San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-22
Little Labor Can Be Hired
u Spite Of Increases
in Pay.
FORD IS OPTIMISTIC
England Is Resentful Over
Recent Furry in
Sugar Prices.
BY J. c. ROYLE.

Copyright, Ivy The San Antonio Licht
New York. April 2I.-Whcn n man
in the old west heard the words: Put
'cm up" be Re wthat it meant his
hands and he reached for the stars
expecting TO lose his money or his
life.
When a merchant or manufactures
hears the smc words today he knows
it means either wages or prices.
He is perfectly willing to put one
& he can raise the other. but most
business men are becoming incrcas-
ingly nervous about raising prices or
refusing to raise wages.
For the last fortnight TASK for it"
has been The motto of the workers and
the yhave asked and received in n
core of industries scattered from coast
10 coast.
The higher wages mean smaller
profits TO those that pay them, but
increased production and so long as
production and consumption travel
like a team in double harness, they
are fairly satisfied.
Wage Scales Mean Little.
Mere wage scales mean little today.
The steel industry was led by judge
Gary, slowly and fearfully TO an adj
vance Of 10 cents. And less than two
weeks after it went into effect TN
ployment agencies throughout the
stcel districts are offering II cents
an hour with practically no takers.
Labor is scarce at any price. Farm
crs all over the countr ware complain
ing and offering unusual Inducements.
Irp negro field hands of the South.
N,lo usually returned To the cotton
: :utations in the spring. have not
Town Up in any satisfactory num-
les.
he increased labor turn over in the
-ging camps and saw mills OF the
South and Northwest is becoming Il
q s;urbing factor. A. for building
trades artisans they are being kid
irpcd from one side of the cOuntr VITO
thc other under wage and other condi-
lions that are phenomenal. Some plaS-
terers have been lured away from the
larger cities by offers Of free quar-
tiers. transportation and So 4 day.
Daily production at Detroit auto
mobile plants continue 10 make new
high records. but some manufacturers
have their ears close to the ground
10 catch the first sign of check To de-
mand. One maker of parts said TODAY
that he expected the peak Of produc-
ton for the year within ten days.
Henry Ford. however. back from
Lis Southern vacation and feeling like
n youngster, told orc of the writers
today that business prospects looks
good to him and that he had given
orders to expand several portions of
his plants. He declared he saw no
check in prospect TO the c0untry'S
prosperity unless people got TO push
ing prices up too fast. That. he con-
tinued, would surely be followed by n
lull.
The Ford plants now have a high
mark of GJI3 cars and trucks in =
day and n tractor output record Of
2S21 for a week. Nearly every day
steamship company that il will on
crate vessels on the great lakes.
Among the latest IS the Universal
company which has chartered four
boats TO plv between Chicago. De
troit and Milwaukee.
England Resents Furry.
England is keenly resentful over
The recent furry in sugar prices
according 10 cable advices today and
every pressure is being brought 10
bear on planters in Jamaica and other
British possessions 10 increase pro-
duction 10 point where the empire
will be Independent of the Cuban
growers.
Manchester spinncrs also are any
thing but pleased over the recent wide
fluctuations in cotton. The peak of
production in the cotton mills of New
England probably is being reached
right now.
Few further increases are expect
cd. but in spite Of a slight slackcning
in demand, the condition Of the in.
dustry is wonderfully healthy.
Wool in the West shows no sign,
Of easing prices and silk also is
strong.
Copper and zinc wound nm the woeb
fairly steady. but lead was triflc
softer.
BANK DEPOSITS IMPROVE.