South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1875-03-26
The New Demand for Labor.

N lew months ago New York firm
advertised that they desired the services
OF a young man, who should be a good
penman & have some knowledge OF book
keeping: compensation would be at the
rate of eight dollars per week. The adj
yertisement appeared bat once. and in
only one newspaper. but within four
hours of the publication of the paper the
advertiser received moro than one hun
dred replies by mail, and the total mum.
Der of replies was about five hundred
Among the applicants were many cole.
gians, book-keepers, and experienced
clerks. The hours of labor in the Office
of the firm in question were nine per day.
with frequent night-work without extra
compensation. at the same time the
hod-carr!ers at work upon a large build.
ing In the neighborhood of the above
named firm successfully struck for more
pay, being at the time in receipt of pay
ut the rate of twelve dollars per week.
the working hours being eight per day.
A few months later another clerk was
wanted by the same firm, and similar
advertisement brought similar results
at the same time the long-shoremen of
New York struck, because of an attempt
to reduce their wages to thirty cents per
hour, with an additional fifty per cent.
for night work. Similar comparisons
might be made without number, vet the
fact remains that the labor market, in
city and country alike, is overstocked
with men wishing to do clerical work.
The cause of this surplus of clerical
labor is not hard to find. Until com.
paratively short time ago, merchants
were almost the only capitalists in the
land. competition in trade was nothing
with what il is now, and the merchants
paid handsomely for clerical service,
while manual labor offered almost no
possibility of advancement its hours
of labor were long, and its pay was poor
1t was therefore, very natural that young
men should prefer trade to mechanics.
Now, however. the conditions are entire.
| ~ changed. There is not, rs there once
was scarcity of men fit to do clerical
work. so the competition for the services
of able clerks and statesmen has ceased.
and the price of such service has irevi.
| tably gone down as the competition has
! lesSened and been removed. The prof
Its Of trade in proportion to the amount
of capital invested have greatly decreas.
ed, and with them the rate of wages. and
the pay of Office work Of all sorts. has
decreased sympathetically.
| Under the circumstances. it is clearly q
hazardous operation for young men to
look forward TO clerical work rs a life
occupation. Nor do the professions Of
fer encouragement TO young men with
out means sufficient to pay for a good
education, and for their own subsistence
in the years which must elapse before
they receive the public confidence in q
profitable degree.
On the other hand, the mechanic arts
never offered 50 great inducements to
young men of ability and energy rs they
do now. Fifty years ego carpenters and
masons were mere builders of CHEAP
houses of certain stereotyped shapes
and plans to-day every builder with n
NY ability as q designer has more work
offered him than he can possibly do
Fifty years ago every blacksmith was
mere mechanic to-day the skilled work
er in metal has daily occasion to handle
machinery, and has, consequently. une-
qualled opportunities for desiring i'm.
provements and for reaping the fruit
thereof. At the present time there is n
steady, needy demand for labor.saving
apparatus of every sort, and the inven-
tors thereof, if men ofordinary business
sense. ere richly rewarded for their in.
genuity. Manufacturers of fine machin.
cry Of all kinds are seriously crippled
by lack ofintelligent laborers the prac.
teal details Of the mining interests OF
the country are in the hands Of men
who have seldom enough Intelligence to
properly fill their places; our simplest
houses are indiherently built. our farms
are seldom worked 60 their full capacity.
able men in all these departments come
speedily and permanently into notice.
and attain wealth and social position.
and yet young men shun all these de.
partments OF industry. It is q note
worthy fact that at the same time great
numbers of rich men are endeaYoring to
place their sons as apprentices with com
petent machinists, mining corporations.
builders and mechanics in general
These same rich men are the most trust
worthy indicators Of the business signs
Of the times, and young men in general
will do well To consider the meaning OF
their ChTisfiQn Ujti0a.
-s
i I1'The Farmers AdrocQie london.
Ont.) recently offered prize for the best
method Of keeping eggs over winter
The recipe given below took the prize .