and for machine lacers and fly leafers to 3.4 hours or 9.3 percent for machine strippers. The gains, on the other hand, were 0.8 hour or 2.3 percent for bundlers and packers, 1.2 hours or 3.5 percent for gluing-machine operators, and 5.0 hours or 15.9 percent for quadruple-stayer feeders. Between August 1934 and August 1935, the averages of each of the 18 occupational classes of northern females increased. The smallest gain, 0.3 hour or 0.9 percent, was for other indirect workers and the greatest, 5.0 hours or 15.2 percent, for miscellaneous machine operators. In spite of these advances, only two occupational classes, the same as in May 1933, had averages slightly in excess of 40 hours. One of the effects of the maximum-hour provisions of the code was to reduce the differentials in favor of males. This is quite evident from an examination of the averages of the eight identical occupational classes in the North for which comparisons may be made on a sex basis. Not only was the differential greatly reduced in six of the eight classes between May 1933 and August 1934, but females actually had a higher average than males in two of the classes during the latter period. In August 1935, males enjoyed a favorable margin in all of the eight classes, although in each instance the differential was lower than in May 1933. The average hours per week of males in the South declined sharply between May 1933 and August 1934. Whereas in the former period, the average of all 6 occupational groupings exceeded 40, in one case exceeding 50, only 1 group had an average in excess of 40 per week in the latter period. This average, however, was still within the limits of the code. The percentage gains during this period were from 20.3 for other semiskilled indirect workers to 31.3 for machine helpers and floormen, and the absolute increases extended from 9.1 hours for miscellaneous machine feeders to 15.3 hours for machine helpers and floormen. After the code, however, the hours of male workers in the South increased for every occupational grouping. Thus, in August 1935, the averages were from 4.1 (for other semiskilled indirect workers) to 13.7 (for other skilled indirect workers) percent higher than in August 1934. The absolute increases ranged from 1.7 hours for machine helpers and floormen and for other semiskilled indirect workers to 5.3 hours for other skilled indirect workers. Three of the six occupational groups averaged in excess of 40 hours in August 1935. The lowest average in this period was 35.3 hours and the highest 43.9 hours, as compared with 43.5 and 52.2 hours, respectively, in May 1933. In May 1933, the range in the average weekly hours of the nine occupational classes presented for females in the South was from 37.4 'These occupational classes are corner-cutter feeders, single-stayer operators, quadruple-stayer feeders, hand box makers, unskilled miscellaneous bench workers, bundlers and packers, office and plant supervisory employees, and office and plant clerical employees. for hand box makers to 47.2 for single-stayer operators. By August 1934, this spread had narrowed considerably, the lowest average, 31.7 hours, being for machine helpers and floormen and the highest, 37.6 hours, for other indirect workers. The last-mentioned occupational grouping had the smallest decline between these two periods, 3.0 hours or 7.4 percent, and single-stayer operators the greatest, 14.1 hours or 29.9 percent. After the code, however, the averages of all nine occupational classes advanced, the extent of these increases being from 0.3 hour or 0.9 percent for miscellaneous machine feeders to 6.2 hours or 19.1 percent for automatic wrapping-machine operators. While seven of the nine occupational-class averages exceeded 40 hours in 1933, no average was as high as 40 in each of the two later periods. Between May 1933 and August 1934, a decided change took place in the average-weekly-hour differentials of the six identical female occupations for which regional comparisons are possible. In the former period, females in the South had a differential in each of these occupations, the lowest, 1.9 hours, being for hand box makers and the highest, 12.1 hours, for single-stayer operators. However, the opposite was true in August 1934, the averages of northern females slightly exceeding those of southern females in all six cases. This was brought about by sharp decreases between May 1933 and August 1934 in the scuthern averages, as against only comparatively small reductions in the northern averages. In August 1935, however, females in the South again had higher averages in two of the six occupations. As regards the other four, the difference in favor of northern females increased in three and declined in one of the occupations. • These occupations are single-stayer operators, machine strippers, hand turners-in, automatic wrappingmachine operators, hand box makers, and unskilled miscellaneous bench workers. Chapter IV.-Weekly Earnings Changes in Averages For the industry as a whole, the average weekly earnings rose from $13.45 in May 1933 to $15.87 in August 1934, a gain of $2.42 or 18.0 percent. This increase was due entirely to the sharp advance in average hourly earnings, as the average weekly hours declined during this period. The gain in weekly hours, however, was responsible for the increase in the average earnings per week from $15.87 in August 1934 to $16.66 in August 1935 (a rise of 79.0 cents or 5.0 percent), since the average earnings per hour declined slightly during this interval. Over the entire period, the average weekly earnings advanced $3.21 or 23.9 percent. These facts are disclosed in table 10. TABLE 10.-Average weekly earnings by region and sex Between May 1933 and August 1934, males in the North had a higher absolute rise in average weekly earnings ($1.72) than males in the South ($1.49), but the latter had a greater relative gain than the former (10.4 percent as compared with 8.7 percent). During the same period, females in the North had greater relative and absolute increases ($2.84 or 26.6 percent) than females in the South ($1.96 or 21.2 percent). From August 1934 to August 1935, the gains amounted to $1.15 (5.4 percent) for males in the North, 63 cents (4.7 percent) for females in the North, $1.17 (7.4 percent) for males in the South, and 64 cents (5.7 percent) for females in the South. For the period as a whole (May 1933 to August 1935), the advances in the North were $2.87 or 14.6 percent for males and $3.47 or 32.5 percent for females, while in the South they amounted to $2.66 or 18.6 percent for males and $2.60 or 28.1 percent for females. The average weekly earnings by region and sex are also presented in chart 6. |