New Britain herald., 1917-01-29
wage INCREASES
IN NOV. and DEC.
More Than 100000 Employees
Benefit During Last Two Months
Especial to the Herald.)

Washington, Jan. 29.-Secretary Of J
Labor William B. Wilson stated that
more than eleven hundred thousand
wage earners in the United States re-
ceived substantial increases in pay in
the months Of November and Decent
Der, 1916, according to figures just
compiled.
with few minor EXCEPTIONS said
the secretary, "all of the 1,113,970 in
creases came after election day,
November and 931,763 during De-
cember. This is extremely interesting
in view of the prediction of closed
shops soup Kitchens bread lines,'
etc., should President Wilson be re-
elected, with which the repub an
managers flooded the columns Of The
newspapers and plastered the bill
boards Of the country in the last six
weeks of the campaign. 1t is signifi-
cant that Of the 1,118,97O of workers
affected, only $1,000, or a little more
than 3 per cent. are employed in the
manufacture Of munitions. 1t is also
significant that whereas 66 of the PIP
increases noted for November were
the result of strikes, only 33 of the
3O4 for December were secured
NIIIOueH IHlS metnOd.
I have had prepared from various
newspapers and periodicals tables
showing wage increases secured by
employees in manufacturing and other
establishments in the months men,
toned. The figures presented were Sc
cured from As trade union periodi-
calls, AZ labor papers, 6 leading trade
journals, and over SO daily newspapers
published in various parts of the
country. Great care has been taken
to eliminate all Duplicates,
THE reports for November, 1916,
show 212 statements of wage in
creases in 38 states. Three of the
reports relate to railroads and other
interstate esta b1ishment OF these
212 reports 131 show the number of
! establishments affected to be 1853, and
II reports show POT employees af-
fected. OF the PIP reports Of wage
increases 81 are stated to be the result
of mutual agreement between en-
ployer and employees sc as the result
of strikes, " by. voluntary action on
the part Of the employer and for the
remaining II no reason was stated.
The second table shows the same in
formation arranged by industry or
occupation This tabulation II re-
ployes affected, the largest number
affected being in foundry and machine
shop, 32,436; mining, 27,5O0; iron and
steel, 24,500; boots and shoes, 1890;
textile workers, 1880; tanning, |
5000.
1.-THE publication examined for the !
month of December show 304 reports 1
of wage INCREASES. These were for es-
Establishments in 38 states, Fl of which |
were for railroads and other inter- |
state establishments. Of these 3O4 re-
ports, 200 showed a total of 359 es-
Establishments involved. One hundred
and forty reports showed the total
number of employees benefited by the
increase of wages to be 981, 1853. OF
these 3O4 reports of wage increases IS
were reported to be obtained by mu-
tual agreement between employer and
employees, 33 as the result of Strikes,
172 by voluntary action of the en-
ployer, and for the remaining 54, no
reason was given. The second table
shows the same information tabulated
by industry or occupation. This table
shows that the largest number OF en-
ployes benefited we're in iron and
steel, 341,6OO; textile workers, 208,-
$50; garment workers, 112,30O work.
| ers in electrical supplies, $4,000; mu-
nitions, $4,000, boots and shoes, 3d.
1870; telephone and telegraph service,
$4,000, paper manufacturing, 23,1 lis.
| "In the reports from which our
| figures were compiled there was no
! uniformity in stating the amount of
! increase, and in a large proportion of
| the cases it was not possible to de-
termine a percentage. In the cases
, where the increase was stated in the
form of percentage or where per-
| centage could be computed, the pre-
| vailing increases were from per
cent. to 10 per cent