Evening journal., 1922-07-03

cal forces should not be paid over
time until the expiration of the
ninth hour OF continuous service.
No definite rate can be established
for all classes OF clerical employees.
but their average hourly earnings in
October 1921, were S.61S. Tho re-
duction of tn Labor Board. which
has just been ordered. equals sos
for some classes OF clerks. and s.O4
per hour for other classes. or an
average reduction OF S.03s, which
will make the average rate per hour
of all classes of clerks SIS after
July LIST. This is an increase in act
ual hourly earnings OF 81 per cent.
over the 1914 rate and the real
earnings of clerks based on their
average hourly earnings will there
fore be 2S per cent. over the 1914
level Working 4S.1S hours per
week. the average weekly earnings
Of clerks will be s2T.s4. and increase
OF "a per cent. over 1914. Computed
on the basis OF average weekly earn
ings, their purchasing power will
have increased 10 per cent.
Thus. the average increase in pur-
chasing power based on weekly
earnings of the four classes is 1875
per cent. over the 1914 standard.
The car men stand at the top OF the
list with an. increase of 33 per cent.
followed by unskilled labor. whose
increase is 10 per cent, the clerks
and unskilled shop men coming next
with increases of 10 per cent. and
10 per cent. respectively.
Although comparisons OF wages OF
railroad employees with employees in
other Industries cannot be made for
all classes, and the latest reports of
the National Industrial Conference
Board on wages of employees in man.
ufactrning Industries do not give
data for later than January /, 1922.
Il Is interesting to compare the wages
OF railroad skilled shop labor with
those Of the skilled employees Of
foundries and machine shops, who
perform practically Identical services
Thus we find that while the average
hourly earnings OF railroad skilled
shop employees under the new wage
cut will be SOL. those of employees
in the foundry and machine shop in
dustry stood 1861 on January l, and
the comparative average weekly
wages stood at $33.67 and S25.Os for
railroad and foundry and machine
shop mechanics. respectively. The
increase in real weekly earnings OF
foundry and machine shop en-
ployes over the 1914 level was only
per cent. as compared with a 10
per cent. increase for the railroad
employees. tS'f
The same Is true with regard to
unskilled labor outside the railroad
industry. The National Industrial
Conference Boards studies show that
the average hourly earnings Of un-
skilled laborers in other than the
railroad industry were s.414 as COM |
pared with S.535 for railroad labor on
January l. and the average weekly !
earnings of unskilled manufacturing
labor were $500 as compared with !
S17.45 for railroad common labor |
While real earnings for unskilled |
railroad labor increased 10 per cent. |
in the eight-year period. those OF I'M |
skilled labor outside of the railroad |
industry increased only per cent |
These increases are figured both for |
the railroad industry and for outside |
industries on the basis OF the Confer
ence Boards cost OF living index for |
June /, 1922, which shows that the |
cost OF living at that time was sc /
points lower than on January /.
The figures given above must be /
considered as very conservative es-