New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-07-08
MASSACHUSETTS WORKMEN.
DAY AMONG TIE BooTMAKERs-GoOD WAGES
BUT SLOW GETTING ON-RIGHT MEN IN
WRONG PLACEs-UoW DAVID SMITH PROS


villages Massachusetts, arc as much alike as
two pairs OF boots in the same They look though
they were all joblot got up by one vigorous boss
builder and cut set OF sheetr patterns
They are equipped with four churches apiece TWO
taverns two verysables three billiard saloons, SIX
dozen twO-story white houses four dozen brown dto
four odstyle handsome square houses, Haunting with
great rosebushes and shaded with cherryrees ana Ve
newstyle handsome houses with mansard roofs fancy
gables wards cut in rectangles and lawns all shayen
and shorn Ieather-dealers and bootcontractors 1--we
in these; old Revolutionary names In those. L nave
been talking with the Knights OF st. Crspln just now
times are dull and find many great shops with facles
for shooting an army empty and swept Others whose
specially is some article in constant demand are run
ming but the work does not crowd as formerly Eastern
Massachusetts, would be happy. apparently, II 1t could
get monopoly Of the whole leather industry, and bear
the aw alone The manner in which shoemaking here
about is conducted interesting and. considered in
OF its bearings, 1t furnishes food for thinking
Nearly all the work paid for by the job and tho job
work Is divided out and analysed between the different
gangs and men the different SETS till the part done by
each man Is very small but ho does that little with won
derfu dispatch making pair OF mems brogans, for
instance does nothing but cut he has set OF
sheetiron patterns which he throws down on side OF
leather He must use a quick mechanical judgment In
deciding how that particular side will cut up to the best
advantage He will out his uppers here and here
his pattern on the neck and front. and use smaller
number as he goes toward the flank. Some odds and
ends from the brisket and belly leather will make
boys Shoes He passes his work TO machne-operator
who does nothing, day in and day out but stitch the
heelpeces uppers Another puts the leather inside
last draws the edges the bottom and asens them
with half dozen pegs They then go to tho botomers.
who work generally by threes One fits the sole and
fastens 1t with few pegs the second pegs 1t all around
with two rows, using machine that will drive two pegs
In second. Number three with rapidity that Is mar
veous, seizeS the shoe and spikes little bundle OF
clippings the heel gives them wipe or two with his
knife and the shoe is DONE all but emitting some holes
for strings and daubng the raw edges with
lampblack and rubbing them with n hard stick. and
this is accomplished with the same keen dispatch.
Boots are made by the case: there are twelve pairs
and the job Of making case Of boOls Is let out
and suble hut the cost to the contractor H. on an aver
age, about rs cents pair 80 cents being price or the
cheapest work, and dollar for the best Three boot
makers working together make light OF turning of case
n day and earning 50 between them,o or : each, slSa
week. This like good wages, and In fact the pos
sbity OF earning at these rates draws young men from
often from schools. Yet do not know set OF WORKERS
in any part Of the country except Southern negroes ana
the anthracite miners, who get on more Slowly tHlh
these CTspns Some thinking and some inquiries nave
developed three or four reasons for this.
l. Their work is not certain. shoe shop in ful blast
will receive telegram from NewYOrk or the head man
negotiate large contract Forthwith writing is pasted
the door that hereafter III further notice. only AZ
per day. How long this partial discharge VIII last
nobody knows II may be revoked next week The M
occupied and half occupied men hang about those VINO
have gardens can work III them; some play billiards,
Others roll balls at pins, party goes fishing; soiae are
lack carpcnterS and have unfinished house 70 work
on go out among the farmers and ask for work,
but, being much more expert with the hammer and
knife than with the hoe they make poor hands, and are
glad to get away from the solitude OF the fields 10 TIE
cacalatcs for me that hands are out Of Work two months
and often three in the IL Meantim of COURSE expenses
Shoes S cloth potatoes must be bought Often big debt
up the grocery, which 1t Will take many
and many case of boots to stamp out
Why don't they buy Land. ana so have farms TO fail
back ont Because poor as TINS lahl 49, u J.. heid AZ UNI
reasonable figures Every farmer can Cte the instance
who "held on" and "held on" I'LL he sold
ten of end for as much as the whole place was
really worth for farming There was NH ana pretty
view, and man from Boston fancied III so he and all
his neghborS agree that the adhesive virtues are saving
graces and neither love nor any reasonable SOL, sun OF
money will induce one OF them to part with the title to
pimped over with great messy bodersaland That, by
tie liberal construction win hardly yield i5o
corn will well unless heavily MANFRED
Living high Meat more costly 6 N Boston sion 'na6 nan
better in the large city. As to all the staples, such
beef bread butter potatoes one gains nothing 9y
will send his eggs and his veal TO Quincy Market and the
stall will make pro ana and , T Sm 80 aS
becoming half stale before Crispn pays Tor MS mar
kcbaskct fun the money lie made!bottoning case of
These being the facts, why should such industrious
people knot and cluster here by swams, aud sculh with
capital over the price Of shOepeg and strike aud band
themselves as they do those work supporting those
out OF work. and for lifetime spar the family bark
over sandbars of debt and the gravel Of Poverty Flat
/ think the answer is simple. These men all belong
west of the Alleghanies. They should 90 To the soil
trodden by the OF those they work for. Suppose
for example dozen of these expert shoemakers were
TO migrate town in Illinois or Iowa: They could get
their leather in Chicago and fall tn work Spring wheat
they could buy 10 cents bushe corn for 49, beef for
about 7. The pastuTage OF COW would cost little or
nothing When they began to they might begin to
be owners OF good productive land, on which three
months OF work would make enongh To reed the ainly,
ana presently every man Of them would have pegg"d
his way through TO the ownership Of valuable and pro
have learned The history Of farmer in this State
who, living on soil counted poor and rough has pros
pered and added acre to acre and dollar TO dollar. No
doubt there are many such His success shows that
il in the man than In the place. that industry
rect line Of its interests will avail little Tle true secret
OF the Of David Smith is the same as IN the case Of
Alexander Stewart and Cornelius Vanderbilt who could
buy cut thousand David Smiths They saw the main
requisite for prosperity in their line OF business, and
Smith the main requisite for succeeding ON the mica
slate soil, among the hills ON which the Agawam River
moved West, and the other became a mllwright. His
father preferred to have David take tue old home
den County, in lonesome but picturesque town.
Two or three troutbrooks flowing toward the southeast
tumble over powders Of granite and glide along dark
beds Of mica slate Sometimes they loter for quarter
of a mile through muck swamps, where the dark, cool
of the region around this place is level except mar
row and swanpy interyale The original growth was
and some black birch and few ash trees. mica slate
soil one advantage over many others, especially
ton frosts and slowly pulverize with rain and
shine All rocks Of grantic origin contain feldspar and
feldspar when powdered, releases potash, which will
make grass grow. Such soils TO extent settler
tizers; hey feed themselves from he bottom. Yet
the plants grown mica slate soils are not the
most fattening-tbey are not the most important
in agriculture But the grasses will feed stock and
keep them growing Our farmer this, and came
the conclusion that he could make but little headway
with cheese wool. that his surface Ill suited to
grain and uncertain for He cencred all his activity
grass and young cattle. He worked. Rainy days he
drilled holes in hundreds OF unsghtly granite powders
and driven around for so years. When the out
he dipped the water out OF the drills dried them, filed
with powder blew them in pieces, and piled them in
strong, permanent walls. Baks grubbed OUT but
he always lett the rock naples standing Year by year
do