Evening star., 1923-04-21
PRICES AND WAGES
CAUSE WIDE ALARM
Business Men Growing More
Nervous About Raising
Costs to Consumer.
BY j. c. ROYLE.
s,ertsl slpinatch TO The Star

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, April c1-When a
man in the old west heard the words:
Put 'em up" he knew that it meant
his hands and he reached for the stars
expecting to lose his money or his
life. When merchant or manu-
facturer hears the same words today
he knows it means either wages or
prices. He is perfectly willing to put
Up one if he can raise the other. but
most business men are becoming in
creasingly nervous about raising
prices or refusing to raise wages
For the last fortnight ask Tor It
has been the motto of the workers,
and they have asked and received in
II score of industries scattered from
coast to coast. The higher wages
mean smaller profits to those that
and so long as production and con-
sumption travel like a team In dou-
BILE harness. they are fairly satlsf1ed.
Wage Scales Mean Little.
Mere wages scales mean little to-
day. The steel industry was led by
Judge Gary, slowly and fearfully to
an advance of 40 cents. And less than
two weeks after it went into effect,
steel districts are offering AZ cents
and hour with practically no takers.
Labor is scarce at any price. FARMERS
all over the country are complaining
and Offering unusual inducements
The colored field hand Of the south,
who usually returned to the cotton
plantations in the spring, have not
shown up in any satisfactory num-
hers.
The increased labor turnover in the
Il, 80 a
south and northwest is becoming a
disturbing factor AS for building
trades artisans. they are being Kid
naped from one side of the country
to the other under wage and other
conditions that are phenomenal. Some
plasterers have been lured away from
the larger cities by offers of free
quarters, transportation and SIS a
day.
Things Look Good, Ford Says.
Daily production at Detroit auto
mobile plants continues to make new
have their ears close to the ground
70 catch the first sign of check tG
demand. One maker of parts said to-
day that he expected the peak OF
production of the year within ten
days.
Henry Ford, however, back from
his southern vacation and feeling
like a youngster, told one of the writ
eES tOQdy tndt tle uuSlHcSS ploSpcN.
looked good to him and that he had
given orders to expand several OF his
plants. He saw no check to the
country's prosperity unless people
got to pushing prices up too fast
That, he continued. would surely be
followed by lull.
The Ford plants now have high
mark Of 6,573 cars and trucks in a
day and a tractor output record OF
2.S21 for a week. Nearly every day
brings some announcement of new
steamship company that 1t will oper-
ate vessels on the Great Lakes
Among the latest is the Universal
Company, which has chartered four
boats to ply between Chicago, De-
troit and Milwaukee.
England Resents Sugar Fluyry.
England is keenly resentful over
the furry in sugar prices, according
TO cable advices today, and every
pressure is being brought to bear on
planters in Jamaica and other Brit
ish possessions to increase production
TO a point where the empire will be
independent of the Cuban growers
Manchester spinners also are any
thing but pleased over the recent
wide fluctuations in cotton.
The peak of production in the cot
ton mills of New England probably is
being reached right now. Few fur
ther increases are expected, but in
spite of a slight slackening in de-
mand the condition of the industry
is wonderfully healthy. Wool in the
west shows no signs Of easing prices,
and silk is strong. Copper and zinc
wound up the week fairly steady, but
lead was a trif1e softer.