Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-05-12
The Cost Of ldlene>> /.

: The Cost Of Idlpne>>.
! The passing remark, made IN our
last issue, relative to the number of
oilers lounging around the new
! brick uildlug how going up on the
premises of oul euterl rising towns
man Samuel Williams, has led to
further consideration of the subject.
Our curious reporter has gone into
mathematical showing up of the
thing III way that clearly indicates
the cost of i1leness, and the true
value of time when converted into
factors of able bodied men. BY act
ual count, he found the number of
men and sturdy boys who were list
lessly watching the na>Ons and their
helpers at a given hour on nine con-
secutlve working days since the
planting of the first foundation stone
Leaving the boys out Of the calcula
ton and counting only the men who
were adjudged capable of doing
full days work with AK, pick or
shovel, the interesting score stood
thus: 26, 10, %, Is, 20, 81, -, %,
"a, agGresatins the imposing mum
Der of two hundred and twenty-six
men. Dividing this by 8, lie OBJ
tanned the mean representative num-
Der of % 10 men who might have
been classed as producers of some
thing useful instt al as consumers of
valuable time and bad tobacco. Since
these men were idle at the time our
reporter was making his observations
it may be Justly concluded that they
were idle all day, and if all day,
then, as matter of course, all the
week. Now, allowing two dollars
day for each man, suppressins all
fractions, the net per diem earnings
of this array of unutilized brain and
muscle would amount TO $50 %;
1901 30 a week; or, allowing 313
working days in a year, their total
earnings would aggregate the re-
spectacle sum of $l5,71S Sc; fifteen
thousand, seven hundred and eigh-
teen dollars and eighty-six cents for
a twelve mouth. This money would
suffice, if judiciously expended, to
inaugurate wooden mill at Tum-
water; build two brick stores of u
capacity amply sufficient for the
present business requirements of
our city; or, it would erect first
class public school building, pro-
vided with all modern appliances
and capable of subscribing the edu-
cational demands of our city for q
long term of years. Such sum of
money, placed at the disposal of our
town authorities, would go far to-
wards Luilding a substantial and
spacious wharf from our present
water front down to deep water;
and thus, like Long Bridge, it would
be owned, and controlled by our
own citizens, and kept forever from
the greed and incursions of soulless
corporations. If safely loaned at IL
per cent. per annum, such a brand
from the burning represented in dol
lars and cents, would produce a
municipal revenue of no less than
81, 1886 26 a year; enough ready cash
to maintain frst-class superintend-
ent of our public schools, with
enough left to pay all incidental ex-
pences from year to year. Or, such
interest accumulations might be
converted into a sinking fund to
serve a common good in cases of
public emergency. So much for the
criminal idleness every day observ-
able on our streets. Illustrations
SINH lar to our own can of course be
continued by any of our readers of
an inqui ing turn of mind, but we
believe enough has been said to
warrant the conclusion that our
point has been we'll taken,