NATION’S WORKERS RIDE CREST OF WAR ROOM
INDUSTRIAL PAY
63% ABOVE 1927
•OR RECORD HIGH
Living Costs Increase
27% Since 1939
Tlit- pendulum of American
economy has taken a swing attain
arid this time the factory work
er has come to the top. On the
hther side of the fence and not
faring so well are the many
white collar and non manufac
turing employees, making up
more than (50 per cent of Uio na
tion’s labor force.
In the present mechanized war
production has taken on an im
portance almost equal to that of
actual fighting. Thus, the facto
ry worker has become a vital fac
tor, and in no netter way has
this been demonstrated by the
demand for his labor and, most
significant of all, the increase in
his nay check.
Since August of l1.):!!), wages
of employees in manufacturing
industries have gone up 82 per
cent. In the meantime, cost of
living has increased less than 27
per cent, thus giving the employ
ees a sizable surplus of income
over expenses, if one figures the
base wages of 19.111 were ade
Lined up against the 14 million
employees in the factories, how
ever, are the many millions more
of white collar workers, etc .
have not, as a whole, enjoyed the
same measure of prosperity. In
Vetoing the Commodity Ciedit
corporation bill, President Roose
velt said:
"It it too ea*y to act on the
uiumptian that all consumers
h^ve surplus purchasing power;
and that the high earnings of
some workers in munitions plants
are enjoyed by every worker's j
family. This easy assumption ov
erlooks the 4,000,000 wage wor
kers still earning less than 40c
per hour, and mil'ions of others
whose incomes are almost as I
low. It ignores that fact that al
most 4.000,000 families have not '
had an increase of more than 5 |
per cent in their income during |
the last 18 months. It further ig 1
■lores the mil ions .of salaried!
white collared workers — whose I
salaries have remained low. It
equally ignores others on fixed
incomes.
’Twits ;t time In. the roaring
20s when the white-collar work
er'. etc., were reaping the bar
vest of a paper prosperity—the
»>ck, bond and real state boom
'Mowed the ’.‘50’s when nobody
particularly flourished. And now
in the ’40s mechanized warfare
lias thrust the industrial worker
into the limelight.
Figures from the department
nf labor show that average week
ly earnings of manufacturing em
ployees are now approximately
li.'i per cent higher than they
were in 1925-27. On the other
hand, living costs arc almost eq
mil to those of the same years.
In April of 1941, the average
factory Worker’s paycheck am
ounted to $28.08. In June of this
year the same worker brought
$43.35 home. Half of this gain,
or approximately $7.25, resulted
from overtime earnings As a
who e, the average factory work
er is now putting in five hours
more than he did in the spring of
1941.
Rut the true extent of this in
crease can he found in its rela
tion to the cost of living. Since
wages generally have shot up so
much faster than prices, industri
al workers have been left with a
surplus of 4 4 per cent of pay ov
er expenses. This kind of figur
ing is not so simple, however,
since it cannot he presumed that
the Workers’ 19.'!9 wages were
adequate to cover the full cost of
In the general increased livin':
cost of 27 per cent, fond took
i . highest jump of 42 per cent.
I.< n ■ went up only 8 per cent,
ai ' fuel and light costs 7.t> per
RATION REMINDER
GASOLINE—-in 17 states of
eastern shortage area A-t! coup
ons aie now good. In states out
side the eastern shortage area
A-7 coup<ns are good through
Septenther 21st.
FUEL OIL—Period 5 coupons
in old rations remain good thru
Septenther SO. Period 1 coupons
in new rations are good through
December.
SUGAR—Stamp No. 14 good
for 5 pounds through October.
Stamps Nos. 15, and 10 good for
5 pounds each for home canning
through October 'll.
SHOES—Stamp No. 18 good
for one pair through October 111
/■iTOVES—Qonsnmer ■purcha
ses of rationed stoves must be
made with certificates obtained
at local War Price and Rationing
MEATS, FATS— Red stamps
X. V and 7. good through Octo
ber 2. Brown stamp B becomes
good Septenther 19 and remains
good through October 2.
PROCESSED FOODS — Blue
stamps R, S and T expire Sep
tember 20. U, V and W are now
good and expire October 20.
Victory Gardener* Set Record
TvAenty million Victory Gar
dens— two million more than the
cent.
In liguring the cost of living,
particular items are not consul*
ered separately; hut. instead, a
croup of items are taken and es
timated in the order of their int
nortance to the working family.
Thus, items most needed are giv
en a higher rating than others
less needed, and the average for
the whole is taken to arrive at a
representative cost of living.
For instance the department
of labor estimates that the aver
age family expends 33.9 percent
for food; 10.5 percent for cloth
ing; 18.1 per cent for rent; 6:4
per cent for fuel, electricity and
ight; 4.2 for furnishings, and
26.9 per cent for miscellaneous
To arrive at the cost of living
the department of labor then
takes the price of food and mul
tiplies it by 33.9; the price of
clothing and multiplies it by 10.5
and the price of rent and multi
plies it by ltj 1, etc.
The same system is followed in
estimating the value of individu
al items in the general clas.lilica
tiop.s, like flour in the case of
foods or suits in the ease of
clothes, etc.
As a result of his method of
estimating the cost of living, a
truer picture of the general situ
ation is obtained, lather than if
just certain individual items
were picked out and used to illus
trate the rise of prices. Further
more, by placing every group of
items in their order of impor
tance, inconsequential price in
creases, as for luxuries, etc., do
not throw the real picture of the
cost of living out of line.
In regard to the national in
come, it is interesting to note
that while the wages and salaries
have gone up 82 per cent, other
types ol earnings have increased
•19 tier cent. In dollars and cents,
the picture for 1942 shaped ap
this way:
Wage* & salaries Other income
80 Billion 39 Billion
In 191;!, national income is ex
pected to top approximately 140
billion., thus insuring industrial
employees and others of contin
ued high wages and salaries.
From where I sit..,
r .Jy Joe Marsh
Sam Abernethy always said:
“Curiosity may kill a cat - but
I’m no cat" Which Is Sam's way
of saying that when he’s curious
about something he goes out
and gets the facts.
Seems our government feels
the same way. After hearing ru
mors about our soldiers drink
ing too much-government peo
ple went after the facts. They
got the evidence on what our
boys drink .. . and don’t drink.
The government found out
our Army’s the best behaved In
history- More’n half of 'em drink
beer—nothing stronger. And the
government found that selling
3.2 beer in Army camps is one
reason why onr Army is so tem
perate..
From where I sit, there isn't
much cause to worry about our
men in the Army. Looks like
they can take care c’ themselves
-and take care o' the Nazis and
the Japs, too.
© 1943, BREWING INDUSTRY FOUNDATION. North Carolina Commit!#*
Edgar H. Bain, Stat* Director. 604-607 lnt>,ranc# Bldg., Raltigh, N. C.
goal set last spring—were grown
this year, Claude H, Wickard
Secretary of Agriculture, said in
a recent radio address. The Sec
retary said the Victory Gardens
total about four million acres
and will produce eight million
tons of food. In speaking of the
goal of 22 million gardens for
next year, Wickard said. “Last
year at this time we were con
corned over the possibility that
we would not have enough gar
den seed and fertilizer for all
Who wanted to grow gardens
our best information is that we
shall have an ample supply of
both next year. We are expect
ing a better supply of garden
too.ls and equipment for spraying
and dusting. Victory Garden
production should set another
new record in 1944.”
Farm Labor Placements
Through the government farm
labor program 1,600 000 place
ments of workers were made on
farms in the past four months.
Among the. workers placed were
'i01,000 local U. S. Crop Corps
workers, comprising 250,000 men
150,000 women and’ .'500,000
boy.-, and girls. War food adminis
tration officials, in making this
announcement, stressed the need
for more emergency volunteer
workers in the next few months.
Recruitment and nlacement of
farm labor are handled by coun
ty agricultural extension agents
in most localities. In others the
activity is carried on by the U.S.
Employment Service.
roint* ror Home Canned Foods
rile point Value ol home fun
nel toods shall be the. same as
that of the corresponiling tom
inertia! product, except that no
home-canned food shall have a
point value of more than eight
points per quart or four points
per pound. This \v :s announced
in a recent OPA amendment.
Synthetic Tire Price*
Maximum prices for synthetic
rubber tires and tubes have been
established by OPA. In the main
they are the same as the ceiling
prices for corresponding tires of
natural rubber.
More Good* for Civilian*
Civilians will soon get more
cooking utensils, lamps, lanterns
bed springs, innerspring mattres
ses, non-electric razors, razor
blades, plated silverware, brush
es, nails, tacks, boilers radiators,
furnaces, screen cloth, and oth
er household and kitchen articles
as a result of a recent WPB di
leetiv'e, which reserved a portion
of the production of approxi
mately ;io types of products for
civilian use. The directive pro
hibits government agencies from
buying goods set aside lor civil
ians.
Consumer Cos,' Piles Smaller
Tile amount of coal held in
storage by consumers diminished
'j 12,000 tons during July, Harold
L. Ickes, solid fuels administra
tor, reported recently. We have
less coal in storage now than we
had amonth ago/’ the adminis
trator said. "The limitations on
production make it uncertain to
what extent output can be in
increased. Consequently it will
be wise to conserve coal by all
possible means so that there will
be enough of it to carry on all
essential activities and to keep
the public warm.”
Army Rebuilds Shoes
Approximately six and a half
million pairs of Army shoes will
be rebuilt during the" present fis
cal year at plants- under super
vision of the quartermaster
Corps, Army service forces, in
Buford, fia., and Hannibal, Mo.
The rebuilding operation in one
year will save the government
approximately seven million
ooilars, and will conserve nearly
20 million square feet of leather
Army shoes usually are resoled
twice, then sent to Buford or to
Hannibal for rebuilding. The
rebuilt shoes look and wear like
the original article and usually
are more comfortable Because
they hav'e been broken in. |
Discharged Men Return Uniforms i
Many honorably discharged'
enlisted men of the Army are
voluntarily returning their issued
clothing to the army, thereby
saving clothing stocks, according
to the War Department. Former
soldiers desiring to return their
uniforms should address a pack
age to the commanding officer
r>f the Army installation nearest
their homes. The box should be
marked: “Attention: Quarter
master, Clothing and Equipage
Classification Officer.” Those
who do not desire to pay trans- 1
portation may return the cloth-1
ing by turning ov'er any properly
addressed package not over 30
pounds, to the nearest Railway
Express agency office for collect
ihipment at government expense
Druggist* Contribute Quinine
With the compliments of the
nation’s druggists, more than 11
million live-grain doses of quin
ine are now on their way to join
Hie war against malaria. Because
seizure of the Netherlands blast
Indies cut off 90 per cent of the
source of quinine supply, the
Ainiy called u|*»n the nation's
iiruggists to make contributions
An appreciable quantity of the
quinine donated was produced
Germany and Japan, and it
will! assist in the war to defeat
those nations.
Blimps Help Fishermen
Navy blimps, oil the lookout
for enemy submarines and sur
face craft in northwestern wat
ers, also are helping the war
food program Under an agree
ment worked out between the
office of the Coordinator of Fish
eries and Vice Admiral Frank
.lack Fletcher, ' Navy command
ant in tlie Seattle area blimps
which sight schools of fish will
communicate the news by short
wave to fishing vessels. The pa
trolling blimps can easily spot
schools of fish which might take
•fishermen hours to locate.
Home Canning of Fish
Surplus fish can be canned at
home just as vegetables from the
Victory Garden are canned. The
following bulletins on cooking
and canping of fish may be ob
tained from the publications of
fice, Fish and Wildlife Service,
Merchandise Mart, Chicago, 111.:
Monte Preservation of Fishery
Products,*' Fishery Leaflet No.
18; “Cooking Carp,” Fishery
leaflet No. 19; and “How to
Cook the Bourbot," Fishery leaf
let No. 21. “Wartime Fish Cook
ery,” Conservation Bulletin No
27. may be obtained from the
Superintendent of Documents,
Government Printing Office.
Washington, D. C.
Search for War Minerals
The most extensive explorato
ry program ever undertaken in
the United States and Alaska for
war minerals has been launched
by the Bureau of Mines. The
Bureau is sending its crews out
in quest of nearly a score of
minerals needed to supply the
armed forces, according to Har
old 1.. Ickes, Secretary of the In
terior. States in which explora
tions will be conducted are:
Alabama, Arizona. Arkansas,
California Colorado. Connecticut
Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Maine,
Massachusetts. Missouri, Mon
tana, Nevada, New Hampshire.
New Mexico, Xor;h Carolina
Ohio. Oklahoma. Oregon, Penn
sylvania, South Dakota. Tennes
see, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Vir
ginia, Washington, and Wyoming
Gun Cover* Protect Bible*
Bibles which aie placed on
every life raft and life boat on
Army transport Vessels are being
protected from the effects of
salt water by the same type of
covet that protects pistols, rifles
and machine guns in landing op
erations. Curiously enough, the
covers used for pistols are of ex
actly the right size for copies of
the Bfhle and have been adopted
by the Chaplains Corps as a stan
dard protective covering for
them. T7ie covers were developed
by the Quartermaster Corps of
a pliable, transparent, water
proof film known as vinyl. They
are buoyant enough to float the
Bibles if they are accidentally
dropped overboard or washed out
of the rafts in heavy seas
Public May Get Copper Wire
The public may purchase cop
per wire without restriction front
retailers, electricians, radio re
pair men and others who sell it.
Under a new war production
board any retailer or repair man
may order up to $100 worth of
copper wire for delivery during
the calendar quarter. Civilians
must use this with care, WPR
officials hav'e pointed out, as it
will be needed to cover all essen
tial repairs for genera public
Leads Crew to Safety
First Lieutenant Harry E.
Spencer, Jr., Dallas, Texas, has
recently been awarded the Les
ion of Merit for his part in sav
ins his fellow crew members af
ter their B-17 type aircraft
crashed on the Greenland ice
cap, Nov'ember 0, 11142. On De
cember 7, 1942, Lieutenant Spen
cer and two other members of
the crew left camp on a motor
sled in an attempt to carry a se
verely injured officer to a base
camp. Shortly after leavins one
of the men fell into a crev'asse
and was killed. Six miles farther
on, the sled broke down. Lieu
tenant .Spencer and his compan
ion could have reached the camp
safely on foot, but for two
months they camped by the sled
caring for the injured man until
all were rescued.
Soldiers Oversees May Buy Gifts
Soldiers overseas may order
Christmas presents for their
families and friends at home. A
catalog of Christmas suggestions,
prepared by the Army Exchange
Service, has been sent to over
seas units with instructions on
how gifts may be ordered. The
catalog lists several hundred
rifts for men, women, and chi 1
3ten—all of them items for
which soldiers have shown a
marked interest in previous se
lections of gifts.
• ^ Wasted money is wasted
■k lives. Don’t waste precious
uQnb Uves. Every dollar you can
9 »i**re should bo used to buy
w Beads. Buy your ten
»»«1 Mr «w.
Labor Mobilization
Board Holds Meet’g
R«v E- E»ker On
Committee
EXCERPTS FROM N. C.
EMERGENCY WAR ROWERS
PROCLAMATION NO. IV in
reference to functions of Labor
Mobilization Ron ids.
SECTION I. That there shall
be set uj> in each county in this
State an oruani/at ion to be naiu
e.i the I.Alioi: MO I! 11.1Z ATIO.N
HOARD OK (iASTON COCN'TY.
said board to consist of such a
number of persons as shall be
designated by the (ioVeriior. Tin
Covernor shall name the chair
man of each county hoard and
the members shall be appointed
to serve for the duration of the
war; that the chairman and all
members of the boards shall servt
without compensation and slut!
be fairly representat ive of the |
industrial and agricultural inter-j
ests of the county; that for the j
purpose of this Proclamation, the
Governor may adopt the count'
organizations already set up un
tier the Governors proclamation
of June ‘J.'!. DM.",, known srener
ally as the WORK OR EIGHT
P‘RO< LA M ATI ON : that each
county organization shall meet
at the call of the chairman, is
authorized and empowered to
perfect its own organization and
provide for the naming of al’
committees arid su'h-committecs
and adopt either plans of organi
zation as to them may seem
Farm Credit Agent
Sure Farmers Will
Invest In Bonds
Haiiy 1.. lirown, general ag
ent of the Farm Credit Admin
istration of Columbia and for
mer assistant secretary of agri
culture. said today that lie was
sure the farmers of the Third
Faint Credit district, composed
of the states of South Carolina.
North. .Carolina. Georgia. and
l-lorida. would do their part in
investing in war bonds; especial
ly during the Third War Loan
" I here are four things war j
bonds will do.” Mr. Itrown said. I
"They will provide the nation
with needed funds with which to j
prosecute the war. They const i-|
Hite .a method of savings when I
income is good. Then, ton, these
bunds will be available for what
ever needs the tanners may have
I°f cash after the war is over
tilings they can’t buy at the
present time, and when purchas
ing power will be needed to keen
the wheels ol industry turning
And the most important,’’ lie!
concluded, "the more money that j
farmers invest in war bonds, the
more retarded will he the trend
toward inflation. We surely don't !
want to hav'e the reaction we <
had after the first world war. |
During those days land sold
away .above its normal value and 1
many larmers were linaiiciallv
sunk because they paid more i
than the land was worth ”
Winter Cover Crops
Seeding winter cover crops to
provide winter and early spring
grazing is being recommended
by R. .1. Seitz, work unit conser
vationist of the lower Catawba
soil conservation district as a
means of getting all-out produc
tion from the land.
Land handled in this mantlet
actually performs a double duty
in the war effort, he says. It is
in continuous and safe year
round use. producing war crops
during the summer and feeding
livestock during the off-season
months tor added production of
meats and dairy products.
The conservationist points out
that there is a huge acreage of
land in Gaston county which or
dinarily remains halt* ami idlt
until spring, which could In* util
ized. Both legumes and non leg
lime crops can he planted on this
land with good results. he de
| Of the non-legumes oats. rye.
rye-grass, and barley are per
haps tlie most common. Among
he legumes are austrian winter
teas rairy vetch, crimson clover
md wild winter peas.
In addition to providing a
winter source of green feed,
'.hese crops can he of tremendous
Value in increasing soil fertility.
They protect the soil against
erosion during the winter months
and improve the soil's fertility
by restoring nutrients w'luci.
have been sapped by the pieced
iug summer crops.
BUY
UNITED STATES
WAR
W|ir
BONDS
AND
STAMPS
proper and necessary.
SECTION 2. That it shall b<
theduty of each county commit
tee to make plans for the in Veil
tory. mobilization, conservation
distribution, and use of laboi
in each county necessary or use
fill in the prosecution of the wai
SECTION :,!. That each county
committee shall specific ally for
mu lute plans for asceri a itiinc
the names and addresses of al
male persons .between the ages
of eighteen (1X1 and lifty-fiv'c
(55) years of ace who are not
gainfully employed and who arc
not in the arnied forces of 'In
United States or In the Maritime
service, and who are physically
aide to work.
That foi the purpose of t)ii~
'Proclamation any person shall
he deemed to he gainfully em
iloyeil if spell person at the time
■s engaged in some employment
'"or himself or for others for
iilicli as thirty five (tip) hours
er week, unless such person is
ngagial in such character of
\vork that Icy the nature thereof
i reasonable numher of hours of
work shall he less than said mini
her. or if such person has wit'h
n the past five weeks worked
in his employment the number
>f hours that persons engaged in
sucli employment ordinarily
vork: Provided, that time lost
tom work by reason of regular
i ml customary vacations and
iekness shall not be considered
a such determination. Other coa
litions peculiar to the character
'nd nature of the employment
■ lay he considered in detei min
ne: wlie'her or not such person
s gainfully emnloyed.
Sl'.t I ION I. 'I hat it shall he the
duty of the county committee,
ind'o the hand of the chairman
>r ' sterol ary ,J hereof, to pYompt
report t«* tli** local office or lo
ail representative of t lie United
'states Employment Service of
lie War Manpower ('onunission
lie dames of all male persons
■et ween the nya*.s of eighteen
Ms) and fifty fiv'e (ba) years
wlm are found not to he'yainful
V employed and who are physi
cally aide to work; that in such
’’eport. the county committee
shall state the aye of such per
son a lid the charnel ed . of work
it any, in which such person is
usually employed. Notice of such
action shall he yiven to sueh
person hy the chairman of the
hoard hy mail, addressed to tip
hist known address of sueh tin
employed person. It shall he un
lawful for any person to fail or
refuse to answer any reasonable
•mestions asked such person hy
'lie county committee, or any of
its authorized representatives, as
'o his aye. address, and employ
ment status. I'lie county com
mil tee or any authorized repre
sentative thereof, shall have the
power to subpoena any person
"'ho. utter investiyat ion. annears
to he within the ayes hereinhe
fore mentioned and unemployed,
and shall hpve the riyht to re
Ottit'e sueh person under oath to
answer any puestions pertinent
to his aye. address, and employ
meat status.
■.SECTION 5. That it shall he
ll'e duty of such unemployed
person, within twenty-four CM)
hours after notice from the I ni
ed States Employment Service
of the tender to him of a fob in
some gainful employment or
work of the type and character
'hat such person by reason of his
physical coinditiop and experience
Korean WAVE
Seaman Susan Ahn of l.os An
:**les, who entered the Naval Re
ierve midshipmen's school in
Northampton, Mass. Her parents
are Korean and she both speaks
and writes her native tongue.
is reasonably able to |><• rfi.rin.
and tit wanes which prevail in
tile county for work of tin
clia racier and for reasonable
hours, to accept the same ami
I properly apply himself to the
j (Julies thereof. In the event such
I person shall wilfully refuse to
accept such employment, m cm
page in some other painful em
| ployment, without just cause or
excuse, such refusal shall con
slitute a violation of this I’m, In
itiation and such person shall he
guilty of it misdemeanor and
punishable as provided in Section
•1 of Chapter 700 of the Se-sion
I.aws of 1943.
SUCTION fi. The provisions «.f
this proclamation sluill not apple
to persons temporarily Uncin
ployed by reason of bona tide
differences between employer
and employees acting in prmip
or organizations nor to hotia tide
students during the sc I.I n-im.
nor to persons fitting themselves
lo engage in a trade m iudus
rial pursuit.
SKCTlOX 7. That it shall .'hr
the duty of tlie county committee
to report to the law ei.ifon.im;
officers of the county the names
and addresses of all persons who
based upon their invo.sv.ipal iofi,
are found to he vagrants mith-in
the meaning of Consolidated
Statutes 4459-44 ti 1. mud who.
after being tentiered painful em
ployment, refuse to accept the
same or to reasomihly continue
in such employment: ami it shall
l>e the duty of such officers, up
on such information. to cause
warrants to he issued against
such persons and that they bo
speedily brought to trial in courts
of competent jurisdiction.
It shnll also be the duty of
tlie county committee to u-poit
to the law enforcing officers of
tlie county the names and ad
dresses of all persons who. wi:b
in the terms of this proclamation
i have been tendered gainful cm
I ployment and who wilfully rel’me
I to accept and reasonably com
tinue therein.
—
Aid to Enemy
"Any American who wilfully
neglect* to pay his taxes on
time or to invest every cent he
can in War Bonds is surely giv
ing aid and comfort to the
enemy . . . We have a job to
do and we are all called for
service to our country. Our
dollars are called to service
too. Let us all ask ourselves,
‘Shall we be more tender with
our dollars than with the lives
of our sons?’ ” — Secretary
Morgenthau.
*
The railroads of America an* hacking industry to Mu* limit in the war
of production. On|\ Mu* dose coordination horn of a common cause
€!oul«l result in the extraordinary achievements of transportation and
industry since the war begun.
I' or many years the Seaboard It ail wav has recognized the interde
pendence of industry and transportation. On the established principle
that, the welfare of the railroad depends upon the prosperity of its
patrons, the Seaboard has been work ini; over a long period of time
for the economic development of the territory it serves.
The Seaboard’s interest extends beyond the location of new plant*.
It is equally concerned with the success of all industry served b\ its
I due. Its policy is to provide adequate service and to adjust the freight
rates on raw materials ami finished products to enable these industries
to compete with similar industries whether located in the South or
elsewhere. •
Remarkable progress has been made in the industrial development
of the South in recent years. Present indications point to further
expansion in the post-war period.
Seaboard will work in the future — as in the past - as Partners
With Industry.
(ACK THf ATTACK
WHH WA* SONOS