The Wall Street Journal from New York, New York • Page 9

STEEL WORKERS FAID HIGH RATES OF WAGES DOO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, MONDAY MORNING AUGUST 25, 1919 WAGE SCHEDULE OF BIG INDEPENDENT COMPANY SHOWS MANY CLASSES RECEIVE $10 A DAY AND MORE Day Labor Receives tS.60 for Eight Hours and for Ten Hours That With Smallest Degree of Skill is Paid More Than Day Rates Competition for Labor Requires Virtually Uniform Rates in Industry Some time ago Dow, Jones Co. published a table showing the wages paid iron and steel workers at the con elusion of the war as compared with the wages they were earning at the time the series of advances, occasioned by the conflict, started. Iron and steel workers are still being paid these same high wages, and, consequently, this wage table must be of more than ordinary interest at this time when tha radical element of these operatives is demanding a further advance, and is herewith re-produced. This table of wage rates was prepared by one of the larger independent steel companies and reflects conditions existing throughout the industry as the necessities of competition in a time of labor shortage oblige general adherence to a uniform wage schedule. From the table below it will be observed that day labor, following the advance given October 1, 1918, the last general wage advance in the steel industry, received 8 in addition to the previous going rate of 42 cents an hour, or slightly over 45 cents.

The rate was made 45 cents an hour, with time and a half for overtime. This wage rate gave day laborers $3.60 for eight hours and $4.95 for ten hours. In the Steel industry only the most unskilled and usually the most inefficient kind of labor is classed as day labor and paid this lowest rate. It is commonly true that as soon as a workman has a job that requires even the smallest amount of skill he is paid more than the day labor rate. As a Tesult of this a very substantial percentage of steel workers who are actually little more than day laborers are paid well in excess of the wages of this latter class of workers.

The following tables are self-explanatory and show that wages of $10 a day and upwards are the rule rather than the exception in the iron and steel mills. By way of explanation it might be stated that this table was not originally prepared for publication, but far use by the company which prepared it in making a study of the wage situation and later, on request, was given to Dow, Jones Co. for publication. The wage table follows; Common labor wage rates Per Hour January 1, 1916 10 22 May 1, 1916 10 25 December 16, 1916 10 May 1, 1917 10 30 October 1, 1917 10 33 April 16, 1918 15 38 August 1, 1918 10 42 October 1, 1918t 8 On eight-hour men, and time and one-half on men over eight hours. fOctober 1, 1918, ndvance figures approximately 14.

Semi-skilled labor rates: Cents per Hour Av. per Turn Position: Hours 1918 1915 1918 1915 Sheet mill stockcr 10 49 '23 $5.39 $2.35 Millwright (bloom) .12 53 26 7.49 3.12 Motor inspector (bloom) 12 56 27 7.84 3.24 Steam crane 12 59 27 8.26 3.30 Brakcmen (stan. gaupo)12 271? 7.70 3.30 Cast house helper .12 45 20 6.30 2.40 Puddle mill stockcr 8 55V; 30 4.44 2.40 Gas maker 12 44 2P 6.16 2.40 Note: Average earnings per turn include time and one-half for more thnn eight hours in 1918. Common and skilled labor: Cents per Hour 1913 1915 Common labor. .42 19 Machinists 81V? 40 Carpenters 59 27 V4 Bricklayer 92 46 Average per Turn 1918 1915 8.9611.41 4.0O 5.00 6.49 2.75 10.17 4.60 Note: The common labor day in the above is from 10 to 12 hours; machinists 10 to 12 hours in 1915, and 10 to 12 hours in 1918; carpenters and bricklayers, 10 hours only.

Average earnings of heaters Aver, per Turn Position Hours Blooming mill pits 12 Bkelp mill 12 liod mill 12 fikelp mill 12 Average earnings of rollers: Blooming mill 8 Skelp mill 12 Skelp mill (10-inch) 12 Rod mill 12 Average puddlers' earnings 10 Average sheet heaters' earnings. 8 Average sheet rollers' earnings 8 Skilled labor generally: 1918 1915 $17.92 $9.42 18.18 11.00 12.24 6.00 12.00 6.00 21.73 12.00 375.OOmo.250.OO 395.00mo.300.00 i 10.50 3.75 i 21.12 8.00 28.16 11.50 Rate Av. per Turn 1915 1918 1915 Position Hours 191S First (OH) 12 $11.62 Second (OH) 12 10.56h.t 5.35h.t 8.23 Steel 12 13.80 Pit 12 33hr.l0.00 Roughers (SM) 8 Tonnage 11.92 Catchers (SM) 8 Tonnage 11.92 Shearmen (3S) 12 Tonnage 10.86 Stranners (S3) 12 Tonnage 9.54 Lap (TM) 12 1.01 .50 16.08 Turndown 11V4 .60 .2814 8.00 Roll (TM) 11 .60 .2814 8.69 6.10 Die setters (TM) 10-12 .55 .27 7.77 Pipe cutter. (TM) 10-12 Piece work 7.92 Blowers (BF) 12 354 mo. 257.70 13.76 Keepers "(BF) 12 .53 .26 7.49 Cupola (BP) 8 1.201h.t 10.03 Iron (BP) 8 1.016h.t 8.95 Bottom makers.

(BP) 12 1.026h.t 12.91 Blowers (BP) 8 273.23mo.138.00 Vessel (BP) 8 1.723h.t l.OOh.t 14.55 Steel 8 1.639h.f 12.84 Regulator (BP) 12 1.075h.t 13.52 Bottom makers. (BM) 12 1.168h.t 12.45 Engineers 8 1.56h.t 12.03 Manipulators (BM) 8 12.03 Butt weld cuVr(TM) 10-12 "Piecework 8.36 shove-ups(TM) 11 8.58 Note: In the above average, 56.21 4.17 7.85 6.62 6.00 6.00 5.50 4.25 8.00 4.25 4.40 2.75 8.30 3.50 8.69 8.12 4.S4 3.62 7.46 7.23 6.68 7.0J 6.42 5.28 5.28 8.00 8.25 earnings per turn in 1918 include lime and one-half for work in excess of hour. Unless otherwise specified, above rates are per hour.1 Key to abbreviation: OH, open earth; SM, sheet mills; 3S, No. 3 Skelp; SS. small skelp; TM, tube BM, bloom mill; BF, blast furnaces; BP, Bessemer h.t, hundred tons.

I In a recapitulation, the corporation has divided into two classes employes who were earning $3 a day and upward before the war, for the purpose of further compari-' son of pre-war and war wages. The classes comprise employes before the war earning from $5 to $7.50 a day, and those earning above the larger amount, This analysis shows that men in the $5 to $7.50 a' day class before the war, working days ranging from 8 to 12 hours, averaged $6.39, and that this same class of workmen on the same range of working hours on peak! war wages averaged that workers with day rates of $7250 or more a day before the war averaged $3.37, and for the same range of working hours on war wages averaged $18.94 a day. To Sell Town of Nitro, West Virginia A finished city of 20,000 population will be offered for sale by the War Department at noon, September 80 next. The town is that of Nitro, W. erected by the War Department, second largest smokeless powder plant in the wcrld, and having 737 manufacturing plants in operation.

The complete city cost $70,000,000. Bids will be received at the office of the ordnance district salvage agency, 1710 Market street, Philadelphia, Pa. A certified check for $500100 must accompany each bid, and the War Department reserves the right to reject any or all bids. "HpHE Best Tires made" is the A yidespread comment of dealers and users. Fisk Tires are uniformly dependable for mileage, appearance and general satisfaction under any conditions.

Fisk is a quality product in every last essential, with a distribution rapidly increasing solely on merit and reputation. Measure Fisk miles against any advertised mileage. FISK CORDS FISK RD-TOPS FISK BLACK NON-SKIDS FISK INNER TUBES TIM IE Next timeBUYFISKAt all Dealers PULPWOOD SUPPLY INQUIRY Appropriation Asked to Make a Survey of Available brr in the Country Washington In view of the decreasing supply of American pulpwood used in the manufacture of news print paper, Senator Watson, of Indiana, has introduced I a resolution in the Senate authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to make a survey and preliminary investigation of the approximate and possible available pulpwood timber supply not only in the northeastern part of the United States but also in the central and western sections. The Secretary of Agriculture, under the resolution is also directed to make recommendations for pulpwood utilization. The sum of $100,000 is asked to carry on the survey and investigation.

Morse Building: Sold The Morse Buildine, a fourteen-storv structure, on plot 69.8x85.4, at 140 Nassau street, northeast corner of Beekman street, has been sold by the Metropolitan Life In-! furanoe Company to William E. Harmon, who nurehas- ing the property on behalf of one of his corporations. The property was held at about $1,000,000. Swift Co. Chicago Swift Co.

officials deny the reports that the company has any more regregation plans under consideration or even is contemplating them. Time to Re-tire? (Buy Puk) AUTO SUPPLANTING THE HORSE Priec About a Head Compares With $151, in 1S10 Little Increane in Number The department of agriculture reports the farm price of horses per head on July 15 as $127. This figure, which is close to the monthly average this year to date, shows a fairly steady drop from the level of prices in recent years, as hhown by the following averages (per head): 1919 $125.00 1914 $135.16 1918 130.66 1917 132.58 1916 130.83 1915 130.75 1913 142.08 1912 140.41 1911 141.33 1910 146.58 Scven months. The horse is the only important item of farm output that has not materially advanced in price in recent years. His present farm price of $127 compares with a high in 1610 of $154.

His numbers have varied little, increasing since 1910 from about 21,000,000 to 21,600,000, after a gain of over 5,000,000 in the preceding decade. Yet dur ing the interval since 1910 there has occurred not only the marked advance in price cf feedstuffs but aUo the war buying of horses which caused export of nearly 1,500,000 horses in the three years to June 30, 1917, as against a former yearly average of only about 25,000. No more significant testimony could be had of the expansion of the automobile and the tractor in the past few years. Atlantic Coast Line Co. declared regular quarterly dividend of $1.50 a share, payable September 10.

Books closed August SI to September 9, inclusive. says have have not that wages labor Just of the this their of WSk ALIENS QUIT CANADA Hundreds Co Home to See Friends Metal Trade Hard Hit. by Exodus "The alien is becoming conspicuous by his the American consul at Kingston. "Ever since it, became pos-iLlo for these men to get boats home they been leaving in hundreds. Scores of the men who gone home to visit relatives, from whom they have, heard for five years, did all kinds of hard heavy jobs Canadian workmen will not touch, no matter what are offered.

Not a few firms requiring manual are looking over their thinned ranks and wondering how they are going to handle the orders that are coming." "No branch cf industry will be hit harder, it stated, than the metal trades, becaufe of the large amount heavy work involved." Exchange Rate Affects Canadian Trade Winnipeg The volume of manufactured imports from States has fallen off enormously through western Canada, on account of the increasing exchange rate. American travellers in Winnipeg who have been making route for years are quoted as finding no market for lines where they formerly did a big business. Canadian west in former years consumed $300,000,000 worth U. S. manufactured products.

BOSTGV ALBANY RAILROA'J CO. DIVIDEND Boston Albany Railroad Co. declared quarterly; AimAA vt- nnvahle SeDtembcr 2 to stock of record- Aninicf an II UO WV I I.