112.1
158.6
152.7
168.1
154.3
90.9
92.4
89.1
87.1
83.5
81.0
77.4
75.8
77.1
77.7
77.5
78.9
81.7
79.8
77.5
75.2
71.4
70.0
65.7
63.7
67.2
68.1
69.4
70.6
75.9
148.1
142.3
135.8
129.9
123.8
115.8
110.6
107.1
114.2
115.8
117.6
119.9
151.2
138.4
129.1
116.5
111.3
99.0
94.2
97.4
107.8
110.5
110.8
120.0
86.0
84.4
76.1
77.9
76.3
81.6
81.6
88.9
93.5
108.0
118.8
118.0
1988
January__________
February_________
March........ ........ . .
April_____________
M ay........ ..............
June_____________
J u ly ....................
August___________
September_______
O ctober...................
November............ .
December________
Transportation equipment
Year and
month
1923__________
1924__________
1925__________
1926— ______
1927____ _____
1928 .................
1929-...................
1930
1931__________
1932__________
1933....................
1934____ ____ _
1935..... ..............
1936__________
1937— ..............
1938....................
Transporta
tion group
Automobiles
Cars, electricand steamrailroad
Locomotives
Shipbuilding
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
107.6
93.1
99.3
99.1
87.9
96.2
103. 5
80.2
66.3
55. 5
64.5
83.4
95.3
102.9
117.7
73.3
107.7
90.8
101.5
99.5
89.8
101. 6
105.4
70.2
52.3
37.8
35.6
61.4
78.1
93.4
115.7
68 7
103.6
100.0
96.4
103.4
100.0
96.6
100.6
90.6
108.8
104.8
93.3
113.9
111.6
65.7
53.4
38.8
38.3
68.2
89.5
102.8
124.1
69.3
126.9
93.8
79.3
75.0
59.9
48.4
63.1
54.7
29.6
24.9
22.5
36.6
33.9
46.4
60.0
29.5
128.7
94.3
77.0
70.9
60.4
48.2
63.1
53.2
25.4
20.5
14.6
27.3
25.6
39.4
61.4
27.6
157.7 168.1 114.5
76.4
72.9
93.2
65.9
59.0
92.3
86.2
80.6
97.4
57.2 101.3
66.7
45.4
39.6
79.5
56.8
58.3 101.3
52.3
51.5 107.3
28.0
18.1
83.0
17.7
9.0
66.7
12.2
6.0
56.8
74.6
23.9
13.9
82.4
19.5
12.8
21.9 103.9
27.6
47.9
47.5 111.0
25.5
21.0
96.8
112.8
94.9
92.3
100.9
108.3
85.0
109.7
113.5
76.8
54.1
42.1
58.9
68.8
95.5
113.2
100.7
82.6
79.9
77.4
71.9
68.2
62.4
55.5
51.0
63.7
79.4
91.6
96.1
67.6
65.9
65.1
64.9
59. 5
57.4
51.0
49.9
64.7
83.8
95.9
98.7
64.4
62.7
62.3
63.3
56.8
54.4
47.4
47.0
66.3
91.3
107.6
107.4
39.4
37.3
34.4
32.9
28.4
25.3
22.8
24.3
27.4
25.3
26.3
29.8
37.7
36.9
33.5
30.5
26.5
24.0
20.2
22.3
25.3
23.5
23.1
28.2
37.6
36.9
32.5
25.6
22.3
19.6
15.5
13.1
11.1
11.1
12.8
13.7
109.8
105.2
105.1
101.9
102.6
104.7
99.9
90.0
92.3
95.1
94.2
107.3
1988
January______
February_____
March.............
April___ _____
M ay_________
June_________
J u ly ................
August_______
September____
October______
November.
December____
Aircraft
157.9
156.8
525.2
501.5
353.1
244.2
279.6
358.5
407.2
655.6
908.9
828.2
354.8
234.3
236.2
283.9
341.3
551.7
818.0
784.9
100.6
93.6
105.8
104.8
91.9
108.1
111.3
80.3
71.0
60.5
60.6
94.5
110.4
113.9
128.3
75.9
877.6
882.9
887.9
874.6
847.5
813.6
794.6
758.7
755.5
785. 8
814.9
845.1
786.8
814.7
816.4
803.6
797.0
764. 3
736.5
712.8
727.2
780.8
799.0
879.6
84.7
82.1
79.3
72.9
68.6
61.5
53.1
48.0
64.9
86.3
101.9
106.9
See footnotes at end of table.
129324— 39—
16
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
42.9
39.4
35.9
30.8
27.1
25.1
20.2
18.0
16.1
16.1
16.9
17.4
Pay
rolls
104.8
100.6
100.0
95.7
98.4
98.2
95.8
89.1
89.9
92.1
96.6
100.5
730
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T able 2.— Employment and Pay-Roll Indexes— Continued
M ANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES—Continued
Nonferrous metals and their products
Year and
month
Nonferrous
group
Clocks,
Brass, bronze, watches,
Aluminum
and
copper
manufactures and
time-record
products
ing devices
Jewelry
Lighting
equipment
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
1823..................... 104.8 102.8 106.3 100.2 103.4
1924
96.3 100.0 100.0
___ 96.8
96.6
98.4 ......................
100.9
1925
......................
93.7
99.8 100.0
102.7
1926
__
96.6 105.5 101.2
___ 97.0 101.1
1927
1928
...................... ...................... ......................107.3
___ 110.2 115.3 138.4 150.0 121.5
1929
96.6
1930
__
61.4
90.2
1931
72.4
__
74.9
81.3
58.0 ......................
38.6
1932
......................
_
73.0
62.5
46.7
41.1
62.6
73.4
89.1
1933
__
60.1
1034..
. ..
76.3
55.3 106.0
86.6
77.6
1935..
. .... 86.3
68.3 125.9 102.8
96.7
96.2
1936___ ______
82.7 144.4 127.0 108.5
1937.................... 108.8 105.1 164.0 164.6 122.4
86.8
76.6 133.0 128.7
1938___ ____
91.8
101.3
95.6
103.1
107.4
104.7
115.6
128.3
88.7
60.3
39.1
48.0
62.8
79.0
96.9
123.4
83.2
97.6
100.0
102.4
95 7
100.0
104.3
105.1
99.8
95.1
105.9
91.8
102.3
101.3
100.0
98.7
96.7
100.0
103.3
77.1
75.8
77.5
74.5
76.0
72.5
77.9
83.4
89.1
96.2
99.8
98.9
Em
ploy
ment
19S8
Jan u ary ______
February..........
M arch_______
A pril.............. .
M ay ...... ..........
Ju n e...... ............
Ju ly _________
A ugust..............
Septem ber........
O ctober.......... .
N ovember____
Decem ber___ _
88.8
88.0
86.9
84.2
81.8
79.8
79.1
83.0
87.9
92.2
95.4
94.8
Pay
rolls
74.9
74.4
74.3
69.0
69.0
66.3
67.0
74.1
81.4
88.5
90.2
90.1
Em
ploy
ment
138.0
134.9
133.5
129.0
126.1
121.5
122.0
128.5
136.3
142.4
143.2
140.4
Pay
rolls
124.9
125.2
129.5
119.3
119.0
109.4
111.5
125.8
138.8
148.4
148.0
144.0
93.1
91.2
90.5
88.8
87.3
85.7
86.1
89.0
92.7
96.4
100.5
100.2
Nonferrous metals and their
products.
102.9
108.1
96.2
106.9
92.9
97.3
98.2
102.2
111.4
113.3
104.2
110.6
74.3
58.1
58.9
74.1
82.6
94.8
106.4
81.3
62.2
38.0
39.7
59.5
72.5
90.9
113.1
74.8
74.1
59.5
59.3
73.0
78.7
83.4
94.1
87.5
65.6
42.8
37.7
53.3
60.0
65.5
79.9
71.1
65.3
47.0
46.5
58.3
73.6
87.3
101.6
74.9
60.4
35.3
31.6
42.5
57.3
74.2
94.2
61.8
84.5
88.1
85.9
81.7
78.9
75.2
73.6
77.7
79.9
83.6
84.1
82.9
82.0
84.3
79.1
64.7
64.4
59.6
59.6
70.3
78.1
85.6
87.1
83.2
84.1
86.1
86.8
80.0
75.3
77.6
79.2
86.7
96.0
100.3
101.0
96.9
68.0
69.1
67.9
58.8
56.9
60.4
61.2
70.1
81.4
91.8
82.7
84.9
73.9
73.8
71.6
70.6
67.9
63.7
62.8
68.4
76.2
85.4
91.6
94.2
53.7
56.2
55.6
51.8
51.7
50.6
49.6
58.2
69.2
78.1
83.4
84.7
Lum ber and allied products
Silverware
and plated
ware
Smelting and
refining—
copper, lead,
and zinc
Em
ploy
ment
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
100.6
..
98.1 102.8
1923
1924
...... 100.0 100.0 100.0
99.4 ......................
1925
......................
101.9
97.2
1926
___
98.4 102.3
__
89.9
1927
1928
___
1929
___ 92.6
96.5
91.3
1930
___
1931..................... 65.3
54.3
54.4
1 9 3 2 ............ .
41.4
53.7
36.8
54.1 ......................
1933
......................
35.1
42.9
1934
______________________
62.4
45.1
57.2
1935
___ 60.1
66.2
47.3
47.2
1936
...... 57.0
73.7
82.1
1937
___ 64.9
59.8
1938
______________________
60.5
51.9
68.5
103.2
100.0
96.8
45.9
26.6
27.4
39.6
50.3
62.9
81.5
63.9
101.5
98.3
100.2
100.3
93.9
92.1
95.2
75.8
56.0
43.6
49.9
56.6
63.6
71.1
76.6
62.6
100.0
98.5
101.5
102.4
96.6
94. 1
97.3
72.5
46.2
26.6
30.3
37.4
45.9
57.6
67.2
53.0
98.1
96.2
105.7
110.3
108.8
106.7
111.9
89.0
73.7
57.4
61.0
64.6
75.6
84.8
94.0
75.2
96.9
96.4
106.7
113.4
111.8
107.5
114.0
80.7
59.2
34.6
35.9
42.1
53.6
66.0
78.0
58.6
96.7
98.8
104.5
102.7
90.7
86.7
84.6
64.4
51.1
35.0
33.2
36.8
45.3
54.1
60.7
51.5
95.6
99.3
105.1
103.3
90.5
86.1
83.5
61.1
42.0
21.4
18.7
22.0
30.2
41.0
49.3
41.5
103.6
98.8
97.6
95.5
86.6
84.4
87.7
67.6
41.1
31.7
39.6
48.2
63.4
59.1
62.1
51.0
102.5
99.2
98.3
96.6
89.0
87.2
90.7
67.6
33.6
18.4
24.4
32.8
39.5
49.2
56.5
45.1
73.3
68.5
65.5
64.1
63.4
60.4
56.8
57.9
60.3
62.2
65.8
68.2
60.0
60.6
62.3
61.6
61.0
60.7
60.7
64.0
65.8
65.7
65.2
64.1
45.1
48.0
51.8
50.1
50.5
51.2
48.7
58.1
60.0
60.0
56.2
56.1
75.1
74.8
74.6
71.8
70.0
70.8
71.2
76.0
79.0
79.7
79.5
79.8
52.0
56.3
56.8
51.9
50.4
52.4
51.3
62.5
68.1
68.4
64.9
67.8
48.4
50.5
50.7
49.9
48.7
49.7
50.9
52.8
54.0
54.0
54.9
54.0
34.7
38.0
39.5
38.6
39.5
40.3
41.6
45.6
45.5
46.0
44.5
44.6
47.9
48.3
51.0
51.0
51.1
50.1
49.8
52.4
63.5
53.1
52.3
50.9
37.5
39.3
44.5
44.4
45.4
45.4
41.6
50.2
50.6
50.4
46.4
44.9
Year and
month
19S8
Jan u ary ______
February_____
M a rc h ..............
A p r il......... .......
M ay _________
Ju n e_________
Ju ly ............ .
A ugust_______
September____
October______
November____
December____
59.7
61.3
61.6
60.7
59.3
58.4
50.8
57.5
59.8
64.0
66.5
66.9
Pay
rolls
46.3
48.9
51.1
46.5
46.3
44.6
38.1
48.5
55.6
62.4
66.1
68.3
76.5
72.5
70.9
69.0
67.0
64.5
63.5
63.1
65.4
66.4
71.1
72.5
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
90.4
99.4
Lum ber
group
Furniture
Lumber,
millwork
Lumber,
sawmills
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
731
T a b l e 2 . —Employment and Pay-Roll Indexes— Continued
M ANUFACTURING IND U STR IES-C ontinued
Stone, clay, and glass products
Year and
month
Stone, clay,
and glass
group
Em
ploy
ment
Brick, tile,
and terra
cotta
Cement
Marble, gran
ite, slate,
and other
products
Glass
Pottery
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
1923____ _____ 100.4
98.3 100.6
1924__________ 98.9 100. 5
98.7
100.7 101.2 100.7
1925..... ..........
1926
__ 103.8 104.2 102.9
1927
......................
99.9 ......................
100.5
99.0
1928
__
95.7
96.2
92.3
1929
__
93.8
93.7
91.5
1930
__
80.2
72.2
76.9
50.2
1931__________ 63.7
53.9
1932......... ........... 46.7
31.8
30.6
1933__________ 49.4
31.3
30.8
1934_____ ____
38.0
61.6
41.7
1935..................... 66.6
49.0
43.7
55.2
60.2
1936____ _____
73.9
1937____ _____ 80.6
60.5
72.5
1938____ _____ 66.5
56.6
48.2
98.1
101.1
100.8
101.8
96.7
87.5
84.7
62.2
35.2
15.5
15.0
21.2
27.4
40.2
48.2
34.8
95.0
101.0
104.0
102.1
98.3
92.6
90.3
84.6
65.8
45.8
42.8
55.4
56.0
62.0
71.1
64.5
94.6
102.9
102.5
J00.9
101.1
96.9
92.9
83.4
56.9
29.8
26.4
38.7
39.8
51.0
65.9
59.0
105.1
95.5
99.4
103.8
94.3
92.6
96.7
83.8
71.5
59.6
71.3
91.5
96.1
98.4
107.4
83.9
103.4
96.9
99.7
103.9
93.6
94.5
100.9
82.9
66.5
45.5
52.0
70.9
82.2
91.8
112.5
82.9
104.5
100.0
95.5
101.7
100.0
98.3
105.6
113.0
98.7
104.0
72.2
47.9
43.1
43.3
39.7
46.8
49.1
42.1
68.8
35.3
27.7
28.3
26.8
35.0
37.8
31.5
98.5
103.8
97.7
99.7
98.0
98.8
94.7
82.9
72.3
58.6
63.2
74.5
77.1
78.6
83.0
75.0
97.8
104.3
97.9
99.3
94.5
93.9
91.4
74.1
56.4
35.9
37.4
49.5
58.7
65.5
76.7
65.0
26.9
28.2
28.8
32.3
35.7
36.0
35.4
37.2
38.6
40.6
39.0
39.4
54.3
53.3
57.7
64.6
66.7
68.1
70.3
69.9
68.0
70.1
67.8
62.6
43.9
44.2
49.7
58.0
65.7
65.1
66.0
65.4
63.4
65.4
63.7
57.2
87.6
85.4
83.5
81.6
80.7
79.3
74.7
78.7
82.1
87.5
92.1
93.0
77.7
80.7
81.4
77.6
79.1
77.6
69.1
78.6
82.6
92.9
98.6
99.4
36.7
40.2
41.2
41.8
43.4
43.7
44.0
43.3
43.0
42.3
42.9
42.3
24.9
30.3
31.6
33.1
35.5
33.8
33.5
32.0
31.3
30.1
30.7
31.4
74.4
75.1
75.5
74.4
73.3
73.0
69.5
72.3
74.8
77.7
80.0
79.9
57.6
66.2
67.5
63.8
65.5
61.0
53.1
58.7
63.9
73.2
74.5
75.5
Pay
rolls
19S8
January______
February_____
March_______
April..................
M ay...................
June_________
J u ly ......... .........
August..............
September____
October.............
November____
December____
63.1
63.0
63.7
65.4
66.0
65.8
64.6
66.3
67.8
70.1
71.6
70.5
47.9
51 3
53.0
54.3
57.7
56.4
53.1
56.5
58.3
63.0
63.8
63.5
42.8
42.9
43.8
47.0
48.4
48.3
48.8
49.9
51.2
52.0
52.4
51.3
Textiles and their products
Year and
month
1923_____ ____
1924__________
1925.............. .
1926
__
1927__________
1928
__
1929
__
1930__________
1931...................
1932__________
1933__________
1934__________
1935__________
1936............ ..
1937....................
1938____ _____
Textiles
group
Fabric
(subgroup)
Carpets and
rugs
Cotton goods
Cotton small
wares
Dyeing and
finishing
textiles
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy Pay
ment rolls
105.2
94.9
99,9
99.9
104.0
101.3
104.8
92.9
87.2
77.9
90.5
96.7
103.5
106.7
108.5
93.0
105.8
93.8
100.4
100.2
106.8
101.7
105.2
85.6
75.2
53.6
61.8
73.4
83.2
86.8
92.4
75.0
105.4
94.2
100.4
99.2
101.3
96.2
99.2
86.0
80.3
71.9
86.4
90.4
95.0
96.3
99.0
83.6
106.0
93.4
100.6
99.4
103.8
95.8
99.4
79.4
70.2
50.4
61.4
69.8
77.9
80.6
88.1
69.7
103.8
96.2
100.0
97.8
96.9
92.8
96.2
74.2
67.5
52.9
62.8
68.7
81.5
85.4
95.7
69.1
109.2
93.3
97.5
93.8
94.5
85.7
90.1
59.7
54.3
31.4
41.0
45.0
62.5
66.6
77.5
52.3
106.7
92.5
100.8
101.9
105.8
95.5
96.1
80.7
74.5
67.1
85.9
89.3
83.5
88.8
95.5
81.6
110.1
91.6
98.3
98.5
105.7
88.4
90.1
69.4
61.0
43.9
60.2
68.2
65.8
74.0
86.9
66.8
104.4
92.6
103.0
105.5
91.8
102.7
96.1
92.7
111.2
114.2
121.5
121.8
124.8
108.7
101.2
73.8
77.5
88.5
94.5
97.3
100.5
87.2
89.7
94.7
95.0
91.8
87.4
84.6
86.6
95.1
97.9
97.5
96.9
98.6
68.0
77.9
78.0
71.6
66.3
62.4
66.6
80.0
84.0
83.1
78,4
83.3
82.1
83.1
82.2
79.5
78.0
77.2
80.4
85.1
86.6
87.2
89.5
91.8
64.4
69.0
67.6
63.3
62.0
61.2
65.7
73.4
74.7
76.5
77.3
81.1
66.2
71.8
71.8
67.8
63.1
48.0
62.8
67.6
72.7
76.7
79.5
81.5
40.5
48.5
50.7
46.0
41.5
35.5
44.7
55.4
60.8
66.0
66.9
71.1
82.6
81.8
82.4
79.3
77.1
76.0
78.2
81.3
83.2
83.7
86.1
87. 1
64.3
65.1
66.5
62.1
60.3
58.5
63.7
68.4
71.0
72.4
73.6
75.7
84.1
89.7
89.1
86.1
83.2
76.8
78.3
87.4
89.5
92.0
92.7
97.2
95.3
101.3
97.4
102.1
81.7
72.2
84.3
86.0
85.8
87.0
89.8
74.2
76.8
56.2
66.5
71.1
73.4
77.8
82.6
67.3
97.4
93.9
108.7
110.8
113.5
114.9
121.8
112.0
103.3
92.8
101.8
113.6
118.2
115.8
114.8
104.0
71.4
73.0
72.7
70.7
70.4
68.3
67.7
72.1
76.4
79.9
83.0
84.5
59.0
65.8
67.2
61.3
62.0
59.9
58.8
65.3
71.1
77.4
77.3
82.2
103.8
105.1
105.2
103.6
101.9
98.0
97.0
101.9
104.1
105.8
109.3
112.1
19S8
January______
February_____
March_______
April________
M ay_____ . . .
June_________
July.............
August..........
September........
October______
November____
December____
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
732
T able
2.—Employment and Pay-Roll Indexes—Continued
M ANUFACTURING IN D U STR IES-C ontinued
Textiles and their products—Continued
Hats, fur-felt
Knit goods3
Em
ploy
ment
Em
ploy
ment
Year and month
1923________ _____
1924______________
1925
______
1926 _ _________
1927
______
1928
1929
_____
1930 _ - _______
1931._____________
1 932..........................
1933______________
1934______________
1935______________
1936______________
1937______________
1938______________
Pay
rolls
Pay
rolls
Silk and rayon
goods
Em
ploy
ment
Woolen and Wearing apparel
worsted goods
(subgroup)
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
82.5
54.5
59.5
71.0
82.0
88.7
89.3
74.4
105.1
93.9
101.0
101.4
103.0
104.8
112.9
103.2
96.3
94.2
102.7
110.5
119.0
121.8
122.3
108.7
103.9
92.0
104.1
108.6
116.1
117.4
130.1
109.7
92.3
77.2
81.5
100.2
113.9
118.0
123.1
108.9
99.7
94.8
105.5
102.9
101.5
101.0
103.8
95.1
86.9
74.0
87.8
88.4
86.5
77.8
78.0
59.6
97.4
93.0
109.6
107.8
107.6
107.5
105.6
87.2
74.8
48.4
56.9
66.0
68.8
61.5
64.6
46.5
109.3
97.9
92.8
84.1
86.7
83.1
82.6
67.2
67.1
56.0
71.4
67.5
90.4
86.5
83.4
66.2
109.1
97.6
93.3
84.0
84.7
79.2
80.1
60.5
57.3
38.9
49.7
49.1
71.5
68.1
72.2
53.0
105.4
96.1
98.5
99.8
105.8
108.3
113.3
105.0
99.7
89.1
97.7
108.7
121.0
128.9
128.2
112.9
105.6
94.9
99.5
99. 6
107.6
107. 5
111.0
93.6
80.6
57.2
60.0
77.3
90.7
95.9
97.6
82.8
77.5
86.2
79.9
63.4
56.4
48.5
74.9
87.2
95.0
78.0
70.1
75.3
103.4
107.9
108.6
107.8
103.3
103.9
104.6
109.2
111.8
114.5
114.2
115.1
94.2
108.4
110.7
106.5
101.6
99.9
98.2
111.7
116.0
122.1
118.5
119.5
57.8
59.4
59.8
59.7
59.2
53.5
55.0
61.3
63.2
61.2
61.7
63.2
40.1
45.3
46.6
45.4
46.1
40.8
42. 2
50.2
50.6
50.2
48.6
51.8
61.9
62.6
54.4
48.8
54.1
61.0
68.4
75.1
72.7
71.9
78.4
85.3
51.0
52.5
41. 1
35.4
38.9
47.4
55.5
62.1
57.5
58.1
63.7
72.8
105.3
119.8
122.7
118.5
107.2
99.7
98.9
116.3
122.1
119.6
112.0
112.2
72.6
92.8
95.8
85.6
72.5
62.6
66.0
90.4
99.5
93.0
78.0
84.7
106.4
97.1
96.5
107.4
90.5
102.1
101.2
114.1
105.3
112.3
89.6
72.6
79.8
86.4
93.3
96.3
95.2
84.4
91.3
92.4
92.3
89.1
74.4
61.3
79.8
88.1
90.0
89.1
82.8
82.4
1938
January--------------February_________
March___________
A p r il..---------------M a y .. . -------------June. ___________
July_____________
August___________
September________
October____ ____
November________
December________
Textiles and their products—Continued
Clothing,
men’s
Year and
month
1923_____ ____
1924___ ______
1925
__
1926
1927._________
1928
1929
__
1930
1931_____ ____
1932____ _____
1933__________
1934......... ...........
1935__________
1936....... .............
1937____ _____
1938-.................
Clothing,
women’s
Corsets and
allied gar
ments
M en’s furn
ishings
M illinery
Shirts and
collars
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
107.0
97.3
95.7
97.4
102.5
101. 3
103.2
91.4
84.9
79.4
90.5
99.3
111.3
115.7
115.4
96.7
109.3
96.1
94.6
94.8
99.5
95.5
95.8
74.7
62.8
44.8
52.8
65.3
79.7
81.6
85.3
65.2
104.3
96.6
99.1
104.2
121.0
133.7
146.8
142.2
135.8
116.9
125.1
150.3
172.7
189.0
184.2
165.2
103.2
94.3
102.5
104.7
123.6
132.5
142.6
127.9
110.5
76.4
74.5
103.0
120.8
129.9'
129.2
116.1
105.2
100.0
94.8
103.4
100.0
96.6
94.6
100.1
105.3
93.6
96.1
110.3
90.0
96.7
125.7
139.5
89.2
97.0
132.7
145.5
91.3
89.3
91.6
97.8
102.2
99.6
101.7
97.5
89.6
74.8
73.2
86.9
93.8
95.0
97.4
94.0
120.1
103.8
110.7
117.8
125.1
141.4
148.1
131.6
109.5
75.2
79.1
102.8
113.3
122.4
127.7
114.1
103.2
94.8
102.0
98.0
104.8
105.7
101.3
91.3
83.7
73.9
71.0
72.9
71.6
75.6
73.6
69.5
100.8
94.5
104.7
103.6
113.9
112.3
104.0
88.6
79.2
60.9
49.4
56.5
58.3
66.7
64.6
59.4
107.9
93.0
99.1
101.7
105.1
106. 3
109.1
102.7
104.0
91.0
103.1
107.1
113.9
120.1
124.2
113.0
109.7
91.9
98.4
101.9
109.9
107.1
109.2
90. 3
82.7
58.0
68.3
85.7
96.6
102.1
106.5
90.8
90.5
103.9
105. 7
98.2
82.6
78.2
89.8
104.3
107.5
104.5
98.1
97.1
58.4 160.0
74. 1 179.6
75.7 182.1
64.5 178.7
48/0 165.6
43.2 148.0
57.4 134.6
74.4 165.9
80.1 177.1
74.9 171.4
63.1 158.5
68.3 160.6
102.9
134.5
136.1
123.1
109.7
89.5
86.0
128.1
137.6
128.8
101.7
114.8
96.0
98.3
99.0
99.0
98.3
97.1
93.2
94.7
97.3
98.9
98.5
99.6
83.7
94.3
99.6
97.0
95.1
85.9
82.5
85.8
96.1
104.8
99.8
102.8
107.5
126.8
133.3
128,1
126.0
123.8
120.5
127.2
138.1
149.2
149.7
149.0
81.6
108.4
115.1
102.9
97.7
100.8
94.0
109.5
124.9
140.1
150.7
143.3
70.2
78. 1
82.8
85.1
73.0
60.0
49.9
68.2
79.3
74.2
55.1
67.8
54.6
69.1
80.6
74.0
55.5
44.5
36.4
59.6
91.6
62.7
40.4
43.2
92.8
109.6
117.1
115.0
112.0
113.4
107.5
117.3
117.9
119.2
117.7
116.4
72.2
87. 1
94.1
88.7
86.6
83.1
77.8
93.4
97.4
99.3
104. 1
105.3
1938
January.........—
February_____
M arch................
April____ ____
M ay...................
June...................
July....................
A u g u st............
September____
October......... —
November........
December____
See fo o tn o tes a t end o f table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
733
T a b l e 2 . —Employment and Pay-Roll Indexes— Continued
M ANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES—Continued
Leather and its manufactures
Year and
month
1923__________
1924__________
1925__________
1926__________
1927__________
1928__________
1929__________
1930__________
1931__________
1932________
1933_________
1934__________
1935_____ ____
1936__________
1937__________
1938__________
Boots and
shoes
Leather group
Em
ploy
ment
Food and kindred products
Leather
Baking
Food group
Beverages
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
106.6
96.3
97.1
96.6
97.7
95.6
98.5
91.2
84.3
81. 2
87.2
94.0
96.1
95.8
97.7
89.5
106.9
95.3
97.8
98.9
100.3
95.8
99.0
82.3
72.1
57.6
61.2
73.2
76.9
75.9
81.7
69.5
106.0
96.7
97.3
95.6
95.6
92.7
96.7
90.2
85.3
84.5
89.8
95.0
95.1
94.3
97.2
90.9
107.6
95.3
97.1
96.1
96.8
91.3
95.6
78.3
70.2
58.3
61.1
72.9
74.1
71.3
77.0
66.3
109.1
95.4
95.5
-96. 7
96.6
94.3
91.1
84.6
76.9
68.8
80.7
89.8
92.9
93.7
91.5
76.9
107.9
95.8
96.3
99. 5
99.3
95.5
92.8
83.0
72.5
54.0
63.0
73.3
81.4
85.6
91.4
75.1
101.4
98.3
100.3
99. 7
100.2
103. 8
111.1
107. 8
95.6
88.6
100,3
119.2
120. 1
123.8
128.7
122.3
99.8
99.3
100.9
102 0
103.0
106 3
112.9
108.0
92.0
75.0
78.7
98.1
101.4
109.8
125.4
122.0
100.1
101.1
98.8
101 4
105.9
112 2
123.6
121 5
112.6
106.8
112.2
130.3
134.4
139.9
146.7
143.4
98.0
101.7
100.3
104 1
107.8
113 3
125.3
123 7
109.0
92.3
89.9
107.6
113.6
124.2
140.5
139.5
104.9
97.0
98.1
104.4
95.8
99.8
96.6
100.0
101.3
106.1
85.5
79.1
138.2
188.9
200.6
223.9
243.7
238.5
83.1
71.2
131.9
191.5
215.7
254.4
287.9
282.9
89.6
93.5
94.2
92.1
86.0
81.8
89.3
92.7
92.3
89.6
84.8
88.6
69.0
77.0
76.6
70.6
60.9
57.5
69.4
77.0
74.0
69.6
62.4
70.0
91.5
96.0
97.2
95.0
87.6
82.5
91.4
94.6
93.8
89.9
83.3
87.6
67.2
76.5
76.5
69.9
57.6
52.8
67.0
75.1
70.9
64.5
54.4
63.3
74.9
75.9
74.7
72.9
72.3
72.2
73.9
77.3
78.6
81.2
84.0
85.3
69.9
72.9
71.1
67.6
67.9
69.2
72.1
77.9
78.9
81.7
84.7
87.6
114.7
113.3
112.0
112.6
113.6
119.4
128.6
138.3
142.7
128.8
123.4
120.1
116.6
114.2
113.3
114. 1
117.3
121.7
128.5
131. 1
136.7
127.0
122.4
120.9
141.8
141.9
141.7
141.8
141.8
144.2
145.0
144.5
145.6
144.3
144.6
143.5
136.3
137.3
137.7
137.5
139.5
141.9
142.8
139.8
143.5
139.5
139.7
138.2
221.5
225.2
230.5
234.9
242.0
251.9
259.6
260.0
250.3
233.6
229.2
223.3
250.6
261.1
271.2
278.3
290.9
305.7
322.8
322.0
297.6
272.6
264. 7
257.2
19S8
January............
February_____
M a r c h ...____
April________
M ay_________
June_____ . . .
July_________
A ugust_______
September____
O c to b e r ...___
November___
December___
Food and kindred products—Continued
Slaughtering
and meat
packing
Canning and
preserving
Confectionery
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
Em
ploy Pay
ment rolls
1923__________ 106. 7 105.7
97.7
1924__________ 100.0 100.0
86.9
1925
______________________
93.3
94.3 115.4
1926
______________________
1927
______________________
105.6 108.2 112.0
1928
_
1929
______________________
100.3 102.5 134.6
1930
__
138.8
1931________
82.0
79.1 106.1
1932........... ......... 80.6
68.3
86.1
1933__________ 86.7
63.8 112.7
1934__________ 98.2
71.8 143.7
1935__________ 96.9
74.2 155.0
1936__________ 100.9
79.9 151.8
1937...,.............. 105.7
87.5 159.4
1938__________ 102.6
87.5 130.4
97.8
86.9
115.3
129.4
126.7
91.5
65.0
76.8
99.9
118.8
116.0
144.8
114.0
101.7
96.5
101.8
105.8
101.1
98.9
101.7
92.1
82.0
74.8
81.0
82.6
83.4
80.6
82.2
79.1
100.9
97.7
101.4
106.8
104.7
101.0
103.7
93.3
77.5
60.6
60.7
70.1
72.2
71.0
79.1
76.1
104.9
99.7
95.4
91.8
89.4
85.5
80.6
73.9
68.1
65.7
69.2
79.0
79.0
77.1
78.0
76.5
101.9
101.0
97.1
94.4
91.8
89.7
85.7
78.7
66.7
56.4
55.2
64.5
66.2
69.5
76.2
75.7
99.2
102.0
98.8
96.3
94.0
95.5
96.0
89.0
76.0
64.6
61.6
71.9
74.3
77.1
81.5
78.9
98.7
99.7
101.6
103.2
100.6
103.2
102.7
93.0
76.9
56.7
49.1
56.8
58.1
61.1
68.0
67.6
104.7
100.3
95.0
93.2
94.0
94.8
96.7
92.1
84.1
80.6
89.3
108.8
92.0
97.8
99.2
96.2
102.6
99.9
97.5
97.8
98.9
100.1
101.5
96.3
82.2
65.7
68.7
93.9
83.5
92.6
107.2
107.3
74.9
73.3
70.0
75.6
80.3
100.7
157. 2
203.8
238.1
130.3
86.0
77.4
79.0
78.4
77.1
74.0
69.1
69.7
-67.5
71.6
87.9
93.0
90.6
91.3
74.7
75.0
73.5
66.8
64.2
67.9
63.1
69.3
90.9
91.6
84.9
91.5
76.2
76.1
75.7
74.2
73.9
75.3
77.9
77.9
77.2
77.5
78.2
78.1
74.5
74.3
73.5
72.1
72.5
75.6
79.4
78.7
81.2
79.7
73.8
73.0
68.0
68.3
69.9
77.0
87.4
91.6
94.7
93.1
83.4
73.7
70.4
68.7
58.4
58.4
60.7
66.5
73.8
77.5
80.6
80.3
70.1
63.6
60.7
60.0
102.3
97.0
93.0
91.5
91.9
93.5
94.7
94.2
95.5
97.4
100.7
102.4
118.7
105.0
100.7
100.8
103.6
104.7
107.9
104.8
108.7
110.0
110.0
112.5
Year and
month
Butter
Em
ploy
ment
Pay
rolls
108.7
Flour
Ice cream
19S8
January______
February_____
March_______
April________
M ay_________
June_________
July-------------August_______
September____
October______
November____
December____
97.7
97.9
99.5
103.8
106.7
110.1
110.9
110.1
103.7
99.4
96.8
95.1
82.4
83.2
83.2
86.0
92.5
94.5
95.9
94.4
90.0
85.6
82.4
80.4
84.6
81.8
78.0
82.9
85.4
113.9
178.6
251.2
272.0
147.3
103.3
85.3
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
734
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
T a b l e 2 . —Employment and Pay-Roll Indexes— Continued
M ANUFACTUBING IND U STR IES-C ontinued
T obacco m anufactures
Food and kindred products —Con.
Sugar, beet
Year and m onth
Em
p loy
m ent
Em
p loy
m ent
90.0
87.5
91.2
90.3
75.8
90.4
130.0
101.3
112.1
105.7
103.6
104.2
68.1
68.5
98.2
69.7
84.3
87.5
96.0
101.7
103.4
98.2
98.4
94.8
94.9
89.4
94.3
92.3
80.3
73.9
77.9
90.7
93.7
91.9
88.4
86.4
37.9
35.2
38.8
44.1
43.5
47.4
53.2
74.7
100.2
270.3
274.8
230.7
41.9
42.9
44.2
47.6
48.3
51.5
53.1
67.7
97.3
228.4
275. 3
221.9
78.1
84.9
81.5
79.7
91.0
90.5
88.1
90.1
92.7
89.0
86.6
84.4
92.1
100.0
107.9
1923________ ______
1924_________ _____
1925_______________
1926 ______________
1927_______________
1928 ______________
1929_____ _________
1930 ______________
1931
____________
1932_______________
1933 ______________
________
1934 . . .
1935_______________
1936_______________
1937 ______________
1938_______________
P ay
rolls
Sugar refining,
cane
91.1
100.0
108.9
T obacco group
Em
p loy
m ent
Pay
rolls
C hew ing and
sm oking tobac
co and snufl
Pay
rolls
Em
p lo y
m ent
Pay
rolls
Cigars and
cigarettes
Em
p lo y
m ent
102.6
100.4
97.0
91.5
90.6
87.5
91.4
89.7 •
79.6
66.5
62.7
66.8
71.3
71.1
79.2
76.7
105.7
98.8
95.5
90.9
93.4
90.7
83.9
78.3
72.1
65.6
63.1
68.1
65.4
65.5
65.3
63.8
104.1
99.4
96.5
92.1
91.0
86.1
81.8
72.7
60. 1
48.2
44. 1
50.6
51.5
54.0
59.0
56.8
102.7
102.7
94.6
93.1
82.6
75.6
68.0
69.8
71.9
71.0
64.2
67.1
63.3
61.9
62.1
61.4
101.4
101.6
97.0
94.0
84.8
77.4
71.3
71.3
69.0
62.4
56.0
61.0
60.7
61.8
68.8
68.6
106.2
98.2
95.6
90.4
94.9
92.8
86.0
79.4
72.1
64.9
62.9
68.2
65.6
65.9
65.7
64.1
67.0
72.9
68.4
73.9
82.5
81.4
81.3
80.1
84.8
79.3
75.4
72.9
55.7
63.2
63.8
63.4
63.8
64.8
61.5
64.3
■66.3
66.3
66.9
65.2
48.0
52.6
54.7
53.2
56.6
59.4
57.1
59.0
61.0
60.7
59.8
59.6
62.8
64.4
62.0
61.8
61.0
60.6
59.8
60.4
62.6
57.7
61.9
62.1
68.7
70.3
67.4
68.3
65.8
70.4
68.8
66.1
71.8
63.3
69.1
73.0
54.8
63.0
64.0
63.6
64.2
65.3
61.7
64.8
66.8
67.4
67.5
65.6
19S8
J u ly _______________
D ecem ber_________
Pay
rolls
104.5
99.2
96.3
91.8
91.8
87.2
83.1
72.9
58.9
46.4
42.6
49.3
50.3
53.0
57.7
55.3
45.4
50.3
53.0
51.3
55.4
58.0
55.6
58.0
59.6
60.3
58.5
57.9
Paper and printing
Year and m on th
Paper and
printing group
Em
p loy
m ent
P ay
rolls
Boxes, paper
Em
p lo y
m ent
P ay
rolls
Printing and
Prin ting and
publishing,
Paper and pulp publishing, book newspapers and
and job
periodicals
Em
p loy
m ent
Pay
rolls
1923__________ ____
1924_______________
1925................ .............
1926________ ______
1927 ___ ____ _____
1928_______________
1929 ______________
1930.-_____________
1931_______________
1932.......... ............. ..
99.2
99.7
101.1
104.1
104.1
105.0
111.3
108.0
96.3
85.5
96.2
99.5
104.3
110.8
111.0
112.3
119.5
114.6
97.3
74.8
100.0
99.5
100.5
102.1
99.2
96.3
97.9
90.7
81.8
73.5
97.3
99.7
103.0
106.9
104.0
102.0
102.9
91.6
79.0
62.4
100.0
97.3
102.7
105.8
102.2
100.8
106.1
102.5
89.5
81.9
98.4
97.5
104.1
109.1
105.3
105.3
112.5
104.6
82.1
61.4
1933........................
1934...... .............. .......
1935______________
1936........................
1937________ _____
1938______________
86.7
97.4
102.0
105.8
111.7
104.7
68.3
80.4
88.4
96.3
107.9
100.5
83.0
93.2
97.2
100,2
106.6
96.4
67.7
83.0
91.0
97.5
108.6
98.1
89.0
102.9
105.3
106.8
114.3
104.3
106.1
106. 1
105.3
104.6
103. 4
101.9
101. 5
102.7
104.3
105. 5
107.0
108.0
100.3
101.2
101.3
99.4
98. 5
96.0
95.9
98.0
101. 1
103 7
103.3
107.3
93.0
93.5
94.5
93. 5
92.7
87.5
92.3
94.2
91.8
92.2
90.9
93.0
97.3
105.4
112.7
110.0
109.4
105.5
106.0
105.4
104.3
102.9
101.9
101.6
102.8
104.0
104.8
105.9
106.3
Em
p lo y
m ent
Pay
rolls
Em
p lo y
m ent
Pay
rolls
98.3
100.7
101.0
104.9
106.9
107.4
113.1
110.9
100.7
95.5
100.0
104.5
112.5
114.1
113.6
118.7
115.6
99.1
98.9
101.0
100.1
101.7
102.2
104.5
111.0
109.9
101.8
94.7
100.6
104.7
110.3
111.1
113.6
121.8
119.4
108.0
64.4
78.1
86.7
95.6
113.9
100.3
85.3
78.5
88.6
95.0
100.0
107.0
100.8
72.4
60.6
71.6
79.3
85.5
96.8
89.5
92.9
93.4
99.5
101.6
105.5
107.9
105.4
88.6
78.6
87.8
92.7
101.4
107.9
106.1
96.3
101.4
101.8
98.4
97.2
94.9
96.9
101.9
101.5
106.5
102.9
103.4
105.4
104.7
102.0
100.8
99.2
96.6
97.7
99.0
98.9
99.6
101.4
103.7
95.3
93.2
91.7
88.8
87.6
84.0
85.0
86.2
88.2
87.9
89.1
96.9
105.5
105.6
105.9
106.3
105.6
104.7
102.1
102.5
105.1
106.0
107.1
108.0
105.3
105.1
106.4
106. 5
106.0
104.3
101. 1
101.1
106.4
108.7
109.6
113.2
19S8
M arch . J_____ ____
M a y ............................
J u ly __________
..
A ugust____ . . . .
Septem ber________
October . . . _ . . .
D ecem ber_________
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
92.2
92.4
94.8
98.8
102.8
105. 2
103.9
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
735
T a b l e 2 . —Employment and Pay-Roll Indexes— Continued
M ANUFACTURING IN D U STR IES-C ontinued
Chemicals and allied products
Year and month
Chemicals
group
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
1923______________
1924______________
1925............................
1926______________
1927______________
1928______________
1929______________
1930______________
1931_________ ____
1932_________ ____
1933______________
1934______________
1935______________
1936......... ..................
1937...........................
1938._____________
Other than
petroleum re
fining (sub
group)
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Chemicals
C ottonseedoil, cake, and
meal
Druggists’
preparations
Employ Pay
ment
roils
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
102.9
96.8
100.3
106.5
104.2
103.0
115.7
109.4
95.4
85.6
97 1
110.8
112.5
115.4
125.3
111.4
102.2
96.4
101.4
108.7
107.8
108.0
120.9
112.2
92.0
71.7
76.2
90.9
97.4
106.1
130.2
116.6
102.9
96.9
100.2
105.4
102.8
102.5
113.6
105.6
92.7
82.4
94.8
108.6
110.8
114.0
124.8
109.1
102.1
97.0
100.9
107.4
106.8
108.0
118.4
106.6
87.7
66.9
72.5
87.5
94.2
103.4
127.7
110.7
105.7
98.0
96.3
101.8
98.1
100.1
87.8
100.5
111.7
127.0
151.3
109.2
99.5
85.1
76.0
93.3
115.6
115.5
123.4
136.5
113.4
120.0
103. 5
84.2
64.6
75.2
96.3
102.2
116.1
146.7
121.9
109.0
118.9
84.5
95.2
98.1
94.7
91.1
83.4
96.2
96.6
114.6
115.1
115.1
112.4
108.8
105.2
105.0
108.1
113.0
113.4
113.0
112.7
115.7
117.3
117.3
114.3
115.7
112.8
111.1
116.9
118.9
120.1
119.1
120.1
112.6
113.4
113.6
110.2
105.9
101.4
101.0
104.8
111.1
111.9
111.6
111.4
109.5
110.8
111.3
108.0
108.3
105.1
103.7
110.4
114.1
116.2
114.6
115.8
120.2
117.3
113.4
111.4
109.6
109.7
107.8
110.3
112.5
114.8
117.2
116.9
125.3
123.6
118.5
117.4
116.8
118.1
114.5
121.0
121.4
128.1
128.1
129.8
124.9
119.9
104.6
89.5
69.0
57.8
59.3
68.4
113.5
122.1
116.3
113.9
83.9
94.9
121.2
88.5
70.5
57.1
61.9
62.8
60.0
79.0
81.3
97.7
96.8
105.5
108 3
Tin 4
108 fi
116! 4
108 2
103.2
92.3
94.7
105.4
106.5
106.4
114.7
108.8
105.3
85.3
86.7
96.4
101.4
105.2
120.8
116.8
107.4
100.0
87.2
72.1
57.4
48.0
51.2
57.0
95.1
104.0
100.1
95.5
109.8
109.9
108.6
108.1
107.8
107.6
107.1
108.2
109.6
110.3
109.7
109.2
118.0
115.6
114.8
114.3
114.1
114.4
111.3
117.2
118.6
123.9
119.6
120.2
91.8
97.5
110.7
113 4
124! 4
19S8
January_____ ____
February_________
March______ _____
April________ ____
M ay_____________
June_____________
J u ly ..____ _______
August___ ______
September________
October__________
November________
December________
Chemicals and allied products—Continued
Year and month
Explosives
Fertilizers
Paints and
varnishes
Rayon and
allied products
Soap
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
1923..........................
108.5 109.5
100. 5
99.1
1924...___________
94.8
97.6
93.1
93.6
1925........... ...............
96.7
92.9
106.4 107.3
1926..........................
92.2
98.7
112.8 118.4
1927
______
98.5
97.6
ICO. 8 106.9
95.4
1928
______
92.2
107.6 109.1
1929
_________________________________
95.3 102.0
113.4 108.3
1930
______
79.7
74.7
111.0 104.2
80.4
1931______________
73.4
66.9
78.8
1932_________ ____
63.6
43.9
56.5
43.7
1933........ ............ .
70.8
49.6
70.7
44.0
1934______________
84.8
65.5
93.8
63.8
1935______________
77.6
67.7
94.6
66.3
1936______________
79.9
80.5
90.4
69.8
1937........ ....................
88.2
99.1
103.1
92.6
82.4
1938...........................
89.2
90.5
80.3
95.6
97.6
106.8
91.6
99.8
108.6
117.5
123.3
164.8
122.3
129.6
94.4
87.3
95.9
110.4
116.0
120. 5
128.2
112.7
90.3
71.1
73.0
88.1
98.8
110.8
129.2
112.9
244.4
242.2
241.9
214.3
276.7
292.3
315.7
325.6
356.0
297.0
112.5
112.2
113.5
114.2
114.9
113.0
110.8
110.6
112.5
112.9
112.4
112.4
104.0
108.1
110.8
114.1
119.5
115.6
111.0
111.2
114.5
116.3
113.8
115.4
294.3
307.3
312.1
283.0
283.8
265.4
270.5
293.9
315.2
314.4
312.8
311.3
258.3
265.8
281.7
244.2
257.9
242.1
249.5
289.0
308.2
302.6
302.7
302.4
87.3
93.1
119.6
91.3
95.5
113.2
104.9
100.0
95.1
105.7
100.0
94.3
141.2
82.9
100.3
220.2
214.1
188.4
146.2
190.3
219.8
249.8
271.4
344.4
275.4
88.6
96.7
87.4
82.7
88.3
91.0
85.9
85.2
95.3
88.7
90.2
74.4
71.9
77.2
78.0
79.0
93.7
89.3
87.1
89.2
89.0
86.9
85.0
85.0
87.6
90.7
92.6
93.2
88.9
88.6
87.5
89.2
89.7
87.0
86.0
85.9
87.1
91.2
94.6
94.8
88.3
89.7
19S8
January.....................
February___ ____ _
March___________
April......... ................
M ay........ ..................
June____ _________
July-------------------August......................
September_______
O ctober_________
November________
D ecem ber..............
85.0
82.4
82.5
81.4
80.3
80.2
80.5
81.9
84.9
84.1
82.8
82.7
80.1
90.0
88.1
83.8
83.2
86.4
89.4
93.1
93.1
96.5
91.7
95.1
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
92.1
104.2
129.5
136.3
100.1
69.0
64.0
68.9
82.1
79.5
78.5
82.3
78.7
87.0
109.2
118.8
93.9
65.0
63.1
65.4
77.4
70.1
65.2
70.0
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
736
T a b l e 2. —Employment and Pay-Roll Indexes— Continued
M ANUFACTURING IND U STR IES-C ontim ied
Chemicals and
allied prod
ucts—Cont.
Petroleum
refining
Year and month
Employ- Pay
ment
rolls
1923._____________
1924______________
1925............. ..............
1926
1927______________
1928
1929._____________
1930
1931______________
1932______________
1933______________
1934______________
1935______________
1936............................
1937______________
1938______________
Rubber products
Rubber group
Rubber boots
and shoes
Pay
rolls
Employ- Pay
rolls
ment
Employment
Rubber goods,
other than boots,
shoes, tires,
and inner tubes
Employment
103.0
96.1
100.9
110.8
109.9
104. 7
124.4
124. 9
106.2
98.7
106.5
119.8
119.4
121.3
127.2
120.9
102.3
94.6
103.1
112.7
111.9
108.3
129.2
130.4
105.8
87.5
88.4
101.8
107.9
115.0
138.1
136.0
102.6
91. 8
105.6
105. 1
105.7
111. 1
111.0
85. 9
73.9
67. 6
79. 1
88. 8
85.4
90.4
96.8
75.0
101.0
92.9
106. 1
107.0
110.0
117. 5
115.1
84. 7
62. 5
47.4
55.0
69.3
74.2
87.5
96.9
69.9
117.0
83.6
99.4
103.0
106.8
105. 0
102.1
82.0
63.2
59.6
72.0
77. 5
68.6
75.2
75.1
56.2
118.7
82.3
99.0
101.7
113.2
107.1
105.6
77.4
48.6
42.4
51.0
58.3
56.9
66.1
74. 1
50.1
103.1
91.6
105.3
122.8
121.7
121.2
121.3
120.9
121.1
121.8
121.9
121.0
119. 5
118.9
118.1
135.9
138.2
136.5
134.9
139.6
137.8
135.3
138.1
134.6
132.8
133.6
134.1
77.9
74. 1
72.9
72. 7
71.4
70.6
68.7
72. 5
75.9
77.7
82.4
83.6
66. 1
58.9
60. 9
61.9
63.3
63.5
64. 1
69. 5
76.7
79.7
85.2
89.0
59.6
56.2
55.1
54.3
52.8
53.9
42.3
54.1
58.0
60.1
63.4
65.1
48.9
43.8
44.4
42.0
43.8
45.2
36.7
50.9
57.7
61.6
60.6
65.9
Pay
rolls
100.1
92.7
107.2
Rubber tires
and their in
ner tubes
Employ- Pay
ment
rolls
110.3
115.5
120.3
126.4
102.3
91.3
105.3
116.7
120.6
129.0
142. 5
116.5
89.9
68.1
75.3
89.1
99.0
115.2
138.3
107.4
97.7
94.5
107.8
105.4
103.3
109.9
110.0
79.0
64.9
59.8
69.9
80.2
75.4
78.5
84.0
63.0
112.2
112.6
111.6
112.6
110.3
106.3
106.6
113.2
121.0
123.3
133.6
134.7
95.5
97.8
99.0
99.3
97.5
93.4
95.0
107.7
116.6
122.6
130.7
133.7
68.8
63.1
61.7
61.2
60.4
60.4
60.7
60.6
61.9
63.5
66.1
67.2
96.8
95.7
107.5
107.2
107.0
116.8
113.2
79.3
56.2
41.2
48.8
65.1
69.8
83.1
87.9
61.6
60.0
49.0
51.5
53.7
56.1
57.5
60.0
60.6
67.3
69.1
75.3
79.0
19S8
January__________
February ------- .
March____ _______
April ___________
M ay_____________
June_____________
July_____________
August ________
Septem ber.......... .
October______ . . .
November................
December________
NONMANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
[1929 = 100]
Anthracite
mining
Bituminouscoal mining
Metalliferous
mining
Quarrying and
nonmetallic
mining
Crude-petrole
um producing
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Employ Pay
ment
rolls
Month and year
1929______________
1930______________
1931..____________
1932._____________
1933______________
1934______________
1935______________
1936______________
1937______________
1938............................
100.0
95.2
84.3
68.2
59.5
69.4
64.7
62.5
60.2
52.3
100.0
96.0
76.9
56.0
49.0
59.9
52.2
49.6
46.9
38.2
100.0
96.1
88.9
76.3
79.9
92.3
94.9
97.5
99.3
86.7
100.0
83.0
61.2
41.3
45.4
64.0
70.1
82.7
88.5
67.9
100.0
83.2
59.1
36.5
34.6
41.6
47.3
60.3
76.8
59.0
100.0
78.0
44.8
21.6
20.6
26.7
33.9
48.4
74.0
50.5
100.0
84.3
67.4
49.0
44.9
48.9
46.0
49.5
51.4
42.3
100.0
79.3
53.4
29.1
24.7
29.6
30.7
38.9
45.4
35.1
100.0
87.4
65.7
55.3
62.2
77.7
74.9
72.9
76.5
72.1
100.0
85.9
61.7
44.1
44.1
56.9
57.9
58.6
68.2
66.5
59.6
60.0
59.3
57.0
52.8
56.0
44.6
37.6
46.4
52.4
51.0
51.3
46.5
46.1
47.3
39.0
38.3
49.7
20.2
20.0
29.4
43.4
36.2
42.5
96.9
95.5
93.2
85.8
82.2
80.2
78.5
80.. 1
83.4
87. 2
88.6
89.3
70.4
74.0
68.4
56.3
55.3
57.0
56.8
64.2
71.9
78.3
81.4
80.9
67.4
63.6
62.3
6J. 6
58.8
56.0
49.7
51.4
55.2
57.9
61.9
62.3
59.1
55.8
56.3
53.3
51.2
46.1
38.0
43.7
46.1
49.2
52.3
54.1
38.2
37.8
38.9
41.7
43.7
43.6
44. 1
44.6
44.6
44.4
44.4
41.4
27.7
28.6
30.2
33.9
38.3
37.3
37.0
39.2
38.4
39.2
37.2
33.7
75.3
74.2
73.6
73.8
73.2
72.8
72. 3
72.4
71.5
69.5
68.3
67.7
68.2
69.6
68.0
68.0
66.7
67.6
66.7
66.8
66.5
63.7
63.3
62.5
19S8
January_______ . .
February_________
March___________
April________ ____
M ay..........................
June_____________
July_____________
A ugust.................
September........ .......
October__________
November________
December.................
See footnotes at end of table.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
737
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
T a b l e 2 . —Employment and Pay-Roll Indexes—Continued
NONMANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES—Continued
E le c tric -ra ilro a d
a n d
m o to rb u s
o p e ra tio n
an d
m a in te n a n c e
E le c tric lig h t a n d
p o w e r, a n d m a n
u fa c tu re d g as
T e le p h o n e a n d te l
eg ra p h
W h o le s a le tr a d e
M o n th a n d y e a r
E m p lo y
m e n t
1 9 2 9 __________ , ________
1 9 3 0 ___________________
1 9 3 1 ___________________
1 9 3 2 ___________________
1 9 3 3 . - . _____ __________
1 9 3 4 ___________________
1 9 3 5 ___________________
1 9 3 6 ___________________
1 9 3 7 ___________________
1 9 3 8 ___________________
1 0 0 .0
9 7 .9
8 6 .6
7 9 .1
7 0 .4
7 0 .3
7 0 .1
7 2 .2
7 7 .8
7 5 .1
P a y
ro lls
E m p lo y
m e n t
1 0 0 .0
1 0 2 .9
9 3 .7
8 1 .1
6 8 .2
7 1 .5
7 4 .5
7 8 .9
8 9 .6
9 2 .2
1 0 0 .0
1 0 3 .0
9 5 .6
8 3 .0
7 8 .8
8 3 .8
8 4 .8
9 0 .5
9 5 .6
9 2 .3
P a y
ro lls
E m p lo y
m e n t
1 0 0 .0
1 0 4 .3
9 6 .7
7 9 .8
7 2 .0
7 7 .9
8 1 .4
8 8 .8
9 9 .6
9 8 .5
P a y
ro lls
E m p lo y
m e n t
P a y
ro lls
1 0 0 .0
9 3 .4
8 4 .7
7 5 .5
7 0 .0
7 2 .1
7 1 .2
7 2 .0
7 3 .1
7 0 .3
1 0 0 .0
9 3 .5
8 3 .4
6 8 .0
5 8 .9
6 2 .2
6 3 .7
6 7 .2
7 0 .6
6 9 .6
1 0 0 .0
9 5 .7
8 5 .8
7 6 .8
7 6 .1
8 2 .8
8 4 .0
8 6 .7
9 2 .0
8 8 .8
1 0 0 .0
9 5 .3
8 1 .9
6 4 .2
5 6 .8
6 3 .0
6 5 .6
6 9 .4
7 6 .6
7 4 .7
7 2 .3
7 1 .2
7 0 .8
71. 1
7 0 .6
7 0 .4
7 0 .1
6 9 .5
6 9 .3
6 9 .9
6 9 .5
6 9 .4
7 0 .6
7 0 .2
6 9 .9
7 0 .0
7 1 .2
6 9 .7
6 9 .0
6 9 .5
6 8 .4
6 8 .9
6 8 .8
6 9 .5
9 1 .0
9 0 .4
8 9 .1
8 8 .5
8 7 .3
8 7 .2
8 6 .8
8 7 .6
8 8 .5
8 9 .1
8 9 .8
9 0 .0
7 5 .4
7 5 .3
74. 7
7 4 .6
75. 1
7 3 .8
7 3 .6
7 3 .7
7 4 .3
7 5 .1
7 5 .4
7 5 .6
1938
J a n u a r y . . ................ .........
F e b r u a r y _____________
M a r c h . _____________
A p r i l __________________
M a y __________________
J u n o ___________________
J u l y ----------------------------A u g u s t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
S e p t e m b e r ___________
O c t o b e r __________
„
N o v e m b e r _____
____
D e c e m b e r ____________
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
5
4
4
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
.8
.7
.9
.8
.0
.8
.9
.8
.9
.7
.4
.2
9
8
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
3
9
2
1
1
0
0
1
2
5
3
2
.7
.9
.6
.6
.3
.9
.9
.3
.6
.3
.0
.7
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
3
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
.8
.6
.0
.8
.7
.2
.3
.7
.5
.5
.9
.4
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
8
8
8
7
7
8
8
8
8
9
8
8
.9
.5
.6
.6
.4
.6
.3
.9
.4
.9
.6
.2
R e ta il tr a d e
M o n th a n d
y ear
1929
___
1930
1 9 3 1 _____________
1 9 3 2 _____________
1 9 3 3 _____________
1 9 3 4 _____________
1 9 3 5 _____________
1 9 3 6 _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _
1 9 3 7 _____________
1 9 3 8 _____________
T o ta l re ta il
tra d e
G e n e ra l
m e rc h a n d isin g
O th e r th a n
g e n e ra l m e r
c h a n d is in g
Y e a r-ro u n d
h o te ls
E m
p lo y
m e n t
P a y
ro lls
E m
p lo y
m e n t
P a y
ro lls
E m
p lo y
m e n t
P a y
ro lls
E m
p lo y
m e n t
P a y
ro lls
1 0 0 .0
9 6 .8
8 7 .7
7 6 .8
7 6 .1
8 2 .1
8 2 .3
8 5 .7
8 9 .8
8 5 .2
1 0 0 .0
9 5 .3
8 3 .1
6 3 .2
5 5 .2
6 0 .9
6 2 .1
6 6 .3
7 3 .1
7 0 .4
1 0 0 .0
9 4 .1
9 2 .2
8 2 .6
8 4 .2
9 2 .8
9 4 .2
9 9 .1
1 0 4 .3
9 8 .0
1 0 0 .0
9 3 .3
8 7 .4
6 9 .5
6 5 .4
7 5 .1
7 8 .0
8 3 .5
9 2 .5
8 7 .8
1 0 0 .0
9 7 .5
8 6 .7
7 5 .2
7 4 .0
7 9 .2
7 9 .1
8 2 .2
8 5 .9
8 1 .8
1 0 0 .0
9 5 .7
8 2 .2
6 1 .9
5 3 .1
5 8 .0
5 8 .8
6 2 .7
6 9 .1
6 6 .8
1 0 0 .0
96. 5
8 6 .3
7 4 .1
7 0 .1
8 3 .2
8 7 .4
9 0 .9
9 4 .9
9 2 .7
1 0 0 .0
96. 5
8 1 .4
6 0 .9
5 1 .0
6 3 .8
6 8 .2
7 2 .7
8 0 .6
8 0 .3
9 1 .5
8 8 .8
9 0 .5
1 0 1 .0
9 2 .4
9 1 .9
8 7 .9
8 6 .4
9 7 .0
9 9 .4
1 0 4 .5
1 4 4 .1
8 4 .6
8 1 .5
8 2 .2
8 9 .4
8 4 .4
8 4 .3
8 0 .4
7 8 .8
8 5 .3
8 8 .3
9 1 .8
1 2 2 .9
D y e in g a n d
c le a n in g
L a u n d rie s
E m
p lo y
m e n t
P ay
ro lls
E m
p lo y
m e n t
P a y
ro lls
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
9 3 .1
8 5 .4
8 3 .1
8 7 .9
9 0 .1
9 5 .6
1 0 0 .6
9 5 .7
1 0 0 .0
1 0 0 .0
.3
.5
.3
.0
.4
.6
.0
.6
8 5 .6
7 9 .8
8 4 .4
9 2 .7
9 7 .7
1 0 4 .4
1 0 7 .5
1 0 4 .3
7 6 .1
5 9 .3
5 3 .7
6 2 .6
6 6 .3
7 1 .9
7 7 .6
7 5 .3
8 0 .1
7 9 .1
7 8 .6
8 0 .6
8 0 .9
8 1 .8
8 3 .0
8 3 .1
8 1 .4
7 9 .5
7 9 .3
8 0 .0
9 6 .8
9 5 .6
9 8 .5
1 1 1 .8
1 0 9 .9
1 1 0 .8
1 0 8 .6
1 0 5 .0
1 0 7 .8
1 0 6 .8
1 0 2 .5
9 7 .9
6
6
6
8
8
8
7
7
8
7
7
6
8
7
6
6
6
7
8
8
8
0
0
6
8
5
3
0
1938
J a n u a r y . _____
F e b r u a r y ______
M a r c h __________
A p r i l ___________
M a y ____________
J u n e ______ _____
J u l y ____________
A u g u s t_________
S e p t e m b e r _____
O c to b e r ______ N o v e m b e r _____
D e c e m b e r _____
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
9
4 .1
2 .4
3 .0
8 .2
3 .8
3 .6
1 .1
0 .0
4 .7
5 .9
6 .9
8 .1
7
6
6
7
7
6
6
6
6
7
7
7
0 .1
8 .4
8 .6
2 .2
0 .0
9 .5
8 .1
6 .8
9 .4
0 .8
1 .5
9 .4
8
8
8
8
8
8
7
7
8
8
8
8
2 .1
0 .7
1 .0
4 .9
1 .5
1 .4
9 .3
8 .3
1 .5
2 .3
2 .3
6 .0
6 7 .1
6 5 .7
6 5 .8
6 8 .6
6 7 .0
6 6 .4
6 5 .6
6 4 .3
66. 1
6 7 .2
6 7 .3
7 0 .3
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
4
4
3
3
3
2
0
0
1
2
2
1
.3
.5
.4
.5
.7
.2
.7
.4
.8
.9
.5
.9
8 1 .6
8 3 .6
8 0 .9
8 0 .5
8 0 .5
7 9 .6
7 7 .4
7 7 .4
7 8 .9
8 0 .8
8 1 .3
8 1 .1
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
6
5
4
5
6
6
7
7
6
4
3
3
.8
.7
.8
.4
.2
.6
.8
.5
.5
.4
.7
.4
5
5
8
7
0
3
7
4
1
8
3
8
.5
.2
.2
.2
.7
.3
.5
.3
.7
.0
.9
.3
1 In c lu d e s : I r o n a n d s te e l, m a c h in e r y , tr a n s p o r ta tio n e q u ip m e n t, r a ilr o a d r e p a ir s h o p s , n o n fe rro u s m e ta ls ,
lu m b e r a n d a llie d p r o d u c ts , a n d s to n e , c la y , a n d g la s s p r o d u c ts .
2 I n c lu d e s : T e x tile s a n d th e ir p r o d u c ts , le a th e r a n d its m a n u f a c tu r e s , fo o d a n d k in d r e d p r o d u c ts , to b a c c o
m a n u f a c tu r e s , p a p e r a n d p r in tin g , c h e m ic a ls a n d a llie d p r o d u c ts , p r o d u c ts o f p e tr o le u m a n d c o a l, r u b b e r
p r o d u c ts , a n d a n u m b e r o f m is c e lla n e o u s in d u s tr ie s n o t in c lu d e d in o th e r g ro u p s .
3 In d e x e s fo r s u b d iv is io n s u n d e r k n it g o o d s , n a m e ly h o s ie r y , k n itte d o u te rw e a r, k n itte d u n d e r w e a r , a n d
k n itte d c lo th , b a c k to J a n u a r y 1923, a v a ila b le o n re q u e s t.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
738
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
TREND OF INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT, BY STATES
A comparison of employment and pay rolls, by States and geographic
divisions, in November and December 1938 is shown in table 3 for all
groups combined and for all manufacturing industries combined based
on data supplied by reporting establishments. The percentage
changes shown, unless otherwise noted, are unweighted—that is, the
industries included in the manufacturing group and in the grand total
have not been weighted according to their relative importance.
The totals for all manufacturing industries combined include figures
for miscellaneous manufacturing industries in addition to the 87 manu
facturing industries presented in table 1. The totals for all groups
combined include all manufacturing industries, each of the nonmanu
facturing industries presented in table 1 (except building construction),
and seasonal hotels.
Similar comparisons showing only percentage changes are available
in mimeographed form for “all groups combined,” for “all manufac
turing,” for anthracite mining, bituminous-coal mining, metalliferous
mining, quarrying and nonmetallic mining, crude-petroleum produc
ing, public utilities, wholesale trade, retail trade, hotels, laundries,
dyeing and cleaning, and brokerage and insurance.
T a b l e 3 . — Comparison of Employment and P a y Rolls in Identical Establishments in
November and December 1938 by Geographic Divisions and by States
Figures in italics are not compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but are taken from leports issued by
cooperating State organizations]
Manufacturing
Total—all groups
Per
cent
Amount
age
Geographic division N um N um
ber of ber on change of pay roll
and State
estab pay roll from (1 week)
Decem
lish Decem N o
ments ber 1938 vem ber 1938
ber
1938
Per
cent
age
change
from
N o
vem
ber
1938
Per
cent
Amount
age
N um N um
ber of ber on change of pay roll
estab pay roll from (1 week )
Decem
lish Decem N o
ments ber 1938 vem ber 1938
ber
1938
D o lla r s
D o lla r s
13,317
756
873, 943
51,622
+3.2 19, 852, 860 + 5.1
+ 4 .6 1,014,878 +11.3
625
461
M assachusetts. ‘ 7 , 9 0 8
1,177
Rhode Island.
Connecticut___ 2,390
39,459
16,095
474,0 1 9
96,745
196,003
+ 4 .0
+ 3 .6
31, 867 2, 084, 849
19, 773 942, 711
4,376 354,578
Pennsylvania.. 7,718 787, 560
+ 3.2
+ 4 .5
+ 1 .9
+ 2 .2
Maine --------New
Hamp-
New York____
+
8 .1
795,973 +11.9
337,461 + 5 .4
1 1 ,0 0 3 ,6 9 3
+ 4 .6 1,992,137
+ 2 .1 4,708,818
54,174,168
25,431,794
9,121,101
19,621, 273
24,988 2, 126, 521
7,068 548,158
+3.7 57,185, 406
+4.7 14,423,925
252 , 751
598, 614
+ 8 . 8 6 ,3 6 6 ,7 6 0
+ 2 . 9 1 5 ,6 1 8 ,6 7 2
2 ,9 4 7
*6 , 8 5 0
3, 770
Wisconsin____ » 4 , 8 5 3
493,478
+ 4 .2 14,954,0L
2 3 8 ,5 2 0
+ 2 .7
See footnotes at end of table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
6 ,8 2 2 ,0S5\
Per
cent
age
change
from
No
vem
ber
1938
+ 4 -1
+ 8 .8
+ 3 .5
3,590
280
595, 898
42,884
211
152
33,936
10,135
1 ,7 8 2
2 6 9 ,9 3 6
434
731
78,854
160,153
+ 4 .4 6,459 1,176,250
+ 4 .6 2 2 , 5 6 6 4 2 9 , 6 7 2
+ 3 .6 1,607 276, 316
+ 4 .5 2 , 2 8 6 4 7 0 , 3 6 2
+ 3 .5
+5. 3
+ 4.9
+ 4. 7
+ 1.1
+ 2 .5
8,512 1, 545,427
2,415 388,078
1 ,0 7 8
2 ,4 4 9
1 ,0 6 2
« 1 ,5 1 8
194, 720
8 7 7 ,1 4 8
4 2 8 ,6 7 3
1 5 6 ,8 0 8
+ 2.2 13,135,167 -1-6.0
825,673 +13.3
+ 4 .8
+ 3 .5
+ 5.6
1 .6
+
685,125 +13.1
207,850 + 7.8
+
5 ,9 8 4 ,0 2 5
4.8
+ 4.3 1, 588,927 +10.1
+ 1 .0 3,843, 567 +3* 5
+ 1 .0 29, 918,283
+
1 .1
1 1 ,5 5 8 ,9 6 9
+• 7 7,032, 278
>+
.9
1 1 ,8 8 2 ,0 3 6
2 .1 43, 587, 502
1 .7 10,655,932
+ 1 . 3 5 ,1 1 6 ,8 2 9
+ 1 . 0 9 ,9 0 0 ,9 9 3
+ 4 - 8 IS , 90S, 078
3 + 1 .0 4 , 0 1 2 , 1 7 5
+
+
+
3.6
+
4 .1
+
’
3 .9
+ 2 .7
+3.1
+ 3.7
+ 4 .2
+ 3 .7
+ 1 .9
3 + 2 .7
Trend of Employment and Pay Rolls
739
T a b l e 3 . — Comparison of Employment and P a y Rolls in Identical Establishments in
November and December 1938 by Geographic Divisions and by States—Continued
[Figures in italics are not compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but are taken from reports issued by
cooperating State organizations]
Total—all groups
Per
cent
Geographic division N um N um
Amount
age
and State
ber of ber on change of pay roll
estab pay roll from (1 week)
lish Decem N o
Decem
ments ber 1938 vem ber 1938
ber
1938
Manufacturing
Per
cent
age
change
from
N o
vem
ber
1938
Per
cent
N um N um
Amount
age
ber of ber on change of pay roll
estab pay roll from (1 week)
lish Decem N o
Decem
ments ber 1938 vem ber 1938
ber
1938
D o lla r s
West North Central 11,842
Minnesota____ 7 2 , 7 1 0
Iowa...... ..........
1,986
Missouri______ 2,735
North D akota..
530
South D akota..
456
Nebraska_____
1,076
Kansas_______ * 2 , 3 4 9
443, 533
South Atlantic____
10, 764
D ela w a re____
249
Maryland......... 1 , 6 8 9
District of Co
1,008
lumbia_____
2,011
Virginia______
West Virginia.. 1,190
North Carolina
1,509
782
South Carolina.
Georgia_______ 1,441
Florida_______
985
874,403
15,146
East South Central..
Kentucky____
Tennessee_____
Alabama_____
M ississippi........
1 2 6 ,1 3 1
59,863
161, 716
4,894
8,132
29,472
6 3 ,3 2 6
+ 2 .9 10, 661, 489
+ 1 .5 S , 2 9 1 , 0 0 1
+ 2 .9 1,378,028
+ 4 .5 3,795,976
+ .6
113, 281
- .6
211,640
+ 3 .8
647,054
» + .6 1 , 2 2 4 , 6 0 9
Per
cent
age
change
from
N o
vem
ber
1938
D o lla r s
+ 3 .4
2, 483
+ .2
644
+ 4 .3
+ 7 .4
-.2
+ 2 .3
+ 2.1
2+ .2
379
813
29
34
138
209, 918
4 9 ,1 3 1
32,932
91, 544
447
2,471
10,279
+2.1 5,101,310
- .3
1 ,3 0 0 ,6 8 6
790, 322
+ 2 .8
+ 4.1 2,080, 258
11,826
- 2 .4
- .8
66,502
-. 1
259,616
+ 4.1
+ .S
+ 6 .5
+ 6 .6
+ 3 .4
+ 8.4
+ 2 .5
446
2 3 ,1 1 4
2, 940
593, 598
+ 5 .6
83
631
1 0 ,3 0 8
8 8 ,5 2 1
+ 2 .6
* + 1 .2
2 3 9 ,2 5 5
2 ,1 1 1 ,5 0 3
38,801 +11.6
965,913 + 9 .0
113,431 + 1 .8 2,074,933 + 3 .9
137,061
+ .5 3,377,003 _(10)
175, 728
+ .9 2,666,250 + 2 .5
91,611 + 1 .1 1,305, 787 + 2 .2
121,112 + 2 .9 1,910,528 + 5.1
46,936 +11.2
799, 757 + 13.5
40
451
217
674
252
393
199
3,435
77,797
50,585
161, 558
83, 788
93, 990
23, 616
+ .1
+ .7
+ .5
+ .6
+ .8
+ 1 .8
+ 7 .0
118,193
1,404,156
1,257,104
2,419,297
1,165,863
1,363,674
365,063
+ 3 .9
+ 4 .0
+ 2.6
+ 2 .6
+ 2 .2
+ 5 .0
+ 9.5
+ .4 3,188, 704
-.2
740,272
- . 1 1,252,831
+ 1.9 1,041,989
- 3 .2
153,612
+2.1
+ 4 .5
+ 1 .6
+ 1 .7
- 1 .9
1 3 4 ,6 7 7
4,519
1,311
1,243
1,454
511
297, 855
83,885
100,051
96,620
17,299
West South Central. 5, 899
Arkansas_____ » 1 , 1 3 8
Louisiana_____ 1,005
O klahom a.. . .
1,364
Texas________
2 ,3 9 2
227,006
Mountain . . .
M ontana_____
Idaho________
Wyoming_____
Colorado_____
New M ex ico ...
Arizona_______
Utah_________
Nevada_______
4, 181
658
512
320
1,255
303
405
554
174
129, 932
19,624
11, 757
8,624
43, 775
6,470
15,412
21,620
2,650
Pacific. ________
10,199
Washington___ 2,645
Oregon_______
1, 292
California____ ¡ 6 , 2 6 2
+ 2 .8 16,646,350
+ 4 .7
353,381
+4- 6 3 , 1 9 2 , 7 9 8
+2.2
+ 2 .4
+ 1 .8
+ 2 .9
- .4
+ 4 .0
+ 8.1
5,453,798
1, 735, 527
1, 750,028
1, 722,262
245,981
+2.1
+ 1 .0
+ 2 .3
+ 3 .4
+ .3
1,040
288
367
298
87
182, 591
34,812
72,319
63,978
11,482
+ 2.1 4, 919, 942
+ 1 .6
6 9 2 ,1 0 0
+ 1 .1
+ 1.2 10,444, 108
- .5
+ 3.5
+ 5 .6
S .S
2+
1,343
105.386
-.8
2,240, 595
+ .8
3 6 ,8 1 0
+ 3 .0
6 1 5 ,9 3 8
315
2 2 ,2 8 9
- .3
3 7 5 ,0 1 3
+ 1 .0
53, 710
39, 783
- . 1 1,061, 879 + 2 .0
+ 1 .3
965,470 + (1D)
238
140
30,142
9,410
- 2 .4
- 2 .5
571,536
219,345
9 6 ,7 0 3
+ 3 .3
+ 2 .1
650
4 3 ,5 4 6
+■6
+ 1 .6 3, 300, 328
+ 3 .3
547,602
282,602
- 1 .6
- 2 .2
255,143
+ 1 .1 1,080,084
137, 742
- .9
+ 3 .4
400,188
515,967
+4. 1
- 1 .3
81,000
+ 1.3
+ 5 .8
- 2 .9
- 3 .0
- .5
- 1 .4
+ 4 .0
+ 4 .5
-.8
559
76
65
38
199
30
40
97
14
38,391 - 4 .0
5,403 + 2.7
4,328 - 7 .4
1,676 -1 2 .3
15,684 - 4 .7
915 - 5 .4
2, 734
- .9
7,380 - 4 .3
271
+ .7
448, 575
85,131
44,869
+ 1 .7 12, 669, 379
- 1.0 2, 213, 512
- . 7 1,155, 418
+ 1 .9
- 1 .3
-.7
2, 619
554
307
218,917
46,944
25, 257
- 3 .6 6,092, 023
- 4 .6 1,219,135
- 4 .4
642, 636
3 1 8 ,5 7 6
+ 2 .7
+ 3 .0
1 ,7 5 8
1 4 6 ,7 1 6
- 3 .1
2 ,2 7 6 ,6 5 5
9 ,3 0 0 ,4 4 9
1 , 0 7 4 ,7 0 1
948,001
140,843
103,171
53,135
391,233
15,058
61,889
174,973
7,699
4 ,2 3 0 , 25 2
+ .9
- 1 .0
+ 1 .1
-3 . 7
+ 7 .5
-9 .1
- 7 .7
- 5 .6
- .8
- 4 .2
- 3 .4
+ 4 .6
-.9
- 3 .5
- 2 .4
+ .2
in c lu d e s banks and trust companies; construction, municipal, agricultural, and office employment;
amusement and recreation; professional services; and trucking and handling.
2 Includes laundering and cleaning; and water, light, and power.
2 Weighted percentage change.
* Includes automobile and miscellaneous services; restaurants; and building and contracting.
5 Includes construction but not public works.
’ Does not include logging.
7 Includes banks; real estate; pipe-line transportation; trucking and transfers; railroads (other than repair
shops); motor transportation (other than operation and maintenance); water transportation; hospitals and
clinics; personal, business, mechanical repair, and miscellaneous services; and building construction.
* Includes financial institutions, miscellaneous services, and restaurants.
o Weighted percentage change including liired farm labor.
:0 Less than Ho of 1 percent.
11 Includes automobile dealers and garages; and sand, gravel, and building stone.
12 Includes banks, insurance, and office employment.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
740
INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT IN PRINCIPAL
METROPOLITAN AREAS
A comparison of employment and pay rolls in November and
December 1938 is made in table 4 for 13 metropolitan areas which
had a population of 500,000 or over in 1930. Cities within these
areas, but having a population of 100,000 or over, are not included.
Data concerning them are presented in a supplementary tabulation
which is available on request.
Footnotes to the table indicate which cities are excluded. The
figures represent reports from cooperating establishments and cover
both full- and part-time workers in the manufacturing and nonmanu
facturing industries presented in table 1, with the exception 'of build
ing construction, and include also miscellaneous industries.
Revisions made in the figures after they have gone to press, chiefly
because of late reports by cooperating firms, are incorporated in the
supplementary tabulation mentioned above. This supplementary
tabulation covers these 13 metropolitan areas as well as other metro
politan areas and cities having a population of 100,000 or more ac
cording to the 1930 Census of Population.
T a b l e 4 . — Comparison of Employment and P ay Rolls in Identical Establishments in
November, December 1938 by Principal Metropolitan Areas
Metropolitan area
Number
of
establish
ments
Number
on
pay roll
Decem
ber
Percent
age
change
from
Novem
ber
Amount of
pay roll
(1 week)
December
Percent
age
change
from
Novem
ber
New York, N . Y .1____________________
Chicago, 111.2___ _____________________
Philadelphia, Pa.3____________________
Detroit, M ich________________________
Los Angeles, Calif.4......... .............. - ..........
14,306
4,456
2,098
1,572
2,979
635, 495
429, 575
202,090
311, 583
159,821
+ 5.1
+ 3 .4
+ 4 .2
+ 5 .2
+ 4 .6
$16,844,971
11, 724,705
5,420,342
10,190,947
4,652,867
+ 6 .4
+5.1
+ 5.3
+ 3.1
+ 5 .2
Cleveland, Ohio-------------- ----------------St. Louis, M o________________________
Baltimore, M d ___________________ _
Boston, M ass.5_____________ __________
Pittsburgh, P a..............- ........................... .
1, 649
1,441
1,126
1,452
1,104
125, 716
121, 753
100,441
102, 312
164,806
+ 7.1
+ 4 .4
+ 4 .8
+ 3.1
+ 2 .0
3,326,435
2,955,864
2, 389,265
2,664,382
4,312, 780
+ 6 .0
+7.1
+ 5 .8
+ 4 .0
+ 1 .6
San Francisco, Calif.5___________ --- Buffalo, N . Y ______________ ________
Milwaukee, W is.............................................
1,670
860
1,112
84,053
69,413
98,433
+ 3 .3
+ 3.7
+ 6 .0
2, 511,414
1, 816,826
2, 626,350
+ 3 .9
+ 2 .5
+ 3 .8
1 Does not include Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, or Paterson, N . J., nor Yonkers, N . Y.
2 Does not include Gary, Ind.
3 Does not include Camden, N . J.
4 Does not include Long Beach, Calif.
s Figures relate to city of Boston only.
« Does not include Oakland, Calif.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Retail Prices
R E T A IL P R IC E S OF FOOD I N JA N U A R Y 1939 1
Summary
THE retail cost of food was 1.4 percent lower in January than in
December, due almost entirely to greater than seasonal price decreases
of 22.1 percent for eggs and of 6.0 percent for butter.
The January index for all foods was 77.5 percent of the 1923-25
average. It was 3.5 percent lower than in January 1938 when the
index stood at 80.3. The cost of 7 of the 8 commodity groups showed
decreases for the year ranging from 1.0 percent for meats to 7.7 per
cent for fats and oils. Fruit and vegetable costs advanced ;3.8
percent as a result of an average increase of 5.7 percent for fresh items.
The index for January 1939 was 23.8 percent above the level of
January 1933 when the index was 62.6, and 24.6 percent lower than
in January 1929 when the index was 102.7.
Details by Commodity Groups
The cost of cereals and bakery products, which had tended down
ward since the summer of 1937, decreased 0.5 percent between De
cember and January. Prices were lower for 10 of the 13 items
included in the group. The price of flour showed a decrease of 0.5
percent for the month and was 14.8 percent below the level of January
1938. Further reductions in prices of white bread resulted in an
average decrease of 0.4 percent for the month and of 8.4 percent for
the 12-montli period. The greatest decreases in the group for the
month were 1.3 percent for hominy grits and 1.2 percent for macaroni.
Meat costs turned upward with an increase of 0.2 percent. Advances
were reported of 0.5 percent for beef, the most important subgroup,
and of 0.8 percent for lamb. The price of roasting chickens rose 3.7
percent. A decrease of 1.7 percent in the cost of pork products con
tinued the seasonal decline begun in October 1938. Lower prices for
pork items as reported for the month, ranged from 0.6 percent for
sliced ham to 3.2 percent for loin roast. The price of veal cutlets
decreased 0.1 percent. The cost of canned salmon showed no change.
i Annual figures for prices of food and coal for 1938 were not available for this issue, but these reports will
b# furnished on request.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
741
742
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
A drop of 1.5 percent in the cost of dairy products reflected a greater
than seasonal decline of 6.0 percent in the price of butter. Lower
prices for butter were reported for 48 cities. The price of fresh milk
advanced 0.6 percent as a result of increases of 0.9 cent per quart in
Boston and 0.3 cent per quart in Los Angeles. Other items in the
group showed little or no change.
The cost of eggs showed a sharp decline of 22.1 percent and reached
the lowest January level since 1934. Lower prices, as compared with
December, were reported for each of the 51 cities, and decreases for
all regions were markedly greater than for the corresponding period
of 1938.
The average cost of fruits and vegetables, which advanced 2.5
percent between December and January, reflected price increases for
9 of the 13 fresh items. An advance of 8.8 percent was reported for
potatoes and cabbage, and increases for other items ranged from 0.7
percent for apples to 13.3 percent for spinach. Prices for oranges
decreased 4.9 percent and lettuce and carrots were 10.6 and 3.0
percent lower, respectively. The average cost for canned products
declined 0.2 percent. Price reductions were reported for 7 items and
advances for 3. None of the changes amounted to as much as 1.0
percent. The cost for dried products averaged 0.8 percent lower
than in December. Prices declined 1.3 percent for navy beans, 0.8
percent for prunes and lima beans, and 0.7 percent for raisins. Slight
increases were reported for dried peaches and black-eyed peas.
There was no change for the month in the average cost of beverages
and chocolate. An upturn of 0.4 percent in the price of coffee offset
decreases of 0.6 percent for tea and 0.3 percent for cocoa and chocolate.
The cost for fats and oils declined 1.4 percent, largely as a result
of continued decreases in prices of lard and of shortening sold in
cartons. These decreases amounted to 3.3 and 2.6 percent, respec
tively.- Slightly lower prices were shown for other items in the group.
A decrease of 0.4 percent in the cost of sugar ard sweets brought
the index for the group 5.8 percent below the level of January 1938.
Prices of sugar declined 0.4 percent and strawberry preserves 1.0
percent between December and January. Other items showed little
or no change.
Indexes of retail costs of food for January 1939 and December 1938,
together with indexes for January 1938, 1933, and 1929 are shown in
table 1.* The chart on page 744 shows the trend in the cost of all
foods and of each major commodity group for the period from January
1929 to January 1939, inclusive.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Retail Prices
743
1.— Indexes of Retail Food Costs in 51 Large Cities Combined,1 by Commodity
Groups, January 1939 and December 1938 and January 1938, 1933, and 1929
Ta b l e
[1923-25=100]
Commodity group
1939
Jan. 17 a
1938
Dec. 13
J a n .18
1933
Jan. 15
1929
J a n .15
All foods____ ____ ________ _______
77.5
78.6
80.3
62.6
102.7
Cereals and bakery products...........................
M eats__________ _____________
Dairy products._________________
Eggs--------- ------ ------ ------ ----------------------------------Fruits and vegetables........................ ..............
Fresh______________________
Canned_____ ____________
Dried_____ ____________________
Beverages and chocolate________________
Fats and oils___________________
Sugar and sweets________ _____ _______
86.1
92.9
77.9
65.9
61.1
60. ö
74.4
56.8
66.3
64.8
62.3
86.5
92.7
79.1
84.5
59.6
58.2
74.5
57.3
66.3
65.8
62.6
93.2
93.8
83.9
70.1
58.8
56.8
79.8
61.3
68.3
70.2
66.2
69.5
64.8
63.4
66.9
52.3
51.4
66.4
48.6
71.1
46.9
58.3
98.4
117.6
105.1
105.0
88.2
86.6
96.0
98.2
110.7
94.1
76.7
1 Aggregate costs of 42 foods in each city prior to Jan. 1, 1935, and of 84 foods since that date, weighted to
represent total purchases, have been combined with the use of population weights.
a Preliminary.
Prices of each of the 84 foods for 51 cities are combined with the use
of both consumption and population weights. Quantity weights for
each food include the average family consumption in each city, not
only of the food priced, but for groups of foods which are related in
kind and which seem to follow the same price trend. These weights
are based on the cost of living study of 1917-19. Population weights
are averages of the population in 1920 and 1930 for each city, including
adjacent metropolitan areas and cities of over 50,000 in the same
region.
Prices of 51 of the 84 foods included in the index were lower in
January 1939 than in December 1938, 29 were higher, and 4 showed
no change. Compared with January 1938, prices of 67 foods were
lower and 17 were higher.
Average prices for each of the 84 foods for 51 cities combined are
shown in table 2, for January 1939 and December and January 1938.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
744
Retail Cost
of
Food
19 2 3 -2 5 = 10 0
Index Numbers
Index Numbers
140
140
/20
120
100
100
C e r e a ls & B a k e r y —
P r o d u c ts
80
d
60
¡2
6-5
F r u it
g e ta b le s
40
1
1929
1930
1931
U nited S tates B ureau of Labo r S tatistics
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
/ ¥
^
■
1932
\ \
60
A ll F o o d s '^
1
1933
80
40
1
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
Retail Prices
745
T a b l e 2 . —Average Retail Prices of 84 Foods in 51 Large Cities Combined, January 1939
and December and January 1938
[“Indicates the foods included in indexes prior to Jan. 1, 1935]
1939
1938
.A.rticl0
Cereals and bakery products:
Cereals:
“Flour, wheat_____________________ ................. .........pound..
“Macaroni_______ ____ ____________
“Wheat cereal______ _____ _________ ______28-oz. package..
“Corn flakes_________ ____________ ______ 8-oz. package..
“Corn meal_____ _____ . . . . . ____ .
Hominy grits______ _____ _____ ___ _____ 24-oz. package..
“Rice_____________________________
“Rolled oats_________________ ____ _ _______________do___
Bakery products:
“Bread, w hite________________ ___ ---------------------- do___
Bread, whole-wheat_______ _____ _ ______________do____
Bread, rye________________ _______ _______________do___
C ake.. _______
_ . ............. . ______________do____
Soda crackers____ ________
_______________do___
Meats:
Beef:
“Sirloin steak______ ______________ _______________do___
“Round steak.____ ________________ ----------------- ___do___
“Rib roast____ ____________________ _______________do___
“Chuck roast. ___________ ____ . . ---------------------- do__ _
“Plate____________________________
Liver_______________ ____________ ---------------------- do___
Veal:
Cutlets________ ______________ ■___ --------------------- do____
Pork:
“Chops____________ ____ ____ ______
Loin roast________________________ _______________do___
“Bacon, s lic e d .............
.
. . ---------------------- do___
Bacon, strip______________________ ---------------------- do___
“Ham, slic e d ... . . . ____________
Ham, whole____________ ________ ---------------------- do___
Salt p o r k ..................................... . . . _ ---------------------- do___
Lamb:
Breast___ . . . .
_____ . . _ . . . . .
Chuck___ _______________________ ---------------------- do___
“Leg--------------------------------------------Rib chops________________________
Poultry:
“Roasting chickens___________ ____ ---------------------- do___
Fish:
Salmon, pink. _____ ______ . . . . __________ 16-oz. can..
“Salmon, red. . .
----------------- _ _do___
Dairy products:
“Butter____ _ ____________ _ _______ --------------------pound..
“Cheese____________ ____ _____________ _______________do. __
Cream_____________ . . . _______ . . . ------------------ Y i p in t..
M ilk, fresh (delivered and store)_______ --------------------- quart..
“Milk fresh (delivered)___________ _____ -----------------------do___
M ilk, fresh (store).. . . . ______ . . . . . ---- ------------------do___
“Milk, evaporated____ ____________ . . . ---- -- . . 14J^-oz. can..
“Eggs------------------------------------------------Fruits and vegetables:
Fresh:
Apples_______________ ____ _______
“Bananas____ _________________
--------------------- do____
Lemons________________ _______
“Oranges______ . . . _______________
Beans, green ___________ ________ ._ _ -------------pound..
“Cabbage_________________________ ------------- ------- do___
Carrots_________ _______ _ _______ ____________ bunch .
Celery . . ______________________ ------------------ ..s ta lk ..
Lettuce__________ . . _______ _ . . ---------------------- head..
“Onions__________________________ . . . _________ pound..
“Potatoes._____ ______ ___________
Spinach_________________________ _______________do___
Sweetpotatoes... _ . . . . ________
Canned:
Peaches__________ ______________ ________ No. 2J/£ can..
Pears____________________________
Pineapple________________________ _______ ______do___
Asparagus_______________________ ........ .............No. 2 can ..
Beans, green________ _______ _ . . . .
i Preliminary.
1 2 9 3 2 4 — 39-17
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Jan. 17 1
Dec. 13
J a n .18
C e n ts
C e n ts
C e n ts
3.6
14.4
24.4
7.3
4.6
8.5
7.6
7.1
3.7
14. 6
24.4
7.3
4.6
8.6
7.6
7.1
4.3
14.9
24.4
7.6
4.8
9.2
8.0
7.2
8.1
9.3
9.4
24.9
15.3
8.2
9.3
9.5
25.0
15.4
8.9
9.8
10.0
24.8
16.5
38.8
35.4
30.0
23.6
15.9
25.5
38.4
35.1
29.9
23.4
15.9
25.5
36.2
32.8
29.1
22.4
15.6
24.4
42.6
42.7
43.8
28.6
22.7
34.9
29.4
46.8
28.2
19.5
29.4
23.4
35.3
29.7
47.0
28.2
20.1
29.3
23.7
38.4
32.1
45.4
28.2
21.7
12.6
21.5
28.1
35.4
12.7
22.0
27.4
35.0
13.3
22.8
28.4
36.0
30.9
29.8
35.9
12.5
23.4
12.5
23.5
14.2
27.0
33.5
25.2
14.6
12.3
12.7
11.6
6.9
33.6
35.6
25.1
14.6
12.3
12.6
11.5
6.9
43.2
40.4
29.0
15.0
12.5
12. 7
11.9
7.5
35.8
5.2
6.3
24.4
24.8
11.0
3.3
6.0
8.5
8.2
4.0
2.4
7.6
3.9
5.2
6.2
24.5
26.0
10.4
3.0
6.2
8.2
9.2
3.9
2.2
6.7
3.7
4.5
6.3
32.9
25 0
14.4
4.4
5.6
8.8
7.5
4.8
2.0
8.5
3.8
16.9
20.5
21.4
28.0
10.6
17.0
20.6
21.4
28.2
10.6
19.5
21.6
23.1
30.2
11.5
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
746
T
able
2 . —Average Retail Prices of 84 Foods in 51 Large Cities Combined, January 1939
and December and January 1938— Continued
1938
1939
Article
Fruits and vegetablies—Continued.
Canned—Continued.
*Beans with pork.- ________
__________ 16-oz. ca n ..
*Corn_. . .
...
___ ______ No. 2 can ..
*Peas________ ___________ _____ _ ____________ --do___
*Tomatoes________ -- - - - - .
- . . . ____ _ ______do___
Tomato soup-.. - _______ _____ -------------10J^-oz. can ..
Dried:
P e a c h e s . _________ _________ _
*Prunes________ ______ ____ ____
_______________do_
*Raisins ______ _____
_____ 15-oz. package..
Black-eyed peas__________________ ____________ pound..
Lima beans_____ _____ ________ . . _____ _______ do___
*Navy beans____________ ________ _______________do___
Beverages and chocolate:
*Coflee._ _ . ____ __________ . _ ____ ______________ do ___
*Tea________ . . .
. . _______________ - _ . . . ____ V i pound
Cocoa________ - .
_________ _____ . - .- 8-oz. can..
Chocolate_____ ___________ _ - ______ . _____ 8-oz. package..
Fats and oils:
*Lard__ _____ _______
__ . . _______ _______ . . . pound
Shortening, other than lard:
In cartons________ ___
. _
________ ____ do___
In other containers___ ________
_____________ do___
Salad oil. - - - . . . _____________ ____. . . _____ p in t..
Mayonnaise________ ______ _ ______ ____________ V-2. p in t..
*Oleomargarine________ . _______ _____________ pound.
Peanut butter________________________ _________ - do_._
Sugar and sweets:
*Sugar____ ______ ____ ____ _________ . . . . _________ do___
. . -.-24-oz. can..
Corn siru p ._________ . ____________
M olasses.________ _ _____ ___ _____ __________ 18-oz. can ..
Strawberry preserves______________ . . . . . _ . . . -..p o u n d ..
Jan. 17
Dec. 13
Jan. 18
C e n ts
C e n ts
C e n ts
7.3
10.9
14.1
8.6
7.4
7.3
11.0
14.2
8.6
7.4
7.6
12.0
15.9
9.0
7.4
14.8
9.1
9.4
7.7
8.9
5.9
14.8
9.2
9.4
7.6
9.0
6.0
15.8
9.6
10.1
8.1
9.4
6.6
22.9
17.7
8.5
16.1
22.8
17.8
8.5
16.2
24.2
17.6
9.1
16.1
11.6
11.9
13.8
12.8
20.5
24.4
17.3
16.6
18.2
13.2
20.5
24.5
17.3
16.8
18.3
13.4
19.9
25.0
17.5
17.5
18.8
5.2
13.8
13.6
20.9
5.2
13.8
13.6
21.1
5.5
14.2
14.1
22.2
Details by Regions and Cities
Lower food costs for January as compared with December were
reported for 50 of the 51 cities included in the composite index.
These decreases resulted in an average decline of 1.4 percent for all
cities combined. The greatest reductions occurred in Dallas where
the cost dropped 5.0 percent, and in the cities of the Mountain area
where decreases of 4.0 for Salt Lake City, 3.0 percent for Denver,
and 2.7 percent for Butte were recorded. In each of these cities,
egg costs declined more than 25.0 percent. In Dallas and Salt
Lake City costs for fresh fruits and vegetables dropped sharply,
contrary to the general movement. Reductions in prices of white
bread, averaging 0.8 cent per pound for Dallas and 0.5 cent per pound
for Denver, contributed to the declines for these cities. The only
advance in food costs, 0.1 percent, was reported for St. Louis. In
creases in costs of meats and of fresh fruits and vegetables for this
city were much greater than the averages for the 51 cities combined.
Indexes of retail food costs by regions and cities are given in table 3
for January 1939 and December and January 1938.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Retail Prices
747
T a b l e 3 . —Indexes of the Average Retail Cost of A ll Foods, by Regions and Cities,1
January 1939, and December and January 1938
[1923-25 = 100]
1939
1938
1939
Region and city
1938
Region and city
Jan. 17 2 Dec. 13 J a n .18
U nited States____
77.5
78.6
80.3
New England.,..........
Boston_____ ______
Bridgeport_________
Fall River_________
Manchester______
New H aven________
Portland, Maine____
Providence________
Middle Atlantic..... ...........
Buffalo____________
Newark_________ __
N ew Y o r k ... ______
Philadelphia______
P ittsburgh____ .
Rochester__ _ . . . .
Scranton... ______
East North Central____
Chicago______ ___
Cincinnati_________
Cleveland___ ______
Columbus, Ohio____
D etroit.. . ________
Indianapolis. ............
Milwaukee ________
Peoria_____
___
Springfield, 111___
West North Central...
Kansas C ity______
Minnespolis________
Omaha....................... .
75.7
74.2
79.8
79.0
79.0
79.0
76. 7
74.8
78.6
76.8
80.8
80.3
78.0
76.3
77.4
73.7
77.6
78.3
77.9
79.3
75.7
75.7
77.2
79.8
78.3
75.6
79. 7
78. 1
82.4
73.7
76.4
74. 5
81.1
79.8
80.0
80.7
76.8
75.4
79.9
78.7
82.0
81.9
78.4
78.0
78.2
75.0
78.4
78.8
78.4
80.8
76.5
76.7
77.9
80.9
79. 1
77.6
80. 7
79.8
83.4
75.4
78.3
76. 7
83.4
81.9
80.0
82.0
78.7
77. 1
81.0
80.4
82.9
81.9
81.8
79.3
79.8
75.4
80.9
81.8
81.7
80.2
79.3
80.5
79.7
84.2
80.5
77.8
82.3
80.8
85.5
76.5
Jan.17* Dec. 13 Jan. 18
West North Central—Con.
St. Louis__________
St. Paul_______ _ __
South Atlantic________ .
Atlanta____________
Baltim ore.. .
.. .
Charleston, S. C____
Jacksonville.. . . . . .
Norfolk____________
Richmond_________
Savannah__________
Washington, D. C ...
East South Central__ . . .
Birmingham____ . .
Louisville__________
M emphis_____. . .
Mobile___
______
West South Central.
D a l l a s . . . _________
Houston. _ ________
Little Rock. . ... . . .
New Orleans_______
Mountain.......... ..............
Butte__________
Denver___ . . . . . .
Salt Lake C it y ____
Pacific..................................
Los Angeles________
Portland, Oreg___
San Francisco____
Seattle____
82.8
78.8
76. 7
72.2
82.5
78.0
75.4
75.1
70. 5
75.8
79.4
70.9
65.7
81.5
72.9
73.1
75.9
70. 5
77.1
72.0
82.7
77. 7
73.6
80.1
74.5
76.4
71.8
78.7
80.8
77.8
82.7
79.5
77.5
73.1
83.1
79.9
76.5
75.5
71.4
77.8
80.2
72.2
67.5
81.8
74.3
74.0
77. 6
74.2
77.9
73.0
82.8
80.4
75.6
82.6
77.7
77.7
73.7
79.8
81.9
78.5
84.6
82.0
79.2
73.7
84.7
80.6
78.4
79.2
74.4
79.5
80.9
75. 5
71.3
84.8
76.9
75.1
78.8
75.7
78.8
76. 5
83.7
83.4
77.8
86.1
80.0
78. 6
74.0
80.9
83.1
80.1
1 Aggregate costs of 42 foods in each city prior to Jan. 1, 1935, and of 84 foods since that date, weighted to
represent total purchases, have been combined for regions and for the United States with the use of popula
tion weights.
2 Preliminary.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wholesale Prices
W H O LESA LE P R IC E S I N JA N U A R Y 1939 1
THE downswing in wholesale commodity prices, which began in
October, continued through January, when the Bureau of Labor
Statistics index of 813 price series dropped 0.1 percent to the lowest
level reached in the past 4 years. The decline placed the January
index at 76.9 percent of the 1926 average and represents a decrease
of 4.9 percent when compared with January a year ago.
Half of the 10 major group classifications declined during the
month. Foods registered the greatest decrease, 2.2 percent. House
furnishing goods dropped 0.7 percent; farm products, 0.6 percent;
fuel and lighting materials, 0.5 percent; and metals and metal prod
ucts, 0.2 percent. The textile products group advanced 0.2 percent,
and building materials and miscellaneous commodities rose 0.1 per
cent. Hides and leather products and chemicals and drugs remained
unchanged at the December level.
The index for each group is below its January 1938 plane. The
decreases range from 2.3 percent for metals and metal products to
7.0 percent for fuel and lighting materials.
The January index for the raw materials group remained unchanged
from December, 70.9 percent of the 1926 average. It is 5.3 percent
lower than it was a year ago. Average wholesale prices of semi
manufactured commodities declined 0.4 percent during the month
and are 2.6 percent lower than they were at this time last year.
Finished product prices declined 0.2 percent and are 5.1 percent below
their January 1938 average.
According to the index for “All commodities other than farm prod
ucts,” prices for nonagricultural commodities dropped 0.1 percent
during the month and are 4.7 percent lower than they were a year ago.
The index for “All commodities other than farm products and foods,”
marking the movement in prices of industrial commodities, fell 0.1
percent to a point 4.0 percent below a year ago.
Average prices of food in the wholesale markets of the country
declined 2.2 percent to the lowest point since July 1934. Decreases of
8.1 percent in the subgroup “Other foods,” 2.8 percent for dairy prod
ucts, and 2.1 percent for cereal products, largely accounted for the
decline. Prices were lower for butter, cheese, bread (New York)
i More detailed information on wholesale prices is given in the Wholesale Price pamphlet and will be
furnished upon request.
748
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wholesale Prices
749
hominy grits, prunes, canned corn, cocoa beans, pepper, granulated
sugar, edible tallow, and vegetable oil. Wholesale prices of meats
advanced 2.1 percent, and fruits and vegetables rose 0.8 percent.
Higher prices were reported for fresh pork, mutton, veal, dressed
poultry, oatmeal, rye flour, dried apples, and bananas. The current
food index, 71.5, is 6.3 percent below the January 1938 level.
The farm products group index fell 0.6 percent because of sharp
price declines in eggs, lemons, oranges, and fresh milk (Chicago). The
livestock and poultry subgroup advanced 4.8 percent and grains rose
3.5 percent. Quotations were higher for barley, oats, rye, wheat,
calves, cows, hogs, live poultry, hay, beans, potatoes, and peanuts.
The January farm products index, 67.2, is 6.1 percent lower than it
was a year ago.
A seasonal decline in prices of gas, together with lower prices for
bituminous coal and Oklahoma gasoline, caused the fuel and lighting
materials group index to decrease 0.5 percent. Average prices for
anthracite were fractionally higher and coke remained unchanged.
The index for the housefurnishing goods group dropped 0.7 percent
to the lowest level of the past 2 years. Weakening prices for kitchen
furniture and window shades were responsible for the decline. Prices
for linoleum floor covering averaged higher.
Lower prices for agricultural implements, iron and steel items such
as ferromanganese, tin cans, and woodscrews, and yellow brass rods,
caused the metals and metal products group index to decline 0.2
percent. No changes were reported in prices of motor vehicles and
plumbing and heating fixtures.
A minor advance, 0.2 percent, was registered in the textile products
group index because of higher prices for raw silk, silk yarns, burlap,
raw jute, and jute yarns. Lower prices were reported for print cloth,
drillings, sheetings, cotton flannel, worsted yarns, manila and sisal
rope, binder twine, handkerchiefs, silk hosiery, and cotton underwear.
Wholesale prices of building materials, principally concrete building
blocks; cypress, gum, and Ponderosa pine lumber; tung oil; turpentine;
and prepared roofing, resulted in an advance of 0.1 percent in the
building materials group index. Average prices for cement and
structural steel were steady.
Average wholesale prices of cattle feed advanced 4.3 percent and
paper and pulp rose 0.1 percent during January. Crude rubber
declined 1.5 percent and soap prices averaged 0.2 percent lower.
In the hides and leather products group, higher prices for shoes and
skins were offset by lower prices for hides, sole leather, and luggage,
and the group index remained unchanged at 93.1 percent of the 1926
average.
The index for the chemicals and drugs group remained unchanged
at the December level. Fertilizer-material prices rose 2.3 percent
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
750
and mixed fertilizers advanced 1.4 percent. A decline of 0.7 percent
was registered for drugs and pharmaceuticals, and chemicals decreased
0.4 percent.
Index numbers for the groups and subgroups of commodities for
January 1939 and December and January 1938 are shown in table 1.
T
able
1.—Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices by Groups and Subgroups of Commodities
[1926 = 100]
Group and subgroup
All commodities__ __ .
Janu
ary
1939
D e
cem Janu
ary
ber
1938 1938
76.9
77.0
80.9
67. 2
56.3
Livestock and p o u ltr y ... , 78.0
63. 2
67. 6
54.4
74.4
66f5
71. 6
75.0
78.5
66.1
71. 5
71. 8
73.2
Fruits and vegetables_____ 60.9
81.6
M eats__ _____ _
63.6
73. 1
73. 9
74.8
60.4
79.9
69. 2
76. 3
83.3
83.0
56.7
82.6
69. 5
Hides and leather products, . . . 93. 1 93. 1
Shoes_____ ____________ 101.2 100.6
78.4 78. 8
86. 0 85. 9
Other leather products___ 95.3 95.8
96. 7
104.7
82. 3
86. 6
102.4
___
Textile products.
65.9
Clothing.. ______________ 81.5
64 2
Hosiery and underwear . . . 59.1
65.8
81.6
64 6
59.3
69.7
86.3
68 2
63.0
Woolen and worsted goods. 74.5
Other textile products____ 64.4
74.8
64.4
83'8
67.7
72.8 73.2
80.3 80.1
98.3 98.5
104.2 104.2
«
(0
81.6
(0
50.4 50.9
78.3
80.1
103.2
105.5
89.1
81.8
58. 8
94. 6
93.5
94.8
96. 6
96.2
97.7
Fuel and lighting materials.,.
A nthracite... _. . . ______
Bituminous c o a l... . . __
Coke ___________ ._ . . .
Electricity.. . __________
Gas_____________________
Petroleum products____ _
94.4
Agricultural im plem ents... 93.4
Farm machinery___ _ 94.6
1 Data not available.
2 Preliminary revision.
Group and subgroup
Metals and metal products—
Continued.
Iron and steel . _________
Motor vehicles 2 ___ _____
Nonferrous metals________
Plumbing and heating____
Building materials
______
Brick and tile . . .
... ...
Cement __ ____________
Lumber_________________
Paint and paint materials..
Plumbing and heating . . .
Structural steel. _ _______
Other building materials...
Janu
ary
1939
96.4
93.4
76.7
78.7
D e
cem Janu
ber ary
1938 1938
96.8
93.4
76.8
78.7
99.6
95.6
75.0
79.6
89. 5 89.4
92.4 91.5
95. 5 95.5
91.7 90.9
81.0 81.0
78.7 78.7
107.3 107.3
89.6 89.7
91.8
91.8
95.5
92.6
80.1
79.6
114.9
95.8
76. 7
79.7
Drugs and pharmaceuticals. 73.0
Fertilizer materials ______ 70.2
Mixed fertilizers_________ 74.8
76. 7
80.0
73.5
68.6
73.8
79. 6
84.1
74.0
72.1
73.4
Housefurnishing goods ____
Furnishings_____________
Furniture____ _________
85.4
90.1
80. 5
86.0
90.3
81.6
88.3
92.8
83.7
Miscellaneous
Automobile tires and tubes.
Cattle feed.
. . ____
Paper and pulp_________
73.2
58.8
79.9
81.0
73. 1
58.8
76.6
80.9
75.2
57.4
91.6
90.0
8L1
8l! 1
82 ! 4
Semimanufactured articles . .. 74! 9
80.0
All commodities other than
78. 9
All commodities other than
farm products and foods . . . 80.2
75.2
80.2
76! 9
84.3
79.0
82. 8
80.3
83.5
,
Index Numbers by Commodity Groups 1926 to January 1939
Index numbers of wholesale prices by commodity groups for
selected years from 1926 to 1938, inclusive, and by months from
January 1938 to January 1939, inclusive, are shown in table 2.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Wholesale Prices
751
T a b l e 2 . —Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices, by Groups of Commodities
[1926 = 100]
F uel
and
lig h t
ing
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
94.2
73.5
72.6
80.4
83.9
77.6
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
76.3
73.5
73.5
72.3
72.1
73.1
96.7
94.7
93.6
92. 1
91.3
90.1
69.7
68.6
68.2
67.2
66.1
65.5
78.3
78.5
77.7
76.8
76.2
76.4
96.6
96.0
96.0
96.3
96.7
96.1
91.8
91.1
91.5
91.2
90.4
89.7
79.6
79.1
78.7
77.5
76.8
76.3
88.3
88.0
87.7
87.3
87.2
87.1
75.2
74.8
74.4
73.4
73.1
72.9
80.9
79.8
79.7
78.7
78.1
78.3
69.4
67.3
68.1
66.8
67.8
67.6
74.3
73.0
74.5
73.5
74.1
73.1
91.5
91.9
92.0
93.4
94.6
93.1
66.1
65.9
65.8
66.2
66.2
65.8
76.8
76.8
76.6
75.4
73.7
73.2
95.2
95.4
95.5
95.3
94.9
94.6
89.2
89.4
89.5
89.8
89.2
89.4
77.7
77.7
77.3
77.1
76.6
76.7
86.4
86.4
86.2
85.7
85.8
86.0
72.7
72.4
72.4
72.6
73.0
73.1
78.8
78.1
78.3
77.6
77.5
77.0
67.2
71.5
93.1
65.9
72.8
94.4
89.5
76.7
85.4
73.2
76.9
B y years:
1926_____________ 100.0
1929_____________ 104.9
1 9 3 2 ..____ ______
48.2
1933_____________
51.4
1936___ _________
80.9
86.4
1937_____________
68.5
1938_____________
B y m o n th s:
1938:
J a n u a r y ___ _ 71.6
F e b r u a r y ____
69.8
M a rc h _______
70.3
A p ril. . .
68.4
67.5
M a y ________
J u n e _________ 68.7
J u ly _________
A u g u st.
S e p te m b e r___
O c to b e r_____
N o v e m b e r___
D e c e m b e r___
1939:
J a n u a r y ____
M eta ls
B u ild C h e m H ouse- M isand
furing
icals
celn ish m e ta l m a te a n d
ia n eproding
ria ls
d ru g s
ous
u tc s
goods
H ides T e x
and
tile
F oods le ath er p ro d
p ro d
u c ts
u c ts
F a rm
p ro d
u c ts
Y e a r a n d m o n th
A ll
com
m o d i
ties
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, finished products, commodities other than
farm products, and commodities other than farm products and foods.
The list of commodities included under the classifications “Raw
materials,” “Semimanufactured articles,” and “Finished products”
was given in the December 1938 issue of the Wholesale Price pamphlet.
T a b l e 3 . —Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices, by Special Groups of Commodities
[1926 = 100]
Y ear a n d m o n th
Semim an R aw
ufacm a te tu
re d
rials a r t i
cles
A ll
com
A ll
com m o d
F in m o d ities
ished ities o th e r
p ro d o th e r th a n
th a n farm
u cts farm
p ro d
p ro d u c ts
an d
u c ts
foods
B y y ears:
1926___________ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1929___________ 97.5 93.9 94.5 93.3
1932___________ 55.1 59.3 70.3 68.3
1933___________ 56.5 65.4 70.5 69.0
1936___________ 79.9 75.9 82.0 80.7
1937___________ 84.8 85.3 87.2 86.2
1938___________ 72.0 75.4 82.2 80.6
B y m o n th s:
1938:
J a n u a r y , ___ 74.9 76.9 84.3 82.8
F e b r u a r y ____ 73.6 76.1 83.3 81.9
M a rc h _______ 73.2 75.6 83.4 81.6
A p ril_______
71.3 75.3 82.7 80.8
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
100.0
91.6
70.2
71.2
79.6
85.3
81.7
83.5
83.0
82.6
82.0
Y ear a n d m o n th
B y m onths—Con.
1938:
M a y ________
J u n e ___. . . _
J u ly _________
A u g u s t ___
S e p te m b e r___
O cto b e r___ __
N o v e m b e r...
D ecem b er .
1939:
J a n u a r y _____
A ll
com
Sem im
od
F in
R aw m an ish ed ities
m a te ufac- p ro d o th e r
rials tu re d
th a n
a r ti u cts farm
cles
p ro d
u cts
A ll
com
m od
ities
o th e r
th a n
farm
p ro d
u cts
and
foods
70.7
71.4
75.4
74.1
82.1
82.2
80.3
80.3
81.6
81.3
72.3
71.4
72.0
70.9
71.5
70.9
74.3
74.4
74.7
75.9
76.2
75.2
82.5
81.8
81.8
81.1
80.5
80.2
80.8
80.3
80.4
79.9
79.5
79.0
81.4
81.4
81.3
81.1
80.6
80.3
70.9
74.9
80.0
78.9
80.2
752
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Weekly Fluctuations
Weekly fluctuations in the major commodity group classifications
during December and January are shown by the index numbers in
table 4.
T a b l e 4 . — Weekly Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices by Commodity Groups, January
1939 and December 1938
[1926 = 100]
C om m odity group
Jan.
28,
1939
Jan.
21,
1939
Jan.
14,
1939
Jan.
7,
1939
D ec.
31,
1938
D ec.
24,
1938
A ll co m m o d ities.. __________________________
76.7
76.6
76.8
77.0
76.9
76.6
76.7
77.1
77.4
Farm products______________________________
F o od s_______________________________________
H ides and leather p rod u cts. . . _____________
T extile p rod ucts_____________________________
F u el and lighting m a teria ls.. . . . . _______
67.3
71.2
93.3
65.6
73.4
66.9
71.3
93.8
65.4
73.6
67.3
71.3
94.1
65.3
73.7
67.6
72.6
93.9
65.3
73.8
68.3
72.5
93.6
65.3
73.7
67.2
72.2
93.8
65.2
73.8
67.4
72.6
93.8
65.2
74.1
67.8
73.7
93.4
65.4
74.4
69.1
74.3
94.4
65.6
74.3
M etals and m etal p rod ucts__________________
B u ild ing m aterials_______ . . . ________ . . . .
C hem icals and drugs________________________
Housefurnishing goods___________ . . . . . . . .
M iscellaneous. _____________________________
94.5
89.4
76.1
87.2
73.0
94.5
89.1
76.3
87.2
73.0
94.6
89.7
76.4
87.2
73.1
94.6
90.0
76.3
87.5
73.1
94.8
89.2
76.3
87.6
73.0
94.8
89.3
76.4
87.6
72.9
94.8
89.2
76.3
87.6
72.9
94.8
89. 1
76.3
87.6
72.8
95.0
89.3
76.3
87.7
72.4
R aw m aterials_______________ . . . .
Sem im anufactured articles. ___ ______ _____
F inish ed p rod u cts___________________________
70.7
74.7
80.2
70.4
74.8
80.3
70.8
75.0
80.3
71.1
75.0
80.5
71.0
75.0
80.4
70.3
75.1
80.2
70.4
74.9
80.4
71.2
75.1
80.6
72.0
75.9
80.7
A ll com m odities other than farm prod u cts____
A ll com m odities other than farm p roducts and
foods________________________ ._ __ _____
78.8
78.8
78.9
79.1
78.9
78.7
78.8
79.2
79.3
80.4
80.4
80.5
80.6
80.5
80.5
80.6
80.7
80.7
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
D ec.
17,
1938
D ec.
10,
1938
D ec.
3,
1938
Recent Publications o f Labor Interest
F E B R U A R Y 1939
Consumer Problems
By Roland S. Vaile and Helen G. Canoyer. New
York, Henry Holt & Co., 1938. xv, 394 pp., charts; bibliography. (Ameri
can General Education Series.)
The authors set for themselves the task of answering three questions: Of
what do income and consumption consist for a nation and for its individuals?
How do present production and distribution of income agree with various ideals
or standards of consumption? What can we do, either individually or in groups,
th at will improve the condition of the consumer? Discussion of the third ques
tion includes a suggested Federal Department of the Consumer.
Who gets your food dollar? By Hector Lazo and M. H. Bletz. New York,
Harper & Bros., 1938. 129 pp., charts; bibliography.
Reviewed in this issue.
Income and consumption.
Cost and Standards of Living
By Elizabeth W. Gilboy. (In American
Sociological Review, Pittsburgh, Pa., December 1938, pp. 801-814.)
The Cambridge, Mass., sample covered in this study was composed of 397
relief applicants of the Cambridge branch of the Emergency Relief Administration.
The expenditure of the unemployed.
The standard of living in Bristol [England]: A preliminary report of work of Uni
versity of Bristol social survey. By Herbert Tout. Bristol, [University of
Bristol?], 1938. 64 pp.
Sets a minimum standard of living and measures conditions of Bristol families
on this basis.
Levels of living in the Ilocos region [Philippine Islands]. By Horacio C. Lava.
Prepared for Philippine Council, Institute of Pacific Relations. Manila,
University of the Philippines, College of Business Administration, 1938. 94
pp. (International Research Series, Study No. 1.)
The data gathered in this study, made in 1935 and covering 93 families, showed
the rural worker to be living at a very low level. Expenditures for food, which
amounted to 62 percent of the total expenditures for a family of 5 persons, pro
vided only half the caloric content estimated as adequate. Other consumption
was on a correspondingly low scale.
Rents for the working classes. Frankfort a. M., International Housing Association,
[1938?]. 286 pp. (Proceedings, International Housing and Town Planning
Congress, Paris, 1937.)
Rent-restriction laws are explained, and methods of establishing rental rates
are outlined, for various countries.
753
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754
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Economic and Social Problems
By
Willford I. King. New York, Ronald Press Co., 1938. 353 pp., charts.
The author not only outlines his views of the causes of economic fluctuations
but also devotes considerable space to their control. In relation to labor, he
advocates “flexible” wages in private employment and holds that the government
in providing emergency relief work should require able-bodied persons to work
not less than 60 hours per week and should pay not more than 60 percent of the
hourly rate customarily paid by private employers for similar work.
Des crises générales et périodiques de surproduction. By Jean Lescure. Paris,
F. Loviton & Cie, 1938. 702 pp.; 2 vols. 5th ed.
A study of general and periodic crises of overproduction. The first volume
gives the history of the crises as they have occurred in the different countries
since 1810; the second volume deals with causes and remedies.
The causes of economic fluctuations—possibilities of anticipation and control.
Debts and recovery: A study of changes in the internal debt structure from 1929 to
1937 and a program for the future. By Twentieth Century Fund, Com
mittee on Debt Adjustment. New York, Twentieth Century Fund, 1938.
xxvi, 366 pp., charts.
The section on factual findings, prepared by Albert Gailord Hart, includes dis
cussions of building and loan associations, insurance companies, and Government
agencies. Among the recommendations made by the Committee on Debt Adjust
ment are changes in State laws for encouraging the buying of equities, as against the
purchase of such securities as bonds and mortgages, and the gradual elimination of
tax-exempt securities.
Practical problems in economics. By Broadus Mitchell and Louise Pearson
Mitchell. New York, Henry Holt & Co., 1938. 596 pp., charts.
Among the topics of special interest to labor are cooperation, housing,
unemployment, the forms of labor organization, and the relations of employers
and workers. The concluding chapters contrast Russian methods of handling
economic problems with the methods used by the German and Italian Govern
ments. A brief bibliography is given at the end of each chapter.
Speaking of change: A selection of speeches and articles by Edward A. Filene.
New York, [Edward A. Filene Good Will Fund, Inc.?], 1939. 322 pp.
The varied subjects discussed in these speeches and articles include cooperation,
education, the Constitution and the Supreme Court in relation to economic change,
and the economic basis of higher wages.
Fascist economic policy: An analysis of Italy’s economic experiment. By William
G. Welk. Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1938. xx, 365 pp. (Har
vard Economic Studies, Volume LXII.)
Analyzes the background and fundamental principles of Fascism and Fascist
economic philosophy and their influence on syndical organization, collective labor
agreements, labor courts, population, industry, commerce, finance, standard of
living, etc. Summaries and excerpts of labor and other laws of the corporate state
are given, and also statistics on such matters as collective labor agreements, strikes
and lock-outs, membership of syndical organizations, wages, and social insurance,
in different years down to 1937.
Employment and Unemployment
Ottawa, Dominion
Bureau of Statistics, 1939. 47 pp., charts; mimeographed.
Estimates of employment and unemployment from this report are published
in this issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
Annual review of employment situation in Canada during 1938.
Employment Service
By Raymond C. Atkinson,
Louise C. Odencrantz, and Ben Deming. Chicago, Public Administration
Service (for Committee on Public Administration of Social Science Research
Council), 1938. 482 pp.
Covers organization and administration, employment service procedure, and
special types of employment service.
Public employment service in the United States.
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755
Le placement public des travailleurs en Belgique: Le fonctionnement des institutions
existantes et les réformes nécessaires. By Victor Martin. Bruxelles, Impri
merie A. Hessens, 1938. 312 pp., map, charts, bibliography. ^(Université de
Louvain, collection de l’École des Sciences Commerciales et Économiques.)
The author describes public employment office methods in Belgium and dis
cusses the abuses connected with private employment exchanges. Consideration
is also given to legislation regulating employment offices in certain other countries.
Family Allowances
Les allocations familiales dans le commerce et l’industrie en droit français et étranger.
By Marie-Magdeleine Laporte. Paris, Librairie Dalloz, 1938. 302 pp.
Reviews the legislation on family allowances in France and certain other
countries.
Assegni e salari familiari. By H. E. Schuchardt. (In Le Assicurazioni Sociali,
Istituto Nazionale Fascista della Previdenza Sociale, Rome, SeptemberOctober 1938, pp. 743-757.)
A survey of family allowances in various countries, followed by a brief reading
list.
Family allowances. By Marjorie E. Green. London, Family Endowment So
ciety, 1938. 32 pp.
The writer discusses family-allowance schemes in operation in several countries
and presents arguments in favor of such allowances.
Health and Industrial Hygiene
Message from the President of the United States transmitting the annual message on
health security. Washington, U. S. House of Representatives, 1939. 74 pp.
(Document No. 120, 76th Cong., 1st sess.)
Letter from the President to the Congress outlining the need for a comprehen
sive system of medical care for the country, and presenting the report and recom
mendations for a national health program by the Interdepartmental Committee
to Coordinate Health and Welfare Activities.
Minimum standards for health of workers in brick-manufacturing industry. Chi
cago, Illinois Department of Public Health, [1938?]. 14 pp. (Educational
Health Circular, Industrial Health Series No. 3.)
Survey of carbon disulphide and hydrogen sulphide hazards in viscose rayon industry.
Hairisburg, Department of Labor and Industry, Occupational Disease Pre
vention Division, 1938. 69 pp., charts, bibliography. (Bulletin No. 46.)
Two series of medical examinations of 120 viscose-rayon employees were made
in connection with the survey, and the report contains discussions, by different
experts, of the symptoms produced by exposure to the fumes of these two poison
ous gases.
Report of commission appointed to inquire into the possible prevalence and origin of
cases of silicosis and other industrial pneumonoconioses in industries of Colony
of Southern Rhodesia, and of pulmonary tuberculosis in such industries. Salis
bury, Southern Rhodesia, 1938. 96 pp., charts, illus.
The study showed that while silicosis does exist in Southern Rhodesia the
situation is not serious and working conditions in the mines have been much
improved.
Housing
Urban housing: A summary of real property inventories conducted as work projects,
193^-1936. By Peyton Stapp. Washington, U. S. Works Progress Admin
istration, Division of Social Research, 1938. xii, 326 pp., map.
Reviewed in this issue.
Report of Alley Dwelling Authority for District of Columbia for fiscal year July 1,
1937, to June 30, 1938. Washington, 1938. 17 pp.; mimeographed
Recapitulation of projects undertaken, showing number of dwelling units, area
of sites, costs, and values.
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
Home financing in relation to business fluctuations: A study of Illinois and Wis
consin. Chicago, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, [1938?]. 19 pp.,
charts; mimeographed.
Shows incomes, building permits, construction costs, and related statistics
that affect home financing.
Financing house-building of the lower classes. Frankfort a. M., International
Housing Association, [1938?]. 91 pp. (Proceedings, International Housing
and Town Planning Congress, Paris, 1937.)
Deals with methods of financing public and private housing in a number of
countries.
Final report of International Housing and Town Planning Congress, Paris, 1937.
Brussels, International Federation for Housing and Town Planning, [1938?].
Various paging; mimeographed.
Collection of reports delivered, and an alphabetical list of delegates.
Housing in tropical and subtropical countries. Brussels, International Federation
for Housing and Town Planning, 1938. Various paging, plans, illus. (Pro
ceedings, International Housing and Town Planning Congress, Mexico City,
1938.)
Includes diagrams of floor plans used in different parts of the world, and shows
how houses are built to get the greatest benefit from prevailing winds.
Income
By Robert R. Nathan. Washington,
U. S. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 1938. 42 pp., charts.
Data from this report are published in this issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
Income in the United States, 1929-37.
Industrial Accidents and Workmen’s Compensation
Chicago, National Safety Council, Inc., 1938.
96 pp., charts.
Statistical and graphic presentation of accident experience in the United States
in 1937 and earlier years. The National Safety Council estimates that in 1937
work accidents resulted in death for 19,500 persons, in permanent disability for
75,000, and in temporary disability for 1,550,000. The accident frequency rate
for 1937, based on individual company reports to the National Safety Council,
was 38.7 per 1,000,000 man-hours worked, the same as for 1936, while the severity
rate was 58.4 per. 1,000 man-hours worked as compared with 59.5 in 1936; in
1929 the frequency rate was 74.1 and the severity rate, 84.2.
Accidental deaths in Tennessee, 1937. Nashville, Tennessee Department of Public
Health, [1938]. 11 pp., charts.
Of the 1,989 deaths from accidents during 1937 in Tennessee, 158, or 7.9 percent,
were occupational, and 636, or 32 percent, were due to accidents in the home.
Annual summary of injuries in petroleum industry, 1937. New York, American
Petroleum Institute, Department of Accident Prevention, 1938. 16 pp.,
chart.
The report states th at 1 out of 2,708 petroleum workers was fatally injured or
totally disabled in 1937 as compared with 1 out of 1,292 in 1928. The accident
frequency rate declined from 27.33 per 1,000,000 man-hours worked in 1928 to
14.60 in 1937; and the severity rate, from 2.69 per 1,000 man-hours worked in
1928 to 1.67 in 1937.
Accident facts, 1938 edition.
Nineteenth annual report of North Dakota Workmen's Compensation Bureau, for
fiscal year ending June 30, 1938. Bismarck, [1938]. 21 pp.
Annual report of Industrial Commission of Puerto Rico, for fiscal year 1937-38.
San Juan, 1938. 61 pp.
Third annual report of Industrial Commission of Puerto Rico under the present
Workmen’s Accident Compensation Act, which went into effect on July 1, 1935.
Twenty-fifth annual report of State compensation commissioner, West Virginia, on
workmen’s compensation fund, for year ending June SO, 1938. Charleston,
1938.
136 pp.
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757
Report of Royal Commission on Safety in Coal Mines [Great Britain ].
London,
1938. 2 vols.
The report covers legislation on safety in coal mines; accident rates in coal
mines in Great Britain and other countries; organization and management of the
industry; safety organization and training; health, including first aid and the
prevention of occupational diseases; and contains the recommendations of the
committee.
Safety education in schools of mining districts. By F. S. Crawford, A. U. Miller,
and C. W. Owings. Washington, U. S. Bureau of Mines, 1938. 34 pp.
(Miners’ Circular 37.)
Industrial Psychology
By Robert N. McMurry. (In Em
ployment Service News, U. S. Employment Service, Washington, November
1938, pp. 9-12.)
In this article the executive secretary of The Psychological Corporation, Chi
cago, 111., discusses psychological unemployability—a condition which he feels
should be judged and handled only by psychologists or psychiatrists, based on a
thorough study of the individual. It has been found that many of the so-called
unemployables have certain personality traits in common, chief among which are
tendencies toward dependence, irresponsibility, incapacity for self-discipline, and
very little regard for the consequences of their actions, traits which the writer
points out are also characteristic of the young child. He states that in the
majority of cases these individuals possess excellent ability, and that under an
effective guidance program at least a part of this ability may be utilized pro
ductively.
Employability influenced by personality.
Industrial Relations
Third annual report of National Labor Relations Board, for fiscal year ended June
SO, 1938. Washington, 1939. 292 pp., charts.
The greater part of the report is devoted to an exposition of the principles es
tablished by the Board.
List of references on National Labor Relations Board. Compiled by Bernard W.
Stern. Washington, U. S. National Labor Relations Board, Division of Eco
nomic Research, 1938. 18 pp.; mimeographed.
Two bibliographies are presented in this list, one covering the period from the
first National Labor Board in 1933 to October 1937, and the second, the period
from October 1937 to October 1938.
Violations of free speech and rights of labor. Hearings, July 18, 1938, before a
subcommittee of Committee on Education and Labor, United States Senate,
75th Cong., 3d sess., pursuant to S. Res. 266 (74th Cong.). Part 23 (pp.
9729-9984). Washington, 1939.
Described by the committee as the first of 12 volumes (pts. 23-34) of hearings
and exhibits dealing with labor relations in the steel industry, the 1937 “Little
Steel” strike, and the groups involved in this strike, directly and indirectly.
Pervious hearings relating to the 1937 “Little Steel” strike appeared in part 19.
Les conventions collectives de travail. By Renée Petit. Paris, Librairie Dalloz,
1938. 205 pp.
Historical and critical account of the laws and jurisprudence relating to collec
tive agreements in France, with an analysis of the law of June 24, 1936. The last
section of the book contains statistics of agreements concluded in the past 2 years
and suggested amendments to the law.
Labor and Social Legislation
By William M. Leiserson. (In
Society for the Advancement of Management Journal, New York, January
1939, pp. 5-10.)
Laws requiring payment of wages at specified times. Washington, U. S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1939. 12 pp. (Serial No. R. 855, reprint from December
1938 Monthly Labor Review.)
' Industry’s adjustment to recent labor legislation.
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758
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
By W. Sommer. Berlin,
Otto Eisner Verlagsgesellschaft, [1938]. 348 pp.
Contains laws, orders, and regulations regarding employment, employment
service, unemployment insurance, and unemployment relief in Germany under
the National Socialist Government.
Factory law [Great Britain]. By Clara D. Rackham. London, Thos. Nelson &
Sons, Ltd., 1938. 160 pp.
Detailed description of the Factories Act, 1937, and other laws affecting factory
workers in Great Britain.
Die nationalsozialistische arbeitseinsatz-gesetzgebung.
Labor Organization and Conventions
Report of proceedings of fifty-eighth annual convention of American Federation of
of Labor, held at Houston, Tex., October 3-13, 1938. Washington, American
Federation of Labor, [1938]. xxx, 594 pp.
A brief account of the proceedings of the convention, and data on membership of
unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, were given in the Novem
ber 1938 Monthly Labor Review (pp. 1034-1038).
Proceedings of first constitutional convention of Congress of Industrial Organizations,
held in Pittsburgh, Pa., November 14-18, 1938. [Washington, Congress of
Industrial Organizations, 1938.] 302 pp.
The convention proceedings and the structure of the Congress of Industrial
Organizations (C. I. O.), formerly called Committee for Industrial Organization,
were briefly outlined in an article in the December 1938 Monthly Labor Review
(pp. 1326-1330).
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters. By Daniel J. Tobin. (In Labor
Information Bulletin, U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, January
1939, pp. 6-9.)
The position of the International Ladies' Garment Workers’ Union in relation to
CIO and AFL, 1934-1938, chronicled in documents and records. New York,
International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, 1938.
81 pp.
Twenty-seventh annual report on labor organization in Canada (for calendar year
1937). Ottawa, Department of Labor, 1938. 261 pp.
M inim um W age
Interim report of Administrator of Wage and Hour Division, U. S. Department of
Labor, for period August 15 to December 31, 1938. Washington, 1939. Vari
ous paging, maps, charts; mimeographed.
Covers the early months of operation under the Fair Labor Standards Act of
1938. Reviewed in part in this issue.
Factors to be considered in preparing minimum-wage budgets for women. Washing
ton, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1938. 45 pp. (Miscellaneous Publi
cation No. 324.)
Printed and revised edition of a report, first issued in mimeographed form, pre
pared by the Bureau of Home Economics, U. S. Department of Agriculture, in
cooperation wTith the Women’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor. The pamph
let also contains a discussion by the chief of the retail price division, U. S._ Bureau
of Labor Statistics, of the problems connected with the retail pricing of a minimumwage budget, and suggestions as to desirable procedure in price collection.
Old-Age Pensions
(In Social Security
Bulletin, U. S. Social Security Board, Washington, November 1938, pp. 1219; charts.)
Reviewed in this issue.
The effect of the Social Security Act on private pension plans. Princeton, Princeton
University, Industrial Relations Section, 1939. 16 pp., bibliography; mimeo
graphed.
Results of a survey of 46 industrial pension plans which have been changed or
established since the passage of the Federal Social Security Act for the purpose of
bringing them into uniformity with the Federal program.
Analysis of grants to 586,000 recipients of old-age assistance.
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759
Dover 1939
6 pp.
The commission reports a pension list of 2,600 at the end of 1938, with a waiting
list of 1,064. The average monthly pension was $10.81 for 1938.
Report of Delaware Old Age Welfare Commission for year 1938.
Older W orker in IndustryNew York, National Association of Manufacturers, 1938.
64 pp.
The study was made among the members of the association to determine
whether or not industry retains workers after they reach the age of 40 or dis
criminates against such workers in hiring, firing, and layoffs. The study was also
designed to throw light on such related questions as the comparative work per
formance of older and younger workers, accident and health rates, and the attitude
of employers generally toward older workers.
Workers over 40 .
Prices and Price Control
By Florence A.
Armstrong. (In Social Security Bulletin, U. S. Social Security Board,
Washington, November 1938, pp. 9-11; map.)
Index number of agricultural prices [in England and Wales], 1938. London,
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, 1938. 42 pp., charts.
Account of methods used in computing the newly introduced index numbers of
agricultural prices.
Government price-fixing. By Jules Backman. New York, Pitman Publishing
Corporation, 1938. 304 pp.; bibliography.
The author criticizes and opposes government efforts to regulate prices. He
advocates a competitive price system, and therefore, by inference, opposes non
governmental as well as governmental price-fixing, although methods of maintain
ing free competition are not discussed.
Price control in Fascist Italy. By Henry Siefke Miller. New York, Columbia
University Press, 1938. 146 pp., charts; bibliography.
Price controls as developed since 1935 are viewed as an integral part of the
national economy, and as designed to promote economic self-sufficiency. There
is some information on prices as compared with wages. Data from this study
were published in Political Science Quarterly for December 1938 (pp. 584-598.).
State differentials in prices paid by farmers for family living.
Productivity of Labor and Technological Changes
By Raymond K.
Adamson and Miriam E. West. Washington, U. S. Works Progress Admin
istration, 1938. xxiv, 190 pp., charts. (National Research Project, Studies
of Productivity and Employment in Selected Industries, Report No. N -l.)
Reviewed in this issue.
Productivity and employment in selected industries: Beet sugar.
Technology, employment, and output per man in phosphate-rock mining, 1880-1937.
By A. Porter Haskell, Jr., and O. E. Kiessling. Washington, U. S. Works
Progress Administration, 1938. xvi, 130 pp., map, charts, illus. (National
Research Project, Mineral Technology and Output Per Man Studies, Report
No. E-7.)
Phosphate-rock mining employed about 7,000 men in 1920 and in recent years
around 3,000. Output per man-hour increased about nineteenfold since 1880
and about 71 percent between 1927 and 1937. The main factor affecting labor
productivity has been technological change. Much of the machinery and many
of the methods introduced have tended to save capital as well as labor. The
study deals not only with these changes but also with changes in wages, hours,
types of skill, and working conditions.
Labor productivity in retailing. By David R. Craig. (In proceedings of Boston
Conference on Distribution, Boston Chamber of Commerce, Retail Trade
Board, 1938, pp. 22-25.)
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Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
760
Social Security (General)
Wash
ington, 1938. 54 pp.
Report of council appointed by the Senate Special Committee on Social Security
and the Social Security Board, in May 1937, for the purpose of studying the
advisability of amendments to certain sections of the national Social Security Act.
Of the council members, 6 represented organized workers, 6 represented employ
ers, and 13 represented the public. The report makes a number of recommen
dations as regards benefits, coverage, and finance, which are explained in detail.
■Third annual report of Social Security Board, fiscal year ended June 30, 1938, with
supplementary data, July 1-October 31, 1938. Washington, 1938. 251 pp.,
charts, folders.
Summary data from this report are given in this issue of the Monthly Labor
Review.
Final report of Advisory Council on Social Security, December 10, 1938.
Social security in the United States: An analysis and appraisal of the Federal Social
Security Act. By Paul H. Douglas. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co.,
1939.
493 pp.
2d. ed., revised.
Social insurance coordination: An analysis of German and British organization.
By C. A. Kulp. Washington, Social Science Research Council, Committee
on Social Security, 1938. xiv, 333 pp.
The study is concerned with the inter-relation of social insurance and relief in
Germany and Great Britain, and is essentially a discussion of organizational
policy. Two major organizational trends—toward centralization and toward
coordination—form the main themes.
L’attività dell’Istituto Nazionale Fascista della Previdenza Sociale nel 1937. Rome,
Istituto Nazionale Fascista della Previdenza Sociale, 1938. 49 pp. (Ap
pendix to Le Assicurazioni Sociali, September-October 1938.)
Report through 1937 of the Italian National Fascist Institute of Social Welfare,
covering invalidity and old age pensions, insurance against unemployment and
tuberculosis, maternity aid, and family allowances.
Le assicurazioni sociali nell’America del Sud. By Gisela Augustin. (In Le As
sicurazioni Sociali, Istituto Nazionale Fascista della Previdenza Sociale,
Rome, September-October 1938, pp. 763-783.)
Summarizes the principal provisions of certain social-insurance schemes in
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, and
Venezuela.
Statistics (General)
Fourth annual report of Central Statistical Board, July 1, 1937, to June 30, 1938.
Washington, 1938.
21 pp.
By W. L. Crum, A. C. Patton, and A. R.
New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1938. 423 pp., charts.
Opportunities for statistical workers. By Donald E. V. Henderson. Chicago,
Science Research Associates, 1938. 56 pp., illus. (Occupational Monograph
No. 1.)
Most of the pamphlet is devoted to a simplified account of statistical methods
and the uses of statistics in everyday life, business, government, and research.
The concluding chapter is entitled “ Getting a job in statistics.”
Introduction to economic statistics.
Tebbutt.
Tennessee Valley Authority
Annual report of Tennessee Valley Authority, for fiscal year ended June SO, 1938.
Washington, 1938. 2 vols.
D ata on working conditions and cooperatives, taken from the report, are given
in this issue of the Monthly Labor Review.
Vacations With P a y
Zurich, International
Union of Food and Drink Workers, 1938. 45 pp.; mimeographed.
Reviews legislation regarding holidays with pay in different countries, with
special reference to workers in the food and drink trades.
Holidays with pay in food and drink industries, 1937—38.
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761
London,
Industrial Welfare Society, Inc., 1938. 24 pp.
Includes addresses delivered at the conference, some of which dealt with holi
days in specific industries.
Report of conference on workers’ holidays, London, November 30, 1938.
Wages and Hours of Labor
Wages, working and other conditions in glass industry of several countries; report
on international trade group conference for glass industry, held in Amsterdam
on June 23, 1938. Amsterdam, International Federation of General Factory
Workers, 1938.
58 pp.; mimeographed.
Study of incomes, salaries, and employment conditions affecting nurses (exclusive
of those engaged in public health nursing). New York, American Nurses’
Association, 1938. 528 pp.
Includes State summaries from information for 1934 and 1935 submitted by
private duty, institutional, and office nurses; national findings as disclosed in
these summaries; and specific and general recommendations based on the national
findings.
Union scales of wages and hours in printing trades, June 1, 1938. Washington,
U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1939. 20 pp. (Serial No. R. ¡859, reprint
from December 1938 Monthly Labor Review.)
Railroad wages and months of service, 1937. Washington, U. S. Railroad Retire
ment Board, 1938. 3 vols.
These tabulations, made under the provisions of the Railroad Retirement
Act, are described as being based on a summarization of earnings for each indi
vidual employee and are therefore not comparable with wage data based on
monthly totals of wages paid and of the number of persons employed. The
tabulations are significant particularly in showing the extremely wide range both
of earnings and of time worked, for all workers combined, for occupational groups,
and for regions. The three volumes provide adequate and detailed statistics
relating to annual earnings for the year 1937. Volumes 1 and 2 deal with class I
railroads; volume 1 gives data for 76 occupations for the country as a whole,
and volume 2, regional tables for the 76 selected occupations. Volume 3 covers
switching and terminal companies, express companies, class II and III railroads,
Pullman Co., electric railroads, and car loan companies.
A statistical analysis of carriers’ monthly hours of service reports covering all rail
roads which reported during the year ended June SO, 1938, instances in which
employees were on duty for periods other than those provided by Federal Hours
of Service Act, together with comparative summary covering years ended J une
30, 1934, to 1938. Washington, U. S. Interstate Commerce Commission,
Bureau of Safety, 1938.
23 pp.
Washington, U. S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 1939. 16 pp. (Serial No. R. 861, reprint from December
1938 Monthly Labor Review.)
Wages and hours in street and sewer construction. By Edward P. Sanford. Wash
ington, U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1939. 13 pp. (Serial No. R. 860,
reprint from December 1938 Monthly Labor Review.)
Labor, wages, and cost of living in Colony of Bahamas, 1937. [Nassau, 1938?]
3 pp.
An official report of the Colony of Bahamas showing wages and hours of labor
for different occupations in government and private employment.
Annual earnings in navy yards and private shipyards.
Annual report on social and economic progress of the people of Hong Kong, 1937.
London, [Colonial Office], 1938. 55 pp., map. (Colonial Reports—Annual,
No. 1867.)
Data are given on average rates of wages of workers in the building trades,
shipbuilding, engineering, and transportation; of female workers in factories;
and of domestic servants.
Wages policy and business cycles. By E. Ronald Walker. (In International Labor
Review, Geneva, December 1938, pp. 758-793.)
The first article in a series on wage policy and the business cycle which the
International Labor Office is publishing in the International Labor Review.
The author discusses the effects of wage policy on industrial fluctuations and gives
his conclusions as to the types of wage policy he considers appropriate a t different
stages of the business cycle.
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762
Monthly Labor Review—March 1939
By Emil Lederer.
(In International Labor Review, Geneva, January 1939, pp. 1-33.)
This second article in the series on wage policy and the business cycle, begun in
the December 1938 International Labor Review, deals with the implications of
business-cycle theory for wage policies.
Industrial fluctuations and wage policy—some unsettled points.
General Reports
Twenty-sixth annual report of Secretary of Labor, for fiscal year ended June 30,
1938. Washington, U. S. Department of Labor, 1938. 163 pp.
In addition to the report on the work of the Secretary’s Office, detailed reports
are given on the work of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Children’s Bureau, Con
ciliation Service, Division of Labor Standards, Division of Public Contracts,
Employment Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and Women’s
Bureau, and on the duties of the Department of Labor in connection with the
Civilian Conservation Corps program.
Annual report of Massachusetts Department of Labor and Industries, for year ending
November 30, 1937. Boston, 1938. 220 pp., charts.
Reports of activities of the various divisions of the department, with statistics
on the subjects dealt with, including industrial accidents, occupational diseases,
minimum wage, cost of living, employment, unemployment compensation, and
work of employment offices. Brief summaries are given of the results of the
department’s special surveys of chemical substances dangerous to health used in
manufacture of woolen and worsted goods, dry cleaning, fabric and paper coating,
can manufacturing, and automobile spray coating
Eighteenth biennial report of Bureau of Labor and State Welfare Commission, Oregon,
from July 1, 1936, to June 30, 1938. Salem, 1938. 124 pp.
Contains tabulations showing employment, wage rates, and hours of labor (for
union labor) in Oregon, by industry. The extent of the 5-day week and Satur
day half-holiday for union labor is also shown. A directory of manufacturing
plants in the State is appended.
Annual report of Commissioner of Labor of Puerto Rico, 1937-38. San Juan!
Department of Labor, 1938. 159 pp.
D ata on average earnings and hours in various industries, from this publication,
are given in this issue of the Monthly Labor Review. The report also contains
information on collective agreements, workmen’s compensation, employmentoffice activities, homesteading, women and children in industry, and labor
legislation.
Annual report of Governor of Virgin Islands, for fiscal year ending June 30, 1938.
Washington, U. S. Department of the Interior, 1938. 21 pp.
Accomplishments of the work-relief program, homesteads, low-cost housing, and
the Virgin Islands Cooperative, are among the subjects covered.
Annuaire statistique de la Grèce, 1937. Athens, Ministère de l’Économie Nationale,
Statistique Générale, 1938. 592 pp. (In Greek and French.)
Topics of labor interest for which figures are given, mainly through 1936, include
number of persons employed in industrial enterprises, collective labor contracts,
accidents to mine workers, social insurance, prices, and cooperative societies.
Statistisches jahrbuch fur das Deutsche Reich, 1938. Berlin, Statistisches Reichsamt, 1938. Various paging.
Contains statistical information regarding social and economic conditions in
Germany in 1938, including wages, prices, cost of living, employment, unemploy
ment, social insurance, public health, welfare work, housing, etc.
Labor conditions in Indo-China. Geneva, International Labor Office (American
branch, 734 Jackson Place NW., Washington), 1938. 331 pp. (Studies and
Reports, Series B, No. 26.)
The report discusses racial groups, population problems, and economic develop
ment and conditions. I t is divided into four parts, covering forced or compulsory
labor, wage-paid employment, independent workers such as handicraftsmen and
peasants, and special categories of workers including Asiatics and Europeans. In
the concluding section the possibility of improving social conditions through
legislation and through cooperative institutions is discussed.
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Recent Publications of Labor Interest
763
Statistical abstract [0/ Ireland], 1938.
Dublin, Department of Industry and
Commerce, 1938. 220 pp.
Contains statistics of wages of male agricultural laborers and female farm
servants, industrial accidents, workmen’s accident compensation, industrial dis
putes, housing, and social insurance.
Jaarverslag der inspectie van den havenarbeid over 1937. The Hague, Departement
van Sociale Zaken, 1938. 72 pp.
Annual report on labor inspection in the harbors of the Netherlands in 1937,
including information on protective legislation, working hours, overtime and
Sunday work, accidents, hazards in various kinds of work, and safety measures.
Arsberetninger fra arbeidsrddet og arbeidstilsynet, 1937. Oslo, Chefinspekt0ren for
Arbeidstilsynet, 1938. 112 pp., charts, illus.
Annual report on factory inspection in Norway, including information on pro
tective labor legislation, activities of works councils, accidents, and safety meas
ures. Printed in Norwegian with résumé in French and French translations of
table of contents and some table heads.
The Soviet comes of age. London, William Hodge & Co., Ltd., 1938. 337 pp„
illus. (In English.)
A series of separate studies, by prominent Russian scientists and administrators,
on various phases of social and economic life in the Soviet Union, covering indus
tries, agriculture, trades, education, labor, social insurance, etc.
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