The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-11-05
WAGE RATES AND FOOD PRICES

According 10 Bulletin No. II of the
bureau of labor, of the department
of commerce and labor, which has
just been issued, an investigation of
the principal wage working oeeupar
tions in 1859 establishments repre-
senting the principal manufacturing
and mechanical industries of the
country showed that the average
wages per hour in 1907 were 81 per
cent higher than in 1906, the regular
hours of labor per week were 4 per
cent lower than in 1906, and the
number of employees in the establish
ments Investigated was / per cent
greater than in 1906.
Investigations covering the sales of
LOLA dealers in GS localities show
that the retail prices of 30 principal
articles of food, weighed according to
consumption in representative work
ingmen's families, were AZ per cent
higher in 1907 than in 1906. As the
advance in retail prices from 1906
to 1907 was greater than the ad-
vance in wages per hour, the pur-
chasing power of an hours wages, as
measured by food, was slightly less
in 1907 than in 1906, the decrease
being one-half of l per cent.
Average hourly wages in 1907
were higher than in any other year
of the Is year period, 1890 to 1907,
and more than 20 per cent higher
than the average in any year from
1890 to 1900. As compared in each
case with the average for the 10
year period, 1890 to 1899, average
hourly wages in 1907 were 2S.s per
cent higher, the number of employees
in the establishments investigated
was 44.4 per cent greater, and the
average hours of labor per week were
) per cent lower.
The average price of food in 1907
was also higher than in any other
year of the IS year period, 1890 to
1907. The average price of 80 prin-
cipal articles, weighed according to
family consumption of the various ar.
ticles, was 20.6 per cent higher in
1907 than the average price for the
10 years from 1890 to 1899. Com
pared with the average for the same
10 year period, the purchasing power
of an hours wages in 1907 was 6.s
per cent greater.
The increase in average hourly
al in 1907 over 1906 was quite
general, occurring in 40 of the Al
industries covered by the investiga-
tion of the bureau OF labor. The
greatest increase was in the manufac-
ture of cotton goods, where the av-
erage wages per hour in 1907 were
1873 per cent higher than in 1906.
In the manufacture of paper and
wood pulp the increase was 1O.1 per
cent; In eight other industries the
increase was 5 per cent, but less than
10 per cent, and in 80 industries the
increase was less than 5 per cent.
In one industry, Bessemer steel,
there was a decrease of wages of 0.9
per cent. In the Al industries as a
whole, weighted according to i'm
portance, the increase in wages per
hour was 81 per cent.
OF the 80 articles of food covered
by the Investigation % were higher
In price In 1907 than in 1906. The
articles which showed the greatest
advance in prices are -four SO per
cent, butter s per cent, evaporated
apples rs per cent, milk rs per cent,
corn meal 6.S per cent, cheese 81
per cent, and potatoes "a per cent.
The only article which showed a de-
crease is tea, the decrease being o.
per cent. The average prices of 20
Of the 80 articles were higher in
1907 than IN any years of the rs
year period 1890 to 1907.
- ~. .fAa. &, roducad ~ a