Evening star., 1935-04-28
Mr.. A. DATA GIVEN
TO SHOW SUCCESS
Administration Reply to
Brookings Institution Seen
in Perkins Review.

In what was regarded here as an
administration reply to the findings
Of the Brookings Institution that
N. r. A. had failed to stimulate re-
covery. Secretary of Labor Perkins
yesterday produced facts and figures
which she said showed clearly that
the Recovery Administration had
been a big factor in the march out
OF depression.
Miss Perkins arguments and sta
tistics were made public in an ad-
dress prepared for delivery at Duke
University Using figures on condi-
tions in March, 1888, as compared
with conditions in March of this
year, Secretary Perkins contended
the trend had been distinctly in the
direction of increased earning. fac
tory production and retail trade.
Weekly Pay Roll Gain.
She said:
weekly pay rolls in the 80 manu-
featuring industries surveyed monthly
by the Department of Labor were 81
per cent larger than in March, 1888
when not adjusted to changes IN the
cost of living, and IA per cent larger
in terms of purchasing power after
adjustment to retail price changes
1T is estimated that from March,
1888, to March, 1885. the cost OF
living of wage earners and lower
salaried employees advanced ap-
proximately 10 per cent. During this
period food prices advanced 34.5 per
cent. From March. 1888, to June,
1884. food rose 2O.2 per cent, and
from June. 1884, to March, 1899.
largely as a result of the drought,
ll9 per cent.
ON the basis of reports to the De-
partment of Labor. detailed compar1-
sons NAV be made between March
1893. and March. 1885. Average hourly
earnings increased in manufacturing
industries from 43.4 cents to 56.8 cents,
or almost one-third. After ADJUST
ment to retail changes, the increase
in real hourly wages was l9 per cent
In manufacturing industries, the IN
crease in average hourly earnings
ranged widely In anthracite min
ing, an industry In which no codc
was adopted, there was a decline OF
almost 2 per cent in average hourly
earnings. In the telephone and tele-
graph industry. which also did not
adopt code. the increase in aver
age hourly earnings was 8 per cent
Other Increases Shown.
The increase in retail trade was
% per cent in wholesale trade. IL
per cent. and in bituminous coal min
ing, So per cent. In the manu1ac-
turing industries and 13 non-manu-
featuring industries combined, aver
age hourly wages rose from 45.3 cents
to 57.4 cents. or 81 per cent. The in
crease in real hourly wages, after ad-
justment to cost of living, was from
45.3 cents to 52.2 cents. or is per
cent. The 13 on-manufacturlng in
dustries include those mentioned ana
others from which sufficiently adequate
reports are received by the Depart
ment of Labor to warrant estimates
of changes in employment and pay
rolls
Weekly earnings are naturally more
important from the point of view OF
the individual employe than hourly
earnings. Per capita weekly earnings
in the manufacturing industries in
creased from March, 1888. to March,
1885, from $l5.32 to $20.87, or SO per
cent. When adjusted to the cost of
living, the net purchasing power OF
the weekly earnings of the average
workers in the manufacturing indus
tries increased from 1882 in March.
1888. to 1897 in March, 1885, or "a
per cent.
In non manufacturing industries,
changes in per capita weekly earnings,
before adjustment to price changes,
include advance of 6 per cent in re-
tail trade. 3 per cent in wholesale
trade. 10 per cent in the telephone
and telegraph industry and 81 per
cent in bituminous coal mining. Be-
cause of the comparatively large re-
duction in average weekly hours in
non manufacturing industries, per
capita weekly earnings in the manu-
featuring industries and II nom
manufacturing industries combined
increased considerably less than in
manufacturing industries alone. The
increase for the combined industries
was from S17.77 to S21O7. or 19 per
cent When expressed in terms of
purchasing power as affected by re-
tail price changes. this represents an
per cent rise in real weekly wages.
Pay Rolls Significant.
From the point of view of total
purchasing power as sustaining
basis for business activity, weekly pay
rolls. and not average hourly earnings
or per capita earnings, are primarily
significant. In the manufacturing
industries, weekly pay rolls. as stated
above, almost doubled from March.
1888, to March, 1885. The estimated
increHe was from $75,432, 900 to
S144. .129, ,0O0 or 81 per cent. When
the Marcn, 1885, pay rclls in manu-
factures are adjusted to the change in
the cost of living. there was still an
increase of IA per cent. This was a
net expansion of purchasing power on
the part Of wage earners in the manu-
featuring industries.
(Copyrieht 1885 by New York Herald
TribuneD