The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-12-05
[From tho Daily Erantiner Of November 49,
TETE CALIFORNIA LABOR Ex-
CHANGE.

Secretary, II. 9. Bennet, Esq, is docu-
ment OF much value, as showing what
that institution has done, and is doing,
for the working classes IN this State
Much pains have been taken to present
the result of the experiment Of It's foun-
dation in aS concise and clear a manner
as possible in the expectation that 1t will
be published in pamphlet form for gcncr-
al distribution in the Atlantic States .and
Europe.
THE BODY SHOULD DE TAUGHT TO WORK
To show how necessary it is that the
sturdy aud elastic muscles should be taught
how to do hard laborious work, and what
great mistake it is nowadays that
young mems minds arc developed at the
expense of their bodies, the Secretary
gives table exhibiting tho numbers of
each class of workmen ordered in each
month, with the wages offered for their
services. This table shows that while all
classes Of mechanics, skilled aud unskill.
ed laborers, have been in such steady de-
mand that an advance in the wages of
bricklayers, carpenters, farm-hands, labor
ers, plastcrcrs, and plumbers has resulted:
clerks, dry-goods storemen, and other
what are termed gentcel employments,
have been rarely called for. Out Of O TO-
tai of 8,706, 2,969 general laborers, 1,0l7I
carpenters, aud l,l20 farm-hands have
been provided with employment, while
only l5 clerks and book-kcepcrs have
been ordered These figures teach u les
son to statesmen and parents; telling the
former how fraught with evil to the com
monwealth is all legislation which places
obstacles in the way Of the rising genera.
ton being taught useful occupations
The future security and progress Of the
country will depend more on It's becom-
ing a nation Of mechanics and producers,
than on its being one of clerks and shop
keepers. Parents may learn from these
figures the probabilities their sons will
have of earning their living when depend
ent on their own exertions, If taught to
rely solely on their mental abilities, un-
der the false impression that manual Ia
bor is derogatory. A good farmer or me-
chanic may become frst-rate merchant
and man Of business, but clerks or dry
goods sellers never become good laborcrs
or mechanics. This fact aud the figures
in this table show uumistakably the folly
Of educating boys to fill positions which
will render them more dependent in man
hood than they were in youth. (Those
'tradeless young men" who lounge about
San Francisco, whining aud complaining
that they can't get anything TO do, viii
please make note of the above.-Rcp.
The total number Of men ordered dur
ing the half year was II ,G3l.
NUMBER OF PERSONS EMpLoYED-occU-I
PATIoSs.
Persons in search of almost every con-
ceivable class of workmen have been able
to obtain them at this institution by mere.
ly making application, without expense.
The whole number Of males registered
during the six months foots up S,706. |
embracing 153 different occupations, in
cluding surgeon, apothecary, craftsmen,
apiarist, brewers, carpet, cloth and stock
ing wcavers, druggists. engineers, cngrav-
ers, steel plate printers, etc. The most
suggestive in the list are the bed makers,
butter makers, dairymen aud mixers
all those services are performed by fe-
males in most Of the Atlantic States aud
throughout Europe. Here the scarcity
of women willing to perform them causes
the employment of men as bed makers,
instead of chambermaids, while nearly
all the cows in the State are MIXED by
men, who also make nearly all the butter
In addition to the persons registered as
employed at this Office, very large num-
ber have been employed in the interior,
by letter, whose names are not recorded.
1t has been deemed best to prevent men
leaving the interior to come to the city in
search of employment, and, to carry out
this purpose, agents have been establish
ed in several of the interior counties, au-
to act in tho name Of this insti-
tuition. BY this means large number
of men have been employed without in
curing the expense of coming here.
WHAT THE EXCHANGE HAS DONE FOR
WOMEN.
The institution has been boon to wo.
men who were willing to work. We find
that from July 7th to the close of Octo-
Der, 402 females were registered as hav-
ing been provided with employment, and
a nearly equal number were unregistered.
The whole cost of the department has
been two months salary at $50 per month
Al, 1xx yha hos AL
take charge of it-making an average
cost of providing each female with en-
ployment less than four cents A large
of the females employed were
new arrivals, nearly all of whom have
been distributed through the interior of
the State, where their services were ur-
gently required OF the whole l, ,402
1913 were Irish, III Ameri-
can, SO German, 81 Scotch, 6 Indian and
so of various nationalities. The chief
employment for which female labor is
sought is general housework, for which
$40 to $50 per month in gold is paid
Orders have also been numerous for cooks,
laundresses, governesses and
a few for shop women, clerks, milliners,
dress makers, nurses, and for other occu-
pations. A large proportion of the
American females were girls born in Cal
ifornia, who were employed to mind chill
dren and assist in the housework of fam
lies not able to meet the expenses of a
regular servant.
THE MARINE DEPARTMENT..
The Exchange, too, has been a lucky
thing for poor jack" 1t has put new
life into him and made him feel that he !,