Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-06

The WAGES AND THE
HOURS OF LABOR
In the Iron and Steel Industry
as Found and Just Reported
by the United States Depart
ment of Labor

A report on the subject of wages
and hours of labor in the iron and
steel industry has just been published
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the United States Department of
Labor as its Bulletin Isl. The report
is based on information obtained from
the pay rolls of representative estab-
lishments in the various industrial
ceLters of the iron and steel industry.
In three departments for which data
are presented for the years 1907 to
1912 and in six other departments for
which data are presented for the
years 1910 to 1912, the average wages
per hour and the average full time
weekly earnings of employees were
with few exceptions higher in 1912
than in any of the preceding years
while the average frli-time hours per
week were in most cases lower. There
was thus an increase of wages and a
reduction of hours of work per week
in the industry as a whole, though in
certain departments the tendency
toward higher wages and earnings and
lower hours was not constant from
year to year.
III pidSt luiHdCeS, The Iui- llIuo
weekly earnings in 1912 were IL per
cent. higher than in 1907, 7.3 per cent
higher than in 1908. SO per cent, high
er than in 1909. 0.3 per cent. higher
than in 1910, and 0.6 per cent. lower
than in 1911. In the Bessemer-c
verting department in 1912 the full
time weekly earnings were As per
cent. higher than in 1907. ID per cent
higher than in 1908, ~ per cent. higher
than in 1909, &c per cent. higher than
in 1910, and rs per cent. higher than
in 1911. In bar mills the full-time
weekly earnings in 1912 were 23 per
cent. lower than in 1907, 81 per cent.
higher than in 1908, 6.3 per cent. high
err than in 1909. 3.S per cent. lower
than in 1910, and 1 per cent, higher
than in 1911.
For the six other departments fig
ures are shown only for the three
years. 1910, 1911 and 1912. In five Of
these, namely, the epen-hearth
blooming, plate, sheet, and tin-plate
departments full-time weekly earnings
were higher in 1912 than in either of
the two preceding years. In the other
one, standard-rail mills, ll-time
There was a reduction of hours of
labor between 1907 and 1912 in the
blast furnace, Bessemer converting,
and bar-mill departments. and with
the exception Of plate mills each Of
the other departments of the industry
shows a reduction of hours between
1910 and 1912. In blast furnaces the
full-time hours per week were SO per
cent. lower in 1912 than in 1907, in
Bessemer conyerters % per cent. low
er, and in bar mills 1.3 per cent. lower.
In open hearth furnaces the full time
hours per week were 0.S per cent.
lower in 1912 than in 1910, in blooming
mills 06 per cent. lower, in standard
rail mills Az per cent. lower, in sheet
mills 13 per cent. lower, and in tin
plate mills GA per cent. lower, while in
plate mills the full time hours in 1912
were 0.3 per cent. higher than in 1910.
In the establishments reporting
there was a marked reduction in the
proportion of employees customarily
working seven days per week. This
was made possible by the custom
adopted in many plants of making
provision to lay of one day per week
each employee in the seven-day occu-
pations-thus making six-day week
for those employees. In the blast
furnaces the proportion Of 7-day
workers fell from 97.2 per cent in 1907
10 50 per cent in 1912, and during the
same period the proportion Of such
workers fell from 24.i to 14.e Per cent.
In BegEemer converters and from IL