The Washington times., 1937-03-25

In not a few instances Christmas
bonuses, also totaling many NIL
lions, accompanied the pay in
creases. Some observers believe
that both the raises and the
Christmas gifts were the result OF
the passage by Congress OF the cor
porate surplus tax law which penal
lied corporations for maintaining
reserves beyond fixed points.
The $275, 100000 figure is but a
small slice of the general rise in the
nations payroll, according to Sec
retary of Labor Perkins. She esti-
mates that since the first Of the
year the American pay check has
increased more than two billions
yearly because of the wage rises
and the addition of 100000 new
workers to the employment rolls.
The Rise Begins
Even in September payrolls had
tilted upward Is per cent and were
nearly $20,000,000 weekly above
those in the September of the pre-.
ceding year. But it was not until
the corporate tax act was approved
and the presidential election had
passed into history that good news
for the workers began emanating
from paynasters' offices all over
the country.
Textile hands in New England
and the South; automobile work
ers In Detroit; miners in Arizona;
department store employees in the
larger cities; factory hands and
clerical workers everywhere-all
began collecting fatter envelopes.
AS another indication that pros
perity had found it's way at last
around the corner, many employ
ers at the same time restored the
two weeks vacation with pay which
it had been necessary to drop dur
ing the depression.
The Steel Industry
Steel led the gold rush with the
announcement of an increase TO-
falling $75,000,000 for its 100000
employees. But this proved unSat'
isfactory to organized labor and
led to recent negotiations by John
L. Lewis Committee for Industrial
Organization which boosted the
total above the $125, ,000, 900 mark.
Carnegie Illinois began the pro-
cession with it's historic meeting
with representatives Of the C. I. o.
the first time on record that any
steel company had ever bargained
with Nrnoni1nH lohOr
Next to steel the largest indi
vidual increase was granted by
General Motors, which added $780,
100000 to its pay rolls in the way
Of a raise to more than 100000
employees. Later. in January the
company added another $25,000,.
900 increase in settlement Of the
44-day sit-down strike.
The first General Motors raise
kept the ball rolling and daily in
creaseS ranging from per cent
upward to as high as IL per cent
were granted by large and small
corporations in most branches of
industry and commerce.
Ball Keeps Rolling
Some firms made the increases
retroactive. Aluminium Goods
Company at Two Rivers, Wis, de-
clared a 5 per cent raise as of the
preceding July l and gave it's 900
employees the back pay in a lump
sum as a bonus. Fiberloid Cor
poration at Springfield, Mass. in
creased wages 10 per cent, retro
active to the preceding June and
leveled off the arrearage with a
lump payment, also.
Although the packing industry
was comparatively late in the pro
cession, the sum of the raises
granted by it rates it third in the
table of increases. Under the
leadership Of the big Four
Swift, Armour, Wilson, and Cuda-
hy-the packers in the Chicago
area boosted their wage scales to