The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-08-14
A new RECORD.
Wages Going Up All Over the
Whole Country,
But Raise Does Not Keep Pace With
the Advance in the Cost Of l4ir-

the advance III the toSl Oh I-'-
ing.
1t is believed that the year 1907
will make new record for the num-
ber and extent Of increase in wages
and salaries granted by al kinds of
employers in this country. Reports
which come to the bureau of labor,
together with those received by the
American Federation Of Labor at its
headquarters here, justify this be-
lief.
Wages, speaking broadly, are
higher than they ever were before
in the history Of almost all govern
ments. This is said to be true Of a
great mass Of railroad employees, OF
building trade workers, and OF near
ly all organized trades from which
approximately accurate reports are
obtainable. More than this, the IN
creases which have been secured
during the year 1907 have generally
come without strikes or other Sc
rious difficulty. The best Of the pres
ent day business conditions is to be
found in these reports cf wage and
labor conditions.
There has been much suggestion
since the March stock market panic
of a danger Of slackering Of business
pace, but it is pointed out by the au-
thorities on these subjects that alb
solutely nothing aside from Wall
Street pessimisIn justified such fears.
Certainly the reports of the railroads
and Of big industrial corporations,
showing in the majority of cases an
increase in both gross and net earn
ings and in volume Of business, IN
dicate that business instead of shrink
ing is growing as fast as ever.
Moreover, the outlook is consider
ed to be growing brighter every day.
The spring weather had depressing
effect, and there is general concession
that if weather conditions had been
normal and the market panic not
taken place, 1907 would have been a
season of phenomenal business devel-
opment as never has been parallel.
Even as it is, with the upward turn
in weather, crop conditions, there is
strong impression in treasury and
other quarters closely in touch with
business, that the year is going to
make many new records.
About a year ago Secretary Wilson
declared in a remarkable review that
this country had seen the last Of
what could be called crop failures.
The secretary never lost confidence,
even during the most discouraglng
period of the spring. He insisted
that cotton would come out better
than ever before from like conditions
because cotton was better handled
now; that wheat would surprise
everybody because the new wheat
intended for cultivation in seml-arld
regions, would produce an immense
yield, and largely compensate for
short yields of the older grains; that
better testing Of seed corn and i'm
proved varieties would make the loss
in that crop far less than would have
been experienced if like conditions
had superveneG in the years prior to
the improvement Of farming meth
DDS. In short, the Secretary rigidly
insisted that there was going to be no
crop failure, and declined to be pan
icky.
His Judgment is being vindicated
every day, as reports come from all
the cropping regions of The country.
The crops are not going to be what
they were a year ago, but they are
going to be so much better than was
supposed two months ago that there
is strong disposition to start a new
boom on the strength Of them.
No better sign has appeared than
the reports which railroad men bring
of the betterment of their faculties
in anticipation Of the fall and winter
business. There will be no repetition
this year Of the disastrous traffic con-
gestion of the winter of 1867.
joint. Marchand, assistant to the
president Of the Rock Island system,
who has been in the city this week,
has explained what the Wester and
Southwestern roads are doing to
bring their facilities up to the de-
alands of the times. Mr.. Marchand
was for many years with the inter
state commerce commission, until a
big railroad tempted him away with
an increase Of 100 per cent. in salary.
If the railroads could only get
the labor, the investment Of money
in betterments this year would ex-
ceed anything ever reported" he
said. The trouble is that the labor
can't be had at any price. We are do
ing everything possible, for instance,
on the Rock Islanc lines to establish
2 strictly first class candition. 1t has
been only by the greatest eXertion
that we have been able to get tires,
for instance. Of which we haG hun
dreds of thousands bought, delivered
to us. No labor. The new lines in
the southwest have needed an i'm
inenSe amount OF work and they have
received it. But all the other roads
are making the same determined ef-
fort to bring physical conditions and
facilities up to the new standard
which increased business demands.
and it means that the labor market
has been drained.
But it can be set down as certain
that next fall and winter will not see
a repetition of the troubles Of last
winter. The railroads have: their
tracks in condition, have more cars,
more power, more Of everything, and
have put it all into tfc best possible
state of efficiency. Tonnage is so
big that the prospect of a small re-
duction which seemed to be pronis-
ed during the spring, was really "a
ther gratifying to the operating de-
partlnents, for it gave them a chance