The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-06-02
WAGES JUMP.
Vast Army in Chicago Manufac-
turing Plants
Profiting by the Greatly In
creased Business.
ALL HELPED BY IRON.
Pay of 10000 Workmen Has
Been Increased.
In Many Cases Advance Has
Been Voluntary.

Chicago, June 2-The Times-Herald
prints the following:
Chicago's vast army of laborers en-
ployed by the manufa curing concerns
is experiencing an era of prosperity
more substantial than has been known
here for many years. This is true es-
pecially of the trades dependent upon
the iron industry. Within the last four
months the wages of 80 900 employees
are known to have been increased from
to 80 per cent. In nearly every case
the increase has been made without de-
mand. Facts and figures gathered at
random show that in most cases the
wages of two and three years ago have
been restored by the largest concerns,
and that in some cases the high-water
mark of wages paid in former eras of
business prosperity have been voluntar-
lily passed by the employer.
One of the men connected with the
management of the National Tube
Works stated that the concern had
about 5000 employees and that the larger
number of them were now getting 80
per cent higher wages than they were
six months ago, and that business JUS
titled the increase. The machinery
manufacturing companies, for example
began to raise the wages OF their men
about four months ago, when they be-
stored confidence were assured facts.
ALL INCREASES NOT MADE PUB
Lie.
D. K. Webster of the Webster Man
ufacturing company put the situation
as follows: Our concern employs 400
men, and they are all now getting at
least 10 per cent more wages than was
paid six months ago. 1 understand
that this is the situation in every con-
Germ in this city of any Importance and
Wi e in a q
of machinery and building materials.
l know personally of many concerns
which have raised wages materially,
but do not care to say anything about
it for fear their employees will make
demand for further increase. One
does not have far to go to find the rea-
son for increasing wages Two years
ago there was no building and very lit
tie investment in business enterprises.
Speaking for myself, I can say that my
business has never been better and that
] voluntarily returned to the scale of
wages formerly paid because the bust
ness I was doing made it possible
PLAMONDON ON THE SITUATION.
George Plamondon of the A. Plamon-
don Manufacturing company had this
to say:
Our men have been given a 10 per
cent raise in wages, and l think this
has been done in all concerns manufac-
turing machinery. We have been rails
ing wages gradually for three months
and it has been because business has
doubled with us in that time. Business
in our line is three times as good as it
was Is months ago
c. S. Bartholf, president of the NJ. G
Bullock Manufacturing company, spoke
enthusiastically on the subject. Our
men have been given increase of 10
per cent in wages because business
warrants it, said he. The demand
for steam and mining machinery was
never better"
c. L. Elms of the Elns Engineering
works, said that the employees of his
concern were given an per cent raise
two months ago and that the demand
for electric lighting machinery for mills
and hydraulic machinery had never be
fore been so insistent. Clayton Mark
of the National Malleable Castings
company spoke in the same strain, and
his concern one of the first to give
it's employees, numbering 1000, a general
increase in wages. He asserted that the
increase was a general one. affecting
all manufacturing companies.
In such large plants as those run by
the Deering and Mccormick people the
men are being paid better than they
were, although it is difficult, owing to
the character of the work, which is
largely piece work, to give the exact
thought that the future was big with
hope for business and for labor, and
who did not assert that, be the cause
whatever it may, material business
prosperity was at hand.