The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-09-01
HARVESTER COMPANY WAGE
INCREASES SINCE 1902


turing establishments all over the
country to the Chicago works of the
international Harvester company.
some interesting information was
brought out concerning wage increases
during the last fourteen years. At the
very beginning of the disturbance In
the Harvester plants, the management
ordered a careful investigation of the
wage increases to its employees since
1902, the year the company was organ
ICED. In order that this investigation
might be fair, accurate, and impartial,
the company went outside and en-
gagged a firm of certified public &C
countants to make detailed examina-
ton of the pay rolls from the year OF
the company's organization down to
the present
Without waiting for this report, the
company proceeded at once to offer its
employees In the Mccormick and
Deering works a new schedule, In
creasing the minimum rate to 25 cents
an hour and granting a new rate which
was equivalent to a wage increase OF
IL 1-9 per cent. This new schedule
was applied to all employment, piece
work or time.
Examination of the pay rolls by the
certified accountants showed that the
wages, even before the recent in
crease, were much higher than those
IN effect when the company was or
ganized. The following certified re-
port was made as to the Mccormick
and Deering works:
CERTIFICATE
We have made an investigation
of the pay roll situation at the
Deering and Mccormick Harves-
ter works of the international Har
vester company of New Jersey,
and
WE HEREBY CERTIFY, That
the average hourly rate of wages
of employees of these works lex.
elusive of superintendent and
general foremen) during April,
1916, shows an increase of 50.34
per cent over the average hourly
rate for the manufacturing season
of 1902.
(Signed) HASKINS & SELLS,
Certified Public Accountants
This report shows an increase OF
more than one-half in the hourly rate
of wages from 1902 down to April, 1915.
When to that is added the increase
granted in the new schedule effective
May LIST, it makes the actual total in
crease of the hourly wage rate from
1902 to the present time 67.03 per cent
more than two-thirds.
A week later the same firm rendered
another certified report covering the
Deering and Mccormick Irvine mills,
as follows:
CERTIFICATE
We have made an investigation
of the pay roll situation at the
Deering and Mccormick Irvine
mills OF the International Harves-
ter company of New Jersey. and
WE HEREBY CERTIFY, That
the average hourly rates of wages
OF employees of these mills lex
elusive OF superintendent during
April, 1916, show increases over
the average hourly rates during
lIC bNdooh Vi 1--we
as follows:
Per Cent.
Female employees .......58.59
Male Employees .........51.47
All employees ...........55.91
This comparison is on the day
shift only; night workers are paid
premium of 10 per cent over day
wages, which was not the practice
in 1902.
(Signed) HASKINS & SELLS,
Certified Public Accountants
But there had also been new
schedule for the twine mills, effective
May /, 1916. Adding the increase In.
cluded therein to the figures OF the
certified accountants report, the total
increases in the Irvine mills from
1902 to date are:
Per Cent.
Male workers ..........76.S4
Female workers 1900. 1858
Total ..................S6 .46
That means a total increase of the
hourly wage rate in the twine mills
from 1902 to date, of more than four
ifths.
The farmer has not felt the effect OF