Evening star., 1923-02-02
SHORTAGE IN LABOR
MAY GROW WORSE
Steel Output Limited Only by
Lack of Men-0ne Firm
Alone Needs 5000.
BY J. G. ROYLE.
Special Dispatc to The Star.

special Dispatc to The Star.
| NEW YORK, February .e.-The
| shortage of labor IN the Industrial
plants Of the country probably muss
| become worse before 1t becomes bet
ter. Order books in the steel indus
| try today Justify a higher average
| or operations than Is maintained at
present. Production is being limited
| only by the extent of available labor.
| There is not enough labor in sight
according to steel company execu-
| tives in various centers today, to per-
NIT large Increase
Resumption OF outdoor work when
the winter breaks will still further
| reduce the supply for steel mills and
other industrial plants. Building
Will be on tremendous scale and
workers IN the building trades no.
only are in demand, but command
wages far above the scale paid In
most of the industrial plants, even
for semt-trained and unframed men.
| Many will drop industrial Jobs TO
| work for builders during the summer.
Seek Jobs I'm Ford Plant.
The automobile factories, which
also pay high scales Of wages, are
! increasing their forces at every avail
| able opportunity and are taking toll
| from other industries. Thousands OF
workers who already have well paid
| Jobs overran the employment Offices
| In st. Paul this week in an effort TO
! land prospective jobs at the new
Ford plant yet to be built near thai
city.
The seriousness of the labor situa-
| ton has been thoroughly emphasized
by President Grace Of the Bethlehem
Steel Company. Experts estimate that
the Bethlehem company could use
5000 additional men. President Grace
attributes the shortage to the pres
ent immigration regulations. In the
last year. only 222,2s4 steerage pas
sengers landed at New York. the
| greatest port Of entry in this country.
Guy E. Tripp, chairman OF the
Westinghouse Electric Company. said
today that railway electrifcation had
hardly been touched and predicted ex-
tensive programs in that direction aa
well as construction Of transcontin
entail high tension power lines and
development of water power on q tre-
mendous scale.
Chances for College Mem.
Because so few young men are en-
tries, an active campaign is under
way to induce high school and college
men to choose development of cleo
trio railway and power operations
as their life work.
A special committee has been or
ganized, according to officials OF the
American Electric Railway Associa-
ton. to induce young men to devote
their vacations to work with traction
| lines and power companies in order
| that they may acquire the funda-
mentalS Of the industry.
More College men will be given a
chance to work as motormen and con-
ductors next summer than ever be-
| fore Some students are now work
| ing their way through college by de-
voting part of their time to these
jobs.
S41S,oOO In Bonus Payments.
Distribution OF s41s.ooo. IN semi
annual bonus payments to employees
| of the Alexander Smith & Sons Car
pet Company brings to mind the fact
that the company has had no labor
trouble for thirty-seven years, and
has many employees who have been
steadily employed for from twenty to
! forty years.
Department store men predicted
other consultations would follow the
merger announced today of important
stores in Cleveland, st. Louis, Pitts
burgh and Wheeling, W. Va