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CONTENTS
Page.
Special article:
New York Harbor wage adjustment, by Benjamin M. Squires...................... 1-26
Labor and the War:
Awards and findings of the National War Labor Board.................................. 27-37
Appointment and function of the Director of Negro Economics, United
States Department of Labor................................................... ............................. 37, 38
Employment of prisoners in the Atlanta Penitentiary..................................... 39,40
Final report of the British Health of Munition Workers Committee............40-53
Second report on joint industrial councils by the British Ministry of
Reconstruction....................................................................................................... 53-58
Industrial councils and trade boards in Great Britain.................... ................. 58-64
Industrial Reconstruction Council organized in Great B ritain ...................... 64-66
Status of civil service employees in Great Britain under the military service
acts, 1916.................................................................................................................. 66, 67
Provision for the disabled and for vocational education:
Economic aspects of the disabled soldier problem with particular reference
to Canada, by Mrs. M. A. Gadsby...................................................................... 68-80
Discrimination against employment of war cripples......................................... 81-83
Occupational opportunities for handicapped men in the printing trades.. . 83-85
Rehabilitation of injured workmen in Wisconsin............................................... 85-87
Disabled soldiers placed by French institutions................................................ 87, 88
Farm colonies in Great Britain............................................................................... 88, 89
Manual training schools in Brazil..........................................................................
89
Prices and cost of living:
Retail prices of food in the United States........................................................... 90-101
Changes in wholesale prices in the United S ta te s......................................... 101-104
Price changes, wholesale and retail, in the United States............................ 104-107
Index numbers of wholesale prices in the United States, 1913 to July, 1918.108,109
Wholesale prices in the United States and foreign countries, 1890 to June,
1918.......................................................................................................................... 110,111
Cost of living in the District of Columbia: Eighth article.............................112-114
Cost of living in the Pacific shipbuilding districts....... ..................................115-117
Year’s clothing bill of 100 families of wage earners in New York City ship
building district.................................................................................................... 118-122
Food control:
Food control in the United States...........................................................
123-128
Control of sale and distribution of sugar in the District of Columbia.......... 128,129
Food regulations in France......................................................................................
130
Wages and hours of labor:
Increase of wages in mechanical department of railroads under Federal
control.................................................................................................................... 131-134
Union scales in the building, metal and granite and stone trades and in
freight handling................................r.................................................................134-161
Rates of wages paid to workers placed by public employment offices in the
United States, July, 1918...................................................................................161-185
Labor adjustment and the payment of bonuses at coal m ines...................... 186-188
Recent application of the eight-hour day...........................................................188-196
Wages of German m in ers.......................................................................................196-198
High cost of living bonuses to private salaried employees in Ita ly ..................
199
Japanese factory law in its relation to weavers and matchmakers..................199, 200
Minimum wage:
Minimum wage decrees in Massachusetts................................................. ,....2 0 1 , 202
Minimum wage for laundry workers in Manitoba............................................ 202, 203
Minimum wage legislation in Norway................................................. - ............. 204, 205
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IV
CONTENTS.
Women in industry:
Page.
Women in mechanical trades in the United States, by Mrs. V. B. Turner. 206-215
English experience with women in heavy work............................................ 215-218
Health of woman munition workers in England............................................ 219-222
Employment of women in France during the War......................................... 223-232
Training school for female metal turners in Ita ly .......................................... 232,233
Industrial safety:
Seventh annual safety congress, National Safety Council............................ 234, 235
Industrial hygiene and poisons:
Trinitrotoluene poisoning, by T. M. Legge, M. D ......................................... 236-242
Dinitrophenol poisoning in munition works in France, by Alice Hamilton,
M. D ...................................................................................................................... 242-250
Annual meeting of the American Public Health Association.................... 250, 251
Workmen’s compensation:
Annual meeting of the International Association of Industrial Accident
Boards and Commissions......................................................... ....................... 252-254
History and theory of workmen’s compensation insurance rates................ 254-262
New workmen’s compensation law of Porto Rico........................................... 262, 263
Workmen’s compensation experience in Ontario, 1917............................... 263-265
Labor laws and regulations:
Emergency suspensions and variations of labor laws.................................... 266-270
Retirement system for lighthouse em ployees.. ................................................
270
Industrial Disputes Investigation Act of Canada.............................................
271
French decree governing the recruiting and distribution of labor.................
272
Civilian auxiliary service established in Italy by vice-regal decree......... 273-276
Law regulating night work in Uruguay................................................................
276
Woman and child labor laws of Vera Cruz, Mexico....................................... 276, 277
Housing and welfare work:
A modern copper mining town, by Leifur Magnusson................................. 278-283
Restaurant facilities for shipyard workers...........................................................
284
Employment and unemployment:
Work of public employment offices in the United States and of provincial
employment offices in Canada................................................ ....................... 285-292
Employment in selected industries in July, 1918....... .................................. 293-298
Central recruiting of unskilled labor by United States Employment Service 298-301
Medical examination of applicants for w ork.............................................
302
Work of Ohio Free Labor Exchanges for year ending June 30,1917........... 302-304
Meeting of American Association of Public Employment Offices..................
304
Value of the British national employment exchanges during the War. . . 304-309
Labor organizations:
Thirty-eighth annual convention of the American Federation of Labor . 310-316
Proposed labor party in Minnesota.................................................................... 317-319
Annual conference of the British Labor Party................................................ 319-327
Labor organization in Canada, 1917................................................................... 328, 329
Strikes and lockouts:
Strikes and lockouts in the United States, April to June, 1918................ 330-334
Conciliation and arbitration:
Conciliation work of the Department of Labor, July 17 to August 15,1918. 335-341
Immigration:
Immigration in June, 1918................................................................................... 342, 343
Publications relating to labor:
Official—United States......................................................................................... 344,345
Official—Foreign countries.................................................................................. 345-350
Unofficial................................................................................................................. 350-359
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
vol.
v u —n o . 3
WASHINGTON
S e p t e m b e r , 1918
THE NEW YORK HARBOR WAGE ADJUSTMENT.
BY BENJAMIN M. SQUIRES.
INTRODUCTION.
The history of labor adjustments affecting the employees on harbor
craft in the port of New York is of transcendent interest and impor
tance. The preponderating importance of New York as the leading
port of entry and departure in this country, and for that matter in
the whole world, makes it far and away the most important indus
trial center anywhere. New York is the “ neck of the bottle” through
which most of the supplies necessary to our allies and to maintaining
our forces at the fighting front must pass. The necessity of keeping
the “ neck” open can not be overemphasized. To do this it is imper
ative that there be the least possible delay in the loading or unload
ing of ships. The arrangement of port and terminal facilities, how
ever, is such that practically all of the freight must be transferred
between warehouses, piers, and terminals and to or from ship’s side.
This necessitates the use of large numbers of harbor craft. A strike
or lockout of employees operating these craft would force an imme
diate suspension of shipping and would probably do more to aid Ger
many and to injure the allied cause than a strike or lockout that
tied up the coal mines and the iron and steel industry of the country.
The record of the achievements of the Board of Arbitration, New
York Harbor Wage Adjustment, is of especial interest as showing the
development of conciliation and arbitration work. The board was
created by voluntary agreement entered into by representatives of
New York harbor boat owners and employees with the United States
Shipping Board. Its jurisdiction was and is strictly limited geo
graphically and industrially to New York harbor boats and em
ployees. With the taking over of the railroads by the Government,
railroad marine equipment and employees at the port of New York
came within the jurisdiction of the Railroad Administration. No
authority was given to the board other than recommendation and
moral suasion. When these failed the Shipping Board was appealed
to and its power to confiscate privately owned boats was used to
enforce awards made by the Board of Arbitration. The inevitable
confusions, conflicts, and differences in awards which are unavoidable
so long as labor adjustments are in the hands of distinct and inde
pendent boards, each applying its own principles of wage fixing, are
admirably illustrated in the short annals of this board. It is very
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
clear that to stabilize industry it is necessary to have a Nation-wide
system of dealing with labor unrest under a single responsible di
rection and with authority to enforce awards.
An article entitled “ New York harbor employees/’ appearing in
the July, 1918, M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w (pp. 1-21), set forth the wages
and working conditions of New York harbor boat employees and one,
“ Associations of harbor boat owners and employees in the port of
New York,” in the August issue (pp. 45-62), traced the development
of associations of these employees, culminating in the formation of
an industrial union, the Marine Workers’ Affiliation of the Port of
New York, and the concerted demands of October 8, 1917. The
adjustment of these and subsequent demands and particularly the
problems to which such adjustments have given rise is the subject of
this article.
ORIGIN OF THE BOARD OF ARBITR A TIO N .
A more strategic time for a united effort on the part of New York
harbor employees than the fall of 1917 could not have been selected.
Plans for participation in the War on a large scale were beginning to
take definite form. Large numbers of men were being sent to the
cantonments. Shipyards and munitions plants were beginning to
demand men and to attract them by large wages. In the midst of
these demands for labor, supplies were being rushed in ever-increas
ing quantity to the port of New York for overseas transportation.
Under these circumstances, it was to be expected that the Government
would view with no little concern any -danger of interruption to
transportation activities at the port of New York. Accordingly,
when it was brought to the attention of the United States Shipping
Board that the October 8 demands of the New York harbor em
ployees conveyed a threat to quit work on November 1, 1917, unless
the demands were granted, no time was lost in requesting the repre
sentatives of employees to appear before the Shipping Board at
Washington.
Plans for the adjustment of wages and working conditions of
shipyard employees by a labor adjustment board, and of men en
gaged in the loading and unloading of vessels—the longshoremen—
by a national adjustment commission, were already in operation.
Each of these adjustment bodies included representatives of em
ployers, employees, and the Government. A similar plan was
proposed to the representatives of the New York harbor employees
and was accepted by them in the following agreement dated October
15, 1917:
To the United States Shipping Board:
We, the undersigned, make the following proposal for an adjustment of the demands
made by the unions as represented for a new schedule of wages and rules for the port
of New York effective November 1, and to remain in force for one year from that date:
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M O NTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
3
(1) We agree to submit these demands to a board of three; one to be appointed by
the Shipping Board, one to be appointed by the unions involved, and one by the em
ployers.
(2) We further agree during the period of the War to submit any differences which
can not be settled by the employers and employees to the decision of this board.
(3) We also agree to waive the demand that all boats are to be manned by none but
members of our associations; but there must be no discriminations of any kind against
union men, and the board shall have the power to arbitrate any question of discrimina
tion.
(4) If the employers will agree to accept the decision of such a board, we agree to
be bound by its decision; and pending decisions of any disputes work shall continue
uninterruptedly.
It will be observed that the agreement amounted to an open
shop, a no-strike policy for the duration of the war and, moreover,
provided that the decision of the arbitration board with reference
to the then existing demands would be effective for a period of one
year. In view of subsequent events, these facts are significant.
The agreement was signed by the representatives of Masters,
Mates, and Pilots, Marine Engineers, Tidewater Boatmen, and for
the Harbor Boatmen, by the president of the International Long
shoremen’s Association, with which association both the Harbor
Boatmen and the Tidewater Boatmen were affiliated.1 Immedi
ately thereafter the United States Shipping Board sent telegrams to
leading harbor boat owners requesting a conference in New York on
the following day.
At this conference, 19 boat owners appeared before Vice Chair
man Stevens of the Shipping Board. The conference was char
acterized by a violent opposition to the Marine Workers’ Affiliation,
by charges that the harbor employees were not unionized, and
that this was an attempt on the part of a few agitators to force
unionism upon boat owners. The Marine Engineers’ Association
was credited with 50 per cent, the American Association of Masters,
Mates, and Pilots with 25 per cent, and the Harbor Boatmen’s Union
with 10 per cent, respectively, of the total employees in the occupa
tions over which each union claimed jurisdiction. Exception was
taken to arbitration in general on the ground that it would tend to
unionize the port, and in particular to the form of arbitration sug
gested in the agreement signed by representatives of the harbor unions.
A second conference with boat owners was called October 20 at
which the New York Towboat Exchange submitted the following
statement:
The representatives of a majority of the owners of tugs and barges in New York
Harbor, having determined, after careful investigation and personal interviews, that
a majority of their employees are loyal and satisfied with their present conditions of
employment and scale of wages and have no knowledge of any threatened strike out1 See article on “Associations of harbor boat owners and employees in the port of N ew York,” Monthly
L abor R ev ie w , August, 1918, pp. 45-62.
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
side of what they have read in the newspapers and, furthermore, it was resolved, with
a full realization of the seriousness of a strike in this port at the present time, that a
committee be appointed to meet with Vice Chairman Stevens, of the Shipping Board,
at a conference on Saturday, October 20, and that this committee be and is hereby
instructed as follows:
First. That they assure Mr. Stevens, and, through him, the Government, that the
large majority of our employees are satisfied and that there is not the slightest danger
of any interference or delay with either Government or other work in the port of New
York.
Second. That we can not consent to any arbitration with the above-named Marine
Workers’ Affiliation, since they represent only a very small minority of our employees.
Third. That we would welcome a full, complete, and impartial investigation by
the Shipping Board of the conditions and hours of labor and rate of wages paid to all
our employees: Be it further
Resolved, That a copy of this document be presented by the committee to Mr.
Stevens.
The New York Boat Owners’ Association submitted the following:
The New York Boat Owners’ Association (Inc.), representing more than 150 of the
principal owners and operators of tugboats, coal boats, barges, scows, and lighters,
etc., in New York Harbor and vicinity, who employ more than 3,500 men on such
equipment, respectfully submit the following:
First. That, in their opinion, the organization known as the Marine Workers’
Affiliation does not represent but a small and inconsequential percentage of the men
employed on the floating equipment of the harbor and adjacent waters.
Second. That a very great majority of the workers are satisfied with their present
working conditions and wages.
Third. That, for the above cogent reasons, the members of this association are
unalterably opposed to arbitrating any questions with the Marine Workers’ Affiliation.
Fourth. That we court a. thorough investigation by the Shipping Board, as to the
existing conditions of the various marine employment concerned.
Fifth. That we are perfectly agreeable to submit any questions that might arise
to a board, as suggested by Vice Chairman Stevens, on October 16, viz, a representa
tive of the Shipping Board, a representative of the Department of Commerce, and a
representative of the Department of Labor.
It was finally agreed to accept the Government arbitration board,
made up, as suggested, of a representative each of the Shipping
Board, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Com
merce. This agreement, dated October 20, 1917, differs in other
important respects from the agreement of October 15, and is given
in full.
We, the undersigned owners and operators of tugs, barges, lighters, ferryboats, and
other harbor marine equipment in the port of New York, hereby agree with the United
States Shipping Board that, during the period of the war, we will submit all differ
ences concerning wages or conditions of labor involved in the operation of such marine
equipment which can not first be adjusted by thé employers and the employees to
the decision of a Government board of three men, to be appointed as follows: One by
the United States Shipping Board, one by the Department of Commerce, and one by
the Department of Labor.
This Government board shall have no authority to pass upon the question of open
or closed shop, or the recognition of unions, but we agree that there shall be no discrimi
nation of any kind against union men, and the board shall have power to determine
questions of discrimination.
[480]
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
5
A similar agreement with one additional provision that “ pending
the decision of said board, work shall continue uninterruptedly” was
signed on the same date by representatives of the harbor unions.
In addition to the change in the form of arbitration, the agreement
of October 20, as contrasted with that first suggested, makes no men
tion of the duration of awards and does not commit the unions to a
no-strike policy except “ pending the decision of said board.” This
omission, together with the phrase “ which can not first be adjusted
by the employers and the employees,” gave rise to later difficulties.
FIR ST AW ARD OF THE BOARD.
Steps were taken immediately by the Shipping Board to create the
arbitration board provided for in the agreement. In the meantime,
a new wage demand was submitted to the boat owners on October 24.
This demand differed from the demand of October 8 chiefly in that no
mention was made of a closed shop. About the same time the
Lighter Captains’ Union was organized as a local of the International
Longshoremen’s Association, and submitted a separate wage demand.
In the arbitration that followed, two factors stand out prominently:
First, the unwillingness on the part of employers to have anything to
do with union representatives, and, second, the insistence by em
ployers that there was nothing to arbitrate. Thus, on the latter
point, the Lighterage Association of the Port of New York submitted
a statement that “ Our employees, having been denied by their asso
ciation the right to first endeavor to adjust their differences with their
various employers, in violation of the agreement made with Mr.
Stevens on October 20, we feel that in appearing before your board we
are waiving the rights guaranteed us by that agreement.” The agree
ment provided for arbitration of disputes that “ can not first be
adjusted by the employers and employees.” • Many of the companies
were making voluntary increases, others were endeavoring to make
agreements with their employees. This was particularly true of the
railroads, who had insisted from the beginning that they had nothing
in common with other operators and should be permitted to handle
their own case. As in previous conferences, separate hearings were
held with employers and employees. One joint hearing was given in
spite of the protests of the emplojmrs, who took the attitude of
“ sitting in” rather than participating.
An award was made November 16, effective November 1, 1917,
establishing a minimum wage and providing that “ nothing in this
award shall be construed to decrease the pay or allowance or to
increase the hours of labor now in effect or that were in effect on or
prior to November 1, 1917.” The duration of the award was not
indicated.1
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1M onthly R e v ie w , January, 1918, pp^ 230-233.
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M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW,
The following table shows comparatively the wages previously
received, demanded, and awarded.
T a ble 1.—WAGES AW ARDED NEW Y O R K H A R BO R EM PLOYEES IN COMPARISON WITH
W AGES DEM A N D ED AND PR E V IO U SLY RECEIV ED .
Demands of Oct.
24, 1917.
Wages previously received.
July, 1914.
July, 1917.
Occupation.
Monthly
Num Aver Num wage rated
ber
age
ber
re month re
port ly wage port Mini Aver
ed.
rated
ed. mum. age.
Addi
tional
allow
Minimum
ance
monthly
per
wage rate. day
for
board.
Award of arbitration
board, Nov. 16,1917.
Addi
tional
allow
ance
per
day
for
board.
Minimum
monthly
wage rate.
Tugboats and lighters.
Captain..................
Licensed m ate___
E ngineer.. . . . . . . .
Engineer assistant.
Deckhand.............
Cook.......................
Fireman.................
Oiler.......................
128 $139.14
82. 86
37
122 127.12
32
83.31
59. 34
215
91
59.12
234
61.62
19
65.93
176
44
175
41
300
122
307
17
$117 $148. 25
$150
83 109. 59 s$100 130
100 139.95
140
98 121.04
130
53
75.22 »60
65
74. 42
63
60
63
79. 92
60
65
80
80. 35
65
$0.60 2$125 $135 $145
*90 100 125
.60
.60 2 115 125 135
.60
105 115 125
.60 6 60
65
.60
62
8 60
.60
7 60
65
.60
65
$0.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
Ferryboats.
Captain or pilot
Engineer............
Wheelman.........
Deckhand..........
Fireman.............
Oiler....................
94
132
32
300
219
62
146.56
135. 33
61.24
60. 56
80. 23
80.01
92
117
37
250
192
58
125
117
65
60
73
60
153.18
142.59
70. 81
62.03
84.94
84.39
7 60
8 65
150
140
72
60
65
100
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
160
150
80
70
80
»80 85
Covered barges.
Captain.
269
55. 86
375
60
65.90 $4 per day..
77
Lighters with hoists.
Captain......................... .
Stationary h o i s t i n g
engineer......................
148
59. 86
230
60
73. 75 $4 per day..
10 85
45
76.61
59
75
86.39
12 95 100
11 5 per day
90
Coal boats, grain boats, and scows.
Captain...........................
400
46.20
591
50
60. 94
70
70
Car floats.
Floatmen.......................
33
56.60
38
60
66.18
60
.60
60
1 Includes board if board was allowed in addition to wages.
2 Wages classified according to cylinder diameter of engine.
8 Licensed to navigate, $130; not required to handle boat, $100.
4 Required to navigate, $125; on tugs doing transport work, $100; not required to handle boat, $90.
8 First deckhand $65; others, $60.
* Cook on boats with one deckhand, $62; with more than one deckhand, $60.
7 One fireman, $65; more than one, $60.
8 Oiler with marine engineer’s license, $100; without license, $65.
®Oiler with marine engineer’s license, $85; without license, $80.
i« Steam or gasoline hoist less than 15 tons, $85; more than 15 tons, $90.
n Demand presented Mar. 15,1918.
i2 Steam hoist of less than 15 tons, $95; more than 15 tons, $100; awarded Mar. 20,1918.
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M ONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
7
The demands presented in October, 1917, by the Marine Workers’
Affiliation on behalf of engineers, captains, tidewater boatmen, and
harbor boatmen, specified a 12-hour working day, one day off per
week with pay to all employees, and two weeks’ vacation with pay
to all “ captains and engineers of self-propelled boats who have been
in the employ of one company for a period of one year or more.”
Captains of barges, boats, or scows shifting or loading at night were
to receive $2 per night. Captains or engineers on self-propelled boats
were to receive $1 per hour for overtime work. Other employees on
these boats were to receive 50 cents per hour for overtime. The
lighter captains’ demands presented separately specified a 10-hour
working day, 75 cents per hour for night cargo work, $2 per night
for watching, and $3 per night for night towing.
In the award, a sharply defined distinction in working conditions
was made between employees of self-propelled and nonself-propelled
boats. To the former, one day off per week was granted with pay,
and one week’s vacation per year with pay to all employees who had
been in the service of any one company for a period of one year or
more. Overtime was to be compensated at the rate of time and onehalf. The working day was assumed to be governed by steamboatinspection regulations. To employees of nonself-propelled boats no
overtime was granted; the hours per day were not specified and no
provision was made for time off with pay. Compensation in addition
to the monthly wage was allowed only in the case of lighter captains,
to whom $1 and $1.50 was awarded for watching at night, the higher
rate to be paid if the captain was required to do deck watching.
The absence of provisions in the award defining the length of the
working day for captains of nonself-propelled boats or fixing rates
for overtime and night work was due in part to the varying conditions
under which these boats operate. Towing and shifting at night were
represented by employers to be inherent in harbor transportation
and compensated by corresponding periods -of idleness, waiting for
tides, cargo, or vessels. Emphasis was given also by employers to
the fact that most of these boats were equipped with cabins and that
on many of them the captain lived with his family, so that he received
rent in addition to his wages; and, moreover, that being on the boat
at night meant, for the most part, simply sleeping on the boat. To
this the employees replied that living on the boat was a convenience
to the employer and a hardship to the employees, preventing them
from establishing homes ashore and educating their children. Night
shifting, loading, or discharging was claimed to require that the
captains be on deck at irregular intervals to handle lines, display
lights, or supervise the handling of cargo.
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Immediate exception was taken by employees to the absence of
provisions for additional compensation to captains of nonself-propelled
boats for night work, and the board was requested to define the work
ing day and establish rates for overtime. To this request, however,
the board replied that the award had been made after a consideration
of all conditions and that it was not deemed advisable to attempt to
define the hours between which work of this nature should be per
formed.
ENFORCEMENT OF THE AW ARD.
It is in making the award effective, however, rather than in making
the award, or in the terms thereof, that the New York harbor wage
adjustment represents a radical departure from other wage adjust
ments and is of more than local interest.
In the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for August, 1918, reference was
made to the number of owners of harbor craft (probably 500), to the
character of ownership, ranging from individual to corporate and
from municipal-to Federal, and to the lack of a complete record.
Harbor boat owners had been accustomed to individual arrange
ments with their own empk^ees. They were opposed to unionism
and to arbitration, and were thus predisposed to object to any inter
ference. Moreover, there was an unwillingness on the part of many
owners to be bound by an agreement which, though signed by repre
sentatives of the boat owners, had not been assented to formally by
each owner individually. Under these circumstances, it might be
expected that considerable difficulty would be experienced in put
ting an award into effect.
Employees, on the other hand, were quick to take advantage of
the opportunity. afforded for recognition and organization. The
growth in union membership was rapid. Employers who had insisted
that their employees were not members of any union, had made no
wage demands, and were satisfied, discovered suddenly that their
employees were wearing union buttons and were complaining to the
officials of their unions that they were not enjoying the wages and
working conditions awarded by the Government. Since the hope of
securing the increased wages awarded by the board was in many
cases the inducement for joining the union, and since the union
officials actively concerned themselves to secure the conditions of
the award for their members, any delay in compliance with the
award was the occasion for unrest. This was particularly true among
the new members, who failed to understand why they did not receive
their wages immediately after paying their initiation fees and dues.
The older members and the members of organizations more accustomed
to collective action, of course, were more willing to listen to assur
ances that the award would be made effective. However, with a
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M ONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
9
body of nearly 15,000 workers ranging from the unskilled to the
master-workman class, many of whom were accustomed neither to
collective bargaining nor to arbitration, the idea of waiting for the
Government to enforce its own wage awards was too unique to be
generally accepted. Doubt was openly expressed of the intention or
the authority of the Government to make its award effective.
During the month of December, 1917, more than 100 boat owners
were complained against. These included not only individual owners,
but the marine departments of railroads, and municipal, State, and
Federal agencies. The Government-operated boats did not comply
with the terms of the award either as to wages or working conditions.
Complaints for the most part were tiled by the representatives of
unions. Quite naturally, these were the cases where union members
were not being paid according to the award. Each of the complaints
was brought to the attention of the company against whom it was
made. Many denied the charges of noncompliance; others promised
compliance; still others were openly defiant, claimed not to be parties
to any agreement, and questioned the authority of the arbitration
board either to make an award or to enforce it. A considerable
number ignored the communication. Most frequent was a request
for the name of the employee making the complaint and the explana
tion that their employees had not requested an increase in wages or
a change in working conditions.
By the end of January, 1918, approximately 200 companies had
been reported as not complying with the award. Municipal, State,
and Federal operators were still among the delinquents and noncompliance by these and by private owners was made an excuse for
noncompliance by others. Those who had complied felt that they
had been “ stung” by so doing. Employees previously skeptical of
the assurances that compliance would be enforced were now thor
oughly convinced that the Government had no intention of enforcing
the award and began to set dates for strike action. . Conservative
leaders were openly criticized and repudiated. Less conservative
leaders, in order to avoid a like fate, encouraged criticism alike of the
board of arbitration and those who counseled patience.
In the meantime the railroads had been placed under Federal con
trol and a commission appointed to adjust wages and working condi
tions Order No. 8, issued February 21 by the Railroad Administra
tion, directed that no changes should be made in the wages or working
conditions of railroad employees pending the recommendation of the
commission. The railroad marine equipment in the port of New York
came within the scope of the order and those railroads which had not
previously complied with the award were fortified against further
action.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[485]
10
M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Tlie most perplexing question before the board of arbitration was
how to enforce the award. Created by agreement entered into by em
ployers and employees, the board was without direct legal authority
to compel compliance with its awards. An open letter sent to boat
owners requesting immediate compliance reduced the number of
violators. Lists of delinquent owners placed in the hands of the
several boat owners’ associations effected a further reduction, but in
January, 1918, there were still nearly 100 individual operators
reported as not complying.
Finally new demands were submitted by three of the harbor unions,
the Harbor Boatmen, the Tidewater Boatmen, and the Lighter Cap
tains. Telegrams were sent to the Shipping Board fixing a date for
strike action unless the demands were met.- On February 19 the
Shipping Board called a conference with representatives of employees
and urged them not to complicate the situation by injecting new
demands before the previous award was made effective. Assurances
were given that steps would be taken immediately to compel compli
ance. The following day boat owners appeared before the Shipping
Board and expressed the belief that cases of noncompliance were few.
Assurances of cooperation were given and a committee of owners was
appointed to work with the Shipping Board and with the arbitration
board in making the award generally effective.
In order to ascertain at first hand the validity of complaints, the
board of arbitration sent out a force of investigators and inspected
the pay rolls of 80 companies against whom complaints had been filed.
More than 60 of these were found to be not complying with the award.
As soon as it became apparent that the cases of persistent violation
were substantially as represented by the employees and that many
of the violations had previously been denied by employers, the
Shipping Board was requested to- subpoena the offending companies.
Briefs were prepared showing the nature of the violation and on
March 8, 1918, 40 owners were summoned to appear before the
Shipping Board and answer to the charge of noncompliance with the
award. Twenty owners promised compliance prior to the issuance
of the summons and were not directed to appear. All but two of
those summoned agreed to comply, though protesting against the
award. Of these two, one gave notice the following day of intention
to comply, the other refused and steps were taken immediately by
the Shipping Board to commandeer the boats. Before actual seizure,
however, compliance was promised and the action was stopped.
This action on the part of the Shipping Board had a wholesome
effect on individual owners, most of whom complied promptly with
the award. The unrest which had developed among employees,
however, was not to be stilled and the board of arbitration was re-
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
11
quested to grant a hearing on the demands previously presented by
three unions and to the demands of a union not previously repre
sented, namely, Local 379 of the International Union of Steam and
Operating Engineers.
Tlio request was acceded to and hearings given, representatives of
employees and employers meeting separately with the board as in
previous conferences. 'An award was made March 20, 1918, estab
lishing a wage scale and working conditions for hoisting engineers.1
Lighter captains were given pay for overtime in connection with
cargo work. Tidewater boatmen were given a flat rate of $10 per
month for work at night in loading or discharging cargo in excess of
four nights per month. The board declined to grant further wage
increases, however, to harbor boatmen, tidewater boatmen, or lighter
captains until September 30, 1918, when, it was stated, the entire
case might be reopened.
JURISD IC TIO N A N D M EM BERSHIP OF THE BOARD.
To this decision the four harbor unions affected took violent excep
tion, voted to destroy the award, withdraw their demands and their
agreement to abide by the decision, charged that the board was unfair,
and appealed the case to the newly organized National War Labor
Board. The War Labor Board, in turn, referred the case to the Ship
ping Board. As explained previously, however, the Shipping Board
had no central agency for handling disputes of harbor employees.
The National Adjustment Commission was created to handle disputes
of longshoremen. The Labor Adjustment Board of the Emergency
Fleet Corporation was concerned with disputes in shipyards. The
Arbitration Board, New York Harbor Wage Adjustment, although
created by agreement with the Shipping Board and having a repre
sentative of the Shipping Board as one member, was nevertheless a
board of final jurisdiction existing by agreement between employers
and employees. The agreement contained no provision for appeal
and presumably without arbitrary action no appeal could be accepted
without the consent of the parties to the agreement. The boat owners
refused to consent to an appeal to the National Adjustment Commis
sion, and a strike seemed imminent. The situation was again laid
before the National War Labor Board. Representatives of em
ployees and employers, parties to the agreement of October 20, 1917,
were requested to appear before the National War Labor Board at
Washington, and on May 14, 1918, met for the first time in joint
conference. The result was the following modification of the original
agreement:
It is agreed by the representatives of the employers and employees, parties to the
agreement dated October 20, 1917, that said agreement be modified to the extent that
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
i See Table 1, p. 6.
[487]
12
M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
two additional members be added to the Board of Arbitration, New York Harbor Wage
Adjustment, one to be appointed by the representatives of employers and the other
to be appointed by the representatives of the employees, and that a rehearing of
present controversies be had before such enlarged board, and both parties agree to
be bound by the findings and decisions of such board in respect of all present and
future controversies during the period of the war;
And, furthermore, that said board will endeavor to require all parties to carry out
the terms of previous agreements and awards until a change is decided upon by such
board.
It will be observed that tbe modified agreement not only provided
for the addition to the board of one representative each of employers
and employees and a rehearing on existing demands, but also that
both parties were to be bound by the decisions of the board.
In accordance with the above agreement, two members were
added to the board of arbitration. Joint hearings were held May 21
and 22, and a tentative award was agreed upon by the board. Before
the award could be promulgated, however, Order 27 was issued by
the Director General of Railroads,1 announcing wage increases ap
plicable to railroad employees, including “ employees of railroads
operating ferries, tugboats, lighters, barges * *
The appli
cation of the order to railroad marine employees, approximating 40
per cent of the harbor employees, meant the establishment of two
sets of wage rates and working conditions, which it was felt would
jeopardize the interests of the port. The attention of the Railroad
Wage Commission had previously been directed to this, and in the
recommendations of the commission it was provided that “ the award
of the commission shall not be applicable to those employees whose
compensation is the result of adjustments by or through any agency
established for the purpose by the Navy Department, the War
Department, the Department of Commerce, the United States
Shipping Board, or any other Government agency created since the
entry of the United States into the war.” This recommendation was
not adopted by the Director General of Railroads.
As soon as Order 27 was made public representatives of the harbor
unions protested against a distinct wage for railroad marine em
ployees and particularly against the percentage increase provided in
Order 27 which, based upon rates in 1915, would restore differentials
in wage rates for identical classes of labor. In view of this protest,
and because the railroads were parties to the agreements of October
20, 1917, and May 14, 1918, the board of arbitration voted to with
hold its decision until the matter could be brought to the attention
of the Railroad Administration.
1 See Monthly R e v ie w for June, 1918, pp. 1-21.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.
13
The case was laid before the Board of Railroad Wages and Working
Conditions. Officials of the harbor unions appeared before the
board and testified to their unwillingness to have Order 27 applied
to the railroad marine workers in the port of New York. Represen
tatives of the Arbitration Board and of the Shipping Board urged
that the situation would be hopelessly confused by the application of
two distinct awards. The tentative award of the Board of Arbitra
tion was reviewed and the Railroad Administration approved it
informally, suggesting that it be issued recommendatory to the Rail
road Administration. The award was issued June 8, effective until
May 31, 1919, unless in the judgment of the board conditions should
warrant a change prior to the date of expiration. In a subsequent
order under date of June 18, 1918, the Railroad Administration con
firmed the award, making it applicable to railroad marine employees
in the port of New York.
No increase was granted to captains and engineers in the June
award. After the award was issued, representatives of these em
ployees requested that consideration be given to them in view of the
increases granted to other employees and the increases that would
have been received by railroad marine captains and engineers. Boat
owners also requested that a rehearing be given on certain points.
Before granting a rehearing, and in order to cooperate more fully
with the Railroad Administration, the agreement of October 20,
1917, was again modified to provide for two additional board mem
bers, one representing the railroads and one representing employees.
THE AW ARD OF JU L Y 12.
A rehearing was held before the enlarged board now consisting of
seven members. Increases were granted to captains and engineers
and minor changes were made in the award of June 8. These
amendments and additions were approved by the Railroad Admin
istration, embodied in the June 8 award, and reissued July 12, 1918,
effective as of June 1, 1918, and conditionally for one year there
after. The wages demanded by the employees and awarded by the
board of arbitration 1 are given in Table 2.
1 The full text of the award is given on pp. 22 to 26.
77262°—18----- 2
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW,
T able 2.—WAGES D EM ANDED B Y NEW Y O R K HAR BO R EM PLOYEES AND A W A R D ED
BY BOARD OF A R BITR A TIO N .
Wages demanded.
Oct. 24, 1917.
Occupation.
Wages awarded.
May 21,1918.
Nov. 16,1917.
July 12, 1918.
Per
Per
of Month Addi Month Addi cent of
Month Addi Month Addi cent
in
in
tional
tional crease.2
tional
tional crease.2
ly
ly
ly
ly
wage
wage
wage
for
wage
for
for
for
rate. board.1 rate. board.1
rate. board.3 rate. board.4
Tugboats and steam lighters.
Captains:6
Class I .................
Class I I ................
Ciass I I I ..............
Mates or pilots7. . . . .
M ates8 .....................
Engineers:9
Class I .................
Class I I ..............
Class I I I ..............
Oilers..........................
Deckhands, first10. .
Deckhands, second..
Firemen, 1 employed
Firemen, more than
1...............................
Cooks 11.......................
Cooks 12.......................
$150.00
150.00
150.00
130.00
100. 00
140.00
140.00
140.00
65.00
65.00
60.00
65.00
60.00
60. 00
60.00
$0.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
$0.60 $140. 00
.60 150.00
.60 160. 00
.60 140. 00
.60 115.00
(6)
(«)
(6)
(6)
(6)
$125.00
135.00
145.00
125.00
100. 00
.60
(6)
.60
(6)
.60
(6)
.60 $110.00
.60 100.00
.60
95.00
.60 110.00
(6)
(6)
(5)
$0.80
.80
.80
.80
61.5
49. 4
52.6
61.5
115. 00
125.00
135.00
65.00
65.00
60.00
65.00
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
110.00
95.00
95.00
.80
.80
.80
71.8
52.6
52.6
60.00
60. 00
62.00
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
(«)
(6)
(«)
(6)
(8)
$0.75
.75
. 75
. 75
. 75
11. 6
10.9
10.2
11.6
14 0
130. 00
140. 00
150.00
80.00
80.00
75.00
80.00
.75
.75
. 75
.75
.75
.75
.75
12 5
11. 6
10. 9
19. 2
19.2
21.2
19.2
75.00
75.00
77.00
.75
.75
.75
21.2
21.2
20.7
Ferryboats.
150.00
72.00
140.00
O ile rs 13
100.00
65.00
Oilers14.
65.00
F i r e m e n 1 e m p lo y e r!
Firemen’ more than
60.00
1..
65. 00
D e e k h a n r is first19
Deckhands’ second.. 60.00
C a p t a in s nr p i Inf.s
Wheelsmen
Engineers
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
.60
110.00
110.00
.80
.80
.60
.60
.60
110. 00
100. 00
95.00
.80
.80
.80
( 6)
(«)
(6)
(6)
(6)
(«)
(*)
61.5
61.5
160. 00
80. 00
150.00
85. w)
80.00
80.00
175. 00
95.00
165.00
100.00
95.00
95. 00
18. 8
10.0
17 6
18.8
18. 8
71.8
49. 4
52.6
80.00
70.00
70.00
95.00
85. 00
85.00
18. 8
21. 4
21.4
(«)
Q4
Car floats.
Floatm en...................
60.00
.60
95.00
.80
52.6
60.00
.60
75.00
.75
21.2
Scows and dumpers.
Captains.....................
70.00
100.00
42.8
70.00
85.00
21.4
1 Per day.
2 In computing percentage increases board allowance is included in wages.
8 Per day, 30 days per month.
4 Per day, 6 days per week unless employee works seventh day.
6
The wages of captains and engineers are classified according to the cylinder diameter of the engine with
which the boat is equipped. Class I is 10 to 15 inches; Class II, over 15 inches and including 18 inches;
Class III, 20 inches and over and compound or triple expansion engines.
6 No specific demands made.
7 Licensed mates or pilots required to navigate the boat.
8 Licensed mates on tugs doing transport work.
9 The wages of captains and engineers are classified according to the cylinder diameter of the engine with
which the boat is equipped. Class I is 10 to 15 inches; Class II, over 15 inches and including 18 inches;
Class III, 20 inches and over and compound or triple expansion engines. Assistant engineer $10 less per
month than engineer on same class of boat.
19 First deckhands and where but 1 deckhand is employed during 24 hours.
11 Where more than 1 deckhand is employed in 24 hours.
12 Where but 1 deckhand is employed in 24 hours,
i* Required to have marine engineer’s license.
14 Not required to have marine engineer’s license.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[4901
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M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.
T able 2.—W AGES D E M A N D ED B Y NEW YORK H A R BO R EM PLO Y EES AND A W A R D ED
B Y BOA R D OF A R BIT R A TIO N —Concluded.
Wages demanded.
Oct. 24, 1917.
Occupation.
Wages awarded.
May 21,1918.
Nov. 16,1917.
July 12, 1918.
Per
Per
Month Addi Month Addi cent of Month Addi Month Addi cent of
in
in
tional
tional crease.
ly
tional
tional crease.
ly
ly
ly
for
wage
wage
for
wage
for
for
wage
rate.
board. rate.
board.
rate.
board. rate. board.
Coal boats and grain boats.
Captains_____
70.00
100. 00
42.8
70.00
90.00
2 8 .6
Covered barges, lighters, and hoisters.
Captains:1
Class I ................. 2 $4.00
Class II ............... 2 4.00
Class III .
2 4.00
Engineers:3
Class I ................. 2 5.00
Class IT..........
2 5.00
Class I I I .............. 2 5.00
2 4.50
4.50
2 4.50
12.5
12.5
12.5
$77.00
85.00
90.00
2 $3. 50
2 3. 75
2 4.00
18.6
15.2
15.9
6.00
6.00
6.00
20.0
20.0
20.0
95.00
100.00
100.00
2 4.25
2 4.50
2 5.00
14.9
30.4
2
2
2
2
16.7
1 Wages classified according to type of boat: Class I includes covered barges and lighters with hand
hoisting gear; Class II, gasoline or steam hoist of less than 15 tons’ capacity; Class III, gasoline or steam
hoist of more than 15 tons’ capacity.
2 Per day.
8 Wages classified according to capacity of hoist: Class I includes lighters having steam hoists of less
than 15 tons’ capacity; Class II, lighters having steam hoists of more than 15 tons’ capacity; Class III, steam
holsters. First demands submitted Mar. 15,1918. First award made Mar. 20, 1918.
In addition to the wage demands in Table 2, certain changes in
working conditions were demanded. The captains of coal boats,
grain boats, scows and dumpers asked for a 12-hour day and for $2
per night for loading or discharging cargo. To captains of scows and
dumpers, $1 per night was granted. Captains of coal boats and grain
boats were granted $5 more per month than captains of scows and
dumpers with no additional compensation for night work. Captains
of lighters and covered barges asked for a 10-hour day, $2 per night
for watching or towing, overtime at the rate of time and one-half for
work in connection with cargo, and double time for Sundays. These
demands were granted with two exceptions. The rate of watching
and towing was put at $1.50 per night. No mention was made of
Sunday work except that time in excess of six days per week should
be compensated at time and one-half. Hoisting engineers asked for
a 9-hour day, double time for Sundays and holidays, and overtime at
the rate of time and one-half. A 10-hour day was maintained with
time and one-half for work in excess of 10 hours per day or
six days per week. The harbor boatmen—firemen, deckhands,
cooks, oilers, and iloatmen—asked for a 12-hour day, one day
off per week with pay and one week’s vacation per year with
pay to all employees in the service of one company for one year
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M ONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
or more. These had been granted previously and were reaffirmed.
They asked for a board allowance of 80 cents per day and for 75 cents
per hour overtime. They were granted 75 cents per day in lieu of
hoard and overtime at the rate of time and one-half. The increase to
licensed officers also included 75 cents per day in lieu of subsistence.
All employees were required to give 48 hours’ notice before leaving
their positions and were entitled to receive the same notice before
being discharged. The penalty in each case was two days’ pay.
The wages and working conditions set forth above were accepted
by harbor employees with one exception. The Harbor Boatmen’s
Union gave notice to the board that the award would be accepted as
effective until December 31, 1918, at which time new demands would
be presented. Boat owners objected to several provisions in the
award. The Towboat Exchange took exception to the provisional
duration of the award, requesting that it be fixed arbitrarily at one
year. The increase to captains and engineers was held to be too
great, but would be accepted as of July 1, 1918, rather than June 1.
The owners of scows and dumpers protested also against the pro
visional duration of the award and in addition objected to the wage
scale for captains of these boats. Both of these groups of owners
appealed to the National War Labor Board for a rehearing. No
action was taken by the War Labor Board, however, and in the mean
time proposed further increases by railroad marine departments
united private owners in a protest against such increases and over
shadowed the above objections.
JURISD IC TIO N A L D IFFIC U LT IES SE T T L E D A N D STILL PENDING.
Prior to the issuance of Order 27 by the Railroad Administration,
wide publicity had been given to the contemplated wage increases
and to the lump sums that employees would receive by virtue of the
increases being retroactive to January 1, 1918. As soon as the
order was promulgated the railroad marine departments at the port
of New York posted notices setting forth the wage schedules. Several
commenced paying under these rates prior to the subsequent order
annulling Order 27 and confirming the award of the board of arbitra
tion. When notices were posted announcing the change to the har
bor award, railroad employees assumed immediately that they would
lose the increases accruing from January 1. Moreover, the rates
under Order 27 were in some cases higher than those established by
the board of arbitration. This, together with a misconstruction of
Order 27 leading many to believe that the rates established therein
were for an eight-hour day with additional compensation for time in
excess of eight hours, led to a protest from railroad employees against
being placed under the award of the board of arbitration. A num
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[492]
M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
17
her of firemen whose rates were reduced thereby left their boats and
other railroad employees threatened similar action. The claim was
repeated, this time by the railroad employees as well as by the rail
roads, that the railroad marine departments should not be classed
with other harbor interests. Many of the railroad marine employees
were not members of the harbor unions and proceeded to organize a
union of their own. Even those railroad employees who were mem
bers of harbor unions protested that they had not been represented in
the hearings before the Board of Railroad Wages and Working Con
ditions and asked to have Order 27 restored.
To end the confusion, a conference was arranged between the rail
road board, the Shipping Board, and the arbitration board at which
it was agreed that Order 27 would be effective until June 1, 1918;
that no subsequent payments to employees would be taken away,
but that thereafter the award of the board of arbitration would
apply. This award, however, provided that wages effective on or
prior to June 1, 1918, should not be reduced. Accordingly, it was
held by the railroads that wherever the rates under Order 27 were
higher than those established by the arbitration board, the former
would apply to railroad employees who thus received the high rates
under both awards.
The application of Order 27, in part, created new difficulties.
Prior to the November award, the wages of railroad' marine em
ployees were not uniform. Order 27 was based upon rates in Decem
ber, 1915, and thus restored wide differentials for identical classes of
labor. Now that the railroad employees had received the highest
rates under both awards, they protested against the variations in
rates as between the railroads. Accordingly, the railroad marine
departments requested authority to standardize wages on the basis
of the highest rates paid by any railroad. This request aroused
private owners and led to a vigorous protest not only against the
proposed upward standardization of wages of railroad marine
employees but also against applying to these employees the high
rates under both awards. Telegrams were sent to the Railroad
Administration and to the War Labor Policies Board setting forth
that the result would be destructive competition for labor contrary
to presidential proclamation. No further action was taken, but the
railroad marine employees continue to enjoy the rates under Order 27
wherever they were in excess of rates under the award of the board
of arbitration.
As indicated previously, the problem of standardizing wages and
working conditions of marine employees in the port of New York is
difficult at best on account of the large number of owners and the
varying conditions of operation. It is practically impossible with
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M O NTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
divided jurisdiction in making and enforcing wage awards. Over
private owners, for the most part, the Shipping Board can exercise
its commandeering power to compel compliance. To take over
equipment, however, means either to operate it or to let it lie idle.
The latter simply puts the employee in the position of looking for a
job. The Shipping Board may thus be expected to exercise the
power reluctantly, if indeed it has the authority, in the case of
property that can not be used in the shipping program. Moreover,
if the seizure of property is to be in the nature of a penalty to the
owner, such action would be ineffective in the case of equipment
that barely paid costs of operation. Thus some of the private ferry
companies have not complied with the award, claiming inability to
meet the increased cost of labor. The property would be of no use
to the Shipping Board and its seizure would probably do little more
than afford owners an opportunity to unload their equipment.
Over city, State, and Federal agencies, including railroad marine
departments, the Shipping Board has no jurisdiction. After numer
ous conferences, appeals, and threats of strike action, the city of
New York has made arrangements to pay the wage scale to its
ferryboat employees. The Federal Departments have not complied
in full with either award. The Railroad Administration, although
confirming the last award of the arbitration board, has not relin
quished jurisdiction over marine employees, and complaints of noncompliance must be submitted to adjustment agencies of the Rail
road Administration.
As opposed to this position of the employing interests, employees
are for the most part united in their demands. To them the question
of jurisdiction is irrelevant and is looked upon as a means of shifting
the responsibility. They claim, with a degree of justice, that they
were in a position to enforce their demands and that, having agreed
to arbitration, they have a right to expect that awards will be made
effective. A situation is thus created which practically forces cen
tralized control as the only means of meeting it. To continue to
adjust the wages and working conditions of marine workers in the
port of New York and elsewhere by distinct agencies of adjudication,
each applying its own principles of wage fixing, will lead to endless
confusion and lessen the effectiveness of each agency.
A R BIT R A TIO N BEFORE AND A FT E R TH E WAR.
Apart from the attempt to enforce awards, which in this country
is a radical departure from the functions of prewar agencies of ad
justment, is the effect of such action not only upon the contending
parties but upon the method of adjustment and the character of
the decision. Too often in the past arbitration has followed the line
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M O NTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
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of least resistance. With much unction, the lion’s share has been
awarded to the lion. Decisions proposing any other settlement were
speedily forgotten because not enforced. Those submitting to arbi
tration frequently did so with the mental reservation that the decision
to be acceptable must at least approximate the conditions they felt
they would be able to establish by a show of strength. From this
position to one of complacent acceptance of arbitrary decisions,
applied not to an isolated group but seeking to comprehend all labor
of a given class, is a long step for both employers and employees.
In voluntary wage adjustments both sides have been accustomed
to the familiar process of higgling/ Employees have asked more
than they expected to get; employers have offered less than they
were willing to give. The result was a compromise determined in
large part by the relative strategic positions of the opposing parties.
In arbitrary wage adjustments, the absence of well-defined and accept
able standards to be used in wage determination as well as the diffi
culty in enforcing awards that did not conform closely to the law of
supply and demand has forced arbitrators to resort to the expediency
of splitting the difference. Cost of living, proportionate expense of
labor, and net profits, when taken into account, have been more
often invoked in defense of claims made than as means for determin
ing what claims were just in the circumstances.
With the changed industrial conditions due to the war, a new era
has been entered upon in wage adjustments. In essential war
industries, the unusual demand for labor placed employees in a
position to secure demands with little effort. Competition for labor
often made for wage increases in advance of demands. In less
essential industries, employees were fortified in their demands by
the attractive wages in other industries. The large task of the
Government, therefore, was to stabilize the labor market and to
prevent the waste, due either to destructive competition for labor, or
to strikes to enforce demands. To do this, however, in view of
numerous and frequent demands it is necessary that a definite
policy be followed in wage adjustments. The aim of each govern
mental agency of adjudication has been to standardize wages and
working conditions but, with an almost total lack of standards to
serve as a basing point, a stupendous task was faced. In some
industries, a minimum wage based upon an estimated minimum
of comfort, in others, a percentage increase over wages at a given
time, based in part upon the increased cost of living, has been
adopted. In still others, an attempt has been made to establish a
uniform wage for each occupation and to grant increases in propor
tion to increased living expenses.
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
In the New York harbor wage adjustment, the principle of a
minimum wage was adopted in the first award. The demands of
the men were for an established minimum on the theory that the
better paid could make necessary readjustments. The minimum
established, however, did not purport to approximate the mini
mum of subsistence, and no effort was made to determine what
such a minimum should be for the class of labor in question. That
the cost of living was not taken into account consistently by em
ployees is apparent from demands presented a few months later,
which ranged from 12 to 70 per cent in excess of the first demands.
Nor did the principle of the minimum wage prove satisfactory. A
canvass of wages paid three months after the first award showed that
the average approximated the minimum established by the award.
In this case the minimum wage approximated the maximum wage.
The action taken later by railroad employees in demanding the appli
cation of the railroad award wherever in excess of the harbor award,
even though the minimum under the former was below the minimum
in each occupation under the latter, indicates, too, that the em
ployees were not willing to stand solely by the principle of a mini
mum wage.
A R BIT R A TIO N AND LABOR ORGANIZATION.
Quite naturally, opposition to unionism could not long have a place
- in the new program. Not only were the unions in a position to enforce
recognition, but arbitration made it necessary to deal with repre
sentatives of employees. Thus the provision in the harbor agree
ment that the board had no authority to pass upon questions of open
or closed shop was of little significance. As previously explained,
employers refused at first to sit in joint conference with union repre
sentatives. Many objected even more strenuously to being ap
proached by them in reference to compliance with the award. The
board of arbitration went so far as to address a letter to the different
unions stating that complaints must be filed with the board and not
taken up with employers except through the board. To the extent
that this was observed, however, it served rather to emphasize dif
ferences between employers and employees and to increase the work
of enforcement than to avoid the question of unionism. Employees
found it easier to report to their unions than to take the matter up
directly with their employers. Minor complaints were thus magni
fied by being brought to the attention of the “ board.” Representa
tives of unions, relieved of the burden of attempting to adjust dif
ferences, were enabled to concentrate their energies upon securing
new members. Every forced adjustment was an argument in favor
of organization, for in spite of endeavors to have cases of noncom
pliance reported, whether affecting union or nonunion employees,
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few complaints have come to the board except from members of
organizations. Indeed the spread of organization might almost be
traced by the dates of complaints sent in. To-day a nonunion em
ployee learns that he is not receiving the wages awarded by the board.
To-night he joins the union and to-morro'w a complaint against a
hitherto unlisted company is filed with the board. This applies more
particularly to the unskilled, but it serves at once to emphasize the
lack of whole-hearted cooperation on the part of many employers in
not complying until complained against and to explain why, in
numerous instances, complaints of noncompliance are presented for
the first time nine months after the first award was made. It is
difficult to see how such a situation can he met without a central
registry of operators and compulsory wage reports.
Employers have thus been justified in the openly expressed fear
that arbitration would mean the recognition of unions. What they
did not foresee was that the greatest encouragement to growth in
union membership would come from noncompliance with awards,
thus placing the unions constantly in the foreground as complainants
and as a ready avenue for presenting complaints. The standardiza
tion of wages and working conditions, at first regarded as unwarranted
interference with the interests of individual employers, has come to
be looked upon as a stabilizing influence, placing all employers on
more nearly the same basis in competing for business.
Nor has unionism proved to be the dire menace that was expected.
On the contrary the greatest danger now lies in the rapidly growing
independence of the individual employee. That is to say, as wages
and conditions of employment become a matter of governmental
regulation during a period of labor shortage, will not the individual
employee become independent both of his union and the good will
of his employer, thus finding himself in the peculiar position of being
a union member without the compelling motive for membership, of
having his compensation fixed not as a result of his own efforts or
efforts of his union but by an arbitration award, and of finding his
services so greatly in demand that his job is no longer conditioned
upon his efficiency ? That the situation is not entirely problematical
is indicated by the charge—made too repeatedly to be without some
foundation of .fact—that employees are not putting forth their best
efforts, and by the unwillingness of individual members to be bound
by acts of their associations which though in the interest of the
majority may not be of the greatest immediate advantage to an
individual. Under these circumstances it may well be that industry
will find itself unable to meet the demands of war and that a con
dition of chaos will follow the dissolution of agencies of adjudication
created, and the removal of restrictions imposed, by the Government
“ for the period of the war.”
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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22
M O N TH LY LABOE EEVIEW.
It is immediately imperative that a definite labor program be
adopted that shall seek to comprehend not only present but after
the war industrial problems. The central purpose in such a pro
gram must be the standardization of wages and working conditions
not only during the period of the war, but for such time thereafter
as may be required to make necessary readjustments in industry.
These standards when fairly conceived and established should be
accepted by both employers and employees without the necessity
of using the authority of the Government to make the standards
effective. Applied in this spirit there will be little danger of destroy
ing the “ instinct of workmanship,” of weakening the feeling of
interdependence of employer and employee, or of lessening the
solidarity of labor.
APPENDIX.
Award of Board of Arbitration, New York Harbor Wage Adjustment.
The following award was made under date of July 12, 1918, by the
Board of Arbitration, New York Harbor Wage Adjustment, United
States Shipping Board, in regard to wages and working conditions
of employees engaged in the operation of tugs, barges, lighters, ferry
boats and other harbor marine equipment in the port of New York,
also river vessels engaged in carrying on the commerce of the port
of New York.
Whereas, on October 20, 1917, the following agreements were entered into with the
United States Shipping Board:
“ We, the undersigned representatives of labor employed in the operation of tugs,
barges, lighters, ferryboats, and other harbor marine equipment in the port of New
York, hereby agree with the United States Shipping Board that, during the period
of the war, we will submit all differences concerning wages or conditions of labor
involved in the operation of such marine equipment, which can not first be adjusted
by the employers and the employees, to the decision of a Government board of three
men, to be appointed as follows: One by the United States Shipping Board, one by
the Department of Commerce, and one by the Department of Labor.
“ This Government board shall have no authority to pass upon the question of open
or closed shop, or the recognition of unions; but there shall be no discrimination of
any kind against union men, and the board shall have power to determine questions
of discrimination; and pending the decision of said board, work shall continue unin
terruptedly.
“ T. Y. O’Connor, International Longshoremen’s Association; Chas. H.
Sheerton, Tidewater Boatmen’s Union; JohnE. Nebenbergh, Harbor
Boatmen’s Union; T. L. Delahunty, Marine Engineers’ Beneficial
Association, No. 33; James Moran, Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Asso
ciation, No. 33; William A. Maher, American Association of Masters,
Mates and Pilots, No. 1.”
“ We, the undersigned owners and operators of tugs, barges, lighters, ferryboats
and other harbor marine equipment in the port of New York, hereby agree with the
United States Shipping Board that, during the period of the war, we will submit all
differences concerning wages or conditions of labor involved in the operation of such
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marine equipment which can not first be adjusted by the employers and the em
ployees to the decision of a Government board of three men, to be appointed as follows:
One by the United States Shipping Board, one by the Department of Commerce, and
one by the Department of Labor.
“ This Government board shall have no authority to pass upon the question of open
or closed shop or the recognition of unions, but we agree that there shall be no dis
crimination of any kind against union men, and the board shall have power to deter
mine questions of discrimination.
“ W. J. Fripp, Chairman General Managers ’Association; Charles H. Jackson,
Vice President Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal; Joseph H. Moran,
New York Towboat Exchange; Owen J. McWilliams, President New
York Boat Owners’ Association; William Simmons, Lighterage Asso
ciation of Port of New York; Arthur Ackerman, Lighterage Associa
tion of Port of New York; E. A. Kelly, Clyde, Mallory, Ocean, and Old
Dominion Steamship Cos.; B. F. Hanfield, New York, Ontario
& Western Railway Co.; C. L. O’Connor, M. & J. Tracy; Dan F.
McAllister, McAllister Steamboat Co.; Thos. Toomey, Hudson River
Lighterage.”
And whereas, a board of arbitration having been constituted in accordance with the*
above agreements, an award was made on November 16, 1917,1 and
Whereas, representatives of stationary hoisting engineers having become parties to
the agreement of October 20,1917, an award covering these employees was made on
March 20, 1918, and
Whereas, representatives of stationary hoisting engineers, lighter captains, tidewater
captains, and harbor boatmen, having expressed dissatisfaction with the awards
affecting these employees and having been denied further increases by the board
of arbitration until September 30, 1918, an appeal was taken to the National War
Labor Board and the following agreement was entered into May 14, 1918:
“ It is agreed by the representatives of the employers and employees, parties to the
agreement dated October 20, 1917, that said agreement be modified to the extent that
two additional members be added to the Board of Arbitration, New York Harbor
Wage Adjustment, one to be appointed by the*representatives of employers, and the
other to be appointed by the representatives of the employees, and that a rehearing
of present controversies be had before such enlarged board, and both parties agree
to be bound by the findings and decisions of such board in respect of all present and
future controversies during the period of the War;
“ And furthermore, that said board will endeavor to require all parties to carry out
the terms of previous agreements and awards until a change is decided upon by such
board.
“ Representing employers: Edward A. Kelly, Clyde, Mallory, Ocean, and
Old Dominion Steamship Cos.; Joseph H. Moran, New York Tow
boat Exchange; James M. MacKenzie, New York Boat Owners’
PAssociation; W. B. Pollock, New York Harbor Railroads; Charles L.
O’Connor, M. & J. Tracy; William Simmons, Lighterage Association,
Port of New York.
“ Representing employees: T. V. 0 ’Connor, International Longshoremen’s
Association; William A. Maher, American Association of Masters,
Mates, and Pilots, No. 1; T. L. Delahunty, Marine Engineers’ Bene
ficial Association, No. 33; A^ M. Sarrell, International Union of Steam
and Operating Engineers, Local 379; S. J. Condon, Lighter Captains’
Union; F. Paul A. Vacarelli, Harbor Boatmen’s Union; John Brennan,
President Tidewater Boatmen’s Union.”
i See Monthly R eview for January, 1918, pp. 230-233.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[499]
24
M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
And whereas two members having been added to the board of arbitration, in accord
ance with the agreement of May 14, 1918, an award was made June 8, 1918, affecting
ail classes of harbor boat employees with the exception of pilots and engineers; and
Whereas representatives of boat owners having requested a rehearing on certain
points in the award of June 8, 1918, and representatives of pilots and engineers
having requested consideration in view of increases granted to other employees; and
Whereas the Railroad Administration having confirmed the award of June 8, making
it applicable to railroad marine employees, and to the end that the board of arbi
tration might cooperate more closely with the Railroad Administration in adjusting
wages and working conditions of marine employees in the port of New York, the
following agreement was entered into June 20, 1918:
“ It is agreed by the representatives of the employers and employees, parties to the
agreement of May 14, 1918, that said agreement be modified to the extent that two
additional members be added to the Board of Arbitration, New York Harbor Wage
Adjustment, one to be appointed by the representatives of the railroads and one to
be appointed by the representatives of the employees.
“ Representing employers: E. A. Kelly, Clyde, Mallory, Ocean, and Old
Dominion Steamship Cos.; Joseph H. Moran, New York Towboat Ex
change; James M. Maclvenzie, New York Boat Owners’ Association;
W. B. Pollock, New York Harbsr Railroads; Charles L. O’Connor,
M. & J. Tracy; Wm. Simmons, Lighterage Association, Port of New
York.
“ Representing employees: T. Y. O ’Connor, International Longshoremen’s
Association; William A. Maher, American Association of Masters,
Mates, and Pilots, No. 1; T. L. Delahuntv, Marine Engineers’ Bene
ficial Association, No. 33; Alfred M. Sarrell, International Union of
Steam and Operating Engineers, Local 379; Stephen J. Condon,
Lighter Captains’ Union; Wm. F. Fink, Secretary and Treasurer
Harbor Boatmen; John Brennan, President Tidewater Boatmen’s
Union.”
And whereas two additional members having been appointed to the board of arbi
tration in accordance with the agreement of June 20, 1918, and consideration having
been given to all material evidence presented: Therefore be it
Resolved, That the following wage scale and working conditions be and hereby are
established for harbor employees in the port of New York:
1.
T u g b o a t s a n d O t h e r T o w in g V e s s e l s a n d S t e a m L i g h t e r s .
WAGE SCALE.
Per month,
with board.
Captains: The cylinder diameter of the engine is made the basis for the classifica
tion of rates of pay of captains:
a. Single cylinder, 10 inches up to and including 15 inches..............................$140
b. Single cylinder, over 15 inches up to and including 18 inches.................. 150
c. Single cylinder, 20 inches arid over, and compound or triple expansion
engines.................................................................................................................. 160
Engineers: The rates of pay of engineers are classified on the same basis as the
rates of captains:
a. Single cylinder, 10 inches up to and including 15 inches........................... 130
b. Single cylinder, over 15 inches up to and including 18 inches.................. 140
c. Single cylinder, 20 inches and over, and compound or triple expansion
engines................................................................................................................... 150
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M O N TH LY LABOE EEYIEW,
25
Per month,
w ith board.
Engineers, assistant: $10 less per month than the engineers on the same class of
boat.
Engineers, night: When in charge and doing the same class of work as is required
of day men, the pay shall be the same as day engineers.
Licensed mates or pilots required to navigate the boat................................................ $140
Licensed mates on tugs doing transport work............................................................... 115
Deckhands, first, two-crew boats......................................................................................
80
75
Deckhands, other than first, two-crew boats.................................................................
Deckhands, where but one is employed during period of 24 hours.. . ....................
80
Oilers........................................................................... : ........................................................
80
Firemen, where two or more are employed during period of 24 hours....................
75
Firemen, where but one is employed during period of 24 hours..............................
80
Cooks, on craft employing but one deckhand during period of 24 hours................
77
Cooks, on craft employing more than one deckhand during period of 24 hours..
75
Floatmen................................................................................................................................
75
WORKING CONDITIONS.
Twelve hours shall constitute a day’s work.
Six days shall constitute a week’s work, the day off to be determined by the em
ployer..
One w eek’s vacation with pay shall be allowed each employee who has been in the
service of the company for a period of one year or more.
If board is not furnished by the company, 75 cents per day in lieu thereof for six
days per week, or seven days if the employee does not receive his day off, shall be
allowed each employee.
Time in excess of 12 hours per day or 6 days per week shall be compensated at the
rate of time and one-half.
Car fare is to be paid by employers when boats are to change crews at other than a
designated point.
2.
F erry bo a ts.
Captains or pilots....................................................................................................................$175
Wheelsmen............................................................................................................................
95
Deckhands...........................................................................
85
Engineers............................................................................................................................... 165
Oilers required to have United States marine engineer’slicense.............................. 100
Oilers not required to have United States marine engineer’slicense.......................
95
Fireman..................................................................................................................................
95
WORKING CONDITIONS.
Six days shall constitute a w eek’s work, the day off to be determined by the em
ployer.
One full week’s vacation with pay shall be granted to each of the above-named
employees who has been in the employ of the company for a period of one year or
more.
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M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW-.
3.
L ig h t e r s , C o v e r e d B a r g e s ,
and
H
o is t e r s .
WAGE SCALE.
Captains:
Per day.
On covered barges and barges or lighters with hand-hoisting gear................ $3.50
On barges or lighters with steam or gasoline hoisting gear having a hoisting
capacity of less than 15 tons................................................................................ 3. 75
On barges or lighters with steam or gasoline hoisting gear having a hoisting
capacity of 15 tons or over................................................................................... 4.00
Stationary hoisting engineers:
On lighters and barges equipped with a steam hoist of less than 15 tons’
capacity..........................................
4.25
On lighters and barges equipped with a steam hoist of 15 tons or over
capacity.................................................................................................................... 4.50
On steam hoisters............................................................................................... .
5.00
WORKING CONDITIONS.
Ten hours per day shall constitute a day’s work.
Six days per week shall constitute a w eek’s work.
Work in connection with cargo in excess of 10 hours per day or 6 day3 per week
shall be compensated at the rate of time and one-half.
For being required to be on his boat at night for watching or towing, the captain
shall receive $1.50 per night.
All car fares in excess of 10 cents per day to be paid by the employers to men living
within the metropolitan district, and all car fares to be paid by the employers when
the men are on company business.
4.
Scows
and
D u m pers.
Per month.
Captains................................................................................................................................. $85
and $1 per night when required to be active on their boats in connection with the
loading or discharging cargo after 6 p . m.
5.
C oa l B o a t s
and
G r a in B o a t s .
Per month.
Captains.................................................................................................................................
with no additional compensation for night loading or discharging of cargo.
6.
G eneral R
ules and
R
$30
e g u l a t io n s .
1. No employee shall leave the service of the company without giving the company
48 hours’ notice. Violation of this rule shall entitle the employer to withhold two
days’ pay.
2. No employee shall be discharged by the company, except for cause, without
receiving 48 hours’ notice. Violation of this rule shall entitle the employee to two
additional days’ pay.
3. Nothing in this award shall be construed to increase the hours of service or to
decrease the pay or allowance in effect on or prior to June 1, 1918.
4. This award shall be effective as of June 1, 1918, and shall be in full force and
effect until May 31, 1919, unless in the judgment of the board conditions warrant
a change prior to the date thus fixed for expiration.
Maj. W. B. B a k e r , U. S. A., Chairman,
F r e d e r ic k A. B is h o p ,
Representing United States Shipping Board. W. B . P o l l o c k ,
G . R . P u t n a m , Department of Commerce.
Representing I'/tnployers.
B. M . S q u i r e s , Department of Labor.
T. V,. O ’C o n n o r ,
T. L. D e l a h u n t y ,
Representing Employees.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[502]
LABOR AND THE WAR
AWARDS AND FINDINGS OF THE NATIONAL WAR LABOR BOARD.
As the work of the National War Labor Board progresses the
number of its awards and decisions will presumably steadily increase.
The M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w has published in full some of the
awards and other proceedings of the board. In the August number
are printed the award in the news print paper industry (pp. 152, 153),
and the award covering certain machine shops at Waynesboro, Pa.,
at East Cambridge, Mass., and at Buffalo, N. Y. (pp. 72-75). In this
number of the R e v i e w there appears in full the award adjusting the
strike of the Bethlehem Steel Co. machinists and electrical workers.
There are also summaries of the awards granting increases in wages
to the employees of 22 street railway companies and of the award
affecting the employees of the Smith & Wesson Arms Co. (Springfield
Mass.), in which the practice of making individual contracts is ordered
discontinued and the right of workers and employers to “ bargain
collectively through chosen representatives” is recognized in accord
ance with the fundamental principles upon which the board was
organized. A number of other awards are also mentioned, affecting
employees of the General Electric Co. (Schenectady, N. Y., and
Pittsfield, Mass.), the St. Joseph Lead Co. (Herculaneum, Mo.), the
Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Co., the Suwanee Iron Co., and the
Sheffield Iron Corporation (Birmingham, Ala.). All the awards ap
pearing in this number of the L a b o r R e v i e w were made on July 3 1 ,
except the Smith & Wesson Arms Co. award, which was made on
August 21.
ADJU STM EN T OF ST R IK E OF BETHLEHEM ST EEL CO. M ACHINISTS AND ELECTRICAL
W ORKERS.
The decision in the controversy between the Bethlehem Steel Co.
and its machinists and electrical'workers who had been on strike but
who had returned to work under existing conditions, pending the
adjustment of the matter by the board, was rendered on July 31. The
dispute arose on or about April 15, 1918, involving conditions of
employment, the main cause of dissatisfaction appearing to be the
bonus system which the company had put into operation. The full
text of the award, which affects directly and indirectly approximately
28,000 employees, is as follows:
The case of the Machinists and Electrical Workers v. Bethlehem Steel Co. is of
unquestionable importance from the standpoint of the war. It appears beyond doubt
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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28
M O NTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
that the dissatisfaction among the employees of the company has had and is having
a seriously detrimental effect upon the production of war materials absolutely neces
sary to the success of the American Expeditionary Forces. This was clearly devel
oped in the testimony of the officials of the Ordnance Department.
The main cause of the dissatisfaction is a bonus system so complicated and difficult
to understand that almost-one-half of the time of the hearings was consumed in efforts
to secure a clear idea of the system. The absence of any method of collective bar
gaining between the management and the employees is another serious cause of unrest,
as is also the lack of a basic guaranteed minimum wage rate.
After having carefully reviewed all the evidence in the case, the board makes the
following findings:
1.
PIECE RATES, BO N U S AND BASIC HOURLY RATES— MACHINE SHOPS.
(a) The bonus system now in operation should be entirely revised or eliminated;
piecework rates should be revised also; and a designated, guaranteed minimum hourly
wage rate should be established in conformity with such of the scales now being
applied by the War or Navy Department as most nearly fits the conditions in this
particular case.
(b) Any necessary revision of piecework rates shall be made by an expert in coopera
tion with the Ordnance Department, the plant management and a committee from
the shops, such expert to be selected by the National War Labor Board and with the
approval of the Secretary of War.
(c) The piece rates thus established shall not be reduced during the period of the
War.
2.
OVERTIME.
Daily overtime should be compensated at the rate of time and a half and Sundays
and holidays at double time. In the fixing of piece rates provision should be made
for overtime payment such as is now made in the case of time workers. The defini
tion of what days constitute holidays and the division of the weekly work periods
can, in the opinion of the board, be settled best by conference between committees
hereinafter provided and the management of the plant.
3.
COMMITTEES.
The right of employees to bargain collectively is recognized by the National War
Labor Board; therefore the employees of the Bethlehem plant should be guaranteed
this right. The workers at the Bethlehem plant should use the same method of
electing committees as is provided in the award of the National War Labor Board for
the workers of the General Electric C o at Pittsfield.1
EMPLOYMENT OP WOMEN.
4.
On work ordinarily performed by men, women must be allowed equal pay for equal
work and must not be allotted tasks disproportionate to their strength.
5.
MILITARY EXEMPTION.
The evidence relative to the complaints of the workers that foremen and other
subordinate officials of the plant have made improper use of the Selective Draft Act
shall be referred to the War Department for such action as may be warranted by the
facts and the law.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 See p. 35 for th e te x t of th is provision.
[5 0 4 ]
M O N TH LY LABOE EEVIEW.
29
6. ELECTRICAL W ORKERS.
The board finds in the case of the electrical workers that the following rates should
be established:
First class, 67J cents per hour;
Second class, 62J cents per hour;
Helpers, 40 cents per hour.
Overtime provisions should be the same as hereinbefore specified.
7. OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
Wages and working conditions of other departments and crafts shall be considered
and adjusted by the committees provided for in paragraph b, section 1.
8.
LOCAL BOARD.
A local board of mediation and conciliation, consisting of six members^ shall be
established, three members of which shall be selected by the company and three by
the employees, for the purpose of bringing about agreements on disputed issues not
covered by these findings. In the event of the local board failing to bring about an
a.greement, the points at issue shall be referred to the National War Labor Board.
The members of the local board shall be compensated for their services by the parties
whom they represent. This board shall be presided over by a chairman who shall be
selected by and represent the Secretary of War.
9. NO REDUCTIONS.
The revision of wages or earnings provided for in this award shall in no case operate
to reduce the wages or earnings of any employee.
10. DISCRIMINATION.
The examiner hereinafter provided for shall investigate the charges of discrimina
tion, and shall report his conclusions with recommendation in each unsettled case
to the National War Labor Board and to the company.
11. EX AM IN ER .
The National War Labor Board shall detail an examiner to supervise the application
of these findings. The examiner shall hear any differences arising between the parties
in respect to these findings, and shall promptly render his decision, from which an
appeal may be taken by either party to the National War Labor Board. Pending the
appeal the decision of the examiner shall be enforced.
12. DURATION.
These findings are to take effect August 1, 1918, and shall be effective for the dura
tion of the war, except that either party may reopen the case before the board at
periods of six months’ interval for such adjustments as changed conditions may render
necessary.
The board desires to point out to both parties to this controversy that the questions
raised and for which the board has endeavored to find solution have largely to do with
matters which will require a reasonable time to satisfactorily adjust, and that in view
of the vital importance of the output of the Bethlehem Steel Co. both sides should
address themselves with patience and good spirit to finding fair and reasonable adjust
ments of the matters to which the board here directs attention.
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In the statement made public under the authority of the National
War Labor Board with regard to the findings here quoted in full, it
was made to appear that the basic eight-hour day had been applied
throughout the company’s plant at Bethlehem. The board states
that in this respect the statement was in error, since the basic eighthour day was not included in the findings, and continues:
The basic eight-hour d'ay does now and has applied in the machine shops at Beth
lehem. It does not apply, under the War Department interpretation of the eighthour law, to those branches of the Bethlehem plant engaged upon the production of
steel billets, rolled steel, or other unfinished products made for the open market.
In these branches at Bethlehem the present workday remains unchanged under
the findings of the board, the only action of the board with regard to the basic day
being to declare that overtime beyond the usual workday should, be compensated for
at the rate of tim e and half time, and that work on Sundays and holidays should be
paid for at the rate of double time; and that in the fixing of piece rates provisions be
made for overtime payment as now provided in the case of tim e workers.
IN CREASE IN WAGES OF S TR E E T R AILW AY EMPLOYEES.
On August 1, 1918, the National War Labor Board announced
awards rendered for the period of the war in 22 street railway con
troversies in 17 cities, leaving 16 controversies to be adjusted. These
cases, which were before the board for some weeks, were handled by
a section composed of the joint chairmen, Messrs. Taft and Walsh.
Questions of wages, hours, and the right to organize were involved.
The awards affect approximately 50,000 men employed by the
following corporations: Chicago Surface Lines and Chicago Elevated
Railways; Chicago & West Towns Railway Co.; Evanston Railway
Co., Evanston, 111.; Cleveland Railway Co.; Cleveland & Eastern
Traction Co.; Cleveland, Painesville & Eastern Railway Co.; Cleve
land, Painesville & Ashtabula Railway Co.; Cleveland, Southwestern
& Columbus Railway Co.; Columbus Railway, Power & Light Co.;
Detroit United Railway; Galesburg Railway, Lighting & Power Co.,
Galesburg, 111.; Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Railway Co.; New
Orleans Railway & Light Co. ; Joplin (Mo.) & Pittsburg (Kans.) Rail
way Co.; United Traction Co., Albany, N. Y .; Schenectady Railway
Co.; New York State Railways, Rochester, N. Y .; International Rail
way Co., Buffalo, N. Y .; Public Service Railway Co. of New Jersey,
Newark, N. J .; Pennsylvania-New Jersey Railway Co., Trenton, N. J . ;
Scranton Railway Co., Scranton, Pa.; East St. Louis Lines, East St.
Louis, 111.
The principal features of the awards are given in a statement issued
by the War Labor Board as follows:
Substantial wage increases are granted in every case. The vage rates fixed vary,
hewever, and no flat minimum or maximum to be applied generally is established.
In a general way, nevertheless, it may be said that the wages for motormen and con
ductors in the larger cities are fixed at from 48 to 501 cents an hour. The rate for
apprentice motormen and conductors in the larger cities is fixed at 43 cents, as a
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general rule. In the smaller cities the pay for motormen and conductors is increased
to 45 cents and for apprentice motormen and conductors to 41 cents an hour. In the
cases of small interurban roads, where the employees as a general rule live in rural
communities, the wage for motormen and conductors is fixed at 42 cents and for
apprentices at 38 cents an hour.
The arbitrators took into consideration local conditions and such other facts as were
peculiar to individual cases in the fixation of the wage rates. In a great many of the
cases trackmen, pitmen, pitmen’s helpers, controllers, oilers, etc., also demanded in
creased wages and improved working'conditions. Their wages were increased in the
same ratio as the highest increase to conductors and motormen. Even this increase,
it was found by the arbitrators, did not provide these men with a wage deemed suffi
cient under the living wage principle governing the National War Labor Board and
the arbitrators, therefore, fixed 42 cents an hour as a general minimum for these men.
In all cases where motormen and conductors are compelled to work in excess of the
period of their regular runs they are to be paid on the basis of time and half time for
the excess, thus placing them on the same plane with skilled mechanics in Government
industries. This award marks a new departure in the adjudication of street railway
disputes in that it provides for the penalization of companies for extending the spread
of hours in which men perform their day’s work beyond the number of 13 hours.
Motormen and conductors in a majority of the cities are compelled to break up their
working time during the day on account of the rush hours. Wherever this split of
time spreads beyond 13 hours the companies are penalized by being compelled to pay
all the way from one-third time to double time to the workers according to the spread.
This, it is believed, will have a tendency to diminish the spread of the work hours
of the men.
The award arbitrarily fixes the limit of apprenticeship on the cars at one year.
This accelerates the method of graduating the men from one wage classification into
another. Thus, instead of compelling men to work a full year before they may expect
a wage increase and two years before they may expect a second increase, the award
fixes three months as the first period upon the completion of which men shall receive
their first increase and the second increase is made payable nine months after receipt
of the first one. Heretofore the wages have been raised in small amounts every year,
covering fixed periods, so that in several instances which have come under the obser
vation of the arbitrators it took 10 years for the motormen or conductor to get the high
est wage rate paid by the company.
While it is difficult to state definitely the exact percentage of increase granted in the
awards it may he said that in the larger cities the increase is from 35 to 40 per cent.
The increase in Detroit, for instance, approximates 40 per cent; in New Orleans, 50
per cent. In the smaller cities, such as Galesburg, 111., it runs as high as 65 per cent
on account of the extremely low pay received by the men up to this time. In New
Orleans the wage was fixed lower than in other larger cities, the principal reason being
the climatic conditions which made possible the omission of the items of fuel and heavy
clothing from the cost of living budgets.
A flat wage of 50 cents an hour is fixed for all regular motormen on the Chicago
elevated lines, regardless of the duration of their employment. In virtually all of the
cases the awards are made retroactive, the earliest date being April 1, 1918. Ample
time is allowed the companies for the payment of the back pay. Provision is made
in every instance for the reopening of the case every six months for adjustments
which may be rendered necessary by changed conditions, such as the cost of living,
etc. Furthermore, the National War Labor Board retains jurisdiction in each case to
the extent of assigning an administrator to interpret and enforce the award, the right
of appeal from the administrators’ decision being reserved to the parties. The award
remains in full force pending decisions upon such appeals, however.
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In cases where the right to organize has been an issue the arbitrators applied the
War Labor Board principles, protecting workers in the exercise of their right to join
trade-unions without fear of molestation by the employer. Where individual employ
ment contracts have been exacted by employing companies they are ordered elim
inated for the period of the war on the ground that they constitute an interference
with the free right of men to organize. Such an order was made in the case of the
Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Railway Co. The administrators were called upon
to render a decision with respect to the right of organized operatives to wear the button
of their local union in the case of the Columbus Railway, Power & Light Co. This
question has frequently become an issue between street railway companies and their
employees. In the Columbus award the arbitrators declared their inability to “ see
any objection under ordinary circumstances to the workers wearing a modest button
of the ordinary size and design, worn presumably not for any objectionable purposes,
but as men wear Red Cross or fraternal buttons.” In the same case four men named
as having been discharged for union activities, were ordered reinstated in their former
positions and ratings with full pay for lost time.
The awards follow hearings conducted by Messrs. Taft and Walsh in the great
population centers of the country over a period of two months as well as investiga
tions by the staff of the War Labor Board and consideration by the joint chairmen of
a great mass of statistics on the subject of the cost of living and technical data sub
mitted by experts retained both by the companies involved and the workers’ organi
zations.
With respect to the relation of the wage increases granted to the financial conditions
of the companies concerned, the arbitrators made the following statement and recom
mendation in each case:
“ This increase in wages will add substantially to the operating cost of the company
and will require a reconsideration by the proper regulating authority of the fares
which the company is allowed by law to collect from its passengers.
“ We make part of this award the words we have used in the award in the Cleveland
case:
“ WVe have recommended to the President that special congressional legislation be
enacted to enable some executive agency of the Federal Government to consider the
very perilous financial condition of this and other electric street railways of the coun
try, and raise fares in each case in which the circumstances require it. We believe
it to be a war necessity justifying Federal interference. Should this be deemed
unwise, however, we urge upon the local authorities and the people of the locality
the pressing need for such an increase adequate to meet the added cost of operation.
“ ‘This is not a question turning on the history of the relations between the local
street railways and the municipalities in which they operate. The just claim for an
increase in fares does not rest upon any right to a dividend upon capital long invested
in the enterprise.
“ ‘The increase in fare must be given because of the immediate pressure for money
receipts now to keep the street railroads running so that they may meet the local and
national demand for their service. Overcapitalization, corrupt methods, exorbitant
dividends in the past are not relevant to the question of policy in the present exigency.
In justice the public should pay an adequate war compensation for a service which
can not be rendered except for war prices. The credit of these companies in floating
bonds is gone. Their ability to borrow on short notes is most limited. In the face
of added expenses which this and other awards of needed and fair compensation to
their employees will involve, such credit will completely disappear. Bankruptcy,
receiverships, and demoralization, with failure of service, must be the result. Hence
our urgent recommendation on this head.’ ”
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In the caseg of the Chicago companies, the board made the following supplemental
statement on the question of the rates of fare:
“ The award in this case is an increase in maximum wages from 39 to 48 cents an
hour. It was required by an increase in the cost of living of the street-car employees
and is not more than fair. It does entail on the company, however, a heavy increase
in its operating expenses; the Chicago companies are being operated under a partner
ship arrangement with the city, so that the city shares in the net income, after fixed
charges and operating expenses are paid in the ratio of 55 per cent for the city and
45 per cent for the stockholders. The showing made by the company to us clearly
discloses that in order to enable it to render adequate service the fares which it is
permitted to charge should be substantially increased.”
The arbitrators then make part of their award the language used in the Cleveland
case, as quoted in the foregoing paragraph.
In the case of the International Railway Co., of Buffalo, N. Y., the increases granted
were conditioned upon the continuance in force of the rate of fare recently granted
by the city council of Buffalo. Should the city council revoke this rate, then the
wage increases shall automatically terminate.
AW ARD IN CON TR OV ER SY BETW EEN SMITH & WESSON ARMS CO. AND ITS
EMPLOYEES.
Under the award of the board in the controversy between the
Smith & Wesson Arms Co. and its employees, announced on August
21, the practice of the company in taking restrictive personal con
tracts, even if lawful when made, is stated to be contrary to the prin
ciples of the National War Labor Board, which announces that “the
practice of taking such contracts should be discontinued for the
period of the wmr.“ Relative to the charges of discrimination against
employees for joining labor unions and to the discharge of certain
employees as shown in the record, the board calls attention to the
fact that the fundamental principles upon which it was organized
recognize the right of workers and employers to organize and “ to
bargain collectively through chosen representatives,“ and also deny
employers the right to discharge workers for membership in tradeunions and restrain workers from using coercive measures of any
kind either to induce persons to join their organizations or to induce
employers to bargain or deal therewith. In accordance with these
principles the board recommends that discharged employees be
restored to their former positions and paid for all time lost by them
on account of their discharge. Under the principles mentioned,
giving workers the right to bargain collectively through chosen
representatives, the board makes the same recommendation concern
ing the method of electing committees and their duties as is provided
for in the award affecting the workers of the General Electric Co.
at Pittsfield, Mass, (see p. 35).
All matters in dispute as to wages and other conditions of employ
ment are to be adjusted by the committees provided for, and in case
of disagreement reference is to be made to the National War Labor
Board. Proper interpretation of the award is left to an examiner,
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appointed by tlie secretary of the board, “ who shall hear any differ
ences arising in respect to the award between the parties and promptly
render his decision, from which an appeal may be taken by either
party to the section making this award. Pending such appeal the
decision of the examiner is to be binding.”
OTHER AW ARDS B Y TH E N ATIO N AL W AR LABO R BOARD.
Awards affecting the General Electric Co. and its employees at its
Schenectady (N. Y.) and Pittsfield (Mass.) works; the St. Joseph Lead
Co., Herculaneum (Mo.); and the Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Co.,
the Suwanee Iron Co., and the Sheffield Iron Corporation, the last
three named located in the Birmingham (Ala.) district and made
parties to the same award, were published by the National War Labor
Board on July 31. The General Electric Co. award affects directly
nearly 6,000 and indirectly about 12,000 employees at its Schenec
tady (N. Y.) works and 7,000 employees at the Pittsfield (Mass.)
works. The St. Joseph Lead Co. award affects directly about 900
employees and indirectly some 12,000 to 15,000 workmen in the
district. The Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Co. award affects directly
about 500 organized employees and indirectly about 1,000 unorgan
ized workmen. No definite statement can be made as to the number
employed by the other companies covered in the Birmingham (Ala.)
iron and steel district.
General Electric Co. Awards.
Separate awards were made for the Schenectady (N. Y.) and for the
Pittsfield (Mass.) works of this company. At the former shops no
change is made in existing hours and a horizontal increase in wages
of 10 per cent becomes effective for both time and piece workers, except
that steam fitters, carpenters, narrow and wide gauge men, painters,
metal polishers, and pattern makers are given an increase of 15 per
cent. A night shift bonus of 5 per cent is established, that is, men on
night shifts to receive that much higher compensation than those
employed on day shifts. Wages of women are increased 20 per cent
and a minimum of $15 per week is established. In the case of male
employees 21 years of age or over, a minimum of 42 cents an hour is
fixed.
The board makes provision for enforcement through an examiner
and provides for revision at intervals of six months upon proper
petition and complaint. The award is effective as respects piece
work from May 3, and as respects daywork from May 6 of this
year.
At the Pittsfield (Mass.) works of the company piecework rates are
increased 20 per cent and a minimum hourly rate of 42 cents estab
lished for male employees and 30 cents for women employees. A
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nightwork bonus of 5 per cent is fixed. Time and a half is granted for
overtime, but no statement is made as to when overtime shall com
mence. Individual contracts are prohibited, and provision is made
for the election by the workers of their representative department
committees to present grievances and to mediate with the company.
The text of this portion of the award is as follows:
The election by the workers of their representative department committees to
present grievances and mediate with the company shall be held, during the life of this
award, in some convenient public building in the neighborhood of the plant, to be
selected by the examiner of this board assigned to supervise the execution of this
award, or, in case of his absence, by some impartial person, a resident of Pittsfield, to
be selected by such examiner. Such examiner, or his substitute, shall preside over
the first and all subsequent elections during the life of this award, and have the power
to make the proper regulations to secure absolute fairness. In the elections the
examiner shall provide, wherever practicable, for the minority representation by
limiting the right of each voter to a vote for less than the total number of the com
mittee to be selected. Elections shall be held annually.
The duties of the department committees shall be confined to the adjustment of
disputes which the shop foremen and the division superintendents and the employees
have been unable to adjust. The department committees shall meet annually and
shall select from among their number three employees, who shall be known as the
committee on appeals. This committee shall meet with the management for the
purpose of adjusting disputes which the department committees have failed to adjust.
The award is retroactive to May 1, 1918.
St. Joseph Lead Co., Herculaneum, Mo.
The St. Joseph Load Co. award grants the employees of this lead
mining company time and a half for the first two hours over the
regular shift of eight hours and double time thereafter on ordinary
days, as well as on Sundays and holidays; this provision affects com
mon labor as well as skilled and semiskilled labor. A minimum rate
of $4 per day, and certain wage increases are granted so that wages
now range from $4 to $7.75 per day. Recognition of the union by
the company is denied the employees, but the latter are free to
organize their committees of grievances, and the company is to deal
with these in the future.
Awards in the Birmingham Iron and Steel District.
An award in this region was originally made for the Sloss-Sheffield
Steel & Iron Co., and subsequently a similar award was made ap
plicable to the employees of the Suwanee Iron Co. and the Sheffield
Iron Corporation. All of these companies are engaged in iron mining
and steel manufacture. The award declares that the customary
medical and school fees deducted from the wages of the employees
by the companies in this district are just and reasonable under the
circumstances existing in that region. The deduction of insurance
premium from the wages of employees was also a subject of com
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plaint by the employees, but as this deduction was found to be
voluntary no action was taken in the matter by the board. The
board declares permissible the issuance of permits whenever a miner
washed to transfer his employment from one mine to another of the
same company, but the board cautions against the use of such per
mits between the mines of different companies as leading to a possible
blacklist. The discount of advances of wrages made to employees,
found in some cases to be as high as 20 per cent of the wages advanced,
must cease hereafter. A minimum rate of 38 cents an hour is fixed
for common labor for an eight-hour day, with time and a quarter
for the first two hours beyond the eight hours, and time and a half
thereafter on ordinary days and double time for Sundays and holi
days. The award is made retroactive from April 17, 1918. The
rates per hour for different occupations for the first eight hours of
work each day are as follows:
Hourly rate of wages fo r the first eight hours of daily worh.
Cents.
Common labor........................................
Trammers and dumpers.......................
Track men (foremen)..........................
Track men (helpers)............................
Track men (labor)................................
Car repair m en.......................................
Washer foremen.....................................
Washer labor..................
Steam shovel engineers........................
Steam shovel cranemen.......................
Steam shovel firemen...........................
Steam shovel pitm en............................
Dinkey engineers..................................
Dinkey firemen.....................................
Carpenters...............................................
Carpenter foremen................................
Slush pond labor.......................: .........
Stationary boiler firemen....................
38
40
42
40
40
44
44
40
50
40
40
40
40
44
48
55
40
44
Cents.
Pumper central station........................ 45
Railroad car tenders............................. 40
Common labor (outside)...................... 38
Common labor (foremen)..................... 42
Machinists’ helpers............................... 42
Lathe man (machine shop)................. 60
Machine shop helpers........................... 40
Machinists at washers........................... 50
Blacksmiths at machine shop............ 55
Blacksmiths’ washers........................... 45
Blacksmiths’ helpers............................ 38
Switchmen.............................................. 38
Signal m en.............................................. 40
Night watchmen................................... 40
Teamsters................................................ 40
Stablemen............................................... (x)
Talleymen.............................................. (2)
EMPLOYERS A I D W ORKERS URGED TO ADOPT PR IN CIPLES OF NATIO NAL WAR
LABOR BOARD.
By the adoption of the following resolution on July 31, 1918, the
National War Labor Board called upon all employers and workers
to compose Jieir differences by the application of the principles
governing the board as laid down in the President’s proclamation of
April 8, 1918:3
Resolved, That the National War Labor Board deems it an appropriate time to invite
the attention of employers and workers alike to the wisdom of composing their differi $85 per m onth.
!$90 to $95 per month
8 This proclamation is published in full in the Monthly R ev ie w for May, 1918, pp. 54-57.
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ences in accord with the principles governing the National War Labor Board, which
were approved and promulgated by the President in his proclamation of April 8, 1918;
That this war is not only a war of arms, but also a war of workshops; a competition
in the quantitative production and distribution of munitions and war supplies, a
contest in industrial resourcefulness and energy;
That the period of the war is not a normal period of industrial expansion from which
the employer should expect unusual profits or the employees abnormal wages; that it
is an interregnum in which industry is pursued only for common cause and common
ends;
That capital should have only such reasonable returns as will assure its use for the
world’s and Nation’s cause, while the physical well-being of labor and its physical
and mental effectiveness in a comfort reasonable in view of the exigencies of the war
should likewise be assured;
That this board should be careful in its conclusions not to make orders in this inter
regnum, based on approved views of progress in normal times, which, under war
conditions, might seriously impair the present economic structure of our country;
That the declaration of our principles as to the living wage and an established mini
mum should be construed in the light of these considerations;
That for the present the board or its sections should consider and decide each case
involving these principles on its particular facts and reserve any definite rule of
decision until its judgments have been sufficiently numerous and their operation
sufficiently clear to make generalization safe.
APPOINTMENT AND FUNCTION OF THE DIRECTOR OF NEGRO ECO
NOMICS, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.
With the increasing problems of labor shortage the questions
arising that have directly and manifestly affected Negro wage-earners
have been coming prominently to the attention of the Department
of Labor. Particularly has this been true following the large migra
tion of Negroes from the South to northern industrial centers
during 1916 and 1917. It has been estimated that between 500,000
and 700,000 Negroes have moved North. Many requests came to
the department to study the question. As a result an extensive
investigation in five Southern States and in selected Northern dis
tricts was made and will soon be published.
Last spring a number of white and colored citizens represent
ing organizations dealing largely with Negroes and employers of
Negroes presented a petition to the Secretary and his advisory
council, asking that the department appoint an adviser from within
the Negro group, for matters affecting Negro wage earners. After
careful consideration the Secretary created the position of adviser
with the title, “ Director of Negro Economics.” On May 1 he ap
pointed to this position Dr. George E. Haynes, professor of soci
ology and economics at Fisk University, Nashville, Terni., who
had had large experience in promoting industrial betterment activi
ties among Negroes, North and South. He had been especially
successful in helping to develop cooperative efforts of white and col
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ored people for the betterment of Negro wage earners in New York,
Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta, Savannah, and other northern and
southern commercial and industrial centers. He had also been in
close touch with the rural school and agricultural improvement
among Negroes in the Southern States.
The purpose of the department in creating this position is to
furnish, for the several bureaus and divisions dealing with Negro
wage earners, advice and judgment in all matters affecting Negroes
in the work they undertake. As the war work of the department
has grown and spread over the country, the department has found it
desirable to secure the counsel and cooperation of representative
white and colored citizens in the States and localities where any
considerable number of Negroes reside. The Director of Negro
Economics has been the medium through which this purpose is being
carried out. This mode of carrying out the purpose recognizes the
principle that adjustment of problems affecting Negroes needs to be
made between the local employers and employees, and that the
department can best serve the cause by helping to get together
representative white and colored citizens in each State and locality
to deal in a cooperative spirit with local situations. The employed
staff can thus best adapt the national plans, policies, and vision to
meet local conditions.
Already, effective conferences and interviews of representative
white and colored citizens have been held in Virginia, North Carolina,
Kentucky, Ohio, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Fol
lowing these conferences, State Negro workers’ advisory committees
are being formed with representative white and colored citizens serv
ing on them. These committees will cooperate with the staff mem
bers of the department, with employers, and with Negro laborers in
increasing the production in agriculture and industry, for winning the
war, and in promoting greater unity and efficiency for such produc
tion. Following the formation of State committees, county and com
munity committees will be formed. Both white and colored citizens
in the States where committees are being formed are responding with
enthusiasm to the work. Calls for arrangements for similar con
ferences are coming in from other States and plans are under way in
South Carolina, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.
In some States where committees are already appointed, programs
of mass meetings, visitation of the home and places of work to stim
ulate wage earners have been undertaken. These steps are being
taken to increase the morale, regularity, and efficiency of Negro wage
earners, thus improving their opportunities of employment and their
general condition.
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EMPLOYMENT OF PRISONERS IN THE ATLANTA PENITENTIARY.
The pressure of production for the war doubtless was influential
in securing the enactment of a law by the present Congress (Public
No. 194, approved July 10, 1918) looking toward the extension of
the use of the labor of persons detained in the United States Peni
tentiary at Atlanta, Ga. The fear of the results of the competition
of prison labor with ordinary industry has operated to prevent in
large measure any provision for the productive employment of con
victs, whether in State or Federal institutions. The inhumanity of
enforced idleness and the unprofitableness of maintaining ablebodied persons in a continuing condition of unemployment have led
to the adoption of expedients to secure the employment of convicts
in a variety of ways, but the Federal Government had gone but a
little way in this direction before the enactment of the law in ques
tion. Thus the act of 1891 directed the employment of convicts
“ exclusively in the manufacture of such supplies for the Government
as can be manufactured without the use of machinery.” In 1895
an act of Congress provided that convicts in the United States Peni
tentiary at Leavenworth, Kans., should be employed F only in the
manufacture of articles and the production of supplies for said peni
tentiary, and in the manufacture of supplies for the Government,”
no reference being made to equipment. In 1896 workshops were
provided for, but again no provision appears as to the fitting up of
the shops for production, while the act of March 3, 1901, relating to
the penitentiary at Atlanta authorizes the employment of inmates
of that institution “ in the manufacture of articles and the produc
tion of supplies for said penitentiary; in the manufacture of supplies
for the Government that can be manufactured without the use of
machinery; in the construction, extension, and repairs of buildings
and inclosures of the prison, and in making necessary materials
therefor; and in the cultivation and care of the prison grounds and
farm.”
It is evident from the retention of the prohibition against the use
of machinery that the idea was still not one of efficiency, but of the
restriction of competition, as it appeared in the act of 1891. In
1916, however, a commission was appointed, under congressional
action, to report to Congress “ detailed estimates and plans for equip
ping the United States penitentiaries for the manufacture, by the
prisoners, of various articles used by the Government.” The per
sonnel of this commission was fixed by the act and is suggestive of
the ideas of Congress as to the scope of the activities that might be
reported upon. It consisted of the Chief of Ordnance of the Army,
the same officer of the Navy, the superintendent of prisons of the
Department of Justice, and the purchasing agent of the Post Office
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Department. The report was also to indicate what articles it was
thought desirable to have manufactured, probable costs, present
purchase costs, etc.
A report was directed to be made not later than the opening of
the session of Congress in December, 1916. It remained for the
Sixty-fifth Congress to take action on this report, however, a bill
on the subject being submitted early in the first session and becoming
a law on July 10, 1918, as already stated. This law applies only to
the penitentiary at Atlanta and authorizes the equipment of “ a
factory or factories for the manufacture of cotton fabrics to supply
the requirements of the War and Navy Departments, the Shipping
Corporation, cotton duck suitable for tents and other Army purposes
and canvas for mail sacks and for the manufacture of mail sacks
and other similar mail-carrying equipment for the use of the United
States Government.” The articles manufactured are to be sold
only to the Government of the United States. The sum of $650,000
is appropriated for the purchase of machinery and other equipment;
$150,000 is also appropriated as a working capital, from which wages
may be paid to prisoners employed under the provisions of the act,
or the earnings may go to the dependents of such prisoners. The
same act provides for the purchase of additional lands for farm
purposes, the products, including live stock, to be utilized at the
penitentiary or sold to the Government for use by the Armv and
Navy.
FINAL REPORT OF THE BRITISH HEALTH OF MUNITION WORKERS
c o m m it t e e ;
In April, 1918, the British Ministry of Munitions issued the final
report of the Health of Munition Workers Committee,1 which was
appointed in September, 1915, by Hon. Lloyd George, then Minister
of Munitions, “ to consider and advise on questions of industrial
fatigue, hours of labor, and other matters affecting the personal
health and physical efficiency of workers in munition factories and
workshops.”
In view of the urgency of many of the problems involved by the
terms of reference the committee submitted its views and recom
mendations in regard to particular matters in 21 separate memoranda,
which have been noted from time to time in the pages of the M o n t h l y
R e v i e w , and most of which have been published in full by this
bureau in its bulletins, Nos. 221, 222, 223, and 230. Now that the
final report of the committee has been issued it may be well to pre
sent a list of the memoranda together with the issues of the M o n t h l y
1 Great Britain, Ministry of Munitions. Health of Munition Workers Committee.
dustrial Health and Efficiency. [Cd. 9065.] London, 1918. 182 pp. Illustrated.
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Final report. In
41
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R e v ie w o r b u lle tin s of th is b u re a u in w h ich th e y h a v e b een s u m m a
rized o r p rin te d in full.
MEMORANDA PU B L ISH ED BY H EA LT H OF MUNITION W O R K E R S COMMITTEE,
GREAT BR ITA IN .
No. of
mem
oran
dum.
20
No. of
Date and page? of Monthly bulletin
R eview containing sum in which
mary.
printed
Title of memorandum.
in full.
Sunday labor (Cd. 8132)......................................................
Welfare supervision (Cd. 8151)..........................................
Industrial canteens (Cd. S133)............................................
Employment of women (Cd. 8185)................................... .
Hours of work (Cd. 8186)......................................................
Canteen construction and equipment (Appendix to
No. 3) (Cd. 8199).
Industrial fatigue and its causes (Cd. 8213).....................
Special industrial diseases (Cd. 8214)................................
Ventilation and lighting of munition factories and
workshops (Cd. 8215).
Sickness and injury (Cd. 8216)................................. , ........
Investigation of workers’ food and suggestions as to
dietary (second appendix to No. 3) (Cd. 8370).
Statistical information concerning output in relation
to hours of work (Cd. 8344).
Juvenile employment (Cd. 8362)........................................
Washing facilities and baths (Cd. 8387)............................
The effect of industrial conditions upon eyesight (Cd.
8409).
Medical certificates for munition workers (Cd. 8522)___
Health and welfare of munition workers outside the
factory.
Further statistical information concerning output in
relation to hours of work, with special reference to
the influence of Sunday labor (Cd. 8628).
Investigations of workers’ food and suggestions as to
dietary (second appendix to No. 3), revised edition
(Cd. 8798).
W eekly hours of employment (supplementary to m em
orandum No. 5) (Cd. 8801).
Investigation of the; factors concerned in the causation
of industrial accidents (Cd. 9046).
Industrial efficiency and fatigue, interim report (Cd.
8511).
Handbook on health of the munition worker.................
Industrial health and efficiency, final report of the
committee (Cd. 9065).
’Published in full.
Mav, 1916, pp. 66,67.
May, 1916, pp. 68,69.
May, 1916, pp. 69,70.
June, 1916, pp. 74-76.
June, 1916, pp. 77-79.
June, 1916, p. 91........
June, 1916, pp. 79-81.
June, 1916, pp. 83-88.
June, 1916, pp. 81-83.
221
222
222
223
221
222
221
221
221
221
June, 1916, pp. 88-90..............
January, 1917, pp. 56,57........
222
December, 1916, pp. 105-1191
221
December, 1916, pp. 92-97...
January, 1917, pp. 150,151...
April, 1917, pp. 538-540.........
223
222
221
August, 1917, pp. 91,92__
230
230
November, 1917, pp. 61,62
February, 1918, pp. 82-87 1
July, 1918, pp. 161-164....
July, 1917, pp, 14-19..........
April, 1918, p. 311..................... .
September, 1918, pp. 40-53 __
230
2249
‘-In press.
In the final report the committee states that all recommendations
contained in the memoranda “ have been generally accepted as reason
able and have been widely adopted.” This report gives a concise
survey of the nature and development of all the various problems
covered by the memoranda. By bringing together into one report
all these matters emphasis is given to the close relation and inter
dependence which exists between the problems involved. The
committee recognizes that it is yet too early to draw any final con
clusion as to the permanent effect on the health and physical efficiency
of the munition workers of the abnormal conditions which have
existed during the war. It has, however, set out the extent to which
normal restrictions have been abandoned, and has suggested some
conclusions as to the results which have followed, and finally has
indicated certain conclusions as to steps which should be taken to
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M O NTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
maintain and promote permanently the health of industrial workers
when more normal conditions are restored.
SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS.
Section XX of the final report is devoted to a summary of the con
clusions of the committee drawn from its studies as set forth in the
memoranda to which reference has been made. This summary is
as follows :
The committee consider that it is both desirable and convenient that they should
conclude their final report by shortly summarizing the various principles enunciated,
the conclusions arrived at, and the recommendations made in the various sections of
the report. While there can be no doubt that since the appointment of the committee
in September, 1915, the issue of their memoranda, the action of the central depart
ments concerned, and the trend of opinion amongst employers, workers, and the public
generally have combined to secure a very substantial improvement in the conditions
of employment, it would be a very grave mistake to assume that all is now well, or
that further care and attention are not still essential if a serious breakdown of industry
is to be avoided. Further, while the committee have of necessity been primarily
concerned with the health and physical efficiency of the munition worker under the
abnormal conditions created by the war, they are strongly of opinion that the principles
underlying right action at the present time are permanent and not merely transitory
in importance, and should be accepted also as fundamental to all schemes for industrial
health and betterment after the war. One of the vital and pressing problems before
the country at the present moment and i-n the immediate future is the question of the
health and contentment, the capacity, status, and efficiency of th e industrial worker,
whose contribution to the commonwealth is of ever-growing importance.
For convenience of reference the summary follows the order of the sections of the
report.
I .—
I ntroductory.
(i) Since the committee were appointed in September, 1915, there has become
apparent an increased appreciation of the importance of the whole question of indus
trial hygiene; there is no doubt that the environment and conditions of employment
of the worker are vastly better than they were, though there is still much need for
further improvement. Apart from the quickening of the national <*msciousness and
sense of responsibility resulting from the war, this development may be attributed to
three main causes, the widespread adoption of the recommendations contained in the
committee’s memoranda and reports, the establishment of “ Health and welfare
section ” at the Ministry of Munitions, and the increased powers for securing the welfare
of workers conferred upon the Home Office by the Police, Factories, etc. (miscella
neous provisions), Act, 1916.
I I .—
P r e l im in a r y
a nd
H is t o r ic a l
Survey.
(ii) The problems concerned with the well-being of the worker are not new, though
they have been accentuated by the war. Ever since the first beginnings of the mod
ern factory system these problems have received increasing attention from the State,
the employer, and from the workers themselves. Many of the questions considered
in this report are intimately connected with wider social and industrial questions
which fall outside the terms of reference of the committee.
(iii) The work of the committee has been greatly embarrassed by the limited extent
to which in the past scientific investigation has been made into the various problems
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43
affecting industrial efficiency. Inquiries into the effect of industry upon health have
been largely limited to special inquiries conducted into particular “ dangerous”
trades. There has existed no permanent official body charged with the duty of con
tinuing these inquiries or of investigating the effect upon health of industries which,
though not technically “ dangerous,” may still exercise a potent influence upon
health and physical efficiency. Research is greatly needed into the relationship
of occupation to fatigue, invalidity, and mortality. It is only within the last 20 years
that medical officers have been appointed to the factory department of the Home Office,
and the limited number of those officers has made it inevitable that their activities
should be largely confined to questions of immediate administrative importance. It
is greatly to be hoped that permanent provision will be made for a wider and more
continuous investigation of the influences of industry upon health than has hitherto
been practicable.
I II.— T h e
R e l a t io n
op
F a t ig u e
and
I ll-h e a l t h
to
I n d u s t r ia l
E f f ic ie n c y .
(iv) The subject of industrial efficiency in relation to health and fatigue is in large
degree one of preventive medicine, a question of physiology and psychology, of
sociology and industrial hygiene,
(v) Fatigue is the sum of the results of activity which show themselves in a dimin
ished capacity for doing work. Fatigue may spring from the maintained use of
intelligence, the maintenance of steady attention, or the continued use of special
senses. When the work is monotonous fatigue may appear in the psychical field;
monotony may diminish capacity for work; on the other hand, “ interest” may in
crease it.
,(vi) Fatigue should be detected and its causes dealt with while it is still latent
and before it becomes excessive. The tests of fatigue are diminished output, the
failure of concentration as shown in increased accidents and spoiled work, staleness,
ill health, and lost time.
(vii) Without health there is no energy, without energy there is .no output. More
important than output is the vigor, strength, and vitality of the nation. The con
ditions essential to the maintenance of health are, first, personal conditions or those
favorable to the body itself (e, g., food, fresh air, exercise, warmth, and adequate
rest), and, secondly, a satisfactory environment (e. g., a safe and sanitary factory,
suitable hours of work, good housing accommodations, and convenient means of
transit).
IV.— T h e I n d u s t r i a l E m p l o y m e n t o f W o m e n ,
(viii) In considering conditions of employment of women as compared with those
of men account must be taken not only of physiological differences, but also of those
contributions which women alone can make to the welfare of the community. Cer
tain ailments and forms of physical disability to which women are liable are readily
caused, or at least accentuated, by lack of attention to their special needs.
(ix) Up to the present there has been no marked breakdown in the health of women
in industry. It is probable, however, that the strain has been greater than is at
present apparent, having been hitherto counteracted or disguised by certain factors,
such as improved food and better factory environment, welfare supervision, and the
dropping out of the physically weaker. Undoubtedly many women are only able to
keep working by a total abandonment of all recreation or social intercourse.
(x) Certain conditions of employment are essential if the risk of future breakdown
is to be avoided, including short hours of work conveniently arranged, medical super
vision (including rest rooms, first aid, etc.), careful selection of workers, good food,
a favorable factory environment, sympathetic management, and supervision.
(xi) In the case of married women, to the strain of their work must generally be
added the strain involved in housework, as well as in family worries and anxieties.
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Consequently they are less able to bear the strain of employment and special atten
tion is necessary to the conditions of their work, particularly in relation to the period
of pregnancy, and the care of young children. Any general prohibition of their
employment is impracticable, but it should be confined so far as possible to “ ligh t”
work, and the possibility might be considered of allowing them some relaxation at
the beginning and end of the day, and also during the dinner interval, as is some
times done in certain industrial districts, and also in France. The committee desire
to draw special attention to the conclusions of their medical investigators.
V .— H o u r s
op
Labor.
(xii) At the beginning of the war there existed a marked divergence of opinion as
to the length of hours that men could profitably work, but there was a widespread
belief that long hours produced a larger output, though not necessarily proportion
ately so. Men, and especially the more highly skilled workers, were frequently
employed for as much as 90 hours a week. In January, 1916, the committee pro
visionally recommended that the average weekly hours of employment of men should
be limited to 65-67; that is to say, a 13-14 hours’ working day.
(xiii) In the earlier stages of the war many women were employed for over 70
hours a week, but there was a much smaller divergence of opinion as to the length
of hours which was productive of the greatest output, and the committee in January,
1916, provisionally recommended that the hours of women should be restricted
within the limit of 60 prescribed by the Factory and Workshops Act, 1901, and that
the employment at night of girls under 18 should be limited so far as possible.
(xiv) In view of the extent to which boys are employed to help men, the com
mittee in January, 1916, provisionally recommended that they should be allowed to
work for the same hours as men, but it was urged that so far as possible boys under
16 should not be employed for more than 60 hours or at night.
(xv) The scientific data collected for the committee, and the experience gained
during the past two years, combine to support the view that the length of hours of
employment provisionally recommended two years ago are now too long and can be
reduced without loss of output.
(xvi) By economizing time, apart from any increased rapidity of working, the
hourly rate of output can be considerably increased.
(xvii) Though hours of work have been much reduced during the past two years
the time is ripe for further substantial reductions. What the extent of the reduction
should be in any particular case can only be determined after considering a number
of factors, such as the physical or mental strain of the work, the extent to which the
pace of the work is governed by the machine, the factory environment, the physical
capacity, the age, sex, and experience of the worker, the suitability of the food taken
by the worker, the arrangement of hours of work and conditions outside the factory
(e. g., housing and transit).
VI.-—S h i f t s ,
B r ea k s, Spells, P a u ses, and
H o l id a y s .
(xviii) Provided that the weekly hours of employment are reasonable it follows
in practice that the daily hours of employment will also be confined within moderate
limits.
(xix) The daily employment of workers is organized, either in single shifts, or in
double shifts, or in three shifts. From the point of view of output single shifts are
open to objection owing to the large number of hours during which the machinery
lies idle. Double shifts are the form of employment most commonly adopted.
Though night work is open to serious objection, at any rate for women and adolescents,
double shifts under reasonable conditions are undoubtedly productive of increased
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45
output, since they enable the machinery to be employed for the greater part of the
24 hours.
(xx) Wherever possible an interval should be left between the two shifts. The
shorter hours of employment involved are widely recognized to be advantageous
from the point of view both of the health of the worker and of output. Apart from
this, opportunity is afforded for cleaning and ventilating the shops.
(xxi) The three-shift system, especially for women, has much to commend it where
it can be organized. The difficulties involved arise in combining the hours of men
and women workers, from the shortness of meal intervals, from the workers’ fear that
shorter hours will mean smaller wages, and from the benefit of the shorter hours being
lost through misuse of leisure time or by its devotion to housework duties. The
numerous instances in which the three-shift system has been successfully organized
show that these difficulties are ordinarily surmountable.
(xxii) The ordinary daily hours of work are organized either under the “ two break”
system or the “ one break” system. Under the former system work usually com
mences at 6 a. m., and the normal breaks are half hour for breakfast and one hour
for dinner. Under the latter system the work commences after breakfast at 7 or 8 a. m.
and there is frequently only a single break of one hour for dinner, though a break for
tea is sometimes necessitated by the hours of work.
(xxiii) The evidence suggests that work before breakfast is a mistake. Only the
minority of workers can put in their best work before having a proper meal in the
morning. The time lost often causes serious disorganization, and even where the
discontinuance of work before breakfast involves a small reduction in the nominal
hours of employment the loss is generally more than made good by the reduction in
the time lost.
(xxiv) Many women and young persons can not profitably be employed for the full
spell of five hours on continuous work allowed by the Factory Act.
(xxv) Even where the spell is somewhat less than five hours, employers frequently
allow short intervals for refreshment in the afternoon, and also in the morning. These
pauses not only provide an opportunity for refreshment, but a period of rest and
recovery from fatigue, and a break in the monotony of work.
(xxvi) All workers engaged on active work take voluntary rest periods, generally
quite unsystematically. It is desirable that these rests should be replaced by author
ized rest pauses systematically determined.
(xxvii) All workers should be allowed periodic holidays—preferably of several
days’ duration. They are equally important for the management and foremen.
They also afford an opportunity for repairs to plant and machinery.
V II.—S u n d a y
L abor
and
N ig h t W o r k .
(xxviii) At the commencement of the war Sunday labor, especially for men, was
widely adopted in the hope of increasing output. The evidence, however, proves
conclusively that Sunday labor is unpopular, uneconomical, and not productive of
increased output.
(xxix) In accordance with an early recommendation of the committee, Sunday
labor is now almost entirely confined to sudden emergencies, repairs, attending
furnaces, and certain continuous processes. Constant scrutiny is, however, neces
sary in order to secure that such exceptions as continue are confined within the nar
rowest limits. Where Sunday labor becomes necessary, arrangements should be made
by a system of relief shifts, that no individual worker is employed more than six days
in the week.
, (xxx) Even for men night work is open to serious objection. It is uneconomical
owing to the higher charges for wages, lighting, and heating. Lighting is generally
inferior and supervision more difficult. Adequate sleep by day is difficult owing to
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dislocation of ordinary habits or from social causes. Social intercourse and recreation
can hardly be obtained except by an^ undue curtailment of sleep. Continuance of
education is generally impracticable. Finally, it is unnatural to turn night into day.
(xxxi) Night work for women and girls has been illegal for over 50 years. Although
inevitable for adult women under existing conditions, it should be stopped as soon
as it ceases to be essential. Night work for girls under 16 has now been entirely
stopped; for girls between 16 and 18 it has been largely curtailed and should be ended
as soon as possible.
(xxxii) Night work for boys is only legal in certain continuous processes. It has
already been curtailed for boys under 16, and should be altogether stopped. The
committee fully indorse the arguments against the employment of any boys under
18 at night which were put forward in the report of the departmental committee on
the “ Night employment of male young persons in factories and workshops.”
(xxxiii) There is no uniformity of practice as to how long a worker should remain
on the night shift at any one time. A week is the commonest period, but much
depends on the social conditions under which he lives. Investigations suggest that
continuous night work is productive of less output than the system under which a
worker is engaged on day and night shifts alternately. There is no evidence that
the output of a continuous day shift balances this inferiority.
V III.—L
o st
T im e
and
I n c e n t iv e .
(xxxiv) Time may be lost through the failure of the worker to attend the factory
regularly, or it may be lost at the factory by slackness at the beginning or end of the
spell, unregulated rest pauses, or lack of material.
(xxxv) The causes of lost time (as ordinarily understood) may be broadly divided
into those that are mainly inherent (e. g., sickness and accidents external to the
factory, bad conditions of housing and transit, bad weather, domestic duties, or lack
of material) and those which are mainly controllable (e. g., sickness and accidents of
factory origin, drink, indifference, discontent, overtime and Sunday work, lack of
work).
(xxxvi) The proportion of lost time due to sickness is generally greatly under
estimated.
(xxxvii) The causes of lost time should be carefully ascertained and remedies
sought.
(xxxviii) Incentives to work include patriotism, a good factory environment,
social amenities, instruction of the new worker, suitable and sufficient rest pauses,
and wages.
(xxxix) Wages are probably the most important incentive. No wage system can
afford an effective incentive unless there is a healthy body of workers. The system
must be easily understood and properly adjusted. The incentive fails if the workers
can obtain too easily the money required to meet their social aspirations, or if the
hours of work prevent their spending the money earned.
IX . —
F ood
and
Ca n t e en s.
(xl) The requirements of the body for food are largely affected by the amount of
physical energy expended in daily work and by the environment of the worker.
Growing boys and girls require relatively more food than adults. For the maintenance
of industrial efficiency the worker must have food which is adequate in amount,
nutritious, fresh, digestible, and appetising.
(xli) Apart from any question of shortage of food supplies many workers do not
obtain suitable food owing to domestic difficulties, distance of the home from the
factory, night work, and ignorance of the need (in the case of women).
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(xlii) Carried food is unsatisfactory owing to the limitation in the kinds of food
suitable. Further, the food is necessarily cold and may deteriorate easily. Means of
heating up food are useful, but are inadequate because such food loses nutritive value.
The heating up of any large number of meals is difficult to do satisfactorily.
(xliii) The only satisfactory solution of the problem of providing suitable food at
low prices for large numbers at convenient times lies in the establishment of industrial
canteens. Apart from the suitability of the food provided the essentials for success of
a canteen include accessibility, the convenience and attractiveness of the premises,
prompt service, convenient hours of opening, and a system of management acceptable
to the workers.
(xliv) At the end of 1917 there were about 840 canteens in munition works and
docks. The committee are strongly impressed with the value of the facilities thus
afforded and are convinced that they have very materially contributed to the main
tenance of the health of the worker, to the prevention of a serious breakdown under
the strain imposed by war conditions, and to increased efficiency and energy and
corresponding output. Though the need for canteens has been accentuated by war
conditions, it is in a large measure a permanent one.
X .—S i c k n e s s
and
III H e a l t h .
(xlv) An undue proportion of sickness in any group of workers usually represents
among those not actually sick lessened vigor and activity which can not fail to reduce
output.
(xlvi) Conditions of industrial occupation may affect health by reason of long
hours of work, cramped and constrained attitudes, prolonged or excessive muscular
strain, bad ventilation and lighting, dust and fumes. To the influences of occupation
upon health must be added the predisposition to disease arising from the absence of
personal hygiene.
(xlvii) Medical inquiries suggest that the principal forms of minor ill health to be
found amongst male workers are headache, footache, muscular pains, sleepiness on
the night shift, and nervous symptoms; amongst women workers indigestion, head
ache, anemia, and muscular pains.
(xlviii) Records of sickness, broken time, or diminished output should be carefully
kept and scrutinized. For a correct appreciation of their significance account must
be taken of various causes of fluctuation, such as climatic conditions, approaching or
recent holidays, patriotic enthusiasm, long hours, and Sunday labor.
(xlix) Any sound system for dealing with industrial disease must be based on the
principles, first, that prevention is better than cure, and secondly, that the treatment,
to be imposed effectively, must deal with the beginnings of the disease. It follows
that the preliminary safeguard should be to extend to all workers the preliminary
medical examination already provided for in certain munition works and especially
in those where dangerous substances are manipulated. Such an examination is
especially necessary at the present time owing to the strain involved by present
conditions of employment and owing to the large number of persons who are takingup industrial employment for the first time; but such examinations are likely to be
always desirable where the work involves special strain and particularly so in the
case of women. There is a similar need for periodic reexamination of such workers.
(1) The present provisions of the Factory Act for the certification of the physical
fitness for employment of children and young persons can hardly be regarded as ade
quate. The factory’s certifying surgeon has seldom any previous knowledge of the
case. The value of his certificate would be greatly increased if it were only given
after consideration of the medical records in the possession of the School Medical
Service, and closer cooperation appears to be desirable. At present these records are
seldom available. Provision is now seldom made for periodic reexamination, but it
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is extremely desirable having regard to the effect of entry into industrial life. The
departmental committee on the night employment of male young persons emphasized
the need for periodic examinations once at least in every six months, and recommended
that records of the results should be kept.
(li) The second preventive measure is to reduce to a minimum unfavorable con
ditions of environment. Thirdly, arrangements should be made for adequate medical
and nursing schemes. Medical attendance is usually obtainable under the national
insurance system, but nursing can only be obtained by the employment of one or
more trained nurses to undertake duties in the factory by night as well as by day.
The duties of the nurse would include supervision of the health of the workers and
especially of those temporarily indisposed, following-up cases of sickness and taking
charge of first-aid treatment of injuries. Such arrangements have been instituted in
many munition factories, especially where women are employed, and have proved of
great value to employers and employed alike.
X I . — I n ju r ie s
and
A c c id e n t s .
(lii) A grave amount of disablement is caused by accidents, such as fractures, open
wounds, and injured limbs, but probably an even larger amount of interruption to
work is caused by slighter injuries, such as scratches and burns, which may, however,
become serious if neglected. The principal causes of accidents are speed of working,
fatigue, psychical influences, nutrition, and alcoholic consumption, lighting, and
temperature.
(liii) A large number of accidents are preventable, and it is to the interests of all
parties that the number should be reduced. However complete the installation for
securing the safety of workers, success must largely depend upon the intelligent co
operation of workers and foremen, and their help should be secured in studying causes
and methods of prevention.
(liv) However effective may be the methods of prevention adopted some accidents
will occur. It is accordingly important that in each shop there should be one or two
workers trained to render first aid in case of accidents. Leaflets of instruction and
advice should be issued.
(lv) Though in many factories good provision has been made for the treatment of
accidents, great improvements should result from the recent Home Office order requir
ing employers in certain industries to provide and maintain—
(а) First-aid posts or local dressing stations for every 150 workers; and,
(б) An ambulance room or central dressing station wherever the total number of
employees is 500 or more. The room is to be in charge of a nurse or other person trained
in first-aid work. Records of all cases treated are to be kept. Provision is also to be
made for the conveyance to hospital of the more serious cases.
X II.— E
y e
I n ju r ie s .
(1 vi) Injuries to and diseased conditions of the eye are a widespread cause of ineffi
ciency. The principal causes are accidents from flying particles and impacted bodies
arising from grinding and similar operations, injuries due to exposure to intense heat
and eyestrain from inferior lighting, uncorrected errors of refraction, or other causes.
(Ivii) The principal measures of prevention are the provision of eye guards or goggles,
good lighting, examination of eyesight, and the provision of suitable spectacles. A cci
dents, if neglected, may easily cause serious incapacity, and they should receive
immediate attention from a doctor, or, failing him, a qualified nurse.
X I I I . — S p e c ia l
I n d u s t r ia l
D is e a s e s .
(lviii) From the point of view of munition work TNT is much the most important
of the “ dangerous” occupations, both on account of the serious effects which may
result and the large numbers of workers employed. It may be absorbed through the
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skin or through the digestive tract, or by the inhalation of fumes or dust. Poisoning
normally tabes one or more of the following forms: Dermatitis, digestive troubles, blood
changes, and liver degeneration (toxic jaundice). The occurrence of poisoning de
pends to some extent upon personal idiosyncrasy. The great majority of workers are
insusceptible and remain so, but a few are affected, but not always those who, owing
to ill health and malnutrition, might be expected to be specially liable.
(lix) The conditions of employment in the manufacture of TNT are governed
by a Home Office order, while its use and manipulation are governed by regulations
of the ministry. The principal means of prevention adopted are, the reduction to a
minimum of dust and fumes, constant medical supervision, limitation of the period of
exposure, provision of ample and suitable food, special working costumes, and suit
able cloakrooms and washing facilities.
(lx) Other substances in the manufacture and use of which special precautions are
necessary include lead, fulminate of mercury, tetryl, aeroplane dope, picric acid,
poisonous gases, and nitrous fumes. The preventive measures adopted are on similar
lines to those for TNT.
X IV .— C l e a n l i n e s s ,
V e n t il a t io n , H e a t in g , a n d
L ig h t in g .
(Ixi) A high standard of cleanliness is essential not only for health, but because it
has an important bearing on the self-respect of the worker.
. (lxii) Flooring should be smooth, hard, durable, and impervious. Wooden flooring
should be provided for standing on, as causing less fatigue and being more conducive
to warmth and dryness of the feet.
(lxiii) The object of ventilation is to provide air which is pure, clean, stimulating,
and refreshing. The air should be cool and dry, not monotonous in temperature, and
moving rather than stagnant. The principal impurities are carbonic acid (principally
important as affording an indication of the efficiency of ventilation), volatile substances
given off from the skin and alimentary canal of human beings, bacteria, dust, and fumes.
(lxiv) The ventilation and heating of every workshop presents a separate problem.
There should be adequate cubic capacity, louvers or other definite openings into theoutside air, supplemented by the use of doors, windows, and fans.
(ixv) What is the best temperature depends on the work and habits of the worker.
Sedentary workers may require a temperature of about 60° F., though it may be
somewhat higher if the air is in motion.
(lxvi) Some one person should be made responsible for securing the proper use and
maintenance of any installation for ventilation and heating.
(lxvii) Lighting should be adequate, reasonably uniform, shaded from the eyes of
the worker, and should not cause extraneous shadows. Windows should be cleaned
regularly.
X V .— S a n i t a t i o n , W a s h i n g , a n d C l o a k r o o m s .
(Ixviii) For the proper maintenance of health it is essential that the sanitary accom
modation should be adequate, conveniently arranged, and kept thoroughly clean.
(Ixix) Washing is beneficial to the health, efficiency, and self-respect of the worker,
and there is a growing demand for the provision of facilities. The installation must
be adequate in amount, readily accessible, and easily maintained. Washing troughs
are generally to be preferred to separate basins. An ample supply of hot and cold
water, nailbrushes, soap, and towels are other essentials.
(lxx) The provision of baths is recommended where workers are employed on hot
or dusty processes. In such cases they may prove an effective antidote to muscular
rheumatism.
(lxxi) Cloakrooms are necessary for health, especially of women and girls. They
should be close to the canteens, lavatory, and sanitary accommodation. Separate
lockers should be provided for each worker. There should be ample accommodation
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for changing clothes and boots, and for the drying of clothes. They should be hept
thoroughly clean and ventilated. Means should be taken to prevent petty pilfering
or theft.
X V I.— S e a t s , W e i g h t s , C l o t h i n g , a n d D r i n k i n g W a t e r .
(Ixxii) Protective clothing, though essential for certain types of employment (e. g.,
those involving dirt, dust, damp, heat, or dangerous machinery), is desirable for all
workers, and especially for women and girls. It adds to their smartness and neatness,
and also aids discipline and esprit de corps.
(lxxiii) Whatever the nature of their employment, workers should have opportuni
ties of sitting down from time to time. Comfortable seats should also be provided for
use during meal hours, and for workers who are temporarily indisposed.
(lxxiv) Apart from their inferior physical strength, women are more liable than men
to strain from sudden muscular effort. To obviate this, attention should be paid to
the size and shape of burdens, receptacles and vehicles, labor-saving contrivances,
to the knack of lifting, and to hours of employment.
(lxxv) The committee fully indorse the policy underlying the order recently made
by the Home Office requiring the provision of adequate facilities for obtaining drinking
water in all factories.
X V II.—W
elfa re
S u p e r v is io n
for
W om en
a nd
G ir l s .
(Ixxvi) Under modern industrial conditions the employer usually has neither the
time nor frequently the experience to give the requisite attention to many of the spec
ial problems affecting the health and welfare of women workers. There has there
fore been an increasing tendency to appoint a special officer for the purpose, who is
generally called a “ welfare supervisor” or “ welfare superintendent.”
(lxxvii) The stress of war conditions, the widespread introduction of women into
industry, and the increased employment of married women and young girls greatly
increased the need for adequate supervision and led the committee to recommend in
January, 1916, the appointment of welfare supervisors in all factories where women
were employed.
(lxxviii) The welfare supervisor should have a clearly defined status and definite
duties, and should be directly responsible to the manager. What her exact duties
may be will to some extent depend upon the circumstances of the factory and her own
capacity. Experience, however, shows that her duties may properly include the
engagement of workers (so far as their general suitability is concerned); keeping of
records of individual workers; investigation of cases of lost time, sickness, low output,
or wages, incapacity, dismissals or withdrawals, working conditions, home visiting,
feeding arrangements, training and instruction, housing, transit and recreation. They
should not interfere with the work of trades-unions.
(lxxix) The welfare supervisor must be of good standing and education, and must
possess strength of character, tact, and broadmindednesss, such as will secure the con
fidence of the management as well as of the workers. Provided only that they are
possessed of the requisite qualifications, they can be and are drawn from all classes of
the community.
(lxxx) It is, as a rule, desirable that welfare supervisors should have undergone
a preliminary course of training of not less than one year’s duration, which should,
while allowing of a special study of welfare problems be grounded on a wide study of
social questions. A large part of the time should be devoted to practical work.
Neither admission to the course nor financial assistance should be conditional on the
student subsequently taking up welfare work.
(Ixxxi) Welfare supervision should not be appointed by the State. They will
probably continue for some time to come at any rate to be appointed by the employer,
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as the person responsible for the maintenance of satisfactory conditions of employ
ment, though the workers are likely to an increasing extent to seek some voice in the
selection. Though the establishment by the Ministry of Munitions of a panel of can
didates has been justified as a temporary expedient, it is not desirable that any depart
ment of state should do so as a permanent arrangement.
(Ixxxii) The time has not yet come when a definite judgment can be passed on the
development of welfare work during the past two years, still less is it possible to proph
esy as to future lines of development. The confident support of the v/orkers has yet
to be obtained. Undoubtedly unwise appointments have been made; complaints
have been considerable and often well founded, though their importance may have
been overemphasized. On the other hand some mistakes were inevitable in the
initiation of what was largely a new enterprise in industrial organization. The con
ditions of employment of women have vastly improved. It has been and is likely to
be of material advantage that there should exist a body of persons specially concerned
to promote the health and well-being of the worker.
X V III.—W
elfa re
S u p e r v is io n
fo r
B oys
and
M en.
(Ixxxiii) The problems involved in the welfare supervision of boys are not new,
though they have been accentuated by the war. The essential remedy is personal
influence. The influences to which they are subject will largely affect their perma
nent outlook on life. High wages, restlessness, lack of control, all have demoralizing
influences, which specially need control at the present time.
(lxxxiv) Personal influence to be effective must ordinarily be exercised by some
one individual, and the committee in January, 1916, recommended the appointment
of welfare supervisors wherever 100 boys are employed. Experience has shown that
for this number of boys a full-time appointment is desirable. Where, as is more
often the case, a smaller number are employed, a part-time arrangement is usual.
(lxxxv) The duties of a welfare supervisor for boys may usefully include most of
those specified in the case of women, but nothing which makes for their well-being
should be alien to his duties. The wider his outlook the stronger is likely to be hi3
position. It is specially desirable that he shou'd keep in touch with all other persons
and bodies in the district who are concerned with the well-being of boys. Recreation,
training, and instruction are matters calling for special concern.
(lxxxvi) The need for the welfare supervision of boys has not been so readily appre
ciated as in the case of women and girls, and time has been required for obtaining the
support of the foremen and the local trades-unions as well as of the employer. These
initial difficulties have, however, not been without their advantages in preventing
hasty or ill-considered schemes, and while it is as yet too early to form any final judg
ment the work appears to have started on sound lines.
(lxxxvii) The problems of the welfare supervision of men are much more difficult,
and only gradual development is to be anticipated. The whole question is intim ately
concerned with the growth of work councils now being so widely discussed. In
the immediate future at any rate any welfare work among men is likely to grow
spontaneously out of that for boys.
X IX .—W
elfa re
O u t s id e
th e
F actory.
(lxxxviii) The State being responsible for the employment of large bodies of work
ers, and especially women, in places remote from their own homes, has a special
responsibility for their welfare outside the factory. The Ministry of Munitions have
placed in the principal munition areas a number of officers specially charged with
the duty of looking after the health of the worker outside the factory; they deal with
such matters as housing and transit, sickness and recreation.
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(lxxxîx) It is of the utmost importance that only healthy, clean, and wholesome
minded women should be exported. Mothers with young children should not be
exported. No woman or girl should be exported without sufficiency of money and
clothing. Travelers across country should be seen off and met.
(xc) In all large centers clearing hostels should be provided in which women can
l e housed until other accommodation can be found for them.
(xci) Lodgings with or without board in a family is generally the readiest and
most acceptable means of housing women and girls. An organized system is required
for providing suitable lodgings and keeping them under supervision. In the more
important areas this work is generally undertaken through officers of the Ministry of
Munitions, or by local billeting committees established by the central billeting board
under the billeting act. Under that act payments for rent and board can be guaran
teed. No use has hitherto been made of the power of compulsory billeting, and it
is doubtful how far it is workable in practice.
(xcii) In most areas the problem, however, is one not of lodgings but of housing,
and existed before the war. Assistance has been given in some areas to local authori
ties for the provision of additional permanent accommodation, but in the main the
requisite housing has had to be provided by the establishment of hostels and hut
ments.
(xciii) Hostels have not always been popular. Objection has been taken to living
in large institutions or under the control of the employer, also to the restrictions on
individual liberty which are involved. Some workers only use them on account of
the lack of other decent accommodation and the difficulty of housekeeping under
present conditions. It is of particular importance that the planning and management
of hostels should be thoroughly satisfactory. In Appendix F detailed suggestions
are given.
(xciv) Sickness, however temporary, among girls in lodgings involves much hard
ship, and may become serious if neglected, and special steps should be taken to deal
with it. Action is also necessary in the case of girls thrown out of work or otherwise
stranded, often through no fault of their owrn.
(xcv) Recreation is an essential aid to recovery from fatigue, and adequate provision
for it should be made, especially in those areas where large numbers of imported
workers are employed. Much attention is now being given to the subject and facilities
are steadily increasing. Where they can be organized central schemes available for
all workers in the district are to be preferred. More often, however, provision depends
upon the initiative of an individual firm and its workers, and most welfare supervisors
are concerned with schemes for recreation.
(xcvi) The maintenance of public order, notably in centers where large numbers of
girls are assembled, has led to the employment of women police and patrols. They
have done valuable service both inside the factory and outside the factory, also in
assisting the regular police.
(xcvii) Much has been done to improve the health and increase the efficiency of
the munition worker by the reduction in excessive drinking which has been brought
about through the restrictive measures of the central control board (liquor traffic).
The final report contains a number of appendixes, some of which
may be noted as follows: A report on “ A further inquiry into the
health of women munition workers” ; “ General findings of inquiries
into the health of women munition workers” ; a memorandum on
“ A comparison of the systems employed for dividing up working
hours into spells and breaks” ; summary of memorandum on “ The
causes of wastage of labor in munition factories employing women” ;
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Canteen planning and equipment; Hostel planning and equipment;
Home Office order in regard to first-aid appliances; Ministry of Muni
tions memorandum on “ The duties of welfare supervisors for women.”
SECOND REPORT ON JOINT INDUSTRIAL COUNCILS BY THE BRITISH
MINISTRY OF RECONSTRUCTION.1
The second report of the Committee on Relations between Employers
and Employed of the British Ministry of Reconst-uction was sum
marized in the M o n th ly R e v ie w for May, 1918 (pp. 59-61). Owing
to the very great importance of the joint industrial council plan as
inaugurated upon recommendation of the committee in its' first
report (the Whitley report), submitted on March 8, 1917, and pub
lished in full in Bulletin No. 237 of this bureau, this second report of
the committee, addressed to the Right Hon. D. Lloyd George, M. P.
(prime minister), is here reproduced in full:
Sir : Following the proposals made in our first report, we have now the honor to
present further recommendations dealing with industries in which organization on
the part of employers and employed is less completely established than in the industries
covered by the previous report, and with industries in which such organization is
weak or nonexistent.
2. Before commencing the examination of these industries the subcommittee came
to the conclusion that it would materially assist their inquiries if they could have the
direct advantage of the knowledge and experience of some representative employers
Who were connected with industries of the kind with which the committee were about
to deal; and it was arranged, with your approval, that Sir Maurice Levy, Mr. F. N.
ltepworth, Mr. W. Hill, and Mr. D. R. H. Williams should be appointed to act with
the subcommittee while these industries were under consideration. This arrange
ment made it possible to release from attendance at the earlier meetings of the com
mittee Sir Gilbert Claughton, Sir T. Ratcliffe-Ellis, Sir George J. Carter, and Mr. Allan
Smith, whose time is greatly occupied in other public work and whose experience is
more particularly related to the organized trades covered by our former report.
3. It is difficult to classify industries according to the degree of organization among
employers and employed, but for convenience of consideration the industries of the
country may be divided into three groups:
Group A .—Consisting of industries in which organization on the part of employers
and employed is sufficiently developed to render their respective associations repre
sentative of the great majority of those engaged in the industry. These are the indus
tries which we had in mind in our first interim report.
Group B .—Comprising those industries in which, either as regards employers and
employed, or both, the degree of organization, though considerable, is less marked
than in Group A.
Group C.—Consisting of industries in which organization is so imperfect, either as
regards employers or employed, or both, that no associations can be said adequately
to represent those engaged in the industry.
The present report is concerned with Groups B and C.
4. So far as groups A and C are concerned, a number of industries can be definitely
assigned to them. Group B, however, is necessarily more indeterminate. Some of
1Great Britain. Ministry of Reconstruction. Committee on Relations Between Employers and Em
ployed. Second report on joint standing industrial councils. London, 1917. 5 pp.
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the industries in this group approach closely to industries in group A, while othera
verge upon group 0. Further, most industries, in whatever class they may fall,
possess a “ tail,” consisting of badly organized areas, or sections of the industry. These
facts we have borne in mind in formulating our further proposals.
5. So far a3 industries in group B are concerned, we are of opinion that the pro
posals of our first report should, in their main lines, be applied to those which, on
examination by the Ministry of Labor in consultation with the associations concerned,
are found to be relatively well organized. We suggest, however, that where in these
industries a national industrial council is formed there should be appointed one or
at most two official representatives to assist in the initiation of the council, and con
tinue after its establishment to act in an advisory capacity and serve as a link with the
Government. We do not contemplate that a representative so appointed should be
a member of the national industrial council, in the sense that he should have power,
by a yote, to influence the decisions of the council, but that he should attend its meet
ings and assist in any way which may be found acceptable to it. By so doing he
would acquire a continuous knowledge of the conditions of the industry of which the
Government could avail itself and so avoid many mistakes that under present con
ditions are inevitable.
The question of the retention of the official representatives should be considered
by the councils in the light of experience gained when an adequate time has elapsed.
We anticipate that in many cases their continued assistance will be found of value
even after an industry has attained a high degree of organization, but in no case should
they remain except at the express wish of the councils concerned.
6. It may be that in some group B industries in which a national industrial council
is formed certain areas are well suited to the establishment of district councils, while
in other areas the organization of employers or employed, or both, is too weak to be
deemed representative. There appears to be no good reason why in the former areas
there should not be district industrial councils, acting in conjunction with the national
industrial councils, in accordance with the principles formulated in the committee’s
earlier report on the well-organized trades.
7. An examination of some of the industries coming within group B may show that
there are some which, owing to the peculiarities of the trades and their geographical
distribution, can not at present be brought readily within the scope of the proposals
for a national industrial council, though they may be quite well organized in two or
more separate districts. In such a case we think there might well be formed one or
more district industrial councils. We anticipate that in course of time the influence
of the district councils would be such that the industry would become suitable for
the establishment of a national industrial council.
8. In the case of industries in group B (as in the industries covered by our first
report), we consider that the members of the national councils and of the district
councils should be representatives of the employers’ associations and trade-unions
concerned. In the formation of the councils, regard should be paid to the various
sections of the industry and the various classes of labor engaged, and the representa
tives should include representatives of women’s organizations. In view of the extent
to which women are employed in these industries, we think the trade-unions, when
selecting their representatives for the councils, should include a number of women
among those who are appointed to be members.
9. It does not appear to us necessary or desirable to suggest any fixed standard of
organization which should exist in any industry before a national industrial council
should be established. The case of each industry will need to be considered separately,
regard being paid to its particular circumstances and characteristics.
In the discussion of this matter we have considered whether it would be feasible to
indicate a percentage of organization which should be reached before a council is
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formed, but in view of the great diversity of circumstances in these industries and of
the differing degrees to which several sections of some of them are organized, we have
come to the conclusion that it is more desirable to leave the matter to the decision of
the Ministry of Labor and the organizations concerned. Whatever theoretical standard
may be contemplated, we think its application should not be restrictive in either
direction.
10. The level of organization in industries in group C is such as to make the scheme
we have proposed for national or district industrial council inapplicable. To these
industries the machinery of the Trade Boards Act might well be applied pending the
development of such degree of organization as would render feasible the establishment
of a national council or district councils.
11. The Trade Boards Act was originally intended to secure the establishment of a
minimum standard of wages in certain unorganized industries, but we consider that the
trade boards should be regarded also as a means of supplying a regular machinery for
negotiation and decision on certain groups of questions dealt with in other circum
stances by collective bargaining between employers’ organizations and trade-unions.
In order that the Trade Boards Act may be of greater utility in connection with
unorganized and badly organized industries, or sections of industries, we consider that
certain modifications are needed to enlarge the functions of the trade boards. We
suggest that they should be empowered to deal not only with minimum rates of wages
but with hours of labor and questions cognate to wages and hours. We are of opinion
also that the functions of the trade boards should be extended so as to enable them to
initiate and conduct inquiries on all matters affecting the industry or the section of
the industry concerned.
12. If these proposals were adopted there would be set up in a number of industries,
or sections of industries, trade boards (consisting of representatives of employers and
employed, together with “ appointed members”) who would, within the scope of
their functions, establish minimum standard rates and conditions applicable to the
industry or section of the industry which they represented, and consider systematically
matters affecting the well-being of the industry.
13. Where an industry in group C becomes sufficiently organized to admit of the
institution of national and district councils, we consider that these bodies should be
set up on the lines already indicated. Where it appears to a trade board that an
industrial council should be appointed in the industry concerned, they should have
power (a) to make application to the minister of labor asking him to approach the
organizations of employers and employed, and (b) to suggest a scheme by which the
representation of the workers’ and employers’ sides of the trade board could be secured.
14. Whether in industries in group C the establishment of works committees is to
be recommended is a question which calls for very careful examination, and we have
made the general question of works committees the subject of a separate report.
15. We have already pointed out that most of the industries in groups A and B
have sections or areas in which the degree of organization among the employers and
employed falls much below what is normal in the rest of the industry, and it appears
to us desirable that the general body of employers and employed in aay industry
should have some means whereby they may bring the whole of the trade up to the
standard of minimum conditions which have been agreed upon by a substantial
majority of the industry. We, therefore, recommend that on the application of a
national industrial council sufficiently representative of an industry the Ministry of
Labor should be empowered, if satisfied that the case is a suitable one, to make an
order either instituting for a section of the industry a trade board on which the national
industrial council should be represented, or constituting the industrial council a trade
board under the provisions of the Trade Boards Act. These proposals are not intended
to limit, but to be in addition to, the powers at present held by the Ministry of Labor
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with regard to the establishment of trade boards in trades and industries where they
are considered by the ministry to be necessary.
16. We have already indicated (paragraph 9) that the circumstances and character
istics of each of the several industries will need to be considered before it can be
decided definitely how far any of our proposals can be applied in particular instances,
and we have refrained f rom attempting to suggest any exact degree of organization
which would be requisite before a particular proposal could be applied. We think,
however, that the suggestion we have made in the preceding paragraph to confer
upon a national industrial council the powers of a trade board should be adopted only
in those cases in which the Ministry of Labor is satisfied that the council represents a
substantial majority of the industry concerned.
17. We are of opinion that most of the chief industries of the country could be
brought under one or other of the schemes contained in this and the preceding report.
There would then be broadly two classes of industries in the country—industries
with industrial councils and industries with trade boards.
18. In the former group the national industrial councils would be constituted either
in the manner we have indicated in our first report, carrying with them district
councils and works committees, or on the lines suggested in the present report, i. e.,
each council coming within the scope of this report having associated with it one or
two official representatives to act in an advisory capacity and as a link with the
Government, in addition to the representatives of the employers and employed.
19. It should be noted that in the case of industries in which there is a national
industrial council, trade boards might, in some instances, be associated with the
council in order to determine wages and hours, etc., in certain sections or areas. It
is possible that in some allied trades, really forming part of the same industry, both
sets of proposals might, in the first instance, be in operation side by side, one trade
having its industrial council and the other its trade board. Where these circum
stances obtain, we anticipate that the trade board would be a stepping stone to the
full industrial council status.
20. It may be useful to present a brief outline of the proposals which we have so
far put forward:
(а) In the more highly organized industries (group A) we propose a triple organ
ization of national, district, and workshop bodies, as outlined in our first report.
(б) In industries where there are representative associations of employers and
employed, which, however, do not possess the authority of those in group A industries,
we propose that the triple organization should be modified by attaching to each
national industrial council one or at most two representatives of the Ministry of
Labor to act in an advisory capacity.
(c) -In industries, in both groups A and B, we propose that unorganized areas or
branches of an industry should be provided, on the application of the national indus
trial council and with the approval of the Ministry of Labor, with trade boards for
such areas or branches, the trade boards being linked with the industrial council.
(d) In industries having no adequate organization of employers or employed, we
recommend that trade boards should be continued or established, and that these
should, with the approval of the Ministry of Labor, be enabled to formulate a scheme
for an industrial council, which might include in an advisory capacity the “ appointed
members ” of the trade board.
21. It will be observed that the policy we recommend is based upon organization
on the part of both employers and employed. Where this is adequate, as in group A
industries, there is no need of external assistance. In group B industries we think
that the organizations concerned would be glad to have the services of an official
representative who would act as advisor and as a link with the Government. In
unorganized sections of both groups of industries we believe that a larger measure of
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Government assistance will be both desirable and acceptable, and we have therefore
suggested the adoption of the machinery of the Trade Boards Act in this connection.
In group C industries we think that organization will be encouraged by the use of the
powers under the Trade' Boards Act, and where national industrial councils are set up
we recommend that the “ appointed members” of the trade board should act on the
councils in an advisory capacity. Briefly, our proposals are that the extent of State
assistance should vary inversely with the degree of organization in industries.
22. We do not, however, regard Government assistance as an alternative to the
organization of employers and employed. On the contrary, we regard it as a means
of furthering the growth and development of such organization.
23. We think it advisable in this connection to repeat the following paragraph
from our former report:
It may be desirable to state here our considered opinion that an essential con
dition of securing a permanent improvement in the relations between employers
and employed is that there should be adequate organization on the part of both
employers and workpeople. The proposals outlined for joint cooperation throughout
the several industries depend for their ultimate success upon there being such
organization on both sides; and such organization is necessary also to provide means
whereby the arrangements and agreements made for the industry may be effectively
carried out.
24. In considering the scope of the matters referred to us we have formed the
opinion that the expression “ employers and workmen” in our reference covers State
and municipal authorities and persons employed by them. Accordingly we recom
mend that such authorities and their workpeople should take into consideration the
proposals made in this and in our first report, with a view to determining how far
such proposals can suitably be adopted in their case.
We understand that the Ministry of Labor has up to the present circulated our
first report only to employers’ and workpeople’s associations in the ordinary private
industries. We think, however, that both it and the present report should also be
brought to the notice of State departments and municipal authorities employing
labor.
25. The proposals we have set forth above do not require legislation except on
three points, namely, to provide—(1) That the trade boards shall have power, in addition to determining minimum
rates of wages, to deal with hours of labor and questions cognate to wages and hours.
(2) That the trade boards shall have power to initiate inquiries, and make pro
posals to the Government departments concerned, on matters affecting the industrial
conditions of the trade, as well as on questions of general interest to the industries
concerned, respectively.
(3) That when an industrial council sufficiently representative of an industry
makes application, the Ministry of Labor shall have power, if satisfied that the case
is a suitable one, to make an order instituting for a section of the industry a trade
board on which the industrial council shall be represented, or constituting the
council a trade board under the Trade Boards Act.
26. The proposals which we have made must necessarily be adapted to meet the
varying needs and circumstances of different industries, and it is not anticipated
that there will be uniformity in practice. Our recommendations are intended
merely to set forth the main lines of development which we believe to be essential
to ensure better relations between employers and employed. Their application to
the several industries we can safely leave to those intim ately concerned, with the
conviction that the flexibility and adaptability of industrial organization which
have been so large a factor in enabling industry to stand the enormous strain of the
war will not fail the country when peace returns.
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27.
Other problems affecting the relations between employers and employed are
engaging our attention, but we believe that, whatever further steps may be necessary
to accomplish the object we have in view, the lines of development suggested in the
present report and the one which preceded it are fundamental. We believe that
in each industry there is a sufficiently large body of opinion willing to adopt the
proposals we have made as a means of establishing a new relation in industry.
INDUSTRIAL COUNCILS AND TRADE BOARDS IN GREAT BRITAIN.
An entirely new departure affecting the relations between em
ployers and employed in Great Britain, with a view to improving such
relations and fostering a better understanding on both sides in order
to prevent many of the difficulties which have heretofore interfered
with complete cooperation between employers and workpeople, is
the proposal to establish joint standing industrial councils as set
forth in the so-called Whitley report submitted on March 8, 1917.
The plan suggested by the Reconstruction Committee subcommittee
on relations between employers and employed has aroused very great
public interest and promises to be one of the most significant and
far-reaching developments of the war, so far as labor is concerned.
T h is report was summarized in the M o n t h l y R e v i e w for Septem
ber, 1917 (pp. 130-132) and printed in full in Bulletin 237 of this
bureau (pp. 229-237). Subsequently, on October 18, 1917, the
committee issued a second report on joint standing industrial coun
cils, dealing especially with industries in which organization on the
part of employers and employed is less completely established than
in the industries covered by the first report, and with industries in
which such organization is weak or nonexistent. This report was
summarized in the M o n t h l y R e v i e w for May, 1918 (pp. 59-61) and
is printed in full in this issue (pp. 53-58). On the same date a sup
plemental report on works committees as a part of the industrial
council plan was issued and was noted in the M o n t h l y R e v i e w for
June, 1918 (pp. 163-165). The Whitley report was adopted by the
British Government as a part of the policy which it hopes to carry
into effect in the field of industrial reconstruction, and in a letter
dated October 20, 1917, addressed by the minister of labor to leading
employers’ associations and trade-unions, the attitude of the Gov
ernment toward the proposals of the report was fully explained.
This letter was published in the M o n t h l y R e v i e w for March, 1918
(pp. 81-84).
In this connection also the Government issued a leaflet (H. Q. 7B)
entitled “ Industrial Councils: the Recommendations of the Whitley
Report,” giving a brief outline of the principal recommendations of
the report, with a view to making them as generally known as possible.
Two sections of this leaflet, dealing with “ Industrial councils and the
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Government,” and “ The need for industrial councils,” were printed
in full in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for July, 1918 (pp. 27, 28).
Suggestions as to the constitution and functions of joint industrial
councils were issued by the British Ministry of Labor and published
in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for August, 1918 (pp. 76-79). In
addition to the supplemental report on works committees, men
tioned above, further data on these committees as a part of the
industrial council plan is contained in the report of an inquiry into
works committees made by the Ministry of Labor, a review of which
appeared on pages 81 to 84 of the August, 1918, issue of the M o n t h l y
L a b o r R e v i e w . Some general information as to the progress made
in the establishment of joint industrial councils was included in an
article in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for August (pp. 80, 81),
and an account of the adoption of the plan outlined in the Whitley
report by the pottery industry in Great Britain was given in the
M o n t h l y R e v i e w for April, 1918 (pp. 234-236). That the trades
have manifested a deep interest in joint industrial councils is indi
cated by their organization of the Industrial Reconstruction Council,
with a view to spreading the gospel of industrial councils and enlisting
the interest of employers’ associations and trade-unions. An account
of this movement appears on pages 64 to 66 of this issue of the M o n t h l y
L ab o r R e v ie w .
in d u s t r ia l
c o u n c il s a n d
trade
BOARDS.1
In order to make clear the relations between industrial councils
and trade boards and to suggest certain modifications which the
Government believes is necessary before the recommendations of
the second report of the committee can be put into operation, the
minister of reconstruction and the minister of labor have prepared
a memorandum which was issued under date of June 7, 1918, and
is here reproduced in full:
1.
The proposals contained in the first report on joint standing industrial councils
(Od. 8606) of the Committee on Relations between Employers and Employed have been
adopted by the Government. The steps which have been taken to establish industrial
councils have enabled the Government to consider the proposals of the second report
on joint standing industrial councils (Cd. 9002) in the light of experience. This
report, which deals with industries other than those which are highly organized,
follows naturally upon the first report of the committee, and develops the line of policy
therein proposed. It has not been found possible from the administrative point of
view to adopt the whole of the recommendations contained in the second report, but
such modifications as it seems desirable to make do not affect the principles under
lying the committee’s proposal for the establishment of joint industrial councils.
They are designed to take advantage of the administrative experience of the Min
istry of Labor with regard to both industrial councils and trade boards. In view of
the growing interest which is being taken in the establishment of industrial councils
and of the proposed extension of trade boards, it appears desirable to set forth the
modifications which the Government regard as necessary in putting into operation
1Great Britain. Ministry of Reconstruction. Industrial Councils and Trade Boards. Memorandum
by the Minister of Reconstruction and the Minister of Labor. Cd. 9085. London, 1918. 4 pp.
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the recommendations of the second report, and also to make clear the relations between
trade boards and industrial councils.
2. The first report on joint standing industrial councils referred only to the well
organized industries. The second report deals with the less organized and unorgan
ized trades, and suggests the classification of the industries of the country into three
groups:
Group A .—Consisting of industries in which organization on the part of employers
and employed is sufficiently developed to render their respective associations repre
sentative of the great majority of those engaged in the industry. These are the
industries -which we had in mind in our first interim report.
Group B .—Comprising those industries in which, either as regards employers,
employed, or both, the degree of organization, though considerable, is less marked
than in Group A.
Group C.—Consisting of industries in which organization is so imperfect, either as
regards employers or employed, or both, that no associations can be said adequately
to represent those engaged in the industry.
The proposals of the committee on relations between employers and employed are
summarized in paragraph 20 of their second report as follows:
(a) In the more highly organized industries (Group A) we propose a triple organiza
tion of national, district, and workshop bodies, as outlined in our first report.
(b) In industries where there are representative associations of employers and
employed, which, however, do not possess the authority of those in group A industries,
we propose that the triple organization should be modified, by attaching to each
national industrial council one, or at most two representatives of the Ministry of Labor
to act in an advisory capacity.
(c) In industries in both groups A and B, we propose that unorganized areas or
branches of an industry should be provided, on the application of the national indus
trial council, and with the approval of the Ministry of Labor, with trade boards for
such areas or branches, the trade boards being linked with the industrial council.
(d) In industries having no adequate organization of employers or employed, we
recommend that trade boards should be continued or established, and that these
should, with the approval of the Ministry of Labor, be enabled to formulate a scheme
for an industrial council, which might include, in an advisory capacity, the “ appointed
members” of the trade board.
It may be convenient to set out briefly the modifications of the above proposals,
which it has been found necessary to make.
(1) As regards (b) it has been decided to recognize one type of industrial council
only, and not to attach official representatives to the council, except on the application
of the industrial council itself.
(2) As regards (c) and (d) the relations between trade boards and industrial councils
raise a number of serious administrative difficulties due to the wide differences in
the purpose and structure of the two types of bodies. It is not regarded as advisable
that a trade board should formulate a scheme for an industrial council, nor is it probable
that trade boards for unorganized areas will be set up in conjunction with a joint
industrial council.
3. It is necessary at the outset to emphasize the fundamental differences between
industrial councils and trade boards. A joint industrial council is voluntary in its
character and can only be brought into existence with the agreement of the organiza
tions of employers and workpeople in the particular industry, and the council itself
is composed exclusively of persons nominated by the employers’ associations and
trade-unions concerned. The industrial council is, moreover, within very wide
limits, able to determine its own functions, machinery, and methods of working. Its
functions in almost all cases will probably cover a wide range and will be concerned
with many matters other than wages. Its machinery and methods will be based
upon past experience of the industry and the existing organization of both employers
and employed. Industrial councils will, therefore, vary in structure and functions
as can be seen from the provisional constitutions already submitted to the Ministry
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of Labor. Financially they will be sell-supporting, and will receive no monetary aid
from the Government. The Government proposes to recognize the industrial council
in an industry as the representative organization to which it can refer. This was
made clear in the minister of labor’s circular letter of October 20, 1917, in which it is
said that “ the Government desire it to be understood that the councils will be
recognized as the official standing consultative committees to the Government on all
future questions affecting the industries which they represent, and that they will be
the normal channel through which the opinion and experience of an industry will
be sought on all questions in which the industry is concerned.”
A trade board, on the other hand, is a statutory body established by the minister of
labor and constituted in accordance with regulations made by him in pursuance of
Ihe Trade Boards Act; and its expenses, in so far as authorized by the minister of labor
and sanctioned by the Treasury, are defrayed out of public money. The regulations
may provide for the election of the representatives of employers and workers or for
their nomination by the minister of labor, but in either case provision must be made
for the due representation of home workers in trades in which a considerable propor
tion of home workers are engaged. On account of the comparative lack of organization
in the trades to which the act at present applies, the method of nomination by the
minister has proved in practice to be preferable to that of election, and in nearly all
cases the representative members of trade boards are now nominated by the minister.
The employers’ associations and trade-unions in the several trades are invited to sub
mit the names of candidates for the minister’s consideration, and full weight is attached
to their recommendation, but where the trade organizations do not fully represent all
sections of the trade, it is necessary to look outside them to find representatives of the
different processes and districts affected.
A further, distinction between trade boards and industrial councils is, that while
industrial councils are composed entirely of representatives of the employers’ asso
ciations and trade-unions in the industry, every trade board includes, in addition to
the representative members, a small number (usually three) of “ appointed members,”
one of whom is appointed by the minister to act as chairman and one as deputy chair
man Of the board. The appointed members are unconnected with the trade and are
appointed by the minister as impartial persons. The primary function of a trade
board is the determination of minimum rates of wages, and when the minimum rates
of wages fixed by a trade board have been confirmed by the minister of labor, they
are enforceable by criminal proceedings, and officers are appointed to secure their
observance. The minimum rates thus become part of the law of the land, and are
enforced in the same manner as, for example, the provisions of the Factory Acts. Tho
purpose, structure, and functions of industrial councils and trade boards are therefore
fundamentally different. Their respective areas of operation are also determined by
different considerations. An industrial council will exercise direct influence only over
the organizations represented upon it. It will comprise those employers’ associations
with common interests and common problems; similarly its trade-union side will be
composed of representatives of organizations whose interests are directly interde
pendent. An industrial council therefore is representative of organizations whose
objects and interests, whilst not identical, are sufficiently interlocked to render
common action desirable. The various organizations represent the interests of em
ployers and workers engaged in the production of a particular commodity or service
(or an allied group of commodities or services).
A trade board, on the other hand, is not based on existing organizations of employers
and employed, but covers the whole of the trade for which it is established. As the
minimum rates are enforceable by law, it is necessary that the boundaries of the trade
should be precisely defined; this is done, within the limits prescribed by statute, by
the regulations made by the minister of labor. Natural divisions of industry are, of
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course, followed as far as possible, but in many cases the line of demarcation must neces
sarily be somewhat arbitrary. In the case of industrial councils difficult demarcation
problems also arise, but the considerations involved are somewhat different, as the
object is to determine whether the interests represented by given organizations are
sufficiently allied to justify the cooperation of these organizations in one industrial
council.
4. The reports received from those who are engaged in assisting the formation of
joint industrial councils show that certain paragraphs in the second report of the
committee on relations between employers and employed have caused some con
fusion as to the character and scope of joint industrial councils and trade boards,
respectively. It is essential to the future development of joint industrial councils
that their distinctive aim and character should be maintained. It is necessary,
therefore, to keep clearly in mind the respective functions of the joint industrial
council and the trade board, in considering the recommendations contained in the
following paragraphs of the second report:
“ (a) Paragraphs 3, 4, and 5, dealing with the division of joint industrial councils
into those that cover group A industries and those that cover group B industries.
“ (b) Paragraph 7, dealing with district industrial councils in industries where no
national council exists.
“ (c) Paragraphs 10, 13, 15, and 16, dealing with trade boards in relation to joint
industrial councils.
“ (d) Paragraphs 11 and 12, dealing with trade boards in industries which are not
suitably organized for the establishment of a joint industrial council.”
5. Distinction drawn between joint industrial councils in group A industries and
group B industries.—In paragraph 9 of the second report it is implied that the Ministry
of Labor would determine whether the standard of organization in any given industry
has reached such a stage as to justify the official recognition of a joint industrial council
in that industry. It is clear, however, that it would be impossible for the ministry
to discover any satisfactory basis for distinguishing between an industry which falls
into group A and one which falls into group B. It is admitted in paragraph 9 of
the second report that no arbitrary standard of organization could be adopted, and it
would be both invidious and impracticable for the Ministry of Labor, upon whom
the responsibility would fall, to draw a distinction between A and B industries.
The only clear distinction is between industries which are sufficiently organized to
justify the formation of a joint industrial council and those which are not sufficiently
organized. Individual cases must be judged on their merits after a consideration
of the scope and effectiveness of the organization, the complexity of the industry,
and the wishes of those concerned.
The experience already gained in connection with joint industrial councils indicates
that it would be inadvisable in the case of industries in group B to adopt the proposal
that “ there should be appointed one or at most two official representatives to assist
in the initiation of the council and continue after its establishment to act in an ad
visory capacity and serve as a link with the Government.” It is fundamental to
the idea of a joint industrial council that it is a voluntary body set up by the industry
itself, acting as an independent body and entirely free from all State control. Whilst
the minister of labor would be willing to give every assistance to industrial councils,
he would prefer that any suggestion of this kind should come from the industry rather
than from the ministry.
The main idea of the joint industrial council as a joint body representative of an
industry and independent of State control has now become familiar and the intro
duction of a second type of joint industrial council for B industries would be likely
to cause confusion and possibly to prejudice the future growth of joint industrial
councils.
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In Anew of these circumstances, therefore, it has been decided to adopt a single
type of industrial council.
6 . District industrial councils.—Paragraph 7 of the second report suggests that in
certain industries in which a national council is not likely to be formed in the immedi
ate future, it might none the less be possible to form one or more “ district” industrial
councils.
In certain cases the formation of joint bodies covering a limited area is probable.
It would, however, avoid confusion if the term “ district” were not part of the title
of such councils, and if the use of it were confined to district councils in an industry
where a national council exists. Independent local councils might well have a
territorial designation instead.
7. Trade boards in relation to joint industrial councils— The distinction between
trade boards and joint industrial councils has been set forth in paragraph 3 above.
The question whether an industrial council should be formed for a given industry
depends on the degree of organization achieved by the employers and workers in the
industry, whereas the question whether a trade board should be established depends
primarily on the rates of wrages prevailing in the industry or in any part of the indus
try. This distinction makes it clear that the question whether a trade board should
or should not be set up by the minister of labor for a given industry, must be decided
apart from the question whether a joint industrial council should or should not be
recognized in that industry by the minister of labor.
It follows from this that it is possible that both a joint industrial council and a trade
board may be necessary within the same industry.
In highly organized industries, the rates of wages prevailing will not, as a rule, be
so low as to necessitate the establishment of a trade board. In some cases, however,
a well-defined section of an otherwise well-organized industry or group of industries
may be unorganized and ill-paid; in such a case it would clearly be desirable for a
trade board to be established for the ill-paid section, while there should at the same
time be an industrial council for the remaining sections, or even for the whole, of the
industry or industrial group.
In the case of other industries sufficiently organized to justify the establishment of
an industrial council, the organizations represented on the council may nevertheless
not be comprehensive enough to regulate wages effectively throughout the industry.
In such cases a trade board for the whole industry may possibly be needed.
Where a trade board covers either the whole or part of an industry covered by a
joint industrial council, the relations between them may, in order to avoid any con
fusion or misunderstanding, be defined as follows:
(1 ) Where Government departments wish to consult the industry, the joint industrial
council, and not the trade board, will be recognized as the body to be consulted.
(2) In order to make use of the experience of the trade board, the constitution of the
the industrial council should be so drawn as to make full provision for consultation
between the council and the trade board on matters referred to the former by a Gov
ernment department, and to allow of the representation of the trade board on any
subcommittee of the council dealing with questions with which the trade board is
concerned.
(3) The joint industrial council clearly can not under any circumstances override
the statutory powers conferred upon the trade board, and if the Government at any
future time adopted the suggestion contained in section 21 of the first report that the
sanction of law should be given on the application of an industrial council to agree
ments made by the council, such agreements could not be made binding on any part
of a trade governed by a trade board, so far as the statutory powers of the trade board
are concerned.
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The minister of labor will not ordinarily set up a trade board to deal with an industry
or branch of an industry, in which the majority of employers and workpeople are
covered by wage agreements, but in which a minority, possibly in certain areas, are
outside the agreement. It would appear that the proposal in section 21 of the first
report was specially designed to meet such cases. Experience has shown that there
are great difficulties in the way of establishing a trade board for one area only in
which an industry is carried on, without covering the whole of a trade, though the
trade boards act allows of this procedure.
8.
Trade boards in industries which are not sufficiently organized fo r the establishment
o f a joint industrial council.—Section 3 of the Trade Boards Act, 1909, provides that
“ a trade board for any trade shall consider, as occasion requires, any matter referred
to them by a secretary of state, the Board of Trade, or any other Government depart
ment, with reference to the industrial conditions of the trade, and shall make a report
upon the matter to the department by whom the question has been referred.”
In the case of an industry in which a trade board has been established, but an
industrial council has not been formed, the trade board is the only body that can
claim to be representative of the industry as a whole.
It is already under a statutory obligation to consider questions referred to it by a Gov
ernment department; and where there is a trade board but no industrial council in an
industry it will be suggested to Government departments that they should consult
the trade board as occasion requires in the same manner as they would consult indus
trial councils.
On the other hand, for the reasons which have been fully set out above, industrial
councils must be kept distinct from trade boards, and the latter, owing to their con
stitution, can not be converted into the former. If an industry in which a trade
board is established becomes sufficiently organized for the formation of an industrial
council, the council would have to be formed on quite different lines from the trade
board, and the initiative should come, not from the trade board, which is a body
mainly nominated by the minister of labor, but from the organizations in the industry.
Hence it would not be desirable that trade boards should undertake the formation
of schemes for industrial councils.
INDUSTRIAL RECONSTRUCTION COUNCIL ORGANIZED IN GREAT
BRITAIN.
The possibilities of the joint standing industrial council as a method
of solving some of the great labor questions upon which depends the
proper reconstruction of industry after the war are rapidly becoming
recognized. Interest in the creation of such councils from the point
of view of the trade is evidenced by the formation in England of the
Industrial Reconstruction Council.
The Industrial Reconstruction Council is an unofficial propagandist
body established to preach the doctrine of self-government for indus
try and the reconstruction of industry by the industry itself; the
complete organization of every trade, with every man in his union
and every employer in his association, and from the two an elected
trade parliament in every trade with proper status and adequate
powers.
At present the interest of the council is centered in the formation
of joint industrial councils this being considered the first step toward
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the goal in view. Through literature and newspaper propaganda,
lectures, and other public meetings, the Industrial Reconstruction
Council is attempting to spread the gospel of industrial councils and
enlist the interest of employers’ associations and trade-unions. Its
work has been recognized by the Government and it is working in
close relation with various Government departments.
The council had its origin in a notice which appeared in the
press on October 10, 1917, signed by a large number of officers of
trade associations and editors of trade papers and others interested
in the movement for industrial self-government. This notice
reads as follows:
Cooperation between capital and labor is undoubtedly tbe most urgent industrial
question of the day, and many agencies are at work with a view to the establishment
of better relations between these two great forces of industry.
An exceptional opportunity now occurs to take a practical step in this direction.
For the duration of the war the Government is directly interested in every branch
of trade and industry, and each department of State is in constant touch with manu
facturers, trade committees, and associations of all kinds.
The practice of different departments varies considerably. Some set up ad hoc
committees for their own purposes, others consult leading experts, others again have
appointed joint committees of employers and employed.
In our opinion these innumerable connections between the Government and the
trades give an opening which may never occur again to establish the principle of
cooperation between labor and capital upon a sure and sound foundation.
Our suggestion is that the Government should adopt the uniform practice in all
industrial and commercial matters of consulting only joint bodies representative of
both employers and work people’s organizations.
In this very simple way the Government has the power to bring about an active
cooperation between labor and capital such as many interested parties have desired
for some time past.
In our view no industrial or commercial question ought to interest the Government
unless it also interests both capital and labor. The union between capital and labor
in the discussion of any matter which arose would materially strengthen the position
of a trade against unnecessary restrictions, and on the other hand any orders made by
the Government on the joint advice of both parties would be more likely to find
general acceptance.
Illustrations might be multiplied indefinitely. There must be many hundreds of
trade committees in negotiation with different Government departments at the
moment, and each case represents ah ideal opportunity for practical cooperation
between employers and employed. The effect of such a union on these committees
should be to spread a different spirit throughout the industrial world.
The opposition to our proposal will probably come chiefly from employers who have
not grasped the full significance of the newr spirit in industry. As a matter of fact,
employers no less than employed have a great deal to gain from such an arrangement.
Their position in relation to the Government would be immensely strengthened by
the cooperation of labor in matters which many of them have hitherto regarded as
outside the scope of joint action.
The opportunity for the course which we suggest will pass with the war, as the rela
tions between the Government and trade are then expected to become less intimate.
We therefore press for the immediate acceptance of the following principle:
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That any commercial or industrial matter ought not to interest the Government
unless it interests both labor and capital, and the consequent adoption of the following
policy:
That the Government will undertake to obtain and, wherever possible, accept
advice on these matters from bodies equally representative of both labor and capital.
STATUS OF CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES IN GREAT BRITAIN UNDER THE
MILITARY SERVICE ACTS, 1916.
A report made to the House of Commons, June 19, 1918, by the
Minister of National Service shows the effect of the war upon the
civil staff employed by Government departments in Great Britain.1
The report was made before the Military Service Act (No. 2) of 1918
became effective. It covers practically all persons in direct and con
tinuous employment of any Government department and those
employed by admiralty dockyards and outstations, technical officers,
etc., engaged on war production.
The total number of employees on August 1, 1914, is reported as
227,276, of which 36,272, approximately 15 per cent, were women.
The number reported as being employed on January 1, 1918, was
279,159, of whom 143,907, or 51.5 per cent, were women. This is an
increase of 296.7 per cent in the number of women employed. On
January 1,1918, there were 9,125 males under 31 years of age employed.
The post office department, which on August 1, 1914, employed
144,500 men and 32,000 women, at the time of the report employed
78,009 men, a decrease of 46 per cent, and 79,000 women, an increase
of 146.9 per cent. During the period 73,000 men were released for
war service.
Of the total number of men now employed, including of course
the technical officers referred to above, less than 2 per cent are men
under 31 years of age fit for general service.
The following condensed table shows the status of civil employees
(on Jan. 1, 1918) and the number of men and women employed on
August 1, 1914, by departments, considered on the basis of number of
employees.
1 Great Britain. Ministry of National Service.
London, 1918. 6 pp.
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Civil Staff Employed by Government Departments
[542]
G7
M O N TH LY LABOE REVIEW,
N U M B E R AND PE R CENT OF MEN AND WOMEN EM PLOYED IN GOVERNMENT DE
PARTM ENTS, GREAT B R IT A IN , ON JAN. 1, 1918, AS COMPARED W ITH AUG. 1, 1914, AND
N U M B E R OF MEN R E LE A SE D FOR SERVICE.
Number of males
employed.
Number of fe
Num
males employed.
ber of
Per _______________
Per cent men
cent of
over
of
demili
Aug. 1, At pres- erease. Aug. 1, At pres- increase.
tary
1914.
ent.i
1914.
ent.1
age em
ployed.
Department.
Admiralty (Headquar
1,632
ters) ...............................
Board of Customs..........
9,268
Minis try of Food,includ
ing Royal Commis
sion on Sugar Supply.
(<)
Board of Inland R ev
enue. . . .........................
9,030
Ministry of Labor...........
3,209
Ministry of M unitions...
(<)
Ministry of National
Service..........................
Ministry of Pensions__
(<)
Post Office....................... 144,500
2,614
Board of Trade...............
War Office.......................
1,445
All others.....................
19,306
191,004
4,063 3 149.0
7,724
16.7
1,053
4,618
2,239
6,756
98
21
(<)
48.9
30.2
250
1,017
0)
5,363
301
78,009
46.0
3,049 3 16.6
* 4,932 3 241.3
11.2
17,145
135,252
29.1
4,101
1,415
Num
ber of
boys
under
mili
tary
age em
ployed.
Num
ber re
leased
for
mili
tary
serv
ice.2
4,084.7
6,638.0
1,738
3,892
592
44
4
4,549
1,719,6
3,239
218.5
9,925 .................
1,208
663
3,815
475
3,367
1,376
522
3,086
32,000
15
156
2,715
9,811
5,313
79,000
1,842
9,665
11,961
146.9
12,180,0
6,095.5
340.6
1,927
159
45,000
1,628
2,791
10,572
36,272
143,907
296.7
73,983
1,032
1,652
334'
613
35
73,000
1,033
1,727
8,222
8,772
92,583
1 It is inferred from the report that this refers to Jan. 1,1918.
2 Under the military service acts, 1916.
8 Increase.
* Department formed since the outbreak of war.
As already noted the number of women employed in the service
as a whole increased approximately 300 per cent. In the depart
ments organized during the War women employees far exceed the
number of men employed. For the entire service the number of
women employed is 6.4 per cent greater than the number of men.
Many of the older departments have been compelled to expand to
meet special conditions. The post office is an exception. In this
department the number of employees decreased in number from
176,500 on August 1, 1914, to 157,009 on January 1, 1918. During
this period the number of women employees was increased by 47,000.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[543]
PROVISION FOR THE DISABLED AND FOR VOCA
TIONAL EDUCATION.
ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE DISABLED SOLDIER PROBLEM WITH
PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO CANADA.
BY MRS. M. A . G A D SBY .
From the point of view of the State the basic reason for the re
habilitation of disabled soldiers is economic. Every man who is a
productive unit is an asset to the State. One hundred per cent effi
ciency for the man is the goal most desirable from the point of view
of both the man and the State. Physical rehabilitation and reeduca
tion are decisive factors in the disabled man’s equipment to meet
life as affected by his disability, but it is his final placement in the
most suitable job which determines the use of that equipment and
to a considerable degree his economic success.
Before describing in detail Canadian placement methods, it may be
helpful to summarize briefly some of the factors which influence the
economic success of the disabled man.
1. Changes in the industrial world have taken place so rapidly
since the beginning of the War that conditions which the soldier left
upon his enlistment are almost certain to be found to be changed
upon his return to civilian life. Therefore, in order to choose for the
disabled men occupations which will endure in the future, it is nec
essary that the economic situation both before and since the out
break of the W7ar and the future stability of industry be understood.
Such knowledge must also be localized. This is the aspect of the
returned soldier problem which lias been least successfully handled
in all the belligerent countries.
2. After a man has been trained in the occupation in which he can
be most efficient, in the light of his previous training, education, and
experience, his disability, and his aptitudes, there is still to be con
sidered the employer, the job, and the fellow workman. The man
must have the cooperation of his comrades and the interest of his
employer; he must keep up standards of labor which are commen
surate with the public interest.
3. Disabled men must be placed in occupations in which they can
earn a living. The dearth of man power in the country demands a
supply of certain kinds of workers, but disabled men must be trained
not only in trades which meet the present need but also in trades
C8
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[544]
M ONTHLY LABOE BEVIEW.
69
in which they can hold their own after public sentiment has ceased
to demand their indulgence and they are forced to compete on equal
terms with the able-bodied.
4. The geographic location of the job must be considered. A man
whose home and associations are in one district is often unwilling
to move to another community if employment is obtainable in his
home district. A detailed knowledge of the employment situation
in each district is therefore necessary.
5. Length and type of training must be considered. Just enough
training to get a man a job under present abnormal conditions is not
sufficient. His equipment for the job must bo such as will gain the
cooperation of his employer, his fellow workers, and organized labor.
Care must also be taken that the training given is not for trades or
processes too highly specialized. This would limit the interest of the
work and the number of concerns where jobs are available, and would
place a man already handicapped by his disability more or less at
the mercy of a few employers.
6. Under the workmen’s compensation acts the employment of
disabled men constitutes an increased risk to the employer not only
on account of the increased liability of the man himself to injury,
but on account of the greater risk to other employees and to the
equipment of the plant. Until definite steps are taken to protect
the employer from this extrahazardous risk, discrimination against
disabled men will continue and they will be still further handicapped
in them search for jobs.
Canada has prepared for such difficulties of readjustment by the
creation of the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission, and the provincial
soldiers’ aid commissions.
The Invalided Soldiers’ Commission, formerly the vocational
branch of the Military Hospitals Commission, is a branch of the new
Department of Soldiers’ Civil Reestablishment, which was created
in February, 1918. The commission is charged with the vocational
education and other requisite training for civil life and the employ
ment of disabled officers and men discharged from the Canadian
Expeditionary Forces.
The provincial soldiers’ aid commissions were set up in 1915 by
the provincial governments, at the behest of the Dominion Govern
ment, to deal with the question of employment of returned men.
IN D U ST R IA L SU R V E Y AND EMPLOYMENT W ORK OF TIIE INV A LIDED
COMMISSION.
SO L D IER S’
The Invalided Soldiers’ Commission attempted to utilize technical
school courses for the reeducation of disabled men, but the number
of courses available was limited to a few trades and occupations and
resulted in the training of too many men in those trades. It was there
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M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.
fore considered advisable to increase the training facilities by placing
the men in the industries themselves for a part of their training, at
the same time bridging over the awkward gap between training and
actual working conditions, which has been found to be particularly
precarious for returned men. This course necessitated an intensive
survey of the industry, not only to determine the number of vacancies,
but to determine possible further openings in the trades which would
be suitable for handicapped men. Technical schools are now used
largely for preliminary training to familiarize the man with tools,
etc. After 3 to 5 months of such training men are placed in shops
and complete their training in the environment in which they will
work. This plan has helped to solve the question of employment
of reeducated men. They are usually absorbed by the industry in
which they are trained. In some localities men have been placed
with firms and concurrently with this experience they receive part
time or night class instruction. In Calgary, Alberta, 8-month
courses have been introduced in which the first 6 months is spent
half in school and half in industry and the last two months entirely
in the shop.
Placing men in industry necessitates: (1) Discrimination in the
selection of firms to which the men are assigned to insure the careful
training of the men. (2) Specific arrangement with each firm as to the
training to be received and the degree of efficiency to be attained
before the completion of the course. (3) Proper supervision of the
men under training to see that they are carrying out their part of the
contract. (4) Arrangements with the trade organization, in case
he is being trained in a trade which is organized, which will insure
each man’s welcome into the trade by his fellow empbyees. (5)
Supervision in order to maintain standards commensurate with public
safety and the efficiency and welfare of each man, in case he is placed
in a trade which is not organized. (6) Supervision of the general
working conditions in the factory in which the man is finally ab
sorbed. The majority of Canadian authorities have realized these
necessities and the industrial surveys have proved a successful
instrument in helping to bring about desirable results.
The officers making the surveys arc for the most part returned men
with technical education and a knowledge of industry. The policy
of the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission is to employ returned men so
far as possible particularly in those positions which necessitate direct
contact with the men. I t is considered that returned men are best
able to understand the difficulties of the disabled man and to meet
him on his own ground. The training of these surveyors included
visits to hospitals and convalescent homes to familiarize them with
the disabilities and the handicaps of the men. They then made them-
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
selves thoroughly conversant with the equipment, courses of study
and methods of instruction of the reeducation schools. Several
model surveys were first made under the direction of trained survey
officers at Ottawa, and the first surveys made in the Provinces were
made under the personal supervision of the head surveyor. I t was
found that short intensive surveys of the occupations or processes
which can be done by disabled men were best adapted to the purpose
at hand.
The initial contact with the industry is made with the general
manager, whom the surveyor visits and to whom he explains the
purpose of the work and the policy of the Invalided Soldiers’ Com
mission in placing the employer under no financial obligation, asking
only that the man receive thorough training in return for his services.
In 90 per cent of the cases no difficulty has been met on the part of
employers. The surveyor is usually introduced to the works super
intendent who takes him over the plant, explaining operations. A
survey is made of each department and a complete list of processes
involved in each occupation, with a detailed description of the physical
demand of each, the training and experience necessary, the disability
which each occupation would permit, and the number of men who
could be placed. The following forms serve as a practical guide for
the surveying officer.
SHEET A.
19 . . . .
M il it a r y H o s p it a l s C o m m i s s i o n .
VOCATIONAL BRANCH, 22 VITTORIA STREET, OTTAWA.
Industrial survey for determining the openings for training disabled soldiers in
industries .1
City........................................................................................................... U n it..........................
Firm name.......................................................................................................................................
Street................................................................................................................................................
Manufacturing............................................................................- ......................... .......................
General manager.......................................................................................................................... ..
Treasurer................................................................................................ ........................................
Superintendent............................... ............................................................................................ ..
Department.
Foreman.
Vocational officer.
Section sheets.
Investigator.
Easiest way to reach factory...............................................................................
M H. C. Form 150.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 Separate forms are made out for each occupation.
[ 547 ]
72
M ONTHLY LABOR ‘EEVIEW,
SHEET B.
Division of labor. Nature of job. Classification of grades in various divisions of
labor and permanency of employment taken from the pay roll and information
obtained from the chief officers of the concern.
Division of labor..................................................Foreman..........................................................
Number employed..............................................Disabled workers...........................................
Rate per day or hour..........................................Hours worked.................................................
First class..............................................................Second class...................................................
Nature of job...................................................................................................................................
Training needed.................................................. Time to train..................................................
..................... ..........................................................Could place....................................................
How acquired.................................................................................................................................
Work most closely related............................................................................................................
Advanced from.................................................. .Advanced to...................................................
Experience needed........................................................................................................................
Tools used........................................................................................................................................
Could a start be made in a school..............................................................................................
Education given in school.................................................... .......................................................
Equipment for school....................................................................................................................
Investigator.
(Date of Survey.)
M. H. C. Form 151.
SHEET C.
, 19
M il it a r y H o s p it a l s C o m m i s s i o n .
VOCATIONAL BRANCH, 22 VITTORIA STREET, OTTAWA.
G eneral class of
disability.
Could do this work having—
Lung wounds....................
Lung diseases....................
H ead...................................
N eck....................................
E ar......................................
E y e ......................................
Shell shock........................
Hernia................................
General debility...............
Abdomen...........................
Alimentary canal............
K idney...............................
Skin.....................................
Miscellaneous....................
Leg......................................
Toes.....................................
Arms..................................
M. H .C . Form 152.
From those, forms the report is written in detail. The data are
carefully indexed and tabulated. This information is very helpful
to the disabled soldiers’ training board in deciding whether or not a
disabled man should be advised to take training in the occupation
he has chosen, and is essential for the placement officer in finding
the job when the retrained man is ready for industry.
Each Province makes its own surveys and sends copies of them to
Ottawa. In Toronto alone, since the first of the present year, over
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
73
100 representative industrial plants have been surveyed, including
some of the largest in Canada. The aim is to make a complete
survey of industry throughout the Dominion, such information being
considered invaluable as a preparation for demobilization.
The system of putting men out in the factory for a part of their
training involves the finding of a definite position by the industry
for the man in that industry, and it has come about that the survey
officer, or, in the larger centers, a special officer appointed for the pur
pose acts as replacement officer for reeducation cases. A list is
kept of the firms surveyed and the kind of men they will take. When
a disabled man is ready to complete his course in industry, a suitable
firm is interviewed by the placement officer and asked to take him.
The man is sent with a letter or personally conducted by the place
ment officer to the firm desiring his services. For the remainder of
his training course he receives the regular pay and allowances
granted by the State through the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission 1
and the employer is under no obligation to pay him. If at the end
of the course which has been planned, the report is that the man
needs more training, he usually gets it. It was said that often men
are progressing so well in their courses at the end of six or eight
months’ training it is unwise to limit the courses to any definite
period. In most cases men so placed are absorbed by the shop.
Realizing the restlessness of the returned men and the difficulty
with which they become readjusted to industrial life, the commission
has arranged that the return to industry be gradual. In reeducation
schools men work from 9 to 12 a. m. and 2 to 5 p. m., if their strength
permits. The number of hours is gradually lengthened until they are
ready to complete their training in industry, when they are required
to work the hours usual in the trade, if able; otherwise special arrange
ments are made with the employer.
A weekly report of men placed is sent to Ottawa from each vo
cational branch office of the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission. This
report includes data concerning the course each man is taking, the
firm with which he is placed, the kind of work he will be required to
do, the wages he is to receive, and whether the placement is proba
tionary or permanent.
Twenty per cent of the returned men are cases for reeducation.
Of this number 10 per cent are able, with training, to return to their
previous jobs; the other 10 per cent are trained for new occupations.
The statement was made in Winnipeg that 60 per cent of the men get
their own jobs, and that it is almost entirely the men without previous
i Men undergoing training receive an allowance equal to the amount of the regular total disability pension.
For a single man the allowance is $59 per month. If subsistence is given by the Invalided Soldiers’ Com
mission a deduction of $30 per month is made. Allowance for married men is $38 per month and $35 to the
wife. Seven dollars extra is allowed for the first child and additional graded allowance for each additionl
child. Upon his satisfactory completion of the course each man is given one month’s pay as a bonus.
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. M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.
education who are placed by the commission. In that city from
January to June of the present year, 171 men were placed in industry
by the vocational branch of the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission. In
Toronto from January 1 to May 30, 1918, over 200 men were placed
by the survey department for training directly in the factory or shop,
and over 30 were taking half time in the industry and half time in the
commission’s classes at Toronto University. Twelve were graduated
within that time, 8 of the 12 were absorbed by the industry in which
they were trained, 3 were placed to advantage by the men who trained
them. The twelfth man found indoor work too confining and was
profitably employed as motor truck driver.
It is also the duty of the placement officer to visit the man while he
is finishing his course in the shop. In many of the centers this is
done once a week. The officer notes the sanitary conditions under
which the man is working, the suitability of the work for a man so
disabled, and determines whether or not he is being properly trained.
He observes the relation of the man to the other workmen, finds out
whether or not the man is satisfied and makes any adjustments
necessary. The foreman is interviewed and the man’s regularity of
attendance and progress, and his chances of success in the trade are
ascertained. The placement officer sees that the relation between
the foreman and the man being trained is a cordial one and that
the man is being fairly treated, but not pampered.
In case the work is unsuitable, it is sometimes necessary to transfer
the man to another course, or to another shop. In Toronto, 15 per
cent at most change their courses. After the course has been com
pleted and the men have been absorbed, they are occasionally visited
and any troubles that have arisen adjusted, if possible. A “ follow
up record” of each reeducation case is sent each month to Ottawa
until the man is definitely settled in a position.
In case the man is ill during the time he is undergoing training in the
factory, he must report that fact to the commission and a doctor is
sent him free of cost. The commission notifies the firm of the
reason for the man’s absence. In case he is absent without reason,
his pay for that time is withheld and allowances to his family for the
period are stopped.
The plan is to appoint a trained nurse and industrial service worker
in connection with this work, to look after the man’s home conditions
and to see that his home influences do not retard his progress.
SO LD IER S’ AID COMMISSIONS.
The general question of employment in Canada has been treated
as a provincial matter, and provincial commissions known as Returned
Soldiers’ Commissions have been set up in each of the Provinces to
supervise the employment of returned men. The employment
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
75
organization of the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission previously de
scribed deals with the employment of reeducated men. The system
of putting men out into factories for a portion of their training
involves the finding of a definite position by the industry for the
man in that industry, and the vocational officer or the survey officer
of the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission therefore acts as replacement
officer for reeducation cases. This arrangement leaves to the Sol
diers’ Aid Commission the duty of finding jobs for men who are not
eligible under the provisions of the law for reeducation.1 As it
actually works out, however, some of the men who are eligible for
reeducation refuse the privilege and it therefore falls to the soldiers’
aid commissions to find jobs for some disabled men also.
The soldiers’ aid commissions were appointed on the advice of
Ottawa, but no plan for their development was set forth by the
Dominion Government, and Ottawa in no way controls the policy
of the commissions. In consequence, the commissions have devel
oped differently in the several Provinces. In Ontario, for example,
the soldiers’ aid commission has supervision of the provincial tech
nical schools, in which some of the reeducation work is being carried
on. This arrangement complicates the work somewhat.
Reports of the men on the Soldiers’ Aid Commission records and
of their disposal are sent to Ottawa each month. Following is the
report of the Manitoba Returned Soldiers’ Commission for the month
of May, 1918:
M a n it o b a R e t u r n e d S o l d ie r s ’ C o m m is sio n .
Report to May 30, 1918.
MEN ON PROVINCIAL SECRETARY’S RECORDS.
A. C.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
E. F. men returned from overseas:
Returned to Canada medically unfit.............................................................. 5 (559
Recalled for duty (m ilitary).............................................................
Recalled for duty (civil, i. e., munitions, farming, e tc .)........................................
Compassionate grounds to complete studies, bandsmen, and no record..............
Stoppage of working pay.....................................................................
Total overseas C. E. F .................................................................................
B. Sundry overseas men, reservists, eximperials, naval ratings, etc ..................
2,3
C. C. E. F. men not been overseas...........................................................................
D. Royal Flying Corps from Canadian or American camps................................................
Total number of men on records...............................................................
(575
1 This does not mean that the 80 per cent of the returned men who are not eligible for reeducation are all
placed by these commissions. Some of the men find their own jobs, and some are placed by other agencies.
The actual placement problem of these commissions, however, is greater than that of the Invalided
Soldiers’ Commission.
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[5 5 1 ]
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M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW,
DISPOSAL OF ABOVE MEN.
A. At convalescent homes and hospitals under department of militia and
defense:
1. Men returned from overseas.............................................................................
696
2. Men not been overseas....................................................................................................
3. Diverted to other Provinces for treatment...................................................
2
Total undischarged undergoing treatment.............................................
638
B. Discharged men at convalescent homes, sanatoria, etc., under Invalided
Soldiers’ Commission:
1. Men returned from overseas.............................................................................
2 . Men not been overseas......................................... ............................................
3. Diverted to other Provinces for treatment...................................................
C. Returned to civil employment:
1. Men returned from overseas.......................................................................
2. Men not been overseas......................................................................................... 2 658
Included in above are—
Men who have returned to positions with former employers..............
261
Men who have returned to own business, etc..........................................
3
264
Employed by Federal G overnm entFormer positions.........................................................................................
28
New positions..........................................................................................
163
191
Employed by provincial government—■
Former positions.........................................................................................
New positions..............................................................................................
D.
E.
F.
G.
Returned overseas men still on m ilitary-duty.........................................
Applications from discharged men for work not yet filled ....................
Discharged men taking reeducation courses..............................................
Discharged men who have not yet applied for assistance......................
18
49
67
707
14
417
659
REMARKS.
Local employment committees of the soldiers’ aid commissions
have been appointed throughout the Provinces. In Ontario such a
committee exists in practically every district from which 10 men
have enlisted. There are now 133 branch offices in that Province.
These local committees draw up their own constitutions and appoint
their own officers, but they are responsible to the central office of the
provincial commission to which they report each month. A branch
inspector is appointed for each military district in the Province.
These provincial commissions depend very largely upon voluntary
assistance. In Manitoba, for example, there are 301 branch offices
and there is but one paid officer outside the main office at Winnipeg.
This fact coupled with the lack of funds handicaps the work of these
committees considerably.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOll REVIEW.
77
The method of procedure of the soldiers’ aid commissions in finding
jobs for returned men differs somewhat from that of the Invalided
Soldiers’ Commission. In Ontario the members of the Canadian
Manufacturers’ Association were circularized and asked to state the
name, salary, and occupation of men who had enlisted from their
establishments and whether or not such men would he reinstated
either in their previous employment or another upon their return..
There are now on file in the Ontario employment office of the soldiers^
aid commission records of practically all employers of labor in theProvince who have lost men through enlistment, stating that they
are willing to take back such men in their employment.
Each provincial office makes its own surveys through what is called
an “ outside service.” In the city of Toronto there are two outsideservice workers who each day visit employers in a given area and
report the number of men employed, the processes involved in the
industry, the number of jobs available, the conditions in the factory,,
etc. The plan is to eventually analyze all the jobs in the district.
This information is not written up in survey form but is indexed by
trade. Under the heading “ Gas fitters,” for example, there is listed
information concerning establishments employing men for such work..
This information includes the name and address of the employer,,
his telephone number, the nano of the employment manager, the
wages paid, and the conditions of employment. This list is used for
locating jobs for applicants. Another file is kept which lists the men
returned by trade and by disability. Here also is filed information
as to the prewar occupation and prewar wage of each man.
An attempt is made immediately to place every man who makes
application at the office. After he is placed members of the visiting,
staff call upon him from time to time and aid him in making any
adjustments necessary to his suitable placement. It is often thecase that several jobs are found for the same man before he is satis
factorily placed. A spirit of restlessness seems to be characteristic
of the returned man and many employers complain that they arc
“ no good.” It is easy perhaps to overlook the fact that it has taken a
vear to train a man to become a soldier and it is to be expected that
it will take a few months to reaccustom him to civilian life. Because
of theii better understanding of this attitude of mind, the soldiers’
aid commissions are also using returned men so far as possible for the
survey and placement work.
OTHER FUNCTIONS OF THE SOLD IER S’ AID COMMISSIONS.
The soldiers’ aid commissions do a great deal of relief work among
the soldiers’ families. Because of their close contact with the men
they are often able to adjust grievances which the soldier or his family
may have because of delayed pensions or allowances, thus preventing
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M O N TH LY LABOE REVIEW.
a great deal of dissatisfaction and unrest. In Ontario references to
casualties or anything affecting the soldier or his family are clipped
from the papers each day and a member of the visiting staff of the
soldiers’ aid commission calls upon the family to offer any assistance
possible.
These commissions and their local committees are informed from
the point of debarkation of the intended arrival of each discharged
man, and it is through them that the friends of returned men are
informed of their arrival. Upon a man’s arrival in the Province, he
is sent a letter of welcome and a form to fill out in case he desires
employment or aid of any sort from the soldiers’ aid commission.
It is obvious that a duplication of work resulted in the placement
and survey work of the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission and the sol
diers’ aid commissions. Both were surveying the same establish
ments, and in a few cases both found jobs for the same man. This
duplication has been the subject of two conferences at Ottawa and
plans for closer cooperation have been made. Under the present
arrangements, when a man enters upon a course of reeducation the
district vocational office of the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission notifies
the secretary of the provincial soldiers’ aid commission of the fact
and states fhe length of the course. One month before the course
is completed the district vocational office will notify the secretary of
the soldiers’ aid commission (the local provincial commission)
whether or not the district vocational office has a position for the
man. If he has a position in view, he will name it. If no position
is in sight, the secretary of the soldiers’ aid commission will endeavor
to place the man.
The principal criticism of the provincial soldiers’ aid commissions
seems to be that they do not fit men, that their object is to find them
jobs regardless of their suitability. It must be remembered, how
ever, that these commissions are very badly handicapped by lack of
funds and an adequate force to accomplish their colossal task. They
place many more men than the other agencies doing the same work
and are largely dependent upon voluntary assistance.
OTHER AGENCIES PLACING R E TU R N E D HEN.
There are also other agencies which are placing returned men.
The Great War Veterans’ Association, an enthusiastic and growing
organization of the veterans of the present war, is actively engaged in
placement work. In some localities they say that they feel that
this placement work should be done entirely by returned soldiers,
since the men in these associations would better understand the
psychology of the returned man. In Alberta overlapping on this
account is obviated because the secretary of the soldiers’ aid c o m m i s -
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M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.
79
sion is also secretary of the Great War Veterans’ Association for that
Province.
The regular provincial employment offices, set up to deal with
civilian employment, are placing soldiers who apply to them for jobs.
These agencies were purely provincial and in no way coordinated
until the recent passage of the Dominion Employment Offices Coordi
nation Act. This act authorizes and empowers the minister of labor—(а) To aid and encourage the organization and coordination of employment offices
and to promote uniformity of methods among them;
(б) To establish one or more clearing houses for the interchange of information
between employment offices concerning the transfer of labor and other matters;
(c) To compile and distribute information received from employment offices and
from other sources, regarding prevailing conditions of employment.
The act also provides for the appropriation of the Dominion
money to the extent of $100,000 for the fiscal year 1919 and
$150,000 for each succeeding fiscal year, this money to be allotted
‘fin the proportion which their expenditure for the maintenance of
employment offices bears to the total of the expenditures of all the
Provinces for such purposes, but in no case shall the allotment to
any Province exceed one-half the amount expended for the main
tenance of employment offices by such Province.” What effect this
act will have upon the existing employment situation in Canada is
hard to determine. It will be incumbent upon the Provinces them
selves to decide whether or not advantage will be taken of it.
The Khaki Club, an organization which has sprung up in eastern
Canada since the war, is doing free of charge to the soldiers a work
similar to that which is being done by the Young Men’s Christian
Association, and includes an employment office in its functions.
Placement work is comparatively simple now, when the public is
still stirred by the patriotism of these men and the demand for labor
is acute, but demobilization will give the problem a graver aspect,
and it is felt that there must be a central organization to deal with it.
The new employment act, the feeling of the war veterans that they
should do the work for themselves, the growing political power of
these veterans, and the several organizations already at work on the
replacement of returned men make the situation a very complicated
one.
The Province of Alberta has formulated an interesting plan for
dealing with the problem of demobilization. In brief, the plan is to
organize a central office with three branches: (1) Placement of re
educated men; (2) placement of men returned to prewar occupations;
(3) civilians. The man in charge of placement of reeducated men is
to be assigned from the vocational office and is to keep in close touch
with the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
THE TR AD E-U N IO N S.
As to the matter of cooperation with organized labor some diffi
culty seems to have been met owing to the fact that the Invalided
Soldiers’ Commission has no definite policy with regard to gaining
the cooperation of labor organizations.
Employers have to be circularized and visited, and they are cooper
ating, not only because of their need for workers but also because of
their interest in the work.
No attempt seems to have been made in some of the eastern Prov
inces to obtain the cooperation of any of the unions as organiza
tions. The unions seem willing to cooperate, however, and in some
of the western Provinces a very good feeling exists between the
unions and the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission. In Manitoba the
practice is to consult the union in case a man is to be trained in an
organized trade and when his training is over he is absorbed by the
organization. Here also members of the unions sit on the Disabled
Soldiers’ Training Board and assist the returned man in his choice of
a vocation.
WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION ACTS.
Difficulty has already been met in placing disabled men, because of
the workmen’s compensation acts. From the accident compensation
standpoint injuries sustained by physically defective workmen are
more serious than similar injuries sustained Ire normal workmen
and the accident or insurance costs to employers are increased. One
of the Canadian railway systems refuses to take men after their
training is complete until steps have been taken to protect the
employer in case of second injury. A commission at Ottawa has
been at work on the problem of insurance risk and has made a report
to the Dominion Government. It is expected that action will soon
be taken to improve the existing situation.
OUTPUT AND WAGES.
There is no statistical data available as to the effect of the employ
ment of disabled men on output. It is generally felt that in most
cases if a returned man is trained in a suitable occupation he will
be able to compete on equal terms with the able bodied.
Retrained men are in practically every case receiving wages higher
than their prewar wages. Just how far the present abnormal demand
for labor and the choice of occupation affect wages it is difficult to
determine. Both the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission and the pro
vincial soldiers’ aid commissions are taking care that returned men
receive the wages standard in the trade.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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M ONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
81
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST EMPLOYMENT OF WAR CRIPPLES.
Under tlie Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Act the training and
reemployment of disabled soldiers and sailors becomes the duty of
the Federal Board for Vocational Education. One of the principal
problems confronting the board is that of securing employment for
these men under fair and reasonable conditions. For the purpose of
securing information and suggestions regarding these problems, an
informal conference of the Federal board with representatives of State
compensation commissions and casualty insurance companies was held
in Washington, D. C., July 26, 1918. The discussion, however, was
not limited to military cripples. Particular emphasis was laid upon
the desirability of including the industrially disabled in whatever
replacement system was finally adopted for disabled soldiers. In
other words, the military rehabilitation hospitals, vocational training
schools, and so on, should be established with the view of extending
their activities into the industrial field and to be utilized for indus
trial purposes after the war.
The main discussion centered about the question of discrimination
against the employment of handicapped men—to what extent this
discrimination was due to the extrahazardous character of crippled
men and by what methods such discrimination could be best pre
vented. It was freely admitted, and a recent investigation of the
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics 1 substantiated the fact,
that the present industrial handicap of disabled men is a serious
problem. In normal times many employers refuse to employ even
their own industrial cripples, and few will employ such men if injured
in other establishments. The very fact that men are crippled, irre
spective of their worth or ability, closes the door of opportunity
against them. At present, however, because of patriotic sentiments
and scarcity of labor, replacement of handicapped men will not be
difficult. But the future welfare of our military and industrial crip
ples should not be dependent upon such uncertain factors as pa
triotism and labor supply.
While there was substantial agreement in the conference that the
employment of handicapped men affected adversely the plant output
and processes of production, there was a wide divergence of opinion
as to the extent such men increased the accident hazard either to
themselves or to their fellow employees. No statistical evidence was
presented in substantiation of either point. From the accident com
pensation standpoint, however, injuries sustained by physically de
fective workmen are more serious than similar injuries sustained by
normal workers and the accident or insurance costs to employers or
' See article on “ W hat becom es o i m en crippled in in d u stry ,” in M onthly L abo r R e v ie w for July
1918, pp. 32-49.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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82
M ONTHLY LABOE, REVIEW.
insurance carriers would be increased.1 The number of such acci
dents, however, as compared with the total, is practically negligible.
Moreover, the increased accident cost would in time be reflected in
raising the general level of insurance premiums. From the insurance
standpoint, therefore, the employment of physically defective men
would present no special problem, provided such men were distributed
uniformly among the various industries. But this does not hold true
as regards self-insured employers, because in such establishments
there is a greater and more direct connection between accidents and
compensation or insurance cost. There is a decided tendency among
self-insurers, through their system of physical examination, to dis
criminate against handicapped men. In Pennsylvania employers
under the compensation act, before they are granted the privilege of
carrying their own risk, are required to agree not to discriminate
against the employment of cripples, foreigners, and so on.
Several methods were suggested by means of which this discrimi
nation might be eliminated or at least minimized. The New York
plan received favorable consideration. Under the compensation act
of this State the liability of an employer for a second major disabling
injury is limited to the liability resulting from that particular injury
without reference to any prior disability. Compensation for the
remaining disability is paid out of a special fund, which could be
charged to the industry as a whole. Thus from the compensation
viewpoint the extra-hazard element inherent in a handicapped man
would be eliminated and one factor of discrimination removed. This
would require amendatory legislation on the part of every State.
Another plan suggested provides that the Federal Government shall
pay the entire costs of compensation for injuries, including those sub
sequently sustained in civil life as well as those sustained in the mili
tary service. It is maintained that the Government is responsible not
alone for injuries arising directly from the war, but for all subsequent
risks which result from such injuries. Thus the costs resulting from
a disabled soldier’s decreased reemployability, reinsurability, and pro
ductivity grow out of his military service and consequently are a
proper charge upon the Federal Government. Such a plan would
place a premium upon the employment of these crippled men and
would eliminate any fear of discrimination. It has the further
advantage of not being dependent upon State compensation laws.
The necessity of a general and decided increase in the compensation
scales of our State and Federal workmen’s compensation acts was
particularly emphasized. It was pointed out that in none of the
existing laws was the scale of benefits commensurate with the eco1 For a discussion of this problem see article on “ The problem of the handicapped man in industry,"
in M onthly R e v ie w for March, 1918, p p . 87-92.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
nomic losses sustained by reason of industrial or military injuries.
Adequacy of compensation benefits should be earnestly considered in
conjunction with the whole reemployment and rehabilitation problem.
OCCUPATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES FOR HANDICAPPED
PRINTING TRADES.
MEN
IN
THE
In view of the present demand for information concerning occupa
tional opportunities for handicapped men in the various industries,
the following table describing the processes and requirements in the
several occupational branches of the printing trade is of particular
interest. This table was prepared by the American Type Founders’
Co., of Jersey City, N. J. The schedule also shows the relative loss
of efficiency resulting from various types of injuries in each occupa
tion. The percentages given represent the personal opinion of the
superintendent based upon an experience of 23 years as a practical
printer, publisher, and editor, and are not the result of a statistical
study.
PERCENTAGES OF LOSS OF EFFIC IEN C Y RESU LTIN G FROM VARIOUS T Y PE S OF
INJURIES IN PR IN TIN G OCCUPATIONS, COMPUTED BY AMERICAN T Y PE FO UN D ER S
CO. OF JER SEY CITY, N. J.
Loss ofPrinting occupations.
One
Sight. Hear
ing. arm.
One Both
leg. legs.
P . ct. P . c t.
P . ct.
P . ct.
P . ct.
Estimators........................
50
25
50
2
10
Layout m en......................
100
10
50
2
10
Job compositors...............
100
5
75
5
25
Proof readers....................
100
10
2
2
2
Stone hands......................
100
2
100
25
100
Foremen, c o m p o s in g
room.
Foremen, pressroom___
100
10
10
1
50
100
15
50
1
50
Linotype operators.........
100
5
75
10
20
P laten pressman..............
100
10
60
90
100
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[559 ]
Nature of work.
Figuring costs of materials and tim e and fur
nishing prices on printing. Loss of efficiency
due to loss of one arm, one leg, or even both
legs is comparatively slight.
Planning jobs and advertisements. Ability to
write, draw, and design is necessary. Not
required to stand or to move around in search
of materials. Loss of efficiency due to loss of
one leg or both legs comparatively slight.
Setting type of various sizes and faces. Re
quires considerable moving around. Loss of
efficiency due to deafness or loss of one leg
almost negligible. Loss of one arm or both
legs would almost incapacitate for this work.
Detecting errors in the product of printers.
Requires thorough grounding in essentials of
grammar, spelling, and structural English.
Does not require moving around. Loss of
efficiency due to deafness is considerable, as
proof reader requires a copy reader. Loss of
one arm, one leg, or both legs would decrease
efficiency only slightly.
Makes up and locks up forms of type. Requires
much standing ana moving around. This
work could be done by a deaf person or one
who had lost one leg. Could not be done by
one who had lost sight, one arm, or both legs.
Supervisory in character. Could be done by
deaf, one-armed, one-legged, or legless person.
Supervisory in character. Could be done by
deaf, one-armed, one-legged, or legless person.
Similar to operating typewriter. Workman is
enabled to sit down. Work could be done by
deaf, one-legged, or legless man.
Making ready jobs on small presses. Work
man required to stand and use both hands.
Could be done by deaf or one-legged person.
84
M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
PER CENTAGES OF LOSS OF EFFICIENCY R E SU LTIN G FROM V ARIOUS T Y PES OF
IN JU R IE S IN PR IN TIN G OCCUPATIONS, COM PUTED B Y AM ERICAN T Y PE FO U N D E R S’
CO., OF JE R SE Y CITY, N. J.—Concluded
Loss of
Printing occupations.
One
Sight Hear
ing. arm.
One Both
leg. legs.
P . c t.
P . ct.
P . c t.
P . c t.
P . ct.
100
10
60
90
100
Web pressmen.................
100
10
100
90
100
Printing salesmen...........
75
5
5
5
100
Cylinder or automatic
pressman.
Proprietor..........................
50
1
10
2
10
Straight-matter c o m
positors (hand).
100
2
75
5
10
Feeders (platen)..............
100
2
100
10
25
Feeders (cylinder)...........
100
2
185
5
25
Paper c u tt e r s ................
100
2
100
20
100
Average loss of
efficiency.............
93
7
60i
25
50
1 If left arm is retained.
Nature of work.
Making ready jobs on cylinder or automatic
presses. Great skill required. Workman
required to stand and use both hands. Could
be done by deaf or one-legged person.
Operating newspaper presses. Deaf person
could do the work, but with a loss of effici
ency. Loss of sight or one limb would pro
hibit doing work of this character.
Soliciting printing business and . submitting
estimates. Could be done by a person losing
hearing, one arm, or one leg.
Executive work. Could be done by person
losing hearing, one arm, one leg, or both legs.
Setting plain reading matter, usually on coun
try newspapers. Deafness or loss of one leg
would not lower efficiency. Loss of both legs
would not materially reduce capacity for pro
duction, but would reduce efficiency owing
to necessity of requiring assistance 'in mov
ing about.
Placing sheets of paper in press and removing
same after being printed. Requires both
arms and hands. Deafness or loss of one leg
would not decrease efficiency. Loss of both
legs would reduce efficiency owing to neces
sity of requiring assistance in moving to and
from press.
Requires skill in placing large (usually) sheets
of paper to guides previous to being printed.
Deafness or loss of one leg would not decrease
efficiency. Loss of right arm would prove a
hindrance, but work could be successfully
performed if left arm is retained. Loss of
both legs would decrease efficiency to a great
extent unless a seat attached to press (which
can be easily done) is provided.
Requires the cutting of paper on either a
hand-lever or power paper cutter. Both
hands are required. Deafness would not
decrease efficiency. Loss of one leg would
decrease efficiency slightly. Loss of both
legs would incapacitate.
Loss of left arm would cause a 90 per cent loss of efficiency.
In this connection it may be of interest to present for some of the
same occupations the permanent disability ratings computed by the
California Industrial Accident Commission and used by them for
determining workmen’s compensation awards. The California
ratings vary with the age of the employee. The percentages given
in the following table represent the probable loss of earning capacity
of a man 35 years of age.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[5 6 0 ]
85
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
r a t i n g s f o r v a r i o u s i n j u r i e s i n p r i n t i n g OCCUPA
TIONS COMPUTED B Y IN D U STR IA L ACCIDENT COMMISSION OF CALIFORNIA.
p e r m a n e n t d is a b il it y
X
Loss of—
Occupation.
Sight.
Hearing.
Major
arm.
One
leg.
Both
legs.
P e r c e n t.
P e r c e n t.
P e r c e n t.
P e r c e n t.
P e r ceti',
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
34.0
34.0
39.0
39.0
39.0
60.3
60.3
54.0
54.0
54.0
Compositor........................................................... „..............
Linotype operator.........................................................
Pressman, w eb....................................................................
Pressman, other..............; ...............................................
Press feeder...........................................................................
39.0
39. Q
52.1
44.0
44.0
79.3
79. !
e i .î
89.2
89.2
REHABILITATION OF INJURED WORKMEN IN WISCONSIN.
The Industrial Commission of Wisconsin has just completed a
study of the industrial status of handicapped workmen in the city of
Milwaukee.1 The investigation was undertaken for the purpose of
throwing some light upon the problem of rehabilitating our disabled
soldiers, and it was hoped that the study would indicate what par
ticular trades and industrial processes were especially suitable for
crippled men. The great variations in experiences, however, made it
impossible to arrive at definite conclusions. In general it was found
that those factors which contributed to the failure of the physically
normal, such as “ bad home conditions, drink, Jack of thrift, neglected
education, and innate lack of stability,” also handicapped the phy
sically disabled. On the whole, however, according to the report, the
individual had met the problem of environment and physical defect
surprisingly well. Many of the facts and conclusions deduced from
the investigation coincided with those of the United States Bureau of
Labor Statistics in its recent study of industrial accidents in Massa
chusetts.2 The optimistic tenor of the Wisconsin report, however,
is hardly justified from the evidence submitted.
Of 76 injured employees studied 37 per cent were reemployed in the
same establishment, but only IS per cent followed their previous
occupation. Employers showed a greater interest in the men
injured in their own shops than in those disabled elsewhere, but the
choice of new employment for the injured workman when he returned
to work did not always show careful consideration. In fact the
disabled man was too frequently reemployed in a less skilled capacity.
The commission believed a little encouragement or personal study
would have resulted in the injured man obtaining a better paying
place than that of watchman or elevator operator.
According to the report it was relatively easy for the handicapped
man to obtain his first job. There was also a comparatively small
1 Report upon an investigation undertaken for the Industrial Commission of Wisconsin by Miss M.
Regina Dolan. The above article is based upon a typewritten copy of the report furnished the Bureau of
Labor Statistics in advance of publication
2 See article on “ What becomes of men crippled in industry,” in the Monthly L abor R ev ie w for July,
1918, pp. 32-49.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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86
M O NTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
percentage of shifting within the period, covered by the study. Many
men stated that they had never been refused positions on account
of their handicaps, whereas others cited their condition as a reason
for remaining in the position at small pay.
Twelve (16 per cent) of the injured employees were unemployed
at the time of the investigation and six more were too ill to work. Of
these 12 unemployed 6 were over 65 years of age and 11 were leg ampu
tation cases. It is more difficult for the man on crutches to obtain
employment than it is for the one-armed man or the man whose
general health is impaired. On the other hand a larger proportion
of the arm injuries necessitated a radical change of occupation. When
a handicap occurred late in life readjustment was more difficult and
unemployment more frequent. In fact it is almost impossible for
an aged cripple to obtain employment unless the employer takes a
special interest in him. The increased insurance risk was also fre
quently advanced as an objection to the employment of handicapped
men.
Another matter emphasized in the report was the deteriorating
effect of idleness following an injury. Disinclination to work varies
directly with length of unemployment. Self-pity fostered by his
family, return to work too long delayed, and lack of interest on the
part of the employer in providing suitable work, are potent factors
in retarding effective rehabilitation work. On the other hand,
through the weekly compensation check the injured employee main
tains a certain connection with his former employer and perhaps fur
nishes the impetus which sends him back to his old job.
The investigation disclosed the fact that it was difficult to find
work for a person whose health will not permit of continuous employ
ment. Employers do not want persons who are frequently absent,
because it interferes with routine. An attempt was made in one
factory to put two men recovering from tuberculosis on one job,
working in half-day shifts, but the plan failed.
A summary of the occupational readjustment of the 76 injured men
is shown in the following table:
IND U STR IA L STATUS OF 76 HAND IC A PPED H EN IN MILWAUKEE.
Item.
Number. Per cent.
Followed same occupation...........................
Followed different occupation.....................
Went into business or farming__ ______ _
Learned trades................................................
Studying in preparation for work...............
Too ill to work................................................
Unemployed..................................... .............
History unknown...........................................
Total.......................................................
11 remained with same employer.
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U4
2 29
7
2
4
6
12
2
76
18
38
9
3
5
8
16
3
100
2 17 remained with same employer.
[562]
M O NTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
87
The report concludes with the following general observations and
suggestions:
That occupational readjustment has been made with too much economic waste is
plain. An employer anxious to give work to an injured man must give careful con
sideration to the possibilities for reeducation where it is necessary. It is not enough
to pay the man his former wages and give him a job as watchman. True, it may be
troublesome to rearrange his machine so that he can operate it with one arm or sit
because standing is no longer possible, but the effort w ill not be wasted. The man
then becomes a productive, industrial asset and the danger of falling into loafing and
drunkenness are decreased. Scarcity of labor is leading to more careful placing and
the accomplishments of our allies in the rehabilitation of maimed soldiers have been
so forcibly presented to manufacturers and employers that they are becoming educated
concerning the possibilities still open to the handicapped man. * * * Reeducation,
when it is necessary, should be undertaken just as soon as the physical condition of
the man w ill permit. There should be no opportunity to lapse into self-pity or id le
ness. Delay in returning to work is deadly, though, of course, there should be no
hastening at the expense of health. Occupational therapy where it is possible, and
it should be possible in every hospital, w ill help to insure the return of the handicapped
man with as little waste as possible.
DISABLED SOLDIERS PLACED BY FRENCH INSTITUTIONS.
The National Office of Disabled and Retired Soldiers, which is under
the French ministries of labor and social welfare and has for its
special work the coordination of administrations and institutions
concerned with the welfare of disabled and discharged soldiers, has
issued a monthly leaflet, beginning with June, 1916, showing the
number of soldiers placed each month in remunerative work by the
various institutions reporting. These leaflets give, besides the
numbers placed in vocational groups, the specific employment of
each man, the nature of his disability, whether he has undergone
vocational reeducation, and whether he has returned to his former
occupation or been placed in a new one; also the institution through
which the placement was effected.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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' M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
The following table, compiled from the figures given in the leaflets,
shows the number placed monthly for the 17 months from June,
1916, to October, 1917, inclusive, by occupational groups:
D ISA BLED SOLDIERS PLACED B Y FR E N C H INSTIT U TIO N S AS R E PO R T ED B Y TH E
N ATIONAL OFFICE OF D ISA BL E D AND DISCHARGED SOLDIERS FROM JUNE 1916 TO
OCTOBER, 1917.
’
’
Sept.
15
21
2
19
4
18
25
26
63
16 14
13 16
40 100.
48
5
i
84 109 188 229 242 208 213 226 175 128 106
54
77 211 151 210
31
61
8
3
68
2
7
4
14
4
44
3
3
<
34
4
26
2
9
61
15
1
1
4
3
>
o
6
O
O
fc
A
15
30
8
12
88
23
16
70
88
63
13
10
21
20
13
c3
-Q
£
22 118 199
10
2
7
11
74
56
54
15 12
4
3
3
197 174 177 180 120 177 168
28 29 20 28 31 36 32
3
3
1
2
1
1
2
8
9
à
2
8
1
5
2
92 104
41 26
4
2
50
13
4
5
8
11
17
12
9
4
10
6
3
4
4
3
1
4
1
4
9
1
28 186
13 22
4
6
Total.
Aug.
2o
7
30
17
13
Oct.
June.
July.
23
2
1
bh
»
Mar.
May.
| Sept.
1917
Apr.
617
156
850
2,659
14
127
98 184
16 41
2
2,088
465
27
6
8
125
6
3
18
22
28
37
21
30
27
21
23
18
17
7
10
25
15
25
347
3
4
19
6
6
12
2
5
5
7
7
8
7
4
7
3
7
7
3
3
4
2
4
17
11
10
5
3
7
7
122
86
56
42
23
99
79 104
2/
16
41
39
55
44
56
70
1
28
30
21
15
71
5
8
93 167
76
64
49
53
33
56
to o
109
1,203
48
50
40
33
23
38
39
43
13
32
15
55
51
40
58
37
57
518
746
58
21
T otal.................... 157 426 394 656 858 825 798 663 887 864 519 169 271 257 766 >83
CO
I
Agriculture...................
B uilding...................... .
Transportation__ ___
Commerce and profes
sion s,..........................
Banking........................
Chemical industries.. .
Miners' industries.......
Metal industries...........
Wood industries..........
Glass industries...........
Stone industries...........
Book industries...........
India rubber, paper,
carton................ 7___
Leather and hide car
ton...............................
Textile, garment car
ton ...............................
Food carton..................
Fishing..........................
Office boys, messen
gers, etc.......................
Custodian......................
Domestic service..........
Various..........................
| June.
1916
Occupation.
10,224
FARM COLONIES IN GREAT BRITAIN.
A law entitled ‘/Small Holding Colonies Act, 1916,” which became
effective August 23 of that year, empowered the board of agriculture
and fisheries to acquire by purchase or lease and to manage for
experimental purposes farm colonies during the period of the war
and for 12 months thereafter. The measure was to give preference
to those disabled in the naval or military forces of the present war.
It came as a result of the report and recommendations of the depart
mental committee on the settlement and employment of sailors and
soldiers on the land.1 The board was limited to the purchase or lease
of 4,500 acres of land in England, and 2,000 acres each in Wales
(including Monmouthshire) and Scotland. The act does not apply to
Ireland. Recently, however, a bill was passed in the third reading,
June 6, 1918, increasing the above limits to 45,000 and 20,000 acres,
respectively.
Four colonies have been settled under the supervision of the board,
the first annual report of which has recently appeared covering the
* See Monthly R e v ie w , April, 1916, pp. 11-13, and September, 1916, pp. 87-90.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[564]
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
89
year 1917.1 Two of the colonies are on estates in England, which
have been acquired through long lease from the Crown, the third
on purchased land, and the fourth, in Wales, also on purchased land.
In the selection of applicants the board has found that only a small
portion of the ultimate settlers are disabled men. The board will
always be sympathetic to the claims of disabled men, it is stated,
but the first consideration in the selection of applicants must be their
prospective capacity for earning a living on the land.
The board notes that it does not have the power to advance
capital from state funds to enable them to take up holdings under
the scheme, but a considerable number of the applicants possess
capital which in some cases may be regarded as being adequate.
The original intention was to establish colonies devoted to fruit
and market gardening, dairying and mixed farming, and to cut up
the estates acquired into small holdings as soon as applicants possessed
of the necessary capital and experience were forthcoming; but this
plan has been modified somewhat, and the estates will be worked
for a time as one farm on the profit-sharing basis.
As yet the receipts from the operations of the colonies are very
small in comparison with the expenditures. Receipts have come
principally from the sale of live stock, grain, seed, and other produce;
expenditures have been for the purchase of cottages, land, stock,
and equipment. The receipts to December 31 amounted to £4,320
($21,023.28) and payments to £58,402 ($284,213.33).
MANUAL TRAINING SCHOOLS IN BRAZIL.
The State D epartm ent has subm itted to this bureau the following
communication from the American vice consul in charge at Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil:
By decree No. 13064, of June 12, 1918, the President of Brazil has approved the
regulations drawn up by the minister of agriculture, industry, and commerce for the
establishment of manual training schools, maintained by the Federal Government,
in every State of the Republic, and in the Federal District.
Each school is to include five workshops, equipped in accordance with the prevail
ing industries of the surrounding district, and each will offer two courses—one in
designing, prescribed for all students, and the other a primary course, for those who
do not present certificates of graduation from some State or municipal school.
The normal period of training will be four years, and students m il be admitted
between the ages of 10 and 16. The staff of each school will consist of a director, a
clerk, a professor for each of the above mentioned courses and a foreman for each
workshop.
i Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. Annual report of proceedings under the Small Holdings Colo
nies Act, 1916, for the year 1917. London, 1918, 6 pp.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[5651
PRICES AND COST OF LIVING,
RETAIL PRICES OF FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES.
R etail prices of food as reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
lor July, 1918, show, for all articles combined, an increase of 3 per
cent as compared w ith June, 1918. The prices of several articles
decreased. The five cuts of fresh beef show a decline of 1 per cent
each. Of the other articles wnich decreased in price, navy beans were
2 per cent cheaper, and lard, lamb, and coffee decreased less than
five-tenths of 1 per cent each. Bread, flour, and corn meal did not
change in price in the m onth.
A comparison of retail food prices for July 15, 1918, with those for
July 15, 1917, shows, for all articles combined, an increase of 15 per
cent. The greatest increases shown were for fresh beef and hens.
The cheaper cuts of beef, plate boiling beef and chuck roast, advanced
36 and 33 per cent, respectively. These cuts advanced more than
sirloin steak, which increased in price 29 per cent. Hens were 36 per
cent higher than a year ago. Lard, pork chops, bacon, ham, and
lamb show increases ranging from 19 per cent for lard to 25 per cent
for lamb. Five articles—beans, potatoes, flour, coffee, and bread—
were cheaper than in July, 1917.
A V ER A G E M ONEY R E TA IL PRICES A N D P E R CENT OF INC R EA SE OR D ECREASE
JULY 15, 1918, COMPARED W ITH JU L Y 15, 1917, A N D JUNE 15, 191S.
Average money price.
Article.
Sirloin steak..........................................................
Round steak..........................................................
Rib roast................................................................
Chuck roast.................................................. .......
Plate beef..........................................................
Pork chops.......................................................
Bacon..........................................................
H am .........................................................
Lard.............................................................
Lamb...........................................................
H ens.......................................................
Salmon, canned.....................................
Eggs.................................................................
B utter ......................................................
Cheese.............................................
Milk..........................................................
Bread.............................................................
Flour............................................................
Corn m eal.................................................
Unit.
Pound___
........ do
........d o ..
........do
___ do
........do _
do
do
do
do
do
__ do
Dnzp/p
Pound___
do
16-oz. !oaf 3
Pound___
dn
1 Decrease of less than five-tenths of 1 per cent.
2 Increase of less than five-tenths of 1 per cent.
90
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[566]
July 15,
1917.
June 15,
1918.
®0.327
.306
.257
.219
. 165
.316
.429
.396
.274
.299
.280
.266
.420
.459
.330
$0,426
.406
.335
.295
.227
.372
.515
.465
.326
.374
.376
.295
.425
.511
.332
.130
.087
.067
.067
.1 1 1
.088
.072
.059
Per cent of in
crease (+ ) or
decrease (—)
July 15, 1918,
com pared
with—
July 15, July 15, June 15,
1918.
1917.
1918.
$0.421
.403
.333
.291
.224
.379
.523
1 4S7
.325
.373
.380
.296
.491
.526
.335
.132
.087
.067
.067
+29
+32
+30
+33
+36
+ 20
+ 22
+23
+ 19
+ 25
+36
+ 17
+15
+ 2
+ 19
-
3 16 ounces, weight of dough.
4No change in price.
1
—7
+14
-
1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
+ 2
+ 2
+ 5
(')
0)
+1
(2)
+16
+ 3
+1
+ 2
(‘)
(4)
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
91
AVER A G E M ONEY R E T A IL PRICES AND P E R CENT OF IN C R EA SE OR DECR EA SE
JULY 15, 1918, COMPARED W ITH JULY 15, 1917, A N D JU N E 15, 1918-Concluded.
Per cent of in
crease (+ ) or
decrease ( —)
July 15, 1918,
com pared
with—
Average money price.
Article.
Unit.
R ice.........................................................................
Potatoes..................................................................
Onions....................................................................
Beans, n a v y ..........................................................
Prunes.'............................................... ...............
Raisins, seeded.....................................................
Sugar..'...................................................................
Coffee......................................................................
Tea....................................................................
Pound___
..
___do
........d o ..
do
.. do
........d o ..
.. d o .„
do
July 15,
1917.
June 15,
1918.
SO. 106
.04.3
.051
.195
.160
.148
.091
.306
.599
10.125
.029
.048
.176
.166
.151
.091
.302
.647
July 15, July 15, June 15,
1918.
1917.
1918.
?0.129
.039
.053
.173
.167
.151
.092
.301
.653
All articles combined..........................................
1 No change in price.
+ 22
-10
+ 3
+34
+ 4
-11
+
+
+
+
4
2
1
2
9
+15
+ 10
2
1
+
0)
+
(2)
+
1
1
+ 3
2 Decrease ol less than five-tenths of 1 per cent.
For the five-year period July 15, 1913, to July 15, 1918, all food
combined showed an increase in price of 69 per cent. For every
article for which prices are secured by the bureau there was an increase
of 50 per cent and over in the five years and for four articles the in
crease exceeded 100 per cent, as follows: Meal, 123 per cent; pota
toes, 105 per cent; lard, 104 per cent; and flour, 103 per cent.
AVERAGE MONEY R ETAIL PRICES AND PE R CENT OP INCREASE OR DECREASE
JULY 15 OF EACH SPECIFIED YE AR COMPARED W ITH JULY 15, 1913.
Per cent of increase ( + ) or de
crease (—) July 15 of each
specified year compared with
July 15,1913.
Average money price July 1 5 Article.
Unit.
1913
Sirloin steak............
Round steak............
Rib roast..................
Chuck roast.............
Plate beef.................
Pork chops...............
Bacon........................
Ham..........................
Lard..........................
Lamb........................
Hens..........................
Salmon, canned___
Eggs..........................
B utter.......................
Cheese.......................
Milk..........................
Bread........................
Flour........................
Com meal.................
R ice...........................
Potatoes...................
Onions......................
Beans, n a v y ............
Prunes___T..............
Raisins......................
Sugar........................
Coffee........................
T ea............................
All articles combined.....................
1914
1915
1918
1914
1915
1916
Pound $0.265 $0.270 $0.265 $0.287 $0,327 $0.421
.. .d o .. .233
.245
.240
.260
.306
.403
.. - d o .. .201
.208
.206
.220
.257
.333
.. .d o . .
.175
.167
.179
.219
.291
.. .d o . .
.127
.123
.132
.165
.224
.. .d o . . .216
.222
.211
.234
.316
.379
__d o ..
.290
.278
.273
.270
. 429
.. .d o .. .282
.279
.265
.323
.396
.487
.. .d o .. .159
.154
.145
.208
.274
.325
. . . d o . . .197
.203
.209
.235
.299
.373
. . .d o .. .217
.241
.280
.219
.208
.280
. . .d o . .
.198
.200
.266
.296
Dozen
.300
.300
.278
.319
.420
.491
Pound .347
.355
.343
.343
.459
.526
.. .d o ..
.232
.243
.330
.335
Quart. .088
.088
.087
.088
.111
.132
16-oz.2. .050
.055
.063
.062
.088
.087
.041
Pound .033
.032
.038
.072
.067
.. .d o .. .030
.031
.033
.033
.059
.067
.. .d o ..
.091
.091
.106
. 129
. . .d o .. .019
.015
.027
.023
.043
.039
.052
.. .d o ..
.035
.053
.051
.. .d o ..
.076
.195
.117
.173
. . .d o ..
.135
.134
.160
.167
. . .d o ..
.125
.128
.151
.148
. . .d o .. .054
.052
.070
.087
.091
.092
.. .d o ..
.299
.299
.306
.301
__d o . .
____ ____ .546 .546 .599 .653
+ 2
+ 5
+ 3
0)
+ 3
+ 2
+ 8 + 23
+ 12 + 31
+ 9 + 28
+ 59
+ 73
+ 66
1 No change in price.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1916
1917
-
+ 8 + 46
+ 75
+
+
- 6
- 9
+ 6
+ 15
+31
+ 19
+ 11
+
+
+
+
-
7
+ 6 + 40
+ 2 + 32
+ 64
+ 52
- 1
+26
+ 24
+ fee
+ 74
+ 10!
+ 123
-
O)
1
4
- 1
+
+
+
+
40
72
52
29
73
101
89
75
+ 10
+ 26
(U
+24 + 76
+ 15 + 118
+ 10 + 97
+ 42
-2 1
+21
+ 126
+ 105
-
+30
+ 61 + 69
+ 70
1
+ 11 + 47
+ 68
C1 )
+ 10
- 3
+ 3
4
-F 3
+
2 Loaf; 16 ounces, weight of dough.
[567]
1918
+ 3
1
3
3
1
2
1917
92
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
A table of relative prices based also on the year 1913 follows. These
relatives are carried to show the trend of prices. Relatives for six
teen articles only are given, as actual prices and weights were available
for only this number in 1913. Beginning with 1914, weights were
given to two more articles, chuck roast and plate boiling beef, and they
were incorporated in the index number for all articles combined. In
1915, cheese, rice, coffee, and tea became available both as regards
prices and weights, making 22 articles in all that now enter into
the index number for all articles shown in the table. As the rela
tives in this table are not extended to decimals, comparisons based
on them as to per cent of increase or decrease between various dates
will in some cases differ slightly from the percentages shown in the
preceding table.
RELATIVE R E TA IL PRIC ES OF FOOD ON JU N E 15 A N D JULY 15, 1918, AND ON JULY 15,
1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, A N D 1917.
[The relative price shows the per cent th at the average price on the 15th of each month was of the
average price for the year 1913.]
1918
Article.
June
15.
Sirloin steak.
Round steak.
Rib roast.......
Pork chops...
Bacon.............
H am ...............
Lard...............
Hens...............
E ggs...............
B utter...........
M ilk...............
Bread.............
Flour.............
Corn meal__
Potatoes
Sugar.............
July 15-
U nit.
Pou nd___
.. .d o ..........
. . .d o ..........
__d o ...........
.. .d o ..........
__d o ..........
__d o ..........
. . .d o ..........
Dozen.......
Pou nd___
Quart.......
16-oz.loafL
Pound___
. . .do..........
__d o ..........
. . .d o ..........
All articles combined.
July
15.
1913
1914
1915
1916
168
182
169
177
191
173
206
177
123
133
146
174
203
223
171
165
166
181
168
180
194
181
206
178
142
137
148
174
203
223
229
167
104
104
102
103
104
104
101
102
87
91
99
100
101
98
110
100
106
109
105
106
101
103
97
103
87
89
100
110
98
103
155
95
105
107
104
100
100
98
93
97
81
90
98
126
125
103
85
127
113
116
112
111
107
120
132
113
93
93
100
124
116
103
134
160
162
167
100
102
100
111
1917
129
137
130
151
159
147
174
122
120
125
176
220
195
24ft
166
146
116 ounces, weight of dough.
In the following tables actual average prices are given for 50
cities from which retail dealers report monthly to the bureau. Infor
mation is given more in detail for the 19 larger cities shown in the
first table than for the smaller cities in the second table.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[568]
M ONTHLY LABOR
REVIEW.
93
AVERAGE R ETA IL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD FOR 19 SELECTED
CITIES FOR JULY 15, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, AND JUNE 15, 1918.
[The prices shown below are computed from reports sent monthly to the bureau by retail dealers. As
some dealers occasionally fail to report, the number of quotations varies from month to month.]
Atlanta, Ga.
Article.
Unit.
Julv 151913
Sirloin steak.............
Round steak.............
Rib roast...................
Chuck roast...............
Plate beef..................
Pork chops...............
Bacon, sliced............
Ham, sliced..............
Lard...........................
Lamb.........................
H ens...........................
Salmon, canned.......
E ggs...'......................
Butter........................
Cheese........................
Milk............................
Bread.........................
Flour..........................
Com meal..................
R ice............................
Potatoes.....................
Onions.......................
Beans, n avy.............
Prunes.......................
Raisins, seeded........
Sugar..........................
Coffee..........................
Tea.............................
1914
June
1917
1918.
Baltimore, Md.
July
15,
1918.
1913
Unit.
.
Julv 151913
•
Sirloin steak.............
Round steak.............
Rib roast...................
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef..................
Pork chops...............
Bacon, sliced............
Ham, sliced..............
Lard...........................
Lamb.........................
H ens...........................
Salmon, canned.......
E ggs...'......................
Butter........................
Cheese........................
Milk............................
Bread.........................
Flour..........................
Corn m eal.................
Rice............................
Potatoes....................
Onions.......................
Beans, navy.............
Prunes...." ..............
Raisins, seeded........
Sugar..........................
Coffee.........................
T ea.............................
1917
Pound.. $0. 260 30. 278 $0. 310 $0. 400 SO. 398 $0. 243 SO. 264 $0. 334 80.468
...d o ....... .215
. 234
.277
.375
.366
.230
.244
.320
.459
...d o ....... . 191
.233
.301
.207
.300
.200
.200
.256
.368
.. .do.......
. 168
. 192
.263
. 264
-168
229
315
.. .do.......
.213
. 108
. 158
141
172
248
. 209
...d o ....... .245
.240
.314
.383
.386
.200
.200
.330
.'429
.. .do....... .320
.542
.311
.427
. 550
.260
.412
. 230
.486
__do........ . 310
345
436
. 297
. 391
.470
. 482
^20
.. .do....... . 157
. 282
. 150
142
263
.333
. 336
222
...d o ....... .200
.204
.400
.303
.400
.190
.208
! 320
’ 411
. .do....... . 201
. 356
201
. 362
.223
. 240
.218
.228
4OI
.. .do.......
. 230
.249
. 246
256
263
D ozen... .226
.404
.271
.353
.431
.259
.253
.399
. 415
Pound.. .371
.363
.565
.574
.485
.370
.362
.475
.544
.. .do.......
. 338
.343
344
248
.345
Q uart... .100
.100
.135
.200
.200
.088
.087
. 108
! 130
16-oz.1. . . .053
.052
.090
.089
.089
. 048
.050
.077
.083
Pound.. .636
.034
.070
.071
.071
.032
.032
.073
.067
__do........ . 026
. 058
057
.028
. 051
053
.025
.025
062
.. .do.......
. 108
105
120
. 133
. 136
__do........ .022
.054
037
044
.039
.017
.028
. . .do.......
.070
.058
.062
052
049
.. .do.......
. 188
179
179
. 191
. 189
.. .d o.......
.173
. 183
. 178
' 167
. 157
.. .do.......
. 150
. 161
. 156
145
150
.. .do....... .058
082
. 092
093
. 098
. 055
.046
.019
088
. . .do.......
. 295
. 298
' 274
285
. 293
.. .do.......
.780
.842
.877
.626
.673
Birmingham, Ala.
Article.
1914
June
15,
1918.
1914
June
1917
1918.
July
15,
1918.
1 Loaf; 16 ounces, weight of dough.
7 7 2 6 2 ° — 18------ 7
[5 6 9 ]
80.466
.459
.368
217
249
.420
.495
320
. 403
268
.456
.550
350
.130
.083
.068
121
055
179
*167
152
282
'.675
Boston, Mass.
1913
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
Pound.. $0. 281 $0. 294 $0. 345 «0. 421 $0.436 $0.358 $0.382 80.432 80. 551
...d o ....... .225
.244
.318
.397
.401
.358
.372
.440
.568
...d o ....... .206
.231
.267
.340
.360
.256
.253
.308
.394
.. .d o.......
. 181
. 216
. 305
. 289
.180
.264
.346
...d o .......
.125
.180
.230
.237
...d o ....... .200
.238
.315
.352
.368
.242
.237
.330
.405
...d o ....... .350
.350
.467
.541
.549
.258
.247
.420
.480
...d o ....... .313
.338
.425
.454
.460
.330
.333
.426
.491
__do........ .168
- 316
. 163
. 280
. 320
.. .d o....... .233
*260
383
250
.219
.305
.400
. 400
__do........ . 173
- 323
. 336
. 221
.190
.262
.260
.. .d o.......
291
309
. 255
.288
. 291
D ozen... .283
.356
.317
.405
.444
.373
.363
.504
.561
Pound. . .390
.367
.495
.535
.547
. 355
.348
.516
.470
.. .do.......
.332
223
324
.345
. 335
Q uart... .103
.100
.128
.153
.160
.089
.089
1120
. 140
16-oz.1. .. .048
.050
.095
.087
.090
.052
.052
.082
.082
P ound. . .038
.037
.072
.072
.072
.038
.037
.079
.069
.. .do....... .023
055
.051
. 054
.025
.035
.035
.. .do.......
111
125
. 105
. 125
. 131
...d o ....... . Ò2Ì
.033
.045
.034
.041
.022
! 042
.027
! 032
...d o .......
.058
.051
. 055
.057
.060
.. .do.......
. 189
192
178
. 179
. 179
...d o .......
.158
. 159
. 153
. 168
. 167
...d o .......
.157
.154
.156
. 148
. 152
.. .do....... .055
.052
. 091
088
092
.096
.091
.054
.053
.. .do.......
.321
.335
. 321
! 345
! 344
.. .do.......
.758
.757
.765
.636
.643
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
July
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
80. 550
.571'
.397
.335
.427
.485
.499
3) ;
. 639
.522
33 ]
. 145
.081
.069
127
: 051
.067
177
170
. 152
092
! 342
.642
94
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
A VERAGE R E TA IL PRICES OF THE PR IN C IPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD FO R 19 SELECTED
C ITIES FOR JU L Y 15, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, A N D JU N E 15, 1918—Continued.
Buffalo, N. Y.
Article.
Unit.
July 15—
1913
Sirloin steak.............
Round steak............
Rib roast...................
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef.................
Pork chops...............
Bacon, sliced...........
Ham , sliced..............
Lard...........................
L am b.......................
H en s. .
Salmon, canned. . .
E ggs....'.....................
Butter...
Cheese........................
Milk............................
Bread.........................
Flour..........................
Com m eal.................
Rice............................
Potatoes....................
Onions............... .......
Beans, navy.............
Prunes. . . . ’ .............
Raisins, seeded........
Sugar..'......................
Coffee.........................
Tea.............................
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
Chicago, 111.
July
15,
1918.
July 15—
1913
Unit.
July 151914
1913
Sirloin steak.............
Round steak............
Rib roast...................
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef.................
Pork chops. . .
Bacon, sliced...........
Ham, sliced..............
Lard...........................
Lam b.........................
H ens..........................
Salmon, canned___
Eggs...........................
Butter........................
Cheese........................
Milk............................
Bread.........................
Flour..........................
Corn m eal..........
Rice............................
Potatoes....................
Onions.......................
Beans, n a v y ............
Prunes___1 ..............
Raisins, seeded .......
Sugar.........................
Coffee.........................
Tea.............................
1917
June
15,
1918.
Pound.. $0. 240 SO. 236 SO. 321 10. 409 SO. 415 $0.242 SO. 260 $0. 302 SO. 379
.386
.266
.391
.213
.349
.214
. 233
.298
.. .do....... .208
.246
.326
.323
.202
.212
.246
.. .do....... . 170
.178
.319
.226
.291
.174
.293
.279
__do........
. 162
.217
.233
.. .do.......
.231
. 122
. 128
.172
. 165
.214
.226
.406
.414
. . .do....... .223
.343
.204
.204
.292
.360
.419
.486
.316
.439
...d o ___
.250
.224
.480
.327
• 550
. . .do....... .287
.469
.277
.408
.323
.481
.330
.414
.488
. 136
.. .do....... . 145
.258
.307
. 309
.316
. 151
. 150
.258
.339
.346
.202
__do........ . 170
.356
. 177
.265
.215
. 287
. 253
. 286
. . .do....... .220
.387
.391
.218
.202
.199
.343
...d o .......
.280
.277
.269
.303
.255
.4.26
.253
.261
D ozen... .283
.434
.501
.253
.406
.394
.496
.439
Pound.. .330
.320
.510
.323
.312
.432
.468
__do........
.327
.319
.342
.315
.339
Quart. . . .080
.110
.080
. 130
.130
.080
.100
.100
.119
.086
16-oz.i... .050
.101
.044
.088
.088
.054
.053
.089
.062
.062
.030
.071
.029
Pound.. .031
.029
.070
.063
.026
.066
.. .do....... .028
.059
.069
.028
.028
.058
.068
. . .do.......
. 107
. 123
. 124
. 122
. 105
...d o — . . Ò2Ò .029
.044
.038
.025
.021
.027
.029
.050
.062
. . .do.......
. 060
.055
.042
. 040
. 194
.169
. . .do.......
. 174
. 199
. 175
.. .do.......
. 173
. 176
. 148
. 158
.169
__do........
. 130
.141
. 140
. 147
. 148
.089
.. .do....... .053
.051
.088
.090
.086
.051
.050
.087
. . .do.......
.293
.293
.300
. 293
.282
__do........
.593
.504
. 590
.571
.581
Cleveland, Ohio.
Article.
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
j
1 Loaf; 18 ounces, weight of hough.
[ 570]
*0. 377
. :-5J
.318
. 285
.213
.547
.491
.318
.357
.353
.303
.457
.480
.345
. 120
.089
.065
. 068
. 037
.046
. 173
. 171
. 148
.088
. 284
.581
Denver, Colo.
July 15—
1913
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
Pound. . SO. 260 SO. 276 SO. 309 $0. 416 SO. 395 $0.253 SO. 246 SO. 325 •SO. 412
.239
.292
.372
. . .do....... .230
.390
.232
.231
.303
.387
__do........ .200
. 197
.241
.3*1
.311
. 307
. 179
. 249
.178
.. .do___
.168
.224
.283
.294
. 220
.167
283
. . .do.......
.122
. 157
.223
.211
.
201
. 100
. 151
.241
.373
.. .do....... .232
.379
.203
.211
.341
.361
.311
. . . do....... .301
.289
.436
.490
.490
.310
.446
.290
.548
...d o ....... .380
.350
.431
.491
.488
.333
.325
.448
.511
.. .do....... . 165
. 161
.319
.316
. 280
. 163
. 158
.342
.289
.. .do....... .207
.209
.361
.280
.365
. 353
. 178
. 184
.310
.286
.231
.364
__do........ .220
. 358
. 214
.211
.273
.390
...d o .......
.289
.254
.289
.250
.289
.293
D ozen... .298
.457
.431
.495
.271
.293
.424
.417
.356
.464
Pound.. .352
.508
. 525
.364
.297
.433
.478
. . .do.......
.323
.324
.320
.346
.352
Q uart... .080
.080
.100
.130
. 130
.084
.112
.084
.098
16-oz.1. . . .049
.050
.090
.088
.088
.048
.048
.090
.100
.032
.026
Pound.. .032
.074
.070
.071
.045
.056
.059
...d o ....... .027
.066
.029
.054
.068
.024
.025
.050
.058
. . .do.......
. J04
. 108
. 128
. 117
. 135
.029
.033
.047
.037
.045
.026
...d o ....... .020
.021
. 018
__do........
.052
.052
.048
.046
.053
. . .do.......
. 156 .153
.208
. 171
.201
.162
.. .do ......
. 161 .167
. 177 . 168
. . .do....... .......
. 130 .147
. 150
.147
. 157
...d o ...... . 053 .052
.092
.090
.090
.056
.092
.050
.095
__do.......
• 2§6
. 309 .304
.280
.294
.616
...d o .......
.632
.503
.602
.570
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
July
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
SO. 411
. 395
3]6
. 290
202
. 381
.569
. 515
. 316
356
356
. 280
. 467
.492
.115
.101
.055
.059
134
038
. 049
. 157
. 168
. 147
.096
306
. 60S
95
.MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
A V ERAGE R E TA IL PRICES OF THE*PR IN C IPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD FO R 19 SELECTED
CITIES FOR JU L Y 15, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, A N D JU N E 15, 1918—Continued.
Detroit, Mich.
Unit.
Article.
July 15—
1913
Sirloin steak..............
Round steak............
Rib roast...................
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef.................
Pork chops...............
Bacon, sliced............
Ham. sliced..............
Lard...........................
Lam b.........................
H ens..........................
Salmon, canned___
E ggs. . . ' .....................
B utter.......................
Cheese........................
Milk............................
Bread.........................
Flour..........................
Corn m eal___: .........
Rice............................
Potatoes.....................
Onions.......................
Beans, navy.............
Prunes___ ..............
Raisins, seeded........
Sugar. .1...................
Coffee.........................
T ea.............................
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
Los Angeles Cal.
July
15,
1918.
July 151913
Unit.
July 151913
*
Sirloin steak.............
Round steak............
Rib roast...................
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef.................
Pork chops...............
Bacon, sliced............
Ham, sliced..............
1,ard...........................
Lam b.........................
H ens..........................
Salmon, canned. . .
E ggs...........................
Butter........................
Cheese . ..
Milk............................
Bread................„......
Flour..........................
Corn meal.................
Rice .
Potatoes.....................
Onions__
Beans, navy .
Prunes........
Raisins, seeded.
Su gar..'.....................
Coffee. . .
T ea...........................
1917
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
Pound. . $0. 250 SO.253 80.302 80. 394 80.392 SO. 240 $0.230 $0. 268 SO. 331 SO. 329
.210
.209
. . . d o . . . . .202
.220
,277
.367
.237
. 365
.311 , .312
.260
.312
.196
.196
.. .d o ___ .198
.201
.315
.218
.289
.285
__d o .. . .
.208
.277
.275
. 160
. 181
.237
.237
. 165
.. .d o ___
.119
.217
. 197
.197
. 158
.218
. 125
. 143
.. .d o ----- .206
.254
.251
.311
.368
.375
.345
.417
.415
.213
.. .d o ___ .245
.423
. 502
.340
.335
.585
.593
.245
.493
. 480
.568
.400
.482
.344
.564
.. .d o ----- .280
.300
.493
.367
.467
. 169
.276
.332
.281
.324
.326
. 183
.334
. 158
. . .d o----- .163
.361
. . .d o ___ . 176
.310
.369
.314
.319
.290
. 188
. 187
.281
. . .d o ----- .216
.284
.376
.264
.362
.216
.385
.264
.260
.348
. . . d o ___
.251
.304
.304
.277
.374
.372
Dozen... .270
.424
.447
.273
.445
.330
.343
.405
.528
.505
.326
.438
.341
.566
.492
.504
.370
.451
.481
P o u n d .. .337
.. .d o ___
. 308
.336
.342
.320
.326
.328
.110
.100
.100
.130
.140
Quart. . . .079
.085
.120
.130
.100
16-oz. b .. .050
.050
.083
.084
.084
.079
.079
.053
.053
.078
.031
.073
.071
.072
.036
.070
.069
.067
P ou nd.. .032
.037
.. .d o ----- .028
.063
.072
.032
.063
.073
.073
.031
.073
.035
.. .d o ___
. I ll
. 127
. 131
. 103
. 128
.131
.. .d o ___ .019
.029
.044
.027
.017
.012
.026
.022
.023
.043
.. .d o ___
.048
.031
.032
.039
.051
.053
. .. d o ___
. 196
. 161
.173
. 167
.165
. .d o .. . .
. 166
. 164
. 174
. 176
. 163
. 168
.. .d o ___
.142
. 139
. 153
.149
. 137
. 139
. . .d o ___ .053
.088
.089
.052
.083
.087
.088
.050
.093
.055
.. .d o ___
. 294
.301
. 302
.304
.302
. 307
.500
.542
.611
.639
.565
. .. d o ___
.559
New York, N. Y.
Article.
1914
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
Philadelphia, Pa.
July
15,
1918.
July 151913
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
Pound. . $0. 270 80. 273 80.337 80. 441 80. 439 $0.320 $0.326 $0.389 SO. 539
.452
. . .d o ----- .261
.269
.337
.463
.275
.285
.365
.498
.279
.382
.227
.234
.298
.. .d o ----- .226
.224
.375
.397
.253
.346
.
170
.219
.313
.311
.185
...d o ....
. 122
. 170
.236
. . .d o ___
. 199
.285
.288
.151
. . .d o ----- .226
.406
.343
.410
.232
.326
.397
.222
.230
.256
.279
.423
. . .d o ----- .264
.422
.484
.498
.265
.511
.327
.317
.459
.522
. . .d o ----- h 215 2.209 2. 285 2. 341 2.346
.326
. .. d o ___ . 162
. 156
.274
.322
. 153
.149
.275
.327
.336
.332
.210
.320
.. .d o ___ . 181
. 177
.258
.215
.395
.429
.410
.238
.313
. . . d o . . . . .226
.218
.287
.403
.233
.249
.269
.303
.352
.334
.d o___
. 445
464
.362
.503
. 573
.304
.315
Dozen... .359
.478
.512
.453
. 514
.392
.395
. 567
.335
.508
Pound.. .344
.356
.372
.339
.332
.328
. .d o ___
.080
.110
.120
.127
.080
.090
.114
. 128
Quart. . . .090
.079- . 083
.086
.043
.043
. 086
16-oz.1... . 057
.054
.088
.032
.031
.077
.071
.072
.072
.032
.076
Pound. . .033
.028
.054
.068
.080
.079
.027
.070
.. .d o ----- .034
.035
. 126
.110
. 131
. .d o ___
. 122
.105
.021
.029
.027
.037
.038
.042
.. .d o ----- .025
.026
.044
.057
.052
.049
. .d o ___
.056
.048
.182
. 177
. . .d o ___
. 178
.188
.168
.152
. 161
. 173
.177
.d o ___
. 136
.143
. 142
. 151
. 149
d o ___
.080
.087
.088
.088
.050
.047
.. .d o ___ .049
.04^, .084
.278
.
273
.d o ___
.279
.274
.262
.603
.540
.583
__d o ___
.555
.520
* Loaf; 16 ounces, weight of dough.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2 Whole.
July
15,
1918.
$0. 531
.483
.391
.350
.239
.419
. 527
.533
.323
.391
.434
.265
.520
.576
.361
. 120
.083
.071
. 068
. 138
.048
.056
.171
. 170
.144
.089
.268
.569
96
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
A VERAGE R ETA IL PRICES OF TH E PRIN C IPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD FOR 19 SELECTED
CITIES FOR JULY 15, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, A N D JU N E 15, 1918—Continued.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Article.
July 15—
Unit.
1913
Sirloin steak.............
Round steak.............
Rib roast....................
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef.................
Pork chops...............
Bacon, sliced...........
Ham, sliced..............
Lard..........................
Lam b.........................
H ens..........................
Salmon, canned___
Eggs...........................
Butter........................
Cheese........................
Milk............................
Bread.........................
Flour..........................
Corn meal..................
Rice............................
Potatoes....................
Onions.......................
Beans, navy.............
Prunes.......................
Raisins, seeded........
Sugar..........................
Coffee.........................
Tea.............................
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
New Orleans, La.
July 15—
July
15,
1918.
Pound.. $0.230 $0.243 $0,299 $0,382 $0,380
.212
. ..d o .......
.365
.225
.281
.376
.241
.. .do.......
. 188
. 187
.315
.305
. ..d o .......
. 168
.222
.290
.281
. ..d o.......
.124
.221
.215
.157
.305
.354
. ..d o .......
.200
.215
.356
.282
.415
.502
...d o .......
.286
.506
. ..d o .......
.290
.280
.397
.462
.464
. ..d o .......
.322
.321
. 156
.158
.279
.301
. ..d o .......
.205
.208
.379 * .377
. .do.......
.344
.206
.208
.259
.343
. ..d o .......
.259
.288
.294
.252
.380
Dozen .. .238
.376
.450
.432
.474
Pound.. .313
.326
.493
. ..d o.......
.300
.316
.312
.070
.090
.103
.100
Q uart... .070
.080
16-oz.i... .050
.051
.100
.080
.072
.031
.065
.065
Pound.. .031
.030
.033
.073
.070
. ..d o .......
.066
. ..d o .......
.132
.113
.135
.020
.041
. ..d o .......
. 020
.029
.057
. ..d o .......
.048
.045
.053
. ..d o .......
.152
.150
.208
. ..d o .......
.158
.156
.153
. ..d o .......
.148
.150
.148
. ..d o ....... .055
.050
.087
.088
.091
. ..d o .......
.273
.270
.269
. ..d o .......
.572
.612
.620
1914
231
261
300
151
213
193
276
341
093
045
039
027
020
052
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Article.
July 15
Unit.
1913
1917
June
15,
1918.
235 $0.282 $0,347
204
.314
.243
204
.234
.307
.182
150
.244
124
.194
.153
243
.309
.381
297
.538
.459
.383
. 454
268
143
.276
.325
218
289
.392
.284
211
.377
.293
.317
295’ .375
.359
339
. 453
.505
.318
.318
.142
097’ .116
042
.079
.079
037
.076
.073
.051
028
.061
.114
.089
029’ .053
.018
.051
.031
.176
.166
.162
.162
.157
.157
.089
.088
.264
.249
.614
.601
July
15,
1918.
July 151913
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
P o u n d .. $0.275 $0.283 $0,360 $0.494 $0.471 $0.248 $0.283 $0.321 $0,384
... .d o ----- .248
.255
.336
.464
.440
.253
.229
.310
.379
. . .d o ___ .218
.223
.276
. 183
.205
.312
.376
.366
.256
. . .d o ----.177
. 246
.337
.327
.161
.217
.265
.170
.129
.234
.135
.. .d o----.248
.162
.212
.233
.338
. . .d o ___ .230
.397
.198
.213
.308
.352
.398
.300
.435
.260
.. .d o ___ .295
.529
.278
.492
.537
.419
.429
.315
.275
.411
.. .d o ----- .315
.515
.273
.477
. 519
. . .d o ___ .155
.155
.282
.141
.325
.322
.126
.292
.243
.348
.190
.203
.. .d o ___ .208
.227
.396
.301
.379
.391
__d o ___
.190
.265
.268
.356
.428
.180
.438
.249
.338
__do___
.284
.311
.267
.313
.297
Dozen... .271
.421
.214
.240
.273
.437
.489
.374
.377
.465
.358
.520
.530
.333
.340
Pound.. .357
.457
.503
. . .d o ___
.331
.336
.343
.329
.316
.090
.103
.125
.080
.080
.110
.128
.120
Quart... .086
.091
.050
.047
.085
.092- .087
16-oz.i... .048
.085
.049
.032
.030
P o u n d .. .033
.073
.067
.067
.029
.066
.062
.. .d o ----- .027
.030
.065
.022
. 054
.069
.068
.026
.057
. . .d o . . . .
. 104
.124
.133
.099
.126
__d o ___
.041
.029
.038
.645
.019
.026
.039
.038
. . .d o ___
.050
.058
.046
.049
.043
. . .d o ____
.195
.174
.174
.172
.197
. . .d o . . . .
.155
.177
.180
.168
.168
. . .d o ___
.144
.143
.143
.169
.163
.095
. . . d o . . . . .055
.055
.095« .094 . .052
. 050
.087
.088
.. .d o ___
. 283
.286
.298
.296
. . .d o___
.666
.750
.581
.738
.688
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 Loaf; 16 ounces, weight of dough.
[572]
July
15,
1918.
$0,339
.313
.303
.231
.193
.387
.542
.450
.330
.368
.375
.323
.448
.513
.325
.142
.079
.073
.064
.119
.030
.043
.161
.165
.154
.090
.251
.615
St. Louis, Mo.
O
Sirloin steak.............
Round steak............
Rib roast...................
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef.................
Pork ch op s..............
Bacon, sliced...........
Ham, sliced..............
Lard...........................
L am b........................
H ens..........................
Salmon, canned___
E g g s ..'.....................
B utter.......................
Cheese........................
Milk............................
Bread........................
Flour..........................
Corn meal..................
Rice..........................
Potatoes......... ..........
Onions.......................
Beans, navy.............
P run es.. . . . .............
Raisins, seeded........
Sugar.........................
Coffee.........................
T ea..................... .......
1914
June
15,
1918.
1917
July
15,
1918.
$0,384
.379
.316
.264
.212.366
.494
.494
.296
.376
.340
.300
. 425
.522
.333
.123
.088
.063
.057
. 129
.034
.044
.170
. 166
.165
.090
.270
.683
97
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
AVER A G E R E TA IL PRICES OF TH E PR IN C IPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD FOR 19 SELECTED
CITIES FOR JULY 15, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, AN D JU N E 15, 1918—Concluded.
San Francisco, Cal.
July 15—
Unit.
Article.
1913
Sirloin steals:.............
Round steals:.............
Rib roast____ ..____
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef..................
Pork chops...............
Bacon, sliced............
Ham, sliced..............
Lard...........................
Lam b.........................
H ens..........................
Salmon, canned.......
Eggs...........................
Butter........................
Cheese
Milk........................
Bread.........................
Flour..........................
Corn meal.................
Rice
Potatoes....................
Onions
Beans, navy........
Prunes
Raisins, seeded..
Sugar.........................
Coffee.. ..
T ea...
1914
1917
June
3.5,
1918.
Seattle, Wash.
July 15-
July
15,
1918.
1913
1914
1917
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
P o u n d .. .$0.207 150. 207 $0. 228 $0.327 $0.321 $0.244 SO.232 SO. 265 SO. 380 $0.370
.197
.362
.221
.215
.208
.252
.353
. . .do....... .190
.320
.316
.315
.217
.200
.192
.230
.313
.. .do....... .210
.223
.301
.300
.187
.266
.. .do.......
.156
. 153
.234
.232
.141
.157
.225
.213
.147
.213
.116
.. .do.......
.149
.215
.401
.247
.242
.400
.328
.316
.398
.403
.236
. . .do....... .232
.554
.562
.339
.557
.317
.333
.461
.436
.560
.. .do....... .333
.497
.500
.512
.317
.308
.405
.330
.418
.494
...d o ....... .300
.280
. 331
.330
.170
.334
.178
. 160
.285
.339
.. .do....... .188
.272
.376
.368
.321
.338
.185
.. .do....... .167
.183
.251
.196
.397
.384
.232
.258
.. .do....... .238
.248
.260
.383
.238
.379
.287
.250
.293
.. .do.......
.267
.239
.263
.547
.392
.514
.345
.311
.430
, 496
Dozen... .314
.338
.456
.325
.448
.496
.548
.329
.455
.507
.355
.566
P o u n d .. .364
.303
.313
.316
.297
.314
.323
. .do.......
.125
.128
.121
.085
.120
.100
.100
.121
.086
Q uart... .100
. 095
.095
.053
.091
.052
.083
.084
.049
16-oz.1. .. .052
.084
.061
.066
.061
.068
.072
.029
.029
.069
.069
P o u n d .. .034
.075'
.074
.031
.031
.065
.035
.065
.075
.073
.. .do....... .034
.141
.137
.104
.100
.131
. 135
.d o ...
.018
.023
.040
.038
.029
.026
.029
.015
.. .do....... .019
.011
.032
.033
.036
.020
.023 • .025
.do ..
.199
.176
.176
.. .do.......
.184
.152
.159
.154
.148
.141
.143
.148
.148
.do. ..
.142
.142
.143
.140
.129
.133
.do.......
.093
.092
.091
.. .do....... .054
.052
.083
.088
.089
.056
.061
.313
.317
.317
.300
.306
.304
.do.......
.512
.580
.521
.583
.. .do.......
.533
.533
Washington, D. C.
lWSSMSa:-—
.
' v „ ....
t •
__
.
Article.
Unit.
July 15—
Jane 15,
1918.
1913
Sirloin steak......................................................
Round steak ....................................................
R.ih roast
..................................................
Chuck roast ....................................................
Plate beef ......................................................
Pork chops.........................................................
Bacon sliced
............................................
Ham sliced........... ............................................
Lard
......................................................
Lamb
...........................................................
ILens
.......................................................
Palm on; canned................................................
E ggs....................................................................
Butter................................................................
Cheese ...............................................................
Milk.....................................................................
Bread..................................................................
Flour...................................................................
Corn m eal..........................................................
Rice
.......................................................
Potatoes.............................. ..............................
Onions
......................................... .........
Beans, navy ..................................................
Prunes
................................... . . .........
Raisins, seeded ...............................................
fin pa,r
_________ ______ __________
Coffee
............... ................ ..............
Tea
.......................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
P o u n d ..
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
Dozen...
Pound..
. . .do___
Q uart...
16-oz.1. ..
P o u n d ..
. . .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
. . .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
.. .do.......
$0.281
.246
.220
1914
.219
.281
.300
.150
.214
.226
$0.304
.276
.230
.193
.139
.238
.261
.306
.138
. .233
.236
.260
.366
. .269
.369
.080
.051
.038
.025
.080
.050
.038
.025
.018
.028
.050
.049
1 Loaf; 16 ounces, weight of dough.
[573]
July 15,
1918.
1915
$0.343
.332
.274
.239
.186
.359
.403
.424
.267
.322
.308
.242
.419
.475
. 345
.100
.091
.076
.053
.108
.037
.055
.194
.166
.141
.084
.284
.587
*9.511
.492
.397
.349
.242
.464
.512
.594
.338
.443
.434
.286
.443
. 550
.334
.140
.087
.065
. 061
.125
.033
.055
.¿88
.176
.153
.089
.295
.699
*0.492
.471
.397
. 353
.238
.516
.512
.337
.430
.443
.284
.481
.560
.332
.140
.088
.067
.061
.121
. 045
.061
.182
.176
.155
.089
.287
.708
98
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW. .
AVERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD FOR 31 CITIES
FOR JUNE 15, 1918 A N D JU LY 15, 1918.
[The prices shown below are computed from reports sent m onthly to the bureau by retail dealers. As some
dealers occasionally fail to report, the number of quotations varies from month to month.]
Bridgeport,
Conn,
Article.
Article.
Charleston,
S. C.
Cincinnati,
Ohio.
Columbus,
Ohio.
June
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
Unit.
June
15,
1918.
Sirloin steak.............
Round steak............
Rib roast............. .....
Chuck roast..............
Plate beef........., ___
Pork cho|>s...............
Bacon, sliced...........
Ham, sliced..............
Lard...........................
L am b........................
H ens..........................
Salmon, canned.......
E ggs........ ..................
B utter.......................
Cheese. ......................
Milk............................
Bread.........................
Flour.........................
Corn m eal.................
Rice............................
Potatoes..............
Onions.......................
Beans, navy.............
Prunes..................... .
Raisins, seeded........
Sugar.........................
Coffee.........................
T ea.............................
Butte, Mont.
July
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July
!5,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July
1.5,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
Pound.. 10. 545 $0. 529 $0. 397 10.388 $0.377 $0.377 $0.381 $0. 366 $0. 403 80. 409
.361
. . .do....... .519
.506
.365
.377
.384
.383
.359
.371
.383
.334
...d o ....... .412
.402
.309
.325
.320
.308
.299
.311
.324
.262
.. .do....... .361
.346
.270
.261
.288
.283
.262
.256
.291
.216
.199
. . .do....... .223
.226
.224
.215
.234
.217
.241
.223
.411
. . .do....... .393
.390
.393
.385
.400
.359
.372
.351
.355
.584
.538
. . .do....... .529
. 546 . 479
.580
. 537
.484
.491
.504
. . .do....... .527
.527
.475
.483
.530
.473
.485
.491
.497
.489
.334
.333
. . .do....... .318
.31?
.328
.329
.298
.299
.310
.315
.412
. . .do....... .388
.371
.398
.392
.371
.367
.360
.369
.380
. . .do....... .422
.424
.376
.422
.373
.416
.376
.378
.353
.344
...d o ....... .347
.377
.330
.287
.292
.263
.264
.355
.269
.295
Dozen... . 555
.405
.461 - .381
.625
.505
.590
.363
.427
.431
.512
.521
.503
Pound.. . 506
.528
.496
.539
.500
.511
.512
.354
...d o ....... .338
.350
.332
.338
.319
.326
.326
.345
.329
Q uart... • .130
.150
. 130
.150
.190
.130
.130
.123
.185
.120
.108
.106
16-oz.1. . . .090
.089
.084
.090
.084
.091
.090
.088
P ound.. .070
.089
.070
.068
.064
.068
.070
.065
.067
.071
...d o ....... .081
.083
.057
.085
.085
.059
.058
.063
.060
.063
. . .do....... .128
.133
.140
.106
.135
.098
.122
.124
.127
.133
.. .do....... .034
.046
.033
.027
.034
. 015
.032
.020
.033
.049
. . .do....... .059
.039
. 056
.060
.051
.042
.042
.058
.067
.068
. . .do....... .175
.174
.177
.177
.194
.154
. 156
.172 ' .167
. 194
...d o ....... .177
.169
. 177
. 170
. 168
. 156
.171
.159
. 161
.171
...d o ....... .150
. 154
.150
. 155
.152
.152
.155
.155
.151
.151
...d o ....... .094
.094
.100
.100
.088
.089
.089
.091
.089
.093
...d o ....... .315
.317
.428
.427
.282
.276
.276
.267
.288
.286
.. .do....... .638
.659
.779
.646
.707
.657
.679
.659
.810
.805
Dallas, Tex.
Fall River,
Mass.
June
15,
1918.
June
•15,
1918.
Houston,
Tex.
Indianapolis, Jacksonville,
Ind.
Fla.
Unit.
July
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
19)8.
June
15,
1918.
Sirloin steak............. Pound.. 10.386 $0.386 10.590 $0. 592 $0.357 $0.357 $0.388 80.381 SO. 399
.506
.376
.514
Round steak............ .. .do....... .372
.358
.374
.381
.358
.380
Rib roast............. ... .. .do....... .332
.392
.332
.382
.294
.297
.300
.311
.287
Chuck roast........ ... ...d o ....... .294
.293
.334
.336
.254
.274
.279
. 255
.286
Plate beef................. .. .d o ....... .241
.221
.245
.204
.218
.225
.218
Pork chops............... .. .d o....... .354
.372
.412
.390
.362
.356
.357
.369
.371
.472
Bacon, sliced............ .. .do....... .571 *.530
.483
.536
.546
.503
.509
.520
Ham, sliced.............. .. .do....... .438
. 454
.503
.466
.484
.477
.473
.482
.463
Lard........................... .. .do....... .326
.311
.330
.319
.315
.310
.314
.311
.330
L am b........................ .. .do....... .420
.390
.379
.377
.357
.363
.358
H ens.......................... . . .do....... .295
.402
.412
.326
.308
.303
.340
.354
.310
Salmon, canned....... . . .do....... .287
.299
.284 '.274
.249
.245
.293
.298
.275
Eggs........................... Dozen... .383
.602
.571
.397
.356
.414
.432
.398
.453
.502
B utter....................... Pound.. .497
.504
.506
.504
.494
.500
.505
. 548
.332
Cheese........................ ...d o ....... .329
.331
.326
.354
.333
.325
.336
.358
Milk............................ Quart... .153
.130
.168
.154
.130
.110
.110
.157
.153
Bread........................ 16-oz.1. .. .089
.089
.090
.090
.081
.081
.088
.088
.085
Flour.......................... Pound.. .068
.066
.072
.072
.074
.067
.078
.065
.070
.066
Com m eal................. ...d o ....... .082
.061
.063
.085
.062
.063
.083
.062
Rice............................ .. .do....... .118
.121
.121
.120
.124
.124
.119
. 132
.117
.034
.042
Potatoes.................... ...d o ....... .031
.044
.022
.032
.034
.043
.034
Onions....................... .. .do....... .044
.066
.041
.055
.050
.057
.053
.047
.055
Beans, navy............. ...d o ....... .179
.179
.181
.176
.177
.174
.168
.167
.195
Prunes....................... ...d o ....... .164
.161
.163
.160
.162
.171
.175
.171
.170
.154
Raisins, s e e d e d ..... ...d o ....... .148
.150
.174
. 167
.163
.158
.173
.171
Sugar......................... .. .do....... .095
.098
.095
.091
.093
.098
.093
.095
.090
Coffee...... ................. ...d o ....... .324
.332
.322
.319
.287
.283
.291
.321
.291
T ea............................. ... d o .. .. . .801
.798
.611
.774
.557
.538
.619
.741
.767
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1Loaf;'16 ounces, weight of dough.
[574]
July
15.
1918.
$0.399
.391
. 315
.271
.201
.392
.530
.466
.329
.379
.351
.293
.512
.551
.345
.153
.088
.069
.062
.125
.031
.063
.197
.171
.171
.091
.322
.736
99
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
A V ERAGE R E TA IL PRICES OF THE PR IN C IPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD FO R 31 CITIES
FO R JU N E 15, 1918 AND JUDY 15,1918—Continued.
Unit.
Article.
Sirloin steak.............
Round steak............
Kib roast...................
Chuck roast..............
Pork chops...............
Bacon, sliced............
Ham. sliced..............
Lard...........................
L am b.........................
H ens..........................
Salmon, canned___
Eggs...........................
Butter........................
Cheese........................
Milk...........................
Bread.........................
Flour..........................
Corn m eal.................
Rice............................
Potatoes....................
Onions.......................
Beans, navy.............
Prunes.......................
Raisins, seeded........
Sugar..........................
Coffee.........................
Tea.............................
Kansas City,
Mo.
Little Rock,
Ark.
June
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
Manchester,
N. H.
Louisville,
Ky.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
Memphis,
Tenn.
June
15,
1918.
P ou n d .. $0.379 10.378 $0. 416 $0. 417 $0.386 $0.387 $0. 570 SO. 555 $0. 408
.512
379
.524
.388
.388
.379
.368
.. .d o ----- .362
.389
.372
.372
.315
.322
.304
. 358
.288
.355
.289
.. .d o ___
.278
.346
.300
.273
.296
.302
.306
. .. d o ----- .258
.259
.236
.255
.218
.244
.230
. 260
.216
.386
.414
.354
.385
.359
.361
.352
.362
. ..d o ----- .351
.4SI
516
.489
.¿21
.518
.569
.. .d o ----- .531
.530
. 569
.475
.482
.451
.463
.517
.'457
.498
.507
.. .d o ___ .498
.312
.330
.331
.319
.334
.308
.345
. . .d o .. . . .343
.331
.387
.388
.399
.395
.379
.388
.318
.400
. . .d o ___ .313
.335
.427
.320
.321
.428
.347
. . .d o ___ .310
.343
.316
.292
.307
.258
.257
.301
.301
. . .d o ___ .297
.309
.303
.405
.534
.362
.408
.585
.387
. 351
.435
Dozen... .394
.516
.554
.534
.536
.527
.503
.513
Pound.. .484
.499
.337
.359
.326
.339
.319
.358
.339
.350
. . .d o ___ .341
.128
.140
.150
.150
.128
.140
.133
.150
Q uart... .122
.087
.087
.082
.092
.094
.083
16-oz.L.. .088
.089
.094
.067
.071
.087
.070
.068
.067
.067
.069
Pound.. .067
.057
.058
.061
.076
.078
.065
.065
.068
.. .d o___ .068
.124
.122
.122
.128
. 125 7133
.123
.. .d o ___ .126
.131
.035
.032
.030
.046
. 025
.030
.035
. 033
.. .d o ___ .036
.044
.042
.059
.067
.057
.045
.048
.0.56
. . .d o ___ .048
.171
.182
.181
.189
.186
.170
.185
.186
. . .d o ___ .183
. 165
.165
.161
.176
.164
.163
.155
.170
.. .d o ___ .156
.157
.161
.155
.154
.149
.150
. 151
. . .d o ___ .148
.161
.092
.095
.095
.090
.090
.095
.096
.096
. . .d o ___ .093
.298
.338
.282
.318
.318
. 2ÖT .269
.336
.. .d o ___ . 291
.604
.716
.760
.854
.693
.603
.703
.779
. . .d o ___ .671
Minneapolis,
Minn.
Mobile, Ala.
Newark, N. J.
July
15,
1918.
SO. 409
.386
.321
.293
.252
.370
.538
.479
.320
.387
.326
.301
.422
.523
. ;28
.150
.092
.067
. 057
.128
.033
.046
.189
.168
.155
. 090
.302
.789
New Haven,
Conn.
Unit.
Article.
June 15, July 15, June 15, July 15, June 15, July 15, June 15, July 15,
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
Sirloin steak.................
Round steak................
Rib roast......................
Chuck roast..................
Plate beef.....................
Pork chops...................
Bacon, sliced...............
Ham, sliced..................
Lard..............................
L am b............................
H ens..............................
Salmon, canned..........
Eggs...............................
Butter............................
Cheese............................
Milk...............................
Bread............................
Flour..............................
Com meal.....................
Rice................................
Potatoes........................
Onions..........................
Beans, n avy.................
Prunes..........................
Raisins, seeded...........
Sugar.............................
Coffee.............................
Tea.................................
Pound.. «0.367
.346
.. .d o ___
.308
.. .d o___
.277
.. .d o ___
.211
.. .d o ___
.344
.. .d o ___
. . .d o ___
.493
. . .d o ___
.473
. 321
. . .d o ___
.322
.. .d o ___
.315
.. .d o ___
.345
. . .d o ___ :
.374
Dozen...
.465
Pound..
. . .d o ___
.299
.100
Q uart...
.079
16-oz.1. . .
.059
Pound..
.055
.. .d o ___
.123
. . .d o ___
.020'
. . .d o___
.. .d o ___
.050
.184
.. .d o ___
.156
.. .d o ___
.145
. . .d o ___
.094
. . .d o ___
.309
. . .d o ----.503
.. .d o ___
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
$0.348
.337
.294
.259
.206
.348
. 518
.477
.320
.321
. 302
.350
.443
.474
.305
.100
.077
.063
.057
.123
.033
. 053
.160
.152
.145
.096
.311
.503
$0.358
.350
.317
.272
.248
.394
. 533
.440
.322
.359
.392
.270
.414
.532
.327
.150
.096
.071
.068
.116
.020
.051
.183
.172
.178
.090
.265
.632
$0,356
.347
.314
.269
.240
.397
.541
.442
.312
.359
.392
.261
.483
.543
.325
.150
. 0?5
.070
.067
.123
.026
.050
.179
.179
.172
.090
.281
.627
1 Loaf; 16 ounces, weight of dough.
SO. 490 $0.477 $0. 583
.484
. 538
.489
.389
.418
.386
.388
. 354
.344
.257
. 255 .............
.414
.416
.392
.481
.495
.534
.361
.365
.585
.336
.338
.333
.421
.409
.400
. 415
.417
.434
.342
.336
.331
.525
.613
.560
.527
.541
.531
.356
.342
. 356
.137
.150
.143
. 085
.090
.088
.072
.072
.070
.081
.081
. 080
.134
.123
.125
.032
.036
.043
.067
.064
.063
.178
.183
.179
.178
.174
.175
.151
.153
. 151
.098
.090
.090
.301
.301
.333
.571
.571
.609
$0.558
.520
.407
.368
.423
.543
.538
.331
.421
. 475
. 322
.653
. 533
. 343
.143
. 0.-50
.069
.080
.12/
.. 047
.06.)
.180
.173
.154
.098
.329
.641
100
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
AVERAGE R E TA IL PRICES OF THE PRIN C IPA L ARTICLES OF FOOD FOR 31 CITIES
FOR JUNE 15, 1918 AN D JULY 15, 1918—Continued.
Unit.
Article.
Sirloin steak..........................
Round steak..........................
Rib roast............... ............. .
Chuck roast..........................
Plate beef..............................
Pork chops............................
Bacon, sliced........................
Ham, sliced..........................
Lard........................................
Lamb......................................
H ens.......................................
Salmon, canned....................
Eggs........................................
B utter.....................................
Cheese.....................................
Milk.........................................
Bread......................................
Flour.......................................
Corn m eal..............................
R ice.........................................
Potatoes................................
Onions....................................
Beans, n avy..........................
Prunes....................................
Raisins, seeded.....................
Sugar.....................................
Coffee......................................
Tea..........................................
Norfolk, Va.
Omaha , Nebr.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July .
15,
1918.
$0. 506
.463
.397
.341
.243
.398
.521
.401
.344
.423
.423
.274
.489
. 567
.353
.180
. 089
.071
.063
.140
.042
.061
.186
.181
.149
.090
.316
.793
$0. 383
.378
.298
.281
.205
.342
.524
.489
.339
.342
.315
.291
.367
.481
.316
.127
.089
.064
.063
.121
.036
.051
.172
.166
.158
.090
.309
.649
$0.415
. 415
.309
.291
.199
.355
.529
.503
.341
.348
.325
.291
.411
.496
.336
. 125
.089
.064
.062
.130
.042
.049
.172
.166
.165
.096
.316
.653
$0. 391
. 391
.289
.281
.234
.364
.520
.487
.335
.425
.332
.289
.368
.473
.328
.104
.089
.070
.059
.125
.033
.056
.190
. 170
. 158
.091
.267
.627
$0.375
.370
.279
.263
.208
.368
. 525
.493
.334
.417
.327
.292
.409
.487
.346
. 103
.087
.070
.063
.128
.033
.058
. 181
.177
.149
.095
.267
. 031
$0. 602
.516
.353
.314
$0. 605
.514
.357
. 325
. c.;i
.488
.459
.330
.373
.417
.281
. 502
.546
.347
. 125
.089
. 066
.072
.125
.029
.055
.180
.151
.142
.090
.302
.603
.411
.492
.474
.334
.388
.418
.287
.575
. 555
.348
. 128
.089
.068
.072
.124
.044
.059
.179
.155
.142
.090
.308
.630
Pound. $0.509
. 463
..do —
.391
..d o —
.344
...d o —
.260
...d o __
.392
...d o __
.508
...d o __
.409
...d o __
.337
...d o __
.404
...d o ..'..
.423
.. .d o__
.281
...d o __
.447
Dozen .
.571
Pound.
.352
.. .d o__
.180
Q uart..
.085
16-oz .L.
.069
Pound.
.063
...d o __
.140
...d o __
.037
...d o __
.051
...d o __
. 187
...d o __
. 192
..d o __
.148
..d o __
.090
..d o __
.323
..d o __
..d o __ ' .797
Peoria, 111.
Portland, Me.
Portland, Oreg. Providence,R. I. Richmond, Va. Rochester, N. Y.
Article.
Sirloin steak........
Round steak___
Rib roast.............
Chuck roast........
Plate beef............
Pork chops..........
Bacon, sliced___
Ham, sliced.........
Lard.....................
L am b...................
H ens.....................
Salmon, canned.
Eggs......................
B utter..................
Cheese..................
Milk......................
Bread...................
Flour....................
Corn m ea l...........
R ice......................
Potatoes...............
Onions.................
Beans, navy........
Prunes.................
Raisins, seeded..
Sugar....................
Coffee....................
Tea........................
Unit.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
July
15,
1918.
Pound.
. ..d o __
...d o __
...d o —
...d o —
. . . do__
...d o __
...d o __
.. .do__
. . . do__
. . . do__
.. .do__
Dozen .
Pound.
...d o __
Quart..
16-oz.1..
Pound.
...d o __
. . . do__
...d o __
..d o __
..d o __
..d o __
..d o __
..d o __
..d o __
..d o __
$0.357
.339
.309
.261
.206
.393
.550
.489
.349
.338
.340
.354
.474
.502
.338
.126
.096
(2)
.078
.129
.014
.033
.155
.137
.137
.091
.329
.585
$0.340
.329
.296
.248
.192
.399
.550
.494
.350
.329
.350
.350
.490
.553
.335
.136
.096
.062
.076
.141
.028
.040
.165
.138
.146
.096
.327
.573
$0. 665
.553
.423
.405
$0. 659
.550
.428
.395
.417
.490
.541
.334
.395
.442
.333
.550
.528
.340
.140
.090
.070
.070
.121
.027
.056
.178
.176
.148
.094
.339
.584
June
15,
1918.
$0. 443
.415
.365
.324
.264
.438
.385
.492
.476
.557
.439
.335
.338
.420
.392
.439
.403
.291
.243
.606'
.434
.532
.557
.339
.350
.144
. 145
.091
.089
.069
.066
.070
.061
.122
.136
.039
.045
.065
.073
.179
.191
.179
.157
.148
.148
.094
.093
.339
.275
.584
.757
July
15,
1918.
June
15,
1918.
$0. 447
.421
.358
.324
.262
.386
.489
.440
.339
.413
.408
.238
.472
.558
.347
. 145
.089
.006
.061
.139
.048
.069
.191
.162
.149
.093
.283
.743
$0. 417
.390
.336
.335
. 250
.385
.461
.455
.333
.375
.407
.293
.455
.503
.320
.125
.088
.067
.068
.125
.024
.055
.174
.195
. 150
.090
.294
.565
1 Loaf; 16 ounces, weight of dough.
sIn compliance with request of the Food Administration, no flour was sold in June.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 576 ]
July
15,
1918.
30. 406
.386
.325
. .321
237
.401
.465
. 454
.330
.371
.413
.296
.536
.516
.326
.125
.087.067
.065
.134
.046
.059
.174
.187
,149
.090
.289
.575
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
101
A V ERAGE RETAIL PRICES OF THE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FOOD FOR 31 CITIES
FOR JU N E, 15, 1918 AND JULY 15, 1918—Concluded.
St. Paul, Minn. Salt Lake City,
Utah.
Article.
Scranton, Pa.
Springfield, Hi.
Unit.
June 15, July 15, June 15, July 15, June 15, July 15, June 15 July 11,
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
1918.
Sirloin steak.......................... Pound.. $0.399
Round steak......................... .. .do.......
.384
Rib roast................................ .. .do.......
.342
Chuck roast........................... .. .d o .....
.304
Plate beef............................ . ..d o .......
.215
Pork chops........................
.. .do.......
.347
Bacon, sliced..................... .. .do.......
.503
Ham, sliced.......... ............... .. .do.......
.475
Lard................................
. . .do.......
.315
Lam b............................
...d o .......
.333
H ens..............................
...d o .......
.322
Salmon, canned................. .. .do.......
.291
Eggs..................................
Dozen,..
.377
Butter..........................
Pound..
.473
Cheese........................
.. .do.......
.312
Milk........................................ Q uart...
.100
Bread..........................
16-oz.1. .-.
.075
Flour............................
Pound..
.060
Corn m eal......................
.. .do.......
.062
Rice...................................
.. .do.......
.133
Potatoes........................
.. .do.......
.017
Onions............. ...........
.. .do.......
.043
Beans, navy......................
.. .do.......
.178
Prunes................... ............... ...d o .......
.167
Raisins, seeded.................... .. .do.......
.146
Sugar.........................
...d o .......
.094
Coffee............
...d o .......
.318
Tea...........................
. . .do.......
.569
$0.381
.358
.323
.281
.204
.354
.507
.473
.319
.332
.308
.297
.438
.481
.311
.100
.075
.065
.063
.134
.029
.044
.176
.166
.145
.099
.314
.587
80.348
.329
.286
.268
.214
.384
.527
.473
.348
.331
.358
.303
.407
.493
.320
.114
.087
.056
.074
.121
.017
.052
.168
.152
.141
.095
. 350
.611
80.350 80.485
.330
.449
.288
.382
.265
. 345
.208
.245
.389
.404
.533
.531
.481
.487
.351
.318
.328
.408
.360
.433
.320
.305
.492
.444
.539
.505
.329
.320
.114
.120
.088
.087
.057
.070
.074
.077
.127
.124
.034
.023
.052 •' . 054
.172
.176
.152
.168
.142
.145
.090
.097
.350
.323
.588
.609
80.477
.446
.377
.344
.242
.406
. 544
.501
.322
.423
.436
. 30£
. 486
.515
.318
.120
.088
.070
.077
.129
.046
.059
.176
.160
.115
.090
.320
.610
80.422
.379
.330
.293
.254
.357
.518
.485
.325
.393
.299
.278
.378
.514
.321
• 111
.099
.068
.076
.132
.033
.047
.189
.171
.171
.095
.295
.757
$0.4-92
.398
.313
.282
! 233
.358
.525
.477
.343
.367
.291
.278
.408
.519
.344
.125
.099
.067
.075
.132
.039
.051
.181
.170
.ISO
.093
.302
.725
1 Loaf; 16 ounces, weight of dough.'
CHANGES IN WHOLESALE PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES.
Information gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in repre
sentative markets shows that the prices of many important com
modities averaged considerably higher in July, 1918, than in July of
the preceding year. Among the articles showing a decided increase
were cattle, beef, hogs, bacon, ham, lard, sheep, mutton, cotton,
cotton goods, shoes, wool, woolen goods, and pig tin. Smaller
increases took place in the prices of butter, eggs, milk, rice, leather,
anthracite coal, and crude and refined petroleum. For oats, hides,
sugar, and gasoline the price in July was practically the same as in
July of the year before.
On the other hand, some commodities were much cheaper in July
of the present year than in the corresponding month of 1917. Among
these were corn, rye, rye flour, barley, potatoes, coke, copper, pig iron
steel billets, tin plate, and pig lead. Wheat, wheat flour, corn meal,
bituminous coal, and spelter were also cheaper than in July, 1917
Comparing prices in July, 1918, with the average for 1913, the year
preceding the outbreak of war in Europe, it is seen from the tables
which follow that many commodities have more than doubled in
price. Conspicuous examples are wheat, corn, corn meal, rye, rye
flour, cotton and cotton goods, and wool and woolen goods. In
creases of over 100 per cent are also shown for cattle, hogs, sheep,
bacon, lard, wheat flour, oats, chrome calf leather, coke, pig iron,
tin plate, and pig tin.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[577]
102
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
WHOLESALE PRICES IN JULY, 1914, 1915, 1915, ANI) 1917, AND IN CERTAIN MONTHS OF
1918, AS COMPARED WITH AVERAGE PRICES IN 1913.
A C TU A L MONEY PRICES.
1918
July—
Article.
1913
Unit.
1914
1915
1916
1917
Janu April. May.
ary.
June.
July.
FOODSTUFFS.
(a)
A n im a l.
%
Cattle, good to
choice steers.
Beef, fresh, good
native steers.
Beef, salt, extra
mess.
Hogs, heavy.............
Bacon, short clear
sides.
Hams, smoked, loose
Lard, prime, con
tract.
Pork, salt, mess----Sheer), ew es..............
Mutton, dressed —
Butter, creamery,
extra.
Eggs, fresh, firsts. . .
M ilk...........................
(6)
100 lb s .. 8.507
L b .........
.130
?
$
?
$
%
?
%
S
9.219 9.213 9. 985 12. 560 13.113 15.175 16.417 17.175 17.625
.135
.132
.141
.234
.240
B b l........ 18.923 17.250 17. 500 18.250 30. 500 31. 500 31. 900 32. 500 33.625
34.875
100 lb s .. 8.365
L b.........
.127
8.769
.141
7.281
.111
.166
.110
.177
.102
.161
.081
.164
.175
.205
.225
9. 825 15.460 16.300 17.150 17.263 16. 619
.248 . .293
.271
.265
.157
.250
.303
.264
B b l........ 22.471 23.625 18.500 27.167 42.250 50.400 53.200 51. 813 48. 063
100 lb s .. 4.687 4.538 5.469 6.545 8.600 11.144 14.950 14.731 11. 781
.109
Lb.........
.095
.192
.243
.249
.225
. 103
.131
.145
.261
L b.........
.310
.270
.487
.420
.420
.415
.276
.376
48.500
10. 975
. .205
.432
D oz........
Q t..........
.226
.035
Bush__
.187
.030
.169
.030
.190
.131
.295
.250
.308
.258
.299
.245
L b.........
L b.........
.240
.201
17.720
.276
.303
.248
.223
.031
.318
.050
.557
.081
.330
.059
.322
.058
.316
.044
.374
.054
2.582
2.170
2.170
2.170
2.170
2.247
V egetable.
Wheat, No. 1 north
ern.
Wheat flour, stand
ard patent.
Corn, No. 2, m ix e d ..
Com m eal.................
Oats, standard, in
store.
Rye, No. 2 ................
R ye flour, pure,
medium straight.
Barley, fair to good,
malting.
Rice,
Honduras,
head.
Potatoes, white.......
Sugar, granulated...
.874
.897
1.390
1.170
B b l........ 4. 584
4.594
7.031
6.100 12. 750 U0.085 I 9.985 19. 525 19.825 GO. 702
Bush__
.625
100 lb s .. 1.599
Bush___ .376
.710
1.780
.369
.783
1.750
.529
.808
1.982
.405
Bush___ .636
B b!........ 3.123
.618
2.975
1.036
5.388
.966 2.226
5.150 11.620
2.044
4.880
.764
1.625
4.588
.754
1.600
4.425
.771
1.665
4.825
.765
1.915 2.648 2. 212
9.725 12. 535 10.325
1.838
8.713
1.705
9.425
1.125
1.775
4.835
.799
1.665
5.350
.872
Bush__
.625
.533
.743
.746
1.391
1.534
1.722
1.410
1.194
L b..........
.051
.054
.049
.045
.070
.079
.087
.091
.091
.094
Bush__
L b .........
.614
.043
1.206
.042
.444
.058
.863
.075
2.375
.075
1.272
.074
.687
.073
.675
.073
.949
.073
1.035
.074
TEXTILES AND
LEATHER GOODS.
Cotton,
upland,
middling.
C o t t o n yarn,
carded, 10/1.
Sheeting, brown,
Pepperell.
Bleached muslin,
Lonsda’e.
Wool, 1/4 and 3/8
grades, scoured.
Worsted yarn, 2/32’s
Clay worsted suit
ings, 16-o?..
Storm serge, allwool, 50-in.
B ides,
packers’,
h e a v y native
steers.
Leather,
chrome
calf.
Leather; sole, oak...
Shoes, men’s, Good
year welt, vici
calf, blucher.
Shoes,
women’s,
Goodyear welt,
gun metal, but
ton.
L b..........
.128
.131
.092
.130
.261
.324
.317
. 275
.304
.312
L b..........
.221
.215
.160
.253
.450
.536
.616
.633
. 644.
.640
Y d.........
.073
.070
.080
.078
. 140
.171
.240
(2)
(2)
Y d.........
.082
.085
.075
.088
.160
.180
.230
.237
.250
.250
L b..........
.471
.444
.557
.686
1.200
1. 455
1.455
1. 418
1.418
1.437
L b.........
Yd.........
.777
1.382
.650
1.328
.850
1.508
1.100
2.000
1.600
3.250
2.000
4.065
2.150
4.275
2.150
4.344
2.150
4.400
2.159
4. 4c-'
Y d.........
.563
.505
.539
.760
1.176
1.308
1.308
1.348
1.470
1.47)
L b..........
.184
.194
.258
.270
.330
.328
.272
.311
.330
, 33J
Sq. f t . . .
(2)
.270
.275
.280
.460
.540
.530
.550
.585
.640
.640
L b.......... .449
Pair....... 3.113
.475
3.150
.495
3.250
.635
3.750
.815
4. 750
.830
4.750
.800
5.000
.800
5.000
.800
5.455
.830
5.500
Pair.......
2.260
2.350
2. 750
3.500
3.500
3.500
3. 650
4.150
4.500
2.175
1 Standard war flour.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
aNo quotation.
[578]
103
M O N T H L Y LABOR REV IEW .
W HOLESALE PRICES IN JULY, 1914, 1915, 1916, AND 1917, AND IN CERTAIN MONTHS OP
1918, AS COMPARED W ITH A VERAGE PRICES IN 1913—Continued.
ACTUAL MONEY PR IC ES—Concluded.
July—
Article.
Unit.
1918
1913
1914
191o
1916
1917
Janu April.
ary.
May.
June.
July.
M INERAL AND
METAL PRODUCTS.
Coal,
anthracite,
chestnut.
Coal, bituminous,
run of mine.
Coke,
furnace,
prompt.
Copper,e'ectrolvtic.
Copper wire, bare,
No. 8.
Pig iron, Bessemer .
Steel b illets.............
Tin plate, domestic
coke.
Pig tin .......................
Pig lead.....................
Spelter......................
Petro’eum, cru de...
Petroleum, refined,
water-white.
Gasoline, motor.......
2240 His. 5.313 $5,241 $5. 200 15.507 $5. 933 85. 600 $6.370 86.400
$ 6 .4 2 7
$5.693
2009 lbs. 2. 200
2.200
2.200
2.200
5. 000
3.600
3.600
3.850
3. 750
3.750
2000 lbs. 2.538
2.000
1. 750
2.750 15.000
6.000
6.000
6.000
6.000
6.000
.134
.148
.199
.210
.235
.263
.235
.263
.235
.263
.230
.263
.285
2240 lbs. 17.133 14.900 14.050 21.950 57.450 37.250 36.150 36.150 36. 338
2240 lbs. 25. 789 19. 000 21.380 41.000 100.000 47.500 47. 500 47. 500 47.500
100 lbs... 3.558 3.350 3.175 5.875 12. 000 7. 750 7. 750 7. 750 7.750
36.600
47. 500
7.750
L b .........
L b..........
.157
.167
.265
.325
.318
.338
L b ....
.449
Lb
.044
Lb
. 058
B b l........ 2.450
Gal........ .123
.311
. 039
. 051
1. 750
.120
.391
. 058
220
1.350
.120
.389
0f>9
113
2.600
.120
.620
114
093
3.100
.120
.168
.140
.120
.240
.240
Gal.........
.842
008
.2 5 4
.8,80
1.008
.905
.930
3.750
.160
4.000
\ 168
4.000
.170
4.000
.170
4.000
.171
. 240
.240
.240
.240
.241
07Q
R ELATIVE PRICES.
July—
Article.
1918
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
Janu April.
May.
ary.
June.
July.
1
FOODSTUFFS.
(a)
A n im a l.
Cattle, good to choice steers. . .
Beef, fresh, good native steers.
Beef, salt, extra, mess.................
Hogs, hea v y................................
Bacon, short clear sides............
Hams, smoked, loose.................
Lard, prime, contract...............
Pork, salt, m ess..........................
Sheep, ewes.................................
Mutton, dressed..........................
Butter, creamery, extra...........
Eggs, fresh, firsts........................
Milk...............................................
(6)
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
108.4 108 3
103. 8 101.5
91.2
92.5
87.0
104.8
111.0
87.4
106.6
97.0
92.7 ’ 73.6
105.1 ■82.3
96.8 116.7
92.2 105.8
87.1
34. 2
82. 7
74.8
85. 7
85.7
117.4
108 5
96.4
117.5
123.6
114.5
119.1
120.9
139.6
127.2
89.0
98. 7
88.6
147.6
126.2
161.2
184.8
195.3
144.6
182.7
1,88.0
183.5
140.8
i2i: 3
110.7
142.9
100
100
100
100
100
100
102.6
100.2
113.6
111.3
98.1
97.2
159.0
153. 4
125.3
109 4
140.7
162.9
133.9
133.1
129.3
124.0
107.7
151.9
295.4 248. .3
273.1 1220.0
327.0 234.0
305.2 302.4
203.2 212.5
350.0 301.1
248.3 248.3 248.3
1217. 8 1207. 8 1214.3
268.4' 260.0 156.0
334.6 286.9 276.7
231.9 200.5 205.1
416.4 347.8 289.0
100
100
100
100
100
95.3
85.3
105. 9
196'. 4
97.7
172.5
118.9
96.1
72.3
134.9
164.9
119.4
88.2
140.6
174.4
372.1
222.6
137.3
386.8
174.4
311.4
245.4
154.9
207.2
172.1
401.4
275. 5
170.6
111.9
169.8
330.6
225.6
178.4
109. 9
169.8
279.0
191.0
178.4
154.6
169.8
301.8
180.0
184.3
168.6
172.1
100 102. 3
100
97.3
100
95.9
100 103. 7
s ta n d a r d war flour.
71.9
72.4
82.2
91.5
101.6
114.5
106.8
107.3
203.9 253.1
203.6 242.5
191.8 234.2
195.1 1 219.5
247.7
278.7
328.8
280.5
214.8
286.4
237. 5
291.4
(2)
304.9
243.8
289.6
(2)
304.9
154.1
434.6
466.5
194.9
230. 7
177.7
227.3
22 4. 3
237.8
186. 4
157.1
246.5
231.4
178.4 193,0
157. 7 173.1
168.6 171.7
205.0 206.4
213.4 208,-7
185.5 182.5
234.5 225. 5
236.7 230. 6
319. 0 314.3
235. 9 341. 7
133.9 135.5
146.0 142.5
168.6 165. 7
201.9
180. 0
177.7
198.7
196.9
180.1
222.7
213.9
251.4
218.4
139. 8
125.7
207.2
184.6
184.3
211.8
217.3
182.5
240.0
215.8
; 34.2
199.0
139. 4
165.1
154. 3
V e g e ta b le .
Wheat, No. 1 northern.............
Wheat flour, standard p a ten t.
Corn, No. 2 m ixed......................
Corn meal.....................................
Oats, standard in store........... .
Rye, No. 2 ...................................
R ye flour, pure, medium
straight........ ............................
Barley, fair to good m alting. . .
Rice, Honduras, head...............
Potatoes, white___: ..................
Sugar, granulated......................
257.1
1 233.5
301.3
203.5
268.1
TEXTILES AND LEATHER GOODS.
Cotton, upland, middling........
Cotton yam , carded, 10/1.......... .
Sheeting, brown, Pepperell__
Bleached muslin, Lonsdale___1
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2No quotation.
[579]
(?)
289.0
104
M O N T H L Y LABOE REVIEW ,
W H O L E S A L E P R IC E S IN J U L Y , 1914, 1915, 1916, A N D 1917, A N D I N C E R T A IN M O N T H S OE
1918, AS C O M P A R E D W IT H A V E R A G E P R IC E S IN 1913—C oncluded.
RELATIVE P R IC E S—Concluded.
July—
Article.
1918
1913
1914
1915
• 1916
1917
Janu
April.
ary.
May.
June.
July.
TEX TILES AND LEA TH ER
GOODS— c o n c l d .
\
W ool, to t grades, s co u red ...
W orsted yarn. 2/32s....................
Clay w orsted suitin gs, 16-ounce
Storm serge, all wool, 50-incb__
H ides, packers’, h eavy n ative
steers............................................
L eather, chrome c a ll..................
Leather, sole, o a k ........................
Shoes, m en ’s, Goodyear w elt,
vici calf, b lu ch er......................
Shoes, w om en ’s, Goodyear
w elt, gun m etal, b u tto n ........
100
100
100
100
94.3
83.7
90.1
89.7
118.3
109. 4
109.1
95.7
145.15
141.6
144.7
135. 0
254. 8
205. 9
235.2
208.9
308.9
257.4
294.1
232.3
308.9
276.7
309.3
232.3
301.1
276.7
314.3
239. 4
301.1
276.7
318.4
261.1
305.1
276.7
322.0
261.1
100
100
100
105. 4
101.9
105. 8
140.2
103.7
110.2
146.7
170.4
141.4
179.3
200.0
181.5
178.3
196.3
184.9
147.8
203. 7
178.2
169.0
216. 7
178.2
179.3
237.0
178.2
179.3
237.0
184.9
100
101.2
104.4
120.5
152.6
152.6
160.6
160. 6
175.2
176.7
100
103. 9
108.1
126.4
160.9
160.9
160.9
167.8
190.8
206.9
100
100
98.6
100.0
97.9
100.0
103.7
100.0
111.7
227.3
124.2
162.7
119.9
162.7
120. 5
175.0
121.0
Í70.5
126.0
170.5
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
78.8
85.4
88.6
87.0
73.7
94.2
69.3
88.6
87.9
71.4
69.0
126.8
125.7
87.3
82.9
89.2
87.1
131.8
379.3
55.1
108.4
168.8
195.6
128.1
159. 0
165.1
86.6
156. 8
194.8
106.1
591.0
202.5
202. 4
335.3
387.8
337.3
138.1
259.1
160.3
126.5
236. 4
149.7
157.5
217.4
184.2
217.8
187.5
154.5
136.2
153.1
236. 4
149.7
157.5
211.0
184.2
217.8
196.0
159.1
120. 7
163.3
236.4
149.7
157.5
211.0
184.2
217.8
224.5
156.8
127.6
163.3
236. 4
146.5
157. 5
212.1
184.2
217.8
201.6
165.9
134.5
163.3
236.4
161.8
170.7
213.6
184.2
217.8
207.1
181.8
151.7
163.3
100
100
97.6
83.3
97.6
71.4
97.6
142.9
97.6
142.9
130.1
142.9
136. 6
142.9
138.2
142.9
138.2
142.9
139.0
143.5
M IN ERA L AND M ETAL PRODUCTS.
Coal, anthracite, c h e s tn u t........
Coal, b itu m in ou s, run of m in e.
Coke, furnace, prom pt ship
m e n t.............................................
Copper, electrolytic.............. . .
Copper wire, bare, N o. 8 ...........
P ig iron, B essem er......................
Steel b ille ts....................................
T in plate, dom estic, coke..........
Pig t in .............................................
Pig lead ...........................................
Spelter.............................................
Petroleum , crude.........................
Petroleum , refined, waterw hite ............................................
Gasoline, m o to r ............................
PRICE CHANGES, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL, IN THE UNITED STATES.
Exact comparison of wholesale with retail prices is not attempted
in the table which follows. Some food products—fresh meats, for
example—are not sold by the retailer in the same form in which they
leave the wholesaler, hence strictly comparable wholesale and retail
prices are not obtainable. In such cases the articles most nearly
comparable were selected. I t was found impracticable also to obtain
both wholesale and retail prices for the same date. The retail prices
shown are in all cases those prevailing on the 15th of the month,
while the wholesale prices are for a variable date, usually several
days prior to the 15th. In each case the wholesale price is the mean
of the high and the low quotation on the date selected, as published
in leading trade j ournals, while the retail price is the average of all
prices for the article and city in question reported directly to the
bureau by retailers. The figures in the tables are therefore to be
considered as merely indicative of price variations in the retail as
compared with the wholesale markets.
To assist in comparing wholesale with retail price fluctuations, the
differential between the two series of quotations at successive dates
is given. I t should not be assumed, however, th a t this differential
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[580]
105
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW ,
represents the margin of profit to the retailer, since, in addition to
the difference between the wholesale and the retail prices pointed out
above, the cost of handling the commodity is included in the figure.
W HOLESALE AND R ETA IL PRICES OF IMPORTANT FOOD ARTICLES IN SELECTED
CITIES.
[The initial W =wholesale; R=retail.]
A rticle and c ity .
Beef, Chicago:
Steer loin ends___ W ..
Sirloin stea k .......... R . .
Price differential. .
B eef, Chicago:
S teerrou n d s.N o. 2. W._
R ound stea k .......... R . .
Price differential..
B eef, Chicago:
Steer ribs, N o. 2 ... W ..
R ib roast................ R . .
Price d ifferen tial..
B eef, N ew York:
N o. 2, lo in s ............ W ..
Sirloin s te a k .......... R . .
Price d ifferen tial..
B eef, N ew York:
N o. 2, rou n ds___ W ..
R ound steak .......... R . .
Price differential..
Beef, N ew York:
N o. 2, r ib s .............. W
R ib roast................ R . .
Price differential
Pork, Chicago:
L oin s........................ W
Chops....................... R . .
Price differential..
P ork, N ew York:
L oins, western___ W ..
Chops....................... R . .
Price differential..
B acon, Chicago:
Short clear sid e s. . W ..
Sliced....................... R . .
Price d ifferen tial..
H am , Chicago:
Sm oked................... .W ..
Sm oked, sliced ___ .R . .
Price d ifferen tials
Lard, N ew York:
Prim e, co n tra ct... W ..
Pure tu b .................. R . .
Price differential..
L am b, Chicago:
Dressed ro u n d ___ W ..
Leg of, y ea r lin g ... R . .
Price differential..
P o u ltry, N ew York:
Dressed fow ls........ W ..
Dressed h en s......... R . .
B u tter, Chicago:
Creamery, e x tr a ... W ..
Creamery, e x tr a ... . R . .
Price, differential
B u tter, N ew York:
Creamery, e x tr a ... .W ..
Creamery, e x tr a ... . R . .
Price differential..
B u tter, San Francisco:
Creamery, e x tr a ... .W ..
Creamery, e x tr a ... . R . .
Price differential..
Cheese, Chicago:
W hole m ilk ............ W ..
P u ll cream
R
Price d ifferential..
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
U nit.
July—
1913:
Aver
age
for
1914 1915 1916
year.
1917
Jan.
1918
Apr. July.
Oct.
Jan.
Apr. July.
L b .. SO. 168 $0.175 $0.100 80.205 SO. 200 $0.200 SO. 190 SO. 235 SO.200 $0.230 $0.349
.232 .260 .258 .281 .265 .293 .302 .306 .302 .337 .377
L b ..
.064 .085 . 098 .076 .005 .093 .112 . 071 .102 .107 .037
Lb.
Lb.
. 131
.202
.071
.145
.233
.088
.143
.228
.085
.145
.241
.090
.120
.227
.107
.155
.256
.101
.170
.266
.096
.190
.273
.083
. 165
.273
.108
.185
.304
.119
.250
.350
.100
L b ..
Lb.
.157
.195
.038
. 165
.212
.047
.145
.213
.068
. 175
.229
.054
.160
.£«3
.063
.210
.241
.031
.200
.246
.046
.230
.247
.017
.200
.254
.054
.220
.288
.068
.280
.318
.038.
Lb.
Lb.
.158
.259
.101
.183
.274
.091
.170
.282
.112
.200
.291
.094
.180
.284
.104
.190
.318
.128
.190
.337
.147
.275
.356
.081
.235
.344
.109
.260
.380
.120
.280
.439
.159
Lb.
L b ..
.121
.249
. 128
.135
.270
.135
.135
.271
.136
.145
.289
.144
.130
.275
. 145
.170
.315
. 145
.175
.337
. 162
.190 .180
.360 .352
D70 -.172
.200
.384
.184
.280
.463
.183
Lb.
L b ..
.151
.218
.067
.165
.225
. 06t)
.160
.227
.067
.180
.243
.063
.160
.238
.078
.200
.270
.070
.190
.279
. 0S9
.275
.298
.023
.235
.294
.059
.250
.324
.074
.280
.375
.095
Lb.
Lb.
.149
.190
.041
.165
.204
.039
. 150
.201
.051
.165
.217
.052
.165
.227
.062
.240
.285
.045
.250
.292
.042
.330
.358
.028
.270
.316
.046
.290
.330
.040
.290
.355
.065
Lb.
Lb.
.152
.217
.065
.163
.230
.067
.153
.217
.064
. 165
.239
.074
.170 .235
. 24S ,-.319
.078 .084
.235
.326
.091
.300
.399
.099
.265
.348
.083
.275
.367
.092
.305
.406
.101
Lb.
Lb.
.127
.294
.167
.139
.318
.179
.113
.315
.202
.159
.328
.169
.158
.316
.158
.218
.395
.177
.247
.439
.192
.318
.475
.157
.301
.498
.197
.275
.519
.244
.¿74
.547
.273
Lb.
Lb.
.166
.266
.100
.175
.338
.163
.163
.328
.165
.190
.349
.159
.188
.333
.145
.243
.382
.139
.243
.414
.171
.283
.439
.156
.298
.428
. 130
.300
.467
.167
.301
.491
. 190
Lb.
Lb.
.110
.160
.050
.104
.156
.052
.080
.151
.071
.133
.168
.035
.159
.213
.054
.215
.263
.048
.201
.274
.073
.246
.313
.067
.246
.330
.084
.263
.334
.071
.262
.322
. 060
Lb.
Lb.
.140
.193
.049
.170
.219
.049
.190
.208
.018
.190
.231
.041
.200
.232
.032
.220
.263
.043
.260
.287
.027
.270
.314
.044
.240
.306
.066
.290
.356
.066
.310
. 357
.047
Lb.
Lb.
.182
.214
.032
.188
.220
.032
. 175
.219
.04-1
.215
.256
.041
.220
.261
. 041
.265
.293
.028
.248
.287
.039
. 285
.323
.038
.298
.326
.028
.340
.360
.410
. 050
Lb.
Lb.
.310
.362
.052
.265
.312
.047
.265
.322
. 057
.275
.335
.061
.370
.438
.068
.440
.484
. 041
.375
.432
.057
. 435
.487
.052
.490
. 544
.054
.400
.460
.060
.425
. 480
. 055
Lb.
Lb.
.321
.382
.059
.280
.328
.048
.270
.336
.066
.285
.346
.061
.395
.460
.065
.450
.513
.063
.395
.453
.058
.443
.515
.072
.510
.574
.064
.415
.493
.„078
. 444
. 514
.070
Lb.
Lb.
.317
.388
.071
.245
.329
.081
.265
.338
,07c
.255
.33?
.078
.355
.425
.071
.390
.452
.062
.385
. 455
. 07C
.460
. 545
.085
.530
.602
.072
.375
. 452
.077
. 500
. 566
.066
Lb.
Lb.
.142
. 133
.145
.229
.084
.145
.242
.097
.218
.321
.103
.223
.327
.104
.216
.339
.123
.246
.368
.122
.233
.375
.142
.215
.353
.138
.227
.345
.118
[581]
106
M O N T H L Y LABOE REVIEW ,
W HOLESALE AN D R E TA IL PRICES OE IM PORTANT FOOD ARTICLES IN SELECTED
CITIES—Concluded.
1913:
J u ly Aver
Unit. age
for
year. 1914 1915 1916
Article and city.
Cheese, New York:
Whole milk, State. .W ..
Full cream............. R . .
Price differential..
Cheese, -San Francisco:
Fancy..................... W ..
Full cream............. R ..
Price differential..
Milk, Chicago:
Fresh...................... .W ..
Fresh, bottled___ R . .
Price differential..
Milk, New York:
Fresh...................... W ..
Fresh, bottled___ R ..
Price differential..
Milk, San Francisco:
I^resh...................... W ..
Fresh, bottled___ R . .
Price differential..
Eggs, Chicago:
Fresh, firsts........... W ..
Strictly fresh........ R . .
Price differential..
Eggs, New York:
Fresh, firsts........... W ..
Strictly fresh........ R . .
• Price differential..
Eggs, San Franciseo:
Fresh......... ............ W ..
Strictly fresh......... R . .
Price differential..
Meal, corn, Chicago:
Fine........................ W ..
Fine........................
Price differential..
Beans, New York:
Medium, choice... W ..
Navy, w hite.......... R . .
Price differential..
Pot at oes, Chicago:
White 1................... W ..
. W hite..................... R . .
Price differential..
Rice, New Orleans:
H ead.......................
H ead......................
Price differential..
Sugar, New York:
Granulated............
Granulated............ R . .
Price differential..
w..
w..
1917
Jan.
1913
Apr. July. Oct.
Jan.
Apr. July.
L b .. $0.154 $0.144 $0.146 $0.151 $0.220 $0. 245 $0. 238 $0. 255 $0. 230 $0. 225 $0. 239
L b ..
. 22S .228 .301 .335 .328 .340 .344 .338 .332
.083 .077 .081 .090 .090 .085 . 114 .113 .093
L b ..
L b ..
.159
. 125
. 115
. 200
.085
.135
. 229
.094
.180
. 242
.062
.215
. 297
.082
.200
. 297
.097
.220
816
.096
.255
.080
.260
335
.075
.063
.260
Q t..
Q t. .
.038
. 08C
.042
.036
.080
. 044
.037
.080
. 043
.036
.081
.045
.045
. 109
.055
.054
.100
.046
.047
.100
.053
.074
.129
.055
.070
. 119
.049
.058
. 119
.061
.053
. 120
.067
Q t ..
Q t..
.035
. 090
.055
.030
.090
.060
.030
.090
.060
.031
.090
.059
.051
. 100
.049
.049
. 109
.060
.050
. 114
.064
.072 - .081
. 138 .150
.066 .069
.059
.140
.081
. 054
. 127
.073
Q t..
Q t..
.039
. 100
.061
.039
.100
. 061
.038
.100
.062
.038
.100
.062
.038
. 100
.062
.038
.100
.062
.043
.100
.057
. 059
. 121
.062
.066
. 121
.055
. 059
. 121
.062
.059
. 121
.062
Doz.
Doz.
.226
.292
.066
.188
.261
.073
. 168
. 248
.080
.218
.296
.078
.485
.525
.040
.305
.376
.071
.310
.406
.090
.370
. 469
.099
.565
.651
.086
.315
.380
.065
.365
.457
.092
Doz.
Doz.
.249
.397
o148
.215
.353
. 138
.200
.326
126
.241
.372
.131
.505
.667
. 162
.330
.424
.094
. 350
.477
.127
.400
.627
.227
.645
.808
.163
.333
.476
.143
. 400
. 573
.173
Doz.
Doz.
.268
.373
. 105
.230
.338
. 108
.220
.310
.090
.240
.333
.093
.380
.480
.100
.280
.374
.094
.320
.392
.072
. 435
.608
.173
.610
.710
. 100
.365
.419
.054
.440
.514
.074
L b ..
L b ..
.014
.029
.015
. 016
.028
. 012
.031
.019
.031
.012
.024
.042
.018
.036
.050
.014
.045
.058
.013
.052
.071
.019
.051
.070
.060
.072
.054
.068
L b ..
L b..
.040
.040
.058
.081
.023
.098
. 113
.015
.108
149
.041
. 130
162
.032
.154
.138
. 141
! 034
.047
.044
. 137
.182
. 119
.175
B u ..
B u ..
.614 1.450
.900 1.640
.286 . 190
.400 .975 1. 750 2.800 2. 625 1. 135 1.185
.700 1. 356 2. 370 3.455 2.975 1.660 1.680
. 300 .381 .620 .655 .350 .525 .495
1. 500
.998 2. 203
.703
L b ..
L b ..
.050
.049
.075
. 026
.046
. 074
.028
.048
. 074
.026
.049
.071
.077
.088
.088
.091
.039
! 030
.023
.018
.019
.023
.059
.063
.004
.075
.079
.004
.066
.074
.008
.081
.087
.006
.074
. 084
.010
.082
.097
.015
.073
.097
.024
.073
.088
.015
.074
.088
.014
L b ..
L b ..
.043
. 049
.006
.054
.042
.046
.004
1 Good to choice.
The table of wholesale and retail prices expressed as percentages of
the average money prices for 1913, printed on the next page, will
enable the reader to follow readily the trend of price fluctuations of
food articles at wholesale and retail. A few articles included in the
preceding table are omitted from this one, owing to lack of satisfactory
information for 1913. The table shows that, as compared with base
prices in 1913, the retail prices of most of the commodities were
relatively lower in July than were the wholesale prices. This is
noticeable in the case of beef, pork, bacon, lamb, and particularly
corn meal, the retail price of which in July had increased 134 per cent
over the average price for 1913, while the wholesale price had
increased 286 per cent.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[5 8 2 ]
107
M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
R ELATIVE W HOLESALE AND R ETA IL PRICES OF IMPORTANT FOOD ARTICLES IN
SELECTED CITIES (AVERAGE FOR 1913=100).
[The initial W = wholesale; R = retail.]
Article and city.
Beef, Chicago:
Steer loin ends (hips)__ .W ..
Sirloin steak...................... . R . .
Beef, Chicago:
Steer rounds, No. 2......... W ..
Round steak............. ....... R . .
Beef, Chicago:
Steer ribs, No. 2............... W ..
Rib roast...................... . .R . .
Beef, New York:
No. 2 loins, c ity ............... W
Sirloin steak..................... K . .
Beef, New York:
No. 2 rounds, c ity ........... W ..
Round steak..................... K. .
Beef, New York:
No. 2 ribs, city ................. W
Rib roast............................ .R . .
Pork, Chicago:
Loins.................................. .W ..
Chops...................... .......... .K . .
Pork, New Y ork:
Loins, western.................. .W ..
Chops.................................. . R . .
Bacon, Chicago:
Short clear sides............... .W ..
Sliced................................. R. .
Ham, Chicago:
Smoked.............................. W ..
Smoked, sliced..........
R ..
Lard, New York:
Prime, contract................ W
Pure, tu b .......................
R. .
Lamb, Chicago:
Dressed, round................. W ..
Leg of, yearling................ R . .
Poultry, New York:
Dressed fowls................... .W ..
Dressed hens................. . R . .
Butter, Chicago:
Creamery, extra............... W
Creamery, extra............... . R . .
Butter, New York:
Creamery, extra............... W ..
Creamery, extra............... A i . .
Butter, San Francisco:
Creamery, extra............... W ..
Creamery, extra............... R ..
Milk, Chicago:
Fresh.................................. W ..
Fresh, bottled, delivered R . .
Milk, New York:
Fresh...........................
W ..
Fresh, bottled, delivered R . .
Milk, San Francisco:
Fresh..............................
W ..
Fresh, bottled................... R ..
Eggs, Chicago:
Fresh, firsts..................... W
Strictly fresh.................
R. .
Eggs, New York:
Fresh, firsts....................... W
Strictly fresh...........
R ..
Eggs, San Francisco:
Fresh.................................. W ..
Strictly fresh..................... R ..
Meal, corn, Chicago:
I ine.................................... W
Fine...... ............................. R ..
Potatoes, ChicagoWhite, good to choice. . . W ..
W hite................................. R . .
Sugar, New York:
Granulated........................ W ..
Granulated........................ R ..
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1913:
July—
Aver
age
for
year. 1914 1915 1916
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
104
95
122
112 111 121
111 109 111
115
113
105
109
92
109-
116
106
108
109
1917
Jan.
1918
Apr. July. Oct.
Jan.
Apr. July.
119
114
119
126
113
130
140
132
119
130
137
145
201
92
118
127
130
132
145
135
126
135
141
151
191
173
117
114
134
124
127
126
146
127
127
130
140
148
178
163
127
114
110
123
120 120
130
174
137
149
133
165
147
177
170
112
119
111 102
114
16J
112 112 120
107
108
109
116
110
140
127
145
135
157
145
149
141
165
154
231
186
109
103
106
104
119
111 109
111 101 111 111
107
106
111 119
107
101 109 112
100 110 114
106
106
132
124
126
128
182
137
156
135
166
149
185
172
161
150
168
154
221
188
181
163
195
174
195
187
155
147
155
150
197
184
174
160
181
169
201
109
108
89
107
125
112
124
107
172
134
194
149
250
162
237
169
217
177
216
186
105
127
98
123
114
131
113
125
146
144
146
156
170
165
180
161
181
176
181
185
95
98
73
94
105
145
133
195
164
183
171
224
196
224
206
239
209
201
111
114
128
105
128
117
134
117
148
133
174
145
181
159
161
155
195
180
208
180
103
103
96
121
118
102 120 122
146
137
136
134
157
151
164
152
187
198
192
140
135
158
150
429
127
137
133
137
135
158
150
128
129
137
135
117
145
140
167
155
118
116
158
146
124
125
195
161
184
149
153
149
139
150
143
127
206
153
231
167
169
156
154
141
97
97
97
97
169
151
100 100 100 100 111000 151
121 121 121
151
121
121
87
84
88 122
86 88 91 120
77
84
80
112
85
87
86 110
142
134
121
139
134
122
95
142
85
86
100
86
100
100
100
85
89
97
89
93
95
119
118
123
116
100 101 125 125
86 89 146 140
100 100 111 121
119
119
121
187
238
121
83
89
74
85
96
101
215
180
135
129
137
139
164
161
250
223
139
130
162
157
86
80
82
97
94
203
168
133
107
141
120
161
158
259
204
134
161
141
91
86
82
83
90
89
142
129
100
105
119
105
162
163
228
190
112
136
, 164
138
114
97
107
13fi
107
145
172
200
245
241
248
234
236
182
65
78
159
151
?-S5
ftf
2
456
384
428
331
185
184
193
187
105
111
244
245
98
94
137
129
174
161
153
151
18S
178
172
171
121
170
198
170
180
172
180
89
[583?
171
198
120
108
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
INDEX NUMBERS OF WHOLESALE PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES, 1913
TO JULY, 1918.
Continuing information published in preceding issues of the
index numbers showing wholesale price
changes since 1913 are contained in the subjoined table. During
1914 the prices of most commodities increased between January and
September, but declined rapidly in the closing months of the year,
due to the prevailing business stagnation brought about by the war.
In 1915 a reaction occurred and prices again advanced, reaching
high levels late in the year. Since January, 1916, the rise in whole
sale prices of many important .articles has been unprecedented,
although fuel and metal products showed a sharp decline in the last
half of 1917.
In the first half of 1918 prices as a whole continued to advance
steadily. The increase from June to July has been the largest of
the year, the bureau’s weighted index number for July standing at
198, as compared with 193 for June, 185 for July, 1917, and 100 as
the average for the 12 months of 1913. Considerable increases in
price from June to July of the present year are shown by the index
numbers for each of the six groups of commodities designated as
farm products, food, etc., cloths and clothing, fuel and lighting,
metals and metal products, and lumber and building materials.
House-furnishing goods showed no change in price, while decreases
occurred in chemicals and drugs and among articles classed as
miscellaneous.
Among important food articles whose wholesale prices in July .
averaged higher than in June were corn, wheat, cattle, hogs, lambs,
lard, butter, cheese, eggs, flour, corn meal, meats, milk, and potatoes.
A few articles, as barley, rye, beans, and lemons were cheaper than
in June.
In the period from July, 1917, to July, 1918, the index number
of farm products increased from 198 to 221, that of food articles
from 180 to 185, and that of cloths and clothing from 187 to 249..
In the same period the index number of lumber and building mate
rials increased from 132 to 152, that of chemicals and drugs from
185 to 202, that of house-furnishing goods from 165 to 192, and
that of miscellaneous articles from 151 to 192. On the other hand,
between the dates named, the index number of fuel and lighting
decreased from 183 to 174 and that of metals and metal products
from 257 to 183.
M o n th ly L abo r R e v ie w /
1Issued by the
U . S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics prior to July,
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[584]
1918,
under
th e
title M o n t h l y
R e v ie w .
M ONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
OF W HOLESALE PRICES, BY GROUPS OF
JULY, 1918.
[1913=100.]
Cloths
and
cloth
ing.
Fuel
and
light
ing.
Metals
and
metal
prod
ucts.
Lum
ber
and
build
ing
mate
rials.
Chem
icals
and
drugs.
100
99
96
101
102
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
99
100
100
100
107
102
98
99
100
100
101
101
98
100
101
100
99
100
103
101
103
104
109
108
103
101
99
103
102
95
103
112
116
107
106
105
98
99
100
100
100
99
98
97
97
92
99
98
90
89
87
87
87
87
87
92
91
85
85
86
83
81
83
97
98
99
97
97
96
96
95
94
103
101
101
101
100
106
109
108
107
105
102
105
105
107
109
105
108
108
103
105
102
103
104
106
108
104
105
105
102
104
103
100
104
108
111
100
96
97
97
9S
98
98
99
99
100
103
105
107
87
86
86
86
84
83
83
84
85
88
90
93
96
97
83
87
89
91
96
100
102
100
100
100
104
114
94
94
95
94
94
91
93
91
93
93
93
95
97
113
106
104
103
102
102
104
107
109
114
12Ì
141
146
122
108
109
111
114
116
116
118
126
131
136
145
141
126
114
114
115
117
119
119
121
128
134
140
150
140
127
110
114
117
119
122
123
126
128
131
137
146
155
115
102
102
104
105
104
105
105
107
110
128
150
163
148
126
132
141
147
151
149
145
145
148
151
160
185
101
99
100
101
102
102
101
98
100
100
101
103
105
143
140
144
147
150
153
150
143
132
132
135
142
143
188
147
150
162
180
196
196
198
204
203
207
211
204
177
150
160
161
182
191
187
180
180
178
183
184
185
181
161
162
163
169
173
179
187
193
193
194
202
206
169
170
178
181
178
187
193
183
159
155
143
151
153
208
183
190
199
208
217
239
257
249
228
182
173
173
124
106
108
111
114
117
127
132
133
134
134
135
135
185
144
146
151
155
164
165
185
198
203
242
232
230
175
150
155
160
171
181
184
185
184
182
180
182
181
205
207
211
217
212
214
222
188
186
178
179
178
179
185
209
213
220
230
234
243
249
169
171
171
170
172
171
174
173
' 175
175
176
177
177
183
136
137
142
145
147
148
152
216
217
217
214
209
205
202
185
187
187
191
191
193
198
Farm
prod
ucts.
Food,
etc.
100
97
97
101
103
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
»Preliminary.
-8
[5 8 5 ]
u-
3is.
100
99
98
101
101
99
100
98
99
1D2
103
99
98
97
100
98
100
99
99
100
99
101
100
98
101
102
105
123
110
111
114
116
118
118
119
123
127
133
143
146
110
M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.
WHOLESALE PRICES IN THE UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
1890 TO JUNE, 1918.
In the following table the more important index numbers of whole
sale prices in the United States and several foreign countries, as com
piled by recognized authorities, have been reduced to a common base
in order that the trend of prices in the several countries may be
directly compared. The results here shown have been obtained by
merely shifting the base for each series of index numbers to the year
1913, i. e., by dividing the index for 1913 on the original base into
the index for each year or month on that base. These results are
therefore to be regarded only as approximations of the correct index
numbers in the case of series constructed by averaging the relative
prices of individual commodities. This applies to the index numbers
of the Annalist, Gibson, the Economist, Sauerbeck, and the Depart
ment of Labor of Canada. The index numbers of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, Bradstreet, Dun, and the Bureau of Census and
Statistics of Australia are built on aggregates of actual money prices,
or relatives made from such aggregates of actual prices, and therefore
can be readily shifted to any desired base. .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[5801
111
M O NTHLY LABOB BEVIEW,
WHOLESALE PRICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES AND CERTAIN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
[Index numbers expressed as percentages of the index number for 1913.]
United Kingdom.
United States.
Canada.
Austra
lia
Bureau
Depart Bureau
of Labor
ment of of Cen
Econo
Sauer
BradStatis
Labor:
Dun: 200 Gibson: mist:
sus and
beck:
45
44
street:
tics: 294 Annalist:
272 com Statis
com
22 com
25 com 96 com
com
com
com
tics: 92
modities modities. modities. modities. modities. modities. modities. modities
(vari
com
(vari
able).
modities.
able)
Year and
month.
1890...
1895............
1900............
1905............
1910............
1913............
1914............
1915............
1916............
1917...
81
70
80
86
100
100
99
100
123
175
78
68
71
79
98
100
104
106
126
187
70
86
88
98
100
97
107
128
170
i 75
i 67
77
83
98
100
101
105
123
169
75
72
76
81
102
100
105
110
129
191
‘ 83
72
82
81
90
100
99
123
160
204
85
73
88
85
92
100
100
127
160
205
81
71
80
84
92
100
100
110
134
174
97
70
82
84
92
100
106
147
138
1914
January...
April.........
July...........
O ctober.. .
100
98
99
99
102
101
104
107
97
95
94
100
103
99
99
102
100
99
101
108
97
96
95
101
98
96
104
106
101
101
99
102
2100
2102
2109
113
1915
January.. .
A pril.........
July...........
October. . .
98
99
101
101
108
109
105
101
99
106
107
108
103
103
103
105
111
117
111
103
112
124
122
125
■ 113
125
126
134
103
108
111
112
2127
2153
2167
142
1916
Janu ary...
April..........
July...........
October__
110
116
119
133
110
118
121
136
119
128
125
131
114
121
120
126
113
123
124
141
143
156
156
171
149
157
157
175
127
132
132
138
133
2137
133
139
1917
January.. .
February..
March........
April..........
May...........
June...........
July............
A ugust___
September
O ctober.. .
November.
December.
150
155
160
171
181
184
185
184
182
ISO
182
181
151
159
170
188
203
198
189
190
195
200
199
200
149
151
154
158
164
168
175
178
181
184
185
191
140
146
154
157
172
176
175
181
178
182
183
182
150
156
166
188
204
197
200
203
206
207
206
209
184
188
197
200
201
210
208
210
209
212
214
217
187
193
199
203
205
211
208
207
207
212
214
218
154
160
163
169
177
179
179
181
179
179
183
187
2140
1918
January.. .
February..
March........
April..........
May...........
Juile...........
185
187
1,88
191
191
193
200
204
204
207
207
201
195
196
196
200
205
206
184
188
189
191
188
186
205
210
217
225
216
211
215
216
218
221
223
227
219
220
221
223
225
226
190
194
199
199
204
207
‘ Average for January and July.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
*Quarter beginning in specified month.
[587]
2146
112
M ONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
COST OF LIVING IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
EIGHTH ARTICLE ACTUAL RECORD FOR ONE MONTH OF FOOD PURCHASED BY 88
FAMILIES.
An investigation of the cost of living in the District of Columbia
was made in the spring of 1917, and a series of articles relating
thereto has appeared in the M o n t h l y R e v i e w .1
This section of the study deals with the quantity and cost of food u t d
in one month as assembled from itemized accounts of food expenditure
kept da}7 by day by the housewives in 88 families in the District of
Columbia. These monthly accounts were obtained from certain of the
housewives who manifested an interest in the bureau’s investigation,
and who undertook, at the request of the bureau agent, to keep an
accurate itemized account of all expenditures for one month. The
accounts were kept on forms furnished by the bureau, containing spaces
for the date, name of the article, the quantity, and the cost.
Although each record presents the expenditure for one month, all
are not for the same month, as the families were visited and started
on the record at different dates during the spring of 1917, hence
there is some seasonal divergence in the variety of food purchased,
especially as regards vegetables and fruits.
In the matter of quantity bought the returns are not complete.
Some entries were made showing the money cost but not the quantity;
for example, 10 cents’ wTorth of apples, or 25 cents’ worth of sausage.
No family was included in the tabulation that did not report the
complete food cost for the month.
Because of incomplete reports as to quantity the table is divided
into two parts, one section including the families that reported both
the quantity and the cost, and the other section including all families
purchasing each article whether or not the quantity was reported.
It is interesting to note that of all articles of ordinary diet enter
ing into the study, only one, bread, was purchased by all of the 88
families. The families under consideration averaged 4 members,
and the incomas for the month ranged from $24.35 to $230.22, the
average being $101.05.
Referring to the table below it is seen that of the 88 familias re
porting, 82 purchased beef steaks during the month, spending there
for $101.69. Four of these familias did not make a complete record
as to the quantity purchased.. In the 78 families that reported both
quantity and cost for the entire month, the consumption of beef
steak was 359.2 pounds, making an average of 4.6 pounds per family,
and the total cost was $97.58, making an average cost per family in
these 78 families of $1.25 per month. Forty-four of the families
bought roasts and 64 families bought other kinds of fresh beef. All
told, 87 of the 88 families bought one cut or another, or perhaps
several cuts of fresh beef, the total cost of which was $228.02.
■M o n t h l y R e v ie w of October, 1917, November, 1917, December, 1917, January, 1918, February, 191^
March, 1918, A pril, 1918
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[5881
113
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
QUANTITY AND COST OF FOOD U SED IN ONE MONTH BY 88 FAM ILIES IN THE DISTRICT
OF COLUMBIA.
Families using article and reporting both
quantity and cost.
Quantity of article.
Article.
Num
ber.
Total.
Beef, fresh:
Steaks............................................
Roa-sts........................................................
Other..........................................................
Average
per family
reporting.
Cost of article
Aver
age Num Cost of
per ber. article.
Total. fam
ily re
port
ing.
42
60
359.2 lbs........ 4.6 lbs....... $97.58 $1.25
297.8 lbs....... 7.1 lbs....... 62.36 1.48
276.7 lb s....... 4.6 lb s....... 55.01
.92
Total.......................................................
84
933.7 lb s....... 11.l i b s . .. . 224.09
B eef,salt and dried........................................
Veal....................................................................
Mutton and lam b...........................................
Pork, fresh.......................................................
Pork, salt:
Bacon.........................................................
Ham .................................................. , ___
Shoulder....................................................
Other........................................................
22
29
34
60
45.4 lbs.........
75.8 lb s.. ..
130.9 lbs.......
298.7 lb s.......
2.1 lbs ..
2.6 lbs
3.91bs
5 lbs..........
11.86
18.73
34.52
70.83
55 133.1 lbs.......
49 323.1 lb s.......
22 135.6 lbs ..
18 30.6 lbs
2.4lbs. ..
6 .6 lb s.......
6.2 lhs
1.7 lbs
78
Total................................................
77
Other meats:
Sausage.........................................
Liver..........................................
Soup meats..................................
Not specified.................................
Total..........................................
70
361.4 lbs
24
145.2 lbs
19
23
46
33
47.1 lbs
2.5 lbs
125 ..
5.4
122 cans___ 2.7 cans....
1.4 qts___
80
62
36
87
70
51
70
87
47
397.8 doz___
1,413.5 q ts...
194 c a n s___
482.4 lbs
218.8 lbs
Total.......................................
82
44
64
$101.69
65.91
60.42
2.67
87
228.02
.54
.65
1.02
1.18
35
32
42
70
14.19
21.44
38.04
80.91
39.05
83.45
24.57
5.83
.71
1.70
1.12
.32
59
69
25
22
40.32
116.86
30.96
6.54
186.77
2.43
82
194.68
48.60
8.32
1.46
19.12
.93
.28
.21
.58
67
32
32
61
65.54
8.52
7.17
35.19
105.65
1.51
79
116.42
39.46
1.64
28
46.90
8.44
7.06
16.31
15.92
.44
.31
.35
.48
65
37
46
41
47.65
11.51
16.31
20.57
160.84
22.8 qts.
147. 79
5.4 c a n s ... 21.20
5.5 lbs
193.36
3.1 lb s
44.95
36.3 lb s
71 lhs
17.28
205.8 lb s
2 9 lhs
51.87
1,558.3 lb s ... 17.9 Ib s.... 123.80
56.9,lbs.........
18.39
2.01
2.38
.59
2.22
.64
.34
.74
1.42
.39
6 1 lhs
._____
69
1,146 lb s . . . .
16.6 lb s:...
25
56
53
97 1 ib s
a Q lh s
3,132 loaves.. 56 loaves..
174 lhs
a 3 lh s
39
72 cans____
83
96.04
80~
83
160.84
36
87
76
56
75
87
66
213.41
21.20
193.36
50.07
18. 7.8
57. 20
123.80
25.22
68. or.
16.81
9.17
253.85
14. hi
29.00
12. Ill
66.44
.96
3.84
170.85
14.10
.15
3.05
1.8 c a n s...
8.65
.22
47 53.3 p eck s... 1.1 pocks..
45 70 3 d n z
1.8 doz___
31
61 125.2 doz___ 2.1 d o z .. . .
19 93................... 5 . . . .
31.03
15.16
2.96
30.90
5.31
.66
65
.34
.09
.51
46
32
.28
19
26
40.92
15.61
3.06
33.85
5.31
11.13
84
109.8S
—
Total..............................................
Fruit,canned and preserved ................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 lhs
4 lb s
52 208.4 lbs
1.7 lbs
30 51.2 lb s
7 7.5lbs . . . . 1.1 lbs.. ..
2.9 lbs
33 94.3 lbs
Poultry...........................................
Fish arid other sea fo’od:
Fresh fish..................................
Salt fish (number).................
Canned.......................................
Oysters........................................
Eggs......................................................
M ilk and cream.............................
M ilk , condensed..............................
Butter and oleomargarine. .
Lard and compounds..........................
T ea...............................................
Coffee and substitutes...................
Sugar......................................................
('heese............ .............................
Flour:
Wheat..................................
Other......................................
Corn m eal...............................
Bread and rolls........................
Rice............................................
Cereals.............................................
Molasses and sirup............................
Fruit, fresh:
Apples...........................................
Bananas........................................
Lemons...............................................
Oranges.............................................
Grapefruit (number)..........................
Other................................................ ..
622.4 lbs
Families
using article
and reporting
cost.
.27
70
43
36
88
53
62
48
65
51 1
[589]
23.72
114
M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.
Q U A N TITY AND COST OF FOOD USED IN ONE MONTH B Y 88 FAMILIES IN TH E DISTRICT
OF COLUMBIA— Concluded.
Families
using article
and reporting
cost.
Families using article and reporting both
quantity and cost.
Quantity of article.
Cost of article.
Article.
Num
ber.
Total.
Fruit, dried:
Peaches.
_________________ ____ _
Prunes
______ _______________
R a isin s____, _____________ ________
Other.......................................... .............
T o ta l......................................................
Vegetables, fresh:
Potatoes, Irish..........................................
’ Cabbage.”....................................................
Spinach and kale....................................
Sweet potatoes.........................................
Onions.......................... ............................
Lettuce.......................................................
Celery.........................................................
Tomatoes...................................................
Other..........................................................
A ver Num
Cost of
age
per ber. article.
Total. fam
ily re
port
ing.
17 36.0 lbs..........
31 56.3 lbs.........
16 24.0 lbs.........
8 13.1 lbs.........
2.1 lbs........
1.8 lbs........
1.5 lbs........
1.6 lbs........
$4.18
7.63
2.96
1.97
$0.25
.25
.19
.25
17
31
23
16
$4.18
7. 63
4.70
3.49
129.4 lbs.......
2.7 lbs.......
19.11
.40
52
20.00
70 113.6 pecks..
33 82.0 heads...
33 30.3 p eck s...
42 22.5 peck s...
10 35.0 lbs.........
47 160.0 heads..
30 64.0 stalks.. .
17 50.8 lbs.........
1.6 pecks..
2.5 heads..
.9 pecks..
.5 p eck ...
3.5 lbs.......
3.4 heads..
2.1 stalks..
3.0 lbs.......
80.60
9. 77
12.55
12.68
3.63
12.47
5.56
7.10
1.15
.30
.38
.30
.36
.27
.19
.42
75
54
34
45
66
48
32
23
58
86.66
19. 56
12.60
12.96
14. 78
12.67
5.99
8.51
26.16
87
199.89
48
Total.....................................................
Vegetables, canned:
Tomatoes...................................................
Corn............................................................
Beans..........................................................
Peas.............................................................
Other........................................................
Average
per family
reporting.
_________ _ .
T______
63
42
44
56
27
219.0 cans. . .
110.0 c a n s.. .
123.0 c a n s ...
178.0 c a n s.. .
58.0 cans. . .
3.5 c a n s.. .
2.6 c a n s ...
2.8 c a n s ...
3.2 c a n s ...
2.1 c a n s.. .
26.76
.13.42
15.79
21.57
8.05
.42
.32
.36
.39
.30
63
42
44
56
33
26.76
13.42
15. 79
21.57
10.68
84
688.0 cans. . .
8.2 c a n s ...
88.22
1.05
84
88.22
49
13
113.0 lbs........ 2.3 lb s ....
173.0 lbs........ 13.3 lb s ....
15.30
1.73
.31
.13
51
13
12
16.24
1.73
10.40
65
83
52
30
78
29
45
55
36
57
20
42
76
18.45
66.91
14.18
11.47
28.83
4. 66
12.53
11.75
6. 72
11.24
3.39
24.96
65- 84
Total...................................................
88
275. 93
Meals outside home................................. .
44
78 33
Total......................................................
Vegetables, dried:
Beans...............................................
Peas................................................
Ice......................................................................
Other foods:
Crackers.....................................................
Cakes..............................................
Chocolate and cocoa................................
Soup, canned............................................
Condiments and extracts.......................
Hominy..........................
P ie...............................................................
Macaroni and spaghetti..........................
Pickles and olives....................................
Baking powder, soda, and yeast..........
Sodas and soft drinks.....................
Ice cream...................................................
Not specified.............................................
30
119.0 c a n s.. .
Grand total...........................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
4.0 c a n s.. .
11.47
.38
88 2,928.09
[590]
115
M ONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
COST OF LIVING IN THE PACIFIC SHIPBUILDING DISTRICTS.
The following tables summarize the result of a study made of the
cost of living in five shipbuilding centers on the Pacific coast, namely,
Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
The study was made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in coopera
tion with the Wage Adjustment Board of the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration. Like reports for other shipbuilding centers in the United
States have appeared in preceding numbers of the M o n t h l y R e v i e w .1
Schedules showing in detail the family expenditures for the year*
ending May 31, 1918, were secured in these districts by special agents
of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in personal visits to the homes of
the families of workers in shipyards and of other wage earners in the
same localities. The purpose of the study was to show not only the
present cost of living, but changes in cost of living in recent years.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics for several years has collected cur
rently the retail prices of food in each of these localities except
Tacoma, making such figures available for use in this report. Retail
prices for clothing, furniture and furnishings, rent, and fuel and light
back to 1914 were obtained in each locality by the agents in addition
to the information concerning the family cost of living for one year.
The following tables show the number of families from which
reports were obtained in each district, the average expenditure per
family for each of the principal classes of expenditure, the per cent
that each average is of the total average expenditure, together with
the per cent of increase in the retail prices of the articles in each
class of expenditure in December, 1915, December, 1916, December,
1917, and June, 1918, over the retail prices in December, 1914:
AVERAGE E X P E N D IT U R E S AN D PE R CENT OF AVERAGE TOTAL E X P E N D IT U R E S
OF FAM ILIES IN SH IPB U ILD IN G DISTRICTS IN THE Y E A R EN DIN G MAY 31, 1918, FOR
EACH OF THE PRINCIPAL ITEMS OF COST OF LIVING SPECIFIED, A N D THE PER
CENT OF INCREASE IN THE R E TA IL PRICES OF EACH ITEM IN DECEM BER, 1915,
1916, AND 1917, AND JU N E, 1918, ABOVE THE PRICES IN DECEM BER, 1914.
SEATTLE, W A SH .: 208 families.
Expenditures per
family.
Expenditures for—
Average.
Per cent of increase in retail prices in December,
1915, December, 1916, December, 1917, and
June, 1918, above the prices in December, 1914.
December, December,
Per cent. December,
1915.
1916.
1917.
Clothing:
Males........................................
Females.....................................
$115.24
125.46
7.34
8.00
0. 79
1.55
10.87
11. 72
June,
1918.
34. 81
37.93
62.22
62.30
Total......................................
240.70
15.34
1.19
11.31
36.44
62.26
Furniture and furnishings...........
Food..................................................
Housing...........................................
Fuel and ligh t.................................
Miscellaneous..................................
73.87
576.38
211. 51
73.19
393. 45
4.71
36.75
13. IS
4.66
25.08
8.52
2 2.75
2 2.42
2.19
21.02
27.43
8.46
25.41
2.93
7.40
52.29
38.65
« .55
23.85
31.08
82.67'
51.87
16.70
45.96
49.24
Total......................................
1,569.10
100.00
2 1.02
7.40
31.08
49.24
1March, April, and June, and Monthly L abor R eview , August, 1913.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[591]
* Decrease.
116
M ONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
A VERAGE E X P E N D IT U R E S AN D PE R CENT OF A V ER A G E TOTAL EXPENDITURES
OF FAM ILIES IN SH IPB U ILD IN G DISTRICTS IN T H E Y E A R E N D IN G MAY 31, 1918,
ETC.—Concluded.
TACOMA, W ASH .: 103 families.
Expenditures per
family.
Per cent of increase in retail prices in December,
1915, December, 1916, December, 1917, and
June, 1918, above the prices in December, 1914.
Expenditures for—
Average.
Per cent.
December, December, December,
1916.
1917.
1915.
nothing:
Males.........................................
Fem ales....................................
$122. 78
120. 96
7. 99
7.88
2.03
2.00
13.62
11.03
47.90
36.63
June,
1918.
78.99
67.38
Total......................................
243. 74
15.87
2.02
12.33
42.30
73.22
Furniture and furnishings...........
Food..................................................
Housing...........................................
Fuel and ligh t................................
Miscellaneous..................................
85.33
552.56
118.16
68.10
468.13
5.56
35.97
7.69
4.43
30.48
4.50
' 2. 75
15.82
.27
‘ 1.23
20.12
8.46
110.36
.57
7.69
45.34
38.65
.32
17.81
34.45
69.56
51.87
21.38
52.45
54.82
Total.............. ......................
1,536.02
100.00
11.23
7.69
34.45
54.82
3.44
2.60
16.75
14.71
44. 30
44. 47
69.20
75.02
PO RTLAND, OREG.: 164 families.
Clothing:
Females.................................. .
$102.18
98. 49
7.63
7.36
Total......................................
200.67
14.99
3.03
15.75
44.38
72.06
Furniture and furnishings...........
Food..................................................
Housing...........................................
Fuel and light................................
Miscellaneous..................................
72.49
518.65
175.17
58. 76
312.67
5.42
38. 75
13.09
4.39
23.36
2.87
- 13.81
110. 91
‘ .96
13.05
18.02
9.75
119.55
3.44
6.14
54.47
42.17
' 22.16
20.24
31.23
84.85
52.43
18.43
34.85
47.16
Total......................................
1,338.41
100.00
i 3.05
6.14
31.23
47,16
14. 43
14.53
42.05
45.07
72.39
71.92
SAN FRAN CISCO D IST R IC T: 286 families.
Clothing:
Males..........................................
Females.....................................
$108. 73
108.89
7.54
7.56
2.14
2. 77
Total......................................
217.62
15.10
2.46
14.48
43.56
72.15
Furniture and furnishings...........
Food..................................................
Housing...........................................
Fuel and light................................
Miscellaneous..................................
43.65
578.00
230.43
54.95
316.64
3.03
40.10
15.99
3.81
21.97
5.96
1 4.31
1.72
i .14
11.66
21.71
9.63
‘ 2.52
4.57
8.30
48.21
35.90
* 4.02
14.35
28.63
73.32
44.87
‘ 4.54
11.35
39. 49
Total......................................
1,441.29
100.00
‘ 1.66
8.30
28.63
39.49
10.33
18.36
41.85
48.29
68.77
77.82
LOS ANGELES D IST R IC T: 157 families.
Clothing:
Males.........................................
Fem aies....................................
$95.34
92.46
7.40
7.17
1.65
3.95
Total......................................
187.80
14.57
2.78
14.28
45.02
73.22
Furniture and furnishings...........
Food..................................................
Housing...........................................
Fuel and light................................
Miscellaneous..................................
36.04
515.44
191.24
39.91
318.36
2.80
39.99
14.84
3.10
24.70
6.28
‘ 4.12
>2.68
.36
>1.93
23.09
.41
>2.54
2.34
7.68
56.43
33. 41
i .64
10.40
28.85
84.70
40.02
8.28
13.04
40.74
Total......................................
1,288.79
100.00
i 1.93
7.68
28.85
40.74
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 Decrease.
[592]
117
M ONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
The San Francisco district includes San Francisco and Oakland.
The Los Angeles district includes families living in Los Angeles, Long
Beach, and San Pedro. Retail prices of food were not available for
Tacoma. While the prices of food might not have been exactly the
same in Tacoma as in Seattle, it has been assumed th a t the per cent
of change th a t took place in food prices in Seattle would apply
approximately to Tacoma.
The term ‘‘Miscellaneous” in the table includes expenditures for
all items—such as tobacco, liquors, cleaning supplies, amusements,
vacation, etc.—not included in the other items specified. The
increase in the cost of many of these miscellaneous items could not
be traced satisfactorily through the period back to 1914, and it has
been assumed that the percentage of increase in this group has been
approximately the same as the average increase of all of the other
items combined.
The average per cent of increase for the total of all items each year
is computed by multiplying the proportion of expenditure for each
item by the per cent of increase in the retail price of th a t item as
compared with 1914, and dividing the aggregates of the products
thus obtained, by 100.
Tiie table following shows the per cent of increase in retail
prices in Seattle, Wash., in February and June, 1918, above the prices
in October, 1917.
PE R CENT OF INCREASE IN RETAIL PRICES IN SEATTLE, W ASH., IN FE B R U A R Y , 1918,
AND JUNE, 1918, ABOVE THE PRICES IN OCTOBER, 1917.
Item.
Per cent of increase in
retail prices in Feb
ruary and June, 1918,
above the prices in
October, 1917.
1tern.
February,
1918.
June, 1918.
Clothing:
Males..............................
Females.........................
14.53
13.34
21.52
18.54
Furniture and furnishings.
Food.......................................
Housing................................
Total...........................
13.91
19.97
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Per cent of increase in
retail prices in Feb
ruary and June, 1918,
above the prices in
October, 1917.
February,
1918.
June, 1918.
Miscellaneous.......................
12.25
4.32
9.56
6.00
7.83
20.84
9.42
19.22
13.70
14.33
Total...........................
7.83
14. 33
118
M O NTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
YEAR’S CLOTHING BILL OF 100 FAMILIES OF WAGE EARNERS IN NEW
YORK CITY SHIPBUILDING DISTRICT.
As a part of the recent study made by the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics of the cost of living in the New York City shipbuilding district,
detailed figures for the cost of clothing of the different members of
the family for one year were obtained. To ascertain approximately
the apportionment among the several members of the family of the
clothing cost and the number of articles bought, a tabulation has been
made of the year’s clothing bill of 100 representative families.
The families are those of wage earners earning from $718.80 to
$2,210 in the year, with an average of $1,295.07, which income was
supplemented in some of the families by the earnings of children and
by payments from boarders and lodgers. While the figures are
limited to but 100 families, it is believed that they are of sufficient
volume to be of service to persons desiring a knowledge of the wage
earners’ clothing budget. The clothing of males and females are
presented separately. In each family there was a husband and a
wife. The children are grouped by ages, the age of each child being
reported as of the birthday occurring in the year covered by the
report. The table shows the number of persons for whom each article
was bought, with totals and averages of articles bought, and cost.
To explain the table reference is made to the first item for husbands,
where it is seen that 85 of the 100 husbands bought 2,201 pairs of
gloves and mittens, a heavy item of expense for shipbuilders. This
made an average of 22.01 pairs as spread over the 100 husbands, or an
average of 25.89 pairs for each of the 85 husbands buying. The total
cost of these gloves and mittens was $417.34, an average of 19 cents
per pair, $4.17 per each of the 100 husbands, and $4.91 per each of
the 85 husbands buying gloves and mittens.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[594]
119
M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
AM OUNT SP E N T FO R SPEC IFIE D ARTICLES OF CLOTHING IN ONE Y E A R B Y 100
R E P R E SE N T A T IV E FAM ILIES.
M A L E S.
Husbands (100 families, 100 husbands).
Articles bought.
Article.
Gloves and mittens(pairs)
Hats and caps....................
Overalls...............................
Overcoats............................
Shirts....................................
Shoes....................................
Socks....................................
Suits.....................................
Sweaters..............................
Trousers (extra)................
Underwear..........................
Num
ber of
persons
for
whom
article Total.
was
bought.
85
90
78
38
98
99
100
67
35
60
96
2,201
211
223
40
432
325
1,898
73
36
104
405
Per per
son for
whom
bought.
Per
per
son.
22.01
2.11
2.23
.4
4.32
3.25
18.98
.73
.36
1.04
4.05
25.89
2.34
2.86
1.05
4.41
3.28
18.98
1.1
1.03
1.73
4.22
Grand total and
Average
expenditure.
Cost.
Average number.
Total.
$417.34
303.68
414.29
659.25
519.94
1,331.00
449.14
1,43S. 25
134.18
268.83
598.07
783.12
Average
per
article.
Per
per
son.
$0.19
1.44
1.86
16.48
1.20
4.10
.24
19.70
3.73
2.58
1.48
$4.17
3.04
4.14
6.59
5.20
13.31
4.49
14.38
1.34
2.69
5.98
7.83
~
; ~
73.17
7,317.09
Per per
son for
whom
bought.
$4.91
3.37
5.31
17.35
5.31
13.44
4.49
21.47
3.83
4.48
6.23
0
Boys 15 years of age and over (9 families, 10 boys).
Gloves and mittens(pairs)
Hats and caps....................
Overalls...............................
Overcoats............................
Shirts...................................
Shoes....................................
Socks....................................
Suits.....................................
Sweaters..............................
Trousers (extra).................
Underwear..........................
10
10
4
4
10
10
10
10
4
4
10
164
25
7
4
57
37
285
15
5
6
40
16.4
2.5
.7
.4
5.7
3.7
28.5
1.5
.5
.6
4
16.4
2.5
1.75
1
5.7
3.7
28.5
1.5
1.25
1.5
4
Grand total and
$30.70
32.28
10.05
51.50
48.26
149.10
64.32
165.00
20.25
13.50
46.74
72.35
$0.19
1.29
1.44
12.88
.85
4.03
.23
11.00
4.05
2.25
1.17
$3.07
3.23
1.00
5.15
4.83
14.91
6.43
16.50
2.03
1.35
4.67
7.24
$3.07
3.23
2.51
12.88
4.83
14.91
6.43
16.50
5.06
3.38
4.67
70.41
704.05
Boys 11 to 14 years of age (25 families, 33 boys).
Gloves and mittens(pairs)
Hats and caps....................
Overalls...............................
Overcoats............................
Shirts....................................
Shoes....................................
Socks....................................
Suits.....................................
Sweaters..............................
Trousers (extra).................
Underwear..........................
31
31
3
18
32
33
33
26
9
18
31
40
63
5
18
162
142
748
31
9
35
107
1.21
1.91
.15
.55
4.91
4.3
22.67
.94
.27
1.06
3.24
«
Grand total and
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1.29
2
1.67
1
5.06
4.3
22.67
1.19
1
1.94
3.45
$21.71
36.30
4.05
116.00
90.14
403.00
178.12
188.98
20.46
37.39
77.39
161.65
1,335.28
[595]
$0.54
.58
.81
6.44
.56
2.84
.24
6.10
2.27
1.07
.72
$0.66
1.10
.12
3.52
2.73
12.21
5.40
5.73
.62
1.13
2.35
4.90
40.46
$0.70
1.17
1.35
6.44
2.82
12.21
5.40
7.27
2.27
2.08
2.50
120
M O N T H L Y LABOE EE VIEW ,
AMOUNT SP E N T FOR SPEC IFIE D ARTICLES OF CLOTHING IN ONE Y E A R B Y 100
R E P R E SE N T A T IV E FA M ILIE S-C ontinued.
M A L E S—Concluded.
Boys 7 to 10 years of age (31 families. 32 boys).
Articles bought.
Article.
Num
ber of
persons
for
whom
article Total.
was .
bought.
Gloves and m ittens (pairs)
Hats and caps..............
Overalls.........................
Overcoats......................
Shirts..............................
Shoes..............................
Socks..............................
Suits...............................
Sweaters........................
Trousers (extra)...........
Underwear....................
Other item s...................
44
54
10
17
160
140
592
42
13
50
137
Average number.
Per
per
son.
1.38
1.69
.32
.53
5
4.38
18.5
1.31
.41
1. 56
4. 28
Per per
son for
whom
Total.
bought.
1.52
1.69
1.67
1
5.16
4.38
18.5
1.45
1
2.17
4.28
Grand total and
average.................
Average
expenditure.
Cost.
$16.57
31.98
5. 53
90.94
76.66
346.99
131.34
195. 23
29.56
47.22
90.09
147. 91
Average
per
article.
$0.38
.59
.55
5.35
.48
2.48
.22
4.65
2.27
.94
1, 210. 02
Per
per
son.
$0.52
1.00
.17
2.84
2.40
10.84
4.10
6. 10
.92
1.48
2.82
4. 62
Per per
son for
whom
bought.
$0.57
1.00
.92
5.35
2.47
10.84
4.10
6.73
2.27
2.05
2.82
37. 81
Boys 4 to 6 years of age (47 families, 51 boys).
Gloves and mittens (pairs
Hats and caps....................
Overalls...............................
Overcoats............. .............
Shirts........... .......................
Shoes....................................
Socks....................................
Suits.....................................
Sweaters..............................
Trousers (extra).................
Underwear..........................
Other item s........................
45
45
20
29
24
51
50
44
16
17
50
63
77
47
29
112
217
838
172
16
52
230
1.24
1.51
.92
.57
2.2
4.25
16.43
3.37
.31
1.02
4. 51
1.4
1.71
2.35
1
4.67
4.25
16.76
3.91
1
3.06
4.6
Grand total and
average.................
$25.08
57.89
25. 29
137. 98
49.60
502. 77
190.36
268.54
38.46
35.15
152. 79
163.25
$0.40
.75
.54
4.76
.44
2.32
.23
1. 56
2.40
.68
.66
1,647.16
$0.49
1.14
.50
2.71
.97
9.86
3.73
5.27
.75
.69
3.00
3.20
$0.56
1.29
1.26
4.76
2.07
9.86
3.81
6.10
2.40
2.07
3.06
32.30
Boys 3 years of age and under (47 families, 55 boys).
Gloves and mittens (pairs)
Hats and caps....................
Overalls........................
Overcoats..........................
Shirts..........................
Shoes........................ .
Socks..........................
Suits........................
Sweaters.............
Trousers (extra)...............
Underwear............. .
Other item s............
32
45
8
26
7
51
52
29
23
2
51
40
71
20
27
34
138
639
157
29
11
286
0.73
1.29
.36
.49
.62
2.51
11.62
2.85
.53
.2
5.2
Grand total and
average............
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1.25
1.58
2.5
1.04
4.86
2.71
12.29
5.41
1.26
5.5
5.61
$12.12
48.29
9.68
96.00
16.19
. 219. 65
126.47
142.93
44. 53
2.00
136. 51
195. 62
1,050.99
[596]
$0.30
.68
.48
3.56
.48
1.59
.20
.91
1.54
.18
.48
$0.22
.88
.18
1.75
.29
.3.99
2.30
2.60
.81
.04
2.48
3.56
19.10
$0.38
1.07
1.21
3.69
2.31
4.31
2.43
4.93
1.94
1.00
2.68
121
M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW,
AMOUNT SP E N T FO R SPEC IFIE D ARTICLES OF CLOTHING IN ONE Y E A R B Y 100
R E P R E SE N T A T IV E FAM ILIES—Continued.
FEM ALES.
Wives (100 families, 100 wives).
Articles bought.
Article.
Aprons.................................
Coats and cloaks................
Corsets.................................
Dresses.................................
Dress skirts.........................
Furs.....................................
Gloves and m ittens..........
H ats.....................................
Petticoats............................
Shoes....................................
S to ck in g s..........................
Suits. . r...............................
Sweaters..............................
Underwear and lingerie..
Waists and blouses...........
Other i firms
..........
Num
ber of
persons
for
whom
article Total.
was
bought.
78
36
75
76
54
5
69
75
67
96
98
27
20
93
82
294
41
112
216
72
5
107
116
144
198
833
30
20
545
217
Average number.
Per per
son for
whom
bought.
Per
per
son.
2.94
.41
1.12
2.16
.72
.05
1.07
1.16
1.44
1.98
8.33
.3
.2
5. 45
2.17
*
3.77
1.14
1.49
2.84
1.33
1
1.55
1.55
2.15
2.06
8.5
1.11
1
5.86
2.65
Grand total and
average-T- - ..........
Average
expenditure.
Cost.
Total.
5119.17
618.98
186.15
757.61
219.94
51.50
104.61
331.90
133.87
75«.15
215.39
502.00
74.24
370.82
325.36
433.02
Average
per
article.
80.41
15.10
1.66
3.51
3.05
10.30
.98
2.86
.93
3.83
.26
16.73
3.71
.68
1.50
5,203.71
Per
per
son.
$1.19
6.19
1.86
7.58
2.20
.52
1.05
3.32
1.34
7.59
2.15
5.02
.74
3.71
3.25
4.33
Per per
son for
whom
bought.
$1.53
17.19
2.48
9.97
4.07
10.30
1.52
4.43
2.00
7.91
2.20
18.59
3.71
3.99
3.97
52.04
Girls 15 years of age and over (13 families, 14 girls).
Aprons.................................
Coats and cloaks..............
Corsets.................................
Dresses................................
Dress skirts........................
Furs.....................................
Gloves and m itten s..........
H ats.....................................
P e ttic o a ts.........................
Shoes....................................
Stockings............................
Suits.....................................
Sweaters..............................
Underwear and lingerie..
Waists and blouses...........
Other items. .
Grand total and
average _ ,r *..........
8
9
11
13
8
1
12
14
13
14
14
3
8
13
13
17
11
19
27
12
1
24
23
27
40
145
3
8
74
42
1.21
.79
1.36
1.93
.86
.07
1.71
1.64
1.93
2.86
10.36
.21
.57
5.29
3
2.13
1.22
1.73
2.08
1.5
1
2
1.64
2.08
2.86
10.36
1
1
5.69
3.23
89.15
176.98
19.65
136.40
31.28
7.50
19.51
59.62
19.33
156.19
43.48
30.00
21.25
37.23
45.90
56.29
$0.54
16.09
1.03
5.05
2.61
7.50
.81
2.59
.72
3.90
.30
10.00
2.66
.50
1.09
869.76
$0.65
12.64
1.40
9.74
2.23
.54
1.39
4.26
1.38
11.16
3.11
2.14
1.52
2.66
3.28
4.02
$1.14
19.66
1.79
10.49
3.91
7.50
1.63
4.26
1.49
11.16
3.11
10.00
2.66
2.86
3.53
62.13
Girls 11 to 14 years of age (22 families, 24 girls).
Aprons.................................
Coats and cloaks...............
Corsets..................................
Dresses................................
Dress skirts........................
Gloves and m ittens..........
H ats.....................................
Petticoats............................
Shoes....................................
Stockings............................
Sweaters..............................
Underwear and lingerie. .
Waists and blouses...........
Other it pm«3 _____
4
21
2
24
5
18
20
20
24
24
9
23
15
6
21
3
79
6
28
27
56
87
304
9
125
28
0.25
.88
.13
3. 29
.25
1.17
1.13
2.33
3.63
12.67
.38
5.21
1.17
1.5
1
1.5
3.29
1.2
1.56
1.35
2.8
3.63
12.67
1
5.43
1.87
Grand total and
average________
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
81.84
150.85
1.50
128. ,53
5.75
14.39
50.17
25.28
270.25
69.33
23.21
62.13
26.06
103.35
932.64
1
[597]
$0.31
7.18
.50
1.63
.96
.51
1.86
.45
3.11
.23
2.58
.50
.93
$0.08
6.29
.06
5.36
.24
.60
2.09
1.05
11.26
2.89
.97
2.59
1.09
4,31
38.86
$0.46
7.18
.75
5.38
1.15
.80
2.51
1.26
11. 26
2.89
2.58
2.70
1.74
122
M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW,
AMOUNT SP E N T FOR SPEC IFIE D ARTICLES OF CLOTHING IN ONE Y E A R B Y 100
R E P R E SE N T A T IV E FAM ILIES—Concluded.
F E M A L E S —Concluded.
Girls 7 to 10 years of age (34 families, 37 girls).
Articles bought.
Article.
Num
ber of
persons
for
whom
article Total.
was
bought.
Aprons.................................
Coats and cloaks................
Dresses................................
Dress skirts........................
Furs.....................................
Gloves and m ittens..........
H ats.....................................
Petticoats............................
Shoes....................................
Stockings............................
Sweaters..............................
Underwear and lingerie..
Waists and blouses...........
Other items........................
6
21
36
3
2
32
33
28
36
36
13
37
10
Grand total and
average.......... .
12
22
190
5
2
40
50
92
133
570
13
219
20
Average number.
Per
per
son.
Per per
son for
whom
bought.
0.32
.59
5.14
. 14
.05
1.08
1.35
2.49
3.59
15.41
.35
5.92
.54
2
1.05
5.28
1.67
1
1.25
1.52
3.29
3.69
15.83
1
5.92
2
Average
expenditure.
Cost.
Total.
83.28
123.94
179. 42
3.00
6.00
16.62
63.27
41.83
336.20
138.90
34.00
111.62
12.43
153.15
Average
per
article.
$0.27
5.63
.94
.60
3.00
.42
1.27
.45
2.53
2.44
2.62
.51
.62
1,223. L6
1
Per
per
son.
$0.09
3.35
4.85
.08
.16
.46
1.71
1.13
9.09
3.75
.92
3. 02
.34
4. 14
Per per
son (or
whom
bought.
$0. 55
5.90
4.98
1.00
3.00
.52
1.92
1.49
9.34
3.86
2.62
3.02
1.24
33.07
Girls 4 to 6 years of age (25 families, 28 girls).
Aprons.................................
Coats and cloaks................
Dresses.................................
Furs......................................
Gloves and m ittens..........
H ats.....................................
Petticoats............................
Shoes....................................
Stockings............................
Sweaters..............................
Underwear and lingerie..
Waists and blouses...........
Other item s........................
5
21
27
6
22
26
23
28
28
12
28
1
26
26
151
7
27
40
87
91
483
12
168
1
0.93
.93
5.39
.25
.96
1.43
3.11
3.25
17.25
.43
6
.04
5.26
1.24
5.59
1.17
1.23
1.54
3.78
3.25
17.25
1
6
1
Grand total and
average.................
*7.53
103.98
115.05
29.50
12.30
56.37
30.92
190.73
90.47
26.57
73.84
1.00
90.44
$0.29
4.00
.76
4.21
.46
1.41
.36
2.10
.19
2.21
.44
1.00
828.70
$0.27
3. 71
4.11
1.05
.44
2.01
1.10
6.81
3.23
.95
2.64
.04
3.23
$1.51
4.95
4.26
4.92
.56
2.17
1.34
6.81
3.23
2. 21
2 64
1.00
29.60
Girls 3 years old and under (41 families, 45 girls).
Aprons.................................
Coats and cloaks................
Dresses.................................
Furs......................................
Gloves and mittens..........
H ats.....................................
Petticoats............................
Shoes....................................
Stockings............................
Sweaters............................
Underwear and lingerie..
Other item s...................
3
28
43
7
24
34
34
39
43
25
45
26
29
275
7
30
55
148
118
433
26
221
0.58
.64
6.11
.16
.67
1.22
3.29
2.62
9.62
.58
4.91
Grand tota and
average..................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8.67
1.04
6.4
1
1.25
1.62
4.35
3.03
10.07
1.04
4.91
$6.50
93.98
184.61
26.98
9.68
55. 71
56. 81
179.86
94.00
52.48
99.27
146.26
1,006.14
[598]
$0.25
3.24
.67
3.85
.32
1.01
3.84
1.52
.22
2.02
.45
$0.14
2.09
4.10
.60
.22
1.24
1.26
4.00
2.09
1.17
2.21
3.25
22.36
$2.17
3 36
4.29
3.85
.40
1.64
1.67
4.61
2.19
2.10
2.21
FOOD CONTROL.
FOOD CONTROL IN THE UNITED STATES.
BUTTER.
Regulations relating to butter, governing manufacturers, dealers,
brokers, and commission merchants, were announced by the United
States Food Administration on July 19. These regulations super
seded the special regulations effective June 19, 1918, and apply to
fresh as well as cold-storage butter. Rule 1 of the new regulations
limits to a reasonable advance over cost the price at which butter
shall be sold. For the purpose of the rule, costs are defined as
including (1) the purchase price; (2) transportation charges, if any;
(3) storage charges actually incurred on cold-storage butter; (4)
insurance charges actually incurred on cold-storage butter; (5)
interest at the current rate on money invested while butter is in
cold-storage; (6) actual cost of printing, if the butter is put in print
form from tubs or cubes.
Allowances for shrinkage in weight, commissions, or expenses
other than those listed are not to be included as items of cost, and
the sale of any grade of butter by a dealer other than a manufac
turer or retailer at an advance over cost of more than the following
maximum margins will be considered as prima facie evidence of a
violation of the rule: (a) 1 cent per pound on car-lot sales; (6) 1J
cents per pound on sales less than a car lot, but amounting to 7,000
pounds or more; (c) 2 cents per pound on sales of less than 7,000
pounds, but amounting to 3,500 pounds or more; (d)
cents per
pound on sales of less than 3,500 pounds, but amounting to 700
pounds or more; (e) 3 cents per pound on sales of less than 700
pounds, but amounting to 100 pounds or more; (/) 3f cents per
pound on sales of less than 100 pounds.
Rule 2 stipulates that a manufacturer who acts as a wholesaler
or jobber shall be subject to the same rules and maximum margins
as the latter, provided that in figuring his purchase price he “ shall
compute the cost of raw materials and the expense of manufacture”
or, in the case of cold-storage butter, “ consider as his cost the market
quotation on the kind and grade of butter placed in cold-storage as
quoted in a well-recognized' daily commercial price current in the
city where and on the day when the goods are placed in storage.”
Under rule 3 commissions are limited to three-quarters of a cent
per pound and the licensee is required to inform any commission
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M O NTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
merchant selling butter for him of the maximum permitted price
at which such butter may be sold. The attention of licensees is
called to the provisions of general rule 6 that “ the licensee, in selling
food commodities, shall keep such commodities moving to the con
sumer in as direct a line as practicable and without unreasonable
delay. Resales within the same trade without reasonable justifica
tion, especially if tending to result in a higher market price to the
retailer or consumer, will be dealt with as an unfair practice.” Trans
actions in which a profit accrues to the dealer without corresponding
service will be regarded as clear violations of this rule.
Rule 4 requires that a wholesaler or jobber who purchases butter
from another wholesaler or jobber, or from a manufacturer perform
ing the services of a wholesaler or jobber, and who resells to another
dealer in his own class, shall notify such dealer of the prior sales of
such butter within that class of which he has knowledge.
✓
CHEESE.
On American or Cheddar cheese a dealer may, if conditions war
rant, add the following margins over his cost: Three-quarters of a cent
a pound on car-lot sales; 11 cents on sales of 7,000 pounds up to a
carload; If cents on 4,000 to 7,000 pound sales; 2 \ cents on sales
of 1,000 to 4,000 pounds; 3 cents on sales between 100 and 1,000
pounds; and
cents on sales less than 100 pounds. These are the
maximum margins that may be added and are made wide enough
to provide for exceptional cases where the cost of doing business is
high. A dealer is not allowed to charge the limits here given if by
doing so he makes an excessive profit.
FLOUR.
The temporary plan of flour-milling profit control, which was made
effective July 1, has since been superseded by a plan which is expected
by the Food Administration to be permanent throughout the 1918-19
crop year, with possibly some modifications under special circum
stances. Under the new plan fair prices are established at every mill
point in the United »States, reasonable allowance above the cost of
wheat being made for handling, milling expenses, and profit.
As formulated by the Food Administration, the price schedules give
the prices for flour and various kinds of mill feeds that are considered
fair for sales, on cash or draft payment basis, in carload lots in bulk
at the mill. To find what may be considered a fair price from the
consumer’s standpoint, it is necessary to add to these prices the cost
of packages, which for flour at the present time averages about 65
cents per barrel where shipped in sacks containing 98 or more pounds.
Where flour is shipped in small packages, such as 2-pound cotton
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sacks, the added cost may run as high as $2.55 a barrel over the bulk
price.
To find the delivered cost of flour in carload lots it is necessary to
add the freight from the milling point. At the present time the freight
rate from Minneapolis to New York is 69 cents per barrel. When
shipments are made in less than carload lots it is considered fair by
the Food Administration that additional charges be made because of
the additional cost of handling. On sales in'less than carload lots
50 cents per barrel is considered a fair addition, while on sales to actual
consumers by mills $1.20 per barrel is allowed.
Jobbers who are not millers are allowed margins of 50 cents to 75
cents per barrel in selling to retailers, who in turn are allowed margins ,
of 80 cents to $1.20 per barrel over the cost to them. It is stated that
one advantage of the new plan is that, as each invoice of the mill must
have printed on it the so-called fair prices, it is very easy for any
representative of the Food Administration or any buyer to know
whether a mill has overcharged.
The schedule of fair prices for flour and feed at principal milling
points in carload lots, bulk, at mill, follows:
Milling point.
Boston, Mass.................................................
New York, N. Y ........................ ;
Philadelphia, P a.................................
Baltimore, Mid.............................................
Nashville, Tenn..........................................
Atlanta, Ga.........................................................
Louisville, Iv y ..................................
Durham, N. C..................................
New Orleans, La....................................................
Galveston, T ex........................................................
Buffalo, N. Y .......................................
Cleveland, Ohio.......................................
Duluth, Minn..............................................
Minneapolis, Minn.............................................
Grand Forks, N. D ak............................
Great Falls, Mont..................................................
Aberdeen, S. D ak...........................................
Wichita, Kans....................................................
I'ort Worth, T ex..............................
El Paso, T ex......................................................
Omaha, Nebr...........................................
Kansas City, Mo....................................................
Chicago, 111..............................................
St. Louis, Mo..................................................
Portland, Oreg....................................................
San Francisco, Cal.............................................
I.os Angeles, Cal............................................................
San Diego, Cal...............................................................
Flour, per
barrel.
Bran, per
ton.
$10.65
10.61
10.56
10.56
10.38
10.73
10.30
10.75
10.16
10.23
10.33
10.33
10. 05
10.01
9. 77
9.33
9.65
9.58
10.12
10. 36
9.89
9.89
10.14
10.09
9.95
10.15
10.35
10.27
$29. 66
30.26
29.86
29.66
27.46
31.06
26.86
31.26
27.26
29.76
28.16
27.76
23.36
23. 36
20.82
16.67
19.95
19.41
28.66
31.16
22. 26
22.26
25.26
24. 46
23.15
23.75
24.30
26.81
Middlings,
Mixed feed, shorts, and
per ton.
red-dog,
per ton.
$31.91
31.51
31.11
30.91
28. 71
32.31
28.11
32.51
28.51
21. 01
29.41
29.01
24. 61
24. 61
22.07
17.92
21.20
20.66
29.91
32. 41
23.51
23.51
26.51
25. 71
24.40
25.00
25.55
28.06
$32. 66
32 26
31.83
31. 66
29.46
33. 06
28.86
33.26
29. 26
31. 76
30.16
29. 76
25.36
25. 36
22.82
18. 67
21.95
21.41
30.66
33.16
24. 26
24.26
27.26
26. 46
25.15
25.75
26. 30
28.81
Effective August 1, hotels, restaurants, clubs, and dining-car
services throughout the country were released by the Food Adminis
trator from their voluntary pledge to use no wheat until the new
harvest is gathered. Public eating places will, however, continue to
comply with the baking regulations and to serve Victory bread.
772G2°—IS-----9
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{
While exact figures are not obtainable, it is estimated that between
175,000,000 and 200,000,000 pounds of wheat and its products have
been saved by the hotels, restaurants, clubs, and dining cars of the
country under their voluntary pledge between October 1, 1917, and
August 1, 1918. The educational value of their conservation efforts
can not be computed, as many people first received the food-saving
message while traveling on dining cars or living in hotels, and carried
the news home with them. About 5,000 hotel proprietors gave the
wheatless pledge, and many of the 200,000 proprietors of public
eating places who claim membership in the Food Administration cut
down the use of wheat as much as the nature of their business would
permit.
SUGAR.
To equalize the cost of the various kinds of sugar and to secure a
better distribution of this important commodity to the American
public and to our allies, the formation of a sugar equalization board
by the Food Administration lias been approved by the President.
The personnel of the board, as announced, consists of Herbert
Hoover, chairman; George Rolph, president; Robert A. Taft, secre
tary; and Prof. F. W. Taussig, of the United States Tariff Commis
sion; Theodore F. Whitmarsh and George Zabriskie of the Food
Administration; Clarence Woolley of the War Trade Board, and
William A. Glasgow, jr., chief counsel of the Food Administration,
as directors.
The board is incorporated to the extent of $5,000,000 of capital,
which is supplied by the President from his special funds, in order to
enable it to deal with facility in foreign sugars and otherwise, and
the whole stock will be held by the President for the United States
Government. The object, it is stated, is to absorb the high peaks
of cost in sugar production and to make a small margin on the low
cost of certain foreign sugars which may be purchased, thus securing
an equalization of the price to the public on a lower level than would
otherwise be possible. It is also expected that the arrangement will
secure a more even distribution of sugar throughout the United States.
Owing to the increased cost of sugar production, particularly the
increased cost of beets, bags, labor, and transportation, it is expected
that the price of sugar will be advanced in the latter part of the
year. By the creation of this board, however, it is believed possible
to work out a price for the public upward of l cent per pound less
than would be the case if the price of sugar were advanced sufficiently
to cover the high peaks in costs from all quarters.
Basing its action on a careful survey of the world sugar situation
and compilation of the immediate demands, the Food Administration
calls on the American public to restrict the monthly consumption
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
127
of sugar in the home to two pounds per person from August 1 to
January 1. This replaces the former allowance of three pounds per
person per month and includes all sugar used on the table and in
cooking. A similar order has been issued to public eating places,
limiting their use of sugar to two pounds for every 90 meals served.
To insure an equitable distribution of sugar in the United States,
a scheme of allocation to the several States, based on population and
taking into account the needs of sugar-using industries, has been
adopted. Within each State the details of distribution will be left
to the Federal food administrators.
Responding to the request of the Food Administration that the
Nation go on a sugar ration of two pounds per person per month,
the dining-car services of the country have cut down the allowance
to patrons to two pounds for every 90 meals served. One service of
sugar will be limited to two half-lumps, or one teaspoonful of granu
lated, and patrons will be given their choice of either portion, but
may not have both. The 2 pounds per month allowance may be
expressed in popular terms as 6f teaspoonfuls, level full, daily, but
this must include sugar used for preparation of food as well as table
service. The dining-car allowance takes this fact into consideration.
PRUNES AND RAISINS.
“ Maximum reasonable prices” to growers for the 1918 prune and
raisin crops, which were recommended by growers in California, have
been accepted by the Food Administration. Under the agreement
prune growers are to receive not more than 8^ cents per pound, net,
and growers of raisin grapes will be given a maximum of 5^ cents
per pound “ in the sweat box.” I t is believed that these prices will
yield a stimulative profit to persons engaged in the industry without
permitting them to profiteer.
RICE.
Agreements with regard to handling the 1918 rice crop have been
completed between the rice millers of the country and the Food
Administration. According to these agreements millers will pay
certain definite prices to the growers for rough rice and will not
sell the clean rice at more than prices named in the contract, ranging
from 71 cents per pound for choice Japan to 9J cents for fancy
Honduras. It is hoped that the result will be a complete stabiliza
tion of the rice industry and the distribution of rice to the consumer
without speculation or manipulation at a reasonable margin of profit.
In the opinion of the Food Administration, consumers will be able
to purchase rice at a price of approximately 10 to 12 cents per pound,
depending on remoteness from the milling centers. Appointment of
a committee consisting of E. A. Eignus and J. E. Broussard, Beau-
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
mont, Tex., and J. H. Roman, New Orleans, La., to assist in carrying
out the terms of the agreements was announced by the Food Ad
ministration on July 26. This committee will supervise the grading
and classification of rough rice, as set forth in the agreements, and
will have general control of valuation committees which will carry
out the details in the various districts.
SHIP RATIONS.
The following standard daily ration per man, expressed in ounces,
has been recommended by the Food Administration to the War
Trade Board in determining what stores ships shall be allowed to
take aboard: Butter and its substitutes, 2; beef, 16; pork, 6; lard, f ;
wheat products, 10; wheat substitutes, 8; sugar, 3; groceries, 10.
In addition applicants may ask for veal, mutton, lamb, fish, poultry
and game, milk, and eggs, but the total of these articles added to
those listed above must not be more than 5 pounds per man per
day. Potatoes and fresh vegetables and fruits may swell the allow
ance to not more than 9 pounds.
CONTROL OF SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF SUGAR IN THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA.
The Federal Food Administration for the District of Columbia has
further increased its activities in the past month by the addition of a
sugar department. Four million pounds of sugar were consumed in
the District during August, 1917, while the allowance for August,
1918, has been reduced to 1,703,000 pounds. This situation neces
sitates careful supervision to insure equal distribution, not only
among individual consumers but also among the manufacturers of
goods requiring sugar, and for this purpose a sugar administrator
was appointed.
Any person who uses sugar in large quantities must apply to him
for a certificate and file a statement of the amount used last quarter.
In the case of the manufacturers of nonessentials, such as candy,
soft drinks, and fountain sirups, the statement must be sworn to
before a notary. Certificates are then issued for 50 psr cent of the
amount of sugar used during the same period last year. Ice-cream
manufacturers are cut down to 75 per cent only, since ice cream is
classed with the “ essentials” by the United States Food Adminis
tration. Bakers are limited to 70 per cent of the amount used last
quarter. All grocers, hotel, restaurant, and boarding-house keepers
serving as many as 25 guests must file statements.
Grocers were at first entitled to two-thirds of their normal needs,
but in August were cut to 70 per cent of that amount. Hotels and
restaurants are allowed 2 pounds for every 90 meals served. The
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MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
129
housewife continues to get her sugar as formerly in 2 pound lots only,
and at the rate of 2 pounds per person per month. Each grocer is
advised to sell to his regular customers only and to send in a record
of these sales to the Food Administrator.
The 2-pound allotment for household p n poses is not intended to
cover the sugar used in canning and preserving, and sugar certificates
for as much as 25 pounds may be had by anyone upm application
to his district representative.
The work of the fair-price publication committee is continuing as
formerly. A representative of the Federation of Federal Employees
’has been added to the committee and several new inspectors to the
inspection force. Housewives are. urged to report any violations
and to send their sale slips to the District food administrator. In
one of the principal markets a large sign has been posted over a stand
as follows: “At the instance of the Food Administrator we have
reduced the price of wheat flour from 9 to 7 cents and corn meal from
10 to 6 cents to conform to the fair-price list.” Grocers prefer almost
any form of punishment to this undesirable kind of advertising, and
several have reported that the notices displayed in their stores
announcing them guilty of profiteering have had disastrous effects
upon their sales. A number of larger stores, however, are posting
copies of the fair-price list, stating that they are charging those
prices, and one market which has been notorious for its high prices
now displays the following sign in large letters across one end of the
market: “All dealers in this market sell at prices quoted by the
Federal Food Administrator in his fair-price list published in the
daily papers.”
One of the most difficult problems the District of Columbia Food
Administrator has had to handle has been the ice situation. Early in
March the ice plants were notified to manufacture and the storage
warehouses to store ice to their full capacity. A committee of ice
men was appointed, with the Food Administrator acting as chairman,
to manage the plants and the distribution of ice. A price was agreed
upon which was not deemed extortionate by the administrator. This
committee still meets several times each week to decide upon all ice
questions. All complaints of failures or refusals to deliver ice which
are sent to the Food Administration are taken up at these meetings
and later are referred to the proper persons for adjustment.
The ice situation, already serious because of the unusual demand
resulting from the increase in population and because of the scarcity
and quality of labor, was suddenly aggravated by the hot wave and
threatened a real crisis. To meet this situation, carloads and barges
of ice
hurried down from the north and all manufacturers of
ice cream were ordered to close down until further notice.
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130
FOOD REGULATIONS IN FRANCE.1
The minister of agriculture and food supply has temporarily fixed
the maximum price of eggs at 30 centimes each (69.5 cents per
dozen), at the place of production. This price may be lowered if
circumstances warrant such change. Prefects have the authority
to fix the maximum price, according to local conditions, in the
principal markets of their respective departments. The decree
applies to all parts of the country.
The same official reports as follows:
The measures restricting the consumption of meats, in force since May 13 last,
have had excellent results. During the first month of their operation a saving of
25 per cent, as compared with the consumption of the corresponding month of 1915,
has been effected. It is believed that equal results will he shown for the two-month
period ending July 15.
The decreased consumption for the period will approximate
28,500,000 kilograms (62,831,100 pounds), enough to supply
80,000,000 normal rations to the army. Another beneficial result
has been effected, as animals have been kept a longer time on pasture
and thus produced greater weight, which will become noticeable
in succeeding months. There has also been an increase in importa
tion of refrigerated and conserved meats. For these reasons the
minister has decided to repeal the restrictive measures from July 20.
On June 20, the maximum wholesale price of potatoes at Paris, as
agreed upon by the food administration, producer, and merchants,
was fixed at 50 francs per 100 kilograms ($2.62 per bushel) for pota
toes grown in Brittany, and 60 francs per 100 kilograms ($3.15 per
bushel) for those grown near Paris. These prices were to hold until
July 20, when it was hoped that prices might be lowered, but owing
to the drought this was found impractical and a further decision
was reached on July 17, fixing the price of any grade at 50 francs per
100 kilograms ($2.62 per bushel) at wholesale and 60 francs per 100
kilograms ($3.15 per bushel) at retail.
An ordinance effective July 15, in the Department of the Seine, fixed
the price of sugar at retail and in lots less than wholesale (d e m i-g r o s )
as follows: Refined, broken, in cartons or packages containing 5 kilo
grams (11 pounds) or more at 2.05francs per kilo (18 cents per pound) ;
refined, loaf, in any shape, 2 francs per kilo (17.5 cents per pound);
and refined powdered, 2.05 francs per kilo (18 cents per pound).
Prices of unrefined sugar for each of three commercial grades was fixed
at 1.9 francs per kilo (16.6 cents per pound). Slightly increased prices
are allowed on sales in quantities less than one kilo (2.2 pounds).
Maximum wholesale prices were fixed by a decree issued a few
days prior to this date.
1 Data taken from La Republique Française for July, 11,16, 17, and 21,1918, Paris.
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WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR,
INCREASE OF WAGES IN MECHANICAL DEPARTMENTS OF RAILROADS
UNDER FEDERAL CONTROL.
Pursuant to the findings and recommendations of the Railroad
Wage Commission, and supplementing General Order No. 27, both
of which were published in the M o n t h l y R e v i e w for June, 1918 (pp.
1-45), the Director General of Railroads issued on July 25, 1918,
an order' (Supplement No. 4) fixing wages, hours, and other condi
tions of employment of employees in the mechanical departments
of the railroads under Federal control.1 Briefly stated, the order
contains the following provisions as to wages:
1. Machinists, boiler makers, blacksmiths, sheet-metal workers,
molders, and first-class electrical workers, 68 cents per hour.
2. Car men and second-class electrical workers, 58 cents per hour.
3. Helpers, 45 cents per hour.
4. Foremen paid on hourly basis, 5 cents per hour more than
respective crafts.
5. Foremen paid on monthly basis, increase $40 per month, mini
mum $155 and maximum $250.
The new rates are retroactive to January 1, 1918, and beginning
August 1, 1918, the eight-hour day shall prevail with time and onehalf for overtime, Sunday work, and seven specified holidays.
Article I of the order pertains to classification of employees. Ar
ticles II, III, IV, V, and VI deal with wages, hours, conditions of
employment, and interpretation of the order, and are reproduced in
full:
SUPPLEM ENT NO. 4 TO GENERAL ORDER, NO. 27.
A r t ic l e
II. —
R ates and
M ethod
op
A p p l ic a t io n .
S e c t io n 1. For the above classes of employees (except carmen, second-class elec
trical workers, and all apprentices and helpers), who have had four or more years’
experience and who were on January 1, 1918, receiving less than 55 cents per hour,
establish basic minimum rate of 55 cents per hour, and to this basic minimum rate and
all other hourly rates of 55 cents per hour and above, in effect as of January 1, 1918>
add 13 cents per hour, establishing a minimum rate of 68 cents per hour.
S ec. 1-A. For carmen and second-class electrical workers who have had four or
more years’ experience and who were on January 1, 1918, receiving less than 45 cents
1
On August 9 Supplement No. 5 to General Order No. 27 was issued by the Director Generaîol Railroads'
making the provisions of Supplement No. 4 apply to employees of the Pullman Co. The order is as follows:
Effective August 1, 1918, the wages, hours, and other conditions of employment of employees of the
operating department of the Pullman Co. w ill he the same as those fixed in Supplement No. 4 to General
Order No. 27 for carrespon lin g classes of railroad employees, hut none of the provisions named therein will
be retroactive prior to August 1 , 1918.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[G07]
131
132
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
per hour, establish a basic minimum rate of 45 cents per hour, and to this minimum
basic rate and all other hourly rates of 45 cents and above, in effect as of January
1, 1918, add 13 cents per hour, establishing a minimum rate of 58 cents per hour.
S e c . 1-B. Rates of compensation exceeding the minimum rates established herein
to be preserved; the entering of employees in the service or the changing of their classi
fication or work shall not operate to establish a less favorable rate or condition of em
ployment than herein established.
S e c . 1-C. The Director General recognizes that the minimum rates established
herein may be exceeded in the case of men of exceptional skill, who are doing special
high-grade work, which has heretofore enjoyed a differential. Such cases would in
clude pattern makers, passenger car repair men, oxyacetylene, thermit, and electric
welding in car repair work, etc., and should be presented to the Board of Railroad
Wages and Working Conditions for recommendation as provided in General Order
No. 27.
S e c . 2 . The above classes of employees (except carmen, second-class electrical
workers, and all apprentices and helpers) who have had less than four years’ experience
in the work of their trade will be paid as follows:
(a) One year’s experience or less, 50 cents per hour.
(b) Over one year’s and under two years’ experience, 53 cents per hour.
(c) Over two years’ and under three years’ experience, 57 cents per hour.
(d) Over three years’ and under four years’ experience, 62 cents per hour.
S e c . 2-A. Carmen and second-class electrical workers who have had less than four
years’ experience in the work of their trade will be paid as follows:
(a) One year’s experience or less, 48} cents per hour.
(b) Over one year’s and under two years’ experience, 50.} cents per hour.
(c) Over two years’ and under three years’ experience, 52} cents per hour.
(d) Over three years’ and under four years’ experience, 54} cents per hour.
S e c . 2-B. At the expiration of the four-year period the employees mentioned in
section 2 and section 2-A shall receive the respective minimum of their crafts.
A
r t ic l e
III.
1. Regular apprentices between the ages of 16 and 21, engaging to serve
a four-year apprenticeship, shall be paid as follows: Starting-out rate and for the
first six months, 25 cents per hour, with an increase of 2} cents per hour for each six
months thereafter up to and including the first three years; 5 cents per hour increase
for the first six months of the fourth year, and 7} cents per hour for the last six months
of the fourth year.
S e c . 1-A. If retained in the service after the expiration of their apprenticeship,
apprentices in the respective trades shall receive not less than the minimum rate
established for their craft.
S e c . 2. Helpers in the basic trades herein specified will be paid 45 cents per hour.
S e c . 3 . Helper apprentices will receive the minimum helper rate for the first six
months, with an increase of 2 cents per hour for every six months thereafter until
they have served three years.
S e c . 3-A. Fifty per cent of the apprentices may consist of helpers who have had
not less than two consecutive years’ experience in their respective trades in the shop
on the division where advanced. In the machinist, sheet metal worker, electric
and molder trades the age limit for advancement will be 25 years; in the boiler maker,
blacksmith, and carmen trades 30 years.
S e c . 4. In the locomotive and car departments gang foremen or leaders and all
men in minor supervisory capacity and paid on an hourly basis will receive 5 cents
per hour above the rates provided for their respective crafts.
S e c . 5. The supervisory forces of the locomotive and car departments, paid on a
monthly basis and exercising supervision over the skilled crafts, will be paid an
S e c t io n
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[6 0 8 ]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
133
increase of $40 per month in addition to the monthly rate as of January 1, 1918, with
a minimum of $155 per month and a maximum of $250 per month.
A
r t ic l e
IV.—G e n e r a l
A p p l ic a t io n .
S e c t i o n 1. Each railroad will, in payments to employees on and after July 1 , 1918,
include these increases therein.
S e c . 1—A . The increases in wages and the rates established herein shall be effec
tive as of January 1, 1918, and are to be paid according to the time served to all who
were then in the railroad service or who have come into such service since and
remained therein. A proper ratable amount shall also be paid to those who for any
reason since January 1, 1918, have been dismissed from the service, but shall not
be paid to those who have left it voluntarily. Men who have left the railroad serv
ice to enter the military service of the Army or Navy shall be entitled to the pro rata
increase accruing on their wages up to the time they left, and the same rule shall
apply to those who have been transferred from one branch of the railroad service
or from one road to another.
S e c . 2. The hourly rates named herein are for an eight-hour day and one and onehalf time will be paid for all overtime, including Sundays and the following holi
days: New Year’s Day, Washington’s Birthday, Decoration Day, Fourth of July,
Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
S e c . 3. While- the specific rates per hour named herein will be retroactive to
January 1, 1918, the special overtime provisions established in section 2 of this article
will be effective as of August 1, 1918, with the provision that in computing overtime
to determine back pay to January 1, 1918, overtime will be paid at a pro rata rate
for all overtime worked in excess of the hours constituting the recognized day or
night shift, except where higher overtime rate basis exists, or has been applied, in
which event the more favorable condition shall be the basis of computing back pay
;accruing from this order.
S e c . 4. Employees, except monthly salaried employees, coming within the scope
of this order sent out on the road for emergency service, shall receive continuous
time from the time called until their return, as follows: Overtime rates for all over
time hours whether working, waiting, or traveling, and straight time for the recog
nized straight time hours at home stations, whether working, waiting, or traveling,
except that after the first 24 hours, if the work is completed or they are relieved for
five hours or more, such time shall not be paid for, provided that in no case shall an
employee be paid for less than eight hours on week days and eight hours at one and
one-half time for Sundays and holidays for each calendar day. Where meals and
lodging are not provided by the railroad an allowance will be made for each meal
or lodging. Employees will receive allowance for expenses not later than the time
when they are paid for the service rendered.
S e c . 5. Employees specified herein when sent from home point to temporarily
fill vacancy or perform work at outside division points, will be paid straight time
and overtime rates as per shop rules, including going and return trip, in addition to
which they will be paid pro rata at the rate of $2 per day for meals and lodging.
S ec. 6. Carmen stationed at points requiring only one employee on day shift or
night shift, or day and night shifts, shall be paid 8 hours at not less than the hourly
rate provided herein.
S e c . 7. Mechanics now regularly assigned to perform road work and paid on a
monthly basis shall be paid for 8 hours at not less than the hourly rate provided herein.
S e c . 8. Employees on a piecework basis shall receive not less than the minimum
rate per hour awarded to the hourly workers, including time and one-half for over
time, as hereinbefore provided; otherwise piecework rates provided in General Order
No. 27 shall apply.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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134
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
S ec. 9. The application of this order shall not, in any case, operate to establish
a less favorable wage rate than in effect January 1, 1918.
A
r t ic l e
V .— P
aym ents
fo r
B
ack
T
im e
.
As promptly as possible the amount due in back pay from January 1 ,
1918, in accordance with the provisions of this order, will be computed and payment
made to the employees, separately from the regular monthly payments, so that em
ployees will know the exact amount of these back payments.
S e c . 2. Recognizing the clerical work necessary to make these computations for
back pay, and the probable delay before the entire period can be covered, each
month, beginning with January, shall be computed as soon as practicable, and, as
soon as completed, payments will be made.
S e c t io n 1 .
A
r t ic l e
V I.— I n t e r p r e t a t i o n
of
T
h is
Ord
er
.
1. Railway Board of Adjustment No. 2 i s authorized b y Article IX o f
General Order No. 27 to perform the following duty:
“ Wages and hours, when fixed by the Director General, shall be incorporated into
existing agreements on the several railroads, and should differences arise between
the managements and the employees of any of the railroads as to such incorporation,
such questions of difference shall be decided by the Railway Board of Adjustment
No. 2 when properly presented, subject always to review by the Director General.”
S e c . 2 . In addition to the foregoing other questions arising as to the intent or
application of this order in respect to the classes of employees within the scope of
Railway Board of Adjustment No. 2 shall be submitted to such board, which board
shall investigate and report its recommendations to the director general.
S e c . 3. All rates applied under this order shall be filed by the regional directors
with the Board of Railroad Wages and Working Conditions.
S e c . 4. The rates, increases, and other conditions of employment herein established
for the classes of employees herein specified shall supersede the rates, increases and
other conditions established by General Order 27, except as provided in section 8,
Article IV.
S e c t io n
UNION SCALES IN THE BUILDING, METAL AND GRANITE AND STONE
TRADES, AND IN FREIGHT HANDLING.
For a number of years the Bureau of Labor Statistics has published
annually the union scale of wages and hours of labor of all of the
important trades and occupations working at time rates in the larger
cities of the country.
Some of the material for 1918 is now tabulated, and as it is of
decided interest, and may bo of much service, the figures for the
occupations of the building, freight handling, granite and stone, and
metal trades for the cities covered in the North Atlantic States are
here presented. The scale reported is as of May 15, 1918. Notes
indicate known changes since that date. The scale as of May 15,
1917, is printed in parallel columns so that comparison may be
made between the two years.
Under authority of the United States Railroad Administration
Act the Director General of Railroads, on July 25, 1918, in Supple
ment No. 4 to General Order No. 27, made an award fixing the rates
and hours of shopmen in the railroads under Government control.1
i S e e p p . 131 to 134 of this issue of the Monthly L abor R eview .
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[6 1 0 ]
135
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
In tills supplemental order a minimum rate of 68 cents per hour was
awarded to the following craftsmen included in the table below,
working in railroad shops: Blacksmiths, boiler makers, machinists, and
sheet-metal workers. Helpers in the above trades were awarded 45
cents per hour. The principle of the basic eight-hour day was recog
nized and the award was made retroactive to January 1, 1918, there
fore the awarded scale is included in this table, which, as stated,
reports as of May 15, 1918. Time and one-half for overtime and for
work on Sundays and holidays, to become effective on August
1, 1918.
U NION SCALE OF W AGES AND HOURS OF LA BO R IN E A CH T R A D E , IN TH E NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AN D MAY 15, 1917.
BUILD IN G TR AD ES.
May 15, 1917.
May 15, 1918.
R ate of
wages—
R ate of wages-
O ccupation and city.
For
over
tim e,
P er regu
P er week, lar
hour. full
rate
tim e. m u l
ti
plied
by-
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
m ul
ti
plied
by—
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
w ith
Sat
Per
u r
day Per week,
full
half hour. . tim
e.
holi
day.
Hours.
F ull days;
Saturdays;
full week.
ASBESTOS WORKERS.
C ts .
62.5
56.3
62.5
62. 5
65.0
6 62. 5
62.5
50.0
62.5
D o lls.
2 7 .5 0
C ls.
23.32
25.50
27.50
27.50
23.38
26.13
23.32
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 —4 — 4 4
8—4 -44
80.0 35.20
2
2
70.0
8—4 -4 4
12
2
70.0 30.80
2
65.0
8—4—44
12
8
2
75.0 33.00
9
8
—4
-4
4
70.0
8
li
75.0 33.00
8—4—44
65.0
12
l i 10 l i
2
75.0 33.00 1 l i
8—4—44
65.0
12
2
2
175.O 33. 00
12 75.0
8—4—44
2
2
8—4—44
New Haven, Conn................... 70.0 30. 80
12 65.0
2
2
8—4—44
12 75.0
New York, N. Y ...................... 81.3 35. 75
122
8—4—44
12 70.0
Philadelphia, Pa...................... 80.0 35. 20 12 2
1 Double time after midnight.
2 44 hours per week June to August, inclusive.
3 Double time after 10 p. m. and on Saturday afternoon.
4 For Labor Day, triple time.
s Scale became 72 cents on June 1,1918.
6 And on Saturday afternoon.
7 Scale became 75 cents on Sept. 1,1918.
8 And on Saturday afternoon, Mar. 16 to Nov. 15, inclusive,
9 Forty-eight hours per week, Nov. 16 to Mar. 15, inclusive,
10 For Sundays; for holidays double time.
11 Scale became 80 cents on July 1, 1918.
13 On new work; on repair work, time and one-half.
30.80
28.60
30.80
28.60
28.60
33. 00
28.60
33.00
30.80
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
«8—4—44
8—4— 4 4
8—1 44
8—4—44
8—4—14
8—4—44
27.00
27.50
27.50
28.60
27.50
27.50
2 2 .0 0
27.50
2
1
li
2
2
3
n
li
2
1
2
!
2
2
2
2
4 2
6 2
2
2
2
3
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
D o lls.
53.0
53.1
62.5
62.5
53.1
59.4
50.0
,50.0
53.0
Boston, M ass............................
Buffalo, N. Y ............................
Newark, N . .1............................
New Y ork, N . Y .....................
Philadelphia, P a .....................
P ittsburg h , P a ............... •-___
Providence, R . I ......................
Rochester, N . Y ......................
Springfield, M ass. - .................
12
3
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
2 2 .0 0
2 2 .0 0
3
BRICKLAYERS.
Boston, M a ss..........................
Bridgeport, Conn.....................
Buffalo, N. Y ............................
F all River, Mass......................
Manchester, N . H ....................
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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[O il]
136
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
UNION SCALE OE W AGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TR AD E, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
B U ILD IN G T R A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
R ate of
wages—
R ate of wages-
O ccupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour, full
rate
tim e. m ul
ti
plied
by —
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
m ul
ti
plied
by-
Hours.
F u ll days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
w ith
Sat
Per
u r
Per week,
day hour.
full
half
tim e.
holi
days.
Hours.
F ull days;
Saturdays;
full week.
bricklayers —concluded.
C ts .
P ittsburgh, P a .........................
Portland, M e............................
Providence, R . I
...............
Rochester, N . Y .......................
Scranton, P a .....................
Springfield, Mass.................
W orcester, Mass......................
D o lls.
i 75. 0 33. 00
70.0 30. 80
70. 0 30. 80
70.0 30.80
75. 0 33. 00
75.0 33. 00
75.0 33.00
n
Mi
1J
4 l|
u
2 2
2
2 2
2
2 2
2
2
u
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4 44
8—4—44
8 —4 44
8 —4— 4 4
8—4—44
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
C ts .
D o lls.
75.0
65.0
70. 0
70.0
70. 0
70. 0
65.0
33. 00
28. 60
30. 80
30.80
30. 80
30. 80
28.60
75. 0
70.0
33. 00
30.80
30 25
33.00
35 20
33.00
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
- 4 44
8
5
4
44
4_44
8—4—44
8
BRICKLAYERS: SEWER WORK.
Boston, M ass............................
Bridgeport, O onn.. . .............
New H aven, Conn
Philadelphia, P a .....................
Providence, R . I
........
Rochester, N. Y ...................
6
80. 0
75.0
87. 5
85.0
80. 0
75.0
35.20
33.00
38 50
37. 40
35. 20
33.00
2
2
2
2
2
2
7 2
7 2
2 2
4
n
li
2
8—4—14
8—4—44
4 44
8—4—44
8 —4 44
8—4—44
12
12
68
8
12
12
12
8
75.0
80 0
75.0
8
4__44
8—4—44
4 44
8—4-44
8
4 44
8
4_44
8
BUILDING LABORERS.
1
Boston, M ass............................ 40. 0 19. 20
2
37 5
8
8
48
Scaffold m en...................... 45.0 21.60
u
2
8 — 8 —48
40. 0
Buffalo, N. Y ............................ 45.0 22.95
2
40.0
8i—8i—51
li
New Y ork, N . Y.:
Excavating........................ 40. 5 19.44
2
2
8 — 8 —48
30.0
Mosaic and terrazzo work 8 40.6 17. 8 8
2
2
8 —4 —44
12
37.5
Stonemasons’ w o r k ,
B ro n x .............................. 47.0 2 0 . 6 8
2
8 —4 —44
li
12
40.0
Stonemasons’ w o r k ,
Brooklyn........................ 9 47.0 2 0 . 6 8
1
8 —4 —44
12
35.0
li
Philadelphia, P a ..................... 45.0 19.80
2
8 —4 —44
12
35.0
H
P ittsburgh, P a ......................... 45.0 2 1 . 60
2
8 — 8 —48
30. 0
li
Portland, M e............................ 50.0 2 2 . 0 0
8 —4 —44
2
12
40.0
li
Providence, R . I ...................... I0 35.0 17. 50
2
9 —5 —50
12
30.0
li
Rochester, N. Y ...................
2
8 —4 —44
32 0
40. 0 17. 60 11 l b
12
Excavating........................ 40. 0 17. 60 11 l i
2
30 0
8 —4
44
12
Scranton, P a ............................ 1230.0 14.40
2
8 — 8 —48
30 0
li
Excavating........................ i227.5 14. 85
2
9 —9 —54
27. 5
li
Springfield, Mass..................... 37. 5 18.00
8 _ 8 —18
2
37. 5
li
Scaffold b u ild ers............. 50.0 2 2 . 0 0 1 2
2
8 —4 —44
12
45.0
1 Scale became 90 cents on June 1,1918.
2 And on Saturday afternoon.
8 Double time after 6 p. m.
4 Double time after 7 p. m. and on Saturday afternoon.
6 Forty-eight hours per week, October to April, inclusive.
6 Scale became 80 cents on Sept. 1,1918.
7 On new work; on repair work, tim e and one-half.
8 Scale became 47.7 cents on June 10, 1918.
9 Scale became 50 cents on July 1,1918.
ic Scale became 42 cents on June 1, 1918.
11 Double time after midnight, and on Saturday after 5 p. m .
12 Scale became 50 cents on May 22, 1918.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 612 ]
48
48
8i—8i—51
18 0 0
19. 20
20. 40
8
8
8 — 8
14.40
16. 50
8
8
8 —48
—4 —44
17.60
8
—4 —44
15.40
15.40
14. 40
17.60
15.00
14 08
14 40
14. 40
14. 85
18. 0 0
19. 8 Ò
—4 —44
8 —4 —44
8
8 —48
8 —4 —44
9 —5 —50
8
4 44
8
8
48
8 — 8 —48
9 —9 —54
8 — 8 —48
8 —4 —44
8
137
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
UNION SCALE OE W A G ES AND H O U R S O F LA B O R IN EA C H T R A D E , IN T H E N O R T H
A TL A N T IC STA TES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
BUILD IN G TR A D E S—C ontinued.
May 15,1917.
May 15, 1918.
R ate of
wages—
R ate of wages—
Occupation and city.
For
over
tim e,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
tim e. m ul
ti
plied
by-
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
m u l
ti
plied
by-
Hours.
F u ll days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
w ith
Sat
P er
u r
Per week,
day hour.
full
half
tim e.
holi
day.
Hours.
F ull days;
Saturdays;
full week.
CARPENTERS.
Boston, M ass............................
Stair builders....................
Bridgeport, Conn.....................
Buffalo, N. Y ...........................
F all River, Mass......................
M anchester, N . H ...................
N ew ark, N . J ............................
New H aven, Conn...................
New Y ork, N. Y .:
B ronx, Brooklyn, Queens
and R ich m o n d ..............
M an h a tta n .........................
Philadelphia, P a .....................
'P ittsburgh, P a .........................
Portland, Me............................
Providence, R. I . ...................
Rochester, N. Y ....... ...............
Scranton, P a ............................
Springfield, M ass.....................
W orcester, M ass......................
C ls .
D o lls.
165.0
165.0
460.0
70.0
62.5
60.0
70.0
65.0
26.00
26.00
26.40
30.80
27.50
26.40
30.80
28.60
68.8
68.8
70.0
771.0
944.0
<60.0
60.0
60.0
65.0
30.25
30.25
30.80
31.24
19.36
26.40
26.40
26.40
28.60
27.50
1262,5
2
2
2
2
2
U
2"
2
2
2
6lì
sii
li
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
8—0—40
8 - 0—10
8 - 4 —44
8-4 4 4
2
2
2
2
s 8—4—44
i 8—4—44
—4—44
8 4 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8
i° l ì
li
2
is IJ
h2
2
2
8—4—44
8 4 14
8 4 14
8 4 41
g 4 11
8 4 44
8—4—44
2
2
2
212
5 12
12
12
12
12
12
12
C ts .
D o lls.
60.0
57.0
60.0
62.5
50.0
50.0
65.0
55.0
26.40
25.08
26.40
27.50
62.5
68.8
60.0
71.0
42.0
50.0
56.3
50.0
55.0
52.0
22.00
22.00
28.60
24.20
27.50
30.25
26.40
31.24
18.48
22.00
24.75
22.00
24.20
22.80
S8—4—44
»8—4—44
g 4 11
8 4 11
8 4 14
Q A AA
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
« ___ A ___ AA
4
14
8 4 11
8 4 41
8 4 11
8 4 11
8 4 44
8
8—4—44
CARPENTERS: MILLWRIGHTS.
Buffalo, N. Y . . .
N ew ark, N. J ___
New Y ork, N. Y,
1568.8
33.00
30.80
30.25
2
2
2
2
2
2
8 -4 -4 4
8 -4 :—44
8—4—44
67.5
65.0
62.5
29.70
28.60
27.50
8 - 4 —44
8 - 4 —44
8 - 4 —44
65.0
26.00
2
2
8—0—40
60.0
26.40
1« 8—4—44
1753.0
65.0
62.3
23.32
2
2
2
2
8—4—44
8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
53.0
48.5
56.3
23.32
23.28
24.75
8—4 - 4 4
8—8—48
8—4—11
75.0
iWO.O
carpenters: parquetryfloor LAYERS.
Boston, Mass
carpenters: wharf
bridge.
and
Boston, M ass..........
Buffalo, N. Y .........
N ew Y ork, N . Y . .
28.60
27.50
11
2
1 Scale became 75 cents on Ju n e 1,1918.
2Do not w ork on Saturday.
340 hours p er week, Ju n e to September, inclusive.
• 4 Scale became 70 cents on Ju n e 1,1918.
3W ork on S aturday afternoon prohibited.
3D ouble tim e after 10 p. m. and on Saturday afternoon.
i Scale became 80 cents on June 1,1918.
8A nd on Saturday afternoon.
955 to 71 cents per hour, w ar-tim e wages.
10D ouble tim e after m idnight.
H A nd on Saturday after 5 p. m.
i2 Scale became 65 cents on Sept. 1,1918.
i» Double tim e after 9 p. m. and on Saturday afternoon.
n Scale became 75 cents on Ju ly 1, 1918.
i* Scale became 75 cents on Sept. 1,1918.
i* 5 days, 40 hours per week, June to Septem ber, inclusive.
m Scale became 65 cents on June 1,1918.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[013]
138
M O N T H L Y LABOE REV IEW .
UNION SCALE OF W AGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
BUILD IN G TR A D E S—Continued.
May 15,1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate ol wages—
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by-
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
by—
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per week,
day hour. full
half
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
CEMENT FINISHERS.
C ts .
D o lls.
C ts.
D o lls.
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
62.5
65.0
50.0
65.0
60.0
75.0
65.0
70.0
55.0
56.3
62.5
70.0
70.0
27. 50
28. €0
24. 00
28. 60
26.40
33.00
28.60
30.80
24. 20
24.75
27.50
30.80
30. 80
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8—8 —48
8 —4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8__4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
45.0
37.5
19. 80
16.50
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
2
2
2
2
2
2
10 2
2
8—4—44
8 -1—44
8 4—44
8—4—44
8 4 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—1 44
12 55.0
12 50.0
12 43.8
12 55.0
12 46.9
12 36.3
12 45.0
12 35.6
24. 20
22.00
19. 25
24. 20
20. 63
15. 99
19. 89
17.60
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8—4 -A 4
9—4i—49 J
1
li
li
li
10 2
2
2
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—8—48
12
12
40.0
46.9
46.9
40.6
17. 60
20. 63
22.50
19.50
8—4
8—4
8—8
8 -8
2
2
li
2
2
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—8—48
12
12
37.5
45.0
34.4
16. 50
19.80
16. 50
8—4 —44
8—4 —44
8 - 8 —48
75.0 33.00
2
69.0 33.12
2
1269.0 30.36
2
75.0 33.00
2
73. 8 32. 45
'62.5 27. 50
2
'Scale became 75 cents on June 1 ,1J18.
* And on Saturdayafternoon.
8 Scale became 75 cents on Sept. 1,1918.
4 On Sunday; on holidays, double time.
6 Double tim e after midnight.
6 Seale be ame 80 cents on July 1, 1918.
1 Double tim e after 10 p. m. and on Saturday
afternoon.
2
2
2
2
2
2
8—4—44
" 8 - 8 —48
8—4—44
8 —4—44
12
4
12
12
67.5
57.5
69.0
72.5
29. 70
27.60
30.36
31.90
121 50! 3
24.75
Boston, Mass............................
Bridgeport, Conn....................
Buffalo, N. Y ...........................
Fall River, Mass.....................
Manchester, N ,H ...................
Newark, N. J............................
New Haven, Conn...................
New York, N. Y ...............
Philadelphia, P a .....................
Pittsburgh, P a .........................
Providence, R. I .....................
Rochester, N. Y ......................
Springfield, Mass.....................
i 70.0 30. 80
3 70.0 30. 80
65.0 31.20
75.0 33.00
75.0 33.00
«75.0 33.00
70.0 30.80
70.0 30. 80
65.0 28.60
75.0 33.00
62.5 27. 50
7o. 0 30.80
75.0 33.00
li
2
14
14
5 14
2
2
2
7 14
li
14
8li
2
22
2
2
'li
2
2
2
2
2
22
22
2
2
8 4 44
ft__4__44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 4—44
ft A__44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 4—44
8—4—44
12
12
19. 80
19. 25
2
li
2
li
65.6
60.0
60.0
62.5
53.1
52.5
60.0
55.0
28.88
26.40
26. 40
27.50
23.38
23.10
26.40
24. 20
2
2
2
2
2
li
1
li
55.0
50.0
53.1
46.9
24.20
22.00
25. 50
22. 50
Boston, Mass............................ 43.8
Newark, N. J............................ 50.0
Scranton, P a ............................ 37.5
19. 25
22.00
18. 00
CEMENT FINISHERS’ HELFERS.
Newark, N. J............................ 945.0
New York, N. Y ..................... 843. 8
COMPOSITION ROOFERS.
Boston, Mass......... .................
Kettlem en and ladlemen.
Paper layers......................
Newark, N. J............................
New York, N. Y .....................
Philadelphia, P a .....................
Pittsburgh, P a ...... .................
Kettlem en..........................
Felt setters and roll run
ners ..................................
Rochester, N. Y ......................
Scranton, P a ............................
Second m an ......................
—44
—44
—48
—48
COMPOSITION ROOFERS’
HELPERS.
ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTORS.
Boston, Mass............................
Buffalo, N. Y ...........................
New York, N. Y .....................
Philadelphia, P a .....................
Pittsburgh, P a ...... ............... ;
Providence, R. I ......................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8—4—44
8—4
li 8—8
8—4
8—4
—44
—48
—44
—44
8—4 —44
8 Double tim e after 7 p.m . and on Saturday
afternoon.
9 Scale became 50 cents on July 1,1918.
10 Time and one-half on Saturday afternoon.
"44 hours per week, June to September,
inclusive.
12 Scale became 74.5 cents on June 1, 1918.
'8 Scale became 65.5 cents on July 1, 1918.
[614]
139
M O NTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
BUILD IN G TR A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
rate
hour. full
time. mul
ti
plied tiby— nlied
by—
Num
ber
of
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
mul-
ALL U b.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per
day hour. week,
full
half
tim e.
holi
day.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTORS—
concluded.
Rochester, N. Y ___
Springfield, Mass. . .
Worcester, Mass
C ts .
D o lls.
65.6
65.6
2 62.5
.28 88
28. 88
27.50
50.0
46.9
544.0
50.0
50.0
«43.8
43.8
44.5
643.8
22.00
i2
2
2
2
2
2
C ts .
D o lls.
8—4—44
8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
12
12
12
59.4
55.0
(3)
26.13
24. 20
(3)
12
4
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
43.8
39.5
44.0
46.0
46.0
39.0
39.5
37.5
(3)
19.25
18.96
19.36
20.24
20.24
17.16
17.38
16.50
(3)
8—4—44
« 8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
(3)
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
(*)
ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTORS’
HELPERS.
Boston, Mass........
Buffalo, N. Y . . . .
New York. N. Y .
Philadelphia, Pa.
Pittsburgh, P a . . .
Providence, R. I .
Rochester, N. Y ..
Springfield, Mass.
Worcester, M ass..
2
2
19.25
19.25
19.58
19.25
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
i2
2
2
8—4—44
<8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
775.0
875.0
1162.5
33.00
33.00
30.00
2
H
ii
2
92
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—8—48
12 62.5
12 1062.5
56.3
27.50
27.50
27.00
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—8—48
81.3
75.0
75.0
35.75
33.00
33.00
33.00
2
2
2
li
2
2
2
92
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
68.8
1062.5
68.8
54.5
30.25
30.00
30.25
24.00
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
1375.0
33.00
2
2
8—4—44
12 1068.8
30.25
8 -4 -4 4
90.9
i«75.0
1681.8
81.3
40.00
36.00
36.00
35.75
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
84.7
1062.5
12 1068.8
12 75.0
37.25
30.00
33.00
33.00
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—8—48
8—4—44
90.0
39.60
33.00
30.80
33.60
27.50
33.00
2
2
li
li
lì
2
2
2
92
92
92
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
17 8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
12 1662.5
12 1662.5
12 70.0
3 45.8
12 1062.5
12 62.5
27.50
27.50
30.80
22.00
27.50
27.50
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8 —4—41
2
2
2
2
8 4 44
8—8—48
8 4 44
8 4—44
12 75.0
56.3
12 1062.5
12 1062.5
33.00
27.00
27.50
27.50
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
22.50
19.36
22.00
22.00
ENGINEERS: PORTABLE AND
HOISTING.
Boston, Mass............................
Bridgeport, Conn................. *.
Buffalo, N. Y ............................
Newark, N. J.:
Building work...................
Foundation work.............
Hoisting ir o n ...................
New Haven, Conn...................
New York, N. Y.:
Building work, stone and
steel..................................
Combination and com
pressor engine................
Excavating........................
Foundation work.............
Hod elevators...................
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Boom derrick....................
Hoist....................................
Pittsburgh, P a .........................
Portland, Me............................
Providence, R. I ......................
Rochester, N. Y ......................
Steam shovels, air com
pressors, etc...................
Scranton, P a ........................... .
Springfield, Mass.....................
Worcester, Mass.......................
1268.8
75.0
1670.0
70.0
i°62.5
75.0
35.00
2
30.00
li
33.00
2
33.00
2
1 Time and one-half on Saturday afternoon.
2 Scale became 65.6 cents on July 1,1918.
* N ot organized on May 15, 1917.
6 44 hours per week, June to September, inclusive.
6 Scale became 49.8 cents on June 1, 1918.
6 Scale became 44.5 cents on July 1, 1918.
7 For broken time $1 per hour.
• For broken time 90 cents per hour.
» And on Saturday afternoon.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
79.5
62.5
775.0
775.0
12
10 For broken time 75 cents per hour.
11 Scale became 68.8 cents on June 1, 1918.
12 Scale became 75 cents on July 1, 1918.
is For broken time 81.3 cents per hour.
16 For broken time 93.8 cents per hour,
is For broken time 70 cents per hour.
>6 Scale became 80 cents on June 1, 1918.
17 44 hours per week, June to August, inclusive.
[6151
140
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
UNION SCALE OF W AGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
B U ILD IN G T R A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by-
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
by-
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur Per week,
day hour.
full
half
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
HOD C A R RIERS.
Boston, Mass............................
Newark, N. J........................
New York, N. Y ..................:.
Philadelphia, P a .....................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Mortar m en.......................
Wheelbarrow men..........
Portland, Me .......................
Providence, R. I .....................
Rochester, N. Y .......................
Scranton, P a .............................
Springfield Mass............
Worcester, Mass.......................
C ts .
D o lls.
42.5
145.0
18.70
19 80
14 7 .0
20.68
60.0
26.40
255.0
45.0
50.0
838.0
40.0
s.35.0
50 0
50.0
24.20
19 80
22 00
19.00
17.60
15.40
22 00
22.00
C ts .
n
2
2
8
2
2
li
U,
11
li
4 1*
n
2
li
8—4—44
2
12
44
8 — 4— 4 4
8 - 4 — 44
12
12
8—4— 44
12
8
8
2
2
2
4
4
4
44
44
9—5—50
8—4—44
6 8—4—44
8
4
40.0
17.60
IQ 80
42.5
45.0
18.70
19.80
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
45.0
19.80
8—4—44
30 0
13 20
40 0
17 60
8
8
35.0
W 50
13.20
15.40
9—5—50
8—4—44
8 8—4—44
12
12
5
30.0
35.0
44
D o lls.
45 0
45 0
8
4
4
4
44
44
44
72
8—4— 44
12
45.0
19.80
8- 4— 44
10
2
2
2
8—4— 44
8—4— 44
8—4— 44
12
12
12
65.0
54.5
62.5
8—4— 44
8—4— 44
12
15
2
2
2
2
2
2
12
42.5
62.5
50.0
65.0
56.3
28.60
24.00
30.00
29, OO
18. 70
27. 50
22.00
28. 60
24. 75
62 5
27 50
4
12
12
12
50.0
55.0
56.3
60.0
57 0
50.0
24. 00
24. 20
24. 75
26.40
25 08
IN SID E W IR E M E N .
Boston, Mass............................
Bridgeport, Conn.....................
Buffalo, N. Y ...........................
Fall River, Mass...............
Manchester, N . H ....................
Newark, N . J ............................
New Haven, Conn..................
New York, N. Y .....................
Philadelphia r P a .....................
Pittsburgh, P a .........................
Portland“, Me............................
Providence, R. I ......................
Rochester, N. Y .......................
Scranton, P a .............................
Springfield, Mass___
Worcester, M a ss.....................
70.0
860.0
70.0
60 0
60.0
1268. 8
CO.O
1365.0
1465. 0
368. 8
65.0
60.0
75.0
62.5
57. 0
30.80
2
26. 40 9 1
30. 80
14
2
26 40
26. 40
li
30. 25
2
26. 40
2
28.60
2
28. 60
2
30. 25
lj
31.20
li
26.40
2
33.00 17 l i
27. 50
li
25 08 18 14
55.0 24. 2Ö 19 1 J
2
2
2
2
2
2 1
8— 4 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
16 8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4 44
8—4—44
50 0
12
12
12
12
12
12
22.00
1 Scale became 50 cents on July 1,1918.
2 Scale became 60 cents on June 1, 1918.
8 Scale became 45 cents on June 1, 1918.
4 And on Saturday afternoon; double time after midnight, and on Saturday after 5 p. m.
6 Scale became 50 cents on May 23, 1918.
6 48 hours per week, October to April, inclusive.
7 And on Saturday afternoon.
8 Scale became 62.5 cents on June 1,1918.
9 Double time after 6 p. m.
10 Double time after 6.30 p. m. and on Saturday afternoon.
11 44 hours per week, June to August, inclusive.
12 Scale became 75 cents on July 1,1918.
18 Scale became 75 cents on June 15,1918,
14 Scale became 75 cents on June 1,1918.
16 Double tim e after midnight and on Saturday afternoon.
76 44 hours per week, June to September, inclusive.
17 Double time after midnight.
sa Double time after 9 p. m.
1! Double time after 7 p. m.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[616]
8—8—488 4 44
8—4— 44
8—4— 44
8—4— 44
8—4— 44
8 -4 -4 4
8—4 44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 4 44
8—4— 44
M O NTHLY LABOE EE VIEW,
)A l
UNION SCALE OF W AGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN TH E NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continue.!.
BUILDING TR A D E S—Continued.
May 15,1918.
May 15, 1917.
R ate of
wages—
R ate of wages—
O ccupation and city.
For
over
tim e,
Per regu
P er week, lar
hour. full
rate
tim e. m ul
ti
plied
by—
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
m u l
ti
plied
by-
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
w ith
Sat
P er
u r
Per week,
day hour. full
half
tim e.
holi
days.
Hours.
F ull days;
Saturdays;
full week.
INSIDE w ir e m e n : fix ture
HANGERS.
Boston, Mass.............................
Buffalo, N. Y ...........................
New Y ork, N. Y .....................
Philadelphia, P a ......................
Pittsburg h , P a .........................
Rochester, N. Y .......................
Springfield, M ass.....................
C ts .
D o lls.
»65.0
50.0
65.0
4 65.0
75.0
75.0
»57.0
28.60
24.00
28.60
28.60
33.00
33. 00
25.08
Cts.
D o lls .
12
60.0
45.0
65.0
56.3
57.5
56.3
57.0
26.40
21.60
28.60
24.75
25.30
24.75
25.08
8 - 4 —44
* 8—8 -4 8
8—4—44
8—4—44
g—4—4 4
8—4—44
8—4—41
8—0 -4 0
8—0—40
»12
72.5
29.00
8—0—40
8 -0 -4 0
12
2
2
8—4—44
* 8—8—48
8 —4—44
8—4 -4 4
8 - 4 —44
8—4-4 4
8 -4 -4 4
2
2
2
*11
2
2
1
5 §
2
2
2
2
2
6 11
8 11
2
2
3
12
12
12
12
LATHERS.
Boston, Mass.:
Metal or w ood................... 75.0
W ood.................................. (10)
Bridgeport, Conn.:
Metal or w ood................... 6 8 . 8
(12)
W ood................... . .
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Metal or wo o d................... 62.5
W ood.................................. 0«)
F all River, Mass.:
fio n
W ood..........
(15)
N ewark, N. J ............................ 75.0
New H aven, Conn................... 6 8 . 8
New Y ork, N. Y.:
M etal................................... hr 6 8 . 8
Metal or w ood................... 75.0
W ood—
B rooklyn..................... (18)
M an h attan and
B ro n x ....................... («)
Philadelphia, Pa.:
M etal.................................. 75.0
W ood.................................. 75.0’
30.00
s 12
(“ >
2
2
8 - 4 —44
g—4 — 4 4
12
12
6 8 .8
2
30.25
8—4—44
8—4—44
ii
2
2
»8—8—48
• g _ 8 —48
3
3
56.3
27.00
* 8—8—48
26.40
11
1
2
1
19.80
2
2
2
2
12
12
12
12
45.0
33. 00
30.25
g—4— 44
8 —4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
75.0
33. ÓÓ
30.25
9—4—49
8 —4—44
8—4—44
30.25
33.00
2
2
2
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
6 8 .8
30.25
33.00
8—4—44
8—4—44
2
2
8—4 -4 4
12
0 »)
8—4—44
2
2
8—4—44
12
(“ )
8—4-4 4
2
2
2
2
8 -4 -4 4
8—4 - #
12
70.0
62.5
30.25
30.00
2
u
33.00
33.00
12
(12)
(“ )
(18)
6 8 .8
75.0
30.80
27.50
* Scale became 75 cents on Aug. 1,1918.
* Double time after 10 p. m.
* 44 hours per week, June to August, inclusive.
4 Scale became 75 cents on June 1,1918.
* Double time after midnight and on Saturday afternoon.
* Double time after midnight.
* Scale became 65 cents on June 1,1918.
* Double time after 9 p. m. and on Saturday afternoon.
* Do not work on Saturday.
i« $3.75 per 1,000 laths, for 4-nail work; $4 per 1,000 laths, for 5-nail work.
» $3.00 per 1,000 laths, for 4-nail work; $3.85 per 1,000 laths, for 8-nail work.
»*$3.75 per 1,000 laths.
« $3.50 per 1,000 laths.
»4 $2.75 per 1,000 laths.
44 $3 per 1,000 laths.
»* $2.25 per 1,000 laths.
** Scale Became 75 cents on July 1,1918.
»* $4 per 1,000 laths.
»» $4.50 per 1,000 laths.
77262®—18——10
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[617]
*8—8-4 8
8—4—44
8—4—44
142
M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.
U N IO N SCALE OF W A GES AND H O U R S O F LA B O R IN EA CH T R A D E , IN T H E N O R T H
ATL iN TIC STA TES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
BUILD IN G T R A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
R ate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
l a t h e r s —concluded.
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Metal or wood.............
W ood.............................
Providence, R. I.:
Metal or w ood.............
Metal.............................
W ood.............................
Rochester, N. Y.:
Metal or w ood.............
Metal or w ood.............
Scranton. Pa.:
Metal..............................
W ood.......... . . . . . . . .
Springfield, Mass.:
Metal.............................
W ood.............................
Worcester, Mass.:
Metal.............................
W ood.............................
For
over
tim e,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
tim e. m u l
ti
plied
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
m ul
ti
plied
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
u r
Per
day hour. week,
full
half
tim e.
holi
days.
C ts.
D o lls.
68.8
30.25
C ts .
D o lls.
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
68.8
30. 25
70.0
(4)
(6)
30.80
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
60.0
26.40
60.0
26.40
8—4—44
8—4—44
55.0
(3)
(»)
60.0
( 10 )
(*)
(&)
(7)
(»)
26.40
2
1
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
60.0
(>»)
27.50
2
2
8 -4 -4 4
60.0
27.50
2
2
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
62.5
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
n 8—8—48
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8 4 44
8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
8—8—48
8 - 4 - 44
68.8
75.0
33.00
30.80
36.00
30.25
30.80
30.25
33.00
33.00
31.63
33.00
33.00
42.5
43.8
¿8.70
19.25
( 12 )
62.5
(14)
62.5
04)
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
( 10 )
20.40
(14)
MARBLE SETTERS.
Boston, M ass..........
B ridgeport C onn..
Buffalo, N. Y .........
N ewark, N. J .........
New H aven, Conn.
New Y ork, N. Y . .
Philadelphia, P a . .
P ittsburgh, P a ___
Rochester, N. Y .. .
Scranton, P a .........
Springfield, M ass..
75.0
1670.0
75.0
8 68.8
70.0
68.8
75.0
75.0
71.9
68.8
2
2
2
2
2
18 2
18 2
2
2
2
70.0
30.25
28. 60
33.00
30. 25
30. 25
30.25
30. 25
30. 25
30. 25
33.00
30.80
35.0
43.8
15.40
19.25
65.0
68 8
68.8
68.8
68.8
68.8
68.8
68 8
68 8
12
it
8- 4 44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8 -4 —44
8—4—44
8—4 —44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
MARBLE SETTERS’ HELPERS.
Boston, M ass..........................
New Y ork, N. Y ...................
8—4—44
8—4 -4 4
1 Scale became 81.3 cents on June 1,1918.
2 And on Saturday after 4.30 p. m.
3 $3.60 per 1,000 laths; scale became $4.50 per 1,000 laths on June 1,1918
4 5.5 cents per square yard.
6 4.5 cents per square yard.
* $2.50 per 1,000 laths; scale became $3.25 per 1,000 laths on June 15,1918.
7 $2.25 per 1,000 laths.
8 Scale became 75 cents on June 1, 1918.
* $3 per 1,000 laths; scale became $3.50 per 1,000 laths on June 1,1918.
1« Do not work on Sunday or on holidays.
» $2.50 per 1,000 laths,
is $3 per 1,000 laths.
23 $2.75 per 1.000 laths.
14 $3 per 1,000 laths, for 4-nail work; $3.25 per 1,000 laths, for 5-nail work.
16 $2.50 per 1,000 laths, for 4-nail work; $2.75 per 1,000 laths, for 6-nail work.
>« Scale became 75 cents on Sept. 1, 1918 .
17 44 hours per week, June to August, inclusive,
i* And on Saturday afternoon.
w Double tim e after midnight.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[618]
8—4—44
8—4—44
M O N T H L Y LABOR RE V IE W .
143
UNION SCALE OE W AGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
BUILD IN G T R AD ES—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
Per
hour
For
over
time,
Per regu
week, lar
full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by—
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
day Per week,
full
half hour. time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
MOSAIC ANT) TERRAZZO
WORKERS.
New York, N. Y .
Philadelphia, Pa.:
First c la s s __
Second class..
Third c la ss...
C ts .
D o lls.
62.5
27.50
8 4 44
59.4
CU.
D o lls .
26.13
8—4—44
55.0
50.0
40.0
24.20
22.00
8 - 4 - 44
8—4—44
8 -4 —44
46.0
40.0
34.0
20.24
17.60
14.96
8-4 - -44
75.0
62.5
56.3
55.0
50.0
62.5
53.1
30.00
27.50
24.75
24.20
25.00
27.50
23.38
24.00
18.04
18.00
22.00
20.02
8—0—40
8—4—44
s 8—8 -4 8
8—4—44
8—8-4 8
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
762.5
27.50
»62.5
62.5
56.3
27.50
27.50
24.75
26.40
29.70
24.20
27.50
27.50
17.60
8--4- ■44
PAINTERS.
Boston, Mass..........................
Bridgeport, Conn.
Buffalo, N. Y .............
Fall River, Mass____ _____
Manchester, N. H . . . 1 . . . . . .
Ne\vark, N. J........... .............. .
New Haven, C o n n ...............
New York, N. Y.:
Brooklyn..........................
Manhattan, Bronx, and
Richmond.................... .
Queens..............................
All boroughs........... .........
Philadelphia, P a ..............
Pittsburgh, P a .................
Portland, Me........
Providence, R. I ...
Rochester, N. Y ........... IIIII'
Scranton, P a .. .H IIIIIII!
Springfield, Mass___IIIIIIII
Worcester, Mass........... HHI
60.0
67.5
55.0
62.5
62.5
»50.0
60.0
62.5
22.00
22.00
2
li
li
sü
li
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
(•)
8—0—40
»8—4 . 44
<8—4—44
8 4. 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
212
12
9
12
12
12
12
62.5
50.0
50.0
41.0
37.5
50.0
45.5
8—4—44
12
62.5
27.50
8—4-4 4
12
62.5
62.5
50.0
45.0
65.0
40.0
50.0
50.0
50.0
50.0
50.0
27.50
27.50
22.00
19. 80
28.60
17.60
2ZOO
22.00
22.00
22.00
22.00
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 -4 —44
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8 -4 —44
8—4—44
8—4 -4 4
8—4—44
67.5
50.0
56.3
87.5
27.00
24. 75
38.50
8—0—40
8 -4 —44
8—4 4 4
8—4 14
2
2
2
•li
li
li
>oii
li
li
26.40
27.50
»0 1J
« li
87.5
32.00
26. 40
27.50
38. 50
»62.5
62.5
60.0
60.0
62.5
27.50
27.50
26.40
26.40
27.50
«li
(%
2
i2
2
2
»2
2
2
2
2
8-- 4 44
8—4—44
-4 -4 4
: 8 -4 —44
8—4—44
8—4 -4 4
8—4—44
-4 -4 4
8—4 -4 4
8 - 4 44
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
8—0—40
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8—4 -4 4
»12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
22.00
painters: fresco.
Boston, Mass...............
80.0
Pall River, Mass...................... 60.0
New York, N. Y ......... II11111 62.5
Brooklyn.....................
Manhattan, Bronx'and
Richmond......................
_Queens....................... IIIII
Philadelphia, P a ...............” ”
Springfield, Mass.......... .HI”
Worcester, Mass..................HI
1 And on Saturday afternoon.
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
« li
10 l i
11 i j
2 Do not work on Saturday.
* Work on Saturday afternoon prohibited.
* 48 hours per week, April to June, inclusive.
‘ 44 hours per week, June to August, inclusive.
« Double time after 10 p. m.
JScale became 70 cents on June 1,1918.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2
(13)
(,)2
2
2
2
8 4 -4 4
8 -4 —44
8 4 44
8—4—44
8 4 44
62.5
62.5
50.0
50.0
50.0
22.00
27.50
27.50
22.00
22.00
22.00
8—4—44
8- 4 44
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8 $1.43 per hour.
»Scale became 68.8 cents on June 1,1918.
m Double tim e after midnight.
11 Scale became 55 cents on June 10,1918.
12 Double tim #after 9 p. m. and on Saturday after
noon.
11$2.00 per hour.
[619]
144
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
BUILD IN G TR A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15,1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
PAINTERS:
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per week
day hour.
full
half
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
SIGN.
Boston, Mass......................
■Bridgeport, Conn....................
Buffalo, N. Y ...........................
New York, N. Y .....................
Philadelphia, P a .....................
Pittsburgh, Pa.........................
Rochester, N. Y ......................
Springfield, Mass.....................
Worcester, Mass.......................
C ts .
68.8
62.5
75.0
75.0
68.8
72.5
62.5
60.0
62.5
D o lls.
30. 25
30.00
33.00
33.00
30. 25
31.90
27.50
26. 40
27. 50
8 - 4 - 44
8 - 8 —48
8—4—44
12
8—4—44
! g—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 - 4- -44
C ts .
62.5
62.5
75.0
62.5
56.3
70.6
50.0
50.0
50.0
D o lls.
27. 50
30.00
33.00
27. 50
24.75
31.08
2-1.00
22.00
22.00
8—1—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—14
s 8—8-4 8
8—4—44
8—4—44
28. 00
28. 00
28.60
28.60
26. 40
33. 00
28.60
8 - 0 —40
8—4—44
8—4—44
8--4 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
PLASTERERS.
Boston, Mass..........................
Bridgeport, Mass................... .
Buffalo, N. Y ................ ..........
Fall River, Mass.................... .
Manchester, N. H ...................
Newark, N. J...........................
New Haven, Conn................ .
New York, N. Y.:
Brooklyn.......................... .
Manhattan, Bronx, and
Richmond......................
Queens...............................
Philadelphia, P a .....................
Pittsburgh, P a ........................
Portland, Me......................
Providence, R. I......................
Rochester, N. Y ....................
Scranton, P a .....................
Springfield, Mass.............
Worcester, Mass......................
»70.0 28.00
T70.0 30.80
70.0 30.80
75.0 33.00
75.0 33.00
»75.0 33.00
70.0 30.80
75.0
33.00
75.0
87.5
75.0
» 75.0
80.0
33.00
35.00
30.00
33.00
35.20
27.50
30.80
30.80
33.00
33.00
68.8
70.0
70.0
75.0
75.0
2
2
2
lè
Uè
2
2
8—0—40
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
»8—4—44
2
2
2l i
2
2
11Ih
2lè
lè
«12 70.0
12 65.0
12 65.0
12 65.0
12 60.0
12 75.0
12 65.0
12 75.0
12 75.0
«12 75.0
«12 70.0
12 75.0
12 62.5
«12 68.8
12 70.0
12 65.0
12 70.0
12 65.0
2
2
io 2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
»8—4—44
8—0—40
8—0—40
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—0—40
8—4- 44
8—4—44
8—4—14
8—4—44
i«2
2
2
2
2
2
2
•12
12
8—4—44
12
8—1 44
12
8—4—44
12
«8-0—10 *12
8—4—44
12
33.00
8 - 4 —44
33.00
33.00
28.00
33.00
27. 50
27.50
30.80
28.60
30.80
28. 60
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—0—40
8 -4 —44
8—4—44
8—0—40
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8 - 4 —44
18.00
19.80
8—0—40
8—4—44
plasterers’ laborers.
Boston, Mass............................
Newark, N. J............................
New York N. Y:
Brooklyn..........................
Queens................................
\ 11 boroughs......................
Philadelphia, P a .....................
Pittsburgh, P a .........................
20.00
2
2
24.75
2
22.00 2
24.75
20.00 ."lè2
24.20
»50.0
1145.0 19.80
56.3
i«50.0
56.3
50.0
»55.0
lè
i Double tim e after midnight.
* Work on Saturday afternoon prohibited.
»44 hours per week, June to August, inclusive.
4 Double tame after 9 p. m. and on Saturday after
noon.
‘ Scale became 80 cents on June 1,1918.
* Do not work on Saturday.
1Scale became 75 cents on Sept. 1, 1918.
•D n Sunday; on holidays, double time.
»Scale became 80 cents on July 1,1918.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
8—0—40
8 - 4 —14
45.0
45.0
46.9 20.63
8—4-4 4
46.9 20.63
8—4 -4 1
46.9 20.63
8 -4 ^ 4
46.9 18.75
8—0—40
45.0 19.80
8—4—44
•« Work on holidays prohibited,
n Scale became 85 cents on July 1, 1918.
1» Double time after 7 p. m. and on Saturdav after
noon.
13 Scale became 60 cents on June 1,1918.
14 Time and one-half for work done on Saturday.
15 Scale became 50 cents on July 1,1918.
i* Scale became 56.3 cents on May 17,1918.
17 Double time after 11 p. m.
[620]
M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
145
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTE
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
BUILD IN G TR A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of Wages—
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
her
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per
day hour. week,
full
half
time.
holi
days
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
PLASTERERS’ LABORER»—
concluded.
C ts .
Portland, Me.......................... 55.0
Providence. R. I .................... 50.0
Rochester, N. Y ...... ............. 40.0
Scranton, P a ........................... *35.0
W orcester, Mass..................... 55.0
D o ..................................... 55.0
D o lls.
24.20
22.00
17.60
15.40
24.20
24.20
1J
2
Hi
75.0
70.0
462.5
68.8
756.3
»50.0
75.0
62.5
C ts .
D o lls.
12
12
12
12
45.0
45.0
30.0
35.0
50.0
45.0
19.80
19.80
13.20
15.40
8 - 4 44
8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
8 -4 -4 4
8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
65.0
54.5
62.5
50.0
47.7
62.5
54.5
2
2
2
2
»2
2
2
2
2
2
8 - 4 —44
8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8—4 -4 4
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
56.3
75.0
50.0
62.5
59.4
53.1
59.1
30.25
27.50
30.25
24.75
33.00
24.00
27.50
26.13
23.38
26.00
2
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
60.0
40.9
26.40
18.00
2
8—4—14
12
ij
2
2
2
‘2
8—4-44
8—4—44
8—4-44
8—4—44
33.00
30.80
27.50
30.25
24.77
22.00
33.00
27.50
2
2
‘1
IJ
2
14
2
‘1
2
2
2
2
2
U
2
2
75.0
68.8
75.0
*62.5
75.0
62.5
75.0
59.4
62.5
1161.4
33.00
30.25
33.00
27.50
33.00
27.50
33.00
26.13
27.50
27.00
2
2
2
2
11
2
2
1° 14
2
2
1*60.0
50.0
26.40
22.00
2
2
New Y ork, N . Y ...................... 62.5
P ittsburgh, P a ......................... 50.0
30.00
22.00
n
14
22.00
19.80
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8—4-4 4
PLUMBERS AND GAS UTTERS.
Boston, Mass.:
P lum bers..........................
Gas fitters........................
B ridgeport, C onn...................
Buffalo, N . Y ...........................
F all River, Mass.................... .
Manchester, N . H ...................
N ew ark, N . J..................... .
New H aven, Conn..................
New Y ork, N . Y.:
M anhattan, B ronx, and
B rooklyn........................
Q ueens...............................
R ichm ond..........................
Philadelphia, P a ........ ...........
P ittsburgh, P a ........................
Portland, M e............................
Providence, R. I ......................
Rochester, N . Y ......................
Scranton, P a ............................
Springfield, M ass.....................
W orcester, Mass.:
Plum bers...........................
Gas fitte rs..........................
68.8
68.8
68.8
62.5
30.25
28.60
24.00
30.00
22.00
21.00
27.50
24.00
8—4-4 4
8—4—44
8 -4 - 4 4
« 8—8—43
8 -4 - 4 1
8 - 4 —44
8 - 4 —44
8—4-4 4
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8--4 -44
8--4--44
8 -4 -4 4
14
PLUMBERS’ LABORERS.
2
2
8—8 -4 8
50.0 24.00
8—8—43
8—4 -4 4
12 43.8 19.25
11 *2
‘
°,n Saturday afternoon; double time after midnight and on Saturday after 5 d m
* Scale became 50 cents op May 23, 1918.
* And on Saturday afternoon.
4 Scale became 75 cents on July 1,1918.
* Double time after 6 p. m.
'
*
8 44 hours per week, June to August, inclusive.
7 Scale became 67.5 cents on June 1,1918.
* Scale became 70 cents on July 1, 1918.
* Scale became 75 cents on Aug. 1, 1918.
I! o 11! ° ? Saturday afternoon; double time after midnight and on Saturday after 8 p m
11 Scale became 68.2 cents on June 1,1918
“ Scale became 65.6 cents on June 1,1918.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[621]
146
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW .
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLAN TIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
BUILDING TR AD ES— Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and d ty .
t
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
by—
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per
day hour. week,
full
haif
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
lull week.
SHEET-METAL WOBKEE3.1
Boston, Mass.:
C ts .
Building work................... 70. d
Railroad shops.................. 68.0
Bridgeport, Conn.................... 62.5
Buffalo, N. Y ............................ 656.3
Fall River, Mass...................... 50.0
Manchester, N. H .................... 37.5
Newark, N. J............................ 75.0
New Haven, Conn.:
Building work................... 59.1
Railroad shops.................. 68.0
New ’i ork, N. Y.:
Richmond.......................... 70.0
All boroughs...................... 70.0
Philadelphia,~Pa..................... 70.0
Shipyards.......................... 70.0
Pittsburgh,. P a ....................... 470.0
Portland, Me.:
First class.......................... 50.0
Second class..................... 43.8
Providence, R. I......... .........
57.0
Rochester. N. Y ...................
56.3
Scranton, P a .......................
8*56.3
Springfield, Mass..................... 54.5
Worcester, Mass..................... 52.3
D o lls.
30.80
32.64
27.50
27.00
22.00
2
2
*1
41
‘ li
li
2
2
2
2
li
li
8
8
8
78
8
8
8
—4 —44
54.5
31.5
24.00
17.01
8—4—44
*9—8—53
2
2
*1
2
li
8 — a —44
8 — 8 —48
2
li
li
2
2
2
2
2
8
8
8
8
8
—4
—4
—4
—4
—4
9li
9li
11 l i
11 l i
2
2
2
2
“ li
2
142
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
—4
—4
—4
—4
—4
21.00
25.08
24.75
24.75
24.00
22.99
2
2
2
8—4—44
53
8—4—44
7 8—8—48
8—4—44
8—8—48
12
12
2
24.00
26.40
18 3fi
24.00
24.00
19.25
16.60
27.50
12
12
12
26.00
32.64
2
2
D o lls.
—4 —44
— 8 —48
—4 —44
—4 —44
—4 —44
16.50
33.00
30.80
30.80
30.80
30.80
30.80
C ts .
60.0
34.0
54.5
50.0
43.8
34.4
62.5
— 8 —48
12
12
3
8q a
—44
12
62.5
27.50
8—4—44
—44
—44
—44
12
12
12
56.3
50.0
60.0
24.75
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
12
12
52.0
50.0
50.0
54.5
50.0
44
— 8 —48
-8
48
—44
—44
—44
—44
—44
22.00
26.40
(19\
(19\
12
\
22.88
22.00
22.00
24.00
22.00
)
l i
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
SHIP CAEPENTEES.
Boston, Mass............ ........
70.0 30.80
2
2
8 —4 —44
12 56.3 27.00
8—8—48
New York, N. Y ..................
7 a —8 —48
70.0 33.60
2
2
7 8—8—48
3 53.1 25.50
D o ...................................
70.0 33.60
2
7 8 - 8 —48
2
3 61.0 29.28
7 8—8—48
D o....................................
65.0 31.20
2
7 g — 8 —48
2
3 56.3 27.00
7 8—8—48
Philadelphia, P a . . . . . . .
i*60.0 28.80 “ l i
2
8J—4i—48
8—8—48
12 49.0 23.52
Portland, Me.:
First class................... .
70.0 33.60
2
8
—
8
48
li
Second class..................... 65.0 31.20
(i°)
8 — 8 —48 |
li! 2
0°)
<“ )
* For explanation of changes in rates in railroad shops see p. 134.
* Tim® and one-half after 1 hour; on Saturday for all ovei nine.
* Work 53 hours, paid for 54.
4 Double time after 6 p. m.
* Scale became 62.5 cents and 44 hours on June 1,1918.
4 Double time after midnight.
7 44 hours per week, Juee to August, inclusive.
I Scale became 80 cents on June 1, 1918.
s Double time after 4 hours of overtime.
10 Not organized on May 15, 1917.
II Double time after 9 p. m.
12 Until midnight and on Saturday afternoon; double time after midnight and on Saturday after 8 p. m.
18 Scale became 62.5 cents on June 1, 1918.
14 Single time od Saturday afternoon.
16 Scale became 70 cents on June 1,1918.
14Double time after 10 p. m.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[622]
147
M O N T H L Y LABOE E E V IE W .
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
B U ILD IN G TR A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. lull
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
by—
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
day Per week,
half hour. full
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
SLATE AND TILE ROOFERS.
C ts .
D o lls.
Bridgeport, Conn................... ‘62.5
Buil'alo, N. Y .......................... 60.0
Newark, N. J.......................... »75.0
New Haven, Conn................. 68.8
New York, N. Y .................... *78.1
Philadelphia, P a ............ ....... 70.0
Pittsburgh, P a....................... 75.0
Scranton. P a ........................... 53.1
Springfield, Mass................... 62.5
27.50
28.80
33.00
30. 25
34.38
30.80
33.00
25.50
27.50
li
li
2
li
2
li
li
li
li
2
2
2
2
2
42
‘2
2
2
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
6 68. 8*
62.5
68.8
60.0
»50.0
75.0
62.5
75.0
662. 5
68.8
1075.0
62.5
65.0
62.5
59.4
62.5
1256.8
30.25
2
27.50 7 1
30. 25 ‘ l i
26.40
2
22. 00
li
33.00
2
27.50
'1
33.00
2
27.50
2
30. 25
2
33.00
2
27.50
2
28. 60
2
27. 50
2
26. 13 11 Ü
27. 50
2
25.00
2
2
2
2
2
li
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
o-—3r—
‘*42.5
34.4
34.4
45.0
42.5
42.5
»37.5
337.5
1343.8
37.5
43.8
34.1
433.0
18.70
15.13
15.13
19.80
18.70
18. 70
16. 50
16.50
19. 25
16.50
19.25
15.00
14.50
C ts .
D o lls.
12
56.3
55.0
68.8
62.5
68.5
62.5
62.5
46.9
55.0
24.75
26.40
30.25
27.50
30.25
27.50
27.50
22.50
24.20
8—4—44
8—8—48
8 _ 4 —44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4—44
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
62.5
54.5
62.5
50.0
47.7
68.8
54.5
68.8
56.3
56.3
75.0
50.0
55.0
50.0
59.4
56.3
54.5
27.50
24.00
30.00
22.00
21.00
30.25
24.00
30. 25
24. 75
24. 75
33.00
24.00
24.20
22.00
26. 13
24. 75
24.00
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8-A—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 -4 —44
8—4—44
8 - 4 —44
8 -4 -4 4
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8 -4 - 4 4
8—4—44
8—4—44
12 34.4
12 34.4
12 31.3
12 37.5
12 37.5
12 40.0
12 32.5
12 32.5
12 43.8
12 31.3
12 31.3
12 31.8
12 31.8
15.13
15.13
15.00
16.50
16. 50
17. 60
14. 30
14.30
19. 25
13. 75
13. 75
14.00
14.00
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—4-44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4 -4 4
8 -4 —44
12
12
12
12
12
12
STEAM FITTERS.
Boston, Mass..........................
Bridgeport, Conn...................
Buffalo, N. Y ..........................
Fall River, Mass....................
Manchester, N. H ..................
Newark, N. J..........................
New Haven, Conn..................
New York, N. Y ...................
Philadelphia, P a ...................
D o......................................
Pittsburgh, P a....................... .
Portland, Me............................
Providence, R. I......... .•..........
D o.......................................
Rochester, N. Y ..................... .
Scranton, P a............................
Springfield, Mass....................
A
AA
8—4—44
8—4—44
8--4--44
STEAM FITTERS’ HELFERS.
Boston, Mass............................
Bridgeport, Conn....................
Buffalo, N. Y ...........................
Fall River, Mass......................
Newark, N. J............................
New York, N. Y .....................
Philadelphia, P a .....................
D o.......................................
Pittsburgh, Pa.........................
Providence, R. I......................
Scranton, Pa............................
Springfield, Mass.....................
Worcester, Mass......................
2
1
" li
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
42
2
2
42
2
2
2
2
7
1 Scale became 68.8 cents on Sept. 1,1918.
* Scale became 87.5 cents on July 1, 1918.
1 Scale became 80 cents on July 1, 1918.
4And on Saturday afternoon.
6 Work on July 4, Labor Day, and Christmas pro
hibited.
* Scale became 75 cents on June 1,1918.
7Double time alter 6 p. m.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[623]
8—4—44
8—4—44
Q_A AA
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
g 1 a
g
- 44
g
14
8--4--44
* Double time after midnight.
» Scale became 70 cents on July 1, 1918.
10 Scale became 80 cents on June 1, 1918.
11 Double time after midnight and on Saturday
after 8 p. m.
12 Scale became 63.6 cents on June 1,1918.
u Scale became £0 cents on June 1,1918.
“ Scale became 34.1 cents on June 1,1918.
148
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
UNION SCALE OF W AGES AN D HO U R S OF LABOR IN' EACH T R A D E , IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, A N D MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
B UILDING T R A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Tta1 C.of
wag OS—
Rate of wages-
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rare
time. mul
ti
plied
by—
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
by-
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
Hours.
with
Full days;
Sat
Per
* Saturdays:
ur
Per week, full week.
day hour. full
half
time.
holi
days.
STONEMASONS.
C ts .
Boston, Mass.............................
Bridgeport, Conn.....................
Buffalo, N . Y ...........................
Fall River, Mass.....................
Newark, N . J............................
New Haven, Conn...................
New York, N . Y ......................
D o ........................................
D o ........................................
D o........................................
Philadelphia^ P a ......................
Pittsburgh, P a ........................
Portland, Me.............................
Providence, R . I......................
D o........................................
Rochester, N . Y .......................
Scranton, P a.............................
D o ........................................
Springfield, M a ss .................
Worcester, Mass.......................
80.0
170. 0
75.0
75.0
4 75.0
70.0
75.0
75.0
75.0
81.3
70.0
05.0
70.0
70.0
50.0
70.0
75.0
70.0
75.0
65.0
D o lls.
35. 20
30.80
36.00
33.00 .
33.00
30. 80
33.00
33. 00
33. 00
35. 75
30.80
28.60
30. 80
30. 80
22.00
30.80
36. 00
33.60
33.00
28.60
2
2
li
li
2
2
2
2
2
2
li
H
'li
li
li
2
2
2
3l i
2
2
52
52
52
52
52
52
2
52
52
li
li
2
li
2
82
»2
2
2
35.20
35. 20
30.80
27.50
33.00
35.30
2
li
62
35.20
8li
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
2 8—8—48
8— 1— 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8— 4—44
8—4—44
8— 4—44 •
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
C ts .
D o lls.
12
12
70.0
65.0
65.0
65.0
75.0
60.0
62.5
75. 0
70.0
75.0
60.0
65.0
65.0
70.0
50.0
70.0
60.0
65.0
70.0
65.0
30.80
28. 60
31.20
28. CO
33.00
26. 40
27. 50
33.00
30.80
33.00
26.40
28. 60
28. 60
30. 80
22. 00
30. 80
28.80
31.20
30.80
28. 60
12
12
12
12
12
12
68.8
62.5
62.5
50.0
72.5
62.5
30.25
27. 50
30. 00
22. 00
31.90
27. 50
8—4—44
n 8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
66.3
29.15
8—4—44
12
68.8
30.25
30.80
30.80
24.64
30. 25
30.25
30.00
27.50
12
12
3
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
8—4—44
8—4—44
2 8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8— 4— 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8— 4— 44
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—8—48
8— 4—44
8—4—44
STRUCTURAL-IRON WORKERS.
Boston, M ass............................ 80.0
Bridgeport, C onn.................... 80.0
Buffalo, N . Y ........................... 1070.0
Fall River, Mass....................... 62.5
Newark, N . J ............................. 12 75.0
New Haven, Conn................... 80.0
New York, N . Y.:
Brooklyn and Queens___ 1280.0
Manhattan, Bronx, and
Richmond....................... 1280.0
Philadelphia, P a ..................... 92.5
Pittsburgh, P a ......................... 87.5
Portland, M e .................................. 75.0
Providence, R . 1...................... 80.0
Rochester, N . Y . ..................... 80.0
Scranton, P a ............................. 68.8
Springfield, Mass..................... 68.8
Worcester, Mass....................... 68.8
35. 20
40. 70
38. 50
33.00
35.20
35.20
33.00
30.25
30. 25
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
li
2
li
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
8—4—44
2
8— 1—44
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
2
12 70. 0
62
8—4—44
12 70.0
7li
8—4—44
2
12 56.0
2
8—4—44
2
2
12 68.8
8—4—44
2
2
12 68.8
u 8—4—48
4 62.5
l i 13 2
8—4—44
2
12 62.5
2
8—4—44
2
12 68.8
2
1Scale became 75 cents on Sept. 1,1918.
244 hours per week, June to August, inclusive.
8On Sunday; on holidays, double time.
4Scale became 80 cents on July 1, 1918.
8And on Saturday afternoon.
6 Scale became 75 cents on June 1, 1918.
1Double time after 6 p .m .
8Double time after 7 p. m. and on Saturday afternoon.
6 And on Saturday after 5 p. m.
10 Scale became 85 cents on June 1, 1918.
n 44 hours per week, June to September, inclusive.
12 Scale became 87.5 cents on June 1, 1918.
MAnd on Saturday afternoon, June to September, inclusive.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2
[624]
30.25
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—41
8 - 4 —44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
n 8—8— 48
8—4—44
8—4-4 4
149
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
BUILDING TR A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1917
May 15, 1918.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
STRUCTURAL-IKON 'WORKERS:
FINISHERS.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
bv—
C ts .
D o lls.
2
12
2
80.0 35.20
80.0 35.20
2 70.0 30.80
475. 0 33.00
80.0 35.20
68.8 30.25
92.5 40.70
87.5 38.50
80.0 35. 20
80.0 35. 20
68.8 33.00
30. 25
30. 25
Boston, Mass..........
Bridgeport, Conn..
Buffalo, N . Y .........
Newark, N . J..........
New Haven, Conn.
New York, N . Y ..
Philadelphia, P a . .
Pittsburgh, P a ----Providence, R . I . .
Rochester, N. Y . . .
Scranton, P a ..........
Springfield, Mass. .
W orcester, Mass. . .
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
2
2
2
2
i2
12
2
2
68.8
68.8
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8_4_ 4 4
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
28—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per
day hour. week,
full
half
time.
holi
days,
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
4
12
12
Hours.
Full daj’s;
Saturdays;
full week.
C ts .
D o lls.
68.8
30. 25
27. ,50
30.00
31.90
27.50
29.15
30.80
28.60
30.25
30. 25
30.00
27.50
30. 25
8—4—44
8—4—44
38—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
38—8—48
8—4—44
8—4-44
22.00
22.00
8—4—44
8—4—44
«8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
3—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
30.00
30. 25
28.80
30. 25
33.00
29. 70
(")
28.60
27. 50
26.40
26. 40
8—0—40
8—4—44
12 8—8—48
8—4—44
8—4 -44
8—4-41
(>4)
8—4—44
8—1—44
8 - 4 —44
8 -4 -4 4
62.5
62.5
72.5
62.5
66.3
70.0
65.0
68.8
68.8
62.5
02.5
68.8
BTRUCTURAL-IRON WORKERS:
FINISHERS’ HELPERS.
Boston, Mass.........
Bridgeport, Conn..
Buffalo, N. Y ........
Newark, N . J.........
New Haven, Conn.
New York, N . Y ..
Pittsburgh, P a ---Rochester, N . Y ...
Springfield, Mass..
Worcester, Mass...
55.0
55.0
745.0
850.0
55.0
50.0
60.0
45.0
55.0
50.0
24. 20
24.20
19.80
975.0
30.00
30.25
30.00
30.25
33. 00
30.80
34.50
29. 70
30.25
27. 50
26. 40
2
i2
2
2
22.00
24. 20
22.00
26.40
19.80
24.20
22.00
2
2
52lì
2
2
2
12
2
2
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
8—0—40
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
50.0
40.0
35.0
50.0
40.0
47.5
47.5
37.5
40.0
50.0
17.60
16.80
22.00
17.60
20.90
20. 90
16.50
17.60
TILE LAYERS.
Boston, Mass.......
Bridgeport, Conn.
Buffalo, N. Y ----Newark, N . J.......
New York, N. Y .
Philadelphia, Paj >o.......................
Pittsburgh, P a . . .
Providence, R . I..
Rochester, N. Y -.
Scranton, P a ........
68.8
62.5
68.8
75.0
70.0
71.9
67.5
io 12
75.0
2
2
128—4—44
g—8—48
12
68.8
60.0
2
2
2
8—4—44
« 8—4—44
8—4—44
3
12
12
12
75.0
67.5
2
2
68.8
8—8—48
12 uu. \j
8—4—44
2
8—4—44
12 62.5
2
8—4—44
12 60.0
2
62.5
12 60.0
8—4—44
2
60.0
1And on Saturday afternoon.
2 Scale became 85 cents on June 1, 1918.
*44 hours per week, June to September, inclusive.
<Scale became 87.5 cents on June 1, 1918.
«Double time after 6 p. m.
i And on Saturday afternoon, June to September, inclusive.
7 Scale became 50 cents on June 1, 1918.
* Scale became 68.8 cents on June 1, 1918.
9 Scale became 80 cents on July 1, 1918.
*« Do not work on Saturday.
11 Double time after midnight.
*2 44 hours per week, June to August, inclusive,
i« Work on Saturday afternoon prohibited,
u No scale in effect on May 15,1917.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
68.8
[625]
150
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TR AD E, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
B U ILD IN G T R A D E S—Concluded.
May 15,1918.
May 15,1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
TILE LAYERS* HELPERS.
Boston, Mass........................ . 43.8
Bridgeport, Conn............... . . 41.3
Newark, N. J . . . . .............
40.6
New York, N. Y .................
>40.6
Philadelphia ,P a ................. . 42.0
Pittsburgh, P a .....................
43.8
Providence, R. I .................
37.5
Scranton, P a ........................
31.3
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
day Per week,
half hour. fuli
time.
holi
days.
D o lls.
17.50
18.15
17.88
17.88
18.48
19. 25
16.50
13.75
2
2
2
2
52
2
2
2
8 -0 -4 0
8—4—44
8- -4-44
8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
‘ 8 -4 -4 4
8—4—44
8—1 44
Hours.
Full d.ays;
Saturdays;
full week.
C ts .
D o lls.
112
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
41.3
41.3
40.6
40.6
40.5
37.5
34.4
30.0
16. 50
18.15
17.88
17. SS
17. 82
16.50
15.13
13.20
8 - 0 —40
8—4—44
8—4-44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
32.0
34.5
17. 28
18.29
99 —8— 53
METAL TR AD ES.
BLACKSMITHS.«
Boston, Mass.:
Railroad shops, road A .
Railroad shops, road B .
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Manufacturing and job
bing shops......................
New Haven, Conn.:
Railroad shops.................
New York, N. Y.:
Manufacturing and job
bing shops—
Manhattan, Bronx,
and Queens............
Brooklyn....................
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Manufacturing and job
bing—
Shops A ......................
Shops B ......................
Railroad sh o p s.___ . . . . .
Sh ipyards.........................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Manufacturing shops
D o ................................
Railroad shops.................
Portland, Me............................
Springfield, Mass.:
Manufacturing and job
bing shops......................
Railroad shops..................
68.0
68.0
32.64
32.64
»1
n
li
li
8—£ - 4 8
8—8—48
2
2
8—4—44
12
65.0
28.60
68.0
32.64
u
li
72.5
72.5
34.80
34.80
2
2
2i
2i
8 -8 -4 8
8—8—48
72.5
72.5
39.15
31.90
32.64
36.30
31.90
lì
lì
2
2
n
9—9—54
8— 4—44
8—8—48
8 - 4 —44
8 - 4 44
25.00
27.60
32.64
36.04
12 1
68.0
82. 5
72.5
50.0
57.5
68.0
68.0
50.0
68.0
25.00
32.64
U
2
lì
H
li
2
2
lì
H
2
li
li
lì
2
2
U
li
9—5—50
n 8—8—48
8 - 8 —48
9—8—53
55.0
29.70
9 - 9 —54
32.0
17.28
»9—8—53
53.1
56.3
25.50
27.00
8—8 - 4 8
8—8—48
12
44.4
50.0
37.0
12
12
( 10)
24.00
24.00
19. 98
( 10)
(10)
9—9—54
8—8—48
9—9—54
( 10)
( 10)
32.5
46.9
45.0
16.25
22.50
24.30
1« 8—8—48
(13)
(“ )
(13)
(10)
19.88
9—8—53
12
(io)
(10)
9—5—50
8—8—48 •••••• 3 7 .5
1 Do not work on Saturday.
J Scale became 46 cents on July 1,1918.
* And on Saturday afternoon.
‘ Work on Saturday afternoon prohibited.
* Double tim e after midnight.
« For explanation of changes in rates in railroad shops see p. 134.
7 Time and one-half after 1 hour; on Saturday for all overtime.
* Work 53 hours, paid for 54.
* During July and August work 5 hours on Saturday, 50 hours per week; paid for 53.
10 No scale in effect on May 15,1917.
11 Hours vary, but total 48 per week.
11 Time and one-half after 1 hour.
11 N ot organized on May 15,1917.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[626 ]
«9—8—53
9—5—50
9—9—54
(10)
151
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
U N IO N SCALE O F W A GES AND H O U R S O F LA B O R IN EA CH T R A D E , IN T H E N O R T H
A TLA N TIC STA TES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
M ETA L T R A D E S—Continued.
May 15,1918.
May 15,1917.
R ate of
wages—
R ate of wages—
For
over
tim e,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full rate
tim e. m u l
ti
plied
Occupation and city.
BLACKSMITHS' HELPERS
H ours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
w ith
Sat
Per
u r Per week,
day hour. full
half
tim e.
holi
days.
H ours.
F ull days;
Saturdays;
full week.
.1
Boston, Mass.:
Railroad shops, road A . .
Railroad shops, road B . .
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Manufacturing and job
bing shops.................... .
New Haven, Conn.:
Railroad shops............... .
New York, N. Y.:
Manufacturing and job
bing shops.................... .
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Manufacturing and job
bing—
Shops A .....................
Shops B .....................
Railroad shops................
Shipyards........................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Manufacturing shop«___
D o ................................
Railroad shop«.................
Portland, Me...........................
Springfield, Mass.:
Manufacturing and job
bing shops......................
Railroad shops.................
BOILER MAKERS
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
m u l
ti
plied
C ts .
D o lls.
45.0
45.0
21.60
21.60
45.0
19.80
45.0
21.60
46.0
22.08
50.0
50.0
45.0
56.5
46.0
27.00
43.5
38.0
45.0
45.0
20.88
19.00
21.60
23.85
11
36.0
45.0
18.00
21.60
>1
22.00
21.60
24 86
20.24
*1
as.
D o lls.
8 -8 -4 8
8—8—48
23.5
26.5
12.69
14.05
8 - 4 —44
35.0
18.90
9—9—54
8—8—48
23.5
12.69
39—8—53
8—8—48
36.9
17. 70
8—8—48
30.0
30.0
28.0
16.20
14.40
15.12
9—9—54
8—
9—
( 5)
(6)
(6)
( 5)
( 6)
9—9—54
8—4—44
8 -8 -4 8
8 - 4- 44
8—4...44
21l i
2
li
«8—8—48
9—5—50
8—
9—
li
li
li
2
39—8—53
49—8—53
9—5—50
8—8—48
12
35.0
12 28.1
8—4830.5
8—53 ( 8)
12
(?)
16.80
14.06
16.47
(8)
( 6)
( 6)
«8—8—48
9—5—50
9—9—54
(8)
26.5
14 05
9X53
»1
»1
*1
35.0
32.0
34.5
18.90
17.28
18.29
»9— 8—53
»9— 8—53
»9— 8—53
24 84
27.84
25.50
1
46.0
51.6
53.1
35.0
34.0
34.0
37.0
33.0
20.40
20.40
19.98
19.80
21.00
9— 9—54
9— 9—54
8— *8—48
10—10—60
10—10—60
10—10—60
9— 9—54
10—10—60
32.0
17.28
« 9 _ 8—53
.1
Boston, Mass.:
8—8—48 ..........
Railroad shops, road A . . 68.0 32.64
8—8—48 ..........
Railroad shops, road A . . 68.0 32.64
8—8—48
Railroad shops, road B . . 68.0 32.64
2
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops....... 70.0 37.80
9—9—54 ..........
9li
Manufacturing shops....... 53.0 28.62
9—9—54 ..........
• li
Outside............................... 62.5 30.00
8—8—48 ..........
li
32.64 10 1
8 - 8 —48 ..........
Railroad shops, road A . .
32. 64
8—8—48 ..........
Railroad shops, road B . .
1
32. 64 10 1
Railroad shops, road C...
8—8—48 ..........
32.64 » 1
Railroad shops, road E ...
8—8—48 ..........
Railroad shops, road F . .
8—8—48 ..........
32.64 i « l
New Haven, Conn.:
Railroad shops.................. 68.0 32.64 » 1
8—8—48
1 For explanation of changes in rates in railroad shop«, see p. 134.
« Tim e and one-half after 1 hour; on S aturday for all overtime.
* Work 53 hours, paid for 54.
‘ During July and August work 5 hours on S aturday, 50 hours per
» No scale in effect on May 15, 1917.
* Hours vary, b u t tfttal 48 per week.
* Tim e and one-half after 1 hour.
» N ot organized on May 15,1917.
* On new work; repair work, double time,
i* Time and one-half after 2 nours.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
68.0
68.0
68.0
68.0
68.0
[627]
week; p aid for 53.
8—48
9—54
152
MONTHLY LABOR BEYIEW,
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TR AD E, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
METAL T R A D E S—Continued.
-
*
May 15, 1918.
May 15,1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages-
Occupation and city.
b o il e r
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Per
Sat
ur
Per week,
day hour. full
half
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
makers—concluded.
New York, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops.
Outside..............................
Marine work......................
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Manufacturing shops.......
Outside............................
Shipyards...........................
Shipyards..........................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Manufacturing and jobbing shops.......................
Outside
.......................
Railroad shops, road A ..
Railroad shops, road B . .
Portland, Me.:
Railroad shops..................
Rochester, N. Y.~:
Manufacturing and jobbine s h o p s .....................
Railroad sfiops................
Springfield, Mass*.:
Railroad shops..................
C ts .
D o lls.
C ts.
D o lls.
70.0
75.0
70.0
33.60
33.00
33.60
2
2
2 2i
2
72
2
8 -4 —44
8—8—48
12
49.4
62.5
49.4
23. 70
27.50
23.70
8—8—48
8 - 4 —44
8—
“8-—48
70.0
80.0
80.0
70.0
30.80
35.20
35.20
30.80
.2
2
2
1*
»2
*2
2
2
8—4—44
8—1-44
8--4 44
8—4—44
12
12
12
12
50.0
56.3
(4)
(4)
24.00
24. 75
(4)
(4)
8—8-—48
8—4—44
(4)
60.0
75.0
68.0
68.0
30. 00
33.00
32. 64
32.64
(6)
2
«1
81
63
(7)
. *i
li
9—5—50
8—4—44
8—8—48
8—8—48
12
12
46.0
62.5
42.0
45.0
23.00
27.50
22.68
24.30
0—5—50
8—4 44
9—9—54
9—9—54
68.0
32.64
91
a
8—8—48
(10)
(10)
75.0
68.0
36.00
32. 64
2
81
2
nh
8-—8—48
8—8—4S
65.0
32.0
31. 20
17.28
8—8__48
9—9—54
68.0
32. 64
*1
h
8—8—48
34,5
18.29
0—8—53
45.0
45.0
45.0
45.0
21.60
21.60
21.60
21.60
S1
"1
»1
»1
ii
li
li
ii
8—8—48
8—8—48
8—8—48
8—8—48
26.0
27.5
27.5
25.5
13. 78
14.85
14.58
13.52
u 0—8—53
73 9—8—53
14 9—8—53
14 9—8—53
41.6
36.0
41.0
22.44
19.44
19.68
» li
“ 1J
U
14 l i
76 l i
2
9—9—54
9—9—54
8—8—48
36.6
31.0
33.0
19.74
16.74
15.84
9—9—54
9—9—54
8—8—48
45.0
24.30
li
8—8—48
26.0
14.04
73 9—8—53
(4)
(10)
B OILER M A K E R S ’ H E L P E R S .72
Boston, Mass.:
Railroad shops, road A . .
Railroad shops, road A . .
Railroad shops, road B . .
Railroad shops, road B ..
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops.......
Manufacturing shops.......
Outside.................. T...........
New Haven, Conn.:
Railroad shops..................
New York, N. Y!:
Manufacturing shops.......
Outside...............................
Marine work......................
n
2
2
22.08
2
2
8—8—48
34.4 16.50
8—8—48
2
8—4 44
33. 00
8—4—44
12
12 50.0 22.00
8—8—48
22.08
22i
2
8—8—48
34.4 16.50
1 For Labor Day and Christmas, regular rate multiplied b y 4.
2 On repair work; on new work, double time.
8 For Labor Day, regular rate multiplied by 3.
4No scale in effect on May 15, 1917.
6 On new work, time and one-naif; on Saturday after 4 p. m., double time. On repair work, double time;
on Saturday after 4 p. m. and on Sunday night, regular rate m ultiplied by 2$.
6 On new work, time and one-half on Saturday afternoon, double time on Sunday; on repair work,
double time on Saturday afternoon. For Labor Day, regular rate multiplied by 5.
7 On Saturday afternoon, on new work double time, on repair work triple time. For. Labor Day, regular
rate multiplied by 5.
8 Time and one-half after 1 hour.
9 Time and one-half after 1 hour; on Saturday for all overtime.
70 Not organized on May 15, 1917.
11 Time and one-half, with a minimum of 5 hours’ pay for 3 hours and 20 minutes’ work.
12 For explanation of changes in rates in railroad shops, see p. 134.
13 Work 53 hours, paid for 54.
14 During July and August work 5 hours on Saturday, 50 horns per week, paid for 53.
16 On new work; on repair work, double time.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
46.0
75.0
46.0
[628 ]
153
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
UNION SCALE OF W AGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY. 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
METAL T R AD ES—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages-
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by—
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
by—
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Per
Sat
Per week,
ur
day hour. full
time.
half
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
BOILER MAKERS’ HELPERS—
concluded.
C ts .
Philadelphia, Pa.: ,
Manufacturing shops....... 55.0
65.0
Shipyards........................... 60.0
Shipyards........................... 46.0
Pittsburgh, Pa.;
Manufacturing shops....... 45.0
68. 8
Railroad shops................ 45.0
Portland, Me.;
Railroad shops.__. . . . . . . 45.0
Rochester, N. Y.‘:
Manufacturing and jobbing s h o p s .................... 47.5
Springfield, Mass.:
Railroad shops ................. 45.0
C ts .
D o lls.
12
37.5
i?
0
0
18.00
19.25
0
0
8—8—48
8—4—44
0
0
12
12
34.5
56.3
23.5
17.25
24.75
12.69
9—5—50
8—4—J4
9—9—54
D o lls.
24.20
28.60
26.40
20.24
U
i2
i2
2
2
22.50
30. 25
21.60
(*)
«3
21.60
n
22.80
21.60
2
2
11
2
«1
2
n
8—1—14
8—1—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
12 43. 8
12
H
9—5—50
8—4—44
8—8—48
11
8—8—48
0
0
0
2
8—8—48
37.5
18.00
8—8—48
. H
8—8—48
29.0
15.37
9—8—53
2
11
11
55.0
'o 2$
8—8—48
»9—8—53
*9—8—53
8 - 4 —44
8—8—48
0
0
—8—48
2
8—8—48
COPPERSMITHS.
Boston, Mass...................----New Haven, Conn...................
D o.................................... .
New York, N. Y ......................
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Inside, A ......................
Tnsfrift R ______ _______
Outside...............................
12
0
12
0
62.5
26.40
0
0
30.00
12
55.0
50.0
60.0
26.40
24.00
26.40
8—8—48
50.0
41.7
47.2
41.7
47.2
47.2
47.2
50.0
50.0
40.0
47.2
27.00
22.50
25.50
22.50
25.50
25.50
25.50
27.00
24.00
25.50
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
8— 8 48
10—5—55
9—9—54
9—9—54
38.9
21.00
9—9—54
9—9—54
36.1
19.50
9—9—51
62.5
38.5
30.0
73.1
30.00
20.79
16.20
32.18
io 2J
70.0
70.0
76.3
33.60
33.60
33.55
2
2
2
2
2
8—8—48
8—4—44
58.3
41.7
58.3
50.0
55.6
52.8
Marine work..... ............... 72.5
Philadelphia P a ...—- - - - - . .. 68.8
65.6
Providence. R. I ..................... 40.0
Rochester, N Y ..................... 58.3
Scranton, Pa.:
M anufacturing shops,
machinery...................... 55.6
M anufacturing shops,
hot water and steam
heating............................ 55.6
31.50
22.50
31.50
27.00
30.00
28.50
34.80
33.00
31.50
31.50
2
2
2
11
2
11
2
11
li • 2
11
2
2
11
2
li
2
11
2
H
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
9—9—54
8—8—48
8—8—48
8—8—48
10—5—55
9—9—54
30.00
li
2
30.00
11
2
2
11
11
8
8—8—48
8—4—44
CORE MAKERS.
Boston Mass........... ........... . .
Bridgeport, Conn....................
Buffalo, N . Y ...........................
Fall River, Mass......................
Newark, N J....... .
22.00
11
li
12
22.00
» On Labor Day, regular rate multiplied by 3.
* No scale in effect on May 15. 1917.
» On new work, time and one-half; on Saturdays after 4 p. m., double time. On repair work, double time;
on Saturday after 4 p. m. and on Sunday night, regular rate multiplied by 2J.
4 On new work, time and one-half on Saturday afternoon, double time on Sunday; on repair-work, double
time on Saturday afternoon. On Labor Day, regular rate multiplied by 5.
o On Saturday afternoon, on new work, double time; on repair work, triple time. On Labor Day, regular
rate multiplied bv 5.
• Time and one-naif after 1 hour.
»Time and one-half after 1 hour: on Saturday for all overtime.
• Not organized on May 15,1917.
* Work 53 hours, paid for 54.
n On repair work; on new work, double time.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[629]
154
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TR AD E, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
METAL TR A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by—
CORE makers —concluded.
Springfield, Mass.:
C ts .
Brass and iron......... .
55.6
Worcester, Mass...................... 50.0
MACHINISTS.2
Boston, Mass.:
Manufacturing shops, A . 55.0
Manufacturing shops, B . 55.0
Manufacturing shops, C.. 55.0
Tool and die makers,
shops, C.......................... 65.0
Railroad shops, road A ... 68.0
Railroad shops, road B ... 68.0
Bridgeport, Conn.:
Manufacturing shops. . . . 55.0
Tool and die makers........ 75.0
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops, A . 55.0
Manufacturing shops, B . 55.0
Die sinkers (for drop
forging machines)......... 90.0
Tool and die makers........ 70.0
Specialists........................ 50.0
Outside............................... 75.0
Railroad shops, road B ... 68.0
Railroad shops, road D ... 68.0
Railroad shops, road E ... 68.0
Railroad shops, road F .. . 68.0
Railroad shops, road G . . 68.0
Newark, N. J.:
Manufacturing shops, A . 45.0
Manufacturing shops, B . 55.0
Tool and die makers,
shops, A ......................... 65.0
Tool and die makers,
shops, B ......................... 65.0
Outside'.............................. 75.0
Breweries................ .
69.8
New Haven, Conn.:
Manufacturing shops....... 60.0
Tool and die makers........ 70.0
Specialists..................
50.0
Outside............................... 60.0
Railroad shops.................. 68.0
New York, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops....... 73.0
Tool and die makers........ 82.0
Marine work...................... 72.5
Auto repair shops______ 75.0
Printing-press factories.. 50.0
Outside............................... «75.0
D o lls.
11
24.75
27. 50
26.40
li
2
2
9—9—54
9—9—54
1J
li
1§
2
2
2
8 —5 —45
9 —5 —50
8|—4 |—48
2
8|—4§—48
li
li
8 — 8 —48
8 — 8 —48
21
21
44.4
44.4
24.00
24.00
9 9—54
9—9—54
12
12
12
50.0
50.0
50.0
22. 50
25. 00
24.00
8 —5 —45
9 —5 —50
8§—4f—48
12
58.0
32.5
32.5
27.84
17.55
17.55
g |_ 4 |—48
« 9 — 8 —53
9 — 8 —53
12
12
45.0
55.0
21.60
26.40
8f—5 —48
8*—5 —48
9 —9 —54
8 — 8 —48
26.40
36.00
li
li
2
2
8f—5 - 4 8
8}—5 —48
29.70
26.40
< li
‘ li
2
2
9 —9 —54
8 — 8 -4 8
40.0
40.0
21.60
19.20
48.60
33.60
24.00
33. 00
32. 64
32.64
32.64
32.64
32.64
li
li
li
2
2
2
2
9
8
8
8
70.0
50.0
35.0
56.3
42.5
34.0
34.0
37.0
36.0
37.80
24.00
16.80
27.00
22. 95
20.40
20.40
22.20
21.60
2
li
li
li
li
li
•1
»1
»1
»1
»1
22.50
26.40
li
li
31.20
li
2-
li
2
2
2
31.20
33.00
33.50
28.80
33.60
24.00
28.80
36.72
2
2
2
li
8
8
8
8
8
— 9 _54
—8 —48
—8 —48
—4 —44
— 8 —48
—8 —48
—8 - 4 8
—8 —48
—8 —48
40.0
45.0
21.60
21.60
81— 41—48
12
45.0
24.30
50.0
io S
50.0
24 00
30. 25
24.00
50.0
55.0
40.0
50.0
32.0
24.00
26.40
19.20
24.00
17.28
ii 8 — 8
li 8 — 8
n8 —8
8 — 8
>9 — 8
10 8 — 8 —48
8 — 4 —44
8 — 8 -4 8
31
2
2
2
2
2
2
[630]
—48
—48
-4 8
-4 8
—48
12
68.8
9 — 9 —54
8 —48
8 — 4 —14
8
8 —48
8 —
56.3 27.00
8—
65.0 31.20
56 3 27 00
8
8 —
8 —48
56.3 27.00
8 —48
8—
50.0 24.00
4 -4 4
8 —
12 75.0 33.00
I Time and one-half after 2 hours.
* Time and one-half after 4 hours.
* Hours vary, but total 54 per week.
10 Hours vary, but total 48 per week.
II Minimum; maximum 55 hours per week.
22 Double time after 9 p. m.
11 Triple time after 9 p. m.
14 Scale became II on Aug. 1,1918.
—
—
—
—
8—
8—
8
8
8
8
8 —48
8 —48
8 —48
—54
—48
—48
—48
—54
—60
—60
—60
—60
>9 — 9 —54
io 8 — 8 - 4 8
12
u8 —8
li 8 — 8
u8—8
8 — 8
8 —8
U
4li
4li
4li
12
9 —9
8 —8
8 —8
8 —8
9 _9
10 —10
10 —10
10 —10
10 —10
9 — 5 —50
io 8 _ 8 —48
2
2
2
2
* li
35.04 22 l i
39.36 1» 1 J
34.80 13 2
2
36.00
24.00
li
33.00
2
1 For explanation of changes in rates in railroad
shops, see p. 134.
2 Time and one-half after 1 hour; on Saturday for
all overtime.
* Work 53 hours, paid for 54.
4 Double time after midnight.
6 Double time after 10 p. m.
• Time and one-half after 1 hour.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
Hours.
with
Full days;
Sat
Per .Saturdays;
ur
Per week,
full week.
day hour. full
half
timeholi
days.
C ts . . D o l l s .
30.00
27.00
31.20
32.64
32.64
For
Sumdays
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
—48
—48
—48
-4 8
—53
—48
—48
—48
—48
-4 8
4 —44
8
8
8
8
8
155
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
UNION SCALE OP WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917-Continued.
METAL T R A D E S—Continued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15,1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages-
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by—
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
lull week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per week,
day hour.
full
half
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
machinists—concluded.
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Manufacturing shops, A .
Manufacturing shops, B .
Tool and die makers,
shops, A .........................
Tool and die makers,
shops B ...........................
Dry docks and repair
work................................
First class, shipyards___
Second class, shipyards...
Outside..........., ..................
t
Breweries...........................
Railroad shops..................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Manufacturing shops, A .
Manufacturing shops, D .
Outside...... .........................
Breweries............................
Railroad shops, road A ..
Railroad shops, road B . .
Portland, Me:
Railroad shops.................
Providence, R. I.:
Manufacturing...................
Specialists..........................
Auto repair shops.............
Breweries............................
Railroad shops..................
Rochester, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops___
Jobbing shops...................
Tool and die makers,
manufacturing shops...
Tool and die makers,
jobbing shops.................
Railroad shops.................
Railroad shops..................
Railroad shops. : .............
Specialists, r a i l r o a d
shops................................
Springfield, Mass.:
Railroad shops..................
Worcester, Mass.:
Manufacturing shops___
Tool makers......................
Railroad shops, road A ..
Railroad shops, road B ..
Railroad shops, road C . .
C ts .
D o lü .
65.0
72.5
35.10
34.80
11
*14
2
2
19 — 9 — 54
8}— 4i—48
O s.
D o ll* .,
12
48.0
48.0
25.92
23.04
1 9 — 9 —54
8 — 8 -4 8
75.0
40.50
14
2
1 9 — 9 —54
60.0
32.40
1 9 — 9 —54
78.0
37.44
1 14
2
8| — 4J—48
12
60.0
28.80
8 — 8 -4 8
82.5
72.5
62.5
85.0
65.0
36.30
31.90
27.50
37.40
31.20
32.64
2
2
2
2
2
2
8 — 4 -4 4
8 — 4 —44
12
12
12
12
12
S)
w
(*)
36.00
26.40
( 8)
68.0
14
14
2
*14
»1
68.0
68.0
29.70
28.80
27.50
26. 40
32.64
32.64
.14
' 14
7 14
‘1
‘1
68.0
32,64
81
55.0
60.0
62.5
55.0
35.0 17.50
30.0 15.00
42. 1 20.20
50.0 24.00
68.0 32.64
11
14
2
2
2
2
8—
8 —
8| —
8 —
4 -4 4
4 —44
4$—48
8 —48
14
14
9 —9 —54
8 |—4i—48
8 - 4 —44
8 — 8 —4S
8 — 8 —48
8 — 8 —48
14
8 — 8 —48
2
2
2
2
12
12
»)
75.0
55.0
42.0
50.0
55.0
62.5
50.0
42.0
45.0
22.68
27.00
26.40
27.50
24.00
22,68
24.30
8 — 8 —48
8 — 8 —48
9 — 9 —54
9 —9 —54
8j—4}—48
8 — 4 -4 4
8 — 8 —48
9 —9 —54
9 —9 —54
(*)
(*)
30.0
25.0
40.0
50.0
32.0
16.50
13. 75
19.20
24.00
17.28
10 —5 —55
10 —5 —55
8 — 8 —48
8 — 8 —48
1« 9 —8 —.53
(*)
14
9 —5 —50
9 —5 —50
8 — 8 —4S
8 — 8 —48
8 —8 -4 8
55.0
55.0
26.40
26.40
14
14
2
2
8 — 8 —48
8 — 8 -4 8
45.0
45.0
21.60
24.30
8 — 8 —48
65.0
31.20
14
2
8 — 8 —48
55.0
26.40
8 — 8 —48
65.0
31.20
32.64
32.64
32.64
2
68.0
68. 0
68.0
‘1
‘1
‘1
u 14
8
-8
8
8
—48
—48
-4 8
—48
55.0
42.0
39.0
35.0
21.06
18.90
9 —9 —54
68.0
32.64
»1
u i§
8 — 8 —48
30. Ô 16.20
9 —9 —54
8 — 8 —48
34.5
18.29
9 — 8 —53
(*)
*
(*)
(*)
14
14
* 14
2
»1
1
u 1J
u 1*
68.0
32.64
«1
11 14
47.5
52.5
68.0
68.0
68.0
22.80
25.20
32.64
32.64
32.64
*11
2
2
2
U
»1
»1
«1
—8
—8
—8
—8
8 —8
8 —8
! g —8
8 —8
1g —8
—48
—48
—48
—48
—48
12
12
27.50
22.68
36.0 19.44
14
34.5 18.29
14
36.0 19.44
14
1 Hours vary, but total 54 per week.
3 Double time after midnight.
* No scale in effect on May 15,1917.
* Double tim e after 9 p. m.
6 Time and one-half after 1 hour.
* Double time after midnight and on Saturday afternoon.
1 Double time after 10 p. m.
* Time and one-half after 1 hour; on Saturday for all overtime.
* Double time after 5 hours of overtime.
•• Work 53 hours, paid for 54.
u Minimum, 5 hours’ pay for 3 hours and 20 minutes’ work.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
(«)
(*)
[6 3 1 ]
9 —9 —54
9 —5 —50
9 —9 —54
9 — 9 _54
(*)
(*)
1« 9 _ 8 — 53
9 — 8 —53
» 9 —8 —53
156
MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW,
UNION SCALE OF WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TR AD E, IN T H E NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
METAL T R A D E S—Continued.
May 15,1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by—
MACHINISTS^ HELPERS
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per week,
day hour.
full
half
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
.1
Boston, Mass.:
Railroad shops, road A .
Railroad shops, road B .
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops, A.
Manufacturing shops, B.
Outside.............................
Newark, N. J.:
Outside.............................
Breweries..........................
New Haven, Conn.:
O utside.............................
Railroad shops................
New York, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops. . .
Outside.............................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Railroad shops, A ........
Railroad shops, B ..........
Portland, Me.:
Railroad shops...............
Providence, R. I.:
Breweries..........................
Railroad shops................
Springfield, Mass.:
Railroad shops................
Worcester, Mass.:
Railroad shops, A ........
Railroad shops, B ..........
C ts .
D o lls.
45.0
45.0
21.60
21.60
»1
21
14 2 8 —8 —48
8 —8 —48
14
40.0
40.0
55.0
21.60
19.20
24.20
‘H
2
2
2
2
9 —9 —54
8 —8 —48
8 —4 —44
12
50.0
49.0
22.00
23.50
2
li
2
2
8 —4 —44
12
45.0
45.0
21.60
21.60
«1
2
14
8 —8 —48
8 —8 —48
43.8
43.8
21.00
19.25
'll
2
2
2
8 —8 —48
8 —4 —44
45.0
45.0
21.60
21.60
'
1
1
14
14
8 —8 —48
8 —8 —48
45.0
21.60
»1
14
8 —8 —48
(')
(*)
37.5
45.0
18.00
21.60
2
«1
2
14
8 —8 —48
8 —8 —48
37.5
25.0
18.00
13.50
45.0
21.60
*1
14
8 - 8 —48
27.0
14.31
9 —8 —53
45.0 21.60
45.0, 21.60
*1
‘1
14
14
8 —8 —48
8 —8 —48
29.0
28.0
15.66
14.85
89 —8 —53
9 —8 —53
8 § -4 ? -4 8
12
46.9
22.50
Si—4? 48
12
34.6
40.0
38.0
16.61
19.20
18.24
8§—4§—48
8 8 —8 —48
8 —8 —48
35.0
35.0
18.90
19.25
9 —9 —54
10 —5 —55
'
12
C ts .
D o lls.
24.5
26.0
13.23
14.04
» 9 —8 —53
9 —8 - 53
30.0
30.0
30.0
16.20
14.40
14.40
9 —9 —54
8 —8 —48
8 —8 —48
43.8
36.5
19.25
17.50
8 - 4 —44
8 —8 —48
37.5
26.0
18.00
14.04
8 —8 —48
8 9 —8 —53
43.8
43.8
21.00
19.25
8 —8 —48
8 —4 —44
23.0
31.5
12.42
17.01
9 —9 —54
9 —9 —54
(*)
8 —8 —48
>9 „ 8 —53
METAL POLISHERS AND
BUFFERS.
Boston, Mass...........
Bridgeport, Conn.:
Shops A .............
Shops B .............
Shops C.............
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Shops A .............
Shops B .............
Newark, N. J.:
Shops A .............
Shops B .............
Shops D .............
Shops E .............
Shops F .............
Shops G.............
Shops H .............
New Haven, Conn..
New7 York.................
D o .......................
46.9
22.50
14
2
34.6
40.0
38.0
16.61
19.20
18.24
14
14
14
2
8 4 -4 4 -4 8
2 » 8 —8 —48
8
—8 —48
14
40.0
36.0
21.60
19.80
14
14
14
14
55.0 30.25
56.0 29.12
57.0 27.36
50.0 24.75
55.0 29.70
60.0 30.00
65.0 31.20
42.0 23.10
70.0 33.60
70.0 30.80
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
9 —9 —54
10 —5 —55
12
10 —5 —55
12 45.0 24.75
10 —5 —55
94—41—52
9è—41-52
12 45.0 23.63
35.0 16.80
8 —8 —48
8 —8 —48
12 45.0 22.28
14
9 - 4 * —49J
9 —4ì—49J
35.0 18.90
14
9 —9 —54
9 —9 —54
9 —5 —50
12 45.0 24.75
10 —5 —55
14
(10)
8 —8 —48
14
(10)
(“ )
l
10 —5 —55
12 35.0 19.25
10 —5 —55
2
42.0 21.00
8 —8 —48
9 —5 —50
2
8 —4 —44
12 (8)
C)
(«)
1 For explanation of changes in rates in railroad shops, see p. 134. 4 Double time after 9 p. m.
* Time and one-half after 1 hour; on Saturday for all overtime.
7 Time and one-half after 1 hour.
* Work 53 hours, paid for 54.
8 No scale in effect on May 15, 1917.
* Double time after midnight.
8 Hours vary, but total 48 per week.
* Double time after 10 p. m.
18 Not organized on May 15, 1917.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
14
14
14
[6 3 2 ]
157
M O N T H L Y LABOE E E V IE W .
UNION SCALE OF W AGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
METAL T R A D E S-C ontinued.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
»
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. m ul
ti
plied
by-
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
m ul
ti
plied
Hours.
F u ll days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
w ith
Sat
Per
u r
Per week,
day hour.
full
half
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
METAL POLISHERS AND
buffers —concluded.
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Shops A ...............................
Shops B ............................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Shops A ............................
Shops C..............................
Shops D ............................
Jobbing shops.................
Rochester, N. Y.:
Shops A ..............................
Shops B ............................ .
Springfield, Mass.:
Shops A ...... ....................... .
Shops B .......................... .
Shops C.............................
C ls .
40.0
64.6
D o lls.
C ts .
12
D o lls.
40.0
50.0
20.00
24.00
3
12
12
12
45.0
45.0
50.0
45.0
24.30
21.60
24.00
22.50
9 —41—49i
9 —4i—49|
12
12
44.3
45.0
21.90
22.28
9 —4J—49J
9 —4J—49J
2
2
2
83—4f—48
81—4§—48
9 —5 —50
12
12
12
48.0
58.0
60.0
23.04
27.84
30.00
83—4?|—48
83-43—48
9 —5 —50
ii
2
9 —9 —54
50.0
27.00
9 —9 —54
ii
2
9 —9 —54
47.2
25.50
9 —9 —54
22.50
27.00
li
li
2
2
9 —9 —54
9 —9 —54
41.7
41.7
22.50
22.50
9 —9 —54
9 —9 —54
30.00
28.00
li
li
2
2
9 —9 —54
9 —5 —50
47.2
42.0
25.50
21.00
9 —9 —54
9 —5 —50
20.00
31.00
1*
54.0
GO. 0
60.0
60.0
29.16
26.40
28.80
26.40
2
2
2
2
57.5
45.0
28.46
22.28
li
li
2
2
48.0
58.0
60.0
23.04
27.84
30.00
1*
58.3
31.50
58.3
31.50
41.7
50.0
55.6
56.0
lh
n
ii
2
2
9 —5 —50
8 —8 —48
2 1 9 —9
2
8 —4
2 S i— 4
■2
8 —4
—54 —44
—48
—44
9 —5 —50
8 —8 —48
i9
8
8
9
—9
—8
—8
—5
—54
—48
—48
—50
MOLDERS: IRON.
Boston, Mass.:
Iron and brass.................
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Iron and brass.................
Bridgeport, Conn.:
Iron and brass................. .
Fall River, Mass.................... .
Newark, N . J.:
Iron.....................................
Brass...................................
New York, N. Y.:
Iron........................ ............
Iron and brass, marine
work.............................. .
Philadelphia, P a ................... .
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Iron and brass...................
Portland, Me............................
Providence, R. I .....................
Rochester, N. Y.:
Iron and brass................. .
Scranton, Pa.:
iron and brass, machin
ery ...................................
Hot water and steam
heating............................
.Springfield, Mass.:
Iron and brass...................
52.8
28.50
li
2
9 —9 —54
47.2
25.50
9 —9 —54
72.5
68.8
34.80
33.00
lit
li
2
2
8 —8 —48
8 —8 —48
47.2
50.0
25.50
27.00
9 —9 —54
9 —9 —54
65.6
55.6
40.0
31.50
30.00
22.00
li
li
1-i
2
2
2
8 —8 —48
9 —9 —54
10 —5 —55
50.0
44.4
40.0
24.00
24.00
22.00
8 —8 —48
9 —9 —54
10 —5 —55
58.3
31.50
li
2
9 —9 —54
47.2
25.50
9 —9 —54
12
55.6
30.00
li
2
9 —9 —54
38.9
21.00
9 —9 —54
58.3
31.50
li
2
9 —9 —54
47.2
25.50
9 —9 —54
(55.6
\50.0
30.00
27.00
li
li
2
2
9 —9 —54
9 —9 —54
44.4
44.4
24.00
24.00
9 —9 —54
9 —9 —54
192 hours full day,
7 7 2 6 2 °— 18------ 11
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
12
5\
hours on Saturday, June to August, inclusive.
[6 3 3 ]
158
M O N T H L Y LABOR REVIEW .
UNION SCALE OP WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES-, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
M ETAL TR AD ES —Concluded.
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by-
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
Num<►ber
of
mos".
Hours.
Full days; with
SatSaturdays;
Per
urfull week.
Per week,
day hour.
full
half
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
PATTERN MAKERS.
Boston, Mass.:
C ts .
Manufacturing shops___ 75.0
Jobbing shops................... 80.0
Bridgeport, Conn.:
Manufacturing shops___ 75.0
Jobbing shops................... 80.0
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops, A . 173.0
Manufacturing shops, B . 75.0
Manufacturing shops, C.. 72.0
Manufacturing shops, D . 275.0
Jobbing shops.......................... 72.5
Newark, N. J.:
Manufacturing shops___ 75.0
Jobbing shops................... 480.0
New Haven, Cohn................... 60.0
New York, N. Y.:
Manufacturing shops, A . 90.0
Manufacturing shops, B . 75.0
Manufacturing shops, C. 75.0
Manufacturing shops, D . 75.0
Jobbing shops................... 85.0
Architectural work, wood 75.0
Architectural work, plaster..................................... 67.0
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Manufacturing shops, A . 74.0
Manufacturing shops, B . 75.0
Manufacturing shops, C. 75.0
Jobbing shops, A ............. 75.0
Jobbing shops, B ............. 75.0
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Manufacturing shops___ 75.0
Jobbing shops................... 80.0
Providence, R. I...................... 60.0
Rochester, N. Y ...................... 62.0
Springfield, Mass...................... 67.5
Worcester, Mass...................... 60.0
D o lls.
36.00
38.40
C ts .
11
2
8|—R—48
81—4|—48
D o lls.
H
2'
12
12
60.0
60,0
28.80
28.80
81—41—48
81—4L-48
36.00
,38.40
u
li
2
2
81—4L—48
8-1—4i—48
12
12
62.5
65.0
30.00
31.20
8f—4Ì—48
81—41—48
39.42
37.50
36.72
36.00
31.90
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
9 —9 —54
9 —5 —50
8è—8|—51
8 —8 —48
8 —4 —44
55.0
60.0
55.0
29.70
30.00
28.05
12
60.0
26.40
9 —9 —54
9 - 5 —50
8|—81—51
(3)
8 —4 —44
36.00
35.20
30.00
2
2
li
2
81— 41—48
8 —4 —44
9 —5 —50
12
2
12
57.0
62.5
50.0
28.22
27.50
25.00
9 —4J—491
8 —4 —44
9 —5 —50
39.60
36.00
36.00
36.00
37.40
33.00
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
8 —4 —44
83—4L—48
5 8-1—41—47
8 —8 —48
8 —4 —44
8 —4 —44
12
12
56.3
51.0
51.0
56.3
75.0
57.0
24.75
24.48
24.48
27.00
33.00
26.79
8 —4 —44
81—41—48
82—51—48
8 —8 —48
8 —4 —44
8 —7 —47
29.48
2
2
8 —4 —44
12
54.5
25.62
33.00
37.13
33.00
33.00
33.00
6 11
11
6 11
2
2
2'
2
2
2
2
55.0
55.0
55.0
62.5
62.5
27.50
30.25
24.20
27.50
27.50
9
10
8
8
8
39.00
40.00
33.00
29.76
32.40
33.00
li
li
11
7 li
2
li
2
2
2
2
2
55.0
55.0
45.0
52.0
55.0
45.0
28.60
27.50
24.75
26.00
26.40
24.75
91—41—52
9 —5 —50
10 —5 —55
9 —5 —50
8 8J—4J—48
10 —5 —55
1 Scale became 75 cents on June 1, 1918.
2 Scale became 80 cents on June 1, 1918.
8 No scale in effect on May 15, 1917.
4 Scale became 85 cents on June 1, 1918.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2
2
2
2
8
9
8
8
8
12
12
12
12
—4 —44
—41—491
—4 —44
—4 —44
—4 —44
91-41—52
9 —5 —50
10 —5 —55
8 —8 —48
s 8 —8 —48
10 —5 —55,
12
12
12
12
12
(3)
(3)
8 —7 —47
—5
—5
_4
—4
—4
—50
—55
—44
—44
—44
6 Work 47 hours, paid for 48.
6 Double time after 10 p. m.
2 In some shops double time.
8 Hours vary to 8 | per day, but total 48 per week.
[ 634 ]
159
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
UNION SCALE OP WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
FREIGHT H A N D LE R S,
May 15, 1917.
May 15, 1918.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages-
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by-
C ts . D o l l s .
Boston, Mass.:
floa 1h an d 1ars____ _____ 30.6 16. 50
48.0 25.92
General cargo............. 59.0 27.00
Longshoreman.......... 30.5 18.00
Railroad A ................. 29.0 17. 40
Railroad B ________ 29.0 17.40
Railroad C.................. 29.0 17.40
Sugar, m o l a s s e s ,
oranges................... 60.0 32.40
Buffalo, N. Y .:
Elevator m en.................... 38.0 22. 78
Elevator men’s helpers
and car gang................ 30.0 18.00
Package freight hand lers,
Union A .......................... 50.0 30. 00
Packagefreight handlers,
Union B .......................... 42.0 25. 20
New York, N. Y.:
Beef handlers.................... 70.0 37. 80
General cargo, coastwise
vessels............................. 48.0 25. 92
General cargo, foreignbound vessels................ 50.0 27.00
Lumber, stone, sand,
and coal handlers.......... 35.0 21.00
Munition handlers____ 100.0 54.00
Philadelphia, Pa.;
60. 0 36.00
Lumber handlers............. 60.0 33.00
Longshoremen.................. 50.0 30.00
Munition handlers___•__ 70.0 42.00
Oil handlers ................... 65.0 39.00
Portland, Me............................ 50.0 27.00
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
u
14
WOc (2)
i75c 1100c
2
1*
1
(3)
1§
14
14
14
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per week,
day hour.
full
half
time.
holi
days.
9— 9—54
9— 9—54
9— 9—54
10— 9—59
10—10—60 __
10—10—60
10—10—60
C ts .
D o lls.
27.8
40.0
40.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
15.00
24. 00
23.60
14. 75
15.00
15.00
15.00
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
9— 9—54
10—10—60
10— 9—59
10— 9—59
10—10—60
10—10—60
10—10—60
9— 9—54
50.0
29.50
10— 9—59
2
2
* 10—10—60
38.0
22. 78
<10—10—60
2
2
* 10—10—60
30.0
18.00
< 10—10—60
1
1
10—10—60
40.0
24.00
10—10—60
1
1
10—10—60
35.0
21.00
10—10—60
'95c '120c
9— 9—54
36.0
36.00
10—10—60
170c
'90c
9— 9—54
35.0
21.00
10—10—60
14
5 2-
9— 9—54
40.0
24. 00
10—10—60
H
2
62
82
i 10—10—60
9— 9—54
30.0
80.0
18.00
48.00
10—10—60
10—10—60
14
14
14
14
14
14
92
2
92
92
92
2
10—10—60
10— 5—55
10—10—60
10—10—60
10—10—60
9— 9—54
(10)
40.0
40.0
60.0
55.0
35.0
(10)
24.00
24.00
36.00
33.00
21.00
(10)
1 0 -1 0 -6 0
10—10—60
10—10—50
10—10—60
10—10—60
i75e 1100c
*naie m rails pbi uuui.
3
12
......
__
a On Sunday, Christmas, July 4, and Labor Day, 90 cents per hour; on other holidays, 70 cents.
* Full day’s pay for 7 hours’ work.
*48 hours per week, January to March, inclusive.
6 On Sunday, Christmas, and July 4; on other holidays, tim e and one-half.
« And on Saturday afternoon, June to August, inclusive.
1 55 hours per week, June to August, inclusive
8 On Sunday, Christmas, and July 4; on other holidays, single time.
s>And on Saturday after 6 p.m., and for all meal hours.
10 No scale in effect on May 15,1917.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[6 3 5 ]
160
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
UNION SCALE OF WAOES AND HOURS OF LABOR IN EACH TRADE, IN THE NORTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY IS, 1918, AND MAY 15, 1917—Continued.
G R A N IT E AN D ST O N E T R A D E S .
May 15, 1918.
May 15, 1917.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. multiplied
by—
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
N um
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
day Per week,
half hour. full
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
GRANITE CUTTERS.
Boston, Mass.:
Outside 1 ............................
Outside 2.........................
Inside..............................
Machine............................
Bridgeport, Conn.:
Outside...............................
Inside................................
Machine..................
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Outside...........................
Inside..............................
Machine..........................
Fall River, Mass.:
Outside and machine___
Manchester, N. H.:
Inside..............................
Newark, N. J.:
Outside.........................
Inside.......................
New Haven, Conn.:
Outside........................
Inside.......................
New York, N. Y.:
Outside...........................
Outside 3.......................
Inside.......................
Machine........................
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Outside.........................
inside. . .
Machine........................
Pittsburgh, Pa.:
Outside....... ..........
Inside and machine.........
Portland, Me .
Providence, R. I.:
Outside and inside...........
Machine..........................
Rochester, N. Y . . ..
Springfield, Mass.:
Outside and inside...
Machine........................ ..
Worcester, Mass.:
Outside and inside...........
Machine............................
C ts .
D o lls
63.0
78.0
60.0
63.8
27. 72
34.32
26. 40
28. 05
2
2
2
2
C ts .
D o lls.
52.5
65.0
50.0
53.1
23.10
28.60
62.5
62.5
67.5
27. 50
27.50
29.70
2
2
2
52.5
50.0
53.0
22.00
63.1
63.1
75.0
27. 78
27. 78
33.00
2
2
2
56.3
53.1
62.5
24. 75
23.38
27. 50
65.6
28.86
2
53.1
23.38
8—4—44
50.0
22.00
2
50.0
22.00
8—4—44
62.5
62.5
27. 50
27.50
2
2
12
53.1
50.0
23.38
8—4—44
8—4—44
60.0
60.0
26.40
26.40
2
2
12
12
53.0
50.0
22.00
8—4—44
8—4—44
68.8
68.8
68.8
30. 25
33.00
30.25
30.25
12
12
8—4.—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
70.0
65.0
70.0
30.80
28.60
30.80
2
2
2
2
62.5 27.59
08. 8 30.25
50.0 22.00
62.5 27.50
oo!o
75.0
62.5
60.0
33. 00
27. 50
26.40
2
60.0
65.0
64.0
26.40
28.60
28.16
60.0
66.3
26.40
29.15
75.0
8—4—44
2
2
2
2
2
«
li (42)
2 2
2 2
Mä 2
lì
60.0 26.40
63.0 27.72 « l i
1 Working for granite companies.
8 Working for building contractors.
• Trim and fit stone cut outside of city.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
12
2
[636]
12
8—4—44
12
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
12
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
-8—4—44
8 - 4 44
8—4—44
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
22.00
23.38
23.10
23.32
22.00
23.32
8—4—44
8— 1—44
8—4—44
8—4 —44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
56.3
56.3
26.40
24. 75
24.75
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
70.0
54.4
50.0
30. 80
23.93
8—4—44
2 2.00
8—4—44
50.0
55.0
54.0
22. 00
8—4-—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
50.0
56.3
22.00
24.20
23. 76
24.75
8—4—44
8—4— 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
12 50.0 22.50
8—5—45
8—4—44
12 53.0 23. 85
8—5—45
4 Work prohibited.
* Double tim e from darkness to daybreak.
161
M ONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.
U N IO N SCALE OF W AGES AN D H OURS OF LABOR IN EACH T R A D E , IN THE N O RTH
ATLANTIC STATES, ON MAY 15, 1918, A N D MAY 15, 1917—Concluded.
GRANITE AN D STONE T R A D E S—Concluded.
May 15, 1917.
May 15, 1918.
Rate of
wages—
Rate of wages—
Occupation and city.
For
Sun
days
and
holi
days,
regu
lar
rate
mul
ti
plied
by-
For
over
time,
Per regu
Per week, lar
hour. full
rate
time. mul
ti
plied
by-
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
Num
ber
of
mos.
with
Sat
Per
ur
Per week,
day hour. full
half
time.
holi
days.
Hours.
Full days;
Saturdays;
full week.
STONECTJTTEKS.
Boston, Mass.:
Outside....................
Inside.......................
Bridgeport, Conn........
Buffalo, N. Y .................
Newark, N. L:
First class.................
Second class...........
New Haven, Conn........
New York, N . Y.:
First class...............
Second class...........
Bluestone___ ____
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Outside....................
Inside.......................
Pittsburgh, P a ..............
Providence, R. I ..........
Rochester, N. Y ...........
Scranton, Pa.:
Outside and inside
Machine m en..........
Springfield, Mass..........
C ls .
D o lls.
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
j2
12
70.0
62.5
56.3
62.5
30.80
27.50
24.75
27.50
8—4—44
8—4—44
8_4_44
8—4—44
U
n
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
12
68.8
62.5
56.3
30.25
27. 50
24.75
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
2
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
12
68.8
62.5
62.5
30.25
27.50
27.50
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
22
2 2
8—4 44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
12
12
12
12
12
70.0
65.0
62.5
62.5
60.0
30. 80
28.60
27.50
27.50
26.40
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
8—4—44
2
2
2
8 4 44
9—9—54
8—4—44
12
12
50.0
50.0
56.3
22.00
27.00
24. 75
8—
9—
8—4—44
D o lls.
75.0
70.0
62.5
62.5
33.00
30.80
27.50
27.50
2
2
68.8
30.25
30.25
26.40
68.8
60.0
68.8
68.8
68.8
30.25
30.25
30.25
62.5
70.0
30.80
28.60
29.04
27.50
30.80
56.3
50.0
56.3
24.75
27.00
24.75
1 70.0
3 65.0
66.0
2
2
IV 2
1| 2
H
2
2
lì
lì
2
lì
(<) (4)
lì l ì
lì
li
li
1 Scale became 82.5 cents on June 1, 1918.
2 And on Saturday afternoon.
8 Scale became 72.5 cents on June 1, 1918.
* Work prohibited.
RATES OF WAGES PAID TO WORKERS PLACED BY PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT
OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES, JULY, 1918.
In the table which follows are given the rates of wages paid to workers
placed in employment by public employment offices in the United
States on the last day of July, 1918, or the date nearest the last day
in July on which workers wTere placed, in 33 selected occupations.
In a few instances no report was received for July. In such cases
the figures for the preceding months were used. Data are presented
for 198 employment offices, comprising 35 Federal employment
offices, 6 Federal-municipal employment offices, 14 Federal-State em
ployment offices, 1 Federal-county employment office, 6 FederalState-municipal employment offices, 3 Federal-State-county-municipal employment offices, 4 municipal employment offices, and 6 State
employment offices in 44 States and the District of Columbia.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[637]
4—44
9—54
162
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
RATES OF WAGES PAID TO W ORKERS PLACED IN EMPLOYM ENT BY
[Fed.= Federal; Sta.= State; Co.= county; Mun.= municipal;
State, city, and kind of
office.
Blacksmiths.
Alabama:
SO. 72) h.
Birmingham (Fed.).
Mobil ft (Fftd).............
.87) h.
Arizona:
Phoenix (Fed.-Sta.5.50 d.
Co.-Mun.)..............
Tucson (Fed.)..........
Yuma (Eed.-Sta.Co -M un.)..............
Arkansas:
Fort Smith (F e d .)..
.45 h.
Helena (Fed.)...........
Little Rock "(Fed..68 h.
S ta .)........................
Pine Bluff (Fed )
.58) h.
Texarkana (F ed .). . .
California:
5.00 d.
Bakersfield (F ed .). .
i 90- 00 m.
El Centro (F ed .)___
.50 h.
Eureka (Fed.-Sta.)..
Hollister ("FerlA
Los Angeles (Fed.4.55 d.
Sta.-Mun.).............
Modesto f Fed .-fio A.
N e w c a s t le (Fed.Sta.) ....................
Sacramento (Fed.5.00 d.
Sta.) .
4.00 d.
San Diego (F ed.)___
5.80 d.
San Francisco (Fed.).
San Jose (Fed.-Sta.),
S a n ta B a rb a rá
(F ed.)...........
Santa Rosa (Fed.Sta.) .........
Colorado:
Colorado S p rin gs
(Fed.-Sta.). .
.65 h.
Denver (F ed.-Sta.)..
Pueblo (Fed.-Sta.)
Connecti.ut:
Bridgeport (S ta .)...
Hartford (Sta.).........
New Haven (Sta.) ..
Norwich (S ta .).. ’..
Waterbury (Sta.)..
Délaware:
.70 h.
Wilmington (F ed .)..
District of Columbia:
.75 h.
Washington (F ed .)..
Florida:
Jacksonville (F ed .).. $0.55- . 85 h.
Miami (F ed .)............
Tampa (Fed.)...........
Georgia:
.65 h.
Atlanta (Fed.-Sta.)..
.62 h.
Macon (Fed.-M un.).
Savannah (F ed .)___
.68 h.
Idaho:
5.00 d.
Boise (Mun.).............
Moscow (F ed .)..........
5.00 d.
St. Anthony (F ed.).
Illinois:
Alton (F ed .).............
Aurora (Fed.-Sta.). .
Bloomington (Fed.S ta .).................... ..
Cairo (Fed.-Sta.)___
Chicago (Fed.-Sta.).
.70 h.
.68 h.
Danville (Fed.-Sta.).
Decatur (Fed.-Sta.).
.55 h.
East St. Louis (Fed.Sta.) ........................
.48 h.
Galesburg (Fed.)___
Joliet (Fed.-Sta.)___
1And board.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Boiler makers.
Bricklayers.
Carpenters.
$0. 75 h.
$0. 70 h.
$0. 40-
Cleaners and
scrubbers,
female.
$0.55 h.
. 65 h.
$1.00 d.
.35 h.
5.50 d.
.63) h.
8.00 d.
6.00 d.
6.40 d.
. 72h.
. 80 h.
.75 h.
. 55 h.
.55 h.
2.00 d.
. 58) h.
. 87) h.
.87) h.
l.OOd.
5.00 w.
.58 h.
. 60 h.
. 55 h.
. 55 h.
6.00 d.
2. 50 d.
6.00 d.
.30 h.
4. 50 d.
.30 h.
6.00 d.
5.20 d.
6.60 d.
.35 h
.30 h
.35 h
.25 h.
.70 h.
8.00 d.
.60 h.
6.00 d.
.59 h.
5. 80 d.
. 25 h
.65 h.
8.00 d.
5.00 d.
. 25 h.
5. 75 d.
3 5.85 d.
.30 h.
.35 h.
.30 h.
.70 h.
.40 h.
. 70 h.
.75 h.
. 67- . 70 h.
.87) h.
.60-
.75 h.
. 20 h.
. 72) h.
.62 h.
.55 h.
6.00 w.
.65 h.
. 75 h.
.60 h.
10.00 w.
.68 h.
5.00 d.
. 65 h.
1.00 d.
.70 h.
8.00 d.
1.50 d.
.75 h.
. 62) h.
.42) h.
.25 h.
.70 h.
. 68 h.
.50 h.
.80 h.
.85 h.
. 75 h.
.75 h.
.62 h.
.55- .72 h.
.50- . 62) h.
.60 h.
.65 h.
2.35 d.
.25 h.
.25 h.
.50 h.
.87) h.
.30 h.
5. 77 d.
.60-
.70 h.
.65 h.
.60 h.
2And board and room.
[6 3 8 ]
.25 h.
.20 h.
2.00 d.
2For 9 hours.
163
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
PUBLIC EMPLOYM ENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JU LY, 1918.
h.=hour; d .= day; w .= week; m .=m onth; y .= year.]
Cooks, female.
Drivers, team
sters, etc.
$20.00 w.
$5.00 w.
$2.50 d.
$1.00 d.
100.00 m.
70.00 m.
3.00 d.
3.25 d.
2.00 d.
3.25 d.
3.00 d.
3.00d.
.25 h.
1.25 d.
Cooks, male.
100.00 m.
$75.00-100.00 m.
$4.00- 8.00 w.
Dock laborers.
Farm hands.
$35.00- 50.00 m.
3.00 d.
Hod carriers.
$3.50 d.
3.00 d.
.35 h.
1 2.00 d.
60.00 m.
2.50 d.
3.00d.
5.00 d.
1 2.50 d.
50.00 m.
80.00 m.
150.00- 75.00 m. 135.00- 50.00 m.
2.75 d.
60.00- 75.00 m.
75.00 m.
90.00 m.
45.00- 60.00 m.
4.00 d.
$0.70 h.
1 2.50 d.
3.00d.
3.50 d.
4.00 d.
1 3J 00 d.
3.00 d.
60.00-105.00 m.
75.00 m.
80.00 m.
50.00 m.
3.50 d.
3.25 d.
90.00 m.
2.50 d.
35.00- 80.00 m.
30.00 m.
.40 h.
1 2.50- 3.00 d.
.80 k.
1 2.50 d.
2.50 d.
1 50.00 m.
3.00 d.
80.00 m.
40.00 m.
3.50 d.
3.00 d.
1 17.50 w.
4.00 d.
3.00 d.
2 10.00 w.
2.75 d.
21.00 w.
‘ 3.50 d.
40.00 m.
21.00 w.
3.00 d.
50.00 m.
45.00 m.
23.00 w.
21.00 w.
25.00 w.
15.00 w.
15.00 w.
4.50 d.
40.00 m.
110.00 w.
1 45.00 m.
‘ 25.00 m.
35.00- 40.00 m.
1
.35 h.
15.00 w.
50.00 m.
70.00 m.
. 40 h.
1.25- 2.00 d.
2.00 d.
15.00- 18.00 w.
.30 h.
1. 75 d.
.30 h.
8.00- 10.00 w.
1 30.00 m
40.00 m.
7.00- 10.00 w.
6.00- 8.00 w.
$2.00- 3. OOd.
25.00 w.
1.50 d.
5.00 w.
15.00 w.
1.00 d.
115.00 m.
125.00 m.
3.50 d.
75.00 m.
100.00 m.
2.50 d.
3.50- 4.50 d.
. 35 h.
3.90 d.
70.00 m.
42.50 m.
18.00- 25.00 w.'
.30 h.
10.00- 18.00 w.
10.00 w.
.30 h.
10.00 w.
6.00 w.
$0.30-
• 56| h.
.50 h.
1.75 d.
$0.25- . 30 h.
1. 75 d.
75.00 m.
. 30- . 40 h.
1 3.00 d.
4.00 d.
22.50 w.
5 52.50 m.
.42| h.
21.00- 24.00 w.
3.00 d.
.25 h.
2 40.00- 00.00 m.
3.00 d.
21.00 w.
Î5.ÔÔW
‘ For 10 hours.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
40.00 m.
3.00 d.
40.00 m.
40.00 m.
.50 h.
.55 h.
35.00 m
3.50- 4.00 d.
3.00- 4.00 d.
. 50 h.
6$85 m., married.
[6 3 9 ]
164
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R A TES OF W AGES PA ID TO W O R K ER S PLACED IN EMPLOYM ENT B Y PUB
State, city, and kind
of office.
House
servants.
Alabama:
Birmingham (Fed.).
$5.00 w.
Mobile (F ed .)...........
Arizona:
Phoenix (Fed.-Sta.Oo.-Mun.)...............
40.00 m.
Tucson (F ed.)...........
Yuma (Fed.-Sta.Co.-Mun.)...............
Arkansas:
Fort Smith (F e d .)..
Helena (Fed.)...........
2.50 w.
Little Rock (Fed.S ta .)........................ $3.50- 5.00 w.
Pine Bluff (F e d .)...
Texarkana (F e d .)...
California:
Bakersfield (F ed .)...
30.00 m.
El Centro (F ed .)___
Eureka (Fed.-Sta.),.
30.00 m.
Hollister (F ed .)........
Los Angeles (Fed.Sta.-M un.).............
• 35h.
Modesto (Fed.-Co.)..
N e w c a s t l e (Fed.Sta.)........................
Sacramento (Fed.S ta .)........................
San Diego (Fed.)__ 35.00-40.00 m.
San Francisco (Fed.)
2 2.00 d.
San Jose (Fed.-Sta.).
25. 00 m.
Santa Barbara (Fed.)
30. 00 m.
Santa Rosa (Fed.Sta.).........................
35.00 m.
Colorado:
Colorado
Springs
(Fed.-Sta.).............
30.00 m.
Denver (Fed.-Sta.)..
Pueblo (F ed .-S ta.j..
6. 00 w.
Connecticut:
Bridgeport Sta.)___
40.00 m.
Hartford (Sta.).........
48.00 w.
New Haven (S ta .) ..
8.00 w.
Norwich (Sta.)_____
2 35.00 m.
Waterbury (S ta .). . .
2 25.00 m.
Delaware:
Wilmington (F ed .)..
District of Columbia:
W ashington (Fed.)..
40.00 m.
Jacksonville ( Fed.)..
6.00 w.
Miami (F ed .)............
4.00 w.
Tampa (F ed.)...........
Georgia:
Atlanta (F ed .-S ta.).
4.00-6.00 w.
Macon (Fed.-M un.).
- 4.00 w.
Savannah (F ed.)___
. 60 d.
Idaho:
Boise (M un.).............
30.00 m.
Moscow (F e d .).........
St. Anthony (F ed .).
1. 50 d.
Illinois:
Alton (F ed .).............
Aurora (F ed.-Sta.)..
7.00 w.
Bloomington (Fed.S ta .)........................
6.00 w.
Cairo (Fed.-Sta.)___
Chicago (F ed .-S ta.). 440.00-50.00 m.
Danville (Fed.-Sta.)
5.00 w.
Decatur (Fed.-Sta.).
7.00 w.
EastSt. Louis(Fed.S ta .)........................
5.00 w.
Galesburg (F e d .)... .
5.00 w.
Joliet (Fed.-Sta.)___
Inside
wiramen.
Laundry
operators,
male.
$0.30h.
$0.30- . 46 h.
$5.00 d.
Laundry
operators,
female.
$8.00 w.
3.0.9 d.
2.50- 2. 75 d.
3.00 d.
. 30 h.
2.25 d.
. 75 h.
4. 00 d.
,30h.
2.50 d.
. 30 h.
$12.00 w.
9.00 w.
3.50 d.
. 45 h.
3.00 d.
22.50 w.
2.00 d.
16.00 w.
$8.00-10.00 w.
2.50 d.
21.00 w.
9.00 w.
9.00-18.00 w.
3. 00 d.
4.00 d.
3.50 d.
3.50 d.
3.00- 3.50 d.
3.50- 4.00 d.
3.50 d.
3.25 d.
2.00 d.
3.50 d.
5.50 d.
. 35 h.
3.00 d.
. 35 h.
20.00 w.
. 45 h.
. 50 h.
3. 00-4. 25 d.
3. 50 d.
3.00 d.
12. 00 w
l.OOd.
. 30 h.
30.00 m.
.40 h.
.75 h.
. 40 h.
65.00 m.
40.00 m.
15.00 w.
12. 00 w.
1. 00 d.
.75 d.
3.00 d.
2. 50 d.
20.00 w.
15.00 w.
. 40 h.
9.00-15.00 W.
.10- . 20 h.
. 25 h.
30. 00 w.
9.00 w.
. 30 h.
2.50 d.
. 30 h.
. 70 h.
. 55 h.
.25- . 30 h.
. 25 h.
. 30 h.
4.00 d.
6.00 d.
4.00 d.
. 75 h.
3.00 d.
. 35 h.
$0.55- . 72 h .'
7. 00 d.
. 60 h.
. 72 h.
. 75 h.
i For 9 hours.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Laborers.
[640]
. 30 h.
.25- . 35 h.
.35- . 45 h.
. 35 h.
. 30 h.
3.00 d.
. 37J h.
. 35 h.
2And hoard.
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
165
LIC EM PLOYM ENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JU LY, 1918—Continued.
Machinists.
SO. IT) h.
. 72J- h.
Molders.
i $5.34 d.
5.50 d.
.61Jh.
Plasterers.
Painters.
Plumbers.
Saleswomen.
SO. 55 h.
• 00h.
$0.75 h.
$0.75 h.
5.00 d.
5.60 d.
7.00 d.
7.00 d.
.50h.
. 60 h.
. 72 h.
• 60h.
10.00 w.
.55 h.
. 75 h.
. 75h.
$7.00-10.00 w.
$10.00w.
10.00 w.
.61£h.
. 72 h.
.50h.
. 68h.
. 58 h.
. 60 h.
5.00 d.
. 75h.
5.00 d.
. 60 h.
4.50 d.
4.00 d.
. 59 h.
. 50 h.
5.80 d.
5.80 d.
4.55 d.
5.00 d.
5.84 d.
5.00 d.
5.00 d.
12.00 w.
9.00- 12.00 w.
10.00 w.
6.00 d.
5. 75 d.
5. 77£ d.
. 65 h.
6.00 d.
.70 h.
40.00 m.
5.75 d.
33.25 d.
6.00 d.
12.00 w.
10.00 w.
6.00 d.
.60 h.
.50 h.
. 72 h.
21.00 w.
. 72 h.
$0.63- . 72 h.
. 70 h.
. 62J h.
. 62J h.
. 75 h.
. 72 h.
10.00 w.
. S5 h.
10.00 w.
12.00 w.
SO. 60- . 72Jh.
.72 h.
8.00-15.00 w.
. 70 h.
. 70 h.
. 60 h.
. 50 h.
. 70 h.
. 68 h.
. 72£ h.
.65 h.
4.00 d.
5. 77 d.
7.00 d.
8.00 d.
10.00 d.
3.00 d.
5.25 d.
. 60 h.
. 75 h.
.75 h.
8.00 w.
5.00 d.
. 68 h.
.50 h.
SO.70- . 80 h.
. 60 h.
.55 h.
.75 h.
. 75 h.
.55 h.
. 75 h.
. 70 h.
. 72 h.
8.00-12.00 w.
10.00-15.00 w.
12.00 w.
. 874 h.
.87Jh.
5. 77 d.
. 62J h.
. 50h.
.70- . 90 h.
. 68 h.
. 50 h.
. 51 h.
.55 . 75 h.
. 60- . 68 h.
.58 h.
. 363 h.
. 80 h.
« For 10 hours.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
.
4And board and room.
[641]
12.00 w.
h.
*
8.00 w.
166
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R A TES OF W AGES PA ID TO W O R K E R S PLACED IN EM PLOYM ENT B Y PU B
State, city, and kind
of office.
Seamstresses.
Sewingmachine
operators,
male.
Sewing. machine .
operators,
female.
Stenographers, Stenographers,
male.
female.
Alabama:
Birmingham (Fed.).
$1. 50 d.
$125.00 m.
$125.00 m.
Mobile (F ed .)...........
Arizona:
Phoenix (Fed.-Sta.Co.-Mun.)...............
100.00 m.
80.00 m.
Tucson (F ed.)...........
Yuma (Fed.-Sta.Co.-Mun.)...............
Arkansas:
Fort Smith (F ed .)...
2. 50 d.
Helena (F ed.)...........
100.00 m.
75.00 m
Little Rock (Fed.S ta .)........................ $9.00-15.00 w.
125.00 m. $60.00-125.00 m.
Pine Bluff (F ed .). . .
Texarkana (F e d .)...
California:
•
Bakersfield (F ed .)...
El Centro (F ed .)___
85.00 m.
85.00 m.
Eureka (Fed.-Sta.)..
Hollister (F ed .)........
Los Angeles (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
2.00 d.
$15.00 w.
15.00 w.
Modesto (Fed.-Co.)..
2.50 d.
Neweastle(Fed.-Sta.)
Sacramento (Fed.Sta.) ........................
San Diego (Fed.)__
2.50 d.
$2.50 d.
12.00 w.
San Francisco (Fed.)
2.50 d.
$12.00-18.00 w.
85.00 m. 60.00-100.00 m.
San Jose (Fed.-Sta.).
Santa Barbara(Fed-)
90.00 m.
Santa Rosa (Fed.S ta .)........................
1. 50 d.
50.00- 80.00 m.
Colorado:
Colorado S p r i n g s
*
(Fed.-Sta.).............
Denver (Fed.-Sta.),.
15.00 w.
15.00 w.
21.00 w.
12.00 w.
Pueblo (F ed.-Sta.)..
1. 50 d.
8.00 w.
Connecticut:
Bridgeport (S ta .)...
20.00 w.
Hartford (St'a.).........
New Haven (S ta .)..
3.75 d.
1.75 d.
Norwich (Sta.).........
Waterbury (S ta.). . .
Delaware:
Wilmington (Fed ) .
12.00- 25.00 w.
District of Columbia;
Washington (Fed.) .
2.00 d.
3.00 d.
2.50 d.
100.00 m.
100.00 m.
Florida:
Jacksonville (F ed .)..
80.00-125.00 m, 60.00125.00 m.
Miami (F ed .)............
Tampa (F ed .)...........
Georgia:
Atlanta (Fed.-Sta.).
15.00 w. $15.00-20.00 w. 12.00-15.00 w. 100.00125.00
m.
75.00-100.00
m.
Macon (Fed.-M un.).
10.00 w.
100.00 m.
65.00 m.
Savannah (F ed .)___
12.00 w.
2.00 d.
100.00 m.
1.75 d.
75.00 m.
Idaho:
Boise (Mun.).............
125.00 m.
Moscow (F ed .)..........
70.00- 100.00 m.
St. Anthony (F e d .).
4.00 d.
3.50 d.
Illinois:
Alton (F ed .).............
Aurora (F ed.-Sta.)..
10.00 w.
75.00 m.
40.00 m.
Bloomington (Fed.S ta .)........................
Cairo (Fed.-Sta.)___
Chicago (F ed .-S ta.).
3.50 d.
100.00 m. 15.00- 20.00 w.
12.00-25.00 w.
Danville (Fed.-Sta )
10.00 w.
8.00 w.
77.00 m. 8.00- 15.00 w.
Decatur (F ed.-Sta.).
70.00 m .
60.00 m.
East St. Louis (Fed S t a . ) . . . . . . . . . ........
.20 h.
30.00 w.
.20 h.
90.00 m.
Galesburg (Fed ) __
610 00 w
Joliet (Fed*.-Sta.)__
10.00- 15.00 w. 10.00- 15.00 w .
1 And board,
2 While learning,
3 And board and room.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[642]
167
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
LIC EM PLOYM ENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JU LY, 1918—Continued.
Telephone
operators
(switchboard),
female.
Structuraliron workers.
$0.75 h.
Waiters.
Waitresses.
Casual workers,
male.
$18.00 w.
$10.00 w.
$0.25 h.
$1.00 d.
15.00 w.
10.00 w.
3.00 d.
.35 h.
. 40 h.
60.00 m.
2.00 d.
$7.50 w.
$6.00- 12.00 w.
2.50 d.
.25 h.
15.00 w.
12. 50 w.
3.00 d.
1.50 d.
15.00 w.
9.00 w.
2.75 d.
. 30 h
17.00 w.
i 60.00 m.
9.00 w.
30.00-40.00 m.
25.00 m.
.45 h.
.35 h.
.50 h.
3.00 d.
. 35 h.
. 30 h.
.35 h.
30.00- 40.00 m.
35.00- 50.00 m.
2.00- 2. 50 d.
2.00 d.
15.00 w.
i 10. 00 w.
12. 00 w.
8.00 w.
.35 h.
3.00 d.
.30 h.
. 30 h.
2.00 d.
. 25 h.
18.00 w.
10.00 w.
. 40 h.
. 45 h.
.35 h.
. 25 h.
125.00 m.
8.00 w.
1 8.00 w.
12.00 w.
60.00 m.
10.00 w.
. 40 h.
. 20 h.
5.00 w.
10.00 w.
8.00 w.
$9.00-15.00 w.
18.00 w.
15.00 w.
2.00 d.
1.50 d.
l.OOd.
1.50 d.
1.00 d.
3.00 d.
12.00 w.
. 40 h.
.35 h.
1.50d.
1.40 d.
4.00 d.
1.50 d.
. 40 h.
.25 h.
$0.35-
12.00 w.
8.00 w.
. 87 h.
. 75 h.
1.00 d.
7.00 w. $10.00- 12.00 w.
. 50 h.
6.50 d.
Casual workers,
female.
. 62J h.
1.50 d.
10.00 w.
8.00 w.
26 .00 w.
. 80 h.
. 25 h.
i l.OOd.
.87 h.
. 50 h.
23.00 m.
12.00-15.00 w. 350.00- 60.00 m. 412.00- 15.00 w.
6.00 w.
5.00 w.
10.00 w.
12.00 w.
12.00 w.
12.00 w.
10.00 w.
. 70 h.
18.00 w.
8.00 w.
.30-
. 35 h.
. 30 h.
$10.00-18.00 w.
. 20 h.
. 40 h.
. 20 h.
9.00 w.
4Or $32.50-40.00 m, and board and room.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[643]
6 Inexperienced,
168
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
RATES OF WAGES PA ID TO W ORKERS PLACED IN EM PLOYMENT BY P U B
State, city, and kind of
office.
Blacksmiths.
Boiler makers.
Bricklayers.
Carpenters.
Illinois—Concluded.
Peoria (S ta.).............
Quincy (F ed .)..........
Rockford (Fed.-Sta.)
$0.50 h.
$0.45 h.
$0.81J h.
$0.70 h.
Rock Island-Moline
.65 h. $0.52- . 75 h.
(Fed.-Sta.).............
. 81J h.
. 674 h.
.65 h.
.55 b. $0.85- . 90 h.
Springfield (Sta.)__
.65 h.
Indiana:
Evansville (Sta.)__
.50 h.
Indianapolis (Fed.).
. 62) h.
South Bend (Fed.Sta.)........................
.55 h.
1
Terre Haute (Sta.). .
.65 h.
Iowa:
Cedar Rapids (Fed.Sta.)........................
.62J h.
Council Bluffs (Fed.Sta.)........................
Davenport (Fed.S ta .)........................
.62| h.
Des Moines (Fed.Sta.-Co.-Mun.)___
.55 h.
.65 h.
.'81 h.
. 65 h.
Mason City (Fed.Sta.)........................
624 h
Ottura wa(Fed.-Sta.)
. 60*h.
Sioux City (Fed..68h.
Sta.)........................
. 60 h.
Waterloo (Fed.-Sta.)
Kansas:
Dodge City (F ed .)...
Hutchinson (F ed .)..
.60 h.
Parsons (F ed .)..........
.50 h.
.52 h.
Topeka (Fed.-Sta.)..
.75 h.
.624 h.
AVichita (F ed.).........
.68 h.
. 68 h.
•S2J h.
.70 h.
Kentucky:
Louisville (Sta.).......
.55 h
Louisiana:
.60 h.
Alexandria (F ed .)...
. 80 h.
.60 h.
New Orleans (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
4.50 d.
.45 h.
- . 70 h.
.55 h.
Shreveport (Fed.Mun.)......................
.80 h.
.80 h.
1.00 h.
. 75 h.
Maine:
Portland (F ed.)........
.55 h.
.51 h.
.751). $0.65- .70 h.
Maryland:
Baltimore (F ed.)__
. 52- .75 h.
.75 h.
.62) h.
Massachusetts:
Boston (F ed .)...........
.68 h.
.72- . 80 h.
.75 h.
.72- .75 h.
Boston (S ta.)............
.65 h.
.73 h.
■.60 h.
.50- .75 h.
Springfield (Fed.S ta .)........................
.50 h.
.70 h.
.65 h
Worcester (S ta.)___
.42 h.
Michigan:
Battle Creek (Sta.)..
.60 h.
B ay City (S ta.)........
.55- . 70 h
Detroit (F ed .)..........
. 60 h.
. 60 h.
Detroit (S ta .)............
. 50 h.
.65 h.
. 75 h.
. 65 h.
Flint (S ta.)...............
Grand Rapids (Sta.)
.50 h.
.70 h.
. 50 h.
Jackson (Sta.)........... $0.45- .75 h.
.45- .75 h.
. 75 h.
.55 h.
Kalamazoo (S ta.). . .
.50 h
Lansing (S ta.)..........
.60 h.
.70 h
Muskegon (S ta .)___
Port Huron (F e d .)..
.50 h.
.55 h.
.80 h.
.55 h.
Saginaw (Sta.)..........
Minnesota:
Duluth (Fed.-Sta.)..
.85 h
.65 h
Minneapolis (F ed .)..
.54 h.
.561).
. 70 h.
.55 h.
St. Paul (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)....................
Mississippi:
Gulfport (F ed .)........
. 50- . 65 h.
Meridian (F ed .)___
4.00 d.
. 68 h.
.60 h.
. 55 h.
Missouri:
Hannibal (Fed.-Sta.)
. 57 h.
. 57 h.
.80- . 90 h.
. 65 h.
Kansas City (Fed.Sta.)........................
4.00 d.
5.80 d.
. 80 h.
.55- . 75 h.
St. Joseph (Fed.S ta .)........................ . 4.50- 5.00 d.
. 57J h.
. 75 h.
.60h.
St. Louis (Fed.-Sta.)
. 624 h.
1And board.
2 And board and room.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[G44]
Cleaners and
scrubbers,
female.
$2.10 d.
1.00 d.
$0.25- . 30 h.
.25 h.
2.10 d.
1.50 d.
. 30 h.
9.00 w.
2.50 d.
.30 h.
.25 h.
.25 h.
9.00 w.
1.00 d.
1.00 d.
1.50 d.
6.00- 8.00 w.
.25 h.
n o on w
.30 h.
2.00- 2.50 d.
2.25 d.
. .SO n
.25 in
.30 h
25 h
■20 h
2.10 d!
.25 h.
2.00 d.
2.00- 3.00 d.
.25-
.35 h.
2.00- 2. 50 d.
2.10 d.
169
MONTHLY LABOE BEVIEW.
LIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JULY, 1918—Continued.
Cooks, male.
Drivers, teams
ters, etc.
Cooks, female.
Farm hands.
Dock laborers.
Hod carriers.
$3.00 d.
15.00 w.
$35. CO-40.00 m.
$40.00-$45.00 m.
45.00- 60.00 m.
0. 47i-$0.50 h.
7.00- 8.00 w.
3.50 d.
3.00- 3.25 d.
50.00- 75.00 m.
40.00- 50.00 m.
. 42J h.
.55 h.
8.00 w.
2.00- 3.00 d.
. 27^h.
2.00- 3.00 d.
35.00 m.
16.00 w.
10.00 w.
18.00w.
35.00 m.
35.00- 40.00 m.
90.00 m.
75.00 m.
21.00w.
55.00 m.
|1 5 .00 w.
812.00- 15.00 w
18.00- 25.00 w.
10.00- 25.00 W.
$9.00 vv.
i 20.00 m.
$10.00- 12.00w.
10.00w.
$6.00 d.
3.00 d.
60.00 m.
20.00w.
18.00 \v.
12.00W.
12.00w.
22.00 ,v.
60.00 m.
3. 25 d.
60.00 m.
2 65.00 m.
¡35.00 m.
30.00 m.
75.00 m.
.35 h.
60.00 m.
45.00 m.
90.00 m.
65.00 m.
15.00 vv.
65.00 m.
20.00 w .
65.00 m.
65.00 m.
2 25.00 m.
60.00-90.00 m.
25.00 vv.
2.00d.
. 35 h.
2 5.00 w.
25.00-40.00 m.
18.00 vv.
. 30 h.
3.00 d.
1 5.00- 6.00 w.
12.00 vv.
2 60.00 m.
2 25.00 m.
2.00d.
7.00-20.00 vv.
3.00-10.00 vv.
2.50 d.
85.00 m.
. 50h.
. 50 h.
40.00 m.
45.00 m.
35.00 m.
40.00- 65.00 m.
40.00- 50.00 m.
. 40 li.
.50 h.
50 d.
. 30 h.
. 30 h.
00 m.
2.00 d.
00 d.
.30 h.
. 40 h.
* 3.00
. 40 h.
90.00 m.
7.00-10.00w.
1 2 0 .0 0 w .
18.00-20.00 vv.
1 20.00 vv.
1 15.00 w.
1 8.00-12.00 vv.
15.00 vv.
19.00- 00 w.
24.
18.00- 20, 00 vv,
18.00-20, 00 w .
18, 00 w .
75.00-100.00 m.
100.00 m.
. 75 h.
. 42 h.
00 d.
30 h.
00 d.
00 vv.
00 vv.
50 d.
4.00 d.
""."¿ili.’
. 70 h.
35.00-65.00 m.
60.00 m.
50 d.
. 60 h.
. 40 h.
00 vv.
30.00-50.00 m.
3.25 d.
50.00 m.
85.00 m.
20.00-45.00 m.
2. 50 d.
80.00 m.
¡10.00w.
.30-
. 50 h.
. 45 h.
40.00- 45.00 m.
25 d.
00 vv,
2 30.00 m
d.
40. 00 m.
45.00- 50. 00 m.
235.00-40.00 m.
21.00w.
8.00- 10.00W.
1 7.00-12.00 w.
8.0012.00W. 00 d.
10.00 W.
12.00 w.
m.
60.0080.00 50.00-75.00
m.
15.00 w.
15.00- 18.00 vv.
1 72.00 m.
1 100.00 m.
2 50.00 m.
$0.50.40-
.30 h.
.30 h.
, 40 h.
40. 00 m.
35.00- 40. 00 m.
40.00- 45. 00 m.
45. 00 m.
35.00- 45. 00 m.
35.00- 40. 00 m.
40.00- 50. 00 m.
40.00- 45. 00 m.
¡50. 00 m.
35. 00 m .
50. 00 m.
3. 00 d.
. 50 h.
.33 -. 40 h.
........."¡¿’li.""
.........321 h".
50. 00 m .
50. 00 m.
. 40 h.
50.00- 60.00 m.
.40 -. 45 h.
20 . 00 m.
15.00- 35. 00 m.
.30 h.
40.00 m.
.35 h.
18.00 vv.
7.00-
00 w.
12.0015.00-20.
w.
35.00- 50 00 m.
.45 -.50 h.
15.00- 20.00 w.
8.00-
12.00w.
50.00- 75 .00 m.
2 35 . 00 m.
.50 h.
66.00m.
*And board, room, and laundry.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
18, 00 w,
[045]
4 Female.
s 8 hours.
170
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R A TES OF WAGES PA ID TO W OR K ER S PLACED IN EM PLOYM ENT B Y PUB
State, city, and kind
of office.
Illinois—Concluded.
Peoria (S ta .).............
Quincy'(Fed.)..........
Rockford (Fed.-Sta.)
Rock Island-Moline
(Fed.-Sta.).............
Springfield (Sta.)__
Indiana:
Evansville (Sta.)___
Indianapolis (F ed .).
South Pend (Fed.Sta.)........................
Terre Haute (S ta.). .
Iowa:
Cedar Rapids (Fed.S ta .)........................
Council Bluffs (Fed.-'
S ta .)........................
Davenport (Fed.S ta .)........................
Des Moines (Fed.Sta.-Co.-Mun.)___
Mason City (Fed.S ta .)........................
Ottumwa
(Fed.S ta .)........................
Sioux City (Fed.S ta .)........................
Waterloo (Fed.-Sta.)
Kansas:
Hutchinson (F ed .)..
Parsons (F ed .)..........
Topeka (Fed.-Sta.)..
Wichita (F ed .).........
Kentucky:
Louisville (S ta.)___
Louisiana:
Alexandria (F ed .)...
New Orleans (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
Shreveport (Fed.M un.)......................
Maine:
Portland (F ed .)___
Maryland:
Baltimore (F ed .)__
Massachusetts:
Boston (F ed .)...........
Boston (Sta.)............
Springfield (Fed.S ta .)........................
Worcester (Sta.)___
Michigan:
Battle Creek (Sta.)..
Bay City (S ta.)........
Detroit (F ed .)..........
Detroit (S ta .)............
Flint (S ta.)...............
Grand Rapids (Sta.)
Jackson (Sta.)...........
Kalamazoo (S ta .)__
Lansing (S ta .).____
Muskegon (S ta.)___
Port Huron (F ed .)..
Saginaw (S ta.)..........
Minnesota:
Duluth (Fed.-Sta.)..
Minneapolis (F ed .)..
St. Paul (Fed.-Sta.M un.)......................
Mississippi:
Gulfport (F ed .)........
Meridian (F ed .)........
Missouri:
Hannibal (Fed.-Sta.)
Kansas City, (Fed.Sta.)........................
St. Joseph( Fed .-Sta.)
St. Louis (Fed.-Sta.)
House
servants.
Inside
wiremen.
Laborers.
Laundry
operators,
male.
$6.00-18.00 w.
SO. 30-10. 40 h.
5.00 w.
3. 00 d.
6.00 w. 550.65-80.75 h.
.45- . 50 h. S12.00-S18.00 w.
7.00 w.
25. 00-40. 00 m.
. 67) h. 3.50- 4.00 d.
. 55 h.
.30- . 50 h.
7.00 w.
2. 50- 3.00 d.
. 40 h.
5.00 w.
17. 25 w.
2.00- 2. 50 d.
Laundry
operator's, '
female.
$2.10 d.
88.00-10.00 w.
9.00 w.
8. 00-12.00 w.
7.00 w.
. 30 h.
. 30- . 35 h.
6.00 w.
. 37) h.
19.00 w.
12.00 w.
.45 h.
6.00- 7.00 w.
. 35- . 40 h.
9. 00-10. 00 w.
7.00 w.
. 40 h.
8.00 w.
. 35- . 40 h.
N
5.00 w.
.40 h.
6. 00 w.
6.00 w.
. 14 h.
3.00 d.
7.00 w.
5.00- 8.00 w.
5.00 w.
.65 h.
. 65 h.
. 35 h.
. 37) h.
. 30 h.
.40 h.
5. 00 w.
.65 h.
.25 h.
i 20. 00 m.
.65 h.
2.00- 6.00 w.
6.50 d.
15.00 w.
21.00 w.
5.00- 9.00 w.
12.00 w.
. 30 li.
45.00 m.
35.00 m.
.30 h.
20. 00 w.
7.00 w.
18.00 w.
18.00 w.
10.00-14.00 w.
8. 50 w.
.30 h.
. 40- . 46 h.
8.00 v/.
.40 h.
75.00 m.
1 40.00 m.
.75 h.
. 65 h.
.40 h.
. 40- . 45 h.
1 5.00- 7.00 w.
i 7.00- 8.00 w.
. 50 h.
. 35- . 47) h.
. 35 h.
3.00 w.
4.00- 7.00 w.
8.00 w.
.45 h.
.35- .43 h.
7.00 w.
4.00- 8.00 w.
5.00- 7.00 w. 50.00-55.00 m.
s 10.00 w.
.70 h.
3 7.00 w.
.40- . 55 h.
20.00-40.00 m.
35.00 m.
. 50 h.
20.00-25.00 m.
10.00-30.00 m.
310.00 w.
i 40.00 m.
6.00-12.00 w.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
.40 h.
.30- . 45 h.
.40 h.
.45 h.
.35 h.
.35 h.
.35- . 40 h.
.35 .40 h
.40 h.
.35 h.
.32)- . 40 h.
3.50 d.
4.00 d.
.35 h.
18.00-22.00 w.
1 30.00 m.
20.00 w.
18.00-25.00 w.
10 OOw
9 . 00- 12’. 00 w.
25! 00 w!
18.00 w.
18.00 w.
.30- .35 h.
5.00 d.
. 25 h.
.30 h.
85.00 m.
.3 0 h .
.72 h.
. 70 h.
.35- . 47 h.
.40- .45 h.
.40 h.
, 1 And board and room.
[646]
10. 00 w.
7.00 w.
12. 00 w.
6.00- 8.00 w.
2.00 d.
9.00 w.
16. 00 w.
18.00 w.
7.00-12.00 w.
10.00 w.
35.00 m.
171
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
LIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES, JULY, 1918—Continued.
Machinists.
Molders.
Painters.
Plasterers.
SO. 62 h.
$5.00 d.
$0.35- .50 h.
$0.35- .50 h.
$0.57J- .60 h.
$0. 75 h.
4.00- 6.00 d.
.40- . 70 h.
4.00- 8.00 d.
.40- . 60 h.
.65 h.
.55 h.
.75 h.
.90 h.
.50 h.
.45 h.
Plumbers.
$0.81Jh.
5.45 d.
.85 h.
I
Saleswomen.
$8.00 w.
-10.00 w.
$6.00- 10.00 w.
8.00 w.
1
5. 00 d.
. 571 h.
.60 h
. 50 li.
.52 h.
7. 00 d.
9.00 w
7.00- 10.00 w.
.55 h.
. 78V h.
. 87 h.
.374 h
2. 50 d.
8 00- 9.00 w.
.5 0 h
5.00 w.
. 58 h.
.45 h.
.45 h.
.35 h.
.50 h.
. 68 h.
. 55 h.
.68 h.
.55 h.
. 80 h.
.75 h.
. 82i h.
. 624 h.
. 72-i h.
6. 00- 10. 00 w.
10.00 w .
7.00 w.
. 60 h.
. 60 h.
. 25 h.
4.20 d.
.45 h.
. 50 h.
.40 h.
. 70 h.
6.00 w.
. 75 h.
.65 h.
. 70 h.
1. 00 h.
6.50 d.
6.00- 12. 00 w.
.50- . 74 h.
.60- . 70 h.
5. 85 d.
.55- . 75 h.
. 60 - . 70 h.
. 50 - . 75 h.
.75 h.
. 60 h.
$0.60- . 72 h.
.50- . 75 h.
10,00 w.
8.00- 15.00 w.
.60
70 h
.50- . 55 h.
25.00 d.
4.25- 5. 25 d.
. 50- . 79i h.
. 60 h.
. 52- . 72J h
10.00 w.
8.00- 10.00 w.
. 37j h.
.45 h.
.35- . 40 h.
50- . 75 h
.55 h.
12.00 w.
. 57 h.
.60 h.
. 50 h.
. 70 h.
. 55 h.
$0.50- . 60 h.
. 55- . 60 h.
. 70 h.
7.00- 10.00 w.
10 00 12. 00 w.
15.00 w.
. 50 h
.45- . 75 h.
. 50 h
. 60 h.
. 45 h.
. 65 h.
. 60 h.
. 40 h.
. 55 ii.
. 45 h.
. 60 h.
. 70 h.
.60- . 75 h.
.60 h.
. 75 h.
. 60 h.
.55 h.
.60- . 70 h.
. 55 h.
15.00 w.
.53- . 72i h.
. 60 h.
.65 h.
. 50 h.
. . 70 h.
.75 h.
8. 00 w.
. 55 h.
.72 h.
30.00- 70.00 m.
10.00 w.
6.00- 12.00 w.
20.00 w.
. 55 - . 60 h.
. 68 h.
4.50 d.
.55 h.
.57 h.
. 72 h.
4.80 d.
5.80 d.
.68- . 72 h.
. 70 h.
5.80 d.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
.50 -
. 72 h.
. 65 h.
. 60 h.
5.00 d.
2 For 9 hours.
7.00 d.
. 75 h.
8 And board.
[ 647 ]
.65 h.
6.06- 12.00 w.
.75h.
.85 h.
7.00- 18.00 w.
50.00-150.00 m.
8.00 w.
172
MONTHLY LABOE EEYIEW.
RATE OF W AGES PAID TO W ORKERS PLACED IN EM PLOYM ENT B Y PUB
State, city, and kind
of office.
Seamstresses.
Illinois—Concluded.
Peoria (S ta .).............
Quincy (F ed .)..........
Rockford (Fed.-Sta.)
Rock Islani-M oline
(Fed.-Sta.).............
Springfield (S ta .). . .
Indiana:
Evansville (Sta.) —
Indianapolis (Fed.) .
South B e n i (Fed.Sta.)........................
Terre Haute (S ta .)..
Iowa:
Cedar Rapids (Fed.Sta.)........................
Council Bluffs (Fed.S ta .)........................
Davenport (Fed.Sta.)........................
Des Moines (Fed.Sta.-Co.-Mun.)___
- Mason City (Fed.Sta.)___•.................
Ottumwa(Fed.-Sta.)
Sioux City (Fed.Sta.)........................
Waterloo (Fed.-Sta.)
Kansas:
Dodge City (F e d .)..
Hutchinson (F ed .)..
Parsons (F ed .).........
Topeka (Fed.-Sta.)..
Wichita (F ed.).........
Kentucky:
Louisville (Sta.).......
Louisiana:
Alexandria (F ed .)...
New Orleans (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
Shreveport (Fed.Mun.)......................
Maine:
Portland (F ed.)........
Maryland:
Baltimore (F ed.)___
Massachusetts:
Boston (F ed.)...........
Boston (S ta.)............
Springfield (Fed.Sta.)........................
Worcester (S ta.)___
Michigan:
Battle Creek (Sta.)..
Bay City (S ta .)........
Detroit (F ed.)...........
Detroit (Sta.)............
Flint (S ta.)...............
Grand Rapids (Sta.)
Jackson (Sta.)....... .
Kalamazoo (Sta.). . .
Lansing (S ta.)..........
Muskegon (S ta.)___
Port Huron (F ed .)..
Minnesota:
Duluth (Fed.-Sta.)..
Minneapolis (F ed.)..
St. Paul (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
Mississippi:
Meridian (Fed.)........
Missouri:
Hannibal (Fed.-Sta.)
Kansas City (Fed.Sta.)........................
St. Joseph (Fed.Sta.)........................
St.Loùis( Fed.-Sta.).
Sewingmachine
operators,
male.
Sewingmachine
operators,
female.
Stenographers, Stenographers,
male.
female.
jjUO 00 m
'75 . 001m
$2.00 d.
2.00 d.
1.50 d.
$125.00 m.
2.00 d.
$100.00 m. $80.00-100.00 m
l.OOd. 50.00-100.00m.
$18.00-22.00 w.
75.00 m.
60. 00 m.
18. 00 w.
75.00 m.
65.00 m.
$12.00- 18.00 w.
2.50 d.
2.00 d.
10.00 w.
3.00 d.
80.00 m.
75.00 m.
85.00 m
50.00 m.
75.00 m
75.00 m
15.00 w.'
77.50 m.
00 00 m
15.00 w.'
7.00 w.
35.00- 50.00 m.
125.00 m. 75.00-125.00 m.
1.00 d.
75.00 m.
60.00 m.
100.00 m.
90.00 m.
100.00 m.
75.00 m.
12.00 w 20.00- 30.00 w.
20.00 w.
1.50 d.
12.00-28.00 w.
15.00 90 00 w ]n oo- 95 00 w
10.00-40.00 w!
18.00 w . 10 . 00- 20.00 w!
$1.50- 3.00 d.
1.50 d.
25.00 w.
20.0O W.
1 7.00 w.
12.00- 15.00 w.
30.00-40.00 m.
2.50 d.
2.50 d.
8.00-15.00 w.
9.00-15.00 w.
70.00 100.00 m
18.00 w
8.00-15.00 w.
2.50 d.
120.00 m.
10.00-12.00 w.
2.50 d.
15.00 w.
90.00 m.
19 00 w
15.00- 25.00 W.
75.00 m.
1.75 d. $6.00- 8.00 w.
1.50 d.
12.50 w.
9.00 w.
4.00 d.
.20- .25 h.
15. 00 w.
45.00-75.00 m.
20.00 w.
18.00 w.
25.00 w.
65.00-80.00 m.
25.00 w.
15. 00 w. 15.00- 25.00 w.
12.00-18.00 w.
50.00 m.
1 And board and room.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
125. 00 m. 40.00-100.00 m.
75. 00-100.00 m.
2 And board.
[64S]
173
MONTHLY LABOE EE VIEW,
LIC EM PLOYM ENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JU LY, 1918—Continued.
Telephone
operators
(switchboard),
female.
Structuraliron workers.
$0.73J h.
SO.65- . 85 h.
Waitresses.
Casual workers,
male.
i $50.00 m.
$4. 00 w.
$1.50- 2.00 d.
$0.25- $0. 45 h.
$0.20- $0.25 h.
$12.00 w. $12.00- 14.00 w.
8.00- 15.00 w.
8.00 w.
9.00- 12.50 w.
5.00- 10.00 w.
3.00- 4.00 d.
. 40 h.
• 25h.
8.00 w.
7.00 w.
2.50 d.
. 30 h.
1.50 d.
1.50 d.
. 35 h.
. 35 h.
. 30 h.
Waiters.
10.00 w.
10.00 w.
.75 h.
22.50 m.
9.00 w.
12.00 w.
10.00 w.
20.00 w.
12.00 W.
12.00 w.
9.00 w.
Casual workers,
female.
. 40 h.
.35-
.40 h.
2.00 d.
.35 h.
.35 h.
15.00 w.
7.00 w.
.35 h.
1.00 d.
15.00 w.
13.00 w.
12.00 w.
7.00 w.
4.00 d.
. 40 h.
3.00 d.
.30 h.
7.00 w.
i25.00m .
4.00- 7.00 w.
10.00 w.
. 40 h.
J 30.00 m.
10.00 w.
10.00 w.
.......
„
.30 h.
.35 h.
. 25 h.
.25 h.
1.00 d.
1.00 d.
2 5.50 w.
*
2.00 d.
.65 h.
45.00 m.
11.00 d.
1 1.00 d.
.SOh.
$5.00- 8.00 w.
a 16.00 w.
210.00 w.
.22-
.75 h.
.60- .70 h.
.45- .70 h.
1.50 d.
.45 h.
. 17J- .32 h.
30.00 m.
75.00 m.
25.00 m.
14.00 w.
215.00 W.
8.00-12.00 w.
2 9.00-10.00 W.
3.00 d.
.35- .40 h.
1.50- 2.00 d.
.25 h.
2 14.00-15.00 w.
27.00 w.
2 6.00- 7.00 w.
i 4.00 w.
.35 h.
.35 h.
8 .25 h.
.30 h.
8.00 w.
7.00 w.
6.00- 9.00 w.
8.00-10.00 w.
. 40 h.
.35- .50 h.
.40 h.
.40 h.
12.00 w.
12.00 w.
12.00-15.00 W.
.75 h.
2.00 d.
55.00-70.00 m.
. 65 h.
8.00 w.
6.00- 7.00 w ..
7.00- 8.00 w.
8.00-10.00 w.
10.00 W.
.70 h.
i 6.00 w.
i 6.00 w.
.35- .50 h.
.35- .40 h.
.35- .40 h.
.40 h.
.30 h.
.30 h.
.65 h.
75.00 m.
18.00 w.
25.00-35.00 m.
8.00 w.
. 40 h.
.35 h.
6.00- 7.00 d.
8.00-10.00 w.
18.00 w.
9.00 w.
12.00-15.00 w.
20.00 w.
15.00 w.
.72 h.
7.00- 9.00 w.
50.00 m.
.75 h.
60.00-75.00 m.
1 14.00 w.
2 7.00- 10.00 w.
.65 h.
10.00 w.
15.00- 18.00 w.
i35.00m .
s And car fare.
77262°—18—— 12
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
.30 h.
.25 h.
.25 h.
6.00- 8.00 W.
40.00 m.
.30 1*.
.30 h.
2.00 d.
.30 h.
.25 h.
.25 h.
.30- .35 h.
. 25 h.
.25 h.
. 22J h.
.20 h.
.25-
.20 h.
.15 h.
.45 h.
.25 h.
2.50- 3.00 d.
5.00- 12.00 w.
.30 h.
10.00 w.
* Inexperienced, $5.
1.00- 1.50 d.
'.00 w.
[649]
.35-
I
1
I
174
1
M ONTHLY
' State, city, and kind of
î
!
! Montana:
I
I
I
!
1
RATES OF WAGES PA ID TO W ORKERS PLACED IN EMPLOYM ENT BY PU B
1
1
I
I
L A B O R R E V IE W
office.
Blacksmiths.
Boiler makers.
Bricklayers.
Carpenters.
Cleaners and
scrubbers,
female.
Butte (M un.)............
Helena (Fed.)...........
36.00 d.
$5.50 d.
$8.00 d.
$6.00 d.
$3.00 d.
Missoula (F ed .)........
Nebraska:
Lincoln ( Fed.-Sta. )..
. 57J h.
.5 7 1 h.
. 80 h.
. 60 h.
. 35 h.
Omaha (Fed.-Sta.Co.-Mun.)...............
. 52) h.
.60 h.
. 80 h.
. 60>4i.
.30 h.
, New Jersey:
Camden (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)...................... $0.60- . 70 h.
. 80 h.
. 80 h. $0.62J- .72) h.
Jersey City (Fed.. 60 h.
Sta.-Mun)..............
1.00 h.
.55 h.
2.00 d.
Newark (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)...................... .45- .55 h.
$0.52- . 80 h.
. 40 - . 72 h.
2.00 d.
Orange (Fed.-Sta.M un.).....................
.55 h.
.25 h.
New Mexico:
Albuquerque (Fed.)
5. 77) d.
. 75 h.
Deming (F ed.).........
. 62) h.
Roswell (F ed.)..........
. 50 h.
.25 h.
Nevada:
Reno (F ed .)..............
.60 - .75 h.
.35 h.
New York:
Buffalo (Fed.-Sta. ).. . 50- . 60 h. $0.54- . 60 h. .55- .65 h.
. 60 - . 70 h. $0.22)- . 24 h.
New York City
. 75 h.
(Fed.-Sta.).............
.70- . 80 h.
. 75 h.
. 62) h.
12.00 w.
New York City
(M un.)....................
. 62) h.
......................
North Carolina:
Charlotte (F ed .).......
6.00 d.
. 75 h.
5.00 d.
Raleigh (F ed .).......... .55^ .70 h.
.55- . 70 h. . 45- . 55 h.
. 35 - . 50 h. 5.00 - 10.00 w.
North Dakota:
Bismarck (F ed .)___
Fargo (F ed .).............
.50 h.
Ohio:
Akron (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
. 50 h.
.75 h.
. 60 h.
.25 h
Canton (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
.50 h.
. 85 h.
. 60 - . 70 h.
. 50 h.
. 25 h
C hiliicothe (F ed .Sta.-M un.).............
.50 h.
. 90 h.
. 50 h.
.65 h.
2.00 d
C incinn ati (F ed .Sta.-Mun.)...........
.60 h.
. 90 h.
. 55 h.
. 65 h.
1.75 d
C le v ela n d (F e d .Sta.-Mun.)............. .55- .65 h.
.55- . 65 h.
.75- . 90 h.
.60 - . 70 h.
2. 00 il
C olum bus (F e d .Sta.-Mun.).............
. 50 h.
• 87) h.
. 65 h.
1.75 d.
Dayton (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)....................
.50 h.
.65 h.
. 60 - . 70 h.
40.00 m.
H a m ilto n (F e d .Sta.-Mun.)...........
L im a (F e d .-S ta .Mun.)...............
. 50 h.
.50 h.
. 75 h.
.45 h.
. 25 h
M ansfield ( F e d .Sta.-Mun.).............
. 50 h.
.65 h.
.60 h.
. 25 h.
Marietta (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)....................
. 50 h.
Marion (Fed.-Sta.Mun.).................
.45 h.
. 45 h.
. 75 h.
. 45 h.
. 20 h
Portsm outh (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
.50 h.
.68 h.
.80 h.
.65 h.
- 25 h
S a n d u sk y (F e d .Sta.-Mun.).............
4.00 d.
.60 h.
. 25 h.
Springfield (F ed .Sta.-Mun.)........
.55 h.
. 58) h.
.75h.
. 50 - . 65 h.
i r o ri
Steubenville (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
.65 h.
.65 h.
.80 h.
• 80h.
2.00 d
Tiffin (Fed.*-Sta.Mun.).................
. 40 h.
.65 h.
.65 h.
1.00 d.
Toledo (Fed.-Sta.M un.)................
.50 h.
. 55 h.
.83) h.
. 60 h
. 25 h
Washington C. H.
( Fed.-Sta.-Mun.)..
Youngstown (Fed.- I
Sta.-Mun.).............
. 75 h.
• 70h.
.90 h.
,75 h.
2.25 d
Z a n e sv ille (F e d .Sta.-Mun.)............. 1
• 50 h.
.50 h.
. 75 h. 1
.5 2 ) h.
.20 h.
1 Hay hands, $3.50 and $4 d.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[650]
1
)
175
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
LIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JU LY, 1918—Continued.
Cooks, m ale.
D riv ers, te am s
te rs, etc.
Cooks, fem ale.
$21.59 yv.
26.50 w.
150.00 m .
$17.50 w .
22.00 w.
50.00 m .
$4.00 d.
4.00 d.
75.00 m .
75.00 m .
18.00 w.
30.00
12.00 w.
22.00 w.
yv.
$0.35 h.
yv.
2 90.00 m .
25.00 m .
18.00 w.
$15.00- 25.00 w.
$10.00-22.00 w.
$18.00-25.00 w.
22.00 w.
35.00 m .
60.00 m .
30.00 m .
2 45.00 m .
10.00
14.00
y v
D ock laborers.
40.00
yv.
$3.50 d.
$60.00-65.00 m .
$5.00 d.
60.00 m .
.50 h.
30.00-45.00 m .
100.00 m .
40.00 m .
10. Od- lö. ÖÖ w.
4.00 w.
3.00- 5.00 w.
75.00 m .
30.00 m .
2.00 d.
2.00 d.
18.00-21.00 w.
25.00
y v
.
18.00
y v
.
$0.40-
.50 h.
40.00-60.00 m .
.30-
.35 h.
45.00 m .
1.50- 2.00 d.
.
21.00
yv.
21.00
yv.
25.00 w.
15.00 w.
y v
18.00 w.
.3 0 h .
40.00 m .
.50 h.
. 50 h.
. 50 h.
. 55 h.
2 35.00-50.00 m .
10.00-15.00 w.
20.00 w.
10.00 w.
3.50 d.
.........................................................
35.00-40.00 m .
18.00- 40.00 w .
15.00 w.
3.00- 4.00 d.
.........................................................
30.00-45.00 m .
w.
.25 h.
3.00 d.
.32} h.
.35 h.
.........................................................
» 1 2 . 00 w .
50. 00 m .
s 12.00 w.
7.00-10.00 w.
75.00 m .
15.00
18.00
12.00 w.
yv.
2 18.00 w .
-15.00
yv.
. 40 h.
.35 h.
yv.
y v
.
. 40 li.
2 50.00 m .
. 57Jh.
45.00 m .
. 57} h.
yv.
. 40 h .
235.00-60.00 m .
40.00 m .
70 00 m
.35 h.
.
25 h .
40.00 m .
15.00
yv
.
35.00-50.00 m .
8 A n d b o ard .
2 A n d b o a rd a n d room .
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
. 40 h.
. 40 h.
35.00-45.00 m .
45.00 m .
3.00 d.
18.00
. 45 h.
2. 50 d .
50.00 m .
...................
. 35 h .
23.00
.50 A
35.00 m .
.40 k .
• 30h.
3.50 d .
20. 00 w.
. 50 h.
30.00 m .
3.00 d
75.00 m .
.4 5 -
35.00 m .
2.75 d.
yv.
. 60 h.
37} b.
18.00—22.00
.30 n
30.00-40.00 m .
75.00-125.00 m .
12.00
.2 5 -
1.50 d.
80.00 m .
.
.50 h.
.50 h.
3.50 d.
4.00 d.
3.50 d
15.00
$0.40-
35.00 m .
.25 h.
8.00-12.00 w.
8.00 w.
. 30 h.
.62} h.
20.00-60.00 m .
35.00-60.00 m .
.37 h.
.
18.00 w.
22.00 w.
. 50 h.
.45 h .
3.00- 3.50 d.
40.00- 75.00 m .
yv.
H o d carriers.
.40 h.
3.00 d.
20.00
F a rm h a n d s.
[ 651 ]
.40 h.
.
45 a.
176
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
R ATES OF W AGES PAID TO W O R K ER S PLACED IN EMPLOYM ENT B Y PU B
State, city, and kind
of office.
House
servants.
Inside
wiremen.
Laborers.
Laundry
operators,
male.
Montana:
Butte (M un.)............ $35.00-840.00 m.
$4.50 d.
Helena (F e d .)..........
35.00 m.
85. 25 d.
4.00 d.
$24.00 w.
Missoula (F ed .)........
4.00 d.
Nebraska:
Lincoln (Fed.-Sta.).
6.00 w.
. 62Ï h.
. 40 h.
Omaha (Fed.-Sta.Co.-Mun.).........
7.00 w.
.50 h.
. 40 h.
18.00 w.
New Jersey:
Camden (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)...................... 4.00- 7. 00 w.
.70 h. $0.35- . 46 h.
Jersey City (Fed.S ta.-M u n )............
25.00 m.
.40- . 45 h.
Newark (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
.35- . 50 h.
Orange (Fed.-Sta.)..
30.00 m.
. 37 h.
New Mexico:
Albuquerque (Fed.)
. 25 h.
Deming (F ed.)..........
175.00 m. 50.00-60.00 m.
Roswell (F ed .).........
25.00 m.
125.00 m.
1.50 d.
75.00 m.
Nevada:
Reno (F ed .)..............
40.00 m.
. 40 h.
New York:
Buffalo (Fed.-Sta.).. 6.00-10. 00 w. 80. 37J- . 48 h.
.35- . 45 h.
.27- . 35 h.
New York City
(Fed.-Sta.)....... .
35. 00 m.
.5 2 h .
.■40 h.
18.00 w.
New York City
(M un.)....................
. 40 h.
North Carolina:
Charlotte (F ed.).......
. 70 h.
. 30 h.
Raleigh (F ed .).......... 3.00- 5. 00 w.
. 45 h.
. 30 h.
15.00 w.
North Dakota:
Bismarck (F ed .)___
3.50 d.
Ohio:
Akron (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
9. 00 w.
• 60h.
.40 h.
20.00 w.
Canton (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
6.00 w.
- . 50h.
.35- . 45 h.
18.00 W.
Chillicothe
(Fed.Sta.-M un.).............
.62J h.
Cincinnati
(Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
.37J h.
18. 00 w .
Cleveland
(Fed.Sta .-Mun.)............. * 35.00-45.00 m.
. 55- . 60 h.
.40- . 55 h. $15.00-18.00 w.
Columbus
(Fed.Sta .-Mun.).............
7.00 w.
.35- . 37J h.
Dayton (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
30.00 m.
.35- . 45 h.
Hamilton (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
5.00 w.
.371 h.
Lima
(Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
10.00 w.
.40 b.
.35- . 40 h.
.35 h.
Mansfield (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
6.00 w.
.40 h.
Marietta (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
4.00- 6.00 w.
.25- .35 h. ............................
Marion (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
6.00 w.
. 50h.
.35 h.
Portsmouth (Fed.Sta.-M un.)............
6.00 w.
.35 h.
Sandusky(Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
.35 h.
Springfield (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
5.00- 7. 00 w.
• 55h.
.35- .37$ h.
18.00 w.
Steubenville (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
8.00 w.
.65h.
. 40 h.
Tiffin
(Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
6.00 w.
125.00 m.
3. 50 d.
Toledo (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
6.00 w.
.681 h.
.35- . 40 h.
15. 00 w.
Washington C. H.
(Fed.-Sta.-M un.)..
.25 h.
Youngstown (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
8.00 w.
-. 75 h.
. 42 h.
SO. 00 m.
Zanesville(Fed.-Sta.M un.).....................
. 60 h.
.35 h.
15. 00 w.
1Auto workers.
1And board and room.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[652]
Laundry
operators,
female.
$19. 00 w.
7.00 w.
12.00 w.
.30 h.
$0.16-
. 20 h.
2.50 d.
1.00- 1.50 d.
9.00 W.
9.00 W.
12.00 w.
9.00 w.
.25h.
1. 25 d.
1.00- 1. 50 d.
9.00 w.
9.00 w.
lj!;
10.00 w.
177
MONTHLY LABOK REVIEW.
LIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JULY, 1918—Continued.
Machinists.
Molders.
$5.00 d.
Painters.
S6.00d.
|6 .0 0 d .
. 62 h.
,60h.
.60h.
SO.60- . 80 h.
5.00 d.
Plasterers.
$0.55-
Plumbers.
$8.00 d.
$8. 00 d.
Saleswomen.
$60.00 m.
. 50 h.
.75 b.
7.00 d.
10.00 w.
.6 2 |h .
.87Jh.
.75b.
10.00 w.
.651).
. 70 h.
,62th.
. 60 h.
. 40 b.
,62-Jh.
.40- 1.00 h.
,50h.
SO. 45- . 75 h.
9.50 w.
l.OOh.
5.77id.
13.00 d.
.50 h.
.50 h.
. 55 h.
.55-
. 72 h.
SO. 45- . 60h.
.40- . 45 h'.
$0.55- . 65 h.
. 70h.
5.50 d.
.55 h.
. 75 h.
,52h.
,62Jh.
. 55 h.
.50- . 65 h.
. 65h.
5.00 d.
.60 h.
.55h.
.50-
.50 h.
. 60h.
5.00- 10.00 w.
.60 h.
5. 00 d.
10.00 w.
. 70 h.
. 70 h.
8.00 w.
. 60 h.
.75 h.
«5.50- 6.00 d.
.60- . 70h.
.70 h.
6.00- 7.00 d.
.72’, h.
.60 h.
. 60h.
.50- .55 b.
.eoh .
8.00 w.
. 66 h.
9.00 w.
.70h.
....................
. 70 h.
.50- . 60 h.
.50-
.50-
.55 h.
.65h.
.40- . 68 h.
.65 h.
.40-
.30- . 40 h.
.50 h.
.60h.
.60-
12.00 w.
4.00d.
.60- . 68 h.
.50-
S10.00- 20.00 w.
...................
. 75 li.
....................
.60 h.
9 .00 w.
30.00 w.
.50- . 60h.
.50 h.
. 50 h
,50h.
. 45 h.
.65h.
.80 h.
. 35- . 52J h.
.45h.
. 50 h.
.68h.
.40-
.40 b.
.45 h.
. 60 h.
10.00 w.
.50h.
.65h.
.75h.
10.00 w.
. 55 h.
.55 b.
.60 h.
. 60 h.
4.50- 5. 50 d.
.55h.
.70h.
.58J b.
10.00- 20. 00 w.
.75 h.
• 75h.
. 75 h.
9.00 w.
. 50 h.
,40h.
.50h.
.50h.
8.00 w.
. 52 h.
• 50h.
. 70 h.
.68i h.
9.00 w.
,70h.
5.50 d.
.69h.
.75h.
. 75 h.
10.00 w.
. 40 h.
5.00-10. 00 d.
.45 h.
‘ For 9 hours.
.40 h.
. 45 b.
,25 b.
■67| b.
...................
. 45 h.
.60 h.
.40-
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[6 5 3 ]
178
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R A TES OF WAGES PA ID TO W O R K ER S PLACED IN EM PLOYM ENT B Y PTJB
State, city, and Mnd of
office.
Seamstresses.
Sewingmachine
operators,
male.
Sewingmachine
operators,
female.
Montana:
Butte (M un.)............
Helena (Fed.)...........
$3.00d.
Nebraska:
Lincoln (Fed.-Sta.).
2.00 d.
$7.00 w.
$7.00 w.
Omaha (Fed.-StaCo.-Mun.)...............
12.00 w.
18.00 w.
12.00 w.
New Jersey:
Camden (Fed.-Sta.Mun. ) .....................
7.00 w.
Jersey City (Fed.Sta.)........................
Newark (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
$7. 00-14.00 w.
Orange (Fed.-Sta.Mun. ) .....................
2.50 d.
New Mexico:
Albuquerque (Fed.)
Deming (Fed.)..........
50.00 m.
Roswell (Fed.)..........
2.00 d.
Nevada:
Reno (Fed.)..............
New York:
Buffalo (Fed.-Sta.).. $9.00-18.00 w. $20.00-25. OOw. 15.00-18.00 w.
New York City
(Fed.-Sta.).............
20.00 w.
12.00 w.
New York City
(Mun.).....................
North Carolina:
Raleigh (F ed .).........
15.00 w. 10.00-12. OOw.
North Dakota:
Fargo (F ed .).............
Ohio:
Akron ( F e d .- S t a .Mun.)....................
2.00 d.
Athens (Fed.- Sta.Mun.)...............
Canton (Fed.-Sta.M un.).............
8.00 W.
&.00 w.
Chillieothe ( F e d . Sta.-Mun.) .............
2.00 d.
10.00 w.
C in c in n a t i (Fed.Sta.-Mun.) .............
15.00 w.
21.00 w.
15.00 w.
Cleve l a n d (F e d .Sta.-M un.).............
10.00-15.00 w.
C o l u m b u s (Fed.Sta.-Mun.) ....... .
Dayton (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)...............
H a m i l t o n (Fed.Sta.-M un.).............
L im a ( F e d .- S t a .Mun.)......................
2.00 d.
8. OOw.
M a n s f ie ld ( F e d .Sta.-Mun.).............
.20 h.
Marietta (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)...............
Marion (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
Portsmouth (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).............
9.00 w.
12.00 w.
S a n d u s k y (Fed.Sta.-M un.)...........
Springfield (Fed.Sta.-Mun.) ............. 1.50- 2. 00 d.
Steubenville (Fed.Sta.-Mun.).........
Tiff in (F e d .-S t a.Mun.)......................
2.00 d.
10. OOw.
Toledo (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)...............
12.00 w.
Washington C. H.
(Fed.-Sta.-M un.)..
Youngstown (Fed.* Sta.-Mun.).............
2.50 d.
Zanes v i 11 é (F e d.Sta.-Mun.).............
15.00 w. 20.00-30.00 w. 10.00-20.00 w.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1 And board.
[6 5 4 ]
Stenographers, Stenographers,
male.
female.
$60.00 m.
$100.00 m.
85.00 m.
75.00 m.
$6.00-18. 75 w.
75.00 m.
40. 00-75. 00 m.
$19.00-30. OOw.
40.00-87.75 m.
125.00 m.
102.00 m.
75.00 m.
75.00 m.
800-1,200 y.
600-1,020 y.
25.00 w.
18.0Ó w.
60.00-125.00 m. 40.00-125.00 m.
75.00 m.
80.00 m.
60.00 m.
25.00 w.
15.00 w.
100.00 m.
70.00 m.
100.00 m.
60.00 m.
125.00-
60.00-100.00
m.
150.00
m.
75.00- 100.00 m.
75.00 m.
15.00- 40.OOw.
12.00 w.
75.00 m.
12.00 w.
50.00 m.
12.00 w.
90.00 m.
75.00 m.
20.00 w.
15. OOw.
SO. 00 m.
80.00-125.00 m. 10.00- 18. OOw.
100.00 m.
70.00 m.
60.00 m.
100.00 m.
65.00 m.
100.00 m.
75.00 m.
20.00 w.
' 12.00 w.
179
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
LIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES, JULY, 1918—Continued.
Telephone
operators
(switchboard),
female.
Structuraliron workers.
$7.00 d.
Waiters.
Waitresses.
$35.00 m.
.72J h.
50.00 m.
.75 h.
Casual workers,
female.
$14.00 w.
3.00 d.
$3.00 d.
$2.00 d.
8.00 w.
. 40 h.
.35 h.
112.00 w.
112.00 w.
. 40 h.
.30 h.
2 2.20 d.
$26.00- 40.00 m.
.35 h.
.25 h.
$4,00 d.
.65 h.
Casual workers,
male.
$15.00- 22.00 w.
8.00- 12.00 w.
.25 h.
$50.00-60.00 m.
2.00 d.
$0.68-
50.00 m.
2.00 d.
.80 h.
12.00 w.
$8.00-14.00 w.
8.00- 12.00 w.
.70 h.
12.00- 15.00 w.
60.00 m.
25.00 m.
3.00- 12.00 w.
3.00-10.00 w.
.35-
. 2 >h.
. 45 h.
2.25 d.
3.50 d.
2.50 d.
.30 h.
1.25 d.
. 40 h.
.35 h.
2.00 d.
.62-ih.
18.00 w.
8.00 w.
.35 h.
. 70 h.
. 80-
8.00 w.
18.00 w.
9.00 w.
. 40 h.
. 25 h.
10.00 w.
20.00 w.
8.00 w.
. 40 h.
2.00 d.
1.75 d.
. 75 h.
50.00 m.
10.00 w.
7.00 w.
.35 h.
. 90 h.
12. 00-15. 00 w.
18.00 w.
10.00- 11.00 w.
. 40 h.
.25 h.
. 35 h.
1. 75 d.
. 35 h.
2.10 d.
. 30 h.
. 20 h.
.80 h.
. 75 h.
...................
.50 h.
. 19 h.
10.00- 15.00 w.
6.00- 8.00 w.
12.00 w.
7.00 w.
1.00 d.
.85 h.
.90 h.
. 20 h.
9.00 w.
8.00- 14.00 w.
12.00- 18.00 w.
7.00- 9.00 w.
.35 h.
1.50 d.
8.00 w.
7.00 w.
3.50 d.
2.00 d.
8.00 w.
3.00 d.
1.00 d.
15.00 w.
18.00 w.
. 35- .40 h.
. 25 h.
. 25 h.
l.COd.
.35 h.
. 25 h.
10.00 w.
1
. 20 h.
. 35 h.
9.00 w.
9.00 w.
..............................
.30 h.
6.00 w.
. 80 h.
.80 h.
. 35 h.
10.00 w.
8.00 w.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
50.00 m.
8. 00 w.
7.00 w.
14.00 w.
1 And board and room.
[655]
180
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
RATES OF WAGES PA ID TO W O R K ER S PLACED IN EM PLOYM ENT B Y PUB
State, city, and kind of
office.
Blacksmiths.
Boiler makers.
Bricklayers.
Carpenters.
Cleaners and
scrubbers,
female.
Oklahoma:
Ardmore ( Fed.-Sta.)
$0.55 h.
Enid (Fed.-Sta.)___
$1.00 h.
SO. 2o ll.
McAlester
(Fed.Sta.)........................
$4.25 d.
$5.80 d.
8.00 d.
6.40 d.
2.50 d.
M u sk ogee (F e d .Sta.).......................
O k la h o m a C it y
(Fed.-Sta.).............
4.00 d.
. 55 h.
Tulsa (F ed .-S ta.)....
. 53 h.
Oregon:
Eugene (F ed .)..........
5.50 d.
7.00 d.
5.00 d.
P o r tla n d ( F e d .Mun.)......................
2 5. 77) d.
2 5. 77) d.
27.00 d. 2$5.60- 6.16 d. 2$3.00- 3.20 d.
Pennsylvania:
Philadelphia (F ed.).
. 72.) h.
.70 h.
.70 h.
.65 h.
Pittsburgh (F ed .)... $0.55- . 65 h. .$0.55- . 75 h. $0.60- . 75 h.
.65- . 80 h.
.25- . 30 h.
Rhode Island:
Providence (F ed .). .
.61 h.
.65 h.
. 80 h.
.62h .
. 25 h.
South Carolina:
Charleston (F ed .). . .
. 60 h.
. 72) h.
. 60 h.
.60h .
1.00
d.
Tennessee:
Chattanooga (F e d .).
.38- . 55 h.
. 50 h.
.80h.
6 .35 h.
Columbia (F ed.). . , .
6.05 d.
Jackson (F ed .)..........
. 55 h.
Memphis (F ed .).......
.75 h.
. 65 h.
.80 h.
. 55 h. 35.00-40.00 m.
Nashville
(Fed.Mun.)......................
.40. 55 h.
Texas:
Brownsville (F ed .)..
2.50 d.
Dallas (Fed.-M un.)..
2. 00 d.
Del Rio (F ed .)..........
. 65 h.
iM raso ^r efl.j.........
6.00 d.
2.
50 d.
Fort Worth (F e d .)..
5.00 d.
5. 77) d.
.75 h.
Galveston (Fed )
5. 70 d.
6.00 d.
Houston( Fed.-Mun.) 3.50- 5.20 d.
.65- . 72) h.
. 75 h.
Orange (Fed.-Mun.).
.7 2 )h .
. 70 h.
A75 h.
San Angelo (F ed .)...
San Antonio (Fed )
.55 h.
1. 50 d.
Utah:
Ogden (F ed .)............
5.00 d.
5.80 d.
6.00 d.
Salt Lake City(Fed-)
6.00 d.
6.60 d.
Virginia:
Alexandria (Fed.) . .
5. 80 d.
7.00 d.
6.00
d
Norfolk (F ed .)..........
. 72) h.
. 72) h.
.75 h.
. 62) h.
10.00 w.
Richmond (F e d .)...
.72*h.
. 72) h.
.75 h.
.62)h
.
5.00 w.
Roanoke (F ed .)........
.72)h.
. 62) h.
Washington:
Aberdeen (F ed .)___
2 6.00 d.
2 6.00 d.
2 6.60 d.
Bellingham (Fed.Mun.)......................
5.00 d.
6.00 d.
Everett (F ed .)..........
6. 60 d.
Seattle (F ed .)............
6.00 d.
7.00 d.
6.60 d.
• Seattle (M un.).......... 5.00- 6.00 d.
. 75- 1.00 h. 26.00- 6.60 d.
. 40 h.
Spokane (F ed .)........
5. 50 d.
6.00 d.
7.00 d.
.35 h.
Spokane (Mun.).......
5.00 d.
6.60
d.
Tacoma (Fed.-Mun.)
5.77) d.
5.77) d.
6. 60 d.
50 h
Walla W alia ( Fed.).
4. 50 d.
Wenatchee (F ed.)..
Yakima (F ed.).........
.02 h.
6.00 d.
6.60 d.
Wisconsin:
Green Bay (F e d .)...
.42- . 47 h.
.25- . 30 h.
Madison (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)....................
.45 h.
.65 h.
. o5 h .
Milwaukee (F e d .). .
. 50 h.
. 60 h.
. 50 h.
. 50 h.
.25 h.
Oshkosh (F e d .).. ..
Racine (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)...............
. 47)- . 50 h.
. 42)- . 45 h.
. 25 h.
Superior (F ed .)............
75.00 m.
. 65 h.
. ou n.
Wyoming:
Cheyenne (F ed .)___
. 55 h.
1
1For 9 hours.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
- For 8 hours.
8 And board and room.
[656]
4And board.
MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW,
181
LIC EMPLOYM ENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JU LY, 1918-Continue<L
Cooks, male.
Cooks, female.
Drivers, teams
ters, etc.
$10.00-118.00 w.
$7.00-112.00 w.
$3.00-$4.00 d.
15.00 w.
10.00 w.
15.00 w.
2.50 d.
12.00- 15.00 w.
7.00- 10.00 w.
2.50 d.
.............................. $25.00- 40.00 m.
60.00 m
10.00 w.
15.00 w.
i 3.00 d.
40.00 m.
75.00 m.
60.00 m.
75.00 m.
4.50 d.
3.75 d.
4.00 d.
6.00- 15.00 w.
40.00 m.
16.00 w.
18.00 -23.50 w.
8.00 w.
. 28 h.
.35 h.
5.00 w.
. 30 h.
$0.30- . 40 h.
4 75.00-125.00 m.
318. 00- 24.00 w.
. 27 h.
35.00- 60.00 m.
60.00 m.
. 80 h.
Dock laborers.
Farm hands.
Hod carriers.
$40.00 m.
$0.80 h.
$0. 40 h.
3.50 d.
3.00 d.
4.00 d.
2 2. 00 d.
4.50 d.
.701). 425.00- 45.00 m.
3 ao 00 45 00 m
2 3.85 d.
35.00 m.
. 45 h.
2 00 d
.40 h.
3.00 d.
5.00- 7.00 w.
. 20 h.
3.00 w.
9.00 w.
15.00 \v.
33.00 d.
50.00-100.00 m.
4 55.00 m.
12 . 00- 22.00 w.
15.00 w.
4 25.00 m.
60.00 m.
20.00 w.
4 25.00 w.
2.25- 2.75 d.
. 40 h.
50.00 m.
3.00 d.
25.00 m.
7.00 w.
4.00- 5.00 w.
100.00 m.
25.00 w.
100.00 m.
75.00-150.00 m.
80.00 m.
125.00 m.
100.00-150.00 m.
1 .75 d.
3.00 d.
45.00 m.
25.00 m.
10 . 00- 18.00 w.
6.00 w.
10.00 w.
5.00 w.
125.00 m.
50.00- 80.00 m.
50.00 m.
60.00 m.
45.00- 75.00 m.
45.00 m.
75.00 m.
3.00 d.
60.00 m.
85.00 m.
110.00 m.
1 00 d
43.50 d.
422.50 m
4 1.00 d.
2.25 d.
20.00 w.
12.00-14.00 w.
12.00 \v.
2.50 d.
4 1.50-
2.50 d.
s . 25 h.
1.50- 2.50d
1 00 d
3.50d
3 50 d
.35- . 40 h.
. 35 h.
2.00 d.
45.00 m.
4 40.00 m.
2 4.00 d.
.S 0 h.
3.50 d.
. 70 h.
4.00 d.
2 4.00- 4.50 d.
100.00 m.
75.00 m.
4.50- 5.00 d.
4.00 d.
65.00 m.
4.00 d.
.65- . 75 h.
. 65- 1.10 h.
. 32i- . 35 h.
3 60.00 m.
3
65.00 m
65.00 m.
60.00-100.00 m.
65.00 m.
65.00 m.
.45.00- 80.00 m.
5.00 d.
65.00 m
75.00 m.
18. 00 w.
80.00 m.
5.00 w.
7.00- 15.00 w.
4.50 w.
. 35 h.
3.00 d.
.35 h.
55.00 m.
45.00 m.
65.00- 80.00 m.
4 70.00 m.
50.00- 80.00 m.
3.50 d.
. 35 h.
4.00 d.
45.00 m.
3.00- 3.50 d.
100.00 m.
45.00 m.
3.00 d.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[657]
.40- .50 h.
.42Jh.
2 4.50- 6.50 d.
4.50 d.
6.00 d.
45.00 60.00 m
55.00 m.
30.00 m.
‘ inside city limits; outside city limits, $0.55 h.
.40 h.
3.00- 4.00 d.
6 Ship $0.70 and second class, $0.65 h.
.35 h.
182
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R A TES OF W AGES PA ID TO W OR K ER S PLACED IN EM PLOYM ENT B Y PU B
State, city, and kind
of office.
House
servants.
Inside
wiremen.
Laborers.
Laundry
operators,
male.
Oklahoma:
Ardmore (Fed.-Sta.)
$0.30 h.
Enid (Fed.-Sta.1___
$0.50 h.
.35 h. $10.00-$15.00 w.
McAlester
(Fed.4. 80 d.
S ta .)........................
$5.00 w.
3.50 d.
2, 00 d.
Muskogee(Fed.-Sta.) $5.00- 6.00 w.
$2.50- 3.00 d.
O k la h o m a C it y
(Fed.-Sta.).............
1. 00 d.
Tulsa (F ed .-S ta .).. .
.40 h.
8.00 w.
Oregon:
Eugene (F ed .)..........
. 50 h.
3.25 d.
20. 00 w.
P o'! 1 1 a n d (Fed.5. 774 d.
. 45 h.
Mun.)......................
35.00 m.
25.00 w.
Pennsylvania:
Philadelphia (Fed.).
. 60 h.
.35- . 40 h.
IS. 00 w.
9.00 w.
Pittsburgh (F ed .)... 2 30.00-35.00 m . $0.40- . 50 h.
. 37|- . 42 h.
Rhode Island:
Providence (F ed .)...
.60 h.
.35 h.
. 35 h.
South Carolina:
Charleston (F ed .). . . 3.50- 5.00 w.
.55- . 60 h.
.30 h.
Tennessee:
Chattanooga (F ed.).
5.00 w.
3 2.50 d.
Columbia (F ed .)___
3.30 d.
. 30 h.
Jackson (F ed .)..........
Memphis (F ed .)....... 5.00-10.00 w.
. 60 h.
.30 h.
Nashville
(Fed.. 30 h.
Mun ) ......................
Texas:
Brownsville (F ed.)..
2.50 w.
Dallas (Fed.-M un.)..
6.50 w.
2.50 d.
12.00 w.
Del Rio (F ed .)..........
* 5.00 w.
1.50 d.
El Paso (F ed .)..........
* 4.00 w.
1.50 d.
7.00 d.
Fort Worth (F ed .)..
3.50 d.
10.00 w.
Galveston (F ed .)__
15.00 m.
.30- .40 h.
Houston! Fed.-Mun.) 5.00- 8.00 w.
2.00- 3.50 d.
Orange (Fed.-Mun,).
. 37- . 40 h.
.55 h.
San Angelo (F e d .)..
25.00 m.
2.50 d.
San Antonio (F ed .).
5.00 w.
.30 h.
l.OOd.
Utah:
Ogden (F ed .)............
* 25.00 m.
. 40 h.
.46f h.
Salt Lake City (Fed.)
10.00 w.
i 3.50 d.
Virginia:
Alexandria (F ed .)...
4.00 d.
1.50 d.
5.80 d.
Norfolk (F ed .).......... 3.00- 5.00 w.
.35 h.
. 70 h.
20.00 w.
Richmond (F ed .). . . 4.00- 5.00 w.
. 70 h.
.35- .40 h.
Roanoke (F ed .)........
. 72) h.
.35 h.
Washington:
Aberdeen (F ed .)___ 35.00-50.00 m.
24.00d.
Bellingham (Fed.Mun ) ......................
.50 h.
Everett (F ed .).........
.45 h.
Seattle (F ed .)...........
40.00 m.
4.00 d.
Seattle (M un.).......... 25.00-60.00 m.
.75 h. 14.00- 5.00 d. 18.00-25.66 w.
Spokane (F ed .)........
30.00 m.
6.50 d.
4.00 d.
21.00 w.
Spokane (M un.).......
. 50 h.
Tacoma (Fed.-Mun.)
4.50 d.
7.00 d.
Walla Walla (F ed .).
30.00 m
3.00 d.
Wenatchee (F ed .)...
4.00 d.
Yakima ( F e d .)..) ...
40.00 m
4.00 d.
Wisconsin:
Green Bay (F e d .)... 5 4.00-10.00 w.
. 30- . 35 h.
La Crosse (F ed .)___ 4.00- 7.00 w.
.45 h.
•
Madison (Fed.-Sta.M un.)......................
.40 h.
Milwaukee (F e d .)...
. 25 h.
.40 h.
• 47ih.
Oshkosh (F ed.) . . . . .
5.00 w.
.25 h.
Racine (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)...................... 6.00- 8.00 w
.324- .474 h.
Superior (F ed .)........ 15.00-20.00 m
‘ 4.00 d.
Wyoming:
Cheyenne (F ed .)___ 40.00-50.00 m.
.30- . 50 h. 25.00-30.00 w.
1 For 8 hours.
2 And board and room.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Laundry
operators,
female.
$6. 00-$9.00 w.
1. 50 d.
1.50 d.
.214 h.
15.00 w.
7.00 w.
. 17 li.
5.00 w.
6.00- 9.00 w.
10.00 w.
1.50 d.
l.OOd.
10.00-15.00 w.
5.00-10.00 w.
6.00 w.
10.00-20.00 w
1.75- 2.50 d.
13.00 w.
15.00 w.
.25 h.
.20- . 30 h.
.1.5- . 18 h.
18.00-20.00 w.
3 Inside city limits; outside city limits, $3.30 per day.
[G58]
183
m o n t h l y labor r e v ie w ,
LIC EM PLOYM ENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JULY, 1918—Continued.
Machinists.
Molders.
SO. 55 h.
5.80 d.
Plasterers.
Painters.
$6.00 d.
Plumbers.
$0.50 h.
$0. ,55 h.
10. 72 h.
. 50h.
$5.00-118.00 w.
6. 20 d.
8.00 d.
6.00 d.
10.00 w.
. 72 h.
12. 50 w.
.70 h.
.53 h.
5.00 d.
6.00 d.
i 6. 60 d.
1 5. 50 d.
1 7. 00 d.
.60 h.
i 5.774 d.
.65- . 72J h.
. 60- . 68h.
. 721 h.
$6.00- 8.00 d.
Saleswomen.
5.00 d.
70.00 m.
1 5.774 d.
45.00 m.
. 75 h.
. 70 h.
. 55 h. ■ $0.60- . 70h.
.6511.
$0. 55- . 60 h.
8.00-15.00 w.
12.00-17.00 W.
. 60 h.
• 60h.
. 55 h.
. 80 h.
. 80 h.
. 18 h.
$0.60- .70h.
. 72 h.
.60 h.
.60 h.
.70 h.
7.50-15.00 w.
.60 h.
. 72 h.
. 40 h.
.50 h.
.75 h.
. 75 h.
8.00-18.00 w.
.60 h.
..............................
. 72 h.
6.00 d.
8.00 d.
.68 h.
. 67- . 721 h.
. 724 h-
5.80 d.
6.50 d.
. 72J h.
4.50 d.
5.50 d.
3.53- 5.20 d.
.60- . 75 h.
.72 h.
. 72 h.
. 82| h.
.60h.
6.00 d.
15.00 w.
9.00-15.00 w.
‘ 27.00 m.
5.60 d.
5.20 d.
. 72-4 h.
. 721 h.
. 75 h.
5.00 d.
. 60 h.
. 60 h.
.55 h.
. 72h.
. 72J h.
6.00 d.
. 70 h.
. 60 h.
.60 h.
• 721 h.
. 721 h.
• 724 h.
1 8.00 d.
1 5.50 d.
i 6.00 d.
8.00-10.00 w.
Q»00- 7.00 w.
6.00 w.
12.00 w.
6.00 d.
fi. and.
l fi 00 7. 00 d.
6.00 d.
6.00 d.
$0.75- l.OOh.
7.00 d.
1 6.00- 7.00 d.
6.00 d.
6.00 d.
7.20 d.
6.00 d.
8.00 d.
7.20 d.
.55 h.
.55 h.
3.50 d.
. 40 h.
. 40 h.
6.60 d.
1 5.00- 6.00 d.
6.00 d.
12.00 w.
. 60:1 h.
h
.37 h.
.45
.60 h.
_721 h.
5.50 d.
6.00-10.00 d.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
. 80 h.
‘ And board.
6 Female.
[659]
8.03-10.00 w.
184
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
R A TES OF W AGES PA ID TO W O R K E R S PLACED IN EMPLOYM ENT B Y PUB
State, city, and kind
of office.
Oklahoma:
Ardmore (Fed.-Sta.)
Enid (Fed.-Sta.)___
M c A le s te r ( F e d .S ta .)........................
Muskogee(Fed.-Sta.)
OklahomaCity
(Fed.-Sta.).............
Tulsa (F ed .-S ta.)....
Oregon:
Eugene (F ed .)..........
P or t l a n d (F e d .Mun.)......................
Pennsylvania:
Philadelphia (Fed.).
Pittsburgh (F ed .)...
Rhode Island:
Providence (F e d .)..
South Carolina:
Charleston (F e d .)...
Tennessee:
Chattanooga (Fed.).
Columbia (F ed .)___
Jackson (Fed.)..........
Memphis (Fed.).......
Nashville
(Fed.Mun.)......................
Texas:
Brownsville (Fed.)..
Dallas (Fed.-Mun.) .
Del Rio (Fed.)..........
El Paso (Fed.)..........
Fort Worth (F ed .)..
Galveston (Fed.)___
Houston
(Fed.Mun.)......................
Orange (Fed.-Mun.)
San Angelo (F e d .)..
San Antonio (Fed.)..
Utah:
Ogden (F ed .)............
Salt Lake City (Fed.)
Virginia:
Alexandria (F ed .)...
Noriolk-^Fed.)..........
Richmond (F ed .). . .
Roanoke (F ed.)........
Washington:
Aberdeen (F ed.) ___
Bellingham (Fed.Mun.)......................
Everett (F ed.)..........
Seattle (F ed .)...........
Seattle (M un.)..........
Spokane (F ed .)........
Spokane (Mun.).......
Tacoma (Fed.-Mnn.)
Walla Walla (F ed .).
Wenatchee (F ed .)...
Yakima (F ed .)..........
Wisconsin:
Green Bay (F e d .)...
La Crosse (F ed .)___
Madison (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
Milwaukee (F ed .)...
Oshkosh (F ed .)........
Racine (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)......................
Superior (F ed .)........
Wyoming:
Cheyenne (F ed .)___
Sewingmachine
operators,
male.
Seamstresses.
Sewingmachine
operators,
female.
Stenographers, Stenographers,
male.
female.
$75.00 m.
S50.00-S75.00 m. $50.00- 75.00 m.
$2.00 d.
$2.00 d.
$2.00 d.
10.00 w.
50.00 m.
50.00 m.
75.00-100.00 m. 75.00-100.00 m.
100.00 m.
90.00 m.
90.00 m.
60.00 m.
12.00 w.
12.00 w.
2.00 d.
2.50 d.
35.00 w. $10.00-35.00 w.
.50 h.
$2.00- 3.04 d. $3.60- 4.60 d.
.25 h.
4.00 d.
3.00 d.
1,500 y.
900-1,200 y.
80.00-110.00 m. 60.00- 8^00 m.
15.00 w.
12.00 w.
2.00- 3.04 d. 100.00-125.00 m.
100.00 m.
18.00 w.
125.00 m.
1.00- 3.50 d.
6.00-20.00 w.
125.00 m. 10.00- 25.00 w.
60.00 m.
2.00 d.
75.00 m.
3.00 d.
100.00 m.
2.50 d.
9.00 w.
1.50 d.
110.00 m.
90.00 m.
65.00 m.
75.00 m.
85.00 m.
80.00 m.
75.00 m.
100.00 m.
15.00 w.
105.00 m.
8.00-10.00 w.
10.00-12.00 w.
8.00-10.00 w.
80.00 m.
8.0010.00 w. 125.00 m. 75.00-100.00 m.
6.00- 8.00 w.
125.00 m. 40.00- 90.00 m.
100.00 m.
80.00 m.
100.00 m.
2.00- 2.50 d.
14.00 w.
21.00 w.
14.00 w.
100.00-150.00 m.
90.00 m.
75.00 m.
60.00 m.
65.00 m.
100.00 m.
1.50- 2.00 d.
50.00 m.
2.00 d.
7.00- 8.00 w.
25.00 w.
75.00 in.
75.00 m.
60.00 m.
11.00 w.
100.00 m.
60.00 m.
75.00 m.
6.00- 8.00 w.
55.00-100.00 m.
1
1And board.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2And room and board.
[660]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
185
LIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN THE U N IT E D STATES, JULY, 1918-Concluded.
Structuraliron workers.
Telephone
operators
(switchboard),
female.
$1.00 d.
$5.00-812.00 w.
$7.00 w.
$5.00- 10.00 w.
$0. 35 h.
$0. 30 h.
7.50 w.
$7.00- 8.00 w.
6.00 w.
8.00- 12.00 w.
6.00 w.
6.00- 10.00 w.
. 35 h.
2.50 d.
. 25 h.
$1.25- 1.75 d.
8.00 w.
9.00 w.
9.00 w.
.40 h.
.30 h.
.35 h.
35.00 m.
. 35 h.
. 25 h
16.00 w.
.45 h.
. 40 h.
9. 00- 15.00 w.
i 25.00- 40.00 m.
8.00- 10.00 w. 212.00- 15.00 w. 16.00- 10.00 w.
.35 h.
2.00 d.
52.00 m.
*6.00 d.
13.00 w.
10.00 w.
.55 h.
. 75 h.
Casual workers,
female.
Waitresses.
-
$0.80- 1. 50 h.
.50- .65 h.
Casual workers,
male.
Waiters.
7.00- 16.00 w.
»
20.00 w.
10.00 w.
8.00 w.
i 4.00 w.
i 30.00 m.
1 3.00 w.
50.00 m.
3. .50- 8.50 w.
45.00 m.
1 14.00 w.
15.00 w.
15.00 w.
. 25 h.
. 25 h.
1 no d
2.50 d.
1.00 d.
2.25 d.
1.50- 2.00 d.
8.00 w.
10.00 w.
'.25 h.
1.00 d.
3.50 d.
2.00 d.
8.00- 10.00 w.
5.00- 10.00 w.
. 35 h.
3.00 d.
1.00 d.
1.00 d.
1 9.00- 14.00 W.
.60 h.
.50 h.
.30 h.
8.00- 10.00 w.
9.00- 10.00 w.
2. 00 d.
10.00- 15.00 w.
18.00 w.
i 18.00 w.
8 1.50- 2.00 d.
10.00- 20.00 w.
13.00 w.
18.00 w.
15.00- 21.00 w
18.00 w.
12.00 w.
2.00- 3.00 d.
13.00 w.
4.00 d.
3.00 d.
10.00 w.
i 4.50- 5.00 w.
4.00- 7.00 W.
4.00- 7.00 w.
.50 h
.40 h.
. 50 h.
$0.50- . 75 h.
. 40 h.
4.00 d.
. 45 h.
.25-
40.00 m.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
6.00- 7.00 w.
.2522.50 m.
50.00 in.
2.00 d.
l. lOd.
3.00 d.
10.00 w.
.45 h.
9.00 W.
1.50 d.
12.00 w.
i 5.00 w.
1. 75 d.
15.00 w.
2.00 d.
. 35 h.
10.00 w.
6.00- 9.00 w.
. 40-
8 For 8 hours.
[G61]
.35-
40 h
. 35 h.
.35 h.
.50h.
.35 h.
.30 h.
.35 h.
.15. 25-
. 35 h.
. 35 h.
. 35 h.
.25-
.25 h.
. 30 h.
.35 h.
.30 h.
.35 h.
. 40 h.
. 25 h.
. 30 h.
. 50 h.
2.50- 3.00 d.
186
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
LABOR ADJUSTMENT AND THE PAYMENT OF BONUSES AT COAL MINES.
The United States Fuel Administration announced on July 23,1918,
that at a conference between the Federal Fuel Administrator, Harry
A. Garfield, and the international officials of the United Mine Workers
of America, a complete understanding was reached wherein all
questions pertaining to labor in the coal mining industry will re'main
under the jurisdiction of the United States Fuel Administrator.
This is in accordance with an understanding previously reached
between the Secretary of Labor and the United States Fuel
Administrator.
In order that this arrangement may be made effective, the United
States Fuel Administrator has created a bureau of labor, to which
all matters relating to labor controversies will be referred for settle
ment. The United States Fuel Administrator has appointed Mr.
John P. White, formerly president of the United Mine Workers of
America, and Mr. Rembrandt Peale, coal operator for Central Penn
sylvania, joint heads of this bureau, with power as his deputies to
consider and dispose of all matters concerning labor in the coal
mining industry properly coming before the Fuel Administration
and subject to the procedure prescribed in existing joint agreements.
The following statement of principles was made by the United
States Fuel Administrator at conferences at which were present Mr.
Frank J. Hayes, president, Mr. John L. Lewis, vice-president, and
Mr. William Green, secretary and treasurer of the United Mine
Workers of America, and Mr. John P. White and Mr. Rembrandt
Peale, representing the Fuel Administration, all of whom acquiesced
in the statement as expressing their understanding of the principles
followed by the United States Fuel Administration and by the Inter
national Union of Mine Workers in settling questions relating to
labor in the coal mining industry, it being understood that wherever
the Federal Government is called upon to intervene or of its own
motion intervenes in the settlement of such questions, whether in
organized or unorganized fields, jurisdiction shall remain for the
present and until otherwise arranged in the hands of the United
States Fuel Administrator. The text of the understanding is as
follows:
The United States Fuel Administrator understands—
(а) That no strike shall take place pending the settlement of any controversy until
the dispute has been reviewed and decided by him;
(б) That recognition of the unions shall not be exacted during the continuance of
the war except where now recognized by collective bargaining;
(c)
That where, by joint contract between employer and employed, machinery is
provided for the settlement of controversies, United States Fuel Administrator shall
not be required to intervene or to mediate until such means have been invoked and
the remedy exhausted without reaching adjustment;
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[ 062]
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
187
(d) That where the United States Fuel Administrator intervenes, substantially,
the principles, provisions, and practices laid down in the Maryland and upper Potomac
settlement of May 6, 1918, shall be accepted by the workers, and employers and their
chosen representatives, as sufficient.
(e) On the basis of the foregoing understanding which he regards as just and impera
tive in the present crisis, the United States Fuel Administrator has insisted and will
continue to insist that any adjustment of labor questions in the coal mining industry,
whether by joint agreement between operators and mine workers or by agreements
severally made with the United States Fuel Administrator, shall embody wherever
applicable and substantially the principles, provisions, and practices laid down in
the Maryland and upper Potomac settlement of May 6, 1918, and recognize the
authority of the International Union of Mine Workers in the organized fields and
their jurisdiction over controversies arising in said fields. More specifically, the
United States Fuel Administrator has insisted and will continue to insist in all such
settlements—
(а) That employers will be required to relinquish the right to discharge employees
because of affiliation with labor unions;
(б) That employers will be required to recognize the right of their employees to
organize by peaceful methods that do not interrupt production;
(c) That the so-called automatic penalty clause now in force being regarded by
mine workers as a cardinal principle of collective bargaining during the continuance
of the war, will be included in all agreements as a condition precedent to the allowance
of increased price permitted to operators;
(d) That where the union shops now exist the same shall continue, and where
union and nonunion men work together the continuance of such condition shall not
be deemed a grievance.
It should be stated in this connection that the Maryland and
upper Potomac settlement of May 6, 1918, to which reference ,is
made, contains, among others, provisions which may be summarized
as follows:
Mine committees shall be* elected, and the management shall re
ceive such committees, to adjust disputes which the superintendent
and the mine foreman and the employee or employees affected are
unable to adjust. In case it is impossible thus to reach a settle
ment, the dispute shall be referred to an umpire appointed at the
request of the United States Fuel Administrator who shall have the
right to review the appointment. Members of committees are given
protection in the discharge of their duties.
The employees’ right to join any labor organization is recognized,
and they are not to be discriminated against for such action. Em
ployees discharged because of union affiliation are accorded the right
to reemployment.
Employees are given the right to employ a checkweighman.
There shall be equitable distribution of mine cars.
The semimonthly pay day shall be maintained at all mines.
The right of employees to meet in peaceable assemblage shall not
be interfered with or abridged.
The penalty clause, providing for the deduction of $1 per day from
the wages of any employee who interrupts the operation of the mine
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[663]
188
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
or causes a strike, and the payment of a fine at the rate of SI per day
for every mine worker affected by the operator who locks out his
J en without just cause, is recognize 1.
PAY M EN T OF BONUSES.
A definite step was taken by the Fuel Administrator against the
payment of bonuses by coal operators in a statement issued on Au
gust 5, 1918, declaring that the “ payment of bonuses in any form is
contrary to the spirit of the wage agreements mad 3 by operators and
mine workers with the President of the United States last Novemger.” 1 Announcement is made that the payment of bonuses will be
considered a violation of those agreements and that steps will be
taken ,o reduce the mine price of coal as a penalty. The statement
by Dr. Garfield regarding payment of bonuses is as follows:
Information is reaching me that coal operators are bidding against each other for
labor by payment of bonuses. This inevitably causes unrest and shifts but does not
increase the total production of coal. Maximum production is essential to the suc
cessful conduct of the war and for the welfare of the boys in the trenches. The democ
racy we are seeking to establish at home and abroad demands that maximum produc
tion be based on an arrangement fair to all concerned—to all mine workers, all operators
and all the public.
’
The payment of bonuses in any form is contrary to the spirit of the wage agreements
made by operators and mine workers with the President of the United States last No
vember. Those agreements covered the period of the war. With full confidence
therefore that the Fuel Administration will have the support of all associations and
individuals in curbing violations of that agreement, I hereby announce that if any
operator hereafter undertakes to pay a bonus in any form in violation of the terms or
spirit of the agreements above referred to, I shall assume that the mine price of coal
allowed that operator is too high and I shall accordingly order reduction thereof.
Also, I am directing investigation of alleged payments of bonuses now or since the
November agreement, and shall make such further order and regulations as the facts
may justify.
RECENT APPLICATION OF THE EIGHT-HOUR DAY.
During the war period previous movements for shorter hours have
continued and have been greatly accelerated by the fact that Govern
ment contracts have required the eight-hour day. The eight-hour
day has regularly been waived and overtime work required at in
creased compensation. The eight-hour movement gained headway
before the United States entered the war. As an instance of this
fact may be cited the movement for the reduction of hours in the
machine trades, which began late in 1915 and continued in 1916.
Before our entry into the war railroad employees secured the socalled basic eight-hour day and the anthracite-coal agreement for an
eight-hour day was also signed. Since the establishment of the
1 See Monthly R eview for December,
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[664]
1917, pp. no, 111.
189
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
National War Labor Board, whose program of administration is com
mitted to the eight-hour day, the movement has gained very consider
able headway.
In following this movement, it may be noted, it has not always been
possible to distinguish in the reports and sources of information the
eight-hour day as representing an actual working day and the eighthour day which is made the basis of wage compensation with extra
pay for work beyond eight hours. However, while the movement
has not always signified a reduction in hours of work for the wage
earner, it has at least signalized the acceptance of the principle of the
shorter work day.
Industries which as a whole have gone on an eight-hour day with
additional pay for overtime ar6 contained in the following tabulation
As the table carries the account only to June 30, 1918, it may be noted
that it does not include the placing of about 28,000 employees of the
Bethlehem Steel Co., at Bethlehem, Pa., on an eight-hour day with
time and one-half for overtime by an award of the National War
Labor Board on July 31 (see pp. 27-30), nor does it contain industries
in which numbers of wage earners have secured a reduction in
hours from time to time as a result of sporadic agreements affecting
only small numbers in certain localities. The number of wage earners
who have secured the eight-hour day in that manner is shown in the
table on page 193. From that table it appears that during 1917 and
the first six months of 1918 about 935,000 workers have gone on an
eight-hour basis.
IN D U STR IES WHICH H AVE GONE ON AN EIGHT-HOUR DA Y SINCE THE E N TR Y OF
THE U N IT E D STATES INTO THE W AR U P TO JUNE 30, 1918.»
Number affected.
Industry.
Date.
How accomplished.
Establishments.
G arm ent, trades........................
1917.......................... Collective agreements.
June 19, 1917.......... Agreement between
the Secretary of
War and the presi
dent of the Ameri
can Federation of
Labor.
Harness and saddlery indus Aug. 3,1917............ Executive order........... 100 manufacturers
signed
agree
try (so far as engaged on
ment.
Government work).
Lumber and saw mills of Mar. 1, 1918, and Action of employees
W ashington, O r e g o n ,
later.
and advice of United
States Signal Corps.
Idaho, and California.
News-print paper in d u stry ... July 1,1918............ Award National War
19
Labor-Board.
S h ip y a rd s
.............................. Various dates........ Labor
Adjustment
Board.
arbitration
Slaughtering and meat pack May 1,1918............ Federal
award.
ing.
Government
work.
construction
Employ
ees.
178,000
2 108,000
(8)
50,000
40,000
133.000
100.000
i All Government contract work, by act of 1912 and Executive order of May, 1917, should also be included.
Because of the possibility of different interpretations of the law, no statement as to the number of industries
or the number of employees affected can be made.
a This number not included in tables below, as the trades and occupations affected are not known.
* Not reported.
77262°— 18------ 13
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[665]
190
MONTHLY LABOR BEVIEW.
The recent eight-hour movement began with the railroad brother
hoods in 1916-17. As a result of a threatened strike certain adjust
ments were made in pay on the basis of an 8-hour day instead of a
former 10-hour day. This change was secured by the Adamson law
of September 3, 1916. The new day has been termed by the railroad
world the basic 8-hour day. This change in the railroad day has
affected approximately 400,000 workers.
The 8-hour day has been in force in the Government navy yards
and arsenals for many years, and time and one-half has been paid for
overtime work. The Federal Bureau of Engraving and Printing,
where mostly women are employed, has always been an 8-hour estab
lishment, but in periods of rush increased hours have regularly been
worked. Only recently was the 8-hour day introduced with time and
one-half paid for overtime. This has affected approximately 6,600
employees in the bureau. All Government construction work con
nected with the building of the Army camps and cantonments is on
an 8-hour day with extra pay for overtime. At present, over 108,000
employees are so affected.
1he 8-hour day with overtime pay has now become universal in the
shipyards of the United States Emergency Fleet Corporation in which
approximately 133,000 employees are engaged.
Coal mining has very largely been an 8-hour industry, at least in
the organized bituminous coal fields. The anthracite coal fields had
since 1903 operated on a 9-hour basis, but in 1916, by agreement,
the 8-hour day was accepted. That agreement when made affected
over 180,000 employees; at present only about 152,000 workmen
are engaged in the anthracite fields.
- The slaughtering and meat-packing industry has always been
classed as a 10-hour industry. Beginning May 1, 1918, it became an
8-hour industry with extra pay for overtime, by an arbitration award
handed down by a Federal arbitrator.1 This award has affected
about 100,000 workmen.
In the machine trades a rapid movement for the reduction of
hours began in 1915, chiefly in firms having Government contracts,
though not exclusively restricted to such plants. Roughly speaking’
this movement now affects 114,000 workers.
Another group of workers who have benefited recently by the 8hour day is that of the garment workers. Large numbers of these
during the latter half of 1916 and the first half of the year 1917
secured by agreement the 8-hour day. Approximately 178,000
garment workers now have a prevailing 8-hour day. This is an
industry which has usually been considered as having a work day of
9 hours or over.
1See Monthly
\
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
R e v ie w , M ay, 1918, p p. 115 to 127.
[ 666]
191
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Lumber operators in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California,
acting on the advice of Government representatives of the United
States Signal Corps, have placed their establishments on an 8-hour
day with overtime pay. This has affected probably 50,000 workmen.
' Lastly, there may be instanced the placing of the news-print paper
industry upon an 8-hour day, with time and one-half for overtime,
accomplished by an award of the National War Labor Board.1 This
award affects 19 establishments in the news-print mills of the United
States. While the establishments directly affected employ only
about 18,000 workmen, altogether the agreement affects probably
40,000 employees.3
CASES OF REDUCTION OF TH E WORKING D A Y TO EIGHT HOURS, 1915 TO 1918.
The following tables present information as to the reduction of
hours of labor to 8 per day, or 48 per week, in manufacturing and
other establishments in the United States during 1915, 1916, 1917,
and the first six months of 1918, as reported by leading trade-union
periodicals, labor papers, trade journals, daily papers published in
various parts of the country, and by replies to inquiries made by the
bureau. While the information is necessarily incomplete, it is believed
that the 881 reports from which data were obtained include no
duplications.
As indicated in the following summary, 403 of these reports show
the number of establishments involved, the total reported being 4,240.
The number of employees affected was shown in 220 reports, the total
being 1,448,532.
SUMMARY OF REPORTS SHOWING REDUCTION OF THE WORKING DAY TO $ HOURS,
1915 TO 1918.
Item.
1915
121
Total number of reports exam ined.......................
Reports showing number of establishments
involved:
Number of reports..............................................
99
Number of establishments reported..............
224
Reports showing number of employees affected:
Number of reports.............................................
75
Number of employees reported...................... 171,978
Reports showing both establishments involved
and employees affected:
Number of reports.............................................
73
Number of establishments reported..............
174
Number of employees reported...................... 168,563
1The award is printed in full in the Monthly
*Official B u lle tin , July 3 1 ,1918, p. 19.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1916
1917,
Janu
ary to
June.
1918,
Janu
ary to
June.
Total.
210
203
166
181
881
134
3,027
69
226
63
308
38
455
403
4,240
84
342,138
34
512,587
13
91,208
14
330,621
220
1,448,53»
67
2,801
124,125
17
135
50,902
11
11
69
35,051
383
180,300
179
3,562
558,941
L a b oh R ev ie w
[667]
1917
July to
Decem
ber.
for August,
1918, p p . 162, 153.
192
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
The following table shows by industries the number of establish
ments and the number of employees for which reports were obtained
covering the periods specified. As indicated in the preceding sum
mary table, the sources of the data do not in all cases give both
number of establishments and number of employees, hence the total
number of employees shown can not be related to the total number
of establishments given.
NUM BER OF ESTABLISHM ENTS R E PO R T ED AS A D OPTING TH E EIGHT-HOUR DAY
AND NU M BER OF EM PLOYEES R E PO R T ED AS HAVING W O R K D A Y R EDUCED TO 8
HOURS, IN 1915, 1916, 1917, AND THE FIR ST SIX MONTHS OF 1918, B Y INDUSTRIES.
Establishments.
Aluminum manufacturing...........
Bakers _ ................. .............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Boots and shoes_________ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bottlers and brewers......................................
Brass workers........................ ..........................
Broom manufacturers.....................................
Building tr a d e s ................. ............ . . . . . . . . .
Carriages and automobiles.___________ . . .
Cement and concrete.......................................
Chemicals..........................................................
Clerks, store.......................................................
Cooperage...........................................................
Electric and gas lighting ..............................
Electrical supplies...........................................
Flour mills...................... ................ j ................
Food and tobacco.............................................
Foundry and machine shops.........................
Furniture........................................... ...............
Garment workers.............................................
Glass manufacturing.......................................
Hardware and stove manufacturing..........
Hotel and restaurant workers......................
Iron and steel....................................................
Jewelry..............................................................
Laundry................................................ .............
Leather workers...............................................
Lumber................................................ .............
Metal polishers..................................................
Mining................................................................
Municipal and State employees....................
Munitions...........................................................
Musical instruments........................................
Oil workers.......................................................
Par kers............................................ . ................
Paint manufacturing.......................................
Paper manufacturing......................................
Plated ware........................................................
Pattern makers.................................................
Policemen..........................................................
Printing and publishing................................
Railroads............................................................
Rubber goods....................................................
Ship and boat building..................................
Sporting goods..................................................
Street railways..................................................
Telephone and telegraph................................
Textile workers.................................................
Theatrical employees.......................................
Window cleaners'..............................................
Miscellaneous........................................... .
T otal.........................................................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1917,
1917,
1918,
January- July-De- JanuaryJune.
eember.
June.
1916.
1916.
J
1
3
7
1
1
4
2
i
2
1
1
1
2
6
2
7
2
31
59
13
3
14
4
31
74
16
4
5
4
1
2
2
1
2
2
4
1
3
4
5
19
1
4
154
5
1
1
2
6
1
4
1
2
20
1
200
1
23
42
107
33
8
7
h
2
2
1
2
3
1
5
39
38
4
5
4
18
3
8
2
2
1
4
1
1
2
256
5
1,971
3
154
2
1
3
1
2
1
1
1
[ 668]
3
5
23
3
200
2
i
4
364
47
] lg
9
17
200
2
60
Î
4
3
11
18
18
19
69
5
19
8
2
20
i
2
2
19
3
3
20
25
7
4
4
2
6
3
5
1
100
10
28
1
1
11
4
1
1
1
300
224
486
13
2,118
1
2
2
8
3
2
2
2
3
8
Total.
1
1
1
1
2
i
2
1
1
1
i
1
i
3,027
226
308
455
6
55
14
15
1
104
1
300
4
4,240
193
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
N U M BER OF ESTA BLISH M EN TS R E PO R T E D AS A D OPTINO T H E EIGH T-HOUR DAY
A N D N U M B E R OF EM PLOYEES R E PO R T E D .AS H A VING W OR K D A Y R E DU C ED TO S
HOURS, IN 1915, 1916, 1917, AN D TH E FIR ST SIX MONTHS OF 1918, B Y IN D U S T R IE S -
Concluded.
Employees.
1915
Aluminum manufacturing.............................
Bakers.. .
................................................
Boots and shoes................................................
Bottlers and brewers......................................
Brass workers....................................................
Building tr a d e s ...............................................
Carriages and automobiles.............................
Cement and concrete.......................................
Chemicals................................. : .................
Clerks, store .........................................
Cooperage............................................
Electrical supplies....... ...... / ...................
Electric and gas lighting ___ • ..................
Food and tobacco............................................
Foundry and machine shops ........... ■,......
Furniture ............................................
Garment workers..................................
Glass workers................................. .
Hotel and restaurant workers ................
Iron and steel....................................................
Jewelry...............................................................
Laundrv ...........................................................
Leather workers...............................................
Lumber...............................................................
Metal polishers........................ ........................
Mining.................................................................
Municipal and State employees......... .......
Munitions.................. "........................
Musical instruments ..............................
Oil workers........................................................
Paper manufacturing............................
Packers ...............................................
Plated ware ..................................... .
Policemen ...........................................
Printing and publishing ........................
Railroads ............................................
Rubber goods.......................................
Ship and boat building ................... ......
Telephone and telegraph................................
Textile workers................................................
Window cleaners..............................................
Miscellaneous....................................................
Total........................................................
.
40
2,060
1917,
1917,
1918,
January- July-De- JanuaryJune.
cember.
June.
1916
275
1,471
24,000
560
28,676
V
100
*
31,085
45
46
82
3,941
13
852
1,800
è io
1,000
2, ÖÖÖ
1,500
Î2, ÔÔÔ
1,500
300
88,30Ö
11,750
3,185
40
96,600
19,336
314
67,625
2,453
816
2,035
100
125
300
3,000
Total.
275
1,471
24,000
700
2,060
31,086
32,085
45
128
3,500
13
16,793
1,500
300
114,090
354
178,010
100
125
• 300
3,000
35
66
18,000
7, 500
7,180
184.000
4
120
250
171,978
2,000
4,600
1 ,620
50,000
24,000
4,000
300
106,000
150
4,600
53,561
500
214,000
4
24, 000
7,554
17,830
2,985
106,300
1,134
133
6,60u
432,200
1,692
134,370
27,300
574
2,075
1,150
330,621
1,448,532
6,000
54
350
485
1,134
192
1,875
500
10,000
300
2,500
102
1,300
L500
1,250
400,400
800
342,138
FED E R A L EIGHT-HOUR LAW AND EXEC U TIVE
75
1,000
512,587
31
6,600
28,500
2'000
25,000
133,000
2 300
324
1,200
91,208
ORDERS PERTAIN IN G THERETO.
The committee appointed to investigate the question of the
applicability of the eight-hour laws and the Executive orders requir
ing the wages of persons employed upon certain Government work
to be computed upon an eight-hour basic day rate, with time ami
one-half for overtime, submitted the following memorandum to the
War Labor Policies Board:
1. E x i s t in g E ig h t - h o u r L a w s a n d E x e c u t i v e O r d e r s .
Prior to M arch 24, 1917, th ere w ere tw o d ifferen t law s c o n ta in in g p ro v isio n s lim it
in g th e hours of work of laborers an d m e ch a n ics to e ig h t hours.
(a)
B y th e a c t of M arch 3 ,1 9 1 3 (w h ic h a m e n d e d th e a ct of A u g. 1 ,1 8 9 2 ), th e serv
ic e and e m p lo y m e n t of a ll laborers and. m e ch a n ics w h o are n ow or m a y hereafter
b e e m p lo y ed b y th e G o vern m en t of th e U n ite d S ta te s or th e D istr ic t of C olum b ia or
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[6 6 9 ]
194
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
b y a n y contractor or su b con tractor u p on a p u b lic work of th e U n ite d S ta tes or of th e
D istr ict of C olu m b ia are lim ite d an d restricted to e ig h t hours in a n y on e calend ar
day; an d i t i s m a d e a m isd em ean or for a n y officer of th e U n ite d S ta tes G overn m en t
or for a n y su ch contractor or su b con tractor to req u ire or p erm it su ch laborers and
m ech a n ics to w ork m ore th a n e ig h t hours in a n y calen d ar d a y e x c e p t in case of e x
traordinary em erg en cy .
( b ) B y E x e c u t iv e order of t h e P re sid e n t, d a ted A p ril 28, 1917, th e current sta tu s
of war w as d ecla red , “ to c o n stitu te an ‘extraord in ary e m e r g e n c y ’ w ith in th e m ea n
in g of th a t term as u sed in th e eigh t-h ou r a c t of M arch 3, 1913, an d th a t laborers and
m ech a n ics e m p lo y e d ,” in “ th e co n stru ction of a n y m ilita r y b u ild in g or for a n y p u b lic
work w h ic h in th e ju d g m en t of th e S ecretary of W ar is im p o rta n t for purposes of
n a tio n a l d e fe n se ,” w h eth er e m p lo y ed b y G o vern m en t contractors or b y agen ts of th e
G ov ern m en t, m a y b e req u ired to work in e x ce ss of e ig h t hours per d a y . W hen la
borers an d m e ch a n ics u n d er th e p rovision s of th a t order are req u ired to work m ore
th a n e ig h t hou rs th e ir w ages m u st b e co m p u ted u p o n a b asic d a y rate of e ig h t hours
w ith tim e an d on e-h a lf for overtim e.
(c) T h e a ct of J u n e 19, 1912, p rov id ed th a t e v e r y contract* to w h ic h th e U n ite d
S ta tes is a p a rty w h ic h w ill in v o lv e th e e m p lo y m e n t of laborers or m e ch a n ics sh all
c o n ta in a p rov isio n th a t no laborer or m e ch a n ic d oin g a n y part of th e work c o n te m
p la ted b y th e con tra ct sh a ll b e req u ired or p erm itted to work m ore th a n e ig h t hours
in a n y one d a y . T h is a ct e x c e p te d from it s op eration con tracts for su ch m aterials
or a rticles as m a y u s u a lly b e p u rch ased in th e o p en m ark et, w h eth er m ad e to con
form to p a rticu la r sp ec ific a tio n s or not. T h is e x c e p tio n w as lim ite d b y a p rovision
th a t a ll cla sses of work w h ic h h a v e b e e n or are n ow b e in g perform ed b y th e G overn
m e n t sh a ll w h en d o n e b y con tract b e perform ed in accord an ce w ith th e term s of th e
eigh t-h ou r law .
T h is a c t w as su sp en d ed b y th e E x e c u tiv e order of th e P re sid e n t d a ted M arch 24,
1917, p u rsu an t to th e a u th o rity v e ste d in th e P resid en t b y th e n a v a l app rop riation
a c t p roviso ap p roved M arch 4, 1917, u p on th e c o n d itio n th a t th e w ages of persons
e m p lo y ed u p o n su ch con tracts sh a ll b e co m p u ted u p o n a b asic d a y rate of e ig h t hours
w ith tim e an d on e-h a lf for a ll o v e rtim e w ork in e x c e ss of e ig h t hours.
2. D if f ic u l t ie s E x p e r ie n c e d
A p p l ic a t io n of t h e E ig h t - h o u r L a w
E x e c u t iv e O r d e r .
in t h e
of t h e
and
(a) N o d ifficu lties h a v e b e e n ex p e rien ce d in carryin g o u t th e p rovision s of A u gu st
1, 1892, and of M arch 3, 1913.
( b ) I t is in th e a p p lic a tio n of th e E x e c u t iv e order to co n tracts o rig in a lly in c lu d e d
w ith in th e a c t of J u n e 19, 1912, th a t th e greatest d ifficu ltie s h a v e b een en cou n tered .
U n d er th e p resen t la w o n ly th ose con tracts w h ic h w ere su b je ct to th e eigh t-h ou r law
are su b ject to th e p ro v ision s of th e E x e c u t iv e order. T h is has g iv e n rise to a series
of d ifficu lt q u estio n s as to w h eth er th e a rticles con tracted for are u s u a lly p u rchased
in th e o p en m ark et or w h eth er th e G o vern m en t itse lf has b een or is n ow to a n y su b
sta n tia l e x te n t m a n u factu rin g th e se a rticles. F urtherm ore, d ifferen t rulin gs w ere
m ad e b y th e A rm y a n d N a v y w ith resp ect to th e a p p lic a b ility of th e E x e c u tiv e order
of th e P resid en t.
(c) D ifficu lties in sta n d ard izin g w ages. O v ertim e work is one of th e recogn ized
m eth o d s of in crea sin g w ages. U n le ss un iform p rovision s are m ad e for ov ertim e no
stan dard sca le of w ages fix ed b y a n y board w ill p rod u ce th e resu lt d esired , sin c e a
m anu factu rer p a y in g tim e and on e-h alf for o v e rtim e for th e n in th an d te n th hour is
in fa ct p a y in g a 10 per c e n t h igh er w age th an on e w h o p a y s stra ig h t tim e for th is work.
If w e are to e ffe c tiv e ly stan d ard ize w ages w e m u st also stan d ard ize o v ertim e, and
w e can n o t, w ith o u t creatin g n ew d ifficu ltie s w ith labor, req u ire an em p lo y er w ho is
m a in ta in in g th e 8-hour b a sic d a y to ch an ge to th e 10-hour d a y . T h is can p rob ab ly
b e o v erco m e b y ta k in g th is fa c t in to a c co u n t in sta n d a rd izin g wages.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[6 7 0 ]
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MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
3. T h e E ff e c t
of
I n c o n s is t e n t R u l in g s .
In m a n y cases workers in th e sam e factories engaged on d ifferen t a rticles n e e d e d b y
th e G o v ern m en t w ere treated d ifferen tly . In m ore nu m erous in sta n ce s workers in
a d join in g factories engaged on G overn m en t work, b y reason of th e n atu re of th e
a rticles m anu factu red, w ere treated d ifferen tly. T h ese rulin gs, w h ic h in th e lig h t of
present co n d itio n s w ou ld seem arbitrary to th e w orkers (w h atever h istorical ju stifica
tio n th e y m ig h t h a v e), h a v e created in th e workers a sense of in ju s tic e and of unfair
d iscrim in a tio n w h ic h has b een resp on sib le for a great m a n y labor troubles.
4.
From th e p o in t of v ie w of th e G overn m en t no reasorj e x is ts at th e p resen t tim e
for d istin ctio n b etw een th e d ifferen t classes of G overn m en t work. T h e p o lic y u n d er
ly in g th e act of J u n e 19, 1912, was th a t of persons e m p lo y ed b y contractors d oin g work
e sp e c ia lly for th e U n ite d States, w ere in d ir e c tly in th e e m p lo y of th e U n ite d S tates
and w ere to b e treated in th e sam e w ay as em p lo y ee s w orking d ir e c tly for th e G overn
m en t. W ith resp ect to articles th a t w ere u su a lly p u rchased in th e op en m arket th e
G o v ern m en t was to b e lik e a n y other purchaser.
A t th e presen t tim e all open-m arket pu rchases h a v e largely b een d on e aw ay w ith
and e v er y contractor is in effect m an u factu rin g a rticles e sp e c ia lly for th e G overn m en t.
F urtherm ore, th e e x c e p tio n con tain ed in th e eigh t-hour law is im p ortan t w here
contracts are aw arded as a resu lt of c o m p e titiv e b id d in g . To req uire co m p lia n ce
w ith th e eigh t-h ou r law u n der su ch circu m stan ces w ou ld h a v e so narrowed th e field
of co m p etitio n as p ra ctica lly to do aw ay w ith th e p rovision s req uiring c o m p e titiv e
b id d in g . T o-d ay, w h ere th e p roblem has b ecom e one of m anu factu re, and h ard ly
a n y a rticles are pu rchased read y-m ad e, it is no longer n ecessary for th e p rotection of
th e G o v ern m en t to e x c e p t a rticles th a t are u s u a lly p u rchased in th e op en m arket from
th e eigh t-h ou r law.
5. O b je c t io n
to
P o l ic y
of
to
A p p l y in g E ig h t -h o u r L a w a n d
A ll G o v e r n m e n t C o n t r a c t s .
the
E x e c u t iv e O r d e r
T h e o b jectio n m ad e b y m anu factu rers to th e un iform a p p lica tio n of th e E x e c u tiv e
order is tw ofold.
T h e first o b jectio n is th a t th e E x e c u tiv e order recogn ized eig h t hours as a b asic d a y .
M anufacturers are u n w illin g to g iv e to th e eigh t-h ou r d a y th is recogn ition for fear th at
it w ill form a p r e ce d e n t for con d itio n s after th e war.
T h e other o b jectio n urged b y th e m anufacturers is far m ore serious, and sh ould
d eterm in e our p o sitio n at th e presen t tim e. I t can n ot b e d o u b ted th a t if th e eigh thour d a y is esta b lish ed as to G overn m en t work a m anu factu rer d oin g b oth c iv ilia n
work and G o v ern m en t work w ill b e c o m p elled to p a y th e sam e rate of p a y to those
engaged on p riv a te work. S in ce a great m a n y concerns are doin g b oth G overn m en t
an d p riv a te work, th e a p p lic a tio n of th e p rovision s of th e E x e c u tiv e order to th e work
d o n e for th e G o v ern m en t w ill h a v e th e effect of d istu rb in g th e c o n d itio n s in th eir
factories, u p se ttin g th e w e ll-d e v e lo p e d organization of som e of th e m ost im p ortan t
factories of th e co u n try, w h ic h are n ow at th eir m a x im u m of efficien cy , an d th u s
in terferin g w ith th e p rod u ction of th e articles n e e d e d b y th e G overn m en t.
6. R
e c o m m e n d a t io n .
N o rem ed y th a t can b e su ggested to-d ay is w ith o u t its a tten d a n t d ifficu lties. R arely
do w e h a v e a clear-cu t issu e b e tw e en w h at is righ t an d w h at is w rong or b e tw e en w h at
is b en eficia l an d w h a t is d etrim en ta l. In n ea rly all cases th e p rob lem p resen ted calls
for a b a la n cin g of c o n v e n ien ce s and in c o n v e n ie n c e s w h ic h w ill resu lt from a proposed
solu tio n . On th e one h an d i t is d esirab le to e lim in a te a great cau se of labor trouble,
p u t an en d to a sen se of in ju s tic e in th e w orkers resu ltin g from w h at m u st to th em
appear to be an arbitrary d iscrim in a tio n , and fin a lly m ak e p ossib le an d e ffe c tiv e a n y
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a ctio n of th e P o lic ie s B oard stan d ard izin g w ages of d ifferen t classes of w orkers em
p lo y e d u p o n G o v ern m en t work. On th e other h an d , it is v e ry im p ortan t in th is crisis
n o t to in terfere w ith th e norm al and e ffe c tiv e flow of th e p rod u ction of th e su p p lies
n e e d e d b y th e A rm y.
T h e co m m itte e therefore recom m en d s—
(1) T h a t as heretofore all m ech a n ics and laborers em p lo y ed b y th e G overn m en t
d ir e c tly sh o u ld b e p a id u p on a b asic d a y rate of e ig h t hours, w ith o v ertim e p aid for at
th e rate of tim e and one-half.
(2) T h a t m ech a n ics and laborers e m p lo y ed u p on work of con stru ction sh all be paid
in th e sam e w a y .
(3) (a) W h ile a un iform a p p lic a tio n of th e w age p rovision s of th e E x e c u tiv e order
of M arch 24, 1917, to all work d o n e b y th e G o v ern m en t w ill ten d to e lim in a te one of
th e m ost serious causes for labor trou b le, su ch action , if tak en , at th e p resen t tim e w ill
seriou sly in terfere w ith and ham p er th e G overn m en t d ep a rtm en ts in secu rin g the
su p p lie s n e e d e d in th e p rosecu tion of th is war.
(b) T h a t con feren ces b e h ad b e tw e en th is co m m itte e and th e m anu factu rers en
gaged in pro d u cin g G o v ern m en t su p p lie s to consider to w h a t e x te n t du rin g th e p e n
d e n c y of th is war th e a d op tion of th e b asic eigh t-h ou r d a y p r in c ip le of d eterm in in g
w ages is fea sib le.
(c) T h a t p e n d in g su ch con feren ces th e w age p rovision s of th e E x e c u tiv e order be
a p p lie d as heretofore to all cases w h ere e x is tin g law req uires it.
( d ) T h a t in cases w h ere th e E x e c u tiv e order is a p p lic a b le a clau se b e in serted in
th e co n tract req u irin g co m p lia n ce w ith its p rovision s. T h e clau se sh ou ld b e in th e
form h ereto a n n e x e d . T h is w ill d e fin ite ly inform th e contractor w h eth er h e is re
q u ired to c o m p ly w ith th e E x e c u tiv e order or not; and
( e) In order to secure u n ifo rm ity of th e d ecisio n s am ong th e d ifferen t d ep artm en ts
of th e G o v ern m en t th e p resen t c o m m itte e b e c o n tin u ed and all d ep a rtm en ts b e d i
rected to refer to th is c o m m itte e all co m m u n ica tio n s ca llin g for th e con stru ction of
th e eigh t-h o u r law of 1912 and th e E x e c u tiv e order of M arch 24, 1917, or com p lain ts
w ith regard to th e a p p lic a b ility of th e E x e c u tiv e order to a n y p articu lar contract.
Sa m u e l
EIGH T-H O U R CLAUSE.
E ig h t - h o u r
B a s ic
D a y , T im e
and
O n e -h a l f
for
J. R o s e n s o h n ,
C o u n s e l to the C o m m itte e .
O v e r t im e — D a m a g e s
for
V io l a t i o n .
W ages of laborers, o p eratives, and m ech a n ics d oin g a n y part of th e w ork co n tem
p la te d b y th is con tra ct in th e e m p lo y of th e contractor sh all b e co m p u ted u p on a
b a sic d a y rate of e ig h t hou rs’ work, w ith o v e rtim e rates to b e paid for at n o t less than
tim e and on e-h alf for all hours in e x c e ss of e ig h t hours. C om p lian ce b y th e con
tractor w ith th e p ro v isio n s of th is article sh all b e of th e essen ce of th e contract.
WAGES OF GERMAN MINERS.
The Vorwärts 1 quotes from the Rheinische Korrespondenz, pub
lished by the Protestant pastor Wahl of Essen, the following para
graph of an article on the income of workmen’s families:
T h e w ages of h e a v y and h e a v ie s t w orkers in G erm an y h a v e g ra d u ally clim b ed to
d iz z y h eig h ts. I t is, for in sta n ce , k n ow n th a t on e w ork m an ’s fa m ily , in w h ic h th e
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197
father, th ree sons, and one a d u lt dau ghter are w age earners, has a m o n th ly in co m e
from earn in gs a m o u n tin g to 2,000 m arks ($476) in round figures. D a ily w ages of 15
and 20 m arks ($3.57 and $4.76) and m ore are com m on here. I t can e a sily b e im a g in ed
w h a t th e co n seq u en ces are of th e se h ig h w ages. Som e w orkm en, to b e sure, m ak e
ration al use of th eir presen t prosp erity, as is e v id e n c e d b y th e large in crease of sa v in g s
b a n k d ep osits; others, h ow ever, p articu larly ju v e n ile workers, do n ot k n o w w h at to
do w ith th eir large earn in gs and sp en d th em in th e m ost frivolou s m ann er. J u v e n ile
w orkers h a v e b een seen to freq u en t h igh -class w in e restaurants w h ere th e y d rin k
F ren ch cham p agn e, and lig h t th eir cigarettes w ith 5-m ark b ills.
In commenting on this paragraph the Vorwärts says that the best
rebuttal of this fanciful tale may be found in the official report on
miners’ wages in Prussia published on March 25 in the Reichsan
zeiger. According to this report the average wages of mine workers,
after deduction of working expenses and insurance contributions,
varied for the second quarter of 1914 and the last quarter of 1917, as
follows:
AVERAGE WAGES, PE R SH IFT , OF MINE W ORKERS IN PR U SSIA N MINES FOR THE
SECOND QUARTER OF 1914 AN D THE LAST QUARTER OF 1917.
Class of workers.
Second quarter, 1914.
M a rk s.
M a r ls .
Miners proper.......................
Other workers employed
below ground....................
Adult workers employed
above ground.....................
Ju von i1e workers..................
Last quarter, 1917.
Per cent of
increase.
3.69 to 6.19 ($0. 88 to $1. 47)
6.31 to 11. 81 ($1. 50 to $2. 81)
71.0 to 90.8
3.17 to 4.99 ($0. 75 to $1.19)
5.19 to 9.02 ($1.24 to $2.15)
60.7 to 63.7
3.05 to 4.41 ($0. 73 to $1.05)
1.24 to 2.00 ($0.30 to $0. 48)
5.27 to 8.35 ($1.25 to $1.99) 72.8 to 89.3
2.77 to 4.35 ($0.66 to $1.04) 111.5 to 123.4
In view of these official data the wages of miners and* their wage
increases have moved within very moderate limits and all the clamor
about excessively high workmen’s wages in Germany seems un
founded. The wages of the best remunerated mine workers, the
miners proper, show an increase of between 71 and 90.8 per cent,
those of other mine workers below ground of between 60.7 and 63.7
per cent, those of adult workers above ground of between 72.8 and
89.3 per cent, and those of juvenile workers of between 111.5 and
123.4 per cent. Apparently juvenile workers have received the
largest per cent of wage increase, but it should not be forgotten that
before the war the wages of juvenile mine workers were exceedingly
low and that during the war these workers have in many instances
been employed below ground at work formerly performed at much
higher wages by adult workers. Considering the grade of work at
which juvenile workers are now employed it is therefore questionable
whether their wages have increased in proportion to the work per
formed by them. Generally speaking this has not been the case.
In part, wages are still below the promises made to the workmen.
In the Rhenish-Westphalian mining district, for instance, the work-
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men were promised that the average wage of miners proper would
reach 12 marks ($2.86) per shift by November, 1917, but the official
statistics for the fourth quarter of 1917 show that their average
wage was but 11.51 marks ($2.74). In the State mines of the Saar
district miners proper had been promised an average wage of 10.5
marks ($2.50) per shift beginning with October 1, 1917, but accord
ing to the official statistics their average wage during the last quarter
of 1917 was 10.3 marks ($2.45). The mine workers employed in
the 16 mining districts of Prussia during the second quarter of 1914
numbered 767,177 and their total wages amounted to 269,826,362
marks ($64,218,674.16). In the last quarter of 1914 the total work
ing force was 652,258 and the total amount of wages 403,450,923
marks ($96,021,319.67), i. e., the number of workers had decreased
by 114,919, or 15 per cent, and the total amount of their earnings
had increased by 160,624,561 marks ($38,228,645.52), or 59.5 per
cent as compared with the figures for the second quarter of 1914.
It should, however, be considered that during the second quarter of
1914 the number of shifts per worker was 76 as against 82 during
the last quarter of 1917. This fact should also be taken into account
in comparing the quarterly earnings per worker which for the second
quarter of 1914 amounted to 352 marks ($83.78) and for the last
quarter of 1917 to 659 marks ($156.84). The average wage per
shift and per worker increased during the same period from 4.65
marks ($1.11) to 8.04 marks ($1.91), or 72.9 per cent.
A further fact to be considered in comparing the above data on
miners’ wages is that owing to the war the composition of the work
ing force has changed considerably and also that the wages of war
prisoners employed in mines have not been included in the official
computation. But even if all these circumstances are duly weighed,
the fact still remains that wages have not kept step with the increased
cost of living. In the 16 mining districts of Prussia the Wages of
all the mine workers have on an average increased by 72.9 per cent
during the three and one-lialf years under review, while the cost of
living has increased more than 200 per cent.
In conclusion the Vorwärts asks:
Are not agrarian papers like the Deutsche Tageszeitung making themselves
ridiculous when they seriously assert that the high prices of food are due to the high
wages of the workmen? And such stupid assertions are even reprinted in the Deutsche
Arbeitgeber-Zeitung (German Employers’ Journal) which probably reprints them in
order to divert public attention from the fabulous war profits of the German industrial
establishments. Such tricks are, however, too coarse to deceive the public any
longer.
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199
HIGH COST OF LIVING BONUSES TO PRIVATE SALARIED EMPLOYEES IN
ITALY.1
The Gazzetta UiRciale of March 23, 1918, gives the text of a vice
regal decree, No. 349, making it obligatory for private establishments
to grant high-cost-of-living bonuses to their salaried employees
during the period beginning April 1, 1918, and ending six months
after the conclusion of peace. The decree is applicable to all private
salaried employees living in communes with a population not in
excess of 40,000 inhabitants and with a monthly salary not in excess
of 250 lire ($48.25), or to those with a salary not in excess of 350 lire
($67.55) who live in communes with a population of between 40,001
and 90,000 inhabitants, and to those with a salary not in excess of
450 lire ($86.85) who live in communes with a population of more
than 90,000 inhabitants.
The decree provides that the bonus shall be computed on the basis
of an allowance of 40 per cent for the first 100 lire ($19.30) of the
monthly salary and of 20 per cent for the next 100 lire. The part
of the salary in excess of 200 lire ($38.60) is not to be considered in
the computation of the bonus.
The present decree abrogates the vice-regal decree, No. 1448, of
September 2, 1917, which formerly regulated the bonuses of private
salaried employees. Its provisions are not applicable to employees
of the State, local authorities, and other institutions subject to Gov
ernmental supervision, nor to those of public-service corporations
whose salaries are regulated by law and by regulations approved by
the State.
JAPANESE FACTORY LAW IN ITS RELATION TO WEAVERS AND MATCH
MAKERS.
This bureau has received, through the State Department, from the
United States consul general at Yokohama, Japan, a copy of the
following article taken from the Japan Chronicle of June 20, 1918,
relating to the efforts being made to secure a revision of the law in
regard to working hours of women and of children under 15 years
of age.
“ The factory law promulgated on September 1, 1916, prohibited
the employment of boys under 15 years of age and girls and women
for a period exceeding 12 hours a day, but provided that in the
weaving and knitting industries the working hours may be extended
up to 14 hours during the two years following the promulgation of
the law. This period expires on September 1 next, and last spring
the employers concerned throughout the country addressed a memo1 Boilettino del Camitato Centrals di Mobilitazione Industrials. No. 10. Rome, April, 1918. p. 147.
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rial to the House of Representatives asking for a revision of the law
so that the working hours for small boys and female operatives can
be extended up to 14 hours for the next 3 years, and to 13 hours
during the 10 years following. At the same time they started a
movement to carry their point with the help of certain politicians,
but it was strongly opposed by the Government, especially by the
military authorities. The memorial was referred by the Diet to the
Cabinet, which has been since considering it. The authorities have
now decided to reject the memorial, and this decision has been
communicated to local authorities throughout the country under
date of the 17th instant.
“ From September 1 next the working time for boys under 15 years
of age, girls, and women will be accordingly reduced from 14 to 12
hours. It is reported, however, that factory owners will again
memorialize the Government asking it to postpone the execution of
curtailment of working hours.
“ Under the factory law children of 10 to 12 years of age are allowed
to be employed for such light work as putting match sticks in boxes,
wrapping up boxes, and pasting labels at match factories, but in the
case of factories -where phosphorus matches are manufactured the
employment of such children is restricted to the two years following
the promulgation of the factory law, their employment being pro
hibited from September 1. Some time ago phosphorus match manu
facturers in the neighborhood of Kobe and Osaka appealed to the
Government to postpone the execution of the prohibition for another
two years.
“ In this connection an official recently came down from Tokyo to
Osaka and Kobe, and it is reported that the authorities will reject
the appeal. Not only this, but it is further reported that the Govern
ment may prohibit the manufacture of phosphorus matches. * * *
This branch of the match industry in this country has been on the
decline of late years, chiefly because of the development of a similar
industry in China, which has become the principal buyer of Japanese
phosphorus matches. Nevertheless, the annual output of these
matches in this country amounts to 110,000 to 120,000 cases a rmar,
there being two factories each at Shikama, Awaji, and Iwaya, one at
Itami and Kobe, three at Amagasaki, and 14 in Osaka-fu.,,
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M INIM UM WAGE.
MINIMUM-WAGE DECREES IN MASSACHUSETTS.
On Monday, July 1, the Massachusetts Minimum Wage Commis
sion approved the determinations.of the wage board established by
the commission last fall to recommend weekly minimum-wage rates
for women and girls employed in muslin underwear, petticoat, apron,
kimono, women’s neckwear, and children’s clothing factories. This
is the fourth decree entered by the commission relating to the wages
of women in the garment trades, and took effect August 1, 1918. The
scale is as follows :
$9 for e x p e rien ce d w orkers (i. e ., th ose w h o are 18 years of age or older and h a v e
had at lea st 1 y ea r’s e x p e r ie n c e in th e n e e d le trades, a t least 6 m on th s of w h ic h has
b een in th e factory in w h ic h sh e is for th e tim e b ein g e m p lo y ed ).
$8 for workers 18 years of age or older w h o h a v e had at least 6 m o n th s’ e x p e r ie n c e
in th e n e e d le trades.
$ 7 for workers ] 8 years of age or older w h o h a v e had at least 3 m o n th s’ e x p e r ie n c e
in th e n e e d le trades.
$6 for w orkers irr esp e ctiv e of age w h o h a v e h ad less th a n 3 m o n th s’ e x p e r ie n c e in
th e n e e d le trades.
For the purpose of computing weeks of experience, a week’s work
shall consist of not less than 36 hours.
In order to enable employers to show compliance with this decree
the commission recommends that, in addition to keeping, as required
by Acts of 1912, chapter 706, section 11, a register of the names,
addresses, and occupations of all women and minors employed,
together with a record of the amount paid each week to each woman
and minor, employers in this occupation keep also a record of the
hours worked by each of such employees each week and of the age
and length of experience of apprentices.
To assist employers in carrying out the provisions of the decree
with regard to apprentices the commission further recommends that a
female employee on leaving her employment in any establishment
receive a card showing the time she has worked in that establishment.
The commission, on the same date, approved the determinations of
the retail millinery wage board as follows:
$10 per w e ek for w orkers 19 years of age or over w h o h a v e had at least 4 season s’
e x p e r ie n c e in m illin e r y workroom s, w h ic h sh all in c lu d e 16 w eek s in a fall season or
Beasons, an d 16 w e ek s in a sp rin g season or seasons, and in th e case of a p p ren tices
en te rin g th e trade at 15 years of age or you n ger sh all in c lu d e at least 12 w eek s in th e
n e x t p re ce d in g season.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
$7.50 for workers 18 years of age w h o h a v e had at lea st 3 season s’ e x p e rien ce in
m illin e ry workroom s.
$6 for workers 18 years of age or over w h o h a v e h ad at least 2 season s’ e x p e rien ce in
m illin e r y workroom s.
$4.50 for workers irresp ectiv e of age w h o h a v e h ad at lea st on e season’s e x p e rien ce
in m illin e ry workroom s.
$3 for w orkers irresp ectiv e of age w h o h a v e had less th a n on e season ’s e x p e r ie n c e in
m illin e ry workrooms.
For the purposes of this decree a season shall consist of at least 12
weeks, but if an employee works at least 8 weeks but less than 12
weeks in any season the difference between the time she has worked
and the required 12 weeks may be made up in any following season.
For the purpose of computing weeks of experience, a week’s work
shall consist of not less than 36 hours.
These recommendations go into effect August 1, 1918, and apply to
all women and girls employed in the making and trimming of millinery
for the retail trade, including those employed in the millinery work
rooms of department stores.
The same provisions as in the garment trades apply to the keeping
of records and the issue of employment cards.
The commission also announces that it has provisionally approved
the following rates proposed for office and other building cleaners:
1.
The minimum wage to be paid to any female employee as an
office or other building cleaner shall be as follows:
( a) B e tw ee n th e hours of 7-p. m . and 8 a. m ., 30 c en ts an hour.
( b ) B e tw ee n th e hours of 8 a. m . an d 7 p . m ., 26 cen ts an hour.
MINIMUM WAGE FOR LAUNDRY WORKERS IN MANITOBA.
As noted in the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for August (p. 2 1 2 ) , pro
vision for the creation of a minimum wage board was made in the
Manitoba Minimum Wage Act of 1918, this board to have power to
make awards as to minimum wage, hours of employment, and condi
tions of labor for female employees in mail-order houses, shops, and
factories within the Province. The board, composed of five members,
recently completed an investigation of the laundry industry, as a
result of which a conference was arranged between three representa
tives of the employers, three representatives of the women laundry
workers, and the members of the board with a view to fixing a
minimum wage for women workers over 18 years of age. Following
the conference announcement was made that $9.50 had been estab
lished as the minimum wage, which was based on a cost of living
schedule drawn by the board and approved by the conference show
ing $493.25 per annum or $9.48 per week, as the estimated m i n i m u m
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M O N T H L Y LABOR R E V IE W .
upon
w h ic h
g ir ls
w age
L abor
1
1
G a z e t t e fo r J u ly (p . 5 3 7 ) c o n t a in s a b r ie f a c c o u n t o f t h e in v e s t ig a t io n ,
1
I
in c lu d in g
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a s fo llo w s :
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Board and lodging, $5.50 per w e e k ................................................... . . . . $286.00
Footw ear an d rep airs............................................................................... . . . .
20 .0 0
S to c k in g s.......................................................................................................
4 .0 0
U n derw ear an d n ig h tg o w n s.................................................................. . . . .
10.0 0
P e ttic o a ts ...................................................................................................... . . . . 4 . 2 5
12 .5 0
S u it, at $25 (coat and sk irt to last tw o y e a r s )......................... . . . .
1 2 .5 0
Coat and p o ssib ly su m m er su it at $25 (to last tw o y e a r s ). . . . . . .
1 5 .0 0
D resses and a p ron s........................................................ .......................... . . . .
S h irt w a ists................................................................................................... . . . . 6 . 0 0
H a n d k e rc h iefs............................................................................................. ___
1. 25
4 .0 0
C orsets.............................................................................................................
2 .2 5
G lo v e s.............................................................................................................
2 .0 0
Corset w a ists...............................................................................................
1. 0 0
N e ck w e a r ......................................................................................................
1 0 .0 0
H a t s ................................................................................................................. . . . .
1. 0 0
U m b r e lla .......................................................................................................
2 .5 0
Sw eater, a t $7.50 (to last th ree y e a rs)........................................... ..
1 5 .0 0
L a u n d r y ......................................................................................................... . . . .
D octor and d e n t is t .................................................................................... . . . . 1 5 . 0 0
20 .0 0
S treet car fares............................................................................................ . . . .
5. 00
M agazines and p o sta g e ............................................................................
8. 00
A ssociation d u es and in su r a n c e ..........................................................
18.50
R ecrea tio n and a m u sem e n ts................................................................ . . . .
5. 0 0
Church an d c o n tr ib u tio n s.....................................................................
1 2 .5 0
In c id e n ta ls.................................................................................................... . . . .
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T otal for th e y e a r ......................................................................... ___
T otal w e e k ly e x p e n d itu r e ....................................................... . . . . 9 . 4 8
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Continuing the Labor Gazette notes th at—
In th e case of in e x p e r ie n c e d e m p lo y e e s of 18 years of age or over a p robation period
of s ix m o n th s is a llo w ed , in w h ic h th e m in im u m w age sh all b e $8 for th e first three
m o n th s and $9 for th e secon d th ree m onth s, after w h ic h th e y sh all b e considered
as e x p e rien ce d e m p lo y ee s. In th e case of e m p lo y ee s u n d er 18 years of age a probatio n period of 18 m o n th s is allow ed , in w h ic h th e m in im u m w age sh all b e $7 for th e
first s ix m on th s, $7.50 for th e secon d s ix m onth s, and $8 for th e th ird s ix m on th s.
A fter 18 m o n th s’ e m p lo y m en t su ch e m p lo y ee s sh all b e p aid at th e e x p e rien ce d rate of
$9.50 a w eek . T h ese concessions w ere g iv e n th e lau n d ries b ecau se of th e h u ge in crease in th e cost of d oin g b u sin ess, also th e c o m p e titio n of th e C h in ese lau n d ries
w h ic h are h e ld d o w n [to] no stan dards of hours, w ages, or c o n d itio n s of labor. It is
also stip u la te d th a t th e w ages sh all b e p aid w e ek ly ; and th a t one w e e k ’s n o tic e shall
be given b y th e em p lo y er in d ism issin g an e m p lo y ee and b y th e e m p lo y ee on leaving
e m p lo y m en t; e x c e p t in th e case of flagrant in su b o rd in a tio n or u n ju st treatm en t. T he
findings of th e board also p rov id ed for shorter hours of labor in lau n d ries, for im p rovem e a ts in lig h tin g , v e n tila tio n , clea n lin ess, an d p ro tectio n from in ju r y .
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION IN NORWAY.
A law of February 15, 1918, which took effect July 1, creates for
Norway a home workers commission or board (H je m m e a r b e id s r a a d ).
The fact that the law continues in effect only five yearn—i. e., to
June 30, 1923—suggests the experimental nature of the legislation.
The commission is composed of a nonpartisan chairman and vicechairman and at least two additional members, but not more than
four, representing equally workers and employers in the trades within
the scope of the act. Women may be appointed to membership by
the Crown equally with men. Special wage boards are to be estab
lished in the trades covered whenever the commission deems it
advisable or upon request of at least six workers or employers in any
trade. These wage boards may be appointed for a single trade,
for the related branches of a trade, for a locality, or for a group of
localities. The wage boards follow the same principle of representa
tion in their membership as does the home workers commission and
are to be composed of not less than four members and a chairman
and vice chairman. They are appointed by the local municipal
authorities, except the chairman and vice chairman, who are ap
pointed by the commission. Interested organizations of home work
ers, employers, and others are to nominate candidates for member
ship. Their expenses are paid out of local funds. When the wage
boards cover more than a single locality their expenses are shared by
the localities pro rata to population, and in some instances in small
towns the State shares expenses.
The home workers commission is given authority to investigate
and study labor conditions in all places where home work is carried
on, to recommend legislation, and to fix minimum wages in certain
limited occupations. Home work is defined as ‘‘ industrial work which
is done for compensation for an employer or intermediary (n ie lle m a n d ) , provided the work is done in the home of the worker, or in
another place where the employer does not exercise authority in the
matter of the working regulations, or if performed at the establish
ment of the intermediary. ” The commission itself decides whether
any occupation or trade is within the scope of the act. The authority
of the commission in the matter of fixing minimum wages is limited
to home work in the manufacture of clothing and articles of needle
work. Subsequent governmental regulations will define such trades,
and may also add other trades and occupations. If the home workers
commission finds wages inadequate in any of the trades specified it
appoints a wage board to fix minimum wages, and the award of such
board is subject to modification and revision by the commission
before being published and put into effect. The rates may be re-
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205
vised at any time during the continuance of an award if it is found
that the award is adversely affecting the workers in a trade or if
home work is being displaced as a result of the award.
In fixing minimum rates consideration is to be given to the cus
tomary rates in any locality for the same or similar work, and the
existing relationship between the rates in factory and home work so
that factory work may not come to displace home work. The earn
ings of a worker of average ability are to be taken as the standard.
Piece rates may also be fixed by wage boards.
Every employer and intermediary is required to keep a separate
register of home workers employed, the list to be filed each year
with the local inspecting authorities and with the commission. Lists
containing particulars as to minimum wages are also to be con
spicuously posted for the home workers, and a pass book is to be
supplied to each worker showing particulars as to work, wages, pay
ments, deductions, etc. Accounts are to be settled in cash, prefer
ably weekly, unless other arrangements are made by agreement.
Home-work inspection is to be performed by the local health
authorities if the work is done in the home of the worker, otherwise
by the local factory inspectors. The home workers commission may
prohibit work dangerous to health if done in rooms used also for
dwelling purposes, or it may even entirely prohibit such work regard
less of where performed.
Breaches of the law are subject to fines, but the amounts are not
specified.
772G2*— 18----- 14
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WOMEN IN INDUSTRY.
WOMEN IN THE MECHANICAL TRADES IN THE UNITED STATES.
BY MRS. V. B. TURNER.
There are approximately 36,000,000 workers in the United States
3.000. 000 of whom will soon be under arms. This number will
■doubtless be increased to 5,000,000; and possibly to more. It is
variously estimated that it takes from four to five persons in
industry to maintain one soldier in the field. Assuming the more
conservative estimate, 25,000,000 from a possible 36,000,000 indus
trial man power will be used for war purposes alone, leaving only
11.000. 000 to do the other necessary work.1
Those who claim that there is now no labor shortage in the essen
tia industries admit that should the war continue provision must be
made to meet such a shortage. Even now there is a scarcity of
mechanics; and when the available skilled workmen are judiciously
distributed and effectively used, women will, as they have done in
England, France, Italy, and in some instances in the United States,
take men’s places in increasing numbers. Work at the bench,
the lathe, or the milling machine will come to be a part of their
share in the struggle.
The English experience so comprehensively set forth from month
to month in the Dilution of Labor Bulletin of the Ministry of Muni
tions shows women successfully engaged in numerous processes in the
engineering trades, from the most delicate precision work to running
engines and setting up their own tools. An eminent Frenchman
says of the women of France, “ There is no line of mechanics in which
our women have not become proficient since the men have gone to
war.”.
Even in the United States women are not an entirely new element
in the mechanical trades. Some machine companies have employed
women for years. One company has employed them on light ma
chine riveting and assembling operations for six years; another has
employed them for 15 years on heavy work—presses, drilling ma
chines, etc.—and has found them as skillful as men.2 It is not
so much a question of what they can do, as of what they ought to
do and how they should be trained to do it.
1 F. C. Walcott.« Division of Miscellaneous Activity of the Federal Food Administration. New York
Times Magazine, July 21, 1918.
Iron Trade Review, Cleveland, Jan. 1 7 , 1918, pp. 203-212.
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207
TR AIN IN G IN ENGLAND AND FRANCE.
England met the question of the training of workers by organizing
two classes of training establishments—training schools attached
to various technical colleges that exist in most industrial centers,
and factories taken over by the Ministry of Munitions, equipped as
instructional plants in which actual munition work is done. The
training, which is specialized on particular types of machines, pro
duces a considerable degree of skill in from six to eight weeks, and
has on the whole proved very satisfactory.
In France where one-third of the employees in the munition facto
ries are women and where in plants engaged on light mechanical work
women constitute two-thirds of the force, the Government early in
the war required the establishment of training courses in all work
shops employing 300 persons, the instructors being skilled men
chosen from the shops. After this instruction the women are put
at work on the machines, and some have gone to the tool room
and have become expert mechanics.
T R A IN IN G IN T H E U N IT E D ST A T E S .
Some companies, The Gisholt Machine Co., Madison, Wis., and the
Norton Grinding Co., Worcester, Mass., for example, have had
excellent training courses in their factories for a number of years,
but it is only recently that the courses for short and intensive
instruction have been multiplied on every hand to meet the de
mand for war material. Public and endowed vocational schools,
colleges, and universities are doing much, but their facilities are too
limited to furnish the required number of workers.
Profiting by foreign experience, many companies are now making
provision to prepare women for machine work through various
kinds of intensive mechanical training. In some shops (noticeably
in the smaller ones) the women are trained at the machines by expe
rienced machinists. The larger factories in many instances are
establishing what are known as “ vestibule schools.” Under this
plan machinery is installed in a reserved section of the factory proper
or in a separate building which is a part of the plant. In these
instruction rooms working conditions are reproduced as nearly as
possible, so that the women may not only absorb a little of the shop
atmosphere and conquer the timidity induced by new work in unusual
surroundings but also acquire some degree of skill before beginning
work in the shop.
One company (Browne & Sharpe Manufacturing Co., Providence,
R. I.), which has employed women for over a year, describes its train
ing as follows:
T h e m eth o d p u rsu ed b y th e c o m p a n y for in tr o d u c in g th e e m p lo y m e n t of w om en
in to th e ir m a c h in e d ep a rtm en t w as to s e t a sid e on e co m er of a room for train in g. S ix
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girls w ere employed and each taught a different operation, se lec tin g , first, operations
which seemed most suitable for such employees.
When they had become sufficiently proficient so that their production was on a
commercial basis, they were transferred to the departments of the shop where such
work as they had been taught was being done and occupied places among the regular
workers. Within a few days a second girl was put beside each of these, and this gave
not only a sense of companionship but served as a stimulus to both girls, to the first
to set the pace and to the second to keep up or excel * * *. Additional girls were
added as rapidly as they could be assimilated and their employment has since spread
to all parts of the shop * * * except the foundry.1
By May 30, 1918, this factory had, in i() months, placed 800
women, who are successfully doing work as follows:
Inspection, grinding (cylindrical as well as tool), lathes, screw machines (hand and
automatic), small planing machines, hand lathes doing polishing and hand-tooling
work, gear-cutting machines, blue-print room, stamping, filing, assembling of smalltool parts, and general bench work, all being within the physical ability of the average
woman.2
An increasing amount of tool sharpening and tool setting is also
being done by the women employed by this company.
The training department in a factory in the Middle West (the
Recording & Computing Machines Co., Dayton, Ohio), employing
8,600 people, 5,000 of whom are women, is interesting not only from
the character of the work and the number employed, but also from
the broad-minded policy which has been adopted.
The company is engaged in making the Russian type of combina
tion fuses. The works manager says:
The character of the work is of the closest, the limits running as low as five ten-thou
sandths of an inch. The requirements for precision work on this fuse are very severe.
The metals used are brass and aluminum—this latter being a particularly difficult
metal to work.
* * * The training department was located in a well-lighted room, away from
the factory, and placed therein were all of the different types of machines upon which
training was necessary. There were also benches and fixtures necessary for the learn
ing of assembling and inspection. I placed at the head of this school one of my most
expert mechanics and operators, being particularly careful to select a man who was a
gentleman and who could get along well with the women. In all cases where women
were taught the teachers were women. I selected women for teachers so that when the
new girl employee came into the training department her very first experience would
be meeting women teachers. Invariably this woman employee immediately made
up her mind that if these women could do the work so could she. The women teachers
were selected with care, thought being given not only to their skill as operators but
also to their capacity as teachers.
The employees were first selected with care by the employment department for the
different classes of work that they were supposed to do, it being evident that some
women were well fitted to handle certain heavy machines, while others could handle
only the light machines.
The system of teaching was well standardized. The teacher handled from three to
five girls at one time, depending upon the nature of the work she was teaching. She
Machinery, New York, April, 1918, v. 24, p. 682.
American Machinist, New York, May 3 0 , 1918, v. 48, p, 910.
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209
first explained the character of the metal in the part and the k in d of tools that were
used, going over carefully with each employee the work that each tool was supposed
to do—the machine being operated in order to illustrate each point. The girls were
then permitted to start the work themselves, and each time they made an error they
were corrected in the most kindly manner and encouraged in every way to do their
best. Note again that we trained them to become skilled only upon one particular
job. The general mechanical knowledge came to them as they worked in the shop.'
If the employee was found unsuited to her particular task she was
shifted from one operation to another until she was rightly placed.
The operator was taught the use of gauges as well as of the different
tools, was paid 20 cents an hour during the instruction period, and
usually spent from 3 to 10 days in the training department, accord
ing to the operation being learned. In 10 days this system of
training turned out girls who could operate heavy hand turret lathes
on work requiring great precision, and who in three weeks could
begin to earn the bonuses under the graduated bonus system of pay
employed by the factory. As a concrete example of the results of
this training the following data are given:
W e produ ce our base forgings of alu m in u m on h e a v y h an d tu rret screw m a ch in es.
O n th is p articu lar forging th ere are 56 gaugin g p o in ts. T h e allow ab le lim its range
from fiv e ten -th o u sa n d th s of an in c h to tw o -th ou san d th s of an in c h . In January,
1916, th e average p ro d u ctio n of 31 w om en e m p lo y ees w as eig h t p ieces per hour.
* * * M y e x p e r im e n t sh ow ed th a t th ere sh ou ld be p rod u ced from th e se m ach in es
as a fair p ro d u ctio n an average of 35 p ie ce s per hour. We p u t our old o p era tiv es in to
th e tra in in g d ep a rtm en t, an d w ith in four w eek s after th e old and n ew op eratives
had b een through th is tr a in in g d ep a rtm en t th e average p rod u ction was raised to
ov er 25 p ie ce s per hour, an d to-d ay th e average is over 55 p ie c e s per hour. T h e sam e
r esu lts w ere o b ta in ed on all our work, su ch as m a ch in in g , in sp e c tio n , and assem blage.
* * * T w o sets of p ro m in en t en gin eers w h o in v e stig a te d th e p o s sib ilitie s of
p rod u ction from th is p la n t reported th a t th e b est p o ssib le o u tp u t from th e assem b ly
d iv isio n was 15,000 c o m p lete fuses per d a y in tw o sh ifts. T h orou gh ly train ed girls
h a v e b een a b le to reach an average p ro d u ctio n of 38,000 per d a y in on e sh ift.2
Five principles of training and shop management followed in this
factory are:
F i r s t .— A m eth o d of tra in in g th e o p era tiv es in th e train in g d ep a rtm en t in order
th a t th e y m ay reach a fair average p ro d u ction on each op eration . T h is fair average
p ro d u ctio n sh o u ld n o t be th e h ig h e st p ossib le rate of p rod u ction , as sh ow n b y a
h ig h ly sk illed o p era tiv e, b u t sh o u ld be a rate of p ro d u ctio n th a t th e average operator
can reach after b eco m in g sk ille d w ith o u t u n d u e stress or strain.
S e c o n d .— A m eth o d of c o n tin u in g th e tr a in in g in th e sh op through th e job bosses
a n d , in som e cases, throu gh sp ecia l sh op in stru ctors.
T h ir d .— A sy stem of organ ization th a t co m p els th e su b ord in ate and also th e d irect
in g h ead s of d ep a rtm en ts to g iv e a tte n tio n to th e poor, in e ffic ien t workers, and so
tra in th em to b e b e tter workers. T h is w ill in c lu d e factory sy stem s w h ich w ill m ake
clo se su p erv isio n of th e se c o n d itio n s p ossib le.
' National Association of Manufacturers. Report of Committee on Industrial Education. New York.
May, 1918, pp. 26-29.
“Idem ., pp. 31-32
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Fourth.—A fair and generous Bystem of pay which will reward the employee for
reaching higher rates of production. This should be based upon the rule that a
woman should get as high a rate of pay as a man for the same production. The sys
tem of pay should provide bonuses that the average operative can earn even when
producing less than the number of pieces per hour shown as possible.
Fifth.—A system of supervision that will prevent operatives overworking or strain
ing themselves through attempting to work too hard in order to earn high bonuses.1
The Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, Pa., has two different types
of training schools in operation for new women workers.
School No. 1 is a separate building equipped with necessary machines and tools.
The new workers are brought into this building and assigned to skilled mechanics
of known ability who act as instructors. These instructors teach the proper method of
doing the work. The new workers are taught to operate any of the following types
of machines: Drill presses, gun-boring lathes, turret lathes, planers, shapers, milling
machines, and to do bench work.
As soon as they develop ability in the training school to handle themselves with a
certain degree of skill they are placed in the production shops at the kind of work
for which they are trained. Supervision over them is exercised in the production
shops until they complete their training. In the training school the instructor will
have from four to eight new workers under his instruction. In the shops the instructor
may have as many as 12 to 15 under his supervision.
School No. 2 is located in the production shops. A number of machines are set
aside. New workers are placed at the machines and an instructor is placed in charge.
Schools Nos. 1 and 2 are under the direction and supervision of the training depart
ment of the Bethlehem Steel Co.
All women learners are given the rate of 25 cents an hour while in training. This
rate is increased to 29 cents an hour as soon as the learner develops ability to handle
production work. The bonus system enables workers to earn from $4 to $6 a day
and in some cases even more than $6 a day.
The nature of the work in the shops makes it necessary to train women to become
all-round machine operators or bench hands—that is, they must be taught to perform
a rather wide scope of work, including blue-print reading and use of precision-meas
uring instruments. In general, the women are given a broad training and not a
training on specialized operations.2
I t m ay be added th a t the company plans to upgrade m any of
their present force of skilled and semiskilled men to more difficult
operations and to advance the apprentices by intensive training.
The training room established for the instruction of women by a
company building Liberty motors (Lincoln Motor Co., Detroit,
Mich.) is located in the smaller of its two plants, in a room approxi
mately 18 by 40 feet and is equipped with a lathe, milling machine,
gear cutter, drill press, profiler, etc., these being the tools upon
which it was decided to train operators.
The instructor placed in charge of the training has had a short
experience in a continuation school and is directly supervised by a
“ high grade specialist” from a well-known eastern factory effi
ciency organization.
1National Association of Manufacturers. Report of Committee on Industrial Education. New York.
May, 1918, pp. 32, 33.
s U. S . Federal Board for Vocational Education. The Vocational Summary, August, 1918, v. 1, p. 8.
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t
After a careful examination of their references, women from 21
years of age and upward are taken on, and are given training from
one to three days in the school. While this period is not so long as
is desirable, the demand for labor is so great th a t a longer time can
not be used. I t is found, however, th a t even this short experience
takes away the fear of the shop and gives the women at least an
elementary knowledge of the tools with which they are to work.
During the training and in the shop until they are placed upon a
piecework basis women are paid 30 cents an hour (the regular rate
lor women). The company believes that the advantages of the
vestibule school are so great that it will become a permanent insti
tution in the factory and that men as well as women will be given
instruction in it.1
QUALIFICATIONS.
Women have been recruited from all trades, conditions, and nation
alities. One company employing thousands of women in munition
processes reports its force as being largely made up of school-teachers,
clerks, dressmakers, and girls doing general work both in homes and
in factories. Another company with exceedingly well-organized
work for women finds that girls who have had some experience in
mills or in other work requiring endurance are best suited to its
work. Girls whose fathers and brothers have been machinists often
adapt themselves readily to mechanical processes, possibly as a result
of this mechanical background and a familiarity with mechanical
terms. Most firms have no choice between married and single
women. One company, however, requires that its employees must
not only not be married, but never have been married. There is a
general agreement that women must be in normal health, and pref
erably between 20 or 22 and 35 years of age. Manufacturers claim
that girls under 22 do not take the work seriously enough, while
women over 35 have not sufficient suppleness of hand to become
skilled in the lighter mechanical processes.
OUTPUT.
While it is clear from the instances given above th a t women respond
readily to training and the result is a definite increase in production,
it is difficult to obtain a reliable statem ent comparing women’s output
as a whole with th a t of men. In undertaking such a comparison certain
factors should be considered. For instance, as a result of the redis
tribution of man power caused by the war the available supply of
male labor is of an inferior grade, while the women who are entering
industry are a relatively high grade of workers. The introduction of
* Summarized from Bulletin No. 120, oi United States Council of National Defense.
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women into certain kinds of work is so recent that it is too early to
judge as to the effect of their employment upon output. Opinions of
employers seem to vary with the nature of the work.
The experience of a British national shell factory is an example
where markedly greater output was secured by the substitution of
unskilled for skilled labor. The case in question was that of pro
ducing 9.2 inch Mark IX H. E. shell, and the Dilution of Labor
Bulletin of December, 1917, page 41, says, in comment upon the
table of comparative output shown: “ It will be seen that whereas
the complete boring of the shell required 3.16 machine-hours when
done by skilled men, it was accomplished in 3.6 hours by women
after only one week’s practice, and within two or three months the
women had reduced the time to 1.25 hours, thus increasing the
output to two and a half times its previous figure.” In the No
vember number of the same bulletin, Mr. Ben H. Morgan in an
address on the “ War effort of women” says: “ Comparing, for in
stance, our women’s figures of output on certain sizes of shell and
types of fuses with those of men in the United States, I found re
cently that the -women’s machining times were not only as good
but in many cases better than those of men in some of the best
organized American shops.”
While the information at hand is not sufficient to permit of a com
prehensive discussion of the effect of the substitution of women upon
output, the following statements, brought together from such pub
lished data as are available at this time, are of interest as representing
the conclusions of certain employers in the United States who have
introduced women into their establishments.1
In one small factory, in which a very successful experiment in
employing women is being tried, “ girls with from five to six months
training (in the simplest way on the machines) turn 6ut in quality
and quantity an amount of work equal to about 75 per cent of that
of the average man employed; but it is confidently expected that
when completely trained they will show 110 per cent efficiency as
compared with men.” *
i Since this article was written there has appeared a report of the National Industrial Conference Beard
on “ Wartime Employment of Women in the M etal Trades” (Research Report No. 8, July, 1918), which
gives definite data gathered from 127 establishments employing 47,941 women as to the output and wages
ofwomen in the metal trades. From 99 of these establishments statements were obtained regarding output
ofwomen as compared with that of men. In summarizing these statements the report makes the following
comment: “ T heoutput of women compares favorably with that of men, since it appears that in 30 estab
lishments * * * the output of women was greater than that of men in ali operations on which both
were engaged; in 6 it was greater in some, equal in others; in 30 it was equal to that of the men. In other
words, in 65 establishments, or two-thirds of those furnishing definite information as to output, women's
production was equal to or greater than that of men in the operations on which both -were employed. In
only 15 establishments was it found that women produced less than men in all operations on which they
were engaged. Their production in the remaining 18 establishments, although less on some operations,
was equal or greater on others.” This report w ill be treated at length in an early issue of the Monthly
L abor Review .
» Machinery, New York, May, 1918, v. 24, p. 823.
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A typewriter and comptometer company gives the following
report of work in its shops: “ On our 3-inch Gleason generators
the largest day’s production turned out by our best man operator
on differential side gears wTas 91 pieces, and on differential pinions
260 pieces for a 9-hour day. The slowest woman operator in point
of production equals the best man’s day’s production, and our
speed merchants, as we call them, turn out 126 side gears and 320
differential pinions for a 9-hour day, an increase of 35 side gears
and 60 differential pinions. On our 24-inch Fellows gear-shaping
machines the women turn out from 20 to 30 pieces more in a 9-hour
day than the men. * * * In our drilling machine work they
have increased the production 1,200 pieces in a 9-hour day. * * *
One woman drills two -fa inch oil holes \ inch deep, and & inch oil
hole f inch deep, in 246 stem gears in 9 hours, * * * 50 more
pieces than the men have ever turned out.” 1
In contrast to this report, the Lincoln Motor Co., while admitting
that women are doing very good work, finds that women are not
greater producers than men on their work; they are possibly a
little slower than men, but their apparent slowness is more than
offset by their conscientious attention to detail, the percentage of
waste being extremely low.
The foreman of another company employing about 800 women,
says, “ If we had given the same kind of attention to each new
man employed, he would have done as well as the girl,” and adds
that the men employed were irresponsible, as few trained men were
available, while it was possible at the time the comparison was made
to secure a much better class of girls.
H O U R S AN D W AGES.
Hours and wages also vary with different companies and in differ
ent States. The working hours run from an 8-hour to a 9-hour day.
Women are found more effective on the 8-hour schedule than when
employed on longer shifts; on daywork than on night work. There
should, if possible, be no overtime or Sunday work for women, the
lunch hour should be liberal, and rest periods in the middle of the
forenoon and of the afternoon have been found advantageous.
In the cases studied a spirit of fairness seems to prevail regarding
wages, one company only being an exception to the rule. Some
companies employ the principle of “ equal pay for equal work” ;
others pay women a regular hourly rate until their efficiency be
comes such that they are placed on a piecework basis and are thus
given an opportunity to earn as much as the men workers. In one
large company (Dayton Recording & Computing Machines Co.) a
graduated bonus system for all workers provides an excellent stim* American Machinist, New York, Feb. 7, 1918, v. 48; p. 241.
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ulus for good work. By this system “ the operatives earn a fair
bonus at the lower production points which increases as they in
crease production.”
There is a unanimity of opinion among employers that good
wages during the learning period are a paying investment. The
period is short, the women are encouraged to keep on, thus avoid
ing labor turnover, and, as the output must all pass the inspection
test, the extra amount expended in wages is negligible as compared
with the price received for the material or the cost of hiring new
workers.
The company making a marked discrimination against women in
the question of wages started the women in on the rate usually paid
boys. When it became apparent that this wage would not hold the
women, because it was too small for them to live on, the matter was
taken up with the cost manager, who, “ finding the production from
women’s labor considerably more than from men’s, immediately
gave all women workers an advance in wages, at the same time setting
a new starting rate and a schedule of two raises for all women who
made good.” In writing of this situation the manager thinks it
probable that, “ as some of the women had advanced beyond the
second raise and were far in advance of the men in production, they
will be given due consideration when they reach the wage limit paid
to men.”
D IF F IC U L T IE S M ET IN EM PL O Y IN G W OM EN IN SH O PS.
One of the objections to the introduction of women into machine
shops is that in most instances some readjustment and reorganization
(both in methods and in equipment) must be made to obtain the
best results. These changes depend largely upon the character of
the work, and have been neither so numerous nor so radical as might
have been expected, and in some cases have proved advantageous
from the standpoint of a more effective use of man power.
In order to retain the right class of women and to maintain a high
standard of discipline, comfortable rest rooms, lockers, and other
welfare provision must be furnished. One employer estimated that
the expense entailed in providing such conveniences was $25 per
person, and that it was not a large amount compared with the results
secured in comfort and contentment.
Objection is made that this work is too hard for women. It is
readily admissible that some classes of it may be, and such cases
should be rigorously guarded against. There is no conclusive evi
dence, however, that many of the machine processes are not lighter
and less monotonous than washing, scrubbing, nursing, and other
such time-honored employments of women, with their accompani
ment of heavy lifting. If proper care is exercised in assigning work
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suitable to the strength and capacity of the worker, there seems to
be no valid reason why women should not do machine work as
easily and safely as some work they have done and are doing.
The attitude of the men workers toward the employment of women
in shops varies widely. One machine company, finding itself unable
to fill its contracts on account of a great scarcity of men, decided
to add to its force by employing women on the basis of the same pay
for the same work. After the necessary changes as to welfare provi
sions, etc., had been made, a committee frofn the machinists’ union
notified the management of their ' ‘unalterable opposition to the
employment of women in the shops in any capacity,” giving as their
reason that after the war the women would keep places which right
fully belonged to men. Rather than create any trouble the company
gave up for the time the idea of employing women.
In most cases, however, where the men feel that women have been
employed to supplement man power and that experienced men work
ers will be advanced to positions of instructors or to other work which
only they can do because of their greater strength or better mechanical
training, they have accepted the entrance of women as a matter of
course or necessity and have cooperated in every way with the
managers in teaching them the use of the machines.
CONCLUSION.
The question of the present employment of woiûen in the mechan
ical trades is summed up by Mr. Donald G. Baker, who, from ex
perience both in this country and in Canada, is familiar with the
advantages and the disadvantages of it, as follows:
If women must be employed they should be paid equal wages for equal work.
Their strength must not be unduly taxed, suitable conveniences must be provided
for them, and the hours of labor restricted. In return, they w ill give higher pro
duction and lower operating costs.1
And Mr. A. W. Kirkaldy remarks:
In any case, it is clear that women in industry are capable of doing successfully
not merely such unskilled work in laboring as their physical strength can compass,
nor merely work of a repetitive or routine nature, but work of a much higher order,
when they have had training for it. And it is also clear that, as they gain more experi
ence, the lim it of their industrial usefulness has not yet been reached.3
ENGLISH EXPERIENCE WITH WOMEN IN HEAVY WORK.
The British Health of Munitions Workers Committee was ap
pointed in September, 1915, and since that time the effect of the
new conditions of employment upon women has been one of its
» Machinery, New York, January, 1918, v. 24, p. 451.
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and Finance, London, 1917, p. 41.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
permanent subjects of study. There is special significance, there
fore, in the fact that the Dilution of Labor Bulletin, issued monthly
by the Ministry of Munitions, devotes much attention to the suita
bility of women for work hitherto considered too heavy for them.
The general attitude teken in the bulletin is that while many kinds
of woik may call for an expenditure of energy “ too continuous and
too great for it to be desirable that women should replace men,”
very few kinds are, strictly speaking, too heavy for them. So much
is this the case that definite advice is given for overcoming the obj ections of employers who consider that their work is too heavy to
permit the employment of women:
It has often been found effective, when an employer or a works manager pleads
the weight of the work as an excuse for not employing female labor, to ask him whether
the men lift the work. He usually replies that the men do not do so, that the work
is lifted by a crane, but that the machines on which the work is done are very heavy.
On this one has to ask him whether he expects the man who is operating the machine
to carry the machine about. He will possibly then take refuge in the fact that the
cuts on the work are so heavy; and again one can ask whether the cut is taken by the
operator or the machine. It will be found, in fact, almost always, that when the
management of a factory is driven to pleading the weight of the work, or the weight
of the machine, or the heaviness of the cut, as an excuse for not employing female
labor, they are really in a bad way for want of an argument.1
In pursuance of the purpose of securing the greater employment
of women, successive issues of the bulletin have many occupations
cited in which women have been employed with good results, although
much heavy work is involved. Several articles are devoted to their
employment in gas and coke works. Here they stoke the furnaces,
auger the pipes, push wheelbarrows weighing when loaded 3 hundred
weight, weigh out the coke, load it into trucks, and deliver it in
hundredweight sacks. In such occupations they are not expected
to accomplish as much as the men whom they replace, but with this
limitation their work is satisfactory and appears to agree with them:
It is to be observed that in spite of stoking having been regarded as doubtfully
within their powers, it has turned out to agree very well with women. The change
from men to women was started in the hot weather of June, and the health and physi que
of the women, according to their own statement, have improved since they took up
the occupation.2
Other heavy occupations noted by the bulletin, in which women
are employed are: Molding, in which the weight of the boxes handled
varies from 25 pounds to 42 pounds; heavy laboring work in a sul
phuric acid works, where the women are doing the full work accom
plished by an equal number of men previously; unloading bags of
nitrate weighing 2 hundredweight each (“ they are handled by two
women without difficulty and are run on trolleys to the elevator”);
1 Dilution of Labor Bulletin, London, April, 1918, p. 99.
* Dilution oi Labor Bulletin, London, March, 1918, p. 87.
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saving and barking operations in a paper mill, in which, "although
some of the logs handled weigh 50 to 60 tons, and the work is fairly
strenuous, it has not been found beyond the women’s physical
strength” ; carrying steel bars and springs, some of which weigh from
50 to 60 pounds each, to different parts of the factory as they are
needed; and ordinary heavy laboring work, such as digging and
excavating. Apparently this last-mentioned work had been looked
upon with special doubt, since the ministry considered it necessary
to take public notice of the suggestion that the work might prove
injurious to the health of the women engaged in it. Speaking at a
public exhibition of women’s work, the secretary to the Ministry of
Munitions referred to this point as follows:
The suggestion, so far as it might be applied to the work that they had been doing
habitually, was happily contradicted by experience. Some of the best fortifications
in the north of England had been excavated by women navvies, formerly fishwomen
from Scotland, and it was a matter of common observation that the physical develop
ment of women had improved beyond all knowledge since the war, and never had
they seemed more fit to discharge all their functions in civil life.1
In munition work 60 pounds 2 is looked upon as the limit of weight
a woman should lift without the aid of tackle. This applies in shell
making and similar work where the object has to be put in position
and removed after the turning operation is finished. (In France
the maximum weight which women should handle in such operations
has been fixed at 55 pounds.) The results of the experience of two
or three years with women in such work were summed up in a recent
address before the Institute of Mechanical Engineers:
Women can safely handle, in the course of machining and fitting operations, pieces
weighing up to 60 pounds, and can also manipulate almost as well as men, with the
aid of lifting appliances, any weights over 80 pounds. It is on work weighing between
60 pounds and 80 pounds where it becomes questionable whether women can be prop
erly and economically employed. There is the cost of special lifting tackle and han
dling devices necessary for women that may be obviated in the case of men, and in
instances where tackle has been provided for dealing with these weights it has been
found that women prefer not to go to the trouble of using such tackle, and so overtax
their strength by endeavoring to lift weights which after a time generally results in
injury to health.3
The Health of Munition Workers Committee gave special attention
to this matter in its final report. The departmental committee
on accidents had declared it unwise to lay down any definite and
detailed provisions on the subject, since the possibility of injury
depended to a great extent on individual cases and circumstances,
1 Speech of F. G. Kellaway, summarized in Dilution of Labor Bulletin, London, June, 1918, p. 122.
2 General Order No. 13, issued by the Chief of Ordnance, and a similar order issued by the Quartermaster
General, U. S. War Department, contain the following provision: “ No woman should be required to lift
repeatedly more than 25 pounds in any single load.” See Monthly R eview for December, 1917, p. 53.
* Paper by B. H. Morgan, summarized in Railway News, London, June 1, 1918, p. 573.
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M O N T H L Y LABO R R E V IE W .
b u t had suggested th a t it m ight be well to have a general provision
th a t a woman should not be employed to lift, carry, or move any
thing so heavy as to be likely to injure ner. The Home Office in
September, 1916, had passed a general order to this effect, and in
commenting on it, the H ealth of Munition Workers Committee says:
The weight which can safely be lifted depends not only on the physique of the
worker but on the position in which the weight lies, its shape, the manner of carrying
it, and the place to which it has to be carried. Again, much depends on the acqui
sition of knack. Given, however, reasonable conditions and a good physique, women
and girls over 18 have been found able to handle weights up to 50 pounds in the ordi
nary course of work without difficulty. Such a weight would, of course, be too great
for women of less than normal strength, or if the weight is of awkward bulk, or has to
be raised to a special height.1
In connection w ith this, the committee quotes a report as to
women engaged in making and finishing crucibles:
The heaviest handled by one woman alone weigh 57 pounds. Lifting is intermit
tent, occurring in the intervals of manufacturing work. The girls have been carefully
chosen for their good physique and appeared to lift the crucibles with complete ease.
Thus of one factory it is reported th a t1‘the forewoman took pains to instruct the girls in
the right way of handling the heavy crucibles. She said some required considerable
instruction how to carry, as they often began by attempting to do the whole work with
their forearms and wrists, bringing no other muscles into play and consequently
quickly exhausting themselves, but practice soon helped them over this difficulty.
If a girl could not acquire the knack of right handling she hurt herself and injured
the crucibles and was taken off that work. ”l
The Dilution of Labor Bulletin also contains discussions regarding
women in kinds of work which from other reasons have been deemed
undesirable for them. In many cases, it is held, the objections have
no valid foundation if women of the right kind .are selected and if a little
attention is paid to making conditions safe and suitable for them.
In one respect women are more desirable than men for work under
difficult conditions since they are more willing to adopt the safety
precautions which, “ applied inflexibly, m ay not make the work any
more comfortable, b u t do remove the element of danger.” In fact
the Ministry of Munitions appears to adopt unreservedly the con
clusions given in a discussion of the health of munition workers,
published in the British Medical Journal:
The well-being of young girls fresh from school, of the prospective mother, and of
the mother during the first months of her infant’s life more than ever call for sympa
thetic recognition. If proper care and forethought are exercised there seems no reason
why women and girls, if suitably selected and supervised, should not carry out many
operations hitherto considered fit only for men, without permanent detriment to their
future health.*
1 Ministry of Munitions. Health of Munition Workers Committee. Final Report. Industrial Health
and Efficiency, p. 97. London, 1918 [Cd. 9065].
* Health of Munition Workers. Reprinted from the British Medical Journal, July 7,14, 21, and 28,1917.
London.
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HEALTH OF WOMEN MUNITION WORKERS IN ENGLAND.
The final report of the H ealth of Munition Workers Com m ittee1
contains a sum m ary by Dr. Janet Campbell of inquiries into the
health of woman munition workers. Dr. Campbell conducted two
such inquiries, the first in 1915 and 1916, dealing with 1,326 women
mostly employed on fairly fight processes, and the second in 1917,
covering 1,183 women, m any of whom were employed on heavy
shell making. Practically all the women included in the second
inquiry had been in munition work for nine months, and most of
them for longer. Purposely, a disproportionately large num ber of
married women was selected for examination.
C H AR AC TE R OF W ORK DONE.
Women were at first employed only on fight work, not handling
anything heavier than 3-inch shells. Then they were put on 4.5inch shells, which weigh 48 pounds in the rough and about 27^
pounds in the completed state, and now they are employed on shell
of all sizes. They perform all the different operations, including
working on lathes and on milling and drilling machines, examining,
checking, cleaning, and also loading and unloading wagons. They
are also employed as crane drivers and slingers. No- lifting tackle
is provided for the 4.5-inch shells. For 5 and 6 inch shells lifting
taclde is provided, but it is not always used by the women, who find
it quicker to lift the shells- by hand. The 6-inch shells weigh about
130 pounds in the rough and 90 pounds when finished, “ so that
women are just able to lift them.” Since the heavier shells can not
be handled without tackle, the women are really in more danger of
overstrain on the 6-inch than on the heavier shells. Many of the
women really like the heavy work:
It ia astonishing how deft women become in dealing with heavy weights, and they
often take great pride in their muscular strength and dexterity. But clearly it is
most important first to select the workers properly and next to watch that they do
not attempt too much in their eagerness to do well.
HOTJRS, N UTRITION, ETC.
The excessive hours worked at the beginning of the war have
been reduced, yet it is still permissible for women to work 60 hours
a week, exclusive of pauses and mealtimes. This usually means
two 12-hour shifts, though in many factories using the two-shift
system the hours are somewhat less, 55 or 57£ per week, with a
half day off on Saturday. Some factories work a three-shift system
of about eight hours per shift. The 12-hour shift is considered
entirely too long, especially for married women, although one in1Ministry of Munitions.
and Efficiency.
Health of Munition Workers Committee. Final Report. Industrial Health
Fp. 132-152. London. 1918. Cd. 9065. Seepages 40 to 53 of this issue of the L abor
R eview .
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vestigator reports that the introduction of a shorter shift would
need careful consideration as to the effect on individual women,
“ as the eight-hour factory shift in addition to heavy household work
involves a heavier day’s toil than factory work alone through a
12-hour shift when it is obviously impossible to undertake home
duties.” Dr. Campbell strongly recommends that women engaged
in heavy work should not have shifts of longer than eight hours.
The dietary habits of the women have improved considerably
since they entered the munition factories. This is due partly to the
better wages which permit them to buy enough food, partly to the
increased appetite and desire for solid food following upon regular
work under fairly hygienic conditions, and partly to the introduction
of well-managed canteens in which suitable food can be procured.
Transit and housing difficulties are still serious, and much of the
fatigue from which the women suffer is due to conditions of this
kind incidental to factory life rather than to the nature of the work
itself. Welfare work is becoming increasingly general, and its value
is emphasized.
The extent to which these women seem to suffer from the effects
of their work is increased by the relatively large number of married
women among the munition workers. A certain proportion of these
are young married women without children or household responsi
bilities who are no more affected by the work than single women.
The difficulty comes with the other class, who have to add the factory
work to their home work:
Married 'women are often fully competent physically to carry out duties at the
factory. It is only when these duties are supplemented by home work after long
hours of factory work, by the difficulty of making proper arrangements for their
children during their absence, by the ever-increasing difficulty of shopping during
the limited interval, and often by worry or anxiety in regard to husband or relatives
at the front, that the burden becomes too heavy to bear without mental or physical
damage.
MEDICAL FIN D IN G S.
A physical examination, necessarily rather hasty and superficial,
was made of the women from eight factories, who were divided into
three groups according to the results of the examination, as follows:
Number
of work-
Class A: In good
health.
Class B: Some
Class C: Marked
fatigue or ill health. fatigue or ill health.
amined. Number. Per cent. Number.
Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Inquiry No. 1.................................
Inquiry No. 2.................................
1,326
1,183
763
692
67.5
58.5
451
425
34.0
35.8
112
66
8.5
5.7
According to this table about 40 per cent of the women exhibit
definite signs of fatigue. Dr. Campbell believes this is an under
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statement of the case, because (a) much early fatigue is latent and
objectively unrecognizable; (b) the women most seriously affected
tend to drop out of factory life before they have served for any long
period; (c) women knowing themselves fatigued might not offer them
selves for examination; and (d) since the examination was necessarily
superficial, only definite and relatively well-marked fatigue could be
detected. As these causes would be equally operative in both in
quiries they do not affect the comparative situation, and it is a
striking fact that the amount of serious fatigue shown among the
women examined is smaller in the second than in the first inquiry.
Due to the reasons above noted, it is likely that the amount of
fatigue revealed by the inquiry is less, and possibly much less than
is actually experienced among the workers as a whole. On the other
hand the fatigue is not so great as might be expected, taking into
consideration the hours worked and the processes performed. Several
reasons are suggested for this. Interest in their work and a desire
to do their part might keep the workers from feeling the strain which
would be developed by a mere dull routine of work. The higher
wages, which enable the women to have better food and clothing,
lead to improved nutrition and an increased resistance to disease.
The advance of welfare supervision has done much to remove detri
mental conditions and indirectly to improve the physique and en
durance of the workers. One reason assigned is that many of the
women had previously been employed at harder work under worse
conditions, and that their health under the more favorable conditions
of munition work improves progressively. Thus in one factory where
women were employed from 10 to 11 hours daily on heavy work, the
investigator notes: “A few had spent many years as charwomen
working hard for little remuneration, and these looked upon the
regular long hours of munition work as a well-paid rest.”
Unfortunately few details of the medical investigation are given.
Women from eight factories were examined, and the results show that
the character of the work alone does not account for the amount of
fatigue shown. Thus the largest proportion showing marked fatigue—
12.3 per cent—was found among 73 women employed in Factory
No. 6, in which the women are engaged in making fuses. “The work
is light in character and in itself involves little or no physical strain.”
On the other hand, in factory No. 5, in which women were employed
on all processes in making 9.2 and 6 inch shells, and at the time of the
investigation had been working long shifts for six months, of 199
women examined the proportion showing marked fatigue was only 4
per cent; the proportion showing slight fatigue, however, was large—
57.2 per cent. The best showing was made in a factory (No. 2) in
which women were working on 9.2 and 6 inch shells, and were also
employed on overhead cranes and as slingers. Here most of the
77262°—18—
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women worked eight-hour shifts and a system of welfare supervision
was in effect. About two-fifths of the women were married, 56 had
young children, and about half of these were doing heavy housework
in addition to their work in the factory. Yet of the 264 examined,
only 4.5 per cent showed marked fatigue and 20 per cent slight
fatigue.
The particular defects of health found were not always traceable
to factory conditions. The ailments most frequently observed were
digestive disorders, defective teeth, headache, nervous irritability,
anemia, muscular pains, and menstrual disorders. About one-fourth
of the group suffered from this last-mentioned cause, ‘‘which in some
cases had appeared since factory'work commenced.” Some cases
were found in which there was evidently a connection between heavy
work and an increase of menstrual trouble, hut how frequently this
occurred is not stated. On the whole, Dr. Campbell concludes that
the women at work in the factories are bearing the fatigue of munition
work surprisingly well.
CONCLUSION.
As a result of the two investigations Dr. Campbell submits the
following conclusions, which are adopted by the Health of Munition
Workers Committee:
To su m u p , th e gen eral r esu lts of th e se in q u ir ie s in d ic a te :
1. T h a t th ere is d e fin ite b u rd en of fa tig u e, w h ic h th o u g h r e la tiv e ly sm a ll in am o u n t
as regards se v e re fa tig u e is con sid erab le as regards th a t of a less se v e re character.
2 . T h a t th e fa tig u e an d i l l h e a lth are less th a n m ig h t h a v e b e e n a n tic ip a te d h a v in g
regard to th e hours of work an d th e n atu re of th e e m p lo y m en t, an d th a t th is is d u e,
b ro a d ly sp ea k in g , to th e g r ea tly im p r o v ed a tte n tio n to th e h e a lth an d w elfare of th e
workers.
3. T h a t fa tig u e an d sic k n e ss are greatest w h ere h e a v y w ork is c o m b in e d w ith lo n g
hours at th e fa ctory an d aso cia ted w ith onerous d o m estic d u tie s after factory hours.
4. T h a t u n less brough t u n d er control, th e co n sid erab le am ou n t of m od erate w eari
n ess a n d i ll h e a lth n o w p resen t is lik e ly to red u ce im m e d ia te e ffic ie n c y an d also e x e r
cise in m a n y cases a n in ju rio u s effe c t on su b seq u e n t h e a lth an d on c a p a c ity for m ater
n it y .
5. T h a t a lth o u g h th ere has b e e n su b sta n tia l im p r o v em e n t in th e c o n d itio n s an d
circu m sta n ces of w o m e n ’s w ork in factories further a c tio n is n ecessa ry if th e am ou n t
of fa tig u e is to b e d im in ish ed rather th a n in crea sed . I n particu lar th e fin d in gs of th is
in q u ir y seem to in d ic a te th e n e c e s sity —
(a) For fu rth er sh o rten in g th e hours of labor for w om en .
( b) For restrictin g w o m e n ’s w ork in th e h e a v ier b ran ch es of in d u str y to th o se w h o
are y o u n g , p h y s ic a lly fit an d cap ab le a n d w h o h a v e n ot arduou s h om e d u tie s to perform .
(c) For th e c o n tin u a tio n an d d e v e lo p m e n t, w h erev er w o m en are e m p lo y e d in fac
to ries, o fh y g ie n ic c o n d itio n s, and e s p e c ia lly w elfare arran gem ents ( in c lu d in g in d u stria l
c a n te en s); an d
(d) For m a ld n g app rop riate p ro v isio n for e ffe c tiv e m e d ica l su p erv isio n , b oth on
en tra n ce to th e facto ry (in h e a v y a n d e x c e p tio n a l o c cu p a tio n s), an d , s u b s e q u e n tly ,
b y m ea n s of th e se r v ic es of m e d ica l officers (w o m en preferred) an d nu rses, an d in th e
form of su ita b le a cco m m o d a tio n as to rest room s, first-aid a p p lia n ces, an d w e lle q u ip p e d su rgeries.
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EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN FRANCE DURING THE WAR.
A survey of the extent and nature of the employment of female
labor in France during the war is published in a recent number of
the Bulletin of the French Ministry of Labor.1 A summary of this
article follows :
The investigations undertaken by the French factory inspection
service as to the activities of industrial and mercantile establish
ments after the outbreak of the war, the results of which have been
published in various issues of the Bulletin; have shown a considerable
and progressive increase in the employment of female labor in the
various branches of the national activity. They did not, however,
furnish any statistical data showing in figures the importance of the
increased employment of female labor. Also they covered only
those establishments subject to the supervision of the factory in
spection service, and consequently did not include mining and quar
rying, common carriers, nor the establishments of the Ministries of
War and of the Navy, in which the interests of the national defense
do not permit investigations by outsiders. In the latter half of 1917
several investigations were undertaken, of which the results are now
available.
E ST A BLISH M EN TS SUBJECT TO THE SUPER V ISIO N OF THE FACTORY INSPECTION
SERVICE.
The investigation undertaken in July, 1917, covered 52,278 estab
lishments, employing in normal times 1,037,485 male and 487,474
female workers, or a total of 1,524,959 persons. The following
table shows the distribution of female workers among the various
industry groups at five specified periods, and also gives for each of
these periods the percentage they formed of the female working
force employed before the outbreak of the war.
i France. B u lletin du M inistère d u Travail et de la Prévoyance Sociale, vol. 25, Nos. 1 and 2,
Paris, Jan u ary -F eb ru ary , 1918, pp. 1-29.
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D ISTR IBU TIO N OF FEM ALE W OR K ER S AMONG THE VARIOUS IN D U ST R Y GROUPS
B E F O R E THE O U T BR EA K OF THE W AR AND AT FIVE PER IO D S, 1914 TO 1917, IN
ESTABLISHM ENTS SUBJECT TO THE SUPER V ISIO N OF THE FACTORY INSPEC
TORS.
Percentage as compared
with the prewar work
ing force.
Female working force employed—
Industry group.
Before
Au
the out gust,
break of 1914.
the war.
Food.......................................
Chemical................................
Rubber, paper, cardboard .
Printing..................................
Textile....................................
Clothing: working up of
straw, feathers, hair........
Hides and leather, furs........
W oodworking......................
Metal working.......................
Precious metals.................. .
Cutting of precious stones. .
Cutting and grinding of
stones, earthwork, building trades...........................
Pottery and brick making..
Transportation.....................
Commerce..............................
July,
1915.
July,
1916.
Jan
uary,
1917.
Au July, July, Jan July,
July, gust,
1917. 1914. 1915. 1916. uary,
1917. 1917.
34,918
14,959
21,683
11,000
190,944
22,267 31,261 35,990 31,214 35,591
8,115 14,872 20,568 23,824 24,569
8,627 16,136 19,571 20,320 20,958
4,942
6,458
7,677
8,226
8,351
75,040 154,307 176,639 183,445 183,239
64
54
40
45
39
90
99
74
59
82
103
137
90
70
92
89
159
94
75
98
102
164
97
76
96
108,412
22,596
9,047
18,815
2,883
1,306
36,128
8,930
2,463
9,370
496
351
69,790 90,087 91,140 94,778
17,601 21,902 23,245 24,068
7,098 10,428 12,628 13,933
64,479 118,331 159,086 171,700
1,512
1,984
1,969
2,017
755
926
954
1,050
33
40
27
50
17
27
64
78
78
343
52
58
83
97
115
629
69
71
84
103
140
846
70
73
87
107
154
913
68
80
495
17,153
210
33,053
99
3,198
168
18,913
267
7,407
329
25,307
640
11,855
954
33,226
20
19
80
57
54
43
157
80
95
61
43
93
42
67
45
96
129
69
454
101
Total............................ 487,474 199,107 !418,579 546,701 600,759 626,881
41
86
112
123
129
472
10,433
897
30,796
516
11,492
950
31,702
1 Shown here as given in the original; column adds to 417,579.
This table establishes the fact that the chief increase in the employ
ment of female labor has taken place in industries working for the
national defense. It also indicates that those industries in -which
the number of female workers has decreased were enabled to furnish
such workers to other branches of the national activity. In 8 out
of 15 industry groups the number of female .workers was larger in
July, 1917, than before the outbreak of the war. For every 100
female workers employed before the outbreak of the war the metal
working industries employed in July, 1917, 913, transportation
industries 454, the chemical industries 164, and the woodworking
industries 154. In seven industry groups, on the other hand, there
was a decrease in the number of female workers. For every 100
female workers employed before the outbreak of the war, in July
1917, there were only 97 in the rubber, paper, and cardboard indus
tries, 96 in the textile industries, 87 in the clothing industry, 80 in
the cutting of precious stones, 69 in pottery and brick making, 76
in the printing trades, and 68 in the working up of precious metals.
In the food industries, hide and leather industries, and commerce
the figures indicating the extent of employment of women have
changed very slightly, and in July, 1917, were 102, 107, and 101,
respectively, as compared with 100 before the outbreak of the war.
The eight industry groups which show an increase in the number
of female workers employed have gained 170,588 female workers
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as compared with prewar times. The seven industry groups which
show a decrease of their female working force have experienced a
loss of 31,181 female workers. The net gain, therefore, amounts to
139,407, or 28.6 per cent.
After having ascertained the absolute increase of the female
working force it seems expedient to examine into its relative increase—
i. e., in what proportion this working force has increased as compared
with the total personnel of the establishments covered by the inves
tigation. This is shown in the following table by industry groups:
PROPORTION FEMALE W ORKERS FORMED OF THE TOTAL PE R SO N N EL OF ESTAB
LISHMENTS SUBJECT TO TH E SUPERVISION OF THE FACTORY INSPECTORS BEFORE
THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR AND AT FIVE PERIODS, 1914 TO 1917, B Y IND U STR Y
GROUPS.
Per cent female workers formed of the total personnel—
Industry group.
Before
the
outbreak August,
1914.
of the
war.
Food....................................................................
Chemical.............................................................
Rubber, paper, cardboard..............................
Printing.............................................................
Textile................................................................
Clothing; working up of straw, feathers,
hair..................................................................
Hides and leather, furs................................... .
Woodworking...................................................
Metal working..................................................
Precious m etals................................................
Cutting of precious stones..............................
Cutting and grinding of stones, earth work,
building trades..............................................
Pottery and brickmaking..............................
Transportation..................................................
Commerce..........................................................
Total........................................................
July,
1915.
July,
1916.
January,
1917.
July,
1917.
37
18
39
28
61
44
22
49
37
71
42
22
48
34
70
44
24
48
36
71
40
25
48
38
72
44
26
49
38
71
78
32
10
5
35
45
81
33
12
7
47
64
80
36
16
19
42
63
86
.39
16
23
44
65
85
39
18
26
41
66
86
40
19
26
40
69
0.68
21
0.69
36
0.86
19
1.15
46
1.11
22
1.47
49
1.45
24
3.10
49
1.63
25
3.27
51
1.74
26
3.39
50
31.9
38.3
39.8
39.6
40
40.2
Before the outbreak of the war the female working force formed
31.9 per cent of the total personnel of the establishments covered by
the preceding table. In August, 1914, although the number of
female workers had decreased by 59 per cent, their percentage of
the total working force had reached 38.3 per cent, owing to the gaps
left in the male working force on account of the mobilization. Be
tween August, 1914, and July, 1915, the male working force increased
by 312,573 workers and the female working force by 219,472, while
the proportion of the latter rose to 39.8 per cent. These same two
classes of workers increased by 201,970 and 128,122, respectively, in
July, 1916, and by 90,347 and 80,180 in July, 1917, and the percent
age of female workers of the total personnel rose successively to 39.6
and 40.2 per cent.
The following table shows the total number and per cent of male
and female workers at the four periods considered, as well as the
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proportion per sex compared with that existent before the outbreak
of the war:
NUM BER AND PERCENTAGE OF MALE AND FEMALE W ORKERS IN ESTABLISHM ENTS
SUBJECT TO THE SUPERVISION OF THE FACTORY INSPECTORS AT SPECIFIED
PERIODS, 1914 TO 1917.
Before the
outbreak
of the war.
August,
1914
July,
1915
July,
1916
July,
1917
Number of male workers.......... ..................
Number of female workers..........................
1,037,485
487,474
319,622
199,107
632,195
418,579
834,165
546,701
932,512
626,881
Total working force............................
1,524,959
518,729
1,050,774
1,380,866
1,559,393
68.1
31.9
61.7
38.3
60.2
39.8
60.4
39.6
59.8
40.2
100
100
31
41
61
86
80
112
90
129
100
34
69
91
102
Per cent of male workers................
Per cent of female workers.........'.........
Per cent, as compared with that of prewar
times, of—
Male workers............................ !___
Female workers....................................
The total working force.....................
In August, 1914, immediately after the mobilization, the total
working force of the establishments considered here was only 34 per
cent of its normal size; in July, 1917, its size was 2 per cent above
that of normal times. Between August, 1914, and July, 1917, the
total male working force rose from 31 to 90 per cent of its normal
size, and the total female working force from 41 to 129 per cent.
This comparison shows clearly the importance of female labor in the
establishments inspected by the factory-inspection service.
MINES, ENGINEERING CORPS AND QUARTERM ASTER'S DEPARTM EN T, H EA LTH
SERVICE, N AVY, AND RAILROAD SERVICE.
Below is shown the percentage female workers formed of the total
working force in ehch of the above services on January 1 , 1918:
Per cent.
F ren ch m in es (fem ale an d ju v e n ile w orkers)............................................
E n g in eerin g corps an d qu arterm aster’s d e p a r tm en t..............................
N a v y (S ta te e sta b lish m e n ts ).............................................................................
H e a lth s e r v ic e . ....................................................................................................
G reat railroad s y s t e m s ........................................ * ........................ ....................
12. 8
21. 5
2 1 .2
4 7 .3
1 4 .3
MUNITION AND ORDNANCE FACTORIES, INCLUSIVE OF STATE-OW NED E ST A B L ISH
MENTS.
In July, 1915, female workers in private and State munition and
ordnance factories formed 11.25 per cent of the total personnel of
these factories. On January 1, 1918, this percentage had more than
doubled, being 23 per cent. If, on the other hand, the number of
these female workers in January, 1916, is assumed to be 100, an index
number of 361 (388 for private and 295 for State establishments) is
obtained for January, 1918.
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The following table gives for specified months of 1916, 1917, and
1918, the index numbers of female workers employed in private
and State munition and ordnance factories and in both combined,
and the percentage which female workers form of the total personnel
of these establishments:
IN D E X NUM BERS OF FEMALE W ORKERS IN PRIVATE AND STATE MUNITION AND
ORDNANCE FACTORIES AND PERCENTAGE OF THESE W ORKERS OF THE TOTAL
PER SONNEL, 1916, 1917, 1918 (JANUARY, 1916=100).
Index numbers of female workers employed in—
Month and year.
Per cent
female
workers were
of total
Private es
State es
All es
tablishments. tablishments. tablishments. personnel.
January, 1916..............................................................
April, 1916...................................................................
July, 1916....................................................................
September, 1916.........................................................
January, 1917..............................................................
April, 1917...................................................................
July, 1917.....................................................................
September, 1917.........................................................
January, 1918..............................................................
100
178
240
289
358
366
378
381
388
100
123
175
196
241
264
278
277
295
100
162
221
263
292
337
349
351
361
14.0
18.0
21.4
22.7
24.0
23.7
24.0
25.0
23.0
The Ministry of War employs numerous female workers as clerks,
private secretaries, editorial clerks, typists, stenographers, accountants,
charwomen, etc.
*
N A TU R E OF W ORK AND WORKING CONDITIONS OF FEM ALE WORKERS.
As has been stated above, the investigations of the factory in
spectors made it possible to draw up a list of th'ose occupations wdiich
during normal times were not filled by women but have been in
trusted to them during the war. This list has been published in the
Bulletin (July-August, 1915, issue, p. 180; January-February, 1916,
p. 7; and June, 1916, p. 192). The results in this respect of more
recent investigations, particularly of those of November, 1917, in the
same establishments and in those under the administration of the
munitions, engineering, and quartermaster departments are given
here.
Women adapt themselves more and more to the most varied occu
pations. As a matter of fact, they perform either with the aid of
machines or by hand work nearly every operation, from the moment
when the raw material enters the factory up to the time when the
finished product is shipped from it.
In industries employing women in normal times the woman workers
have been taught the operation of new machine tools.
In establishments employing women only since the outbreak of the
war women were at first given only such work as corresponded to
their physical aptitude. By and by, however, under the pressure
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of necessity, and because the first experiments in this respect had
encouraging results, they were also employed at much harder work,
requiring considerable strength and adroitness, from which they were
formerly barred. They are now excluded only from work which
manifestly exceeds their strength, is too dangerous, or requires
exceptional physical strength and skill combined, such as the carry
ing and handling of heavy burdens, work on scaffolds or elevated
points, and special work in iron and steel mills and glass works.
Among the exceptional occupations opened to women during the war
should be mentioned the highly skilled work of assembling, running
of steam engines, autogenous welding, linotype composing, piecing
and doffing in cotton mills, machining by series of lathes, accessory
work in forges and brick kilns, tawing and dyeing, research and
laboratory work, supervision, etc.
E m ploy m en t
op
W om en
in
W ar
S u pply
S e r v ic e s
(S e r v ic e s
d e
M a n t t t e n t io n ).
L o a d in g , u n lo a d in g , a n d c a r r y in g .—All industries use women to a
great extent for the handling of war materials. In some industries
they are used at all kinds of work, without distinction, inclusive of
loading and unloading, while in others they are exclusively employed
at transportation within the factories of products in course of manu
facture. The distances which they have to go in transporting goods
are generally short. The weight which they may handle is regulated
by the decrees of December 28, 1909, and April 26, 1912, and may not
exceed 25 kilograms (55 pounds). Suitable equipment, such as
hoisting apparatus, winches, appliances for mechanical transporta
tion, etc., to reduce the physical effort needed for such operations, is
being introduced more and more in the factories. Very heavy work
is done exclusively by men. Nevertheless, women load and unload
timber, battens, and iron; operate traveling cranes and electric
trolleys; in tanneries unload and carry on their shoulders green hides
weighing not more than 44 pounds; convey shell and material from
place to place within munition factories; and generally transport
whatever is needed, within the limits of weight mentioned above.
Some industries employ women to drive teams and auto trucks, but
the total number so employed is still very small. They were also found
to be employed to a limited extent as firemen on small locomotives,
brakemen, switchmen, and crossing men. In two establishments 15
and 25 women, respectively, operate electric trolleys with loads of
1,500 kilograms (3,307 pounds), and 48 women act as switchmen.
I n s p e c tio n , p a c k in g , b o x in g , n a i l i n g .—Women are very generally
employed for inspecting manufactured products of every kind. In
shell and gun factories the work of inspection and gauging is handled
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almost exclusively by female workers. They are prepared for this
work through a study of guns and gauges and by successive verifi
cations of the caliber of guns of all kinds. In a torpedo factory women
do almost all the work of gauging, and are taught the use of more com
plicated measuring apparatus, such as gauges for metallic plates, micrometric gauges, etc., for reading one-hundredth part of a millimeter.
In the clothing industry they distribute the work and receive and
examine finished garments. They also work as inspectors in pot
teries, in factories, and in mercantile establishments. In the engi
neering services they inventory all material on its arrival.
In many districts the work of marking articles and putting them
in piles is done by females. The same is true of the work of wrapping,
packing, and boxing, except where the articles to be handled are too
heavy. One largo depot within the city limits of Paris employs
women as watchmen of the ships which men load and unload, and
also as charwomen. Women follow the gangs of stevedores and with a
needle and twine rapidly repair sacks which burst in the course of the
work. In prewar times this work was done by men, who merely passed
twine through the hole and knotted it. Now the women mend the
sacks thoroughly and thereby make it possible to store and ship them.
W o rk i n th e Q u a r te r m a s te r 's D e p a r tm e n t .—Generally speaking,
in this department women are employed at all work compatible with
their physical limitations. In some instances the installation of
hoisting and trucking apparatus has permitted the employment of
women in occupations hitherto reserved to men. In addition to
office work, women perform the following services:
Clothing: Stock keeping, loading and unloading of vehicles, finishing and cutting of textiles, folding, making of clothing, sorting and
packing.
Foodstuffs: Stewardess, marking, manufacture of war bread,
placing biscuits on baking pans, packing in boxes, etc.
Fodder: Making iron bands, feeding gristmills, screening and sack
ing grain, sorting and beating sacks.
Storage houses: Stowing, roasting coffee, sorting potatoes, marking
and scraping barrels, manufacture of sausages, etc.
Manufacture of shoes: Operation of cutting and trimming ma
chines, preservation and piling up of leather, etc.
Central supply depots: Loading, unloading, repairing packages,
verifying the count of goods to recipients, pasting labels, etc.
Changes
in
Shop
O r g a n iz a t io n
a nd
W o r k in g
P rocesses.
In many districts the industrial establishments have changed and
improved their systems of operation in order to make possible the
employment of women, more particularly their employment in the
place of men. They have subdivided the working processes as much
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as possible, organized serial production, and simplified the tasks set
for female workers. The need of increased output has led to the
improvement of shop equipment, especially of loading, unloading,
and hoisting devices, and to the introduction of machine tools, such
as special lathes for shell, and these, in turn, have permitted the
employment of large numbers of women as shop hands and specialized
hand workers. Working hours and the make-up of working gangs
have been changed, the shops newly organized, seats provided for
female workers, and crèches and day nurseries installed. Although
some factory inspectors report that the replacement of male by
female workers has been effected without any marked change in shop
methods, the majority say that the employers have made earnest,
efforts to discover and introduce improvements which will at one and
the same time make the work easier and the output greater.
Female workers have been furnished working clothes suitable for
their occupation.
The employment of women by the engineering corps in the con
struction of barracks has been made possible by doing away with
building plans and replacing them with models permitting the serial
execution of the principal parts of the barracks.
C o m p a r a t iv e O u t p u t o p M a l e a n d F e m a l e L a b o r .
Employers as a rule declare themselves satisfied with the results of
employing women. In order to obtain good results, judgment must
be used in the selection of the women, and those not sufficiently robust
must not be employed at heavy work. Women in general are more
attentive to their work and frequently more dexterous than men.
On the other hand, their time keeping is not so good (according to
one inspector, their absences amount to about 5 per cent), and the
production of a given working force is often less regular than for
merly, particularly for night work. For this reason it is necessary
to hire supplementary female workers as substitutes for absentees
and to add also some male workers for heavy work, adjustment,
repairs, and sharpening tools.
It is well known that in mechanical weaving women occasionally
produce more than men, and that in screw and bolt factories they
often show as much aptitude for the work as do men. It is gener
ally admitted that in serial work executed automatically with ma
chine tools, such as the manufacture of small parts of little weight,
and in all work requiring intelligence and skill, a female worker can
after short practice replace a male worker. In the manufacture of
heavy and complicated articles, on the other hand, and in loading
and unloading and all occupations requiring prolonged muscular
effort or constant attention women produce less than men. It
should also be kept in mind that certain complementary work can.
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231
be performed only by men. A comparison between the output of
women and men is rendered difficult by the fact that the work of
the factories has in many cases been completely reorganized. In
general the output of the women is in inverse ratio to the physical
effort required and to the duration of this effort.
W om en as Ov e r se e r s a n d F o rew o m en.
In prewar times women working in separate shops were frequently
placed under female overseers; this system has been continued and
extended in many of the private establishments. In most of the
State establishments the female workers are supervised in the same
manner as the men by gang foremen under shop foremen and super
intendents. Practice in this matter differs widely, however. One
factory inspector remarks that the best means to get work out of
female employees is to place them under female overseers and fore
women who are not natives of the locality.
M i n g l in g o p S e x e s i n t h e W o r k r o o m s .
In general, no segregation of the sexes is attempted, although the
practice in this respect differs. In some shops a certain part of the
shop, not inclosed, is reserved for the woman worker, while in
others, especially in those with a large female working force, the
women may be given separate rooms. At first, in some districts,
there was trouble where men and women worked together, but
this very speedily subsided. On the whole, the behavior of the
workers within the shops is satisfactory, and a somewhat stricter
supervision than was exercised before suffices to maintain good
order. Some inspectors, however, feel that discipline suffers through
the mingling of the sexes, and that wherever it is possible they
should be kept apart, even to the extent of having different hours
for coming and leaving.
R e c r u it in g F e m a l e L a b o r .
As a rule industrial establishments can easily obtain female labor.
They apply for it to departmental and municipal employment offices,
labor exchanges and prefectures, or advertise for it. Frequently
the hiring is done directly, preference being given to wives of em
ployees or of mobilized soldiers. Women already employed tell
their friends of openings, and consequently women come in from
all kinds of occupations.
In numerous ordnance shops posters were put up requesting women
already employed there to volunteer for work formerly done only by
men. Volunteers were either made to undergo a short apprentice
ship, or were for some time assigned to men as helpers, in order to
avoid any interruption of production. The wages of these women
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were increased so as to bring them nearly up to the wages of the
men whom they have replaced. In case the number of suitable
volunteers was insufficient, appeal was made to local unemployed
women either through the press or through the military authorities;
the resources of the labor service were also utilized.
The shops of the engineering corps and the quartermaster depart
ment have appealed directly to women to volunteer for their work;
in addition, they receive part of their help through employment
bureaus. Preference is given to wives, mothers, and daughters of
mobilized, injured, or killed soldiers.
TRAINING SCHOOL FOR FEMALE METAL TURNERS IN ITALY.1
With the aid of the Ministry of Munitions the Italian committee
on industrial mobilization, by way of an experiment, established in
September, 1916, in the large railroad shops of Travestere, a school
in which women are being trained to work as metal turners. Instruc
tion is limited to the requirements of the purpose in view, and the
short duration of the course, combined with the prompt placing in
employment of the graduates at the end of it, have made the experi
ment a success from its very beginning. The school has, moreover,
been a great factor in lessening among women and industrial employ
ers skepticism and unfounded prejudice against the diffusion of female
labor in war industries.
At its opening the school was equipped with only six machines (four
lathes and two boring machines), but one month later a fifth lathe
and a third boring machine were installed, and in December, 1916,
two revolving lathes, which were used in special work on fuses, were
added to the equipment. The increased equipment permitted the
enrollment of a larger number of pupils. The number of pupils
graduated from the school during the period October, 1916, to Febru
ary, 1918, was as follows:
1916.
October..........................
November......................
December......................
28
42
41
1917.
January..........................
February........................
March............................. .
April...............................
M ay..................................
June.................................
Ju ly ................................ .
42
44
55
47
46
49
August. . .
September
October__
November.
December.
1917.
..................................
..................................
..................................
..................................
..................................
47
32
52
35
25
January___
February...
1918.
..................................
..................................
49
40
Total
1Bollettino del Comitato Centrale di Mobilitazone Industriale.
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M O N T H L Y LABOE B E V IE W .
233
The usual length of the course is one month, but in order to
lessen the period of instruction a new system, which frequently bears
good results, has been adopted. Two pupils are assigned to each ma
chine, an advanced pupil and a beginner. The advanced pupil is able
to give valuable pointers to the beginner, and it has been found that in
this manner the course of instruction can be reduced from four to three
weeks in the case of the more intelligent pupils. On graduating the
pupils are morally sure of immediate remunerative employment.
While learning they are paid for all usable work turned out by them.
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INDUSTRIAL SAFETY.
SEVENTH ANNUAL SAFETY CONGRESS, NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL.
The seventh annual safety congress of the National Safety Council
will be held in the Statler Hotel, St. Louis, September 16 to 20,
inclusive. A program treating of practically every phase of the safety
movement with the one idea of promoting the accident-prevention
campaign in industry has been arranged and will be presented in
five sectional meetings, as follows:
1. Industrial division: Chemical, including rubber chemical; logging, lumbering^ woodworking; metals and metallurgy, including
foundry and iron and steel; mines and quarries; miscellaneous
manufacturers, including automotive, cement, construction, car
builders, paper and pulp, and textile.
2. Transportation and public-service division: Electric street
railways; public utilities; steam railroad.
3. Health and industrial relations division: Health service; em
ployees’ benefit associations; employees’ publications.
4. Public administrative division: Governmental.
5. Public-safety division: Public safety.
On the opening day will occur the registration and annual meeting
of the members, the directors’ meeting, and a general session of the
congress^ with six addresses, followed by a public mass meeting in
the evening, at which, among others, Hon. Franklin K. Lane, Secre
tary of the Interior, will make an address on “ Safety as an asset
in winning the war.”
On Tuesday, September 17, there will be a general session primarily
for the benefit of safety engineers desiring to familiarize themselves
with the fundamental principles and methods of securing success
with their safety work, and on Wednesday a session for women has
been arranged, at which such subjects as “ The physical condition
of workshops where women are employed,” “ Safety instruction in
the schools,” and “ Medical supervision and adaptation of work to the
women in industry” will be discussed. Employees’ benefit asso
ciations will receive attention at meetings of the health and indus
trial relations division, the addresses suggesting ways to solve the
problems presented by such a scheme, how the plan may be operated
successfully, and its relation to the employer and employee and the
best form of management. “ The need for medical service and other
benefits ” is one subject. In connection with the discussion of public
safety it is planned to have a special exhibit of traffic signs, signals,
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semaphores, “ no-parking” signs, safety zones, and towers. There
will be addresses on “ Desirability of uniform signs and signals,
with some suggestions,” “ Public accidents—what they mean in
monetary loss,” “ Making walking places safe,” and other pertinent
topics.
At a joint health service and governmental sectional meeting the
questions of taking care of war cripples who return to industry and
of responsibility for industrial cripples will be considered. Speakers
at the governmental sectional meeting will discuss the matter of
uniform safety standards and the general subject of a coordinated
plan for national employment from the standpoint of the Government,
the State, and industry.
In all, more than 150 subjects have been assigned for discussion,
and there will also be opportunity for round-table discussions on
matters of timely interest connected with the safety movement. A
feature of the congress will be an exhibit of photographs, blue prints,
and plans, selected from a collection of approximately 400 supplied
by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, showing what has
been accomplished along the line of welfare work in many establish
ments throughout the country. These include illustrations of dis
pensaries, hospitals, lunch rooms, rest rooms, bathrooms, operating
rooms, X-ray rooms, examination rooms, lockers, medicine cabinets,
first-aid drill, welfare buildings, washhouses, kitchens, and many
others. There will also be an educational exhibit arranged by the
council and the American Museum of Safety, besides a number of
commercial exhibits.
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INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND POISONS.
TRINITROTOLUENE POISONING.1
BY T. M. LEGGE, M. D ., H . -M. MEDICAL INSPECTOR OE FACTORIES.
I give a summary of some salient points in connection with TNT
poisoning which for a short time was baffling, both as to the essential
cause and the best means of prevention. The diminution now
shown in incidence of the disease brings out the value of scientific
research into the causes of industrial diseases.
In prewar time trinitrotoluene in the small quantities (about 10
per cent) in which it was used in the manufacture of explosives
gave rise to no trouble, and because of this effort was made to encour
age substitution of TNT for dinitrobenzene, the injurious effects
of which were well recognized.
In 1901 Dr. Prosser White, whose use of his opportunities for
observation and prevention as appointed surgeon for many years
at a large explosives factory in Lancashire I gratefully acknowledge,
carried out, in conjunction with Dr. J. Hay, classical experiments
proving conclusively that the main channel of absorption of dinitro
benzene was through the skin. “ TNT,” they said, “ is not poisonous
under ordinary use. * * * This is a very important practical
point, as the susceptibility of man and animals seems closely allied.
In some factories the TNT has been substituted for dinitrobenzene
with great advantage to the health of the workmen employed.”
Thus the issue in regard to TNT on this important point was unin
tentionally obscured, as extraordinary use of the material could
not have been foreseen.
On the outbreak of the war, therefore, the conditions in the fac
tories for the manufacture, rather than the use, of TNT caused
anxiety. When later the fumes and dust generated in the processes
of shell filling were seen the necessity for adopting mechanical
means obviating dust or of locally applied exhaust ventilation
became imperative. The view that “ clean working” was the surest
means of bringing about reduction in the poisoning was much ad
vanced by the demonstration of the importance of the skin as a
principal channel of absorption by Dr. Moore and his coworkers
after close study of the subject on factory premises and by experi
ment on themselves.2
i From Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops for the year 1917. L o n d o n ,
1918. [Cd. 9108.] P p. 21-24.
i The Causation and Prevention of Trinitrotoluene Poisoning, by Benjamin Moore, M. D., F. R. S., Special
Report Series, No. 11, of the Medical Research Committee, National Health Insurance, 1917.
236
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The first fatality attributed to TNT occurred in the manufacture
of the material in February, 1915. I was present at the post-mortem
and was struck by the general jaundice of sclerotics and skin so
closely resembling that which I had frequently seen shortly before,
from tetrachlorethane. Dr. B. Spilsbury examined the organs and
established the fact that TNT causes changes in the liver and kidneys
similar to those produced by tetrachlorethane.
In the summer of 1915 a medical practitioner reported a case in a
shell-filling factory. In the inquiry which followed, Dr. Collis
noticed particularly the effect of the compound on the blood. Two
fatalities—one in August and one in December—were reported in
1915. In that year I circulated information as to the nature of
poisoning by nitro derivatives of benzene among the surgeons
appointed to make periodic medical examination of persons employed
in processes in the manufacture of TNT under the regulations.
This information was sent also to the national filling factories then
springing into existence and to the medical officers whom the ministry
were appointing to supervise the health of the workers in them.
Toward the end of 1915 the necessity for obtaining more informa
tion as to the prevalence of TNT poisoning had become apparent
and an order was accordingly made under section 73 of the factory
act, 1901, making cases of toxic jaundice notifiable. The reason
why toxic jaundice and not TNT poisoning was added to the list of
notifiable diseases was as follows:
Notification of industrial disease is a more difficult matter than is
notification of infectious disease, and if care is not taken the useful
ness of the requirement may be greatly impaired. The objects in
view are to obtain knowledge of prevalence with a view to treatment
and prevention. The difficulty in regard to notification of industrial
disease is that, owing to the slow onset, the patient passes through a
stage of absorption which does not amount to poisoning, and yet in
which the stigmata of the particular compound, as, for example, the
blue line on the gums from lead absorption, and cyanosis of the lips
from TNT, are apparent. TNT is protean in the various ways in
which its effects are shown. First, there is the irritative local effect
on the skin, quickly yielding to the ordinary treatment for derma
titis. Secondly, there are the irritative effects on the alimentary
tract—gastritis and vomiting—not readily distinguishable from the
same common effects produced by other causes. Thirdly, there is
the effect produced on the blood—formation of methaemoglobin,
with consequent reduction of its oxygen-carrying power and leading,
unless conditions are alleviated by transference to other work, to
effect on the heart, liver, kidneys, and circulatory system generally.
Fourthly, there is the specific destructive effect on the liver cells
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characterized by the appearance of jaundice—a grave condition,
proving fatal in from 25 to 30 per cent of those affected. Lastly,
there is the rare condition of which some 13 cases (nearly all fatal)
are known to have occurred of aplastic anemia, characterized by
destruction of the red marrow of the bones, and, as a result of this
great diminution in the red and white blood cells. These various
symptoms are by no means always distinct one from another. With
exception of the first, they are all to be described as TNT poisoning,
and they may merge one into the other—cyanosis may be present
with gastritis or toxic jaundice, jaundice may be present with
aplastic anemia—they may be interchangeable or concomitant mani
festations of the same poison.
I have dealt with them separately in order to insist that for the
purpose of statutory notification all the forms are not equally impor
tant, although obviously the management of the factory should be
aware of all cases. But when statutory notification has to be made
the medical practitioner and occupier require a definite symptom to
guide them. Publication of statistics of notifications of TNT poison
ing would, in my opinion, be unreliable, as they would simply refer
to a number of TNT workers seeking medical treatment for any and
every complaint. But figures published monthly of incidence of
toxic jaundice furnish a real indication of serious illness due to the
compound, calling in each case for inquiry as to causation, and
observance of precautions in the particular process at which the
affected person was employed. This procedure has reduced expense
to the State, has relieved the medical practitioner and occupier of
doubt as to when to notify, and has saved endless worry and waste
of time which must have resulted had a wider requirement been
imposed.
In September, 1916, Dr. W. J. O’Donovan was appointed by the
Ministry of Munitions to supervise the medical arrangements in
national filling factories, and the success of the medical organization
in them, and, with its development, the success of the measures
taken to combat TNT sickness, are largely the result of the energy
he has unsparingly thrown into the work. The medical staff in the
national filling factories now numbers 15 resident medical officers, of
whom 11 are women. Similar arrangements were made as regards
the trade filling factories, and about the same time an interdepart
mental committee was appointed to advise the Minister of Munitions
generally on the measures necessary for the prevention of TNT
poisoning in these factories. As a result of their recommendations
a code of special rules was drawn up and approved by the minister,
with the concurrence of the home secretary, under powers conferred
by the Defense of the Realm Regulations. These rules do not apply
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to the manufacture of TNT, as such factories are already dealt with
by regulations under the factory act.
Since the order requiring the notification of toxic jaundice due
to TNT came into force, January 1, 1916, the number of cases in
each quarter of that year and 1917, respectively, were:
64, 16’, 7321, 8622, and S312, 5620, 21s, 29b (The small figures indicate
fatal cases, and are included in the larger figures.)
The totals for the two years do not show marked difference, but,
as arranged in quarterly periods, the figures bring out the great in
crease of cases in the last two quarters of 1916, maintenance of this
in the first quarter of 1917, and then decided improvement in the
last three quarters of 1917.1 During the whole of 1916 new con
struction and extension of other premises taken over was incessant.
The conditions imposed by the war were maximum output, the great
est pressure, continuous employment day and night, and replace
ment of men’s by women’s labor. There was no appreciation of
the insidiously poisonous nature of TNT, and of the right measures
of prevention by cleanliness of work, i. e., cleanliness in every mean
ing of the word by prevention of dust and contamination of any
part of the skin with the substance.
Of the total cases in 1916 the number of males attacked was 70,
with 21 deaths, and of females 111, with 31 deaths; and in 1917 the
corresponding numbers were 45 males, with 2 deaths, and 144 fe
males, with 42 deaths. The number employed, especially of women,
was much greater in 1917 than in 1916. The mortality rate for all
cases has been 25.9 per cent (males 20 per cent, and females 28.6
per cent). Of the females attacked 61.5 per cent were 25 years of
age and under, and of the males only 14.6 per cent—a fact which, no
doubt, accounts for the apparently higher mortality rate in the
former. At ages 40 and over, 12 men were attacked and 8 women.
High mortality rate among persons employed under 18 in 1916
(6 deaths among 9 attacked) led to restriction of employment of
persons under that age.
The critical months for the onset of jaundice in the susceptible
were the second to the fourth month, during which period 57.4 per
cent of the attacks occurred.
A remarkable feature both of the toxic jaundice and aplastic ane
mia in a few cases has been the latency of the condition—that is,
the length of period which may elapse between absorption of the
poison and development of jaundice or anemia. The most extreme
case reported was that of a woman who, after two months’ work in
processes in the manufacture of TNT, was transferred to another
1 The figures for the first quarter of 1918 were 13 cases, including 4 deaths.
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department where she was employed in filling drums with benzol and
toluol. Over seven months later she met with an accident—a spanner
falling on her head. Toxic jaundice developed one week later and
proved fatal in a fortnight. In one of the cases of aplastic anemia,
examined by Dr. P. N. Panton, the anemia developed four months
after leaving work and while still in hospital for toxic jaundice, and
in another nine months after employment in TNT. The anemia
has usually proved fatal in six or seven weeks after its recognition.
While incidence of toxic jaundice is the safest criterion of TNT
sickness for the purpose of the factory department, it has been
fortunately rare in comparison with minor illness, the result of ab
sorption of TNT (or of its impurities, notably tetranitromethane)
showing itself mainly in pallor with cyanosis, depression, and gastric
derangement. For every case of toxic jaundice I believe there were
at least 30 cases showing these symptoms, necessitating some ab
sence from work. But none, so far as I know, proved fatal, and, as
a rule, they quickly recovered under treatment and returned to
work. In one factory where pure crystallized TNT is used to fill
exploder bags, the certifying surgeon has reported four cases of toxic
jaundice and 52 cases of minor TNT sickness entitling to compensa
tion. The sickness figures in one national filling factory have fallen
from 11 per cent in August, 1916, to 1 per cent in January, 1918.
Figures can not be given as to the numbers employed, beyond
the statement that those coming into contact with TNT numbered
considerably over 50,000. At this figure the number attacked by
toxic jaundice works out at 3.6 per thousand in 1916, and in 1917,
3.8, and the mortality at 1 and 0.9 per thousand, respectively.
The nature of the work varies considerably, and, with alternation
from one to another process, it is not always easy to say which has
been responsible for the poisoning. Nor does it follow, as Dr. Moore
has shown, that what appears to be the prominent feature of the
particular process at which the affected person was employed—inhala
tion of fume, for example, in the melt house or inhalation of dust
elsewhere—is necessarily so material a factor in causation of the
poisoning as skin absorption.
The following figures, however, give for the cases in 1917, where
it is stated, the process at which the disease was probably contracted:
Melt house, 53; stemming and pressing, 29; stemming and filling, 6;
filling exploder bags (pure TNT in powder), 25; breaking, sorting,
etc., 11; pellet pressing, 9; incorporating room, 9; cleaning and
finishing, 7; receiving and weighing TNT, 6; packing TNT, 5; mis
cellaneous, 25; total, 185.
The miscellaneous group has particular interest, as it includes
solated cases such as ( a ) covering trucks loaded with filled shells;
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(5) stacking shells; (c) outside laborer; (d) rolling shells in transit
shed; and (e) waxing, which are explained by skin absorption.
Incidence, fortunately, has been comparatively small in factories
for the manufacture of TNT (16, with 2 deaths), as the nature of
the processes do not involve the same contact with the material
as does the use in filling.
The great fact brought out by close study of the precise occu
pation of those who have contracted jaundice is, in the light of the
work done on the subject by Dr. Moore, the importance of skin
absorption, and this is in my experience of industrial disease a
difficult condition to overcome. It is easy to suggest the wearing
of gloves, and gloves were provided and worn by the million. They
never adequately protected the skin, and eventually were regarded
more as a source of danger than a safeguard, and their use given up.
And it was the same also with the continuous wearing of respirators,
which has proved an impracticable remedy. But it is not so, fortu
nately, with regard to exhaust ventilation localty applied.
The steps taken on the recognition of the poisonous nature of TNT
in addition to medical supervision and general welfare, were to
alternate wherever practicable a fortnight’s employment on TNT
with a fortnight on other work not exposing to it, and to get rid of
hand manipulation as far as possible. Mechanical means for filling
exploder bags were introduced, machines for filling shells with
powder took the place of the very dusty tamping by hand, the shells
were protected from splashing in the operation of filling with molten
TNT, and the congealed amatol on the trucks on which the shells
were conveyed away was systematically removed by steaming,
instead of the dangerous chipping; floors and benches were mopped
instead of swept down, and exhaust ventilation was locally applied
whenever possible to remove fumes and dust from pans containing
molten amatol, or where weighing and grinding of powder was
carried on. The mechanical arrangements had to be carefully
thought out, and the machines made. This necessarily took time,
while output could not be delayed. '
Stress must be laid on both the preventive and clinical work
done by the resident medical officers. Such officers—sometimes
two or three—have had to be appointed in every national filling
factory, their principal duties being: (1) to examine applicants for
work; (2) to detect early signs of effect of toxic chemicals used,
to treat the symptoms, and bring home to the management the
processes in which they occur most frequently, with a view to pre
vention; (3) to make a differential diagnosis, referring to their panel
doctors for treatment the cases of minor illness, whether or not due
to the occupation, and to the hospital cases of toxic jaundice; (4)
to differentiate in claims for compensation those due to occupational
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disease from other diseases, and in a hundred other ways to make
their influence felt. The reports also of certifying surgeons, who
in many factories have supervised the health of TNT workers, upon
all the cases of toxic jaundice have been invaluable in information
of the occupation and symptoms.
Reference to the manufacture of TNT would be incomplete without
calling attention to the risk run from nitrous fumes both in the
nitric acid plant and nitrating house. I append notes by Dr. Bridge
on this important point:
The increased use of nitric acid has led to the installation of many new plants
which together with all old plants have been worked to their fullest capacity. The
risk of poisoning by nitrous fumes (N 0 2 with a varying proportion of N 20 3) has cor
respondingly increased. It is uncertain to what extent repeated sublethal doses
of nitrous fumes affect the health of workers, but it is difficult to believe that continued
inhalation of these fumes does not have a deleterious effect on the respiratory organs.
There can be little doubt that a certain degree of inflammation of mucous membrane
of the respiratory passages is set up by nitrous fumes. Absence from work for a day
or two on account of so-called bronchitis is not uncommon among men employed in
these plants. To some extent the mucous membrane becomes accustomed to the
irritating effects of the fumes. Personal experience of men working unaffected in
an atmosphere which produces in the observer smarting of the eyes and face, and
dryness of the throat, leads one to this conclusion.
Where fumes are escaping, repairs should not be undertaken unless the workman
engaged wears a suitable helmet or appliance through which air can be supplied.
Woolen helmets into which compressed air is blown have proved satisfactory for
quick repairs. Risk is run by repairers working unprotected, and in any case it is
obvious they suffer grave discomfort which can be avoided by suitable precautions.
It should not be left to the workman to decide whether he wears an apparatus or
not; there should be no alternative. The workers are generally ignorant of the risk
run, and in many cases need to be educated to protect themselves. There should
be either an exhaust over the manhole to remove the fumes as they come off, or the
still made in such a manner that it can be charged without escape of fumes. Fumes
can be most effectively exhausted through a cast-iron pipe fixed at the manhole. A
steam ejector within the pipe produces the necessary exhaust draught. To prevent
the escape of fumes without an exhaust the manhole should be closed before the
acid is run in. This has been effected in one works by carrying a fixed pipe from
the acid charge to each still roof through a separate opening. The pipe being fixed
in position the jointing is rendered fume proof. Improved conditions have also been
obtained where a small pipe opening has been made in the lid of the manhole. The
manhole is closed, and the acid run through the secondary opening. If the negative
pressure in the plant is good, then such an arrangement would probably suffice. In
filling carboys conditions for the workers would be much improved by removing the
fumes by means of an exhaust.
DINITROPHENOL POISONING IN MUNITION WORKS IN FRANCE.
BY ALICE HAMILTON, M. D.
From time to time rumors have come to us from France concerning
more or less severe poisoning from dinitrophenol among the workmen
engaged in the manufacture of explosives. These rumors are con
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firmed by a report of the researches of Prof. Etienne Martin, trans
lated into English by the Factory Department of the Home Office in
London, a few copies of which have been sent to this country.1
Inasmuch as the process of manufacture used in France has been
adopted in several American factories, we are faced with the same
condition as that already familiar to the French. Already at least
four fatalities have occurred in connection with dinitrophenol work
in this country, and doubtless the hot months will see additional
deaths, unless all possible precautions are taken. The following is a
brief resume of what the two French observers, Prof. Martin and
Dr. M. Guerbet, have discovered as to the nature and prevention
of dinitrophenol poisoning.
Certain processes are noted as being attended with poisoning to a
greater or less extent. Cases have developed in connection with
filtration, although the number here is not great. A far larger
number is found in the fusion shop, as the vats and the tubs into
which the product runs, and the gutters which carry it to the granu
lators, all give off fumes. In hot weather the danger from these
fumes is specially great. The workmen who tend the granulating
tables are exposed to dust. Seventeen cases were reported from the
department in which dinitrophenol was weighed and melted for the
60-40 mixture. At present, centrifuging to get rid of the water has
been abolished, but at first this was the greatest source of poison
ing, for the water vapor which escaped carried the poison with it.
Dry weighing is also being abolished, and fumes from the fusion
vats are being removed by local exhaust ventilation.
SYMPTOMS.
The symptoms of poisoning in mild cases arc described as follows:
A pale, coated tongue, slight loss of appetite, vomiting, and some
times slight jaundice, and a little albumen in the urine. Headache
and vertigo are also complained of, and sweating is frequent, especially
at night. Most of the workers state that they have lost much flesh—
seven to eight kilos (15 to 18 pounds)—in a few months.
Severe intoxication by dinitrophenol has a quite characteristic
train of symptoms. The workers show marked lassitude; they have
a feeling of constriction at the base of the chest which interferes with
respiration. The sweat appears at first to have a character which
must be regarded as quite special. It has been observed that when
a worker is going to be affected by dinitrophenol the parts of the
skin protected by the clothing, such as are not likely to be stained
by dinitrophenol (the chest, shoulders, back, and upper arm), assume
1 Researches into (1) Intoxication by dinitrophenol, by Prof. Etienne Martin; (2) Dinitrophenol poison
ing, by Dr. M. Guerbet; (3) Medical selection and supervision of workers with dinitrophenol, by Prof.
Etienne Martin. Translation by Factory Department, Home Office, London, June, i918.
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a patchy yellow color. According to Prof. Martin, it is not a ques
tion of slight jaundice, since the observations were very accurate
and the mucous membranes remained unaffected. “ I t appears to
be an excretion of sweat containing dinitrophenol. The medical man
attending at factory A has told me that when the ' skin of these
particular parts is touched, the hands become yellow. On the other
hand, workers who are insusceptible show the staining only in the
uncovered parts, such as the head and hands.” This symptom is
of great importance as it shows that the sweating comes on when
the organism is impregnated with dinitrophenol; it is an indication
for suspension from work, and for treatment.
The face is slightly cyanosed; the heart is unaffected; auscultation
of the lungs is negative or reveals only diffuse râles. Nervous
tremor is constant. Intense thirst accompanies the sweating; the
temperature rises above 100° F.
The majority of medical men describe the urine as normal, and as
containing no sugar or albumen. A few have noted dimished excre
tion of urine. Others say the urine quickly takes on a blackish tint
with greenish iridescence. Usually the urine of workers in dinitro
phenol is an orange yellow in color. The heart is regular; the
arterial pressure has not been noted.
Many have been cured very rapidly after having had lassitude and
general weakness for several days.
When the case goes on to a fatal issue the temperature rises rapidly
to above 104° F. Orthopnea1 sets in and the pupils contract.
Convulsions, either partial or general, appear. The sight becomes
blurred and there is loss of consciousness, and edema of the lungs.
The symptoms resemble those of uremia. Post-mortem rigidity sets
in very early. The feet are flexed; the upper arms similarly are
flexed and the hands clenched.
PO ST-KORTEM APPEARAN CES.
Prof. Martin states:
The special coloration of the skin in the different parts of the body, covered or un
covered by clothing, the state of the nails, and the skin of the hands should be exam
ined. The lesions found post mortem present nothing characteristic which enables
one to affirm intoxication by dinitrophenol. The organs have no special color. It is
necessary to remove the blood from the heart, to remove the stomach and its con
tents, the lungs, liver, and intestines and place in special vessels. These vessels
should be sent to the laboratory for analysis.2
1Inability to breathe except when sitting upright.
8 In the organism dinitrophenol is reduced to the state of aminonitrophenol. In the different organs
examination was made as follows: The organs were divided and placed in two or three times their volume
of alcohol at 95° C. After maceration for several days, expression and filtration of the liquid, the alcohol
was distilled. Nitro derivatives have been found in the liquid freed from alcohol. The reactions are the
same as those for picramic acid. W ith ferrous (f e r r e u x ) tartrate a red-orange colored reaction in place of a
gooseberry red was given. When one gets a blue ring below, dinitrophenol has been partially changed into
diaminophenol. B y this method the following results were given: The blood and frothy liquid of the
lungs contained a considerable quantity of dinitrophenol with which it was possible to tint or stain wool
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E F F E C T OF TEM PERATURE.
Hot weather hastens intoxication in two ways: (a) By increasing
evaporation of the substances worked with, particularly mononitrochlorbenzene and (b) by diminishing the elimination of poison through
the urine, and thus lowering the power of resistance of the workers.
In one factory in 1916 there were the following cases during six
months:
. Number.
March........................................................................................
April..........................................................................................
May............................................................................................
June...........................................................................................
July............................................................................................
August.......................................................................................
16
Days incapacitated.
43
13
20
13
37
14
31
90
24
62
200
BIOLOGICAL AND E X PER IM EN TAL RESEARCHES.
From observations of workers and experiments on dogs, Dr.
Barral has found that dinitrophenol accumulates in the organism,
particularly in the liver, and it is eliminated constantly in the urine
of healthy workers in the form of diaminophenol, but that when the
period of toleration is passed and intoxication occurs the reduction
of dinitrophenol to the amino product diminishes and the urine con
tains, together with diaminophenol, some aminonitrophenol. The
same effect occurs in alcoholic subjects, in whom poisoning with
dinitrophenol is always very grave.
Since experiments show that aminonitrophenol begins to appear
in the urine when the dose approaches a toxic one, industrial physi
cians should be able to detect by urinary tests the moment when the
workers have reached the danger point. Observations carried on
among workers show that it takes about eight days for the poison
to be eliminated from the system. It is advised therefore that a
system of alternation of work be adopted, controlled by urinary
tests for the detection of diaminophenol.
Experiments have also been carried on by Dr. Meyer in the labora
tory of the College of France, with the following results:
Pure dinitrophenol is toxic in a dosage of 0.05 gram per kilogram
weight of the animal (a dog or rabbit). Death follows irrespective
of the way in which the poison enters the system.
Intoxication by dinitrophenol is different from that set up by
other nitrophenols. It is characterized by a sharp rise of tempera
ture, considerable and progressive, which causes in animals efforts
an intense yellowish orange. The lungs and*blood of the heart also contained a considerable quantity of
dinitrophenol. The liver contained aminonitrophenol without dinitrophenol. The reduction of dinitro
phenol to aminonitrophenol appears then to be effected principally in the liver. In the kidneys there was
only a trace of aminonitrophenol. The brain and stomach contained no trace of nitro derivatives. In this
way is demonstrated impregnation of the organs by dinitrophenol and the characteristic symptoms pre
ceding death. Abundant sweating, orthopnea, considerable elevation of temp#rature are the noticeable
proofs of acute intoxication by dinitrophenol.
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to increase heat emission—in the dog, intense heat polypnea
(panting).
Physiological examination shows that this rise of temperature in
animals is not due to defective heat emission but is the result of a
considerable increase in the production of heat which is not suffi
ciently compensated and this production of heat comes on pari
passu with an increase in oxidation processes which are neither a
result of muscular work nor of stimulation of the heat centers in the
nervous system.
Dinitroplienol is a powerful oxydizing agent which increases the
cellular activity rapidly, and, as a result of this, wasting of tissue
takes place in individuals who absorb it in small doses and in those
who are seriously poisoned a rapid rise of temperature and dyspnea
are set up.
HOW IS DINITR O PH EN O L A BSO R BED !
The three channels of absorption for poisons are the respiratory
tract, the digestive tract, and the skin. In the case of dinitrophenol,
it is not probable that workmen can absorb the poison by eating
polluted food, as the product is so bitter that it makes food uneatable.
It is, however, commonly introduced into the stomach by way of the
nose and throat, the inspired dust and fumes being caught in the
saliva and swallowed with it. Absorption through the skin must be
regarded seriously. Dinitrophenol is not a coagulant like picric acid,
but penetrates fairly deeply into the layers of the epidermis. One of
the experimenters handled some dinitrophenol as it left the filters,
so as to get his hands well covered with it. He then worked in the
laboratory all morning and at the lunch hour, following the habit of
careless workmen, he simply rinsed his hands under a tap. Then by
washing his hands with a weak solution of ammonia he succeeded in
recovering 0.48 gram of dinitrophenol. Repeating the experiment
another day, he washed his hands with soap, and this time recovered
only 0.13 gram.
EXAM INATION FOR AM INONITROPHENOL (D E R R IE N ’S REACTION).
Derrien’s diazotation reaction, if properly conducted, is extremely
sensitive and dependable.
It was feared that it would not be applicable to the urine of work
men engaged in D D fusion, as picric acid, after partial reduction in
the organism (picramic acid), also gives Derrien’s reaction under the
same circumstances as dinitrophenol; but research made on workmen
subjected to the fumes or dust of picric acid proved that their urine
never gave Derrien’s reaction.
The technique of Derrien’s reaction as it was carried out by the
investigators and the colorimetric process, which permits an arbi
trary estimate to.be made of the intensity of the reaction, are as follows:
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The following liquids are placed successively in a test tube:
Urine to be analyzed................ ........
Sulphuric acid 1/10............................
Solution 1 of nitrite of soda 1/10,000
10 c. c.
X drops.
.XX drops.
The mixture is shaken, the tube placed under a stream of cold water,2 and the
following liquid added:
Freshly made saturated solution of naphtol B in ammonia__ X X drops.
This is shaken, and cooled under the tap for a minute or two, and then 5 cubic cen
timeters of ordinary ether is added. The tube is corked and gently shaken; it should
only be moved to and fro in order to avoid the production of too homogeneous an
emulsion. The tube is left for a minute, and then shaken again; this process must be
repeated for about five minutes so that the nitric derivative may be properly dissolved.
The tube is left to stand. The ether rises, slightly emulsified; the emulsion must
be left to separate off, at least in the upper third of the etherized liquid. The color
of this liquid is now compared with that of the following series of solutions placed in
test tubes of the same diameter as that which contains the etherized liquid.
The nitric derivative obtained in the course of D em en ’s reaction, starting from
an aqueous solution of aminonitrophenol produces, in ether, a shade which may be
compared to that of a more or less diluted aqueous solution of permanganate of
potash. But, starting from urine, the shade of the etherized solution is not the same,
as the ether has dissolved the urinary pigments; thus the etherized solution is about
the color of “ old w ine.” It may be compared fairly accurately to an aqueous dilu
tion more or less extensive of the following solution:
0.20
.7 5
1, 000 C.t c.
This “standard solution” keeps very well if the usual precautions for permanganate
solutions are taken.
Dilutions should be made, when required for use, in test tubes carefully cleaned
with sulphuric acid and permanganate of potash. The slightest trace of organic
substance rapidly reduces these dilutions.
Twelve tubes of the same diameter are used and filled as follows:
One volume of standard solution—
Added to the following
volumes of water:
Gives a color corresponding
to reaction—
40
30
23
17
13
9
No.
G
4
3
2
1
0
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
V III
IX
X
XI
X II
1 The solution of nitrite of soda deteriorates fairly quickly—it should be renewed every five or six days.
It is also necessary to make sure that the nitrite of soda used is really nitrite; several commercial samples
seen were only nitrate of soda containing traces of nitrite.
2 Prof. Berrien states that the recommendation published in several places to heat the mixture in boiling
B. N. is a mistake. The diazotation should be effected cold; it would even be better to perform the reac
tion in ice.
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This colorimetric method of estimating the intensity of Derrien’s reaction has
naturally no pretensions to accuracy; it was convenient to us for the purpose of
expressing the relative value of the reactions and to enable those making s im ilar
experiments to compare their results with ours.
ELIMINATION OF DINITROPHENOL BY THE ORGANISM.
Dr. Guerbet states: “ If we regard Derrien’s reaction, which
seemed to us the most interesting of all, as the test of elimination,
and if we allow that it increases in intensity in proportion to the
greater number of products eliminated, we find that the elimination
of dinitrophenol may take place in every possible form.”
(a) Some workmen eliminate intermittently; on some days elimi
nation is positive and on others negative. In other cases the
reaction is never intense.
(b ) Some workmen eliminate daily and at a constant rate, and
not increasingly—at least, for a certain time. Derrien’s reaction is
generally slight.
(c) Some workmen, after a period of steady elimination, begin to
show a steadily increasing curve of elimination.
(d) Dr. Guerbet says that the investigators have never met with
a case which started with steadily increasing elimination—i. e., a
case in which increasing elimination was not preceded for several
days by elimination at a steady rate.
Every time that a workman showed clinical signs of poisoning it
was noted that there had been a steady increase in Derrien’s reaction
during some days preceding. .
This points t o a certain correlation between the two facts. It
must, however, be noted that Derrien’s reaction may increase, even
progressively, to a fairly high rate without any clinical signs of
poisoning being observed.
PREVENTION OF DINITROPHENOL POISONING.
The selection of workers in dinitrophenol requires most careful
and complete examination of all the men and women before com
mencing work.1 In every factory a pharmacist should be appointed
to make the necessary urinary examinations for the surgeon, for it
is absolutely essential to have a complete analysis of urine before
allowing any one to work with dinitrophenol. This enables the
physician to estimate whether kidneys and liver are normal; and
normal action of these organs is essential to combat intoxication,
even slight, from dinitrophenol.
1
The investigators propose a system of “ recruiting'’ of the workmen intended for the dinitrophenol
shops based on a period of 15 days spent in the fusion shop in the course of which the workman’s urine
will be tested for Derrien’s reaction. If, during this period, the urine shows no reaction, or slight and
intermittent Derrien’s reaction, the workman will be considered “ fit for dinitrophenol.” If, on the con
trary, Derrien’s reaction is constant throughout the workman’s stay in the fusion shop, or else increases
steadily for several days in succession, the workman will be considered “ unfit for dinitrophenol.”
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249
Alcoholic subjects are particularly susceptible, and the toxic effect
of alcohol and dinitrophenol combined is particularly to be feared.
Workers presenting intermittent traces of albumen or diminution in
the amount of urea or showing cardiac or gastrointestinal symptoms
should be immediately suspended from such work.
SUPERVISION IN THE FACTORY.
The surgeon should visit each workroom daily for the purpose of—
(i) Judging of the resistance of the workers and obtaining knowl
edge of the slight illnesses which almost always precede serious
attacks; and
(ii) Trying to educate the workers to take hygienic precautions,
lie should be able to influence the workers as to cleanliness, regular
use of special protective clothing, etc.
(1) M e d ic a l s u p e r v is io n o f th e w o r k e r s .—The surgeon should have
at his disposal the results of examination of the urine made by the
pharmacist attached to the factory. At each visit he should examine
these results. In workrooms where dust and fumes are removed
and where the workers are properly selected and show resistance,
the Derrien reaction ought to be negative. If, however, it is positive
and remains positive for several days or increases in intensity (the
scale of intensity being indicated by comparison with test colors), any
worker showing it must be examined each day .and suspended from
work as soon as he shows slight symptoms of intolerance—gastroin
testinal trouble, weakness with sweating, and liver or renal trouble.
Progressive and daily increase in the intensity of the Derrien
reaction is to be regarded as a sign of intolerance. It is not advisable
before suspending a worker to wait until the Derrien intensity reaches
the figure 4 or 6. Individual susceptibility does not enable us to fix
a rule such as this as a matter of practice. The daily reaction should
be regarded as of equal value with the signs of intolerance obtained
from clinical examination.
A lte r n a tio n .-—The attention of managers is drawn to the great utility
of alternation of employment, especially with dinitrophenol. The
varying susceptibility of individuals makes it difficult to fix a definite
rule as to the time during which a worker can work with impunity,
but it is known that to effect sufficient recovery from intoxication the
worker should be away at least a week. At the end of this time he
has generally recovered strength and eliminated the poison. Fort
nightly alternation is advised, but latitude must be allowed to man
agers to arrange alternation according to the necessities of output.
The surgeon can judge of the system adopted only on the principles
previously laid down, namely, whether it prevents fatigue and over
pressure and if the period of rest is sufficient to allow disintoxication
to take place.
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(2) S u p e r v is i o n a s to c le a n lin e s s , etc .—The surgeon should use his
authority in educating the workers and persuading them, in the course
of his daily visits, to safeguard their own health and to use the pre
cautions provided for them. He can judge by the color of the
workers’ skin as to whether the workrooms are sufficiently ventilated
and free from dust and fume.
The surgeon should observe whether the protective clothing is
properly buttoned and effectively protects the skin. Respirators
against dust can not be worn during the entire work period, and they
are necessary only at the time when the powder or toxic vapors are
given off. India-rubber gloves tend to macerate the skin, and it is a
more useful plan to keep the skin of the hands dry by means of talc
powder. Rubber gloves should be replaced by chamois leather which
can be washed. Ointments containing oxide of zinc might be tried.
No food or drink should be consumed in the workrooms.
Notices as to washing the hands should be posted up.
The beverage advisable during work is sterilized milk. If that can
not be obtained, the best substitute is weak tea or a diuretic mixture.
In acute intoxication the worker must be removed to the hospital.
Long journeys in a motor car or carriage should be avoided. The
surgeon of the factory should keep in touch with the invalid through
out his illness and give all information to the doctor treating the case.
In fatal cases he should assist at the autopsy and make sure that the
organs are properly examined.1
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION.
The annual meeting of the American Public Health Association
will be held at Chicago, October 14 to 17, 1918. Subjects to be dis
cussed will relate particularly to public health as connected with the
war. It is announced that addresses will be delivered by the follow
ing speakers: Surg. Gen. Gorgas; Col. Victor C. Vaughan, and
Maj. William LI. Welch of the Army Medical Corps; Hon. Royal
Meeker, Commissioner of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics;
Dr. George H. Vincent, president of the Rockefeller Foundation;
Dr. Charles J. Hastings, president of the American Public Health
* Treatment of severe eases does not appear to have been carried out so far in conformity with the direc
tions laid down. Subcutaneous injections of oxygen or inhalation of the gas have been without benefit.
Experiments, indeed, suggest that they are injurious in exaggerating the oxidations caused by the
poison itself. As there is no known antidote, the best treatm ent seems to be to try and eliminate rap
idly the poison by lavage of the blood and abundant supply of milk and alkaline drinks.
E xtensive bleeding should be done (400 to 500 c. e.), followed by injection of thesame amount of artifi-
cialserum. At the same time thirst should be treated by abundance of milk and alkaline water. Milk
andalkaline water seems to have given the best results in certain severe cases that have been reported
to us. An injection of morphine might be useful to lessen the dyspnea. Warm baths might have the
samesedative effect.
Treatment should be in a hospital.
Dinitrophenol produces vasodilator adocts, for which adrenalin has been tried but without effect.
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251
Association; Dr. W. A. Evans, Chicago; Asst. Surg. Gen. Allan J.
McLaughlin, United States Public Health Service; Dr. Ernest S.
Bishop, professor of clinical medicine, New York University; Dr. Leo
K. Frankel, treasurer American Public Health Association; Dr. Fred
erick L. Hoffman, Newark, N. J .; Miss Julia C. Lathrop, chief, United
States Children’s Bureau; Lieut. Col. Harry E. Mock, United States
Medical Reserve Corps; Arthur E. Holder, Federal Board for Voca
tional Education; and Emery R. Ilayhurst, Ohio State Department
of Health.
The following are some of the special topics which will engage
the attention of the sociological section of the convention: The
relation of wages to public health as viewed by labor; The relation of
wages to infant mortality; Corporation hospitals and dispensaries;
Industrial accidents and diseases.
The program of the section on industrial hygiene'will include
papers on the problems of industrial hygiene, the problems of the war
industries, and industrial hygiene in relation to the efficiency of the
worker. Because of its particular interest to labor the tentative pro
gram of this section is given in full:
The problems o f industrial hygiene.
The problems of industrial hygiene, by George M. Price, M. D., New York City.
The problem of organic dust in modern industries, by Dr. Frederick L. Hoffman,
Newark, N. J.
The problem of industrial poisons, by J. W. Schereschewsky, M. D., Washington,
D. C.
The problem of industrial fatigue, by Frederic Lee, M. D., New York City.
The problem of compensation for industrial disease, by Frederic L. Van Sickle, M. D.,
Olyphant, Pa.
The problem of women in industry, by Elizabeth B. Bricker, M. D., Harrisburg, Pa.
The problems o f war industries.
The
The
The
The
The
explosives industry, by W. G. Hudson, M. D., Wilmington, Del.
textile industry, by A. J. Lanza, M. D., Pittsburgh, Pa.
dye industry, by Alice Hamilton, M. D., Chicago, 111.
steel industry, by Loyal A. Shoudy, M. D., Bethlehem, Pa.
shipbuilding industry, by Lieut. Col. Philip S. Doane, Philadelphia, Pa.
Industrial hygiene in relation to the efficiency o f the worker.
Housing, by Royal Meeker, Washington, D. C.
Lighting, by Prof. C. E. Clewell, Philadelphia, Pa.
The.clinic for vocational diseases, by Louis I. Harris, M. D., New York City.
Industrial medicine and surgery in relation to war and production, by Otto P. Geier,
M. D., Cincinnati, Ohio.
There will also be papers upon laboratory, vital statistics, food and
drugs, sanitary engineering, and general health administration
subjects. The final program will be published in the American
Journal of Public Health appearing about September 25.
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WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION,
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
Following is the program of the fifth annual meeting of the Inter
national Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions,
at Madison, Wis., September 24 to 27, 1918.
Tuesday, September 24.
10.00 a. m.
Chairman, Fred M. Wilcox, Wisconsin.
Address of welcome...........................Hon. Emanuel L. Philipp, Governor of Wisconsin.
Response..............................................Fred M. Wilcox, Wisconsin, president.
Important legislative and administrative developments of tlie year:
Ten-minute reports from each State.
Luncheon 1 p . m .
2
p. m .
Chairman, J. L. Gemon, New York.
Round-table discussion:
What is your commission doing to prevent accidents?
Ohio’s plan of reaching the employer through monthly statistical reports.
Emile E. Watson, Ohio.
Wisconsin............................................................................... George P. Hambrecht.
California...............................................................................J. R. Brownell.
New York..............................................................................J. L. Gernon.
Ohio........................................................................................ Victor T. Noonan.
Pennsylvania........................................................................Lew R. Palmer.
New Jersey............................................................................ Lewis T. Bryant.
Massachusetts........................................................................Wm. W. Kennard.
Ontario.................................................................................... George A. Kingston.
U. S. Employees’ Compensation Commission............. R. M. Little.
National Safety Council.................................................... S . j. Wilson.
8.00
Motion pictures: Accident prevention.
p. m .
Explained by Victor T. Noonan, Ohio.
Chairman, Charles S. Andrus, Illinois.
Administrative problems—Round-table discussion:
Statistics as an aid in administration..............................W. H. Burhop, Wisconsin
How should permanent partial disabilities be compensated?
T. J. Duffy, Ohio.
John Mitchell, New York.
William W. Kennard, Massachusetts.
Injuries arising out of and in the course of the employment.
_.
.
George A. Kingston, Ontario.
Discussion.
252
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Wednesday, September 25.
Visit to Madison office.
J‘° ° a‘m*
_ .
.
Chairman, Fred M. Wilcox, Wisconsin.
Business meeting:
Report of secretary-treasurer.
Reports of committees.
Afternoon.
Visits to the Gisholt plant and other industrial establishments.
1,
,•
• ,
0.00 p. III.
Motion pictures.
Chairman, Harry A. Mackey, Pennsylvania.
Statistical session:
Need for uniform reports of exposure and how to obtain them.
A. H. Young, International Harvester Co.
L. W. Chaney, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Why tabulate noncompensated accidents.......................‘L. W. Hatch, New York.
The use ofstandard accident and compensation tables..W . H. Burhop, Wisconsin.
Thursday, September 26.
9.00 a. in .
.. .
.
Chairman, Dr. Charles M. Lemon, Wisconsin.
Medical session-:
Better treatment for industrial accident cases.
Maj. P. B. Magnuson, Office of the Surgeon General, War De
partaient.
Surgical treatment to prevent and minimize permanent disabilities.
_.
.
Francis D. Donoghue, M. D., Massachusetts.
Discussion.
J. W. Trask, M. D ., United States Employees’ Compensation
Commission.
3.00 p. m .
Chairman, 0 . J. Fay, M. D., Iowa.
Compensation in cases of preexisting disease aggravated by accident.
William W. Kennard, Massachusetts.
Meyer Lissner, California.
How are medical questions handled in your jurisdiction?
Washington..................................................................................... J. W. Brislawn.
Wisconsin........................................................................................ Thomas F. Konop.
Massachusetts..................................................................................William W. Kennard.
New Y o r k ..................................................................................... William C. Archer.
8.00
Motion pictures.
p. m.
Chairman, F. D. Donoghue, M. D., Massachusetts.
Medical round table:
Selection of the physician under compensation laws.
J. W. Mowell, M. D., Washington.
F. D. Donoghue, M. D., Massachusetts.
Raphael Lewy, M. D., New York.
Should medical service be lim ited?..........Charles II. Lemon, M. D ., Wisconsin.
F. M. Williams, Connecticut.
Need of medical statistics for compensation purposes.
Charles II. Verrill, United States Employees’ Compensation
Commission.
Discussion.
77262°—IS----- 17
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Friday, September 27.
9 .0 0
a. m .
Chairman, Fred M. Wilcox, Wisconsin.
Business meeting.
Chairman, R. M. Little, United States Employees’ Compensation Commission.
Vocational rehabilitation for military cripples.
C. A. Prosser, Federal Board for Vocational Education.
How deal with crippled workers............................................... T . Norman Dean, Ontario.
Conservation and- reclamation in th e industrial army.
Lieut. Col. H. E. Mock, Office of the Surgeon General, War
Department.
Problem of the handicapped man in industry.
Carl Hookstadt, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Discussion.
Seeing Madison.
Afternoon.
H IS T O R Y A N D T H E O R Y O F W O R K M E N ’S C O M P E N S A T IO N IN S U R A N C E
R A T E S.
The making of scientific insurance rates is probably the most
complex problem in the whole field of workmen’s compensation.
Numerous articles and pamphlets have been written discussing
different phases of compensation insurance rates. A recent con
tribution to the literature of this important subject has been made
in a report just published by the National Workmen’s Compensation
Service Bureau.1 This volume contains a brief account of the
history and theory of. rate making and includes the report of the
semiofficial actuarial committee appointed to consider the various
factors entering into the making of rates. It also includes chapters
on the basic manual, history and cooperation in rate making and on
merit rating, and contains the State law differentials, computed as of
January 1, 1918, by the actuarial committee of the National Work
men’s Compensation Service Bureau. The main part of the report
is devoted to a discussion of the proper values of the several factors
entering into the making of scientific rates.
Before discussing these various factors it may be advisable to
enumerate the successive steps by which workmen’s compensation
rates for a given State are derived. Let the State in question be one
which has just enacted a compensation law and which consequently
has developed no loss experience. Ultimately the State insurance
rate or premium will be the product of two factors—the probable
actual losses known as the “ pure premium” and the cost of adminis
tration known as the “ expense loading.” Insurance rates, however,
always cover the probable future losses, inasmuch as such rates
1 Report of the work of the augmented standing committee on workmen’s compensation insurance
rates—1917; together with a brief account of the history and theory of the making of workmen’s compen
sation insurance rates. Issued by the National Workmen’s Compensation Service Bureau, New York
City, March, 1918. vii, 173 pp.
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must necessarily be issued in advance. It is the duty of the in
surance actuary, therefore, to compute the probable future losses
for each industrial classification. Thus at the very beginning there
are introduced certain conjectural factors whose values are in
dispute among insurance experts. In the •determination of rates,
therefore, the first step is to utilize the loss experience developed
under the laws of other States. This is necessary not only in the
case of new States, but also for States having compensation experi
ence. Since the probable future losses are computed from past
experience it follows that the accuracy of such computed losses is
dependent upon the volume of this experience. This volume or
exposure should be sufficient to eliminate the element of pure chance,
i. e., it must be dependable. But few of the States have as yet
developed a sufficient pay roll for most of the classifications to furnish
dependable losses. It is consequently necessary, as already noted,
to combine all available experience for each classification. Such
experience, in order to be serviceable, must be comparable.
The cost of a given number of accidents naturally varies among
the States according to the amount of benefits provided. Ac
cordingly it is essential to reduce all pure premiums to a common
denominator. This is accomplished through the application of
“ reduction factors,” the combined losses thus obtained being known
as the basic pure premium.
The loss cost or pure premium is expressed in percentage of yearly
pay roll. For example, the total annual losses are divided by the
total pay roll, and the result multiplied by 100, since $100 of pay
roll is taken as the unit. A pure premium of $1.35, therefore, means
that the given classification has produced a loss cost of $1.35 for
every $100 of pay roll. In computing the relative value of each act
it is necessary to have a base or standard of measurement. The
recognized standard is the original Massachusetts act of 1912. The
cost of compensation under this law is taken as unity and the
laws of other States are assigned values showing the relation of
cost under their provisions to the cost under the Massachusetts act.
The ratios thus determined are called “ law differentials.” These
differentials are obtained through the application of the Rubinow
Standard Accident Table to the basic Massachusetts law and to the
laws of all other States for which differentials are desired. This
standard table is a statement of the probable severity distribution of
any given 100,000 accidents. It i3 assumed that, given a sufficiently
large number of accidents and sufficiently diversified industries, the
severity distribution will not vary greatly in different localities.
The benefits provided under each compensation law are then applied
to these accidents and, in addition, the medical benefits of the law
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
are properly valued. For the conversion of the loss cost or pure pre
mium of each State into the basic pure premium it is simply neces
sary to multiply the actual loss cost by the reciprocal of the law
differential, known as the reduction factor.
The basic pure premiums having been obtained the next step i3
their conversion into the various State pure premiums for rate-making
purposes. This is accomplished through the application of such differ
ential factors as are applicable to each State in question. The chief
of these factors is the law differential. Other factors to which more
or less weight is given include the following: (1) Differences in inter
pretation of workmen’s compensation acts; (2) underestimate of
outstanding losses; (3) increasing claim cost due to the age of the act
and to abnormal industrial activity; (4) occupational diseases; (5)
variations due to merit rating; and (6) variations in accident fre
quency between States. The basic pure premiums, therefore, when
subjected to the necessary differential factors, will produce the pure
premium or probable loss cost for each State. Finally the State
pure premium properly loaded for administrative expenses, profits,
and catastrophe hazard gives the gross premium or insurance rate
for each State. The expense and profit loading factors, however,
are based, not upon the pure premium, but upon the gross premium.
The latter is obtained by dividing the State pure premium by the
reciprocal of the expense and profit loading factor. To illustrate,
assume that the State pure premium is $1.35 and the factor for
expenses and profits is 40 per cent; then the gross premium will be
$1.35^.60 (i. e., 1 —.40) or $2.25. Finally to this is added a fixed
amount, usually one cent, for catastrophe hazard. An analysis of
these several factors is given in the following summary of the pro
ceedings of the conference on workmen’s compensation insurance
rates, held in February, 1917; it includes a summary of the recom
mendations of the actuarial subcommittee.
LA W D IF F E R E N T IA L .
The law differential is an important differential factor. Its func
tion is to measure the relative cost of workmen’s compensation acts.
For this purpose a particular compensation act is chosen as the basis.
This act may be one in force at present; it may be one that has been
discontinued, or it may be a hypothetical act. The law differential
for any State is determined by comparing the cost of compensation
benefits for the act of that State with the cost of benefits under the
basic act. The law differential is of value for two reasons. In the
first place it may be used as a reduction factor whereby the bene
fits or losses under the compensation acts of the several States may
be reduced to a common level. This process is essential in order
that the broadest possible experience maybe brought together to
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serve as the basis upon which to establish pure premiums. In the
second, place the law differential may be used to project the basic
pure premiums and thus to obtain pure premiums applicable to the
provisions of the compensation act in any particular State.
The committee’s report deals entirely with the conclusions con
cerning the proper method of calculating law differentials. Two
separate and distinct methods of computing law differentials were
investigated. The first method may be termed the “ experience
method,” which involves the use of actual pure premium experience
for the calculation of law differentials. The second method may
be termed the “ accident distribution method,” and involves the
application of the benefit provisions of the several compensation
acts to a distribution of accidents according to the nature of the
injury—i. e., according to the Standard Accident Table.
Several members of the committee urged that for New York, at
least, the law differential should be calculated on the basis of ex
perience by a comparison of pure premiums representing actual
losses in New York with the basic pure premiums adopted for Massa
chusetts. The decision made was that while this method might
be proper, if complete statistics were available, the existing statis
tical situation would not justify such procedure.
It was also suggested that a single reduction factor and a single
differential for each State would be inequitable because it would
not allow for the difference in composition of losses between indus
tries, although it might be accurate as an indication of the average
variation between States. It was therefore proposed that the
law differential should be graded, or, in other words, that a system
of law differentials varying with the basic pure premiums should be
established. As a preliminary test, actual losses under the New
York law were compared with losses which the same pay roll would
have produced if the losses had been at the rate indicated by the
basic pure premiums adopted. It was found that a ratio of losses
on the pure premium basis to losses actually experienced varied
from 0.915 for classifications with a pure premium ranging from
SO.03 to SO.10, inclusive, to 1.828 for the pure premium group ranging
from Si.86 to S7.42.
Another method proposed provided for the graduation of differ
entials by the kind of benefit paid. Under this scheme the basic pure
premiums were to be divided into several parts, according to tjqrn of
benefit, and the proportion of the pure premium referable to each
type was to be treated separately. These types of benefits may be
variously classified, such as death, permanent disability, temporary
disability, medical benefits, etc.
The committee recognized that the use of experience differentials
would simplify many parts of the work, and it was maintained by
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258
some members that in other ways the use of such differentials was
to be preferred. Such a differential of necessity combines in itself
all of the factors by which one would pass from the basic pure pre
mium to the State pure premium for the latest experience available,
and the resulting problem would be merely to pass from such latest
experience to the probable experience of the period for which the rates
are to be made. The majority of the committee, however, decided
to retain for the present the established system of single law differ
entials.
The following law differentials were computed by the actuarial
committee, National Workmen’s Compensation Service Bureau,
for 28 compensation laws as amended down to and including January
1, 1918:
Law differ
entiae
State.
California_________
Colorado...................
Connecticut.............
Delaware..................
Idaho........................
Illinois.....................
Indiana.....................
Iowa..........................
Kansas......................
K entucky................
Louisiana................
Maine.......................
Maryland.................
...
...
...
...
...
...
1.70
1.09
1.35
.90
1. 38
1.49
...
1.36
...
1.29
...
1.43
1. 44
1.13
1. 02
1. 33
1. 04
M ic h ig a n ....................
State.
Minnesota..........
Montana...................
Nebraska..................
New Jersey..............
New Mexico............
New York................
Oklahoma................
Pennsylvania..........
Rhode Island.........
South Dakota
Texas..............
U tah...............
Vermont.........
j Wisconsin
Law differ
ential.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
1.35
1.01
1.48
.97
.95
1.91
1.20
1. 05
1.25
1.18
1. 50
1.30
.94
1. 69
D IF F E R E N C E S IN IN T E R P R E T A T IO N OF CO M PEN SA TIO N ACTS.
The committee recognized the fact that the absence of adminis
trative compensation commissions influenced the cost of compensa
tion. The two States affected by this particular item were New
Jersey and Illinois. It was contended that the claim costs in these
States during the period under consideration remained on a level
rather than in accordance with some increasing law as in other States'.
For the purpose of reducing the experience to the basic pure premium
the loss cost of these two States was increased—the New Jersey
losses by a factor of 1.10 and the Illinois losses by a factor of 1.05.
U N D E R E S T IM A T E S OF O U TST A N D IN G LOSSES.
Workmen’s compensation experience is kept by policy years ; that
is to say, the experience on all policies issued in a single calendar
year is treated as a unit. Pure premiums consist of losses actually
paid and losses still outstanding. Although these outstanding
losses decrease from year to year, they constitute from 25 to 35
per cent of the total losses on the date the experience is first
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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
reported. It can be seen, therefore, that any serious discrepancy
in their value will have a considerable effect upon the indicated pure
premium. Though each claim is carefully analyzed, and an estimate
is established upon its merits, this method of calculation will produce
an underestimate in the grand total of incurred losses. The com
mittee therefore recommended that the basic pure premiums be in
creased by 2 per cent in order to correct any error for underestima
tion of losses. The reasons for such underestimation are many. A
claim will be considered closed and will be so reported, but later it
will be reopened, and the cost will be increased. Thus a medical
"bill may be overlooked, a serious injury may not be immediately rec
ognized, adverse medical developments such as ankylosis or blood
poisoning may occur, permanent disability eases may not be detected
when the experience is first reported, or there may be delay in
reporting claims. Failure to anticipate these developments seems
to be unavoidable unless an arbitrary method of valuation is
einploved.
INCREASING COST DUE TO AGE OF ACT.
The committee recognized the fact that the cost of workmen’s
compensation always increases for a considerable' period of time
following its inception. Two causes are assigned for this tendency.
In the first place, the interpretation of workmen’s compensation
laws by administrative claim bodies has become increasingly liberal.
In the second place, as employees become familiar with the act
relatively more claims are presented and prosecuted. When com
pensation is introduced and takes the place of employers’ liability,
workmen are inclined to waive their rights in case of minor injuries.
As time passes, however, the principle of compensation becomes
firmly established and the compensation law is subjected to greater
and greater use by the workmen. In view of these facts the com
mittee decided that with unity representing the cost of payments
during the first year of an act, the cost during succeeding years
would be as indicated in the following table:
Policy year under compensation act.
Cost of compensation.
1
2
3
4
5
1.00
1.10
1.15
1.18
1.20
INCREASING COST DUE TO ABNORMAL INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY.
Abnormal industrial activity, with its employment of inexperienced
help and rearrangement of occupations, has a tendency to increase
the accident rate and consequently compensation costs. A factor
to take care of this increasing cost was proposed by the committee.
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M O NTHLY LABOE KEVIEW.
This factor was designed to accomplish two things. First, it was
realized that the experience available for the establishment of basic
pure premiums was accumulated during a period of subnormal busi
ness activity. The first function of the abnormal industrial activity
factor therefore was to raise the basic pure premiums to the level of
conditions represented by normal industrial activity. The second
function was to bring these premiums to the level of the present and
future abnormal activity whenever this was necessary.
The increasing cost due to abnormal industrial activity, according
to the committee, might be specifically charged to two causes. First,
the intense business activity had caused establishments to speed
up. This in turn had resulted in the employment of inexperienced
help, in the overworking of help, in the casting aside of safety cam
paigns and safety measures of one kind and another, in the over
crowding of factories, etc. Second, industrial activity had caused a
shift in employment. This shift was doubtless very general and
affected workers in all occupations. Along with this shift of
labor there was undoubtedly some tapping of labor sources not
ordinarily resorted to. On the whole, the shift in labor placed many
workmen in positions which they had not had sufficient training to till
efficiently and which they never would have been called upon to fill
under normal conditions.
The factor adopted by the committee was 0.15 for States with
intense activity, the understanding being that this factor was to be
combined additively with the increasing cost factor due to the age
of the act. It was further understood that the value of 0.15 was sub
ject to modification in accordance with the actual industrial condi
tions in each State. As a matter of practice, factors ranging from
0.05 to 0.15 were employed in the projection of the basic pure
premiums.
I N D U S T R I A L D IS E A S E S .
Tlie compensation acts of certain States (California and Massa
chusetts) apply to industrial diseases as well as to accidental injuries,
but in establishing basic pure premiums losses on account of indus
trial diseases were eliminated from the experience. Therefore,
wherever this hazard is covered, it is necessary to increase the rate
by an appropriate amount.
All classifications have some industrial disease hazard. To cover
this, 1 per cent is added to the pure premium for each class. In
addition, certain classifications, such as lead manufacture, have spe
cific industrial disease hazards for which an additional pure premium
is added. These industrial disease pure premiums have been calcu
lated on the basis of the original Massachusetts act and must there
fore be multiplied by the law differential when applied to other
States.
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VARIATIONS DUE TO MERIT RATING.
The object of merit rating is to obtain justice as between employers
in the same classification. The, employer whose plant is above the
standard receives a credit upon his insurance rate, while the plant
below the standard is penalized by being given a higher rate. An
ideal merit-rating system should produce a balanced schedule. In
other words, all deductions on account of merit rating should be
balanced by additions. However, so far merit rating has produced
a net credit and has therefore resulted in a reduction of the average
rate.
The augmented standing committee, after reviewing the results of
schedule rating in. the several compensation States, recommended
that a special loading of 9 per cent of the final rate be added
to the pure premiums for classifications subject to schedule rating in
all States except Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The committee
also recommended a loading of 1 per cent of the gross rate on all
classifications for all States, other than Massachusetts, where expe
rience rating is in practice.
ACCIDENT FREQUENCY.
The accuracy of the final State rate is dependent to some extent
upon the validity of the assumption that the capacity of risks to
produce accidents is constant for all States. If there are large
variations in the accident rate per unit of workers in any classification,
even though the cost of compensation per accident may be properly
computed, the final result obtained by using the rate formula will be
in error because a rate must adequately measure and combine accident
frequency and the cost of paying for accidents when they are produced.
The character of the working population, the conditions surrounding
industry, differences in industrial processes, the physical equipment
of factories, the attitude of the public and the employing class toward
labor, climatic conditions, and the degree to which safety work has
been developed, all have a bearing upon the rate of accident pro
duction. As all States are not similar as respects these conditions,
it may be assumed that the rate of accident frequency will vary
somewhat. However, because no conclusive data could be obtained,
the committee recommended that this factor should not be taken into
consideration.
CATASTROPHE HAZARD.
Catastrophes in workmen’s compensation insurance are single
losses so unusually large that the experience of individual classifi
cations or of individual insurance carriers is not a sufficient guide to
the probability of their occurrence. To take care of this factor the
committee recommended a flat addition of 2 cents to the gross pre
mium rate for New York and of 1 cent for other States.
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M O NTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
EXPENSE LOADING,
All of the preceding factors are concerned with pure premiums.
Their product and summation shoyld produce the probable actual
losses for a given State. To obtain the gross premium rate there
must still be applied the expense-loading factor. This includes
expenses of administration and taxes. The committee recommended
an expense loading of 40 per cent of the gross rate. However, the
expense ratio varies with the scale of benefits provided by the several
States. In other words, the higher the benefits the lower the expense
ratio. The committee gave effect to these considerations and
recommended the following scale of expense loading:
For States havingo a differential
bowlings59
------- of—
.nucuAii-igo.
Lesa than 1.25................................................................................................................. 42^
1.25 to 1.49...................................................................................................................... 40
1.50 to 1.74....................................................................................................................... 3 7 £
1.75 and over.................................................................................................................. 36
The committee also recommended a profit loading of
per cent
of the gross rate to provide a 5 per cent return on the capital invested.
CALCULATION OF STATE MULTIPLIERS.
In order, therefore, to calculate final rates to be applied to classi
fications under the various existing workmen’s compensation laws,
the factors, other than those expressed as flat additions to the rate,
are combined in a multiplier which is applied to the basic pure
premium increased by an industrial disease pure premium (if any).
To the result is added the catastrophe-hazard loading to secure the
final rate. This process is expressed by the following formula:
fCxDxExFxGrxH Ì
C ' !!d
1— ij ; K ] 1,; U *
“
Where—
A =B asic pure premium.
B=Industrial disease pure premium.
C=Law differential.
D=Increasing cost factor.
E==Underestimate of outstanding losses factor.
F=Industrial disease factor.
G =Schedule rating factor.
H =Experience rating factor.
J=E xpense loading.
K=Profit loading.
L=Loading for the maintenance of administrative commission.
M=Catastrophe loading.
R = F in aI rate.
NEW WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION LAW OF PORTO RICO.
After exactly two years of operation the first compensation law of
Porto Rico (see Bui. 203 of the 0. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, pp.
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821 to 830) was superseded on July 1, 1918, by a new statute.1 The
mode of administration by a workmen’s relief commission is un
changed, the commission continuing' to administer a relief fund to
which employers must contribute.
The scope of the law is considerably altered, being extended so as
to cover common carriers by railroad, public employment, and also
industries employing three or more persons instead of only those
employing five or more. Injuries compensated are differently defined,
the law covering all personal injuries by accident occurring to a
laborer while engaged in his work, instead of only those arising out
of and during the course of employment, subject to the same limita
tions as in the earlier law with regard to injuries due to intoxication,
gross negligence, etc.
Under the earlier act death benefits were simply the sum or the
balance of any sum that the employee would have received if the
injury had not terminated fatally. The present award is a maximum
of from $3,000 to $4,000, the amount to be graded according to the
earning capacity of the deceased workman and the number of bene
ficiaries. One-half the weekly wages are allowed in cases of tem
porary disability, instead of three-fourths as formerly, the maximum
and minimum weekly amounts remaining the same. The amount
payable for permanent total disability may be not less than $2,000
nor more than $4,000, in proportion to the rate of wages earned at
the time of the injury.
Taken altogether the new law is a decided advance over its prede
cessor, both in scope and liberality.
WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION EXPERIENCE IN ONTARIO, 1317.
The report of the Workmen’s Compensation Board of Ontario,3
covering the third year’s (1917) operation of the act, records 36,514
reported accidents during the year, an increase of 39.9 per cent over
the preceding year. In 6,419 cases (17,6 per cent) no claim for
compensation was filed; in 1,298 cases (3.6 per cent) the claim was
rejected by the board; in 3,008 cases (8.2 per cent) medical aid only,
amounting to $83,514.07, was paid. The medical aid provision was in
force only six months during the year, as noted hereafter. A statement
of the compensation awarded and accidents compensated during 1917,
which includes 4,028 claims carried over from the preceding year,
shows a total of 28,702 cases (including the 3,008 cases in which
medical aid only was paid) finally or partially disposed of, with com
pensation awarded amounting to $2,913,085.81. This is an average
* The new law will be published in full in Bui. 243 of this bureau.
* Ontario. Workmen’s compensation board. Report for 1917. Toronto, 1918. 69 pp.
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award for 25,694 cases of $113.38 per case. The figures for 1917
show an increase over 1916 of 57.6 per cent in the number of cases
disposed of, and an increase of‘44.8 per cent in the amount of com
pensation awarded. Of the 28,702 cases awarded compensation and
medical aid, 25,847, or 90.1 per cent, were temporary disability cases,
2,432, or 8.5 per cent, were permanent disability cases, and 423, or
1.5 per cent, were death claims.
The report states that the administrative expenses of the board
amounted to $133,629.50. This gives a cost of 4.6 cents for every
dollar of compensation awarded. Of the total amount, $100,000 was
paid by the Province, $28,740.98 was charged against schedule 1
industries,1 and $4,888.52 against schedule 2 industries. The assess
ments collected from approximately 14,000 employers in schedule 1
industries, employing about 277,750 full-year workers, amounted to
$2,376,362.89 on an estimated pay roll of $256,580,206.63. The total
compensation paid by these employers was $2,289,529.44. Thus the
cost of administration borne by schedule 1 industries was 1.21 per
cent of the assessments received during the year, or 1.26 per cent of
the compensation awarded. The total value of awards in schedule 2
during the year was $623,556.37, of which $392,404.71 was pension
awards.
The report notes that a feature of the Ontario act “ which must be
highly satisfactory to both workmen and employers is the fact that
practically all the mone}^ contributed by employers goes to the work
men or their dependents as compensation, or is paid for medical aid.”
Workmen, in addition to receiving compensation, are now enjoying the benefit of
the new medical aid provisions; and, notwithstanding the additional expense in
volved, it has been found possible with the large contribution now made by the
Province toward expenses, to reduce the employers’ rates of assessment. This has
been done retroactively for 1917 in most of the important classes of industry. The
rates are now very much lower than those originally fixed when the act first went
into operation. The average rate per $100 of pay roll under the rating, schedule orig
inally adopted for 1915 was (as estimated) $1.64; the average rate for 1915 under the
schedule as finally adjusted was $1.27; the average rate for 1916 under the schedule
as finally adjusted was $1.09; and the average preferred rate for 1917 (as estimated)
is 98 cents.
An amendment to the Ontario workmen’s compensation law,
effective July 1, 1917, entitles workmen, whether disabled more or
less than seven days, during a period not exceeding one month from
the commencement of disability, to medical and surgical aid and
hospital and skilled nursing services necessary as a result of the
accident. This in schedule 1 industries is provided by the board
1Schedule 1 embraces 34 classes of general industries which are under the assessment or State insurance
system. Schedule 2 includes railways, municipal corporations, etc. These industries are not under the
insurance system, the employers being individually liable for payment of the compensation fixed by the
board for accidents as they occur.
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or as the board may direct or approve and is paid for out of the
accident fund. In schedule 2 industries it is provided by the em
ployer individually. Pursuant to authority contained in the medical
aid amendment, a regulation was issued by the board requiring all
employers having more than 15 workmen usually employed to
provide and have in charge of some suitable person a first-aid kit,
and requiring every employer having 300 or more workmen usually
employed to provide at his factory or plant an emergency first-aid
room, with necessary equipment and supplies, and to have the same
in charge of a clerk, nurse, or other person who has taken a recognized
course of study in first aid to the injured.
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LABOR LAWS AND REGULATIONS
EMERGENCY SUSPENSIONS AND VARIATIONS OF LABOR LAWS.
The necessity for maximum production and the disturbance of the
labor supply by reason of the war led a number of States to consider
the advisability of suspending or modifying the provisions of certain
laws enacted for the protection of labor. This was due to the opinion
that the laws limiting the hours of labor, the age of employment of
children, requiring a weekly day of rest, and the like, were restrictive
of production. Fortunately but few legislatures took action in the
directions indicated, and the general tendency has been to maintain
the standards in existence before the war; while, as the result of the
measures adopted by Federal agencies, there has even been an
extension of protective legislation within the field of the activities of
such agencies.
The following summary presents the laws and rulings that look
toward a relaxation of standards on account of the present condition,
the laws noted being those enacted in 1917:
The Navy appropriation act of 1918 (ch. 180, approved Mar. 4,
1917) authorizes the >President to suspend, in cases of national
emergency, the law limiting to eight per day the hours of work on
contracts with the United States; the act also provides that time and
one-half shall be paid for work in excess of eight hours. The Alaska law
fixing an eight-hour day for all wage earners in the Territory (ch. 55,
acts of 1917) also contains a provision for suspensions and modifica
tions on request of the Council of National Defense or the Secretary of
the Interior, the same to be effective only during the period of emer
gency specified, and not longer than the duration of the present or any
future war which affords a basis for such emergency action.
More general are the provisions of the laws of three New England
States. The legislature of Connecticut (ch. 326) authorizes the
governor to modify or suspend by proclamation the laws of the State
relating to labor for definite periods during the present war. The law
modified must be specified in the proclamation, and the period of du
ration off the change fixed, but this may be extended for further defi
nite periods not beyond the close of the war; the power is to be ex
ercised only upon request of the Council of National Defense on the
ground that the action is essential to the national defense. Quite sim
ilar provisions are found in an act of the New Hampshire Legisla
ture (ch. 194); while in Vermont (No. 172) the commissioner of in266
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dnstries is authorized, with the approval of the governor, to suspend
the operation of the laws of the State relating to the hours of labor
of women and children, such suspension to be limited to the period
of the war.
The State of Georgia has laws of rather unusual strictness on the
subject of the running of freight trains on Sunday; these are sus
pended (p. 204) during the existence of the war ‘‘in order to avoid
congestions and to render more efficient, expeditious, and certain the
transportation services which the railroads operating in the State of
Georgia may be called upon to render.”
The production of an adequate food supply appealed to the Legis
lature of Massachusetts as a reason for waiving the Sunday law of that
State in so far as it forbade the cultivation of land and the raising,
harvesting, conserving, and transportation of agricultural products
(ch. 207). This waiver extends to January 1 following the termina
tion of the war. A law of California (ch. 192) adopts a different
method for the accomplishment of a like result by authorizing the
State board of education, with the approval of the governor, to
close the schools of the State for a portion of the year if it is thought
necessary, as a matter of war emergency, to release labor for planting
or harvesting the crops, or for other agricultural or horticultural
purposes. A similar provision appears in a New York statute (ch.
689) which authorizes the suspension of the .compulsory school at
tendance law of the State for the period of the war and two months
thereafter in order that the children may engage in agricultural and
garden work. Such work is to be carried on under rules formulated
lay the commissioner of education, supervision to be provided for
from the local school funds; credit as for school work may be given
for work properly done.
Besides the general provisions found in the law of New Hampshire
already noted, a provision was incorporated in the act amending the
law governing the employment of women and children (ch. 196),
making the provisions of the act inapplicable to the manufacture
of munitions or supplies for the State or the United States while this
country is at war. Limited variations are permitted in the Penn
sylvania act governing the employment of women, whenever in the
opinion of the industrial board such modification is desirable and
warranted and will not be injurious to the health and welfare of the
women affected or of the public (No. 254). No reference is made in
this act to war emergency. The modification may not affect the
hours of labor established by law, nor does the act apply to females
employed in manufacturing establishments.
In connection with this action of the Pennsylvania Legislature at
tention may be called to the reply of President Wilson to the inquiry of
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M O N T H L Y LABOK REV IEW .
Gov. Brumbaugh, of Pennsylvania, as to the desirability of enacting
laws providing suspensions of labor standards, the reply being to the
effect that “ it would be most unfortunate for any of the States to
relax the laws b y which safeguards have been thrown about labor,’
the result of such action being probably a slackening of activity
rather than an increase of it. However, a considerable number
of suspensions of the Federal 8-hour law have been made by the
President under the provisions of the act of March 4, 1917, noted
above; many of these relate only to specific undertakings, though
orders of March 24 and April 28, 1917, are of more general effect,
covering contracts for ordnance, ordnance stores, and other military
supplies and material, contracts for buildings at arsenals, for fortifi
cation work, and any military building or any public work which, in
the judgment of the Secretary of War, is important for national
defense.
The laws creating State councils of defense confer quite a wide
range of authority on these bodies for the purpose of industrial adjust
ment and correlation, that of Massachusetts (ch. 392) going so far
as to direct the State board of labor ana industries to appoint a com
mittee of five persons, not members of the board, to consider applica
tions by employers of labor for the suspension or modification of
laws claimed to interfere with the prosecution of work which the
employer is doing or about to engage in, such work being required
by an emergency arising out of the existing state of wrar. If the
claim is approved, a permit may be granted allowing variations of
specified kinds and for a definite time, applicable only to the particu
lar work or establishment for which the permit was desired.
No information is at hand relative to the steps taken, if any, by
the authorities of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and
Vermont under the provisions of the acts of those States noted above.
However, something of'the effects of war-time pressure on industry
can be discovered by examining reports of the State industrial com
mission of New York as to action taken by this body, under a perma
nent provision of the law of this State (sec. 8-a of ch. 31 of the Con
solidated Laws of the State, as amended by ch. 648, Acts of 1915).
This section requires a weekly day of rest for all employees and
workmen in the State, employed in any manufacturing or mercantile
establishment, with certain exceptions. If the enforcement of this
law should involve practical difficulties or unnecessary hardship,
variations may be allowed by the industrial board, under conditions
established by rules of the board, and applicable to other situations
where the facts are substantially the same. Recent typical allow
ances of variations under this provision are those granted where
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Federal contracts arc involved, certified by the proper authorities to
be urgent. Thus, in the case of the Tupper Lake Chemical Co., a
small group of men, representing day and night forces, are permitted
to maintain continuous operation throughout the week, apparently
working 12-hour shifts. In the case of the Bausch & Lomb Optical
Co. the work is not necessarily continuous, but it was found that
compliance with the weekly day of rest law would involve practical
difficulties and unnecessary hardship, and not exceeding 150 men are
authorized to bo employed for 7 days per week; no reference is made
to the hours of labor. These grants were made May 18, 1918, to be
effective until July 1, 1918, but subject to an extension if at that
date the Secretary of War should further certify that the emergency
continued. On March 27, 1917, the Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor
Corporation was authorized to employ certain workmen seven days
per week for six months, on certification of the urgency of the under
taking. This work was not continuous, and the hours of labor were
evidently optional, since the second renewal of the permission, on
May 15, 1918, authorized the employment of workmen for seven days
per week, and for as many hours as the employers wished, with the
understanding -that eight-hour shifts will be arranged as soon as
possible, or that persons working seven days shall work not more
than eight hours per day. The H. IT. Franklin Manufacturing Co.
asked for a waiver of the weekly day of rest law on the ground of the
urgency of its work in completing a contract with the British Gov
ernment. This was allowed on the same terms as those granted in
the case of the Bausch & Lomb Optical Co.
The Federal Railroad Administration advised the State indus
trial commission of the imperative need of repair work in various
railroad shops, and on this ground seven days of labor was authorized,
in some cases for the duration of the war, and in others for a limited
period.
A third class of cases involves the preservation of perishable food
products, in one instance a fish company being authorized to have
men engaged in cleaning fish work seven days per week, but not
over eight hours per day, in order to get fish to market. In the
case of manufacturers of dairy products the local shortage of labor
was assigned and admitted as sufficient reason for the employment
of workmen for seven days per week, the permit in each instance to
terminate on September 1, 1918.
In all these cases the permission for seven days of work per week
is limited to adult males, and in most cases the maximum number
of persons who may be employed is indicated, in some instances the
actual numbers and classes of workmen being specified. The neces
sary inference is that the industrial commission does not look with
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favor upon any general or indiscriminate departure from the stand
ards fixed by law.
In connection with the foregoing, attention may be called to the
fact that it is only when persons are employed directly by the Gov
ernment that they are exempt from the control of the State laws of
the locality in which they are at work. A ruling was recently handed
down in a Pennsylvania case stating that employees directly em
ployed by the United States Government and paid by it are not
subject to the restrictions of the State laws. This led to the con
clusion in some quarters that employees of contractors with the
United States were likewise exempt from such limitations. This
question was submitted to the legal department of the New York
Industrial Commission, and the conclusion was reached, and is being
enforced, that where private contractors are engaged on contracts
with the Federal Government, and their employees are paid from
private funds, the work must be done in accordance with the pro
visions of law established by the State.
RETIREMENT SYSTEM FOR LIGHTHOUSE EMPLOYEES.
The long considered question of retirement for civil employees of
the United States has received its answer in so far as a single branch
of the service is concerned. An act of June 20, 1918 (Public No. 174,
65th Congress), provides that officers and employees in the field
service or on vessels of the Lighthouse Service, other than those
employed in district offices and in shops, may, after reaching the age
of 65 and having 30 years of active service to their credit, be retired
at their own option. Retirement is compulsory at the age of 70.
The retirement pay is to be based on the average annual pay for the
last five years of service, one-fortieth of this amount being allowed
for each year of active employment in the Lighthouse Service or
other branch of the Government having a retirement system, the
total not to exceed thirty-fortieths of such average.
Just as the provision for compensation for injuries incurred in the
course of duty found its first expression in the Life Saving Service
in 1882, extending to the Railway Mail Service in 1900, and to a
larger class of employees in 1908, becoming general by the act of
1916, so it may be presumed that this initial retirement act for civil
employees is but the forerunner of a complete system of retirement
for Federal employees; however, with the active support of a consider
able number of department heads, and the widely extended discus
sion on the subject for the past several years, it does not seem probable
that the next steps in retirement will be so long delayed as was the
case in the field of compensation.
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IN D U S T R IA L D I S P U T E S IN V E S T IG A T IO N ACT O F CA N A D A .
Amendments of considerable importance to the Industrial Dis
putes Investigation Act of 1907 were made a t the recent session of
the Dominion Parliament (ch. 27, approved May 24, 1918). The
first of these provides against the termination of the employment
status for the purposes of the act, by reason of any strike or lockout,
or by reason of a dismissal where, within 30 days after the dismissal,
application is made for a board of conciliation and investigation
under the provisions of the act. Another amendment provides for
the continuance in existence of a board once formed, not only until
the original report is signed and transmitted to the minister of labor,
but also, following any recommendation of the board, for the purpose
of considering questions as to the meaning or application of the
recommendation or of any settlement agreement drawn up by it.
The purpose of this amendment is to make effective an amendment
to a later section, which authorizes the submission of such questions
to the chairman of the board by the minister of labor on the appli
cation of either party or on his own initiative, the total result being
to secure the continuing existence of the board until a final adjust
ment and understanding of matters is arrived at. Flexibility of
procedure is also secured by an amendment authorizing the minister
to submit to the board other matters than those originally referred
to it, but which are found to be involved in or incidental to the
submission.
Perhaps the most important change is that authorizing the minister
of labor to establish a board of conciliation and investigation under
the act on the application of any municipality interested or of the
principal officer thereof, or on the motion of the minister himself;
as alternative to this the minister may, either with or without an
application from any interested party, recommend the appointment
of a commissioner or commissioners, under the provisions of the
inquiries act, to inquire into a dispute, strike, or lockout, or into
any matters or circumstances connected therewith. The minister
may also, either voluntarily or on request, make any inquiries he
thinks fit regarding industrial matters, and may secure the taking of
such steps as seem calculated to procure industrial peace and pro
mote conditions favorable to the settlement of disputes. What
consequences will follow the rendering of an award of findings by
boards or commissioners thus created without the request or consent
of the parties to the dispute can only be inferred. The original act
provides that recommendations shall bo binding upon a party agree
ing in advance that such shall be the effect. The new provision is
comparable to a compulsory investigation act at least, and the
findings of a board or commissioner appointed as herein provided
would certainly carry great weight, even though not legally binding.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
FRENCH DECREE GOVERNING THE RECRUITING AND DISTRIBUTION OF
LABOR.
In order to secure the best results in meeting the scarcity of male
labor in France and in making available for public services all pos
sible labor resources, and at the same time to avoid overlapping
and to secure the most equitable distribution of such resources among
the employment services, the following executive decree was issued
under date of October 18, 191711
A r t i c l e 1 . In form ation of a ll k in d s r e la tiv e to th e n eed s and to th e d isp osition of
m an u al labor is c en tra liz e d under th e m in ister of labor an d social w elfare.
He guarantees the distribution of available labor among the public services employ
ing labor, according to the needs of public and private establishments dependent upon
them.
The distribution of labor among the ministries interested is decided by the minister
of labor after consultation with the ministers employing and the ministers supplying
labor. In case of failure to reach agreement, the minister of labor refers the matter
to the economic committee, which decides it.
E a c h m in ister e m p lo y in g labor guarantees th e im m ed ia te e m p lo y m en t an d control
of th e labor assign ed to h im in th e p u b lic or p riv a te esta b lish m en ts or businesses
d e p e n d e n t u p on h im .
A r t . 2. The resources at the disposition of the minister of labor for the distribution
provided in article 1 comprise:
1. C iv il m an u al labor,
m ale an d fem a le.
2. Labor becoming available among the men who are mobilized or subject to mobi
lization at establishments working for the national defense and are under the regula
tion of article 6 of the law of August 17, 1915.
3. Mobilized labor which, upon request of the minister of war, can be placed at
the disposal of the minister of labor.
4. Prisoners of war placed at his disposal by the minister of war.
5 . Alien and colonial labor.
The minister of labor guarantees directly the recruitment of alien labor; however,
the minister of agriculture directs the recruiting of alien European labor destined for
agriculture and is charged with keeping the minister of labor informed as to this avail
able labor according to the conditions provided in article 1.
The minister of colonies guarantees the recruitment, care, and control of colonial
and assimilated labor.
The minister of war guarantees the administration and control of the labor of prison
ers of war.
A r t . 3. The minister of labor, in agreement with the other ministers employing
labor, decides the general rules relating to wages. Each of the minister employers
has charge of the application of these general rules to the public or private establish
ments or businesses dependent upon him.
The minister of agriculture continues in charge of fixing the conditions of labor and
the wages of mobilized labor placed for agricultural labor.
A rt. 4. A r ticle 9 of th e decree of D ecem b er 31, 1916, an d th e decree of A p ril 21 ,
1917, before c ite d , are abrogated in su ch of th e ir d isp o sitio n s as are contrary to th e
d isp o sitio n s of th e p resen t d ecree.
A r t . 5 . The minister of war, of the navy, of munitions, of the colonies, of agricul
ture, of labor and social welfare, of public works and of finances is charged, each as
he is concerned, with the execution of the present decree.
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1Bulletin des Usines de Guerre, Paris, Oct. 22,1917.
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CIVILIAN AUXILIARY SERVICE ESTABLISHED IN ITALY BY VICE-REGAL
DECREE.1
Great scarcity of labor in agriculture and essential industries and
of clerical help in Government offices, banks, etc., has caused the
issuance of a vice-regal decree in Italy requesting civilians to register
for voluntary labor. This decree (No. 146), issued February 12,
1918, and published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on February 21, 1918,
provides that all Italian citizens of both sexes born between January
1, 1857, and December 31, 1903, shall declare whether and in what
industry or public service existing in the commune in which their
place of residence is situated they are willing to .work gratuitously
or for proper compensation. Those persons stating their willing
ness to work in a locality other than their own commune are to re
ceive their traveling expenses.
The decree states that in case a sufficient number of voluntary
workers should fail to register it will be made compulsory for all
adult males to work in some essential occupation within their com
mune and that suitable regulations will then be issued for the con
scription of labor.
The following are exempted from voluntary registration: (1)
Military persons in active service or on furlough, or assigned to
establishments or undertakings working for the national defense;
(2) persons working in military, auxiliary, and requisitioned estab
lishments; (3) persons employed in agriculture or the transport of
agricultural products; (4) employees and officials of public Govern
ment offices; (5) those disabled for any kind of work; and (6) physi
cians, veterinaries, and nurses.
As essential occupations for which volunteers are required the
decree enumerates the following:
A g r i c u l t u r e . —All occupations in agriculture proper and the han
dling and transport of agricultural products.
M i n i n g . —Mining of coal, metals, and sulphur.
F o rest i n d u s t r ie s a n d w o o d w o r k in g . —Cutting down of trees, making
of charcoal, and mechanical woodworking as required for war needs
(construction of barracks, making of boxes for projectiles, fuses, fire
arms).
F ood i n d u s t r ie s . —Hulling of rice, grain and flour mills, bakeries,
manufacture of food conserves, slaughtering, fishing.
A n i m a l p r o d u c ts . —Tanneries, shoe factories, saddleries.
M e ta l i n d u s t r ie s . —Iron and steel works, smelters, foundries, ma
chinery works, wire mills, munition factories, ordnance factories,
shipyards, automobile factories, airplane factories.
I n d u s tr ie s f o r th e w o r k in g u p o f m in e r a l p r o d u c ts . —Lime kilns,
cement kilns, brick kilns, factories of refractory material, glass
works, potteries.
1Bollettino del Comitato Centrale di Mobilitazione Industriale No. 10. Rome, Aprii, 1918. pp. 113 fi.
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MONTHLY LABOE BEVfEW.
T e x tile i n d u s t r ie s . —Cotton, linen, jute, and woolen mills, absorbent
cotton and gauze factories, factories of military apparel.
C h e m ic a l i n d u s t r ie s . —Manufacture of salts and acids, sulphur re
fineries, glue and tan factories, phosphorus factories, match fac
tories, factories of explosives, oil distilleries and refineries, tar dis
tilleries, alcohol distilleries and refineries, sugar factories and re
fineries, fat and soap factories, candle factories, electric carbon fac
tories, hydrogen and oxygen factories, factories of calcium carbid
and calcium cyanamid, tobacco factories, rubber and gutta-percha
factories, briquet factories.
P u b l i c u t i l i t y in d u s t r ie s a n d s e r v ic e s . —Gas and electric power
plants, ice factories and cold-storage plants, paper factories, print
ing establishments, waterworks, transportation, and communication
services.
B u i l d i n g tra d e s a n d c o n s tr u c tio n w orlc. —All public works operated
by the State, Provinces, communes, or other public authorities.
Voluntary offers of enlistment in the auxiliary service may be made
by letter, orally, or by filling in a schedule. This must contain the
following data: Name, sex, age, nationality, place of residence, and
present occupation of the person making the offer; whether he is at
present employed or unemployed, the industry or public office in
which he is willing to work, and the kind of work desired; whether the
offer holds good for the entire working day or only for certain hours
(in the latter case the hours have to be specified) ; whether he offers his
services gratuitously or for a suitable compensation; whether he is
willing to work outside of the commune in which he resides and the
names of the communes in which lie is disposed to work; and finally
the date on which the offer is made and the correct address of the
person offering to work.
The decree provides that the mayor of each commune shall by a
proclamation request the civilian population to register for voluntary
work within a time limit fixed uniformly for the entire kingdom by
the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Labor. After the expira
tion of this time limit, each commune is to make a compilation of all
offers of service by sex, industries, and public offices, and according
as to whether the offer of service holds good for the entire working
day or for part of it, or for work within the place of residence or
outside of it.
The administrative machinery of the voluntary auxiliary service
is organized by the decree as follows :
Within the district of each commune the operation of the voluntary
auxiliary service is administered by the mayor of the commune or by
a commissioner or committee appointed by him. A provincial com
mission for the auxiliary service is to be organized in each Province,
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and is to be composed of the prefect or his representative as chairman,
two employers and two workmen of industries specified as essential
in the decree, one administrative Government or communal official,
one army officer, one representative each of the district mobilization
committee, the local exemption board, the provincial agricultural
committee, one member of a local relief committee, and the pro
vincial secretary of the federated relief or propaganda institutions.
The provincial commission is to be appointed by the prefect. Finally,
a central commission is to be created in the Ministry of Industry,
Commerce, and Labor, to be composed of 16 members, among whom
shall be two employers and two workmen of industries designated
in the decree as essential, one administrative Government or com
munal official, the director general of labor or his representative,
the inspector general of industry or his representative, one industrial
or factory inspector, one representative each of the central commis
sion on industrial mobilization, the central exemption board, the
central committee on agricultural mobilization, and the central com
mittee of the federated refief and propaganda institutions. The
members of this central commission and its chairman are to be
appointed by royal decree.
According to the decree the mayor of each commune or the com
missioner or the commission appointed by him for the administration
of the voluntary auxiliary service shall transmit to the provincial
commission a list of the persons having volunteered to render services
in a commune other than their home commune, but located within
the Province. This list must show the address of these persons and
the other data given in their individual schedules. A similar list
shall be sent to the central commission of all persons having offered
to render services in a locality outside of the Province of their home
commune, and if the locality has been specified in the schedule the
commune in which this locality is situated must also be informed.
Requests of employers in industries designated in the decree as
essential for assignment of workmen, as well as requests of public
offices for assignment of employees, must be addressed to the mayor
or the local commissioner or commission and must contain information
with respect to the working conditions in the industry or office for
which workmen or employees are being requested. On the receipt
of such requests the mayor or the local commissioner or commission
is to assign suitable persons who have offered their services to the
parties making the requests. The compensation in money or in kind
of volunteer workers and their other working conditions shall be
agreed upon by the interested parties by individual contract but may
not be lower or less favorable than the compensation or working con
ditions stipulated in collective agreements in force in the locality in
question.
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m o n t h l y labor r e v ie w .
If the number of persons volunteering for work in a commune is not
sufficient to supply all the requests for help by industries and public
offices then those requests which can not be filled are to be trans
mitted to the provincial commission. Similarly all requests for help
that can not be filled by the provincial commission shall be trans
mitted by the latter to the central commission.
The decree further provides that volunteer workers employed in
pursuance of it shall enjoy the benefits of protective labor laws and
social insurance laws now in force to the same extent as other work
men and salaried employees. They may request a certificate for
voluntary services rendered and wear special insignia, the character
of which will be determined by an order of the Ministry of Industry,
Commerce, and Labor.
The sum of 1,000,000 lire ($193,000) has been appropriated for the
administration of the voluntary auxiliary service. The decree came
into force with the date of its promulgation (Feb. 21, 1918) in the
Gazetta Ufficiale.
LAW REGULATING NIGHT WORK IN URUGUAY.1
Under the provisions of the law enacted on March 15, 1918, by the
Senate and House of Representatives of Uruguay, working in bakeries
and the manufacturing of vermicelli, confectionery, and similar
products are prohibited between, the hours of 9 p. m and 5 a. m.
The law became effective on-April 16, 1918. Violations of this law
are punishable by a fine of 100 pesos ($103.40) for a first offense and
double that amount for any subsequent offense.
WOMAN AND CHILD LABOR LAWS OF VERA CRUZ, MEXICO.2
In a discussion of labor conditions in Mexico it is stated that, for
the purpose of relieving unjust conditions often imposed on laborers
by industrial establishments and of establishing means to expedite the
settlement of labor disputes, the various State administrations are
making an extended study of foreign labor codes and are adapting and
adopting such provisions as are deemed applicable to the needs and
conditions of the various Mexican States.
The State of Vera Cruz, which is one of the most active in labor
legislation, has just published a code of labor laws, from which the
following summary is translated (Ch. VIII, arts. 85-93) :
The employment of children of either sex under 12 years of age is prohibited. The
employment of women or young persons under 16 years of age later than 10 o’clock at
1Data taken from Revista Comercial for May 1918, Montevideo.
2Data taken from Boletin ddl Trabajo. Secretaria de Industria, Comercio y
No. 1, p. 19.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
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night, in excess of the legal working day, or in dangerous or unhealthy occupations is
prohibited.
The following occupations are declared to be dangerous: Oiling, cleaning, adjusting,
or repairing machinery or apparatus while in motion; operating automatic circular or
band saws, chisels, planers, hammers, or any mechanical apparatus requiring especial
precautions; and such other employment as may be specifically designated by the
shop rules as dangerous.
The following operations are declared to be unhealthy: Manipulation of toxic sub
stances ; operations which produce or em it deleterious or dangerous gases or vapors t r
disseminate dangerous dust; those requiring prudence or precautions, as in the manu
facture of explosives, fulminating or inflammable substances; drainage of tanks, or in
operations where continuous humidity is produced, as working in refrigerating tanks
in the manufacture of beer; and other industrial operations which m aybe specifically
mentioned in shop rules of factories, workshops, or establishments.
Shop rules must specifically designate such operations as are to be considered dan
gerous or unhealthy.
No pregnant woman shall be employed in any operation requiring considerable
physical force.
Pregnant women are allowed a rest period of eight weeks with half pay, beginning
not more than two weeks before and ending not less than six weeks after parturition.
Upon resuming work a certificate must be furnished stating that at least six weeks
have elapsed since parturition.
During the nursing period, or for six months after parturition, mothers shall be
granted two extra daily rest periods of half hour each.
Wages of women and children shall not, solely because of age or sex, be fixed at less»
rates than those paid other employees performing equal work.
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HOUSING
AND
WELFARE W ORK
A MODERN COPPER MINING TOWN.
BY LEIFTJR MAGNUS80N.1
The Burro Mountain Branch of the Phelps-Dodge Corporation, a
branch of the Phelps-Dodge copper interests, began in 1914 the con
struction of the mining town of Tyrone, N. Mex. The construction
of houses, company office, and railroad terminal, and the establish
ment of recreational and community features have progressed almost
simultaneously, and at the present time are in a fair stage of
completion.
All the land in the vicinity is owned by the mining company,
whose mining interests have caused the growth of settlement at this
point. The growth of the town has been like that of any other
mining camp. Miners have brought their families there and have
built temporary shacks or put up tents in which to live. The usual
proportion of traders and storekeepers has also gathered there, as
have also Mexican laborers, with or without families. This popu
lation has rented land from the company for its stores and houses.
A branch line railroad extends to Tyrone, which is situated 48 miles
(by rail) northwest of Deming, N. Mex., on the El Paso and South
western system. The town is 136 miles northwest of El Paso, Tex.
It is located amid the mountains about a mile and a quarter from
the mines. As the region is semi-arid, there are only a few trees.
These, however, have been carefully preserved, even when located in
the middle of a proposed street.
Planning of streets and lots has been difficult on account of the
rugged character of the country. The town conforms in a general
way to the Spanish type of town, with the plaza in the center. (Fig. 1.)
About the plaza are grouped the railroad station, the freight depot,
the large company department store and its warehouse, the bank
and shop building, and the company office. All of these buildings
are now completed, as is also the schoolhouse, which is located on
the main north and south street. A view of the central plaza as it
is at present is shown in figure 2.
While no legal restrictions as to cost and types of buildings exist,
there is a natural districting of the town into business and residence
sections. The business section, consisting of th e ' company office,
stores, railroad station and other buildings, is grouped around the
i The inform ation for th is description of Tyrone has been furnished by the com pany: th e com m unity
was visited in March, 1917.
278
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[754]
F
ig
. I.— G
eneral
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
L
ayout of
C
entral
Part
of
T
yrone,
N. M
exc
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
M O N TH LY LABOE REVIEW.
279
plaza in a hollow square cut by a straight east and west running
thoroughfare. All sidewalks fronting on the plaza will be shaded by
porticoes extending from the abutting buildings, except that in front
of the office of the company, which has no portico. The residence
sections are located mainly on the outlying hillsides and in the canyons
radiating from the center of the town. The residence districts of
the American and the Mexican employees are separated, being located
in different canyons.
The business street is 60 feet wide; where it divides and skirts the
central plaza, each half is 40 feet wide. The short residential street,
or rather the lane, along which the Mexican houses are placed, is 30
feet wide. The road which winds up the hilltop to the American
houses is about 20 feet wide.
All buildings except the railroad station and depot have been
erected by the company. The township has equipped the schoolhouse. Among other features provided by the mining company are
the central heating and electric power plants for the locality.
T Y P E S OF HOUSES.
In planning the buildings of the community the Spanish mission
type of architecture, characterized by a plain exterior and a flat roof,
has been used. The buildings are of hollow tile 8 inches thick. The
exterior is 2-coat stucco work, the final coat being so-called oriental
stucco. This stucco has been treated with different shades of in
tegral coloring; there are, therefore, no applied colors used. The
houses are of various colors—salmon, pale green, brown, and cream.
The Mexican houses are all of the original concrete color. The houses
are plastered inside directly on the prepared tile.
It has been difficult to make the flat roofs waterproof. In the
more recent construction, therefore, sloping roofs have been pre
ferred.
With the exception of some good examples of hillside houses, the
houses have only one floor and are detached or semidetached.
Those built for the Mexicans, however, are built in four and six
family groups. The Mexican houses lack the 3-piece bathroom and
the kitchen plumbing provided in the American houses, and have
cement instead of wood floors. Also, they have combination living and
dining rooms. Other dwellings of the community have considerable
variety in plans and exterior design.
All houses, except that of the general superintendent, are stove
heated.
HOUSES FOR MEXICANS.
With the exception of four single, three-room dwellings, the houses
for the Mexicans are group houses. They are generally constructed
of hollow tile with gray stucco exterior, as already described; a few
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[7 5 5 ]
280
M O NTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
are stucco on wood frame. All are provided with a sink in the
kitchen with drainage connection. The can type of dry privy is used.
These are being replaced by Vogel frost-proof toilets.
The Mexican houses were constructed in 1916. According to type,
cost, and rental, they are distributed as follows:
COST AND R E N T A L O F M EXICAN L A B O R E R S ’ H O U SES BY T Y P E OF H O U SE.
N um ber of
dwellings.
Type of dwelling.
Cost per . N um ber of
dwelling.
rooms.
R ent per
m onth.
Size of lot.
F e e t.
Row (six dwellings to a g ro u p )..............
D ouble.........................................................
D o ..........................................................
Single............................................................
96
12
12
4
1525
695
890
1,120
2
2
3
3
$6
8
9
12
16 by
20 by
38 by
50 by
80
80
50
80
A picture and plans of a row of six dwellings are shown in figure
3 as being the prevailing type of house for the Mexican laborer.
While families are small two rooms may suffice, but it is doubtful
if the 2-room dwelling will eventually prove to be large enough.
HOUSES FOR AMERICAN EMPLOYEES.
The houses for the Americans are of a type distinctly better
as respects plan, design, and conveniences furnished than the
houses above described. They have variety in plans and de
sign. Only 67 dwellings have as yet been provided, and these
are occupied by technical and office men and foremen. Modern
improvements, consisting of a 3-piece bathroom, sink with run
ning water in the kitchen, and electric lighting, are provided. The
houses are prevailingly of four rooms. The average rent is about $6
per room per month. The details as to number of rooms, rents, and
construction costs, according to the type of dwelling, are contained
in the tabulation following:
COST AND R E N T A L O F H O U SES FO R A M ERICAN E M PL O Y E E S , B Y T Y P E OF H O U SE.
Cost per dwelling.
Type of dwelling.
N um
N um ber of
ent
ber rooms Rper
erect per m onth.
ed. dwell
Total.
ing.
Con
tra c t
or’s
esti
mate.
Con
W ir
tents
ing
(cubic
ard E x
and Fence. H
ware. tras. feet).
fix
tures.
Cost
per
cubic
foot.
H o u s e s c o n s tr u c te d ,
1 9 1 4 -1 5 .
Sing’e, one story:
Type No. 1 .................
T ype No. 2 .................
T vpe No. 3 .................
T ype No. 4 .................
A verage...................
J1
1
1
1
5
4
3
4
$20.00
20.00
18.00
20.00
$2,500
2,151
2,026
2,092
4
19.50
2,192
2 $500
2 538
2 675
2 523
■.. .
2 548
»W ood fram e house m ade w ith stucco exterior. All other houses are of te rra cotta or hollow til«
w ith cem ent stucco exterior.
* Cost per room.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[7 5 6 ]
F
ig
. 3 .— G
roup of
6 D
w e l l in g s
of
H
for
M
e x ic a n
alf the
G
L
aborers an d
F lo o r P l a n s
roup.
Sixteen groups constructed. Stucco on hollow tile. E ach dw elling cost, in 1916, $525, r e n t,. *per
m o nth. Conveniences: Sink, d ra in connections. L ot 80 feet deep.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
F
ig
. 4 .— F o u r - R
oom
D
etached
H
o use for
A
m e r ic a n
Fa
m il y
.
Cost, in 1916, $2,547; ren t, $27 per m onth. The fact t hu t th e bathroom does not com m unicate w ith
hall is an undesirable feature.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
a
F ig . 5.— T
h r e e - R oom
S e m id e t a c h e d H ouse
Cost, in 1916, $1,827; rent, $18 per month.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
for
A m e r ic a n F a m il y .
All modern improvements.
F ig . 6 — S p e c ia l H
il l s id e
H ouse.
Fam ily on each ground level; 4 rooms to each dwelling; modem improvements.
dwelling, in 1917, $2,291.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Cost per
281
MONTHLY LAC OE EEVIEW,
C O STA N D R E N T A L OF HOUSES FO R AMERICAN EM PLOYEES, B Y T Y PE OF HOUSE—
Concluded.
Type of dwelling.
Num
N um ber of Rent
ber rooms
per
erect per month.
Total.
ed. dwell
ing.
Cost per dwelling.
Con
tract
or’s
esti
mate.
Con
j^er
Wir
tents
ing
(cubic
Hard Ex feet). cuoio
foot.
and Fence. ware.
tras.
fix
tures.
H o u s e s c o n s tr u c te d , 1916.
Single, one story:
Type No. 1 .................
Type No. 2 .................
’Type N o. 3 .................
Type No. 4 .................
Type No. 5 .................
Type No. 6 .................
Double, one story:
Type No. 1.................
Type No. 2 .................
Type No. 3 .................
C en ts.
2
1
2
2
1
2
5
4
4
3
4
4
$30.00
27.00
27.00
27.00
20.00
25.00
$2,803
2,533
2,547
2,148
2,368
2,435
$2,642
2,379
2,393
2.001
2,201
2,268
$68
64
64
58
77
77
$50
50
50
50
50
50
$18
15
15
14
15
15
$25
25
25
25
25
25
18,706
15,501
15,501
13,926
15,439
15,887
14.9
16.3
16.4
15.4
15.3
15.3
4
4
2
2
3
3
14.00
18.00
15.00
1,339
1,827
1,590
1,234
1,717
1,447
39
44
40
40
40
40
13
13
13
13
13
50
8,740
11,949
11,212
15.3
15.2
14.1
3.3
21.15
2,031
1,894
54
45
14
23
13,208
15.3
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
4
4
4
5
5
4
4
25.00
25.00
27.00
30.00
30.00
28.00
24.00
2,716
3,277
2,7G5
3,230
3,230
2,808
3,225
2,557
3,112
2,605
3,050
3,050
2,648
3,060
50
50
50
60
60
50
50
65
65
65
65
65
65
65
18
18
18
22
22
18
18
26
32
27
33
33
27
32
16,121
17,456
16,573
19,155
19,155
16,530
17,250
16.9
18.8
16.6
16.8
16.8
16.9
18.6
2
2
3
4
4
4
1 23.00
23.00
2 20.00
2,931
2,931
3,140
2,775
2,775
2,991
50
50
50
60
60
53
18
18
18
28
28
28
16,603
16,603
18,108
17.6
17.6
17.3
24.00
3,041
2,881
51
61
19
29
17,348
17.5
Average...................
H o u s e s c o n s tr u c te d , 1917.
Sing’e, one story:
Type No. 1 .................
Type No. 2 .................
Type No. 3 .................
Type No. 4 ................
Type No. 5 .................
Type No. 6 .................
Double, one story............
Two-family, two story:
Type No. 1.................
Type No. 2 .................
Three-family, two story..
Average...................
4.1
1 For upper story; for lower story, $20.
2 For upper story; for lower story, $25.
The following tabulation is a statement of the company’s invest
ment in houses and improvements at Tyrone, as of January 1, 1918:
AMOUNT IN V E ST E D IN HOUSES AND IMPROVEM ENTS AT TY RO NE, N. H E X ., AS OF
JAN. 1, 1918.
Items.
Amount
in
vested
Jan. 1,
1918.
E sti
Net
mated reve
invest nue
re
ment
when ceived
in
fin
1917.
ished.
Items.
Amount
in
vested
Jan. 1,
1918.
Esti
Net
mated reve
invest nne
ment
re
when ceived
fin
in
ished. 1917.
Sundry improvements:
Dwellings, etc.:
Water system .............. $50,778 $51,000 $10,213
Dwellings........................ $215,232 $250,350 $17,035
28
Light and power sys
Garages (6).......................
1,085
7,205
8,000 2,811
tem ............................
4,044
5,000
House engineering.........
Roads and streets___ 37,360 38,000 0 )
Sewer system .............. 13.698 16,000 1,9-13
T otal............................. 220,961 256,550 17,063
3,167
3,200
Justice court...............
0)
Engineering office exG e n e r a l b u ild in g s .
18,396 20,000
X>enses................. . . .
(l )
Pla?.a improvements. 13,019 14,000 0 )
Store and warehouse. . . 172,837 173«£00 20,622
1,784
2,000
Sundry expenses........
1.176
Sehoolhouse.................... 70,532 83,00C
(')
Post office........................ 14,274 15,00C
(3)
T otal......................... 145,407 152,200 14,967
Bank, shop, and store. . 39,533 53,200
(2)
1,200
T otal............................. 303,176 324,700
21,798
1 Nonre venue-bearing investment.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Grand to ta l............. 669,544 733, 45K 53,828
* Not reported.
[757]
282
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Wliat is apparently a successful hillside house has been designed
in the form of a “ two-flatter”—accommodating one family upstairs
and one downstairs. The principal entrance for the family at the
lower level is at the side. Plans and a picture are shown in figure 6.
The total cost of the houses in the town, exclusive of land, which
was bought primarily as mining land, is approximately $220,000.
A DM INISTRATION.
The company has created a separate department (the town-site
department) to build the town. There is thus created a building
and operating force which is to give specialized attention to the
housing and community construction of the company. When the
construction work is completed, the management will rest with
the local manager and his office. Whether a greater separation
of the housing policies from those which control the mining or
principal business of the company, such as would be afforded by
the creation of a subsidiary housing company, is desirable, may be
shown by the future success or failure of the undertaking. Such a
separation, however, might have little effect, because the town is
dependent upon one industry, controlled by one financial interest.
Under such circumstances a subsidiary company would be practically
identical with the principal company.
Although early in 1917 only 230, or 24.9 per cent, of the 922 em
ployees were living in company houses, the remainder were tenants
on company land, no land being sold. Of a total of 649 dwellings on
rented lots owned by the company, 315 houses are on unsurveyed
lots—that is, lots which had no water connections except in a few
cases where tenants themselves made the connection at their own
expense; 111 houses occupy surveyed lots leased by American em
ployees or other Americans; and 223 houses are on surveyed lots held
by Mexicans.
A lot rents for 50 cents per month if a tent is placed on it; $1 a
month if a frame house is built on it. This rate does not include
water, for which a charge of 75 cents a month is made for a single
man and $1.50 for a family, the water being unmetered. If metered,
there is a minimum charge of $1.50 per 3,000 gallons, with a minimum
of 50 cents for each 1,000 gallons additional. Both the house and
the land lease require from either party 30 days’ notice to vacate.
The town appeared to be exceptionally well maintained. Fences
were very generally provided in order to secure the good appearance
of the premises.
Around the American houses the fences are of steel piping and
wire net. Low concrete walls are erected in front of the Mexican
houses. Sanitary collection is made regularly every week and is
much facilitated by the use of the dry-can privy. This work is also
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[7 5 8 ]
o
b
10
15
20
25
¿C A L£ OFfE E T FOR PM AN A liD £ £ £ V A T IO N
F
ig
. 7 .— F l o o r P l a n
of
O
ne-H alf of
A
m e r ic a n
4 -R oom D
L abor.
D
o u ble
w e l l in g
for
Cost, in 1917, $3,255 per dwelling.
F
ig
. 8 — F
lo o r
Plan
of
4 -R
oom
O n e -S t o r y D
L abor.
w e l l in g
for
Cost, in 1916, $2,435; rent, $25 per month.
F i g . 9.—Sc h o o lh o u s e
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
at
T yrone, N . M e x .
A
m e r ic a n
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.
283
taken care of by the company for tenants who merely rent land
from the company.
C o m p a n y h o s p it a l .—On an open hilltop overlooking the town the
company has erected a modern hospital (fig. 10). It is a two-story
structure of hollow tile with gray stucco exterior, built in Spanish
mission style. It cost about $75,000, and is operated by a staff of
two doctors and five nurses.
The hospital accommodates 30 patients at present and will accom
modate 50 when the private rooms on the second floor are completed.
At present only the two wards—one for men, the other for women—
are completed. There is an X-ray room and operating room and a
maternity ward and nursery.
Company employees receive medical care, for which single men pay
$1 a month and married men $2. This fee covers house and office
calls, drugs, and bandages for the employee and members of his
family. These rates do not cover obstetrical care. Regular medical
rates are charged for all other care and services.
CONCLUSION.
As organized, the housing and community work will be somewhat
paternalistic—with the relation of employer and landlord closely
combined in the one controlling interest.
The truck system prevails more or less indirectly through the com
pany store, where purchases, almost without exception, will of neces
sity be made by the employees’ families; and also through the system
of deducting rents from the pay of employees in the company houses.
The provision of all public utilities and the maintenance of fire and
police protection are functions of the controlling company. The em
ployer assumes a large share of responsibility for the civic life of the
community. The town is wholly dependent upon the one industry of
copper mining. It has as yet, by reason of its newness and its shift
ing labor supply, no organized community life of its own; nor is it as
yet a political unit, forming, as it does, merely a part of a larger county
government.
Attention is now being given to the provision of recreational
features in the camp and progress has been made in this direction.
There is a club for the office and staff men of the community with
near-by tennis courts. There is also a tennis court for general use
in the residence part of town. A large clubhouse, providing a pool
and billiard hall, motion pictures, a library, lounging room, and
baths, has been designed and will be built as soon as conditions for
construction work of this nature are more favorable.
It is proposed to provide buildings for the Catholic and Union
Churches, both of which are now organized and meeting regularly.
The Union Church is making use of one of the rooms in the school
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[7 5 9 ]
284
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
building, while the Catholic Church has been provided with tem
porary quarters of its own.
A baseball club and a band and orchestra have been formed
among the employees. The orchestra provides music for weekly
Sunday concerts and for dancing, and dances are held either in the
motion-picture theater or on the cement quadrangle provided for
the purpose in the center of the plaza.
RESTAURANT FACILITIES FOR SHIPYARD WORKERS.
A pamphlet on restaurant facilities for shipyard workers,1 which
has been published by the Emergency Fleet Corporation, was pre
pared, according to the foreword, with the hope that it will be found
useful in the promotion of better restaurant facilities in American ship
yards and thus will aid, through the increased efficiency of the work
ers and a better understanding between employers and employees,
in attaining the one aim of the shipbuilders—“ to speed the building
of ships.” It is stated that the necessity for adequate restaurant and
lunch-room service has been found to exist through extensive and
careful surveys of the shipbuilding companies in the United States.
Very detailed information is given as to the construction of build
ings, including a new type of building called the concrete stud and
cement stucco construction which was designed to meet the scarcity
both of labor and of building materials. Photographs and plans for
both large and small cafeterias, with directions for adapting the plans
to the requirements of individual firms, are also included, as well as
several classified lists of equipment and a list of representative dealers
handling restaurant and cafeteria supplies.
The chapter on sanitation and hygiene includes recommendations
in regard to location, lighting, and ventilation, the proper care of
food, general cleanliness, and the examination of restaurant employees
for communicable diseases. An inspection card used by one of the
large shipbuilding companies is reproduced.
The necessity of serving a variety of food of good quality is stressed
and the statement is made that “ many companies have become so
thoroughly convinced that properly balanced rations are essential to
the good health of their employees that special emphasis is placed
upon this feature of their restaurant facilities.” Typical examples
of menus from successful restaurants and cafeterias in industrial
plants are given.
In conclusion, several pages are devoted to a discussion of lunch
room accounting, with copies of forms for keeping accounts in order
to have a systematic checking of expenditures and receipts.
R estau ran t Facilities for Shipyard Workers, by Frederick S. Crum. Published
Service Section, Emergency Fleet Corporation, Washington, D. C., 1918. 63 pp.
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[760]
by the Industrial
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT,
WORK OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES AND
OF PROVINCIAL EMPLOYMENT OFFICES IN CANADA.
Data are presented in the following table showing the operations
of the public employment offices for the month of July, 1918, and,
in cases where figures are available, for the corresponding month in
1917. Figures are given from 276 public employment offices in 44
States and the District of Columbia—Federal employment offices in
35 States and the District of Columbia, Federal-State employment
offices in 2 States, a Federal-county employment office in 1 State,
Federal-State-county-municipal employment offices in 3 States,
Federal-State-municipal employment offices in 3 States, Federalmunicipal employment offices in 6 States, State employment offices
in 11 States, a State-municipal employment office in 1 State, and
municipal employment offices in 4 States. Figures from 2 Canadian
employment offices are also given.
OPERATIONS OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES, JULY, 1917 AND 1918.
UNITED STATES.
[Fed.=Federal; Sta.=State; Co.=County; Mun.=Munieipal.]
State, city, and kind
of office.
Applica^
tions from
employers.
Persons
asked for
by
employers.
Persons applying for
work.
New regis
trations.
Renewals.
July, July, July, July, July, July, July, July,
1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918.
Persons
referred to
positions.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
(?)
88
1,948
850
P)
2,886
Positions
filled.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
A la b a m a .
Anniston (Fed.).............
Birmingham (F ed .)___
Mobile (Fed.)'.___1___
0)
0)
283
150
0)
174
3,318
2,297
28
2 114
22,155
2 875
0)
0)
P)
P)
Total......................
P)
P)
68
1,744
820
2,632
A r iz o n a .
Prescott (Fed.)..............
Tucson (F ed.)................
Yuma (Fed.’-Sta.-Co.Mun.)............................
51
61
51
1,188
2 45
2 220
0)
0)
50
134
2 188
0)
45
177
45
168
181
104
403
317
238
56
104
347
4,398
334
260
228
51
100
336
4,237
333
222
5,737
5,507
Total......................
A rkan sas.
Fort Smith (F ed .)........
Helena (Fed.).................
Hot Springs (Fed.).......
Jonesboro 1 F e d .)..........
Little Rock (Fed.-Sta.)
l ine Bluff (F ed .)..........
Texarkana (F ed .)..........
24
60
17
29
332
48
14
3,080
403
2,650
242
6,138
3,930
641
2 329
2 139
2 229
2 674
24,920
2 370
2 322
Total......................
1 Not reported.
77262°— IS ------10
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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
P)
P)
P)
p)
p)
p)
P)
2 Number applying for work.
1761]
285
286
M O NTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
OPERATIONS OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES, JULY, 1917 A N D 1918—Continued.
U N IT E D ST A T ES—Continued.
Persons
asked for
by
employers.
Applica
tions from
employers.
State, city, and kind
of office.
Persons applying for
work.
New regis
trations.
Renewals.
July, July, July, July, July, July, July, July,
1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918, 1917. 1918.
Persons
referred to
positions.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
Positions
filled.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
C a lifo r n ia .
Alturas ( F e d .) ... . . . . .
75
125
i 125
Alturas (Sta.)3..............
(2)
(2)
(2)
Berkeley (Fed.)............
2
4
i 28
Chico (Fed.-Sta,)3___
(2)
(')
Colusa (F ed .)..............
42
65
i 103
Crescent City (F ed .). .
239
i 7
El Centro (F ed .)..........
116
200
i 258
Eureka (Fed.-Sta.)3__
118
571
i 251
Fresno (S ta .)...............
460
981
975
Grass Valley (F e d .)...
6
' 7
i 17
Hanford (F ed .)............
32
50
i 185
Hayward (F ed .)..........
10
54
60
Hemet (F ed .)...............
450
1.895
U,888
Hollister (F ed .)...........
81
294
i 560
King City (Fed.).........
25
25
i 42
i/os Angeles (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)..........................
4,914
( 2)
( 2) 9.532
(2) 3, 773
Madera (F ed .)..............
62
85
i 79
Merced (F ed.)...............
102
36
1 132
Marysville (Fed.-Sta.)3
(2)
( 2)
(2)
Modesto (F ed.-C o.)__
239
396
i 476
Newcastle (F ed .-S ta .).
66
136
i 145
Oakland (Fed.-Sta.) . ..
2,129 2,476 4.896
3,043
Oroville (F ed .).............
32
65
i 39
Placerville (F ed .)........
7
15
i7
Pomona (F ed.).............
2
i4
Porterville (F ed .)........
36
98
i 74
Red Bluff (F ed .).........
27
41
i 24
Redding (F ed .)............
51
139
86
Redding (Fed.-Sta.)3.
(2)
(2)
(2)
Sacramento (F ed .)___
581
1,964
1,304
Sacramento (Sta.)........
618
2,030
1)376
Salinas (F ed .).............
3
i 11
San Bernardino (Fed.)
350
i 464
San Diego (F ed.).........
702 920 1,331 1.532
875 1,081
San Francisco (F ed.)..
1,012
5,500
14,330
San Francisco (S ta .).. 3,125 ,74-1 5,857 8,083 4,732 5,128
San Jose (Fed.-Sta.) ..
868
1,387
923
San Luis Obispo(Fed.).
41
83
186
Santa Ana (F ed .).........
4
4
i 28
Santa Barbara (Fed.) .
86
111
i 152
Santa Maria (Fed.)___
2
4
5
Santa Rosa (Fed.-Sta.)
173
567
1440
Stockton (Fed.)........... .
302
676
il,196
UIrish (F ed.)................
95
245
i 125
Willows (Fed.)..............
113
159
1 153
Willows (Sta.)3..............
(2)
( 2)
(2)
125
125
122
( 2)
12
(2)
6
9
626
46
7
163
237
960
5
( 2)
51
7
238
242
996
9
81
62
182
266
29
(2)
(2)
22
29
1,696
178
13
8,090
53
96
(2)
( 2)
396
145
4,258
39
3
( 2)
1
0
2
29
13
87
20
16
87
68
(2)
(2)
1,168
1,443
1,477
11
1,259
5,"428
301
1,560
3,652
7,541
1,236
1,067
1,204
1,228
11
971
4,064
86
207
1,218
3,282
6,198
956
43
11
2
81
79
5
440
977
106
131
6
440
1,055
117
134
122
(2)
Total.
6,943
53
34
405
396
116
3,660
36
3
9,409 34,662
7,329
32,284
C o lo ra d o .
Grand Junction (Fed.Sta.)............................
( 2)
( 2)
( 2)
(2)
107
( 2)
C o n n e c tic u t.
Hartford (Sta.)..............
1,105
( 2)
( 2)
U,408 il,174
( 2)
(2)
(*)
( 2)
(2)
(2)
889
809
1,819
100
1,691
D e la w a re .
Wilmington (Fed.).......
235
248
495 i 147 11,884
119
D i s t r i c t o f C o lu m b ia .
Washington (F e d .).. . .
1 Number applying for work.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
* Not reported.
[762]
* Seasonal office.
287
M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW,
OPERATIONS OP PU BLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES, JULY, 1917 A N D 1918—Continued.
U N IT E D ST A T E S—Continued.
State, city, and kind
of office.
Applicar
tions from
employers.
Persons
asked for
by
employers.
Persons applying for
work.
New regis
trations.
Persons
referred to
positions,
Positions
filled.
Renewals.
July, July, July, July, July, July, July, July, July,
1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917.
July,
1918.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
F lo r id a .
84
18
10
666
289
(2)
i 908
1 85
i 507
1
660
56
437
651
51
346
1,153
1,048
1,870
391
376
78
305
38
1,806
'310
315
78
295
5 0 ' 3,020
38
2,804
(2)
(!)
(2)
T otal.....................
G e o r g ia .
1
Savannah (F ed.)............
4,610
256
L543
52
9
79
22
158
1,332
2,000
35
i 180
‘1,951
i 442
i 434
i 130
i 325
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
T otal...................... ..........
50
Id a h o .
Boise (Mun.)...................
(2)
(2)
215
(2)
(2) ' (2)
709
(2)
i 652
(2)
(2)
(2)
T otal......................
(2)
182
614
(2)
170
614
(2)
796
(2)
784
I ll in o is .
•
186
i 199
12
560
(2)
846
i 949
(«)
1,017
271
367
402
19
240
'366
399
Cairn f Fftd -Sta )
1 411
498
38
(2)
Chicago (Fed.-Sta.)....... 4,966 13269 16025 59449 15525 27041 1,304 7,808 15,721 27,893 12,728
219
T)a"nvillft (Fftd -Sta.)
i 272
230
104
(2)
314
C)p.p.atiir (Fari -Sta i
i 391
485
223
(2)
150
Galft.sbnrg (Fftd.)
574
i 225
94
(2)
485
Joliftt (Fad.-Sta.)
549
i 555
221
(2)
324
(«)
Qninny (Fftd.). .
1,410
276
180
857 1,691
791
233
439
Rockford (Fed.-Sta.). . . 779 1,272 1,532 L879
811 1,483
736
624
670
347
509
872
530
298
495
Springfield (Sta.)........... 544
681
209
685
296
336
22,320
191
254
95
454
148
1,494
655
17,248 33,610 14,143
27,137
434
689
353
(2)
1,970
91
140
143
424
565
250
650
1,760
89
93
80
/Utrvn {Fftd.)
Anrnra (Fftd -Sta )_
T otal......................
In d ia n a .
F van svi Ila (Fad.)
Evansville (Sta.)...........
Fort Wayne (Sta.)’........
Indianapolis (F ed .)___
Kokomo (Fad )
South Bend (Sta.).........
Torrft tianto, (Fftd.)
(*)
355
154
135
21
869
745 (*)
371
(»3
686
107
72
460
776
837
346 1.031 2,446 U503
29
159
22
233
675
608
287
43
‘ 558
(2)
1455
(2)
‘ 2000
i 205
1208
i 233
(2)
672
(2)
30
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(»)
(2)
(2)
( 2)
744
1,040
600
2,384
T o ta l..... ...........
3,820
(*)
744
946
549
2,239
3,911
Io w a .
Cedar Rapids (Fed.Sta )
Council Bluffs (Fed.Sta.) .......................
Frfìston (Fftd.-Sta.). .
T)ay import (Fftd .-Sta,)
Des Moines (Fed.-Sta.Co.-Mun.).....................
Mason City (Fftd.-Sta )
Ottil in wa ( Fftd .-Sta.) . .
Sioux City No. 1 (Fed.Sta )
Sioux City No. 2 (Fed.Sta.)
Wat ftri no (Fftd -Sta, )
369
1,296
1752
(2)
723
605
111
45
320
405
1,017
1360
1 73
557
(2)
(2)
168
283
66
688
191
64
558
92 1,001
205
237
428 2,449
649
403
235 12191
278
1371
904
3,006
‘4,579
(2)
2,035
1,979
104
504
462
674
1 981
1 824
(2)
(2)
840
720
825
568
27
(2)
(2)
(2)
260
260
Total......................
960
285
371
6,971
213
213
1,363
209
362
6,724
>—
i Number applying for work.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
2 Not reported.
[7 6 3 ]
288
MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW,
OPERATIONS OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES, JULY, 1917 AND 1918—Continued.
U N IT E D ST A T E S—Continued.
State, city, and kind
of office.
Applica
tions from
employers.
Persons
asked for
by
employers.
Persons applying for
work.
New regis
trations.
Renewals.
July, July, July, July, July, July,
1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918.
July, July,
1917. 1918.
Persons
referred to
positions.
Positions
filled.
Julv,
1917.
July,
1918.
58
501
539
333
53
mo
268
58
1,373
53
923
195
315
101
23
195
101
687
195
439
195
1,093
July, July,
1917. 1918.
K a n sa s.
Kansas ('it,v (F ed .).......
Toneka (Fed'-Sta.j.......
63
112
133
234
549
1,375
70 1(176
Total
1 81
__
11469
1 596
1 457
(2)
__
(2)
(2)
(2)
____
K e n tu c k y .
Covington ( F e d .) __
Louisville (S ta.)’...........
Padneah (Fed.)
203
86
131
57
Total......................
203
956
101
839
(2)
_____ _____
1 351
1 134
1 733
(21
(2)
(2)
(2)
______ _____ _____
L o u is ia n a .
Alexandria (F ed .).........
Jennings (F ed.).............
Shreveport (Fed.-Mun.)
(2)
169
58
1 370
1 16
1 141
(2)
933
784
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
Total......................
14
100
20Q
14
98
114
421
M a r y la n d .
64
Baltimore (F ed .)...........
Hagerstown (F ed .).......
513
39
205 11,490
3SO
285 110786
1 114
(2)
(2)
(2)
Total......................
346
9,149
88
266
9,106
88
346
9,237
266
9,194
33,774 33,251
31,768 31,923
31,350 31,517
1,496
1,068
713
1,527
1,284
712
6,892
6,691
3,277
3,523
275
101
106
(2)
(2)
343
77
9,048
6,313
270
830
1,804
385
520
143
132
31
430
328
20
275
88
103
6,434
834
120
77
4,281
6,313
244
584
1,780
374
448
134
98
30
376
328
8
M a s s a c h u s e tts .
Boston (S ta .)................. 2,016 2,063 2,368 2,588 U,689 il,471
Springfield (Fed.-Sta.). 1,004 1,068 1,492 2,106 1783
1 804
Worcester (S ta.)............ 972
967 1,258 1,357 1 630 1668
T otal.....................
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
_____
M ic h ig a n .
Battle Creek (Sta.).......
99
156
275
463
Bay City (S ta .).............
73
50
237
259
Detroit (F ed .)................
26 4, '*¿3
289 21,191
Detroit (Sta.)................. 1,200 1,118 6,469 6,334
Flint (Sta.)..................... 644
304
171 1,246
Grand Rapids (F ed .)...
2,861
1,464
Grand Rapids (S ta .)... 747 '759
898 1,875
Jackson (S ta.)................ 472
356
793
447
Kalamazoo (S ta .).......... 210
460
540
347
Lansing (S ta.)................ 134
165
69
448
Muskegon (Sta.)............
49
212
728
48
Marquette (F ed .)..........
62
783
Pert Huron (F ed .)........
1,346
147
Saginaw ( S t a .) ...l........ 129
650 '565
181
Traverse City (F ed .). . .
36
(2)
1 275
343
1 117
233
1 400 110924
16880 6,202
137
250
'1,236
1 858 1,516
1 694
300
530
1 397
1 356
142
1 151
130
1 74
1 456
270
1 488
1 59
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
200
26
(2)
132
40
(2)
335
147
63
31
22
(2)
(2)
58
(2)
T otal.....................
(2)
676
321
341
127
488
819
654
301
341
127
488
2,435 20,674 10,464 15 195
M in n e s o t a .
Minneapolis (S ta .)........
(2)
900
(2)
1,588
(2)
1,376
(2)
(2)
1,377
(2)
1,031
(2)
M is s is s ip p i.
Greenweed (F ed .).........
Gulfport (F e d .)..’---- Holly Springs (Fed.)--Meridian (F ed .).............
Paseagoula (F ed .).........
1
27
(2)
(2)
49
15
6
4,032
(2)
1
53
118
136
1 82
1 35
i2
1 878
1 21
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
1
1
T otal.....................
1 Number applying for work.
(2)
s Not reported.
[764]
82
35
1
859
21
998
1
1
» Number of offers of positions.
80
27
1
858
17
983
289
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
OPERATIONS OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES, JULY, 1917 AN D 1918—Continued.
U N IT E D ST A T ES—Continued.
State, city, and kind
of office.
Applica
tions from
employers.
Persons applying for
work.
Persons
asked for
employers.
New regis
trations.
Persons
referred to
positions.
Positions
filled.
Renewals.
July, July, July, July, July, July, July, July,
1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
M is s o u r i .
Kansas City (Fed.-Sta.) 1,042
St. Joseph (S ta.)........... 1,293
St. Louis (F ed .-S ta.)... 342
524
i 56
16
(2)
(2)
i 241
(2) 2,792 17716 1,354 i11986
U342
390
2,717
(2> 1,615 1,712 1,005 U325
16080
6,406
16009
12,267
688
i 244
207
108
968
610
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
<2)
(2)
2,169
1,615
2,012
45
77
11986
1,286
1 ,325
5,978
213
5,796 20,910
T otal.....................
2,008
1,101
1,997
5,106
21
77
7,323
1 171
L325
5,664
196
15,777
M o n ta n a .
Helena (F ed .)................
Missoula, (F ad.), , ..........
(2)
104
247
(2)
216
786
(2)
i 109
518
(2)
(2)
(2)
T otal.....................
(2)
104
618
(2)
104
618
(2)
722
(2)
722
N ebraska.
North Platte (Fed.) ..
Omaha (Fed.-Sta.-Co.Mun.)............................
160
i 130
878 1,133 1,537 7,019
735 15198
109
119
(2)
440
(2)
T otal.....................
100
1,192
5,086
952
4,913
1,192
5,205
952
5,013
N evada.
(2)
(2)
i 282
i 486
286
428
130
137
Elko (F ed .).................
Reno ( F e d .) ..................
T otal.....................
282
370
282
354
652
636
N e w M e x ic o .
Albuquerque (F ed .)__ -(2)
Doming (Fed.)___
Roswell (Fed.)___
47
31
55
(2)
72
218
285
(2)
i 240
73
i 236
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
T otal.....................
N ew
(2)
68
442
¿•20
(2)
48
437
108
(2)
630
(2)
591
Y ork.
Albany (Fed.-Sta.).......
Buffalo (Fed.-Sta.).......
New York City (Fed.S ta.)..............................
New York City (Mun.)
Rochester (F ed .-S ta.)..
Syracuse (F ed .-S ta.)...
572
807
811 1,145 1,471
906
2,457 2,361 2,748 12764 2,917 3,005
1,473
2,150
1,871
1,357
4,847
1,887
1,891
1,517
1,871
2,350
2,882
1,852
298
172
273
255
42395 1,093 28216
687 1,126
2,295 2,598 1,734 1,730 1,507
3,704 1,481 1,996
656
417
940 1,742
3,061
292
252
880
4,291
1,089
4,128
1,958 29,096
3,279 2,639
2,398 3,028*
1,648 2,388
14,454 42,368
Total. . . .
606
3,192
700
3,085
1,123
2,042
1,491
1,251
20,094
1,842
1,731
1,996
9,705
29,448
N o r th C a r o lin a .
Charlotte (F ed .). .
Elizabeth City (F ed .)„
Raleigh (Fed.")
Wilmington (F ed .)...
36
53
15
149
1,102
'241
44
830
i 520
i 162
1 151
i 901
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
Total.....................
475
149
53
688
189
140
23
375
1,365
727
N o r th D a k o t a .
Grand Forks (F ed.)___
8
3G0
(s)
* Number applying for work.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[7 6 5 ]
(2)
209
«Not reported.
(3)
290
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
O PERATIONS OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES, JULY, 1917 AND 1918-Continued.
U N IT E D ST A T E S—Continued.
State, city, and kind
of office.
Applica
tions from
employers.
Persons applying for
work.
Persons
asked for
by
employers.
New regis
trations.
Renewals.
July, July, July, July, July, July, July, July,
1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918.
Persons
referred to
positions.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
Positions
filled.
July, July,
1917. 1918.
O h io .
Akron (Fed.-Sta.-Mun.)
Athens (Fed. - Sta. Mun.)............................
Canton
(Fed. - Sta.Mun.)............................
Chillicothe (Fed.-St.a.Mun.)............................
Cincinnati (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Cleveland (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Columbus (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Dayton
(Fed. - Sta.Mun.)............................
Hamilton (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Lima (Fed.-Sta.-Mun.).
Mansfield (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Marietta
(Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Marion
(Fed. - Sta.Mun.)............................
Portsmouth (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Sandusky (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Springfield (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Steubenville (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Tiffin (Fed.-Sta.-Mun.)
T o l e d o (F e d .-S ta .Mun.)............................
Washington C.H.(Fed.Sta.-M un.)...................
Youngstown (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
Zanesville (Fed.-Sta.Mun.)............................
C1)
P) 3,240 3,293 1,174 1,305 1,796 1,742 2,370 2,705 2,061
(l )
(')
144
27
109
10
48
10
90
13
75
12
(l)
0)
531
738
613
623
277
277
595
644
351
386
628
57
(>)
(1)
7,595
321
7,370
653
7,124
563
P)
P)
(l)
2,210 4,200 2,892
3,224 3,787 2,894
2,191
3,514
1,504
2,908
6)
8,259 9,997 3,970
5,641 8,018 7,615
7,615
9,507
5,996
7,522
P)
(l)
3,243 5,438 1,168
2,876 2,595 3,448
2,732
4,902
2,217
4,122
(l )
0)
1,786 4,418 1,813
2,226 1,738 1,789
1,671
3,320
1,479
3,127
0)
(>)
0)
(1)
130
20S
521 1,002
146
689
88
399
127
591
0)
(')
187
6)
(1)
207
0)
(l)
388
(l )
0)
358
557
114
469
642
201
227
221
614
280 1,354
6)
P)
31
141
39
281
127
463
303
67
192
174
461
119
434
162
106
135
193
261
149
193
396
508
169
177
331
588
196
509
929
540
167
563
231
1,060
106
624
284
(l)
(l)
771 8,034
2,264
227
95
211
279
(!)
350
370
603
307
160
281
222
398
161
324
0)
711
268
667
419
393
206
376
322
311
111
310
152
581
201
619
416
466
155
476
390
1,275 3,154 2,476
3,333
3,020
2,711
2,465
P)
3,675 3,210 1,794
«
0)
P)
0)
194
222
245
214
138
P)
117
38
175
169
88
P) 2,124 2,189 1,197 1,199 1,514 1,282 2,028 1,968 1,852 1,730
P)
P)
153
292
315
246
91
161
T otal.....................
141
315
80
282
32 837 35 647 27,427 29,348
O k la h o m a .
Ardmore (Fed.-Sta.). . .
Bartlesville (Fed.-Sta.).
Chickasha (F ed.-Sta.)..
Enid (Fed.-Sta.)...........
Lawton (Fed.-Sta.)___
McAlester (Fed.-Sfa.)..
Muskogee (F ed .-S ta .)..
Oklahoma City (Fed.S ta .)..............................
Tulsa (F ed .-S ta.)..........
3,764
13
62
366 2 258“
266
398
435
582
307 2 325
298
18
11
31
153
40
135
159
239
905
369
809
788 2 688
461 1,917 1,537 21586
146
2 451
2 35
2 57
2 363
2 398
2 426
2 298
21041
21190
P)
0)
(1)
P)
f1)
(i)
(i)
(i)
(l)
(i)
p)
P)
P)
Total......................
225
318
303
8
42
247
141
324
174
256
ISO
7
40
.234
134.
200
118
685
1,373
810
820
612
1,227
676
807
2,612
2,869
2 320
2,495
105
200
9,640 10,273
358
107
105
9,531
368
236
—
O regon .
Eugene (Fed.)................
Medford (F ed .)..............
Portland (Fed.-M un.).. 4,975
Salem (Fed.)..................
T otal.................
324
36
2 108
118
536
2 2 253
2496 13583 14942 2 5061 *10635
449
56
2 368
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
«
P)
(1\
P e n n s y lv a n ia .
Altoona (S ta .)................
ConnellsviHe (F ed .)___
Erie (Sta.).......................
24
394
90 11,763
295
2,958
1 Not reported.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
50 21,197
53
(!)
77
(1)
23
418
36
2 Number applying for work.
[766]
831
349
58
804
312
291
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
O PER A TIO N S OF PUBLIC EMPLOYM ENT OFFICES, JU LY, 1917 A N D 1918—Continucd.
U N ITED S T A T E S — Continued.
State, city, and kind
of office.
Applica
tions from
employers.
Persons
asked for
t>y
employers.
Persons applyin g for
work.
New regis
trations.
Renewals.
Persons
referred to
positions.
July, July, July, Julv, July, July, July, July, July,
1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917.
Positions
filled.
July,
1918.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
719
267
91
218
2,862
3,507
3,205
47
69
111
453
98
933
956
4G0
697
265
91
218
2,850
3,492
3,120
45
63
102
3,278 12,276
2,958
12,059
(2)
186
346
186
(2)
6
2,140
109
26
(2)
2,124
70
9
_<*)
2,281
_(*)
2,203
P e n n s y l v a n i a —Concl’d.
Harrisburg (S ta.)..........
Johnstown (Sta.)...........
Philadelphia (F ed.)___
Philadelphia (Sta.).......
Pittsburgh (S ta.)..........
Williamsport (Rt.a )
York (Sta )
782
342
405
546 1,289
244
307
199 4.221
108
1 118
120
520
1 225
171
471
563 2,062 4,774 ‘1,253 13,372
213
323 1,321 1,099 5,497 1,222 3,984
459 3,153
219 1,921 1,008 8,933
75
817
96
133
419
315
20
177
120
493
93
115
12
(2)
359
137
94
1
(2)
(2)
<2)
126
276
10
5
13
T otal__
477
117
1,047
1,059
501
R h o d e I s la n d ,
Providence (S ta.)..........
223
159
346
186
281
(2)
3
50
41
35
(2)
55
501
711
125
(2)
183
137
37
S o u th C a r o lin a .
Andprsrvn (Fod.)
Charleston (F ed .)..........
Greenville (Tod.)_____
Rpartansbnrg (F<?d. ) ..
1 27
12,188
1 184
1 84
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
T otal..
S o u th D a k o ta .
Aherdee/n ( Fed.) ............
Huron (F ed .).................
Rapid City (F ed .)____
(2)
22
458
18
(2)
1 40
56
1,112 U,284 i 824
8
33
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
T otal............ .........
Î, 257
13
824
12
984
11
812
8
1,257
849
984
831
T en n essee.
Bristol (Fed.) ...............
Chattanooga (F ed .). . . .
Clarksville (F ed .). . ..
Columbia (F ed .)............
Jackson (F ed .)...............
Johnson City (F e d .)....
Knoxville (F ed .)__ ._
Memphis (Fed.)'............
Nashville (Fed.-Mun.)-
1
34
741
1 148
1,326
11,246
264
18
'ill
1 85
14
1 54
45
9
225
1 430
36
296
165
71
1,709
1 948
185 1,700 195)1 U284 13396
5,369
1 608
115
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
195
1,193
43
33
321
33
826
2,999
410
1,257
1,257
T otal.....................
5,963
948
948
104
1,128
30
26
307
33
826
2,808
353
5,615
T exas.
Abilene (Fed ) ...............
Amarillo (F ed .).............
Austin ( Fed.)
Beaumont (Fed.-Mnn.)
Brownsville (F ed.)__
Brown wood (F ed .)...
Bryan (Fed.).
Corpus Christi (Fed )
Corsicana (F ed .)__
Dallas (Fed.-M un.)___
Bel Rio (Fed.).
El Paso (F ed .).
Fort W orth( Fed.-Mun.)
Galveston (Fed.)......... 1
Laredo (F ed .)..
Oran ye (Fed -M un .)__
Ran Angelo (Fed.)
Ran Antonio (F e d .)..
Temple ( Fed 1__
Waco (F e d -S ta .)..
157
3
26
57
5
49
37
6
8
56
9
907
27
72
156
48
99
82
23
237
3
13
8
236
117
72
427
1,437
250
45
184
18
301 1,946
149
265
3,436
3 '833
7,570
' 523
30
2,744
5
311
2,039
i 291
1 125
1 106
1 431
1 235
1 119
16
1 154
1 25
72 1,497
1 240
11322
13084
133 1137
‘1098
1358
1 160
13414
168
1 126
1 18
(2)
197
77
49
300
216
37
3
67
13
1,299
236
1,082
1,941
89
1,046
241
35
2,683
7
82
5
350
13
363
Total.....................
9,685
* Not reported.
i Number applying for work.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
10
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
18
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
[7 6 7 ]
186
30
(2)
286
211
37
11
67
9
1,198
87
1,154
1,929
64
1,046
233
16
2,609
4
82
4
292
9,252
2S1
292
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
OPERATIONS OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES, JULY, 1917 A N D 1918-ConcIudcd.
U N IT E D ST A T E S—Concluded.
Persons applying for
work.
Persons
Applica
asked for
tions from
by
employers. employers.
State, city, and kind
of office.
New regis
trations.
Renewals.
July, July, July, July, July, July, July, July,
1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918. 1917. 1918.
Persons
referred to
positions.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
Positions
filled.
July,
1917.
July,
1928.
U tah .
Ogden (F ed .).................. *
Salt Lake City (F ed .)..
226
249
Total......................
2,828
1 621
..........1
1
V ir g in ia .
Alexandria (F ed .).........
Norfolk (F ed .)........
Richmond (F ed .)___
Richmond (M un). .
Roanoke (Fed.) .
(2)
(2)
1 213
2 , 410
20
324
157
539
507
696
656
1
101
1 932
254
667 1,217 12801 1 137 18592
214
3,649
13163
160
203
207
52
453 2,688
472 1329
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
T otal......................
85
554
973
8,460
9' Q45
J9.1Q
245
18
R
405
232
150
328
(2)
272
762
6,143
2'422
'850
560
1,034
104
41
206
1 4 :i.r.
9 118
2 194
5 2Q5
; 488
764
639 12,142
W a s h in g to n .
B e l l i n g h a m (Fed.Mun.)....................
174
117
780
770
Everett (F ed .)........
14 (2)
56
(2)
Everett (M un.)..........
312
(2)
(2)
<2)
Seattle (F ed .)___
186
285 1,308 2,539
Seattle (M un.)..........
4,050 5,106 6,819 9,715
Spokane (Mun.)
1,890 1,860 2,570 2,270
Tacoma (Fed.-M un.). . . 541
638 1,181 8,192
Walia W alla (F ed .). . .
555
281
775
608
Yakima (Fed.).
549
543 1,257 1,144
T otal..................
.. .
1 407
1 60
1 276
1 76
(2)
1 1949
<2>
(2)
1 1939
1 1040
1 1590
(2)
i.l,839
(2)
(2)
15,295
1 647
1 964
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
1..........
i
348
181
54
(2)
264
(2)
791 1,506
6,824. 10', 008
2,524 2,216
891 5. 295
601
'630
1,107
874
13,086 21,028
19,705
W e s t V ir g in ia .
Bluefield (Fed.)
Charleston (Fed.)
Clarksburg (Fed.) ..
Huntington (Fed.)
Wheeling (Fed.l
30
118
95
28
93
T otal..............
1,232
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
1 181
1 403
1 42
1 175
1 307
2 , 182
1,988
746
854
37
42
234
65
865
337
175
..........!...........
W is c o n s in .
Green Bav (F ed .L ..
286
533
La Crosse (Sta.-Mun.).. 193
210
113
202 1 255
Madison
(Fed.-Sta.Mun.).................
1,392 7,075 5,170 6,224 4,774
Oshkosh (Sta.-M un.)...
60
71
164 1 162
165
Superior (Sta.-M un.)... 533
462 1,644 2,184 1,496
T otal..............
1 145
(2)
(2)
(2)
199
£06
107
115
195
36
3,784
1 146
1,498
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
4,725
135
1,626
3,957
102
1,554
4,267
' 103
873
2,564
60
1,645
448
___
ft 9.9ft
4 500
393
272
W y o m in g .
Cheyenne (F ed .)........
124
1,357
1 399
I
Grand total___
I
1
1 (2)
23 1Q2 333 376 1R 742 '?R4 191
........1.......... 1
’ 1
CANADA.
Q u eb e c .
Montreal^Provincial). .
Quebec (Provincial)__
330
(2)
264
46
874
409
588
422 1 455
380 1260
124
Total.....................
1 N umber applying for work.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
622
180
377
132
802
509
2 N ot repor ted.
[768]
528
(2)
293
MONTHLY LABOE BEVIEW.
EMPLOYMENT IN SELECTED INDUSTRIES IN JULY, 1918.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics received and tabulated reports
concerning the volume of employment in July, 1918, from repre
sentative manufacturing establishments in 13 industries. The fig
ures for July of this year as compared with those from identical
establishments for July, 1917, show that there was an increase in
the number of people employed in 6 industries and a decrease in 7.
The largest increases—7.3 per cent and 6.6 per cent—- appear in car
building and repairing and leather manufacturing, respectively;
while the greatest decreases—8.4 per cent, 7.3 per cent, and 5.2 per
cent—are shown in silk, men’s ready-made clothing, and boots and
shoes, respectively.
The reports from all industries show an increase in the total amount
of the pay roll for July, 1918, when compared with July, 1917. The
greatest increase is 76.5 per cent in car building and repairing.
COMPARISON O r EM PLOYM ENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHM ENTS IN JULY, 1917,
AND JULY, 1918.
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing.
Boots and shoes....................
Car building and repairing.
Cigar manufacturing............
Men’s ready-made clothing.
Cotton finishing....................
Cotton manufacturing.........
Hosiery and underwear___
Iron and steel........................
Leather manufacturing___
Paper making............. ...........
Silk...........................................
Woolen....................................
Estab
lish
ments
report
ing for
July
both
years.
48
67
36
62
37
16
56
58
101
37
52
48
51
Number on pay
roll in—
Period
of pay
roll.
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
1 w eek.. 127,962 128,473
58,861
55,782
. ..d o ___
40,336
i month. 37,593
20,119
i w eek. . 20,926
27,137
25,144
. ..d o ___
12,124
12,330
...d o ___
...d o ___
56,229 ' 54,233
29,786
29,755
.. .do___
191,651
\ month. 193,761
1 w eek.. 17,943
19,134
24,350
. ..d o ___
24,127
2 weeks. 16,959
15,537
1 w eek. . 45,805
46,118
Per
cent
of in
crease
(+ )
or de
crease
(-)•
Amount of pay roll
in—
July,
1917.
July,
1918.
+0.4 $2,810,608 $3,243,692
808,306
970,126
-5 .2
+ 7.3 1,268,169 2,238,375
258,765
297,432
-3 .9
496,608
453,625
- 7 .3
172,631
240,407
+ 1.7
648,817
885,904
-3 .6
328,376
440,425
- .1
- 1 .1 8,140,833 10,773,180
390,131
+ 6.6
271,294
365,746
489,383
+ .9
- 8 .4
464,792
384,213
672,577
878,325
+ .7
Per
cent
of in
crease
(+ )
or de
crease
(-).
+15. 4
+20.0
+76.5
+ 14.9
+ 9.5
+39.3
+36.5
+34. 1
+32.3
+46.0
+33.8
+21.0
+30.6
The table following shows the number of persons actually working
on the last full day of the reported pay period in July, 1917, and July,
1918. The number of establishments reporting on this question is
small, and this fact should be taken into consideration when studying
these figures.
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
1769]
294
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHM ENTS ON LAST FU LL
D A Y ’S OPERATION IN JULY, 1917, AND JULY, 1918.
Establish
ments re
porting for
July both
years.
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing
Boots and shoes................~
28
23
32
19
9
12
37
21
76
20
19
25
40
Car building and repairing.
Cigar manufacturing..........
Men’s ready-made clothing
Cotton finishing.................
Cotton manufacturing.......
Hosiery and underwear__
Iron and steel......................
Leather manufacturing__
Paper making............ '.......
Silk......................................
Woolen................................
Number actually work
ing on last full day of
reported pay period Per cent of
increase
in July—
( + ) or de
crease ( —).
1917
1918
Period Of
pay roll.
1 w eek___
........do.......
| m on th...
i w eek___
........do........
........do........
........do........
........do........
4 m on th...
i w eek___
........do........
2 w eeks. . .
1 w eek___
83,374
12,219
29, 754
4,913
12,347
9,080
29,516
12,389
149,245
11,539
7,509
10,169
36,702
80,290
11,580
34,370
4,459
11,152
10,207
28,315
12,117
145,313
13,450
7,980
9,294
36,709
- 3.7
- 5.2
+ 15.5
- 9.2
- 9.7
+12.4
- 4.1
- 2.2
- 2.6
+ 16.6
+ 6.3
- 8.6
0)
1 Increase less than one-tenth of 1 per cent.
In comparing the reports of the same industries for July, 1918, with
those for June, 1918, nine show an increase in the number of persons
on the pay roll and four a decrease. The largest increases—7.7 per
cent and 4.4 per cent—are shown in car building and repairing and
cotton finishing, while the greatest decrease—3.9 per cent—is shown
in automobile manufacturing.
Of the 13 industries reporting, nine show increases and four de
creases in the total amount of the pay roll in July, 1918, as compared
with June, 1918. Car building and repairing shows an increase of
20.1 per cent and cotton finishing and cotton manufacturing each
show an increase of 7.3 per cent. Iron and steel, automobile manu
facturing, and silk show the largest decreases—6.4 per cent, 2.7 per
cent, and 2.4 per cent, respectively. The reduction in iron and steel
was reported as being due largely to shutting down for repairs.
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHM ENTS IN JU N E, 1918, AND
JULY, 1918.
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing
Boots and shoes.....................
Car building and repairing..
Cigar manufacturing............
Men’s ready-made clothing.
Cotton finishing.....................
Cotton manufacturing.........
Hosiery and underwear___
Iron and steel........................
Leather manufacturing.......
Paper making........................
Silk.............................
W oolen............................
https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Estab
Number on pay
lish
roll in—
ments
report Period of
ing for pay roll.
June
June,
July,
an!
1918.
1918.
July.
47
66
38
60
36
16
56
56
102
36
48
45
49
1 w eek.. 118,007
---- d o . . .
51,036
i month
43,783
1 w eek.. 19,575
. . . . d o . . . 24,498
---- d o .. .
11,809
---- d o . . .
52,034
---- d o . . .
28,389
J month. 192,017
1 w eek.. 18,299
— d o__ 21,851
2 w eeks. 13,581
1 w eek. . 46,047
[7 7 0 ]
113,449
51, 757
47,144
19,930
24,575
12,330
52,496
28,781
189,562
18,718
22,031
13,353
45,601
Per
cent
of in
crease
(+ ) or
de
crease
(-).
Amount of pay roll
in—
June,
1918.
July,
1918.
- 3 .9 S3,021,209 $2,939,563
+ 1.4
' 906; 900
' 918; 824
+ 7.7 •2,108; 869 2,533; 685
+ 1 .8
294,628
295,408
479,337
+ .3
484; 536
+4.4
224; 020
240;407
794,285
+ .9
852;618
+ 1.4
409,273
433;646
- 1 . 3 11,379,024 10,654; 685
+ 2 .3
' 387; 209
386,879
431,601
+ .8
455; 145
-1 .7
403,399
393; 638
- 1.0
842,463
866,905
Per
cent
of in
crease
( + ) or
de
crease
(-).
—2 7
+ 1.3
+20.1
+ .3
+ 1.1
+ 73
+ 7.3
+ 6.0
— 6.4
—
.1
+ 5.5
- 2.4
+ 2.9
295
MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
A comparatively small number of establishments reported as to the
number of persons working on the last full day of the reported pay
periods. The following table gives in comparable form the figures
for June and July, 1918:
COMPARISON OF EMPLOYMENT IN IDENTICAL ESTABLISHM ENTS ON LAST FULL
DAY'S OPERATION IN JUNE, 1918, AND JULY, 1918.
Industry.
Automobile manufacturing
Boots and shoes................... .
Car building and repairing.
Cigar manufacturing............
Men’s ready-made clothing.
Cotton finishing....................
Cotton manufacturing.........
Hosiery and underwear----Iron and steel....................... .
Leather manufacturing.......
Paper making........................
Silk...........................................
Woolen....................................
Establish
ments
reporting
for June
and July.
27
24
34
20
7
12
35
22
79
20
16
22
40
Period of
pay roll.
Number actually work
ing on last full day of re Per cent
ported pay period in— of increase
(+ ) or de
crease (—).
June, 1918. July, 1918.
1 w eek___
. . .do..........
£ m onth...
1 w eek___
. . .do...........
. . .do..........
. . .do..........
. . .d o..........
£ m onth...
I w eek___
.. .d o..........
2 weeks. . .
1 w eek___
71,391
12,145
36,438
4,561
10,515
9,677
25,449
12,243
151,616
13,245
6,209
7,614
38,267
■ 67,409
12,657
40,271
4,569
10,349
10,207
26,059
12,595
151,362
13,424
6,229
7,578
37,161
- 5.6
-K 4.2
-f 10.5
+
.2
-1.6
+ 5.5
+ 2.4
+ 2.9
.2
+ 1.4
+
.3
.5
- 2.9
CHANGES IN WAGE RATES.
There were establishments in each of the 13 industries which re
ported increases in the wage rates during the period June 15 to July 15,
1918. A number of firms did not answer the inquiry relating to
wage-rate changes, but in such cases it is probably safe to assume
that no changes were made.
A u to m o b ile m a n u f a c t u r i n g .—An increase of 10 per cent was granted
by two plants, affecting 15 per cent of the employees in one plant,
and 50 per cent of the force in the other; while an increase of about
10 per cent was granted in some departments by another concern.
The minimum wage in one plant was raised from 43 cents to 50 cents
per hour. In one factory the average hourly rate was increased 0.0098
cent for productive work. One establishment allowed the entire
force on hourly rates overtime over eight hours instead of nine hours.
Slight individual increases were given by one plant, and another
plant gave an increase to all of the men. Neither plant furnished
any further data.
B o o ts a n d s h o e s .—One factory reported a change from week work
to piece work, which increased the wages of 90 per cent of the force
50 per cent. One plant reported an increase of 10 per cent, but failed
to give the number of the employees receiving the increase; another
plant granted 45 per cent of the employees an increase of approxi
mately 10 per cent; while two other factories granted a 10 per cent
bonus, affecting 55 per cent of the force in one and all of the em
ployees in the other, except the cutters, who received a bonus of 20
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per cent. One establishment reported, a small increase on special
operations and another establishment granted an increase, but both
failed to make any statement as to the amount of the increase and
the number affected.
C a r b u i l d i n g a n d r e p a i r i n g . —Further increases to car shop men
were reported by the railroads in compliance with General Order
No. 27 promulgated by the Director General of Railroads. For
information in regard to Supplement No. 4 to this order, see pages
131 to 134.
C i g a r m a n u f a c t u r i n g . —An increase of 10 per cent was given to 16§
per cent of the force in one factory, and an increase of 2 cents per
thousand for packing and 1 cent per hundred for rolling and bunch
making was granted in another factory.
M e n ’s r e a d y - m a d e c l o t h i n g . —One firm made a few increases of
approximately 5 to 7 \ per cent. An increase was reported by one
shop, but no further particulars were given.
C o t t o n f i n i s h i n g . —Six plants reported an increase of 10 per cent—■
2, to the entire force; 2, to 95 per cent of the employees; 1, to 96 per
cent; while the sixth plant failed to make any statement as to the
number receiving the increase. An increase of 2 cents per hour was
granted by one establishment to all of the employees who received
31 \ cents an hour or less.
C o t t o n m a n u f a c t u r i n g .—An increase of 15 per cent was given in 6
mills, affecting all of the employees in four plants, while two mills
failed to give the number who received the increase. Eight mills
reported a 10 per cent increase; and in one mill a 10 per cent increase,
which affected about 40 per cent of the force, was made in lieu of
a 10 per cent attendance bonus; while in two other mills all of the
employees working full time received a bonus of 10 per cent. Slight
increases, affecting all of the help, were reported by one plant.
H o s i e r y a n d u n d e r w e a r . —A bonus of 21 per cent was granted by
one establishment. Seven plants gave a 15 per cent increase, this
affecting all of the employees in five plants, while two failed to
state the number affected. Twenty per cent of the employees in
one mill and the entire force in three mills received an increase of
10 per cent. Practically the entire force in one plant was given a
5 per cent increase. One firm reported an increase, but made no
further statement.
I r o n a n d s t e e l . —One plant granted an increase of 14f per cent to
50 per cent of the force and 7 \ per cent to the remainder; while an
other plant gave an increase of 13J per cent to about 10 per cent
and 7 \ per cent to about 25 per cent of the force. Two establish
ments reported a 10 per cent increase, which affected only the
salaried employees in one plant; the number receiving the increase
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297
in the other plant was not given. An increase of about 10 per
cent, affecting 50 per cent of the employees, was reported by
one concern. In one establishment about 40 per cent of the em
ployees, those who were working under the rules of the Amalga
mated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, were increased
per cent, and the other 60 per cent, who were working on a day
rate, were advanced 50 cents per day. An increase of approximately
5 per cent was given to the entire force in one factory. Seven plants
granted increases ranging from 1.4 to 3 per cent, affecting 80 per
cent of the men in one plant, about 52 per cent of the force in one,
50 per cent of the employees in 3 plants, approximately 40 per cent
in another plant, and about 10 per cent in the seventh plant.
L e a th e r m a n u f a c t u r i n g .—All of the employees in four establish
ments and 7 per cent in one establishment received a 10 per cent
increase, while about 10 per cent of the force in another plant were
granted an increase of approximately 10 per cent. One firm re
ported an increase of 15 cents a day to the men in the tannery de
partment, which constituted about 65 per cent of the total em
ployees; and a slight increase to all of the employees, including the
office force, was given by one concern.
P a p e r m a n u fa c t u r in g .—One plant reported a general increase of
20 to 25 per cent; one, an increase of 15 to 18 per cent, affecting the
whole force; and another, an increase of approximately 15 per cent,
but no statement was given as to the number affected. An average
12 per cent advance throughout the mill was granted by one firm;
and a 12 per cent increase, affecting 4 per cent of the force, was
made by another concern. About 70 per cent of the force in one
establishment was increased 10 per cent; a large proportion of the
force in one plant, 5 to 10 per cent; and approximately 15 per cent
of the employees in another plant, 9 per cent. One mill gave an
increase of 6^ per cent to 10 per cent of the force, and another mill
reported an approximate 6 per cent increase, but failed to give the
number affected thereby. An increase of 5 per cent to all of the
employees was granted by one plant. All of the men in one estab
lishment, except head mechanics, were raised 20 cents a day, and
all of the women, 10 cents a day; and the men in another establish
ment were increased approximately 10 cents per hour. Three plants
granted an increase, which was general in one plant, but no further
data were reported.
S i l k .—An increase of 7 to 15 per cent, according to the number of
the machines which the employees attended, was given by one mill.
The entire force in one establishment received an increase of 8 to 12
per cent. A 10 per cent increase was granted to all of the employees
by three mills. The weavers, or about 45 per cent of the force in
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one establishment, received an increase of 7 per eent; while the full
force in another plant received a 4 per cent increase.
W o o le n .—I t is significant to note that about 98 per cent of the
firms reporting show increases in the wage rates during this period.
A 15 per cent increase to all of the employees was reported by one
concern. One plant granted an advance in wages of 11 per cent,
but gave no other information. A 10 per cent increase was granted
by 46 mills, affecting all of the employees in 37 mills, approximately
all in one mill, all except the office force in one, all but the office force,
overseers and second hands in one, 50 per cent of the force in another,
while 5 failed to report as to the number who received the increase.
The entire force in two establishments received an increase of 8 per
cent.
CENTRAL RECRUITING OF UNSKILLED LABOR BY UNITED STATES EMPLOYMENT SERVICE.
The purpose and policy of the United States Employment Service
is set forth in General Order No. 1, recently issued by the director
general, as follows:
1. The purpose of the United States Employment Service under the war emergency
program is to create an organization which will bring the worker and the position
together in the manner best serving the national interests.
2. The administrative unit of the United States Employment Service will be the
State. The work in each State will be under the jurisdiction of a Federal Director.
Federal directors for States will report to the Director General of the United States
Employment Service and will be held responsible by him for results in their respec
tive States.
3. The United States Employment Service is a national service and therefore the
national interests will at all times prevail. The Employment Service in each State
should be conducted on a cooperative basis between the State and Nation, and each
State should ultimately be expected to share the expense with the Federal Govern
ment.
4. Employment offices will be established through the Federal Director for the
State in such places as conditions may warrant. Superintendents will be in charge
of such employment offices and will report to the Federal Director for the State in
which located.
5. Every employee of the Employment Service will be expected to render efficient
service and conform to good employment practices. Merit will be the basis for pro
motion and every effort will be made to fill the better positions in the service from
within the organization.
REGULATIONS FOB. CENTRAL R ECRUITING OF U N SK ILL E D LABOR.
On August 1 , 1918, as urged by the President in his proclamation
of June 17, which was published in full in the M o n t h l y L a b o r
R e v i e w for July (pp. 136, 137), the United States Employment
Service began to exercise control over the recruiting and distribution
of unskilled labor for war production. On the eve of the inaugura
tion of this central recruiting program Secretary Wilson, as war labor
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administrator, issued an appeal for full cooperation by employers
and employees and the general public, and a warning that a smoothly
operating machinery can not be expected at the outset. This warn
ing was repeated in a statement by the War Labor Policies Board,
which also announced that violations of the recruiting regulations
will be dealt with through appropriate action by the War Industries
Board and other enforcing agencies of the Government. The regu
lations for the central recruiting of unskilled labor were announced
by the Employment Service on August 1, as follows:
I . B y E m plo y er s in W a r W o r k .
To minimize the danger of interruption to war work in effecting the change from
present competitive methods of labor recruiting, the Government central labor
recruiting program, as heretofore announced, provides that at the outset employers
may continue to hire unskilled laborers who apply for work without solicitation, and
that private field forces may be utilized under control of the United States Employ
ment Service.
In order that the United States Employment Service may be as effective as possible
it is highly important that all employers engaged in war work keep the local office of
the United States Employment Service informed from day to day of their exact needs
for unskilled labor.
The regulations which govern private recruiting are as follows:
1. Employers may continue to hire workers who apply at the plant without solici
tation, direct or indirect.
2. The Federal director of employment in each State is authorized to grant per
mission to employers to use their own field agents for recruiting unskilled workers
under his direction and control for war industries located within the State.
3. Permission to recruit unskilled laborers in States other than the one in which the
work is located may be secured from the Director General of the United States Employ
ment Service upon the recommendation of the Federal director of employment for the
State in which the men are needed. Such permission will be communicated by the
Director General to the Federal directors for the States in which the labor is needed
and from which it is to be recruited.
4. No unskilled labor may be transported from one State to another without authori
zation from the Director General, to be secured by application through the Federal
director of employment for the State in which the labor is recruited. No laborers
may be moved from one employment district to another within a State without authori
zation from the Federal director of employment for the State.
5. Employers who receive permission to transport workers from one State to another
or from one district to another within any State must file a statement with the nearest
employment service office, of the number of men transferred, the wages offered, and
other terms and conditions of employment promised to the men.
6. Employers who are permitted to use their own field agents for recruiting labor
must in no case use any fee-charging agency or use any agents or labor scouts who are
paid for their work on a commission basis.
7. All advertising for unskilled labor, whether by card, poster, newspaper, handbill,
or any other medium, is prohibited after August 1, 1918. This applies to all employ
ers engaged wholly or partly in war work whose maximum force, including skilled and
unskilled laborers, exceeds 100.
*No restrictions are for the time being placed upon employers engaged in war work
in recruiting their own skilled labor, other than that they should so conduct their
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efforts as to avoid taking, or causing restlessness among, men who are already engaged
in other war work, including railroads, mines, and farms, as well as work covered by
direct and subcontracts for departments of the United States Government.
Federal Directors of the United States Employment Service for the several States
are instructed to give every possible assistance to employers engaged in war work who
desire to recruit skilled labor.
Employers in war work are at present under no restrictions as to advertising for
skilled labor, other than that all advertising should be designed and conducted so as
to avoid creating restlessness among men in war work (as above described).
II. E m p l o y e r s
in
N onw ar W ork.
Nonwar industries should not offer superior inducements or in any other way under
take to compete for labor with the Government or with employers engaged in war
work (as above described). Observance of the letter and spirit of this provision is
necessary for the efficient prosecution of the War. Methods of recruiting and of
advertising which do not offend against it are permitted.
Down to July 31 war industries had advised the Employment
Service that approximately 450,000 unskilled laborers would be
needed during the two months ending October 1. This number was
apportioned among the States and the Federal director of employ
ment in each State was notified of the quota which his State is
expected to furnish. As circumstances demand, further quotas will
be assigned to the States.
While the prohibition against recruiting of unskilled labor by em
ployers engaged in war work, except under the direction of the
United States Employment Service, does not include railroads and
farmers, the transportation and agricultural industries will be as
sisted by the United States Employment Service in every way
possible.
Specialization in farm and railroad labor supplying is a feature
of the central labor recruiting program, and the leading branch
offices have special railroad labor and farm labor divisions, while in
the West and in some places in the South and East offices have been
established which devote their entire attention to supplying farm
labor and railroad unskilled labor. Recently the employment
offices of railroads in western territory were made a part of the
Federal Employment Service system. This statement is made neces
sary by the existence of an erroneous belief that railroads and farms
must obtain labor through means other than the United States
Employment Service. Railroads and farms will not only be assisted
by the Service in getting unskilled labor, but they will be protected
by the Department of Labor from recruiting by other industries.
Since January, 1918, all State employment services have been
federalized and made a part of the United States Employment
Service which was organized in the Department of Labor at that time.
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More than 500 branch offices have been established throughout the
country, and the paid personnel numbers between 3,000 and 3,500.
The recruiting plan being carried out by the Employment Service
is the result of conferences with the leading practical representa
tives of war industries, employment management, labor, and ex
perts in personnel supervision. The director general has received
the assurance of manufacturers and of trades-unions that they wel
come Government supervision of war labor mobilization. A most
important step in the recently announced labor recruiting program
is the prohibition of all advertising for unskilled labor by employers
with a force of over 100 workers engaged wholly or partly on war
work.1 In this connection the Employment Service has defined war
work-as—
1. The manufacture of products or the erection of structures directly or indirectly
supplied to some department of the Government for use in connection with the war.
“ indirectly supplied” includes goods delivered under subcontracts to Government
contractors.
2. Coal mining is wholly war work.
3. Railroads and farms are engaged in war work to the extent that under this pro
gram they are protected from all recruiting by other industries.
The making of products which may ultimately be used for war purposes but which
are not to be delivered either directly to the Government or to some contractor who
uses them in producing or as a part of products to be delivered to the Government is
not considered war work.
The Employment Service has for several weeks been carrying on
a nation-wide publicity campaign in order to bring home to every
citizen the call for universal cooperation on which the Federal Em
ployment Service depends for complete success in carrying through
its centralized war labor recruiting program. Governors of every
State, mayors of all the important cities in the country, the entire
organization of the Council of National Defense, the Chamber of
Commerce of the United States and other business organizations,
the American Federation of Labor and its State branches, virtually
every moving-picture theater and every newspaper, hundreds of
banks, and 35,000 four-minute men of the Committee on Public
Information, are carrying the message of the United States Employ
ment Service to 100,000,000 Americans. This advertising cam
paign is intensive and will terminate on October 1.
In the six months from February 1 to August 1 the employment
service directed to actual employment on the Nation’s farms a total
of 106,860 permanent farm workers.
1 This order was later modified, the Federal directors of employment in 22 States being authorized for the
time being to insert in newspapers, in behalf of firms authorized to recruit labor in their States and which
willpay for them, advertisements beginning with the following form: “ United States Employment Service
needs laborers (name of firm).” The advertisement should state the nature and location of the work but
should not mention wages. Men must be asked in the advertisements to apply at a United States Employ
ment Service office.
77262°—18------20
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MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF APPLICANTS FOR WORK.
The committee on labor of the Council of National Defense has
recommended to the Secretary of Labor that medical examination
of applicants for work be made a part of the Government’s labor
recruiting program. This recommendation was the outcome of a
conference under the auspices of the national subcommittee on
welfare work of the committee on labor held in New York City
July 15. The following resolution which was adopted on that occa
sion embodies the consensus of opinion of experts on this subject,
representatives of labor, employers, industrial physicians, and
public-health’workers:
It is the sense of this conference that the physical examination of workers is pri
marily a measure of health conservation and also essential to maximum production—
a war necessity.
That the purpose of a medical examination is not to eliminate the worker from in
dustrial service but to adapt him to the work he is physically fitted for.
Therefore, be it resolved, in view of the publicly announced policy of the Govern
ment centralizing the recruiting of labor in the United States Employment Service,
that this conference recommend that medical examination of the workers be one of
the functions of the Government labor recruiting agency.
It further recommends the establishment of a central examination board composed
of representatives of the workers, employers, and the Government.
That this board issue examination cards indicating the health of the workers and
classify according to physical fitness.
Such a system of centralizing physical examination of workers does not prevent
employers from maintaining their own system of physical examinations and follow
up methods for the purpose of conserving the health of their workers.
W O’iK OF OHIO FREE LABOR EXCHANGES FOR YEAR ENDING JUNE
30, 1917.
The report of the work of the free labor exchanges of Ohio for the
year ending June 30, 1917/ includes returns from 21 cities, which is
an increase of 14 over the number of public employment offices in
the State during the preceding fiscal year. The report states that
in 1916-17 there was a greatly increased industrial activity in the
State, “ very largely due to war orders, and a corresponding shortage
of available help. With the declaration of War with Germany,
attended with thousands of enlistments, the shortage of labor be
came more acute.” This increased activity is reflected in the re
turns, which indicate a total of 175,955 persons reported placed in
positions as compared with 141,253 during the preceding year—an
increase of 24.6. per cent. The work of the 21 offices is indicated
by the table which follows.
1 Ohio. Industrial Commission. Department of investigation and statistics, report No. 34.
the free labor exchanges of Ohio for the year ending June 30, 1917. Columbus, 1918. 42 pp.
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SUMMARY O F W O R K O F F R E E LA B O R EX C H A N G ES IN O HIO FO R Y E A R S EN D IN G
JU N E 30, 1916 AND 1917.
Y ear ending June 30— Per cent of
increase,
1917 over
1917
1916
1916.
Item.
New registrations............................................................................................
Renew als..........................................................................................................
Total applications for w o rk ..................................... . ..................................
N um ber requested by em ployers................................................................
N um ber referred to positions.......................................................................
N um ber reported placed..............................................................................
JDecrease.
110,749
237,244
347,993
205,558
171)520
141,253
113,776
234)267
348,043
253,687
217,029
175,955
2.7
11.3
(2)
23.4
26.5
24.6
sLess th a n one-tenth of 1 per cent.
It will be seen from the table that while the increase in the number
of applications for work was practicably negligible the number of
persons requested by employers increased 23.4 per cent in 1916-17
over 1915-16. This prompts the report to note that “ it has been
necessary for the offices to choose the 253,687 requested by em
ployers from 348,043 applicants, approximately three out of every
four applicants, whereas, during the fiscal year ending June 30,
1916, it was necessary to choose only three out of five applicants,
and during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1915, the offices had calls
for onty one cut of every five applicants.”
The record of the 175,955 placements made by the 21 offices is
summarized in the following statement showing the number and
per cent in each general occupation group:
Of the 108,693 males placed 59,551, or 54.8 per cent, were laborers;
14,239, or 13.1 per cent, were day workers (men employed on odd
jobs lasting only a few days, a day, or a part of a day); 3,125, or
2.9 per cent, were employed in skilled building trades; 2,816, or 2.6
per cent, were farm and dairy hands and gardeners; 2,006, or 1.9
per cent, were employed in skilled metal trades.
Of the 67,262 females placed 53,877, or 80.1 per cent, were day
workers and laundresses; 4,278, or 6.4 per cent, were engaged in
hotel and restaurant work; 3,270, or 4.9 per cent, were engaged in
general housework; 2,164, or 3.2 per cent, were engaged in factory
work, including the sewing trades.
The report notes a number of “ high-grade” placements in which
the salaries paid ranged from $1,020 to $5,000 per annum for males,
and from $600 to $1,200 for females. Commenting on this record,
the report says:
Practically no private agency placing high-grade help such as referred to here
charges less than 30 per cent of th e first m o n th ’s salary as a fee for securing a job.
Figuring on this basis, th e 4,460 high-grade applicants placed b y the officers, if they
had been placed in positions paying the m inim um salaries included ($75 for m en and
$40 for women) would have paid over $82,000 in fees if they had secured their
positions through private em ploym ent agencies.
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Further, as the private em ploym ent agencies charge either the employer or the
applicant from $1 to 10 per cent of the first m onth’s wage for each placem ent of laborers
and semiskilled help, the balance of the 175,955 placem ents reported b y the offices
would have cost through private agencies more than $268,000 per year, m aking a
total of more than $350,000 per year for all placements.
M EETIN G OF AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC EM PLOY M ENT
OFFICES.
Notice has been received by this bureau from the secretary-treasurer
of the American Association of Public Employment Ofhces to the effect
that the sixth annual meeting of the association will be held at Cleve
land, Ohio, September 19, 20, and 21. The fact that this announce
ment came just as the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w was going to press
makes it impossible to include the program at this time.
VALUE OF T H E B RITISH NATIONAL EM PLOYM ENT EXCHANGES DURING
T H E WAR.1
1. The employment exchanges, which are administered by the
Ministry of Labor, have proved to be of the greatest value in con
nection with the organization of the labor supply during the war.
This part of the State machinery, which was set up in 1910 for dealing
with the ordinary problems of employment in times of peace, has been
used successfully for the distribution of the man power of the nation
during the war. Experience has made it clear that if the exchanges
had not been already in existence it would have been necessary to
set them up for war purposes, and a system so improvised would
inevitably have been relatively much less efficient.
2. Prior to the war, exchanges had been established in all the
principal towns in the United Kingdom, and local agents appointed
in the small towns. The whole system is controlled by the employ
ment department of the Ministry of Labor, and, for administrative
purposes, the United Kingdom is divided into nine divisions, each
under the control of a divisional officer. There are now 391 exchanges
and 173 local agents acting as employment exchanges in the smaller
centers. There are in all 1,080 local agents who are part-time officers
appointed primarily for the administration of unemployment insur
ance in districts where the establishment of an exchange would not
be justified. Some idea of the volume of work transacted by the
exchanges may be gained from the fact that during the year 1917 they
received a notification of vacancies for just under 2,000,000 work
people, of which over 1,555,000 were filled, and that the number of
1 This memorandum by the British Ministry of Labor has been received by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics in response to an inquiry from the United States Department of Labor as to the value of the
national employment service in Great Britain.
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separate individuals for whom employment was found during the
year was over 1,375,000.
3. Each exchange forms a center at which individual workpeople
can be dealt with. Throughout the war it has been necessary to
collect workpeople of various classes and to arrange for them to
take up work at various places throughout the Kingdom. The
exchanges have made it possible to do this. The demands of the
Government for labor have been made known at the exchanges, and
the special arrangements for attracting labor to work of national
importance have been administered through them. It is hardly
necessary to mention that whatever the general character of the
arrangements may be for transferring workpeople in large numbers
from place to place there will be innumerable small difficulties arising
which can be removed only by a personal interview with the work
people concerned. The existence of the exchanges has made it pos
sible to conduct these interviews in the districts in which the work
people are resident and so very greatly to facilitate the distribution
of labor.
4. The essential features in the working of the exchanges can best
be illustrated by a brief account of the method of circulating vacancies,
of determining and giving effect to priority in labor requirements, of
advancing railroad fares, and of administering schemes of enroll
ment, substitution, etc., followed by some notes with special reference
to women and juveniles.
5. C ir c u la tio n o f v a c a n c ie s .—For this purpose the country is divided
into 45 “ clearing areas.” The number of exchanges in the clearing
area varies according to circumstances, from 2 to 31. In each area
there is one “ clearing exchange.”
If an exchange can not fill a vacancy from its own register it trans
mits particulars at once (preferably by telephone) to the clearing
exchange, which then “ clears the area”—-i. e., ascertains whether
the vacancy can be filled from any exchange within the area.
If the vacancy can not be filled at once within the area, and it is of
such a nature that a worker may reasonably be brought from a con
siderable distance in order to fill it, particulars are at once sent by
the clearing exchange to the “ national clearing house” at the head
office in London. The particulars are printed in an abbreviated
form and dispatched (usually on the day of receipt at the head office)
to every exchange in the country. Thus, any exchange which has a
suitable applicant for the vacancy on its register is placed in a position
to submit him for engagement.
Cancellations of vacancies are notified to the national clearing
house and circulated by it in a similar way.
The number of vacancies in circulation from the national clearing
house on any given day is now about 21,000. The system adopted
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for enabling the exchanges to deal with this large number of vacancies
is as follows: Once a week a “ newspaper” is issued which contains
all current vacancies and supersedes all previous issues; the vacancies
are arranged in the newspaper by occupations, and by clearing areas
under occupations. Each day amending sheets are issued notifying
new vacancies and cancellations of old vacancies. Thus, on any
particular day, the current issue of the newspaper and the sheets
amending that issue give the position up to date.
The newspaper consists of several parts, the chief of which are the
“ Labor Priority Gazette” containing specially important vacancies,
and the ordinary national clearing house newspaper containing the
bulk of the other vacancies.
6. P r i o r i t y .—In order that special attention may be paid to impor
tant vacancies on munitions work or other war work, a system is in
operation under which such vacancies are graded in various degrees
of priority, and the exchanges are instructed to try to fill them in
preference to any other vacancies. The degree of priority attaching
to a vacancy is indicated by a special marking in the Labor Priority
Gazette.
Priority is determined by the labor priority committee of the Min
istry of National Service, on which the various employing departments
as well as the Ministry of Labor are represented. It has been found
by experience that it is essential to require that a vacancy should
be notified to an employment exchange before it is considered for
priority; otherwise there is no guaranty that it represents a real cur
rent demand, or that it can not be filled in the ordinary way without
the special assistance of priority.
It is obviously important that the number of demands accorded
priority should be kept as few as possible; otherwise, the value of
the priority accorded becomes quite illusory.
7. A d v a n c e o f fa r e s . —In order to facilitate the transfer of labor
from one district to another, the exchanges are empowered to advance
the railway fares of workpeople traveling over 5 miles to employment
found through the exchanges. This they do by issuing a railway
warrant which is exchangeable for a railway ticket at the booking
office. The refund of the amount of the fare must be guaranteed
either by the employer or by the worker. The employer frequently
undertakes to repay the fare without recovering it from the worker,
and another common practice is for the employer to repay the fare
and then recover it by deductions in small amounts from the worker’s
wages. If the worker is placed on “ work of national importance”
a reduced fare (equal to five-twelfths of the full ordinary fare) is
repayable to the exchange. The amount of the fares advanced under
these arrangements is now about £10,000 [S48,665J a month.
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In addition there are many cases under enrollment schemes (see
below) in which fares of workers transferred are paid by the State
without recovery.
8. S c h e m e s o f e n r o llm e n t. —One of the great needs which made
itself felt very early in the war was that of concentrating labor on the
most urgent work, and in order to effect this on the necessary scale
special inducements had to be offered. One important form which
these inducements have taken is to be found in the various schemes
of enrollment under which the worker is guaranteed certain terms in
return for undertaking to transfer his labor as directed. The terms
guaranteed usually include the guaranteeing of not less than the
previous rate of wages or, in some cases, a specified minimum rate
together with an allowance to dependents when the man is sent to
work at a distance from his home. The three principal schemes may
be briefly described as follows:
War munition volunteers: Men skilled in certain essential trades,
chiefly engineering and shipbuilding, who enter into an agreement with
the Minister of Munitions to undertake work on munitions in the
employ of any firm specified by the Minister of Munitions.
War work volunteers: Men who have been accepted for vacancies
in work of national importance which has been sanctioned by the
minister of national service and who enter into an agreement with the
minister of national service. War agricultural volunteers are enrolled
on similar lines for agricultural work.
A r m y re serv e m u n i t i o n w o r k e r s .—Men who are either discharged
from the army or are surplus to military requirements and enter into
an agreement with the Minister of Munitions to undertake work for
war purposes in the employ of any firm specified by the Minister of
Munitions. These men are available as substitutes in civil employ
ment in exchange for men of higher medical category who are made
available for service with the colors.
9. P r o v i s io n o f s u b s titu te s f o r m e n re le a se d f r o m th e co lo rs .—Elaborate
arrangements in cooperation with the military service tribunals and
the other Government departments concerned have been made for
this purpose. The substitutes are drawn either from certain sources
or from men of relatively low medical category who are already serving
in the army.
10. W o r k m e n f r o m th e D o m in io n a n d the C o lo n ie s. —Skilled workmen
have been recruited in Canada by a special mission, and have also
been sent over by the Transvaal Chamber of Mines and the Australian
Government. The whole of the work of placing the men in employ
ment has been undertaken by the employment exchanges in the
United Kingdom. Efforts have also been made by the department
to retain in this country colonial workmen who have been brought
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over under contract with private firms or have come to this country
on their own initiative by the grant of a separation allowance to the
dependents abroad of such men as are placed by the department
on munitions work. In return for this allowance the men enter
into a contract to undertake munitions work whenever they may be
needed in the United Kingdom.
11. D is c h a r g e d s a ilo r s a n d s o ld ie r s .—Throughout the war the em
ployment exchanges have been used for replacing in civil work men
who have been discharged from the fighting services. The discharge
of every man is notified to the appropriate exchange and he is asked
to communicate with that exchange if he has any difficulty in finding
suitable civil employment. As a result of these arrangements the
employment exchanges have found for some 116,000 men their first
civil employment after discharge from the navy or army.
12. W o m e n .—Valuable work has been carried out by the employ
ment exchanges in the organization of the supply of women’s labor
for national purposes. The demand for women’s labor for Govern
ment work of all kinds is now practically concentrated at the employ
ment exchanges. The Ministry of Munitions have made it obligatory
on all national factories and controlled establishments to recruit their
women’s labor only through this channel and from the outbreak
of the war to May of this year 643,149 vacancies for women in all
kinds of munitions work have been notified to the exchanges of which
98 per cent have been successfully filled. In all cases munition
factories discharging labor have been instructed to give the employ
ment exchanges at least a fortnight’s notice of the number of women
they propose to release and arrangements are made for the exchanges
to be consulted as to the disposal of the labor elsewhere and as to the
release in the first instance of the women who are qualified for other
employment. In many cases it has been .necessary, in order to meet
the demand for women for munitions work, to draw upon women in
other districts. In certain cases this has necessitated the arrange
ment by the department of special traveling facilities or the organi
zation through local committees attached to the employment ex
changes of lodging accommodations for the women brought in from
other districts. A system of medical examination is also in force
by which no women are sent forward through the exchanges for
munitions work at a distance unless they can produce a satisfactory
medical certificate from one of the local doctors, on the department’s
panel for the purpose.
By arrangement with the War Office, the Admiralty, and the Air
Ministry, the whole arrangement for organizing the supply of women
for enrollment in the different women’s corps for service under the
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Admiralty, War Office, and Air Ministry, respectively, are now in the
hands of the employment exchanges.
The responsibility of supplying through the civil service com
mission women’s staff to the different central Government depart
ment has also been laid on this department, and the women required
are supplied through the exchanges.
In addition special steps have been taken by the department to
impress upon employers the desirability of making good any depletion
in the supply of labor by the employment of an increased number of
women and large numbers of women have been placed through the
exchanges in a very wide variety of occupations normally undertaken
by men.
13. J u v e n i l e s .—Juvenile employment committees have been setup
in connection with the employment exchanges in most of the principal
towns. They work in close cooperation with the local education
authorities and the schools and have been of great value in dealing
with the difficult problems which have arisen from the violent fluctua
tions in the demand for juvenile labor in various industries as a result of
the war. They have had to deal with the excessive demand for juve
nile labor in the munition industry and the metal trades generally
and they have assisted in recruiting boys and girls for various forms
of employment under Government departments. The committee
have been active in endeavoring to mitigate the unsatisfactory
features of this abnormal war employment and to secure some
improvement in the conditions affecting juveniles.
14. A d v i s o r y c o m m itte e s .—For the efficient working of the ex
changes it is essential to have the cooperation and support of local
employers and workpeople, as without this cooperation and support
the exchanges must largely fail to reach the level of usefulness of
which they are capable. In order to bring local employers and
workpeople into close touch with the exchange, and to give them
an insight into its working and some share in its direction, local
advisory committees have recently been set up in connection with
the various exchanges.
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LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.
THIRTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN FEDERA
TION OF LABOR.
The Thirty-eighth Annual Convention of the American Federation
of Labor was held in St. Paul, Minn., June 10-20, 1918. Four hun
dred and forty-eight delegates were in attendance, representing 101
national and international unions, 20 State branches, 88 central
bodies, and 51 trade and Federal labor unions, and fraternal dele
gates from the British Trades Union Congress, the Canadian Trades
and Labor Congress, Women’s International Union Label League,
and the National Women’s Trade Union League.
Hon. William B. Wilson, Secretary of Labor, visited the conven
tion, and stated that he came to convey in person the greetings of the
President of the United States and his high appreciation of tho splen
did work that has been done by the officers and the rank and file of
the organized-labor movement for the assistance of our country in
the war.
Two representatives of the Belgian labor movement and members
of a mission of the French Government addressed the convention.
These representatives expressed tho gratitude of the workers and
people of their respective countries for the policy adopted by the
Federation in support of tho war.
The report of the secretary showed the funds of the Federation to
bo in a substantial condition, the balance on hand at the close of tho
seven months since the previous convention, the fiscal period for
which the report was submitted, being $165,320.98. The member
ship for the fiscal year ending April 30, 1918, was 2,726,478, an
increase of 355,044 over the membership of last year.
The report of the executive council gave detailed information upon
the activities of the Federation during the fiscal year, and discussed
fully the war-labor policy of the various departments of the Govern
ment, as well as the declarations of the various commissions created
to deal with questions relating to working conditions and the adjust
ment of labor disputes. Loyalty to the Government and to the
great cause to which it has been committed in this war was the
keynote of the report of the executive council as well as the delibera
tions and discussions of the convention. Under the caption ‘ 'Avoid
interruptions of war production,” the executive council made the
310
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following appeal for the fullest cooperation of labor in the program
of the Government for the production of necessary war materials:
The workers in war production are practically a part of the fighting force, the Army
and N avy. They can not stop work without interfering with the whole program. The
whole campaign from production to where munitions are used in the field must be so
precise, so well articulated, that nothing shall interfere with any forward movement if
we are to check and defeat the best organized war machine the world has ever seen.
No action should be taken in the shops or on the field notin harmony with the purposes
of the war.
Organized labor, susceptible to every impulse and stimulus of right, must recognize
in its impartial and exacting judgment that the hour has struck for it to emphasize and
declare its purpose and attitude anew and to help meet the overpowering force of
circumstances and necessities which confront our Nation.
Organized labor, true to its traditions, has proffered its full and comprehensive
support to the Commander in Chief, and it will not now be paralyzed by infirmity of
purpose or action.
The pressing need at this moment of imminent peril is that ships be provided whereby
American soldiers, food, and munitions can be transported to reenforce the American
Army already fighting with the soldiers of France and England. In order that this
may be accomplished there must be full cooperation and earnestness of the people of
our country. We advise the organized-labor movement that in this crisis it must
prove its loyalty to our Republic and to our fellow men and demonstrate its capacity
to deal with big problems and big needs in a constructive manner.
Deeply impressed by the events upon the western battle fronts, we are constrained
to place before our fellow workmen a definite course of action. Yielding to no one
in our determination to maintain for the working people of this country the right to
work or not, to work for a reason or no reason, yet at a time when the destiny of the
democratic institutions of the w'orld are trembling in the balance (and still holding
sacred the principles of the rights enunciated), we can well afford to waive their
exercise in a patriotic desire that the issues of this war may result in a successful
termination.
In several departments charged with war production agencies have already been
established to adjust labor difficulties as they arise. These agencies have been sup
plemented by a larger program, national in scope, which has just been made effective
by Executive order. In accord with this plan, agencies will be established in all
war production which will maintain the rights of workers and at the same time make
possible continuous production. Workers, reserving the right to strike, should submit
all differences to these agencies and in every way seek to adjust difficulties without
cessation of work. No strike should be inaugurated which can not be justified to the
man risking his life on the firing line in France.
An eqtial responsibility and duty devolves on employers to do everything within
their power to maintain continuous production. As the best surety for this purpose,
we urge all employers to endeavor to adjust all grievances of employees, to establish
and maintain equitable, humanitarian conditions of work. The workers of America
wish to cooperate in winning this war. They can do so with unreserved ability and
spirit if they go to their work with the sense of justice and rights respected. Em
ployers, inaugurate no industry policy which can not be justified to the man risking
l i s life on the firing line. * * *
W e m u st e ith er v o lu n ta r ily m e e t th is great w orld n e e d an d crisis w ith a fu ll ap p re
c ia tio n of th e far-reach in g c o n seq u en ces of e v e r y in d u stria l d e c isio n an d action , "or
else w e sh a ll b e d e e m ed u n w o rth y of th e o p p o rtu n ities of free m en , and a strong force
w ill in terp o se to co m p el us to ren der th e n ecessary se r v ic e. If w e v o lu n ta r ily w a iv e
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our rights to strike in this hour of dire necessity, there will he no opportunity to stig
matize our movement as unresponsive in the hour of need, and our appeal for justice
will take on redoubled force when the terrific conflict shall have been brought to a
close.
Unsparing industry and attention, unswerving and unselfish fidelity is the talisman
for an immense capacity for ceaseless progress, and we are sure that in acting upon
the suggestions herein offered, the American labor movement will embody a prudence
and discernment that will meet the approbation of the people of our own country, as
well as the profound gratitude of the workmen of other countries engaged in this
terrific struggle.
We urge that our movement respond to the call (conscious that the future is in
volved in profound uncertainty), so that when the history of this great contest is
written, the sendee performed by the workmen of America will comprise its most
conspicuous feature.
The American labor mission to Great Britain and France submitted
a report to the convention upon their visit to these countries. The
purpose of the visit was to carry to the workers of the countries of the
Allies information upon the viewpoint of the American trade-union
movement upon war aims, and the visit was potentially effective in
clarifying the situation in this respect. The report made comment
upon the observations of the members of the mission in regard to the
attitude of the public, the workers, and the soldiers toward the War,
and expressed the conviction of the soundness of the public will and
of the public understanding in Great Britain and France and of the un
yielding determination of the peoples of both countries to win the
War without regard to the cost. The report gave high praise to the
conduct and spirit of the American soldiers and referred with pride
to the place of high respect and regard which they have won for them
selves abroad.
A report was also read to the convention from the labor commis
sion Which was sent to Mexico to s rcngthcn fraternal relations
already existing between Mexico and the United States, and to pre
pare the way fox definite plans for the holding of the Pan American
workers’ conference. In setting forth the situation in Mexico as it
relates to the organization of the workers and the influence of their
activities, the report states in part as follows:
It must be borne in mind that they were denied freedom of action or thought for
ages, and when the revolution gave them opportunity for action they were at the
mercy of syndicalists and professional men who had become ultraradical by reading.
* * * At the same time there are many clear thinking men and women who realize
that their movement is not bringing results, and are strongly of the opinion that they
must unite on a plan similar to ours. * * * They realize that cooperation and
helpfulness from the north will be fully assured in a general way and more available
by their participation in the Pan American Federation of Labor. In the building of
a virile intelligently organized national labor movement in Mexico, we see their
greatest opportunity and guaranty for democracy.
The convention indorsed the position of the executive council in
refusing to participate in any interallied labor conference in which
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representatives of enemy countries would be present, in tbe following
language:
We declare the position of the executive council in refusing to sit in conference at
this time with delegates from countries with which we are at war is logically, morally,
and absolutely correct. We dare say, it is our judgment that no representatives to a
conference of this nature could emerge from either of the central powers without the
approval and consent of the autocratic rulers of those countries; hence, under such
circumstances there could be no true expression of the hopes and the aspirations,
and the true attitude of the toiling masses in those autocratically ridden, misgoverned,
militaristic Governments.
The convention reaffirmed its previous declarations upon the
subject of peace terms, paramount among which are the following:
A league of the free peoples of the world in a common covenant for genuine and
practical cooperation to secure justice and therefore peace in relations between nations.
No political or economic restrictions meant to benefit some nations and to cripple
and embarrass others.
Recognition of the rights of small nations and of the principle, “ No people must
be forced under sovereignty under which it does not wish to liv e ” ; and,
“ Involuntary servitude shall not exist except as a punishment for crime, where
the party shall have been duly convicted” ; and, last but not least,
“ Establishment of trial by jury.”
President Gompers was urged to pay a visit to Great Britain and
France, in the belief that such a visit might be of inestimable value
not only to the peoples of those countries but to the people of our
own country as well.
The following recommendations of the committee on education
were adopted by the convention:
Labor, and it should not be necessary to add that labor includes the teachers, must
not permit more dramatic phases of the war situation to blind them to the importance
of the kind of training the children of the people receive. We recommend that this
convention approve the three model laws offered by the executive council, providing
well-balanced representative State boards of education, and advisory local committees,
and a part-time compulsory school attendance law; and we further recommend that
all State and local central bodies be urged to make every effort to secure the enact
ment of similar legislation. We would call attention to the fact that these model laws
are carefully drafted to avoid duplication of administrative machinery, and to secure
unity in our school system; and we would warn against any attempt to modify the
legislation to afford an opening for a dual system. Our public school system must
remain essentially a unit if we are to be a unified people.
Supplementing the success of the Federal vocational educational law already
demonstrated and the plans for part-time compulsory education, your committee
believes that this convention should urge a reorganization of our common schools in
the interest of the children of all the people. Labor played an important part in
securing the establishment of our free public schools, but from the beginning they
have been designed especially for the few who could go on to high school and college.
They must continue to offer preparation for high school and college, and labor heartily
approved and helped to secure the tremendous expansion of high school and college
facilities during the last 15 years. We especially indorse the tendency toward the
establishment of junior colleges, the addition to high schools of two years of collegiate
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work without tuition, so that young men and women who can not afford to leave home
can secure the advantage of additional training.
But your committee believes that the upper years of the elementary school should
be reorganized to afford diversified training, so that boys and girls who can not go on
to higher schools will receive training specifically designed for their needs, and not
be compelled as at present to prepare for a rôle they will never play. These diversified
courses should be so flexible that a pupil would be able to transfer from one to another
whenever changes in his desires or economic situation made it possible to continue
in school for a longer period than he had anticipated. We must not compel a child to
pay the penalty throughout life for a mistaken decision made during childhood.
Your committee believes that organized labor should demand and help to secure an
expansion and diversification of both elementary and secondary education so that a
democratic equality of opportunity for preparation for the callings of their choice
may be offered the children of our people.
Tho convention reaffirmed tlie following principles and policies,
winch the Buffalo convention declared should govern all Govern
ment boards and commissions dealing with questions relating to
terms of employment and conditions of labor:
In the composition of boards or commissions which are to consider questions of
terms of employment and conditions of labor, it is essential that there should be
equality of representation between the employers and the wage earners.
In the event that a wage board or commission is to consist of an unequal number,
then a civilian should serve as the odd man. One-half of the remaining number of
this
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