The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1907-09-12
WAGES ARE up
MORE THAN FOOD
Results Of InVsstiga' Ion By Bureau
of Labor.
THE PURCHASING POWER OF LABOR.
Comparison Between the Years 1905
and 1sO6-The Figures Apply Only
to WagewOrkers in Industrial and
Mechanical Enterprises and Not
to Clerks.


to Clerks.
Washington, D. Q. Especially Tho
annual Investigation Of the Bureau
of Labor into wages and the retail
prices of food, the report on which
mas Just been placed In the hands
OF the printer, shows that in the
principal manufacturing and mechan-
ical industries Of the country aver
age wages per hour in 1906 were As
per cent. higher than in 1905, the
regular hours of labor per week were
% per cent. lower, and the number
or employees In the establishments in
vestigated was per cent. greater.
The average full-time weekly earn
lngs per employe in 1906 were 80
per cent. greater than in 1905.
During 1906 wages were increased
generally in nearly all industries, 40
or the Al industries covered by the
investigation showing some increase.
The greatest increase was in the man
ufacturing of cotton goods, where the
average wages per hour in 1906 were
11.2 per cent. higher than in 1905.
In the manufacture of electrical ap-
paratus and supplies the increase was
1O.1 per cent. In street and sewer
work done by contract the increase
was 81 per cent; in iron and steel,
Bessemer converting, S.5 per cent,
and in the manufacture of cigars, ga
per cent
In the manufacture of bar iron the
increase in wages per hour was Go
per cent. and in the building trades
6-1 per cent. Briefly stated. two in
dustries showed an increase in hourly
wages of more than 10 per cent,
seven industries an increase of 5 per
cent. but less than 10 per cent, and
1 industries an increase of less than
5 per cent.
Tho fact should be borne in mind
that these figures apply only to wage
workers in manufacturing and me-
chanical industries and do not show
conditions so far as salaried employees
are concerned.
The retail prices Of food, weighted
according to consumption in repre-
sentative workingmens families, were
20 per cent. higher in 1906 than in
1905. AS the advance in wages per
hour from 1905 to 1906 was greater
than the advance In the retail prices
OF food, the purchasing power of an
hours wages, as measured by food,
was greater in 1906 than in the pre-
ceding year.
In 1906 the purchasing power. of
an hours wages as expended for
food was IA per cent. greater than
in 1905 and the purchasing power
of a full weeks wages was 1 per
cent. greater in 1906 than in 1905,
or, in other words, an hours wages
in 1906 in the manufacturing and
mechanical industries of the United
States would purchase IA per cent.
more food than an hours wages in
1905 and a full weeks wages in 1906
would purchase 1 per cent. more food
than a full weeks wages in 1905.
The price Of food was higher in
every month of 1906 than in the
corresponding month OF 1905. The
increase over the corresponding
month of the preceding year, which
cent, grew steadily greater through
out the year. the price in December,
1906, being 81 per cent. above that
of the preceding December
The price in December, 1906, was
AS per cent. higher than the aver
age for the year 1906, which year
showed a higher average than any
other year during the II years, 1890
to 1906, covered by the investigation
of the Bureau of Labor
The increase in prices in 1906 over
1905 applied, in unequal degree, to
% of the so articles included in the
investigation. The articles which
showed the greatest advance in prices
are lard, 9.S per cent; evaporated
apples, 81 per cent; fresh pork,
SIS per cent; dry or picked pork,
ST per cent; bacon, ga per cent;
ham, 7.S per cent; while the advance
in fresh fish and mutton exceeded 5
per cent. The only articles which
showed any material decrease are
flour and sugar.
The articles which showed the most
marked advance in prices In Deem
Der, 1906. over December, 1905, are:
Butter, 5 per cent; lard, 1879 per
cent; fresh pork, 1872 per cent; dry
-or picked pork, 11.9 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
December, 1905, are: Potatoes, So
per cent; and -four, AS per cent.