The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1884-04-05
SKILLED LABORERS.


A MECHANIC DECLARES THERE
is NO DEMAND FOR THEM,
And SAYS that More Good Workmen go
Away from North Caroiins ns. than .@ C9.e
STAY.
To THE CHRONICLE II see from some of
our State papers that we are very much
in need of g skilled labor" / can't see
any demand for it yet. There may be "a
day coming" and lam confident viii come,
when such will be the case, but / think
that our papers are somewhat in er-
ror just now. I, myself, could name
dozen or more young men of North Caro-
lima, and even of Raleigh, who have been
forced to leave the State because they
were skilled workmen, and could not at
ford to work for 81 .25 per day and deduct
for bad weather. The mystery is, how
some of them manage to live at all
will try and state the case as it is In the
first place, there is no general demand yet
in our State for skilled labor. In the sec
ond place, those having such work done as
will require that kind of labor only wish
to pay the price of common laborer Tor
it.
know men III this city, and could name
them, who are pretty fair w0rkmen, and
who only receive from - 90 to q. 20 peF
day, and in bad weather have nothing TO
do They are sometimes men of five, six
and even more in family, and they pay
from $6. 90 to $40. 90 per month for house
rent Say they have employment all the
year round at $3.50 per week, (Which is
more than they receive) and we will see
how they come out. He pays $500 per
week house rent his general provisions,
of the coarset kind, (bulk meat and beans,
not allowing one cent for marketing) will
cost a family of four persons So. 90 at star
walton rates. This takes $500 out of his
hard learned wages Then comes dollar
load of wood to cook those 'dainties," to
say nothing of the wood for the fireplace
Then his oil for lamp, and his chewing to-
bacco, will run it up to $3.50. His wife
does all the cooking, ironing, washing,
&C., which saves him about $500, which
would otherwise have sunk him.
But he buys his youngest boy pair OF
''Penitentiary shoes" for $3.50, which
runs him in debt 81. 90. And the doctor,
who attended poor little Henry when he
died, runs in regulation" bill for $32,
and the poor man feels like committing
suicide So far as books, papers, clothes,
&c. are concerned, he has none.
If YOU want 'sskilled" labOrer from
New England to come down and help us
enjoy these Injuries, show him this pic
ture. and he will prudently ''wait for
further developments. This picture is
not overdrawn. If you can find me-
chanic in the city of Raleigh who will say
SO, will give you ten dollar bill, and
do without sugar and coffee for the next
year to pay it.
The reason for this is plain: There is
no regular system of labor in the State
4ho Sfof0
We have to compete with the Negro, and
be is in many cases given the preference
because, as some employers have said,
they can 'ssay what they choose to him.
He will sstake more" than a white man.
And vet we get drunk and "whOop-up"
such men on the day of election !!
Now let us look on the New England
mechanic. He gets from 1915 to 80. SO
per day He pays $500 per week rent for
neat rooms in tenament house, which
has water works and all necessary con-
veniences. He gets his clothing 25 per
cent cheaper and if he prefers it he can
have his meals sent from restaurant close
by almost as cheap as we can buy wood IN
Raleigh at $4.OO per cord and cook 1t,
where, in sixty miles of the city, on
railroad. the same wood can be bought for
ten cents per cord [See advertisement
in THE STATE CHRONICLE of some time
since. He can buy coal cheaper than we
in Raleigh can haul the wood six miles
from town if it was given to us. 1t any
of his family are sick and he has no money,
there are city dispensaries, where not even
the medicine costs him anything. In sum-
mer he can buy ice for ] of cent per
pound He can spend whole day pic
nicing in summer with his entire family
for three or four dollars 1t will cost us
that much to get out Of sight of the First
Baptist Church steeple.
When Christmas comes all the children
have Santa Claus, and the ''old man" gets
as ssfull as tick" There are also chances
for eyery individual member of the family
to work at something.
Yet we want him to come down here
and walk two miles to dinner through tht
hot sun or red mud. The skilled mar
can't see it. I know all this from per
sonal observation in New England.
We will now return home. If the Ne
gro is an Inferior workman, he can alst
live on less. And yet the South woul6
not do well without him, and the Nortl
gain nothing by his acquisition. But th'
: day is coming when there viii be no com
petition in labor between the races-the.
will see themselves in the same boat, ant
realize that "long pull, strong pull
ana pun aiLOgetneT, Is HeceSSary io1 III
salvation of both. The school system i
bringing this about as fast as can be
When you educate man you multipl.
his necessities, and when Necessity knock
at the door Prejudice flies out the win
dow
In confirmation of this last assertion
will state that within the last two month
mixed union of brick-masons and plas
: terers has been fully organized in thi
city. Mr. John Weir, representativ
workman and contractor, seeing it to, hi
interest as well as that of the workme
he employs, projected and organized thi
union, and the workmen very properl
elected him president. Before this the
had no stated wages nor any system c
work, but they would not have average
all around over 81 .25 per day. Now the
have three classes of workmen-first, sex