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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
JAMES J. DAVIS, Secretary

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
ETHELBERT STEWART, Commissioner

WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1921


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Contents.
Special articles:
Pago.
Accident frequency rates in the iron and steel industry, by causes, 1913
to 1920, by Lucian W. Chaney....................................................................
1-6
Industrial relations and labor conditions:
Engineers' report on industrial waste. Review by Margaret Gadsby......... 7-17
China—Increase of labor unrest in Canton....................................................
17
Great Britain—.Joint councils in the railway industry.................................. 17,18
Holland—Labor conditions in June, 1921.................................................... . 18,19
Italy—Unrest among Government employees............................................... 19-21
Prices and cost of living:
Retail prices of food in the United States...................................................... 22-43
Retail prices of coal in the United States...................................................... 44-52
Wholesale prices in July.................................................................................. 53-55
Wholesale prices in the United States and foreign countries, 1913 to June,
1921............................................................................................................... 56,57
Price changes, wholesale and retail, of important food articles in selected
cities.............................................................................................................. 58-61
Scales for standardization of families according to size.............................. . 61-63
Argentina—Cost of clothing............................................................................
63
Czechoslovakia—Retail prices in 1914 and March, 1921............................... 64-66
Germany—Cost of living in June, 1921........................................................ 66-68
Great Britain—Retail prices of clothing, 1914 to 1921................................ 68, 69
Iceland—High cost of living........................................................................... 69, 70
Mexico—Cost of living, 1910, and February to May, 1921............................ 71, 72
Spain—Cost of living in April, 1921............................................................... 72, 73
Switzerland—Cost of living in Zurich.................... ...................................... 73, 74
Wages and hours of labor:
Wages and hours of labor in slaughtering and meat-packing industry, 1921.. 75-95
Changes in union scale of wages and hours of labor, 1913 to 1921.............. 96-112
Wage scales in the building trades—
Prevailing hourly scales, July 31, 1921, as reported by the National
Association of Building Trades........................................................ 113-117
Minimum scale, on 8-hour basis, June, 1921, as reported by the build­
ing trades department of the American Federation of Labor......... 117-121
Massachusetts—Revising minimum wage rates.............................................
122
New York—Average earnings of factory workers in June and July, 1921. 122-124
Argentina—Hours of labor.......................................................................... 125,126
Belgium—Eight-hour day............................................................................ 126,127
Czechoslovakia—Wages in 1920............. .................................................... 127-130
Great Britain—
Changes in rates of wages, January to June, 1921............................... 130-132
Adjusting railway wages by cost of living index....................................
133
Spain—Wages in the almond industry........................................................ 133,134
Agreements:
Recent labor agreements and decisions—
R a ilro a d s.......................................................................................... 135,136
Clothing and textiles............................................................................. 136-139
Shipping................................................................................................ 139,140
Packing-house industries..........................................................................
141
Printing.....................................................................................................
142
Stove industry..........................................................................................
142
Street railways....................................................................................... 142,143
Building trades...................................................................................... 143-146
Boot and shoe industry........................................................................ 146-148
148
Great Britain—Wage agreement in the wool textile trade............................
Employment and unemployment:
Employment in selected industries in July, 1921...................................... 149-152
Employment in New York State factories in July, 1921......................... 152-154
Changes in employment in the United States, July 31, 1921.................... 154-156
Study of unemployment by the Ohio Council on Women and Children
in Industry............................................................................................... 156-159


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iii

IV

CONTENTS.

Housing:
Page.
Building in the first half of 1921................................................................. 160-164
Cooperative effort needed in the building industry................................... 164-166
Great Britain—Abandonment of the housing program..............................
167
Scotland—Progress of the Government housing program.................. .
167-169
Industrial accidents and hygiene:
Occupational skin diseases in the insect-powder industry........................
170
Industrial cataract........................................................................................
171
New York City—Workers’ Health Bureau................................................. 171,172
Great Britain—
Accidents in mines and quarries in 1920.............................................
172
Industrial diseases in factories............................................................. 173,174
British manufacturers’argument for the use of white lead in painting. 174,175
New South Wales—Accidents in mines...................................................... 175,176
Workmen’s compensation reports:
Illinois, 1919................................................................................................. 177,178
Kansas, 1920................................................................................................. 178' 179
Rhode Island, 1916 to 1919.......................................................................... 179,180
Labor organizations:
Educational work of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union. 181,182
China—Labor unionism............................................................................... 182,183
Great Britain—Conferences of labor and of cooperative organizations__ 183-185
Labor laws and decisions:
Status of employees on strike...................................................................... 186-188
Arizona—New workmen’s compensation law void.................................... 188,189
Massachusetts—
New child labor legislation................................................................... 189,190
Representation of women in the Department of Labor and Industries.
191
Michigan—Extraterritoriality under the workmen’s compensation law... 191,192
Missouri—Workmen’s compensation law held up by referendum.........
192
New York—Hours of labor on public works............................................... 192,193
Washington (State)—'Warehousing as a hazardous employment under the
workmen’s compensatidn law........................... ...................................... 193,194
Belgium—Amendment of trade-union law.................................................
194
France—Government bill on social insurance............................................ 194-198
Great Britain—Unemployment insurance act............................................ 199, 200
Poland—Order in re reporting of strikes and lockouts.............................. 200, 201
Strikes and lockouts:
Great Britain—Cotton textile strike............................................................
202
What State labor bureaus are doing:
Connecticut...................................................................................................
203
Georgia......................................
203-205
Illinois........................................................................................................... 205-207
Massachusetts................................................................................................ 207, 208
Montana........................................................................................................ 208, 209
New York...................................................................................................... 209, 210
Oklahoma..................................................................................................... 210)211
Rhode Island................................................................................................ 211-213
West Virginia................................................................................................
213
Current notes of interest to labor:
Training employees in the paper industry.................................................
214
Foreign language information service......................................................... 214, 215
Stimulating employees to make suggestions...............................................
215
Institute on immigrant problems........................................................
215
Canada—
Apprenticeship............................................
216
Group insurance for Manitoba civil employees...................................
217
France-—School for glove apprentices at Grenoble....................................
217
Peru—Child labor in cotton and woolen mills...........................................
217
Publications relating to labor:
Official—
United States...........................................................................................218,219
Foreign countries.....................................................................................219-221
Unofficial...................................................................................................... 222-225


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW
v o l . x i i i —n o

.3

WASHINGTON

Septem

ber

, 19 2 1

Accident F requency Rates in the Iron and Steel Industry, by Causes,
1913 to 1920.
By L u c i a n W. C h a n e y .

F

OB some years past the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been able
to secure for the iron and steel industry a very considerable
body of accident data classified by accident causes. These
data, brought down to the end of 1920, are presented herewith.
Table 1 shows the variations in the frequency rates for accidents
from the several causes from year to year, 1913 to 1920. Table 2
presents the frequency rates for the whole period, arranged according
to production groups. Table 3 shows the variations in the rates for
the several production groups, by years, during the 8-year period.
The notable feature of Table 1 is the consistent decline which is
shown in all the rates during the period. The year 1916 shows a
very general rise, bu t it does not reach the leveTof 1913. The fol­
lowing percentages of decline from 1913 to 1920 illustrate these
changes: All accident causes, 60 per cent; “ m achinery,” 55 per cent,
of which “ working m achines” has 62 per cent and “ cranes and hoist­
ing a p p a ra tu s” 44 per cent; “ vehicles,” 52 per cent; “ hot sub­
stances,” 56 per cent; “ handling,” 61 per cent; and miscellaneous
causes, 72 per cent. The constancy of these results is impressive.
Table 2 illustrates the characteristic hazards in the production of
the different m aterials. For example, “ hot substances’’ has the high­
est rate (5.1) in the group of miscellaneous steel products; “ cranes”
(6.6), and “ handling” (25.8) reach a peak in fabrication; “ handling
tru c k s” (2.1)is conspicuously high in the wire mills; a notably low
rate for all the causes prevails in tube mills.
In Table 3 the group of miscellaneous steel products is divided into
two groups, in which conditions have been somewhat different. In
Group A efforts at accident reduction did not get under way as soon
as in Group B. As a result they started this eight-year period w ith
frequency rates of 70.9 and 41.3, respectively. From th a t point to
1920 the decline for Group A has been 50 per cent and for Group B
55 per cent. Something as to the nature of these declines m ay be
learned by noting th a t for “ m achinery” Group A shows a decline of
46 per cent and Group B of 41 per cent, while in “ handling” Group
A shows a decline of 50 per cent and Group B of 59 per cent. T h at is,
Group A has been somewhat more successful in its efforts to lessen the
more serious forms of injury, while Group B has had greater success
as to those minor injuries whose control depends on the care and skill
of the men.
“ F abrication” has the highest rates of any production group in
nearly all of the causes. The m ost notable decline is in “ handling,”
from 51.2 in 1913 to 14.2 in 1920 (72 per cent).
The group Sheet mills records a rem arkable decline in “ miscella­
neous causes,” from 16.7 to 1.7 (90 per cent).


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L4S7]

1

2

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

“ W ire pro d u cts” has the m ost striking general decline of any of the
production groups. The drop for all causes is from 59.3 to 12 (80
per cent). “ H andling,” w ith a change from 29.9 to 4.6 (85 per cent),
is the m ost notew orthy.
“ T ubes” shows both a low rate throughout and a decline from
27.2 to 8.9 (67 per cent).
In general, this compilation agrees w ith those previously made in
indicating th a t the influence of accident prevention effort, as thus far
developed, is felt, as far as frequency is concerned, w ith practical
uniform ity in all of the principal cause groups. W hen the m atter is
studied from the standpoint of severity a quite different aspect of the
m atte r is found to exist. In any large volume of data the controlling
factor in the frequency rates is the num ber of m inor injuries. This
m ay be true to such an extent as completely to obscure the real and
im portant considerations. I t should therefore be kept in m ind con­
stantly th a t a presentation by frequency gives b u t a partial view,
which m ay actually be misleading.1
T ab l e 1 — A C C ID E N T F R E Q U E N C Y R A T E S (P E R 1,000,000 H O U R S ' E X P O S U R E ) F O R ACCI­
D E N T CAUSES IN T H E IR O N A N D S T E E L IN D U S T R Y , 1913 TO 1920, B Y Y E A R S.

A ccident cause.
M achinery.................................................
W orking m a c h in es...........................
C aught i n ....................................
B reakage.....................................
M oving m aterial in ...................
Cranes, e tc ........................................
O v erh ead ....................................
Locom otive................................
O ther hoisting ap p a ra tu s........
Vehicles......................................................
H ot sub stan ces.........................................
E le c tric ity .........................................
H ot m e ta l...........................................
H ot w ater, e tc ..................................
Falls of p e rso n ..........................................
From la d d e rs.....................................
From scaffolds..................................
In to openings...................................
D ue to insecure footing...................
Falling m aterial n o t otherw ise speci­
fied ...........................................................
H a n d lin g ...................................................
Object dropped in h a n d lin g ..........
C aught betw een object handled
a n d som e other o b je c t.................
T ruck s................................................
L iftin g .................................................
F ly in g p articles from to o ls............
Sharp p o in ts a n d edges...................
T ools....................................................
M iscellaneous............................................
A sp h y x iatin g g a s.............................
F ly in g objects n o t strik ing e y e ...
F ly in g objects strik in g e y e ............
H e a t.....................................................
O th e r..................................................

1913

1914

1915

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

7.3
3.9
2.5
.1
1.2
3.4
2.8
.3
.4
2.3
5.4
.5
3.5
1.3
4.5
.3
.2
.2
3.8

5.0
2.7
1.8
.1
.7
2.3
1.9
.1
.2
1.7
3.6
.4
2.1
1.1
4.1
.1
.2
.1
3.7

4.9
2.6
1.6
.1
.8
2.4
2.1
.2
.1
1.6
3.7
.2
2.3
1.2
3.5
.1
.2
.1
3.1

5.4
2.6
1.7
.1
.8
2.8
2.4
.2
.1
1.7
4.5
.4
3.0
1.2
3.7
.2
.2
.2
3.1

4.5
2.0
1.3
.1
.7
2.5
2.1
.2
.1
1.7
3.6
.3
2.4
.8
3.3
.2
.3
.2
2.7

4.0
1.8
1.2
.1
.5
2.2
1.9
.2
.1
1.3
3.0
.3
2. 1
.6
2.8
.1
.2
.1
2.3

3.3
1.4
.9
.1
.4
1.9
1.6
.2
.1
1.2
2.8
.2
2.0
.6
»2.8
.1
.2
.1
2.3

3.3
1.5
1.0
.1
.4
1.9
1.5
.2
.2
1.1
2.4
.3
1.8
.4
2.5
.1
.2
.1
2.1

1.2
26.7
11.2

.7
19.4
7.2

.7
20.6
7.6

.6
21.5
8.4

.4
15.7
6.1

.3
12. 8
5.5

.4
11.7
5.0

.2
10.4
4.4

3.4
1.9
2.5
.2
3.8
3.7
10.9
.2
.8
2.9

2.6
1.4
2.5
.1
3.9
2.6
6. 7
.1
.6
1.7
.4

3.1
1.4
2.5
.1
3.1
2.9
6.7
.1
.5
1.9
.4

1.7
4.6
.1
.0
1.6
.2

1.7
.7
1.4
.1
1.3
1.4
4.1
.2
.3
1.3

1.3
.6
1.1
.1
1.5
1.4
3.1
.1
.3
1.1

4.0

2.1
1.2
2.0
.1
2.2
2.0
5.2
.1
.4
1.5
.1

1.8

.9
6.0

2.6
1.0
2.3
.2
3.4
2.6
7.7
.2
.6
2.1
.8

3. 8

3 .8

3. 0

2.2

.1
2.2

.1
1.5

58.3

42.0

41.7

44.2

34.4

28.9

26.2

23.1

Number of workers............... .................. 147,052 112,027 127,268 173,793 185,210 177,163 165,724

175,435

G rand to ta l..................... ..............

.9

1.4
.1
1. 5

1I t is no t practicable to show severity rates in th is connection, b u t a full discussion of this subject will
appear in a b u lletin on “ Causes and prevention of accidents in th e iron a nd steel in d u s try ,” w hich will
be published b y th is bureau in th e n ear future.


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[488]

3

ACCIDENT FREQUENCY RATES— IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY.
T ab l e 2 . — A C C ID E N T F R E Q U E N C Y R A T E S (P E R 1,000,000 H O U R S ' E X P O S U R E ) F O R
S P E C IF IE D P R O D U C T IO N G R O U PS, 1913 TO 1920, B Y A C C ID E N T C A USES.

Miscel­
laneous
steel
products.

A ccident cause.
M achinery...........................................................
Working m a c h in es....................................
C aught i n .............................................
B reakage...............................................
Moving m aterial in ............................
Cranes, e tc ...................................................
O v erh ead ..............................................
Locom otive..........................................
O ther hoisting a p p aratu s.................
Vehicles................................................................
H ot sub stan ces..................................................
E le c tric ity ...................................................
H o t m e ta l....................................................
H o t w ater, e tc ............................................
Falls of p erso n s..................................................
F rom la d d e rs ..............................................
F rom scaffolds............................................
In to openings..............................................
D ue to insecure footing............................
F alling m aterial n o t otherwise sp ecified .. .
H a n d lin g .............................................................
O bject dropped in h a n d lin g ...................
C aught betw een object h an d led and
some other o b ject...................................
T ru ck s...........................................................
L iftin g ...........................................................
Fly in g particles from tools......................
S harp points an d edges............................
'fools..............................................................
M iscellaneous.....................................................
A sp h y x iatin g g as......................................
Flying objects n o t striking eye..............
Flying objects striking e y e.....................
H e a t..............................................................
O th e r............................................................
G rand to ta l.............................................

2. 9
42.6

Number o f workers.............................................

613,609

F a b ri­
cation.

5.0
1.9
1.1
.1
.7
3.1
2.6
.3
.2
2.5
5.1
.5
3.8
.8
3.9
.2
.3
.2
3.2

.7
18.8
9.0

10.2
3.6
3.1
.1
.4
6.6
5.9
.2
.5
.9
1.6
.2
1.1
.2
5.1
.3

2.3

.4

1.3
1.3

(9
(9

6.1
1.2
1.6
.4
1.3

1.2
1.6
1.5
.1
6.5

4.4
8.1

2.6

(9

1.0

3.7
.2

2.5
1.3
.8
.1
.4
1.2

.9
.2
.1
.6
1.2
.1
.9
.2
1.2
.1
.1
.1

.9
.2
5.2
2.6

1.5
2.1
3.1
.1
4.2
1.8
6.1

6.9

(9

Tubes.

4.9
3.9
2.4
.1
1.4
1.0
.6
.2
.2
.8
2.6
.1
1.3
1.2
2.7
.2
.1
.1
2.3
.6
16.9
4.2

.2

.1
4.1
.9
25.8
10.8

.7

W ire
products.

3. 0
1.7
1.4
.1

.4
2.5
.1
.8
1.6
3.5
.1
.1
.1
3.2
.2
18.4
5.0

2.9
.8
2.1
.1
1.4
2.5
6.5

.3
.7

Sheets.

(9

.2

1.5
.1
.7
2. 4
2. 0
.2
.2
1.6
3.6
.3
2.4
.9
3.3
.2
.2
.2
2.8
.5
17.0
6.8

.3

.7

2.2

1.6

5.9

.2
.4
.1

.5
1.7
.3
3.2

(9

1.0

4.6

2.2

2.3
1.1
1.9
.1
2.5

(9

.3

Total.

.7
.5
.4

.2

3.2

1.3
.6
4.8

4.6

52.7

34.9

34.6

.9
12.5

36.5

72, 109

175,419

228, 5S5

175,613

1,963,398

.2

1 Less th a n 0.05.
T

3 .—A C C ID E N T F R E Q U E N C Y R A T E S (P E R 1,000,000 H O U R S ’ E X P O S U R E ) F O R
S P E C IF I E D P R O D U C T IO N G R O U P S , 1813 TO 1920, B Y Y E A R S A N D A C C ID E N T CA USES.

able

M I S C E L L A N E O U S S T E E L P R O D U C T S —G R O U P A .

A c cid e n t cause.

1913

6.9
M achinery..................................................
2.9
W orking m ach in es...........................
C aught i n ....................................
1.7
.1
B reakage......................................
1.1
M oving m aterial in ...................
4.0
Cranes, e tc ..........................................
2.9
O v erh ead ...... .............................
Locom otive................................
.7
.4
O ther hoisting a p p a ra tu s.......
5.0
Vehicles......................................................
7.9
H ot substances.........................................
.8
E lec tric ity ..........................................
5.5
H o t m e ta l...........................................
H o t w ater, e tc ...................................
1.6
6.0
F alls of p erso n ..........................................
F rom la d d e rs.....................................
.3
.4
F ro m scaffolds..................................
.5
In to openings....................... .'...........
D ue to insecure footing................... ■ 4.9
Falling m aterial n o t otherw ise speci2.1
fle d ...........................................................
H a n d lin g ....................................................
31.0
O bject dropped in h a n d lin g ..........
16.0
C aught betw een object h a n d led
4.0
and some other o b ject.................
1.2
T ru ck s.................................................
3.0
L iftin g .................................................
.2
Fly in g particles from to o ls............

1914

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

.3
.2
4.4

6.0
2.1
1.0
.1
1.0
3.9
3.5
.2
.2
2.9
6.0
.5
4.3
1.3
4.4
.2
.2
.2
3.8

7.7
2.7
1.6
.1
1.0
5.0
4.4
.3
.2
3.6
8.4
.8
6.3
1.3
5.7
.3
.3
.3
4.8

5.8
1.9
1.0
.1
.8
3.9
3.4
.3
.2
4.1
6.7
.8
5.3
.7
4.6
.1
.3
.2
4.0

4.5
1.7
1.0
.1
.6
2.8
2.5
.2
.1
2.6
5.2
.5
4.1
.6
4.0
.2
.2
.2
3.4

3.6
1.2
.8
(D
.4
2.3
2.2
.1
.1
2.2
5.0
.4
4.0
.6
4.1
.2
.3
.2
3.4

3.7
1.4
.7
.1
.6
2.3
1.9
.2
.2
2.1
4.6
.4
3.7
.5
3.5
.1
.2
.1
3.1

.9
22.4
10.1

.7
26.0
12.4

.9
32.3
15.5

.7
23.7
11.0

.4
19.8
9.4

.8
18.9
8.5

.5
15.8
7.7

3.3
.7
2.7
.2

3.4
1.1
3.1
.2

4.1
1.4
3.8
.1

3.3
1.2
3.0
.2

2.9
.8
2.5
.1

3.3
.7
2.5
.1

2.3
.6
2.0
(D

5.4
2.3
1.4
.1
.8
3.1
2.6
.2
.3
3.7
4.6
.6
2.9
1.1
4.9

1 Less th a n 0.05.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1915

[489]

4

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
3 __A C C ID E N T F R E Q U E N C Y R A T E S (P E R 1,000,000 H O U R S ’ E X P O S U R E ) F O R
S P E C IF IE D P R O D U C T IO N G R O U P S , 1913 TO 1920, B Y Y E A R S A N D A C C ID E N T C A U SES—
C ontinued.

T ab l e

M I S C E L L A N E O U S S T E E L P R O D U C T S —G R O U P A — Concluded.

A ccident cause.
H an d lin g —C oncluded.
Sharp p o in ts an d edges...................
Tools....................................................
M iscellaneous............................................
A sphyxiating g as.............................
Flying objects no t striking e y e ...
Flying objects striking e y e...........
H e a t.....................................................
O th e r...................................................

1913

2.7
3.9
12.0
.6
1.0
3.5
1.2
5.7

1914

1915

2.1
3.3
10.1
.4
1.3
3.2
.9
4.3

2.1
3.7
8.0
.3
.9
2.2
.7
3.9

1916

2.8
4.6
8.9
.3
.8
2.9
.7
4.2

1917

1918

1.9
3.1
5.7
.2
.6
1.9
.4
2.6

1.7
2.4
5.4
.2
.5
1.2
.5
3.0

1919

1.6
2.2
5.1
.3
.4
1.4
.3
2.7

1920

1.2
2.0
5.2
.2
.6
1.6
.3
2.6

G rand to ta l....................................

70.9

50.7

51.9

67.6

51.3

42.0

39.7

35.5

Number of workers..................................

46,858

35,501

40,927

47,827

51,271

49,258

50,381

50,014

M I S C E L L A N E O U S S T E E L P R O D U C T S —G R O U P B .

M achinery..................................................
W orking m ach in es...........................
C aught i n ....................................
B reakage......................................
Moving m aterial m ...................
Cranes, e tc ..........................................
- O v erh ead....................................
L ocom otive................................
O ther hoisting a p p a ra tu s........
Vehicles.......................................................
H ot substances.........................................
E le c tric ity ..........................................
H o t m e ta l...........................................
H o t w a te r, e tc ...................................
Falls of p erso n ..........................................
F rom la d d e rs.....................................
F ro m scaffolds..................................
In to openings....................................
D ue to insecure footing...................
Falling m aterial no t otherw ise specifled ...........................................................
H a n d lin g ............................................ ..
O bject dropped in h a n d lin g ..........
C aught betw een object han d led
a n d some other object.................
T ru c k s.................................................
L iftin g .................................................
Flying particles from tools.............
S harp p o in ts an d edges...................
Tools....................................................
M iscellaneous............................................
A sphyxiating g a s.............................
F lying objects n o t strik in g e y e . . .
F ly in g objects strik in g e y e ............
H e a t.....................................................
O th e r...................................................
G rand to ta l....................................

2.3
.3
.1
.2
1.7

3.9
1.4
1.0
0)
.4
2.5
2.3
.1
.1
1.3
4.4
.5
3.2
.7
3.3
.2
.3
.2
2.6

3.3
1.4
.9
.1
.4
1.9
1.5
.3
.1
.9
2.8
.2
2.0
.6
2.3
.1
.2
.1
1.9

4.6
1.9
1.2
.1
.6
2.7
2.4
.2
.1
1.0
4.0
.3
3.1
.6
2.4
.1
.3
.1
1.9

3.5
1.1
.7
.1
.3
2.4
2.1
.2
.1
1.1
2.9
.3
2.2
.4
2.5
.2
.3
.2
1.8

4.7
1.8
1.0
.2
.6
2.9
2.7
.1
.1
1.3
3.6
.5
2.8
.3
2.6
.1
.2
.2
2.1

4.0
1.2
.8
.1
.4
2.8
2.4
.2
.2
.9
2.9
.3
2.2
.4
2.2
.1
.3
.1
1.7

3.4
1.2
.7
.1
.4
2.2
1.9
.2
.2
.7
1.9
.4
1.3
.2
2.1
.1
.1
.1
1.8

.6
17.0
8.4

.2
12.3
6.6

.3
9.4
5.0

.2
11.1
6.3

.1
6.8
8.9

.6
9.3
4.6

.5
6.9
4.0

.1
6.9
3.9

3.3
.5
1.3
0)
1.3
2.2
8.2
.2
.3
2.4
.5
4.8

2.0
.4
.9
.1
.5
1.8
4.8
.3
.3
2.1
.5
1.6

1.5
.4
.7
.1
.5
1.2
4.4
.2
.5
2.3

.9
.3
.6
.1
.2
.8
3.4
.3
.4
1.7

1.8
.4
.8
.1
.4
1.2
9.2
.4
1.1
5.8

.8
.2
.7
C1)
.3

1.4

1.8
.5
.7
.1
.4
1.3
4.9
.1
.8
2.2
(i)
1.8

1.0

1.8

1.0

1.1
.3
.6
.1
.2
.8
3.5
.3
.4
1.8
(i)
1.0

41.3

27.6

23.0

28.2

20.5

31.4

23.2

18.6

14,914

17,567

25, 216

29,067

27,635

22,538

25, 740

8.4
3.6
3.5
.1
C1)
4.8
4.7
.1
0)
2.0
1.5
.3
1.0

10.4
3.9
3.3
.2
.4
6. 6
5.9
.5
.2
.7

9. 0
3.2
2. 4
.2
,6
5.8
5.3
3
.2
.4
1.4
.1
1 .)

6. 8
2. 5
1.8
.1

10.4
3.5
2.3
.1
1.0
6. 9
5.7
.1
1.2
.5
1.1
.1
1.0

5.8
2.3
1.5
.1
.7
3.5
3.1
.2
.2
1.6
5.5
.5
4.0
1.0

Number of workers.................................... 22,726

.1

.8

5.6
.4
.4
3.8

F A B R IC A T IO N .

M achinery..........................................
W orking m ach in es...................
C aught i n .............................
B reakage..............................
M oving m a te ria l in ...........
C ranes, e tc ...................................
O v erh ead .............................
Locom otive.........................
O th er h o istin g ap p aratu s.
Vehicles...............................................
H o t su b stan ces..................................
E le c tric ity ...................................
H o t m e ta l....................................

17.5
5.5
4.7
.2
.6
12.0
10.4
.2
1.4
1.4
2.8
.5
2.0

8.8
3.1
3.1

9.5
3.5
3.5
(x)

5.7
5.2
.1
.4
.6
1.3
.4
.8

5.9
5.7
.1
.1
1.6
2.0
.3
1.5

1 Less th a n 0.05


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[490]

1.1
.1
.8

.7
4.3
3. 7
.4
.3
.5
1.2
.1
.9

ACCIDENT FREQUENCY RATES— IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY.

5

3 — A C C ID E N T F R E Q U E N C Y R A T E S (P E R 1,000,000 H O U R S ’ E X P O S U R E F O R
S P E C IF IE D P R O D U C T IO N G R O U P S , 1913 TO 1920, B Y Y E A R S A N D A C C ID E N T C A U SES—
C ontinued.

T able

F A B R IC A T IO N —C oncluded.
A ccident cause.

1913

1914

H ot substances—Concluded.
H o t w ater, e t c ...................................
Falls of p e rso n ..........................................
F rom la d d e rs .....................................
F rom scaffolds........ ..........................
In to open in g s.....................................
D ue to in secu re footing...................
Falling m aterial no t otherwise specified
H a n d lin g ....................................................
O bject dro p p ed in h a n d lin g ..........
C aught b etw een object han d led
an d som e oth er o b ject.................
T rucks..................................................
L iftin g ..................................................
F lying particles from to o ls............
Sharp p'oints a n d edges...................
Tools....................................................
M iscellaneous...........................................
A sp h y x iatin g g a s............
F lying objects n o t strikin g e y e . ..
F lying objects strik in g e y e ............
H e a t.....................................................
O th e r....................................................

0.3
7.6
.4
.4
.2
6.6
2.3
51.2
19.9

0.1
7.3
.2
.5
(!)
6.6
1.8
30.3
11.3

11.2
2.4
2.2
.8
3.4
11.3
17.5
(!)
3.3
7.8
.3
6.1

8.1
.9
1.6
.8
1.8
5.8
8.0
1.2
3.7
.2
2.9

G rand to ta l.....................................

100.3

Number o f workers...................................

9,667

1915

0.2
5.8
.1
.5

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

0.2
5.2
.1
.5
.3
4.3
1.4
27.1
12.8

0.2
5.2
.4
1.1
.1
3,6
.3
23.8
9.8

0.2
3.7
.2
.6
(!)
2.9
.4
18.5
8.2

0.2
3.4
.2
.5
.2
2.5
.1
15.7
7.1

6.8
1.7
2.0

3.6
1.1
1.7

6.9

6.6
1.8
2.1
.2
.6
3.0
6,6

4 .6

3.1
.7
1.4
.5
2.3
2.3
5.1

.4
3.6
.1
2.8

.4
3.6
.3
2.3

.8
3.5

.9
1.6

2.6

.1
5 .7

.1

2.0

59.0

53.5

52 .1

51.3

38.2

32.8

35.3

7,478

6,920

9,421

10,112

10, 786

8,667

9,161

2.9
1.7
1.6

2.8
1.4
1.3
.1
1.4
1.3

2.1
1.0
.9
.2
(i)
1.0
1.0
(!)

1.8
.8
.7

.1
1.2
1.2

2.3
1.2
1.1
.1

5.2
1.7
26.5
11.1
7.5
1.0
1.4
.4

1.1
4 .0

.2

.4

.6
2.7
10.2

.8
2.7

.1
. 5
C1)

1.9

0)

3.8
.3
1.1

(' )

2.3

G)

14.2
0.2
2.3
.8
1.5
.4

.7
2.4
5.2
(’ )

.3
3.5

0)

1.3

SH EETS.
M achinery..................................................
W orking m achines...........................
C aught i n .....................................
B reakage.....................................
Moving m aterial i n ...................
Cranes, etc“ ........................................
O verhead.....................................
Locom otive................................
O ther hoisting a p p a ra tu s........
Vehicles.........................Y .........................
H o t substances..........................................
E lec tric ity ..........................................
H o t m etal............................................
H o t w ater, e tc ...................................
Falls of p erso n..........................................
From la d d e rs.....................................
From scaffolds...................................
In to openings.....................................
D ue to insecure footing...................
Falling m aterial no t otherwise specified
H a n d lin g ....................................................
O bject dropped in h a n d lin g ..........
C aught b etw een object handled
an d some oth er object.................
T ru ck s..................................................
L iftin g ..................................................
F lying particles from to o ls ............
Sharp p o in ts an d edges...................
T ools....................................................
M iscellaneous............................................
A sph yx\ ati n <? gas
F lying o b jectslio t strik in g e y e . . .
Flying objects strik in g e y e ............
Meat
O th e r...................................................

6.2
3.7
2.6
.2
.9
2.5
2.4

4.0
2.7
2.5
.2

2.8
1. 5
1.4
.1
(i)
1.3
1.3

G)

1.4
1.4

.1
.6
4.6
.1
1.6
2.9
5.7
.2
.1
.1
5.3
.4
27.4
10.7

3.3
.1
1, 0
1.7
4.8
.1
.1
.1
4.5
.8
24.1
6.4

.8
3.7
1.8
.1
5.5
4.8
16.7
.8

(!)
.9
2.5
.1
.9
1.5
3.0
.I

.8

.8

2.5
.1
.9
1.5
2,8
.1

G)

.i
2.9
.5
22.6
4.9

.2
2.5
.4
19. 8
4.7

2.1
1.3
2.1
.1
8.7
3.4
9.1

1.9
1.6
1.5
.1
9.8
2.8
7.2

1.9
1.6
1.6
.1
7.4
2.5
5.5

2.9
2. 7
10.2

.2
1.6
2.2
5.1

.1
1.1
5.2

1.0
.6
3.9

G rand to ta l.....................................

61.6

47.2

37.3

Number of workers...................................

18,637

15,046

18,668

.8

1 Less th a n 0.05.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[491]

G)

G). l

.3
2.6
G)
.5
2.1
3.6
.1

1.1
1.1

.1

G)

.2
3.3

1.9
.1
.4
1.4
3.3
.1
(i)
.1
3.1

17.2
3.9

12.7
3.6

.1
1.6
.1
.3
1.2
3.1
.2
.1
.1
2.8
.1
13.4
4.0

.5
1.7
2.0
.1
6.4
2.5
7.4
.1
.1
1.7

.8
1.0
1.1

.5
1.3
1.1

G)

G)

4. 6
1.6
5.6
.1
1.0

5.5

4.5

34.0

33.9

24, 727

26,325

(i)
(!)
1.0
1.0
(!)
(1)
.1
1.8
.1
1.1
.7
2.5

G) .1

.1

2.4

14.9
3.6
1.3
.8

G)

G)

G)

G)
G)

4.4
2.6
5.4
.1
.6

G)

.9

6.7
1.6
1.7
.7

4.6

.9

25.9

23.8

22.8

22,812

23, 867

26,357

6
T

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
3 .—A C C ID E N T F R E Q U E N C Y R A T E S (P E R 1,000,1)00 H O U R S ’ E X P O S U R E ) F O R
S P E C IF IE D P R O D U C T IO N G R O U P S , 1913 TO 1920, B Y Y E A R S A N D A C C ID E N T CA U SES—
Concluded.
W IR E P R O D U C T S .

able

A ccident cause.
M achinery................. ................ ..................
WorIcing m ach in es..................... ........
C aught i n ........................................
B reakage.........................................
M oving m aterial i n ......................
Cranes, e tc .............................................
O verhead........................................
Locom otive....................................
O ther hoisting ap p aratu s...........
Vehicles............................... .........................
H o t su b sta n c es...........................................
E lec tric ity .............................................
H o t m e ta l...................„.....................
H ot w ater, e tc ......................................
Falls of p e rso n ............................................
F rom la d d e rs...................................
F rom scaffolds......................................
In to openings........................................
D ue to insecure footing......................
Falling m aterial n o t o !her wise specified.
H a n d lin g ........................... ...........................
O bject dropped in h a n d lin g .............
C aught b etw een object handled
an d some oth er object.....................
T ru ck s....................................................
L iftin g ........................................... .
Flying particles from to o ls...............
S h arp 'p o in ts a n d edges..................
Tools........................................................
M iscellaneous....... .......................................
A sphyxiating eras.................................
Flying objects'hot strik in g eye........
F lying objects strik in g ey e...............
H e a t........................................................
O th e r.......................................................
G rand to ta l........................................

1913

1914
6.4
5.3
3.2
.2
1.9
1.1
.7
.2
.2
.6
3.7
.3
1.8
1.6
3.8
.2
.2

9.0
7.7
5.0
.2
2.5
1.3
.8
.1
.4
1.2
4.2

.2
2.6
1.4
4.1
.3
.2
.1
3.5
1.2
29.9
7.5
2. S
3.7
4.5
.2
8.7
2.5
9.6
.1
.5
1.7

0

3.4
.5
21.9
5.5

1915
6.4
5.3
3.4
.2
1.7
1.1
.6
.3
.2
1.1
3.7
.1
1.5
2.1
4.0
.1
.2
.1
3.6
1.1
26.2
6. 0

1.9
2.3
3. 8

1916
5.4
4.3
2.3
.1
1.9
1.1
.7
.1
.3
.7
3.6
.2
1.2
2. 2
3.5

.1
.1
.2
3.1
.7
24.2
5.2

2.3
3.0
5.0
.1

(i)

6. 2
2.1
8.6

2.6
2.7
4.8
.1
5.8
3.0
9.8

7.5

1917
4.4
3.5
1.6
.1
1.8
.9
.6
.2
.1
.5
2.1
.2
.9
1.0
2.4
.2
.1
.1
2.0
.6
15.9
4.0

C1)

.5
.6
>4
,1
.2
,5
1.2
.1

.9

.5
.2
.2
.8
1.7
.1
1.1
.5
1.8
.1
.2

1.7

1.9
2.1

.2

.3

6.4
46.2

6.7
52.4

7.8

4.9

59.3

48.2

Number of w orkers...................................... 26,830

23,550

26,912

2.3
1.2
.7
.1
.4
1.1
.8
.2
.1
.4
1.2

0

.5

32.5

.5
.1
1.0
18.8

82,324

32,932

28,854

2.2
1.2
.8
.1
.3
1.0
.8
.2

2.2
1.1
.6
.1
.4
1.1
.8
.3

.8
.3
1.0
.1
.1

2.5
1.4
.9
.1
.4
1.1
.8
.2
.1
.4
1.1
0
.9
.2
1.2
0
.1

0
1.0
.1
1.0
.1
.1

.8
.1
4.6
2.6

1.1
.1
5.4
3.0

.8
.4
3.7
1.8

.6
.3
.2

.7
.5
.3

.4
.3
.3
.1
.2
.6
1.1
.1
.2
.2

.4
.2
.2

.7
1.0
A
.7
.2
1.2
.1
.1

0

.9
.2
4.6
1.5

.3

.3

.7

.7
1.0

.7

.5
2.2
.1
.2

(i)

.3

1.1
.1

.5
.7

0

1.3

0)

0

.8

.4
1.3
1.5

6.4

2.6
1.9
1.3

.3
1.2
.1

0)

i.i

1920

2.4
1.7
1.2

1. 5
2.0
3.0
.1
3.6

.3

.4
6.9

.1
1.6

.7

1919

.1
1.0
.1
5.0
1.4

1.2

.7

3.2
2.3
1.5
.1

1.5
.2
8.9
2.7

2.3
9 .0
.1
.6
1.4

(i)

1918

0

.5
.6
1.7

(1)

.2

.2

.4
0

1.5

0

1.2
12.0

12.5

26’, 658 30,525

TU BES.

M achinery’....................................................
W or king m achines..............................
C aught i n ........................................
B reakage................................*___
Moving m aterial i n ......................
Cranes, e tc .............................................
O verhead.......................................
Uoeom otive............. .......... . . . . . .
O ther hoisting a p p aratu s...........
Vehicles............................'............... ............
H o t su b stan ces........................................ *.
E lec tric ity .................................... ........
H o t m e ta l.............................................
H o t w ater, e tc ......................................
Falls of p e rso n .................................... ..
F ro m la d d e rs.......................................
F ro m scaffolds.....................................
I n to openings.......................................
D ue to insecure footing......... ............
F alling m aterial n o t otherw ise specified.
H a n d lin g .....................................................
O bject d ropped in h a n d lin g . . . . ___
C aught betw een object handled
an d some o th e r object.....................
T ru ck s....................................................
L ifting.....................................................
F ly in g particles from to o ls. . . _____
Sharp p o in ts a n d edges......... ............
Tools.................. .............................
M iscellaneous....................... ........................
A sphyxiating g a s................................
Flying objects n o t strik in g e y e .. . . .
F lying objects strik in g e y e ..............
H e a t................. ......................................
O th e r......................................................
G rand to ta l........................................
Number o f workers.......................................

4.3
2.3
1.3
.1
.9
2.0
1.7
.2
.1
.7
2.8
.3
2.2
.3
1.6
.2
.1
.1
1.2
.4
12.4
5.3

1.9
.8
.5
.1
.2
1.1
.9
0

0

1.0
.4
1.5
.1
.1
.1
1.2
.2
5.4
2.8

1.6
1.1
1.1
0

.2
.4
1.4

.6
.4
.7
0

1.3
2.0
5.0
.1
.2
1.6
.1
3.0
27.2

.4
.5
2.0
'0
.3
.6
.5
.6
12.5

22,334

15,538

1 Less th a n 0.05.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

0

[492]

0

.3
.6
1.1

0

0

.7
1.1

.2
.2
.1
.6
10. 8

.3
.6
1.6
0
.2
.4
0
1.0
12.4

.7
10.2

16,284

29,931

24,464

0

0

.7
.7

0

.5
.2
1.0
.1
.1
.1
.7
.1
3.8
2.3

2.7
1.4
.9
.2
.4
1.3
.8
-.4
.1
.7
.8
0
.6
A
1.1
.1
.1
.1
.8
.1
3.1
1.6
.4
.3
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.1
.2
.3
.7

.5
.4
.2
0

.1
.3
.6

0

.1
.1

0

.4
9. 1

24,708

0

.1
0
(!)
.5
9.3

2.0
1.2
.9
.1
.3
.8
.5
.2
.1
.6
.9
.1
.6
.2
1.0
.1
0

.1
.9
.1
3.4
1.9
.4
.3
.2

(i)
0
0

.5
.9
.1
.1

.6
8.9

21,707 24,647

IN D U STRIA L R E L A T IO N S A N D LA B O R CO N D ITIO N S.

Engineers’ Report on Industrial Waste.
Review

b y M argaret G ad sby .

I

T IS evident when prices of finished products are so high th a t the
consumer can not buy, and prices of raw m aterials are so low
th a t the producer can not afford to produce, som ething m ust be
amiss. W hat is it ? Partisans of all points of view have brought
forth argum ents based largely upon convictions and prejudices, in
support of their hypotheses, but in one respect there has been accord—•
fundam ental changes m ust be made in our economic system if in­
dustry is to serve all who are dependent on its effective operation,
and if the undercurrent of unrest is not to carry us too far out to
sea.
U ndoubtedly our haphazard m ethod of production is an im portant
factor in the present anomalous situation. As the present business
depression passes and demand again outstrips supply, we can not
go back to the old random m ethods if American industry is to m ake
Further strides in advance and m eet the keen world com petition
w ith which it is already faced. B ut w hat to do—how to go about
rationalizing our industrial system ? To the committee on waste
of the Federated American Engineering Societies we are indebted
for a constructive step toward remedial action. Sporadic attem pts
have been made to measure the efficiency of production m ethods in
individual plants, bu t until the appointm ent of the comm ittee on
w aste no comprehensive attem p t had been made to measure the
efficiency of industry as a whole.
The com m ittee on waste, it will be remembered, was appointed
in January, 1921, by H erbert Hoover, then president of the Federated
American Engineering Societies. The appointm ent of this committee
of 18 engineers was authorized by the American Engineering Coun­
cil, the executive body of the Federated Engineering Societies. Only
the sum m ary of the com m ittee’s report has been issued, outlining
the causes of industrial waste, evaluating the responsibility therefor,
and suggesting methods for its elimination. The completed study
will include also the engineers’ field reports covering the industries
included in the survey, and seven reports of a statistical character,
each dealing with some aspect of industrial waste or its elim ination
on an extensive or nation-wide basis. Six im portant industries are
included in the study, the operation of which directly affects the daily
life of everyone, namely, the building trades, m en’s ready-m ade
clothing, boot and shoe industry, printing, m etal trades, and textile
m anufacturing. The completed report will be issued in book form
some time in September.
The essence of the plan was “ to gather quickly such concrete in­
form ation as m ight be used to stim ulate action and to lay the foun­
dation for other studies. I t was believed th a t a lim ited y et care-


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7

8

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

fully studied volume of findings obtained through a rapid intensive
study would not im pair the value of the facts disclosed or the validity
of the recommendations based upon them. So within less than five
m onths the comm ittee completed an assay or analysis of waste in
six typical branches of industry, and presented a sum m ary of its
findings to the American Engineering Council.”
The committee was not m otivated by desire to place blam e for the
wastes revealed in its surveys upon any individual, group, or class.
“ The wastes revealed are the result of methods, tactics, practices,
and relationships of long standing in industry, and the comm ittee
has merely desired to indicate the m ain opportunities for eliminating
waste and to show whose opportunity it m ay be to adopt proper
measures for such elim ination.”
The com m ittee’s conception of industrial waste has been “ th a t
p a rt of the m aterial, time, and hum an effort expended in production
represented by the difference between the average attainm ents on
one hand and performance actually attained on the other, as re­
vealed by the detailed reports.”
A staff of 50 engineers wTas employed. E ach engineer who made a
field investigation was thoroughly acquainted w ith the industry he
studied. Every p a rt of his completed report was subm itted to
engineers or others having particular knowledge or specific experi­
ence, w ith the request for constructive criticisms and suggestions.
The deductions drawn from the facts revealed by the survey, there­
fore, represent the expert knowledge of the investigator and the
composite experience and knowledge of about 80 engineers and their
associates.
No claim is made to completeness. Finding it impossible to
make a comprehensive study of the 288,376 establishm ents compos­
ing American industry, the committee selected a group of repre­
sentative plants in each particular branch of the six industries
chosen for the surveys. The result of the study is likened not to a
finished machine, bu t to the first pencil drawings of the design of a
new machine.
A total of 125 plants was investigated, 73 in the building in­
dustry, 9 plants engaged in the m anufacture of m en’s ready-made
clothing, 8 engaged in the m anufacture of boots and shoes, 6 printing
establishm ents, 16 plants in the m etal trades, and 13 in textile m anu­
facturing were studied. Additional inform ation was furnished by
94 plants.
Causes of Waste.

n p iIE comm ittee attrib u tes waste in industry to four causes,
nam ely:
1. Low production, caused by faulty m anagem ent of m aterial,
plant, equipm ent, and men.
2. in te rru p ted production, resulting from idle men, idle m ate­
rials, idle plants, idle equipm ent.
3. R estricted production intentionally caused by owners, manage­
m ent, or labor.
4. Lost production caused by ill health, physical defects, and in­
dustrial accidents.
The com m ittee discusses in detail the waste attributable to these
four causes.


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ENGINEERS ’ REPORT ON INDUSTRIAL WASTE.

9

Low Production.

Low production the committee attrib u tes to eight factors.
(1) To faulty m aterial control, i. e., the lack of economy in the
use of raw m aterials, haphazard m ethods of planning delivery of
supplies, resulting in delays for w ant of m aterials, and the specu­
lative purchasing of raw m aterials, etc.
(2) To faulty design control, resulting in a lack of standardiza­
tion of the product. For example, in the building industry stand­
ardization of the thickness of certain walls m ight mean a saving of
some $600 in the cost of the average house. The standardization
of newspaper columns to one size would make possible an annual
saving of three to five million dollars on composition and plates
alone.
(3) To faulty production control, i. e., lack of effective planning
of flow of m aterial to operators.
It is found that at least 10 hours per week per man is thrown away on energywasting and time-wasting work resulting from lack of shop methods, while an addi­
tional two or three hours per man per week are wasted in unnecessary work.
Fixing the value of annual output in the men’s ready-made clothing industry at
$600,000,000, it should he relatively easy to save three-quarters of a million dollars a
day, an increase of 40 per cent in effectiveness.

(4) To lack of cost control. The m ajority of plants studied
lacked a knowledge of costs and have no cost control, therefore
having no adequate m ethod of judging fairly and accurately when
improvements are needed and when waste is occurring.
(5) To lack of research. Need for more intensive research ac­
tiv ity is apparent in every industry.
(6) To faulty labor control.
With perhaps two or three exceptions, shoe shops have no departments maintaining
modem personnel relations with the employees. Thus the worker has no unbiased
means of approach to his employer, and the employer lacks the means for treating ivith
his own employees. Among the plants studied, only a few have effective employ­
ment methods. Fewer keep a recoid and make an analysis of the reason why men
quit.- Men are usually discharged or quit work without any executive knowing the
reason why. No steps are taken to correct the conditions that bring about so many
expensive separations from the working force.
A high labor turnover is a rough index of one of the common wastes resulting from
inadequate labor management. No facts •are available to show the extent of labor
turnover as an unavoidable element in industrial waste. The accessible data are not
comparable for no common method of computation and analysis has been followed.
However, this is an important factor of labor waste because of its magnitude and
because of the expense involved in training new workers to take the place of those
who leave.
In the shoe industry the cost of training an inexperienced man for cutting upper
leather in a well-managed shop is $576; for a semiexperienced man, $450; and to install
an experienced man in a different shop costs $50. For the average shop these figures
are unquestionably low.
The average labor turnover for the year 1920 in the metal trades plants covered
(wherever records were kept, which was the case in less than half of the plants), was
was 160 per cent—figured in most cases as the ratio between the number of “ separa­
tions” and the average number of employees on the pay roll. The highest turnover
was 366 per cent.
The building trades have given little consideration to the subject of labor turnover.
In construction work it is particularly difficult to estimate the extent, because the ac­
tual percentage of turnover constantly varies as the building progresses and the number
of men is increased and later decreased. Men quit for such reasons as the type of work
they are to perform, the risk involved in the particular work, and unfair treatment by
foremen. They are discharged for lack of work, incompetence, laziness, causing


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M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW .

trouble, or sometimes because there are better men available. The labor turnover
and service records of typical contractors show large losses.
Employment managers are rarely employed even upon the largest jobs, and “ hiring
and firing” is at the will of the foreman or superintendent.
Another fault in labor control is improper or inadequate rate setting. In negotia­
tions and controversies between employer and operator in the shoe industry, what
stands out is the lack of knowledge of facts which can be used as a basis for se ting
rates.
In a shoe factory, for example, with the adoption of a new' style new rates have to be
set. The operatives through their agent make a guess at the time demanded and there­
fore the proper rate to set. The manufacturer makes a similar guess. His estimate
is usually lower than that of the operators. A compromise is made, based not on facts
but on the argumentative ability of the two parties. If the rate is set too high, it
means unequal payments to the workers or else cutting rates later on. This policy is
responsible for much of the friction in the shoe industry.

(7) To ineffective workm anship.
Still another loss resulting In low production arises from inefficient workmanship.
For much of this management is responsible through failure to provide opportunities
for education or special training. Management can not, however, do more than pro­
vide these facilities, and experience has shown that it is difficult to interest workmen
in training courses which are designed to increase effectiveness. Further, much
ineffective workmanship arises from lack of interest in work or lack of pride in good
workmanship. The field reports give no evaluation of spoilage, which is one of the
measures of this form of waste.

(8) To faulty sales policies, i. e., the cancellation of orders, and the
return of unsold goods.
Interrupted Production.

This cause of waste has three phases—idle men, idle m aterial, and
idle plant and equipm ent. The com m ittee’s discussion of waste due
to idle men is here reproduced:
(1) M in im u m u n e m p lo y m e n t.— The amount of idleness or unemployment in industry
can only be evaluated through rough estimates. There is no national machinery for
collecting the facts.
But in the best years, even the phenominal years of 1917 and 1918 at the climax of
war-time industrial activities, v'hen plants were working to capacity and when unem­
ployment reached its lowest point in 20 years, there was a margin of unemployment
amounting to more than a million men. This margin is fairly permanent; seemingly
one or more wage earners out of every forty are always out of work.
This unemployment means for the worker a loss in wages, for industry increased
overhead due to idle equipment and idle materials, and for the public a lessened
purchasing power, with all its attendant evils.
(2) U n e m p lo y m e n t c a u se d b y in d u s tr ia l d e p r e s s io n s . —During periods of industrial and
business depressions, unemployment reaches its greatest amount. Such depressions
appear more or less regularly at 7 or 10 year periods and each brings its increase of
unemployment and wastage of the productive capacity of industry.
In January, 1921, a nation-wide survey of employment made by the United States
Employment Service of the Department of Labor showed that there were 6,070,648
workers then employed in industry as compared with 9,402,000 in January of 1920, a
decrease of 3,331,352 or approximately 35.5 per cent. This survey covered 35 States
and 182 industrial cities and centers and may be considered as fairly reflecting con­
ditions at that time.
(3) I n te r m itte n t u n e m p lo y m e n t. —In addition to minimum, and climacteric unemploy­
ment, many essential industries show a high unemployment or idleness once a year or
oftener. Practically all industries are in a sense seasonal.
To present a few examples: The clothing worker is idle about 31 per cent of the year;
the average shoemaker spends only 65 per cent of his time at work; the building trades
workman is employed only about 190 clays in the year or approximately 63 per cent of
his time; the textile industry seemingly has regular intervals of slack tim e; during the
past 30 years bituminous coal miners were idle an average of 93 possible working days
per year.


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ENGINEERS* REPORT ON INDUSTRIAL WASTE.

11

During the exceptional year of 1919 m the paper box industry 4,311 employees in
^ estabhshments averaged 90 per cent of full time; in the women’s clothing industry
6>772 women workers employed m 157 establishments averaged 91 per cent- in the
confectionery mdustrv 12,152 workers in 101 establishments averaged 87 per cent!!Vthe d e ra il industry 0,546 Workers in 129 establishments averaged 87 per cent
ot full time. In the brick, chemical and glass industries the percentage of full time
much lar ui-86’ 84’
87’ resPectlvelT- ln most years the percentage of lost days is
. J o t only does intermittent unemployment reduce the productive capacity of the
industry m which it exists but it brings other wastes. One consequence is a concrete
but fallacious industrial philosophy, the “ make work” or “ lump of work” theory
lins is the belief that there is only so much work to be done, and that the sensible
or to uphoid10rice°t0
productlon to make emPloyment last throughout the year,
(4)
U n e m p lo y m e n t d u e to la b o r d istu r b a n c e s.— A n other form of unemployment comes
from open conflict between management and labor. Here it should be said that in
the past, at least, the amount of Waste from the general run of strikes and lockouts
through loss of wages and curtailment of production has been less than is Popularly
supposed. 1 hat these disturbances do produce unemployment is true, but in the
industries studied they do not of themselves appear to constitute a major source of
reauced production. Ihe ramifications of such strikes with their attendant and indi­
rect losses the committee has been unable to trace.
Such labor disturbances are either strikes or lockouts. As it is difficult to distingmsh between them, and the industrial effects are practically the same, it has seemed
best m this summary to deal only with strikes.
More than one-half of all the strikes that occurred between 1881 and 1905 1and more
than one-half of the employees thrown out of work were in highly irregular or dis­
tinctly seasonal occupations.
^
. Sllice most strikes occur in seasonal employments, it can be deduced that output
is not necessarily penalized, for it is often possible to make up the losses incurred bv
strikes through increased production at other times.
^
More coal was mined m 1910 than in 1911, although the former year witnessed many
protracted strikes involving large numbers of employees. The year 1912 with 47
per cent of the entire labor force out on strike and with an average loss per man of
40 days, showed an increased output of coal per man per day and per year and 6
days more employment than in 1911, which was relatively strikeless.
The total production was also more. Low production in 1914 and" 1915 was due to
general business depression caused by the World War rather than to strikes.
In L ew \o rk State m 1916 two days were lost per capita per year of those classed as
gainfully employed because of strikes. This was a loss only one-fifth as serious as
average time lost through illness. In the same State in 1918 about 32 per cent of the
rime lost from strikes and lockouts was in the building and clothing industries.
In addition to the direct loss of time, however, there is a loss incurred through
retarded production previous to and immediately following strikes.
Wages and hours have always been the chief cause of strikes. ’ There has been a
marked falling off m the relative number of strikes for this cause in recent years as
compared with 1898-1905.
Jurisdictional disputes that is, strikes by the members of one trade against the
performance of work which they regard as belonging to their craft by members of
some other craft or trade—are relatively unimportant. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
reports there were 19 such strikes m 1916, 21 in 1917, 16 in 1918, and 15 in ] 919. How­
ever, there are disputes constantly arising which, while they do not lead to formal
strikes Work demoralization and are a fertile source of inefficient use of labor.
In the building trades jurisdictional quarrels represent one-quarter of the total
number of strikes.
Restricted Production.

Production is restricted, the report states, by owners and m anage­
m ent and by labor. An example of restriction by owners and m an­
agem ent is taken from the building trades, in which contractors,
builders, and supply dealers have restricted production by m aintainmg high prices, by collusion in bidding, and unfair practices. A t
1There

are com plete statistics for these years.


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M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

tim es there has been collusion betw een employers and labor, tending
to raise prices unduly.
The workers, the com m ittee says, restrict o u tp u t by individual and
collective action. Individual o u tp u t is restricted in two ways. “ On
the one hand, when workers are scarce the less conscientious workers
become independent and slacken speed, whereas when workers are
plentiful they work w ith greater diligence and care for fear of unem ­
ploym ent. On the other hand, the dread of unem ploym ent is so
pronounced th a t employees engaged in seasonal enterprises frequently
restric t production in order to m ake em ploym ent last longer; some
workers, moreover, through consideration of th eir fellow employees,
lim it production to provide work for them , a practice which u lti­
m ately results in an economic loss.”
Important restrictions of output by employees can only result from collective action.
In the building trades, for instance, some painters’ unions do not permit of the use
of a brush wider than 4J inches for oil paint, although for certain classes of work a
wider brush is more economical. Plumbers’ and steamfitters’ unions prohibit the
use of bicycles and vehicles of all sorts during Working hours. Members of those
unions in some sections of the country demand that all pipe up to 2 inches shall be
cut and threaded on the job.

Restriction of output results from certain trade-union rules.
Many unions oppose production standards. The restriction of the
num ber of apprentices is common and in some cases seems to be
extreme and unfair. The rules of the building trades also object
to m any labor-saving devices.
Unions are charged w ith restricting the use of m achinery. Such
restrictions, says the committee, in so far as they prohibit the use of
the best and m ost efficient machines, constitute lim itations of output.
Union rules requiring th a t members of one craft union shall not
encroach upon another “ result in large waste and little benefits.”
Numerous illustrations are cited of restriction of o u tput through
division of labor. Carpenters’ helpers, for example, “ are prohibited
from using carpenters’ tools, requiring carpenters to do such work
as stripping forms from concrete. Experience shows th a t helpers
can do this more economically and as w ell.” “ Brick masons insist
on washing down and pointing brickwork when laborers can do it
more economically.” “ S tructural steel workers under certain rules
m ust bring the steel from the unloading point to the building site,
thus doing laborers’ work at high cost.”
Lost Production.

Loss of production, the engineers say, is due first of all to sickness.
“ The 42,000,000 men and women gainfully employed probably lose
on an average more th an eight days each annually from illness disa­
bilities, a total of 350,000,000 days. * * * I t has been estim ated
th a t the [annual] economic loss from preventable disease and death is
$1,800,000,000 among those classed as gainfully employed. ” * * *
“ There is experiential basis for the statem ent th a t this loss could be
m aterially reduced and leave an economic balance in the working
population alone over and above the cost of prevention of at least
$1,000,000,000 a year.”
Loss of production in 1919 due to accidents is estim ated to be
296,000,000 days and about $853,000,000 in wages alone. The total


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ENGINEERS

13

REPORT ON INDUSTRIAL WASTE.

direct cost of industrial accidents, including medical aid and insurance
overhead, is estim ated at not less than $1,014,000,000. These figures
do not include expenses incurred by workmen and not paid by the
employer or insurance company; overhead cost of personal-accident
insurance carried by workmen; cost of training new men to take the
place of those injured; and employment and welfare departm ent
expense in keeping track of injured workmen and their families.
The addition of these items would bring the total well over a billion
dollars per year. This calculation takes no account of the indirect
loss of production due to the stoppage or slowing up of work when an
accident occurs.
Experience indicates and authorities agree, that 75 per cent of these losses could
be avoided, with a saving in direct clearly ascertained losses alone of a quarter of a
billion dollars per year to employers and half a billion to employees.
An official of a large insurance company believes that by proper safety measures,
the waste due to accident in the building industry can be reduced 75 to 80 per cent in
two to five years of earnest effort, and that construction labor cost can be cut 3 per cent
by these measures. Another official estimates, from actual accomplishment in safety
measures, that a total of more than 12,000,000 days a year could be saved in industry
by the application of safety methods.
Responsibility for Waste.

C IN C E the m anagem ent is directly responsible for productive
^ results in industry, it is m anagem ent which has the greatest
opportunity and hence responsibility for eliminating waste. The
comm ittee places more than 50 per cent of the responsibility for
waste a t the door of m anagement. To labor, whose responsibility
“ is no less real, though smaller in degree, ” the comm ittee charges less
than 25 per cent of the responsibility. O pportunity and responsi­
bility chargeable to outside contacts, the comm ittee found, can not
be so clearly evaluated. B y responsibility the comm ittee does not
m ean m oral responsibility as ordinarily understood, b u t only th a t
responsibility which arises from the undeniable fact th a t a given
cause of waste can be removed only by a particular agency. This
assessment of responsibility on the p a rt of the comm ittee is therefore
an assessment of possible future performance, not of necessity, a
fixing of responsibility for past mistakes. “ We measure responsi­
bility not by the thing done b u t by the opportunities which people
have had of knowing better or w orse.”
The relative responsibilities averaged from all plants have been
evaluated by the comm ittee as follows:
R E L A T IV E R E S P O N S IB IL IT Y F O R W A STE .
R esponsibility charged against—

In d u stry .

M en’s clothing m a n u fa c tu rin g ..
B uilding in d u s try .........................
P rin tin g ............................................
B oot a n d shoe m a n u fa c tu rin g ...
M etal tra d e s ....................................
T extile m an u fa c tu rin g .................

63444°—21---- 2


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

O utside contacts
T o tal
(the public, tra d e
relationships, etc.). (points).

L abor.

M anagem ent.

P o in ts.

P er cent.

P o in ts.

Per cent.

P oints.

P er cent.

48.33
34.30
36. 36
30. 25
23. 23
24. 70

75
65
63
73
81
50

10.50
11. 30
16. 25
4.85
2. 55
4.70

18

28

4.95
7.40
5.00
5.83
2. 88
19.80

9
14
9
16

L499]

21
11
9
10

10

40

63. 78
53.00
57.61
40.93
28. 66
49.20

14

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

The comm ittee found th a t the average efficiency of m anagem ent is
m uch below the standards set by certain plants in which notable suc­
cess has been achieved. The variation between the num ber of points
assessed as waste in the best plant studied and the num ber of points
charged against the average of all plants is noted in the following
ta b le :
V A R IA T IO N IN W A S T E B E T W E E N B E S T A N D A V E R A G E P L A N T .

P o in ts charged
a gainst—
In d u s try .

B est
p la n t
studied.

Men’s clothing . v . . . . . . . k. . ..........................................................................
B u ild in g ................ ...........................................................................................
P rin tin g ...............................................................................................................
B oot a n d shoe m a n u fa c tu rin g . . .............................................................. . .
M etal trad es
.............................................................................................
T extile m an u fa c tu rin g ....................................................................................

Average of
all p lants
studied.

30.15
30. 50
12.50
6. 00
28.00

63. 78
53.00
57,61
40.83
28.66
49. 20

R atio of
best to
average.

1: 2
1: 1J
1:2
1:3

l:l*

Recommendations for the Elimination of Waste.

CTNALLY, the comm ittee has form ulated a constructive program
*
for the elimination of waste in industry. “ The policies recom­
mended are such as are already in successful use in the industries
and plants investigated.” Responsibility and opportunity for waste
elim ination are delegated to seven m ajor groups, namely, m anage­
m ent, labor, owners, the public, trade associations, the Government,
and the engineers.
To the m anagem ent the engineers suggest, first of all, the improve­
m ent of organization and executive control. “ M anagerial control,
when properly planned, extends its influence into every activity of
an industrial organization and plant, reaching m aterials, design,
equipm ent, personnel, production, costs, and sales policies and coor­
dinating these factors to common objective.”
To m anagem ent, also, industry m ust look for proper production
control and the elim ination of waste by shortening the time of pro­
duction. M aterial and work in process m ust be planned in advance
by m ethods which will insure their tim ely delivery to the machine
or operation where they are needed.
O ther responsibilities of m anagem ent include the balancing of
productive capacity and demand, necessitating a careful study of
norm al dem and; the elim ination of cancellations and the curtailm ent
of returns; the developm ent of purchasing schedules and the careful
control of m aterial purchased b u t not yet received; the correlation
of production schedules w ith sales policies, i. e., a carefully form ulated
sales policy determined from an intensive study of m arkets, thus
stabilizing production; adequate inspection control and the elimina­
tion of spoiled and defective work; m aintenance of plant and equip­
m ent in good working condition; uniform cost accounting; the
standardization of equipm ent, of m aterials and of product, and the
establishm ent of performance standards which shall be the basis of
a ju st m easurem ent of the individual worker’s performance and ad-


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[500]

ENGINEERS

REPORT ON INDUSTRIAL WASTE.

15

justm ent of his wage rate to his capacity; the use of system atic
measures in the prevention of accidents; consistent and "intensive
industrial research; and intelligent personnel direction.
The comm ittee places with m anagem ent the responsibility for the
adoption of m ethods of wage paym ent, “ equitable and ju st in their
basis, insuring a proper relationship between effort p u t forth and
results achieved by all who participate in the enterprise.” In this
connection the com m ittee emphasizes two im portant facts: (1)
Special wage m ethods are alm ost wholly futile in the absence of
standardization and system in the work; (2) production standards
and proper control of work will, w ithout any special wage m ethod,
accomplish a large p a rt of the desired result.
Owners, too, have a definite responsibility for elim inating waste in
industry, by assisting in stabilizing production.
The public’s responsibility is large. Only by public support can a
campaign to increase productivity succeed. The public is"in a degree
responsible for seasonal fluctuations because of the eagerness w ith
which it adopts style changes. Failure on the p a rt of the public to
distribute demand causes considerable waste. Public and semipublic
agencies m ay assist in the elim ination of waste by the furtherance of
public health and accident prevention. Collective purchasing agen­
cies m ay assist by educating the public in better methods of buying.
Labor has a definite responsibility for increasing production. Of
this responsibility the comm ittee says:
The needfor facts instead of opinions stands out everywhere in the assay of waste
from intentional restrictions of output. All concerned need to remember that sci­
ence is an ally and not an enemy, and that no policy can be soundly based which
ignores economic principles.
Ignorance of these principles lies at the root of most of labor’s restriction of output.
The engineers who made the field assays unite in pointing out that this attitude is
beginning to change. The change should be aggressively led, not allowed to drift.
Labor organizations have an opportunity to-day which may not soon occur again to
draft for themselves a new bill of rights and responsibilities. Unions are now great
organizations, with such funds and personnel at their disposal as would have seemed
fantastic even a quarter of a century ago. Their influence permeates the whole of
American industry, unionized or not. No service which they can render can be
socially more valuable than that of studying the needs of the industries in which they
earn a livelihood, and allying themselves with the technicians who serve with them
to increase production, which will inure to the ultimate benefit of all.
F o r sta n d a r d iz a tio n o f w o r k . —Labor should cooperate to prepare for and even demand
the determination of and use of performance standards.
This recommendation made by the engineer reporting on the printing industry
applies to labor in many other industries as well: The unions rightly insist "on reason­
able hours and the best pay obtainable, but to discharge a responsibility in eliminating
waste they should lend themselves to the greatest flexibility in the utilization and
economy of the sendees of their members. It is to the worker’s interest rather than
to his detriment that his services should not only be efficient but definitely recorded
and evaluated.
F o r ch a n g in g ru le s re g a rd in g r e s tr ic tio n s . —Labor should change its rules regarding
restriction of output, unreasonable jurisdictional classifications and wasteful methods
of work, thereby removing some sources of waste.
Certain restrictions probably have seemed necessary to labor as a basis for trading
with employers. This report is concerned with restrictions only in their relation to
waste. It recommends a revision in the light of the strength and standing of organized
labor to-day. The trading basis is not sufficient justification for union rules.
F o r i m p r o v in g h ealth a n d re d u c in g a c c id e n ts. —Labor is responsible no less than man­
agement for improving the health of the workers and for preventing accidents in
industry. Unions have accomplished much in protecting their members through
educational work in health and safety, but there is still much to be done, in coopera­
tion with management and community organizations.


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[501]

16

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

Periodical physical examinations and medical advice have resulted in a number of
instances in substantial improvement in the health and well-being of workmen. In
many cases, however, there exists a strong prejudice against such examinations. As
a result of this unfortunate attitude many workers live in subnormal health when
their condition is easily remediable.
F o r im p r o v in g in d u s tr ia l r e la tio n s .—Inasmuch as the organization of personnel
relationships in industry can only be accomplished through the cooperation of both
employer and employee, labor should assist in such work of organization and in main­
taining and utilizing the structure developed. Among the most important causes of
industrial discontentment are those connected with waste in industry, intermittent
employment, fear of unemployment, lack of scientific and accepted methods of
determining wages and hours, inequalities of opportunity, ill health and industrial
accidents as well as those caused by backward management and restrictions of output.

The committee recommends th a t trade associations be formed in
those industries lacking comprehensive organizations. The duty of
such associations lies largely in the field of standardization.
Government assistance is suggested (1) through the establishm ent
of a national industrial inform ation service—“ the great need for
complete inform ation w ith regard to current production and con­
sumption and stocks of every im portant commodity, is obvious to all
serious students of industry ” ; (2) through the establishm ent of a
body of principles for the adjustm ent of labor disputes—legislative
action on the recommendations of the President’s Second Industrial
Conference (1919) is recommended; (3) through the inauguration of a
national public health policy; (4) through a national program for
industrial rehabilitation; (5) through a nation-wide program of in­
dustrial standardization in cooperation w ith industry; (6) through a
revision of Federal laws which interfere with stabilization of industry.
In this connection the comm ittee says:
The largest area of waste lies in the periods of slack production and unemployment,
due to the ebb and flow of economic tides between booms and slumps. Studies of
industries as a whole show that we usually expand our equipment at the periods of
maximum demand for products instead of doing our plant expansion during periods
of slack consumption. While it can not be expected that all industry could be so
stabilized as to do its capital construction in slack periods, there are some industries
which could be led in this direction by cooperation with the Government and coop­
eration among themselves. This applies particularly to railways, telephones, tele­
graphs, power concerns, and other public utilities, and to expenditures upon our
municipal, State, and national public works.
As a striking example, in a seasonal industry such as coal mining, no adequate
solution regarding stabilization can be found except through organized cooperation
of operators, labor, railroads, and large consumers. Under existing laws as to com­
binations, such cooperation can not be carried out. Therefore, we believe that
Federal legislation is necessary permitting such cooperation under competent Gov­
ernment authority.
Conclusion.

TT IS impossible in brief space to outline adequately this sum m ary of
* the report of the comm ittee on elimination of waste, the first work
undertaken by the Federated American Engineering Societies, in
rendering public service. In the com m ittee’s own words :
It discloses losses and waste due to the restraint and dissipation of the creative power
of those who work in industry. It lays the foundation for knowledge of the destruc­
tive influences which have too much controlled in the past. From this knowledge
will grow the conviction that mental and moral forces must be added in a much larger
degree to the physical resources now employed if industry is to serve all who are
dependent upon its continuous and effective operation.
The committee realizes that before there can be a material reduction in the sum
total of waste in industry much earnest, painstaking work must be done. The solu-


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L502]

ENGINEERS

REPORT ON INDUSTRIAL WASTE.

17

tion of such a problem is not one of hours or days but of years. Fundamental changes
in our economic, financial, managerial, and operating concepts and practices will he
required. There will be need of both cooperative and individual effort. As regards
groups, each must frankly face its own responsibility and meet its own duties. Each
individual plant executive or worker must discover his own opportunities and then
accept responsibility for performance.

Increase of Labor Unrest in Canton, China.
H E vice consul in charge at Canton China, reported to the
S tate D epartm ent under date of June 7, 1921, a growth of
labor agitation in th a t city. A strike of mechanics threatening
the Canton-Hankow Railway, the Canton-Samshui Railway, the
Electric Supply Co., and m any sim ilar organizations was then pending.
The mechanics demanded increased pay, reduction in hours, im­
proved living quarters, and b e tte r sanitation. “ The mechanics7
union appears to be fairly well organized and of considerable
strength.“ Some concessions have been made to the demands of the
workers, who, however, are reported as being “ still unsatisfied.“
R ecent m ention has been made in the Canton newspapers of
threatened strikes of textile workers, tinsm iths, and printers. The
press is also emphasizing a very m arked general labor unrest.

T

Joint Councils in the Railway industry in Great Britain.1
N D ER the term s of an agreement made May 3, 1921, between the
railway companies and the three trade-unions organizing
railway men, a joint com m ittee consisting of two representa­
tives of each of the railway unions and six representatives of the
general m anagers’ comm ittee and the railway clearing house have
drawn up a provisional scheme for the establishm ent of joint coun­
cils, on “ W hitley“ lines, for the various railways or groups of railways
in G reat B ritain. The scheme is not y et final and agreed upon, b u t
it is not anticipated th a t any serious am endm ent will be made.

U

The scheme provides for the establishment of “ local departmental committees,”
“ sectional railway councils,” and “ railway councils,” composed of equal numbers of
representatives of the railway employees and of the railway companies concerned, and
having the right to refer matters upon which they can not agree to the next higher body.
The central wages board and the national wages board are also reconstituted, and put
permanently at the head of the new railway conciliation machinery.
The local departmental committees will “ be established at any station or depot at
which the number of regular employees in a department exceeds 100.” The objects
of the committees are to provide a recognized means of communication between the
employees and the local officials of the companies, and also to give the employees a
wider interest in the conditions under which their work is performed. The commit­
tees will consider, inter alia, hours of attendance, holiday arrangements, and sug­
gestions for improvements in railway methods and organization, subject to the proviso
that they shall not encroach upon the powers or decisions of any of the bodies referred
to below.
Sectional railway councils, to the number of not more than five, will be established
on each railway or group of railways. Each council will consider general departmental
subjects affecting certain defined groups of grades, every such group being allotted a
fixed number of representatives on the council.

1See B ritish

L abor G azette, Ju ly , 1921, p. 338.


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[503]

18

M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.

For each railway or group of railways a railway council will be established. These
councils and the sectional railway councils will deal with the local application of
national agreements relating to salaries, hours of duty, etc., apart from subjects to be
submitted directly to the central and national wages boards, as well as with certain
matters of railway administration.
The central wages board will be composed of eight representatives of the companies
and eight representatives of the employees, four of whom will be nominated by the
National Union of Railwaymen, two by the Associated Society of Locomotive Engin­
eers and Firemen, and two by the Railway Clerks’ Association. The functions of the
board will be to deal with subjects relating to salaries, wages, hours of duty, and con­
ditions of service of the classes of employees included within the scheme, or any ques­
tion relating to these subjects referred to them by the sectional railway councils or
railway councils.
The national wages board will be composed of six representatives of the railway com­
panies, six representatives of the employees, and four representatives of the users of
railways, with an independent chairman appointed by the Government. One of the
representatives of the users of the railways will be nominated by the parliamentary
committee of the Trade-Union Congress, one by the Cooperative Union, one by the
Associated Chambers of Commerce, and one by the Federation of British Industries.
The national wTages board m il deal with subjects relating to rates of pay, hours of
duty, and conditions of service referred to them by the central wages'board, when
that board has failed to agree. No withdrawal of labor shall take place, nor shall there
be any attempt on the part of any section of the employees to hamper the proper work­
ing of the railways on account of any unsettled matter falling within the purview of the
central wages board before the expiration of one month after such matter has been
referred by that board to the national wages board, and the latter must, within 28 days
of any matter being referred to them, publish the result of their investigations and
consideration.
The scheme covers the staff in the grades agreed as being within the old conciliation
scheme, and, among others, station masters, goods, and other agents, supervisory staff,
and dock and tugboat staff. Shopmen are not included.

Labor Conditions in Holland, June, 1921.
H E Am erican consul a t R otterdam has reported th a t the num ber
of workers in the coal mines in H olland fell from 26,500 in Ja n u ­
ary, 1921, to 25,300 in June, 1921. There were over 2,000
workers in the lignite field in July-Septem ber, 1920; in June, 1921,
there were only 99. From May, 1920, to May, 1921, the num ber
employed in the R o tterd am H arbor was reduced from 11,400 to
9,000 and in the A m sterdam H arbor from 7,200 to 5,000.

T

The number of members of central trade-union organizations decreased since the
middle of 1920, the decrease being less for the Roman Catholic, the Christian National
and General Netherland Trade-Unions than for the Netherland Trade-Unions League
and the National Labor Secretariat. The latter decreased steadily, from 262.000
(April 1, 1920) to 218,600 (April 1, 1921) and from 50,000 to 35,600; for the two de­
nominational unions the figures were highest in October, 1920, viz., 158,200 and 76,800,
respectively, as compared with 155,600 and 75,600 in April, 1921; the number of mem­
bers of the General N etherland Trade-Unions League increased steadily up to January
1, 1921, when it totaled 52,000, and has since decreased by 400.

W ages for underground mine workers decreased after the last
three m onths of 1920 from 8.22 florins ($3.30 par) per shift to 7.96
florins ($3.20 par). Building trad e wages in A m sterdam have been
on the increase, the hourly wages in April, 1921, reaching 1.54 florins
(61.9 cents par), 1.26 florins (50.7 cents par), and 1.47$ florins (59.3
cents par) as against 1.17 florins (47 cents par), 0.94$ florin (38
cents par), and 1.18$ florins (47.6 cents par) in May, 1920.


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LABOR CONDITIONS IN HOLLAND.

19

According to the labor insurance figures, the accidents per working
day in May, 1911, were 300 as com pared w ith 368 in October, 1920.
Old-age pensions in accordance with the invalidity act and the transition clauses
of the old-age pensions act are naturally on the decrease, viz., from 109,600 and 202,000
m May, 1920, to 107,700 and 196,500 in June, 1921. The number of widows’ and
orphans’ pensions increased rapidly, reaching the 2,000 figure on June 1.

Unrest Among Government Employees in Italy.1
n n H E present acute unrest among G overnm ent employees in Ita ly
j[ is due solely to the inadequacy of salaries, which m akes it im ­
possible for civil servants to cope w ith the steadily increasing
cost of living w ithout lowering their stan d ard of living. ‘Discussions
w ith a view to im proving the economic situation of civil servants
were already under way in the spring of 1919, and a th re a t of strike
in April, 1919, induced the G overnm ent to grant to all civil servants
w ithout distinction a tem porary bonus of 1,200 lire ($231.60 par).
The relief afforded by this tem porary bonus was, however, of very
short duration as prices of all necessaries of life continued to increase
and the cost of living rose to new heights. Thus, in Jan u ary , 1920,
the employees in the postal, telegraph, and telephone services and
those in the operating departm ents of the S tate railroads subm itted
to the G overnm ent new dem ands for large wage increases. W hen
these dem ands were not granted in full each of these two classes of
employees declared a s tr ik e 2 which, although of short duration,
caused the public great inconvenience. The two strikes were called
off on the assurance of the G overnm ent th a t the dem ands of the
employees would be given fair consideration. A decree which came
into force on June 15, 1920, granted to all employees salary increases
in the form of new cost-of-living bonuses.
The progressive rise in prices during the subsequent year soon
caused the cost-of-living bonuses granted by* the Governm ent to
become inadequate, and in May of the present year the discontent
among civil servants assumed an acute character. They dem anded
the im m ediate granting of a m onthly cost-of-living bonus of 200 lire
($38.60, par) to all civil servants w ithout distinction of rank, retro­
active to March 1, 1921. The_ Government dem urred to granting the
same bonus to statu to ry officials and nonstatutory empl oyees alike
and also to marking the grant retroactive for all employees, proposing
to bring the bonus into relation to the salaries m such a m anner
th a t the higher salaried employees would receive a smaller bonus
than the low-salaried employees, the range of the bonus to be between
80 and 200 lire ($15.24 and $38.60, par). Purely financial reasons
caused the Government to insist on such lim itations, for the uncon­
ditional granting of the bonus in the form requested by the civil
servants, i. e., the m onthly paym ent of 200 lire to nearly 500,000
Government employees, would have entailed an annual disbursem ent
of 900,000,000 lire ($173,700,000, par).3
1 Compiled from various consular reports to th e D e p artm e n t of S ta te a n d from a n article in the ReichsA rb eitsb latt, No. 19, B erlin, Ju ly 15,1921.
2 See Monthly L abor R e v ie w , M ay, 1920. Strikes of Ita lia n G overnm ent employees, p p . 204-215
s Id ea Nazionale. R om e, J u n e 3,1921.


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[505]

20

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

W hen the protracted negotiations between the representatives of
the civil servants and the Government led to no satisfactory result
they were abruptly broken off and the employees of all public admin­
istrations w ith the exception of the postal and telegraph exployees
resolved to initiate a “ white strik e ” (sciopero bianco). The postal
and telegraph employees decided to use obstructionism as a means
for enforcing their wage demands.
The “white strik e ” consisted in loafing on the job, i. e., all employees
were regularly a t their desks during office hours b u t performed no
work. The obstructionism of the postal and telegraph employees,
on the other hand, consisted in insisting w'ith the greatest pedantry
on the observance to the letter of the smallest detail of all regulations.
The employees weighed all letters, and if they found even the sm allest
fraction of a grain overweight the letter was returned to the sender.
Registered letters and insured packages were subjected to the m in­
utest scrutiny, and if the smallest infraction of the postal rules was
detected the lette r or package was rejected. Only two deliveries of
mail were made in the largest cities. By these and similar measures
the public was inconvenienced in a very serious m anner. As con­
cerns the “ white strike,” high officials m ade common cause w ith the
lowest salaried employees, b u t the extent of the strike varied greatly
in the different Governm ent departm ents and bureaus, some of them
not being affected at all. In the m inistry of the interior, for instance,
the service continued under nearly norm al conditions. The “ white
strik e ” was m ost intensive in the m inistry of finance, the treasury,
arid in the auditing bureau, all of which were finally closed by the
Government.
The only class of civil servants which did not take p a rt actively in
the “ white strik e ” was th a t of the railway employees, their demands
having been granted in full by the Government shortly before the
declaration of the strike. They adopted, however, a resolution
expressing sym pathy w ith the strike of the civil servants. The
N ational Federation -of High School Teachers declared a one-day
strike on May 20 to show their solidarity w ith the civil servants.
A t the beginning of the strike it seemed as if the political allegiance
of the strikers played no p a rt in the m ovem ent. L ater on it became
evident, however, th a t socialistic elem ents were the prim e m overs of
the strike and also tried to m ake political capital of it, while other par­
ties, such as the clerical People’s P a rty and the Reform P a rty were in
favor of a peaceful settlem ent of the dem ands of the G overnm ent
employees. The Fascisti, a new nationalist p arty , expressed their
sym pathy w ith the civil servants, b u t resolved th a t the higher in te r­
ests of the nation prevented their participation in the strike.
W hen the strike and obstructionism had been in force for several
weeks the Government decided to have recourse to punitive m easures.
The leaders of the two m ovem ents were discharged in pursuance of
article 43 of the civil service law, and 4,915 employees who had taken
a prom inent b u t no t so intensive p a rt as the leaders were indefinitely
suspended w ithout p ay .4 The terrorizing in the central telegraph
office of employees willing to work w*as stopped by the closing of this
office and its occupation by troops. Only such employees were
4 Corriere della sera. M ilan, Ju n e 9, 1921.


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[ 506]

UNREST' AMONG GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES IN ITALY.

21

adm itted to this office as obligated them selves in w riting to the faith ­
ful perform ance of their duties.
Perceiving th a t it could not force the G overnm ent into acceding to
its dem ands, th e strike com m ittee on June 12 called off the strike,
issuing a declaration th a t the G overnm ent alone was to blam e for
the m ovem ent and expressing the expectation th a t the Parliam ent
would solve the problem and reinstate all discharged and suspended
employees.
Thus the m ovem ent has tem porarily come to an end. I t is ex­
pected th a t a bill soon to be discussed by P arliam ent will definitively
regulate the economic situation of the civil servants. This bill will
fix the to ta l am ount to be disbursed annually for the salaries, cost-ofliving bonuses, and other allowances of all civil servants and w ithin
w hat lim its the salaries are to be newly regulated, increased, and
apportioned. The present expenditure for salaries, about 5,300,000,000 lire ($1,022,900,000 par) shall, however, not be exceeded, and
the proposed increases in salaries are to be m et by a reduction in the
personnel of the greatly overm anned G overnm ent departm ents and
by their reorganization w ith a view to economy and greater efficiency.
I t is reported th a t the Italian G overnm ent is greatly interested
in the proposed reclassification and reorganization of the civil service
in the U nited States. The bill provides th a t the expenditure for
salaries of civil servants for the fiscal year 1920-21 shall n o t be in­
creased until the end of the fiscal year 1930-31, and th a t the superflu­
ous personnel shall be pensioned. The bill was approved by the
cabinet council on June 8 and is expected to be enacted by P arlia­
m ent w ithin the current year. In the m eanwhile the G overnm ent
employees will be granted a tem porary bonus varying in accordance
w ith their salaries.


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[ 507]

PR IC ES A N D C O S T O F LIVING.

Retail Prices oi Food in the United States.
rT ”',H E following tables are based on figures which have been received
by the B ureau of L abor S tatistics from retail dealers through
m onthly reports of actual selling prices.1
Table 1 shows for the U nited S tates retail prices of food on Ju ly 15,
1920, and on June 15, and Ju ly 15, 1921, as well as the percentage
changes in the year and in the m onth. F or exam ple, the price of
strictly fresh eggs was 57.3 cents per dozen on Ju ly 15, 1920; 35 cents
per dozen on June 15, 1921; and 42 cents per dozen on Ju ly 15, 1921.
These figures show a decrease of 27 per cent in the year, b u t an
increase of 20 per cent in the m onth.
The cost of the various articles of food,2 combined, showed a
decrease of 32 per cent in July, 1921, as com pared w ith July, 1920,
b u t an increase of 2.7 per cent in July, 1921, as com pared w ith June,
1921.
T able 1.—A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E S O P S P E C IF IE D FO O D A R T IC L E S A N D P E R C EN T
O F IN C R E A S E OR D E C R E A S E , JU L Y 15, 1921, C O M PA R E D W IT H JU N E 15, 1921, AN D
JU L Y 15, 1920.
[Percentage changes of five-tenths of 1 per cen t a n d over are given in whole num bers.]

Average re ta il price on—
Article.

U n it.
Ju ly 15,
1920.

June 15,
1921.

Cents.
48.6
45.0
35.9
28.5
19. 1
43.7
54.7
59.8
41.1
45.0
38.7
16.7
15.4

Cents.
40.0
35.6
29.8

Ju ly 15,
1921.

P e r cent of increase
( + ) or decrease(—)
Ju ly 15,1921, com­
p a re d w ith —
Ju ly 15,
1920.

Ju n e 15,
1921.

Cents.
40.2
-1 7
+ 1
35.8
-2 0
+ 1
29.3
-IS
- 2
21.6
20.7
-2 7
- 4
14.1
13. 2
-3 1
- 6
34.1
34.3
-2 2
+ 1
42.9
43.2
-2 1
+ 1
48.9
51.0
-1 5
+ 4
35.0
35.2
-1 4
+ 1
38.6
38.8
-1 4
-P 1
35.8
35.2
- 9
- 2
14.2
14.0
-1 6
- 1
15-16 oz. c a n . .
13.8
13.5
-1 2
- 2
1 In ad d itio n to m o n th ly retail prices of food an d coal, th e b u reau secures prices of gas a n d d ry goods
from each of 51 cities. Gas has heretofore been published in th e Ju n e issue, b u t appears this year in the
Ju ly issue. D ry goods appears regularly in th e A pril, Ju ly , October, a n d December issues of the Monthly
L abor R e v ie w .
2 The following 22 articles, w eighted according to th e co nsum ption of th e average fam ily, have been used
from J an u a ry , 1913, to D ecember, 1920: Sirloin steak , round steak, rib roast, chuck roast, plate beef, pork
chops, bacon, h am , la rd , hens, flour, corn m eal, eggs, b u tte r, m ilk, bread, potatoes, sugar, cheese, rice,
coffee, tea. The rem ainder of th e 43 articles show n in Tables 1 a n d 2 have been included in th e w eighted
aggregates for each m o n th , beginning w ith J a n u a ry , 1921.
Sirloin s te a k ___
R o u n d s te a k ___
R ib ro a s t............
Chuck ro a s t.........
P la te beef.............
P o rk ch o p s..........
B aco n .................. .
H a m ......................
L am b , leg of........
H e n s .................... .
Salm on, can n ed ..
Milk, fresh ...........
Milk, evaporated.

22


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

P o u n d ......................
.............d o ........................
.............d o ........................
.............d o ........................
.............d o .......................
.............d o ........................
.............d o ........................
.............d o ........................
............ d o ........................
............ d o ........................
............ d o ........................
Q u a r t .........................

[508]

PRICES OF FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES.

23

T able 1.—A V E R A G E R E T A I L T R IC E S O F S P E C IF IE D FO O D A R T IC L E S A N D P E R C E N T
O F IN C R E A S E OR D E C R E A S E , JU L Y 15, 1921, C O M P A R E D W IT H J U N E 15, 1921, A N D
JU L Y 15, 1920—C oncluded.
[Percentage changes of five-tenths of 1 p er cent a n d over are given in whole num bers.]

Average retail price on—
A rticle.

U nit.
!

B u t t e r ..............................................
O le o m a r g a r i n e .. . . . . .
N u t m a r g a r i n e ......................
C h e e s e ...............................................
L a r d ...................................................
C r i s c o .................................................
E g g s , s t r i c t l y f r e s h _____
B r e a d .................................................
F l o u r ..................................................
C o r n m e a l . . . ' . . ...................
R o l l e d o a t s ................................
C o r n f l a k e s . ..............................
C r e a m o f W h e a t .................
M a c a r o n i . ....................................
R i c e ..................................................... .
B e a n s , n a v y .............................
P o t a t o e s .........................................
O n i o n s ..............................................
C a b b a g e .........................................
B e a n s , b a k e d ............................
C o r n , c a n n e d ........................,
P e a s , c a n n e d ............................
T o m a t o e s , c a n n e d ..............
S u g a r , g r a n u l a t e d ............
T e a .......................................................
C o f f e e . . ...........................................
P r u n e s ..............................................
R a i s i n s ............................................
B a n a n a s ........................................
O r a n g e s .............................................

P er cent of increase
( + ) or decrease ( —)
Ju ly 15,1921, compared with—

J u lv 15,
1920.

Ju n e 15,
1921.

Ju ly 15,
1921.

J u ly 15,
1920.

Cents.
67.9
42.7
36.0
41.2
29.0
36.4
57.3
11.9
8.7
7.0
11.0
14.8
30.3
21.4
18. 6
11.9
8.9
6.7
7.5
16.9
18.7
19.3
15.2
2,6.5
74.4
49.3
28.4
28.2
46. 5
66.8

Cents.
40.2
29.9
26.8
29. 5
16.2
21,2
35.0
9.8
5.9
4.5
9.9
12.3
29.8
20.7
8.8
7.9
2.7
5.7
6.0
14.4
15.9
17.6
11. 3
7.8
68.3
35* 7
18. 5
30.9
41.6
49.9

Cents.
46.6
29.1
26.9
29.5
16.7
21.0
42.0
9.7
5.8
4.4
9.9
12.2
29.7
20.6
8.7
7.9
3.4
5.4
5. 5
14.2
15.8
17.5
11.4
7. 1
69.2
35.7
18.6
30.6
40.8
51.4

-3 1
-3 2
-2 5
-2 8
-4 2
-4 2
-2 7
-1 8
-3 3
-3 7
-1 0
-1 8
—2
- 4
-5 3
-3 4
-6 2
-1 9
-2 7
-1 6
-1 6
- 9
—25
-7 3
- 7
-2 8
-3 5
+ 9
-1 2
-2 3

+ 1
- 1
- 2
+ 3

-3 2

+ 2.7

P o u n d ..,.,..
........ d o ............
........ d o ___ . . .
........ d o .............
. . . . .d o ___ . . .
___.d o .. . . . . .
D ozen.............
P o u n d ...........
........d o . . .........
........ d o ___ . . .
........ d o . ..........
S-oz. package.
28-oz. package
P o u n d ............
........d o .............
........d o ___ . . .
........d o . . , -----........d o ..............
........d o ..............
N o. 2 c a n -----........d o ..............
........d o ..............
........d o ..............
P o u n d .............
........d o ___ ____
___ d o ..............
___ d o ..............

, . . . d o .............

D o zen ..............
. . . . d o .......... ..

A l l a r t i c le s c o m b i n e d 1 -

June 15,
1921.

+ 16
- 3
+ 0,4
0
+ 3
- 1
+ 20
- 1
- 2
- 2
0
- 1
- 0.3
- 0.4
- 1
0
+ 26
—5
- 8
- 1
- 1
- 1
+ 1

- 9

+ 1

0

1

1See note 2, p , 22.
Table 2 shows for the U nited States average retail prices of speci­
fied food articles on Ju ly 15, 1913 and 1914, and on Ju ly 15 of each
year from 1917 to 1921, together w ith the percentage changes in
July of each of these specified years compared w ith July, 1913. For
example, the price of potatoes in July, 1913, was 1.9 cents; in July,
1914, 2.6 cents; in July, 1917, 4.2 cents; in July, 1918, 3.9 cents; in
July, 1919, 4.8 cents; in July, 1920, 8.9 cents; and in July, 1921,
3.4 cents. As compared w ith the average price in July, 1913, these
figures show the following percentage increases: Thirty-seven per
cent in 1914; 121 per cent in 1917; 105 per cent in 1918; 153 per­
cent in 1919; 368 per cent in 1920; and 79 per cent in 1921.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 509]

24

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

2 .—A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E S O F S P E C IF IE D FO O D A R T IC L E S AN D P E R C EN T
O F IN C R E A S E O R D E C R E A S E JU L Y 15 O F C E R T A IN S P E C IF IE D Y E A R S C O M PA R ED
W IT H JU L Y 15, 1913.

Table

[Percentage changes of five-tenths of 1 per cent an d over are given in whole num bers.]

A verage retail prices Ju ly 15—
Article.

U n it.

P er cent of increase ( + ) or
decrease (—) July 15 of each
specified year com pared w ith
Ju ly 15, 1913.

1913 1914 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1914 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

Sirloin steak ................
R ou n d s te a k ...............
R ib ro a st......................
Chuck ro a s t.................
P la te beef.....................
P o rk chops...................
B acon............................
I la m ..............................
L am b , leg o f................
H e n s..............................
Salm on (canned)........
Milk, fresh ...................
Milk, ev ap o rated........
B u tte r ...........................
Oleomargarin e ............
N u t m arg arin e............
Cheese...........................
L a rd ..............................
Crisco............................
Eggs, stric tly fresh . . .
B re ad ............................
F lo u r.............................
Corn m eal.....................
R olled oats...................
Corn flak es...................
Cream of W h e a t........
M acaroni.......................
R ice...............................
B eans, n a v y ................
P o ta to e s.......................
O nions...........................
Cabbage........................
B eans, b ak ed ..............
Corn, c an n ed ...............
Peasj can n ed ...............
Tom atoes, c an n ed __
Sugar, g ra n u la te d ---T e a ................................
Coffee............................
P ru n es...........................
R aisins..........................
B a n a n a s .......................
O ranges.........................
A ll articles co m b in ed 1

P o u n d ___
........do........
........do ........
........do........
........do........
........do........
........do ........
___do..........
........do........
........d o . .. . .
........do........
Q u a rt........
15-16 oz.
can.
P o u n d ___
........do ........
........do........
........do........
........do ........
........do ........
Dozen.......
P o u n d ___
........do ........
........do........
........do........
8-oz. p k g ..
28-oz. pkg.
P o u n d ___
........do ........
........do........
........do........
........do ........
........do........
No. 2 c a n ..
........do........
........d o .....
........do ........
P o u n d ___
........do........
........do........
........do ........
........do ........
D ozen.......
........do........

Cts.
43.4
40.7
33.5
27.7
20.3
46.2
58.1
56.7
38.fi
42. 0
32.2
15.0
15.9

Cts.
48.6
45.0
35.9
28.5
19.1
43.7
54.7
59. 8
41.1
45.0
38. 7
16.7
15.4

Cts.
40.2 +
35.8 +
29.3 +
20.7 +
13. 2 +
34.3 +
43. 2 51.0 35.2 +
38. 8 +
35.2
14.0 +
13.5

34.8 34.2 45.9 52.6 62.8
41. 9
35. 7
21. 9 22.7 33. 0 33.5 43. C
15. 9 15. 4 27.4 32.5 42.0
38.9
29.9 30.2 42.1 49. 1 56.6
5. 6 6.2 9.9 10.0 10. 0
3.3 3.2 7.3 6.7 7.5
3.0 3.1 5.9 6.7 6.5
8.7
14. 1
25.2
19. 4
8.7 8. 8 10.7 12.9 14.6
19. 5 17.3 12.1
1.9 2.6 4.2 3.9 4. 8
5.1 5.3 9. 8
6. 2
17.3
19.3
19.2
16.1
5.5 5.2 9.2 9.2 10.9
54.4 54.7 59.9 65.3
29.8 29. 6 30. 6 30. 1 46. 2
16.0 16.7 26.5
14.8 15.1 17.3
39.2
53.4

67.9
42.7
36. 0
41.2
29.0
36. 4
57.3
11.9
8.7
7.0
11.0
14. 8
30.3
21.4
18.6
11.9
8.9
6. 7
7.5
16.9
18.7
19.3
15. 2
26.5
74. 4
49.3
28.4
28.2
46.5
66.8

46.6 - 2 + 32 + 51 + 80 + 95 +
29.1
26.9
29.5 -4- 4 A 51 + 53 + 90 -1- 88 416.7 - 3!4- 72 + 104 + 164 4- 82 -i21.0
42.0 + i + 41 + 64;+ 89 + 92'+
9.7 + 11 + 7/ + 79 + 79 + 113'+
5.8 - 3 + 121 + 103|+127 4-164 44.4 + 3 + 97 -f-123 ~r 11 / + 133 +
9.9
12.2
29.7
20.6
8.7 + 1 + 23 + 48 + 68 + 114
7.9
3.4 + ■37 + 121 + 105 + 153 + 368 +
5.4
5.5
14.2
15.8
17.5
11.4
7.1 - 5 + 67 + 67 + 98 + 382 +
69. 2 + 1 + 10 + 20 + 30 + 37 +
35.7 - 1 + 3 + 1 + 55
+
18.6
30.6
40.8
51.4

Cts.
26.4
23.2
20. 2
16.4
12.2
21.7
28.0
28.1
19.7
21.7
8.8

Cts.
27. 0
24.4
20.9
16.9
12.6
22.3
27. 4
27.8
20.3
22.0

Cts.
32.7
30.6
25. 8
21.9
16. 5
31.7
43.0
39.5
29.9
28.0
26.6
8.9 11.1

Cts.
42.1
40.3
33.3
29.1
22. 4
37.9
52.3
48. 7
37.3
38.0
29.6
13.2

+

2+
5+
3+
3+
3+
3+
2+
1+
3+
1+

24;+
32 +
28 +
34'+
35 +
46 +
54 +
41 +
52 +
29 +

59 +
74 +
65 +
77 +
84 +
75 +
87 +
73 +
89 +
75 +

64 +
75 +
66 +
69 +
66 +
113 +
108 +
102 +
94 +
94 +

84 +
94 +
78 +
74 +
57 +
101 +
95 +
113 +
109 +
107 +

52
54
45
26
8
58
54
81
79
79

i + 26 + 50 + 70 + 90 + 59
34
35
5
■
40
73
76
47

0
79

29
27
20

3 + 46 + 68 + 91 + 120 + 48

1 See note 2, page 22.

Table 3 shows the changes in the retail price of each of 22 articles
of food 3 as well as the changes in the am ounts of these articles th a t
could be purchased for $1, each year, 1913 to 1920, and in July, 1921.
3 A lthough m o n th ly prices have been secured on 43 food articles since Jan u a ry , 1919, prices on only 22
of these articles have been secured each m o n th since 1913.


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25

PRICES OF FOOD IFF THE UNITED STATES.

T able 3 .—A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E S O F S P E C IF IE D A R T IC L E S O F FO O D AN D A M OUNT
P U R C H A S A B L E F O R $1, IN EA C H Y E A R , 1913 TO 1920, A N D IN JU L Y , 1921.
Sirloin steak. R ound steak.
Year.

Chuck roast.

P late beef.

Pork chops.

A ver­
A ver­
Aver.
A ver­
A ver­
A ver­
age
A m t.
age
A m t. age. A m t.
age
A m t.
age
A m t.
age
A m t.
retail for $1. retail for SI. retail for SI. retail for $1. retail for $1. retail for SI.
price.
price.
price.
price.
price.
price.

Per lb.
1913..................... $0. 254
1914..................... . 259
191.5..................... .257
1916...................
.273
1917..................... .315
1918..................... .389
1919...................
.417
1920..................... .347
1921: J u ly .......... .402

Lbs. Per lb.
3.9 SO. 223
3.9
.236
3.9
.230
3.7
.245
3.2
.290
2.6
.369
2.4
.389
2.3
.395
2.5
.358

Bacon.
Per lb.
1913..................... $0. 270
1914..................... .275
1915..................... .269
1916..................... .287
1917..................... .410
1918..................... .529
1919..................... .554
1920..................... .523
1921: J u ly .......... .432

Per lb.
1913........................... $ 0 . 221
1914...........................
.229
1915.........................
.232
1916 ...........................
.258
1917 ...........................
.332
1918...........................
.359
1919 ........................
.426
1920 ...........................
.416

.295

Lbs.

Potatoes.
Per lb.
1913..................... $0. 017
1914..................... .018
1915..................... .015
1916..................... .027
1917..................... .043
1918..................... .032
1919..................... .038
1920..................... .063
1921: J u ly .......... .034


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Per qt.

Lbs. Per lb.
3.7 SO. 158
3.7
.156
3.8
. 148
3.4
. 175
2.6
.276
2.1
.333
1.9
.369
1. 8
.295
2.0
.167

6.0
7.1

Sugar.

Lbs. Per lb.
58. 8 SO. 055
55. 6
.059
66. 7 .066
37.0
.080
23. 3
.093
31.3
.097
26.3
. 113
15.9
.194
29.4
.071

Per lb.

11. 2 $ 0 . 056
11.2
.063
11.4
.070
11.0
.073
9.0
. 092
7.2
.098
6. 5
. 100

. 115
.097

H ens.

Flour.

Corn meal.

Lbs.

30.3 SO. 030
29.4
.032
23.8
.033
22.7
.034
14.3
.058
14.9
.068
13.9
.064

.081
.058
Tea.

Lbs. Per lb.
3.4 SO. 544
3.4
.546
3.3
.545
3.3
. 546
.582
3.3
3.3
.648
2.3
.701
2.1 .733
.692
2.8

[511]

12.3
17.2

Lbs.

1.8
1.8
1.8
1.8

1.7
1.5
1.4
1.4
1.4

Per lb.

.065
.044

Lbs.

Lbs.
4.8
4.5
4.9
4.4
3.1
2.6
2.4
2.4
2.9

B u tte r.

Lbs. Per dz. Dozs. Per lb.
4.7 SO. 345
2.9 SO. 383
4.6
.353
2.8
.362
.341
4.8
2.9
.358
4.2
.375
2.7
.394
3.5
.481
2. 1
.487
2.7
.569
1.8
.577
2.4
.628
1.6
.678
2.2
.681
1.5
.701
2.6
.420
2.4
.466

17.9 SO. 033
15.9
.034
14.3
.042
13.7
.044
10.9
.070
10.2
.067
10.0
.072

8.7
10.3

Lbs. Per lb.
8.3 SO. 210
7.9
.220
8.3
.203
7.8
.227
6.4
.319
4.9
.390
5.0
.423
.423
7.6
.343

Eggs.

Lbs. Per lb.

Coffee.

Lbs. Per lb.
18.2 $0.298
16.9
.297
15.2
.300
12.5
.299
10.8 .302
10.3
.305
8.8 .433
5.2
.470
14.1
.357

Lbs. Per lb.
6.3 $0.121
6.0
.126
6.2
.121
5.8
.128
4.8
. 157
.206
3.8
.202
3.7
3.8
.183
.132
4.8

Lbs. Per lb.
6.3 SO. 213
6.4
.218
6.8
.208
5.7
.236
3.6
.286
3.0
.377
2.7
.411
3.4
.447
6.0
.388

B read.

Qts.

. 140

Lbs. Per lb.
5.1 •SO. 160
4.9
.167
5.0
.161
4.7
.171
4.0
.209
3.3
.266
3.1
.270
3.0
.262
3.4
.207

L ard.

Milk.

4.5 SO. 089
4.4
.089
4.3
.088
3.9
.091
3.0
. 112
2.8
.139
2.3
. 155
2.4
. 167

3.4

Lbs. Per lb.
4.5 SO. 198
4.2
.204
4.3
.201
4.1
.212
3.4
.249
2.7
.307
2.6
.325
2.5
.332
2.8
.293

H am .

Lbs. Per lb.
3.7 SO. 269
3.6
.273
3.7 ..261
3.5
.294
2.4
.382
1.9
.479
1.8
.534
1.9
. 555
2.3
.510

Cheese.

1921: J u ly ..........

R ib roast.

Lbs.
2.6
2.8
2.8
2.5
2.1
1. 7
1.5
1.4
2.1

Rice.
Per lb.

Lbs.

33.3 SO. 087
31.3
.088
30.3
.091
29.4
.091
17. 2
. 104
14.7
. 129
15.6
. 151

11.5
11. 4
11.0
11.0
9.6
7. 8
6.6

15. 4
22.7

5.7
11.5

.174
.087

26

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
Index Numbers of Retail Prices of Food in tlie United States.

IN TA BLE 4 index num bers are given which show the changes in the
* retail prices of each of 22 food articles,4 by years from 1907 to
1920, and by m onths for 1920 and 1921.5 These index num bers, or
relative prices, are based on the year 1913 as 100, and are com puted
by dividing the average price of each comm odity for each m onth and
each year by the average price of th a t com m odity for 1913. These
figures m ust be used w ith caution. For example, the relative price
of rib roast for the year 1920 was 168, which means th a t the average
m oney price for the year 1920 was 68 per cent higher than the average
m oney price for the year 1913. The relative price of bacon for the
year 1919 was 205 and for the year 1920, 194, which figures show a
drop of 11 points b u t a decrease of only 5 per cent in the year.
In the last column of Table 4 are given index num bers showing the
changes in the retail cost of all articles of food combined. From
January, 1913, to December, 1920, 22 articles have been included in
the index, and beginning w ith January, 1921, 43 articles have been
used.4 F or an explanation of the m ethod used in m aking the link
betw een the cost of the m arket basket of 22 articles, weighted ac­
cording to the average fam ily consumption in 1901, and. the cost of
the m arket basket based on 43 articles and weighted according to
the consum ption in 1918, see M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for March,
1921 (p. 25).
The curve shown in the chart on page 28 pictures more readily to
the eye the changes in the cost of the iam ily m arket basket and the
trend in the cost of the food budget than do the index num bers
given in the table. The retail cost of the food articles included in the
index has decreased since July, 1920, until the curve is brought
down in July, 1921, to slightly below where it was in August, 1917.
The chart has been draw n on the logarithm ic scale,6 because the
percentages of increase or decrease are more accurately shown than
on the arithm etic scale.
1 See note 2, p. 22.

6For index numbers of each month, January, 1913, to December, 1920, see Monthly L abor R eview
for February, 1921, pp. 19-21.
e F o r a discussion of th e logarithm ic c h art, see article on “ C om parison of arith m etic an d ratio c h a rts,”
b y L ucian W . Chaney, M onthly L abor R e v ie w for M arch, 1919, pp. 20-34. Also, ‘ ‘T he ‘ra tio ’ c h a rts”
b y Prof. Irving Fisher, rep rin ted from Q u arterly P u b licatio n s of th e A m erican Statistical A ssociation,
Ju n e, 1917, 24 pp.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 512]

T abl e 4 .—IN D E X N U M B ER S SH O W IN G C H A N G ES IN T H E R E T A IL P R IC E S O F T H E P R IN C IP A L A R T IC L E S O F FO O D IN T H E U N IT E D ST A T E S , B Y
Y E A R S , 1907 TO 1920, A N D B Y M O N TH S F O R 1920 A N D 1921.
[Average for year 1913=100.]

Sirloin ound R ib Chuck P late Pork B a­ H am . Lard. Hens. Eggs. B u t­ Cheese. Milk. Bread. Flour. Corn Rice. P ota­ Su­
Y ear a n d m onth. steak. Rsteak.
toes. gar.
meal.
ter.
roast. roast. beef. chops. con.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

71
73
77
80
81
91
100
102
101
108
124
153
164
172
159
160
161
170
171
182
192
186
185
177
171
156

68
71
74
78
79
89
100
106
103
110
130
165
174
177
166
167
168
179
179
191
202
196
193
188
178
160

94
100
103
101
107
126
155
164
168
159
159
161
169
169
176
181
176
175
168
165
152

100
104
101
107
131
166
169
164
158
157
157
166
166
174
179
172
170
162
158
145

159
151
151
157
158
157
158

163
153
157
160
160
160
161

157
148
152
154
153
151
14S

148
138
141
140
138
135
129

100
104
100
106
130
170
167
151
152
152
150
157
155
157
158
154
152
147
146
136

74
76
83
92
85
91
100
105
96
108
152
186
201
201
178
180
186
206
202
194
208
219
238
238
210
157

140
129
130
127
124
117
109

171
156
168
177
167
102
163

76
78
81
85

91
91
100
102
100
106
152
196
205
194
186
186
186
191
195
200
203
203
202
202
196
176

76
78
82
91
89
91
100
102
97
109
142
178
209
206
187
188
190
199
206
215
222
223
225
222
212
186

81
80
90
104
88
94
100
99
93
111
175
211
134
187
215
204
192
191
189
185
184
177
177
185
183
162

81
83
89
94
91
93
100
102
97
111
134
177
193
210
197
210
215
224
221
216
211
212
214
207
201
189

84
86
93
98
93
99
100
102
99
109
139
165
182
197
240
199
161
153
153
155
166
184
206
234
250
268

86
90
94
88
98
100
91
93
103
127
151
177
183
194
190
196
199
187
175
177
175
179
180
181
162

171
166
155
164
161
159
160

180
179
181
183
181
182
190

141
131
124
116
106
103
106

200
201
203
202
194
181
182

229
139
121
99
97
101
122

159
148
150
145
111
105
122

74
77
83

100
104
105
117
150
162
193
188
196
196
194
194
194
189
186
183
184
184
ISO
176

87
90
91
95
96
97
100
100
99
102
125
156
174
188
187
188
187
183
182
182
188
191
193
194
194
189

175
174
176
169
143
133
133

183
173
171
167
162
160
157

100
112
124
130
164
175
179
205
195
198
200
200
205
211
213
213
213
211
207
193

94
102
100
205
198
113
192
227
213
217
220
217
217
217
223
230
233
230
227
213
197
183

193
189
188
184
177
175
173

203
197
194
179
173
179
176

173
167
160
153
150
150
147

All
articles
com­
bined.

100
101
104
105
119
148
174
200
208
210
211
214
215
215
214
210
202
185
163
152

105
111
112
101
130
135
100
108
89
159
253
188
224
371
318
353
400
535
565
606
524
294
229
200
194
188

105
108
107
109
117
115
100
108
120
146
169
176
205
353
324
342
340
367
462
485
482
416
333
253
235
191

100
100
101
100
101
102
145
158
165
165
165
165
165
165
165
162
153
146
139
133

100
100
100
100
107
119
129
135
132
131
135
135
136
136
137
137
137
133
135
133

82
84
89
93
92
98
100
102
Ml
114
146
168
186
263
201
200
200
211
215
219
219
207
203
198
193
178

137
121
113
106
101
101
100

176
153
147
135
129
159
200

176
162
176
176
153
142
129

129
126
125
123
121
120
120

133
131
131
129
129
126
127

172
158
156
152
145
144
148

88
92
94

95
102
109
108
102
105
100
104
126
135
211
203
218
245
245
245
242
245
264
267
264
255
252
236
221
200

Tea.

PRICES OF FOOD IN' THE UNITED STATES

1Q07
1908
1QDQ
1910
1Q11
1912
1913..........................
1914...........................
1915...........................
1916...........................
1917...........................
1918..........................
1919...........................
1920: A v .fo r y e a r..
Ja n u a ry ...........
F e b ru a ry ........
M arch..............
A p ril................
M ay . . ..............
J u n e .................
J u ly ..................
A u g u st.............
S ep tem b er___
O ctober............
N o v e m b e r.. . .
D ecem ber........
1921:
Ja n u a ry ...........
F e b ru a ry ........
M arch..............
A p ril................
M ay ..................
J u n e .................
J u ly ..................

Cof­
fee.

to
—
4

fcO
00

T R E N D IN R E T A IL COST O F A L L A R T IC L E S O F FO O D , C O M B IN E D , F O R T H E U N IT E D ST A T E S , BY M O N T H S, JA N U A R Y , 1913 TO JU L Y , 1921.
[Average cost for 1913=100.]

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

[514J
1913


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1914

1915

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

1921

PRICES OF FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES,

29

Retail Prices of Food in 51 Cities on Specified Dates.

A V E R A G E retail food prices are shown in Table 5 for 39 cities for
10 91 ^Ut /
io.r .JulT 15; 1920, and for June 15 and Ju ly 15,
1J21. For 12 other cities, prices are shown for the same dates with
the exception of July, 1913, as these cities were not scheduled by
the bureau until after 1913.
y
63444°— 21------ 3


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[515]

30

M O N TH LY LABOE REVIEW,
T able

5 .— A V E R A G E

R E T A IL

P R IC E S

O F T H E

P R IN C IP A L

A R T IC L E S

[The prices show n in th is table are com puted from reports sent m o nthly to the bureau b y retail dealers

B altim ore, Md.

A tla n ta , Ga.

B irm ingham , A la.

Article.

U n it.

Sirloin s te a k ......................
R ou n d s te a k .....................
R ib ro a s t...........................
Chuck ro a s t.......................
P la te beef...........................

P o u n d ..........
........d o ...........
........do».........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........

Cts.
26.0
21.5
19.1
15.9
9.4

Cts.
43.3
40.4
32.3
26.5
18.8

Cts.
36.5
34.5
27.7
20.5
12.8

Cts.
36.2
33.7
28.1
20.5
13.1

Cts.
24.3
23.0
20.0
16.7
12.8

Cts.
51,4
48.4
39.4
30.5
20.0

Cts.
39.0
35.8
30.3
22.1
15.0

Cts.
39.8
36.3
29.9
20.9
13.4

Cts.
28. 1
22.5
20.6
16.8
10.5

Cts.
46.9
43.0
34.7
28.5
19.3

Cts.
39.3
35.0
28.9
22.6
14.3

Cts.
38.9
35.0
28.9
22.5
14.0

P ork ch o p s........................
B acon..................................
H a m ....................................
L am b, leg o f.....................
H en s....................................

........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o . . . . . .

24.5
32.0
31.0
20.0
20.1

40.9
56.8
57.9
42.8
41.7

33.3
42.8
46.3
37.1
33.0

33.0
42.8
50.3
35.0
31.4

20.0
26.0
34.5
19.0
21.8

44.4
47. 4
63.8
43.8
48.6

31.4
35.7
53.2
36.2
41.5

32.3
36.0
55. 0
36.5
42.7

20.0
oö. 0
31.3
23.3
17.3

40.6
62.0
61.4
45.0
38. 0

30.8
47.9
50.5
37.3
33.9

31.5
48.2
52.5
38.6
32.9

Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
June Ju ly
June July
June Ju ly
15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921.
1913 1920
Ju ly 15—

31.2 19.2 19.3
35.2
. .d o ..........
Salmon (canned).............
Milk, fresh ......................... Q u a rt............ 10.0 25.0 20.0 17.5 8.8 16.0
15.2
15.0
14.7
Milk, e v a p o ra te d ..
17.3
15-16 oz. can
B u tte r . V .
............. P o u n d .......... 37.1 71.2 42.0 47.7 37.0 71.6
43.0
45.8
34.3
34.3
O leom argarine.................
.d o ..........

39.7 38.0 37.1
31.9 31.0
12.0 12.0 16.3 25.0 20.0 20.0
13.2 12.9
16.2 15.1 15.0
43.9 .49.5 39.0 73.2 40.6 47.0
45.0 33.7 34.5
27.9 28.3

39.0 28.0 27.5
35.7 25.9 25.5
40.0 29.7 30.3
N u t m a rg a rin e ................. ........d o ...........
Cheese. . .
.d o .......... 25.0 40.2 27.1 27. 8 22.0 41.5 29.2 29.8 23.0 40.8 27.7 28.3
15.4
29.2 16. 5 17.3
16.9
27.6
14.7
16.8
..........
.
.
.d
o
29.1
18.1
15.0
15.7
L ard
.......................
36.8 26.1 24.3
33.3 18.7 18.6
35.4 19.7 19.4
Crisco.................................. . . .d o ..........
Eggs, stric tly fresh .......... D ozen........... 22.6 50.0 30.7 36.5 25.9 53.0 32.7 38.5 28.3 52.7 31.4 36.2
B read .................................. P o u n d ..........
F lo u r................................... ........do ............
Corn m eal.......................... . .d o ...........
.d o ...........
Rolled o ats.........
Corn flakes......................... 8 oz. p k g ___

6.0 12.7 11.1 10.9
3.6 8.7 6.2 5.9
2.6 6.5 3.5 3.6
12.2 11.3 11.3
14.5 13.5 13.1

5.4 11.4
3.2 9. 1
2.5 6.1
10.1
13.6

9.2 9.2
5,9 5.9
3.6 3.7
9 5 9.7
11.1 11.1

5.4 11.5 9.6 9.5
3.8 8.9 6.6 6.5
2.3 6.1 3.2 3.1
12.2 11. 4 11.7
16.2 13.6 13.4

Cream of W h e a t..............
M acaroni............................
R ice.....................................
B eans, n a v y ......................
P o ta to e s ...”.......................

28-oz. p k g __
P o u n d ..........
........do..........„
........do............
........do...........

31.8 31.9 31.4
22.3 22.0 22.0
8 6 18.5 7.5 7.5

28.9 27.6 27.6
20.4 21.0 21.2
9.0 18.0 9.5 9.1

32.2 31.8 31.4
22.6 22.3 21.1
8.2 18.9 8.3 8.3

13.9 10.0 10.0
2 .2 10.2 3.9 4.2

1.7

O nions................................
Cabbage.............
B eans, b a k e d ....................
Corn, c an n e d ........
P e a s,c a n n e d .....................

........do...........
.. ..d o ...........
No. 2 c a n __
__.d o ............
.d o .........

9 .6 6.5 6 .0
9 .1 2.9 4.3
16.3 14.0 14.0
20.4 15.8 15.6
20.1 17.8 17.4

6 .3 6 .0 4 .8
4.7 4.5 4 .8
15.0 13.0 13.1
18.1 15.5 15.4
18.8 16.2 15.9

Tom atoes, c an n e d ...........
Sugar, g ra n u la te d ...........
T e a ......................................
Coffee..................................

........do............
P o u n d .......... 5.8
....... do............ 60. (J
....... do............ 32.0

14.6 10.1 10.3
29.1 7.9 7.3 4.9
92.2 91.1 89.8 56.0
52.6 33.0 33.1 24.8

15.0 10.1 10.2
14.3 9 .8 9.9
25.4 6 .9 6 .3 5 .5 27.9 7.9 7.3
70.4 65.9 65. 9 61.3 89.5 85.8 84.8
45.3 31.3 31.2 28.8 50.5 36.9 37.1

P ru n es............
R aisins................................
B a n a n a s .............................
Oranges..............................

........do............
....... do............
Dozen...........
....... do............

29. 7
24.9
36. 5
67.5

26.4
28.5
31.8
70.4

18.9
35.0
30.9
50.0

20.7
34.3
28.2
56. 0

11.0
7 .8

7.8
2 .9

18.1
28.9
30.5
55.4

7.6
2.7

18. 1
28.7
28.0
57.1

14.2
2.1 10.1

9.0
4.5

9 .0
4 .4

8.8 7.2
8.5 4.1 6 .3
18.2 15.9 16.0
19.6 16.9 17.3
21.5 21.2 21.1

30.0
25.9
47.2
62.9

20.8 20.4
32. 0 33.1
42.9 40.8
50.3

1 T he steak for w hich prices are here q uoted is k now n as “ p o rterhouse” in m ost of th e cities included
in th is report, b u t in th is city it is called “ sirlo in ” steak .


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 516]

31

PRICES OF FOOD IFF T H E U NITED STATES,
O F

FO O D

FO R

51 C I T I E S

O N C E R T A IN

S P E C IF IE D

D A T ES.

A s s o m e d e a le r s o c c a s i o n a lly f a i l t o r e p o r t , t h e n u m b e r o f q u o t a t i o n s v a r ie s f r o m m o n t h t o m o n t h ]

B r id g e p o r t ,
Conn.

B o sto n , M ass.

J u l y 15—

1913

1920

Ju n e
15,
1921.

J u l y J u ly Ju n e J u l y
15,
15.
15, 1 15,
1921. 1920. 1921. j 1921.

C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
C ts.
1 3 5 .8 1 7 1 .5 1 5 9 .9 1 5 9 .8
3 5 .8
6 7 .0
5 3 .5
5 4 .4
2 5 .6
4 5 .6
3 5 .8
3 4 .2
1 8 .7
3 6 .6
2 4 .4
2 2 .4
1 6 .1
1 5 .2
2 4 .2
2 5 .8
3 3 .0
2 5 .0
2 6 .2

8 .9

......

3 5 .5

2 2 .3
1 6 .0
3 7 .3
5 .9
3 .8
3 .5

9 .4
2 .2

5 .4
5 8 .6
3 3 .0

B u ffa lo , N . Y .

J u l y 15—

1913

1920

Ju n e Ju ly
15,
15,
1921. 1921.

B u tte , M o n t.

Ju ly
15,
1920.

Ju n e
15,
1921.

Ju ly
15,
1921.

C h a r le s to n , S . C .

J u l y 15—

1913

1920

Ju n e J u ly
15,
15,
1921. 1921.

C ts.
5 8 .2
5 4 .8
42.
3 3 .3
1 5 .6

C ts.
4 4 .7
4 0 .9
33. 8|
2 3 .9
1 0 .7

C ts.
4 6 .3
4 2 .2
3 4 .7
2 3 .6
1 0 .1

C ts.
2 4 .0
2 0 .8
17. (
1 5 .8
1 1 .8

C ts.
46. 42. <
35. 5
2 9 .0
1 9 .3

C ts.
3 8 .]
3 2 .8
2 8 .7
2 1 .0
1 2 .8

C ts.
3 9 .3
3 3 .6
27. S
1 9 .9
1 1 .2

C ts.
3 9 .8
3 6 .0
3 1 .4
25. ]
1 7 .7

C ts.
3 2 .1
2 7 .2
2 4 .9
1 8 .7
1 2 .6

C ts.
3 2 .5
2 7 .8
2 4 .8
1 7 .8
1 2 .1

C ts.
2 1 .8
2 0 .0
2 0 .5
1 5 .0
1 0 .6

C ts.
4 2 .5
4 2 .3
3 3 .7
2 7 .8
2 2 .7

C ts.
3 8 .8
3 7 .8
3 1 .4
2 4 .2
1 7 .1

C ts.
3 8 .7
3 7 .3
3 0 .7
2 4 .5
1 6 .5

4 6 .5
4 8 .9
5 8 .3
3 5 .6
4 4 .1

3 5 .6 3 6 .2
33. S 3 3 .9
4 8 .3 5 0 .5
2 9 .7 2 9 .1
3 8 .3 3 8 .4

4 2 .4
6 4 .0
6 4 .0
3 6 .5
4 2 .8

3 4 .2
5 1 .9
5 4 .1
3 0 .1
3 9 .2

3 4 .5
5 3 .1
5 5 .6
3 0 .5
3 6 .7

2 0 .0
2 6 .3
2 8 .3
2 1 .7
2 2 .2

4 4 .2
5 3 .5
5 7 .3
4 5 .5
5 0 .7

3 8 .4
4 2 .9
4 7 .9
3 8 .3
4 2 .9

3 8 .6
4 2 .3
4 7 .6
3 8 .8
4 3 .7

3 4 .2
13. C
1 2 .6
3 8 .5
2 9 .3

3 2 .5
1 3 .0
12.1
47. C
2 9 .3

4 4 .2
1 5 .6
1 5 .9
6 4 .8
4 0 .0

4 2 .3
1 4 .3
1 3 .5
3 7 .9
3 2 .5

4 1 .4
1 4 .3
1 3 .2
4 1 .9
3 0 .0

3 6 .8
2 3 .7
1 5 .3
6 8 .1
4 3 .9

3 4 .1
2 0 .7
1 2 .9
3 9 .1
3 0 .4

4 8 .1
5 0 .4
6 9 .0
4 6 .5
5 2 .2

3 8 .4
3 8 .5
5 6 .0
4 0 .2
4 6 .3

3 7 .3
3 8 .4
5 7 .8
3 9 .8
4 4 .9

4 2 .9
6 0 .0
6 9 .5
4 4 .6
4 8 .4

3 4 .3 • 3 5 .2
4 7 .4 4 8 .5
5 6 .2 6 1 .9
3 9 .0 4 1 .8
4 3 .6 4 2 .6

2 2 .3
2 5 .0
2 8 .7
17.1
2 2 .0

3 7 .2
1 7 .0
1 5 .8
6 8 .8
4 5 .1

3 6 .2
1 5 .3
1 4 .4
4 0 .0
3 0 .9

3 4 .7
1 5 .2
1 4 .1
4 6 .6
3 1 .6

3 8 .8
1 6 .0
1 5 .4
6 7 .2
4 0 .6

3 9 .3
1 4 .0
1 4 .0
3 9 .6
2 9 .2

3 9 .1
1 4 .0
1 3 .8
4 5 .2
2 8 .0

3 5 .6
8. C 15. C
1 4 .7
33. C 6 6 .2
4 1 .8

3 6 .2
4 1 .0
2 8 .8
3 5 .4
8 0 .1

2 7 .3
3 2 .0
1 6 .2
2 1 .0
5 3 .4

2 7 .4
2 9 .7
1 7 .0
21. 2
6 5 .1

3 5 .9
4 2 .3
2 7 .2
3 4 .2
7 2 .4

2 8 .1
3 3 .1
1 5.1
20. C
4 6 .6

2 5 .3
3 3 .0 20. 5
1 5 .7 1 4 .5
19. 4
5 4 .9 '¿ 8 .3

3 4 .5 2 6 .1 2 6 .2
3 8 .8 2 7 .9 2 8 .4
2 6 .9 1 4 .3 1 5 .8
24. 2 IQ 2 IQ 3
5 8 .9 3 5 .1 4 3 .3

3 9 .6
4 3 .1
3 3 .6
42 2
6 5 .0

2 9 .7
3 5 .7
2 1 .4

2 9 .6
3 5 .3
2 0 .8

2 0 .0
1 5 .0

3 9 .3
3 8 .9
2 9 .2

2 9 .0
2 4 .9
1 8 .8

4 0 .8

4 8 .8

2 5 .8

5 3 .6

3 1 .5

1 1 .3
9 .5
7 .7
9 .8
1 4 .9

9 .9
6 .7
5 .9
8 .8
1 2 .3

9 .8
6 .6
5 .6
8 .9
1 2 .1

1 2 .5
8 .9
9 .0
1 0 .6
1 4 .0

1 0 .8
6 .0
8 .2
1 0 .2
1 1 .4

1 0 .7
6 .1
7 .6
9 .9
1 1 .5

1 1 .3
8 .5
6 .6
9 .0
1 3 .2

8 .8
5 .6
4 .3
8 .2
1 0 .9

8 .8
5 .5
4 .2
8 .1
1 0 .8

1 4 .4
9 .2
7 .5
1 0 .1
1 5 .5

9 .8
6 .5
4 .9
8 .7
1 4 .3

6 .2
9 .7
6 .5
3 .7
2 .4
4 .8
8 .6
1 4 .2 ..........

1 3 .6
8 .9
5 .8
1 1 .3
1 4 .8

1 1 .3
6 .7
3 .1
1 1 .1
1 2 .9

3 0 .4
2 6 .0
1 9 .4
1 1 .0
8 .7

2 9 .4
2 4 .4
1 0 .4
7 .8
1 .6

2 9 .5
2 4 .8
1 0 .0
7 .6
3 .3

2 8 .1
2 4 .9
1 8 .4
1 1 .8
8 .7

2 8 .9
2 5 .0
9 .8
8 .9
2 .5

2 9 .0
2 5 .0
9 .4
8 .8
3 .0

2 8 .3
2 3 .1
1 8 .3
1 1 .5
8 .0

2 7 .9
2 2 .3
8 .3
7 .5
1 .2

2 7 .8
2 2 .4
8 .5
7 .8
3 .2

3 3 .0
2 2 .5
1 8 .9
1 2 .4
9 .4

3 4 .2
2 1 .7
9 .5
9 .1
1 .3

3 4 .2
2 1 .7
9 .3
9 .0
3 .7

3 0 .3
2 2 .3

3 0 .3
2 0 .3
6 .0
1 0 .2
2 .7

5 .9
8 .8
1 8 .3
2 1 .2
2 2 ,3

7 .4
7 .0
1 6 .5
1 9 .5
2 0 .4

7 .2
5 .6
6 .5
8 .4
1 5 .9 1 5 .6
1 9 .0 2 1 .9
2 0 .4 2 2 .2

5 .4
6 .1
1 3 .2
2 0 .1
2 0 .6

5 .7
5 .1
1 3 .0
2 0 .0
2 0 .5

6 .4
6. 8
1 4 .1
1 8 .4
1 7 .9

5 .5
4 .8
5. 7
4. 3
1 1 .5 1 1 .7
1 5 .5 1 5 .9
1 5 .7 1 6 .3

2O

1 5 .7
2 5 .7
6 9 .9
5 3 .3

1 1 .9
7 .5
6 6 .5
4 1 .4

1 1 .9
6 .7
6 6 .4
4 1 .6

1 5 .8
2 7 .3
6 8 .9
4 7 .3

1 1 .6
7 .5
5 8 .1
3 4 .9

1 1 .8
7 .0
5 9 .0
3 3 .5

1 5 .6
2 5 .4
6 7 .0
4 7 .3

1 1 .7
7 .4
6 3 .4
3 3 .1

2 8 .3
2 8 .6
5 6 .5
7 5 .8

18. 5
3 0 .7
50. 4
5 4 .9

18. 5
3 0 .0
48. 9
5 6 .5

27. 7
2 7 .7
48. 0
6 9 .9

1 8.1
3 1 .2
39. 4
5 3 .4

1 9 .1
3 0 .7
3 9 .8
5 4 .7

26. 7
2 8 .2
52. 4
6 4 .4

5 .6
3 .1
2 .0

9 .3
2 .0

5 .3
4 5 .0
2 9 .3

3 4 .0

5 .5
2 .2

1 4 .3
6 .9

20.0
12.8
4 3 .9
2 9 .3
2 7 .7
2 5 .7
1 8 .5
2 0 .4
3 7 .1

11.1
6 .5
3 .0

11.0
1 2 .7
3 0 .3

20.1
5 .8

10.1
3 .0

3 .1

3 .4

7 .7

5 .1

1 8 .9
1 8 .3

2 0 .5
1 7 .2
1 7 .2

2 0 .0
1 7 .2
1 6 .5

1 4 .8
1 9 .5
2 2 .2

1 2 .0
1 4 .3
1 9 .0

5 .0
4 .0
1 1 .9
1 4 .4
1 8 .8

1 1 .4
6 .6
6 3 .4
3 3 .3

1 6 .4
2 8 .6
7 7 .4
6 0 .6

1 3 .3
9 .6
7 6 .2
4 7 .9

1 3 .8
9 .1
7 6 .2
4 6 .8

1 5 .0
2 5 .8
8 0 .4
4 7 .6

1 0 .0
7 .0
7 5 .2
3 2 .4

6 .4
7 3 .8
3 2 .4

18.1 17. 7
2 9 .9 2 9 .9
48. 3 49. 6
5 4 .1 5 4 .7

2 16 7

3 2 .3
2 15 6
6 9 .7
4 1 .9

32! 5

2 6 .1

3 1 .0

4 5 .6

7L4

4 8 .8

2 Per pound.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

6 .7
7 4

1 1 .7

[ 517]

2Q 6
3 0 .9

5 .0
5 0 .0
2 6 .3

10.0

1 7 .7
3 1 .3
4 1 .9
5 1 .4

32

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW,
T a b l e 5 .— A V E R A G E

R E T A IL

P R IC E S

S i r lo i n s t e a k .
R o u n d ste a k .
R i b r o a s t ...........
C h u c k ro a s t. .
P la t e b e e f—
P o r k c h o p s . ..

B a co n ..............
H a m .........................
L a m b , le g o f .
H e n s ........................

U n it.

Pound.
______ d o ..
______ d o ..
............d o ..
............ d o ..
.d o .
.d o .
.d o .
.d o .
.d o .

S a l m o n ( c a n n e d ) ...................... ............d o ...................
M i l k , f r e s h ........................................ Q u a r t ...................
M i l k , e v a p o r a t e d ...................... 15-16 o z . c a n
B u t t e r ................................................... P o u n d ................
O l e o m a r g a r i n e ............................ ______ d o ...................
N u t m a r g a r i n e ............
C h e e s e .....................................
L a r d ...........................................
C r i s c o ........................................
E g g s , s tr ic tly fr e s h .

.d o .
.d o .
______ d o .
______ d o .
D ozen.

B r e a d ..................
F l o u r ...................
C o r n m e a l ...
R o lle d o a ts .
C o r n fla k e s ..

P o u n d ...
______ d o ______
............d o . . . .
............d o _____
8 -o z . p k g .

C ream o f W h e at.
M a c a r o n i .......................
R i c e .....................................
B e a n s , n a v y _______
P o t a t o e s ........................

2 8-oz p k g .
Pound...
............d o _____
d o ____
.d o .

O n i o n s .....................
C a b b a g e ................
B ean s, b aked .
C o r n , c a n n e d ..
P e a s , c a n n e d ..

.d o .
. d o _____
No. 2 can.
............d o . . . .
............d o -------

T o m a to e s, c a n n e d .
S u g a r , g r a n u la te d .
T e a ...........................................
C o f f e e .....................................

............d o .
Pound.

Prunes__
R a is in s . . .
B ananas..
O r a n g e s .. .

___do.
______ d o .

_____d o .
_____ d o .
D ozen.
------- d o .

J u l y 15—

TH E

P R IN C IP A L

C i n c i n n a t i , O h io .

C h i c a g o , 111.

A r tic le .

OF

Ju n e J u ly
15,
15,
1921. 1921.

J u l y 15—

June

Ju ly
15,
15,
1921, 1921.

A R T IC L E S

C le v e la n d , O h io .

J u l y 15—

Ju n e Ju ly
15,
15,
1921. 1921

1913

1920

Cts.

Cts

Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

2 4 .2
2 1 .3

Cts.

Cts.

47. 8
4 0 .9
3 5 .9
2 8 .0
1 9 .0

3 7 .6
3 1 .3
3 0 .0

2 3 .8
2 1 .3
1 9 .1
1 5 .2

11.8 11.

3 5 .5
3 2 .7
2 9 .1
1 8 .9
1 3 .4

2 6 .0
2 3 .0

1 3 .3

4 1 .3
3 9 .0
3 3 .7
2 5 .4
2 0 .7

3 6 .4
3 3 .2
3 0 .0

20.1

3 8 .4
3 1 .8
2 9 .5
1 9 .1

5 0 .4
4 5 .1
3 4 .1
2 9 .5
1 8 .1

3 8 .5
3 2 .9
27.
2 1 .3
1 2 .9

3 8 .9
3 3 .0
2 6 .6
1 9 .9
1 1 .5

4 2 .6
6 0 .1
6 1 .3
4 1 .5
4 2 .3

2 9 .8
5 1 .6
5 1 .3
3 5 .1
3 4 .6

3 0 .2
5 2 .0
5 1 .7
3 4 .3
3 6 .2

3 8 .8
1 5 .0
14.
6 2 .9
3 8 .7

3 6 .8 3 5 .5
1 4 .0 1 4 .0
1 3 .1 12.6
3 7 .2 4 5 .6
2 4 .9 2 4 .4

3 3 .1
4 3 .4
2 7 .7
3 5 .1
5 3 .4

2 3 .5
3 4 .5
1 5 .4
2 0 .7
3 3 .4

2 3 .5
34,
1 5 .6
2 0 .5
4 1 .8

1 2 .4
8 .3
7 .2

9 .9
5 .4

10 0

9 .1
1 1 .3

9 .8
5 .3
5 .9
9 .1

11.1

2 8 .2
1 9 .2
9 .0
11.6 7 .6
9.
3 .0

2 7 .9
1 8 .8
8 .9
7 .6
3 .6

1 6 .8
1 7 .3
1 7 .2

5 .5
6 .7
1 4 .6
1 4 .7
1 4 .9

5 .0
6 .3
1 4 .3
1 4 .7
1 5 .1

1 5 .2
2 6 .5
7 0 .2
4 5 .4

1 1 .7
7 .2
6 5 .4
3 2 .9

1 1 .9
6 .4
6 4 .2
3 3 .1

1 5 .3
2 6 .8
7 5 .3
4 3 .3

1 0 .9
7 .7
7 1 .0
3 1 .2

3 0 .7
3 1 .8
5 2 .4
6 4 .3

3 0 .9
4 2 .4
4 8 .9

20.2
15.
1 1 .3
2 0 .4
3 2 .7
3 2 .3

20.2
20.2

8.0
3 2 .3

2 5 .0
1 5 .1

1 4 .4

8 .7

2.1

2 9 .0
1 9 .3
1 8 .0

5 .8

8.1

5 .1
5 3 .3
3 0 .7

6.0

2 9 .3 1 9 .5
2 8 .2 3 0 .8
4 4 .7 3 9 .4
6 6 .7 4 6 .4

1913 1920

20.0
1 5 .9

1913 1920

20.0
1 7 .5
1 1 .7

20.6 4 2 .4 3 1 .3 3 2 .1 2 3 .2 4 6 .6 32.
2 6 .7
2 9 .7
1 5 .7
2 3 .3

4 7 .8
6 0 .5
3 6 .7
4 9 .3

3 6 .6
5 1 .5
3 4 .7
39.

3 6 .7
5 3 .0
3 2 .7
3 8 .8

3 0 .1
3 8 .0
2 0 .7

22.0

56.
6 5 .1
4 2 .5
46.

3 9 .0
3 6 .9 3 5 .0 3 5 .0
8.0 1 5 .0
1 5 .0 1 3 .0 1 3 .0
1 6 .0
1 4 .6 1 3 .6 1 3 .2
6 7 .2 3 9 .0 4 6 .0 3 5 .2 6 9 .0
3 9 .2 2 8 .4 2 8 .1
4 4 .1
3 4 .8

2 5 .8

2 5 .5

4 3 .3
5 2 .5
3 3 .3
3 7 .1

3 5 .9 3 4 .9
1 3 .0 1 3 .0
1 3 .2 12.8
4 1 .7 4 9 .9
2 9 .0 2 9 .1

3 5 .9 2 7 .3
2 6 .9
1 6 .5 3 0 .2 1 6 .8
3 7 .5 2 0 .7
2 9 .: 6 0 .2 3 4 .3

2 6 .6
2 6 .9
1 7 .4
2 0 .9
4 3 .3

11.6

9 .1

21.0 4 2 .7 3 2 .8 3 2 .7 2 3 .0 4 2 .1
1 4 .2
2 2 .4

4.

2 5 .7 1 3 .4 1 4 .0
3 4 .1 1 9 .8 19.
5 2 .0 2 9 .0 3 5 .9
1 1 .5

3 .3

8

6.0

2 .7

6 .3
1 0 .7
1 4 .1

3 .5

5 .2
6 0 .0
25.

1 9 .7
2 9 .9 ______
38.
45. 7 Í

5 .5
3 .2
2 .7

9 .1

6.0

6.0

4 .7
9 .5
1 2 .7

10.2
2 8 .5

4 .8

10.2 10.2

12.1

11.

11.2

1 6 .2

2 9 .6
1 8 .9
8 .7
6 .4
4 .3

2 9 .7
1 8 .4

2 9 .9
2 3 .3

2 8 .3

8.6

8.5 1 9 .3
11.6

8.2
6.

6.

9 .3

2 .5

3 .6

6.0

6.1

5 .3
1 5 .3
1 7 .7
1 7 .8

6 .3
1 3 .1
1 5 .2
1 7 .2

5 .5
5,
1 3 .2
1 4 .9
1 6 .5

6 .9
9 .3
1 6 .4
2 0 .5

5 .5
6 .4
1 3 .4
1 7 .8
17.

5 .4
5 .7
1 3 .4
1 7 .3
1 7 .5

30.
1 9 .4
1 8 .3
1 0 .7

2.2

9 .4
5.
3 .5

3 4 .0
4 3 .2
5 3 .2
32.
3 8 .7

8.2

22.0

6 .5
4 .3

10

6 .9
6 9 .2
3 0 .2
2 2 .5
2 5 .5
4 2 .8
4 9 .1

2.0

21.8

1 2 .5

21.0 21.2
8 .3

1 5 .8 1 2 .3 1 2 .3
7 .7
5! 3 2 8 .7
6 .9
5 0 .0 7 8 .2 68.0 6 7 .1
2 6 .5 5 1 .7 3 6 .1 3 5 .9
2 9 .0
3 0 .1
6 0 .9

68.8

1 7 .1
2 9 .2
4 9 .7
5 1 .4

1 8 .0
2 9 .4
4 9 .7
5 0 .8

. 1 T h e s t e a k fo r w h i c h p r ic e s a r e h e r e q u o t e d i s k n o w n a s ‘ 'p o r t e r h o u s e ’ ’ i n m o s t o f t h e c it i e s i n c l u d e d
m th is r e p o r t, b u t i n t h is c i t y i t is c a lle d " r u m p ” s t e a k .


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[51&^

PRICES OF FOOD IFF THE UNITED STATES,

33

O F FO O D F O R 51 C IT IE S ON C E R T A IN S P E C IF IE D D A T E S -C o n tin n e d .
Columbus,
Ohio.

D allas, Tex.

Ju ly 15—

D enver, Colo.

Ju ly 15—

D etroit, Mich.

F all R iver, Mass.

Ju ly 15—

Ju ly 15—
June July
June July
15,
1920. 1921. 1921. 1913
1920 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921.
Ju ly June July

June July

June Ju ly

Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

Cts.

42.9
40.1
33.0
28.6
20.6

Cts.

Cts.

36.5
31.8
29.4
23.6
14.5

36.8
31.8
28.5
22.8
13.8

22.8
20.8
19.7
16.3
13.2

Cts.

40.0
38.4
33.4
29.3
23.2

Cts.

Cts.

36.6
34.3
29.9
23.9
19.2

36.1
34.6
29.6
23. 7
19.2

Cts.

45.2
43.5
32.6
27. 1
15. i

Cts.

Cts.

32.8
29.1
24.2
18.2
11.3

Cts.

Cts.

25.3
23.2
17.8
16.2
9.6

25.0
20.2
19.8
15.0
11.5

Cts.

34.0
30.1
24.3
18.0
10.5

47.9
42.2
35.8
28.0
19.5

38.9
32.2
29.0
21.2
13.3

39.8
32.4
28.7
19.9
11.1

!35.5
28.0
24.0
18.5

39.6
52.9
60.0
30.0
38.0

29.7
39.5
49.6
38.0
35.2

29.5
39.5
52.7
35.5
35.2

22.0
38.0
31.3
22.0
17.8

41.6
57.0
61.7
45.0
38.6

34.5
48.2
52.3
39.0
31.8

35.0
50.5
53.8
39.0
30.7

20.3
31.0
33.3
17.8
21.4

41.7
58.1
63. C
37.7
40.6

31.3
46.4
53.5
32.4
37.0

30.8
47.7
56.9
32.3
35.6

20.6
24.5
28.0
17.6
21.6

45.6
55.5
65.3
42.3
47.4

33.1
40.3
54.5
35.0
38.2

35.4
41.3
56.6
36.0
38.7

22.5
26.2
32.7
21.0
25.0

36.6
14.0
14.8
66.1
41.3

35.1
12.0
14.7
39.3
27.5

33.6
12.0 ÌÓ. 0
14.5
47.7 36.0
26.5

39.4
20.7
16.7
65.9
37.8

32.5
15.0
15.4
41.1
19.0

31.9
39.6
15.0 8.4 13. C
14.7
14.3
44.3 36.4 61.9
19.0
43.3

38.3
10.8
12.7
37.0
31.9

38.3
38.9
10.8 7.9 16.0
13.9
15.7
43.6 33.7 67.5
31.3
44.0

34.9
39.9
26.3
34.9
48.4

25.3
24.9
12.6
21.5
25.8

24.9
38.0 29.0 29.8
36.0 27.5 27.6
25.9 20.0 40.1 30.7 30.7 26.1 43.7 30.9 30.8 20. 7
12.1 16.8 31.5 21.2 20.8 16.3 31.3 17.9 17.7 16.3
20.8
36.0 19.2 19.5
38.8 21.9 22.0
35.0 24. Ò 47.3 28.4 34.6 27. Ì 55.0 31.0 39.6 27. Ò

34.9
41.6
29.9
35.8
57.8

Cts. Cts. Cts.
m . 6 156.2 !56.2

59.6
40.4
32.6

44.1
28.8
22.3
15.0

44.1
29.2
21.8
14.0

43.3
51.6
61.9
40.7
52.5

33.3
39.9
50.3
37.5
48.7

33.1
40.1
52.4
36.6
47.8

37.5
13.0
13.7
38.8
29.1

36.2
38.9
13.0 9.0 16.5
13.4
16.1
46.8 35.1 66.5
28.4
42.0

36.4
13.0
15.1
39.7
31.8

34.9
13.0
14.9
43.9
31.0

26.8
28.1
15.1
20.5
36.3

26.4
36.9
29.1 23.4 41.6
16.5 15.2 27.1
20.1
34.8
43.5 38.0 76.9

30.0
31.6
14.9
21.5
51.9

31.7
31.2
15.1
21.5
55.7

11.6 10.4 10.3
8.5 5.6 5.5
6.6 3.8 3.7
11.6 10.5 10.4
14.7 12.2 11.5

5.4 12.0 10.2 10.1
3.3 8.5 5.6 5.2
2.6 7.0 3.9 3.8
12.2 11.7 11.8
13.9 13.4 12.9

5.4 12.2 10.3 10.3
2.6 7.2 4.5 4.0
2.4 6.1 3.4 3.3
10.6 9.6 9.4
15.0 12.7 12.6

5.6 11.7 9.4 9.4
3.2 8.9 5.8 5.8
2.8 7.6 5.1 4.8
11.2 10.4 10.5
14.8 11.5 11. 1

6.2 12.0
3.4 9.2
3.4 8.8
11.1
15 3

10.7 10.7
6.0 6.2
6.7
11.1 11.1
13 7

30.1 30.4 30.4
21.4 20.5 20.8
18.8 10.1 9.4
10.7 7.0 6.7
8.7 1.8 3.5

32.2 31.7 31.8
22.9 21.6 21.6
9.3 19.9 8.9 8.9
12.0 9.2 9.3
2.2 10.3 4.8 4.5

30.2 29.5 29.5
20.2 20.0 19.7
8.6 18.9 8.8 9.0
12.9 8.8 8.9
2. i 9.7 3.1 4.0

29.6 29.9 29.8
28.8
21.0 19.7 19.1
26.6
8.4 19.3 8.2 7.5 10.0 18.9
11.1 6.4 6.4
11.6
i. 9 9.2 1.3 3.3 2.2 8.9

29.9 29.7
26.0
9.8 9.6
7.5 7.7
1.8 3.1

9.1 7.5 6.4
7.4 7.8 6.9
16.3 14.2 14.2
15.5 13.4 13.7
16.9 15.5 14.9

7.8 6.3 5.9
7.2 4.9 5.6
9.1 5.4 5.5
8.4 7.3 4.9
19.0 16.3 16.4
18.2 16.6 16.3
21.0 18.0 17.7
18.0 15.3 15.1
24.4 22.2 22.2 ........ 19.1 17.9 17.3

6.4 5.7 6.3
9 3 7 1 7 9
15.4 12.7 12.2
19.5 15.3 15.7
19.0 17.1 17.0

6.4
7 3
16! 7
19.9
20.7

6. 7 6.2
fi Q
14.2
16.8 16.2
18.3 18.5

14.5 11.0 10.6
26.5 7.6 6.8 5.7
88.5 84.2 82.5 66.7
49.1 34.8 34.6 36.7

15.3 12.7 12.9
28.1 8.7 7.5 5.6
88.9 86.8 87.5 52.8
54.6 38.2 37.7 29.4

14.9 11.9 12.2
16.0 8.5 7.9 5.3
72.9 71.0 71.4 43.3
50.4 36.0 36.1 29.3

14.9 11.1 11.3
28.4 7.4 6.5 5.4
67.1 63.2 62.7 44.2
49.7 34.7 35.1 33.0

15.0
26.7
60.3
51.7

12.2 11.4
7.8 7.1
56.3 56.0
40.5 40.6

29.0
28. 7
51.3
59.0

28.8
26.9
44. 4
60.6

31.0
27.7
56.5
58.3

29.9
27.6
41.4
62.7

26.1
27.5
49.5
70.4

17.4
29.3
38.8
51.4

17.9
30.7
42.7
47.9

18.6
30.3
40.5
53.0


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

21.7
33.7
35.0
48.5

21.9
33.9
33.6
49.5

19.1
32.8
47.2
48.5

[ 519]

18.9
32.5
47.4
48.6

19.2
28.7
37.1
48.4

18.3
29.3
35.5
48.1

18.0
29.2
42.5
50.2

34

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
T able 5 .—A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E S O F T H E P R IN C IP A L A R T IC L E S
H ouston, Tex.
Article.

U n it.

Indianapolis, In d .

Jacksonville, Fla.

Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
June July
June July
Ju ly June July
15, 15,
15, 15, 15,
15, 15,
1920. 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921.

Sirloin steak ................................ P o u n d ..........
R ound steak .............................. ........d o ...........
R ib ro a st.................................... ........do............
Chuck ro a s t. . .
.d o __
___do............
P la te b e e f.. . .

Cts.
36.9
35. 2
29. 5
25. 5
21.2

Cts.
33.1
32.7
26.9
22. 5
18.0

Cts.
32.9
31.4
26. 5
22. 4
17.9

Cts.
25.5
24. 7
18. 2
16. 4
12.1

Cts.
45.2
44.6
30. 9
28 5
20. 2

Cts.
37.2
35.8
27.1
22. 2
14.3

Cts.
36.9
35. 8
26.3
21. 6
13.8

Cts.
41.4
38.5
29.9
24.1
17.1

Cts.
36.3
31.5
27.3
18. 8
11.3

Cts.
36.9
32.5
27.5
19.3
11.3

P o rk chops..................................
B a c o n .. ...........................
H a m .....................
L am b, leg of..
H e n s . . . .................

........do............
........do............
........do............
.do ..
........do............

40. 7
62. 4
55. 9
40. 0
40.0

33.3
52.1
51. 5
36.3
30.0

34.1
53.2
51.9
34.0
30.6

22.0
30.7
32. 8
21. 7
21.0

39. 7
53.4
62. 8
48. 3
43.0

31.7
41. 4
52.4
34.2
34.9

32.9 22.3 40.3
42.2 27.8 53.3
28. 7 57.9
30. 0 19.3 36.0
35.0 22.8 42.7

33.7
41.8
48.6
32.5
36.1

34.2
41.4
50.0
37.6
35.2

Salmon (can n ed ).......................
Milk, fresh....................................
Milk, ev ap o rated .......................
B u tte r.. .1 ....................................
Oleomargarin e............................

........do............
Q u a rt............
15-16-oz. can
P o u n d ..........
........do............

37.4
19. 7
15.9
62. 2
44.2

34.7
16.0
14.1
39.0
33.0

34.1
31. 8
16.0 8.0 14. 0
13.9
16.0
44. 9 33.2 67. 2
32.8
43.1

27.6
12.0
13. 8
38. 2
28.2

26.7
35.9 27.9
12.0 12.4 25.0 20.0
15.2 13.8
13.3
44.9 38.6 71.3 40. 0
27.8
43.1 28.6

28.1
20.0
13.6
46. 1
28.6

N u t m argarine............................
Cheese...........................................
L a rd ..............................................
Crisco............................................
Eggs, strictly fresh.....................

........do............
........do............
........do............
........do............
Dozen...........

37.5
38. 3
28.6
41.6
46.7

28.3
25.3
18.0
21.2
28.3

28.6
35.1
26.3 21.3 42. 3
18. 6 15.2 27. 3
19. 7
36.1
34.1 22.2 48. 4

26.2
29.6
13.0
21. 2
25. 8

39.0 29.8 29.3
25.8
29.6 22.5 39.4 25.9 26.0
13.3 15.5 30.3 20. 0 19.5
37.2 20.6 20.5
21.0
34. 5 30.6 56.8 34.3 41.3

B re a d ............................................
F lo u r.............................................
Com m e a l.....................................
Rolled o a ts..................................
Corn flakes...................................

P o u n d .......... 10.5 8.7 8.7
........do............ 8.8 6.1 6.0
........do............ 6.6 4.0 4.1
........do............ 12.0 10. 4 10.3
8-oz. p k g ___ 14.6 12.9 12.4

5.1 11.6 8.6 8.6
3. 2 8. 5 5.7 5.6
2.6 6.6 3.4 3.3
l i . 7 9.5 9.3
15.4 12.0 12.0

6.4 12.7 10.4 10.3
3.8 9.2 6.6 6.6
3.0 6.5 3.5 3.6
12.4 10. 9 10.9
15.7 12.9 12.5

Cream of W h e a t.........................
M acaroni......................................
R ice...............................................
Beans, n a v y ................................
P o ta to e s.. .1 ................................

28-oz. p k g ...
P o u n d i __
........do............
........do............
........do............

29.8 29.7 29.5
20.5 20.4 20. 8
16. 8 6.6 6.9
11.8 8.7 8.6
8.9 3.8 4.1

30.4 31.8 31.5
21. 9 20. 4 19.8
9. 2 19. 7 9.0 9.2
11. 5 6.9 7.2
2.2 9.9 1.9 3.7

31.0 30.6 30.1
22.0 20. 6 21. 7
6.6 16.8 7.3 7.5
13.1 9. 2 8.9
2.6 8.6 3.6 4.6

O nions..........................................
C abbage........................................
Beans,"”bak ed..............................
Corn, c an n e d ...............................
Peas, c an n e d ...............................

........do............ 6.1 4.9 4.6
........do............ 7.3 4.2 5.4
No. 2 can__ 16.6 13.2 12.8
........do............ 16. 5 13.1 12.6
........do............ 19.3 17.6 17.9

8.6 6.6 6.0
8.6 7.0 6.4
16. 6 14.2 13.7
17.1 13.7 14.3
16.7 14.6 14.7

8.8 4.6 5.1
8.0 4.1 5.6
17.0 13.3 13.1
20.3 16 6 16. 4
21.1 19.1 19. 3

Tom atoes, c an n e d .....................
Sugar, granulated......................
T ea.................................................
Coffee............................................

........do ............
P o u n d ..........
........do............
........do............

15.5 11.6 11.7
28.4 8.2 7.4 5.9
85. 1 81.1 80. 8 60. 0
51.1 38.8 38.8 34.5

14.9 10.0 10. 0
26.0 7.9 7.1
90. 9 86 7 87.6
55. 8 37. 2 36. 7

29.4
31 5
38.1
60.3

27.3
29 8
45. 7
10.0

15.1 10.5 10.8
26.7 7.2 6.8 5.8
77.5 70.5 71.6 60.0
46.2 29.7 29.7 30.0

P ru n e s .......................................... ........do............ 25.8
R aisins...........................
.. .d o __
25. 8
B ananas....................................... Dozen.......
40.6
Oranges........................................ ........do............ 56.1

18.1
32.6
34.7
46.1

18.1
32.2
34.7
47.3

20. 2
33 8 33,1
33.0 31 2
48.2

Cts.
26.0
22.0
23.3
14.0
10. 3

16 0
23 6
24 3
51.3

17. 3
23 8
28. 1
67.5

1 The steak for w hich prices are here quoted is kn o w n as “ porterhouse” in m ost of the cities included in
this report, b u t in th is city it is called “ sirloin” steak.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[520]

PRICES OF FOOD I FT THE UNITED STATES.

35

O F FO O D F O R 51 C IT IE S ON C E R T A IN S P E C IF IE D D A T E S —C ontinued.
K ansas City, Mo.

L ittle Rock, A rk.

Los Angeles, Calif.

Louisville, K y.

M anchester, N . H .

J u ly 15—

Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
June Ju ly
June Ju ly
June Ju ly
June Ju ly
June Ju ly
15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15.
15, 15,
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1913 1920
1913 1920
1913 1920
1913 1920
1913 1920

Cts.
24.7
21.8
17.8
14.9
11.7

Cts.
46.5
41.3
31.7
24.1
17.0

Cts.
37.3
33.4
26.9
17.9
11.7

Cts. Cts.
37.1 26.7
33.5 20.0
27.2 20.0
17.5 16. 7
10.8 13.8

Cts.
40.9
38.9
33.8
26.6
21.3

Cts.
36.3
33.8
29.8
22.9
16.0

Cts. Cts.
35.0 24.0
31.9 21.0
28.7 19.6
20.6 15.8
14.3 12.3

Cts.
38.0
33.2
31.4
22.4
17.2

Cts.
35.0
30.4
29.6
19.5
15.1

Cts. Cts.
35.9 23.6
30.0 20.4
29.3 18.3
17.0 15.6
12.7 13.1

Cts.
40.7
39.2
30.7
26.9
22.0

Cts.
33.5
31.5
26.4
21.2
16.2

Cts.
33.4
31.7
25.5
20.1
15.6

Cts.
<36.2
29.7
20.7
17.2

Cts.
<73.6
63.8
39.7
35.7

Cts.
155.2
47.1
28.1
23.9
18.0

20.4
30.6
28.8
18.5
17.8

39.8
58.2
60.6
35.5
38.2

30.6
50.0
51.2
31.8
30.7

30.2 23.3
50.0 37.5
53.1 30.0
32.1 20.8
32.3 20.0

42.5
57.9
63.2
43.0
36.5

35.0
49.6
52.7
36.6
30.3

33.8
48.9
54.2
36.4
30.3

25.4
34.0
36.7
18.8
26.4

50.7
64.8
68.2
34.7
44.0

38.9
54.2
59.5
30.8
41.1

39.0
54.4
61.7
31.4
39.8

40.2
52.8
59.5
38.8
40.0

31.1
37.4
47.3
34.0
31.4

34.6
39.8
50.2
30.0
31.1

20.7
24.0
29.2
21.8
24.3

46.4
50.4
62.6
42.6
54.2

35.
36.6
45.8
36.7
50.1

37.4
8.7 16.0
15.6
35.4 67.1
42.1

33.5
14.3
14.4
38.7
27.8

33.1
36.8 41.2 39.9
49.0 44.2 43.7
32.0 28.6 27.9
14.7 ÌÓ.Ò 20.0 15.0 15.0 io.o 18.0 16.0 14.3 8.8 16.0 11.0 11.0 8.0
14.3
13.7 11.9 11.6
16.1 15.0 14.7
15.9 14.3 13.9
44.7 39.4 68.1 43.3 45.9 37. Ö 69.0 43.8 50.6 35.3 67.3 40.3 49.9 38. i
28.3
44.3 33.0 31.3
45.2 31.9 32.0
43.0 28.5 28.5

40.7
16.0
17.2
73.3
43.0

35.6
15.0
15.6
44.0
29.

35.1 27.0
21.8 43.5 29.1
16.2 30.0 17.0
38.3 22.9
23. i 49.9 28.5

26.6
30.5 23.3
17.7 16.3
22.5
35.5 26.7

37.9
40.4
29.9
38.3
50.4

28.5
29.3
19.3
20.5
29.2

20.1
29.4
30.0
18.3
23.3

28.0
37.0 25.7 27.3
29.2 19.5 43.5 33.4 33. 3 21.. 7
18.5 18.3 31.8 16.8 16.7 15.4
35.5 21.2 21.0
20.5
35.7 33. Ó 57.6 36.0 41.2 22.1

35.2
37.4
27.4
35.9
49.6

26.8
25.3
12.7
21.3
25.2

27.0
33.0 26.3
26.7 2Ì.Ò 41.0 32.0
15.4 16.0 28.9 15.
21.5
37.1 23.7
31.3 32.3 70.8 46.4

6.1 13.2 9.8 9.9 6.0 11.0 9.5 9.5 6.0 10.6 9.2 9.2 5.7 11.1 8.9 8.9
3.0 7.9 5.6 5.4 3.5 8.7 6.2 5.9 3.6 8.2 5.8 5.5 3.5 8.1 6.1 5.6
2.6 7.9 5.0 4.9 2.4 6.2 3.0 3.1 3.2 8.1 5.2 5.1 2.3 6.0 2.6 2.6
12.6 10.0 10.4
12.0 11.5 11.7
10.9 10.7 10.6
11.0 10.2 10.2
....
15.9 13.1 13.0
14.4 12.1 11.9
15.9 12.5 13.1
14.0 12.7 12.6
30.3 30.5 30.2
30.3 31.8 31.4
29.3 29.0 28.9
21.1 22.4 22.6
19.7 21.8 21.8
19.1 17.5 17.6
8.7 19.1 8.6 8.6 8.3 18.1 7.5 7.4 7.7 18.1 9.7 9.5 8. i
12.6 8.2 8.3
12.4 8.4 8.0
10.3 8.0 8.0
i. 8 8.0 2.4 3.3 i. 8 8.7 4.0 4.3 1.7 7.9 3.5 2.5 2.Ò
7.2 6.3 5.7
5.6 6.1 4.3
17.6 15.1 14.8
16.0 12.8 13.0
16.9 14.9 14.9

7.3 6.3 5.7
8.3 5.6 5.6
16.3 14.1 13.7
18.3 15.4 14.8
19.0 18.2 18.2

4.7 4.0 3.7
4.0 3.6 3.9
18.4 16.3 16.0
18.9 17.1 16.8
19.6 18.2 18.1

6.1 11.3 8.6
3.4 9.4 6.3
3.4 7.9 5.6
11.2 9.
17.0 13.2 12.9

28.6 29.8 29.7
20.6 20.1 20.5
18.9 8.3 8.4
11.9 6.2 6.3
7.0 2.4 2.6

29.9 29.0
26.8 25.4
8.8 18.9 8.4
11,7 7.7
2.Ó 8.9 1.5

4.1 4.9 3.7
5.9 4.7 6.8
15.5 12. 7 12.5
17.4 15.6 15.8
16.8 17.0 17.1

5.6 6.8
13.0 7.5
17.2 15.9
21.1 18.9
22.3 21.5

15.4 10.6 10.9
14.8 11.8 11.7
215. 5 213.2 213.4
14.5 11.2 11.5
322.9 318.5
5.7 28.8 8.3 7.3 5.8 27.1 8.9 8.1 5.5 24.6 7.5 7.1 5.2 28.5 7.9 7.0 5.3 27.2 7.9
54.0 83.5 79.0 78.5 50.0 90.9 91.5 91.2 54. 5 75.3 68.9 68.9 62.5 86.1 77.8 78.6 47.0 63.0 60.4
27.8 49.8 37.1 36.7 30.8 53.1 38.5 37.6 36.3 46.4 37.2 36.2 27.5 49.1 34.5 34.1 32.0 51.5 38.2

—

29.1
31.3
55.5
60. 8

17.7
34.1
47. 5
50.2

17.4
33.5
51.1
53.7

—

28.5
25.8
<12.5
69.8

* No. 2£ can.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

21.3
34.0
<12.3
54.4

21.3
34.0
<10.7
55.0

29.9
25.9
<14.5
41.7

17.4
30.0
<13. 6
29.0

3 No. 3 can.

17.4
29.5
<14.8
28.3

27.9
27.8
43.3
57.2

22.6
30.0
39.0
46.4

22.2
29. 5
38.0
44.5

<Per pound.

28.6
30.9
<13.3
72.5

18.6
31.7
112.3
49.9

36

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
TABLE

5 . —A V E R A G E R E T A I L P R I C E S O F T H E P R I N C I P A L A R T I C L E S

Memphis, Tenn.
Article.

Sirloin steak.
Round steak.
Rib roast.......
Chuck roast..
Plate beef___

Unit.

Ju ly 15—

June Ju ly
15,
15,
1921.
1921.
1913 1920

Milwaukee, W is.
Ju ly 1 5 -

Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts

Pound.
....... do..
....... do..
.do.
.do.
.do.
.do.
.do.
.do.
.do.

Pork chops...
Bacon............
H am ..............
Lam b, leg of.
Hens..............
Salmon (canned).
Milk, fresh...........
Milk, evaporated.
B u tte r..................
Oleomargarine. . .

.do.
Quart
15-16 oz. can
Pound........
....... do.........

N ut margarine.......
Cheese......................
L a r d .........................
Crisco.......................
Eggs, strictly fresh.

.do.
.......do
____do.
____do.
Dozen.

Bread.........
Flour.........
Corn meal.
Rolled oats.
Corn flakes.

Pound.
.......do..
....... do.......
....... do.......
-oz. p k g ..

Cream of Wheat.
Macaroni............
R ice....................
Beans, n a v y ----Potatoes.............

28-oz. pkg.
Pound___
.......do.......
....... do.......
.do.

Onions............
Cabbage..........
Beans, baked.
Corn, canned..
Peas, canned.

.do.
....... do____
No. 2 can.
.......do____
.......do____

Tomatoes, canned.
Sugar, granulated.
T e a .........................
Coffee.....................

.do.
Pound.
.......do..
.......do..

Prunes..
Raisins..
Bananas
Oranges.

.do.
....... do.
Dozen..
....... do.

8


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

22.9
19.7
20.4
15.9

Cts. Cts

Ju ly 15—
1913 1920

June Ju ly
15,
15,
1921. 1921,

Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.

Cts.
24.2 43.6 3 3.1 34.7

32. 4
30. 0
25.8
18.7
13,

23.0 46.3
21.2 42,
18.8 34.6
16.6 29.
11.6 18.9

37.7
33.7
29.1
23.6
13 .5

39.5
35.0
28.9
21.
1 1 .7

20.0 40. 81 29.5
31. 4 59.3 42.6
30.7 62. 1 47.9
21.2 43.7 35.8
20.0 39.3 3 1.3

29.9
42.
5 1.2
34.3
3 1.5

20.0
28.6
29.0
20.5
20.6

43.1
57.7
56.7
42.2
39.1

32.8
45.1
47.5
38.1
34.9

31,
33.5 19.3 39.0 30.
45.4 27.7 58.9 44.5 45.7
49.3 30.0 62.8 49.2 51.8
38.0 16.5 36.3 32.4 3 2 .1
3 5 .1 19.2 35.7 29.6 3 1 .7

39.6
18.5
16.0
36.9 68.6
42.3

34.7
17.3 7.0
14.8
45,
3 1 .3
30.4

42.3
13.0
15.4
64.3
40.2

38.5
9.0
14 .5
36.6
25.7

46.2
37.7
9.0 7.0 13.0
15.9
13.
45.5 31.0 6 1.3
25.3
41.

47.0
42.6
35.7
28.7
12.2 24.0

33. 2;
30. 226.3
18.9
13.8

June Ju ly
15,
15,
1921, 1921.

Minneapolis, Minn.

22.2 39.4 29.4 30.8
25.9 25.4
20.5 34.
17.3 27.4 19.7 19.0
10.3 16.2 9.8

40.4
10.0
14 .5
35.0
29.0

41.0

37.6 26.6 26.7
25.2 24.5
33,
33.6 25.1
25.4 20.8 38.'7 27.2
15.9 27.8 14.8 15.8 15.6 29.3 16.
1 7 .1 15.4 28.4 15.0
36.3 19.2 19.3
36.0 22.2 21.0
36.3 2 1.7
52.2 30.3 35.5 23.: 48.1 27.9 3 5 .1 22.7 50.
29.1

25.2
27.6
16.0
2 1.7
36.6

37.4
17.3
1 5 .1
3 9 .1
29.2

20.0 39.1 25.3 25.5 21.0 38.7 24.

10.0

14.4
42.5
29.1

6.0 12.9 10.3 10.3
3 .5 8.6 6.3 5.9
2.0 5.7 2.
2.

12.3 10.7 10.7
15.4 12.
12.5

5.6 10.9 9.4 9.4
3 .1 8.7 5.6 5.6
3.0 7 .2 4.9 4.6
9.4 7.0 6.9
14.7 11.8 1 1 .7

5.6 11.1 9.6 9.6
3.0
5.9 5.9
2.4 7.4 4.4 4.7
8.5
9.5
15.4 12.7 12.5

30.1 29.2 29.2
19.5 17.4 1 7 .1
6.5 6.5
12 .
7.5 7.4
3.6 4.3

30.0 29.6 29.1
19.5 19 .1 18.
9.0 19.0 9.9 9.5
11.1 7 .2 7 .1
2.0 10.2 1 .5 3.9

30.0
3 1.3 29.
18.6 1 7 .1 17.6
19.6 8.5
11.8 8.3 8.3
8.7 1.5 3.6

6.6 4.
4.3
7 .1 5 .1 5.4
16.9 14 .3 14,
18.3 14.2 14 .1
19.2 15.9 15.9

11.0, 7 .5 7.2
15.4! 12.
12 .5
17.7! 14.
15 .3
1 7 .1 15.4 15,

8.0 17.4

6.1

6 .2

6.6

8.2

8.0

8.6

6.6

7.0 6.0
4 .1
5.7 6.
18 .1 16.6 15.9
1 7 .1 13.
13.7
17.7 14.8 15.4

14.
10.7
10.
1 5 .01 12.7 12.2
20.0 14.3 14.3
5.7 28.3 7.
7.3 5 .5 27.2 7.5 6.7 5.6 28.4
7 .3
63.8 96.2 89.5 88. 50.0 71.7! 68.7 68.1 45.0 65.5 65.3 64.3
27.5 53 .1 35.8 34.
27.5 47.0, 31.
3 2 .1 30.8 51.6 38.6 40.3

8.0

30.5
25.5
46,
6 1.1

2 1.3
34.
40.5
51.9

20.6
34.
38.2
51.9

28.5Î 19.1
29. 8| 29. 8
31 4 .7 812.0
. 9! 48.6

66

2No. 3 can.

i Whole.

[522]

19.0
30.1
>11.2

50.8

30.6 18.4
29.4 30.4
‘ 15. 3 312.7
67.9! 52.9

19.3
31.0
312.6

5 1 .1

37

PRICES OF FOOD I FT THE UNITED STATES,
OF FOOD FOR 51 CITIES ON CERTAIN SPEC IFIED DATES—Continued.
Mobile, Ala.

N ew ark, N . J.

N ew H aven, Conn.

New Orleans, La.

N ew Y ork, N . Y.

Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
July June Ju ly
June July
Tune Ju ly
June J u ly
June July
15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
15,
15;
1920. 1921. 1921. 1913
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1921.
1920
1913 1920
1913 1920
1913 1920 1921. 1921.
Cts.
37.4
37.4
31.2
26.6
22.3

Cts.
33.0
33.0
27.0
21.7
17.0

Cts.
32.7
33.0
28.0
21.7
17.0

Cts.
28.4
28.0
21.2
18.0
13.5

Cts.
57.7
57.3
44.4
32.6
18.9

Cts.
43.4
42.0
34.3
23.1
12.3

Cts.
43.8
42.5
34.1
22.1
12.1

Cts.
33.2
30.0
24.8
20.0

Cts.
62.2
55.4
45.2
37.2

Cts.
48.6
41.5
35.7
26.4
16.5

Cts.
48.7
41.4
34.8
25.1
16.9

Cts.
22.5
19.5
19.4
14.5
11.3

Cts.
36.0
33.5
31.2
23.2
18.4

Cts.
32.1
29.3
28.3
20.4
16.2

Cts.
31.5
29.1
28.3
19.5
15.5

Cts.
27.0
26.1
22.6
16.4
14.9

46.9
60.0
60.1
38.2
46.1

34.6
45.9
47.3
34.4
38.0

35.9
46.8
48.3
32.9
37.5

22.8
25.8
122.0
21.2
24.0

46.0
48.9
143.7
44.6
50.5

36.7
37.2
132.4
37.8
43.8

37.4
37.9
134.2
38.0
41.4

22.8
29.3
34.0
21.4
24.0

48.0
57.6
67.5
45.7
51.6

34.6
45.8
54.2
37.6
46.2

33.1
45.4
56.5
40.0
45.1

23.1
31.3
30.0
21.3
19.3

45.4
57.7
58.2
43.1
44.6

34.4
43.6
48.2
36.4
37.2

35.3
46.3
49.7
37.5
36.7

26.4
30.0
18.1
22.6

52.4
63.2
36.4
47.0

40.3
52.5
33.1
41.9

40.8
54.4
35.4
41.8

38.2
23.5
17.6
72.8
42.8

34.5
18.0
13.8
39.5
30.6

34.4
38.2
16.5 9.0 17.0
13.7
14.4
46.2 35.6 69.5
30.7
41.6

35.5
15.0
12.5
41.1
29.2

34.6
40.5
15.0 9.0 16.0
12.3
15.0
48.8 33.8 67.5
29.2
43.0

39.3
14.0
13.5
38.2
28.5

37.7
37.4
14.0 9.3 17.5
13.2
14.8
45.0 34.1 69.5
29.5
44.1

41.0
16.5
13.2
39.8
28.0

39.4
42.9
16.5 9.Ó 16.0
13.1
14.9
45.3 34.4 66.9
27.8
43.4

39.3
14.3
12.6
39.9
29.8

38.0
14.0
12.3
47.6
29.5

40.9
41.0
30.2
37.5
54.8

27.9
25.8
16.0
19.3
32.0

27.9
36.1 26.6 26.4
26.2 24.2 43.1 34.6 32.2 22. Ó
16.8 16.0 29.3 14.7 15.6 15.7
19.2
33.2 19.0 19.0
40.5 38.2 66.7 44.7 51.8 39. Ó

26.8
32.2
14.9
19.8
48.9

27.0
31.1 22. Ó
16.2 15.1
19.4
54.3 27.6

26.8
27.9
15.7
21.7
31.8

26.7
35.3
28.9 19.4 41.7
16.5 16.2 29.2
20.6
34.7
39.5 35.9 66.8

26.3
32.2
16.9
19.9
44.6

25.7
32.4
17.3
19.7
53.4

35.9
40.4
28.0
34.7
74.1

36.3
40.2
27.1
37.3
51.7

Cts.
52.9
52.9
44.4
31.7
25.1

22.6 44.3

Cts.
42.7
42.0
36.7
23.2
19.0

Cts.
43.4
42.5
36.0
21.9
17. 8

37.8 37.9

11.0 9.5 9.5
9.1 5.9 5.6
6.8 3.1 3.2
12.5 10.2 10.3
10.1 12.4 12.6

5.6 11.5 9.3 9.4
3.7 9.2 5.7 5.9
3.6 7.9 6.4 6.5
9.6 8.4 8.9
13.2 10.5 10.4

6.0 12.0 9.5 9.6
3.3 9.1 6.1 6.0
3.2 7.9 6.1 6.4
11.3 10.0 9.9
14.3 10.7 11.0

5.1 10.4 8.3 8.2
3.9 8.8 6.6 6.5
2.7 6.0 3.1 3.1
11.0 9.2 9.4
14.5 10.9 11.1

6.4 11.9
3.3 9.8
3.4 8.1
9.3
13.5

10.0 10.1
6.0 6.1
6.4 6.4
8.3 8.3
10.6 10.4

31.2 29.2 29.2
21.4 19.6 IS. 8
17.3 7.5 7.6
13.6 8.5 8.1
10.8 3.0 3.8

28.6 28.5 28.4
25.2 21.9 21.9
9.0 18.5 8.1 8.2
11.8 7.6 7.6
2.6 8.6 3.6 3.4

29.3 28.9 28.6
22.5 21.8 22.0
9.3 18.1 9.0 8.7
11.7 7.4 7.7
2. i 8.6 1.8 3.1

30.0 29.5 29.5
11.6 10.2 9.9
7.4 15.6 7.4 7.5
11.1 7.1 7.0
2.Ó 9.4 3.0 3.2

28.8
24.1
8.0 18.4
12.5
2.5 8.7

28.8 28.6
22.0 21.9
8.7 8.5
8.5 9.1
3.7 3.5

7.8 4.9 5.2
8.8 5.3 6.7
17.3 13.6 13.6
19.1 14.9 15.1
19.9 16.9 17.5

7.0 7.8 6.7
5.8 5.9 5.2
14.4 12.1 12.1
18.6 16.1 15.7
18.8 17.5 17.2

6.5 6.6 5.9
8.0 6.4 5.5
17.2 13.9 14.2
21.7 19.5 19.2
23.1 22.0 21.9

5.6 3.6 3.7
6.8 4.8 6.4
17.0 14.0 13.8
16.4 13.6 13.5
17.0 18.5 18.2

6.4
5.2
15.2
18.4
18.0

6.3 5.6
5.9 4.2
13.1 12.9
15.2 14.9
16.7 16.2

15.4 10.4 10.2
27.2 7.9 7.5 5.3
80.5 74.0 73.3 53.8
46.9 32.3 32.1 29.3

14.1 9.9 9.9
222.2 221.4 221.4
25.5 6.8 6.5 5.3 26.8 7.5 6.8 5.2
55.3 48.6 48.8 55.0 64.3 54.5 54.5 62.1
45.7 31.1 31.8 33.8 51.9 37.5 37.6 26.7

15.0 11.2 11.2
25.1 7.0 6.6 4.9
73.3 71.9 72.4 43.3
41.0 30.2 29.8 27.5

14.9
25.2
59.1
46.4

10.3 11.1
6.9 6.3
53.3 53.0
32.4 32.5

28.4
28.4
35. C
64.5

27.4
27.2
55.8
75.0

26.7
28.2
17.5
53.3

27.7
28.6
51.0
76.9

18.8
30.4
43.1
58.4

16.8
29.7
27.5
51.3

16.2
30.4
25.5
51.2

16.9
29.6
47.1
57.5

17.4
29.8
43.3
57.4

.....

27.7
27.1
45.7
68.4

17.9
29.2
38.5
49.6

18.4
29.2
38.1
53.4

3 Per pound.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[523]

17.4
30.6
24.2
49.0

17.8
30.7
23.0
44.4 ........

18.8
30.1
41.4
57.9

38

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
T

able

5 .—A V E R A G E R E T A I L P R IC E S O F T H E P R IN C IP A L A R T IC L E S
Norfolk, Va.

Article.

U n it.

Ju ly Ju n e Ju ly
15,
15,
15,
1820. 1921. 1921.

O m aha, Nebr.

Peoria, 111.

Ju ly 15—
1913

June July Ju ly June July
15,
15,
15,
15,
15,
1921. 1921. 1920. 1921. 1921.
1920

Sirloin steak ....... ............
R ound s te a k .......................
R ib ro a s t............................
Chuck ro a s t................. .......
P la te beef............. ; .............

P o u n d ____
........d o ____
........do ..........
........do ..........
........d o .........

Cts. Cta. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cta. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
54.6 42.5 42.9 25.2 50.9 36.5 36.8 40.1 34.9 33.1
48.1 37.0 37.1 22.0 43. 8 33.3 33.3 39.5 33.3 32,7
43.1 34.8 25.2 18.0 33.1 26.8 26.4 28.8 25.6 25.0
31.1 22.0 21.8 16.2 27.3 20.6 19.6 25.9 21.9 21.5
10.8 16.1 14.4 11.1 16.7 11.5 10. S 18.1 14.4 14.3

P o rk chops...............„ ........
B aco n ...................................
H a m ......................................
L am b, leg of.......................
H en s.....................................

........d o ..........
........do..........
........do..........
........do..........
........ do..........

40.3
52.2
51.3
47.8
48.2

33.5
41.0
44.3
40.0
41.4

32.4
41.7
43. G
39.4
41.4

Salm on (canned)...............
Milk, fresh ...........................
Milk, ev ap o rated ...............
B u tte r ..................................
O leom argarine....................

........do..........
Q u a rt____
15-16-oz. can
P o u n d ........
........do..........

35.3
21.3
14.8
72.7
43.7

28.2
20. 0
14.0
44.9
25.0

27.7
19.0
13.4
49.5
30.0

N u t m arg arin e...................
Cheese..................................
L a rd ......................................
Crisco....................................
Eggs, strictly fresh ...........

........do..........
........do..........
........do..........
........do..........
Dozen.........

35.3
38.5
29.5
35.6
53.8

25.0
27.1
16.8
19.6
33.1

27.3
27.7
17.2
19.8
38.2

B read....... .............................
F lo u r....................................
Com m e a l...........................
Rolled oats..........................
Corn flakes..........................

P o u n d ........
........do..........
........do..........
........do..........
8-oz. p k g . . .

11.9
8.7
6.8
11.0
14.5

9.7
6.1
3.9
10.1
12.0

9.7
6.1
3.8
10.0
12.0

Cream of W h e a t...............
M acaroni..............................
R ic e ......................................
Beans, n a v y .......................
P o ta to e s...............................

28-oz. p k g ..
P o u n d ........
........do..........
........do..........
........do..........

29.1
21.7
19.7
12.0
8.2

28.8
19.8
10.0
8.2
3.5

29.4
19.4
10.1
8.1
2.8

O nions..................................
Cabbage................................
B eans, halved......................
Corn, canned.......................
Peas, can n ed .......................

........do..........
........do..........
No. 2 c a n ...
........do..........
........do..........

7.1
6.1
14.0
21.1
21.7

6.6
3.9
11.8
17.1
21.1

4.7
4.2
11.2
16.2
20.9

Tom atoes, can n ed .............
Sugar, g ra n u la te d .............
T e a ........................................
Coffee....................................

........do..........
P o u n d ........
........do..........
........do ..........

14.7
26.9
89.3
52.8

11.2
7.5
82.8
40.2

11.0
6.9
83.2
40.4

P ru n es..................................
R aisins.................................
B a n a n a s...............................
Oranges................................

........do ..........
........do..........
Dozen..........
........do ..........

27.5
25.5
48.2
71.0

17.5
32.0
38.6
49.4

17.8
31.5
39.0
52.9

19.9
28.0
29.0
17.8
17.5
7.9
32.8

22.5
17.6
23.3
5.2
2.8
2.3

8.5
1.8

5.7
56.0
30.0

40.9
59.1
65.6
41. S
39.4

31.9
52. 4
52.6
32.S
32.9

31.8
51. 8
55. S
32.4
32.4

41.3
55. 6
60.9
37.6
40.0

30.5
46.0
50.7
35.6
33.4

30.0
44.5
52.9
35.0
33.5

39.8
15. 5
15. S
64.7
44. 5

37.6
11.9
14.4
37.5
29.6

36.3
12.0
14.3
42.5
31.0

37.1
14.3
15.6
61.2
41.8

35.4
12.5
14.9
37.9
29.1

35.6
12.5
14.5
42.9
28.5

36.1
41. 3
31.9
39.3
49.4

26.9
29.7
18.2
22,0
26.8

27.8
29.6
18.4
21.6
33.9

35.3
41.2
28. 7
37.9
47.9

27.3
29.7
16.7
23.1
26.1

27.7
29.5
16.7
22.3
33.4

12.2
8.4
6.6
11.8
15.4

11.1
5.1
4.4
11.2
14.1

9.8
5.0
4.4
10.6
14.0

12.6
9.1
6.7
12.0
15.8

10.5
5.9
4.0
11.1
13.8

10.2
5.8
3.9
11.4
13.0

31.2
22.7
19.6
12.6
8.9

31.0
20.6
8.2
7.6
2.4

31.3
20.8
8.0
7.6
2.7

31.5
20.2
19.5
12.1
9.5

30.6
20.1
8.8
7.2
1.8

30.1
20.2
8.5
7.1
3.9

7.5
4.1
21.1
18.3
19.1

6.7
6.6
17.1
14.3
14.8

5.5
4.4
16.8
14.0
14.5

8.4
7.1
17.6
17.6
18.8

6.0
6.8
14.9
14.8
16.3

6.1
5.7
13.9
14.3
16.3

16.3
25.8
82.9
52.5

11.5
8.1
74.6
37.8

11.4
7.3
74.1
37.5

15.5
28.2
72.9
47.7

11.9
8.3
64.6
34.3

11.6
7.4
64.6
33.3

30.0 19.9 20.4 32.0 23.8 23.8
30.4 33.7 33.3 30.4 32.0 32.0
814.2 312.9 312.4 313.5 312.3 312.0
67.9 46.0 48.8 65.9 47.9 49.5

1 The steak for which prices are here quoted is know n as “ porterhouse” in m ost of th e cities included in
this report, b u t in this city i t is called “ sirloin” steak.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 524]

39

PRICES OF FOOD IN THE UNITED STATES.
O F F O O D F O R 81 C IT IE S ON C E R T A IN S P E C IF IE D D A T E S —C ontinued.
P hiladelphia, P a.

P ittsb u rg h , P a.

Po rtlan d , Me.

P o rtlan d , Oreg.

Providence, R . I.

Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
Ju ly 15—
June July
Ju n e July
June Ju ly Ju ly June Ju ly
June Ju ly
io,
15,
15, 15,
15, 15,
1921. 1921. 1920. 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921o 192i. 1913 1920 1921'. 1921.
1921.
1921.
1920
1913
1913 1920
J u ly 15—

Cts. Cts. Cts.
179.7 165.3 165. 8
63.4 49.6 49.9
49.2 37.2 36.4
37.7 28.9 28.8
19.1 19.5

Cts. Cts. Cts.
162.6 150.0 149. 4
57. 1 41.3 41.7
44.7 34.9 34.9
33.6 20.8 19.3
18.4 11.9 10.2

Cts.
27.5
24.8
21.8
16.8
12.4

Cts.
55.7
50.0
40.6
31.8
19.4

Cts.
44.2
37.6
33.1
22.5
11.4

Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
44.9 171.0 157.6 157.7
38.6 61.4 45.7 46.8
32.3 36.8 30.0 38.9
21.5 28.8 19.4 18.4
10.5
16. 0 15.0

Cts.
23.5
21.4
19.5
16.4
13.6

Cts.
33.6
31.6
30.2
21.8
16.8

Cts.
31.0
28.6
26.3
18.2
13.8

Cts.
30.0
27.0
25.2
17.2
12.1

Cts.
139.6
31.0
24.2
18.8

46.9
51.4
68.0
48.3
50.3

36.4
38.5
54. 5
39.8
44.4

36.8
37. S
57.4
40.8
44.3

23.0
29.5
31.5
20.8
26.5

45.4
57.6
66.1
45.4
49.6

34.6
45.5
54.5
37.7
43.6

35.5 43.4 36.5
46. 8 50.4 4a 3
62.1 49.4
37.1 40.6 36.9
43.5 53.3 48.9

34.7
40.2
52.9
38.1
46.9

22.1
31.3
30.8
18.1
20.3

42.5
58.2
59.3
34.7
38.2

34.4
46.3
48.3
26.7
33.0

35.2
47.3
50.2
27.9
34.6

21.6
23.4
32.3
18.7
24.8

50.2
50. 9
68. 2
49.4
53.8

38.7
37.0
57. 0
41.7
47.6

37.2
37.4
58.3
41.7
47.1

36.1
8.0 14.0
15.2
39.' 2 74.2
45.4

31.4
11.0
13.9
46.5
29.0

40.3
30.7
11.0 8.6 15.0
15.1
13.6
51. E 35.7 69.1
41.1
29.1

36.8
14.1
13.5
42.2
27.1

35.5
14.0
12.9
49.0
27.4

38.7
15.5
16.2
73.5
44.0

35.5
15.5
14.7
45.8
34.7

44.2
33.9
15.5 9.3 15.2
14.6
14.1
51.7 37.5 64.8
34.2
41.7

42.0
13.0
12.9
38.2
28.3

41.4
42.3
12.9 9.6 17. 0
12. 4
16.0
44.6 36.0 68.1
26.2
41.1

39.9
15. 0
14.2
41.3
32.3

39.6
15.0
14.1
48.7
32.1

27.3
36.0 24.5 23.3
32.8 24.5 43. C 31.1 31.0
15.3 15.5 27.8 13.5 14.1
19.7
35.4 20.1 19.6
43.4 27. i 56.0 34.7 41.7

35.6
43.2
28.3
35. 5
68.5

27.8
31.7
15.4
22. 1
44.5

38.5 27.4 28.4
27.1
32.2 20.8 41.3 29.7 29.6 21. 7
16.2 17.9 34.4 21.6 20.9 15.2
39.6 24.2 24.1
23.8
54.8 24.0 50.9 30.5 36.9 35.7

35.2
41.1
27. 9
35.3
73.3

27.5
29.9
15.5
21.7
48.9

27.3
29.7
16. 2
21.5
56.7

Cts.
132.0
27.5
22.7
18.2
12.7
22.2
27.9
32.7
21.0
23.3

37.2 27.3
25.0 44.3 34.6
15.3 28.0 14.5
34.4 19.6
30.4 59.5 36.5

57. ;

4.8 10.6 9.0 8.8
3.2 9.1 5.9 6.1
2.7 6.1 4.4 4.4
9.8 9.2 9.1
12.6 11.0 11.0

5.4 11.8 9.4 9.4 12.0 10.0 10.1
3.3 8.7 5.8 5.1 8.9 6.1 6.1
2.7 7.9 4.4 4.3 7.2 4.8 4.5
10.8 10.8 10.4 9.3 7.7 7.7
14.3 11.6 11.6 15.3 12.5 12.3

2.9
3.3

11.3 9.5 9.5
7.7 5.1 5.0
7.5 4.7 4.8
12.6 9.4 9.5
15.3 13.7 13.3

5.9 11.9
3.5 9.3
2.8 6.8
10.7
14.6

10.6 10.6
6.4 6.5
4.8 4.5
10.4 10.7
12.2 11.7

28.9 28.4 28.2
22.5 21.8 21.8
9. 8 19. 2 9.5 9.5
11.0 8.1 8. (
2.1 8.2 3.4 3.0

29.6 29.6 29.1 29.7 2a 8 29.6
21. 3 22.6 21.3 23.1 23.8 23.5
9.2 19.2 9.8 9.6 19.2 10.2 10.0
11.6 7.2 7.1 11.3 7.6 7.4
i. 8 8.4 3.3 3.2 9.1 1.3 2.9

34.3 32.0 31.7
16.8 17.8 16.9
8.6 19.8 9.4 8.8
10.2 6.9 6.7
i. 2 8.0 1.8 3.1

30.5
25.2
9.3 19.0
11.3
2.6 8.9

30.0 29.9
23.0 22.7
10.1 9.7
8.1 8.0
1.6 3.3

5.2 5.1 4.5
6.5 5.1 4.4
14.9 12.7 12.7
17.5 15.2 15.i
18.5 15.9 15.6

5.9 6.3 6.0 6.2 6.3 6.4
8.8 7.1 5.2 11.0 6.3 6.1
16.2 14.2 14.2 18.1 16.9 17.1
18.1 15.1 15.2 19.7 17. ( 16.9
18.4 16.2 16.7 20.6 19.0 19.0

4.6 3.2 4.0
4.9 5.3 4.1
20. i 18.9 18.4
21.7 18.9 18.4
20.7 17.8 17.5

6.7
8.4
16.5
20.3
21.3

14.9 10.6 10.9
14.7 11.1 10.9 17.2 12.0 10.8
5.0 25.7 7.2 6.6 5.5 29.1 7.7 7. ( 26.7 7.8 7.0 6.3
54.0 62.5 61.6 61.8 58.0 79.1 77.0 74.4 63.9 58.1 56.3 55.0
25.0 43.8 29.9 30.0 30.0 48.4 35.8 36.5 50.8 39.1 38.4 35.0
27.2
26. i
45.3
68.9

17.4
28.8
38.8
55. 3

30.1 20.4
28.5
53.1 47.0
65.8 53.9

16.8
28.4
37.1
49.5

19.8
27.i
44.1
51.9

26.1 17.0
29. ; 29.5
313. 8 313.0
78.0 54.8

17.7
28.7
312.0
57 5

26.1 9.1 9.1
27.5 30.0 29.4
315.1 314.0 313.5
71.4 50.3 53.7
3 P er pound.

2 No. 2 i can.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

16.2
217.5 211.5 2 12.0
25. 1 8.6 7.7 5. i 26.7
68.3 64.7 64.1 48.3 59.4
50.3 38.0 37.7 30.0 52.2

[525]

28.2
28. C
50.0
72.5

5.7
6. C
13.9
18.1
19.9

6.2
4.3
14.0
18.2
19.5

13.1 13.6
7.6 6.8
60.3 59.4
39.4 39.5
19.4
29.9
42.5
59.5

19.8
29.5
42. 2
58.1

40

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
T able 5 .—A V E R A G E R E T A I L P R IC E S O F T H E P R IN C IP A L A R T IC L E S

R ichm ond, V a.
Article.

U n it.

Rochester,
N. Y.

St. Louis, Mo.

Ju ly 15— June July Ju ly June July Ju ly 15— June July
15,
15, 15, 15, 15, 15,
15,
1921. 1921. 1920. 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921.
1913 1920

Sirloin steak ................................
R ound stea k ...............
R ib ro a st......................................
Chuck ro a s t.................................
P late b e e f.. . .

P o u n d ..........
___„do............
........do............
........do ............
........do ............

Cts.
22.2
19.6
19.3
15.9
12.9

Cts.
47.2
43. 2
35.8
30.5
22.9

Cts.
41.3
37.2
32.2
24.8
19.1

Cts.
41.3
37.1
31.2
24.6
18.3

Cts.
44.5
40.6
34.2
29. 8
19.4

Cts.
39.5
34.8
30.2
23.8
12.6

Cts.
41.4
35.3
29.7
23.1
11.3

Cts.
24.8
22.9
18.3
14.6
11.0

Cts.
45.0
44.3
35.0
26.2
18.9

Cts.
37.0
35.0
30.0
19.1
12.8

Cts.
36.7
35.1
29.6
18.7
11.8

P o rk ch o p s..................................
B aco n ..................... .....................
H a m ..............................................
Lam b, leg of................................
H e n s ..............................................

........do ............
........do ............
........do ............
........do............
........d o ...........

21.2
26.6
26.0
19.3
20.0

41.8
49.7
55.5
46.0
45.4

35.2
37.2
43.2
42.5
40.4

34.5
38.1
46.0
41.5
.40.0

44.0
46.5
59.8
39.0
48.0

36.6
34.9
48.8
36.2
44.2

37.2
35.0
51.5
37.4
42.8

19.8
27.8
27.3
19.0
18.0

42.1
53.0
63.2
38.5
38.5

30.5
40.1
48.9
32.9
35.2

30.8
40.5
50.2
30.9
33.6

28.2 20.3 .19.2
Salmon (c a n n ed )....................... ........d o ............
Milk, fresh___
Q u a rt............ 10.0 16.0 14.0 14.0
16.6 14.7 14.6
Milk, ev ap o rated ....................... 15-16 oz. can.
B u tte r........................................... P o u n d .......... 38.1 77.1 46.6 50.7
45.1 31.3 31.4
Oleom argarine............................ ........d o . .. ___

39.2
13.5
16.3
67.1
43.5

36.7
12.0
14.3
38.4
29.4

36.0
36.1
12.0 8.0 15.0
14.7
13.7
45.8 33.3 68.5
29.0
39.5

35.8
13.0
12.8
40.2
28.4

35.0
13.0
12.5
46.3
28.3

........do............
37.8 28.6 29.1 35.4
N u t m argarine...........
Cheese........................................... ........do............ 22.3 4L.9 30.0 29.7 40.5
L a rd .............................................. ........do............ 15.0 30.5 17.2 17.3 28.5
___do............
37.7 21.6 20.9 35.4
C risco. . . .
Eggs, stric tly fresh.................... Dozen........... 24.6 54.7 33.5 37.6 58.5

25. 8
29. 5
16.0
18.9
34.6

34.7 25.8 25.6
25. 8
29.6 19.5 39.2 26.5 26.6
16.5 14.1 23.7 12.1 13.1
18.4
34.7 20.6 20.8
42.1 21.4 49.7 30.0 34.3

5.3 13.1 10.7 10.7 11.4 8.5 8.5
3.3 9.2 6.1 6.1 9.1 5.8 5.9
2.0 7.1 4.2 4.3 7.5 5.3 5.3
11.6 11.1 11.0 8.8 8.0 8.5
15.3 12.6 12.6 14.8 12.2 11.8

B re a d ............................................
F lo u r.............................................
Corn m e a l....................................
Rolled o a ts ..................................
Corn flak es..........

P o u n d ..........
........do............
........d o ............
........d o ...........
8-oz. p k g ___

Cream of W h e a t.........................
M acaroni......................................
R ice...............................................
Beans, n a v y ................................
P o ta to e s...............

31.2 30.8 31.2
28-oz. p k g ...
21.9 23.2 22. 8
P o u n d ..........
........do............ 10.0 20.5 10.1 10.3
13.3 8.8 8.7
........do...........
........d o ........... 1.7 7.0 3.1 3.0

O nions..........................................
C abbage........................................
Beans, b ak ed..............................
Corn, c a n n e d ...............................
Peas, c an n e d ...............................

........d o ...........
........d o ............
No. 2 c a n . . .
........do............
........d o ............

5.5 12.8 10.6 10.6
3.0 8.1 5.3 5.2
2.2 6.5 3.4 3.4
10.1 9.6 9.7
13.7 10.9 10.8

29.8 29.2 29.1
20.8 20.4 20.5
19.0 8.6 8.9
11.9 7.9 8.0
8.4 1.0 3.0

30.0 30.0 30.1
18.1 20. S 21.0
8.4 17.6 8.0 8.0
11.0 6. 8 6.7
1.9 8.7 3.8 3.4

9.3 6.8 4.8 6.0 6.8 5.4
4.2 3.1 4.4 8.3 6.5 5.2
14.6 11.5 11.8 14.4 11.9 12.1
19.9 15.0 16.1 20.1 15.7 15. S
21.4 20.5 20.0 20.6 18.7 18.9

5.8 4.8 4.5
5.2 4.9 4.5
15.6 12.0 11.8
16.0 14.9 15.1
15.9 15.9 15.8

Tom atoes, c an n e d ..................... ........d o ............
14.8 11.6 11.9
Sugar, gran u lated ...................... P o u n d .......... 5.0 27.5 7.9 7.0
........do............ 56.0 89. 2 84.6 82. 2
T ea.....................................
Coflee............................................ ........do............ 26.8 51.0 36.7 35.5

16.3 11.5 11.7
26.6 7.3 6.7 5.2
66.6 59.1 58.1 55.0
47.6 33.9 33.9 24.3

14.7 10.4 10.4
26.3 7.5 6.8
74. 5 69. 7 68.3
44.3 32.5 32.8

P ru n e s ..........................................
R aisin s...................
B ananas........................................
O ranges........................................

28.9
29. 4
50. 0
60.9

29.0
26.4
39.7
60.7

........do............
....... do........
Dozen...........
........do............

28.5
26. 9
53.2
69.0

1 No. 2J can.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 526]

21.2
31.4
45.3
47.2

21.6
31. 4
45. 0
50.7

20. 5
30. 2
44.9
48.0

20.5
29. 8
44.7
5i. al

19.0
30. 8
37. 4
47. 2

20. 0
30. 6
36. 3
46.8

41

PRICES OF FOOD I3ST THE UNITED STATES,
O F FO O D F O R 51 C IT IE S ON C E R T A IN S P E C IF IE D D A T E S —C ontinued.

St. P a u l Minn.

Salt L ak e City,
U tah .

SanFrancisco, Calif.

Savannah Ga.

Scranton, Pa.

July 15— June Ju ly Ju ly 15— Tune Ju ly Ju ly 15— June Ju ly Ju ly June Ju ly Ju ly 15— June July
15,
15, 15, 15, 15,
15, 15,
15,
1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921. 1920. 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921.
1913 1920 1921.
Cts.
27.0
23.3
21.9
17.0
11.2

Cts.
48.4
43.7
37.6
30.3
17.5

Cts.
36.7
31.0
29.1
21.5
11.0

Cts.
38.1
33.2
28.4
20.6
9.6

Cts.
22.9
20.0
19.9
15.7
12.0

Cts
35.4
33.0
27.7
23.1
16.1

Cts.
31.2
28.1
25.5
19.8
13.4

Cts.
30.8
28. 5
24.3
19.9
12.6

Cts.
20.7
19.0
21.0
14.6
13.0

Cts.
31.8
29.6
30.7
20.9
17.1

Cts.
29.9
27.8
27.7
.18.1
14.1

Cts.
29.4
27.0
27.2
17.2
13.3

Cts.
43.2
39.6
32.9
24.2
20.0

Cts.
34.2
30.0
26.1
19.0
16.7

Cts.
34.6
29.6
26.8
18.4
15.6

Cts.
26.8
22.8
23.8
17.5
12.1

Cts. Cts.
55.4 49.8
48.2 40.2
41.3 35.6
34.3 26.2
20.3 12.7

Cts.
49.3
39.9
35.4
26.3
11.8

19.7
26.8
28.0
18.9
19.7

39.7
56.3
58.9
35.6
37.9

30.2
44.2
47.8
32.5
31.0

31.6
44.5
51.3
31.9
31.7

22.9
31.7
30.7
18.8
24.8

42.1
55.7
57.3
35.1
40.0

34.4
45.8
46. 5
29.8
37.0

34.0
45.0
48.1
30.8
35.0

23.2
33.3
30.0
16. 7
23.8

45.3
63.3
61.0
35.2
46.3

37.9
55.0
53.3
29.9
41.3

38.8
54. 4
53.7
30.8
41.7

40.7
54.1
55.0
50.0
45.0

33.8
41.1
42.5
40.0
34.3

34.1
38.9
42.3
37.0
33.7

21.3
27.5
31.7
21.7
23.7

46.9
58.3
66.6
49.8
52.0

38.1
41.4
53.0
44.0
48.4

38.4
42.3
57.9
42.9
51.0

41.2
6.8 13.0
15.6
32.6 61.9
42.3

39.6
10.0
14.2
34.6
29.1

40.0
40.0
10.0 8.7 12.5
13.8
14.6
42.8 35.0 65.0
39.6
28.9

38.1
12.5
12.7
38.8
35.0

38.5
35.1 32.9 31.7
12.5 10.0 16.0 14.6 14.0
12.7
13.8 12.2 11.8
.44.0 36.4 68.0 46.6 49.1
38.5 24.6 26.6
30.0

45.5
24.7
15.3
72.4
44.7

35.1
20.0
13.4
41.2
34.2

34.2
41.6
20.0 8.4 14.0
13.3
15.1
48.7 35.3 67.2
33.9
43.9

40.4
12.5
13.7
39.3
29.3

40.7
12.3
13.6
44. 5
28.4

35.8 25.6 26.0
38.5 26.3 27.7
26.3
28.9 23.3 40.4 25.3 25.7 19.0 42.6 26.5 29.8
16.3 19.3 31.6 18.5 18.2 18.8 33.2 19.3 18.9
38.0 21.8 21.5
42.2 26.0 26.3
23.9
38.5 29.4 58.6 30.0 40.8 31.4 60.6 33.4 46.7

39.4
41.7
31.7
37.0
.52.5

28.5
28.7
15.6
19.3
.34.9

36.7
28.2
27.2 18.0 39.9
18.0 15.6 29.4
36.4
19.0
40.4 28.0 59.7

27.4
28.9
16.6
21.4
37.2

27.6
28.7
17.5
21.8
43.8

35.1 26.9
21.0 40.6 28.2
15.0 29.6 16.1
40.4 23.8
22.9 49.8 28.2

5.9 11.4 9.5 9.5
3.0 8.7 5.8 5.8
2.5 7.2 4.5 4.3
10.3 9.1 9.2
15.8 13.8 13.6

5.9 12.6 9.8 9.8
2.6 7.3 3.7 3.5
3.4 7.3 4.3 4.2
10.8 9.5 11.0
15.2 14.4 14.6

5.9 10.9 9.6 9.6 12.7 10.6 10.6
3.4 8.5 6.3 5.9 8.9 6.3 6.1
3.4 7.4 5.2 5.0 5.8 3.0 2.8
11.9 10.5 10.7 .12.0 11.1 10.8
15.2 12.7 12.6 15.5 11.8 11.6

5.6 13.9
3.6 9.3
9.0
11.6
14.4

10.2 10.4
6.7 6.8
7.7 7.8
11.0 11.1
12.7 12.7

31.4 29.8 29.9
20.8 19.2 18.8
10.0 19.9 8.8 8.6
11.9 8.6 8.6
1.4 8.6 1.3 4.0

33.9 32.7 32.7
22.2 21.8 22.8
8.2 18.3 8.3 8.4
12.2 9.0 8.8
1.6 6.7 2.1 2.5

28.9 28.9 28.7 31.5 29.7 29.7
14.2 14.3 14.5 22.5 20.1 20.2
8.5 18.0 8.9 9.0 16.7 7.8 7.9
9.3 6.8 6.8 14.2 9.6 9.1
1.9 7.7 3.2 2.7 10.4 3.1 3.6

29.7
24.9
8.5 18.7
13.7
2.0 8.8

29.6 29.6
24.0 23.9
9.6 9.4
9.8 9.7
2.6 3.2

7.2 4.8 6.0
fi 3 6.5 4.1
19.7 17.8 17.5
18.4 16.6 16.2
18.2 16.3 15.9

7.5 4.6 6.4
8.1 7.4 6. i
20.0 17.5 17.4
18.4 16.8 16.;
17.5 16.0 16.0

3.2 1.9 1.6 8.9 6.6 6.1
5.3 3.2 4.1
18.3 17.0 17.0 18.7 13.6 13.3
19. C 17.1 18.2 19.8 15.3 14.9
18.4 18.9 18.7 19.2 17.7 18.0

7.8
7.8
15.5
18.6
18.7

5.7 5.2
5. S 5.7
13.6 13.6
16.3 16.7
17.3 17.7

15. 4
27.4
69.5
50.8

11.6 12.9
7.9 7.2
62.4 63.1
39.3 38.9

27.8
28.4
41. f
65.8

17.2
30.6
37.1
49.1

14.8 13.5 13.5
5.6 28.4 8.4 7.5
45.0 71.3 71.5 69.6
30.0 52.1 40.8 39.5

£

30.8
29.3
215.4
70.3

19.5
32.5
213.2
53.5

.....

16.8 10.6 11.5
5.9 26.2 8.8 8.2 5.4
65.7 80.3 82.5 82.5 50.0
35.8 58.7 46.2 46.5 32.0

19.9
32.5
212.4
53.5

27.9
28.8
216.7
68.5

15.8
.30.2
217.8
46.5

15.8
30.:
217.1
46. £

U 3.9 111.3 111.5
24.9 8.0 7.1
60.2 58.8 58. (
45.9 34.9 34.3
23.1
26.'!
46.7
64.5

15.6
29. ‘
42. S
47.8

2 P er pound.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 527]

15.5
29.1
40.7
47.1

15.7 10.3 10.3
24.5 7.4 6.9 5.6
81.9 69.7 70.8 52.5
47.6 31.2 31.5 31.3
28.9
26.1
50.5
100.0

18.3
31.0
44.5
58.1

17.3
31.3
40.1
60. C .....

17.6
30.4
37.4
50.5

42

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

T able 5 .—A V E R A G E R E T A IL P R IC E O P T H E P R IN C IP A L A R T IC L E S O F FO O D F O R 51
C IT IE S ON C E R T A IN S P E C IF IE D D A T E S —Concluded.
Springfield, 111.

Seattle, W ash.

W ashington, D. C.

1913 1920

Ju ly 15—
June July
June Ju ly July June July
15,
15,
15,
15,
15, ! 15,
15,
1921. 1921. 1920. 1921. 1921. 1913 1920 1921. 1921.

P o u n d ..........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
___.d o ............

Cts.
24. 4
21.5
20.0
16.2
13.0

Cts.
37.7
34.7
30.2
21.6
17.2

Cts.
32.3
29.1
26.4
18.1
13.8

Cts.
32.2
28.9
26.1
17.2
13.2

Cts.
45.3
44.7
30.4
26.9
19.6

Cts.
38.3
36.8
25.1
21.0
13.9

Cts.
36.5
35.2
24.6
19.9
12.8

Cts.
28.1
24.6
22.0
17.9
12.4

Cts.
59.0
54.8
44.2
34.8
19.6

Cts.
47.0
41.2
36.1
24.9
14.7

Cts.
47.7
41.4
35.3
23.6
13.3

.d o ...........
P o rk chops...........
___d o ...........
B acon__
H a m .................................... ........d o ...........
L am b , leg o f..................... ........d o ...........
H e n s..
.
............. ........d o ...........

23.6
31.7
31.7
19.6
23.8

44.7
64.8
61.9
35.7
39.9

35.8
53.1
52.6
29.3
33.9

35.9
52.2
53.9
29.0
33.7

40.1
51.9
59.6
43.6
46.2

32.8
40.3
48.9
35.0
36.0

31.8
39.7
50.3
32.1
33.8

21.9
28.1
30.0
21.4
22.6

50.4
51.0
63.1
47.5
50.6

37.9
40.8
55.3
42.7
44.4

38.3
41.7
57.2
41.9
44.8

Salmon fc a n n e d ).. __
.d o ..........
Milk, fre s h . .
.............. Q u a rt............ 8.5
Milk, evaporated...
15-16 oz. can.
B u tte r ................................. P o u n d .......... 35.5
__d o ...........
O leo m arg arin e.. . .

38.6
14.0
14.1
64.0
41.7

34.8
12.0
12.2
38.7
25.7

33.4
12.0
12.2
43.8
25.7

40.1
16.7
17.5
65.9
43.9

40.7
12.5
15.2
40.9
29.2

37.8
40.3
12.5 8.0 18.0
15.3
14.5
47.6 36.6 70.8
43.8
29.1

37.0
13.7
14.3
42.6
28.8

36.2
14.0
14.2
49.2
28.4

N o t m a rg a rin e ........
C heese.................................
L a rd ....................................
C risco.
Eggs, stric tly fre s h ..........

___d o ...........
........d o ........... 21.7
___.d o ............ 17.8
.d o ...........
D ozen........... 34.5

37.1
40.9
29.8
39.5
55.2

25.7
29.3
19.9
23.1
31.8

28.4
29.1
19.1
22.8
41.4

36.1
43.0
29.1
37.8
48.6

26.9
30.1
15.9
22.2
27.8

26.8
35.8 28.2
30.4 23.8 42.7 31.5
16.1 15.0 29.2 15.7
35.0 20.9
21.4
35.2 26.0 54.8 35.4

27.8
31.2
18.3
21.0
41.0

B re a d ..................................
F lo u r...................................
Corn m e a l ............
Rolled o a ts.........................
Corn flakes..

P o u n d .......... 5.5
___.d o ............ 2.9
___d o ........... 3.1
........d o ...........
8-oz. p k g ..

11.5
7.7
7.5
10.6
15.1

9.9
5.2
4.6
9.0
13.7

9.9
4.8
4.5
9.2
13.7

13.5
9.1
7.9
12.2
15.4

10.4
6.1
4.4
11.1
14.3

10.4
6.1
4.4
11.2
14.0

5.7 12.3 10.2
3.8 9.0 6.3
2.5 6.0 3.7
11.5 11.4
14.2 11.9

10.2
6.4
3.8
11.3
11.8

Cream of W h e a t. . . .
M acaroni............................
R ic e .....................................
B eans, n a v y ................
P o ta to e s .. .......................

28-oz. p k g .
P o u n d ..........
........d o ........... 7.7
___d o ...........
........d o ........... 1.5

32.3
18.7
19.4
10.3
9.5

30.7
18.5
9.6
7.0
2.2

30.6
18.3
9.6
7.2
3.3

31.4
20.6
19.9
12.9
10.0

30.5
22.4
9.4
7.5
2.1

30.4
22.0
9.6
7.6
4.1

29.6 29.1
23.6 22.4
9.8 19.3 10.2
12.1 7.9
1.8 8.3 3.3

29.0
22.2
10.1
7.9
3.4

O n io n s..
C abbage.
B eans, b ak ed .
Corn, can n ed .
Peas, c an n e d ...................

. .d o .........
.d o ..........
No. 2 c a n . . .
. .d o ..........
___.d o ............

5.3
6.2
20.3
19.9
20.4

3. 4
6.6
17.4
18.9
17.2

3. 4
6.0
17.6
16.9
17.5

9.5
9.5
17.9
17.1
18.5

6.8
8.4
15.0
14.7
16.7

6.7
7.7
14.3
14.6
16.3

5.8 7.1
5.1 5.5
14.8 12.5
17.8 14.0
18.1 15.5

6.6
6.8
12.3
14.0

116.1 112.4 112.9
Tom atoes, can n ed ........... ........d o ...........
8.0
Sugar, g ra n u la te d .
P o u n d ........ 6.1 25.7
8.7
........d o ........... 50.0 70.0 64.5 64.2
T ea...
Coffee.................................. ........d o ........... 28.0 49.1 37.4 37.7

15.7
29.3
87.5
51.0

12.0
8.4
77.5
36.5

11.6
15.1 11.3
7.9 5. 0 25.8 7.6
76.6 57.5 78.3 74.0
36.3 28.8 47.5 33.6

11.8
6.9
74.2
33.7

A rticle.

J uly 15—

U n it.

Sirloin s te a k .....................
R ou n d s te a k .....................
R ib ro a s t...........................
C huck ro a s t................
P la te beef..........................

P ru n e s................................ ........d o ...........
.d o ...........
R a isin s .
B a n a n a s ............................. Dozen...........
.d o .. .
Oranges.

27.5 16.4 15.8 30.3 20.9 20.4
27.9 30.3 29.7 29.0 33.7 33.9
215.6 216.9 216.4 213. 0 211.9 2 11.0
64.7 41.7 44.3 73.8 50.7 53.7

28.7
27.0
50.0
66.4

20.8
30.1
44. 7
51.7

19.7
30.7
44.2
55.0

2 P e r pound.

1 No. 2J can.

Comparison of Retail Food Costs in 51 Cities.

'“FA B L E 6 shows for 39 cities the percentage of increase or decrease
A in the retail cost of food 7 in July, 1921, compared w ith the
average cost in the year 1913, in July, 1920, and in June, 1921.
F or 12 other cities comparisons are given for the one-year and the
one-m onth periods. These cities have been scheduled by the bureau
a t different dates since 1913. These percentage changes are based on
i For lis t of articles, see n o te 2, p . 22.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 528]

43

PRICES OF FOOD IFF THE UNITED STATES.

actual retail prices secured each m onth from retail dealers and on
the average family consumption of these articles in each city.8
Effort has been made by the bureau each m onth to have perfect
reporting cities. For the m onth of July, 99 per cent of all the firms
reporting in the 51 cities sent in a report prom ptly. The following
were perfect reporting cities; th a t is, every m erchant in the followingnam ed 41 cities who is cooperating w ith the bureau sent in his report
in time for his prices to be included in the city averages: A tlanta,
Baltimore, Birmingham, Bridgeport, Buffalo, B utte, Charleston,
S. C., Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit,
Fall River, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, K ansas City,
L ittle Rock, Louisville, Manchester, Minneapolis, Mobile, Newark,
New Haven, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Omaha, Peoria,
Portland, Me., Portland, Oreg., Providence, Richmond, Rochester,
St. Louis, St. Paul, San Francisco, Savannah, Springfield, 111., and
W ashington, D. C. The following sum m ary shows the prom ptness
w ith w hich the m erchants responded in July:
R E T A IL P R IC E R E P O R T S R E C E IV E D D U R IN G JU L Y .
Geographical division.
U nited
States.

Ite m .
Percentage of rep o rts received.......................
N um ber of cities in each section from
w hich every re p o rt w as received...............

South
N orth
A tlan tic. A tlan tic.

N orth
Central.

South
Central.

W estern.

99

99

100

99

99

98

41

10

18

12

7

4

1 T otal n u m b e r of cities in th is division.
T a b l e 6 . — P E R C E N T A G E C H A N G ES IN T H E R E T A IL COST O F FO O D IN JU L Y , 1921, COM­
P A R E D W IT H T H E COST IN JU N E , 1921, JU L Y , 1920, A N D W IT H T H E A V E R A G E COST
IN T H E Y E A R 1913, B Y C IT IE S.

C ity.

Atla n ta ...............
Hal t.imnrfv
B irm in g h am ___
Boston.
B ridgeport..........
Buffalo__
B u tte .. .
Charleston, S. C.
(Mii pp.go
C incinnati...........
ill pyp.l a,n d
flnlnm bus.
D allas...................
JlOTIVPT
T)p,troit
TTouston
Jacksonville........
K ansas C ity .......
Los Angeles........
M anchester.........
M em phis.............
M ilw aukee..........

Percentage
increase,
Ju ly , 1921,
compared
w ith year
1913.
45
49
51
54
50
53
53 ‘
51
47
44
41
55
48
45
43
48
42
34
37
51
43
52

Percentage
decrease,
Ju ly , 1921,
com pared
w ith July,
1920.

Percentage
increase,
Ju ly , 1921,
com pared
w ith June,
1921.

33
33
32
30
31
33
35
29
33
32
35
32
31
33
35
33
30
35
29
33
31
31
35
34
36
35

1
2
1
5
3
7
6
1
3
0.2
5
5
a 0.1
5
7
3
2
6
4
4
a 0. 1
a2
3
4
2
8

City.

M inneapolis........
M obile.................
N ewark, N . J . . .
New H a v e n .......
New O rleans___
New Y o rk ..........
N orfolk................
O m aha.................
Peoria...................
P h ilad elp h ia---P ittsb u rg h ..........
P o rtland, Me—
Portland, O reg..
Providence.........
R ich m o n d ..........
R ochester............
St. Louis.............
St. P a u l..............
Salt Lake C ity . .
San F rancisco...
S av an n ah ............
Scranton.............
S eattle.................
Springfield, 111. .
W ashington, D.C

Percentage
increase,
Ju ly , 1921,
compared
w ith year,
1913.
49
42
46
44
50
43
44
48
33
57
56
50
34
40
54
38
57

Percentage
decrease,
Ju ly , 1921,
com pared
w ith July,
1920.

Percentage
increase,
Ju ly , 1921,
com pared
w ith June,
1921.

35
35
33
33
32
31
31
38
34
34
32
31
32
30
30
33
35
34
32
29
32
32
32
35
29

8
3
2
4
2
2
a1
a 0.4
5
0.3
1
5
4
5
1
7
0
9
4
0.4
3
3
4
5
2

8 T he consum ption figure used from Jan u a ry , 1913, to December, 1920, for each article m each c ity is
given in th e M onthly L abor R e v ie w for N ovem ber, 1918, p p . 94 a n d 95. T he consum ption figures
which have been used for each m o n th beginning w ith J an u a ry , 1921, are given m th e M onthly L abor
R e v ie w for M arch, 1921, p . 26.
a Decrease.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 529]

44

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

Retail Prices of Coal in the United States.'
ABLE 1 shows the average retail prices of coal on January 15
and July 15 of each year, 1913 to 1921, by cities. The prices
are those quoted by the retail trade for household use.
In addition to the prices for Pennsylvania anthracite, prices are
shown for Colorado, Arkansas, and New Mexico anthracite in those
cities where these coals form any considerable portion of the sales
for household use.
The prices shown for bitum inous coal are averages made on the
several kinds. The coal dealers in each city were asked to quote
prices on the kinds of bitum inous coal usually sold for household use.
The prices quoted are for coal delivered to consumers, b u t do not
include charges for storing the coal in cellar or coal bin where an
extra handling is necessary.
Prices for coal are shown only in the cities in which prices are
scheduled for food and are shown for the years when food prices
were obtained.

T

1 Prices of coal hav e form erly been secured sem iannually a n d published in th e M arch and Septem ber
issues of th e Monthly L abor R e v ie w . Since Ju n e, 1920, th ese prices have been secured and published
m onthly.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

T able 1.—R E T A IL P R IC E S P E R TO N OF 2,000 PO U N D S O F COAL F O R H O U SE H O L D U SE , ON JA N . 15 A N D JU L Y 15 O F E A C H Y E A R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y C IT IE S.

c>
CO

1914

1913

1915

1916

1918

1917

,1919

1920

1921

City, an d k in d of coal.

o

Jan.

Jo A tla n ta , Ga.:
HPennsylvania an th racite—
Stove....................................
C hestnut..............................
B itu m in o u s ........................... $5.875
B altim ore, Md.:
Pennsylvania a n th racite—
Stove..................................... U. 700
C h estn u t.............................. 17.930
B itu m in o u s............................
B irm ingham , Ala.:
B itu m in o u s............................ 4.217
B oston, Mass.:
Pennsylvania a n th racite—
S to v e.................................... 8.250
C h estn u t.............................. 8.250
* *i
B itu m in o u s............................
B ridgeport, Conn.:
Pennsylvania a n th racite—
S to v e....................................
C h estn u t..............................
B itu m in o u s............................
Buffalo, N. Y.:
Pennsylvania a n th racite—
Stove.................................... 6.750
C h estn u t.............................. 6.992
B itu m in o u s............................
B u tte , M ont.:
B itu m in o u s............................
Charleston, S. C.:
Pennsylvania a n th racite—
S to v e.................................... 18.375
C h estn u t.............................. 18.500
B itum inous............................ 16.750
Chicago, 111.:
Pennsylvania a n th ra c ite —
Stove.................................... 8.000
C hestn u t.............................. 8.250
B itum inous............................ 4.969


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

$4.833

$5.295

$5,083

$5.250

$4,575

$5.050

$4.500

$7.000

$7.050

$7,444

$7.778

$8.029

$14 667
14.667
8.250

$9.050

17.240 i 7.700 i 7.280 i 7.620
17.490 i 7.950 i 7.520 i 7.870

i 7.138 i 7.650 i 7.800
i 7.363 i 7.880 i 7.950

i 8.160 i 8.542
i 8.310 i 8.700

July.

Jan.

July.

818.500 818 500 817 500
18.500 19 125 17 625
8.841
13.250 11.854

i 9.600 110.450 111.983 111.750 112.500 113.750 i 15.500 114.750
i 9.750 110.550 112.042 i l l . 850 112.600 113.850 115.500 114. 750
i 7.540 1 6.893 1 7.500 i 8.938 110.250 i 8.063

4. Oil

4.228

3.833

4.090

3.646

3.913

3.644

5.080

5.607

5.616

6.461

6. 741

7.286

7.496

9.431

10.648

8.674

7.500
7.750

8.000
8.250

7.500
7.750

7.750
8.000

7.500
7.750

8.000
8.250

8.000
8.000

9.500
9.500

9.500
9.500

9.850
9.850

10.250
10.250

12.000
12.000
10.250

12.000
12.000
9.000

12. 750
12.750
9.500

14.500
14.500
13.250

16.000
16.000

15. 000
15.000

10.000
10.000

S.667
8.667

10.500
10.500

10.400
10.400

12.370
12.370
9.125

11.750
11.750
8.000

12.500
12.500
8.500

15.000
15.000

17 500
17.500

14.500
14.400

6.542
6.800

6.817
7.067

6.850
7.100

6.650
6.900

6.850
7.100

7.010
7.260

7.600
7.850

8.138
8.163

8.830
8.830

9.180
9.240

10.400
10.500
6.000

10. 700
10.800
8.000

10.890
10.990

12.080 13.250
12.OSO 13.250
12.000

12.910
12.910

7.417

6.750

7.125

7.125

8.222

8.598

9.188

9. 083

9.377

9. 836

10.381

10.908

11.982

17.750 i 7.750 i 7.750 i 7.750 i 7.750 i 7.750 i 7.875 i 8.750 1.1500 112.275
18.000 i 8.250 i 8.250 i 8.250 i 8.250 i 8.250 i 8.375 i 9.250 11.1750 112.475
16.750 i 6.750 i 6.750 16.750 i 6.750 i 6.750 i 6.750
7.000
.8000
8.000

8.375

(2) 113.400 113.400 116.325 117.875 117.000
(2)
113.500 113.500 116.400 117.725 117.100
8.500
8.500
8.500 12.000 13.250 12.000

7.800
8.050
4.650

8.080
8.330
5.000

6.650
6.900

7.900
8.130
4.850

1 P er to n of 2,240 pounds.

8.100
8.350
5.068

7.900
8.150
4.708

8.100
8.350
4.938

8.240
8.490
4.800

9.570
9.670
7.083

9.583
9.667
6. 813

10.350
10. 388
6.671

10.900
10.975
6.475

11.808
12.016
6.700

12.200
12. 300
7.017

12.590
12.690
8.020

14.675
14.788
8.946

12.715

15.913
16.025
9.481

15.120
15.230
8.503

2 Zoned out b y F u e l A dm in istratio n .
04

T

able

1 . — R E T A IL

P R IC E S P E R TO N O F 2,000 P O U N D S O F C O A L F O R H O U S E H O L D U SE , ON JA N . 15 A N D JU L Y 15 O F E A C H Y E A R , 1913 TO 1921,
B Y C IT IE S —C ontinued.
1913

1914

1916

1915

1918

1917

1920

1919

rfs*
Cfr

1921

City, a n d kind of coal.
Jan.

$8. 250 $7. 500
8. 750 7. 750
3.500 3.375
7.500
7. 750
4.143

7. 250
7. 500
4.143

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

$8.000
8. 250
3.750

$7,917
8.167
3.500

$7.917
8.167
3.500

$7.667
7. 833
3.500

$8,000
8.083
3.688

7. 500
7. 750
4.400

7.500
7.750
4.571

7.650
7.900
4.643

7.400
7.650
4.607

7.650
7.900
4.643

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

$9. 500 $11.660
9. 500
6.725
6.098

$7.875 $10.000
8.125 10.125
3.500

$5.958

7.850
8.100
4.946

9.688
10. 000
8.227

9.667
9.667
7.000

9.825
9.575
6.901

3.640

6.400

6.031

Jan.

6.443

11. 538
11.650
7.710

12.300
12.233
7.911

14.050
14.025
11.357

14.750
14.750
9.558

14.188
14.200
8. 708

5.943

6.179

6. Ö88

12.000
6.056

12.000
6.513

14.650
9.458

16.500
9.457

14.833
7.420

[ 532]

18.000

20.000

22.000

11. 500
10.167

11.000
8.583

14.334
10.139

14.250
10.386

15. 800
10.980

14.500
11.083

18.500
14.583

17.500
14.083

20.250
16.250

17.084
14.614

11.750
11.750
7.598

12.325
12.325
7.995

12.650
12.650
8.148

13.150
12.650
8.348

14.000
13.500
8.908

14.875
14.875
9.469

17. 533
17.533
11.691

16.000
16.000
10.979

9.880 10.150
10. OSO 10. 520
8.180
8.267

11.600
11.710
7.732

11. 890
11.980
7.988

12.650
12.750
8. 781

14.625
16.625
12.417

15.950
15.950
12.194

14.563
14. 563
10.000

10.750
10. 750

12.700
12.383
10.250

12.500
12.250
9.500

13.000
12. 750
10.000

14.500
14.250
12. 875

16.500
16.250
14.000

15.250
15.083
11.000

10.000

10.000

12.000

11.750

16.286

12. 800

12.250
12.333
6,875

12.250
12. 250
7.375

13.000
13.167
8.188

14.375
14.875
9.625

16.000
16.000
9.838

15. 375
15. 500
8.631


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

7.214

7.929

7.150

7. 545

8. 500
8.875

8. 500
9.000
4.875

10. 500
11. 000
6. 474

8.929
9.071
5.300

9.214
9.286'
5.641

9. 071
9.071
5.192

9.333
9.333
5.250

8.786
9.071
5.019

9.600
9.900
6.000

10.750
11.000
6.500

8.000
8. 250
5. 200

7.450
7.650
5. 200

8.000
8.250
5.200

7.500
7.750
5.188

7.938
8.188
5.179

7.500
7. 750
5.237

7.950
8.200
5.237

8.000
8. 250
5.611

9.750
9.800
7.583

9.125
9.313
7.500

8.250
8.250

7.425
7.613

7.750
8.000

7.688
7.688

8.000
8.000

7.750
7.750

8.750
8.750

8.438
8.438

1 1 .0 0 0

10.688
10.438

11.000

1 1 .0 0 0

11. 000
10.000

9.000
8.300
8. 500
4.611

7.750
7. 950
4.000

8.250
8.450
4.673

7.650
7. 900
4.208

July.

8.375
7.208

8.250

8.000
8. 250
3.700

Jan.

9.000
7.458

8.250
6.950

8. 950
9. 150
3. 813

July.

11.050
11.175
6.821

C h e stn u t

A rkansas anthracite—
E gg.......................................
B itu m in o u s............................
D enver, Colo.:
Colorado anthracite—
Stove, 3 a n d 5 m ix ed........
Furnace, 1 a n d 2 m ix e d ..
B itu m in o u s............................
D etroit, Mich.:
Pennsylvania anth racite—
Sto v e....................................
C h estn u t..............................
B itu m in o u s............................
F all River, Mass.:
Pennsylvania an th racite—
S to v e....................................
C hestnut..............................
B itum inous
H ouston, T e x .:
B itum inous
In d ian ap o lis, I n d .:
Pennsylvania an th racite—
S to v e...................
C hestn u t__
B itu m in o u s.............................

Jan.

$12.000 $12.500 $14.000 $15.970 $15.333
(2)
12.000 12.667 14.000 16.375 15. 750
(2)
6. 786
8.679
6.739
8.000
$6.478
6.139

C h e stn u t

B itu m in o u s ..........................
D allas, T e x .:
Pennsylvania anthracite—

July.

8.250
8.450
4.411

8.500
8.688
4. 568

10.167
10.333
6.800

.................

9.825
9.925
7.107

10.250
10. 500
6.163

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

Cincinnati, Ohio:
Pennsvania anthracite—
S to v e .__
C hestnut.
B itu m in o u s............................
Cleveland, Ohio:
Pennsylvania an th racite—
Stove. . . .
C h estn u t..............................
B itu m in o u s............................
Colum bus, Ohio:
Pennsylvania anthracite—

July.

9.000
9.000
7.000

9.000
9.000
7.125

9.125
9.125
6.875

9.000
9.000
7.500

9.000
9.000
7.000

9.000
9.000
7.500

9.000
9.000
7.375

11.000
11.000
8.000

12.000
12.000
8.500

12. 000
12.000
9.333

9.825

(2)
(2)
10.000

15.000
15.000
10. 000

18.000
18.000
15.000

24.000
23.000
15.667

16.250
16.250
12.250

'¿.’935

8,286
8.929
4. 276

7.917
8. 500
4.093

8.333
8.833
4.200

7.833
8.375
4,056

8.333
8.833
4.515

8.125
8.667
4.353

9.292
9.958
6.438

"b'm

12.592
13.150
6.703

13.700
14. 200
6.700

15.107
15.550
7.354

13. 593
14.450
7.469

15. 750
16.500
9.600

17.917
18. 500
10.115

16. 857
17.563
9. 550

7.625

7.625

9.000

11.500

12.750

12. 975

6. 250

5.833

5.972

5.361

6.000

5. 750

8.000

7.857

8. 250

9.155

9.414

12. 500
13.250
9.250

. 14.500

5.333

12. 591

17.000
17.000
14.176

16.000
16. 000
12.423

12.500

17.000
13. 500

12.000

15.000
13.600

15.000
11.375

18.000
13.700

16.000
12.900

15.000

14.375

22.000
14,881

20.000
14.700

21.150
14.688

14.583

16.000

17.000

19.222

18.000

250
8.250
4.000

8.’ 750
4.377

8.450
8.450
3.953

(2)

12.750

3.997

3.478

3.816

3.737

5.734

6. 583

6.038

6.783

6.743

6.816

13.750
13.750
6.836

9.531

16.000
17.000
9. 750

16.875
16. 875
8.042

8. 500
8.500

8. 750
8.750

8. 500
8.500

8.750
8. 750

8.500
8.500
.............

9.000
9.000

8. 750
8.750

11.000
11.000

11.000
11.000

11.000
11.000

10. 500
10. 500
in onn

12.500
12. 500

12. 750
12. 750

15.000
15.000
13.000

18.000
18. 000
14. 000

16. 500
16. 500
11.333

8.700

.............

.............

P en n sy lv an ia an th racite—
S to v e .....................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

21.000

34.219 3 4. 219

4, 219 3 3.883

7.850
8.100
5.714

8.080
8. 330
6.143

7.930
8.180
5.714

8.100
8.350
6.143

7.900
8.150
5.625

8.100
8.350
6.000

8.300
8. 550
5. 875

9.020
9. 270
7.743

9.050
9.300
5. 792

9. 350
9. 600
5. 875

9.133
9.383
5.846

9.307
9.557
5. 990

9.150
9.400
5.960

9. 350
9.600
5. 977

9.900
10.150
6. 375

10.350
10.600
8. 077

......... 1

3 3.833 3 3.904 3 4.083

....... .......

2 Zoned out b y Fuel A d m in istra tio n .

13.417
13.417
10.000

15.000

B itu m in o u s........
3 4.344
M ilwaukee, Wis.:
P en n sy lv an ia anth racite—
S to v e ............
8.000
C h estn u t........................
8.250
B itu m in o u s.......................... 6.250
M inneapolis, M inn.:
P en n sy lv an ia an th racite—
S to v e ...........................
9. 250
C h estn u t.....................
9. 500
B itu m in o u s.......................
5. 889
Mobile, A la.:
P e n n sy lv an ia anthracite— !
S to v e ...................
C h estn u t.................
B itu m in o u s...................

10. 375

16.000
16.000

6.539

7.171

7.221

7.528

8.000

18.000
18.000
9.563

18.000
18.000
10.036

18.000
18.000
8. 393

9.167
9. 367
8.000

9. 500
9.650
7.385

10.968
10. 904
7.385

12.286
12.378
7.814

12.400
12. 500
8.144

12.600
12. 700
8.960

14.800
14.900
12.167

16.200
16.280
12.948

15. 940
15. 940
10.663

10.650
10. 900
8. 600

10. 826
10. 926
8.888

12.238
12.238
8.474

13.708
13. 786
9.000

13. 800
13. 900
9.189

14.000
14.100
10.425

16. 520
16. 560
12.044

18. 330
18.390
13. 824

17.730
17.730
12.485

............
17. 000
9.429
9.722
8 P er 10-barrel lots (1,800 pounds).

17.000
17.000
10.333

11.900

13.2Ü

10.438

3 6.222 37.018

14.000
8. 000

...........
9.000

RETAIL PRICES OF COAL IN' THE UNITED STATES.

[ 533]

Jacksonville, F la.:
P e n n sy lv an ia anth racite—
S to v e .........................
10. ooo
C h estn u t.............................. 10.000
B itu m in o u s............. ............. 7. 500
K an sas C ity, Mo.:
A rk an sas an th racite—
F u rn ac e ................................
Stove, or No. 4....................
B itu m in o u s..........
"4.39i
L ittle R ock, A rk.:
A rk an sas anth racite—
E g g ........................................
S to v e ...................
B itu m in o u s...............
6.000
Los A ngeles, Calif.:
N ew Mexico an th racite—
Cerillos egg:...
B itu m in o u s ...
13.520
L ouisville, K y .:
P e n n sy lv an ia an th racite—
S to v e ................
9.000
C h estn u t..........
9.000
B itu m in o u s ...
4.200
M anchester, N . H .:
P en n sy lv an ia an th racite—
S to v e .........................
10.000
C h estn u t...........
10.000
B itu m in o u s........

T

able

1 . — R E T A IL P R IC E S P E R T O N O F 2,000 PO U N D S O F COAL F O R H O U S E H O L D U S E , ON JA N . 15 AND J U L Y 15 O F EA C H Y E A R , 1913 TO
1921, B Y C IT IE S —C ontinued.
1913

1914

1915

1916

1918

1917

1919

1920

Ox
qo

1921

City, an d k in d of coal.
Jan.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Jan .

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

$6.250
6.500

$6.500
6.750

$6.250
6.500

$6.500
6.750

$6.250
6.500

$6.500
6.750

$6.750
7.000

$7.208
7.292

$7.250
7.250

IS. 100
8.100

88.500
8.500

89.750 $10.050 $10.483 $11.767 $13.000 $12.700
10.483 11.767 13.000 12.700

6.250
6.250

6.571
6.571

6.579
6 .579

7.000
7.000

5.750
6.750

7.500
7.500

7.742
7.742

9. 500
9.500

9.000
9.000

9.750
9.750

10.100
10.100

12.050

11.333
11.333

12.250

14.583

17.083

13.833
13.833

13.067
13.300
8.040

14.550
7.789

(2)
(2)
8.900

16.000
16.000
8.292

17.500
17.500
9.269

19.000
IS. 833
10.857

22.500
22.500
12.873

17.000
17.000
10.528

9.083

9.293

30.757
10.764

10.800
10.857

11.536
11.600

13.067
13.067

14.542
14.542

13.300
13.300

7.750

7.750

11 700
11 700
8'. 250

19, ^OQ
Q 375

Q 7r*o

1? 1?5

13.188
13.338
7.950

16.450
16.550
8.930

17.275
17.450
10.108

21.300
21.400
11.465

23.250
23.375
13.697

22.000
22.000

7.388

11.667
11.750
5.550

13.000
13.000
6.000

14.000
14.000
7.429

16.500
16.500
7.750

15.375
15.500
6.406

10.000

10.000

10.000

10.500

10.125

10.500

10. 500

11.700

3 5.944

10.500

10. 500

3 6.063

3 6.071

10.625

3 5.950

3 6.083

11.000
3 6.091

12.200
3 6.063

3 6 .944

6.657
6.800

6.857
7.000

6.850
6.993

7.143
7.286

6.907
7.057

7.107
7.250

7.393
7.1421

8.500
8.500

10.000

13.100
13.500

8.420

10.000
10.000

10.750
11.000

6.125

10.700
10.950
6.125

10. 700
10.950
6.125

10.750
11.000
6.083

10.700
10.950
6.167

10.750

11.750

11.000

12.000

6.042

6.000

13.200
13.400
7.857

13.250
13.500
7.750

10.250
10. 500
5.500
6.894 1 7.281
17.144 1 7.531

1 7.050
17.300

1 7.250
1 7.500

1 7.013

1 7.250
1 7.500

1 7.494
1 7.744

1 7.969

7.375 1 7. 713 1 1 7.550 1 7.875 1 7.567 17.967 11 8.000
17.438 1 7.775 1 7.550 1 7. 933 1 7. 567 1 8.017 11 8.100
13.176 J 1 3.188 14 3.158 4 3.225 1 3.225 4 3.326 14 3.450

10.500
10.850
4 4.857

1 7.263

1 8.319
1 8. 519

Jan.

11.000
11.025
5.850

Ju ly .

Ja n .

July.

Jan.

1 9.594
9.888

10. 625
111.000
10.650 110.150 i l l . 050
4 5.750
5. 278
6.656

12.750 1 12.750 113.750 1 15.250
5. 833

6.179

12.344

1 14.150
1 14.125

.JUO

6.000

July.

7.375

18.500 115.750
8.188

6.857

M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.

[534]

N ew ark, N . J.:
Pen n sy lv an ia an th racite—
S to v e...................
$6.500
C hestn u t.......................
6 . 750
New H aven, Conn.:
Pen n sy lv an ia anth racite—
Sto v e.................................... 7.500
C h e s tn u t............................. 7.500
New Orleans, La.:
Pen n sy lv an ia an th racite—
Sto v e.................................... 10.000
C h estn u t.............................. 10.500
B itu m in o u s............................ 3 6.056
New Y ork, N . Y .:
P en n sy lv an ia anth racite—
Sto v e.........................
7.071
C h estn u t.............................. 7.143
Norfolk, Va.:
Pen n sy lv an ia an th racite—
Sto v e....................................
C h estn u t..............................
B itu m in o u s............................
O m aha, N ebr.:
Pen n sy lv an ia anth racite—
Sto v e................................
12.000
C h estn u t.............................. 12.000
B itu m in o u s............................ 6.625
Peoria, 111.:
Pennsylvania an th racite—
Stove....................................
C h estn u t.....................
B itu m in o u s.....................
Philadelphia, P a.:
Pennsylvania a n th racite—
Stove................
7.156
C hestn u t..........
7.375
P ittsb u rg h , Pa.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove...........................
17.938
C hestnut.......................
18.000
B itu m in o u s................................ 13.158

July.

LQ8QJ


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1 L -£UU

9. 786

9.656

9.625

9.279

9.382

9.224

9.438

9.263

10.276

9.659

10.181

10.442

10.566

11.493

11.618

15.360
15.360
14.810

16.320
16.320
12.740

15.120
15.120
9.310

11.955

13. 792

13.469

, 250 57.500 5 7.750 57.450 5 7. 750 5 7.500 58.750 58.500 510. 000 5 9.500 MO. 500 Ml. 375 M2.400 M2.000 M2.950
517.000 515.000
5 8.205 57.750 5 8.000 6 7.700 5 8.000 5 7.750 5 9.000 6 8.500 510.000 5 9.500 510.500 M l. 375 512.400 512.000 513.000 5514.500
14.500 517.000 515.000
513.625 513.583 « 9. 500
8.000
8.000

5.500

7. 250
7.250
4.944

7. 750
7.750
5. 423

7.542
7.542
5.042

8.000
8.000
5.444

7.500
7.500
5.023

7.900
7.900
5.364

8.000
8.000
5.063

9.450
9.450
7.268

9.500
9.500
7.250

9. 500
9.500
7.686

9.900
9.900
7.811

11.500
11.500
8.222

12.000
12.000
8.464

12.125
12.125
8.931

13.500
13.500
10.882

15. 500
15.500
12.289

14.250
14.250
10.738

7.200
7.450

7.750
7.900

8.150
8.250

8.550
8.650

9.050
9.150

10.300
10.400

10.600
10.700

10.800
10.900

12.200
12.300

13.550
13.550

13.350
13.350

8.438
8.680
3.360

7.740
7.990
3.037

8.150
8.350
3. 288

8.175
8.363
3.056

8.333
8. 500
3.214

8.033
8.200
3.050

8.583
8.750
3.179

8.500
8.750
3.073

9.813
10.050
4.615

10.250
10.563
4.788

10.433
10.533
5.444

11.000
11.250
5.893

5.463

12.900
12.900
5.425

13.100
13.225
5.970

14.350
14.350
6.632

17.288
17.288
8.066

15.938
16.125
6.789

9.198
9.448
6.073

9.050
9.300
6.041

9.333
9.583
6.121

9.183
9.433
6.089

9.350
9.600
6.167

9.150
9.400
6.153

9.350
9.600
6.203

9.883
10.133
6.610

10.350
10.600
8.213

10.675
10.883
8.568

10. 727
10.827
9.162

12.248
12.417
9.148

13.453
13.543
9.582

13.800
13.900
9.875

14.000
14.100
11.531

16.483
16.517
13.258

18.283
18.317
15.131

17.750
17.750
12.831

11.000 11.500
11.000 11.500

5. 458

11. 500
11.472
5. 580

5.552

11. 500
11.500
5.462

1Î. 563
11.571
5.462

11. 714
11.786
5.464

11.429
11.429
5. 464

12.000
12.000
5.658

12.875
12.875
6.368

14.000
14.000
7.250

15.000
15.000
7.303

15.333
15.333
7.875

16.000
16.000
7.250

16.313
16.583
8.236

18.375
18.375
9.250

17.700
18.500

20.000

10.012

9.750

17.000 17.000

17. 000

17. 000

16. 833

16.833

17.000

17.000

19.000

19.000

20.750

18.600

21.550

20.500

23.000

24.000

17.000 17.000
12.000 12.000

17.000
12.091

17.000 16. 833
12.400 | 12.273

14. 500

18.600
13.867

18.600
14.083

19.400
14.200

19. 400
13.591

21.750
15.100

23.000
16.643

26. 750
19.400

26.000
18.455

5.639

16.833 17.000
12.333 1 12.250

1 P e r to n of 2,240 pounds.
2 Zoned out b y Fuel A dm inistration.
3 P e r 10-barrel lots (1,800 pounds).
4 P e r 25-bushel lots (1,900 pounds).
6 50 cents p er to n additional is charged for 1binning.”

17.000 19. 000
12. 250 | 13.429

19.300

26. 500

RETAIL PRICES OF COAL IN T H E U NITED STATES.

Portland, Me.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove..................................
Chestnut............................
Bituminous..........................
Portland, Oreg.:
Bituminous..........................
Providence, It. I.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove..................................
Chestnut............................
Bituminous..........................
Richmond, V a .:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove..................................
Chestnut............................
Bituminous..........................
Rochester, N . Y .:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove..................................
Chestnut............................
S t. Louis, Mo.;
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove..................................
Chestnut............................
Bituminous...........................
St. Paul, Minn.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove..................................
Chestnut.............................
Bituminous...........................
Salt Lake City, Utah.:
Colorado anthracite—
Furnace, 1 and 2 m ixed. .
Stove, 3 and 5 mixed.......
Bituminous...........................
San Francisco, Calif.:
N ew Mexico anthracite—
Cerillos egg.........................
Colorado anthracite—
E g g .....................................
Bituminous...........................

Most custom ers require binning or basketing th e coal in to th e cellar.

CD

T

able

1 .—R E T A IL P R IC E S P E R

T O N O F 2,000 P O U N D S O F COAL FO R H O U S E H O L D U S E , ON JA N . 15 A N D JU L Y 15 O F EA C H Y E A R , 1913 TO
1921, B Y C IT IE S —Concluded.

1913

1914

1916

1915

1918

1917

1920

1919

Cin
O

1921

C ity, an d k in d of coal.
Jan.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

Jan.

July.

$«15.100 $«17,600 $«19,100 $«17,100
«15.100 « 17.600 « 19.100 « 17.100
«11.100 « 14. 500 «15.100 « 12.767
$4.250 $4.313
4.500 4.563

$4. 500
4.750

^ 7.125 ^ 7. 200 ^ 6.167

$4.313
4.563

$4. 438
4.688

i 5. 800 i 5.906
2.646

2.078

$7.475
7.563

$7.683
7.783

i 5. 313 i 5. 528 i 5.750 7 5.850 7 6.133 8 7. 867 8 9.133 8 9.163

8 9.103

14.125
4. 313

2.094

$4.375
4.625

2.563

$4. 800
4.800

2.750

$5.250
5.250

2.706

$5. 250
5.250

3.455

$6.113
6.150

3.711

$6.050
6.150

3.661

3.832

3.976

17. 500 17. 381 1 7. 588 1 7. 419 1 7.731 1 7. 400 1 7.625 1 7.725 1 8.206 1 8.567 110.100 1 9. 960 111.890 i l l . 911
1 7.850 17. 531 1 7. 738 1 7.569 1 7. 881 1 7. 550 1 7. 775 1 7.856 1 8.200 1 8.625 110.190 1 10.064 1 12.019 1 12. Oil
17.700 1 7. 974 18.050

8.233
8.300

9.275
9.275

9.833
9,833

9,550

8 9. 588 8 9.843 8 11.611 811.337
3.950

4.450

4.950

4.425

1 12. 447 1 13.793 1 15.593 1 14.514
1 12,538 1 13. 857 1 15.557 1 14. 400
1 8.267 1 9.694 1 11.577 1 10. 055

1 P e r to n of 2,240 pounds.
« A ll coal sold in S av an n ah is weighed b y th e city . A charge of 10 cents p e r to n or half to n is m ade. This additional charge is included in th e price.
i A t yard, delivery $0.50 to $2, according to distance.
8 Prices m Zone A. T h e cartage charge in Zone A w as $1.85 u n til in Ju ly , 1921, w hen it was $1,55. These charges have been included in the averages. T he cartage charges in
Seattle ranged from $1.85 to $2.90, according to distance.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

[536]

Savannah, Ga.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
S to v e ..............i ....................
C h estn u t..............................
B itu m in o u s............................
Scranton, P a.:
Pennsylvania an thracite—
S to v e....................................
C h estn u t............... .............
Seattle, W ash.:
B itu m in o u s............................
Springfield, Ml.:
B itum inous............................
W ashington, D . C.:
Pennsylvania anthracite—
Stove....................................
C h estn u t..............................
B itu m in o u s............................

July.

51

DETAIL PRICES OF COAL IN THE UNITED STATES.

Table 2 shows for the U nited States both average and relative retail
prices of Pennsylvania white ash coal, stove and chestnut sizes, and
of bitum inous coal on specified dates from January, 1913, to July,
1921. An average price for the year 1913 has been m ade from the
averages for Jan u ary and July of th a t year. The average prices for
each m onth have been divided by this average price for the year 1913
to obtain the relative prices.
July, 1921, compared w ith July, 1913, shows an increase of 100 per
cent in the price of Pennsylvania white ash stove coal, 95 per cent in
the price of chestnut, and 94 per cent in the price of bitum inous.
July, 1921, compared with July, 1920, shows an increase of 4 per
cent in the price of Pennsylvania white ash stove and in the price of
chestnut and a decrease of 1 per cent in the price of bitum inous coal.
The figures for the chart, showing the trend in the retail prices of
coal, have been taken from Table 2.
T a b l e 3 .— A V E R A G E A N D R E L A T IV E P R IC E S OE CO AL IN T O N L O T S F O R T H E U N IT E D

S T A T E S ON S P E C IF IE D D A T E S FR O M JA N . 15, 1913, TO JU L Y 15, 1921.

P e n n sy lv a n ia a n th ra c ite, w hite ash.

Y ear a n d m o n th .

1913:
Average for y e a r........................................
J a n u a ry ........................................................
J u ly ...............................................................
1914:
J a n u a ry ........................................................
J u ly ...............................................................
1915:
Ja n u a ry ........................................................
J u ly ...............................................................
1916:
J a n u a ry ........................................................
J u ly ...............................................................
1917:
Ja n u a ry ........................................................
J u ly ...............................................................
1918:
J a n u a ry ........................................................
J u ly ...............................................................
1919:
J a n u a ry ........................................................
J u ly ...............................................................
1920:
J a n u a ry ........................................................
J u n e ..............................................................
J u ly ...............................................................
A u g u st.............................................. ...........
S ep tem b er...................................................
O ctober........................................................
N ovem ber....................................................
D ecem ber.....................................................
1921:
J a n u a ry ........................................................
F e b ru a ry ......................................................
M arch............ ..............................................
A p ril.............................................................
M ay ...............................................................
J u n e ..............................................................
J u ly ...............................................................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Stove.

B itum inous.

C hestnut.
Average
price.

R elativ e
price.

100
103
97

$5.43
5.48
5.39

100
101
99

8.00
7.78

101
98

5.97
5.46

110
101

101
98

7.99
7.73

101
98

5.71
5.44

105
100

7.93
8.12

103
105

8.13
8.28

103
105

5.69
5.52

105
102

9.29
9.08

120
118

9. 40
9.16

119
116

6.96
7. 21

128
133

9.88
9.96

128
129

10.03
10.07

127
127

7.68
7.92

141
140

11.51
12.14

149
157

11.61
12.17

147
154

7. 90
8.10

145
149

12.59
14.07
14. 28
14. 40
15. 77
16.08
16. 22
16.16

163
182
185
186
204
208
210
209

12.77
14.14
14.33
14.50
15.85
16.15
16.29
16.29

161
179
181
183
200
204
206
206

8. 81
10.19
10.55
11.04
12.12
12. 50
12. 53
12.30

162
187
194
203
223
230
230
226

15.99
15.80
15.63
14.87
14. 79
14.77
14.89

207
204
202
192
191
191
193

16.13
15.88
15.66
14.86
14.88
14.83
14.95

204
201
198
188
188
187
189

11.82
11.41
11.15
10.58
10. 39
10.39
10.47

218
210
205
195
191
191
193

Average
price.

Relative
price.

Average
price.

R elative
price.

$7.73
7.99
7.46

100
103
97

87.91
8.15
7.68

7.80
7.60

101
98

7.83
7.54

[ 537]

Or

to

T R E N D IN T H E R E T A I L P R IC E O F COAL F O R T H E U N IT E D S T A T E S , JA N U A R Y , 1913, TO J U L Y , 1921.

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

[ 538]
1913


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1914

1914

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

1921

WHOLESALE PRICES IN JULY.

53

Wholesale Prices in July.
'O CHANGE in the general level of wholesale prices from June
to July is shown by inform ation gathered by the U nited States
D epartm ent of Labor through the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The bureau’s weighted index number, which includes a larger num ­
ber of commodities than any other currently published series, and
which gives to each commodity an influence equal to its im portance
in the country’s m arkets, again registered 148 in July, as compared
w ith 100 representing the level of prices in the year 1913.
Farm products and foodstuffs were slightly higher than in June,
the former group advancing I f per cent and the la tte r I f per cent
over the level of the previous m onth. In all other groups decreases
took place, varying from one-half of 1 per cent in the case of cloths
and clothing to 6 per cent in the case of house-furnishing goods.
Building m aterials were 1 per cent cheaper than in June, fuel and
lighting m aterials were I f per cent cheaper, and chemicals and drugs
I f per cent cheaper.
Metals and m etal products declined 5f per cent in average price from
June to July. In the group of miscellaneous commodities, including
such im portant articles as cottonseed meal and oil, lubricating oil,
jute, rubber, newsprint and wrapping paper, soap, tobacco, and wood
pulp, the decline was less than three-fourths of 1 per cent.
Of the 327 commodities, or series of quotations, for which com para­
ble data for June and Ju ly were obtained, increases were found to
have occurred for 82 commodities and decreases for 121 commodities.
In 124 cases no change in price took place in the two m onths.
Some of the more im portant changes occurring between June and
July, as measured by average prices in each m onth, are as follows:

N

IM P O R T A N T A R T IC L E S IN C R E A S IN G OR D E C R E A S IN G IN A V E R A G E P R IC E IN JU L Y '
AS C O M PA R ED W IT H JU N E , 1921, B Y G R O U P S O F C O M M O D ITIES.
In c rea ses.
Com m odity.

Per
cent.

F arm products.
Cotton, m iddling:
New O rleans....................... 4.2
New Y o rk ........................... 2.7
Flaxseed, M inneapolis........ 7.1
H ay, tim o th y , No. 1, Chicago......................................
9.0
L ive stock, Chicago:
C attle, steers, good to
choice................................ 3.9
Hogs, lig h t.......................... 23.6
Sheep, ewes......................... 8.1
Sheep, w ethers................... 9.5
P o u ltry 'liv e , New Y o rk ... 2.4
Food, etc.
B u tte r, e x tra, cream ery:
C hicago...............................
New Y o rk ...........................
San Francisco.....................
Cheese:
Chicago................................
New Y o rk ...........................
San Francisco.....................
Eggs, fresh:
Chicago................................
New Y o rk ...........................
San Francisco.....................


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

21.2
18.5
12.5
20.7
22.9
29.2
19.0
23.7
19.0

C om m odity.
Food, etc.— Concluded.
Lem ons C alifo rn ia , Chicago
Lard, p rim e, contract, New
Y ork....................................
M eat:
Bacon, short clear sides,
Chicago............
H a m s,sm o k ed , Chicago..
M utton, dressed , New
Y ork...............
Poultry, dressed, New Y ork.
M ilk, fresh:
Chicago (v ic in ity ).............
New Y ork (v ic in ity )........
Rice, blue rose, New Orle a n s......................................
Sugar, raw , N ew Y ork. __
Potatoes, w hite, C hicago...

Per
cent.

Com m odity.

25.8

F uel and lighting—Concld.
Coal, a n th ra c ite, N ew Y ork
tid ew ater—Conoid.

18.1
S to v e ........
2 5
13.4
12.9
1.7
12. 2
10.9
15.6
5.5
5.4

Cloths and clothing.
H osiery, w om en’s, silk
mercerized, New Y o rk .. .
Fuel and lighting.
Coal, an th racite, New Y ork
tidew ater:
C h e stn u t.............................

[ 539]

1.4

1J2
l.i

Metals and metal products.
Silver, b ar, fine, New Y ork.

2.8

Building materials.
B rick. New Y o rk ..................
Oak, w hite, p la in , New
Y ork......................................
P in e , yellow, siding, Norfolk, V a................................

1.7
4.2
8.1

Chemicals and drugs.
Copper su lp h ate, N ew Y ork

2.6

P er
cent.

4.5

Miscellaneous.
C ottonseed oil, New Y o rk .. 13.9
Linseed M eal, New Y o rk ... 11.9
Sisal, M exican, New Y o rk .. 2.5
Soya b e an oil, crude, New
Y o rk .....................................
3.9

54

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

IM P O R T A N T A R T IC L E S IN C R E A S IN G OR D E C R E A S IN G IN A V E R A G E P R IC E IN J U L Y
AS C O M PA R E D AVITH J U N E , 1921, B Y G R O U P S O F C O M M O D IT IE S -C oncluded.
D ecrea ses.

C om m odity.

P er
cent.

C om m odity.

Farm products.
O ats, cash, Chicago..............
R ye, No. 2, cash, C hicago..
W heat:
No. 1 n o rth ern spring,
Chicago............................
No. 2 red w inter, Chicago.
No. 2 h a rd w inter, K ansas C ity ............................
No. 1 n o rth e rn spring,
M inneapolis.....................
No. 1 h a rd w h ite, Portlan d , O reg.......................
H ay, alfalfa, “No. 1, K ansas C ity ............................
H ides, calfskins No. i, Chicago........................... ..........
H ops, Pacifies, P o r tla n d ...
Live stock, lam bs, Chicago......................................
P ean u ts, No. 1, Norfolk, Va

P er
cent.

T in p late, dom estic, coke,
P ittsb u rg h ..........................
Mure, b arb ed , galvanized,
C hicago. . .
Zinc, pig, New Y o rk ...........

10.6
14.6
11.4

9.0
8.1
2.8

4.1

Coffee, Rio, New Y ork .
Salm on, canned, red, N . Y .
Flour, rye, w hite, M innea p o iis”. ...............................
Flour, w heat:
P a te n t, K ansas C ity ........
Stan d ard p a te n t, Minneapolis. / ...........................
P a te n t, P o rtlan d , O reg...
Soft p a te n t, St. L o u is___
P runes, C alifornia, New
Y o rk .....................................
R aisin s, New Y o rk ..............
Corn m eal, w h ite, D e c a tu r..
Meat:
Beef, fresh, good n a tiv e
steers, C hicago...............
Lam b, dressed round,
Chicago............................
Rice, H o n d u ras, New Orle a n s ...............
Milk, fresh, San F ran cisco ..
Sugar, gran u lated , New
Y o rk .....................................

8.8
1 5
10.6
3.7
3.7

F uel and lighting.
Coal, bitum inous:
Mine ru n , Chicago............ 4.5
P rep ared sizes, C hicago... 2.5
Screenings, Chicago.......... 4.5
R u n of m ine, St. L o u is... 2.7
Coke, Connelsville, furnace,
a t ovens............................... 6.1
Gasoline, m otor, New Y ork
6.0
Petroleum , crude, a t wells:
K ansas-O klahom a............ 15.8
P e n n sy lv a n ia ..................... 14.3

2.9
13.8
2.8
10.2
1.2
7.7
12.0
3.2
6.0
9.2
6.9
14.0
14. 8
14.2
4.0

Building materials.

Metal and metal products.

B rick, common, red building, C in c in n ati...................
Lum ber:
Hem lock, New Y ork........
M aple, New Y ork.............
Spruce, B o sto n ..........
O xide of zinc, New Y o rk ...
Shingles, cypress, New Orlean s......................................

B ar iron, refined iro n bars,
P ittsb u rg h ..........................
6.9
Copper, ingot, New Y ork .. 2.4
Iro n ore, Mesabi, Bessem er, low er 1ak e p o rts ....... 7.5
Lead, pig, New Y o rk ..........
2.4
N ails, w ire, P ittsb u rg h ....... 6.0
P ig iron, P ittsb u rg h :
B essem er............................. 7.6
F o u n d ry No. 2, n o rth e rn . 7.3
Steel billets, Bessemer,
P ittsb u rg h .......................... 12.8
Steel p la te s ta n k , P ittsb u rg h .................................... 5.1
Steel, stru c tu ra l, Chicago... 7.5
T in , pig, New Y o rk ............. 4.0

D enim s, M assachusetts, No.
220, New Y ork.
D rilling, brow n, New York:
P e p p e re ll.............................
M assachusetts D stan d a rd
Y arn, Boston:
Carded, 10/1........................
Twistecl, 20/2....................
L eather, glazed kid, black,
Boston..................................
Leather, sole, hemlock,
B o sto n .................................
AVool, Ohio, scoured fleece,
fine delaine, B oston..........
Y arns, w orsted, 2/32s, Bosto n ........................................

4.1
3. 5
3.4
5.3
4. 2
3.6
2.8
5.3
4.2

House-furnishing goods.
Bedroom sets, 3 pieces, Chicago......................................
9.1
Bedroom chairs, rockers,
Chicago........................... .. 14.3
K itchen tables, w ith draw er. C h icag o ...
6.1
K nives a nd forks, fa c to ry ... 6.9
Miscellaneous.

2. 1
8.5
9.5
3.2
9.4
7.4

Chemicals and drugs.
Alcohol, wood, New Y o rk ..
A lum , lu m p , New Y o rk ___
Glycerine, refined, New
Y o rk .....................................
Soda, caustic, New Y o rk ...

Soda, n itra te of, New
Y o rk ..................................... 11.8
Soda ash, light, N ew Y o rk .. 5.9
Sulphur, crude, New Y ork. 3.2
Cloths and clothing.

Food, etc.

12.5

P er
cent.

Chemicals and drugs—
Concluded.

Metal and metal products—
Concluded.
1.7
4.8

C om m odity.

1.6
5.1
6.6
9.4

B ran, M inneapolis__
4. 5
Cottonseed m eal, New Y ork 4.8
P aper, new s p rin t, f. o. b.
m ills___
3. 5
Rope, m anila, best grade,
New Y o r k . . . .
15. 8
AVood pulp, sulphite, dom estic, New Y o rk ............. 5.2
H em p, m anila, New Y o rk .. 8.6
Millfeed, m iddlings, Minneap o lis............................... 6.0
Tankage, 9 an d 20 per cent,
C hicago................................ 5.3
Coconut oil, crude, Pacific c o a st.
2.7

1

Comparing prices in July w ith those of a year ago, it is seen from
the following table th a t farm products and foodstuffs have declined
50 per cent, and clothing m aterials 4 3 | per cent. Building m aterials,
m easured by changes in their index num ber, show a decrease of 40
per cent and miscellaneous commodities a decrease of 38J per cent.
House-furnishing goods were 35 per cent cheaper in July than in
the same m onth of last year, and m etals and m etal products were
34^- per cent cheaper. Fuel and lighting m aterials decreased 27
per cent and chemicals and drugs approxim ately 25 per cent in the
12-month period. All commodities, considered in the aggregate,
decreased 43J per cent.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 540]

WHOLESALE PRICES IN JULY.

55

! O F W H O L E S A L E P R IC E S IN S P E C IF IE D Y E A R S A N D M O N TI
TO JU L Y , 1921, B Y G R O U P S O P C O M M O D ITIES.

1913

[1913=100.]

Fuel
and
lig h t­
ing.

100
99
96
102
102
103
102
95
104
107
104
106
105
104
103
126
113
117
121
140
176
150
182
181
183
189
187
186
177
178
177
179
184
191
199
201
206
210
210
207
196
203
211
214
204
216
227
211
211
219
234
236
253
244
246
270
287
279
268
235
223
204
195
172

100
100
100
100
100
98
98
99
99
97
100
96
99
99
103
128
110
119
126
138
181
161
169
187
193
239
211
216
223
232
237
245
249
252
255
257
256
250
261
234
223
216
217
228
258
282
304
306
313
325
335
302
350
356
356
353
347
335
317
299
278
257
234
220

100
103
98
99
100
96
99
98
95
93
93
93
89
90
96
119
105
108
108
133
175
176
184
192
146
163
157
157
158
157
160
159
166
166
167
167
171
171
173
170
169
168
167
167
170
171
175
181
181
179
181
238
184
187
192
213
235
246
252
268
284
282
258
236

100
107
102
98
99
87
92
91
85
83
97
83
91
102
100
148
126
147
145
151
208
183
208
257
182
181
174
176
176
177
178
178
184
185
184
187
188
184
161
172
168
162
152
152
154
158
165
160
161
164
169
186
177
189
192
195
193
190
191
193
192
184
170
157

100
100
101
101
98
97
98
99
97
96
94
94
94
93
93
101
99
101
99
101
124
106
114
132
134
151
136
138
144
146
148
150
154
157
159
158
164
164
192
161
103
165
162
164
175
186
208
227
231
236
253
308
268
300
325
341
341
337
333.
328
318
313
274
266

100
101
101
99
100
101
100
100
99
105
114
103
102
108
124
159
150
172
156
150
198
159
170
198
252
221
232
232
232
229
223
219
216
222
220
218
215
195
179
191
185
183
178
179
174
171
172
173
174
176
179
210
189
197
205
212
215
218
217
216
222
216
207
188

100
100
100
100
100
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
115
105
108
121
124
144
132
139
152
152
196
161
161
165
172
173
198
199
221
226
226
226
227
236
218
218
218
217
217
233
245
259
262
264
299
303
337
324
329
329
331
339
362
362
363
371
371
369
346

100
100
98
101
100
99
99
101
97
96
99
100
99
98
99
120
107
110
120
132
155
138
149
153
163
193
178
181
184
191
194
196
190
191
194
196
203
204
217
212
208
217
216
213
212
221
225
217
220
220
220
236
227
227
230
238
246
247
243
240
239
229
220
205

223
230
238
243
248
249
253
265
272
269
292
250
242
225
207
189

162
150
150
141
133
132
134

208
198
192
186
181
ISO
179

228
218
207
199
194
187
184

152
146
■139
138
38
132
125

239
221
208
203
202
202
200

182
178
171
168
166
166
1.63

283
277
275
274
262
250
235

190
180
167
154
151
150
149

177
167
162
154
151
148
148

Food,
etc.

100
97
97
101
103
103
101
103
104
103
105
102
107
108
105
122
108
114
118
136
189
148
181
199
208
220
207
208
212
217
214
217
224
230
237
224
221
222
234
222
218
228
235
240
231
246
243
226
230
240
244
218
246
237
239
246
244
243
236
222
210
1S2
165
144
136
129
125
115
117
113
115


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

M etals B u ild ­ Chemi­ Housean d
Miscel­
cals
fur­
ing
m etal
ne­
and nishing la
ate­
prod­ m
ous.
rials. drugs. goods.
ucts.

Cloths
and
cloth­
ing.

F a rm
pro d ­
ucts.

[ 541]

.11
m>diiS.

100
100

98
100

101
100
100

98
100

99
101
99
100

101
101

124
110

117
119
134
176
151
172
186
181
196
185
186
187
190
190
193
198
202

207
204
206
206
212

203
197
201

203
207
207
218
226
220

56

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

Wholesale Prices in the United States and Foreign Countries, 1913 to
June, 1921.
N T H E following table the more im portant index num bers of
wholesale prices in the U nited States and several foreign countries,
as compiled by recognized authorities, have been reduced to a
common base, in order th a t the trend of prices in the several coun­
tries m ay be directly compared. The results here shown have been
obtained by merely shifting the base for each series of index num bers
to the year 1913; i. e., by dividing the index for 1913 on the original
base into the index for each year or m onth on th a t base. These
results are therefore to be regarded only as approxim ations of the cor­
rect index num bers in the case of series constructed by averaging
the relative prices of individual commodities.1 This applies to the
index num bers of the D epartm ent of Labor of Canada, the S tatisque
Générale of France, the B ritish series of the Econom ist, the series for
Ita ly constructed by Prof. Riccardo Bachi, and the series here shown
for Ja p an and N etherlands. The index num bers of the U nited
S tates B ureau of Labor Statistics and the Census and Statistics
Office of New Zealand are built on aggregates of actual money prices,
or relatives m ade from such aggregates of actual prices, and there­
fore can readily be shifted to any desired base. The series here shown
for Sweden and A ustralia are reproduced as published, the la tte r
after being rounded off to three digits. I t should be understood also
th a t the validity of the comparisons here m ade is affected by the
wide difference in the num ber of commodities included in the different
series of index numbers.

I

W H O L E S A L E P R IC E S IN T H E U N IT E D ST A T E S A N D C E R T A IN F O R E IG N C O U N T R IE S .
[Index num bers expressed as percentages of th e index n u m ber for 1913. See te x t explanation.]

Y ear a n d
m onth.

1913............
1914............
1915............
1916............
1917............
1918............
1919............
1914.
A pril____
Or*t,ohfir..
1915.
A p ril.........
O c to b er...

U nited
States:
B ureau
of Labor
Statis­
tics;
328 com­
m odi­
ties
(vari­
able).

Canada:
D ep art­
m en t of
Labor;
272 com­
m odi­
ties
(vari­
able).

Italy :
U nited France: Riccardo
Bachi;
Japan:
Statis­
K ing­
38 com­ B an k of
tique
dom:
modities
Jap an ,
Econo­ Géné­ u n til end Tokyo;
rale;
m ist;
of
1919;
56
com­
44 com­ 45 com­ there­
m odi­
m odi­
m odi­
after
ties.
ties.
ties.
76 com­
modities.

100
100
101
124
176
196
212

100
100
110
134
174
205
216

100
99
123
160
204
225
235

100
102
140
188
262
339
356

100
95
133
201
299
409
364

100
98
100
99

101
101
99
102

97
96
95
101

100
100
101
107

102
92
92
98

99
100
101
101

103
108
111
112

112
124
122
125

124
135
142
158

105
121
130
148

100
96
97
117
147
192
236

N ether­
lands:
C entraal
B ureau
voor de
Statistiek;
51 com­
modi­
ties.

100
106
147
229
294
400
306

Sweden:
Svensk
Handelstidning;
47 com­
m odi­
ties.

a 100
116
145
185
244
339
331

A ustra­
lia:
B ureau
of Cen­
sus
an d Sta­
tistics;
92 com­
modi­
ties.

b 100
141
132
146
170
180

New
Zea­
land:
Census
a n d Sta­
tistics
Office;
140 com­
m odi­
ties.

100
102
121
131
148
172
175

i F o r a discussion of index num bers, constructed according to th is m ethod, see B ulletin No. 181 of th e
B u reau of L abor Statistics, p p . 245-252.
a Ju ly , 1913-June, 1914.
b J u ly , 1914.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[542]

57

WHOLESALE PRICES, 1913 TO J U N E , 1921,

W H O L E S A L E P R IC E S IN T H E U N IT E D ST A T E S A N D C E R T A IN F O R E IG N C O U N T R IE S —
Concluded.

Y ear and
m onth.

U nited
States:
B ureau
of Labor
Statis­
tics;
328 com­
m odi­
ties
(vari­
able).

C anada:
D ep art­
m en t of
Labor;
272 com­
modi­
ties
(vari­
able).

Italy :
U nited France: Riccardo
Bachi;
Statis­ 38 com­ BJapan:
King­
an k of
dom:
tiq u e
Jap a n ,
Econo­ Géné­ umodities
n til end Tokyo;
mist;
rale;
1919; 56 com­
44 com­ 45 com­ of
m odi­
th ere­
m odi­
m odi­
ties.
after
ties.
ties.
76 com­
modities.

1916.
J a n u a ry ...
A p ril.........
J u ly ...........
O ctober__

110
117
119
134

127
132
132
138

143
156

1917.
J a n u a ry ...
A pril.........
J u ly ...........
O ctober__

151
172
186
181

1918.
J a n u a ry __
F e b ru a ry .
M arch___
A p ril.........
M ay...........
J u n e ..........
J u ly ...........
A u g u st___
Septem ber
O c to b er...
N ovember.
D ecem ber.

N ether­
lands:
C entraal
B ureau
voor de
Statistiek;
51 com­
modi­
ties.

Sweden:
Svensk
Ilandelstidning;
47 com­
m odi­
ties.

A ustra­
lia:
B ureau
of Cen­
sus
a n d Sta­
tistics;
92 com­
modi­
ties.

171

179
190
186
198

184
201
193
207

133

154
169
179
179

184
200
208
212

215
248
268
284

229
265
304
350

133
136
148
155

185
186
187
190
190
193
198
202
207
204
206
206

190
194
199
199
204
207
210
210
211
214
215
213

215
216
218
221
223
227
228
233
232
231
231
226

313
319
327
333
335
329
337
350
355
360
358
353

363
380
394
401
409
415
429
432
433
442
437
371

1919.
J a n u a ry __
F e b ru a ry .
M arch.......
A p ril.........
M ay...........
J u n e ..........
J u ly ...........
A ugust__
Septem ber
O c to b er...
N ovember
December.

203
197
201
203
207
207
218
226
220
223
230
238

211
206
205
206
210
210
217
222
223
221
227
238

217
216
212
214
222
230
240
242
245
252
259
273

348
340
337
332
325
330
349
347
360
382
405
423

325
321
325
332
338
358
362
369
372
390
439
457

1920.
J a n u a ry ...
F ebruary .
M arch........
A p ril.........
M ay...........
J u n e ..........
J u ly ...........
A ug u st__
Septem ber
O c to b er...
N ovember
December.

248
249
253
265
272
269
262
250
242
225
207
189

250
254
258
261
263
258
256
244
241
234
225
214

288
303
310
306
304
291
292
288
284
266
245
220

487
522
554
588
550
493
496
501
526
502
460
435

508
557
602
664
660
632
604
625
655
659
670
655

301
314
322
300
272
248
239
235
231
226
221
206

177
167
162
154
151
148

208
199
194
187
183
179

209
192
1S9
183
182
179

407
377
360
347
329
324

642
613
604
584
549
509

201
195
191
190
191
192

1921.
J a n u a r y ...
February .
M arch........
A pril.........
J u n e ..........


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[543]

New
Zea
land:
Census
and Sta­
tistics
Officer
140 com
modi­
fies.

370
367
372

164
164
167
168
171
171
170
172
172
173
172
172

160
159
161
166167
169'
172
177
179
182
186
187

339
358
354
339
330
324
320
321
319
307
308
317

171
167
168
171
172
173
176
182
185
200
199
197

180
176
170
168
167
188
170
174
178
179
181
183-

295
290
294
300
301
302
304
296
293
289
268
240

319
342
354
354
361
366
364
365
362
346
331
299

203
206
209
217
225
233
234
236
230
215
208
197

190
194
292
295
296
205
215
215
216
218
214
214

218
203
193
182
183

267
250
237
229
218
218

196
192
181
171
166
162

212
208
204
201

...............

58

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

Price Changes, Wholesale and Retail, of Important Food Articles in
Selected Cities.
O N TINU IN G inform ation published in previous issues of the
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w , the trend of wholesale and retail
prices since 1913 for a num ber of im portant food products is
shown herewith. E xact comparison of wholesale w ith retail prices
is not attem pted in the tables. Some food products—fresh meats,
for example—are not sold by the retailer in the same form in which
they leave the wholesaler, hence strictly comparable prices are not
obtainable. I t was found im practicable also to obtain both whole­
sale and retail prices for the same date, the retail prices being those
prevailing on the 15th of the m onth, while the wholesale prices are
for a variable date, usually several days prior to the 15th. The fig­
ures in the table are therefore to be considered as merely indicative
of price variations in the retail as compared with the wholesale
m arkets.
To assist in comparing the fluctuations at wholesale and a t retail,
the differential between the two series of quotations at successive
dates is given. I t should not be assumed, however, th a t this differ­
ential in any case represents the m argin of profit to the retailer,
since, in addition to a possible difference of grade between the articles
shown a t wholesale and a t retail, the various item s of handling cost to
both the wholesaler and the retailer are included in the figure.

C

W H O L E S A L E A N D R E T A IL P R IC E S O F IM P O R T A N T FO O D A R T IC L E S IN S E L E C T E D
C IT IE S .
[The initials W =w holesale, R = retail. The wholesale price is th e m ean of the high and low quotations
on th e d ate selected a s published in leading tra d e journals. The retail price is th e average of prices
reported to th e B u reau of L abor Statistics b y dealers.]

A rticle and city.

Beef, Chicago:
S te e r lo in e n d s
( h i p ) . . . . ......... . . W . .
Sirloin ste a k ............ R ..
Price d ifferen tial...........
Beef, Chicago:
Steer rounds, No. 2. W . .
R o u n d s te a k ............R _.
Price d ifferen tial...........
Beef, Chicago:
Steer ribs, No. 2 . .. W . .
R ib ro a s t.................. R . .
Price differential............
Beef, New Y ork:
No. 2 loins, c ity .. . . W ..
Sirloin s te a k ............ R ..
Price differential............
Beef, New Y ork:
No. 2 rounds, city . . W . .
R o u n d s te a k ............R ..
Price differential............
Beef, New Y ork:
No. 2 ribs, c ity ___W ..
R ib ro a s t.................R ..
Price differential............
Pork, Chicago:
Loins.........................W . .
Chops................. „ . . . R . .
Price differential............

J u ly 1920
1921
1913:
AvU nit. erage
for
year. 1917 1918 1919 Jan. July Jan. F eb. Mar. A pr. May June July

Cts.
L b .. 1G. 8
L b .. 23.2
6.4

Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
19.0 34. (i 27.0 32.0 36. 0 34. 0 27.0 28.0
30.2 37.7 39.3 37.2 47. 8 40.2 36.2 38. 6
11.2 3.7 12.3 5.2 11.8 6.2 9.2 10.6

Cts,
28.0
38.4
10.4

Cts.
25.0
38. 1
13.1

Cts.
24.0
37.6
13.6

Cts.
26.0
38.4
12.4

L b .. 13.1 17.0 25.0 22.0 20.0 29.0 16.0 14.0 14.0 16.0 16.0 15.0 16.0
L b .. 20.2 26.6 35.0 35.5 32.0 40.9 32.7 29.3 30.7 31.2 31.0 31. 3 31.8
7.1 9.6 10.0 13.5 12.0 11.9 16.7 15.3 16.7 15.2 15.0 16.3 15.8
L b .. 15. 7 20.0 2S.0 24.0 35.0 35.0 26.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 19.0 20.0 19.0
L b .. 19.5 24.6 31.8 >31.9 130. 1 35.9 31.9 29.3 31.5 31.6 30.4 30.0 29.5
3.8 4.6 3.8 7.9
.9 5.9 6.3 8.5 8.6 11.4 10.0 10.5
L b .. 15.8 19.0 28.0 28.5 37.0 43.0 30.0 28. 0 27.5 30.0 30.5 28.0 28.0
L b .. 25. 9 33.7 43.9 44.4 43.3 52.9 43.9 40. 3 41.7 42.9 42.9 43.0 43.4
10.1 14.7 15.9 15.9 6.3 9.9 13.9 12.3 14.2 12.9 12.4 15.0 15.4
L b .. 12.1 17.5 28.0 22.0 21.0 30.0 16. 0 15.0 15.5 15.5 17.0 17.0 17.0
L b .. 24.9 33.7 46.3 46.2 44.6 52.9 43.6 39.9 40.7 41. 9 42.1 42. 0 42. 5
12.8 16.2 18.3 24.2 23.6 22.9 27.6 24.9 25.2 26.4 25.1 25.0 25.5
L b .. 15.1 19.0 28.0 27.5 31.0 36.0 27.5 26.0 24.0 26.0 23.0 22.5 22.5
L b .. 21. 8 27.9 37.5 38.6 38.4 44. 4 38.3 35.6 36.4 38.0 37.3 36.7 36.0
6.7 8.9 9.5 11.1 7.4 8.4 10. 8 9.6 12.4 12.0 14.3 14.2 13.5

L b .. 14.9 25.0 29.0 37.0 25.0 35.0 21.0 19.0 24.0 28.0 23.0 21.0 21.0
L b .. 19. 0 29.2 35.5 41. 7 32.4 42.6 30.8 28.2 35.2 36.0 31.1 29.8 30.2
4.1 4.2 6.5 4.7 7.4 7.6 9.8 9.2 11.2 8.0 8.1 8.8 9.2
1 Price is for different q u a lity of beef from th a t quoted a t wholesale.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[544]

59

PRICE CHANGES OF IMPORTANT ARTICLES OF FOOD,

W H O L E S A L E A N D R E T A I L P R IC E S O F IM P O R T A N T FO O D A R T IC L E S IN S E L E C T E D
C IT IE S —C ontinued.
1921
J u ly 1920
1913:
AvU n it. eragc
for
year. 1917 1918 1919 Jan. Ju ly Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June Ju ly

A rticle an d city .

Pork, New Y ork:
Loins, w estern___ .W ..
Chops....................... . R . .
Price d ifferen tial..
Bacon, Chicago:
S h o rt clear sid es. . .W ..
Sliced....................... . R . .
Price d ifferen tial..
H am , Chicago:
Sm oked.................. .W ..
Sm oked, sliced___ . R . .
Price differential..
L ard, New Y ork:
P rim e, c o n tra c t... .W ..
P u re, t u b ................ . R . .
Price d ifferential.
L am b, Chicago:
D ressed, round___ -W ..
Leg of, y e a rlin g .. . . R . .
Price d ifferen tial.
P o u ltry , N ew Y ork:
D ressed fow ls........ .W ..
D ressed h e n s.......... . R . .
Price differen tial..
B u tte r, Chicago:
C ream ery, e x tr a .. .W ..
C ream ery, e x tra .. .R . .
Price differen tial..
B u tte r, N ew Y ork:
Cream ery, e x tr a .. W ..
C ream ery, e x tr a .. .R . .
Price d ifferen tial..
B u tte r, San Franeisco
C ream ery, e x t r a . . W ..
C ream ery, e x tr a .. . R . .
Price d ifferen tial..
Cheese, Chicago:
W hole m ilk ........... .W ..
F u ll c re a m ............. ,R ._
Price d ifferen tial..
Cheese, New Y ork:
W hole m ilk, S ta te . W . .
F u ll c re a m ............. .R ..
Price d ifferen tial..
Cheese, San Francisco.
F a n c y ___
W ..
F u ll c re am ............. .R . .
Price d ifferen tial..
Milk, Chicago:
F resh ....................... W ..
Fresh, b o ttled 2. . . -R ..
Price d ifferen tial..
Milk, New Y ork:
F resh .............
W _.
Fresh, b o ttle d 2_.. . i t . .
Price d ifferen tial..
Milk, San Francisco:
F resh ........
.W ..
Fresh, b o ttle d ........ .K ..
Price d ifferen tial..
Eggs, Chicago:
Fresh, firsts........... W ..
S tric tly f r e s h ___ .R . .
Priee differential..
Eggs, New York:
Fresh, firsts.......... W ..
S trictly fresh .......... .R ..
Price differential..
Eggs, San Francisco:
F resh ....................... .W ..
S trictly fresh .......... -R -.
Price differential..

Cts. Cts.
L b .. 15.2 23.5
L b .. 21.7 32.6
6.5 9.1

Cts,
30.5
40.6
10.1

Cts.
37.0
47.5
10.5

Cts.
29.0
39.9
10.9

Cts.
29.5
44.3
14.8

Cts.
29.0
39.4
10.4

Cts.
23.0
35.4
12.4

Cts.
25.5
36.6
11.1

Cts.
29. 0
39.7
10.7

Cts.
27. 0
38.3
11.3

Cts.
24. 5
37. 8
13.3

Cts.
25.0
37.9
12,9

L b .. 12.7 24.7 27.4 33.1 21.6 20.6 12.8 14.6 15.4 15.2 12.9 15.9 12.9
L b .. 29.4 43.9 54.7 61.5 53.1 60.1 50.7 50.4 51.6 52.2 52.3 51.6 52.0
16.7 19.2 27.3 28.4 31.5 39.5 37.9 3*>. 8 36.2 37.0 39.4 37.7 39.1
L b .. 16. G 24.3 30.1 38.3 28.9 37.5 24.5 26.3 27.8 27.8 27.3 27.3 31.5
L b .. 26.6 41.4 49.1 58.8 51.4 61.3 51.2 51. 0 51.8 51.7 50.9 51.3 51.7
10.0 17.1 19.0 20.5 22.5 23.8 26.7 24.7 24.0 23.9 23.6 24.0 20.2
L b .. 11.0 20.1 26.2 35.8 24.5 19.6 13. 6 12.5 12.3 10.5 9.8 9.9 12.0
L b .. 16.0 27.4 32.2 42.5 33.8 29.2 22.7 20.9 19.9 19.1 17.6 16.9 17.3
5.0 7.3 6.0 6.7 9.3 9.6 9.1 8.4 7.6 8.6 7.8 7.0 5.3
L b .. 14.9 26.0 31.0 29. 0 29.0 31.0 23.5 18.0 20.0 20.0 24.0 28.0 25.0
L b .. 19.8 28.7 35.7 36.2 37.0 41.5 36. 1 32.2 33.7 33.6 34.4 35.1 34.3
4.9 2.7 4.7 7.2 8.0 10.5 12.6 4.2 13.7 13.6 10.4 7.1 9.3
L b .. 18.2 24.8 36.0 34.5 35.3 39.0 35.5 38.5 37.5 38.5 36.0 33. 5 33.5
L b .. 21.4 28.7 41.0 41.5 40.3 47.0 43.1 44.2 44.4 44.6 42.9 41.9 41.8
3.2 3.9 5.0 7.0 5.0 8.0 7.6 5.7 6.9 6.1 6.9 8.4 8.3
L b .. 31.0 37.5 42.5 52.0 62.0 55.5 48.5 45.0 45.5 46. 0 29.0 31.0 38.0
L b .. 36.2 43.2 48.0 57.1 69. 0 62.9 56.3 52.3 53.8 53. 5 37.6 37.2 45. 6
5.2 5.7 5.5 5.1 7. 0 7.4 7.8 7.3 8.3 7.5 8.6 6.2 7.6
L b .. 32.3 39.5 44.4 51.0 63.8 57.4 53.8 43.3 46.4 49.4 29.5 32.8 39.8
L b .. 38.2 45.3 51.4 61.3 75.2 66.9 63.4 54.7 56.8 57.2 41.5 39.9 47.6
5.9 5.8 7.0 10.3 11.4 9.5 9.6 11.4 10.4 7.8 12.0 7:1 7.8
L b .. 31.7 38.5 50.0 56.5 61.0 59.0 46. 5 45. 5 40.0 38.0 34.0 37.0 41.5
L b .. 38.8 45.5 56.6 64.7 71.0 68. 0 54.9 57.0 49.6 45.5 41.8 46.6 49.1
7.1 7.0 6.6 8.2 10.0 9.0 8.4 11.5 9.6 7.5 7.8 9.6 7.6
L b .. 14.2 21.6 22.7 30.9 30.4 24.9 24.3 24.4 27.1 18.3 14.0 14.0 17.0
L b ..
33.9 34. 5 44.1 44.5 43.4 40.3 39.7 39. 2 39. 0 35.8 34. 5 34.6
12.3 11.8 13.2 14.1 18.5 16.0 15.3 12.1 20.7 21.8 20.5 17.6
L b .. 15.4 23.8 23.9 31.5 31.4 26.5 23. 0 22.8 25.5 22.3 15.3 14.9 17.6
32.8 33.2 42. 8 43. 3 41. 7 39. 0 38. 9 38. 2 38.6 36.3 32. 2 32.4
L b ..
9.0 9.3 11.3 11.9 15.2 16.0 16.1 12.7 16.3 21.0 17.3 14.8
L b .. 15.9 20.0 26.0 32.0 32.5 33.0 24. 5 27.5 24.0 21.5 16.0 18.0 22.5
L b ..
29.7 32.3 41.2 43. 2 42.6 39.7 39.2 37.6 36.8 27.0 26.5 29.8
9.7 6.3 9.2 10.7 9.6 15.2 11.7 13.6 15.3 11.0 8.5 7.3
Q t ..
Q t ..

3.8 4.7 5.3 6.8 8.1 7.2 5.9 5.1 5.1 5.1 4.4 4.4 5.0
8.0 10. 0 12.0 14.0 15.0 15.0 14.0 14.0 14.0 14. 0 14.0 14. G 14.0
4.2 5.3 6. 7 7.2 6.9 7.8 8.1 8.9 8.9 8.9 9.6 9.6 9.0

Q.t - .
Q t..

3.5 5.0 5.4 7.1 8.5 7.0 7.5 6.2 5.2 5.2 5.6 4.9 5.4
9.0 11. 4 12.7 16.0 18.0 16.0 17. 0 16. 0 15.0 15.0 15.0 14.3 14.0
5.5 6.4 7.3 8.9 9.5 9.0 9.5 9.8 9.8 9.8 9.4 9.4 8.6

Q .t.. 3.9 4.3 5.9 7.4 8.4 8.4 8.4 7.6 7.1 7.1 7.1 7.1 6.1
Q t.. 10.0 10. 0 12.1 14. 0 15.8 16. 0 15.8 15.4 14.8 14.6 14.6 14. 6 14.0
6.1 5.7 6.2 6.6 7.4 7.6 7.4 7. 8 7.7 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.9
Doz. 22.6 31.0 36.5 42.0 68.5 41. 5 68.5 33.8 31.3 24.3 21.3 23.8 29.5
Doz. 29.2 40.6 45.7 53.2 77.8 53.4 78.6 45.0 40.2 32.5 32.4 33.4 41.8
6.6 9.6 9.2 11.2 9.3 11.9 10. 1 11.2 8.9 8.2 11.1 9.6 12.3
Doz. 24.9 35.0 40.0 44. 5 77.5 46.5 68.5 38.5 33.0 27.3 23.5 26.5 34.0
Doz. 39.7 47.7 57.3 66. 4 95.8 66.8 89.7 58.8 49.9 43.7 42.5 44. 6 53.4
14.8 12.7 17.3 21. 9 18.3 20.3 21.2 20.3 16.9 16.4 19.0 18.1 19.4

Doz. 26.8 32.0 44.0 45.0 54.5 48.0 59.0 28.5 29.0 26.5 21.0 25.5 31.5
Doz. 37.3 39.2 51.4 56.6 68.9 60.6 70. 5 41.4 39.4 33.5 30.3 33.4 46.7
10.5 7.2 7.4 11.6 14.4 12.6 11.5 12.9 10.4 7.0 9.3 7.9 15.2
2 D e liv ered .
3 Good to choice.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 545]

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

60

W H O L E S A L E A N D R E T A IL P R IC E S O F IM P O R T A N T FO O D A R T IC L E S IN S E L E C T E D
C IT IE S-Concluded.

A rticle a n d city.

Meal, corn, Chicago:
F i n e . ..................... W . .
F in e ........................... R . Price differential............
Beans, New Y ork:
M edium , choice__ W ..
N avy, w h ite ............R . .
Price d ifferential............
Potatoes, Chicago:
W h ite 3 ................... W ..
W h ite........................ R -.
Price differential...........
Rice, New Orleans:

1921
1920
J u ly 1913:
AvU nit. erage
!
for
1918 1919 Jan. July Jan. Feb. Mar. A pr. May June July
year. 1917

L b ..
L b ..

Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts. Cts.
1.4 4.5 5.4 4.6 3.7 4.3 1.9 1.6 1.7 1.7 1. 8 1. 9 1.9
2.9 5.8 6.8 6.1 6.6 7.2 6.7 6.1 6.0 6.2 6Æ 6.0 5.9
1.5 1.3 1.4 1.5 2.9 2.9 4.8 4.5 4.3 4. 5 4.3 4.1 4. 0

L b ..
Lb .

4.0 15.4 11.9 7.5 7.9 8.3
18. 8 17.5 12.2 12.5 12.5
3.4 5.6 4.7 4.6 4.2

5.6
9.9
4.3

5.6
9.4
3.8

5.6
8.9
3.3

5.4
9.0
3.6

4.8
8.6
3.8

4.8
8. 5
3.7

4.8
9.1
4.3

L b ..
L b ..

1.0
1.5
.5

7.4
9.8
2.4

1.3
2.5
1.2

1.2
2.1
.9

1.3
2.1
.8

.9
2.0
1.1

1.0
1.8
.8

2.0
3.0
1.0

2.9
3.6
.7

L b ..
H ead
................. R .. L b ..
Price differential............
Sugar, New Y ork:
G ra n u la te d ............. W .. L b ..
G ra n u la te d .............. R .. L b ..
Price differential...........

5.0

7.1 9.3 10.5 12.6 12.5
10.1 ILS 14.2 16.0 15. 6
3.0 2.6 3.7 3.4 3.1

3.9
8.9
5. 0

5.3
7.9
2.6

5.0
7.6
2.6

3.1
7.2
4.1

3.3
7.1
3.8

4.8
7.4
2. 6

3.4
7.5
4.1

4.3 7.4 7.4 8.8 15.7 19.9
4.9 &C. ' 8.8 10.0 17.3 25.2
1.2 1.6 5.3
.6 ! l o
1
L4

7.6
9.0
1.4

6.7
8.2
1.5

7.8
9.0
1. 2

7.5
8. 9
1. 4

6.3
7.3
1. 0

5.6
6.9
1. 8

5.4
6.3
.9

4.4
5.0
.6

1.5
3.7
2.2

1.4
5.0
3.6

4.3
5.2
.9

R E L A T IV E W H O L E S A L E A N D R E T A IL P R IC E S O F IM P O R T A N T FO O D A R T IC L E S IN
S E L E C T E D C ITIES.
[Average for 1913=100.]

A rticle and city.

Beef, Chicago:
Steer lo in e n d s (h ip )... . .. W ..
Sirloin s te a k ................. . . . R . .
Beef, C hicago:
Steer ro u n d s, No. 2___ . .. W . .
R o u n d ste a k -............... . . . R . .
Beef, Chicago:
Steer rib s, N o . 2........... . . . W . .
R ib ro a s t...................... . . . R . .
Beef, New Y ork:
No. 2 loins, c ity ........... . . . W . .
Sirloin s te a k ................. . . . R . .
Beef, New Y o rk :
No. 2 ro u n d s, c ity ........ . . . W . .
R ou n d s tea k )............... . . . R . .
Beef, New Y ork:
N o. 2 rib s, c ity ............. . . . W . .
R ib ro ast — '.............. . . . R . .
Po rk , Chicago:
...W ..
C hops............................. . . . R . .
P o rk , N ew Y ork:
Loins, w estern ............. ...AV..
Chops'............................. . . . R . .
Bacon, Chicago:
Short clear sides........... ...AV..
Sliced............................. . . . R . .
H am , Chicago:
Sm oked........................... ...AV..
Sm oked, sliced............ . . . . R . .
L ard , New Y ork:
Prim e, c o n tra c t............ ...AV..
Pure, tu b ....................... . . . . R . .
L am b, Chicago:
D ressed, ro u n d ............. ...AV..
Leg of, yearling............ . . . . R . .
P o u ltry , New Y o rk :
Dressed fowls.............. . . . W . .
Dressed h e n s................ . . . . R . .


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1921
1920
J u ly A yterage
for
1913. 1917 1918 1919 Jan. July Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Tune J u ly

100
100

113
130

202
162

161
169

190
160

214
206

202
173

161
156

167
166

167
166

149
164

143
162

155
166

100
100

130
132

191
173

1G§ 153
176 158

221
202

122
162

107
145

107
152

122
154

122
153

115
155

122
157

100
100

127
126

178
163

153
164

223
154

223
184

166
164

146
150

146
162

146
162

121
156

127
154

121
151

100
100

120
130

177
169

180
171

234
167

272
204

190
169

177
156

174
161

190
166

193
166

177
166

177
168

100
100

145
135

231
186

182
186

174
179

248
212

132
175

124
160

128
163

128
168

140
169

140
169

140
171

100
100

126
128

185
172

182
177

205
176

238
204

182
176

172
163

159
167

172
174

152
171

149
168

149
165

100
100

108
154

195
187

248
219

168
171

235
224

141
162

128
148

161
185

18S
189

154
164

141
157

141
159

100
100

155
150

201
187

243
219

191
184

194
204

191
182

151
163

168
169

191
183

178
176

161
174

164
175

100
100

194
149

216
186

261
209

170
181

162
204

101
172

115
171

121
176

120
178

102
178

109
176

102
177

100
100

146
156

181
185

231
221

174
193

226
230

148
192

158
192

167
195

167
194

164
191

164
193

190
194

100
100

183
171

238
201

325
266

223
211

178
183

124
142

114
131

112
124

95
119

89
110

90
106

109
108

100
100

174
145

208
180

195
183

195
187

208
210

158
182

121
163

134
170

134
170

161
174

188
177

168
173

100
100

136
134

198
192

190 | 194
194 188

214
220

195
201

212
207

206
207

212
208

198
200

184
196

184
195

[5461

61

PRICE CHANGES OF IMPORTANT ARTICLES OF FOOD.

R E L A T IV E W H O L E S A L E A N D R E T A IL P R IC E S O F IM P O R T A N T FO O D A R T IC L E S IN
S E L E C T E D C IT IE S —Concluded.

A rticle an d city.

B u tte r, Chicago:
Cream ery, e x tra ............... W
Cream ery, e x tra ................ . R . .
B utter, New Y ork:
Cream ery, e x tra ............... W ..
Cream ery, e x tra ................ -K ..
B u tte r, San Francisco:
Cream ery, e x tra ............... W ..
Creamery, e x tra ................ . R . .
Milk, Chicago:
F re s h ...........................
W ..
Fresh, b o ttled , delivered .R ..
Milk, New Y ork:
F re s h .................................. W
Fresh, b o ttled , delivered .K ..
Milk, San Francisco:
F re s h .................................. W._
Fresh, b o ttle d ................... . R . .
Eggs, Chicago:
Fresh, firsts....................... W ..
Strictly fresh...................... A i ..
Eggs, New Y ork:
Fresh firsts........................ W ..
Strictly fresh ..................... . R ..
Eggs, San Francisco:
F re s h .................................. W
S trictly fresh ..................... A i . .
Meal, corn, Chicago:
F in e .................................... W
F ine...................................... . R ..
Potatoes, Chicago:
W hite, good to c h o ic e... W ..
W h ite.................................. . R ..
Sugar, New York:
G ran u lated ........................ W
G ran u lated ......................... . R . .

J u ly 1921
1920
A v­
erage
for
1913. 1917 1918 1919 Jan. Ju ly Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July

100
100

121
119

137
133

108
158

200
191

179
174

150
150

145
144

147
149

148
148

94
104

100
103

123
126

100
100

122
119

137
135

158
100

198
197

178
175

107
100

134
143

144
149

153
150

91
109

102
104

123
125

100
100

121
117

158
140

178
107

192
183

180
175

147
141

144
147

120
128

120
117

107
108

117
120

131
127

100
100

124
125

139
150

179
175

213
188

189
188

155
175

134
175

134
175

134
175

110
175

110
175

132
175

100
100

143
127

154
141

203
178

243
200

200
178

214

189

177
178

149
107

149
107

100
167

140
159

154
156

100
100

110
100

151
121

190
140

215
158

215
100

215
158

195
154

182
148

182
140

182
140

182
140

156
140

100
100

137
139

102
157

180
182

303
200

184
183

303
209

150
154

138
138

108
111

94
111

105
114

131
143

100
100

141
120

101
144

179
107

311
241

187
108

275
220

155
148

133
120

110
no

94
107

100
112

137
135

100
100

119
105

104
138

108
152

203
185

179
102

220
189

100
111

108
100

99
90

78
81

95
90

118
125

100
100

321
200

380
234

329
210

204
228

307
248

130
231

114
210

121
207

121
214

129
210

130
207

136
203

100
100

440
333

150
247

140
333

430
347

740
053

130
107

120
140

130
140

90
133

100
120

200
200

290
240

100
100

172
171

172
180

205
204

305
353

403
514

177
184

150
107

181
184

174
1S2

147
149

130
141

12G
129

Scales for Standardization of F amilies According to Size.
N ARTICLE entitled ‘‘The classification of the population
according to income,” by E dgar Sydenstricker,of the United
States Public H ealth Service, and Willford I. Kino;, of the
N ational Bureau of Economic Research, appears in the July, 1921,
num ber of The Journal of Political Economy. The m aterial used
in the study is th a t collected in 1917 by the Public H ealth Service
in an investigation into the economic life of the inhabitants of 24
South Carolina cotton-mill villages. Although the actual process
of compiling the m aterial is not published, the results appear to
involve a proportional distribution of the net fam ily income among
the various individuals, according to their requirem ents as shown
individual expenditures.
The article outlines the m ethod of securing data from 1,500 fami­
lies, which were visited from two to five times during the year. The
m any problems arising in connection with the com putation of net
income of an “ economic fam ily” are enumerated, and the methods
of handling income from boarders and lodgers, gardens, live stock,
etc., are explained carefully. These m ethods are substantially the
same as those employed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its
budget studies of cost of living. The article also m entions the effect
on incomes of the revolutionary changes in price level. If com-

A

63444°—21-----5


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[547]

62

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

parisons for different years are to be made, the annual incomes of
families m ust be reduced to incomes of purchasing power by means
of a chronological series of weighted average index numbers.
Although the report states th a t a h asty review of the literature
on the subject does not reveal a single instance in which families
were scientifically rated according to size, the statem ent is evidently
in error, since, for purposes of confirmation, the results obtained in
this study were compared with the A tw ater scale of equivalent adult
males. In addition to this, the Bureau of Labor Statistics during the
past few years has reduced several thousand families included in
cost-of-living studies to the basis of the equivalent adult male in
food consumption, and has published tables sh ow in g- in parallel col­
umns the num ber of persons and the num ber of equivalent adult males.
The present article, however, goes into more m inute details than
any of the previous studies, and presents three scales for males and
females of each age from 1 to SO. In each scale the m axim um adult
expense for the items under consideration was taken as a base, and
all other quantities considered as fractions of th a t base.
The first scale is based on expenditures for clothing, drinks, tobacco,
amusement, education, medical and dental services, etc: The
m aterial was secured from expenditures of individuals in 140 families
in the cotton-mill villages. The range in this scale is as follows:
Under 1 year, male 0.11, female 0.11; 24 years, male 1.0, female 0.61;
80 years, male 0.43, female 0.25.
The second scale is based on food records of 1,500 families. In
connection w ith this table, the authors have adopted a new word
“ fam m ain,” which is a contraction of the phrase “ food for adult
male m aintenance.” I t is defined as “ a demand for food of a money
value equal to th a t demanded by the average male in the given class
at the age when the expense for his food reaches a m axim um .”
Since the A tw ater scale is based on calorie consumption and the
fammain on money value, the authors made a comparison of the two
scales, which proved w ith a “ reasonable degree of conclusiveness”
th a t the relative food requirem ents of persons of different ages and
sexes vary in identical fashion, w hether these requirem ents are orig­
inally m easured in term s of calories or of money value. The range
of fam m ain figures is as follows: Under 1 year, male 0.278, female
0.265; 22 to 42 years, male 1.0, female 0.858; 80 years, male 0.903,
female 0.768.
The article uses as an illustration a dietary group of 10 persons,
including two boarders and a visitor, giving the age and sex of each.
The total fammains represented by this group are given as 6.995 with
a weekly food cost per fam m ain of $2.47. Using the same to ta l food
cost, and applying the scale used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
this group would total 7.15 equivalent adult males, with a weekly
food cost per equivalent adult male of $2.41. I t is interesting to note
how closely the fam m ain scale, based on money value, agrees w ith the
scale of equivalent adult males based on calorie consumption.
The third scale is a combination of the two previous scales, rep­
resenting the proportional demands upon income made by each
individual for the items of food, clothing, amusement, education,
and the other miscellaneous items previously enumerated. E xpendi­
tures for rent, fuel, light, and furniture are om itted on th e assump­
tion th a t the apportionm ent of these items would not differ m aterially


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[5 4 8 ]

SCALES FOR STANDARDIZATION OF FAMILIES.

63

from th a t of food clothing, etc. I t seems doubtful, however, if
any figure should be accepted as final which does not embrace the
total family expense. In subm itting their final scale, the authors
Rave found it necessary to com another new word “ am m ain,” which
is an abbreviation of the phrase “ adult male m aintenance,” and
is defined m full as “ a gross demand for articles of consumption
having a total money value equal to th a t demanded by the average
ma e m the given class at the age when his total requirem ents for
expenseyif m aintenance reach a m axim um .” A few of the figures
which give an idea of the range in the scale, are as follows: Under
1 year, male 0.220, female 0.220; 24 years, male 1.000, female 0.78840 years, male 0.931, female 0.739; 80 years, male 0.741, female Ohio!
ifie application of the fined amm ain scale is readily seen. By
reducing various families to an ammain basis, all are comparable
as to income, regardless of the num ber of persons composing the
family or the age and sex of the number. As an index of well being
however, the fam m ain and amm ain figures would be more indicative
if applied to net expenditure rath er than net income. In using
mcome as a basis, no allowance is made for the portion of income
which is diverted to expenses incurred in a previous year, or which
is invested m savings such as Liberty bonds. The Bureau of Labor
statistics found th a t the purchase of L iberty bonds during the
years of the w ar made a considerable difference between the annual
n e t income of the ramily and the net expenditure.
I t m ust also be borne in m ind th a t the ammain and fam m ain are
based on existing expenditures of cotton-mill emploj^ees, and, except
th a t relatively the fam m ain and A tw ater scales are not m aterially
inconsistent, nothing is said as to the sufficiency of the food, clothing
etc., which was secured by these expenditures. Scales of this
character to be adopted as standards would inspire greater con­
fidence if based on families or individuals who were known to have
sufficient nutrition, comfortable clothing, and enough of amuse­
m ent, education, etc., to lead normal, healthy lives.

Cost of Clothing in Argentina.'
IIE table following shows the increase in the cost of clothing
m Argentina m 1919 and 1920, the second quarter of 1919
being taken as the base or 100. These figures were obtained
by observing m onth by m onth the average prices of 20 different
kinds of cloth.

T

IN D E X N U M B E R S O F COST O F C L O T H IN G IN A R G E N T IN A IN 1919 AN D 1920.
[Second q u a rte r of 1919= 100.]
Period.

Index num ber.

1919:
Second q u a rte r............
T hird q u a rte r...............
F o u rth q u a rte r..................
1920:
F irst q u a rte r..................
Second q u a rte r..........
T hird q u a rte r.............. .
F o u rth q u a rte r................

100
102
102

no

121
132
135

i Crónica M ensual del D ep artam en to N acional del Trabajo, Buenos A ires, A bril de 1921.


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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

64

Retail Prices in Czechoslovakia, 1914 and March, 1921.
H E annual rep o rt of the Central F ederation of Czecho-Slovak
In d u strial Em ployers for the year 19201 contains the following
table showing the retail prices in Prague on M arch 1, 1921, of
various foodstuffs and other necessaries of life as com pared w ith
average retail prices prevailing during 1914 for the same comm odities:

T

R E T A IL P R IC E S O F F O O D S T U F F S A N D O T H E R N E C E S S A R IE S IN P R A G U E M AR. 1,
1921, AS C O M PA R E D W IT H 1914.
[O n e k ro n e a tp a r= 20.3 cents; 1 kilo g ram = 2.2 p ounds; 1 m etric cen tn er= 220.46 pounds; 1 dekagram =0.35
ounce; 1 lite r= 1.08 q u a rts; 1 m e te r= 1.09 yards.]
Average price.
U nit.

A rticle.

Per cent
increase.

1914

Mar. 1,
1921.

K ilogram ................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o ......................

Kronen.
0. 36
.36
.28
.28

Kronen.
2.00
5.00
1. 00
4. 00

455
1,289
258
1,326

........d o .......................
........d o .......................

.32
.32

1.50
4. 50

368
1,306

........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................

.22
.34
.44

5. 50
10. 00
5.40

2,400
2,841
1,127

........d o .......................

.33

6.96

2,122

........d o .......................
P o ta to e s. . .
R ice...................................................................................... ........d o .......................

.04
.44

.82
7.60

1,950
1,604

........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................

3. 80
2.04
1.82
1.60
1.80
1.20
1.40
3.10

56.00
36. 00
32. 00
24.00
24. 00
22. 00
26. 00
24. 00

1,373
1,669
1,655
1,425
1,233
1,733
1,757
1, 320

........d o .......................

2. 09

33. 00

1,520

........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................

1.54
1.62
1.82
1.70
1.48
1.52
1.96

17.00
20.00
20.00
18. 00
16.00
14. 00
32.00

1,004
1,134
1,000
1,070
981
820
1,532

Flour,
Flour,
Flour,
Flour,

w heat, reduced price a
w heat, regular price a
rye, reduced price a
rve, regular price a_

Average for flour reduced priced
Average for finnr regular price, a
P e a s. . . .
Lentils .
B eans, w hite
A verage for legumes

B u tte r, ta b le ..
L ard, in packages
L ard , bulk
Ceres Hard su b stitu te!

'

M a r g a r in e .

Tallow , crude.
Tallow, m elted ___
B u tte r, cooking__
Average for fats
Beef, fore q u a rte r
Beef, h in d q u a rte r
P ork, fa t m e a t......
P ork, lean m e a t.
Veal
M u t t o n .......................
Smoked m e a t....

............................................
............................................
............................................
........................................

........d o .......................

1.66

19. 57

1,077

........d o .......................
Salam e sausage, Prague
Salame sausage, f a t.......................................................... ........d o .......................
........d o .......................
Bologna s a u s a g e __

2. 70
3. 50
1.90

30. 00
36. 00
24. 00

1,030
928
1,163

Average for sausage.................................................. ........d o .......................

2. 70

30.00

1,040

L iter.........................
K ilogram ................
........d o .......................
........d o .......................

.30
.32
.34
1.40

4. 00
11.00
12. 00
10.00

1,233
3,025
3,429
714

____ ____d o .......................

.59

Average for m e a t__

M ilk.....................................................................................
Cream cheese......................................................................
Cottage cheese...................................................................
Swiss c h ee se.. .
........................................
Averave fnr m ilk nrndnots

.. ______

2,100
9. 25 I
!----------

i Z en tralv erb an d der Öechoslovakischen In d u striellen im Jahre 1920. B ericht fü r die General­
versam m lung fü r das Jah r 1920. Prague, 1921. p . 6.
« I n ex p lan atio n of th e tw o prices (regular a n d reduced price) quoted for flour it should be noted th a t
employers are legally obligated to p a y to th eir w orkers a flour a n d bread bonus which represents the
difference in th e price of a year ago an d th e cu rren t price. The reduced price quoted in th e tab le represents
th e actu al cost of flour to workers.


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[550]

RETAIL PRICES 11ST CZECHOSLOVAKIA.

65

R E T A I L P R IC E S O F F O O D S T U F F S A N D O T H E R N E C E S S A R IE S IN P R A G U E M AR 1
1921, AS C O M PA R E D W IT H 1914—Concluded.
' ’

Average price.
Article.

P runes, d rie d .
M arm alade__
P lu m ja m ........
P o p p y s e e d ...

U nit.

K ilo g ra m .
........d o .. . .
....... d o . . . .
....... d o ___

Average.
Eggs, fre s h ...
Eggs, storage.

Kronen.
11.00

6. 70
12.00
10.00

2,100

700
1,204
1,462

.70

9. 92

1,366

.10
.20

1.20

1,100

1.30

550

.do.

.15

K ilo g ram .
___d o . . . .
___d o .. . .

1.00

7.60
9.20

660
1,433
876

.do.

B read ............

.do.

O nions........
C arrots........
Sauerkraut.

.do.
-do.
.do.

A verage for vegetables.

.do.
10 dek ag ram s.
___d o .............
___d o .............

A verage for spices.
S a lt........
V inegar.
B eer___

Kronen.
. 50
.80
.92
.64

P er cent
increase.

.do.

Average.

C araw ay .
P e p p e r...
P im en to .

Mar. 1,
1921.

E a c h ...
----- do.

A verage for eggs.
Coffee, su b stitu tes.
C hicory...................
S u g ar.......................

1914

.60
.83

825

8. 10

2. 50

495

. 18
. 12

2. 20
1.20

1,122

.24

1.60

900
566

. 18

1.66

869

.20
.24
.22

1.80

2. 80

800
810
1,150

.26
.24
.28

1.80
2. 40
2. 40

600
900
756

2.20

.do.
K ilogram .
L ite r.........
___d o .. . .

A verage for miscellaneous foodstuffs.

K ilogram .........

.26

2. 20

752

L ignite.......................................................................
Cord wood...................................................
P etro leu m ..................................................... ! ! ! ! ! '
M atches.......................................................
Sod a................................................................
Ticking, p in k ........................................... . . . . . . . . !
L inen c lo th .........................................................
W oolens for m e n ’s clothing, m edium q u a lity .
H a t, ord in ary q u a lity ............................................
Shoes, m en ’s ................................................... ”
Shoes, ladies’............................................................
Shirts, m e n ’s, m edium q u a lity ...........................
D raw ers.....................................................................
Stockings, b la c k ......................................... " ’ ” ^
Socks..........................................................................
H andkerchiefs..........................................................
Collars, w h ite ...........................................................
Soap, la u n d ry ..........................................................[
R e n t............................................................................
D aily p a p e rs .............................................................
Postage, le tte r..........................................................
W riting p a p er..........................................................
Car fa re ..................................................................

M etric cen tn er.
K ilogram ..........
L ite r.................
B o x ....................
K ilo g ram ..........
M eter.................
___ d o ............... .
----- d o ............... .
E a c h ................. .
P a ir....................
----- d o ................
E a c h ..................
P a ir....................
___d o .................
___d o .................
E a c h ...................
___d o .................
K ilo g ram ..........
P er y e a r............
E a c h ...................
O ne s ta m p .......
O ne s h e e t.........
One perso n .......

2.12

34.00
.50

1,500
1.150
1,328

.04
. 42
.02
. 12

.32
.68
5. 50
7.00
12.00
12. 00

1.80
1.70
.80
.60
.24
.50
.72
400. 00
.04
.10

.04
.08

6.00

.24
4.00
43. 20
34.00
180. 00
120. 00

270. 00
240. 00
60.00

40.00
24.00
12. 00

7. 00
7.00
20.80
520.00
.60
.60
.20

.60

1,100

3,333
5,170
4.900
3,172
1,614
2.150
1.900
3,244
2,253
2.900
1.900
2,816
1,390
2,778
30
1,400
500
400
650

From the preceding’ table it will be seen th a t the rise in prices of
all commodities in Czechoslovakia as com pared with prewar prices
has been phenomenal. By far the g reater p a rt of this rise has taken
place since the close of the war, and is principally due to the depre­
ciation of the krone in all countries w hich formerly formed p art of
the A ustro-H ungarian Empire. The Czeclio-Slovak krone, the par
value of which is 20.3 cents, was w orth only about 1 | cents on


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[551]

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

66

March 1, 1921, the date on which the prices quoted in th e above
table were current in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia. The
report states th a t recently there has set in a general slight reduction
of prices.
The increases in food prices vary between 258 per cent for rye
flour (reduced price, i. e., the price paid workers) and 3,429 per cent
for cottage cheese. Of the various groups of, foodstuffs, th a t of
legumes shows the greatest increase, namely, 2,122 per cent. P o ta­
toes increased 1,950 per cent in price, m eat 1,077 per cent, fats 1,520
per cent, bread 495 per cent, and flour 368 per cent (for workmen;
for other consumers 1,306 per cent).
O ther necessaries increased even more in price than foodstuffs,
especially textiles and clothing. Cotton ticking, for instance, in­
creased in price 5,170 per cent, linen cloth 4,900 per cent, woolens
for m en’s clothing 3,172 per cent, shirts 3,244 per cent. The in ­
creases in the cost of letter postage (500 per cent), writing p aper
(400 per cent), and carfare (650 per cent) were m oderate if com pared
w ith the increases in the prices of other necessaries. R ent is th e
only expenditure which underw ent a negligible increase. A w ork­
m an’s apartm ent which before the w ar could be rented for 400
crowns ($81.20 par) per year is now obtainable for 520 crowns
($105.56 par), i. e., at an increase of only 30 per cent. This is due
to the fact th a t during the w ar when the present Czecho-Slovak
Republic still formed a p a rt of A ustria-H ungary the raising of rents
was prohibited by law. After the war, when Czechoslovakia ob­
tain ed its independence, its Government issued a law allowing rents
to be raised only 30 per cent above the prewar renting rates.
The report of the Central Federation of Czecho-Slovak Industrial
Em ployers contains also wage statistics, which are reproduced on
p a g e s 127 to 130 of the present issue of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w .

Cost of Living in Germany, June, 1921.1
INCE February, 1920, the N ational M inistry of Labor in Germany
is publishing m o nthly in the R eichs-A rbeitsblatt cost-of-living
statistics for 610 cities and towns of the country. These d a ta
are compiled by the N ational S tatistical Office in cooperation w ith
the various State statistical offices and include every town w ith a
population in excess of 10,000 inhabitants.
■ The cost-of-living figures are based on th e m onthly expenditure
of a norm al w orkm an’s fam ily of two adult persons and three children
aged 12, 7, and 1|- years, respectively, for food, fuel, lighting, and
rent (2 rooms and kitchen). The figures do n o t include expenditures
for clothing or miscellaneous expenditures, and therefore do n o t indi­
cate the m inimum of existence, b u t serve purely as a m easure of
comparison.
In view of the large num ber of cities and towns included in the
statistics, it always took about 3 m onths to compile the data. In
order to make possible quicker publication, the N ational S tatistical
Office has initiated a special “ rush service” for th ese cost-of-living
statistics, which covers only 47 representative cities. This special

S

'i } R eich s-A rb eitsb latt.


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B erlin, Ju ly 15, 1921.

[552]

67

COST OF LIVING IN GERMANY JUNE, 1921.

service makes it possible to publish cost-of-living statistics for a
given m onth within 15 days after the expiration of th a t m onth.
The changes in the cost of living during the period Jan u ary to
Juno, 1921, are shown in the following table:
C H A N G ES IN COST O F L IV IN G F O R A FA M IL Y O F F IV E P E R S O N S IN G E R M A N Y , JA N U ­
A R Y TO J U N E , 1921.
[1 m ark a t par=23.8 cents.]

City.

P opula­
tion,
Oct. 8,
1919.

In d e x num bers.
(A verage cost of living,
1913-14=100.)

Cost of living—

Jan.,
1921.

Mar.,
1921.

Marks. Marks.
•
B erlin .................................. 1,902,509
960
913
H am b u rg ............................ 935,779 1,026
989
M unich................................
630,711
925
901
D re sd e n ..
920
876
529 326
B reslau................................ 528,360
881
825
E ssen...................................
951
439,257
893
F ran k fo rt on th e M ain ... 433,002 1,007
950
N urem b erg ......................... 352,675
936
897
S tu ttg a r t............................. 309,197
890
819
C hem nitz............................. 303,775 1,034
934
D o rtm u n d ..........................
29o, 026
925
848
M agdeburg......................... 285,856
873
879
Königsberg, P ru ssia ........ 260,895
876
852
M annheim .......................... 229,576
823
K ie l...................................... 205,330
950
938
A ugsburg............................
154,555
835
782
A ix-la-Chapelle.................
145, 748 1,151
976
B runsw ick.......................... 139,539
S94
933
K a rls ru h e ........................ 136,952
920
836
E r f u r t.................................. 129,646
980
920
L ubeck................................
113,071
961
874
H agen, W estp h alia..........
92,862 1,072 1,000
Ludw igshafen on th e
R h in e ...............................
921
90,721
849
D a rm s ta d t........................
867
82^367
890
F ran k fo rt on th e O d e r...
65,055
874
863
Solingen..............................
48,912 1,015 1,051
H a lb e rsta d t........................
47,144
865
870
Schw erin.............................
45,455
868
832
K a tto w itz ...........................
45,422
976
972
Ile ilb ro u n ...........................
44,0.12
827
830
G ottingen............................
828
41,248
773
Eisenach.............................
755
39,223
804
H erford................................
34,835 1,007
972
B a u tz e n ..............................
34,342
992
853
G iessen................................
33,402
930
888
O ldenburg..........................
32,540
848
879
S ch w ein fu rt.......................
27, 779
788
773
E bers w alde........................
26,786
908
824
W ald, R h in e P ro v in ce ...
25,883 1,0S3
949
F u ld a ...................................
«78
23,881
861
Strau b in g ............................
755
22,481
755
Reichenbach, Silesia........
15,194
835
838
A uerbach, V bigtland___
13,827
984
915
R asten b u rg ........................
13,275
875
767
S elb ......................................
12,453
845
959
G rim m a..............................
857
10,581
855
B lu m en th al........................
928
10,300
899

A pr.,
1921.

May,
1921.

J une, Jan., Mar., A nr., May, June,
1921. 1921. 1921. 1921. 1921. 1921

Marks. Marks. Marks.
897
875
880
964
912
905
886
913
RRO
811
792
858
861
849
833
1,008
941
971
941
851
892
891
870
892
906
948
951
861
874
889
852
848
841
789
810
813
842
980
903
893
963
787
810
870
937
975
975
922
876
895
853
904
978
886
929
940
863
908
891
1,017 1,000 1,047
934
876
855
1,064
873
792
925
823
748
796
916
905
887
842
793
898
862
785
818
872
903
771
832
835
969

Al lo f G erm any___

847
790
973
826
833
835
752
768
939
892
875
886
827
827
827
790
837
835
900
'801
876
842
941

926
923
866

881
890
843

844
849
820
814
855 **‘g ' "
805
872
849
938
909
901
944
839
860
947
950
867
852
951
959
814
811

895
838
824
969
910
877
973
918
974
990
996
949
858
790
859
1,033
933
905
902
827
840
987
994
963
877
853
790
835
854
908
985
973
937
926
922
864
869
895
1,160
983
944
982
1,115 1,164 1,150 1,093
954
867 '885 '938
1,235 1.159 1,170 1,116
1,109 1,008 '996 1,048
925
863
878
S63

949
918
875
896
998 1,025
823
938
926
986 1,116 1,156
842 1,003
997
856 1,045 1,002
1,057 1,052
796
879
876
846
968
903
824
862
918
830 1,271 1,226
905 1,195 1,027
905
943
900
842 1,110 1,070
929
951
933
885 1,039
943
1,302 1,141
849 R is e 1,134
811
841
841
794 1.062 1,066
951 1,051
978
853
969
849
876
986 1,118
915 1,009 1,007
921 1,212 1,174

............!.........
1

866
867
R2Q

924

901

999
961
982
1,117
1,015
L 184
1,02S
904

1,009
918
1,170
1,006
953
1 002
’ 872
874
909
1,156
1.090
'899
1,063
957
1,028
1,037
1; 034
911
1,109
965
854
970
983
1,205

975
848
1,070
952
1,003

1,032
883
1,084
971
1,030

884
879
877
1,185
1,074
887
1,118
998
947
994
1.040
932
1,062
'962
887
1,022
991
1,229

843
989
941
1,047
1,090
917
1,063
1,121
1.013
1,118
' 903
1,010
1 0i6
945
1,022
1,077
1,203

894

880

896

The cost of living index for all of Germ any based on the average
cost of living for the prew ar years 1913-14, which in January, 1921,
had reached its highest level w ith 924, fell gradually during the m onths
February to May to 880. In June, 1921, however, it again rose
by 16 points to 896, according to the preceding table. In the indi­
vidual communes covered by the statistics the m ovem ent of the


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[558]

68

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

* cost-of-living index varies greatly. In some of them the downward
m ovem ent of the index continued during the m onth, in others there
was a considerable rise in the cost of living. Increases in the price
of eggs, vegetables, potatoes, fish, milk, sugar, gas, and electricity are
chiefly responsible for the rise in June of the general index. Beef,
bacon, lard, b u tter, m argarine, and table oil are the articles which
decreased in price.
A notew orthy fact m ade evident by the preceding table is th a t the
cost-of-living index of towns w ith a population under 50,000 is much
higher than th a t of large cities.

Retail Prices of Clothing in Great Britain, 1914 to 1921.
H E following figures from the B ritish Labor Gazette for July,
1921 (p. 343), show the average per cent of increase in the
retail prices of clothing of the kind ordinarily purchased by the
working classes, at intervals of three m onths from March, 1915, to
June, 1921, as compared w ith July, 1914:

T

P E R C E N T O F IN C R E A S E IN R E T A IL P R IC E S O F C L O T H IN G IN G R E A T B R IT A IN A T
Q U A R T E R L Y IN T E R V A L S , M ARCH, 1915, TO JU N E , 1921, AS C O M PA R ED W IT H JU L Y ,
1914.
Percentage increase as com pared w ith July, 1914, a t the
beginning of—
March.
Per cent.
12J
45
90
170
260
310
240

1915.
1916
1917.
1918
1919.
1920.
1921

June.
Per cent.
25
55
100
210
260
320-330
200

Septem ber.
Per cent.
30
65
120
240
260
330

December.
Per cent.
35
80
140
260
270
300-310

For each of the six m ain groups into which the articles of clothing
are classified the per cent of increase June 1, 1921, as compared w ith
July, 1914, was as follows:
P E R C E N T O F IN C R E A S E IN P R IC E O F C L A S S IF IE D G R O U P S O F C L O T H IN G IN G R E A T
B R IT A IN , JU N E 1, 1921, AS C O M PA R ED W IT H JU L Y , 1914.
Percentage
increase.

Group.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)

Men’s suits a n d overcoats..............................................
Woolen m a te ria l for w omen’s outer g a rm e n ts....................
Woolen underclothing and hosiery..............................
Cotton m a te ria l for w omen’s outer g a rm e n ts......................
Cotton underclothing m ate ria l an d hosiery.........................
Boots.........................5 .................... ................ ............................

170
250
240
290
220
160

The m ethod of calculating the above changes is by combining the
percentage changes in the prices quoted by retailers from m onth to
m onth and no t th a t of averaging the prices quoted. As an indication
of the general ranges of prices on which the percentages are based, the


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[554]

RETAIL PRICES OF CLOTHING IN GREAT BRITAIN.

69

following table is given, showing the retail prices of specified articles
of clothing July, 1914, and June 1, 1921.
R E T A IL

P R IC E S O F A R T IC L E S OF C L O T H IN G P U R C H A S E D B Y W O RK IN G -CLA SS
F A M IL IE S IN G R E A T B R IT A IN JU L Y , 1914, A N D JU N E 1, 1921.

[Q uotations for m aterials are “ per y a rd ,” for footwear “ per p a ir,” an d for other articles “ each.”]
\

R etail prices of grades purchased by
working-class families.

Article.
July, 1914.
Men’s suits an d overcoats:
R eady-m ade su its................................................................
R eady-m ade overcoats.................................. . ...................
B espoke s u its ....................................
Bespoke overcoats............
W oolenTnaterial for w om en’s outer: garm ents:
Costume c lo th......................
T w e e d ............................... ................................ ..............
S e rg e ..........................
Frieze......................................................................................
C ashm ere.............................
W oolen underclothing a n d hosiery:
Men’s vests an d p a n ts ........................................................
Men’s m erino socks.............................
W om en’s v e sts........................
W om en’s woolen stockings...............
.....................
F la n n e l...................................................................................
Cotton m aterial for w om en’s outer garm ents:
P r in t.......................................................................................
Z ephyr....................................................................................
S ate e n ___
D rill...................
G alatea...................................................................................
Cotton underclothing an d hosiery:
Men's cotton socks............
W om en’s cotton stockings.................................................
Calico, w h ite..........................................................................
Longcloth...............................................................................
S hirting...................................................................................
F la n n e le tte ............................................................................
Boots:
M en’s heavy b o o ts...............................................................
M en’s light h o o ts.................................................................
W om en’s b o o ts.....................................................................
B oys' b o o ts...........................................................................
G irls’ boots............................................................................

June 1, 1921.

21s.-30s...........................
21s.-30s...........................
30s.-42s.........................
30s.-35s___

60s.-80s.
50s.-80s.
70s.-110s.
70s.-110s.

Is. 6d.-3s . . .
Is.-2 s...............................
ls .-2 s . . .
Is. 6d.-3s.........................
Is. 6 d .-2 s.......................

4s.
2s.
2s.
4s.
3s.

2s. 6d.-2s. l i d ...............
6r[d.-ls............................
Is.-Is. 6 fd .......................
9-jd.-ls. f d .......... ..........
8 fd .-ls. f d .....................

7s. lid.-12s. 6d.
Is. 8d.-2s. 6d.
3s. lid .-5 s. lid .
Is. lid .-2 s. lid .
Is. lid.-3s. 6d.

3fd .-4 Jd ..........................
3 fd .-4 fd ..........................
3 fd .-4 |d ..........................
4 fd .-6 fd ..........................
4 fd .-6 fd ..........................

Is.—1s. 9d.
Is. 3d.-Is. 9Jd.
Is. 3d.-Is. 9id.
Is. 3d.-2s.
Is. 3d.-2s.

lid.-10s. lid .
lld .-6 s. lid .
lld .-6 s. lid .
lid .-8 s. lid .
lld .-6 s. lid .

4}d.-7£d.......................... Is.-Is. 6d.
4 fd .-ls. f d ..................... Is.-2s.
2 fd .-4 Jd !........................ 8 fd .-ls. 6Jd.
3 fd .-4 fd .......................... lO Jd.-ls. 6-Jd.
3§d.-4fd.......................... Is. 3d.-Is. 9d.
3 fd .-4 fd ......................... lOJ-d.-ls. 6Jd.
5s.
6s.
4s.
3s.
3s.

lld.~8s. l i d .............
lld.-10s. 6 d .............
lid .-8 s. l i d .............
lid .-5 s. l t d .............
6d.-5s. l i d ...............

16s. 6d.-24s.
16s. 6d.-25s.
14s.-22s. 6d.
8s. lld.-16s.
8s. lld.-15s.

High Cost of Living in Iceland.
H E D anish S tatistical D epartm ent in a statistical statem ent in
Statistiske E fterretninger No. 14, June, 1921, publishes a table
showing retail prices of food and a few other commodities in
Reykjavik, Iceland, as compared with prices in Copenhagen. During
the war Iceland’s Statistical Bureau prepared quarterly reports of
retail prices of 60 to 70 articles, an average price being arrived a t from
retail prices secured from m erchants in R eykjavik, and in the table
following are given the latest available figures.
The table shows th a t from 1914 to 1921 the per cent of increase was
greater for R eykjavik th an for Copenhagen, and as far back as 1914
prices as a whole were higher in R eykjavik. This applied to neces­
sities like bread, flour, potatoes, milk, soap, and coal. Prices were
lower in R eykjavik for cheaper grades of m eat, b u tter, rice, oaten
grits, and fish. I t is also stated th a t in a few instances comparisons
m ay be a little difficult because of a possible difference in quality,
as, for examnle, under the item butter, where Iceland uses the home-

T


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[555]

MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.

70

churned b u tte r and exports the more expensive dairy butter, Den­
m ark uses dairy b u tte r both, for home consum ption and for export.
I t is b etter to compare m u tto n in Iceland w ith pork in Denm ark, as
the am ount of these articles consumed in the two countries compares
b etter th an pork w ith pork.
The two m ost m arked examples of difference in price are bread
and sugar, for which D enm ark still has price regulation. In R eyk­
javik the increase in price of rye bread in January, 1921, as compared
w ith July, 1914, was 274 per cent, w heat bread 313 per cent, and sifted
rye bread 429 per cent; the corresponding increases in Copenhagen
were 79, 283, and 158 per cent. The prices of loaf sugar, crushed
loaf sugar, and brown sugar increased 568, 488, and 512 per cent,
respectively, in Reykjavik, as compared w ith 72, 86, and 97 per cent
in Copenhagen. Most of the other articles increased from 50 to 100
per cent more in R eykjavik than in Copenhagen.
R E T A IL P R IC E S O F FO O D AN D O T H E R C O M M O D ITIES IN R E Y K JA V IK , IC E L A N D ,
AND C O P E N H A G E N , D E N M A R K , JU L Y , 1911, AN D JA N U A R Y , 1921.
[1 ore a t p a r= 0.268 cent; 1 kilogram —2.2 pounds; 1 liter= 1.06 quarts; 1 hectoliter=2.8 bushels.]
Copenhagen.

R eykjavik.
Article.

R ye b re a d .............................
W heat b re a d .......................
Sifted ry e b re a d ..................
F in e flo u r.............................
B ariev flo u r.........................
R ice........................................
Sago.......................................
Sem olina___
O aten grits, ro iled ..............
P o tato flo u r.........................
Peas, w hole..........................
Peas, shelled........................
P o tato es................................
W h ite cab b ag e....................
D ried ap ric o ts.....................
D ried apples.....................
R aisin s..................................
P ru n e s ...................................
Loaf su g ar............................
Crushed loaf su g ar.............
B row n sugar........................
Coffee, ro asted .................
T ea ......................................
B u tte r .................................
M argarine, a n im a l.............
M argarine, vegetable.........
T allo w ................................
Sweet m ilk .................
Cheese....................................
Eggs .................................
Beef, soup m e a t .........
V eal .....................................
M utton, salted ...................
M utton, sm oked ................
P ork, s a lte d .......................
Pork, sm o k ed ................
Fish, fresh cod __ .
Split cod................................
Com m on codfish ...............
S o d a ..................................
B row n so ap .......................
Petroleum * ......................
C oal ....................................
1 M axim um price.
2 December, 1914.
3 For whole country.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

U n it.

4 kilogram s. . .
K ilogram ........
........do...............
........do...............
........do...............
........do...............
........do...............
___do ...............
........do ...............
........do ...............
. . . . d o ...............
___do...............
___do...............
__do..............
. .d o .............
.d o .......
___do...............
........do...............
___do .............
........d o ...............
. .v. .d o ...............
. . .d o .............
. . .d o ...............
........d o ..............
........do...............
L iter.................
K ilo g ram ........
E a c h .................
K ilogram ........
........do ..............
........do ..............
........do ...............
....... do ..............
........do ..............
........d o ...............
........do................
........dó ..............
........do ..............
........do ..............
L ite r ..... ..........
H ectoliter .......

July,
1914.

January,
1921.

Per cent
of in ­
crease.

Öre.

Öre.
249
190
148
160
120
194
181
140
125
183
146
146
54
72
621
520
411
421
354
300
300
484
880
764

274
313
429
416
314
526
353
233
291
408
317
342
350
350
234
269
523
426
568
488
512
105
87
290

376
100

318
355

50
328
210
240
359
600
700
48
126
63
58
241
85
1,529

525
286
320
258
259
258
229
243
215
385
383
460
372
595

67
46
28
31
29
31
40
42
32
36
35
33
12
16
186
141
66
80
53
51
49
236
471
196
90
22
110
8
85
50
67
100
170
213
14
40
13
12
43
18
220

January,
1921.'

Öre.

Öre.
i 109
i 153
i 62
95

79
283
158
265

212
139
101
152
121

324
286
135
290
290

119
26
21
455
340
408
353
1 74
1 69
i 63
570
928
669
390
318

198
271

341
72
86
97
171
132
185
179
154

466

59
S 288
53
325

211
336
607
195-132

140
200
3 48
89

531
686
117
257

279
243
144
189

37
41
18
170

24
196
82
1,242

243
378
356
631

61
40
24
26

50
36
2 43
39
3 31
3 34
40
7
2 158

no

80
43
37
32
210
400
235
140
125

f
\

19

74
110-140“

4 Skim m ed m ilk cheese.
s Skim m ed m ilk cheese.

[556]

Per cent
of in ­
crease.

July,
1914.

188
209

For whole country,

COST OF LIVING IN MEXICO.

71

Cost of Living in Mexico, 1910, and February to May, 1921.
ECENT num bers of the m onthly publication 1 of the Mexican
D epartm ent of Labor contain data on the cost of living in the
Federal D istrict in February, March, April, and May, 1921,
as compared w ith 1910. According to earlier issues of the same
publication the index num ber of the cost of living (average price for
1910 = 100) rose from 169.14 in January, 1918, to 197.79 in December,
1919, 223.66 in March, 1920, and reached the peak, 230.62, in August,
1920. Since th a t time a gradual decline is noted. In Jan u ary of
this year the index num ber was 215.38 and in F ebruary it was 195.77,
the greatest decrease shown in any one m onth. Since then the
decrease has been m uch less, the figure for M arch being 195.23, for
April, 193.72, and for May, 192.37.
The table which is here reproduced gives the prices for the m ost
im portant articles of consumption in February, March, April, and
May, 1921, and the average prices for the year 1910. I t will be
noted th a t coffee, bread, flour, and maize increased in price in May
as compared w ith April, while beans, peppers, beef, lard, sugar, and
coal decreased.

R

A V E R A G E P R IC E S O F P R IN C IP A L A R T IC L E S O F C O N SU M PTIO N IN T H E F E D E R A L
D IS T R IC T , 1910, AN D F E B R U A R Y TO MAY, 1921.
[1 peso a t p a r= 49.9 cents; 1 k ilo g ram = 2,2 pounds; 1 lite r= 1.06 quarts; 1 m eter= 1.09 yards.]
1921
Item .

U n it.

1910
February.

Food:
B eans, sm all b ro w n ..............................
B e e f . .......................................................
B read, w h ite...........................................
Coffee, roasted and g ro u n d.................
Coffee, g reen ............................................
Flour, w h e at...........................................
L ard .......................................................
M aize.................. ....................................
M ilk...........................................................
Peppers, sm all green.............................
Rice, first grade.
Salt, c o a rse ...
Sugar, lo a f................................................
C oal......................
W ood.
Cloth, coarse c o tto n ..................................
Canvas, b lu e ...............................................
P ercale..........................................................
Shoes.............................................................
H ats, p a lm ..................................................
B lankets ..
R en t (one ro o m )........................................
P e tro leu m ....................................................
Candles, p araffin........................................
B a th s ............................................................
S oap..............................................................

K ilogram __
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
L iter.............
K ilogram __
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
........d o ...........
Meter...........

........d o ...........
........d o ...........
P a ir...............
E a c h .............
........d o ...........
M o n th ..........
L iter..............
K ilogram __
E ach .............
K ilogram . . .

Peso*.
0.120
.420
.320
.600
.430
. 170
.600
.090
.150
.200
.150
.040
.170
.040
.020
.140
.400
. 120
5.000
,440
2.750
5.000
. 120
.330
.250
.250

Pesos.
0. 255
1. 200
.335
. 850
. 765
.330
1. 350
.155
.325
.725
.420
.090
.450
.075
.045
.300
1. 250
.350
9. 500
.650
4. 500
11.620
.235
.670
.300
.600

March.

A p ril.’

Pesos.
0. 270
1.335
.410
. 860
.675
.370
1. 420
. 160
.305
.675
.385
.090
. 470
.095
.045
.300
1. 250
.350
9. 500
.750
4.500
11.620
.235
.900
.300
.650

Pesos.
0. 200
1. 350
.450
. 800
.675
.400
1.300
. 170
.’270
.580
.420
.090
.480
. 085
. 045
.300
1. 250
.350
9. 250
.750
4.500
11. 620
.235
.750
.300
.650

May.
Pesos.
0. 245
1. 300
. 475
. 850
. 750
.440
1.100
. 175
.270
. 450
. 415
. 100
.435
.075
.040
.300
1.100
.300
9.250
.750
4.500
11.620
.235
.875
.300
.725

The same publication also contains d a ta on the cost of living for
Mexican workmen in 1920. In Jan u ary of th a t year the cost of living
in 11 States and Territories was higher th an in the Federal D istrict;
in 3 it was equal, and in 17 it was lower. Maize showed the smallest
i Gaceta M ensual del D ep artam en to del T rabajo de la Secretaria de In d u stria, Comercio y Trabajo.
Mexico Marzo y A b ril de 1921, a n d Mayo de 1921.


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72

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW,

fluctuations in price. The price of m eat rose rapidly from an average
of 0.57 peso (28 cents, par) per kilogram in January, 1920, to 1.08
pesos (54 cents, par) in June and July, after which it decreased to 0.76
peso (38 cents, par) in December. I t is stated th a t food costs m ake
up 54.1 per cent of the w orkm an’s total living costs, clothing 17.1
per cent, and housing and fuel 21.25 per cent.

Cost of Living in Spain in April, 1921.
H E May, 1921, bulletin of the In stitu te of Social Reforms 1
contains a table giving the current, m axim um , and minimum
prices of articles of prime necessity in the provincial capitals of
Spain in April, 1921. The inform ation was furnished by the heads
of the local boards of social reform and is for the class of goods used
by workmen. The table following gives the data for 10 of the largest
cities:

T

C U R R E N T , M AXIM UM , AN D M INIM UM P R IC E S O F A R T IC L E S O F P R IM E N E C E S S IT Y
IN 10 PR O V IN C IA L C A PIT A L S O F S P A IN IN A P R IL , 1921.
[1 peseta a t par=19.3 cents; 1 kilogram =2.2 pounds; 1 liter=1.06 quarts.]
I
Ali- 1 Cor­ Co­ G ra­ Mad­ Mà­
Price. cante.:
dova. ruña. nada. rid. laga.

Article.

Pes. Pes. Pes. Pes.
1.1C 0. of 0. 70 0. 80
1.15
.55
1.80
1. 05
3.60 3.40 3.50 5. 50 4.50
B eef............................... ........d o ___
5. 6C 3. 4C 4.5C
6 . 50
3.20 3.20 2.00
2.60
B read............................ ........d o ___
.70
.75
.70
.70
.66
.80
.75
. 7C
.65
.75
.70
1.80 1.20 1. 40 1.00 1.20
C hick-peas................... ........d o ___
2. 00 1.20 1. 60
2.00
1.60
.80 1.20
1. OC
Codfish......................... ........d o ___
2.20 2.20 2.00 2.25 1.60
3.50 2. 30 2. 40
3.00
2.00 2.15 1. 20
Coffee............................ ........d o . .. .
8.00 7. 75 6. 00 8.00
9.00 8.00 9.00
7.00 7.50 6.00
2.25 2.40 1.90 2.50 I. 80
E g g s.............................. ..........d o z ..
2. 75 2. 00
3.00
2. 25 1. 85
Fish, fresh..................... ..........k ilo ..
2.00 1. 75 3.00 2. 50 1.90
4.00 1. 75 3. 60
2. 25
1.00 1.75 2. 00
F lo u r............................. .100 kilos
70. 00 75. 00
80.00 72. (X)
80.00 80.00
60.00 75. 00
M ilk............................... ........liter...
.80
.65, .30
.80
.70
1. 00
.70
.60
.80
.60
.25
M u tto n ........................... ..........k ilo ..
3. 20 2. 80
3. 75 2. 8,0
4.40 3.00
3. 50
3.00 1.60
O il.................................. ........lite r ..
1.80 1.80 2.60 1.80 1.50
1. 80 3. 40
2.40
1. 80 1.90
P o tato es......................... ..........k ilo ..
.35
.25
.15
.40
.20
.45
.30
. 15
.55
.30
.25
. 15
. 10
R ic e ................................. ........d o ___
.70
.70
.80
.80
.70
1. 00
.80 1.00
1.40
.50
.65
.70
S u g ar.............................. ........d o ___
4 . 60 1. 70 1. 50 1. 70 1. 45
1. 85 1. 60
2. 50
1.50 1. 65 1.40
1 B oletín del In s titu to de Reformas Sociales, Madrid, Mayo de 1921.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Pes.

__kilo

Cur .
Max.
Min.
C u r.
Max.
Min.
Cur .
Max.
Min.
C u r.
Max.
M in.
C u r.
Max.
Min.
C u r.
Max.
M in.
C u r.
Max.
M in.
C u r.
Max.
Min.
Cur .
Max.
Min.
C u r.
Max.
Mm.
C u r.
Max.
Min.
C u r.
Max.
M in.
C u r.
Max.
M in.
C u r.
Max.
M in.
C u r.
M ax.
M ild

1.20

[558]

Pes.
0 00
1.00

. 75
5. 70
5. 70
3. 75
.80
.80
. 75
.90
1.50
. 80
1.80
2.50
1. 60
0 ho
7. 25
6 . 00
2.50
9 75
2. 00

1.40
1.80
1. 25
85 00
88. 00
85. 00
.80
1. 00
. 80
8 75
4. 00
3. 75
1.70
2 (X)
1. 70
.25
.30
.25
.70
.85
.75
1.60
1. 85
1.60

San­ Se­
ta n ­ ville.
der.

V a­
len­ Sara­
cia. gossa.

Pes. Pes. Pes. Pes.
1.60 1. 30 0 so
1.30
.90 1.60
1. 30
. 80
2.40 4.00 5. 00 5.00
5.00 6 . 00
4. 00 4. 00
.80
.90
.75
.70
1.00
.80
. 90
. 75
2.00 1.00 2.00 1.60
1. 25 2. 30 2.00
. SO 1. 50
2.00 3.00 1.85 2.00
2.50 3.50 2.00 3.00
2.50 1.75 1.75
6.00 6 . 00 6 50 8.00
8.00 7. 00
5. 00 6. 00
2.00 2. 75 2.10 2. 40
2.50 3 00 9 9p
2. 75 2.10 2.20
.80 2. 00 4.00
3. 00 5.00
2. 00 3. 50
100 00 QO 00
78.00 120. 00 100. 00 72.00
100. 00 90. 00
.40
.80
.60
.60
.80
.50
. 80
3.00 3. 00 4 40
4. 00 4. 60 i 70
3. 00 2. 80
1.80 1. 75 2. 25 1.80
2.00 1. 90 2 30 2 no
1. 75 2.10 1. 65
.15
.25
.40
.20
.30
.50
.25
. 30
1.00 1.00
.60
.80
1. 20
.70 1.00
.75
.50
.75
1.50 1.65 1.55 1.50
1. 60 1. 90 1. 55
1.65 1.50

73

COST OF LIVING IN SPAIN.

C U R R E N T , M A X IM U M , A N D M IN IM U M P R IC E S O F A R T IC L E S O F P R IM E N E C E S S IT Y
IN 10 P R O V IN C IA L C A P IT A L S O F S P A IN IN A P R IL , 1921—C oncluded.
San­
Ali. Cor­ Co­ G ra­ M ad­ Má­ ta n ­ Se­
Price. cante.
dova. ru n a. nada. rid. laga. der. ville.

A rticle.

V a­ Sara­
len­ gossa.
cia.

Pes. Pes. Pes. Pes. Pes. Pes. Pes. Pes. Pes. Pes.
.50
.60
. 50
.40
.60
.80
. 50
.50
.40
W ine.............................. ..........lite r .. C u r.
.50
Max.
.80 ..........
.50
.60
.80
.70
.70
. 55
.50
Min.
. SO
. 45
. 60
. 50
.30
.60
C harcoal....................... .114 k ilo s.. C u r. 3. 45 3.00 2. 75 5.00 2.75 3. 25 3. 00 3. 00 3.85 3.50
3. 50
3. 00 2. 75
3. 45
Max.
4.00
3. 25
3. 00
Min.
3. 00 2. 25
90. 00 306. 00 300. 00
H ouse r e n t................... ___ 1 year
C u r. 420. 00 150. 00 300. 00
300.00
Max.
250. 00 300. 00
150.00
360. 00
Min.
150.00 150. 00
60.00
240. 00
Petroleum .................... ..........lite r .. C u r. 1.00 1. 80 1.-30!.......... i. 40 1. 50
. 80 1. 50 1.35 1.30
1. 50
Max.
1. 50
1. 85 1. sol____
M in.
1. 50
1.50
1.75 1. 30
S oap.............................. ..........k ilo .. C u r. 1.80 1.20 1.50 1.50 1.10 1.00 1. 40 1.40 1.40 1.40
1. 50 1. 50 1. 80
Max.
1.30 1.60 . . . . . . 2. 00 1. 20
M in. 1.60 1.00 1.40
.90
1.40 1.20

Cost of Living in Zurich, Switzerland.
RECEN T report from the consul general a t Zurich, Switzerland,
under date of June 27, 1921, contains the following table
relative to necessary m onthly expenditures of laborers’ and
other employees’ families for the m ost im portant items of house­
hold expense in May, 1921. The d a ta were published by the statis­
tical office of the city of Zurich in T agblatt der S tad t Zurich, June
23, 1921.

A

L a b o re r 's f a m i l y o f fa th e r , m o th e r, a n d three ch ild re n o f 3 , 7, a n d 10 y e a r s o f age.
F ra n c s .1

Bread and other cereals............................................................................................ 41.42
Edible fats and oils......................................................
6. 83
Eggs............................
4. 55
Fruit and vegetables, including potatoes................................................................ 38.23
Meat and sausage........................................................................................................ 33.80
Milk and milk products............................................................................................. 59.91
Sweets, coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate................................................................. 19.56
Other articles of food...................................................
7. 09
Total food....................................................................................................... 211.39
Fuel and lighting materials.......................
30. 36
Total..................................................................................................................... ~241.75
L a b o re r 's f a m i l y o f f a th e r , m o th er, a n d tw o c h ild ren o f 3 a n d 7 ye a rs o f age.
Francs.

Bread and other cereals......................................................................................... 35. 04
Edible fats and oils...............................................................................................
5. 78
Eggs........................................................................................................................
3. 85
Fruit and vegetables, including potatoes............................................................ 32. 35
Meat and sausage................................................................................................... 28. 60
Milk and milk products........................................................................................ 50. 69
Sweets, coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate............................................................. 16. 55
Other articles of food.............................................................................................
6. 00
Total food......................1................................................................................ 178. 86
Fuel and lighting materials.................................................................................. 25. 69
Total................................................................................................................ 204.55
1 One franc a t par= 19.3 cents.


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M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

74

E m p lo y e e 's f a m i l y o f fa th e r , m o th e r, a n d three c h ild ren o f 3 , 7, a n d 10 ye a rs o f age.
Francs.

43. 63
4. 83
5. 29
44. 06
41. 26
61. 64
20. 47
11. 29

Bread and other cereals
Edible fats and oils......
Fruit and vegetables, including potatoes
Meat and sausage......................................
Milk and milk products..........................
Sweets, coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate.
Other articles of food................................

232. 47
35. 59

Total food....................
Fuel and lighting materials

268. 06

Total.

E m p lo y e e 's f a m i l y o f f a th e r , m o th e r, a n d tw o c h ild ren o f 3 a n d 7 ye a rs o f age.
Francs.

36. 91
4. 08
4. 48
37.29
34. 92
52.15
17. 31
9. 55

Bread and other cereals..........................
Edible fats and oils.................................
Eggs......................................: .................
Fruit and vegetables, including potatoes
Meat and sausage.....................................
Milk and milk products..........................
Sweets, coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate
Other articles of food..............................

Total food.............. . ....................................................................................... 196. 69
Fuel and lighting materials.................................................................................. 30.12
Total............................................................................................................... 226.81

In the same issue of the T agblatt the municipal inform ation bureau
for advertising available dwellings published a list of flats offered at
once for July 1, as follows:
C o st o f f l a t (w ith k itch en ) p e r a n n u m .
[One franc a t p ar= 1 9 .3 cents.]

Two rooms...................................................................................
Three rooms.................................................................................
Four rooms..................................................................................
Five rooms..................................................................................
Six rooms.....................................................................................
Seven rooms..............................„................................................


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[560]

624 to
900 francs.
770 to 3,000 francs.
1, 500 to 3,000 francs.
2, 250 to 8,000 francs.
2, 800 to 7, 000 francs.
3, 600 to 12,800 francs.

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

Wages and Hours of Labor in the Slaughtering and Meat-Packing
Industry in 1921.1

I

N 1917 the B ureau of Labor S tatistics m ade a stu d y of wages and
hours of labor in the slaughtering and m eat-packing in dustry
the results of which were published in B ulletin 252. The data
were taxen lo r varying dates in the first half of 1917 and thus repre­
sent the period a t the entrance of the U nited S tates into the W orld
War.
The present stu d y was m ade in April, 1921, and was lim ited to 34
representative establishm ents, all of which were included in the 1917
report. The d a ta used in the com pilation of both reports were ob­
tained 1rom the pay rolls of the establishm ents and by inquiries m ade
by agents of the bureau who visited the establishm ents.
hi um erous changes took place in wages and hours betw een the
Í
r n i l r tW0 m vestlgations, and for the purpose of comparison
the 19 U figures are here reproduced in part. The reproduced data
loi U lv are for 66 of the 83_establishments taken in 1917. The 1917
d a ta excluded from this article are for all nonproductive or miscella­
neous employees except laborers, repairers, and repairers’ helpers
lor 2 plants m Colorado, for 8 on the Pacific Coast, 2 of which were
not included in. the totals in the 1917 report, and for 7 other plants
th a t were n o t included in the totals in the 1917 report; thus brinmng
together in tins article only properly comparable data. No data
are presented m this article for Colorado or for any State on the
Pacific coast.
1 he report shows the peak reached in the wage rate in 1920 and
the rao3_following such reductions as occurred in the w inter of 1920
and spring of 1921. In two of the 34 establishm ents no reduction
had been m ade up to May 1. In addition to getting a statem en t of
wage rates and regular working hours, the actual tim e worked and
earnings of individual employees were taken from a pay roll in
A piii, 1921, and averages based on such actual hours and earnings
are here given. 1 he sample pay roils taken covered one week in
33 establishm ents and two weeks in 1 establishm ent.
The slaughtering and m eat-packing ind u stry is the largest in dustry
engaged m the production of food products, and is also one of the
largest and m ost im p o rtan t industries in the U nited States. I t has
bepome an actual necessity, no t only to the people in the large cities
and industrial centers, b u t also to those in small cities and villages,
i o a very great ex ten t the people of the whole country are dependent
upon the large m eat-packing establishm ents for cattle, hog, sheep
and calf products.
^’
This article is an ab ridgem ent of B u lletin No. 294 of th e U n ited S tates B ureau of L abor Statistics.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

4561 ]

75

76

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

In the year 1917 the employees in the 34 establishm ents em braced
in this investigation constituted approxim ately 70 per cent of all
employees in the 83 establishm ents covered th a t year. The 83 estab­
lishm ents, according to figures of the B ureau of Animal Ind u stry ,
D epartm ent of Agriculture, slaughtered approxim ately 50 per cent
of all cattle, hogs, sheep, and calves th a t were slaughtered in the
U nited S tates in 1917. In 1917 the 34 establishm ents slaughtered
about 35 per cent of all anim als. As m any anim als are slaughtered
in rural districts, towns, and villages by butchers who have no em ­
ployees, it is safe to assume th a t the 34 establishm ents of this rep o rt
represent m ore th an 35 per cent of the wage earners in the industry.
The establishm ents covered in this rep o rt are located in or near
Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, F o rt W orth, Indian­
apolis, K ansas City, Milwaukee, New Y ork City, Omaha, O ttum w a
(Iowa), Philadelphia, St. Joseph, St. Louis, E a st St. Louis, and
South St. Paul. They include every large and im p o rtan t m eat­
packing center in the U nited States, and are for representative estab­
lishm ents of Arm our & Co., C uhady Packing Co., Morris & Co.,
Swift & Co., Wilson & Co., and 10 other companies.
The bureau here expresses its appreciation of the cooperation and
courtesy extended by all these companies.
Inspection of anim als, carcasses, m eats, etc., is m ade by emplojmes
of the B ureau of Anim al In d u stry of the U nited S tates D epartm ent
of A griculture, in all establishm ents for which d a ta are shown in this
report. This inspection is m ade to p rotect the public from diseased,
unclean, or unwholesome m eat, and m eat food products. A full
description of inspection appears in B ulletin 252, page 64.
The work in this industry begins with live cattle, hogs, sheep and
lambs, calves', and goats and kids, and ends only when every process
necessary to convert the animals into the various m eat products and
b}^-products have been completed. The work varies so m uch th a t it
is necessary th a t hours, wages, and earnings be shown separately for
occupations in the following 13 departm ents: Cattle-killing, hog-kill­
ing, sheep and calf-killing, offal, hide, casing, cutting or fresh-beef,
cutting or fresh-pork, lard and oleo oil, sausage, cured-meat, canning,
and m aintenance and repair.
The above departm ents, except m aintenance and repair, and the
occupations in them are described and defined in Bulletin 252, pages
1075 to 1114. Employees in the m aintenance and repair departm ent
are, as a rule, skilled, such as blacksm iths, boiler makers, carpenters,
coopers, machinists, pipe fitters, etc., and are necessary to the repair
and upkeep of the buildings and equipm ent of the establishments.
In Bulletin No. 252 they are shown under nonproductive or miscella­
neous employees as laborers, repairers, and repairers’ helpers.
Employees in the box factories, the brush, cooper, tin, and other
shops in which the production is entirely new, and not repair work,
and employees in butterine, mincemeat, produce, extract, soap,
curled hair, wool, or bone departm ents are not included in the data
shown in this report.
The following table shows the num ber of males and females in each
departm ent in 1917 and 1921 in the establishm ents for which wage
d ata are given in this report. I t should be observed th a t the table
includes 66 establishments in 1917 and 34 in 1921.


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77

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.
T able 1 .—N U M B E R O F M ALES A N D F E M A L E S, B Y D E P A R T M E N T S , 1917 AN D 1921.

N um ber of emploj^ees in —
D epartm ent.

1917 (66 establishm ents).
Males.

Cattle-killing........................................
Hog-killing .....................................................
Sheep and calf killin g .........................
O ffal.....................................
H ide......................................................................
C asing...................................................
C utting or fresh-beef........................................
C utting or fresh-pork.......................
L ard an d oleo oil...............................................
Sausage................................................................
C ured-m eat.........................................................
C anning...............................................................
M aintenance a n d re p a ir........

3,292
4,098
l ’ 063
3 , 637
1, 218
081
6, 294
4, 461
i; 727
2,771
941
3,130
i t 387

T o ta l.........................................................

53,100

Females.
16
24
6
310
352
49
1,080
90
1, 777
286
2,536
6,512

Total.

1921 (34 establishm ents).
Males.

3,308
<122
1, 069
3, 947
1, 218
3 ,433
6,343
5, 527
1, 817
4,548
7,227
5,666
11, 387

2, 077
' 954
2,034
814
1,792
2, 955
2, 810
1, 561
1, 839
4, 516
' 406
5, 455

59,612

28,969

Females.
21
23
5
241
349
10
655
107
1, 053
' 218
566
3,248

Total.
2,098
l' 779
' 959
2,275
814
2,141
2 , 965
3,465
1,668
2 , 892
4, 734
' 972
5,455
32,217

Table 1 shows th a t females are employed in all except the hide and
m aintenance and repair departm ents. Females now do a variety of
work th a t was formerly done by males. One woman is shown in
Table 6, cured m eat departm ent, as a “ trucker.” Truckers in this de­
partm ent load and unload hand trucks and shove the trucks into and
about the departm ent. The work of truckers is heavy and requires
strength and endurance. A full description of the work of females in
the industry appears in Bulletin 252, page 63.
In 1917 establishments were operated w ith full forces of employees,
while in 1921, owing to the general depression of the industry, they
were operated with much less than the regular or normal forces of
employees. Unem ploym ent affected the employees in the canning
departm ent in 1921 more than in any other, because of lack of orders
for canned meats.
Table 2 shows a percentage distribution of employees according to
rates of wages per hour. Segregation is made by sex, departm ent,
and year, b u t not by occupation.

63444°—21---- 6


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 563]

T able 2 .— P E R C EN T O F E M P L O Y E E S A T EA CH C L A SS IFIE D R A T E O F W A G ES P E R H O U R , B Y S E X AND D E P A R T M E N T S , 1917 A N D 1921.

________

Sex e n d dep artm en t.

Hn^-killing .
Sheep an d calf k illing..........
Offal.................................................................
Hides

[564]

Casing..............................................................
C utting or fresh-beef....................................
Cutting or fresh-pork....................................
Hard and nlen oil
Sausage
On red-meat
Canning
M aintenance and re p a ir..............................
Total, all d e p artm e n ts.....................

P er cent of employees whose rates of wages per hour
N um ­ N um ­ A ver­
age
ber of
55
20
45
50
15
25
30
35
40
of rate of
estab­ ber
and
and
and
U nder and
and
and
and
and
and
em­
lish­ ployees. wages
imder under under under under under under under under
15
per
m ents.
55
60
50
20
30
25
35
40
45
hour. cents.
cents. cents. cents. cents. cents. cents. cents. cents. cents.

1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921

54
30
57
29
31
21
62
33
55
30
62
32
53
31
61
31
61
33
58
32
62
34
12
17
66
34

3,292
2,077
4'098
1,756
1,063
'954
3,637
2,034
1 218
'814
3,081
1,792
6j 294
2,955
4,461
2,810
1 727
L 561
2,771
1,839
6'941
4,516
3'130
'406
11,387
5,455

80. 313
. 550
279
.493
.309
.566
.274
.485
246
.465
.278
. 499
.271
.483
.271
. 513
.243
.462
.252
.474
.252
.463
.236
.465
.288
.565

1917
1921

66
34

53,100
28,969

.272
.505

1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
192i

3
5
3
8
2
2

16
21
24
23
6
5

. 157
. 340
. 150
336
. 158
.368

P)

1

31

27

C1)

1

31

31

P)

1

P)
23
P)

29

27

19

C1)

2

36

1

55

41
(!)
39

12
(i)
4

P)
P)

2

24

42

1

49

33

26
(!)
8

P)

1

40

1

4

51

37
P)
35

1

2

49

33

47

42

P)

1


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

P)
13
P)

8

P)
(i)

9
9

«

1

81

15

P)

1

35

25

2
(i)
21
(l)

C1)

1

42

32

14

P)

Females.
Cat;11p,-lri11in g

17

13

88

79

4

P)

9
1
9
2
10
(i)
3
2
1
(i)
2
1
3
(i)
4
2
1
1
5
1
1
1
1
1
12
1

2
6
4
14
8
4
2
12
(1)
11
1
6
1
8
2
11
(i)
14
1
9
(i)
14
(i)
14
4
5

6
1

2
45
(i)
38
3
48
1
66

2
17
(i)
26
(i)
24
1
10

76
1
47
1
70
1
48

8
1
22

3

P)

3
2

2
1
2

9

2

8
1
19

8
1
9
1
7

2
0)
10
1
2
«
6

70
(!)
74
(!)
71

11
0)
7

1

P)

3

2

9

1

1

74
1
31

7
C)
11

2
0)
16

1
0)
17

2
10

1
55

P)

10

5

10

35

26

4

4

100

P)

10

52

............

60
65
70
and
and
and
under under under
70
80
65
cents. cents. cents.

7

30
100

were—

6
1
3

24
17

8
11

P)

P)

13

P)

«

1
7

-r

(l)

C1)

2
1

P)
P)

2
1
1
1

(l)

P)
P)
C1)
P)
P)
P)

6

1

2

1
1
1
1

3

C1)

P)
C1)
C1)
P)

l
5
2

2
1
4

«
i

1

C1)
1
1
5

11

P)

C1)
1

(1)

P)
P)
«

C1)

1
11

3

1

1
C1)

80
cents
and
over.

2

o)

P)

P)

4
3

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

Males.
Cattle-killing..................................................

Year.

____________________________________________ OO

Offal.................................................................

17
22
22
20
4
2
38
23
19
18
48
30
43
25
12
18

310
241
352
349
49
10
1,066
655
90
107
1,777
1,053
286
218
2,536
566

.175
.365
.172
.366
.162
.308
.217
.402
.161
.312
.172
.361
.171
.320
.171
.345

Total, all d ep artm en ts.....................

1917
1921

51
34

6,512
3,248

G rand to ta l.........................................

1917
1921

66
34

59,612
32,217

C utting or fresh-beef.....................................
C utting or fresh-pork...................................
L ard and oleo oil...........................................
Sausage............................................................
C ured-m eat.....................................................
Canning...........................................................

[ 565]

1 L e s s t h a n o n e - h a lf o f 1


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

per cent.

56

15

70

20

2
14
1
6

35
1
37

50
15
10

50
6
21

96
33
3
79

26
2
12

60

14

67

13

35
5
10
3
22
4
15

1
52
1
64
2
55

32
44

2

4
22

1
13

8

1

(i)

(!)
10
(!)
9
(i)

13
3

6
13

2
44

1
20

.262
.491

8

39
0)

29
1

13
5

5
3

(l)

6
(i )

(l)
1

(i)

(i)

8

5

(1)
1

3

2

1

9

6

2
10

1
50

1

C1)

(x)

C)

3
(i)

1

3

(i)

17

(x)

C1)

i 1)

(i)
5

63
1

1

1

2

.179
.362

1
(i)

11

7

1
1

8

13

76

C1)

6

(i)

1
0)

3

(G
12

1

1

0)

1
1
7

(G

6

(*)

(x)

(1)

C1)

C1)

(x)

3

0)

1
2

C1)

0

2

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR,

1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921
1917
1921

Casing..............................................................

CO

80

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

In Table 3 is shown the num ber of starts th a t were made in one
W'eek. S tarts as shown here means the num ber of days on which
an employee worked. If an employee reports for du ty and works
any p a rt of the day he is counted as having made a start.
T able 3 — N U M B E R O F E M P L O Y E E S C L A S S IF IE D B Y ST A R T S (D A Y S ON W H IC H EM­
P L O Y E D ) M AD E IN O N E W E E K IN A P R IL , 1921, B Y SE X A N D D E P A R T M E N T .
[This tab le includes d a ta for 33 e stab lish m en ts in w hich employees are p aid weekly.]

Sex a n d d ep artm en t.

A ver­
N um ­ N u m ­
age
b er of b er of n u m ­
estab ­ em­
ber of
lish­
ploy- s ta rts
m ents. ees.
in one
week.

N u r nber o emplc >yees ?hose st arts (da> s)
in ade in one we ek w en —

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Males.
C attle-killing..........................................
Hog-killing.............................................
Sheep an d calf k illin g.........................
O ffal.........................................................
H id e .........................................................
C asing.....................................................
C utting or fresh-beef............................
C utting or fresh-pork...........................
L a rd a n d oleo oil..................................
Sausage...................................................
C ured-m eat............................................
C anning..................................................
M aintenance an d re p a ir.....................

29
28
19
32
32
31
30
30
32
31
32
17
33

2,050
1,650
952
1,978
808
1,754
2,867
2,708
1,522
1,803
4,294
406
5,321

5.4
5.6
5.6
5.6
5.4
5.6
5.7
5.7
5.7
5.8
5.7
5.9
5.8

27
20
5
17
11
14
37
39
14
20
68
2
50

46
34
24
34
37
31
29
61
17
30
74
3
37

55
69
16
41
19
29
40
61
22
23
71
3
69

198
28
33
93
40
88
67
49
30
34
101
2
100

431
165
192
274
144
253
175
226
137
91
262
25
495

1,293
1,334
682
1,519
557
1,339
2,516
2,272
1,301
1,597
3,704
371
4,523

47

T o tal.............................................

33

28,113

5.6

324

457

518

863

2,870

23,008

73

C attle-killing..........................................
Hog-killing.“ ..........................................
Sheep and“calf k illin g .........................
O ffal........................................................
C asing.....................................................
C utting or fresh-beef............................
C utting or fresh-pork...........................
L ard a n d oleo oil..................................
Sausage...................................................
C ured-m eat............................................
C anning.....................................

5
7
2
22
19
2
22
IS
30
25
17

21
18
5
241
344
5
644
107
1,037
205
566

5.4
5.9
6.0
5.5
5.7
6.0
5.6
5.7
5.7
5.6
5.6

1

]

6
1

13
17
5
182
277
5
525
79
869
166
418

T otal.............................................

33

3,193

5.6

25

48

65

106

393

2,556

G rand to ta l................................

33

31,306

5.7

349

505

583

969

3,263

25,564

3
i
8
14

Females.

2
2

7
3

9
10

6
12

35
40

10

9

5
5

15
4
10

14
2
15
4
11

31
5
26

55
21
107
23
105

3

22

—

73

Table 4 shows for each establishm ent for 1921 the basic or regular
hours of operation per day and per week, the guaranteed hours of
pay per week, the proportionate increase in wages per hour for over­
time, the increase for work on Sundays or holidays, and the date and
am ount of the reduction of wages.
B a s ic
o r
r e g u la r
h o u r s .—E ach establishm ent has stated or fixed
hours of operation; th a t is, a time for employees to begin work in
the morning and stop work in the afternoon, w ith a fixed period of
time off d uty a t noon for lunch or dinner. The time from beginning
in the morning to stopping in the afternoon, exclusive of the time on
a t noon, is the basic or regular hours.
G u a r a n t e e d h o u r s o f ' p a y p e r w e e k .—All establishm ents except seven
romise or assure certain, or all, of their employees th a t paym ent will
e made for a specified or stated num ber of hours per week. This is
called guaranteed hours of pay, and will be paid for a t base or regular

E


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 566]

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

81

rate whenever the hours of operation in any one week are less th an
the guaranteed hours. In order to be entitled to pay for the guaranty,
it is necessary for employees to be on du ty each day of the week so
m uch of the basic or regular hours as the establishm ent m ay be in
operation.
O v e r t i m e . —A ny time worked in excess of basic or regular hours on
week days is overtime, and is paid for a t one and one-half times base
or regular rate by all the establishm ents except seven. To illustrate,
an employee whose base or regular rate is 50 cents per hour is paid
75 cents per hour for overtime.
W orJc o n
S u n d a y s o r h o l i d a y s . —W ork on Sundays is lim ited to a
very small percentage of the employees of an establishm ent, and
usually only to a few in the m aintenance and repair departm ent.
W ork on holidays is not frequent. This work is paid for a t double
the base or regular rate by all establishm ents except seven.
D a t e o f r e d u c t i o n o f w a g e s . —The peak of wages was reached in 1920.
A reduction was made by 1 establishm ent in the latte r p a rt of 1920,
by 25 in March, and by 5 in April, 1921. Up to May 1, 1921, no
reduction had been made by 2 establishments. One establishm ent,
instead of reducing rates, increased basic or regular hours and reduced
pay for overtime and for work on Sundays or holidays.
A m o u n t
o f r e d u c t i o n . —All except seven establishm ents reduced
hourly rates 8 cents and piece rates 12^ per cent, b u t made no reduc­
tion in weekly rates. N ot to exceed 10 per cent of all the employees
are paid piece rates, and n o t to exceed 5 per cent are paid weekly
rates.
T able 4 .—BASIC OR R E G U L A R H O U R S , G U A R A N T E E D H O U R S O F PA Y , P A Y F O R
O V E R T IM E AND F O R W O R K ON SU N D A Y S AND H O L ID A Y S , AND D A T E AN D
A M O U N T O F R E D U C T IO N O F W A G E S, B Y D IS T R IC T S A N D E S T A B L IS H M E N T S ,
1921.
[D istrict 1: Chicago. D istrict 2: K ansas City, Om aha, St. Joseph, St. Louis, and E ast St. Louis. D istrict 3:
Milwaukee, O ttum w a, Iow a, a n d South St. P aul. D istrict 4: F o rt W orth a nd O klahom a C ity. Dis­
tric t 5: Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, a n d Indianapolis. D istrict 6: B oston, New Y ork C ity, and
Philadelphia.]

D istrict and estab­
lishm ent.

Reduction of wages
of employees who
are paid—

Wages per
hour for—

Basic or regular hours.

G u ar­
anteed
hours
of pay
Sun­
Tuesper O ver­ days
M on­ d a y to Sat­
Per
u
r­
w
eek
.1
and
day. F ri­ day. week.
time. holi­
day.
d a y s.

D ate of
reduction of
wages.

H our­ Piece W eek­
ly
ly
rates. rates.2 rates.3

Régule r rate
District 1.
Per ct. Per cu
m ult plied
124 N one.
40
by
Mar. 14,1921
8
8
8
48
8$
E stab lish m en t No. 1
12| None.
........d
o
.............
8$
2
2
8
8
8
48
40
n
12! N one.
2 ........d o .............
3
8
8
8
48
40
8<t
n
12! None.
48
2 ........d o .............
4
8
8
40
8
St
i!
St
12! None.
40
2 ........d o .............
8
45
5
8
5
H
12!
None.
2
........d
o
.............
6
8
8
48
4 40
8
St
lè
12! N one.
2 ........d o .............
St
40
7
«8
8
8 «48
H
1 This colum n applies to all employees except those who are p aid weekly rates and luggers in c u ttin g or
fresh-beef dep artm en t. Those p aid weekly rates, except in establishm ents 1 and 2, district 6, receive full
weekly rates even though th e y work more or less th a n basic or regular hours per week. Em ployees of
establishm ents 1 and 2, district 6, receive full weekly rates for basic or regular hours per week or less, and
rate a n d one-half for a n y tim e over 8 hours per day, or 48 per week. Luggers in establishm ents in w hich
there is a gu aran ty are entitled to 44 or 40 hours of p a y per week. Those entitled to 44 hours’ p a y represent
m ore th a n 50 p er cen t of employees in th e occupation.
2 P aid to n o t to exceed 10 p er c e n t of th e em ployees. T h e p e rc e n t varies in different establishm ents
from 1 or less to 10 to 15.
s P aid to n o t to exceed 5 p e r cent of th e employees. T h e p er cent varies in different establishm ents from
1 or less to 50 in establishm ent 1 a n d 80 in estab lish m en t 2. d istric t 6.
4 To employees in cattle-killing, hog-killing, offal, an d cu ttin g or fresh-pork departm ents. N o guaranty
to employees in other d epartm ents.
6 In all d ep artm en ts except cattle killing and casing. C attle-killing, 5; casing, 6.
« I n all d ep artm en ts except cattle-killing and casing. C attle-killing, 45; casing, 46.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[567]

82

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

T able 4 — B A SIC O R R E G U L A R H O U R S , G U A R A N T E E D H O U R S OE P A Y , P A Y F O R
O V E R T IM E A N D F O R W O R K ON SU N D A Y S A N D H O L ID A Y S , A N D D A T E AN D
A M O U N T O F R E D U C T IO N O F W A G E S, B Y D IS T R IC T S A N D E S T A B L IS H M E N T S ,
1921—Concluded.

W ages per
hour for—
G u ar­
anteed
D istrict a n d estab ­
hours
lishm ent.
of p ay
Sun­
Tues­ S at­
per
M on­ day to
P er
ver­ days
ur­ week.
week, a O
and
day. F ri­
tim
e.
holi­
day. day.
days.

R ed u ctio n of wages
of employees who
are p a id —

B asic or regular hours:

District
E stablish m en t No. 1
2
3
4
5
0
7
8
9
10
District 3.

8
8
8
8
78
8
8
8
8
8

8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8

8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8

48
48
48
48
8 48
48
4S
48
48
48

40
40
40
40
40
40
40
9 40
40
40

E stablish m en t No. 1
2
3
4
District 4-

8
8
8
8

8
8
8
8

8
8
8
8

48
48
48
48

40
40
40
None

E stablish m en t No. 1
2
3
4
District 5.

8
8
8
8

8
8
8
8

8
8
8
8

48
48
48
48

40
40
40
40

E stablish m en t No. 1
2
3
4
District 6.

io 8
8
U 9är
10

io g
8
15 94
10

io 4
8
5
10

1144

8

48
23.J8
48
48

E stablish m en t No. 1
2
3
4
5

8
22 8

8
22 8

8

8

8

8

27 IQ 28 101

22 8
8
8

29 8

None
48 None
16 521 None
60 None

s» 60

2040

None
24 4 0
21 4 0

None

Reçut vr rate
m ult iplied
by
2
H
H
2
2
H
2
li
2
14
2
11
2
14
2
14
2
H
2
14

D ate of
reduction of
wages.

H our­ Piece W eek­
ly
ly
rates. rates. rates.

Per ct. Per ct.
124 None.
124 None.
124 None.
124 None.
124 None.
124 None.
124 None.
124 None.
84
8c
124 None.
84
124 None.

M ar. 14,1921
........d o .............
........d o .............
........d o .............
........d o .............
........d o .............
........d o .............
A pr. 11,1921
A pr. 9,1921
........d o .............

84
84
84
84
84
84
84

14
14
14
14

2 Mar. 14,1921
2 ........d o .............
2 ........d o .............
2 ____d o .............

84
84

14
14
14
14

2
2
2
2

1
1

1
1
is x
1

17 1

1
2114
2114
(25)

(25)

1

21 14
21 14
2
2
1

124
124
124
124

None.
None.
None.
None.

124
124
124
124

None.
None.
None.
N one.

Nov. 20,19201215 10% 13 10%
(14)
(14)
Mar. 17,1921
(D)
Mar. 1,1921 79 (19)
A pr. 4,1921
10%
10%

1310%
(14)
(19)
10%

........d o .............
........d o .............
........d o .............
........d o .............

84
84

84
84

84
84

N 0 reduction None
........d o ............. None
(2C)
Mar. 14,1921
........d o .............
84
A pr. 1,1921
10%

None
None

None.
None.

124
10%

None.
10%

(26)

(26)

a See note 1, p. 81
7 In all dep artm en ts except cattle-killing, offal, sheep-killing, and casing. C attle-killing and offal, none;
sheep-killing a n d casing, 5.
8 In all d ep artm en ts except cattle-killing, offal, sheep-killing, a n d easing. C attle-killing and offal, 40;
sheep-ldlling an d casing, 45.
9 T o all employees w ho are paid h o u rly rates. N o g u aran ty to th o se w ho are paid piece rates.
10 In cattle-killing, offal, hide, and c u ttin g or fresh beef departm ents; 10 in hog-killing and cu ttin g com­
bined, casing, lard and oleo oil, sausage, cured m eat, and m aintenance and repair.
11 In cattle-killing, offal, hide, and cu ttin g or fresh beef departm ents; 60 in hog-killing and cu ttin g com ­
bined, casing, la rd and oleo oil, sausage, cured-m eat, and m aintenance and repair.
12 In casing, lard and oleo oil, hog-killing and cu ttin g com bined, cured-m eat, and m aintenance and repair
departm ents. D ecem ber 13 in eattledcilling, offal, hide, and c u ttin g or fresh-beef departm ents.
18
In ad d itio n to th is reduction in d iv id u al rates have been reduced from tim e to tim e, th e reduction being
based on th e value of th e w ork of th e in d iv id u al to th e establishm ent.
18 T h e reductions in th is establishm ent were in d iv id u al and were from 1 to 124 cents per hour, based on
th e valu e of th e w ork of th e in d iv id u al to th e establishm ent.
16 Increased from 8, Mar. 1, 1921.
m Increased from 45, Mar. 1, 1921.
17 Reduced from one an d one h alf tim es base or regular rate, Mar. 1,1921.
18 R educed from double base or regular rate, Mar. 1, 1921.
19 No reduction except in p a y for overtim e; th a t is, for work in excess of basic or regular hours per d ay on
week days, or for w ork on Sundays or holidays. See notes 15, 16, 17, a nd 18.
20 Toc'mployees in hide and lard and oleo cril departm ents, and to a very sm all per cent of the employees in
th e cured-m eat d epartm ent. No g u a ra n ty to other employees.
21 To all employees, including those w ho are paid w eekly rates. Em ployees in other establishm ents who
are p aid w eekly rates are n o t p aid for tim e in excess of basic or regular hours per day or week. See note 1.
22 In all dep artm en ts except sheen-killing. Sheep-killing, 9.
28 In all departm ents except sheep-kfflimg. Sheep-killing, 54.
(F oo tn o tes continued on p. 83).


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[5 6 8 ]

83

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

Table 5 shows the average rate of wages per hour for males and
females in each departm ent for three periods: (1) F irst half of 1917,
or the period before the entrance into the World W ar by the U nited
States. (2) Fall of 1920, or period which represents the peak in the
wage rate in the industry. (3) April, 1921, or the period after the
wage rate had been reduced in 32 of the 34 establishments.
TABLE

5 . —A V E R A G E R A T E O F W A GES P E R H O U R , B Y S E X A N D D E P A R T M E N T , 1917,
1920, AN D 1921.
Average ra te of wages
per hour.

Average ra te of wages
p er hour.
Sex an d d ep artm en t.

Sex a n d d e partm ent.
F irst
a ll of
half of F1920.
1917.

F irst
half of
1917.

F all of
1920.

Cattle-killing....................... SO. 157
.150
Hog-killing..........................
Sheep and calf k illin g ----.158
.175
Offal......................................
.172
Casing...................................
.162
C utting or fresh-beef........
.217
C utting or fresh-pork........
.161
Lard and oleo oil...............
.172
Sausage................................
.171
C ured-m eat.........................
.171
C anning...............................

$0.401
.416
.448
.435
.441
.364
.459
.381
.431
.386
.416

$0.340
.336
.368
.365
.366
.308
.402
.312
.361
.320
.345

T o tal..........................

.179

.430

.362

G rand to ta l..............

.262

.565

.491

April,
1921.

Females.

Males.
Cattle-killing....................... $0.313
Hog-killing..........................
.279
Sheep and calf killing----.309
.274
Offal......................................
.246
H id e ......................................
.278
C asing...................................
.271
C utting or fresh-beef.........
.271
C utting or fresh-pork........
.243
L ard a n d oleo oil...............
.252
Sausage................................
.252
C ured-m eat.........................
.236
C anning................................
.288
M aintenance and re p a ir. .

$0.622
.568
.637
.560
.535
.573
.556
.590
.530
.549
.540
.536
.642

$0. 550
.493
.566
.485
.465
.499
.483
.513
.462
.474
.463
.465
.565

.272

.580

.505

T o ta l.........................

A pril,
1921.

Table 6 shows for 1917, for each occupation, the num ber of estab­
lishm ents and employees, average rate of wages and earnings per
hour, and average hours actually worked and earnings actually
received in one pay-roll period; also for 1921 the num ber of estab­
lishm ents and employees, average rate of wages per hour before and
after the reduction, average earnings per hour after the reduction,
average num ber of days on which employees worked in one week,
average basic or regular hours of operation per week, average hours
actually worked and earnings actually received in one week, and
average full-tim e earnings per week before and after the reduction
of wages, based on average rate of wages per hour, and average
basic or regular hours of operation per week.
u For all weeks except those in which holidays occur; 33J for weeks w ith holidays, a reduction from 40,
Mar. 14,1921.
25 One and one-half tim es base or regular rate after 10 hours in any one day, or 54 per week. This rate
was p aid after 8 hours in any one day, or 48 per w eek, prior to Mar. 14,1921.
26 In addition to th is reduction, p a y for overtim e was changed from one a nd one-half tim es basic rate
after 8 hours per day, or 48 per week, to one and one-half tim es basic rate after 10 hours per day, or 54 per
week. See note 25.
2? In hog-killing and cu ttin g combined, offal, casing, lard a n d oleo oil, and cured-meat departm ents;
10J for males and 8J for females in sausage departm ent. In m aintenance a nd repair departm ent 8 for
m achinists, electrical workers, and pipe fitters, 9 for carpenters, and 8J for coopers.
28 In hog-killing and cu ttin g combined, offal, casing, lard and oleo oil, cured-meat departm ents, and for
males in sausage departm ent; 8J for females in sausage departm ent. In m aintenance and repair dep art­
m ent 8 for m achinists, electrical workers, and pipe fitters, 9 for carpenters, and 8J for coopers Tuesday,
W ednesday, a n d Thursday, and 9-| Friday.
,
,
29 In hog-killing a n d cu ttin g combined, offal, casing, lard and oleo oil, and cured-meat departm ents,
for males an d 4^ for females in sausage departm ent. In m aintenance and repair departm ent 8 for m achinists
and electrical w orkers, 5 for carpenters, 4J for coopers, and 4 for pipe fitters.
In hog-killing a n d cu ttin g combined, offal, casing, lard and oleo oil, and cured-meat departm ents, 60 for
males a n d 47 for females in sausage departm ent. In m aintenance and repair departm ent 56 for m achinists
and electrical workers, th eir hours being 8 per day, 7 days per week, 50 for carpenters, 48 for coopers, and 44
for pipe fitters.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[5 6 9 ]

84

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

The 1917 average rate of wages per hour for males, excluding the
mechanical force, ranged from 70.5 cents for sheep and calf butchers
in the sheep-killing departm ent to 13.5 cents for labelers in the
lard and oleo oil departm ent. The average for females ranged
from 23.2 cents for painters, cans (by hand) in the canning depart­
m ent to 14 cents for tripe scalders and cookers in the offal depart­
m ent and for packers in the canning departm ent.
The 1921 average rate per hour for males before the reduction ranged
from $1,412 for sheep and calf butchers in the sheep-killing depart­
m ent to 41 cents for cap setters in the canning departm ent. The
average for females ranged from 53 cents for truckers in the casing
departm ent to 25 cents for truckers in the cured m eat departm ent.
The 1921 average for males after the reduction ranged from $1,396
for sheep and calf butchers in the sheep-killing departm ent to 33 cents
for cap setters in the canning departm ent. The average for females
ranged from 45 cents for truckers in the casing departm ent to 25
cents for truckers in the cured m eat departm ent.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[5 7 0 ]

T able 6 .—H O U R S, W A G ES, AND E A R N IN G S O F E M P L O Y E E S IN T H E S L A U G H T E R IN G AN D M EA T-PA C K IN G IN D U S T R Y IN T H E U N IT E D ST A T E S ,
1917 AN D 1921, B Y D E P A R T M E N T , S E X , A N D O CCU PA TIO N .
1921

1917

D ep artm en t, sex, an d occupation.

N um ­
ber of
establishm ents.

A verage rate A ver­
of wages per
age Average
N um ­ hour.
earn­ num ber
ber of
starts
ings per of(days)
emhour
m
ade
ployafter
ees. Before After reduc­
in one
week.
reduc­ reduc­ tion.
tion. tion.

A verage
basic or
regular
hours of
opera­
tion per
week.

A ver­
age
hours
actually
worked
in one
week.

48.3
48.0
47.9
48.0
48.6
47.6
48.2
47.8
47.8
47.0
48.2
47.9
48.0
47.6
47.8
47.9
48.1
46. 0
47.8
47.6
47.8
48.1
47.9
46.9
47.9
48.0
47.8
47.9
47.6

46.0
143.8
40.6
30.0
41. 1
140.9
1 39.6
140.5
138.9
41.8
41.6
38.7
141.8
141.8
43.2
140.6
40.0
47.5
143.8
39.1
38.8
141.3
1 40. 0
44.6
141.1
142.0
142.9
42.6
42.8

A verage basic
or regular full­
A ver­
tim e earnings
age
p e r week.
earn­
ings received
in one Before A fter
week. reduc­ reduc­
tion.
tion.

Cattle-hilling department— Males.

[571]

24
56.7 $14. 33
67 $0.252 $0.253
D rivers a n d p e n n ers .......................................
.292
.294
50.1 14. 70
40
58
K nockers...........................................................
.262
.276
47.8 13. 20
Shacklers or slingers.......................................
30
48
2
2
. 576
34. 5 19. 89
.334
H e ad h o ld e rs....................................................
22
.360
.361
49.9 18. 04
27
S tick e rs..............................................................
46
.384
51.3 19. 71
90
.369
H e a d e rs..............................................................
.266
35
62
.254
49.3 13. 12
D roppers a n d pritchers-up............................
.281
49.5
13. 89
29
80
.277
Foot s k in n e rs ...................................................
50.2 15. 95
45
141
.306
.318
Leg b re a k e rs .....................................................
.343
44.9
3
4
.315
15. 41
R ip p e rs-o p en ....................................................
.246
51.1 12. 57
5
7
.249
G ullet ra ise rs....................................................
.308
.318
50.1
15. 96
33
50
C aul p u lle rs .......................................................
52
.572
.563
49.1 27. 63
200
Floorm en or siders..........................................
28
.298
50.9
15. 20
43
.291
B reast or brisket breakers a n d saw yers. . .
52.1 13. 94
15
.268
20
.266
C rotch b reak ers................................................
12.
92
.264
48.9
30
.254
89
H o iste rs..............................................................
.284
45
.271
54.8 15. 57
28
T ail rip p e rs an d pullers.................................
12.
51
10
.258
48.6
.257
7
B u n g d ro p p e rs .................................................
50.4 23. 57
65
.449
.468
40
R u m p e rs ............................................................
78
.340
50.9
17.
30
28
.335
F ell c u tte rs ........................................................
22
68
.261
51.5 13. 74
.267
F ell p u llers and beaters.................................
50.3
25.
71
71
.517
.511
43
B ac k e rs...............................................................
.321
.326
50. 5 16.45
46
87
G u tte rs ...............................................................
21
55.5 17. 03
.311
.307
10
S h an k sk in n ers................................................
42
98
.401
50.8 20. 17
.397
H id e d ro p p e rs ..................................................
.322
93
.325
51.4 16. 68
37
T a il s a w y e rs .....................................................
118
.600
.591
50.6 29. 89
47
S p litte r s ................................................ ............
52
.365
.
361
51.9 18. 74
33
C h u ck s p litte rs ................................................
.266
56.4 15.26
38
.271
29
S c rib e rs..............................................................
i N o t including d a ta for 1 establishm ent in which employees are paid biweekly.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

16
27
24
2
15
23
27
23
30
3
14
22
30
20
17
27
22
2
30
21
21
28
29
5
30
29
29
20
22

30 $0.515 $0.464
.593
33
.517
.552
.482
34
2
.645
.645
.666
20
.584
53
.680
.610
.489
47
.559
.562
48
.485
89
.600
.530
.624
4
.533
18
.547
.469
.568
29
.515
122
.932
.859
32
.576
.504
22
.568
.495
91
.543
.470
. 566
.495
31
2
.618
.513
.712
51
.791
54
.625
.553
44
. 550
.478
54
. 965
.895
55
. 615
.543
.651
7
.571
72
.759
.687
62
.617
.547
82
.930
.855
27
.677
.597
.483
27
. 557

$0.484
1.539
.502
1.031
.605
1.645
1.528
1.484
1.574
.530
.474
.545
i .848
i .526
.532
i .498
.523
.503
i .743
.597
.506
i .839
1.581
.578
i .666
1.579
i . 855
.602
.513

5.8
15.7
5.4
4.0
5.3
15.5
15.3
15.5
15.2
6.0
5.4
5.3
1 5 .6

15.5
0 .6
1 5. 4
5.2
0. 5
1 5 .6
5.4
5.2
1 5 .5
1 5 .4
5.7
1 5 .4
1 5 .5
15 .7
5.7

5.6

$22.24
1 23. 59

20. 41
30. 93
24. 83
1 26. 36
1 20. 93
1 19. 61
1 22. 33
22.15
19. 71
21. 08
1 35. 45
1 22. 00
22. 97
1 20. 23
20. 91
23.88
1 32. 52
23. 33
19.65
1 34. 64
1 23. 28
25. 78
1 27.36
1 24.16
1 36. 63
25.68
21.92

$24.62
28.35
26.22
30.96
32.17
32.16
26. 78
26. 70
28.56
29.33
26. 37
27. 04
44.64
27. 30
27.15
25.96
27.11
28.43
37. 73
29.69
26.13
46.22
29.34
30.53
36.28
29.62
44.36
32.23
26.51

$22. 41
24.82
23. 09
30.96
28.38
29. 04
23. 57
23.18
25.33
25.05
22. 61
24.67
41. 23
23. 99
23.66
22. 51
23. 81
23. 60
34.03
26. 32
22.85
43. 05
26. 01
26.78
32. 91
26.26
40. 87
28.60
22. 99

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

•

ver­ A ver­
ver­ Aver­ Aage
age
N um ­ N um ­ Aage
age
ber of ber of
hours
earn­
estab- em- rate of earnactually
ings
reings w orked ceived
lish- ployper
per
m ents. ees. hour.
in
one
in
one
hour. week. week.

T able 6 .—H O U R S , W A G E S , A N D E A R N IN G S O E E M P L O Y E E S IN T H E S L A U G H T E R IN G A N D M EA T-PA CK IN G IN D U S T R Y IN T H E U N IT E D ST A TES,
1917 A N D 1921, B Y D E P A R T M E N T , S E X , A N D O C CU PA TIO N —C ontinued.
1921

1917

D epartm ent, sex, a n d occupation.

N um ­ N um ­
ber of b er of
estab­ em­
lish­ ploym ents. ees.

A verage
basic or
regular
hours of
opera­
tion per
week.

A ver­
age
hours
actually
worked
in one
week.

Average basic
or regular full­
A ver­
tim e earnings
age
per
week.
earn­
ings re­
ceived
in one Before A fter
week. reduc­ reduc­
tion.
tion.

Cattle-hilling department— Males—Concld.

[ 572]

$26.23
32. 74
24.99

$22.56
29.11
21.56

18.09

30. 78
24.76
25.10

27.14
21.61
21.93

40.7

23.19

29.67

26.35

50.7
48.6

42.4
41.3

14.36
14.35

20.03
19.56

17. 24
16. 57

5.4

49.9

41.9

14.35

19.69

16.97

15.4
5.4
1 5.8
15.7
1 5.8
15.6

48.8
48.9
49.6
48.8
48.3
48.9
48.4
48.7
48.8
48.8
49.1

142.1
43.2

1 18.99

1 49. 2
1 44,2
1 43. 8

1 30.07
1 22. 79
1 23.60
1 21. 99

143.8
145.9
1 43.8
1 44.4
44.1

1 26. 78
1 23.69
1 27.58
1 23. 21

24.98
29.23
33. 74
27.85
28.01
27. 35
31.72
31.04
29.16
33. 60
28. 87

21.47
25. 57
30.26
24.30
24.20
24.01
28.07
27.42
25.62
29.96
25.09

54.7 $14. 92
56.3 19. 42
51.4 12.14
47.1 18. 34
50.9 14. 65
47.8 11.39
43.0 10.90

24
19
29

100 $0.551 $0.473
.685
.609
37
216
.525
.451

$0.490
.608
L473

5.5
5.5
15.3

47.7
47.8
47.8

42.6
43.8

$20.87
26. 65

1 40.1

1 18.96

14
27
20

17
409
56

.644
.519
.524

.562
.452
.456

1.558
1.471
.499

15.2
15.1
4.8

48.3
47.8
48.1

1 39.7
139.5
36.3

1 22.18
1 18. 62

50.1

15.95

30

2,077

.622

.550

.570

5.4

47.9

.156
.150

50.1
60.0

7.82
9.00

4
3

13
8

.395
.411

.340
.341

.339
.348

5.5
5.3

.157

.155

51.3

7.97

5

21

.401

.340

.342

.235
.305
.359
.294
.284
.290
.347
.338
.327
.369
.304

.237
.298
.357
.295
.282
.290
.343
.337
.328
.364
.301

46.9
49.5
51.9
52.2
51.4
48.7
50.9
51.1
52.5
52.0
52.4

11.14
14. 74
18.54
15.38
14.50
14.10
17.43
17. 22
17.19
18.92
15. 78

29
23
27
28
24
27
24
23
23
27
25

523
59
33
139
69
303
47
100
34
68
44

.514
.599
.683
.573
.580
. 565
.658
.640
.600
.690
.588

.440
.523
.610
.498
.501
.491
.580
.563
.525
.614
.511

1.451
.542
i .611
1.516
i .509
i . 502
1.588
i . 584
i .541
1.621
i .526

Trim m ers (bruises, rounds, skirts, an d tails)
U tility m e n .......................................................
W ashers a n d w ipers.....................................
B utchers, genera,].
T onguers.T........................................................
L aborers.............................................................
T ru ck ers............................................................

28
33
44
H
43
47
32

104 $0.275 $0. 273
58
.345
. 341
.236
356
.233
377
30
390
85
.293
.288
724
.232
.238
.254
103
.228

T otal m ales............................................

54

3,292

.313

.318

Carcass wipers, bruise an d tail trim m ers
and neck-rag in serters.................................
L ab o rers.............................................................

3
1

14
2

.158
.150

Total fem ales.........................................

3

16

55
56
56
50
51
57
48
57
43
56
50

1, 356
134
70
298
224
846
85
206
56
143
80

Cattle-hi lling department— Females.

Hog-hilling department—Males.
L a b o re rs2..........................................................
Shackelers..........................................................
S tick ers..............................................................
Scalders 3............................................................
Hookers-on *.....................................................
Shavers a n d scrapers......................................
H ead ers..............................................................
G utters 5.............................................................
H a m facers........................................................
Sp litters..............................................................
Leaf la rd pullers...............................................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

15.8
15 .8
1 5.7
1 5.7
1 5.5

146.4

23.40

i 25. 78

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

A verage rate A ver­
ver­
of wages per
A ver­ Aver­ A ver­ Aage
age Average
N um ­ N um ­ hour.
age
earn­ num ber
age
age
earn­
ber
of
starts
hours
ber
of
ings per of(days)
rate of earn­ actually ings re­ estab­ emhour
wages ings worked ceived lish­ ploym
ade
after
per
per
one in one m ents. ees. Before After reduc­ in one
hour. hour. in
week.
week. week.
reduc­ reduc­ tion.
tion. tion.

Leaf la rd scrapers............................................
Bruise trim m ers, head rem overs, alid
k idney pullers...............................................
U tility m e n .......................................................
T ru ck ers.............................................................

34

63

.248

.251

45.2

11.34

10

21

.509

.433

L442

15.8

48.6

144.5

1 19.66

24.74

21.04

49
49
32

139
197
201

.277
.329
.239

.277
.331
.241

50.7
54. 1
45.8

14.06
17. 88
11.03

26
26
18

107
115
93

.569
.631
.502

.492
.556
.439

1.501
i . 566
1.446

15.7
15.9
15.6

48.3
48.5
49.1

143.2
147.8
142.8

1 21.63
1 27. 04
1 19.08

27.43
30.54
23.95

23.76
26. 97
21. 55

T o tal m ales.............................................

57

4, 098

.279

.281

49. 1

13.79

29

1,756

.568

.493

.507

5.6

48.8

43.8

22.23

27. 55

24.06

3

24

.150

.150

39.0

5. 83

8

23

.416

.336

1.351

15.9

48.0

145.5

1 15. 98

19. 97

16.13

L ab o rers«..........................................................
Shackelers................................................ *___
Stickers...............................................................
Jo in t b reak ers...................................................
Scalpers.............................................................
M iscellaneous workers *..................................
Leggers (fore an d h in d )..................................
B risket or breast p u llers............... „...............
Facers..................................................................
B um pers an d back p u llers...........................
B risket a n d breast sp litte rs...........................
P elt droppers.....................................................
Scrubbers, washers, a n d w ipers...................
Caul pullers........................................................
G utters, bung droppers, a n d rippers open.
H eaders an d neck trim m e rs........................
D ressers8............................................................
Luggers...............................................................
U tility m en, spillers, h an d y m en, an d all­
ro u n d m e n . ( .................................................
Sheep or calf b u tch ers....................................

26
19
15
12
15
16
22
22
21
20
14
9
14
11
19
11
22
16

280
29
18
16
22
70
97
46
79
50
19
14
58
19
32
18
112
31

.231
.249
.285
.273
.269
.253
.324
.346
.431
.307
.297
.269
.235
.307
.290
.264
.398
.253

.237
.252
.285
.271
.270
256
.334
.346
.453
.307
.302
.261
.240
.305
.293
.273
.404
.262

44.6 10. 57
44.6 11.23
45. 9 12. 10
52. 1 14. 13
48.5 13. 11
48.7 12. 48
48.2 16. 11
50.9 17. 63
47.9 21.67
50.2 15. 40
51.7 15. 63
58.8 15. 36
36.0
8.63
53.3 16. 27
50.0 14. 63
49.3 13.58
51.0 20. 62
46.3 12. 11

18
13
13
9
8
16
17
13
15
16
9
9
14
10
17
14
1
12

201
30
16
12
11
101
95
33
66
66
11
11
77
17
45
35
4
22

.529
. 550
.584
.565
.582
.553
.619
.653
.735
.603
.581
.559
.529
.595
.570
.553
.675
. 554

.457
.472
.504
.485
.502
.473
.539
.573
.655
.523
.501
.481
. 451
.543
.490
.477
.595
.481

.471
.480
.505
.488
.552
.480
.561
.604
.677
.544
.498
.483
.458
.527
.503
.489
.640
.508

5.5
5.4
5. 5
5.4
5.5
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.7
5.5
5.5
5.2
5.3
5.8
5.5
5.7
6.0
5.8

48.2
47. 8
48.0
48.0
48.0
47.8
47. 9
47.8
48.0
48.0
47.7
47.7
47.8
48.0
47.9
47.9
48.0
47.9

40.2
39.2
39.7
37.8
40.0
39.8
42.0
42. 7
42.0
39.2
39.7
37.7
38.3
41.9
40.0
40.7
43.8
42.4

18.94
18.80
20.03
18. 43
22. 07
19.10
23. 59
25. 79
28.41
21.33
19. 76
18.23
17.54
22.11
20.12
19.91
28.00
21.53

25.44
26.29
28.03
27.12
27.94
26.43
29.65
31.21
35.28
28. 94
27. 71
26. 66
25. 29
28.59
27. 30
26.49
32.40
26. 54

22.03
22. 56
24.19
23. 28
24.10
22.61
25.82
27.39
31.44
25.10
23. 90
22.94
21. 56
26. 06
23.47
22.85
28.56
23.04

10
11

16
37

.336
.705

.339
.652

51.5
41.2

17.44
26.86

15
6

35
66

.625
1.412

.577
1.396

.657
1.381

5.7
15.7

49.5
52.5

44.7

29.37

144 .O

1 60. 71

30.94
74.13

28.56
73.29

T o tal m ales.............................................

31

1,063

.309

.314

47. 1

14. 81

21

954

.637

.566

. 585

5.6

48.3

40.7

23. 85

30. 77

27. 34

2

6

.158

. 155

44. 1

6.82

2

5

.448

.368

.377

6.0

48.0

40.2

15.15

21.50

17.66

Hog-killing department—Females.
K id n ey pullers, shavers, singers, neck
brushers an d spreaders...............................
Sheep-killing department— Males.

WAGES AND HOUES OF LABOE.

[ 573]

Sheep-killing department—Females.
Scrubbers, washers and w ipers....................

1 N ot including d a ta for 1 establishm ent in which employees are paid biweekly.
2 Includes drivers, penners, steam ers, singers, washers, and aich-bone breakers.
8 Includes tu bm en, droppers, gam b cutters, polem en, a n d duckers.
< Includes hookers-off, hangers-off, straighteners, a n d feeders, chain.
6 Includes bung droppers a n d rippers-open.
8 Includes drivers, penners, holders, shovers, hookers-on to conveyors, hangers-up of racks, a nd squilgeers.
11ncludes hookers-up, fore q u arters a n d h in d legs, shoulder punchers, and shank pinners.
8 Includes rib-sawyers or B oston cutters, setters or B oston setters, caul dressers, and dressers.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

00
—4

T able 6 .—H O U R S, W A G ES, AND EA R N IN G S O F E M P L O Y E E S IN T H E SL A U G H T E R IN G A N D M EA T-PA C K IN G IN D U S T R Y IN T H E U N IT E D S T A T E S
1917 A N D 1921, B Y D E P A R T M E N T , S E X , AN D O C C U P A T IO N -C o n tin u ed .
’
1917

D ep artm en t, sex, and occupation.

N um ­ N um ­
ber of b er of
estab- emlish- ploym ents. ees.

A ver­
age
rate of
wages
per
hour.

A ver­
age
earn­
ings
per
hour.

1921

A ver­
age
hours
actually
w orked
in one
week.

A ver­
age
earn­
ings received
in one
week.

A verage
basic or
regular
hours of
opera­
tion per
week.

A ver­
age
hours
actually
worked
in one
week.

A verage basic
or regular full­
A ver­
tim e earnings
age
p e r week.
earn­
ings received
in one Before A fter
week. reduc­ reduc­
tion.
tion.

[ 574]

35
18
9
30

116
38
18
93

.293
.269
.273
.291

T o tal m ales............................................

62

3,637

1
3
16
1
1
15
5

1
5
88
1
1
91
46

40
54
60
31
9
38
43
47
37
47
21
35

150 SO. 333 SO. 326
272
.268
.265
1,238
.282
.279
60
.258
.262
20
.253
.253
677
.231
.232
93
.263
.267
240
.259
.258
241
.238
.242
165
.250
.255
.271
59
.272
157
.435
.414

50.5 S16.48
53.4 14.16
52.6 14.69
48.9 12.80
56.6 14.33
52.7 12.22
52.7 14.05
49.7 12. 85
51.2 12.39
52.6 13.43
64.9 17.67
51.8 21.40

30
29
32
30
6
32
23
18
26
28
12
24

.289
.257
.277
.289

49.5
48.2
57.2
61.8

14.33
12. 40
15.82
17.84

19
10
4
26

54
14
6
89

.579
.541
.529
.564

.504
.464
.449
.488

.274

.272

52.5

14.27

33

2,034

.560

.200
.193
.173
.175
.175
.172
.154

..200
.197
.182
.194
.175
.173
.154

35.5
41.7
41.4
37.0
57.0
44.3
48.3

7.10
8.21
7.52
7.17
9.97
7.65
7.44

4
4
14
5
7
12
6

9
4
103
15
17
35
18

.452
.458
.458
.373
.434
.435
.356

217 $0.637 SO. 560 i$0.585
.557
164
.478
1.490
471
.561
.487
1.504
.565
103
.479
1.493
.546
12
.466
.480
.526
.455
1.473
331
.541
69
.467
1.475
.527
.464
77
.454
.524
1.456
214
.449
.566
77
.497
1.529
.559
.481
21
i. 482
.590
115
.518
1.530

15.7
i 5 .5‘
i 5.6
i 5.7
6.0
i 5.5
i 5.5
5.6
i 5.6
i 5.6
i 6.2
i 5.7

48.2
47.8
47.9
47.7
48.0
48.1
48.0
47.9
48.0
48.3
48.0
48.2

i 43.3
i 42.2
142.1
i 43.1
51.0
i 43.4
i 41.3
42.4
i 42.6
i 43.4
i 48.4
i 42.5

i$25.33
i 20.69
i 21.24
i 21.25
23.74
i 20.49
i 19.59
19.65
i 19.42
i 22.96
i 23.29
i 22.54

$30.45
26.57
26.82
26.89
26.21
25.20
25.75
25.24
25.15
27.11
26.83
28.26

$26.99
22.85
23.33
22.85
23.04
21.89
22.42
21.75
21.55
24.01
23.09
24.97

1.484
.465
.450
1.493

15.6
5.6
6.0
i 5.8

49.7
48.9
48.0
47.7

i 43.9
45.6
46.2
146.3

i 21.22
21.19
20. 77
i 22.80

28.78
26.45
25.39
26.85

25.05
22.69
21.55
23.28

.485

.499

5.6

48.0

43.0

21.44

26.77

23.28

.372
.378
.381
.319
.366
.364
.313

.396
.378
.382
.323
.362
.373
.311

5.7
6.0
5.7
5.7
5.1
5.5
4.8

48.0
48.0
48.0
48.0
45.9
48.3
47.8

43.8
47.0
42.7
43.2
37.5
40.3
34.9

17.35
17.75
16.31
13.93
13.58
15.03
10.86

21.70
21.98
21.89
17.12
20. 75
20.45
16.80

17.86
18.14
18.29
14.64
17.68
17.40
15.43

Offal (other than hides and casings) devartment— Females.
Chiselers, checkers, and tem p lers.................
M achine operators 9.........................................
T rim m ers.................................................
Pluck trim m ers...............................................
L aborers.............................................................
W ashers..............................................................
Tripe w ashers...................................................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

A verage rate A ver­
Average
of wages per
age
N um ­ N um ­ hour.
earn­ num ber
ber of ber of
starts
ings per of(days)
estab- emhour
lish- ploym
ade
after
m ents. ees. Before After reduc­
in one
reduc­ reduc­ tion.
week.
tion. tion.

Offal (other than hides and casings) department— Males.
Chiselers, checkers, a n d te m p le rs___
Machine operators 9............................
T rim m ers..............................................
Pluck trim m ers...................................
Inspectors 10...........................................
L aborers.......................................................
R ippers open of paunches and p e c k s .. .
W ashers..........................................................
T ruckers...........................................................
Tripe w ashers...................................................
Tripe scalders and cookers............................
Tripe scrapers and finishers..........................
Pigs-feet shavers, cleaners, scrapers, and
singers.............................................................
Toe pullers, feet splitters, and trim m ers..
F in ish ers............................................................
Slunk skinners, u tility m en, and spellm en.

oo
QO

T ripe scalders and cookers............................
T ripe scrapers and finishers..........................
Pigs-feet shavers, cleaners, scrapers, and
sin g ers.............................................................
Toe pullers, feet sp litters, and trim m ers..
Inspectors a n d graders...................................
T o tal fem ales.........................................

1
1

1
5

. 140
.169

.140
.169

33.5
51.2

4.69
8.67

1

3

.390

.310

.317

4.7

48.0

30.2

9.56

i8. 72

14.88

49
22
...........
17
310

. 185
.220

.170
.205

50.1
47.7

8.53
9.81

5
3
2

20
4
2

.436
.337
.425

.371
.289
.360

.362
.288
.371

5.5
5.8
6.0

48.0
51.0
48.0

39.6
45.2
47.0

14.34
13. 01
17. 42

20.93
17.19
20.40

17. 81
14. 74
17.28

.175

.174

45.2

7.89

22

241

.435

.365

.367

5.5

47.9

41.0

15.04

20. 71

17.48

i 44. 8 ' 22. 40
i 45.2 i 21.95
39.7
17.94

26.97
26.60
24. 81

23.62
23. 33
21.55

13
9

194
219
805

.280
. 260
.234

.287
.264
.231

56.6
55.6
45.2

16.25
14. 69
10.73

30
29
26

161
192
461

.563
.553
.518

.491
.484
.448

h 501
1.486
.452

15.7
15.7
5.2

48.1
48.2
48.1

T o tal m ales.............................................

55

1,218

.246

.252

48.9

12.33

30

814

.535

. 465

.470

5.4

48.1

42.0

19.75

25.68

22. 37

Casing department— Males.
Casing pullers or ru n n e rs...............................
S trip p ers............................................................
P a tte rs an d slim ers.........................................
T u rn e rs..............................................................
Blow ers, graders, a n d inspectors.................
M easurers a n d b u n c h ers................................
Salters an d packers.........................................
cn T rim m ers of casings........................................
B low ersand tiers of bladders and weasands
_ i G eneral w orkers...............................................
L aborers.............................................................
T ru ck ers.............................................................

59
49
52
36
39
30
40
50
16
58
30
15

597
305
571
112
152
62
190
299
29
410
307
47

.298
.260
.311
.260
.266
.274
.277
.279
.268
.272
.226
.235

.296
.262
.312
.264
. 267
.283
.278
.280
.268
.275
.228
.238

53.1
53.3
54.1
52.0
55.5
58.6
58.3
53.4
56.4
52.7
53.5
48.4

15. 71
13.95
16.88
13. 75
14. 82
16.59
16.19
14. 94
15.13
14.52
12.19
11.53

32
28
30
31
28
26
27
29
7
27
20
16

408
203
336
99
94
59
132
163
14
121
108
55

.582
.561
.622
.567
.550
.558
.564
.566
.557
.548
.522
.508

.509
.482
.547
.494
.478
.487
.490
.490
.482
.492
.444
.438

1.526
1.483
1.547
1.516
1.495
.512
1.502
1.510
.492
.512
1.432
.445

15.4
i 5.6
i 5.6
15.3
i 5.6
5.6
i 5.7
15.7
5.7
5.6
i 5.6
5.6

48.5
47.9
48.4
48.2
49.1
48.4
48.1
48.1
48.0
49.5
48.7
48.8

i 44.0
i 41.9
i 42.3
i 41.0
i 43.6
45.1
i 45.5
i 43. 7
43.4
44.1
i 42.3
42.1

i 23.12
i 20.25
i 23.12
121.16
i 21.57
23.08
i 22. 84
i 22.25
21.36
22.55
i 19.54
18.74

28.17
26.87
29.98
27.27
26.95
26.95
27.07
27.22
26.74
26.58
25.42
24. 43

24.69
23.09
26.47
23.81
23.47
23.57
23.57
23.57
23.14
24.35
21.62
21.37

62

3,081

.278

.279

53.8

15.03

32

1,792

.573

.499

.512

5.3

48.4

43.2

22.10

27.68

24.15

Casing pullers or ru n n e rs...............................
S trip p e rs............................................................
P a tte rs a n d slim ers.........................................
T u rn e rs..............................................................
Blow ers, graders, an d inspectors.................
M easurers a n d b u n c h ers................................
Salters and packers.........................................
T rim m ers of casings........................................
Blowers a n d tiers of bladders a n d weasan d s...............................................................
G eneral w orkers...............................................
Laborers.............................................................
T ruckers.............................................................

2
1
3
1
13
2
4
14

2
17
5
3
132
7
14
104

.195
.151
. 153
. 167
. 163
.172
.154
.189

.196
.151
.152
. 169
.163
. 170
.160
.187

48.3
52.8
54.5
50. 8
ol.O
47.6
47.6
50.0

9.45
7.98
8.30
8. 61
8.30
8.09
7.62
9.33

5
8
3
4
11
4
5
16

17
41
4
12
77
12
12
54

.471
.443
.475
.474
.411
. 458
.432
.474

.391
.363
. 395
.394
. 353
.378
. 352
.397

.401
.363
.392
. 392
i .354
.377
. 352
. 398

5.6
5.9
6.0
5. 4
i 5.7
5.9
6.0
5. (>

48.0
48.0
48.0
48.0
47.9
48.0
48.0
48.1

42.1
42.7
43.9
41.2
i 41.5
44.9
42.8
40.9

16.86
15.51
17.20
16.16
i 14.69
16.95
15.08
16.28

22.61
21.26
22.80
22. 75
21.12
21.98
20.74
22.80

18. 77
17.42
18.96
18.91
16.91
18.14
16.90
19.10

5
8
1

22
43
3

.157
.183
.175

.155
.181
.175

52.5
44.1
44.8

8.15
7. 98
7.84

3
7
6
1

70
26
23
1

.433
.373
.456
.530

.353
.336
.376
.450

.358
.339
.376
.450

5.9
5.0
5.4
6.0

48.0
50.4
48.0
48.0

41.6
37.3
41.6
45.0

14.87
12.65
15.62
20.25

20.78
17. 31
21.89
25.44

16.94
16.93
1.8.05
21.60

T otal females.........................................

22

352

.172

.171

49.8

8.51

20

349

.441

.366

.369

5.6

48.2

40.9

15.06

21.08

17.64

T o tal m ales............................................
Casing department—Females.

1 N ot including d a ta for 1 establishm ent in which employees are paid biweekly.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

* Includes skull sp litters, jaw bone pullers, horn sawyers, te e th grinder s.

10 Includes graders.

WAGES AND HOUES OF LABOE,

48
35
42

[ 575]

Hide department—Males.
Inspectors and graders and trim m ers.........
Spreaders an d salters......................................
L aborers.............................................................

ZO

T able 6 .—H O U R S , W A G ES, AND E A R N IN G S O F E M P L O Y E E S IN T H E S L A U G H T E R IN G A N D M E A T -P A C K IN G IN D U S T R Y IN T H E U N IT E D STA TES,
1917 A N D 1921, B Y D E P A R T M E N T , S E X , A N D O C CU PA TIO N —C ontinued.

D ep artm en t, sex, a n d occupation.

A ver­
age
hours
actually
w orked
in one
week.

Aver­
age
earn­
ings received
in one
week.

Average
basic or
regular
hours of
opera­
tion per
week.

A ver­
age
hours
actually
w orked
in one
week.

Average basic
or regular full­
A ver­
tim e earnings
age
per
week.
earn­
ings re­
ceived
in one Before A fter
week. reduc­ reduc­
tion.
tion.

[ 576 ]

23
49
42
7
16
35
29

41 80.311 $0.317
2,700
.236
.236
493
.296
.302
16
.205
.263
57
.337
.335
426
.526
.510
.292
201
.291

60. 0 $19. 03
55. 8 13.18
58. 4 17.64
62.3 16.40
54. 0 18.12
40.9 20. 87
56.2 16.37

17
27
24
12
11
18
15

26 $0.608 $0. 547
.457
1,229
.531
340
. 588
.523
.573
.503
18
.637
.558
27
86
.677
.595
.575
31

$0.610
1.462
.558
1.503
.557
i. 585
1.501

6.0
15.7
5. 8
1 6.0

6.0
1 5.4
1 5.6

48.3
48.2
48.3
47.5
48.1
48.5
48.3

41.8
144.6
44.5
1 45. 2
45.0
140.1
1 41.4

$25. 54

47.4
48.1
47.7

146.2
143.6
43.9

1 26. 26
1 25.19

1 20.62

24.82
1 22. 74
25.06
123.46
1 20. 75

$29.06
25. 59
28.28
27. 22
30.64
32.70
27.49

$26.42
22.03
25.26
23.89
26.84
28.86
24.39

29.29
30.10
27.09

26.54
27.27
23.61
22.51
21.83
24.00
35.49

32
33
20

177
166
58

.294
.302
.274

.302
.303
.282

60.0
57.3
58.2

18.11
17.39
16.43

18
22
13

59
121
23

.618
.627
.568

.560
.567
.495

i. 568
i. 578
.511

44
29
21
11

750
894
282
34

.254
.231
.250
.492

.255
.231
.251
.420

57.7
54. 8
68.3
58.6

14.71
12.67
17.15
24.62

29
19
22
13

353
483
123
36

.538
.529
.563
.833

.465
.498
.741

1.470
i. 456
1.503
.741

15.7
i5 .9
5.7

48.4
48.4
48.2
47.9

145.3
144.2
1 46.6
44.2

1 21.28
1 20.16
1 23. 43

32.77

25.93
25.60
27. 02
39.90

49

6,294

.271

.266

55.9

14. 87

31

2, i i)0

.556

.483

.492

5.7

48.2

44.5

21.90

26.80

23.28
____

Trim m ers of trim m in g s..................................

4

49

.162

.160

48.9

7.82

2

10

.364

.308

1.286

16.0

51.0

154.0

1 15.44

18.56

15.71

Cutting or fresh-pork department—
Males.
L ab o rers11..........................
H am an d shoulder saw yers...........................
H a m cutters-oil..........................
H am trim m ers.................................
H am bo n ers......................................................

54
24
20
24
52

1,680
47
34
83
259

.238
.292
.310
.373
.397

.239
.290
.304
.375
.367

51.7
55.0
54. 7
52.5
50.0

12. 35
15. 94
16. 67
19. 69
18.35

31
24
17
28
26

822
53
28
86
161

. 522
.590
.599
.669
.917

.447
.513
.526
.591
.804

15 .6

1.520
1.530
1.611
1.794

15.8
15.7
15.8
15.7

49.3
48.3
49.0
49.2
49.1

145.0
143.6
143.6
144.1
143.6

1 20 .42
i 22.67
123.14
1 26. 91
1 34.60

25.68
28.44
29.23
32.65
44.84

22.04
24.78
25.77
29.08
39.48

T o ta l........................................................

15.9
1 5.6

5.7
15.8

22.43

Cutting or fresh-beef department—Females.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

Average rate A ver­
Average
of wages per
age
ber
N um ­ N um ­ hour.
earn­ num
ber of ber of
starts
ings per of(days)
estab- emhour
lish- ploym ade
after
in one
m ents. ees. Before A fter reduc­
week.
reduc­ reduc­ tion.
tion. tion.

Cutting orfresh-beef department—Males.
R ibbers...............................................................
Laborers.............................................................
Luggers an d lifters.. . . . . . .
Sawyers, pow er................................................
H am facers, strippers, a n d m ark ers...........
B oners....... .........................................................
T rim m ers...........................................................
U tility men, h an d y m en, spell men, as­
sistant foremen, an d straw bosses..........
Cutters an d general butchers......................
Graders a n d inspectors...................................
Packers, m eat runners, order men, and
stow ers............................................................
Truckers.............................................................
Freezer a n d tem p eratu re m en ......................
Calf skinners__ ................................................

O

1921

1917

ver­ A ver­
N um ­ N u m ­ Aage
age
ber of b e r of ra te of earn­
estab- emings
lish- ployper
per
m ents. ees.
hour. hour.

CO

23
27
20
17
15
22
27
41
34
36

43
72
52
29
37
55
119
368
328
100

.334
.323
.318
.269
.295
.323
.318
.290
.318
.309

.347
.327
.325
.269
.295
.321
.320
.292
.316
.310

53.9
49.3
47.2
49.7
47.9
51. 4
50. 8
50.4
51.0
58.8

18. 69
16.13
15. 33
13.34
14.13
16. 53
16. 26
14. 71
16.14
18.24

25
24
19
15
22
27
25
29
15
28

47
72
45
24
43
60
86
362
180
144

.662
.619
.615
.560
.592
. 614
. 628
. 60i
. 704
.588

.593
.546
.535
.482
.516
. 542
. 555
.529
.611
.519

1.611
1.560
1.545
1.480
1.517
i . 551
i . 559
1.530
.601
1.525

61
33

721
434

.251
.235

.253
.234

54.0
49.6

13.65
11.62

28
25

340
257

.529
. 516

.457
.443

T o tal m ales.............................................

61

4,461

.271

.271

51.7

13.98

31

2,810

.590

T rim m ers of trim m ings..................................
P a c k e rs 13...........................................................

35
8

1,027
39

.219
.182

.219
. 181

41.1
48.8

9.01
8.84

23
10

580
75

T otal fem ales.........................................

38

1,066

.217

.218

41.3

9. 00

23

Laborers.............................................................
M elters14............................................................
R oller m e n ........................................................
F illers.................................................................
P u m p ers a n d refiners.....................................
U tility m en L ...................................................
L abelers.............................................................
Pressm en and w heelm en...............................

51
50
21
50
34
43
4
29

920
140
26
271
84
111
27
148

.231
.277
.263
.241
.277
.291
. 135
.252

.232
.278
.263
.241
.279
.295
.139
.252

53.4
63.1
60.5
57.4
62.2
56.5
44.9
52.9

12.41
17. 53
15.91
13.82
17.36
16.70
6.25
13.34

T otal m ales.............................................

61

1,727

.243

.246

55.4

13.60

1 26. 59
1 23. 73
1 21. 29
1 20.97
1 23. 34
1 24. 53
141.9 1 23.44
141. 8 1 22.15

15 .9

49.2
48.6
48.0
48.5
48.5
49. 6
48. 2
49.0
48.0
48.5

44.5
146.9

1.458
1.450

1 5. 7
15 .5

48.5
49.1

.513

.516

5.6

48.9

.463
.427

.405
.372

1.410
.377

15.6
5.6

48.7
48.2

655

.459

.402

.408

5.6

48.7

32
32
21
30
27
20
1
25

817
161
30
220
107
49
3
174

.523
.551
.556
.503
.557
.595
.513
. 544

.447
.482
.487
.461
.482
.538
.433
.474

i .451
i .490
1.485
1.463
i .483
i .543
.432
.477

15.7
1 5.9
16.0
15.8
1 5.9
1 5.9
5.7
5.6

48.2
49.8
49.8
48.9
48.2
48.2
48.0
48.2

33

1,561

.530

.462

.466

5.7

48.5

48.8

15.7
15.7
15.4
15.7
15.9
1 5. 7
1 5. 6
15.6
5. 5

1 24. 59

32. 37
29. 77
29. 52
27.16
28.48
30. 27
30. 21
29. 33
33. 79
28. 52

29.18
. 26. 54
25.68
23. 38
25.03
26. 88
26. 75
25.92
29.33
25.17

145.3
143.3

1 20. 74
1 19. 50

25. 55
25.18

22.16
21.75

44. 1

22. 76

28. 73

25.09

141.4 1 16. 97
41. 8
15. 78

22. 55
20.58

19. 72
17.93

143.6
1 42. 4
139.1
143.7
145.1
1 44. 5

26. 77

Cutting or fresh-pork department—
Females.

[ 577]

41.5

16. 83

22.35

19.58

145.3

1 20. 43
1 24. 59
1 24.64
1 21.63

19.57
21.47

25.21
27.16
27. 52
24. 55
26. 79
28.68
24.62
26.17

21.55
24.00
24.25
22.54
23. 23
25.93
20.78
22.85

46.3

21.58

25.65

22.41

43.6

13.70

18.59

15.23

Lard and oleo oil department— Males.
1 50.0
1 50.8

146.7
147.7
148.1
45.3
45.0

i 23. 07
1 26.15

Lard and oleo oil department—-Females.
19 |
90
.161
.160
50.6
8.09
18
107
.312
.314
.381
5.7
Can w ash ers13..................................................
i N ot including d a ta for 1 establishm ent in which employees are paid biweekly.
11 Includes shovers, spacers, tem perature m en, counters, cutters-dow n, block tenders, sawyers-off of feet, wrappers, machine tenders,
12 Includes h a n d y m en, all-round m en, assistant foremen, and straw bosses,
is Includes inspectors, w rappers, helpers, skin bundlers, labelers, graders, etc.
w Includes kettlem en, cookers, settlers, clarifiers, skimmers, tankm en, and oleo makers,
is Includes h an d y m en, straw bosses, and assistant foremen,
rs Includes tu b liners, fillers, and labelers.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

WAGES AND HOUES OF LABOE.

Choppers-off, shoulders an d rib s ..................
Shoulder trim m ers...........................................
Shoulder b o n ers.........................%....................
B u tt p u lle rs .......................................................
Scribe saw yers...................................................
L oin p u lle rs.....................................................
R ib b ers...............................................................
T rim m ers an d h am an d shoulder sk in n ers.
T rim m ers of trim m in g s..................................
U tility m e n 12....................................................
Packers, nailers, car stow ers, a n d sm all
order m e n .......................................................
T ru ck e rs.............................................................

and skin bundlers.

CD

T able 6 .—H O U R S , W A G ES, AN D E A R N IN G S O F E M P L O Y E E S IN T H E SL A U G H T E R IN G AND M EA T-PA CK IN G IN D U S T R Y IN T H E U N IT E D ST A T E S
1917 A N D 1921, B Y D E P A R T M E N T , S E X , A N D O C CU PA TIO N —C ontinued.
1917

D ep artm en t, sex, an d occupation.

N um ­ N um ­
ber of ber of
estab­ em ­
lish­ ploy­
m ents ees.

1921

A verage
basic or
regular
hours of
opera­
tion per
week.

A ver­
age
hours
actually
worked
in one
week.

A verage basic
or regular full­
A ver­
tim e earnings
age
p e r week.
earn­
ings re­
ceived
in one Before A fter
week. reduc­ reduc­
tion.
tion.

[578]

T otal m ales............. ...........................

19

139 $0.229 $0.229

51.4 «11.78

24

305 «0.528 $0.449 i $0.452

15.7

48.1

145.3 i«20. 49

55

253

.277

.275

56.4

15. 54

31

193

.573

.496

i .501

1 5.9

48.6

1 47. 8

31
57
13
5
52
48
50

107
444
103
10
1,022
119
90

.241
.298
.248
.247
.228
.270
.282

.241
.295
.250
.259
.228
.269
.281

55.3
51.7
49.7
50.0
57.0
60.2
62.9

13.35
15. 23
12. 41
12.92
13.03
16.19
17. 68

19
31
6

36
225
45

. 539
.612
.539

.461
. 535
.460

i .469
i .538
.475

16.0

48.3
48.8
48.0

32
30
28

528
99
73

.524
. 555
.576

.448
.479
.508

1.449
1.484
i .528

1 5. 7
16.0

48.2
49.0
48.9

43

376

.232

.238

54.7

12.99

29

251

.536

.461

i .466

15.8

48.4

36

108

.291

.290

60.8

17.60

24

84

.577

.523

i .529

58

2,771

.252

.252

5o. 6

14.00

32

1,839

.549

.474

.478

2

3

.173

.177

40.4

7.17

2

3

.440

.360

.360

32
10
42
10
1

317
44
719
137
1

. 175
.200
.181
.162
.180

.175
. 191
.179
.163
.179

50.7
53.6
46.4
50.0
53.0 .

8. 85
10.24
8.31
8.14
9.50

21
8
28
8

142
42
379
123

.435
.458
.439
.461

.364
.400
.378
.385

i . 366
.402
i .378
.388

15.8

5.9
15.6

$25. 34

$21.60

1 23.97

27. 79

24.11

1 47.5
146.0
49.7

1 22.27
1 24.69

23. 57

26.03
29. 87
25. 87

22.27
26.11
22.08

1 44.7
148.8
1 50.7

1 20. 06
1 23.61
1 26. 77

25. 20
27.14
28.05

21.59
23.47
24. 84

1 45.9

i 21. 40

25.94

22.31

1 5.7

48.4

1 46.9 - 24. 78

27. 87

25.31

5.8

48.4

4L. 2

22.09

26.52

22.94

44.0

15.84

20.24

16.56

1 15.93

21.05
22.21
21.60
22.13

17.69
19.76
18.67
18.48

Sausage department—Females.
C utters (choppers, grinders, m ixers, curers, feeders, an d m achine te n d e rs).........
Casing w orkers (w ashers, tu rn ers, re-turners, m easurers, cu tters, tiers, and fatte rs).................................................................
Staffers...............................................................
Sinkers, tw isters, tiers, a n d h angers..........
Ropers (w rappers and tiers) ...* .................
Smokers..............................................................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

6.0
1 5.7

5.8
1 5.7

5.6

46.0
48.6
49.4
49.4
48.0

1 43.5

45.1
1 43.3

44.3

18.14

1 16.38

17.20

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

Average rate A ver­
Average
of wages per
A ver­ A ver­ A ver­ A ver­
age
age
age N um ­ N um ­ hour.
ber
age
age
earn­ num
hours
earn­
ber
of
ber
of
starts
rate of earn­
ings per of(days)
actually
ings
re­
estab­
em­
wages ings
hour
m ade
per
per worked ceived lish­ ployafter
hour. hour. in one in one m ents. ees. Before After reduc­ in one
week. week.
reduc­ reduc­ tion.
week.
tion. tion.

Sausage department—Males.
T ruckers an d iorkers...................................
C utters (choppers, grinders, m ixers, eurers,
feeders, and' m achine ten d ers)..................
Casing workers (washers, turners, retu rn ers, measurers, cutters, tiers, and
fa tte rs)............................................................
Staffers........................................................
Linkers, tw isters, tiers, a n d h an g ers..........
Ropers (w rappers a n d tie rs ).........................
L a b o r e r s .........................................................
Cookers......................................................
Smokers..........................................................
Packers (scalers a n d packers, shippers
and nailers)....................................................
U tility m en (assistant foremen, straw
bosses, subforemen, h an d y m en, sm all
order m en, all-round m e n )........................

CD
tO

4

63444°—21------ 7

Cookers...............................................................
Packers (w rappers, inspectors, labelers,
taggers, tiers, box m akers, an d packers’
h elp ers)...........................................................
G eneral w orkers...............................................
Laborers......................................................
B ox m ak ers...............................................
S orters.........................................................
U tility .........................................................
Labelers......................................................
T otal fem ales.........................................

1

2

.200

.200

52.9

10.58

2

3

39
22

421
133

.158
.167

.158
.170

50.1
48.3

7.90
8.20

25

259

18
8
1
4
2

72
17
3
4
6

.325

.325

5.7

.406

.328

1 .329

. 412
.399
.420
.430
.438

.338
.319
.340
.350
.358

.341
.319
.340
1 .350
.358

.376

48.0

46.2

14.99

15.7

48.1

1 43.9

1 14. 46

5 7
5 6
6 0
1 5.3
6.0

48 2
48 0
45 0
47 3
48.0

44
43
45
1 41

1
0
0
7

18.05

15.60

19.49

15.78

IQ
10
18
20

86
15
90
34

21.02

16
15
15
16
ni

2Q
31
30
56
is

48

1,777

.172

.171

48.7

8.33

30

1,053

.431

.361

.363

5.7

48.7

43.7

15.86

20.90

17.58

47
57

.275
.236
.256
.265

.275
.236
.258
. 265

60.6
53.4
56.6
58.2

16.67
12.62
14.58
15.42

32
33
31
29

372
1,506
484
370

.561
.520
.538
.559

.483
.442
.461
.478

1 .487
1 .448
1 .465
1 .482

i 5.9
i 5.6
15 8
i 5.6

47.0
48.5
48 8
48.4

147. 2
144.9

45

509
2,497
705
465

1 22.97
1 20.10
1 21 52
121.79

26.31
25.22
26 20
27.06

22.70
21.44
9.9 50
23.1

55
48
47
40
45

419
613
84
231
1,003

.286
.257
.261
.271
.234

.274
.258
.259
.272
.246

58.1
56.7
70.7
58.7
49.9

15. 91
14. 62
18. 33
15. 99
12. 26

32
32
25
30
29

270
374
61
182
726

.558
.541
.563
.621
.523

.482
.465
.510
. 540
.444

1.485
1.469
1.476
1.537
1.449

i 5.9
15.8
15.6
1 5.8
1 5.5

48.5
48.7
54.5
48.4
48.2

147.7
145.8
154.6

146.5
143.6

1 23.10
1 21. 51
1 25. 97
1 24.96
1 19.58

27.01
26.35
30. 63
29. 93
25.21

23.38
22.65
27.80
26.14
21.40

Cured-meat department—M ales.
G raders (sorters, sizers, average m en,
spotters inspectors, and chute m e n )...
L ab o rers18........................ .'...............................
P a c k ers19............................................................
O verhaulers (m eat pullers and tu rn e rs )...
P icklers (pickle m en, pickle m akers,
pum pers, and eurers)..................................
R u b b ers, salters, a n d p ilers...........................
Sm okers..............................................................
B utchers, trim m ers, a n d knifem en.............
T ru ck ers.............................................................
U tility m en (assistant butchers, straw
bosses, assistant foremen, an d smallorder m e n ).....................................................
T otal m ales.............................................

1 46 3
145.3

50

415

.293

.287

58.0

16. 64

26

171

.577

.514

1.519

1 5.9

48.0

147.6

1 24.67

27. 70

24.67

62

6,941

.252

.253

55.6

14. 05

34

4,516

.540

.463

.467

5.7

48.4

45.6

21.31

26.14

22.41

40

286

.171

.172

48.5

8.33

83
124
10
1

.391
.388
.341
.250

.320
.320
.323
.250

1.324
.326
.344
.250

15.9
5.6
3.7
5.0

48.4
48.1
51.2
48.0

145.3 1 14.66
42.2
13.75
25.4
8.73
37.0
9. 25

18.92
IS. 66
15.65
12.00

15.49
15. 39

40

286

.171

.172

48.5

...........
8.33

13
17
2
1
25

218

.386

.320

.325

5.6

48.4

18.57

15.49

Cured-meat department—Females.
W rappers (labelers, packers; sewers, h an d
or m achine; bag m akers, weighers,
tiers, wipers, a n d baggers).........................
Laborers.............................................................
B utchers, trim m ers.........................................
T ru ck ers.............................................................
T otal fem ales.........................................

42.4

13.79

WAGES AND HOUES OF LABOE

[ 579 ]

43.8

15 04
13 72
15 30
14 57
15.66

12.00

1 N ot including d a ta for 1 establishm ent in which employees are paid biweekly.
v Includes roustabouts, h am cylinder washers, eleaners-up, ham pressers, hangers, cooks, helpers, sm okers’ helpers, truckers of cages or bilkes.
18 Includes graders’ helpers, pickle-m akers’ helpers, inspectors’ helpers, sorters’ helpers, p um pers’ helpers, sm okers’ helpers, ham passers, m eat passers, passers to pum pers,
passers to salters, passers to packers, takers from pum pers, haulers to vats, m eat carriers, m eat tossers, m eat wipers, m eat hangers, m eat scrapers, m eat stringers, bacon stringers,
h am stringers, sewers, tiers, m eat soakers, m eat w ashers, roustabouts, v a t w ashers, tru ck w ashers, and general workers.
13 Includes packers of beef, barrel pork, bellies, briskets, pig rinds, and smoked m eat; dippers, v a t men, sweet pickle packers, b u rla p sackers, w rappers, car loaders, and car
stow ers.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

CO
05

T able 6.—H O U R S , W A G ES, A N D E A R N IN G S O F E M P L O Y E E S IN T H E SL A U G H T E R IN G A N D M E A T -PA C K IN G IN D U S T R Y IN T H E U N IT E D S T A T E S ,
1917 A N D 1921, B Y D E P A R T M E N T , SE X , A N D O C C U PA T IO N —C oncluded.
1921

1917

D ep artm en t, sex, an d occupation.

T o tal m ales.............................................
Canning department—Females.
Machine tenders (preparing and stuffing
m eat in to cans).............................................
Stuffers (m eat in to cans b y h a n d )..............
Packers (sliced bacon and chipped dried
beef in cans, glass jars, or cartons, by
h a n d )..............................................................
Cooks.. .
.
.................
Operators, can-painting an d can-washing
m achines........................................................
C appers..............................................................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

H

11
11
2
7
4

Average rate A ver­
of wages per
ver­ A ver­ A ver­ A ver­
age Average
N um ­ Aage
ber
age
age
N
um
­
N
u
m
­
hour.
age
earn­ num
b e r of rateo f earn­
hours earn­ ber of ber of
starts
ings per of(days)
em­
estab­
actually
ings
re­
em
­
ings w orked ceived lish­
hour
m ade
ploy- wages
ploy­
per
after
per
in one
ees.
one in one m ents. ees. Before A fter reduc­
hour. hour. in
week.
week. week.
reduc­ reduc­ tion.
tion. tion.

42 SO. 254 $0.255
50
.256
.256
14
.214
.213
68
.229
.227
43
.246
.247

67.7 $17.29
64.8 16. 60
49.3 10. 51
54.3 12.41
65.2 16.05

8
4
2
1
8

14 80. 536 SO. 465
.550
.483
7
.514
2
.435
1
.530
.450
.441
.517
15

Average
basic or
regular
hours of
opera­
tio n per
week.

A ver­
age
hours
actually
worked
in one
week.

Average basic
or regular full­
A ver­
tim e earnings
age
p e r week.
earn­
ings re­
ceived
in one Before A fter
week. reduc­ reduc­
tion.
tion.

$0.476
.485
.434
.450
.442

5.7
5.7
5.5
6.0
6.0

48.3
47.4
48.0
48.0
47.8

48.8
47.9
50.0
48.0
48.1

$23. 21
23. 23
21.68
21.60
21.27

$25.62
25. 47
24.67
25.44
24. 71

$22.46
22. 89
20. 88
21.60
21. 08

11
6
9
2
12
5
5
8
10
9
9

99
100
190
5
177
9
20
406
257
154
1,496

.247
.234
.245
.238
.252
.271
.250
.237
.258
.230
.228

.247
.237
.244
.236
.255
.268
.251
.238
.260
.231
.229

61.8
51.1
59.1
46.1
54.2
71.3
59.3
55.1
58.2
56.4
57.6

15. 24
12. 12
14. 45
10.90
13. 81
19. 11
14.86
13.15
15.10
13.02
13.16

9
3
8
1
11
5
2
7
7
12
13

35
6
33
1
33
7
4
58
29
70
91

. 554
.533
.538
.410
.547
.529
.549
.577
.560
.520
.508

.478
.458
.466
.330
.476
.451
.469
.507
.482
.449
.441

.482
.461
.465
.330
.477
.442
.470
.513
.486
.450
.442

5.9
5.7
5.9
6.0
5.8
5.9
5.3
5.9
6.0
5.9
5.7

4S.1
48.0
47.6
48.0
47.5
47.6
45.8
46.0
47.6
47.3
47.5

46.7
45.9
45.7
45.5
45.5
48.7
39.8
45.2
47.8
46.3
44.4

22.51
21.15
21.27
15.01
21.73
21.54
18.67
23.17
23.26
20.85
19.60

26.54
25. 58
25.61
19. 68
25. 76
25.18
24.14
26. 54
26.66
24.54
23.93

22. 99
21.19
22. 48
15.81
22.68
21.47
20.48
23.32
22.94
21.24
20.95

14

3,130

.236

.237

57.3

13.61

17

406

.536

. 465

.467

5.9

47.4

45.9

21.45

25.30

22.04

6
7

19
283

.167
.168

.167
.168

51.9
51.5

8.65
8.65

6
6

30
28

.434
.445

. 355
.377

.354
.385

5.8
5.8

47.3
48.3

44.8
45.1

15.86
17.35

20.53
21.14

16.79
18.21

9

233

.167

.168

50.0

8.43

13
1

198
4

.411
.425

.338
.345

.337
.345

5.7
6.0

47.0
48.0

44.0
45.4

14.83
15.65

19.32
20.40

15.89
16.56

5

142

. Ì72

.1.72

52. i

8.94

2
5

6
18

.437
.418

.370
.365

.385
.367

5.8
5.1

48.0
47.3

45.8
38.9

17.57
14.28

20.98
19.77

17.76
17.26

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW

[580]

Canning department—Males.
Cookers................................................................
Steam tenders, process m en and reto rt men
W ashers of e m o ty c a n s ..................................
Passers an d pliers, cans..................................
Trim m ers, m eat (b y h a n d )...........................
Machine tenders (p rep arin g an d stuffing
m eat in to cans).............................................
Stuffers (m eat in to cans b y h a n d ) ..............
Packers................................................................
Cap s etters.........................................................
C appers...............................................................
W ash in g an d p ain tin g m ach in e te n d e rs ___
Labelers and w rappers...................................
General w orkers...............................................
In sp ecto rs..........................................................
T ru ck ers...........................................................
Laborers.............................................................

N um ­
ber of
estab­
lish­
m ents.

<£>
^

43
457
141
88
44
38
219
244
5
535
45

.232
. 199
.169
.158
.161
.182
. 155
.168
.140
.158
.159

.232
.200
.170
.161
.162
.182
.155
.169
.140
.159
.159

54.9
55.5
49.5
50.7
49.6
49.4
47.6
50.9
53.0
49.8
48.3

12.74
11.12
8.41
8.15
8.02
8.99
7.37
8.59
7.42
7.92
7.69

1
12
9
2
3
4
3
5
6
8
1

1
53
33
2
5
11
12
45
15
87
1

.410
.449
.416
.408
.374
.347
.389
. 393
.397
.426
.390

. 330
.382
.341
.328
.306
.286
.322
.324
.353
.349
.310

.330
.378
.342
.375
.305
.290
.320
.327
.352
.349
.310

6.0
5.6
5.8
6.0
5.8
4,9
5.8
5.3
5.3
5.6
6.0

48.0
47.4
47.6
48.0
48.0
48.0
48.0
48.4
49.6
46.4
48.0

48.0
44.3
44.7
45.0
44.6
39.6
44.2
42.4
42.1
42.7
45.0

15.84
16. 78
15.27
16. 88
13.62
11.48
14.16
13.86
14.83
14. 91
13.95

19.68
21.19
19.80
19.58
17.95
16.66
18.67
19.02
18.50
19. 77
18.72

15.84
18.11
16.23
15.74
14.69
13.73
15.46
15.68
17.51
16.19
14.88

T o tal fem ales.........................................
Maintenance and repair—Males.
B lacksm iths.......................................................
B oilerm akers, flangers, an d riv eters...........
B ricklayers an d m asons.................................
C arpenters..........................................................
Coopers—rep airers...........................................
E lectrical w o rk ers............................................
L aborers..............................................................
M achinists..........................................................
M achine h a n d s .................................................
M illw rights.........................................................
ct P a in te rs .............................................................
co R epairers 20.........................................................
Steam fitters, pipe fitters, a n d p lu m b e rs..
T in n ers................................................................
O ther skilled o c cu p atio n s21...........................
B lack sm ith s’ h elp ers.......................................
B o ile rm a k ers’ h elp ers....................................
C arpenters’ h elp ers..........................................
E lectrical w orkers’ helpers............................
M achinists’ h elp ers..........................................
M illw rights’ helpers.........................................
R ep airers’ h elp ers..........................................
S team fitters’ h elp ers......................................
T in sm ith s’ helpers...........................................

11

2,536

.171

.173

51.2

8.83

17

566

.416

.345

.346

5.6

47.3

43.5

15.05

19.64

16.32

55
16
40
58
60
56
66
58
13
34
48
55
56
43
31
39
11
26
36
37
20
21
48
33

161
125
115
1,345
642
288
4,584
415
102
304
294
796
473
299
86
126
114
193
96
112
101
67
431
118

.348
.335
.706
.343
.326
.340
.238
.365
.286
.353
.279
.310
.353
.326
.288
.248
.247
.243
.240
.257
.248
.241
.247
.246

.355
.336
.683
.341
.324
.338
.232
.366
.292
.353
.297
.313
.352
.327
.291
.251
.247
.309
.241
.256
.248
.241
.246
.244

57.4 20.38
59.9 20.09
46.1 31.44
54.7 18. 69
55.9 18.12
60.2 20. 35
56.3 13. 04
59. 7 21.85
58.2 17. 00
62.3 21.98
52.3 15. 50
57.2 17. 88
59.7 21.02
56.8 18. 58
61.2 17. 83
56.0 14.07
55.5 13. 68
40.0 12. 35
57.7 13.92
56.3 14. 43
61.3 15. 23
57.6 13. 89
55.6 13. 70
54.4 13.24

31
13
25
33
32
31
33
33
13
29
29
31
34
30
30
27
8
21
21
21
21
27
29
17

78
44
50
600
483
218
908
270
117
288
138
446
291
182
453
57
23
162
54
79
80
139
234
61

.713
.748
1.128
.722
.651
.724
.523
.742
.647
.691
.616
.698
.713
.687
.636
.555
.554
. 536
.544
.553
.549
.557
.539
.542

.636 i .640
.668
.673
1.054 i 1.072
.640 i .640
.573 i .574
.650 1.652
1.449
.447
.665 1.667
.567
.568
.613 i .625
.538 1.537
.615 1.611
.641
1.655
.609
.608
.563 1.564
.481
1.501
.476
.480
.464 1.466
.478
.481
.478
.480
.470
.479
.493 1.491
.466
.472
.465
.469

15.9
5.8
i 5.6
15.7
15.7
15.9
15.7
15.9
5.9
15.9

48.7
48.0
48.7
48.5
48.2
48.4
48. 7
48. 1
48.0
46.6
48.7
48.7
48.4
48.4
48.4
48.5
48.0
48.4
49.0
48. 3
48.3
49. 7
48.6
48.0

1 30.13

147.3
146.1
146.6
46.6
147.7
144.3
145.3
147.6
44.9
146.6
145.4
45.2
145.9
46.7
44.9
45.9
146.1
46. 1
46.3

131.08
26.44
1 29. 79
1 23. 78
1 27. 67
131.13
27. 32
1 26. 28
1 22. 75
21. 70
121.41
22.45
21. 56
21.98
1 22. 61
21. 77
21.73

34.65
35.90
54.93
34.94
31.38
35. 04
25. 42
35.62
31.06
32. 20
29.81
33. 85
34. 37
33.18
30. 78
26.86
26. 59
25. 67
26.66
26.60
26. 52
27. 13
26.20
26.02

30.97
32.06
51.33
31.04
27.62
31.46
21. 77
31. 99
27. 22
28.57
26. 20
29. 95
31.02
29. 48
27. 25
23. 33
22.85
22.46
23. 42
23. 09
22. 70
24.50
22. 65
22. 32

T o tal........................................................

66 11,387

.288

.289

56.2

16.25

34

5,455

.642

.565

.567

5.8

48.4

46.0

26.09

31.01

21.35

T otal, all d ep artm en ts, m ales...........
females........

66 53,100
51 6,512

.272
.179

.272
.178

54.1
48.3

14. 72
8.61

34 28,969
34 3,248

.580
.430

.505
.362

.512
.365

5.7
5.7

48.4
48.3

44.4
42.6

22.77
15.55

28.01
20.73

24.44
17.48

G rand to ta l, m ales a n d fem ales___

66 59,612

.262

.263

53.4

14.05

34 32,217

.565

.491

.498

5.7

48.4

44.3

22.03

27.23

22.76

15.6

15.7
1 5.9

5. 7
1 5 .8

15.7
5.7
15.7
5.7
5.6
5.7
15.7
5.7
5.9

1 47.0

46.1

31.06

1 42.2
1 45.3
1 45.3

1 45.22
1 28.94
1 25.98
1 30. 79
1 20. 70

i N ot including d a ta for 1 establishm ent in w hich employees are p aid biw eekly.
Includes beltm en, box m akers, b ru sh m akers, b ru sh repairers, calkers, door canvassers, harness m akers, plasterers, plugm en, p u m p m en ’s p u m p repairers, ropem en’s repairers,
saw filers, au to m atic sprinkler repairers, tool grinders, tru ck m en, upholsterers, welders, wheelm en an d w heelw rights.
21 Includes a ssistan t foremen, boiler washers, cranem en, elevator operators, molders, oilers, p a tte rn m akers, pipe coverers, roofers, steelm en, stencil c u tte rs, u tility a n d general
w orkers.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

5
10
9
4
5
5
9
7
1
10
7

[ 581]

P a in te rs (cans b y h a n d )................................
Labelers a n d w ra p p e rs ..................................
W eighers (filled cans)....................................
W ipers (filled cans).........................................
Cap s e tte r s .........................................................
W ashers of e m p ty can s..................................
Passers and pilers, cans..................................
Trim m ers, m e a t (b y h a n d )...........................
Packers...............................................................
G eneral w orkers...............................................
In sp ecto rs..........................................................

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

96

Changes in Union Scale of Wages and Hours of Labor, 1913 to 1921
H E Bureau of Labor Statistics during the past summer has col­
lected inform ation concerning the union scale of wages and
hours of labor in the principal time-work trades in the leading
industrial centers of the U nited States, and a full compilation of the
m aterial is now in progress.
An abridged com pilation has been m ade for certain trades and
cities, and the rates and hours of labor as of May 15, 1921, are brought
into comparison in the following table with like figures for preceding
years (except 1914) back to 1913.
The union-wage-scale figures here published represent the mini­
mum wage of union members employed in the trades stated, but
these figures do not always represent the m aximum wage th a t was
paid, as in some instances p a rt or even all of the organized workers
in the trades received more than the scale.
In cases where scales have been revised since May 15, 1921, and
m ade retroactive to th a t date or earlier the changes have been
included in the tabulation, in so far as inform ation has been received.
Double quotations of rates and hours are shown for some occupa­
tions in some cities. Such quotations indicate th a t there were two
or more agreements w ith different employers and possibly m ade also
by different unions. The figures are the highest and lowest con­
tractu al terms in the city.

T

U N IO N SCALE O F W A GES A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C CU PA TIO N S.
B la c k s m ith s , m a n u f a c tu r in g sh o p s .
[Owing to lack of space, th e year 1914 has been o m itted . Figures for th a t year m ay be found in the
October, 1920, issue of th e Monthly L abor R e v ie w .]
H ours per week.

R ate p er ho u r (cents).
City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
37.5
50.0
36.0
43.2

37.5
55. 0
41.7
46.2

39.0
55.0
41.7
56.0

A tla n ta .............
B uffalo..............
Charleston, S.C.
Chicago.............
M anchester.......

37.5
40.0
36.0
43.2

New O rlean s..
New Y o rk ____
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........
P o rtlan d , Oreg.

36.1 36.1 36.1 36.1 68. 8
44.4 44.4 53.1 53.1 72.5
J44.4 ¡>72. 5
\50. 0
37.5 37.5 37.5 46.9 57.5
45.0 45.0 45.0 50.0 72,2

R ichm ond, V a.
St. L ouis...........
Salt Lake C ity .
San F ran cisco ..
S e a ttle ...............

32.5
33.3
44.7
50.0

55.0
65.0
72.5
75.0

32.5 35.0 /40.0
\52.0 ¡>52.0
33.3 33.3 40.0 50.0
44. 7 45.7 56. 3 62.5
50.0
50.0 72.5
75.0

I
1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

75.0 75.0
72.5 100.0 94.0
80.0 90.0 90.0
90.0 110.0 99.0
70.0 61.0

68.0

80.0 80.0 80.0 54
80.0 80.0 72.0 2 53
80.0 110.0 1 1 0 . 0
70.0 80.0 90.0
80.0 88.0 88.0
68.0

80.0
75.0
80.0
80.0

75.0
90.0
87.5
90.0

54
54
54
49]

60
50
54
491

54
54
48
441 44
48
48i 1 48 MS
44
48j 44
48

48
48
44
44
48

48
48

44
48
44
48
44

68.0
100.0

87.5
90.0

88.0 80.0

144 hours per week, Ju n e to A ugust, inclusive.
2 W ork 53 hours, p aid for 54.
a A brief su m m ary o 't h e changes from 1907 to 1920 is given in the Monthly L abor R eview for M arch,
1921.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[582]

97

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G ES AN D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C CU PA TIO N S—Con.
B o ile r m a k e r s, m a n u fa c tu r in g a n d jo b b in g sh o p s.
H ours p er w eek.

R a te per hour (cents).
City.

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
A tla n ta .............
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h am . . .
T$ostoii.
B uffalo..............

40.0 35.0 35.0 44.0 55.0
30.6 30.6 30.6 48.0 50.0
40.0 40.0 42. 5 47.5 67.5
36.0 36.0 40. Ó 46.0 70.0

68.0
80.0
80.0
70.0
80.0

Charleston S.C.
Chicago..............
C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D enver...............

36.1
40.0
40.0
35.0
41.0

36.1
40.0
35.0
35.0
41.0

In d ia n a p o lis.. .
Jacksonville__
K ansas City,Mo.
L ittle R o c k ___
Los A ngeles..

35.0
40.0
38.0
41.0

35.0
40.0
40. 0
42.5

Louisville..........
M em phis...........
Mi lw au k ee...
New O rle a n s...
New Y o rk ........
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........
P ortlan d , Oreg.
St. Louis...........

33.3
40.0
44.4
40.0

72.0
80.0
90.0
80.0
80.0

85.0
80.0
75.0
80.0
80.0

54
54
60

54
54
60

54
54
60

50
49-!
60

54

54

54

54

50
44
48
54

50
44
48
48
4 48

50
50
44
44
48
48
44
44
4 48 4 48

40.0
35.0
40.0
41.0

42.8
42.0
38.0
50.0
42.0

72.5
52.0
40.0
60.0
52.0

80.0 90.0 90.0
60.0 74.0 74.0
55.0 100.0 80. 0
70.0 85.0 80.0
68.0 72.0 64.0

54
54
54
54
54
54
54
54
491 49* 49*
54 5 49! 5 49* 5 49*
54
54
54
51

48 4 48 4 48
54
54
54
49* 49* 50
49! 49! 49!
48
48
48

37. 5
40.0
40.0
42.5

42.0
40. 0
45.0
45.0

50.0
50.0
45.0
58.0

55.0 75.0 75.0
70.0 75. 0 64.0
68.8 100.0 100.0
68.0 72.0 90.0
71. 9 71.9

50
54
54
60

50
54
54
60

50
54
54
60

50
54
54
60

48
48
48
48
54 4 48 4 48 4 48
54
44
44
44
48
48
60
45
48
48

32.0 32.0 32.0 35.0 45.0
41.0 41.0 41.0 45.0 55.0

65.0
70.0

54
54

54
54

54
54

50
54

50
54

50
54!

38.9 38.9 38.9 43.8 62. 5
41.7 41.7 46.9 49.4 70.0

54
54

54
54

54
48

48
48

48
48

50.0
46.0
53.0
40.0

S alt L ake C ity . 43.0 43.0 44.0 56.3
San F ran cisco .. 50. 0 50.0 53. 1 53.1
S e a ttle ............... 50.0 50.0 50.0 56.3
W ashington__
53. 7

33.3
40.0
44.4
40.0

33.3
44.0
44.4
40.0

80.0
80.0

76.0
75.0
85.0
80.0
80.0

76.0
90.0
85.0
80.0
72.0

70.0
60.0
72.5
50.0

80.0
66.0
80.0
70.0

90.0
75.0
88.0
90.0

90.0 49
49
48
49
82.5 54
54
50
50
88.0 54
54
54
48
90.0 7 49| 7 49| 7 49! 7 49-!

62.5
72.5
75.0
68. 8

75.0
80.0
80.0
75. 6

87.5
90.0
88.0
80.6

87.5
90.0
80.0
90.0

54
48
48

54
48
48

54
48
48

48
48
48
48

44
54
50
49*
48

48
48

48
54!
44
48
48

48
48
44
44
48

44
50
48
48

44
50
44
48

44
50
44
44

44
50
44
48

48
48
48
48

44 4 48 4 48
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44

B r ic k la y e r s .
A tla n ta .............
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h a m . . .
B oston...............
Buffalo...............

45.0
62. 5
70.0
65.0
65.0

45.0
70.0
70. 0
65.0
65.0

50.0
70.0
70.0
65.0
65.0

60.0
75.0
70.0
70.0
70.0

50
60.0 70.0 112. 5 100.0 53
50
50
50
44
44
44
44
44 8 45 8 45 8 45
75.0 100.0 125.0 125. 0 8 45 8 45 »45
44
44
44
44
44
44
87.5 87.5 100.0 100.0 9 44
44
80.0 80.0 100.0 100.0 44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
75.0 85.0 100.0 100. 0 48 4 48 4 48 1044 io 44 1044 io 44
44

Charleston,S.C.
Chicago..............
C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................

40.0
75.0
65.0
65.0
87. 5

40.0
75.0
70.0
70.0
87.5

40.0
75. 0
70.0
70.0
87.5

40.0
75.0
75.0
75.0
87.5

50.6
75.0
90.0
90.0

D enver...............
D etro it...............
F a ll R iv e r........
In d ia n a p o lis ...
Jacksonville___

75.0
65. 0
55.0
75.0
62.5

75.0
65.0
60.0
75.0
62.5

87.5
70.0
60. 0
75.0
62.5

87.5
75.0
65. 0
75. 0
62.5

KansasCity,M o.
L ittle R o ck ___
Los A ngeles___
Louisville..........
M anchester. . . .

75.0
75.0
75. 0
65. 0
55.0

75.0
75. 0
75.0
65.0
60.0

75.0
87.5
90.0
90.0

100.0 85.0 u 53 ii 53 » 53 » 53

48
44
45
44
44

48
44
45
44
44

48
44
45
44
44

100.0 100.0 125.0 125.0 44
44
44
44
44
44
80.0 90.0 125.0 100.0 13 48 H44 15 44 1544 io 44 is 44
44 1044
75.0 85.0 115.0 115.0 48
48
44
44

44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44

125.0
125.0
125.0
100.0 100.0 112.5

125.0
125.0
125.0
150.0

44
45
48
44

44
45
44
44

44
45
44
44

44
45
44
44

48
44
45
44
44

44
48

44
48

44
48

44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
75.0 75.0 87.5 100.0 112.5 112.5 44
75.0 87.5 87.5 100.0 125.0 125. 0 17 44 17 44 it 44
44
62. 5 62.5 75.0 87.5 125.0 125.0 44
44
65. 0 70. 0 75 0 85.0 115.0 125. 0 48
44
44
44
44
60.0 65.0 75.0 90.0 112.5 112.5 48
4 44 hours p er week, Ju n e to A ugust, inclusive.
5 54 hours per week, O ctober to A pril, inclusive.
7 54 hours p er week, Septem ber to A pril, inclusive,
s 44* hours p er week, N ovem ber to M arch, inclusive.
0 48 hours p er week, October to D ecember, inclusive.
10 48 hours per week, N ovem ber 16 to M arch 15, inclusive.
11 W ork 53 hours, p aid for 54.
is 44 hours per week, October to A pril, inclusive,
u 48 hours per week, N ovem ber to A pril, inclusive,
is 48 hours p er week, D ecember to F eb ru ary , inclusive.
17 48 hours p er week, October to A pril, incluisve.

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

85.0
62.5

85.0 125.0 115.0
75.0 87.5 100.0

[583]

44
48

44
48

98

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O CCU PA TIO N S—Con.
B r ic k la y e r s —Concluded.
R ate p er ho u r (cents).

H ours p e r week.

City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

1919

M em phis...........
M ilw aukee____
M inneapolis___
N ewark, N . J ..
New H a v en ___

75.0
67.5
65.0
65.0
60.0

75.0
67.5
70.0
65. 0
60.0

75.0
67.5
70.0
70.0
60.0

82.5
72.5
75.0
75. 0
65.0

87.5
72. 5
75. 0
75.0
70.0

87.5
90.0
87.5
87.5
82.5

125.0 112.5
125.0 100.0
125.0 112. 5
125.0 125. 0
100.0 100.0

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
48 17 44 17 44 17 44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44

44
4-1
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

New O rleans. - .
New Y o rk .........
O m ah a...............
P h ila d e lp h ia ...
P ittsb u rg h ........

62.5
70.0
70.0
62.5
70.0

62.5
75. 0
70.0
65. 0
70.0

62.5
75.0
75.0
65.0
70.0

62.5
75. 0
75.0
70.0
75.0

62.5
81.3
75. 0
80.0
75.0

75.0
87.5
87.5
80.0
90.0

m o 100.0
125.0 125. 0
125. 0 112. 5
130.0 130.0
112. 5 150.0

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
41
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

P o rtlan d , Oreg.
Provid en ce. . . .
St. Louis_____
St. P a u l.............
Salt Lake C ity .

75.0
65.0
70.0
65. 0
75.0

75.0
65.0
75. 0
70. 0
80.0

75.0
65.0
75.0
70.0
80.0

75.0
70.(1
75.(1
75.(1
87.5

87.5
70. 0
85. C
75.0
87.5

100.0
80. C
100. 0
87.5
100.0

125.0 125.0
115.0 115. 0
125. 0 125.0
125.0 112. 5
125.0 112.5

44
44
44
48
44

44
44
44
48
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44
44
44 77 44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

San F rancisco..
Scranto n ............
S eattle............. .
W ashington___

87.5
60. C
75. C
62.5

87.5
60. 0
75.0
66.7

87.5
65.(1
75. 0
70.0

87.5 100.0 112.5 125.0 125.0
44
44
44
44
44
70.(1 75.0 75. C 112. 5 125. C is 44 77 44 77 44
44
44
81. 2 100. c 112.5 125.0 112.5
44
44
44
44
44
70.0 75.0 87.5 100.0 125.0 is 45 19 45 79 45 79 45 79 45

44
40
44

44
44
40
44

44
44
44
44

44
48
44
50
44

44
44
44
50
44

44
44
44
50
44

44
44
44
50
44

48
44
44
44
49J

48
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
48
48

44
44
44
48
48

44

B u ild in g la b o rers.
B altim ore..........
48.3 56. 3
B oston............... 35.0 35.0 35.0 37.5 40.0
Chicago.............. 40.0 40.0 42.5 45.0 50.0
25.0 25.0 30.0 35.0
C in cin n ati_____
C leveland.......... —
31.3 31.3 40.0 55.0

75. 0 75.0 75.0
40.0 67. 5 67. 5
57.5 100. 0.100. 0
40.0 45. o! 50.0
57.5 87.5 87.5

D a lla s................
D e n v er..............
D e tro it..............
30.0 30. Ó
K ansas City,Mo 27.5 35.0 35. 0 37.5 37.5
L ittle R o c k ___

50.0 62.5
50.0 62.5
65. Ó 75.0 60.0
57.5 75.0 75.0
50.0 50.0

Los Angeles___ 34.4 34.4 34.4 34.4
LouisviUe.......... 27.9 22.2 22.2 22.2
M ilw aukee........
New Y o rk ......... 22.5 25.0 25.0 30.0
O m ah a..............
30.0 30.0

43.8
30.0

50.0
35.0

40.5
45.0

40.
50.0

P ittsb u rg h ........
P o rtla n d , Oreg.
P rovid en ce___
St. Louis...........
St. P a u l.............
Salt Lake C ity .
San F ran cisco ..
Scranto n ............
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington___

62. 5
50.0
65.0
75.0
60.0

62.5
80.0
65.0
60.0
60.0

25.0
37.5
25.0
25.0

25.0
37.5
25.0
25.0

30.0
37.5
25.0
25.0

30.0 45.0
37.5 50.0
30.0 35.0
/33. 3
30.0 \40.0

45.0
62.5
47.5
40.0
45.0

70.0
75.0
50.0
54.0
67.5
61.3

80.0
67.5
50.0
54.0
67.5 j
61.3

27.8
25.0
37.5
25.0

31.3
22. 5
37.5
25.0

31.3
30.0
37.5
25.0

37.5
30.0
43.8
31.3

50.0
62.5
50.0
68.8
50.0

68.8
75.0
58.5
75. 0
50.0

56.3
81.3
70.0
75.0
50.0

43.8
30.0
56.3
40.0

48
44

44
48
44
50
44

48
44
50
48

48
44
50
48

48

54
48

54
48

48

48

44
48

44
48

44
54

44
54

44
54

44
50

44
50

48

44

44
44

44
54

44
54

48
48

54
48
50
44

54
48
50
44

48
48
50
44

48
48
50
44

48
48
50
44

44
44
50
44

44
44
44
44
49J

44
44
44
44
49£

54
54
44
48

48
54
44
48

48
48
44
48

48
48
44
44

48
48
44
44

48
48
48
40
44

44
48
48
44
44

44
48
48
44
44

50
50
50
48 2044 2O44.
48
48
48
44
44
41
48 27 48 21 48

50
44
48
44
44

50
44
48
40
44

44
44
44
40
44

44
44
44
40
44

44
44
44
40
44

C a r p e n te rs .
A tla n ta ............. 40.0 40.0 40.0 50.0 50. 0 60.0 80.0
B altim ore.......... 43.8 43.8 43.8 50.0 62.5 80.0 90.0
B irm in g h am . . . 52.5 45.0 45.0 45.0 55.0 65.0 75.0
B oston............... 50.0 55.0 57.0 60.0 65.0 75.0 100.0
B uffalo.............. 50.0 50.0 50.0 62.5 70.0 70.0 100.0
77 48 hours per week, O ctober to A pril, inclusive.
18 48 hours per week. Septem ber to A pril, inclusive.
19 44§ hours p er week, October to April, inclusive.
2° 48 hours per week, N ovem ber to M arch, inclusive.
2144 hours per week, Ju n e to A ugust, inclusive.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 584]

70.0
90.0
75.0
100.0

87.5

99

WAGES AISTD HOUES OF LABOR.

U N IO N SCA LE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C CU PA TIO N S—Con.
C a r p e n te r s —Concluded.
R a te p er hour (cents).

H ours per week.

City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

7 .5
33.3 /3
\50.0 }
70.0 70.0
62.5 65.0
70.0 80.0
62.5 62.5

70.0
80.0
70.0
85.0
87.5

80.0 80.0 22 53 22 53 22 53 22 53
125.0 125.0 44
44
44
44
100.0 100.0 44] 44J 44-1 441
125.0 125.0 48
44
44
44
100.0 100.0 44
44
44
44

48
44
441
44
44

48
44
44]
44
44

48
44
44]
44
44

48
44
44]
44
44

60.0 60.0 70.0 75.0
50.0 60.0 60.0
44.0 48.0 50.0 62.5
55.0 55.0 57.5 60.0
37.5 37.5 37.5 (40.0 j
\45.0

87.5
80.0
75.0
75.0
65.0

112.5 112.5
100.0 85.0
100. 0 100.0
100.0 92.5
80.0 80.0

55.0
50.0
50.0
45.0
40.0

65.0
50.0
50.0
45.0
40.0

65.0
50.0
50.0
45.0
40.0

65.0
60.0
50.0
50.0
50.0

65.0
60.0
62.5
60.0
60.0

M em phis...........
M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis___
N ew ark, N . J . .
New H a v en ----

50.0
50.0
50.0
50.0
47.5

50.0
50.0
50.0
50.0
50.0

50.0
50.0
50.0
56.3
50.0

55.0
56.3
55.0
65.0
55.0

New O rle a n s...
New Y o rk .........
O m ah a...............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........

40.0
62.5
50.0
50.0
55.0

40.0
62.5
50.0
55.0
62.5

40.0
62.5
50.0
55.0
62.5

P o rtlan d , O reg.
Providence.......
R ichm ond, V a ­
s t. L o u is............
St. P a u l.............

50.0
50.0
37.5
62.5
50.0

50.0
50.0
37.5
62.5
50.0

Salt Lake C ity .
San F ran cisco ..
S c ra n to n ...........
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington.__

62.5
62.5
42.5
56.3
50.0

62.5
62.5
47.5
56.3
55.0

C harleston, S.C.
Chicago..............
C in c in n ati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................

33.3
65.0
50.0
50.0
55.0

33.3
65.0
55.0
55.0
60.0

D e n v er..............
D etro it...............
F all R iv e r........
Indian ap o lis__
Jacksonville—

60.0
50.0
42.0
50.0
31.3

.....

K ansasC ity,M o
L ittle R o c k ___
Los A ngeles___
Louisville..........
M anchester___

33.3
70.0
60.0
60.0
60.0

44

44
48
48
44]
48

44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44}
48

44
44
44
44]
48

44
44
44
44]
48

44
44
44
44]
44

44
44
44
44]
44

85.0 100.0 100.0
80.0 92.5 80.0
75.0 87.5 100.0
60.0 80.0 80.0
60.0 100.0 90.0

44
48
48
44
48

44
48
48
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

65.0
56.3
60.0
70.0
55.0

75.0
70.0
75.0
80.0
65.0

75.0
85.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

'44
44
44
44
44

44'
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

40.0
68.8
57.5
60.0
71.0

50.0
68.8
60.0
70.0
71.0

60.0 75.0 100.0
75.0 112.5 112.5
75.0 112.5 101.3
80.0 112.5 112.5
80.0 90.0 125.0

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

44
44
'44
44
44

50.0
50.0
37.5
62.5
50.0

56.3
50.0
43.8
65.0
55.0

75.0
60.0
62.5
70.0
60.0

86.0
70.0
62.5
82.5
75.0

44
44
48
44
48

44
44
48
44
48

44
44
48
44
48

44
44
48
44
48

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
47
44
44

44
44
47
44
44

62.5
62.5
50.0
56.3
55.0

75.0
68.8
50.0
65.0
62.5

75.0 100.0 112.5 100.0
75.0 87.5 106.3 112.5
60.0 70.0 87.5 87.5
82.5 93.8 100.0 87.5
62.5 87.5 95.0 105.0

44
44
48
44
44]

44
44
44
44
44}

44
44
44
44
44}

44
44
44
44
44]

44
44
44
44
44]

44
44
44
40
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

48
48

48
44
48
44

48
48
44
48
44

48
48
44
48
44

44
48
44
48
44

44
48
44
48
44

44
48
44
44
44

44
48
44
44
44

50
44
48
54

50
44
48
44
48

50
44
48
44
44

50
44
48
44
44

44]
44
48
44
44

44]
44
48
44
44

44
50
44
54

44
44
44
50
50
50
44
44
44
54 24 44 24 44

44
50
44
44
44

40
44
44
54
44

60
44
48
48
44

44
48
48
44

44
44
44
48
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

100.0
100.0
72.5
100.0
100.0

90.0
100.0
72.5
125. 0
100.0

C e m e n t f in is h e r s .
B altim o re_____
B irm in g h a m . . .
B osto n...............
B uffalo..............
Chicago..............

50.0
.0 50.0 62.5
.5 62.5 62.5
50.0 50.0
.0 65. 0 65.0

C incin n ati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................
D en v er...............
D e tro it...............

.0
.0
.0
.0
.8
.0

F all R iv e r.........
In d ia n a p o lis ...
K ansas City,Mo
L ittle R o ck ___
Los A ngeles___

60.0
.0 57.5 57.5
.5 65. 0 65.0
.6 55.6 55.6

65.0
60.0
65.0
75. 0

L ouisville..........
M an c h e ste r.. . .
M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis___
N ewark, N J . .

0 45.0 45.0
60. 0
0 45.0 45.0
50.0 50. 0
5 65. 0 70.0

60.0
50.0
55.0
75.0

50.0
62.5
02.5
50.0
67.5

62.5
62.5
70.0
65.0
75.0

50.0 50.0 55.0 57.5
60.0 j 60. 0 65.0 77.5
55.0
62.5 62.5 62.5 62.5
75.0 75.0
50.0 50.0 55.0 60.0

75.0
75.0
75.0
65.0
80.0

100.0 100.0
75.0400.0
100.0100.0
loo.odoo.o
125. Oj125.0

50
50
48 23 48
48
48
44
54
54

75.0
62.5
75.0
75.0

85.0 115.0 115.0
70.0 90.0 100.0
87.5 107. 5 107. 5
87.5 100.0 112.5
100. 0 112.5

50
44
54

50
44
54

60.0
75. 0
60.0
55.0
75.0

70.0 80.0 90.0
90.0 112.5 112.5
70.0 85.0 100. 0
75. 0 100.0 100. 0
87.5 125.0 125.0

60

60

48

48
48
44

22 W ork 53 hours, p a id for 54.
23 44 hours per week, .Tune to Septem ber, inclusive.
24 48 hours p er week, O ctober to March, inclusive.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

44

60.0 90.0 90.0
80.0 90.0 125.0
87.5 100.0125.0
87.5 100.0 100. C
80.0 125.0 100.0

[585]

44

44
44
44
44
44

100

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

U N IO N SCA LE O F W A G ES A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O CCU PA TIO N S—Con.
C e m e n t f in is h e r s —Concluded.
H ours per week.

R ate p er ho u r (cents).
City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918

New H a v en __
New Y o rk ......... 62.5 62.5
62. 5
O m aha..............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . . 45.0 50.0
P ittsb u rg h .. .
50. 0

60.0
62.5
62.5
50.0
50.0

65.0
70.0
62.5
55.0
56.3

70.0
70.0
62.5
65.0
75.0

1919
82.5
75.0
75.0
72.5
75.0

1920

1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

100.0
112.5
112.5
100.0
82.5

100.0
112.5
100.0
100.0
112. 5

44
494

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44
44

44

44

44

44

44

44
44

44
44

48

48

48

48

48

44
44
44

44
44
44

48

48

48

48

48

48

48

44

44

44

44

48

48

48

48

44

44

44

44
40
44

44
40
44

48
44
40
44

44

87.5

44
44
44
44
44

44
44

48

62.5 70.0 70.0

44
44
44
44
44

48

Salt Lake C ity . 62.5 62.5 62.5 75.0 75.0 87.5 112.5 100.0
San F ran cisco .. 75.0 75.0 75.0 75.0 87.5 100.0 112.5 112.5
S e a ttle ............... 62.5 62.5 62.5 68.8 81.3 100. 0 112.5 112.5
!

44
44
44
44
44

48

48

62.5 87.5
62.5 62.5
62.5
65.0 j-75. 0
60.0 60.0

44
44
44
44
44

44
44

87. 5 100.0 90.0
80.0 100.0 100.0
82.5 125.0 125.0
75.0 100.0 100.0

P o rtlan d , Oreg. 62.5 62.5 62.5
P rovidence__
50.0
/6 2 .5
S t. Louis........... 60.0 60.0 \6 5 .0
St. P a u l............. 50.0 55.0 60.0

41
44
44
48

90.0 100.0

C o m p o s ito r s : B o o h a n d jo b .
A tla n ta ..............
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h a m . . .
B oston...............
B uffalo..............

34.4
37.5
40.6
41.7
39.6

37.5
37.5
40.6
43.8
41.7

37.5
37.5
40.6
43.8
41.7

37.5
43.8
44.8
45.8
43.8

37.5
43.8
44.8
50.0
45.8

43.8
54.2
44.8
55.2
59.4

57.5
81.3
76.0
72.9
71.9

75.0
83.3
80.0
87.0
90.9

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
4S

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
44
44
44

Charleston,S. C.
Chicago..............
C in cin n ati.........
C leveland..........
D allas................

33.3
46.9
40.6
39.6
52.1

33.3
50.0
43.8
41.7
52.1

33.3
50.0
43.8
41.7
52.1

37.5
50.0
46.9
43.8
52.1

37.5
57.3
46.9
50.0
57.3

37.5
75.0
51.0
62.5
70.8

37.5
95.8
75.0
87.5
88.5

98.9
106.0
104.5
93.8
100.0

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
4S
48

44
44
44
48
44

D enver..............
D e tro it.........1..
F all R iv e r........
In d ia n a p o lis .. .
Jacksonville.. . .

54.2
38.5
33.3
43.8
37.5

54.2
43.8
33.3
45.8
43.8

54.2
45.8
35.4
45.8
43.8

54.2
50.0
37.5
45. 8
43.8

59.4
54.7
39.6
52.1
43.8

65.6
72.9
41.7
54.2
52.1

81.3
92.7
62.5
75.0
75.0

81.3
96.9
72.7
100.0
81.8

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
44
44
44

K ansas City,Mo
L ittle R o ck ___
Los Angeles___
L ousiville..........
M anchester.......

41.7
37.5
46.9
37.5
35.4

43.8
41.7
50.0
39.6
35.4

43.8
41.7
50.0
39.6
35.4

45.8
43.8
50.0
39.6
37.5

50.0
43.8
52.1
43.8
39.6

54.2
43.8
58.3
45.8
41.7

72.9
72.9
75.0
45.8
66.7

79.2
72.9
95. 5
79.2
77.3

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
44
48
44

M em phis...........
M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis___
N ewark, N . J . . .
New H a v en ___

40.0
41.7
43. S
47.9
40.6

45. 0
45.8
43.8
47.9
40.6

45.0
45.8
43.8
50.0
40.6

47.1
47.9
45.8
50.0
40.6

48.1
47.9
45.8
56.3
44.8

55.4
54.2
54.0
72.9
45.8

93.8
72.9
87.5
91.7
58.3

93.8
85.4
87.5
111.4
58.3

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
44
48

New O rle a n s...
New Y o rk .........
O m ah a..............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........

43.8
50.0
37.5
39.6
.39.6

43.8
50.0
43.8
41.7
41.7

43.8
52.1
45.8
41.7
43.8

43.8
52.1
46.9
43.8
43.8

43.8
58.3
53.1
50.0
47.9

50.0
68.8
60.4
60.4

71.9
93.8
87.5
89.6
81.3

71.9
113.0
93.2
89.6
100.0

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
4S
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
44
44
48
44

P ortlan d , Oreg.
P rovidence.......
R ichm ond, V a.
St. Louis.........
St. P a u l.............

53.1
37.5
33.3
43.8
43.8

53.1
37.5
37.5
43.8
43.8

53.1
37.5
37.5
45.8
43.8

53.5
37.5
37.5
47.9
45.8

59.4
45.8
37.5
52.7
45.8

75.01
50. C
48.5
52.7
54.0

85.4
72.9
56.3
79.2
83.3

95.8
72.9
56.3
92.8
87.5

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

44
48
48
44
48

Salt L ake C ity .
San F ran cisco ..
S cran to n ...........
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington___

50.0
50.0
43.8
53.1
40.0

52.1
50.0
43.8
53.1
40.0

54.2
52.6
43.8
53.1
43.8

54.2
54.2
47. (
56.3
47.9

54.2
58.3
47. t
59.4
50.0

62.5
62.5
52.1
75.0
62.5

75.0 75.0
104.5
71. { 77.1
87.5 93.8
83.3 90.9

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
25 48

48
48
48
48
25 48

48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48

48
44
48
44
44

8 i. a

25 44 hours p er week, for 3 m onths, betw een Ju n e 1 an d Sept. 30.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 586 ]

25 4 8

25 4 8

101

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G ES AN D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C CU PA TIO N S—Con.
C o m p o s ito r s , d a y w o rk : N e w s p a p e r .

R a te per hour (cents).

H ours per week.

vuy.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

A tla n ta .............
B altim ore..........
B irm ing h am . . .
B oston...............
Buffalo..............

43.8
50.0
52.5
63.0
50.0

43.8
59.5
54.5
63.0
50.0

43.8
59.5
55.5
63.0
50.0

43.8
61.9
56.5
68.0
53.1

50.0
61.9
57.5
68.0
59.4

60.6
65.5
67.5
83.0
65.6

Charleston, S. C
Chicago.............
C incinnati.........
C leveland.........
D allas................

33.3
62.0
52.1
53.8
55.0

33.3
62. 0
56.3
53.8
55.0

33.3
62. 0
56.3
53.8
59.4

42.9
62.0
56.3
62.5
59.4

42.9
66.0
56.3
62.5
62.5

42.9 42.9
79.0 89.0
87.5 107.3
6 8 .8
87.5
76.0 88.5

D en v er..............
D e tro it..............
Fall R iv e r........
In dianap o lis__
j acksonville__

63.3
55.0
37.5
50.0
37.5

63.3
55.0
43.8
50.0
46.9

63.3
55.0
43.8
50.0
46.9

63.3
60.5
44.8
56.3
46.9

72.7
60.5
45.8
56.3
52.1

72.7
74.5
49.0
60.4
65.6

97.8
87.0
75.0
81.3
83.3

97.8
87.0
79.2
93.8
83.3

45
48
48
48
48

K ansas City,Mo
L ittle R o ck ___
Los Angeles___
L ouisville..........
M an c h e ste r.....

59.4
47.9
62.2
49. 0
35.4

59.4
50.0
64.4
50.0
35.4

59.4
50.0
64.4
50.0
35.4

59.4
52.1
6 6 .7
54.2
37.5

59.4
52.1
66.7
54. 2
39.6

6 8 .8

62.5
75.6
62.5
41.7

90.6
72.9
86.7
87.5
66.7

90.6
83.3
86.7
82.9
70.8

48
48
45
48
48

48
48
45
48
48

48
48
45
48
48

48
48
45
48
48

4S
48
45
48
48

48
48
45
48
48

M em phis...........
M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis___
N ew ark, N. J . ..
New H a v en ___

57.8
45.8
54.0
60.9
46.9

57.8
50.0
54.0
60.9
47.9

57.8
50.0
54.0
60.9
47.9

57.8
54.2
54. 0
63.0
50.0

60.0
56.3
54.0
69.6
50.0

66.7
56.3
62.5
76.1
50.0

86.7
77.1
87.5
89.1
72.9

92.8
93.8
93.8
1 1 0 .9
79.2

45
48
48
46
48

45
43
48
46
48

45
48
48
46
48

45 26 45 26 45 26 45
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
46
46
46
16
48
48
48
48

26 4 5

N ew Y o rk ........
O m aha...............
P h ilad e lp h ia . ..
P ittsb u rg h ........
P ortlan d , O reg.

66.7
50.0
41.7
55.0
68.3

66.7
53.1
41.7
60.0
68.3

66.7
53.1
41.7
60.0
68.3

66.7
53.1
41.7
61.0
68.3

71.1
53.1
50.0
65.0
72.7

96.7

12 2 .2 12 2 .2

6 8 .8

66.7
77.0

45
48
48
48
45

45
48
48
26 45
45

45
48
48

45
48
48

10 0 .0

87.5 87.5
81.3 79.2
87.5 1 1 1 . 8
106.7 106.7

P rovidence.......
R ichm ond, V a.
St. Louis...........
St. P a u l.............
Salt L ake C ity.

47.9
33.3
58.7
54.5
62. 5

50.0
37.5
58.7
54.5
62.5

50.0
37.5
58.7
54.5
62.5

50.0
37.5
63.4
54.5
62.5

52.1
45.8
63.4
54. 5
62.5

66.7
45.8
63.4
63.0
71.9

87.5
91.3
94.0
87.5

48
48
46
48
48

48
48
46
48
48

48
48
46
48
48

48
48
46
48
48

San F ran cisco ..
S cran to n ...........
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington—

64.4
47.9
75. 0
60.7

69.0
47.9
75. 0
60.7

69.0
47.9
75. 0
60.7

69.0
52.1
78.6
60.7

68.9
52.1
78.6
69. 8

93.3 107.8
81.3 87.5
114.3 114.3
92.9 1 0 1 . 0 104.0

45
48
42
42

42
48
42
42

42
48
42
42

42
48
42
42

45
48
42
42

45
48
42
42

45
48
42
42

45
48
42
42

63.8
93.3
67.5
95.0
71.9

91.0 48
93.3 42
67.5 2642
95.0 °42
87.5 48

48
48
48
48 48
48
48
42
45 45
42
42
42
42
2642 2642 26 42 2642 26 42 26 42 2642
30 4 2 30 42 so 42 so 42 so 42 30 42 w>42
48 18
48
48
48
48
48

103.6 48
48
115.0 27 45 27 4 5
107.3 28 47j
48
48
93.8 48
4S
88.5 48

87.5
58.3
91.3
94.0
87.5

10 0 .0

75.6
60.4
100. 0

27

48 2642 28 42 26 42 26 42 2642
45 27 4 5 26 45 26 45 28 45 i'45
48
48
48
45 45
48
48 48
48
48
48
48
48 48
48
48
48
48

45
45
45
45
45
45 45
23 48 23 48 29 48 29 48 29 48 29 48 2948
48
48
48
48
48 48
48
48
48
48 48
48
48
48
48 48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
45
48
48

45
48
48
26 4 5 26 4 5 26 45
45
45
45

37

37

48
48
45
48
48

45
48
48

26 4 5

45

45
48
48
48
45

48
18
46
48
45
48
48
16$
45

48
48
48 48
48
48
48 48
46
46
46 46
48 si 48 si 48 si 48
4S
48
48 48

E le c tr o ty p e r s : F in is h e rs.

1

A tla n ta .............
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h am . . .
B oston............... B uffalo.............. ;

45. 8
41. 7
50. 0
50.0
43.8

50. 0^
45. 8
50. 0|
50.01
43. 8

50.0
45. 8
50. 0
50.0
43.8

50. 0
47.9
50. 0
50.0
43.8

50.0
47.9
50.0
52.5
50.0

57.3
50.0
50.0
52.5
56.3

96.6
81.3
89.8
90. 6
77.1

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

/-I
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

44
48
44
48
48

Chicago.............
C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................
D enver...............

49.0
43.8
41.7
37. 5|
43.8;

52.1
45. 8 |
47. 9
37.5
43.8

52.1
45.8
47. 9
37. 5
43.8

56.3
45.8
47.9
37.5
47.9

58.3
47.9
52.1
43.8
47.9

77.1 104.2113.7
52. 1 66.7 87.5
58.3 83.3! 83. 3
65. 6 72.9 72.9
54.2 62.0 75.0

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48!
48j
48

48
48
48
48
48

44
48
48
48
44

88. 5
81.3
72.9
78. 1
72.9

48i

48
48
48
48
48
48
D etro it............... 37.5 47.9 52.1 52.1 56.3 56.3 93. 8 102. 3 48
44
44
44
44
44
48
In d ia n a p o lis .. . 43. Si 45. 8 47.9 50.0 50.0 63.6 63. 6 63. 6 48
48
48
48
48
48
48
K ansas City,Mo 43.8 46. 9 46.9 50.0 50.0 62.5 90.6 89. 6 48
44!
48
48
4S
48
48
Los Angeles___ 50. 0 50. 0, 56. 3 56.3 56.3 70.8 8 8 . 4 8 6 . 4 48
48
48
48
48
48
48
M em phis........... 45.8 45.8' 45.8 45.8 45.8 62.5 62.5 6 8 . 2 48
26 M inimum; m axim um , 8 hours p er day, 48 per week.
27 H ours actually worked: M inim um , 7”hours p er d ay, 42 p er week; m axim um , 8 hours per day, 48
week.
28 W orked 47§ hours, p aid for 48.
23 M axim um; m inim um , 7 hours p er d ay, 42 p er week.
30 A ctual hours w orked: M inim um , 6 ; m axim um , 8 hours p e r day, 48 p e r week.
3 1 M axim um ; m inim um , 45 hours p e r week.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[587]

44
44
48
44
44
por

102

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O CCU PA TIO N S—Con.
E le c tr o ty p e r s : F in is h e r s —Concluded.
R ate per hour (cents).

H ours per week.

City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
M ilw aukee........ 43.8 43.8 43.8 50.0
M inneapolis___ 36.1 43.8 45.8 50.0
N ew ark, N. J . . .
N ew H a v en ___ 37.4 40.7 40.7 44.9
40. C 40. C
N ew O rle a n s...

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

50.0
50.0

56.3 75.0 81.3
59.4 81.3 91.7
75.0 109. 1 134.1
44. 9 46.7 62.5 75.0
40. C 55. 0 88.9 90.9

48
54

48
48

48
48

48
48

54

54

54
45

53i 53i
45 2G 4 5

43.8 52.1 52.1
50.0 52.1 64.2
43.8 45. 8 45.8

75.0 109.1 134.1
66.7 113.6 102.3
70.0 103.1 113.6
45.8 85.4 79.2

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

P o rtlan d , Oreg. 50.0 50.0
46. 3
R ichm ond, V a .
St. L ouis..”........ 45.8 45.8
St. P a id ............. 43.8 43.8

50. 0
46.3
45.8
45.8

56.3
52.1
47.9
50.0

56.3
57. 3
55.0
50.0

90.9 104.5 104. 5
60.4 78.1 93. 8
55.0 85.4 89.6
59.4 81.3 91.7

48
48
48

48
54
48
48

48
54
48
48

48
48
48
48

San F ran cisco ..
S cran to n ...........
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington___

56.3
41.7
52.1
54.2

56.3
43.8
52.1
56.3

62.5
43.8
66.7
58.3

62.5 79. 2 113.6
50.0 75.0 90.9
77.8 104.5 104.5
58.3 93.8 102.3

48
48
48
44

48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48

N ew Y o rk .........
O m aha...............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........

62.5
43.8
41.7
43.8

56.3
41.7
52.1
50.0

65. 6
43.8
47.9
43.8

56.3
41.7
52.1
52. 1

68.8 68.8 68.8

48
48

48
48
44
53J

48
48
44
48

48
48
44
48
44

44
48
48
48

44
44
48
48

44
44
44
44

48
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

48
48
48
48

48
48
45
48

48
48
45
48

48
48
44
48

44
44
44
44

26 4 5

26 4 5

E le c tr o ty p e r s : M o ld e rs.
A tla n ta ..............
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h am . . .
B oston...............
B uffalo..............

45.8
43.8
50.0
50. 0
43.8

50.0
50.0
50.0
50.0
43.8

50.0
50. 0
58.3
50.0
50.0

50.0
52. 1
50.0
50.0
50.0

50.0
52.1
50.0
52.5
50.0

57.3
54.2
50.0
52.5
56.3

96.6
83.3
89.8
90. 6
77.1

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
44
48
44

Chicago..............
C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................
D en v er...............

54.2
47.9
43.8
43.8
52.1

56.3
50.0
52.1
41.7
52.1

56.3
50.0
52.1
41.7
52.1

60.4
50.0
52.1
41.7
54.2

60.4
52.1
56. 3
43.8
54.2

77.1 104.2 113. 7
52.1 70. S 87.5
60.4 83. 3 83.3
65.6 72. S 72.9
60.4 69.8 79.5

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
44
44
48
44

D etro it...............
In d ia n a p o lis. . .
K ansas City,Mo
Los Angeles___
M em phis...........

37.5
45.8
43.8
50.0
45.8

47.9
47.9
48.9
50.0
45.8

52.1
50. 1
46.9
50.0
45.8

52.1
52.3
50.0
56. 3
45.8

56.3
52.3
50.0
56.3
45.8

58.3
65.9
62.5
70.8
62.5

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
44
48
48
48

48
44
48
48
48

48
44
48
48
48

48
44
48
48
48

48
44
48
44
48

44
44
48
44
44

M ilw aukee........ 43.8 43.8 43.8 50.0
M inneapolis___ 36. 1 50.0 52.1 56.3
N ew ark .............
N ew H a v en ___ 37.4 40.7 40.7 44.9
New O rle a n s...
40.0

50.0
56.3

56.3 75.0 81.3
59.4 81.3 91.7
75. 0 109. 1 134.1
46.7 62.5 75.0
55.6 88.9 90.9

48
54

48
48

48
48

48
48

48
48

54

54

48
48
44
48
26 45

48
48
44
48
44

75.0 109.1 134.1
66.7 113.6 102.3
70.0 103.1 113.6
53.1 87.5 87.5

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

41
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
44
48

44
44
44
48

48

N ew Y ork.........
O m aha...............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........

62. 5
43.8
45. 8
50.0

65.6
43.8
52. 1
50.0

44.9
40.0

68.8 68.8 68.8

43.8 52. 1 52.1
54.2 56.3 64.2
50.0 52. 1 53.1

88.5
83.3
72.9
78.1
72.9

93.8
65.9
90.6
86.4
62.5

102.3
65.9
95.8
86.4
68.2

48
48
44
54 53J 534 531
26 45 26 4 5 26 45"

P o rtlan d , Oreg. 50.0 50.0 50.0 56.3
R ichm ond, V a.
46.3 46.3 52.1
St. Louis........... 47.9 47.9 47.9 50. 0
St. P a u l............ 50.0 50.0 52.1 56.3

56.3
57.3
57.3
56.3

90.9 104.5 104.5
60.4 78.1 93.8
57.3 85.4 89.6
59.4 81.3 91.7

48
48

48
54
48
48

4,8
54
4S
48

48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48

San F ran cisco ..
Scran to n ............
S e a ttle ...............
W ash in g to n . . .

62.5
50.0
66.7
58.3

62.5 79.2 113. 6
56.3 75.0 90.9
77.8 104.5 104. 5
58.3 93.8 102.3

48
48
48
44

48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48

48
48
45
48

48
48
45
48

48
48
44
48

44
44
44
44

56.3
47.9
52.1
50.0

56.3
47.9
52.1
52.1

56.3
47.9
52.1
54.2

56.3
50.0
52.1
56.3

26 M inim um ; m axim um , 8 hours per d ay, 48 p er week.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[588]

103

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C C U PA T IO N S—Con.
G r a n ite c u tte r s , in sid e .
R ate p er hour (cents).

H ours per week.

City.

A tla n ta ..............
B altim o re____
B oston ...............
B uffalo...............
Charleston, S.C.

1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

41.3
50.0
45.6
43.8
45.0

41.3
sa o
45.6
50.0
45.0

50.0
50.0
50.0
52.1
45.0

50.0
50.0
50.0
53.1
45.0

60.0
62.5
60.0
63.1
50.0

70.0
75. C
75. C
75. C
69.0

75.0 100. 0
100.0 100.0
100.0100.0
100.0,100.0
87. 5| 100.0

45
44
44
44
44

C hicago............. 50.0 50.0 53.1 56.3 66.3
50.0 50.0 50. 0 62. 5
C incinnati____
C leveland____ 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 62.5
D allas.................
50.0 50.0 50.0 62.5
D enver......... .... 57.0 57. 0 57.0 57.0 68.8

76.3
75. 0
81.3
81.3
85.0

86.3 112.5
ì no n 1on n
îo o lo im o
loo.oiioo.o
100.0 105.3

44

44

44

44

44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

D e tro it« .........
F a ll R iv e r____
Los Angeles___
Louisville..........
M anchester____

45.0
43.0
62.5
45.0
40.6

45.0
43.0
62.5
47.5
40.6

50.0
50.0
66.3
50.0
50.0

51.3
50.0
67.5
50. 0
5a 0

62.5
62.5
70.0
60. 0
50.0

7& 0
75.0
87.5
75.0
72.5

100. 0 100.0
m o urn. o
100. 0 112.5
100.0 100.0
100.0 100. 0

444
45
48
45
44

444
45
44
45
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

N ew ark, N . J . .
New H a v en ___
New O rle a n s...
New Y o rk .........
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .

50.0
41.0
45.0
50.0
50.0

50.0
45. 5
45.0
50.0
56.3

50.0
50.0
50.0
50.0
56.3

50.0
50. 0
50.0
50.0
56.3

62.5
60.0
50.0
68.8
65.0

79.0 100.0 112.5
72.5 87.5 100.0
75.0 80.0 100. 0
79.0 100.0 112.5
80.0 100. 0 100.0

44
44
45
44
44

44
44
45
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

P ittsb u rg h ........
Providence____
R ichm ond, V a.
S t. Louis_____

50.0
40.6
43.8
50.0

50.0
40.6
45.0
50.0

53.1
50.0
50.0
50.0

54 4
50.0
50.0
50.0

62.5
60.0
50.0
oa 0

81.3 100.0 106.3
70.0 70.0,100.0
70.0 82.5 100. 0
75.0 io a 0 |ioo. o

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

Salt Lake C ity.
San F rancisco..
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington___

62.5
62.5
02.5
45. 0

62.5
62.5
62.5
45. 0

62.5
66.3
62.5
50.0

62.5
67.5
62.5
50.0

75.0
70.0
75.0
62.5

81.3
87.5
87.5
87.5

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

100. o'ioo. 0
100. 0 112. 5|
100.0112.5
100. 0 100.0
1
1

45
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44

44

44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44

44
44

44
44
40

44
44
44
45

44
44
44
45

45

44
44
44
45

44

44

44

44

48

48

44

44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44

44 I 44

44
44
44

44
44

44

I l o d carriers.

Baltimore____ 31.3 34.4 34.4
B oston...........
35.0 35.0 35.0
Chicago........ ..... 40.0 40.0 42.5
Cincinnati......... 42.5 42.5 42.5
C leveland_____ 31.3 I 31.3 31.3
35.0 35.0
D allas.

125.0

40.0 56.3
40.0 42.5
45.0 50.0
f42. 5
/
[45.0 }50.0 \
40.0 j-55.0
45.0

[28.1 }S5.0
f37.5 37.5
[40.6 40.6
35.0
D etroit.
35.0 /\40.0
40
0
In d ia n a p o lis .. .
9
42.5
K ansas City,Mo. 37.5 45.0

37.5
40.6
35.0
40.0
40.0
42.5
45.0

L ittle R o ck ___
34.4
Los A ngeles___ 134.4
[40.6 40.6
135.0
L ouisville.......... [38.0 35.0
38.0
M em phis........... 30.0 30.0
M ilw aukee____ 32.5 35.0

34.4
40.6 j-40. 6 50.0
35.0 j4 5 .0
45.0
38.0
30.0 37.5 50.0
35.0 140.0
[42.5 j-50.0

D enver

75.0 87.5
50.0 70.0
57.5 100.0
65. 0 j 85.0
57.5
57.5 87.5

35.0 35.0 s a o
43. 53.1
46.9 56.3 j 65.6 / 75.0
\ 78. 1
4a 0 ^50.0
65. 0 100.0
43.
42. 5 47.5
/ 72.5
45.0 50.0 J- 55.0 \ 75.0
47.5 50.0 62.5 90.0
30.0 40.0

50.0

53.1
50.0

50.0
5A 0

45
44
44
45

33

45
44
44
45

44
44
44
45

87.5

48

35

44

35

44

44

7a 0

44

F ebruary, inclusive.

[ 589]

33

75.0 J- 44
78.1
75.0 48
67.5
7 a 0 I 44
90.0 44

55.0 80.0
75.0 62.5
70.0 70.0

38 48 hours p er week, N ovem ber to A pril, inclusive.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

33

62.5 62.5
75.0 75.0

33 44 hours per week, N ovem ber to M arch, inclusive.
33 48 hours per week, Septem ber to A pril, inclusive.

3748 hours per week, D ecember to

45
44
44
45

87.5
70.0
100.0
85.0

44

44
44
44

44
49|

44
49!

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

49!
44

44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

.....

37

54

54

49!

44

44

44

44

44

44

48

44
44

44
44

44
44

50

50

44
48

48

48

48

44

44
48 38 44

104

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C CU PA TIO N S—Con.
H o d c a r rie r s —Concluded.
R ate p er ho u r (cents).

H ours per week.

C ity.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

35.0 35.0 37.5
37.5 37.5 37.5
40.0
35.0 35.0 /25.0
\40.0
125. 0 25.0 30.0
\40.0 40.0 45.0

45.0
42.5
40.0
|l5 . 0
30.0
45.0

45.0
47.0
50.0
60.0
45.0
55.0 j

60.0

P o rtlan d , Oreg. 50.0 50.0 50.0
8 .1 28.1
P ro v id e n e e .. . . /2
\30. 0 30.0 |30.0
142.5
47.5
St. Louis........... \45.0 47.5
50.0 50.0
St. P a u l............
37.5
137.5 37.5 37.5
S alt L ake C ity. \50.0
50.0 50.0

50.0
35.0
47.5
50. 0
40.6
43.8
.56.3

62.5
38.0
46.9
55.0
40.6
56.3
62.5

75.0 93.8 90.0
50.0 65.0 55.0
62.5 j 70.0 85.0
65.0
60.0 80.0 80.0
62.5 87.5 75.0 j
68.8 93.8 81.3

48
50

50.0
35.0
50.0
31.3

52.5
35.0
62.5
50.0

75.0
50.0
75.0
62.5

N ew ark, N. J.
New Y o r k .. .
O m a h a ...........
P h ilad e lp h ia .
P itts b u r g h ...

San F ran cisco ..
S c ra n to n ............
S e a ttle ...............
W ash in g to n___

50.0 50.0
30.0 30.0
43.8 43.8
/2 3 .1 }28.1
\28.1

50.0
35.0
43.8
28.1

50.0 87.5
50.0 87.5
55.0 75.0
70.0 100.0

87.5
87.5
75.0
85.0

44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44

44

44

44

44

44

48
50

48
50

48
50

48
50

44
50

44
44

44
44

44

44

44

44

44
48
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44
44
48 39 44 39 44 39 44 39 44
44
44
44
40
44
44
44
45 « 45 •io 45 40 45 io 45 io 45

44
44
40
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

48
44
441
44
44

44
44
441
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44

44
44
90.0 100.0 /\ 44
j44
49

93.8 100.0
58.5 70.0
75. 0 75. 0
75.0 75.0 «

I n s id e w ir e m e n .
A tla n ta ........
B altim o re ...
B irm ingham
B o sto n..........
B uffalo.........

44.5
43.8
62.5!
55.0
45.0

C harleston, S
C hicago........
C in c in n ati...
C lev elan d . . .
D allas...........

33.3
75.0
50.0
57.5;
56.3

D en v er.........
D e tro it.........
F a ll R iv e r..
In d ian ap o lis
Jacksonville.

43.8
50.0
60.0
50.0

43.8
50.0
62.5
56.3

38.9
50.0
50.0
65.0
62.5

55.0
70.0
62.5
70.0
70.0

75.0
53.1

33.3
75.0
62.5
75.0
65.0

57.0
81.3
68.8

62.5

33.3
75.0
56.3
70.0
62.5

81.3
80.0

80.0
87.5
71.9
90.0
87.5

56.3
46.9
37.5
47.5
45.0

56.3
53.1
37.5
47.5
45.0

60.0
59.4
41.0
53.0
45.0

62.5
66.9
50.0
57.0
45.0

82.5
75.0
60.0
67.5
65.0

82.5
93.8
70.0
72. C
85.0

K an sas City,Mo.
L ittle R o ck '.. . .
Los A ngeles---Louisville..........
M an c h e ste r___

62.5
50.0
50.0
40.0
31.3

68.8 65.0 68.8 75.0

50.0
50.0
40.0
34.4

50.0
50.0
40.0
37.5

50.0
50.0
45.0
42.5

M em phis...........
M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis___
N ew ark, N . J . . .
New H a v e n ___

45.0
45.0
50.0
56. 3

50.0
5Ö. 0
56.3
62.5

50.0
50. 0
56.3
62.5
44.5

56.3
56.3
56.3
62.5
60.0

N ew O rle a n s...
N ew Y o rk ........
O m ah a...............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P itts b u rg h ........

45.0
56.3
50.0
45.0
57.5

50.0
60.0
50. 0
45.0
57.5

50.0
GO. 0
57.5
50.0
62.5

50.0
65.0
57.5
56.3
62.5

56.3
43.8
43.8
65.0
St. P aul............ 46.9

56.3
50.0
43.8
75.0
53.1

P o rtla n d , Oreg.
P rovidence.......
R ichm ond, V a .
S t. Louis...........

68.8

55.0
62.5
50.0
00.0

62.5
56.3
68. S
68.8
60. 0

56.3
65.0
70.0
65.0
68.8

75.0 90.0 90.0
70.0 92.5 112.5
80.0 100.0 100.0
77.5 100.0 100.0
70.0 90.0 90.0
80.0 80.0
125.0 125. 0
100.0 100.0

125.0 137.5
100. 0 112.5
100.0 100.0

125.0 100.0
85.0 90.0

54
44
441
48
44

48
44
44
42 4 8

54
48
48 « 48
44
44
44
44
42 48
44

44
44
44
44
44

43 54 43 54 44 48 44 48
44
44
44
44
44
44™ 44-Ì 44-1 44t 441
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44

44
44
48 « 4 8
48
48

100.0 100.0 45 48
100.0 100.0 48

45 4 g

45

44
48
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

87.5 100.0 100.0
75.0 87.5 87.5
80.0 100. C 100. C
75.0 75.01100.0
75.0 100.0 100.0

48
48
48
48
48

44
44
44
44
44
48 46 48 46 48 46 48 46 48
48
48
48
48
44
48
48
48
48
44
44
48
48
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

75.0 100.0 100.0
75.0 85.0 100.0
68.8 81. 3 100.0
75.0 100.0 112.5
75. 0 82. 5 93. 8

48
44
48
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

4-1
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

70.0
75.0
87.5
75.0
75.0

48
44
44
44
48

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

90.0 100.0
112.5 112.5
112.5 112.5
100.0 112.5
100.0 125.0

56.3 56.3 72.2 80.0 100.0
50.0 55.0 60.0 70.0 85.0
43.8 50.0 60.0 75.0 75.0
75.0 75.0 75.0 87.5 100.0
56.3 62.5 68.8 68.8 81.3
39 48 hours p er week, October to A pril, in clu siv e.
40 44J hours p er week, O ctober to A pril, inclusive.
41 44 hours p er week, A ugust to Decem ber, inclusive.
42 44 hours per week, Ju n e to A ugust, inclusive.
43 491 hours p er week, Ju n e 15 to Septem ber 15.
44 44 hours per week, J u n e 15 to Septem ber 15.
45 44 hours per week, Ju n e to Septem ber, inclusive.
46 44 hours per week, Ju ly to S eptem ber, inclusive.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

54
48
48
44
44
44
44
48 42 48

[590]

100.0

115.0
75.0
125.0
100.0

105

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C C U PA T IO N S—Con.
I n s id e w ir e m e n —Concluded.
R a te p er hour (cents).

H ours per week.

1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

City.

Salt L ake C ity .
San F ran cisco ..
S cranton............
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington___

56.3
62.5
46.9
62.5
55.0

62.5
62.5
46.9
62.5
60.0

62.5
62.5
50.0
62.5
60.0

62.5
75.0
60.0
75.0
60.0

75.0 87.5 112.5 90.0
75.0 87.5 112.5 125.0
62.5 75.0 95.0 87.5
87.5 100.0 112.5 112.5
75.0 100. Oj 100.0 106.3

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
40
44

44
44
44
40
44

44
44
44
40
44

48!
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
44
44
44
44

M a chin e o p e ra to rs: B o o h a n d jo b .
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h am . . .
B oston...............
Buffalo...............
Charleston, S.C.
C hicago.........
C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................
D enver...............

46.9
52.5
45.8
50.0

46.9
54.5
47.9
50.0
37.5

46.9
54.5
47.9
50.0
37.5

50. o!
57.;
50.0
53.1
50.0

50.0
57.;
54.2
59. 4
50.0

60.4
57. ;
59.4
59.4
50.0

!

1

81.3 83.3
78.1 80.0
77.1 91.5
71.£ 95.5
50.0 103.4

48
48
48
48

50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 60.2 77.9 98.8 109.2
49. ( 52.1 52.1 54.2 54.2 58.3 81.3 104.5
53.8 53.8 53.8 62.5 62.5 68.8 87.5 93.8
4712.5 4712.5 4712.5 4712.C 4712.0 47 12. 0 «15.0 47 15. 0
54.2 54.2 54.2 54.2 59.4 65.6 81.3 81.3

48
48
48
48
48

48
48:
481
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

44
44
48
44

48

D etroit...............
Fall R iv e r........
In d ia n a p o lis ...
Jacksonville__
K ansasCity,M o

55.0 55.0 55.0 60.5
45.8
50.0 50.0 50.0 56.3
43.8 52.1 52.1 53.1
55.2 57.3 57.3 57.3

60.5
46.9
56.3
53.1
62.5

85.0
46.9
60.4
58.3
69.8

100.0 100.0
62 5 72.7
81.3 100.0
75.0 102.3
78.1 84.4

48

48

48

48

48

48

48

48

48
48
48

48
48
48

48
48
48

48
48
48

48
48
48

48
48
48

48
48
48

48

L ittle R o ck ___
Los Angeles___
Louisville..........
M anchester.......
M em phis...........

50.0
58.3
49.0
35.4
62.5

50.0
60.4
50.0
35.4
56.3

50.0
60.4
50.0
35.4
56.3

50.0
60.4
50.0
37.5
56.3

50.0
62.5
52.1
39.6
56.3

50.0
70.8
54.2
41.7
68.8

72.9 72.9
81.3 104.5
54.2 79.2
66.7 77.3
93.8 93.8

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis___
N ewark, N . J . .
New H a v en ___
New Y o rk ........

47.9
50.0
47.9
45.8
54.2

52.1
50.0
47.9
45.8
54.2

52.1
50.0
50.0
45.8
54.2

54.2
52.1
50.0
45.8
54.2

54.2
52.1
56.3
45. 8
58.3

60.4
61.5
72.9
45.8
75.0

75.0 87.5
87.5 87.5
91.7 111.4
58.3 58.3
93.8 113.6

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

O m aha...............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........
P ortlan d , Oreg.
Providence.......

50.0
43.8
47.9
65.6
47.9

53.1
45.8
50.0
65.6
47.9

53.1
45.8
52.1
65.6
47.9

53.1
47.9
52.1
65.6
47.9

53.1 68.8 87.5 93.2
54.2 64.6 93.8 93.8
56.3 68.8 87.5 108.8
68.8 100.0 100.0 110.0
52.1 54.2 72.9 79.2

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48
48

4S
48
48
48
48

48
48
48
48

R ichm ond, V a .
St. Louis...........
St. P a u l.............
Salt Lake C ity .

41.7
50.0
50.0
56.3

45.8
50.0
50.0
56.3

45.8
52.1
50.0
56.3

45.8
54.2
52.1
56.3

45.8
59.6
52.1
56.3

48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 48

48
48
48
48

48

48
48
48
48
42
so 48 50 48

44
48

San F ran cisco .. 64.4 64.4 65.0 65.0
S cranto n........... 45. S 45.8 45.8 50.0
Seattle 49...........
75.0 75.0 78.6
W ashington___ 50.0 50.0 50.0 56.3

54.2
63.8
61.5
64.6

62.5 62.5
87.5 101.0
83.3 87.5
75.0 75.0

68.8 68.8 81.3 104.5
50.0 54.2 81.3 85.4
85 7 107 1 121 4 121 4
56.3 75.0 87.5 95.5

45
48
48

45
48
42
48

48
48
42
48

48
48
42
48

48
48
«

44
44

48
44

48
44

48

48
48
44

48
44
44

48
44
44

48
44

48
48

44

M a c h in e o p e r a to rs, d a y w o rk : N e w s p a p e r .
A tla n ta .............
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h am . . .
B oston...............
B uffalo..............

47 8. 5 47 8.5 47 8.5 47 8. 5 47 8. 5 47 8.5 47 9.0 «10.5

48
48
48
48
48
48 48
48
53.6 59.5 59.5 61.9 61.9 65.5 93.3 93.3 42
42
42
42
42
42 45
45
52.5 54.5 55.5 56.5 57.5 67. 5 67.5 110.0 62 4 2 52 42 S2 42 5242 5242 52 42 52 42 5242
63.0 63.0 63.0 68.0 68.0 83.0 95.0 95.0 66 42 30 42 30 42 30 42 30 42 3042 3042 3042
50.0 50.0 50.0 53.1 59.4 65.6 71.9 87.5 48
48
48
48
48
48 48
48
47 P er 1,000 ems nonpareil.
48 45 hours per week, Ju n e to A ugust, inclusive.
43 F o r th e years 1918 to 1921, inclusive, th e ra te s are for m ach in ist operators.
60 44 hours per week, for 3 m onths, betw een Ju n e 1 an d Sept. 30.
62 M inimum; m axim um , 8 hours per day, 48 per week.
30 A ctual hours w orked, m inim um 6, m ax im u m 8 hours p er d a y , 48 hours per week.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[591]

106

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G ES A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C CU PA TIO N S—Con.
M a c h in e o p e r a to r s , d a y w o r k ; N e w s p a p e r —Concluded.
R ate p er hour (cents).

H ours per week.

City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921
32 39 32 39 52 39 3239 52 42 52 42
45
45
45 52 45 52 45 52 45

Charleston, S.C.
Chicago..............
C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................

47 9.0 47 9.0 « 9 .0 47 9.0 « 9 .0 « 9 .0 57.1 108. 3 8239 3239
6250.0 5350.0 3350.0 3350.0 3453.C 55 64. 0 » 7 2 .0 «96.0 48
45
52.1 56.3 56.3 56.3 56.3 87.5 107. 3 107.3 3«47§ 48
53.8 53. 8 53.8 62.5 62.5 68.8 87.5 93.8 48
48
4712.5 «12.5 « 12.0 « 12.0 « 12.0 4712.0 « 15.0 «15.0 39 37 39

57 39 37 39 67 39 37 39 57 39 37 39

D enver...............
D e tro it...............
F all R iv e r........
In d ia n a p o lis ...
Jacksonville___

63.3
55.0
45.8
50.0
479.0

63.3
55.0
45.8
50.0
52. .1

63.3
55.0
45.8
50.0
52.1

63.3
60. 5
45. 8
56.3
52.1

72.7
60.5
46.9
56.3
55.2

72.7
74. 5
50.0
60.4
58.3

97.8
87.0
75.0
81.3
83.3

97.8
87.0
79.2
93.8
83.3

45
45
48 58 48
48
48
48
48
45 58 48

45
45
45
45 45
45
58 48 58 48 58 48 58 48 58 48 58 48
48
48
48
48 48
48
48
48
48
48 48
48
58 48
48
48 48
48
48

K an sas City, Mo 59.4
L ittle R o ck ___ 47 9.5
Los Angeles___ 62.2
Louisville.......... 49.0
M anchester....... 35.4

59 4
65.0
64.4
50.0
35.4

59.4
65.0
64.4
50.0
35.4

59.4
65. 0
66.7
54.2
37.5

59.4
65.0
66.7
54.5
39.6

68.8

90.6
90.5
86.7
87. 5
66.7

90.6
90.5
86.7
82.9
70.8

48
42
45
48
48

78.6
75.6
62.5
41.7

48
42
45
48
48

M em phis...........
M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis---N ew ark, N. J . . .
N ew H a v en ___

47 9.5 « 9 .5 « 9.5 47 9.5 47 9.5 « 9 .5 47 12. 0 «12.5 32 45 52 45

N ew Y o rk ........
O m aha...............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........
P o rtlan d , O reg.
Providence.......
St. Louis...........
St. P a u l.............
Salt L ake C ity .
San F rancisco..
Scran to n ...........
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington__

66.7 66.7 66.7 66.7 71.1 96.7 122.2 122.2 45
45
50.0 53.1 53.1 53.1 53.1 68.8 87.5 87.5 48
48
45.8 45.8 45.8 45.8 52.1 66.7 81.3 79.2 48
48
55.0 60.0 60.0 61.0 65.0 77.0 87.5 111.8 48 52 45
68.3 68.3 68.3 68.3 72.7 100.0 106.7 106.7 45
45
47.9 50.0 50.0 50.0 52.1 66.7 87.5 100.0 48
48
« 11.0 « 11.0 « 11.0 «11.5 «11.5 « 11. 5 « 15.0 «15.0 39 39 59 39
54.5 54.5 54.5 54.5 63.0 63.0 94.0 94.0 48
48
« 10.0 « 10.0 « 10.0 « 10.0 « 10.0 « 11.0 82 11. 0 « 11.0 48 so 48
64.4 69.0 69.0 69.0 68.9 75.6 93.3 107.8 45
42
47.9 47.9 47.9 52.1 52.1 60.4 81.3 87.5 48
48
75. 0 75.0 75.0 78.6 80.1 100.0 114.3 114. 3 42
42
60.7 60.7 60.7 60.7 69.8 92.9 104.0 104.0 42
42

45.8 50.0 50.0 54.2 56.3

56.3

77.1 93.8

76.1
50.0

89.1 110.9
72.9 79.2

4710.0 « 10.0 « 10.0 « 10.0 « 10.0 « 10.0 4711.0 «12.5

60.9 60.9 60.9 63.0 69.6
46.9 47.9 47.9 50.0 50.0

48
48
46
48

48
48

48
48
46
48

48
42
45
48
48

48
48

48
42
45
48
48

48
48

48
42
45
48
48

45
48

48
48

48
42
45
48
48

48
42
45
48
48

45
48

48
42
45
48
48

63 45 52 45 32 45 52 45 52 45 52 45

48
48
46
48

48
48
46
48

48
48
46
48

48
48
46
48

4S
48
46
48

48
48
46
48

45
45
45
45 45
45
48
48
48
48 48
48
48
48
48
48 48
48
32 45 52 45 52 45 52 45 48
46§
45
45
45 45
45
45
48
48
48 48
48
48
69 39 59 42 59 42 59 42 46
46
48 31 48 3148 3148 3148
48
60 48 60 48 so 48 60 48 oo 46J 39 46*
42
42
45
45 45
45
48
48
48
48 48
48
42
42
42
42 42
42
42
42
42
42 42
42

M a c h in is ts, m a n u fa c tu r in g sh o p s.
35.0
33.3
35.0
J38.9
(43. 8
B uffalo............... 37.5
A tla n ta ..............
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h am . . .
B oston...............

35.0
37.5
40.0
28.0
42.0
37.5

Charleston, S.C.
36.1
Chicago.............. 39.0 J41.7
(43.5
(25.0 j-32.5
C incin n ati......... (35.0
C leveland..
33.3 35.0
D a lla s................ 40.0 42.0

35.0
37.5
45.0
35.0
42.0
40.0

40.0
147.0
(65.0
'47.5
jöO. 0

55.0
62.0
68. 8 j60.0
55.0

40.0 55.0

38.9 42.8 59.0
j 46.9 55.0 65.0
35.0 42.0 42.0
45.0 45.0 60.0
42.0

70.0
75.0

80.0
75.0
68.0 78.5
65.0 /( 75.0
90. 0
73.0 73.0

80.0
85.0
75.0
75.0
90.0
65.0

73.0 90.0 90.0
80.0 100.0 90.0
50.0
60.0
70.0

75.0 75.0
75.0 65.0
80.0 80.0

81 M axim um ; m inim um , 45 hours per week.
47 P e r 1,000 ems nonpareil.
52 M inim um ; m ax im u m 8 hours p er day, 48 per week.
58 For 3,500 ems p er hour; 55 cents for 4,500 ems, a n d 1 cent
54 For 3,500 ems p er hour; 58 cents for 4,500 ems, a n d 1 c en t
55 For 3,500 ems p er hour; 70 cents for 4,500 ems, a n d 1 cent
56 w ork 47J hours, p aid for 48.
57 M axim um ; m in im u m , 5J hours per day, 33 per week.
68 M axim um ; m in im u m , 7 hours p er d ay, 42 per week.
69 M inim um ; m ax im u m , 7§ hours p er day, 46 p e r week.
60 M axim um ; m inim um , 6J hours per d a y , 39 p er week.
61 Per 1,000 ems nonpareil, a n d 45 cents per d ay bonus.
62 P er 1,000 ems nonpareil, a n d $1 per d ay bonus.
63 44 hours p er week, Ju n e to S eptem ber, inclusive.
64 Per 1,000 ems nonpareil, a n d $1.25 p er d ay bonus.
65 For 4,000 ems per hour; 105 cents for 4,500 ems, a n d 1 cent


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[592]

60
54
60
48
54
54

60
48
60
50
54
54

54
48
54 \/ 54
}
55 521
54 54
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60
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54
50
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54
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50 {
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48
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48
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44
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48

50
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48
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48
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48
50
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48
50
48

48
50
48

for each 100ems over 4,500 per hour.
for each 100ems over 4,500 per hour.
for each 100ems over 4,500 per hour.

for each 100 ems over 4,500 per hour.

107

WAGES AND HOUES OF LABOR.

U N IO N SCA LE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C CU PA TIO N S—Con.
M a c h in is ts , m a n u f a c tu r in g s h o p s —Concluded.
R ate p er hour (cents).

H ours p er week.

C ity.
1913 1915 1916 1917

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

D e n v er.........
40.0 42.5 52.0
Indianapolis
47.5 62.5
K ansas City,M o 37.0 40.0 50.0 50.0 75.0
L ittle R o ck ___ 42.5 42.5 42.5 45.0 60.0
Los Angeles.

68.0

M em phis...........
42.0
50.0 55.0
M anchester___
M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis___
33.5
40.0 40.0
133. i
New H a v en ___ \35. (
42.5 50.0 60.0
50.0 68.8
73.0
56.3 /1.82.0
145.0 [60.0
(50.0
P h ila d e lp h ia ... 33.3 35.0 45.0 48.0 165.0
(72.5

54

54

54

54
54

54
54

48
54

51
5C
48
54

48
48
48
54

48
48
48
48
48

48
45
44
45
48

48
45
44
48
48

70.0 100.0 100.0
40.0 50. C 50.0
65.0 75.0 62.5
72.5 90.0 90.0
60.0 80.0 72.0 /
1

54

54

54

48

48

59 59
54 ) . . . .
59

48

54
48

54
48

48
48
521
48'
48

48
48
48
44
48

48
48
48
44
48

80.0
73.0
90.0
70.0
72.01
80.0 j

80.0
80.0
90.0
85.0

80.0
85.0
95.0
85.0

54
48
51
54

54
48 j
51
54

48
48

48
48

48
48

48
48

54

54

54

54 /
\

48
48
54

48
48
54

44
48
44
48

80.0 75.0

54
48
54

48
48 r
\
48
48

48

45.0 50.0 75.0
35.5 {sLo}57'0
37.0 44.0 60.0
40.0 40.0 40.0

80.0
75.0
70.0
72.5

88.0
75.0
85.0
90.0

88.0
68.0
90.0
90.0 /
\

48
55
54
54 }
59

48
55
54
54

48
55 /\
54
54

48
48
55 }
54
54

48
50
48
54

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
44

44
48
48
44

43.0
50.0
45.0
40.6
50.0

75.0
80.0
80.0

87.5
90.0
88.0
81.3
86.0

87.5
90.0
80.0
90.0 }
86.0

48
48
48
48

54
48
48
48

54
48
48
48

48
48 44
48 a 48 44
48 44
48
48 «48
48

60
54
54
54
54

60
54
54
54
54

60
54
54
54
48

54
48
54
54
48

54 54
54 b 54
54 54
54 54
54 54

54
b 54
54
54
54

New O rle a n s... 38.9 38.9 43.
38.2
New Y o rk ......... 138.2
(40. 40. [46.9
O m a h a .............. 40.0 40.0 40.0

P ortland, Oreg.
R ichm ond, V a ­
s t. Louis...........
St. P a u l ............

45.0
35.5
33.0
33.5

45.0
35.5
37.0
35.0

S ait Lake C ity.
San Francisco-.
S eattle...............
W ashington—

44.0
43.8
45.0
40.6

43.0
43.
45.0
140.6
\50.0

56.3
50.0
50.0
50.0
55.0

62.5
72.5
75.0
57.5
68.0

72.0 85.0
70.0 80.1 80. f
75.0 100.0 100.0
68.0 85.0 85. C
70.0 70. C 70. C

68. f

78.0

j

a 48 a 48
44
44
44
44
a 48 a 48

H o ld e r s , ir o n .
A tla n ta ..............
B altim ore..........
B oston...............
Buffalo...............
Chicago..............

35.0
36.1
38.9
36.1
44.4

35.0
36.1
38.9
36.1
44.4

35.0
36.1
44.4
41.7
50.0

41.7
46. t
50. C
47.2
56.3

C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D enver...............
D etro it...............
F a ll R iv e r........

36.1
38.9
44.4
38.9
33.3

38.9
38.9
44.4
38.9
33.3

44.4
38.9
44.4
44.4
36.1

44.4
44.4
50.0
50.0
41.7

50.0

68.8

70.0 80.0
68.8 93.8
58.3 90.0
58.3 88.0
80.0 105.0

55.5
61.1
59.4
61.1
50.0

58.3 81.3 75.0
61.1 90.0 75.0
75.0 80.0- 100.0
80.0 100.0 90.0
65.6 72.5 78.1

68.8

58.3
58.3

In d ia n a p o lis .. . 36.1 36.1 38.9 44.4 55.6
K ansas City,Mo 40.0 40.0 45.0 50.0 60.0
L ittle R o c k ___ 38.9 38.9 38.9 41.7 44.4
Los Angeles___
M anchester.......

55.6
67.5

M em phis...........
M inneapolis___
N ew ark, N . J . .
New O rle a n s...
New Y o rk .........

38.9
36.7
38. 9
36.1
38.9

40.0
38.9
38.9
36.1
41.7

40.0
38.9
41.7
38.9
41.7

40.0
44.4
47.2
50.0
47.2

56.0
55.6
55.6
62.5
52.8

68.0

O m ah a..............
P h ila d e lp h ia ...
P ittsb u rg h ........
P ortland, Oreg.

36.7
36.1
44.4
41.7

40.0
38.9
44» 4
41.7

40.0
44.4
44.4
41.7

45.0
50.0
50.0
56.3

55.6
68.8

68.0

80.0
72.5
72.5
75.0
80.0
75.0

90.0
90.0
80.0
87. 5
72.5
82.0
77.8
88.0

80.0
88.0

80.0
87.5
90.0
75.0
90.0

75.0
54
90.0
54
90.0
54
87.5
90.0 ........
85.0
54
77.8
54
80.0
54
80.0
54
88.0
54

68.0 85.0 93.8
68.8 100.0 90.0

65.6 75.0 93.8 84.4
72.5 87.5 93.8 88.0
a 44 hours p er week, Ju n e to A ugust, inclusive.
b 49J- hours per week, June to A ugust, inclusive.
66 54 hours per week, N ovem ber to April, inclusive.
67 49J hours per week, M ay 19 to Sept. 15.’


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[593]

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108

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C CU PA TIO N S—Con,
M o ld e rs, ir o n —Concluded.
R a te per ho u r (cents).

H ours p er week.

City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
47.2
50.0
47.2
56.3

58.3
61.1
55.6
62.5

70.0
75.0
72.5
75.0

80.0
90.0
90.0
87.5

80.0
85.0
90.0
87.5

54
54
54
54

54
54
54
54

54
54
54
54

54
54
54
48

San Francisco-. 50.0 50.0 50.0 53.1
S cran to n ............ 25.0 27.5 27.5 38.9
S e a ttle ............... 44.4 44.4 44.4 56.3
W ashington—
30.6 34.4 43.8

72.5
58.3
82.5
68.8

80.0
71.9
87.5
68.8

88.0
87.5
88.0
80.0

100.0
75.0
80.0
80.0

48
60
54

48
60
54
54

48
60
54
48

48 68 48
54
54
48
48
48
48

R ichm ond, V a .
St. Ivouis...........
St. P a u l.............
S alt Lake C ity.

33.3
38.9
38.9
41.7

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 192Ì

33.3
38.9
38.9
41.7

33.3
41.7
42.8
44.4

54
54
48
48
48
48
48
54
54
48
48
48
48 68 48 68 48 68 48
44
48
44
48

44
48
44
48

44
48
44
48

P a in te r s .
50.0
56.3
62.5
75.0
56.3

48
60.0 60.0 85.0 69 53 69 53 » 53 99 53
44
44
44
48
44
44
68.8 90.0 90.0
48
48
48
44
44
44
75.0 87.5 87.5
48
48
48
44
44
44.
44
40
44
44
40
40
40
82.5 100.0100.0
40
40
48 63 48 63 48 98 48 70 48 to48 70 48 70 48
62.5 87. 5 87.5

A tla n ta ..............
B altim o re..........
B irm in g h am . . .
B oston...............
B uffalo..............

33.3
37.5
45.0
50.0
43.8

33.3
37.5
45.0
55.0
46.9

33.3
37.5
45.0
60.5
46.9

36.1
43.8
50.0
62.5
50.0

Charleston, S. C
C hicago___. . . .
C in cin n ati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................

25.0
65.0
50.0
50.0
50.0

25.0
70.0
50.0
50.0
50.0

25.0
70.0
55.0
55.0
50.0

1 .3
25.0 /3
\50.0
72.5 75.0
55.0 60.0
55.0 67.5
60.0 70.0

D e n v er..............
D e tro it...............
F a ll R iv e r.........
In d ia n a p o lis .. .
Jackson v id e___

50.0
45.0
37.5
47.5
37.5

50.0
45.0
37.5
50. 0
37.5

55.0
50.0
41.0
50.0
37.5

62.5
60.0
41.0
55.0
45.0

68.8
70.0
55.0
55.0
50.0

85.0
80.0
62.5
70.0
75.0

K ansas City, Mo
L ittle R o ck ___
Los Angeles---L ouisville..........
M anchester.......

60.0
50.0
43.8
45.0

60.0
50.0
43.8
50.0
31.3

60.0
55.0
43.8
50.0
37.5

60.0
55.0
50.0
50.0
37.5

M em ohis...........
M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis___
N ew ark, N . J . .
New H a v en ___

50.0
50.0
50.0
44.0
40.9

52.5
50.0
50.0
44.0
40.9

52.5
50.0
55.0
46.9
40.9

New O rle a n s...
N ew Y o rk .........
O m aha...............
P h ila d e lp h ia ...
P ittsb u rg h ........

40.0
50.0
50.0
42.5
55.0

40.0
50.0
50.0
42.5
58.1

P o rtlan d , Oreg.
I ’rovidence.......
R ichm ond, V a.
St. Louis...........
St. P a u l.............

50.0
45.5
37.5
57.5
50.0

S alt L ak e C ity .
San F ran cisco ..
S c ra n to n ............
S e a ttle ...............
W ash in g to n ___

56.3
56.3
40.0
56.3
50.0

50.0 65.0 65.0 j
65.0 80.0 80.0
87.5 125. O' 125.0
62.5 87.5 100.0
75.0 112.5 112.5
87.5 100.0 100.0

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

48 /\
44
44
44
44

44
48
44
44
44
44

100.0!112.5
100.0 100.0
100.0 100.0
100.0 100.0
87.5 75.0

44
48
44
44
48

44
48
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

70.0
60.0
56.3
50.0
50.0

82.5 100.0 100.0
80.0 100.0! 100.0
75.0 87.5,100.0
62.5 75.0 87.5
62.5 80.0 80.0

44
48
48
48

44
48
48
48
48

44
44
48
48
48

44
44
48
48
48

44
44
44
48
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

60. 0
55.0
55.0
50.0
45.5

62.5
60.0
62.5
62.5
53.1

75.0 100.0 .100.0
70.0 85.0 85.0
70.0 100.0 100.0
75.0 100.0 100.0
62.5 87.5 100.0

44
44
44
44
44

44

4-1

44

44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

40.0
62.5
55.0
42.5
58.1

40.0
62.5
62.5
45.0
65.0

50.0
62.5
62.5
60.0
67.5

65.0
75.0
75.0
75.0
87.5

75.0 90.0
112.5 112.5
100.0:101.3
100. o! 100.0
112.5 112.5

48
44
44

48
44
44

48
44
44

48
44
44

48
44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
40
44
40
44

44
40
44
40
44

50.0
45.5
30.6
62.5
50.0

50.0
45.5
30. 6
62.5
55.0

50.0
50.0
37.5
62.5
55.0

70.0
62.5
50.0
75.0
62.5

90.0 100.0 90.0
62.5 90. C 90.0
60.0 65. C 75.0
75.0 100. C 125.0
70.0 100.0 100.0

48
44
48
44

44
44
54
44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

54
44

48
44

48
44

44
44
48
44

44
44
48
44

44

44

44

44

44

44
44
48
44
44

56.3
62.5
42.5
56.3
50.0

62.5
62.5
45.0
56.3
50.0

75.0
62. 5
50.0
65.0
56.3

75.0
75.0
50.0
75.0
75.0

90.0
87.5
65. C
90.0
75.0

44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

40
44

40
44

40
44

100.0'100.0
106. 3 106.3
87.5 87.5
100.0 93.8
90. OIIOO.O
1

68 44 hours per week, Ju n e to A ugust, inclusive.
69 W ork 53 hours, p a id for 54.
79 44 hours p er week, Ju ly to M arch, inclusive.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[5 9 4 ]

44

48
44
44

44
44
44
40
44

109

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR,

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G ES A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C C U PA T IO N S—Con.
P la s te r e r s .
R a te p er hour (cents)

H ours per week.

City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

A tla n ta ..............
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h a m . . .
B oston ...............
B uffalo ..............

45.0
62.5
62.5
65.0
60.0

45.0
62.5
62.5
65.0
60.0

100. 0 100.0
112.5 125.0
75. 0 100.0
100.0 125. 0

Charleston, S. C.
Chicago..............
C in c in n ati.........
C leveland..........
D a lla s................

40.0
75.0
68. 8
62.5
75.0

40.0 40.0 40.0 50.6 75.0
75.0 75.0 75.0 81.3 87.5
75.0 75.0 75.0 75.0 87. 5
68.8 68.8 75.0 85.0 90.0
87.5 87.5 87.5 100.0 112.5

45.0
62.5
62.5
70.0
60.0

45.0 50.0
68.8 72.0
62. 5 62. 5
70.0 70.0
65.0 70.0

75.0 75.0 75.0 87.5 87.5

60.0
87. 5
75.0
80.0
85.0

53
44
44
40
44

49*
44
44
40
44

49* 44
44
44
44
44
40
40
44 72 40

44
44
44
40
40

100.0 85.0 73 53 73 53 73 53 73 53
44
44
44
125. 0 44

100.0 100.0

125.0
100. 0
125.0
112.5

53
53
53
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
40
48 7144 7i 44

44"
44

44*
44'
44

44*
44'
44

48
44
44*
44
44

48
44
44*
44"
44

48
44
44*
44"
44

48
44
44*
44
44

44
44
48
44*
48

44
44
48
44*
48

44
44
44
44*
48

44
44
44
44*
48

44
44
44
44*
44

44
44
44
44*
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

112.5
125.0
150.0

44*
44"
44

125.0 125.0
125.0 125.0
115.0 115.0
100.0 112. 5
87.5 87.5

D en v er...............
D e tro it...............
F all R iv e r.........
In d ia n a p o lis .. .
Jacksonville----

55.0 60.0 60.0 65.0 75.0
62. 5 68. 8 68.8 72.0 75.0
56.3 62.5 56.3 56.3 68.8

K ansas City,M o
L ittle R o c k ___
Los Angeles---L ouisville..........
M an c h e ste r.. . .

75.0
62.5
75.0
65.0
50.0

75.0
62.5
75.0
65.0
50.0

75.0
62.5
75.0
65. 0
60.0

75.0
75.0
62. 5
65.0
60.0

87.5 100.0 120.0 120.0
75.0 87.5 112.5 112.5
75.0 87.5 112.5 125.0
70.0 75.0 100.0 112.5
75.0 90.0 112.5 112.5

44
48
44
44
48

44
44
44
48 74 44 74 44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44

M em phis............
M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis---N ew ark, N. J . . .
New H a v e n ----

75.0
65. C
70.0
65.0
60.0

75.0
65.0
70.0
65.0
60.0

75.0
65.0
70.0
70.0
60.0

75.0
65.0
75.0
75.0
65.0

87.5
70.0
75.0
75.0
70.0

87.5
87.5
90.0
87.5
82.5

100.0 112.5
87.5 112.5
112.5 125.0
125.0 125.0

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

New O rle a n s...
N ew Y o rk .........
O m a h a ...............
Philadelphia - - P itts b u rg h ........

62.5
68. 8
75.0
62. 5
62.5

50.0
68. 8
75.0
62. 5
71.9

50.0
75.0
75.0
65.0
75.0

62.5
75.0
75.0
70.0
75.0

62.5
75.0
80.0
75.0
75.0

75.0
93. 8
87.5
80.0
85.0

100.0 100.0
118. 8 125. 0

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
40
44

100.0

44
44
48
44
44

87.5 87.5 100.0 125.0 112.5
87. 5 100.0 112. 5 125.0 137.5
65.0 70.0 80.0 100.0 150. C
87. 5 100.0 112.5 125. 0! 125.0
70.0 70.0 87. 5 100. 0.125.0

68.8 68.8 68.8 75.0 75.0

P o rtlan d , O reg. 75.0 75.0
Providen ce. . . . 62.5 62.5
37. 5
St. L o u is........... 75.0 75.0
62. 5
62.5
St. P a u l.............
Salt Lake C ity .
San F ran cisco ..
Scranto n............
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington—

75.0
87. 5
55.0
75.0
62. 5

75.0
87.5
60.0
75.0
62. 5

87. 5
87.5
85.0
87.5
75.0

100.0 100.0

112.5 125.0
125.0 125.0
115.0 125.0

75.0 75.0 87.5 110.0 112.5
62.5 68.8 68.8 80.0 100.0
62. 5 75.0
75.0 75.0 87. 5 100.0 125.0
70.0 70.0 75.0 90.0 112.5
75.0
87.5
65.0
75.0
62. 5

112.5
115.0
87.5
137.5

44

44

74 4 4

7144

44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
40
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
40
44

45
44
44
40
44

45
44
44
40
44

45
44
44
40
44

45
44
44
40
44

45
44
44
40
44

44
44

44
44

44
40

44
40

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
40
44
44
44

44
40
44
44
44

44
40
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
40
44
40
44

44
40
44
40
44

44
40
44
40
44

44
40
44
40
44

44
40
44
40
44

44
40
44
40
44

P la s te r e r s ’ la b o rers.
B oston...............
Chicago..............
C in cin n ati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................
D enver..............
D etro it...............
In d ia n a p o lis.. .
K ansas City, Mo
Los A ngeles__

J40.0 j-U. 5
\41. 5
48.0 50.0
45. 0 45.0
35.0 35.0
30. 0

45.0
50.0
45.0
35.0

45.0
50.0
45.0
45.0

50.0
56.3
50.0
55.0
35. 0

60.0 80.0 80.0
62. 5 106.3 106.3
65. 0 85.0 85.0
57.5 87.5 87.5
35.0 50.0 75. 0

44
44
45
48
44

44
44
45
44

40
44
45
44

40
44
45
44

40
44
45
44
48

40
44
45
44
48

40
44
45
44
44

40
44
45
44
44

43.8 43.8 43.8
37.5 43.8 43.8
42. 5
37.5 45.0 45.0
61.4 56.3 56.3

50.0
50.0
45. 0
50.0
50.0

59.4
50.0
50.0
55.0
62.5

81.3 81.3
75.0
75.0 70.0
68.8 90.0 90.0
75.0 100.0 112.5

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
40

44
44
48
48

44

44

44

48
44

48
44

44
44
48
44

44
44

48
44

754 4

47
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

68.8

75.0
55.0

100. 0

L ouisville.......... 38.0 38.0 38.0 45.0 45.0 55.0 55.0
50.0 50.0 75.0
M em phis........... 32.5
M ilw aukee........ 32.5 37.5 37.5 42.9 50.0 55.0 70.0
M inneapolis— 40.6 7845.0 7845.0 50.0 55.0 60.0 85.0
71 48 h o u rs per w eek, N ov. 16 to M ar. IS.
72 44 hours per week, N ov. 14 to M ay 14.
73 W ork 53 hours, paid for 54.
7i 48 h o u rs per week, October to M arch, inclusive.
7» 48 hours per week, N ovem ber to A pril, inclusive.
70 F or tenders.

63444°— 21-


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

-8
[ 595]

80.0
62. 5
85.0
85.0

44

110

M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW,

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G ES A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C CU PA TIO N S—Con.
P la s te r e r s ' la b o re rs —Concluded.
R a te per ho u r (cents).

H ours p e r week.

City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
N ew ark, N . J . . .
New O rle a n s...
New Y o rk .........
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........

35.0
22.5
40.6
44.0
40.0

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

37.5
22.5
43.8
44.0
45.0

45.0
28.3
46.9
46.9
45.0

45.0 50.0 87.5 87.5
50.0 50.0
28.3 /\ 35.0
45.0 65.0 65.0 }4 8
56.3 62.5 87.5 93.8 44
50.0 62.5 110. 0110.0 44
55.0 60.0 90.0100.0 44

P o rtlan d , Oreg. 7650.0 7650.0 7650.0
Pro v id en ce.......
St. Louis........... ” 56.3 56.3 56.3
S alt Lake C ity . 56.3 56.3 56.3

50.0
45.0
56.3
62.5

62.5
50.0
62.5

San F rancisco.. 62.5 62.5 62.5
S c ra n to n ...........
35. 0
S e a ttle ............... 50.0 50.0 50.0
W ashington___ 31.3 31.3 31.3

62.5
35. 0
62.5
37.5

68.8

22.5
40.6
43.
40.0

68.8

35. 0
75.0
50.0

75.0 93.8
55.0 75.0
75.0 87.5
75.0 100.0

90.0
75.0
100. 0
87.5

87.5 106. 3 112. 5
50.0 58.5 70. 0
87.5 87.5 87.5
50.0 75.0 62.5

44
48
44
44
44

44
48
41
40
44

44
45
44
40
44

44
45
44
44
44

44
45
44
44
44

44
45
41
44
44

44
45
44
44
44

48

48

48

44
44

44
44

44
44

48
44
44
44

48
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44

44

44
44

44

LI
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

41
44
40
44

40
44
40
44

40
44
40
44

44
44
44
7 948
7948
48
48

44
44
44
4-4
48

41
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44

P lu m b e r s .
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h a m ...
B o sto n...............
B uffalo..............
Charleston, S.C.

50.0
68. 8
60.0
56.3

50.0
75.0
65.0
56.3
43.8

50.0
75.0
65.0
56.3
43. 8

56.3
75.0
68.8
62. 5
50.0

68.8 75.0 87.5 100.0
87.5 112. 5 150.0 150. 0
75.0 80.0 100.0 100.0
68.8 75.0 1 0 0 . 0 100.0
59.0 75.0 100.0 100.0

48
48
44
44
44
44
48 79 48
48

Chicago..............
C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................
D enver...............

75.0
61.8
62.5
68.8
62.5

75.0
61.8
62.5
75.0
62.5

75.0
61.8
68.8
75.0
62.5

75.0
65.6
75.0
81.3
75.0

75.0 84.4 125.0 125.0
65. 6 75.0 100.0 100.0
81.3 90.0 100.0 137.5
87.5 100.0 125.0 137.5
87.5 87.5 100.0 106.3

44
441
44
44
44

44
44J
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
4-4
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

-14
44
41
44
44

D e tro it...............
F all R iv e r.........
In d ia n a p o lis .. .
Jacksonville__
K ansas City,M o

56.3
43.8
62. 5
62. 5
62.5

60.0
43.8
62.5
62.5
68.8

62.5
50.0
62.5
62.5
75.0

68.8
50.0
67.5
62.5
75.0

75.0
56.3
75. C
75. (!
87.5

90.0
67.5
87.5
80.0
100.0

125.0 100.0
100.0 1 0 0 . 0
100.0 125.0
93.8 112.5
100.0 125.0

48
4S
•44
48
48

48
48
44
48
44

44
44
44
48
44

44
44
44
48
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

L ittle R o c k ___
Los Angeles___
Louisville_____
M anchester.......
M em phis...........

56.3
56.3
60. 0
31.3
62. 5

62.5
56.3
60.0
31.3
62.5

62.5
56.3
60.0
47.7
62.5

68.8
62.5
60.0
47.7
62.5

75.0
68.8
70. 0
50.0
81.3

87.5
81.3
70.0
70.0
93.8

125.0 112. 5
112. 5 112.5
80. 0i 100.0
100.0 90.0
125. 0] 125. 0

804 g

81 44
48
44
48
48

8144

48
44
48
48

48
44
44
48

44
48
44
44
48

44
48
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
44

41
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis__
N ew ark, N . J . . .
New H av en ___
New O rle a n s...

62.5
56.3
62.5
50.0
56.3

62.5
62. 5
62.5
54. 5
56.3

62.5
62.5
62. 5
54.5
56.3

62.5
62.5
62. 5
54.5
56.3

68.8
68.8
75.0
62.5
6a 8

75. 0 87.5 100.0
75.0 100.0'100.0
87.5 112.5Ì112. 5
75.0 87. 5| 100.0
80.0 90. 0 100. 0

44
48
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
4-1
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
44

New Y o rk .........
O m ah a...............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........

68.8
68.3
/43. 8
\50.0
62.5

68.8
68.3
43. 8
50.0
68.8

68.8 68.8
6S.3 75.0
43. 8 j-56.3
50.0
68.8 75.0

75.0
75.0
62.5
75.0

75.0 112.5 112.5
87.5 125.0; 125. 0
80.0 90. ojll5. 0
93.8 106. 3Î125.0

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
4-4
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

P o rtla n d ,O re g .
Providence.......
R ichm ond, V a.
St. Louis...........
St. P a u l.............

75.0
56.3
50. 0
66.3
62.5

75.0
56.3
50. 0
75.0
62.5

75.0
56.3
50.0
75.0
62.5

75.0
62.5
50.0
75.0
62.5

81.3 100.0 112. 5)112. 5
75.0 75.0 100. 0!100. 0
62.5 75.0 75.0 75.0
81.3 1 0 0 . 0 125. 0|125. 0
68.8 75.0 87. 5; 100. 0

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

Salt L ake C ity.
San F rancisco..
S cran to n ...........
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington___

75.0
75. 0
50. 0
81.3
50.0

75.0
75.0
53.1
75.0
56.3

75.0
75.0
53.8
75.0
56.3

75.0
81.3
53.8
81.3
56.3

87.5 100.0 112.5 100. 0
87.5 100.0 125.0 125. 0
62.5 75.0 87. 5 87.5
90.0 1 0 0 . 0 112.5 112.5
75.0 87.5 100.0 100.0

44
44
48
44
48

44
44
82 4 4

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
40
44

44
44
44
40
44

44
44
44
40
44

76 F o r tenders.
77 For hepers.
79 44 hours per week,
80 44 hours per week,
87 48 hours per week,
82 48 hours per week,


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Ju n e to A ugust, inclusive.
Ju n e to Septem ber, inclusive.
N ovem ber to A pril, inclusive.
October to A pril, inclusive.

[ 596]

44
48

48
44
44

111

WAGES Aïs D HOURS OF LABOR,

U N IO N SC A LE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O C C U PA T IO N S—Con.
S h e e t-m e ta l w o rk e rs.
i
R ate per h o u r (cents).

H ours p e r week.

O L iy .

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
A tla n ta ..............
B altim ore..........
B irm in g h a m . . .
B oston...............
B uffalo..............

33.3
40. 0
55. C
55. C
45.0

33.3
40.0
55.0
55. 0
50.0

33.3
40. C
50.0
60. C
50.0

33.3
45.8
50.0
60. 0
50.0

Chicago..............
C incin n ati.........
C leveland..........
D allas___ _____
D en v er..............

65. 0
45. C
45.0
50.0
56.3

68.8

70.0
50. C
50 C
62.5
56.3

70.0 70.0
50.0 52.5
60.0 80.0
68.8 75.0
62.5 75.0

D etro it...............
F all R iv e r.........
In d ia n a p o lis .. .
K ansas City,Mo
L ittle R o c k ___

40.0 50.0 50.0 60.0
37.5 43. 8
47.5 55.0 55.0 57.0
57.5 62.5 62.5 62.5
50.0 52.5 52.5 60.0

Los Angeles___
Louisville..........
M anchester. . . .
M emphis...........
M ilw aukee........

56.3
40.0
34.4
45. 0
42.5

60.0 60.0 80.0
80.0 80.0 90.0
75.0 100. C100.6
80.0 100. C 100.0
62.5 87.5 87.5

53
50
48
48
44
44
44
44
48 79 48

50 M50
48
48
44
44
44
44
79 48

75.0
56.0
85.0
87.5
87.5

125.0 125.0
70.0 80.0
125. 0 125.0
100.0 100. 0
100.0 100.0

44
44
48
48
44

44
44
48
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
48
44
44
44

70.0
60.0
60.0
67.5
65.0

80.0
62.5
60.0
70.0
80.0

125.0 100.0
100.0 100.0
100.0 100.0
100. 0 100. 0
100.0 100.0

48

48

48
44
48

44
44
48

48
44
44
44
48

56.3
47.5
34.4
53.1
52.5

68.5
50.0
37.5
62.5
60.0

68.5 100.0 112.5
65.0 80.0 80.0
44.3 100.0 90.0
75.0 100.0 100.0
60.0 67.5 100.0

44
48
48
48
48

44
44
48
48

44
44
48
48

M inneapolis___
N ew ark, N. J . .
New H av en ___
New O rle a n s...
N ew Y o rk .........

50.0 50.0 50.0 50 0
60. 0 60. 0 60.0 62.5
47.7 47.7 50.0 54.5
40.0 40.0 45.0
59.4 62.5 62.5 62.5

56.3
75.0
59.1
68, 8
70.0

70.0
87.5
75.0
80.0
75.0

100.0 100.0
100.0 112.5
87.5 100.0
100.0 100.0
112.5 112.5

48
44
44

O m aha...............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
P ittsb u rg h ........
P o rtlan d , Oreg.
P rovidence.......

42.5
50. 0
55. 0
56.3
46. 0

75.0 112.5 112.5
75.0 110.0 100.0
80.0 90.0 112.5
86.0 100.0 100.0

50.0
50.0
62.5
56.3

56.3
45.0
34.4
50.0
47.5

86

48
44
44
44
41

48
44
44
44
44

48
44
44
44
44

44
48
44
44
44

44
48
44
44
44

44
48
44
44
44

44
48
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44
48

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
48
48
F 48

44
44
41
48

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

OC

48
44
44
44
79 4 8

84 4 8

44
44
44
44

79 4 8

79 4 8

48
44
44
48
44

48
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44

44

48
44
44
48
44

44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

48

85 4 8

42.5
50. 0
60.0
56.3
50.0

50.0
56.3
60.0
65.6
52.0

68.0
70. 0
70.0
82.5
57. 0

55. 0

0

44
44
44
44
44

R ichm ond, V a.
S t. Louis........... 60.0 60. Ó 60.0
St. P a u l............. 50.0 50.0 50.0
Salt Lake C ity. 57.5 62.5 62.5

41.9
62.5
50.0
62.5

50.0
65.0
56.3
62.5

70.0 80.0 80.0
75.0 85.0 125.0
70.0 100.0 100.0
87.5 100.0 90.0

44
48
44

44.
48
44

44
48
44

48
44
44
44

48
44
44
44

48
44
44
44

48
44
44
44

48
44
44
44

San F ran cisco ..
Scranto n ............
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington___

75.0
50.0
68.8
56.3

82.5 100.0 112.5 125.0
56.3 75.0 87.5 87.5
82.5 90.0 100.0 100.0
70.0 75.0 92.5 100.0

44
48
44
44

44
44
44
44j

44
44
44
44J

44
44
44
441

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

63.8
43.8
56.3
50.0

42.5
50.0
57.5
56.3
48.0

56.3
45.0
34.4
50.0
50.0

60. Oi
62.5
65.6
70. 0i
56.3

68.8
46.9
62.5
50.0

68.8
46.9
62.5
50.0

100 100
0

44

44

S to n e c u tte r s .
A tla n ta ..............
B altim ore..........
B oston...............
B uffalo..............
Chicago..............

50.0
50.0
56.3
56.3
62.5

50.0
50.0
56.3
56.3
62.5

50.0
56.3
56.3
56.3
62.5

50.0
56.3
62.5
6.5
70.0

62.5
56.3
70.0
62.5
70.0

75.0
75.0
70.0
75.0
81.3

100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
125.0

100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
125.0

48
44-J
44
48
44

48
44Ï
44
48
44

48
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D allas................
D en v er..............
D e tro it...............

56.3
60.0
62.5
62.5
62.5

60.0
62.5
62.5
62.5
62.5

62. 5
62.5
62. 5
62.5
65.0

65.0
70.0
75.0
62.5
70.0

70.0
77.5
75.0
75.0
70.0

77.5
80.0
87.5
87.5
80.0

115.0
112.5
100.0
100.0
125.0

125.0
125.0
125.0
112.5
112.5

441
44
44
44
44

444
44
44
44
44

44*
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

Indianapolis__
KansasCity,M o.
L ittle R o ck ___
Louisville..........
M em phis...........

56.3
56.3
55.0
56.3
65.0

56.3
62.5
55.0
56.3
65.0

56.3
62.5
55.0
56.3
65.0

62.5 62.5 75.0 100.0
62.5 62.5 75.0 100.0
55.0 60.0 65.0 100.0
60. 0 60.0 75.0 100.0
65.0 75.0 75.0 100.0
Ju n e to A ugust, inclusive.
Ju ly to A ugust, inclusive,
Ju ly to Septem ber, inclusive.
Ju n e 15 to Sept. 15.

100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
112.5

44
44
44
48
44

44
44
44
48
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

79 44 hours per
83 54 hours p er
si 44 hours p er
85 44 hours p er

week,
week,
week,
week,


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[ 597 ]

112

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

U N IO N SCALE O F W A G E S A N D H O U R S O F L A B O R , 1913 TO 1921, B Y O CCU PA TIO N S—Con,
S to n e c u tte r s —Concluded.
R a te p e r ho u r (cents).

H ours per week.

City.
1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919

1920 1921 1913 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

M inneapolis___
N ew ark, N . J...
New H av en ___
New Y o rk .........

56.3
68.8
56.3
68.8

62.5
68.8
56.3
68.8

62.5
68.8
56.3
68.8

62.5
68.8
56.3
68.8

62.5
68.8
60.0
68.8

75.0 87.5 112.5
84.4 112.5 112.5
60.0 100.0 100.0
84.4 100.0 112. 5

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

O m a h a ..............
P h ilad e lp h ia . . .
R ichm ond, V a ..
St. Louis...........

58.8
,50.0
54.5
56.3

58.8
56. 3
54.5
62.5

58.8
56.3
54.5
62.5

62.5
65.0
54.5
62.5

67.5
65.0
62.5
70.0

75.0 100.0 112.5
82.5 135.0 135.0
75.0 87.5 100.0
85.0 100.0 100.0

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

St. P a u l.............
San F rancisco..
S cran to n ...........
W ashington___

56.3
70.0
50.0
54.0

60.0
70.0
50.0
54.0

60.0
70.0
50.0
55.3

62.5
70.0
50.0
56.3

62.5 75.0 87.5
70.0 100.0 100.0
56.3 60.0 90.0
65.0 87.5 100.0

112.5
112.5
100.0
100.0

44
44
48
44

44
44
48
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
48 8948 89 48
44 so44 90 44

44
44
44
8948

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

441
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

S t r u c t u r a l ir o n w o r k e rs .
A tla n ta ..............
B altim ore..........
B oston...............
B uffalo..............
Chicago..............

62.5
56. 3
62.5
60.0

62.5
56.3
62.5
62.5

62.5
62. 5
62.5
62. 5

68.8 80.0

62.5 75.0 80.0
62.5 75.0 100.0
80.0
62.5 70.0 85.0
68.0 68.0 68.0 69.0 70.0 87.5

C incinnati.........
C leveland..........
D allas.................
D enver...............
D e tro it..............

62.5
65.0
62. 5
56.3
60.0

62.5
70.0
67.5
62.5
65.0

62.5
70.0
67. 5
62.5
65.0

65.0
80.0
67. 5
70.0
65.0

95.0 95.0
125.0 125.0
100.0 100.0
100.0 125. 0

125.0 125.0

75.0 75.0 100.0 90.0 441 441
90. 0 100.0 125.0 125.0 9144 9244
44
75.0 75.0 100.0 100.0 44
44
75.0 87. 5 100.0 103.1 44
48
80.0 90.0 125.0 125.0 8948

9044 9044

Indianapolis__ 65.0 70.0 70.0 75.0 75.0
KansasCity,M o. 62.5 68.8 68.8 68.8 75.0
Los Angeles___ 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 62.5

85.0 125.0 125.0
90.0 110.0 110.0
75.0 87.5 100.0

44
44
48

44
44
48

44
44
48

44
44
48

44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44

44

48

L ouisville.......... 50.0 50.0 50.0 60.0 70.0
M anchester.......

80.0 100.0 100.0
100.0 100.0

48

44

44

44

44

44

44
44

44
44

98 44 90 44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
48 93 44 93 44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44
44

44
93 44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44
44

44
44
so 48 89 48
44
44
44
44

44
44
40
44

44
44
44
44

44
44
44
44

80.0
87.5
87.5
92.5
75.0

100.0 100.0 93 44 93 44 93 44
87.5 100.0 48 94 44 94 44
44
44
112. 5 112.5 44
44
44
106.3 106.3 44
44
44
100.0 100.0 44

M ilw aukee........
M inneapolis___
N ewark, N . J . . .
New H a v en ___
New O rle a n s ...

56.3
56.3
62.5
62.5
62.5

62.5
62.5
62.5
62.5
62.5

62.5
62.5
68.8
62.5
62.5

62.5
62.5
72.5
62.5
62.5

70.0
68.8
75.0
80.0
75.0

N ew Y o rk ........
O m aha...............
P h ila d e lp h ia ...
P ittsb u rg h ........
P ortlan d , Oreg.

62.5
58.8
60.0
62.5
62.5

62.5
62.5
60.0
62.5
62.5

66.3
65.0
60.0
62.5
62.5

68.8
68.8
70.0
70.0
70.0

80.0 87.5 112.5
75.0 90.0 115.0
92.5 92.5 112.5
87.5 100.0 100.0
87.5 100.0 112.5

P rovidence.......
R ichm ond, V a.
St. Louis...........
St. P a u l.............
S alt L ake C ity .

56.3
56.3
65.0
56.3
62.5

62.5
62.5
65.0
62.5
62.5

62.5
62.5
67.5
62.5
62.5

68.8
02.5
70.0
62.5
68.8

80.0 92.5
80.0 92.5
80.0 92.5
68.8 80.0
81.3 100.0

100.0 100.0
100.0 100.0
125.0 125.0
1 0 0 . 0 100.0
112.5 100.0

44
44
44
48
44

44
44
44
44
44
44
99 48 89 48
44
44

San Francisco..
Scran to n ............
S e a ttle ...............
W ashington___

75.0
56.3
62.5
56.3

75.0
56.3
62.5
62.5

75.0
62.5
62.5
62.5

75.0
62.5
75.0
70.0

87.5 100.0 112.5 125.0
68.8 87.5 100.0 112.5
87.5 100.0 112.5 112.5
80.0 92.5 98.0 125.0

44
48
44
44

44
44
48 89 48
44
44
44
44

89 44 ho u rs p er w eek, Ju n e to Septem ber, inclusive.
90 48 h o u rs p er week, D ecem ber to M arch, inclusive.
m 48 h o u rs p er week, O ctober to A pril, inclusive.
92 48 hours p er w eek, O ctober to M arch, inclusive.
98 48 hours per week, N ovem ber to A pril, inclusive.
M 48 hours p er week, Septem ber to A pril, inclusive.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[598]

112.5
112.5
112.5
125.0
101.3

44
44
44

89 48
44

44
H

113

WAGES AND HOUES OF LABOE,

Wage Scales in the Building Trades.
Prevailing Hourly Scales, July 31, 1921, as Reported by the National Association
oi Building Trades.

H E following hourly wage scales in the building trades were
compiled by the N ational Association of Builders’ Exchanges
and are reprinted in the American Contractor (Chicago) for
August 6; 1921 (pp. 34-35). Where two rates are given they are
the m inimum and m axim um wage, respectively.

T

H O U R L Y W A G E SCALES IN T H E B U IL D IN G T R A D E S , JU L Y 31, 1921.

City.

A kron, O hio..............................................
Alliance, O hio..........................................
A tlan ta, G a...............................................

Carpen­ Cement
H od
Elec­
Labor­ L ath ­
finish­ tricians.
carriers. ers.
ers.
ters.
ers.
$0.65
.85

$0.70
.80

.70

.90

1.00

.90
.80
.874

1.00
.60
.85

i. Ì 24
.90

.75
. 40
.50

.90

.90

.90

.60

$0. 25
.40
.40
.50
. 15
.25
.30
.40
. 30
.40
. 55
.60

.85

.45

1.10

.60

■574

.25

1.04
/
.20 J-2 3. 00 \

.80

.35

.90

B oston, Mass.............................................
Chicago, 111.1..............................................
C incinnati, O hio......................................
Cleveland, Ohio........................................
Columbia, S. C.........................................
Columbus, O hio........................................
D ayton, O hio...........................................
Des Moines, Io w a ....................................
D etroit, M ich............................................
D u lu th , M inn............................................
Erie, P a ......................................................
F lin t, M ich................................................
F airm o n t, W . V a ....................................
G rand R apids, M ich...............................

1. 00

.90
1. 04
.45
.60

.90

1.00

1.00
.70
.90

.85

.80

.95

.92
.75
.80

.90

.75

.70
.90
1.00

.874

.75
.80

.80
.50
.70
1. 25
.50
.70

.85
. 874
1. 00*
1. 00
.874
1. 00 '

.92.4

.90

1.00

.674
.70"

.75

1.00

.90

.60

.80
.85
.75
.80
1.00

K en t. O hio................................................

L ittle Rock, A rk ......................................
Los Angeles, Calif....................................
Louisville, K y ..........................................
M emphis, T e n n ........................................
Milwaukee, W is.......................................
Newark, Ohio...........................................
New Y ork, N. Y ......................................
Norfolk, V a ...............................................

.75
.65
.80
3 7. 00
8 8 . 00

.90

1.00
8 8.00

.60

.92
3 8.00
.75
.874

.80
.60
.80

1.00

.85

.65

.75
1.124
.65
.75

.80

.75

1 .124

1 .124

. 50
.65

. 65
.75

.60
.80

[599]

.80
1.00

$0.75

1.00

1.00

.40
.50
. 55
.65
.50
.55
.75

.65
. 35
.40
. 44
.50
.55
. 44
.50

$0.75
.85

$1. 04

. 85
. 50
.60

1. 00

1.25

1. 00

.874
.75
.874

.90

.90

.90

.7 5

.90
1. 00

.90

1. 00

.874

1.124

.93
. 50
.60

1.04

1.10

.75

1.25

1.00

. 80

1.10
1.114

1.00

. 80
.70
.80

1.00

.80

1.124

1.124

.75
. 70
.80

1.00

.65

1.00

1 W age scales being a rb itrate d .
2 R ate p er th o u san d .
3 R ate per day.


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

.30
.40

1.04
. 45
.60

Indianapolis, I n d .....................................

L ansing, M ich..........................................

$0.60
.75

.90

B altim ore, M d ..........................................
Buffalo, N. Y ...........................................

$0.80
1.00

P a in t­ P laster­
ers.
ers.

1.25

.35
.90
f.
.25
.50 > 4. 20 \
. SO
.50
1. 00

.75

1.00

1.124

1.00

1.25

. 70
.80

1. 00
1. 12*

.80

1.00

.70

1.00

.90

1.00

.40

.30
1.25
.90
1.12
3 7. 00
3 5.00 8 8.00
39 .OO 310.00
.30 1 8 7. 90 /
. 50
.80
.40
1.124
\
-874
.75
.624
.25
1.00
1.124
.874
0 .40
.65
1.00
.85
1.00
.60
.60
.40
.80
.70
1.00
.874
1.124
1.25
1.124
.814
. 87J
. 50
. 65
.60
.35
.75
.75
1.00*
* R ate per bundle.
8 A nd up.
6 R ate per week.
8 4.00

3 9.00

114

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
H O U R L Y W A G E SCALES IN T H E B U IL D IN G T R A D E S , JU L Y 31, 1921-C ontinued.

C ity.

O klahom a C ity, Okla
O m aha N e b r ..............

em ent E lec­
C arpen­ Cfinish­
H od
L abor­ L a th ­
ters.
ers.
ers. tricians. carriers. ers.
s $7.00
.75

$8 .0 0

1.00

1.00

>$7.00
1 .12J

P hiladelphia, P a ........
80
874

.90
1.00

75
.80

.90

P ittsb u rg h , P a ........
Raleigh, N . C ..........

R ochester, N. Y . . .
Saginaw, M ich........

Sioux C ity, Io w a ...
St. Joseph, M o........
St. Louis, M o..........
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Shreveport, L a ........

Y oungstow n, Ohio.

.50

.50

.80

. 75
. 85

1.10
1. 00

.85

.75

.70

35

.75

1.124

1.00

1.10
. 87A

.65

65
44
50
25
30
40

1.00

1.00

.75
1.00

.50
.60
.85

.75

60

.75

1.25
.70
.87J

25

1.25

124

1.00

3 10

3 8.00

.85
1.00

1.05

1.061

1.15

1. 25

.50
3 3.20
3 4.80
.40
.45
.75

.92

90

.90

1.25

1.00

.70
.80
3 6 . 00

1.00
3 6.00

.80

.90

1.00

40 "■'.'874

.75

1.00

674 " i . 25
3 3. 50
3 4.00
.90
.30
.50 ' "3 8."00"
.25
.35 "".'7 5 '

1. 25
.80

40 " ' ì : ì 24
38
45 } 2 7.50
35
40 "'i.'ÒÒ'

1.00

1.374

1.124

1.00
8.00

3 10. 00

.75
.80

1.00

{

1. 25
3 15.00

.874
.90

1.00

O rna­
Ele­
P las­
H oist Mar­ M ar­
m e n t­ Pipe
terers’ B rick­ vator Gas
ing
ble
ble
Ma­
al
te n d ­ layers. con­ fitters. engi­ c u t­ set­ sons. iron coverstruc­
ers.
ers.
neers.
ters.
ters.
w
ork­
tors.
ers.

A kron, O hio......................................
Alliance, Ohio........................................... $0.50
.60
A tlan ta, G a..........................................
.30
B altim ore, M d .............................
.75
Buffalo, N . Y ..............................

Cleveland, Ohio.........................
Columbia, S. C.............................
Columbus, Ohio.......................
D ayton, O hio...................

$0.75
.85

$0.85
1.00

1.124

.90 $1.00

$1.124

.75
1.00

$1.00

.90

.90

.90 $0.80
.90

1.00

.80

1.00

1.00

1.00 $1.00

1.00

1.25

1.00

1.00

1.12

.90

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

.75.

1.00

.70

.90

.90

.90

.90

.90

.90

.90

.90

.90

.85

1.25

1.00

1.00

1.124 1.06

1.06

.90

.90

.95

.60

1.04
. 75

1. 06i ............
. 60

1.061 1. 061 1.04

1.04
.70
.80
.80
1.00

1.25

.25
.80

1.25

1.00

1.10
1.114

D etroit, M ich.....................

1 W age scale being a rb itrate d .

1.00

1.25

Des Moines, Io w a ...................

D u lu th , M inn..............................

$0. 75

$1.04

1.00

B oston, Mass..................................
Chicago, 111.1 ................
C incinnati, O h io ..................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1.00

i.'ÓO

.92

City.

1. 00

1.124

50
50

.624

W arren, O hio..........

. 80

25

.80

W ashington, D. C ..

1. 25

.90
.90

.70
.70

3 8.00

Toledo, O hio............

3 $9.00

1.00

.90
1.10

.75
.80
.50
.80
.90

Savannah, G a..........

187.00

1.00

1.00

.60
.75
.85
.80

Redfield, S. D a k ...
R ichm ond, V a ........

188. 00

.80
.25
.30

1.00

Reading, P a ............

$0.60

P a in t- P la ste r­
ers.
ers.

1.00

1.04
.60
.75

1.00

1.25

1.25

.90

1.00

1.00

1.15

.90

1.00

. 65

.65
i. 06
Ì.ÓÒ
.85
2 R a te p er th o u san d .

[600]

.90

.95

.90

.75

.93

1. 25
.80

......

1.00

1.00

. 93j

Ì.ÓÓ i. 06 1.00
3 R a te per day.

.85

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR,

115

H O U R L Y W A G E SC A LES IN T H E B U IL D IN G T R A D E S , JU L Y 31, 1921—C ontinued.

P las­
terers' B rick­
te n d ­ layers.
ers.

City.

Erie, P a ...................................................... SO. 45
. 55
F lin t, M ich................................................
F airm o n t, W .V a .....................................
G rand R apids, M ich...............................

.70

SO. 70 | 2$7.75 /SO. 70
.90
\ .80
SI. 124 SO. 80
.90
.75
.80 SO. 90
1.00 1.00
.90
1.00
.90
.931
1.25
1.00
1.00
1.00
.90
.75
.90
.80
1.00 1.00
1. 00
.90
.90
.9 3 |
• 92J
1.15 1.00
1.15
1.15 $0. 65 SI. 00 1.15 1.15
.80

• GO

1.00

.60

1.10

.75

Indianapolis, I n d .....................................
K en t, O hio................................................
Lansing, M ich...........................................

O rna­
E le­
m e n t­ Pipe
vato r Gas H oist­ M ar­ M ar­
ing
ble
ble
Ma­
al
con­
engi­ c u t­ set­ sons. iron coverstru c ­ fitters. neers.
ers.
ters.
ters.
work­
tors.
ers.

SI. 12}

.90

L ittle Rock, A rk ......................................
1. 00

1.00

Los Angeles, Calif....................................
Louisville, K y ..........................................

2 9.00 210.00 27.00

M emphis, T e n n ........................................

.80

1.25

. 62J

1.12}

Milwaukee, W is........................................
.60
. 93 J
.50
.60

New Y ork, N . Y ......................................
Norfolk, V a ...............................................
O klahom a C ity, O k la .............................

29.00

.65

Philadelphia, P a ......................................

1. 00

.93

1.00

1. 25

.75

1. 06Î 1.061 1.124 1.00

1.00
1.12}

1.12}

1.00

.80
1.25

.90

.90

1.124
2 7.00

1. 25

1.12}

.40

.80

1.00

.60

1.25
1.25

.70

1.15

1.25

Rochester, N . Y .......................................

.90

1.00

.80

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

L 25

1.10

1.10

1.124 1.124 1.25
1.00

1.00

.65
.75

1.00

1.25

1.00

.90
1.00

Savannah, G a.........................................

St. Louis, M o............................................

.80

1.00
1.00

345.00
1.25

Saginaw, M ich..........................................

Sioux C ity, Iow a......................................
St. Joseph, M o..........................................

.90

i. 124 1.124
.75
.85

2 8.50
1.00

R eading, P a .............................................
Redfield, S. D a k ......................................
R ichm ond, V a ..........................................

1.00

1.00

.90

1.121 1.12} 1. 25

1.12}

1.00
.90
1.12} 1.00

P ittsb u rg h , P a ..........................................
Raleigh, N . C ............................................

1.00

2 8.00 2 8.00 2 8.00 210.00 2 8.00 2 &OO

1.00

2 9. 00

O m aha, N e b r............................................

1.10
1.00

.75
.95

1.00

N ew ark, Ohio............................................

1.00

.75

1.10 348.00

• 87}

.50
.50
.60

1.12}

1.00

1.00

1.00

.85

1.25

.50

1. 12J

1.25

1.00

.75
.90

1.00

.80
1.25
1.37i

1.00

1.25
1.00

1.25
.80
.90

1.124

.90

1.00

.90
.931

1.00

.80

.80

.874 1.00
• 721 1.061 1. 00

1. 25

1.00

24.80 2 10. 00 28 . 00 2 10. 00 2 8.00 2 8.00 2 8.00 2 8.00
.45
.70
.50
1.00
.80
.75
.75 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
W ashington, D . C.................................... • 62J
.75
1.25 1. 25
1.00
1.00 1.00 1 .124 1.124 1.25
W arren, O hio..........................................
1. 25
1.25
Y oungstow n, O hio.................................. .65
. 85
.75
1.00
1.00
.90 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

1.00

St. Petersburg, F la ..................................
Shreveport, L a ........................................
Toledo, O hio.............................................


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

2R ate p er d ay .

»R ate p e r week.

[ 601]

.75

.90

116

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

H O U R L Y W A G E SCALES IN T H E B U IL D IN G T R A D E S , JU L Y 31, 1921—Continued.

City.

A kron, O hio..............................................

Sheet
P lu m b ­ Roofers. m etal
ers.
w ork­
ers.

80.85
1.00

1.00

$0.75
.85
.80
.85
.80
.90
.75
1.00

1.00

1.00

.87*

.90

.90

.90

.90

.90

1.00

.70
1.00
.83
1.04

.80

1.00

.60

1.15

.90

1.00

1.04

1.04

.62*

1.04

.90

1.25

.50

1.00

.90
1.00

.90

1.00

.40

1.10

10.4
.70
.80
.70
.90

1.00

.95

.95

Alliance, O hio..........................................
1.00
A tla n ta , G a...............................................

1.00

B altim ore. M d ..........................................
Buffalo, N . Y ...........................................
Boston, Mass.............................................
Chicago, 111.1.............................................
C incinnati, O hio......................................
Cleveland, Ohio........................................

Struc­
ra l
Steam- SteamStone­ tu
Tile
fitters'
iron
fitters. helpers. cutters. work­
setters.
ers.

1.10

$0.75
.85
.80
.85

$0.85
1.00

$0.85
1.00

$1.00

1.00
.70
.90

1.00

$0.40

1.00

1.00

.90
1.00
.90
1.00
.90
1.00

1.00

.75

1.00

1.00
.85
1.00

.90

.90

.90

$6.75
1.00

1.00

.60

Columbia, S. C............... ..........................
1.25

.90
.75
.80

Columbus, Ohio.......................................
D ayton, O hio...........................................

1.00
i. 66

.85

1.25

• 93|

1.25

Des Moines, Io w a ....................................
D etroit, M ich............................................
D uluth , M inn...........................................
Erie, P a ......................................................
F lin t, M ich................................................
F airm o n t, W . V a ..................................
G rand R apids, M ich...............................

1.00

.65

.80

1.00

1.00
2 7.75

.85

.85

1.00

.80
1.00
1.00
.80
1.00

.75
.65
.85
1.00
.65
.85

.90
.70
.80
1.00
.70
.80

1.15

.60

.90

.85

1.00

1.00
1.00
1.25
2 9.66

.70
.70
.90
2 7.00
2 8 .00

1.00

.80

.80

1.12*

i. m

.40

.87*

1.00

1.00

.70

.93
1.12*

.75
1 .12J
.75
.87*

Indianapolis, I n d ...... .............................
K e n t, O hio................................................
Lansing, M ich...........................................
L ittle Rock, A rk ......................................
Los Angeles, Calif....................................
Louisville, K y ..........................................
M emphis, T e n n ........................................
M ilwaukee, W is.......................................
N ew ark, O hio...........................................
New Y ork, N. Y ......................................
Norfolk, V a ...............................................
O klahom a City, O k la.............................

1.00

P hiladelphia, P a ......................................
P ittsb u rg h , P a ..........................................
Raleigh, N. C .......................
Reading, P a ............................................
Redfield, S. D a k ......................................
R ichm ond, V a ..........................................
R ochester, N . Y .......................................
Saginaw, M ich ........................................

.90
i. 66
1.00

1.00

1.25

2 8.00

2 9.00

.90
1.00
1.00
.90
1.00

.90
1.00

1.00

.65

1.00

1.15

1.00

.60
.80

1.00
.87

1.00

2 8.00

2 8.00

1.00

.90
.75
1.00

1.00

.90

1.00

1.00
1.12*

1.00
2 7.00

.50
2 4.50

.90
.93
1.12*

1.00

.40
.87*

1.00
1.12*

1.00
1.25

1.00

.60
.90
1.00

1.12*

1.25

1.12*

1.12*

1.00

.90
1.00

.90
1.00

.60

.90
1.00

1.00

.80
1.00

.60
.75
.80

.60
.75
.80
.80

1.00
.55
.65

1.00

1.00

1.00

.90

.90

.90
.65
.85

1.00
.70
.80

1.10
. 90
1.00

1.00
. 90
1.00
2 R ate per day.

1.25
. 90
1.00

1.00

1W age scale being a rb itra te d .


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

.80
1.00

1.00

.80
.90
1.00

1.12*
.75
.85

.90
1.10
.80
1.00

.70

1.00

i. 00

1.25
.90
1.00

1. i5

.90
1.00

1.00

2 6.00

O m aha, N e b r............................................

.60
.65
.75

.80

.75
1.12*
.75
.87*

1.00

.90

.90
1.00
1.00
.90
1.00

.92*

1.00

[602]

2 7.00

2 9.00

1.00
1.00

2 2.80
2 3.80

1.10

i.òò

117

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

H O U R L Y W A G E SC A LE S IN T H E B U IL D IN G T R A D E S , JU L Y 31, 1921-C oncluded.

C ity.

S truc­
Sheet
ra l
P lu m b ­ Roofers. m etal Steam - SteamStone­ tu
Tile
fitters’
w ork­ fitters. helpers. cutters. wiron
ers.
ork­ setters.
ers.
ers.

Savannah , G a..........................................
Sioux City, Io w a......................................
St. Joseph, M o............... .........................

$1.00
1.00

Shreveport, L a .........................................
Toledo, Ohio.............................................
W ashington, D . C....................................
W arren, O hio...........................................
Y oungstow n, O hio..................................

$0.75
.82}
.90

$1.00

1.00

.60

.75

1.00

1.00

i. 25

1.25

.75

2 8.00

2 10.00

2 3.00
2 4.50

.75

.75

1.00

1.06}

i. ÔÔ
1.17
1.00

$0.80
.90

$1.00
.80

1.00

1.25

1.00

.87}

1.12}

1.12}
2 10.00
1.00

$1.00
$0.65

1.25

St. Louis, M o............................................
St. Petersburg, F la ..................................

$0.75

.60
.60
1.15
1.00
.90
.92

.50

2 8.00
.90
1.00

2 10.00
.75

.90

.65

1.00

1.25

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00
.90

1.00

2 R ate p er day.

Minimum Scale on 8-Hour Basis, June, 1921, as Reported by the Building Trades
Department of the American Federation of Labor.

'"THE following table of minimum scale of wages on the 8-hour
basis, payable in the building trades, was compiled in the office
of the secretary-treasurer of the building trades departm ent of the
American Federation of Labor and included in his report at the
fifteenth annual convention of the departm ent held a t Denver, Colo.,
June 8-11, 1921A This inform ation was furnished by the various
local unions, and the wage scales given are those in effect at the time
the report was subm itted a t the convention.
1 R eport of proceedings of th e F ifteenth A n n u al C onvention of th e B uilding Trades D epartm ent, Ameri­
can Federation of Labor, held a t Denver, Colo., Ju n e 8-11, 1921, p p . 68-71. [W ashington, 1921.]


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[603]


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

oOO

Tile layers.

Stonecutters.

Steam fitters.

Slate a nd tile roofers.

Com position roofers.

Plum bers.

$1.25
$1.00 $1.00
SI. 25
$1.00
$1.00
$1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
. 85
.87*
1.00
1.00
.90 $1.00 1.00
1. 00
$1.00
1.00
1.00"
1.12*
$1.00
.87* .75 1.00 1.12*
1.00
. 87*
1. 00
1.00
1.12* 1. oo"
1.00
1.00"
1.25
i.oo" $1.12* 1.00
1.12*
$0.65f 1.12*
1. 25 SO. 87* 1.00 1.12* 1.00
1.12* 1.00 1.25" 1.12*
$0.87*
.80 1.00
1. 25
. 87* 1. oo"
.75 1.00 1.12*
1.12* $1.00 1.00
.45 1.00 SI. 00 1.00
$x. 00 1.12* 1.00
SI. 00
.80* 1. 00 1.00 SI. 00
1.25
.62* 1.00
1.00 1.00 1.25 1.00 $0.75 $0.75 1.00
1.25" 1.25 1.00 1.25 1.00
.80
.65'
.80
.85
.85
.80
.75
1.25
1.25
1.00 1. 25
1.25 1.00 1.25 1.25 1.25
1.25 1. 25 1.25 1.25 1.00 1.25
1.00
.62* 1.00
Loó 1.00
.90 1.25 1.00
.90
.90 1.00 1.12* 1.00 i. 25
1. 00 1. 25 1.25
.75 1. 30
1.00 1.30 1.25
1. 37*
1.00
1.00
1.25
.90
.80
.90
1.25* 1. 25 1.00 1. 00
.90
.80
1.25
.87* 1.10
.90
.90 1.50 1.25 1.00
1.50 1.25 1. 25
1.25
1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
1.00 1.00
.85 1.25
1.00
1.00
• 93| 1.25 1.12*
1.12*
. 68J 1.12*
1.00
1. 50
1.00
.87*
.87*
1.00
1.00
.67* .75"
.75
.90 1.00 1.00
1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
.90*
1.00*
1.00
.90
.90 1.25 1.00
1.50
.65" 1.00
1.00 1. 00 1.00
1.12*
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.12*
1.00
1.12*
1.00 1.12* 1.12*
1.12*
.87* 1.12*
.87*
1.00
.70" 1.00 1.06] 1.00 1. 00 1.25 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
1.00 1.00" 1.00 1.00' 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
1.25
1.00 1.12*
1.12* 1.12* 1. 25 1. 25 1.12* 1.12* 1.12*
1.25 1.25 1.12 J 1.12* 1.25 1.12* 1.12* .75
.70
1.00
.70
.62*
1.25
.60"
1.00
.85 i.00
1.00
.75 1.00
.90 1.00 1.00
1.25
1.00 1.00 1.37* 1.25 1.00
1.50 1.12* 1.00 1.37* 1.12*
1.06] 1.37*
1.25
1.00 1.00 1.25 1.00 1.00 Í.00 1.00
1.25
.75' 1.00"
.75
1.00 1.00" 1.00"
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
.75 1.00
1.25 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1. 00 1.00
1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1. 25 1.25 1. 25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25
_
1.37*
1. 25 1.50 1.37*
.52* 1.25
1.50
1.25 1. 25 1.25
1.25
.75 1.00 1.00
.80
.87* 1.12* 1.00
.85" 1.00
.90 1.00 1. 00 1.00
.90 1.25 1.25 1.00
1.12*
i. 25
1.
25
1.
37*
1.10
1.12*
1.25
1.
37*
1.25
1.12* 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.37* 1.25 1 25 1.12* .87* 1.25
1.00
.75
.75 1.00 1.00
.50
1.00
.75
1.00
.80
1.00
1.10
1.00
1.25
1.12*
.90
.85
1.25 1.00
.90 1.00 1.00 Í.Ó0 1.00 1.12* .80 1.00 1.12*
.90
.90
.90
.75
90
.90
1.12*
.90
1.
15
1.00
1.15
1.00
1.25
1.00
1.15
.85
1.00
1. 05]
.85
1. 25" 1.10 1.00 1.00 1.10
D ayton, Ohio 1
1.00 1.00
.75
1.00
.75
Defiance, O h io 1.................................................

M O N TH LY LABOR REVIEW.

[604]

A lbuquerque, N. Mcx.1
A lexandria, La
A nn A rbor, Mich.1__
Asheville, N. C . .
A shland, K y __
A storia, Oreg.1 .
Atchison, K ans.1
A tla n ta , Ga.1.
A tlan tic C ounty, N . J .1.
A ugusta, Me..
A urora, 111.1.
Baltim ore, Md.1
Bartlesville, Old a
B attle Creek, Mich.1
Belleville, 111.1
Bergen C ounty, N . J .1 . .
Billings, M ont.1
B ingham ton, N . Y .1.
B loom ington, 111.1
B ridgeport, Conn.1
Boise, Idaho.
Boston, Mass.1.
B u tte, M ont.1...
Canton O h io 1
Carlinville Til
Casper, W yo.1. .
C ham paign-U rban a, 111.1
C harleston, W- V a 1
Chicago, 111.1........................................................
Cisco, Tex
C incinnati, Ohio 1
Cleveland, O h io 1..
Clinton Towa
Colnmhns, O h io 1

Plasterers.

Painters.

Sheet-m etal workers.

M arble w orkers and
polishers.

L athers.

B uilding laborers.

G ranite cutters.

H oisting engineers.

Elevator constructors.

Electricians.

Cem ent finishers.

C arpenters.

B ridge a nd structuraliron w orkers.

B ricklayers.

A sbestos w orkers.

City.

118

M INIM UM SCALE O F W A GES IN B U IL D IN G T R A D E S , ON 8-H O U R BASIS.

LS09J


https://fraser.stlouisfed.org
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1.00
1.121 1.121 1.00
1.00* 1.124 1.00
1.10 1.00' 1.25
.75
1.121
1.00 1.121
1.15 1.00
.80
1.00
.871
1.00
1.25 1.25
.70
.75
.80 1.00
.90
1.00 1.00
1.00
.80
.87-1
.85
.75
.871 .80
1.124 1.00
1.25 1.00
1.25 1.00
1.05
.95
1.124 1.121
1.00 1.00 1.00
i.25
1.10
1.25
1.25
1.00

i. 25
1.00 1.25
.62}
.70
1.25
1.12}
1.00
.90
.70

.75
1.00
.85
1.25 1.25
.90
• 93|
1.00 1.00 1.00
.75
.80 ..........
1.00 1.00 ..........
1.25
.93}!..........
1.00
.75 j.........
1.25 1.00 ..........
. 93?____
1.121 1.12} 1.12}

1.124
1.00*
1.15

.75
.75
.90

1.25

.65

i.66

. 75
1.00
.50

1.25

.85

1.25
1.00
1.12}
1.12}
1. 25* 1.06} LOO"
1.25 1.06} LOO
.65
1.00
1.12}
1.00
LOO*
1.00
1.00
.90
.80

1.00
1. 25
.90

.60
.75
.87} 1.12}
.80

.80
.90
1.00
1.05
.80
1.00

.70
.80
.80

1.00
1.25
1.25
1.25
1.25
1.25

.811
.75
.60
1.06}
.90
.87} .60
1.00
.50
1.00
1.12} .87}
.78

.90
1.00
.60

1.12}
1.05*

1.00
1.10
1.124 1.12}
1.00 1.00'
1.10
1.25
1.00
1.25
1.25
1.00

1.124

.80
.80
1.00

.65

1.05
.85
1.25

1. ÖÖ

. 43j 1.124
.90'
. 6Sf 1.12}
.70 1.00*

1.00
1.10
.90

. 874
1.25
1.00
1.25 1. 12}

.75
1.00
.75 1.25
.50
.87}]
.85 LOO
LOO
.87} 1.12} L 12}

80.
1.12}
1.00*
1.00
.65
1.00
1.00
1.00
.80

. 874 .85
1.00 1.00
1.25 1.25
. SO .80
.75
. 80
LOO 1.12}
.85
.70
.68
.90
.67}
.70*
.75
1.00 1.00
1.00 1.00
1.00
.95
1.12} 1.124
1.00" 1.00'
.90
.87}
1.25 1.25
1.00 1.00
.874 .65
. 80
.65
1.25 1.25
LOO 1.00
1.00 1.00
.75
.70
.55
.70
.75
.80
.95
.80
.87} .75
1.00 1.00
.85
.75
1.00
.874
1.00
.85*
.85
.85
.90
1.00 1.00
.75
.87}
1.124 1.00
1.00* 1.00
1.12}

1.00
1.25
1.25
1.25
1. 00

.87}
1. i s |
1.25
1.00
.87}
1.124
1.12} 1.12}
1.00*
1.00
L00
i. 12}1 1.00
1.12} 1.12}
1.25* 1. 25*
1.25
.85
1.00 1.00
1.12} 1.12}
LOO*
.87} .65
1.00* .90
. 87} . 87}
1.12} 1.00*
1.12} 1.00
1.25
1.05
.95
1.18 1 .12||
1.12} 1.25*
1.10*
1.25 1.25
1.20 1.25
1.00
. 87}
1.00
. 80'
1.25 1.25
1.25 1.00
1.00 1.00
1.00
.85
.75
.78
1.00
.90
1.00
1.00
.90
1.12} 1.25
.90' 1.00
1.124 1.12}
1.12} 1.00*
.80* .90
1.00 1.00
1.37} 1.25
1.00 1.124
1. 25 1.00
1.00
1.12}

.87}
. 87} 1.12} 1 .18§
1.00* 1.00* 1. 25 1.25 1.00
1.00 1.00 1.00 1.12} 1.00
. 87}
.87} 1.25 1.12}
1.121 1.25 1.25
1.00*
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.15

1. 25

. 90

1.25
1.25
1.00

1.10
1.25

1.25
.85
1.00'
.86}
. 65"
.90
.87}
1. 00*
1.00

1.25
1.00 1.25
.87} .874
. so'
1.25
1.00
1.00

.92}

1.00
1.00

1.00

1.12}
.87}

.95
1.12}
1. 25* 1.00

.78
.90
i. 00

1.25

.90
1.25
1.00

1 124
L00

1.00

l. m
. 87} 1. on*
.7 5 ' 1.00
1.25

1.00

1.25

.92} L00
.90
.75
1.00
1.25 1. 50
1.12}
1.00 1.00
1.25 1.00
1.12} 1.12} 1.12}

1.25
1.00
.75
1.75
1.25
i.i2 4

119

1Saturday half holiday.

1.00
.871
1.121 1.124
1.00 1.25 1.00* 1.00'
. 93^ 1.00 1.25 1.00
1.121
.70
1.00
1.00
1.25
1.00 1.00
.85
1.00
1.00
1.121
1.00 1.00
1. 25 1.25 1. 25
.80
1.25
.85
1.10
i. 121 1.00
.85
1.00
.80
.871
1.121
.85
.80
1.25 1.25
1.121 1.061 1.00
1.00
1.25
1.10
1.30
.95
1.05
1.12}
i. 121 1.121
1.00 1.25 1.25 1.00
.90
1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25
1.121 1.10 1.00
.86
1.00' 1.25
.75
1.00
1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25
1.00
1.50
.93
1.00
.75
.75
1.00
.56
.80
1.00
1.25
.871
1.00
1.121 1.00 1.00
1.12}
.90
1.00
1.25
.90 1.00 1.00 1.00
.96
1.00 1.00
1.25
1.12-4
1.50
.64*
1.121
1.25
1.00
1.061 1.00
1.00
1.1211 1.25 1.121 1.121

WAGES AND HOURS OE LABOR.

De K alb , Til. i .....................................................
D enver, C olo.1............................................... . .
Des Moines, Io w a 1............................................
D etro it, M ich .1..................................................
E a u Claire, W is......................
.............
E lizab eth , N . J ! ................................................
E v erett , W ash J . .... ...........................................
F all R iver, Mass.1..............................................
F o n d d u Lac, W is.1..........................................
F ram in g h am , Mass.1
.
.................
G alesburg, Ili.1...................................................
G alveston, T ex.1................................................
G ary, In d .1.....................
.
.............
G ran d Forks, N . D a k .......................................
G ran d R au id s, Mich.1......................................
G reat Falls, M ont.1...........................................
Greenfield, Mass.1..............................................
TTagprstown. M d.1__
__
.............
H a m ilto n , O ntario, C an a d a 1.........................
H arrisb u rg . P a .1__
.
..............
H artfo rd . Conn.1................................................
H av erh ill, Mass.1. . . .
.........................
H ib b in g , M in n ...................................................
H olyoke, Mass.1. . .
.................
H u d so n C ounty, N . J .1....................................
In d ian ap o lis, In d .1............................................
Jam estow n, N . Y .1. . .
.............
Joliet, 111.1...................
.............
K a n sa s C ity, Mo.1..............
.............
.....................
K in g sto n , N . Y ...................
K in g sto n , O ntario, C anada 1
.............
..........
L ak e C o u n tv . 111.1......
.
.............
L iv in g sto n . Mont,___
L y n n , M ass...............
..............
L o g an sp o rt; In d d
___
L o n d o n , O ntario, C anada,1
.............
L y n ch b u rg , V a ..
M anitow oc, W is.1..
.
.........
M ansfield, O h io 1
. ..
M eriden, C onn.1. . .
.........
M iam i, F la .1.. .
M iddletow n, Ohio L
Miles C ity, M o n t.. . .
............................
M ilwaukee, W is 1..............................................
M ontreal, Quebec, C anada 1...
M uncie, In d .1. .. .
Muskogee, O kla.1..
Nashville," T en n .1...............................................
New B runsw ick, N . J .1..
New H av en , C onn.1..........................................
New Y ork, N . Y .1.............................................

'Ì.’Ì2*
Î" 12j
1.00
1.12*

1.00
1. 12*
1 .2 5
1. 25

$1.00 $1.10 $1.00
.87*
1.00 1.00 í : óo

$1.00

1.00

1. 25

1.00
1.00 1.25
1.00 1.15
1.124 1.00
.85 1.00
1.25 1.12*
1.00
1.00 1.00
1.00 1.00
1.00 1.00
1.00 1.25
1.00 1.25
1.124
.90

'i.’óó 1.00 1.00

. 85

1 .1 5

$1.25
1.25

1.20 $1.00

.90
1.12*

.8 5

1.00
1.10

1. 09

1.12,

. 87*
.62*
. 65*
.75

1.09
1.25

.9 0 '

1. 00 1.00
1.00
. 874
1. 00
.90
1.00
1.12* L 12* 1 .2 5 1.06* 1.12*
1 .2 5
1.124 1.00 1.25 1.00 1.00 1.00
1. 12* .874 1.00 1 .12;
1.12*
1.10
1.10'
.90 1.00 .9 0
1.00 1.00 1.25 1.123 1.10 1 00
1.10
1.00
1.00
1 .2 5
1.00
• 93| 1.12* 1.00 1.00 1.00
.95
. 95 1. 00
.9 5
1.00
.95
.85
.7 5
.90
.7 5
1.25 1.25 1 .2 5 1.25 1. 37*
1 .2 5
1 00
1.121 1.00
1.00
1.00
X-124 1.00 1.06* 1.00
1.00

Í. 124
1.25

.87*
.40
.40
.81*
.70
.87*
. 80

1.00
1.00

.75
. 70

L00

.67*
1.00

.8 5

1.00

1.00

i.25

L 25

Tile layers.

Stonecutters.

Steam fitters.

Slate a nd tile roofers.

Composition roofers.

P lum bers.

Plasterers.

P ainters.

Sheet-m etal workers.

1.00

.80

•

1.10

1.00
.87* 1.00
.... 1.00

.60
.75
.65
.50
.80
75
.68*

i. 12*

1.00

1.00

$1.10 $1.10
$1.10 $1.00 $1.10 $1.10
.874 1.12* 1.00
1.12* 1.00* 1.12* 1.00
1.00
1.00
.85
1.00
1.12* 1. 00 1.25 1.12*
1. 25
1.12*
100*
1.00
.90 1.3 5 1. 00
1.00
$0.90 1.10 1.10 $1.20
1.25 $1.30 1.10 1.00 1.25
.87*
1.00 1.12* .87*
1.25 1.00 1.124 1.12* 1.25 1.25 Í.00 1.25 1.25 1.25
1.00 1.12*
1.00
1.00
1.12* 1.00
1.00
1.00 1.31* 1.12*
.80
1.00
1.00
.90
1.00
.85 1.124
1.12*
1.00 1.00 1.25 1.12* .874
LOO
1.25*
1.12*
1.25*
1.435
1.31*
.90 1.00 1.10
1.00 1.00* 1.25* 1.10
LOO’
1. 25
1.00 1.00 1.25 1.25
1. 00
.87*
.90
1.00 1.00 1.25 1 .12|
1.12*
1.00
1.00 1.00
.87* 1.25 1.25*
1.00
1.00
.80 1.00 1.00
1.25 Í.Ó5 1.25 1.06* 1.374 1. 25 1.12* 1.12* 1.25 1.00
1.25 1.00 1.00 1.25 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.25
1.12*
1.00 1.00 1.25 1.12* 1.124 1.12* 1.12*
.90 1.00 1. 25 1.25
1.25*
.90
.85
.80 1.00
.90
.90
1.25
1.00 1.00 1.25 1.25
1. 25
1.12*
1.00 1.00 1.25 1. 12*
1.00 1.12* 1.00 1.00 1.12* 1.124 1.00 1.00 1.12* Loo
.95
.95
.95
.95
.95
.90
.70
1.00
.75 1.25 1.00
1.25 1.12* 1. 25 1.25 1.25 1. 25 1.00 1.25 1.25 Ì.ÒÓ
1.00
1.00 1.00 1.25 i. 00
1. 00
1.12*
1.00 1.00 1.12* 1.12*
1.00
1.00
1.00 1.00
.87* 1.00
1.00 1.00 1.25 1.00
i. ÌÒ
.90 LOO 1.25 1.12*
Í.25

$1.15
SO. 60

1.00

GO


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

$ 1 .2 5

ñ
c3

$1.00
1.00

1.12*
1.25
1.00
1.12*
1.25

1.00
1.00
1.05
1.12*
1.12*

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.

[606]

N iagara Falls, N . Y .1....................................... 1..........
N o rth P la tte , N e b r.......................................................
Ogden, U t a h 1................................................................
O ttu m w a, Io w a 1..........................................................
Passaic, N . J .1.....................................................\..........
P aw tucket, R . I . 1.........................................................
P hiladelphia, P a .1.............................................. SI. 00
P inebluff, A rk .................................................... ..........
P ittsb u rg h P a .1................................................. 1.00
Plainfield, N . J .1...........................................................
Pocatello, I d a h o 1.........................................................
P o rtla n d , Me.1...............................................................
P o rtla n d , Oreg.1................................................. 1.00
R eno, N ev .1...................................................................
R ochester, N . Y .1............................................... 1.00
R ockford, 111.1...............................................
R om e, N . Y .1.................................................
S alt Lake C ity , U ta h 1................................
San A n tonio, T ex.1......................................
Sandusky, O h io 1..........................................
San Francisco, Calif.1..................................
Schenectady, N . Y .1....................................
Seattle, W ash.1..............................................
Sharon, P a .....................................................
Sheboygan, W is.1..........................................
Sioux C ity, Io w a 1........................................
South B end, In d .1........................................
Spokane, W ash.1................................................ 1. 00
Springfield, Mass.1........................................
St. C atharines, O ntario, C a n a d a 1...........
S t. Joseph an d B en to n H a rb o r, Mich.1..
St. Louis, Mo.1. . .............................................. 1. 00
Superior, W is.1..............................................
Tacom a, W ash.1................................................. 1.00
T a u n to n , Mass.1...........................................
T exarkana, A rk.-Tex.1 ..............................
Toledo, O h io 1. . . . . , ...... ............... ..
1.25

so

o

M arble w orkers and
polishers.

Pi

o3
a

B uilding laborers.

<P

P
CD

G ranite cu tters.

-Li

H oisting engineers.

E levator constructors.

U
01

rP
C it y .

120

M INIM UM SC A LE O F W A G ES IN B U IL D IN G T R A D E S , ON 8-HOUR B A SIS—Concluded.

Toronto, O ntario, C an ad a1
T renton, N . J .1.....................
Tucson, Ariz.1.......................
T w in Falls, Id a h o 1.............
W alla W alla, W ash.1.......... .
W ashington, D. C.1.............
W a terb u ry , Conn.1..............
W atertow n, N . Y .1..............
W est Essex, N . J.1...............
W heeling, W . V a.1...............
W ichita, K ans.1...................
Y ork, P a.1.......................... .

.85

1.00

1.25
1.25
1. 25
1.25

.85
1.25

1.25
1.12*
1.25 1.00
‘i - 'i z i 1.25
1.25 1. 25
1.25 1.00
.87*
1.00

.90
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00

.87* .85
.85
1.25 1.25
1.12* 1.12*
. 93J
1.00
.87* 1.00
1.06* 1.25
1.00 1.12* 1.00
1.00 1.25
.90
1.00
1.12*
1.00
. 93J
.87* 1.00 1.00
.75
.75

1S atu rd ay half holiday.

of l a b o r .

121


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w a g e s a :nt > h o u b s

-9

122

MONTHLY LABOE EEVIEW.

Revising Minimum Wage Rates in Massachusetts.1
CTING under the authority of a measure passed last year per­
m itting the minimum wage commission to reconvene wage
boards whenever in its opinion such action is necessary to meet
changes in the cost of living, the commission is reconvening the wage
boards for six occupations. These are the brush, laundry, retail store,
m uslin underwear, and the m en’s clothing and women’s clothing wage
boards. This is the second time th a t the two boards last mentioned
have been reconvened. The rates now in effect for these branches of
the clothing trades, $15 and $15.25, respectively, were entered when
the cost of living had nearly reached the peak. The rates for the
other occupations, however, were entered several years ago and mean
little a t the present time. The decree for the brush industry was the
first to be entered by the commission. I t went into effect in August,
1914, and provided a minimum rate of 1 5 | cents per hour. The
minimum rate for laundries, $8 per week, has been in effect since
September, 1915; the $8 minimum for retail stores, since January,
1916; and the $9 m inimum for muslin underwear, since August, 1918.
The wide difference in minimum rates, varying from the 15£ cents
an hour for women in brush factories to 37 cents an hour for woman
office cleaners, has caused dissatisfaction among both employers and
employees. In fairness to all affected by the decrees there should be
greater uniform ity since the actual cost of living for working women
in the State at a given time does not vary greatly from one occupa­
tion to another. By far the greater p art of the existing difference
is due to delay in reviewing decrees th a t are out of date. Prior
to 1920 the commission could reconvene its wage boards only on
petition from employers or employees in the occupation covered by the
decree. As the provision of the law perm itting such action on petition
was not generally known, it was seldom exercised. During the eight
years th a t the commission has been in operation only three of the
fifteen wage boards have been reconvened on such petitions. These
are the women’s clothing, the m en’s clothing, and the m en’s furnish­
ings wage boards. The last m entioned board is still in session. The
wage board for office and other building cleaners was the first to be
reconvened under the new law. The revised rate for this occupation
became effective February 1 of the present year.

A

Average Earnhigs of New York State Factory Workers in June and
July, 1921.
R E PO R T recently received by this bureau from the New
York Industrial Commissioner shows the changes in average
earnings of New Y ork State factory workers. The statem ents
are based on June reports from 1,648 representative factories and
cover over 450,000 workers and a weekly pay roll of over $11,500,000.

A

The decrease in the average weekly earnings of New York State factory workers
from May to June was only 15 cents. The June average Weekly earnings of employees
1 Inform ation received from th e M assachusetts D ep artm en t of L abor and Industries under d ate of Aue.
4 , 1921.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[608]

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

123

in the manufacturing industries of the State was $25.71. The reduction in weekly
earnings since the record average of last October now amounts to $3.22, or 11 per cent.
This reduction, however, is due only to decreases in wage rates and in working time,
but takes no account of the loss in earnings resulting from unemployment. In order
to determine the loss in wages to factory workers which would include the factor of
unemployment, it is necessary to compare the pay roll expenditures in the factories
of the State in June with those of the month of highest employment—that is, in March,
1920. From March, 1920, to June, 1921, the drop in total amount of wages paid out
to factory workers, as a result of all causes combined, equals 34 per cent.
Compared ■'with a year ago, the drop in the average weekly earnings ir the factories
of the State amounts to $3.06. With the exception of railway equipment, fur goods,
paints and dyes, printing, and beverages, every industry reported a smaller average
in June than in the same month of the preceding year. In most cases the reductions
during the year amount to a dollar or over. Industries in which the decrease in
the average earnings during the year exceeds $5 are cement and plaster, jewelry and
silverware, iron and steel, cooking and heating apparatus, shipbuilding, paper manu­
facture, and cotton goods. Although a considerable number of reductions in wage
rates have already been reported by the manufacturers of the State, the larger part of
the decreases in some of the industries is the result of reduced working time per Week.
The June average weekly earnings of factory employees in New York City and up
State Were, respectively, $27.42 and $24.62. New York City plants show a reduction
of only 3 cents from the average of the previous month, while the decrease in up-State
factories amounts to 23 cents. The total reductions in weekly earnings from the high
points in 1920 now amount to $1.81, or 6 per cent, in New York City, and to $4.28, or
15 per cent, up-State.
Most of the decreases in average earnings from May to June were due to further
reductions in working time and in wage rates. A few plants, however, reported
increases in working time during the month, following part-time work in previous
months. The industries in which a considerable number of employees Were affected
by reductions in wage rates during June are machinery and electrical apparatus,
water meters, leather, carpets and rugs, men’s clothing, coffee roasting, bakery goods,
and beverages. In some plants greater earnings appear in June, because the less
skilled workers Were laid off and the higher paid employees Were retained.
Reductions in average earnings of $1 or more from May to June occurred in jewelry
and silverware, sheet-metal work and hardware, cooking and heating apparatus, fur
goods, men’s furnishings, canning, and meat and dairy products. The decreases in
the jewelry and silverware and men’s furnishings divisions are largely the result of
part-time operations in a few large plants. The reduction in average earnings in the
canning industry is due to the hiring of many unskilled Workers and to part-time
work during the week when several plants reopened for the season.
The railway equipment, rubber goods, paper boxes, and millinery industries each
showed important gains in average earnings from May to June.
The June average weekly earnings for the 10 chief industry groups of the State are
as follows:
Stone, clay and glass......................................................................... $26. 04
Metals and machinery....................................................................... 27. 79
Wood manufactures............................................................................ 24. 85
Furs, leather, and rubber goods....................................................... 25. 22
Chemicals, oils, and paints................................................................ 26. 61
Paper manufacture............................................................................. 26. 47
Printing and paper goods.................................................................. 30. 33
Textiles.... .......................................................................................... 20.78
Clothing.............................................................................................. 23. 28
Food, beverages, and tobacco............................................................ 24. 48
Total—all industries................................................................ 25. 71

A later report issued by the industrial commissioner shows th a t
the average weekly earning of State factory workers declined 45
cents from June to July. The July average weekly earnings in the
factories of the State as a whole was $25.26, which is $3.67, or 13
per cent, less than the record average earning of last October. These
figures are based on the tabulation of 1,648 July reports from repre-


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[609]

124

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

sentative m anufacturers received by the chief statistician of the"
departm ent.
A special inquiry was made by the department as to the extent to which reductions
in wage rates have been put into effect in factories. Replies were received from
nearly 700 plants which normally employ more than 300.000 workers. About 500
factories with more than 230.000 workers reported, having made reductions in wage 5
rates of various amounts, while 200 factories with about 75,000 workers reported no
reductions. The reductions in wage rates affected workers in nearly every manu­
facturing industry of the State. Most of the reductions ranged from 10 to 25 per cent,
and none of them exceeded 40 per cent. A number of plants have already made
more than one reduction since last autumn, when the movement for the downward
revision of wage rates was first started.
j
A considerable part of the decrease in average earnings in July was due to reduc­
tions in wage rates in many plants during the month. The industries which were
most affected in July are those engaged in the manufacture of graphite, cement and
piaster, brass and copper goods, sheet metal work, machinery and electrical goods,
railway equipment, soap, bookbinding, men’s clothing, sugar, meat products, and
beverages. In the railway equipment, bookbinding, clothing, and beverages indus­
tries the reduction in rates was of a general character. In the railway equipment
industry an average reduction of 12 per cent, granted by the Railroad Labor Board,
went into effect in July, while in the men’s clothing industry in New York City
wage rates were reduced from 10 to 15 per cent following the settlement of the strike.
The reductions in rates in the bookbinding and beverages industries of New York
City, in July, average 13 per cent and 7.5 per cent, respectively.
Reductions in working time were again responsible for a large part of the decrease
in average earnings from June to July. In a number of plants working time was
reduced as a result of annual vacations, inventories, and repairs. In some plants
less time was worked on account of the excessive heat during July. In some cases,
however, the reductions in working time during the month were the result of lack
of demand, although in some plants the number of working hours was increased in
July in order to meet a seasonal or a temporary demand for goods.
'The drop in weekly earnings from June to July was entirely in up-State plants,
where the average was reduced by 76 cents during the month. The New York City
average in July shows a gain of 4 cents over the preceding month. The July average
weekly earnings for New York City and up-State workers were, respectively, $27.46
and $23.86. The total reduction in weekly earnings in up-State plants since last
September now amounts to $5.04, or 17 per cent, while the decrease in New York City
since the high point of last November is only $1.77, or 6 per cent.
The important decreases in average earnings in July appear in the cement and
plaster, brick and pottery, glass, brass and copper, structural and architectural iron,
firearms and cutlery, cooking and heating apparatus, railway equipment, instruments
and appliances—especially in typewriters and cameras—paints and dyes, knit goods,
men’s furnishings, and flour and cereals industries. The largest reductions reported
are $5.68 in railway equipment, $5.03 in glass manufacture, and $4.28 in cooking and
heating apparatus. In the other industries the July reductions in average earnings
varied from one to two dollars. The decrease in weekly earnings in the glass industry
is mainly due to the loss of time on account of annual vacations. The decrease in
the railway equipment industry may be largely attributed to the reductions in wage
rates, while the decrease in the cooking and heating apparatus industry is mostly the
result of reduced working time. Most of the other industries reported considerable
part-time work and some of them were affected by reductions in wage rates.
The largest gains in average earnings in July were reported in the iron and steel
and women’s clothing industries. In the steel industry large reductions in earnings
occurred prior to July on account of part-time work. ” The gain in the average in
July follows a heavy reduction in employment during the month and is due to an
increase in the working time of the small number of employees who are still at work. |
In the women’s clothing industry the July increase in average earnings is the result
of greater activity in the manufacture of cloaks and suits.


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[6101

125

WAGES AND HOUES OF LABOE.

Hours of Labor in Argentina.1
N INVESTIGATION of 66,869 workers in Argentina during the
m onth of August, 1920, showed th a t the working-day aver­
aged 8 hours and 1 minute. In February, 1919, a similar
investigation of 44,865 workers showed an average working-day of 8
hours and 12 minutes. The table following shows the decrease in
hours of labor since 1914:

A

A v e ra g e tim e worked, p e r d a y.
MinHours. utes.

1914
1915
1916
1917.
1918
1919
1920.

..8
..8
..8
..8
..8

42
58
56
46
28

..8

12

..8

1

The table showing the num ber of workers and the average hours
worked in each industry is reproduced below. I t will be noted th a t
by far the largest num ber of those covered by the investigation were
employed in the clothing and transport industries.
N U M B E R O F W O R K E R S AND A V E R A G E TIM E W O R K E D P E R D A Y IN A U GUST, 1920,
B Y IN D U ST R Y .

N um ber of
workers.

In dustry.

Average tim e worked
per day.
Hours.

Clothing
.....................................................................................................
Chem icals..........................................................................................................
Commerce
.........................................................................................
Construction
.
_ . ......................................................
Fleetrical ........................................................................................................
Food
............................................................................................
Glassware and ceramic,s...... .........................................................................
FTides and leather
_
......................................................................
Taim her
.................................................................................
Metal lor "y
..........................................................................
Paper and pasteboard...................................................................................
Polygraphie......................................................................................................
......................................................... .......................
Textiles
Top aero
.....................................................................................
Tra n sport
........... - ...................................................................
TV1iscella n e o n s...................................................................................................
Total

.........................................................................................

Minutes.

19,146
1.521
583
97
4,442
3,053
1,455
1,476
1,805
3,218
81
3,391
1,685
1,653
22,702
561

8
S
8
8
8
8
7
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8

66,869

8

1
4
6
1
11
7
2
14
1

11
1

The investigation showed th at the 44-hour week has not as yet
been adopted very extensively, only 1,917 of the 66,869 workers
enjoying the Saturday half holiday.
1Cronica Mensual del D epartam ento N acional del Trabajo, Buenos Aires, April, 1921.

63444°—21---- 9


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

1611]

126

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

The table following gives the num ber of persons working each
specified number of hours per day:
N U M B E R O F PE R S O N S W O R K IN G EA CH S P E C IF IE D N U M B E R OF H O U R S P E R DA Y ,
IN A U GUST, 1920.
Workers.
24...................................
382.................................
220.................................
63,669............................
367.................................

Hours.
5
7
7*
7f
8
Si

W orkers.

Hours.

822...................................
1,110................................
20........... ........................
7 .....................................
138...................................

8J
8J
9
9i
9i
10

Thus it will be seen th a t 95 per cent of the workmen included in the
investigation worked the 8-hour day.

Eight-Hour Day in Belgium.1
N May 14, 1921, the Belgian Senate passed the bill for the 8-hour
day, accepting practically all the amendments which had been
made by the Chamber of Deputies and which had been the
cause for the delay of several months in the passage of the bill by the
Senate. Practically the only changes in the bill as passed by the
Chamber were the addition by the Senate of a provision which would
allow the King to suspend the operation of the law in case of war or
in case of danger to the national security or when the Superior Labor
Council and the Council of Industry and Commerce should consider
it necessary, in order to insure by the development of exports the
exchange of indispensable articles of import. Also, the Senate de­
layed the putting into effect of the law from July 1, 1921, as fixed by
the Chamber of Deputies to October 1, 1921.
All industries come under the law except retail stores, hotels, res­
taurants, and employees in commercial establishments except clerks,
these enterprises to be controlled by a subsequent royal decree. The
law does not cover work which is carried on by members of a family
unless it is work which is classed as dangerous or unhealthy or in
which steam boilers or machinery are used.
The law makes the usual provision th at in seasonal industries or on
work undertaken in view of an emergency, present or imminent, or
in cases of force majeure the hours ma}^ exceed the 8-hour limit,
although the maximum time which may be worked is fixed at 10
hours. I t is specially provided th at the reduction in hours shall not
carry with it any reduction in wages. W ith the exception of indus­
tries which are forced to do night work, the day of work m ust be
completed between the hours of 6 a. m. and 8 p. in., and, subject to
future action taken by the International Labor Conference, night
work is forbidden for all women and for boys under the age of 18.
In some industries and under certain conditions the King may
authorize the work at night of women and of boys between the ages
of 16 and 18.

O

1 ComiiA C entral Industriel de Belgique.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

B ulletin 29, June, 1921, pp. 529-517.

[612 ]

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

127

The royal decree dated June 14 rescinded the article providing th at
the law should not go into effect until October and stated th at it was
to enter into force on the day of the publication of the text of the law
in the “ Moni'teur.”

Wages in Czechoslovakia, 1920.

T

'rlE annual report for the year 1920 of the Central Federation of
Czechoslovak Industrial Employers 1 contains comparative
statistics as to wages and output per worker in Czechoslovakia
in 1914, 1920, and 1921. These statistics are reproduced below in
part.
In the following table are shown the average daily wages in Prague
and near-by towns of skilled workers in various industries and of
skilled and unskilled workers in a soap factory in November, 1920, as
compared with 1914.
A V ER A G E D A ILY W A GE R A T E S IN P R A G U E , C ZECH O SLO VA K IA, 1914 AND 1920.
[1 krone a t par=20.3 cents.]
Average daily wages.
In d u stry group.

Skilled workers in —
Flour m ills................................................
T ran sp o rtatio n........................................
Sm elters....................................................
Potteries....................................................
Foundries (piece ra te s)..........................
M achinery w orks.....................................
Gas w orks.................................................
Textile in d u s try ......................................
T an n eries.................................................
R ubber goods factories------------------F u rn itu re factories------ -----------------U pholstering............................................
W oodworking........... ........................... ..
Lingerie factories......... .................. .........
B uilding tra d e s ........................................
Alcohol d istilleries................... ..............
Silk m ills................... ...............................
Soap factory:
Y ard forem en........... ................ ..............
Y ard lab o rers....................................... ....
E n g in eers..................................... .............
Forem en in facto ry .................. ............ .
Coopers.................................................. ..
W o m e n .....................................................

1914

Nov. 1, 1920.

Kronen.
2.98
3.40
4.55
3.29
5.25
4.37
4.15
2.05
5.02
3.10
3.25
3.40
3.31
2.00
3.10
2.05
3.00

Kronen.
50.00
51.50
66.00
• 35.00
84.00
50.00
44.00
38.00
62.00
62. 50
47.00
49.50
52.80
16.60
45.00
01.00
40.00

3.20
3.00
5.00
5.00
4.00
1.70

40.00
37.60
50.00
44.80
44.80
24.00

Wages of woman workers seem to be much lower than those of
men, for in a soap factory male workers are being paid from 37.60 to
50 kronen ($7.63 to $10.15, par) per day, while women average only
24 kronen ($4.87, par).
LZontealverband der Öechoslovakisehen Industriellen. B ericht für das Jahr 1920. Prague, 1921.


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In the following two tables are shown the earnings and output of
miners and other workers of two coal mining companies:
EA R N IN G S AND O U T P U T O F M IN E W O R K E R S O P T H E B R Ü X COAL M IN IN G CO., 1914
AN D N O V E M B E R , 1920.
[1 krone at par=20.3 cents; 1 m etric c e n tn e r= 220.46 pounds.]
1914
Occupation.

November, 1920.

Earnings inclusive of all bonuses and allowances.
Daily.

Pick m iners........................................................
Mine laborers, below gro u n d ........................
A uxiliary workers, male, a d u lt.....................
A uxiliary w orkers, male, ju v en ile...............
W omen and girls..............................................

Monthly. H ourly.

K ronen.
5. 49
3.64
4.00
1.92
2.03

Kronen.
124. 58
87.41
98.12
40.69
55.80

Kronen.
0.61
.40
.40
.17
.20

Item .

Daily.
Kronen.
78.29
47.81
51.19
25. 44
32. 95

Monthly. H ourly.
K ronen.
2,090.29
1,276.61
1,566.72
679.30
879.66

1914

O u tp u t per pick m iner per sh ift.............................................
O u tp u t of th e entire working force per capita per s h ift...
Food bonus per s h ift.................................................................
Coal allowance for m arried workers.......................................
V alue of coal allowance.............................................................

Kronen.
9.72
5.98
6.4C
3.11
4.12

1920

45.75 m etric centners.. 33.03 m etric centners.
21.79 m etric c e n tn e rs.. 13.71 m etric centners.
5 kronen.
82 m etric centners........ 82 m etric centners.
57.07 kronen.................. 87.25 kronen.

E A R N IN G S AND O U T P U T O F M IN E W O R K E R S O F T H E N O R T H B O H E M IA N L IG N IT E
M IN IN G CO. A T B R U X , 1914 AN D 1921.
[1 krone a t par=20.3 cents; 1 m etric to n = 2 ,204.6 pounds. No explanation is given in th e original report
as to w h at occupations, other th a n contract m iners,'are included in th e figures for total output.]
1914

1921

O u tp u t
(m etric tons).

Earnings (kronen).

Per
shift.

Per
hour.

Per
shift.

Per
hour.

Miners, contract..........................
Miners, consideration................
Mine laborers..............................
Carpenters and masons.............
Engineers, firemen, black­
sm iths, and m achinists.........
D ay laborers................................
W om en.........................................
Inspectors.....................................

7.42

0.82

5.94
4.35
3.80
4.80

0. 66
.48
.42
.53

4.42
3. 70
1.81
5. 51

.49
.41
.20
.61

Total and average...........

2.57

4.62

.51

Occupation.

.82

O u tput
(m etric tons).

P er
ton.

Per
shift.

0.80

4.88

1.68

1.67

Earnings (kronen).

Per
Per
Per
hour. shift.1 hour.
0.61

.21

84.20
69.00
54.00
71. SO

10.53
8.63
6.75
8.98

68.20
55.00
42.50
64.50

8.53
6.88
5. 31
8.06

66.50

8.31

Per
ton.
17.25
21.50

23.70

i The earnings per shift for th e year 1921 showrn in th e above tabic are m ade up of th e following items:
Occupation.

Wages.

Various
allow­
ances .a

Food
subsidy.

TotaJ
earnings.

Miners, contract.......................................................................................
Miners, consideration.............................................................................
Mine laborers............................................................................................
Carpenters and m asons..........................................................................
Engineers, firemen, blacksm iths, and m achinists..........................
D ay laborers.............................................................................................
W om en ......................................................................................................
Insnectors..................................................................................................

Kronen.
67.23
52.36
41.64
54.18
51.40
41.30
29.50
43.00

Kronen.
11.97
11.64
7.36
12.62
11.80
8.70
8.00
16.50

Kronen.
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

Kronen.
84.20
69.00
54.00
71.80
68.20
55.00
42.50
64.50

Total and average.........................................................................

51.06

10.44

5

66.50

a Includes family subsidy for each child, bonus for Sunday work, allowances for tools, powder, etc.,
bread bonus, and seniority bonus.


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WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR,

129

The preceding two tables make it evident th at the upward tendency
of wages in the coal-mining industry in Czechoslovakia was as pro­
nounced as in the m anufacturing industries. These tables show also
th at while wTages had risen phenomenally the output per miner per
shift had decreased in the case of one mining company from 45.75 to
33.03 metric centners and in th at of another company from 7.42 to
4.88 metric tons. The report ascribes this large decrease in output
to the legal reduction of the shift from 8 to 6 hours, the obligatory
granting of vacations to workers, and to strikes. The output of all
coal mines in Czechoslovakia was 26,729,781 m etric tons in 1920 as
against 23,907,073 m etric tons in 1919. This increase by nearly
3,000,000 metric tons wras, however, not due to increased output per
miner but to an increase in the num ber of miners employed.
A report of the Slovakian section of the federation contains the fol­
lowing table showing, the average hourly earnings of workers in
various industries in Slovakia in January, 1920 and 1921, as compared
with 1914:
A V ER A G E H O U R L Y E A R N IN G S OF IN D U S T R IA L W O R K E R S IN SL O V A K I A. B Y IN D U S­
T R Y G RO U PS, JA N U A R Y , 1914, 1920, AND 1921.
[1 krone a t p a r=20.3 cents.j
iuary, 1914.

In d u stry group.

January, 1920.

January, 1921.

BoBoBoAver­ nuses, Total Aver- nuses, Total Aver- nuses, T ota1
allow- hourly
age
age
allow- hourly
age
allow- hourly
hourly ances, earn- hourly ances, earn- hourly ances, earnwage. etc., per ings.
wage. etc., per mgs.
wage. etc., per ings.
hour.
hour.
hour.

Kronen. Kronen. Kronen. Kronen. Kronen. Kronen. Kronen. Kronen. Kronen.
Mining:
1.74
0. 30
1.74
0. 30
M agnesite.........................
5. 82
5. 82
.50
6. öi
3. 79
.49
1.87
5.66
6.46
Coal...................................
2.48
8.94
.35
2. 07
1.10
.35
Iron ore.............................
3.17
4.00
1.14
5.20
.52
.52
3.63
.66
P y rite ................................
4.29
6.67
. 65
7.33
.33
2.38
.42
Sm elters...................................
.33
2.80
4.85
.68
5. 53
Metal working:
.30
M achinery w orks...........
.:o
4.38
4. 38
4. 80
4. 80
.52
.52
3.48
D o ..............................
3. 48
8.74
8. 74
.40
.40
2.85
.30
3.15
D o ..............................
3.93
.68
4.61
.52
.52
3.58
D o ..............................
3.58
6. 74
. 11
6. 85
.40
.36
.04
3.00
1.28
4.28
Enam el-w are fa c to ry ...
3.65
1.30
4. 95
.26
2.69
.26
2.69
M unitions factory...........
4. 74
.61
5.35
Chemical industry:
2.09
Fertilizer factory............
2.09
5.98
5. 98
2.30
. 14
2.44
Copper sulphate factory.
3. 21
.20
3. 41
2. 32
.38
2.32
.38
4.83
Mineral oil factory..........
4. 83
.67
M atch factory..................
1.31
.67
1.31
3.95
3.95
Textile industry:
1.90
.60
.90
1.30
Textile factory................
1.70
2.60
4.20
1.30
5.50
.01
.37
3.06
.30
.36
3.36
D o ..............................
4.20
.30
4. 50
r
.25
/
.25
Do.
.50
3.Ö0
3. 30
.70
4.00
[t o . 30 } ........... \to .30 | 2.50
D o ...............................
.30
.30
1. 80
.20
2.00
2.65
.30
2.95
.02
D o ...............................
.12
.21
.23
1.98
2.10
3.83
.10
3.93
L eather industry:
2. 49
Leather factory...............
2.49
3.10
3.10
. 41
D o ..............................
2.80
2.80
5.68
5.68
W oodworking industry:
3. 48
3. 48
4. 62
Saw m ill............................
4.62
.10
2.20
.80
.40
D o ..............................
.50
3.00
4.30
.80
5.10
.20
1.93
1. 93
3.37
.20
F u rn itu re factory...........
3. 37
Ceramic and brick industry:
.35
1.60
.04
1.64
P o ttery .............................
3. 25
.04
.35
3.29
.54
1.84
B rick k iln ........................
.04
. 11
1.95
3.80
.50
.18
3.98
Food industries:
.20
.92
.92
.20
Confectionery..................
2.59
2. 59
.28
1.43
3.25
Cordial factory.................
.28
1.43
2. 25
.39
2.38
5.72
Flour m ill........................
.39
2.38
5.72
2.50
3.15
Sugar factory...................
.23
.23
.65
3.08
2.10
3. 08
Paper industry:
2.15
.20
2. 35
.33
.18
4.95
.18
Cellulose factory.............
5.28
Glass industry:
.06
2.44
.67
3.11
3.92
.83
4. 75
.30
.36
Glass w orks.....................


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MONTHLY LABOS REVIEW.

The report of the Slovakian section of the Czechoslovakian Indus­
trial Em ployers’ Federation states th a t compared with Jaunary 1,
1920, wages in Slovakia had risen 100 to 200 per cent on January 1,
1921. Wages are now 14 to 18 times as high as in prewar times.
The wages shown in the preceding table are average wages of the
entire working force (skilled, unskilled, juvenile, and female w orkers).
The highest wages were earned by skilled pieceworkers in the m achin­
ery industry, whose earnings in some instances reached 13 kronen
($2.64, par) per hour. Wages vary greatly in Slovakia from locality
to locality, the highest rates being paid in Kaschau.
If the increases in wage rates in Czechoslovakia are compared with
the increases in retail prices shown on page 64 of the present issue of
the M o n t h l y L abor R e v ie w , it will b e seen th a t wages have fairly
well kept step w ith food prices b u t not w ith those of clothing.

Changes in Rates of Wages in Great Britain, January to June, 1921.
H E following statem ent showing changes in rates of wages in
Great B ritain during the first half of 1921 is taken from the
B ritish Labor Gazette for July, 1921, pages 342 and 343. I t
should be noted th a t the statistics relate in the m ain to changes
arranged by organized groups of employers and workpeople, and
m any changes arranged by individual firms are not reported.
Government employees, agricultural laborers, domestic servants,
and clerical and salaried employees r re not included.

T

From 1914 until the end of 1920 there was a continuous upward movement in rates
of wages. Early in 1921, however, a decline began, and from the beginning of the
year until the end of June reductions were reported to the department affecting over
4,300,000 workpeople, the aggregate reduction in weekly full time wage rates amount­
ing to nearly £1,770,000 [$8,613,705, par]. On the other hand, in certain trades further
increases in wages have been reported, 350,000 workpeople having received advances
amounting to about £83,000 [$403,920, par] in full-time weekly wages.
In the following table the statistics relating to the changes which were reported as
taking effect in the months January-June, 1921, are given for various groups of trades:
N U M B E R O F W O R K P E O P L E A F F E C T E D B Y CH AN G ES IN W A G E R A T E S IN G R E A T B R IT ­
A IN AN D A M O U N T O F N E T C H A N G E P E R W E E K , JA N U A R Y TO JU N E , 1921.
[1 pound a t p a r = $4.8665.]
N um ber of work­
people affected by—

A m ount of net
change per week.

Group of trades.
Increases. Decreases. Increases. Decreases.
B uilding a n d allied trades (including works of construction) .
M ining an d qu arry in g .......................................................... . . .
Iron and steel sm elting an d m an u factu re.................
Engineering, shipbuilding, a n d other m e ta l................................
T extile..................................... .................................................
C loth in g .......................................................................................
T ransport (excluding tram w ay s)....................................................
Chemical, glass, brick, p o ttery , e tc .................................................
O th e r.........................................i ....................................................
T o tal................................................................


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10,000
3.000
11,000
15.000
7.000
241,000
21.000
1.000
42,000

424.000
1,260,000
161.000
449.000
849.000
34,000
726.000
185.000
233.000

351,000

4,324,000

£2,500
£ 160,300
700
58 j, 600
2,900 :
130.500
3,800
154,800
500
433,700
56,000
10.900
5,000
163.500
300
52.900
11,100
78,300
82,800

1,768,500

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

131

Particulars of the principal changes in each of the above groups
of trades are given below:
B u ild in g .- —The rates of wages of building trade operatives in the principal centers
(with the exception of painters in Scotland) were reduced by 2d. [4.1 cents, par]
per hour in May or June. A further reduction of Id. [2 cents, par] per hour for
laborers was also arranged, to operate from July 1, but the effect of this further reduc­
tion is not included in the figures given in the table.
M in in g a n d q u a r r y in g . —Under the arrangements made at the end of the dispute
in Oetober-November, 1920, whereby wages were to rise and fall in accordance with
variations in the output of coal, an increase of Is. 6d. [36.5 cents, par] a shift for adult
workers (with smaller amounts for youths and boys) was granted early in January
but was followed by reductions of 2s. [48.7 cents, par] and Is. 6d. a shift (for adults)
at the end of January and the end of February respectively, which left wages at the
same level as in October last, and 2s. a shift (in the case of adults) below the level
of January 1. Under the terms of settlement of the recent dispute, wages are to be
regulated in future on the basis of the proceeds of the industry in each of 13 districts.
This settlement will involve a further fail in wages, but it is subject to the provision
that the reduction for adults shall not exceed 2s. a shift in July, 2s. 6d. [60.8 cents,
par] in August, and 3s. [73 cents, par] in September. Iron miners in Cumberland,
Furness, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire, and limestone quarrymen in West Cumberland and Northamptonshire, have had their rates of wages re­
duced in accordance with sliding scale agreements based on the selling prices of
pig iron.
I r o n a n d steel sm e llin g a n d m a n u fa c tu r e . —The rates of wages of workpeople engaged
in the smelting and manufacture of iron and steel are in most cases regulated by
sliding scale arrangements based on the selling prices of pig iron or manufactured
iron and steel. In some districts the sliding scales resulted in slight increases in
wages early in the year, but the subsequent fall in selling prices has been followed
by considerable reductions in wages. The workpeople in these industries who have
sustained a net decrease in rates of wages include blast furnace men in Cleveland,
Durham, Cumberland, and Scotland, iron puddlers and iron and steel mill men in
the north of England, the Midlands and Scotland, and steel smelters in the principal
centers, the amount of reduction ranging from 19J to 70 per cent on standard rates,
or from 7J to 20.]- per cent on rates current at the end of December. Blast furnace
men and iron and steel workers in South Wales have received net increases.
E n g in e e r in g , s h ip b u ild in g , a n d other m e ta l tra d es. —In the shipbuilding, and shiprepairing industry rates of wages have been reduced by 6s. [$1.46, par] a week and 15
per cent in the case of adult male time workers and pieceworkers, respectively, the
reduction taking effect in two equal installments in May and June. In the engineer­
ing industry no general reduction in the rates of wages of adult males had occurred
up to the end of June, but it has since been agreed that wages shall be reduced in
July and August by the same amounts as in the shipbuilding industry; in the case
of females -wages were generally reduced in May, following the adoption of a new
uniform schedule of wages in all federated districts. Other classes of metal workers
whose rates of wages have been reduced include brass workers, nut, bolt and screw
workers, lock, latch and key makers, metallic bedstead makers, cast and wrought
iron hollow-ware workers, and edge tool makers in the Midlands; tube makers in
Scotland; gold, silver, and allied workers at London and Sheffield; and tinplate
workers in South Wales and Monmouthshire.
The increases in rates of wages recorded in the metal trades resulted from the
raising of the minimum rates fixed under the trade boards acts for the stamped and
pressed metal wares, and the pin, hook and eye, and snap fastener trades.
T ex tile tra d es. —In the cotton industry rates of wages were reduced in June generally
by 60 per cent on list prices, equivalent to a reduction of about 19 per cent on current
wages for most of the workers. A further reduction of 10 per cent on list prices has
been arranged to take effect in December.
Workpeople in the wool textile industry have sustained four reductions, under a
cost of living sliding scale, amounting in all to 40 per cent on basic rates (141 per cent
on wages current at January 1) in the case of time workers, and to 33.04 per cent (131
per cent on the rates of January 1), and 34.78 per cent (nearly 14 per cent on the Janu­
ary rates) in the case of male and female pieceworkers, respectively. Further reduc­
tions, amounting to about 14 per cent on wages current at the end of December, have
been arranged to take effect in July.
In the textile bleaching, dyeing, printing, and finishing trades in Yorkshire, Lanca­
shire, and Cheshire, and Scotland, small increases took effect early in the year under


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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

cost of living sliding scales, but later in the year there were substantial reductions.
In Yorkshire the net effect was a reduction of nearly 12 per cent on the rates of wages
current at the beginning of the year. In Lancashire, Cheshire, and Scotland there
were net reductions of 9s. 4d. [$2.27, par] and 5s. 7d. [$1.36 par] a week for adult
males and females, respectively.
Hosiery workers in the Midlands have had their bonus reduced, under a cost of
living sliding scale, from Is. 3d. [30.4 cents, par] to Is. [24.3 cents, par] in the shilling
on earnings, and under similar arrangements there have been reductions in the case
of carpet workers and of silk workers at Leek, Macclesfield, and Brighouse.
C lo th in g tra d es .•—The increases in rates of wages indicated by the statistics for the
clothing trades mainly resulted from the raising of the minimum rates fixed under the
trade boards acts for the various branches of the tailoring, mantle and costume, and
dressmaking trades, and for female laundry workers. The principal reductions
affected glovemakers and dyers and dry cleaners generally, and bespoke tailors in
London and Liverpool.
T r a n s p o r t. —In the case of railway servants engaged in the manipulation of traffic,
an increase of Is. a week in January, under a cost of living sliding scale, was followed
by a decrease of 4s. [97.3 cents, par] a week in April. A further reduction of 5s.
[$1.22, par] a week took effect from July 1, but the effects of this are not included in
the statistics given above. The standard rates of wages of all ranks and ratings in
the merchant shipping service were reduced in May by ,£2 10s. [$12.17, par] a month.
In the road transport industry the rates of wages of carters and motor drivers have
been reduced in London and at Nottingham and Leicester, and several important
towns in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Scotland, the amount of reduction ranging from
3s. [73 cents, par] to 7s. [$1.70, par] per week.
C h em ical, g la ss, brick, p o tte r y , etc., tra d e s. —In the heavy chemical trades male
workers had their wages reduced in April by 2d. [4.1 cents, par] per hour, in the
majority of cases, in England, and by 6s. 9d. [$1.64, par] a week in Scotland. Soap
and candle workers sustained reductions of 6s. [$1.46, par] and 4s. [97.3 cents, par] a
week in the case of adult males and females, respectively. Glass bottle makers sus­
tained a reduction, also in April, of 5 per cent on total earnings. Brickmakers in all
the principal centers other than Peterborough had their rates of wages reduced in
May by 6s. and 3s. [$1.46 and 73 cents, par] a week in the case of adult males and
females, respectively.
O ther tra d e s. —In the furniture making trade there have been reductions of Id.
[2 cents, par] to 3d. [6.1 cents, par] per hour in the case of male workers at London,
High Wyc.ombe, Birmingham, Liverpool, and certain towns in Yorkshire and Scot­
land. Female workers in the same districts usually sustained smaller reductions.
Vehicle builders generally have had their wages reduced by 2Id. [5.1 cents, par] per
hour. In the food trades there have been reductions varying from 4s. [97.3 cents, par]
to 7s. 6d. [$1.83, par] a week for adult male bakers in London and various towns in
Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Scotland; whilst cocoa and chocolate confectionery work­
ers have had their wages reduced by amounts ranging from Is. [24.3 cents, par] to 5s.
[$1.22, par] a week.
The principal industries in which no reduction had taken place up to the end of
June include engineering, dock labor, agriculture, printing and bookbinding, pottery
manufacture (England), linen and jute manufacture (except at Kirkcaldy), boot and
shoe manufacture, tanning and currying, coopering, and tram and omnibus service.
In the case of engineering a reduction has since been arranged to take effect in July,
and in some other cases reductions are being proposed.
M ethods o f S e ttle m e n t.

Of the workpeople, numbering over 4,300,000, whose rates of wages were reduced,
2,170,000 sustained the reductions as a result of the operation of sliding scale agree­
ments based on the index number of retail prices published in this Gazette; 165,000
under sliding scales based on the selling price of pig iron or manufactured iron and
steel; 1,225,000 coal miners had their wages reduced under the output arrangement
described above; and the remaining 760,000 workpeople had their changes arranged
either by arbitration or conciliation, or by negotiation between representatives of the
employers and workpeople. In the case of 525,000 workers the reductions were pre­
ceded by disputes, causing stoppages of work.
Of the 350,000 workpeople whose rates of wages were increased, the majority ob­
tained the advances under settlements negotiated between employers and work­
people or by the operation of orders under the trade boards acts.


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WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR.

133

Adjusting British Railway Wages by Cost-of-Living Index.
CCORDING to a report and press notice from the American
consul at Stoke-on-Trent, England, forwarded under date of
June 30, 1921, the British Government saves approxim ately
£10,000,000 ($48,665,000, par) in the recent quarterly revision of
railway wages based on cost of living figures. The sliding scale
agreement provides th a t wages rise or fall “ Is. (24.3 cents, par) per
week for every five points variation in the cost of living figures. ”
The Board of T rade’s cost of living index is 25 points lower than at
the last quarterly revision, which fall autom atically reduces railway
wages 5s. ($1.32, par) per week.

A

Wages in the Almond Industry in Spain.

R

EPORTS regarding the almond industry, received from the
American consuls at Valencia and Malaga, Spain, under date
of July 6 and 11, 1921, respectively, give certain data concerning
the industry in these districts. In the Malaga district the almonds
are all shelled by hand on the farm where they grow. They are
cracked on a flat stone held between the knees of the shelter, who is
seated, and who uses a small iron bar or a small stone for a hammer.
There are practically no paper-shelled almonds produced in this region. The
almond trees are found both along the coast and in the interior. The tree blossoms
in January and February and the nuts are ripe by July. They are then knocked off
the trees with sticks or poles and left on the ground in order to dry the husk and
kernel, preparatory to shelling.

The almonds are ordinarily gathered by the farmer or his family
during “ off hours” of the day in July and August, and the women
and children of the family do the shelling.
Where labor is employed to gather the almonds it is usual for a squad composed of
one man and three women working together to gather about 20 arrobas or 230 kilos
[about 506 pounds] of almonds in the shell per day. The women who usually do the
shelling shell from 40 to 50 kilos [about 88 to 110 pounds] of almonds, which produce
about 10 to 15 kilos [approximately 22 to 33 pounds] of kernels.
One hundred kilos [about 220 pounds] of almonds in the shell produce approxi­
mately 25 kilos [about 55 pounds] of kernels.
The wages paid to adult male laborers in this district are as follows: “ Expert peon,”
men who have some practical knowledge of agriculture and can be used as foremen,
from 5 to 6 pesetas [96£ cents to $1.16, par] per day, with quarters but no meals.
Ordinary labor, 3.50 to 4 pesetas [67£ to 77.2 cents, par] per day, without meals, or 2
pesetas [38.6 cents, par] per day and found.
Women, 2.50 pesetas [48^ cents, par] per day, without meals; children [supposed
to be over 14 years of age], 1 to 1.50 pesetas [19.3 to 28.9 cents, par] per day. The
women are sometimes paid by piecework for shelling; the rate is 4 pesetas [77.2 cents,
par] per 100 kilos [about 220 pounds] of almonds in the shell.

In the Valencia district, the wages paid for an 8-hour day are, men,
5 pesetas (964 cents, par): women, 2.50 pesetas (4Sf- cents, par);
and children, 2.50 pesetas (481 cents, par).
Eight hours constitute the legal working-day, but according to the
report from Malaga, the laborers are very deliberate in th at district.
Excluding time for meals, cigarettes, and repeated rests, they gener­
ally work only about 5 hours a day.


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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

The village bakers use almond shells for fuel and pay 4 to 5 pesetas
(77 to 964 cents, par) for 100 kilos (220 pounds).
Agricultural wages are practically the same at all seasons. The
agricultural laborer, however, gets more money at harvest time
because the women and children of his family are also at work.
I t is declared th a t because of the sweatshop methods in harvesting
these almonds it is next to impossible to determine the cost of pro­
duction. I t has been estimated, however, th a t each arroba (111
kilos, or approxim ate^ 251 pounds) costs the producer from 15 to
20 pesetas ($2.90 to $3.86, par), “ taking into consideration all
overhead charges, taxes, interest on investment, exhaustion of soil,
labor,” etc. The producers sell the kernels in bulk in unassorted
sizes. The 1920 crop of shelled “ Jo rd an s” sold for from 65 to 70
pesetas ($12.55 to $13.51, par) per arroba (114 kilos, or about 251
pounds); “ Valencias” for from 35 to 45 pesetas ($6.76 to $8.69, par).
The farm laborer, assisted by his wife and children, earns about
1,000 to 1,500 pesetas ($193 to $289.50, par) annually, but both the
small agricultural proprietor and the farm laborer have a very low
standard of living.
Skilled woman assorters are paid 3 pesetas (57.9 cents, par) a day
of eight hours by one of the largest almond exporting firms in Malaga.
Novices at assorting are paid 1.50 to 2 pesetas (28.9 to 38.6 cents,
par). A woman experienced in this work can usually assort 30
kilos (66 pounds) of kernels a day. “ Jo rd a n ” almonds, on account
of their elongated form, have to be assorted by hand. Mechanical
devices are made use of in assorting the “ Valencias.”


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[620 ]

AGREEM EN TS.

Recent Labor Agreements and Decisions.
Railroads.

D

ECISION N o . 217 of the Railroad Labor Board, effective August
1, decreases the rates of wages of employees engaged in rail­
way express service. The decision provides th at the American
Railway Express Co. shall make deductions from rates of wages here­
tofore established by the authority of the board in its decision No. 3
(Aug. 10, 1920) for the following specific classes of employees in
amounts per hour hereinafter specified for such classes:
Cents.

S ec . 1. Agents, storekeepers, assistant storekeepers, cihief clerks, foremen, sub-

foremen, and other supervisory forces....................................................

6
6
6

and other train service employees........ .................................................

6

of Decision No. 3............................... ........................... .......... .............

6

S ec . 2. Clerks...........................................................................................................
S ec . 3. Wagon, automobile, stable, garage, and platform service employees........
S ec . 4. Messengers and helpers, messengers handling baggage and helpers, guards,
S ec . 5. All other employees whose wages were increased by section 5, Article II,

The general regulations governing the application of this decision
are as follows:
S e c t io n 1. Decreases in wages specified in this decision are to be deducted from
theylaily, weekly, or monthly rates, as the case may be, in the following manner:
(a) For employees paid by the day, deduct eight times the hourly decrease
established from the daily rate.
(b ) For employees paid by the week, deduct forty-eight times the hourly de­
crease established from the weekly rate.
(c) For employees paid by the month (except train service employees), deduct two
hundred and four times the hourly decrease established from the monthly rate.
(d ) For train service employees paid by the month, deduct two hundred and forty
times the hourly decrease established from the monthly rate.

These rates, so far as they apply to officials, are to affect only such
classes of subordinate officials as are so classified by the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
Decision No. 218, issued by the Railroad Labor Board on July 26,
declares illegal both elections of representatives to the system con­
ference on rules recently conducted on the Pennsylvania system.
One election was conducted by the management and one by the
Federated Shop Crafts affiliated with the Railway Employees’
D epartm ent of the American Federation of Labor. The rules
negotiated by the alleged representatives selected by either ballot
are declared void and a new election ordered. Specific regulations
as to employees’ eligibility to vote and the form of ballot to be used
in the new election are made in this decision. For the purpose of
deciding upon the specific m anner of the distribution, casting, count­
ing, and tabulation of the ballots in such election, a conference was


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136

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

ordered on or before August 10 between duly authorized represent­
atives of the carrier and all railroad organizations or unorganized
employees meeting the requirements of the transportation act and
the rules of the board. Addendum No. 1 to this decision provides
th at the election shall be by secret ballot.
A similar decision (No. 220) affecting the Brotherhood of Railway
and Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, and Expressman and the
Pennsylvania system was made on August 3. This decision provides
for a conference on or before August 15 to arrange details of the new
election.
Clothing and Textiles.
Chicago Cloak and Suit Industry.

nTH E agreement between the Chicago Cloak and Suit M anufacturers’
A Association, the N orth W est Cloak and Suit M anufacturers’
Association, and the Joint Board of the Cloak and Skirt Makers’
Union of Chicago, which expired on Juno 21, has been extended
until December 1. The old agreement provided for the 44-hour
week, time and one-half for overtime, and the following minimum
wage scale.
All workers shall work by the week. The minimum wage scale shall be as follows:
Cutters.................................................................................................................. $40.00
Trimmers.............................................................................................................. 33.00
Sample makers..................................................................................................... 32. 00
Jacket and dress operators................................................................................... 44.00
Skirt operators..................................................................................................... 42. 00
Jacket and dress pressers..................................................................................... 40. 00
Jacket and dress underpressers........................................................................... 36. 50
Skirt pressers....................................................................................................... 37.50
Finishers who can do all hand sewing ona garment, to include lining basters.. 32. 00
Edge basters, who are also competent todo other hand tailoring....................... 28. 00
Edge basters, who are incompetent to do other hand tailoring.............; ........... 23. 50
Feller hands, not including first-season apprentices.......................................... 23. 50
Button sewers, hook-and-eye sewers, and skirt-bottom basters (not including
first two-months apprentices)........................................................................... 18. 00
Montreal Clothing Trade.

The labor situation in the Montreal clothing trade was clarified by
an agreement reached June 16 between the local unions of the Amal­
gam ated Clothing Workers of America and the Clothing Manufac­
turers’ Association of Montreal. The agreement, which provides for
a tripartite arbitration board with an im partial chairman, is prac­
tically the same as last year’s, except th a t the installation of produc­
tion standards is provided for. The contract clause dealing with
standards of production reads as follows:
In each separate shop an agreement shall be reached between the representative
of the union and the representative of the employer as to standards of production with
respect to each separate operation. A memorandum thereof shall be made and
signed and then the said agreement thus reached becomes automatically a part of
this contract. If any difference of any kind arises under this clause, including as to
what shall constitute a proper standard, it shall be submitted to the impartial chairman and his decision shall be final. If the production falls below the standard agreed
upon, and this be due to the fault of the workers, then the compensation shall be
readjusted accordingly and any difference arising from such readjustment shall also


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RECENT LABOR AGREEMENTS AND DECISIONS.

137

be submitted to the impartial chairman. Rules governing standards of production
and safeguards to the parties in regard to same shall be mutually worked out, and
when so worked out and mutually agreed upon they shall become a part of this
agreement.
Cincinnati Cloak Trade.

The official organ of the International Ladies’ Garment W orkers’
Union reports a settlem ent effected June 20 in the Cincinnati cloak
trade. Wages and conditions of work remain unchanged in the local
industry, the report states, the new feature of the agreement being
the guaranty by the employers of 24 weeks of uninterrupted work
during the coming season.
Textiles, New York City.

The Daily News Record (New York) for July 8, 1921, reports th a t—
The Textile Finishers’ Association (of New York) and the Cloth Examiners and
Shrinkers’ Union have signed a two-year agreement to take the place of the agreement
recently expired. The scale of wages is the same as that existing at the present time.
The minimum weekly rate for examiners is $50; spongers and decators, $45; takers-off,
$33; and helpers, $20.
Silk Ribbon industry.

An agreement for the training of apprentices in the silk-ribbon
weaving trade has been compiled and adopted by the trade council
of the silk-ribbon industry of greater New York. This plan, dated
July 9, follows in full:
P re a m b le .

The parties to the collective bargaining agreement in the silk-ribbon industry of
Greater New York realize that the responsibility for the training of new workers in the
weaving trade lies equally with the employers and the employees. In order to main­
tain the continuous welfare of the industry, workers must be trained to replace those
who normally leave the industry as well as to provide for its growth. This is especially
true in a skilled trade like the manufacture of silk ribbons, which requires well-trained
workers.
The training of textile workers generally, and especially of silk-ribbon weavers, has
been carried to a higher degree oLefficiency in Europe than in this country. Methods
of training with us have been rather indefinite and as a rule not enough attention has
been given to the young worker who desired to learn the trade. The consequence has
been that our silk-ribbon industry has very largely relied for the better quality of work
upon the weavers ■with European training.
For some time prior to the outbreak of the World War, the supply of European
weavers coming to this country was dwindling and the war practically cut it off.
This means that the industry must depend at present and in the future upon hometrained weavers. It means that the silk-ribbon industry in this country must develop
methods of training equal to those of Europe. In order that the American silk-ribbon
industry may hold its own in all markets, workers must be trained who will be able to
turn out the most highly skilled workmanship. Workers must be trained so that they
will be capable of weaving not only the highest class of goods but also skilled in the
efficient production of all the medium and lower grades.
Therefore, the parties to this agreement, in order to discharge in the best possible
way their responsibility for the training of weavers, have jointly agreed through their
trade council upon the following plan for the training of apprentices in the silkribbon weaving trade.
P la n .
S e c t io n 1. R e q u ir e m e n ts f o r a p p re n tic e s. —Age: The minimum age shall be 16 years.
Education: Every apprentice shall know enough English to understand directions
and be able to figure sufficiently to keep necessary records. This requirement will
not be taken to bar an apprentice who at the time of entering is deficient in English,
providing he is at the time studying the language.


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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

Physical: The eyesight of every apprentice shall, if possible, be tested at the
expense of the firm, such examination to include test for color blindness. Attention
shall be given also to the general physical condition.
S ec . 2. P e r io d o f tr a in in g . —The period of training shall be three years. But the
joint committee shall have the authority to grant an examination to a specially quali­
fied apprentice after the completion of two years’ training if such apprentice shall
have shown exceptional ability, provided the apprentice submits a written applica­
tion to the joint committee, requesting such examination.
Apprentices taken in any mil! shall serve out their apprenticeship period in that
mill, and are not to be taken in as employees in the weaving departments of any other
silk-ribbon mill coming under the agreement, or under union control, except as
apprentices, and upon the consent of the impartial chairman.
S ec . 3. P r o b a tio n a r y 'period.-—There shall be a probationary period for apprentices
of not less than three months nor more than six months. During this period the man­
agement shall determine the fitness of the apprentice for the trade, and during this
period the apprentice may be discharged without review. At the expiration of the
probationary period the apprentice may be admitted to the union as an apprentice
weaver member.
S e c . 4. P r e lim in a r y tr a in in g . —Before entering as a weaving apprentice, the appren­
tice must have at least six months’ experience in the preparatory or weaving depart­
ments. Six months after entering as an apprentice weaver, the joint committee must
decide the amount of credit for such preparatory experience, but the credit shall not
be for less than six months.
Where a broad-silk weaver desires to take up ribbon weaving, he must show that he
has had at least three years’ experience as a broad-silk weaver. In that case he can be
taken in as an apprentice and shall serve for at least three months, receiving the pay
of am apprentice in the last six months’ period. At the end of his training period the
weaver shall receive an examination by the joint committee before he may be classed
as a third-class weaver. In cases where a broad-silk weaver has not worked for three
years at such occupation, the joint committee shall, after three months’ probationary
period, decide the amount of time credit he shall receive for whatever period he may
have worked on broad silk.
S ec . 5. W ages. —The initial wages for apprentices shall be 40 per cent of the mini­
mum wage paid the third-class weavers. Every six months the wages shall be in­
creased 10 per cent on the basis of the third-class weavers’ wages. These increases
shall be made automatically every six months, unless on account of poor production,
irregular attendance, lack of interest, etc., it is not considered justified. In such
cases the apprentice shall have the right to have the matter considered by the joint
committee, with the further right of appeal to the impartial chairman.
If changes occur in the weavers’ guaranteed minimum or in the hours of work, the
compensation of apprentices will vary accordingly.
S ec . 6. N u m b e r o f a p p r e n tic e s . —In all the mills coming under the agreement, 1
apprentice may be employed for every 10 weavers or major fraction thereof. This
number will be based at any one time on the average number of weavers employed
during the previous six months’ manufacturing period . It is understood that during
a period in which weavers are being laid off for lack of work no new apprentices may
be taken on. The proportion of 1 apprentice to 10 weavers is to hold good for a period
of 2 years from the date of this apprenticeship plan, unless some emergency arises
which in the opinion of the impartial chairman justifies the opening of the matter.
At the end of the two-year period either party to the agreement can at any time bring
before the trade council the necessity of a change.
S ec . 7. T r a in in g . —All apprentices shall have the opportunity to work on the dif­
ferent looms in the mills, on wide and narrow ribbons and on different weaves, and
in all ways shall be afforded an opportunity to get as wide and as all-round an ex­
perience as th e mills in which they are working afford.
S e c . 8 . P ro g re ss records. —Records shall be kept by the management of the progress
of each apprentice, with the experience on the loom, twisting, interest shown, punc­
tuality, etc. The progress records shall also include all reports of seconds turned out
by the apprentice, so that the management may use this both for criticism and com­
mendation. The average daily production shall be calculated at frequent intervals,
preferably every month, to show both the management and the apprentice how much
progress has been made. These records at the proper time shall be open to the joint
committee, the apprentice, and others who are lawfully interested in the matter.
In the training of apprentices the initial emphasis must be on method and quality
of work rather than on yardage. Future all-round efficiency must not be sacrificed to
present production. Not until the apprentice has thoroughly grasped the nature of


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RECENT LABOR AGREEMENTS AND DECISIONS.

the work and the accurate way of doing it should quantity be sought. But at the
same time the apprentice must learn how to combine quantity and quality in pro­
duction so as to become a first-class weaver.
S ec . 9. E x a m in a tio n .-—After the period of training has been completed, the appren­
tice shall be given an examination by the joint committee for entrance in the third
class of weavers. This committee shall determine the details of the examination,
and such examination shall cover the following points, rated as follows:
Total
credit
(per
cent).

Starting up loom.
Twisting.............
Skill
Quality of goods turned out.
Speed..................................

Passing
m ark
(per
cent).

10

10

40
25
15

5
5
30
20
10

100
70
The standard must be based upon the work of an experienced weaver, and the
apprentice must have at least 70 per cent as a total before he can pass.
If the apprentice fails to meet the requirements, the joint committee shall have the
authority to extend the period of apprenticeship, but for not longer than a period of
six months after the examination. At any time within this six months the joint
committee shall have the authority to hold an examination finally to determine the
apprentice’s standing. After satisfactory completion of the term of apprenticeship
and examination, the apprentice shall be given a certificate to that effect, signed by the
members of the joint committee. In order to facilitate better cooperation between
the union and the management and to insure apprentices receiving their full period
of training, the apprentice may receive an apprentice card from the union after the
probationary period is ended. When an apprentice has received his certificate, this
card may then be exchanged for the regular union card designating him as a fullfledged weaver.
S ec . 10. A p p o in tm e n t o f j o i n t c o m m itte e .—A joint committee representing the man­
agement and the workers in the shop shall be appointed for the purpose of carrying
out the details of this apprenticeship plan, holding examinations, etc. Said joint
committee shall consist of two members from each side, to be selected or appointed as
the different parties may decide.

Shipping.

rules and wages governing employment of masters
tuna mutes for transatlantic, transpacific, Atlantic, Pacific,
and Gulf coast service have been adopted after conference between
the representatives of the United States Shipping Board and the rep­
resentatives of the National Association of Masters, Mates, and
Pilots of America and the Neptune Association, representing licensed
deck officers.
Following is the agreement in fu ll:
Vessels are to be classed according to their “ power-tonnage, ” represented by gross
tonnage plus indicated horsepower as given in the “ List of Merchant Vessels of the
United States,” as compiled by the Commissioner of Navigation, or in other recog­
nized maritime lists.
Single screw.

Class.
Class
Class
Class
Class
Class

Over 20,001.............
12,001 to 20,000 ___
7,501 to 12,000........
5,001 to 7,500 ..........
Below 5,001............

A
B.
C.
D
E


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[625]

Tw in screw.
Over 15,001.
9,001 to 15,000.
5,501 to 9,000.
3,501 to 5,500.
Below 3,501.

140

M O NTH LY LABOR REVIEW.
W A G E SCA LE.
Class.
Occupation.
A

M aster.......................................................................................................
F irst m ate................................................................................................
Second m a te .............................................................................................
Third m a te ...............................................................................................
F o u rth m a te ............................................................................................

$370
205
180
160
1 140

B
$335
200
175
155
1 135

D

C
$320
195
170
150

\

$310
190
165
145

E
$295
185
160
140

1 W hen carried.
W o rk in g R u le s .
R u l e 1. Watch and watch to he maintained on sailing day or at any ontside port or
ports of call. No mate shall be required or permitted to take charge of a watch upon
leaving or immediately after leaving port, unless he shall have had at least six hours
off duty within the 12 hours immediately preceding time of sailing.
R u l e 2. A w ork in g-d ay a t a n y port w here w a tch es are broken sh a ll b e from 8 a. m.

to 5 p. m ., du rin g w h ich tim e one hour sh a ll b e a llow ed for dinner.
N o t e . —In tropical or other ports where conditions make it desirable to make
special arrangements about working hours on account of climatic conditions, a
special arrangement may be made which is mutually satisfactory to ifieet the
situation.
R u l e 3. When a ship arrives in home port the mate standing the night watch shall
have the next day off.
N o t e .—For the purpose of these rules a “ home port” shall be considered the
port at which shipping articles are opened or the port at which crew is paid off
upon completion of the voyage.
R u l e 4. If a mate is required to stay on board in any port on Sundays or on New
Year’s Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, or Christmas Day, he shall have
one full day off with pay, or be paid one day’s additional pay, but this shall not apply
to a vessel sailing on or ready to proceed on her voyage.
It is the intention of this rule that no work shall be performed by the mates except
that which is necessary for the safety of the vessel.
R u l e 5. In all ports of call and foreign ports, one mate shall be required to stay
aboard at night. Mates shall alternate and shall receive no extra compensation for
this work.
It is the intention of this rule that no night work shall be performed by the mates
except for the safety of the vessel.
R u l e 6. No overtime shall'be performed at sea except for the safety of the vessel.
R u l e 7. A working-day in port in excess of eight hours shall not be performed or
paid for unless the work is done by written order of the master, owner, or agent of the
vessel. An entry shall be made in the log book every time a mate is required to per­
form overtime service, covering kind of work, reason for same, and time started and
finished. Authorized overtime to be paid at the pro rata rate.
R u l e 8. No mate shall be laid off Sundays or holidays, b u t at the option of the master
the mates shall be granted shore liberty w ith pay.

R u l e 9. When in port and board is not furnished, $3 per day shall be allowed for
subsistence and $2.50 per day shall be allowed for lodging when no room is provided.
R u l e 10. Final discharge of mates to be at ports designated in ship’s articles except
when impracticable or through no fault of his own, or in case of sale or abandonment
of vessel by owner at other port, in which event members are to be reimbursed for all
time and travel expenses incurred incident to return to port designated.
In the event any question arises concerning the discharge of any mate he shall have
the right of appeal to the marine superintendent before final decision is rendered.
R u l e 11. These wages and conditions do not apply to vessels not in active operation.
R u l e 12. There shall be no discrim ination in the em ployment of any master or
mate on account of affiliation or nonaffiliation w ith any organization.

R u l e 13. The wage scale and working conditions promulgated herein shall remain
in effect until January 1, 1922, and thereafter until such time as 30 days’ notice shall
have been given by either party to discontinue.


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RECENT LABOR AGREEMENTS AND DECISIONS.

141

Packing-House Industries.

'T W O awards were handed down on July 1-4 by Mr. Samuel Alschuler,
A United States adm inistrator for adjustm ent of labor differences
arising in certain packing-house industries. One concerns the
demand of employers for a general reduction of 5 cents per hour and
for certain changes in application of the basic 8-hour day. This
decision, denying the request for wage reduction and directing certain
changes in the com putation of overtime, is as follows:
A. For tlie present the employers’ requested further reduction of 5 cents per hour
in all wage rates is denied.
B. Employers may at their option upon three days of each week work their employ­
ees nine hours before being required to pay overtime rates for such days, or, if they
prefer, they may work them one day of each week 10 hours, and one other day of that
week 9 hours before being required to pay overtime rates for such days, the overtime
rate as to the other days of the week to remain as heretofore. If, during any such
week, more than 48 hours be worked, overtime rate shall apply to the week’s time
worked in excess of 48 hours. Holiday rates are not affected.
C. In computing “ guaranteed tim e” any overtime or holiday work during the
week shall be figured at the number of hours represented by the pay rate therefor, i. e.,
time and one-half for an overtime hour shall be considered as If hours of work appli­
cable on the 40-hour guaranty. This and the prior section of the award shall be
effective July 17, 1921.
D. The administrator retains jurisdiction of this proceeding, and the right to make
further reductions in wages, and changes in the matters and things above awarded,
as during the administration from time to time may by the administrator be deemed
necessary and for the best interest of all concerned.

W ith respect to the rates of wages extended by this award, the
decision states:
Computation of the hourly pay rates of all the plant employees as of June 1 in one
plant (Swift’s, at Chicago) shows those receiving under 45 cents to be 11 per cent of
the whole; those receiving 45 cents, 30.7 per cent; those above 45 cents, up to and
including 47 cents, 27.3 per cent; those above 47 cents up to and including 50 cents,
12 per cent; making 81 per cent of all these employees who are paid 50 cents and under.
Of tile-remaining 19 per cent I think it would be safe to say that two-thirds are receiving
under 60 cents, and that the number now receiving over 70 cents is quite negligible.
This is fairly typical of all plants in the administration, save that the common labor
rate at Fort Worth and Oklahoma City has been and is 3 cents lower than elsewhere.

In another award of the same date Mr. Alschuler directed th a t the
cut of 8 cents an hour p u t in effect by the Union Stock Yards and the
Transit Co. on May 1, to which the employees objected, should stand
for the time being “ subject to such change as conditions in the
future m ay require during the existence of the adm inistration.”
New York.1

A new agreement providing average wage reductions of 10 per
cent for 5,000 slaughterhouse and packing workers in the New York
district has been signed by employing packers and the Amalgamated
Meat Cutters and Butchers Workmen of N orth America.
The new contract also provides for continuation of the preferential
union shop; the basic 48-hour week for miscellaneous and common
labor; a basic 10-hour day for drivers and chauffeurs, and an 8-hour
day for all other labor.
The agreement was signed by Armour & Co., Swift & Co., Wilson
& Co., Morris & Co., and smaller concerns.
1The W ilm ington Labor H erald, J une 25, 1921, p . 3.

63444°—21— 10


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Printing.

TN the p roceeding between the Typographical Union and the closed* shop division of the Typothetae, of Washington, D. C., A rbitrator
Judge W. W. Warwick handed down his decision on July 29. The
decision, which will be effective from July 30, 1921, to April 30, 1922,
provides th a t the scale in effect since January 23, 1920, is a reason­
able minimum scale and shall continue for the period above speci­
fied as follows:
Hand men, daywork, per week of 44 hours.........................................$40. 00
Hand men, night work, per week of 44 hours------------- ---------------- 45. 00
Machine men, daywork, per week of 44 hours.................. .......... ...... 42.00
Machine men, night work, per week of 44 hours................................. 47. 25

Stove Industry.

rT 'H E 1921 conference between the International Mulders’ Union of
N orth America and the Stove Founders’ National Defense
Association agreed upon a 15 per cent reduction on piecework earn­
ings and a 5 per cent reduction on day workers’ minimum. Certain
clauses of the conference agreements in force between these two
organizations have been in force since 1891. Clause 28, amended
at the 1921 conference, now reads as follows:
Six dollars shall be the established minimum day’s wage for all day work molders
and molders working by the day at core making in the shops of the members of the
Stove Founders’ National Defense Association.
Beginning May 2, 1921, the prevailing day rate as established by the International
Molders’ Union of North America in the district shall apply.
Where members have employed molders during the last six months of 1920, at the
minimum of $6.32^ per day, the above shall not apply, but where the members now
paying a rate less than the prevailing day rate as established by the International
Molders’ Union of North America in the district, no reduction shall be made. .
N o t e .— The local union shall allow an old or physically incapacitated molder
to work for such wage as may be mutually agreed upon between him, his em­
ployer, and the local union.
Beginning May 2,1921, the molding prices of all work in shops of the Stove Founders’
National Defense Association shall be reduced 15 per cent on the prices paid at the
present time. Where the percentage is at present 125 per cent on list, this reduction
will make the percentage 91£ per cent on its equivalent.

Street Railways.

M assachusetts Board of Conciliation and A rbitration issued
uii May 14 an award in the m atter of the joint application for
arbitration of the controversy between the E astern M assachusetts
Street Railway Co. and its employees, members of the Amalgamated
Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America.
Twelve specific issues were presented on which the board has ruled as
follows:
1. There shall be a reduction in the basic wage now in force of 12-| per cent.
2. There shall be no change in the differential of 5 cents per hour paid to operators
of the one-man car.
3. Seniority shall be abolished in the shops, car houses, power plants, and in the
track and line departments.


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4. In case of a curtailment of force, employees are not to hold their seniority rights
for a period of six months.
5. The computation of time for runs of conductors and motormen shall not be
changed from computation to 15-minute and half-hour periods to computation to
10-minute periods.
6. Relief for 30 minutes or less is to be paid for.
7. Employees in the mechanical and miscellaneous departments are not to be
allowed 10 minutes under pay to wash up.
8. Men in the mechanical and miscellaneous departments who work 8 hours on
Sundays and holidays and 9 on week days are not to be paid 9 hours’ pay for the 8
hours’ work on Sundays and holidays.
9. The request for pay at the rate of time and one-half for work done on Sundays
and holidays in shops, in car houses, in pow-er plants, and in the track and line depart­
ments is denied.
10. Employees in the mechanical and miscellaneous departments when doing
overtime work shall be paid compensation at the rate of time and one-half.
11. The request for Saturday half holiday with pay for employees in the rollingstock shops is denied.
12. Employees’ request that regular workers of the mechanical and miscellaneous
departments, who have worked one continuous year or two consecutive 4-track sea­
sons, shall not have their wages reduced by reason of occasional rainy or inclement
weather, is denied by the board.

About 1,860 employees will be affected by this award.

Building Trades.
A CCORDING to the August 6, 1921, issue of The American Con-

_
tractor, in August, 1920, the Building Trades Em ployers’ Asso­
ciation and the Building Trades Council of W estchester County, N. Y.,
came to an agreement on wages and conditions which became effective
in October, 1920, and was to continue until the end of 1921, unless
certain specified steps were taken to change it. In the early part of
1921 the employers felt th at in view of the fall in prices and wages
elsewhere, the building trades should consent to a reduction of the
wages agreed upon. The Building Trades Council did not share this
view and a controversy arose which was finally subm itted to Mr.
Samuel Unterm eyer as arbitrator, both sides agreeing to accept his
decision. His award, which was given out on June 30, is more than
a mere wage decision, since it includes a discussion of several m atters
of much importance both to the building industry and the public.
The question subm itted to him, according to his understanding of the
m atter, was, W hat is a fair wage for the several classes of b uikling
artisans in W estchester County? Should they continue to receive
$9 a day, according to the terms of the agreement, or should their
wages be reduced $1 a day, as the employers contended?
If the answer depended merely upon the relation between wages
and cost of living, then, Mr. Unterm eyer stated, the reduction in the
cost of living since the wage scale was agreed upon justified the cut
the employers wished to make. B ut the situation was not so simple
as that. The Building Trades Council had objected to the proposed
cut on the grounds—
1. T hat there was an implied understanding th at the wage scale
should be governed by th at prevailing in New York City, and should
not fall unless th at did.
2. T hat the employers had an arrangement by which large profits
on labor were added to the estimates furnished their customers, and


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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

th at any reduction of wages would merely increase these profits, not
inure to the general good.
3. T hat contractors were exploiting labor by charging the public
exorbitant profits over and above the wages they paid their men,
and th a t on this account a demand for lower wages came with bad
grace from them.
4. T hat the employers’ association had not given the notice of
their intention to demand a change in wages which the contract
called for, and th at therefore the agreed wages should stand through­
out the period covered by the contract.
The first of these contentions Mr. Unterm eyer dismisses summarily,
pointing out th a t although there had been some discussion of the
point, no agreement or understanding of the kind mentioned had
been reached, and th a t there was no reason, in logic or equity, for
making the wage scale of New York City govern th at of W estchester
County.
The second point, as involving a serious charge, was dealt with at
greater length. A firm of chartered accountants, of unquestionable
standing, was engaged to “ make such investigation of the accounts
of two of the largest builders as the limited time at my disposal would
perm it.” The conclusions drawn from their report are as follows:
It will be observed that in so far as they were able to investigate, the charges are
not sustained. I am satisfied also from independent investigations that the con­
tractors are not earning excessive, or even reasonable, profits on the volume of their
business. They are entitled to earn at least 7 | per cent, year in and out on their
volume of business, including subcontracts for which they are responsible. I am
satisfied also, that the charge made against them that in their estimates they have
been adding $3 a day to the cost of labor, is not sustained, but I am not satisfied and
am unable to find that in their estimates they have figured only the prices they are
paying for labor before adding their percentages of overhead and profits. It is im­
possible to determine this important factor from their estimates made. The burden
is upon them in that respect, and they have not borne it.

On the third charge, th at labor was being exploited by the con­
tractors, the findings were of a different character.
There is no question that labor in Westchester County as elsewhere is being ex­
ploited and that the high cost of living is more vitally and directly affected by this
form of profiteering than by the increase in wages that go to the wage earner. As above
stated, the charge made by the unions that the contractors add $3 per day to the
cost of their labor is not proven. It is, on the contrary, disproven. The vicious form
of profiteering to which I refer is practiced mainly by the jobber and retailer on day’s
work.
Illuminating illustrations of the practice, which has unfortunately become general,
and which must be corrected if the construction and repair costs on buildings are
again to become normal, will be found in bills such as that of:
(a) —— Co., where 91J hours’ labor was charged a customer, at $1.75 per hour, or
$14 a day, in addition to extortionate profits on the material used on the job. This
has of late years become a standing charge of this and other equipment companies, but
it is none the less unconscionable on that account.
(b) --------, who charged his customer for 42 hours’ labor of a plumber at the rate of
$14 a day, and 9 hours for a laborer at $1.06 per hour, in addition to exorbitant profits
on the materials used on the job.
(c) -----—, a plumber whose charges for material on the job represents a profit of over
200 per cent.
(d) --------, who furnished labor (no material) consisting of a steamfitter and helper,
and a plumber and helper, for 2 \ days each, to whom he paid in all $80 in wages, and
who were charged by M r.--------to the customer at $166.30 for the same labor, which
charge M r.--------afterwards “ graciously reduced to $140, equal to 75 per cent profit
on the labor, when the payment of his bill was refused as excessive.” I quite under-


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145

stand that these charges include the use of tools and compensation insurance, but they
are unjustifiable.
It has not been possible to ascertain at this distance whether any, and if so, which
of these jobbers is also a contractor or member of the Building Trades Association. I
must therefore assume that none of them are, since there is no evidence before me that
any of the members of that association are engaged in this vicious form of exploiting
labor. The fact remains, however, that labor is being unjustly held responsible by the
public at large for this character of extortion. * * * An addition of 20 per cent by
these jobbers to the cost of labor and materials to cover the overhead and profit would
be ample, and as far as labor is concerned, the union should see to it that 20 per cent is
the limit of charge, by refusing to furnish labor to jobbers who charge in excess of that
amount. * * *
Summarizing the conclusion reached on this point, I accordingly find (a) that while
the builders have not successfully borne the burden of proof as to the basis of labor
costs, as between $3 and $9 a day, on which their present estimates are based, I can not
find, as charged, that they add an improper or excessive amount to the cost of labor,
and (b) that labor is being outrageously exploited by the jobbers, and that a reduction
in labor costs lies in the hands of the unions, through limiting profits that may be
charged on such labor.

Taking up tlie fourth point, the arbitrator finds th at the employers
did not give a clear and definite statem ent of their intention to demand
a change of wage rates within the time fixed by the agreement, and
th a t on the score of this failure to observe the terms of the contract
the men are entitled to some consideration. A t this point Mr. Untermyer digresses from the strict consideration of the m en’s charges in
the order given to another point bearing upon the wage question,
namely, the action of a painters’ union in Yonkers in insisting upon a
five-day week and forbidding its members to work over th a t limit.
This is denounced as “ a vicious precedent detrim ental alike to the
welfare and efficiency of the men and to the prosperity of the country
if it were to become a universal rule.”
The award itself is a compromise, fixing the lower wage—$8 a day—
for .which the employers contended, bu t decreeing th a t it shall not
become effective till September 1, and th a t meanwhile the men shall
be paid a t the rate of $9 a day “ and correspondingly for other classes
of labor included within this arbitration th a t are receiving lesser
sums.” The going into effect of the lower rate is made conditional
upon the observance of the following stipulations:
1. That the contract shall be modified by striking out the provision giving the
employers’ association preference over other employers in securing union labor. The
attempted justification of this provision does not appeal to me; no such discrimination
should be asked by the employers or made by the unions in favor of any class of em­
ployers for any reason. It is liable to great abuse and tends to discredit the cause of
organized labor.
2. Every contractor and builder in Westchester County employing union labor,
whether or not lie be a member of the Building Trades Employers’ Association, must,
in order to secure the benefit of the reduced wage hereby conditionally directed from
and after September 1, on and after August 1, 1921, figure his labor based on actual
cost in all estimates. To the amount so determined he will add whatever percentage
of profit he may see fit, provided the profit thus added is plainly shown on the estimate
and in his books of account. On and after that date all estimates that result in con­
tracts must separate the figures on the various classes of labor involved and the prices
at which they are figured from the other items of the estimate, and all such estimates
must be filed with the secretary of the Building Trades Employers’ Association within
10 days after the contract lias been closed, there to remain for 60 days, subject to the
confidential inspection of the accredited officials of the union, but to none others.
In this way the unions will be able to learn, as they are entitled to know, whether
the wages they are receiving fairly represent their contribution to the enterprise.
Such disclosure should go a long way toward inaugurating an era of understanding
and good will between the men and their employers. It may appear arduous and


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inquiaitorial in the beginning, but in the end it will pay, and the public will be the
gainer.

I t is through the working of this latter condition—the filing of the
exact profits made by the contractor or builder—th a t the arbitrator
expects the unions to enforce the rule of refusing to furnish labor to
contractors charging more than a profit of 20 per cent over and above
the cost of labor and m aterial. In thus enforcing a lim itation of
profits, the unions have an opportunity to perform “ a signal public
service th a t should have a substantial effect on the cost of living,
and th at would be greatly appreciated by the suffering public.”

Boot and Shoe industry.

An employer in the boot and shoe industry requested a reduction
of 30 per cent on all piecework prices and on all day and week work
wages. When the formal hearing was opened by the board of arbi­
tration the request was modified by the employer asking for a reduc­
tion th at would average 20 per cent of the pay roll. The arbitration
board decided not to permit a reduction and in a letter bearing date
of July 20, 1921, and addressed to the Secretary of Labor, gives the
reasons for its decision:
The undersigned, all of them commissioners of conciliation, Department of Labor,
were selected as a board of arbitration on a case in which the employer asked for a cut
in wages. Oscar F. Nelson was selected by the employees and the union; Herbert J.
Friedman by the employer; and E. T. Gundlach was chosen by both parties as third
arbitrator.
While the three commissioners were named in the case as individuals and not as
Government representatives, they believe that some of the points in this decision
may serve as precedents in other arbitration cases in so far as the Government may
approve these points. It was, therefore, deemed best by the board to state to the
Government its reasons for its decision.
The evidence showed:
That the employer was the largest of four large concerns engaged in a similar line of
industry in the same city, being the only one m that line employing organized labor
in that city.
That none of the other three factories had brought about a wage reduction, there
being furthermore no evidence that these others had reduced the number of hands.
That reductions of 10 to 22.5 per cent had been made by posting of factory notices,
by mutual agreement, and by arbitration in some 25 other factories manufacturing
the same kind of product in other parts of the United States; such factories, however,
manufacturing mostly cheaper grades than those of this employer.
That no wage reduction had been made in any large factory making a grade of
product that might be said to be in the most direct competition with that of employer.
That in one particular district of the country, where a large number of factories
engaged in making a product in direct competition with that of employer are situated,
the employers had just petitioned for a 20 per cent reduction in wages, and that hear­
ings under a State board proceeding were about to be held; and that in other factories
in that district many hands were at present out of employment.
That the employer had greatly reduced the wholesale price of his product and that
he was not at this moment making a reasonable return upon his investment, in fact,
no profit at all. HoAvever, the figures, on investigation, showed that the selling price
had been set with a view to a close and yet not entirely unreasonable percentage of
profit on volume; and that during the latter part of May and for a few weeks thereafter,
these profits had been destroyed by a sudden increase in the cost of raw materials
which cost, as the board learned/fluctuates continuously. Other figures to_ show
the employer could not make profits were based on losses due to shipments in the
abnormal preceding period and to estimates as to future credit losses and future
selling expenses, with some evidence, however, as to continuous increased costs of
selling.


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147

The employer urged as a basis for a wage reduction:
(a) That the general economic conditions prevailing throughout the countryrequired a reduction in wages.
(6) That the reduction in 'the cost of living meant that the employer was asking
not for a wage reduction but rather for a wage adjustment.
(c) That the employer would not be able to go on manufacturing his product unless
a wage reduction were granted speedily.
The employees urged:
_(a) That reductions had not taken place in factories under the most direct competi­
tion with the employer and that in the entire industry the wage cut had been only
3 per cent.
(b ) That wages had not been raised in this industry as much as in some others and
reductions in the cost of living did not necessarily justify a wage cut in this industry.
(c) That the profits or losses of the employer had no bearing on the question of
wage cuts unless it could be shown that the losses were due to labor costs.
The board believed:
1. A board called in to arbitrate a wage scale, unless the agreement to submit to
arbitration specifically provides for the setting of a scale for a definite period, is not
required to render a decision awarding a wage scale binding for the balance of the
period in which the arbitration agreement is in force. Where the board feels that a
change in wages, whether upward or downward, is not due at the time the board is
sitting, it does not follow that such a change may not be due any time thereafter.
Therefore, such a board may either continue holding itself ready for further sessions
on call from either party, or may leave the matter open for other boards to act.
2. General economic conditions may be taken as a background, or possibly as one
reason for adjustment of a wage scale, but can not be accepted as the reason while
doubt still remains as to w h en and h ow these general conditions will apply in individual
industries or individual factories. If general conditions were to be so accepted, then
all employers and wage workers operating under an arbitration agreement would
automatically reduce or raise wages, as the case may be, whenever the general trend
was in that direction. The employer who had agreed to arbitration would be in the
forefront of those immediately forced to advance wages during a period of rising
prices or of increased demand for labor; and when wages were tending downward,
the worker who had signed an agreement to arbitrate would not even have occasion to
present an argument regarding conditions in his factory or in his industry, but would
automatically follow (or possibly in some measure lead) those economic forces. Such
a theory, in the judgment of the board, would destroy the purpose of arbitration, and
in fact would result in the refusal of many employers and employees to agree to
arbitration in the future.
_3. Caution in making any changes in an existing wage scale is necessary if arbitra­
tion agreements are to be lasting. In a specific industry, where evidence shows that
wages_are being readjusted upward or downward, neither employers nor employees
in an individual factory operating under arbitration should be put to a disadvantage
as against those in other factories not bound by arbitration. While adjustment
when evidently necessary should be made in a reasonably early period and not neces­
sarily after a majority of those free from arbitration have already acted, yet such
speed in readjustment must not be carried so far that those under arbitration are
forced to readjustment while only a small portion of the entire industry has made
any changes and while doubt still remains as to w h en and how these changes will
become more general in this specific industry. Especially is this true where numerous
factories in direct competition as to product or as to labor market would be able to
make adjustments by mere factory notice and have not done so.
4. In so far as numerous factories directly competing, as in this case, are each or all
under separate arbitration agreements, one or another of such factories has a perfect
right to expect adjustments to be initiated in its factory in advance of all others.
It would be manifestly unjust in such cases to ask one factory or group operating
under arbitration to wait until others also bound by arbitration have secured an award.
But in such case the employer or employers desiring readjustment, while unable
under such circumstances to show the need of readjustment from competitive wage
figures, must show the need of such readjustment from other figures drawn perhaps
from the factory’s own financial statement or from figures indicating the condition of
the industry as a whole.
_5. The fact that the cost of living had gone down 20 per cent would warrant a reduc­
tion if other causes indicate the need of a reduction. But the mere fact that the
cost of living has gone down is no reason whatsoever for the cutting of wages. If
this were in itself accepted as a reason, it would mean that we are operating on the


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theory that the workmen of the United States should remain in a static and not in a
continuously improving condition.
G. Figures regarding current continuous operating costs, whether they be labor
costs, selling costs, or any other form of costs, provided they are continuous and current
and necessary in the operation of the business, are at all times proper figures for an
employer to introduce in evidence where a wage cut is contemplated. In the event
the current and continuous cost of operation (including the labor cost as one and not
as the only item) is such as to leave not a reasonable return on the factory’s investment
considering the price at which it is forced to sell its goods, then the period for readjust­
ment of wages has arrived: P r o v id e d , how ever:
(a) That any adjustment of the wage scale is conditioned upon a living wage for
all workers.
_(b ) That the figures given by such a factory are clearly indicative of general condi­
tions in that industry and not individual conditions of that factory.
(c) That figures (if differing from figures of previous seasons) can be accepted only
when there are sound reasons to believe that these figures represent costs that are not
temporary, and that estimates as to future losses or increased costs must be in line
with figures already well established, and that losses incurred now but due to opera­
tions of a past period during which the now contested wage scale was not questioned,
can not be taken as figures at all.
Respectfully submitted,
H e r b e r t J . F r ie d m a n .
O s c a r F. N e l s o n .
E. T. G u n d l a c h .

Wage Agreement in the Wool Textile T rale, Great Britain.

r r i I E American consul at Bradford, England, reported, under date
A of June 28, 1921, th a t the joint secretaries of the National Wool
(and Allied) Textile Industrial Council made the following statem ent
relative to the wage agreement recently reached in the wool textile
tra d e :
Payment under the new agreement is to be made on the pay day in the week ending
July 9 for the Week preceding that date, and the agreement is to continue in operation
until the full pay day in the Week ending June 3, 1922. Between now and the agree­
ment coming into operation no changes in wages are to take place.
The original proposals of the employers Were that gross wages should be reduced by
about 22 per cent, but the terms of the new agreement are that the reduction shall be
only 16$ per cent, which includes 5 per cent off the base rate.
The employers have agreed not to take advantage of the recent fall of 10 points in
the cost-of-living figure, which in the ordinary way would have involved a further
reduction in the cost-of-living wage of 10 points a Week before the new agreement is
timed to operate. No further change is to take place in the rate of wages until the
cost-of-living index figure falls below 95.


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EM PLOYM ENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.

Employment in Selected Industries in July, 1921.
H E Bureau of Labor Statistics received and tabulated reports
concerning the volume of employment in July, 1921, from repre­
sentative establishments in 13 m anufacturing industries and in
bitum inous coal mining.
Comparing the figures of July, 1921, with those for identical estab­
lishments for July, 1920, it appears th at in 12 of the 14 industries
there were decreases in the number of persons employed, while in
only two industries were there increases. The two increases are
105.8 per cent in woolen and 0.7 per cent in cigar manufacturing.
The great increase reported for the woolen industry for July, 1921,
over July, 1920, is due to the recovery from short-time operations
of all mills last year. The largest decrease reported, 46.4 per cent,
appears in iron and steel. Automobile m anufacturing, paper making,
and car building and repairing show respective decreases of 36.9,
35.3, and 32.3 per cent.
Thirteen of the fourteen industries show a decrease in the total
am ount of the pay roll for July, 1921, as compared with July, 1920.
The one increase reported, 76.8 per cent, appears in the woolen in­
dustry. The most im portant percentage decrease is 71.4 per cent,
which appears in iron and steel. Paper making shows a decrease of
46.4 per cent, and automobile m anufacturing shows a decrease of
38.7 per cent.

T

COM PARISON O F E M PL O Y M E N T IN ID E N T IC A L E S T A B L IS H M E N T S IN JU L Y , 1920, AND
JU L Y . 1921.

In d u stry .

Iron a n d stee l........................
A i ¡tomobile m anufacturing.
Car building a n d rep airin g ..
Cotton m anufacturing.........
Cotton finishing....................
Hosiery a n d un d erw ear___
W oolen.......................
Silk...........................................
Men’s ready-m ade clothing.
L eather m anufacturing.......
Boots and shoes.....................
P aper m aking........................
Cigar m an u factu rin g............
Coal m ining (b itu m in o u s)..


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E stab ­
lish­
m ents
report­ Period
of
ing for
July, pay roll.
both
years.

118
49
62
61
16
63
51
47
45
35
82
57
57
99

N um ber on p a y roll.

July,
1920.

July,
1921.

Per
cent of
increase
(+ ) or
decrease
(-)•

A m ount of p a y roll.

July,
1920.

| m onth. 189,770 101,638 - 46.4 $13,683,927
I w eek.. 126,997 80,188 - 36.9
4,335,639
\ m onth. 65,386 44,282 - 32.3
4,082,301
i w eek.. 59,818 59,574 - 0.4
1,396,375
_..d o ....... 12,339 12,266 - 0.6
328,436
...d o ....... 31,664 25,691 - 18.9
601,577
. ..d o ....... 24,647 50,713 + 105.8
645,963
2 weeks. 19,840 19.272 - 2.9
868,098
1 w eek.. 31,070 29,732 - 4.3
995,111
. ..d o ....... 14,909 12,138 - 18.6
399,181
. ..d o ....... 60,578 59,253 - 2.2
1,449,344
. ..d o ....... 33,564 21,725 - 35.3
983,809
342,053
...d o ... . 16; 226 16,335 +
.7
J m onth. 25,796 23,043 - 10.7
1,906,439

[635]

Per
cent of
increase
(+ ) or
decrease
(-)•

July,
1921.

$3,909,739
2,656,000
2,627,286
1,006,377
271,837
396,282
1,142,135
820,785
932,001
267,933
1,332,222
527,031
303,966
1,303,632

149

-7 1 .4
-3 8 .7
—35.6
-2 7 .9
-1 7 .2
-3 4 .1
+ 76.8
- 5.5
- 6.3
-3 2 .9
- 8.1
-4 6 .4
-1 1 .1
-3 1 .6

150

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

Comparative data for July, 1921, and June, 1921, appear in the
following table. The figures show th a t in eight industries there was
an increase in the num ber of persons on the pay roll in July, as
compared with June, and in six a decrease. The largest increase
reported, 8.9 per cent, appears in m en’s ready-made clothing.
Leather m anufacturing shows an increase of 3.7 per cent, boots and
shoes an increase of 3.1 per cent and automobile m anufacturing an
increase of 3 per cent. Iron and steel shows the most im portant
decrease— 12.7 per cent; while in hosiery and underwear and cigar
m anufacturing, respective decreases of 3.4 per cent and 3.1 per
cent appear.
In comparing July, 1921, and June, 1921, four industries show an
increase in the am ount of money paid to employees and 10 show a
decrease. The most im portant increase is 13.8 per cent, which
appears in m en’s ready-made clothing. Iron and steel shows a
decrease of 24.4 per cent, and car building and repairing a decrease
of 14.9 per cent.
COM PA RISO N O F E M PL O Y M E N T IN ID E N T IC A L E S T A B L IS H M E N T S IN JU N E
JU L Y . 1921.

E sta b ­
lish­
m ents
report­ Period
of
in g for
June p a y roll.
and
July.

In d u stry .

Iro n an d stee l........................
A utomobile m anufacturing.
Car building a n d rep airin g ..
C otton m anufacturing.........
Cotton finishing.....................
Hosiery a n d u n d erw ear___
W oolen....................................
S ilk ...........................................
Men’s ready-m ade clothing.
L eather m anufacturing.......
Boots an d shoes.....................
P ap er m ak in g ........................
Cigar m an u factu rin g............
Coal m ining (b itu m in o u s)..

118
45
59
60
1G
64
51
47
45
35
83
56
57
96

1m onth.
1 w eek. .
i m onth.
1 w e e k ..
. ..d o .......
...d o .......
. .d o .......
2 w eeks.
1 w eek. .
...d o .......
. ..d o .......
...d o .......
...d o .......
J m onth.

N um ber on p a y roll.

June,
1921.

July,
1921.

115,411 100,778
76,734 79,064
39,335 38,378
58,313 59,254
12,389 12,266
27,628 26,677
50,609 50,713
18,965 19,272
25,998 28,314
11,701 12,138
57,600 59,385
20^344 20,810
16,434 15,918
23,353 22,989

AND

A m ount of p a y roll.

Per
cent of
increase
< + )o r
decrease
(-)•

June,
1921.

July,
1921.

-1 2 .7
+ 3.0
- 2.4
+ 1.6
- 1.0
- 3.4
+ 0.2
+ 1.6
+ 8.9
+ 3.7
+ 3.1
+ 2.3
- 3.1
- 1.6

$5,088,831
2,620,084
2,670,021
1,015,987
276,758
459,385
1,184,555
844,175
788,813
267,708
1,336,420
497,126
319,214
1,422,446

$3,846,541
2,622,596
2,272,954
1,002,694
271,837
415,550
1,142,135
820,785
897,371
267,933
1,330,255
508,628
299,737
1,298,064

Per
cent of
increase
(+ ) or
decrease
(-)•
-2 4 .4
+ 0.1
-1 4 .9
- 1.3
- 1.8
- 9.5
— 3.6
- 2.8
+ 13.8
+ 0.1
- 0.5
+ 2.3
- 6.1
- 8.7

In addition to the data presented in the above tables as to the
number of employees on the pay roll, 101 plants in the iron and steel
industry reported 75,321 employees as actually working on the last
full day of the pay period reported for July, 1921, as against 155,828
for the reported pay-roll period in July, 1920, a decrease of 51.7 per
cent. Figures given for 92 establishments in the iron and steel
industry show th a t 74,374 were actually working on the last full day
of the pay period reported for July, 1921, as against 85,118 for the
period in June, 1921, a decrease of 12.6 per cent.
Changes in Wage Rates and Per Capita Earnings.

FTURING the period June 15 to July 15, 1921, there were wage
changes made by establishments reporting to the bureau in 11
of the 14 industries.


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EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.

151

Iron and steel: In one mill 75 per cent of the men were reduced
approxim ately 18 per cent in wages. Four establishments report
wage rate decreases of 15 per cent, affecting the entire force in two
establishments, 38 per cent in the third establishment, and salaried
foremen and rollers only in the fourth establishment. A wage rate
decrease of approxim ately 10 per cent affecting the entire force was
reported by four plants. One firm cut the wages of 10 per cent of
the force 9 per cent. About 2 per cent of the men in another mill
were reduced 7 per cent in wages.
Business depression is reported throughout the industry, causing
part-tim e employment and general reduction in the number of
employees. The per capita earnings for July are 13.4 per cent less
than the per capita earnings for June.
Automobile m anufacturing: The entire force of one establishment
was reduced 20 per cent in wages. One plant reported a wage rate
decrease of approximately 11 per cent, affecting 5 per cent of the
employees, while another plant reduced the wages of all employees
10 per cent. Although more time is being worked in this industry,
the per capita earnings show a decrease of 2.9 per cent when com­
paring Juno and July.
Car building and repairing: A large number of car-building employ­
ees were affected by the decision handed down by the United States
Railroad Labor Board. The exact effect of this decision can not be
estimated, but it is doubtless the greatest factor in the changes in
wage rates noted by this report, which shows a decrease of approxi­
m ately 12 per cent in the general wage level. The per capita earn­
ings for July are 12.7 per cent less than for June.
Cotton m anufacturing : The entire forces of two establishments
had respective wage rate decreases of 30 per cent and 10 per cent.
W hen comparing per capita earnings for June and July, a decrease
of 2.9 per cent is shown.
Cotton finishing: Em ploym ent remained much the same as dur­
ing the previous month. The per capita earnings show a decrease of
0.8 per cent when June and July earnings are compared.
Hosiery and underwear: Three mills reported a decrease of 10 per
cent in wage rates which affected 99 per cent of the force in the first
mill, and 90 per cent of the force in the second mill; the number
affected in the third mill was not stated. Several establishments
were partly closed during this period and the per capita earnings
show a decrease of 6.3 per cent, when comparing June and July.
Woolen: No changes were reported in rates of wages in this
industry; b u t the per capita earnings are 3.8 per cent less for Julv
than for June.
Silk: A decrease of 10 per cent in wage rates was made to practically
all employees in one mill. The per capita earnings for July, when
compared with those for June, show a decrease of 4.3 per cent.
Men’s ready-made clothing: One establishment made a decrease of
15 per cent to 68 per cent of the force. In two concerns a 10 per cent
decrease was made in rates of wages, affecting all employees in one
concern, bu t the number affected in the second concern was not
stated. ^Increased production was reported, and the per capita earn­
ings for July show an increase of 4.4 per cent over those for June.


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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

152

Leather m anufacturing: A wage rate decrease of 10 per cent was
made to all employees in one tannery. The per capita earnings for
July, when compared w ith those for June, show a decrease of 3.5 per
cent.
Boots and shoes: An increase of 5 per cent was granted to 3 per
cent of the men in one factory, while in another factory an increase
was made, but no specific data were given. Comparing per capita
ings for June and July, a decrease of 3.4 per cent is noted.
Paper making: One mill made a 15 per cent wage decrease to 62
per cent of the men. Decreases in wage rates ranging from 13 to 30
per cent were made to the entire force in two plants. One establish­
m ent reported a decrease of 13 per cent in wage rates, which affected
all employees, while another establishment reported a decrease of 12.5
per cent, affecting 71 per cent of the employees. In two concerns, a
decrease of 10 per cent in rates of wages was reported. In the first
concern, about 95 per cent of the force were affected, bu t the per­
centage of employees affected in the second concern was not stated.
One plant reported an increase of 5 per cent to 12 per cent of the
force and decreases ranging from 1 to 10 per cent, to 50 per cent of the
force. The per capita earnings for July show no change when com­
pared with those for June.
Cigar m anufacturing: One-third of the force in one plant were
granted an increase in wage rates of 10 per cent. One establishment
reported a decrease of 7.5 per cent in rates of wages, affecting 75 per
cent of the employees. Another establishment made a 6 per cent
decrease b u t the num ber of employees affected was not stated. De­
creased production, due to curtailed operations was reported, and the
per capita earnings for July show a decrease of 3 per cent when com­
pared with the per capita earnings for June.
Bituminous-coal mining: Less time was worked during this period,
as m arket conditions were dull. The per capita earnings are 7.3 per
cent less for July than for June.

Employment in New York State Factories in July, 1921.
H E number of workers employed in New York Stat* factories
was further reduced by 2 per cent between June and July,
according to a report issued by the industrial commissioner of
the State D epartm ent of Labor. The total decline in employment
in the factories of the State since March, 1920, is very nearly 30 per
cent, which would indicate th a t the num ber of factory workers laid
off since the beginning of the depression is approxim ately 450,000.
July is usually a m onth of low activity in m anufacturing, owing to
annual shutdowns during the m onth for vacations, repairs, and in­
ventories. Although a few industries were affected by these shut­
downs in July, lack of orders still constitute the outstanding factor in
the decrease in employment since June. A num ber of factories were
closed in July as a result of lack of demand. Curtailm ent of produc­
tion continued in most of the industries where decreases in employ­
m ent were reported during recent months. This was particularly the
case in the m ajority of the m etal industries. In some of the other
industries, notably in textile manufacturing, reductions in working

T


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[6 3 8 ]

EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.

153

forces occurred in July after one or more months of improvement in
activity. In a few instances seasonal inactivity contributed to the
reduction in employment during the month.
There were, however, several counteracting tendencies in July,
which partly offset the above decreases. One of these was the factor
of seasonal activity, which resulted in greater employment in a num ­
ber of industries, especially in those m anufacturing food products.
Another, though less im portant factor, was the partial or full recovery
in working forces in plants which were affected by strikes. Finally,
a few industries reported increased employment in July as a result of
improved demand. Owing to the present unsteady demand for prod­
ucts, however, it is uncertain whether or not the July increases in
these industries signify a perm anent revival in activity.
The largest reductions in employment in July again occurred in
the metal industries. A ctivity in the iron and steel mills of the State
was practically at a standstill during the m onth, as most plants were
either closed entirely or were operating with minimum forces. The
number of workers employed in the steel industry in July was 76 per
cent less than th a t reported last September. Heavy curtailm ent in
working forces in July also appeared in the production of agricultural
machinery and implements, due largely to the slack season.
The only m etal industry to show a considerable gain in employment
in July was the railway repair and ecpiipment industry. This gain
was due to the reopening of a few car-repairing shops which were
closed in May and to increased activity in locomotive shops. Minor
gains in July also occurred in the m anufacture of automobiles, alum­
inum goods, and speedometers.
Among the branches of the textile industries small reductions in
activity from June to July occurred in silk gloves and hosiery, cotton
goods, knit goods, rope and twine, and embroideries. In some of
these products there was a considerable revival in m anufacturing
activity during the past few months. There was little change in
employment in July in worsted and felt goods factories. Plants
m anufacturing laces and trimmings reported a minor gain during the
month.
Most of the clothing industries reported less activity in July than
in the previous months. The closing of several plants for vacations
and inventories was partly responsible for the July decrease in employ­
m ent in the shirt and collar and women’s furnishings industries.
The millinery industry showed a further seasonal drop in employment
in July. In the women’s clothing industry lessened activity occurred
during the m onth in the m anufacture of waists and dresses, but plants
m anufacturing cloaks and suits reported a considerable gain in work­
ing forces. A small seasonal gain in employment appeared in July
in the m en’s clothing industry as a whole, although a curtailm ent in
production was noted in the m anufacture of raincoats. The launder­
ing industry also reported an increase in activity in July.
Substantial gains in employment in the food products industries,
as a result of seasonal activity, occurred from June to July in flour
and cereals, canning, and beverages. The bakery products industry
showed an increase during the m onth as a result of greater activity
in one large plant. A small gain in employment in the m eat-products
industry was the result of the term ination of a strike in one plant.


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154

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

Sugar refineries and plants engaged in the preparation of cocoa and
chocolate, dairy products, and confections reported less activity in
July than in June. A small reduction in working forces from June
to July also occurred in the tobacco industry, where an increase in
activity appeared during the preceding three months.
Other reductions in employment from June to July were reported
in stone products, glass, pianos, caskets, barrels, brooms, pipes, and
pencils, fur goods, hose and belting, brushes, drugs and chemicals,
soap and perfumes, glue, matches, fireworks, and photographic
materials. A few of these decreases were due to vacations and the
taking of inventories. The m ost conspicuous reduction occurred in
the piano industry, where a num ber of plants closed during the month.
Gains in employment occurred in July in cement and plaster, brick,
house trim, leather, boots and shoes, starch, paper m anufacture, and
aper boxes. The gains in the brick, paper m anufacture, and paper
ags industries were due largely to recovery from strikes, although
in the paper industry the strike was still in progress in most of the
plants affected. The increase in cement and plaster and house trim
is seasonal. The July gains in the leather and boots and shoes indus­
tries are im portant in view of the improvement shown in these indus­
tries during May and June. Several tanneries reported greater
activity in July than in any m onth during 1920.

E

Changes in Employment in the United States, July 31, 1921.
H E U nited States Em ploym ent Service recently published the
result of its m onthly industrial survey covering the m onth
of July, 1921. The data are based on telegraphic reports
from special agents in 65 large industrial centers, the figures being
taken from pay rolls of firms usually employing more than 500
workers.
A t the end of July the 1,428 firms included employed 1,510,210
persons, a reduction of 16,914, or 1.1 per cent, compared with June 30,
and of 117,924, or 7.3 per cent, compared w ith the num ber employed
by the same establishm ents on January 31, 1921.
The only industries showing an increase in employment since June
30 are vehicles for land transportation, railroad repair shops, leather
and its finished products, textiles and their products, lum ber and its
m anufactures, tobacco m anufactures, and paper and printing. All
other industries show a decrease during the m onth. W idespread
gains are reported in the building trades. In m etals and metal
products, from mining to m anufacturing, there is serious and
widespread unemployment.
Of the 65 cities included, 27 show increases in employment during
the m onth and 38 show decreases. The returns seem to indicate
th a t in the m ajority of cases where there has been an im provem ent
in the em ploym ent situation it is the result of seasonal agricultural
activities and to some extent to gains in railroad occupations, espe­
cially those engaged in m aking repairs to rolling stock and roadbeds.
The tables which follow show the decrease or increase in employ­
m ent on July 31, compared w ith June 30, 1921, by industry groups
and by cities.

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155

EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
CH AN G ES IN E M PL O Y M E N T JU N E 30 TO JU L Y 31, 1921.
Industries reporting a D E C R E A S E in employment in J u ly , 1921.

Relative
weight
(per cent
employed
July 31,
to total
employed
in 14
groups).

Change in
num ber.

Per cent
of change
from June
30, 1921.

Stone, clay, and glass....................................................................................
Liquors a n d beverages...................................................................................
Iron and steel a n d their p ro d u cts...............................................................
Chemicals and allied products.....................................................................
Metals and m etal products other th a n iron and steel............................
Miscellaneous in d u strie s................................................................................
Food and kindred p roducts........... ..............................................................

3,486
'207
24.816
1,355
1,300
4.651
U840

23.9
11.8
7.6
1.9
1.8
1. 7
1.5

0. 7
.1
21.0
4. 6
4. 7
18.2
8.0

Total decrease, 7 in d u stries...............................................................

37,655

10.1
5.7
4.2
2.8
1.6
.25
.15

3.9
3.5
11.9
2.0
10.9
1.5
3.3

In d u stry group.

Industries reporting an I N C R E A S E in employment in J u ly , 1921.
R ailroad repair shops.....................................................................................
L eather an d its finished p roducts...............................................................
Vehicles for land tra n sp o rta tio n ..................................................................
Tobacco m anufactures...................................................................................
Textiles and their pro d u cts..........................................................................
L u m b er and its m anufacture..............„ .......................................................
P aper and p rin tin g .........................................................................................

5,515
2,845
7,266
841
4,141
57
76

Total increase, 7 in d u strie s................................................................

20,741

Cities reporting a D E C R E A S E in employment in Ju ly, 1921.

Change in
num ber.

City.

Youngstown, O hio........................................................................................
Chattanooga, T e n n .........................................................................................
Yonkers, N .'Y ................ „..............................................................................
Indianapolis, I n d ............................................................................................
San Francisco, C alif.......... ........................................ ....................................
G rand Rapids, Mich.......................................................................................
Toledo, O hio....................................................................................................
Cam den, N . J ...................................................................................................
C incinnati, Ohio..............................................................................................
P erth Amboy, N. J ........................................................................................
Bridgeport, Conn............................................................................................
St. Louis, Mo....................................................................................................
Cleveland, O hio........ .................................... .................................................
Birm ingham , Ala............................................................................................
P ittsburgh, P a ................................................................................................
K ansas City, K a n s .........................................................................................
Newark, N , J ....................................................................................................
T renton, N. J .......................................... ................. ................................. .
Providence, R . I .............................................................................................
Peoria, 111........ ............ .............. ......................... ...........................................
Johnstow n, P a .................................................................................................
New H aven, Conn............................. - .................................. .......................
Worcester, M ass............... ..............................................................................
Boston, M ass............. .....................................................................................
Columbus, O hio..............................................................................................
W aterbury, Conn...........................................................................................
Baltimore”, Md.................. ..............................................................................
Louisville, K y................................. .................. ..................... .......................
New Y ork, N . Y .............................................................................................
Jersey City, N. J ______ ______ ____ ______ ____ _________________
Paterson, N . J .......... — .................................................................................


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[641]

4,927
971
1,687
1,352
597
313
1,130
2,123
945
9S9
1,173
'998
4,324
1,415
3,926
726
1,877
544
554
82
335
369
563
1,408
100
144
433
100
1,914
153
93

Per cent
of change
from
June 30,
1921.

22.8
15.6
12.8
10.6
8.46
8.7
8.2
7.5
7.5
7.3
7
6.09
6.6
6.5
6.9
5.57
5.2
4.5
4
3.9
3.3
3.3
3.27
2.58
1.7
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.32
1.2
1.18

R elative
■weight
(per cent
employed
to total
employed
in 65 cities
July 31).
1.1
.35
.8
.8
.43
.3
.8
1.7
.8
.8
1.03
1
4,1
1.3
4.2
.82
2.3
.8
.8
.13
.6
.7
1.1
3.5
.4
.6
1.8
.42
9.5
.8
.5

156

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,
CH A N G ES IN E M P L O Y M E N T JU N E 30 TO JU L Y 31, 1921—Concluded.
Cities reporting a D E C R E A S E in employment in J u ly , 1921—Concluded.
R elative
w eight
(per cent
em ployed
to to tal
em ployed
in 65 cities
Ju ly 31).

Change, in
num ber.

Per cent
of change
from
June 30,
1921.

Reading, P a ......................................................................................................
Rochester, N . Y ...............................................................................................
Chicago, i l l ........................................................................................................
O maha, N ebr....................................................................................................
A tlanta, G a ......................................................................................................
Passaic, N. J .....................................................................................................
F all River, Mass............................................................................... .............

171
308
1,229
49
36
6
2

1.05
1.04
.77
.48
.45
.04
.007

11.1
1.9
10.5
.7
.53
.9
1.8

T otal decrease, 38 cities.......................................................................

38,066

16.5
14.7
12.6
11.5
9.4
6. 34
6.07
5
4.8
3. 35
3.1
3.05
2. 97
2. 34
2.3
2
1.8
1.5
1.3
1.3
1.19
.75
.7
.58
.18
.07

0.1
.4
.8
1.7
.6
1.5
9.1
2.4
.3
1.5
.5
.7
1.6
.6
.1
1.4
.5
1.2
.7
.6
.2
2.2
.8
.8
6. 5
1.4

City.

Cities reporting an I N C R E A S E in employment in Ju ly, 192k
Denver, Colo......................................................................................... ..........
P ortland, Oreg................................................................................................
Brockton, Mass......................................................... .....................................
Lawrence, M ass...............................................................................................
St. Paul, M in n .................................................................................................
Buffalo, N. Y ...................................................................................................
D etroit, Mich....................................................................................................
Milwaukee, W is..............................................................................................
N iagara Falls, N. Y .......................................................................................
Manchester, N. H ...........................................................................................
K ansas City, Mo..............................................................................................
Richmond,* V a .................................................................................................
Los Angeles, C alif...........................................................................................
Syracuse, N. Y ................................................................................................
Seattle, W ash ...................................................................................................
F lin t, Mich........................................................................................................
New Orleans, L a .............................................................................................
Alhany-Schenectady, N . Y ..........................................................................
Bayonne, N. J ..................................................................................................
D ayton, Ohio...................................................................................................
Sioux City, Io w a .............................................................................................
New Bedford, Mass.........................................................................................
Minneapolis, M inn..........................................................................................
Lowell, M ass....................................................................................................
Philadelphia, P a .............................................................................................
Springfield, M ass.............................................................................................

258
794
1,374
2,678
809
1,352
7,905
1,695
175
738
224
318
677
202
45
395
129
282
135
126
29
239
83
72
175
15

T o tal increase, 27 cities.......................................................................

i 21,152

i This to tal is no t th e sum of th e item s show n, h u t is as given in th e report.

Study of Unemployment by the Ohio Council cn Women and Children
in industry.
NEW Y O RK organization called attention in a bulletin recently
discussed in this R e v i e w 1 to the fact th a t unemployment
‘ was more general in New York last w inter than it was in 1914,
b u t th a t whereas seven years ago the whole com m unity was aroused,
relief measures were instituted, and a com m ittee appointed by the
m ayor to report on m ethods of preventing the recurrence of such a
situation, this year public interest has been scarcely stirred, and
little or no effort has been m ade to cope with the condition. Struck
by a similar lack of public concern in a similar unem ploym ent situa­
tion in their own p a rt of the country, the Ohio Council on Women

A

F orm ation of Coordinating Committee on E m ploym ent, Monthly L abor R e v ie w , July, 1921, p. 170


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EMPLOYMENT AND UNEM PLOYM ENT.

157

and Children in In d u stry made a survey which, although based
prim arily on the unemployment of women, deals w ith the whole
question.2 Such a survey is necessarily incomplete, and the im ­
portance of the report lies less in the data presented than in its
insistence upon the seriousness for the whole com m unity of a situa­
tion in which a m an willing and able to work is unable'to find work
by which to support himself.
As a preliminary, letters were sent out in February, 1921, to the
departm ent of labor of each State in the Union, asking information
as to the unem ploym ent situation, and as to w hat was being done,
either by the State or any of its municipalities, to relieve or prevent
unemployment. Replies were received from 35 States, which for the
m ost p a rt were of rather an optim istic nature; it was true, they
adm itted, th a t there was considerable unemployment, b u t it was
hoped th a t m atters would soon improve, and in m ost places it seemed
to be felt th a t the situation m ight be left to work itself out, especially
where there were charitable societies which could be called on to aid
the sufferers.
One reply is quoted as saying, "S o far the unemployed situation
is not serious,” and adding, “ There of course has been a great call
upon charity associations, b u t up to this time these associations have
been able to take reasonable care of the situation.” To the mind of
the council, such a statem ent reveals a dangerous indifference to the
true welfare of the community.
Is not a situation serious th e mom ent there is any call upon charitable associations
because an individual has no opportunity to work? Is it not only serious for th e
present b u t also for the future? The effect of aid given even in th e most constructive
way is well known, and unfortunately, as most associations testify, great care at times
of emergency is not shown. B ut the effect is there, and every fam ily th a t is forced
to accept such assistance represents a ‘ ‘serious situ atio n ."

Eleven answers reported some effort, either on the p a rt of the State
or of municipalities, to supply public work. This effort was ham pered
by the fact th a t m ost forms of public work require special legislation,
so th a t they can not be undertaken offhand. When an emergency
arises and legislation to provide public work is considered, there is
usually a feeling th a t the need will have passed before the prepara­
tions for such work can be completed, and so the m atter is apt to be
dealt w ith superficially. Twenty-one of the States reporting had
some forms of public employment service available for the crisis, and
emergency employment offices had been established in some cities by
chambers of commerce and other organizations. Two dangers were
seen in the attem pts to supply^ work—wage cutting and the treatm ent
of work itself as a form of charitable relief. Thus, one city reported
th a t it was “ taking on all the men it can possibly use for city work at
the rate of 30 cents an hour, which is only an emergency m easure,”
concerning which the council comments:
The em ploym ent of labor b y the city at a rate so far below th e cost of living is very
serious. The city is here encouraging one of the worst features a tten d an t upon unem ­
ploym ent, the very serious drop in wage below a decent living standard.

The other danger, the council considers, is even worse, and is
especially apt to appear in connection w ith emergency work.
2 Ohio Council on W omen and Children in Industry.
1921. 40 pp.

63444°-—21— 11


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Ohio and U nem ploym ent in 1920-21.

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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

The grave danger is th a t work itself becomes charity—the receiver of a job under
such a campaign m ust qualify as to th e need for work. One hun d red dollars in the
bank means no job, just as ft means th a t th e holder of $100 can not ask for relief.
Such work has much the same effect upon th e worker as th e acceptance of charity.
The single m an or th e m an w ith o u t children has not th e rig h t to work. The superin­
ten d en t of one em ploym ent office states th a t the single m en were willing to accept the
proposition th a t m arried m en m ust be given work first. I t is a splendid spirit, and
yet something is certainly wrong where th e opportunity to work for an existence m ust
be given up by one in d iv id u al so th a t another in d iv id u al m ay have such an oppor­
tu n ity .

The m ost constructive plan reported came from Wisconsin, where
a bill for unemployment insurance had been introduced into the
legislature. Arguing from the experience with accident insurance,
its promoters held th a t the expense of meeting unem ploym ent pay­
m ents would furnish a powerful incentive to employers to study their
industrial needs, to do their best to regularize employment, to supple­
m ent seasonal industries with others whose seasons fell a t different
times, and generally to place their establishm ents, as far as possible,
upon a basis of steady employment for steady workers. À bill along
somewhat similar lines has since been introduced in New York.
Data as to Unemployment.

F^A TA were secured only from employers listed as employing 25 or
^
more women. R eturns were received from 181 such establish­
m ents, covering a wide diversity of m anufactures, and giving com­
parative data for February, 1920, and February, 1921. The average
num ber of employees for these two m onths was as follows:
February,
1920.

M en.............................................................................................
W om en........................................................................................

February, Percentage
1921.
of decrease.

91,083
23, 663

56,281
12, 631

38.2
46. 6

T otal.................................................... '.......................... 114,746

68.912

39.9

The forces of the establishments reporting, then, were smaller by
almost two-fifths in February, 1921, than they were in February,
1920. B ut this does not show the full extent of unemployment, since
m any of those still on the pay roll were working only p art time. Re­
ports on this point were received from 155 establishments. Of
60,496 employees in these establishments in February, 1921, 27.7
per cent were working full time, 22.8 per cent from 75 to 90 per cent
of full time, 47.2 per cent from 50 to 75 per cent of full time, and 2.1
per cent from 3 up to 50 per cent of full time.
At this date the establishments in tobacco, pottery, printing and
food products industries had laid off comparatively few or no workers,
and were for the most p art working full time; while establishments
handling other lines had laid off percentages of their force varying
from 10 to 77, and showed a relatively large decrease in time of
operation. A significant fact brought out by this inquiry is th at
large establishments showed a greater tendency to reduce forces than
did the smaller concerns.
, If we divide the establishments reporting into those employing 200 or more persons
in 1920 and those employing less th an 200 in 1920 we find th a t th e establishm ents with
more than 200 employees had laid off 43.85 per cent of their workers in February, 1921,
whereas the establishments employing less th an 200 had laid off only 15.2 per cent of
their workers.
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EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT.

159

E ither those industries showing the greatest tendency to concentrate for put poses of
production were the industries which have felt the greatest decrease in dem and for
their products or the managers of these organizations have felt th a t it would pay
greatly to reduce production and thus dim inish the supply of goods in their field to a
point where an adequate price might be obtained, rather th an to pursue th e policy of
earlier years w hen it was customary for th e larger establishm ent to continue produc­
tion at very little or no profit, until such tim e as the weaker establishm ents were
bankrupted and forced out of business, and th e supply had thus become adjusted to
the demand.

Summing up the results of the survey, the council finds th at un­
employment was very general in Ohio in February, 1921; th a t most
industries were affected, the percentage of decrease in the num ber of
workers ranging from 5.2 for printing and publishing to 77.6 for
rubber; th a t in addition to unemployment, there was a considerable
amount of partial employment; th a t large establishments showed a
greater percentage of decrease in their force than small establish­
ments, a fact of importance since concentration in industry is rapidly
increasing, and therefore this would indicate th a t 11 each recurring
period of unemployment will be more severe than the one th at pre­
ceded it” ; th a t a conservative estimate would place the num ber of
unemployed in Ohio in February, 1921, at over 300,000; and th a t in
June, 1921, the chief statistician of the industrial commission pub­
lished his opinion th a t the situation was growing more serious.
As to w hat should be done in such a situation, the report indorses
the recommendations of the m ayor’s committee of New \ o r k City
which stress the necessity first, of preventing the periodic depressions
which lead to widespread unemployment, and advocate, if such come
notwithstanding, a carefully thought-out program for increasing
activity at every point and for keeping up the demand for products,
without perm itting any lowering of the workers’ standards, either as
to wage or as to quality of work.
The report contains also a study of 762 families who had been
obliged to apply for relief, owing to the inability of the father of the
family to find work. The largest group of these men, 31 per cent,
had been employed in the automobile industry, 19 per cent in foun­
dries and machine shops, 8 per cent by the railroads, 10 per cent in
building and construction, 5 per cent in the glass industry, while the
remaining 27 per cent had been scattered through a variety of in­
dustries. The families came close to the so-called typical family,
averaging 4.1 persons. The men had normal wage-earning capacity,
m any of them being unskilled. The time between the loss of steady
employment and the application for relief varied from one week to
a year and a half, the period being four m onths for the largest, and
three m onths for the next largest group.
The families have “ m anaged” by using savings, having boarders and lodgers,
through benefits and securing credit with th e grocer and landlord, by receiving help
from relatives, friends, and neighbors, and by borrowing on future earnings, and
finally by assistance from the Social Service Federation and the city.


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HOUSING.
Building in the First Half of 1921.
T TH E beginning of the year building was stagnant, even beyond
w hat is usual in January, and there was much anxiety as to
its probable course in 1921. All agreed th a t there was a tre­
mendous need for building, bu t as to whether th a t need would be
transm uted into an effective demand there was much difference of
opinion. One group held th a t the cost of building was still prohibi­
tive. Money was too high and too hard to get, freight rates were
too high, fuel was too high, building m aterials were too high, wages
were too high, and until some or all of these should come down there
was no hope for a revival of building. Another group declared th at
the price of building m aterials had already reached a reasonable
level, th at wages were coming down and the efficiency of labor in­
creasing, th at the situation was as favorable as could be anticipated
for some considerable time to come, and th a t there was hope for a
m arked increase in building activity.
The data for the first half of the year, which are now in hand, do
not entirely justify either group in its forecasts. The industry
has partially revived, but the volume of building has been m aterially
less than was hoped for. The Dodge Co.’s reports cover 27 States in
the northern and eastern p art of the country. According to these
reports, the value of the building contracts let during the first six
m onths in 1921 is in round numbers $1,067,000,000, which is 9J per
cent greater than the average for the same period of the preceding
five years. As these five years include 1918, when, owing to war condi­
tions, ordinary building was almost suspended, it is doubtful whether
the 1921 volume of building can be taken as even approaching normal,
while it is quite evident th a t arrearages are not being made up. The
value of the contracts let m onth by m onth has been as follows:

A

V a lu e o f b u ild in g co n tra cts, J a n u a r y - J u n e , 1921.

$111,808, 900
100, 789, 200
164,193, 800
220, 886, 300
242,093, 500
227,710, 900

January, 1921
F ebruary........
M arch............
A pril...............
M ay................
J u n e ................

Total......................................................................... 1,067,480,600

As compared with 1920, this shows a falling off of about 31 per
cent, but such a comparison is of little significance, owing to the
slump in building, which began about May, 1920, and ownm to which
the industry was generally spoken of as “ dead ” during the second
half of the year. Optimists hoped th a t this year would resemble,
instead, 1919, in which some 60 per cent of the total year’s valuation
160


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HOUSING.

in building contracts was let in the second six months. So far this
seems unlikely to be the case, as the falling off from the previous
m onth, shown in the June figures, was continued in July, for which
m onth the total valuation of contracts let is $212,491,000.
The prosperity of the industry in 1921, as compared with the
average for the same six m onths of the preceding five years, varies
considerably in different districts, as shown by the following figures:
V A LU E O F CONTRACTS L E T D U R IN G F IR S T H A L F O F 1921 AND P E R CEN T OF CHANGE
AS CO M PA R ED W IT H P R E C E D IN G F IV E Y E A R S, B Y D ISTR IC TS.

Per cent
Value of con­ increase or
as
tracts let dur­ decrease
compared
ing first half
w ith pre­
of 1921.
ceding five
years.

D istrict.

New England d is tric t..........................................................
New Y ork and northern New Jersey ...........................
M iddle A tlantic d istric t................................
P ittsb u rg h d is tric t..............................................
C entral W est..................................................
N orth w est....................................................
T o tal...................................................

$81,419,000
244.25.3.000
160.333.000
215.568.000
325.929.000
38,755,000

-2 4 .0
-3 5 .0
+ 2. 5
+26.0
+ 1.0
+23.Q

11,066,257,000

+ 9.5

1In m aking this calculation a p p aren tly th e num bers have been ta k e n only ^o th e nearest thousand,
th e to tal therefore differing som ew hat from th a t given on p. 160.

Labor troubles are held partly responsible for the m arked falling
off in the New England district, while in the New York district resi­
dential building seems largely responsible for the increase, as it
accounts for $135,083,000, or 55 per cent of the total.
Taking the whole region covered by the Dodge statistics, there has
been an actual increase in the value of the housing work contracted
for in 1921 as compared w ith 1920, and a much larger increase in its
relative value. In the first half of 1920 the value of contracts for
residential building was $348,580,000, which was 22.5 per cent of the
total value; in 1921 the corresponding figures are $360,828,000 and 34
per cent. The relative increase is mainly a result of the falling off in
business and industrial building which naturally comes with periods
of business depression; few care to build stores and factories when
there is little present demand for them and no clear evidence th at
such a demand will soon be felt. B ut the fact th a t the actual in­
crease in the am ount devoted to housing work is only 3.5 per cent
greater 1 in 1921 than in 1920 is a strong indication th a t the public
does not believe th a t costs have yet reached rock bottom . A t the
beginning of 1921 it was estim ated th a t the country was suffering
from a shortage of from a million and a half to two million homes, and
th a t over 4,000,000 people were improperly housed, owing to lack of
dwellings. In view of such a situation the small increase in value of
housing contracts let during the first half of the present year as com­
pared with the last can not be looked upon as in any way meeting
the need. Some observers feel th a t the increase is practically neg­
ligible, th a t housing work is almost at a standstill, and th at there is
i As there has been some reduction in building costs th e actu al difference in the value of housing con­
tracted for is greater th a n shown by the above figures, b u t th e precise ex ten t of the difference can hardly be
calculated.


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little chance for an improvement until costs come down, or rather,
since there has already been a fall, until they come down to a point
which will establish the “ confidence of the buying public in the
stability and logicality of prices quoted by the building industry.” 2
Trend of Building Costs During the Present Year.

D GILDING costs are made up of a num ber of factors, and the
1~? trend of these varies considerably. Several can be dismissed
rather summarily. There has been no m aterial and general decrease
in freight rates on building materials. An appeal for such a reduc­
tion is being argued now before the In terstate Commerce Commis­
sion, b u t at present the rates are practically w hat they were at the
beginning of the year. Nor has it become noticeably easier to finance
building operations. Interest rates are usually fixed by law, so these
have not shown much increase, b u t the practice of charging a bonus
for a loan, which brings up its cost m aterially, still prevails. Even
more serious is the difficulty of obtaining money for building loans
at all. Tax-exem pt securities and commercial ventures have proved
more attractive than long-time real estate or building investments,
and there is general complaint of the difficulty of securing money for
the latter under any conditions. There is a tendency, which is ap­
parently growing, to hold banks, insurance companies, and other
savings depositaries to blame for not allotting more of their funds to
building purposes. Secretary Hoover declares his belief th at “ we
should have a very much more stable economic system if we had a
more regular proportion of our savings available to home building.”
Senator Calder, while urging the establishment of home loan banks,
declares plainly th at the already existing institutions for savings
ought to devote a m aterially larger proportion of their resources to
long-term building loans, and Postm aster General Hays, arguing for
improvements in the postal savings system which he thinks will
bring out huge sums of hoarded money, intim ates clearly th at a con­
siderable p art of this ought to go for building loans. The financial
institutions themselves show signs of uneasiness lest some legal com­
pulsion be laid upon them to utilize a certain portion of their funds
for building loans. As yet no steps in this direction have been
taken, and the question of how to finance a building enterprise still
presents serious difficulties.
Neither has the situation in regard to fuel improved since the
beginning of the year. Rightly or wrongly, the public is convinced
th a t prices are too high and people are simply not buying. In
response to this policy the operators are reducing not prices but
production, and are giving warning th at no decrease in prices is to
be expected.
It is apparent to any unbiased minded individual that coal can not be purchased
any cheaper within the next twelve months than it can be bought now. * * *
Coal consumers are deceiving themselves if they expect to buy cheaper coal as a
result of a reduction in wages or a reduction in freight rates on coal shipments. Neither
reduction will take place this year and are not likely to take place until April 1,1922.3
2 See Economic Problem s of th e B uilding In d u stry , in Proceedings of 54th A nnual Convention of the
A m erican In stitu te of Architects, p. 71.
8 Coal Mining Review, Aug. 1,1921, p . 1.


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163

This loaves building m aterials and labor for consideration, and
both of these have shown reductions. A t the beginning of the year
it was definitely declared th a t building m aterials had come down to
the lowest probable point and th a t any demand for building would
be apt to start them upward again.
In the opinion of many authorities construction costs are now on a level justified
by prevailing conditions. Some are convinced that these costs are now lower than
they will be by May 1. _ The evidence that they bear a reasonable relationship to the
cost of production is quite convincing. * * * if the consumer builds now he will
be assured of ample materials and at bargain prices. If the consumer builds next
spring he will have to take his chance of securing adequate supplies, and prices are
very likely to be higher when the demand is active.4

B ut demand failed to become active and wholesale prices con­
tinued to fall. The index figure of wholesale prices, based on the
prices of 1913, shows th at building m aterials reached their highest
point by April, 1920, when they stood at 341, and th at by June they
were falling. In December, 1920, at which time the above quotation
was written, they stood at 266, and by May, 1921, they had sunk to
202. • This shows a fall of practically 41 per cent from their peak
price of 1920, which sounds impressively large. Nevertheless, they
still stood at more than 100 per cent over the figures of 1913, while
the index for prices of farm products had fallen to only 15 per cent
above 1913, of food to 33, of m etal products to 38, and of all com­
modities combined to 51 per cent above the 1913 prices. There has
certainly been a marked fall, but the public is evidently sceptical as
to whether the fall is as great as it should be.
W ith regard to wages, the situation is mixed. At the beginning
of the year, employers made a determined drive for a reduction of build­
ing-trade wages of from 20 to 30 per cent, the general argument being
th at costs of living had fallen, and the prices of building materials had
fallen, and labor, also, m ust accept deflation. To this labor replied
th a t wages had not risen so far nor so fast as cost of living, so th at
they would have to remain stationary for a time before the falling
cost of living would reach their level, and th at as for m aterial costs,
they were in spite of their fall still considerably higher, as compared
with prewar figures, than wages had ever been, and th at therefore
they afforded no argument for a reduction of wages. Over this
difference of attitude, serious and protracted labor troubles have
arisen, which are still in some localities interfering with building
operations. In a number of cases arbitration has been accepted by
both sides, resulting, as usual, in the establishment of a wage scale
lower than the unions demanded, b u t higher than the employers had
expected to pay. In other cases, apparently, neither side has been
wholly victorious nor wholly defeated. ' The unions and the
employers have each set their wage scale, and neither has accepted
the other’s. Under such circumstances, general scales seem to have
gone by the board. Each employer pays w hat he m ust and each
worker gets w hat he can, so th a t the rate m ay vary from shop to
shop or from job to job. Where definite scales still prevail, they
seem on the whole to be distinctly lower than in 1920, the reduction
having been effected sometimes by arbitration, sometimes by agree
ment. An exception appears in some places where agreements
4 Am erican Contractor, Jan . 1, 1921, p. 28.


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MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.

running until the end of the year or some other specified period had
been adopted before the fall in wages began. Some of the employing
group have lately begun to declare th at the reduction of wages has
gone as far as it should.
In so far as the building trades are concerned, there is very convincing evidence
that labor costs have been deflated and that further recessions in that field can not
reasonably be expected. There are several sectional exceptions to this: Chicago,
Pittsburgh, and New York are the notable ones. The liquidation process is now
being worked out in Chicago and Pittsburgh, and it is doubtful if New York will
have lower wages until after December of this year. But in the main, building
trades labor costs are on a reasonable level.5

A t the beginning of the second half of 1921, then, the building
situation still presented an unsolved problem. Cost of materials
and cost of labor had fallen; but fuel, freight rates, and money pre­
sented as m any difficulties as at the opening of the year. The out­
come is by no means clear. A pparently costs m ust fall considerably
further before building experiences a real revival, but how this is to be
accomplished is still uncertain. Two recent developments seem to
hold a promise for the future. The investigations into the building
industry still being carried on in New York, Chicago, and elsewhere
have, it is claimed, shown the existence of unlawful combinations
between employers and workers, and between the producers and
m anufacturers of building materials to keep up costs and prices.
If these charges are true, the dissolution of such combinations which
will presumably be enforced should do much toward restoring free
competition and reducing costs. Perhaps even m o re. favorable
results m ay be hoped from the studies of waste in industry and
methods of eliminating it which are being made by engineering
committees, labor bodies, and building organizations. A situation
in which the cost of building is so high th at the industry itself is
languishing and an appreciable proportion of the population is
underhoused, while a t the same time this cost is being increased by
sheer waste running, according to the estimate of the engineers’
committee, into hundreds of millions annually, is too absurd to be
m aintained when once the facts are recognized.

Cooperative Effort Needed in the Building Industry.1
H E convention of the American Institute of Architects recently
held in W ashington, D. C., was naturally devoted in the main
to professional topics, b u t one m atter of wide general interest
was brought forward by several of the speakers, who dwelt upon the
growing necessity of a cooperative effort to find out what is the real
situation in the building industry and how it can be improved. This
was stressed in the report on the Congress of the Building and Con­
struction Industry presented by Mr. Robert D. Kohn. The congress,
he stated, is intended to be a national movement for bringing together
all the workers in the building industry from architect to laborer and
giving them a chance to get each other’s point of view, so th a t they

T

6 A merican C ontractor, Aug. 6,1921, p. 29.
1 Based on proceedings of th e Fifty-fourth A n n u al Convention of th e American In s titu te of Architects,
May 11, 12, and 13, 1921. Published by th e board of directors, A merican In stitu te of Architects. 161 pp.


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165

m ay unite tlieir efforts to avoid or set right m isunderstandings of any
kind. As an instance of the need for such getting together he cited
the usual tendency to look upon building wages as extortionate be­
cause the wage rates are high, whereas fam iliarity with the worker’s
side of the case m ight show th a t earnings were only m oderate or even
poor owing to irregular and seasonal employment. As long as such
misapprehensions as to the status of the various elements persist it is
difficult or impossible to avoid hindrances, friction, and serious injury
to the industry as a whole.
The effort has been to bring all the elements of the industry together to find out
what is the matter with the industry, not to profit us as individuals by reason of the
betterment of the business of building any particular housing, desirable as that might
be, so much as to get the elements together; to get the architects, the contractors,
the engineers, the subcontractors, the dealers, and producers in building materials
and laborers to realize that each of these groups is, after all, only one functioning
element of the industry; that the architect can not improve his status unless the
laboring man improves his, and that the contractor is at the mercy of all the others;
that each element has got to bring all the others along with it if we are to get anywhere
at all in approaching what should be the aim of the industry.

The particular kind of work done by the congress varies with local
conditions, and results are exchanged, the general idea being to get
all the knowledge possible concerning the industry as a whole. In
Boston it is making a study of the seasonal nature of building work
and the possibility of lengthening the working period. In New York
it is considering a study of the situation as regards building materials.
In New York the president of the brick manufacturers’ association said at our
recent meeting, “ We want you to know whether we are telling you the truth or not.
Come and investigate.” If we accept the invitation the investigation should be a
complete technical and social investigation of the brick industry on the Hudson
River. Is efficient machinery used? What is the policy of labor employment?
What is the labor turnover? What is labor earning and what are the housing condi­
tions at the brickyards?
It may be that the turnout at the poorest yard makes the prices of the entire
product. Perhaps the yards do not really compete one with another, and there may
be other financial, social, and technical features that surround this branch of our
industry in New York, and there are hundreds of branches of our industry.

Mr. D. Knickerbacker Boyd reported on a somewhat similar project
attem pted on a local scale by the building trades workers of Philadel­
phia. When cooperation had been urged upon employers, upon archi­
tects and building engineers, he said, they had been uninterested.
When, however, the message was carried to the laboring men in Philadelphia they
really took hold of this problem of studying the building industry as it has never been
studied before in Philadelphia, and in some respects as it has never been studied
before in this country.

The Council of the Associated Building Trades in Philadelphia,
representing about 60,000 organized workers, asked Mr. Boyd to be
their spokesman in this m atter, to which he consented on condition
th a t he should speak also for unorganized labor.
We carried forward the work which we had been doing there on educational and
informative lines for the council, and the unions in the respective trades cooperated
to the fullest extent possible. We put forth what is called the Philadelphia plan,
and presented it to the industrial relations committee of the Philadelphia Chamber
of Commerce. The purpose of the plan was to create a congress, a tribunal, or whatever
it might be called, of the building industry in Philadelphia, and composed of everyone
connected with the building industry, from the realtor, as he is called, who first sella


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166

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

the land, to the final occupant of the building, whether tenant or owner. The chamber
of commerce did not act upon that program, which included the formation of a number
of committees, with in every case an architect, an engineer, or a responsible building
authority as chairman. Labor went around knocking, so to speak, on the doors of the
employers and building contractors and subcontractors, but did not get collectively
any action. But, nevertheless, we went on with our program. In the various unions
committees were formed on education and information, on efficiency and production,
on apprentices, on information for journeymen, on living and working conditions, on
statistics concerning unemployment, and on other subjects.

One of the most im portant of these committees dealt with the loss
of time through irregular or seasonal employment. D ata were
collected showing the actual time lost by building workers, and the
proportion of this due to different causes. Such data had not been
compiled before, and the results are as yet p u t forward tentatively,
b u t for the workers in 27 trades it appeared th at the time lost varied
from one-quarter to one-half of the working year. Most of this
loss, it is believed, could be avoided by the combined efforts of
employers, workers, contractors, and the public.
Part of the idea would be to get the public educated to a consideration of the require­
ments of each trade, and to have all work done on a basis that would carry construc­
tion through the entire calendar year, notwithstanding apparent obstacles and not­
withstanding the losses seemingly due to seasons, nearly all of which could be over
come. It would be possible to eliminate much of this by coordinating repairs,
interior work, and maintenance with new work, and not have the old or inside work
treading on the heels of the new or outside Work all the time. Public officials, build­
ing owners, managers, and others could arrange their painting, their carpentry work,
and everything else indoors at times when the Working men in the various trades
now have considerable lost time.

Secretary Hoover also dwelt upon the possibility of reducing the
waste due to irregular employment, if the various elements of the
building industry would unite in the effort, emphasizing the waste
due to unnecessary equipment which our present system of seasonal
production demands. Our equipm ent capacity for production of
building materials, he estimated, is probably nearly 30 per cent
higher than would be necessary if the demand could be spread
throughout the year.
Mr. E theibert Stewart, Commissioner of the United States Bureau
oi Labor Statistics, presented another angle of the question bv
pointing out the necessity of learning w hat is really a fair day's
work before it is possible to say w hat a man should do in return
for a fair day’s wage. The am ount which can reasonably be
expected, he stated, varies according to conditions of which those
outside a trade are often ignorant, and public opinion is formed
w ithout taking these conditions into account.
The papers wall say that bricklayers used to lay 1,500 brick a day, and now they
lay 400. Well, what kind of bricklayers? A man on a lG-inch line wall could lay
1,400 brick in a day, and the same man would he doing a good day’s work if he lays
400 face brick. There is too much chance for misrepresentation and unfair state­
ment there.


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167

HOUSING.

Abandonment of the English blousing Program.
N JU LY 14, 1921, Sir A. Mond, the recently appointed minister
of health, announced in the House of Commons the new
policy of the Government in regard to housing. Its salient
points are thus summarized by the Manchester Guardian of July 15:
1. The houses built, building, and contracted for by local authorities, utility societies,
and private builders will be subsidized, 175,000 by the two first named at a cost of
£10,000,000, and 23,000 by the last named at a cost of £5,000.
2. No other houses will be subsidized except those which have been already con­
tracted for, and on which work is begun within six weeks.
3. A sum of £200,000 will be set aside toward the deficiency on local authorities’
accounts for the improvement of slum areas.

When after the armistice the program for building was first got
under way, it was estimated th a t it minimum of 200,000 houses
would be needed to make up the shortage th at had accumulated
during the war. Later, after investigation of the situation in the
various districts into which, for housing purposes, the country was
divided, it was estimated th at 500,000 would be needed. In addi­
tion to these it is stated by Dr. Addison, former m inister of health,
th a t there are at least 180,000 inhabited houses “ which are unfit
for hum an habitation and which there is no prospect of rendering
fit A Under these circumstances the Government’s decision to
set 175,000 as the maximum of new dwellings, and to limit expendi­
ture on insanitary areas to £200,000 comes as a severe disappoint­
ment.
The decision is directly due to the growing feeling in England
against the volume of Government expenditures. Taxes are heavy,
business is depressed, and the antiwaste campaign has shown un­
mistakable signs of political strength. The housing program has
been attacked from various quarters as uneconomic and extravagant,
and in the search for means of reducing expenditures it was selected
for abandonment.
Criticism of the decision is made on three grounds: First, th at it
is a direct violation of the pledges given a t the close of the war;
second, th a t it is a breach of faith with the local authorities, who as
agents of the Government and a t the Government’s urgent behest,
undertook heavy obligations which they are now left to m eet or to
get out of as best they m ay ; and, finally, that, considering the effect
of underhousing upon the health and efficiency of a nation, this is
a wasteful and extravagant way of saving a few million pounds,
while hundreds of millions are being wasted on m ilitary commit­
m ents which lead nowhere and become continually more expensive.

Progress of the Government Housing Program in Scotland.1
H E Scottish Board of H ealth has issued a report for the year
1920, in which it reviews, among other things, the work of the
year in the Government’s program of State-aided housing. In
the main, the developments were much the same as those in England,
the program being administered in the same m anner in both coun-

T

i Second a n n u al report of the Scottish B oard of H ealth.


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[653]

Edinburgh, 1921. 437 pp.

Cmd. 1319.

168

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

tries. Estim ates obtained from the local authorities as to the num ­
ber of houses needed in the various districts showed a total of
131,057 houses required, of which the local authorities proposed to
provide 115,530, the rem ainder being taken care of by private
builders or public utility societies. By the end of 1920, plans pro­
viding for 112,961 houses had been approved, bids had been approved
for 18,290, just 574 had been completed, and 6,737 were in process
of construction. The delay is ascribed partly to the inevitable
slowness of inaugurating a large and expensive program of building,
partly to the scarcity of labor, and, in some cases, partly to a scarcity
of materials. The scarcity of workers, however, is regarded as more
serious than the lack of materials.
At the close of the year 6,737 permanent houses were in course of construction, and
on these 6,357 men Were employed. If these houses were to he completed within,
say, a year, it is estimated that more than double this number of men should be
employed on them. At the present rate of progress there is no hope of providing
even sufficient houses to meet the ordinary yearly normal needs, with the result
that the estimate of total shortage of 131,057 houses instead of being gradually reduced
will be steadily increased.

The m ajority of the houses planned for are rather small, 47.7 per
cent of those for which plans have been approved having bu t three
rooms, 43 per cent having four, and only 8 per cent having five.
The board is anxious to have a larger proportion of four and five
room houses, bu t the additional cost makes the local authorities
reluctant to undertake them.
As in England, the increasing cost of m aterials and labor has
made the building program far more expensive than was originally
contem plated. A m ajority of the plans for which bids were approved
during 1919 were estimated to cost under £800. During 1920, only
about 10 per cent of the houses covered by approved bids were esti­
m ated to cost as low as this. “ Indeed, not less than 47 per cent of
these houses are estimated to cost over £1,000 each.” The average
cost of the 18,290 houses for which, up to December 31, 1920, bids had
been approved, is approxim ately £938, or, if the necessary street
work, grading and the like be included, £975.
In the U nited States building m aterials reached their highest
point in the first half of 1920, and by the end of the year there had
been a considerable decline. In Scotland, the rise continued through­
out the year, though the report notes th a t “ there was some indica­
tion th a t high-water m ark had been reached by the end of the year.”
The following table shows the increase in cost of the m ain building
m aterials during the year:
Material.

E stim ated percentage
increase during 1920.

26
15
15
33

Bricks..
Cement
Drainage goods.
Slates................
Cast iron goods..
Sanitary littings

These increases, it is estimated, added approxim ately £72 to the
cost of each house, while the increase in wages during the year was
estim ated to add £80.


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[654]

HOUSING.

169

The guild system of building is approved by the board, b u t ap­
parently the movement was rather slow in getting started in Scot­
land, and at the tim e the report was w ritten, only one small contract
w ith a building guild had been approved. The board declares, however, th a t its members “ are prepared to consider favorably any
proposal subm itted to us by the local authorities for the erection of
houses by building guilds,’7 and th a t they approve of the system on
the ground th a t it “ gives labor a real and personal interest in carry­
out the work economically and expeditiously.” The “ direct lab o r”
system, under which the local authorities dispense with contractors,
employing the workers themselves and placing them under the super­
vision of their own officials, has been approved in a num ber of cases
for the street work connected with housing plans, b u t in only one
case has it been authorized in the erection of houses. In this case,
at the time the report was prepared, “ satisfactory progress is being
made, b u t it still remains to be seen whether any saving will be
effected.”


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[6 5 5 ]

INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE.
Occupational Skin Diseases in the Insect Powder Industry.1
A N EX TEN SIV E industry has grown up around the manufacture
of pyrethrum (Dalmatian or Persian insect powder, or buhach)
* which, both because of its efficacy and low cost, has become the
most commonly used household insecticide. The extent of its use
is shown by the fact th a t in 1917, 1,504,000 pounds of the crude
m aterial were imported. An investigation made by the authors
in a plant manufacturing insect powders as to the cause of a skin
disease of long-standing occurrence soon developed the fact th at the
condition was present only in those departm ents which handled
pyrethrum.
The powder is made from the flowers of different varieties of
chrysanthem um or pyrethrum and the principal sources of supply are
the Caucasus, Persia, Dalmatia, Japan, Montenegro, and, in recent
years, California. While formerly there was much adulteration with
a variety of similar plants or weight-giving chemicals such as lead
salts, which were constant hazards, adulteration is now infrequent
and the health hazards center around the pure pyrethrum flowers.
'The processes which constitute occupational risks are the grinding
of the flowers to a fine powder, weighing, and boxing the product.
Chemical analyses of pyrethrum have established various con­
stituents as having irritating properties, and the action of the powder
on the skin of workers, particularly in the summer months when the
perspiration seems to increase the solubility of the toxic properties,
results in a derm atitis which was found to vary in type and severity.
About 30 per cent of the workers were found to have erythema
venenatum, and although this is a mild form of the trouble the itching
is very annoying and the derm atitis continually reappears in m any
workers as long as they are exposed to the dust.
There were three more severe types of derm atitis present, all of
which were accompanied with intense itching. Removal from the
irritant is followed by a speedy clearing up of the trouble but re­
exposure is likely to bring back the eruption.
The plant under observation had removed all the dermatitisproducing hazards through the installation of dust-proof grinding and
autom atic filling and weighing devices which prevented all contact
of the workers with the pyrethrum materials. In the absence of such
safeguards, however, the preventive measures recommended are
scrupulous personal cleanliness of the worker, use of cold cream or
petrolatum on the exposed surfaces of the body before starting work
in the morning and at noon, and bathing the arms, hands, and face
after work with sodium bicarbonate, approxim ately 1 teaspoonful
to one gallon of water.
i The Journal of th e A merican Medical Association. P y reth ru m derm atitis, b y Carey P. McCord, M. D.,
C. U. Kilker, M. D., a n d D orothy K . Minster. Aug. 6,1921, pp. 448,449.

170


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INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE.

,

171

Industrial Cataract.
N ARTICLE in tlie May issue of the British Journal of Ophthal­
mology on the causation of certain forms of cataract was
reviewed in The Lancet, June 25, 1921 (p. 1372). The fact
th at bottle makers were particularly subject to cataract was recog­
nized in England in 1903 and bottle-m akers’ cataract was shortly
after made one of the compensable diseases under the workmen’s
compensation act. A committee was appointed at about the same
time to investigate the cause of the disease and researches were con­
ducted upon the absorption of various radiations by the eye. In
1915, however, the theory th at the heat factor was of prim ary impor­
tance was advanced and evidence has since been brought forward to
prove it. Records of cases have been collected among men who work
at iron smelting furnaces and among chain makers, whose work
requires them to look at the white-hot m etal practically the whole
time, either in the fire to judge whether the links are hot enough to
weld or while hammering the white-hot m etal on the anvil.
An investigation among tinplate millmen in mills at Llanelly, where
the work was said to be unusually heavy and the heat intense with
exposure to infra-red rays from the red-hot tinplates, showed a
startling number of cases among men over 35 years of age who had
been employed at th at work for as much as 15 years. Cases were
rare among men who had been at work for shorter periods of time
but, of 354 men of 15 years’ employment or more, 144 were found
to have lenticular opacities which could be detected without dilata­
tion of the pupils. This was considered conclusive evidence th at
continuous exposure to excessive heat over a long period is a cause of
cataract. I t is not easy, it is stated, to devise methods of prevention
since although wearing standardized triplex goggles would prevent
the heat rays entering the eyes no way has yet been found to prevent
the collection of moisture and dust on the glasses. The article urges
the inclusion of workers suffering from cataract induced by excessive
heat with glassworkers in the benefits of the British compensation act

A

Workers’ Health Bureau in New York City.1
r -|—¡h e W orkers’ H ealth Bureau, recently organized in New York
City, proposes—
1. To conduct a scientific industrial study of the health needs of any trade
union.
2. To recommend a complete health program for th a t trade union based on
such a study.
3. To recommend an educational program com pletely covering the subject of
workers’ health.
4. To establish h ealth departm ents w ithin trade union locals, such d ep art­
m ents to specialize in preventive work including thorough m edical and
dental examinations.
5. To train workers’ h ealth committees to carry out th e health program in th e
workshop.
6. To select w ith scrupulous care trained doctors, nurses, and teachers required
in conducting th e union health work.
1 Descriptive pam phlet issued
[1921], 7 pp.


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by th e W orkers’ H ealth B ureau (Inc.). New Y ork, Saint Denis Offices
[657]

172

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

I t is suggested th a t each union organize its own health work and
control such work w ith the health bureau’s counsel. The necessity
of union control arises from the fact th a t the workers in a particular
industry know its problems b etter than outsiders. In organizing a
union health departm ent consideration should be given to the
language, age, and sex of the workers, the kind of work, location
and size of the factory, work seasons, special trade risks, and hours
and wages.

Accidents in Mines and Quarries of the United Kingdom in 1920.
H E report of the Mines D epartm ent of the British Board of
Trade (P art I.—Divisional Statistics) gives detailed statistics
of accidents in mines and quarries of Great Britain and Ireland
(in the case of metalliferous mines and quarries, including also the
Isle of Man) during 1920. A sum m ary of these figures is given in the
following table:

T

A CCIDEN TS IN M INES AND Q U A R R IE S O F G R E A T B R IT IA N AND IR E L A N D IN 1920, AND
FA T A L IT Y R A TES, 1919 AND 1920.
N um ber of accidents
in 1920.

F a ta lity rate per
1,000 employed.

Place an d cause of accident.
N onfatal.

F atal.

1919

1920

Coal mines:
Explosions of fire dam p or coal d u st............................
Falls of ground..................................................................
S h a ft...“..............................................................................
Miscellaneous underground............................................
Surface.................................................................................

26
544
40
35.5
138

105
41,358
486
64,781
10,572

0.03
.62
.05
.36
.47

0.03
.55
.04
.36
.54

T o tal................................................................................

1,103

117,302

.94

.88

Metalliferous mines:
Explosions of fire d a m p ........
Falls of ground..................................................................
S h a ft....................................................................................
Miscellaneous underground............................................
Surface.................................................................................

15
2
8
2

2
204
40
630
312

1.46
2. 68
.73
.54

1.22
.16
.57
.22

T otal.................................................................................

27

1,188

3.00

1.22

20
8

281
59
168
1,951
1,112

.38
.11

.46
.18

.43
.59

.39
.37

3,571

.81

.80

122,071

.97

.89

Quarries:
Falls of ground..................................................................
Blasting...............................................................................
During descent or ascent ..
Miscellaneous.....................................................................
Surface.................................................................................

17
9

T otal................................................................................

54

G rand to ta l....................................................................

1,184

The fatality rates of 1920 are computed on the basis of 1,248,224
employees in coal mines, 21,323 in metalliferous mines, and 67,750
in quarries. Only those nonfatal accidents causing more than 7
days’ disability are included in the above table.


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[658]

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INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND H YGIENE.

Industrial Diseases in British Factories.
CHAPTER on Industrial diseases, by T. M. Legge, medical
inspector of factories, published in the report of the chief
inspector of factories and workshops for the year 1920, shows
the extent of the more im portant diseases caused by industrial poi­
sons in Great B ritain and the num ber of deaths resulting, 1900 to
1920, inclusive.

A

N U M B ER O F CASES O F, AND D E A T H S FROM , S P E C IF IE D IN D U S T R IA L D ISE A SES, IN
G R E A T B R IT A IN , 1900 TO 1920.

Disease.

1900

Lead poisoning:
Cases.............................. 1,058
D eath s...........................
38
Phosphorus poisoning:
Oases..............................
3
D e ath s..........................
Arsenic poisoning:
Cases..............................
12
D e ath s..........................
3
Mercurial poisoning:
Cases..............................
9
D eath s...........................
Toxic jaundice:
Cases..............................
D eath s...........................
A nthrax:
Cases..............................
37
D e ath s..........................
7

Aver­ A ver­ Aver­ A ver­ Aver­
age,
age,
age,
age,
age,
1903- 1906- 1909- 1912- 19151905. 1908. 1911. 1914. 1917.

1901

1902

863
34

G29
14

4

1
2

1
l1

1

4

18

8

39
10

38
9

601
23

522
33

1918

1919

349
21

144
11

207
26

3

3

1

1920

619
30

576
35

1

1

4

12
1

7

4

11
2

3
1

4

3

6

7

10

14

14

9

7

5

132
34

34
10

3
3

6
3

83
12

72
8

57
9

48
11

52
13

57
13

57
11

57
7

243
23

The report includes only such diseases as employers are required by
law to report, lead poisoning being the most im portant both as to
the number of cases and the num ber of deaths. Of the 243 cases
reported in 1920, 47 are charged to electric accumulators, 45 to smelt­
ing of metals, and 24 to china and earthen ware, the latter industry
showing the highest m ortality rate— 13 deaths in 24 cases. While
the figures indicate a decreasing num ber of cases of lead poisoning
the m ortality rate seems to be increasing.
The next in importance is anthrax. Of the 48 cases of anthrax
reported in 1920, 11 were fatal. While the num ber of cases reported
shows a decrease since 1917 the m ortality rate has increased con­
siderably. Of the 48 cases of anthrax, wool is responsible for 24,
hides and skins for 17, and horsehair for 6. The report states th a t
little or no progress has been made with practical methods for disin­
fecting hides and skins which will not affect the quality of the leather.
An interesting table is given showing the results of different kinds
of treatm ent of 800 cases of cutaneous anthrax; th a t is, excluding
internal anthrax and erysipelatous anthrax, which are said to be
practically always fatal. According to the report the best tre a t­
m ent is physiological rest of the p art affected, combined with intra­
venous injection of antianthrax serum.

63444°—21----- 12


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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.
R E S U L T S O F D IF F E R E N T K IN D S O F T R E A T M E N T O F A N T H R A X .

Cases.

D eaths.

M ortality
per cent.

Serum alone.............................................
Excision alone.................... ....................
Excision a n d seru m ...............................
No special tre a tm e n t.............................

200
397
174
29

8
44
25
14

4.0
11.1
14.4
48.3

T o tal..............................................

800

91

11.4

Treatm ent.

Of the 6 cases of toxic jaundice reported, 5 cases (3 fatal) were due
to arseniuretted hydrogen gas evolved, owing to the presence of
arsenic as an im purity in zinc or hydrochloric acid. The other case
occurred in the m anufacture of interm ediate dyes.

British Manufacturers’ Argument for Use of White Lead in Painting.
OME controversy having arisen between the London Chamber of
Commerce and the International Labor Office over the intro­
ductory memorandum to the questionnaire on the prohibition
of the use of white lead in painting, which is in the agenda of the
1921 session of the International Labor Conference, the views of
British white lead makers were published in the Official Bulletin of
the International Labor Office, June 22, 1921 (pp. 6-10). Excep­
tion was taken by the "White Lead Corroders’ Section of the London
Chamber of Commerce, which comprises all the white lead m anu­
facturers in the United Kingdom, to the alleged «lack of im partiality
in the memorandum and questionnaire and especially to the state­
m ent th at “ it is now technically possible to replace white lead in
painting by effective substitutes.” 1
The lead m anufacturers’ statem ent says th a t “ in view of the
complexity of the subject, the diversity of evidence, both medical
and technical, the absence of reliable statistics, and the widespread
economic consequences of a prohibition of the use of white lead, the
subject is precisely one which, before being subm itted to the confer­
ence, requires consideration by the advisory committee which the
W ashington conference resolved should be established to deal with
just such questions of industrial hygiene.”
I t is asserted th a t the statistics of lead poisoning do not w arrant
prohibition, and various authorities are cited to show th at it is
difficult to diagnose lead poisoning without special experience; th a t
in England the workmen’s compensation act has tended to attribute
to lead poisoning all possible symptoms of disease among lead
workers, and th a t the general health of painters compares favorably
with th at of other occupations. A comparison of painters (1,851
persons) with a general group (32,033 persons) of an English benefit
society showed th a t of the general group 18 per cent claimed bene­
fits, with an average of 5.8 days of sickness per member, while among
the painters b u t 11.1 per cent claimed benefits, with an average of
4.1 days of sickness for each member. The last census for which

S

in te rn a tio n a l Labor Office.


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Official B ulletin, May 25, 1921, p. 55.

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INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE,

175

figures were available (1901) showed the death rate among painters
to be lower at every age period than those of the group “ occupied
males of industrial districts.”
No effective all-round substitute for white lead in painting, it is
contended, has as yet been provided. The greater durability and
hiding power and consequent economy are evidenced by the re­
sults of tests. The fact th a t painters prefer white lead paints, th at
patents and advertisements take white lead as the standard, and
th a t substitutes of long standing have been unable to displace white
lead is considered as additional proof of its superiority.
The prohibition of white lead would remove bu t one of the chief
causes of painter’s sickness, since much of the poisoning among
painters has been shown to be due to the volatile thinners such as
turpentine, benzol, m ethyl alcohol, etc., which are used equally
with lead or zinc bases. As it has been generally accepted th at the
risk from lead lies in the inhalation of dust or fumes, elimination of
these causes and enforcement of standards of personal cleanliness
may be relied upon practically to remove the danger. Cases of
lead poisoning in England through the introduction of regulations
to prevent the inhalation of lead dust show great decreases. In
white lead factories the number of cases fell from 399 in 1899 to
19 in 1919, or a 97 per cent decrease, and in potteries from 200 in
1900 to 21 in 1919, or a decrease of 90 per cent.
Prohibition of the use of white lead, moreover, would be very
costly since the inferior hiding power and lesser durability of sub­
stitutes would necessitate more frequent repainting, thus increas­
ing cost of m aterial and of labor, and the reduction in the demand
for lead would cause the closing down of many lead mines and a
great reduction consequently in the production of zinc ores, since
many of the mines work deposits of mixed ores of lead and zinc.
If the use of plumbous zinc oxide should be allowed as proposed,
a system of inspection would be necessary, since it would be diffi­
cult to prevent the use of white lead for undercoats and regulation
would still be necessary since plumbous zinc oxide is also poisonous,
although to a less degree than white lead.
Finally, it is argued th at the following regulations would be as
effective in eliminating paint poisoning among painters as similar
regulations have been among white lead workers in England:
(a) Regulations to avoid dust, the main source of danger, not only by the pro­
hibition of dry rubbing down and dry scraping, but also by the prohibition of the
sale to painters of dry (i. e., powder) white lead; (6) regulations to insure cleanliness;
(c) general regulations such as for periodical medical inspection and blood tests and
compulsory notification of paint poisoning.

Accidents in New South Wales Mines.
HE report for 1920 of the D epartm ent of Mines of New South
Wales1 shows an estimated total of 29,163 persons employed in
and about the mines during 1920, a decrease of 3,296 as com­
pared with the previous year. Of these, 9,198 were employed in con­
nection with the metalliferous mines and 19,965 in the coal and
shale mines.

T

xNew South W ales.


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D ep artm en t of M ines.

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A nnual report, 1920. Sydney, 1921.

176

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

The table following shows the num ber of persons killed and
injured in 1920 in the mining industry and also the ratio per 1,000
persons employed:
N U M B ER O F M IN IN G A C CID EN TS AN D R A T IO P E R 1,000 P E R S O N S EM PL O Y E D , 1920.

Class of m ining.

N um ber
killed.

Coal a n d shale..............................................
Gold
............................................... ............ 1
Silver, lead, a n d zinc.................................
............ 1

T im ................................................................
O ther m inerals............................................
T o ta l...................................................


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

N um ber killed N um ber injured
per 1,000 persons per 1,000 persons
employed.
employed.

N um ber
injured.

20
4

2

2J
24

[662]

1.002

113
11
5
1
2|
3j

12 ...................H). 435
1. 098J
.635]

5.660
.5841
2. 589
1. 715>1. 305
1. 098
. 952j

.823

4.286

.................... 1
....................

125

WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION REPORTS.
Illinois, 1919.

H E Third Annual Report of the Illinois D epartm ent of Labor
covers the year ending June 30, 1920. Included therein is the
report of the Industrial Commission administering the com­
pensation law. The num ber of compensable accidents reported during
the calendar year 1919 was 38,289, but 42 in excess of the number
for the preceding year. Of these, 535 were fatal, 94 less than for
1918. On account of these cases $3,683,918 was paid out in com­
pensation, unpaid balances amounting to $2,556,631. Medical and
funeral expenses amounted to $544,649 additional, making the
total cost for the year $6,785,198.
Accidents are reported by industries, coal mining leading in both
num ber and average cost, the num ber of accidents reported for this
industry being 7,797 and the average cost $2,394. Metal products
come next with 4,123 accidents, while foods, beverages, and tobacco
are charged with 3,792 and machinery and instrum ents with 3,499.
The severity of coal mining accidents as compared w ith others is
indicated by the fact th a t the next highest average cost is $399 for
accidents in public utilities (not transportation), oil and gas well
operating coming next with an average cost of $374.
Objects being handled caused the greatest num ber of accidents,
machinery coming next. The m ost numerous injuries are cuts,
punctures, and lacerations, though fractures caused the loss of the
greatest num ber of working days per case, with dislocations second.
Besides 535 deaths there are 27 cases of perm anent total disability
and 121 of perm anent partial disability. Specific loss of parts
occurred in 4,873 cases and disfigurements in 613 others. The
number of tem porary total disability cases was 32,042, there being
78 cases also of tem porary partial disability.
Of the 535 death cases, 47 left no dependents, while 400 left total
dependents. The num ber of total dependents was 1,023, there being
besides 137 partial dependents. The average total benefit in all cases
was $3,051, the average where there were total dependents being
$3,661.
The cost of perm anent total disabilities amounted to $9,334 as an
average. Perm anent partial disabilities averaged $861, specific loss
$544, tem porary partial disabilities $279, disfigurements $196, and
tem porary total disabilities $62.
The commission is engaged in an im portant undertaking under
authority granted by the legislature of 1919 to examine into the
financial condition and m ethod of settling claims of the various com­
panies writing workmen’s compensation insurance. The commission
has authority to revoke the license of any company found in unsound
financial condition or guilty of unfairness in settling claims. Lack
of funds has caused delay in this m atter, but the work is progressing,

T


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177

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

178

and when completed a full report will be published. Unsatisfactory
conditions have been found, but the companies have prom ptly re­
sponded to the suggestions of the commission, and the standard of
settlem ent by adjusters has been raised. The difficulty has been the
assumption on the p art of the doctors employed by the insurance
companies of the function of adjusting claims. “ The sooner the indi­
vidual companies realize th a t doctors should coniine themselves to the
medical end and leave the claim settlem ent to the adjuster, it will be
better for all concerned.” The Illinois commission is fortunate in
having an active medical division for the im partial examination of
injured workmen. This should be done at the request of the com­
mission or arbitrators or by stipulation between the employer and
the employee. During the year 1,201 cases were subm itted to the
medical director, more than one-half (608) being subm itted by stipu­
lation; 329 were referred by arbitrators, 159 by the commissioners,
97 by some other official, and 8 by request from other States.
Kansas, 1920.

HPHE annual report of the D epartm ent of Labor and Industry of
Kansas for the calendar year 1920 shows the number of industrial
accidents reported by employers under the compensation law, the
num ber for which compensation or damages was paid by employers,
and the compensation cost to employers of these accidents.
The total num ber of industrial accidents reported for each industry
during the year is shown by result of the accident in the table follow­
ing. Only those employers who are affected by the compensation
law, which is very limited in scope, are required to report accidents.
N U M B E R OF IN D U S T R IA L A C C ID E N TS R E P O R T E D D U R IN G 1920.

T otal
acci­
dents.

In d u stry .

Steam railroads....................................................................
C oalm ining...........................................................................
Slaughtering an d m eat packing.......................................
Cement p la n ts......................................................................
Brick, tile, a n d clay w orks...............................................
Foundries a n d m achine shops, other th a n ra ilw a y ...
Flour a n d cereal mills an d grain elevators...................
S alt industries......................................................................
Oil a nd n a tu ra l gas in d u stries..........................................
■planing -mills and furniture factories..............................
Smelting an d refining lead an d zinc ores.......................
Lead an d zinc mines, stone quarries, e tc ......................
Electric lines, power p lan ts, gas, w ater, e tc ..................
Miscellaneous accid en ts... .............................................

1,709
S73
358
292
103
863
194
442
1, 242
47
115
235
235
301

T o tal............................................................................

7,009

F atal.

Perm a­
nent
disa­
bility.

Tem porary disa­
bility.
1 week
and
under.

Over
1 week.

2
9
15

41
18
9
4
3
12
10
6
24
18
4
6
2
10

858
195
172
145
42
578
105
322
758
9
68
125
143
162

762
641
175
141
57
269
77
112
447
20
43
102
81
114

118

167

3,683

3,041

48
19
2
2
1
4
1
2
13

The next table shows for each class of accidents the num ber of
cases settled during the year, the total cost to the employers of the
compensation or damages paid, and the average cost per case, the
cases coming under the compensation law and those not under the
law being shown separately.


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179

WORKMEN S COMPENSATION REPORTS,

CASES O F IN D U S T R IA L A CCIDEN TS S E T T L E D IN 1920 A N D C O M PE N SA TIO N COST TO
E M P L O Y E R S U N D E R C O M PE N SA TIO N LA W A N D N O T U N D E R T H E LA W .
N ot under com pensation law.

U nder com pensation law.
Compensation cost.

Class of accidents.

Total.
F atal:
Leaving to ta l d e p end en ts...............
Leaving p artial d ep en d en ts............
Leaving no dependents....................

35
8
5

Compensation cost.
Cases
settled.

Cases
settled.

Total.

Per case.

$117,060
10,800
222

$3,345
1,350
44

10
3
2

Per case.

*26,131
2,900
900

12,613
967
450

T o tal..............................................

48

128,082

2,668

15

29,931

1,995

Tem porary to ta l d isab ility .....................

2,032

146,603

72

303

15,967

53

Besides the accident cases shown in the foregoing table there were
125 cases of perm anent disability settled during the year, the total
cost in compensation and damages being 190,752, or $726 per case.
For this class of accidents the report does not show separately those
coming under the compensation law.
A t the end of the year there were 802 cases remaining unsettled,
55 of these being fatal cases and 41 being cases of perm anent partial
disability.
Rhode Island, 1916 to 1919.

'T H E report of the commissioner of labor of Rhode Island for the
years 1916, 1917, 1918, and 1919, includes a section covering the
operations of the workmen’s compensation law of th a t State. This
section contains the following statistics for 1918 and 1919:
O P E R A T IO N S U N D E R W O R K M E N ’S CO M PEN SA TIO N LA W OF R H O D E IS LA N D , 1918
AN D 1919.
Item .

1918

Insured establishm ents:
N um ber of establishm ents................................................
N um ber of wage earners covered.....................................
A m ount of pay roll covered.............................................
Prem ium s p a id ....................................................................
F a ta l accidents—
N um ber rep o rted .........................................................
D eath benefits p a id ....................................................
Compensable nonfatal accidents—
N um ber rep o rted ........................................................
Compensation p aid ......................................................
A m ount paid for m edical service............................
N oncompensable accidents—
N um ber rep o rted ........................................................
A m ount paid for medical service............................
Claims in course of settlem ent—
F a ta l accidents.............................................................
N onfatal accidents.......................................................
Self-insurers:
N um ber of establishm ents................................................
N um ber of wage earners....................................................
F a ta l accidents—
N um ber rep o rted ........................................................
D eath benefits p a id ....................................................
Compensable nonfatal accidents—
N um ber rep o rted ........................................................
Compensation p a id ......................................................
A m ount paid for medical service............................
i Includes also m edical service provided in fatal cases.


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[665]

1919

2,937
3,153
102,312
128,074
$97,196,456 $124,872.182
$989,212.85 $1,128,022.28
49
$19,173.50

28
$10,013.01

2,161
$142,407.74
$44,993.72

1,665
$114,337.15
$51,997.32

10,.261
$72,192. 80

14,148
$67,544.20

39
1,118

21
1,694

96
37,489

97
38,552

11
$4,644.68

9
$6,023.45

569
365
$26,702.42
$23,362. 46
i $14,234.15 i $14,547.23

180

MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW,

O P E R A T IO N S U N D E R W O R K M E N ’S C O M PE N SA T IO N LA W O F R H O D E IS L A N D , 1918
A N D 1919—Concluded.
Item .

1918

Self-insurers—Continued.
Noncompensable accidents—
N um ber rep o rted .........................................................
A m ount paid for m edical service......................................
Claims in course of settlem ent—
F a ta l accidents...................................................................
N onfatal accidents.............................................................................

1919

3,890
$12,063.96

5,406
$15,336.03

5
8

2
58

The number of cases and the amount of compensation paid during
the years ending September 30, 1918 and 1919, respectively, on ac­
count of cases which occurred during the preceding year were as fol­
lows :
Insured establishments:
Fatal accidents—Number..........................
Amount of compensation.
Nonfatal accidents—Number..........................
Amount of compensation
Self-insurers:
Fatal accidents—
Number..........................
Amount of compensation.
Nonfatal accidents—•
Number..........................
Amount of compensation.


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1918

[666]

1919

59
$24,733.80

85
$43, 643.08

514
$62,509.15

458
$69,286.29

18
$6, 546. 24

19
$6, 495. 43

85
$8, 323. 97

93
$7, 558. 05

LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.

Educational Work of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’
Union.1
H E educational work undertaken by the International Ladies’
Garment W orkers’ Union of New York City, an account of
which was given in Bulletin No. 271 of the United States Bu­
reau of Labor Statistics, has been successfully continued. Starting
in 1917 with two unity centers and a workers’ university having a
limited curriculum, this movement for workers’ education has devel­
oped until in April of the present year there were seven unity centers
and the workers’ university, which now has a much more compre­
hensive program, and an extension division.
The cooperation of the city board of education is seen in the fact
th a t the unity centers are held in the public school buildings located
in parts of the city convenient to groups of members. Each center
has a supervisor appointed by the departm ent of community and
recreation centers of the board of education, and 40 teachers of
English are assigned by the' evening school departm ent of the city
schools to instruct the various classes in English, of which there is
a considerable number owing to the fact th a t m any of the garm ent
workers are of foreign birth.
Special emphasis is also placed upon the subject of health, one eve­
ning each week being devoted to instruction in this im portant science.
For the first hour on these evenings physicians from the bureau of
industrial hygiene of the board of health lecture on health topics
relating to the home and factory conditions of the workers; the second
hour the classes spend in the gymnasiums, where physical training
is given by competent instructors.
The workers’ university, in which the more advanced activities of
this movement are concentrated, holds its classes in the W ashington
Irving High School. Courses given during 1920-21 included tradeunion policies, labor problems, current economic literature, current
economic opinion, economic geography, logic, literature, sociolog}?-,
recent developments and events in the labor movement, study of the
cooperative movement, public speaking, problems of the International
Ladies’ Garment W orkers’ Union, applied psychology, and other
subjects.
Subjects such as are enumerated above naturally interest the more
serious-minded students. The educational committee also strives to
reach the mass of the members, and to this end an extension depart­
m ent has been established, which not only provides special lectures
to which all of the members are invited, but arranges concerts and
other entertainm ents th at have proven popular.
1Cohn, FanniaM . The educational work of th e In te rn a tio n a l L adies’ G arm ent W orkers’ Union. R eport
subm itted to th e conference of th e W orkers’ Education B ureau of America, held in New Y ork C ity Apr.
2,1921. New Y ork, In tern atio n al Ladies’ G arm ent W orkers’ Union, 31 U nion Square [1921], 12 pp.


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181

182

MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.

For the convenience of the members both lectures and classes are
given at the offices of the local unions. The educational work is
under the general control and m anagement of the educational de­
partm ent, which is in turn responsible to a special educational com­
m ittee consisting of five vice presidents of the international. I t is
financed by the workers themselves, a specified sum being set apart
for this purpose at the biennial convention of the union. The last
convention, held in Chicago, 1920, voted $15,000 a year for 1921 and
1922.
Out-of-town branches of the unity centers and workers’ university
have been established in Cleveland and Philadelphia, while in Boston
special arrangements have been made whereby members of the
union may attend the classes a t the Boston Trade-Union College.
Furthermore, three unity summer homes are m aintained by individ­
ual locals where members of the unions m ay spend their vacations
among beautiful and comfortable surroundings.
Both the individual and the social development of the workers
concerned are aimed at in these activities.
The work of the educational department of the I. L. G. W. U. is based on a convic­
tion that the aims and aspirations of the workers can be realized only through their
own efforts on the economic and educational fields. While organization givesthem
power, education gives them the ability to use that power intelligently and effectively.
The courses offered by the educational department are planned to accomplish this
aim. While some of them are intended to satisfy the intellectual and the emotional
needs of workers, the main emphasis is laid on those which meet their practical needs.
The problems of the labor movement are analyzed and clarified by the study of
general principles underlying them. In this way it is possible to train fresh energy,
new experience and power for the service of the international and of the entire labor
movement of America, and to help our members to achieve their purposes with the
ultimate goal of living a full, rich, and happy life.

Labor Unionism in China.1
OCTOR John C. Ferguson, educator and political adviser to
the President of China, at the commencement exercises of
1921 at Boston University, spoke of the great changes in the
national activities of China.
In labor m atters China is assimilating western ideas and western
methods with remarkable rapidity, the population, however, being
400,000,000, the vast m ajority have not yet been brought in close
contact with the Occident.
The increase of export trade during the war, resulting in a larger
demand for labor, and the boycott of Japanese goods tended to
develop the home industries of China, and incidentally stim ulated a
movement for better labor conditions. W estern machinery and
western systems of various kinds brought about the demand for
western trade-unionism.
Among the most im portant of these newer type-3 of labor organiza­
tion are the National Labor Union and the Chinese Returned
Laborers Union. Both of these organizations reject any political
connection. They refuse to take p art in the vast student movement
against Japan. These labor unions aim primarily to secure m utual
i C hristian Science Monitor, Ju ly 23, 1921..


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LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.

183

aid among wage earners, which the unions feel can be accomplished
only through educating the workers. Besides these large unions and
others of a similar character, there are m any recently formed local
organizations and for some time past the strike has been regarded as
a valuable “ industrial weapon.” The Chinese social system as a
whole, however, tends to ameliorate the bitterness and suffering of
labor contro versies.

Conferences of Labor and of Cooperative Organizations in Great
Britain.1
Labor Party Conference.

ROM June 21 to 24, 1921, the British Labor P a rty held its tw entyfirst annual conference at Brighton. The conference was attend­
ed by 1,000 delegates representing an affiliated membership of
4,257,994 as compared with 380,000 in 1900. The annual income of
the party 21 years ago was about £250 ($1,216.63); it is now between
£40,000 and £50,000 ($194,660 and $243,325). In 1900 there were
2 labor members in Parliam ent; now the parliam entary party
numbers 70.
The resolutions adopted were as usual indicative of the p a rty ’s
attitude upon a variety of subjects of immediate interest to labor
generally. The conference expressed itself in favor of continued
financial aid to the striking miners. I t refused by a vote of 4,515,000
to 224,000 an application from the Communist P arty for affiliation
with the Labor Party; it opposed the abolition of the agricultural
wages bill whereby agricultural workers have been protected as
regards wages; it condemned the Government’s Irish policy,
demanded the revision of the peace treaties and the repeal of the
emergency powers act, protested against an Anglo-French alliance,
and denounced any sort of alliance between “ the Labor P arty and
any section of the Liberal and Conservative parties.” A resolution
regarding unemployment called for work or maintenance and
advocated schemes for industrial training.
The memorandum on the further coordination of the action or
policy of the Labor P arty and the Trades-Union Congress prepared
by a joint committee representing both organizations was consid­
ered and ratified. This scheme, nroviding for a closer working
arrangement among the national labor bodies, was approved by the
Trades-Union Congress at its annual meeting in 1920, and proposes
a national joint council representing the general council ot the
Trades-Union Congress, the executive committee of the Labor P arty,
and the Parliam entary Party.
I t shall be the duty of the council, among others, to consider “ all
questions affecting the labor movement as a whole and make pro­
vision for taking immediate and united action on all questions of
national emergency” and to “ endeavor to secure a common policy
and joint action, whether by legislation or otherwise, on all questions
affecting the workers as producers, consumers, and citizens.”

F

1L abor Gazette (London), July, 1921, p p . 340,341; M anchester G uardian, June 21, 1921, p. 6.


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669]

184

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

The scheme further provides for the setting up of four central “ com­
mon service” departm ents dealing with research and information,
international affairs, publicity, and legal advice. Other desirable
common services will be established as needed.
National Transport Workers’ Federation.

'“T H E two most im portant subjects which came up for consideration
* a t the annual meeting of the general council of the National
Transport W orkers’ Federation, held at Edinburgh, June 12, 1921,
were the recent mining crisis and the reduction in wages of workers
on seagoing vessels.
In explanation of the action, or rather lack of action, on the part
of the railway men and transport workers in support of the miners,
the special report of the executive committee upon this subject
pointed out the weakness of the Triple Alliance as regards united
action, which lies in the fact th at the three labor organizations
composing it never meet as one body, bu t each section decides upon
its own course. Joint movement and sectional autonomy, the report
maintained, are incompatible, and a resolution was passed “ calling
for adequate machinery to give effect to decisions of the Triple
Alliance and providing th at on a decision of any section the Triple
Alliance should immediately become a consultative body with full
executive powers.” The Miners’ Federation was charged with either
unwillingness or incapacity to appreciate the position in which the
two other members of the alliance found themselves.
The question of the reduction in wages of seagoing workers cen­
tered around a lack of trade-union unity in the federation itself.
The executives of the federation had indorsed the policy of the
National Union of Ships’ Stewards, Cooks, Butchers, and Bakers in
refusing to accept reductions in wages. B ut the members of certain
other unions catering for seagoing workers not only declined to
assist the striking union b u t in some cases took the places of men who
had refused to accept a reduction of wages. This was termed the
most “ flagrant” case of difference in policy which the federation had
ever had within its ranks. The council agreed to support the ship
stewards in their effort to secure the reinstatem ent of their members.
A resolution was adopted authorizing negotiations with other organi­
zations “ for the purpose of enlarging the federation so as to cover all
forms of transport and distribution.”
Women’s Cooperative Guild.

r"FHE m onth of June, 1921, seems to have been prolific of labor conferences so far as Great Britain is concerned, for, in addition to the
two of which brief accounts have already been given, the W omen’s
Cooperative G.uild held its 38th annual congress a t Manchester on the
14th of th a t m onth. Delegates to the congress numbered 1,360 per­
sons, representing 629 branches, 25 districts, and 8 sectional councils.
There were also in attendance representatives from other cooperative
societies.


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LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.

185

Questions relating to the Irish situation, education, child welfare,
housing, m aternity benefits, and unemployment were discussed. A
resolution declaring “ th a t the only hope for a new world for the
workers lay in cooperation and labor coming into power, with women
as well as men represented in Parliam ent and the G overnm ent/’ and
calling ‘‘upon the cooperative party to support the candidature of
cooperative wom en” was considered at length. Those opposed to it
based their opposition on the grounds th at the congress was composed
of employers as well as employees, th a t politics had no place in the
congress, and could not in any event effect all the reforms the coopera­
tors desired. The resolution was, nevertheless, passed by a large
m ajority. The congress condemned the practical failure of the
British housing program.


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[671]

LABOR LAWS AND DECISIONS.

Status of Employees on Strike.
H E question of the status of employees who have left service
collectively for the purpose of securing better conditions of
employment is one on which varying opinions have been
expressed. Strictly speaking, strikers have severed their employ­
m ent relation, whether it was under contract for a fixed period or
terminable at will. However, the courts have quite generally
recognized a middle status effective within certain limits, giving
striking employees a position differing from both those in employ­
m ent and the public at large. “ The relationship is an anomalous
one, yet distinctive, and of such nature as to secure to the parties
certain correlative rights under which acts m ay be performed that
would assume a different aspect if done by absolute strangers or in
different circum stances” (Iron Molders’ Union v . Allis-Chalmers Co.,
168 Fed. 45, 91 C. C. A. 631). Thus organizers from the outside
m ay be enjoined from interfering with labor conditions, being in
no wise agents of the employees, as was held in a case before the
Supreme Court of the United States (Hitchman Coal & Coke Co. v .
Mitchell, 245 U. S. 229, 38 Sup. Ct. 65). B ut former employees in
association with others have been held to retain such an interest in
the affairs of their former employer as to make it lawful for them to
picket and persuade in a peaceable manner, though incidentally
interfering thereby with the employer’s free and unrestrained con­
trol of his business (Tri-City Central Trades Council v . American
Steel Foundries (C. C. A.), 238 Fed. 728). This is on the ground
th a t though strikers arc not on the pay roll of the employer, and so
are not actual employees, the relation of employer and employee is
not fully term inated by either a strike or a lockout.
However, where a strike has failed and the employer refuses to
recognize former employees, their places having been filled and
normal production continuing, the tem porary anomalous condition
is said to have term inated, and striking employees can not be regarded
as any further interested, and whatever rights to be recognized they
m ay have had a t one time are extinguished (Dail-Overland Co. v .
Willys-Overland Co., 263 Fed. 171). A recent illustration of this
phase of the question is found in a case decided March 26, 1921, by
the United States D istrict Court for the N orthern D istrict of Georgia
(Birmingham Trust & Savings Co. v . A tlanta B. & A. It. Co., 271
Fed. 743). Here the railroad named was in the hands of a receiver,
being operated under the direction of the court. A reduction in
wages had been announced, in pursuance of an order of the court,
but w ithout due regard to the provisions of the Newlands Act (Comiled Stats, sec. 8674), which required 20 days’ notice and a hearing
efore wages could be reduced. The court held th a t the Newlands

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Act applied only to such employees as were “ employed upon or in
c a rs /’ usually known as “ train operators,” and “ train service m en.”
As to the other workmen, the order was valid, while as to the excepted
classes the status was said to be analogized to the condition which
would exist under a definite contract to serve for the 20-day period
named in the law at the fixed wage. Though they were entitled to
this protection, they m ight waive it as they m ight the benefits of
a contract; or they m ight continue a t work and claim the wages
secured to them by the law, b u t they could not break the contract
and abandon the service and at the same time claim the protection
of the law as to the wages.
The men in fact continued at work for a time under protest, but
later refused to render further services, term inating employment
both before the expiration of the 20-day period and before the
arrival of the next pay day. The places of the striking employees
were filled in so far as the needs of the service required and the
revenue of the road perm itted. The strikers came before the court
demanding to be heard as employees and asking for their reemploy­
m ent in a body. The strike had been orderly and w ithout personal
bitterness between the strikers and the receiver, and the receiver
expressed his readiness to reemploy the strikers in so far as employ­
m ent was available. “ We do not, however, think it right to direct
him to reemploy them in a body, not only because he has not now
sufficient business, b u t also because it would not be right to discharge
those who have taken some of the places and are proving acceptable
and contented employees.” The refusal to work when called upon
by the receiver to continue to render the service necessary for the
operation of the road, “ no m atter what the reason or justification,
term inated the employment.”
This principle is applied in another recent case (In re Division 132
of Amalgamated Association of Street & Electric Ry. Employees
of America, 188 N. Y. Supp., 353). This case was decided by the
appellate division of the Supreme Court of New York on May 17,
1921. I t involved the construction of a contract between the labor
union named and the United Traction Co. of the city of Troy. The
contract contained provisions to the effect th at the company would
“ through its properly accredited officers treat with the properly
accredited officers and committees of the association on all grievances
th at m ay arise.” The agreement was to continue in force for one
year ending June 30, 1921. A supplemental agreement provided
for an increase in wages to continue during this year on condition
th at the company be granted permission to charge increased fares
on or before November 1, 1920. This permission was not granted,
and the increase was withdrawn in accordance with the terms of the
contract. However, the members of the employees’ union protested
this action, which was announced on January 22, 1921, and on the
28th of th at m onth, when the change was to be made, the employees
members of the association walked out, “ leaving the traction com­
pany incapable of immediate performance of its obligations to the
public.”
There was an agreement to arbitrate controversies arising as to
the rate of wages within 30 days prior to the expiration of the agree­
ment. Obviously this was a limited agreement as to arbitration,


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but the emploj-ees demanded th a t their protests against the reduc­
tion of wages be referred to arbitrators. The court held th at in
leaving employment as they had on January 28 “ they committed
a breach of the contract, and if there had been a valid agreement
for the arbitration of all controversies they would have relieved the
traction company of the obligation to perform.’’ The court pointed
out further th a t in view of the lim itation upon the subject m atter
of the agreement there was no obligation on the p art of the employer
to submit the question arising in January to arbitrators supposed
to function only on questions arising in June following. “ The
election on the p art of the employees to abandon their employment
in disregard of the contract made in their behalf by the petitioners
[the labor unionj could not impose an obligation which was not pro­
vided in the contract.” However, “ the former employees, repre­
sented by the petitioners, have abandoned the contract; they have
committed an anticipatory breach of the provision for arbitration
by destroying its consideration before it had an opportunity to come
into operation, and they have no ground for complaint, because
the}^ are no longer employees, and because the time fixed by the
contract for its operation in any event has not yet arrived.”
In view of these conclusions the order issued by the supreme
court in special term directing the company to submit to a trial
before a jury on the issues presented was reversed, and the petition
of the labor organization dismissed on the ground th a t the peti­
tioners had no standing under their violated agreement.

New Workmen’s Compensation Law of Arizona Void.
T TH E session of the Legislature of Arizona for the current
year a new compensation law was enacted. The earlier law
enacted in 1912 perm itted an injured workman to elect sub­
sequent to his injury whether he would claim compensation under
the law or sue the employer under the principles of the employers’
liability statute. The new law undertook to make more certain
the rights of the employer and employee, making election by the
employer presumptive and leaving to the employee the right to
reject the terms of the act by notice only prior to the injury.
The constitution of this State (Art. X V III, sec. 6) declares th at
“ the right of action to recover damages for injuries shall never be
abrogated, and the amount recovered shall not be subject to any
statutory lim itation.” Succeeding sections direct the legislature to
enact an employers’ liability law for hazardous occupations, and also
a compulsory compensation law applicable to “ such employments
as the legislature m ay determine to be especially dangerous.” The
provision is added th a t “ it shall be optional with said employee to
settle for such compensation or retain the right to sue said emploj^er
as provided by this constitution.”
Following the enactm ent of the law of 1921 (ch. 103, approved
Mar. 17), a perm anent injunction was issued by a court of first in­
stance directed against the commission created by the act, forbid'
ding it to proceed with the enforcement of the act. This case was
taken on appeal to the supreme court, which has recently announced

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its unanimous opinion th at the law is invalid because it conflicts
with the provisions of the constitution guaranteeing to injured work­
men the right to sue for personal injuries. The statu te violates this
provision by requiring the employee to elect his remedy prior to the
injury, and is therefore void (Industrial Commission v . Crisman,
199 Pac. 390.) I t is apparent, therefore, th at in the absence of an
amendment to the constitution it would be impossible for the legisla­
ture to enact a law making compensation in fixed amounts the satis­
faction for industrial injuries.
The act being unconstitutional in its entirety, the compensation
law of 1912, which has been adjudicated as constitutional, is regarded
as in force, the act of 1921 having never come into operation.

New Child-Labor Legislation in Massachusetts.1

F

OUR im portant child-labor measures will become effective in Mas­
sachusetts July 30 and 31, and August 18 and 25, 1921. These
acts extend the scope of educational and employment certi­
ficates, raise the educational qualifications for children leaving school
to go to work, and regulate street trades for minors.
The employment certification act corrects a great inconsistency
between the present certificate and school attendance laws, which
require every child “ under 16 years of age to attend school unless
regularly employed under the authorization of an employment cer­
tificate or home permit, at the same time restricting employment
certificates to certain specific occupations.”
The new law requires certificates for all children 14 to 16 years of age who are gain­
fully employed. This means that if they meet the requirements for certification
they may be released for any form of gainful occupation outside of the employments
specifically prohibited for minors below the age of 16. It also means that for work
outside of school hours, as well as that during school sessions,, children must first
secure authorization from the certifying office. Work on farms and in private domestic
service is covered by the new statute—a special certificate being required for this
kind of employment. Formerly, there were many occupations in which children
could engage outside of school hours for which no certificate was required and con­
sequently little protection afforded. 1 nder the new law, boys may not be employed
in the morning on milk wagons or at night in private bowling alleys, or girls employed
as ushers in theaters, if under 16 years of age, unless they have first secured an employ­
ment certificate. This brings under the protection of the child labor law a number
of children that have previously been in a twilight zone as far as labor legislation was
concerned.

By nieans of the employment certificate school officials m ay locate
the child who has left school and if he is not regularly employed may
return him to school or if regularly employed may require him to
attend a continuation school.
The employment certificate is also an aid to the M assachusetts
D epartm ent of Labor and Industries in determining child-labor law
violations by furnishing definite proof of the age of minors who are
employed. The most significant service of such certificates, however,
is the protection of children about to go to work by the assurance
these documents offer of such children’s meeting certain minimum
age, education, and physical standards.
1Mimeographed reports from the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Industries of Massachusetts.
63444°— 21------- 13


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The new law also extends protection as to hours and night work
to all working children 14 to 16 years of age, whereas previously such
protection was restricted to children in certain specific occupations.
The corresponding measure regarding educational certificates applies to minors
16 to 21 years of age and adds to the list of occupations for which such certificates
are now required, public and private bowling alleys, pool and billiard rooms, bootblack stands and establishments, barber shops, employment in the construction
and repair of buildings, and employment by express and transportation companies.

According to the new act raising the educational requirem ent for
children who desire to leave school to go to work, instead of having
merely to meet “ the tests of reading, writing and spelling in the
English language equivalent to completing the sixth grade in these
subjects, these children will have to be able “ to meet requirements
for completing all of the subjects in the sixth grade.” In connection
.with this legal change the departm ent of labor and industries has
made the following ruling:
The educational requirements for working children are not retroactive; they there­
fore do not apply to minors certified under previous laws in so far as their present
employment is concerned; they do apply, however, to all minors hereafter certified
whether for initial or subsequent employment; and irrespective of the form of certi­
ficate previously issued to any minor, the form hereafter issued should be determined
by the minor’s ability to meet the present requirements.

F ar reaching in its application is the new street trades law which
becomes effective August 18, 1921. This provides that all minors
under 16 before they may engage or be employed in any street trades
m ust first secure a badge from the officer authorized to issue employ­
m ent certificates. Condition for securing a badge is proof th a t the
minor is 12 years of age or over. The issuing officer may refuse to
issue a badge in the case of minors th at are physically or mentally
unable to do the work in question in addition to the regular school
attendance required by law.
The new law removes a number of inconsistencies between the
child labor law and the street trades regulations. Prior to its enact­
ment, the State regulations as to licensing and minimum age for
street trades applied only to places of over 50,000 inhabitants. In
smaller communities boys of any age could engage in the work.
No badge was required and consequently little protection afforded.
Minors under 14, however, could not in any city or town be employed
in this work. For example, boys under 14 could not be employed
by newspaper offices or newsdealers in the sale or distribution of
papers on the streets or on a newspaper route. They could and did
accomplish the same result, however, by purchasing the papers and
engaging in the sale and distribution for themselves. I t was a legal
distinction, but w ithout m aterial difference so far as child labor was
concerned.
This inconsistency is removed by a provision of the new law that
a boy over 12 m ay engage or be employed in any city or town in the
sale or distribution of newspapers, magazines, or other periodicals
in a street or on a newspaper route provided he meets the require­
ments as to licensing, hours of employment, and school attendance.
Licenses are extended to cover all forms of street trades and all
cities and towns irrespective of size. The age limit is fixed as 12
years for all boys: and the hour limits outside of school hours, from
6 a. m. to 8 p. m. for all minors 12 to 14 years of age.


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Representation of Women in the Department of Labor and Industries
of Massachusetts.1
F ESPECIAL interest to women’s organizations is a measure
which went into effect on the 25th of July providing for rep­
resentation of women in the D epartm ent of Labor and In ­
dustries. The act establishing the departm ent placed the work
under five commissioners—the commissioner of labor and industries,
three associate commissioners, and an assistant commissioner.
Appointment of a woman to the last-mentioned position was made
permissive. The amendment passed this year makes such appoint­
m ent m andatory by requiring th a t the assistant commissioner shall
be a woman. Under the original law no duties or authority were
conferred upon the position, all of the adm inistrative functions being
definitely assigned to the commissioner, the associate commissioners,
or to the commissioner and the associate commissioners acting
jointly. The new law, while it gives no specific duties to the position,
authorizes the assistant commissioner to vote with the other members
in all m atters requiring joint action; appointing and fixing salaries
of directors, determining how many inspectors in the departm ent
shall be women, naming committees, and adopting rules and regu­
lations for the protection of employees. One of the most im portant
provisions of the act is th a t perm itting the assistant commissioner
to inspect industrial establishments to determine compliance with
the labor laws and to make investigations concerning the conditions
of employment of women and children. Previously this authority
was limited to the commissioner, the director of the division of
industrial safety, and the inspectors.

O

Extraterritoriality Under the Michigan Workmen’s Compensation Law.
H E Supreme Court of Michigan recently had before it for the
first time the question of the construction of the w orkm en’s
compensation law of the State w ith regard to its application
to workmen injured outside the State. A t an earlier date the indus­
trial accident board had construed the law as lim ited by the State
boundaries, b u t in the present instance had awarded compensation.
The case was carried to the supreme court and the award there
affirmed (Crane v . Leonard, Crosette & Riley, 183 N. W. 204.)
The fact th a t the court was for the first time determ ining the point
in issue led to a rath er detailed consideration of the subject. Texts
were cited, and also the decisions of a num ber of State courts of last
resort. Thus the earliest American decision, th a t of the Supreme
Court of M assachusetts, was found to follow the English cases in
denying the application of the law where the employee was beyond
the territorial boundaries of the jurisdiction. The Illinois Supreme
Court likewise takes this position; while the law of California, after
considerable discussion and some am endatory legislation, is now on
the side of extraterritorial application, though a compulsory law.
The final decision to this effect was not before the court in the present

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case, so th a t the State of California was classed by it with Massa­
chusetts and Illinois. As a m atte r of fact, it now stands with those
cited by the Supreme Court of Michigan in favor of the more liberal
construction, i. e., Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, New
Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, W est Virginia, and Wisconsin.
In m ost of these cases the sta tu te under consideration was elective,
and the decision turned chiefly upon this point, the court saying th a t
in accepting the sta tu te voluntarily the parties wrote into their con­
tra c t the provisions of the compensation law regardless of the place
where the contract is fulfilled. However, the laws of California and
New York are compulsory in their operation, so th a t the argum ent
of voluntary agreem ent is not the sole dependence in upholding the
extraterritoriality of such legislation.
In the present case an elective law was under consideration and
acceptance of it by the parties was said to establish contractual rights
which “ accompanied the employee wherever he went within the
am bit of his em ploym ent.” The employee in question was employed
by a shipper of produce and accompanied carloads of potatoes beyond
the borders of the State in the course of his employment, suffering a
fatal injury while so doing. The widow’s claim on this account was
therefore sustained.

Workmen s Compensation* Law of Missouri Held Up by Referendum.
H E efforts of the Legislature of Missouri to enact a workmen’s
compensation law for that State continue to m eet with obstruc­
tion. The M on th ly L abo r R e v ie w for January, 1921
(pp. 175,176), gave an account of the rejection on November 2, 1920,
of a law passed by the legislature at its session of 1919. As forecast
in this account, a new measure was presented to the legislature of
1921, being finally enacted into law to become effective September 1,
1921. In the meantime opponents, either to this particular law or
to any compensation law, set about securing signatures calling for
the submission of the act of 1921 to a referendum vote. I t is reported
th a t 85,000 signatures have been secured; at any rate the num ber is
sufficient to suspend operation of the law until it shall be voted upon.
This will take place at the time of the regular election in November,
1922.

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Hours of Labor on Public Works, New York.
H E labor laws of New York prescribe the 8-hour day for work
done for or by the State or a municipal corporation or by con­
tractors or subcontractors therew ith. The same section also
prescribes th a t the prevailing rate of wages in the com m unity shall
be paid for such work. The application of this law has been ques­
tioned in cases where a third party is involved. In the present
instance a grade crossing of a railroad was being eliminated, the State
and city and the railroad company contributing proportionate shares
to the cost of the work. The construction company which was
engaged in the work contended th a t in view of the fact th a t the

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railroad was its employer, the fact th a t the city and the S tate were
involved could not operate to restrict the work to the 8-hour day, nor
regulate rates of wages. The identical question was before the courts
in 1913, the court of appeals w ithout an opinion affirming an order
of the court below directing the paym ent of a city ’s share even though
the 8-hour law had been disregarded. The case in hand was passed
upon by the attorney general of the State, and the view was adopted
th a t “ where a private corporation contributed to the cost, the 8-hour
law can not be enforced unless the city provides some fund to reim ­
burse the private corporation for the excess cost resulting from the
enforcement of the 8-hour law .” This follows the earlier decision,
the attorney general saying: “ I consider this case as precedent upon
the point you raise, and th a t it would be useless to litigate the ques­
tion again.”
The obvious result of this opinion is to remove all works of a public
or quasi public nature from the operation of these provisions of law
where a private corporation or individual is a contributor to the
expense involved.

Warehousing as a Hazardous Employment Under the Workmen’s
Compensation Law of Washington.
H E workmen’s compensation law of the State of Washington
is declared to be applicable only to employments classifiable
as “ extrahazardous,” the original act enumerating the occu­
pations covered by it. The law provided further th a t “ if there be
or arise any extrahazardous occupation or work other than those here
enumerated, it shall come under this act,” the premium rates to be
fixed by the industrial insurance commission. The commission acted
on the theory th at this statute authorized it to classify employments
not enumerated, and declared on May 3, 1915, th a t it had been demon­
strated th a t the operation of mercantile and storage warehouses and
the occupations of teamsters, truck drivers, handlers of freight, auto
truck drivers and helpers are extrahazardous. The commission there­
fore undertook to enforce by action at law a contribution to the State
fund from a warehousing corporation which resisted, and the court
held th a t the commission had acted without authority (State v .
Powles & Co., 94 Wash. 416, 162 Pac. 569).
Subsequent to this decision the legislature of 1919 undertook to
change the law so as to authorize acts of classification by the com­
mission, saying “ the commission shall have power after hearing had
upon its own motion or upon the application of any p arty interested
to declare any such extrahazardous occupation or work to be under
this act.” The commission acted upon this provision in a recent
case (State v . Eyres Storage & Distribution Co., 198 Pac. 390), but
again the supreme court ruled against the commission, saying th at
the only power given was th a t of declaring any extrahazardous occu­
pation or work to be under the act and not to declare an employment
not enumerated as extrahazardous to be such. I t was held th a t the
business of the defendant company “ was not plainly extrahazardous
within the purview of the assum ption” on which the Powles case was
based, nor did the amendment of 1919 confer additional power

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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

sufficient for such classification. The judgm ent of the lower court
against the commission was therefore affirmed.
I t m ay be added th at the legislature of 1921 made a second attem pt,
and presumably an effectual one, to authorize classification by the
newly created agency to which the adm inistration of the compensa­
tion law has been transferred. The law authorizes the director of
labor and industries through and by means of the division of indus­
trial insurance “ t o declare any occupation or work to be extrahazardous and to be under this act.” Action m ay be taken either
upon application or voluntarily, the order to issue after hearing had.
The particular occupation in question above is by legislative enact­
m ent placed in the list of employments classed as extrahazardous, so
th at assurance is now made doubly sure as to the coverage of ware­
housing, which was involved in the Powles and Eyres cases.

Amendment oi Belgian Trade-Union Law 1
RTICLE 310 of the Belgian Penal Code, which imposed severe
penalties on persons who, “ with the object of bringing about
an increase or decrease in wages should interfere with the free
exercise of industry or labor by means of violence, threats, fines, pro­
hibitions, interdictions or proscriptions, or by meetings or by acts of
intimidation directed against those who work themselves or cause
work to be done,” was rescinded by an overwhelming vote of the
Senate on May 18. At the same time a bill guaranteeing freedom
of association was passed, both of which measures had passed the
Chamber of Deputies in March, 1921. The abrogation of article 310
is considered a great victory for the Belgian working class as it had
been a serious obstacle in the development of trade association and in
the effective use of the strike. Employers and the Christian unions
had urged the enactm ent of the law guaranteeing freedom of associa­
tion to offset in a measure the abrogation of article 310, although the
law does not interfere with the trade-union activities unless the
unions attem pt to prevent workers from joining other organizations.

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French Government Bill on Social Insurance.2
N MARCPI 2, 1921, the French cabinet approved a social insur­
ance bill drafted by the m inister of labor. The French Cham­
ber of Deputies and the Senate will discuss this bill within the
next few months.
Through the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine France, as regards
social legislation, found herself in a somewhat peculiar position.
She had either to deprive the workers in these Provinces of the bene­
fits of the German social insurance system, or extend to all the rest
of France the insurance system which hitherto was in force in
Alsace-Lorraine. The French Government has decided to do the

O

1 Le M ouvement Syndical Belge, Bruxelles, Ju in 4, 1921, p. 91. The Labor Gazette, London, June,
1921, p. 286
2 France. D ocum ent Parlem entaires—Chambre, A nnexe No. 2369, Paris, 1921, and R eichs-A rbeitsblatt,
vol. 1 (new sériés), No. 18, B erlin, Ju n e 30,1921.


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195

latter. Even before arriving at this decision it decreed th at the
German social insurance laws shall tem porarily remain in force in
Alsace-Lorraine. The bill drafted by the m inister of labor owes
its origin to these conditions. If the bill is enacted into law, France
will have a comprehensive social insurance system for which under
other conditions its citizens would perhaps have had to wait for
decades. France has had since 1898 a law on industrial accident
insurance and since 1910 an old-age insurance law, b u t State sick­
ness, invalidity, and m aternity insurance are nonexistent. The
workers of Alsace-Lorraine would thus have fared considerably worse
if they had been subject to existing French social insurance legislation.
Scope of the Insurance.

HTHE present bill is based on compulsory insurance. All French
-*■ wage workers and salaried employees as well as small tenant
farmers (m e t a y e r s ) whose annual income does not exceed. 10,000 francs
($1,930, par) are compulsorily subject to insurance. Farmers and
small independent tradesmen below 30 years of age whose annual
income does not exceed 10,000 francs may insure themselves volun­
tarily. Both compulsorily and voluntarily insured persons are to
enjoy the same benefits under the law.
The insurance grants medical aid in case of sickness or confinement,
pecuniary benefits to sick persons or women in confinement, birth
allowances, pensions for invalids and persons over 60 years of age, and
death benefits to survivors.
Contributions.

'T 'H E funds for paying benefits are to be raised through equal contriA butions of the insured persons and their employers supple­
m ented by vState subsidies. The insured persons are divided into 6
classes, according to their annual income, as follows:
Class 1, annual income under 1,200 francs.
Class 2, annual income 1,200 and less than 2,400 francs.
Class 3, annual income 2,400 and less than 4,000 francs.
Class 4, annual income 4,000 and less than 6,000 francs.
Class 5, annual income 6,000 and less than 8,000 francs.
Class 6, annual income 8,000 and less than 10,000 francs.

The combined annual contributions of the insured persons and the
employers have been fixed at 5 per cent of the average annual income
of each class of insured persons, i. e., the following amounts:
For class 1, 45 francs; class 2, 90 francs; class 3, 160 francs; class 4,
250 francs; class 5, 350 francs; class 6, 450 francs.
The contributions are the same for single and married persons.
The employer is to deduct the worker’s share of the contribution from
the la tte r’s wages and to transm it it to the insurance fund together
with his own share of the contribution.
Benefits.

T T IE benefits accruing to insured persons are considerable. In case
^ of sickness insured persons are entitled to free medical aid, medi­
cines and a daily pecuniary benefit for the duration of 26 weeks. The


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amount of the pecuniary benefit is governed by the contributory class
of the insured person. Six benefit classes have been fixed correspond­
ing to the six contributory classes which provide a daily sick benefit
and an allowance for each child under 16 years of age dependent upon
the beneficiary. After sickness in excess of 26 weeks the daily sick
benefit is changed to a m onthly sick benefit and in case of resulting
total or partial invalidity a perm anent invalidity pension is deter­
mined after five years. The rates of the pecuniary sick benefit have
been determined as follows:
AMOUNT O F SICK B E N E F IT PA ID TO EA C H CLASS.
F irst 26 weeks.

D aily sick
benefit.

A dditional
allowance
for each
child.

M onthly
sick
benefit.

A dditional
allowance
for each
child.

Francs.
1.50
3.00
5.25
8. 25
11.50
15.00

Francs.
0.50
.50
.50
.50
.50
.50

Francs.
45.00
75.00
110.00
140.00
195.00
250.00

Francs.
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00

C ontributory class.

Class 1 ................................
Class 2 ................................
Class 3 ................................
Class 4 ................................
Class 5 ................................
Class 6 ................................

After 26 weeks.

In case of hospital treatm ent the pecuniary sick benefit is to be
reduced by two-thirds and if the insured person has dependent
children by only one-third.
The wife of an insured person and the children under 16 years of
age are entitled to medical treatm ent and medicines without paying
any contributions to the insurance.
In case of death of the insured person his fam ily receives a death
benefit. The amount of this benefit varies according to the contribu­
tory class of the insured person. In the first class the death benefit
is 150 francs ($28.95, par) and in the sixth class 1,500 francs ($289.50,
par) w ith an additional allowance in all six classes of 100 francs
($19.30, par) for each dependent child under 16 years of age.
The invalidity pensions also vary in amount according to the con­
tributory class of the insured person. In case of total invalidity the
pension amounts to 500 francs ($96.50, par) in the first class and 3,000
francs ($579, par) in the sixth class, w ith an additional allowance of
100 francs for each child under 16 years.
Women in confinement receive a m aternity benefit varying between
1.50 and 15 francs (29 cents and $2.90, par) per day during the 6
weeks before and the 6 weeks after confinement. In addition they
are entitled to free medical aid and medicines. They also receive a
m onthly nursing benefit of from 15 to 60 francs ($2.90 to $11.58, par)
for a period of 12 months.
The insurance also grants so-called birth allowances ( a l l o c a t i o n s d e
n a is s a n c e ).
This allowance amounts to 200 francs ($38.60, par) for
each child, of which 100 francs ($19.30, par) are paid at the birth of
the child, 50 francs ($9.65, par) at the end of the sixth m onth, and 50
francs at the end of the twelfth m onth. If both father and m other
of the child are insured the allowance is doubled.


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197

For the old-age insurance the bill provides the granting of a pension
after the insured person has completed his sixtieth year of age. The
am ount of the pension varies according to the contributory class of
the insured person. In the first class the old-age pension amounts to
500 francs ($96.50, par) per year and in the sixth class to 3,000 francs
($579, par). In order to have a valid claim to an old-age pension the
insured person m ust have paid 9,000 daily or 360 m onthly contribu­
tions. If he has complied with this condition he m ay begin drawing
a pension after the completed fifty-fifth year of age but in such a case
the pension is reduced by an am ount specified in the law. If the
insured person does not make a claim for an old-age pension until
after he has completed his sixty-fifth year of age the legal minimum
pension is increased by the excess contributions and the accumulated
compound interest.
Organization.

'T H E bill provides for the following organization of the insurance
A system.
France is to be divided into 20 to 25 insurance districts. In each
district there is to be established an autonomous insurance fund,
which in turn shall establish branch offices in each rural district or
in each city with more than 10,000 inhabitants. In addition to the
State insurance funds, m utual insurance funds, funds founded by
employers’ or workers’ organizations, and establishment funds m ay
be adm itted as carriers of the sickness and old-age insurance, pro­
vided they conform to the provisions of the present bill. The State
insurance funds are, however, to be the exclusive carriers of the
invalidity insurance, because, as the preamble to the bill says, “ private
insurance institutions have hitherto neglected this branch of social
insurance.”
A general guaranty fund ( c a i s s e g é n é r a l e d e g a r a n t i e ) is to be created
as compensation and reinsurance carrier for all the State insurance
funds and private adm itted funds.
An insurance office is to be created in each of the insurance dis­
tricts. This office shall exercise supervision over all the insurance
funds in the district. Disputes arising from the insurance procedure
are to be decided by adm inistrative courts to be created a t each
county seat and a t the headquarters of each insurance district. A
superior adm inistrative court to be created a t Paris is to decide ap­
peals from the lower courts.
State Subsidies.

'T H E financial burden borne by the State in the operation of the
proposed social insurance system is very considerable. Accord­
ing to the bill the entire costs of adm inistration of the insurance funds
and of the insurance offices are to be borne by the State. In addition
the State assumes the entire cost of the birth allowances and grants
subsidies to the sickness, invalidity, old-age, and m aternity insurance.
The bill also provides State subsidies for the erection of sanatorium s
and convalescent homes.
The cost to the State of the proposed insurance system during the
first year of operation has been estim ated at 376,000,000 francs


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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

($72,568,000, par) by the m inister of labor.2 I t has been further
estim ated th a t during the first 11 years the annual cost to the State
would rise to 578,000,000 francs ($111,554,000, par) and fall to
475,000,000 francs ($91,675,000, par) after 45 years.
The cost of changing from the old-age insurance law of 1910 to the
new insurance system, which has been estim ated a t 123,000,000 francs
($23,739,000, par), is also to be borne by the State.
Criticisms of the Bill.

T H E attitu d e of French organized labor toward the above bill perA m its the presum ption th a t there will not be a repetition of the
opposition m anifested by the French General Federation of Labor in
1910 on the occasion of the discussion in Parliam ent of the old-age
insurance law. An opposition on principle against the present bill is
nonexistent among French labor unions. On the contrary the bill
has been viewed very favorably. The French Metal W orkers’ Jour­
nal,3 for instance, says “ the bill offers indisputable advantages.”
Another labor paper, L ’A telier,4 expresses its gratification a t the sub­
mission of the bill, and only regrets th a t unem ploym ent insurance
has not been included in the proposed insurance system. Various
amendm ents have been suggested by w orkm en’s organizations, but
on the whole labor is of the opinion th a t the basic principles of the
bill deserve the support of organized labor. A notew orthy fact is
th a t no representatives of the French General Federation of Labor
were called in by the Government to take p a rt in the prelim inary dis­
cussions of the bill. The Government consulted only representatives
of the trade-unions of Alsace-Lorraine. Opposition against the bill
has been voiced in the daily press by various interests. Much of this
opposition comes from the m utual insurance funds, which have a large
membership and fear a S tate monopoly of insurance. The congress
of th.e'se m utual funds ( c a i s s e s d e m u t u a l i t é ), which was in session in
April, declared the bill unacceptable in its present form .5 The con­
gress stated th a t it did not oppose compulsory insurance, b u t th a t
this principle should harmonize as much as possible w ith the principles
of voluntary m utual aid of the m utual funds, and th a t these funds
themselves should be assured greater freedom of action, as has been
done by the English law. B ut even in these circles the opposition
lacks the character of solidarity. A t its congress in May the federa­
tion of m utual insurance funds of the northern departm ents passed a
resolution 6 which approved the Government bill w ith only four res­
ervations, which demanded th a t the further existence of the funds
under their present form of adm inistration should be guaranteed by
the new law.
As has been said, the m utual insurance funds have a verj^ large
m embership, and for this reason far-going concessions had to be made
to them in the enactm ent of the old-age insurance law of 1910. It
seems very likely th a t the present bill will also be amended in a m an­
ner to overcome the opposition of the m utual funds.
2 L ’Inform ation Sociale, No. 24. Paris, Mar. 27, 1921.
3 L ’U nion des M étaux, No. 88. Paris, May, 1921.
4 L ’Atelier, No. 61. Paris, A pr. 7,1921.
3 L ’Inform ation Sociale, No. 45. Paris, June 12,1921.
« Idem, June 21,19 21.


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British Unemployment Insurance Act.
H E steps taken by the Government of Great B ritain to provide
for unemployment insurance have received attention in earlier
issues of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w . The legislation is of
recent enactment, receiving royal assent on August 9, 1 9 2 0 , to be
operative November 8 , 1 9 2 0 . An account of the provisions of the
act is given in the L a b o r R e v i e w for September, 1 9 2 0 , pages 1 6 5 -1 6 9 .
See also M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w for January, 1 9 2 1 , pages 1 8 5 , 18 6 .
Though the act had been under discussion for several months, it
was, of course, impossible to forecast its exact results, and particularly
in view of the unusual disorganization of industry resulting in abnor­
mal unemployment. The result of the initial experience under the
act and of the conditions under which it was required to operate was
outlined in the course of a debate on unemployment in the House of
Commons on the 16th of February, 1921, after the act had been in
effect a little more than three months. At th a t time the minister of
labor announced the purpose of the Government to amend the
unemployment insurance act by advancing the weekly benefits for
men from 15s. ($3.65 par) to 18s ($4.38 par), the amount for women
being likewise advanced from 12s. ($2.92 par) to 15s. ($3.65 par).
The amounts for boys and girls (16 to 18 years of age) would be cor­
respondingly advanced, being one-half the rates prescribed for adults.
The period of benefit payments was to be extended from 15 weeks in
each insurance year to 26 weeks, while the joint contribution from
employers and employees would also be advanced, the grant from
the national treasurer being likewise enlarged. However, when
Parliam ent took action the suggested amounts were increased, for
men to 20s. ($4.87 par) and for women to 16s. ($3.89 par), while the
amounts of contributions were also made larger than had been fore­
cast by the minister of labor, the increase to date from July 4, 1921,
while the benefits were effective from March 3. The period of benefit
payments was made 16 weeks between March 3 and November 2,
1921, and a like term between November 3 and July 2, 1922. After
July, 1922, the maximum will be 26 weeks in any insurance year.
Other provisions relate to qualifications of different classes of appli­
cants, etc., providing, however, th a t contributors m ay receive benefits
if their contributions have not been exhausted, the ratio being 1
week’s benefit for every 6 unexhausted contributions. Applicants
who have paid a t least 4 contributions m ay receive as much as 8
weeks’ benefits during the year; while applicants who were employed
in insurable work for at least 10 weeks since December 31, 1919, or at
least 4 weeks since July 4, 1920, m ay draw 8 weeks’ benefits up to
March 31, 1921.
The act embodying these provisions is known as the unemployment
insurance act, 1921, and came into effect March 3. On the 8th of
Ju n 3 following, the minister of labor introduced a new bill, explaining
th at the act of March 3 had been based on the assumption th at the
rate of unemployment would not exceed an average of 9^ per cent for
the period ending July, 1922. I t had been estim ated th a t on this
basis the unemployment fund would have carried itself and been free
of debt on the date named. However, inasmuch as the rate of un­
employment among insured persons was 23 per cent, or 2^ times

T

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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

greater than the estimate, it was apparent th a t the earlier calculations
could not be depended upon. Paym ents were going out at the rate
of £2,000,000 per week ($9,733,000 par), while the income from con­
tributions was less than £350,000 ($1,703,275 par). The unemploy­
m ent fund which amounted in March to £22,500,000 was in June
£8,500,000, with a practical exhaustion in sight at the end of the
month. To meet this situation the minister proposed a reduction of
the benefits back to the rates originally provided for (15s. for men
and 12s. for women, with half rates for boys and girls). The rates of
contributions were also to be increased from lid . (22.3 cents par) to
Is. and 3d. (30.4 cents par) for men and from 9d. (18.3 cents par) to
Is. Id. (26.4 cents par) for women, these being the joint contributions
of employers and employed. No benefits should be paid for the first 6
days, instead of 3 as formerly, while the borrowing powers of the fund
were to be doubled. This gave a possible m aximum of £20,000,000
($97,330,000 par), and it was anticipated th at up to July 22 the bor­
rowing power would be exercised up to a m aximum of £16,000,000
($77,864,000 par). The forecast was made th a t w ith the restoration
of normal conditions the fund would be clear of debt by July, 1923.
The bill as outlined above was enacted, receiving the royal assent on
July 1, becoming unemployment insurance (No. 2) act, 1921. The
changes indicated by the minister of labor were made, and in addi­
tion thereto the provision allowing 8 weeks’ benefits to be paid the
persons who had made at least 4 contributions was repealed. A new
condition for the receipt of benefits was imposed, providing th at no
person in respect of whom less than 20 contributions h
since the beginning of the last preceding insurance
entitled to receive benefits unless he proves th a t he is normally in
insurable employment and is genuinely seeking whole time employ­
ment, but is unable to obtain it. The purpose of these amendments
is twofold, one to provide for a moderate support for unemployed
persons, and the other to secure its longer continuance for the indi­
vidual than would have been possible w ithout the amendments.

Polish Order in re Reporting of Strikes and Lockouts.
H E International Labor Office in its Legislative Series, 1921,
Pol. 1, publishes the following order of the Polish Council of
Ministers, dated February 8, 1921, with reference to the report­
ing of strikes and lockouts :

T

1.
The authorities specified in section 2 of this order shall notify the central
etatistical office (G lô w n e m u U rzçd o w i S ta ty s ty c z n e m u ) on the form issued by the said
office for this purpose of all cases of collective stoppage of work proclaimed either by
the workers (strike), or by the employers (lockout); the forms duly filled up shall be
sent direct to the central statistical office not later than 20 days after the termination
of the strike or lockout.
2. It shall be the duty of the following to notify strikes and lockouts:
(a)
Inspectors of labor, or in parts of the country which were formerly Prussian,
the industrial inspection officials, in the case of strikes and lockouts in private estab­
lishments and undertakings of all kinds (agricultural, industrial, commercial, trans­
port, etc.), and also in the case of strikes in other establishments and undertakings
if the inspector of labor has taken part in the settlement of the dispute in question,
as arbitration judge, or as conciliator.
(b) Mining officials in the case of strikes in the mining industry.


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LABOR LAWS AND DECISIONS.

201

(c) The competent officials of the Ministry of Public Works, in the case of strikes
in the State shipping industry and State harbor works.
(d) The competent railway management, in the case of strikes on the State rail­
ways.
(e) The competent military authorities in the case of strikes in State military
workplaces.
(f) The competent communal authority in the case of strikes in communal under­
takings.
(g) The State authorities and officials not mentioned under (b), (c), (d), and (e),
in the case of strikes in establishments or undertakings directly under their control.
3. All private establishments and undertakings which employ not less than five
wage-earning employees shall forward the following notifications to the competent
inspector of labor in respect of every case of a strike or lockout:
_(a) A first notification immediately after the beginning of the strike or lockout,
giving the date of the outbreak of the dispute, and the number of workers who have
ceased work (men, women, and young persons).
(b) A second notification immediately after the end of the dispute, giving the date
of resumption of work or the date on which the dispute is to be deemed to have ended.
If the workers have not ceased work simultaneously, or have not resumed it simulta­
neously after the end of the dispute, the dates of cessation or resumption of work by
separate groups of workers shall be given in the second notification, together with
the number of workers who have not yet returned to work at the given dates.
4. The occupiers or managers of the businesses, establishments, and undertakings
referred to in section 3, paragraph 1 on the request of the inspector of labor or the
industrial inspection authorities, shall give any information required concerning any
strike or lockout in the establishments under their control, and in particular shall
furnish copies of the written demands of the workers and of any agreements concluded
in consequence of the dispute.
5. The occupiers or managers of the businesses, establishments, and undertakings
referred to in section 3, paragraph 1, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding the amount
specified in section 5 of the act of October 21, 1919, respecting the compilation of
administrative statistics, if they fail to comply with the provisions of sections 3 and
4 of this order or knowingly make false statements. The fine shall be imposed by the
Starosta. An appeal may be made against the decision of the Starosta in accordance
with the provisions in force ; in particular, in parts of the country which were formerly
Prussian, the provisions of the Prussian act of April 23, 1883, respecting the issue of
police penal verdicts in case of prosecutions for misdemeanor, shall apply, with the
exception of the provisions of section 1, paragraph 3, of that act.
6. The director of the central statistical office shall be responsible for the execution
of this order.
7. This order shall apply to the whole territory of the Polish Republic, and shall
come into operation on the date of its promulgation.


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STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS.

British Cotton Textile Strike.1
H E strike in the British cotton textile industry which had been
in progress since June 6, 1921, came to an end on the 24th
of th a t m onth. For several weeks previous to the actual
stoppage of work a wages committee composed of eight representa­
tives each of the employers and the operatives had been negotiating
a readjustm ent of the wage rates agreed upon a year previous.
I t was generally understood th a t wages m ust fall, bu t the am ount
of the reduction was naturally the crux of the m atter.
The employers’ associations originally proposed a cut of 95 per
cent on the standard piece lists of wages (equivalent to 30 per cent
on the prevailing actual rates). This proposal the operatives refused
to consider, stating th a t they could not recommend their members
to accept a reduction greater than 25 per cent on standard list
rates. In the conferences which followed each side played for posi­
tion, the employers gradually reducing their original offer, and the
operatives as gradually increasing theirs. On June 3, however,
negotiations broke down. The employers proposed a reduction of
80 per cent on list rates, while the operatives were willing to accept
only 50 per cent on the same basis.
A t the invitation of the minister of labor negotiations were again
resumed and on June 15 a provisional settlem ent was reached which
was accepted by the operatives June 24. According to the final
terms a 70 per cent reduction on standard list rates—equal to 4s.
5d. ($1.07) on the pound ($4.87)—was agreed to. Of this reduction
60 per cent was to come into operation at once, and the remaining
10 per cent at the end of six months. In the case of employees
who had had only 55 per cent advance in wages in May, 1920, pro­
portionate reductions totaling 55 per cent were to be made. The
agreement may be altered at the end of six m onths on a three m onths’
notice from either side.
As a consequence of the strike practically all the cotton mills were
closed, 60,000,000 spindles and 800,000 power looms being idle.
Through the excessive unemployment which has existed in the cot­
ton trade for some time and the strike 500,000 operatives were
affected. The owners’ position was more favorable, since the closing
down of the industry gave them opportunity to dispose of surplus
stocks and tided them over difficulties arising from the prolonged
coal strike.

T

1 L abor G azette (London), Ju n e and July, 1921.

202


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WHAT STA TE LABOR BUREAUS ARE DOING.

Connecticut.

H E tw enty-ninth report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
Connecticut for the two years ending November 30, 1920,
includes sections on building operations of manufacturers,
erection of tenements, public and private employment offices, and
strikes and lockouts. A directory of labor organizations takes up
20 pages of this document.
Although the actual num ber of m anufacturers’ building operations
during the two years covered by the report was 531 or 199 less than
in the previous two years, the value of the building was $23,645,847,
or $9,804,045 greater in the later period. There were 583 tenem ent
houses built, of which 211 were brick and 372 frame. The num ber
of tenements was 3,549, an increase of 2,147 over the preceding two
years.

T

Operation! of Free Employment Offices.

The following figures summarize the results of the operation of
the free employment offices in H artford, New Haven, Bridgeport,
W aterbury, and Norwich for the year ending June 30, 1920.
M a le .

Applications for employment._______ ____________ 37,868
Applications for help................... - ................................... 35,269
Situations secured
.......................................... .......... 27,673

F e m a le .

T o t a l.

22,027
24, 544
19,759

59,805
59, 813
47,432

Of the male applicants for employment 73 per cent were supplied with situations,
against 66.4 per cent during the preceding 12 months.
Of the female applicants for employment 89.7 per cent were supplied with situa­
tions, against 80.9 per cent during the preceding 12 months.
Of all applicants for employment 79.1 per cent were supplied with situations,
against 72.4 per cent during the preceding 12 months.
Of the total number applying 79.3 per cent were furnished with help, against 83.9
per cent during the preceding 12 months.
Strikes and Lockouts.

The section of the report relating to strikes covers 19 months
ending June 30, 1920. D ata are given in detail and are summarized
as follows:
Notwithstanding the high wages paid and the constant demand for workers, there
were 280 strikes during the period covered by this report. These strikes affected
75,943 employees with an approximate loss of 4,155 days to employers and approxi­
mately 1,307,508 days to the employees. In 19 instances the demands of the employ­
ees were granted in full, in 81 cases the result was a compromise, and the remaining
180 eases were unsuccessful.

Georgia*
rT T IE ninth annual report of the commissioner of commerce and
A labor for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1920, discusses


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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

the S tate’s climate, manufactures, mineral resources, school of tech­
nology, railroads, and population, and lists the commercial organiza­
tions and industrial plants of Georgia. The document also contains
a list of the various State labor bureaus of the country. The letter
transm itting the report states th a t—
The first part of 1920 was a profitable one to both employers and employees. For the
first half of the -year the wages paid were much better than at any previous time in the
history of the State. All of the industrial plants ran on full time. There was a con­
stant demand for employees. During the latter part of the year conditions were
reversed, manufacturing plants either shut down altogether or ran part time only.
In a very few instances were employees given full time work. There soon became
an abundance of labor and in many instances it was exceedingly difficult for employees
to secure full paying positions.

Legislation passed in 1920 made the commissioner of commerce
and labor a member of the Georgia Securities Commission and the
chairman of the industrial commission, administering the Georgia
workmen's compensation act, which went into effect in March, 1921.
The work of the free S tate employment offices is reported as
“ rather negligible” for the year 1920 because of the lack of funds,
the combined placements for the year in A tlanta, Augusta, and
Macon being only 2,873, while the 15 private employment offices
of the State placed 3,374.
The private employment agencies charge fees from $3 to 20 per
cent of the first m onth’s salary, exclusive of fee for registration,
which ranges from $2 to $5. The registration fee m ust be paid whether
or not a position is obtained.
Georgians great industrial development is declared to have been
due to a considerable extent to the State School of Technology. A
recent campaign has been launched to raise $5,000,000 for a re­
search departm ent for this institution. In the scholastic year 1919-20
there was an enrollment of 2,209 students. The textile depart­
m ent is of special interest, as it is “ equipped for performing every
process and operation from cotton ginning to the finished fabric.”
Industrial Statistics.

The report includes various tables giving statistics for the indus­
tries of the State, including in m any instances capital, cost of raw
m aterial, value of m anufactured product, number of employees,
and am ount of wages. Textile mills, cotton-oil mills, fertilizer fac­
tories and mixing plants, foundry, machine, and general repair
shops, marble and granite quarries, marble yards, and electric power
and light plants are among the leading industrial undertakings
covered in the report. The following figures summarize some of
the im portant data published relative to the textile mills in Georgia
for the year ending December 31, 1920:
Number of mills..............................................................
184
Total capital.................................................................... $102,778,238.15
Total-cost of raw material................................................. $134, 589, 558.20
Total value of manufactured product.............................. $238, 519, 782.27
Total amount paid in salaries to officers and clerks....... $3, 775, 526.48
Total amount paid to wage earners................................ $32, 651, 267.06
Total amount paid for repairs to machinery..................
$5,186,186. 41
Total number of white operatives..................................
39, 559
Total number of Negro operatives..................................
3, 209


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WHAT STATE LABOR BUREAUS ARE DOING.

Of the 39,559 white operatives in the textile mills, 37,988 were
over 16 years of age, and of these 22,548 were males and 15,440
females. Of the 3,209 Negro employees, 2,279 were males and only
930 females.
Weekly ranges of wages are shown for various occupations in the
textile mills. Similar data are also given for fertilizer factories,
brick and tile plants, foundry and machine shops, marble and granite
quarries, carriage factories, and other manufactories and public utili­
ties. No details of wages paid are given, and no averages can be
computed.
Illinois.
Employment Offices.

rT H E section on the work of public employment offices takes up
A more than one-third of the report of the D epartm ent of Labor
of Illinois for the year ending June 30, 1920. The following table
shows the placement work done by the 11 State offices from February
to June, 1920. Prior to February the reports were not comparable:
W O R K O F T H E 11 ST A TE EM PL O Y M EN T O FFIC E S O F IL L IN O IS F O R T H E
M ONTHS OF 1920.

R egistrations............................
H elp w an ted .............................
R eferred.....................................
Placed........................................
N um ber registered per 100
help w an ted ..........................
N um ber placed per 100 registered........................................
N um ber placed per 100 help
w an ted ...................................
N um ber placed per 100 referred......................................

February.

March.

April.

Male. Female. Total.

Male. Female. Total.

Male. Female. Total.

14,519
19,385
13,801
11,243

3,999
5,975
4,060
3,409

18,518
25,360
17,921
14,652

20,970
26,389
19,446
16,180

5,341
7,146
5,418
4,630

26,311
33,535
21,864
20,810

18,193
22,343
16,525
13,874

4,532
6,077
4,519
3,891

22,725
28,420
21,044
17,765
80

65

68

73

80

75

78

72

75

101

85

79

78

87

79

76

86

78

57

57

58

61

65

62

76

86

63

81

84

82

83

85

84

87

86

84

May.

June.

Female.

Male.
R egistrations...............................
H elp w an ted ................................
R eferred.......................................
P laced ...........................................
N um ber registered p er 100
help w a n te d ............................
N um ber placed per 100 regis­
te re d ...........................................
N um ber placed per 100 help
w an ted ......................................
N um ber placed per 100 referred

F IR S T F IV E

18,830
22,811
17,835
15,873

4,688
6,340
4,716
3,970

Total.

Male.

Female.

Total.

23,518
29,151
22,551
19,843

.24,704
26,963
23,278
20,730

5,535
6,618
5,765
4,371

30,239
33,581
29,043
25,101
89

83

74

81

91

79

84

85

84

84

81

83

70
89

63
84

65
88

77
89

63
82

74
87

The chief inspector of private employment offices reports th at
his division “ has passed through its third year without having to
cause any arrests or occupy the time of the courts with its business. ”
The law enacted for the purpose of regulating private employment agencies has
brought a wonderful change in the conduct of these concerns. Previous to the act
63444 °— 2 1 ------ 14


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the office of the chief inspector each morning would find 50 to 100 complaints. The
inspectors were kept busy serving warrants and the time of the courts, was taken up
in hearing cases pertaining to labor charges against the agencies. * * *
A few amendments might be made to the law, one of which would be to define when
a person applying for employment to private employment agencies is liable to pay the
fee. Without a law we hold that the applicant is liable only when he physically takes
hold of the position. This is one of the questions that gives us a great deal of trouble.
Another cause for complaint is the taking of judgment notes from the applicants by
agencies previous to acceptance of positions.
With these two questions settled we would have no difficulty in managing the affairs
of the private employment agencies and applicants for positions under the present law.
Another question that might be given consideration is the subject of public informa­
tion pertaining to the business of private employment agencies for the instruction of
those interested in labor problems and legislation, namely :
A law compelling the agencies to furnish the State Department of Labor with a
monthly report of the number of all applicants applying for positions, their ages, etc.,
and also the number of all persons brought into the State and sent out of the State
and where sent, the kind of employment for which they were engaged, etc.
Factory Inspection.

The following table shows the num ber of establishments visited
and the num ber of inspections made under the direction of the
division of factory inspection:
SUMMARY O F IN SP E C T IO N S , JU L Y 1, 1919, TO JU N E 30, 1920.
N um ber of
establish­ N um ber of
m ents
inspections.
visited.

Laws enforced.

U nder the provisions of the—
Child labor law, Cook C o u n ty .....................................................................................
Child labor law, outside Cook C o u n ty .........................................................

45,237
23,020

51,010
23,020

E n tire S ta te ......................................................................................................

68,257

74,030

W om en’s 10-hour law, Cook C ou n ty .........................................................................
W om en’s 10-hour law, outside Cook C ounty.......................................................

17,134
10,444

20,053
-10,444

E n tire S ta te ..............................................................................................................

27,578

30,497

Structural-iron law, entire S tate...............................................................................
Blower law, ontire S ta te ............................................................................................
W ashroom law. entire S ta te ...................................................................................

200
495
299

271
1,088
299

H ealth, safety a n d comfort law, Cook C ounty....................................................
H ealth, safety a n d comfort law, outside Cook C ounty..................................

2,284

5,053
2,284

E n tire S ta te .........................................................................................
Total for entire S ta te ................................................

7,337

7,337

104,166

113,522

The num ber of violations found under the child labor law for the
period covered by the report is 3,538.
A digest of the section of the report relating to workmen’s comensation is given on pages 177 and 178 of this issue of the M on th ly

E

iAbor

R e v ie w .
Labor Disputes.

The S tate m ediators were exceedingly busy during the year closing
June 30, 1920, having handled 125 controversies. Many of these
disputes were settled so quietly th a t the public knew nothing of them.
Upon learning of a threatened trouble the mediators take up the


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W HAT STATE LABOR BUREAUS ARE DOING.

207

m atter immediately w ithout waiting for an invitation from the
parties to the controversy.
The number of actual strikes handled was 75. In 48 of these the strikes were settled
after a very short duration, others after a longer duration, and some were never settled.
During the steel strike and other strikes the mediators kept in close touch with the
situation, were frequently on the ground, and assisted in preventing trouble.

Massachusetts.

"T H E first annual report of the Massachusetts D epartm ent of Labor
1 and Industries, for the year ending November 30, 1920, includes
the reports of the commissioner, _the director of industrial safety,
the board of conciliation and arbitration, the minimum wage com­
mission, the director of standards, and the director of statistics.
The commissioners held 32 regular meetings during the year in
addition to conducting the hearings on several m atters, among them
the granting of seasonal exemption to the tobacco industry and to
the fresh fish canning industry, which resulted in the petition being
granted in the former and denied in the latter industry.
Five of the inspectors of the division of industrial safety, through
the courtesy of the H arvard Medical School, attended the lecture
course on industrial toxicology given by H arvard University and
the M assachusetts In stitu te of Technology, October 28 to November
30, 1920.
The division of industrial safety made a special investigation of
health hazards in the tobacco industry, covering 56 establishments
employing more than 2,000 men and women, and in the granite
industry in Quincy and of working conditions in laundries.
I t is stated th a t the weekly paym ent of wages law “ has proved to be
a helpful instrum ent in securing wages for m any workmen w ithout
an outlay of expense on their p a rt.’'
There has been a great increase in the arbitration work of the
departm ent, due in p art to the fact th at “ both employer and em­
ployee more and more recognize th at arbitration offers a just and
equitable method of adjusting differences.”
The report contains a section relating to the work of the Massachu­
setts Minimum Wage Commission during 1920. 1
A study of working conditions in m attress factories with especial
reference to the health of employees has recently been made by the
departm ent. Insanitary conditions were found in m any establish­
ments. No case of industrial disease arising from the work has been
discovered.
Because of frequent complaints regarding violation of the 8-hour
law, the citizens’ preference act, and custom ary prevailing rate of
wages law in connection with the construction of State highways, the
departm ent is making a special study of the problem. This work
will be done chiefly by the building inspectors.
Although the placements made by the public employment offices
show a steady increase from m onth to m onth, the num ber is still
much below th a t for the corresponding period last year. On the
other hand, the num ber of persons applying for work is greater than
1 Reviewed in the Monthly L abor R eview for March, 1921, p p. I l l to 115.


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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

at any time since the offices were established. For the first six
m onths of the present year there have been 285,853 applications, as
compared with 125,791 for the corresponding m onths in 1920. The
num ber of placements, however, during the first six m onths in 1921
was only 14,367, or 5,911 less than the num ber (20,278) placed during
the first six months in 1920. This decrease is due to the reduction in
the number of persons called for by employers.
A handbook of the labor laws enforced by the departm ent is now
in press. This will include the principal laws relating to labor with
the exception of the workmen’s compensation law.
Bulletins giving the laws relating to the employment of women
and children and the certification of working children are also in press.
Montana.

transm itting to the governor the fourth biennial report
IN HofIStheletter
M ontana D epartm ent of Labor and Industry, 1919-1920,
the commissioner recommends th a t the authority conferred upon the
industrial accident board and the departm ent of labor and industry
“ should be combined and enlarged under the scope of the labor depart­
ment, the labor commissioner being made responsible for the inspec­
tion of safety and sanitary conditions as well as the enforcement of
all labor laws.”
The sixteenth assembly enacted a semimonthly pay day law the
penalty to which the commissioner declares is so small as to have
little effect on those disposed to evade the provisions of the act.
Moreover, the present method of procedure is through civil action
involving the expense of delayed litigation. “ A law making the
penalty a misdemeanor with an adequate fine for failure to pay help
is recommended.”
The commissioner also states th a t—
Private employment offices conducted for profit are still a serious menace to the
working people of the State. Frauds perpetrated by dishonest employment offices
show no decrease during the past two years. Regardless of the fact that other States
have enacted laws designed to regulate the business of private employment agencies
for the benefit and protection of the laboring people, Montana legislatures have repeat­
edly and consistently refused to afford through legislative enactment protection from
private profit-seeking employment agencies, although persistently urged to do so by this
department for the past eight years. This department believes the best method to
correct abuses of this character is to abolish all fee employment offices conducted
for profit, although the passage of an act giving the State labor department general
supervision over private employment offices, with authority to prescribe rules and
regulations for the conduct of the business along equitable lines would be a step in
the right direction and would eliminate a great deal of the swindling and abuses
which occur under the system now in vogue.
Labor Disturbances.

The report gives a brief history of every im portant strike in Mon­
tana in 1919 and 1920, which was a period of severe labor disturbances
in the State. Many of these controversies were attended with a great
deal of excitement and in two cases, the strike of the Butte copper
miners in February, 1919, and the strike of coal miners in various
districts of the State in the latter p art of 1919, Federal troops were
called out.


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WHAT’ STATE LABOR BUREAUS ARE DOING.
The Domestic Labor Problem.

The attitude of the departm ent of labor and industry on the m atter
of domestic help is shown by the following excerpt from this latest
biennial report:
The household worker is on duty practically all the time, and even in this demo­
cratic country the social status of a domestic is far different from that of the typewriter
or the store clerk. It should not be, but it is, and it will continue to be until domestic
service is placed in the important place where it belongs. Domestic assistants must
be paid by the hour with specified hours of labor. Housekeepers who need longer
hours of service must either hire more help or do part of the work themselves; there
is no other way. Neither should the “ servant in the house” be contented with a
narrow, ill-ventilated room in the attic, but she should, if worthy and of good char­
acter, receive the same consideration, socially, as the stenographer, store clerk, or the
school-teacher serving us in a professional way.
During the past year ordinary domestic servants have been demanding in Montana
as high as $40 and even $50 and $60 per month. That many of these girls hired for
domestic duties are careless, indolent, and incompetent is doubtless a fact. With the
work considered degrading and the stamp of inferiority placed upon the word servant,
this is but a natural consequence. It is not to be wondered at that the more intelli­
gent and ambitious girls are driven into other pursuits. This leaves the demand so
great that the few who condescend to perform the work have a perfect monopoly on
this branch of the labor market, and can therefore afford to be independent.
Other Subjects.

The report includes tables showing num ber of males, skilled and
unskilled, and num ber of females, together with average daily wages
for these classes of employees, in various industries of the State. I t
is not clear from the tables themselves whether the average daily
wages are for the period covered by the report, h u t in the absence of
such statem ent in the headings it m ay be assumed th a t these aver­
ages are for 1919 and 1920. Other tables also give retail prices of
groceries, with percentages of increase or decrease, at various dates
from 1910 to 1920, and wholesale prices of groceries and retail prices
of meats, with percentages of increase or decrease, for 1914r 1916,
1918, and 1920.
New York.1
Industrial Disputes in the First Quarter of 1921.

"T H E acting chief m ediator of the New York State Bureau of Media1
tion and A rbitration reports th a t in the first quarter of 1921 the
time loss to workers on account of strikes or lockouts in the State
amounted to 272,112 days. Most of the 110,300 days’ loss in trans­
portation controversies was due to the Albany and Troy street car
strike. Of the 26 strikes and lockouts reported, 6 were insignificant
and 5 were found to be threatened. The causes or objects of these
industrial disputes
were as follows:
x
N um ber of
disputes.

Increase in wages.................................................................................
Reduction in wages..............................................................................
Shorter hours........................................................................................
Trade-unionism....................................................................................
Particular person..................................................................................
Working arrangements.........................................................................

^
-'y
^
^
"
1

i The Bulletin. Issued by th e New Y ork S tate In d u strial Commisssioner, A lbany, May and June,
1921, pp. 145, 146.


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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

Four of the strikes were successful; 5 partially successful; 12 lost, and
5 pending. Of the strikes won or compromised, 3 were settled by
direct negotiations of the parties and 6 by mediation of the State
bureau.
The number of employees directly involved in these controversies
was 36,677; the num ber indirectly involved, 77.
New Regulations for Women Working in Canneries.

A formal hearing was recently held at Albany by the New York
State Industrial Board on the following perm anent rule submitted
by the State industrial commission:
R ule 1. Pursuant to section 173 of the labor law and upon application to be made
by the employer to the industrial commissioner, women eighteen years of age and
upward may be employed or permitted to work in canning or preserving perishable
products in fruit and canning establishments between the 25th day of June and the
5th day of August, in any year, in excess of 10 hours in any one day and 60 hours in
any one week, but not in excess of 12 hours in any one day nor 66 hours in any one
week, nor 6 days in any one week, upon compliance with the following regulations:
A woman may be so employed:
1. At any process or part of the work, which does not require continuous standing
while at work, except that she shall not be so employed in the process of labeli ng or
packing cans;
2. Provided that every floor on which such woman is employed be drained free of
liquids; but whenever any such floor can not be kept entirely free from liquids,
slate platforms shall also be furnished upon which such woman may rest her feet
while at work;
3 . Permits granting exemption under these rules and regulations shall be revocable
by the industrial commissioner for violation of any of the above regulations.

The board has approved the rule.
Oklahoma.
Attack on the Eight-Hour Law.1

/CONTRACTORS in Oklahoma have attacked one section of the
eight-hour law of the State, providing th a t “ no less than the
current rate of per diem wages in the locality where the work is
performed shall be paid to laborers, workmen, mechanics, etc.,
doing public work.” A demurrer of the defendant contractors has
been sustained by the county court a t Pawhuska in Osage County,
"o n the ground th a t the current rate of wages provision of the law
related only to time worked in excess of 8 hours, the judge holding
th a t the law was passed for the purpose of regulating hours and not
the price of labor in the S tate.” The courts of Oklahoma have
never passed upon this section of the labor law.
The above-mentioned case is being prepared for presentation to
the criminal court of appeals for determination.
Industrial Safety.

The following report from the Bureau of Factory Inspection of
the Oklahoma D epartm ent of Labor was received July 16, 1921, at
the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics :
Of 83 industrial and manufacturing establishments reporting to the Department of
Labor on the amount of money expended for the installation of safety appliances
»Inform ation given in letter from th e Oklahoma commissioner of labor, dated July 13, 1921.


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W HAT STATE LABOE BTJEEAUS ARE DOING.

211

around dangerous machinery and with reference to the attitude of the superintend­
ents and foremen of such plants toward the use of mechanical safety appliances in
these establishments, 82 of the 83 reports received were favorable and one was opposed.
Sixty-two plants report an expenditure of $71,003.28 for the installation of safety ap­
pliances for the years 1919-20. The reports also show that when properly constructed
and applied the mechanical guards do not hinder the operation of machinery. This
is due to the fact that the method used in the construction of safety appliances has
developed within the last few years to almost an exact science. Aside from the
humane features incident to the accident prevention movement, the employer can,
by carrying out the recommendation of the factory inspector and equipping the
machinery in his plant with guards of approved type and construction, reduce his
liability insurance rates very materially. Thus the expenditure of money for prop­
erly guarding his machinery, which at first may seem burdensome, becomes a per­
manent investment because safety appliances when once installed are considered as
being a part of the machinery in the plant.
A number of those reporting indicate that the State should make more frequent
investigation into safety conditions in industrial establishments as that would en­
courage the employees and foremen in keeping guards in proper repair and in position
around machinery. The Oklahoma law forbids the removal or making ineffective
any guard that is placed around machinery for the protection of workmen.
There are a large number of industrial injuries caused by defective or unguarded
machinery, many of which result in death, which are easily preventable with safety
appliances. During the year 1920 three factory inspectors issued 12,555 safety orders
which caused employers to expend many thousands of dollars as indicated above.
The proper enforcement of compliance with these orders should not be left to hap­
hazard methods. The department receives a great many calls from employers for
information as to the proper method for safeguarding machinery and these requests
receive the immediate attention of the department in so far as the present force of
inspectors will allow.
Oklahoma is lagging by comparison with other States in the matter of making a
study of the problem of the prevention of occupational diseases in industry. This is
due, however, to no dereliction on the part of the department of labor or its employees.
It is due to the fact that the legislature has failed to provide sufficient funds to con­
duct the necessary investigations and formulate standards having for this purpose
the elimination of the causes of occupational disease. Among the most important
industries in Oklahoma which produce occupational diseases may be mentioned the
following: Cottonseed oil mills, cement plants, grain elevators, glass manufacturing
plants, printing establishments, stone and marble cutting, coal mining, lead and zinc
mining and smelters.
Rhode Island.

"T H E 1916, 1917, 1918, and 1919 reports of the commissioner of
A labor of Rhode Island are published in one volume, in the intro­
duction to which it is explained th a t the printing of the 1916
report was deferred because of certain corrections to be made. I t
was intended for economic reasons to combine it with the 1917 report.
Preparation, however, for the S tate’s work in the war, and later on
the closing up of war work, interfered greatly with the regular activi­
ties of the commissioner’s office and account for the final combination
of the reports in a single publication.
The coal report and the food report of the Rhode. Island Cost of
Living Commission, January, 1917, are included in the volume.
According to the findings of the Rhode Island Bureau of Labor,
retail prices for 55 of 56 articles of food in 125 stores of the State
showed an average increase of 86 per cent for the years 1915-1919,
while for the period under consideration the average rate of increase in
minimum wages was 114.5 per cent and in maximum wages 96 per cent.
The hours of labor for the wage earners in the 317 occupations considered vary from
39 to 70, although the number working 48 hours per week predominates, with 118
listed in this class. The occupations in the 54-hour per week class number 94, the
44-hour week 48, the 50-hour week 51, the 56-hour week 31, and the 60-hour week 16.
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MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

There were 86 strikes in 1916, 54 in 1917, 37 in 1918, and 38 in
1919, a total of 215 for the four years. The commissioner of labor
urges the enactm ent of a law making compulsory the reporting of all
strikes and lockouts to the State labor commission by employers in
whose establishments such strikes and lockouts occur. These reports
should be made on special blanks prepared for this purpose and
should give, among other items, the cause, duration, and result of
the strikes or lockout, including loss in wages and production.
There were 3,652 placements made by the State free employment
office in 1916, as compared with 3,231 in 1917 and 3,133 in 1918.
In 1919 the State and Federal service combined and the placements
reached 16,823, of which 4,851 were placements of discharged soldiers
and sailors. The num ber of w hat m ay be called normal placements
for 1919 was 11,972, “ an increase of 9,206 over the average for the
past 11 years.” This unusual increase is a strong argum ent for the
continuation of the employment service in those industrial centers
where it was established and “ run most successfully in 1918 and 1919
only to be closed in December, 1919, for lack of funds.”
It is true that these offices were established primarily to assist in the placement
of returning soldiers and sailors, but the educational campaign which was conducted
for the purpose of proving to employers that free employment offices could be made
of great assistance in the solution of employment questions, proved so efficient that
the five offices in the State became real labor exchanges, regardless of the question
of returning service men.

The following figures show the growth of trade-union membership
in the State from 1916 to 1919, inclusive:
M embership.

1916
1917
1918
1919

........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................

24,273
24,749
26,996
38,026

I t will be noted th a t the increase in membership in 1919 over 1918
is 40.8 per cent.
Nearly 14 per cent of the 275,000 wage earners of Rhode Island
are affiliated with labor unions.
The section of the report of the commissioner of labor dealing w ith
workmen’s compensation is summarized on pages 179 and 180 of
this issue of the M o n th ly L abor R e v ie w .
Factory Inspection Report.

Among the data given in the 27th annual report of factory inspec­
tion of Rhode Island for the year ending December 31, 1920, are the
following:

1920.

Total number of establishments inspected......................................
Eakeshops, stores, etc., employing less than 5 persons.............
Establishments employing 5 or more persons...........................
Total number of persons employed in various establishments........
Adults.......................................................................................
Males of 16 years and over................................................
Females of 16 years and over...........................................
Children...................................................................................
Males under 16 years of age..............................................
Females under 16 years of age..........................................
[098]


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7,425
4, 510
2,915
196, 205
188,962
124,525
64, 437
7,243
3, 630
3,613

Increase or
decrease in
1920 com­
pared w ith
1.919.

+ 267
+ 181
+
86
+4, 475
+4,827
+4,421
+ 406
352
— 17
— 335

W HAT STATE LABOR BUREAUS ARE DOING.

213

The percentage of child labor was 3.69 in 1920 compared with 3.96
in 1919.
There have been 27 prosecutions for violation of the law before the district courts
of the State during the past year, 26 for employing children under 16 years of age
without having on file in the office of the employer the age and employment certificate
required by law and 1 for employing a child under 16 years of age after 8 o’clock p. m.
All were sustained and resulted in fines amounting to $450.

The num ber of accidents, caused by machinery, reported by various
establishments in the State was 823, of which 7 resulted fatally.
The chief factory inspector again makes recommendation th at
“ immediate attention be given to the question of providing adequate
means of egress from factories and workshops in case of fire.”
A tabular statem ent giving a list of various establishments in the
State, their location, nature of business and goods m anufactured or
sold, the num ber employed—men, women, and boys and girls under
16—together with the sanitary condition of each establishment, takes
up 69 of the 83 pages of the report on factory inspection.

West Virginia.
rT*HE fifteenth biennial report of the Bureau of Labor of West
A Virginia, 1919-1920, discusses factory inspection and factory
legislation for the period covered, classifies the industries of the State,
and gives their financial statistics. The document also gives the
num ber of children’s work permits and age certificates, a list of the
factories and workshops, their location, the goods m anufactured,
ancf the num ber of employees.
The work of the four factory inspectors is reported as follows:
Number of plants visited.................................................................. 1,065
Revisits.............................................................................................
750
Number of plants in which orders were issued...............................
603
Number of orders issued................................................................... 1,185

There were 75,563 employees in these plants, of whom 66,396 were
males and 9,167 females. The four industries employing the greatest
num ber were:
N um ber
employed.

Metal working......................................................
Glass and glassware...............................................
Lumber and woodworking plants...................... .
Railway repair shops................................... ........

19,131
13, 638
8,729
6, 615

Y early wages
paid.

$23, 025, 467
8, 535, 942
5,185, 309
(not given.)

From May 11, 1919, to November 30, 1920, the following permits
and age certificates were filed in the Bureau of Labor:
Work permits.................................................................................... 2, 512
Special work permits........................................................................
995
Vacation work permits..................................................................... 2,366
Age certificates................ ................................................................ 3, 842
Total....... ............................................................................... 9,715

The commissioner emphasizes the need of a woman’s work law and
a m others’ pension law.
Wide distribution has been given by the Bureau of Labor to a
compilation of the West Virginia labor laws and to a recently pub­
lished industrial directory.


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C U RR EN T NOTES OF INTEREST TO LABOR.
Training Employees in the Paper Industry.

'T H E Industrial-A rts Magazine of August, 1921, announces th at
employees are to be trained for promotion in the paper industry
in the United States and Canada.
The work is already under way in the Fox River Valley as a part of the paper mill
welfare work done by the Wisconsin paper manufacturers. The American Paper and
Pulp Association has spent three years in preparing for this kind of work which is to
be introduced in all paper mills. The sum of $30,000 has been expended for the
preparation of textbooks; and of a series of five projected books, two are now ready
for use. The three additional volumes will be completed before the students now
enrolled in the course have completed the first two of the group.

A t a recent convention of the American Paper and Pulp Association
a survey of the industry was subm itted, including plans for possible
promotions. I t was suggested in the report of the survey th at
certain information be given workers to indicate the lines of advance­
m ent and the kind of preparation required to make such advance­
m ent more rapid. The survey showed th a t although there are a
large num ber of occupations which are considered to require little
skill, there are opportunities for the promotion of the better workers
to more responsible jobs.
Foreign-Language Information Service.1

n rH E Foreign-Language Inform ation Service was organized in
March, 1918, as a division of the committee on public informa­
tion to get the war message and purpose of America to the millions
of foreign-tongued people in the United States and to point out what
they were expected to do regarding the draft, registration, liberty loans,
and the supply of ammunition and ships. I t was recognized, after the
armistice, by Government officials and those earnestly working for the
constructive assimilation of the imm igrant peoples th a t the contacts
established by such service in wartime should be kept up during
the trying reconstruction period. Moreover, the foreign born
themselves vigorously protested the discontinuance of the service.
As a result of the strong demand for the service the Carnegie Cor­
poration, the Community Service (Inc.), and the American Red
Cross have in turn supported the foreign - language information
organization, which, however, is now an independent service. The
report on its work states that:
There are 3,000,000 people in the United States who can not speak, read, or write
English. There are 3,000,000 more who are best reached in the medium of their own
tongue. They will learn English and become citizens only if their individual ex­
periences square with our ideal of American fair play. * * * At the same time
the native born must be fully informed concerning the 14,000.000 aliens of America,
so that they may function together understandingly.
1 The work of th e Foreign-Language Inform ation Service: A sum m ary and survey.
eign-Language Inform ation Service, 15 W est T h irty-seventh Street [1921], 78 pp.

214


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CURRENT NOTES OF INTEREST TO LABOR.

215

The Foreign-Language Inform ation Service, which declares itself
as “ strictly and literally n o n p artisan/’ informs the alien in his own
language about the Government and the laws of this country. I t
explains w hat the Government expects of him and w hat it offers
him. I t clears up his misconceptions and adjusts his difficulties.
It also keeps in close and constant touch with the large body ol the American press
through bulletins, clip sheets, special stories and articles, in the effort to break down
the wall of misunderstanding between the native and the foreign born.
The Foreign-Language Information Service works through 795 papers of the foreignlanguage press and 35,000 foreign-language organizations, and adjusts more than 2.000
personal cases a month. It has sent out 95,000 pamphlets in Russian, Ukrainian,
Hungarian, and Polish, and has stimulated lecture service in several languages. On
the other hand it furnishes 30,000 words of foreign-language editorial matter to 100
American papers monthly; sends 5,000 words of general news concerning the alien to
400 papers, and makes accessible authentic data concerning oar foreign born to about
9,000 other American periodicals.
Stimulating Employees to Make Suggestions.

'T H E June 15, 1921, issue of the Bulletin of the Youngstown Sheet
& Tube Co. states th at the company’s suggestion committee
is “ still active,” and reminds readers th at prizes are offered m onthly
for worth-while suggestions. The following list indicates the lines
along which the company would like to encourage thinking:
1. Regarding new fields for the use of the company’s products or fields not
sufficiently covered at present.
2. Regarding improvements on present products.
3. Regarding stimulating interest of employees in their work.
4. Regarding economics of every description (especially office supplies).
5. Regarding prevention of waste of all kinds.
6. Regarding the simplification of office systems, stock keeping, records, etc.
7. Regarding safety, fire hazards, and kindred subjects.
8. Regarding the elimination of complaints.
9. Regarding anything expediting the company’s business.
10. Suggestions for safety cartoons.

Institute on Immigrant Problems.1

outcome of a revived and augmented realization of the
importance of immigration problems the New York University,
in cooperation with the New York State D epartm ent of Education,
conducted from July 5 to August 13, inclusive, an institute for the
study of such problems and for the training of workers in immigra­
tion fields. The following were the subjects of the courses:
Social forces and principles.
Immigration and immigrant backgrounds.
Principles and institutions of American Government.
Governmental systems and current political theories and movements of Europe
and America.
Methods of teaching English.
Organization and direction of immigrant work.

In addition to the courses, special conferences were held on the
most im portant aspects of immigration, which were led by experts
in their respective lines. First-hand studies were made of immi­
grant neighborhoods, agencies, and activities.
1 Prospectus issued by New York U niversity.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[New Y ork, 1921.]

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216

M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

Apprenticeship in Canada.

A PPR E N T IC E SH IP in Canada is the title of an especially pertinent and illum inating survey of the prevailing practice in
regard to apprenticeship in Canada, published in the July issue of the
Canadian Labor Gazette (pp. 892-899). The apprenticeship ques­
tion, the article quotes from the president of the Montreal Metal
Trades Council, “ has hitherto been approached only from the stand­
point of immediate economic results to the workers or employers, the
former desiring a ‘square deal’ for apprentices only in so far th at
their own wages and conditions are not lowered thereby, and the
latter tending to regard apprentices merely as cheap workers and as a
source of new labor supply.” Under most industrial agreements, the
article further states, “ The welfare of the apprentice, instead of being
the main consideration of both sides, is subject to compromises be­
tween contracting parties whose chief concern lies in their own more
immediate interests. In limiting the age of admission to a trade to
16 years, for instance, no provision is made under m any agreements
for boys between 14 and 16, who are thus allowed after leaving school
to drift into ‘blind alley’ occupations, and are given little direction
as to their future career during their m ost formative years.”
B ut there is renewed interest in the training of young workers.
The State has, in recent years, extended its educational work by pro­
viding facilities for technical training after the school age has been
passed, and in several Provinces legislation has been enacted making
similar provision. The labor organizations are evincing a desire to
recover at least a partial control and responsibility for the welfare of
young workers. This attitude is evident in the proposal for appren­
tice councils to be composed of representatives of employers and
workers in a particular industry in each district, supported ultim ately
by a Dominion-wide council, similarly representative. Existing
elements for such an apprentice council are perhaps already to be
found in such organizations as the joint apprenticeship committee
created under an agreement in the bookbinding trade at Toronto
last year, and which makes recommendations as to training.
The most promising recent development, however, according to the
Gazette, is the national apprenticeship system of the building in­
dustry, which was approved by the National Joint Conference Board
at a meeting held last January in Montreal, and was also approved
by the Association of Canadian Building and Construction Industries
at its annual conference at Winnipeg in the same month.
“ The highest actual development in regard to the training of ap­
prentices in Canada which has up to the present time been attained
within the limits of a single industry m ay perhaps be found in the
engineering trades.” In support of this statem ent, the apprentice­
ship system which has been developed in the shops of the Grand
Trunk Railway is discussed in detail.
The article concludes with summaries of apprenticeship clauses
contained in constitutions of international unions and in recent in­
dustrial agreements. Such summaries >include apprenticeship ar­
rangements in the following industries: Building; clothing; clay,
glass, and stone; food, drink, and tobacco; metals, machinery, and
conveyances; printing and publishing; pulp and paper; public utili­
ties ; and electric railways.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

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CURRENT NOTES OF INTEREST TO LABOR.

217

Group Insurance for Manitoba Civil Employees.

T H E Canadian Labor Gazette of July, 1921, announces th at the
Government of M anitoba is to inaugurate group insurance for
the benefit of its employees. Four Canadian companies have taken
the contract for the insurance, which amounts to $1,750,000 dis­
tributed among 1,200 of the Province’s civil servants. The annual
cost to the Government will approximate $32,000. Any employee
who has been in the service more than six months will benefit under
the plan. The insurance is arranged according to a graduated scale
dependent upon length of service, 10 years or more of employment
calling for the maximum, $3,000.
School for Glove Apprentices at Grenoble, France.1

'T'O R E LIE V E the shortage of apprentices in the glove industry, the
Syndical Chamber of Glove Manufacturers of Grenoble, France,
established in December, 1920, a professional school for apprentices.
French and arithmetic lessons are given in addition to the attractive
courses in glove making. In order to encourage young men to become
experts in glove manufacture, this first trade school of its kind in
France offers free instruction, wages, and premiums.
Student apprentices are compensated in proportion to their acquired
trade skill. “ They7 receive three francs [58 cents, par] per dav during
the first four months of training; 4 francs [77 cents, par] per day for
the ensuing four months; 5 francs [97 cents, par] per day during the
final seven m onths of the course. In addition, a premium of 100
francs [$19.30, par] is given each apprentice upon graduation, together
with an individual set of tools—valued at 80 francs [$15.44, par]. The
period of study and manual training in the various departm ents of
glove m anufacture gradually increases from 12 hours to 18 hours per
day.”
While the support of this school is a considerable financial burden
to the glove m anufacturers of Grenoble, it is felt th a t the expenditure
is w arranted in view of the large num ber of apprentices who, it is ex­
pected, will take the courses.
Child Labor in Cotton and Woolen Mills in Peru.

A CCORDING to the August, 1921, Bulletin of the P an American
Union (p. 199), the Peruvian departm ent of promotion has sent
out instructions to the cotton and woolen mills concerning the em­
ployment of children, protective devices, and sanitation. The orders
were issued following the report of the special investigation committee
on the cotton and woolen mills of Lima, and are as follows:
Mills shall immediately dismiss children who do not fulfill the requirements of law
No. 2851, and shall employ only those who prove their physical fitness and exhibit
labor certificates from the bureau of labor: day nurseries shall be installed within 45
days ; and all women employees shall be provided with seats. Factories shall provide
individual masks to protect the respiratory organs of those working in places where
there are many particles of cotton, dust, or wool, if there is no mechanism to provide
for disposing of these particles. Special employees shall be provided to care for the
cleanliness of the building, and a sufficient supply of drinking water in hygienic con­
tainers shall be at hand.
1 Report from vice consul at Lyon, France, dated June 28,1921.


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

[703]

PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.

Official—United States.
A r iz o n a .— S ta te b o a rd fo r the c o n tro l o f v o c a tio n a l e d u c a tio n .
lin e s f o r e v e n in g tra d e e x te n sio n classes.
N o . 8.

S u g g e s tio n s a n d o u t­
P h o e n ix , M arch, 1921. 4 8 v v
B u lle tin

C o n n e c t ic u t .

B u r e a u o f L a b o r S ta tis tic s .
T w e n ty - n in th re p o rt, fo r the tw o years
e n d in g N o v e m b e r 3 0 , 192 0 . H a rtfo rd , 1920.

T h is report is su m m arized on page 203 of th is issu e of th e R e v ie w .
G e o r g ia .— D e p a r tm e n t o f C om m erce a n d L a b o r.
192 1 .

N in th a n n u a l re p o rt, 1 920.

’

This report is summarized on pages 203 to 205 of this issue of the
I l l in o is . —D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r.
S p r in g f ie ld , 192 1 .

R e v ie w .

T h ir d a n n u a l re p o rt, J u ly 1, 1919, to J u n e 30 1920

91 p p .

This report is summarized on pages 205 to 207 of this issue of the
K

A tla n ta

108 p p .

a n s a s .—

D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r a n d I n d u s tr y .

R e v ie w .

T h ir ty -fifth a n n u a l re p o rt, 1920.

T o p eka,

Data relative to industrial accidents in the State, as reported during 1920 by em­
ployers and published in this report appear on pages 178 and 179 of this issue of the
R e v ie w .
M a s s a c h u s e t t s .— D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r a n d I n d u s tr ie s .
e n d in g N o v e m b e r 3 0 , 19 2 0 .

B o s to n [1921],

A n n u a l re p o rt f o r the year

132 p p .

Data from this report are given on pages 207 and 208 of this issue of the

M on th ly

L a b o r R e v ie w .
M o n t a n a .— D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r a n d I n d u s tr y .
H e le n a [1920].

F o u r th b ie n n ia l re p o rt, 1 9 1 9 -1 9 2 0

83 p p .

'

A summary of this report is given on pages 208 and 209 of this issue of the
M o n th ly L a b o r R e v ie w .

New Y ork.—JndwsinaZ

C o m m is sio n . P ro c e e d in g s o f the I n d u s tr ia l S a fe ty C ongress
o j N e w Y o r k S ta te , held a t S y ra c u s e , D ecem ber 6 - 9 , 1920. A lb a n y [1921], 239 p p .

P e n n s y l v a n ia .— C o m m is s io n o n O ld A g e P e n s io n s .
ris b u rg , 192 1 .

R e p o r t, F e b ru a ry

1921

H ar­

6 pp.

This is to supplement the comprehensive report made in 1919 and present the
conclusions reached by the commission as to the most desirable form of old-age pensions.
R hode I sl a n d .

287 p p .

B u r e a u o f L a b o r.

R e p o r t f o r the ye a rs 1 9 1 6 -1 9 1 9 .

P ro v id e n c e 1921

Summaries of sections of this report are given on pages 211 to 213 of this issue of the
M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w .
— — Office o f F a c to r y In s p e c to rs .
192 0 . P ro v id e n c e , 1 9 2 1 . 8 3 p p .

T w e n ty -se v e n th a n n u a l re p o rt o f fa c to ry in s p e c tio n
J
y
y
’

D a ta from th is report ap p ear on p ages
W e st V ir g in ia .— B u r e a u o f L a b o r.
1920.

212 a n d 213 of

th is issu e of th e R e v ie w .

F ifte e n th b ie n n ia l re p o rt, 1 9 1 9 -1 9 2 0 .

A summary of this report is given on page 213 of this issue of the
L a b o r R e v ie w .

218


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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

C h arleston
’

94 p p .

[704]

M on th ly

219

PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.
U n it e d S t a t e s .— D e p a r tm e n t o f L a b o r.

B u r e a u o f L a b o r S ta tis tic s . P ro c e e d in g s o f
the seven th a n n u a l m e e tin g o f the I n te r n a tio n a l A s s o c ia tio n o f I n d u s tr ia l A c c id e n t
B o a r d s a n d C o m m is sio n s, h eld a t S a n F ra n c isc o , C a lif., S e p te m b e r 2 0 -2 4 , 1 921.
W a sh in g to n , 192 1 . 447 p p .
W o rk m e n ’s in su r a n c e a n d c o m p e n s a tio n series. B u l ­
le tin N o . 281.

An account of this meeting was given in th e
1920, pages 10 to 19.

M o n th ly L a b o r R e v ie w

for November,

----------------W o m e n ’s B u r e a u . P r e lim in a r y r e p o rt o f a su rv e y o f w ages, h ou rs, a n d c o n ­
d itio n s o f w o rk o f the iv o m e n in in d u s tr y i n G eo rg ia .
W a sh in g to n , 1921. 63 p p .

Gives the results of a survey made at the request of prominent citizens of Atlanta,
Ga., of the working conditions of women in that city, and of a further investigation
which in 1921, at the request of various organizations, was made along similar lines
in 15 other cities and towns of the State. Only a summary of the latter investigation
is given, the detailed tables not yet having been published. The report deals with
women employed in department and 5“and 10 cent stores, in the manufacture of
textiles, knit goods, garments, cigars, food and miscellaneous products, and in laun­
dries.
——

F ed era l B o a r d f o r V o c a tio n a l E d u c a tio n . B ib lio g r a p h y o n v o c a tio n a l g u id a n c e .
A selected lis t o f v o c a tio n a l g u id a n ce references f o r teachers.
W a sh in g to n , J u n e , 1 921.
35 p p . B u lle tin N o . 66.
T rade a n d in d u s tr ia l series, N o . 19.

-------— —- F o r e m a n sh ip courses v . in s tr u c to r -tr a in in g courses.
W a sh in g to n , J u n e , 1 921.
15 p p . B u lle tin N o . 60.
T rade a n d in d u s tr ia l series, N o . 16.

A discussion of the distinction between foremanship courses and instructor-training
courses.
---------------- I m p r o v in g fo r e m a n s h ip .
W a sh in g to n , J u n e , 1921.
61 .
T rade a n d in d u s tr ia l series, N o . 17.

42 p p .

B u lle tin N o .

Trade extension courses for foremen.
------- ------- In s tru c to r tr a in in g .
W a sh in g to n , J u n e ,
T rade a n d in d u s tr ia l series, N o . 18.

192 1 .

43 p p .

B u lle tin

N o . 62.

Instructor training courses for trade teachers and for foremen having an instruc­
tional responsibility.

Official—Foreign Countries.
A u st r a l ia ( N e w
S y d n e y , 1921.

S o u t h W a l e s ). — D e p a r tm e n t o f M in e s.

A n n u a l re p o r t,

This report is briefly noted on page — of this issue of the M o n t h l y
Ca n a d a

(M a n it o b a ). — M oth ers'

1 9 1 9 -2 0 .

W in n ip e g , 1 9 2 1 .

A llo w a n c e
20 p p .

— — (Q u e b e c ).— B u r e a u o f S ta tis tic s .
[1921'].

1920.

130 p p .
C o m m is s io n .

F o u r th

S ta tis tic a l yea rb o o k , 1 9 20.

L a b o r R e v ie w .
annual

r e p o r t,

7th y e a r .

Q uebec

ix , 5 5 2 p p .

Part 6 of this report is devoted to organized labor. A tabular statement shows
that in 1919 there were 428 trade-unions with a membership of 61,097, as compared
with 366 unions and 48,570 members in 1918. The strike statistics for the years 1901
to 1919, inclusive, show 81 strikes, 39,153 strikers, and 859,943 working days lost in
1919. Other tables show the work of the employment bureaus, and fatal accidents
by occupation or trade. There were 144 fatal accidents in 1919, the largest number
(25) being in the steam railway service. Falls were responsible for the largest number
of fatal accidents (28).
F in l a n d .— S o c ia lm in is te r ie t och S o c ia ls ty r e ls e n .
H e lsin g fo rs , 1 9 2 1 .

75pp.

I llu s tr a te d .

Y r k e s in s p e k tio n e n i F i n l a n d d r 1 9 1 9 .
A r sb e r a tte lse r . S e r i e B . I I I .

Report of factory inspection in Finland for the year 1919.


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220

M ONTHLY LABOR, REVIEW.

G r e a t B r it a in .-— B o a r d o f T ra d e.
r e p o r t, w ith s ta tis tic s , f o r 1 9 2 0 .
2 1 p p . 115.

M in e s D e p a r tm e n t.
M in e s a n d q u a rries: G en eral
P a r t I . — D iv is io n a l s ta tis tic s . L o n d o n , 1921.

Statistics of accidents in mines and quarries of the United Kingdom are given on
page 172 of this issue of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w .
-------H o m e Office. C h ie f in s p e c to r o f fa c to r ie s a n d w o r k sh o p s .
L o n d o n , 1921. 173 p p .
C m d. 1403.

A n n u a l r e p o r t, 1920.

Among the subjects treated in this report are: Safety; Dangerous trades; Use of
electricity in factories (accidents); Health and sanitation; Welfare in factories and
workshops; First aid and ambulance; Lighting in factories and workshops; Industrial
diseases; Dust in printers’ workrooms; and Employment (hours of work). A brief
review of the chapter on industrial diseases appears on pages 173 and 174 of this
issue of the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w .
■--------------- I n s p e c to r s
C m d . 1324-

o f e x p lo s iv e s .

A n n u a l , r e p o r t,

1920.

London,

1921.

29

pp.

During 1920 the total number of accidents reported was 438, causing 50 deaths and
injuries to 455 persons. It is stated that 91 per cent of the accidents causing death
or personal injury occurred in the use of explosives and under miscellaneous conditions
not covered by the explosives act.
—

M in is tr y o f H e a lth . F ifty -s e v e n th a n n u a l r e p o r t o n a lk a li, e tc ., w o r k s, b y the
ch ie f in s p e c to r s . P ro c e e d in g s d u r in g the y e a r 1 9 2 0 . L o n d o n , 1 9 2 1 . 64 p p .

This report includes an account of the accidents occurring in chemical works in
Great Britain during the year 1920.
•--------------- C h ie f m e d ic a l officer. A n n u a l r e p o r t, 1 9 2 0 , o n the sta te o f the p u b lic health.
L o n d o n , 1921. 180 p p .
C m d. 1397.

Besides the usual report on health, sanitation, and vital statistics, there are chapters
dealing with maternity and child welfare, and the insurance medical service.
— — R e g is tr a r o f F r ie n d ly S o c ie tie s. F r ie n d ly so c ie tie s, in d u s tr ia l a n d p r o v id e n t soc ietie s,
b u ild in g s o c ie tie s , tra d e -u n io n s, w o r k m e n ’s c o m p e n s a tio n schem es, lo a n so c ietie s,
sc ie n tific a n d lite r a r y so c ietie s, p o s t office, tru ste e a n d r a ilw a y s a v in g s b a n k s. R e p o r ts
. . . 1 9 2 0 . P a r t A , g e n e ra l r e p o r t. L o n d o n , 1 9 2 1 . v , 9 5 p p . A p p e n d ix e s . 140.

—-— (S c o t l a n d ). — B o a r d o f H e a lth .
437 p p .

S e c o n d a n n u a l re p o r t, 1 920.

E d in b u r g h , 1 9 21.

C m d. 1319.

In addition to strictly health data, the report discusses housing and town planning
(see p. — of this issue of the R e v ie w ), national health insurance, the poor law, oldage pensions, and sundry matters concerning local government and prevention of
distress. Tables given show that the poor, including in that term those who received
help from public authorities, either directly or through the heads of their families,
fell from 104,124 in 1914 to 81,714 in 1919, but that in 1920 there was an increase, the
number rising to 87,868. The falling off during the war seems to have been due to
the demand for workers, which insured employment even for those deemed physically
unfit or inefficient. The growing extent of unemployment has naturally driven this
class out of work, and the tendency is for pauperism to increase.
I n t e r n a t io n a l L a b o r O f f ic e .— G o v e r n in g b o d y .

L e g is la tio n o u v riè re et prévo ya n ce
so c ia le en S u è d e . B r e f ré su m é p u b lié p a r ordre d u G o u v e rn e m e n t S u é d o is à l ’occasion
de la VLLIe se ssio n d u C o n se il d ’A d m in is tr a tio n d u B u r e a u L n te r n a tio n a l du T ra v a il
a S to c k h o lm en j u i l le t 192 1 . [S to c k h o lm , 1 9 2 1 .] 146 p p .

This report, prepared at the direction of the Swedish Government for the 8th meet­
ing of the Governing Body of the International Labor Office contains a general account
of the country, its resources, climate, industrial development and labor and employers’
organizations. The main part of the book is given up to a discussion of social legisla­
tion and there is a chapter on the cooperative movement and one on social education
and benevolent organizations. A list of the various bureaus and departments having
to do with social affairs is included.


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PUBLICATIONS RELATING TO LABOR.

N e t h e r l a n d s — C e n tra n t B u re a u vo o r de S ta tis tie k . * * * S ta tis tiq u e des sa la rie s et de
la durée d u tr a v a il des o u v rie rs d a n s les im p r im e r ie s ty p o g r a p h iq u e s et lith o g ra p h iq u e s
a ssu rés se lo n la lo i su r les a ccid en ts d u tr a v a il p e n d a n t le p re m ie r sem estre de 1919.
’ s-G raven h age, 192 1 . x iv , 9 p p . B ijd r a g e n .
N ie u w e vo lgreeks, N o . 310.

Survey of wages and hours in the printing industries in Netherlands during the
first half of 1919.
N o r w a y .— R ik s fo r sik r in g s a n sta lte n .
1918.

C h ristia n ia , 1921.

U lylck esfo rsih rin gen f o r in d u stria rh e id e re m .
2 2 * , 99 p p . N o rg es O ffisielle S ta tis tik V I I . 15.

v.

Annual report showing operation of the State industrial accident insurance system
of Norway during 1918.
------- S ta tis tis k e C e n tra lb yrâ .
O ffisielle S ta tis tik V I I .

R u n n in g er 192 0 .
9.

C h r istia n ia , 1921.

8 * , 56 p p .

N orges

A statistical report of wages in Norway during 1920. The report states that since
1914 wages have increased from 200 and 300 per cent in most occupations. Wage
increases in general have been greatest for lowest incomes and least for the highest
incomes. The total wage increase, 1914—1920, for most of the large groups of workers
seems to have been as much or a little more than the price increase.
---------------- N o rg es sp a reb a n k er 191 9 .
S ta tis tik V I I . 6.

C h r istia n ia , 192 1 .

12*, 42 p p .

N o rg es O ffisielle

Statistical report of the operations of Norwegian savings banks during 1919. There
were 555 authorized savings banks. The total number of depositors was 1,626,202,
or about 623 out of every 1,000 of the population of Norway.
---------------- S ta tis tis k ârb o k f o r k o n g erik e t N o rg e. 4 0 d e â rg a n g .
261 p p .

1920.

C h r istia n ia , 1921.

Statistical yearbook of the Kingdom of Norway for the year 1920. Contains statistics
on social insurance, unemployment in trade unions, employment agencies, Norwegian
employers’ association, average wages during 1920, prices, household budgets, co­
operative societies, etc.
S w ed e n .— S o c ia ls ty r e ls e n ._ K o lle k tiv a v ta l i S v e r ig e dr 1920.
38 p p .

S ve rig e s O fficiella S ta tis tik .

S to c k h o lm , 1921.

x i,

S o c ia ls ta tis tik .

Report of collective agreements in Sweden during 1920. The number of agree­
ments and the number of workers affected by them is the largest number reported for
any year up to this time. In 1920 there were 1,583 new collective agreements con­
cluded affecting directly or through labor organizations 259,760 workers. The total
number of workers affected by collective agreements at the end of 1920 was 424,366.
------- —
O ly c k sfa ll i arbete d r 1917.
S ta tis tik . S o c ia ls ta tis tik .

S to c k h o lm , 1921.

67 p p .

S ve rig e s O fficiella

A report showing statistics of labor accidents in Sweden in 1917.
--------- ------S ta te n s f ô r lik n in g s m à n s f o r m e d lin g i a rb e tstv iste r .
S to c k h o lm , 1921. 116 p p .

V erksam het a r 1920.

Report on conciliation in labor controversies in Sweden during 1920. The number
of disputes in 1920 was 319 as against an average of 155 during the years 1915-1919.
U n io n

op

S o u t h A frica — Office o f C ensu s a n d S ta tis tic s .

N o . 3, 1918.

P re to r ia , 1921.

S ta tis tic s o f p o p u la tio n ,

v i, 82 p p .

Statistics in regard to miners’ phthisis are given on pages 68 and 69 of the report.

63444°— 21------ 15


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Unofficial.
A m e r ic a n F e d e r a t io n

of

L abor.

W a sh in g to n , D . C ., 1 9 2 1 .

B u ild in g trades d e p a r tm e n t.

P ro c e e d in g s, 1921.

189 p p .

Data on wages in the building trades taken from th is report appear on page 117 to
121 of this issue of th e M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v i e w .
-------P ro ceed in g s, 1 9 2 1 .

W a sh in g to n , D .

C ., 1 9 2 1 .

473 p p .

An account of this convention appeared in the M o n t h l y
1921, pp. 151-154.

L a b o r R e v ie w

for August,

------- R a ilw a y e m p lo y e e s’ d e p a r tm e n t. E x h ib its o n the w a g e ease before the U n ite d S ta te s
R a ilr o a d L a b o r B o a r d o n b e h a lf o f the ra ilw a y e m p lo y e e s re p resen ted by 12 u n io n s .
2 m im e o g ra p h e d p a m p h le ts .
W a sh in g to n , D . C. [1921].

These pamphlets are entitled, respectively, Causes of the present industrial depres­
sion and The living wage.
------- I o w a branch.
192 1 . 9 3 p p .

P ro c e e d in g s, 1 9 2 1 .

S io u x C ity , E a r l C . W ille y , se cretary-treasu rer,

------- V ir g in ia branch. P ro c e e d in g s, 1 9 2 1 .
treasu rer, 192 1 . 97 p p .

N e w p o r t N e w s,

J o h n G rib b e n , secretary-

B la ch ly , Cl a r e n c e D a n .

T he tre a tm e n t o f the p r o b le m o f c a p ita l a n d labor in so c ia l
s tu d y courses i n the churches. C hicago, T he U n iv e r sity o f C hicago P re s s, 1 9 20. v iii,
90 p p .

This pamphlet summarizes the result of a study of the social study courses of the
principal Protestant churches, particularly in relation to the question of capital and
labor, and shows the official attitude of the churches toward social questions as evi­
denced in various statements of officials, church boards, etc., as well as in the pro­
grams outlined.
B o w l e y , A r t h u r L.

O fficial s ta tis tic s.
W h a t they c o n ta in a n d h ow to use th em .
L o n d o n , H u m p h re y M ilfo r d , 192 1 . 63 p p .

The way to use official statistics is demonstrated by discussion of statistics issued
by various British departments on the subjects of population; industry, trade, and
prices; income and wages, and social conditions, and the author shows how to corre­
late accounts from different sources and different points of view in order to get a com­
prehensive view of the subjects.
B u l m a n , H. F., a n d M il l s , F r e d e r ic k P. M in e rescue w o rk a n d o rg a n iz a tio n . L o n ­
d o n , C ro sb y L o c k w o o d & S o n , 1 9 2 1 .

171 p p .

A handbook of information on the use of self-contained breathing apparatus and
other rescue appliances, the training of rescue brigades, and Government regulations
concerning rescue work.
Ca r n e g ie E n d o w m e n t

fo r I n t e r n a t io n a l P e a c e . D iv is io n o f eco n o m ics a n d h is­
to ry . E c o n o m ic effects o f the W o rld W ar u p o n w o m e n a n d ch ildren i n G reat B r ita in ,
b y Iren e O sg o o d A n d r e w s a n d M a rg a ret A . H o b b s. S e c o n d (re v ise d ) e d itio n .
N ew
Y o rk , O x fo rd U n iv e r sity P re s s, 1 9 2 1 . ix , 2 5 5 p p . P r e lim in a r y e c o n o m ic stu d ie s o f
the w a r, N o . 4.

The first edition of this study, made during the war, is noted in the M o n th ly
for April, 1918 (p. 313). The present edition is revised in the light
of a visit to England made in the early part of 1920, and is extended to include a dis­
cussion of how women and children fared in the period immediately following the
armistice. The preface is dated April, 1920; at that time the trend of events in Eng­
land was still so uncertain that only tentative conclusions could be reached regarding
the permanent status of woman and child workers. Many occupations open to women
during the war have more recently been closed to them. Some protection, it is true,
has been given war-time wage rates through the extension of the minimum-wage act.
Although the war doubtless had an unfortunate effect upon part of the juvenile work­
ers, it did develop a greater national sense of their future value as citizens. This is
L a b o r R e v ie w


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shown in the passing of the Fisher education act, which when, and if, it becomes fully
effective will raise the school age to 14 years and require attendance at continuation
schools for eight hours a week up to 18 years, on employers’ time. Considering such
recent developments as the attacks upon the wages boards, the postponement on the
score of economy of the most important parts of the new education act, and the break­
ing down in the present period of industrial depression of the standards and safeguards
won by the workers during the war, it seems probable that if formulated to-day the
author s conclusions would be advanced even more tentatively.
C om ité Ce n t r a l

d e s H o u il l è r e s d e F r a n c e . L é g is la tio n m in iè re et lé g is la tio n
o u vriè re.
T exte des p r in c ip a le s lo is et ré p e rto ire m é th o d iq u e des lo is, décrets etc
Q u a triè m e e d itio n ( s u p p lé m e n t). P a r is , 1 9 2 1 . 76 p p .

This supplement to the legislative section of the yearbook of the central society of
mine operators contains the text of laws relating to operation of mines and those
alfecting the workers which were passed between March and October, 1920.
D o w n e y E. H
T he u ses a n d a b u ses o f schedule Z . N e w Y o rk , N a tio n a l C o u n c il o n
W orkm en s C o m p e n s a tio n In s u ra n c e [n . d .\.

F o r e ig n - L a n g u a g e I n f o r m a t io n S e r v ic e .
I n f o r m a tio n S e rv ic e .
78 w .

A s u m m a r y a n d su r v e y .

12 p p .
T he w o rk o f the F o r e ig n - L a n g u a g e
N e w Y o rk , 1 5 W est 3 7 th S t \1 9 2 l1
*L

For a brief summary of this report see page 214 of this issue of the

M onthly L abor

R e v ie w .
G e n e r a l F e d e r a t io n

of

T r a d e U n io n s (G r e a t B r it a in ).

re p o rt a n d ba la n ce sheet.

L o n d o n , 192 1 .

T w e n ty -se c o n d a n n u a l

47 p p .

The report shows 134 societies affiliated to the federation, with an aggregate mem­
bership of 1,583,058 in 1921, as compared with 1,480,108 in 1920.
G il l in , J o h n L e w i s .

P o v e r ty a n d d e p en d en cy.
Y o rk , T he C e n tu ry C o ., 192 1 . 7 0 7 p p .

T h e ir r e lie f a n d p r e v e n tio n .

N ew

A study of the urgent problems of poverty and dependency, including such phases
as the relief of aged dependents, the disabled, and the unemployed, and mothers’
pensions. The book is designed primarily as a university textbook and includes
extensive quotations from Various sources.
H a l d a n e , R ic h a r d B u r d o n .

P u b lis h in g Co. ( L td .) , 1921.

T he p r o b le m o f n a tio n a liz a tio n .
48 p p .

L o n d o n , T he L a b o r

This pamphlet is a reprint of the evidence offered by Lord Haldane before the
royal commission on the coal mines, with an introduction by R. H. Tawney and
H. J. Laski.
H

S t a n l e y E. T he m o v e m e n t o f w a g es i n the c o tto n m a n u fa c tu r in g in d u s tr y
o f N e w E n g la n d sin ce 186 0 . B o s to n , N a tio n a l C o u n c il o f A m e r ic a n C o tto n M a n u ­
fa c tu re r s, 192 0 . 99 p p .

ow ard,

The period covered by this investigation includes the two important war periods,
that of 1861—1865 and that of 1914—1919, and both the period of declining price move­
ments preceding 1897 and that of rising prices since that year. The purely statistical
part of the study is in three main divisions, as follows: That which relates to changes
oi rates of wages rather than to changes of earnings; that which relates to changes of
full-time earnings; and that concerning the “ occurrence, regularly or irregularly, of
conditions of employment.” A summary table gives the relative full-time earnings,
the relative wholesale prices of commodities in general, and relative weaving rates
at Fall River for the period 1860 to 1918.
I ni

L a d i e s ’ G a r m e n t W o r k e r s ’ U n io n . E d u c a tio n a l d e p a r tm e n t
1 he e d u c a tio n a l w o rk o f the I n te r n a tio n a l L a d ie s' G a rm e n t W orkers' U n io n
R e­
p o r t s u b m itte d to the conference o f the W orkers' E d u c a tio n B u r e a u o f A m e r i c a A p r i l
2, 1921, by F a n n ia M . C ohn.
N e w Y o rk , 31 U n io n S q u a r e \1 9 2 1 \. 12 p p .

e r n a t io n a l

A summary of this pamphlet appears on pages 181 and 182 of this issue of the
M o n t h l y L abor R ev iew .


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M ONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

J u v e n il e P r o t e c t iv e A sso c ia t io n
8 1 6 S o u th H a ls te d S t . [1921}.

of

Ch ic a g o .

A n n u a l re p o rt, 1 9 1 9 -2 0 .

Chicago,

39 p p .

A portion of this report deals with the work of the juvenile occupations depart­
ment in investigating and preventing illegal child labor.
La b o r I n t e r n a t io n a l H a n d b o o k .
P u b lis h in g C o., L td ., 19 2 1 .

E d ite d by R . P a lm e P u t t .
x, 320 p p .

L o n d o n , T he L a b o r

This handbook reviews international affairs from a labor standpoint. The peace
treaties and the League of Nations and other international organizations are discussed.
The review of postwar economic conditions includes Europe after the war, economic
effects of the treaties and statistical tables as to national debts and budgets, currency
and prices, and production and trade, while the special problems of Russia, Ireland,
India, and Egypt are given separate treatment. Problems of racial conflict, and the
foreign policy of Great Britain complete the first part of the book. The subject of
Part II is “ International labor” and covers the subjects of international socialism,
trade-unionism, and cooperation, and also gives a sketch of socialist and trade-union
movements in each country with the parliamentary representation of the various
parties. A directory of socialist and political labor organizations, of central tradeunion and cooperative organizations, and of the socialist and labor press is appended.
L a y t o n , W a l t e r T. A n in tr o d u c tio n to the s tu d y o f p ric es, w ith sp e c ia l reference to
the h is to r y o f the n in e te e n th c e n tu ry .
194 p p .

L o n d o n , M a c m illa n & C o., L td ., 1920.

x iii,

A revision of the 1914 edition. Both the theoretical and historical side of prices
are reviewed in an attempt to determine the causes of the upward trend in prices
during the last fifteen years, which the author states has been too general all over
the world to be satisfactorily accounted for by any special causes operating in different
countries. The general causes which determine the purchasing power of money and
the economic effects of price changes, therefore, are the two problems dealt with.
Much statistical information is contained in the appendixes.
L ondon

S c h o o l m a st e r s ’ A s so c ia t io n . E q u a l p a y

L o n d o n , E v a n s B r o s . ( L td .) [1921].

Marsha ll, L eon

C.

and

Ly o n , L everett

Y o rk , T he M a c m illa n C o ., 1 9 2 1 .

and

the

teach in g

p ro fe s sio n .

112 p p .

S.

O ur

eco n o m ic o r g a n iz a tio n .

N ew

x, 503 p p .

This hook, intended as a textbook for beginners in the study of economics, gives a
general survey of economic problems, a historical summary of industrial development,
and a detailed study of the present economic organization.
Muscio, B e r n a r d ( e d it o r ). L e c tu re s o n in d u s tr ia l a d m in is tr a tio n . L o n d o n , S ir
Isa a c P itm a n & S o n s ( L td .) , 1 9 2 0 .

276 p p .

This series of lectures delivered at a course in industrial management at Cambridge
covers a number of the phases of industrial relations such as scientific management,
vocational diagnosis and application of psychological principles to industry, industrial
overstrain and unrest and other health problems, and measures for developing and
standardizing industrial research and statistics.
N a t io n a l A m a lg a m a ted U n io n
sta te m e n t, 191 9 .
48 p p .

of L a b o r . T h ir ty -fir s t a n n u a l r e p o rt a n d f in a n c ia l
N e w c a s tle -u p o n -T y n e , C o o p e ra tiv e P r i n t i n g S o c ie ty ( L td .) , 1 9 21.

S a in t -P i e r r e , A r t h u r . L a q u e stio n o u v ilr e a u C a n a d a .

M o n tre a l, 1 920.

63 p p .

This study of the Canadian industrial situation is largely devoted to union and
employer organizations and a resume of labor legislation. There is a chapter also on
wages and cost of living and one on strikes and unemployment. Most of the statistical
information relates to the years 1916 to 1919.


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A. A sta k e in the la n d . N e w Y o rk , H a rp e r & B r o s ., 1921. x x x , 266 p p .
The purpose of this report, it is stated, is to give as clear a notion as possible of the
methods of the agencies actually at work in putting the immigrant upon the land
and helping to make him a good American citizen, and not to propose theories for
dealing with the complicated questions involved.
T r a v e l e r s I n s u r a n c e Co. S a fe ty in b u ild in g c o n str u c tio n . (S e c o n d e d itio n , re v ise d )
Sp e e k , P eter

H a rtfo rd , C o n n . [1921].

175 p p .

I llu s tr a te d .

Much new material has been included in this revision of the 1916 edition. The
authors believe that if their suggestions are carried out the number of accidents in
the building industry will surely be very materially decreased.
U n it e d S t a t e s L e a g u e
1921 .

op

L ocal B u il d in g

and

L o a n A s so c ia t io n s . P ro c e e d in g s

C in c in n a ti, H . F . C e lla riu s, secretary [1 9 2 1 ].

V an D e v e n t e r , John

H.

o f m a n a g in g m e n .

194 p p .

( e d it o r ). M ore w o rk p e r m a n .

N ew

T ested a n d selected m eth o d s
Y o rk , T he E n g in e e r in g M a g a zin e C o., 1921. x , 440 p p .

This is a compilation of articles which have appeared in Industrial Management on
personnel problems. The articles are classified and the subjects covered are: How
to pick the man for the job;Solving the labor turnover;Training and education of labor;
The foreman; Employment management and labor maintenance; Industrial relations
and the shop committee; Wage systems and other incentives;The human element in
industry, and The reduction of waste and fatigue.
W e b b , S y d n e y . T he s to r y o f the D u rh a m m in e rs (1 6 6 2 -1 9 2 1 ). L o n d o n , T he F a b ia n
S o c ie ty , 1921.

ix , 1 5 4 p p .

Traces the history of the Durham miners from the time when trade-unions were
unknown, through the period of the growth of trade-unionism to present day con­
ditions.
Zentralverband

der

C e c h o sl o v a k isc h e n I n d u s t r i e l l e n . B e rich t f u r d ie qen eral-

v e r sa m m lu n g f i i r d a s J a h r 192 0 .

P ra g u e , 192 1 .

56 p p .

The annual report of the Central Federation of Czechoslovakian Industrial Employ­
ers for the year 1920. Those parts of the report which deal with retail prices and wages
have been used in the compilation for the M o n t h l y L a b o r R e v ie w of two articles,
the first appearing on pages 64 to 66 and the second on pages 127 to 130 of the
present issue.
Z im a n d , S a v e l . M o d e m so c ia l m o v e m e n ts.
N e w Y o r k , H . W . W ils o n C o ., 1921.


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D e s c r ip tiv e su m m a r ie s a n d b ib lio g ra vh ies260 p p .

o

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