Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-18
AUTO LABOR ON JOY RIDE
Huge Army of Skilled Workmen in
the Factories.
MILLIONS IN WEEKLY WAGE BILL
Well Paid Labor Diligently Employed
at the Head of the Golden
stream--Facts that Are
Worth Considering.

It's quite the fashion nowadays-especi-
ally on the part Of non-motoring folks
to characterize the automobile as the visit
bic sign Of the maddest, most extravagant
craze of the last century as we'll as the
present one-thus far. But is IT. Let us
see who benefits most by this expensive
adjunct to our complex life. Let's be hon
est, and while acknowledging that the new
game demands dollars, suppose we see how
those dollars are distributed. Let US form
some idea, unpleasant though 1t may be,
of what would be the result II that golden
stream were damned up, or diminished in
any considerable degree.
This is question so tremendous, and
the welfare Of the entire nation Is SO bound
up in 1t, that 1t is almost beyond compre-
hension that the ablest economists Of our
time have not given it the attention II
rightfuly deserves.
Are you incredulous at that reference TO
the welfare OF the entire nation? You
cannot have looked into this matter very
carefully IL that is your attitude Here
are some leading facts that are easily veri-
fled And there are some byways leading
from the main thoroughfare OF this story
with more facts strewn along them that
mean countless millions Of money, though
they cannot be tabulated In cold figures
But every merchant, banker and manu-
facturer who reads these lines is In touch
with at least one of the side lines that
shall be mentioned. and with that knowl-
edge as a yardstick he can shrewdly esti-
mate the broad scope and enormous total
OF the business which is absolutely de-
pendent upon this mighty industry.
Michigan during this present year will
turn out over so per cent, approximately
OF the motor cars In completed form
which will make up the United states
output for 1910 which has been estimated
at 100000 cars and can be very conserva-
lively placed at 10000 machines. Mlchl-
gan employs directly in this industry 5000
persons who are classed by the manufac-
turers under the head Of productive labor.
This will give us, by adding uhe number
required 10 build the other 20 per cent OF
cars made in the United States this year
an army OF 1900 at the least
Well Paid Labor.
And this is we'll paid labor. II begins
to draw from Sl.76 to 81 per day from its
first induction into the factory-raw, un-
taught. but willing. At the other end OF
the scale are men making S or more. and
the average daily wage in Detroit factories
is sac This accounts, therefore, for an
nual wages to the tune Of t6A,OOo,OOO. Again
the figure Is conservative. An estimate
| from a leading maker puts the weekly vase
| bill for Detroit alone at N.oo.Oo
Workmen must be directed, their procuct
handled commercially. and this necessitates
a great corps of well paid office help. The
rule seems to be that one office man or wo-
man Cincluding company officers actively
Employed Is needed for every eight work
men Their average salary is very modestly
estimated at $1,000 per year, which swells
| our distribution Of wages TO the rather I'M
| pressive total OF $6tOoo,OOo.
Here is something 10 ponder over; The
automobile and It's allied industries have
done more to solve the age-old problem OF
| the unemployed than anything that mas
happened since the first railroad was built.
Thus far we have merely accounted for
a beEgariy Ss4,OOO,OO0 paid out to labor In
tho automobile factories aione-which hap
pens TO be twtoe the entire appropriation
made by congress for legislative, judicial
and executive purposes in these United
States last year. We have taken no ac-
count Of the cost Of material. either raw
or in a finished state. which Is embodied In
our 1910 cars
But before reaching that factor-and IT'S
tremendous one-hear this from Mich
igan automobile manufacturer; we are
putting enormous sums into betterments.
because We have an abiding path in the
future % the automobile. This is an era OF
building for the automobile rather than one
OF automobile building. l believe that Dor
every man who IL working in an autOmo-
bile factory this year there is a busy work