The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-07-13

81 presume So" said Charles, +" But !
am not willing to stand on the same plane
As these wood butchers, be classed with
them, and make no more out of my trade
than they DO. If | work for you must
have four dollars day"
IL might afford to pay that to you, but
the rest of the men would be dissatisfied
and make row They have an idea that
one mans days work is worth rs much as
another's, and should get myself into trou-
BILE il | paid you any more than l pay
them"
"You know your own business best, but
if cannot command better wages, and q
better position in life than a mere wood
butcher, will never touch my tools again. y
"Well, Mr.. Gordon, | want you very
much there is some work about this build
ing that nobody here understands but you,
and | will pay you the four dollars if you
will say nothing about it. | don't want to
get into trouble with my men"
" 1t would be Of no adv lntage to me to
tell your men that | receive dollar day
more than they do, and | certainly do not
want to make you any trouble.
After the building was completed, John
Robbins the contractor and boss said to
Charles, What do you think Of this job :"
. | think, replied Charles, . it is a very
handsome building and does you credit" D"
How much do you suppose made out
Of itr
That | cannot tell, replied Charles,
''as | am not yet acquainted with con
tractors ways and prices.
"You supposed made more than you
did r
"You ought to have done you had all
the responsibility laying out the work
hiring and managing the men, and must
bear all the blame if it is not just right. |
should say you made as much again as |
did.
/" In justice ought to have done, but all
| made was two dollars and seventy-ive
cents day"
"Is that possible But why did you
take the work at such low figures n
= If my estimate had been any higher l
should not have had the work at all. Sew
eral contractors have had to throw up their
work this season when their job was half
done, or ruin them entirely, and last sea
son several large houses had to be left un
/ finished until this summer because the con-
tractors were not willing to sink what little
they had in building fine houses for other
people.
They must be a set Of fools to take
work so low, said Charles.
They are not all fools. The trouble is
the miserable botch carpenters have passed
themselves of as good carpenters, and put
the work down SO low that they have driv-
en- nearly all the good mechanics out Of the
trade, and now they have it all their own
way. | am in it and must stay i'll it, for |
do not know enough about any other kind
Of business to undertake it, and have no
means to 30 into anything requiring capi
tai, SO here | am, and here | must stay
Have you anythingto do tomorrow ?"
No; have no work Just now"
Then tomorrow, if you like, | will 60
with you and show you some of the work
that is done here"
THANK you, said Charles, Z" shall be
very glad to avail myself Of the opportuni
ty. | am on the look out for all the infor-
nation | can gain"
Accordingly the next day they visited
several parts of the city and examined the
work on some of the best looking buildings
They stopped before fine looking resi-
dence which had recently been finished"
"What do you think Of this house r. ask
ed Mr.. Robbins
:" think it is beautiful building" re-
piled Charles.
E" You think it looks well n
Yes, | do. Can you see any fault in
it r asked Charles
"Not as regards looks" replied John,
"yet that balcony will either fall down, or
have to be taken down in less than four
years, and that bay window will not stand
much longer"
What pity, yet | presume the owner
thinks it is all right.
"Of course he does. He does not know
enough about mechanical labor to know
when it is only half done"
Here is a beautiful building that has
Just been finished and not occupied yet, let
us 60 in"
They examined it and condemned the
work
is it not the business Of the architect
to see that the work is properly done = in
quired Charles.
9 1t is their business, and they are the
most to blame for this state Of things, but
they are cutting their own throats. Occa-
sionally we hear Of building falling, and
wonder that more do not tumble down
However, as it is, the people are getting
tired of such work There is good deal
of dissatisfaction now Only the week be-
fore you wanted more wages, Mr.. Broug-
ham, one of our best architects, and
good honest man, said to me: Hold
on, Robbins, don't give up your trade
in disgust 60 to work instead and ap-
ply yourself more closely make your
self perfectly master Of you business.
Botch work is killing itself The time is
coming, and it is not very far distant when
a good skilled mechanic. who can take
charge Of building and see that all its
parts are perfect, will command ten dollars
q day. l told him if all the architects were
all as honest as he was, that might be, but
as he stood almost alone, | was little
doubtful. There you are mistaken, he
said, we have good men among the archi-
tects, and those who are dishonest and take
bribes are working themselves out lust as
surely as the botch carpenters are. You
will see before long that no Job of any i'm
portance will be given to any one who is
not known to be 6rst-class mechanic, and
first class men in any kind of business al
ways have brains enough to combine and
protect themselves, and when this time
comes, it will be as rare thing for man
to lose on job as it is now for him to get
one When you said what you did about
your position and wages, was pleased as
if you had made me present of fifty dol
lars, for we have 30 few among US that show
an independent spirit, and am perfectly
willing to pay you the extra dollars, even
if did not make more than half wages. l
saw that you were determined to 90 ahead.
and know by the signs Of the times that
you will succeed, even though you enter
the contest single handed Now propose
to help you, and if you are willing we win
be partners and take jobs together, take
them so that we can live by them"
But how can we do that if we are con-
} stantly underbid, and the contract given to
the lowest bidder r. inquired Charles.
"We will have to watch things closely.