The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-12-19
WAGES INCREASED BY
TRUSTS and RAILROADS
Finaiciers Strive to Check An
tagonism Shown in Election
COST OF living is Higher
Standard Oil, Copper and Steel Cor
poratioEs Decide, to Let Men
Prosper-Big Roads in Line
Follow Lead Of Pennsylvania.

New York City.-Praetically& all
the great railroad and.industrial corr
porations of thescountry, the affairs
of which are directed from this city,
have decided to increase the prevail
ing rate of wages to their employees.
It vas predicted that the action OF
the Pennsylvania Railroad manage
ment in increasing the wages of It's
army of 165, 600 men nearly $12,-
900 1000 would soon be followed by
all the important railroad and indus
trial corporations of the United
States.
The Standard OIL Company has de-
cided to increase the wages of its
$4,000 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 Montana1that the Amalgamated
Copper Company, generally known as
the Copper Trust, which employs
nearly $1,000 men in the mines Of
Montana, has already made a pro-
posal to its employees increasing their
wages about ten per cent.
The United. States Steel Corpora
ton, the worlds largest trust, which
advanced the wages Of its army of
Its 900 employees in March, 1905,
without solicitation from the men,
is also considering the question Of a
wage increase. ~ y
The Philadelphia and Reading
Company, the New York Central, the
Lackawanna and other Eastern roads
vance the wages Of the employees or
have taken some steps to do 30.
-. One reason for the general ten
dency of trust managers to increase
the wages Of the workmen was
brought out by a trade agency, which
reported that the present cost Of liy-
ing was the highest in twenty years.
According to the last Dun's Index
Number of, Commodity Prices Pro-
%portioned to Consumption, the aver
age cost was $106.683 on November
II last. Compared with a year ago
on the same date the present cost, as
shown by the index number, Is So
higher.
Men Of prominence in the financial
world saw in the concerted action of
the great corporations a desire to
checkmate the growing tide of an
tagonism to corporations such as was
brought out in the recent election.
The discomfort among the laboring
element, the higher cost Of. living,
the lower purchasing power Of the
dollar unit and the effect of the dis
closures of corporate abuses, it 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.
It became known that the Standard
OIL Company had decided before the
election to increase wages. The first
public announcement was made when
it was said that the Galena Oil Com
pany, a subsidiary concern, manufac-
turing lubricating oils, had increased
the wages Of its men. Practically all
the subsidiary companies will make
similar announcements to $4,000
men within the next few weeks. The
increase will affect more particularly
the men who receive less than 1925
a month. ,..
The action of the Copper Trust in
Montana in Offering to increase the
wages Of its men ten 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 a scarcity Of miners
for several months, and the produc-
tion Of copper, despite the great de-
mand, has not increased more than
five to ten per cent. as compared
with the production last year. The
increase in consumption, it is esti-
mated, has been at least thirty per
cent. Many estimate the increase in
consumption to be about forty per
cent.
Railroads which are expected to
make compromises are the Chicago,
Milwaukee and st. Paul, the Rock
Island and st. Louis and San Fran
cisco system, and the Northwestern.
On other railroads terminating in
Chicago it is expected that instead
of general advances in wages special
departments Of labor will be adj
vanced to meet the wages Of other
branches.