Evening star., 1940-12-28
Jobs in Capital
Raise Mark
To $4,000
Gain Of !, 100000
Through U. S. From
Last Year Reported

Private employment IN the Dis
trict of Columbia In November
reached $4,000, an increase Of
7.0co over october and 5000 more
than in November, 1899. Secretary
Of Labor Perkins announced yes
serday.
Employment in Maryland aggre-
gated $4,000, a gain of 5000 during
the month, and $4,000 greater than
III November, 1899. In Virginia,
employment increased 1000 during
the month, reaching $4,000, an
increase of $4,000 in IL months.
Total non-agricultural employ
ment in the United States, exclu-
sive Of the armed forces, was &c.
535 900 in November, an increase
Of 100000 since November of last
year. The major portion OF the
gain was in the manufacturing in
dustries, in which more than half
a million workers were returned to
jobs during the 12-month period.
The armed forces increased 10000.
Reverses Seasonal Trend.
NEARLY 10000 more workers were
employed outside of agriculture in
November than in October, which
Is remarkable gain, for invariably
since 1929 non-agricultural employ
ment has declined in November"
Secretary Perkins said. THE aver
age decline in November of the pre-
ceeding II years has been 400, 900.
The current advance, while small,
reflects widespread gains in manu-
featuring, offsetting customary. sea-
sonal declines and an actual gain
In construction employment, which
usually falls off in November.
"Cne of the predominant factors
In sustaining the November level of
uon-agricultural employment was
the contraseasonal gain of $1,000
workers in manufacturing indus
tries. Normally factory employment
declines by about 100000 at this
season.
Gains in 110 Industries.
"The gains in factory employ
ment and pay rolls continue to be
widespread, 110 of the l57 industries
now surveyed showing increases in
the number at work and 81 showing
larger pay rolls. III the durable
goods group, employment roe 23
per cent, while in the non-durable
goods group there was a decline OF
! per cent. Most of the increases
IN the individual industries were
larger than seasonal, and most of
the declines were smaller than sea-
sonal."
Employment in the war industries
continued to increase in November.
Secretary Perkins reported the fol-
lowing gains for the month: Air
craft, 10,400; shipbuilding, 4,3OO;
machine tools, 1900; engines, 2,7O0:
aluminium manufactures, 800, and
explosives, 200. Since 1897 employ
ment in the aircraft industry has
increased 101, 900. In November the
industry had 125,600 wage earners.
At a press conference yesterday,
Secretary Perkins declared that she
saw no reason at this time to de-
prtve labor of its right to strike.
This right, she said, had not been
abused so far. and she expressed
the belief that it would not be
abused by American workers. A
strike, she declared, is not "a weap-
on of anger or disunity," but IAN
economic tool"
Strike Figures Presented.
According to figures given out by
one of Secretary Perkins aides,
strikes during the first nine months
OF 1910 caused the loss of 1859 ,09s
man working hours, as compared
with 14,254,264 hours lost during the
period from January through Sep
tember, 1889
Secretary Perkins cited two major
reason for the recent decrease in
strikes. One is the fact that better
conciliation and arbitration ma
chinery is available, and, second,
more public spirited" attitude on
the part of employers. Labor, too,
she said, is more willing to accept
conciliation and arbitration as a
means of avoiding strikes"
The practice of certain unions to
charge high initiation fees, Secre-
tary Perkins said, is an internal
union problem"