Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-05-21
LABOR SHORTAGE
- INQUIRY PLANNED
Idle Rich to Be Listed With
Mechanics-0ther News
in Business World.
BY j. c. RoYLE.
Special Dispatch TO The Star. &c..

Special Dispatch to The Star. .'.. .. 49,.
NEW YORK. May FL. Cities
throughout the United States are
taking steps today to determine def
nitely just how great a. shortage
of labor exists in their industries
preparatory to applying some remedy
to the situation. The chamber of
commerce of Philadelphia, for ex-
ample, has assumed the task of max
Ing census of the voluntarily idle
workers in that section. the reason
for their idleness and whether or not
they can be induced to go4 to work.
The enumeration will include the idle
rich as well as the suitcase" mechan-
les. tramps and beggers. The survey
will include woman workers and is
expected to show definitely whether
an actual shortage of labor exists or
whether the scarcity is due to an
lndisposttion 10 work.
Brlcklayers to Strike. ?.
The voluntarily idle in this city
were materially increased today by
determination of Ave bricklayers'
unions to pull out their men engaged
on work for the Mason Builders AS
sociation. but the threatened strike OF
$1,000 painters was averted by the
granting of demand tor an increase
or 81 day to SIC and a five-day
week. The wage scale will remain in
effect until next December.
The question of basic wage scale
a. opposed to a bonus is the rock on
which the bricklayers and their en-
ployers split. The employers have
been paying in many cases the SIP a
day which the bricklayers ask. but
1t has been on basis of $10-a-day
scale with a So bonus, whereas the
union men want basic scale of so
an hour to extend for two years from
the first of this month.
Shoe Industry Slowing Up.
The strike now in progress in
Brockton, Mass, among the shoe
makers of that center may result in
a Widespread curtailment of opera :
tons there. The whole industry in
New England is slowing up, accord
Ing to reliable reports received to-
DAY. This check to output is partly
seasonal and partly due to the severe
winter and late spring. For more
than four months everybody in New
england wore rubbers or overshoeS.
rms meant that many wore. old shoes
and refrained from buying new The
average New England shoe factory
today is operating at about IS per
cent. and production at this rate has
oeen ahead of incoming orders for
several weeks.
This tendency has had it's effect on
tne leather markets, and tanners are
adding to- stocks with extreme con-
servatism. The demand for fancy
feathers, which has been brisk has
slowed down until manufacturers. de-
termine the style trend for next fall
Prices, however, are well stabilized.
Lower Priced Auto Demand Active.
Automobile manufacturers are
watching the trend of retail demand
with the utmost closeness although
the signs OF a recession have not yet
made their appearance. This high
pressure business cannot hold out
much longer" said one of the largest
employers of labor in the automobile
field today. Our business is slack
ening and We expect to be reducing
forces within thirty days"
Tne Ford company, on the other
mana, expects greater sales in the
next three months than ever before
survey. which includes dozen
manufacturers today, led to the con-
cluslon that the very low priced and
the very high priced car makers ex-
pect an increase in demand or con-
tinuation of the present volume.
while in the middle priced car field a
summer slump is expected.
Wooden Manufacturers Active.
mere mas oeen. no SIackening- of
activity In the mills Of the largest
producer of wooden cloths Reports
OF heavy cancellation of orders for
fall goods have not been borne out
at least in. the case of the American
WOODEN company, and buying of raw
wool on the ranges continues in ex-
ceilant volume despite the high
prices. prevailing.
Price Trend Downward.
ST. LOUIS, May 81 (SpeciaD The
most significant feature in business in
the south and west today is the appar-
ent inclination of prices to fall Food
prices are huctuating up and down, but
the general trend is downward. There
is iull In wholesale dry good sales and
retail trade is more quiet than a month
ago. Thls is due in part to seasonal
CONDITIONS and in part to the. attitude
OF the public toward present high prices,
Savings Deposits Jump.
DETROIT. May 81 Especially Say
angs deposits here. which have been in
creasing at the rate of nearly 100000
q DAY since January l. now total $780,
100000. Bankers declared TODAY the
most prosperous and sound period in
the clty's history now was being
reached. Per capita savings have in.
creased 20 per cent in the last twelve
months.
Business Booming in South.
ATLANTA. May 81 Especially Con-
strCctton and farm work now are EN-
ploying every available. man in the south
east New building here in the last
month has totaled. nearly $4,000 900.
The slump in cotton values has affected
wholesale and retail trade very little in
this section.