Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-14

Where Work L. Plcmaiful and Work.
fnRWaen aud Women Arc Few.
Correspond nee Of the New York Evening Post

fnRnaen and Women Arc Few.
/ Correspond nee Of the New York Evening Post
/ New York, November o. 1882.
"What can find to do?" I arrived I'm the city
OF Portland, Oregon, on Saturday afternoon.
September Q, at three o'clock. / wanted aready-
made suit Of clothes for rough work on the
mountains near Baker City. FOR which place
had to leave at nine O'Clock Monday morning I
found In one of the two large merchant Tailoring
establishments something that would do with q
little alteration in the coat and pantaloons I
returned to my hotel disappointed. but half
amused over the vain efforts of the dealer to get
half-hour's work done on the clothes in Older
TO make them wcareble. lie first appealed to his
regular tailors. They answered from their Turk
like position on the bench, In true Turk-like
| phrase. that they wouldn't draw stitch more
beyond their present stints. Then the merchant
sent out to sundry women who did work for
| him. The answers came back that they would
take in no more work that day. After every
| resource had been exhausted, he gave it up.
saying: 50 | must lose the sale of the clothes: /
can't get any one to alter them. and | might
have known that 1t would be SO on the start.
You have no notion how independent labor is in
/ fh:s country. My folks woIk pretty well, but
4
! Ing, and work pretty much as they, rather than
as l. mind when they do work. They are all
'cultus, Chinook for no account l have
tried as hard as | can for the past two
months TO find any fair journeyman tailor
who will sit on the bench and DE reliable to
do odd jobs like this. and | can't get any one
l have offered three dollars day. and | would
| give 1t right along. and steady work every cav
in the year, but It's no use. 1 can't get an
one"
| INDEPENDENCE.
The story of the Disseminated Tailor was re-
peated In that of the Hotel Proprietor. the Con-
| tractor, the Boss Mechanic-indeed, almost
every vocation with which came in contact on
that coast The country itself is SO inviting.
and rewards so richly Individual proprietors
that every one who goes there is under constant
temptation to forego the intention with which
he came of going into employment. and forth
with begins to set up for himself The conse-
quence is that hired labor in all departments is
scarce and OF poor quality. Those who hire out
| do so only for a short period until they can get
| into shape to work for themselves. The result ia
| that competition, the great factor of good ser
| vice. is almost utterly wanting. Workingmen
| look upon their present service for others as
| only temporary, and consequently are restless
ana anxious to advertise the fact that they are
really independent men, only doing this for the
time being. For instance. once. after sitting
While in silence, waiting for the attendant to in
/ form me what he had for breakfast he also In
| silence, ventured to break the solemn pause
| We'll. sir, would like my breakfast"
'Well. by -, SO would l. too Here I've
been working since o'clock without any,"
Again, the porter, who gets in that country
lnVaraby 70 cents pair for backing boots.
answered my friends request thus:
well, guess tomorrow morning I'll black
| them I've BACKED enough boots to-day"
Indeed. one ofthe most trying things there. a
thing that would have destroyed my temper if
mad not long since lost il, is the perpetual strug
| gle TO get out of employees the service one has
to pay so literally for 1t requires so much in
! genulty In putting your request. self-deprecia-
ton and half apology tor making it at ALL gentle
acceptance OF rebuffs. and persistence accompa-
MED with the wisdom of the serpent TO get
| cater hard days work driving around the
country or inspecting the inchoate enterprises
on every side) even satisfactory meal or clean
bed upon ones return at night. The conscious
ness that one pays for everything whether he
gets 1t or not, and then has to wrestle or as
the expression there is. rustic" to get it, is in
some conditions of lassitude. dlspiriting. | re-
member. crossing the Yellowstone, | had the
dismal experience of seeing my new Studebaker
wagon sink out of sightin the water. all because
did not have the requisite knowledge of west
ern laboTer's peculiarities to make my ferryman
load 1t properly Luckily recovered it.
CHANCE FOR WORKERS OF ALL SORTS
The remedy consists in more extensive move
ments of good laborers. servants, etc. from this
country to that one where they are wanted The
railroad companies want them. Their Chinese
labor. now that immigration is stopped. is so in
adequate to the demands of the situation, that
important railway extensions have been at a
standstill purely from this cause Farmers
want them. Railroad building. i'll supplied
with labor as it is, has drained off all that is
N So that
during August literally went begging for har-
vest hands. Building contractors want them. /
could mention many localities where | know not
merely private residences but business blocks
and public structures are waiting for workmen
Carpenters. bricklayers and mechanics enough
cannot be found. The saw-mis and logging
camps offered high prices for men during July
! and August. The wages offered were good
raised far beyond the average that has hereto
fore been paid-but few workmen presented
themselves, and they would work only for a
while. and then lie off and spend their money
There are few drones out there. very few
men lounging about Gepots and hotels, almost
none for extra services so that ever; one has to
walt on himself. No one Of either sex need he
idle. indeed can afford to be idle when Industry
pays so we'll The need of good, serviceable
women is as great as that of men. Take il i'm
the matter of house servants.
Il have wife and three children all my fam
lily, said a banker to me one day. Il will gladly
pay S35 month and board for good cook or
competent house servant
Said another: 81 positively cannot find nurse
good for anything. l would pay s. week and
board If could have my wife relieved of the
care Of the children and drudgery of the nur-
sery
Said a restaurant keeper ''we can't get
women who will superintend the kitchen, much
less wait on table"
The proprietor of the furnished rooms / occu-
pied in Walla Wala was one day at the wash
tub washing out the linen of the house. in
Quired: ." Can't you get women to do the wash
lng!" NO" was the answer; ~ | cannot get
help and, much as this business pays. think
will quit 1t is wearing me out; making the
beds, doing the chamber-work; everything my
self, with the help of one boy. I've got to quit
or break down."
Cant you get Chnaman?"
THE CHINESE.
"Well, no; not one that will stay; not one
that will get me so mad in day can't stand
1t. You know, a Chinaman will hire TO do but
one thing If he is chambermaid, he won't cook.
or cut wood, or do an errand. or oblige one In
any way. And then they are so shftless and no.