The New York herald., 1921-05-02
STEEL MEN HIT HARD
Workers for 116 Firms De-
creased From 183.9o8 to
l43,228 in Year.
BIG WAGE CUT IN MOTORS
Automobile and Textile Manu-
featuring Show Increased
Employment.
Special Despatch TO THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Washington. ID. c., May 1.

Special Despatch TO THE New YoaK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Washington, ID. c., May L. }
Readjustment of wage scales to lower
levels is in progress in fourteen OF the
the United States. Official data COM
piled By the Department OF Labor and
other agencies in Washington Indicate
that the return to normalcy so far as
wages Is concerned has reached into
every industrial centre or the nation and
into virtually all its industries.
The movement TO lower wage levels is
accompanied by continued shrinkage
in the total volume OF employment.
That condition is not so far spread as
that affecting wages. While 1t extends
to all indrstria, centres, some OF the in
dustries. notably automotive and textile,
are showing a trend toward increasing 3
employment.
Detailed payrolls figures for thirteen
manufacturing industries and bitumlnous
coal mining have been tabulated by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics up to the emo
y.
being worked out They show in gen
ersl the same trend as those for Febru-
airy. Announcement of the results will
be made in q day or two.
In 116 representative firms in the iron
and steel industry the number of en-
ployees on the payroll dropped from
18S.958 in February. 1920, to 14s,22S In
February. 1921. Virtually one-fourth o.
the employees in these plants were
az
year. The slash came last fall and win
ter. however, when industry began tc
iag.
Payroll Is Cut = Third.
The payroll I'm these lie establish
ments showed a cut or one-third. drop
ping from s13,Se2,294 to ss.2T4,63e. dur
ing the year The drop in total payroll
or 1872 per cent compared with a
drop in the number OF employed OF 24.2
per cent, indicates wage cut of IL per
cent for the year.
In February employment in la iron
and steel plants increased almost l per
cent. over January. but wages dropped
more than . per cent, showing slow
ing up In unemployment but a higher
ratio OF wage reduction. Employment
service figures for March this year indi-
cate a greater amount of unemployment
in March than IN February.
In A representative establishments In
the automobile industry the number o.
men on the payrolls decreased 41.3 pei
cent. or from 157. $50 in February. 1920
TO s2302 in February. 1921. The pay
roll shrank from s5.0e3.4o0 to $1.2ss.-
26s. decrease OF IA per cent. This
would indicate a drop In wages Of some
what like 40 per cent in the year.
Employment In the automobile line
increased in February over Jauusrsy in
this year and March figures show an
even greater increase. They also showed
an Increase in the average wage for the
month in the establishments repre-
sented.
Employment held up in the cotton
manufacturing industry during the year.
but wages decreased 16 per cent. Fifty
four representative concerns showed
about the same number on the payroll
for the two Februsries. but a shrinkage
in the amount OF payroll from sl.09s. IA
10 1921. .396. In contrast to this em-
ployment and wages went down together
in sixteen cotton finishing plants. The
number OF persons on the payrolis de-
creased i6 per cent, while the amount
OF payroll decreased III per cent.
Hosiery and Underwear Halved.
Tne decline IN nOSltTN dHu IHCefWedF
esta blishments was more marked. The
volume OF employment shrsnk az per
cent. In sixty establishments. while in
the same concerns the payroll shrank
5I.3 per cent.
In ffty-two representative establish
ments In the woollen industry the num-
Der employed dropped from 5l.i5o TO
s3,lse, a decrease OF 1851 per cent.
while the payroll shrsnk f5s per cent,
from si.27s.o27 to sss3,1ss.
The silk industry showed an almost
identical result, though the decrease was
not so large. Employees decreased 81
per cent. and wages 25.6 per cent.
During the one year period a shrink
age of ass per cent. occurred in employ
ment in as establishments and a shrink
age in payroll In the same establish
ments OF ss.3 per cent.
All textile Industries showed increased
employment I'm February over January
with resulting increase IN total wage
The average wage for the month de-
creased.
In the leather Industry thirty-four es-
Establishments reported decline OF $50
per cent. in employment and 443 pet
cent in wages paid. Employment in
creased slightly during the month but
wages showed a further decline.
The boot and shoe industry followed
the general trend in leather
In pa per making. car euilding and the
tobacco industry the general result was
the same. Employment decreased snd
wages decreased in greater ratio than
employment
Declines shown In March.
March figures complied by The EN-
ployment service show small but con-
sfstent decreases In employment IN the
iron and steel and related industries, N
miscellaneous industries. in metal prod.
ucis. IN paper apd printing IN food
and Kindred products II stone. clay
and glass products in chemicals and
allied products. IN textiles and thei'
products and IN railroad repair shops
Employment increased in the auto
motive ind ustry. the tobacco industry
In leather and It's finished products, II
liquor and beverages. In lumber anc
it's manufactures.
Employment decreased IN forty -four
cties during the month but Increased
slightly in twenty other cities. In DE
troit employment Increased FOR tn
month by 1861. due to the big pickur
IN atff0rnohftp building