Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-06-26
WAGES OF UNION MEN GENERALLY
 SHOW INCREASE

The union scale of wages and hours of labor for S9 of the principal trades in 47 of the leading cities of the United States prevailing in May, 1915, are published in bulletin No. 194, just issued by the bureau of labor statlst- ics of the United States department or labor. The scales shown are those of the baking, brewing, building. freight handling, stone, metal, mill work, printing, soft-drink, and teaming trades.
 The average rate of wages per week for all cities taken collectively was higher on May 1. 1915. than on May 1, 1914, for A of the trades re- ported, in A trades there was no change and in only one trade was it lower.
 Considering some of the more i'm portant trades, the following in creases in weekly rates of pay be- tween May. 1914, and May, 1915, are noted: Bakers 1 per cent, beer bot tiers per cent, carpenters l per cent, bod carriers 1 per cent, inside wremen per cent, plumbers and gas filters 1 per cent, slate and tile roof
 
 cent, painters Hardwood finishers) 4 per cent; ,electrotypers (battery men and builders) 3 per cent. electroypers (fnshers and molders} 2 per cent, compositors' (book and job 1 per cent, web pressmen (newspaper) 1 per cent.
 Considering rates of wages per hour as distinguished from rates per week, 47 trades showed an increase, AZ no change, and for none was the rate lower.
 |s. % Highest Wage Scales. F The highest scales per hour paid in May, 1915, in a few of the princi- pal traeds were as follows: Brick layers 'S7.5 cents, in Dallas, Houston and San Frandsco carpenters 65 cents in Chicago and Kansas City; portable and hoisting engineers 75 cents. in Chicago. St. Louis and San Francisco; bod carriers 50 cents, in Portland, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Spokane; inside wiremen 75 cents, in St. Louis; paint CTS 70 cents, in Chicago; plasterers S7.5 cents, in Dallas, Houston and San Francisco; plumbers and gas filters 75 cents, in Birmingham. Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Portland. St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle; stone cutters 70 cents, in Portland and San Francisco: struc- tural ironworkers 70 cents, in Cleve land and Indianapolis; granite cut ters 6SS cents, in New York, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle; linotype operators (Hebrew. book and job) S3.3 cents, in New York: com positors (English newspapers), day work, 75 cents, in Seattle. As to changes in hours of labor, 19 trades showed a reduction of hours between May, 1914, and May, 1915, 70 reported no changes, and none report ed an increase.
 In 1915 the union scales in the bak- ing trade show hours in some locali ties as low as AS per week, but sen erally they are higher. The building and stone trades in a great majority of the cities have an 8-hour day and most of these trades also have Sat urday half holiday either for the whole year or part of the year.
 The hours of labor in the metal trades range from A to 60 per week, 54 being the predominant hours. The printing trades in the book and job offices have an S-hour day in nearly all the cities covered, and in the newspaper offices all trades have an 8-hour day or less.
 The bulletin further shows by index numbers (percentages) the relative change between 1907 and 1915 in union wages and hours of labor as Uyif ofoi1 of and in the purchasing power of wages 1.