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Show LABOR COST BIG ITEM IN ROAD BUILDING Wages paid to labor by contractors con-tractors accounted for close to one-third of the total cost of building build-ing the 1,643.435 miles of federal-aid federal-aid highways completed during the second quarter of 1947, Charles M. Upham, engineer-director of the American Road Builders' Association, pointed out to a group of road engineers. He added that this labor charge did not include pay of workers in mines, quarries, factories and other sources of material and equipment. "Total cost of labor for this mileage, according to the report of the Public Roads Administration, was $10,896,892, as against $35,-314,369 $35,-314,369 for the entire quarter's job. Cost of materials came to $9,504,239. "It must be remembered, remem-bered, however," Mr. Upham said, "that other costs to the contractor contrac-tor such as bonding, insurance, social so-cial security payments, expense of ownership, operation and maintenance main-tenance of equipment, transportation, transporta-tion, supplies and administrative expenses are not included in the PRA tabulation." - Hourly wage rates for highway labor vary greatly throughout the nine geographic divisions of the United States, the ARBA executive execu-tive noted. "In June, the last month of the quarter, the national average was $1.59 per hour for executive, administrative and supervisory su-pervisory jobs, $1.68 for skilled labor, $1.22 for intermediate grade labor, and $.89 for unskilled labor. "Lowest wages were obtained in South Atlantic, East South Central Cen-tral and West South Central divisions. divis-ions. The highest wages were paid on the Pacific Coast, where ?boss jobs drew $2.20 per hour, skilled labor $1.96, intermediate $1.54, and common labor $1.29. "In the New England division, men in supervisory capacities drew only 31 cents an hour more than the unskilled labor. In only two of the nine divisions the Mountain and Pacific did the executive-administrative-supervisor class receive re-ceive more than skilled labor; and in the mountain division this advantage ad-vantage was only three cents an hour," the report cited by Mr. Upham disclosed. "Skilled labor took the lion's share of the national construction payroll for this quarter, with $4,-009,395," $4,-009,395," said Mr. Upham. "Unskilled "Un-skilled labor's wages amounted to $2,732,502. Intermediate grade labor totalled $2,180,283, while the administrative group's pay came to $1,974,712." The 1,643.435 miles of highway finished during the quarter included in-cluded primary and secondary roads and urban streets and the required bridges and culverts. It also included various types of surfaces. |