Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-14
WAGES HIGHER LAST YEAR
Bureau of Labor Issues Comparison
with Rate of Pay Year
Previous.

| WASHINGTON Aug. ia report was
Issued by the bureau Of labor today of an
investigation into. wages and hours OF
labor In 1906 in the principal manufacturing
and mechanical Industries OF the United
states. The report gives the average wages
and hours of labor and the number of
employees in Identical establishments in
both 1904 and 1906. While the figures pre-
scented are not exhaustive for the United
states. the. report says:
II Is believed they are fairly represen-
tative OF the Industries investigated"
Continuing, the report says:
Inc results of this Investigation show
tnat IN 1893 the average wages per hour
IN the principal mAnufa curing and me-
chanical Industries OF the country were I6
per cent higher than in 1904, that the aver
age hours OF labor per week remained the
same as IN 1909, and that SO per cont more
persons were employed In the establish
nents investigated. AS there was no re-
duction in the average hours OF labor per
week the average weekly earnings per en-
ploye was l,6 per cent higher than in 1904
AS there was an increase In the number OF
employees as well as in the weekly earnings
per employe there was a considera BILE In
crease in the weekly earnings OF all EN-
pioyes' or, In other words, in the amount
OF the weekly pay roll This increase was
ted. cent III 'i'e es'aOi'nrhen's inVe'isa-
When the figures of this article relating
the succeeding article relating TO retail
prices OF food are brought together, 1t
is seen that the retail prices OF food, due
Of the different commodities consumed,
were SO per cent higher in 1905 than in
lSo4. AS the average wages per hour in
the purchasing power of wages increased.
in 1905 the purchasing power OF both
hourly and weekly wages were ! per cent
words, an hours wages In 1905 would pur-
chase per cent more food than an hours
"The average wages per hour in 1905 were
1873 per cent higher than. the Average for
the ten-year period from 1880 to 1899 in
per cent. greater and the average hours OF
labor per week were Al per cent. lower.
The average earnings per week were in 1895
IA per cent higher than the average earn
ings per week during the ten years from
1880 to 1893. The aggregate weekly earn
ings of all employes-that is, the total
amount of the pay-rells-were 523 per cent.
higher in 1905 than the average during the
ten-year period n2ned.
'The retail pricf of the principal articles
of food, estimated according TO family con-
sumption OF the various articles, was l24
per cent. higher in 1905 than was the aver
age price for the ten years from 1890 to
1899 Compared with the average for the
same ten-year period, the purchasing power
of an hours wages in 1906 was SIS per cent.
greater, and of weeks wages Ia per cent.
greater, the increase in purchasing power of
the weekly wages being less than the in
crease in purchasing power Of hourly wages
because of the reduction of hours OF labor
during the period.
THE average wages per hour In 1905 was
21.5 per cent. higher than 1894, the year OF
lowest wages during the period covered,
and weekly earnings were 1861 per cent.
higher. The purchasing power OF an
hours wages was greater in 1905 than IN
any other year covered by this investiga-
ton, being III per cent. greater than I'm
1894 the year OF lowest wages and 10 per
cent greater than In 1890, the year Of low
est retail prices The purchasing power OF
a weeks wages in 1905 was 3.5 per cent.
greater than in 1894 but 81 per cent. less
than in 1885,
In making the inquiry the labor bureau
attempted to cover only those industries in
which the wages paid in the United States
in one year were 100000 or over. The
data presented was obtained IN all cases
by special agents of the bureau. through
personal visits to the establishments rep
resented.