Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-09
TRUSTS RAISE WAGES.
Significant Action by Many Of
the Great Corporations.
QUIET INDUSTRIAL UNREST
Railroads to Follow Lead of the Penn.
sylvania.
ONE EFFECT OF THE ELECTIONS
High Cost Of Living Given as One
Cause OF the Voluntary Action
Scarcity Of Labor.
ONE EFFECT OF THE ELECTIONS

One OF the first indications that has been
given that the big corporations are waking
up to the industrial unrest all over the
country and displayed particularly in the
last election Is the voluntary action py sew
eral OF the trusts and contemplated action
oy others In raising wages without actual
strikes on the part of their men.
One New York paper in commenting on
the situation says:
"A reason for the general tendency of
trust managers to increase wages of the
workmen was brought out yesterday by a
trade agency, which reported that the pres
ent cost of living was the highest in twen-
ty years.
another reason given by financiers Ia
Cnat tne industrial corporations are all In
hlsihy prosperous condition and the
scores Of plants are being worked to their
full capacity and under high pressure. I'm.
der these conditions 1t is said to be the de-
sire OF the arrangements of the larger cor
porations 10 have their workmen partici-
pate in the prosperity
View Of Financiers
Men OF prominence in the financial world
saw IN the concerted action of the great
corporations desire to checkmate the
growing tide Of antagonism to corporations
such as was brought out in the recent cleo
ton The discomfort among the iaboring
element, the higher cost of living, the low
cred purchasing power Of the dollar unit
and tbs effect Of the disclosures of cor
porate abuses, 1t Is generally admitted here.
forced the corporations to adopt a more
liberal policy to the workingmen and there
by conciliate the active antagonism which
was reflected in the election.
1T was predicted that the action of the
Pennsylvania railroad management in in
creasing the wages OF its army Of 1865, 900
men nearly $12.OOO.OOO would soon be fol-
lowed by all the important railroad and in
dustrial corporations of the United States
The Standard Oil Company has decided to
increase the wages Of Its 10000 employees in
different parts Of the United States. The
increases will be carried out through the
company's subsidiary corporations.
Information also reached the city from
Montana that the Amaigamated Copper
Company, generally known as the Copper
Trust, which employs nearly $1,000 men in
the mines Of Montana. has already made a
proposal to It's employees increasing their
wages about 10 per cent.
1.-THE United States Steel Corporation, the
worlds largest trust, which advanced the
wages of its army Of 115O00 employees in
March. 1905, without solicitation from the
men, is also considering the question of a
wage increase.
Action Of Railroads.
1.-The Philadelphia and Reading Company,
Tie view 1OTh SeulTdl, the LdCkdWanNd
and other eastern roads have either been
requested to advance the wages of the en-
ployes or have taken some steps to do So
Railroads which are expected to make
compromises are the Chicago. Milwaukee
and st. Paul. the Rock Island and st. Louis
and San Francisco system. and the North
western. On other railroads terminating
in Chicago 1t Is expected that instead of
general advances in wages special depart
ments Of labor will be advanced to meet
the wages of other branches.
ut became known that the Standard OIL
Company had decided before the election to
increase wages. The first public announce
ment was made yesterday, when 1t was
sidiary concern, manufacturing lubricating
oils had increased the wages Of its men,
Practically all the subsidiary companies will
make similar announcements to 10000 men
within the next few weeks. The increases
will affect more particularly the men who
receive less than SIPS a month.
Heading Of Strikes.
THE action of the copper trust in Mon
tana in offering to increase the wages Of
its men 10 per cent will be no surprise to
those familiar with the conditions Of the
labor market in the great Butte copper
camp. There has been scarcity Of miners
for several months, and the production of
copper, despite the great demand, has not
increased more than to 10 per cent as
compared with the production last year.
The increase in consumption, 1t Is estimat-