The Washington herald., 1907-09-08
Bureau Compares Advance
with Cost of Food.
INCREASE IN ALL INDUSTRIES
Report for Year 1906 shows that
Raise in Pay Was Greater Than
the Cost of Food in Corresponding
Time-Decrease I'm Hours OF Work.
Retail Prices OF Commodities.

in proportion 10 the increase OF wages
during 1906 is the result Of the annual
investigation which has Just been COM
pleted by the Bureau of Labor. The
wages received in 1906 will procure ii
per cent more food than those received
in 1870.
The report shows that in the principal
manufacturing and mechanical industries
of the country the average wages per
hour in 1895 were As per cent higher
than in 1906. while the regular hours
of work were O5 per cent lower, and
the number OF employees in the establish
ments investigated per cent greater
The average full time weekly earnings
per employe in 1906 were SO per cent
greater than in 1906
During 1896 wages were increased gen
orally in nearly all industries, forty of
the forty-one industries covered by the
investigation showing some increase.
The greatest increase was in the man
ufacture Of cotton goods. where the aver
age wages per hour in 1896 We're Il2 per
cent higher than In 1905. In the manu-
facture of electrical apparatus and sup
plies the increase was 101 per cent. In
street and sewer work done by contract,
the increase was 81 per cent in iron
and steel. Bessemer converting, &5 per
cent. and in the manufacture Of cigars,
81 per cent In the manufacture Of bar
iron. the increase in wages per hour was
6-9 per cent, and in the building trades.
6.1 per cent.
Incrense in Hourly Wages.
Briefly stated. two industries showed an
Increase IN hourly wages OF more than
10 per cent. seven industries an Increase
Of 3 per cent, but less than 10 per cent,
and thirty-one industries an increase OF
less than 8 per cent In one industry
paper and wood pulp-there was a de-
crease Of Il per cent. In the industries
as a whole weighted according 10 i'm
portance, the increase in hourly wages
was As per cent
The fact should be borne in mind that
these figures apply only 10 wageworkers
in manufacturing and mechanical indus
tries. and do not show conditions so far
as salaried employees are concerned.
Prices of Food.
The retail prices Of food. weighted ae-
cordins to consumption IN representative
workingmens families were 29 per cent
higher in 1906 than in 1905. As the ad-
vance in wages per hour from 1906 TO 1906
was greater than the advance In the re-
tail prices of food, the purchasing power
Of an hours wages, as measured by food.
was greater in 1906 than In the preceding
year In 1905 the purchasing power of an
hours wages as expended for food was
IA per cent greater than in 1905. and the
purchasing power Of full weeks wages
was / per cent greater in 1906 than in
1sy5. or, in otl.er words, an hours wages
in 1906 in the manufacturing and mechan-
ical industries Of the United States would
purchase Il per cent more food than an
hours wages ia 1905 and a full week $
wages In 1906 would purchase / per cent
more food than fun weeks wages in
1860
Increase Grows Steadily.
The price of food was higher in every
month of 1896 than in the corresponding
month of 1903. The increase over the cor
responding month Of the preceding year,
which In February, 1906, was only o. per
cent, grew steadily greater throughout
the year the price in December, 1906.
being 81 Per cent above that of the pre-
ceding December. The price in December,
1906. was as per cent higher than the
average for the year 1906, which year
showed a higher average than any other
year during the seventeen years, 1890 to
1906. covered by the investigation OF the
Bureau OF Labor
The increase in prices in 1896 over 1906
applied, in unequal degree, to twenty
five Of the thirty articles included in the
investigation. The articles which showed
the greatest advance in prices are lard
S6 per cent; evaporated apples, 81 per
cent; fresh pork. SIS per cent: dry or
picked pork. ST per cent; bacon, 81 per
cent; ham. 73 per cent; while the ad-
vance in fresh fish and mutton exceeded
per cent The only articles which show
ed any material decrease are -four and
sugar.
Show Marked Advance.
The articles which showed the most
marked advance in prices in December.
1906, over December. 1905. are butter, Is
per cent; lard, l3.s per cent; fresh pork,
I2.2 per cent; dry or picked pork. n.9
per cent; bacon, Ill per cent; and ham.
9.S per cent The only articles which
showed any marked decline in price in
December. 1906. from the price in Decem-
Der, 1906. are potatoes, 5.S per cent, and
-four, as per cent
As compared with the average for the
ten-year period. 1880 70 1899. the average
wages per hour in 1906 were 242 Der cent
higher. the number Of employees In the es-
adjustments investigated was 42.9 per
cent greater and the average hours of
labor per Week were 46 per cent lower
The average earnings per employe per fun
week in 1906 were 1S.5 per cent higher than
the average earnings per fun week during
the ten years, 1890 to 1893.
Retail Prices of Food.
The retail price Of the principal articles
Of food. weighted according 10 family con-
sumption of the various articles. was 15.7
per cent higher in 1906 than the average
price for the ten years, 1880 to 1893. Com
pared with the average for the same ten
year period, the purchasing power OF an
hours wages in 1906, as measured by food
was I3 per cent greater. and of a full
weeks wages - per cent greater, the in
crease In the purchasing power of the full
weeks wages being less than the increase
In the purchasing power of hourly wages
because Of the reduction In the hours OF
labor.
LIGHT nm MUROFR pTOT