Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-02
LIN AS WAGE RAISER
PROVED IN ENGLAND
:Laboring Glasses Receive Greatly In
creased Compensation Since
HoStilitieS Started.
UPWARD TENDENCY is MARKED
Number of Unemployed Shows Fall
ing OF. and London Passes
s Through Winter With Compare
lively Few Cases of Destitution.

LONDON, May War as wage
raiser has brought to n considerable
proportion of the laboring classes in
England some compensation for the in
.crcased cost of living. Social workers
estimate that the Increased cost of liv-
ing averages at least 10 per cent.
while the average increase in wages is
not over per cent. The plentiful sup
ply of overtime work available in most
trades makes II easy for most work
men 10 more than even matters.
The upward tendency OF the English
worllingmau's wages was very marked
in March According TO the official
Board OF Trade reports. the increases
granted during the month reached a
total of nearly sSG5.oco The number of
workpeople who shared the increases
was 10000.
Increased wages in some of the lead
ing branches OF industry are summed up
briefly follows:
Railwaymen-An round increase of
ssT5 cents a week.
- Long Observation-Disclosures vary from
92t, cents to 81 week.
sE lPolicemen-Wa bonus OF rs cents a
Week upwards.
iCarpenters-War bonus OF 81 to $3.50
& a week.
4 General Observation-Disclosures of rs
cents to $3.50 a week.
6 Miners-Employers generally offer 10
z per cent advance in pay; miners de-
mand 20 per cent.
Postal employees. including telephone
and telegraph workers-Increase Of 81
week has been demanded.
Gas wOrkers-Increase avern
i week.
Rakers-Increase of s125 a week
h asked. but employers offer OF 70 cents
\ accepted pending negotiations.
Textile workcrS--Bonus for overtime
work in factories doing work on army
clothing.
Boot and shoe workcrs-war bonus
81 of ) to 10 per cent granted in some
r places.
t. persmiths-Average wage before
war. So; now. Sl2.50
Clcrks-Some increases; 10000 gro
GERS assistants have asked readjust-
mont wages: similar movements pend
ling In other branches.
Engineering and building trades
tSorkers-Somo sections have secured
substantial increases.
The number of unemployed in Great
Britain shows 4 large falling off in
he past February and March. rs COM
pared with the corresponding months
II last year. Tho Board OF Trades
pbor gazette prints statistics from the
overnments 402 labor exchanges. ac-
ordinE to which there were 5000
Iames on the register last month, rs
against 00,Gl6 for February, and 123,-
FLA for March of last year.
The number of vacancies in employ
1ent reported to the exchanges also
how increase over the late winter
{ 1914 having n daily average of $40.
r n hundred more than the average for
'cbruary and 1000 more than tho aver
ge for March of last year.
London passed through the winter
18th fewer cases of dcstitution demand
ig relief from the poor funds than any
inter within the memory of the pres
mt poor law officials.
The war, in fact, has enabled many
thousands of people belonging 10 the
. lasscS which usually must be helped
dispense with this kind OF relief, and
las even put them in possession OF
fundS more than sufficient TO meet their
needs. London's rauper population has
decreased steadily during the past three
months.
The London Guardians. at the begin
ming of 1913. were providing for 100 900
3paupers. This decrease of $500
from the corresponding date n year be-
fore. April ] showed the total de-
4 creased by n further 5000.
1t is evident, however, that these de-
creases are, In bart, at least, deceptive
being accounted for not by improved
conditions, hut by the fact that great
deal OF relief Is being administered by
new agencies. such as the special war
relief funds and the old age pensions.