From a 1920's Newspaper

[ThomasPowers]

“Men wanted as machinists, boilermakers and blacksmiths – up to 75 cents an hour.”

 

 

Any you can still work as a blacksmith at those rates----if you don't watch out!

[doc]

If you're working for $8.80 per hour you'd be making the same wage.

[Frosty]

Piece work, hourly wages are a plot to make the rich richer and keep us down.

 

Then again in 1920 0.75/hr ain't bad.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[rockstar.esq]

I wonder if that included training?  Lots of folks today spend a lot on college before they can start at the bottom somewhere.  The other day I read an article about how getting the wrong degree from the right university is actually a net loss in lifetime earnings over a person going through life with a GED.  They had a list of a hundred or so of the worst offenders.  The cutoff to make the list was a $30,000 or greater lifetime earning advantage for the GED graduate.

[HWooldridge]

My grandfather on Mom's side was a self-employed 'smith in the 1920's and I have his old ledger book.  A complete, single-bottom, horse drawn plow, made from scratch; including all the irons and wood cost $15.00.  Repointing plow points cost .10 - in several instances, he shod horses and mules for $.50 to $.75, which included the shoes.  He once told me he tried to earn $1.00 an hour - he occasionally made more and other times lost money, just like self-employed people do today.

 

We believe he was one of the first 'smiths in Central Texas who traveled by automobile to the customer.  He bought a Model T truck in 1925 and put a traveling rig in it with forge, anvil, vise and bar stock for horse shoes.  He quit working independently in the 1930's and was hired as a blacksmith to support WPA projects and other road construction.

[John McPherson]

Let's not forget that they were being paid in real metal backed currency. If you worked for a dollar an hour, and twenty hours of work got you a one ounce gold eagle, that would be worth $2600 a week today. I would love some of that action. Even a silver dollar would be worth $20 today.

[Bryce Masuk]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned that in the late 70's early 80's

 

15-20 bucks was more than enough to fill your truck up with gas,

go have dinner at a pub and drink beer.

 

now the same thing is about $200 dollars...

 

if you put your money in the bank and collect 2.5 percent interest on the money... its likely your actually losing money because inflation is higher than the interest rate.