Evening star., 1934-03-18
New Deals Progress In Handling Labor
Problems Is Seen Permanent Victory
(Continued From Third Page)

CONTINUED From Third Page)
either by agreement or by decision
In the absence of a mathematical for
mula which purports to establish be-
yond reasonable doubt right wage
rate and right schedule of maximum
hours. the naethod of compromise and
arbitration employed by the Recovery
Administration was the only one avail
able for the task in hand.
What, then, under the circumstances
Is the measure of accomplishment
which can be ascribed to the policy
of the Recovery Administration since
ast June? 1t need not here be pointed
out that there are innumerable ways
Of measuring changes in the hours of
work and wages and that various of
these ways have been widely used in
estimating the work of this admins
tration. But, in my judgment. the
most satisfactory method is to measure
directly the changes in hours and
wages resulting from the provisions
OF codes.
To do this with respect to hours of
labor is by no means an easy task
The available data on hours of work
are neither as comprehensive nor as
accurate as they need to be. Their
use involves technical problems of con-
siderable complexity. But, taking what
data there are. the evidence diScloSes
that there has taken place a drastic
reduction in the work week in this
country. The figures compiled by the
United States Department of Labor
which show the average hours worked
In Is great categories of American
industry, show that the average actual
work week has declined from Ale
hours in December, 1892. to 37.7 hours
in December, 1933-a reduction OF
four hours a week, or something more
than 9 per cent.
Work Week Cut.
This In itself would not appear to
be substantial decrease in the work
week. but when it is remembered that
the volume of business activity over
this same period had risen by some
thing like l3 per cent, 1t is clear. first
that natural trend toward a longer
work week has in this year been re-
verSed, and, second, that the schedule
of hours has been universally reduced
But this is not the whole story. 1t is
an established fact that the best
measure of the length OF the work
week Is the normal work week, or the
schedule of hours on which a factory
or industry operates when there is a
full quota of work
BY this measure there is no question
that the period since last June has
witnessed the most drastic reduction in
working hours in the industrial history
OF this country. 1t is a fair estimate
derived from an inspection of large
sample of data, that the normal work
week in American manufacturing in
dustry has been reduced within the
last nine months by at least 10 hours
Per week, and there is reasonable
probability that the average reduction
Is as great as Is hours. There is no
precedent for such a change in any
record of which I am aware.
Under the influence of the abnor-
nally favorable economic conditions
which prevailed IN the United States
between 1917 and 1920, the records
show the normal work week in that
period was reduced by five hours per
week. This reduction brought the
work week in this country from SIS to
80 hours week, and this level was
roughly maintained throughout the
period OF the l920's. During the de-
preston the evidence from many
sources indicates that the normal work
week again rose to at least SIS hours
. week, If not more, and, indeed, there
were during these four years of ad-
Verslty great groups of industries in
which the normal working hours went
Var in excess of so per week.
Week About 40 Hours.
It is impossible to summarize the
affect Of all of the complicated hours
provisions Of the 300 or more codes
now in operation in American indus
try. But 1t is fair estimate that the
normal maximum work week is now
much closer to 40 than As hours per
week.
The record on wages is even clearer
and more convincing. I have before
me a tabulation of the average hourly
earnings Of labor in 81 representative
manufacturing industries in this coun-
try for the year 1929 and for the
month of December, 1888. I have
chosen hourly earning as the measure
Of wage change because 1t alone re-
fleets the results of the decisions on
wages made by the Recovery Admin
Etration. 1t is the best measure we
have of the movement of rates of
wages, or Of the price of labor. 1t is
striking fact that in these 81 indus
tries hourly earnings in most cases
are very close to what they were in
1929, and the average of all q stood
In December, 1888, at, roughly, 7 per
cent below the 1929 rate. These fig
ures, I should repeat, do not repre-
sent the reports submitted by indus
tries to the Recovery Administration,
but they are the record provided by
an agency which has periodically for
10 years made similar reports on
wages in manufacturing industries.
TABLE /.