San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-26
Industries Strive Hard TO
Keep What Employees
They Have.
SHORTAGE IS ACUTE
Building Boom Checked as
a Result of Wage
Increases.
Nv J. &. ROILE.

Copyright. by The san Antonio Light
New YORK., April 28.-Executives
in more than one industry throughout
the United States are wondering today
how long they can meet competition.
They do not fear competitions from
concerns in their own lines in produc-
ing. manufacturing, distributing or
selling goods. but they do fear COM
petition for workers by other indus
tries.
The building trades are in n virtual
state of war against the factories for
labor.
Factories are competing with the
farmers for floating workers.
Lumber mills are fighting with con-
struction gangs to increase their pay
rolls.
Men prominent in automobile man
ufacture declared today that May
would mark the turning point in pro-
duction in that industry, not because
demand was falling of, but because
manufacturers were finding 1t lmpos-
sible TO keep the employees necessary
TO maintain present output.
Costs Check Building.
The building contractors in some
districts have bid up prices of labor
so high that, while they have been able
TO secure men, they have checked con
Struction and even forced cancella-
ton of some plans for buildings.
Prospective builders are taking the
attitude that costs Of construction are
so high that they are unwilling 10 take
chances of carrying over high cost
property during the next two or three
years as they fear rents cannot be
kept high enough TO make an at
tractive return on their investment
In Chicago, 10000 tenants have re-
fu, cd to sign new leases at advanced
rentals ard also will reuse TO move
May ], according TO Grace ii. Hart,
attorney for the Chicago Tenants
League. Yet practically every van in
both Chicago and New York is re.
ported engaged for moving day"
Shipping men asserted that the
countrywide strike of the ]. w. w.
marine workers for an increase of
$50 and other concessions is an effort
to take advantage of the fact that
many seamen have been drawn into
other industries in the last six weeks
by offers of high wages.
Announcement of the consolidation
Of the Gimble and Sacks interests is
received among merchandisers as evil
dence of the almost universal ten
dency toward meeting competition and
preserving profits by means of the
cutting OF purchasing and administra-
tive expenses rather than advances in
prices of goods. The point is stressed
in the formal announcement of the
merger is that lit will result IN no
table economies, both in buying and
selling"
Mexico Faces Invasion.
American business forces already
are marshalling for an advance into
Mexico when an agreement assuring
recognition of the Oregon admins
tration shall have been arrived at The
American Smelling and Refining Com
pany, already largely interested in the
Southern republic, is planning the
erection of several additional refining
plants and the acquisition of more
mining properties, it is announced.
Sugar plantations. especially those
on the Isthmus of Tehunantepec and
in the State of Morelos, which have
been unproductive for nearly ten
years. will be brought back into be-
ing this year if plans of American
and British owners of haciendas arc
carried out.
Absolute certainty as TO the final
amount of the Cuban sugar crop still
is far distant. There were 1S2 cen
trails, or grinding mills, operating this
year and less than half have cvm-
pleted grinding.
The output of all will not be def
nitely known until toward the end of
May.
Meantime, the price Of refined,
graduated sugar is up as high as
1925 cents pound Wholesale here
and advances have been made also by
refiners in San Francisco, Philadcl-
phia and New Orleans.