The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-04-05
AMERICAN PAYR0LLS
Reach new HIGH IN
MONTH OF FEBRUARY
Official Figures Disclose BIGGEST
Gain for Any Month in
Last IS Years
MARCH CONTINUING TREND
Number Of Persons EMPLOYED
Also Rises; Farm income
Shows Sharp Gain

Washington, April 5.-(R-Payrolls
In American manufacturing industry
hit . new high in February, creating
peaks In both wages and employment
untouched since early 1881.
The department Of commerce. an
nouncing this Thursday. added that
probable further improvement in
March would supplant these figures,
but that only incomplete estimates
for the month were available.
The department stated that a
swelling In manufacturing payrolls Of
IL per cent In February as compared
to January constituted the greatest
one-month improvement In Is years.
A six per cent gain in actual fac
tory employment during the month
Is compared to January was recorded
- having been exceeded only three
times In Is years.
None Of the figures included the
splurge Of pay increases recently an
noumced in the steel, automobile and
other industries, many Of which 60
into effect this month.
The NRA was disclosed Thursday
to be watching such data intently
while gathering more Of its own.
Look for Shorter Hours
On good authority 1t was Indicated
that quick general action by industry
to shorten working hours for re-em-
ployment IS not now expected BY blue
eagle officials but within q reason
able period voluntary cuts are locked
for from large individual groups.
The present attitude is to put the
responsibility directly up to business
Its spokesmen have urged upon Hugh,
8. Johnson insistently their view that
II there Is no compulsion many in
dustries will do the thing handsomely
While Johnson's aides are goine
beyond present conditions to gain
data on how many more men indus
try could possibly employ-"and II
not, why not" in the words of the
MIRA administrator commerce
department concentrated on past sta
tistics.
It noted slight declines in employ
ment In non-manufacturing industry
between the middle of January and
the middle Of February as offsettine
but small proportion of the marked
gain In factory employment
It noted that cash income received
by farmers from the sale Of farm
products rose nearly five per cent
during February after allowance for
the seasonal trend. and was So pei
cent above q year ago.
Sales Do Not Keep Pace
Production advances were not &C.
companied by similar advances IN
sales Of goods, the figures indicated.
The February rise in freight-car
loadings was regular, while retail sale
figures showed no marked change, ex-
cept In the case Of automobiles, the
value Of which was almost double
that Of January. Preliminary March
figures, however, indicated general
retail improvement.
The gain In the composite index
Of industrial production for the
month, after allowance for the sea-
soual trend. was nearly four per cent
bringing the index considerably above
both 1919 and 1892 and within 5 Der
cent Of February, 1881.
Liquidation is now being considered
on Capitol Hill to follow President
Roosevelt's suggestion that about
500 1000 900 more capital could be
used BY medium sized businesses To
good employment effect.
An allied effort Is being studied BY
the presidents national emergency
council, involving methods to spur
both home construction and the heavy
goods industries. which will be turned
over to the NRA for administration.