Evening star., 1937-07-31
Pay

Continued From First Page)
sions OF building" the forum summary
holds. Nobody knows within $4,000
units how many houses are built each
year. Nobody knows within $40 100000
how much money is spent annually
in construction. Nobody knows how
many people it employs. And until
last month nobody even knew how
much building labor cost.
United States Rate Averages.
These facts are secrets only be-
cause the Government has not yet
chosen to investigate them. To the
Department Of Labor's commissioner
OF labor statistics, Isador Lubin, and
to Herman B. Byer, his hard working
assistant. this state Of affairs seemed
as lntolerable as it was to most
thoughtful building men. Last Fall
they accordingly set out to make a
thoroughgoing survey Of the most ac-
cessiole OF buildings many secrets-its
building wage rates"
Conducted during the months OF
September. October and November,
the actual survey involves pay roll
ngures through October, 1885, gained
from personal interviews with $3.50
contractors. AS an indication of the
surveys eventual scope, these same
contractors during the first six months
OF 1885 alone completed work eval-
uated at s33s,s29, ,33l, and the DEPART
ment OF Labor estimates that the
$4,000 workers covered comprise one
lourth OF all workers in the building
INDUSTRY Finally the data used were
drawn from the actual records of con-
tractors questioned. ignoring the du-
olous accuracy Of published union
rates.
In computing average rates of the
1oo,ooo workers surveyed the Forum
article reports. the figures were
weighted to take into account the fol-
lowing facts
ST. per cent were union members
oo8 per cent were skilled workers.
230 per cent were semi skilled,
2o'2 per cent were unskilled.
"On this basis, the averase hourly
rate OF all building workers was 81 8
cents. Highest average wage rates
Went to hosting engineers. who re-
celVed Sl.343 per hour. Second high
est we're structural iron workers with
Sl'332, Also above the $l.3O mark
were bricklayers. electricians and metal
lathers. Lowest average rate was the
oil cents which went to sheet-metal
workers helpers. Average wage rates
OF 46,s per cent of the workers stood
ABOVE 81 an hour, while better than
% per cent made more than IS cents.
Also noteworthy Is the fact that 16
OF the 81 categories of workers listed
oy the survey received an average
nourly wage Of better than 81.
Geographic Variations.
"As in all industries, wage rates In
building exhibit sharp regional varia-
tions. Highest in 1886 was sl.o62 an
hour in the Middle Atlantic States;
lowest was GAS cents in the East South
Central States Others:
East North Central 98.2 cents
racine 92.l cents
mountain NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 90l cents
Ne" England-------------8 800 cents
west North Central------- $50 cents
South Atlantic 1873 cents
west South Central----- SIS cents
Bricklayers got by far the highest
pay in the East South Central, Noun
tain and Pacific States, the survey
shows. Metal fathers were best paid
in New England; hosting engineers
in the Middle Atlantic States; struc-
tural iron workers in the East North
Central and South Atlantic; steam
filters in the West North Central and
West South Central States.
Whereas the figures already quotet