Evening journal., 1920-11-01
THE HIGH COST or STRIKES
Strikes and the High Cost of Lining

Strikes made potatoes cost 81 more
-suts $50 more-rent S32 more. and
specifically raised the prices OF hun
dreds OF other necessities OF all kinds.
But such individual and special
laects are only the high lights OF the
feW or the more direct and obvious
costs OF strikes to you. TO get any
llea or the whole cost OF strikes We
must examine the background of the
sulke piclurc-get at the basic gen
eral facts OF the strike problem.
In 1919, 32'2 strikes were officially
reported. or these the United States
department OF Labor ahalyzed 1905
and found that In only this so per
cent. OF all strikes 3.950.Aii strikers
lost an average Of thirty-four days
per slrlke, which means loss of f3i-
100000 working days.
Another analysis OF only pari OF
last years strikes shows 57.8S5 days
OF striking by an average OF 1910
workers TO each strike, or a loss OF
aDout iOOOO0OOO working days.
Neither OF these Investigations. in
Guides the hours lost by all labor and
lhe days lost by part OF labor while
'he. strike was being f0mented and
aSltated before 10 began, or the time
lost after the men began to come
back. Neither OF them includes more
Than GO per cent. OF all the strikes Of
which we have record. There was,
therefore, far more than 49,. 10000
perhaps nearly twice. i3i 200. 600 49,
working days actually lost by the
strikers alone.
But practically every one Of these
more than 100000 workers, who
themselves lost more than 3i,30O.0O0
working days last year, caused other
workers to lose time and wages-in
every instance two and three and five
anC ten times as many other workers
i n one instance 700 times as many |
other workers, as the number who
actually struck.
We know then. even IN ough we
haven't the exact figures. that indus |
try and the country lost last year |
alone, directly or Indirectly through !,
strikes, literally hundreds OF millions |
perhaps altogether 5O0OO0,0OO work. |
ing days.
Counting only the isi3OOOOO work !
ing days lost, that means, at an aver
age OF Sc day, SSO5 100000 wages |
lost.
The total wages lost to labor di-
rectly and indirectly due TO last years |
strickland, because they were not |
earned and not spent by labor. lost 70
business OF the whole cOuntry-tO-
tails billions OF dollars.
But these are only the first items
In the high cost Of strikes.
In the shoe industry last year a
dollars worth of labor applied I
through tools and machinery TO the
raw material produced over 81 wcrlh
OF finished product. A dollar In the
mems clothing Industry produced SO
in finished product. A dollar in the
furniture industry produced IS worth
or finished product. A dollar In he
cotton Industry produced nearly So
worth OF product. In the coal indus
Try the rate was 3 to 1 and while in
many industries II was much higher,
n few industries Is 10 lower than this. !
II, then. we figure that for each
iollar In wages lost only SO was lost {
n production. this means That the ,
lays OF labor lost by only the actual !
strikers In about 60 per cent Of last \
years strikes cut last years produc- {
Ion, at factory prices, about $1,000
10000.
II we try 10 count up the total OF /
low much less production the whole !
country had 10 sell, and make a profit {
IN, and enjoy because of an the time !
ost last year directly and indirectly I
hrough all strikes, the figures would J
le unbelievable. I
In fact, ID has been said that the c
otal costs OF strikes last year was Z
.reater than years cost OF The war. Q
This Is undoubtedly true.
In 1918, at the end OF the war, the d
rice level was 201-i07 points higher a
han In 1913. S
At the end OF the Civil War the /
rice level was i9O-i02 points higher a
han when the war begaa, and the c
Ugh prices were accompanied by (
Ugh profits and ligh vases, Just as q
q our own war. Z
But whereas. by 1867. the second {
ear after the Civil War. prices had Y
'one down 30 points, within two a
ears after IN e. World War prices. as n
We all know too well, had gone 65 a
l0ints still further up. n
The primary and basic and biggest y
eason is strikes. n
When the Civil War ended our | p
Whole people, inspired by the incen-
I've OF the big profits and high 4
wages, went unanimously and whole b
eartedly 10 work The result was {
hat they started and for years en- {.
Dyed the greatest era OF big produc- G
ION and OF falling prices, coupled p
'ith continuing high PROFITS and high r
iages that this or any other country n
as ever before or since enjoyed. [,
Ever since our war ended. on the n
ther hand. there has seemed TO be
n increasing tendency on the part "
more and more Of our producing al
Iasses not to utilize the present re- tl
larkaDle opportunity OF n,gh wages q