Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-08-23
WAGE: INCREASE:
Of 70 PER CENT
IS GRANTED BY
3 STEEL FIRMS
Nearly 100000 Workers
Are Benefited OF her
Plants Are Expected to
Follow Suit in Few Days,
NEWS A SURPRISE TO
FINANCIAL DISTRICT
Pay Adjustments in Other
Industries Have Been
Generally Down ard :;
Expect Business Revival

New York, Aug. % (by the AS
sociated Press) Three big steel
corporations. employing normally
nearly 100000 workers. today an
nounc 20 per cent wage in
crease or ali day laborers in their
manufacturing plants, The United
States steel corporation too. the
lead, b was quickly followed by
the Midvale Steel md Ordnance
company and the Youngstown
Sheet and Tube company.
In the absence of CharIe. SChwab
and Eugene G ace Of the Bethle-
hem StCnl corporation, no other Of
licial OF that company would COM
nit himself. Secretary crown said,
however, he did not know of any
action that Id been taken on the
wage question. President Matthews
of the Crucible Steel corporation
said his company had taken no
action 'as yet" 1t was generally
believed financial circles that all
important independent steel firms
would 1nOunce increases within a
few days.
News { the increase came as
a surprise to the financial district,
probably because wag1 adjust
ments in other industries have been
generally downward, 1t was fol-
lowed by slight recessions in the
prices of steel shares
No Exclamation Given.
No explanation Of the increase
was given by the steel corporations.
However, it l. known that the i'm
migration Law has cut off the sup
ply of unskilled laborers which
formerly drifted to the iron and
steel centers. When the labor
shortage became acute last spring
and the steel industry began to
show signs of rehabilitation. tenn
porary relief was afforded by the
Mt of men thrown out of
work by 1he coal strike.
Resumption of coal mining and
the increasing demand for 1aborers
in other industries. combined with
the expected b siness revival this
fall, is reported to have caused ap-
prehension among mill managers,
who feared that the higher wages
void cause sufficient
to hamper their opera
tions at a time when there was
every prospect for heavily increas /
orders.
Swell Company's Pay Roll.
The United States Steel corpora
tion employs approximately 220,00)
men, of whom 156.000 are affected
by the wage increase. the $4,000
in the mining and transportation
being excluded. Their
rates i'll be ''equitably adjusted"
he official announcement stated.
The incrc lsp will swell the COM
oany's payroll by $35,000.000 on
he basis of full time"--that is a
l2-hour day. but many of the men
ire now working only eight hours
/ day.
The corporation employed as
nigh as 270.O0a men during 1918.
rhe highest rate paid by the COM
Dany for labor was 40 cents an
1our, from February to May. 1920.
On May 16. 1920. a reduction of
20 per cent was announced and in
July of the same year overtime was
On August 10, 1921, day
abor was reduced to 80 cents an
lour, the rate now in effect. The
Increase will bring the rate up to
'6 cents an hour,
The average ay roll of the cor
,oration during 1918, the banner
'ear, was over s450.000,000, but it
iropped to about 1882, 100000 in
.921, when there we're approx
nately 10000 men employed.
Orders for Selling Stock.
A fore lst of what is to come IS
een in the large orders for rolling
tock recently received by railroad
equipment companies. The demand
n other lines also is growing and
here is much rush work on hand
which calls for forces in many
)lants in excess of the number
low available.