Evening star., 1934-08-26
Employment Increases
In Trades and Services
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

1t will probably surprise most
American business men-it surprised
the Government Investigators them
selves-to learn that during 1888 the
wholesale and retail trades and serv-
ices and the amusement enterprises
of the United States furnished more
than one-fifth of all the employment
in the country.
One of the results Of the census Of
American business, now being round
ed out to completion by the Bureau
of the Census, is the estimate that
in December last there were approx
| mately 5000 900 men and women en-
gagged as proprietors, partners, full
time employees and part-time work.
ers in merchandising. service and
amusement establishments.
- ~
The census of American business
shows other interesting things about
our wholesale and retail trades which
are perhaps equally surprising. At
the end of last year, according to
Director William L. Austin OF the
Bureau of the Census, the improve
ment in December over January OF
that year was much greater than the
improvement shown even in normal
years in December over January. In
the 1929 census of distribution, cover
ing both wholesale and retail trade,
for example, statistics in December
showed an advance in employment
over January by some per cent.
-Four years later the advance in en-
ployment amounted to more than II
per cent.
In the wholesale and retail trades
and in the service and amusement
enterprises, during 1888 on the whole,
substantial improvement, month by
month, in the employment situation
is shown by this census. In Febru-
ary the low was just over 4,870,000
persons employed, while the peak
in December-showed just over
5,838,00 wage earners. Certainly
this indicates solid business ad-
vance, and it is pointed out by census
officials that this Is all the more in
teresting and significant because the
figures agree very substantially with
findings by the Foreign Policy Asso-
ciation, the Federal Reserve Board
and tables compiled by the Interna-
tional Labor Ofice at Geneva as to
general world conditions.
**%
Altogether the census covered
2,152,000 units of business, exclusive
of hotels, for which the compilation
Of statistics has not yet been COM
pleted, but Is expected to be ready for
publication within few weeks. In
these more than 100000 business
establishments there were employed
during last year an average Of 4,184,-
900 men and women on a fun-time
basis and just over 1000, 900 as part
timers. The total pay roll during the
year amounted to the tremendous
sum Of $5,1o6, 600, 900, not including
the compensation Of the more than
100000 proprietors and firm mem
bers actively engaged in their enter
prises.
The census shows that approx
mately half of the wholesale business
Of the United States last year was
reported by wholesale establishments
in the larger four States-New York,
Pennsylvania, Illinois and Califor- |
main which the trade service and |
amusement enterprises center. From |
the figures available, it would appear |
that the average earnings Of en-
ployes engaged in wholesale trade in |
1888 as a whole were about 25.6 per |
cent less than they were in 1929. The |
average annual sale-of goods or |
services-per employe showed a re-
duction which, 1t Is believed, can be
accounted for in most parts by the
lower prices prevailing in that year.
(Coryright. 1e34J