Trend of real wages of wage earners in industrial and commercial establishments in Manila, by occupations: 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948

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Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal

Title: Trend of real wages of wage earners in industrial and commercial establishments in Manila, by occupations: 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948
Creator: Philippines. Bureau of the Census and Statistics
Language: English
Year: 1950
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Fulltext: The Business View A monthly review of facts, trends, forecasts, by Manila businessmen Office of the President of the Philippines From an Official Source JANUARY 1 — Announced at Malacanan that the Government has adopted a national policy, recommended by the National Economic Council, requiring that all government instrumentalities, including government corporations, must ship their cargo on Philippine-owned vessels or planes if such carriers are available at the time of shipment. Conference rates are, however, to be observed. Secretary of Finance Pio Pedrosa announces the appointment of Col. Antonio Torres, pre-war Manila Chief of Police, as head of the treasury agents of the Finance Department. Jan. 3 — President Elpidio Quirino issues a proclamation extend ing for one day the period of the current special session of Congress in order to finish action on urgent legislative measures. The President names Vice-President Fernando Lopez Chairman of the Government Enterprises Council, commenting, in making the designation, that the Vice-President has a “good business mind". The President holds a breakfast conference with the members of the Monetary Board to discuss the general economic situation and also the present state of the gold-mining industry. The President appoints a committee of three, headed by Secretary of Public Works and Communications P. Sanidad, to study the petition of the Metropolitan Water District and the National Power Corpora tion for the allocation of sites for their buildings in the former Sternberg Hospital area. The Cabinet concurs in the President’s offer of amnesty to the Batangas dissidents who surrender unconditionally with their fire-arms. Announced that the Department of Foreign Affairs has made representations to the American Embassy to allow Philippine ship operators an option to buy the vessels chartered by them from the U.S. Maritime Commission whose authority to charter the vessels expires on June 30. Jan. 4 — The President issues Proclamation No. 164 granting am nesty to the leaders and members of the Batangas uprising which began on November 19, last year. The Department of Foreign Affairs announces that an American trade mission headed by Mayor W. F. Devin of Seattle is expected to arrive in Manila on February 1 for a survey of trade potentialities between the Philippines and the United States west coast. The mis sion was invited to come to the Philippines by the Philippine, American, and Chinese chambers of commerce in Manila. Philippine Consul Pedro C. Ramirez of Seattle has been granted authority to accompany the mission. Jan. 5 —Announced that the President has directed Secretary of Justice R. Nepomuceno to reexamine the contract entered into in 1948 with Mollers & Choy, a Hongkong firm, for the salvage of sunken ships in Philippine waters. The company stopped its operations when it was warned by the United States Government that any scrap metals or copper concentrates obtained by them would be seized as property of the American Government. Announced that the President has authorized the Department of Foreign Affairs to make representations to the United Nations for the enlistment of two experts on Virginia tobacco to assist the National Tobacco Corporation,—in line with the world-wide program of the United Nations to lend technical assistance to underdeveloped areas. The Corporation has launched a 5-year project for the production of yellow leaf (Virginia) tobacco to be used in the local manufacture of American-type cigarettes. Jan. 6 — Implementing the Import Control Law extension (ex tended by Congress to April 30, 1950, the President appoints a new Import Control Board and a new Import Control Commissioner. The Board now consists of Secretary of Commerce and Industry Comelio Balmaceda, Solicitor General Felix A. Bautista, representing the De partment of Justice, Deputy Governor Alfonso Calalang, represent ing the Central Bank, President Aurelio Periquet, representing the Philippine Chamber of Commerce, and Miss Helen Benitez, repre senting the consumers. The new Commissioner is Dr. Rufino Luna, former Under-Secretary of the Interior and until recently Philippine delegate to the United Nations South Korean Commission. Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources P. L. Mapa sub mits to the President at a Cabinet meeting the contract just signed between the National Abaca and Other Fibers Corporation and J. H. Marsman for a large-scale production of abaca on the NAFCO reserva tion in Davao, the contract requiring the final approval of the Pres TREND OF REAL WAGES OF WAGE EARNERS IN INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN MANILA, BY OCCUPATIONS: 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948 By the Bureau of the Census and Statistics OCCUPATION AVERAGE DAJLY WAGES (PESOS) INDEX (1941 = 100) DAILY REAL WAGES- (PESOS) 1941 |1 1945 I 1946 | 1947 | 1948‘ 1945 | 1946 I 1947 | 19481 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948' Blacksmiths.................. 2.55 4.25 5.57 6.55 6.57 166.6 218.4 256.9 257.6 0.62 1.07 1.69 1.80 Boilermen...................... 2.82 6.40 5.20 6.12 6.93 226.9 184.3 233.6 245.7 0.94 1.00 1.58 1.90 Carpenters.................... 2.75 6.02 6.66 7.20 7.21 218.9 242.1 261.8 262.2 0.97 1.28 1.86 1.98 Chauffeurs......... ........... 1.64 4.05 5.78 6.55 6.22 264.9 352.4 399.4 379.5 0.59 1.11 1.69 1.71 Cigar-makers............... 0.96 2.83 4.87 5.37 5.21 294.7 507.2 559.3 542.7 0.41 0.93 1.39 1.58 Compositors................. 1.84 6.14 7.29 7.86 7.54 333.6 396.1 427.2 409.8 0.90 1.40 2.03 2.07 Draftsmen.................... 3.28 7.54 7.48 8.73 10.00 232.9 228.0 266.2 304.9 1.10 1.44 2.25 2.75 Electricians.................. 2.67 5.20 7.82 7.88 7.84 194.7 292.8 295.1 293.6 0.76 1.50 2.03 2.15 Foremen........................ 3.35 7.38 7.96 8.63 8.63 220.2 237.6 257.6 257.6 1.08 1.53 2.23 2.37 Lathemen...................... 2.60 4.88 7.31 8.23 8.14 187.7 281.1 316.5 313.1 0.71 1.40 2.13 2.23 Linotypists.................. 2.64 10.22 10.17 10.08 10.07 387.1 385.2 381.8 381.4 1.50 1.95 2.22 2.76 Machinists.................... 2.23 5.75 6.48 8.59 8.79 257.8 290.5 385.2 394.2 0.84 1.24 2.60 2.41 Masons....'.................. 1.94 5.90 6.58 6.89 6.68 304.1 339.1 355.2 344.3 0.86 1.26 1.78 1.83 Mechanics (auto).... 3.00 7.46 6.90 8.08 8.02 248.6 230.0 269.3 267.3 1.08 1.32 2.09 2.20 Painters.......................... 1.83 7.77 6.28 7.73 7.11 424.5 343.1 422.4 388.5 1.14 1.21 2.00 1.95 Plumbers....................... 2.00 4.80 7.67 7.77 7.73 240.0 383.5 388.5 386.5 0.70 1.47 2.01 2.12 Tinsmiths...................... 1.72 4.23 5.04 8.28 8.20 245.9 293.0 481.4 476.7 0.62 0.97 2.14 2.25 AVERAGE Skilled laborers........... 2.34 5.93 6.76 7.68 7.70 261.7 306.1 328.2 329.1 0.87 1.30 1.99 2.12 Common laborers.... 1.24 3.27 4.53 4.66 4.69 263.7 365.3 375.8 378.2 0.66 0.87 1.20 1.28 1 Preliminary, aubject to change. = Wage in terme of good* and services it can buy. This obtained by dividing the 1945, 1946, 1947 and 1948 wages, by the cost of living index for the year 1945 (683.3), 1946 (520.9), 1947 (387.1) and 1948 (364.1) respectively. Commonwealth Act No. 444 limits regular working hours to eight a day. 3 Revised in accordance with the new survey on the “Levels of Living in .Manila" by Department of Labor and the Bureau of the Census and Statistics, conducted in December, 1946. 64 ident. Under the contract, Mr. Marsman, a local industrialist who is a naturalized Filipino citizen, is engaged “to clear, cultivate, develop and operate at his own expense, an abaca plantation on a large-scale basis, for and under the administration and control of the NAFCO for a period of 15 years. . The planter would develop at least 250 hectares of land a month; all abaca pro duced will be the property of NAFCO, but NAFCO agrees that in consideration of the services rendered under the contract, it will pay the planter 92% of the gross production; subject to the payment of existing government charges on forest pro ducts, the planter may utilize the lumber resources of the reservation for his own requirements on the premises but lumber in excess shall be supplied at cost to NAF CO for its plywood plants and other projects; the planter will use modern methods and will employ the services of engineers and experts; he will produce stripped abaca by spindle machine similar to the Hagotan type; he will pay NAFCO P2 for each hectare included in the agreement, payable in advance; all property erected and improvements made by the planter will become the property of NAFCO at the expiration of the contract; the planter agrees that at least one year before the ex piration, NAFCO may decide that the entire area shall be subdivided into lots of 10 hectares each for distribution among individual tenants and this subdivision will be done at the planter’s expense; to carry out the project the planter agrees immediately to organize a corporation with an effective capitalization of not less than P3,000,000; the planter agrees to file a bond of not less than P100.000 which shall be forfeited to the Government if he fails to comply with any term or condi tion in the contract. Secretary Mapa emphasized that the contract has been gone over thoroughly by the Department of Justice and was found to contain no pro vision violating the Constitution or any existing laws. The President appoints Ignacio Santos Diaz, former Congressman from Rizal, as Mayor of Quezon City. Jan. 7 — The President leaves on the PAL plane Mindoro for the United States to undergo a surgical operation at the Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. He is accompanied by former Speaker Jose Yulo, several members of his family, Dr. Agerico Sison, and a number of secretaries and aides. The President is accompanied by Mr. Yulo in his capacity as member of the Council of State and as his personal adviser. Before his departure, the President issues an executive order naming the Vice-President of the Philippines Chairman of the Govern ment Enterprises Council and creating the office of Economic Adminis trator, and he appoints H. B. Reyes to the latter position. Mr. Reyes will be in active supervision of the corporations and will be directly responsible to the Vice-President. In his first official act for and in the name of President Quirino, Vice-President Femapido Lopez administers the oath of office to Under secretary Regino Padua as acting Secretary of Health. Jan. 9 — Acting on President Quirino’s cabled instructions, Com missioner Asuncion A. Perez of the President’s Action Committee on Social Amelioration (PACSA) appoints a committee to carry out the President’s instructions that government employees who may be laid off under the reorganization plan will be given employment priority in the new industrial and production projects being undertaken by the Government under the economic development program. Malacanan announces that the President has approved a resolu tion of the National Economic Council accepting the proposal of the United Nations 'Research Commission to send a team to the Philip pines to make a survey of the scientific research facilities and needs of the country. Vice-President Lopez administers the oath of office to former Congressman Juan V. Borra of Iloilo as manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Jan. 10 — Favoring the copra producers, the Cabinet decides to continue the present practice which authorizes the Commissioner of Customs to grant special permits to foreign vessels to load export cargo at the outports when the cargo amounts to more than 500 tons. Philippine oil millers had protested that direct shipments bene fited only the millers in the United States who are able to crush copra at prices which place the local refineries at a disadvantage. Jan. 11 — The Department of Foreign Affairs announces that the issuance of Philippine visas to prospective Chinese tourists and visitors desiring to enter the Philippines on temporary permit have been ordered stopped, effective this week. Jan. 12 — Philippine Consul J. V. Rodriguez in Hongkong informs the Department of Foreign Affairs that Chinese tourists and visitors traveling on Chinese Nationalist passports will not be granted re-entry permits in Hongkong according to a new order issued by the Hongkong immigration authorities. Dec. 13 — Vice-President Lopez appoints a 5-man committee to study the reorganization of all government corporations: H. B. Reyes, Chairman, Oscar Ledesma, Salvador Araneta, Delfin Buencamino, and Deputy Auditor Pedro Gimenez, members. Dec. 14 — Secretary of Finance P. Pedrosa invites a group of private citizens to constitute a reorganization committee to recom mend means of improving the Government’s tax administration. They are: Francisco Dalupan, Guillermo Gomez. Jose M. Hilario, Aurelio Periquet, Ramon V. del Rosario, Francisco Ortigas, Fermin Francisco, and Prisco Evangelista. Jan. 16 — Vice-President Lopez discloses that the Government has taken steps for the apprehension and punishment of the murderers of Professors Robert J. Conklin and Marvin S. Pittman, of the Univer sity of the Philippines, whose bodies were found in the Hungduan dis trict of the Mountain Province yesterday after a dramatic 3-week search. On a Christmas week hiking-excursion, they were speared to death by men of the Kankanai group living on the Benguet-Ifugao border. The Vice-President expressed deep regret and conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims. Commissioner Perez, PACSA chairman, announces that her organization is engaged on a project to define a fair and realistic standard-of-living index for various parts of the country. Jan. 17 — The Vice-President telegraphs President Quirino ex pressing the nation’s rejoicing over the successful outcome of an opera tion for kidney-stones which the President underwent on the 16th (Manila time) at Johns Hopkins hospital, Baltimore. The Vice-President at a Cabinet meeting directs the authorities concerned to take special measures to eliminate the congestion of goods at the piers which has resulted from difficulties in implementing the import control measures. The Vice-President receives Mr. Lawrence Wilkinson, of Dillon Read & Company, American investment bankers, who is here in a “general over-all survey of the Philippines to try to find ways and means of bringing in American dollars from private capital in the United States through investments here”. He was accompanied by Secretary Pedrosa and Mr. Eugene Clay, economic adviser for the American Embassy. JANUARY TO JUNE, 1949 TREND OF MONEY AND REAL WAGES OF SELECTED INDUSTRIAL WORKERS IN MANILA, BY OCCUPATION: By the Bureau of the Census and Statistics Occupation Jan. Daily Real Wages (Pesos)4 May June Feb. Mar. Apr. Blacksmiths................................... ........................................ 1.79 1.89 1.88 1.87 1.87 1.86 Boilermen....................................... ........................................ 1.96 2.08 2.07 2.05 2.05 2.05 Carpenters......... ........................ ........................................ 1.98 2.07 2.06 2.14 2.04 2.04 Cigar makers................................. ........................................ 1.42 1.51 1.51 1.48 1.48 1.48 Compositors................................... ........................................ 2.22 2.34 2.33 2.31 2.32 2.32 Drivers............................................ ........................................ 1.79 1.92 1.93 1.91 1.91 1.90 Electricians.................................... ........................................ 2.03 2.18 2.21 2.21 2.21 2.20 Foremen.......................................... ........................................ 2.47 2.65 2.60 2.58 2.58 2.58 Lathemen........................................ ........................................ 2.20 2.33 2.32 2.30 2.30 2.30 Linotypists..................................... ........................................ 2.97 3.11 3.12 ’ 3.09 3.08 3.08 Masons............................................ ........................................ 1.76 1.89 1.86 1.87 1.87 1.86 Mechanics (Auto)......................... ........................................ 2.20 2.31 2.33 2.31 2.31 2.31 Painters........................................... ........................................ 2.12 2.24 2.24 2.21 2.21 2.21 Plumbers......................................... ........................................ 2.07 2.19 2.18 2.16 2.16 2.16 Tinsmiths........................................ ........................................ 2.24 2.37 2.35 2.34 2.34 2.34 Average Skilled laborers............................. ........................................ 2.08 2.20 2.20 2.18 2.18 2.18 Common laborers......................... ........................................ 1.29 1.39 1.42 1.41 1.41 1.41 iRevised 2Data on wages and number of workers in selected occupations are collected monthly from industrial establishments including auto dealers, brokerage, construction firms, cigar and cigarette factories, furniture making, lumber yards, electrical contractors, printing and publishing, transportation, painting contractors, and machine P’Weighted «Wage in terms of goods and services it can buy. This is obtained by dividing the wages for the year and month, as the case may be by the corresponding cost-ofliving index for the year and month. Commonwealth Act No. 444 limits working hours to eight a day. 65