Evening star., 1922-12-29
new PAY DEMANDS
L00M|N INDUSTRY
Talk OF Higher Wages in Steel
Industry Follows Upward
Price Trend.
BY j. c. ROYLE.

special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, December 2s.-Vig.
orous wage demands from the skilled
.raoes are making their appearance
! IN many sections of the countr..
POINTS in the middle west, the south
New England and part of New York
reported such movements today
Large employers. however. are not
! particularly alarmed over the pros
poets. for these demands are follow
ing the unmistakable trend of prices
upward
shortage of unskilled labor in soma
, industries is fast making demand.
for wage increases unnecessary. for
employers are manifesting more and
more Willingness TO pay Slightly
higher prices in order to get needed
men and keep those now on the pay
roll. Dispatches received from Ohio
steel centers within the last tweiys
| nours state that an advance in wages
IA the steel mills is being talked Of
os ,. Hianu1a lecturers for early in Janu-
ary; forty cents an hour for un-
| skiiled labor is the basis mos. fre-
| quently mentioned
| steel men today were unwilling IA
| conhrm rumors Of an advance. bur
!. is sishihcant that they should have
como from the Mahoning valier
| region. which heretofore has stead
| fastly maintained opposition to such
| proposals. The reports followed new.
oL renewed efforts 10 draw labor from
,ie south revealed in dispatches from
Atlanta and New Orleans
Record Automobile SnIes,
The year is closing with the highest
Il
factuTers have ever known. Estimates
| indicate that approximately $500. 900
| cars and trucks were turned out IL,
| is.2 Motor manufacturers declared
i today that the prosperity of the farm
| er Is the. only factor needed to mako
1923 a carnival of profit for the auto
! moblle makers. II the farmer comes
INTO the market strong next yea-
] there Is no telling TO what heights
| output will rise
Pacific northwest today have di.noscI
or practically all but 1J per cent %
/ their wheat crops. Two thirds of tho
wheat of Washington. oregon a.,
Idaho have now passed out of tho te.-
| rltorE. while stocks in the hands ~
millers and exporters amounts TO l,y,
IMAM 20 per cent. AS much of hi;
wheat VIII be exported s flour i, Is
conservative estimate that oniy.
100000 bushels of the Pacific NORTH
\
trade. The foreign demand is ger
| orally strong and export bids are
gradually rising
| Inc British India railroads have
placed an order for $500. 900 feet o.
| creosoted railroad ties with Ameri
can companies. and Australia also is
| in the lumber market
Tire Men Face Big Year.
! The year is closing with the inven-
| tories OF tire manufacturers about 20
per cent lower than in 1921. and il is
estimated that 10.S00.0o0 tires will be
manufactured in the next three
months, or about IS per cent mora
than for the first quarter Of this year.
Many of the companies have an
nounced price increases over the
| levels of last year.
! Figures made public today showed
that the F. w. Woolworth 5 and 10
| cent stores sold S3.119.S45 worth OF
merchandise on December %. the las;
business day before Christmas. This
was an increase of S920.4S7 over sales
| for the corresponding day last year.
| 1t Is estimated that Woolworth sales
! for the year will aggregate S167000,-
! 600. or nearly S20.0o0.00O over 1921.
| Price increases for crude oil in the
Mexia fields indicate the gradual re-
duction of storage stocks. One COM
7, pany. Prairie OIL. is withdrawing
| crude from storage at the rate OK
| 10000 barrels a day.
The mineral output continues to in
| crease with mines which have been
| closed gradually being brought 10
normal production. Copper is son'e-
| what dull, but demand. both domestic
and foreign, Is expected to Improve
! after the holidays.