Click Here to Return to Index

Click Here to Return to Milestones

Master Builders Adopt a New Wage Scale for Crafts
1922 Beaver Falls Tribune
Milestones Vol 14 No 2 Summer 1989

After many months of investigation as to building conditions in the valley of labor costs of raw material costs and of living costs, the Master Builders' Association of the Beaver Valley have agreed on a scale of wages to be paid the various crafts for the year Jan. 1, 1922 extending to Jan. 12, 1923. That a great deal of building is being held up on account of high costs is recognized by everyone and while the cost of lumber, builders' supplies and wages of common labor have been reduced from 40 to 50 percent yet the cost of skilled labor remains at peak prices.

The Master Builders believe those costs must comedown if people are to begin building or making of necessary repairs, etc.

They believe to get this result a wage reduction along these lines must be accepted and have following the investigation established the following rates per hour as a fair compensation for the various craftmen.

Bricklayers, $1.00 per hour

Stone cutters, $1.00 per hour

Plasterer, $1.13 per half hour

Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, printers and tile setters, lathers, tinners and sheet metal workers and cement finishers - 80 cents per hour.

REPORT OF CINDERS IN STOCK APRIL 6,1937,
BEAVER COUNTY (ROUTE 204)

Station 0/47 to 0/51 15 Cubic yards
Station 0/60 to 0/75 12 Cubic yards
Station 1/03 to 1/57 10~12 Cubic yards
Station 2/26 to 3/10 11 Cubic yards
Station 3/31 to 3/59 7 Cubic yards
Station 3/66 to 4/24 31 Cubic yards
Station 5/88 to 6/10 181/2 Cubic yards
Station 6/11 to 6/77 11112 Cubic yards
Station 7/53 to 7/93 91/2 Cubic yards
Station 7/95 to 8/17 22 Cubic yards
Station 8/34 to 8/44 81/2 Cubic yards
Total 1561/2 Cubic yards

Estimated cost per yd. .750 Estimated value $117.37

Above cinders were free and value represents cost of hauling at $1.00 per ton. Amount of cinders shown from station to station represents several stock piles or they were stored along Route for asking by hand.

Found in old records at Research Center