Anthracite and bituminous-coal mines absorbed 16,600 additional workers over the month interval, and the gains in the remaining nonmanufacturing industries which reported increases amounted to 15,900. In the 6 nonmanufacturing industries which showed losses, the decreases amounted to 7,300.

According to preliminary reports of the Interstate Commerce Commission, class I railroads employed 1,097,401 workers (exclusive of executives and officials) in October as compared with 1,089,581 in September. This represented a gain of 0.7 percent over the month interval. Corresponding pay-roll information for October was not available at the time this report was prepared. The total compensation of all employees except executives and officials was $150,980,283 in September and $150,689,008 in August, a gain of 0.2 percent. The Commission's preliminary indexes of employment, based on the 3-year average 1923-25 as 100, were 62.1 for October and 61.7 for September. The final August index was 61.0.

Hours and earnings. The average workweek for factory wage earners was 40.5 hours in October, the gain over the month interval being 4.5 percent, and over the year interval, 6.0 percent. Average hourly earnings in October (57.3 cents) were 0.9 percent higher than in September and 1.3 percent higher than in October of last year. Average weekly earnings ($23.46) were 5.1 percent higher than in September and 7.7 percent higher than in October 1935.

Each of the 14 nonmanufacturing industries for which man-hour data are compiled showed gains over the month interval in average hours worked per week. The increases ranged from less than 0.1 percent in laundries to 28.0 percent in anthracite mining. In 8 of these 14 industries higher average hourly earnings were reported. Each of the 16 nonmanufacturing industries surveyed showed higher weekly earnings, with the exception of insurance and crude-petroleum producing.

Table 1 presents a summary of employment and pay-roll indexes and average weekly earnings in October 1936 for all manufacturing industries combined, for selected nonmanufacturing industries, and for class I railroads, with percentage changes over the month and year intervals except in the few industries for which certain items cannot be computed. The indexes of employment and pay rolls for the manufacturing industries are based on the 3-year average 1923-25 as 100 and for the nonmanufacturing industries on the 12-month average for 1929 as 100.

Table 1.-Employment, Pay Rolls, and Earnings in All Manufacturing Industrie Combined and in Nonmanufacturing Industries, October 1936 (Prelimina Figures)

Cash payments only; the additional value of board, room, and tips cannot be computed.
Less than 40 of 1 percent

Public Employment

IN OCTOBER 298,000 employees were working on construction projects financed from Public Works Administration funds. Compared with the previous month this was a decrease of 26,000. Decreases in employment occurred on Federal and non-Federal projects financed from funds provided by the National Industrial Recovery Act and on non-Federal public works projects financed from funds released under the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935. Total pay-roll disbursements amounted to $23,557,000, compared with $24,761,000 in September.

On projects financed from regular governmental appropriations 156,000 workers were employed in October. This was virtually thei same as the number of workers employed in September. Employment gains in building construction, electrification, forestry, naval

vessels, and miscellaneous construction projects were offset by decreases in the number employed on public roads, reclamation, river, harbor, and flood control, streets and roads, and water and sewerage projects. Pay-roll disbursements were $15,105,000, an increase of $1,011,000 over the previous month.

The number of wage earners employed on construction projects financed by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in October was 8,900, a decrease of 1,400 compared with September. Decreases in employment occurred on all types of projects with the exception of reclamation. Total pay-roll disbursements of $1,003,000 were $83,000 less than in September.

The number of wage earners employed on projects financed by The I Works Program increased in October. During the month 3,076,000 workers were engaged on this program, an increase of 75,000 compared with September. Virtually all of this increase occurred on that part of the program operated by the Works Progress Administration and was accounted for wholly by an expansion of employment in the drought area. Over 2,638,000 workers were employed on this part of the program. On Federal projects employment totaled 438,000. Pay-roll disbursements totaled $154,678,000, an increase of $4,712,000 over September.

In the regular agencies of the Federal Government, increases in the number of employees were reported for the executive, legislative, judicial, and military services. The level of employment in the executive service increased less than 1 percent in October but was over 5 percent higher than in October 1935. Of the 841,000 employees in the executive service in October, 115,000 were working in the District of Columbia and 726,000 outside the District. The most pronounced increases in employment in the executive department of the Federal Government in October occurred in the Department of Labor and the Post Office Department. There was an appreciable decrease, on the other hand, in the number of workers in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Commerce, and the Veterans' Administration.

Employment in emergency conservation work (Civilian Conservation Corps) in October totaled 405,000, an increase of 84,000 compared with September. Employment gains were shown for all groups of employees with the exception of supervisory and technical workers. This increase was the result of the usual upward swing in employment experienced at the beginning of a new enlistment period. Total pay-roll disbursements of $17,663,000 were $1,295,000 greater than in September.

The number of workers employed on the construction and maintenance of State roads was 184,000 in October compared with 186,000

in September. Of the total number of workers employed, 150,000, or 81 percent, were engaged in maintenance work. Total pay-roll disbursements dropped from $11,806,000 in September to $11,567,000 in October.

Table 2. Summary of Federal Employment and Pay Rolls, October 19361 (Preliminary Figures)

Includes data on projects financed wholly or partially from Federal funds.
Includes employees of Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Howard University.

3 Includes 437 employees by transfer, previously reported as separations by transfer; not actual additions

for October.

• Revised.

Includes 171,203 wage earners and $12,356,655 pay roll covering P. W. A. projects financed from E. E. A. A. 1935 funds.

Includes 184,518 wage earners and $12,794,471 pay roll covering P. W. A. projects financed from E. R. A. A. 1935 funds.

Co.

Co.

Includes 139 employees and pay-roll disbursements of $11,128 on projects financed by R. F. C. Mortgage

Includes 285 employees and pay-roll disbursements of $13,214 on projects financed by R. F. C. Mortgage Less than 10 of 1 percent.

10 Data covering P. W. A. projects financed from E. R. A. A. 1935 funds are not included in The Works Program and are shown only under P. W. A.

Includes 40,744 employees and pay roll of $5,402,280 also included in executive service.

12 Includes 41,614 employees and pay roll of $5,849,059 also included in executive service.

Detailed Reports for September 1936

HIS article presents the detailed figures on volume of employ

TH

month of September 1936. The tabular data are the same as those published in the Employment and Pay Rolls pamphlet for September, except for certain minor revisions and corrections.

The September indexes of factory employment and pay rolls shown in the following table are a continuation of the previously published series which have been adjusted to census totals only through 1931. This series of indexes will be superseded in forthcoming issues of the Monthly Labor Review by the recently released indexes of factory employment and pay rolls adjusted to 1933 census totals, as explained on page 1543. Mimeographed sheets containing the revised series of indexes for earlier years are available upon request.

Industrial and Business Employment

MONTHLY reports on employment and pay rolls in industrial and business industries are now available for the following groups: 90 manufacturing industries; 16 nonmanufacturing industries, including building construction; and class I steam railroads. The reports for the first two of these groups-manufacturing and nonmanufacturingare based on sample surveys by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and in virtually all industries the samples are sufficiently large to be entirely representative. The figures on class I steam railroads are compiled by the Interstate Commerce Commission and are presented in the foregoing summary.

Employment, Pay Rolls, Hours, and Earnings

THE indexes of employment and pay rolls, average hours worked per week, average hourly earnings, and average weekly earnings in manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industries in September 1936 are shown in table 1. Percentage changes from August 1936 and September 1935 are also given.