The Most Photographed Spanish

Dancer in Southern California

Increared Cost of Retail Lumbering

(Continued from Page 4) here in Mcxican "Tehuantqrcc" coltume is neithcr Spanirh nor Mcxican* with each other to see who could get the most, and this became a ring-around-the-rosy, prices going up to meet the rising costs and then more wage increases to keep up with the cost of living, and so on. The straight time weighted average in Los Angeles County for wage earners in lumber yards is now $1.771 an hour and the average earnings if actual payroll was figured would be 5c or 6c more on account of overtime. The industry does not have average figures over the years. Our company has taken its payrolls of November 1, 1939 and multiplied them by the rates in effect on November lst of each year from 1932 to November 1950. On November I, 1932 the average earnings per hour was 50c; November 1, 1940--82.3c; November 1, 1944$1.17; November 1, 1945-$1.248; and November 1, 1950 $1.746 per hour, and November 1, 1951 with 9c added will make it $1.836 (or a trifle more on account of overtime on the 9c). The average for Z0 years, 1932 to 1951 inclusive, was $1.053 per hour. We are now paying 74.470 more than a twenty year average. We are paying in 1951 in wages 2.23 times the 19,10 rate and a perusal of your salary rolls will show, I think, that they are in about the same proportion. Putting it another way, your payments for employees have increased in 195L,123% over 1940, and incidentally, the cost of living in July 1951 was 83.4% more than July 194O according to the U.S. Department of Labor for the Los Angeles area. As you know we have just concluded labor negotiations in Los Angeles for the year ending June 3Q 1952. In the light of the facts just presented you are justified in asking why we did what we did. For weeks prior to our meetings day by day radio reports and newspaper articles told' of the Wage Stabilization Board ruling that l0/o over January 15, 1950 could be given without approval. On this score we were almost licked before we started. We .also gave two weeks vacation after three years instead of after five years because area practice in this regard is rvell established. We also gave $4.00 per month per employee for health and welfare benefits, which is just starting something we can't finish. To go into all details of the negotiations is out of place here.

Rcdwood is going to bc scarcer this wintcr and next spring. Wc know thc car shortage is over; we also know that most of yrou that carricd a fair-sized inventory of upper grade redwoods, whcn it was hard to get, now are letting that invcntory run down, in the mistaken bclief that redwood is going to be plentiful.

Ask yourself these questions.

How many srnall mills in the redwood country have gonc to cutting Fir?

How many mills, still cutting redwood, have an adequate Cold-deck of l,ogs to last over the rainy season?

\ll/e are prctty sure wc arcn't like the old lady on the sightsceing bus in Detroit, that wanted to show off a little. When thebarkcr pointcd out thc famous Ford residence, she asked in a shrill voice, "IIENRY?" "No, Mam," answcred thc barkcr, 'Edsel." And when he pointed out the Dodge residence, also of motor fame, shc again shrilly askcd, "FRANK?" To which the answer was, "No, Mam-Horace." Shortly afterwards the barkcr spoke up again, "And to your left, ladies and gentlemcn, is the farnous Christ Church." Not a word this timc from the old girl but a voice in the back of the b,us spokc up, "Go ahead and ask him, lady, YOU CAN'T BE WRONG ALL THE TIME."

It is our job to lrrow most of the answers rcgarding redwood, and wc are glad to answer any questions you might ask. In the meantime, do not forget, REDWOOD BOUGHT GREEN, INCREASES IN VALUE IN YOUR YARD.

*Oh, Ycs-The Girl in the picture above-she is of Nordic descent, and as nativc of California as the redwood we sell, but considerably younger.

Ernie Moss

It is my opinion that if practically any one of you had all the facts we had, and knew the currents and cross currents we knew, you would have done what we did. The payroll figures I have given you are only earnings per hour on a payroll and do not include all labor expenses per hour. The average straight time rate in Los Angeles as of now is $1J745 per hour, arrived at by audit. The industry is inclined to use this figure in costing problems. I have worked out additional costs to the straight time rate-six paid holidays cost 4.1c per hour, an average of. ll weeks vacation is 5.1c, an average of about 5/o overtime or two hours per week per employee is 4.2c. Then you pay for State and Federal Unemployment 4.3c, for Social Security 2.6c and for Compensation and Accident about 3.4c. This makes atotal of. 23.7c additional per hour or about 13.35/o that an employee costs you over the straight time rate, and if the health and welfare of $4.0O per month is approved this will cost 2.3c an hour more.

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